#the upcoming crater arc.

[sereina]

how are you color coded?

RED CODED

red, a study in being in love with the thrill, the ticking of a broken clock, and hearing your heartbeat in your ears. you've become addicted to the thrill of danger and living life recklessly. you've managed to make people believe that you're untouchable, that you live life so dangerously and yet so precisely that the world revolves around you and only you. but it doesn't. it moves without you, it will continue to move when you stop, and it will always move on when you never move again. the world is uncaring. and you have to match that energy. you can't stop moving, or you'll end up dead.

[things-of-fire]

Hello Warrior Cats community,

I haven’t picked up a Warriors book in years, but I’m obsessed with Tumblr’s new favorite girlfailure and I would like to join the headcanon train!! Idrk who Nightheart and Sunbeam are but I see a lot of speculation that she’s their kit. Despite this, I think it’d be cool if she were in Windclan, as Windclan is said to have the closest connection with Starclan (but I have no clue if that’s still canon/acknowledged.) Based on my vague knowledge of Sol, I think he could be the voice in her head pushing her to break the clans’ connection with Starclan and embrace him as their spiritual guide free themselves and their ancestors from their useless code. I’m a BIG fan of the “moonpool is a place full of eldritch horror” thing we’ve collectively agreed upon, as well as the idea that without a site for Starclan to communicate through, that burden is placed onto this poor random apprentice. Also into Moon^2, but if Moonpaw makes friends with any cat on the other side I hope it’s Leafpool because I think that’d be really beautiful!! I also hope she connects with/seeks out MothWing. Final hopes are that Moonpaw is a little weirdo and she doesn’t get a boring love interest—at the very least, I think any relationships she has (romantic or otherwise) should be complicated by the fact that she’s Plagued By Visions, especially if those visions are controversial.

[Image ID: the artist’s interpretation of Moonpaw, a confirmed protagonist from the upcoming Warrior Cats arc. The artist portrays Moonpaw as a thick-furred black and white cat. She has dark splotches across her body and a completely black tail, save for a tiny white fleck at the tip. The spots on her face resemble the craters of the moon, which is referenced to the right of her. Moonpaw’s eyes are large and amber. The fur on her face droops, forming a crescent shape. She’s looking sadly to the side. Above this drawing is a sketch of Moonpaw standing in the Moonpool. An arrow points to her, labeling her “Starclan’s favorite wet cat.” Sparkles surround her and the water. She is sopping wet, with water dripping off her long fur. She looks to the distance with comically large eyes and flattened ears. An unknown voice says to her, “Moonpaw? What are you doing!?” End ID.]

[fearlessdevil17]

I downloaded Pokemon Masters back in February, and it gave me some ideas :)

When i was playing through the story mode of Master's, I thought of a whole scenario idea where after the event's of Scar/Vio, Geeta was offered to go to Pasio to represent Paldea, and was offered to bring in some student's from Mezagosa Academy (even some from the Blueberry Academy since they have collabed with them before) she believed would be great representatives. So after a long discussion with both Clavell and Cyrano, the next thing Lex (my pokemon OC) and all her friends knew, were on a cruise line to Pasio Island after being told that they were given a three month school trip as a sort of study a broad thing, and would be under the supervision of Professor Bellis as she teaches the six student's about the history of the Island itself, as well as the importance of Sync Pairs.

As i went through the main story, i was thinking about how most of the elements would play out if it was just these six traveling across Pasio, here's some scenario's i came up with:

*Note: unlike the game, the gang won't be meeting all the character's you travel with in the main story, but will meet all the villains in the villain arc, but with slight changes*

Professor Bellis would give them a tour of both her lab, and the Pokemon Center (where they will be sleeping for the next three months).

Nemona would be a little bummed out after learning that there are no wild Pokemon on the Island

The gang would find Geeta speaking with Cynthia and learn about the upcoming PML Tournament

with no time to waste, the gang started training for the tournament, all while trying to quickly adjust to triple team battles

As they explore throughout Pasio, they would encounter Team Break, and eventually meet Paulo and Tina

They would even meet Cheren, who Kieran and Carmine recognize

throughout the Villain Arc, Lex would reuinte some Familiar faces from both Kalos and Alola, and would have slight PTSD when facing against Team Flare once again

I was even thinking about scenario's about what the Crater crew would do on Pasio after all the crazy event's that happened, whether it just be catching up on school work they still need to do, or simply relaxing by the beach side with their Pokemon. But one scenario that i purposely left out was their encounter with the Prince of Pasio himself: Lear. And upon seeing how poorly he treats his Pokemon, it quickly takes a sour turn, especially for Lex.

Lear really grew on me as a character, especially when seeing his backstory, which it gave me ideas as to how him and Lex would interact. if you haven't seen Lex's bio yet, funny enough, these two seem to share a similar backstory. but unlike Lear, Lex never became self - centered but still has her faults, so meeting someone who was also mistreated by people, but had a completely different demeanour would, i think, be very interesting.

Normally whenever Lex see's a Pokemon being mistreated, she never hesitates to step in, but wouldn't say the same for herself. However, upon Lear being snarky with her, was the first time she hadn't felt nervous when standing up for herself. Her friends on the other hand saw the sudden change in Lex's personality. Sure, Lear did also make them upset with his comments, but they have never seen Lex actually talk back to someone with such pure hatred, making them concerned that she might do something very rash. so they mostly kept an eye on her to keep her in check when encountering Lear throughout their journey.

However, Lex had tons of self control, she never once thought about hurting him, or say anything that was out of her league. In fact, despite not knowing Lear's story, Lex couldn't help but feel empathic towards him, especially when she and the other's spent time with Rachel and Sawyer, and after defeating him in battle. But she shrugged it off, not wanting to feel bad after what he's done, but can't bring herself to actually hate him, especially when reminded about what happened with Kieran back at the BB Academy and the Underdepths.

But after the event's where Cheren's convinces Lear to change his ways, and form's a Sync Pair with Hoopa, is when Lex slowly started to see Lear differently after he rescued her and her friends from Team Break, and worked together along with Cheren in order to save the PML Tournament. It wouldn't be till the night before Lex's and Lear's tournament battle was when the two would finally have a moment to have a real conversation, becoming a lot more sympathetic towards one another as they spoke.

But even although they have let go of their past tension, they won't forget how they act towards one another. Tho it is now just merely playful banter lol

Plus after Lear humble's himself, Miraidon started to grow curious of the Prince, deeming it safe to reveal itself to him and wanting to get a closer look. Lear would obviously be very shocked that Lex would have a Pokemon like this (and is also very surprised when learning that she and her friends were able to keep it hidden from the public for so long), While Lex herself is just relieved that Miraidon's secret is still safe.

That's all i have for now, hope you enjoyed this little scenario rant about a mobile game lol

Honestly tho, such a good game, i like it a lot, and look forward to it's upcoming event's, while hoping one day, Arven, Kieran, and Carmine will be in the game too.

if anyone would like to add me as a friend you can find me right here, only if you want to though:

I'll be happy to add you :)

Oh!! And you didn't think i wouldn't talk a little bit about Paulo right? Cuz my god!! I know this game came out before the Scar/Vio DLC, but when he said the terms about needing to get stronger, i had legit Kieran PTSD!!! I was like HELL NO i ain't going through this again!!!

But scenario wise, I can totally picture Kieran trying to convince Paulo not to go after Team Rocket, of course this wouldn't work, but Kieran wasn't going to give up on him so easily, remembering how Lex didn't give up on him even after what he did back in the Underdepths

Carmine could never be more prouder seeing her little brother grow and mature.

[storytellingbadger]

Are you ready for Afton?

Sneak peek for upcoming Sunspots, Craters and Mortal Things chapter 31 "Doll." It's the final chapter of arc 2, so buckle up. The teeth of the trap no one realises is there is beginning to close.

Have an awesome day all!

[ma1less]

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Fear of the Unknown, a WIP story

✾ •°* •°* •°* :::::::::::................ 

(owo the divider looks so pwetty)

Hi. I think it's better now than never to make something about my story, Fear of the Unknown.

Before I really say much about FotU, lemme tell you what it's about. Cuz, you know, it's what I gotta do as a story writer.

✾ •°* •°* •°* :::::::::::................  Synopsis-ish ✾ •°* •°* •°* :::::::::::................ 

After a moon of suspension, Lenard Hartmann finds himself caught in a club, or rather a department, he had never dreamed of signing up for: The Drama Department! With his timidness and his inability to speak up for himself, it's still a wonder why he was admitted in the first place.

With the help of Anastasia "Annie" Cunnings, a simple volunteer for the student council who transferred just last moon, Lenard began to understand just who he was and what kind of elf he should become with the support of his newfound friends. And only Crater knows how much he needed that support right now.

However, everything starts to spiral down during Lenard's little time within the Drama Department. Why was he put into it in the first place? Why did he go berserk last moon despite being so quiet and friendly? Why is he always going out of character when he's not acting?

And why, in the vast universe of Similia, is it always pointing back to Anastasia Cunnings?

✾ •°* •°* •°* :::::::::::................

The thing is kinda old but that's basically what the story is about -- just a little elf boy who needs the support and love of others. And someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

And this entire thing is old too. 3 years old. This upcoming March will be the third anniversary of the creation of FotU...

...and I'm still at the damn beginning arc...!!!

*sigh* It's just because I couldn't make up my mind...

So a little history about the story since this is my first WIP post about FotU:

It was meant to be a Gacha Club series.

Yeah...

Gacha Club...

I'm a visualist. I love seeing stories come to life, whether that be through illustrations and animations or vocal and audio production. I just love to feel it.

And you can't do that through just words alone.

So that's why, even if I don't have any proper knowledge about animation and running a full-scale project, at least my story can come to life somehow!

Somehow...

Somehow...

In the end, I couldn't even make a Gacha series. Not because I didn't know how (I knew the basics thanks to a different community I shall not name cuz I despise it to its core) but because the community...

...the Gacha community itself is...

I've been in the community for a long time (almost 10 years now) and a lot of negativity is spread throughout it. I mean, every community can't escape the drama, but everything I saw was just negativity after negativity and I just couldn't stand it.

(I have enough low self-esteem with my art skills already. Imagine if I made a series and it flopped or it wasn't up to the community's nonexistent standards or anti-Gacha people just tell me to draw it instead...)

So that put me to a halt. What made me drift away was just because I felt restricted with my creativity.

Specific outfits I want for my characters doesn't exist, the angles I want for the series is restricted to a 3/4 right-looking angle (and just a mirror of it instead of an actual left-looking 3/4 angle but I don't count it), and there aren't enough props to create your own custom/interactive background.

So I decided, even with all this low self-esteem I had with my art, why not I just make it into a comic? It'll be awesome to read, my creativity isn't restricted, and it helps me visualize my story better! All I have to do is draw!

Draw...

I have to draw...?

I haven't even developed an art style I can plateau on and I'm telling myself to make a comic???

*sigh*

Obviously that didn't go well... I can't even make a background without overthinking it, what makes me think I can make a comic? Jeez... Such high expectations for myself, huh?

So I opted out of that right away.

But if I don't wanna be shamed for using Gacha, and I can't draw for the life of me, what the hell should I even do?

Novel.

I've written plenty of stories in novel form before. Surely it'll be easy!

Except... since the story started off as a visual story, meaning a visual aide is kinda needed, writing it into novel format is extremely hard...

Oh, I know! Make it into a light novel! It's a Japanese niche of books that feature anime art in their novels as a visual aide. I can certainly do something like that!

Am I forgetting something...?

Oh, right!

I can't draw.

So... novel...?

Nah, I'm going back to its roots and making it into a Gacha series!

Someone slap me in the face now cuz this is the reason why the story is taking 3 years to make and it's still in the beginning stage!

In the end, due to some personal issues, I decided to make it into a novel with no visuals. I just have to learn from my roots and write how I used to write when I was just a child.

Which is extremely difficult.

Better than nothing, I guess. At least I have a word count goal! Kind of...

(Don't tell anyone but I'm 2K words behind on my goal today;;;;)

My plans for the story is to get it self-published. Obviously, writer being a writer, I got distracted and ended up researching how self-publishing works, got even more distracted and caught up with another indecision, there's a bird, and forgot to write.

Yeah... Needless to say, I kinda got demotivated.

Kinda.

I mean, I've been writing ever since I was ten, and I haven't quit after writing over fifteen stories. Well, story ideas, since I never finished any of them and also got even more -- there's another bird.

Okay, it's gone. Now what was I saying...?

(Seriously, tho, I really got distracted with the bird cuz I put it on my Redbubble as a design lmfao)

But aside from self-publishing, FotU has two books. The first book, I'm writing, and then the sequel, which is planned. To be fair, the entire story is planned. All I need to do is write it.

Plotters, anyone?

Well, I shouldn't say that cuz I didn't exactly plot-plot a lot-lot. I just did the basic beginning, rising, climax, falling, resolution thing with a bit of notes of some good ideas I can fit in. Otherwise, I'm a plantser with more plot.

No, not that plot.

Can the anime titties please get out of my face? Thank you.

The first book, I named it as Fear of the Unknown: Project Action and the second as Fear of the Unknown: Mission Survive. I won't spill too much about book 2 since it'll spoil book 1. Let's just say that joining the Drama Department was the least of Lenard's worries.

Oh, right, I also need to talk about "the vast universe of Similia", huh? Well, the thing is, Fear of the Unknown is a series based within a universe I precreated for a story called Rewritten. Well, not exactly a series but more of a saga. It's already been, what, six years?

Just like FotU, Rewritten was made for a Gacha series but more for a Gacha fanfiction of Lunime's game Gacha World. I won't go too much into it since this isn't a Rewritten WIP post. Let's just say that I've plotted everything and need to write it.

Like usual.

But Similia is a universe made up of three galaxies that consists of elves, technicians, and hybrids. The similiens we'll be following for FotU will be based around elves!

I'll go more into the world in another post. Seeing how long this one is getting, I should be wrapping things up and finally be writing my story.

I know this post might be all over the place but I'm glad I made something for FotU. I'm not a person who updates her stories out of fear of... the... unknown...

That was not intended...

I just have difficulties trusting the internet after one of my stories was called a rip off of someone else's, and I ended up getting cyberbullied cuz of how defensive I was getting.

Hey, I'm very stubborn when it comes to my stories. If someone assumes something like that again, I'm still gonna end up repeating my mistake.

I mean, if you spent over a year or two creating and perfecting your story and you finally just made a synopsis of it only to have someone assume it was a rip off of someone else's story, wouldn't you get pissed off too? After the countless updates I put up, someone assumes it to be something I never made in the first place?

Now imagine if, after putting my synopsis out there for FotU, someone assumes the same bull again.

One year of work, I just got defensive. Three years, I'll go berserk. Rewritten with six years+? Hmm... Let's not get to that point, shall we?

Anyways, enough dwelling on the past. I gotta end things now so see ya later. Maybe.

(Don't know what it'll be about unless someone's curious about something specific since I only scratched the surface)

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (December 3/2020)

Today was pretty interesting - every member of both the Dream Team AND Sleepy Bois Inc. streamed today! Doesn’t happen often.

Everyone is preparing for the exile tomorrow. There's internal conflicts growing within the Dream SMP side and the familial division within the Sleepy Bois has only increased. 

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 -  Tubbo, Ranboo and Fundy work on the hole in the ocean and that’s when the first rain happens.

