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ketsuyuki-hibana-typed · 4 years

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I get it, Anon, I get it. All of the Pillars are alive. But, I'll be lying if I said I'm not mad at Muzan, but he's hot. And Muzan you is still a dick.

HEEE HEEE *MJ voices*

Overall, this is really fun to write!

Kibutsuji Muzan x Friendly!Reader (Domestic Taisho EraAU)

Let's say. Muzan didn't really care about the Pillars. He actually sickened by "Killing Muzan by Ubuyashiki: A Whole Plan" scenarios, but keep searching for Blue Spider Lily.

He didn't order his Upper and Lower Moons to kill the Pillars. Whatever, they could slay his minions, yadda yadda but he will not lay up his hand on the Pillars nor the Ubuyashikis.

The reason was simple.

You.

"Muzan, it's me!" Your cheerful voice was heard from the front door, he stopped everything he do and quickly rushed to you

"Good morning, (y/n)."

"Morning, Muzan!" You put your shoes on the shoe rack. "I will make breakfast, like always! What do you want, Muzan?"

"Everything you cook will be fine by me."

"Okay!"

He actually didn't need to eat that, but seeing you with your Demon Slayer uniform covered with apron every morning was really pleasant. Also your food is somehow great on his taste bud.

"Oh, thank you for the antidote! Shinobu-chan said that she wanted to know you, but since you said to not tell anyone, I came up with a reason!" You put rice on his bowl and gave it to him.

"And what kind of reason you give to that Shinobu?" He took that bowl and started to eat. Who the fuck is Shinobu, he thought.

"I said that I picked it somewhere on the ground!"

"That's the stupidest reason you could come out with. And she believed that?"

"I don't know, she just sighed and continued her works." Muzan chuckled. He usually stared at you eating, almost forgot his own food.

He remembered the first time he met you. He was hiding after he lose on his fight with Tanjirou and the Pillars at Ubiyashiki residence.

Muzan recognized you as one of the new Pillars and about to change his appearance but he was caught by you. He really thought he will be killed

But instead, you said, "Are you lost? Can I help you? You look pale."

Instead killing you on the spot for saying him 'pale, he's playing along with the role, told you that his name is Toshikuni Muzan and he's a doctor who had special disease that couldn't stand under the sun.

When he knew that you are new Pillar, he thought about taking advantage from you to gather information about Demon Slayers. He thought about turning you into demon, or abducting you from there.

But none of it was done.

Now, the whole plan is a mess. His intelligence and tactical thoughts are useless. He was simply enthralled by your own charm. He could read your mind, clearer than the sky. He never sense any animosity thorough your head. It's just cloud of full happiness and full of kind thought.

He fell, really hard, for you.

And you didn't realize because thanks to you, the demon races including Upper and Lower Moons were about to extinct because he didn't create them anymore. He simply ordered his only trusted demon and Upper Moons now, Kokushibou and Akaza, to searched Blue Spider Lily. The rest could fuck off.

And now, you became his 'personal assistant' including his lover.

After cleaning the plates, you headed out to headquarters to give daily reports.

"Where's my daily kiss?"

"Hm, what kiss?" You stood in front of the shoe rack, looking confused.

"Here." He pointed his cheek.

"But aren't that supposed to do by married couple?" You tilted your head.

"Aren't we going to be a married couple soon?"

"We are going to be?" You became more confused, it made Muzan infuriated but he hid it well. "Just once won't hurt, I guess."

You tip-toed and hold his shoulder, did a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Have a good day."

"Bye, see you on night!"

You didn't live with him because you still have sick dad and little sister at your home. He has offered you to stay at his house, along with your family but you refused since you didn't want to disturb his research.

When you don't have something to do on the headquarters or currently not training your students, you visited him again in the afternoon.

You usually asked him what he wanted to do, helping him or sometimes just sitting on his lab and reading some journals he made.

"How is your father? Did the medicine I made worked?" He asked while shaking his test tube slowly.

"Yes!" You jumped from your seat and ran towards his desk. "He felt so much better! Thanks to you, Muzan! I probably never find a kind doctor like you!"

"Well, that compliment seems super honest to me."

"Of course, I'm honest! Right! How should I pay you back?"

"Date with me, tonight."

"Whaaat?? Aren't we always dating at night? Well, except the day when I have mission."

"That's fine."

"If you insist, we'll go!"

He smiled again. You always succeeded on attempt to make him pleased, more than anyone else. It's just a simpel thing though, but he appreciated it.

After eat lunch, you took a seat on his sofa, doze off and take a nap there. Muzan joined you, sometimes he slept on your thighs, sometimes you slept on his shoulder when he reading his book.

"Muzan-sama, I came to-"

"Ssh." Muzan put his finger in front of his lips when he saw Akaza from the window.

"Ah." Akaza lowered his voice when he peeked up on Muzan's shoulder. "Miss (y/n) is here, I see. Excuse me."

He didn't want anyone to disturb your nap. Not after he saw your eye bags, plus scars here and there.

Well, should I ordered my remained demons to escape or don't attack her, he thought. He looked at you again. Wow, what an idiot expression.

"Mu... Zan... How about... Scaly... Skin..."

He wiped your drool, and smiled with the same idiot expression with you.

It really hits different when people were in love, indeed.

When night comes, your 'date' with him is started.

You will hold his hand and pulled him around on the way. The reason, again, is simple.

"I'm not really familiar around this city."

"Huh? Even though you live near here? No worries! I'll be your guide!" You showed him smug smile, and grabbed his hand.

If Douma was around, he probably laughed at you because he knew that Muzan could remember roads and places in the blink of eye.

But, no, he won't tell you the truth.

When you walked around, you usually bumped on your fellow Pillars.

"Tanjirou!!"

"(y/n)! How are you doing?" Tanjirou approached you with bright smile.

"I'm great!"

"Did you just go alone? I just got news from Kasugaigarasu about this place. There are demons, it's dangerous to walk around alone in this city."

"Huh, but I walked with Mu- I mean, Toshikuni-san, my- eh? Where did he go."

"Hm?"

"It- It's my acquaintance." You looked around like a chick lose its mother.

"I see. Anyway, please be careful."

"I will! Thank you, Tanjirou!"

After Tanjirou waved his hand, you looked for him. "Muzan! Muzan, where are you- whoa!" You almost slipped and someone caught your back in time.

"Careful there, lady."

"Muzan! Where have you been? I just meet one of the strongest Pillar, I wanted to introduce you to him."

"I didn't want to meddle with Pillars except you."

"Why is that?"

"By the way-" He put a red hairpin on your hair. You tapped your head, feeling something. "Perfect."

