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tafferling · 2 months

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Dying Light 2: Game Story Rewrite

I have been tempted (and have since given in to this temptation) to write out one of the alternate Dying Light 2 story campaigns that'd been knocking around in my head ever since I started playing the game.

It sticks to the characters we already know, but aims to- I dunno. Add Taff flavour, I guess.

Enjoy!

Dying Light 2, an alternate main campaign story, by Taff.

While this is not Latchkey Hero, a lot of the main plot rewrites in this does draw from what I cooked up for Monsters, We. So, if you don’t want spoilers for the MW endgame, skip this.

The player character is either Aiden or Mia Caldwell. Because who hasn’t wanted a little more versatility? We start by choosing which one we’d like to play.

The Caldwell siblings are Pilgrims (I love the Pilgrims, okay? The world needs more Dying Light Pilgrims, please send me your Pilgrim OCs so I can give them platonic smooches) and they’re currently doing what they do best: helping people move across the territories. Specifically, you’re escorting a troupe (actors and musicians) from New Paris, who’re headed to Villedor to perform.

You get to know the siblings in the introduction, and see how they interact with not only each other, but the people around them, too. My aim here would’ve been to establish a relationship between Aiden and Mia, giving what’ll happen later more meaning. We learn about the Pilgrims, how they hold a fearful sort of respect from others, and just how good they are at this.

We even get a bit of combat! Defend against a bunch of biters. Fend off a banshee before nightfall. And, hey, we might even get to know some of the troupe a bit better! We’re having a great time.

Once we reach Villedor, we find out that there’s a bit of trouble brewing right now and that the troupe won’t be able to get to its actual destination (The Fish Eye), since there’s a blockade up. We don’t much care, we are getting paid already and we don’t plan on staying. So we stash them at the second best place, the Bazaar.

After that, our plan is to pick up some more work and then be on our way. Explore time! We find out that there are two different types of safe zones/holds in Villedor: Some which require a biomarker to get into, some which do not. The Bazaar, for example, has a no biomarker zone and a main only biomarker zone. We also find out that a lot of people here are infected. In our initial exploration, we get to go anywhere in Old Villedor except into holds that require biomarkers and places which have been sealed by the GRE.

We can do a few side quests! If we pay attention, we’ll also pick up on how there’s trouble brewing in Central Villedor, and also how, oof, be careful, newcomers, lotsa new people who come to Villedor just straight up vanish. Until one quest pops up for another escort. A man who’d like someone to help him get to New Paris. Fair. We’ve just been there, we can do the trip again, no sweat. Aiden and Mia agree and take the man (Dylan) back the same way they’d originally come in.

Things don’t go well.

We’re attacked by masked men (Renegades), who are trying to get something back from Dylan, who is wounded gravely at the start of the ambush. Aiden and Mia fight them off, but the noise attracts attention they don’t need (Volatiles!). It is clear they can’t do much, but before they run off, Dylan gives them something and tells them to take it and go and not let Waltz have it (whoever that may be, our two Pilgrims are not clued in).

As we try to escape, we’re eventually overwhelmed and both of our Pilgrims are (drum rolls) bitten. But before the GAME OVER screen can roll in, a set of Renegades and Waltz show up, ultimately saving their lives. Which may sound neat at first, not so much when we get punched out and dragged off. When our player character comes to again, it’s a vague affair at first. A bit of swimming in and out of it, really, where we realise we are in a lab (spooky) and have been injected with something (cue the OOOOOOOooOOO!). But never you fret! After overhearing a conversation that they’d be taken back to Central Villedor since they haven’t died and something something they have potential, our player character frees themselves. They get their sibling too and try to escape. During this escape, we see hints that some of those “vanished newcomers” may have met their end here, wherever here may be.

We also get our stuff. Which includes the GRE key (no one bothered checking our backpack, wee!).

But, once again, things do not go well. Waltz’s goons chase us, and while our player character manages to escape, our sibling sacrifices themselves and, for all we know, has just died. We want to do something about this, but we have our first full blown seizure, which leads to us falling to what everyone assumes is our death.

All of this is followed with an Oh no, am I turning? sequence, which ends similarly to the original intro of the game, where we are about to get lynched by a mob. Hakon to the rescue! Except this time the rescue is somewhat motivated by how we’ve already made some friends previously: the troupe! They recognized us and they are what we find after Hakon jabs us with our first inhibitor.

Afterwards, this version of the story follows the Bazaar VS PK story line, somewhat, with our player character motivated to reach Central Villedor to get revenge. Why revenge and why not have our sibling recaptured? ‘cause revenge can wait a little and it won’t feel so weird when we get side tracked by side quests.

To get to Central Villedor we must help Aitor solve his murder mystery of their slain commander and to do that we have to get a biomarker (which we can do since we have a GRE key). As we solve the mystery, we find out that the conflict with the bandits and whatnot and the PK’s hand being forced to suspect or even attack the Bazaar was being orchestrated by someone else.

Who, we aren’t sure.

There’s choices to be made of course! Some siding with the PK, or with the Bazaar, and all the while we also have our troupe friends to report back to and help with little side quests. Hey, we may even have a little devil and an angle in our troupe who try and sway us towards specific decision. Plus, Hakon, of course (who, by the way, is telling us he has an idea of where to go once we are in Central Villedor so we can get our sweet SWEET revenge). We also meet the usual suspects of the Bazaar, including Sophie, Alberto, and Co.

And in-between our chores, we are on the hunt for those inhibitors and like to jab ourselves with them like the dumdum we are. SURELY nothing bad can come out of this?!

Anyway.

Now that we have a biomarker, we can access other regions in Old Villedor. More exploring! And, eventually, we get the choice to help the PK see the Bazaar was innocent (and give the Bazaar their water tower back), or we claim the water tower for the PK cause we have a crush on Aitor (why else would you do this?!), OR we can cause absolute mayhem and botch the whole deal, leading to a war between the Bazaar the PK, which the PK narrowly win.

Then off we go into Central Villedor. Escorting our troupe, of course. Gee, maybe we get an LI in there?! I’m thinking too much about the troupe now. Down, Taff. But, seriously, there is someone in the troupe who is defo trying to win us over to “troupe life” maybe and sway us away from all the revenge talk. We aren’t having it though. We loved our sibling.

(No one blows up the windmill, btw. That thing is too damn pretty to die. Taff has spoken. Oh and we probably had another turning scare at some point and are figuring out that something may not be entirely right with us.)

Once we’ve survived some tense escort mission shenanigans (HEY those can be fun if done right, I promise), and as we are nearing the Fish Eye, we get into an argument about our desire to Do Revenge, which leads to use pointing the troupe to the Fish Eye and the fucking off with Hakon.

Cause we trust Hakon.

Hakon who has become a bit quiet now that we are alone with him.

Hakon who is getting a bit weird.

HAKON WHO LED US INTO AN AMBUSH TO GET THE DAMN KEY FROM US.

We are not happy. Especially since we are facing what seems to be a trio of WAY TOO strong people who remind us far too much of volatiles. Gee. Anyway, we manage to get away! Mostly thanks to the timely intervention of a crossbow woman (Lawan).

Fast forward, we end up at the Fish Eye, with Lawan giving us a bit of exposition about Hakon (who she was tracking when she spotted him near the Fish Eye), about Waltz and how he does some really creepy science stuff with young people.

We reunite with the troupe and get to know the Fish Eye. We meet Frank.

The Renegades attack.

Our valiant defense of it goes down just like in the game, which introduces us to the PK and properly begins ACT 2. ACT 3? Look, I am not counting. Also, I need a snack, be right back.

[one snack later; beware, Monsters, We. spoilers ahead cause all of this is ripped right out of my fic]

This act is all about Bringing back some light! The right (or wrong) people have noticed that we have a GRE key and are floating the idea by us that we should take our shapely ass over to the solar farm (ex “Tesla competitor” car factory) and do Villedor a solid. This is a big one, because we get to pick our team to do that. Do we go back to the Bazaar and bring Alberto and Co (if we didn’t botch Old Villedor), or do we go with the PK, organized by Aitor, and bring Tolga and Fatim? I mean Mitaf and Aglot, sorry.

Either way, Lawan comes with us.

As we gear up for this venture (which will not be an easy venture) we begin to also unravel some of the mystery around Waltz. The name X 13 is being floated by us at this point, too, which we begin to ask around about and are told to go get friendly with the Carriers (can I PLEASE rename them to Couriers?) since they hoarded a lot of communications and maps.

Anyway. POWER PLANT. Depending on how we left Old Villedor, our efforts at the power plant are challenged by either: The Renegades (if we prevented a war between the PK and the Bazaar) or the Bazaar (if we botched Old Villedor and the PK beat down the Bazaar).

This is when the “Renegade Mini Bosses” start showing up: Daylight proof volayouths. 20-somethings turned into weapons by Waltz.

During that particular fight, we experience another turning scare, but we’re good. Heheehehe. Yeah. We’re good. :sweating:

Then, after we’ve made it, cause, of course we made it: LET THERE BE LIGHT! This time, racing up to the top of a skyscraper is payoff and Lawan’s joy something we can relate to. We’ve seen Villedor dipped in darkness. Now we see it come alive with way more lights than our Pilgrim has ever seen in their life. It’s an emotional moment, ya’all.

We get a little hear to heart with Lawan, where she reveals some more about Hakon. This is driven by the VNC tower light coming on and her briefly recounting how Hakon betrayed the Nightrunners, the very people who took in Lawan when she was a child. She was a kid back then, but she will never forget the loss Frank (and therefore her family) suffered and she will always blame Hakon for it. Hakon was, in effect, outcast after this, and eventually fell in with Waltz. A lot of people do these days, mostly out of desperation.

After that:

The Courier quest line is turned into a bit of a main quest line this time around, at which end we find out what X 13 is: a massive GRE vault. And Waltz and his Renegades are looking for it. If they are able to crack it open, Villedor is in for a BAD time. Not only will he have all the supplies he needs to keep his operation running when it comes to turning people into whatever it is he is doing, but also because: guns. There is absolutely going to be a stockpile of them in there. Even working together, the PK and the survivors wouldn’t stand a chance against the Renegades.

And thus, the race is on!

To get there first, we need intel. And intel needs communication.

VNC tower time!

Frank and Lawan think its a terrible idea, but the PK are happy to help us; this one goes down pretty much identical to the original climb. I loved that mission, and hanging out with Rowe and his group was absolutely necessary to give the PK some much needed depth which they kinda lost after you lose track of Aitor.

The difference is though that Lawan doesn’t come after us. I felt her easily catching up with Aiden cheapened not only the player’s accomplishment, but the death of Rowe’s squad and the death of the Nightrunners. We do get help from Frank though, which is a big deal, since at that moment, Frank is facing his demons. He is going back to that day when his men died – and in doing so, he saves our life.

We celebrate.

We’re almost feeling at home, really. Our troupe performs at the Fish Eye. We get to see it all, and yeah, we still want revenge, but maybe we’re home?Maybe this is better than revenge? Maybe we don’t have to go back out onto the road (and how can we, we are infected, we are screwed anyway, we can’t go back to our old life, can we?).

Maybe this is good.

If you like romance, maybe there’s a bit of romance there (someone from the troupe? Lawan? BIG SHRUG! You choose!).

The next day the hunt begins: For X 13 and Waltz. This leads to us crossing paths with Hakon again (and a fight not unlike the one in the church in the game). Though this time, the fight ends in a revelation: Hakon tells us that (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) our sibling is alive! Yeah, I know you all saw this one coming.

We then get to choose to kill him or to let him live, but not before he tells us where they are.

And we see red.

Heeding no warnings, we head into what could easily be a trap (as Lawan tells us, cause Hakon is a bleeding liar, don’t trust him), but we don’t care. We go. We HAVE to go. Lawan, since we’ve grown on her, comes with us.

THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN, FINISH ALL YOUR SIDE QUESTS

Surprisingly – it is not a trap. Not really. Not intentionally. We find our sibling, but they aren’t altogether themselves anymore, much as any of the other volayouths we find. They also aren’t leaving with us – and as we try and break them out anyway, Waltz gets in the way.

Forced to abandon our sibling, Lawan manages to get us to flee and come back later, with Waltz and one of his other volayouths chasing us. We manage to kill the volayouth, but Waltz is too much – but thankfully, Lawan is crafty, and she manages to get us out.

Except now its night. And we are kinda in the middle of nowhere with no UV light and– oh no, you know exactly where this is going.

We (as in you, the player, not Lawan) turn.

Look, Veronika was sweet, but I had absolutely 0 emotional connection to her. Let this moment matter.

We kill her.

:RECORD SCRATCH:

Unless! We allowed Hakon to live, in which case he realized just how harebrained we were and shadowed us, swooping in at the last second to jab us with an inhibitor, saving Lawan’s life.

The happiness we were so close to his absolutely shattered now. Regardless of whether Hakon helped save Lawan or not. What happened, happened. There is no coming back from that.

If Lawan is dead, we do not go back to the Fish Eye. We crawl into a hole after we come to and hope to die.

If Lawan is alive, we also do not go back to the Fish Eye. We refuse, even though both Hakon and Lawan insist.

It’s not until Waltz contacts us and says he will trade our sibling for the key and the location of X 13 that we spring (or crawl) back into action.

It is decision time.

We can now choose to either: (a) give up, betray all our friends, and leave Villedor with a half-feral sibling, or (b) return to the Fish Eye and go to claim X 13 for Frank or (c) go to Missy and claim X 13 for the PK.

(a) If we betray our friends, the game ends here and the credits are us returning years later to find Villedor in the worst shape it can possibly be in.

(b) If we go to the Fish Eye, and Lawan and Hakon are alive, Frank will put the Nightrunners back together and they come with us to X 13. If not, we go alone and it will be a lot harder than (c). In this case, Matt leads a squad (which includes Aitor) after us and what happens in that confrontation depends on how we handled Aitor and his situation in Old Villedor. Either Aitor sides with us and turns on Matt, or the Nightrunners stay behind to hold off the PK. If the Nightrunners have not reunited (Lawan is dead), we have to fight the PK alone.

Assuming (b) and (c), we manage to claim X 13 in what I would hope is an epic battle. One where we fight through Renegades, volayouths, and, eventually Waltz, who has brought our sibling along and pits us against them. We fight both Waltz and our sister or brother, kill him, and are left to choose to subdue or kill what’s left of our family.

Credits!

If we claimed X 13 for the survivors, Frank has taken a reluctant leadership position and oversees things from the Fish Eye. If Lawan is alive, the Nightrunners have been reestablished for good. They control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13..

If we claimed it for the PK, the PK control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13, though the outcome itself depends once again on how we handled Aitor’s situation. If we have Aitor on our side, Matt is overthrown after being overzealous and Aitor takes charge and the survivors and the PK enter a reasonable time of peace. If not, Matt brings Villedor under a militant rule (before he dies).

If we have killed our sibling and/or Lawan, we leave Villedor, unable to cope with what we’ve done.

If, however, Lawan is alive and we subdued our sibling, our own credit is us looking for a way to help not only our sibling, but all the other volayouths still out there. Including ourselves.

EDIT! I forgot to mention that NG+ has you have guns.

#Dying Light 2 #Dying Light #:rambles into the void:

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otakubimbo · 9 months

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The Rabbit & The Wolf Chp 1.

Kakashi x F! Reader

This is why you should never sleep with you friends. Unless?

Ch2

Sticky Note: This is an oncoming series, Kakashi is the original love of my life so I hope you like it!

Master List

18+MDNI

The wolf and the rabbit on another mission together. You and Kakashi did missions together frequently because you both were the best Anbus the Leaf had, except today you were off your game. To say you were distracted would be an understatement, luckily this was an easy mission. Go in, steal some shit, get out. Unfortunately, all you could think about was your sisters upcoming wedding to the worst most disgusting man you have ever had the displeasure to meet in your whole life.

It was nightfall, you and Kakashi were trying to be stealth while sneaking into a building to steal some scrolls from the Hidden Village of the Mist. You were moving on autopilot that you didn’t even realize that he had stopped walking, which made you almost run into the back of him.

He glared back at you, “Pay attention” he hissed and you just rolled your eyes under your mask. “If this is about your sisters wedding, you can focus on that AFTER we complete the mission.” He knew you too well, he was one of your few close friends for a reason. You had been complaining about your sisters wedding since the day she got engaged. The calm cool exterior you usually put on always came down when it came to your sister or anyone you loved for that matter. She was all you had and she was about to marry a dumbass. You always put on your best face when he was around but you hated him.

“Just say you’ll come with me then, I can’t do that shit by myself. Just thinking about it makes me angry.” You whisper as he gives you directions to sneak into the place. You went through the window and waited for him to follow behind you.

“Fuck, fine” he exhaled, extremely annoyed with you. You smile triumphantly under your mask and now you can focus on the task at hand. Almost every man in your age group, and some women, were trying to be your plus one to your sisters wedding. Safe to say, you were extremely uninterested, especially because you didn’t want to go your damn self. At least if your best friend came with you, you can talk shit about the whole thing. You have a certain stoic appearance you have to keep up and that would definitely come down if you had a real date.

