#iko kei

[blue-thief]

“ love is an action, never simply a feeling. ” picrew

荊 一恋 | kei iko

despite having little to no interest in men, iko is a kyabajo at fragrance's sister club, melody, and is izanami hifumi's #1 client. as a former member of the party of words, being the top spender in shinjuku is iko's last claim to the feminine power she now struggles to believe in. at work, she puts on a childish, innocent persona to appease her customers. however, in the company of hifumi on her nights off, she doesn't hide the callousness that once made her chuoku's vice chief of the administrative inspection bureau.

occupation: hostess, former vice chief of the administrative inspection bureau

birthday: april 14

age: 29

height: 163 cm (5'4)

blood type: O

likes: women, izanami hifumi ("and doppo by default. i guess..."), 7-11 sandwiches

dislikes: women, men, amemura ramuda, the countryside

[karaoke-iko]

"Let's Go Karaoke!" (カラオケ行こ！) and "Captivated, By You" (夢中さ、きみに) manga by Wayama Yama (和山やま) dual TV anime adaption officially confirmed!!!!

Studio: Doga Kobo

Further details: TBA

[impossiblesuitcase]

I've seen people argue that Cinder choosing to become the empress of the Eastern Commonwealth when she explicitly states that she doesn't want to be royalty is out-of-character. I counter argue that that is a oversimplification of her personal insecurities and a misreading of her character arc.

Cinder's key reasons for not wanting to be royalty are 1. She doesn't want to fail people. 2. She desires anonymity, and 3. She doesn't believe that she will be accepted by others--"She had seen the prejudices of the people in the Commonwealth. Something told her that they wouldn't be as accepting of her as a ruler. She wasn't even sure she wanted to be empress. She was still getting used to the idea of being a princess."

Cinder is naturally afraid of the responsibility she would have to bear as a leader. However that does not translate to her being inactive. Cinder is keenly interested in social justice. She encourages Iko to petition the government to initiate change for androids in the very first chapters we meet her. She takes an active part in the revolution, not just for the preservation of her own life, but because she genuinely cares about the citizens of Luna. This is affirmed by how Cinder prefers to be called a revolutionary over a princess--her politics mean more to her than her lineage. Once crowned queen of Luna, she is tireless in enacting changes to the country. If she truly hated being in this position as queen, she would have taken a much more passive stance and allowed the thaumaturges to manage the kingdom. In Wires and Nerve she demonstrates how deeply she cares about the welfare of her people and fights against threats to her country personally even when she is strongly encouraged against it. And then, once she abdicates her throne, she becomes an ambassador to facilitate peaceful relations between Earth and Luna. Released from her birthright, she could have resumed life as a mechanic, still hassled by paparazzi, but no longer held accountable for political peace. But Cinder chooses to stay a politician because she has always genuinely cared about using her power to help others. She represents the powerless as having been that once herself.

Cinder desires a life without public scrutiny. But where does this originate? This desire is an extension of Adri's abuse. Because she was mocked for being cyborg, she wished to hide from people in general so they do not uncover her secret. But she sacrifices this luxury when she decides to go to the ball and tell Kai of Levana's plot. Later, she comes to accept that--born into fame--she would never enjoy a life of anonymity.

Connected with her insecurity as a cyborg, Cinder fears that she will not be accepted by others. She believes this as a byproduct of the discrimination she faced from fellow shopkeepers in New Beijing Market such as Chang Sacha. However Kai makes it clear that the people of the Commonwealth have come to appreciate her, even wanting to make a "statue [of her] where [her] booth used to be at the market" and "action figures" of her. Although she will always have critics, Cinder is generally liked by Earthens and praised by them for abdicating her throne, promising an end to Lunar tyranny.

Kai is right when he tells her that she "would make a great leader" even when she "never wanted to be queen." Why? Because her wants and her abilities are different. The 16-year-old Cinder we first meet opposes her birthright as queen because she has the weight of the universe placed on her shoulders with just one sentence. She's an unloved, inexperienced teenager--of course she's more than hesitant! However she grows to embrace this fundamental part of herself, even having "pride" to declare that she is "the rightful heir!" Cinder becomes loved and becomes experienced. For her to remain the same girl in the prison cell, terrified by the prospect of being a princess would be a stagnation of her character development. It may not be the life she chose, but it is all the same the life that she accepts.

When Kai asks her to consider becoming the empress in the future, Cinder agrees and takes "in the first full breath she'd taken in days." We don't see a girl paralyzed with fear or regret. Rather, she feels relief because she can envision this prospect and not be crushed by it. And finally, when Kai proposes, she excitedly looks forward to these things: "She would be Kai's wife. She would be the Commonwealth's empress. And she had every intention of being blissfully happy for ever, ever after." Cinder's vision for happiness welcomes being the empress despite the hardships attached to it, and she is the most motivated, willing and hard-working candidate for the position.

[indierpgnewsletter]

New Itch Games for April & May

Been quiet on here but I'm back now!

It’s the itch.io round-up of new games! Now coming to you once every two months because that sounds easier. Usual disclaimer: This comes from be browsing itch.io and people self-submitting through the form. I haven’t played these games and mostly am just going by how interesting they sound to me. Okay, let’s go:

The Hollow Queen: This is a GM-less horror game from Venezuelan designer, Felix Rios, about a dark force haunting the streets and the people trying to uncover it. It uses the diceless Ten Coins system and is available in Spanish.

Contact: A game where you use a music playlist and tarot cards to play through a story about trying to make contact with aliens. I think the idea is that the songs contain encoded messages from the aliens, which is a neat reversal of the Voyager Golden Record. By j strautman.

