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codenamehazard · 9 months

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.:Piss and Vinegar:.

Hey guys! This one was a doozy of a chapter to make, but I have completed it and I am very every excited to share it with you! Big shoutout to the lovely @rogueshadeaux for her help! Check her out, you won't regret it!

I hope you guys enjoy it!

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Chapter 9: Piss and Vinegar

I sit inside one of the trailers of the convoy vehicle, pulling out an old recording device from my sling. I don’t know how many of these things I have made over the years, but it helps me sort out my thoughts, and right now, I have a lot of them. I hit record and begin to talk.

During the beginning leg of the trip from those damned cages, tensions were thick enough to cut with a knife. Not surprising, seeing as I was going to kill birdbrain number one and leave them short a member. As the trip rolled on, some of the tension relaxed, but not by much. Birdbrain number two shut himself up in the cabin of the vehicle. Not coming out even when it was his brother’s turn to drive. Heh. Looks like I put the fear of God into that pigeon and he’s not gonna mess with me anytime soon.

Kestrel locked herself in a different trailer, a good majority of that time was spent getting ripped into by Mako. I couldn’t help but to smirk at the memory of hearing the shouting, imagining the little bird looking like a sad little puppy while the shark tears her a new asshole. A small pang of sadness intrudes my thoughts as I think back to moments during the Quarantine when I had to dress down Zeke in a similar way because he almost got himself killed. Mako’s tone told me all I need to know. She genuinely does care about the dumbass. I shake my head to rid myself of the ache. No time for that now.

The only one of the four man team that had the balls to come up and actually talk to me was Pangolin. We had some small talk after an awkward silence. He filled me in about what the deal is with this motley crew. Called themselves “the Misfits,” the spray-painted “138” on the lead vehicle now makes sense. I asked if this “Droptown” place they were taking me to was where they lived and the man chuckled. Turns out the bunch is nomadic, this is just one of the conclaves that’s friendly to them and others like them. I was about to ask more, but Pangolin had to leave to trade shifts with Dove. I decided to put a pin in it for the time being.

Left alone with my thoughts, I couldn’t help but to think back on what Mako said about Kestrel saving her life. She’s no weakling, I made sure of that. I didn’t hold back when I sparred with her. To hear that she had to be saved, I had to wonder what exactly was out here. What did she mean by Fracture being “the tip of the iceberg?” What did happen when Mako left?

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt the convoy lurch to a stop. I stop recording and put the device into my sling as I hear Pangolin’s voice boom out. “Alright jackasses! We’re here!” I hear the doors of the other trailers open up and feet hit the ground before I hop out myself. I see the others scatter like dandelion seeds in the wind towards a new patchwork city. Pangolin looked over at me and asked if I’ll be alright on my own for a little bit and mentioned meeting up back at the “HEMTT” he called it. I nod and let him know he doesn’t need to worry about me.

“I know.” He hummed. “Still, always good to ask regardless.”

I hum back in response before taking off on my own, curious to see what this “safe haven” is all about and hoping it’s not gonna be a repeat.

—------

I feel the same rush of awe I felt when I first entered Fracture, but the feel of this place was different. The buildings were still the patchwork materials being held together by cables and wires, but this time around it felt more… Chaotic. Nonsense coming together to make sense. This place felt like it had more character, had more of a soul, and from what I can tell from the Conduits that seem to call this place home, there was also more freedom as I watched them climb around with wild abandon. Any hesitation that may be lingering disappeared when Mako gestured to a wire and told me to go have a look around.

No need to tell me twice.

I climb up and leap onto the wire and zip off, energy buzzing through my body as I take a quick tour around Droptown, something that stands out more is just how… Colorful this place is. Memories of the street art I saw in Empire and New Marais drift by as the art pieces go by. Even pieces more abstract decorate the street, created by creative Conduits using their powers just to have a bit of fun. I smile as I launch myself off of a wire and glide to the next, my eyes scanning the area for the tallest building around.

As I tour around, I spot Mako and Pangolin heading into a small shack. Curiosity gets the better of me and I quickly dismount the wire and start climbing the buildings nearby, taking care not to alert the two to my presence.

Through the window, I see the two walk up to a woman with hair that looks like it’s literally made out of silk strands and begin talking with her. I frown seeing their expressions, full of concern and worry. I listen in so figure out what is causing the sour looks.

“.... So the project isn’t going to be done on time?” I hear the silken haired woman whisper, worry dripping in her soft voice as she fusses with her braid.

