#because I had so much reploid characters on my mind that it just sounded like a normal course of action I should be able to take | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

afniel · 4 months

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AH I REMEMBERED WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY EARLIER but it's kind of stupid, lmao.

So my partner is getting into brewing beer and I got them a Tilt, which is a Bluetooth hydrometer. It measures specific gravity and temperature, which are things you want to know so that you don't kill your yeast or whatever. Except the sensor's Bluetooth range is super short, and it basically runs via a phone app, and the temperature we're logging currently is the crawlspace, accessible via the staircase closet. So they were like, wait, what do we do about this, because I can't leave my phone in the closet, that's my alarm clock.

In a kind of ridiculous turn of life imitating art, I was like, hold up, I got just the thing right at my desk. Bam. Old phone. We just needed to scrounge up a charger because the battery is so dead that after charging just enough to power on it claimed it was at 53% (to be fair to it, there is a very real chance that it's correct, and it just holds no charge at this point so the capacity is just THAT low) and now it lives in the closet logging sensor data.

And I was like, you know...didn't I just solve a major story detail with a much larger version of this...yeah, no, this is all vaguely familiar somehow, power supply issues and all. Kind of cool that the concept works though. Kind of weird that it came up at all?

We are not gonna talk about the fact that I still have at least two more ancient-ass phones in a drawer where that came from because look, man, sometimes you just need a camera/mic/mini computer with Bluetooth and wifi that fits in a pocket, and people just get rid of these things, but not me. I actually could build a shitty security system out of them if I was reaaaally inclined. I mean. I'm not. But it's technically possible.

For real though, If I pick up any stupid maker projects I still high-key am thinking about slapping Bluetooth into a necomimi headset and running that through an Arduino and learning to code just enough to let me skip songs/change the volume on Spotify with my brain, because it's entirely doable, and I mean yeah I could do that on my phone remotely too, but that's not funny, now, is it. I'm just not sure it's $350+ of parts funny. Kind of a big investment just to prove the point that haha look I am the extremely ADHD type of lazy where I would rather solve a problem via the most convoluted and complicated Rube-Goldberg type ass machine way possible rather than just perform a single simple action.

YEAH I'VE BEEN THIS SCATTERED ALL DAY AND I REALLY SHOULD GO TO BED SHOULDN'T I. I started playing Satisfactory. Mistakes were made. I'm going to dream about conveyor belts again and I did it to myself...

#you know I used to mostly blog about witchcraft and paganism #and now I'm like. you know what I want to do? chain an EEG sensor to the Spotify API and skip songs with my brain.#it's kind of like magic when you put it like that. maybe things haven't actually changed that much after all #the headset idea actually came about bc I'd gotten so far into the writing zone that I literally just. tried to skip a song with my brain.#because I had so much reploid characters on my mind that it just sounded like a normal course of action I should be able to take #obviously it didn't work and cue me sitting there for a full 3 seconds going 'why didn't it. wait. why did I think it would?'#followed immediately after by 'YEAH BUT I PROBABLY COULD DO THAT ACTUALLY'#because you just Cannot write a character like Glitch without it rubbing off on you a little bit and WWGD kicked in real hard lmao #well obviously he'd [ridiculous chain of ideas ending in 'anyway I installed some shit and now I can control Spotify with my mind']#and I gotta say I do not like the idea of sticking a sensor on the *inside* of my skull. sounds very bad.#but it doesn't have to be on the inside to work soooo there's that!#I have a friend who for quite a long time had a rare earth magnet in one finger so he could find live wires by touch #he ended up removing it for work eventually but when I say I was jelly. man. but also kinda squeamish about it.#I do not like sharp things and I am Very funny about my fingers as an artist/writer/used to be musician.#but man that sounds cool. I want the magnet senses. I don't think I want them enough to have a magnet under my skin though #I think I wouldn't use them enough for that to be helpful actually lmao #anyway do I even need more senses? probably not. mine are already unfiltered and loud as shit.#'boy I wish I could sense magnetic fields' says idiot guy who can hear the mains hum even with no electronics currently turned on #like when the power goes out I can FEEL the fucking difference in the air and it's unnaturally quiet and kinda spooky #I do not think I need help on this front actually. I think I got it handled pretty okay lol

