#he can also see through its eyes. very handy for scouting escape routes

[discordiansamba]

(1/2) If demons are of similar nature to rift-creatures, does Keith have any level of tolerance for that kind of energy, the kind that is so dangerously corrupting to most mortal people? Are demon-contracts a safer and more stable cousin of the corrupted magic Haggar uses? Would having demons around that on occasion possess people have let humanity build defenses against that kind of energy? (If they had, Shiro would likely know about it. Would that offer any protection against Haggar's magic?..

(2/2) … and how would certain other paladins react if Shiro identified the evil they were fighting as akin to demonic power? One more reason to stay very quiet about a certain half-demon)

Great questions!

To start off, yes- Shiro does recognize that there's something... inherently familiar about the energy that clings to Haggar. He doesn't want to go so far as to say they are demons- they're in space after all, but it wouldn't surprise him if there were creatures similar to them out in the universe, a belief that is only reinforced after he meets Allura and Coran (who have more in common with humans than they have differences, at the end of the day).

And yeah, basically this is the one area where humanity's magic would actually have a leg up on Altean alchemy, because whereas the rift creatures were only 'recently' discovered (from Allura's perspective), humans have known about them for their entire history. Their entire magic system was developed around demons- both to use them and to exorcise them. I think this is something Haggar would (subconsciously) recognize, and that's part of the reason why Shiro's arm was replaced in this AU- like a shackle to hold that threat back.

(Does it stop Shiro from forging his first ever familiar contract in deep space? No. No it does not.)

I think contracts are a 'safer' way to harness the power, though 'safety' is debatable when it comes at the cost of one's soul half of the time. But generally you get what you ask for with no hidden surprises! Familiar contracts are even safer than that, giving form and physical presence to demons who otherwise cannot obtain a corporal form of their own.

Keith might be keeping secrets, but Shiro decides that this information is vital to the rest of the paladins and is honest about his own bloodline and what that has allowed him to determine about Haggar. It definitely cements Keith's decision to stay quiet, though!

(also yes, Keith can resist the rift creatures.)

[mrninjapineapple]

Fallout 4 Word Prompts - Patisserie Tank Shamrock Penguin

This is the longest prompt I wrote, which takes place in a utopian AU where all of the factions have made a truce and formed a formal coalition for the good of the Commonwealth. Anyway, enjoy! :D

They passed by the patisserie, arm-in-arm, both smiling at the sweet smell of fresh pastry. They soldiered on however, full after their dinner, and walked past the other shops, soon reaching the end of the pier.

Nate leaned on the railing, Nora resting her head on his shoulder. They both looked out at the ocean, endless waves of midnight blue shining in the moonlight.

‘It’s beautiful’ whispered Nora as she stared up at the pale circle set in the star-studded curtain of deep indigo.

Nate turned to her, his eyes taking in the beauty of her profile, softly silhouetted against the lights of the fairground at the other end of the pier.

‘Yes, it is’ he agreed without following her gaze.

She raised her head to look at him, her expression suddenly bashful. She jostled his arm playfully with a small laugh.

‘You know, you still haven’t told me what all this was about,’ she said, eyeing him suspiciously, smile still on her face. ‘Dancing, a movie, dinner, and now a romantic walk by the sea? If I didn’t know any better, Mr Howard, I’d say you had an ulterior motive for this evening.’

‘You got me,’ he admitted with a chuckle. ‘Not letting that degree go to waste, I see. Can’t get anything past the new hotshot lawyer in town.’

She went to punch him on the arm but he dodged to the side, grabbing her hand as he pulled her against him. They both laughed as Nora gained her bearings once more.

As their laughter slowly faded, Nate leaned in for a kiss, tasting the sweetness from their apple pie dessert on her lips. He pulled away and stared into her piercing, green eyes.

‘I love you,’ he said, barely above a whisper, before lowering himself onto one knee. ‘Nora Elizabeth Murphy…’

Her eyes widened as she realised what was happening.