- Wilbur and Tommy randomly join the VC and just say “Tubbo we’ve been thinking about you a lot” and then straight up leave

- Later, Tommy gets on in preparation for possible exile. He insists that he cares more for L’manburg than his discs, ultimately. Technoblade is online. He says he wants to move into New L’manburg out of sheer confidence that he won’t be exiled. Sapnap comes online as well and proceeds to bully Tommy with Techno. Punz arrives too.

- Sapnap suggests Tommy move into Mexican L’manburg.

- Tommy says he likes Ghostbur because he’s “like real Wilbur but less torturous”

- TECHNO STREAM POG. He wants to move his pets.

- Sapnap confronts Tommy and says that he was ordered to kill him since Tommy stepped outside of the walls.

- Punz raises the wall. Phil and Ranboo come online.

- Phil puts on armor in L’manburg and says he must go. He meets with Techno just outside the wall - it’s time for Phil to join forces with the pig.

- Techno kills Tommy. Mexico is declared Dream SMP canon.

- Wilbur comes online and starts talking to Sapnap. Tommy says that the best apology gift is DRUGSS. Ghostbur asks Tommy where Techno is and then leaves.

- Sapnap is in denial about Dream not caring about him. Tommy tells him bluntly, and Sapnap says that at least he has Tommy as a friend - a continuation of his character arc from the Final Pet War on the 15th.

- Ghostbur roasts Techno for not knowing how to make a fishing rod and tells Tommy and Techno that he’s in “the ravine.” They all meet up at the lake where Techno’s base was, putting the pets in boats.

- The Sleepy Bois have a family confrontation. Techno asks him if Tommy’s life has improved from the new government. Phil points out that Techno was very clear about his intentions the whole time. Ghostbur says he and Techno go way back. Tommy says he’s just there for Ghostbur.

- Tommy and Ghostbur split off and Tommy tells Ghostbur a story about “two guys,” with Tommy putting him and Wilbur as “these two good guys, but one of the good guys had turned into a bit of a bad guy,” and Techno as “a medium guy.” Ghostbur remembers more than Tommy realized.

- Tommy lies to Ghostbur and says that Techno made the crater.

- Connor drops by. Tommy says he wants to get the Camarvan back in drug-brewing business.

- Ghostbur and Sapnap continue speaking. Ghostbur remembers that Sapnap was on the other side and calls him a “traitor like Eret” for now being with Tommy.

- It rains again... 

In Tubbo’s words, “Jesus has OP”

- Tommy captures a pet bat. “It’s like a moth but bigger!”

- They drug the president

- Meanwhile, Phil and Techno are hanging out together in Techno’s ice village, now strong allies.

- Tubbo isn’t swayed by Tommy’s apology gift. Tommy speaks with Ghostbur on the Power Tower. Ghostbur says he’ll follow Tommy no matter what happens.

- Quackity and George build a new mushroom house right outside Tommy’s new L’manburg house to piss him off

- Sapnap joins the call and immediately tells George that Dream said he didn’t care about them, and that those in Mexican L’manburg have to band together since Dream no longer has care for anyone. George is shocked and literally spits out his water. 

- Sapnap leaves, Quackity starts reading How to Sex 2 and IT RAINS AGAIN. 

- Quackity starts acting strange and screeching but he calms down once George gets him inside the church. Quackity has a revelation that all the world is made of “1′s and 0′s,” and says that he can never leave the church without the peace leaving him. He says that he killed everyone important in his life except for George, that he has no one left. George seems to be confused at who is talking to him.

“I am alive, George.”

...

- Quackity returns to normal and starts talking about the house in front of Tommy’s again. He and George continue their hijinks. George gets scammed by Fundy, he and Quackity start messing around with item frames and maps. They need leather and ask Techno about his cow farm. Techno responds that the spirits of the cows call for revenge. They start running.

- George starts gathering wheat. This is his grave mistake. Techno, invisible but showing through armor, chases him down and almost kills him but spares him at half a heart. George and Techno chat for a bit after Techno leaves the area.

- Then Quackity streams the first part of their plan to prank the entire SMP with pictures. Just a funny stream! Funny pranks! Haha funnies! hahahahahahaha

- PSYCHE u rly thought huh?? u rly thought??

- Dream comes online and announces that George is being dethroned.  He claims that he’s doing this to protect George, since George has been getting attacked more and more lately. But later on he lets it slip that George was, in his eyes, a “bad king” and was getting too involved to stay neutral, especially when it came to Mexican L’manburg. He makes Eret the king again. Worth mentioning is the fact that Eret still plans to adopt Fundy, and Dream and Fundy are getting married tomorrow...

- Everyone escorts George down the Path, George’s head hung low. Sapnap is angry at Dream, Dream accuses Sapnap of driving them apart. Sapnap says that he’ll stand with George.

- Sapnap, George and Quackity all reconvene at Mexican L’manburg. They decide to fight for George’s crown back, and also speak with Badboyhalo about possibly combining forces with the Badlands to do so.

- Dream shoots Quackity and orders an attack on George. He messages Quackity to not even dare trying to take back power.

- Later, Dream rejoins VC and he and Quackity get into a moral debate about the ethics of hostile government takeovers, who’s at fault for the conflict on the server, and why Dream is doing all of this. Dream points out that the last willing giveaway of the discs was from Tommy to Dream for the birth of L’manburg, and that Tommy only has the discs now because he stole them. The rain falls again as they speak.

- Dream leaves. Mexican L’manburg is the only place left for George to fight for. Sapnap has turned against Dream. The Badlands are getting involved, and Quackity has to speak to Tubbo about all of this. 

- Meanwhile, Puffy is replacing Tommy’s stone bricks with polished granite.

- The funny haha’s return as everyone continues doing the SMP prank. Fun!

---

Upcoming Events:

- Karl will be touring Pokimane around the SMP next week!

- Tommy’s exile decision is tomorrow

- Fundy is getting married to Dream tomorrow

- IS THE ELYTRA CHALLENGE STILL HAPPENING I DON’T KNOW PLEASE JUST TELL US

[sayuricorner]

Sonic the Hedgehog X Megaman archie comics crossover idea: Robots Freedom Fighters AU

Warning: English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing.

Heya folks! ^^

So times ago when the Megaman and Sonic archie comics were still arround, when the second Megaman/Sonic crossover “worlds united” was announced I was very excited about it, the covers/alternative covers which were presented as previews in the wikias showing on it the robots masters and other Sonic characters like Shadow made me more hyped about the possible interractions betweens those characters in this upcomming crossover.

WARNING SPOILERS!!!

But then we got the infamous Megaman #49 ending(not ranting about it or anything but I’m still sad to have saw a good bunch of my favorites robot masters gone! T_T) and then when the crossover came out the whole Team Dark got outright killed when the worlds fused.

Althought the crossover wasn’t bad, I thougth there was a lot of missed opportunities in storytelling and characters interractions so then I had this idea:

“What if at the end of the Megaman 3 arc Dr Wily and the generation 2 & 3 of the Robot Masters got spirited away into Sonic world?”

P.S.: You can use this AU if you want just credite and tag me in return please! :)

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AU concept:

So during the Megaman 3 arc, Wily found a mysterious gem(aka a chaos emerald like back in the worlds collide crossover) but unlike in the first crossover, Wily didn’t study it right away instead he put it into one of his confinement machine while the Megaman 3 events happen.

During Megaman and Willy fight, the emerald’s energy surcharged the system of the machine and then of all Wily’s computer system, making the whole lair explode.

Megaman managed to get out in time but Wily and his defeated Robot Masters were still inside and the lair exploded, leaving nothing but a crater.

Due to the explosion seemed to had destroyed everything, Wily was declared dead, much to doctor Light’s sadness, and his Robot Masters was declared destroyed.

But what everybody ignored is that Wily was still alive and his Robot Masters, althought very damaged, were still fonctioning.

You see, the explosion provocked by the emerald, instead of destroying the lair, teleport it and everyone inside into another dimension which turn out to be Sonic’s world.

When Wily realized he was in a new world, he was at first panicking but then he thought of all the possibilities and advantages, he get a new opportunity of conquest in a brand new world which probably knew nothing about robots like the Robot Master, a world which apparently don’t use the concept of the three laws of robotic, a world which knew nothing of him giving Wily a big opportunity to plan to conquer it.

With his newfound determination, Wily repaired his Robot Masters and begined to repaired his lair to start planning for his conquest of this world.

He bring the intension of Eggman, who didn’t liked that another mad scientist was trying to tread on his toes in the conquest of the world, however, when he saw through his spies bots Wily’s Robot Masters and what they could do, he saw an opportunity.

Eggman made sure to descretly meet Wily to convince him to become his ally, Wily was unsure at first about trusting Eggman but the latter menaged to convince him with his silver tongue with promises of power and how they will equally rule the world ect...

So Eggman and Wily became allies and begined to planning together.

The two scientists lunched their first attacks, with the Wilybots fighting the Freedom Fighters for the first time.

The Freedom Fighters were surprised at first about those new robotics ennemies and by the new ally Egman found but stayed determinated to protect the world from them.

The Wilybots fought the Freedom Fighters over and over again ,only to be defeated mostly by Sonic, which frustrated them ‘cause being beat by a “blue hero” was giving them a feeling of déjà vu.

After a lot of battles, the Wilybots begined to have doubts, they have resentments toward the humans for how they treated robots like them but, what about the Mobians? They didn’t do anything to oppress their kind and their world didn’t even had anything related to the three laws of robotic so what was the point to fight them and conquer their world?

As time passed their doubts became bigger, especially about their master’s “ally” who, and his robots, creep them out for some reasons, especially after having witnessed a roboticization for the first time.

They also noticed changes in their creator’s behavior, Wily was becoming more and more agitated, violent and irrational and was even starting treating them just like Eggman was treating his robots: like a bunch of mindless tools, as his Eggman influenced Wily in a very bad way.

Time passed, the fights and interractions they got with the Freedom Fighters made the Wilybots had a respect for them and also grew even more their doubts about their loyalty to doctor Wily and even begin to make small defiances and tricks to manage to act against their master’s orders.

The breaking point happen when Eggman and Wily made their new plan to conquer the world.

The plan was to use the chaos emeralds and the phantom ruby, a gem that Eggman found times ago and which got reality change powers, to connect both Eggman’s world and Wily’s world together and erasing everything and everyone, their ennemies included, and reshaped both worlds in one world at their image.

To the Wilybots this was madness, their creator was a conqueror not a destructor and would never outright use a power for his plans without study it to knox how it work first. What’s happened to their creator?

They saw what Wily became, thanks to Eggman’s influence and his own delusions of grandeur, Wily was now the shadow of himself, a man overtaken by madness and his desire of power.

 It was the last straw for the Wilybots who decided to rebel against Wily and to warn and help the Freedom Fighters to put a stop to the mad scientists’s plan and finding ways to remove the program which force them to obey Wily’s orders.

Althrough wary of them, the Freedom Fighters accepted to ally with the Wilybots and together they fought Eggman and Wily and after a long and hard battle, both mad scientists were defeated, Wily got banished back into his world, Eggman escaped once again and the phantom ruby just disappeared in thin air.

As for the Wilybots, the situation was now complicated as the Freedom Fighters didn’t know what to do with them and them themself didn’t know what to do now, they could go back to their world but quite frankly they didn’t feel at their place there and would prefer stay in the mobians’s world and expressed they wished to join the Freedom Fighters.

So the Freedom Fighters decided to give them a chance to prove themself and took them back with them in Mobotropolice.

Everyone was rightfully wary of the Wilybots because of what they have done in the past, but with time and hard work, the Wilybots ended up earning the Freedom Fighters’s and all other Mobians’s trust and became official Freedom Fighters.

Since then the Wilybots fought at the Freedom Fighters’s side to protect the world against Eggman and built themself a new life among the mobians but they didn’t expected that one day Eggman would once again play with dimensional powers and fuse the world with a very familiar world to them and made them saw once again the one they in the past saw as an ennemy: Megaman.

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AU details:

General:

-In this AU Worlds Collide didn’t happen.

-Setting: This took place after the Megaman 3 arc and in the Post-super genesis wave’s version of Sonic world.

Before the Wilybots betrayed Wily and joined the Freedom Fighters:

-The Wilybots getting respect for the Freedom Fighters as fights after fights.

-Quickman and Sonic becoming rivals, everytime a fight between the Freedom Fighters and the Wilybots happen Quickman always engage against Sonic ‘cause he want to prove he is the strongest and faster one.

-The Wilybots being unsure about conquering mobians ‘cause unlike with humans they didn’t have bad blood against the mobians.

-Everytime Wilybots like Woodman or Hardman fight the Freedom Fighters they always make sure to not fight Cream nor Tails ‘cause to them young children have nothing to do on a battlefield.

-Espio and Shadowman becoming rivals, both of them having respect for each other for their skills as ninjas.

-At some points there’s moments during which the Freedom Fighters and the Wilybots got hearts to hearts moment duting which the Freedom Fighters point out the hypocrisy and inconsistencies of Wily’s logic and even ask the Wilybots questions like “If you want freedom why keeping on following someone who force you to obey him?” which would stunned the Willybots who would not know what to answer.

-Espio one day give a speech to Shadowman about the stupidity of him always talking about honor when nothing he do until now was considered as honorable.

-The Wilybots noticing a change for the worst in their creator’s behavior and they didn’t like it.

-When the Wilybots witnessed a roboticization for the first time, they couldn’t help it but being horrified by it ‘cause it’s look very painful and also because of the fact this doesn’t turn you into a robot with a mind of it’s own like a Robot Master but into a mindless machine, a drone who just obey orders and this made the Wilybots extremely uncomfortable.

-The Wilybots’s doubts becoming bigger days by days.

-The Wilybots making small defiances against their creator.

-Ex: Topman and Woodman helped a mother mobian and her children, who were captured by Eggman, to escape before they could be roboticized ‘cause despite all their best efforts to try to justify it to themself and because of the mother’s beggings to spare her children, their conscience was stronger and so they discretely helped the mother and her children to escape without Eggman nor Wily finding out.

-The Wilybots unwingly becoming more indenpendant when they begin to play and twist Wily’s oders to make defiances against him.

-Ex: They have been times where the Wilybots saved the Freedom Fighters’s lives because of the respect they got toward them by using the logic that while Wily ordered them to fight them he didn’t odered them to kill them.

-Eggman and Wily plotting against each other in secret and planning to backstab each other at the right time.

-When the Wilybots turned against Wily and warned the Freedom Fighters about Eggman’s and Wily’s plan with the Phantom Ruby they all found out that the consequences of this plan will be more serious than anticipated.

-Apparently using the Phantom Ruby’s powers will provock a clash with the effects of the shaterred world crisis and risk to create a bad chaine of reaction which will not only destroy this world but also make collapse the whole multiverse.

-When the Freedom Fighters and the Wilybots fought Eggman and Wily, the two already created a portal to Wily’s world with the Phantom Ruby in a machine to begin the fusion.

-After the mad scientists were defeated and Eggman run away, abandonning Wily, the Wilybots officialy disowned Wily as their creator before throwing him in the portal back to Wily’s world and, to the shock of the Freedom Fighter, destroyed the machine, making impossible for them to go back to their original world.

-When asked why they have done this as they could have gone back to their original world with this machine, the Wilybots answered that distroyed the machine to ensure that Eggman wouldn’t be able to use it was way more important, this and also because it doesn’t matter to them if they go back to their “original world” or not as it never feel like home anyway.

-The Wilybots surprising the Freedom Fighters when they ask them if they could join them.

After the Wilybots joined the Freedom Fighters:

-The Freedom Fighters having brough back the (formers) Wilybots at Mobotropolice with them.

