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ilkkawhat · 6 months ago

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The first snowfall of the season had buried the world alive. Outside of his home, the colorless void of winter is endless. His eyes can hardly take in the sea of compacted snowflakes, not helping the throbbing pain in his head, in his stomach. Each breath is sharp, a slow, piercing stab of pain underneath his ribcage. His eyes shift, the bottle of painkillers straining the edge of his peripheral vision.

He doesn’t need it. He’ll endure without it. He waves a hand through his hair, his fingers tracing the path down the long strands. Too long. He needs to get a haircut soon, his hair is long enough to curl in loops. His mother would think it’s cute. His father would think it’s unbelonging to a policeman.

Niko tugs at his long hair, as if he could just rip it away. The act offers a momentary distraction from the real pain nagging at him. His eyes water, the white ocean lapping waves of icy cold air at him. He shuts the window, it wasn’t the fresh, crisp relief he was hoping for but just another reminder of how weak he feels, translated to his looks; atrophied muscles, unkempt hair, often curling himself into a ball on the couch, on the bed…on the stairs. He can feel his face start to crumple, a plea from his body to end it all. Tears burn in the corners of his eyes, trickling down his cheeks like a leaking tap before it becomes a steady stream. A sob escapes his body, the faint reflection in the window pane showing the tragic display of his body.

This is not him. This is not Niko Uusitalo. This is a helpless man trapped in a thick vat of despair. He’s stronger than this. He’s tougher, with hardened muscles the result of a disciplined gym routine. A buzzed head and beard tenaciously kept groomed to just the right length. A braver man who put himself in the palm of a deranged murderer just to save the circle of hostages around him.

That man is gone. Shot dead in the corner of a stairwell after thinking he could do it again, save the hostages but he was blinded by a bias of love that drowned out his instincts that would have kept him safe.

How could he have let that happen?

He can’t blame anybody but himself. Nobody asked him to go into that house, nobody asked him to ascend to his doom. It’s his fault, and that thought makes the crying man heave with another heavy sob. And another. And another until his head hurts, until he feels like he’s going to throw up. He backs away from the window, his face covered in his hands to shield the sheet of water from freezing into an icy mask.

Unable to see his trips over something on the floor, falling down and bumping against the table that shakes the bottle of pills like a rattle to placate him.

“Fuck,” he exhales, trembling fingers digging out a pill. He takes it dry, a mistake, but he swallows salty tear water into his mouth with it. He crawls his way over to the couch but the pain is too strong to climb onto it. He curls himself against the cushioned wall, cradling his stomach and the sobs fade into a sniffle. The pounding hammer in his head bounces away into gentle throbs that get shorter each pass. He takes a breath in and holds it until the hole in his abdomen closes again, no longer torn apart he feels composure compacting his body. He pulls the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, and the oppressive light of winter is lost to the comforting oblivion of dark. He’ll remain here until the painkillers wear off and he has to take another, it’s their job after all. And there’s only three more days until he can go back to his.

He just hopes he finds the Niko that Kari needs before then.

#niko uusitalo #sorjonen #*#**#***#mk.op #mk.fic #sorry you're my new favorite whumpee niko #but i promise we're gonna have lots of fun #or at least i will lol #also proud of myself for writing #it's short but it means a lot to me that i did this

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void-writing · 9 months ago

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Mummies Alive!: Reanimated

Since I refuse to be normal about this show, here's a general outline of what MY iteration of Mummies Alive, which I have creatively given the subtitle of "Reanimated" because I am hilarious.

Some General Plot Notes:

I'm keeping the designs because they slap and the general tone because I love that good 90s cheese, but I'm rewriting for a more cohesive story and more accurate myth references. Basically, I'm letting my Egyptology fixation run wild.

I give a justification for Scarab's name being...uh...Scarab! Erasing a person's name is like a big deal in ancient Egypt! We see this most famously with Hatsheput and her successor/nephew (I think) who tried to literally chisel her name off of every structure in Egypt to erase the memory of her. This is what Amenhotep does to Scarab except MORE (because he's the Pharaoh and has that kind of power both spiritually and politically). As in Scarab's original name gets power-washed out of reality itself and even people who knew Scarab before (like the Mummies) don't remember what his name used to be and just call him "Scarab." Personally, I find this fitting given that Scarab is a man who has misplaced aspirations of grandeur and having his name and memory super turbo erased from even memory itself would be an excellent fuck you from Amenhotep.