‘…Will you make me the happiest man in the world?’ he continued, taking a small box from his jacket pocket and opening it up. Inside was a small golden ring, a diamond set neatly in the bezel, glistening in the light as it winked up at her. ‘Will you marry me?’

Nora raised her hands to her mouth, eyes welling at the sight before her. She managed a nod and flung her arms around Nate as he rose, a manic laugh escaping both of their lips through tears of joy.

As they began to kiss, the world shuddered, a ripple running through it like a wave through water. Colour began to drain from the world around them, everything turning cold and grey.

Marcus disengaged the memory lounger, opening the glass pod and sitting up, the experience fresh in his mind. Doctor Amari approached, reading data from the holographic tablet in her hand.

‘Did the memory freeze at the end?’ she asked, a frown creasing her brow.

‘No,’ answered Marcus, squeezing his eyes shut as a familiar ache began just above his left eyebrow. ‘I just… couldn’t remember what happens next. And you’ve told me a thousand times: “A memory can’t be created…”’

‘”…merely recreated,”’ she said, finishing the quote with a small smile. ‘Very well Mr Howard, if you say the equipment is working as intended, then I shall believe you.’

‘How many times, Doc? Call me Marcus.’

The Doctor flashed him a quick grin before turning away.

‘Good night Mr Howard’ she said as she left the room.

Marcus sat on the edge of the memory lounger and exhaled deeply. He hadn’t lied to Doctor Amari, the machine worked perfectly with the new upgrades, but…

I couldn’t remember what happened next.

The thought floated in his mind, alongside the vague trill of Nora’s voice, and the faint odour of her perfume.

Am I forgetting everything from my old life? My wedding, Shaun’s birth… Nora?

He ran a hand through his hair and stood, willing himself on, trying to ignore the hollow pit growing in his stomach.

Leaving the room, he entered the main hall and looked around.

Memory loungers were placed around the edges of the room. Set an equal distance apart from each other, they, along with the clean white walls and floor, gave the room a cold, clinical appearance. They were the original series of lounger, standard pods with no added features.

Doctor Amari had invited him to try the upgraded version, complete with detailed simulations and POV functionality, allowing him to experience the memory from his own point of view. He had also heard whispers of a new type of lounger, created with a large tank of specialised gel to give the user advanced sensory input, but Father had been scarce with the details.

The Memory Den suddenly feeling cramped and stifling, Marcus left through the large double doors, feeling the cool morning air of Goodneighbour soothing his mind. A guard passed him, his features distorted slightly and his skin sagging as if too big for his face.

Must be in the final stages of de-ghoulification.

Marcus dismissed the observation as he continued on, entering the Old State House and leaving the cold behind. He climbed the stairs up to Hancock’s infamous retreat, taking the stairs one at a time for a change, savouring the quiet.

The soft hiss of the decontamination arch greeted him as he stepped through, two guards waving him into the Den.

Through the doors, he could see Hancock posing for a portrait, his signature costume draped over his irradiated body. As Marcus entered, he felt a familiar sense of respect for the ghoul mayor. Despite the fact that a cure for ghoulification had been found, Mayor Hancock had staunchly refused, sticking by the founding philosophy of Goodneighbour and its love of the abnormal members of the Commonwealth – “Of the people, for the people.”

Codsworth, holding a brush tentatively within the mechanical grasp of his claw appendage, made swirls and splatters of colour across the canvas, the blobs of paint eventually coalescing to form an abstract profile of Hancock.

‘There we are, sir!’ exclaimed the Mr Handy bot as he revealed his work. ‘I think you’ll be most pleased.’

Hancock relaxed his pose and stared at the image for a minute, his frown lost amongst the numerous strands of discoloured muscle and cartilage stretched across his forehead.

‘Erm… what is that?’ he asked as politely as he could.

‘Why, sir, it’s a cubist representation of your glorious visage of course’ cried Codsworth, spinning with glee.