You efficiently got the scrolls you needed and y’all got out and headed back home. Another successful mission as always. Once back the Hokage took your report and relieved you both. You immediately went home afterwards, needing to have a long soak before having to deal with your sister and this wedding nonsense. You and your sister were complete opposites. She was the most bubbly and sweet person that anyone could meet, the definition of a girlie girl. While you on the other hand, you were serious and some may say a little mean but it was part of your charm, at least that’s what your sister says. This is another reason why you hated this whole wedding situation more than anything, on top of having to dress up for it, she was marrying that man. Your sweet older sister was marrying a man that had the personality of wet garbage. But for whatever reason, she loved him and you would support her behind that. As your bath runs, you start to detangle your hair. Having your hair texture was really inconvenient to your line of work. No matter what style you put it in, unless protective, it always ended up tangled you didn’t understand how. You knew your sister wanted you in braids so you were gonna start the process early before you’re dragged along behind her for the next two days. You spend the night getting all your stuff together and relaxing, it was gonna be a long two days.

WEDDING DAY

You were exhausted, but the smile on your sisters face is the only thing keeping you going, along with the half bottle of sake you’ve already had. There was no way you were getting through this sober. Aki, your sister, had you running around the last two days getting primped and finalizing wedding shit. Right now, you were having the last touches of getting ready, your braids were pulled into a bun and flowers were being placed around it. They were yellow, complimenting your brown skin and yellow kimono perfectly. You looked stunning Aki kept saying as if today wasn’t HER day. She, of course, looked beautiful and radiant, it almost brought tears to your eyes but you dare not mess up the makeup you just got done.

“Kakashi is going to be keeping you in check right?” Aki laughs looking at herself in the mirror. You sigh heavily at this and take another shot of sake.

“Yes ma’am, and I’ll be on my best behavior for you. But also if you just want to cancel everything and dump him that’s completely fine.” You state, trying to be nonchalant but hopeful nonetheless. She laughs and hits your arm.

“I love him.”

“I know.”

You were about to try one last time to suggest she not go through with this when a knock came at the door. This must be a sign that she must get married to this horrible man. After a heavy sigh, you tell them to come in. It was Kakashi. He came in and looked wide-eye(hehe) at you. He of course looked handsome, he always did, still with the mask and headband covering his eye.

“I clean up nice , yeah?” You give a little twirl and almost stumble. Maybe you shouldn’t have drank so much without eating anything. He huffs and shakes his head.

“She’s been drinking.” Aki laughs, as cheerful as ever. You smile and take another shot.

“Just a little, here take one with me” You hand him a glass and pour one for each of you. “ The bride to be wants to stay as coherent as possible apparently.” You both clink cups and somehow he drinks without having his face be show even though you both have seen his face before. After the shot, you put your cup down and grab your sister by the hand.

“I love you Aki and want nothing more than your happiness.” This statement almost brought tears to her eyes, you weren’t known for showing such genuine emotions.

“I love you too Y/N. And I’m so happy, especially with having you here with me.” She smiles brightly and you give her hand a squeeze. You leave to go take your seats.

Kakashi raises a brow at you, “You good?” He asks as you seemingly exhale for the first time.

“Yeah, she’s happy. So, I’m happy.” You say reluctantly. He slips you a flask and you give him a slight smile as you take another sip, he does the same and puts it away.

The wedding was beautiful, the dumb ass did cry when he saw your sister which you guessed was a good thing. That’s what people say at least. She radiated nothing but joy and love as she read her vows to him. Now that the ceremony was over, it was time to party. You finally got a little something to eat and were less drunk than you would have been but still very drunk. The bad influence that you were, you kept feeding Kakashi drinks also so the both of y’all were pretty drunk by the end of the night. As the night turns to end, Kakashi starts walking you home. More like y’all were stumbling to your house. You groan as you try to get the key out to get into your house.

“She looked so pretty and he just looked so, bleh” You say annoyed finally putting the key into the door. You hiccup as you basically fall into the house.

“You look gorgeous though” Kakashi says leaning on your door frame. This caused you to spin on your heels.

“I told you I clean up nicely!” You yell, laughing at the way it looks like he would just sink into the frame. He comes in behind you closing the door as you finally take your braids out of that headache inducing bun. The flowers fall around you as the braids sweep your back.

“You should probably stay, your drunk” you laugh as Kakashi is still standing by the door just looking at you, you raise a brow “What?”

He just stumbles to sit on your couch, taking his mask and headband off. You follow suit, and lay down putting your head in his lap. His lap was so warm and comfortable. You look up at him drunkingly.

“Hymn, maybe you are a little handsome like all the girls say.” You reach up to touch his face and he looks confused at you.

“A little?!” He frowns as you giggle tracing your fingers over his jaw.

“Yes, a little. Or maybe I just can’t see” You grab his face with both of your hands and pull it down to yours for a better view. That may have been a mistake because now it feels like you can’t breath with how close he is. This is not how it should be going. You two are very much just friends, childhood friends at that and you don’t like being just a cliché but you still can’t breathe and you’re looking directly into his eyes as if for the first time.

“Y/N” He breathes and you just blink up at him. You could easily blame this on the alcohol, you were both very drunk and usually not this close when drunk. After what seemed like hours going by of just looking at each other, you’re the first one to cave. You kiss him. It seems to have shocked the both of you, but once he registers what’s happening he kisses you back. His lips were so soft and needy. You pull yourself up to sit in his lap , the kisses were getting more aggressive by the second, hungry. He gripped your hips as you started to grind into him, your tongues exploring each others mouths. You let out a small moan as he bits down on your lower lip. He gripped you even harder and that feeling went straight to your core. You feel the wetness between your legs start to escape your panties and you could feel his hardness grown under you. Your head is spinning as he trails kisses to your neck. The way he was sucking on your neck you may just cum right then.

“Kakashi” You moan as he bites down on your neck. His hands found their way under your kimono and he was palming your ass.

“I want you so fucking bad” he growls into your ear, biting and sucking it.

“Then take me”

That’s al he needed to hear as he lifts you up and takes you to your room. The look in his eyes as he looked down on you, turned you into a puddle. He looked at you like you were prey, like you were really the rabbit and he was the wolf. He slides on top of you, connecting with your lips yet again. His hands all over your body trying to get you out of your kimono. Once it was off, you felt a little shy under his gaze and he turns your face to look at him.

“Beautiful” is all that he says before he is on you again, making his way down to your breasts. He takes one in his hand and the other in his mouth. He kneads your breast as he bites down on your other nipple. You gasp from the pain and pleasure arching your back and throwing your hips into him. He captures your mouth again and slides his unoccupied hand down to your folds. A hiss escapes his mouth as he touches you.

“You’re already so damn wet for me, huh?” He ask against your lips, sticking a calloused finger inside of you. “And so damn tight” he says as your walls try to suck in his finger, he shoves another one in and you gasp. It had been awhile since your last time, you had been so busy with missions and the wedding business you hadn’t even gotten yourself off. You moan his name as his thumb circles around your clit while the fingers inside you tell you to come here.

“Cum on my fingers before I take you with my mouth” He says against your neck, which instantly made your cum. He laughs as he removes his fingers and shoves them into your mouth. You lick them clean while staring him in the eye.

“I didn’t think you would be such a good girl.” He cooed watching you taste yourself. He pulls his fingers from your mouth and makes his way down to your folds. “ I knew it would be perfect,” he praises before dragging his tongue through you. “And fuck you taste so damn good” another praise.

As skilled as he was with his hands, he was even more skilled with his mouth. The way his tongue circled and flicked your clit it overstimulated you. Your hands went immediately to his hair and you tried to fuck his face. He shook his head and held you down. He was going to savor every single moment he had tasting you and it was driving you crazy.

“Be a good girl so I can make you cum again.” He lets go of your hands as you ball your fits. Sticking his fingers back inside you, he prioritizes his mouth on your clit, sucking it like it was you were a milkshake and it was the straw. With his fingers pumping you and what his mouth was doing, you didn’t know how much longer you would last. You made the fatal mistake of looking down at him, the look of him ravashing you made you cum so easily, not only did you cum, you squirted on his face. He pulled back wiping his face and you were embarrassed and gasping for air. The arrogant smile on his face made you even more embarrassed as he kneeled over you. You didn’t even know you could do that.

“You liked that didn’t you,” the cocky smirk still plastered on his face. He had his cock in his hand, and that shit was huge. The biggest you’ve ever seen. “Now it’s time to return the favor, pretty girl”

You didn’t know how you were going to take it but you were going to find a way. With your mouth open and your tongue out he puts his cock into your mouth. He didn’t take it easy on you either with his size, he shoved the whole thing in gagging you. But the way he just pleased you, you knew you had to give it back. You started moving your head as you hollowed your cheeks to take him. He slumps over to grab the headboard.

“Fuck, you’re too good at this” Kakashi breaths out trying to hold himself up, you’re bobbing your head so quickly his balls are smacking the under your chin. You swirl your tongue around his tip and he groans. You could barely breathe but who needed breathe when the noises he was making could easily make you cum again.

“You’re so pretty sucking my cock” His hands went into your hair holding you still while he starts fucking your face. You did your best to accommodate his aggressive pace, tears were coming to your eyes from how hard he was plowing into your face. The moans escaping his mouth made it worth it and it was turning you on even more knowing the pleasure you were giving him. With a few more thrusts you can feel his seed shoot down your throat.

“Swallow”

And you do, like the good girl that you are still with his cock in your mouth which you give one last suck. You move to sit up but he pushes you back down.

“I’m not done” He says backing off the bed and pulling you to the edge. His hand goes to your throat as he positions himself at your entrance. He enters you with a his, you were so wet and so tight you didn’t think he could fit. He presses harder into your neck as you try to move back.

“You can take it.”

You don’t think so but you just nob as he pulls back out and then slams right into you. You gasp and grip the sheets, his dick immediately found your gspot. Your scream of pleasure was all he needed before he started pumping into you relentlessly. You wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him closer, wanting to feel all of him. He came down to your ear moaning your praises, how good you felt, how pretty you looked, how well you were taking him. His other hand not occupied by your throat went to circle your clit. It was all too much and you didn’t know if the room was spinning because you were drunk or because of the pleasure. All you knew was that you were about to cum.

“Ka-Kakashi, I’m gonna ——“ You could barely get the words out and you were getting so close.

“Cum for me, pretty girl”

And with that you did, hard. Your walls tightened around his shaft and he soon came right after you . He didn’t even have time to pullout. A later problem. You were spent, the last thing you remember his him pulling you both into the bed and putting his arms around you.

It felt like morning came sooner than it should have. Your head was pounding and your body sore. Your best friend did just fuck the shit out of you last night and now he was gone. You woke up to an empty bed. That was fine? That’s what you were going to tell yourself. People fuck their friends all the time. Yeah? Yeah. You did need to talk to him because he did kind of cum in you last night and then ditch before you woke up. Kind of rude. With your hangover in tow, you went all over the village looking for him. You checked his place, wasn’t there. You checked Gai’s place, wasn’t there. You even went as far as asking the Hokage if he had sent him on a mission, which he didn’t. He was obviously avoiding you and that fucking hurt. You just had the best sex of your life with your best friend and now he was avoiding you like it was a mistake. At the time, you didn’t think it was a mistake but now, you didn’t know. You just wished you could at least talk to him.

A few weeks pass and still no word from him. He was definitely avoiding you and you just couldn’t take that. So you did the only thing you knew how and threw yourself into your work. You convinced the Hokage to put you on solo espionage missions. These missions were long and tiring, you didn’t have many rest breaks in between and you didn’t want them. Two years end up passing in a blink of an eye. You’ve barely been back in the village for more than a day or two in that time. You hadn’t even really seen your sister, you did miss her.

Entering the Hokage office after finishing your last assignment and he makes you take a seat after giving your report.

“Yes sir” you state taking your seat and your mask off.

“I won’t be assigning you on a new mission just set.” He sets his papers down and locks his fingers. He has a strained expression on his face. “You should go be with your sister.”

Your heart drops, you had been so in your own space that you didn’t even possibly know what was going on with your sister. Everything in your body wants to leave right then.

“Go” He says simply and you bolt from the room.

As you turn the corner right out of his office, you smack right into someone pushing them out of your way about to yell sorry when their hand grabs your wrist.

#kakashi smut #kakashi x reader #kakashi x you #kakashi hatake #naruto #black reader #kakashi sensei #smut #team kakashi #kakashi fanfiction #kakashi hakate #naruto smut #friends #friends to lovers #friends to more #relationship #drinking #getting drunk #wedding

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rainythefox · 2 months

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After Midnight

Sequel to Nightfall - AO3 Link

Summary: Three months after her near-death entanglement with Albert Wesker, Claire Redfield remains fettered to him as both lover and prisoner. As such, he once again pulls her into his dark games of power and control. Adamant at having her all to himself, Wesker's hold on her tightens as he pulls them both towards an unsatiable holy grail. But this is to be just the beginning of what would become an absolute nightmare...

Claire/Wesker, Chris/Jill, slight Claire/Leon and Ada/Leon. (also big focus on Wesker and William's friendship and past). Pre-RE1- Code Veronica time frame.

Chapter 1: Behind Blue Eyes

November 4th, 1971…

“The world needed your mother. She was essential. To modern science. To the future. Not you. You are disposable. An expedient…no, an anathema upon this world.”

His father’s last words to him repeated in his head, again and again.

Then he was left behind at this strange facility with all the white coats.

That was after spending his birthday two days ago flying across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States.

Chicago, he recalled. That’s where he was. A research facility in Chicago. His father had spoken with the man in charge here…something about compensation for his “participation”. Anything to get that funding he always talked about for his research…

The doctors here poked and prodded him. Drew a lot of blood. Ran numerous tests. Nothing he wasn’t used to.

The young boy sat on an examination table in a small white-walled room for what felt like hours, the lights irradiant, just like the rooms he had often found himself in back home. The brightness hurt his eyes. He winced and squeezed his blue eyes shut. If he didn’t, he felt he would go blind.

He didn’t bother checking the door. He knew it would be locked. Everything in his life was controlled. When he could eat, when he could sleep, when he could leave. Isolated. All alone. Although that wasn’t anything new. He had always felt this way. His father abandoned him years ago, even if he had seen him every day of his life up until now.

Anathema…anathema, he thought over and over. He knew the word. A curse. Abomination. Something consigned for sacrificial offering and destruction.

The door opened. Instead of the usual apathy that accompanied him, always knowing it to be his father, a fleeting anxiety passed through him as two strangers entered.

One was the man in charge here his father had spoken to for “compensation”. He was quite important, a lord he’d overheard, but the boy knew nothing of who he was. The other man was a doctor and seemed to be friends with the lord. They both looked to be in their late 40s, although it was just a guess.

The lord wore a proud, triumphant smile, looking the boy over as though he was a prize of sorts.

“Hello, Albert,” he greeted politely, kneeling beside the boy. “It’s an honor to finally meet your acquaintance. I am a longstanding colleague of your father, Andric. My name is Lord Ozwell Spencer, but you may call me Ozwell.”

The lord extended his hand. Albert stared at it. Clean, soft skin. No scars. No calluses. There was a big ring with a familiar crest on its face. It made his head hurt as he tried to recall where he’d seen it. They had never met before, but the boy felt this man somehow knew all about him. He didn’t take the offered palm. The smile was camouflage, the handshake a venomous bite.

Ozwell’s British accent carried a mix of elegance and power. It was more evident than Albert’s father’s accent, which had lost much of its original Germanic cadence from working in England.

The lord didn’t seem displeased when Albert didn't take his hand. He softly chuckled, his eyes still not leaving the boy. “Strong, silent type, I see. I like that in a young man.” He motioned to Albert’s face. "Did you get into a fight at school?”

He was so used to it that Albert had forgotten all about it. “My father never appreciated me challenging him.” Albert glared at the lord. “Tell me, did my father get his just compensation for dropping me at this hellhole?”

Ozwell glanced back at the doctor with a pleased smirk. His friend didn’t smile back, looking more surprised than anything, and scribbled on his clipboard.

“I assure you, young man, that ‘compensation’ was for something else…something before you were born that I owed him. His research is valuable to my company. And so we thought it best I take you in for a bit so he could work away on a very important enterprise.”

Why did adults always lie? Did they think him gullible?

“Something tells me you aren’t so heartbroken over it,” Ozwell said softly, offering the boy a friendly, reassuring smile. “Trust me, you’ll be far happier here. My dear friend Dr. Hensley will just run a few more tests to make sure you are in good health, and then we can get you situated, alright?”

Albert didn’t bother nodding or answering. He didn’t have a choice. They escorted him through the bright, winding hallways of the medical facility. His head hurt. He spotted other children here but never crossed paths with them.

“Are you alright, Albert?” Ozwell asked.

“The lights hurt my eyes.”

The lord slowly nodded, seemingly logging it away with a quick side glance at Dr. Hensely.

