#max steel countdown

[ben-talks-art]

I love portrayals of characters with elemental powers, so much

[smash-64]

2023 Game of the Year Countdown #1 The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Nintendo Switch, 2023

For a fourth time since 2018, a Trails game takes my #1 for the year.

Breaking from tradition, this Trails game has no sidequests. It has a very linear story, although technically there are three linear stories and you can jump from one to another for most of the game. In many respects, this is the “Trails in the Sky the 3rd” for the Cold Steel series. Not only is the story more linear, but we get redemption arcs from past villains, and we also get an absolutely disgusting amount of playable characters. Chrono Cross has 45 playable characters, and people often say that’s too many. Well…Reverie has 50. And each of them gets at least a little time in the spotlight. It’s fantastic for Trails fans, and I adored it. I put 150 hours into this game and I’m not sure I could have put less time into it.

Playing the game on Switch, there were definitely a few times the game chugged, so I can’t give the game a perfect 10. Many of the cutscenes in Crossbell City were bogged down by the sheer number of NPCs, and was noticeable to me, a person famously unconcerned with performance. I can see why people advocate for playing this on PC or PS4, but the portability of the Switch trumps all else in my mind. This is really the only downside I experienced with the game, although it did not affect my enjoyment at all.

Having three linear storylines to follow in any order you want is phenomenal. You can keep going with characters you love, and are never forced to stick with the ones you don’t for very long. And with having a linear story, the pace of the game is potentially sped up a little bit from the traditional Trails experience where sidequests can often lead to very long delays in the main story.

The story itself offers a ton. Obviously I can’t spoil a game that is the 10th in an interconnected, on-going series, but I’ll just say that once the main story is over…the postgame story is equally as interesting and gives fans a peek at some of the series-long questions and issues brought up in previous entries. 

Combat is fairly standard as far as the Cold Steel games go. I love Trails combat and this game tweaks little, as nothing was broken. It’s perhaps a little bit more difficult than CS3 or CS4, since the Break mechanic was pretty OP in those two games and it has been toned down slightly, but you can still take full advantage of it if you’re smart and plan well. I also like how some of the accessories drastically increase specific stats, so min/maxing is actually fun in this game. I was able to get Tita Russell’s attack and HP to absolutely absurd heights in this game. She is no longer baby; she wants power!

As previously stated, almost every single character gets their time in the spotlight. Some more than others, of course, but the fact that we get 50 playable characters, yet every one of them gets a chance to shine is a wonderful piece of work by the developers and writers. I’d say that perhaps Musse gets very little, but she had more than enough focus in CS3 and 4. Even Machias gets his own episode, and he is so often forgotten that even I forget about him at times.

Music is good as always when it comes to Falcom. I appreciate some of the battle tunes, like Elegant Prowess, and the game has its own unique sound that sets it apart from CS3 and 4. Maybe not to the same extent that Sky the 3rd sets itself apart from FC and SC, but the tracks unique to this game sound different enough that they are easy to pick out. There are dozens of returning tracks as well, since we revisit quite a few places from previous entries. 

My favorite character is Estelle Bright, and I was glad to see a focused effort to put her in the spotlight more often. She wasn’t in CS1-3, and played a more supporting role in 4 than anything else. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Rean ran the show. Estelle is not one of the main storylines in this game, but it’s nice to see her back with some of her famous one-liners.

Overall, I can’t really say enough about the game. It’s an amazing JRPG experience, but one that requires playing the 9 previous games in the series. Maybe that’s a daunting task to some, but the good thing about trying out a Trails game is that there is always another one to play afterward.

[nerds-yearbook]

In 1989, Hasbro released their 8th series of G.I. Joe RAH action figures: Alley Vipers (Cobra urban assault troopers), Annihilator (Destro's elite trooper), Backblast (anti-aircraft soldier), Countdown (astronaut), Dee-Jay (Battleforce 2000 comm-tech trooper) Deep Six (v2 deep sea diver), Downtown (mortar man), Frag-Viper (Cobra grenade thrower), Gnawgahyde (Dreadnok poacher), H.E.A.T. Viper (Cobra bazooka man), Night-Viper (Cobra night fighter), Recoil (Long Range Recon Patrol), Rock n Roll (v2 gatling gunner), Scoop (combat information specialist), Snake Eyes (v3 commando), Stalker (v2 tundra ranger), T.A.R.G.A.T. (trans atmospheric rapid global assault trooper), Vehicle Drivers: Aero-Viper (Condor Z-25 pilot), Darklon (Evader driver), Dogfight (Mudfighter pilot), Hot Seat (Raider Driver), Long Range (Thunderclap driver), Payload (v2 astronaut that came with the Crusader space shuttle), Track Viper (H.I.S.S. II driver), Wildboar (Razorback driver), Windchill (Artic Blast driver), Slaughter's Marauders: Barbecue (v2 firefighter), Footloose (v2 infantry trooper), Low Light (v2 night spotter), Mutt (v2 animal control/utilization technician), Sgt Slaughter (v4 commander of Slaughter's Marauders), Spirit (v2 tracker), Python Patrol: Python Copperhead (v2 Python Patrol swamp fighter), Python Crimson Guard (v2 Python Patrol elite trooper), Python Officer (Python Patrol officer), Python Tele Viper (v2 Python Patrol communications), Python Trooper (Python Patrol infantry), Python Viper (v2 Python Patrol assault viper), Night Force: Charbroil (v2 flamethrower), Lightfoot (v2 explosives expert), Muskrat (v2 swamp fighter),Repeater (v2 steadi-cam machine gunner), Shockwave (v2 S.W.A.T. specialist), Spear-Head and Max (v2 point man and bobcat), Mail-in specials: Rampage (Mauler M.B.T. Tank Driver), Starduster (jet pack trooper), and Steel Brigade (a character meant to be personalized by the buyer). (G.I. Joe RAH toys wave 8, G.I. Joe toy event)

[princess-josie-riki]

Halfway to Halloween Countdown (feat. The South Park Specter) Day 29

Day 29 of the Halfway to Halloween Countdown, where we'll be counting down until Halfway to Halloween (April 30 - May 1st). And I'm mixing South Park with Halloween Horror Nights too. And now, our ghost host for the Halfway to Halloween Countdown, the South Park Specter (the Halloween Horror Nights version/ghostly horror alter ego of Eric Cartman).

In this pic, Josie Sakura, Josie Kitty and the Multiverse Five (Cragsters Max, Werner Werman, Nightmare Fredbear, Usagi Tsukino/Salilor Moon and Madoka Kaname) are wandering in the Backrooms when they've encountered the South Park Specter, scaring all but one: Nightmare Fredbear, who is rather annoyed. This is for the 1st anniversary of the day I decided to like South Park again and the first time I did something involving The Backrooms.

