#going to clone myself three times and then kill myself separately in front of each non-ducati factory
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
batsplat · 16 days ago
Note
official pecco/jorge edit courtesy of sky italy for you https://www.tumblr.com/verdemint/766560699064467456/just-skysport-ita-doing-ship-edits-for-pecco-and
(link) yayyyyy THANK YOU for sending... I love official rivalry edits... love how much effort they put into this... some very nice smooth cutting between them racing in moto3 and motogp... the bit with the instagram posts... slay
man I'm gonna MISS them as title rivals... I have increasingly realised this year that. y'know. I absolutely get why jorge went to aprilia, it's a choice I do have a lot of time for, but it is also a massive shame one of the most fun riders on the grid has absolutely nuked his own competitiveness for the foreseeable future. the aprilia looks SO awful my god, I know they do this every year towards the end of the season but that is NOT a serious operation. but it was a fun rivalry with pecco!! I find it fun how they have that undercurrent of tension paired with a determination to Keep Things Civil. when jorge was faffing about behind pecco on-track at sepang in practise and pecco massively slowed down and ignored him, obviously that is objectively Bad and I do think it should probably be penalised, but... well, it was also funny, made me grin, that's a great dynamic they've got going on. let them be silly idk. the whole strangers with memories thing they've got going on, where they really did know each other but have also very much grown apart... good stuff
and AND I love how much jorge clearly wants to beat pecco specifically. I have this theory I aired in private messages at the start of the year but YOU KNOW WHAT, I stand by it - I think jorge might be the only guy on the grid who gets more excited at the prospect of beating pecco than marc. it's great for pecco that he has a guy who is SO focused on him!! proper tunnel vision!! obviously there's a lot of stuff that comes together there. how pecco was always a step ahead of him as they progressed through the ranks... how he's on the factory team, the golden boy, the one who jorge keeps chasing... jorge might not hate pecco but he DOES have a lot of resentment reserved for ducati, and inevitably that twists into the dynamic with pecco - because he's their guy, the guy they will always choose over him. idk!! title rival tunnel vision is always a good thing and pecco kind of deserves a designated rival who really wants to beat HIM. sure, marc's an eight time world champion, but pecco is jorge's peer. that's jorge's ultra special rival!! pecco SHOULD have a guy who's a bit weird about him. as a treat
anyway yeah I'm admittedly not massively hype for the title decider. I'm just a bit burnt out on racing icl, season's too long. and also this type of title decider isn't THAT exciting because it's, y'know, more or less wrapped up but also not so wrapped up you really get to focus on anything else that weekend. also icl catalunya is one of my absolute favourite tracks, I really do adore it, but I'm not sure I adore it in these weather conditions. so mostly I just hope they all make it out safe, which is generally not what I want my primary emotion to be headed into a race weekend. but hopefully we'll get a few fun rivalry moments!! if pecco's mentor showed us anything, it's that racing at catalunya should be all about dramatic duels with your rivals. go out there and have some fun imo (but please be careful)
9 notes · View notes
madmiriam · 4 years ago
Text
My Mando (Din Djarin) /oc's backstory idea (includes alot of rexsoka shipping)
Warning!! : I can't spell for toffee and Tumblr deleted all of my proofreaders edits. Obviously she doesn't want to do it all over again so I've had to make do.
Tumblr media
(a clan of three by madmiriam (Me)
We all love the mandalorian, Din Djarin is so sexy as single dad and we all love him for it. But this makes it hard to write and engageing original character to go with this perfect specimen of a man, one that we can really connect with. Well I have a salutation, to connect with a character it helps if that character is also connected to a character/characters that you already know and love. So I give you my original character Jaig.
Look:
Like the picture above, originally I wasn't going to have Din and Grogu in it at first but I have a habit of making life difficult for myself, so your welcome.
Personality:
As an adult, she's calm and patient and has a sarcastic sense of humour.
As a child, she has a bubbly personality, a contagious smile, and an insatiable curiosity.
Strengths:
she finds it difficult to truly hate anyone, no matter what they've done, she proffers to look at the reasons behind the actions of others before jumping in for revenge, that's not to say she doesn't get angry at people, but her anger is not fuelled by hate. She has been fully trained in the use of weaponry, such as guns, granaids and other such, and has had a small amount of training with a lightsaber when she was younger. But afters a experiencing a tragedy at the age of 9 she hasn't touched one since, she proffers the us of DC hand guns. She is also a fairly good pilot and mechanic.
Weaknesses:
back when she was a child she had a hard time using the force when when overwhelmed. If the thoughts and feelings of others got to much, she would become force blind. When she grows older, (for certain reasons you will find out later on in. This story) she completely cuts herself off from the force. Unless her emotions get to much go handle, then the force would almost explodes out of her. She also doesn't do well when she's alown. Having grown up in various large family atmospheres. If she is not around people she cares about and loves, she will become closed off a dipressed.
Back story: (now bear with me, this storyline is set before she meets Din, its just an introduction to this character)
Jaig (due to her small Jaig eye like markings, and her father's personal connection to the simble) is the daughter of ex jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano and her mate/husband Captain Rex. She looks mostly human like her father, with the same amber eyes and his family's dark hair. But with the same facial structure of her mother, and a slightly darker and olive tinged skin tone. She also has distinct white making that were almost identical to her mother's. Except instead of diamond shapes on her forehead, she has jaig eye like markings. She was born 6 years after the clone wars ended, while her parents were on the run from the empire. Rex and Ahsoka had found it impossible to part from one another after the events of order 66, and after travelled from place to place avoiding the empire for a long time. Their feelings for one another grow, and they eventually married through the use of mandalorian marriage vows.
They built a home in the stars, and after a few years, to their great surprise and happiness they conserved and had Jaig. Things were finally looking up with the birth of their new found hope for the future.
Tumblr media
(Their new found hope for the future/baby Jaig by madmiriam (me)
But it was not to last. It was hard enough to hide themselves, a clone and a ex jedi from the empire. But now adding a force sensative baby to the mix as well, it made it damn near impossible for them all to stay together. Which; after a terrifying encounter with one of the Empires Inquisitors, forced them to make the difficult decision to part ways. Rex would head off insearch for a new home and hopefully find and de-chip as many brothers as he could. While ahsoka would keep traveling around the stars with Jaig. Avoiding the empire and its ruthless inquisitors, whilst trying to help Jaig build up her Shields. They both agreed to keep in touch and once Jaig's Shields were up and safely secure,(which for the average youngling would take 5 years or so) they would rejoin each other and dicided what to do next. But a year after their separation Rex's comms and messeges had stopped all together, and by the time Jaig had reached the age of five and had built up some suitable shields around her mind, neither she or her mother had herd from her father in over 4 years. Her mother was adament he was still alive, but as she grew older Jaig had a hard time believing her. For if he was alive why hadn't he come to find them? Why was he not answering her mothers messages that she still sent on a regular basis?
By the time she was 6 her mother was approached by Bail Organa, in regards to starting a rebellion, and that is what they spent the next 4 years working towards, staying in the shadows gradually building up a resistance to eventually overthrow the empire.
She and her mother met the ghost crew when she was 9 (the same age Anakin had been when he was found by qui gon) and after an uncomfortably close encounter with a mysterious Sith lord called Darth Vader, Jaig's mother disided it was time to bring her father into the fold, and sent Jaig of with the ghost crew to find Rex.
When meeting her father she had opted to wear a scarf to cover her face markings and, chose to withhold her name, and who she was until she found out more about the man who was her father. She was apprehensive about him. As she had no memorie of her dad, for she was only a baby when he left. The only thing she did have, was this warm comforting feeling that she felt whenever her mother spoke of him. A feeling of being held to a large ferm chest in two equally large and ferm muscular arms. Wrapped in a soft wool blanket. Her mother told her that this was the force making an imprint on one of the more emotional moments of her like. But all the same, she proffered to be cautious.
After spending some time with Rex and his bothers. She found her self really enjoying there company. Aspecially her father's. Who dispite having no idea who she was, had already shown that he had a clear paternal instinct. Particularly when teaching her and Ezra how to fish for "Big Bongo". However Kanan who clearly didn't trust Rex or his brothers had spent most of his time hovering around ether her or Ezra protectively, eventually telling them about his exspirence with order 66, an event her mother never talked about.
After seeing the heartbreak on her father's eyes at the memories he and Kanan spoke of. She desided it was time to tell him who she was. But that decision was cut short however when she overheard Rex telling Ezra that he wasn't going to come back with them. Even though he now knew her mother was alive (1 year after separating when the message's stopped he thought both his wife and child to be dead) Jaig ran of in tears when hearing this. She climbing down the ladder of the the AT-TE and walked ferther in front of the walking monstrosity. Away from everyone else. She had finally gotten used to the idea of her father coming back with them. Had become exited by it even. But now, the fact that he was refusing to come with them. Back to his home, his wife, to her. It hurt and overwhelmed her, more than she could say.
She didn't however see what happened after. When Sebine came out and acused Rex of selling them out, of contacting the empire and never answering Ahsoka's messages; at which point he finds out about how Wolfe had withheld all the messages from Ahsoka for 8 years. Thinking he was protecting his brothers from a potentially vengeful jedi. Rex was furious at Wolfe for hiding his own wife's messages to him, and coursing him to miss so much of his only child's life.
Rex: "we have a daughter Wolfe!!! My Jaig, my baby girl doesn't even know who I am because of you!!!"
Wolfe:(was shocked and full of regret when hearing this) "I.. I.. Didn't know... Rex I'm sorry, I didnt know"
Ezra:(recordnises the name) "wait Jaig? you meen our Jaig, Jaigs your daughter?"
Rex: "wait what?"
At this point they hear a shrill scream coming from down in front of the AT-TE. It was Jaig, she was being attact by the prob droid that had been sent by the empire.
The clones immediately go into action. Rex is handed a rifle and gets ready to shoot the prob as it backs his daughter into the ground. His ames and shoots true, killing the droid with one foul shot and then quickly dashes down to retrieve his daughter from under the sparking remains of the droid.
Jaig is in hysterics at this point. Having been taken by surprise by the droid along with the emotional turmoil of potentially losing her father all over again. She then resigned herself to just sit there and cry over how foolish she was for even seeing the attack coming. But now she was being held in the familiar strong arms of her father as he held his only child for the first time in over 8 years.
Rex: "I'm here sh shh, I'm here Ik'aad senaar (baby bird, a nickname he gave her as an infant) daddy's here, daddy's got you"
He says carefully stocking her familiar dark brown hair (that was now flowing free as her scarf had fallen loosely around her shoulders, revealing her beautiful face to her father who's eyes were now brimming with unshed tears) to calm her down as he picking her up and takes her back to the AT-TE. Where the others are waiting with bated breaths. Wolfe was holding a blanket out to wrap his shacking niece into and Gregor quickly dashing off to get her a hot chocolate hoping to make her feel better.
Jaig: "I was angry. Upset. You said you weren't coming home and, then everyone felt so angry and scared all at once. It was to much. (sighs) I have a hard time controling the force when I get overwhelmed like that. I couldn't even sence the prob. I'm. I'm sorry"
She exsplans after she sits down and has a few sips of the hot chocolate that had been placed in her hands. Accompanied a number of comforting back rubs from both her father and her uncles.
Wolfe apologies to her. Explains that he's the reason her father had been out of her life for so long. That he was just trying to protect his brothers but ended up hurting his other family because of it. And tells her he understands if she hates him.
Jaig: "your Wolfe aren't you? Uncle Wolfe? Mum (she has a slight clone like accent that they haven't noticed before) told me about you, said you worked with Grandpa Plo"
Wolfe: 😳"Grandpa Plo? 😂 Boy he would have loved to have herd you say that"
He said, both of them smile at each other, Jaig having forgiven her uncle for his laps in judgment.
All seemed well again until the empire calls them back to get the clones to hand over the rebels. The clones now fueled by the new found need to keep their new family out of harms way, tells the empire where they can stick it, and quickly try to usher the ghost crew along with Jaig into the phantom so they can escape While they all get ready to fight.
Jaig: "but I just found you, mum told me to bring you home, I can't leave you behind, da.. Please don't go"
She says clutching at his shirt as he huged her tight before holding her out to face him,
Rex:"no one's abandoning anyone. Jaig look at me (tilting her head to look. Into her eyes, eyes that matched her father's) we're soldiers Ik'aad senaar, this is what we were born to do, but this time we have something to fight for.. Its going to be OK, (presses his forehead against hers) I love you my Jaig eyes, I've loved you from the I first held you. Ha you were so tiny. I didn't want to let you go back then and I don't want to do it again now, but like last time it's something I have to do, to keep you safe, my Ik'aad senaar, (kissed her forhead lovingly) tell your mother I'm sorry I couldn't make it home, and... And I love her ok."
He says before sending her back into the phantom, closing the door behind her before she can stop him.
Things then pan out like it does in the show, the phantom goes back to help the clones take down the walkers and Rex then decides he's not gonna spend any more of time away from Ahsoka and Jaig and choses to return with them and join the rebellion.
The reauion between Rex and Ahsoka continues the same, but insted of just a hug Ahsoka goes in for the kiss (how it should have always been in my opinion).
Tumblr media
(this art work was done by @nottonyharrison (please note: this image was used with the permission of the artist,) please go check them out, as you can see their art work is stunning)
They spend most of there time with the ghost crew, Ahsoka makes the Ghost her base to return to after missions, and Rex teaching combat and war strategies to both Ezra and Jaig, but mostly to Ezra, Jaig was; in his opinion still to young to get to deep into the oncoming war.
Rex:"let her be a kid for a little longer at least".
Jaig and Ezra had eventually become good friends, Jaig looking up to him as something of an older brother, following him every where he went like a little shadow. At first Ezra was annoyed, and try to get away from her at every turn. But after a while he found he quite like having someone look up to him for a change. As before her, he had been dubed the baby of the group with the most to learn. But now he had Jaig hanging on his evey word like it was gold. He found he enjoyed the new found responsibility.
Unfortunately with her shadowing Ezra so much. This meant she got into all kinds of trouble with him. Trouble that mostly involved them running down the corridor with an angry Zeb chasing after them. Zeb really didn't seem to like Jaig very much. Said it was like having two Ezras, and one was quite enough. However other trouble also included a short but terrible trip to malachor, where after being told she can't come along she choses to stow herself away on the phantom in the small rashon hold built into the floor, shielding her mind from her mother as they flow through space.
Ahsoka: (on a call to Rex) "well I definitely out rank you😉... 😟How Jaig doing?"
Rex: "welp she's not happy, she gone and hidden herself in one of thoughs little critter caves again, I'm making her favorite tonight so I know she'll show up by dinner time, but all the same😔..."
Ahsoka: "hay don't take it to heart Rex, you and I both know this is how she deals with being left behind for anything, she finds a small place to hide and sulk it out, just be ready with a plate of nuna and a hug and she bounces right back😄🙁 when she comes out tell her I love her, and I'll be home soon"
Rex: "I will🙂😟... May the force be with you" they hang up.
It's Ezra who ends up finding her, just after they land. Pointing her out to a stressed out Kanan and a very cross Ahsoka,
Ezra: "ummm guys, I think we have a stowaway",
Jaig: "before you get mad..... consider being proud of me, I stayed still for hours in there AND I shielded my mind the whole time, so you non of you even knew I was there"
Ahsoka: "DON'T push it young lady😠what were you thinking!! Your fathers gonna be worried sick!!!! 😤😔 welp since there's no turning back now, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get you back home and thoroughly grounded for a year"
The rest again plays out the same, they find Maul, Maul blinds Kanan, they get the sith holocromb but lose Ahsoka in the fight with Vader, though after seeing Jaig who looks so much like the little snippy girl from his old life, the Anakin in Vader hasitates to kill ahsoka and her child, and insted trys to convince the unwavering togruta to join him with her daughter.
Vader:"the galaxy shall never be safe for her Ahsoka, join me and I can protect her from the emperor. Join me and we can over throw him... Together"
Ahsoka: "how can I trust anything you say. If you were truly Anakin then how can you protect my daughter when you can't even protect yourself"
Jaig: "MUM!!!! MUUUMMMM!!!"
Ahsoka looks at her daughter running to her as the walls of the sith temple come down,
Ahsoka :"I'm sorry Jaig"
She say quietly as she force pushes he child into Ezra outside the temple as it fall around her and Vader out of the site of her family.
When all is quiet and Vader emerges from the rubble, after failing to find his former apprentice, the Anakin in him vows that he will not fail her child, he will do everything in his power to insure his master never find her, even if he has to hide her away himself to do it.
When Kanan, Ezra and Jaig return to base, Rex is in hysterics asking around.
Rex:"have you seen Jaig? Has anyone seen my baby?, its been over two days.. I can't find her..!!."
Jaig:"DADDY!!! 😭"
Rex turns to see her running out of a newly landed phantom in tears. Now knowing exactly where she'd been he quickly runs to her and scoops her up in his arm clucking her close to his chest in relief that she was home.
Rex:"you.. Are going to be the death of me, hey sh shshsh hey, hey what's the tears? what happen? where's your..? ."
Tumblr media
(a father's comfort, ruff drawing by madmiriam (me)
He couldn't finish the sentence as he looked around and sure two other people emerging from a now empty ship, neither one of them was his wife. Ezra looked him in the eyes and with out saying a word, he knew. He knew Ahsoka, his Ahsoka was gone. He closed his eyes, sheding one silent tear as he held his girl tighter, and slowly carried her away, away from the crowd, but not away from the heartache.
After the loss of her mother, Jaig's once bubblie personality had diminishes somewhat. She refuses to leave the side of eather her father or the members of the ghost crew. She goes on a few missions with them and liston to every word her father says about ways of fighting, fighting to protect herself and the people she loves. Before heading to a mission on geonosis he gives he one of his old DCs. (its twin had been lost in battle during the clone wars and he had gotten a replacement pear, but he had always kept his first well maintained in case he ever needed it)
Rex: "I know it's no lightsaber, but if will keep you and the others safe when used properly"
Jaig: "I don't want a lightsaber any more, 😔sabers get you killed"
Rex: " not all of them Ik'aad senaar" he sighs kissing her forehead "not all of them".
But even this would not last. When it came time for the empire to attack chopper base. Vader sends his own secret troops of undercover purge troopers to find and retrieve Jaig, and to also fake her death so both the empire and the rebels would not come looking for her. This of corse left Rex in his lowest point yet. After watching the ship he had put his daughter on to be evacuated blow up before it even left the ground. He found it hard to not simply drop all his defences and just calming walk into the flames after her. If it hadn't been for Zeb he probably would have. These kind of thoughts invaded his mind so frequently after that day, it was hard to remember when they didn't. He had lost both his wife and now his child. His hope and his reason for fighting were gone, and he wanted to go after them. But he couldn't. Not while there were still people to fight out there, the people who took everything for him and was still grabbing for more. People who his wife started this whole rebellion to fight against. No, he would keep fighting, as long as there is still even one imperial still left alive he would live and fight, until every last one of then were wiped out of existence. (that's gonna take a while)
Meanwhile Vader and Jaig finally meet properly face to mask. Jaig is having a hard time counselling her fear. But Vader was also having difficulty concealing his pain. Pain that had lingered since the moment he had emerged from that crumbled down sith temple, with no sign in the force or otherwise of his once padawan,. The last family he thought he had, that had not betrayed him, who had(once she had seen his face underneath his freshly cracked mask) said she wouldn't leave him, not again. But she had left him, not by her own design he knew, but she had left him all the same. And she had also left a child behind, a child like the one Padme would have given him if it weren't for both the sith and the jedi.
The jedi, who had forced his hand in turning to the dark side, by telling him he should just let Padme die for the good of the galaxy. The jedi who had abandoned his padawan, his little sister, his first child (if he could go so far as to say) in her time of need, and then exsept her to come back all smiles, acting as though her whole ordel was just a trial to prove herself to them. When it was them who should be providing themselves to her.
And the sith,. The sith who had manipulated him from day one to become what he is now, the sith who had taken every thing he had, his wife, his child, his brother/father figer, his little sister/daughter and his friends. The clones. His home all gone for the sake of his masters new empire😡. Yes he new this had been his master's plan all along, the war the clones, the inhibitor chips. All to gane more and more power for himself and to distroy the jedi in his wake. Dragging Anakin down into the darkness with him, and he would do the same thing to Jaig given the chance. Vader could feel the raw power of the force rolling of her, the energy mix with her fear would be a prime canderdate for Sidious's manipulation, should he ever discover her existence.
No!!! That would not happen, neither the sith or the jedi would have her, he would not alow it.
Jaig:"I know who you are.. I know what you did... You tryed to turn my mother before killing her, but you wouldn't turn me, you hear me, I.. Will.. Not... Turn"
She says her voice shacking with her body in fear.
Vader:"no... You will not..."
Jaig: "then why am I here? I haven't done anything to make you hate me.... At least... I don't think I have"
Vader:"I do not hate you Jaig, like your mother, much to my masters great..... disappointment... I could never hate you"
It was true. He couldn't hate her. Couldn't bring himself to hate her. But he couldn't love her either. He had no more love left in him to give. But he could protector for the sake of someone he had loved.
Jaig: confused "then.. Then please let me go, I won't tell anyone if that's what your worried about, I just want to go home, I want my dad, please I just want my daddy😰"
Vader: "you father's fate is.... Regrettable. However it is a necessary evil, it is emperative that he believes you to be dead"
Jaig: "why what did he do to you? what did any of my parents ever do to you?!"
Vader: "as shocking as it may sound, these actions are not done out of hate. You will know this soon enough but for now, I must focus on getting you as far away and as hidden as possible" he then calls in a trouper with red and black armor.
Vader: "CC-2224 I trust your men are ready"
Cody: "ready and awaiting orders.. Sir"
Cody says through gritted teeth not bearing to even look at his once general's masked face.
Vader:"good, I trust the surgery was a success for all of them?"
Cody: "yes.. Sir.. Though we are all having adjustment issues due to recent ... and.... less recent events"
Vader: "thoughs... issues.... had better not interfere with the performance of your mission commander, you and your men have been chosen for one reason and one reason only, and it is for your loyalty to her safety. I can feel your hatred for me commander Cody (Cody inhails sharply at the sound of his name) but I also know enough about you and your brother's to know that they will not let this anger get in the way. I trust you all know the consequences that await you should you fail"
He ignites his blood red saber to put more emphasis on his point.
Cody:"yes sir"
Vader:"very well, now take her and go, and protect her with your life, I shall make my own way back to base as some as I can, her training with began immediately after my return, so be sure to proper her, but until then you already know what to do".
Cody noded before walking over to Jaig, then bent down and gently but fermly lifts her out of her seat, and quickly carry her out of the cell, down the hall and, through the, docking Station towards a unmarked referbished gunship.