Tangled Blessings: This is a solo dark fantasy game set in a magic school. It’s a solo/duet game, building on Anamnesis by Sam Leigh. You explore the secrets of this weird school while dealing with a rival who’s making your life difficult. Designed by Cassi Mothwin.

Strike Force Omega: This is LUMEN game about science-fantasy supersoldiers coming back for one last stand, defending their homes in a time of war. By Chris Longhurst, designer of See Issue X and Pigsmoke.

Thirty Foes  (OR Once again, we are defeated): In a similar premise, but much more focused on the drama rather than tactics, this is Seven Samurai but cosmic cowboys. They sling cosmic power and defend against bandits. And they’re probably going to die. From Rat Wave Game House.

Thief and Druid: Two games from Stéphanie Dusablon. Both are solo games with an optional journaling element. Thief uses the Push system and Druid uses the Firelights system. I’m not sure if this is a series that will expand to all the D&D classes but it’s a neat idea.

Skyrealms: This is a fantasy bestiary, setting, and solo adventure game about three floating islands in the misty heights, full of secrets and strange creatures. It’s from Iko and Armanda Haller. You can also use the bestiary as a colouring book apparently!

In The Blind: This is a sci-fi horror game about working class people trying to do their job and instead facing the darkness of space. This is a free preview and showcases how good Riley Daniels, designer of As The Sun Forever Sets, is at visual design.

Queenless: This is another Firelights game from solo game blog, Croaker RPGs. You play as members of the hive, exploring the world and protecting your home from destruction.

When Prophecy Fails: Nick Wedig makes a game about cultists and what happens when their foreseen apocalypse doesn’t happen. I’ll give you a hint: they often get even more radical. Based on the For the Queen. (PWYW)

The Score: Tin Star Games GM-less storygame where you tell a heist movie in 18 minutes using 18 cards.

SDM: Eternal Return Key: Luka Rejec follows up Ultraviolet Grasslands with a full OSR-style rulset and more weird setting. It has the same much-loved psychadelic vibe from the original and there’s a free art-less version as well.

the city begins to exist: A citybuilding game with some solid prompts. I can always use more citybuilding games! Designed by kay w.

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Scritches

Another one from Season of the Witch.

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there.

ACCESS: RESTRICTED DECRYPTION KEY: L5F2H8AG12$IKO-006 REP#: 093-ATHENAEUM-DERELICT-AUDIO AGENT(S): AUN-326 SUBJ: VIP#1316 AND ERI-223 INTERACTIONS - SCRITCHES

RECORDING 81379.0 [BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

“Hey Moondust, I been meaning to ask you something.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

“It’s an invasive and highly personal question.”

“When has that ever stopped you before?”

“I don’t know. Don’t wanna actually offend you.”

“You offend me on a routine basis and delight in telling me how much you enjoy doing so. What is one more irritation? Speak.”

“The chitin. Does it itch?”

“What?”

“The chitin…”

“I heard you. Your ability to come up with the most unexpected and irrational things to be curious about never ceases to impress.”

“Well, does it?”

“When it first bursts from my flesh it is very painful. Each transformation is agony. But it is much like an extreme version of picking off a scab. It is… satisfying, in a way. When I first transform there are bits of my own viscera splattered on my exoskeleton. They dry. And then yes, once they dry, they do itch.”

“I remember this crocodile I knew once. Or maybe it was a alligator. I don’t know the difference. Badass fella in a swamp near where I lived at the time. I kept chickens and fed him some every once in a while, but not often. Didn’t want him getting too comfy, but I liked having him around. He had a bad temper and served as some unofficial extra security. Also garbage disposal, long as you broke the garbage’s legs first.”

“Hmmm…”

“Anyway, I was sweeping the front of my place this one time and he waddled up in a ‘I’m a giant lizard, watcha gonna do, gimme some chicken, or I’ll take a chunk offa you’ sorta mood. And I was also in a mood… a mood to not be putting up with that crocogator’s shit that day when he’d gone and tracked mud all over my porch, so I swept him.”

“You what?”

“I took the broom and I swept him. Like he was the floor.

I pushed pretty hard cuz he was all caked in half-dried mud and I swept the mud right offa him cuz he’d tracked it all over half my floor and he was just gonna track it all over the rest of the floor too if I didn’t do something about it.

And here’s the thing: He loved it. He loved it more than chicken. Got to the point where any time he’d hear me sweeping my front porch I’d hear a splash farther away in the swamp and he’d come up and lie in the sun, demanding I sweep him. I think he just itched all the time and that was the only time he got scritches.

That was a thing for years, that crocogator and I. Dunno what ever happened to him. I had to relocate rather quickly one day, as one does when one is in the line of work I have tended to find myself in over the years. I came back decades later and he was gone.

But the point of this story is, I know you’ve been a bit shy about being all chitin-y near me but like.. what if one day I brought a stiff brush and a bit of soapy water and just… scrubbed yer dried viscera off yer chitin for ya? I bet it’d feel nice. Soothe the itch.”

“I… I do not know how to respond to that.”

“You could just say yes.”

“No.”

“Aww…”

“However, the idea that you have clearly given this considerable thought is… bizarrely touching. You really are full of surprises.”

“Offer’s always open if you ever change your mind.”

