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void-ink-studios · 1 year ago

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Prohibited Love Story

“Hey Scrabby, you’re not gonna believe this! The Boss is so impressed with my work that I’m getting a brand new job! I’m gonna be the Wishmaster!”

“Really? I’m so proud of you, Darling! I know you’ll do great.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be here in the first place if it wasn’t for your help.”

“Don’t be silly, you’re a brilliant wizard and a hard worker. You’ve earned this.”

“Aw, thank you Lovebug. But I still feel like you deserve something cool too. Maybe, something like this?”

“What is this?”

“I created this big crystal for you. It’s actually a Multi-tool, that’s supposed to make your job a little easier.”

“You know me so well.~”

“I also added an extra surprise gift, inside the crystal… Go ahead, look inside Scrabby.”

A soft gasp.

“A… A diamond ring?”

“Scarab, I love you more then anything in the cosmos. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You’re my best and closest friend. And I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. So… will you marry me?”

“…Yes… Yes, I will.”

A loving kiss.

“Glob, I’m so lucky to have you Scrabby-Baby… I love you so much.”

“I know… And I love you too, Wizmo.”

~~~

They were supposed to get married, after Wizmo had transformed into the Wishmaster.

The wedding would’ve happened right inside of the Time Room.

They both had planned everything.

But Wizmo is called Prismo now.

And he doesn’t remember Scarab at all.

Apparently, that’s the price of being Wishmaster. You forget your past life. It’s a cruel, yet clever thing to do. Without any memories of who they used to be, the Wishmaster won’t be tempted to leave the job or wake up. After all, you can’t miss what you don’t remember.

If only Scarab knew what would happen. He would’ve prevented Wizmo from taking that cursed job. He would’ve fought every god to keep Wizmo safe. But Scarab didn’t know until it was too late. As a result, it completely changed both of their lives. Yet only Scarab was suffering for it.

Prismo seemed to be content with his new life. He grants the mortals’ wishes, like he’s supposed to. He also threw a lot of parties and made so many new friends. Scarab tried to make Prismo remember who he used to be. But all he got was an awkward, confused expression on Prismo’s pink face. Although Scarab didn’t show it, it was breaking his heart.

Scarab started to ignore Prismo and his party invitations. Then he began to push everyone away and focus on his work. When he worked, it was easier to forget the pain.

Cosmic Owl had tried to convince Scarab to give Prismo a second chance.

“He may have lost his memories and changed his name, but he is still Wizmo. He still cares about you Scrabby, even if he can’t remember. Don’t you see the happy sparkle inside his eye, whenever he sees you?”

Scarab simply ignores him and continues with his work.

The God-Auditor could feel the silent waves of disappointment and sympathy coming from the Cosmic Owl.

Eventually, he leaves Scarab alone.

The bird was a fool.

It’s true, that Prismo was a lot like Wizmo.

He looks like him.

He smiles like him.

He even sounds like him.

But Prismo is NOT Wizmo.

But that’s okay.

Because Scarab can find a way to get rid of Prismo and finally be allowed to wake Wizmo up.

All he has to do is wait for Prismo to make a mistake.

~~~

He did everything right.

He was so close.

So close to getting his Wizmo back.

But he was defeated by a glowing dandelion, of all things. It was literally the dumbest thing that ever happened to him. With the cherry on top being The Boss telling him that he wasn’t allowed to destroy the copycat universe anymore. Even though he had permission a few minutes ago. All the crossover did was blow on a weed, it shouldn’t count!

Why is the entire multiverse against him? He never asked for much. All he wants is his best friend and fiance back. They can easily find a new Wishmaster. There are countless other wizards who’d love to take the job. It doesn’t have to be Wizmo!

But Scarab’s opinions never mattered to the other gods. When that phone call with the Boss had ended, he knew that he was defeated. It was over.

So, if Scarab can’t have his happy ending…

“Hey, Mister Scarab… No hard feelings, okay?”

… then neither can Prismo or his creations.

“No hard feelings?!”

He doesn’t care whether or not the Boss will destroy him for this later. He lost everything. Nothing matters anymore. He will never be with Wizmo again. And it’s all that arrogant tomboy’s fault.

Now her whole world is gonna pay for it.

“I’M GONNA TEAR DOWN PRISMO’S PRECIOUS SANDCASTLE WITH MY BARE HANDS!”

~~~

Scarab still can’t believe it.

Prismo helped him.

Despite everything that Scarab did, despite almost destroying the giant glorified genie’s creations, Prismo helped him.

But that shouldn’t be possible. Prismo was not Wizmo anymore. He lost all his memories. He doesn’t remember Scarab at all. So the Wishmaster shouldn’t care what happened to the Auditor.

Yet Prismo still defended Scarab.

After he failed, Scarab was ready to accept oblivion or a demotion, with open arms. He felt nothing and said nothing, while the Boss and Orbo were deciding his punishment. Their words were like numbing static inside Scarab’s ears.

But then Prismo suddenly came rushing in, with terror in his eyes.

Why was he so afraid?

Shouldn’t he be happy that he would never see Scarab again?

The pink shadow tried his best to stay calm, while explaining that giving Scarab a big punishment over Prismo’s actions wasn’t fair. Prismo, as usual, used his weird charm to sway others to see things his way. Prismo then whispered an idea into the Boss’s ear.

Prismo was gently lifting up the depressed bug. The pink humanoid was talking to Scarab about something, but Scarab couldn’t hear him and simply nodded to everything he said. The next thing Scarab knew, they were both surrounded by the rainbow light of Prismo’s teleportation magic.

The last thing Scarab saw before passing out from exhaustion was the hypnotic stars and galaxies inside Prismo’s warm, blue eyes… They looked so much like Wizmo’s eyes.

Scarab woke up to the sight of his own sleeping body.

He looked around the room in a daze and saw that Wizmo’s eternally slumbering and ancient body was nearby.

Wasn’t Wizmo placed somewhere else?

Scarab tried to talk closer towards his fiance, but he quickly realized that he was stuck on the wall.

He looked down at his hands.

They were much less detailed and blue for some reason.

This must be Prismo’s weird idea for a punishment.

Scarab tried walking inside the walls in his new 2D form, but he keeps stumbling despite himself.

He would’ve fallen, if it wasn’t for a warm pink hand saving him from the fall.

“Surprise!~”

“Prismo?!”

And there the WishMaster was, in all his playful and smug glory.

~~~

Prismo had apparently convinced the Boss to give Scarab a chance to become WishMaster.

By being Prismo’s apprentice and glorified butler.

Scarab didn’t even want to actually be WishMaster.

It was a lie to hide Scarab’s true plans, so he wouldn’t get in trouble for wishing to commit a cosmic crime.