-The Freedom Fighters after a good discussion together and with the king deciding to give a chance to the (former) Wilybots to reedem themself and to prove to them they could be trusted to become Freedom Fighters.

-This is like a sort of community service.

-The mobians and humans government being, rightfully, very wary of the Robot Masters.

-Some mobians, outside of the Freedom Fighters, being ready to give the Robot Masters a chance like Rosie or the Mobian mother and children Woodman and Topman saved, the husband of the mobian mother is even very gratefull toward the Robot Masters for having saved his family.

-The Robot Masters working very hard to prove they’re trustworthy and earn their place among the Freedom Fighters.

-The Robot Masters’s first times with the Freedom Fighters being though at first because of the Robot Masters’s shenaningans.

-The Robot Masters getting through the AU hero moments and character arc to become better bots.

-Sonic’s and Quickman’s rivalry becoming withh time more friendly and the two even becoming very good friends.

-Sonic and Quickman reguliary challenge each other into friendly speed challenges.

-During the Meropis arc: Bubbleman, Flashman and Quickman went with Sonic, Amy and Rotor to Meropis and helped to defend the city against the Dark Gaia creatures.

-When one of the Dark Gaia Creatures was about to lunched an explosive energy to Meropis, Bubbleman, to everyone’s shock swimmed to intercept the explosive energy and send right back at the creatures, destroying them but ending up badly damaged in the process.

-Thankfully Chuck and Tails were able to repair Bubbleman and the latter is consider as a hero by the people of Meropis for having saved the city.

-The Robot Masters becoming official Freedom Fighters after the Meropis arc and officialy became the “Robots Freedom Fighters��.

-The Robots Freedom Fighters having a introduction ceremony for their official introduction into the Freedom Fighters ranks like Amy’s in the original sonic Archie Comics timeline.

-Shadowman, Snakeman and Geminiman often going making to missions with team Dark.

-Shadowman training reguliary with Espio.

-One of the Robots Freedom Fighters becoming friend with Nicole and maybe even developing a crush on her.(That’s up to whoever who use this AU)

-The Robots Freedom Fighters bonding with the other Freedom Fighters and citizen of Mobotropolice and creating bonds of comeradships and friendships with them.

-Snakeman liking to prank others with his snakesearch, particuliary Antoine D'Coolette.

-Flashman being one of the Robots Freedom Fighters who stay often on the Sky Patrol to help Rotor and Nicole and keep an eye on Cream.(Nob to World Unite)

-The Robots Freedom Fighters learning to move on from their bad blood toward humans.

-The Robots Freedom Fighters participating in a good bunch of missions with the Freedom Fighters.

-Quickman using his speed to explore the world and make reports to Sally to keep an eye on Eggman’s activities.

-Some Robots Freedom Fighters helping Chuck with his lab and researches.

-Sparkman helping to the management of Mobotropolice’s electricity when not on mission.

-Crashman getting hands thank to Tails and Chuck.

-The Robots Freedom Fighters expressing hobbies and passions from outside of their programming.

-Rosie Woodchuck emotionaly adopting the youngest and childlike Robots Freedom Fighters.

-During the champion arc: Quickman, Shadowman and Topman get on Breezie’s tournament roster by Sally as “Team Freedom” along with Sonic, Amy and Tails.

-When Honey the Cat proposed to team Fighters and team Freedom to give them the emerald if she win in exchange of both teams promoting her fashion lines which make Quickman discretly turn around with Shadowman and Topman while whispering like “Aaaannd we’re getting away from her” despite Topman’s protests like “But that interest me!” only to had they way blocked by Honey who examinate them with fascination and interest while commenting about the fact she never had design clothes for robots before but she never say “no” to a challenge much to Quickman’s and Shadowman’s dismay and Topman’s excitement.

-Team freedom participating in the tournament with team Fighters and later help them to fight Metal Sonic.

-The Robots Freddom Fighters fighting along the Freedom Fighters and helping them to put a end to the Shattered World Crisis once for all.

In Megaman world:

-Until the fused worlds arc, the Megaman timeline keep going from Megaman 4 to Megaman 6.

-Ever since his “adventure” in Sonic’s world, Wily became more crazy and paranoiac than he was before.

-Wily took his two Robot Masters lines’s betrayal very badly and became rutless with his creations and treat them badly to the point his new Robot Masters are afraid of him.

-He even decided to abandon his creations to rust whenever a line is defeated by Megaman ‘cause he refuse to “tolerate any more failures”.

-Fortunatly each time this happen, Megaman save them and bring them to doctor Light to have them repaired.

-Currently the Robot Masters created by Wily(Megaman 5) are living at the Light Labs while the Robot Masters who were stolen by Wily(Megaman 4 and 6) have been send back to their creators.

-When the arc with Sonic’s world and Megaman’s world getting fused together happen, Wily’s latest plan involve the Stardroids.

Regarding the arc with Sonic’s world and Megaman’s world getting fused:

-How this arc go depend on whoever who use this AU! ;)

-I have however two conditions about this arc:

-The Robots Freedom Fighters NEVER betray the Freedom Fighters, they stay loyal to them.

-At the end of the arc, and the AU, when proposed by Megaman to come at Light Labs with him and live here, the Robots Freedom Fighters politely reject the offert ‘cause they grow attached to Sonic’s world and the Freedom Fighters and feel more at home in Sonic world.

[stillness-in-green]

When MVA/MLA Arc gets animated, what will you be looking forward to the most? What (canon-compliant) additions and/or changed do you want or think Bones should make, if any?

There’s--a lot.  Does that surprise anyone?  There’s a lot.

o  I have been foaming at the mouth for voice actor announcements for almost a year now, particularly for Trumpet, Geten and RD.           Trumpet’s superpower is literally his voice!  I mean, nothing about that statement requires that voice be particularly entrancing, but it certainly seems like it should be, right??             Geten is a boku-type in the manga, but that was literally the only hint foreshadowing his pretty boy face through 21 solid chapters of Pure Feral Gremlin.  Everyone was shocked by Geten’s face reveal!  How do you maintain that surprise value with an actual voice actor in the mix?  Do you not even try?  Do you play up the disparity--in which direction?  I can’t wait to see what they do.           And Re-Destro!  Re-Destro requires so much range!  From his peppy, silly businessman persona, to the urbane commander, from the overeager yes-man to the raving zealot--who on earth do you get to believably cover all that ground?  I can’t even begin to guess, but I am living in anticipation of that article going up on ANN or the official Twitter sources.

o  I’m also much looking forward to getting official coloring on Trumpet and Geten.  Skeptic seems pretty straightforward--black, black, more black--and RD and Curious, we have color art for, but I wonder if Trumpet will also be all black clothes, to go with that dignified politician image of his, or if he’ll get some color to pep him up a little.  What color are those tinted shades of his?  His eyes?  The wicked-cool Sevens Loud?           I assume Geten is all wintery shades, but it’ll be great to confirm which ones.  I mean, we all assume he’s white-haired to better annoy Dabi with family parallels, but what if he turns out to be platinum blond?  And are his eyes blue?  Gray?  White?  What color is that awful parka?           Also, Re-Destro’s stress powers.  Having been writing them as black since at least August--Rorschach test blots are generally black, after all, and they’re the clear inspiration--I would much like it if the anime would have my back on this.  They made Destro’s mask a dark cinnamon brown, though, so I’m prepared to be unpleasantly surprised in this matter.

o  Predictable MLA adaptational choices aside, I’m also eager/anxious about how they’ll handle Spinner’s narration.  What I really hope is that they actually straight-up hand him ALL the narration duties--not just the stuff he dictates directly in the manga, but also e.g. the name and quirk explanation material that Present Mic normally gets, or the previews that are always handled by Deku.           The opening and closing sequences are another big structural thing, of course--based on the flashed snippets of Hawks and Endeavor in both our current and the previous OP, I’m expecting we’ll see at least a bit of something referencing the upcoming internship arc (which I expect to close out the season), but I hope the villains just walk away with the closing entirely.  I want my slice of life villainy ED, dangit.

o  Another thing I’m eager/anxious about would be Kotarou, and the Shimura flashback generally.  There’s a brittle edge of to Kotarou that I really love, and I hope he manages to keep it in the anime, despite the anime being generally not so great at moments that I would describe as “delicate.”  For example, I’d like it if he doesn’t get a super deep voice, and if they could manage to keep his pretty face, and capture how deeply bitter and tired he looks in the scene where he’s reading the letter Nana left him.           Also, I hope they keep the little montage bits and, crucially, the changes of clothes the family goes through.  We see Tenko in no less than five, possibly as many as seven, different T-shirts through the course of that flashback.  It seems like a small thing, but it’s one of the factors that makes me skeptical that AFO gave Tenko Decay, when so many days clearly go by between the opening with the man at the door and the tragic end.  It’d be nice not to see too much resurgence on that just because the anime can’t be bothered to come up with more than one outfit for the Shimuras.

I have enough issues with the anime’s usual adaptation choices that I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high on the actual content of the episodes.  The staff is diverting too much of its major talent to the movies (BAH) these days for me to expect the whole season to look all that great, and it’s never been particularly creative or daring outside of its climactic sakuga-heavy fight scenes anyway.  I’ve also long had a bone to pick with its scoring decisions, and am already eyeballing the climax of the RD/Shigaraki fight and imagining the minor-keyed terrifying dirge I fear the anime will play there, at the moment that Re-Destro (and, shortly afterward, Spinner) are supposed to be experiencing something akin to religious awakenings.           There’s also the issue of the violence and gore--judging by how the anime handled the scene where Shigaraki and Compress maim Overhaul, I have some severe reservations about how much blood they’ll be allowed to get away with, particularly in the scene where the League brutally decimates that CRC group and, of course, Shigaraki’s backstory.  I’m looking at MVA to serve as a preview for how all the same issues will be addressed in the War Arc.

That bit of pessimism aside, as to what I’m hoping they’ll add or change?  Well, off the top of my head.....

o  I would love to get a full episode devoted to the time the League spends fighting Machia.  Not that first tussle, but the six grueling weeks in the mountains.  There’s so much you could add there for character building and atmosphere that Hori didn’t so much as montage through.  Where was their food coming from?  How’d they pick out places to pitch camp?  How much access to news from outside did they have, and how frequently?  What were the circumstances in which Gigantomachia “told them himself” about his great sense of smell??  Stuff like that!             I don’t think we’re at all likely to get this--honestly, the series of late has had enough of a problem with trimming bits and pieces that I’m as worried about what they might cut as I am hyped about things they might add--but the one thing that gives me some hope is the training camp arc.  Specifically, the moment 1-A first gets to the Pussycats’ forest, they get jumped by earth golems, a fight that the manga off-panels entirely, but the anime spends a modest amount of time on, giving the kids a little bit of time to show off their moves and such.  I’d love to get something equivalent for the League.

o  On a similar note, I wouldn’t turn it down if they fleshed out some of those running street fights a bit.  One obvious thing comes to mind: there’s a weird jump in the manga between Skeptic and a horde of his golems being all but on top of Twice at the beginning of 233 and then that fight just--doesn’t happen.  There’s no mention of it at all.  I think the suggestion is that either Machia’s appearance or the tower going down interrupted it--Skeptic breaks off from his fight the same way Geten and Trumpet do theirs, shifting focus to protecting Re-Destro--but it’d be nice to see the anime touch on it.

o  It’d be nice to get a bit of expansion on the nature of the bullying Spinner endured.  We’re told he was, but was it limited to verbal?  Did he get beaten up a lot?  Was there an online element?  Deku’s our only other reference point for “bullied kid,” and whatever one might think about the story’s development of Bakugou’s mentality, it’s been made clear in retrospect that there was a lot more too that than just the matter of Deku’s quirklessness.  I’d love to know how Spinner’s bullying looked in comparison (not least because of some of the theories about Spinner and Deku needing to come to some kind of accord to free Shigaraki from AFO).

o  Make the Villa (both here and during the War Arc) look more realistic.  By which I mean, I know Horikoshi is capable of drawing interesting and lived-in interior spaces--he has an entire chapter dedicated to it in the 1-A dorm room contest, after all--but he normally doesn’t bother much with it.  At UA, it’s not too distracting, because we know good and well that that whole building is probably maintained by Cementoss anyway.  Ditto places like Tartarus (intentionally, dehumanizingly barren) or the League’s post-Kamino hideouts (abandoned homes and industrial spaces).  But the Villa?            For heaven’s sake, it’s called a mountain villa.  It has a clear reception desk on the ground floor; it’s obviously some sort of high-end hotel, if not an outright resort or rentable retreat lodge.  Speaking as someone who’s worked in one, places like that don’t look as fuckin’ bare as the rooms we see there always seem to.  For fanfic purposes, I’m happy to go on telling myself that e.g. the pool and the bar and the restaurant(s) and the gym are in the building Cementoss doesn’t tear in half, but it’d be nice if the anime could class the whole place up a little, maybe put some real furniture and decor in the rooms that are in use.  (Yes, I know this is a ridiculous nitpick.)

o  This is less a change and more a correction, but for fuck’s sake, BONES, give us white-haired Shigaraki.  The climax of Deika is a solid time for it, given that it’s obvious in the manga that Shigaraki’s hair gets paler in Deika--you can see it in the way Horikoshi inks it (which is to say, the way he stops inking it)!  I think if we ever get white-haired Shigaraki in the anime, a somewhat better time as far as narrative justification goes would be when Shigaraki gets out of the tube in the War Arc; you could easily justify it as a side-effect of the surgery.  Still, I’d rather see it here.  I want white-haired Shigaraki, gleaming and brilliant through the scattering ash in that crater, a veritable angel of sacred destruction.           Honestly, more than anything, the crater sequence is the one I hope I love.  It’s probably my favorite single moment in the entire manga, as Shigaraki wins over Re-Destro, Spinner and Gigantomachia in the same moment, and finally comes into his own.  If they can at least nail that, I’ll consider myself pretty satisfied.

[arrowversesite]

Arrow alum David Ramsey will return to The CW's Arrowverse as an actor and as a director on shows such as Superman & Lois, Batwoman and The Flash.

According to Entertainment Weekly, David Ramsey will return to The CW's DC TV shows as a guest star and as a director. He will reprise his role as Diggle across five Arrowverse shows: Superman & Lois, Supergirl, The Flash, Batwoman and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Additionally, he will also direct five Arrowverse episodes on shows such as Superman & Lois and Supergirl.

"I remain in awe of the imprint these shows have had on television and I've been blessed for the better part of a decade to be a part of them both in front of and behind the camera," Ramsey said in a statement. "To say I'm excited beyond belief to return to the Berlantiverse would be an understatement. I can't wait to continue telling these stories."

Although Arrow came to a close earlier this year, the series finale left the future wide open for Diggle, who has played a major role since the original Arrowverse show premiered. In "Fadeout," Diggle appeared to receive his Green Lantern ring. The closing montage, which revealed the members of Team Arrow heading their separate ways, picked up with Diggle as he finished packing up his house to move to Metropolis. Suddenly, a fireball crashed right in front of him, leaving behind a smoking crater. There, he discovered a small box. When he opened it, the contents glowed green, suggesting John Diggle of Earth had been invited to join the Green Lantern Corps. However, it is unclear if Ramsey's upcoming episodes will explore the fallout of this revelation.