“Hmmm…”

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[savyir-genesizz-the-wizard]

-15- Together

ACCESS: RESTRICTED DECRYPTION KEY: 98XTU88T41$WAW-990 REP #: VIP-BREACH AGENT(S): IKO-006

SUBJ: Agent Cogito-4 spotted in the Quagmire

We have intercepted a conversation on a closed channel frequency used by the "Fireteam Colide" within the Court of Savathûn between VIP#0311, known as titan Kobzar-13, a Vanguard Scout, and COG-411, Vanguard Reasercher and Deputy Warlock Vanguard Cogito-4. The conversation confirmed his current location and mentioned artifact's from the Sunken Piramid.

Adressing your concerns, #411's behaviour is not out of ordinary.

Communication has been transcribed below. Breaks are described in annotations.

COG: Listen, I'm never against a friendly mission or two together but I think that you are just using me to complete Savathûn's puzzles. KOB: Well, it's not like you're getting nothing out of it. COG: I'm not because I'm not going to use something made by a Queen of Lies. KOB: …Is that why you are levitating?

Note: Only background noises are heard for 402 following seconds.

COG: …I think that this will be it. KOB: What is this? COG: A black disc, roughly 20x20cm. Star-shaped hole in the center. KOB: I heard that some guardians use something like this for shooting practice. COG: No, no, these ones are different. It's like a gigantic columnal of a crinoid. This being in Rhulk's possesion would suggest that there must have been a civilization of these somewhere, likely inteligent. I saw some more artifacts depicting these creatures inside the vessel. KOB: …And? COG: What do you mean? It's a great discovery! KOB: But… if you found this in a piramid… they are dead. And so is the Witness so there is no point in learning from them or anything.

Note: Here the recording captures approximately 10 seconds of silence.

COG: Really? KOB: What? And before you say something about me not carrying about science- COG: Yeah, yeah, I know. KOB: You don't really care, do you? COG: I do. I care about the crinoids. And the others, too. Do you sometimes think they had friends? KOB: Likely.

Note: Here the recording captures approximately 4 seconds of silence.

COG: Sorry. KOB: It's ok. I get it, I think. …Why are you here anyway? Nessus didn't work out? COG: …What do you mean "didn't work out"? Half of the planet collapsed! I did half of the sampling collecting work and left before I got burned to death by radiola. KOB: What? COG: You didn't know that?! KOB: I was on Earth! Why wouldn't I be? Everyone in the City is talking about how bat demons are going to get us and that Targe is dead- COG: I'm afraid that you are not wrong. Then I won't be worrying you more. Just know that Nessus is out of the equation and I- well, I want to have something to do! Last time I got to exploring a piramid it got lost to the Darkness and when I came back it was gone!

Note: Here the recording captures two seconds of a long sigh from #411.

COG: And that thing that happened to Nessus. Let's just say that I lost a bunch of Vanguard equipment and I think that Ikora is trying to get me. Don't tell her where I am…

MESSAGE ENDS

[speaker-of-the-void-cats]

●Half-Truths◌

A fine blade, but seems like it's missing something…

A star I think. We count on stars as steady friends because they always rise and always shine but a star's a delicate truce: an explosion caught by its own mass so that it can't erupt and can't collapse. Thus I imagine the state of the machine might be. But one force or another has gone awry and now it rests here, snuffed and broken, waiting for the two rival forms of ruin to be set in balance again.

"Duality is not a curse, but a gift." —Author unknown

"The road ahead is unknown, but time tells us many things. The moments that become past in turn become blueprints for the future. In this space, there is no right or wrong. "We find a contemporaneous merging of what is known and what is unknown here. Somewhere between the knowns and unknowns lies the real. The tangible. "There is a weight to it; a feeling that tells you what you hold is true. "But what if the truth hasn't been told? What if the truth is a lie? "New paths present themselves. Blueprints change. We walk the line of truth every day. "But now, the line that holds the gentle balance has been crossed. "The truth is, this won't be the last time." —Excerpt from the Symmetry pamphlet, "A Place Between"

◯Feet alone cannot take us to where we're going.❍

Matt, Matt, wake up!

I was thinking about how there's no true end to anything

Everything comes from and goes to the same place

Nowhere!

So, if the beginning is the end

And the end is the beginning

Then what's the end anyway?

Does that help you sleep better?

Like the rosy haze of an apocalypse sky

Or the comfort inside of a lie?

◐Close your eyes, and open your mind.◑

"To have Light, we must have Dark. This is the symmetry of the Universe." —Controversial Warlock Ulan-Tan

I propose a simple experiment—look around. You see light. You see darkness. There could not be one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. If it is true for these Newtonian echoes, why would it not be true of the purest, paracausal forms? Therefore, I conclude: the reason you persecute me is not because of the symmetry. It's because of the truth beyond this truth, the truth which you most dread: if we could destroy darkness, but we had to give up our Light to do so, how many of us would make that trade?

◯Turn your eyes inward, upon your ideal self.❂

No matter where you start or where you end

You are in between the Where and When

You are in the middle of The Loop

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Do you feel half empty or half full?

Is everything beautiful or dull?

Flip a circle and the middle stays the same

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Halfway

We're halfway home

Slow down

The day's boutta be gone

The sun goes

He sleeps until dawn

Slow down

The day is gone

A gardener and a winnower sit down to play a game called Possibility. This is a game about a garden, which is to say that it is also a game about flowers, just as a game about a living being must also be a game about organs and bacteria. A gardener and a winnower collaborate to create a protein. Whose hand is it in the design, that shortens one life to extend the rest? It is the winnower that discovers the first knife, but it is not done without the gardener. This, too, is a tradition: a knife does not come to exist without something that must be cut. A woody stem, a colored petal, a vital vessel. The first victims of the blade. All of these are true. All of these are false, for metaphor simplifies as the knife does. It pares incalculable concepts into shapes your wrinkly little brains can comprehend. The weight of billions and the simple curve of a planet give you pause, and how then are you to be expected to grasp the forces that created your nth-removed creator?