Just when Scarab thought that he couldn’t sink any lower.

~~~

Working for Prismo isn’t as terrible as Scarab thought that it would be.

Prismo is definitely kinder and more patient with him then Orbo.

Prismo even allows Scarab to create stories with him.

Just like they used to in the past.

Wizmo always had the most brilliant writing skills.

And Prismo had inherited those same skills.

It’s true, that Prismo was a lot like Wizmo. He looks like him. He smiles like him. He sounds like him. He even cares about Scarab like him.

The Dream was still so much like the Sleeper… but that fact doesn’t hurt Scarab’s scarred little heart as much as it used to.

Maybe Scarab should give Prismo a chance.

Maybe that’s what Scarab should have done all along.

💖

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ANON YOU GET BACK HERE AND ANSWER FOR THIS!!!!

#submission #not my fanfic #submitted fanfic #prohibitedwish #prohibitedwish fanfic

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shadelorde · 3 months ago

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After seeing all these Orbo defense posts on tumblr circulating around, I’d thought maybe the clips I’d watched had been taken out of context.

And they were, but the context actually made him look worse.

Yes, Scarab should not be neglecting his other summons (or manhunting people, though I don’t think that’s what Orbo seems to take issue with) but…he is correct in that multidimensional fuckery is not. safe. Or at least, he’s had it drilled into his head that it’s not safe. Like being a god auditor is. His job.

When Scarab tells Orbo about Prismo’s unauthorized universe, Orbo’s response? “Prismo? Nah. That guy’s cool.” Immediately showing right off the bat that he will and does play favorites. If he’s able to pull Scarab from whatever universe he wants after being able to tell that he was neglecting his other calls, how is he NOT able to tell that Prismo created an entire unauthorized universe in the first place? And when he DOES find out, does he believe Scarab? No, because “Prismo’s cool and would never do that.”

And like. Scarab clearly knows he would react this way. Even if Scarab DOES have a vendetta against Prismo because he wanted to be wishmaster, he’s right (or has been taught by the same system that he is right) that an unauthorized universe without proper precautions IS DANGEROUS. But he knows Orbo wouldn’t believe him, so he wants to talk to the Upper boss. And Orbo physically prevents him from doing that. Which to me, reeks of a bad middle management who doesn’t want to get caught being bad at his job and playing favorites, so he keeps his employees from alerting someone in a higher position of power. He physically pulls Scarab into a different room and says “you can make your case to me.”

And when Scarab does “make his case” to Orbo, Orbo responds with. “Say goodbye to your legs.” Like. I do not fucking care actually if he was joking around or trying to be funny but I am of the opinion that it’s WILDLY inappropriate to threaten your employees in AMY situation, and scarab CLEARLY did not take it as a joke. And he really only stops when the upper boss DOES call, THEN he backs off.

And it doesn’t really matter whether Scarab “deserved” to be taken down a notch, because like. Orbo was STILL a bad boss and did it in ENTIRELY the wrong way and still chose to play favorites, AND it is, in fact, Scarab’s fucking job to deal with this kind of multiverse shit, which he points out, which Orbo has NO comeback to except to threaten his LEGS.

Also to me, Orbo reads like a boss who’s trying to be Cool and Relatable and is like “this isn’t just a workplace guys it’s a Family :)” which is the biggest red flag a boss could ever have.

#Fionna and cake #scarab the god auditor #scarab fionna and cake #orbo fionna and cake #anti orbo #???#In the ATLA fandom you have to tag your criticism of a character with “anti (character)’ or ‘(character) crit’#idk if that applies here it didn’t show up in the taglist #but just in case #orbo crit #like. I really think whatever the system is called is hurting both scarab and prismo quite a lot #and orbo and the way he handles things is. Really not helpful #maybe it’s the autism but nothing is more infuriating to me than to be told to ‘lighten up’ when someone is behaving DANGEROUSLY #and also. I’ve had countless countless admin respond that way when I went to school and was being bullied or sexually harassed #now I’m not saying that’s what prismo is doing at all. definitely a whole different thing #but orbo’s response reminds me of that #also to be clear I don’t think that prismo did anything really wrong?? and that he should be allowed to grant himself wishes #for the record #but.#imagine being scarab and you’ve had it drilled into your head that This Thing Is Dangerous and Will Fuck up the Multiverse #and you’re trying to do your job that they’ve TAUGHT YOU IS VERY IMPORTANT #and your boss is like ‘no actually I don’t believe you bc that guys cool’#THE STRESS???

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nullified-space · 7 months ago

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By now they’ve had years upon years to interact, considering they’re both cosmic beings and directly boss and subordinate. But the thing that’s clear is that the two are close in some sort of way, and definitely have a long history with each other considering Orbo’s leniency with Scarab and constantly referring to him by the nickname “Scrabby”.

I know that Orbo using a nickname may seem like a bad thing considering Scarab says earlier in episode 4 “Prismo the Wishmaster”, “No one calls me that anymore” when Prismo refers to him that way. And some might assume that Orbo is going against Scarabs boundary- but we gotta consider that Scarabs attitude and relation with Prismo is VASTLY different from Orbo. It’s made super clear that Scarab loathes Prismo, so him not allowing Prismo to use the nickname on him just shows how they aren’t as close to warrant it.

Then you might argue that Scarab is in no position to tell Orbo- his boss, to stop calling him by that nickname so he has no choice but to deal with it. And I mean c’mon. Do you really think that Orbo’s authority is enough to stop Scarab from at least complaining about it? We’ve already seen how Scarab dismissed the calls multiple times to the point that he had to be TELEPORTED to the waiting line to talk to Orbo. If Scarab had any sort of qualms about Orbo using the nickname for him he would’ve DEFINITELY spoken up. In all of Orbo’s screen time, he is always referring to him as “Scrabby” and Scarab not ONCE argues against it or shows any visible discomfort at it to tell the audience he doesn’t like it.

We move on to Scarab revealing that Prismo has made “his own secret unauthorized universe” which Orbo doesn’t believe in, “Prismo? Nah, that guys cool, he wouldn’t do that.” he says.

The person who made the first Orbo analysis post goes on to say that Orbo only cares about people’s reputation and measures their importance on how popular or “chill” they are. But I don’t think that Orbo is talking or cares about some petty popular points that Prismo has over Scarab. He doubts Scarabs' claim because he considers Prismo to be a good person who has good morals and judgment skills to not break those rules.

Prismo has probably been isolating himself for years after Jake's death from how miserable he looks when introduced in FNC- so his perception of Prismo to be good natured and sensible enough to not do that might be outdated to the kind of mental state he is in now. This lack of information makes him refuse to believe Scarab's reasoning since that doesn’t align with what he knows of Prismo to be. NOT because Prismo won some weird popularity contest with Scarab in his head. ORBO DOESN'T CARE THAT PRISMO IS MORE LIKED THAN SCARAB HE JUST HAS TRUST IN HIS JUDGMENT TO NOT BREAK THOSE RULES.

Scarab threatens to call the Boss on him, escalating the situation when he realizes he can’t get his way with Orbo. To prevent this from going south he takes away the crystal that Scarab plans to call Boss with and teleports them to a different room.

This room has a much darker and cooler color palette. Orbo has decided to take Scarab to this particular room because its more professional setting would fit Scarab’s speech. Which shows the kind of character Orbo is- he just got threatened by his subordinate to call the Boss (and notice how Scarabs calls them “THE Boss” meaning it’s not just someone directly above Orbo but an authority over seemingly EVERYONE of the cosmic beings.)- and still tries to keep an open mind and hear him out.

Another point that is mentioned in the first Orbo analysis post is how violent the teleportation seemed to look- and even mentioning how distressed Scarab looked with his hands clutching his head in shock. But against that I wanna argue that if the animators wanted to really communicate how terrifying the teleportation was for Scarab- they would have taken the time to pan the camera to his face, perhaps showing a terrified expression or him breathing heavily in panic. But he only takes the time to adjust his tie and clear his throat before making his speech. He’s caught off guard for just a moment before he returns back to normalcy. There is no lingering fear or panic present at all.

FINALLY, let's move on to Scarabs speech. And oh boy. I gotta be honest with you guys… and PARDON me for my language- but his speech sucked straight ass.

On my first watch of the scene I expected Scarab to go more into depth about Prismo’s violation in creating the unauthorized universe and then HIDING it but instead the focus of the speech goes onto Prismo himself. I have it copied it down and it goes like this:

“Prismo has let things slide. Small things at first. A bad wish here, an embarrassing fanfic there, and we enabled it. He’s a cool dude, so we overlook his failings. But there is nothing more dangerous than cheerful mediocrity. Look I’m not like Prismo, I respect your authority. But it is my deepest hope that you will simply let me finish my job.”

Let's break this down:

Scarab could have talked about what the CONSEQUENCES of hiding and creating an unauthorized universe would be, or what that means for the other universe- the ones who ARE authorized. Why is it such a problem? What kind of catastrophe would come if that universe isn’t kept under control?? But the first portion of his speech can be summarized that Prismo keeps getting away with stuff because he’s “popular” among the cosmic beings and that reputation led people to miss the mistakes he makes. He provides two examples- making a bad wish, and writing an embarrassing fanfic to which I assume he’s referring to Fionna and Cake. And while this could be a good starting point to explain the consequences of overlooking that, HE JUST MOVES ON FROM THAT.

The second half of his speech watching it makes me roll my eyes so hard every single time. He goes to say “Look I’m not like Prismo, I respect your authority.”

BULLSHITTTTTTTTTTTT. NO YOU DON'T. THE SCARAB + ORBO SCENE BEFORE THIS ONE HAD HIM THREATENING TO CALL THE BOSS WHEN HE COULDN’T GET HIS WAY AND ALSO AFTER ORBO DIRECTLY TOLD HIM TO GIVE UP THE CASE.

(Part 3 will be posted soon my tumblr is really shitty for some reason)

The over-analysis of Orbo (and the little screen time we have of him)

Welcome to my over analysis of Orbo as a character because I love him dearly, I need to see more of him in season 2, and I’m tired of the evil Orbo trope. This is 7 pages long and reached 2k words yikes. UMM. I don't know how to do introduction so lets jut get right to it:

When we are first introduced to Orbo he falls from above and onto a pedestal. If the audience doesn’t already realize it from the symbolism of putting someone up on a pedestal- where he is angled ABOVE Scarab, the symbol thats etched into it which related to the wings on the phone they use to talk to the Boss we see later can explain to them that Orbo is in an authoritative position over Scarab. Even before mentioning it we can assume that Orbos his boss.

But before we get into their interaction let’s take a moment to observe Orbos design. It's a very simple and obvious silhouette- a circle with purple shades on his face. Usually in character designs to accentuate specific traits in a character, artists would choose one body shape over the other to express that to the viewer. So Orbo being a LITERAL circle, with no sharp pointed edges should already communicate to the audience that he’s not inherently evil or malicious. And often, circles are associated with unity, security, and divinity. In other words, he’s friend shaped.

If the artists wanted to paint Orbo to be a villain/ villain-leaning- wouldn’t they try to express that through his design by adding sharper edges? Giving him more striking colors like red, darker purples, or just a darker color palette in general?

Compared to Scarb who’s all sharp angles and consists of many triangles in his design, even being fully BRIGHT red to showcase that he’s dangerous (a walking red flag if you will)- it just doesn’t make sense for Orbo to be painted as a villain or immoral boss when his design doesn’t match up to that in the slightest.

Anyways. Moving onto the interactions that the two have.

Earlier when Scarab is waiting to have a meeting with Orbo I do want to note that he’s seen being agitated and fidgeting to himself. In the next scene the room Orbo brings him to is full of calming and colorful lights. It feels less intimidating and more casual. It almost seems like a place you would be meditating in.

The scene starts with Orbo spinning around Scarab while growing bigger. While he’s doing this he’s listing off the reasons why he was called into a meeting with him in the first place.

“Ignoring our calls, giving yourself missions, pursuing your own monomanias. I tell ya you’re really whiffing that ball lately.”

And yet despite listing off Scarabs transgression he says this all in a lighthearted tone and expression, if anything it’s barely the kind of scold a boss would give to a coworker who keeps going against orders. He still keeps a very lenient attitude that you wouldn’t normally expect a boss to give to a self-serving co worker like Scarab. He says it almost like he’s asking why Scarab is doing all this, giving him the floor to speak on it.

However, Scarab just completely dismisses what Orbo says so he can request for more time. This to which Orbo scoffs in return- being dismissive to Scarabs dismissiveness.

(Part 2 will be posted)

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jinxedpanda4life · 4 years ago

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Criminal Investigator AU HC

I would first like to start off by saying thank you to everyone.

I honestly did not expect the response I got to my Damirae Hospital AU HC list.

When I first woke up and checked tumblr ~13 hours after posting I had a holy shit moment.

I felt powerful, should I? Probably not.

But! Since I am noticing a lack of AUs in the fandom, whether on Tumblr, AO3 or FanFiction.net, whatever AU comes to my mind I shall jot down some hcs for!

Thank you all once again!

(Also trying format changes for easy reading)

(Also Also, I am thinking the story is less fluid but more episodic)

Let’s get started:

- So I’m thinking this is some FBI, SVU, and FBI BAU mixture or whatever. Basically all the great shows we know in love shoved together. From Bones to Criminal Minds and everything in between.

- Special Agent (Dr.) Raven Roth is a lead interrogator and is the resident psych consult.

She’s been educated in interrogation, behavioral science, psychology, forensic pathology, and criminology.

She has combat training (hand to hand), she carries (for her job) a gun and at all times has a knife/dagger on her person (people have stopped trying to figure out where she keeps them).

Her father was/is crime boss T. Trigon who is currently imprisoned.

Was born in the states but fled with her mother to Romania when she was a newborn.

When Trigon found them he killed Arella and took Raven, she was abut 9 - 10 years old.

She took her mother’s last name when she turned 18.

Knows two languages besides English; French, Romanian, Romani (various dialects but knows multiple), Greek and Latin

On more than one occasion some goon of her father’s tries to recruit her, every time she kicks their ass. (Damian was there for the most recent (he was still green though))

