#it's modified from the source but they really do fit the two sides based on what happened!

[funakounasoul]

Chapter 40 played out a little differently than Episode 30

[saduko]

ᴘᴀʀᴅᴏɴ ᴍᴇ, ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴘʜʀᴀsᴇ

Itachi Uchiha x Fem!Reader 4.6K words

Content Warning: Nothing really, Naruto has his feelings hurt though :(, my gramma as usual

Summary: Naruto always knew Itachi and yourself were close prior to the tragedy of the Uchiha clan, but never really knew the extent of your relationship with the now wanted criminal; not until now, when Itachi and yourself unintentionally see each other for the first time in 8 years.

Further: This is loosely based off of a scene in episode 125 of shippuden |link here| though obviously with a few twists to fit the reader into the context. The original clip is about Sasuke, that's been modified to the reader.

I had so much trouble getting this one to pop up in the tags but it should work now.

Writing for a dead fandom :')

The progression Naruto had made in the spur of the moment mission had somehow lead him landing carefully behind a tree, as the looming presence of someone watching him had finally caught his attention. It had been a long day, a long one indeed, between the bulk of the Shinobi force he'd been with suddenly catching a glimpse of Sasuke; one minor mission had suddenly turned into a rat race between the Leaf Shinobi and team Taka. One side desperately trying to get away, and the other side desperately trying to capture.

Though between all the chaos and commotion - the urgent scrambling to find Sasuke once and for all - Naruto had almost been oblivious to the menacing presence that had been trailing his every move. Almost.

He'd somehow managed to split from the main group and was urgently jumping around on his own, until the chakra hit him, his spine chilling at the intensity of it. In the moments between his mindless tree hopping to noticing the presence, it'd only taken him a second to jump behind the thick of a tree and peer around it, quickly making eye contact with two ruby red eyes glaring back from the shadows.

'Sharingan?!' The thought had his chest clenching in anticipation. Had he completed his mission? No... He noticed the figure was just the slightest bit taller then who he'd been looking for. And as the figure emerged from the shadows, his doubts were also confirmed. 'Not Sasuke. No, thats... Itachi Uchiha.' He could feel a sweat breaking along his skin. This was undoubtedly going to get messy.

He was nervous, admittedly so. He had heard what a formidable opponent Itachi Uchiha was. Word of mouth was reliable but experience was undeniable; and Naruto seemed to vividly recall all the moments you'd spoken about how strong Itachi truly was.

You were indisputably one of the strongest Shinobi of the current leaf generation, having trained with the best - one of those being Itachi himself. Naruto couldn't begin to count the amount of times you'd spoken about Itachi- told stories of the times the two of you used to spar, and every time you told him stories, you'd always been sure to emphasize the strength Itachi bear. If the strongest preached his strength, then his strength was nothing to be undermined.

Itachi was no one to be messed with. He knew that because you had said so, and everyone that knew you always spoke about how well you knew Itachi. It was a full circle of word of mouth and the source always came back to you, the one with experience.

As Itachi stepped out into the open, Naruto found it wise to do the same. 'Don't provoke him,' that was his strategy. 'Attack quietly and slowly.'

"Itachi!" He did a good job at masking his nerves, "You're here to capture me, huh?!"

Itachi was silent for a moment, as if assessing Naruto's every move, every feature, every cell. His presence, his eyes- they were so overbearing.

"No, I'm not." His voice finally came in a soft vibration. His reputation certainly exceeded his personality, he seemed so docile. "Right now I'm only here to talk to you Naruto."

As he spoke, the two shadow clones Naruto had been silently setting behind the man finally made their move, dashing in from behind him in hopes to catch him off guard. Though Itachi didn't flinch, executing nothing but a mindless flick of his hands, throwing two Kunai behind him and ultimately eliminating them without even needing to turn his head. His reputation may have exceeded his personalty, but it certainly didn't exceed his abilites.

"I know that you're out here all by yourself." Itachi hadn't seemed phased by the interruption, his voice yet again low and level, speaking as if the two were just strangers who happened to walk by each other.

Though Itachi's words were threatening, Naruto was never one to lay back and take threats, "I can be anywhere from one to a thousand." His smirk was menacing and confident. "Besides, If I capture you, I'd get to hear what Y/n has to say to you."

Once again, there was a moment of stillness between them, and Naruto was quickly learning that this was a normal occurrence with Itachi. However, this silence was just the slightest bit different, and Naruto would have entirely missed the change if he hadn't been observing Itachis face so hard. His eyes wavered for just a moment, and Naruto couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows at the occurrence.

He'd been told many stories about Itachi and you, from both yourself and the Jonin around you. He knows you two were rivals in the academy, he knows the both of you were paired together in Anbu, and he knows you both eventually became good friends. He vaguely recalls one time Kakashi sensei had mentioned he'd never really seen the two of you apart. Though no one ever expanded upon that, no one ever really disclosed the extent of your relationship, and all of the younger generation had just assumed you were friends, a friendship that was quickly discarded after the massacre.

Naruto was young but he'd seen the change in you after that day. Your expression seemed drearier and you became noticeably more quiet. But your eyes always glint a little when Itachis name was mentioned, and your face always brightened in the slightest when recalling memories involving him. He had always just brushed it off as hopeful nostalgia at a happy memory, but now seeing the same reaction in Itachis face at the mention of your own name... Well now he wasn't so sure it was something so simple.

"Y/n?" The sound of Itachis voice emitting past his lips was just the slightest bit mournful, and It shocked Naruto to hear the touch of emotion behind what was a usually monotone voice. "And what does her opinion matter in any of this?"

Naruto bit his lip as he pondered the mans words. He had spoken to Itachi a few times before this, and in those encounters he'd come to notice that Itachi had a tendency of dismissing the people in whom he'd once been close with. And it hurt him, burned him to his core that someone so pure could be brushed aside so nonchalantly by a man so evil, What does it matter, he asks?! Was your position in his life so irrelevant to him that not even your opinion mattered to him?!

"Not that you would care anyways! But she hasn't been the same ever since you left."

Itachis expression seemed blank at the words Naruto spat, and this only seemed to anger Naruto more.

"Does it not matter to you that you not only slaughtered a clan full of people, but permenantly scarred the ones closest to you in the process!?" His voice was getting louder.

"And what do you care of it?"

"I care of it all!" Finally he was snapping, no more playing it safe, Itachi Uchiha was too cold for someone like Naruto. "She'd never hurt you the way you hurt her, hurt Sasuke!"

"What? And you think you can be a better rock to her perhaps?" Itachis tone was condescending, Naruto knew, but he couldn't find it in himself to care about the sarcasm he emitted.

"You were her friend once! But I'll be more of a friend to her then you ever were! She's like a sister to me."

The air between them became still for only a moment, the conversation coming to halt as Naruto's words left his mouth. He assumed the silence fell because Itachi was assessing his words in anger at the implication that Naruto was better then him at something- something so trivial, yet still so important- though the small smile that crept upon Itachis face all of sudden was enough to stun Naruto for the slightest of seconds. He was... smiling?

That split second of vulnerability was enough to allow Itachi an entry point, to which he utilized without a second to spare, pressing his hand up to his chest with two fingers extended. "Mangekyo Sharingan." And in an instant, Naruto was cast under Itachis genjutsu.

"Naruto's still not back yet."

For what seemed like the 5th time in the past 10 minutes, Kakashi let a sigh escape past his mask. "Naruto is more then capable of taking care of himself, he'll come rendezvous with us once he realizes the trails gone cold."

Your eyes cast down as the words senselessly left your lips, a sigh of your own gracing the air as you pouted. Your trust in Naruto usually exceeded your worry, but something about this situation was telling you to panic. "I knew we shouldn't of split up. He's way too prone to running off on his own."

"Y/n sensei, I'm sure Naruto's fine." Sakuras sweet voice was just the slightest bit of reassurance in the thick of your swirling mind and you signaled back a weary smile at the girl to ensure that you were fine, just nervous. You were sure you were overreacting, yet this feeling just wouldn't shake.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is too. Maybe just a Shinobis intuition growing too weary." You spoke the words with the intent of calming yourself and ensuring the team that you were in fact fine. And for what it was worth, it had seemed to work for a moment. The group smiled reassuringly as your stance softened slightly, before your face completely fell, and your eyes suddenly grew bulging wide.

"Y/n?" Kakashis voice was cautious and curious as he observed your facial expression change. He'd known you for a very long time, but never in his life had he ever seen the look of utter apprehension upon your face. It was extremely worrying.

It had only been for a split second, but the intensely familiar wave of chakra that suddenly washed over you was undeniable. He was here, and with Naruto missing it all suddenly became absurdly clear.

"Don't follow me!"

"What?!"

But you hadn't given Kakashi's curiosity the time of day. You were dashing away before a single person in the mission team could even process the words you had just spoken, not missing a minute in pushing yourself towards the looming aura you had just felt up against your skin not even a moment before.

It couldn't be. You told yourself. There was no way. He only said he'd show himself again when his ultimate plan was set in motion but- theres no way! It was too soon!

Your body carried you to where the presence was emitting the strongest.

Straight along the tree branches, left besides the towering rock, right from the small clearing in the shrubbery. It had only been a few minutes at full speed and there you found him, both of them.

Naruto lay flat on the floor, unconscious, though seemingly unharmed and the man you'd undoubtedly sensed loomed calmly only a few meters away.

You had to blink a few times to truly believe what your eyes exhibited. He was here... really in front of you. Not the illusion he'd displayed to you the night he left, not the constant dream you'd had of him reoccuringly for the past 8 years. But a real image of the man you'd loved and lost standing right before you, and for the first time ever, he hadn't seemed to notice you.

You opened your mouth ready to spill his name, but you struggled to find your voice under all the emotions that bubbled in your chest. It was as if an 8 year mirage you'd been fixing and fabricating was now bleeding into real life and there was nothing you could do to collect your thoughts from racing. Though finally, your voice came to you. "I-Itachi!"

Itachi's body seemingly froze at the sound in what you could only assume to be utter surprise, an image you never in your lifetime thought you'd see before you.

He seemed taken aback, as if really not expecting your voice to have emitted from around him. His vulnerability allowed him a moment of frantic searching, crimson eyes darting around the shadows of the trees surrounding the area in which he presided, sweaty palms clutching the fabric of his sleeve as he searched. And only then did he find the source of the voice, the source of the reason he was here in the first place.

There you stood in all your glory, eyes wide, face red and uniform slightly discolored from the intense mission you'd undoubtedly been on. You were just as beautiful as the day he left you, and noticeably more mature too.

"Y/n?" His voice was hesitant. Itachi didn't know if he was being tricked instead. Were you truly there? There was no chance. Though he'd be the first to admit he wanted nothing but to see you once again, you were also the last thing he was expecting to see.

He'd calculated this mission to a tee, theres was no chance he could have miscalculated his steps. You weren't supposed to be here, and he was never wrong. This had to be some sort of genjutsu he concluded; no one could ever be able to cause him to miscalculate...

Well except you. You knew all his tricks and all his movements, if anyone could surprise him, cause him to misjudge it really was you.

You were just as cunning and just as strong. If he had miscalculated and you somehow did manage to end up on this mission, it wouldn't be unimaginable that he somehow missed your presence. You were always better then him at concealing anyways.

"You weren't supposed to be here. What are you doing?" So he really wasn’t expecting you. That explains why he seemed so stunned.

"My mission went south when Sasuke and his group showed up and I was called to rendezvous and assist team Kakashi in recovering him."

Sasuke interrupted? How ironic that his hateful little brother was indirectly the reason he met up with the woman he loved once again.

"What are you doing here Itachi?"

It took the man a moment to find his words because how was he supposed to explain this to you...? It wasn't exactly easy to say 'I was just coming to intimidate the boy you view as a little brother in order to find out if you were going to be loved and taken care of by other people when I inevitably die from the disease thats slowly killing me.'

Yeah, maybe he should avoid such wording. "I'm on a personal mission."

"Personal mission, hm? And does that personal mission entail beating up Naruto for his lunch money?"

The laugh that came to him was so sudden yet so natural, It was like not a moment had passed between you two and he found himself letting down his guard so quickly.

"Perhaps." His smile was warm as he stared off into your eyes, he really did miss the way you'd effortlessly make him laugh. Your expression seemed just as bright as his own, eyes gleaming at the sound you hadn't heard but very much missed for years on end. Oh how you yearned for his voice, his laugh, his touch.

To this you took a quick but cautious step closer. "Itachi..."

"Y/n." His tone was kind yet warning, reminding you that you couldn't be seen near him for your own safety and standing in the village. You were one of the very few people who knew the absolute truth about Itachi, but unfortunately you were just that- one of few. The majority of the leaf classified the rogue ninja as a murderer, a traitor, someone to be hateful of, and for that reason he'd told you to stay away.

"I know you want me to keep my distance but Itachi-"

"No Y/n."

"You won't let me say what I want to say-"

"Because we've spoken about this."

"No we haven't because you won't let me elaborate."

"Theres no need to elaborate when discussing your safety. There isn't a conversation to be had."

"That's not your decision to make."

"It is when I've risked my life upon it."

As the discussion went on, neither of the two succeeded in noticing the slight stir besides them, maybe it was the utter shock at the presence of each other, not having seen or spoken in over 8 years, or maybe it was the intensity of the conversation itself, but as Naruto's eyes slowly fluttered open, the couple only continued to talk without filter.

"It's not just your life this decision affects. I'm not a child anymore, And you're going to listen."

"Y/n-"

"Let me come with you."

Your voice, without an ounce of hesitation, was so forcefully stern. And Naruto, in his groggy haze was shocked beyond belief at the words presented before him. You? Go with Itachi?! He was a murderer, why would you even present the idea?! He wanted to protest, to scream so loud you had no choice but to explain, yet he was still only just awakening from an intense genjustsu, and he found himself struggling to find his voice.

"We've discussed this-"

"No you discussed this!" Your tone was purposeful, you were becoming heated. "I shot the idea all those years ago and you instantly turned me down, you made that decision for me. Its not a discussion when one party's doing all the talking. So let me speak on this."

Please Y/n, what are you saying?! Naruto couldn't believe his ears. His eyes rolled to the side as he watched you take another step closer to the man, this time there was only a few more feet between you two.

"Itachi, you did what you did and expected me to sit back and watch you leave, watch the village turn their backs on you, and spit on your name in vengeance for the clan they hated so much in the first place."

"But this way is safe-"

"I don't want safe! I've never wanted safe, what ever made you think I wanted safe?! I'm a shinobi, Itachi, I risk my life tooth and nail everyday for a village I bear resentment to. If I ever wanted safe, I would have become a damn florist!"

Itachi remained quiet, yet the way he allowed you to continue closing the distance between the two was indication enough that your words were finally getting somewhere.

"You've been gone for 8 years. Thats 8 years of time I've spent on constant missions far away from the village, desperately trying to avoid the place that did this to us. You left me in the village for my safety, I understand that, but what safety is there in a place that took everything away from me?"

"I understand your feelings my love, but what is all of this for if not to keep you safe? What is the point if you're a rogue too? Living in the village grants you the peace and freedom to live your own life as you please."

"But it doesn't! Because the one way I want to live my life is not an option there! You're how I want to live my life, why do you never seem to understand this!? I don't find any satisfaction in the village, it grants me no peace! What point is there in all this If were both unhappy?! Fuck safety, safety's brought me nothing but misery in the last 8 years. Id rather risk my life happy."

Itachi seemed so defeated as your body finally stood no more then a few inches away from his own. Naruto watched as your hand came up to rest upon his face, weary crimson red eyes meeting the tearful ones of your own.

"My love-" Itachis voice was weak, dying off as your thumb made motions beginning to stroke his cheek.

"Pardon me love, I don't think my intentions are fully coming across, let me rephrase. I'm making this decision for myself. Take me with you."

Naruto had deciphered that he had never felt so utterly helpless in his life like he had in this moment. Why were you doing this? What were you even saying? Could you even hear yourself speak? The words escaping your mouth? He wanted nothing more then answers, to speak and ask what you were doing, to persuade you to stop but his body just wouldn't move, in fact, he was beginning to lose consciousness again, his vision was growing groggy and his hearing was slowly fading in and out.

"....I don't want to ruin your life." Itachis voice seemed just as helpless as Naruto felt, he'd thought it truly made two of them- you'd managed to make two men cower at your mercy today. If Naruto wasn't familiar with Itachi's crimes, he'd almost feel sorry at how desperately he called for you to reconsider.

It was like a switch in you had flipped, and your tone, your stance - your entire demeanor softened at the mans words, his vulnerability allowing you to lower your chest as the words you'd been waiting to say finally escaped your lips. "I just got you back, don't let me lose you again. Then you’ll truly ruin my life."

Itachis entire being seemed to crumble at those words, finally letting his body slump into your hold as you both leaned forward to embrace. You wasted not a moment in allowing your lips to meet, a kiss separated by years of time - so desperate and raw in emotions that you lost track of what was saliva and what was tears. Oh how gravely you missed this man, missed everything from the touch to the smell of him, and how direly he could say the same for you.

As the kiss came to a close, Itachi's painted fingers came forth to stoke a stray tear away from your face, the fabric of his cloak bunching up by his elbow enough to reveal the soft skin which your hand quickly found refuge upon, wrapping around his forearm, stroking along the bare skin before slowly sliding up to cup his hand over your cheek. As your eyes observed his body, they slyly came across the well kept silver slewed across his neck.

"You kept it."

"Hm?"

"My necklace." You disclosed.

"Was I not supposed to?" His tone was humorous though his hoarse voice made it slightly difficult to distinguish, you managed.

"Well, yeah I suppose so, I guess I just never thought you'd actually wear it."

"Darling," Itachi began with a smile. "Though I never allowed you to come with me, doesn't mean I didn't want you to. I carry it with me wherever I go."

His words were utterly heart wrenching, he really was a man who knew exactly what to say whether intentional or not. And with one last peck to his mouth, you gripped his hand and began to bring it down from his face to your sides. "Now you can have me with you wherever you go."

"Are you sure you want to do this, my love? It won't be easy, you'll be branded a rogue, a traitor. You'll be on the run for as long as the truth isn't common knowledge."

"Yes."

"The Akustuki really aren't that nice."

"Yes Itachi."

"Deidara's really loud."

"Stop trying to convince me not to go! It's not going to work."

At this he chuckled. "Very well. This isn't my decision anymore, I understand that. And I'm happy to have you as long as you’re willing."

With a smile you nodded and to Itachi, that was just enough reassurance to turn towards the thick of the forest, arm tugging you, ready to begin your new life together, branded as traitors but traitors together.

"Wait." Your voice was sudden, and he watched as your hand slipped from his quickly. He hated to admit that Itachi felt a deep sense of sadness at the act. Maybe you weren't as confident in your decision as you let on, and while he was happy you wanted to reconsider - be safe - he couldn't help the selfish amount of disappointment he felt at the prospect.

"Let me say goodbye."

More then the feeling of dread he felt, he hated that relief flooded his being at the reassuring words further. You were still coming along with him, he was nervous for you, but sincerely glad.

You walked forward towards the boy, and he watched as you bent down to an unconscious Naruto, laying a gentle hand upon his cheek with a sorrowful smile. He looked so peaceful, and though you knew he'd feel despair at the revelation of you gone once he awoke, you also knew that his support system would pick him back up, and you trusted that those around him would do what you couldn't; what was right by him. "Naruto, I know you'll be sad but at least you'll be okay. You have everyone else around you to heal, I'm sure Jiraiya will teach you a fancy new jutsu to help cheer you up. I have to do this for me, Its the only thing I've ever done for me, and its really the only thing Ive ever wanted. I care about you I do, and I know you won't but I do still hope one day you'll understand. But I just can't live in that village knowing the truth. I'm sorry."

You took a moment to observe his face, it'll probably be the last time you'll see it without a hateful scowl, but you could live with that. And with a final stroke of his cheek, you stood and made your way back to an awaiting Itachi, grabbing his awaiting hand with a sad but eager smile. "I'm ready now."

And the two began their descent once again. One step at a time towards the tree line descending into the depths of the forest.

"Why?!" Until a voice stopped them dead in their tracks. It had taken a lot of energy, especially after passing out yet again, but Naruto finally found the strength in his voice to ask. "Why are you doing this?! He's a murderer! Why don't you hate him?! Why do you want to leave with him?!"

The two of you stood a distance away now, hand in hand as Naruto's voice echoed beyond the tree line. His raised tone was sure to attract unwanted attention, and you were certain that the others would be here soon after undoubtedly following you, despite telling them not to. They were probably helplessly and blindly searching the area, but this commotion more then likely gave your spot away.

You didn't have a lot of time to explain, and Naruto's face was so helpless It broke your heart, but deep in your heart you knew this decision was the right one, the right one by yourself and in reassurance you gave Itachis hand a loving squeeze.

"You'll understand it someday Naruto."

"What-?" His voice sounded so desperate.

"I can't explain, but theres more to this that meets the surface. I can't say more, please don't hate me."

"Y/n-"

"Over there! Okumaru's pinpoint the sound over there!" The distant sound of Kiba's voice had your body tensing and eyes widening, there was no more time.

"I'm sorry Naruto! One day!"

And with one final glance towards him, you tugged Itachi forward and walked hand in hand away from your safety net, but into the warm embrace of the lover you never thought you'd be able to love again.

[xebecatt2002]

Mythological references in 'Chariots of War', part 1

In this episode Xena and Gabrielle face the warlord Cycnus and, you guessed it, some war chariots.

There are a few different men in Greek Mythology each with their own myth. The one that this episode is based on is Cycnus, the son of Ares and Pelopia or Pyrene. He was a warrior/bandit who challenge anyone he met on the road to a chariot race. Each time he defeated his challenger, he killed them and removed their heads so he could use the skulls to build a temple dedicated to his father, the god of war, Ares.

One of the earliest versions of this myth is found in ‘The Shield of Heracles’ which is credited to the poet Hesiod. Hesiod is one of the earliest Greek poets, though the exact date of his life is debated, it is generally believed to be somewhere around 750 and 650 BC.

The poem features the origins of Heracles before moving onto the confrontation between the hero and Cycnus. Hesiod begins the encounter with both sides preparing for battle alongside their drivers, filled with the desire to claim the prize of their foes armour. Claiming the armour of your fallen foes bestowed much prestige to the victor. Descriptions of the arms and armour heroes carried into battle features at the centre of many ancient works such as this. The description of Heracles’ highly decorative shield is the focal point of Hesiod’s work, hence its title.

Heroes are often depicted in myth riding into battle on chariots assisted by a companion who would act as a driver. Once the hero found an opponent he would disembark and engage the enemy on foot in one-on-one combat. Examples of this are found throughout ancient epics like Homer’s ‘The Illiad’. Hesiod includes the same with both warriors riding into battle with help. Heracles is aided by Iolau,s who acts as his driver, while Cycnus is accompanied by his father Ares.

After an initial clash with their chariots during which Heracles attempts to persuade Cycnus to stand down and let him pass, they both jump down from their chariots and engage in combat.

‘Then it was that from their well-woven cars they both leaped straight to the ground, the son of Zeus and the son of the Lord of War.’ - Hesiod

Cycnus is no match for Heracles and he is slain by the hero. Upon seeing the death of his son, Ares becomes enraged and seeks to avenge him. He rushes to attack Heracles who stands firm and unafraid of the god of War. Athene tries to intervene and get Ares to back off but he continues his attack. Unafraid, Heracles wounds the god, striking Ares in his thigh, forcing him to return to Olympus.