"Muuuu, you always bought me things when we're dating! The only things I ever gave to you were handmade omamori and knitted scarf. It's so unfair!" You light-hitting his chest, he just laughed while playfully fend your hand.

"That's the essential of dating." He patted your hair. "Let's go."

You're still grumpy but soon forget about that. Both of you continued your walk, from the square to a little bit quiet place.

"Oh, hi, grandpa!! How is your udon selling today?"

"Auntie, let me help you!"

"Girl, you look cute on that dress!"

Muzan rubbed his forehead. Are you really not knowing the concept of 'Minding your own business'?

"You're really friendly."

"These are the people who helped me!"

"Just a little help."

"It means a lot for me!"

"Hah, read the situations will you." He mumbled. He didn't really like her being so friendly towards other. It really pissed him off.

"Oh? Oh? Muzan, are you jealous?" You elbowed his ribs.

"Yes, so kiss me." He moved his face towards you. You hold his face down.

"Why is everything had to be resolve by kiss?! Muzan you-"

You suddenly stopped. The sense of demons lingered around your body.

"Muzan, back off." You unsheathed your hidden sword. "The demons are here. Tanjirou was right about the rumour."

You didn't waste your time. Not wanting the demons attacking first, you went to the direction where the demons were ready to kill you.

He just stood there while crossing his arms, smile proudly of his little baby slashing down numerous demons in no time.

Oh, what a poor demons, they probably wanted to report something to Muzan. But nah, he will just ask Akaza what happened

"Done! I'll give the reports thorough my crows later."

"What a reckless move." He wiped the blood on your cheek. "I see you're not hurt anywhere. Thank you for protecting me."

"Of course!"

"Let us continue our walk."

It's just both of you now, heading back to home.

"You see, Muzan. I might kill demon and all but..." You looked down and smiled vaguely. "I wonder what kind of life they had before they become demon. Is she a daughter? Future bride? A samurai? I don't know. But I always pray they will get a good life in the next reincarnation after I ended their life as a demon."

"Really? How thoughtful of you." He stopped and stood in front of his house.

"Yeah. So-" You looked at his eyes, grabbing his hand and clasped it gently. "I hope you could heal, I hope you could see the sun, feeling the warm dissipate into your body on our next life. I hope we could meet on our next life."

Again, he read your mind. Nothing. just pure thought about him being a complete healthy... Human. It's weird because he saw the human value inside you.

He didn't just fell for you, he was demolished by you to the ground.

Your sister sometimes told you to stay him at night because he seems lonely.

"Nee-chan, I will take care of father."

"But-"

"I'm a Demon Slayer too, count on me!"

"Well..."

"Toshikuni-san looks lonely in that big house, as his lover shouldn't you accompany him?"

Since there's no problem with it, sometimes you went to his house an sleep with him. When you do, he's really happy and always promised he didn't do anything weird towards you without your consent.

His bed was so big, unlike the futon on your house. After change into your bed robe, you likes to roll around without worry.

"You really like my bed?"

"Uh-hum." You put your cheek on his pillows. "It smelled like you."

"That's why I told you to move here." He positioned himself besides you. He tugged you into the blanket, kissed you on the forehead and brought you closer to his chest. He caressed your back until you fell asleep.

"Good night, Muzan."

"Good night, (y/n). Sweet dreams."

He didn't need sleep, he only need you to stay by his side.

Oh how he wish he went back to human again.

#kimetsu no yaiba imagines #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #kimetsu no yaiba scenarios #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba headcanons #kny x reader #kny #kny imagines #kny headcanons #kny scenarios #kny muzan #kimetsu no yaiba muzan #kibutsuji x reader #kibutsuji muzan x reader #muzan kibutsuji x reader #muzan x reader #kibutsuji muzan #muzan kibutsuji

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captainofthefallen · 4 years

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Aurelia

Because I feel like it, I’m going to talk about Aurelia more. And her completely batshit personal quest.

She was raised in the Dominion of Rhom, the god-king who brought an end to a civil war several decades ago. Magic in the Dominion is... frowned upon. To put it mildly. Though she’s starting to learn that it is not infrequently used, if it benefits those in power. Aurelia was born with magic--natural magic, specifically. For the first few years of her life, she didn’t quite understand the necessity for keeping it a secret. Her parents were executed when they took the blame for something she had done, and she was sent to an orphanage. She never forgot that lesson. Her parents died because of her magic. She was afraid of herself, afraid of nearly everything, for a while.

When she was ten, she was... adopted is the wrong word. She was recruited into a secretive order of monks called the Umbral Repentia, by a woman named Emilia Mercer. She saw it as an opportunity to learn the discipline she had lacked when she was younger, to try and suppress her magic. Part of her hoped that maybe, with enough training, she could eradicate it entirely.

The trials that recruits into the Repentia undergo are... not kind. Most say that they are saved by a vision of Rhom himself, that their faith is rewarded with salvation. Aurelia agreed with them, but for the most part kept silent. She saw no vision of Rhom during her trials. She survived because of the magic in her blood, and she spent the next years at war with herself--part of her was terrified that someone would find out what she was, and she would be killed; part of her believed that she should want that, to keep the world safe from her magic.

As she progressed in her training, she was assigned to work with a team: a human boy named Roderick and an elf girl named Farah, all three of them trained by Mercer. Roderick was assigned to lead their group, and they began to undertake missions--targeting dangerous magic users and defeating them for the glory of Rhom and the protection of the Dominion.

Their third target was a druid who had been ambushing military patrols, and that was when things went wrong. Aurelia saw the trap a split second too late to stop Roderick, but with just enough time to push him out of the way. She was caught in his place. Badly wounded, bleeding out, she ordered the others to leave her behind and finish the mission, and they did. She died not long after.

She woke up. That, first and foremost, was a problem. She’d died, and if she was still around, that meant that she’d been corrupted by the touch of magic, even more than she had always been. Before, she’d hoped that if she served well enough, if she proved herself and suppressed her magic, she could still be saved. But now that might as well be beyond hope.

But it was worse than she first realized. Her right arm was missing, replaced by some kind of metallic casing. When opened, the casing revealed a tentacle. Each of the others who awoke with her--Saphir, Korver, Kallista, Val-Grimm, and Scabby (it was a childhood nickname, and he never actually got a real name. Scabby needs no name. Scabby is chaos incarnate who prefers to live in the sewers, and that is all you need to know.)--had some other kind of mutation, some more easily hidden than others. Kallista was changed entirely--the girl who was once a half-elf (I’m pretty sure) now resembled something like an opalescent dragonborn.