Lives by herself in a decent sized apartment, has a gun safe (gun safety is important!), a cat (Nevermore), and is a regular at a 24/7 bookstore &/ cafe

Can usually be found wearing some kind of jacket, sweater, cardigan

She once helped save some kids (Melvin, Tommy & Teether) and is now their surrogate aunt, she has photos of them at her desk @ work. (Damian assumes/ed that they were her kids)

She also, when she can, hangs out and babysits them on occasion.

Raven is part of a team consisting of Dick Grayson (unit leader), Kori Anders, Garfield Logan, Jaime Reyes, and very recently Damian Wayne

- Special Agent Damian Wayne is a lead investigator (he is still a bit fresh to the unit), translator, sniper and combat coordinator

He’s been educated in martial arts, explosives, hand to hand combat, close range combat, and combat (basically he knows how to kill you 9 ways to Sunday), also, behavioral science, computer science, criminology, linguistics and language.

He can easily translate (into English): Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, French, Polish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, he can also learn any language you put in front of him and know the basics within a day

(Having lived in many places around the world he needed to be able to speak and understand in order to survive) (wow dramatic much?)

His father is currently the director (or deputy director, whatever floats ya boat) of the FBI.

His mother was essentially a secret agent who worked for various agencies around the globe. (deceased)

His grandfather was the leader of a, um, well to be honest, terrorist agency. (deceased)

Was sent to live with his father when he was 15 (when his mother died) and has been in the states ever since

Lives alone, he has an upscale apartment that he truthfully spends little time in, has multiple locations in the home where various weapons are stored, his place has a very cold atmosphere

Is either in proper work attire or in work out clothing, there is no in between

Tries and fails not to take work home with him

He sees a therapist (who says he should probably try investing in relationships with the people at his job)

His only “friend” (he hates calling him that, more like close acquaintance) is Jonathan Kent who was in his class at the FBI Academy, Jon works in a white collar crime department in Metropolis

The only person he actually kind of sort of doesn’t dislike is in fact Raven Roth, she’s a no bull shit person, he likes that

He may know Grayson because of how he’s Bruce’s kind of son but it does not mean he likes him

He finds Logan annoying as all hell, even if he is somewhat useful

He picked a fight with Reyes first day and regretted it (he will never admit that), he respects him

Anders is overly friendly in his opinion, kind of acts like a secretary with all that positivity and grates his nerves, he tolerates her

(Unlike last time I am not going in detail about the rest of the team, this will be brief)

- Supervisory Special Agent Dick Grayson (Unit Chief) is basically Dick Grayson with a big fancy title but all the same skills

He is also obsessed with Slade Wilson and Red X (who is Jason in this)

- Supervisory Special Agent Kori Anders is a lead investigator and is also a go to for undercover work

- Special Agent Garfield Logan is a lead interrogator, is head of the unit’s K-9 unit and kind of has a thing for Roth (which she does not reciprocate)

- Special Agent Jaime Reyes is a tactical analyst, tech analyst and is head of the unit’s SWAT team, he does not do well with talking with people, or change

The Scarab is a computing program that Jaime created himself

STORY START:

- When Damian first joins the team there is another member, Special Agent Terra Markov, she is revealed as a sleeper agent but she aligns herself with the team and sadly is shot and killed in a fire fight

- A couple weeks after Agent Markov’s death everyone is talking about what they are doing for an upcoming holiday, Damian says probably nothing, Raven invites him to spend it with her and her “niece” and “nephews,” he declines

- About a day after the holiday Damian is home looking through case files when someone knocks on his door

-- It is Raven. He asks how she knew where he lived, she says she asked Dick, she also says that she knows how it feels to be alone and that he may be insufferable but it doesn’t mean he can’t have a friend

-- His response is saying he isn’t the kind to make friends with co workers

-- “I’m not asking to be your friend Damian, I am asking you to be his,” She reveals a small black great dane puppy “I know that other people aren’t really your thing, but having someone in your corner and waiting for you is always nice, even if it isn’t human.”

-- Damian invites her in, names the dog Titus and thanks her

-- “Just make sure no one tries to kidnap and kill you, we don’t need you to go full blown John Wick.” Damian has no idea who that is. Raven tells him it is an action movie series that he should watch. She leaves. He does watch them that night with Titus on his lap. (after having gone to the local pet supply store to get everything he needs) The action is inaccurate but he enjoyed the movies none the less, and decides that he probably would go into John Wick mode if someone hurt Titus.

- SA Roth and SA Wayne are sent to a high security federal prison to interrogate a prisoner, who refuses to speak

-- When they get into the interview room the prisoner does start to speak, but not in English and not in a language Damian is fluent in

-- Raven on the other hand immediately responds to the prisoner (shocking the prisoner and Damian) “He is speaking Romani though not the dialect of those overseas, he learned it here.”

-- Damian is fascinated by it and they are essentially switching roles the entire time

-- They leave having successfully interviewing the prisoner, and Raven leaves behind a written list of common words in Romani so that they can possibly communicate with the prisoner better

-- As soon as they are on the plane back Damian asks her a myriad of questions from “How many languages do you know?” to “When did you learn that?” and even “Are you a spy? Sleeper agent? Part of a terrorist cell?”

-- “Not as many as you, when I was a child, if I was part of any of that you wouldn’t be asking.” The rest of the trip is spent with her teaching him Romani and even some Romanian

- Dick & Kori eventually get together and after a while they break up. Kori takes some vacation time. At the same Dick has been temporarily reassigned to another unit.

-- Chaos ensues

-- Garfield thinks he should be the interim unit chief, Jaime thinks the same, as does, you guessed it, Damian (Raven doesn’t want to she is comfortable with her role on the team)

-- In the end they are assigned an interim unit chief, SSA Jason Todd, who usually works overseas on covert op missions (not gonna lie this could easily flow into a Jayrae thing)

-- Everyone kind of falls into line, except Damian, Damian doesn’t like him for two reasons

1) He doesn’t act serious about the job 24/7

2) He has been flirting and hitting on Raven the moment he stepped into their sector

-- Damian hates the names he gives her; “Little Bird,” “Sunshine,” “Princess,” “Rae,” (no one calls her Rae, not even Garfield, at least not after the incident) etc.

-- (Little does Damian know, Jason and Raven have worked together before and are actually friends)

-- This all comes to a head when Damian and Jason are the only ones still in the office after a tiring case.

“You shouldn’t do that you know.”

“Do what? All I am doing right now is contemplating where Grayson keeps the liquor.”

“Call Raven all those names, she doesn’t like it.”

“Really? Because if you haven’t noticed she hasn’t exactly asked me to stop.”

“She gets uncomfortable, maybe not to the extent of asking you to stop, but she tenses up and her body language becomes slightly more agitated.”

“You seem to pay a lot of attention in how she reacts to thinks baby brat. Seems to me that you like her.”

“Of course I like her, she is a good friend and reliable teammate.”

“No, you like like her.”

“That presumption is juvenile.”

“But you don’t deny it.”

“Tch.”

-- If anything after that conversation Jason seems to doubled his advances. Which confuses both Damian and Raven. Damian because it is inappropriate and HR will be hearing about this. Raven because she was under the assumption that she and Jason were just friends. (Jason actually does have genuine intentions but is like 60% just egging Damian on)

-- Eventually (far too long for Damian’s tastes), both Dick and Kori return. At first it is sooooooo awkward. Like mom and dad divorced have shared custody but don’t hate each other but also cannot look each other in the eye. ((Was that a mouthful? Good)) No one can really look at each other the same? Though they do have a meeting to sort it out, get everything out in the open.

- Raven’s annual kidnapping/attempt to convert her/torture comes almost exactly one year after Damian joined the team (this is his 2nd time dealing with this)

-- This time Damian is prepared. By prepared I mean Raven doesn’t even leave her apartment before she is taken to safety.

“Damian what is going on?”

“Christmas came early this year that’s what.”

“Christmas? What in gods name are you talking about.”

“God has no dealings in this matter.”

“You do realize you are sounding like a bad action movie? It is not even 6 am and I am in your car going somewhere, I have had little to no sleep and I am barely dressed. What is going on?” Damian hadn’t payed attention to what clothing Raven was wearing. His mind was on one goal. Find Raven, keep Raven safe. His eyes glanced off the road enough to realize she was indeed not properly dressed. Her body was merely adorned with an oversized tee-shirt, tiny barely there shorts and a pair of fluffy socks.

“I apologize, it appears in my haste I did not leave you time to properly clothe yourself. As to why you are here, it seems your father and his people have shortened their waiting time this year from one year to a little more than ten months.” Ravens hands fisted her shirt. “This time I was prepared,” last time he was still new to everything, last time he made mistakes, this time there will be no mistakes. “Since our last encounter with your demon, so to speak, I have been setting in place precautions and safety measures to ensure Nevermore and yours’ safety. I have also been tracking the movements of his big players. If any came close I would mark it down. Multiple are entering the city at this moment. Seeing as you we taken last time I have made plans to ensure that will not happen again.” The car made a snap turn down an unfamiliar street pulling Raven from her clouded gaze.

“So I am going to be okay this time?” Her voice was faint and restraining against hope.

“You’re going to be okay.” His hand lightly held hers. Only to stop the shaking, they told themselves, only to make everything better. “Nevermore is with Titus at my place being watched by a friend of mine. I have already walked Grayson through everything we will not be expected at work this week, but we can work remotely.”

“We?”

“I’m not going to leave you. Ever.”

-- ((Sorry for the blocks of text))

-- As Raven finds out they are at one of Damian’s safe houses. The one least likely to be tied to her. It is fully stocked with food, has security cameras and if needed weapons. The only problem is that the only clothes there are Damians.

“Thought of everything huh?”

“I was following their pattern, I expected to have more time to acquire clothing for you.” (he was looking away and blushing, you cannot tell me he wasn’t)

-- Raven just resigns herself to wearing Damian’s clothes, yes his brain does stop working for a hot second when he sees her in only his clothes.

-- All attempts to try and retrieve codename: Gem of Scath are foiled (like some good math)

-- So many bonding moments happen. Cuddling (pure accident *rolls eyes*), eating together, inside jokes, etc. At one point Damian answers her phone (he disabled and disconnected the tracer) to one of the mob guys after them.

“Hello?”

“You can hide the gem but we will find her.”

“I’m sorry, is there a jewel you are looking for? I don’t think I have and any jewels that I am coveting.”

“We know you are with her! It is but a matter of time until we collect her.”

“I hope you do eventually find whatever you are looking for sir, but I haven’t the slightest idea the gem you speak of. If you could give me a physical description? Is it a ruby, diamond, onyx? Is it round or more of a pear shape?”

“...”

“Well, I will look for it here, but I do not believe I possess what you speak of. Will you give me your number so I can call you back?” (The line cuts dead, and Raven can be seen laughing in the background, the phone was on speaker)

-- Once the team tracks down, arrests and interrogates all of the parties working for Trigon; Raven and Nevermore can go home. Though both are reluctant in their own way. Nevermore has grown attached to Titus, and Raven well Raven has feelings. Sadly, as Raven knows, feelings are dangerous to have in their line of work.

-- Look at Dick and Kori they were together and then they fell apart and the team almost imploded.

-- What about Trigon if he finds out about Damian and how she feels towards him? What kind of danger will he be in then?

-- Like all of her feelings Raven puts them in a box and locks the box away. Not just figuratively, in her safe there is a box with: post its, torn papers, journals, etc. That box has a lock on it. Whenever she has a new feeling that she cannot ignore, like her feelings towards Special Agent Wayne, she takes out the box and writes her feelings down. They can range from a single sentence to pages worth. (Her feelings towards Damian fill a small notebook she has on hand). Once she has written all of her feelings out she places them in the box, locks said box and then places the locked box in her safe, which she then locks.

-- Is this a healthy way to cope with her feelings? Maybe not. But, it is way better than how Damian deals with his. Violence. Also art but violence comes first.

- At this point both Damian and Raven have caught the feelings (highly contagious I hear), which makes this a little awkward and a little not awkward. For one everyone but Raven knows how Damian feels towards her. He does things for her and with her that no one else gets the privilege to.

-- To list a few:

--- He brings her tea whenever he gets himself coffee or tea

--- He talks to her about what he does outside of work, even about his kind of friend definitely not enemy, Jon.

--- They socialize outside of work. Watching bad movies (some of them are not that bad), going to the park with Titus (they once got Nevermore in a leash and walked her), meeting each other before and after work to get breakfast or dinner.

--- He doesn’t glare at her

--- He allows physical contact between the two

--- He worries about her (hello he created an entire plan so that she wouldn’t get kidnapped, with contingencies and everything, garfield would be lucky to get a plan)

--- His eyes light up when she talks, or enters a room, or you know exists in his vicinity

--- He actually smiles around her (Dick caught him smiling once at Raven and he though Damian was having a stroke)

-- Even though everyone knows Damian likes Raven, very few know that Raven likes Damian back. (this only includes; Kori, Dick, Jason, Titus, Nevermore, and Melvin) She does do certain things that give herself away just like Damian.

--The list:

--- When Damian gets frustrated or angry she puts a hand on his arm, or holds his hand

--- She laughs at things he does (light chuckles, or little giggles)

--- She will talk to him about his interests and actively tries to have conversations with him about things unrelated to work.

--- She blushes when he does something unexpected (like a compliment)((Mostly she tries to hide it until he isn’t looking at her))(((Kori has caught the blush before)))

-- Luckily for them it does not take some cliche ‘One suddenly becomes in danger and the other one saves them only to be close to death and then they admit their love for one another and promise to go on a date when the other is healed’ situation.

-- Damian actually asks Raven out after being tipped of by Jason and Dick that she may like him back. Damian finds out when they have days off at the same time and asks her while leaving work.

“Raven, you have this weekend off correct?”

