#vessel : esen

[ash-and-starlight]

The key about the tramp stamp is timing. Pre-Esen's death he'd be tempted but I don't think he'd get anything out of it. He was not yet possessed of an impulse to do something Bad TM just because it was cunty. Post-Esen's death the man is like designing the most tramp stamping of all tramp stamp tattooes, but pre-Esen's death I think he'd do something at like the wrist first. It's clearly visible enough to piss off his family but its still tasteful enough that he has plausible deniability. Like Baoxiang is all about playing with the line and think that a tramp stamp pre-Esen dying is crossing the line. But after Esen's dead all bets are off. So in a modern AU where Esen is alive it's hard to say, if he got drunk and had a similar emo phase then yes. Otherwise? I'm not sure

oh my goooddd thank u for this absolutely engaging and thought provoking piece of Analisis i'm fucking cryinnnngg u know it's Rough when you decide that getting a tramp stamp is actually a nice idea 😭 and i loveee the idea of him starting with a smaller thing and escalating to the tramp stamp!! lil dainty tattoo on his limp wrist that makes changan pop several blood vessels every time he catches a glimpse of it 😭

[thanidiel]

Prompt Three: "Scale"

Even in her self-directed educations, she learns from another.

She shaped out the wisping nature of Auri with Esen, a language she had thought her heart had ached to learn for another but turned out to be for love of the once-ugdan instead. Signing, seen and referenced and returned, with the manual surrounded by the crossed legs of her and two; waving fingers that seemed to dwarf three of her own, sticky with mechanical grease and flecks of sandwich crust. If she gives herself a few seconds to think, she can remember in a tactile way, the light pressure of Avenai’s hands against her wrists and shoulders, steadying that handgonne pointed towards the cracked plateaus of Thanalan, while she gave unto her the secrets of succession fire. Alchemy, she accredits to Vander’s tutorial moons ago in the clinic of that dripping alembic; Mazin’s texts, of properties and the meld of blood and metals, given so freely to her. Even ‘alcohol’, ‘mixology’, a domain that all souls so easily espouse her lordliness in, was discerned from the observation of a ginger-haired, towering, woman who was so much more than she ever would say - this seamless way that she had the knowledge of centuries in exactly what paired with what.

This, however, is the only thing that she can attest to have learned herself.

This is her’s, her’s alone, and she worked for her capacity here.

It’s something she has been doing longer than she thinks anyone, except perhaps Yellow Rose, could ever guess.

It started when she was uncertain of herself, this new life. Trapped, in the ways that count, in the lurching and thrumming sway of a vessel above sea and sky. When she disliked the nature of being seen in a manner beyond that ever-present chord of low-throated, and yet accepted and compromised, violation. When her muscles ached in the need for some activity when the blocked nature of her suns was suddenly not there, when the mindlessness of pacing compounded squares along the training room started to drive her mad. When she realised she needed to make her opportunities, than to leave her incapabilities as they are.

And here is the fruit of it.

While everyone else floats high above her to that tiled rooftop, she has to put in a little more finesse. Like she always does. Like how it always takes her a little bit of work to take things granted in this life. She never cares to wonder what it would be like if she had the easy way too.

It’s the sort of thing that makes even Xiaohu feel fucking heavy.

This fluctuation of gravity impending down upon your body with every tug and burst of muscle-flow.

But it’s rewarding nonetheless.

This brief moment where her starting run compresses its momentum against stone, a force that wants to move and move forward but instead finds itself shunted up against a barrier. ‘Sticking’ her to it for the requisite half-second of continued movement of some couple fulms of the wall until she can twist and lunge for it, the first ledge in the map she had made with a swoop of her eyes along darkened shapes.

And in lunging for it, transfers some of that stupoured energy up. Then it’s time to tense more than her lower core, the steadiness of knees that wanted to shake; a whole bodied firm centered in the solidity of her gloved fingers burrowed into the balcony, tugging at her chest. Snap, springs the cord, hinging to its latch while its weight is denied the crash below.

After that?

Levers and pulleys: sometimes she lifts herself up onto something like the first balcony, tilts herself over on it with iron clutching her belly; other times she pulls herself to it in a steady bow’s draw, felt from the expanse of shoulder blade to shoulder blade and hugging the curve of her ribs.

And like everyone else, she gets her fucking way up there.