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being-so-normal-about-reploids · 2 months

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Hai so what are ur fav headcanons that you can’t stop thinking about? :3

God tho I don't even know where to begin. I'm actually not that much of a headcanon generator, I don't think! Which I know sounds absurd considering I'm out here absolutely just making up noncanon shit for hundreds and hundreds of pages, but then if you actually ask me like, 'Quick, name a headcanon!' I just kind of bluescreen, lol. All the writing is more AU to me at this point so it's like, entirely separate real canon, so I feel like I can't really pull from any of that to answer, if that makes sense? Like it's not headcanon at that point.

But I have been playing X6 and laughing about Dynamo for like a week so you know what I'll go with that as a starting point: if they weren't already enemies, Zero would still probably love to slap Dynamo's teeth out of his head because they're too just a little close to the same type of flippant (you get this from Zero a lot more in Japanese than English), but X would probably get along with him pretty okay. And not just because X could probably get along with anybody, either. He would think Dynamo is actually, legitimately funny and chill to hang out with. Zero would think he's a shit influence who could stand to have fewer teeth, but I also headcanon that Zero probably got along just fine with Vile for a while and probably would have continued to had Shit Not Happened, and he's just defensive (and maybe a liiiiittle jealous? He is a Wily creation after all, from a long and storied line of Nobody Is Allowed To Kill You But Me type idiots) over X, so there's that. None of these idiots have any taste in friends and nobody has any room to talk shit about anybody's weird socialization.

Then again considering the actual plot that last sentence is literally just back to canon again. These dumb fuckin boys looked at each other (destined to try to kill each other from creation) and said, 'Oh no, he's so goddamn stupid, I can't not befriend him.'

Most of my headcanons are a lot more general rather than being about specific characters, and I just straight up called them 'worldbuilding' and slapped them directly into my writing, lmao. I think some of them are actually not popular, like 'reploids are generally aroace from a human perspective (though they very much have their own things going on instead)' and 'reploids don't really eat/drink' are like, I'm probably a minority for those, lol. There's a ton of alloromantic and allosexual works out there and it's actually kind of hard to find a fic where someone isn't eating or drinking human food during downtime for whatever reason. They're just very common. And to be clear I don't have a problem with it or anything either, it's all chill. I don't even mind explicit shit even if it's not as much my thang in this fandom. I just think it's a little bit more interesting when they're not just humans except metal, but instead they've got their own kinda parallel inorganic biology, and not a lot of people are doing that so it's kinda my happy niche to fill lol. Like I don't think they should be too overly familiar from an organic perspective. I actually like the uncanny valley effect. I think it's cool.

Also having a partner with a background in robotics/mechatronics and electrical engineering has super tilted what I find interesting to headcanon, I'm sure, lol.

Uh one more. I'm very team X Has Brown Hair and I love imagining different haircuts on him lol. Couldn't tell you why, but somehow most of them look cool anyway, so it's a fun pastime and I should draw some of them.

Yeah okay that's a lot of words! I think that's good for now. Unless you wanted specifics about a given game/character/etc.? (Bonus points if it's an OC because I'm always looking for an excuse to start rambling about them.)

ALSO TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY JUST FYI

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rp-repliforce · 4 years

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{Get to Know my Muse in 8 Songs or Less}

Music is a great way to get a sense of a character’s personality, history, or general vibes. You might only have a handful of songs you associate your muse, or you could have a massive playlist that’s impossible to list. Songs make it for all kinds of reasons: the lyrics, the genre, or maybe you just found the song at random and it stuck. The purpose of this meme is to introduce your muse in the span of one album or less, share some of your musical inspiration, or even stuff you’re into right now while you write! You can explain as much or as little as you like (multimuses are welcome to do one track per character too!).