They learned, as they escaped the abandoned lab where they awoke, that they were alive because of something in their blood, a corruption called ikhor. A parasite. Because of it, they can’t die, not permanently, but there are things worse than death, and Aurelia is pretty damn convinced that this is one of them. She also learned that she’d been dead for fifteen years.

But even knowing what little she knew of the ikhor, she knew that the magic and the evil that was now a part of her had put her beyond any hope of redemption. And so, almost subconsciously, she started to think strategically, as she was trained to think of her targets and her enemies. Only now her analysis was directed toward the Church, and the Repentia. What she’s found so far is... well, she doubts. She doubts a great deal.

Also while escaping the lab, the party met one person who wasn’t either dead or consumed by ikhor-induced madness: a warforged monk named Jonas Evanwood, who was himself investigating the source of the ikhor, and if there was any way to stop it. For a while, Aurelia knew almost nothing about him, except that he worshiped the Jensai, some vague power which, as she had been taught, was a power opposed to Rhom. But he happened to be the one who was walking with her the first time she broke down, when she admitted that she fully believed she’d lost everything that gave her worth, that gave her a purpose. And he understood. He was built, originally, to serve in Rhom’s army, to kill. He and several other warforged were sent to assassinate the leader of the monastery of the Jensai, and instead of killing him, she took him in, taught him to be more. And he told Aurelia that she could be more too, if she wanted. And for the smallest moment, she almost believed him. She’s still... struggling with that, a bit, believing in her own worth, but at the moment Jonas is the one person in the world she trusts completely, so... that’s something.

About a week after she came back, she found herself being followed. She managed to slip into the shadows and get the drop on them, only to be met with two very familiar faces: Roderick and Farah. Older now, almost twice her age (she was eighteen when she died), but still recognizable. They gave her a mission from the leader of the Repentia himself--the Grey Knight--along with a promise that if she completed it successfully, she would be welcomed back into the Repentia, no questions asked.

The mission was this: Emilia Mercer fled the Repentia several years ago, taking with her a relic that contained a small piece of the divine power of Rhom. Since, there have been a few sightings, some traces, but no one has been able to track her down. No one, as far as any of them know, were ever close enough to know her very well, but Aurelia was the closest. They’re hoping that Aurelia will succeed where others have failed.

This was her mission. She’d always operated alone, or with Roderick and Farah, and this was her assignment, so she kept it from the party. She mentioned once to Kallista that she’d been given an assignment, and she told Korver a bit more about it, and she’s told Jonas nearly everything, as he believes they can help each other. But most of her searching has been done on her own. And what she’s found has led her to a web so tangled neither of us are really sure if it can even help find Mercer. But it all has to lead somewhere.

Here begins what I call my conspiracy notebook. I literally have a journal with every piece of information I’ve gathered written in it.

I mentioned this in an ask post a few weeks ago, but one other thing: while she was in the orphanage, there was a girl brought in, one with magic so powerful even her guards seemed to be afraid of her. Her name was Evelyn. Three things about Evelyn: she’s somehow connected to the ikhor, she seems to be some kind of antichrist, but for Rhom, and she’s also Rhom’s daughter. Her mother, though, was Emilia Mercer.

For a while, Aurelia was afraid that Mercer had abandoned the Repentia to join Evelyn, which... well. Evelyn is trying to bring down Rhom, but she’s using terrorism and murdering a bunch of innocent people to try and get them to lose their faith. Mercer was always vehemently opposed to harming innocents or people getting caught in the crossfire. It doesn’t fit. Aurelia doesn’t know if Mercer has contacted Evelyn at all since she was sent to the orphanage, or even if Mercer raised her until then, but it doesn’t fit. Mercer wouldn’t condone this.

Other bits of information: based on evidence found at an abandoned campsite believed to be Mercer’s, Farah has theorized that Mercer gave birth at some point during her travels. Both Roderick and Farah noticed that, in the few months before she disappeared, she was quieter than usual, not speaking out against harming innocents or collateral damage in the way she usually would. Roderick also knew that Mercer had spoken with Rhom directly around the time she went quiet.

Jonas has been one of Aurelia’s best assets. Mostly for his perspective, but also because his connection to the Jensai enables him to sense connections between others. He felt the connections between Aurelia and Roderick and Farah, allowing her to prepare herself to face them. He has attempted to use this connection to find Mercer, only to find his attempts blocked by a stronger power, some type of divinity. He doesn’t believe it to be simply the artifact Mercer stole, however (a relic known as an Augur, containing a small piece of Rhom’s divinity.) He said that the power he felt had an energy that felt... childlike.

The current working theory is that Mercer somehow, intentionally or otherwise, transferred the divinity from the Augur into the child that Farah believes she had. That doesn’t help us find her, really, but I’m trying to get a picture of what happened, what made her leave, and what she’s hoping to accomplish, so anything helps.

Something else we learned: she had a second child. There’s no record of who his father was, but his name was Alexander, and he died when he was six years old. Aurelia and I both think Evelyn had something to do with it, intentionally or not.

Someone had been leaving flowers at his grave. We needed to leave the city for a bit to complete a job, but Aurelia asked Jonas to keep an eye out, and he did learn something: a mysterious woman, too young to be Mercer herself, was the one leaving the flowers and taking care of the grave. He gave Aurelia some locations this woman was known to frequent, and she tracked her down.

This bit may not be entirely coherent, because I’m still processing all this and that woman scares the shit out of me. She claims that in addition to the three branches of the Church (the Repentia, the Dictorum (scholars mostly) and the Maledictum (knights, guards, the police equivalent, the people who murder people for magic)), there’s a fourth, consisting of fourteen people who answer only to Rhom and make all the decisions for literally everyone. I’m not entirely clear on that point tbh but that’s not the important part. This woman--who goes only by N--claims that she’s one of these people, and that Mercer used to be one too. N says that she’s hunting Mercer as well, but only for the Augur that she stole, that she has some kind of claim on the power that used to be within it. She gave Aurelia the empty vessel, the thing that used to be the Augur, but now it’s impotent and worthless. And she’ll do whatever it takes to take back what she believes to have been stolen from her. She’ll kill Mercer, without a doubt, and Aurelia has no trouble believing that she would kill a child if it got in her way. She left Aurelia with a warning: if Aurelia can get her back that power, she won’t kill Mercer outright. But she says she’s very close to finding her, and Aurelia is very, very far behind.

Needless to say, Aurelia is fucking terrified right now. My DM did allow me to make a disadvantaged insight check on my memory of the conversation, since I was too caught up in plot to think of it at the time, and I was able to get the general vibe that maybe she doesn’t know quite as much as she thinks she does, but still.