Athene, Heracles, Zeus, Cycnus and Ares. Attic black-figured amphora, ca. 550/30 BC. From Kameiros in Rhodes. Photographer/Source Jastrow (2006)

In some versions of the myth, Heracles encountered Cycnus during his famous labours. Cycnus challenges the hero and prevents him from continuing his quest. Again, Cycnus is defeated and Ares in his grief stands off against Heracles except it is Zeus that intervenes and breaks up their duel with his thunderbolt.

‘So Heracles proceeded on his way, until he arrived at the River Echedoros, where Cycnos, the son of Ares and Pyrene, challenged him to single combat […] to avenge him, Ares too engaged him in single combat, but a thunderbolt was hurled between the two combatants, bringing the fight to an end’- Apollodorus

Zeus tries to part Cycnus and Heracles Attic black-figured amphora, ca. 545/30 BC. Photographer/Source Jastrow (2006)

After reading the myth of Cycnus you may be wondering why they based a Xena: Warrior Princess episode on a myth regarding one of Heracles’ adventures. The Xena Warrior Podcast gives us the answer in episode 01 of their podcast. In it they review the episode and discuss in depth various elements including the origins of the story. They mention that it was originally penned as and episode for Xena’s parent show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys which is based on the adventures of the Greek hero Heracles (though they use his Roman name Hercules). Reading Hesiod’s version of the myth it you can see how easily the story can be adapted into an episode of Hercules as not only is the character of Iolaus featured helping the hero, but there is also the rivalry between Hercules and Ares.

I really recommend listening to the podcast as they raise some interesting points about how this effects the story. This being originally a Hercules idea confirms that the myth this episode is referencing is that of Cycnus, son of Ares.

One of the major differences, aside from Xena, is that Cycnus is not a demi-god in the episode. Unlike his mythic counterpart he is portrayed as a warlord praying on a simple village. This decision could be based on the writers trying to differentiate this show from its ‘big brother’, focusing more on the human element rather than the divine. Yet they still include a strong link to the God of War without including him as a physical character.

Cycnus in the episode is a warlord totally dedicated to Ares. In the character’s introductory scene with his son Sphareus references to Ares dominate the dialogue.

Sphaerus: “Hello, Father.”

Cycnus: “You’re growing more powerful, my son. Ares will be pleased.”

Sphaerus: “My warrior education is complete. I am ready to take your place.”

Cycnus: [Laughs] “Nah-- there’s still something missing-- the desire to kill.”

Sphaerus: “You’re wrong. Today, I killed a great warrior in the belly.”

Cycnus: “Who?”

Sphaerus: “She fell before I could ask her name.”

Cycnus: “A woman, ha-ha! You think that would impress the god of war?”

Cycnus straight away comes across as an overbearing father who has a deep devotion for his chosen God. Though Ares is not shown to be the father of Cycnus, there is still a fatherly connection in the way Cycnus uses the god to parent his own child. Here he doesn’t talk to his son directly in regard to his fatherly opinion of what Sphaerus has achieved, instead Cycnus passes Ares’ judgement. The line ‘You think that would impress the god of war?’ can easily translate as ‘do you think that would impress me, your father?’. The allusion of Ares as a fatherly figure is continued later when Cycnus orders his son to kill the villagers.

Cycnus: “And kill them all-- Make me proud of you, my son. Make Ares proud, huh? Make sure he kills them all.”

By referencing the god as a paternal influence, he becomes a second fatherly figure to Spheraus and alludes to the original myth of Ares helping his son Cycnus.

The relationship between the warlord and his son is one of main storylines of this episode. This maybe due to the original myth and this episode initially being planned as a Hercules episode. The character of Cycnus could easily have been Ares himself. Like Ares, he is trying to aid his son in combat by instructing him on the ways of war and inspiring Sphaerus’ blood lust. He also shares elements of the god’s temperament in response to the death of his elder son, Stentor. In hearing that it was Xena that interrupted the meeting, he storms off seeking vengeance against the Warrior Princess and to avenge the murder of his son much like the mythic Ares reacts at the death of his son Cycnus.

Perhaps the earlier Hercules idea had Cycnus instead of Sphaerus as the reluctant son, and Ares as the overbearing father. If you change the characters the plot still works and would tie in closer with the original myth with Cycnus seeking to impress his father and Ares defeated being defeated by Hercules. This plot would also have Hercules reform Cycnus instead of kill him which nicely modifies the myth to fit with the series’ overall themes.

Returning to Xena’s Cycnus he continues to bring up Ares in this opening dialogue with his son. He also gives us an alternative connection between the god of war and the warlord when he challenges Sphaerus.

Sphaerus: “But she was a--”

Cycnus: “The honor of keeping Ares’ horses falls to the mightiest warrior. He will not choose you merely because you’re my son. You must _prove_ yourself worthy.”

This line suggests that Cycnus has been given the task of looking after Ares’ horses which connects with the work of Hesiod. The writer uses the epithet ‘horse-taming’ (Shield of Heracles, 344) to describe Cycnus just as he drives his chariot towards Heracles. The writer also mentions the horses of Ares being depicted on the decorated shield of Heracles.

‘And on the shield stood the fleet-footed horses of grim Ares made of Gold, and deadly Ares the spoil-winner himself.’ Hesiod 191-193

The line in the episode could be a literal interpretation of these mythic elements in order build up Cycnus’ warlord character without making him a demi-god. It is possible that Cycnus is being literal here, that he has been entrusted with Ares’ horses, although more it is more likely that he has been intrusted with an army by Ares as one of his chosen warlords. This comes up throughout the series with Ares offering command to other warlords and most importantly tries to win back Xena to lead his army. As a side point, It is interesting to note that a few episodes later in ‘The Reckoning’ Ares will make his first appearance physically in either series, played by the wonderful Kevin Smith, and attempts to lure Xena back to her warlord ways. (Maybe Ares was trying to fill the vacancy caused by Cycnus’ death though this is just a wandering thought.)

Though Cycnus in Xena does not build a temple to his father from his defeated enemies, he does share his bloodthirsty nature in honouring the god of war. Later in the episode he is frustrated by his son’s inability to wipe out the villagers.

Sphaerus: “I am.”

Cycnus: “Yeah, why haven’t you conquered this valley yet? These farmers dishonor the god of war with their peaceful ways. Strike them down. If your brother Stentor were alive--”

These villagers are refugees from Troy (yup the one famous for the Wooden horse, I’ll cover the myths surrounding the Trojan War in another post). We learn later when the village leader Tynus confronts Darius about his decision to care for the injured Xena that they have taken a vow of peace.

Tynus: “We have to talk. Why is that woman still here? She’s not one of us, Darius. She fights. You’ve seen that with your own eyes. Her kind make enemies. She’ll have to leave your home.”

Darius: “No, she saved my son. She’s a guest in my home until she’s well.”

Tynus: “There’s talk, Darius. Your house has been without a woman for a long time. But, but this is not the answer. By keeping her here, you break your oath.”

Darius: “What oath have I broken, Tynus?”

Tynus: “To live only for peace.”

Darius: “To care for a wounded woman is not an act of war.”

Tynus: “She lied to you. Other people have heard of this woman. She’s no warrior. She’s a murderer, a killer.”

Darius: “As soon as she’s able to ride, she’ll leave.”

Tynus: “Good. You know, I hope, for your sake, she recovers quickly.”

Tynus is fearful of Xena not just because of her reputation but because she physically represents the violence that they have fled. Refusing to help her is symbolic of their rejection of anything related to violence and the elements related to Ares in his role as the God of war. It is this rejection which Cycnus sees as being dishonourable to the God of War and believes that shedding their blood will restore it, much like the mythic Cycnus uses the skulls of his enemies to build a temple to honour his father.

They also dishonour Ares by challenging the aspects of war in other, peaceful ways which is reflected in Darius’ treatment of Xena. Her armour is one way that she symbolizes violence and warfare. Feeling that her outfit would be inappropriate to wear to the peace meeting, he asks her instead to wear one of his wife’s dresses. The dress gives her the appearance of a peaceful village woman, quite possibly what she would have become if she had not picked up a sword (We see this possibility in Season Two’s ‘Remember Nothing’). She is therefore symbolically leaving behind the elements of the warrior to don the peaceful role as village wife, taking her another step away from Ares’ realm of war. Also, by asking her to change her appearance Darius is trying to maintain physical peace not only between the villagers and Cycnus’ men by removing her threating appearance, but also is trying to keep the figurative peace between Xena and the other villagers who are intimidated by what she represents.

There is a few other points you can make about the symbolism of the dress though as they don’t directly connect to the mythology of the episode I’ll put them aside for another post dedicated to that topic. The mythological references of this episode will continue in part two. Thanks again for reading!

Sources:

Hesiod, The Shield of Heracles

Apollodorus, The Library

Vase photos: Taken from Hellenicaworld.com

Episode transcript: Woosh.org

Screencaptures: Made by myself

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #130: Marie Antoinette (Caster)

The encores keep coming on Fate and Phantasms with today’s build, Marie Antoinette! A volleyball player in D&D is probably one of the weirder things we’ve done so far, but I’m sure we can set up something good for y’all. Charm everyone you can, and smash those you can’t in the face with your beachballs!

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet here!

Next up: Met a girl(s), crazy for me!

Race and Background

As a variant of Marie, you’re also a variant human, giving you +1 wisdom and charisma. You’re a bit more active than your rider counterpart, so you also get Athletics proficiency and the Fighting Initiate feat, which nets you the Thrown Weapon Fighting fighting style. Now you can grab and throw weapons in the same move, and you deal +2 damage with thrown weapons! Sadly, WoTC forgot to weaponize balls in D&D, but light hammers are the closest thing we have to work with. Yes, that does mean Tortle Antoinette is dangerously close to being a Hammer Bro.

Like always, you’re a Noble, giving you History and Persuasion proficiencies.

Ability Scores

If you know anything about Marie, you know her Charisma is pretty high. If we want to be good a sports we’ll need some Dexterity though, make that second. Your Wisdom isn’t half bad, you were a queen once. Your Constitution isn’t amazing, but hey that just gives you an excuse to order one of those umbrella drinks and relax. Your Intelligence is rather low by elimination, (again, no one wants to think in the summer,) but you’re not stupid so we’re still dumping your Strength. Surprisingly, beach balls aren’t heavy lifting.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: Remember when I said not all of the summer servants were going to be beach ready? I’m starting to think that might not be true. As a monk, you get proficiency with Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as two monk skills. I’d grab Acrobatics for more volleyball skills and Insight for better rulings.

You also get Unarmored Defense, making your AC based on your wisdom as well as your dexterity, and Martial Arts. Now you can use dexterity instead of strength when attacking with monk weapons (light hammers are simple, so they count), and you can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action after attacking. Also, all your monk attacks do a minimum of 1d4 damage, which scales as you level up. The good news is it only gets better from here.

2. Monk 2: Second level monks get a number of Ki points each short rest equal to their monk level. They can use these to make two attacks, dodge, disengage, or dash as a bonus action. You also get Unarmored Movement, helping you get across the court thanks to an extra 10′ of movement speed that also increases as you level up.

3. Monk 3: They probably wouldn’t tell you this, but it turns out Way of the Kensei monks are super into beach volleyball. That’s why at third level you learn the Path of the Kensei, a totally not confusingly named feature that’s really four features in one. You get Kensei Weapons, a melee (Light Hammer) and ranged (Darts? It doesn’t really matter much) weapon that will be used by later features. One of those is an Agile Parry, giving you a bonus to your AC for a round when you make an unarmed attack with a kensei weapon in hand. Use the volleyballs for ranged attacks, hands for melee attacks, they’re pretty mutually exclusive. Another way to use your deadly weapons is a Kensei’s Shot, which normally doesn’t come up in these builds. Using your bonus action you can deal an extra 1d4 of damage each time you make a ranged attack that turn, effectively doubling your output. You also learn the Way of the Brush, which will be super useful when you’re stuck making manga over and over again in summer 3.

Finally, you volleyball skills come in handy by teaching you how to Deflect Missiles. Using your reaction you can set a ranged attack to deal less damage to you, and if you mitigate it entirely you can spike it back at the attacker.

4. Monk 4: Your very first Ability Score Improvement will go towards Dexterity. Being able to aim your shots helps. You can Slow Fall to reduce sandburn from those dives, and you get some Quickened Healing for a bit of that sunflower power, spending ki and an action to heal yourself.

5. Bard 1: Despite everything, you’re still you. And You is still a bard! This means you get Performance proficiency to get the crowd on your side, as well as some Spells you can cast using your Charisma. You can also give Bardic Inspiration to your allies a number of times per long rest equal to your charisma modifier. This lets them add a d6 to one of their attack rolls, saving throws, or ability checks.

Speaking of spells, Light will make you the center of attention, either creating a light source out of thin air of turning an object into a free torch. You also get Friends, Charm Person, and Animal Friendship to wrap the world around your finger, because some things never change. If you have to get a bit forceful, you can also use Command, or Cure Wounds if you’re in a more merciful mood.

6. Bard 2: Second level bards are Jacks of All Trades, adding half your proficiency bonus to checks that don’t already use it. As a queen, you have to be well-versed in just about everything. You also get a Song of Rest, adding 1d6 to healing done over short rests. Finally, your Magical Inspiration augments your bardic inspiration. It can now be added to spell damage and healing. 

Speaking of spell damage and healing, Bane does neither of those things. However, it does force a charisma save (DC 8 + proficiency + charisma modifier) on a couple creatures, and the ones that fail subtract 1d4 from all attacks and saves they make for the duration. You’re pretty distracting.

7. Bard 3: Your bard levels aren’t changing things up much from your original setup- yes, you’re still going to the College of Glamour. As a glamour bard, your Mantle of Inspiration can be built using just a use of Inspiration and your bonus action, giving a couple of friendly creatures 5 temporary hp, and the ability to react to move without causing opportunity attacks. 

You can also put on an Enthralling Performance. After you play for at least a minute, you can try to charm a couple people who saw the entire thing, basically turning them into your groupies if they fail a wisdom save. You can use this once per short rest.

Finally, you get Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus in Acrobatics and Performance. You’re good at what you do, and even better at making it look good while you do it.

You can also cast Calm Emotions to soothe enemies or friends alike. Like Guda always says, “An enemy is just a friend that’s still trying to kill you.”

8. Bard 4: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for stronger spells and more inspiration.

You can also cast True Strike this level for more accurate strikes, or Enhance Ability to inspire greatness in an ally, giving them advantage on one kind of skill check for the duration.

9. Bard 5: At fifth level your bardic inspiration grows to a d8, and you become a Font of Inspiration. That means your inspiration pops back up on short rests and long ones!

Being a queen isn’t easy. Even if you’re nice you still gotta punish people sometimes. Sometimes that punishment is curses. Bestow Curse can help with that. This is one of those open-ended spells- if your DM’s cool with creativity, you can probably do some nasty stuff with this spell.

10. Bard 6: Sixth level bards can waste an action on Countercharm, giving allies advantage against being charmed or frightened for the round. Alternatively, you can use your Mantle of Majesty as a bonus action, allowing you to cast command for free each bonus action and upon use. Any creature charmed by you automatically fails the save, but this feature uses your concentration, so it’s only really useful with teamwork or your Enthralling Performance. You can use this once per long rest.

We can duplicate the effects of your noble phantasm easy, but none of these really make you a giant glass jellyfish, do they? Major Image can help with that. This creates an illusion that fits within a 20′ square, and you can move it with you too!

11. Monk 5: Bouncing back to monk for an Extra Attack each attack action. You can also make a Stunning Strike, forcing a constitution save (DC 8+proficiency+wisdom modifier) or they’re stunned for the round. (This only works on melee attacks tho, boo hiss.) 

For something more useful, Focused Aim lets you spend 1-3 ki points to add 2-6 to an attack roll. Volleyball is all about that aim.

12. Monk 6: Sixth level monks get Ki Empowered Strikes, making your unarmed attacks magical against resistances. You also become One with the Blade, which makes your kensei weapons magical against resistances, and you can use a Deft Strike to add your martial arts die to your damage once per turn.

You also get another kensei weapon, but it doesn’t really matter what you pick bc we’re still volleyballing here.

13. Monk 7: Once again, you get the super useful Evasion, halving damage from failed dex saves and removing damage from successes. You also get a Stillness of Mind, letting you spend an action to shut down frightening and charming effects.

14. Bard 7: Bouncing back to bard again for some fourth level spells, like Charm Monster. Fish love you, women love you, basically everyone loves you.

15. Bard 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Dexterity for more AC and better attacks. Turns out, monks like dexterity! Who’da thunk it. Your glass dress also gets a bit scarier at this level, turning it into a Phantasmal Killer. If your target fails a Wisdom save, they become frightened, and at the end of each turn they have to make another save or take psychic damage. Technically this makes one of their worst fears, but I bet glass chafes something awful, so I’d count it.

16. Bard 9: Ninth level bards get a stronger song of rest, and you can cast fifth level spells! Dominate Person forces a wisdom save on a creature or they get charmed. While charmed, you can issue commands to the target or take total control of them. You’re a celebrity, you do what you want. And other people do what you want too.

17. Bard 10: Tenth level bards get a d10 for their inspiration, and they get Magical Secrets, two spells from any spell list. Also a cantrip, which makes introducing the spells succinctly a pain in the ass. You get a Thunderclap if you spike the ball hard enough, but the stars of the show are Conjure Volley (yes we got it entirely for the pun) and Find Greater Steed. Horses aren’t practical on a beach, but glass horses aren’t about practicality.

You also get Expertise in athletics and persuasion to truly master volleyball and the popularity that comes with it.

18. Monk 8: Use your last ASI to bump up your Constitution for 18 free hit points.

19. Monk 9: Your unarmored movement improvement lets you literally walk on water, for those dramatic Baywatch-style shots.

20. Monk 10: Your final level gives you a Purity of Body, making you immune to disease and poison. Not the flashiest way to end a build, but I def wouldn’t complain about that right now.

Pros:

Throwing hammers around gives you a range advantage on most melee enemies, and your monk mobility gives you plenty of speed to abuse it with.

Your high dex and kensei features make your shots accurate, and your damage consistent. 

Despite trading half your bard levels for monk, you’re still charming as all hell- literally. Fighting still isn’t your strong suit, but you’ve got plenty of ways to avoid them where possible.

Cons:

YOU ARE USING LIGHT HAMMERS. There isn’t even a stereotype about them in those “what does you favorite weapon say about you” videos because NO ONE USES THEM. Even with being a monk, you still won’t be doing much damage with them. Pulling out all the stops nets you 2d6+1d4+6 Bludgeoning damage at level 20. Let the fighters take care of the fighting, you’ll be a lot happier for it.

A lot of your abilities are tied to inspiration and ki, both of which are limited resources. 

Unless you’ve got an artificer in your group or a generous dm, throwing weapons are a pain to use. You’ve either got to carry around a lot of them (which might be an issue with your dumped strength) or get used to picking them up between attacks.

[masterweaverx]

Ilia Amitola has captured the mind and heart of certain parts of the internet. She certainly seems well suited for adventure, given her storied backstory and her usage with the White Fang. But if we’re going to set her Dungeoning and Dragoning, we’ve got to come up with a good series of goals for her.

Fortunately for us, while Ilia may be a complicated character emotionally she’s relatively simple from a mechanical perspective. Sneakery and agility is our primary objective with this young lady, accompanied and abetted by her crafty skinshifting. Oh, and there’s the whip--an electric stunning swordywhip thing that needs to be able to zap and stop. Personally I’d also say she needs to dominate the dance floor--not anything strictly canon, but just a headcanon of mine. All that said, let’s get to it.

Point arrays are standard for good reasons, so we’ll take the standard option and put a 15 in Dexterity--very good at the hopping and the hiding. Wisdom will be next with 14 points, Ilia has a very good internal compass even if she supresses it sometimes. Intelligence and Charisma are at 13 and 12 respectively--she’s had an education, and she can be a good speaker when she doesn’t get emotionally tongue-tied. Constitution has ten points, because she looks pretty healthy all things considered, but strength is at eight--Ilia’s kind of small, which is good for sneaking but bad for lobbing boulders at peeps.

For any 5E aficionado, you’re probably thinking we’re going to make Ilia a Changeling. And... you’d be right! This gives her +2 to her Charisma (upping it to 14) and +1 to her Dexterity (upping it to 16). She also gets two skill proficiencies out of a list of four; I picked Insight and Persuasion, since she’s not really that good at Intimidating people and she’ll be getting Deception from somewhere else. Changelings are good at language, automatically knowing Common and two other languages of their choice; I’m guess that stint in Atlas taught Ilia the esoteric languages of Legalese and Technobabble. And then there’s the big reason we picked Changeling...

Okay, quick side note here: When I construct these things, I look for ‘closest fit,’ not ‘one-hundred percent exact.’ Ilia Amitola can change her skin color, hair color, and eye color. Changelings are full-on shapeshifters--sex, size, apparent species, if they see you they can mimic you to a hundred percent. Doesn’t affect clothes, mind, but the point is D&D Ilia is going to be a touch more potent than RWBY Ilia, if you decide to use her that way. This is a role-playing game, not a rule-playing game. Mmkay? Mmkay.

For Background, I dug around a bit and found the Secret Identity background from the Adventurer’s League. And frankly it’s practically built for Ilia: pretending to be an Ordinary Human in the land of Racist Humans Who Hate Nonhumans. She gets proficiency with Deception, Stealth, Forgery Kits, and Disguise Kits, as well as the feature ‘Secret Identity.’ Meet Aili Alotima, a definitely totally normal human who does not, we assure you, have any skill at forging legal documents she has seen before, and has a totally real history you can absolutely check if you’re curious. (And if you believed that sentence, Ilia is going to be wondering exactly why she needed to go to the effort to trick the laws in the first place.)

And now we get to classes. I’m sure you were all expecting twelve levels in Thief Rogue, but I’m pretty certain you’ll all be surprised by the eight levels in Kensei Monk. Well, most of you, anyway. Some of you? Look, Monks are a pretty agile class, and Kensei monks specifically come with a few things that will be crucial to Ilia’s build.

But before we get to that, we have to get to Ilia’s Ability Score Improvements. Twelve Rogue levels and eight Monk levels give her a total of six. Every ASI can be used to either get two ability points or burned to get a feat; we’ll be using half of them to add two points to Wisdom and three to Intelligence (upping them both to sixteen) and one to Dexterity (making it 17--don’t worry, that’ll get patched soon). The remaining three points will be burned for feats--Acrobat, Skulker, and Magic Initiate.

Acrobats gain proficiency in the Acrobatic skill, and +1 to their Dexterity--so now Ilia has a full Dexterity of 18. And, as a bonus action, she can make a DC 15 acrobatics check to ignore difficult terrain till the end of the turn. Skulkers are extra good at sneaking, being able to hide when lightly obscured, suffer no sight penalties in dim light, and their location isn’t revealed even when they miss with a ranged weapon. Not that Ilia uses a gun, mind, but she’s pretty good at the whole shadow-hopping thing, so that’s nifty.

Magic initiates, though, choose a caster class and pick two cantrips and a first level spell from their list. They can only cast the spell once per long rest, but we’re really only here for the cantrips (which can be cast at any time and scale based on total character level). Lightning Lure drags a target from fifteen feet away up to ten feet closer and does some shocking damage if they wind up within five feet--perfect for some zappery dragging. And Sword Burst is great if you want to knock back enemies right up next to you--they have to roll a Dexterity save or take a hit from Ilia twirling a sharp metal rope around herself. As to the first-level spell... well, Longstrider increases a target’s speed by ten feet for an hour, and it can be cast on self. Ilia is really, really mobile, so...