When they got to their destination, it wasn’t another patient room, it was a fully functioning laboratory, similar to his father’s. They took him into the back where Dr. Hensley carefully performed a set of tests, including drawing more blood. Afterwards, he was left alone so they could talk in the room next door.

Albert hopped down from his seat and padded over to the cracked door to eavesdrop.

“I told you he was a beautiful specimen, didn’t I?” Ozwell stated. “I’m eager to see him as an adult after the indoctrination and training. He will be the perfect candidate for the next evolution of my project. Tell me the results you’ve received.”

“He’s in impeccable health, my Lord,” Dr. Hensley answered. “He’s developing how we had anticipated and his new genetic screening results are what you were hoping for.”

“Perfect to pair with Alex in the future, then?”

Alex? His sister he’d recently found out about? Pair with her how?

“Without a doubt. However, I am concerned with his lack of socialization and interpersonal skills.”

“He was raised that way on purpose. Don’t worry, he’ll gain those with James.” The lord paused, thinking, and then asked, “Was the light sensitivity listed before on his genetics? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Dr. Hensely shook his head. “No, but it’s a common condition when breeding for the Aryan characteristics that you desire. Nothing to be concerned about.”

“Does he remember anything outside of Andric?”

“He does recall the boarding school with the other Wesker children, but not enough that concerns me. The mind manipulation and synthetic memories are solid. If we continue doing what we are doing, he will never remember it all on his own.”

What?!

“Excellent,” Ozwell praised. “Start the next process immediately. I’m leaving for home to meet with Lord Ashford, Lord Henry, and Lord Beardsley tomorrow. James has already been informed and has prepared for Albert to stay with him. Just make sure to wipe his memories of the last few days and reprogram him before handing him over.”

“As you wish, my Lord.”

“And I mean it, Theodore. The utmost care and diligence in handling Albert. His value is beyond estimation. He is one of the most important assets of our future.”

Asset? His father had called him the opposite…yet the same, gut-churning feeling came from the word. The same bad taste in his mouth as though he was just something to be used. A tool, a weapon, but in the end, thrown away.

Panicking, the boy raced to the door, knowing full well it would be locked. He turned the knob and tugged on it anyway. I have to get out of here!

It didn't budge. Trapped like always.

He didn’t want to forget. He didn’t want his mind manipulated. He didn’t want to be controlled. Ruled. If only he was stronger…

What had he done to deserve this? His father’s voice played in his head, blaming him for his mother’s death, day after day after day. Was it that? He didn’t mean for it to happen!

Albert moved away from the door when Ozwell and Dr. Hensely emerged from the back room. The boy pretended to be interested in the x-rays on the wall, feigning composure.

“Well, Albert, my boy,” the lord sighed, the same creepy smile and watchful eyes on him, “I must take my leave. I have important duties to attend. Dr. Hensely will take good care of you. Please behave for him. I'll see you soon.”

Albert stayed silent, a growing knot of disgust and hatred twisting in his stomach. He thinks I belong to him. I’m not his. I don’t belong to anyone!

After Ozwell left, Dr. Hensely patted the examination table with a warm smile. “Okay, buddy. Just one shot and you’re good to go! I’m sure you’re ready to get out of here. We have a nice room and meal ready for you.”

Albert didn’t move. It came rushing back to him. The shot wasn’t an immunization of any sort. It was to put him to sleep. Then he wouldn’t remember when he awoke.

They’ve done this to me before…multiple times. He couldn’t recall how many. It was all too fuzzy. His head pounded.

Albert shook his head. “No.”

Dr. Hensely was surprised by his answer, putting his clipboard down and rubbing the back of his head. “Oh come now, Albert. Surely a strong, brave young man such as yourself isn’t afraid of a little immunity boost?”

“Liar,” Albert hissed. “It's anesthesia. You want to knock me out and make it so I don’t remember.”

“W-What? No! That’s absurd! I’m only here to help you.”

The boy refused to move, glaring at the doctor.

Dr. Hensely sighed. “Look boy, you’re doing this whether you want to or not. It’s out of your control. Either you come over here willingly or I have thirty employees outside this room that will hold you down. You wouldn't want another blackeye, would you? So which one is it?”

Albert kept his challenging gaze, one fist balled, his chest a tight knot. No choice. No control. They controlled him. They did own him.

Never breaking eye contact, Albert slowly approached the doctor and sat on the examination table. Dr. Hensely, tense and agitated, let out a deep breath and picked up the syringe.

“Get used to the fact that you will never be in control, kid. That’s how it is here. I’m sorry.”

You will be sorry…

He had to remember. No matter what. He couldn’t let them do this to him…again.

Dr. Hensely leaned in and injected Albert’s arm with the drug. The boy winced, glaring at the doctor in growing hatred…until he snatched up a scalpel on the nearby tool tray, and stabbed it into Hensley’s jugular vein.

Blood sprayed all over Albert just as the world started to spin. Dr. Hensely crashed backwards onto the floor with an agonized cry, gripping his throat.

Just before the world went black, Dr. Hensely bled out all over the floor in front of him. He heard the gurgled curses, felt the warm blood that drenched him, tasted it in his mouth. None of those things compared to the satisfying rush of power and victory he felt in that moment. He had overthrown a ruler. He could conquer them. He would conquer them all.

He should’ve done it to his father, but it was a start. They would not be able to suppress his awakening forever. One day the blinders would be removed and he would remember…and then everyone would be sorry.

The blue eyes, astute and austere, burned into his very soul, seemingly reading his deepest, darkest thoughts. The smile, proud and valiant, hid depravity within an invisible mask of dignity and power.

He couldn’t understand this feeling of being revolted by this man, yet, concurrently, being drawn to him.

“Albert?”

Albert looked away from the eerie oil painting of Lord Ozwell E. Spencer, not realizing he had lost himself in thought under the sharp gaze. He glanced up at Dr. James Marcus…his new guardian. The man was in his fifties with graying brown hair and wore a brown suit. Composed and shrewd, he was a bit harder to read compared to most adults for Albert. He still didn’t know what to think about his new guardian, but for better or for worse, the boy was stuck with him. For now.

It had been a long week. His father had dropped him off here in the States to live with Dr. Marcus, although he couldn’t remember much of the trip or the days after. Has jet lag affected me this acutely before? James had briefly shown him around the large mansion that belonged to Ozwell, before proceeding to the Umbrella Executive Training School. Apparently, James resided here in his laboratory, with his own living quarters, which is where Albert would mostly be staying. Soon, he would be attending the school as well.

James approached Albert when he didn’t move, he himself looking upon the portrait.

“My dear old friend,” James said with a wry smile. “He’s done so much for me…he will do a lot for you as well, Albert. Just remember he is the same as the Snake in the Garden of Eden. Watch his tongue…and certainly watch his bite.”

Albert wasn’t religious by any means, but he knew the stories. “You attribute your friend to the Devil?”

James smirked down at him, delighted. “Better to acknowledge you’re friends with the Devil than to deny it. Come along. There’s someone you need to meet.”

Albert hesitated, his eyes lowering to the floor. His polished shoes matched the equally polished floors of the school. His head hurt so bad. He tried to remember what happened before coming here, but it was all a haze. He recalled his father on the plane. He had said something to him before leaving. He just couldn’t remember what. Ozwell had told him his accommodations were temporary before handing him over to James, but this didn’t feel temporary.

“My father isn’t coming back for me…is he?”

James paused, frowning. He considered his next words. “No. He got what he wanted out of you. And in time, so will Ozwell and myself. But no worries, my boy. You are where you are meant to be. Trust me. In time, you will make them all pay. I’ll show you how.”

What an interesting response from an adult. Albert then followed him closer than he had on the whole tour. James led them to his living quarters nestled adjacent to the laboratory of the training school. It was a nice-sized apartment, modern and clean…a little more room than what Albert and his father were accustomed to.

“William, come out here,” James called. “There’s someone here you need to meet.”

Albert looked around the living room. Spacious. Hardwood floors. Brand new furniture. Paintings and photos adorning the walls. It hardly looked lived in. There was a wall dedicated to a trip to Africa and James’ doctorates. He settled on an intriguing photograph full of beautiful red and gold flowers with peculiar shaped petals, nothing like he had ever seen before.

Soft footsteps rushed into the living room. When Albert turned around, he was surprised to see another boy, having expected William to be an adult. The boy was smaller than him, maybe a year or two younger, with short blonde hair and blue eyes, just like him.

William looked just as surprised to see Albert as he was to see him, but the shock quickly turned into a big, toothy grin and he nearly hopped over to Albert in excitement.

“No way! You got me a brother?!”

“William, settle down. I don’t care what you call yourselves. Just get along. William this is Albert, Albert this is William. You’ll be roommates so get used to each other. I have to make a phone call.”

He was never informed there would be someone else while living with James, let alone someone his age.

Albert tensed and moved away when William eased closer with hushed excitement, especially now since it was only them. Albert had never mingled with other kids before and was unsure of the formalities.

“Nice to meet you, Albert! Can I call you Bert? Oooh, how about Al? I like Al!”

“No. Just Albert,” he grumpily answered, already irritated with the other boy’s whimsical behavior.

“I like your accent Al, are you not from the U.S.? You’ll like it here. James is alright, I guess, but the school is amazing! I’m the youngest child prodigy to be studying under Umbrella!”

This boy was a child prodigy as well? Albert looked him over skeptically. He decided to move away, giving into instinct instead of attempting conversation. He had no clue how to handle this interaction.

William followed, his excitement waning only slightly, instead a mild diffidence forming. “So uh, where are you from?”

“Not here.”

“What happened to your family?”

Albert clenched his jaw. “None of your business.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” William reassured. “I’m an orphan too. It’s why I’m with James. Been here for about a year. I never knew my parents.”

When Albert didn’t answer, William gasped and ran around to block his path.

“Wait a minute! Are you a prodigy too? No wonder James took you in! Oh, this is exciting! Finally, some competition! We could test each other’s limits and push ourselves further! Granted, that’s likely why they put us together to begin with, but just think of all the fun it will be. I mean, I’ll probably win, but it’s-”

Albert punched William hard in the nose. Partly to make him shut up…mostly to establish dominance.

The younger boy yelped, his nose busted, blood pouring out of his nostrils. He cupped his face, staring at Albert in shock as his eyes watered from the sting. “Ow!”

“Well, I just tested the limits of your face, and I must say…you need some work,” Albert sneered.

“What the hell is going on here?!” came James’ angered voice as he rushed into the room, practically yanking the two boys apart.

“I’m fine!” William blurted through his fingers.

Their new guardian sighed, shaking his head. “Why did I agree to this?” He headed for the door, snapping his fingers at William. “Come along, both of you. William, we need to do an x-ray.”

“Oh, it’s definitely broken,” William stated calmly and obediently followed after James.

“Albert, come,” James ordered in the doorway, glaring back at him.

“He brought it on himself,” Albert grumbled, and begrudgingly followed.

“Did not!”

“You did so!”

“BOYS!”

A few months later…

There was a chill to the air, but Albert was numb to it, lost in thought as he waited. Continuous mumbles soon interrupted his thoughts and he glared over at his “roommate”.

William had perched himself so he was lying upside down, halfway off the examination table, his blond hair hanging from his head and brushing the tiled floor. His face was turning red from all the blood rushing to his head.

Albert sighed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m bored! Why do you have to come for tests more than I do?”

“I don’t know, and who said you had to stay behind?”

“And go with James to that old person meeting? No thanks! You’re way more fun, Al.”

“How fortunate for me.”

The lights were burning his eyes as they waited. He squeezed them shut…and tried to tune out William in the process.

Albert was still settling in with James and William. He’d excelled in the boarding school since day one, enjoying it immensely compared to the one his father had sent him to. As annoying as his little roommate was, Albert found himself minding his company less with each subsequent day. Maybe he was building a tolerance to him…or maybe William was growing on him a little, although he refused to admit it.

William started humming, his fidgeting rustling the paper on the exam table. Albert opened his eyes and glared, witnessing his roommate attempting to slide down into a handstand, using the table as a brace to keep his balance.

Albert stood and reached over, grabbing William’s leg and yanking. With a startled “Ack!”, William toppled over. “You just had to do it, didn’t you,” he groaned as he got to his feet, dusting himself off.

“My head is killing me. I’d appreciate it if you stopped being bothersome,” Albert replied, cupping his fingers over his eyes.

“Ohhhh, it’s the lights again. Hmm.” William stood there thinking hard, glaring up at the bright lights while rubbing his chin. “I know!”

He headed for the door. The locked door. The one that always contained Albert. “It’s locked.”

“Psh! That doesn’t stop the great William Birkin!”

The nine year old prodigy procured a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door…just like that. Albert jumped to his feet when the door opened. “Where did you get that?!”

William looked confused at first. “Oh. I stole it from James. No locked doors for us, buddy! Come on, I have something for you!”

William stepped out of the room without a care in the world. Albert hesitated at the threshold. The fuzzy memories, the consequences, they stifled him for a moment before William snatched his arm and yanked him forward.

“Come on, slow poke!”

Albert followed William through the hallways. He had most of it memorized now, but was still not as familiar with it as William. The adults didn’t pay them much mind, too busy with their own duties down in the executive school’s research facility. William slipped into a smaller laboratory and beckoned him to follow.

By the time Albert caught up, William had snatched something off of a researcher’s desk and shoved it into his hands. “There! Now when you’re in the room with the bright lights, they won’t bother you! And you’ll look cool in the process!”

“Sun…glasses?”

“Yeah!”

Albert sighed. “Whose even are these?”

“Who cares? They’re yours now! Trust me, he won’t miss them.” William smacked Albert’s shoulder as he headed out. “Let’s get back before they miss us though.”

Albert nodded, slowly following after him, looking the sunglasses over. They looked positively ridiculous to say the least. He wouldn’t wear them unless he absolutely had to…but…it made him recall that no one bothered to help him with his eyes in all the years he had complained about the pain.

They returned to the patient room to wait. William sat down beside him, a few feet away, as he knew Albert didn’t like anyone close to him. But he slowly and quietly inched himself closer, and then presented something else to him when Albert didn’t snap at him to move away.

It was the key that unlocked the door. “I have another copy. This key is a master key for most of the facility. I…understand. I’ve been in locked rooms my whole life, too. But um…we can help each other not be controlled so much by them, yeah?”

Albert slowly took the key, peering at it as though it was invaluable treasure. He nodded silently in reply, squeezing his fingers around the brass.

Wincing from the lights, Albert slipped on the sunglasses. They were too big for him, but they did help tremendously against the bright glare.

William tittered next to him. “You look dashing!”

Albert snorted a suppressed laugh. And honestly, he couldn’t remember if he had ever laughed before.

March 19th 1998…

You can wait on me for once, asshole.

Wesker scowled at Claire’s text. It pertained to their established assignation tomorrow. She certainly enjoyed testing his forbearance at times. Not for the first time, he questioned his decision to gift her the PDA for maintaining contact.

His response would have to wait, however. He glanced at his watch after stepping foot into the Circular Café near Clock Tower Plaza. It was a popular bistro nestled right on the river. He soon spotted his quarry waiting for him at a booth.

The information broker, Aaron Roth, stared out onto Circular River, the water absorbing the morning hues of golds, purples, and reds. On the other side of the river, Raccoon City was a resplendent backdrop to this first act, towering, shadowy buildings in fresh dawn under a canopy of sun-tinged clouds.

Like most prey that had advanced senses to detect prowling predators, Roth caught sight of Wesker halfway towards the booth. Guarded, the broker inched his steaming coffee closer when Wesker sat across from him.

Nothing was said at first, even after Wesker pulled off his shades and stared his emissary down. A young waitress soon arrived at their booth.

“Good morning, Captain! Your usual?”

Wesker broke off his staredown long enough to give the girl two seconds of his time, direct eye contact, an artificial smile, and one nod. “Yes, that will do.”

“On it, sir!”

Wesker leaned back, leering at Roth. “Didn’t expect to find yourself back in Raccoon City so soon?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“How was your trip?”

Roth snorted, half-rolling his eyes while sipping his coffee. “Let’s skip the bullshit smalltalk, yeah?”

“Straightforward and efficient, as always. Good. It plays in your favor to keep me happy. Now proceed.”

Roth picked up a large white envelope that had been lying next to him. He pushed it across the table to his master.

“Well, the confidential data you and Birkin blackmailed out of Bard is correct. Christine Henry does have a secret project in the works. Laboratory Six in Paris. Derived from the Nemesis Project that’s been around for nearly a decade. Evidence suggests that it is in direct competition with Sergei’s pet project, T-ALOS. That explains why she wanted all the info on it three months ago.”

Wesker opened the envelope and flipped through the documents enclosed inside. Nemesis T-Type. Yes, this was it.

“Another tyrant-based project? It seems both Umbrella USA and Umbrella Europe cannot shake their unbridled rivalry.” Wesker enclosed the stolen research safely back inside its envelope. “All the better for me, I suppose.”

Instead of answering, Roth stared behind him, his usual composure becoming strained. By the time Wesker noticed, it was too late.