Hancock paused for a moment before reaching over and turning down a dial on the side of Codsworth’s body.

‘Sir, what are you…’ the bot began, before his system adjusted to the reduced culture setting. He saw the portrait before him. ‘Oh sir! I do apologise! This childish scrawl was not my intention…’

‘It’s okay, Codsworth,’ replied the ghoul mayor. ‘We can try again tomorrow.’

The Mr Handy bot took that as his cue and hovered out of the room, his eyestalks sagging in dismay at his failed artistic skills.

‘It’s an improvement’ said Marcus with a grin as he entered the room properly, gesturing towards the smeared portrait.

‘Yeah yeah,’ chuckled Hancock. ‘What brings you to Goodneighbour, oh Sniper of Sanctuary? How may I be of assistance?’

Marcus knew that he was aware of his visits to the Memory Den but appreciated the gesture regardless. Nothing happened in Goodneighbour with Hancock knowing.

‘Just helping Doctor Amari before I see to some business for Father,’ he said, noting the way Hancock squirmed at the name. Despite the truce between the factions, the trust of the people was a difficult thing to earn, with many vividly remembering the fear caused by them in years past. ‘You haven’t seen Cait, have you?’

Hancock took off his hat and scratched his head.

‘I think she said something about going over to Nuka-World,’ he said. ‘Something about a… zoo?’

Marcus smiled and left the room, leaving without providing any context. He left the Old State House and went to the tall building opposite the entrance to the Third Rail, walking through the automatic door and proceeding through another set of decontamination arches.

The interior of the foyer was well-furnished and neat, with an almost militaristic precision to the arrangement of the furniture. A large sign was hung on the wall before him, the words ‘Teleportation Hub: Goodneighbour Station’ clearly emblazoned across.

He allowed himself a smile as he thought about the pristine building, built and maintained by the Coalition; the formalised name for the alliance between the Commonwealth’s main four factions. Ever since he had negotiated peace, the Commonwealth had flourished under the rule of the Coalition.

Each faction had an accepted role within the makeshift government, under the main leadership comprised of the highest ranked members of each faction along with Marcus himself. The Brotherhood were the military, using their might to crush various raider groups and super mutant hordes. They also donated their top scientists to the Institute’s research branch, whose main focus was the scientific development of the new world.

The Minutemen, being a well-respected militia, were the perfect candidates for a police force, settling disputes and guarding settlements, both large and small. The final faction – the Railroad – helped wherever they could, with their best field agents joining both the Brotherhood and Minutemen, and their scientists aiding the scientific pursuits of the Institute. The main role of the Railroad however, was integral to the success of the Coalition, as they were responsible for opening trade routes, communication lines, and scouting settlements across the Commonwealth.

Marcus was broken out of his reverie as a synthetic receptionist greeted him, rising from the chair behind the desk as she asked him if he required assistance. He held up a hand, politely declining, and watched as she receded back into her seat, a smile on her face as she continued her paperwork.

Focused on his task once more, he entered a set of double doors to the right of the desk and followed the signs pointing him to the Nuka-World teleporter. He stepped onto the raised dais and felt a short pulse of energy before a deafening thunderclap sounded and the world went dark.

‘Your ears still ringin’?’ asked Cait as she placed another glass of whiskey in front of Marcus. In truth, the chipped tumbler held a noxious brown liquid reminiscent of the whiskey he once knew but Cait would take no excuses.

He downed the pungent concoction and winced as the fire made its way down his throat like shards of burning glass.

‘Smooth’ he croaked, before words failed him and he devolved into a small coughing fit. Cait remained oblivious however, pouring a glass for herself as she sat opposite him.

‘So… what brings you to my neck of the wasteland?’ she asked in her Irish lilt. ‘You don’t come around Nuka-World unless you have to…’

She fixed him with a knowing glare, a small smile playing on her lips, reminding Marcus of her keen intelligence. He remembered when he had first met her as a lost and lonely drug addict in the Combat Zone, fighting for her next fix of Jet. After he helped her to break her addiction, he wasn’t sure whether she would have the strength to resist the almost inevitable relapse.