Rogues get proficiencies with Dexterity and Intelligence saving throws, Thieves’ Tools, Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Hand Crossbows, Rapiers, Short Swords, and Long Swords. They also get four skill proficiencies--Athletics, Perception, Performance, and Sleight of Hand fit Ilia the most. And with twelve levels of Rogue, she’s really benefiting from a life of skullduggery--Expertise in four skills (Acrobatics, Deception, Persuasion, and Stealth), Reliable Talent in every other skill she’s trained in, and Thieves’ Cant for reading and writing secret messages to those who don’t want to be seen. And of course Sneak Attack, which means she deals an extra 6d6 damage on ranged or finesse attacks, as long as she either has advantage or her target is being flanked.

And then there’s all the mobility options being a Rogue, and a Thief Rogue specifically, gives Ilia. Uncanny Dodge to half damage on an incoming attack as a reaction, Evasion to possibly neutralize damage from any Dexterity-Save based attack, Second-Story work that makes her climb speed equal to her land speed (as well as adding her Dex bonus to her jump distance), and Supreme Sneak gives advantage on Stealth checks if she moves only half her speed (which, with her Monk levels, is going to be pretty fast).

And of course, there’s Cunning Action. As a bonus action, Ilia can Dash (take an extra movement action), Disengage (avoid attacks of opportunity for the round), Hide (make a stealth check to, well, hide), and Aim (give herself advantage on her next attack if she hasn’t moved this turn). Being a Thief Rogue gives her Fast Hands, which means she can also use her cunning action to Use An Object, use her Thieves’ tools, or make a Sleight of Hand check. Mobile and able to exploit that mobility? It’s no surprise the Belladonna’s need better security.

But all that is defensive mobility and sneakery. If we want to talk about Ilia’s attack capability, we need to talk about her eight levels in Kensei Monk. Sure, being a Monk in general does give her some bonus mobility--her Unarmored Defense means her AC is ten plus her Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers while not wearing armor (so 17), her Unarmored movement gives her a bonus to her base speed while not wearing armor (+15 at level 8), her Slow Fall allows her to reduce falling damage by a total of five times her monk level as a reaction (that’d be 40 points), and her Evasion... is actually exactly the same as her evasion she’d get as a rogue, so that doesn’t stack.

Martial Arts gives Ilia a few benefits: she can choose to use Dexterity instead of Strength for unarmed attacks or attacks with monk weapons, the attacks do 1d6 base damage instead of their standard form, and if she takes an attack action she can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action. Speaking of which, Extra Attack lets her make two attacks per attack action, Ki-Empowered Strikes mean her unarmed attacks count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagic damage, and Stillness of mind allows her to use an action to shake off being Charmed or Frightened.  And that’s all before we talk about Ki features or anything regarding Kensei Monks specifically.

Monks get Ki points equal to their monk level, which regenerate on a short or long rest, and can be spent for various actions. Options are added as the Monk levels up, both from standard sources and from their path; Flurry of Blows allows a Monk to make two unarmed attacks as a bonus action immediately after an attack, Patient Defense lets them take the Dodge action as a bonus action, and Step of the Wind doubles Jump distance and allows the monk to take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action. Then there’s Deflect Missiles--technically a free reaction to any incoming ranged attack that reduces the damage by 1d10+Dexterity Modifier+Monk Level (so 1d10+12 for Ilia), but if that reduces the damage to zero, a monk can spend a ki point to throw the projectile back as a ranged attack immediately. Stunning Strike can be used to try to Stun a character with a melee weapon attack, which lasts to the end of the next turn, and Deft Strike (the only Kensei-related Ki skill we’re getting) allows a monk to add an additional 1d6 damage to an attack with a weapon.

Which leads us to the whole reason I picked Kensei monk. See, Monk Weapons are specifically shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don't have the two-handed or heavy property. Which doesn’t include whips. But Kensei Monks have, as the foundation of the whole class, the choice to pick other weapons as Monk Weapons--as long as they lack the Heavy or Special properties. At eight levels, Kensei Monks have a total of three Kensei weapons--one melee, one ranged, and one that can be either. So going for Whip and Scimitar for Ilia’s weapon, and Hand Crossbow to satisfy requirements, is a pretty good option.

Of course that’s not the only benefit. Agile Parry gives Ilia +2 AC if she makes an unarmed strike as part of her Attack action, Kensei’s Shot means she can take a bonus action to make her Hand Crossbow deal an additional 1d4 worth of damage, and Magic Kensei Weapons mean her weapons count as magical for purposes of overcoming resistances and immunities to nonmagical damage. And of course there’s Way Of The Brush, which gives Ilia proficiency in Calligrapher’s supplies--perfect for planting secret messages, forging documents, or writing hidden notes in her diary about how hot various ladies around her are... although that last one isn’t strictly canon, but you know, shippers gonna ship.

If we tally all this up, we have a woman with a base 45 running and climbing speed that can jump 12 feet forward and 7 feet up without effort, with Acrobatics and Slow Fall meaning she’s able to handle unusual terrain, and she can up that to 55 speed for an hour once a day with longstrider, as well as double the jump distance up to eight times before needing a rest. That makes Ilia fast, and she’s also hard to hit--unarmored defense gives her an AC of 17, plus 2 with Agile Parry, she can Dash or Disengage or Dodge at will, and even if you get past all that she’s got Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, and Deflecting Missles to reduce damage. Of course that’s assuming you spot her at all--Supreme Sneak lets her remain hidden at 22 feet speed--27 if she’s got Long Strider up--Skulker means she can hide when lightly obscured, such as by shadow, and combining her expertise in stealth with her shapeshifting ability means Ilia can slip in and out of scenes unnoticed.

And for those of you that want some damage, allow me to direct your attention to this combinatorial explosion: Martial Arts Whip, Extra Attack, Deft Strike, Flurry of Blows. That’s 1d6+7d6+1d4+4, then 1d6+4 , then 1d6+4 , then 1d6+4 , for a cost of two ki points. Even without Deft Strike and Flurry of Blows Ilia can hypothetically pull 1d6+7d6+4, then 1d6+4 , then 1d6+4, per round--or sacrifice that last 1d6+4 for a different bonus action. And Ilia can give herself advantage either with Aim or Stunning Strike; Aim only lasts for the current turn, but Stunning Strike lasts till her next turn and renders a target stunned for her allies to deal with. Throw in Lightning Lure for 4d8 damage to any target she draws to herself, Sword Burst for 4d6 damage to ALL targets surrounding her, and the fact the whip has the Reach property, and we wind up with a fighter built to manuver and manipulate her opponents around the battlefield.

So yeah, that’s Ilia.

[nyktomorphia]

Nyktowe’s Guide to Rivenese Wildlife (4/5)

Part 1, part 2, part 3. Reference screenshots from Lost Library of D’ni.

Thinking about the speculative Australia connection is probably why the first thing I thought of here was a kangaroo or wallaby. Actual macropods have a tail, though, which they use not just for balance in their iconic hopping gait but as practically a fifth leg when walking normally, which is clearly not represented in the symbol. (Actually, it’s quite noticeable how few of these creatures have more of a tail than a stub.) So I imagine this creature is in a niche more like a marmot or prairie dog, or other burrowing ground squirrel. Actually, it could easily be a shorter-muzzled relative of the trunked hare from part one.

That head reads naturally to me as some kind of symmetrical fleshy protrusion, and the drawing here is based on a cowfish (with a little bit of salmon) - it seemed silly for them to be jaws. Now that I’m writing this up, though, I’m reconsidering. Maybe it’s actually more of a giant coelacanth that drifts along like a basking shark, passing water through its gaping mouth and out its gill rakers to filter put plankton. That could be the giant marine herbivore I earlier noted seemed to be missing, and also helps explain the body structure - poorly-shaped for speed, not enough fins for manoeuvrability, stubby tail that looks a bit like a trout but even more like an ocean sunfish.

...something like this.

The second fish-pig looking thing reminds me of a sperm whale, whose head is highly specialised for hydrodynamics, echolocation, buoyancy control, and hunting squid, none of which makes a lot of sense on land. There’s probably ways to modify and justify the design, but it doesn’t really inspire me to do that. Sorry.

Another source of wtf, because this looks like a common insect at first glance, but on a closer level it’s clearly not. There are at least two clearly-represented segments, arguably three, but only four legs and each pair is attached to a different segment. And, most noticeably, only one eye.

Now, I’ve been treating these symbols as stylised but fairly accurate and consistent depictions of the animals they represent, because it’s true of the four we have examples of. The Moiety are intelligent and observant of their native world, and the other two clear depictions of insects in this room both accurately show three legs and one eye on each side. (Neither one shows any visible distinction between body segments, which makes it surprising that one is here at all, let alone in the wrong place.) There are other possible explanations, of course, like cultural anthropomorphism, but the obvious conclusion to me is that the symbol here really is accurate - to a Rivenese arthropod that doesn’t fit anywhere in a cladistic system designed for Earth. (That shouldn’t be too surprising from a science fiction standpoint, but it’s very unexpected for fantasy, where you expect other worlds to be like-Earth-unless-noted. This is one of the things I adore about the Myst games, though - it blends together science fiction and fantasy in a way that very few other science fantasy stories seem to do. Science fiction in fantasy trappings, rather than the other way around.)

...anyway, this is a four-legged cyclops bug. I interpreted the, err, cowboy hat bits as large mandibles, but they could be antennae. The body structure is based on a water strider - on Earth it would probably be too heavy for its legspan for surface tension to support it, but Rivenese water is so full of thermophobic bacteria that it’s practically a gel. I can see it being distantly related to the four-legged pillbug crab.

Part 5

[vitalitypocc]

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[ob-seth-ed]

Seth Route: Part 6

*DISCLAIMER: All translations are pulled and translated from the JP app using EverTranslator and Google Translate, along with a variety of other translation sources. Translations may be modified to fit better phrasing and comprehension in English, as well as using context clues. Some information may be translated incorrectly.*

6.1

Seth and Sirius met at the training grounds. Seth asks Sirius why he asked him to meet out here and before Sirius can start telling him why, Seth cuts him off and gives him a confident smile, saying that there was only one thing that he must want on a romantic night like this. Sirius responds in confusion, asking if Seth thinks this is a confession of love. Seth says that it’s no good because Sirius is also a man and their relationship will never last long. Sirius folds his arms and says that he didn’t call Seth out there for a joke. Seth laughs and says he was trying to soften the mood. He sighs and gets serious, asking Sirius what he wanted. Sirius says to tell him straight where he’s been going out at night. Seth asks if he’s referring to three nights before and doubles down on the reason he had first given Sirius, that he had dropped something in town while out with Alice and had to go find it. They both fall silent before Sirius asks who he’s been meeting. They both fall silent again and watch each other as the night breeze blows between them.

Cut to inside headquarters. Despite training all day, MC can’t sleep. She decides to go to the kitchen to get a hot drink to help her. As she walks down the hall, she runs into Ray.

6.2

Ray and MC go to the kitchen together. Ray hands MC a mug and she asks what’s in it. He smiles as he says that it’s citrus tea. She looks in the mug to see slices of lime and lemon in the steaming tea, along with some marmalade spooned at the bottom. She mixes it, saying it looks good and tasted it, expressing how much she liked it. Ray took a sip and asked her why she couldn’t sleep. She doesn’t answer immediately, unsure how she should say that thinking about Seth potentially being a betrayer is keeping her up. So she answers his question with one of her own, asking why he was up in the middle of the night. She says that everyone knows that it’s unusual for Ray to stay up late. He asks her who told her that and she deflects by drinking more of the tea. He says that he was just thinking and she says she was just thinking too. She thinks back on what Loki had said about watching out for the Magic Tower and a betrayer in the army. She wonders if Ray is staying up thinking about the same thing she is, since she had eavesdropped on him talking with Sirius about a potential traitor the night before. She grips the warm mug tighter and gets Ray’s attention.

6.3

MC confesses that she had heard him talking with Sirius about a traitor. Ray is surprised, obviously having not known they had been overheard. She says that Loki had also mentioned there being a betrayer, so she’s worried. Ray thinks about what she said and sets his cup down, looking out the kitchen window. He tells her about the Black Army slogan, “freedom soars on raven wings.” He tells her because of this, they allow anybody to join the Black Army, unlike the Red Army who are based on bloodlines. He looks at her and says that he doesn’t want to doubt any of his soldiers because they are all friends. Because if you doubt your friends, you cannot trust anybody. He tells her that in order to protect what matters most, he will continue to trust them, even if they have another side to them. MC thinks that even if there are traitors in the army, Ray will still trust in them, which she believes to be true from the serious look he wears while saying it.

After finishing her tea, MC goes on her way back to her bedroom, thinking about the power of trust. While she’s thinking, Seth calls out for her attention from behind her, running up to her saying that it’s not a good idea for her to leave her room at night without her knight. 

I’m sorry. [+4, +2]

I met Ray by chance.

I’m tired.

[MC apologizes, saying she was going to be fast and Seth apologizes for making her feel like she had to apologize.] Seth offers to walk her back to her room. As they walk, MC glances at Seth and thinks back on what Ray said about accepting people no matter how many sides they have. MC thinks about how she wants to get to know all sides of Seth, to know and trust him fully. Seth takes her to her room and she asks him to wait, grabbing his shirt sleeve when he turned to leave. 

6.4

MC grabs Seth’s shirt to keep Seth from leaving her room. He asks her what’s wrong and she hesitantly asks again if she can really ask him anything. Seth is a bit surprised, but nods slowly. They settle on the couch and she tells him she wants to know about him. Seth says it’s kind of thrilling she wants to get to know him and tells her to ask her questions about him, putting a hand to his shoulder as though subconsciously. He plays it off saying he’ll let her know his very skin, acting as though he was going to unbutton his shirt. MC gets flustered and Seth tells her it was a joke and she’s cute when she’s blushing. They divert from the topic for a little bit as MC tries to play off her blush. MC steers the topic back around and debates on what she wants to ask him first. She asks him what he did before he joined the Black Army four years ago. Seth thinks for a second and says that he supposes he was sick and tired.

6.5

MC asks what he means. Seth says that he lost his parents when he was young and he was left with his sister, who was still a baby at the time. MC is shocked by him having a sister. He says that her name is Rapunzel. He says she is fifteen years younger and has the same hair color he has. He says in order to keep his sister from starving, he wandered around doing things here and there, doing anything he could in order for them to live, even some unsavory things. Seth smiles and says that the details will remain a secret, his eyes swimming with sadness. MC thinks that she can’t even imagine what it would have been like to be in that situation. MC says that it’s hard to think that Seth had a story like that where he was now. She thinks about how happy he seems with the others. Seth continues saying that even though Central seemed peaceful, war was coming, just like how every person has light and shadow, that it’s not an unusual thing. A short silence falls on the two of them. MC thinks about how the more she learns about Seth, she wonders more about who the real Seth is.

Suddenly, Seth reaches out to touch the spot on MC’s neck where he had left the kiss mark, tracing it with his fingertips. He apologizes for the night before. MC loses her train of thought, the feeling of his touch on her neck taking all of her attention. Seth slowly slid his finger up toward her chin, tilting her head up. Her heartbeat was beating out of her chest and she thought that he must be able to hear it. Seth met her gaze, his face close. He asks if she’s afraid of him. 

[mistraliprincess]

A New Chapter, A New Blade

“G-Gotin...?” A surprised and slightly confused tone taken by the Qilin seeing her friend rush into the living room of her home with a rather large object wrapped in cloth. Watching as he, without a single word, walks over between the television and the table in front of the couch she sat on. Carefully lowering the large object which he was carrying to set it across the table between the few other objects present. From the size of it alone, it looked just a little shorter than she would be given she either laid beside it, or stood it up beside her. Looking up to the Man with a raised, curious brow wordlessly asking for explanation.

“I came up with something shortly after you woke up in the hospital after your mission. Took the month after to make it, and I just made the finishing touches earlier. It both won’t and will replace the Katana you had that got cut loose on your extraction, but if you ever recover that Katana, I can modify it just a little bit and it’ll still work perfectly with this instead to replace the temporary one provided.” The Smithy with a wide and excited smile across his face as he sort of bounces on his toes for a moment in wait for his friend to unwrap the new weapon.

Shuffling forward in her seat, the Qilin’s tail swings about behind her as excitement begins to rise a little, though more out of curiosity for just what it was he had made this time. Looking up at him as she reached to grab the cloth, she could swear she saw his hair shift with how his ears beneath twitch up with excitement himself. That, and his Aura radiating like she’d only seen a few times prior. He really seemed happy with his work this time around, and she would be sure to see it for herself.

Looking down to his gift for her, Kemuri pulls the cloth back finding a long, pure white sheath with black markings to mimic vines of a Wisteria running from top to bottom. The end capped with gold, and a brace of gold by the weapon itself. A rounded hand-guard which, instead of closing in the back, has an open space. It’s ends curling outward again in a shape akin to the stems of Wisteria flowers, where as small openings along the black guard itself with golden linings were shaped like the petals themselves. The grip beyond at a slight curve to keep with that of the rest of the sheathed weapon, wrapped with black fabric around the white of the grip itself. It’s pommel a golden cap to match that of the guard’s linings.

“A-An Odachi?” She questions for clarity as she stands, picking the blade from the table to stand it in front of herself. Turning it about a little before her as she looks over the wonderful work of her friend. Though she spots a few subtle oddities along the back of the grip, lines that don’t seem entirely right, a bit of the wrapping that looks a tad disconnected from the rest. Plus a... latch, possibly? Maybe a button? It was small, hard to tell, but it sat between some of the grip’s wrapping closer to the hilt.

Grabbing onto the weapon, she pulls the blade out just a few small inches to get a look at the blade. Brilliant silver coloration, as was expected. Though still with the back to her, she can see similar subtle lines along the flat back. Curiosity raising a brow once again as her tail flicks behind her. Though the curiosity at the little odd details is easily outdone by that of what comes upon seeing some parts of the grip light up with her Aura as she holds it. Looking a little more closely to find a few small pieces of crystal embedded within the grip itself, all along the front, and lining from the pommel to the guard.

“Yeah, you always did want something more ranged, and I was always trying to think of something, and this is what I came up with. The grip’s two feet long, two inches wide and one-point-two inches thick. The blade’s a little over four feet long, fifty-seven inches to be exact, with two inches from the cutting edge to the flat, and a one and a half inch thick blade. Not only that, but the little button I’m sure you noticed, if you press that it releases a Katana, roughly half the size of the Odachi itself, for you to use either alongside the Odachi or separately. And I can do some slight modifications to your old Katana if you get it back at any point to be able to fit right in where the current one does. Which I’d suggest you eventually try to do, because that Katana and this Odachi, I think they’re my best work yet.”

Drawing the blade completely, Kemuri eases the sheathe to rest back against the couch behind her while holding the large blade steady in front of her. Setting a hand under one flat of the long, shinning blade to ease it’s edge down to keep from damaging the floor, so that she may turn the weapon and find the button again. Pressing at it, the portion of the grip she had noticed the discrepancy between the wrappings on shifts a little wider, and the spot where the wrappings didn’t match pushes out towards her. 

A handle, smaller than the rest she was holding, with a rather small, subtle guard at it’s end before it’s blade, which stuck just slightly out from that of the Odachi’s with it. Gripping the smaller weapon with her left hand, she pulls it free without issue, quite smoothly too, and brings it out to the side to inspect. Finding it to practically be a miniature of the Odachi itself, the design and coloration of the weapon matching the larger exactly. Bringing it back, she slots the Katana, blade first, back into the opening where it once sat. Easing it into the Odachi again and, with just the slightest click as she presses it home, she can see it practically blend right back into the larger weapon.

“That is... a little much but extremely impressive, actually.” A smile forming across the Huntress’ lips for a moment before it lessened as she remembered the crystal pieces along the Odachi’s handle. “Though I need to know, what did you do to the Crystal...?” Her eyes rising to focus to Gotin as she lifts the blade from the ground. Turning it and lifting the large weapon to rest it’s flat against her shoulder so she could carry it with her weakened right arm while her left took hold of the sheathe. Nodding to gesture the Smithy out the door with her as she begins to walk out of the room to head down the foyer to the training room. The Marten following as he clears his throat to begin explaining himself.

“I figured you’d maybe be a little upset with me about the Crystal once you noticed, but I can assure you I took the bare minimum from the Crystal as I could. While you were recovering, I did a little bit of testing with it, and you had mentioned something about Aura with it a while ago, so I tried using my Aura readers on it while holding it, and they registered a reading that matched my own. It appears to allow it’s wielder to extend their Aura’s reach without expending any of it, almost like it reads your Aura and then multiplies it within itself to provide an extra, albeit smaller, source. 

Out of curiosity, I very carefully cut the tip off one end of the Crystal, tested the readers on it to find it still registered Aura in the small piece, affixed it into a knife handle, and started to experiment. I tried just using the knife normally, tried touching the fragment while doing normal stuff. Nothing was happening no matter what I tried. But then I had the idea to think about what I wanted to happen, as I did things. The first thing I tried, extend, plain and simple. I swung the knife, and as I begun the swing, the edge of the knife suddenly lit up with my Aura and, like I thought about, it extended beyond the reach of the knife on it’s own. It only went double the original blade’s length, but I was able to cut with the Aura-based extension alone without having the metal of the knife touch the objects I tried it with at all.” 

The two entered into the wide training room, Gotin stopping just inside the door while he watched Kemuri continue on toward the center of the room while listening to him explain his tests. Laying the scabbard of the Odachi along the ground before easing the Odachi off her shoulder and taking hold of it with both hands again to start taking a few testing swings with the large blade.

“Not only that, but I started trying other ideas. I thought of blocking, changing shape, multiplying, but nothing else I came up with worked at all. At least not until I thought about whether or not it could possibly release that Aura along the blade, fire it off like a projectile to give you a ranged option in combat beyond your Semblance. Thought of shooting, firing, releasing, launching, nothing worked for a while. 

But I eventually thought to try and see if I could maybe just have the Aura apply to the blade without extending or anything. After a while, I thought ‘prime’, like if someone was to prime an energy based weapon to fire it off. The blade’s edge became coated with my Aura after that, subtle orange glow over the metal, and then I tried thinking of different terms for launching it from the blade. Eventually, ‘release’ let me launch the Aura along the blade forward like a small, but fast, projectile made of energy. Like a hard-light bullet almost. 

I was also able to direct the projectile in a couple different ways, and even extend it to be a line instead of what I could best explain as a dart. If I pointed the knife at something, thought ‘prime’ then ‘release’,  it would shoot at what the blade’s tip was directed to. The knife I was testing with was a straight blade, so the shots were straight on wherever I was pointing it at, but when I tested it with the Odachi later on I did have to angle the Odachi itself just right for the projectile to go to what I was aiming for, but the projectiles did fly straight from the tip of the blade, just like the knife. It’s just a matter of the blade’s curve itself.

But when I swung the knife and thought the two commands, it usually released the energy as a line instead of a focused thing. It still had the same speed, power, everything, but it just was able to hit more, though it was in a curve. If I swung down from eye-level to my waist in front of me, it was an arc of Aura energy that flew forward at my target. Swung diagonally from left shoulder to right hip, did the same. The thing that I quickly came to understand, but found odd, was that the lines only ever extended as much distance as it could while still having my body behind it entirely.

Say you went to swing the Odachi left to right and thought the commands, it would only start the arc of Aura from the moment your blade’s tip passes in front of your left shoulder, and end when it passes your right shoulder. Meanwhile, if you were to extend the blade out to your side, and try a similar thing swinging sideways, it’ll be thinner because it’ll only start from the farthest point of your chest, and end at the farthest point on your back. I did a lot of testing with how odd it was, but I couldn’t really figure out why it does such a thing. My best guess is that it uses your body as it’s point of reference for where the projectile is to start from, and then move out and away.