((I kind of broke the rules of this meme, and made a playlist for my main 3 muses. It’s a lot to go through, so its ok if you don’t want to listen to them all... ^^;))

General

1. [Stadler - Dreams of war] This was actually one of the first theme songs I chose for General, but I feel like it still manages to capture his personality prefectly. I think it kind of speaks for itself.

2. [A Cerulean State - If Only I Had Forever] When I listen to this song, I imagine General leaning against a balcony and staring at the stars... Maybe thinking about the things that could have been.

3. [Evening Star - Octavia] Here’s one that’s more upbeat. Even though this is an MLP song, it’s always reminded me of General. I don’t really know what this one makes me think of though...

4. [Two Steps From Hell - Submariner] Here’s a look at General’s more serious side. This one makes me think of General on the move. Most likely headed to a battle.

5. [David Edwards - Insurrection] I’ve been thinking about choosing this song as his new combat theme, because it captures how scrary it would actually be to fight him. His armor is nearly impenetrable, he’s strong enough to bash through the walls of fortresses, can easily crush a reploid in his hand, and It’s almost impossible to hide from his onslaught (if you’re a reploid) because his whiskers can detect electrical activity. I tend to assocoiate heavy sounding orchestral stuff with him anyways.

6. [Audiomachine - Last Plane Out] I chose this song to be the theme of General’s sacrifice. I remember that in my story, I actually drew the scene out a bit. Instead of moving himself into the path of the final weapon’s beam, he instead dives into the structures surrounding the core, and uses the last of his strength to cause as much destruction as he can. General eventually succumbs to his wounds, and has a surprisingly peaceful death before the inferno from the core’s implosion could take him. He died a true hero, giving up everything he had already sacrificed so much for to protect the innocent humans and reploids of earth.

7. [The Volga Boatmen (Paul Robeson cover)] I remember sharing this song to show how I imagined General’s singing voice to sound.

Colonel

1. [Two steps from hell - Never back down] This is the song I chose to be Colonel’s theme song. Beleive it or not, it has actual lyrics. I think they suit him really well.

2. [Kingdom Hearts II Soundtrack - Passion - KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version] If I could make this Colonel’s theme I would, but I have a personal rule against using songs from popular media for themes. I remember a time when I had almost lost muse for him, but listening to this song helped me remember his more noble and heroic side (mostly at 1:56 though).

3. [Thomas Bergersen - Immortal] This is actually one of the previous theme songs I had for him. I think it still does kind of fit

4. [Two Steps From Hell - Winterspell] Whenenver I listen to this one, it almost makes me picture a scene where Colonel goes on some kind of mission. Also so far it seems like most of these songs make me think of Colonel running. He’s pretty good at that after all, being able to reach a top speed of 30mph on foot.

5. [Charlene Soraia - Wherever You Will Go] Sometimes I imagine Colonel singing this song to Iris. It reminds me of an idea I had a while ago where Colonel and Iris would have a bit of a falling-out, and Iris would try to stay on Earth with Zero while Colonel would try to go space with General. Still, even though her descision had hurt him, he respected her choice. They had been close their whole life, and now... They would be truly separated for the first time. Even though she’s not there to listen, it’s like Colonel is silently calling for her to come back. It makes me feel a little choked up knowing that despite all the greif that Iris had caused him during the war, he never stopped loving her. (One of the lyrics doesen’t really work here, but... you know.)

6. [Manowar - Die with Honor] The lyrics of this song really makes me think of Colonel’s last stand against Zero at the spaceport. I remember imagining that He had actually decided to stay back and fight off the hunters so that General could escape. Maybe I’d change a couple words in the song though, since Colonel never had a son... ^^; It also makes me think of this card from Teppen, which says: “Pushing himself ever further for the sake of his comrades, this proud reploid's blade can cleave any enemy in to two.”