Only 2 days left until Halfway to Halloween.

Made with Microsoft Paint and Photopea.

Halloween Horror Nights (c) Universal Studios South Park (c) Trey Parker, Matt Stone, South Park Studios, MTV Entertainment Studios and Comedy Partners (Comedy Central) Mixels (c) John Fang, David P. Smtih, Lego and Cartoon Network Cuphead (c) Chad and Jared Moldenhauer and StudioMDHR Five Nights at Freddy's 4 (c) Scott Cawthon and Steel Woll Studios Sailor Moon (c) Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha and Toei Animation Puella Magi Madoka Magica (c) Magica Quartet, Shaft and Aniplex The Backrooms (c) 4chan The South Park Specter, Multiverse Girl, Josie Sakura and Josie Kitty, idea and artwork (c) me

[pixythemercenary]

Pixy's Phase 3 Attack Set:

As stated, this is the 3rd set of attacks Pixy can use. It should be noted that at this point logic is out of the question, only pure and raw emotion is the norm with this moveset.

TW: I have no idea if this is needed, but with the direction this will go it may be needed. I cannot exactly say what the thing will be but connecting the dots should reveal a basic idea. With that out of the way, let's get started.

"Melting, Euphoric Love"(Form 1)

Pixy(/the user) will don a pink suit seemingly made of some sort of slime, along with this pink gloves and accessories will be worn even down to boots and hats. Along with this the user's emotion will spike into blissful happiness.

"Love, Love, Love!"(M1): This is the basic attack for Form 1. It consists of two swings from mace-like weapons(made from a steel stick and slime at the end) and afterwards followed by a downward strike by both maces. These inflict .25 "Euphoria" to a max of 3/10 and deals small damage.

"My Pleasure!"(E): A lunging attack that has decent range, consists of two attacks from the maces. First a dash attack forward followed by another dash attack. Deals small damage and inflicts 2 "Euphoria" if both attacks connect, otherwise only inflicts 1 proc. Cooldown of 15 seconds.

"Come To Me Love!"(R): CTML is a grapple attack with slow windup that if connected "gifts" the target 3 permanent "Euphoria"(caps at 3). The target will have a permanent pink heart over their head and the target will have one of their skills replaced with CTML, acting as a sort of self spreading disease. Cooldown of 45 seconds.

"Kindred Lust"(F): KL is an AOE attack that strikes anything within a 45 degree cone in front of the user. After a small windup anyone will gain 5 "Euphoria" as well as a slowing effect that lasts 5 seconds. Cooldown of 30 seconds.

"Heaven Pierce Her!"(Z): After a long windup strike up to 3 targets who all get stabbed with a long lance covered in pink slime. Deals massive damage and will either inflict 2 "Euphoria"(75% chance), 5 "Euphoria"(15%), or 10 "Euphoria"(10%). Cooldown of 1 minute.

"Realization"(Q): Once imputed a 5 second countdown will start. Once it hits zero moveset changes to Form 2 and all procs of "Euphoria" at play will change to "Regret" depending on the number of procs on each target. Cooldown of 30 seconds, works in reverse.

"Wrathful, Regretful Hate"(Form 2)

Pixy(/User) will take on an monstrous humanoid form which is covered in blood and appears to have large amount of self afflicted damage delt to themselves. Their other outfit is replaced with a variety of outfits ranging from worn rags to clean suits to scuffed military outfits and more. Along with this a large red aura follows the user almost looking like flames.

"Regret, Sorrow, Rage!"(M1): Uncontrollable rage formed into attacks, user attacks with a sword first then a mace then some form of club in a downward attack. Inflicts decent damage as well as .5 bleed per attack connected.

"Cleanse!"(M2): A grapple attack that deals a large amount of damage and inflicts 1 proc of "Sorrow". Attack does lunge and has a cooldown of 10 seconds.

"Hatred!"(E): An attack that smashes down a goliath greatsword, takes a very long time to wind up but anyone caught in a large radius within a 360 degree circle. Deals massive damage and inflicts high "Regret" procs. Cooldown of 60 seconds.

"Cleave!"(F): A sideways attack with a massive cleaver, does large amounts of damage to anyone caught in a 160 degree, medium range swipe. Inflicts 5 "Sorrow" and as a cooldown of 20 seconds.

"Brewing all of this Hatred!"(Z): A long wind up lunge attack that can hit up to 5 people, if attack connects it will lock the user and all targets into a cutscene where a flurry of attacks go out including attacks with a lance, greatsword, dual mace, dual swords and dual revolvers. Total attack deals 75% of targets health and inflicts max "Wrath" upon all targets caught in attack. Cooldown of 1 minute.

Status effects:

"Euphoria": Euphoria gives a 50% damage resistance to all attacks but also -50% damage given out. As such you will be more tanky but deal less damage. Every 40 seconds subtract 2 procs of Euphoria, the max that is allowed is 10.

"Sorrow": Sorrow grants 15% damage dealt and -15% damage resistance. Goes to a max of 10 and subtracts 2 procs every 40 seconds. If Sorrow goes over 11, subtract all Sorrow procs and inflict 1 "Regret".

"Regret": Regret grants 30% damage dealt and -30% damage resistance. Goes to a max of 10 and subtracts 2 procs every 40 seconds. If Regret goes over 11, subtract all Regret procs and inflict 1 "Wrath".

"Wrath": Wrath grants 50% damage dealt and -50% damage resistance. Once this status is inflicted it will not be removed.

Note: If "Realisation" is activated the procs from either form will be reversed(Sorrow,Regret,Wrath=Euphoria and reverse). Anyone with these status effects while "Realisation" is activated will be swapped to the other form's status effects regardless of range.

[sylvi-watch-race-with-time]

Sylvi Rig One 'O One vs Rig One 'O One WT Max: Unveiling the Key Differences

Hey watch lovers, welcome to a wristwatch experience with Sylvi's Rig One 'O One watches! Today, we're not just talking about time; we're delving into the mystery of the Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base and WT Max variants. Whether you're a seasoned collector on the hunt for the next treasure or a first-time watch explorer, you're in for a treat as we deconstruct the unique qualities that elevate these watches beyond mere accessories.

The Rig One 'O One is more than simply a timepiece; it's an exploration of craftsmanship, creativity, and personal flair. What is our mission? To lead you through the differences between the Base and WT Max editions. Consider this your backstage ticket to the realm of horology, where every tick and tock tells a tale.

So, take a cup of coffee, sit in your favourite chair, and join me as we explore the ticking marvels of Sylvi's Rig One 'O One timepieces. Are you ready to delve into the complexities of these timepieces? Let's get started!

Sylvi Rig One ‘O One Base Overview

Enter the world of Sylvi Rig One 'O One, where design and utility collide in a wristwatch. Let's take a look at what makes the Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base a standout.