“We’re doing the best we can, ma’am, but we’ve recently had a set-back.” Pangolin grunts in response, trying to keep his poise but the same worry infects his tone. “Couldn’t she make some from what she has?” The woman looks at the two, her voice almost pleading. My eyebrow raises at this tone. “That’s one of the issues, Mari.” I hear Mako pipe up. “She doesn’t have enough, second issue is that the process is going to act like a beacon and make those bastards come faster.” Those bastards? What is she talking about? “She’s doing the best she can and we’ll talk to her to see what can be done, but at this point it looks like we may have to fight with what we have on hand.” Pango shifted in his stance, his mask slipping and showing nervousness. “Against all of them?” “It’s better than nothing…” Mako shakes her head as she looks at the lady, Mari.

My frown deepens, set back? The gears in my mind turn as I wonder what in the world they were going on about. I vaguely remember Mako mentioning something about a project… Then there was the whole “they” situation. Who are “they?” This mysterious boogieman must be one hell of a threat if it has an entire town of full fledged Conduits terrified, and for once this boogieman isn’t me.

I can ask Mako about this later, right now, it is time to get back on track. I hop off of the shack and go to the closest wire that doesn’t alert the three in the building that I was there before zipping back off. Time to find that gunsmith and get me a shiny new toy.

I blitz through the town, passing a caboose and a… Bomb? Before I see a building decorated with twisting metal that looks almost like something from Aliens, hanging on one of the outcroppings was a sign hanging on it displaying an anvil, a hammer and a pistol. I grin to myself, this is the place. Time to go introduce myself.

I hop off the wire and stroll inside. There are a few people pursuing the wares and a store clerk helping out customers and taking orders, but they don’t seem to notice or if they did, they’re smart enough to not say anything and leave me be. Already falling in love with Droptown more and more. I browse the wares myself and I hum in approval at what I see. I see components for guns so people could make a gun custom and premade “coreless” guns that I remember Mako mentioning, basically meaning that the firearm didn’t have an RFE core in it so that a harmonized core can be placed. I start grabbing some of the coreless shells just to get a feel of a gun again.

It felt strange holding a gun and not fearing it blowing up in my face, but my muscle memory still remembers all the times I went to target practice before I got my powers, be it skeet shooting with my cousin and his buddy or doing target practice at the range with Zeke. Man, I missed the feeling of holding a shotgun and I was eager to feel its kickback again. I put the guns away as I walk up to a counter. I know that I was gonna need a gun built from the ground up, and the premades help solidify what I wanted made. I was about to gently tap on the bell when the store clerk comes up to the counter.

“What can I do for you, sir?” The clerk asks in a bright voice and a soft smile. I couldn’t help but to blink, not everyday I’m talked to by a worker without them cowering in fear or staring at me in disdain.

“Been looking to get myself a new toy, heard good things about the gunsmith’s work. Gonna need it built from the ground up.” I hum as I look at the clerk, the expression he gave me wasn’t promising.

“Oooh… Sorry, she isn’t taking full on custom commissions at the moment. Big project with a deadline” He winces out. “We do have modules and pre-mades though!” Sorry kid, but those aren’t gonna fly and neither is that little statement either. I ain’t leaving until this forge-master makes me a gun.

“Let me talk to her, I bet I can change her mind.” I smirk as I step behind the counter and towards the door. The kid tries to get in my way, saying I wasn’t allowed back there, but I push him aside.

Completely disregarding the clerk, I walk through the door that leads to the back and I am immediately hit by a sweltering heat, strong RFE signatures, the noise of metal striking metal and the sound of blaring rock music. Looks like the gunsmith is home and has great taste in music.

I walk into where the heat was strongest and I look around, awestruck at the setup. The forge is running hot and Blast Shards were carefully placed into containers. I turn my head to look at the gunsmith and see a woman adorned with green and blue runic tatts and scars all over her body, burns and a particularly nasty looking one in the middle of her back seen through her lace-back tank, though I couldn’t help but to feel a gnawing sense of familiarity.

I try to get her attention, but she turns her music up louder. Drowning me out. I get louder and the music rises to overwhelm my voice. Rude little bitch. I growl in frustration and fire off a bolt to short out the speakers. There, now she can hear me. Before I can speak, I hear her growl as she turns around and the voice I heard I couldn’t believe came out.

“You’re gonna pay for tha-”

Her sentence is cut off when she turns to look at me. Same dark brown hair with white chunk, same burn-scared face. It was the fucking bird-bitch.

You have got to be kidding me. That’s the gunsmith Mako was talking about?? At least some of Mako’s behavior onthe trip here now makes sense.

We both stare at each-other awkwardly, as if we couldn’t believe who was standing in front of us. The stares turned into glares and once the realization fully sets in, Kestrel is the one to break the silence. “What are you doing here, MacGrath?” Her voice grunted out in aggravation. “Come here to gloat?” Well, didn’t take long for her to want to try pushing her luck again. Seems like she’s bent out of shape about those Blast Shards still. Well, tough shit.