Jaig: "where are we going? "
She said with a soft whimper. She was relieved to be away from Vader but still felt apprehensive with the idea of being taken away yet again in the arms of this.. Purge trooper, at lest she thinks it's a purge trooper, she had never seen one before so she could only guess.
Cody: "sh sh it's gonna be OK little one, I'm taking you some were safe, but we have to hurry now"
Jaig:"why?"
Cody: "no one on this ship other than Vader knows we're here and we have to keep it that way kid"
Jaig:"why would you need to hide from your own men"
Cody:"cuz you never know whos watching, I'll explain more when we get off this ship and into hyperspace"
Once they were on board the gun ship, that had been modified to acomidate long period space travel. The modifications included everything from comfortable seating to a working hyperdrive. Cody set her down in one of the seats and strapped her fermly in before heading to the cockpit, leaving her now surrounded by four more purge troopers (hardcase, fives, dogma and waxer, who I'm gonna say lived, cuz I have attachment issues, boil is in the cockpit piloting the ship) who are all looking at her intensely through their helmets. (hardcase and fives are in borrowed discises, after Fives finds out about the chips he and hardcase desert the army and decide to strike out on their own to try and find out more about the chips and their perpose, unfortunately they were too late to do anything about it before oder 66 happened. They have been on the run ever since, until Vader aproches them, informing them that he has been keeping tabs on them, and had been insuring the empire believes them both to be dead, and tells them of the mission, they agree to help because it's Rex and ahsoka's daughter they'll be protecting, but only under the condition the they only report to a de-chipped Cody and all other clones included in the mission must also be de-chipped as well. Vader had agreed to this as he was going to have their chips all removed anyway, to prevent any itchy trigger fingers being near his new force sensative)
Once they're in hyperspace Cody returns to the main area of the gun ship, where the other clones are crowed around a frightened looking Jaig
Waxer: "is this her? Wow she looks so much like her mum"
Fives: "she has our eyes though, our wonderfully handsome eyes"
hardcase: "and out hair, Ha!! I knew Rex's hair wasn't naturally blonde😂"
Dogma:" technically Hardcase, her hair being brown isn't proof that his is to, she could have just gotten the hereditary Jango gen of dark hair"
Fives:"aww suck the fun out of it why don't you"
Cody: "guys back up, give her some space, your freaking her out, and take off your buckets, I don't think they're helping"
When their buckets were removed Jaig was shocked to see five versions of her father's face looking down at her, all old and a little worse for where's, but all very much clone. She recordnises three of them from her father's holopad.
Jaig: "Fives?"
Fives:😃 "yeah! Yeah kid, that's me your☝️ Uncle Fives (he kneals down taking her hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze, before turning to Cody) she recordnised me first that must kill you😁"
Cody: 😠 "only cus you have a, dirty great 5 on your forehead You Di'kut"
He said before knealing down in front of her
Cody:"hey kid, sorry I couldn't introduce myself earlier, I'm your.."
Jaig:"Uncle Cody"
Cody:😁 "yeah kid (to Fives) SEE!! over there are your uncles Dogma, Waxer, Hardcase and back there in the cockpit is your uncle Boil, I know your probably not used to this many of us, but there's more we're we came from where we're going, though they live un a different fasilaty to ours, but every single one of them would be whiling to keep you safe if they knew. So you don't have to worry, we're not gonna let anything happen to you"
Jaig "but Vader.."
Cody: (places both hand at the side of her head and looks her dead in the eyes) "isn't going to TUCH you, not if we have anything to say about its, he may be our sponser, and he will be coming round every so often to check on you and train you. But you'll have several hundred or so uncles on the planet ready and waiting with fully loaded blasters should he ever try to hurt you, us 6 especially as we're the only clones there that know about you yet and we're gonna be living under the same roof, as you and one of us will always be close by to help you. OK kid, it's all gonna be ok (he says hugging her) your safe now"
Jaig: "but I don't want to be trained by Vader, I said I wouldn't turn and I meant it"
Cody: "it's alright, its alright. The one thing Vader has assured us of, is it he will not be training you in the dark side. And judging by the amount of effort he's putting into keeping you hidden, I'm inclined to believe him. He told us that you must block your self off from the force, what ever that means. Which is what he's going to show you how to do. Apparently it's the only way to keep the emperor off your scent. But like I said, one of us is always gonna be there should he try anything"
Fives:"yeah we'll look out for you kid, I know you miss your dad, and we're pretty poor substitutes, but we're here for you all the same"
Hardcase:"and we're not leaving anytime soon"
Dogma: "well not if we can help it"
Jaig "but where are we going?"
Cody: smile "to the closest thing we clones have to a home... Kamino"
Kamino had changed over the years, once the emperor had ordered to stop to any more clones creation. The cloning fasilaties had been abandoned by the kaminoans, along with all the rest of the untrained cadets who were all shipped of to the mustafa system to be trained and bred as the empires elite force of purge troopers.
The cloning facilities were left to the old now retired clones, to live out their days away from civilisation, many now wolowing in sadness and regret for their actions under the influence of their now un activated inhibitor chips.
The place Jaig and her other uncles were heading, was just a few hundred miles of from the main cloning compound. It had been kitted out with everything they might need, weaponry, shields, a food station, bedrooms, a bunkhouse, a training ground, and a shooting range. The only beings abord were now the clones, Jaig, the cook and the maintenance crew, well I say crew, it consisted of one male Ugnaught named Kuiil and three droid assistants whom he had reprogrammed to help with any and all clean up and maintenance duties.
Jaig would continue to live out there with her uncles for the next 5 years. They would go on to train her with any and all things clone, weaponry, though she had learnt a lot of that from her father's teachings, and the language and teachings of the mandalorian. The boys were insistent that she learn all of what little they knew of their heritage, as they were all descended from Jango, who was of mandolor. Any clone would tell you how proud the clones were of this heritage, and now they had someone to pass it all down to. They even taught Jaig the mandalorian wars songs that they had all learnt as cadets, and the Clone Haka, that had been performed by many clone troops over the years, before battle,. Much to the confusion and quite frankly terror of the B1 battle droids who witnessed them.
Fives: "ha your mum was pritty good at this to"
Jaig: now 12" my mum knew the Haka? "
She said, trying to picture her calm and serene togrutan mother, chanting, stomping and banging her chest along side millions of clones Warriors, all while making different faces and throatle sounds at the droids on the other side of the battlefield.
Hardcase: "oh yeah!! She was a natural, always shouting the chant in her loudest voice and making her scariest war face, like this 🤪😜🤪"
Fives: "and that my dear Jaig, was when your father fell in love🥰"
Vader came over as often as he could spare, when he was sure he couldn't be directed be his master or that anyone following him. Teaching Jaig how to disconnect herself from the force, telling her that if she continues to use it, the consequences would be severe.
Vader:"if the employer was ever to discover you exsisens, he would hunt you down in an instant, and kill anyone who trys to hide you from him. This is why you must never use the force again, and you must never leave. If anyone outside this fasilaty were to learn of your existence, you would be in mortal danger, as would everyone you care about"
Jaig: "but why couldn't my dad come? You could have had both our deaths faked and brought him here with me"
Vader: sighed "he is to mixed up with the rebel alliance, and besides, it was his reaction that sold your death to the universe. A trick I learned from my old master...the hard way"
He said bitterly.
Jaig knew she should hate him, he had taken her from her home, her friends and family. He had taken her mother, and it was because of his foolish decision to trust, a maniac, power hungy, sith Lord, that her family were forced to live in the shadows, and her mother, and father were force into separation when she was just an infant. She didn't like him by any means, she frequently tryed to avoid his at any turn. But she still couldn't feel hatred for him.
Cody: "na that your mother in you, she was never one to hold much of a grudge ether. She got angry at people don't get me wrong but she never hated them. She cryed over the potential execution of a woman who had Framed her for Murder once. And had taken the time to give all her deceased troops, who had tryed to gun her down a funeral. Even though she and your father where now on the run from the empire"
Over the years living there, she became closer with her uncles, or at least most of them. She argued with Boil on an almost daily basis, but they had their moments, she told him and Waxer how she met Numa, who was still fighting for the freedom of her home. She had a difficult time connecting with Dogma. He was very distance from her and didn't talk much. However she did like listening to him read. Dogma who had been a stiff by the book solder his entire life, and had been through so much, found he secretly quite enjoyed the company of his niece. But she spent most of her training with Fives and Hardcase. Both clones always new how to make her smile and told her many stories of her parents during the war, stories not even her parents had told her, (though they never much liked talking about the war), and she had given them a new lease of life, and new perpose. She was probably closest with Cody, he had know her father since they were both cadets, and was determined to teach her everything he knew, but he also showed his softer side with her. There were many a time he would be seen walking down the corridor carrying the young girl who was really getting a bit to big to be held, in his arms fast asleep from a long day.
She had also become quite good friends with Kuiil the maintenance manger, she learnt that he was paying off his debt to the empire through prolonged servitude, he had been in many battles he didn't believe in, until Vader; after seeing his reprogramming skills had, offered him a place on this secret compound. Kuiil had also taken quite a shine to Jaig, she was kind, and eager to learn the inner workings of the machines he fixed.
But yet again, even this would not last. After the destruction of the First Death Star, Lord Sidious had been furious with Vader, he tortured and demoted him. But through his touture he discovered the existence of the child Vader had taken such lengths to keep hidden from him. And through this new information, he devised a plan.
To brake his apprentices even ferther, he would force him to chose, chose between the life of his padawans child, who he had swarn to protect, and the life of his son, that he did not yet know about. But unfortunately for the emperor, he did not bargain for the tactical brilliance of the Clones.
When the empire, came to take the now 15 year old girl, they had already divested their own escape plan. They sent Jaig along with Kuill over to the kaminoan cloning facilities, turned clone retirement home, before the empire even entered the atmosphere. There she was frozen in to carbonite and fastened to the inside of the newly alcoved underbelly of a small one-seater Y wing (to insure the if the empire should come across them she would be well hidden and undetected, Kuiils cover story being that he was delivering supplies to the clones) there Kuiil would then fly far away from any siverlized planet. While, the clones continued to fight and defend the compound as though she was still there, and then proceed to escape themselves, using an old subship left over from the battle of Kamino. But not before bowing the place sky high, making it seem like the empires had fired at the fewl tanks corsing the whole building to be destroyed along with anyone who was inside.
This was not the out come Sidious had wished for, however with the now almost certain death of his ward, Vader plunged ever ferther into the void of darkness and hate. So the desired effect Sideous was planning for was reached anyway.
After being unfrozen from carbonite, Jaig and Kuiil parted ways. She chose to for her father, but it became fruitless. Chopper base had long since been evacuated and the rebel alliance was always one step ahead of her in their attempts to avoid the empire. For 2 years she searched for them, and fought the Empire where she could, until she finally stopped, delving into the belief that what ever family she knew was now gone, she rejoined Kuiil on a deserted planet called Arvala-7, while the galaxy celebrated the fall of the empire. Where for the next 5 years they would both try to live out their lives in peace, working the land and carrying for blurgs, until a mandolorian arrives on their planet, looking for a little green bounty, which starts of a whole new adventure for our now Adult Jaig.
OK guys let me know how I did, and if you would like to see Jaig's adventures with Din Djarin and little green bean Grogu. Let me know. I'm not much of a writer,. But I always got so irratated when reading Din Djarin/oc fics where to make her interesting, they give the oc force powers, with either no build up to it, or she's a run away jedi, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of season 2 were they're trying to find the jedi, so I thought I'd write my own. I wanted to have a character that has both a clear connection to both the mandalorian culture and the force, without making her a mary su. She has a connection to the force. But she can't use it, or control it. Therefore she can't train Grogu to use it. Which would mean they'd have to find the jedi, to help him learn to control his powers. Plus I don't want to just giving her everything with no preplanned reason. So here is my preplanned reason. I know these short scenes and conversations don't really delve much into her personality but that's were you come in. Tell me what you think of her, and what you think she's like as an adult. I wrote a few things like her kind nature and her sarcastic humour. But I could do with some ideas on what you would like to see. Let me know, and...
May the 4th be with you,😉
35 notes · View notes
canyouhearthelight · 4 years ago
Text
The Miys, Ch. 127
Annnnd a-one, and a-two, and a queue-queue-queue!
This chapter has one of my favorite things in the world to write - Interpersonal relationships (if you are surprised, I’m going to assume you are new here....).
Specifically, one of my biggest pet-peeves is when friends or siblings are written in a way that shows that the author doesn’t actually have any friends or siblings they are close enough to that all rules of societal politeness go whizzing into some far-off dimension as soon as they are in proximity.
When I get to write a chapter with such close friends/ersatz-siblings and also have @baelpenrose cackling and egging me on, it literally makes my whole day.
P.S: If anyone has wondered about the ages of the characters, several are clearly lined out in this chapter......
EDIT: Fixed some insane formatting issues.
“The food festival, Sophia? Really?” an incredulous voice asked before the door to my office even opened all the way.
I resisted the urge to scream, but did surrender to pinching the bridge of my nose and breathing slowly. “Hello, Arthur. Do come in. Long time no see.  Of course I’m not busy…” My one day each week to have a few hours to myself - no mentees, no assistant, even Tyche was off work….
“We saw each other last night when I came over for dinner after sparring with Conor, and  you’re never busy on Saturdays, Alistair makes sure of it.” He dragged a chair in front of my desk for what I felt was the sole purpose of putting his boots on my desk instead of the conference table.
“I thought you two didn’t even like each other, how did you - “
He waved a hand dismissively. “Enemy of my best friend’s enemy is my friend, that sort of thing. Anyway - “
“Did you just call me my own worst - “
“You are, let’s not pretend otherwise. Anyway.” Arthur arched an eyebrow at me and waited for any further objections, but I couldn’t think of any. “The Food Festival. It’s my one favorite tradition on this ship until armed combat becomes a spectator sport, and you are putting Parvati and Hannah in charge of it?”
After a beat pause to make sure he was done, I glared at him. “Everyone has asked me that, and I don’t understand the issue.  They’ve both helped in the past, even before they started training to replace me.  I’ve handed more and more off to them each time, and they did great! Plus, they have three months, it will be fi - Wait, why do you even care, Arthur?”
He held up one finger with the authority of a deity who would have smited me if he could. “One, Parvati Fletcher does not like mapo tofu. You do. Specifically, you like it from that one vendor who grows her own Sichuan peppercorns and uses them like they are an infinite resource. Two, I spend entirely too much time working with Zach Khan, and he won’t shut up about how stressed Hannah is. Three - “ I was seriously starting to get concerned he actually could smite me at this point - “As much as I love you in the most platonic way possible, you are an obsessive, compulsive perfectionist who insists on doing everything herself and running herself into the ground so that everyone else has the time of their lives. So why are you trusting this, the largest and oldest event on the Ark, entirely to other people?” Dropping his boots from the desk, he leaned forward, palms down until we were nearly nose to nose.
“Sophia Reid, I swear on any god I can kill if you are dying…”
“WHAT!?” I squawked, jerking back and standing so fast I knocked my chair over. “For the love of little fish, I’m not dying! I haven’t had a near death experience in four years, thank you.”
“Three, not counting the fact that there is a reason Alistair makes you drink anything through a straw anymore.”
“How did - Nevermind.” I shook my head and tried to focus on the topic at hand. “No, I’m not dying. Nor am I injured, having a midlife crisis, rethinking my life choices any more than I ever do, or so much as in possession of a stuffy nose.” Taking a deep breath, I rolled my eyes and started counting off before I could stop myself. “Conor and Maverick and I are fine. No, I’m not arguing with Tyche again. Yes, I’m still going to therapy. Else is fine. No new sentient plagues or rogue cult leaders that I’m aware of. Nor have I become immortal, queen of the universe, savior of humanity, pregnant by Noah, or possessed.” Carefully, I picked my chair back up and sat down.
“Good...to… know?” He gave me a funny look. “Who asked the most disturbing one?”
“Immortal or Savior of Humanity?” I asked for clarification. “Those were Maverick and Derek, respectively.”
The look only got worse. “I meant ‘pregnant by Noah’, but fascinating to see where your priorities lie….?”
“Oh. That was Charly.”
“Dammit,” he swore softly. “I had her pegged for ‘possessed’.”
“I’m pretty sure she is, but the suggestion that I am came from Tyche, on no fewer than 3 occasions, by 4 different entities. She seemed pretty hopeful that Else was potentially mind-controlling me in an effort to make me take a nap,” I admitted.
“That tracks.” A nod of approval prefaced the question I had been avoiding - successfully, thus far, I might add. “Now that you’ve ruled out every possible plausible reason that you would entrust this to literally anyone other than a clone of yourself, why?”
“Why what?” My face was composed in an expression of innocence so convincing that I probably deserved an Oscar.
“I can and will convince Charly to turn all your coffee to decaf, so help me, Sophia.”
Realizing that he was, legitimately, worried about me and at the limits of his usually-impressive patience, I held up my hands in surrender. “Fine. You get the scoop.  Please record this and send me the loop, so I can just flick it at people who ask, please?” When he nodded, I exhaled slowly.  “It is no secret to anyone that I never wanted this job. I made the mistake of establishing the Food Festival, which as you point out is the largest event of the cycle on the Ark - the last three years, literally everyone attended in some capacity.” When he opened his mouth to argue, I held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the Festival. What basically started out as a potluck because we were homesick and needed to meet - you know, the rest of humanity - is a huge, three day holiday.  It’s amazing!” I spun in my chair, arms flung wide for emphasis, before stopping to face him. 
“It also consumes my life, for months, to prepare for.  And that’s just implementing changes to make it more accessible so people don’t miss out! That doesn’t include adding things to make it more interesting or keep it from getting boring, or whatever. I literally don’t have time to do any of that!”
“So, you’re inflicting this on them instead?”
“Inflicting?” I snorted.  “Hardly. This is their final exam, their capstone project, their dissertation.  If they pull this off, I will gladly hand the entire office over to whoever is elected, cheerfully and knowing the Ark is in good hands.  But, they have to pull this off.  It’s the only major part of being Councilor of Resources and Relations that they haven’t done yet by themselves.”
He rubbed his face, looking somewhat impressed. “That’s honestly not what I was expecting.”
“I don’t think it ever is, honestly.” I shrugged at the question he glanced towards me. “For Evan, it was coordinating the weapons exhibitions.  Charly managed to pre-empt her own by designing more efficient aqueducts and filtration for when we reach Von - you know, the ones that also produce light?”
“Of course she would invent glow-in-the-dark plumbing. Who else?” Something caught up with him. “Evania Josue got away with planning an event? Seriously?”
“Oh, that’s right… you weren’t on Level One…” I murmured. When he only looked more confused, I clarified. “She was Maverick’s co-pilot when we needed people to pilot the Ark, which was not designed to pilot manually, via dead reckoning, using cameras pointed out the few viewports we have, for several weeks after the sensors were sabotaged.”
“She was whose co-pilot?”
“You really never heard this story? You practically live with seven people who were there…”
“Usually I get the bits about ‘Sophia nearly got her brains bashed out’ and ‘that traitorous bitch’, then start tuning out while I try to decide what it would take to get Charly to teach me necromancy… If Evan was the co-pilot, then why is Maverick….”
“Not in line to replace any Councilors? Arthur, we know that would be a disaster for him.”
He nodded reluctantly. “Your younger partner is a nice boy.”
“For fuck’s sake, he’s thirty seven!” I groaned.
“Nice man, whatever,” he waved off. “Which is exactly what I would like for you as a partner. You need nice partners, and blunt siblings. But I see what you mean about him being a Councilor… he’d be miserable.”
“What was yours?” I asked mischievously, dropping my chin onto my hands.
That earned me a flat stare, until he finally surrendered when I didn’t flinch. “The Twentieth/Early Twenty First History curriculum.”
“Seriously?” That had literally been the first thing he had done when Eino tapped him as a possible successor.
“I didn’t budge on points even he admitted he would have, out of fear of offending people.”
“Which is a fear you very much lack,” I pointed out.
“The truth is the truth. Coating it in sugar only makes it taste worse.” He shrugged nonchalantly before suddenly looking dangerously like he was thinking again. “There’s two of them.”
“Yes, Arthur. Hanna and Paravati are, in fact, two distinct and separate women-type-lady-people.”
“Thank you, Fee, I was well aware.” I suppressed a growl at the nickname - he knew I hated it. “I meant, only one can win the election, smartass.”
“Better to be a smartass than a dumbass,” I muttered.
“Sophia, you are forty five. Please grow up just a hair?”
“Tyche doesn’t want to be HR forever, you know.”
That brought his mind to a visibly screeching halt. “Wait, what?”
“What what?” I asked. “She does it because she is phenomenal at it, but it isn’t her passion.  She only stuck around as long as she did to make sure I didn’t trip over a chair and brain myself while I was at work.  When I’m gone, she’s gone, loser take the spoils.”
He whistled softly before shaking his head. “It’s bizarre to think of you two retiring around the same time I’m just starting the position.”
“I’ll have been a Councilor for a decade when I step down,” I pointed out.  I almost included unless I die first, but that never seemed to be as funny as I thought it was.
“But you aren’t that much older than me,” he sighed dramatically. “Anti-aging technology is frustrating.”
“Annnnd this is a natural extension of your career, with a ten year break thereabouts the middle.”  My grin was so bright it made him scowl before I finally got a begrudging smile.  “Think of it as getting elected head of the school board.”
The groan he let out probably echoed for several levels throughout the ship. I had basically just pointed out that he was becoming that which he most hated.
Or not. He seemed to recover with a gleam in his eye. “Pfft. Dean of Students, at the very least.”
<< Prev   Masterlist  Next >>
51 notes · View notes
hoodoo12 · 4 years ago
Text
Elegy (1/6)
What follows is a story of Miss Argentina and Beetlejuice and how their own personal issues keep them locked in their own private hells. Contains smut and angst. It was done as a rp between @clairjohnson and myself. NSFW. Beetlejuice/Miss Argentina. Beej is a combination of movie and musical; Miss Argentina has contains hcs (such as her name and circumstances). Also contains minor mentions of OC Dante’s Inferno employees.  (Tagging people who have asked in the past. If you’d like to be tagged, hmu. If you’d like to be untagged, hmu.   @turtlepated @thewolfisapartofmysoul @beetlewise-and-pennyjuice @janitor-boy @beejiesbitch @angelicspaceprince) Enjoy!
He’d married, been murdered, vanquished the evil that was Juno – he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her again anytime soon – said some weird heartfelt goodbyes to people he just terrorized, and was carried off by his clones in the smallest, most subdued mosh pit style ever, for an exit that was worthy of some kind of award, just for the theatrics of it. 
The second he was through the swirling mists of the doorway that separated the living from the Netherworld, he turned on his own clones and attacked them remorselessly, using claws and teeth to tear them apart, growling like he’d lost his mind and spitting like he was rabid. 