(xx)

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Restricted Magic Arc 3 Part 5

Hey guys, this past week has been one of the worst I’ve had in a while. I haven’t even had time to write, which is unfortunately one of my few outlets when I’m stressed out. Fortunately I got a few spare hours tonight and was able to write the next part, which I’ve really wanted to get out of my head for a while now. Anyways, enough of that stuff, here’s the next part. I enjoyed writing it, so I hope everyone else enjoys it as well.

Link to master post here. 

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

General Roderick smiled, the expression, although normal appearing, caused nothing but dread for Erin, who could see it was not reflected in his eyes. Every breath he took seemed to steal the oxygen from the room. Erin felt suffocated, desperate to escape but her only path to freedom was through him.

She forced her face to remain calm, carefully hiding all the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her with just the sight of her father.

“I wouldn’t want to waste your time.” She responded politely, but still rejected his request. His eyes narrowed, and Erin felt herself break out in a cold sweat as the sense of being near death was present.

“You rejected my summons.”

“I didn’t think we had anything to talk about.” Erin was struggling to maintain her composure, but succeeded.

“Good.” His smile broadened, and he chuckled, the sound raising the hairs on the back of her neck. “You’ve grown a backbone.”

With that he pushed past her, the slightest brush of his hand on her arm making Erin want to jump out of her skin, and sat on a chair at one side of her room. His posture was relaxed, casual, but nothing could obscure the sharp sense of purpose that hung around him. He was not someone to idly visit.

“Unfortunately you are wrong, however, we have a great deal to discuss.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.”

Erin stayed where she was, considering her options.

He had stopped blocking the door, she could run away. She could ignore him and remain standing, able to flee at a moment’s notice.

…

She could kill him.

Erin felt all the hatred and rage she felt towards him surge through her, screaming silently in her head to kill the man in front of her. The man who tortured her. The man who threatened her friends and loved ones.

The man who murdered her mother.

She had gained a great deal of power and experience lately, perhaps if she surprised him…

General Roderick stared at her silently as she struggled, before throwing his head back and laughing.

At the sound of genuine amusement, Erin was startled. When had she ever heard him make a sound like that before? As she puzzled over this, however, his next words terrified her to her core:

“Hasty.” He stopped laughing, his face disappointed.  “You have been many things over the years, child, but hasty is not one of them. You’ll never achieve your goal at this rate.”

He hadn’t moved, but it felt like he was holding a knife to her throat. Erin swallowed uncomfortably, wanting to back up but unable to.

“Goal?” She was proud of how unconcerned her voice sounded.

“What do you know of the origin of magic?” Changing the topic abruptly, he leaned forward, his gaze focused.

“The origin?” Erin shook her head. “Magic has always been here. As far as I know, it didn’t originate from anywhere.”

The corners of her father’s lips tipped up. “Right and wrong. Magic has always been here, but it has not always been in the form we are used to.”

Erin sat down, confused.

“Currently, magic is separated into different types, different levels. It makes it easy to determine the strong from the weak. Magic is filtered, allowing easy access and use, and the current world as we know it is kept safe.” General Roderick’s expression was mocking. “But it was not always that way. Pure magic not restricted by any  level or type once existed. A magic with the power to change the world.”

Erin’s mouth was dry, her palms sweating, she swallowed carefully. “Why are you telling me this?”

“…” He stared at her in silence once again, seemingly contemplating something. “Did you tell your aunt about our upcoming trip?”

“Wha…?” Erin felt the blood drain from her face.

“If you haven’t yet, make sure you do.” He grinned maliciously. “She won’t react well. She doesn’t want you finding out the truth.”

Nothing in this conversation was making sense. She shook her head and remained silent.

“Well, whether you tell her or not, you will go to Merion.” He stood up, causing Erin to quietly sigh with relief as his gaze left her own.

“As your father and as a representative of our military, I will be traveling with your team. Of course, this will include meeting with Christopher and his family while we are in the country. He is your fiancé after all.”

Despite the overwhelming fear she felt at his presence, a  small flame of anger bloomed. “I’m not marrying him.”

Her father frowned. “What did you say?”

At his intense stare, Erin felt enormous pressure and was having trouble breathing, but she still glared at him and responded loudly.

“I am not marrying that man.”

“…” There was a moment of silence, followed by laughter.

General Roderick held his sides, shaking his head slowly as his amused appearance slowly faded.

“Engagement is sufficient for my purposes at this time. I have no need for you to actually marry him in the end, but the engagement must continue for now.”

“I will not…”

“I have already compromised, child.” His eyes were cold. “Do not push me further. Otherwise, you will not be the only one to suffer consequences. What’s the name of that boy that follows you around?”

Erin’s blood ran cold.

“Don’t you dare…”

“Gerald, correct?”

A loud cracking sound resounded from the walls around them, but it was ignored.

“No…”

He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed at her obvious anger. “Perhaps I should pay him a visit next?” Tapping his chin gently, he continue with a cruel smile. “I wonder if he’ll remain as devoted to you once I start to tear him apart piece by piece.”

“… enough.” The tortured words escaped from her lips as a whisper.

The world around them tore apart as Erin snapped, her already tenuous control on her emotions slipping from her grasp. The walls and ceiling exploded outward, flames bursting from every pore of her skin. She could see nothing but flames, feel nothing but rage. She briefly noted the building falling apart around her, incinerating into ashes.

 “Foolish.” Her father walked forward, a sphere of wind protecting him from her magic, and reached out to grab her, lifting her in the air  by the neck.

Feeling her air supply cutting off, she struggled briefly, but it was like striking against a mountain. She couldn’t reach her amulet to tear it off, and restricted, she didn’t have a chance.

“For all those years I was so disappointed. I thought you were soft, weak, like your mother.” He looked at her still burning form. “But look at you now, bursting at the seams with power, although… artificially restricted? Is it that woman’s work?” His eyes gleamed with interest. “Just how powerful are you?”

Erin made a dagger out wind and tried to stab him but he simply avoided it by dropping her to the ground.

“I was wrong, which does not happen often.”

Erin stood up, preparing to attack, but his next words stopped her in her tracks.

“All this time I thought you took after your mother. But here you are. A killer.”

Erin reached out toward him again her face drawn back in a snarl. Roderick stepped backwards, avoiding her grasp.

“Who would have thought that in the end, you would end up being just like me.” He smiled and walked out of the room.

“We will talk again.”

With that he was gone, leaving Erin kneeling on ground amidst the ashes of what had been her room, her body still as a statue, her eyes staring blankly at nothing.

“Where is she?” Gerald muttered anxiously to himself, searching around the school grounds. After she hadn’t returned from leaving to contact her aunt, he had slowly become worried, going to her dorm to check on her.

Instead, he found a crater where her rooms used to be. The walls, the ceiling, her furniture, all of it was gone, burned to ashes which still coated the ground and floated in the air.

She wasn’t there.

Seeing signs of a fight but no clues to her location, Gerald began wandering, hoping to run into her. After some fruitless effort, he had an idea, and started making his way deeper into the forest, towards the lake.

Maybe she would go there.

The place he had taken her after her father had first told her he would force her to get married.

The place where they had played with water magic, forgetting about the unforgiving world around them.

The place where they had first kissed.

As he moved closer to his destination, Gerald began to sense a strong illusion barrier, similar to the type that Elsinore had used during their individual training.

“Erin.” He whispered her name to himself. She really was here. Filled with purpose, he started moving forward again.

“Where are you going?” A voice called out, stopping him in his tracks.

Gerald turned, a frown on his face. “Christopher.”

The other young man smiled, the sunlight reflecting in his eyes making the gold in his irises even more prominent.

“Can I come?”

“No.” Gerald sighed. “I’m a little busy right now. Please leave me alone.”

“Look, Gary.”

“It’s Gerald.”

“Whatever.” He waved a hand dismissively. “You’re looking for Erin, right? I need to find her too. She and I haven’t spoken yet. She’s just avoiding me.”

“That’s her right to do so.” Gerald’s voice was cold.

Christopher rolled his eyes. “But we’re getting married. The LEAST she can do is talk to me before then.”

“Now’s not a good time…” Taking a deep breath, Gerald tried to hold in his anger.

“It’s not your business to tell me that.” His normally carefree face becoming serious, Christopher stepped forward. “I’m the one marrying her. Not you. Get used to it. Now where is that girl hiding? This way?” He started walking towards the barrier. Towards the place that held so much significance in Gerald’s heart. 

“No.”

“What…?” Christopher turned to ask, but had no time to react as Gerald punched him in the face.

The young man stumbled back, clutching his nose, blood pouring between his fingers.

“A man can only take so much.” Gerald face was expressionless. “Push too hard, go too far… hurt her… and I’ll kill you.”

Christopher tried to talk, but Gerald interrupted again. “I have level 5 insight.”

Christopher’s eyes were wide with shock.

“I know exactly what you are.”

“…” He seemed to stunned to speak.

Gerald sighed. “Go to sleep, before I change my mind about taking you out.” He snapped his fingers, and his opponent’s face grew pale as the blood in his neck slowed its flow and reversed back towards his heart. Christopher’s eyes rolled up and he collapsed to ground, unconscious.

Gerald released his magic and without looking back, stepped into the barrier.

It was Hell.

The trees around the lake had been scorched, many crushed into a pulp. The earth had large divets in it, the water raising up in enormous waves and crashing down onto the shore. It was a scene of chairs, of destruction.

And within this crumbling world, Erin fought her demons.

She flashed around the clearing, her form moving faster than the eye could see. A blade of wind in one hand, and a blade of fire in the other, she fought desperately, striking out with everything she had. Gerald could see her fighting style was different than normal. It disregarded all defense, only focusing on attacking, on dealing damage.

She fought like she wanted to die and take the world down with her.

As for opponent… Gerald looked at the familiar figure, and sighed.

It was a spitting image of General Roderick, matching her speed and power hit for hit, never losing his composure for an instant.

It was also an illusion.

“Erin!” He called out, trying to catch her attention.

“…” She ignored him, continuing to fight.

“ERIN!”

“…”

He walked within arm’s reach and tried to touch her shoulder.

“ERI…”

Erin spun around, placing both blades against his next with a animal like snarl. She held the pose for a moment, and recognizing him, slumped.

“Gerald?” Her eyes, filled with rage and bloodthirst, slowly drained until all that was left was pain. The swords in her hands dissolved, the burns and welts left on her hands evidence of how tightly she had been grasping them.

He reached forward, pulling her tightly into his arms. “I’m here.”

Slowly, shaking, her arms wrapped around him as well.

“…” Gerald wanted to ask, but knew she wasn’t ready, so he held her quietly. To his surprise, however, she volunteered the information herself.

“He was here.”

Gerald thought it over, surprised. “Your father? Why?”

“I… I’m not sure. He’s planning something. It has to do with Merion… and Christopher. But I don’t know what.” Her voice was hoarse, as if she’d been screaming.

“Should we not go?” Gerald reasonably suggested.

“I don’t know, but he seemed to know that Aunt Elsinore didn’’t approve of me going there.” She shook her head. “I’m missing too much information.”

His arms tightened. “We’ll figure it out, together.”

Erin sighed. “Together.”

“Then we can focus on what’s TRULY important.” Gerald grinned. “Our wedding.”

“…” He expected Erin to grin back, but instead she only had a look of pain. “Gerald?”

“Yes?”

“Am I… Could I…” She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Am I like my father?”

“A murdering psychopath?” Gerald didn’t hesitate. “No, why?”

“… You’re sure?”

“Are you insulting my taste in women?” Gerald laughed, gently kissing her forehead. “I don’t know what he said to you, but he doesn’t matter. You know who you are.”

Erin looked up at him, conflicted. “Do I?”

Gerald nodded. “And if you forget, I’ll remind you.

“…” She stared silently, until he awkwardly stepped back.

“Something on my face?” He rubbed his chin with an uncomfortable chuckle.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “I love you.”

He froze into place, shocked. After a few too long moments, Erin shook his shoulder with a confused expression. He shook himself, seeming to gather his thoughts.

“Sorry, I thought I might have died or was still asleep or something.”

Erin chuckled, shaking her head. “Idiot.”

He reached over, pulling her tight and kissing her deeply.

“Love you too.”

Now it was her turn to be shocked. He laughed loudly pulling her hand and leading her in the direction of the school.

“Come on, we have revenge to plan, an international trip to organize, an evil plot to foil, a wedding to arrange…”

“Don’t forget exams.” Erin interjected.

Gerald groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

[wordcubed-writes]

A better version of One For All

I was pretty disappointed with how canon BNHA straight-up gave Izuku another quirk via One For All. It was such a letdown of the incredible potential of One For All.

So here's my take on One For All. This is how I’ll be writing it in my upcoming fic. (I am way past the point of calling this headcanon, but you can still use these ideas yourself, if you want! Part of the joy of fanfiction is how ideas can spread and evolve across authors without worrying about who “owns” them. How exactly do you think A/B/O or chatfics or soulmates-with-writing-on-their-skin spread so fast?)

So I really, really like how the first holder of One For All created it by accidentally merging a useless quirk with a more useful one. I like it so much, I'm treating this as a theme: every holder of OFA (until Toshinori) had a “useless” or weak quirk that became extremely good when combined with OFA.

Here's the list of those quirks I've come up with so far:

First: Ability to pass on your quirk to others. Combined with stockpile quirk to form One For All.

Second: Create "shade" of yourself in the consciousness of a single person. Combined with OFA to allow ghosts of previous holders to persist within the quirk. (Yes, there was some passing back-and-forth of OFA between the first and second holders to ensure the first's memories were saved—they both agreed that they needed to preserve One For All's history.)

Third: I haven't come up with anything yet! I am open to suggestions. Anything that addresses an "implied power" that All Might or Izuku would need to actually do the things they do, and isn't already listed, would work! Also, keeping with the theme, it has to be pretty weak by itself.

Fourth: Enhanced limb speed. Allows user to move their muscles extremely quickly. (This is how All Might could throw hundreds of punches in a few moments.) Before merging into OFA, it was pretty weak, since the wielder didn't have the reaction time needed to push it very far, or the stamina to avoid getting tired using it, or even the toughness needed to avoid tearing their own muscles apart while doing it.

Fifth: Can control the internal energy produced by the body. Allows user to avoid injuring themselves, or to counteract the kinetic energy of anything hitting them. (All Might spent time in America! You think he's not immune to bullets?) Restricted to just the power of an ordinary human, this quirk was largely useless until OFA gave its user access to a massive stockpile of energy.

(This quirk—or rather, its lack—is also why Izuku seems so weak compared to All Might at first. All Might could casually level an entire city block, even with just the leftovers of OFA (as seen during the final exams), because he had mastered this aspect. Meanwhile, any time Izuku tried to use OFA, his lack of internal control meant his own power ricocheted around inside him, both severely injuring himself with each hit and cancelling out most of the energy. That's why at 100% power, he shattered an arm and could still barely crush a single giant robot.)

Sixth: Limited control over the kinetic energy that leaves the user's body. This is what allowed All Might to leap halfway across Japan without leaving craters wherever he took off or landed, and to punch the rain out of clouds. Also near-useless with ordinary human strength.

Seventh: Enhanced reaction time. This was Nana Shimura's original quirk. Not exactly a bad quirk, but still of very limited use, since it didn't originally come paired with superspeed or superstrength. (She could play a mean game of dodgeball, though.) At least, until she got One For All. Combined with the previous quirks, allows the user to think and react fast enough to effectively use OFA's enhanced speed.

Eighth: Quirkless, but Toshinori was the first to master every aspect of One For All (at least, the parts relevant to heroics). Whereas previous holders mostly treated OFA as an enhancement of their original quirk with some bonus features, Toshinori used OFA as a single, unified quirk. He was also the first to figure out how to exceed "100%" power by having the shades of previous OFA-holders boost his strength even more.