“Well, I certainly didn’t come here to chit-chat, Morrison.” I hiss at her as I start walking around the forge, examining all the materials. “Mako told me about how there was a gunsmith that could make me a new toy. Never thought it would be you of all people.”

“I’m oh so sorry to disappoint you, but yes. I am the gunsmith of Droptown.” She snaps as she pulls up her safety goggles to glare at me. “Now if you don’t have anything important to talk to me about, would you kindly leave me alone? I have a very important project to complete and I don’t have the time, patience or crayons to deal with you.” She does that dismissing shooing motion with the hand that was holding the hammer. Looks like she’s forgotten where she stands with me.

“You know for someone I spared, you’re acting like an ungrateful brat! Especially with how you knew damn well you were going to die if it wasn’t for Mako saving your ass!!” I growl out as I pop my knuckles, my body instinctively warming up some more sparks just in case I need to fry some sense into her.

“And I will owe Mako one hell of a favor for that, but as I’ve stated before… I’m busy!” She snarls as she pulls out some scrap metal and puts it into some sort of cup.

“Well your little pet project can wait, I came here to have a custom gun made and if you know what’s good for you, you won’t make me wait.” I growl as my eyes narrow. The flippant bird pulls down her goggles and sprinkles glass into the container, clearly trying to busy herself.

“Uh, no it can’t wait. First come, first serve. Besides, like I told the clerk, I’m not taking custom commissions!” Kestrel uses a pair of tongs to grab the cup and put it into the forge. I think it’s about time I give her a reminder.

“What’s so important about this little pet project that you’re literally willing to try my patience and throw away your so called “best friend’s” good will?” I sneer, my lips turning into a smug grin as I see her stop in her tracks.

A sudden burst of molten metal explodes out from the forge as she marches over to a workbench that was covered in a tarp, with one swift movement she yanks the tarp to reveal what was under it. A large rocket-launcher type weapon with a large chamber for its core. Before I could really get a good look at the firearm, Kestrel whips her body around and gets in my face, smoke billowing from her mouth and eyes glowing hot-iron red.

“Not like you give a rat’s ass, but you know those Blast Shards I had to give back to you? Yeah, those ones? Those were the last components needed to complete that so called “pet project” that’s gonna help keep Droptown from being turned into a ghost town.” She hisses out in rage. The girl had to stand on her toes to get into my face in the first place, it would have been funny if she wasn’t being a uppity, mouthy bitch. “But since I had to give them up so I didn’t die, the project is behind and unlike you, I don’t have all the time in the world to fuck around! My policy is “first come, first serve” and I don’t care if you are the Demon, the Beast or The Almighty Messiah himself! I ain’t gonna give you special treatment.” She jabs her finger on my chest and I shove her off violently, growling and sparks arcing off of my arms. She stumbles, but she gets to her feet, fury still burning in her eyes.

“You’re gonna wait your turn just like everyone else and if you don’t like it, you can just turn your pissy ass around and see if you can find another Gunsmith” She snarls before walking towards her forge. She’s not gonna turn her back on me, I’m not done with her. I stride over and get in between her and the forge, crossing my arms and scowling.

“Oh no, I ain’t leaving until I get a gun made. Even if I have to baby-sit you to make sure you don’t screw me over.” I sneer as I roughly jab my finger into her sternum. “ Mako said I could get a gun from you, and I will get that gun.”

“Who’s acting like a child now?!” Kestrel shouts as she slaps my hand away. “I couldn’t even make you a gun with the current materials I had now even if I didn’t have this sword of Damocles hanging over my head! Any pre-made components couldn’t handle the amount of energy you put out and any foci I have you’d overload completely! Now get out of my way or I will make that forge scorch your back!!” I scoff loudly at her excuse.

“So you’re saying you’re useless?” I jeer as my lips curl into a snarl.

“Clean the charcoal out of your ears, jackass!” The bird mimes the motion of getting water out of her ear before she starts pacing in front of me. “I’m saying that I need a whole ass Blast Core to make a gun that won’t fry when you touch it because, oh I don’t know… You’re the Beast?? The only place that I could get a Core of that quality is th-” She pauses mid-tiraid, her eyes widening before a grin that could give the Cheshire cat a run for his money spreads on her face. My eyebrows furrow. What has popped in that empty head of hers? “Weeeeeeeeeeeeell….. There is something that could be done about this little issue~”

“Oh god…” I can’t help but to roll my eyes damn near into the back of my skull before glaring at her

“You see…” The birdbrain starts as she walks over to a scrap pile. “As I’ve stated before, I can’t complete my project or make you a weapon due to a material shortage…. But that little problem could be easily remedied~”

“What are you getting at?” I narrow my eyes at hers

“Well…” From the pile of scrap, she pulls out what looks like a piece of a Blast Shard, she seems to examine it with her fingertips as she holds it. “You see, I would be more than willing to make you your little toy, but you have to come with me to get the materials.” Kestrel looks up at me with a grin and I blink my eyes in shock. Is she being serious??