//

ACCESS: RESTRICTED

DECRYPTION KEY: 2CA9SXUO2C$IKO-006

REP#: 011-PSYCHOMETER-TEST

AGENT(S): TRU-135

SUBJ: PSYCHOMETER FIELD TESTS

1. The new version works. Love all the knobs and antenna; very analog. I took readings off a hatch control out here on Europa and Cowlick was able to retrieve badly distorted voices in some kind of distress. I don't know if it's doing exactly what you Warlocks want, but it's doing something all right. Cowlick says it's probably tapping into her scrutiny, if you permit that term in your ivory halls.

2. Now, I'm not much for gadgets, so I won't ask you how you rigged this thing. But I am one for gossip. Weren't we closing in on some kind of workable theory of exactly how our Ghosts resurrect us? One which was, if I am not mistaken, based on research by the Future War Cult? Did any of that work survive Lakshmi?

3. You know they did try to recruit me once. The Cult. Over a game of poker. Fifty-two cards in a deck don't seem like many, this hard-ass Titan told me. But there are 80 658 175 170 943 878 571 660 636 856 403 766 975 289 505 440 883 277 824 000 000 000 000 different possible shuffles of 52 cards. You could walk back and forth across the observable universe faster than you could count all those possible shuffles. A lot faster. That's life, she said, and she had daisies impaled on the spikes of her skull. Life is endless permutation. So many possibilities. But the rules are what matter. Who cares how the deck shuffles if you don't know the rules of the game? We play this game over and over. Life and death. Light and Dark. But the only way you learn the rules, the only way you're ever gonna get one of those Truces you're named for, is if you come inside. Come into the Cult. Come on in and see. But I didn't.

We don't get a choice about the rules. We just play the game.

4. Another thing she told me is that you can play poker with just three cards and two players. Jack, Queen, King. Ante one, max bet one more. High card wins unless one player folds. And in this game, there are many strategies available to the first player, but very few to the second, who acts to exploit the choice made by the first. Many possibilities against few. Sounds like you'd rather be the first player, huh? But if both players play perfectly, that second player wins in the end. Mathematical inevitability. Ain't that something? But I said, your game's just a toy. It's just a contrivance. That's not life. Life isn't one player always exploiting and beating the other.

5. Anyway, back to testing. Might go back to Cocytus and aim this thing at the gate. See how wild it goes. If you never hear from us again, you know Truce and Cowlick finally found something too spooky.

MESSAGE ENDS

If the Light forgets while the Darkness remembers, then why does a Ghost's power of determination let it access latent memories imprinted in the dead? That's paradoxical. That should be a property of Darkness. How can such fundamentally opposed forces do the same thing? Am I as shallow as those Guardians arguing over power levels? Trying to force a simple binary upon a complex spectrum… ? The Drifter talks about "spectrums of Light"—powers his Ghost can access because of its modifications. Forcing the metaphor, I thought. Light is not light. It doesn't have frequencies or spectra. But if we are all constrained by our internalized ontology, by our tacit understanding of how the world works… maybe the circumstances of extreme survival compelled the Drifter to explore a new ontology. Maybe his Ghost achieved a new way to think about the Light.

△To know true color, you must first know Darkness.▼

"We are unique emanations of the same shared Light." —Cult of the Aeons

We are prismatic. We are fractal. We are microcosmic.

"You must learn to tease apart the hues of your own heart." —Parables of the Allspring

I turn

I turn my headlights on

I turn my headlights on

And suddenly I can see

I learn

I learn of right and wrong

I learn to follow one

And suddenly I can breathe

I turn

I turn my headlights on

I turn them on

I'm aware of all my parts

And suddenly I see everything wrong

Then I get tunnel vision

Closing in over me

I forget, with love as my witness

I can stand on my feet

I fall back then I see

Tunnel vision

Closing in over me

I forget, with love as my witness

I can stand on my feet

I fall back then I see

Can I get, can I get out?

Can I get, can I get, oh

Can I get, can I get out?

Can I get, can I get, oh

I burn

I burn my candle out

I burn my candle out

(Can I get, can I get

Can I get, can I get out?)

So nobody else can see

I've learned

I've learned what made me start

What turned me on

Now I'm scared of all my parts

'Cause suddenly I can see everything wrong

Then I get tunnel vision

Closing in over me

I forget, with love as my witness

I can stand on my feet

I fall back then I see

▶The courage to walk into the Darkness, but strength to return to the Light.◁

Fear. That’s the only vivid memory left in me. It’s the moment when my fear was so thick and urgent that I gave up breathing. I stopped pretending to think. How I remained on my feet was a mystery, because the terror was bearing down on me, like a mountain about to crush my soul. But I have to ask, “What was terrifying me?” Darkness ruled the sky. The world around us had shattered, and it seemed vanishingly unlikely that we would outlive this one awful day. Yet the fear didn’t come from the surrounding mayhem and despair. The source was inside my skin. I was utterly terrified of my own awful nature. And which part scared me? Inside me was an essence woven from beyond. Was I Awoken before this? She was still in my head. I could hear her song growing fainter. Gone? Not yet. A new crippling terror was taking over. I was focused entirely on my fear. But I had to make an effort. And it occurred to me then that nothing in the universe was more dangerous than human hubris. I still had this Other within? But the human side was what mattered: Weak and foolhardy, sure to fail in the next moment. That’s why I was afraid. Then someone spoke. Maybe it was me. I don’t remember. I was trying to focus, and a new thought took me: My soul lay between those two entities. And that’s how I am still: The boundary, the seam. The friction. And that’s when the fear began to fade.