(I HATE Izuku's "One Million Percent" move during the summer camp arc. It would've been such a good opportunity to have him meet Nana! And learn about an aspect of AFO he hasn't mastered yet! And then briefly power up to 200% because he has another person helping him! Which, uh, is what I'll be doing for my fic. I don't care if anyone borrows this idea; it's better than canon and I'd like to see more of it.)

Ninth: Our boy Izuku. Will he master all seven previous aspects? Will he learn how to summon 900% power? Fuck dude, sure hope so.

[postrock-instrumental]

Post-rock & Post-metal: The 50 Best Releases of 2018 [THE LARGER SHORTLIST OF ALMOST 300]

This coming Monday, 17th of December, we’ll publish our selection of the 50 best post-rock and post-metal releases to come out of 2018. There were over 700 releases on our original list, which was later narrowed down to a shortlist of nearly 300. The upcoming “50 Best” list was culled from this shortlist of nearly 300 releases, which you can see below if you want to use it for some purpose. If you don’t want to miss the upcoming “50 Best” list, you can follow the links below: facebook.com/postrock.instrumental twitter.com/postrock_music facebook.com/arcticdrones twitter.com/arcticdrones --- FULL LIST 1099 – Blindpassasjer 42DE – Fall Of The Moon A Film In Color – They March In Endless Circles A Storm Of Light – Anthroscene A World In Grayscale – The Process Of Passing Time Aesthesys – Achromata Aikira – Light Cut All You’ve Seen –  Synopsis XVI Anatomy Of The Bear – Alysu Antarte – Isole Antorchas – Aphelion April Rain – To Whom It May Concern Arcadian Waves – Above The Mountains Archelon – Tribe Of Suns Ares One – Optimist Arhios – Arhios Around The World In 80 Days – Dissonance Astodan – Ameratat Astronauta Marinho – Perspecta A-Sun Amissa – Ceremony In The Stillness Augure – Omina Aurora Borealis – Goodbye Autumn Creatures – Funeral Garden   Autumn Moonlight – Passangers Babel Fish – Follow Me When I Leave Baikonur – Nihil Per Saltum Bear The Mammoth – Years Under Glass Below A Silent Sky – A View From Afar Beyond The Event Horizon – Far Blanket – How To Let Go Bound – No Beyond BRUIT – Monolith Built-In Obsolescence – Instar Cataya – Firn Cats Never Die – Stay At Home Cavern – Eater Celestial Wolves – Call Of The Void CEVEO – Jordsand Charus – Mundus Cereris Ciempies – Intérprete Del Espacio Circadian Eyes – A Future Nostalgic City Of The Lost – Master Martin Rescue Cloud Anthems – Areté Coastlands – The Further Still Cold, Cold Heart – Arch Craters – Laurentian Abyss Crippled Black Phoenix – Great Escape Crno Dete – Neponovljivo Crows In The Rain — Ashes Of The Past Culak – Oblivion Dan Caine – Nocturne   Darius – Clôture Dark Matter – The Sovereign Night Darker Shapes – Kavik Dawnlit – True North DDENT – Toro Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love   Degree Of Arc – Raptures Dep – We Are The Lights That Will Not Go Out Des Astres – Des Plans Sur La Comète Dios Trio – II Distant Dream – Your Own Story Doomina – Orenda Doppälgängär – Melencholia Dûrga – De Lira Ire Earthholder – There Will Be A Future Edelveiss – Skull   Efrim Manuel Menuck – Pissing Stars Eigengrau – Radiant El Ten Eleven – Banker’s Hill El Tubo Elástico – Impala Elephant Gym – Underwater Elhombreanormal – La Unión De Distintos Vientos Elizabeth The Last – Elizabeth The Last   Empathy Forever Empty – All Monsters Are Human Encircling Sea – Hearken Epic45 – Through Broken Summer Feed Me To The Waves –  Before This Wilderness Consumes Us FERE – Montedor Feroces – Josephine First Came The Shadow – Premonition Flares –  Allegorhythms Floating In Space – Dreamland Follows – Nyctophile For Dummies – For Dummies Forest Mountain – Prisma Foxhole – Well Kept Thing   From Oceans To Autumn – Leave Me Here Future Usses – The Existential Haunting Gespenst – Oblivion Gift Of Blindness – Wasteland Giraffes? Giraffes! – Memory Lame Girih – Eigengrau   Glasir – New Dark Age God Is An Astronaut – Epitaph Grand Tétras – Abiogenèse Grito – Endless Grottos – Тетис / Tethys H A : Z E – Passage Hæster – All Anchors No Sails Halocraft – Chains For The Sea Hammock – Far Cry 5 Presents: We Will Rise Again (OST) Hammock – Universalis Hauste – Leavings Have The Moskovik – Papier Vinyle Heklaa – 1491 Hesperian Death Horse – Živ Hold Down The Ocean – The Symmetry Of Odd Numbers Holy Fawn – Death Spells Hope The Flowers/Pleiades – Gates To Universe HUEY – MA Human Factor – Let Nature Take Its Course Hundred Year Old Man – Breaching Hyedra – Hyedra I Am No Hero – Cyberpunk   I Am Wolves – ABCD IAH – II   If Only The Trees – Drop The Air Il Giardino Degli Specchi – Oltremare Illus Teller – The Backup Imploding Stars – Riverine Indignu – Umbra Infinite Third – Listen(Ing) Ingrina – Etter Lys Inspirative – Inertia Pt.1 Isles – Remnants Isola – Isola ISON – Andromeda Skyline Jean Jean – Froidepierre Jeffk – Inadequate Shelter Jet Plane – Falls Feather John Malkovitch! – The Irresistible New Cult Of Selenium JYOCHO – A Parallel Universe EP JYOCHO – The Beautiful Cycle Of Terminal Kalte Sonne – Ekumen Kaschalot – Whale Songs KHARA – Heaven Can Wait Khöbalt – The Sky Is Dead Kiova – An End In Motion Lake Of Licks – Blue Lang –  There Is No Reply But Sweet Wind Blew Lasitud – Lasitud Last Of Us – Swarm Le Temps Du Loup – Cardinal Le_Mol – Heads Heads Heads Leech – For Better Or For Worse Legendary Skies – Navigation Leonov – Wake Lights & Motion – Bloom Lobo Estepario – Los Que Bailan En Las Sombras Locktender – Friedrich Locomotora – Vuodet, Vuoret Long Distance Calling – Boundless Longlake – Beyond The Sun Loud Exit – Loud Exit Lowercase Noises – The Ironic Distance Macondø – Macondø Magdalena Gornik – Dream Sequence Collapse Man Mountain – Infinity Mirror Mass Culture – Primal | Ephemeral Massa – Walls Medussa –  LA PALABRA HA MUERTO Mesozoic – Earth Alone Message In A Cloud – Anassa Milanku – Monument Du Non-Être & Mouvement Du Non-Vivant Minsk / Zatokrev – BIGOD Modsdive – Four Wet Hands Moe’s – Smiles & Scars Mogwai – Kin Montaña – Coordenadas Morrow – The Weight Of These Feathers Mountaineer – Passages Movement Of Static – Naegleria Murmure – Nos Idées Fantômes Musatov Brothers – Existential Crisis Nautilus – The Oceanwalker Ninth Moon Black – Amaranthine Noorvik – Noorvik Northerner – Northerner Ocean Districts – Doomtowns   Of Two Minds – Of Two Minds Ohgod – The Great Silence Ok Seas – Ok Seas Old Faith – Old Faith Old Seas Young Mountains – Seasons Once Upon A Winter – .Existence Orellana – 52 Orphans Of Doom – Strange Worlds/Fierce Gods Osorezan – Osorezan OTHRS – Broken Dialogue Paraphon Tree – Aura Pershagen – Tarfala Pijn – Loss Planisphere – Into The Known Prune Deer – Chemistry 化學 Raedsel – A Simple Act Of Redirection Rammen – The Echo & The System Raum Kingdom – Everything & Nothing Reaching 62 F – Chronicles Of A Dying Sun Red Apollo – The Laurels Of Serenity Reformat – The Singularity Respire – Dénouement Riah – Autumnalia Rilf – Three Stories For Numbers RLYR – Actual Existence Rocket Miner – The Long Goodbye Roots And Ruins – Die Right Rostres – Les Corps Flottants Sagor Som Leder Mot Slutet – II Sairen – Neige Nuit Sejd – Ben & Hjärta Set And Setting – Tabula Rasa Seul Ocean – Je Fais Revivre Shadow Universe – Speaking For Clouds Ships Fly Up – Dream Maker Sinistro – Sangue Cassia Six Months Of Sun – Below The Eternal Sky Sky Flying By – (Re)Routed Sleep Dealer – Memories So Far As I Know –  Fragments: Disclosure Sojus3000 – Wanderers Soldat Hans – Es Taut SOM – The Fall Sonance – To Possess You Entirely Sondrous – Something Like Serenity Sons Of Alpha Centauri – Continuum Spurv – Myra Standish Hall – Standish Hall   Startle The Heavens – Canyons Straya – Sobereyed Subnoir – A Long Way From Home Summer Effect – Reverie Sunstare – Eroded   Taller Than The Trees – Hubris EP Talons – We All Know Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving – No Tether The American Dollar – You're Listening The Clouds Will Clear – Recollection Of What Never Was The Fog Ensemble – Throbs The Man Within – The Man Within   The Ocean – Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic The Sun Burns Bright – Through Dusk, Came The Light There’s A Light – A Long Lost Silence This Will Destroy You – New Others Part One This Will Destroy You – New Others Part Two This World Has Bees – Nearer Those Who Dream By Day – Glad To Be... Tide/Edit – All My Friends Tides Of Man – Every Nothing To Those Who Exist – BAIAME Toe – Our Latest Number Tomorrow We Sail – The Shadows Toundra – Vortex Trees Die Standing – Trees Die Standing Triple Deer – Urban Shepherd Trna – Earthcult Tsima – Koniec Twin Speak – Soulss Umber –  This Earth To Another URO – CABBA! Us, Today – Computant Velns Viņu Zin – Posts Versa – Versa Violet Cold – Sommermorgen Trilogy Vorcha – Liberosis Vy Pole – Like You Say Wang Wen – Invisible City WANHEDA – The Cenozoic Implosion Warm Shelter – Reflections Way Station –  The Way Of Minstrel We Made God – Beyond The Pale We Were Heading North – Lightness Weary Eyes – True North Wess Meets West – A Light Within The Fracture Whale Fall – Sondersongs White Lion Parade – Cloudlines   Widek – Dream Reflection Winter Dust – Sense By Erosion Winterlight – The Longest Sleep Through The Darkest Days World’s End Girlfriend – Meguri Wrekmeister Harmonies – The Alone Rush YNICORNS – Intervals Zommm – Reality Is An Illusion 昴宿 Pleiades – 致未來 For The Future

[firebirdsdaughter]

Random Writing Tidbit Hmmm...

... ‘Easier to write for Geiz’ I say.

SO WHY IS THIS LONGER?

Actually, this was pretty hard to write. I went back through and edited a couple times, so if there’s weird phrasing, I may have deleted something and then not quite corrected it.

Also... Well, the other one came out before episode 16, and this one is after, so there’s... Slight differences in tone, I guess would be the best way to say it. I suppose you’ll see if you read it.

Well, I’ll just throw it down here, then. It’s not that great, either. But if I went and wrote it might as well put it where people can read it if they like.

Alternatively known as Part Sougo.

For a moment—probably less, actually—everything was frozen.

Sougo’s movements were jerky and slow as he tried to get his bearings after hitting the ground, spinning around to look for who had pushed him, even though he already knew.

Even when it was calling out a word as foreign to it as his name, he knew that voice. He knew before he even finished turning who it was, the panic rising in his chest—far faster than anything else was moving—bursting fourth in a terrified cry;

“Geiz!”

Geiz didn’t move; because it was barely a second, however long it seemed to Sougo. The other Rider’s head was cocked slightly to the side, like he, too, was genuinely surprised by what he had just done—which made sense. Though their relationship had drastically changed,  lost the majority of its hostility, Sougo had never even dreamed Geiz would ever go this far for him—though perhaps that was because this situation would have fit better into nightmares than dreams.

One of his arms drags itself up through the thickness of his slowed perception, even the fingertips stretching out. If he could just grab onto Geiz’s arm, his hand, something, pull him down, too, then maybe…

Maybe he could save his friend.

And maybe he was imagining it, but in that slow, elongated moment, he’d swear that Geiz’s arm twitched upwards, reaching back towards him, without hesitation.

And then in a roar of heat and flame, the blast struck. And time returned to normal.

Sparks and smoke filled Sougo’s vision, debris forcing him to duck and cover his head. He heard a thud of something—someone—slamming hard into cement to his left, a sound not that unusual that was somehow horrible when he knew what it was.

He came back up as quickly as he could, casting about. He found Geiz on the ground several paces away, deHenshined, sprawled on his side, far too still for comfort. It was enough to bring his aching legs back to life, to heave himself up and stumble over, dropping onto the ground beside the other Rider like something had let the air out of him, dropping his own transformation. His hands scrambled on Geiz’ shoulders, trying to pull him protectively close and check the damage at the same time.

There was a massive crater in the wall, the force with which Geiz had been thrown into it having destroyed part of the cement, which wasn’t a good sign. There was some comfort—he could feel the other boy’s shallow breathing in his arms, even though it was haphazard, weak, and pained, and he didn’t think anything was broken. But it also felt like Geiz was trembling—even shivering—against him. There was blood in his mouth, and smearing from numerous other gashes and grazes—from when he’d hit the wall and ground, Sougo assumed—and masses of nasty burns from where the fire had made contact. When he lay a hand against the back of Geiz’s head while cradling it to his shoulder, the palm came away wet and red, blood clotting in the other Rider’s hair. He must have slammed his head into the wall when he was knocked out of his transformation. This was even worse.

It was wrong, too. Geiz felt small and fragile in his arms, shaking even while unconscious, breathing laboured. Not only was he taller than Sougo, but his steadfast personality always rejected and masked anything that might even possibly be construed as weakness. Ordinarily, he would never consent to being cradled wounded in anyone’s arms, especially Sougo’s—but now his eyes gave no sign of opening, and the only change in his expression were faint, unconscious winces.

But that was why he’d known he could trust Geiz right from the start. Not necessarily to be nice to him or not take a swing at him, but to be honest with him. Lying or deceiving were things Geiz was completely incapable of—Sougo was pretty sure he didn’t even know the meaning of the words. He could not and would not pretend to be other than what he was; true, honourable, earnest. Good. Too good to kill a person in cold blood when he actually thought about it, why most of his attempts never seemed to go through, or even have the same murderous intent as their original meeting.

Despite repetitive threats, the more time they’d spent together, the less enmity had been behind them. Though the other boy’s difficult life had made him uncertain and even afraid of showing any sentiment whatsoever, Sougo had even begun to suspect that Geiz actually liked him—liked him enough to risk forgoing the most direct route to save the future, probably the only even remotely selfish thing Geiz had ever done.