“Excuse me?!” I balk as Kestrel’s face turns into an infuriating smirk.

“What? It’s a fair trade.” She coos in an innocent-sounding tone, but I know that grin.

“You must need to get oxygen to that brain of yours because I think you’re confusing me for your lil’ boy-toy.” I snap as I vent out some sparks from my arms

“Oh no no! I’m perfectly sound of mind. You see, I not only have to replace the Shards I had to fork over, I also have to get cores to make a custom core for your toy…” The bitch giggles mischievously as she darts around as a plume of smoke, looking like an impish spirit. “And since I know how much you don’t trust me, I figured his royal majesty would want to come along not only to keep me honest, but also to have the “pick of the litter” if you will. After all, only the best for the Beast, right?”

I grab Kestrel by her shirt and hold her so I can look her dead in the eyes, my own glowing crimson. The stupid, smug grin not leaving her face

“You are really pushing your luck, girl.” I growl lowly, sparks jumping off of my back. I wanted to fry her so bad. Get this thorn out of my ass for good, but if she’s the only gunsmith around, I have to keep her alive. She isn’t making it easy.

“Am I though? I mean, it’s a fair trade. You help me get the materials I need for my project and your gun, I’ll make an exception to my “no custom commissions” hiatus. Win-win, wouldn’t you say?” I smirks as she shrugs her arms nonchalantly as if she isn’t currently dangling off of the floor and in the grip of someone who could unleash a hundred thousand volts straight into that sorry piece of meat-jello she calls a brain.

“I really don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I groan out in irritation as I drop her onto the floor. Now it’s my turn to pace.

“Oh you always have a choice in the matter, the question is how badly do you want a new toy to play with?” She grins as she sits up, looking like the cat that ate the canary. I let out a growl before turning to look at her as she stands up.

“Fine! I’ll help you get the fucking Blast Shards, but you better keep your word. Got it, bird?” I shout, getting right into her face. Kestrel does the “cross my heart” gesture over her heart.

“I’m a woman of my word.” I couldn’t help but to scoff at her little statement. Woman of her word? Yeah, riiiiiiight.

“We’ll see about that.” I sneer before turning around and storming out of the shop. I hate to admit it, even to myself, but the deal she proposed is a fair trade. Assistance with resource gathering in return for an exemption to her stupid “no customs” ban? Hell, she’s even gonna let me get dibs on the best materials. That’s more than fair. The more I think about it, the more appealing the idea becomes. After all, how hard could it be to go and collect Blast Shards? I will have to baby-sit her since I can’t touch them, but if it will get my gun faster, then it’s a small price to pay.

I hop onto the nearest wire and zip back to the HEMTT to rejoin with the other Misfits. I know I definitely have questions for Mako about why the fuck she didn’t tell me Kestrel was the gunsmith she was talking about as well as to let Pangolin know about the little deal the bird and I have struck up.

When I get back to the convoy, I see Kestrel is already there and Pangolin is loading up one of the jeeps. The look on the pain-in-the-ass’s face looks pleased as a Georgia peach as she hops into the driver’s seat of the jeep before Pangolin grabs her by her shirt and moves her to the back seat like a cat dragging around a naughty kitten.

I walk up to Pango and he nods at me.

“I’m guessing Kes already told you?” I grunt, crossing my arms. Pangolin nods in response. “Yeah, she told me you agreed to help her out with a project in return for getting a weapon made.” The shit-brickhouse hums as he loads up a dufflebag into the front passenger side seat. I raise my eyebrow at the bag.

“What’s in the bag?” I question, pointing at it. “Pickaxes, you’re going to need them.” Wait, what?

“Pickaxes.” I repeat. “For mining?”

“No, we’re going to use them them like pogo-” Kestrel starts up before getting a good thawk in the head by Pangolin. “Owwww.” I snerk at the girl’s expression. “I think you’ve done enough smart-mouthing for a good while. Mako already saved your ass once and I can make an educated guess you had another brush with death to make this little deal of yours. If your little gambit is going to work, you need to reign in your tongue.” Pangolin scolds Kestrel with the big brother tone as she huffs. It’s nice to not be the one whipping the idiots into shape for once.

“Fine.” The girl huffs before buckling up and turning to face away from me and Pangolin. The Spartan shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose before looking at me.

“I know you’re not keen on being told what to do from what Mako’s told me, but I’m gonna have to ask that you try to reign in the urge to antagonize Kes.” He mumbles as he rubs the back of his head.

“No promises.” I state simply. As long as she keeps her mouth shut, I’ll do the same. Simple as that. Pangolin sighs, but nods. I hop into the back seat and buckle up as Pango gets into the driver’s seat. He turns on the vehicle and soon we are on our way. To where? I don’t know, but hopefully it will be worth the trouble.