7. [Two steps from hell - Unforgiven] This is the battle theme I’d decided on for him. The ascending notes in the background are like rising winds, the snare is like rain hitting your face, and the big drum that comes every now and again is like a thunderclap. Near the end, I imagine that Colonel is wounded, but has one last surge of energy before he either wins or loses. I didn’t call him the “Silver Prince of storms” for nothing. I remember imagining that his final battle with Zero would get so stormy and rainy that they would both have reduced visibility and would be at risk of falling off of the bridge they’re fighting on.

8: [josielemmings - In a Dying Whisper] “...Never in my life did I expect you to be the one to strike me down... Our practice duels... At one time we bonded over them... But now... It seems that they were only the beginning..." -Colonel, when he realized he was dying I’d say that by the time the chorus starts, he’s completely gone.

Iris

1. [Lucas king - Smiles] This is the song I chose for Iris’s theme. I think it really fits the impression she tends to leave on people.

2. [Lucas King - Cat] In Iris’s bio, I used this song to describe the way she feels when she’s with Colonel. Warmth, happiness, security, familiarity... Those are the words that come to my mind. I like how the bass of the song almost makes me think of Colonel’s presence and/or voice.

3. [Yann Tiersen - Summer 78] I’m not quite sure why, but this song still reminds me of Iris. I guess it’s her more ‘serious‘ theme. I feel like this track and the one after it do kind of capture her hopefulness.

4. [Yann Tiersen - Mother's Journey] This one makes me picture Iris running through the rain as fast as she can, as well as how she did her best to endure the turmoil happening around her. It makes me think of her perserverance and her quiet desperation.

5. [SAMUEL BARBER - Adagio for Strings] I imagined this to play when Iris would go to Repliforce’s spaceport, but she would find that not only have all of the ships left, there’s also fallen Repliforce soldiers littering her path. Eventually, she finds Colonel laying there... Completely motionless. She was too late to say she was sorry...

6. [Really Slow Motion & Giant Apes - Swirling Dinosaurs] This one was a last-minute descision, since I was kind of dissatisfied with the battle theme that’s actually in her bio (for X4). When Iris fought Zero, she was pushed to her physical, emotional, and psychological limits... All for the sake of trying to finish Colonel’s fight for him.

7. [Lucas King - Hurt] I picked this song to play for Iris’s death scene. No joke, when I played this over the cutscene in X4 (redubbed), I felt like my eyes got slightly moist. It really reminds me of her body struggling to stay alive in that moment as she becomes weaker by the second.

BONUS TRACKS: Post a joke song, a song fitting a relationship, or anything else you couldn’t make room for)

[Atherine Jenkins & Laszlo Maleczky - Amigos Para Siempre] I’ve kind of made this my song for Colonel and Iris. I oftem imagine them singing it as a duette.

[Two Steps From Hell - Dark Harbor] I think this song would be good for Jet Stignray’s grim mission... Cut off the Hunters’ supply lines by destroying its very source.

Tagged By: @radio-pirate (Sorry I took so long... ^^;)

Tagging: @keiko-sacaro @ask-navigator-layer

#Repliforce Highlights

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thecreatorofworlds · 6 years

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I wanted to make an official ref for my Reploid oc, Monarch Monsoon, and in the process, I wound up creating an entire sketchdump of her (and some other characters)! Needless to say, it got out of hand real fast. I decided to throw in some other neat OCs I've seen because there's so many cool fan designs, I figured it’d be fun to show them a little love while doing the same for my gal. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Please full-view, some of these got a little blurry! (Click for captions!)

Anoxia belongs to @astrobullet, Replichi belongs to @reploid-prince, Ray belongs to @rayum, and everyone else in the third image has their respective creator's url next to them (I feel a little sheepish @'ing people for sketches).