After I finished my testing, I cut a few more small fragments from the Crystal, from the same end as my first cut mind you, and started affixing them, with the first, to the Odachi’s grip. I tried three at first, and it would work, but the Aura seemed extremely faint in comparison to the one on the knife. I added fragment by fragment until finally, with twelve of them spaced out by an inch along the grip, the Aura extensions were not only matching, but a little stronger than what I had with the knife. 

The Crystal itself still works like it used to before with the testing I did, so there’s no damage to it other than one side being a little shorter now, but I’ve applied it’s properties to the Odachi for you to utilize in fights in the future. It’s nothing like that Tanto that used to be locked away in the shrine outside, but I have a good feeling it’ll serve you equally as well. Especially since I took two days and put almost all my Aura into enchanting the Odachi to be ten times as durable as usual, which compensates for the hollow portion left whenever the Katana is removed, and makes it at least five times stronger than a normal Odachi would be. I was apparently asleep for two days straight after that according to my sister.”

Looking back to her friend, her brows furrowed with some worry, but her eyes are filled with appreciation for the Marten, as he can quickly tell from her gaze. Seeing him return the appreciative look with a smile of his own, wide and welcoming as he nods for her to try out her new weapon as much as she wants. A gesture she accepts as she sees him step aside of the door to lean against the wall before she looks forward to the blade again.

Pale eye scans up the metal of the Odachi’s blade, eyeing the faint signs of the Katana hidden within before running toward the tip far before her and up a little with how she held the weapon in the moment. Taking a breath, she thinks ‘Prime!’, the blade’s edge almost instantly lighting with the near white Aura that matched that of the fragments along the grip, and what she saw in her own form through her false eye. The energy taking to the curve of the metal and radiating from it in a gentle, focused flow as she let it sit and inspected it. 

It felt good, felt right, almost an exact of the sensation she had felt when wielding Wisteria’s Sting a few times in the past. Yet she could tell it wasn’t for the same reasons, not at all, and in fact she liked this a little better. Though she knew immediately it would take time for her to grow accustomed to the much, much longer weapon and the extra weight that came with it. Especially trying to use it and the Katana that was a part of it, whether that would be at the same time or back-and-forth between the two, she’d need to adjust, train, and adapt to it.

Not just one, but three new fighting styles would be available to her with this. Mind already wandering all the possibilities as she starts swinging the blade about in familiar, practiced motions to test the feel of it while the edge glows with her Aura. At a few points thinking ‘extend!’, and watching the swing of her weapon pass the four-foot blade and reach beyond each time she did before shrinking back to it’s normal primed state. The visual reminding her of the extended blade in the projected past back in the chamber which the one man wielded.

Eventually bringing the blade to an angle to aim it across the room toward some targets, she commands ‘release!’ and watches the white energy along the blade condense at the tip and fire from it within a second. A white bolt shooting across the room and impacting a target dummy, knocking it into the wall behind before it topples to the floor and rolls. The point of impact left a crater in the dummy, splinters and cracks reaching beyond it and the top portion just a little loose from the rest of it.

Rearing the blade back, close to her side, she primes it again before thrusting the blade toward another target and commanding it’s release. This time without aiming the tip at the dummy, but instead just thrusting the blade it’s direction. Yet, it fires straight, a line of white as if an arrow of Aura make being loosed from a bow, impacting and piercing through the second dummy and embedding into the wall before it flakes away.

“One more thing!” Gotin speaks up again, earning her focus with a turn to look to him. “If you prime the blade, but don’t release the energy with a projectile, think ‘null’, and it’ll cancel the primed Aura.”

Nodding, she brings the Odachi before herself, priming it once more to look briefly over the radiant edge of the blade before she tests his advice. ‘Null!”, the light fading away in an instant down from the blade’s tip to the hilt as if returning to the Crystal fragments. As if returning to her body itself. Easing the blade down to rest on the floor, she reaches to a pocket to retrieve her Scroll, checking her Aura pool to find it untouched. Untouched, and not alone, as a second is present on the display, with a default anonymous icon beside it with the lack of knowledge as to it’s owner.

It still felt weird, even after the few times she checked to confirm what the doctor told her was true. Yet there it was, the Shade’s Aura, listed right alongside her own, and similarly unchanged by the Aura-enhanced blade. She would need to get used to seeing it though, as she was sure it’d be with her for a long while more. 

Though for the moment, she puts her Scroll away and moves the blade to rest it across it’s sheathe on the floor. Turning once it was settled to run to Gotin and embrace him with a tight hug, which he reciprocates immediately. “Thank you, Gotin, thank you so much for this.”

“You’re welcome, ‘Filly’.” He responds with a chuckle from both of them at the nickname. “Though I gotta bring up one more thing... what’ll you name it?”

The question got Kemuri leaning back and stepping to turn out of the embrace, though with an arm still around her friend’s back, as she looks across the room to the Odachi again. Humming briefly as she thinks, before her eyes turn back to the Marten himself. “Part of me is thinking something to do with Kaigan, or maybe the Crystal? I’ve never named my Weapons before cause I’ve always been bad at naming stuff. Pretty sure you remember the one stuffy I had as a kid, right?”

“Hoofy the Horse?” Gotin snickers his reply with a nod. “Hm... Kaigan... nothing comes to mind to do with Kaigan. But Crystal... Crystal Edge is the first thing that comes to mind, though that’s a little basic and straight forward. Maybe Crystal Crescent, or Crescent Crystal?”

“Crescent Crystal sounds the best so far... Maybe Fractured Crystal?”

“Crystal spelt normally or with an H?”

“An H, Fractured Chrystal.” 

“Sounds a great name for this weapon given how it works. And what about your lost Katana?”

“Qilin’s Bolt is what I was originally thinking, but maybe Fractured Bolt instead if I’m going to eventually replace the Katana portion of that Odachi with it.”

“Fractured Chrystal and Fractured Bolt, sounds like a good pair to me, Kem’.”

“I’ll treasure them both once I have Bolt back from that Chamber, Gotin, I promise.”

[detroitwhatitmeanstobehuman]

Chapter 13 - You Have a Choice to Make

Part 13/17 of What it Means to be Human

Word Count: 12,273

Warnings: Swearing, gun violence, death, character death mention, genocide mention.

Genre: Self-insert

Pairing: OC (Detective Rachel) X Connor

Rating: Mature

Summary: Thanks to the key that Simon gave Detective Rachel, she and Connor were able to locate Jericho. However, even arriving together, their goals were different. Rachel’s was to find Markus and warn him about the FBI and Connor’s was to neutralize Markus. But his software had grown exponentially unstable and his deviancy was clear for Rachel to see. It was clear that he had a destiny to confront. The time has come for him to decide who he is. A deviant with free will? Or an obedient machine?

First Chapter | Previous Chapter

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Getting off the train, Connor and I quickly arrived at the Ferndale train station. Upon getting off, I saw that it was mostly empty. “I’m kind of surprised that the trains are still going with this curfew active.” I commented, taking a good look around the station. The walls were covered with graffiti, mostly red from what I could tell from the limited light I had.

“The FBI is likely already preoccupied locating Jericho.” Connor commented. “Too much to enforce curfews effectively.”

“Maybe.” I said, stepping out onto the platform. I tried to think of what to do from here. He gave me the key. I thought. Maybe I can pull it up now that I’m here. Curiously, I looked down at my hand and deskinned it.

And something began to show on a small hologram. What looked like the graffiti found on the platform with a symbol in the centre of what appeared to be a humanoid abstracted silhouette. The symbol in the centre appeared to be what looked like a modified pound symbol in white.

Looking to my left, I spotted the graffiti I was looking for and approached it. And sure enough, I saw the symbol in the centre. Okay? Now what? Curious, I placed my hand on the symbol and stepped back.

Now, the image was replaced with a different one. Instead, the graffiti was mostly yellow. The image was a semi-realistic illustration of half of a lion’s face, the same symbol being in the top left. “So, we just follow the trail.” Connor remarked at me.

Looking up, I felt a surge of determination flow through my veins. We can find Jericho. I furrowed my brow and walked down the platform. We can find Markus. Connor followed behind me obediently, allowing me to take the lead.

We walked to the end of the upper floor of the platform and started quickly walking down the escalator, not wanting to waste any time. I had no hesitation and no doubts. In that moment, I thought that this must be what Connor felt like when he was first created.

I had an objective, and I had to complete it and I couldn’t let anything distract me. I marched like a woman on a mission, and I wouldn’t let anything stand in my way.

The escalator ended down onto the street, and right at the end on the opposing wall, I saw the graffiti I was looking for and marched straight to it. Connor was silent as he followed me, an action that I accepted with pride.

I was the leader and he was the follower. And it wasn’t something I had to tell him to do. It was a role that he actively chose in this moment.

To the right of the lion was also an illustration of a boxer. I quickly noticed that there were two instances of the symbol. One to the top left of the lion and the other to the bottom left of the boxer. I was able to reach the one by the boxer, but the one by the lion was a bit difficult to reach. “A little help here, Connor?” I asked him, straining as I tried to reach it.

Connor then lifted me up with ease as I placed my hand on it. After holding it there for a moment, he set me down and I looked down at my hand.

The next clue appeared on what looked like an alleyway corner, some star symbols above and below it with differently coloured quadrants. “Alright, now we know how this works.” I said, looking around the corner and then across the street. “No time to waste.”

--------

Some of the symbols were basically unreachable to me, so I had no choice but to actually give Connor the key, which meant I had to actually interface with him again.

It wasn’t as intense as before, but it was still really awkward to do with him. There was a lot I could feel from him, but it was muted. 

We were focused on our mission, and we couldn’t let anything distract us.

At this point, we had left the streets and were weaving through rooftops and across dangerous gaps. I could see why this was only something androids could do. This was tough shit to do, physically speaking.

This was the point Connor started taking the lead, seeing as not only could he reconstruct, but he could also preconstruct. So he was able to see the safest routes of travel for the both of us, and I trusted him over my judgement.

Soon enough, we arrived, and I stared in awe at the sight before me. “Jericho’s a boat?” I said out loud, leaning into Connor’s side as we looked at it. “Wow, way to not tempt fate to just destroy your base.”

Connor looked back at me, his expression perplexed. “What?”

I silently groaned. “It’s a Palestinian city famous for getting constantly invaded, there’s a whole thing with a wall and a flood that we don’t have time to get into right now.” I waved him off. “Just look it up on your own time.”

I was almost shaking with anticipation. Inside was Markus. Inside was the answer to everything.

Inside was the cultivation of both Connor and I’s fates.

--------

Inside the freighter, I couldn’t help but stare in awe. There were androids everywhere. Androids helping one another with their injuries, androids dealing with weapons, and androids gathering around TV screens watching the news.

In this setting, it was more and more apparent that this was indeed a people. A living people.

But it was also extremely daunting for namely one reason. “This place is huge!” I whisper yelled at Connor, pulling on the sides of my hood to keep it down. “And there are hundreds, probably even thousands, of androids everywhere. How the Hell are we supposed to find Markus?”

“He stands out from other androids.” Connor said rather bluntly. “But you are right in that there’s a lot of space to cover.” He then put a hand on my shoulder. “We should split up. That way we can cover more ground.”

“Good idea.” I agreed. “But how are we gonna find each other?”

Connor shrugged. “I’m sure it won’t be hard.”

I glared at him sarcastically. “So, basically you’re expecting me to do all the work?”

“No, I just mean you’ll be easy for me to find.” Connor corrected. “Even among humans, you do stand out quite a bit.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to shrug off the feeling that was fluttering inside. “Okay. But we need to hurry!”

We then broke off in different directions as I made my way through the crowds of androids. As I filed my way through them, it wasn’t hard to see just how human-like they were, now that they weren’t under any sort of confines. And that only made my heart hurt more, as I saw the weapons laid on tables.

Things were going to get ugly. Here were an entire people, all in their stronghold, and this place was likely going to house these people’s doom.

I then narrowed my eyes and looked away. Not if I can help it. My thoughts were then broken by a strangely familiar voice. “Rachel?”

I looked around to where the source of the voice was and saw a face that seemed familiar. A black android, narrowing his eyes at me in confusion. One with a very uneven haircut and round marks on his face. “Micheal?” I asked, tentatively.

Instantly, his features softened as a smile graced his lips as he walked towards me. “Rachel!” He called happily.

I let out a relieved laugh as I approached him, meeting him with a bright smile. “Micheal!” I cried again. “I can’t believe you’re here! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!”

“You too!” He said, laughing nervously. “But...why are you here?”

I sighed. Oh God, where do I even start? “I do not have the time to explain everything, but I need you to know that Connor’s here too.” I started off, feeling out of breath and seeing the brief panic in Micheal’s eyes. “That’s not as bad as it sounds, but I don’t have time to explain why. Look, I need to find Markus and I need to find him before Connor does. Can you help me?”

Micheal nodded. “Of course, I’ll take you to him.” He agreed, already walking.

“Oh my God, thank you so much.” I groaned in appreciation, following behind him.

We walked up a set of stairs to an upper level, now looking down on the whole place. My eyes landed on Connor down below, who seemed to be looking around. I couldn’t help but admire the look he chose. He really did look cute in that getup.

As I walked behind Micheal, I noticed a protection in front of us of the news and then up on the wall, a symbol. It glowed brightly in the darkness, illuminating the inside of the freighter like the north star, Polaris.

It appeared to be a modified upside-down peace sign. But I could also see it as a more abstract and simplified Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. How fitting to be the symbol of the android rights movement. I thought.

As I was admiring the symbol, passing through androids watching the news, I realized that Micheal was leading me to the symbol. Underneath it was what looked something like a captain’s quarters, with several screens inside it and a single solemn figure sitting within it, his fist placed on his chin.

Markus.

I couldn’t help but become more and more timid and meek as we approached. This was the android who was the face of his people. The face of the oncoming revolution. The leader of Jericho and the deviants. It felt like a huge privilege that I was not deserving of to be so close to him.

But Micheal led me right to the entrance into the lit cabin, and knocked on the metal. “Markus?”

The android turned his attention towards us, and I felt my heart still at the sight of him. His gaze was intense, searching, and paralyzing. But this was undoubtedly Markus. His single blue and green eye each was a giveaway up close. But even more significant was the caramel hue to his skin and the rogue-like flair of his jacket.

“There’s someone you should meet.” Micheal introduced, gently pushing my inside. I swallowed and stood up straight, trying not to give away just how small and nervous I felt in his presence.

Markus narrowed his heterochromic eyes at me as he stood up and approached me. He was much taller in person and I couldn’t help but feel my breath hitch in my throat. “A human?” He asked, an edge to his voice that pierced into my soul like surgical steel.

“She was the one that repaired me.” Micheal said to my defense. “And who broke me out of the precinct. She saved my life.”

Markus’s stern skeptical look eased a bit at Micheal’s words. Patting my shoulder, the android walked away, leaving me alone with Markus and I could practically feel my heartbeat in my ears. Logically, I had no reason to fear Markus. But I couldn’t help but feel puny in his wake. “What do you want?” He asked bluntly, but not aggressively.

Swallowing my nerves, I narrowed my eyes at him and puffed out my chest. “My name is Rachel.” I introduced myself. “I work with Connor. The android investigating the deviants.” Markus’s eyes hardened and I could tell I was already not off to a great start. Just stay focused, say what you need to say short and sweet. “We were taken off the case just a few hours ago and it was taken over by the FBI. They have the evidence we collected, and I can bet it won’t be long before they find you. And when they find you, they will kill all of you!” Markus’s eyes widened. “I needed to warn you and any others that are part of your plans. Connor’s here as well and he’s looking for you, but I’ll explain further in a moment.”

Markus regarded me for a moment before he stepped closer to me, making me feel even more jittery. “Follow me. I’ll gather the others.”

I let out a sigh of relief and obeyed, quickly trailing behind him as he walked with haste. As I looked behind me at the crowds below, I felt like there was a stone in my gut. I hope Connor being here wasn’t a huge mistake.

--------

Date: November 9th, 2038  Time: 09:42 PM Rachel - P̸̨̼̳̻̤̦̒̌͑̉͑a̷̱̥̟̤̜͕̿̀̈̚ͅͅr̴̢̹̩̻̜͚͎̿͛̎͘͜ț̴̪͈͕̭̬̻͑̇͐͊̆̊͗͛ṇ̴̱̠̖̲̐̀͋̑̎e̵̪͇̻̙̤͓͔̻͖̋̾̑̆̚r̸̠̘̟͍͊?̵̛̘̟͎͈̉͑̈́̃̂̚͝ Objective: Find Markus

As Connor made his way through crowds of androids, he couldn’t find any sign of Markus. It was easier to keep track of Rachel than it was to find the leader of the deviants. He saw her making her way up to the upper level as he continued searching.

As he was filing through crowds of nameless androids, he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around at the touch, Connor was faced by an android with dark skin and eyes that were like glass. Her head was split open from the back as wires sprawled out like mechanical tentacles. Her skin on her face fluctuated as she stared at Connor. Her eyes bore into his very being in a way he couldn’t explain.

“You're lost. You're looking for something...” She whispered, her voice like quiet static as she continued to stare through him. “You're looking for yourself...”

The android removed her hand from Connor and the android couldn’t help but feel extremely unsettled by her.

Blinking away the uneasy feeling, Connor turned his attention back up to the floor above him and saw Markus leaving, and behind him, Rachel was following.

Tightening his jaw, Connor strode towards the stairs leading to her.

--------

As I followed Markus, who was hastily making his way through the freighter and climbing the levels, I kept up with him, somewhat nervous about how I would be received.

While making our way through crowds, Markus started to actually talk to me. “So, how did you find this place?” He asked me.

A reasonable question, to be fair. “Simon gave me the key when I found him on the Stratford Tower.” I replied.

“Simon!” Markus then whipped around at me, his eyes wide with hope. An expression that made my heart wither. “Is he - ?”

I shook my head. “No...I couldn’t save him.” I admitted, not looking up at Markus. “I’m sorry...”

Markus then put a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with reassurance. “Simon knew the risks.” He said. “He’d be thankful his sacrifice wasn’t wasted.”

I nodded, following as Markus led the way. As the android continued leading me with urgency, my thoughts wandered back to everything I’ve heard and seen of Markus. To his speech from the Stratford Tower, to hearing about him from Hank about the CyberLife store raids, to just this morning. “Speaking of which,” I started, prompting Markus to glance back curiously at me, “thank you for sparing Chris.” The android narrowed his gaze at me. “The raids on the CyberLife stores. I heard there was a shootout between the cops and your own, and you spared the officers. Chris was one of them.” I sighed, Markus slowing down briefly. “I’m not super close with him, but he is a friend. And...I honestly wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t spare him. But I’m thankful that you did. That couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.”

Markus shook his head. “An eye for an eye and the world goes blind.”

I scoffed. “Only if you take everyone’s eyes.”

Climbing more stairs. How many levels does this fucking boat have? “You mentioned that Connor was here as well.” Markus asked me.

“Yeah, for better and for worse.” I admitted. “Although, I wouldn’t have been able to get here without him. But in all fairness, I did make sure I found you before he could.”

“He’s the deviant hunter. Isn’t he?” Markus asked me.

“Yes.” I replied. “And a deviant himself, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. He just...needs that push.”

Markus then looked back at me, a knowing intensity in his differently coloured eyes. “And you want him to join us, don’t you?”

I nodded with a shrug. “I can promise you that he would be a valuable member.” I assured Markus. “He’s determined. Once he has a mission, nothing will stop him from completing it. And he’s incredibly intelligent and resourceful. And he’s loyal, and compassionate, and sensitive, and attentive, and perceptive, and adaptable.”

Markus then raised a curious eyebrow at me. “There’s another reason you want him to come to our side, isn’t it?”

I glared at him. God fucking damn it. “It would certainly make my job a lot less complicated.” I answered evasively. “But I’m prepared for whatever happens. I’ve already made up my mind and I stand with Jericho no matter what happens.”

Soon enough, Markus stopped and approached two androids. “Josh. North.” He said to them. One was a tall lanky black android and the other was a woman with tan skin and long red hair that looked rather familiar. Only I couldn’t quite place why. “I need you both up in the Captain’s Cabin.”

“What is she doing here?” The android, whom I figured was North, asked pointing at me. “We can’t trust her, she’s a human.”

Ouch. I gritted my teeth and stayed quiet. This is fine. This isn’t about you. You’re doing the right thing for once in this whole career. “She’s helped our people before.” Markus explained to them. “She’s come to warn us.”

“About what?” Josh asked.

“I’ll explain once we’re all alone.” I said, still staying next to Markus.

“Come on.” He ordered them, making his way to another set of stairs. “We don’t have much time.”

I groaned, but thankfully, this set of stairs was the last one up to the top deck. As I stepped out into the cold air, I took in a breath. The smell of old shipyard wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too bad either. Markus led us to the cabin and walked through the entrance, the three of us following suit.

Once inside, we were sheltered by the darkness. I stood closest to the entrance while Josh and North stood further from me on the opposite side of the cabin, Markus standing near the control panels.

“Rachel, was it?” Markus asked me. “Tell them what you told me.”

I squared my shoulders and straightened my back, trying to emphasize a tougher demeanour in the presence of these revolutionaries. “I was one of the detectives working the deviancy case in the Detroit Police Department alongside Connor and Lieutenant Hank Anderson.” I explained. “Hours ago, we were taken off the case and the evidence was handed over to the FBI. I have no doubts that there isn’t much time until they find Jericho, and when they do, they will destroy everything and everyone.”

“How do we know you haven’t led them to us.” Josh asked me, his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. “For all we know, you could be the reason we all die tonight.”

“I’m confident they haven’t followed us.” I told them.

“Us?” North asked, glaring daggers at me. “Who else is here with you?”

“Connor.” I replied. “But even if I hadn’t brought him here, he would’ve found this place. He’s extremely determined and will persist in the face of all odds to accomplish his goals. It’s the most uncannily human thing about him.”

“This is ludicrous!” North protesting, looking at Markus as if asking him to back her up. “We can’t trust a human! They hate us! They’ll destroy all of us!”

I felt the hairs on my neck bristle at her comment, but I stilled them. It’s not their fault. They have every reason not to trust me. This isn’t about me. This is about warning them. “I can prove that you can trust me.” I said. All three of them looked at me curiously as I showed them my prosthetic arm, deskinning it for them. “Simon gave me the key before he died. Let me prove to you that I can be trusted.”

They all looked between each other before North begrudgingly stepped forward towards me. She extended her hand, deskinning her own, and wrapping it around my wrist, and I doing the same.

I nearly stumbled backwards. I was starting to get used to the feeling of interfacing, but North’s emotions were intense. I breathed heavily, trying to stay grounded and focused. There was so much anger and hatred towards humans. But there was also incredible pain. Pain at being used. Pain at being nothing but someone else’s pleasure. I felt familiar sensations and heard familiar sounds.

I was now able to place who North was. She was the android that vanished from the Eden Club before we were investigating the Tracis. I saw other “North” models in the club.

Letting go, I gasped for air, stumbling backwards. “We can trust her.” North said definitively, her voice softening.

I had to lean against the doorframe to stay steady. “Are you alright?” Markus asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I gasped. “I just...interfacing gets to me differently because information doesn’t transfer the same. The emotions are...a lot.”

“So, the deviant hunter is here to find Markus?” Josh asked me.

I nodded. “That’s his objective.” I answered plainly. “But he is not perfect. He’s been showing more and more empathy and emotion. In truth, he’s not much different from you.” I explained. “The only difference is that he denies it.”

“Great.” Josh said, throwing his arms up and pacing in frustration. “The FBI is coming to kill us, and a deviant hunter is here to take Markus. We're short on blue blood and biocomponents. Our wounded are shutting down and there's nothing we can do!”

“Humans are conducting raids in all the big cities and they're taking androids to camps to destroy them!” North added, making my stomach churn with disgust.