◮One day, you will see them both.◭

Let's make a toast to the damned

Waiting for tomorrow

When we're played out by the band

Drowning out our sorrows

What will become of us now, at the end of time?

We'll be fine, you and I

Let's draw a line in the sand

Keep it straight and narrow

We had it all in our hands

We begged and then we borrowed

What will become of us all at the end of love?

When we've stopped looking up?

You can take my heart

And hold it together as we fall apart

Maybe together we can make our mark in the stars we embark

And keep us together as the lights go dark

Let's tell the truth, just for once

Asking for an answer

Now that it's all said and done

Nothing really matters

What will become of us all if we dare to dream?

At the end of the scene?

You can take my heart

Hold it together as we fall apart

Maybe together we can make our mark in the stars we embark

And keep us together as the lights go dark

Let's open up to the sky

Askin' it for closure

'Least we can say that we tried

But it's never really over

What will become of us all, at the end of the line?

Will we live?

Will we die?

You can take my heart

Hold it together as we fall apart

Maybe together we can make our mark in the stars we embark

And keep us together as the lights go dark

⍱Let the heat melt your body so your soul might flow with the river of time.⍲

Raise your voice and sing.

"The Veil." It names itself, as the Human mind named itself, with the weight and presence of sound on the lips, translated into a form that you can physically comprehend. Encompass. Envelop. A touch of teeth and tongue. A vibration of an eardrum. Air moving through a chest cavity. A taste of breath. More than that. Not nearly as much as that. That was the beginning. "Be known." This is next: you see the whorl and weft, the place where it joins itself in one smooth, unbroken surface of light. Make an incision, and from the wound of light will pour forth colors you have never seen. You are pigment, the pigment closest to those colors. "Be seen." Wet matter set against that light, the light that determines what color you are. But each color is a note, and each note is a mind. You are a choir. A chorus. You open your mouth to join it, and you are flooded with the taste of color, with the taste of sound. The sound and color that you are, translated. A means for you to understand. "Be heard." You raise your hand and hold it steady.

|| There is whispering from the deep-dark, alluring and terrifγing—a reminder of things left behind, bittersweet and abhorrent. ||

⬤Does one life across infinite realities equal immortal life?♾

We are thinkers, daring to dream about the universe and its infinite expanse.

⨀Perhaps that is all we are.☯

I see an abyss. Small and distant shapes. I'm walking in your nascent memories. Flickering motes. I sense… curiosity. You've always pondered, from the very beginning. As did we. I see tessellation. The pulsating hum of cosmic structure; a kaleidoscopic symphony of Light and Dark. What was the Veil to you? Since I woke, I've always felt like I was still dreaming. I'd like to think that's how you feel as well. Those of us that hunger for a great truth—we dream with you. —Unknown Warlock

The Other Half

If only there was a way to combine them…

Even the most perfect of pearls has grit at its center.

…it's within you too.

There's that wild, incurable curiosity.

A long time ago, there were three sisters. A Voice in the Darkness put a lie in their hearts, and they've acted on it ever since.

Just as you've been lied to.

Light and Dark. Witness and Traveler. Always doubled. Always pitted against each other in some grand game. Well, I've had enough of their games, haven't you?

Let's break their rules. Together.

Pnuvyhujl pz h wypzvu jlss. Zvtlaptlz hu lunyht pz aol rlf.

When I was a New Light, our trainers made us meditate for hours on end. Sitting in silence, focusing on a single point: a candle, a mirror, the Traveler in the distance. I thought we were focusing our Light to manipulate the physical word. But now, centuries later, I finally see what they were trying to teach us. The point is not the Light. The point is THE POINT. The singularity through which all power flows. Darkness and Light becoming one in an endless cycle, like electrons bouncing between anode and cathode. A prismatic circuit.

[kiyuzy]

I find it so humorous that anti-shippers whine about pro and neutral shippers shipping age gap ships in fanon while they don't have any problems with canon ones like Wal/ter x Dal/eth from T/he Du/ke of Dea/th a/nd H/is M/aid and Kei/ya x Isa/ku from A/ Gi/rl an/d H/er Gu/ard D/og which are p*dophil*a and HUGE age gap between the can/on characters and I will fucking call those canon ships what they are. So, shut the fuck up about A/methio x L/iko, F/riede x L/iko, and S/pinel x L/iko from P/okemon H/orizons. Those ships aren't fucking c/anon for fuck's sake. I don't see ANYONE whining about a certain age gap popular ship from B/lack B/utler

[firelxdykatara]

i finally picked winter back up to finish reading it and i stg every time one of the couples reunites another is separated and i am soooooo. UGH.

like i get it. lots of shit's been going on. it makes sense that kai is stuck by levana's side until the bitch actually dies, fine. (which cannot come soon enough. she just pulled the snow white maneuver on winter and i am UPSET) but wolf got taken along with cinder and i should've known something awful was happening when he wasn't there at the wedding (i know scarlet will break through his revamped brainwashing and maybe she'll get used to him being all wolfy but im still SMAD), and cress and thorne are finally together again but too much is going on for them to even talk about Feelings and iko had that meet cute with the guard who i'm hoping will show back up and help them at a key moment but it's JUST

winter and jacin haven't had a second together since he faked her death and there's not very much book left for everything to get wrapped up satisfactorily and i can't help but feel like if there were supposed to be this many relationships they should've gotten more room to breathe.

scarlet and wolf had a whole book together and cress and thorne had most of one, but cinder only got like four scenes with kai in the whole first book and winter and jacin are sharing screentime in winter's book with the whole revolution and final stages of the series endgame and it just does not feel like enough. and the whole 'this couple is together for one book but then immediately get separated in the next and wind up kept apart for long stretches of time' thing just grates on me i guess. i get it and i'm not sure how it could've been done differently with the whole plot laid out the way it was but it's still frustrating.