“The nerve you have to meet him here.”

Wesker sighed. “Sit, William. And be nice.”

“I was hella nice to Bennett. I’m still finding pieces of him, by the way,” William growled like a feral cat, and frankly, he kind of looked like one too after three nights underground.

His partner sat beside him, but looked like he wanted to reach across the table and scratch out the eyes of their liaison.

“Will, in just the span of a few months, Aaron has compensated us far over what he stole from you years ago. Let it go.”

“But he sold it to Alexia.”

Wesker glared at him.

William sighed like an indignant teenager. “Fiiiine.”

“Here you are, sir!” came the bubbly voice of their waitress, and she sat Wesker’s coffee in front of him. She then quickly presented William with a wide smile. “Dr. Birkin, you too? Do you want your usual?”

“Nah, Al’s paying today. So get me three orders of biscuits and sausage gravy, an everything bagel with avocado, a Spanish omelet, a side order of bacon, and a large triple shot caramel latte with extra whipped cream. Oooh actually, add another shot to that because I’m beat.”

“You got it, Doctor! I’ll get that out to you pronto.”

Wesker glared at William after the waitress bounded away, although Roth was left looking a little confused.

“What?” Will asked. “I’m hungry. Plus, I have a family to feed. You just keep drinking your sad black coffee, my friend. It will never be as black as your soul.”

“Actually, I am drinking a macchiato.”

“Aw, look at you giving yourself a little light. I knew Claire would be good for you!”

“Wait. Claire Redfield is still alive?” Roth asked.

Both Wesker and William broke off their repartee to glare at the info broker at the same time. He had unceremoniously readjusted their focus. Roth quickly regretted asking, as Wesker’s glare alone could kill.

“Why do you care, Aaron?” Will asked.

The information broker, calm and sly, lightly shrugged, feigning skepticism. “I just figured she’d long served her purpose by now.”

Such a clever rat.

Wesker scratched the top of his hand, an unspoken, discreet message to William. “What else do you have for us? Good news, I hope?”

Roth slowly nodded after swallowing. “Yes…She has agreed to meet you both. Unfortunately, the arrangements are a little tight because of her schedule. In two weeks. It’s the only time I could secure from her. But if you’re wanting to get info on her secret project and any of her other dirty little secrets, I suggest you take advantage post haste. I’ve already spoken with Alex and she has Daniel on board to help.”

“Two weeks?! There’s no way!” William grumbled. “You couldn’t make it in a month or so?”

The broker shook his head. “Dr. Henry is of noble blood. Very proud. Very secretive. Quite powerful and influential. She’s also quite fickle. She usually only gives out opportunities like this once. I highly suggest you take it while it stands, or you might lose her as an ally completely.”

“It won’t be an issue,” Wesker calmly added.

“Speak for yourself, I’m way busier than you!” Will scoffed.

“If I may,” Roth cleared his throat. “Will this not catch the attention of those above you? A UID agent and the Chief Researcher going on a trip to Paris to meet one of Umbrella Europe’s executives? Surely that will catch Spencer’s attention?”

William frowned and looked at Wesker, who didn’t even blink, but merely passed Roth a condescending smile. “I appreciate your ‘concern’, Aaron, but I already have it resolved.”

“Of course you do.” Both Roth and William said in unison, only to give each other weird looks.

“Proceed forward and tell Daniel to contact me. We’ll be there.” Wesker smirked. “It will be a pleasure to finally meet Christine Henry in person.”

Roth dipped his head and rose. “I’ll get it done.”

The info broker left without another word. William watched him depart completely from the café while Wesker took a long drink of his coffee.

“Such a good, obedient little puppy,” Will scoffed. “Until he shits in our shoes.”

Wesker smacked him with the envelope. “Stop your caviling.”

His partner took the envelope and stood just about the time their waitress returned with William’s order.

“Here’s your food all bagged up and your caramel latte with four shots of espresso! You might have a hard time sleeping tonight.” She giggled.

“Sleep? What’s that?” Will joked and winked at her. “Thanks, doll. Come on, Captain, let’s go!”

Wesker yawned and followed William out to his car. After the Chief Researcher secured his food on the back floorboard, he slid behind the wheel while Wesker waited in the passenger seat. Wesker finished his coffee while his partner took the time to go through the documents inside the envelope.

“Hmm, so after nearly a decade of impasse, it seems their ‘Nemesis Project’ has finally been redeveloped. You know, I met Henry briefly when Spencer imported one of their Nemesis Alpha parasites a decade ago. Remember that trip I made to Paris with Spencer like a week after we filled Marcus full of holes? Anyway, her father was in charge then. And since there were no BOWs at the time that could survive the parasite, I took the liberty of implanting it into Lisa. I got my beloved G-Virus out of it! I can only imagine what these new parasites could do if injected into Lisa now…But it seems they plan on implanting them into the next-generation T-103 Tyrants they want to mass produce on Sheena Island. They don’t even have the bugs worked out of the Epsilon strain or the T-002! Cart before the horse much?”

“They wish to test the T-002 on live combatants and use the data towards the final improvements for the new models. That is nothing new,” Wesker explained. “It will be machine versus organism in the coming months on which project will helm Phase Three and determine the future of the Tyrant line.”

“My money’s on this bad boy,” William replied with a child-like grin, staring at the prototype’s design in his lap. “Such intelligence! And look at that artillery!”

“Nature will always prevail,” Wesker agreed.”That is one constant in this world. T-ALOS may have a highly confidential A.I. nexus, but its advantages do not outweigh its disadvantages compared to the Nemesis Alpha parasites.”

“I do spot an error in this blueprint, though.” Will tapped the diagram. “Given how the parasite grows and attaches itself to the central nervous system and brain, I highly predict the cranial and facial tissues will have to be stapled or stretched. He won’t be this pretty.”

“What does that matter?”

“It doesn’t. I'm just pre-bragging how I’ll be right. You’ll see.”

“I will get in contact with Ada. She can come along with us and oversee Daniel.”

“Um…isn’t she on assignment in South America?”

Wesker frowned. He’d been so busy these past few weeks it had slipped his mind. He thought it over. “Alex is also unavailable. It would be in our best interest to have someone else we can trust on this trip. Unfortunately, we might just have to make do with Daniel.”

“Hey, didn’t you say Claire speaks French?”

That’s all it took for Wesker’s brain to do what it did best. Calculate, plot, scheme, orchestrate…

In that same moment, his phone dinged, and a familiar name read across the screen. Claire, sending him another text in response from earlier.

I’ll be there.

Wesker stared at the words, his lips spreading into a wide, devilish grin.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #albert wesker #claire redfield #claire x wesker #clairexwesker #chris x jill #chris redfield #jill valentine #william birkin #sherry birkin #my writing #ao3 fanfic

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rainbinni · 1 year

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Published books recommendations 📚

Here are some of the best books I’ve read so far. I have a lot more to read so I’ll probably made other posts. Let me know your favorite books so I can read it ;)

!! All of those books content strong and mature language !!

Off campus serie - Elle Kennedy [5 books] (Young adult)

The deal (Garett & Hannah) [400 pages] The mistake (Logan & Grace) [336 pages] The score (Dean & Ally) [384 pages] The goal (Tuck & Sabrina) [384 pages] The legacy (everyone) [337 pages]

Follow the stories of four hockey players roommates and their sex/love life. Each books are about one of the roommates except the last who reunited everyone.

Briar university series - Elle Kennedy [4 books] (young adults)

The chase (Fitz & Summer) [368 pages] The risk (Brenna & Jake) [408 pages] The play (Hunter & Demi) [400 pages] The dare (Conor & Taylor) [336 pages]

This four books are the following stories of the off campus series. It’s about four roommates (2 girls 2 boys) who moved in the house of the off campus roommates (who leaved after graduation)

Twisted serie - Ana Huang [4 books] (young adults)

Twisted love (Ava & Alex) [343 pages] Twisted game (Bridget & Rhys) [438 pages] Twisted hate (Jules & Josh) [504 pages] Twisted lies (Stella & Christian) [558 pages]

Those books follow the stories of four best friend and their love life. You can find tropes like e2l, s2l, best friend brother/ brother best friend, bodyguard…

Devil’s night serie - Penelope Douglas [6 books] (Dark romance)

Corrupt (Micheal & Rika) [499 pages] Hideaway (Kai & Banks) [522 pages] Kill switch (Damon & Winter) [638 pages] Conclave [100 pages] Nightfall (Will & Emory) [727 pages] Fire night [95 pages]

30th October. Devil’s night. Their night. Every year the four horsemen put their masks on and pull the best prank on the city without fearing any consequences. Having rich family make them untouchable. Or at least that’s what they thought…

A million kisses in your life time - Monica Murphy [554 pages] (young adults)

At Lancaster Prep, the girls love her. They all want to be her friend. Only Crew see Wren for who she really is. A repressed little virgin who keeps her feelings locked up so tight she’s probably close to bursting. She thinks she’s above us all. Even him. She’s not his type. Until they’re forced to work together in class and realize they might have more things in common than they originally thought. Soon enough he find himself completely obsessed. He will do anything for this girl to make her fall in love with him.

Icebreaker - Hanna Grace [414 pages] (young adults)

Anastasia Allen is a competitive figure skater since she was five years old, a full college scholarship thanks to her place on the Maple Hills skating team, and a schedule that would make even the most driven person weep, Stassie comes to win. No exceptions. Nathan Hawkins has never had a problem he couldn’t solve. As captain of the Maple Hills Titans, he knows the responsibility of keeping the hockey team on the ice rests on his shoulders. When a misunderstanding results in the two teams sharing a rink, and Anastasia’s partner gets hurt in the aftermath, Nate finds himself swapping his stick for tights, and one scary coach for an even scarier one. The pair find themselves stuck together in more ways than one, but it’s fine, because Anastasia doesn’t even like hockey players…right?

#booksbooksbooks #books recommendations #devils night series #off campus #briar u #icebreaker #a million kisses in your lifetime #twisted series #smut #fluff #angts #e2l #fake dating #fwb dating #there’s only one bed #and a lot more but I’m too lazy too right everything

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chromiumagellanic06 · 1 year

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The Silver Knight: Warrior, Princess, Wife

Daemon Targaryen/Original Fem [Targaryen] Character

Chapter 1: A Summons

MASTERLIST

Summary: Princess Naera Targaryen, younger sister of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, is summoned back to King's Landing after several years spent in Essos.

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: nothing, really

Note: It can very easily be read as an x reader fanfic, guys. Send comments either here, or on AO3

All rights go to GRRM, the creators of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Image credits to Pinterest and the respective owners.

Naera did not like the sea. She preferred the skies.

Yet, obligations were obligations, and appearing before the Court when summoned was necessary. It was necessary to her, however, to spite her father by appearing as late as possible, or reasonable. So, she danced from free city to free city, port to the harbour, finding a sane way to delay her arrival just by another day, if it ensured she have the last word.

From Naath, there was a direct ship to King’s Landing with a stop at nightfall by the Sunspear. She would have taken that ship, but, oh, she could hardly spend more than a moment in Dorne, she was sure before she would be saddened by the memories it brought her.

So, she took a different ship, one headed towards Mereen, and there, she refused one for Volantis, instead opting for one that went to Yunkai, and then, she sailed for Braavos, where she spent half a year in the House of Black and White—not at all by her own choice, of course, before she sailed back to Volantis, smuggled a slave whore out and spent the rest of her journey to Dragonstone in her embrace. She had been fun until she tried stealing from her.

She left her shortly before arriving at Dragonstone and flew her way to King’s Landing. She wouldn’t want to make her father wait, of course. She wondered what he wished to tell her, something he doesn’t think will offend or bother her, so it probably will offend and bother her, but she couldn’t presume. He could be proposing another matter of marriage for political gain, or perhaps he meant to question her on her journeys. It could be anything. Now that she was back in court, there was much to be done.

Many people do not struggle to find faults in the ways the Valyrians, and by extension, the Tararyens, lived their lives. People are almost eager to express their disgust at their “inhuman and incestuous” ways of marriage and tradition, but it is important to remember the unofficial words of the Targaryens, that read true even to their ancestors of Essos, that “Targaryens, like their dragons, answered to neither gods, nor men.”

One may argue that it is right that they do not. In fact, who was ever willing to stand up to them? No god, old or new, had ever scorned the Targaryens during their long and sometimes bloody reign over Westeros, but some followers of the Religion of the Lord of Light in Essos, particularly in Asshai, tend to credit the Doom of Old Valyria as the outcome of their gods’ fury over their “inhuman and incestuous” ways. But, the Doom isn’t relevant to this story, and thus, it shan’t be discussed in length.

The Targaryens were a dynasty descended from the greatest civilisation in the world, and their kings oft ruled with the same grace and servitude as is expected. That is not true for all their rulers, however, as a single mention of Maegor the Cruel, son of Visenya, dismisses any claims that the Targaryen reign was a peaceful one.

The subject of this documentation revolves around the reign of King Viserys of the House Targaryen, First of His Name, King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar (though, one may make an argument that considering the majority of the Rhoynar population is concentrated in the territory of Dorne, which is not a part of the Seven Kingdoms as of yet, the titling of the King as the Ruler of the Rhoynars is as true as calling him the King of Volantis, as a minuscule fraction of his true subjects were Volantean), and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms (In reality, Six) and Protector of the Realm, and the troublesome matter of his successorship.

When King Jaehaerys Targaryen, First of his Name, also known as the Old King during the final years of his reign, lost his son, heir and hand, Prince Baelon, he had appointed a Great Council, in the year 101AC, to settle the dispute over his succession. The Great Council’s decision had been followed in the year 103 AC, when the Old King perished, putting the Old King’s nephew, Viserys, over his daughter, Princess Rhaenys.

King Viserys was, by all accounts and evidence, a quiet and traditional man, who loved his family very much. His younger brother, Prince Daemon, was a constant source of frustration for him, but he refused to let his deeds shadow the pact of fire and blood between the brothers. With his first wife, Queen Aemma, King Viserys had two daughters, Princess Rhaenerya, who he later named heir to scorn his brother, and Princess Naera, who better donned the title of Knight than she did princess.

- An excerpt from ‘The Silver Knight: Warrior, Princess, Wife’

by Maester Creyolin of the Citadel

Naera was dressed in white, her silver armour gleaming in the noon sun, her silver-white cape fluttering in the breeze when she stepped into the Red Keep. She walked slowly, sauntering, delaying and stalling, as she made conversation with wet nurses and maids, several of whom rushed away at her words and stares, and was even staring out a window, out to the shit-stained streets of King’s Landing, before a Kingsguard was sent to ‘escort’ her to the Throne Room.

His name was Redmond, she learned, Ser Redmond. He had a head full of blond hair and clever green eyes that squinted when observing something in the distance. He was a reader, then, or perhaps damaged his eyes in some other way. It didn’t matter, Naera decided, when Redmond began staring at her armour with a look that neared disdain.

She wouldn’t make a friend of him, then, because she knew that look very well. She also knew his thoughts. Pretentious bitch, he thought, probably, acting as though you earned it when you know you haven’t.

Naera smiled at him, “Would you spar with me later on?” This always caught them off-guard. They reached the door to the Throne Room, the quiet murmuring of people inside making Naera frown. More, and more curious. What did her father want this time?

“Indeed, princess,” Redmond answered after a beat.

“Oh, there’s no need for formalities—Naera is fine. At dawn, tomorrow, then?” She smiled, a thing of dazzle and charm, with the way her eyes crinkled despite her young age.

Redmond smiled politely, hesitantly, his eyes wandering—fake. Naera pulled at the door handles softly, and walked in.

Throughout her life, Princess Naera earned herself many titles, the White Night, the Princess of Dragonstone, the Wanderer of Asshai, the Silver Queen of Highgarden, and much, much more. Her journey through life began on less than glorious terms.

After the death of her mother, Queen Aemma, her father’s second wife, Alicent Hightower, insisted that King Viserys send Princess Naera to Dorne as a way to heal the rift between Dorne and the remaining kingdoms. This was probably for Queen Alicent’s personal gain, as the young Princess Naera had been very hostile towards the Queen, even more so than her childhood friend, Princess Rhaenyra.

King Viserys agreed and sent Princess Naera to spend her youth in Dorne, set to wed the future Prince of Dorne, Prince Raiden Martell. During her time in Dorne, Naera had transformed from the little girl who hid behind the walls of the Red Keep to a lady warrior, having mastered every style from the lance to the water dance. She had been knighted by the reigning Prince of Dorne at the age of sixteen and her knighthood had been recognised by her father, King Viserys I, who proudly proclaimed her the “Second Visenya.”

As a knight, Naera often partook in tourneys and jousts, and although the tourneys of Dorne were far more violent than the ones she had witnessed in King’s Landing, she emerged victorious more often than not. With her white hair and silver armour, her white capes and her silver weapons, she quickly came to be known as the ‘Silver Knight of Westeros’. Adding to that moniker was her dragon with which she had been bonded since birth—Wisetone, a sun-white scaled dragon with a calm temperament to match her calculated, though oft impulsive also, self.