If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s gonna be a loooooooong ride.

#infamous #infamous 2 #cole macgrath #demon of empire city #infamous: no man's land #xeno writes #OCs #Kestrel Morrison #Pangolin #Dove #Mako #Caper #Holy fucking shit the dialogue was so fucking hard.#My hand and my brain hurts.#BUT IT'S FINALLY DONE #HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA

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serpentide · 1 year

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𝐈𝐍 - 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄. despite serpent's humane physique, her physiology and anatomy closely resemble that of snakes. aside from the most obvious attributes that can be easily seen ( such as her eyes and the scales scattered across various parts of her body ) , there are more differences between her and a normal human.

➤ 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬. serpent presents various scales 'pon her body, most notably across her shoulders and breastbone, down her spine, on her lower abdomen, upon her inner thighs and around her ankles stretching until the upper side of her feet. each scale possesses an aquamarine color and they're luminescent, which means that they reflect any outer source of light as well as glowing in the absence of the latter. in snakes, the scales offer protection from desiccation and injury, which is why even in serpent's case, they are located in the most vulnerable parts of her body. although she can be long since considered as an adult snake in natural terms, the outer layer of her scales sheds off and new scales grow beneath them ; this process does not happen too often due to her age. each scale is cold but smooth at the touch, in spite of the differing shape from one to the other.

➤ 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. serpent has colorless hues, rimmed in a blood - red color, a memento of her life as a human, when she was affected by ocular albinism. now, her pupils are constantly elongated vertically, no matter the environment and thus the light that illuminates them. vertical pupils create an astigmatic depth of field such that images of vertical contours nearer or further than the distance to which the eye is focused are sharp, whereas images of horizontal contours at different distances are blurred. this type of vision allows serpent to estimate distances and blur elements that are outside of her focus and thus outside of her attention ; advantageous for predators, she is capable of always maintaining her surroundings under strict control. another ability that is unique to predators, is her ability to detect infrared radiation, which allows her to generate a thermal image of others in her surrounding area: the superimposition of thermal and visual images within her brain enables serpent to track a designated prey with great speed and precision. although this is not noticeable by others, beneath the eyelid, there is a special type of scale called 'spectacle' that further protects the eye from injury and dirt.

➤ 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡. although her mouth ( jaw + maw ) does appear normal on the outside, there are a series of openings alongside her upper and lower lips, called labial pits, that contain heat - sensing organs: these labial pits aid her in examining her surroundings and also serve to warn her of the presence of plausible predators or dangers nearby. her tongue is not forked like that of normal snakes, but it can still be employed to pick up minuscule scent particles in the air and place them in contact with the vomeronasal organ ; due to this and her capacity to smell normally through the nose, her sense of smell is quite heightened. when it comes to teeth, serpent has both snake teeth and snake fangs: her snake teeth, on the sides of her mouth where morals should be, are solid and angled backwards and they serve to heighten the power of her bite ; on the other hand, her snake fangs are positioned where her canines should be and they are hollow, attached to venom sacks and are thus used to poison her prey.

➤ 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦. serpent's venom is indeed lethal, although its effect on the body depends on the quantity of droplets that she injects within her prey. each of her fangs can contain a medium amount of 15 to 20 droplets, but only two droplets are actually needed to kill an adult human. due to the fact that she has never really depended on her own venom to kill her victims and has instead employed her python to devour her enemies, even serpent herself is uncertain about what her venom may be capable of causing once injected into a prey. for sure, she does know that her venom is highly neurotoxic and cardiotoxic and that a single droplet of it is enough to render an adult human incapable of standing on their own legs. when two or more droplets are injected within the victim, the death is slow but tremendously painful as it causes the collapse of the main organs and tarnishes the nervous system, before finally leading to death.

➤ 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. just like her animal counterpart, serpent is also a cold - blooded creature. although her heart is identical to that of normal humans ( which means that it has four chambers rather than three ) , her body temperature and her relationship with weather is indeed that of a normal snake. cold to the touch, she adores being close to sources of warmth and will thus always prefer to linger and rest in those spaces where the temperature is high enough to warm her body ; anything below 18° will make her feel painfully sick, restless and anxious, nauseous and will most likely compel her to enter a state of brumation, where her body falls asleep and her bodily function will slow until she is exposed once more to a source of warmth. a temperature any lower than that can lead to death. because of this, serpent can be tremendously picky when it comes to her abode nowadays, always making sure that both the temperature and the level of humidity within the rooms are proper enough for both her own health and that of her snakes.