Sleek Dial: Analog Digital Watch

The eye-catching dial isn't just for show; it's a monument to the artistry that goes into each Sylvi timepiece. This timepiece adds sophistication to any outfit, whether you're dressed up or down.

Smooth Silicone Strap Watch

The soft silicone strap guarantees that your Sylvi Rig One 'O One feels like a second skin for daily comfort. It's unobtrusive, following you from dawn to night.

Stainless Steel Watch

The stainless steel case combines durability with beauty. This watch can withstand a battering while remaining stylish - the ideal companion for your trips.

Watch with Alarm Feature

There will be no more hurrying with the built-in alert. This dependable function assures you'll never be late again, and the brilliant light comes in helpful in low-light situations.

Multifunctional Watch

The Sylvi Rig One 'O One is a multifunctional companion in addition to telling time. It's like having a personal assistant on your wrist to track the date, record exercises or check the time.

Luxury Watch at an Affordable Price

Improve your look without breaking the bank. The Sylvi Rig One 'O One combines style and substance, all watches under 1500 Rs.

Are you ready to take your look to the next level?

Don't pass up the chance to buy a Sylvi Rig One 'O One watch - a wrist game changer.

Sylvi Rig One ‘O One Watch Features

Durable: Built to withstand the test of time and your everyday excursions.

Water Resistant: Prepared for the odd splash or rain.

Sports: Designed for those always on the go.

Stopwatch: Your dependable timer for exercises or tracking time intervals.

Alarm: Your trustworthy reminder for key events.

Analog - Digital: A classic aesthetic coupled with cutting-edge technology.

Sylvi Rig One ‘O One WT Max Overview

With the Sylvi Rig One 'O One WT Max, you can expect an improved timekeeping experience. This is more than just a watch; it's a portal to a universe of possibilities. Let's take a look at the amazing features that make this Upgraded Watch a game-changer.

World Time - 29 Time Zones (48 Cities):

Travellers, rejoice! With its global time function, the WT Max brings the globe to your wrist, including 29 time zones and 48 cities, as well as coordinated universal time. Keep in touch with people all across the world without missing a beat.

Auto Light, Multiple Alarms, and Hourly Chime:

With the WT Max, you'll never miss a beat. This watch keeps you on track throughout the day, whether it's lighting your route with auto light, setting several alarms, or ringing in hourly.

12H / 24H, Stopwatch, Countdown Timer, Lap Time:

The WT Max is versatile, and it delivers. Choose between 12-hour and 24-hour formats, use the stopwatch to time your exercises precisely, create countdowns, and monitor lap times.

Day - Date - Month - Year, Synchronized Analog and Digital Time:

The WT Max will help you stay organised. It not only gives you the time, but it also displays the day, date, month, and year. The synchronised analog and digital time keep you on track regardless of where you are.

High-Quality Silicone Strap:

The WT Max's silicone strap is made of high-quality materials and is designed to resist regular wear and tear. The smooth and supple material provides outstanding comfort, letting you wear it for hours without losing elegance.

The Sylvi Rig One 'O One WT Max is a mix of cutting-edge technologies and exquisite design that will improve your wrist game. Your wrist is deserving of the finest!

Detailed Comparison: Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base vs. WT Max

Now that we've gone over the specific characteristics of the Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base and the Upgraded WT Max, let's compare them side by side.

Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base: A Stylish Statement

The Base version adds a refined touch to your wristwear collection. It's the ultimate combination of style and substance, with its elegant analog-digital dial, comfy silicone band, and robust stainless steel casing. It's more than simply a watch with the alarm feature and multifunctionality; it's a trustworthy companion on your everyday journeys.

Sylvi Rig One 'O One WT Max: A Technological Marvel

The WT Max, on the other hand, takes things to the next level with its sophisticated features. It's a technical wonder, with global time capability, auto illumination, and various alarms, as well as a gorgeous transparent casing that reveals its inner workings. The high-quality silicone strap provides longevity as well as unparalleled comfort, making it a flexible option for both globetrotters and tech lovers.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Design and Style: 

Base: Sleek and refined with an analog-digital dial.

WT Max: Technologically advanced with a transparent case for a clear view.

Strap Comfort:

Base: Soft silicone for everyday comfort.

WT Max: High-quality silicone for durability and extended wear.

Case Material:

Base: Enduring stainless steel.

WT Max: Eye-catching transparent case.

Special Features:

Base: Built-in alarm, multifunctionality.

WT Max: World time, auto light, multiple alarms, and more.

It all comes down to your unique style and tastes in the end. The WT Max appeals to tech-savvy folks who want a watch that does more than simply tell time, while the Base version is a traditional alternative for those who enjoy timeless style.

Common Themes Across Both Watches

Durability: Customers across both models praise the robustness, emphasising that these watches can withstand the rigours of everyday life.

Comfort: The soft silicone straps on both watches have received high acclaim for their exceptional comfort, making them suited for all-day use.

Versatility: Customers like the adaptability of these watches, which can adapt to various circumstances, whether it's the traditional beauty of the Base or the tech-forward appeal of the WT Max.

Conclusion

You've seen the scientific wonder that is the Upgraded WT Max and the sleek elegance of the Sylvi Rig One 'O One Base. It's decision time now.

Still Undecided? Consider Your Lifestyle

For Everyday Elegance: If your daily life involves a mix of work, casual outings, and a bit of everything, the Base version is your versatile companion.

Tech Enthusiast On the Go: If you're constantly on the move, exploring new places, and seeking the latest in technology, the WT Max is your perfect match.

Are you ready to improve your wrist game? Don't put off exploring additional Sylvi watches and finding the one that matches your style. Your wrist deserves the finest, and the Sylvi Rig One 'O One delivers. Good luck with your selection!

[spacenutspod]