Here’s some more details / info about Monarch:

Background: Monarch Monsoon was part of the Maverick Hunter’s 7th Air Cavalry unit and worked under Storm Eagle, who she respected a great deal. When he defected and joined Sigma, she hesitantly went along with it out of loyalty, but quickly quit when she saw all the horrible things Sigma and his Mavericks were doing. (This sounds really noble, but don’t let that fool you; what clued her in was seeing Mavericks trying to destroy her favorite dessert shop).

Monarch’s ambivalent about the Maverick Hunters, but neutrality doesn’t pay the rent, so she works as a mercenary. On occasion, she'll visit smaller towns to provide backup for local forces when the Maverick Hunters don't arrive quickly enough, but she prefers staying in the city because that's where her favorite cafe is.

Personality: Very proud, and more than a little vain. Snarky, but affectionate once you get to know her. Flattery is the fastest way to get in her good books! Quick to speak her mind and quick to take offense at perceived insults.

Weakness: Close-range combat, sweets.

Abilities / fighting style: Monarch Monsoon was built for speed rather than power, which is why she’s a lot less clunky-looking and a lot lighter than earlier generations of Reploids / Maverick Hunters. She’s always got excess energy; her wings have solar panels built into them, so one of her main roles was to provide energy to those who were running low on it during long missions (she’s like a portable battery).

Monarch usually acted as a scout for Storm Eagle’s unit and relayed information back to them, like an on-the-field navigator. She excels at long-range combat, but a few well-placed shots would take her down easily. Like her former superior, Monarch also relies on wind to knock her opponents back, giving her enough time to make a quick escape. (She likes avoiding fights when she can!)

Other:

Monarch wasn’t interested in food until she was on patrol-duty and saw a really pretty, really fancy dessert in a shop window (she was delighted to find it was as delicious as it was beautiful). Her favorite dessert shop is the cafe X and Zero visited in the “Dates and Desserts” fanfic I wrote :’)

She’s fond of all the Navigators and often invites them out to eat. Layer is her favorite to work / dine with, and she loves teasing her about her crush on Zero (but Monarch definitely thinks Layer could do better)!

Her helmet can’t be removed! Monarch’s designer didn’t build her with the intention of letting her be able to pass as a civilian. (Monarch doesn’t particularly care, she’s really attached to her crown!)

I wanted her communication headset thing to be on the sides of her head rather than over the ear like X’s, but it looks a little too cyber elf-y (which isn’t bad, but it’s the wrong era ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). I put her gems on the side of her head so they look like butterfly eyes!

Monarch despises Sigma because he turned Storm Eagle, the "Prince of the Skies", into his pawn. (She also hates Sigma because he was the catalyst for Storm Eagle's eventual death at X's hands). Monarch still has undying loyalty for Storm Eagle, and her biggest regret was not trying to talk him out of helping Sigma and deserting him / her team. (I should also mention: Monarch never felt any romantic affection for Storm Eagle, but she did love him very much. It was just very platonic).

Monarch dislikes Vile, partially because Storm Eagle didn't like him, and partially because she thinks he's needlessly destructive and reckless. She enjoyed anonymously pranking him when he was still a Hunter.

She thinks Zero is a fashion disaster. Monarch acts a little coolly towards X because he killed the superior she was fond of, but she ultimately holds no real grudge against him. She’ll never admit it, but over time X has been growing on her (a little). She uses a lot of nicknames for him, but usually calls him “blueberry” or “blue boy”.

I think Monarch actually managed to survive most of the Maverick Wars? She's good at keeping her head down. I think she'd be one of the few early-gen Reploids who survived past the first few wars.

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worldofadvent · 7 years

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NEO World of Advent Chapter Twenty

Author's Note: I'm thinking about changing the rating from T to M. This would allow me a bit more artistic freedom.

NEO World of Advent Chapter Twenty

Light found himself well and truly having earned his new nickname in the past three days. By mandate of house arrest, he had not been able to leave the room save for a quick hop on the track for exercise or go to the bathroom. His teammates brought him books to read with a tray of food, the only source of entertainment or distraction from his life's rapid downward spiral into chaos and confusion once more. They had been a constant companion as Mist decided what to do with him.