When he’d found out he was right, in a way, it was just as exciting as reaffirming him dreams—maybe even more so, though if he ever said that to Geiz he knew the other boy would immediately panic and flee the room—because he was very clear on how faithful a friend he’d finally made. Woz had once claimed that Tsukuyomi and Geiz weren’t on his side—he supposed that had been true when Woz actually said it, but now… Now he was reasonably Tsukuyomi and Geiz were the only ones who were actually on his side. On Tokiwa Sougo’s side. Not Ouma Zi-O’s—like Woz himself, or Kisshan. On the side of the person he was now, of the king he wanted to be, not a twisted version already decided for him. And he knew he could rely on them. Sure, Geiz’s trust had been a battle to gain, but once won, his loyalty ran deep.

… Deep enough to throw himself between a fireball and someone he’d originally intended to kill. Perhaps he should have this day coming.

Something moved behind him, and he remembered their opponents were still there. Under usual circumstances, he supposed he could have handled them alone, thought it would have been painful. But Geiz being out of commission—and possibly concussed, bleeding internally, or worse, noted a voice in his head that really loved to make things even better—made him a target, and Sougo didn’t think he could fight that hard and protect his friend at the same time. So instead, he fumbled for his Bike Watch, activating it as quickly as possible. Trying to leverage Geiz as gently as he could, he heaved the wounded Rider up and loaded him onto the back of the bike, scrambling on himself and hitting the gas. He didn’t know were they were going or how long he could drive, but it was the only option without the Time Majins on hand, especially as he heard other engines rev behind them.

So he drove, shifting slightly so that he could feel Geiz’s heartbeat, ailing and small, but still just barely noticeable, through his back.

And prayed that Tsukuyomi would find them first.

Yeah. Not great. But here it is.

Kinda wonder if the first fifteen-sixteen eps were loosely about the trio figuring themselves and their relationship out and establishing their position. They’re a unit now, and I feel like they all better understand how they feel about each other. Like, ‘yeah, okay, maybe we actually do care about each other.’ Kinda wondering if they’re gonna have a sort of ‘us against the world’ mentality? Like, Woz (well, original Woz) we know is on Puma Zi-O’s side, the Time Jackets are on their own side... I feel like the Zi-Ot3 is gonna establish their own side? Like the ‘create your own future’ message seems to have been rather strong?

I mean, we seem to be starting some kind of ‘Woz Arc’ next ep, so we’ll see where that goes. Actually this thought I had was that if New Woz comes from an alternate timeline where Sougo is a ‘good king’ (still not sure ‘king’ is gonna end up actually meaning ‘king who rules stuff’), and the upcoming arc is how those two timelines are gonna clash? But I think in the end we’re gonna end up w/ a third, sort of merged timeline, or something.

Did... Did any of that make any sense?

[notenoughtimeintheday]

I have THOUGHTS about this, and they’re below the cut. I know I haven’t posted in like two years, but I really need to shout into the void about this.

So, this got released as a part of a series of short animations to promote World of Warcraft’s upcoming expansion, Battle for Azeroth, and I just CAN. NOT. STOP. WATCHING. The director, artists, and writer behind this short animation have basically created one of the most concise, yet immediately understandable character stories in their entire history (to an extent). It’s timed incredibly well, the lyrics aren’t filled with jargon beyond the two Named Locations (Kalimdor, the western continent and Theramore, a major city on said continent), and the symbolism fills in a LOT OF SUBTEXT that just makes this work. If you haven’t watched it yet, stop reading and go do that. Then watch it again while paying close attention to the lyrics and the imagery.

.

.

Done now? Let’s walk through some of the initial understanding you probably have of this, even if you’ve never touched Warcraft. First, the daughter of the sea the song references is the woman the short focuses on (who is Jaina, by the way). Second, she stood aside and allowed her father to be killed, which estranged her from her family and her people. Third, the skeleton moving her boat is either a stand-in for her father or is her father. Finally, by the end of the short, she seems to be accepting what the song bestows on her, claiming the title of “Daughter of the Sea” who one should beware of.

And that’s what you can grab from the song lyrics alone. What about the imagery alone? We start the short in what appears to be a kind of graveyard, where Jaina picks up a pendant and gives it to the skeleton for passage. Throughout this ride, when we can see Jaina, she is withdrawn, hidden, and almost appears ashamed of something (we can guess this is in reference to  “The Admiral fell at Theramore because she left his side,” the last line Jaina herself sings). Following this, we get the ship graveyard, which along with the wisps and Jaina touching the water but avoiding the skull, seems to imply it’s connected to her shame. Then we get the story of the admiral, which I don’t really want to focus on, but then... OH THEN we get to some good stuff. For the first time since this has started, Jaina lifts her head out of her shame and her face is lit by sunlight after her father’s death fades out above her head. You don’t need any context, I think, to recognize a shift in perspective there. Jaina stands in sunlight, her shame behind her, facing the judgement of the sun. She also is facing judgement from the clouds that form faces, but let’s skip that for now. The judgement morphs then, as Jaina raises the very ship we saw earlier out of the waves, her father’s ship. The judgement she faced she turns into atonement by resurrecting what she allowed to die, or at least the symbol of it. Taking her place on the ship, which, since it’s her father’s, is indeed her ship now, the full claim of her title “Daughter of the Sea” is finished, and she no longer sees any need to be ashamed; she’s faced judgement for what she did and is atoning now.

Note, we have still not pulled any context from the game itself, and we still haven’t asked an important question when working in this type of art. How do the lyrics and imagery work together? There are plenty of properly timed moments in the lyrics which are surface-level. For example, the entirety of the second verse up to the line “And buried deep beneath the waves” does an excellent job of matching the story moments with the lyrics. There are three additional moments that I find excellent, though! First, when Jaina stops singing, and the sea shanty begins, notice that she’s surrounded by the ruins of several ships; the voices of the dead sailors that came with her father, the admiral, asking her “Why this? Why this? Oh Daughter of the Sea? Why this? Did you forget your seaside days?” reminding her that she didn’t just let her father die that day, but all the sailors he brought with him. Her choice did not just affect her father, and that is a part of the shame she carries, and must be a part of her judgement. Second, let’s go back to right after Jaina lifts her head out of shame. Remember how we skipped the clouds? That’s because the lyrics immediately tell you exactly who they are! “Betrayed by family!” While the lyric is clearly still speaking of the “Daughter of the Sea” betraying her father, the juxtaposition shows that at this moment, Jaina is facing the perceived judgement of her family, her people, the ones she betrayed by standing aside. Third, immediately after this we get the line “To his nation, with his last breath cried, Beware the Daughter of the Sea” right as Jaina’s eyes open and we see her use magic to raise her father’s ship from the sea. She’s not in shame anymore at this point, as we’ve already discussed; it’s something else now. While the lyric at the end of the short and her position on her father’s ship cement her complete acceptance of her title, you don’t really need those because of this moment right here. She already has accepted it, and raising her father’s ship from beneath the waves while her title rings out in the lyrics makes sure you know it before they make it even more obvious.

The only thing left that I haven’t really talked about is what prevents the “shame, judgement, atonement arc” from conflicting with the “Beware, beware the Daughter of the Sea. Beware, beware... of me“ line at the end. This is cleared up with the only spoken line in the whole short: “I’m listening now. Father.” In the past, she stood aside and let her father be killed; she’s listening now though, which implies she would not stand aside now. His enemies that she stood aside for are now her enemies. The final lines are not sung to caution her people, like the song itself is. They are sung to caution the “savage foes” that killed her father.

It’s beautiful, it’s concise, it’s well-timed, it’s got symbolism everywhere, and I note again that this didn’t require any in-game knowledge. Obviously there is more stuff that what I’ve written (hello, clear River of the Dead imagery), but this is what stuck out to me when I watched it. I just wanted to write this all out somewhere, so if you did decide to read this, thanks, and I hope the reading and the short itself resonates with you as it did with me!

Oh, and while I’m here, I should probably give at least a tiny bit of context:

Jaina had forged a peace with the orcs before her father arrived to “save his daughter’s life” and immediately started killing the orcs (for reasons that are understandable, though bad) without allowing Jaina to explain that peace was an option. To try and get that peace back, she helped a small force of orcs get to her father and they killed him. Thereafter, she was the primary force for peace between the two major powers of the world, the Horde (led by the orcs) and the Alliance (led by the humans). Eventually, the Horde got new leadership which was a bit more warmonger-y than the leader she had forged peace with, and so the Alliance got a bit more warmonger-y as well, stationing troops and military equipment in her city, which led to the Horde leader developing and deploying a weapon of total destruction on the city (the city was left a crater). Those wiped out included her lover and her apprentice, and the leader she had forged peace with had consistently ignored her pleas to restrain or remove the other leader from power prior to the bomb being deployed. From that point forward, she became increasingly anti-Horde, to the point where (as you see in the video) she understood her father’s decision to immediately kill the “savage foes.”

So anyway, that additional context should help fill in some stuff if you feel I’m pulling too much from the imagery and lyrics alone. Again, if you’ve read all this I really appreciate it. Sorry for the wall of text, but that’s why it’s hidden behind a Read More!

[awkwardtimezone]

Sparring Practice (Caspira/Laz’ab)

((Another oooooooooooooooold RP log I should have gotten around to editing way sooner. Following his doctor’s orders, Laz’ab needs to prepare his body for the upcoming stress before he can receive his new cybernetics. Caspira, as usual, becomes his reliable punching bag.

Really just an excuse to see these two duke it out.))

The shadows were long and the sun had since dropped below the horizon of cramped buildings, cliffs, and ramshackle lots by the time the hooded figure made his way down the boardwalks of Rishi. Despite the pirate hub’s tireless energy he mostly ignored the jeers of the locals, the hawking of the marketplace, walking with purpose through the labyrinth of sordid characters. Somewhere a merchant heckled him for refusing to glance at his wares, a man barked offense but was met by his retreating back when attempting to goad a fight, and a Kowakian monkey-lizard brought a brief flash of familiarity to those red eyes before they swept past.

Finally, he found it.

The last glimmer of sunset had bruised the sky a thick blue-black by the time he pulled up in his speeder, having left the heart of the city behind him. She’d done a right good job disguising the exterior of the cave, lush foliage and old transport crates hiding the gleam of a ship’s sleek sides beneath. It’s once impeccable slopes had dulled over the years, marred by filth and paints. But it was her ship alright, and Laz’ab always found his Shadow.

There was a knock at the door that Caspira wasn’t expecting. Visitors were not only rare but entirely unwelcome, and she’d gone to great pains to be as unfriendly as possible short of some serious stabbing incidents out on the docks. Less-than-serious seemed to serve a good enough indication that she wanted to be left alone. Nobody had bothered her in weeks and the knock at the door had her hackles up almost immediately.

Rishi had been the safest place to relocate and it had been with a serious amount of thought that she had grounded her Phantom years ago. It avoided unwanted attention from the major powers of the current galaxy, but put her in a more vulnerable position. Swiveling away from the medbay’s workbench she pulled her beaten jacket over her shoulders and shoved her hat down over her head, grabbing up the blaster set on the hook near the door, and flipped the safety off as she reached the handle.

“Piss off!--Oh.”

Tattooed brows arched upwards as he shot her a dry glare. “... Your hospitality is somewhat lacking since last I remember it.”

Caspira decided not to touch that one, instead flicking the safety back on and opening the door wider by way of invitation. “I wasn’t expecting anybody worth offering hospitality.”

He followed her into her ship as she set the weapon back in its handy spot by the door. “Nice place. The smell of grophet shit almost completely drowns out the odour of unwashed pirates.”

“The locale isn’t ideal, but it is out of sight from those who might cause trouble. Pirates are far easier to deal with than Skytroopers.” It had been a little while since she’d seen the Sith, and last time he had been little more than a skeleton propped up on wires. Laz’ab up and about on his own feet once more was … well, she wasn’t entirely sure. Good, yes, but until she could shake loose his intentions and goals she wasn’t sure how to take his little visit.

“It’s good to see you up and about, my Lord.” It was sincere enough, and as she closed the door behind him she took the opportunity to give him a brief once-over. “What brings you to this corner of the system?”

“You, as always,” Laz’ab drawled. The sarcasm was strong with this one. “What, can’t a Dark Lord visit his Shadow just because he misses her?”

Caspira had briefly forgotten how close his call in the tombs had been. She was reminded sharply of the limb he’d lost when his single remaining arm reached out and ran a hand over the walls of her ship, his other shoulder ending in a folded sleeve. Though looking much healthier than he had been in the recovery ward, his plain black robes did little to hide his ribs, and his spine appeared like rows of small spikes when he arced.

His sharpened nails traced over panels and curves as though checking they were actually there, basking in the ship’s familiarity.Things had been so up in the air since he was pulled out of Korriban he’d hardly had a moment to rest. His estate on Dromund Kaas was a ruin at best, and his chief of security saw them constantly uprooted in an effort to remain undetected.

With a hint of a smile the twi'lek made his way to the sofa in the far corner. He’d spent more than a few sleepless nights on this thing … it seemed like forever ago now, but he could still see the stitches where she’d had to repair it following one of his more extreme episodes. After a moment of indulgence to soak in the memories he turned to face her, leaning against the couch.

“Looks like you’ve been doing well for yourself.”

Caspira had trailed him into the ship like the Shadow she was, watching him circle through the main room. He seemed calm, collected, put together … her eyes inevitably roved to the shoulder of his missing arm but the robes disguised whatever loss he still suffered. Deliberate, she knew, and wondered how he might be faring with that particular detail.

Eyes moving to his own she shrugged out of the beaten jacket and hat she kept around to better look the part of the pirate. “I’m faring well enough. I’m alive, I’m safe, and I’m off the radars for the most part. The downside to remaining this quiet means I haven’t accomplished anything either, though. Whispered information, small actions. It doesn’t seem enough.”

There was no reason to be evasive with him. What she had to say was mostly the truth. “Helping little rebellions, hoping they’ll grow into larger ones. In any case, you look like you’re adjusting well to being back in action.”

“Being confined to a sickbed for months does make the body jittery,” he muttered in wry agreement. If he felt any loss at the absence of his arm he masked it well enough, though the shoulder would occasionally shrug as though attempting to perform a gesture it no longer could.

His remaining arm swept out in a broad arc. “In any case, this is good news for me, because if you’re not up to anything then maybe you have time to help me with something …”

“Inactivity can be a challenge.” Lips pursed thoughtfully, Caspira stepped towards him while staying outside of the personal bubble he always maintained. Clasping her hands behind her back she assumed a relaxed position of attentiveness. “You know you can always count on me to assist. What is it you need me to do?”

Laz’ab’s lips cracked into a grin. “I have a cure for inactivity, but I need your help finding a place. I’ve been instructed to train in preparation for receiving the cybernetic replacement for my arm, but my base is little more than a crater in the ground. Sorvik and I have yet to find a new location suitable for our needs.”

A finger tapped thoughtfully at his chin. “You must keep in shape, Cipher, despite severed loyalties. Show me where.”

“New arm?” Her expression shifted to curiosity as she leaned to the side, as if looking from another angle might afford her a better look. Knowing Laz’ab she was prepared to see any manner of monstrosity attached to the stump of his missing arm, something nightmarish and metal, maybe with an arachnid theme.

He squirmed a little under the gaze, wiggling his stump beneath the robes. “It’s not with me. I had my first appraisal from the new doctor, Sorvik and I just got done commissioning it,” he explained somewhat dejectedly, clearly hoping to have resolved the issue sooner. “She doesn’t seem to think my current … physique will be able to handle the extra weight. I’ve got all sorts of fun supplements to take and homework to do.”

Clearing her throat she straightened back up. “I don’t have as much space here as I did in my apartment on Kaas, but the cargo bay does double duty as open space to keep in practice.” Giving him a small wave to follow, she turned and headed back down the hall to the back of the ship.