With the Federal Aviation Administration and US Fish and Wildlife Service approving the final signoff and license and SpaceX saying the rocket is ready, Starship is a go for its second test flight. Liftoff is targeted for a 20 minute launch window that opens on Nov. 18 at 7:00 AM CST, following a one day slip to fix an issue with Booster 9’s grid fin actuators. During Starship’s first test flight, which took place on April 20, 2023, SpaceX experienced several issues that led to the loss of control and, ultimately, the loss of Booster 7 and Ship 24. For this second flight, SpaceX made several changes to the booster, ship, and the launch pad. Starship Flight Test One:  During the first flight, Booster 7 experienced fires in its engine compartment due to a build-up of methane, which was a result of propellant leaks in the aft section of the vehicle. These fires led to wire bundles melting and burning, leading to loss of control of most of the booster’s engines from the flight computer. To mitigate the engine fires and loss of control of each vehicle, SpaceX upgraded the engine section purge system with larger supply tanks and more vents to allow the gasses to be vented out and away from the vehicle. The second biggest upgraded system is the flight termination system on both vehicles, as SpaceX added larger explosive charges and relocated them to a more effective location for the termination of the flight. Starship’s maiden flight – via Max Evans for NSF. An exciting change for this flight will be the introduction of hot staging. This is where the ship will ignite its engines and separate from the booster while some of its engines are still running. This will add some more payload capacity to the ship, and keep the separation system simpler. Orbital Pad Changes After the first flight test, the Orbital Launch Pad (OLP) had a massive crater dug into it while the engines ramped up to full power. Then, even more damage was done because at liftoff Booster 7 was only running with 30 engines at 90% throttle, which put its Thrust-to-weight ratio (TWR) at just above one.  This resulted in a slower initial ascent and the stack taking longer to clear the pad than SpaceX predicted. The orbital pad after the maiden launch – via Jack Beyer for NSF To prevent something like this from occurring again, SpaceX had been working on a water deluge system before the first flight. However, Elon indicated shortly after the first flight that this system wouldn’t have been ready in time for that first flight. After the first launch, SpaceX got to work quickly on repairing the damage, along with the preparations for redoing the entire foundation of the launch pad. These launch pad upgrades started with reinforced concrete pilings in and around the pad. Once these were completed, SpaceX dug a couple of meters into the ground under the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) and started to lay very large amounts of rebar for what would become the new foundation. After the foundation had been poured, SpaceX laid out the rebar for the pile cap on top and then welded embeds on the top, where the deluge plate would be welded to once installed. After everything was installed and all the concrete was poured, SpaceX installed the water deluge flame deflector, significantly increasing the robustness of the launch pad. The water pressure for this system is very high, which is expected to protect the steel plate itself from the Raptors’ exhaust. This will prevent the “rock tornado” that was seen during the last launch. With these pad upgrades and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk saying that the launch sequence will be modified to reduce the engine ramp-up time from six seconds to three seconds, the pad is expected to survive with significantly less damage than after Starship’s first integrated test flight. Flight Test Two So far, there has been no indication that SpaceX is changing the countdown other than the engine ramp-up time mentioned earlier. Also, the trajectory of this flight test will be the same as what the first test flight was supposed to be. If Ship 25 separates and reaches orbital velocity, it is slated to glide and reenter. And if it survives reentry, it will splash down just north of Hawaii. See AlsoSpaceX Starship SectionL2 SpaceX/Starship SectionClick here to Join L2 Booster 9, assuming it survives its flight up to and including stage separation, will perform a boost back burn and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Texas. Neither vehicle will be recovered. SpaceX is targeting Nov. 18 as the primary launch date with backup launch opportunities available on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20. The road closures are the same as for the first flight — starting at 00:00 AM CST (06:00 UTC) and running all the way to 2:00 PM CST (20:00 UTC). The launch window for the primary opportunity, Nov. 18, is set to begin at 7:00 AM CST (13:00 UTC) and will last for 20 minutes. The launch windows for the backup dates are currently unknown. If SpaceX were to go far into the count and have a scrub while Starship is fully loaded with propellants, then a 48-hour turnaround would be required to refill the tank farm, assuming no time is needed to fix whatever issues may have caused a scrub on that day. Expectations For this launch, the hope is for the upgrades to Booster 9 to be effective, allowing the stack to reach stage separation without many issues. The main goal of the first few test flights is to test the booster and work out potential issues with its design. Once this goal is achieved, SpaceX is expected begin testing reentry and booster recovery. S28 and B10 at Masseys. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF) Flight Test Three and Beyond The vehicles for the third flight are slated to be Ship 28 and Booster 10, both of which have several upgrades already over the current stack. After the third flight, it is expected that SpaceX will follow up with booster/ship pairings in sequential order. For example, Ship 29 would fly with Booster 11, Ship 30 would fly with Booster 12, etc. It is unclear, however, if this sequential order will be kept going forward as SpaceX could be planning for ground test vehicles at a later point. To get approval for the third flight, SpaceX will still have to get a launch license modification, as Revision 1 of License No. VOL 23-129  for the second flight notes “For the Orbital Flight Test 2 mission only unless this license is modified to remove this term.” Additionally, if there is any sort of anomaly during this second flight, a mishap investigation will be required before another launch. Ships 28 through 32 have many similarities, although as more upgrades are made to ships, some of the changes are being retrofitted to the older ships. Regarding boosters, Boosters 10 through 13 have decent changes between them as SpaceX continues to upgrade. (Lead Image: B9/S25 fully stacked ahead of the second test flight. Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF) The post After upgrades, Starship is ready for second test flight appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[taylorswordsemporium]

“Pilot Contact Test, call-sign Aperture, do you copy?”

“Copy, Station, this is Aperture, pilot unit GL-7D, over.” The blonde gynoid sits in the seat of this new vessel, viewing the stars from a few hundred meters inside the station’s launch bay. If all goes well, she’ll be the first being from this star system to travel faster than light. For a set distance, hopefully.

Even if she stored the entire technology brief in her head, she would have to admit she’s hard-pressed to comprehend everything, instead of parroting it. Something to do with spacetime warping and photon bubbles and blah blah. GL- informally Glynda- was built for piloting, not engineering. Free will may exist in machines as of the Y4K Singularity Event, many generations ago, but even humans at large still stick to a single discipline.

“Roger Aperture, launch systems are almost prepared. Begin engine warm-up and engage Sail Mode.” The more mechanical voice of the station is the last familiar thing Glynda might hear for a while... It’s weird to want to savor that, in her mind. By all accounts, this test flight should run smooth as butter, but flight technology, especially through space, is built on wrecks and corpses.

“Copy.” Ever professional, in her element. Maybe that’s one of the reasons she was chosen from the solar system’s fleet of interplanetary fighter pilots. Her fingers deftly flip the various switches before her around, and the soft blue glow of her engines reflects off of the dull steel of the station’s docking port. “All systems green, Sail Mode engaged. Prepared for rail launch at station’s command, over.”

Glynda takes a deep, simulated breath as she settles into the unfamiliar cockpit. Provided everything goes well, the fighter-class ship will be her payment, and she’ll be the ultimate pilot in the system for a few months. Prototype spaceflight equipment... A rarity, these days. Once the sub-lightspeed interplanetary travel systems were maxed out in power, everyone could only fly as fast as each other. For the personality of someone like Glynda, a stunt pilot at heart, it really is a little boring.

A thirty-second countdown appears on the cockpit’s status display. Glynda minds it, taking the time remaining to see if she can see the extra launch system being activated outside of the station. The best she can tell, there’s a subtle, ultraviolet shimmer occurring outside of the e-mag shields of the launch bay. The FTL system, active and ready to fling her off to Proxima Centauri. Glynda rests her hands on her flight controls, and prepares to be shot out of the station.