Mist hadn't seen him once, but the others told him that they hadn't seen any sign of her either. After their screaming match over the communication feed and Light's subsequent behavior, they pieced two and two together and figured out about Light and Mist's relationship. At Light's behest, they hadn't talked about it outside their small group, but the news was pretty shocking to them all. Orca especially.

Light smiled as he replayed the memory of Orca's slow coming to the realization that Rak was in fact, the winner of their bet and that he now owed the plucky Advent a yacht. Rak offered Orca the same out that he had offered Rak, but Orca told them he was a man of his word. Still, the stress of finding a discount yacht was apparent on the reploid's face when he brought Light a new book disguised as "Ten Thousand Way to Tie a Knot."

The others and he had done a lot of talking, lately. Even though Light was not allowed to leave the room, that did not prevent them from being able to enter his. They needed answers and he needed a distraction. It was an elegant solution to the mess they found themselves in. While Mist gave them orders by way of instant message as for how they should prepare for whatever maritime mishap might occur, their captain was essentially invisible. Some of them doubted whether she was still on the base with them.

"How did it happen," Fin wanted to know. He was her second in command and had known Mist the longest. He never specified what exactly, but Light knew what he meant. It was bound to be on all their minds, not just his. How could the famous daughter of Fairy Leviathan, Guardian of the Meikai Army have fallen for someone like him? Light told them he wished he knew himself, but that it didn't matter anyway.

"You heard her," Light said. "We're through. Finished. She wants to keep it professional." The words had pained him more than they would ever know, but he had to face the reality of his situation. He was a loner, even if not by choice, who couldn't even keep a simple job in the army without screwing it up. There was talk about how Mist might finally make good on her promise to court martial him.

There was a knock on the door. Light put the book down reluctantly; it was a rather good tale about a shipwrecked pirate and a baroness that had been stranded on a remote island together. Light found it comforting that even if he couldn't get a happy ending, the characters in his books still might get one. Light turned the knob of the door.

"Thanks guys," he said, "But I still haven't finished the last one."

"It's me." Light froze. He recognized that voice, feminine and full of snark, even if it had lust its luster at the moment. She sounded lost, defeated. A bit like he felt, Light thought savagely, and held the door open. She looked around. "I was afraid you wouldn't let me in."

"That would be disobeying orders, captain. We both know how much you don't like it when people do that," Light said, straining to keep his voice level.

Mist glared at him. "I did what I had to, alright? What would you have done?"

"Something else," Light said. "Anything but pretending like it never happened. Like we never happened, then getting yourself damn near killed. What, do you have something to prove? Do you think your mother will care if you die at sea too?"

Mist slapped him. It was a hard blow that stung bitterly. "You have no idea what it's like to be in a position of command. These people need me. Who cares if one silly little girl doesn't get what she wants? That's life. So stop pretending like the world owes you something and grow up."

"You think you owe them anything?" Light gave a harsh laugh as he rubbed his cheek. "Why? Because your mother told you that you did? That it was your civic duty to throw all your hopes and dreams, your fucking life away for the sake of the people just because you were born to Fairy Leviathan?" His breath was short, ragged. But he wasn't done just yet. "And you're wrong. I do know what it's like to have people depend on me. What do you think it's like out there, in the desert? I was in charge. I made sure we were safe. I made sure we didn't starve. I made sure no one died of heat stroke or froze to death."

"So how did you abandon them?" Mist sat down on his bed. Curiously, the question was devoid of any malice. It sounded genuine, as though she were looking for instructions.

"At the end of the day, everyone's just looking out for themselves. That's why those sailors didn't care that you were out there getting chased by a giant mechanloid. So long as it's them, they don't care. When push comes to shove, people always look after themselves first. What's so wrong with doing the same for yourself? Nobody ever lies on their deathbed thinking about how happy they were that they lived for someone else's sake."