The Sith slunk after her, his footfalls barely audible as he utilized his training on Korriban. He peered around the corner, appraising the room. It was typically a very cluttered cargo bay, but there was some order to it now, crates and boxes stacked wall to the ceiling while the open floor was padded with thin training mats. With the ship stationary for so long there was no need to anchor anything, and a few bits of equipment were scattered about the open space. It was a lot smaller than he had hoped for, but it would serve its purpose.

“Though if you’re feeling in need of a more realistic target, the wilds out there are full of all sorts of beasts. Those on two legs and otherwise.”

He followed Caspira into the bay and unclipped his cloak from his shoulders, tossing it into the corner on top of some of her things. Out there the planet was crawling with all manner of nasties, he wanted to control the variables as he eased himself back into the fight.

“That’s alright,” he said, “I have a realistic target right here.” A flash of red eyes and a grin.

“Hm, I suppose that makes enough sense, though a mock-up might be more helpful in assisting you, regaining ability and balance with that side of your body.” She moved to the other side of the room and began some warm-up stretches, eyes on Laz’ab as she dipped and bent. “But you know you can count on me to help you regain some of your former limber speed.”

Grinning in return, she scuffed her feet on the mats and flexed her fingers. “I’d recommend doing a bit of stretching first if your goal is to avoid undue strain.”

“She only just got the blueprints. I was only satisfied once I’d handed them over in person.” Circling around the room, he took a place opposite the former Cipher agent and stretched, imitating some of her routine. It felt awkward at times, and his lips curled absently with every sensation from his phantom limb.

He was still still clad head-to-toe in his long robes, brushing just past his ankles. Despite the extra maneuverability of Caspira’s more practical ensemble--flexible pants and loose shirt--Laz’ab was stubbornly fond of his robes and insisted on fighting in them, though he pulled off his boots. He set them to one side and swept up a long wooden staff from among the bundle of practice dummies and weapons.

“What do you think, Twelve? Think you can take me?”

Caspira bit her tongue as the first acidic response came in reference to his missing arm. While they were typically almost ruthless with their conversational sparring that seemed a mark too far just yet. “Is Rishi full of pirates?”

Kicking off her boots, she grabbed up a shorter sparring blade more representative of a standard length saber, giving it a quick twirl to gauge the balance. “I think this will probably benefit the both of us, it’s been a while since I’ve gone up against anyone of your particular talents and skills.”

Giving him a quick little beckoning gesture to begin, she lunged in first. Starting slow a bit easy to give him the opportunity to find his balance, she swept the blade toward him a smooth arc. He ducked away easily, twirling backwards in a graceful half-pirouette but for a slight stumble in footing. Easily rectified and hardly noticeable, the twi’lek flicked his wrist and brought his own staff up to knock hers aside with a quirky little sneer of his own. He crossed his legs in another sidestep and threw a few more jabs in her direction. They were short, harmless passes intended to get them both in the motion, slowly acclimatizing to using his non-dominant hand.

Unencumbered by a missing limb and time lost in limbo, Caspira was still rather well in her prime so far as fitness and ability went, sidestepping and bringing her blade up to block his own, sliding it harmlessly off to the side as she flowed into a familiar old fighting stance. Gradually working toward full speed, she kept slashing and swiping at the Sith lord with the practice blade.

“Better than I thought, keep at it.”

Laz’ab bared sharpened teeth despite himself when the practice staff wobbled with the blow, the unfamiliar weight cumbersome in his untrained hand. The frustration was only compounded by his inability to reach out with the other, to grip the handle with both and attack as he would have. The rest of his skills, however, had only been sharpened in his fight to survive in the tombs. His feet moved with a mind of their own and fell back on memorized feints and steps. He ducked beneath an oncoming blow, racing past the former agent before spinning, straightening up in the same movement, and lashing out with the staff at her unprotected back.

“Thank you, I did practice. Five years is a long time to go mad with boredom.”

The movement was not entirely unexpected, Caspira had sparred and fought with Laz’ab before, but she hadn’t figured he would move into that sort of combative aggression quite so soon. Bringing her blade up and about, she managed to catch the edge of his staff, clipped by the blow instead of taking it fully. Hissing, she crouched and slid back away, practice blade flashing toward him with an expert twist of the wrist. Bringing her free hand around to lock to the hilt, she increased the ferocity of her blows bit by bit.

“That makes sense of course …”

That arrogant smirk was slowly creeping back across his face when she came at him more aggressively, though he was forced to take a step back as he found himself struggling with the parry. The edge of her blade nicked him more than once and he lunged to press the attack, and if he still had both hands he might have lashed out with his claws by now on impulse. As it was he was forced to rely on his training, and was breaking out in a sweat.

“You’re not bad yourself, for a former agent with a penchant for firearms. Been practicing with your trophy lightsabers while I’m not around?” That sounded a tad dirtier than he’d intended.

Two arcing blows on either side, aiming to knock her arms before he spun, locked the staff under his arm, and shoved it backwards into her chest.

“No, without the Force using a lightsaber is a danger,” Caspira huffed as she backpedaled and dodged the first of his blows. “I’m as likely to hurt myself as achieve anything--”

If she’d meant to say anything else it was lost when his staff struck her square in chest, driving her back a few steps but more importantly driving the air out of her lungs in a sharp ‘whuff’ of breath. Even so she backed off with a quick snap of a counter-blow, batting his staff away with her blade and ducking down to draw in a lungful of air.

He pranced away to the back of the room like an elated child when his blow struck home, watching with a glint in his eye as the former agent caught herself, hands on knees, sucking down air. “You never were one to let risk stop you,” he grinned. “You throw yourself head-first into danger all the time!”

“Good hit,” she wheezed, holding a hand in a gesture of timeout as she stopped to catch her breath. He used the time to better acclimatize with the staff, hewing it through the air. Perhaps jumping straight to the saberstaff had been a bad idea, he usually needed both hands even when he was using his own saber, but he wanted to prove so badly he was still just as capable as before.

After a moment Caspira dropped back into a ready posture and nodded at the Sith--point to Laz’ab. Her eyes narrowed as she took a good look at him, grinning faintly. Time to step it up. And once he was ready she lunged in with a rapid series of feints and strikes, attempting to drive him back and get past his strained guard.

All future thoughts were dashed out of his mind when she came at him again, landing a few knocks on his arms and smacking his knuckles so he hissed and twirled back, feeling his fingers ringing. They were doing well, both of them calm and collected and holding their tempers evenly. Even as she drove Laz’ab back, the agent kept an eye on him, gauging his mood with each pressing swing even as she kept herself in check. There was no need to escalate things emotionally when all they were doing was a bit of practice, a bit of training.

Distracted as he was by holding her off, he didn’t notice how far he was backing him up until it was too late and his back came up against the wall. Struggling with the weight of his weapon there was no room for comebacks, he had to lock one end of the staff under his arm for stability and huffed as he just barely blocked another blow. Pinned against the wall and desperate for space, he brought up one foot, planted it on her chest, and shoved.

Braced against the wall as he was, his foot caught her square in the chest and she rolled with the kickback, hitting the ground at her hips, rolling to her shoulders, and off in a practiced little hop that landed her a bit unevenly on her feet. Hissing, she straightened and took a moment to stretch sore muscles. He was certainly providing her with a good workout. Blade at the ready, she began to circle about his position on guard and waiting for when he threw himself into action once more.

“Calculated risks, yes …” Her eyes remained on him, grip changing to one hand as she rolled her wrist and the blade with it. “But not careless risks …”

Laz’ab, for his part, found it interesting to experience first hand how Caspira moved. He rarely got to witness her at work in the field, if ever, and it had been such a long while since they last sparred. He could see at once what an asset she would have been to any of her previous Lords, such a pity it had never been him.

He also made mental notes of her techniques, similar to his own training in some regards but less … erratic? Her movements were precise, practiced, and calculated, her recovery elegant and fluid, not at all surprising considering the individual she was and her line of work. He got the sense some Sith relied too strongly on the Force and let their technique get sloppy.

Well, he wouldn’t be like them. After circling each other he sprang at her once more, cleaving downward through the air in an arc that made the staff whistle with frightening speed. He cleared the room in a single leap that betrayed the agility hiding beneath the loose robes and skinny physique.

Laz’ab always had been a dangerous mix of Force and fury, Caspira thought, more apt to unpredictability than what she (or anybody, really) could consider classical fighting. What he practiced and used as a fighting style should never have been quite so successful but it had always served him well. There was something new to it now, though, whatever order and finesse he’d picked up during his later training on Korriban had honed that wildness down into something dangerous.

She darted back as he cleared the length of the room, cursing herself for so trained a reaction when she could have gone forward instead. There was no blocking the staff but she diverted the full energy of the blow off an angled guard and fell back a step before trying to press in and take away whatever he may have used as recovery time. Blade shifting, she came in low and swung at his legs, dropping an elbow to try and get in past his guard.

The Sith hissed when she swung, cussing audibly as once more the weight of the staff and his missing limb culminated in a clumsy defense. He just barely stopped himself from lashing out with the Force out of reflex, instead blocking at the last minute. He was unable to stop both their staves from knocking him behind his knees, dropping to the floor before swerving and locking her staff in the crook of his leg. In pain from the attack but quick to recover, he twisted himself into a roll that disarmed them both.

If he had both hands he would have taken up her weapon. As it was he merely kicked them both aside and got back to his feet, using the quick break to wipe a claw across his brows.

“Not bad,” he huffed, visibly warmer beneath all his layers. He tugged at his collar for air, which hugged his neck right to his jaw, grimacing when he was unable to undo his own clasps. His form may have been streamlined in Korriban, but his anger and unpredictability was still very much there and cracked through the façade with each inconvenience.

Shoulders hunched and knees braced, Caspira was grateful for the break herself, huffing out a flat chuckle and glanced over to where her blade sat off to the side of the room. “You’re doing well. I don’t think we need to spar much. We might be going about it the wrong way.”

Moving off to the side of the room, she kept in motion. Stretching, hopping on the balls of her feet and bouncing her steps. “We don’t want to get you too used to fighting one-armed when you have a replacement coming, and if that doctor you saw just wants you to be in shape maybe a bit of target striking or stationary physical exertion will be enough to get you into whatever physical shape you wants you in.”

Pacing along the side of the room, she rifled through some of the other gear she had stockpiled. There would certainly be something close enough to a strike pad for her to wave around at him while he struck out at it. Making sure her intentions were casual, she gestured to the clasps he couldn’t quite get on his own.

“Would you like me to get those for you?” It was an easy offer, passing, easy for him to accept or decline.

“You want me to hit you without fighting back? That’s a first.” Still fumbling and scraping with his clothes he shot her a sharp little glare, pursed lips tight. Then his shoulders sagged in a submissive gesture. “Fine. I could use the Force but that would defeat the purpose of me being here,” he added almost defensively. “You’d think my time in the tombs would have helped me get used to this … problem.”

That was about as much heart-to-heart as Caspira was going to get. He allowed her to help him out of his shirt, discarding it with the rest of his effects. He retained his headgear, a vital piece he rarely took off. She knew vaguely that it was supposed to subdued the noises in his brain to manageable levels, but that was all he had told her. It also helped dampen the feeling of nakedness that washed over him for a moment. He kept his elbow-length wrap on the left arm, ending in his signature fingerless gloves, and his lower robes and belt. The rest was a jumble of straps, rings, clips, and fabric designed to make him look more imposing, small wonder he struggled to dress himself.

Now the agent could see for the first time the full extent of the damage. His torso was riddled with fresh, pink scars so large they were still in the process of healing even months after his stint in the hospital. They interrupted several tattoos, upsetting the symmetry of his body, but the Sith’s markings had never been a point of pride with him. Just another form of torture his master had subjected him to, nothing he earned, and they served as a constant reminder of his past. The most noticeable scar twisted through his right side, mutilating his flesh into a lumpy knot where presumably one of the creatures had literally bitten off more than they could chew. Despite numerous grafts it would take several more reconstructive surgeries to avoid hardening into a fleshy, uneven mass.

And then of course there was his right arm, missing almost entirely but for a superficial stump that twitched with some phantom gesture. It was wrapped in specialized gauze that stretched across his chest, keeping whatever tourniquet in place as he moved. And he was thin. Far too thin. No doubt this was what concerned the doctor, and it was clear he would need to put on much more weight before he could dream of attaching cybernetics. Caspira could practically count each rib and vertebrae on his back. His clothes hid his emaciation well enough, with his headpiece giving the illusion of broadening his shoulders, but without the rest of his ensemble it just made him look even more disproportionate.

The agent took her time taking in the Sith’s appearance, though didn’t linger so long as to make him uncomfortable, something that would have ended poorly for them both. Folding the shirt across a forearm, she moved to the other side of the room and laid them atop some stacked crates, digging into the contents until she found a chest plate that was light but still thick enough to do double duty as a strike pad. Turning back to him, she cracked a smirk and tossed her head a touch.

“You look as though you’ve been trying to survive my cooking,” she quipped, and hooked her arms into the plate’s back straps, bracing it in front of her. Despite being a whiz with a centrifuge and chemical compounds, the agent was an abhorrent cook … something Laz’ab had learned earlier in their partnership. A good portion of the stacked crates were standard bagged and canned survival rations: high calorie meals that would keep a person well fed if not gourmet.

“I’m not going to make myself a stationary target, but you should get a bit more of a beneficial workout this way than trying to learn to manage one-handed. That’s going to change soon enough. Once you’ve got your other arm set, come on back and we’ll go put it through the motions.” With the armor padding positioned in front of her chest and vital organs, she began to circle about the scarred twi'lek, inviting him to action. “Maybe even go wipe out some of the scum lurking about in the jungles.”

“Your cooking would have been preferable to the shit I had to eat in those caves,” he muttered, shooting the staves a morose look before reluctantly taking position across from her.

Though his previous saber ‘technique’--or lack thereof--had consisted mostly of desperate flailing, scratching, and savage mauling for his life, Laz’ab had returned to Korriban to complete his training prior to Zakuul’s invasion. He had taken his studies very seriously, actively improving both his understanding and connection to the Force and practicing his technique with a lightsaber every day. It felt odd going back to physical sparring now. Nevertheless he hunched down, bounced light across the balls of his feet, and lurched out with the first few hits.

“Raw k’lor’slugs … tuk’ata … shyrack or … squellbugs!” He lashed out and struck the pad with each name, a grimace on his face. “If I was lucky I could keep the corpse of the bigger creatures for maybe two days before drawing unwanted attention.”

Caspira made a face as she sidestepped about the area, giving Laz’ab a slowly moving target to strike at. Each swing he made, she braced for, at times shoving back with the padded plate to spice things up a little.

“I was stuck on this godless little swampland planet over the occupation,” She huffed, braced her arm up to absorb a strike and continued to move. “Just myself and one other agent for weeks. Supplies ran out, Skytroopers and Knights all over the place so no chance for extraction or resupply. Ended up eating these nasty little local bugs.” Another strike, another grunt. “Hard shells, slimy meat.” It wasn’t even close to the near-five-years of horror the twi’lek had suffered through, but those close calls and long missions had stacked up over time.

“How are you feeling? Sore, tired … ?”

Laz’ab grimaced briefly at her story, swiping and swinging and occasionally missing. He recovered quickly and corrected his mistakes. “At least you got out of there.” It sounded like the closest thing to genuine concern she was going to hear. The Eternal Empire had screwed everyone over and he wasn’t sure if he could quite come to terms with it. It still felt like he was standing in the middle of the fallout, his home and everything he knew in pieces around him, and yet some corners of the galaxy remained untouched, and life went on.