Her fighter rumbles as the stations magnetic launchers engage with her ship’s landing gears and begin thrusting her outward. Ten seconds until launch completion and contact with the warp ring. Out of the station at roughly fifty percent lightspeed, and then... Who knows?

“Gears up at the 2 second mark, Aperture.”

“Roger Wilco.” No time to waste words, at these speeds. Glynda bursts from the stations red “door”, and toward the mesmerizingly shimmery space in the white metal ring right before her. After a mere moment of silence as her craft enters the void of space, the tip contacts the barrier and a low hum echoes into her skull.

And then her world goes dark. Followed by a flash of what she can only describe as rainbows and lightning as her ship is chucked unceremoniously into the unknowns of FTL travel. Keeping calm as she can, with her teeth rattling in her jaw, Glynda eyes her instruments and does her best to simply hold her ship’s flight in one direction. It’s all she can do. God help her, now, if She’s out here.

After agonizing minutes that feel like hours or days to Glynda’s overwhelmed systems, the more experimental part of her ship begins to activate. Much like the launch ring that flung her out here, a similar system must be in place to slow her down before she can take better control. Wincing, she can barely process the sounds of the ring pieces on the sides of her engine expanding and constructing themselves to reabsorb the energy of this previously theoretical hyperspace she’s hurtling through.

From the outside, Proxima Centauri c sees a shimmer about half an AU away, as Glynda’s ship compresses back into existence, leaving its return launch ring behind. Everything seems to have gone well. Nothing’s broken, solar cells in every device involved will have things operational in a few hours.

And Glynda finds herself the loneliest woman in the universe, sitting in the darkened cockpit of her depleted starfighter.

[theres-no-protocol-for-this]

Air

Content warning: implied character death (although it's not all doom and gloom)

I didn’t mention the collapsed lung because there was absolutely nothing any of the humans could do about it right now, and I mostly had my breathing under control. It hurt, and I wasn’t getting enough oxygen, but my vital signs weren’t critical yet.

So I had a little time to save these idiots.

They were miners and they should’ve known better than to get trapped on an air-less asteroid without a functional life support system, but I got the impulse. They were trying to get away from the company that owned their contracts — owned them, essentially. And by some horrible stroke of fate, their escape shuttle had been programmed to come here (some outdated instructions that hadn’t been properly wiped from the shuttle’s limited memory banks).

I was here with Ratthi and Thiago, following a tip about some “non-corporates” needing rescue. The Preservation Station responder was only hours behind us — it would get here just in time to watch the humans suffocate.

“Keep moving,” I wheezed more than said.

The leader of the ragtag group glared at me. “We’re wandering blindly in this maze. And you don’t look so good.”

There was a piece of steel bar going through my chest. What the fuck did he expect me to look like? “It’s fine. We need to keep moving. If we find the command center, we stand a chance. If we stay here, we’re going to run out of oxygen in approximately… 1.7 hours.”

I was going to be dead before then, but still…

It was dark down here and silent, other than the humans’ labored breathing. The lack of the familiar hum generated by most air circulation systems was unnerving. A countdown to the inevitable. This place had been abandoned long before these idiots arrived.

“What about your friends?”

“Thiago and Gurathin are doing their best, but they’re out there.” I pointed toward the cavern ceiling. “They can’t get in unless we find and disable the base’s security measures.” They’d dropped me off in an evac suit so I could start looking for any injured humans. Lucky me.

“Can’t you hack into them or something?”

I shook my head. “Not this place.” Because it was so outdated that it didn’t have a functional feed. Another silence I couldn’t stand.

My drones were up ahead, scouting the area and finding more darkness and even more passageways carved into this giant rock. I was also building a map of the areas we’d traversed and blasting it out at the max power of said drones, just in case someone picked it up. With any luck, either the responder would arrive quicker than anticipated or Thiago, with his impressive language skills, would figure out how to operate this death trap.

I took a breath and my other lung gave out. Well… Fuck.

“Keep moving,” I whispered with the last of my air and set the drones to hover around the group.

I’m getting a reading from a… drone. It looks like a map. Hurry up and land this thing.

[ben-talks-art]

Anyone remembers the Max Steel CountDown movie?

I used to think this silly toy commercial movie was the coolest thing ever as a kid.

A premise of Max's enemy with elemental powers getting the ability to divide itself into each element and then wreak havoc across the world, and in order to stop him he needs to charge up some kind of bomb that's fueled by raising his adrenaline levels, which he proceeds to do by fighting all the giant versions of the elemental monsters at the same time...

This is just such a dumb but awesome fun time. XD I love it!

Btw, Elementor is legit a really sick design for a villain.

[shmowlwrites]

NaNoWriMo: Day 2

Bros! Kim and Marinette with Daminette!

This was fun to write

I had no idea how to end it though, so sorry for that!

Vaguely proof read!

Marinette cared quite a bit about Kim, and that feeling was mutual between the two friends. They were childhood friends with Nino, but the two had always been closer. Early college had tricked them into thinking the reason was love. They later broke up, knowing that their “romance” wasn’t actually so. Nonetheless, they still remained impeccably close.

So, when Kim realized Marinette was back into looking at the market, after falling out of her several year long crush on Adrien, he had to figure out who the man was that had caught his Best Bro’s attention. 

It took a bit of stalking and illegal activity (was it really illegal on his part if he asked a favor from Max?) for him to finally find the man. Now, Kim may be a bit dimwitted or a perfect jock, he kinda knew that, but he wasn’t outright stupid. This guy’s expression seemed to be in a permanent scowl until he saw Marinette.

Red flag? Maybe. 

But at least he seems to really love Marinette.

So of course, Kim decided the best course of action would be to crash one of their dates rather than take on the guy by himself. Kim wasn’t sure if he could outrun a potential murderer.

So, here Kim was, “casually” walking down the street when he so “happened” to see Marinette and her mystery man.

“Oh, hey, Marinette!” Kim called, quickly jogging over. Marinette had startled, obviously not expecting anyone to come by. Apparently that meant he was immediately labeled a threat to the guy with her, because his green eyes had steeled over and Kim was starting to feel the countdown on his life. 

“Hey, Kim,” Marinette chuckled, leaving the beast’s arms to launch herself into a hug. She whispered aggressively in his ear, “If you ruin my date, I swear to all that is holy, you will regret it.”

Kim only grinned and nodded. Yeah, yeah. He needed to interrogate her man, nothing date ruining. Chill, bro. 

Kim kept an arm looped around Marinette's shoulder as he turned his attention to the guy. He was taller in person than from a distance and he still looked like he ate something unpleasant.

"Hey, I'm Kim Le Chien," Kim held a hand out. 

The mystery dude only looked at his hand, then Marinette, and then tutted before moving to take his hand. "Damian Wayne."