[sarenhale]

My WoL's father was from the Mol tribe and an alright Shepard, his mother was a Raen from Sui-no-Sato who wanted to see more of the world and was banished because of it. She met him while travelling between tribes for supplies and fell in love with his gentle demeanor. They married and raised Esen in the Mol tribe and agreed to see the world together as a family when he was old enough. But the imperial occupation happened and the ruby sea became almost impossible to leave. Esen's mother being the more adventurous one decided they could smuggle themselves onto a merchant vessel. This failed, Esen's father was killed after he tried to negotiate with the imperials. His mother in a rage took down multiple before she was siezed. Thankfully they had hidden Esen well and he made it to Limsa Lominsa, but alone. He didn't stay in Limsa for too long but heard of job opportunities in Ul'dah. These job opportunities were poorly paid Coliseum matches that he was barely old enough to participate in. Eventually he met the Scions and treats them all like the family he was robbed of. He still doesn't know where his mother is. Small tidbits that are hard to fit in. Esen is pretty skittish and quiet, he's not a fan of boats but his mother would take him to the ocean as a kid because she did miss it sometimes. His horns are capped with rounded metal so he doesn't accidentally stab someone in the eye. His hair is the Au'ra male 1 hair but it used to be shorter during his time in the Coliseum. But now it's longer because the twins like to braid it and he likes the familiarity of it. He loves karakul and has a pet one to keep him company when he's not adventuring. Personality wise he's just like his father but still wants to see the world, even if his mother couldn't cause they all promised they would together. Sorry if that was long but the excuse to finally talk about his backstory is so pog thank you!!!!!

Aah absolutely, I love to hear about people’s characters so it’s a pleasure for me to  listen, really! :) Esen sounds really sweet, and I love the design choice of having his horns capped with metal, that sounds like a really cool visual! Plus the braided hair too aaahhh

I definitely can see the struggle with the union of the two very different cultures of the Xaela and Raen, especially those from Sui No Sato that are very attached to tradition and not that open to outsiders, it’s a cool and realistic detail about the world and how different traditions come to shape oneself. I hope that eventually he will find his mother somewhere and have a chance to reconnect and maybe have some closure! ! ❤

Thank YOU for sharing! :)

[inexcon]

RSI Comm-Link: This Week in Star Citizen

Hello everyone,

On Saturday we reached a major funding milestone, and we want to thank our amazing community who made this possible. In a letter from the chairman, Chris Roberts shares his thoughts on the fantastic journey so far and the exciting future that lies ahead.

No matter if 2018 or 2948: this week people come together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Whether they’re hunkering down with friends or quantum traveling to be with family, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful and celebrating the holiday together with loved ones. It doesn’t matter if it’s a simple Big Benny’s noodle box, a fully dressed space turkey, or enjoying a nice Pips or Radegast with the crew. We asked you to share this wonderful experience and show the ‘verse what you’re thankful for. Participate in not one, but two contests in honor of Thanksgiving and with a bit of luck, become the proud owner of a brand-new Banu Defender, Khartu-Al, or Nox.

And while you’re taking those beautiful screenshots, don’t forget that the countdown to the 2948 Anniversary Special has begun. This Friday kicks off our most epic Free-Fly event to date, and with it our annual November ship promotion. All the flyable ships and every operable vehicle will be at your fingertips! This is your chance to try out the vessel you’ve had an eye on. It’s never been easier, and we’re sure you’ll find a helpful hand within our community should you need it. Find out more about the promotion and take to skies with our free-fly details page.

And with that, let’s see what’s going on this week:

On Calling All Devs every week, designers, engineers, and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on Spectrum and voted for by YOU. This week we talk about inherited momentum, physicalized inventories, the new telemetry page, and more!

On Tuesday, the Lore Team will publish “Something Every Tuesday”, the weekly show hosted by Esen Landari. “Tune in” for great late night entertainment and check out previously published lore posts here.

Thursday won’t see an Around the Verse this week, as our North American offices will be celebrating Thanksgiving. The show will be back on December 6th.

No Reverse the Verse this Friday as we’ll be in full Anniversary mode, celebrating with a Free-Fly that’ll let you try every flyable ship and vehicle in game for free! Find out more on our promotion page. It’ll be worth to have an eye on our YouTube channel as we’ll have accompanying shows on each day of our promotion.

A happy Thanksgiving to you and your crew!