Looking around, he was in awe of her resilience. Not only had she resisted but she had thrived, taking a part of the recently cleared Nuka-World as her own and transforming it into a quaint market town; not unlike the Irish quarter of the Boston he once knew.

‘Just thought I’d stop by and see how the zoo was coming along,’ he answered, his mind returning to reality. ‘Besides, I don’t need a reason to come visit, do I?’

It was his turn to flash a grin as she drained her glass.

‘Best be careful,’ she said. ‘Don’t want poor Piper to get the wrong idea… or the right one.’

She stared into his eyes from across the table… before they both devolved into a fit of laughter. As Marcus wiped his eyes, he felt a rush of affection for her. Piper would always have his heart but when it came to friends, there was nobody he would rather have at his side than Cait.

‘Come on, best get a move on,’ she continued, mirroring his own action as she wiped her eyes. ‘Cito and Curie should still be there.’

She pressed a button on her armband and Marcus saw the words “TRANSPORT EN ROUTE” flash across the small screen. With that, they left the saloon, both of them shading their eyes from the harsh noonday sun. Entering the wide street, they found themselves flanked by stores of every kind, with vendors selling their wares to passers-by and each building flying the same shamrock banner.

‘The town has certainly flourished’ thought Marcus as they passed a group of people who waved and smiled at Cait, with one even cheering her.

‘You seem to be popular’ he said, flashing another grin.

She brushed off the compliment absent-mindedly but he noticed a swell of pride as she quickened her pace alongside.

Reaching the transit station at the edge of the town, they boarded the waiting Corvega – The Red Rocket – and travelled to the large zoo facility of Safari Adventure. The ride over was brief but Cait regaled Marcus with news and tales from her time away from the Commonwealth.

Stepping out of the car, Marcus was in awe of the progress the Coalition had made. The structure of Safari Adventure remained the same, with large pre-war signage and walled perimeter, but the Institute and Brotherhood workers had erected large-scale renovations, adding entire sections and wings to the antiquated theme park area. Above the walls, a large glass dome covered the facility.

There was a hiss as the electronic doors parted as they entered and Marcus found himself stifled by the artificial humidity in the dense overgrowth. Plants and trees had been given free reign within the enclosure and had flourished, with vines creeping over almost every surface aside from the pristine pathway.

High above them, the pair could see the glistening light of the dome filtered through the canopy. A flash of red zipped past a nearby tree and a loud caw sounded.

‘What are those things?’ asked Cait in wonderment, staring after the red streaks through the trees.

‘Parrots’ Marcus answered with a smile, remembering the time he had seen the pre-war creatures at a local fair.

Together, they made their way along the winding path, passing lush vegetation full of life. With each step, the artificial biomes seemed to open up further, giving way to enclosed expanses of thick forestry, murky swampland, and arid desert; each with their own plants and creatures.

Reaching the end of the pathway, they made their way down a long flight of stairs, eventually emerging within a large subterranean structure, with thick metal pillars holding up the ceiling. As they walked through a doorway, they found themselves in a small room with a large machine dominating the space.

The cloning machine was an eight foot tube anchored to both the ceiling and the floor, connected to a small array of electrical equipment and machinery. Standing at one of these terminals, Curie smiled and waved them over as she finished making her adjustments.

‘Monsieur Marcus!’ she exclaimed as she drew him into an embrace, kissing his cheek before letting him go.

‘Curie,’ he said, flashing a smile. ‘How have you been?’

‘Tres bien!’ she replied excitedly. ‘I have been-‘

‘Eh?!’ interrupted Cait, staring pointedly at Curie as she flung her arms out wide. ‘Where’s my hug?’

‘Oh Cait, you make me laugh’ said Curie, offering a quick peck on the cheek.