None of the clones attempted to fight back or escape. They were part of him, and he was so fucking angry – it made him angrier that they just took their destruction passively, his destruction, a destruction of self that made his hands drip with gore, his mouth taste like clotted blood, and his clothing, the tuxedo conjured specifically for something positive in his fucking waste of a life, a deeper color. 
He hated this fucking suit. 
He was too exhausted by the end of his rampage to flick it away, however. Stepping over the piles of meat that had been clones, he wiped his hands down his front and winced as they brushed over the new ventilation that goddamn teenager graced him with. He kicked the door to the waiting room hard enough that it bounced off the interior wall of purgatory, startling the assholes sitting around waiting for their stupid numbers to be called.
---
It had been another slow day in the waiting room. Not that Miss Argentina had any way to count “days” – time had little meaning in death �� but her job was as uneventful now as it had been several hundred new arrivals ago. Staring down at her clipboard Maria crossed out the name of the last soul she’d sent back to meet their case worker. Juno was surprisingly absent at the moment, but the receptionist wasn’t too concerned. Her boss was a work-alcoholic and honestly, what else did Juno have to do? She’d be back soon. 
In a practiced motion, one she’d done a million times, Maria stood and slid open the dividing screen to the waiting room. 
“Number 5,678 Mr. Hen – “ 
The rest of the name caught in her throat when the door to the left of her was blown open, rattling on hinges that threatened to give. A split second of panic washed over her, an emotion really only needed for the living, before she saw who it was.
Betelgeuse. 
“Mr. Hendrix,” she finished, moving her gaze from the fuming poltergeist to the sorry looking dead man standing up from his seat. “Your caseworker is waiting for you – please step through those doors.” 
Maria placed her clipboard back on the desk then leaned out the window a little further, giving the older, bloodied man a deeper once over. “Back so soon, Mr. Betelgeuse? Should I pull you a number?”
"Fuck this place and fuck the numbers!" he spit, literally spit, making the ghost sitting nearest in his line of fire wipe his face as he hoisted himself up – some kind of heart attack took him, no doubt, from the lack of obvious trauma and the effort he took to get out of the molded plastic chair – and hurried as fast as he could out of range. 
He could take that chair and beat down every wall in this place. He could tear apart every single soul in this forsaken pit. He could bypass the eons of fucking waiting and just march right down the hall to the Lost Souls' Room –
– scary thing was, that option held some real fucking appeal at the moment. 
Beetlejuice glared at each and every dead person cowering in place. Fucking losers. Just like the fucking Maitlands, but worse, because they followed the goddamn directions in the fucking Handbook and were now stuck here. 
But what did that say about him? the voice in the crate in the back of his mind whispered. You tried, and you still ended up right.here.with.them. 
Beetlejuice grabbed the side of his head, mindless of the residual tackiness on his hand, and gave his hair a yank. Sometimes that dislodged the voice enough to make it shut up. 
His gaze fell on the beauty queen behind the partition. He couldn't tell if she was politely waiting for his tantrum to subside, or if she was being indifferently patient, having seen it all before.
Maria wondered, absently, where all the blood had come from. She noticed the gaping hole in his chest and assumed it might all be his – but it was always hard to tell with Betelgeuse. His brand of “bio-exorcising” wasn’t the cleanest. However, based on his outfit, she doubted his day job was what sent him back here. The fool had tried to get married again. 
Fixing him with a cool, pleasant smile, Maria yanked a number from the ticket dispenser and held it up. “I’ll just pull one for you, then. You know the rules – no number, no getting to see Juno.” 
The beauty queen leaned further out of the window and rested her chin in the palm of her hand – her clipboard and list forgotten for the moment. Red tuxedo – a classic for him. How many times had she seen him in it? She could remember at least four, and she guessed he’d worn it twice as many times before she’d crossed over. Betelgeuse never told her how old he was, but after working with him for over three decades, it was clear he had a few hundred years under his belt. 
When was he going to stop pulling this stunt? It never worked. Always ended up with him down in the waiting room – back here with her. Maria bristled, both angry and jealous that he got to leave this hell and go gallivanting top side as he pleased. Her smile tightened and she narrowed her eyes at him. 
“You never invite me to your weddings,” Maria said casually, lifting the hand from her chin to examine the ruby manicure. “Any good plans for your honeymoon?” 
She flicked her gaze up to catch his reaction.
The bitterness and pure rage inside him managed to ratchet up another notch with the receptionist's detached apathy to his situation as she offered the ticket out to him.
Anyone else, and he'd have taken that hand off at the wrist; he could feel his teeth lengthen in anticipation of it. As it were, he snatched the paper away with enough force to tear it. He crumpled it in his fist and shoved it into a pocket without looking at it, casting his glance around the room again at all the lesser assholes who were pointedly trying not to look at him and become the focus of his ire. 
Maria's words, her barbed little query spoken in her light accent, just poured salt into the gaping hole in his chest. 
"Fuck you," he roared. His voice cracked.
Maria was used to seeing Betelgeuse angry. She was also used to seeing him happy – manically so. The man had a way of taking emotions to the extreme. She was not, however, used to hearing the crack in his voice. The next biting remark died on her tongue and she peered up from her nails, her brow furrowing. 
“Oh, don’t look so upset.” She tutted, but there was less sarcasm behind it. “You have all the time in the world to try again, don’t you? It’s not like you’re stuck here (like she was). Not for long, anyway.” 
Had this time been different from his other attempts? The pain in his expression suggested so. If he kept this up she may just bring him around back to avoid disturbing the waiting ghosts. Maria didn’t like bending the rules, but for the good of her job she’d bend them. That’s what she told herself at least. For the job.
try again 
not like you're stuck here 
Her words meant to comfort stung, jamming themselves like smaller spears into his chest. She was partially right. It wasn't like he was stuck here, so long as he could convince some dumb sucker to fulfill the terms of the contract. Finding the right dumb sucker was what took the time and energy. 
That led to the whole "try again" debacle. What was the point? He'd never succeed; despite the seemingly impressive power he had in the upper world, it was useless. He was useless, like everything was smoke and mirrors and the one being fooled was him. 
He realized he had his fists clenched so hard he was shaking. The ghosts surrounding him in the mismatched furniture, patiently waiting their turn, still did their damnedest to pretend they heard and saw nothing. 
"No one is like me!" he'd shrieked in the Maitlands' faces. 
The stupid deads sitting here proved it. He had half a mind to grab the nearest one and rip him apart like he'd treated his clones, just to continue to give his rage an outlet, but on top of everything else he didn't want to deal with the consequences of that. Maria was still watching him, as if she expected him to do something of the sort, like she was steeling herself to have to intervene and de-escalate him, even though he knew it wasn't anywhere near part of her job.
The shaking of his fists drew her gaze down – would he really be so brash as to tear through the souls waiting? Not that he could actually kill anyone, but it would make them have to get a new place in line . . . and the paperwork involved would be a headache. 
Maria lifted her Miss Argentina sash over her head and draped it on the back of her chair. Quietly, but quickly, she moved around her desk and out the side door that led to the waiting room. Like approaching a wild animal you didn’t want to startle, Maria crept forward. Delicately, she placed her fingers on the side of his arm to get his attention, keeping her back straight and her expression calm. 
“How about you come wait in the back, Mr. Betelgeuse.” 
Her voice was smooth. She had started adding in the “Mr.” when he’d gone rogue and stopped working for Juno. The days of familiarity, of her calling him “Beej”, were long gone. Maria still kept a certain level of fondness for the poltergeist, though she’d never admit it aloud.
The roots of his hair were probably the color of this fucking suit. 
When Maria physically approached and laid a manicured hand on his arm, he almost spun on her. When the pressure on his arm increased, aided by her nails digging in so hard he could feel them through the layers of fabric, he forced himself to relent. 
"Fine," he agreed bitterly.
She’d felt him tense at her touch, and Maria briefly considered she’d made a grave mistake approaching him, until his muscles relaxed – slightly – under her fingers. Thank goodness. 
Keeping her hand on his arm the receptionist guided him to the office door. She peered out to catch the relief on the newly dead faces before shutting it behind her. 
“Take a seat.” She gestured to the chair next to her desk and sat back down on her own. She wanted to stay disinterested, wanted to keep things professional, but she couldn’t.
“So.” Maria pulled some papers together and tapped them on her desk until they were even. “Is most of that blood yours? I haven’t seen you looking so . . . out of sorts in quite some time.”
 The beauty queen looked at him from the corner of her eye, pretending to keep most of her attention on the work in front of her.
He sat where indicated, in the hard straight back chair beside her desk. If he wanted, he could look up and see the filing cabinets, the paths in the rug worn through to the subfloor underneath, the endless stacks of paper, and the hallway where the caseworker's offices were. 
He didn't want to. He could walk through the place blindfolded. Nothing changed in the Netherworld; it was all slog and dismay. And they thought he was crazy for wanting back out?! 
A cigarette appeared in his hand. Sticking it between his lips he glanced up at her question and statement. 
"Yeah. The blood's mine. First from that goddamn teenager and second – " He broke off there and used lighting the cigarette as an excuse not to finish and admit he'd torn apart his own clones in a fit of rage. " – never mind. Nothing matters. It's the same shit for eternity."
Maria watched, with pointed interest, as he brought the cigarette up to his mouth. Well, at least the blood was his. Less mess for Juno to clean up later. 
“Thanks.” She drawled sardonically, bringing her own cigarette into existence. “I’d love one.” 
As she took a drag, Maria let his remark sit in silence for a few moments, unsure of how to respond. Most of the dead seemed to be having an on-going crisis – and if Beej had been feeling the same, he’d never let on. 
“You’ve always been one for the dramatics. But never nihilism.” She paused, “ – also, did you just say teenager? You know what – I don’t want to know.” 
She threw her hand up at that, waving the question off. He was a scumbag, to be sure, but the thought of him being that scummy was not an idea she wanted to entertain.
He'd have felt bad about not offering her a smoke if he was in a different state of mind. As it were, it didn't even register until she pointed it out. Even then he couldn't quite bring himself to care. It was easy, however, to fill in the blanks she left out. 
"It was a fuckin' green card thing," he growled. "Most teens – especially gothy ones who think their existence is the worst of anyone, ever – are dumb as shit. Easy to manipulate. Except this one was too damn clever for her own good. She used – " 
It was on the tip of his tongue to admit his naked, desperate desire to be accepted was used effectively against him, but that made sour bile rise in the back of his throat and he had to swallow it down again. 
" – ugly art to impale me," he corrected after only a brief hesitation. He took a deep drag, and was dismayed to see that some smoke drifted out the hole in his chest. That kid must've punctured a lung. He sighed as he pulled at his shirt to try and cover it. 
From the corner of his eye he watched her watch him. He didn't want her pity. He didn't know what he wanted, but he knew he didn't want her pity.
Maria felt herself relax at his growled response – pleased to hear he was still a normal scumbag of the con-man variety. She couldn’t hide the twitch of her lips into a smile when he admitted how he kicked the bucket this time around. She’d seen a lot of dumb ways to die, but ugly art was a first. Chuckling through a drag, she eyed the smoke coming out of his chest, causing her lips to curl even further upward. 
As good as it was to have him talking, the anger radiating off him was still obvious. She could practically feel it on her skin. Whenever he got out of hand Juno was usually around to deal with him – but not this time. She was still surprisingly absent. Fortunately, Maria had worked here long enough to know what her boss’s trump card was. 
“Juno’s been away from the office today.” she started, putting out her cigarette in the glass tray on her desk. “And you look like you’re in the need of a distraction after . . . your little accident.” 
The receptionist spun her chair to face him, one slender bare leg crossed over the other, and raised a brow at the bloodied ghost. 
“How does a drink or two at Dante’s sound? On Juno’s tab, of course.” 
She smiled, scarlet lips parting to show off her straight white smile. In many ways the two were opposites. Beej was unapologetically himself, moss and all, while Miss Argentina went to great lengths to appear perfect. Even though she had let some of that anxiety go in death, bad habits were hard to break. 
“I’ll join you – if you don’t mind. I could use some time out of the office.”
In an effort to appear disinterested in the state of both his clothing and the new hole he was going to have to figure out how to close, Beetlejuice kept his eyes on the paperwork she'd straightened. A kid's profile, from the looks of it. One perk about working as Juno's assistant way back when was helping the kids when they came through –
He glanced up sharply when Maria mentioned Dante's. Actually suggesting it, and accompanying him to it. He would've thought that the beauty queen would pretend that place never existed, although he knew she must have been both scouted and offered a job there. 
"On Juno's tab? A drink or five sounds great." 
Some time that old hag was going to show up again, slathered in Sandworm spit and gastric juices, and he'd much rather not be found here if possible. He stood up abruptly, making the wooden chair squeal against the floor. 
"Fine. I'll let you take me out."
“Only drinks, Mr. Betelgeuse. I’m not paying for any other services.” 
Miss Argentina hadn’t had a chance to be out in quite some time. With an eternity stretching out in front of you, there was little rush to do much of anything other than your assigned job. Peering down at her burgundy gown, she also realized she hadn’t changed her outfit in years – wearing the same dress to two different parties used to be a mortifying thought when she was alive. 
How things change. The beauty queen stood, and with a few moments of concentration, changed into a red cocktail dress. Her French curled hair now in tight waves around her shoulders. It felt nice. A little like being alive, even. Even if it was just to go out and watch this man get drunk off his ass. But she understood his desire to live again – didn’t all ghosts wish they could be top side? He was certainly the most tenacious about getting there. 
“All right, ready when you are,” she said while smoothing down her new outfit. She turned from the older man and started towards the office exit, throwing a ‘are you coming?’ glance over her shoulder at him.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her hands smoothing down the fabric of her choice of dress. With his cigarette still caught between two fingers, he ran his thumb over his lower lip, thinking about the differences between the dead and the breathers changing clothing – the breathers had to take it off and put it back on, versus simply willing a new outfit into existence. 
Of course the dead could be titillatingly mundane, if they chose. It was too bad this was the never-closed office, and there was a waiting room full of ghosts on the other side of the glass partition –  
At her invitation and with a sigh, Beetlejuice stepped off the road that daydream was headed. He'd lost the chance with her a long time ago. 
He flicked his still lit cigarette into the ether and decided if she was going to be dolled up, it wouldn't be right for him to accompany her in what he was wearing. Between one step towards the door and the next, his blood-soaked tux became his favorite striped suit. He left the hole in his torso under his shirt. 
"Lead the way, muñeca." tbc . . .
130 notes · View notes
mint-yooxgi · 5 years ago
Text
{3} - Obsession
Tumblr media
Yandere AU - Part of the EXO Obsession Series
Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst
Pairing: EXO OT9 X Reader (with a particular focus on X-EXO)
Words: 3,500
Warnings: This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.
A/n: So work was really slow the other day so I actually had time to write, and thanks to two of my coworkers, the next chapter was born! I’m super excited to show you guys what I have planned for this series, especially in later chapters, but as of now, I'm just building things up. I hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback is always appreciated!
Previous ~ Next
“They were in your apartment?” Baekhyun nearly shrieks, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Yes,” you reply calmly with a brief nod of your head.
Currently, it’s the morning after the clones had come to visit you at your apartment, and you’ve just finished relaying the most important details the clones had told you to your team. You’ve chosen to omit some things for the time being until you can get a better read on your strike team. However, from the looks of things, they’re not taking things too well, especially the six members of your strike team.
“Why didn’t you call us?” Jongin asks, Minseok nodding right along with him while they both send a concerned look your way.
“Like I already told you,” you sigh, repressing the urge to roll your eyes, “I handled it.”
“Still, why did you wait until now to tell us?” Junmyeon inquires, frown evident on his face.
“You’re even lucky I’m telling you guys this at all,” you retort, eyes narrowing slightly at all of them. “I could have simply said they left me a message, which they technically did do.”
You can see Junmyeon’s frown deepen, scowls appearing on Sehun, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol’s faces. None of them like the idea of you being alone with their clones, especially in your own apartment. You notice Jongdae’s brow furrowed in concentration out of the corner of your eyes, as well as Jongin looking at you with worry still evident in his eyes.
“So then, what are we going to do? Or more importantly,” Yixing turns to look into your eyes, brow creasing slightly in concern, “what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?” You question, quirking a brow at him in response.
“Clearly they know where you live, and they can get into your apartment without issue,” Sehun starts to say, leaning forwards in his seat to rest his elbows on his thighs. “So that raises the question of where are you going to be staying for the time being?”
Sharing a brief glance with Kyungsoo, you notice him nod his head ever so subtly in your direction. You fail to notice the hopeful looks shining in your strike team’s eyes, but none as apparent as Junmyeon’s, Baekhyun’s, and Jongin’s. Jongdae subtly bites the corner of his lip in anticipation, waiting to be the first out of all of them to offer up his place as a safe house for you during this time.
“She’ll be staying with me,” Kyungsoo says, breaking the brief tense silence that has been building since Sehun posed the question. You notice their eyes widening in surprise, but none are as wide as Junmyeon’s.
You find yourself nodding along with Kyungsoo’s words in confirmation. He’s the only one out of your entire team that knows that you have your own separate living quarters outside of the apartment that the company has assigned to you. Plus, he’s the one you feel the closest to out of all your team members, even more so than Minseok and Yixing. 
He’s the only one you’ve trusted enough to actually bring to your real house, so only he knows where it is. During times like this, where a situation arises in which you need to hide away from your own apartment, the two of you have a mutual agreement with each other where he’ll cover for you. Hence you ‘staying’ with him at ‘his’ house.
“Excuse me?” Baekhyun manages to choke out, blinking a few times in disbelief. He can’t seem to catch a break from surprises today, first with the news that his clone, along with the others, had been alone with you in your apartment last night, and now you’ll be staying with Kyungsoo of all people for your protection. He grits his teeth slightly in frustration, for he knows if it came down to it, he’d be the one who would be able to protect you.
“Perfect,” you nod, “it’s settled.”
“Shouldn’t we talk about this first?” Junmyeon voices, slight panic evident in the way his voice is a pitch higher than usual, causing your eyebrow to quirk in surprise.
“We just did,” you respond, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “Considering it’s your clones that we’re dealing with, it would make the most sense for me not to stay with one of you six. The last thing any of us needs is for one of your clones showing up at your own house looking for us. That would be much worse, now, wouldn’t it?”
Though they seem to all scowl at the thought in distaste, they all reluctantly agree with your reasoning.
“I suppose so,” Jongdae grumbles, letting out a small sigh in the next moment as he leans back onto the chair he’s sitting on, running his fingers through his hair. He’s racking his brain to come up with a better solution, preferably one that allows you to stay with him for the time being. So far, he’s come up with nothing, which frustrates him to no end.
“Speaking of our clones,” Chanyeol adds, “what are we going to do about them then?”
At his words, all eyes turn to you. You let out a sigh, rubbing the side of your face with your hand. However, before you can speak, Sehun is beating you to the punch.
“Well, clearly we have to destroy them,” he says, Jongin nodding right along with him. “If what you told us is true, both ‘versions’ of us cannot survive in the end, so our number one priority, after making sure you’re safe, is destroying our clones.”
“I second that,” Chanyeol hums, nodding along with the others.
“What are we going to do if they show up again?” Baekhyun asks, crossing his arms while leaning against the wall he’s standing near. “Or worse, here?”
“We should have a plan just in case that happens,” Junmyeon agrees. “Even if they confront us by themselves in our own homes, I think it would be beneficial if we alerted everyone immediately.”
“I agree,” Jongdae voices his thoughts. “As soon as you can, alert the others. Especially since we don’t know what our clones are fully capable of yet. Besides, some of us might be able to handle ourselves better than the others, and we can use all the backup we can get in the event of an emergency.”
“Contacting each other and keeping all of us updated will be one of our most important methods of protection, as well as making sure we can respond properly and swiftly to a situation if it does arise,” Junmyeon continues, to which you voice your agreement.
“In the event that they do show up here, we need to make sure to act quickly,” you say, eyes sharp and calculating as you look each one of them over. “Strike them down before they can strike you.”
You can tell that they’re all taken aback by your words and how serious you sound. No question, nor hesitation in your voice.
“She’s right,” Jongdae is the first to break the silence that’s settled over all of you. “We’re going to have to kill them eventually if we want to live. It’s not like they’re us anyways.”
At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself. If these clones really are made from a part of them, and share the same memories and feelings, he’s not quite sure just how different they really are. The only difference right now that he can tell is that his clone is not afraid to go after what he wants. But just how far is he willing to go?
“Exactly,” you confirm. “If they’re going to basically be doing the exact same thing every time they encounter you from now on, then it would be beneficial for all of us to strike first.”
A small silence settles over the ten of you as you let this information sink in. You can tell the six members of your strike team are tense, thinking over what has just been decided, and confronted by having to face themselves to the death. 
You let out a long exhale through your nose, not too sure how to raise their morale at the moment, for you need some time to figure out their real feelings for you. The last thing you want to do is to make things more complicated than they are. You need to find out the truth, and fast.
“You know, I never thought I’d ever have to face myself in battle,” Sehun jokes, breaking the tense silence as he chuckles, along with Chanyeol.
“Well, you know what they say,” Minseok sighs. “You’re your own worst enemy.”
“Hope you guys can handle yourselves,” Kyungsoo hums amusedly, a teasing tone in his voice.
“I know I can,” Baekhyun smirks smugly.
“Yeah, sure,” Jongin scoffs, rolling his eyes slightly. “Says the guy who just fell flat on his ass this morning coming down the stairs.”
You laugh, an amused grin coming to rest on your features as you turn to see the tips of Baekhyun’s ears turning red from embarrassment.
“I slipped,” Baekhyun attempts to defend himself.
“Uh-huh, sure you did,” Chanyeol grins.
You continue to chuckle as the three of them continue to bicker back and forth. You’re grateful for the small shift in conversation, for it seems to be relieving the previous tension which had settled over all of you. You can feel yourself calming down slowly, grateful to have the weight of the previous evening lessoned, even if it’s only slightly.
Despite appearing much more calm on the outside, you’re still very worried. You know you’ll have to talk with the members of your strike team separately, away from the others, but you’re not exactly sure how you should go about doing that. You’ve always went with a direct approach when dealing with tough situations, but you’re not sure if they’ll be fully honest with you if you do so this time around. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try.
“I still want to talk with all of you individually to make sure that we’re all on the same page,” you make a point to catch the eyes of your strike team, noticing how a few of them tense under your gaze. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say both Chanyeol and Jongin look nervous. “Who wants to go first?”
Both Junmyeon and Jongdae stand up at the same time, causing your brow to quirk in surprise. However, with one quick look from Junmyeon, Jongdae reluctantly sits back down, letting out a quiet sigh as he does so.
“As for the rest of you, dismissed until I call for you,” you tell them, already making your way out of the briefing room and towards your office which resides near the back of the compound.
Junmyeon follows closely behind, making sure to keep pace with you on the way to your office. He bites the inside of his cheek, nervous for what you want to talk to him about, for he’s sure you all covered everything in the meeting you’ve all just had. Unless his clone did something that you’ve opted to exclude in your retelling of last night’s events.