Kim beamed. "It's a pleasure to meet the guy that stole my bro's heart! How'd you meet?" He gave Marinette a shit-eating grin.

"Oh, God, come on, Kim," Marinette groaned, finally realizing what's happening. "Don't you have Alix or Max to pester?"

"Nope!" Kim loudly laughed. "I've got you to pester today and I intend to get to know your mystery man."

Damian looked like he was about to retort but Marinette beat him to it.

"Ugh, how about I leave you two alone and an hour later I don't find a dead body?"

"Sounds perfect!" Kim cheered. It was not perfect. He needed Marinette around to not die. 

"Angel-"

"Dami, be nice. Kim's one of my childhood friends, and to be fair, I've honestly not talked about you. Have fun, guys!" Marinette booked it, but Kim could hear her snickers. Damnit, Mari!

Kim steeled himself before facing Damian. "So, how about we get to know each other?"

-

Kim left that day with probably a broken hand because he wasn't that good at verbally interrogating and so he had decided physical tests would work. And damn, arm wrestling was not a good idea. 

But! He was assured his bro had a good boyfriend. He may be emotionless, but he was good. 

-

"Do I dare ask what you did?" Marinette asked, cocking an eyebrow as she tilted her head up from where she was comfortably cuddling.

"Oh, it was fine. He asked a few questions and then he tried to physically check me," Damian chuckled.

"Oh, was that why he was leaving with his hand cradled to his chest?"

"You don't have any proof."

[tsarinatorment]

Thunderbird Finale... words?  What are words.

Incoherent screaming sounds so much better.

(actually got up to watch it live for once so everything is under the cut for spoilers - all written post-ep because if I liveblog I miss things and we can’t have that for this!)

They didn’t hear Scott!!!  I’ve been thinking all week of how much screaming they’d be doing hearing his little “Dad?” over the comms and maybe Jeff’s system linking back in and them hearing his response but they never heard it and that’s painful but also worked so well.  So they were there panicking over Scott being gone too long (what did you expect, boys?  He was going to stop and come back just because a planetoid was collapsing in on him?  Since when does that stop Scott?) and trying to decide when was a good time to go in themselves to drag big brother out.  (Alan in Two when he’s supposed to be in Three, kid needs all his big brothers right now)

Then two life signs and their faces as they realise what that means.

The module.  Their faces when they see him.

Alan’s first and he pushes Jeff’s helmet away as he crashes into him and kid knows how to move in Zero-G so well I bet Jeff never saw that coming.  Then Gordon and then it’s a whole dogpile and Scott just watches (he took so long I started screaming at him to join in, too!) until there’s finally the big hug and it’s Alan and Gordon in the middle (not actually sure which blond head that was, but I think Gordon was on top of Alan?)

Virgil and medical scans and hey now we know where he got it from.

Pesky Hood and no, Max!  Also where was EOS, writers?  Thunderbird Five was right there and did absolutely nothing the whole ep ngl I’m a little annoyed with that.

“Who taught Alan to fly like that?”  Jeff’s so proud of his youngest and proof it wasn’t Jeff that taught him (we all kinda knew that anyway but confirmation).  And no-one taking credit for it, even though John’s the only other astronaut and of course Scott would have had a hand in it, because they want Alan to be appreciated under his own merit.  Brilliant big brothering from Gordon there!

The Hood disguised as Brains and only Jeff caught it (”he’s never called me Jeff to my face”) I called it and I’m delighted and now Brains is never going to do it ever because it saved the day once, I hope you realise this, Jeff.

The countdown and Scott handing command back to Jeff (even though it’s definitely still Scott in command and that felt like a ‘I want Dad involved’ to me... hierarchy of IR is what now?  We’ll worry about that later)

Meanwhile on the Island Chaos Crew are causing more chaos and why can Havoc hack Brains’ systems like that?  Me no likey.  But Mechanic protecting Grandma and Kayo (and Grandma protecting Kayo, I saw you at the back there young lady).  Mechanic back to how we first saw him with his gear (except the mask) and the posing and the powerful mecha but now he’s on their side and IR has definitely got itself another engineer here.

Fuse’s character arc finished how I wanted it to!  And Grandma taking no nonsense and Doctor Tracy is that like, PhD doctor or medicine doctor or both?  I’m going both.  Virgil definitely got more than just his gentle soul of steel from Grandma!  Clarence I mean what a brilliant name.  But despite knowing it’s wrong he still can’t quite betray Havoc so he goes back to her even though they’ve lost because this is a show about family and no matter how much of an evil minion she’s been, she’s still his big sister!

Also Fuse is scared of dogs, I mean, Fuse. Sherbet is smaller than one of your boots and his teeth would never get through your armour.  Really what is there to be scared of?

Colonel Casey please tell me you’ve caught your little mole as well.  And when did you get enough schematics of Tracy Island to get all the way into their most secure lab?

The Mechanic has the last word because he catches them but he doesn’t want it so it goes to Parker instead and aaaah I’ve come to really love Mechanic and his awkwardness.  You can tell he’s an introverted engineer just like Brains (makes me wonder what Brains would have been like if the Hood had got his cybernetic eye on him instead).

Jumping around again but Hood backstory with Jeff is kinda cliche but hey now I see how they know the Kyrano family (but we never saw Kyrano???? Where is Kayo’s dad now?)  It’s very different to TOS or the movie but you know, I kinda like it.  A moral compass is an important thing to have, Hood.

How did they get back to Earth?  Please tell me Thunderbird Five is safely where she belongs back in orbit because we don’t see her again.

Grandma hugging Jeff like yes this is a mother who lost her son.  The height difference between them is so sweet but Sally is just “this is my boy and not even hell is stopping me now” Jeff is in for so much mothering.

And Alan missing his graduation but dismissing it as not important (even though it is to him) and of course Grandma pulled strings so he could get it once he was home.  From Dad.  In IR uniform.  (Why is Jeff wearing boring clothes???)  I thought Jeff meant the IR hat, too!  Forgot US schools have mortarboards for high school graduation.

John filming it all and that hug because Jeff is not over this at all and those boys are so, so important to him.

John’s phone/tablet/thing doubles as a receiver for distress calls because of course it does, and why do the Thunderbirds go 1-2-3-4 not 4-3-2-1 like the rest of the time?

Jeff back at the desk with Grandma and how is this going to work because that was John’s role he was taking there (”how can we help”) and wow is the hierarchy going to need some working out because Scott has been in control for so long now, and John has been comms for forever.  Jeff’s never been part of this particular lineup before so he doesn’t know how they function.

Well, we’re not getting canon for that any time soon.  I guess that means it’s up to the fandom to work that one out!  I look forwards to the many fics in the future (and of course, will be contributing myself).