And on the note of Scarab, I justify his scarab beetle theme with the idea that Scarab stole power from Khepri in ancient times, the sign of that manifesting as the scarab-shaped mark/tattoo we see on his back in the show. This is what gives him the power to create life-sized shabti in the volumes he does and is a vital component to his plan for using the Pharaoh's spirit to grant himself immortality. In ancient times, Scarab used the power he stole from Khepri to rob Rapses of his Ka (aka, his life force, killing the poor boy) and then using that stolen ka as like...an appetizer, which consequently gave him enough power to survive most of his three thousand five hundred year living entombment. From there, Khepri's power served as emergency life support for Scarab until Harris Stone cracked the seal of his tomb (given that Khepri is notably the god of resurrection, so it stands to reason that Khepri's power could do that). Scarab then ate Stone's Ren (and possibly the rest of his soul) because he had lost his godsdamned mind in that tomb, which allowed Scarab to not only regain his sanity, but subsume Stone's identity and buy himself some more time.

Similarly, the Mummies are also powered by Khepri! You see, Khepri noticed Scarab stealing some of his power but was unable to directly interfere to take it back because he's part of Ra and Ra is busy 24/7 unfortunately. So when Rapses is reborn and Scarab tries to hunt the boy down again, Khepri sends a little of his power the Mummies' way to call them back from the Field of Reeds to redeem their lifetime's greatest failure. Hence their battle cry/incantation "With the Strength of Ra," because in this case, they literally were given power by Ra himself.

The Amulets are going to be Important Plot Points in my Season 2 as not only are they juiced by Khepri's power, but they're originally finely crafted magic items that each bear the blessing of an Egyptian deity. Ja-Kal's is Horus (obviously), Rath's is Wadjet, Armon's is Khnum, and Nefer-Tina's is Sekhmet (because really that makes more sense given Nefer-Tina's occupation as a warrior in service to the Pharaoh as Bastet seems to be more home-oriented) that gave them special abilities reflecting their patron deities. These powers are separate from the armor and weapons they wield in the modern day, which were gifts from Ra of the Dawn (aka, Khepri) as part of their revival. After season 1, the Mummies will be set on a quest to renew/re-earn the blessings of their patron gods so that their Amulets keep functioning properly. There's also going to be a bunch of others floating around that pop up for Plot Reasons.

Season 1 will be largely made up of the original episodes (though some of the original episodes will be in Season 2) and will be used to establish the world, the characters, mechanics and whatnot. Season 1 will also be largely defined by Presley's "refusal of the call" stage in his hero's journey, culminating in a two part finale where Presley can deny the truth of his situation no longer. Remember the eclipse in episode 4? That's a big part of my season 1 finale, as is that incredibly underutilized time Scarab impersonated Amenhotep.

Season 2 will have a few of the original episodes sprinkled in but will largely be my own original concepts. This season will be defined by Presley stepping into his role as Pharaoh and going around to get the favor and support of various gods in the pantheon. This will also be where the bulk of the Amulet Plot Line will be. The season finale's final battle will be set up as a mirror of the Season 1 finale but meant to showcase how far Presley has come from the defenseless kid he was in the first season.

Season 3 will be Scarab's third act breakdown and descent into madness as he stoops to consorting to Apep, the Chaos Serpent (also known more commonly as Apophis). Still noodling on what this will look like story-wise, but it's looking like it will feature a lot of the more primordial-leaning gods (Nuhn, Geb, Nut, etc) that were just casually dropped in the original series.

Walter, Elaine, and Amanda will also have larger roles! Walter will be experiencing most of the Mummy Nonsense from jump, serving the narrative role of being Presley's "non-chosen sidekick/best friend". Elaine, meanwhile, does not conveniently lose her memories and elbows her way into the plot (after learning an important lesson about the sanctity of secrets in situations where exposing the truth would put innocent people in danger). Hiding the Mummy Nonsense from Amanda will be a more deliberate effort for the first season as she will be investigating the events of the first episode to discover what really happened to her exhibit (and not conveniently oblivious to the Nonsense going on around her son), finding out the truth in the second season and helping from there to actively fight Scarab.

I'm also keeping Kimas because this is MY STORY and I WILL KEEP MY LITTLE GREMLIN SON IF I WANT!