‘Not bad I guess,’ shrugged Cait. ‘Where’s that hunk of meat you normally have hangin’ round?’

Curie looked puzzled for a moment, before a small smile spread across her face.

‘Cito? He is in the generator room I think. He-‘

Without waiting for her to finish, Cait had left through another doorway.

‘She is an odd one, non?’ said Curie, turning back to Marcus.

‘That’s one word for her,’ he laughed. ‘I almost feel sorry for poor Cito. He has no idea what’s about to hit him.’

‘I do not think that Madame Cait intends to attack him’ said Curie, wearing a confused expression.

‘It’s a metaphor, Curie,’ replied Marcus, chuckling at her blank stare. ‘So how goes the work?’

He gestured to the machinery around them and her eyes lit up with joy. Not for the first time, Marcus found himself admiring the life-like nature of her artificial body as he felt his face grow warm.

Curie didn’t seem to notice however, as she launched into a tirade about her work. Marcus caught a few words in the jumble but before he knew what was happened, she had grabbed his wrist and was leading him through a long hallway, glass enclosures stretching down both sides.

They passed lizards and other reptiles in their rocky habitats, big cats and large apes, bears and wolves, and all manner of different creatures. Curie continued leading him, offering insightful titbits of information about the animals.

She stopped in front of a glass panel and cleared her throat before starting her spiel.

‘This enclosure holds a group of-‘

‘Penguins!’ cried Marcus, staring in amazement at the stumpy little creatures waddling around the enclosure.

A look of irritation at the interruption flickered across Curie’s face for a second before she regained her composure.

‘Oui. Emperor penguins to be precise. The tallest and heaviest species of penguin, they were once found across the vast tundra region known as Antarctica.’

Marcus couldn’t hear her however, as he stared absent-mindedly into the artificial habitat. Another memory had surfaced from his pre-war life; a time where at the start of their relationship, Nate and Nora had visited a local fair. Wandering through the open area, they had spied a zoo and were meandering around the menagerie when Nora spotted the penguins.

Small fat creatures, they stood awkwardly nibbling at the iron bars of the cage in a sense of bewilderment, running at every loud child that walked past. A group were huddled together in the centre of the enclosure, warbling in affection with flat, expressionless eyes.

‘It’s so sad,’ Nora had said suddenly, her eyes never leaving the cage and the creatures within. ‘They don’t even understand where they are. They can’t fly away. There’s no ice, no snow. Nothing they can recognise… except each other.’

A baby penguin escaped the huddle and bobbed over to the bars, peering up with half-open eyes. Nora crouched, reaching out her hand to caress the chick’s head, smiling as the curious infant buried its face in her fingers.

It had only been the beginning of their relationship but for Nate, it was all he needed to know. In that moment, he knew that Nora would be the only one for him.

An image of Piper flashed across his mind and he jerked back instinctively.

In his reverie, he hadn’t noticed that Curie had sidled up beside him.

‘Another memory?’ she asked gently, resting a hand on his shoulder. He nodded. ‘It is difficult to lead two lives, Monsieur. Adjusting to human life has been… a struggle. But you must not hold on to the past.’

He began to reply but Curie continued.

‘You are no longer the man you were. Oui?’ she asked. Again, he nodded. ‘That is why you are now Marcus and not Nate. You have to let go.’

He looked at her for a moment before lowering his head, a sad smile on his face. She had grown so much as a person, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride for her.

‘Thank you Curie,’ he said quietly before perking up slightly. ‘I’m sorry I ruined your tour.’

‘It is no problem, we can continue another time,’ she replied. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to formulate her next thought. ‘I do not like to see… a friend in pain.’

Once more, he remembered the emotionless Miss Nanny bot he had met so long ago and couldn’t help but smile. He pulled her into a firm embrace and was glad of the companions he had gained during his time in the Commonwealth.

‘Come on,’ he said eventually, letting go with a sly grin. ‘Let’s go save what’s left of Cito.’