[hesperasmith]

Motion for Iko!

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

The key word here is: Fast!

She can also move with grace and precision, having so so SO much practice. Having learned 5 different martial arts and combined them, she's extremely adept at being exactly where she wants to be.

It's a learned thing though, as a kid she wasn't allowed outside, or really even out of the one room she was kept in, so she was clumsy and awkward for a long time, until she taught herself to move like she wanted to, in a way that would inspire those around her.

[miss-morgans-lover]

Power Rangers Dino Charge Headcannon 7b:

Songs Kendall Morgan would sing (Vampire AU + Human):

(see bottom for key for colours)

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

Boyfriend- Dove Cameron

Mamma Mia - Maneskin

I Wanna Be Your Slave - Maneskin

Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys

Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys

Part Of Me - Katy Perry

Voulez Vouz - ABBA

One Of Us - ABBA

Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie - ABBA

Killer Queen - Queen

Don't Stop Me Know - Queen

I Was Made For Loving You - KISS

Lotta True Crime - Penelope Scott

Hayloft - Mother Mother

Hayloft || - Mother Mother

House Of Memories - P!ATD

You Give Love A Bad Name -Bon Jovi

Crazy = Genius - P!ATD

Cannibal - Kesha

Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus

Beautiful, Dirty Rich - Lady Gaga

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Judas - Lady Gaga

Beautifully Unconventional-Wolf Alice

Heads Will Roll - Scarlet Johansson

Mz. Hyde - Halestorm

S&M - Rihanna

She's A Fire - Jeremy Renner

Girls - Girl In Red

Little Miss Perfect - Write Out Loud

Heaven Don't Have A Name - Jeremy Renner

Just My Type - Jeremy Renner

Scotty Doesn't Know - Maddie Ross

She Looks So Perfect - 5SOS

Girls In Bikinis - Poppy

ZITTI E BUONI - Maneskin

Womanizer - Brittany Spears

FLIRT - Halle Abadi

Friends Don't Fuck - HAVEN

I Love Rock And Roll - The Black Jets

It Gets Better - COUNTERFEIT

For The Thrill Of It - COUNTERFEIT

Now You Got The Best - TNS

When The War Is Over - TNS

We Go - The Next Step (TNS)

I Found My Voice - Lost And Found

The Other Man - TNS

Secret Love - The Next Step (TNS)

Fist Pumps - The Next Step (TNS)

Now Or Never - The Next Step (TNS)

Way Back Down - Brighter Brightest

Hometown Girl - Josh Turner

Doin' Fine - Lauren Alania

Heart Of Stone - Iko

I Caught Myself - Paramore

Boys - Briar Nolet

She Keeps Me Up - Nickleback

Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

Rude - Magic!

LoveGame - Lady Gaga

Legends Never Die - Halocene

Mr Loverman - Ricky Montgomery

Material Girl - Madonna

What Love Is About - Make It Pop

Where Our Hearts Go - Make It Pop

Gay Songs

Sexual Songs

Past References

Relationship With Shelby

Other

[blue-thief]

this old but this was supposed to be with honobono but i fucked up her half 😭 i guess i'll just post the part with iko i guess :p

[sapient-locations-bracket]

Proto-bracket Poll 10:

Descriptions:

The Pyramid (it/its, Welcome to Night Vale): no description

Iko (she/her, The Lunar Chronicles): sentient android's personality chip is inserted into the ship so for a while she basically is the ship. they still call the ship the rampion but they always ask her to do stuff rather than just key in the instructions themselves. they all use she/her for her. she complains sometimes about how she wants a nicer body (as well as complaining about seeing what everybody's doing all the time) and when she finally gets a new body she's so happy about it. idk if iko counts for this since she's only in the ship for like a book and a half and the ship is not sentient without her but I love her dearly

Sarin (she/her, Sable): She’s an AI on a series of spaceships sent to explore. Upon reaching the world you play in, these ships crash and Sarin is left alone, until years later when Sable shows up. If you find each shipwreck and learn about Sarin’a past she gives you some cool lore and rewards!

[impossiblesuitcase]

In “Cinder’s Adventure” Kai jokes about Thorne involving tigers and karaoke at his bachelor party.

What do you think actually happened at Kai’s bachelor party? Or would Thorne go to (crash?) Cinder’s bachelorette party?

Also Thorne wedding speech??👀

So I imagine Thorne plans the bucks night (bachelor party) for a week before the wedding. Since Kai can't go many places without being hounded by fans, it has to be this super elite party bar for only the richest of the rich. Thorne is making Kai pay for it, so who cares?

Thorne plans karaoke, racing games and a glorious abundance on unhealthy food. While making these selections, the owner asks if he wants the Tiger special. Thorne assumes that's a cocktail and agrees.

Flashforward to the party, the boys are having a great time. The karaoke doesn't last long because Jacin refuses to sing and Wolf is terribly off-key. But they all get super immersed in the VR racing game.

Mid-game, they hear a growling sound, assume it's a sound effect and continue playing. Then Jacin feels something furry brushing up to his arm. He yells over the roar of the engines, "Wolf, shove over, I'm trying to concentrate."

When Wolf replies that he's seated on a different couch, Jacin takes off his headset and screams.