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark Actor Spotlight - Jill Wagner (Part 5)

Mystery 101: Dead Talk (2019) 

Directed by Winnifred Jong 

Written by John Christian Plummer and Jim Biederman 

Staring Jill Wagner, Kristoffer Polaha, Robin Thomas, Preston Vanderslice, Sarah Dugdale, Amanda Wong, Tegan Moss, Matthew James Dowden, Garrett Black, Mark Krysko, Donna Benedicto, Benjamin Wilkinson, Katherine Lough Haggquist, Lochlyn Munro, Isaiah Lehtinen, and Edwin Perez 

Premiered September 22, 2019 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

Synopsis: 

Amy (Wagner) heads to the big city to give an address as part of a TEDTalk-style lectureseries run by Amy’s ex from grad school, Tim Bishop (Matthew James Dowden). When one of her fellow speakers, a genius inventor, is killed in a freak accident, Amy suspects foul play. But the local cops shut her out of the investigation so she calls upon Travis (Polaha) to help, and he is quick to suspect Tim (but Travis may have other reasons for not liking the man). After Amy and Travis discover the dead man was an informant in a corporate espionage case, Amy knows why the cops stonewalled her. She and Travis sniff out a motley collection of potential killers, including a corporate CEO, a trust fund kid, and the dead man’s wife. Amy will prove that you can take the crime-solver out of the small town, but that’s not going to stop her from solving crimes. 

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (2019) 

Directed by D.J. Viola 

Written by Liz Sczudlo, based on the novel by Jenny Hale

Starring Jill Wagner. Matthew Davis, Wyatt Hunt, Rachel Hendrix, Brandon Quinn Swierenga, Darby Hinton, Donna Mills, Marquita Goings, Charles Green, Bruce C. Taylor, Dorothy M. Steel, and Kenneth Israel

Premiered October 26, 2019 on the Hallmark Channel, part of Countdown to Christmas 

Synopsis: 

Single mother Abbey Fuller (Jill Wagner) may have shuttered her interior design firm for the security of a 9-5 job at a retirement village in Richmond, Virginia, but she still enjoys transforming an ordinary room into something special. She is in her element with the start of the Christmas season, pulling out all the decorative stops both at the retirement village and at the cozy home she shares with her ebullient five-year-old son, Max (Wyatt Hunt).

Abbey’s talents have hardly gone unnoticed. She has a devoted fan in her friend, Caroline Sinclair (Donna Mills), the down-to-earth widow of a prominent businessman. Eager to see Abbey resume her career, Caroline urges her to meet with her son, Nick (Matthew Davis), about taking on a major project: redecorating the family estate. While Abbey worries about how any job might interfere with her time with Wyatt, she can’t help but be excited by the prospect ofbeautifying a stately residence of impeccable architecture.

Abbey certainly understands why an interior designer is needed when she gets a tour of the gaudily furnished mansion. But the aesthetics are only part of the challenge. Abbey has less than four weeks to execute a complete makeover of the first floor, where Nick will host a Christmas Eve gala as CEO of Sinclair Enterprises. Adding to Abbey’s worries is the remoteness of her handsome client, who is intensely focused on launching the company’s new Southerndivision. With Nick largely unavailable, Abbey has to answer to his frosty second-in-command, Kate Newhall (Rachel Hendrix), who is openly dubious about her ability to handle the job.

Mustering her resolve, Abbey plunges into the task at hand, trusting her instincts to carry her in the right direction. With the help of her former assistant, Desiree (Marquita Goings), she begins to get a handle on transforming the Sinclair Estate. She has a tougher time getting a handle on her growing feelings for Nick, who is proving to be more helpful and interested in her work than anticipated. But even as their rapport deepens, neither one dares tell the truthabout what they want for Christmas... 

Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019) 

Directed by Sean McNamara 

Written by Zac Hug 

Starring Maggie Lawson, Paul Greene, Rukiya Bernard, Holly Robinson Peete, Barbara Niven, Jill Wagner, Ashley Williams, Colin Lawrence, Marlon Kazadi, Antonio Cayonne, Patty McCormack, Keith Martin Gordey, Malcolm Stewart, Chris Cope, Michelle Martin, Laura Soltis, and Daryl Shuttleworth

Premiered November 29, 2019 on the Hallmark Channel, [art of Countdown to Christmas 

Synopsis: 

On the train headed to a Christmas retreat, novelist and freelance writer Katie (Maggie Lawson) meets Evergreen native Ben (Paul Greene), who tries to convince her that Evergreen is more than a tourist destination. When Katie’s magazine-editor mother assigns her an article about Evergreen, she researches this firsthand. Katie joins the historical club meeting with Ben, Hannah (Rukiya Bernard), Carol (Barbara Niven), Joe (Malcolm Stewart), Ezra (Chris Cope) and David (Marlon Kazadi), and they talk about the town’s hidden time capsule. Later, everyone bidsfarewell to Allie (Ashley Williams) as she leaves on a trip to Paris.

Hannah is devastated when she breaks the town’s snow globe and takes it to Elliott (Antonio Cayonne) to be fixed. There is a spark between them, but they are too shy to confess their feelings. Elliott discovers a key carved inside the snow globe, which eventually leads David to find the real one under the town’s sleigh. Katie grows closer to Ben and learns that he was a journalist before moving back to Evergreen to help his grandmother.

With Carol’s help, David finds the time capsule: a larger than life Advent calendar! Having kept the location secret for years, Nick (Keith Martin Gordey) and Nan (Patty McCormack) delight in sharing the story of how the time capsule came to be. Michelle (Holly Robinson Peete) leads the daily reveal by pulling names out of a hat. Later, Ben finds a draft of Katie’s newspaper article on the library printer and its cynical view of the town leads to their first argument. Katie and Ben quickly make peace while ice skating, each apologizing for being hard on the other. Michelle reunites with her boyfriend Thomas (Colin Lawrence), who has returned from logging, and is happier than ever in their relationship.

Despite Lisa (Jill Wagner) sharing how happy she is with her decision to move to Evergreen, Katie prepares to leave. She decides to stay one extra day when Ben asks and opens the next Advent gift: her choice of a Christmas activity for the whole town to do together. After making a snowman with the town, Hannah and Elliott find Hannah’s mother’s long-lost wedding ring. Hannah finally confesses her feelings for one Elliott, who feels the same way.

Katie leaves Evergreen, and begrudgingly turns in her article. Surprisingly, her mother encourages her to instead use her experience as inspiration for her next novel. Katie spends a wonderful time in the city sharing Christmas traditions with her mom. Back in Evergreen, Nan encourages Ben to apply for the job in the city, and even submits his resume for him.

As distance separates Katie and Ben, they must decide if their connection was just a holiday romance or a love everlasting. As they hope for a holiday miracle, Evergreen’s magic may have one more Christmas surprise in store for another special couple. 