The Original Episodes: What Will Stay, What Will Change, What Will Go

The Keep Category (i.e. These episodes will largely be unchanged except for some pacing and story details)

"Ra, Ra, Ra, Ra"; "The Bird Mummy of Alcatraz"; "Body Slam"; "The Egyp-Tsu Kid"; "Missing Ja-Kal"

The Change Category (i.e. episodes that will remain the same on core concept and story but the execution will be changed)

"Sleepwalking Like an Egyptian"; "Pack to the Future"; "Good Bye Mr. Cheops"; "Dead Man Walking"; "Miscast"; "Ghouls' Gold"; "Pepped With Good Intention"; "Object of His Affections"; "My Dad the Hero"; "Family Feud Parts 1 - 3"

The Scrap Category (i.e. episodes that are either "completely scrapped" or "scrapped for parts," the latter will be bolded)

"Kid Scarab"; "Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Huxley"; "The Gift of Geb"; "High Nuhn"; "Water, Water, Everywhere"; "Honey I Shrunk the Mummies"; "Who's Who?"; "We've Got One"; "Show Me the Mummy"; "Sleight of Hand"; "Tempting Offer"

The Overhaul Category (i.e. the "Change" category but on steroids)

"Paws"; "The Curse of Sekhmet"; "Loss of Face"; "The Prince & The Presley"; "Dog Bites Mummy"; "Reunion"; "The Face in the Mirror"; "A Dark & Shrieky Night"; "Monster Truck Mania"; "Tree O'Clock Rock"; "True Believer"; "Desert Chic"

The Undecided Category (i.e. episodes that I haven't decided what to do with yet)

"Married to the Geb"; "Eye of the Beholder"

Character Profiles: The Mummies

Ja-Kal:

Amenhotep's second cousin, a hunter he holds in high regard for his loyalty and general level-headedness, as well as his skill with a bow. He lived a humble but comfortable life with his wife, Tia, when Ja-Kal was asked by Amenhotep to lead the Prince's personal guard. When asked, Amenhotep said he wanted his son to be surrounded by people Amenhotep knew he could trust with the boy's safety.

Was given the Falcon Amulet of Horus as a sign of the Pharaoh's trust and favor. The Amulet expanded upon his already impressive skills as a hunter by endowing Ja-Kal with intuitive knowledge of his environment and the terrain as well as the power to see in total darkness.

He's duty-driven and loyal, but also longs to be a good father and husband, though he struggles to find a balance between his duty to the Pharaoh and his duty to his wife. In fact, when his son was born about a year before Scarab carried out his scheme, Ja-Kal nearly resigned from his post as the leader of the Prince's guard so that he could devote his full attention and energy to his family, because Ja-Kal knew that between his family and the Prince, the Prince was bound to take precedence and he didn't want to do that to his wife and son. Tia convinced him otherwise.

Ja-Kal still somehow equates all of his life advice to hunting metaphors.

Ja-Kal has a younger brother, Arakh, with whom he has a tense relationship. Between the two, Ja-Kal always had an easier time finding success and Arakh grew to resent Ja-Kal for it.

Rath:

A scientist, swordsman, and mage all in one, and immensely proud of that fact. Initially, he was brought on to be Prince Rapses' tutor when the boy was about five. Even after he became an official guardian, Rath's primary role in Prince Rapses' life was that of a tutor, though after the incident that led to Rath becoming a guardian, he was permitted by Amenhotep to school Rapses in the art of magic.

Rath proved himself an effective guardian when a mystic threat posed a danger to Rapses and Rath disposed of it by his own skill. As a symbol of his position, he was given the Cobra Amulet of Wadjet, which gives him a venomous bite and the ability to temporarily transform his head into that of a cobra (you know, that thing he does like...once, in episode one).

Rath is kind of arrogant but smart enough that he almost earns the right to be that smug. He lords it over his fellow guardians and adults but still demonstrates a great deal of patience with those under his tutelage. While Rath is a genius and he knows it, he also understands that there is much more for him to learn. The biggest difference between the canon!Rath and the one I will write is that Rath will not be as dismissive of new advances in sciences.

Before Rath was the Prince's tutor and guard, he was a research partner with Chantra, a sorceress whose skill with magic easily matched his own. Together they devised a powerful new method of spell casting that could draw power from gods and living souls directly and without incantation or permission. Rath was more interested in this concept in the theoretical, whereas Chantra always pushed to apply it despite its dangerous and heretical nature when used straight.