“Yeah I do. I wasn’t planning on doing anything though. Did you have something in mind?”

“Um, yeah, heh, I was wondering if you would do me the pleasure of going to dinner with me tomorrow.” *Awkwardly rubs back of neck*

“Like a date or two friends going to dinner?” *Thinks she sounds harsh* “I am honestly fine with either since we are friends.” *nervous smile*

“Like a date if that is okay with you of course.”

“Yeah, yeah totally that is totally okay with me.” *Starts sounding like a teenage girl who only knows about 10 words, because she’s nervous*

“Good, I’ll be by your place around 1830, if that is okay?” *nerve central, the central nervous system could never*

“Yup that is totally fine with me.”

“Great.”

“Good.” The elevator opens in the knick of time.

“See you tomorrow evening Agent Roth. Have a good night.”

“You too, Agent Wayne, you too.”

-- When Damian does pick her up he feels like his brain is going to explode. She looks absolutely breathtaking. This is just like all the other times they’ve gone to dinner, except this restaurant is slightly fancier and they are on a date.

-- Raven feels as though all her emotions are leaking out at once, she has no idea what she is doing.

-- In the end they have a good time and decide to do it again. Damian does bring up that all of the breakfasts and dinners they regularly do could now be considered dates. Raven does not oppose that switch at all.

- Fast forward a handful of years (like 3?), Damian and Raven are moved in together (Nevermore and Titus are happy about this, they even allow the humans to adopt another pet, a cat named Alfred). Damian is now Supervisory Special Agent Wayne and is in charge of their unit. Raven has retired from field work and now works at the FBI academy and at Virginia State University. In about 6 months Damian is going to propose and Raven will say yes. Their wedding will be small but happy and full of life.

Once again I would like to thank everyone and all the support the previous post got.

Like last time if anything is disjointed, out of place or seems wrong, please go ahead and tell me. I have been working on this since the last one, but have finally had the time to finish it.

I hope the new year will bring us all some good. Possibly more head canons to come.

#damirae #Damian Wayne #raven #Rachel Roth #damian x raven #Teen Titans #Headcanon #How do tags work #dc #demonbirds

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belliesandburps · 3 years ago

Note

Followup with MGS4 Peace Walker and 5?

History has a funny way of repeating itself. :P

This one's actually gonna be long, so I'll cap it here to spare those uninterested in non-kink posts the burden of having to scroll past this fanboy rant. 'XD

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

3. It's Okay

Soooooo...not a controversial opinion to say that I don't think MGS4 is GREAT. I adored it when it first game out, and I still enjoy replaying it from time to time. But good lord, so many of the interviews shed light on a LOT of this games problems.

Some backstory is required. Hideo Kojima was done with MGS by this point. He planned to move on and leave the series to the younger generation. But then, there was a lot of internal conflict and struggle to determine what MGS4 should be after Fukushima quit (AND was rumored to have been murdered by the Yakuza...how that rumor started...and became a SERIOUS rumor that millions believe, I do not know...). So Kojima came back, course corrected, and the end result was kind of a giant mess.

I'm not talking story because, there's just way too much to unpack. But as a game, MGS4 can't decide what sort of video game it wants to be. It had a brilliant idea that had never been done before with its Battlefield Stealth, which were the best parts of the game. And then they get dropped two acts in, and what gets replaced in their stead is not nearly as fun.

The game had substantially less boss fights than its predecessor, and a lot of them were mechanically simplistic or just didn't let you get creative with how you fought them. And we later learned there were a lot more bosses planned, more gameplay sequences planned, and an entire other PMC group that got canned in favor of the Scarabs so Shadow Moses could be guarded by machines instead.

There's a lot about MGS4 that I love. I think the first two acts are amazing, ESPECIALLY Act 2. I think the mechanics are great. REX vs RAY is criminally fun. The sheer buffet of insane weapons gives the game a good amount of replay value. And the graphics still hold up to this day!

But what I finally realized is that the game juggles way too many ideas and doesn't give any idea the time they deserve to flourish. Battlefield Stealth could've CARRIED MGS4. But it gets dumped before we can get our moneys worth. A disguise sequence could've been really creative, having to juggle different identities with OctoMask every time one identity is burned. But it's only used once and wasted because it's only used for a terrible tailing mission that doesn't let you actually explore the European City. And too many of the action set pieces are kind of bland except the bosses and piloting Metal Gear.

MGS4 should've been MGS4. Not MGS's "Best Hits."

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

1. LOVED it!

I know this is unpopular to say, but I'll say it. Peace Walker is one of the best Metal Gear games ever made. I adored almost everything about it. The gameplay improves on MGS4 in most ways because it doesn't juggle a billion ideas all at once. It's MGS4 stripped down to stealth action from start to finish, and that's all I wanted. The level design is great. The insane volume of guns changes the entire feel of combat in later post-campaign gameplay. The mission select options mean you can jump into all the parts of the game you enjoy the most. There's TONS of bonus missions that are really inventive and fun to replay. And the story is one of the best in the series. It's straight forward, very tight, characterized well, and is the best iteration of Big Boss to date.

Peace Walker's also the FUNNIEST MGS game by Kojima as well. There's so much more personality and levity to everything, to the point where Big Boss often feels like an MCU character. That might sound bad, but it's really not. That corniness fits MGS PERFECTLY, and I'd argue is tonally spot on for this series. MGS doesn't need to be dark, gory or explicit. It's a silly series that's about giant robots, corny bad ass super agents with an anti-nuke message.

The only downsides to Peace Walker are the QTE's and the boss fights. This was a feature that only ever appeared in this game and for good reason...it was fucking terrible. So basically, you had cutscenes that forced you to do various QTE's or else get dinged on your ratings at the end, even if you played perfectly. Fairly minimal, but then, you get to Strangelove's torture. And this is the single most rage-inducing part of any MGS game ever made. It's an insanely physically painful button mashing sequence that will leave your fingers raw and your PS3 triangle buttons jamming. And the ONLY way you can replay one of the best missions in the game (the prison escape where you have no items) is by redoing that sequence over and over. And the boss fights? While inventive, they're all just grindy bullet sponges with no personality, no stealth tactics, and no room for creativity the way you can get creative with every other MGS game's bosses. This was the biggest disappointment for me because the stealth and combat mechanics of PW are great and would've been SO good against human enemies like what Portable Ops had. Instead, every boss is a mini-Metal Gear all voiced by the VOCALOID AI from the mid 2000's, and each one takes forever to destroy. It sucks because PW had a TON of bosses, but only a few of them are any fun, and that's only if you have weapons that are strong enough that they don't take ages to destroy.

But asides from the bosses, the REST of the game is so damn good that I don't even care because that's just one element to a much larger, grander game. Which is even more impressive when you consider PW was originally on the PSP before the PS3 port. And this game has more content and replay value to it than most games I've played since.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

1. LOVED it!

Hooooooookay...so, I've rambled about my storybook romance with MGSV for YEARS now. (Just ask @twistedtummies2, he's been subjected to my fanboying of this game more than anyone in existence XD) But there's a reason I regard this game as one of my all time favorites and the best MGS game to date.

It's REALLY freakin' fun.

Kojima had been re-energized by the time he got to MGSV. He'd been working on the game around the time he finished Peace Walker in 2010. He KNEW it was his final MGS game and wanted to do something completely different...

...He wanted to make a game where the central focus was on...waaaaait for it...the gameplay...

MGSV was designed to be, what he described, as a toybox. You have these missions that all take place in structurally unique outposts like any level in MGS. And the missions are designed with the structure needed so that they all feel different, but all remain so open ended that you can play them countless different ways.

MGSV's game model is everything GTA SHOULD'VE been. It fully embraces the open world freedom and incorporates that into the missions flawlessly. And it plays in such a way that stealth and combat both feel like they were the primary point. In MGS, combat is usually a last resort. But with MGSV, you can fly into an outpost blasting away on your helicopters mini-gun, shoot up the bad guys, rescue your target, throw them back into the chopper and fly away while "The Final Countdown" blares on your choppers loud speakers.

Every method of gameplay is valid and the controls, the enemy AI responsiveness, it's all, bar none, the best I've experienced in ANY video game. Sneaking around feels tight and tense and combat makes you feel like Jack Bauer on adrenaline. (I mean, he IS the voice of Venom Snake)

And I really like the story for the most part too. Its weaknesses are really glaring. Namely, the "Fun" of MGS is completely devoid in the story (which is really odd since it's FRONT AND CENTER in-game). Venom Snake only has maybe six minutes of dialogue in the entirety of this 30+ hour long game. And the way Skull Face gets completely undercut right at the home stretch is something I have NOT stopped bitching about for almost six years, and my friends can personally attest to that.

That and the ending feels too abrupt.

We know that Kojima got fired by Konami's VP and said VP scorched the entire production company after that and made a series of dickheaded decisions that pissed off a LOT of fans, burning much of the good will Konami IP fans had towards the company. But that had nothing to do with MGSV's abruptness. That was the plan from the start because only Kojima would think to end the entire series on a plot twist like that.

And I think the issue isn't the twist at all. In fact, I LOVE the twist. The issue is that the game should've continued beyond it so Venom Snake could cope with the truth and realize how badly he'd been screwed. I think even people who hated the twist could've been won over if there was a little more to the games epilogue than Episode 46.

Also, the games boss fights were a tad underwhelming. Not the fights themselves, I LOVED all five of the games bosses.

Oh? There were twelve?

No. I meant what I said. Because so many of the games bosses are rematches against the same bosses. All MGSV has is the Skulls, Quiet, Eli, The Man on Fire, and Metal Gear. They're great bosses that do everything the best MGS bosses always did; give you tons of options, incorporate combat AND stealth, have varied attacks AND even have multiple methods to sneak around the boss and avoid the fight completely. But for a game as long as MGS, you need more variety. And frankly, the bosses NEED more personality. Skull Face should've had more XOF assassins acting as the bosses in the game along with the ones we have. Elite assassins like Quiet, with their own powers and specialized weaponry so the fights feel completely different from the ones we have. And oh yeah, SKULL FACE HIMSELF SHOULD'VE HAD A GOD-FUCKING-DAMN BOSS FIGHT!!!!

Buuuuuuut those issues don't even matter if for all the games issues, I still replay it frequently when it's almost six years old.

So yeah! There's the massive rant you totally didn't ask for! :D

#ask belliesandburps #mgs4 #mgsv #peace walker #metal gear #metal gear solid #seriously #i'm very very VERY bitter about how Kojima did Skull Face dirty #here's this really great villain with a super complex backstory and motivation #whadduya wanna do with him kojima-san?#I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!#we'll do...absolutely nothing!#he'll show up in five missions out of a thirty nine mission long game #he'll talk at venom snake a few times and do some cool things #then right around the time we're supposed to fight him?#a random twelve year old will hijack metal gear through a PSYCHIC twelve year old and crush Skull Face before we can do anything cool! :D #hold your applause children! :D #................we weren't clapping kojima-san...........#also sins of the father?#heaven's divide?#donna burke is amazing #seriously she is an in-freakin'-CREDIBLE singer #sorry cynthia hall #i got love #but...#whoooooa-HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!

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mhdiaries · 4 years ago

Photo

Freaky Fusions Cleolei Diary

Bite-Centennial Day, Quarter Past One

The most horrifying event in history just happened to me, and I’m still shaking in my wraps! I became fused together with that dreadful werecat, Toralei. We are both inside this same body, and it’s all her fault! Typically, she was sticking her whiskers in where they didn’t belong and got her paws on something... and, zap! Being stuck in this body makes me so clawstrophobic, I’m itching like I have fleas! Oh, how I long for a lovely scented bath, but the furball gets her tail in a bunch at the slightest suggestion of water. Hmmmm... I wonder if I can talk her into a milk bath. CdN

30 mins A.F. (After Fusion) - Today started out to be a purrfectly fun day. There were so many killer things to explore in that mad scientist’s lab, I just had to get my paws on them, you know? How was I supposed to know touching that vortex thingy would cause such a cat-astrophy. I mean, seriously! Of all people to get fused with, I have to get stuck with her royal heinous... that ghoul really strokes my fur the wrong way! TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Quarter Til Two

Unacceptable! Her pointy little ears keep popping out no matter how tightly I wrap them! And everywhere I walk, I hear that horrid tail swishing. It echoes down the halls of MH. I accidentally tripped Deuce with it, and his sunglasses slid down his nose and turned poor Hissette into stone! She was following me - I think she mistook the swishing for hissing and was jealous I might have been hanging out with another cobra. As if I would ever find one as sweet as her. I’ll miss her as long as it takes for her to de-petrify. Luckily, it looks like it’s already wearing off. CdN

75 mins A.F. - This day just keeps getting better and better. Cleo keeps smashing my ears down with her wraps! So I didn’t hear her cobra slithering around us, and when I saw it I jumped in surprise - and I accidently tripped Deuce with my tail! I feel bad poor Hissette had to get caught in the crossfire of his stone-ifying eyes, but at least we know it’s temporary. I wish I could say the same about being fused with her royal pain. Ugh. I feel a furball coming on. TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Half Past Two

Well, rehearsal for BIte-Centennial truly bit. Ugh, I’m just so desperate to send that kitty back to the pound she came from. I can’t believe my ancestors had a special affinity for felines. This one in particular is nothing but a mangy little pain in my abacus. And I’ve heard more with from headless sphinx statues. Give me a loyal greyhound any day. CdN

110 mins A.F. - Hahaha! That was pawsome! Miss purrfectly proper almost fell off her makeshift horse. And then I made her dance a little jig. If she sticks with me, she might learn to have some real fun. That’ll show her for claiming I’m not a purebred werecat. TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Quarter Til Three