“I wasn’t in any fatal danger, not like you,” she explained between parries, finding little comparison between her own strained missions and the hell he had survived trapped in those old catacombs and tombs. “I had another agent there to watch my back for me. It was a relief when you were finally found.”

The Sith pursed his lips, lapsing into momentary silence as their separate fates mulled over in their minds. Eventually he changed the subject. “I see you’ve learned from your mistakes.” He nodded towards the stacks of preserved rations, and when she was slightly distracted he thrust his weight into his leg, landing a swift kick in the centre of the plate.

“I feel fine,” he added with a cheeky grin.

His kick connected with enough force to send her staggering back, feet scuffing on the hard flooring as she caught her balance once and let the plate drop, rubbing the sore spot at her chest with a wry smirk. Though he was itching to move after so long in a medical bed, Laz’ab relented, taking a step back and giving her time to recover. He was a little out of breath himself but, apart from the few snags with the staves, was satisfied that his form hadn’t completely gone to shit.

“Yes, you certainly seem fine. Is there anything specific that you’d like to work on or practice so long as we’re here?”

He idly picking at a scab on his chest. “Did you just say it was a relief to see me? Never thought I’d hear you say that … except if maybe you were held at gunpoint.”

He flashed teeth. “Force knows they tried. As for exercise, I don’t know. I’m supposed to be building muscle and putting on weight before the doctor will even consider fitting me with implants. Can I even put on weight?” He’d always been a waif of a Lord, something other Sith sometimes mistook for weakness. And paid for dearly.

“How much weight does that doctor expect you to put on before she gives you this arm of yours?” Scuffing the pad aside with the toe of a boot, Caspira turned to regard the always dangerously-thin-looking twi'lek with raised brows. “Or muscle for that matter?” Knowing at least a moderate amount about cybernetics and limb replacement, she moved to sit on one of the shorter crate stacks and rubbed her knuckles thoughtfully against her breastbone. “Enough to support the weight of a new arm, certainly, but unless it’s made of some truly heavy alloys it shouldn’t be too much.

“I would think that some nutritious food, a bit of physical exertion here and there in the form of workouts, sparring or even hunting would be enough to help you regain some of your former ability and mass. If she’s expecting you to bulk up to standard proportions for a male twi'lek, she’s going to be waiting quite some time.”

He looked less than enthused. “That’s what I was hoping to avoid. The sooner I’m whole again, the sooner I can focus on more important things. But it’s one of my own designs with several internal components. Doc reckons she’ll need to reinforce certain bones and muscles for me to even move the thing without tiring myself out.”

“Augmentation cybernetics should help to solve some of the weight distribution problems, and there are adjusters that you can map to nerves and tendons. It’s invasive though, I don’t think you’d want that sort of deep-surgery done. Which is likely why this doctor didn’t bring it up.” His torso was scarred enough, she doubted anybody that elected to put him under the knife really knew the entirety of what they would be dealing with. Replacing a missing limb was one thing, opening him up to install cybernetics would go beyond what was necessary and edging into excessive.

Rummaging through his utility belt, Laz’ab tossed a data chip her way. “If you’re curious, that’s the full design. I haven’t trusted her with it yet, she’s got a modified version of the file without the insides. The fewer who know of my intent, the better.”

Catching the chip, she pulled out one of her many datapads from around the room and fed it into the system. The three-dimensional hologram of a mechanical arm flittered into focus in front of her. It was sleek, mostly made of reflective materials overlapping and fitting together while imitating the direction and shape of where his muscles should be. Several indentations and patterns were etched across its surface, callbacks to the twi’lek’s deadly Widowmakers, and no doubt intended to glow their same warning colours. The design was simultaneously sharp and jagged, and sleek and practical. It boasted an optional shoulder piece capable of expanding or collapsing, that he could manipulate based on mood or intimidation tactics.

The hologram then deconstructed before her eyes and the plates fell away, revealing the intricate internal workings Doctor Odolys had not been privy to. The main hand, already constructed to resemble a claw and armed with spring-locked blades for nails, fell away and was interchanged with a series of even more brutal blades, needles, and hooks. It looked like he intended to carry some sort of poison or hallucinogen inside the compartment, and all the weapons could splay out at once in a grotesque bastardization of arachnoid horror. The entire structure was a weapon in and of itself.

Caspira opted for casual optimism. “That’s a lot lighter than the average models, but I can see why you would want to keep it that way. I’m not an expert in construction or installation of course but it seems entirely capable of meeting any needs you might have.” She set the datapad aside once more, ejecting the chip and offering it back.

Laz’ab caught the chit in midair, fingers folding around it. “That’s the intent. It has to be light, I need to be quick and quiet when I work. But all the special modifications could mean that by the time the insides are done I may need special counterweights just to balance it." He briefly considered his stump, as though mentally mapping the cybernetic horror on top of it. “I designed it with feedback from my engineers. I knew what I wanted but how to make it all work, that’s all them.”

“A shoulder harness will probably be a necessity for a while anyway, something to keep it comfortably in place without it pulling on all those newly altered muscles and nerves. I’m certain the Doctor already discussed that with you.” Caspira wasn’t a pro when it came to cybernetics, far from it. But she’d watched and observed a certain mercenary Commandant renew and adjust and even add to his collection over the years. Though Jean’s arm hadn’t been severed so close to the shoulder, there was still a lot of work that gone into proper seating, balance and functionality.

Not that she was going to bring up Jean here, no sir.

Knuckles brushing across her jaw as she considered, her glance dropped to the gaudy looking bracer she always wore. “Have you considered adding alchemical means to it? A little bit of Force anchored here and there might make it lighter or at least easier to handle.”

The Sith tilted his head and considered her with renewed interest. “You know about such things? The doctor we sought is Force blind. She seemed to think relying on the Force to would be tiresome and might risk an accident. If there was some way of doing that without maintaining a constant link to the Force, though …”

“There are all manner of different artifacts and talismans dealing with the Force, I’m sure there’s something that could be applied to the arm or the design to help it function in the way I’m thinking. Though she does have a point, there could be involved risk if you were to get over-stressed. Building in some sort of failsafe may help.”

Inquisitor Craiken had one of the largest collections of old antiquities she could think of, it would be possible he might have something she could use for this very purpose. “Sith of the past were fairly creative when it came to solutions for problems and considering that infighting, war and the injuries caused by both have been around forever … it’s not too far fetched to think there could be a focus or even an alchemical design that already exists. And if not, given time, one could probably be made.”

Laz’ab hugged his chest despite himself, absentmindedly seeking comfort as uncomfortable memories came trickling back--darkness, the echoes of his own screams ricocheting down writhing corridors, purple smoke seeping from shards of artifacts like claws as their secrets leaked into the air. They filled the room, filled his mind, crawling into his eyes, creeping down his throat to smother him.

A lekku twitched.

“Probably,” he echoed, as if he was elsewhere. He blinked and the red glaze cleared from his eyes, straightening up. “All the more reason to recover quickly. I’m going to need a proper base of operations before I can even start to research this. I haven’t been back to Dromund Kaas yet, but from what Sorvik tells me, there isn’t much to go back to.”

Caspira watched carefully as the twi’lek divided out from himself, dragged back to something she could only guess at. It wasn’t too difficult to think of what he might have been thinking about or even reliving and she mentally kicked herself for not considering his past versus her proposal. Hard times for them all. But he snapped out of it without much more than one little twitch, and she continued on as if nothing had happened.

“Dromund Kaas is the same as it always is and always will be. From the outside nothing has changed and the leadership pays the Eternal Throne their dues while Sith jockey for position and power. Darth Acina has a tight grip on the Imperial Throne.” Caspira sighed, an old and familiar frustration building. “Everybody goes about their lives pretending that we aren’t being watched, observed, searched. Pretending the Empire is still in charge of their own fate.”

Jaw clenched, she glanced up at Laz’ab. “I might suggest Tatooine, or even Alderaan. Zakuul’s glance isn’t so keen there anymore. Or here, of course. As long as you don’t mind the occasional interruption or attempt at piracy.”

Sitting now on a crate across from her, the twi’lek arranged his head-tails around his shoulders while she spoke, idly tracing over the patterns of his tattoos “Tsssk--typical of the Empire,” he hissed. “From what I’ve been told my compound was pretty much wiped off the map after Zakuul thought they finished me on Korriban, just tying up loose ends no doubt.

“Tatooine or Alderaan you say … pirates wouldn’t be a problem, at least I’d get frequent target practice. I doubt they give much stock here if their civilians go missing or turning up with their body parts rearranged.”

A poor attempt at a joke or dead seriousness, it was hard to tell.

Even knowing his sense of humor, Caspira was prepared to take the remark at face value. “I think it depends,” she hazarded with a faint little grin. “If they’re stupid enough to blunder into danger without taking proper precautions … well, I don’t think they spend too much time searching. If you start making a spectacle of the deaths and disappearances though, that might prompt somebody to start looking deeper. Still, it might be worth it to see.”

The last was a bit more hesitant. She’d seen what Lazab could do and had done to people during her stays and visits to the compound. It was a shame that it had been so badly damaged, over time it had almost become a second home.

“Pirates are predictable. Either nobody misses them and you never hear of it, or you get their crew suddenly out for blood but mostly too dumb to plan beyond a forward, head-on ambush. Eventually they wise up and leave you alone.”

“Sounds like the voice of experience,” he remarked dryly. “Do you need someone taken care of, Twelve? Been bothered by the locals?”

“Not anymore, no. You know how it is, I’m sure. Pirates operate quite a bit like Sith: a newcomer arrives on the scene and you need to test their ability, their drive, their willingness to defend themselves. Find out where they sit in the pecking order.” Caspira shrugged and absently nudged a bit of garbage away from the crates with a toe. “I was an unknown. Now they know that I’m a fixture here, not to be messed with but I’m not aggressive or planning expansion either.”

“Still,” she sighed with a touch of amusement. “You do get the dumb ones that can’t take a hint. They tend to come around every now and then. Hence my greeting you with a blaster earlier.”

He smiled wryly. “That could have ended badly. You’re lucky I’m so fond of you.” That one was definitely sarcastic.

With a groan Laz’ab stood up and stretched, feeling his muscles complain as they were finally put to good use. He folded back into his usual posture when his scar tissue tugged, hunched over with his hands like claws fidgeting by his sides.

“Since you don’t seem so keen on facing me again I guess we could call it quits tonight. Score one for Laz’ab,” he added under his breath.

Caspira chuckled as he finished and took the opportunity to stretch as well. “I could go on sparring with you if you wanted, but I don’t think it would benefit you. Why get you used to fighting one-armed only to have to do it all over again when you got your cybernetics?” Her wry smile was a little teasing.

“You’re welcome to the couch if you don’t want to trouble yourself with navigating this place at night, although I don’t think you’d be bothered if you did. I’d only watch out that you don’t hit a grophet. Those things can destroy a speeder, the dense little pigs.”

“You mean the target practice I saw dotting the landscape?” He raised a brow, collecting his clothes from the crate. He struggled to pull them on, using his teeth as he tried to maneuver his arm through the sleeve. For a while there he was little more than a flailing hand wriggling about as he gnawed and pulled at the fabric. “Fey fidn’t loof life fusch!” he grumbled.

Stepping over decisively, she hooked Laz’ab’s shirt up and over his skinny frame with much the same detached professionalism as she’d shown when she helped him get rid of it earlier. “You’ll rip something, either that shirt or a muscle.” A wry half-smile sneaking into place, she helped him wrestle the shirt into place before stepping back to let him rearrange it. “And yes, the little ones aren’t much a problem but they get large. Mostly they’re just too dumb to move when you come at them.”

“So like you when you’re sparring,” he drawled, returning her dry wit. “But since you offered, I will stay here. Remember that you have only yourself to blame when you wake up in the morning to a Sith sleeping on your sofa.”

“I move!” she quipped back and folded her arms across her chest, fingers tightening around her biceps as she thought briefly back to some of their old sparring matches, and the less friendly attacks of opportunity that seemed to happen when they got onto the wrong foot.

Smirking, she shifted her arms about and deftly curled her braid back around her neck as the coils snaked loose. “It’s been nearly half a decade since I woke to that particular sight. I might even be convinced to go out and net us some of that greasy dock chow.” Better than rations, anyway.

“Ooh, you really are settling down! First the cuisine, next showing me the sights … I don’t know if I trust your taste, after that sludge you call ‘food’.” He tapped his jaw mockingly, as though weighing the pros and cons of accompanying her.

“Keep that up and you’ll be having rations instead.” Moving to the stacked crates, she rifled through several of them until she came up with a spare blanket. Still bantering, she led the way down the hall and into the common area. That too had seen better days since being grounded, though it was still in good condition. The entire ship had taken on the loose-item clutter of a stationary home. “I’ll even be nice and let you pick out which flavor of protein bar you want.”

“Something fruity,” he drawled, trailing after her lazily as she made her way around the ship until she had finished setting everything up. “I’ll stay here and continue practicing with one of your dummies, let you pick tonight’s mystery meal.”

Caspira shrugged. It was almost starting to feel like old times with the bickering and snide remarks. “Alright. I’m taking my rifle, I’ll leave the blaster at the door in case it’s needed.” Her jacket and hat were where she’d left them and in short order she was suited up and looking very little like the capable agent she was. Looking ‘local’ in the somewhat battered clothing, she slung the rifle over her shoulder and looked back at the ship with a thoughtful frown.

“Just don’t dry anything electrically while I’m out.” Smirking, she left on that note and headed out toward the docks.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She paused at the door, looking unconvinced. It sounded like there was more to that sentence.

A flash of teeth, but one could hardly call it a smile. “ ... It’s much more fun to mess with your things and watch you try to figure out what’s changed.”  He wiggled his fingers in a sarcastic goodbye.

“Good hunting, Twelve!”

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (November 27/2020)

It was a heart-wrencher of a day today, with Fundy’s family arc continuing. Later, though, there was cause for celebration - Ranboo has joined the server!

I think it’s safe to say today was One of Those Important “Plot Days™”

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- Tubbo and Philza start building L’manburg a bunker. Tubbo’s started “taxing” his citizens and threatening to make an “executive order” to use TNT on Ponk’s monstrosity of a tower. Phil seems to be questioning if Techno was right... As well, Phil’s instincts want to prevent him from taking off armor ever but the rules of L’manburg dictate that he must.

- L’mantree has been attacked. Its leaves have fallen down. There was a sign left on the tree with a threat to burn it...there was also a sign left on Quackity’s strip club saying it’s ugly. Somebody’s been messing with L’manburg. Phil fixed the tree, but...damn.

- Fundy’s Floorager is gone? Did it die at some point?

- Wanted posters of Technoblade have been placed around L’manburg

- Due to a creeper explosion, part of Wilbur’s room was revealed. Ghostbur asked Phil about it, but they didn’t end up telling him.

- Fundy finally meets with Phil about the adoption, but Eret doesn’t show up. Fundy has been ghosted by a potential father once again.

- Fundy goes fishing with Phil

- Fundy gets into an argument with Ghostbur about how he always avoids his responsibilities. Ghostbur fakes a meeting with Tubbo and leaves.

- Fundy, Phil and Tubbo start the flooding of the crater

-  RANBOO JOINS THE SERVER! He’ll get a proper tour around tomorrow with Tubbo.

- Karl continues work on Party Park with Ranboo, George and Quackity.

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Upcoming events remain the same from yesterday’s