They all take off their headsets and finally notice the living breathing tiger chilling at their feet. Thorne and Kai naturally panic and jump behind the couch, shrieking. Meanwhile the tiger senses Wolf's animal pheromones and lunges for him. Thankfully, the cat is still on a leash, and Wolf manages to wrestle him back to his wranglers, who looked surprised to see the boys panicking. They ask, "are you ready for us to bring out the rest?"

They leave very quickly after that. The girls are off having Cinder's hens night (bachelorette party) which the boys unceremoniously crash, sulking. Kai whines about Thorne trying to kill him before his wedding. Cinder gives him a sympathy hug and says, "Aww, sorry babe, that sucks. Now go away." Iko and Scarlet give them a death glare, and even mild Cress and Winter are shooing away their boyfriends. Girls night takes priority.

The boys end up holed up in a dingy pub in the city, where everyone is too drunk to recognise them but more than happy to fold them into their dancing, so they end up having a lot of fun.

As for the wedding speech, Thorne would of course give a hilarious but also heartfelt one for their wedding. In my headcanon the crew have a private reception after the reception in Cinder and Kai's new quarters. They all take turns giving speeches at various degrees of preparedness. Thorne's speech here is a lot looser and embarrassing for the newlyweds.

[mantleoflight]

—Mission File—

DESIGNATION: ####

DECRYPTION KEY: QF4LYZX16G$IKO-###

SUBJECT: Echo-17 Mission File

Designation: ECH-119 Name: Echo-17 Race: Exomind Class: Hunter Subclass: Arc Ghost: Whisper

Risen: previously presumed 2 years ago, but recent evidence indicates a possible earlier rezz date. Investigation is ongoing.

Status: Limited Active Engagement

Missions Previously Assigned:

BL: Aftermath Cleanup -- As ECH-119 was presumably rezzed after the defeat of Eramis, she has been on patrols to ensure the instability of Vex and House Salvation military forces, escort and ensure safe departure of Eliksni refugees, and the maintaining of Vanguard presence on Europa.

TWQ: Active Engagement -- one of the second wave of guardians to follow after the YW and enter Savathun's Throneworld to aid in preventing invasion, and theft of the Traveler. Was involved in a controversy regarding the invention of new grips called "bubble gloves" designed to capture hive ghosts and prevent them from raising hive light-bearers. Hive POWs were found unacceptable by the Consensus and ECH-119's proposal was revoked.

TWQ: H!AU[REDACTED]: [During one of her investigation assignments of the throneworld, ECH-119 went missing for a period of 3 months. After said time, a light-bearing acolyte was killed in combat. Upon its death, however, the acolyte's chitin disintegrated, revealing ECH-119, presumably under some spell of the Witch Queen. With aid from Eris and other guardians, the hive magics afflicting ECH-119 were purged though some traces remain. ECH-119 is under close surveillance and is only permitted to engage in Vanguard Duties under other guardian supervision

SotH: nightmare dispatch assistance — Assisted in nightmare management and containment while the YW aided Crow, Zavala, and Caiatl in nightmare-to-memory rituals. ECH-119 was recused from further Leviathan missions due to Nightmare-related instabilities. [ADDENDUM]: After several months of medical leave and some assistance from fellow guardians, ECH-119 seems to be sufficiently coping with previously referred Nightmare-related instabilities. Observation is still ongoing but permission to return to active duty has been approved.

SoP: Treasure Hauler—Worked with SAL-103 assisting House Light in recovering stolen goods for the benefit of Vanguard and House Light operations, recovering relics from Eramis's recruited crews, and aided in construction efforts to improve living standards for the House of Light.

SotS: Seraph Assist—Engaged in assisting Ana Bray in the reconstruction of Rasputin, infiltration of Submind facilities, and recovery of Submind data. Assistance was disrupted due to a critical OS malfunction. The cause of the malfunction is unknown. Aid was received from an unknown agent. Medical Leave is provided on grounds of recovery.

SoD: Weapons Tech — remained on medical leave but did volunteer skills to aid guardians in the field.

SotD: Active Engagement— Returned to active duty, aided in OP: L0NG-GIRL with operatives SAL-103, PEI-271, DRX-398, DAR-218, MFW-611, FAS-482, and MRK-807. Successfully aided Sloan in both connection with and recovery of proto-worm, Ahsa, from hive forces of Xivu Arath. Successfully intervened in disrupted mission, rescuing and returning MFW-611, DAR-218 to Tower for medical assistance.

SotW: Active Engagement— Currently working closely with Eris and Ikora to secure victory against Xivu Arath.

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Remembrance of Summer

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there

ACCESS: RESTRICTED DECRYPTION KEY: 9HLXY5M999$IKO-006 REP#: 74-EUROPA-REMOTE-AUDIO-DEVICE-MONITORING AGENT(S): AUN-326 SUBJ: VIP#1316 AND ERI-223 INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DARKNESS "LESSONS" - REMEMBRANCE OF SUMMER

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

"You'd think it'd be warmer."

"Why?"

"Because it's Summer."

"Seasons require a pronounced axial tilt in an orbiting body.  Europa does not experience Summer."

"But it is Summer on Earth right now."

"There is always somewhere on Earth experiencing Summer at all times. That is how seasons function."

"Fine, Moondust, but what I mean is it is currently Summer in the Tower."

"We are not in the Tower."

"What gave it away?  The blizzard?  Or maybe it's the knee deep snow?  Or or or... maybe the air so cold it feels like it's rippin' yer lungs out?  How do ya even breathe without somethin' coverin' your face?"

"The same way I can breathe while standing on the Moon."

"Magic?"

"Magic."