Shutting the door behind himself once you’ve both entered your office, he turns to face you. He notices how you’re casually leaning against the front of your desk, motioning with your head for him to sit in one of your two chairs which rest in front of you. 
“What is it you wanted to discuss?” He asks, taking a seat in the chair on his left, the chair that just so happens to be the closest to you at the moment.
You let out a sigh, closing your eyes briefly as you tilt your head downwards, “look, I know this is a pretty fucked up situation, but do you have any idea why your clone in particular would be coming after me?”
He freezes momentarily, breath lodging in his throat, “I’m not sure.”
“Oh?” You shift your gaze to his, analyzing his every move.
“Must be a side effect of the spell,” he continues, his dead heart racing in his chest. He may be a vampire, but you are one of the only things that actually have an effect on him.
“Must be,” you mutter, crossing your arms once more in front of your chest. 
“Is that all?” He asks, wanting to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The longer he stays in your office, the less control over his thoughts he has, especially due to the situation you’re both in. Usually, he loves being in your office, for he can revel in your scent which covers every inch of the space. However, he can’t seem to enjoy it as thoroughly this time around, for he doesn’t want to get too distracted and risk saying something that might give his feelings for you away. His real feelings.
“Junmyeon,” you notice the way his jaw twitches when you say his name, “is there anything you’d like me to know that might help us in this situation?”
“I just want you to be safe,” he replies after a moment of hesitation.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” you sigh, shaking your head slightly. “Anyways, that’s all for now. If you find out anything else, make sure to let us know. I’m trusting you, considering you are my second in command. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you guys.”
The sincerity in your voice causes a small smile to tug at his lips, “give us a little bit more credit, we’ll be fine.”
You send a weak smile back, “dismissed.”
With that, he stands up from the chair. Before he exits your office, he pauses briefly to send one final look to you from over his shoulder. So badly he wants to wrap you in his arms and tell you that everything will be okay, that he’ll always be there to protect you. However, he knows that it would be inappropriate for him to do so at this time, especially since he can’t even confess to you that he sees you as more than just his captain. As more than just a friend.
Walking down the hallway he decides that he’s going to work on tracking these clones down, and prove to you that he can always be there for you, to protect you. He wants to make sure that he’s doing whatever he can to impress you, too. He might need a little help from the others, but he knows he can run this operation smoothly, and earn your affections by doing so. He’ll show you that he’s worthy to be your man.
The rest of your one on one meetings with the others go pretty much exactly the same way as Junmyeon’s did. None of your strike team admits to anything that you’ve come to assume or learn about them. Jongin and Chanyeol both seemed close to cracking, but held their own in the end. Turns out this might be harder than you originally thought, but if you ever run into their clones again, maybe you can get some more information out of them instead.
Gathering your things to head home for the evening, you let out a frustrated sigh. The good news is that you all have a general consensus and plan for fighting these clones if they were to attack any one of your team members. However, given what you know, and still have yet to find out, you’re not too sure if you’d actually go through with attacking them first. You’d rather get as much information out of them as you can for the time being, that way you can come up with a better way to not only combat them, but understand and deal with the originals as well.
A soft knock on your office door manages to break you out of your thoughts.
“Come in,” you say, not really paying attention to who enters the room.
“You okay?” Kyungsoo’s voice catches your attention, looking up to see him already staring at you with concern etched onto his features.
“Yeah, just a bit frustrated, is all,” you shoot him a tight smile, letting out a puff of air as you sling your bag over your shoulder. Noticing the look he’s sending you, you let out a sigh, “I’ll tell you in the car.”
“Ready to go then?” He asks, seeing you nod your head in response.
Walking over to him, he holds the door open for you. Flicking off the lights, you walk past him into the hallway, hearing the door to your office fall shut as he catches up to you and matches your pace. He doesn’t say anything as the two of you make your way to the underground parking and towards his car, of which you couldn’t be more grateful. Once you’re safe in his car and making you way out of the garage, you find yourself letting out a groan.
“What would you do if you knew the truth about something, but no one would tell you about it?” You voice your thoughts, knowing that you can trust Kyungsoo enough to give you an honest opinion and also keep your conversation a secret.
“Is this about the clones?” He eyes you curiously from the driver’s seat.
“Yeah,” you run a hand through your hair before jumping into the full explanation about what had really transpired last night, telling him specifically how the clones acted near the end of your encounter.
He lets out a low whistle, “based on what you’re telling me, and from what we know about the clones already, it sounds to me like your strike team all has the hots for you, with their own little unique quirks.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, but I can’t be too sure since they’ve never shown signs of being interested in me romantically, nor have they admitted to it,” you say, turning your head to look at him.
“Still, I’d be cautious with how you act around them now, and especially with what you say,” he says, turning onto the highway to get to your place. “The last thing you need is for the team to fall apart.”
“Gee, thanks for the encouragement,” you deadpan. “No pressure or anything.”
“Relax,” he rolls his eyes. “We both know you can handle it. Do your best to gather more information from the clones, and once you have enough information, confront the originals. Who knows, something may end up happening that works in your favour.”
“Look at you, rooting for me to get some romance in my life in times of crisis,” a teasing smirk pulling at your lips.
“Always,” he grins right back before becoming serious in the next second, “but you know that if they ever tried anything to hurt you I’d end them. No hesitation.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you chuckle, “I know.”
“If anything happens, make sure you call me first,” he goes on to say.
“Well, considering you’re the only one who actually knows where I live,” you joke. “Speaking of, what are you going to do if one of them shows up at your place wanting to talk with me?”
“Simple,” he responds. “I’ll just tell them you’re out, or at the gym, or on a walk, or at the compound, or sleeping, or-“
“Okay, I get it!” You grin, shaking your head slightly in amusement. “You’ll just make up some excuse and cover for me.”
“Exactly,” he replies, nodding his head in confirmation. “Besides, if it’s really urgent, they’d call you.”
“That’s true,” you confirm. “At least I’d hope so.”
“They will,” he assures you. “I don’t think I’ve seen them have as much respect for anyone else as they do for you. They’ll respect your wishes, and just like me, will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. Though, I don’t think I’m as paranoid as they are about leaving you by yourself.”
“Which I am thankful for,” you shoot him a look, grin tugging on your lips once more.
Pulling off of the highway, Kyungsoo begins to take the backroads to get to your house which rests in the middle of the woods, hidden by all the trees surrounding it. Once he pulls up to your front door, you thank him for driving you, and proceed to make your way inside your house, watching as his car disappears behind the trees.
You’re happy to be home, though you wish it were under better circumstances. Unlocking the door, you’re quick to turn off your alarm and toss your bag onto the bench you keep by the front door. 
Shutting and locking your front door shortly afterwards, you find yourself breathing a sigh of relief. At least you know there aren’t any surprises waiting for you in your living room tonight. Well, you sure hope there’s none.
278 notes · View notes
evabellasworld · 3 years ago
Text
Storm of the Republic
Chapter 28
AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28
——————————————————————————————
Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.
————————————————————————————
Bulldozing through the jungle, an Imperial officer was seated on the transport, recording a list of crates inside the inventory. There were 6 crates of Angel’s Heart that were collected from the mines, and he had to make sure that everything was accounted for. The last thing he wanted was his superior giving him a demerit for his performance at work, or worse.
The Empire isn’t like the Republic. Everything has to be in order, otherwise, he would have to pay the price for his failure. As harsh as they are, the officer thought the Imperial is more organised and fair, unlike the previous administration. Back then, Aaron was stuck as a clerk for 27 years. He hoped that his last boss would notice all the effort he had contributed, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, his deserved position was given to the boss’s son, leaving him disappointed. Most of his friends also had a higher position than him. While they were enjoying life with a higher salary, Aaron had to get by with his husband and two daughters back home. He always dreamed about pampering them with whatever they want, but that only happened once a year.
After this, I’m going to treat them to a steakhouse tonight, he smiled to himself, as he peeked through the Angel’s Heart. And I can finally get the makeup palette Lia has been saving up for months.
The soft pink crystal was shaped exactly like a heart, reminding him of Valentine’s day. It was common for Aaron to see the Angel’s Heart crystal in a fancy jewellery store, but he wasn’t sure why the Empire would want a huge crate of them. To him, they were just there for the pleasure of the eye. There’s no healing properties from the Angel’s Heart at all.
I hope everything goes smoothly this time. The last time I transported these to HQ, we had to deal with raiders.
Unfortunately, that was only a dream. Before Aaron could sit down, the transport braked abruptly, causing him to fall on the metallic floor. “Ouch,” he yelped, as he got up and rubbed the side of his face. “What’s going on up there?”
“Sir, we have a pregnant woman crossing the street,” the B1 battle droid reported to him. “Should we fire, sir?”
Aaron shook his head. “No, don’t open fire. I’ll see what I can do for her.”
As he stepped out of the vehicle, Aaron saw a dark-skinned woman strutting in front of him, cradling her baby bump with one hand and carrying a sack with the other. With a tattered hood, he noticed her feet were adorned with worn-out slippers, prompting him to approach her gently. “Excuse me, but do you need help?”
Odd Eye widened her eyes as she turned towards the Imperial officer, realizing that she was dealing with someone who was flesh and blood. “Thank you for your kindness, but I can handle it myself.”
“I can help you,” he insisted, keeping a safe distance from her. “You’re pregnant and you look like you’re struggling to walk.”
“Are you sure about that, sir?” her voice shook, hiding her hands behind her. “I’m sure you have a lot of things to worry about right now.”
Aaron shook his head as he offered his hand. “Don’t worry about me, miss. I’ll be alright, I promise.”
With a hint of hesitation on her face, Odd Eye took a deep breath and held his hand as they crossed the muddy road together. He was kind, just like Erhan.
She never expected that an officer who worked for their enemy was helping her. She wondered if he was happy with his current job, given that the Imperial didn’t treat anyone with kindness and compassion. Her shoulders slumped as she thought about his fate in Imperial’s grasp.
“Thank you for your help,” said Odd Eye, as they reached the other side of the road. “You’re too kind, sir.”
“No worries miss, I’m glad to help,” Aaron gave her a warm smile. “Though I don’t mean to pry, but are you currently living with your partner?”
She frowned, her head hanging low. “He’s not here anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied. “I’m sure he was a great man.”
“He was a decent man,” Odd Eye sat down, nestling her bump. “My partner was overjoyed by the news. It was too bad he would never get to meet his son.”
He nodded, pressing his lips together. “I bet you miss him very much. It must be painful to carry your baby all by yourself. I mean, I can’t imagine being separated from my husband and my two kids. It’s the saddest thing you could experience in life.”
“You have a family back home?” she looked at him, forcing a smile. “Are you close with them?”
“They’re the joy of my life. My family is the reason I’m still here, even if life turned gloomy. We always have each other’s back, no matter what.”
Odd Eye bobbed her head silently as she noticed Boil, Faven, and Hyewon infiltrating an Imperial Troop Transport, taking down the droids without a single sound, along with Thire and Stone taking on the second vehicle. Thire and Stone assisted the three of them, giving them a thumbs up.
They seem to understand the assignment. I'm impressed.
She then shifted her focus towards Aaron, who was showing her a picture of his family, which was taken in a professional studio. “Lia is my oldest child. We adopted her from a foster home when she was 2 years old. She likes makeup and fashion, and she wanted to be a stylist after she graduated from trade school.”
“That’s cool. What about your other daughter? What does she like to do?”
“Mika loves to sew dolls in her free time, especially creepy dolls. She likes them very much, even though it scares me from time-to-time.”
Odd Eye chuckled, watching Nygma pulling out a droid’s head from its sockets. “Well, it’s good she enjoyed her hobby. I would kill to make myself a doll like her too.”
“You have no idea what she’s capable of,” Aaron gleamed, as Odd Eye signalled Tarot and Draco to take on the first transport, without the officer paying attention at all. “She loves horror movies a lot. She doesn’t even flinch whenever she sees blood. It’s pretty creepy, if you ask me.”
“I see a bright future for your daughters, sir,” she praised, as she glanced at Cody stabbing a droid with a knife. “I have faith that they will thrive in the future. Say, may I know your name? You seem like an interesting person.”
“Aaron, my name is Aaron Koo,” the officer introduced himself, not knowing that Obi-Wan had slashed the enemy with a lightsaber. “What about you, miss? What is your name?”
Before Odd Eye could answer him, Aaron heard the blaster clicking behind him, causing him to turn around with his hands up. “Surrender, Imperial scum,” ordered Cody, pointing his weapon at his face.
“Take it easy, Codes,” Odd Eye stood up, holding out her hands. “He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s only doing his job, that’s all.”
“You heard the lady, trooper,” Aaron gestured towards Cody. “Drop your weapons. No one is getting hurt here.”
Reluctantly, Cody lowered his blaster as Obi-Wan and Mina approached them, putting down their weapons. “You’ll be safe with us, officer,” reassured Obi-Wan, before turning to Odd Eye. “You did a splendid job, commander. Well done.”
Aaron froze as he stared at Odd Eye. “You were going to kill me? After what I’ve done for you?”
“I’m sorry, Aaron, but you have a good heart, and I didn’t want to hurt you at all.”
“Please don’t do this,” he begged, dropping to his knees. “I still haven’t told you about my husband. I don’t want to die without saying goodbye to him. I love him so much. You would understand, miss, considering you’ve lost your partner without any closure.”
He’s right, thought Odd Eye.
“You’ll be safe with us, officer,” the Jedi kneeled towards him. “You have my words. We won’t let anything happen to you and your family.”
Aaron could only stand up with his arms behind his head as he saw Thire stepped out of the transport. “We have successfully taken over all the vehicles, general,” the Coruscant guard reported. “Permission we proceed with our next plan?”
“Granted, commander,” Obi-Wan approved. “Let General Gomez and General Almarez-Guttierez our status report.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
4 notes · View notes
jabbajambler · 4 years ago
Text
02
When We Were Young
Obi Wan Kenobi x f!OC
Word Count: 2,164
*GIF bu @fernandabarrera​*
Tumblr media
        The ship was freezing and brought goosebumps to my skin, something I was quite fond of despite some of the Jedi's complaints. I enjoyed the cold. That's why I moved to the underground part of Coruscant after I left the Jedi Order. It was dark, yes, but they were welcoming. They didn't discriminate based on your past or ask questions about who you once were. They just simply let you live.
         No, they weren't the nicest people in the underground. I was robbed more times than I  can remember. That's why I never carry anything of value other than my lightsaber. They would have to put up one hell of a fight to steal that from me.
         I've learned that one from experience.
         Still, it became a home. It was dangerous, sure, but I thought of it like an adventure. A life-threatening adventure every day and I loved every part of it.
         The ship sort of reminded me of the underground. No one cared about who you were or what you did, they just wanted to win. If that's not a perfect representation of the Jedi, I don't know what is.  
         It was typically dark in the ship. When it wasn't, the lights were so bright and blinding that it hurt. There was no happy middle while living here, just like there was no middle ground to the Jedi. In their minds you were either evil or good, no in between. Still, why was I here?
        Last I heard, I was evil beyond saving. There was so salvaging my power. Eleven years ago, I succumbed to the dark side, never to be heard of again.
        Only part of that was true.
        So why exactly did they invite me?
         "We are decrypting the audio, sir." I could hear one of the clones speak as I entered the room. Rex, Cody, Anakin, and Obi Wan all stood around the table, watching a pair of holograms speak. I didn't recognize them, but I hadn't been debriefed on most of the war and our enemies.
         Despite being recruited in, I was kept in the dark about most of the war. If my suspicions were correct, I wasn't the only one being lied to. I had a feeling. Well, I guess it was the Force reaching out to me. That's what the Jedi would say at least. Nothing was a coincidence for them.
         "Secret meeting and no one cared to invite me?" I finally made them aware of my presence once the figures dissipated, fixing the armor that was wrapped around my forearm. The council offered to supply me with typical Jedi robes as well, but those weren't my style anymore.
         The armor was a worn black. I said it would blend better with most of our surroundings and the council surprisingly bought it. It matched the wine-colored tunic that I wore, paired with a wide, black belt that wrapped around my waist. The neckline dipped into a v-shape, something the Jedi frowned over so I wore a borderline mesh long-sleeve beneath it along with a pair of tight gray pants.
         I didn't do it on purpose, although it appeared that I meant to match with my younger brother. It was as though Anakin and I were two peas in a pod. I wondered if I could embarrass him with that as well.
         "Are you joining us, Aaryn?" Anakin smiled, his eyes lifting in excitement. He certainly was that same little boy on Tatooine at heart. So much spirit, I was surprised the Jedi hadn't ripped that from him yet.
         "The council wants me to work alongside you two until I figure everything out for myself. So, yes. I will be joining you." I shuffled next to Obi Wan who nervously shifted on his feet, just barely glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I tried to offer him a smile, but he looked away as soon as he was caught. "What's going on?"
         "They're going to attack our home planet." Rex frowned at the table, his helmet tucked away under his arm.
         Until now, I had yet to see the soldiers without their helmets, it was sort of strange. Rex's blonde hair was a stark contrast to Cody's. Looking at their faces, it was clear they were clones. They were so different, though. They had their own personalities and styles. They were, in their own way, unique.
         "The Separatists are taking quite the chance even considering this." Obi Wan spoke, his hand gently moving to cup his chin as he thought. His beard did fit him well. The blue light from the table illuminated his face, creating a gentle shadow of his features. It paired well with his blue eyes, displaying each individual detail within them.
         I shook the intrusive thoughts from my mind and refocused on the task at hand. He was a Jedi master now and I had to respect that. I couldn't go around acting like we were children when we had clearly grown so much.
         "With all due respect, General, if someone comes to our home, they better be carrying a big blaster."
         "I concur with Captain Rex, sir. This is personal for us clones." Cody finished before looking over to me with a smile. One that I graciously returned.
         Cody was kind enough to show me around the ship the night before. I discovered that he had been working alongside Obi Wan since the beginning of the war. I had so many questions but none that he felt comfortable enough to answer. Regardless, I considered him a friend. One of the few I had on-board.
         "What are we waiting for, then? We have no time to waste."
         Anakin nodded in agreement with me. "Tell your troopers in the 501st they're going home."
         "Yes, sir." They both stood tall before leaving us three in the room.
         "So what's the plan?" I looked between the two. I wondered how they had grown over the past eleven years. They certainly looked as though they were pretty close. It was easy to see that Anakin adopted several of Obi Wan's little habits.
         Obi Wan scoffed. Or was it his old huff of a laugh? "Since when have you been one to form a plan?"
         My eyes darted towards the man. He had barely spoken a word to me since I arrived. I enjoyed hearing his voice again. It brought back so many memories that I wished I could relive. Instead he was a statue. He let on nothing and left everything up in the air. I couldn't read him the way I used to.
         "Since we were in the middle of a war." I joked. "Now what are we doing?"
         "I guess we'll find out after we get to Kamino." Anakin smiled and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "Everything will fall right into place, trust me."
         "For some reason, I'm not sure I believe you."
         We filed into a separate room near the back of the ship, soaring towards Kamino. I had never been. I hadn't even heard of the planet until the war started. It was like it appeared out of nowhere. Although with hyper speed, we'd be there in a matter of seconds.
          "So who were those people?" I asked, fiddling with my lightsaber in my hand. "On the hologram, I mean."
         "Ventress and Grievous." Anakin rolled his eyes. "They're just two separatists that we can't seem to take down permanently."
         "You mean kill them?"
         "You two shouldn't speak in such a way." Obi Wan criticized our somewhat cruel discussion. Personally, I didn't think it was that bad. I could have said worse things. I definitely have said worse things.
         Anakin raised his hands in mock surrender, bringing a laugh up out of my chest. Obi Wan gave us a pointed glare, but I caught the way his lips turned up once he spun back around. I wanted to see his smile again, his true smile.
         "So." I trailed off, tucking my lightsaber back onto its clip on my belt. "Kamino. Where did it even come from?"
         Anakin chuckled and leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. He was confident, incredibly so. I can't imagine Obi Wan enjoyed dealing with that, he certainly never enjoyed it when it was me.
         "Don't ask me. Obi Wan is the one who discovered it."
         "You discovered an entire planet?" I turned my attention towards Obi Wan who was invested in his tablet, reviewing the details of our meeting, I assume.
         "No." He sighed, turning his attention towards Anakin. "Not exactly."
         "Sure you did, Master. I'm sure Aaryn would love to hear the story!"
         "Not now." He whispered, his eyes catching onto mine for a moment. I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. Did he not want to talk to me after all this time? I thought we ended things on a good note.
          "Fine." Anakin huffed. "I'll tell it then. About a year ago, Obi Wan and I were sent on separate missions. I was sent to protect Senator Amidala while he was-"
         "Tasked to trace a bounty hunter." Obi Wan interrupted with a sigh. "It was difficult to trace, erased off all maps but I found it. They were building an army of clones for the Jedi, something none of us were aware of."
         "Then a war broke out?" I leaned forward, resting my elbows against my knees while I listened to him speak. "Sounds like perfect timing."
        "Perhaps it was." He nodded and gazed back down at the tablet in his lap. "We're here. You two behave."
         We left the ship quickly with Rex and Cody at our heels. It was a dark planet and the buildings we landed on were surrounded by water. The clouds grew gray and I could smell the rain that would soon pour.
         Inside the building wasn't too different. The walls were dull and the lights were dim. There were clones for as far as the eye could see, even with the minimal lighting. It was crazy how many there were, how dispensable they were treated.
         "Masters Kenobi and Skywalker. And... General Skywalker, welcome to Kamino." Shaak Ti greeted us, her arms folded formally in front of her.
         "Greetings, Generals." The Kaminoan bowed their head towards us.
         They were tall. Incredibly so. I don't think I had ever seen anything like the Kaminoan, but I tried not to stare.
         "I wish our arrival wasn't under such circumstances. We believe Grievous is planning a Separatist attack on Kamino." Obi Wan explained. He always took charge, that was one thing that hadn't changed.
         "But the Republic blockade is far too strong. They would not dare."
         Right as the words were spoken from the Kaminoan's mouth, an alarm started to blare through the base. I looked to Obi Wan and Anakin, hoping they may have formulated a plan in case such a thing were to occur.
         I was out of luck.
         "I'll go." Anakin said hurriedly, rushing towards the star fighters.
         "Let me go with you!" I quickly nodded, ready to take off after him. A firm grip on my arm pulled me back, keeping me steady. I looked, meeting Obi Wan's eyes as he calmly shook his head. The emergency alarm didn't even seem to phase him.
         "You're staying here."
         "They need my help."
         "They can handle it." He declared, not giving me any room for argument as Shaak Ti led us away from the open space into a much more private room.
         "Prepare the map." She spoke to the Kaminoan as we entered. The room soon lit up with the light blue globe and yellow maps surrounding us.