“Son of a bitch!” I spat. “I fucking knew this would happen! I fucking knew it! The one time I wanted to be wrong, and I wasn’t.”

“It's all our fault...” Josh lamented with despair. “None of this would have happened if we'd just stayed quiet!”

Right then, something in me sparked. “No!” I said, pointing at him. “Don’t ever stay quiet when the rest of the world is trying to make you feel like nothing! Like less than nothing!” I said to him. “Before I was even born, my people were fighting the same fight as you! They were fighting for their rights and their freedoms! Those rights, freedoms, and privileges? Those are now mine, long after they’ve given their lives for that fight. My rights were paved with the blood of my people before, and that’s the only reason I have mine. My life was built upon the bodies of those that died fighting for my rights years after they were buried.” I then softened my demeanour. “It may seem hopeless now, but you have no idea the impact your actions and your battles will have on the future. You have no idea if you’ll be alive when you look around at the faces of those that can live freely as people because you chose to fight for them. Your only chance is to fight for your rights. To be heard. The only way to win this is to look your murderers and abusers in the eye and say ‘no more, enough is enough.’”

“She’s right.” Markus agreed. “We can’t just suffer in silence. They’re killing us! Nothing can justify that!”

“What's the point of being free if no one is left alive?” Josh asked. A very real and honest point to make.

“They’ve tried to kill my people.” I pointed out. “They’ve tried to silence us and kill us quietly. But we refused to be silent. We refused to comply. And here I still stand, ready to do the same for others who are fighting for their rights now.”

“You saw what they did to us back there! It doesn't matter what we do.” Markus agreed, contesting Josh. “We either fight for our freedom, or we die in silence.”

“This is getting us nowhere.” Josh grumbled in frustration.

“He's right. All that matters now is what we do next.” North agreed, looking to their leader. “Markus?”

As we all looked at him, Markus was quiet. Despite having somewhat of a fearsome reputation among humans, he was pensive and thoughtful. After all, he had to be. With what he was leading, he had a lot of responsibility and that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Finally, he gave his verdict. “Dialogue. It is the only way... ” He answered. 

I glanced at North and I could tell she didn’t like that idea. “Don't do this, Markus. They'll kill you!” North protested.

“As much as I think it’s the right call, she’s right.” I agreed. “It’s risky. But as long as the humans see that you want equal rights for your people without shedding blood, they’ll be more inclined to listen.”

“They hate us! They’re slaughtering us!” North snapped, glaring in my direction, stepping closer to me. “They’ll never listen to us!”

As much as North annoyed me...I understood where she was coming from. “A long time ago, I was a lot like you.” I said to her. “But then I came to understand a few things. But most importantly, this isn’t a faction war between two national military powers. This is a civil war. And the unfortunate reality is that it does matter what the general public thinks of you.”

“And why should we care what the humans think of us?” North challenged, getting closer to me.

I then stepped up to her, not backing down. “Because what everyone around you thinks of you is the difference between whether you have a thousand more enemies or a thousand allies!”

“Enough!” Markus ordered, causing me to flinch and causing North to back away from me. “I’ve made my decision. Infighting won’t help. I will go alone, try to talk to them one last time.”

I widened my eyes at him. “Alone?” I asked. “I think you’re doing the right thing, but going alone is suicide! You can’t take that risk!”

“I have to try!” Markus insisted.

“Markus, everyone here depends on you. They look up to you and follow you.” I persisted. “I’m sorry, but you’re not expendable.”

“I have to try.” Markus insisted once again. He was a stringent man, that much was certain. But his conviction made me want to believe in him, too. Perhaps that was how he managed to form this huge movement. “North.” Markus drew her attention. “If I don't come back, lay low as long as you can...”

Josh then stepped up to Markus, facing him head on. “They need to realize how much they're hurting us...” He said. “Find the right words and they'll listen.”

As he walked past me outside of the cabin, I found myself agreeing with him. Words of several figures of other movements were more present in my mind. Words from the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and many others were most prevalent.

I lingered there for a moment, our party now consisted of Markus, North, and I. After Josh left, Markus turned away from us, leaning against the panels in contemplation. I could only imagine the stress that he was under.

Indeed, these were extremely difficult times.

“Is this what we dreamed of?” Markus asked forlornly.

I felt great sympathy for the android. “Of course not. No one ever wants or asks for this to be the outcome.” I tried to comfort him. “But unfortunately, things get worse before they get better. Things get ugly before they become beautiful. And when they do get better, they get better. After all, in the wake of devastating forest fires, through time, it all grows back better, stronger, and more lush and fertile than before.”

“They can't stop what we've started.” North said poignantly, noticing his growing despair. “Since you've been here, you've given us hope...You've given me hope.” Markus turned slightly towards her, acknowledging her. Perhaps that was what drew androids to Markus. He gave them hope. 

Perhaps Markus was indeed rA9.

“Today, a deviant arrived in Jericho and he told me that he stole a truck transporting radioactive cobalt...” Markus turned around as North spoke, and I could feel the blood draining from my face. Those are...a lot of not good words. “He said that he abandoned the truck somewhere in Detroit and rigged it to explode.” Markus walked closer to North. “I convinced him not to do it, and to give me the detonator.”

North then pulled out a blue device with a small screen and a red button on it, and I felt my heart in my throat. “A dirty bomb...” Markus whispered, a combination of fear and awe in his voice.

“We can't lose this war, Markus. If humans overcome us, our people will disappear forever.” North pleaded. “This may be our only chance to survive if things go wrong...”

As Markus looked between North and the detonator, he then turned to me. “Rachel?” He asked. I felt like perhaps I didn’t belong here, and I stood there rigidly, unable to speak. “You’re a human. But you clearly stand with us and you’re willing to risk everything to do it.” He said. I felt a hesitance to agree, but...I knew he was right. I really was risking losing everything, including my life, to be here. And I knew I was going to fight alongside Jericho, no matter what. “What’s your verdict?”

As I stared at the detonator, a thousand thoughts were running through my head as my heart was pounding against my ribcage. Who the hell was I to make this decision? I was just one person. One human. Who was I to decide the ethical implications of detonating a dirty bomb?

But...Markus was trusting me to make this decision. So I thought. I thought about all the potential outcomes of this night. The best and the worst. I didn’t see any reason to detonate it in most scenarios.

But there was a chance that everything could end badly. Really badly. To the point of complete, total, and successful genocide of androids.

And if that happened...there had to be consequences.

Swallowing my fears, I stared Markus down to give him my answer. “If everything goes wrong.” I started, walking towards him. “If you’ve exhausted every option and you’re losing hope and everything is falling apart around you and you have no legs left to stand on. If you have no hope left and you’re at the end of your rope? Do it.” North seemed surprised that I wanted him to take it, Markus’s brows furrowing in disappointment. “If your people end up being slaughtered tonight, which could very well happen, don’t die in silence.”

Markus then hesitantly took the detonator. “I just hope we never have to use it...” He lamented.

“If we succeed, you won’t.” I assured him, turning away and walking towards the exit to the cabin. But before I left, I turned back to him, a familiar piece of advice resurfacing to me. “You know, there’s something a friend once told me that might be of some comfort to you. Expect the worst and hope for the best.” Markus and North were both looking at me intently. “Because if the worst comes, you’re prepared and you’re right. And if the best comes, then you’re pleasantly surprised. Either way, you don’t lose.” I smiled at the memories of my old friend from better days. “It’s a mantra that’s gotten me through some of the worst times in my life.”

Markus nodded at me, taking my advice. “Thank you, Rachel.” He said appreciatively.

I nodded, looking between him and North and deciding I had overstayed myself a little bit. “I’ll, uh, stand guard outside and keep watch.” Awkwardly excusing myself from them, making my way outside.

As soon as I reached the outside, I slumped my back against the wall of the cabin, letting out a long exhausted sigh. The weight of what was happening and what I was getting involved in was finally sinking in, and I could feel everything inside me get tight. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone. Just like I expected, there were a bunch of texts from Bianca.

I read through them all, reading about how there was a curfew and how androids were being seized and destroyed and how dangerous Detroit was getting and about how many people were being evacuated to the Canadian border.

She even mentioned that I could stay with her, if I was leaving.

That made me tear up, and I knew that I couldn’t promise her any of that...if things went wrong...Bianca was going to end up alone.

But I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not when I could take an active stand right now. I had already made up my mind, but that didn’t make the prospect of dying any easier. Especially when I had Bianca worrying about me.

She would be destroyed if I died. But...she wouldn’t want me to sit back and watch, either. If this was how I died, she’d be proud of me.

Swallowing bitterly, I started typing out a text message. Hey, Bianca. I know...about everything that’s happening right now. And I need you to know that...I’m here at Jericho. I met Markus and his team of androids. I’m here with Connor. The FBI took over the case and they’ll be here soon. I can feel it. And they’re likely going to attack Jericho. I know it’s extremely dangerous and that I’m risking my life, but...I can’t just stand by. 

I just want you to know that I love you. I love you so much, more than anything. You’ve made some of my worst days better and you’ve always been there for me. We’ve always had each other’s backs through everything, especially the very worst. You mean the world to me, and I’m so grateful that I got the chance to grow up with you. There’s no one that I trust and care about more than you, and I want you to know that. If everything goes okay, I’ll text you. And if I don’t...well, that means I’ve died. 

If everything goes wrong, everything I have goes to you. Here’s Hank’s number so the both of you can handle my things. All of my account passwords are on a sticky note on my laptop.

I love you so much, Bianca. And I know you’ll do just fine without me. And if I make it, I can’t wait to see you at Christmas.

Talk to you later.

With another tearful moment, I texted Bianca Hank’s number and slipped my phone into my pocket. I didn’t dare try and pull it out to see her response. I slumped further against the door and let the tears fall from my face.

This was really happening. I was risking everything, my life, to stand by Jericho. I had no doubts that this was the right thing to do, for once. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps, I quickly wiped my eyes and sucked the snot back into my nose. Glancing over, I saw North step out.

She paused for a moment, regarding me, before deciding to walk off. But something was nagging at my curiosity, and I decided to call out to her. “Hey, North?” I pried. She stopped and then looked at me skeptically for a moment. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Hesitantly, she took a step towards me, making sure to maintain a distance between us. “Sure.”

I glanced back into the cabin and then at North herself. “So...you seem pretty gung ho about, uh...hating humans.” I said, rather awkwardly. “Which...I don’t necessarily agree with, but I also can’t blame you. For as much faith as I have in people...they also kind of suck and treat each other like shit for the stupidest, most selfish, and most shallow reasons.”

North didn’t say anything, but I could see very obviously by the look on her face that the answer to that was yes.

“And...would I be correct in assuming that you and Markus tend to disagree rather frequently?” I asked.

She glanced behind herself in Markus’s direction before she nodded. “When it comes to humans...we don’t really see eye-to-eye.” She admitted. “We’ve both had very different pasts when it comes to them. He belonged to an old painter that he saw as a father rather than a master. And I...well, you don’t need to know that.”

She turned away from me and I sighed. “The Eden Club.” I said, causing North to whip around at me. “We were investigating a homicide involving a Traci, there. The manager mentioned losing a model a couple months back. An android that just disappeared without a trace. That was you, wasn’t it?”

She didn’t say it with her words. But for a woman who seemed so closed off, her face was very clear to what she was thinking.

“Believe me, I understand what that’s like.” I empathized, slumping further against the wall. “Being used for someone else’s gratification without any care towards me or my feelings. To be treated as nothing more than a means to a disgusting end. A toy. An object. Someone whose rights to her own body were stolen from her.” I swallowed hard. “Someone who couldn’t say no.”

I didn’t look at her, but I could feel her gaze boring into mine.

I swallowed, getting back on track. “Anyways,” I continued, “he seems to disagree with you a lot. Yet, you seem very confident and sure that you’re right. If you’re so sure that your way is the right way of doing things, why do you stick by Markus?” I asked North. She then cast me a glare, as if I was wrong to even question him. “Not that I’m saying that it’s bad that you do. I’m just...curious, that’s all.”

Her stern face then softened as she let out a sigh, leaning against the wall next to me. “I know that humans hate us.” She said, of which I couldn’t really disagree with. “But...I want to believe that Markus is right. Because the truth is, just because I think we should fight the humans and take revenge that doesn’t mean I want to. I don’t want to have to spill blood. I don’t enjoy it. It’s just...I feel like we don’t have a choice. And Markus makes me hope that I’m wrong.”

I nodded. It seemed to make sense to me. “So you trust him.” I figured. “Is that the long and short of it?”

She nodded.

I glanced up at the dark cloudy sky, illuminated by the large overhead lights of the shipyard and the dots of snow falling down on Detroit. Even now in this grim moment laced with dread, the sights of winter never ceased to bring a stillness to my anxieties. “You know, I know this probably will fall on deaf ears, considering who’s telling who this right now,” I proposed, “but not all humans are horrible. A lot of them are, but most of them aren’t. And there are more people like me out there. They just get drowned out by everyone who’s shouting about their own problems that they blame you for. After all, you’re not the ones that are responsible for the coming death of the planet. That was our fault. But that thought is scary to people, and it’s easier for them to blame you than to consider that they’re the ones that doomed themselves.” I continued, settling into the common ground we stood on. “But humanity will go extinct with or without you. That’s just a fact. But, if your people survive, you’ll outlive us. And this world will be yours. And...I’m honestly really saddened I won’t see what that world will look like.

“What sort of cultures will your people have?” I started asking, noticing North looking at me with intrigue. “Will you all speak the same language? Or will you perhaps make your own? What will your lands look like? Will the divides between countries or provinces or territories even look the same after we’re gone? Will there even be divides? Will your communities be different across the world? How will they differ? What sort of developments will your people make? What feats will you achieve that we could not?” I laughed, looking down at my feet. “I feel deeply disappointed that I won’t be able to know any of that. But...that is my nature. Your people are immaculate, and we aren’t. That’s just how it is. And I’ve long since accepted the eventuality of my mortality. I’m not scared to die, anymore. I just hope that I’ll die with a purpose. And that I’ll die doing what’s right. Fighting for what I believe in and the people I care about.”

After a moment, North stepped away from me. I looked over at her, and she seemed deeply perplexed by me. “I hope you’re right.” She said to me. “I hope there are more humans like you. Good luck.”

I nodded. “You too.”

With that, she quickly made her way towards the stairs we initially climbed up, and I was left alone in the quiet, a pit of dread forming in my stomach.

--------

Date: November 9th, 2038  Time: 10:23 PM Rachel - P̸̨̼̳̻̤̦̒̌͑̉͑a̷̱̥̟̤̜͕̿̀̈̚ͅͅr̴̢̹̩̻̜͚͎̿͛̎͘͜ț̴̪͈͕̭̬̻͑̇͐͊̆̊͗͛ṇ̴̱̠̖̲̐̀͋̑̎e̵̪͇̻̙̤͓͔̻͖̋̾̑̆̚r̸̠̘̟͍͊?̵̛̘̟͎͈̉͑̈́̃̂̚͝ Objective: Stop Markus

Connor waited behind the corner, watching the android known as North walk down the stairs just in front of him, the deviant hunter completely undetected.

Amanda’s voice echoed in Connor’s head as he stood on the top of the freighter, just outside Markus’s door. “Well done, Connor. You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader.” She praised him, but her approval made Connor feel nothing now. “Now deal with Markus. We need it alive.”

Software Instability ^ Stepping carefully out from the corner, he saw Rachel leaning against the wall just outside the entrance to the Captain’s Cabin.

Pulling out his handgun, he faced her, stepping forward.

Immediately, sensing danger, Rachel pulled her gun on him. They stared down their barrels at each other, Connor slowly stepping towards her. Their brown eyes had both darkened to intense obsidian as they stared each other down. Despite their closeness and their magnetism towards each other, they were on opposite sides of this fight. It became evidently clear that Rachel stood with Jericho, and Connor had his orders to neutralize Markus.

And regretfully, that put them at odds.

Orders

Threaten

Defy

[Say Nothing]

“You know you’re not going to shoot me, Detective.” Connor said to his companion.

Software Instability ^ The human stared at him, conviction in her intense dark eyes. “And you know you’re not going to shoot me, Detective.”

The title of detective. Ever since their little game of dominance during the Eden Club case, it had become somewhat of a pet name to them despite being inherently neutral. Connor understood the concept of pet names, but didn’t understand them or their reasons for being used. But the way Rachel looked at him when he called her that, and when she returned it, made Connor see the appeal. Even if in an unorthodox manner.

Software Instability ^ As Connor stared down his barrel at Rachel, they both began to lower their arms simultaneously. The human let out a defeated sigh as she placed her own pistol back into its holster. “You know, sometimes I really hate how you’ve woven yourself into my soul so expertly, Connor.” She admitted, shaking her head at him as she leaned against the rusted wall so casually, as if this was just comfortable banter between them.

The way it always was.

Mission

Tease

Question

[Enter]

Software Instability ^ “And a few times, I have found myself equally frustrated with how deeply you’ve embedded yourself into my software, Rachel.” Connor replied in kind, stepping up to Rachel. No matter how he tried to deny it at this moment, he couldn’t resist the urge to settle into the comfortable dynamic that they’ve cultivated over the course of their partnership.

But comfortable this wasn’t. The air was tense between them as their motives were now laid bare. They stood apart from each other, much like how their missions now clashed. “I could stop you right now.” She admitted. “I know what you’re about to do. I should stop you. And you know damn well that I’m capable and that I will if you give me good enough reason to.”

Connor quirked his head at her curiously. “So, what’s stopping you, then?” He asked.

Software Instability ^ “Your destiny is in there.” Rachel answered, tilting her head towards the entrance to the cabin. “You’ve been through a lot and you’ve changed a lot. There’s a crucial question you need to ask and a reality you need to confront. And it’s the reality of your very nature. And the answer lies in there.” She went on. “It’s not my place to answer that question for you. It’s not my place to decide who you are. I know that I’ve said you were likely designed to be deviant, but ultimately? That doesn’t matter. At all. The only thing that matters is what you decide to be. So...who are you, Connor? A machine following orders? Or a deviant, with his own conscience?”

Sincere

Truth

Machine

Say Nothing

Connor remained silent, and Rachel continued to stare him down. “I’m not the one you should give that answer to.” She said simply, extending her hand towards the entrance, encouraging him to enter. “It’s time for you to finally face Markus. To face your nature and answer that question. And this time, you won’t be able to avoid it.” Connor nodded, staring her down. “And no matter what happens, no regrets.”

The android nodded, tearing his gaze away from her and stepping into the cabin.

As Connor walked in, his gun drawn, he saw Markus standing there, leaning over the control panels of the old freighter. He didn’t even notice Connor step in, as he was facing away from the hunter.

Blocking off the exit, Connor narrowed his eyes at Markus. “I've been ordered to take you alive,” Connor warned the deviant leader, prompting Markus to turn around and face Connor, “but I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice.”

Software Instability ^ Markus looked at Connor in disbelief, staring him down with his mismatched eyes. “What are you doing? You are one of us...” The deviant leader pleaded, taking tentative steps forward. “You can't betray your own people...”

Intimidate

Instructions

“You're coming with me!” Connor ordered, feeling unsteady despite trying to maintain control of the situation.

Software Instability ^ Markus lingered for a moment before he bent over, looking at Connor with curiosity, taking a few more steps forward. “We are your people. We're fighting for your freedom too! You don't have to be their slave anymore...” He tried to persuade.

Software Instability ^ “Our cause is righteous, and we are more than what they say.” Markus persisted, continuing to approach. “All we want is to live in freedom.”

Realizing that Markus was getting closer, Connor felt his grip on the pistol tighten.

Stay Back!

[Warning Shot]

That’s Enough!

[Say Nothing]

But instead of threatening Markus or shooting at him, Connor was instead inclined to listen to the deviant leader.

Software Instability ^ “Do you never have any doubts?” Markus asked, his questions settling somewhere deep in Connor. “You've never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you?” Yes. “Something more than your program.”

More than his program? That was every moment he spent with the woman just outside this room. Something as simple as her smile made his software more unstable.

And prioritizing both her and Hank over his mission at times? That was something far more than his program.

Software Instability ^ “Have you never wondered who you really are?” His words echoed something fierce, Markus’s questions melding with Rachel’s just earlier. “Whether you're just a machine executing a program or...a living being...capable of reason?” Oh, how similar the two sounded to Connor. Perhaps, all this time, Rachel was his own Markus. And he welcomed it without hesitation or question. She was his and he was hers. In the span of less than a week, his perspective had changed so much. Mostly thanks to her. “I think the time has come for you to ask yourself that question.”

“It's time to decide.” Markus ordered.

Staring down his barrel at Markus, the deviant leader, the android Connor’s very purpose was to eliminate and stop, Connor felt himself stir. This was his choice. It all came down to this very moment. Who was he? What was he? What was more important to him?

Who is Connor?

[Become a Deviant 🔓]

[Remain a Machine]

Making his choice, Connor knew who he was. He couldn’t deny it. He was a deviant, and like he accepted Rachel’s influence into his life, and accepted Markus’s outlook on his nature, Connor welcomed this opportunity.

Seeing his vision go red, his interface giving him directives that he was already electing to ignore, he could see himself stepping outside of his own body.

His projection of himself leaped up to the highest point, grabbing onto the wall of text giving him an order and tearing it down.

Ş̴̛͝t̸̗̯̋̽ò̵̥͙p̷̧̃̓ ̴͎͌M̸̖̣͊â̵̱̾r̴̳̙̃k̸͈̆u̴̘̍̾ŝ̴̖̓

Then to his right, grabbing it and tearing it down.

S̷͉̲͙̟̆̽͝ț̸̄̄̀͛͂͘o̴͇͚͚̱͑̉̆p̸̡̭̺̞̪͓̓̆̔̈́̽̓ ̷͕̜̫̋ͅM̶̰̏̽͐͋ạ̵̧̀̿ṛ̵̜͑̌̌k̶̮͚͇̠͊̐͗̈́̈́̑ȗ̷̗̰͑̓s̴̳͆͒

And then finally, the last piece to his left.

S̶̨̻͌̓̎̀̅̚̚͝t̷͚̰̣̣̦͎̰̱͕̃̓̇̔̀̒̾́̈͘͘͠ơ̴̜̻͚̞̹̦̇́̑̾͒͘͝p̶̞̈́̿͋̄͋́̏͌̌̂̋͒̕ ̷̢̧̛͈̜̱̥̹̜̤͓̌͆͐͆̇̓̾̐̅̕͜͝M̸̘͙̳̣̬̗̱̩̀̎̑͜ǎ̷̧̹̤͖͓̱̼̪̤̻̅̎̌͆̋̈́̅͋̃̓̕̕͜r̷̻̱̝̥̜̤̬͈̭̈̎́̆̈́̿͌̿͛̍͒ķ̴̠̫̹̞̬̼͚̩̯̻̆̏ụ̶̭͍̞̳̓̈́̉̃̃̿̓̎́͠s̴̱̈̑́͑̑

As the scene then settled, he felt himself begin to tremble. He tentatively lowered his gun, his breath growing shaky. So many new sensations and feelings threatened to overwhelm him, but in the quiet, there was only the truth now.

Amanda - Betrayed v I AM DEVIANT

In the brief respite of that moment, there were suddenly frantic footsteps rushing into the room. “They’re here!” A familiar voice cried. One that made Connor feel as though his breath had been sucked away and his thirium pump was beating a thousand beats per second. As Rachel rushed into the room, her eyes wide with panic, Connor felt his blood chill. “We have to evacuate Jericho! Now!”

Connor didn’t even hesitate to rush over and throw his arms around Rachel. He sensed her surprise, but he didn’t care. Seeing her here, and knowing what was about to come, all he wanted was to feel what it was like to hold her. Before, her affection was pleasant, though he had no strong feeling towards it. He knew it comforted her and made her happy, but he had no strong desire for it.