Armon:

The first to be part of Rapses' personal guard, Armon was a renowned warrior who served Amenhotep in one of his many campaigns to Nubia, even losing his right arm defending him. Up until Rapses' birth, Armon was part of Amenhotep's personal guard and they were even on friendly terms. There are some stories that say that Armon was one of the first people the Pharaoh let hold his newborn son, which only lend credence to the rumors of Armon and Amenhotep's close friendship.

Unique to the other guardians, Armon was given the Ram Amulet of Khnum following his discharge from the Pharaoh's army and acceptance into the Pharaoh's personal guard (and later into the Prince's). This was done as a way for Armon's valorous actions in defense of his Pharaoh to be honored. The Ram Amulet allows Armon to walk freely over all terrain, including water.

As a warrior, Armon is an exceptional fighter with or without his right arm. He's skilled in wielding all sorts of weapons but Armon truly excels in hand-to-hand combat due to his raw strength and his skill in wielding that same strength, even against opponents stronger or larger than he is.

Compared to Rath, Armon is not especially book smart, but he's by no means stupid. More academic subjects go over his head sometimes, but out of all the guardians, Armon understands and reads people the best, spotting things others might miss or asking questions that may have been overlooked. (Armon was the first to grow suspicious of Scarab, sensing his ill-intent and underlying resentment towards the Pharaoh)

Armon's love of food stems from being the son of a royal chef and he has a long mental list of recipes he learned from his mother (who is said royal chef).

Nefertina:

(I'm not opposed to changing her name because the "tina" bit really feels like Western writers trying to signal to the Western audience that she's a woman. I haven't figured an alternative out yet, so I'll continue calling her "Nefertina")

Now, in my telling, Nefertina never hid her gender because as it turns out, ancient Egypt wasn't quite as sexist as modern interpretations might portray (this isn't to say that it was free of sexism entirely, as women were barred from certain professions, like being a soldier and posts of great and overt political power, but it wasn't as restrictive as we might imagine). Still, Nefertina was a bit of a stand out because women weren't warriors in any capacity, but she was more interested in chariot driving than combat anyway, so that didn't bother her much. Given my research, it's pretty doubtful that women were barred point blank from driving chariots (though the Pharaoh's chariot specifically may have been a stretch for anyone other than the Queen, but sources are unclear). Still, regardless of whether or not she was allowed to do the things she wanted, Nefertina was no push over and had plenty of fighting spirit.

Initially Nefertina was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, but gained favor from the Pharaoh after she successfully defended the Queen and a three-year-old Prince Rapses from an attempted assassination with little more than a footstool and a hair pin, giving the Queen time to escape with her son and raise the alarm. As a reward for her courage, Nefertina was given the chance to take up a position in the Prince's personal guard, gaining the Lion Amulet of Sekhmet as a sign of favor, and unilateral permission to drive whatever chariots she wanted whenever she wanted.

Nefertina is a talented tactician who uses her environment and cunning to her advantage while also using pure strength and blunt tactics. However, her youth and inexperience compared to the other guardians often leads Nefertina to take a "brawler approach" over a strategic one even though she does have the talent for it. She's something of a wild card, as likely to use a clever trick with her environment as she is to pick up the nearest blunt (or sharp) object and go to town.

Nefertina is hot-headed and passionate. She often feels she needs to earn her place/prove herself amongst her older male comrades and this can lead her to get a bit defensive in the face of judgement. Which is a little silly when put against the fact that Nefertina regularly serves as Ja-Kal's second in command (and also as his lancer from a meta-narrative perspective), filling in for the leader in blue when he's unavailable.

So, essentially, the order in which the Mummies joined the Prince's personal guard goes as follows: Armon, Ja-Kal, Nefertina, Rath.

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Next post will be an episode-by-episode guide for what my seasons will look like. I'll probably only do Seasons 1 and 2 for now because Season 3 is still largely blank, but I will welcome any questions on this :)

#screaming from the void #mummies alive #mummies alive: reanimated #my writing #i am so normal about this show come closer #some day i wanna make this a whole ass fan fic with each episode roughly coinciding with a chapter #will anyone read it? uhhh maybe? but ive already decided that i will be paddling this canoe by and for myself if need be so who cares lol #will it happen any time soon? no promises #bc those chapters are gonna be BEEFY and there will be at LEAST 60 of them

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