         Troopers worked diligently at mapping out plans of attack while the Separatists moved in. Still, everyone remained fairly calm. They were used to this and while it was sad, this was war.
         "Shore up our defenses." Cody commanded to the surrounding troops.
        We all stood around the globe, trying to formulate some sort of plan. "The fleet is not as large as I expected." Shaak Ti spoke to Obi Wan and me. "Begin the air strike."
         The clones tapped away at the walls of maps, communicating with the Republic ships. I'm sure they were having one hell of a time. I would rather be up there, but I guess I was still training.
         "Warning. Falling debris." The alert echoed through the halls.
         "Grievous appears to be sacrificing his transports in favor of protecting his command ship." We all watched as the battle went on in the sky, safely holed up in the command room.
         "Something's not right." Obi Wan whispered. Partly to himself, but it was loud enough for us to hear. He was right. Something about this was suspicious.
         We were winning far too easily for this to be their plan.
2 notes · View notes
konoha-hoe · 7 years ago
Note
Hello, can i can request a scenario with a prompt from the post you reblogged? "In my defense, it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time" for kankuro or kiba - which one you want. Thank you!
 Okay I don’t really like this so if you want me to rewrite it I will do so gladly, but still I hope you like it :)
 Warning: Kinda graphic violence?
 “In my defense, it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time!”
 Yours lungs burn and your body aches and your nose stings from the whip of the frosty air as you sprint at top speed away from the pursuing enemy. Kiba and Akamaru run alongside you, and you can’t help but feel an immense wave of guilt wash over you. It was your idea to lead the enemy away so the others could escape, and Kiba had insisted on coming with you, saying that the two of you would have much better odds taking them on together. But the odds weren’t better, it was still 16 against 2. You didn’t argue as much as you should have, you didn’t protest that he was essential to the mission’s completion, you didn’t do anything and this was all your fault.
“I’m sorry for this Kiba.” You wheeze, panic surging in your chest when you almost lose your footing but you quickly regain your balance, the adrenaline giving you a boost of speed.
“You… should be! What were you thinking, trying to sneak out by yourself?” He gasps in between breaths, Akamaru barking in agreement, and the guilt that has settled in your gut intensifies.
“Okay so maybe this is going terribly, but in my defense it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time!” You argue pointedly but cry out when a kunai lodges itself deep into your side.
“Are you okay?” Kiba asks you frantically, but you were too focused on trying to keep moving despite the pain to answer his question.
 Being a sensory type, you could sense the enemy gaining on the three of you. There were easily about sixteen shinobi on your tails. You desperately wracked your clouded brain for a plan, but the only logical ones that came to mind involved you and Kiba taking on the enemy together, and that could buy the others some time but it was almost sure suicide and you had promised yourself that no one would die on this mission. However, if you had to sacrifice yourself for your team then you would do it happily, and this seemed to be the only option at this point anyway.
Kiba seemed to have the same idea in mind though, because the two of you stop at the same time, glaring at each other fiercely.
“What are you doing?” He hisses and roughly pulls the two of you behind the cover of a patch of berry bushes.
“I was going to take on the enemy to give you time to catch up with the others and get reinforcements.” You explain quietly, trying to keep your breathing to a minimum since every movement caused the kunai to dig deeper into your body.
“That’s what I was going to do. I can handle them with my Fang Over Fang, you go meet up with the others to get your injury looked at.”
“We’ll just have to take them down together then, this wound is nothing.”” You argue stubbornly, yanking the kunai out of your flesh to try to prove a point. However, you only make matters worse because now your blood is flowing at an alarming rate and dripping from your already drenched shirt. But even if you bled out halfway through you were not going to let him take them on alone.
“Y/N you’re being ridiculous. Go and get your wound tended to, I can handle myself here.” He snaps impatiently, but the touch of his hand on your shoulder is gentle. Akamaru whimpers in agreement, nudging your bloodied hand with his nose gently.
“I’m not leaving you here alone.” You retort, tearing off your sleeve with your teeth and balling it up against your wound to stanch the bleeding.
“Whatever, fine. We should set up a trap first though, so come on.” Kiba relents reluctantly. With a sigh, he grabs your free hand and takes off into the trees, heading west of the direction you had been going in before.
You can sense that the enemy has started to realize that you two have gone off in a different direction, their chakra signatures had stopped moving. You tug on Kiba’s grip on your hand to notify him, and he nods in silent understanding, coming to a stop. You two quickly set up the best paper bomb trap you can manage before taking off again towards a clearing that was coming up ahead.
“We should take them on there. Your jutsu is at a greater advantage in open spaces.” You suggest breathlessly.
“You’re right. We should ambush them from the trees when they pass through.” Kiba agrees.
“They’ll probably be overly confident since they think they have the advantage of numbers and won’t bother being cautious, it’s a good opportunity to take them by surprise.” You add observantly, coming to a halt at the edge of the clearing. “First we’ll each make a shadow clone to draw them out into the open, then you attack first. Take out as many as you can in one shot, leave the rest to me.”
 “Y/N, you know I love you, so just please be careful, alright?” Kiba murmurs unexpectedly, leaving a tender kiss on your forehead.
 “I love you too, Kiba.” You reply softly, closing your eyes and savoring the feel of his warm, chapped lips against your cool skin.
 The sound of the trap you had set earlier going off forces the two of you to separate just a little too soon, but with a nod you each create your respective clones and take off in separate directions, Kiba on the left and you on the right. You lean your back against the tree, utterly exhausted from the loss of blood and stare in dismay at the already soaked through piece of fabric you had pressed against your wound.
 You pull out a handful of specially designed shuriken and they flare blue between your fingers with the infusion of your chakra. You were incredibly precise in every one of your attacks without fail. It’s what earned you the name The Shinobi that Never Misses, and your work in assassination in the Anbu helped to expand your notoriety throughout the hidden villages. A wave of confidence surges through you as the Iwagakure ninja fill into the clearing, recklessly charging with rallied cries towards the clones you had planted in the center of the field.
You weren’t going to let your comrades die. Not now, not ever.
“Fang Over Fang!” Kiba yells, and within seconds is tearing through the crowd of shinobi with ease.
“It’s an ambush, retreat!” Someone yells, but you weren’t going to let them escape now.
Taking advantage of the confusion, you leap from your hiding place in the trees and release four shuriken from your left hand, all of them finding their targets in the throats of the enemy. Still midair you quickly pull out three more to take care of those trying to escape, and their gurgled cries of shock and pain rip into the night air. You land in a battle stance beside Kiba, wincing visibly. He was facing off against the last three survivors, all of them nursing some sort of injury, with Akamaru lowered in a protective stance in front of him, hackles raised and snarling viciously. The others either lay on the ground immobilized or are already dead, seven of them being courtesy of you and the other six a result of Kiba’s handiwork.
“You killed my brother and my comrades, I’ll never forgive you!” A relatively young man, a newly fledged genin most likely, roars and charges at you in a blind rage despite his friends’ protests, kunai poised and ready to strike. However, with the casual flick of your wrist a shuriken to the jugular shuts him right up. Blood spurts from the wound and he instinctively reaches up to his throat in vain before his eyes roll back and he falls in a crumpled heap at your feet. Dead.
You feel bad for it, of course. You always did whenever you had to take a life, but it was something that you knew you would have to do ever since you had been first accepted into the academy. People die for the sake of their villages, and you were no different.
“You monster!” One of the remaining two snarls and tries to leap forward, but is held back by his comrade.
“Akimitsu, stop. We’ll retreat for now.” The only sensible one of the three, an older man with graying hair and a permanently worried expression, says quietly before disappearing. The one itching to attack sends you one last ferocious glare before following suit, and the two of you are finally alone.
“We did it.” Kiba breathes out in relief, his tense body finally relaxing.
“Yeah, we did…” You trail off before the world starts to dim, and the whoosh of air around you as you begin to fall and Kiba calling your name frantically are the last things you’re conscious of before being pulled into darkness.
40 notes · View notes
contrivedcoincidences6 · 7 years ago
Text
The Invisible Cord Ch. 7
Tumblr media
You can find chapter 6 right here
November 2011 The Green Creek Motel Right outside of Washington D.C.
As I wait in the parking lot a sudden fear comes over me. I remember my abduction and begin to panic a bit. All the email said was that they had information on my children and gave me an address. It’s been an hour that I’ve been sitting here waiting and with every passing minute I grow tenser. After an eternity a car followed closely by an SUV enter the parking lot. I feel for my gun. Not long after my abduction I bought it and have kept it near ever since. A man exits the car and looks right at me and nods. I carefully get out of my car, holding my gun in my coat pocket. He looks in the window of the car and gives another nod. A door opens and a girl and boy get out. They look at me for some time. I know who they are on instinct. They are my babies. The ones who were stolen from me, thought to be dead. Here they are standing in front of me. It feels like I’m moving through molasses as I cross to them. They stand side by side and look at me. My daughter looks me right in the eyes with curiosity. In the girl's face I see myself as a teenager, her bright, wide, almond shaped eyes and narrow face take me back to a more innocent time. My boy’s eyes dart around and he shuffles his feet. He is the spitting image of his father and it breaks my heart for a moment. He has the thick eyebrows and high cheekbones that an eighteen year old me fell in love with. The one thing of mine he does have are my eyes. When they finally meet mine they are serious but tender. We just stand there looking at each other for the longest time. Finally I reach out and put a hand on each of their cheeks. I barely make contact before my girl throws herself into my arms and buries her face in my neck. I cradle the back of her head and cup my son’s cheek. The moment I do I’m overtaken my emotions of all kinds. Fear, sadness, joy, confusion, anxiety, almost anything you can name. Finally it all zeros in on love and he joins his sister in the hug. For the first time in sixteen years my life feels full.
We move into a suite room at the motel that made me wonder how big the regular rooms were. Eight people in the room made it a bit crowded but most of the group didn’t care or even seem to notice. I can’t stop looking at Emily- April. Since we saw her both Scully and I have been unable to stop from touching her. As soon as we are out of the car my hand is on her back and her hand was still held tightly in Scully’s own. It was as if she was tethering us to this world. Deep down I worried that if I let her out of my sight she’d be gone again. We stood in the packed room I have on hand on April’s shoulder and the other on Scully’s. April’s hair is redder than her mother’s, closer to what Scully’s hair had been like at the beginning of our partnerships, and she is taller than her too. My thoughts begin to wander down a sad path as I picture her as a little girl with a toothless smile. All the time we missed makes me angry and sad at the same time. The clones walk to the center of the room to face us. It still stings to see the clone of Samantha. I make eye contact with her and she quickly looks away. “There are currently dangerous people looking for you.” He gestures to the three teens, “We knew this would happen of course but now that you are all together you need to understand that you can’t go back to your normal lives. I can promise you that they are watching your homes right now and are just waiting for the opportunity to strike. They wouldn’t hurt the children but I can promise they would not hesitate to kill you.” He makes eye contact with each of the adults. I notice the boy, whose name I’ve learned is Brian, reach out and take April’s free hand. She intertwines her fingers with his and Scully and I share a look. “Who are these people?” May and Brian’s mother speaks up we have yet to be introduced but I can tell she’s been in as much pain as we have over the years. “A different group than the ones that originally took your children. Led by a woman named Diana Fowley.” My mouth falls open and Scully gasps, “It can’t be. She’s dead.” Kurt shook his head, “Her death was faked. For some time she was running but near the end of Spender’s life she came back and took over. It turns out the old man has always had a back up plan. Years ago he’d made clones of all of the members of the syndicate and of the men who worked for them. So Fowley took over these operations. At this time she has some of the clones out looking for you.” “Clones of who?” Scully asks with narrowed eyes. “CGB Spender, Krycek, Jeffery Spender, the entire syndicate. Along with some lesser hit men.” I meet Scully’s eyes and see the fear. She pulls April closer to her. “So what are we supposed to do now?” I ask somewhat irritated that we’d never been let in on this plan. “There are safe houses. We will move all of you to one of those and you will probably have to be moved a few times before you can settle down again.” “Will we be separated?” May asks in a small voice. Kurt and Samantha look at each other for a moment and there is silence that is broken by April. “We are not going anywhere without each other! You won’t separate us!” She said in a tone that left no room for argument. Both Brian and May nodded in agreement. “It will be more dangerous with all of you together.” “Doesn’t matter. We won’t be separated.” May said evenly. Kurt sighed and looked to his companion again, “I suppose we can make it work. But understand there is a higher chance of being caught.” I feel Scully stiffen and I squeeze her shoulder. We don’t know what their lives have been like. It pains me to think that they would have to be separated. We may be their parents but the truth of the matter is that for most of their lives they haven’t known us. This time Brian speaks and I realize it’s the first time I’ve heard his voice, “We need to be together.” Both Kurt and Samantha nod. “Alright then. We have new cars out back. We need to move now.”
November 2011 Somewhere in New Jersey
My parents and May and Brian’s mom, who we learned was named Violet Bennett, took turns driving the SUV that held all of us. We follow behind Kurt and Samantha. I don’t pay much attention to where we were going but I know we are headed north. My father drives mostly as both mothers seem reluctant to leave our sides. He takes it in stride and seems to want to drive anyway. When he does move back with us he moves to the very back to sit next to me. I can’t hold back the barrage of questions, ones similar to the questions I had been asking my mother. He smiles and responds to all of them happily. When I noticed his how heavy his eyelids are getting I shut up to let him sleep. I begin to feel sleepy not long after and start to wad up my jacket to use as a pillow until a long forgotten memory comes to me of him holding me as a little girl. I remember feeling so sick but safe when he carried me to the car and again into the hospital. I look over at him and note the differences in his face. In my memories he is so young, almost boyish, now his face is lined and he looks tired. On instinct I rest my head on his shoulder. He shifts and puts his arm around me and I think of all the times in my life I tried to picture my father. He’s different than I imagined but so much better. As he seems to be falling back asleep I feel a soft kiss on my head and quickly fall asleep as well.
November 2011 Location unknown
I clench my fists in barely restrained anger as the clone of Jeffrey Spender tells me over the phone that he can’t find Mulder and Scully. “How?” I say through clenched teeth, “How could you possibly lose them?” “I don’t know. Scully left in the morning like she usually does. Around lunchtime Mulder took a taxi to take lunch with her. I followed them to the hospital. Mulder came out an hour later and went to the library. I waited outside there for hours and he never came out. Finally I called the hospital and asked for Scully and they said she had left for the day. When I went in he was gone. They must have known they were being followed. They didn’t leave any kind of trail.” He says flatly. I pinch the bridge of my nose, “There has to be leads of some kind. Get one of our people in the police department to track their cars..” “If they haven’t changed cars.” “Just do it!” I yelled into the phone and look up at the clone of a once great man. His jowls jiggle as he talks. His voice is arrogant as ever even as he stands before me, his superior. “Ma’am we have found information on who helped the children who escaped. We believe they are responsible for contacting Mulder and Scully also.” I looked at him waiting for more, “Well are you going to keep me waiting?” He held out a folder, which I opened to see a picture of the clones of Kurt Crawford and Samantha Mulder talking to the three teens. “Goddammit! How the hell did this happen? I thought all of these things were dead!” “We did too ma’am. I am not sure how any survived we are working on that as well. Would you like us to use some of our people in the FIB to get their pictures out there?” I nodded and flicked my hand to show him he’s dismissed while I stared at the picture wondering how it was possible. There was documentation of the clones being destroyed. Their production was watched over carefully and their numbers were always well documented. When they eradicated the clones, or when they tried to, the numbers matched up. The other clone members of the syndicate were sitting around the room waiting for orders. Their silence was eerie but I’d grown used to it. I slammed my hand on the desk in frustration and they all turned to look at me. “Will you idiots go make yourselves fucking useful?!” I growled at them, “Go through the old files and videos. Call our people on the inside. Do some actual intel! Just do something besides sit here uselessly!” They scattered like roaches while I massaged my forehead. There were so many unanswered questions. Besides the fact that the clones shouldn’t exist there also is the question of why they thought they could run. The way they have tied the three teens down for years has been through the monthly injections. They must have found a way around it and I know that I need to find out how. If I find out how the Kurt and Samantha clones got their hands on the formula I’ll hopefully be able to work backwards to find out who is on the inside. Eventually we would find them. With a plan like that there had to be a network of others working with them and all it takes is one weak link to break the chain.
28 notes · View notes
i-w-p-chan · 7 years ago
Text
Miss- err, Mr. and Mr. Croft, Part 6/Angel of Darkness, Part 4
Important Author Note: Unless it is specified who says which part, the dialogue typically alternates between Tsuna and Hayato.
WARNINGS: OOC, Language (there is a lot of cursing), Violence, Indiscriminate Killing (Tomb Raider Typical Killing- applies to humans, animals, and mythical creatures), Dialogue Heavy, Set In The Tomb Raider Games 'Verses, So May Not Make A Whole Lot Of Sense If You Don't Know TR (unless you, like me, don't mind that), Uses Dialogue From The Game, Collection of Snippets/Drabbles/Scenes Featuring Tsuna's And Hayato's Adventures In The TR Games, Beware Of Unexpected Mood Whiplashes, Ship Teasing, Slight BoyxBoy (why do I even warn about this anymore?), Platonic 5927 (To The EXTREEEEEEEME!), Snark, Badass Tsuna And Hayato, Badasses In Dresses, Perverted Swords, Cute Hammers, And As Always: Shameless Self-Indulgence/Ridiculousness.
Disclaimer: Don't own TR or KHR.  
.
"Give me the painting, and you may both leave."
Hayato's hand reached towards the painting and hesitated, he looked over towards Tsuna, who looked pensive for a moment before he spoke, "What choice do I have?" He motioned for Hayato to throw the painting over towards Eckhardt.
Eckhardt's follower dropped Kurtis down to the ground, Hayato and Tsuna inched towards him but he raised a hand to stop them and rose in his own.
"Gunderson, release Boaz."
Hayato braced the swaying Kurtis while Tsuna turned to face the gate which was opening off to the side.
"This old colleague of mine was once a human- before she displeased me."
The opening gate showed a grotesque creature, with a face that Tsuna and Hayato saw once before at the bio-research facility. Up on the balcony, Eckhardt and Gunderson turned around to leave with the man Tsuna once called 'babbling wacko'. Kurtis turned around to train his gun at the balcony.
"Not you Muller, you piece of dross! You failed me too." Gunderson pushed Muller off the balcony as well. Hayato aimed his gun towards the man alongside with Kurtis.
Muller attempted to run away from Hayato and Kurtis only to be grabbed by Boaz and thrown away.
"Come on, I'll give you a boost." Kurtis said to Hayato as he holstered his gun.
Hayato looked at Kurtis, then at Tsuna who nodded.
"Alright."
After Kurtis gave Hayato a boost to jump up towards the balcony, he turned towards Tsuna, "Tsuna, you too-"
"No."
"Wha-?"
"I will give you a boost." Tsuna's eyes narrowed and turned orange, his flames springing to surround him again, "That creature is no match for me. And we still have words to have with you. You're the first person who grew able to see us, and I'll be damned if I let you slip away like that."
"I can take care of myself."
"Well, so can Hayato, and look what happened to him after we separated at the Louvre."
"Hey! Do you have to keep bringing that up?!" Hayato hollered from the balcony.
"Yes, I do! You get to keep mentioning the pawnshop incident; I get to keep mentioning the Louvre incident!"
"Well, how about you shut up, get Kurtis up here, get rid of that thing and join us up here."
Tsuna gave Hayato the finger; Hayato poked his tongue out at Tsuna. Kurtis stared.
A shout from Boaz' direction prompted Tsuna to turn back to Kurtis, "C'mon."
A quick stare down later, and Tsuna was giving Kurtis a boost to jump towards the balcony.
Tsuna turned towards Boaz and his lips thinned, "Well then,"
Tsuna took a ready stance, feet spread apart, right arm extended behind him and pushing out a huge stream of flames, and left arm extended in front of him, palm facing Boaz. When Tsuna deemed Boaz too close to dodge his attack, a great stream of flames shot out of his left palm, engulfing Boaz and completely incinerating the creature.
Tsuna cut off his flames.
Kurtis stared in shock at the damage the fire cause, not only was there no trace left of Boaz, but there were two huge crates under where the flames were, one part of the wall behind where Boaz was, was even destroyed!
The creature was 'no match' for Tsuna indeed.
Tsuna looked up at the balcony, pushed his palms down and pushed his flames out of them again, the burst of flames was strong enough to propel Tsuna up into the air. Tsuna flipped mid-air and landed on the balcony next to Hayato and Kurtis.
"Let's go."
.
"Alright, we can swim down now." Hayato said before he hopped into the pool, Tsuna following his lead. The two stared at Kurtis who was at the edge. He sighed and jumped in after them.
The two were crazy, but he wasn't any better. At least he didn't casually snark at others as he threw an undead knight down a hole.
.
The three pulled themselves out of the pool.
"Did we just…" Kurtis looked at the ceiling, "All swim down just to get the Periapt Shard?"
Tsuna coughed, "It happens."
Hayato snapped, embarrassed, "You're no better than me, Tsuna!"
"Oh, really? Name one time."
"You want to go there? How about the time in-"
Kurtis sighed.
.
"Oh great. Couldn't we have arrived, I don't know, before he managed to gather all the pieces together?"
"Hey, no matter how bad Eckhardt just got, remember that time with the literal demons? That time with the literal gods? That time with the literal armed acrobatic skeletons? You swam with fucking piranhas, Tsuna!"
"What do you have against piranhas?!"
Ignore them, Kurtis thought as he raised his gun, ignore them.
.
"Still alive, miss Croft. You are resilient. But over the decades, I've killed more mortals like you than I can remember."
"Bite me-!" Hayato slapped a hand over Tsuna's mouth.
"And stolen their body parts like a cheap grave robber." Kurtis snapped back.
Next to him, Tsuna and Hayato frowned, "Should we feel insulted too? I mean, we're technically 'grave robbers' as well."
"Hush, Tsuna, we're clearly on a higher level than him."
"And I will now take yours. Both of you."
"To wake this thing?" Hayato scoffed.
"I'll give it indigestion!"
"Tsuna, shut up."
.
"I hunted down and killed the last of the Lux Veritatis."
"That's it; I'm going to kill him."
"You're the guy with the sharp toys, Kurtis."
'Sharp toys'? Kurtis pointedly did not comment.
.
"I am immortal!"
"NOT WITH THESE SHARP TOYS WE HAVE, YOU AREN'T!"
"The Shards!"
"Tsuna! Stop waving them about!"
"Killjoy."
.
"It is my destiny to breed Hell on earth. You are nothing to me."
"Greater beings than you tried. Care to guess how successful they were?"
.
"Tsuna, don't burst into flames again!"
"I'm not doing it on purpose!"
"Uh-huh."
"He does that often?"
"More times than you think."
.
"His aim sucks."
"Dogs are scarier than this."
"Hayato, dogs are the scariest thing ever."