But we did get one more lead. One of the places N was known to frequent was a grocer, and after easily kicking the asses of some thugs who were threatening the guy running it, Aurelia was able to get a bit more information. The man’s name was Enoch, and he knew Mercer. He’d been friends with her, actually. But the last time he saw her was a few months before, and all she said was that she was “going home.”

We’re still trying to figure out what that means, because she didn’t really have a home. She had where she was born, which was our initial thought, but she barely ever lived there. She was raised in the Repentia, and at least as far as Aurelia knew, she never really thought of a physical place as home. We can only hope that N made our initial mistake, thinking that she would return to where her family came from, and that she was dropping some kind of hint so Aurelia could find her before anyone else.

Last bit of information that Aurelia doesn’t know yet: we’re about to be majorly fucked over. Kallista, last session, encountered an asshat of a cardinal who seems to think he has the right to conscript the six of us to the front lines of the war (the war being, pretty much, the Dominion vs the Rest of the World). And he threatened to destroy the mind of Kallista’s best friend if she doesn’t bring us back, fully on board, in the next twenty-four hours. So that’s, y’know. Not great. I do have an idea to get around it, but I have no idea if it’ll work for all of us, or even for more than just me. But, ah. We’ll see, I guess.

This has been me ranting about my D&D character. If you actually read this whole thing, congratulations! Also thanks. I really do love her. If you actually read this whole thing and have questions, feel free to ask me questions! There’s a lot of stuff going on, and mostly I was hoping to gather a few of my thoughts by typing them up. Haven’t had any new epiphanies yet, but the night is young. Also @risualto wanted to be kept apprised of the situation, so. Here’s the situation.

#long post #hopefully the cut works but if not #sorry about that #aurelia vesta #i'm way too invested in this girl and her quest #also don't get me started on her relationship with her magic because that's gonna be a Whole Thing and she's already making so much progress #and I'm so proud of her #anyway i'll shut up now

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epicmeetsfail · 5 years

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Unknown Pleasures: The most august https://ift.tt/2NbjYb9

A friend from the midlands once lamented that she’d always lived there. How absurd it was to live on an island, but directly in the middle of it. I can now say, having lived in two coastal cities, that living on the edge of it is very much the same, except that there are much better chip shops and the rain is more … oceany.

It is currently hacking it down out there and I don’t want to go home in it. Join me once more than, readers, for our regular round up of the best new games on Steam that you’ll never see on a billboard. It’s Unknown Pleasures.

Gazing wistfully into the deep this week: algorithmic therapy, Scandinavian body horror, and the ol’ rotate and thrust.

Apsulov: End of Gods £15.49 / €16.79 / $20

First person horror games are usually terrible, and in all the same ways. This is great news for me because I hate them anyway so it makes very little difference, but someone’s only gone and made one I like. Apsulov is gruesome. Its very first scene is horrible, with you (an Alice, it turns out, which explains the latent magic powers) operated on by some robotic apparatus at the whim of an unseen, intensely threatening entity that’s very quick to anger. Something’s wrong with your throat, so you’re all gurgly and choking and it’s horrible, but for once it doesn’t feel sadistic (obviously the villain is sadistic, but the game doesn’t feel so. It’s meant to be horrible, not pornographic).

You escape, of course, and flee a facility, dodging muttering, screaming shamblemen, pursued by your tormentor’s evil beast, and piecing together where and who you are. Scientists have opened a sinister gate or screaming obsidian hellcube or some other thing that only a colossal fool would open, and apparently the Norse gods are involved somehow. Creeping, rapidly growing tentacles are poking through, gigantic valkyrie shields line one lab, and since your captor drilled something into your head, you have the power to see magical sigils. You’re important somehow, but how it all ties together is a mystery. This is all excellently done, and I’m genuinely intrigued to find out more. Even the occasional jump scares didn’t feel cheap, nor the pillar of the horror – that’s the dread and revulsion, and secondary to that, the wider horror of what this event means for earth in general.

I’m impressed. Oh, but the bloody keypads are a joke. You have to ‘use’ them and then take your hand off the mouse and use the arrow keys to type the numbers in. Deus Ex let us use the number pad nineteen years ago, damn it. Come on.

Exception £11.39 / €12.49 / $15

This wasn’t the game that sparked it, but I’ve had a right moan about “the 80s aesthetic” in games this week. Did you know it’s possible to style your game after something that isn’t synthwave and neon? It’s true, I saw a game do it once.

Exception is enthralling, though, and its presentation is a large part of that. It’s a simple action platformer, with a plot about emptying a woman’s computer from a load of viruses that I skipped entirely thanks to built-in options that I respect mightily. You’re a wee robot who dashes about obstacle courses, wall jumping, slashing up hostile robots, and generally dashing to the exit. Several times each level, you’ll touch a waypoint that reorients the whole level, zooming out and rotating and setting you back along the same course but upside down or along a different axis. It’s very cool and the movement flows freely and comfortably, including your attacks.

The vast majority of enemies are easily done in without altering your path, and you’re periodically given new attacks and powers that I didn’t bother with at all (frankly they seemed more trouble than they were worth). Occasional bosses take half a dozen hits and attack in simple enough patterns that they don’t disrupt things too much either. Everything’s bright and fast and spectacular, and even now, at synthwave saturation point, the soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment that drives you on when the wrong beats would undermine the action.

Phantom Rose £11.39 / €12.49 / $15

It’s another one. It’s another bloody deckbuilding roguelike. You’re doing it on purpose aren’t you?

Phantom Rose does things a little bit differently to the many others in its class. Typically in a deckbuilder you’ll draw a handful of cards and choose which to play. Here, there’s some kind of initiative system going on behind the scenes too. In each round of a fight, you and your opponent will line up cards (5 altogether, giving an advantage to one or the other of you). Yours are randomly chosen from your hand, but you can replace some or all of them from another hand drawn at the bottom of the screen. When you’re satisfied, you start the turn and cards play out from left to right.

There’s a big focus on status effects and buffs like Vampiric Whatever, which gives a chance of restoring health when you attack, or focus, which helps you break through defences. It may get complicated later but was easy to grasp for at least the first two floors. Your path goes along a grid from top left to top right, always (until you reach a map edge) offering two options. I didn’t get the sense that these make a drastic difference in terms of risk or reward, with the exception of occasional “maid” rooms, where you fight a powerful monster to free an amine maid (fairly mild on the tacky anime bullshit meter) who’ll reward you with a special item.

I like that one of the attacks lets you hit a monster with their own attack rating instead of yours. That’s a fun trick. It moves at a brisk pace too, and I even appreciate the artwork. All that red and white and black makes for a bold style.