For some reason I can’t fathom, Frankie is convinced that the Hybrids can help us learn to be good at this whole fused-together thing. They are the new monsters at MH, and they are the kids of 2 different types of monsters, so I guess they have proper credentials. But the last thing I want to do is get too comfortable in Toralei’s skin, although apparently even I don’t have a choice. I was talking to Ghoulia earlier... well, trying to, anyway. It’s really difficult to have a private conversation with the werecat listening in. But I think Ghoulia has a plan to get me - all of us, I suppose - out of this situation. In the meantime, I guess I’ll see what’s up with the Hybrids. Toralei must be rubbing off on me, because I must admit I’m curious. CdN

125 mins A.F. - I’d trust Ghoulia with all of my 9 lives. She’s the kind of ghoul who doesn’t talk much, but when she does, monster listen. Or at least they should, if they have a brain in their skull. Even Cleo seems to pay attention to Ghoulia. But for some reason, Cleo seems to think Ghoulia is her own personal treasure. I was trying hard to hear what Ghoulia had planned - and I have pretty good hearing if I do say so myself - but Cleo kept trying to shut me out, like she thought she could entomb me in some tiny part of her dark and dusty mind. TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Half Past Three

Oh, my Ra! Fearleading practice was positively scarab-ulous! For the first time in a millenia, I perfectly formed the very top of the pyramid! I know, that doesn’t sound like much of an accomplishment - after all, a pyramid is right in my wheelcasket - but contrary to my usually flawless skill, I tend to be, um, shall we say, less than regal when hoisted on the backs of other ghouls. Although, I always believed that was more them than me, of course, but I digress. Anyway, not only did I fashion the top of the pyramid, from there I performed a triple pirouette, half-spin, reverse flip, over-the-crown split, and I STILL landed gracefully on my feet! My Daddy-Mummy would be so proud! The help from our new friends totes worked! CdN

165 mins A.F. - I’ve never enjoyed Fearleading practice more than I did today. I mean, jumping around and landing on your feet? That’s kitten play. Where’s the challenge in that? But it was nice not to have Cleo getting under my fur for a change. She didn’t boss me around ocne. I don’t really know what got into her. She was practically purring. Looks like we have our new friends to thank for that. TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Four Precisely

You know, my ancestors may have had a point about this feline thing. I was feeling a bit cat-nappish after Fearleading practice. It was one thing that Toralei didn’t argue with me about. We found an empty classroom where it was nice and quiet, and stretched out near the window sill in a pool of sunlight. I must confess, it WAS soothing to have the werekitty purring and mumbling in my ear as we dozed. I slept like the un-dead. I won’t tell her, of course. Her head is already so over-inflated, it might pop. Normally, I wouldn’t concern myself with that possibility, but, now that we share the same head... CdN

195 mins A.F. - I’m feeling refreshed from a nap. I can almost deal with the rest of this Bite-Centennial. Is it just me, or has this been a really long day? Cleo doesn’t think so, but then she’s been alive forever, so I suppose one day wouldn’t seem like much to her. To me, it feels like an eternity. But the nap was nice. Cleo doesn’t smell as musty as I expected, just a bit too perfume-y. Made my whiskers twitch. But I’m really surprised by now how much I liked being tangled in her wraps, swaddled like a newborn kitten. I found myself purring out loud, and didn’t even care if she heard me. TS

Bite-Centennial Day, Half Past Four

I’m royally pleased to be back to me! Now that I’ve been de-fused from the werekitty, I am feeling much more my ancient self. I feel like I just rid myself of a furball that has been gagging me all day! Toralei and I decided to each write a grain of sand’s worth here just to finish up OUR diary. In the end, it wasn’t as horrific an experience as I would have imagined, given that she usually ruffles my wrappings. It turns out we CAN get along, when we are forced to under the most dire and unexpected of circumstances, i.e. stuck in the same body. But I could really use another nap. CdN

10 mins A.d.F. (After de-Fusion) - I am so happy I feel like everything is made of catnip! I am back to being my clawsome self, and Miss Queen of deNothing is back in her own wraps. I don’t know why everyone blamed me for getting them into this. I don’t think it turned out to be so cat-astrophic after all. They would never have known how freaky fabulous things could get if I hadn’t tried a few things, right? You have to be a little curious about the world - sniff outside the box - if you want even one purrfect life, much less 9. TS

We my not be fused anymore, but we must work together more than ever! Frankie is in dire need of our help, and she is one ghoul worth crossing a desert... CdN

or getting wet for. There isn’t anything we won’t do to SAVE FRANKIE!! TS

#monster high #monster high diary #freaky fusion #cleolei #cleo de nile #toralei stripe #toralei

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apricusdays · 3 years ago

Text

Lapis’s Story: City Life

Lapis almost didn’t catch him after the game. Had he screwed something as simple as that up the Boss was going to wring him. He saw Jamie still in uniform outside the stadium, talking to a group and holding his hands up. That weird scarab tattoo on his palm freaked him out, honestly. It was some kind of Potentialist thing he didn’t really ask about. “Baskerville!”

The other hecaball player smiled and held out his arms. “Lapis Hamelin! Well this is a surprise. By everyone’s accounts you’re practically solitary outside the games. Come come!” He immediately waltzes over and throws an arm around the bigger man’s shoulders. “Oh don’t be so stiff, Lapis, it’s just a game. Now what do you need?”

Well now what?

That was the first thing that hit Lapis’s mind. He didn’t really know how to do long term socialization the way the inner city people did. He knew Jamie Baskerville’s reputation for hosting a party after every Hounds game but who invited themselves to an event? It went against everything he really understood. He just had to grit his teeth and do what he had to.

“You did good out there. Have fun at your party.”

“And here I thought the Dwarves were entirely devoid of cordial behavior. I owe it all to Lord Merek’s book you know. Have you read it? I could loan you a copy if you wanted.”

“No thanks. I work with sawdust. I’d just ruin it.” He spoke cleanly but Lapis really didn’t want to deal with the Solis Heights cult more than he had to. “Maybe I should just... catch you next game.”

Jamie relaxes his posture even more than usual and puts his hands on his waist. They’d normally be in his pockets but hecaball uniforms didn’t have them. His relaxed stare seemed to bore through the other player’s trepidation. “Lapis... I don’t like wasting energy and you’re clearly trying to say something. Please, let’s not make this difficult. I don’t consider myself hard to get along with so just out with it already! Where’s that gruff directness you Union boys are so known for?”

Lapis stiffened and grit his teeth. There really wasn’t a good way to say it, but if he wanted direct, he’d get it. “The Boss wants me to start socializing. It’s supposed to be good for... whatever the hell he’s trying to do.”

Jamie lets out a laugh. “Is that it? Leave it to Damien Styles to think he has to brute force his way through something he wants. I’m a pretty open book, you know. How about we kill two birds with one ball and save us some time, hmm? Come along with me to our party. You can meet people and get some of those chips off your shoulder and you can pretend to have gained some valuable insight for future games for your ‘Boss’. Just so you know, I don’t talk plays at the parties. Why bother? The game’s ended! Meet me at the Luxus Penthouse in two hours and bring whoever you want. Do you need directions?”

#apricusdays #Jamie Baskerville #Lapis Hamelin #Verse: Main #story scene #There will be an associated event soon #Location: Solis Heights

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ascalonianpicnic · 4 years ago

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30 questions: GW2 edition

I was tagged by @just-eyris-things and @where-is-caithe to fill out @pr-gw2 ‘s lovely question set <3 which i took forever to get to riiiip but here we go~

You can draw, write (to explain in details or not) or just post screenshots! If you miss one it’s totally okay, whether it’s by lack of answer or time. Have fun!

1. Favorite living world season? while I think 4 was probably better in terms of writing and gameplay, I think lws3 is still my favorite. It was the first new story updates I got to experience in game and @mystery-salad and I played all the updates together so it was really fun! It’s just a really nostalgic season for me

2. Favorite expansion? Path of Fire. It’s really good man, it’s so good and so pretty and the plot I’m <3

3. Favorite soundtrack? Alpine Marches!

4. First profession you played? Necromancer! I’d say it was an excellent choice~

5. First race you played? Sylvari, and I still main her to this day~

6. Favorite Destiny’s Edge character? It was originally Caithe, and I love Zojja a lot, but after a ton of hate Eir got back in April and May, I’m an Eir stan now. That’s my milf and she’s amazing

7. Favorite Dragon’s Watch character? Kasmeer currently~

8. Favorite Elder Dragon? Jormag, sorry for being massively gay for them

9. Best boss fight (story)? Probably the fight with Balthazar at the start of the Departing? Though to be honest I’m a huge fan of all of the Balthazar fights, his mechanics are really fun and his visuals and dialogue are *chefs kiss*

10. Best boss fight (fractal)? High Priestess Amala, it’s such an interesting fight but such a fucking tragic one

11. Best boss fight (raid)? I’ve only fought Cairn and never won but he’s cool. Based purely of aesthetics, Samarog is my wife, and I am very interested in Dhuum and the Soulless Horror

12. PvE or PvP or RP? RP my man, y’all hit me up for some rp Please

13. Favorite canon couple? Kas n Jory~

14. Favorite fanon/self made couple? for oc/oc it’s def Aildyn and @mystery-salad‘s Matthias, and for oc/canon, Rhosill and Canach just hit a warm spot in me

15. Favorite quote? “They’ll write more songs about you. Keep your legend alive. I’ll find whoever did this. I promise.” Norn pc to Almorra’s body in Whisper in the Dark, I did in fact tear up hard at that

16. Most emotional cinematic? Hard to say, since none of the most emotional moments for me were cinematics, but dialogue over action that adds to scenes, like leaving Blish in the Mists, or Executioner Amala’s death, where you and Braham are just stuck in space together for a few minutes after. That said, maybe when Braham pushes you free of Joko’s spell and takes your place so you can fight? Was that a cinematic?

17. Favorite VA? Sumalee Montano, the voice of Marjory

18. Post a fun screenshot! uvu

19. Post a landscape screenshot! It’s the best I’ve got on this laptop sorry ^^’

20. Most used mount(s)? the Skyscale, it was well worth the effort

21. Favorite mount skin (for every mount you have)?

Overall - Desert Scarab for the beetle

for the rest - Storm Ridge (raptor), Sun Temple Gecko (springer), Magnificent Hummingbird (skimmer), Stardust (jackal), Sky Bandit (griffon), Starclaw (warclaw), Shimmerwing (skyscale)

22. Favorite weapon? in general, i adore axes and how they’re used on every class with access to them. in terms of just skins, Sharur and the merciless focus are my two favorite skins.

23. Favorite gear set? Zodiac, definitely. I know it’s skimpy and ridiculous but I love it

24. Favorite title? “I’m rich, you know” is my dream title, but “good apple” is my favorite of the ones I have

25. Something you worked really hard to get? I made Chuka and Champawat this year!!!! It took forever

26. Favorite GW2 Youtuber / GW2 related video? now is my time to shill! @yolosmith has some really fun wvw roaming videos that you can find [here] !!!

27. Most used miniature? Mummy Legs

28. Most used novelty? The bouquet of roses~

29. Number of achievments points? 10,581 points, I don’t put in a ton of effort to gaining points for the sake of it

30. Something you’d love to see in GW2? I want More norn content! Especially anything about Forgal or his father since we’re meeting new followers of Ox/Dolyak

I’m not going to directly tag anyone since I literally have no clue who has and hasn’t done it and I’m late to the party, but if you see this, I’m tagging you to do it, fight me

#socks talks #long post #gods damn

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capricornus-rex · 4 years ago

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Two Sides of the Coin (3)

Chapter 3: Picking Up A Lead | Jidné Sheedra x Cal Kestis

Summary: Hell-bent on exacting revenge and retrieving the Holocron, the dreaded Darth Vader is now on the hunt for the young Jedi Knight, Cal Kestis. Under the assumption that he still possessed the artifact, while fueled by the intrigue of the boy’s strength and skill with the Force, the dark lord hires the bounty hunter, Jidné Sheedra, to track him down and have him delivered alive. However, the task becomes a trial for young Jidné, as she faces a conflict that tests her beliefs of a scarred past she had hidden for so long.

Also in AO3

Tags: Fem OC, Jidné Sheedra, Force-Sensitive! Fem OC, Bounty Hunter! Fem OC, Jedi! Fem OC

Chapters: Part 1 | Previous: Part 2 | Next: Part 4 | Masterlist

3 of ?

As Jidné got out of the castle, her stomach plummeted to her feet and her legs transformed into limp noodles—barely doing their job and instead dragged her along in every step. It was gradually sinking into her that the person who gave her the job was one of the most feared figures among the Jedi. She clutched her abdomen, crumpling the center of her jacket while waiting for the entry ramp to unfurl.

Not wanting to look back over her shoulder, she knew that she’d have the safety and privacy she needs within her vessel: a Dynamic-class freighter that she personally retrofitted and anointed the Crescent Scarab. It was a fine work of art that she greatly took pride in, so much so, that she has modified everything to her liking. She darted to the lounge of the ship, lousily putting down the canister and then splaying herself over the sofa.

Coming from the cockpit, an ID seeker droid acknowledged her arrival and greeted her. Its multiple claws on its tentacles flowed and twitched as its single eye panned left and right, scanning its owner.

“Hey, Eye-Dee Three,” Jidné greeted back.

The droid named ID-3, formerly Imperial property of another probe droid variant, is the only other passenger in the Scarab besides the pilot, Jidné herself. The droid chittered in its raspy, monotonous string of notes as it hovered closer towards its owner.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just… felt like jelly is all,” she brings her hand on the top of the black droid’s flat dome for a head.

The young bounty hunter detached the holster from her belt and set it down on the table, right next to the canister of credits. She stared at both objects for a good long minute, contemplating and pondering her strategy on how she’ll begin with this contract. Jidné reached out for her weapon holster first, taking it with both hands and then unbuttoning the flap—a polished, silver emitter pokes out of the lining.

She gently tilted the holster downward until an enough length of the weapon inside slid out. She caught the shaft before it could completely fall off. She rolled the hilt across her hand, feeling and tracing for the etchings, curves, and dips of the design. She held it high and proud, in the same way as she finished constructing it, the tassel that she knotted around the ring of her pommel caught her eye. Two strands, unequal in length, dangling at the very end of the hilt. The longer strand had seven turquoise beads, at the end of its thread is a cluster of feathers—three to be precise—though the wear and tear was very obvious; the short one had four beads of the same color but lacks a feather.