➤ 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. her ears are so much longer than those of humans and sharply pointed at the tip. as it is the case with her sense of smell, her sense of sound is also heightened by the ulterior presence of an internal ear, which is capable of detecting low frequency sounds ranging from 100 to 700 hertz. aside from this, her inner ear also allows her to detect motion, static position and sound waves traveling through the ground.

#• ⸺ ﹙ `♡´ ﹚ › study 02 : headcanon .#this hc stripped me of my sanity #omg i'm dead #i did so much research #BUT IT'S FINALLY DONE #AAAAAA #i really wanted to talk about her lil'monstrous attributes !!!#especially her venom and the fact that she cannot stand the cold #ehehehehe #i'm satisfied ( for now )#if more things come to mind #i will add them later !!!

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aswasforetold · 2 years

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But your smile tells me I’m safe And that voice unspoken’s heard Cos if god make us all in his image Then god’s a fucking nerd

"Drinking Song for the Socially Anxious" - The Amazing Devil

#TAD #The Amazing Devil #Ruin album #Joey Batey #Madeleine Hyland #Drinking Song for the Socially Anxious #this was an incredibly difficult painting simply because it took three months to have a single idea #and the tape didn't quite stick down on the canvas so the lines are a mess #but it's finally done #hopefully the next one doesn't take near as long to get to

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raveartts · 2 years

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.......aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHGHJKHGFFGHJJHFFGH

#raveartts #akudama drive #fan animation #I see so many mistakes omg I hate it #If you see a mistake then No You Did Not #because I am DONE with this #never animating again thanks goodbye #but it's finally done #and now I'm 100% free to work on what I want to work on #no more stupidly large projects for me thanks <3 #maybe I'll do some DTPAY stuff on discord :D #or just...relax

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systemadministratorclu · 1 year

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[from the leave an object meme]

for Knuckles: the title and deed to Terra Del Sol Vineyard, in [smudged out location], bequeathed by [redacted].

For Hal and Clu: acceptance letters for a month-long internship working with their choice of the Perseverance Rover, James Webb Telescope, Juno, or New Horizons missions.

Sonic: An invitation to play an off season game with the Boston Red Sox and tickets (game and plane) for the entire family to go watch.

For Tails: Acceptance letter for an internship at Encom

For Soneca: Tickets to Parc Asterix (IDK what else to give her, I don't know much about her, tbh...)

For Tes: An obscure Dada painting by an unknown artist (I don't know much about what he likes, either.)

Knuckles, after Googling what a vineyard is, was ELATED. Someone left him AN ENTIRE FARM OF GRAPES!! (LOL, he's not actually a muse of mine, but he interacts with Sonic a lot. Same for Tails.)

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The program and the AI weren't sure which to choose. All were exciting, though Perseverance didn't get to see the stars. Upon further research (with Ed's help), Clu and Hal decided the James Webb Space Telescope suited them best (Hal's siblings gladly took the spots on the other three projects). With another laser built and connected to the Telescope (also with Ed's help, and Dr. Chandra's), they were even able to enter its (much smaller) Grid and help its team of programs fix a few problems the Users were having trouble with, as well as teaching them how to avoid future problems (though when their time with the project was over, the team kept their contact info, just in case the computers had issues again)

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Little Sonic couldn't contain his excitement as he raced through the house looking for Ed.

"DADDY!!! Daddydaddydaddy, looklooklook!! Lookit what I just got! A real baseball team wants ME to play with them! In a REAL game! And you guys get to come watch!!" This was pretty much a dream come true for the little hedgehog.

At the game, of course questions were asked, and some even laughed that they had a tiny child on the team (he had his own little Red Sox uniform and official equipment).

The laughing stopped once the game started and it was quickly realized that this little kid was GOOD. Really good. His family certainly wasn't surprised when Boston absolutely DESTROYED the other team (a very hard to beat team) on the scoreboard and Sonic was named MVP of the game.

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Tails knew Encom of course, only the biggest tech company out there. Some of his own tech was Encom (the stuff he had to do the least upgrades on because it was already plenty good.) Of course Mackey and others scoffed when hearing that Tails was eight, but like Sonic at his game, the laughing stopped when they saw what he could do and how much better things worked when he was done with them.

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Soneca grinned. Even though she could run faster than any of them, she still loved going on roller coasters, and this place had some pretty famous ones. Of course, they would need to update the Miles Electric for French, so they wouldn't have a repeat of Sonic and Tails' trouble in Siberia.

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Tesler was........confused, though he could pick out pieces of Occupation media and propaganda that had been altered (as if cutting them up wasn't altering enough. Pavel would've thrown a fit........With this in mind, Tesler prominently display the obviously (and humorously) anti-Occupation piece in his office, where the obnoxious commander HAD to see it.

#sorry this took a while.#but it's finally done

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sassypantsjaxon · 2 years

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Arthur and Lovino both take some time to be alone, Francis and Ludwig are terrible at being alone, and the rest have no desire to be alone

back into the easy days

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biteyourcrush · 1 year

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@royalreef asked:

It has to take place when there's no one else around.