"Hush, Tsuna."
.
"He's… making clones of himself?"
"He's doing his absolute best to avoid getting close to us. Does he suck at hand-to-hand or something?"
"That would be embarrassing and disappointing."
.
"Did he just use the clones just to teleport himself in?"
.
"Wow. He does suck at hand-to-hand."
"Kurtis, the Shard."
"Right away."
.
"Is he going to scream like that every time we drive a Shard into him?"
"I don't know, but I certainly hope so. It's surprisingly satisfying."
"Wow, Kurtis, you're so vicious. But I agree with you."
.
"He's using fire now?"
"His aim still sucks."
"And I feel insulted on behalf of the fire being shot at us."
.
"Oh look, he's making clones again. Except this time from fire."
"Is he… going to repeat the same approach as before?"
.
"He is."
.
"At least we get to hear him scream out of the experience."
.
"I'm offering you the chance to become part of a benign new order in the world."
Tsuna shot him.
.
"He's a Nephilim? Doesn't matter, I'm gonna kill him regardless."
.
"I'm reminded of that one time with Set."
"Set? Like the Egyptian god?"
"Yes, that Set."
.
"There, done. Can we leave now?"
"Yes. And-" Tsuna looked at Kurtis, "-we have some things to investigate."
.
Tsuna and Hayato never got that chance to 'investigate'.
.
After they made it out of Eckhardt's lab, Tsuna halted in his steps and sighed, despondent.
"Tsuna?"
"I… I don't think we'll get to stay here."
"What do you mean?" Kurtis observed him.
"Oh." Hayato was silent for a moment, "Maybe we could find a way to contact him even afterwards. Or he could."
"I don't know, Hayato. I'm not sure."
"What? We've been taken away by the light after the 'end' of our 'adventures' a lot of times. And it's true that we were moved through space, and sometimes through time, but what makes you think that this time would be different?"
"It's just a-!"
The light, horribly familiar to the two of them, swept them up, leaving Kurtis to stare in shock at the empty space that was just occupied by Tsuna and Hayato.
.
Tsuna and Hayato both groaned after the light deposited them, then immediate snapped their heads up in shock; their voices were-!
"Oh my god!" Tsuna exclaimed, looking at the way too young Hayato in front of him, then looking down at himself, "Hayato! We're kids!"
"I can see that!"
"Who are you?"
The two froze and turned towards the speaker to see a dark-haired woman staring at them in shock.
"You," Tsuna started, "Can see us?"
"Of course I can. Why would I not be able to see you?"
Tsuna and Hayato looked at each other. This was new.
"Who are you? And where is my daughter, Lara?"
Uh-oh.
.
End chapter 6
7 notes · View notes
fountainpenguin · 8 years ago
Note
Just a little bit of philosophy for you: is Danny Fenton identical to Danny Phantom? What makes them the same person? The same body? The same brain? The same memories? If Phantom does a bad thing (like killing someone), should Fenton feel guilty? Or was he not responsible for Phantom's actions? If the punishment for Phantom's crime was imprisonment, could Fenton object because it would impinge on his freedom of movement? If the two separated, who would be the real Danny?
Tumblr media
I keep getting Danny asks and you people don’t understand that my DP headcanons aren’t fully in place yet. I’m new here and, with the exception of “Pirate Radio” and “The Fenton Menace”, have only seen every episode once or twice and I don’t know whose toes not to tread on in the phandom.
But you’ve just nailed the main reason I prefer “Livin’ Large” to “The Ultimate Enemy”, so congrats. This post turned out long, so the rest is under the cut. You’ll have to scroll a bit to get to your actual questions, but they’re in bold.
“Livin’ Large”? What? I know! It’s so well-written, and it baffles me that it’s one of the most hated episodes in the series. Sometimes the most hated one, depending on who you ask. Do people in the phandom… hate… happiness…?
I’m sorry, but I’ll take slow psychological spiral downhill into accidental jerkhood (followed by a realization of said jerkhood and repentant rush to set things right) over an inexplicable rapid flip into deliberate and evil jerkhood any day.
Enemies teaming up > deus ex machina master of time intervention ending, tbh. This is what happens when you spend a decade writing and a few more years interning for editors, I guess? At least with those that I worked with, deus ex machinas are huge no-nos among editors. “Ultimate Enemy” is like “Nightmare Before Christmas” to me: entire story makes no psychological sense and ends with a deus ex machina too. Why would you not try the other holiday doors, Jack Skellington? Answer me that! Why does the romance serve absolutely no purpose? Why was that girl whose name I can’t remember even in this movie? Why are those three kids like that? Who even is Oogie Boogie? Just. Why?
I reacted to “Ultimate Enemy” the same way I reacted to that “Doctor Who” episode where The Doctor left Rose on the beach. I KNEW it was coming. I just didn’t know HOW. With “Doctor Who”, when we reached that episode I was thinking, “This is IT! This is the moment when he tells her to step out and do him a favor or something, and he proves his moral grayness when he abandons her and leaves, and she runs across the sand towards him sobbing because he’s left her on a deserted island and it’s going to be a classic case of “I did it to protect you because I don’t want to see anyone else die”-
Ahaha. No. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Literally I don’t think I could have been any more disappointed than I was. I was in shock for days at how badly I personally felt it was done (My blog, my opinions; I can be subjective if I want).
Geez, I dislike “Doctor Who” a lot… I’m not a fan of most AUs, and this show is just a string of “AU where this happens” and “OC meets and befriends famous people” episodes. Deaths mean NOTHING when it’s so predictable I can sit there and call out, “Yep, camera stalled too long on this person, they’re on the chopping block”. I feel nothing. I care about no one except Mickey. Too much romance. I would like to see the Doctor have a cheery old lady or grumpy old man companion instead of a young girl who’s in love with him, please. And horror is absolutely not my genre in the first place (I prefer cheerful worlds with subtle dark undertones), but every time I come home, Mom has this brilliant idea to order us all in front of the TV because she thinks this show is amazing… Heh heh. We all have our ridiculous first world problems and this one is mine.
We just watched “The Doctor’s Daughter”. I would like to see any FOP/“Who” fan who bashes Chloe but loves Jenny at my front desk. Like. Give me three episodes in a row where The Doctor has no one to talk to, so he runs through the episodes speaking very little and the viewer has no idea what his thought process is or what the weaknesses of those enemies are. Let him spiral into the moral gray zone. Instead of telling me he needs a companion, try showing me for once. Being a TV show doesn’t excuse you from that need. And then those enemies can come back in a later episode when he actually has a companion again and we can learn their history/flaws. Then I’ll be willing to compromise.
ANYWAY. Wow. Sorry ‘bout that. But “The Ultimate Enemy” felt like that. I was really excited for Dark Danny. When a cartoon hero goes bad, typically the only logical explanations are the good “sliding into moral gray”, the usually-poorly-done “they were faking it” (I’m so sorry “ChalkZone” fans, because I know Penny’s a good person, but I really, really liked jealous Penny snapping after Rudy breaks his promises and so I prefer “Chalk Queen” as a mixture between this option and the first rather than 100% this one, because COME ON, she totally owned that scene where she dangled Snap above the boiling salsa! Those two are always at each other’s throats and I loved it), and the cheap “hero gets possessed” option. I had such high hopes for Dan and they all crashed when I saw this episode. Like Ella in “Pahkitew Island” all over again.
If “Ultimate Enemy” had come before “Identity Crisis” rather than immediately after it (Remember that I binge-watched, so I saw them in the same day), it might have had a better shot of me liking it. But the thing is, I LOVED “Identity Crisis”! I’m a sucker for duplicate episodes because I always wish I had some myself, so that I could have one of me go to school and the other work on writing all day, go to work, et cetera. It was a very creative episode because instead of two clones who were exactly the same except one was “the original”, NEITHER side was quite like Danny. He was split in half, with one lazy goofball and one self-righteous guy with a hero complex, and it was AWESOME.
So I don’t get why in “Ultimate Enemy”, Vlad ripped the ghost out of Danny and that ghost part of him wasn’t like that. At all. Where was my beloved hero who wears bedsheets for capes and overshadowed his other half because even he, the hero, has a selfish side?
Ignoring the headscratcher of why Danny elected to stay with his mortal enemy when he has an awesome aunt in Arkansas, I’ll believe he goes there because Vlad offered to teach him how to use his ghost powers. Wait. Danny… didn’t want to learn to use his powers? What the… Why… Oh, we’re just gonna… Ghost half goes bezerk and attacks Vlad, okay, I’ll believe that. Everyone he loved just died and he’s striking out. This is super bizarre because Danny came to Wisconsin to ask Vlad for HELP and all logic suggests his ghost half should know what’s going on, but I’ll let it slide this time. Or. Um. Two times. Okay, we’re just gonna fuse (not possess: fuse) with the evil guy’s ghost form now, because if I were a good guy then that would be my first thought in that situation too… And let’s just flip our waffles and murder our human half for absolutely no reason, okay. Aaand we’re done suspending our disbelief today.
I mean, that’s totally FINE if people like “Ultimate Enemy”. An evil adult version of yourself who’s fallen outside the constraints of the timestream is an interesting concept to play with once or twice. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it and everyone has the right to like what they like. These are merely my personal thoughts on why it doesn’t click well with me.
It’s just that after I saw it, I started daydreaming of an episode where Danny would again remind us that he’s not perfect, and get into a fight with Sam and Tucker over something petty. His moral grayness would be obvious. Instead of saying “my evil ghost half fused with yours”, Vlad would be portrayed as a person with likes, dislikes, and silly quirks of his own like baking bundt cake that don’t involve him admitting he views himself as evil (which is generally a huge red flag for me, because I work best with moral grays, not moral blacks- when do you ever meet people in real life who offhandedly say, “Yeah, I do evil for a living”).
Finally, after being selfish for awhile, Danny would decide for himself to change for the better- no one would force him to. And rather than ending with a deus ex machina, this imaginary episode would have an ending where Danny teams up with several reluctant ghosts to save the day. Plus, there would be really great worldbuilding in this episode. As an added bonus, Youngblood would make another appearance without his parrot so I could continue my “Y.B.’s guardian figure literally died when Jazz shot him during “Fenton Menace” and his head landed in Youngblood’s lap” headcanon, and Y.B. would get speaking lines and have a really cool quote. But what were the statistical odds of that?
Apparently, pretty awesome. So “Livin’ Large” is one of my favorite episodes for reasons that seem to be specific to me alone. It was right up my alley and is totally the kind of episode I would have written. Which is really concerning given how hated it is and how I want to write novels and/or cartoons someday. Hm.
I mean, come on! You all know how much I adore H.P. and the Pixies. People getting carried away with money and power is kind of my thing. And to be fair, there were a lot of zeros on that check.
AS FOR YOUR ACTUAL QUESTIONS:
Is Danny Fenton identical to Danny Phantom? 
Identical wouldn’t be the word I would use, but I see them as the same person, yes. Apart from that scene in “Ultimate Enemy” about the bezerk ghost half that I hate, there’s no show canon to suggest they’re very different. Between Mike from “Total Drama” and Foop from “Fairly OddParents”, I have enough multiple personalities to write fanfics about. I don’t need multiple Dannys too.
As for whether they think the same, the answer would be no. I direct you to the fact that multilingual people often say they think a bit differently depending on the language they’re using, and they answer personality quizzes in a slightly different way too.
It’s just psychology. Like that thing about how if you force your mouth to smile (ex: holding a pen between your teeth), it triggers the happiness response in your brain. If you stand with your legs spread slightly apart and your hands on your hips, you’ll feel more powerful / in control. 
Admittedly I am partial to the concept that the Phantom half of him likes Sam best and the Fenton side prefers Valerie, buuuuuut…
What makes them the same person? The same body? The same brain? The same memories?
Same person, same brain, just different situations. Are you the same person hanging out with your friends that you are at the dinner table with your parents? Same person, yes. You may act differently, though.
My view would be, Phantom tends to be reckless and brave, Fenton is more reserved and compassionate. In either form, Danny loves and cares for his parents. However, he would definitely feel more detached from them when he’s Phantom. I’m willing to side with the theory that ghosts tend to feel lonely and detached because that’s just in their brains and biology.
If Phantom does a bad thing (like killing someone), should Fenton feel guilty? Or was he not responsible for Phantom’s actions?
Danny would have to answer to it, yes. He’s more likely to get carried away in ghost form, but he always has a choice.
If the punishment for Phantom’s crime was imprisonment, could Fenton object because it would impinge on his freedom of movement?
Depending on which U.S. state he lives in, he could try to argue for “not guilty by reason of insanity”. In some states, he could plead “guilty but insane”. 
However, if he did either of these then I (as a person who’s seen him in the show, not as a bystander in real life who doesn’t know his situation) would feel uncomfortable with it because he would be arguing he didn’t have any control of himself and didn’t understand what he was doing, or that the actions he was taking against people could hurt them, when in my headcanon he does.
Makes me wonder where you’re going to jail a ghost who can walk through walls.
If the two separated, who would be the real Danny?
As previously mentioned, I approved immensely of “Identity Crisis”. Very well-written episode, that one. 
But if we’re throwing that out of the equation because those two were the extremes of Danny’s personality… you… can’t split Phantom and Fenton. They’re the same person. You’d end up with the Dannys that Danny was actually trying to create in that episode: Very similar personalities, but one is always on “I feel powerful and in control of the situation” high and one is always in the mindset of “Being the city’s superhero isn’t my problem anymore”.
Basically, Danny would go back to the way he was before he got his ghost powers: A kind, awkward, unpopular boy who wants to be an astronaut.
TL;DR, someone PLEASE write me an AU one-shot where Danny stays with his aunt in Arkansas instead of going to Vlad, because I need this in my life.
1 note · View note
ciathyzareposts · 5 years ago
Text
Game 367: Taskmaker (1989)
This is a pretty morbid way to organize your “to do” items.
         TaskMaker
United States
Storm Impact (developer); XOR (publisher)
Released 1989 for the Macintosh Remade and re-released as shareware in 1993
Date Started: 15 May 2020
          TaskMaker is a slick little game, probably the best I’ve played so far on the Macintosh. It uses the platform’s strengths in graphic detail and sound but offers a fuller RPG experience than most Mac games of the era. While it has that inescapable “cutesy” look of most Mac games, it’s relatively long and hard, and it has enough good, new ideas to break out of the “Ultima clone” status that you might otherwise assign it at first glance.
           It’s typical of a Mac game to offer menu options for movement. At least this isn’t the only way to move.
        We owe reader LanHawk yet another appreciation pin for tracking this down, in this case writing to the original developer for the files. Because almost everything written about the game is about the 1993 version, being able to cover the original is a nice coup. I’ll have more on the development and the two versions on a subsequent entry; I’ll probably take a run through the 1993 version while I’m covering the game rather than saving it for 1993.
      The backstory is relatively short: The land was once at peace, under the direction of a wise king. When the king died, the “governing body split into three confrontational factions.” The main character is an adventurer who remembers the way things used to be. He decides to restore order by becoming Master of the Land, but lacking experience and guidance, he seeks out the TaskMaker, an advisor of the former king.
            The TaskMaker introduces himself.
       Character creation is a process of selecting a name, then selecting five personal attributes from a list of 20. Your selections calibrate your maximum totals for seven attributes: food, health, spirit, strength, agility, intellect, and stamina. Current totals for these attributes are represented with a bar, and they deplete as you walk around the kingdom and fight. You find various potions and objects to restore lost attributes. Most important are those that restore health, because it depletes fastest in combat, and food, because everything else can be restored with rest.
           Creating a character. I imagined this one something of a bard.
         The game world is a relatively small 100 x 100, dotted with castles, dungeons, towns, and caves. The TaskMaker lives in a castle to the center-east of the land, and the basic setup is that you go to him, he gives you a quest, you go out into the world to find and complete the quest, and you return to the TaskMaker for a reward and the next quest. Quests take place in towns or dungeons. The game doesn’t make a lot of distinction between dangerous areas and safe ones, as dangerous monsters can appear in towns or castles, including the TaskMaker’s, and NPCs can appear in dungeons. 
            The game opening has you sailing to the TaskMaker’s shores. Too bad you don’t get to keep the boat.
         The equipment system is pretty advanced, offering slots for helmets, armor, cloaks, amulets, belts, gauntlets, bracers, boots, rings on both hands, and an item in each hand–either a weapon and shield, a two-handed weapon, or dual-wielding two weapons (I found the latter to be much better). No matter how much money you make, the shops (which only show you items you can afford) always seem to have a better item available. 
            Buying items in the shop.
Choosing between two helms.
           Monsters are a mix of traditional (goblins, orcs, kobolds) and somewhat original, although most of the original ones are also kind of silly, like happy faces and evil computers. I haven’t met any so far with much in the way of special attacks or defenses. None of them seem capable of magic or attacks at range, for instance. They’re simply differentiated by how many hit points they can whack away in a single combat round.
            The “Evil Mac” is a goofy enemy.
            Combat is of the early Ultima type, where you hit (F)ight and hit the creature in front of you, although it has a little more complexity with spells and usable items. Combats are quite tough, even well into the game. For the first few hours, I had to repeatedly use what we might call “exit-scumming,” by which I would lead an enemy to the exit of an area, fight as long as possible, retreat to the outer area, rest, and re-enter to continue fighting. This is made possible partly by your one advantage: you can carry a huge amount of equipment–more than 60 items. That’s enough food, potions, or whatever to outlast any enemy. But I occasionally found myself in impossible situations where enemies would appear both outside and inside at the same time.
            Battling some goblins on a bridge.
        This is where we get into another of the oddities of the game: when you die, you don’t die permanently; you go to Hell. You can escape Hell by fighting your way through demons and solving a maze (if you die in Hell, you just reappear in Hell), but you then have to go find your non-equipped equipment back on the surface. You also lose your gold in the process.
              Wandering through Hell’s maze.
         This system unfortunately introduces a weird way to cheat. The game tracks the world state independently from the character state. This theoretically allows you to have multiple characters active at once, although I don’t know how this works with the TaskMaker. Thus, if you die and reload instead of escaping from Hell, you’ll still find a pile of equipment where your character last “died.” You could use this to infinitely replicate useful objects like potions or expensive objects that you can sell at the store. I didn’t deliberately cheat this way, but it’s annoying and hard to get out of Hell, and there were times that I reloaded and then picked up some of my old, duplicated items if I happened to come across them. To avoid temptation, I’ve been trying to reload before I die in times when death seems inevitable.
The separation of character from world means that you can also take advantage of commands to reset a particular map or the entire game world, keeping your character as-is. It’s a good option if you want to clear the same dungeon twice, finding double the treasure and experience. 
           Little piles of stuff mark the location of previous deaths.
          The controls are quite good, offering keyboard backups to all of the menu commands. Spells are cast with SHIFT and the first letter of the spell. There’s an “Invoke” spell that lets you type in your own spells that you might find during the game, but it apparently also a way for the developer to introduce cheat codes and interface changes. I’ve been slow to explore spells; the one I’ve used the most is the “Strike” spell which casts a bolt at enemies. I tend to use it on fleeing enemies so I don’t have to chase them.
Sound is also quite well-done. Much of it uses spoken voice recordings. (In fact, one voice they used, a deep bass, sounds eerily like my own.) When you first start the game, the voice says, “TaskMaker.” A different one says, “What is it?” when you use the (I)dentify commands. There are screams for deaths on both sides and solid attack and spellcasting effects.
The TaskMaker’s first task was to retrieve a package he left in Skysail Village. It was in an area of the village amidst a horde of monsters and required me to figure out a switch puzzle. The game is fond of puzzles involving doorways blocked by electric forcefields for which you have to find a switch to deactivate. When I returned the package, he rewarded me with five “Instant Vacation” scrolls, invaluable items that replenish all of your meters.
     His second task was to retrieve a chessboard in his own castle. It was in an area north of the bar. Getting it involved fighting a few monsters, but it was otherwise pretty easy. He gave me a double-bladed sword.
         My reward for the second quest.
       For Task 3, he wanted me to travel to some silver mines, where he owns a share, and kill some conspirators who had taken over the mines, bringing him back a golden chalice as proof. This was a tough mission; the mines were full of numerous tough monsters, but also some nice treasure rewards. By the time it was done, I had mostly magic gear and a magic sword in each hand. The TaskMaker’s reward was a suit of platemail, a huge armor upgrade from the leather I was wearing before.
          Battling a “war wizard” in the silver mine.
         I’m still working on Task 4, which is to find an unknown magic item in the “sands of Porta.” He indicated he doesn’t know where the item is buried, so I might be “in for a lot of digging.”
           The TaskMaker gives the fourth mission.
        As you quest, you amass experience and gain levels (I’m on Level 7 now) and your attributes increase. I guess they must increase proportionally to the skills you actually use because my spirit and intellect (which governs magic) have barely gone up but my strength, agility, and stamina are almost at maximum. Health and maximum food didn’t budge for a while but increased a bit during the last few hours.
      Other features of the game: 
       The game tracks your karma based on how many good, neutral, and evil creatures you’ve slain and other acts like stealing from shops and houses in town.
            Checking out my personal statistics. I’m “basically good.”
         There’s also a score. It increases every time you solve a quest or kill a creature and slowly decreases as you move around in between those moments. High scores are tracked on a scoreboard.
There’s an “identify” command that will tell you what’s in front of you. An “action” command will use it if it’s usable.
A “get info” command tells you a bit about the history of whatever area you’re in.
         The TaskMaker’s castle.
          The game has its own “runic alphabet” used for shop and city signs. It’s not translated in the game manual, so I suppose you have to figure it out by noting the runes in places where you can guess what they’re saying. I haven’t been bothering with them, but I wonder if I’m missing hints and clues because of it.
         As I’m in Skysail, I’m guessing those runes say “SKYSAIL.”
           NPCs aren’t terribly valuable in this game unless you bribe them by giving them things. Even then, they rarely tell you anything you need to know.
              The game pokes fun at Lord British. I didn’t realize his adoption of a more executive role was well known in 1989.
          If you drink alcohol, you start to go the wrong direction when moving. I think Ultima introduced this, but I don’t remember what edition. IV, probably.
There’s a fun system where you can find valuable objects like gold bars and necklaces and “cash them in” at ATMs. It feels like ATMs were pretty new in 1989. I think my Maine hometown may have only gotten one that year. 
             Finding an ATM in a dungeon. This dungeon happens to be full of treasure, so it was a relief to find it.
          There’s a set of miscellaneous game options I’ve never seen in any other place. I feel like every game could benefit from these. I don’t know what “wandering monsters” does, though. Un-checking it doesn’t seem to stop them from appearing.
            Setting various game preferences.
          A shop in the castle offers an invisibility cloak. If you put it on, the shop will no longer transact with you because you’re invisible.
          Come on! You’re the one who sold it to me!