It feels a bit too easy to run out of good attacking cards. But that might come down to practicing more.

Rashlander £2.89 / €3.29 / $4

Rashlander is a modern form of one of those old 2D rotate and thrust gravity games, whose names, aside from Thrust and Gravity Power, escape me. You pilot a wee ship about a sometimes absurdly hazardous area, aiming to land it on a warp pad to move on to the next level. Gravity and inertia are important tools and potential threats, as there’s a basic Newtonian physics system, making navigation tricky and rewarding. Your default ship (more are unlockable, although they’re balanced so that each presents its own challenge) is fragile and lives are limited. In case that wasn’t cruel enough for you, fuel is also highly limited, and when you run out you explode.

It’s bloody hard. I’m a bit rubbish at it. Each warp pad also offers an upgrade, although some have a downside (one increases fuel capacity but scrambles in-game text, an inventive and somewhat maddening invention), and some are a mixed blessing as they change the way the ship handles, which means re-learning on the fly, potentially under dangerous circumstances. While it’s not a cruel game, it’s somewhat antagonistic, although more for comic effect than anything. Levels have hidden collectables and bonus landing pads if you fancy a challenge, but it’ll likely be a while before you’re good enough to risk those as a matter of course.

Eliza £11.39 / €12.49 / $15

The cult of the algorithm is one of the biggest and most insidious disasters of our already disaster-laden era. Eliza is an exploration of this, and of the mental health crisis, and of tech startup ‘culture’, and of counselling. It’s a visual novel in which you play as Evelyn, a new recruit for the eponymous business, which is a counselling service in which all the counselling is done by an AI. The humans like Evelyn are just there to put a face on it, to the extent that they’re not allowed to say anything but whatever script the algorithms produce, based on a vast bank of heuristic data and the patient’s verbal analysis, biological data like heart rate, perspiration and so on. They can’t even interpret.

I did a bit of basic counselling training a long time ago. It’s something I’ve long been interested in, and have experienced and contemplated from many angles. I was all set to loathe Eliza simply for suggesting the idea, fearing the HIGNFY effect, that some absolute piece will get wind of it and not realise what a godawful idea this is.

And yet.

Within the very first session I was haughtily telling the system off for being an atrocious counsellor – outright lying to a patient, for one – but then the next chapter (they’re comfortably short) kicked in. Evelyn meets with an old, estranged friend for lunch, and their shared past is hinted at. She goes to a conference in which a key speaker is a former colleague, who announces that he wants to go further than Eliza, and roll out technology that will directly interface with a patient’s brain. It’s a hybrid of electroconvulsive therapy, VR therapy, and everything else Eliza already does. He also openly criticises the incredible and shameful ignorance the tech people have of psychological research that isn’t jazzed up with some faddy nerd bullshit (I paraphrased). And I’m hooked.

Much as I see the obvious downsides of this system (and not even addressing the issue of putting this in the hands of a private business, let alone a heap of silicon valley jebs)… is it actually worse than what we have now? If not this, then what are we gonna do, magically summon the hundred thousand competent and willing and experienced counsellors and doctors and therapists we need to deal with the absolutely appalling state of mental health treatment in, let’s face it, most countries?

Eliza is obviously the pick of the week.

I tangent. Eliza touched on all of the issues in under an hour. The personal story of Evelyn, the problems she had in her hold job, her own mental health, the troubles faced by her patients, their concerns with the system, its sinister dystopian possibilities, and, despite my distaste, its potential benefits. That’s not just a good idea, that’s a good idea someone really cares about and understands, and has the talent to write.

August 16, 2019 at 12:29PM

#gaming

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dracox-serdriel · 7 years

Text

The Flash/Legends Theory

SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers for all episodes of The Flash through 03x18 Abra Kadabra and Legends of Tomorrow 02x16 Doomworld.

This post got really long, really fast. So I’ll post the theory points here and then explain things below. Everything is under the cut for length and spoilers. (See above for full spoiler warning!)

The Flash/Legends Theory (in brief) Basically, the Flash and Legends will have cross-over impact on one another this season beyond the direct cross-over episodes.

Barry has certainly learned his lesson about traveling through time to change the past. He won’t make that mistake again.

However, the other speedsters in this story might not be so certain about the lesson... or perhaps they’re willing to risk it. Or perhaps they do it by accident. Whatever the case may be, it’s possible that one or more of the hero!Speeders (Jesse Quick, E-3 Jay Garrick, Kid Flash) will be the ones to return to the point of Nora Allen’s murder and influence the history between that moment and “the present” this season.

Eobard Thawne brought back Eddie Thawne in Doomworld in order to prevent himself from becoming a time remnant that will constantly be hunted down by the SpeedForce.

Should the Legends succeed in their time-travel-to-fix-the-alternate-reality-thing, Eobard Thawne will somehow “bleed” Eddie Thawne back into reality the way that Wally West and the other Flashpoint metas received their powers from Flashpoint’s reality, even though by all technical accounts, Flashpoint didn’t happen.

While this will not be Season 1 Eddie Thawne, he will be very similar to the man, given that the entire point of bringing him back was to ensure he remained the man he would’ve been without Eobard’s shenanigans in history. All we really know is that Eobard somehow steered his own ancestor off course during his time in the past. It could have been as simple as when Barry Allen received his powers (given that he spent 9 months in a coma and that’s when Iris and Eddie started dating--had Barry gotten his powers as he did in the original time line, then perhaps he and Iris would’ve started dating). So Eddie Thawne might still be a police officer in Central City. He might even be at the same precinct. Or maybe he transferred to Keystone (nearby city) where he is fated to meet his wife...

If one of the other speedsters manipulates time outside the Nora-Allen-murder-hotspot, then it will to go back in time and make Barry forget seeing Iris murdered in the future. [Even better if it’s NOT one of the speedsters... what if Cisco figures out a way to Vibe himself into his past self?]

So when Barry returned to the SpeedForce to save Wally West, we learned that the SpeedForce really wasn’t pleased with these time traveling shenanigans. I personally think they’re being a little hard on Barry, what with Eobard Thawne still on the loose.

Everyone keeps saying that Barry created Flashpoint, but Eobard probably had more of a hand in it than “opps! something cosmic and awful happened and conveniently means this time remnant of me is still kicking!” Does the universe throw villains a bone every now and again? Sure. But this one seems a little too good to be true.

Then, in Legends of Tomorrow, the Legion of Doom manage to recreate reality by using the Spear of Destiny. Oddly, all the villains end up in the same time period, along with the (mind-blocked and powered-down) Legends. Eobard Thawne spent over a decade trying to return to the future, to his own time period, yet we find him as the new leader of STAR Labs in the very time and place he wanted to escape so badly.