Mist brought her face closer and looked as though she would slap him again. She kissed him instead, a look of self-loathing on her face when they broke apart. The kiss was short, nothing Orca or Rak would bring him in a book whose cover had been replaced. But it meant a lot to both of them, Light knew. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I've lived my whole life afraid of my own mother. I always thought that if I did the right thing, did what she told me to do, was the perfect commander, she would love me back." She gave a weak sniffle. "I just wanted to be wanted for once."

Light longed to kiss her, wipe away the tears. But he knew that a kiss wouldn't solve everything like it did in the movies. This was something they had to work out, together. "Who says your life is worth less than any of theirs? That's bullshit and you know it. This fatalistic martyrdom that you've got going on isn't healthy. Maybe you should start thinking about what you want instead of what your mother wants."

Mist gave a small, choked breath in and tried her best to look angry. "It's harder than it looks."

"Then I'll help you." Light held her hand, hoping she wouldn't swat it away or take hers out of it. "You say the word. If you want out, I'll be right beside you every step of the way."

"Okay." The voice was small, but carried the first, rebellious seeds of hope in them. Mist seemed unable to look him in the eye as she said so, but she didn't take her hand out of his, which he took as a good sign. "I can't tell you right now. Let me think about it, alright?"

"I'll be here." Light squeezed her hand and let go. "So what's my punishment?"

"Sorry?"

"Am I getting court martialed or what?" Light tapped the floor. "It's kind of annoying being in the dark here."

"No," Mist said. "But you did disobey a direct order, even if it was to save my life. I'm sorry Light, but I have no choice but to put you back on latrine duty." She held the smallest of fierce smiles as she said it. Even though her face was looking down at the floor, her expression seemed to be saying 'Take that, Mom.'

"Darn." Light grinned. "I guess now I have to deal with you making sure I do a good job, huh? You don't want me to miss a spot after all."

Mist laughed. It was the sound of years spent drowning in silence only to be at last given a hand to pull her out from underneath the surface. Her body shook, and she snorted as it receded. Light looked at her with some concern. "It wasn't that funny."

"I know," Mist said. "You are such a moron." She chuckled, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I guess it's a good thing I find idiots attractive."

Light brought his fist up in a victory pose. "Success! She likes me. I was afraid you thought I was horribly ugly or something."

"Because that's what girls do," Mist said with a hint of her old steel. "They have sex with ugly guys they don't like in grungy little flats."

"My room is not grungy," Light said. "You're thinking of the Black Sky. I'm pretty sure we didn't have sex there."

Mist hummed absentmindedly. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Light felt his face heat up. "Wait, what? No," he said as she got off the bed. "Don't leave. There's so much I have to know! We didn't actually do it there, did we?"

"I'll talk to you later," Mist said. "With your answer." Light watched her close the door gently, the agonizing promise of hope pulling his mind into a state of glorious confusion once more. She likes me, Light thought. She could still say 'No' of course, but Light made it his life's purpose to be there for her until she said 'Yes.' Even if it took anonymously sending her a thousand months' supply of condoms in the process.

An hour later, a bucket of soapy water and a sponge was sent to his door with a note that told him she wanted them spotless. Light picked up the metal pail, never before so happy to be told to scrub an entire military base's worth of residual scum in his entire life. Light found himself hoping for a time when he didn't have to settle. He could have the girl of his dreams and his best friends. Life loved to throw him curveballs, but that didn't mean he had to strike out. He just had to learn how to play its game and win.

Light made up his mind to visit the records after mopping the bathroom floors in record time. He had come to the military to find his friends; before Mist there had always been Sanctum's fiery red hair and Chaos's perpetual scowl. It was time he made good on the resources he had at his disposal. Light entered the room where records of the world's disasters were kept in order to monitor relevant threats. Under the guise of looking for shipwrecks, Light accessed one of the computers available.