Ulf Kuerschner Senior Community Manager

The Weekly Community Content Schedule

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2018             Calling All Devs   (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2018             Weekly Lore Post   (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2018             -   

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND, 2018             Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!                Announcement: Thanksgiving Contest Winners                Vault Update   

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD, 2018             Anniversary Special – Anvil Aerospace   (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/)             Roadmap Update                RSI Newsletter   

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH, 2018             Anniversary Special – Roberts Space Industries   (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2018             Anniversary Special – Origin Jumpworks   (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/)

Community MVP: November 19th, 2018

We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it’s fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded with an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our MVP section of the Hub.

Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here!

Rotation of Hurston by Diabolus

Diabolus documented the awe-inspiring rotation of Hurston by compressing two and a half in-game hours into this 5-minute video. Enjoy the video on the Community Hub.

http://bit.ly/2BgtzHw

[misslunamiste]

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

A Round Four story for Esen Zephyre (and Alyss Okand, as well).

If she were to be completely honest, this wasn’t what she was expected.  To be fair, she hadn’t been expecting much of anything, because she hadn’t planned to be stranded on an island with a bunch of kids. 

Well, they technically weren’t kids, but to Alyss, they were.  A bunch of kids seeming trapped on an island and subjected to mind games, courtesy of Jacquin Industries.  They bombarded her with questions days before, and she answered them the best she could, but there was still a lot she didn’t know. 

Did they have a person on the inside? Yes, the female scientist that had worked on Project Infinity.  Alyss couldn’t recall her name, and had only seen pictures of her after the Project’s downfall.  She had to be at least somewhat on their side, after helping Alyss escape. 

What was the facility like? Alyss knew vague layouts, but nothing that would help them.  There were several buildings and she spotted a helicopter flying as she was escaping.  She had been inside the largest building, which she assumed was their base of operations. 

What did the Jacquins want? Alyss didn’t know, but she was sure it wasn’t good. 

Normally, Alyss wouldn’t have minded answering the questions that everyone had, but she was more focused on dealing with some of her own emotional issues.  The damn illusion hadn’t helped anything, not to mention the coma. 

Damia Jacquin was going to get a punch in the face (among other things) for that. 

She was both glad and upset that Esen was trapped with her, but part of her felt guilty.  If she hadn’t been so gullible, yet so attached to her family, then this might not have happened.  It was best for her to keep a distance until she figured out a plan, one that would get everyone out of this hellhole. 

Two days later, Esen pulled her windbreaker tighter around herself, hating this island even more than usual. 

The fact that she had gotten led on by someone that everyone warned her was dangerous made her feel stupid, and the fact that everyone was right made her mad. 

Not to mention that Alyss was (thankfully alive), but was also avoiding her.  It was if nothing was even remotely trying to work out for her, and thought that made her frustrated with the situation. 

“You look glum.” Sek commented, looking down on Esen. 

“That’s because I am glum.” Esen sighed. “I don’t think this was ever fun, but it’s definitely not fun anymore.”  She frowned at Sek. “This better not be a ‘I told you so.’” 

“It was going to be until I saw how sad you looked.” Sek shrugged, taking a seat next to Esen. “What gives?” 

“I don’t know what I had with Damia, but…heartbreak sucks.  Especially if it’s broken by betrayal.” Esen looked down.  “And now Alyss is here, but she’s-” 

“Avoiding everyone? Yeah, I expected different from someone who helped blow up a building to save us.” 

“I think it was more to stop Project Infinity.”   

“You get the point.” Sek rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s obvious that something is bugging her, and I’m not the shrink.  Surely you can figure it out.” 

“Not if she won’t talk to me.” Esen frowned. 

“Perhaps we could…figure it out without talking.” Sek suggested. 

“What do you mean?” 

Sek looked down, and slowly took off her left glove.  “My powers have been growing, I think.  I used to absorb information that was from computers, or books but now…I can absorb from people.” 

Esen frowned. “What? You didn’t think to mention this at all?” 

“I was trying to figure out what was happening, first.  Try and see if I could not absorb anything.” Sek shrugged. “But nothing really worked, so I’m keeping the gloves on unless my powers are needed.” 

“And you think they could help with Alyss?” Esen bit her lip. “Sek, I don’t know…” 

“The only reason she’d keep quiet is because she knows something, or maybe they’ve blackmailed or brainwashed her.” 

“They wouldn’t-” Esen started. 

“We’ve both seen the impossible, you know this is a possibility, Esen.” Sek stood up, pulling up Esen with her. “We need to find out what she knows, do whatever it takes to get what we need.” 