Of course there are the traditional birthday celebrations. How could there not be? How could Miranda forget this day, how could she not have other presents, better presents, happier things than this? It's supposed to be for friends. For company. For another year of life to celebrate and to love.

This is neither of those things.

Do not mistake Miranda. It is still a gift. It is important to share, and she is risking a lot by sharing it. Even just getting this far, getting to this point — that would be enough, by her kingdom's courts, to singlehandedly label her a traitor. It was the kind of treason you just didn't walk away from if they caught you, the kind of treason that would make everything Miranda had and everything that she had worked for meaningless. This would get her executed. This would get an order out for her immediate death at all costs if they even so much as discovered what she had done. Not even what she was about to do, but what she had in her hands, right now.

It took a long time. How could it not? Sure, Miranda had access, she was the arbiter of such things as the heir to the throne, but this was beyond mere access. She couldn't just walk away with these things.

It was a process. It was a slow, arduous thing, covering her tracks, making sure she had everything that she needed. She had to be careful. She couldn't be caught. If she was caught then all of this was for nothing, she would be butchered in front of her own people and her tomb would be broken, smashed, so that there would not even be anywhere for her bones to finally lay. She wouldn't see Aaravi again, if that happened. And when all of this was for her, she had to keep her safe, had to do what she needed to do.

She hadn't brought it in with the rest of the presents either. It had to be hidden. Miranda had slipped it in under a false bottom, under as many protective spells as she could, as much anti-scrying as she could muster. When Aaravi wasn't home, she had been working those runes into the walls, behind paintings, under countertops, places no one would ever notice them. Places no one would see. She had to doublecheck they worked. She had to make sure no one would be able to see what happened.

She hadn't even let Hex see. Wouldn't let them see. This had to be achieved carefully, a mix between making them promise privacy after all of the other celebrations were over, when she could just be alone with Aaravi and that it was serious, and with some bribery. There were plenty of fine distractions that she could offer, gifts of their own to claim. She just needed to be alone.

She had brought Aaravi into their bedroom. It was strange, to think of it as their bedroom now, but in a pleasant way. A lived-in way. A want that started in her stomach and burned through her body, aching in purple hues behind her ribs, that some day Miranda might not have to sleep anywhere else. That they could have one bedroom, one place to call their own.

The windows had been drawn. Miranda had placed a special seal on them specifically, for that. As was the door, locked, and then placed with a charm as well, to keep out intruders.

She had told Aaravi it was one last gift. One last something that she had to give her. Had sat Aaravi on the edge of the bed while she went through the process, worrying over every step, making sure it was okay. That everything was ready. That they could begin this, this final step, this final act of high treason, one of the worst Miranda knew of.

It was only then that she finally fetched the box. Nothing elaborate, this time. It was ivory-white, plain, curved at the edges so that it had no hard corners. It shimmered, mother-of-pearl, in the light, but it wasn't made for decoration.

It didn't even appear to have a seal, an edge where it might open, or a way to open it, until Miranda kneeled in front of Aaravi and slid her hand along the front. Trained to only respond to the telltale signature of her soul, a fingerprint so specific and unique that it was near impossible to replicate without the real thing. Until the front opened, panels sliding apart, the illusion of seamlessness broken as they shifted like an alien animal, and it came apart, the top half folding away to show what was inside.

Laying inside was five objects. All identical, in form and in function.

They looked like snail shells or squid pens, at first. Long and crystalline, organic in structure. They curled along the outer edge, clockwise, winding down to the bottom, where they had an opening with a cap like that of a snail. See-through, at that. Against their outer edges pressed translucent organs and innards, viscera coiled up inside with only the outer shell edge to stop them from being exposed to the air.

But that wasn't the only thing inside of them. There was a liquid substance, contained in one of those transparent organs, moving with gravity as Miranda held it. Some dark coloration. It may have been the light, or it may have been the shells, but it seemed to shift with other colors, inside. Harder to describe colors. Colors that didn't seem to fit.

"Aaravi," Miranda spoke softly, not a breath above a whisper. Looking up at Aaravi in reverence, in love, in a pleading thing that she didn't want to name. "My love, my wife, my ul'kiha.

It is time you learned the truth about my kingdom."

And then she told her the story. Told her how it happened. Told her how her kingdom came to power and what her ancestors did, how the Cees'rril'ta began.

She told Aaravi what had been done. She told her what she really was, in all of her awful glory, what lived beneath her skin. She told Aaravi what was possible for the royals, her family, to do. She told Aaravi of what lay beneath the sea.

Of corpses. Of gods. Of crimes committed. Of abominations born. Of war machines that did not think nor live, and of war machines that thought and lived as one of their own.