“Feathers are almost gone,” she hummed, fiddling the remaining tufts.

Her heart skipped a beat—it always does, even though she has done this many times. In her hand, the cold metal of the lightsaber’s sleeve stung the nerves of her palm. A small, somewhat satisfied smile curled along her lips—the weapon had brought her good memories, but also nightmares—and that smile became fleeting like a comet. Her thumb ran across the metal finish of the body and found the switch, the idea of igniting it was seductive—a temptation that she has no strength to fight back.

The snarl of the ignition took her breath away. A vibrant purple blade bore out of the emitter, its glow colored the paleness of her cheeks and reflected against the gloss of her brown irises.

“Jedi, huh?” she muttered to herself.

“Beeee-deee, trill?”

“That’s right, ID, we’re after a Jedi,”

Jidné sighed, and then switched her saber off before tucking it back into the pouch.

When her legs finally regained their strength, she walked to the cockpit and beckoned her droid companion—who still hovered close to her side—and joined her in the seat. As she put herself into work mode, she recalled the very helpful detail that Darth Vader gave. She breathed out a resigned sigh that drowned in the hollow hum of the Scarab’s engine revving up.

In a galaxy that stretched a thousand times more than the eye could see, how is she going to narrow down to finding a single Jedi?

“Say, ID, how likely are we to stumble into a redheaded Jedi on the run?”

“Beee… chirp!”

Jidné chuckled at the response, “I figured as much.”

With little base information she has, she knew she had to be resourceful. Lately, she’s picked up murmurs from Baz’s stronghold—as well as the gossips in the cantinas she frequented in Modala—that bounty hunters were also after a Jedi, solely for the bounty on his head, not because Darth Vader had hired others behind Jidné’s back or the other way around.

While gossip wasn’t exactly the best source material, she had to make do. The young bounty hunter swallowed her pride and entered the coordinates of her first stop.

Upon seeing the coordinates on the computer, ID-3 erratically chittered in protest.

“We have no other choice, buddy. They’re the closest we can get to the target,”

ID-3 lowed in disagreement, submitting to Jidné’s decision and continued assisting her in the ship, much to his chagrin. His owner sensed the disdain and petted its flat dome again.

“Don’t worry, you’ll stay close to me, right?”

“Beeep!”

Jidné smiled and boosted the ship’s throttle, following their course to Ordo Eris.

——————————————————–

Jidné piloted the ship with great care, evading the rock debris and asteroids that floated within the orbit. Her destination was dead ahead: one of the biggest rocks in the field, a needle of the infrastructure built within, a fiery orange glow encircled the central crater’s inner rim.

“I really don’t like this place,” she complained to no one in particular—except herself.

She slowed down the speed of the freighter until she got close enough to the outpost. A red blip flashed on her screen and vanished seconds after spotting it. There was a noticeable gaping crack of the arena’s ray shield wall that protects the outpost from the elements outside the planetoid, the young hunter added that to her list of questions once she lands.

The Scarab docked on the empty arena. It wasn’t entirely new for her see it devoid of animals and sentient creatures fighting for dear life, though it was a better sight than the deafening chorus of wild cheers mingling with animal roars. The Scarab’s landing gears disturbed the floor of the arena, creating clouds of sand around its pads, the exit ramp unfurled for Jidné and ID-3 to alight the ship.

A trio of bounty hunters approached her, there were more standing by the arena’s walls as well. Shortly after, they gave way for their Umbaran boss clad in silken, luxurious violet robes—he stuck out like a sore thumb around the orange light that filled his colosseum. For someone with sallow, prominent cheekbones and paper-white skin, he moved quite flamboyantly—contrast to his sickly appearance—perfectly matching up to the vibrancy of his rich, violet robes.

“We need to talk, Sorc,” the bounty hunter abruptly began, not having time for the dilly-dallying.

“Well, well,” he spoke in a singsong manner. He rubbed his goatee as he swayed. “It’s been way too long, dove. Come, come!”

Jidné didn’t come closer, even though Sorc beckoned her with his fingers covered in rings, so much so that the fingernails were the only ones exposed.

“Oh come on now, little dove, you act like we didn’t have history together!”

The bounty hunter rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Don’t call me that. Plus, that history was basically me being your delivery girl of animals and captives. It’s no big contract, just a sideline.”

“Ah, but you gave me a lot of good stuff for my arena! When you worked for me back in the day, I never ran out of customers—always looking for some mauling, goring, and all that crazy stuff!”

Completely uninterested of Sorc’s rambling about his business of arena fights between humanoids, humans or sentient beings against wild, senseless animals, Jidné cut to the chase.

“I don’t have time for stories, Sorc,”

“Of course, you aren’t. But, you know, intel—”

“Isn’t your expertise,” Jidné finished the sentence, even though that wasn’t exactly what Sorc was going to say. She put her hands over her waist, “But you’re the only one I know who could give me just that. Think of it as a compliment.”

The Umbaran pursed his lips, he opened his palm right in front of her. Fishing two gold chips out of her pocket and then tossing them to the hand, his fingers greedily caged the money into his fist and hurriedly tucked them into his robes.

“Always so hasty,” he rolled his eyes and smacked his lips. “Alright, what do you wanna know?”

“A boy. Redheaded Jedi.”

Sorc Tormo purred a long “Ahh” and wagged his finger at the girl, a mischievous grin stretching ear-to-ear on his pale white face.

“Handsome?”

Jidné’s eyebrows pulled together, creasing her forehead.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant, but okay, I guess?”

A throaty snicker rumbled from the Umbaran, still wagging his finger at the girl in a more teasing manner—it was almost childlike.

The surrounding bounty hunters subtly showed signs of hostility towards Jidné, her eyes already caught their movements with the slightest of side-glances: the ones standing closest to them were tightening their grips around their blasters, the ones who were a little far away but still within earshot had their hands slowly wandering towards their holsters.

She got the hint. Apparently, the Jedi was a prize indeed.

“Now that is an interesting subject—even for you, sweetheart!” Sorc Tormo guffawed, leaning to his knees while keeping his eyes on her.

She pointed at the damage with her thumb over her shoulder, without needing any words to make out the question, Sorc Tormo immediately has the answer.

“Ah!” he clicked his tongue. “We got a little… caught by surprise.”

“One hell of a surprise, if you ask me,”

“Oh honey, you don’t even know the start of it!” he swatted the air with his hand.

“He did that, didn’t he?”

Sorc Tormo’s boisterous guffaw startled the young girl as she awkwardly watched him laugh straight at her face. When he still hasn’t gotten all of the laughter of his system, he’s still chortling as he swings his arm at the air.

“Aww, ya shoulda see the baby go! Slashing away and getting chocked up by my pets and men. Crowd was wild, I had a full box that day!”

“You don’t know where he is, but you’ve seen him,” she insinuated.

Sorc got carried away with the compulsive need to tell it all, a force of habit, from the way she picked up his words, it was clear as the eye-straining color of his gaudy robes—the redheaded Jedi has engaged with the Haxion Brood.

“And you’re after him, too?”

“Hey, it pays the bills, sweetie!” he throws his arms to his sides, solely focusing on the topic of money. “Honestly, I could care less about the kid, but knowing the price on that pretty head of his, you really can’t blame us tryna make honest work, eh?”

“He’s mine!” she snarled, taking two steps towards Sorc.

Immediately, his bounty hunters became defensive of him, stopping her in her path by pointing the barrels of their rifles at her. That didn’t scare her, though, she takes another step close to the point that the holes of the blaster press against her body. She shot a dirty look at the pair of bounty hunters.

“If there’s one thing I hate: it’s competition.” She added.

Sorc chuckled, unintimidated and kept up his lurid façade, he gestured his hand in a circular motion that covered Jidné’s front.

“From what I could read in all this defensiveness, I strongly deduce that you have a contract out to get him.”

“Good job, man, do you want a prize for that?” she sardonically rebutted, keeping up with the Umbaran’s sarcasm with her own flavor.

There was no constructive reply from Sorc, other than another throaty chuckle. The girl’s patience is being stretched thin by the minute, not until she’s satisfied of filling the gaps that Darth Vader left in the job description.

Her sarcasm was quickly replaced with an imposing snarl through the clench of her teeth, “What else do you know?”

“He travels with that little gray grub that owes me a shitton of money!”

“A lot of little grubs owe you a shit-wad of money, Tormo, you’re gonna have to be much more specific.”

The syndicate boss sighed, often forgetting that this little bounty hunter was a persistent one—too persistent for her age rather. He shooed away his bounty hunters from being human barricades between Jidné and himself. They eased up, leaving a gap for Sorc and Jidné to converse with less distractions, but they still kept an eye on the girl—wary of her movements as she’s already starting to be aggressive.

“Alright, alright, fine! Your redhead is with the ship called the Mantis—it’s an S-161, you’ve been a mechanic part-time, right? You should know what that looks like. Now, for the grub that baby boy drives around with—he’s a stubby, little guy. Kinda old, wiry hair, bald on the top.”

“The companion—is he human too?”

“No, that grub is a Lateron. Stout, little thing. Four arms.”

Jidné tossed one last golden chip at Sorc, to which he skillfully caught into his hand; he fluidly slipped it into the inside pocket of his robes, making a soundless clink with the others, as he watched Jidné turn her back at him and walk away.

“Pleasure doing business with you, dove! Don’t be a stranger!”

“I plan to be!” Jidné clapped back before fully disappearing into the ship.

Sorc Tormo watched Jidné prep up the freighter, he even giddily waved goodbye at her to which she repaid with a fed-up rolling of the eye; she ignored him after that, focusing on the dashboard monitors of her ship as she eagerly flies the ship out of the rock. The freighter’s throttle blew at the entire arena—everyone’s capes and coattails flapped and smacked against their legs wildly as Jidné maneuvered the ship to face the gaping crack of the outpost’s wall.

“Are we gunna go after ‘er, boss?” one of the bounty hunters asked.

“Sure. It might be fun to have the baby boy and the baby girl together—they either kill each other or save each other, whatever and whichever works,” Sorc thought out loud, he rubbed his goatee with his ring-covered fingers and a grin stretched across his wrinkled, sallow face. “A ransom… no, a fugitive’s bounty on her head too! Yes, that would be very delicious. Go on now, SHOO!”

All of the bounty hunters dispersed, whooping in glee and greed as they gathered into their crude ships, bringing along the HURID-class droids for added muscle and brawn. Sorc Tormo stood idly in the exact spot he’s been staying in ever since Jidné came until she left, he listened to the barbaric laughter and chatter among his men; that greedy, coy grin never melted in his face—the only thing that ran around his brain was the idea of having sacks upon sacks of credits delivered to his private chambers, rewarded for the joint bounties of the Jedi and Jidné.

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thegildedlady · 4 years ago

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What We Become

“Forgive me if I don’t want to break rocks for the rest of my life!”

“There’s nothin’ wrong with an honest day’s work, not that you would know! Spend all yer time flouncin’ around... chasin’ tail like nothin’ matters.”

“Except it DOESN’T matter, paw, don’t you see? The lords and ladies up the hill don’t give a single damn what happens to us. They’d bury you in that mine if it meant another gold piece in their pockets! Just like they did to Harry!”

“You better watch yer mouth when yer speakin’ of him in this house, Kordya.”

“Or what?”

“Or else.”

Kordya sat up in her bed. The gentle creaking of the ship was the only sound to break the stillness of the night. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and found it damp with sweat. To her left was the sleeping form of Prisa, who she had fortunately not awoken with her own start. She had been dreaming, of course. This dream came to her often as it was not a dream at all, rather a memory on replay in her subconscious mind. It was the last fight she had with her father- the last conversation she had with him at all. There was no changing the ending, she knew that by now. No matter how many times the dream came to her, she still watched her younger self walk out the door and never turn back. It was too late to change the past.

The wind whipped against her back as Kordya stepped onto the deck. That was a good thing- it meant that they would reach their destination faster. The Great Sea churned and crashed against the bow of the Merry Mogu, but the Captain’s sea legs were strong and she swayed along with it, matching the rock and rhythm. It was wet and cold, and she shivered in her nightclothes with only her duster wrapped around her shoulders. As she leaned on the railing and stared out over the open sea, her mind wandered back to that fateful day. She could still hear the anger in her father’s voice, still feel the sting of his judgement.

“You been stealin’ again! When are you gon’ get it through yer thick head, girl? They’ll throw you in the stocks for sure. And I’d let ‘em this time! My daughter, a thief!”

“It wasn’t my fault! Jinna and Rory said-”

“Oh, Light. Not THOSE two again. They ain’t yer friends, girl. They just wanna use you until they find somethin’ better to waste their time on. Buncha’ criminals. Runnin’ round with them will only get you in trouble!”

“They ARE my friends, and you don’t even know them! You don’t know me!”

“Oh yes I do, lassy. I know that yer headin’ down the wrong road, and I’m tryin’ to help you before you get into somethin’ where there’s nothin’ I CAN do, understand?”

“You aren’t trying to help me. You just want me to be like you. Well I’m nothin’ like you and I never will be!”

The memory of their fight was still painful even ten years on. Kordya was only seventeen when she left home. By the time she was nineteen, there was no home to return to even if she desired so. Southshore was wiped off the map by the Forsaken’s ‘New Plague,’ and most of the little port town’s residents with it. When word of the attack finally reached her, it came almost a year too late. She returned to her hometown to search for her family, yet found nothing but wreckage and blight where life and warmth used to be. Her father, mother, and brothers were all gone. Even the little cottage she was born in- they were all born there save for her mother- was reduced to rubble. The plague had burned through stone just as easily as it did soft flesh. Not even bones remained. She searched for survivors, but by the time she found any they were mostly picked off by the Forsaken. She was, for the first time in her life, truly alone in the world.

Instinctively, her hand reached for the tattoo on the back of her neck. A found family of sorts. But the Blue Scarabs couldn’t offer her the unconditional love her real family provided. Their love was conditional on making a profit and doing what the boss told her to do. Her father had asked for the latter, but never the former. They didn’t have a handful of gold between them when she was a child. She would never get a chance to show her old man that she could make it on her own, and with each passing year she saw his face reflected in her more and more. That’s where she had been mistaken; she was like her father, for better or worse.