            I rather enjoy this basic approach: offer an open game world with a variety of small missions. You don’t have to follow the TaskMaker’s quests exclusively; nothing stops you from simply exploring the towns and dungeons in a random order, or even from solving some of the quests before the TaskMaker even gives them to you. We’ve seen this approach before, going all the way back to Akalabeth, but this is perhaps the first game to use it with such a variety of lengths, difficulties, and objectives.
         But while I’m having fun, it’s tempered by an inability to ever feel like I’m getting more powerful no matter how much my statistics and inventory increase. Every time I think I’m doing well, some new enemy suddenly pops up in a familiar location and kicks my butt. Frankly, if it hadn’t been for the extra Instant Vacations I’ve been able to loot from locations where I’ve died, I’m not sure I would have been able to make it this far. I think eventually a cycle of starvation and poverty would have put me in a permanent downward spiral. I’ve watched videos of the remake, and it looks like the developers took the edge off the difficulty level between the two, although the remake still seems challenging.
     The number of entries will be determined by the number of tasks, I guess. Ten would be just about perfect. I suspect the TaskMaker is going to turn out to be evil based on the things he’s having me do and how he reacts if I happen to pop by with a task unfinished.
      Time so far: 6 hours.
                source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-367-taskmaker-1989/
0 notes
mara-tevith-solo · 5 years ago
Text
Real Funny - part 5
Something I’ve been slow cooking for a few years, a little all over the place. Some plot pieces aren’t mine, just something I played with.
Trigger Warning; Contains swearing, violence, mentions of nudity and death
That night, Krell showed the officers a transmission from General Kenobi about how the capitol was being supplied by a trade ship before sending us all back on our way after watching some missiles come down. My blood boiled at the thought of what was going to happen next and grit my teeth before taking some time to rest. I was no good to anyone on E. A few hours later, Fives shook me awake, smoothing back my hair when I blinked up at him "Is it time?" I asked softly, feeling my gut sink and the beginnings of tears sting my eyes.
He didn't even looked shocked as he nodded, too used to my knowings, and moved aside as I got out of the bunk and snapped my torso armor on as fast as I could. I nearly ran to the landing pad where the other two were waiting. "You came." Jesse exclaimed, surprised that I was sacrificing sleep to see them off. 
"Of course I came." I nodded, setting down my bucket and pouncing on the closest trooper, throwing my arms around their neck and holding them tightly for a moment before moving onto the next and repeating the action. When I got to Hardcase, he was ready for me, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off the ground an inch or two and just holding me tightly "I'll miss you." I couldn't help but whisper. I meant it, I meant it to the very core of my being. He was a true friend and always brought a sense of life wherever he went.
He was confused for a moment but then I felt him beam into my neck "I'll miss you too." There was a giddy happiness, as though I had told him that I loved him. I stopped the tears as much as I could, even when my eyes blurred and refused to clear.
When he set me down and released me, I went back over to my helmet and fixed them all with stern looks "You boys come home, ya hear? You come home and I'll teach you any dance you wanna know." I promised sternly, back rigid. It was the only way to keep my composure. 
"Yes sir!" They all saluted before donning their helmets and running back to their ships and leaving before anyone could stop them. I couldn't stop crying as soon as they couldn't see me, drowning in my sorrow and mourning as I put on my bucket and wondered the base aimlessly. Somehow, I found myself in the medbay, in a chair next to 3119's cot as he slept soundly. It was only slightly soothing, but it was a welcomed distraction to listening to people breathing, focusing on how deep and even each breath was. No one in the medbay was in any immediate danger. 
When the two finally came back, Krell and a guard was waiting, as was I. I didn't listen as Krell lectured the two 'traitors' I was instead focusing on the space that Hardcase should have been occupying. The two were stripped and taken to the holding cells while I went back to the medbay. "Val..." Rex asked from the doorway as I silently checked bandages, never taking off my bucket, to hide my crying.
"Yes Captain?" I asked, not even looking his way as I checked that cheek wound for infection and reapplied a bandage.
"This was instructed to be given to you by... by Hardcase." He swallowed, holding a hand out to me. I finally turned to him and held out a palm. Feeling the ultimate sorrow seep off him in waves, he dropped something small but hollow into my hand "I'm very sorry for your loss, Val." I didn't like the way he said it, not at all. I looked down at the object and nearly collapsed into new tears; it was a durasteel band, one that would easily fit my right pointer finger, with a small group of diamond flakes in the center that gleamed like stars. I staggered to regain my balance as I stared at the ring. He had fully intended to propose at the end of the mission, and he was so confident that I would say yes, that he had somehow procured a ring. I closed my fist around the offending metal and clutched it to my chest. 
Before I could do anything else, the order went out for all able bodied soldiers to form up for an assault. I slipped off a glove and put the ring on before slipping the glove back on, knowing there would be plenty of time to admire it later, and rushed with Kix to the front lines with Rex. It felt strange to go into a battle with the 501st sans Jesse, Fives, and Hardcase. When I was finally informed that the 'enemy' was wearing our armor, it was too late for me to stop the carnage. All I could do was run around, screaming that everyone was a clone, no one was Umbaran, and that we had been tricked. All it got me before the end of it was a bolt to the shoulder in close quarters. When the firing stopped, I marched up to the line of men, aggravated and in pain as I held my shoulder "Who shot me?" I asked loudly, staring at the men of my legion. They all looked shame faced "Who shot me?" I asked, sounding more tired and a tad nicer. A trooper pointed to the man next to him, ratting him out. 
I approached the man aggressively, scaring the dickens out of him as he backed up "Sir I'm so..." Before he could get another word out, my arms were around him in a hug, holding him close to comfort him.
"It's alright trooper. It's alright." I soothed as his shaking stopped and he started sobbing into the crook of my neck. We stayed like that until Rex ordered us all to go arrest Krell for treason, all of us more than happy to oblige. I waited with the group on the ground, finger twitching on the trigger as we all waited. As soon as Krell was out the window, my rifle was to my shoulder "FIRE!!" I yelled, already trying to blast him out of the sky. My luck stopped holding out as he slashed shallowly through my middle and across my back as the first blow sent me spinning, sending me crashing to the ground in so much pain, I was almost numb. By the time that Kix was able to get to me, I was in shock and everything was tinted with black. He murmured things to me as he rushed me to the med center and put me under.       
Waking up from being put under while nearly dying was a painstaking slow process that back slid several times before finally sticking. "Wolffe? Kix? Hardcase?" I asked groggily, looking around the curtained enclosure with bleary eyes.
"Ah, you're awake. You have some explaining to do." Kix said sternly, coming closer with a commpad in his hands. Once he was close enough, I saw the shiner on his right eye. "What is Commander Wolffe to you?" He asked, crossing his arms and visually daring me to lie.
"Do you swear not to tell another soul?" I asked softly, blushing because, ten credits, it was Wolffe who gave Kix the shiner. He frowned but nodded and I beckoned him closer until my lips were nearly against the shell of his ear "Wolffe and I are married." I admitted.
He straightened like a shot, gaping down at me as though I had just told him I was the Chancellor's mistress. "You had better be karking joking, Valeri!" He growled, looking murderous and betrayed.
"I couldn't tell anyone! It would have been an automatic court-marshaling and reconditioning! Please Kix!" I begged, my heart racing with fear as I fought against my pain to sit up. "I'm sorry I never told anyone, I wanted to, it killed me every day! But I couldn't because there's so much at stake." I began having a panic attack, thinking that every friendship I had built was going to crumble from beneath me like a house built on sand. 
Tears fell from my eyes and he sighed before collecting me in a reassuring embrace and letting me cry into his shoulder "I'm not mad Val, I was just concerned and a little betrayed. I understand why you never told anyone, but Wolffe somewhat blew it when his Legion boarded and they learned what happened to you. He was here in three minutes flat and sucker punched me when I told him that I didn't know if you would survive or not. Master Koon had to drag him away." He whispered so that no one else would hear as he smoothed back my less than clean hair.
I calmed after a few minutes, relaxing against him and letting him lay me back down "Can I see him? He probably hasn't slept since he came in." 
"Yes, but Master Koon has to accompany him..." He warned me as though Plo Koon would be an inhibitor. He wouldn't, but he would ensure things stayed tame. 
"Who do you think was the officiant?" I whispered with a soft giggle as his eyes widened like dinner plates. Without another word, he finished checking my vitals and left to go request a certain Jedi and his Commander. It wasn't that long after that the front curtain separated to allow the Kel Dor and the clone into the small space around the bed. "You both are a sight for sore eyes." I smiled in greeting, saluting the General before Wolffe could claim my hands.
"As are you, young one. Gave us all quite the scare." Master Koon admonished gently, patting my knee quickly before folding his hands in front of himself.
"I apologize sir." I bowed my head as much as I could.
"You apologize? What would we have done if your had died, Val? By the Force, we were all terrified!" Wolffe laid into me, not raising the volume of his voice, but certainly raising its intensity.
I know I shouldn't have been angry, that I should have let his fear filled rage flow over me like a wave, but I was in pain, I was sick of laying down, and I was incredibly high on pain stims "Don't give me that shit, Commander! You know as well as I do that war comes with risks. I was willing to meet mine in order to save my fucking men. I know that you've been ready to meet yours multiple times." I growled, zeroed in on the Commander as though he was my arch nemesis. It felt like he was in that moment. Master Koon sighed.
"I'm a CLONE, it's my JOB to die! It's not your job to go on a suicidal vendetta against a fallen Jedi! I want you out of this army! TODAY!!" He yelled, his eyes wide and spit flying out of his mouth.
0 notes
absofrutely · 7 years ago
Text
Wedding Planning
As I groggily leapt out of bed to hit the snooze button on my alarm, the chance that I would crawl back to bed vanished as the big toe on my right foot connected with the base of my dresser. As my foot exploded in pain, I mouthed “FUCK!” briefly forgetting that I lived in a studio apartment with no one else. “FUCK!” I screamed. I groped at the alarm clock blindly, frantically searching for any button that would silence it, and in the process, advancing the clock ahead by an hour and two minutes, reading 7:02am when it really should have displayed 6:00am.
I spent half the year dreading daylight saving time since I hated waking up in the darkness. As the days got darker, I found that my mood followed suit. I had no time to waste as I only had two months until the big day. After years of evading uncomfortable conversation, Trish had finally cornered me on year eight of our relationship. It was more of a negotiation than anything else, like the rational endpoint of something our relationship was supposedly leading up to. The magnum opus, but with a reluctant composer. A hail Mary that was perfectly targeted, but the quarterback was tired, and going to the Superbowl seemed like more of a chore than an accomplishment - so he intentionally threw the ball out of bounds with three seconds left, leaving the ticket holders in the Superdome with their jaws completely agape.
These scenarios swirled through my head as she explained the logic and benefits of getting married.
As she droned on, "... but that means we get two personal exemptions instead of one if we file a joint return. And yes, although we can't deduct as much mortgage interest anymore since home prices are in excess of two million in this area, the standard deduction was raised as well, and..." I nodded, perhaps a little too animatedly.
She frowned, “You’re not listening. You always do thi-”
I finished her previous thought, “…and the standard deduction was raised to $24,000, so if one of us stops working for childcare, filing jointly still makes sense because filing separately only gets us $12,000 each, which seems like it’s the same thing, but actually not, because in sole-provider families, that $12,000 won’t do anything for the non-earner.”
I beamed.
She glared at me, exasperated to be proven wrong, but at the same time, somewhat conflicted since I was listening and therefore had no right to be mad.
It’s moments like these that fed the smugness that carried me through most of my days. Being accused of not paying attention during a meeting, but producing detailed and thoughtful notes in a follow-up email. Parking in a handicapped parking spot and being called out by an opinionated old man while walking into the store, but pointing at the black walking boot that housed your broken foot as he sheepishly sputtered a half apology. An alcoholic father, storming into his son’s bedroom because he heard the sound of videogames being played, ready to unleash his anger, but finding his son doing homework quietly with Chopin in the background.
After she had stated the facts about marriage, which were admittedly well-thought-out, I agreed, but told her there was one condition: I would plan the wedding.
Deciding on the wedding venue was the first step for “Save the Date” purposes, but after that, I had dragged my feet the next couple of months. Since I put myself in charge of planning everything else,  Trish was suspicious of my progress. Frequently, when we were spending time together, I would excuse myself to take a couple of planning-related calls. I’d talk loudly – almost too loudly – and drop a couple of buzz words here and there.
“But if we’re going to go with this caterer, we need to schedule a time to taste the food. It’s nice that the photographer knows a florist who can design the centerpieces, but I’d really prefer that she went along with the design of our invitation, since we’re trying to keep the theme consistent. In terms of videography, the video staff told us their dress code adheres to neutral colors, which coincide with the overall attire of our wedding party.”
I was, of course, talking to no one else on the line, holding up a silenced cell phone to my head. I had to be careful too, since I had almost exhausted the wedding lexicon in my first call.
There were some hiccups, but nothing I wouldn’t be able to recover from.
“The black magic roses are almost indistinguishable from the black baccara, but the black dahlia really stands out to me.”
Trish glanced in my direction, and I realized that the Black Dahlia referred to the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, who had been gruesomely killed in Los Angeles, her body severed in two.
“Uh, I meant the ‘Diva’ dahlia – the one that’s bright pink.”
Trish glanced back down at her phone, scrolling through Instagram.
But the stall tactics masked my true intentions for the wedding – it would be a masterpiece if I could pull it off.
I dissected every piece of all the ingredients that went into a wedding. From the bar décor to the calligraphy on the menu cards, I became a wedding planning powerhouse.
The plan was relatively simple. Weddings were expensive and I really didn’t feel like shelling out $50,000 for a one-time celebration. In fact, I recalled some studies that I read that correlated higher divorce rates with higher wedding costs. So obviously, I quit my job – that was step number one.
Hiring a team of professionals to take care of every single wedding detail seemed extravagant and unnecessary. I dreamed of a reality where I could perform all the functions at a wedding at once. As the guests arrived to my wedding, I would man the bar, pouring everyone a welcome cocktail. Though I was tired from driving the shuttle over from the hotel, I made sure every guest would receive a shot of Jameson and a pickleback.
The guests would take their seats in the folding lawn chairs that I set up earlier in the day, and as the wedding procession started, I would also become the wedding photographer, taking pictures with my Canon Powershot A60 that my dad bought in 2004, but only in 640x480 resolution since I only had 20 megabytes left on my Compact Flash card. Before the bride started walking in, I would run to the kitchen, stirring a large vat of Thai peanut pasta, intended to feed 150 people. I had discarded everyone’s RSVP that included their meal choice and dietary restrictions. In this day and age, it’d be downright irresponsible for someone to not bring an Epipen wherever they went.
As the bride walked down the aisle, I would play the “Here Comes the Bride” wedding march on the violin. Having taken two weeks of YouTube lessons, I was pretty confident I would be able to perform in front of a live audience. I would play the song live because I abhorred the thought of a trashy recording at a classy ceremony.
Since I was the officiant of my own wedding, I would grab the microphone and address the audience, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to--” I’d catch Trish’s eye. Of course, she would be glaring daggers at me.
But as I daydreamed about my fantasy for a couple hours, I knew it wasn’t feasible for one person to perform every conceivable role at a wedding. However, I did know that I only trusted myself. That was the only constraint in devising my plan – I had to make sure that I had complete control over all the minutia.
There was only one possible solution - embryo genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9, the hottest new tool in molecular biology. The concept was simple enough – when bacteria fend off invasions from viruses, the bacteria capture DNA snippets from their attackers, effectively “remembering” who had attacked them, allowing them to create DNA segments called CRISPR arrays. Next time the viruses attack, the bacteria has the ability to disable its attacker by producing RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays, targeting the viruses’ DNA. With CRISPR-associated protein 9, the bacteria can then cut the viruses’ DNA apart, rendering the attack harmless.
With this concept in mind, gene editing had never been easier. Scientists simply repurposed CRISPR-Cas 9 to cut out a targeted gene. After a gene was excised, the doublestrand break repair mechanism gets triggered, ready to accept a homologous replacement piece of DNA. I picked up my kit at Shoppers Drug Mart after seeing that they were out of stock on Amazon.
Although modern day ethics prevented scientists from editing the genetics of embryos or egg and sperm cells, I decided that the rules were meant to be broken since I was on a tight wedding planning deadline.
While thumbing through TV channels one night, I caught a portion of “Jack,” the Robin Williams movie where the main character ages four times faster than his peers. When he graduated high school, he was a 50 year old man with the mind of an 18 year old. Obviously, Jack had some form of Werner syndrome, a rare disorder that caused premature aging. Offhand, I knew that this was caused by a mutation of DNA helicase, RecQ-like type 3, also known as the WRN gene found on chromosome 8.
My mind raced, as I knew I needed to find a donor template for an individual with Werner syndrome.
After a couple days in the lab, I injected 10 of the embryos I was incubating with a couple of choice mutations of the WRN gene. All I had to do now was wait. My wedding helpers would be the correct age, and most importantly, free of charge after all.
When the big day arrived, I spent a good portion of the morning making sure my army of clones looked dapper. Smoothing the collars on their bespoke suits, my clones exuded confidence, professionalism, and most of all, obedience. Still in movement, but not mechanical. Neutral in countenance, but not at all robotic. Every last detail, down to their regional accents, carefully crafted.
“Would you like some cauwfee suh?”
“Please make sure that your name appears in the computuh.”
“Dawhling, please step this way.”
Elated by the success of the clones, I let out an exaggerated sigh, half relief, and half fatigue. Working feverishly in the lab for the last two months, not to mention bottle feeding 10 rapidly aging clone infants, I felt like a shell of a human being. I tried everything: teabags, refrigerated cucumbers, spoons placed in the freezer overnight. The puffiness under my eyes persisted no matter what I tried, the remnants of many nights I spent weeping because one of the infants had passed away due to an infected skin ulcer.
Watching life leaving his little body tore me apart. As he gasped his last hiccups, I allowed the tears that welled up in my eyes to fall freely. I sobbed for three nights in a row, inconsolable as I screamed into my pillow with anguish.
“Is there anyone out there? Is each other all we have?”
My wedding bartender was gone, one of the most expensive wedding personnel to hire, and I wailed even harder when I realized that there wasn’t enough time to incubate a replacement clone.
Despite some unanticipated road bumps, I was ready to set my wedding planning machine into motion.
Attentive, polite, and witty, the clones’ mannerisms posed a striking resemblance to mine, although their rapidly aging bodies were a foil to my rugged good looks.
The morning of the wedding, I staggered out of bed at 10:30am and immediately chugged a bottle of water. After I splashed water on my face, I looked up and squinted at the mirror. Pulling down the skin directly under my right eye, I wasn’t surprised to see the faint outlines of pink veins that originated from the corners of my almond shaped eye. Though it was a tradition, it was generally inadvisable to go out drinking until five in the morning the night before your own wedding. But I caved into peer pressure, recognizing that it wasn’t every Friday night when my closest friends were in town.
For the guests, the first official wedding activity was the ceremony at 4:00pm, so from a third-party perspective, they wouldn’t know how far behind I actually was.
I heard rustling in the closet, and I knew that the clones were also awake, ready to do my bidding.
To minimize the friction of controlling the clones, and to completely bypass any type of socialization of servitude where I’d need to crush their collective spirit multiple times to substantiate the fact that serving me was their only reality, I had decided to inject my own consciousness into the nine remaining beings. I had played the role of good cop, bad cop in breaking the free will of a clone multiple times before, and although I had thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of violence and control, due to the side effects of Werner syndrome, the clones were in no shape for any type of physical punishment. The wedding simply could not happen if I lost one more clone.
Trish had accused me of being spacey and distant in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but remotely controlling 10 different bodies, including my own, was a task that I grossly underestimated. She had no idea that while I was making dinner for her, my consciousness was watching YouTube videos on how to play the violin, learning proper plating techniques for a three course meal, reading up on the latest flower arrangement trends for centerpieces, creating a wedding program on Adobe InDesign, carefully constructing a multilayered wedding cake, hemming my tuxedo dress pants, and negotiating a limousine from a used car lot. If she only knew, her hand wouldn’t have slackened unapologetically when I introduced her as “Tina” to my “co-workers” at a fake work event that I staged.
Since the clones’ eyes were an extension of my own eyes, the sight of myself, as viewed by another person, was something that I’d never get used to. When I went to the gym, when walking by an awkwardly angled mirror, I’d catch a glimpse of my side profile, a view I’d never see if I stared straight into a mirror. Not matter how many nude duckfaces I selfied with Snapchat filters, the extent to which I saw the side of my head was minimal to say the least. It was an out of body experience, the kind people talked about when they technically “died” on the operating table, but all I could think about was how weird my head was shaped, and how bushy my eyebrows looked from the side, and how crooked my nose was.
I wouldn’t have ever done it, but I wondered what it would be like to fight myself. Would it be like one of those “did you know you can bite off your finger with your teeth, just as easily as biting a carrot in half, but our brains prevent us from doing so” myths? If I could anticipate my every move, even if I managed to hit myself, there must be some semblance of me letting it happen. But what if I got killed? My original body, I mean, the master pulling the strings of the puppet. I wondered if my consciousness would transfer over or if these hollow shells that were technically human beings would cease to mentally function.
By afternoon of the wedding day, I had hoped the fogginess would have burned off completely, as the clones needed all of their focus to pull this off.
A sharp knocking on my hotel door startled me, but I should have known that my groomsmen were right on time for wedding photos. As my clones fussed over the position of our boutonnieres and the knots of our bowties, I decided that it was time to distribute my groomsmen gifts. While my bachelor party raged on in Rio de Janiero, I had deployed the clones to conquer and pillage the uncontacted peoples of the Miqueleno-Kujubim in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. With their superior technology and Blitzkrieg methods, the clones subdued the natives in less than 30 seconds. The pillaging commenced, and soon I had my gifts in hand. I presented each groomsman with a gold ingot with their names engraved, and I had prayed that the clones had at least washed off the blood and any remaining hair.
As the bridal party made its way over to the wedding venue, so did the clones. I had expected some sort of crisis, like a hiccup in the officiating, overdone steak on the wedding menu, perhaps a crucial and obvious detail that I had blatantly missed. But everything went smoothly, and when Trish locked eyes with me at the reception, she smiled warmly, impressed at my ability to organize such a lavish production. As Trish relaxed and settled in, I started loosening up as well. Blood rushed back into my once white-knuckles as I relaxed my iron grip on the minds of my clones.
At first, it was a series of minor missteps, like a fumbled wine glass during a refill, or an errant fork clattering on the ground. Completely imperceptible through the raucous crowd. Expected, even.
As I turned around, I caught a glimpse of a clone pouring the after-dinner coffee for one of Trish’s guests. As I turned back to Trish, I heard a bloodcurdling scream. Turning my attention behind me once more, the same clone was slumped over the same guest, pouring scalding hot coffee in her lap. Taking a note that it was one of Trish’s guests, I turned back to Trish once more, stone-faced.  