“Get what exactly?” 

Esen jumped up, only to see Alyss sitting from a top branch of the tree behind her.  She would have been easily concealed by the branches in front of her, had she not pushed them out of the way for her big entrance. 

“Oh shit.” Sek muttered. 

“Are you going to come down?” Esen asked awkwardly. 

“No, not when your genius friend is going to try and steal my memories.” Alyss scoffed. “You think I want you looking through my mind?” 

“To be fair, I’m not even sure if it would work.” Sek frowned. “But you’re hiding something.” 

“So what? Everyone on this damn island is.  We don’t need brown-nosers like you going through our secrets.” Alyss shrugged. “You want to find out what happened to me so bad? You should have asked.” 

“But you won’t even stay around.  I…I don’t want you to leave again.” Esen said softly. 

Alyss was about to say something, but stopped when she looked at the sky.  Esen and Sek followed her gaze, frowning at the sight. 

“Is that a drone?” Sek asked, while Esen decided to take action.  She used the wind above the drone to push it down as hard as she could, causing the drone to crash into the ground below. 

“A little nicer next time?” Sek asked, feigning annoyance as a crowd started to gather. 

“Does it have any weaponry?” Esen retorted, crossing her arms. 

Sek shook her head, carefully inspecting the drone. “It looks like to be a peaceful vessel.” 

“Peaceful? It came from the fucking MYRIAD sign.” Alyss scoffed. “It’s probably a trap.” 

Sek rolled her eyes, finding a capsule and pulling out a small projector. “It needs a fingerprint, simple technology.” She deduced. 

Esen took the projector and tried the scanner, not surprised when it didn’t work.

“Well, they’d have to use fingerprints of someone they already had records on.” She decided, and looked up at Alyss. 

Alyss shook her head. “Yeah, right.” 

“You could at least try it.” Esen gave Alyss her best puppy-dog eyes, and Alyss scowled, climbing down the tree. 

Alyss put her thumb on the projector. “Fine, but only to prove-” The projector lit up green. “God damn it.” 

A hologram  came up from the projector, showing a middle-aged woman in a lab coat. “My apologies, Miss Okand, for using her fingerprints for this, but I didn’t have any other records to use for this device.  I had to be sure it made it into the right hands.” 

Alyss frowned. “She’s the one that helped me escape.” 

“That’s Artemis Verdani, one of the scientists from Project Infinity…” Emmett spoke from the crowd, and was hushed as everyone listened to what Artemis spoke. 

“This message will self destruct after its completion. Again, another safety precaution, but you can never be too sure in the crowds I deal with.  At this point, I assume that you are with the others on the island, but in the case you are not please relay the message to them. 

“In case you do not know me, my name is Artemis Verdani and I regrettably worked on the production of the serum for the government project Infinity.  Around two years after the project was destroyed, I found myself and college Dorian Gero approached by Jacquin Industries, both interested in our work on the project.  The offers seemed too good to be true, so we decided to accept under the condition that we would report anything gone awry. 

“It goes without saying that the Jacquins kept secrets from us, and we only discovered about the MYRIAD project a little over year ago.  MYRIAD stands for Mass Youth Regulation and Intelligence Acquisition Division, a project they’ve used to gather intelligence on enhanced youths such as yourself.  Their goal seems to be to use you all as pawns of some sort.  I have no clue how dark their plan runs, but it could range anywhere from a science experiment to world domination.  Regardless, it needs to be stopped. 

“Also included in the drone is a drive full of blueprints and files.  While it is likely you have no way to access them, I know at least one of your number has an ability to access this information, hopefully this will allow you to come up with a way to put a stop to this. 

“One last detail - this is not the only MYRIAD project running.  There is one other island, but I do not know the coordinates.  However, I was able to get the roster from Dorian, and have included that as well.  I hope that helps you in your endeavors. 

“Good luck, and best wishes.” 

The device started to beep, so Alyss quickly threw it as far as she could before it made a tiny explosion. 

“Well, that was some exposition and a half.” She muttered, turning to Sek. “I guess you should get that flash drive now.” She suggested, though it was more of a demand. 

“What are we going to do? Another island?” Esen turned to Alyss, frowning. 

“Well, we should start with the basics - plotting.  I know just where to start.” Alyss answered, giving Esen a grin for the first time since she had been there. “C’mon, kid. I’ve got to figure out how to make a building explode.”