By all accounts, and none more convincing than her many, many letters to Princess Rhaenyra, Princess Naera had been very happy with Prince Raiden, often mentioning how he loved spending time with her in the Water Gardens, writing, “He combs through my hair as I read to him, the feats of Baelon the Dread, or the trade routes in Astapor…” She also wrote, “His eyes enamour me, and he sings to me every dusk—he never bores, though I do not know how.”

The princess also records her losing her maidenhead to Prince Raiden long before their marriage, the deed rumoured to have taken place on the “most ordinary of days and nights, when nothing was strange, not even the moans of a Targaryen princess in Sunspear”, as spoken by the Dornish Court’s fool.

Tragedy struck early, however, when just days before they were to travel to King’s Landing for their royal wedding, Prince Raiden fell ill and died, well within a fortnight. Several in Dorne had the suspicion that King Viserys had commanded his daughter to poison the Prince, but other accounts suggest that Princess Naera had been far too consumed by grief to have done it. There are a few who suggest, strangely, that Naera had taken it upon herself to end the life of Prince Raiden because she grew weary of his calm and “fairy-talesque” personality, wanting someone who could challenge the fire and blood within her instead.

No definitive evidence proves any of the above-noted suspicions, however, it is curious how at the tender age of Eighteen, simply months after her intended’s death, she rode upon her Dragon, Wisetone, and fled to Essos.

In a letter to her sister prior to her departure, Princess Naera wrote that her reason for her journey to Essos was “to grieve, for no cause and no reason can be purer held than that borne out of pain, dear sister”.

Her journeys in Essos are far better recorded by her, in her journals stored at the Citadel in Oldtown, appropriately titled, Times in Essos, by Princess Naera Targaryen, published across seven volumes featuring her adventures in Volantis, Slaver’s Bay, Qarth, the Dothraki’s Grass Sea, Asshai and the Shadowlands, Lys and Naath, as well as her final journey in Essos, which in fact took place years after her return to King’s Landing, to Valyria.

Each of these volumes is heavy with detailed writings of the climate, vegetation, fauna and societies, as well as customs, of the places she visited. Her journal of Valyria, though at times deranged and misleading, provides some of the only knowledge of the vegetation of Old Valyria possessed by the world, consisting of the proper diagrams and descriptions expected of a scholar, which she was revered as.

In her personal diaries and letters to acquaintances around Essos and Westeros, she detailed a string of love affairs she had undergone, ranging from a Dothraki warlord to a sweet noblewoman, daughter of a wealthy Yunkish merchant. When word of her endeavours reached the Westerosi court, however, Queen Alicent Hightower was outraged, insisting upon Princess Naera’s behaviour as being destructive of the reputation of House Targaryen. While the King and his appointed Heir, Princess Rhaenyra, were not particularly bothered by her deeds, King Viserys had been convinced by his second wife to remove Princess Naera from the line of succession, something largely fought against by the Blacks. Princess Naera, however, did not learn of this ordeal until years after, when she returned to King’s Landing,

Princess Naera never truly ‘fled’ from her family, instead keeping her sister well informed of where she went and what she did, and she even wrote to her father, over a dozen times, though he never did respond. Her journey in Naath was cut short by an imperial order sent for her, commanding her to return to court effective immediately, and with full honours. She was furious.

Thus, it is understandable why Princess Naera, who had written to her father of her journeys, to her sister of her triumphs against Dothraki Bloodriders in the Great Grass Sea, or against revered slave-soldiers in the fighting pits of Mereen, and had never received a response from the first, but had been suddenly, unexpectedly, ordered to return to King’s Landing, a city she couldn’t even call home, for no cause explained, reacted as she did.

Princess Naera delayed her journey by several days by taking backwater routes and unnecessary detours. In the end, she arrived in King’s Landing nearly a year after she had been summoned, when the journey should have taken no longer than a fortnight.

Upon her arrival, however, her ire grew.

- An excerpt from ‘The Silver Knight: Warrior, Princess, Wife’

by Maester Creyolin of the Citadel

Her shoes hammered against the marble floors of the throne room, dozens of people within going silent as she walked. Her father sat on the throne of swords, his face contorted in tire and body withering with age. A brown-haired woman, dressed in lavish green and gold stood by his side—Alicent Hightower, as did another woman, her hair white and pure, her eyes lilac and smiling—Rhaenyra.

Naera approached the steps before the throne, two White-cloaks, Kingsguards, standing on either side, hands ready at the hilts of their swords, ready to protect the royal Family. Had they forgotten that she was the Royal family?

“Your grace,” Naera addressed with narrowed eyes, a part of her anticipating fury, or abhorrence, but nothing in between. King Viserys raised his chin on his hand, bandaged in a shade of linen matching his skin. The bandaging looked fresh, changed recently.

“What took you so long?” He asked, baffled, eyes wide and fingers outstretched. A flash of a smile bloomed into a grin. Father. He walked down the steps to the throne, examining her with a teasing eye. “My daughter,” he rested his hands on her shoulders, on her cold armour, “You have grown.”

“Considering that you last saw me when I was, well, twelve, I suppose that I have.” Naera smiled back, “you have aged.” King Viserys laughed, something that reversed his life a decade or two, and embraced his daughter.

“Princess Naera Targaryen, the Silver Knight,” said Viserys, “my daughter, how have you been?” Naera smiled, something of joy and recognition, definitely of pride and achievement bursting through her at her father calling her by the name she had earned.

“I believe that there will be plenty of time for that later, your grace,” Alicent interrupted the moment, granting Naera a diplomatic smile, one devoid of any meaning. “You should tell your daughter why she has been summoned,” Alicent smiled again, but there was joy in this smile. It made Naera’s skin crawl.

She stared back at her father, who glanced off at meeting her eyes. His hands dropped from her shoulders, as did his smile from his lips. Father, Naera wanted to sigh. She couldn’t.

“There will be time for that, your grace,” Rhaenyra interrupted, sensing the sudden tension that engulfed them. Naera narrowed her eyes at Alicent, knowing full well that the only reason behind her pressuring her father to reveal his intentions in court was to illicit a response out of her. Whatever their plans were, she wasn’t going to like them. “I believe Princess Naera is exhausted after her journey.”

“Yes, you are right,” Her father beamed again, “We shall dine in my solar tonight, that shall be for the best,”

The political scene Princess Naera returned to, after most of her childhood spent in the liberal calm of Dorne, and all her adulthood in the free lands of Essos was one of tricks and deceit. During her long conversation with her sister upon returning, Princess Naera learned of the sharp divide the noble lords and court officers had classified themselves with—the Greens, supporting Queen Alicent’s claim that her son, Prince Aegon, was the better heir to the Iron Throne, and the Blacks, supported Princess Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, which had been formally ratified by the King also. She learned of the controversy around Princess Rhaenyra’s children, though her sister did not admit to having had an affair. She wrote, in a journal entry that afternoon, “Rhaenyra lies, I can tell—but I do not fault her.”

One crucial thing she had learned was that she had been removed from the line of succession, but by all accounts, the Princess did not agonize over it, nor did she blame her father for his decision. She only stated to her old friends from King's Landing, such as Lady Elysabeth Tyrell, in a letter, that she “had no need or want for the throne.”

The first few hours she spent in Westeros were enough for her to acclimate herself to the society, as she had spent years doing just so in the free cities. She left behind her armour and weapons and donned the obvious black and red of her house when the royal family convened for the family dinner.

MASTERLIST

#daemon targeryan #original female character #house targaryen #house of the dragon #daemon x oc #daemon smut #daemon targaryen smut #team black #house martell #dance of dragons #melisandre of asshai #melisandre #daemon x y/n #daenerys targeryan #azor ahai #dreams #fanfiction #archive of our own

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melonthesprigatito · 4 months

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Before Legends Arceus came out (so, two years ago whoops) I started coming up with my own Hisuian Ancestor and I spent a lot of time brainstorming (cough, cough daydreaming) about a hypothetical scenario of what their encounter would be like in the actual game. I tried to make it realistic as possible by making it seem like an actual event that could happen in the game, and the one thing I have to say is that it serves as the obligatory "Spooky Encounter" that's been in pretty much every Pokémon game since the Old Chateau.

I'm not going to tell you which character is the descendant of this ancestor just yet, because the story is better if you don't immediately know what's going on. All I can say is that this ancestor is the ancestor of a Gen 7 character.

The quest is intended to be more of a post game thing because it eventually leads into an Ultra Beast catching quest involving the space time distortions (which isn't the main focus, more of a bonus quest really). Think of it as a second update story quest like the Daybreak Update. I'm just going to call this entire thing the Nightfall Update I guess.

To start the story quest you have to buy a special charm called the Otherworldly Charm from Lucille in Jubilife Village. Item description: ("A Mysterious charm made of an unknown material, discovered in Obsidian Fieldlands. It bears an inscription of a six pointed star. Perhaps something will happen if you keep it around.") Why does she have this? Oh, she just found it lying out there in the field and thought it looked neat. Someone must have dropped it.

After you complete your expedition for the day, a short cutscene will occur. A random merchant from the Ginkgo Guild is making his way though the forest when he suddenly hears a noise behind him. He looks around, but it's completely silent.

All of a sudden the merchant gets ambushed by the Miss Fortune Sisters. Unable to defend himself, he has no choice but to drop his goods and run. The bandits laugh among themselves at the successful robbery. They're still pissed that their scheme to steal the Origin Ore went up in smoke and they're just SOOO frustrated that the Player (in my case Akari) keeps absolutely destroying them in battle so this ambush was a morale boost for them.

Suddenly they hear a noise. Clover suspects it's another poor defenceless merchant unfortunate enough to cross paths with them, about to be robbed blind. A mysterious hooded, deathly pale figure with glowing eyes watches them from the treeline. The bandits are unnerved but launch into their motto anyway, because they're idiots, but become highly offended when the figure doesn't respond or show any sign of emotion at all. How dare they not acknowledge their perfectly rehearsed intro that strikes fear into people's hearts?! Coin says "Forget this, let's just rob them!" and lunges at the ghostly figure and she instantly gets hit with a blast of lightning coming from the figure's hand.

The screen goes black and it cuts to the beginning of the quest.

Quest [Insert Number Here Because I Forgot How Many Quests Are In This Game]: The Witch of the Woods

The sidequest continues when you talk to Ginter from the Ginkgo Guild. He is upset because some of the guild's merchants have been suffering from an increased number of attacks from bandits and supplies in the village have started mysteriously vanishing. At the same time, people have spotted a mysterious pale figure sneaking about Jubilife Village in the dead of night, stealing items such as food and clothing and rumours have started to spread around that it might be the evil witch that supposedly lives in a dark cave, deep in the woods at the edge of the Obsidian Fields which has gotten everyone in a panic because they're afraid that the witch might go after their children next.

Ginter doesn't believe in witches so he suspects that this supposed witch might be behind the thefts of the Ginkgo Guild stock, so he wants the player to look into the rumours and put a stop to them. At this point Zisu approaches them because she's heard ALL about this wicked witch and is really eager to join the investigation. As the Captain of the Security Corps, she feels that it's her duty to defend Jubilife Village from any threat so she wants to look into the rumours about this supposed witch so she can come up with a plan to defend the village from them if she needs to.

Current objective: Investigate the rumours in Jubilife Village (I'm using these quest objectives as a way to break up the giant wall of text. I can't remeember if the quest objective does update as you progress because I haven't played in months but whatever)

So Zisu tags along with the player and they start asking around Jubilife Village about the witch to gain more insight into the rumours. Several people recount different bits of information, but the most damning evidence is a tale from one farmer in particular who tells them a story about how one night when he was working in the fields, a big hole opened up in the sky, and what came out of it was this inhumanly pale woman with glowing eyes that spoke in a language he didn't understand. The farmer had the everloving crap scared out of him because he was convinced that this woman was an evil being that emerged from the underworld (a kid friendly way of saying that he thought it was a demon from hell) so he gathered some of the other villagers and they chased the witch off into Necro Forest.

Zisu is excited because "Sweet! Now we have enough evidence! Let's go investigate that forest then!"

Current objective: Head to the Necro Forest, north of the Obsidian Fieldands

What happens next is an escort mission where the player has to take Zisu across the Obsidian Fieldlands by fending off any wild Pokémon to a new area unlocked exclusively by this quest called the Necro Forest (Eterna Forest in the modern day) which is filled with Ghost Types. The background music is the Night Time Field theme no matter what time of day it is, or maybe a remix of the Old Chateau theme.

Later the Miss Fortune Bandits are encountered in the Necro Forest and they're running for their lives as they crash into Akari Barry Style (Charm dragging a paralysed Coin behind her). Charm is immediately aggressive but resists the temptation to battle Akari, especially because she's accompanied by the head of the Security Corps. Zisu asks what happened to Coin, and Clover freaks out about a witch in the woods that casted a lightning spell on Coin.

Akari wants to help Coin but the other two bandits are vehemently opposed to accepting help from some "Galaxy grunts." So Zisu purposefully drops a Cheri Berry on the ground and is like "Oh noooo, I dropped my berry! It would be a shame if it got stolen by bandits!" and Clover begrudgingly "steals" it, and the flee the scene, saying that you'd have to be stupid to go after the witch.

Eventually the Player and Zisu reach the cave which is supposedly the witch's home and at first Zisu doesn't want to go in because she's been pretty spooked the whole time in the forest, then she tries to play it off like she's not scared at all "What? I'm not f-f-frightened or anything! Let's just go!" then she dashes into the cave.

Current objective: Explore the Necro Cavern!

There is no cave in modern day Eterna Forest. The idea is that the land was dug into and smoothed out in order to build the Old Chateau on top of it. Its a small cave with a suspicious lack of Pokémon inside. The music is the cave theme that only appeared in the cave with the torches that you pass though with Ingo. I dunno, I just think that theme should have played in more than one location.

At the end of the cave, they discover an open chamber filled with signs that it's been lived in, such as scraps of food and clothing lying everywhere as well as a makeshift bed on the floor. Zisu finds the stolen merchandise in the far end of the chamber and runs towards it, while the player notices some weird looking metal things lying in the corner. Zisu comes screaming in the opposite direction "IT'S HER! IT'S THE WITCH!" and immediately uses the player as a human shield. The player turns to see a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, orange pupils with silvery blue irises. As well as the eyes, she has weirdly pale blue skin and she's wearing a stolen dark green torn cloak over some sort of dirty grey and blue futuristic clothing. Her hair is an absolute mess, riddled with sticks and leaves and she has sun burns all over her face.

All in all, she does look like some sort of evil forest witch, and she's started to freak out about the intruders, showing a particularly negative reaction to Zisu in particular and Akari gets dragged into a Pokémon battle. The witch sends out a Poipole aka a Pokémon that no-one in Hisui has ever seen before, and honestly if the player has any Psychic or Ground Types it gets defeated very easily.

After the battle, the witch is still freaking out, but now she just seems more terrified and upset. She quickly grabs a stick and starts brandishing it at Zisu, trying to scare her off. Zisu squeals like a little girl because she thinks the witch is waving some sort of magic wand at them but Akari puts herself between her and the witch and tries to diffuse the situation.

Nothing seems to be working until Akari has the idea to show her the Otherworldly Charm in case it belongs to her because the charm resembles the other strange metallic objects in the cave.

Akari holds the charm out as a peace offering and the woman recognising the charm, hurriedly snatches it out of the Akari's hands and backs away again. It finally hits Zisu that she's not a witch at all, just a really strange looking desperate woman.

The witch calms down a little because now she knows they're not a threat since they're not attacking her and the Player was kind enough to give her the charm back, but she's still really uneasy.

Zisu tries to ask her who she is and what she's doing here, but she doesn't understand a single thing she's saying. The woman shakes her head and tries to respond and it becomes very clear that the woman doesn't speak the Hisuian language at all and Zisu doesn't recognize the language she speaks either.

Zisu is perplexed at how they're supposed to help her when there's a language barrier, but she decides that at least they should tell her their names and try to get across that they want to help her in some way.

Zisu points at herself and says "Zisu", then she points at the player and says "Akari" (or whatever name you picked for your player) and the woman is confused at first, but then she catches on to what she's trying to say, so she points at herself and says "Hijiki."

Hijiki frowns for a moment until she suddenly decides to do charades to try to communicate with them. She mimes writing in a notepad and Zisu grabs a pen and a notepad from her bag and hands it to her.

Hijiki finds it way easier to communicate with drawings so after a while she flips the notepad over again to show them.

The first drawing is an image of a sad face and some strange device that has smoke coming out of it. Zisu is confused and Hijiki gets frustrated and points at the pile of metal objects. She walks over and grabs a small device from the pile and Zisu acknowledges that it even though she has no idea what it is, it looks very broken.

The second image is a crude drawing of several Pokémon: Luxray, Raichu, Electabuzz and Jolteon, surrounded by lightning bolts.

The third image is of lightning striking the device, making it look shiny and new, with a picture of a smiley face beside it.