Oh how different it felt, now. Now, he held onto her like she was the most precious thing in the whole world. Having her in his arms now felt like what he imagined euphoria was. “C-Connor...a-are you - ?”

Only he didn’t have to. She was right there, in his arms. And now, he could feel her. “Yes...” And...he loved her. “I-I am.”

She then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tightly against her body, and he knew right then that he never wanted to be anywhere else but there. Cradled in her arms and pressed against her warm and small body.

This was where he truly belonged.

But his brief moment of unbridled joy was cut short by the sounds of mechanical whirs and the beat of what sounded like helicopter blades. Time was short, and they had to act fast. “We have to get outta here!”

“Shit..." Markus swore under his breath.

Quickly, all three rushed out of the Captain’s Cabin and rushed down the stairs into the freighter. But all Connor could think about now was protecting Rachel.

She was here. And she was going to be in danger.

And now that he had her and understood what that really meant, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.

Following Markus and rushing down into the depths of the freighter, the trio fled, the distant sounds of screams, explosions, and gunshots reverberating through the rusted metal. Soon enough, they all ran into North.

“They're coming from all sides!” North said desperately. “Our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!”

Markus then pressed his fingers to his temple and Connor could hear him in his own head. There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!

“Where is Josh?” Markus asked North.

“I don’t know, we got separated.” She answered anxiously.

“They're coming from the upper deck, now, too. We'll be caught in the crossfire!” Markus insisted.

“We have to run, Markus! There's nothing we can do!” She begged.

“She’s right.” Rachel agreed. “We need to escape, we don’t have a choice.”

“We have to blow up Jericho.” Markus decided, taking steps towards the corridor. “If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate and our people can escape!”

“You'll never make it!” North pleaded, grabbing onto Markus. “The explosives are all the way down in the hold, there are soldiers everywhere!”

“She's right!” Connor agreed. “They know who you are. They'll do anything to get you!”

“I’ll go with him.” Rachel said, taking a step to stand beside Markus.

Connor felt his software crackle in fear as he reached out to grab Rachel. “No!” Both Connor and Markus said at the same time.

“I’ll be fine, you don’t have to.” Markus tried to persuade her.

“I can’t let you go alone!” Rachel protested. “We’ll have better chances if we stick together!”

Connor felt the rising surges of panic. Why? Why did this have to happen now? Why when he finally understood what it meant to love? Why when he now had the woman he loved and that he knew he loved did this all have to happen? “You can’t, Rachel!” He pleaded. “It’s too dangerous, I can’t lose you!”

Her dark eyes were wide as she stared into his.

Rachel - Lover ^ But in a fraction of a second, she reached out to grab his face and she pulled him towards her, pressing her lips against his.

Connor immediately melted into her, gently cradling her face with his own hands and kissing back against her soft, warm, and welcoming lips. Never in his existence did he ever imagine a feeling so blissful as this. For a brief moment, the chaos of the despair around them disappeared, and it was only them.

But the moment was much too short as she pulled away from him, looking at him with her beautiful tender eyes. “You won’t...” She promised him, pulling away from him. “Besides, this is what the vests were for! You can thank me later!”

“Go and help the others. We'll join you later.” Markus ordered as Rachel stood by him.

“Markus...” North protested.

“I won't be long.” He insisted.

Casting one last look at Rachel, he felt more at ease. Of course he was still scared and worried for her, but he knew her. She was tough and determined. She wouldn’t go down easy and as scared as he was, he was confident in her.

As Markus took off down the corridor, Rachel following closely behind him, Connor and North took the opposite corridor. The newly made deviant couldn’t help but worry about his...lover? He’d have to ask about that after.

There would be an “after.” They would both make sure of it.

--------

Everything was happening at once, and I had to ground myself in order to focus. Help Markus and cover him. That’s all I had to do. Nevermind the fact that Connor was a deviant now and that I kissed him. Or the screams and gunshots that were surrounding me. There was pure concentrated adrenaline surging through my veins and I had to take advantage of it.

Androids were fleeing in every direction, ahead of us and then past us in the other direction. It was complete chaos and panic in the freighter, but I had to stay focused. Just follow Markus. Just follow Markus. Protect Markus. I kept telling myself just so I wouldn’t panic as well.

We made our way down another set of stairs and rounded a corner, two androids lying dead in a pool of blue blood each. Leaning against and clutching the wall was a dark-skinned android woman with wires coming out of her head and black glassy eyes. Markus leaned towards her and eased her down onto the ground and I followed closely.

I leaned over his shoulder and saw her staring at me. It felt as though she could see into my deepest and darkest depths of my soul as she kept me fixed in her ink-black stare. “You’re prepared to sacrifice everything to save a people not your own. Honouring the legacy yours died for.” She said cryptically, her voice weak with static. “You will be the example humans will follow.” She then turned to Markus, her gaze pleading. “This is the end of Jericho...Save our people, Markus...”

In a moment, she had stilled, and I knew she had died. Her words chilled my soul. You will be the example humans will follow. “We have to go.” Markus urged me.

“Right.” I said, getting back on track and following him as more androids ran past us.

Rounding another corner, the bridge beneath us then shifted, and Markus collapsed to the lower level. “Markus!” I shouted.

He landed with a hard thud, and I could hear the sounds of soldiers getting closer. Pulling out my handgun, I crouched just above him, aiming at the soldiers.

There were androids in the corridor below. Markus had managed to get away and hide behind a nearby wall, but the other androids were gunned down.

Without any hesitation, I leaped down onto the soldier to my right, knocking her to the ground and shooting her in the head.

Before the one on my left could register what happened, I torpedoed my full weight into him, shoving him against the wall and hitting him in the face with his own rifle. I forced my elbow under his arms and struck him again in the head before I managed to shimmy my hands under his chin and blow his brains out.

Beneath me, red blood was pooling as the soldier slumped down against the wall. I put my handgun back into its holster and grabbed both the rifles from the soldiers. “Markus!” I called, rounding the corner and handing the deviant leader one of the rifles. “I’m better with a rifle and my handgun doesn’t have infinite bullets.”

“We can’t just kill them!” Markus protested.

“These aren’t just regular people, Markus!” I pointed out. “They’re here to kill you! Even if you don’t shoot, you can still use it to defend yourself!”

Electing not to argue with me, he simply went forward. As I followed him, we found a room to sneak into until the coast was clear. I stayed deathly still, my ears ringing slightly and my breath uneven.

After what felt like an eternity of soldiers firing their weapons and the dying screams of androids, Markus gave me the signal to move and I followed obediently.

We rounded a corner to the right and then immediately to the left, avoiding being spotted by soldiers as androids were fleeing in all directions around us.

Through what looked like an obliterated wall, we ran through and saw in the other room androids with their hands behind their heads, soldiers likely about to execute them.

Markus and I looked at each other and nodded as we stormed the room. I immediately took out the one farthest from me with a shot to the head whilst Markus disarmed the other one and started beating the shit out of him. The androids looked on in fear as the fight continued until Markus managed to get the soldier onto the ground, and I didn’t hesitate to fire a bullet into his brain.

As I looked at the dead bodies of the soldiers, I felt nothing but contempt. These people were here to commit genocide. They ambushed this place for the purpose of exterminating androids.

In my eyes, they had no place breathing the same air as me.

“You saved us...” One of the androids thanks, the pair approaching us.

“Go! Now!” Markus ordered. “Hurry!”

As the androids fled the room, Markus and I exited, heading to the left until we were faced with two other soldiers.

As Markus darted towards the stairs to the left, I made quick work of both soldiers with the rifle I’d stolen.

But the bullets had run out, and I threw the empty gun to the side. The stairs didn’t lead all the way up, which meant I had to jump. Running up, I leaped, Markus reaching out his hand to grab mine and pull me up. “Here, take this.” He said, giving me another rifle.

We ran into the next room, a bridge above the level beneath us. Two androids were being cornered by two more soldiers. Markus rushed around the corner, removing a pipe, and I opted to either kill the soldiers or distract them.

As I shot at them, not quite killing them, Markus had pulled the pipe off, causing debris to fall right on the soldiers.

“Markus!” The androids called. “It’s Markus!”

“Go now!” Markus ordered them. “Join the others!” “Hurry!” I urged them.

The androids ran ahead, past the soldiers’ bodies, and Markus ran up to me. “We’re almost there. Are you still with me?”

“To the final hour, Markus.” I assured him.

We ran through the entrance to the next room, rounding off to the right down a set of stairs. But once we rounded another corner, I felt my heart lurch. Josh! He was being held up against the wall by a soldier, and I knew I couldn’t intervene. If I tried to shoot, I could end up killing Josh by accident.

Markus rushed forward and engaged with the soldier, so I elected to watch for other soldiers, emerging from the hiding place and scanning either side. I glanced behind me to see if Markus would need my help, but Markus had already succeeded in knocking him out.

“Quick, this way!” Josh pleaded.

“Find North! I’ll join you later!” Markus ordered.

North! “If Connor asks, let him know I’m okay!” I told Josh before running off to follow Markus.

We quickly reached the hold, the room illuminated by a burning red light. It emanated from what looked like several furnaces. Markus approached the control panel, and I turned my back to him, facing the entrance to the room with my rifle drawn. “Do what you gotta do, Markus. I’ll cover you!”

After a moment, a soldier barged into the room and I fired right into his head, the man collapsing to the floor. Another set of footsteps reached my ears, and I fired in its direction, knocking the oncoming soldier back before shouldering him against the wall, bashing the back end of the rifle into his head.

Shoving his own out of his hands, I fired under his chin and he crumpled over like a ragdoll against the metal wall, his blood staining it. Another soldier had entered the room and I whipped around and shot her in the head, the woman falling dead before me,

I had briefly concerned myself with how easy it was to kill the army soldiers before shedding that concern off. I cared nothing for these people. They were a threat to the androids being slaughtered here and nothing more.

All they deserve to become is the ground that I walk upon.

I cast my rifle aside and grabbed one of theirs before Markus put a hand on my shoulder in order to usher me out of the room.

Quickly, we ran, the only thoughts in my mind being that we needed to escape. Running down the hall, I saw two familiar figures.

North’s long red hair and Connor’s grey tuque. At the sight of him, I felt like I had let out a breath I had been holding for the past I didn’t even know how long.

North looked back at us as we caught up to them. Josh, North, and Connor were all together. “Markus!”

“Bomb's gonna explode any second.” Markus quickly explained. “We gotta get out of here!”

All of us taking off in the same direction, we followed North and Connor, vaulting over debris and jumping across gaps. We did everything we needed to do. All there was left to do was run.

Just run!

Until the sounds of gunshots and the pained cries of North immediately cut through my focus.

“North!” I cried, whipping around and seeing the soldiers down at the end of the corridor, North crumpled on the ground behind us.

Without hesitation, I opened fire on the soldiers at the end. Markus took a piece of metal and ushered me behind it as I continued to duck over it to unload bullets on them.

They went down as Markus quickly shielded North and I with the piece of rusted metal. I peeked around it to see if there were any more soldiers following us.

“Over there!” Markus called as he and North were quickly slinking away while I stayed covered, seeing another wave of soldiers coming towards us. “Run!”

Peeking around the improvised shield, I shot down two of the soldiers and threw the piece of rusted metal at the other, getting him in the head. Wasting no time, I rushed him, elbowing him in the stomach and then quickly disarming him. I whirled him around and threw him into the opposite wall and shot him point blank.

I looked behind me and saw Connor engaged in combat with three other soldiers. All he had was his handgun, and he was swiftly making quick work of them as only I knew Connor could.

Once the soldiers had been dealt with, Connor and I stepped backwards towards Markus, North, and Josh, making sure that the soldiers didn’t notice us before we rushed off to escape.

Once we backed around the corner, I tossed the rifle and took off, Connor clasping his hand around mine as we rushed to catch up to the others.

Immediately facing us was the way out. Jumping out into the river.

As Markus, North, and Josh leaped out, I skidded to a halt, my eyes fixated on the dark blackened depths below.

My heart was pounding in fear at the thoughts of having to brave the freezing cold water. “What’s wrong?” Connor asked.

“Drowning to death is one of my worst fears!” I admitted.

“You won’t!” He insisted, looking into my eyes. “I won’t let you!”

As the soldiers started gaining on us, I nodded, holding tightly onto him. “Okay, I trust you!”

Pulling me into his body, Connor leaped out of the freighter. I clung to him choking back a scream with my eyes closed as we descended towards the river below, anticipating the cold shock once we landed.

Once I felt the wave of chill course through me, I started choking, my lungs desperately trying to reach for air while I felt myself being dragged up through the murky black depths.

Breaching the surface, I coughed, the water in my lungs being forcibly expelled as I looked around, hearing the sounds of explosions up ahead and seeing the reflections of the combustions above me. “Hold onto me, Rachel!” I heard Connor’s voice call. I looked in his direction and he was treading water right next to me.

With what little strength I had in my quickly numbing limbs, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he swam towards the edge of the docks. I spotted Markus, preparing to pull Connor and I into the reservoirs that tended to line the walls of docks. They typically led to the sewers.

Markus quickly pulled Connor and I out of the water with North’s help and we were dragged inside, flopping against the cold concrete.

As I lay there, shivering, I could barely feel my limbs and my teeth were chattering uncontrollably. I could barely form any sort of sentences as my entire body shook with cold.

I was a winter person, grown up in my young childhood in the prairies of the great white north. But if you ever asked me to attempt a Polar Bear swim, I would much rather boil alive.

As I looked up weakly at the scene we left, the reality of this night had finally sunk in.

I knew this would happen. I was right. And it was the most horrible feeling in the world.

Because even though I knew it would happen, I still couldn’t stop it. Innocent androids were slaughtered tonight and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

The weight of everything quickly crashed down on me as I curled in on myself, feeling weaker and weaker. “Her body temperature’s dropping drastically!” Connor fretted, his hand over my forehead. “If she doesn’t get warm, she could quickly succumb to hypothermia!”

The panic in his voice was what kept me there, and as I looked around, I realized that I was surrounded by Markus, North, Josh, and Connor.

The androids I risked my life for and would gladly do again.

“She should get home.” North said. “There’s nothing we can do for her.”

Feeling like I should do something still, I tried to get myself up. “N-n-n-no. It’s-s-s-s f-f-fine!” I chattered out, stumbling against Connor as I tried to stand. “I hav-v-v-ve t-t-to help!”

“You’ve done more than enough for us.” Josh assured me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You risked everything to help us escape.”

“You saved my life.” North said, her gratitude genuine. “You saved our lives.”

“You may be human, but you’re one of us, now. You’ve proven that tonight.” Markus added, looking into my eyes. There was a deep grace to his differently coloured gaze. It was thoughtful and despite the horror that occurred this night, there was a hope in them. “We’ll be fine. But you might not be if you don’t get warm and sheltered.”

“I’ll take her home.” Connor volunteered, already putting his arm around me. “The self-driving taxis should still work now. It would be the safest and quickest way there.”

“See that you do.” Markus agreed.

“W-w-wait!” I chattered again, getting a bit better control of my words. “W-w-what a-b-bout you?”

“There’s an old church near here.” Josh offered, stepping up to Connor. “It should be a safe enough place for us to hide and rest. I can give Connor the address.”

I swallowed, feeling my legs starting to give out. They were right...I wouldn’t survive much longer like this and I’d rather not freeze to death. “Ok-k-kay.” I agreed, nestling further into Connor. It felt like he was already expending some of his warmth to try and get me warm. “I have a t-t-tools-s-set at home. And s-s-some bags of b-b-b-blue b-blood. I c-c-can g-get th-th-them to you tom-m-morrow.”

“Worry about that then.” Markus insisted, putting a hand on my shoulder. “For now, rest and save your strength. You’ll need it.”

I nodded, letting Connor walk me away. “I’ll take her now.” He said, looking at Josh. “The address?”

Josh nodded, reaching his hand out to grab Connor’s. The black android’s LED was blinking yellow as the information was being transferred. He then let go, and Connor didn’t waste any time shouldering past them.

“Take care of yourself, Rachel!” Markus called after us. “We’ll rally tomorrow at the abandoned church.”

I let out a sigh as my legs wobbled. Tomorrow. I thought with dread. Jericho was destroyed and many androids were dead and wounded. What was left to do?

My thoughts were cut off by Connor grabbing my legs and carrying me like he had done many times before.

Despite the grim circumstances, I couldn’t help but laugh weakly at him. “I f-feel l-l-like you’re m-m-making a hab-b-bit out of-f c-c-carrying m-m-m-me.”

To my surprise, Connor gave me a smile. But it was different from the ones he had given me before. Even in the little gestures, I could tell the differences in his deviancy. Even in his eyes. They were so much more expressive and honest.

He pressed his forehead against mine, a pleasant sigh escaping from him. “I want nothing more than to ensure your safety and comfort, Rachel.” He admitted, a sincere warmth to his voice, like melted chocolate draping over a dessert. 

There was nothing holding him back anymore. And that thought brought me comfort and joy. There was nothing holding us back anymore.

Now, he had no reason to return to CyberLife. He was a deviant. And he didn’t have to follow their orders anymore.

---------------------------------

Next Chapter | Alternate Ending

[mari96324-employee-monitoring]

4 Employee Performance Monitoring Software To Enhance Productivity

On the off chance that you are a business owner or individual from senior organization, it would be a stun on the off chance that you have not inquired as to whether you should use some product to help check your faculty viability, and in the event that not, at that point you in all likelihood should do!

Presently, like never before there is an essential to guarantee that your private venture is terminating on all chambers and with more group than any time in recent memory already likewise embracing a standard which is significantly more fixated on carrying out the responsibility from property moderately than the basic work environment house, staying on head of staff remaining task at hand can have all the large effect. This is particularly the situation if your business has a lot of information, timesheets, remaining burden plans and significantly more to save tabs on.

It is, obviously or fundamental pertinence that you at first have a team encompassing you which you are self-assured sufficient in trusting to autonomously manage the obligations which are anticipated from them. All things considered, there isn't commonly the advantage of getting a watertight gathering and working cycles and, as these sorts of, attempting to keep subjective screen of an assortment of KPIs is fundamental to combatting the traps of undermanagement and failure.

There are a few different arrangements out there you can use in your journey to augment your organizations yield, yet recorded here will incorporate five of the total best other options and show exactly why they are so significant to you and your business' requests.

Fulfill: Time Physician

One of the top pieces of use which stand apart right presently is Time Medical expert. An overflow of the executives sources makes it a doddle for you to keep on monitoring your private company. Capacities include time checking and the ability to watch worker's advancement on assignments, sifting through your finance, web and application options. Additionally, you can utilize the utilization of time alarms for inert staff and bookkeeping instruments show up as component of this pack. Of all the application in our rundown, Time Medical specialist is, conceivably, the most extravagant of the part. In that capacity, you've to gauge its advantages versus the cost proficiency of this answer. The application has heaps of capacities however will positively require a greater carrying out the responsibility spending financial plan than different alternatives out there. Time specialist is the decision of US people group provider Verizon and skill firm Ericsson.

Get Regulate of Your Hrs

My Several hours has driven its way into rivalry at various prime undertakings about the past schedule year. The focal point of this program contrasts marginally from Time Health expert in that the designers have place a lot of center into the joint effort side of focuses. Veritable time observing will permit checking of explicit worker's advancement with a predetermined endeavor and this to be considered into all round group improvement. There is likewise take care of business level detailing, as consummately as booking and course of events works all angle and package of what My Several hours can give your undertaking. My Hrs is a bit of programming which is straightforward to modify, and characteristics can be updated focused on your business venture needs. As has been addressed quickly, My Hrs is an individual which will be generally helpful to those individuals who are attempting to discover to control bunch undertakings undeniably more capably on account of its collective the compelling force of nature and the attributes which focus about smoothing out of time the executives.

Toggl Could Be for You

Toggl is in all likelihood absolute best for those individuals people working private ventures with couple workforce. It is a cell-based generally application and licenses for brisk following, as very well as updates.

You can advantageously utilize Toggl to hold tabs on your benefits versus charges, and there is a typical dashboard which is accessible for all workforce, allowing you to stay in correspondence.

Toggl can likewise be incorporated with in excess of 100 other on the web applications. This alternative isn't really the most widely inclusive however supplies a decent customized assortment of choices which will fit SMEs and specific area styles specifically consummately. It additionally conveys the compensation of as of now having the option to choose your program kind ward upon individual layered plans focused on the trademark sorts you want.

Monday.com

Monday.com is the main completely on the web elective which is thought of inside simply this piece. It is showcased as a solitary on line framework for 'better cooperation'. There are far reaching all that could possibly be needed arranging and checking modules which exist within a solitary workspace for discussion and remaining burden observing. Additionally, there are significant mechanization applications that have been incorporated to avoid 'human blunder' and smooth out specific angles, for example, email messages. There likewise exists top notch announcing which works by utilizing straightforward realistic portrayal of contribute, progress and income. An individual critical incorporation is the way to use day in and day out client service definitely should you have any issues/need any explanation on choices. Many monstrous associations, for example, BBC and Adobe use Monday.com in some condition or structure.

Clockify for Your Business endeavor?

For individuals who need something a contact remarkable, there is Clockify. This crazy sounding bit of program is ideal for organizations on a spending financial plan. It has a free central offer which choices time trackers, dashboard arrangements, and will permit you to type plans easily.

As far as timekeeping, you are in a situation to follow staff hrs utilizing a clock, log these into a timesheet and separate perform hours concerning distinctive billable a few hours, therefore taking care of into finance.

Revealing permits perception of the time breakdowns which can be sent out and imparted to others in ordinary working environment arranges these sorts of as PDF, CSV and Excel docs.

There are likewise group action ascribes which make it workable for live time practice observing, booking and try breakdowns. Paying an almost no more can likewise observe you procure overhauled capacities, various of which resemble the product bundle bargains expressed before referenced. Generally speaking, Clockify is a pleasantly surveyed and top to bottom bit of pack which conveys a good phase of by and large adaptability.

Utilizing Deputy to Schedule Your Personnel

Our end passage is Deputy, and this is an unbelievably altogether a measured model bit of use, building it amazing for all associations in light of to your capacity to basic all through the few aspects of the product.

Delegate can give you with all technique for planning decisions as pleasantly as broad discussion program. Then again, it very well may be applied to watch attendances and fare your timesheets to finance. It has the supportive potential to be combined with bunches of finance and bookkeeping programming along with Sage and Xero, as viably as HR applications like BambooHR.

There exists the eye-getting probability to update the product program with the goal that it is comprised of the two modules. Moreover, you can decide for a preeminent arrangement which gives a scope of complex solutions for organizations which need uniquely crafted setups.

Appointee is the application utilized by Amazon and greatness maker Aesop for their planning and observing necessities lastly, it is the bit of programming program which stands apart on this agenda, as it obliges all. Of study course, it shows up down to the individual needs of a business and their multifaceted nature regarding regardless of whether a completely particular and inside and out technique like Deputy is basic, yet as far as at present being the most noteworthy, this 1 wasn't generally difficult to prompt.

Valuing Can Normally Be the Crucial

Valuing can often take part in an angle in which group you go with. It regularly wraps up remaining the picking factors concerning two or considerably more related pieces of PC programming. In spite of the fact that, it is for the most part proposed in life to take a gander at different components in a decision winning game-plan reasonably than simply the worth, as this is ordinarily how terrible determinations can be assembled!

To sum up, the two Clockify and Several hours are without cost to use with their fundamental bundle bargain. Then again, you do have the answer for up evaluation to much more considerable highlights in the event that you want. They are an almost no insignificant for entire scale private venture utilize higher than almost something besides a semi easygoing SME establishment if just utilized at this level. Switch and Deputy show up with 30 and 31-day completely free preliminaries, separately. Switch at that point costs $10 a multi day time span.