“...Kordy? Are you feeling alright?”

Kordya hadn’t realized she looked a bit mad standing out here in the middle of the night. She had been so lost in thought she had forgotten the cold for a moment, but the soft sound of Prisa’s voice calling for her from the doorway sent a shiver through her bones. She shook off the veil of painful memories, rubbing her eyes with a sleepy smile.

“Yeah, Pri. Just... needed some air. I’m coming.”

Prisa yawned a response, then retreated back into the captain’s quarters with Kordya following behind. Crawling under the warm covers, she nestled her nose into the nape of her lover’s neck and released a shaky sigh. The past could not be changed, that much was true. But family was a fluid thing, coming and going throughout her life. She had found it again, it seemed. How long any of it could last was as unknowable as what laid beyond the blackest night sky. Until then, she would savor every moment.

@pyrar for mention)

#a scene #Kordya Pavlov #Prisa Violette

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eri-blogs-life · 4 years ago

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Eri’s Itchio Adventures, Week 14

Does a game need to be entertaining to be good?

It’s... a question for the ages. And the game I played this week, Pagan: Autogeny, is one of those games that made me think about this question a lot

So, first... what is Pagan: Autogeny?

Pagan: Autogeny is described on its itchio page and steam page as “an exercise in aesthetic maximalism - In other words, it’s pretty big, at least by normal altGame standsards.”

And like the loading screen shown above says, this game definitely feels like an exercise in user hostile design. It feels like everything in the game is intentionally made to make you feel like it’s bad. But does that mean that it’s good, because it does such a good job of being bad?

I mean, yes, because it does a lot to pull you into the game while making it seem like the design is against you.

Okay, but first, Pagan: Autogeny is an adventure/rpg game where you wander around a forgotten mmorpg grinding to increase your stats while trying to figure out what the hell secrets this world is hiding within it.

It looks a lot like a lot of classic adventure/rpg type games. Apparently it was at least somewhat inspired by some old Morrowind creepypasta, and you can kinda see that in the style of the game.

The structure of the game as a forgotten MMORPG is definitely one of those aspects that makes it feel user-hostile. As an mmorpg, the world is huge but relatively empty, built to support many players at once in order to make it feel alive, with very few NPCs in the world. And in this case, the few NPCs that are left appear to have degraded into fairly simple polygon shapes, and each has only one line of dialogue. The regular enemies that inhabit some areas have also degraded similarly. The only mobs that appear to still have some sense of visible recognizability are the game’s four bosses, the scarab lord, the skull, the troll shaman, and the floating manly ghost body. And even then the floating manly ghost body definitely feels like something’s missing since it’s just a torso.

The old mmo structure also means the game has basically no instructions. There is a .pdf manual included in the download, which gives some explanation of how the game’s mechanics work - ghostly monsters can only be damaged by faith weapons, armored enemies can only be damaged by piercing weapons, and a list of the 4 weapons, 4 armors, and 22 tarot cards included in the game and what stats they increase. Except some of the tarot cards have [???] listed as their effect.

The tarot cards are weird. They are used as equipable items to increase your stats, and also used to unlock certain items throughout the game.

The game’s stats are also weird. As far as I can tell, the only stats that really matter are Strength, Faith, and Piercing, all of which are gear-based and none of which are shown on your character’s skills screen:

The skills that ARE shown are also pretty weird. Estrogen is increased by finding pill bottles around the world. Body Forging is increased by finding body parts scattered throughout the world and bringing them to the Forgotten Temple. Caffeine is increased by finding coffee pots around the world. Poetry is increased by finding scrolls around the world. And Murder is increased by killing.

The only use for these stats that I saw was that there is a weapon in the first area you need 10 in every stat to unlock. However, I was unable to get that. Why? Because in my 3 playthroughs I only got +8 levels in Body Forging, from building the statue in the Forgotten Temple. I think it might be possible to repeat the first ending I got in order to get enough points to unlock it...

Building the statue in the Forgotten Temple causes the end of the playthrough, at least depending on which ending you’re getting.

My first playthrough I built the statue and got a message saying to Observe the Heavens. When I exited the temple that the statue was in, I saw a black object slowly floating into the sky, occasionally shooting out beams of light to form like a cross like it was a dang evangelion. Along with that, I got an ending screen that told me that the Martyr was still Restrained.

I’d seen that message elsewhere - there’s a statue in one of the other areas that gives the same message if you interact with it. So, in my second playthrough, I tried interacting with that, to no avail. I was also able to collect all 4 of the arcana needed to gain the World arcana, by killing the game’s four bosses. I was then able to use the World to free the Martyr, and after building the statue I got the the same Observe the Heavens message, the same black object rising into the sky and forming crosses of light, but a different ending screen:

Well, I rebooted. The game, anyway. I still haven’t rebooted my computer or destroyed it yet, though hopefully that doesn’t do anything untoward. But, after getting the Martyr roams free ending, the world is different when you return. Things have fallen even further into disrepair, and where once stood the statue that said “The Martyr is Restrained”, there is now a door. I entered that door and followed through a series of weird, black, glitchy rooms until I found that statue. Upon interacting with it, I got the game’s next ending:

Upon rebooting the game again after that ending, I found that all my items were removed from my inventory, and the world had reset to its original version, giving me a sense that this was the final ending. But it might not be. From what I found online while googling about this, the creator has said that there’s at least one ending I didn’t get, which can only be gotten if you have the Fool tarot. But I couldn’t find the Fool. It’s presumably well-hidden, I suppose.

I may try to return, to find the Fool or to try repeating the basic game loop enough to unlock that one weapon I found in the starting area. There’s one NPC who remains after the Martyr Roams Free ending (most get destroyed), who continues to say that you should seek hidden paths, so I’m wondering if there’s some additional locale I missed somewhere.

...

The game’s weird. And a lot of its structure and style make it very hard to play. It’s huge, you walk slow, the skills aren’t explained at all, the endings don’t make sense, the game gets very loud at times with very little music in the game, just ambient sounds or very loud white noise. It’s not fun, the combat is simple and just involves walking around an enemy to dodge its attacks while shooting or hitting it with one of the game’s four possible choices of weapons. It’s not fun, it’s not entertaining, it’s not good.

But that’s exactly what makes it good, in such a weird way. Like, talking about it reminds me a lot of that one HBomberguy video about Pathalogic, and how it’s designed in a way where its not that fun to play, but it still provides for an interesting experience and says something about the nature of playing games.

I don’t know that Pagan: Autogeny says much of anything, though. It’s cool, it’s weird, and the obtuseness makes you want to come back to it and try to figure out what the hell is going on, but I don’t know that everything included in it feels like it’s leading towards anything in particular. It has a lot of religious imagery, for sure, which could make you think there’s something going on there. Autogeny, as a word, refers to organic life being formed out of nonorganic material. So presumably the game’s about the game itself becoming alive after its been abandoned? But I didn’t really feel like that was the case as I was playing. Perhaps the choice of the title Autogeny simply refers to how the game is about you coming in and making some life within the game after its been forgotten and abandoned as an MMORPG?

I don’t know...

...

So is it a good game, and would I recommend playing it?

Hard to say, man. On the one hand, I want to say it’s a great game because it does a good job of, as the storepage and the loading screen say, creating a user-hostile, aesthetic maximalist game. It’s obtuse, it’s annoying to play, and as it seems that was the point of the game.

But on the other hand, it doesn’t feel like all that leads to much of anything beyond more questions about what the hell is going on with it. So, hell, maybe that alone is enough to say it’s good at what it does.

#eri blogs games #pagan autogeny #this may be my longest writeup yet #i spent a lot of time thinking about whether this was good as an experience #i spoil a lot in the writeup here though so fair warning #its... i think worth a play #but you gotta be ready for an experience that while interesting is not exactly enjoyable

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qibliii · 5 years ago

Note

The more I think about I cant find a way to punish the Hivewings. They can't exile them. The problem is that Hivewings pretty much have jobs that can benefit the Silkwings too. Plus the Chrysalis is happy about burning down the hives when they might be Silkwings who actually love to live in there and will not agree about it and lets not forget the young Silkwings who have Hivewings friends and oppose for the older ones to hurt their friends.

I think the best thing to do is vastly reform the current society, and that means removing the current holders of power. Honestly, the only ones who can be trusted to rule the HiveWings are Lady Scarab or Lady Jewel.

Some hives may be allowed to remain, but there will be work done to establish a proper place for those who don’t want to live there. I like to think they’ll bring tree seeds and seedlings from Pyrrhia to start up a new forest.

But old habits and ideas are hard to break. Dragons are going to naturally segregate.

Many HiveWings will be bitter and will still look down on the other Tribes. Some SilkWings will happily avoid HiveWings, while others may have been more comfortable under their rule and might take jobs working for HiveWing bosses. And you bet LeafWings won’t want to be in close proximity to HiveWings anytime soon.

Changing minds is going to take a while, but I think that’s where dragons like our main characters come in. Cricket and Blue will absolutely be working to soothe tensions and destory ignorance, Sundew and Willow will help with reconstruction and laying down new rules, and Swordtail and Luna might end up preferring Pyrrhia for all we know.

#ask #anon #wof #Wings of Fire #Lady Scarab #Lady Jewel #Cricket #Blue #Sundew #Willow #Swordtail #Luna

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fakeyellow · 5 years ago

Text

Anya and Kamilah finally meet.

Summary: Kamilah and co. win the war against Gaius but at great personal cost. Fifty years have passed since their pyrrhic victory when a stranger, looking exactly like the woman they lost, enters their lives. Part 1. Part 2. Part 4.

“Kamilah’s expecting you. Don’t worry. She liked you enough to offer you a job without so much as an interview and she’s a woman of her word. She’ll just want to make sure you’re as impressive as your resume says you are,” Gabriel said reassuringly before he left and Anya took a moment to compose herself before she pushed the door and stepped into the office.

Normally, Anya would have been drawn to the myriad of seemingly authentic Egyptian artefacts and weapons decorating the room: the curved khopesh of the New Kingdom sitting innocently on a shelf next to a golden mask of Bast, the ornate fan-axe mounted on the wall… It was a collection that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a museum.

But she took one step into the office, making eye contact with the woman sitting at the head of the desk, and Anya was simultaneously lost and found in a single, breathless moment.

When she’d landed in New York, she had been consumed with a sense of complete rightness that had quieted the restlessness she’d carried with her for the past five years.

Her chest thrummed with that feeling now amplified, as if things had finally fallen into their right place, as if at long last, she was finally where she was supposed to be.

And then the moment passed and Anya was left to make her way to the desk, still shaken by the intensity of her emotions. There was no mistaking it: this was the woman she’d seen on the streets of London a week ago but why had she evoked such a visceral response?

“Ms. Sayeed,” Anya said with a smile, holding her hand out with a confidence she didn’t feel, “I wanted to thank you for giving me this opportunity to work for you.

The woman stared at her offered hand and after a second during which Anya feared she had been too forward, she shook it.

“Ms. Altomare,” she spoke, her voice elegant and husky.

“Please, call me Anya,” Anya quickly said, causing Kamilah’s eyes to flicker up to hers and then all Anya could see and hear was Kamilah, Kamilah, Kamilah.

She snapped out of her brief reverie, dropping the woman’s hand and Anya tried to ignore how her heart clenched at the loss of their contact, the warm, velvety feel of her skin. She settled into the chair and tried to regain her composure, appreciating the vast window across her that let her feel the familiar warmth of the sun’s rays on her face.

It surely had only been a few seconds but it felt like an eternity before Kamilah finally broke the silence, each word spoken with precision.

“Anya, I am a private woman,” she said and Anya nodded (she hadn’t been able to find a single picture of the CEO online), “And my collection is of great personal value to me. I was very impressed by your resume and references but I want to be sure of your skills before I give you access to my collection.”

“Of course,” Anya said emphatically and she leaned forward with excitement as Kamilah displayed three artefacts on her desk: a jewel-encrusted scarab, a golden ankh, and a wooden horse.

“I’ve brought some items from my collection and I’d like to hear your ideas if you were to create an exhibit centred on these,” Kamilah said, her eyes focused intensely on Anya.

But Anya was blind to the attention, overwhelmed with awe as she took in the sight of the precious items in front of her, her head moving around to see all of their angles. She was visibly bubbling with excitement as she restrained her hands from reaching out to touch them

“Oh wow. Ptolemaic Dynasty... and they’re all in such exquisite condition,” she breathed and then as if a switch had been turned off in her, Anya straightened in her seat, “Well, it depends on your purpose. What are you trying to convey, who is your target audience?”

“Let’s say it’s only for me. What would an exhibit catered solely to me look like?”

Anya furrowed her brows in thought before answering.

“Well, I would center the exhibit around this ankh. As the symbol of life and the natural force that interconnects all living things, it would serve as the centrepiece and multi-faceted theme of the exhibit. And the scarab would be one of the focal points of the exhibit. It’s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s dripping in jewels. While it was used primarily as a fashion statement, it’s also a symbol of rebirth and I’d surround it with other such objects. Now, this horse would serve as the counterpoint to the scarab, not a symbol of rebirth but of life as it is in the moment, moments that become precious memories later on. It’s wooden, much simpler than the jewelled scarab, but it’s been extremely well preserved and it’s no less precious. This horse is filled with the joy of the children who played with it, their love, their happiness…” Anya’s eyes turned starry as she envisioned the exhibit, “The displays could be in rooms that are connected via intertwining hallways to embody the nature Ankh, and there could be warm-toned lights…”