It’s just decaf. I don’t like it either, but no need to scream bloody murder, I thought.
I had planned for this. I knew that the hive mind could only prop up rapidly aging shells for a limited amount of time before they crumpled up into helpless heaps on the ground. As the puppet master, I kept the strings on my marionettes taut, but as soon as I fed them some slack, their limbs splayed out, almost completely limp, propped up by the few strands of longer strings that prevented the puppet from collapsing completely.
Shifting my focus, I decided to take back the reins. With my eyes closed, I scanned the depths of my brain for bodies I was capable of enslaving. This was the one downside of the mind control serum - identifying host bodies that I had once injected required intense concentration, as eligible candidates looked like blobs of radiating heat, like how they appeared on a thermal imaging camera, but a lot less clear.
It was a mix of bad luck and sheer coincidence that I had once inhabited the minds of most of my wedding guests - mostly for personal gain and fraud. I grasped at any red blob, assuming the consciousness of guest after guest. For each mind I assumed, I glanced down. Since there were no mirrors, I immediately looked at the back of my hands. Although primitive, I had branded all my clones with a sigil for easy identification.
I looked at the clock - it was around 7:45pm and the LSD that I spiked in the water supply should have kicked in five minutes ago.
The air around me seemed to quiver even though I stayed perfectly still. The piercing screams and howls of anguish took on a color of their own and bathed the tablecloth in hues of red, purple, and then black. I had originally wanted the overall mood to be calming and peaceful, with the intention of the LSD enhancing and heightening the existing ambiance. However, the screams of burn victims and tortured souls darkened the room, and I needed to change the vibe quickly.
I correctly assumed the mind of clone who was manning the DJ booth, but had underestimated the amount of focus it took to control his body. With my clumsy hands, I button-mashed the controls for the lights and music. The strobe lights kicked on and the speakers started blasting electronic music with pounding bass.
Unbeknownst to me, “Patient Zero” emerged onto the dance floor. Zero, the eleventh clone who was supposed to be discarded by his clone brethren due to his mental instability and contagious rabid condition.
I was annoyed. I specifically told the clones to discard of Zero since the incubation period for his virus was only a week, and there could be no chance of the virus escaping the confines of his body. But sentient beings often felt compassion, even defying logic at times. Zero had always been the runt of the group, and because of his small stature, he had been adored by the others in their infancy.
I toyed with the idea of replacing the fallen clone infant with Zero, but I just realized that would have been downright irresponsible and borderline dangerous.
I barely recognized him at first, but his tattered rags were unmistakable. He was wearing one of my old hand-me-down “The Nature Company” shirts from the 1990s, although it was stained and soiled to almost near indistinguishability.
He was a mistake, a product of my incapability to multitask. When I was experimenting with the WRN gene, I couldn’t resist modifying other genes in the RecQ family (as an aside, I coined the term “jammin’ on the (DNA) helicase” and once in a while, I secretly smiled to myself at my cleverness), including the BLM gene, whose mutation caused the Bloom-Torre-Machacek syndrome. Individuals with Bloom syndrome typically had short stature and rashes that were induced by the sun. Aside from cosmetic differences, they unfortunately had higher rates of cancer. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to achieve by this gene modification, but by sheer bad luck, Zero was bitten by a rabid squirrel in one of our group outdoor education sessions.
With a crazed look in his eyes, Zero started attacking my guests indiscriminately. He was mute, but the bloodlust in his eyes said it all. The mutated strain of rabies took hold of his victims almost immediately, and as I surveyed my felled guests, I felt a tinge of sadness. Some of these guests hadn’t yet handed over their wedding gifts yet. It would be in poor taste to rummage their bodies for a bloodstained card in a suit pocket, much less take the jewelry off of their mangled fingers.
It was clearly time to go. I relinquished all consciousness and returned all of my focus back into my original body. I took Trish by the hand, headed to the helipad, and started up the helicopter.
Surveying the leaping flames from afar, I could make out figures in the distance running around wildly. I shook my head and launched two heat seeking missiles into the fracas. I thought about my groomsmen for half a second, but it was okay because I didn’t have fun at my bachelor party. They had all shared a nervous glance and hesitated when I ordered two bottles of Dom Pérignon from the waitress at the table, the same nervous glance they shared when I ordered multiple portions of beluga caviar at dinner. Plus, when they ran out of cash, they sent the strippers home instead of Venmo-ing them money from their personal accounts. Shaking with rage from the traumatic memories of my bachelor party, I sent four more missiles into the burning wreckage. 
Trish never said a single word the entire flight.
When we landed, she burst into tears. It was exactly how she imagined her wedding as a child.
0 notes
johnmkenney · 7 years ago
Text
Game of the Year 2017
You’ve likely heard it everywhere, but 2017 sure was a fantastic year for video games.  Nintendo released their latest system, Microsoft put their upgraded revision of their console out on the market, and an Early Access title took the world by storm.  All while this was happening, fantastic games were coming out at an unprecedented pace. Three of the games in my top 10 last came out within 10 days of each other early in the year, and two others came out on the same exact day later in the year.  There’s something to be said about years ending in 7 having good games, and this decade provided yet another stellar showing.
This was a year where almost the entirety of the top 10 could have ranked even higher in previous years.  That’s how good games were this year.  I also spent a lot of time ordering my top 3 when I put this together last weekend, as the line is so razor thin that any of them could have won it.  The end moral: what a year for games.
As always, the rules for inclusion are as follows:    
The game must have its final retail release in 2017.  Thus, anything in an alpha/beta state or Steam Early Access does not qualify.  Based on the way games are being developed, this will likely be the last year this rule is in place.
In the case of episodic games, they must have their final episode delivered in 2017 to make the list.
While this list is comprehensive, I haven’t played everything.  Games like A Night in the Woods, Hollow Knight, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 all seem great but are unfortunately all still on my backlog.
Most importantly: the game has to be really good.  No-brainer there.
Honorable mentions:
This was the hardest year yet to limit the list to ten games, but here are the last five cuts I made:
Destiny 2 - Bungie managed to take the positive momentum of the later years of the original Destiny to make a great experience in Destiny 2, but there are definitely still some aspects to be cleaned up. Sonic Mania - It’s the first truly great Sonic game in decades as Christian Whitehead nailed the essence of the Genesis-era games. Persona 5 - A fantastic entry in the series that provides another strong cast of characters, stellar RPG gameplay, and a wonderful soundtrack. Nioh - While often labeled a Souls-clone, the mission based structure and smart take on combat stances make this a unique experience. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice - This is definitely an important title for exploring mental health, and the true shining star here is the audio design.  Definitely play this with headphones.
And now, here are my top 10 games of 2017:
10. Typeshift (Zach Gage - Mobile)
Tumblr media
While many successful games this year focused on large, sweeping adventures, the one game I found myself launching daily was this clever word game.  TypeShift gives you a simple task: shift columns of letters vertically to make words until you’ve used every letter at least once.  While this sounds simple at first, the variety of different modes, including crossword-style clue challenges, help keep you coming back for puzzle after puzzle.  There’s also a free daily puzzle every day, so the replayability is infinite here.  This is the type of game that will stay installed on my phone for a long time to come, as it’s not something I see myself tiring of anytime soon.
9. The Sexy Brutale (Tequila Works - PC, PS4, XBO)
Tumblr media
One of 2017’s most unique games: The Sexy Brutale is a Groundhog Day-esque murder mystery adventure.  Stuck in an infinite time loop, the player needs to witness party-goers at a mansion party get killed throughout the night.  Using the knowledge you’ve received as well as the ability to reset time by a few hours, you’re able to foil the attempts at their lives and slowly piece together the story and motives.  This isometric puzzler presents you with a simple objective but continues to use it in clever ways throughout the story to fill in all of the missing pieces in this adventure.  Figuring out how to save each character is a joy, and the setting and soundtrack help make this something that won’t soon be forgotten.
8. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games - PS4)
Tumblr media
After over a decade of developing Killzone games, Guerilla Games delivered a fresh and intriguing new world with Horizon.  In the developer’s self-described “post-post-apocalypse”, you’re given a beautiful open world filled with the remnants of civilization that went nearly extinct thousands of years prior.  Horizon does a good job painting a picture of new class structures and struggles as humans redevelop their societies, but the true spectacle comes within slowly learning more about what caused the downfall of humanity in the first place.  It’s a well-told tale that helps sets the table for more adventures to come in this universe in the future.  Combat and discovering the weaknesses of beasts in battle is a great hook, and the strong gameplay gives you reasons to stick with Aloy for dozens of hours.
7. Pyre (Supergiant Games - PC, PS4)
Tumblr media
With its third entry, Supergiant created another enthralling universe to get lose within.  Pyre’s gameplay hook of “RPG meets NBA Jam” is a great way to get people into the door, but what’s more important here is the story that is told.  Half the game presents itself as a visual novel of sorts, where you spend time talking to various members of your party (as well as your opponents) to build a bigger sense of what being trapped in this underground is truly like.  Winning your matches is important, but if you lose, the game continues, as your loss hindered the team and is part of the story.  There are no do-overs in this world, and you must soldier on even if your failure caused members of your team their freedom.  This is one of the strongest aspects of the game, and the relationships you build with the multiple well developed characters in this game make you want to earn their freedom, even if it means you lose them for future matches.  The battles are fun every time, but the true reason to stick around this world is the characters.
6. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Machine Games - PC, PS4, XBO)
Tumblr media
Wolfenstein II is probably the game that features the worst gameplay on this list.  Why mention that and even put it on this list?  Well, that’s because tearing through this world and seeing the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz and his resistance team is a sight to behold.  Set in an alternate reality a few decades after the Nazis won World War II, there isn’t much hope left in the world for those fighting back, and this is a story about starting a revolutions.  Words cannot even describe the twists and turns this story takes, as there are enough clever moments and setpieces that could fill a whole series instead of just a single game.  I found myself putting down the controller several times out of shock with a “did they really just do that?” thought throughout the adventure.  It’s quite alright to throw the settings to easy and tear through this adventure, as it isn’t something to be missed.
5. Cuphead (StudioMDHR - PC, XBO)
Tumblr media
There’s one thing painfully obvious about Cuphead right off the bat: this 1930s cartoon inspired run-and-gun platformer is one of the most beautiful games you’ll see in motion.  The game is so faithful to its source material, straight down to the occasional tears in the film and garbled voice audio from some characters.  StudioMDHR went for an aesthetic, and they nailed it.  However, looks aren’t what make a game, and Cuphead’s true strength comes within its stellar gameplay and boss design.  It feels like you are playing a modern-day Gunstar Heroes while you tear through dragons, genies, haunted roller coasters, and so many more diverse villains.  While everything may look cute, this game provides a challenge that is not for the weak of heart, but it’s certainly worth surmounting.  The boss battles a true delight, and something as simple as a progress meter that shows how far you got during your failed attempt is a great touch to make you want to immediately hop back in to try to redeem your loss.  
4. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD - Switch)
Tumblr media
While Super Mario Galaxy 2 may be my favorite 3D Mario, there’s something to be said about Nintendo wanting to go back to the world-exploring approach seen in Super Mario 64.  What resulted is a fantastic journey through a dozen worlds with clever platforming and environments that reward you for searching every nook and cranny.  Almost every level brings fresh ideas and challenges that help present one of the most fun Mario adventures yet.  All of that being said, I haven’t even touched on the capture mechanic, which helped breath new life into this story.  Using Mario’s new hat companion, Cappy, you are able to possess a majority of enemies you come across to gain their abilities.  The foes you can overtake range from classics like Bullet Bills and Chain Chomps to new foes such as a giant T-Rex.  These traits help you look at your surroundings like you couldn’t before and uncover new secrets and objectives, leading to an absolute sense of wonder for the player.  From the New Donk City Festival to the Darker Side, the moments in this game will keep a smile on your face throughout.
3. NieR: Automata (Platinum Games - PC, PS4)
Tumblr media
NieR took me a very long time to finally get through, as there were a few separate occasions early on where I fell off the game.  I decided to stick with it, and shortly after I came to a moment that I immediately intrigued me to keep pushing.  After finishing the game (aka Route A), I enjoyed it enough to see what the alternative routes would show me.  Immediately upon starting the second playthrough, I was hooked and the game wouldn’t let go until I saw the credits no less than six more times.  The twists and turns the story takes in NieR are unprecedented, and the beauty of is it in the way that the story itself is told. This is one of those experiences that wouldn’t have the same effect if shown in another type of medium. The answers are in front of you the whole time, but seeing the way that the game handles subjects such as loyalty, the human essence, and society as a whole are fascinating.  Characters are built so incredibly strong in this world that you want to see what happens to each one of them, even if the outcome isn’t usually the happiest.  It’s to the point where even the end credits have a moment that left me with a “wow, I can’t believe they did that” feeling.  It’s a hard game to discuss without spoiling some of the genius found within, so if you’re at all interested, it’s worth a look.  It’s been weeks since I’ve finished NieR, and I still can’t stop thinking about some of its themes and story.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD - Switch, Wii U)
Tumblr media
The crown jewel of Nintendo’s new platform is Link’s latest adventure.  It’s hard to think of an open-world created that is as stunning and provides the freedom to explore as the world found here.  2013’s handheld Zelda, A Link Between Worlds, toyed around with the idea of giving the player access to most abilities immediately and setting them loose in the world. Breath of the Wild took that concept and ran with it, as you spent the first few hours on a seperate plateau learning the mechanics and receiving all of the items that give Link his abilities in the game.  Once you have that, you’re turned free to go anywhere you want in the world.  I spent dozens of hours just exploring mountains, lakes, and deserts before even approaching the first story milestone of the game, as there was just so much to do by wandering.  Something as simple as giving Link the ability to climb instead of gating with invisible terrain presents the player with the ability to explore so much so quickly, and the world seems so vast thanks to it.  
Nintendo’s decisions to add challenge shrines, which were all mostly unique, in place of the typical heart piece search granted a new reason to try to uncover everything there was in the world.  The in-game physics also lead to so many moments of creating unique solutions to obstacles and combat that you won’t believe what you can pull off.  The newest Zelda also used one of the series core strengths, its music, in a novel way, as the world is more silent and songs are used more as ambiance to accompany Link in key moments, and it works.  It’s a world you’ll never want to leave, and the fact that Nintendo provided a Zelda adventure that can give you 100 hours a playtime if you choose is something truly special.  The one piece that was the deciding factor of keeping Breath of the Wild out of my top spot was the dungeons, as the focus on letting the player have access to all abilities led to all the dungeons and their bosses seemed sub-par compared to everything else.  Still, this is not an experience to be missed.
1. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation - PC, XBO)
Tumblr media
As with most people, if you would have told me I would have been hooked by a full game version of one of those Battle Royale mods in 2017, I would have called you crazy.  However, here we are.  Very early in the year, I found myself watching a few PUBG streams on Twitch and decided to pick it up about two weeks after it launched in Early Access.  I mentioned at the start of this list how I consistently played TypeShift throughout the year, but 2017 was also the year that I was constantly drawn back into PUBG week after week.
The concept is simple: you and 99 other people are dropped onto an island with nothing.  The goal: be the last person standing.  This isn’t the first time this has been attempted, as I mentioned earlier how mods and other games have attempted this same idea.  However, this is the first time where it’s been streamlined in a way that makes it super easy to hop in and play.  There’s nothing overly complicated about it: as all you need to do is run around and loot weapons and recovery items to better prepare you for battles you’ll have on a fairly large map.  In one of the ways that makes PUBG so accessible, there’s always a circle slowly encroaching onto players to ensure games move quickly and that you cannot just hide in one spot.  Sure, you can hide in a bathtub and hope to get lucky with circle positioning, but it’s probably not going to happen.
No two games of PUBG are exactly alike, and there’s nothing that compares the heart-pounding experience of being one of the last 10 people alive, knowing your next move could win you the game or expose you to be easily killed by another opponent.  It’s a game that has already inspired developers to start working on adding similar concepts to their games, and this could very well be looked back at as a seminal title years down the line.  It’s been a fantastic year for video games, but nothing could compete with the thrill of trying to earn a chicken dinner in PUBG in 2017.
0 notes
agent-7-at-your-service · 8 years ago
Text
Future Plot: Voyage of the Shinkirō - Chapter 10
((Sandra, Pyrrhus (Chaodis), Dicorus, Reve the giant Galapagos tortoise, and Governor Jamal belong to me
Camille and Guist (with Lee, Depiction of Callie, and Pac-Man being mentioned)belongs to @inklingleesquidly
Nebula belongs to @myzzy and @agenttwo
Vix belongs to @teamuntyblue / @ryan-sign-guy
Beaker Jr. belongs to @askvincent / @asktheseastars and @scrushling
Marine and Wish (The Neo Clone Sister belong to @inklingleesquidly@myzzy @agenttwo and @teamuntyblue / @ryan-sign-guy ))
Sandra's Quarters, The Shinkiro - Pacific Ocean - 9:50 PM
Camille and Pyrrhus tried to open the doors and leave the quarters. It seems Sandra and most of the crew wants them to talk. Nebula sort of was against forcing them to talk and Vix had no idea what's going on.
"Sandra, this isn't funny!" Camille snapped.
"Sandra, let us out! I told you I don't want to talk to her!" Pyrrhus shouted.
"Sorry, guys, but you have to talk!" Sandra sounds serious.
"There's nothing talk about with this twisted weirdo!" Camille argued.
"Me!? A weirdo!? It takes you this long to find out who I really am!?" Pyrrhus snapped at her.
"How was I supposed to know! I try not to think about you, thank you very much!" Camille sticks her tongue at him.
"Guys, just talk it out or I will desert you two on the nearest atoll in the Pacific!" Sandra then leans her back against the door.
Camille and Pyrrhus looked at each other, he sighed and removed his eye patch to reveal a slightly closed eye. It was the same eye condition Chaodis has; thus, Pyrrhus must be him.
"Is this enough to convince you, it's me?" Pyrrhus asked.
Camille has been suppressing the memories this far, and this is the last straw. She quickly reacted by slapping him again, but she covers her mouth. Pyrrhus stepped back and places his hand on the cheek she slapped. He didn't tear up.
"Camille, I can explain myself..." Pyrrhus can still remember. "But I've been through so much to come back and find you--"
Camille was about to punch him, and Pyrrhus dodges. She threw a few more punches and Pyrrhus dodged all of them; the only moves he can't defend himself from was from Camille's capoeira. Camille quickly got to her stance and kicks Pyrrhus a few time at the chest and head. Pyrrhus was trying to use his arms to shield himself.
"Camille! Please stop!" Pyrrhus begged. "I can explain! Just please!"
Camille stopped and glared at him. "Then talk!"
Pyrrhus took a deep breath. He wanted to step closer but didn't want to risk getting hurt. He carefully opened up his vest and lifting his shirt slightly. There was a scar where Camille gave what she thought was a fatal stab to the abdomen. Camille didn't have a reaction.
Pyrrhus puts down his shirt and closes up his vest. "By the time I fell down into that abyss, and you left the underworld... I prayed to Hermes to save me..... and he did." Pyrrhus looked calm.
Camille clenched her fists.
"But you asked me to kill you..." Camille argued. "And when you fell down there, you were already having second thoughts." She glared at him. "Cod dammit, Chaodis!"
"My names not Chaodis anymore!" Pyrrhus shouted and then sighed. "Let me finish..... How I end up in Guam was with the help of Hermes and Iris. I didn't expect you to arrive here one day, and I thought it would be a chance to start over with you under a new identity."
Camille remained silent and turned away. "You're not my boyfriend anymore... I wanted to forget you once you were gone..... And now that you're alive....." She didn't know how to feel about this. "Why would you toy with my emotions like that?"
((Insert BGM: https://youtu.be/QgoAN5h5r6g ))
Pyrrhus didn't say anything else.
Camille faces Pyrrhus and grabs him. "Why would you do that, Letshuh!?" She lets go and pounds her fists on his chest. "Why!? Why?! Why!?" She's tearing up. "Why is it so hard to forget you!? Why can't it go away?!"
Again Pyrrhus didn't reply. Camille stops, sits in a chair and looks down.
"Just leave me, Pyrrhus...Chaodis...whoever you are now...," Camille demanded, "Leave me alone and get out of my life."
Pyrrhus soon looks at the packages. It was his (Chaodis's) Package to Camille. When he realized it wasn't opened yet, he picked it up and sat in front of Camille. He sighed and hands the package to her.
"I want you to open it now," Chaodis asked, "There's something inside I wanted to give to you." He encourages her to open it, refusing to leave her.
Camille looked at the package and sighed.
"Fine...," she replied.
Camille opened the wrappings and opens the flaps. Inside the package are a letter, some squid shaped styrofoam, and a toy race car. The letter tells Camille about how much Chaodis (or in this case Pyrrhus) loves her and that this toy race car is something he made to replace her destroyed one from when she was a toddler.
Camille's eye widens; she picked up the race car and looked at Pyrrhus.
Pyrrhus scratches the back of his head and looked embarrassed.
"I know, I know... It's lame of me to give you a toy, but when you told me the story of how those bullies tried to bring you down and broke your favorite toy, I wanted to give you this toy race car to replace it." Pyrrhus looked at the toy racecar. "And judging by your personality..... I bet you'll just hand it back. I'm sorry--"
Camille embraces him. ".....Thank you for this gift."
Pyrrhus, in response, hugs Camille. "Here's looking at you squid."
Camille smiled. "You are one twisted squid..... but you're my twisted squid."
Once the two made up, they exited Sandra's quarters; it appears she had the doors unlocked, and she was sleeping in the storage room.  Chaodis and Camille return to their separate quarters to sleep.
((end of BGM))
Coast of California, United States of America- 11:00 AM
In just three more days, the Shinkiro would be heading to America alone with Dicorus's fleet sailing their way to Panama.
After that, Sandra and the crew can see land on the horizon.
"So that is America?" Marina asked.
"It sure this," Sandra replied.
"Nebby and I couldn't wait to do another concert here." Camille stretches her arms a bit.
"I can't see anything." Vix uses his echolocation. "..... Is it gonna be like home?"
"Maybe, Vix." Nebula wanted to make sure Vix doesn't wander off again on they arrive on the land.
"Well, what are you waiting for guLet'sgo full speed! Beaker, on steering wheel! Camille, Nebula, open sails! Marina, Wish, check on generators! Vix and Reve...... just sit around and be cute." Sandra has something else to do.
(( BGM: https://youtu.be/8TTUBMTInVE?t=20s ))
Sandra began climbing the mast until she was at the crow's nest, she took out a telescope and took a closer look at their destination. The Shinkiro will be making it's final stop at a city called San Francisco.
This is it, Sandra thought, this is where my search for my family begins. She then thought about Agent 7 and Circe, but shook her head. It's best she doesn't consider them family to her now.
Sandra took a deep breath and took off her hat. She readjusted her glasses and let the breeze touch her face.
Welcome to America, she said to herself.
0 notes