[alolanfloatzel]

KYSAN’S TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2018 - ADVENT CALENDAR COUNTDOWN

#17: Iridescence - Brockhampton

Rap

I’m gonna be real, I waited for a bit to get on the Brockhampton train! This album was my introduction to Brockhampton, so I feel like people will get mad at me for not using their previous albums as a comparison point (esp. considering the controversy with Ameer Vann and him not being part of the band anymore), but oh well, I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m competently familiar enough with the Saturation series to be able to talk about it here.

So that being said, this is an overall very solid rap album. Everyone’s flows are really good, and I love the different kinds of instrumentations that complement everything work especially well - my favourite parts in terms of instrumentation and accents specifically are Weight, Tape, and Tonya, and what makes this really fun is how diverse everything is. Tonya can turn into more of a piano ballad-y type situation, for example, whereas Tape is more synth driven and groovy. The lyricism especially is super great, you’ve got lots of lyrical content about Kevin Abstract being gay obviously, and I also really enjoy the stuff that’s more about the experiences of the band getting their major record deal and dealing with the fallout of having fame and the different nuances that come along with it. To be honest I really wish I had more to say about this album than I did, and I’m sure there are people who could provide better commentary on it than I could at this point in time, but from my point of view it’s pretty simple: the flows are good, the instrumental is great, and I also love the messages that are being written throughout.

Listen to these!: New Orleans, Weight, Tape

Song of the Day

#17: Relentless - Arkells

Rock

Arkells honestly never fails to deliver, and this song has a HELL of a lot of character! There’s an awesome steel guitar motif right in the beginning of the song, you’ve got Max Kerman’s excellent and explosive vocals that are complemented with driving rhythm section parts, especially during the chorus. All these things together give Relentless a lot of heart and personality, which I feel is pretty signature to most Arkells music.

#18 // #16

[heartslogos]

seas who could sing so deep and strong [107]

“Step in line,” the Empress says, “As soon as the technicians have figured out stabilizing Garuda and make that warframe’s schematics available to the tenno pool I will be the first to get her. I’ve always wanted to try transference with a Garuda. But by the time the Orokin had her design finalized and ready for mass production I had already been deployed to Earth as a Saryn. And there was no way that I was going to leave Alpha, they might have never let me come back.”

“You can’t hoard Garuda to yourself,” Punk says, “I want to try interfacing with one, too.”

“Among all of us,” the Empress gestures in a neat triangle, “I am the one most suited for Garuda. Punk, I love you dearly and treasure you as an adorable companion and amusement, but if you come between me and that warframe I will cut you off without remorse or hesitation.”

“I also want to try Garuda,” Kore says, joining the conversation for the first time since the argument broke out, “I feel like she’d be more compatible with me than my Valkyr.”

Valkyr’s rage and her vengeance is too powerful. It’s all consuming. As a Valkyr Kore relishes the power and feels so vividly alive, but at the same time she can’t think. All of her thoughts race and move towards one act of violence and immediate satisfaction to the other. She can’t plan, she can’t think ahead, she can’t protect Judge the way she needs to sometimes.

Garuda seems more precise. Controlled. Tactical.

“Excellent. Then our order shall be me, then Persephone, and then you,” the Empress says.

“What? How come Percy before me? She only just joined this conversation one second ago.”

“Women and children first.”

“I am a child!” Punk throws his arms up in exasperation.

“Oh, Jude,” the Empress smiles, and pats Punk’s cheek, “You are unquestionably juvenile but you are no child. And there is only one person in existence that I would follow behind and currently he has about as much interest in Garuda than he has in the world around him. Alpha?”

The three of them turn to the Oberon that’s been quietly kneeling on the ground some yards off.

Oberon’s long shimmering royal blue and crisp white skirts are elegantly fanned out on the ground around Alpha, as his metal fingertips glitter in the light as he untangles some sort of small baby brush animal from a thorny bush.

“Alpha,” the Empress calls out again.

She sighs fondly when there’s no response and repeats, “Alpha.”

Oberon’s head suddenly turns towards them, hands stilling, shoulders jerking back. He tilts his head.

“Do you want a Garuda?” the Empress asks.

Alpha’s response is to turn back to the animal he’s working with and continue unraveling thorns and leaves and branches, returning to his intense focus on his self-assigned task.

“See?”

“We can all use her at the same time,” Punk says, “There’s no reason why we can only deploy one Garuda at a time.”

Kore rolls her eyes and the Empress sighs, shaking her head.

“If I am a Garuda, and you are a Garuda, and Persephone is a Garuda,” the Empress says, “Who is the one keeping us alive and providing back up when there’s a dip in synchronization or some sort of failed calibration?”

“Garuda’s damage output increases the more damage the frame has sustained,” Kore says, “That means we’re all going to be running this frame through heavy fire on purpose and we’re going to have to manage our warframe’s energy pools while trying to keep level. The three of us trying to figure that out at the same time together without any real back up is suicide. And with your luck the Zanuka would drop in for us. Empress maxes her first, then me, then you. Ideally, if you go last then the two of us will know what to expect when you start in on it.”

-

“Your thoughts?” the Empress says as Judge follows her onto the newly constructed relay.

“It’s…red,” Judge says. It’s certainly a very different aesthetic from the other tenno relays. “And it kind of feels like this is some sort of battalion outpost. Like this place exists in the middle of a war zone.”

“The entirely of this solar system is a war zone,” the Empress replies, “But your point is made. Yes, it does have that atmosphere, doesn’t it? The other relays seem very relaxed in comparison. Cool. Business like.”

“Yeah,” Judge says, looking around at the orange and gold banners, the flames and torches, the scorched stones that decorate the warm metal of the relay. “The Steel Meridian designed this place? It feels more Red Veil.”

“The Steel Meridian is not known for aesthetics, Hades,” the Empress says, “And of its allies the Red Veil knows how to use images best. Say what you will about them, but they certainly have a mastery of dramatics. Mercury is one of the more contested planets, quick to change hands. It seems fitting that its relay gets designed with these conditions in mind.”

Judge sticks close to the Saryn as she guides them through the relay. It’s not just the colors that are different. The entire layout of the space is rearranged.

Automatic doors slide open and Judge looks up at the new and open main room, seeing the large glass panes revealing the darkness of space outside. All of it is heavily contrasted with the metal bowls of flame and burning stones.

In the middle of the room there’s a red countdown holograph projected along with some sort of -

“Razorback?”

“No one wants the Tenno factions rebuilding anything,” the Empress says, “Of course the Corpus and Grineer have set their sights on this relay to destroy it once more. Better now to crush hope and to nip this before it is fully fortified. Come. We must report to the Arbiters, new intelligence on the incoming invasion should have been distributed to the factions by now. And I would like to hear it from Hexis before I hear the Steel Meridian’s colorful version.”