We know that it’s the same time period because Thea, Tommy, and Rebecca (Malcolm’s wife) are all mentioned as alive, and on top of that, Damien’s hobbies include killing every hero he can find (so he can decorate his creepy Wall of Hero Masks--where we see evidence of the Arrow, Black Canary, and the Flash dying at Damien’s behest).

This begs the question... why is Eobard in this time period? Wouldn’t it have been much easier to either re-write reality and either grant himself the ability to time travel without consequence or to simply write himself as returned to his own time period? Technology would be significantly more advanced, which means he could’ve destroyed the Spear of Destiny on Day 1 of the so-called Doomworld.

I think that, even though Eobard could’ve rewritten reality so that time wraiths didn’t exist or so that he alone could time-travel free of consequence, he instead chose to keep it simple. Rewriting the laws of something like the SpeedForce could incur unintended/unwanted consequences that might not become apparent until years later... that would be fine, except he planned to destroy the Spear of Destiny as soon as possible. The longer he kept it, the more danger of it being stolen and his work being undone. Thus, he decided not to rewrite the laws of the SpeedForce and time-remnants but to remedy his own timeline.

In short, he brought Eddie Thawne back to life, and set his ancestor on the path of marrying the right woman (whoever his great-great-grandmother was). This way, he is no longer an evil time remnant running for his life. The SpeedForce might have other quarrels with him, but it’s likely that the Flash Reaper (aka Black Flash) will be called back to the SpeedForce Waiting Room for his next assignment.

From the events of Season 3 of the Flash, we already know that stuff from other realities can “bleed” into this reality. Somehow Alchemy and Savitar were able to connect people with no meta-powers in this timeline with their powered counterparts from Flashpoint, including Wally West, aka Kid Flash.

So is it so impossible for something (or someone) from Doomworld to bleed into this timeline, too? (This question is based on the assumption that the Legends successfully prevent Doomworld from ever having occurred to begin with by using time travel. Hmmm... isn’t that exactly what happened to Flashpoint?)

Finally, there is something that has bothered me about the moment Barry keeps returning to in his past.

At the end of Season 1, he returned and waited, hidden, until the “battle” was over and the two speedsters left before he comforted his mother. (Hereafter known as S1!Barry.)

At the end of Season 2, he returned and stopped Eobard (Hereafter, known as S2!Barry), and S1!Barry, who had been waiting/not intervening, vanished into thin air.

At the beginning of Season 3, to undo Flashpoint, Barry (Hereafter known as S3!Barry) takes Eobard (hereafter known as S3!Eobard) back to that same moment so events will happen as they did before.

Okay, so here’s the thing. Both S1!Barry and S2!Barry would not have been in the house at all, had it not been for a currently unknown future!Barry battling future!Eobard and preventing him from killing young Barry. We know it’s a future!Barry because of the blood samples Cisco found in Season 1, which matched Barry’s metahuman/Flash-ified blood--not his childhood blood.

S3!Barry and S3!Eobard can’t be the future!Barry and future!Eobard battling it out -- Eobard himself admits that he killed Nora, Barry’s mother, because he was angry that young Barry had escaped his grasp, which means the future!Eobard didn’t know that he was going to fail. Thus, S3!Eobard wasn’t the same as future!Eobard, who had traveled to Barry’s childhood from the far future, specifically to kill the Flash before he acquires his powers.

So far, we have young Barry and Nora (who are supposed to be there, time-wise) at the house. Then we have the yet-unknown future!Barry and future!Eobard show up. Then we have three separate time incarnations of Barry (S1!Barry, S2!Barry and S3!Barry) as well as one additional time incarnation of Eobard (S3!Eobard) turn up to join the fray. That’s 2 Eobards, 4 Barrys (5 if you count the young version), and 1 Nora. We can safely assume that the future!Barry is the one who races his younger self away to safety... a few blocks away.

That seems a little weird, doesn’t it? I mean, epic Speedster battle, and you save your childhood self by moving him a few blocks away... without the evil Speedster following you. Eobard didn’t know his time travel had blown out his powers--he doesn’t find that out until after he has “failed” to kill Barry. So if his quarry was whisked away, why didn’t he follow?

The answer is simple: someone prevented him from following. Since Barry’s Flash-ified blood turned up in the house, we can safely assume that 1 of the 3 Barry’s kept future!Eobard busy while future!Barry raced off with his childhood self. The trouble with this is that we saw S1!Barry see a version of himself (future!Barry?) giving him the “nod, wink, stop here” look. Before S2!Barry and S3!Barry showed up, this would’ve been an ideal time for future!Eobard to go after young Barry. Even without his powers, the man could easily overtake a child and kill him.

This suggests that future!Barry did not come from the future alone.

In Season 1, young Barry recounts the “lightning man” and describes yellow and red lightning. It’s easy enough to assume that this means the Flash and the Reverse Flash were facing off together. But young Barry only describes seeing one man, which would be an easy enough mistake, given that these are Speedsters. They blur.

We also know that (so far) all incarnations of Barry work on a team of some kind. I think it would be highly unlikely for him to go on a mission like this - one that would define not just his fate, but so many others - without a little backup. And even if he would (you know, “to preserve the timeline” or whatever nonsense he comes up with...), is it likely that none of his team mates would defy his wishes (and time-law) to save his life? Probably not.

So what if future!Barry didn’t whisk young Barry away? What if that was Wally West, Earth-3 Jay Garrick, or Earth-2 Jesse Quick? Anyone with red or yellow lightning could’ve pulled this off.

Heck, it could have been Doomworld!Eobard or future!Future!Eobard correcting his error--for all we know, he learns that, without Barry Allen as the Flash, Eobard Thawne never amounts to anything. So he goes back in time to save himself from making the worst possible mistake. It’s not like he’s the only speedster doing that. (Though the yellow lightning left in the wake of whoever-saved-young-Barry suggests that it wasn’t Eobard. It’s just a fun thought.)

Anyway, let’s assume it’s not Eobard, but one of our known speedster heroes. Future!Barry would probably be really pissed, right? Especially if they broke the laws of time to help him. It might’ve been just enough to distract him from his fight with future!Eobard -- just enough to cause his mother’s death before he can chase Eobard out. It would also explain why future!Barry failed to catch up with Eobard minutes later, when his powers failed him and he could so easily be captured. Future!Barry was too busy trying to save his co-hero from a time wraith or something.