Zisu is still confused but she deduces that Hijiki needs the Pokémon in the image to fix whatever her strange device is. The idea is that she needs electricity to charge her device again and it's up to the player to go out and catch these Pokémon and bring them back to her. Zisu decides to stay with Hijiki DEFINITELY not because she doesn't want to go back into the forest again, no sirree, she has to protect Hijiki and although Hijiki doesn't want her to stay with her, it's not like she can speak up and object so she just stays silent and anxious.

Current Objective: Catch the Pokémon from Hijiki's drawings and bring them back to her.

One catching quest later, the Player gives Hijiki the Pokémon and she starts tinkering on her device with whatever tools she has on her. The Pokémon strike her device with lightning and when she's finished, she attaches the device to her belt and has a distinctly relieved look on her face.

The device gets switched on and immediately Hijiki starts to speak English (well, the text is English, but in universe she's speaking whatever language the Hisuians speak), much to Zisu's shock. The device she fixed was a universal translator and she's so glad that she can finally explain herself she doesn't have to keep producing those terrible drawings with her embarrassing lack of art skills.

And with that, the truth finally comes out and the mystery is solved. Hijiki explains that she's from another dimension called Ultra Megalopolis and she and her Poipole fell into this dimension through an Ultra Wormhole. She lost most of her memories and woke up scared and alone in the Obsidian Fields, having no idea where she was. When she spotted civilisation, she tried to get help but because of her appearance and the language barrier, she got chased off and fled for her life into the Necro Forest. Because of how badly the first contact went, she assumed that the inhabitants of this world were extremely hostile, (hence why she attacked them on site) so she created a shelter for herself inside a cave to hide from them.

She then explains that there is no natural light in her world, so it was impossible for her to travel outside of the cave during the day because she got blinded and burned by the harsh sunlight. All she has is the clothes on her back and a few gadgets and tools that were in her backpack, so in order to survive she had no choice but to ambush passing merchants venture into Jubilife Village at night when it was dark and where no one could see her so she could steal supplies for herself.

She's very sorry that she had to steal from the Ginkgo Guild because stealing is a crime in her world as well. She didn't mean to scare anyone and she really wishes she didn't have to live in the wild anymore but she's too afraid of being attacked by the villagers again to try to ask for help.

Zisu is very shocked and saddened by Hijiki's story, and after a few moments be asks her if she wants her to escort her back to Jubilife Village. Hijiki doesn't want to because she'll get attacked, but then Zisu says "No you won't! I'm the Captain of the Security Corps. Everyone trusts me to keep the village safe, so if I say that something is not a threat, they'll listen to what o have to say, so I'll clear up the misunderstanding for you!"

Hijiki is still sceptical. She finds it hard to believe that the villagers will accept her just like that, so Zisu sighs and says "Maybe we should report to Commander Kamado about the situation, and give the village a heads up first?"

Hijiki thinks that's fair enough. She's willing to wait in her cave for the Akari and Zisu to come back for her.

Current objective: Report back to Captain Kamado!

Zisu and Akari have a meeting with Ginter, and Commander Kamado to discuss their findings. Firstly Zisu reassures Kamado that there's no threat to the village. The witch of the woods was really a faller from another world like Akari and Warden Ingo and one of the Pearl Clan's Wardens. She was driven to stealing for survival after the villagers attacked her and drove her away even though she was lost and confused, and most likely in pain from the suburns.

Kamado is incredulous when Zisu tries to argue that they should take her in. Kamado is against inviting Hijiki to stay in the village. Akari is already on thin ice about being allowed to stay and the villagers only tolerate her because she's been busy quelling the frenzied nobles and slowly earning their trust. To invite someone who's KNOWN TO BE A WITCH would be disastrous. Zisu insists that Hijiki isn't magical, she just has some gizmos from her world that haven't been invented in this world so they only seem like magic. She tries bringing up the Pokéball, it looks like magic too but it's really just an ordinary object.

But Kamado is firm in his decision, even if Hijiki does have technology that seems like magic, what if she were to use her technology against the village? And some of the most superstitious villagers wouldn't accept that she's not dangerous and would still consider her to be a bad omen. Letting Hijiki stay would be too much of a risk.

Zisu is worried and disappointed. Even though she was one of the people who was terrified of the forest witch, now that she's discovered that she's actually an innocent person who's suffering hard, she feels absolutely horrible that they can't do anything help her. Zisu decides that they should at least head back to Hijiki's shelter and tell her what Kamado said. Maybe they could formulate a different plan, maybe the Diamond Clan or Pearl Clan could take her in instead?

Akari and Zisu return to the shelter to find it completely ransacked and Hijiki is nowhere to be found. Zisu finds a ransom note among the rocks. Turns out that the Miss Fortune Sisters had been spying on them ever since they bumped into them. After they found out that Hijiki wasn't really a witch, they wanted to take revenge on her for attacking Coin, so they kidnapped her and stole all her technology. Seeing an opportunity to spite Akari as well, they wrote on the ransom note that they took Hijiki further north to the Alabaster Icelands. If she wants to get Hijiki back she has to go the ice caverns in the Bonechill Wastes.

Zisu is outraged, but warns Akari that it's most definitely a trap. The Miss Fortune Sisters are most likely using Hijiki as bait to lure her into an ambush far away from where she can get help, and they're probably intending to leave her to die in the frozen wastes. But Akari wants to go save Hijiki anyway so Zisu decides to head back to the village to rally some of the Security Corps as backup and tells Akari that she'll meet her in the Icelands.

Current objective: Chase after the Miss Fortune Sisters!

Meanwhile, Hijiki has been thrown into the the ice pit in the Bonechill Wastes and the Miss Fortune Sisters are currently occupied. Clover is whining about how cold it is as Charm and Coin go through Hijiki's belongings.

She had things like her taser, an aura scanner, a GPS, an Ultra Smartphone etc but they can't figure out how any of them work or what they're used for. Clover is whining about all the effort they put in ended up being for nothing because everything "the witch" has is useless junk, but Charm snaps at her. At least they might be able to sell this overworldly technology on the black market after all. Coin isn't convinced. Who would buy useless garbage that don't work?

Coin starts threatening Hijiki into telling them how to use her gadgets, or else she'll sicc Toxicroak on her, but there's just a slight hiccup. Hijiki is unable to understand what they're saying because they took her translator away so all she does is stare blankly at them. All three of them are oblivious to the fact that Hijiki can't speak Hisuian at all, and that they all sound like nothing but enraged gibberish to her.

All this really does is piss them off. Clover starts yelling at her again, just completely exasperated and baffled. She's literally being held captive by bandits and tossed into an ice pit, probably freezing to death. How could she possibly feel so blasé about it????? Does she not realise the situation she's in right now??? Coin has had enough and decides to let Toxicroak attack Hijiki anyway. If they can't get any use out of her things, at least she'll be able to get payback for the "lightning strike"

At that moment, Akari shows up just in time. The Miss Fortune Sisters do their motto and start evil motive-ing about how THIS TIME for sure they'll win against Akari and leave her to perish in the ice forever. This time they're going to attack her with all three of their Pokémon at once instead of one at a time like the last few fights and overwhelm her with numbers.

Charm and Clover release their Pokémon and instead of joining in, Coin decides to sit it out. She tells the other two that she's still going to attack the witch with Toxicroak and that they could stall Akari long enough to let Toxicroak get enough hits in. Charm and Clover start arguing with her because that was NOT the plan, but Coin just tells them to shut up.

Charm and Clover go 3 Vs 1 as Toxicroak attacks Hijiki, with Charm substituting Toxicroak with her Rhydon. Akari beats them because of Main Character Plot Armour and Charm goes full villainous breakdown and just decides to attack Akari herself, but then out of nowhere, Hijiki's Poipole breaks out of it's Pokéball and glues the Bandits to a rock. Akari jumps down the ice pit to save Hijiki and you end up battling Toxicroak with Poipole instead of your Pokémon.

With the bandits finally defeated for good, the Security Corps show up to apprehend them. Akari stays with Hijiki who's in a really rough shape. She tried to avoid Toxicroak for as long as she could, but it eventually weared her down, and now she's lying unconscious at the bottom of the pit. Zisu immediately orders the two Medical Corps people to take Hijiki back to the village to get her medical attention. The medics are like "You want us to WHAT-" because that would involve taking THE WITCH TO THE VILLAGE, but Zisu yells at them again and they have no choice but to do what she says.

A day later

Scene transition to a day later and Akari is waiting in Kamado's office. There was quite a uproar in the village when the Security Corps returned with the famous Miss Fortune Sisters somehow stuck to a rock and near mass panic occured when the Med Corps rushed the rumoured witch of the woods to the hospital room in the Galactic Building. Professor Laventon runs in, very upset. He can't get any work done with the noise of that many people crowded around the entrance trying to catch a glimpse of the witch to see if she's really as terrifying as people say she is. Kamado informs him that he already sent Cyllene to get them to leave.

Pesselle arrives from the hospital room to give them an update on Hijiki's condition. They're currently treating her for Toxic poisoning, as well as suburns and eye damage. Pesselle is clearly shaken and explains that she's never seen anyone like Hijiki in her life, she's not even sure that she's human. For starters, her eyes are extremely unnatural looking and she's so deathly pale that her skin looks pale blue. Not to mention that she appears to have bioluminescent eyes and freckles.

She's willing to take Zisu's word that Hijiki is still a normal human from another world, but she wonders what kind of world would have people who are so obviously weakened by sunlight. Kamado thanks her for her help and Pesselle returns to her duties, not before telling her to bring this supposed witch to his office once she's recovered enough.

Professor Laventon talks to Akari about the strange purple Pokémon that was following Hijiki around because he's having trouble identifying what it is. Rei speculates that if the witch is from another world, then maybe the purple Pokémon is too. Laventon nearly explodes with excitement because they have the chance to document a Pokémon from another world! Maybe he could ask the witch if he could have a look at it, which is something he immediately goes to do. Rei runs after him in a panic.

Zisu enters with Ginter. Ginter confirms that they managed to get back some of the things Hijiki stole from the Ginkgo Guild, though obviously things like food couldn't be recovered. Zisu asks if he wants to press any charges, and Ginter considers for a moment before ultimately deciding not to. From the sound of things, Hijiki went through a lot and he would feel terrible if he added to her suffering. Zisu regretfully tells them that the Miss Fortune Sisters got away. After they were freed from the glue, they used a smoke bomb and escaped in the confusion, though she thinks that hopefully the bandits would think twice about confronting Akari again.

A while later, Pesselle brings Hijiki up to Kamado's office and the poor woman is shaking like a leaf, half from because she's still weak and the other half because she's obviously terrified of Kamado. In a scene echoing Akari's first meeting with Kamado, he stares Hijiki down and she loses her nerve instantly, backing away and hiding behind Akari. Pesselle scolds Kamado because this is clearly no way to treat a patient, but he reminds her that this is an outsider he's dealing with, and he must test her by having her face him in combat like he did with Akari.

Hijiki stammers and tries to say that she has no idea how to do that "creature combat thing" that Akari and the bandits did and Kamado clarifies by saying he meant PHYSICAL combat, not a Pokémon battle. Hijiki freaks out because she'd just die if she did that. Kamado retaliates by saying that surely someone who is capable of survived in the wilds and ambushing Ginkgo merchants MUST be able to fight, and if she wants to prove herself, she has to.

Hijiki takes a deep breath and just edges close to him, hesitating to even touch him AAAAAND Kamado throws her. Cut to black with a CRASH! text box and fade back in to see Hijiki flat out unconscious on the floor again. Cue Pesselle totally ripping him a new one, yelling at him about how that was totally unnecessary, why does he always have to do this, has he no shame, as text box after text box hits the screen going by too fast for the player to read.

Zisu helps Hijiki to her feet but she's distressed because Kamado managed to dislodge her translator from her belt so she doesn't understand him when he says that someone so cowardly and unwilling to fight clearly isn't a threat to anyone. Hijiki quickly retrieves her device and turns back to Kamado, saying

Hijiki: "I'm very sorry, my translator fell off. I don't speak in whatever language this is so I couldn't understand any of that. Could you please repeat what you said, sir?"

Zisu: "He said that someone so cowardly and unwilling to fight clearly isn't a threat to anyone."

Hijiki: "Oh…"

Kamado then says that if she wants to stay in Jubilife Village she has to be able to contribute to society, so what skills does she have? Hijiki thinks for a moment because she can't remember much but she does have a vague idea of what her old job. She remembers that she was probably a Poipole handler which is why she has one with her, and she was one of the people tasked with taking care of them as they were typically adopted as companions or to help with construction because of their glue (kinda a Zookeeper/animal shelter worker kind of deal)

Pesselle speaks up and says that it kind of reminds her of the people who look after the Pokémon in the village's pastures. Kamado turns away, thinking about it. He would half to discuss it with Zisu because that falls under the Security Corps jurisdiction. Zisu barges in like "DID SOMEONE SAY SECURITY CORPS?" at that moment and startles everyone. She's 100% on board with letting Hijiki help at the pastures.

Hijiki interrupts, unfortunately she can't work during the day because the sun is straight up harmful to her so she doesn't know how useful she could be. Zisu turns to her and proposes that she'll give her a lodge in exchange for her services at the pasture on the night shift. They're needing more people who can stay up all anyway.

Hijiki is stunned. They wouldn't really do that for her, would they? One encouraging grin from Zisu is all she needs to accept the offer and become a full fledged member of the Security Corps.

Catching Poipole

Hijiki thanks the player for everything, and as a reward for completing the sidequest, she gives the player her Poipole because she feels that the player would be better at taking care of it in this new world…. If she can catch it that is.

Catching Poipole plays out like a Legendary Pokémon battle like how you catch Enamourus. As in, it flies around attacking you with poison blasts and you have to stun it before you can throw a Pokémon to battle it.

After this, Hijiki just becomes an ordinary NPC that you can talk to near the pastures (though she can only be encountered at night.) Her appearance changes, as she's now in the Security Corps uniform instead of her Ultra Space/ cloak get up.

As a little easter egg, you can have a rematch with her and she battles you with the Pokémon you gave her in the sidequest. She excitedly explains that Zisu taught her how to partake in "creature combat".

Her dialogue is mostly showing amazement at how cool everything is in Hisui and how she really wishes she could go out and investigate everything like the Ultra Recon Squad. She realises that Akari wouldn't know who the Ultra Recon Squad is and she explains that they're basically her world's equivalent of the Galaxy Team.

She's heard of the legends about Hisui from Rei and is just as intrigued by them as he is. Though her main complaint is that Hisui is a little… behind, technological wise. Though she expresses interest in the player's Arc Phone as it seems a little out of place in this world…

Since the quest is available during the post game, she talks about how scared she was when "the sky turned red and green" (aka that part of the game when the Player is banished from the village and the sky distorts. She remarks that thought that the Blinding One had escaped from the Tower and drained Hisui of it's light, but apparently it was something else. She figures she shouldn't worry about it since it's not this century's problem anyway. The Tower isn't predicted to break down for another two hundred years anyway (Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon Necrozma foreshadowing!)

Ultimately she doesn't affect the story in any way and her sidequest is completely optional, but it is required if you want to be able to catch Ultra Beasts.

Sidequest: ??? The Beasts from Beyond

To trigger the next quest, you have to enter a Space-time Distortion. The next day, Melli barges in to the Galaxy Team headquarters demanding to speak to someone, ANYONE. He claims that he was minding his business, in the Coronet Highlands when all of a sudden a pile of bricks just up and attacked him! They completely ruined his day and scared Lord Electrode and he demands that someone does something about it! Nobody takes him seriously and Rei just thinks he's gone nuts.

But the next day, Warden Palina shows up, looking really worried. A strange pure white Tentacruel creature showed up in the Coastlands and has been behaving aggressively towards anything that approaches it, and even the Alphas won't go near it. Cyllene calls Akari into her office because she's been getting continuous reports of strange monsters being sighted across all of Hisui that apparently emerged from the space-time distortions.

Hijiki runs in, and quickly excuses herself for interrupting. She's really panicked because she heard from the villagers that Hisui is being invaded by monsters that sound suspiciously Ultra Beasts. She volunteers to help because they're creatures from her homeworld so at the very least she's familiar with them and knows what to expect if Akari goes out and attempts to catch them.

To learn about where to catch the Ultra Beasts, you have to talk to Hijiki. She's heard rumours of monsters and such from the people who visit the pastures to see the Pokémon and she thinks she knows exactly what the monsters really are. She has dialogue talking about each Ultra Beast and a hint as to where it's found.