“Of course, I just came up with this and if you were to give me more time and information, I’d be able to come up with a more well-developed plan,” Anya finished, trying not to be nervous at the strange look on Kamilah’s face.

“No, I liked it,” Kamilah reassured Anya but there remained something off about her, as if she was shaken and unable to recover.

“Yes, that’ll be fine. I’ll set up your access to my collection soon,” Kamilah dismissed her distractedly and Anya made her way to the door when Kamilah suddenly called out again.

“Anya?”

She turned around, trying to quell her uneasiness- surely she wouldn’t be fired. Not when she hadn’t even had a proper first day of work. But Kamilah only scanned over her with those intense, brown eyes of hers.

“Never mind.”

—-

Anya closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh as if she was trying to expel all of her tension and anxiety. She hadn’t known what to expect from her first meeting with her new boss in New York but she certainly hadn’t expected the maelstrom of emotions that currently swirled inside her.

Kamilah Sayeed…

She wanted to know so much more about her.

Still deep in thought, Anya continued on her way to the elevators when suddenly, she bumped into a solid wall of muscle. She stepped back, more alarmed than anything.

“Sorry-” “I- Laia?!”

“Excuse me?” Anya asked at the man’s exclamation. He was dressed professionally in a well-tailored suit but he stared at her with unabashed shock. He seemed to notice her growing discomfort when he shook his head and offered her a lopsided smile.

“I’m sorry. You reminded me of someone I knew,” he said and Anya smiled back at him.

“I get that a lot. I guess I just have one of those faces,” she joked and he laughed, even as he didn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Adrian Raines,” he offered his hand and Anya shook it.

“Anya Altomare.”

“Well, it was nice bumping into you Anya,” he said and Anya politely nodded before hurrying away into the elevator as he stared after her.

—-

Could she truly not be Laia?

Kamilah had watched the woman closely, had picked the three items specifically because of Laia’s connection to them. But there hadn’t been a single sign of recognition in Anya’s face, only a reverential awe at the old artefacts.

And yet if she weren’t Laia, how could she have so keenly discerned the value of the items, their meanings to her? How could she have reached so deeply to Kamilah’s core?

Kamilah sighed deeply, rubbing her temples in frustration when Adrian burst into the room.

“Who is she?” he exclaimed but Kamilah merely gestured at him to sit across her.

“I-she said her name was Anya but she looked and sounded exactly like Laia,” he said agitatedly, running a hand through his hair.

“Did Laia somehow Turn?” Adrian asked before he finally seemed to see Kamilah’s face, see how she was only barely keeping herself together, “I’m sorry. I know this must be difficult for you.”

Kamilah pulled out a decanter of gin and two glasses, pouring him a generous amount of liquor and herself an even more generous amount. She took a slow sip of the liquid, half-wishing that vampires weren’t so immune to the effects of alcohol.

“She’s not a vampire,” she declared definitively and Adrian made to interrupt her when she continued, “I turned off the window shade so she sat with the sun directly on her for fifteen minutes. She wasn’t affected at all. Even Gaius would have shown some sign of irritation after that much exposure.”

Adrian slumped down in his chair, “I just don’t understand. Is it possible that a random woman could look so much like her?”

Perhaps, if they had still been close like they’d been 50 years ago, Kamilah might have mentioned the empty casket, the doubts and suspicions and questions that incessantly plagued her mind. She might have mentioned how it was killing her to be so close to a woman who looked, talked, smelled like Laia, how her heart couldn’t help but hope against hope that the gods had somehow brought Laia back to her, how she couldn’t bear to entertain these thoughts because if she ended up not being Laia, she’d fall apart...

But they had grown distant from each other after her desperate ploy with Gaius and so Kamilah merely said,

“I don’t know.”

—-

A/N: Thanks for all of the support! I hope you’ll continue to read although this was a bit of a slow chapter. There’ll be 2 more parts and I’m excited for the upcoming revelations. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a short Kamilah x MC drabble that takes place during the 50 years to tide you over.

I ended up doing a lot of unnecessary research for the weapons in Kamilah’s office. If you’re interested: the khopesh was out of use by Kamilah’s time period but I don’t know what else the curved sword in her office could be. The fan axe has only been seen in hieroglyphics, and they’ve never unearthed an actual axe, but PB decided to put it in her office so whatever. And I wasn’t sure what the golden mask was so I just said it was a mask of Bast. For the exhibit, I had no idea what I was doing so lol my bad.

I’m saying Kamilah has high tech shade thingies on her window that she can control so they either block the sun or let the sun in. She turned it off for Anya, got distracted, had Anya turn around so she could confirm Anya wasn’t affected by the sun, and then turned it on so Adrian wouldn’t be affected when he came in.

#bloodbound #kamilah x mc #kamilah sayeed #adrian raines #playchoices #my writing

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years ago

Text

Humans are Space Orcs, “For Cosmetic Purposes.”

Hope everyone enjoys the story and has a wonderful Tuesday.

Three shuttles skimmed across the open sand, kicking up clouds of blue dust into the shimmering heat. The Sun beat down from above through the hazy green sky. The sand shimmered in the heat and a gentle wind blew streams off the top of dunes.

“Alpha one to Bravo one, seen anything yet?”

“Negative alpha one, still searching.”

“How about you charlie.”

“Nothing yet.”

“You would think with the tracker he'd be easier to find.”

“Ts all the dust in the atmosphere interfering with the signal. Generally it should be able to pinpoint him to within ten feet, but with the dispersion, that ten foot circle has become more like ten miles.”

“Ten miles is still better than a whole galaxy.”

“Think he's alright, if he got caught in that sandstorm…..” The comms went quiet, the marines unwilling to think of what that might mean.Admiral Vir was…. Well a survivor. He had served so many things that to think a sandstorm could have taken him out was almost preposterous. He was like a fixture on the galaxy, and to loose him would be like losing the part of the universe that was human.

It was just then that the three shuttles crested over another low hill, only to see a glint of darkness against the blue sand.

“Hold on, i think we got him.”

The black sport was moving, just cresting u the next rise, walking slowly back towards civilization.

IT turned as the three shuttles rolled forward..

He stood against the green sky, boots planted on the blue sand. He had a scarf wrapped around his head to keep the sun out, and a delicate wind rippled the cloth. The only thing visible was his eyes.

They pulled to a stop coming to rest on the soft blue sand of the dune.

The door opened and Ramirez walked forward to greet the Admiral as he strowed over the sand and into the shuttle.

“Where’s Su-”

The Admiral brushed past him without so much as looking at him, marching to the front of the shuttle. He trailed sand as he went, the little blue particles were crusted into every inch of his visible clothing, seeming to have integrated themselves into the very fabric itself.

“Adam?”

He paused by the pilot’s seat, looking down at the young man with an expression that could could have crystalised the blood in the young man’s veins, “You’re in my seat.”

The young pilot quickly scrambled out of the seat and stood at near attention beside it as the admiral took his seat and strapped in, is clothes making a painful creaking sound with their heavy sand content.

“Adam wha-” “They took her.” The man said, “They took her.”

“What, who did they take…. You mean…. Sunny?”

Adam didn’t answer, but engaged the ship’s engines and lifted them off the sand. Ramirez and the young pilot were forced to stagger back and strap themselves in to the seats.

The man’s movements were quick and precise, but somehow hinted at an ever increasing violence underneath.

Adam as he had been was no longer here.

***

Sunny awoke with a pounding head and a sandy tongue. Her throat and breathing holes were so parched that she had trouble breathing and certainly speaking as she wheezed to life. She tried sitting up but immediately bashed her head on something hard and metal. She winced leaning against the ground and looking around,

It was dark, and difficult to see, but reaching out with her four hands she could feel the walls of a metal box end clothing her from all sides. Her heart hammered as she realized, and the air in the box seemed to grow heavier as she pressed against the sides, trying to push the box open.

When that didn’t work, she pressed her face up against a single airhole, just about eye size and sucked in some cool clean air. Her body was shaking, but she forced herself to calm down and lay back, arms lying crossed over her chest. She was going to be ok, if she could just calm down.

She took another deep breath and listened hard.

Through the box she could feel the rumbling of the ship's engines unfamiliar to her seeming ominous where the rumbling of the Omen might have been calming. And then, just above that, she thought she could hear voices. She leaned her head forward, pressing the side of her head against the hole allowing the sound to funnel down to her..

“And this stuff really has medical value.”

A snort, “Of course it doesn’t, do you think rhino horn had any benefit other than witchdoctor shit.”

“Then what’s the point?”

“I don’t know, it's supposed to be full of calcium or some shit. Whatever it is, its colorful and shiny, and people like to take it in pills, and then you can grind the rest up into a powder and mix it with nail polish. Supposed to last months.

“But that's all bullshit.”

“So is crystal healing and fumigating your anus, but people still do it.”

The other voice grunted in a half laugh, “Alright, alright I get your point. How much does one bottle go for.”

“If we keep scarcity up, than about 100,000”

A squeak of shock, “That much!”

“Well since diamonds are so readily available these days, they had to come up with something more interesting. Now capturing a live Drev and grinding them up into beauty products is a pretty dangerous task, so hence, the price goes up.”

Sunny sat back in her containment, wide eyed.

So it was true than.

All of the stories and rumors.

And now she was on the receiving end.

“The blue one will fetch a nice price I think. Seems healthier than the others.

“Take her out of the cage, make sure she’s gassed good before you try. Drev are worse than humans when it comes to captivity. They’ll do anything to break your neck.”

Sunny heard footsteps approaching across the floor and scrambled inside the box kicking and clawing at the lid desperately trying to get out.

“She’s lively!”

She heard a sharp, cachunk as something was attached to the outside of the box, followed by a sharp hiss. Almost instantly she felt her body go limp and she flopped back against the metal unable to move as the lind was pried open and light assailed her eyes.

A grinning human stared down at her from above, bright blue eyes and dark black hair.

The smile was the kind of malicious smile humans get when they mock you.

“Hello little scarab, are you ready to make us lots of money.”

They weren’t covering their faces, and that is when Sunny knew that they didn’t plan to let her go. The man leaned down, hooking some chains under and against her arms before motioning to someone outside her view.

There was a whirring, and the chains were raised, her with them.

Her carapace scraped against the box.

“Hey, don’t damage the merchandise!”

“Sorry boss.”

She was stopped, hanging vertically as the two men stepped forward and began to examine her, tapping against her carapace.

One of them tapped a nail against the front of her thigh, “Looks like someone’s already taken a piece, look, she's missing some in through here.”

“A pity, but the back will do well enough

“Take off a little from her shoulder, grind it up and see how it looks.”

Sunny rotated slowly on the chains as the men moved to get their tools, and as she did her eyes fell on something… something she didn’t want to see, something so horrible she wished she could look away, but only managed to close her eyes, moaning in horror and fear.

That was her fate.

***

The three shuttles touched down on the Pirab docking station and when the doors open, admiral vir stepped into the sun sand grinding against his skin. The marines followed behind him, scrambling like rats as he made his way across the tarmac to where the Tesraki docking master was talking to a set of Rundi guards.

The admiral completely bypassed the guards stepping up to tower over the Tesraki.

“Where are they!” he demanded

The Tesraki backed away his hands raised.

“Where are who.”

“The smugglers, where are they. I know they were heading to this docking station. They would have come in during or right after the sandstorm.”

“I assure you. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The marines yelped and lunged forward as the admiral reached down and grabbed the Tesraki by the throat, hauling him into the air, “You are impeding a GA investigation. Now tell me again WHERE THEY WENT!” Rtamirez grabbed his hand, and pried it off as the Tesraki fell back to the ground choking and mewling.

“I don’t know.” He stammered out, “I don't know. They came in early this morning and left on their ship. I can give you the tag numbers and their general heading, but that’s all, I swear.”

Adam snarled, and the tesraki squealed scrambling to pull up the information on his holopad.

The marines looked on in shock and concern.

“Admiral.”

Adam held up a hand silencing Ramirez.

“here , here, just take it.” The Tesraki pushed the holopad into the human’s hands and then scrambled the pack. Adam stared at it for a few moments as the information uplinked to his own implants, and then tossed the holopad onto the sand where it sent up a could of dust. He then turned and marched back towards the shuttle with the marines running after him.

“Admiral.” Maverick tried this time, but he ignored her entirely, stepping ont othe ship and focing himself towards the font of the bockpit.”

He was so angry his hands were almost shaking, and only moving, only action could keep him from his fear… the fear that she was dead…. Or worse.

As soon as he stopped moving he knew the tears would come, knew the fear would paralyse him, so he kept his mind focused and forward on one single goal.

He had to rescue Sunny.

He had to.

There were no other options.

***

Sunny screamed in agony as the whirling blade ground through a piece of her carapace.

If she could have moved she would have kicked and struggled against them, but it was no use. The blade whirred to a stop and she panted in pain and fear.

One of the men pulled back taking the chip of her carapace and handing it over to the other man, who brought it across the room to where a large machine stood.

He dropped the piece in through the top, and she listened to the grinding sound as the carapace was ground into dust, all while her eyes were fixed on the horrible sight to her front.

Drev, Drev hanging in chains, in various states of tortured.

The one on the right looked almost whole, but the one on the far left…. She couldn’t even look.

She hissed in quiet disgust and fear at the carapace-less Drev hanging listless and broken against the chains, every last inch of him stolen from what he once had been.

That was going t obe her

That was her fate.

And now she couldn't move, couldn’t fight.

Please, Adam….someone…. help.

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