Seriously, there has to be a reason (besides a massive plot hole) that future!Barry just left Eobard in the past when he could’ve easily been detained and brought back to the correct time period. His powers had blown out, and he would’ve been easy to find given the yellow suit and the fact that he was one of the few living metahumans on the planet in that time period. Future!Barry should’ve had him hog tied and in a jail cell seconds later. Instead, Future!Barry seems to go back to the future, leaving a very dangerous Eobard in the past, where he proceeds to screw up history, even without his Speedster powers.

So maybe future!Barry only had a narrow window he could remain in the past, or maybe he was trying to keep the timeline as in tact as possible. But it would be much better if future!Barry was forced between seeking and punishing a weakened Eobard Thawne and saving one of his friends. Or if said friend whisked future!Barry away in order to stop him from capturing Eobard (in order to preserve the already way-too-freaking-complicated timeline!)

Okay, so we have Eobard-Doomworld weirdness. Check.

We have unknown future events still yet to unfold that directly affect the Nora-Allen-Murder-hotspot. Check.

We have a reason to suspect that alternate realities undone by time travel can (and do) leave echoes, traces, and other markers that impact this reality. Check.

We have one hero (and probably one villain, too) who knows traveling to the past to change things is NOT a magical undo button. Check.

Let’s put all of that aside for a moment, though, and ask the question everyone has been asking about Season 3.

How can the Flash save Iris West? Barry has a date, time, and a location. He also has friends who can jump into other universes (Cisco, Gypsy), acquaintances who can shapeshift (J’onn from Supergirl), and friends in the multiverse who could help him hide Iris not only in another universe but on other planets, too (Kara from Supergirl springs to mind, but I am sure there are others).

Savitar might try to kill her, but does he possess the means to travel to other planets in the same universe? He can clearly jump universes--but traveling the multiverse on the “same” planet isn’t the same as space travel. So why not hide with Iris on Earth-28′s moon? Or Earth-37′s Mars? Or Earth-2′s Venus? He’d only have to avoid Earth-1′s Central City for a day. Problem solved.

But instead Barry becomes obsessed with changing events between then and now, convinced it’s the only way. The obsession leads to a number of bad decisions a la self-fulfilling prophecy, including Wally West throwing the last bit of the “Key” Savitar required to escape his SpeedForce prison.

It could be argued that, had none of them known that Savitar would kill Iris, that they would’ve made drastically different choices... and Savitar would still be locked up in his SpeedForce cell.

For example, Caitlin might’ve squirreled away that tiny bit of the Philosopher’s Stone (the “Key”) for years and years before mentioning it, since Iris’s life wasn’t on the line (as far as they knew). And that would mean that Wally wouldn’t’ve known where it was, and therefore Savitar couldn’t manipulate him into throwing it into the SpeedForce.

The best way to save Iris’s life is... to forget that she will die. Erase or remove that foreknowledge.

I think that Earth-3 Jay Garrick already knows this. Not because he’s from the future, though. Because he bumps into someone from the future trying to change the past---and he begs whoever it is to give him the chance to make things right without time travel... to convince Barry to have faith and do the right thing (forget about the possible future he witnessed--don’t obsess over it) without being manipulated.

He fails, leaving the time-traveler with no choice but to complete the original mission: either make Barry forget what he saw or prevent him from seeing it to begin with...

The Flash/Legends Theory - Recap

No more traveling to the past to change things for Barry.

Everybody else on the show is exempt from the above statement. It only applies to Barry.

Eobard Thawne has kept things simple, bringing his ancestor back to life (and on track) in Doomworld.

Eobard Thawne can and will keep said ancestor alive, even if Doomworld goes poof and begone thanks to time travel.

Eddie Thawne will not only be very similar to his Season 1 version, someone from Team Flash is bound to run into him not long after Doomworld undone. Confusion will ensue.

The best way to save the day would be for someone (anyone) to go back in time and either prevent Barry from seeing Savitar kill Iris or to wipe his memory of it before he tells anyone and they all become obsessed with “saving Iris.”

Thus, a Flash/Legends cross-over impact.

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asuranecromancy-blog · 7 years

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Into Chaos ( fanfiction file no. 1)

It was cold in the hall. The Priory could be a great place for knowledge and experience, but not for confort. Well, the weather was great for preservation. No brain would go rotten there, for sure.

This time, however, Cassidie was there not to read books or make any experiment. She had gotten a letter from the steward, and it sounded urgent. She hated that. Urgent letters made her feel unconfortable, like she had done something wrong and was about to hear about it. There was no motive: her missions where done and all reports were redacted and filed in the archives.

"Magister, i require your presence in my office for a urgent matter."

So, the asura was now looking at the office doors, nervous. There were voices on the inside, and her perception of life forces told her there were others with Steward Gixx and Ogden. More than that she could not infer.

A deep breath. And a push to the doors.

"Ah, Magister Cassidie, glad you came. I trust you already know Councillor Suzzia."

"Magister."

How could she not know her? Her nice face, her fair brown hair well done, the soft skin. She could be the nicest asura on whole Tyria, and to most she certainly was. Hardworking, sympathetic to most, well educated, and tolerant. Cassidie hated her, an hate that grew deeply within. It all started when they where no more than meere young progeny...

The young progeny Cassidie was then a student in Thaumanova. The Thauma Magitech Labs United had a small lab dedicated to forming the progeny of their workers. Some would then stay there and just naturally enter one of their labs. In her case, her mother worked there in the Golem assembly lines, and she hated it there.

Suzzia was almost her age, and a smart young progeny. Her father was famous for inventing some relay crystal, so there she was, an example of a progeny. They became friends when Professor Tarkk assigned them a little project. After that, they where together doing projects or exploring the city and annoying the vendors.

That was, until...

When again their professor gave credit only to Suzzia, Cassidie decided she was too tired of being less considered just because her parents were not famous. Suzzia made a funny face, of someone who was trying to look cute and crying at the same time. That was it. Not only he put her in probation, as latter Suzzia ignored and started moking her with new friends.

With that she just got out of it. Ran away from that lab, and all of them. She would find a new teacher, a new lot of troubles, but hoped had seen the last of Suzzia.

Not.

She was in the College of Synergetics when she saw Suzzia again. It was a strange fate that, of all three asuran colleges, they had to choose the same. Except this time Cassidie was no longer a timid progeny, but a bitter necromancer apprentice with a bit of Inquest medling on her background. So, instead of being happy when the two where assigned a project, she dreaded it. But had to work hard for it. It was college, after all, expensive and extenuous, but rewarding.

However, during the presentation her name was cut out, like she wasn't even in the project. It was not on the papers either. It had been the last drop, and the two got out of it with a fight. Cassidie got a black eye and a suspension of two weeks.