She told Aaravi what the holiday that Miranda was born upon, pure coincidence, was really celebrating.

She told Aaravi what her duties entailed.

And it was only then that her story shifted. Changed. As she explained what she had done. How she had to steal this away, slowly, ever so slowly. That if they caught her, she would be dead. That this was the highest crime that the Merkingdom had, their most despised act, the most severe treason that Miranda could have ever done.

She had stolen fire from the gods, for Aaravi's sake.

Miranda explained that she had to do it. That what she had was something that all of the other royals of her line had, that it was what kept them in power, that this was what set them apart. That if Aaravi had tried to kill the king, or even one of her sisters, then she would enter into a place worse than death before she could scream. That they could take her, and break her in ways that were impossible anywhere else.

She apologized for keeping it a secret for so long. Even telling her was treason. Even letting her know what lay below, on the ocean floor, was forbidden, that Miranda could have been put to death for that alone. All of this was supposed to remain secret. All of this was supposed to belong to the Merkingdom, not to the land. That this was what Miranda was supposed to guard with her life.

And then she explained that this is what it took.

Only a week. She would feel sick, and be terribly sick, and Miranda would look after her. It would be rough. It would not be pleasant.

But after a week, they could not hurt her anymore. No one within the Merkingdom could use the abominations against Aaravi, no one could make them hurt her. Nothing beyond the stars, beyond sleep and beyond death, could touch her. She could stare into the face of madness, and it would just be a face. The gods were but bad dreams, and she could wake up now. No royal could harm her in any way other than the sword and spear, and the playing ground would finally be level, with nothing to hold over her head.

After that, she could see what was inside Miranda. She could look at it, and not be hurt. That Miranda could not hurt her and would not harm her, not even at her worst.

It was only after that did she pause. Breathing softly, scared, her pulse hammering in her throat. It was said. It was done. If Aaravi would have her, if she would accept this, then Miranda would do it. Would see to every step of the process. Would make sure no gods nor kings could lay a hand upon her that she could not return in full.

Then, she laughed a little. Dry, almost disbelieving. Inappropriate, maybe, but the thought came and lodged itself in her mouth so that she had to speak it.

" ......... You know, if we were married in the way my kingdom wishes I was married, then this would be one of your wedding gifts."

Somehow this year, so far, had managed to top last year.

Perhaps it was the fact that Aaravi had chilled out enough to start making friends enough that people actually cared about her birthday. Perhaps it was the fact that she, more than just receiving gifts from her friends (and her ul’kiha- this was her second birthday spent married, it was mind boggling to think about), actually felt like she had something to actually celebrate for another revolution around the sun- that she had grown, changed, become better in the past year- instead of another year spent throwing herself at dangerous situation after dangerous situation, low-key probably not even wanting to make it out alive before now.

It was the first birthday she has had in along time where another year of life felt like a gift, instead of a curse.

When all was said and done- when celebrations were had, cake was cut, and Miri dragged the both of them home- with Hex promising to leave the two of them alone in the apartment together- when Miri brought out that box-

The mere presence of it set off the clarion bells of reality in Aaravi’s brain. Her Slayer’s instinct- the thing that had been gifted to people like her to sense the presence of intrusion upon reality and the living- acting up and shouting 'DANGEROUS, THIS IS DANGEROUS-'

And then Miranda explained. Held up each stoppered shell of the viscera of Ancient Ones, and confessed the crimes of her people. Of her own doing.

It was... it was almost funny. How much Aaravi would’ve given before now to have some sort of weapon against the ultimate powers of entropy- the Nothingness that the Slayers were supposed to guard against, the boogeymen they had to fight- and yet a whole civilization had figure out how to turn the despairing eldritch forces powers against them.

She placed a hand over Miranda’s.

“You know... it’s kind of scary how every day I learn something new about you, and every time I do it reminds me of... of myself, in a weird way.”

A part of her worried about whether she could even accept this. It made sense that someone like Miranda could handle it- could take in part of an Elder Deity like it was a vaccine- but how would that interact with the powers of the Slayer in her blood? Would they harmonize- or would it spell out something worse, as her own body tore itself apart to reject the influence?

As she held Miranda’s hand in her own- looked her ul’kiha in the eye, and thought about everything she would do to protect Miranda- the choice was obvious.

If she and Miranda could cohabitate- could love each other, like they did- then there was always a chance.

Down the hatch, as they say.

#ic #the chosen one : aaravi mishra #beloved ul'kiha : miranda mishra #Such a scratch could never harm me : AaravixMiranda (royalreef)#royalreef #this required... a LOT of thought #so it's a bit late for Ravi's birthday #(and compounded with the fact that Aaravi has been my most UNCOOPERATIVE muse lately)#but it's FINALLY DONE

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