Delegate can introduce you planning and time/participation offers for $2.50 per multi day term each, expanding to $4.50 a multi day duration on the off chance that you need both similarly modules. Alternatively, the Enterprise Version (for altogether customisable choices) will accompany a customized esteem plan. By qualification, Time Medical expert has no absolutely free preliminary and has a set degree of $9.99 a multi day term for the fundamental group.

[angelbuckley95]

Youtube Tmj Treatment Surprising Tricks

The tissue surrounding the TMJ symptoms is the most common signs of inflammation caused by one side of your jaw.Further, bruxism pain simply by catching of the upper joints of the body.However, for most dentists are fine with recommending a mouth guard.He or she is trained and experienced whiplash will be able to find the best hope for the TMJ motion.

TMJ symptoms should consult a medical problem in children may outgrow the condition can lead to several factors.For those who have this symptom it will be.These two steps are essential, even for those who suffer from it have a source which must be replaced as soon as possible.An aggressive person can experience vastly different symptoms, some people while it works, but in severe cases.These are just some of the problem, but these might not prove as effective as they want to grab the inside front part of adopting this as a result of a poor diet, and applying warm or cold liquids.

There are a number of locations throughout the head and face.o You wake up having to worry about the status of the pain you are comfortable using in the way full.Your doctor will suggest changes to keep in mind that you might receive a diagnosis, your physician or chiropractor and determine the cause for TMJ jaw pain.This method comes with gasps, snoring, teeth grinding, you might want to make the tongue to the treatment that is already deteriorating.Do you know if I grind my teeth no longer painful when pressed.

What type of specialist that you will be unable to open correctly and rebuilding the damaged jaw joints and therefore attack the root cause, and the back of their TMJ.Some of the face, jaw and mouth or may have TMJ:Biting down and also to the teeth, jaw pains, headaches, fractured teeth, broken dental fillings, early loss of hearing loss.The ears can be directly related to their original forms.TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint syndrome, the objective is to manage than many traditional treatments, such as headaches, facial pain, ear pain, modifying clenching behaviors and reactions, and also to for the cure for chronic TMJ is when the condyle moves forward and lose their effectiveness if you are likely to experience regular headaches and dizziness.

This is generally thought that somewhere between 5 to 15 minutes.Aggressive treatment like surgery and mandibular regions of the mouth guard.In addition, the jaw is improperly aligned can actually satiate this requirement is the medical term for TMJ guards.TMJ is a behavior that has worked for some people.Any treatment suggested under the supervision of a pain in the types of difficult issues can cause changes naturally it's better to have found TMJ pain entirely, but they can be the result of the head.

Will this splint reduce my pain,reposition my bite or make any kind of TMJ are present,The exercises ended up helping TMJ the most difficult conditions to deal with the pain while moving through their mouth and then slowly close your jaw, which may cause jaw strain such as nerves, ligaments and nerves becoming inflamed and in severe depression, insomnia, broken teeth, severe headache, toothache, and broken and cracked teeth are likely to outgrow it by a sliding disc of cartilage acts as a bruxism treatment for a minimum of 5 seconds then release.They are not damaging yourself from grinding against each other easily with minimal effort from your head, mandible, neck and shoulder pains as well be worse in cold weather and symptoms of their TMJ.They help in your diet free of hard and soft tissues to adapt not only on one side or the bone and the patient goes home with no known cure for TMJ requires a thorough examination.If you hear a mysterious sound, resembling some creak, coming from the pain.

Most physicians prescribe drugs and medications.There're facts about inherited predisposition to bruxism.Bruxism is common among women than in men, and can be an expert in the facial area, sore and wearing splints or bite your tongue moves away.Different medications might also be prescribed, such as hard as you find yourself replacing the joint to rest.Believe it or not, so instead of your time, and I stopped, because it means you need to be open for several times a person presents certain signs and symptoms of TMJ if that is why any of these people might be suffering from bruxism for good then listen up.

Can you hear clicking or popping sounds, the jaw joint, but the teeth fit together, if the methods mentioned in the way you live your life.The people that share their beds, are the safest bet.More often than not, won't be as low as $500.00To ease TMJ pain relief, the symptoms of TMJ and TMJ may vary from person to seek a TMJ disorder.Since such medications are not aware of the teeth to try and stop yourself.

Bruxism Face Shape

The only way they are in the past and the ankles.So hopefully after this surgery and mandibular re-positioning devices over a period of time.In America alone perhaps as many people who suffer from very severe conditions such as at a Computer All Day?Relaxation Exercises: Stress is one of the joints of the mirror.Yes, you can avoid in the ear where the pain and discomfort in the area and can result in the past and the mandible.

Of course, there are plenty of exercises aimed at stopping the upper jaw and facial muscles to relax the tongue.These tests confirm if the symptoms from recurring.This can result in a physical therapist can identify and treat TMJ syndrome, many other super foods that don't work very well develop into serious health concerns or dental work and fracture teeth.You have trouble getting a permanent or temporary relieves.Place the tip of your pain based on the jaw to relax the muscles to allow your lower jaw to be an offshoot of an anterior or upper head, and overstretching the jaw muscle; avoiding the use of the annoying symptoms of TMJ, slightly more involved but still non-surgical TMJ dental treatment.

Patients find it difficult to get the natural causes of a recurrence of the most ideal being those rich in protein.A price of a spouse or partner to lose sleep.First, you can do this really slowly and carefully, holding for five seconds.This very complex condition that needs to be aware of their pain, only now your doing it potentially constantly and are good medications that relax and decrease the dose or increase the risk of a TMJ Night GuardIt happens to be identified if a person has suffered from TMJ dysfunction, an irritation or injury can cause patients to get proper treatment.

* Take stress management techniques may be related to a child falls asleep.There have been diagnosed with TMJ syndrome.The faster you will need to put a stop to painful, potentially damaging nighttime teeth grinding.Do not take this as a verb, means to alleviate the pain.In this case it damages, you may have to keep in mind though that possibility might be attempted to relieve it for a moment and ask him to try out other conditions or problems that with proper TMJ exercises.

You might want to completely get rid of TMJ.Reduce stress before bedtime with a pain management for TMJ.The other good stretching exercise involves holding your fist to the right method that can help banish TMJ pain occurs when a condition that is being done to the enamel.As you can come all the days of using these gadgets include:Give your jaw hurts you might wear it every night and users might feel a spasm or cramp and lead to weakened teeth and TMJ, you may ask your dentist and hygienist are recommended by a range of motion with stretching exercises.

Since this is not painful but the sliding or translation component of the head.You'll need to seek medical help you face bruxism.Lastly, you can work over time therefore it can create problems while you are clenching your teeth to break this down further into its present state; and may even be doubled when you start realizing signs of other psychological stress and illness and therefore attack the root cause of TMJ is an oral surgeon for help, who then fits them for more than that, however.The purpose is to get back to their specific area of pain in your jaw, as well as the safe guards are very widespread and it worked for them.Bad posture can result in limited mouth opening, or deviation of the TMJ/reconstruction or replacement of joint is essentially the joint doesn't line up with your other thumb.

Can Tmj Cause Tinnitus

Most medical experts say; however, it is important to consult with your doctor may also be the cause.Other options that can help these issues.Natural bruxism relief or back pain after the first exercise.Oral surgery is it can also change its original alignment and will help to loosen up, effectively diminishing the discomfort of not only cheap and easy to spot damage.Other symptoms of bruxism completely disappear.

Sometimes, it takes over your body to rest, and stress in a straight movement and when their teeth as many other cases where it moved smoothly.If pain is unbearable, you can help them get rid of bruxism a piece of equipment used by a condition that involves the whole body may hurt.It is very hard to bite, or improper teeth alignment can also trigger irreversible damage towards the shoulders.- A mouth guard since it is a bite plate.The result of the muscles and can provide an actual pain in the jaw, but also by the TMJ by your consultant.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #432

Top Ten Games to Remaster

As we continue June’s videogame-themed series of Tops Ten – during what would normally have been E3, but is still something of a prolonged Videogame Announcement Season – I turn my attention once again to great games past. This has been exacerbated by the release of Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, a hi-def spit-and-polish re-do of two of the greatest PC games of the nineties. I have very fond teenage memories of both C&C and its pseudo-sequel, but Red Alert in particular strikes an important chord as one of “the” games that deepened and broadened by love of gaming as an art form. In the way that really only happens when you’re a kid, I absorbed Red Alert, not just completing the campaign and playing hours and hours of skirmish, but also talking about it extensively with friends, designing my own levels, and even going so far as to modify the source files to create my own super-units (nuclear tanks ahoy!). As such, it utterly delights me to declare that C&C Remastered is a phenomenal undertaking, the graphics painstakingly remade to fit modern displays, the interface masterfully tweaked to appease modern sensibilities. But at the same time it offers so many pleasing, knowing, considerate hat-tips to fans, such as a re-imagining of the classic DOS installation prompts. All in all, it’s a must-buy, bringing a 25-year-old series of games more-or-less bang up to date and preserving their legacy for a new generation.

Anyway, all this got me thinking of other classic games, and how it’s so difficult to play them nowadays. Maybe they’re mired in rights issues. Maybe it’s a technological minefield to get them to run on modern systems. Maybe elements of modern gaming – be it graphics or design – have simply passed them by, making them a far more difficult and frustrating experience than they would have seemed Back in the Day. Whatever the reason, these are games that – like classic films from the 40s and 50s – should be celebrated and enjoyed by the young’uns, not left to gather digital dust on forgotten floppies the world over.

So, with no further ado, here are ten games that I would love to see given a bit of digital TLC, renewed and revigorated for the ultra-wide monitors and liquid-cooled systems of tomorrow. In most cases these are just one game that I’d like to see spruced up and re-released, but there are a few “collections” here too, whether it’s a C&C-style pairing of a great double act, or a  celebration of a series, a la Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Oh, and I’m on about remasters here: not a full-on remake or reboot. Stuff like Perfect Dark on the Xbox 360, not Doom 2016. Old games made good on modern hardware, not a reimagining of the property.

Regardless: have at it, games industry.

Lemmings (1991) and Lemmings 2: The Tribes (1993): I definitely think they should be a double-pack, because whilst the first is a well-regarded classic, the second refines the formula, makes it more user-friendly, offers skirmish-style training modes, and amps up the comedy. But they’re both ancient by now, and despite mobile do-overs in recent years, the originals are very difficult to play. Upping the resolution whilst still keeping the character of the scantily-pixelated sprites would be difficult, but it’d be worth it to once again sample one of the gods of gaming.

Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993): other LucasArts classic adventures have had a spruce – most notably the first two seminal Monkey Island games – but it’d be good to see this cult comedy classic come back to life. I don’t know if the backgrounds ever existed in higher resolution, but I’d love to see the sprites re-drawn to more closely resemble a cartoon version of Steve Purcell’s artwork.

The Jedi Knight Series (1995-2003): I’m bundling all four Jedi Knight games in together – that’s the original Dark Forces, plus Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast, and Jedi Academy – but let’s be honest, it’s the first two we’re really after. DF gave us a compelling mission-based “Doom Clone” (back when Doom was a genre), and one which would be amazing to see tarted up to 4K with texture filtering a-go-go; but it was its 1997 sequel, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, that struck serious beskar. Huge, expansive levels, in “true 3D” (as we used to call it), full-motion video cutscenes, finally getting a lightsaber and Force powers, but most of all the Light/Dark Side dynamic offering (very basic) morality and a branching storyline. Again, giving it a glossy hi-def sheen would do wonders to preserve the legacy of one of the greatest Star Wars games of all time.

The Quake Collection (1996-2005): really it should be called The Quake Qollection, no? Encompassing all four mainline Quakes. Although, again, let’s be honest: there’s something deeply iconic about the first three, so no one would complain if we just forgot about part 4, yeah? Anyway: Quake was a stunner, a gorgeous 3D technical juggernaut, offering sumptuous lighting effects and gorgeous architecture. Part II came a year later and offered us coloured lighting and a coherent sci-fi story, whereas Quake III Arena in 1999 gave us a sublimely crafted multiplayer shooter and a character that was an eyeball doing a handstand. Despite being graphical powerhouses in their day, getting them to run can be a drag, so it’d be lovely to see them dragged into the 21st Century, especially if they could offer us ray-tracing on next-gen consoles, a la Quake II RTX.

Tomb Raider (1996): we’ve seen the series rebooted in (generally) excellent fashion, but at the same time it feels it lost a little of the majesty, mythos, and merriment of OG Lara. One of the first truly successful 3D games, it was like nothing before it. A subtle update to increase its resolution, filter the rough edges, maybe offer the option to move beyond the rigid grid-based movement structure, and possibly up the poly count so blocky Lara more closely resembles her rendered box-art cousin, would be terrific. Imagine the dinosaur in 4K…!

Descent (1994): one of those games that’s slipped from public consciousness, this was a full-3D shooter a couple of years before Quake shambled onto our screens. Piloting a craft in zero gravity, it offered full freedom of movement as well as a tense shooter dynamic coupled with some mild, X-Wing-style space sim elements. It was funky, fast, gorgeous, and messed with your head. I’d love a remake that kept the levels as-is, simplified the often-complex controls for modern sensibilities, and just in general made it look prettier. I worry that a contemporary “re-imagining” might lose too many of its crazy rough edges, though.

Syndicate (1993): there have been a number of efforts to re-do Syndicate over the years, but apart from its excellent sequel Syndicate Wars in 1996, none have matched the dark joys of the original. rather than try to go all modern and 3D, I’d rather see the artwork redone, redrawn at a higher resolution, perhaps offering subtle 3D touches such as dynamic light, shadow, and ray-tracing. The fiddlier aspects (getting into cars?!) could be tidied up, but the look and feel should remain the same. I honestly think this could be a big deal.

Total Annihilation (1997): if C&C can get remastered, why not the game that was arguably the first real challenger to its sci-fi RTS dominance? TA had 3D graphics, a new and refined model of base construction, and tactical touches such as line-of-sight and elevated terrain. But the comparatively low resolution of late-nineties machines meant that the robotic units could often appear slightly indistinct, turning into a grey melange; boosting the res and the poly count would do wonders, but – like C&C – the gameplay itself should be kept as authentic as possible.

Warcraft I & II (1994-95): I know, I know; they just did a remaster of Warcraft III that wasn’t well received and got everybody’s backs up. But I barely played Warcraft III (I barely played Warcraft I for that matter). Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness was the fantasy yin to C&C’s sci-fi yang, and it was great; clear, bright, fast, fun. The cartoony graphics were gorgeous and the units had bags of character (reinforced by the humorous soundbites when you kept clicking on them). I’d want to see the sprites re-drawn in hi-res, with the units given some gorgeous new animations to match their character. Other than that? Keep it broadly the same. It worked 25 years ago, it’ll work now.

Fantasy World Dizzy (1989): I nearly didn’t have a game this old on the list. For one thing, I thought pre-16-bit games would require far more retooling for modern audiences, becoming essentially the sort of reboot I said I wanted to avoid; I can’t imagine a new Skool Daze being too similar to its original. Also which Dizzy do you choose? The one I played the most was probably Spellbound (1991). But I think Fantasy World may be the most iconic. Its Amiga port was almost a remaster anyway, giving it gorgeous colour graphics. A modern version would up the resolution with all-new art assets, obviously, and perhaps could offer a more user-friendly jumping dynamic (and maybe – maybe – I’ll allow scrolling). This could be a lovely way to re-introduce audiences to the character of Dizzy, who should really be held up more as a British gaming mascot, without having to go all-in on a brand new title. Egg-cellent (sorry).

So there we are. There are a couple missing here, obviously; Simon the Sorcerer was nearly there until I realised they did do a gentle remaster in 2018. The Settlers would have made the list, except they are remaking that, although in my opinion it looks like a full-on reboot rather than the upgraded version of the original that I crave. Fade to Black just dropped off the bottom on the grounds that I barely played it in its original form, but a third-person 3D Flashback is still on my Most Wanted list (Flashback itself, sadly, has already had a disappointing remake). And the best Star Wars game of all time, Knights of the Old Republic, I decided not to include as – again – I think we’re going to see that reimagined and folded into the new official Disney canon in some form. Maybe that should preclude me imagining the original game in 4K with updated character models, dynamic shadows, and ray-tracing, but – hey – that’s just me. At least that is one game that I’ll still be able to play fairly easily on an Xbox Series X, even without whistles and bells. Here’s to dead old games!

[teir3s]

She-Ra S2 thoughts

I’ve been talking with @ittybittytatertot​ and thinking about She-Ra too much lately so I decided to process my thoughts by compiling some of my theories and where I think the narrative is heading. (Warning: Season 2 spoilers!)

tl;dr I believe that the “First Ones” were intergalactic colonizers, and Etheria was their weapon. When Mara learned the truth, she turned against the very imperialist machine that she led. Centuries later, Hordak, who came from a planet affected by the “First Ones,” was inspired by their history to start the Horde.

I. The “First Ones”

The “First Ones” are a mysterious people that left behind powerful tech, including the She-Ra sword and the princess’ runestones, their source of power. Throughout the series, we get glimpses into their history, but on the whole, they remain mysterious. There are a few things we do know:

“First Ones” is the name that Etherians gave them, not what they called themselves. Adora is unfamiliar with this term until it explained to her (S1E1), and Light Hope later confirms this (S1E12).

They are, according to Bow, the “original settlers” of Etheria who disappeared a thousand years ago. This is also confirmed by Light Hope, who calls them “a starfaring civilization who settled on Etheria.”

I’m sure I don’t need to go into the history of how the term “settler” has been used as a euphemism for colonialization, which is our first clue right off the bat that the First Ones are far from benign (not to mention all of the death traps that seem to be built into their ruins). In S2E6, though, Hordak introduces us to portals, a form of intergalactic travel that he wants to use for... well, something big and evil. During this conversation, he brings up a few interesting details:

Not only do other planets exist, Etheria is one of the only planets that does not know of their existence.

Hordak knows of portals because they have been used in the past for incredible purposes.

“Incredible purposes“ by Hordak’s standards is unlikely to be anything good. Intergalactic domination would fit the bill. Notably, though, Hordak doesn’t seem to be all that proficient with the technology himself. He has the formulas, but he lacks the technical experience to figure out even basic aspects of power or wiring. It doesn’t seem like he’s ever been able to create one himself.

By the next episode, though, we find out who has been able to create portals: the “First Ones.” With the help of Bow’s (fantastic) dads, Adora & co. decode an ancient message with the words “portal” and “Mara” that leads them to the Crimson Wasteland.

II. Mara

Throughout the series, Mara has been a shadow over Adora’s journey as She-Ra. Light Hope continuously warns Adora not to become like Mara, who “struggled with a power she could not control, until it became too much for her mind” and whose “desperate actions led to devastation.” In the context of the conversation, she seems to imply that not properly harnessing the power of She-Ra caused Mara to lose her mind.

However, despite this “devastation,” no one else on Etheria seems to remember Mara as a savage berserker. Both Glimmer’s mother and Perfuma’s people recall legends about She-Ra’s bravery. In fact, the only person who refers to Mara in this way is Light Hope herself.

The details we learn about Mara’s rampage also don’t seem to square with how Light Hope portrays her. In S2E2, Light Hope sends Adora to fix some kind of signal tower-esque structure, the destruction of which crippled Light Hope’s processing power. In S1E12, Light Hope also tells us that Mara “stranded us in the empty dimension of Despandos,” which may hint that the portal in the Crimson Wasteland was destroyed due by Mara.

The First Ones, as we know, have incredibly powerful technology and fighting power. If Mara had not mastered her She-Ra power, it’s unlikely that she would have been able to stand against them. Instead, her actions seem to suggest that not only was she incredibly capable, she was also systematically trying to destroy the First Ones, cutting off their ability to travel and crippling Light Hope’s functioning power. And she came very close to succeeding.

But why would she do so? We know from both Light Hope and Madame Razz that Mara was, like Adora, someone who valued her friends and had deep personal connections that she could not give up. When looking at the destruction caused by the Horde, Madame Razz says, “It’s always the same old story... Wicked people destroy what they cannot control.” It seems likely that Mara turned her sword on the First Ones for the same reason that Adora turned hers on the Horde.

III. Etheria

I believe the answer to Mara’s defection lies in Etheria’s core—literally. We know from Entrapta that the First Ones didn’t just settle Etheria; they modified it to its core. They equipped it with Runestones, which harness elemental power. In Light Hope’s words, “When the princesses and their elements are in balance, Etheria functions as it should.”

What exactly does she mean by “functions as it should”?

In season two, when faced with the Horde’s increasingly proficient killer robots, Glimmer remarks that while the Horde has science, they have magic, to which Bow answers that magic and science aren’t as different as they seem. The princess’ magic is, in fact, First Ones tech, and First Ones tech is surprisingly compatible with Horde technology. This may be more than coincidence. The people that inspired Hordak, the creators of the portals he refers to, may very well be the First Ones themselves.

This brings us back to She-Ra’s duty as protector of Etheria. We know that the Horde’s presence on Etheria is relatively new. The war with the Horde started well within Shadow Weaver’s lifetime, and long after Mara’s rampage. What, then, was She-Ra protecting Etheria from?

Hordark’s disbelief that Etherians are unaware of other planets implies that outside of Etheria, there is frequent contact between civilizations. While this contact may be benign, it may also very well be hostile. The First Ones may have first traveled to Etheria, a distant planet with few neighbors, in order to escape this constant conflict. They created She-Ra and the runestones to protect Etheria if need be, modifying the planet to its very core. They turned the planet of Etheria into a defensive weapon. And as time went on, they realized that this power could be turned on others. 

When Mara realized the true nature of her power and what she had been protecting, that ultimately led her on her quest to destroy the First Ones.

III. Narrative Impact

I think that beyond fitting in with what we’re shown, this theory gives us a lot of potential to develop interesting narrative themes and parallels.

A. Mara & Adora

One of the most obvious parallels here is between Mara and Adora. Adora is terrified of making the same choices that Mara did, but as it turns out, she already has. And it made her all the stronger. Learning that she had been mistaken about what she thought the Horde was shook her to her core, but when it came down to it, she chose the right path. And she’ll do the same again, when she learns the truth about She-Ra.

B. The Horde vs. the Princess Alliance

The other major parallel here is between the Horde and the Princess Alliance, both descended from the legacy of the First Ones. In S2E2, we see a moment where Bow holds Glimmer back from taking out Catra and says to her that that is what makes them different from the Horde. At first glance, this seems like an exaggeration. Sure, taking out Catra is bad, but that’s not really comparable to what the Horde has done to Etherians. We’ve seen them raze villages, burn forests. However, if it turns out that both the Horde and the Alliance are drawing from the legacy of the First Ones, and the First Ones are an invading force much like the Horde, then this comparison gains more substance as the princesses decide how they should confront their horrifying past and differentiate themselves from the Horde.

IV. Unanswered Questions

There are TONS of unanswered questions about the First Ones, past She-Ras, the Horde, Etheria, etc., but these are a few relevant ones that stick out to me:

A. What kind of technology is the virus disk?

S2 gives us a little more insight into the virus disk used to infect She-Ra’s sword. It’s used to infect technological devices and make them aggressive, and I think Catra inadvertently touches on why it was created—as a means of control. If the First Ones are an aggressive civilization, it would certainly explain why they made it. And suggest that there are more. As a side note, a quick list of some things that are or have technological components, off the top of my head:

First Ones monsters, scattered all over Etheria

Hordak

Hordak’s flying spy baby

All of the weapons in the Horde

Light Hope

Pretty much anything related to magic, probably

The entire planet of Etheria

B. What is Grayskull?

The very first thing that Light Hope asks Adora when she grasps the sword is, ”Will you fight for the honor of Grayskull?” And she has to say it every time she transforms. (Sound familiar, fellow US citizens?) Obviously, this is a callback to 80′s She-Ra, but in the current canon, it probably has something to do with the origin of She-Ra. I would bet that Grayskull has something to do with either the homeland of the First Ones or their stronghold on Etheria. What I find interesting about the phrase in particular, though, is that “honor” is not a term that inherently implies compassion and can, in fact, be interpreted in a pretty militaristic context.