Only much latter she found a place in Varkk's krewe, and by that time Suzzia was already graduated and gaining fame among asuras.

"Steward, Councillor... I came as soon as i could. You spoke of an urgent matter."

"Indeed. Councillor Suzzia brought us an urgent matter; they have found the cavern from where the Inquest extrated crystals used in Thaumanova. The place is still controlled by them, but an investigation would be in order, to at least understand what happened in Thaumanova. I have assigned you this mission. I trust you can do your best to enlighten us in this situation."

To work with Suzzia again... she would rather go directly to Arah completely naked.

"The cavern is located in Iron Marches, west of the Old Piken ruins. Arcane Eye agents are already securing the place. We believe some Inquest are inside. They either were displaced there when it blew up, or are preparing something. Not good. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll get to the bottom of this."

"The Arcane Council thanks your suport, Steward Gixx."

The place was littered with Arcane Eye agents. Most of them didn't say anything when Cassidie entered the perimeter, but a few still remembered when she got Professor Gorr out. They hadn't exactly ended in good terms, even if Councillor Flax dropped all charges on her and Batanga.

"Wonder if she's here to bail her necromancer teacher out. What is Councillor Suzzia thinking?"

"I don't care what Councillor Flax said. She tries that here, i'll show her some Arcane Eye force."

She hadn't considered that. After the Thaumanova disaster, she avoided any thought on her former teacher. He was an active researcher in the Inquest facilities when the reactor blew up, and one of the many that simply went missing. No one else cared; he was old and mad, completely deranged even for Inquest standards.

And that was the motive Suzzia came to request her. She planned to use the necromancer against her old master. Well, Inquest or not a master is a master, and she did not plan to do what the councillor told her. To hell with Suzzia and her pretty plans and popularity.

If only she didn't feel like she had to impress Gixx...

Once inside the chaos was evident. Broken Inquest golems and bodies amidst the bursting crystals. The air was filled with static and strange energies. Yet, she felt it as familiar. She had grown up with that strangeness around, studying chaos within and around herself. So many questions. Would there be answers in that cave? Had her old masters the answers she seeked?

There was one researcher alive. When interrogated, he begged to be spared; he had a brokken leg, and blood was dripping from his nose. He had no idea if there were others alive, or where were they.

She had to find him before Suzzia or the Arcane Eye.

Using life force perception, there was a faint sign of life there, either to far away or to weak. They went looking on the other side of the cavern. But the chaos crystals were acting up, shrinking some agents, pulling creatures from everywhere, or even altering the course of time. For once she thought she had seen a steam creature (those foul creatures she had... well, it was better not to think about it. The Infinity Ball was stripped of power and stored away safely). And time was flowing backwards sometimes, or stopping and then jumping foward.

Up some pillars there was a hidden chamber. There, she saw him.

He was not physically hurt, but it was evident he would not live much longer. Feeble and breathing hard, he was muttering to himself. In the last years he had gone bald, but never lost that spark of mischief. As soon as she entered the chamber, he knew she was there, and he knew it was her, and nobody else.

"Ah, if it isn't my young gloomy little apprentice. Tell me, Cassidie, did you come to see your old master die? Have you finally gotten tired of playing good asura in college and embrace who you truly are?"

"You know that's not it. I was worried... I... I know i've been away. I couldn't stay with the Inquest. Look at what happened."

He laughed, and then started coughing hard. All of that had taken a toll on him.

"I know you better than that. You didn't look behind, and you did right. Be free, from the Inquest, from them... you don't need them. But tell me, you come for answers, don't you? In all your travels and adventures, and believe me i know of them, you haven't found anything quite like you."

"You know...?

"I can't tell you. Sorry, my young demon. It is not from me you'll hear it."

That was him. He had a dirty secret, and he would take it to the grave. Good old master, always a selfish prick.

"Suzzia dragged me here. To study the crystals. To do whatever she wants... with you. I hate her."

"I wont live long. I can already feel the final minutes ticking away from me. I'm finally going to study the Eternal Alchemy up close, touch it. What's happening here is a twinning effect. We messed up with this crystals, we were idiots to use dragon magic with chaotic material. Now, the chaos reacts to himself after the Thauma blow up. Take my things: my insignia, my research. Don't let those councillor idiots take it. Do whatever you want with them. But know this: you have something, and it's time will come too. It won't be easy, or fair. But you're not like us."

Outside she could hear the councillor and agents looking for her, as if she was an escaped criminal.

"Don't you dare to cry, you idiot. And do me a favor, and punch however that Suzzia is in her face."

"I told you councillor she would run away with him. She's no better than them."

"Quiet. Until there's proof of it, they can still be here. And we need him to..."

"He's dead." Cassidie said, suddenly relaxed, like she was just taking some tea and waiting for friends to join her. "Anything more, councillor?"

They looked like idiots. Pawns in the hand of a beauty saint-like manipulator.

"Oh dear, i'm sorry you have to go through this. It's okay Savant, you're at ease here. We're just going to get some samples, and you are free to return to the Priory. Agents, please, take what it's needed."

But not even when they were alone she dropped that mask. For that the necromancer found her absolutely hedious.

"I know you hate me, Savant, Magister, what title you wear. But that doesn't change the fact that I won prizes before you, and am by far best located among our asuran peers. You have to respond to me."

"Is it, Councillor Suzzia? I don't know what you did to ever get to the Council, or who you did. But i don't have to give you nothing. Unlike you, i'm free. And i'm done here."

One week later her report was done, and she was about to submit it to be archived. His Inquest insignia was now resting inside one of her backpack pockets, the research papers where actually a heavy binded book in her collection. She hadn't dared to read them yet. Perhaps one day latter, when all of that was but a bad distant memory.

After all that, Suzzia had come again to speak with the steward. It seemed like she had a great delight in speaking with Gixx, even more when Cassidie was there doing her obligatory Magister chores. It made her blood boil, but her mouth was sealed shut. After all, as long as she remained quiet, she had something Suzzia didn't, and that was a victory. Even if she didn't understand what the councillor really wanted from him.

She had also a headache. Not something big and hurtful, but something that remained there for days, tiring her. Could be from the chaos within the cavern. On her way to the enfermary to grab some pills, she found Historian Garrod there, getting stitches.

"What happened? You look terrible, Historian."

"We were attacked by some massive shadow creature in the swamp. What about you? I believe you haven't come to the enfermary just for a visit, Magister."

"Nothing heroic, just a strange persistent headache that's bothering me for seven days now."

"That's funny. That is exactly when that shadow behemoth attacked the swamp..."

#guild wars 2 #fanfiction #asura #chaos #gw2 #fanfiction files #headcannons #Cassidie

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