"There's a ghostly figure floating around the Deadwood Haunt. I don't know much about spirits but it sounds an awful lot like Nihilego. It would float around like a ghost, I think." (Deadwood Haunt, Cobalt Coastlands)

"I heard from someone in the Pearl Clan that an insect with huge muscles is challenging an Alpha Machamp to a flexing contest…. I don't understand, do Buzzwole normally behave like that…?" (Arena's Approach, Alabaster Icelands)

"There's a Pheromosa going wild in the bog. What terrible luck to fall into a wormhole and end up in a place so muddy. It hates getting dirty." (Scarlet Bog, Crimson Mirelands)

"That rude man can't catch a break. Apparently his Electrode is being bothered by a Xurkitree that's trying to eat it's electricity… " (Moonview Arena, Coronet Highlands)

"I've heard that a Celesteela has taken root near the Floaro Gardens. The soil there must be very fertile. It's a giant creature that blasts off like a rocket and- Wait, have rockets been invented here yet? Never mind." (Floaro Gardens, Obsidian Fieldlands)

"I've heard that a sharp creature that looks like paper has been cutting down trees in the Heartwoods. It's Kartana, I'm certain. That Lord Kleavor must be jealous of it's cutting edge sword techniques…" (The Heartwood, Obsidian Fieldlands)

"Oh, this is absolutely terrible! A huge monster is eating giant lumps of ice and snow in that tundra! Sounds very uncomfortable, chewing ice hurts my teeth… Oh wait, what was I saying? Yes! Guzzlord! You must stop it before it consumes everything in sight!" (Avalugg's Legacy, Alabaster Icelands)

"The creature that's that looks like a pile of bricks in must be Stakataka, I'm certain. Where did that unpleasant man say he encountered it? Must have been near some ruins?" (Celestica Ruins, Coronet Highlands)

"Um… What's a volcano anyway? I've never heard of such a thing… Apparently there's been the sounds of explosions coming from the volcano that's making people worried. I don't think the explosions are coming from the volcano itself, sounds more like a Blacephalon is causing them." (Firespit Island, Cobalt Coastlands)

To get Naganadel, talk to Hijiki. She'll explain that Poipole have been selectively bred to be unable to evolve by themselves. They must be taught a special move that lets them evolve that only experienced handlers know how to teach, because it's stronger form is too wild and dangerous for the average civilian to handle. She's seen Zisu teach Akari's Pokémon new moves and tells Akari that she needs to get Zisu to teach Poipole the move Dragon Pulse.

Other stuff

And that's everything I've got about Hijiki. If you haven't worked it out already, she's the ancestor of Zossie from the Ultra Recon Squad. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are kinda my favourite 3DS Pokémon games and there was a time when I was absolutely obsessed with the Ultra Recon Squad and I was so sure that they'd come back as an explanation for being able to catch Ultra Beasts in the post game of future Pokémon games that I felt ROBBED when they never showed up in the Crown Tundra.

So with the dawn of the idea of Hisuian Ancestors, I thought "Wouldn't it be cool if the ancestor of one of the Ultra Recon Squad fell into Hisui and got mistaken for a supernatural creature because the locals thought their technology was magic?" Because of how massively technologically advanced Ultra Megalopolis is, I figured that even if it was 200 years ago, it'd still be way more advanced than Hisui so anyone who fell through a wormhole would be in for a sort of time traveller-esque fish out of water scenario but without the time travel.

Hijiki is Zossie's great great great great great great great great (however many greats that can fit in 200 years) aunt. She can't be Zossie's great great grandmother because the grandmother has to stay in Ultra Megalopolis for Zossie to even exist at all.

The name of Necro Forest has a double meaning. As soon as you walk into it you think "Oh, Necro = Death because of the Ghost Types" but it's also the first foreshadowing that the ancestor is from Ultra Megalopolis. Who stole the light from Ultra Megalopolis? Necrozma.

If you're one of the 47 people who played USUM, you'd remember that the Ultra Recon Squad had to wear full protection against the sun, which Hijiki lacks, hence the sun burns.

Hijiki is scared of Zisu because she's been stealing from the Ginkgo Guild and she recognises that she's part of the village's law enforcement so she was afraid that she came to catch her and punish her for the thefts.

About the whole glowy eyes thing, that's a headcanon I have about how the inhabitants of Ultra Megalopolis have bioluminescent eyes. It's based off official art of the Ultra Recon Squad where Dulse's eyes appear to be glowing in the dark. What is canon is the whole thing where the Ultra Recon Squad has silver irises and pupils that match their hair colour. If you zoom into their concept art you can see it.

I picked the name Hijiki because it has the same seaweed theme naming that the individual members of the Ultra Recon Squad have. The seaweed she's named after has been part of the Japanese diet for centuries. (At least according to Wikipedia.)

But what was that "lightning magic?* It was just an ordinary taser. Hijiki just nonchalantly tased Coin. You can find the taser among Hijiki's other gadgets in the cave

Bonus: my thought process while reading over part of this:

"Ok, so Hijiki jumps Gingko merchants in the woods and mugs robs them. Wait... wasn't Volo a Ginkgo merchant---"

The result:

This post took me two years of procrastination to make-

#pokémon #pokemon legends arceus #pokémon oc #ultra recon squad #ultra recon squad zossie #pla oc #hisuian ancestor oc #hijiki #well not very good art but still #Behold my inability to draw humans #And my attempt at drawing Volo in the Family Guy Death Pose Meme #Hijiki be like: Woah this world sucks there's not even electricity #I imagine like 200 years later she's a ghost and she sees Zossie and is like WHAT THE FRICK??? FAMILY????#I just really like the Ultra Recon Squad ok #By pure unfortunate coincidence Hijiki tased Volo like Three times.#He just kept getting robbed by her #Actually originally it was Volo who accompanied you for the sidequest because he wanted to investigate the supernatural #You can tell I started writing this before Legends Arceus came out because #a certain plot development KINDA made it impossible for Volo and the Player to be on friendly terms in the postgame #So I swapped to Zisu because I like her and wanted her to be more involved in stuff

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darklight-phantasm · 3 months

Note

⭕ for the Skylanders asks?

⭕️ (What Skylander do you want the most) - Since I completed my collection a few years ago there's none that I want anymore, but thinking back to the time when I was still collecting I think my most anticipated character was Nightfall for multiple reasons. Firstly she's my favorite supercharger and my 4th favorite Skylander overall, secondly some people might remember the infamous #nightfallgate where all of her figures had some chip error and they were recalled after her initial release with the game to be rereleased later on - absolutely devastating news for me who was looking forward to play through the game with her. However before her rerelease around christmas 2015 iirc, they dropped an update which fixed all the faulty Nightfalls for the people who obtained and held onto them. Being desperate and impatient I decided to order one of the original (and overpriced) Nightfalls which was a whole dilemma of its own but finally I got her and I don't think it ever felt so rewarding and relieving to hold a Skylander in my hands. I also have to mention Gearshift who was first available as a preorder bonus at gamestop which was nowhere near where I live but eventually that worked out as well and Enigma who for some reason came out like two months later in Europe and was only available in one specific store here.

(And I guess if I had to answer the question for present day I could say Heartbreaker Buckshot, I still mourn for him)

#skylanders #asks #ask game #nightfall #more of a storytime lmao

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funkygaypeopleinmyphone · 6 months

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Nothing gets me into a fiery rage more than thinking about 343 has handled the Halo series after Bungie left it off on such a high note. 1, 2 and 3 were good, ODST and Reach were godlike, and they expanded on the universe quite a few times with books and comics and all that. And then 343 came in and just completely gumbled most of it up. CEA was cool, but basically just kitbashed Reach and upscaled Halo 3 assets together and lost some of the original touch the game had back in 2001.

Halo 4 was, ok? The best part was Cortana's story, going into more depth about rampancy and how it affects AI, especially one that we've known and loved for over a decade at that point. The Forerunners were fucking stupid personally, it's hinted to and LITERALLY SAID IN HALO 3, that humans are forerunners, just after the shitshow that was all the rings firing off. 343 Guilty Spark literally says that Chief is a forerunner, and then they just whipped it around and said "well actually he's a reclaimer because blablabla" ok whatever, they do flesh it out more in expanded works and explain it in Halo 4 so atleast theres that. Del Rio is an asshole to the savior of humanity for no reason. The sudden art style change that makes no sense is stupid, like you could've delayed the change until the Infinity rolled around. The Diadact is just space voldemort turning humanity into NFTs after being on r/nofap for 100,000 years, who then dies pretty unceremoniously to a shit ass grenade in a quick time event.

Halo 5 is.... fucking just Halo 5. The Cortaba story is so bad, why did you bring her back as an antagonist? Why didn't you stick to the marketing that was actually a really cool idea about Chief going rogue and hunting the truth. Where are the Marines? Why do I have to fight the Warden Eternal like 20 times? Better balancing than 4 i guess, but god the plot is just all over the place. And that fight scene with Chief, Chief was abducted as a child and forced into the spartan program and trained to be a cold brutal killer of the UNSC's foes. Without Mjolnir armor he straight up merked 2 ODSTs in hand-to-hand combat. This 7-foot-augmented-out-the-ass man had an equal match in a mass produced Spartan 4? Sure Locke is ONI so he's got some spice to him and he's still a Spartan wearing similar armor to Chief, but come on, you can't tell me a guy who saves humanity for breakfast is on a similar level to Halo Nightfall guy.

Infinite is strange. They basically drop Halo 5's characters for the most part, give Chief new (remastered Mk.6) armor, bring back older models of guns and stuff with a new coat of paint (Reach AR, Battle Rifle, now the DMR) and blow up Cortana and the Infinity within the first like, 30 minutes of the game. Ooooo the Banished except wait after Atriox's not-death they're pretty incompetent and are gettinf roflstomped by Chief and are really only good at killing UNSC off screen. The open world shit was ok, but for Halo i dont think its entirely the best idea to go for whatever Far Cry ass shit they pulled. Bringing back the old designs was really cool and much better than the sterile, clean, sharp edges of 4 and 5. Their armor and weapons looked like brand new toys while Infinite's look more realistic and have a bit more wear and tear to em. But its also missing a ton and just kind of ends off on a weird half note for the story. Like where are they gonna go with this? Idk, its just weird.

343, make more stories without Chief. I know Chief is the figurehead of the franchise, but for god's sake please please please make side stories in the universe. I want to see how humanity recovered after the war, how the different species in the Covenant took the end of the war. Exploring Forerunner sites? Side stories in the human-covenant war with ODSTs and Marines! You could totally make the Harvest campaign into a game! Give us the origin story for Sgt Johnson and how he and others did during the opening months of the conflict! Give us more on the Insurrection! You've done it before, Halo Forward Unto Dawn was actually a really cool movie, why don't you do some more stuff like that??

Idk, I love Halo but 343 gotta step their game up

#halo #343 industries #fucking please make more side content i want more down to earth halo content #im sure the loreheads will suck yall dry if you do

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veliseraptor · 6 months

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For the ask game: 8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

ooh, this is an interesting one. I don't typically think of writing fics for songs, though I do love a good story-song. that being said, I have written at least one fic loosely inspired by "Thorn" from Nightfall on Middle Earth, but that feels like easy mode.

I think when it comes to writing, loosely speaking, I might have to say it would be fun to write a xuexiao fic inspired by "This Is Love" by Air Traffic Controller, most probably modern AU, because that song is so profoundly xuexiao it kills me and I feel like writing something off it could be fun.

Reading-wise, I would read a fic based on "The Elf Knight" by Steeleye Span or "The Queen and the Soldier" by Suzanne Vega, which feel both more ripe for original fiction but I feel like someone could make an interesting AU of.

a collection of questions i, as a writer, would love to be asked !!!

#conversating #phtalate #lise memes #confessions of a frustrated writer

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flightlesskaz · 7 months

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Hear me out DL drabble: this is just for my own babble

Warning for grammar errors, shipping, and gore (specifically cannibalism)

It's not actually a secret soul mate. That is to say, Big B knows, Grian knows, and most importantly Scar knows.

It's nothing romantic. On the first day when everyone was looking for that string connection and running around, there was a joke made between two friends eating a bit of food before they continued looking. Grian ate some soft bread, he always seemed to make the best and quickest bread to his own ire. Big B managed to get some pork and quickly cooked it up just before they ran into each other. Now they sat on a small hill eating and chatting as they made a joke, if they didn't fine their soul mates by nightfall they'd try to steal each other from their soul. It's a joke, strictly platonic and only this season. Grian bit his lip in an exaggerated way and said some cheesy pick up line that made Big B ugly laugh and the deal was made.

Unbeknownst to the two, there was a third nearby. Scar was scrounging around when he came across the two at the beginning of their little lunch date. Giggling as their commentary made him want to listen in secretly, as if the espionage of the death game had already started but in an innocent fashion. He smiled along, nodding at good jokes and bitting his lip to not burst out laughing, and subsequently falling out of the tree he's in, at Grians purposeful bad flirting. He thought their little deal was silly but he approved, he was in on the secret even if they didn't know, and it wouldn't effect him either way. Until the next day, when Grian dragged him from the cute stray cats and forced him to stand under a tree.

He still knew the joke and didn't mind, but a part of his heart warmed later that night. Next to a fire, Scar gathered the wood for it and Grian had a flint, his soul told him. Something along the lines of, "I'll never mention this outright again," and, "it'll never really mean anything but I do love him... as a friend." Scar swallowed around a lump in his throat, touched that Grian would tell him and blaming the flutter in his chest on the soul ties.

A different issue is raised later. Scar's taking care of the cats when Big B sneaks over and Scar pretends not to see. That dosen't stop him from leaning on the wall around the corner from them to listen in from where they can't see. Big B decides not to tell Ren, to play it up for fun in the season and that's his decision. He asks if Grian is doing the same and Scar wants nothing more then to walk over and flop over Grians back and join them but he holds off. He's a good partner and respects Grians original decision to not address the elephant in the room. Grian shrugs and tells Big B he mentioned it but would respect Big B's part in this too.

That's why when people tell Scar that Grian is cheating he gasps dramatically and looks around as if searching for God. He laughs once he's out of earshot. They don't see the soft domestic nights with Grian. They don't see Grian sneaking extra cat treats, that take as much time to make that could have been used sharpening weapons, into Scars bag. They don't spy on cozy afternoons of two friends giggling together as they plan ways to pretend being in love. That's why Scar ignores the looks from Scott, he trust Grian 100% more then people think he should in the couple counseling. He scoops up poppies and flowers on their way home and hides them in his pocket to present to Grian later. As they walk it's golden hour and the mischievous smile on Grians face like he's getting away with something silly is worth it. Giving cookies later, and watching the two share them in a secret meet up as Grian looks soft talking about Scar and Big B is attentive and supportive. Scar thinks he can have some secrets too. They don't need to know that Scar knows the secret, I mean, his own mischievous smile just happens to match Grians after all.

When Ren learns and subsequently tries to demand answers, Scar's there. He's holding Grians hand as Ren stands at the wall gate talking at them but not actually trying to get answers. They all know it's something more akin to Ren just getting it off his chest to get his head straight before he confronts Big B at the counseling. Still, Scar holds Grian just a little tighter as if he can swallow him whole and keep him safe. After Ren leaves and Grian looks up to Scar with soft eyes and a hopeless expression as if he can't even begin to form words, Scar just shakes his head. A soft squeeze and a kiss to Grians temple, Scar escorts them inside to make their armor just a little bit better.

Later when their both red and high on bloodlust, trusting their partner after a history like their's is second nature. Scar's canines ache a little but it's easy to ignore as they run around laugh, warm and full of vicious life. It isn't until later when Grian is screaming and giggling madly and beautiful. Scar's quick hands that can pickpocket like it's breathing are holding a knife before he knows it. Taking a second standing above both bodies before he runs after his soul laughing and praising him. Later he'll console his crying soul, remembering the image of two friends sharing cookies. He offer something horrible, but now in a red haze, it's the kindest thing Grian could ever want. Scar pulls out a lump of fabric that's wrapped around something. Even as it drips blood a little too vivid, showing what type of body they were taken from. Grian bites his lip but smiles great fully up to Scar. They lock arms as they each eat a heart in a small hole in a hill deep in the night. A fire is the only witness as the two cuddle a little closer together while eating mouthfuls, two ghost now tied to watch over the two.

The ghost giggle as clarity is restored after escaping the pressure of the death game, now cheering on their secret counterparts. Later, when they loose each other and die separately, one with ringing ears and the other in dead silence, the ghost counterparts will great them and lead them back together. Now the group of four laugh and reminiscent as they watch the last few survivors and wait for a winner.

#trafficshipping #traffic smp #life series #double life #desert duo #scrian #double life scar #double life grian #vex are cannibals #Grian is a bird of prey #I'm a sucker for cannibalism #vex scar #a rant

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dicepunks · 7 months

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New (Rest of an) Episode: 1.54B - Nightfall, Part II

So this one has already been in the feed for a couple days, but work has been so all-encompassing this week that there wasn’t bandwidth for both the editing/rendering/uploading process and the “telling people about the thing we worked so hard on” process. So, with apologies for the messiness of getting the finale all the way distributed to the listening public, we are so, so pleased to present to you…

Dice Punks Episodes 1.54A & 1.54B - Nightfall, Parts I & II!

I, Adam, am (figuratively) allergic to self-promotion or self-congratulation, so this is hard for me to say, but: I think this is good, that we did a good job with this campaign and this finale, and that it will be fun to listen to!