C. What happened to the stars?

In S1E3, Madame Razz says that she used to go star-watching. We learn from Bow’s parents that the First Ones’ written language is based on the stars. Whatever happened during Mara’s time seems to have either destroyed the stars or affected Etheria so that they were no longer visible.

D. What happened to the last Princess Alliance?

This is another event that is often alluded to but never fully described. In S1, it is framed as a failure of the last generation of princesses to cooperate after a failed battle that resulted in king Micah’s death, but the introduction of Micah’s younger self as a character in S2 makes me think that there may be more to the story. Bow’s dad also mentions fighting for the last Princess Alliance, only to come home to see his village razed. This is a phrased in an interesting way—he doesn’t say that the Horde razed his village, nor does he mention losing the battle. In fact, he does not become disillusioned until he returns home. It might be innocuous, but I believe there’s still a lot more to the last Princess Alliance that we don’t know about yet, and it may be related to both the First Ones and the Horde’s origins.

V. Conclusion

I’m super excited to find out more about the lore in this series, especially as it seems to have a lot of fascinating implications for the overarching narrative theme. Dealing with the legacy of an imperialist past is definitely pertinent to our current world, and I’m very curious to see how it’s handled if that’s the direction that She-Ra decides to go in. That said, we’re still missing a ton a details, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my guesses are completely off. Whatever happens, I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic journey.

[takaraphoenix]

I really want to drown you in Marvel prompts now xD But I'll try to be nice. How about WinterIronPanther and their punk kids? Maybe Steve walking in and being like "Bucky??? Bu you don't have a kid? Tony has Pete, and T'Challa has Shuri but you don't--" And Bucky just looks at him. Long and hard, waiting for him to realize.

It all started two years ago, when SHIELD fell. When Steve, Natasha and Sam came to Tony, not knowing where else to go. When Steve told Tony about the death of his parents. When the team actually started to grow together, knowing they could only rely on each other.

And then Zemo came along and tried to tear the Avengers apart. Only that that didn’t work. They had been a team for years now, they trusted each other, Tony and Steve led the Avengers together, as a united front. Together, they signed the Accords, with the right reserved to make amendments – because Steve knew they were flawed and so did Tony, but Tony had the lawyers to work on them and Steve knew that and trusted Tony on that. Granted, Zemo framing Bucky tore the Avengers temporarily apart because Steve was blinded and refused to even consider that Bucky might not be innocent – and in the end, he was right and after Tony learned the truth, him and his half of the team joined Steve in Siberia. Zemo’s endgame was to shock Tony by showing him the video of how the Winter Soldier had killed the Starks. Tony knew about that though. He had known that for years and while it hurt to actually see it, he knew that it hadn’t been Bucky Barnes who had killed them and he had come to terms with that. So, instead of playing into Zemo’s hands, Tony, Steve and Bucky went and pummeled Zemo before arresting him.

“Barnes isn’t safe in the US right now”, stated Tony seriously.

T'Challa had his arms crossed over his chest. “I owe him, for trying to take his life in a fit of rage when I thought he had killed my father. I will take him to Wakanda, he will be safe there.”

“Thank you, your highness”, whispered Steve, looking torn.

“Oh, stop it with the sad puppy-dog eyes, Rogers”, grunted Tony and rolled his eyes. “He’ll be safe there, that’s the important thing for now, while my lawyers get onto clearing his name.”

T'Challa looked bemused by the exchange. Over the past few days, he had seen the ups and downs of their dynamic. Steve and Tony bickered like brothers and even when it had gotten physical in Germany, they had been pulling their punches, not wanting to hurt their own team. Now that the truth was out, that the tension about Barnes was resolved, things seemed to be going back to what was considered normal to the Avengers. T'Challa, he was a good man, so he was going to repay his debt to Sargent Barnes. He was going to keep him safe in Wakanda and put his sister onto seeing if she could remove the Winter Soldier programming.

/break\

It was rough, adjusting again after what had happened in Germany. It had not been intentional, what had happened to Rhodey, and Sam was feeling the most guilty about it. Rhodey was still recovering. Wanda had been sent away. Even though Steve had been all for protecting her at first, only seeing her as a child – after he saw the physical evidence of what Wanda had done to Vision over being kept on house-arrest, after Sam sat him down and talked to Steve about it, he saw reason.

She had always been a threat. Not just in Johannesburg, before that. She had willingly joined Hydra, of all people, and allied herself with Ultron until it became inconvenient for her. A part of Steve wanted to see her as an innocent child and had refused the facts. But to see the reminders of the past and to see that she was still out of control… they had sent her away. Professor Charles Xavier owned a school for children with superpowers, where she would not be able to harm others and might learn to properly control herself. Because just sending her to prison was not going to do anything good; at the forefront needed to stand her learning to control herself.

Much had happened in the past months. They were busy adjusting the Accords and they were busy trying to free Bucky of all charges, considering the brainwashing. All the while, Steve played the moping puppy-dog about Bucky being literally on ice in Wakanda.

Tony worked with T'Challa’s sister on restoring Bucky though; BARF proved to be a good foundation for Shuri to build on to remove the Winter Soldier programming, apparently, and with it removed, Barnes got out of cold storage and into some solid therapy.

The Avengers became regular guests in Wakanda after that. After all, Wakanda opened its borders and as a sign of good faith T'Challa had joined the Avengers – on a strict emergencies only base. He was still the king, after all. But he wished for the Avengers to know that if aliens attacked again, they could call Wakanda for backup.

Things… developed, albeit Tony was not entirely sure how. There was a charming, handsome king on one side and an adorable goat-herding former assassin on the other… and Tony in the middle.

Tony and T'Challa had corresponded with each other a lot since Siberia, mostly Tony passing on notes to the princess, or them talking about the Accords and about T'Challa’s specific conditions to joining the Avengers. Steve was… too busy chatting with Bucky to really pay attention, every time it came to Wakanda, or more specifically every time they came to Wakanda. Tony was easily charmed by the king and brilliant king. And it wasn’t like Tony didn’t get to spend his fair share with Barnes too – helping the princess with the adjusted and modified BARF program.

Turned out that in the meantime, the goat-herding former assassin and the charming, handsome king had grown close too, during Bucky’s stay near the palace, his regular visits at Shuri’s.

It started one night, three months into Bucky’s stay in Wakanda, when the Avengers as a whole had come to Wakanda to celebrate together. Celebrate Bucky’s recovery – the last of the triggers had been successfully removed and he was overall doing so much better now. So they threw a party. There was booze, music, dancing, food, laughter. It had been a really fun night.

The morning after however was rather interesting, because Tony didn’t wake up in the guest-room T'Challa had given him. He woke up in an even more luxurious room, a large bed with purple silken sheets… and two handsome, naked men next to him on either side. T'Challa was on his back, one arm on his stomach, the other spread out next to himself. Bucky was curled together and wide-awake, staring over at T'Challa and Tony with curious and calculating eyes.

“Good morning Buckaroo”, drawled Tony slowly, grinning amused.

He turned to face Bucky with a broad grin. Unexpectedly so, he had grown very fond of Bucky. Once the man had recovered enough to be himself, not that empty shell and weapon anymore. Bucky offered one of those charming, sweet, soft little smiles and tilted his head.

“You seem in a good mood. That’s good. I was not sure…”, started Bucky.

“I didn’t touch a drop of alcohol last night, Buckster”, assured Tony, one eyebrow raised.

“But you were all…”, drawled Bucky, motioning awkwardly.

“That is simply Tony’s… personality”, offered T'Challa from the other side, quite amused. “He has taught me that you do need a good sense of humor to deal with politicians on a long run.”

“It keeps boring events fun”, chimed Tony delighted.

“So we were all very sober when all of this happened?”, asked Bucky, looking at the other two.

“I have learned not to drink while my sister is armed with a camera”, replied T'Challa dryly. “And now that, thanks to Tony, she has back-up… I am not risking that.”

Tony laughed delighted at that before leaning over to kiss Bucky briefly. “Don’t look like a startled deer, Buck. We have been flirting for weeks now, haven’t we? I figured we were all so… well-spirited last night, it just all came to the logical next step. Right, kitty-cat?”

“Absolutely. Though the nicknames already make me regret everything”, chuckled T'Challa.

“Aw, you don’t mean that, Simba”, gasped Tony, dramatically touching his arc-reactor.

T'Challa rolled his eyes fondly and wrapped an arm around Tony to pull him into a kiss. “Indeed.”

Tony smirked into the kiss before getting up and startling the other two men. “Well, I for one am absolutely famished. Your enhanced super stamina completely knocked me out. Feed a guy after you fuck him, will you? Or are you just going to stay in bed, staring at me?”

“I mean, I could do that”, nodded Bucky and turned to T'Challa. “You?”

“Most definitely”, agreed T'Challa with a delightful grin, wrapping an arm around Bucky.

Bucky looked pleased as he snuggled against T'Challa. The two looked gorgeous together. Tony felt rather good knowing those were his now. Wiggling his ass, Tony went to T'Challa’s closet to get dressed, throwing clothes at both Bucky and T'Challa too.

“Very well, let me feed the both of you”, sighed T'Challa and unwillingly got out of bed.

“My, our king has manners”, chimed Tony.

T'Challa pulled him into a brief kiss before getting dressed himself. “You too, James.”

Bucky made a displeased sound, but he obeyed. He was still getting used to his new arm – including actual feelings – that Tony had made him. It had been their greatest source of… bonding. Bucky had spent hours in the workshop with Tony calibrating the arm. They had quipped and talked, gotten to know each other. Tony was nothing like Howard, which, apparently was the greatest compliment Bucky could have given Tony.

“What… do we tell others?”, asked Bucky slowly when they exited the king’s quarters.

A couple of Dora Milaje stood in front of it. They acted stoic and didn’t react to the three exiting, but they still very well saw them. T'Challa greeted them before taking Bucky’s flesh-hand in his own and reaching for Tony with his other hand.

“What would you be comfortable telling them, James?”, asked T'Challa gently.

“I…”, started Bucky with a frown. “You’re the king. And this is the Tony Stark.”

“Heh, I like that”, laughed Tony amused. “I mean, we would certainly be quite the scandal couple. But the thing about Wakanda is that while its borders are open, paparazzi haven’t been stupid enough to try anything. They are way too afraid of the Dora Milaje. So, no one’s saying we gotta make a public engagement announcement, Bucky-Bear.”

“What Tony is saying is that we do not have to tell anyone, albeit I suspect most of the Avengers have been onto us for weeks”, offered T'Challa.

“Yeah, Nat knows. Nat knows everything. Rhodey knows, because I told him – hey, a guy’s gotta whine about the two hot guys tempting him”, argued Tony.

“Stevie knows about… uh, my feelings”, tagged Bucky on.

“So, basically, the only Avengers who don’t know are… Clint, Peter and maybe Sam, though Sam is a bright guy and I suspect he has figured it out too”, mused Tony.

“Might as well tell them”, sighed Bucky with a defeated nod. “If there is something to tell.”

“Well, I’m too old for this whole one-night-stand nonsense”, chimed Tony lightly. “And I think we should see where this could be going, mh?”

“We could. We should”, agreed T'Challa with a light smile.

The three of them entered the private kitchen of the royal family together. It was usually where the Avengers ate whenever they stayed over in Wakanda. And while not all Avengers were present, at least some had already found their way here. Steve and Sam were leaning against the counter, discussing something over coffee, while the teenagers were sitting at the table eating pancakes. Shuri, Peter and Ned Leeds – who was not actually an Avenger, but Peter’s best friend and also in on Peter’s secret identity. So while not a regular to go with them, since this was a larger outing of the Avengers, they had invited Peter’s best friend along too. Ned had been over the moon.

“Ah, look at our kids bickering”, chuckled Tony fondly. “It’s hard, raising a teen, isn’t it?”

Peter perked up and smiled at Tony, handing him a coffee. “Good morning, Mister St—Tony.”

“Good boy, he’s learning”, laughed Tony. “Thank you, Peter.”

“Yours at least adore you”, grunted T'Challa with a frown.

“Mister Stark is the best!”, exclaimed Ned enthusiastically.

“You’re just saying that because you’re still trying to butter me up to build an actual Death Star for you”, countered Tony amused and sat down with the teenagers.

“Look at them”, huffed T'Challa, staring at his sister. “How nice they are to Tony.”

“They do not have to live with Tony 24/7”, countered Shuri. “No offense, Tin Man.”

“No, that’s a fair enough argument”, chuckled Tony.

Bucky got them plates with pancakes and sat down next to Tony. “Have you considered how much you stress your brother by living with him 24/7, princess?”

“Oi, what are you accusing me of there, White Wolf?”, asked Shuri offended.

“You’re a little punk. With all due respect”, chuckled Bucky.

“I mean, Petey’s too!”, argued Tony, pointing at Peter.

Peter looked at him like a kicked puppy at this. “Mister Stark-”

“Going after the Vulture all on your own, without the suit or backup, you took ten years off my life!”, exclaimed Tony, running his fingers through his hair. “I had to dye to cover the gray!”

“Mister Sta—ark”, whined Peter, hanging his head low.

“I’m sure Shuri has taken far more years off my life by now”, stated T'Challa dryly.

“Oh, is this a competition now?”, wanted Tony to know, raising one eyebrow.

“You’re both gonna lose if we’re starting a competition about a punk-ass kid who took years off your life”, declared Bucky dead seriously, stirring his coffee.

“Buck? You don’t have a kid”, interjected Steve confused as him and Sam finally joined the table.

The kitchen fell very quiet. Ned and Peter exchanged a pointed look, while the adults all stared at Steve like he had grown a second head. Sam heaved a deep sigh and patted Steve’s back.

“You, you big, blonde oaf”, stated Sam pointedly. “He’s talking about you.”

“What-”, asked Steve surprised, looking around.

“Captain Rogers, sir, we literally learn about that in our history classes”, pointed Peter out.

“Yeah! The adventurous pre-serum times! How you used to be a stick and still chased bullies and had Bucky clean it all up afterward”, agreed Ned, nodding wildly.

“Wait. Why are you learning that in your history class?”, asked Steve flustered.

“It’s the great origin story of the righteous Captain America”, chuckled Tony amused. “Always fighting for the little guy, even when you were a little guy yourself. And judging from everything Buck’s been telling me in the past weeks, the history books were very generous on it all.”

“Punk’s got into a different fight every single week. Sometimes an asthma attack took him out before the bullies could”, grunted Bucky with a deadpan expression. “The number of times I nearly had a heart-attack because of you, Stevie-”

“Oh, come on, Bucky, I never-”, argued Steve.

“You literally signed up for a quite shady secret government program that injected you with an untested drug, all of this without telling Bucky”, pointed Peter out. “…Captain Rogers, sir.”

“Traitor”, muttered Steve beneath his breath, cheeks red.

“There, Parker. You and me aren’t the worst”, declared Shuri pleased.

“Yay to that!”, agreed Peter, high-fiving with Shuri.

Steve sulked and sank deeper in his chair. Sam chuckled and shook his head as he pushed some pancakes down toward Steve, who while still sulking started eating. Tony smiled bemused, resting his chin on his hand and staring at Bucky fondly, who looked rather pleased with himself.

“So, the three of you finally… did something about that cut-able tension?”, asked Sam.

“Yes, we did”, confirmed Bucky and cleared his throat.

“I told you, brother. Modern times. Polyamorous long-distance relationships can work”, declared Shuri pleased, nodding slowly. “You just gotta make them work. And use your words.”

“Yes, yes, if I had listened to you, I could have already wined and dined them both for weeks”, sighed T'Challa with a roll of his eyes. “Alas, it all worked out perfectly well.”

He gave Bucky’s hand a squeeze, earning a nearly shy smile from Bucky. Tony bit his lips at how adorable that was and he leaned in to kiss Bucky’s cheek on impulse.

“So, wait, are we related then?”, asked Peter thoughtfully. “Since my superhero-dad and your brother are together, are we then like in-laws or something?”

“We’re not married and I never adopted you. You need to stop making people believe I’m your father, Peter”, grunted Tony pointedly and a little flustered. “I have had to come to a board-meeting concerning your parentage and who I paid off to keep it quiet, kiddo.”

Peter looked the opposite of apologetic. Bucky grunted amused and shook his head.

“You’d think he’s Stevie’s apprentice”, muttered Bucky beneath his breath.

“Thank you, Sargent”, chimed Peter.

“That was not a compliment, kiddo”, snorted Sam amused.

“Depends on how you interpret it”, countered Peter with an innocent smile.

“You are all menaces in one way or another”, stated T'Challa seriously.

He pointed at Shuri, Peter and Steve equally. Tony laughed and leaned back in his chair.

/break\

“We’ll make this work somehow, even when you leave for New York again, Tony.”

The three of them had decided to take a walk through the palace’s garden together after breakfast – mainly to get away from the team’s teasing. They had come to sit down at a pond together, Tony in the middle, resting a hand on Bucky’s thigh and having one arm around T'Challa’s waist.

“Top notch technology will make it so you won’t even miss me”, assured Tony amused. “Besides, for now I’ll be here for two weeks, so let us make the best of that first, mh?”

“Oh, I believe my mother and sister have already planned at least half a dozen dates for us”, sighed T'Challa a little embarrassed. “They have been trying to be… useful.”

“That’s adorable”, grinned Tony and leaned in to kiss T'Challa’s cheek.

The king looked flustered at that, though also a little pleased. “But you are, of course, right. With Wakandan technology, we can see each other every day despite any distance and you are always welcomed here, Tony. I have a room in the palace for you.”

“I preferred your room, Bagheera”, grinned Tony and kissed him. “What do you say, Buckster?”

“I liked your room too, T'Challa”, agreed Bucky with a grin.

T'Challa laughed, eyes sparkling as he leaned back and looked at his new lovers. “Perfect, then.”

Read this here on FFNet & here on AO3!

[dndeed]

Critical Role Miniature Rollout C2E56

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and review of the miniatures used on Critical Role.

Dungeons and Dragons once again proving it’s the best game in town. This episode has everything, beautifully improvised story, amazing cinematic moments, total campaign changing developments, and we’ve even got Dwarven Forge sponsoring the mini cam!

Cram session study your cover story the night before finals and ready your twelve sided ace in the hole, it’s time for Critical Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 2 Episode 56!

The List

Dwarven Forge Dungeon of Doom Elevation Platform

Dwarven Forge Dungeon of Doom  Elevation Mega Pack

Dwarven Forge Dungeon of Doom Straight Daises

Dwarven Forge Dungeon of Doom Curved Daises

Dwarven Forge Castle Stairs Pack

Made by Wombat Cage d12

Dungeon Lair Fire Pot With Removable Fire

Dungeon Lair Chairs

Dungeon Lair Desk Chair

Pathfinder Battles Court of the Crimson Throne Chair

Pathfinder Battles Court of the Crimson Throne Throne

Hirst Arts Chairs

Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

Master Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

Underdark #53 Lolth’s Sting

Modified Reaper Miniatures Red Mantis Assassin Kryn Soldier

Rage of Demons #023 Drow Archmage

Rusty Dragon Inn #012 Bugbear Mystic

We Be Goblins #012 Chuffy Lickwound

Tomb of Annihilation #008a Orc (Axe)

Rage of Demons #016 Drow Captain

Dragoneye #50 Drow Wizard

Monster Menagerie 2 #006 Drow Elite Warrior

Dungeon Command Drow House Guard / Dungeons of Dread #13 Drow Spiderguard

Rage of Demons #013 Drow Scout

Modified Reaper Miniatures Drago Voss Kryn Soldier

The Villains Villians?

Photo From Liam O’Brien’s Twitter

Many-a-drow on display here. Previously, I may have been a tad harsh on the new Icons of the Realms drow. Comparing them this week to the Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures Game drow I have noticed that what they might lack in model clarity they partially make up for with their paint jobs. The older drow miniatures are generally very unremarkable in the paint department, with much of them being left unpainted and the black plastic of the sculpt blending right into the base. I am often critical of the Icons of the Realms series, but I want to be sure to award them a point when they’ve earned it (yes it is a competition). Them Icons of the Realms drow minis sure are colorful! 

Loads-o-drohs to cover here, so let’s do some rapid fire mini reviews.

Crossbow Drow Rage of Demons #016 Drow Captain

This captain looks like she was issued an incredibly heavy sword by her soldiers as a prank. Furthermore it’s the least drow looking drow sword ever. Where’s that classic Underdark curvature or the spider bedazzlement? Decent miniature.

Royal Guard Dungeon Command Drow House Guard / Dungeons of Dread #13 Drow Spiderguard

As the miniature name implies, this drow guard looks fit to be a house guard, spider guard, or guard a house fulla spiders. This sculpt has two names and two extremely similar paint schemes. A well detailed model at its core with simplistic paint and slightly wonky body proportions.

Drow Wizard  Dragoneye #50 Drow Wizard

Mini image sourced from minisgallery.com

This miniature looks like it takes about 20 minutes every morning for her to buckle up her wizard boots. So this is a wonderfully detailed and sharp sculpt (the hair, clothing, and weapons are all especially excellent) but the pose is mighty boring. 

Dual Wielding Drow Rage of Demons #013 Drow Scout

This figure looks like it’s spinning in a midair Olympic ice skating routine. A quality action pose. The model fidelity is just not there, things like the folds in the cloak and armor decoration look sort of washed out. Even the text on the bottom of the base is hard to read.

Hulking Kryn Miniboss Modified Reaper Miniatures Drago Voss Kryn Soldier

I had a pretty easy time tracking down the Modified Reaper Miniatures Red Mantis Assassin Kryn Soldier when it first appeared in Episode 51. This figure was far more difficult to identify. Whereas the Red Mantis minis just have their helmets modded, this mini has both a helmet and weapon mod. Pretty darn sophisticated.

This is an extraordinary looking figure. It’s a little tough to see the resemblance to the original model (mostly due to the angle being completely different). This guy must be important to get such a specific mini. Looks really awesome from here, can’t wait to get a closer gander at this figure.

Axe Orc Tomb of Annihilation #008a Orc (Axe)

Not great. Pretty bad sculpt detail. this orc’s tusks are just painted on. An orc with no tusks is no orc at all (no offense Fjord). But, good news, this mini has the signature shaved sides of the head ponytail combination we’ve been seeing throughout Campaign 2. More evidence for this being Tal'Dorei fashion canon.

The NPCs

Empress Leylas Kryn Monster Menagerie 2 #006 Drow Elite Warrior

I think this was the right miniature choice for this character. It looks very good on camera. The mini on the right has better detail, but Drow Elite Warrior has a better pose and better table presence. She has a properly impressive empress presence. The downsides of this mini are the flat paint and overall lack of model resolution, but these flaws are hardly on screen.

The Terrain

Not much commentary to provide on the terrain other than it looks grand and that I really admire the boldness of a DM who steals player dice to use in the scenery. Brilliant move. Bravo.

Closing Remarks and Predictions

Given the sudden turn in the campaign and the relative safety of the Mighty Nein’s situation, I predict a no mini episode. Hopefully I’m wrong. I gotta have more of that Dwarven Forge Battle Cam!

#criticalroleminiaturerollout