A quick search for 'Chaos' and 'Sanctum' found hundreds of articles detailing the plight of refugees in search for a personal haven. Light groaned at the unfortunate details of his friends' names and decided to limit the search to 'Advent' and 'Colony.' 'Sand' was added as a quick afterthought. If nothing else, his old home had sand. Lots of sand.

There were a lot of articles on the destabilizing conditions of the desert people, but they mostly concerned the human royalty debating over whether they should keep sending supplies or not. It was only through browsing the cited works in an article claiming that it was a lost cause, that too many colonies had already collapsed for it to be worth Neo Arcadian investment. Curiously, Senator Crux seemed violently opposed to the idea, but Light shrugged it off. Whatever that man did wasn't his concern as of the moment, even if he were infamous for his outspoken hatred of Advents.

Light found his old colony among those that had fallen. It was a wound to his heart, but nothing he didn't already suspect. Each confirmed dead was a blow, but he persevered, hoping desperately to not find his best friends on the list. Thankfully, none of the names held as colorful a moniker as what they had chosen to be called. This was a start, Light thought. They're alive. Or at the very least, not confirmed dead. He looked into the date and cause of the colony's collapse, expecting a report about an attempt to absorb the colony into the city gone horribly wrong. Instead, the files on hand were sloppily written and often contradictory. One report said that a freak spree of heat flares caused the populace to perish while another told of rogue pantheons attacking.

Light's confusion kept him looking. Everywhere he tried to find the exact cause of the colony's death, however, was contradictory or uncertain until his access was completely denied with a flash of the Neo Arcadian symbol of royalty. "What the hell?" Light refreshed the page, but the symbol censored any of his further attempts at investigation. "This is Mist's base," Light said softly. "Who is blocking her access?"

Whatever the cause, he felt it were something Mist should know. Light sent her a private message from his communicator, apologizing for not giving her space, and that it was actually something purely occupational for once. Soon, Mist came inside, harried looking. "You better not have been lying about this being serious," Mist said, but trailed off as she saw the flashing symbol Neo Arcadia used to censor websites deemed too dangerous for the general public. "What the hell?"

"That's what I said." Light showed her his observations. "Whenever I try to access information about this colony in particular, I got this message. Once the system realized I was targeting it in particular, it shut me out."

"This shouldn't happen," Mist said. "I'm one of the Top 4, the Guardians' children. My access shouldn't have been revoked like this. The only people who have higher clearance than I do are the nobles or the Guardians themselves."

"What does that mean?" Light wanted answers. "That was my home, Mist. Something happened and whatever did happen, someone doesn't want me to find out."

"No, I get it. This really is serious." Mist browsed through the list of confirmed dead Light had thankfully screenshotted before his access was revoked. "This is so wrong." She tried a personal code, only to be blocked again. "You said this was your old colony?" She lowered her voice. "Does it have anything at all to do with your being the son of Zero, do you think?"

"No," Light said grimly, "But I think it might have something to do with being Umera's old hideout. He was the one who watched over us at first. He left," Light explained, "But he was definitely there."

"That's kind of the thing I might want to know," Mist said irritably. "In the future, don't keep stuff like this from me. I'm going to look into this, alright?"

"Got it, thanks." Light paused. "Have you given the matter any more thought?"

"Not now," Mist let him down, but gently. "But soon, I promise." She left the room with a physical copy of the death toll scanned on a photocopier. Light looked at the flashing symbol on the screen, hoping that would have good news for him upon her return, be it about their relationship or the status of whatever was jamming their access.

Light found Rak, who asked him if he had seen the Capo excitedly. Light told him that he had, but to keep it quiet. "This is pretty exciting," Rak said. "I never thought one of my friends would be embroiled in an epic t.v. romance." The two had a laugh about that.

"Who knows," Light said, mind still stuck on that flashing symbol. "Maybe things are going to get a lot more exciting."

#megaman #megaman zero #mmz #capcom #long story #ocs #fanfic #fanfiction

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