"Damn that wind is rough.  I hate ice planets.  Nothin' good ever come outta a ice planet."

"Europa is not a planet. Jupiter is a planet.  Europa is one of its moons."

"Whatever.  It's Summer in the Tower right now and we ain't there.  And if we were there it'd be warm and we'd have Solstice bonfires, an' street food, an' music, and fire dancers at night, and we ain't got none of that here."

"That sounds exhausting, except for the warmth."

"It's nice.  I'll take ya with me sometime if you'll let me.  It won't be exhausting."

"No. I do not like crowds."

"Lotsa spots up high you can go away from everyone and still enjoy it.  You were a Hunter, surely you had spots up high you could sit and brood all gloomy-like in the Tower."

"You think I am gloomy?"

"You think you ain't?"

"Tsch."

"That's not even a you thing.  That's just a Hunter thing that Hunters do.  They brood."

"Hunters are not the only ones who brood."

"Yeah but they do it more than anybody else."

"That is a reductive generalization."

"Uh huh, and you're avoidin' the question.  Back when you was a Hunter, did ya have spots up high in the Tower for broodin' or not?"

"That was another lifetime I can barely remember but... yes I did."

"I knew it!  We should go check 'em out together next time we're there.  See what's changed."

"Bold of you to assume I would be willing to accompany you anywhere."

"That's a great line coming from someone who's accompanying me right now."

"Ugh.  Regardless, the entire premise is foolish.  Unlike when I had my Light, I am now susceptible to falling to my death."

"I'd catch ya."

"Your statement does not fill me with confidence."

"We could tie ourselves together with rope."

"Or we could simply not do the inane activity at all."

"You're just allergic to fun."

"And you are allergic to focusing on the task at hand."

"It is freezin' fuckin' cold, Moondust.  And for reasons that have not been explained, Stranger insists we gotta keep a lookout out here while we wait for her to do... whatever the hell she's doin' in there which I'm pretty sure does not have anythin' to do with teachin' us Stasis, but whatever.  I ain't not focusin' on the task at hand.  In fact I am currently quite focused on the fact that I can't even feel any tasks in my hands because it is so damn cold!  Thinkin' about being warm is the closest thing we got to actually bein' warm right now.  Throw me a bone, here, would ya?  Surely you have some memory of Summer in the Tower."

"Hmmm... Very well.  There was a spot in the Vanguard library with a large window that looked out onto the Bazaar.  It had very comfortable cushions made of red velvet.  I would often sit on the ledge there with a book and the window open.  I remember the breeze on my face and the warmth of the sun."

"What'd it smell like?"

"Old paper and... spices."

"See, that's what I'm talkin' about.  What else you remember about Summer?"

"Mosquitoes."

"Ha! I hate those fuckers."

"There is... a plant.  It is an irritant to the skin and when one brushes against it, it causes blisters.  The itch is terrible and lasts for days.  The only way to soothe it is to use your ghost."

"Oh, I know that kinda plant.  There's a few like that but one is worse than all the others."

"Yes.  It was that one.  At one point, Eriana-3 and Wei Ning had a bet while the three of us were out on a week-long patrol in a heavily wooded area."

"A bet involving poison ivy?"

"That was what it was called!  Yes."

"Woah woah woah, go back to the betting part."

"The bet involved how long one could go without needing one's ghost to relieve the torment."

"Ha!  That's awful!  What kinda exposure-level we talkin' 'bout here?"

"A sleeping bag stuffed with it."

"Ooooh!  Damn!  Were you involved in this?"

"My involvement was that I advised against it."

"Smart.  Wait... Eriana-3 was a exo.  She didn't have human skin."

"Correct."

"That seems a little unfair."

"Wei Ning was never one to shy away from a mismatched battle."

"You're right.  She wasn't.  Drank like a fish, too."

"You have intuited correctly that the decision making process involved alcohol."

"Ha!  Did she win?"

"She did."

"At what cost?"

"Exactly.  It absolutely was not worth it."

"I wouldn't think so."

"I remember her vehement, colourful cursing.  Eriana, laughing.  The dappled light from the sun shifted in little spots of dark and light in the clearing we were in.  The patches of sun and shadow moved whenever the wind shifted the tree limbs above us.  Everything smelled of wet earth tinged with rotting wood.  There were birds.  One in particular was a woodpecker.  It was very loud.  We were being bitten constantly by mosquitoes.  Wei had not slept."

"Can't imagine why."

"She swore she would locate the bird and eat it for dinner as punishment for its failure to be silent."

"Did she ever find it?"

"No.  But she was very verbose in her multiple attempts. We were, all three of us, far too warm and sweaty.  The muggy heat made our clothing under our armour cling to our skin.  Insects biting us.  And Wei kept yelling profanity at the trees.  It was an uncomfortable and ridiculous morning, one I have not thought of in... over a century.  And yet...  despite being surrounded by snow... I can hear Wei Ning shouting at the woodpecker now.  I can hear Eriana-3 laughing at her.  And I am, even in this moment, stilling the urge to smack at mosquitoes which are no longer attempting to pierce my skin."

"You, Eriana, and Wei.  That's a Hunter, a Warlock and a Titan.  Got the full set for a fireteam.  One of each."

"Yes."

"You three must have got into so much trouble together."

"Hmmm... yes... I suppose we did."

"Oh hey!  Looks like Stranger's on her way back.  Time to pack up.  Can't wait to get outta this damn wind."

"Drifter."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Happy Solstice, Three-Eyes."

"Happy Solstice."

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Be sure to check out the rest of the zine! It's full of art and writing from multiple people, including several pieces written by me!