Nearly five hours of campaign-climactic listening, with a gratis Dice Peeks after-show in the main feed to celebrate! And atop that, our campaign-retrospective discussion/hangout epilogue episode will go live tomorrow evening.

So join us in all this actual-play audio-entertainment revelry, join one of our stalwart patrons over on AO3 for a delightful coda once you’ve listened to the finale, and also join me, Hollyhock God ordinaire, below the jump for some post-campaign musings, if that sounds like your thing!

So here we are, the end of our first full campaign. Perhaps unsurprisingly, looking back on our first full campaign to have wrapped has me reflecting on the origins of the podcast as a whole, so if that’s of interest to you, you’re reading the right post!

Our first episode, 0.1 - The Dice Punks Play Dicepunk, went live on 14 April 2021, but it was recorded well ahead of time in late 2020. It grew out of a Quarantimes diversion earlier that year, in which casual chatting online with friends who were also stuck at home turned into a weekly-to-biweekly campaign in a system & setting I’d been interested in trying out since 2009: Over the Edge.

It’s a very rules-light system with a very 1990s, conspiratorial edge to it, so I figured it’d be a good way to get Drew and Joanne into their first major forays into tabletop gaming, as well as giving myself a fun opportunity to try out a system and setting I’d wanted to play in for a while. And so it was! Every week, we spent a few hours just telling an amusingly absurd story together.

We conducted these sessions over Discord, and someone, I don’t recall who, eventually mentioned that we could use a bot to record the sessions for posterity. That suggestion then led to someone expressing an interest in participating should I ever decide to podcast a campaign. I responded that people should not joke about such things if they didn’t want to get roped into an ongoing podcast-recording commitment, and just like that, the kind-of-a-joke turned into starting a podcast.

Things moved very quickly and very slowly after that. I’d already been thinking of a mad, quixotic follow-up campaign to OtE in an ill-advised combination of the REIGN and Nobilis systems, using a setting of my own devising. This ill-advised idea was motivated by:

my desire to finally try playing Nobilis 2nd edition, after having read about it years before (also in 2009),

my love of the One-Roll Engine used by REIGN, and

the hundreds of hours I’ve spent playing Dominions 3, 4, and 5, and sharing the stories generated by those fractally complex systems with whoever I could rope into listening.

So I pitched the system idea to people, we played a one-shot to test the system, then we started drawing up characters. In the meantime, I had found there was a system out there already called Dicepunk, so I contacted its author to ask about the name we were considering. Between us, we decided our first episode would be a one-shot in a game using the Dicepunk system, and so our Psionics one-shot came to be!

After that, of course, Nightfall had taken shape, and we got started building a backlog ahead of launching the public feed. We started off recording in Discord (as a backup) and Audacity (for the higher quality, local recordings), but moved pretty quickly to Reaper, a digital audio workstation that didn't constantly lock up my desktop. And thus have we carried on through all kinds of things: Drew getting COVID just before some early recordings, Des getting brought into the main cast, Dask ascending, the campaign running a good 25% longer than I initially thought it would, and more.

Throughout Nightfall, our listenership has remained very modest, and our patron count has fluctuated between 2 and 3 people, but even in the planning stages, our attitude was always that if even one person listened to the fruits of our efforts, it'd be well worth it. And you know what? It has been!

So! I'm going to be trying to do a lot of promotion in the next month or so, since good jumping-on points aren't that common in campaign-based actual-play shows... but I'm not good at it, and we don't exactly have an advertising budget. (The awesome people who give us their real, actual dollars have bought TTRPG books and improved audio equipment for us, but no ads as yet!) If you're so inclined, we'd love for folks to share posts like this around, give us a listen, rate and review us, recommend us to anyone they think might like our stuff, maybe even check out patreon.com/dicepunks and dicepunks.com!

If you've read this far, we appreciate it, and we hope you'll like what we do -- coming up, we have more Extreme Meatpunks Forever, a mini-series in Unknown Armies, a Halloween special, and a new campaign in Hard Wired Island!

#actual play podcast #ttrpg podcast #actual play #nobilis #podcast #reign #ttrpg #indie ttrpg #unknown armies #hard wired island #extreme meatpunks forever #dominions #dice punks

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haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll · 9 days

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Tracklist:

Walk This Land (Radio Edit) • Hang On • Soundclash ('99 Edit) • Hip to the Game • Cop Theme • Tough at the Top • A Word from Dave • Nightfall • Movin' On • Diff Step • Rhode Trip • Short Change • Funked Up Flavas • Retro • Walk This Land (Smoking Barrel Mix) • Weekend World • Focus • Synethesia • Tough at the Top (Origin Unknown Remix)

Spotify ♪ YouTube

#hyltta-polls #polls #artist: e-z rollers #language: english #decade: 1990s #Jazzy Drum & Bass #Jazzy Jungle #Jazzstep #Jump-Up #Liquid Drum and Bass #Nu Jazz #Breakbeat

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uzumaki-rebellion · 1 year

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“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 65″

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

youtube

"Who took movement Spirit included Made it a Movement We did (Never Forget)

Who's the origin straight from the soil? And, then redistributed Who did (Never Forget)

Future ancient our souls they'll never get it Aye, information passed down for generation Future ancients our souls they'll never get it They will never forget"

Sampa the Great – "Never Forget"

Twyla's Wakanda tour was a tremendous success.

Professional, punctual, and far-reaching, it showcased her love for history and culture. It also revealed her love for the country as a new citizen. N'Jadaka joined a hover bus ride to a river pick-up spot north of Warrior Falls where they landed on River Tribe territory. The tours were divided into daily rotations over three days allowing the guests to pick what activities they were up for each day culminating with their participation in all of them. The city tour covered Birnin Zana's museums, temples, and other historical structures ending with shopping at a popular bazaar and dinner at a restaurant overlooking the palace. The wildlife tour was a safari day trip with elephant rides, flights across the long Ibukun River, a fancy lunch at a wildlife preserve, and then a special musical play at the Zana Performance Theater that ushered in an eight-course dinner near Mount Bashenga to see the spectacular sunset. The River Tour was a day-long excursion aboard several large luxury boats with cultural geography lessons, a gourmet lunch on the river, and then a tour of the double palace before an exclusive dinner inside one of the extravagant palace dining rooms.

N'Jadaka brought his grandfather and Marisol with him on the boat and they watched the spectacular scenery through the eyes of their guests.

When they reached the palace tour, N'Jadaka made his leave and met with his children for an early private dinner with the Udaku clan. Their family meal placated his stomach and spirit and he left his young ones with Ramonda and Shuri. He noticed T'Challa slipping away from the dining room with Nakia and grinned. They no longer hid their rekindled closeness. Ramonda appeared thrilled by it and no one said anything about the warmth exuding between them.

From N'Jadaka's viewpoint, T'Challa was in his element as the Black Panther. He allowed the king to concentrate on other matters without having to second-guess what was happening outside of Wakanda. T'Chaka's son was built for the mantle. Being free of ruling seemed to make the man happy. It gave him time with Nakia in private, unlike N'Jadaka who had to be the face of the palace at every moment. He leaned into Ramonda for guidance. Her decades of experience as Queen Consort mentored him on how to behave during the conference with all the power he exuded. She suggested he become less familiar with the visitors and create some distance so that they would understand the immense responsibility he had. Plus, he needed rest. His energy tanks were depleted by nightfall as his empath abilities took in everything.

She was tickled pink when he told her that T'Challa would join Nakia in New York for the U.N. general assembly. They would be there to work on behalf of the nation, but Ramonda acted like it was a honeymoon trip for her son and favorite War Dog.

N'Jadaka walked with his hands clasped behind his back strolling on the deck of the palace moon room. A giant telescope pointed toward the dark sky and he snuck a peek through it. The dog star Sirius shined high above.

"It is a beautiful night."

He turned to find Ramonda walking toward him. Without her isicholo, her long white locs flowed down to her waist and brushed against the pale green silk of her dress.

"Shuri and the children are playing the Catch Me VR game and it is a little too loud to read in my quarters," she said.

Resting her arms on the balcony, she looked at the skyline with him.

"Your father used to come out here to stare at the stars after his dinner meals, too. I thought he was daydreaming about parties and traveling around town with his friends… now I know he was thinking of his family on the other side of the world."

She glanced at him with soft features in the moonlight.

"He was a wonderful man. Beloved by all who knew and met him. Your mother was very blessed to have him as a husband. You and I had a very troubling introduction… life has an extraordinary way of shaking up the world and turning it into something so unexpected."

She laced her fingers together and stared back at the stars.

"Listening to all those people from across the world has been a tremendous experience these last three days, N'Jadaka. Welcoming them here has opened my eyes to so much. Wakanda is the light of the world. We were just afraid of the responsibility… the weight of it. Your paternal grandfather… my own husband… they were not willing to carry that burden on their shoulders. T'Challa did his best to step into that role with Nakia's coaxing, but in the end, you are the one best equipped for the task. When T'Challa was king, he encountered so much treachery and deceit from the west, especially from the Americans. They chomp at the bit to take from us and that made my son so tired of dancing around all of the constant diplomacy games they play out there."

"We won't be dancing anymore. T'Challa is our greatest weapon of protection out there. I almost feel sorry for whoever challenges him in the future," he said.

"No… the two of you together are Wakanda's greatest weapon. Bast saw fit to bring you back to us in the way it was meant to be. A rebirth. The Black Panther and the Golden Jaguar. T'Chaka and N'Jobu were never able to sit and talk together the way you and T'Challa do. I can only imagine what a force they would've been if N'Jobu brought you home with Califia," she said.

N'Jadaka patted her hand.

"The past is at rest, Auntie. T'Challa and I make a great team."

Ramonda placed her hand on top of his.

"Our country will be greater for it," she said.

N'Jadaka accepted the compliment. Ramonda had been a slow thawing of glacial animosity with their interpersonal relationship. He was a living testament to her husband's tragic flaws, and yet, the Queen Mother Consort of Wakanda… the respected dowager of the T'Chaka lineage, accepted him fully as the rightful ruler.

"I will leave you, my king," she said.

His gaze lingered on her exit before he returned to his own quiet thoughts. He spent another two hours on the moon deck reflecting on the invited guests. Sydette's avatar popped up.

"Baba, where are you? You promised us a story tonight to make up for the other nights," Sydette said.

"I'm sorry Sweet Pea."

"Auntie Shuri told us a story about Mama Wati, so you don't have to worry about tonight. However, tomorrow night—"

"I will tell you a story about your grandfather N'Jobu and how he came to America."

"Good," she said.

He ended the call and wandered out into the palace halls. Art and structural beauty guided his relaxing walking meditation. To be a ruler was to be conscious of every aspect of his life and the lives of others. He thought of the two thousand visitors and their first introduction to the wonders of his new world. As a king, he was in control of the fate of every human living on the planet.

At least above the surface.

He took an express elevator to the palace swimming pool. He stripped naked and slipped earbuds into his ears so the sound of the pool waterfall wouldn't distract him. Tapping his kimoyo, he contacted his Sea Leopard naval captain for a debriefing of the day's reconnaissance.

Captain Lebohang, a hard-faced Border Tribe member with a wrinkled bald head and hooded eyes, stared back at N'Jadaka.

"My king," Lebohang said.

Visual logistical reports sprung around N'Jadaka's kimoyo. Lebohang added images from their sea probes too. N'Jadaka rubbed the top of his locs and stretched his back before resting against the side of the smooth pool wall.

"Fill me in," N'Jadaka said.

Yani hid between the cavernous walls of the fake waterfall as she spied N'Jadaka speaking to his military captain. She hadn't moved fast enough to hop out of the deep end of the elaborate pool to grab her swim robe and bathing suit. Naked and feeling the chill of the waterfall mist behind a fifteen-foot rocky façade, she stayed rooted in place hoping the king would move to the other side of the massive pool that would hide him from her so she could escape with her dignity intact. No one ever used the pool late at night and Yani expected N'Jadaka to be in his quarters or reading to their children for bed.

His nudity surprised her. The body she knew so well was heavier all over from eating buttery-rich palace foods. The palace learned he liked yam cornbread and since his return, they sent him loaves every other day. His pubic area was untrimmed and grown wild. She liked it. His flaccid dick hung heavy between his legs, and all the wiry hair around it made it seem more illicit to be out in the open. Steam rose around him from the heated water. Hopefully, he wouldn't get too hot and wade down to cool himself in the waterfall that was created for that purpose.

She listened to him speak forcefully but noticed the fatigue riding on his shoulders. He wasn't getting enough sleep. His voice sounded tired. She wanted to slip back down into the balmy water, however, any movement would attract his attention.

"…keep me updated," he said.

N'Jadaka rested his head on the lip of the pool. His kimoyo lit up again and Riki's avatar floated in his face.

"Hey Lil man, you're supposed to be sleeping," he said.

"Baba, tell me a story."

"Shuri told you a story already."

"I wahn hear one from you."

"It's late Riki—"

"I'm in my own room by myself."

"Why aren't you with Joba?"

"Auntie Shuri said I was too scared to sleep by myself, and I told her I wasn't. I'm alone… it's too dark in here."

"Use your kimoyo night light—"

"I am, but they'll make fun of me."

"It's okay to go sleep with Joba and Sweet Pea—"

"They'll say I'm a baby… not a big boy."

"If I tell you a story, will that help you sleep by yourself?"

"Can you come get me? I wahn be with you."

"I'll come get all of you, then—"

"No, just me."

"Ramonda and Shuri will miss you at breakfast—"

"I miss you. How come we can't come to the hotel place?" Riki asked.

"That's for the grownups. You would be bored."

"No, I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would."

"Nuh-uh! I know how to write now, so I can take notes for you."

"My assistant does that for me."

"Baba… please."

N'Jadaka moved from the ledge and waded toward the wide steps. Water rolled down his skin in thick droplets.

"I'll come sleep there. Will that make you feel better?"

Riki nodded.

"Give me a few minutes. I have to clean up from the pool and I'll be there soon," N'Jadaka said.

Yani pressed her hands against the center of her chest. The king was weary, but he wanted to comfort his son. She watched N'Jadaka enter a cleaning chamber where a high-speed heater evaporated the pool water from his body. He dressed quickly and left the room. She lunged forward in the warm water and swam to the nearest steps. Bypassing the cleaning chamber, she threw on her swimsuit and cover-up. Rushing out of the pool room, she trekked her way back to the guest suite given to her for her stay at the palace. Guards who were sprinkled throughout the upper floors paid little attention to her because of her status. Entering her quarters, she shed her swimwear and showered, later changing into a flowing house dress. She curled herself up on a loveseat and practiced her presentation for the conference.

Observing N'Jadaka drove her to perfect her physical stance while speaking her words. She stood up and practiced moving around to engage an audience. Yani had to convey to the cabinet the dire circumstances in healthcare for poor Black people. Affordability, racism, lack of access, and stark poverty steeped too many in predictable untimely deaths.

Sleep overtook her, but she didn't worry. Her conference section didn't start until later in the afternoon. She could sleep in and skip the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Yani's dreams were pleasant and scattered. Images of St. Thomas and cooking on the outdoor grill. Standing on the beach of an ocean she didn't recognize.

She awoke refreshed and energized. The palace kitchen sent up fancy overstuffed breakfast omelets with all of her favorite sides and fruits, and she ate a generous portion of the freshly baked raspberry coffee cake to finish it all off. Checking the waves in her hair, she looked over her outfit for the day as Disa walked into her dressing room to fetch her.

"Ready?" Disa asked.

They looked each other over to make sure they were color-coordinated for Yani's presentation. Together they settled on coral pink and pale crème for a soft maternal look. Disa sported a flared pants ensemble with a waist-length jacket and Yani went for a flowing long skirt with a silky, off-the-shoulder blouse.

"Pretty diamonds," Disa said, admiring the earrings N'Jadaka bought her years before.

Yani took a deep breath.

"You'll be amazing. I have the holo pics lined up with your speech, and I'll keep my part of the presentation under ten minutes in the end so there can be a longer Q & A for the king's cabinet," Disa said.

"I know what I will say by heart, but I still feel like I need to hold onto something to keep me from talking too fast," Yani said.

"Maybe use your comm tab at the podium instead of the holo prompter?" Disa suggested.

Yani nodded. It was a good idea. She could glance at the comm tab and even touch it without the audience knowing.

"We look good," Yani said.

Disa grinned.

Both of their kimoyo alarms went off to remind them to leave the palace on time.

"Show time," Disa said.

Yani shook her hands nervously and grabbed her attaché. Their heels clicked in the palace hallway and they chatted about Disa's trip in the Jabari lands. Disa appeared giddy and her eyes crinkled with her smiles talking about the beauty high above them. Yani inferred that a lot of the enjoyment came from her time with Adebiyi, but she didn't let on to Disa that she suspected as much. Yani was happy for her. There was a bounce in Disa's step as she carried her own leather messenger bag. Two Doras met them at the launch site of the Royal Scorpion Fighter and she looked back with Disa at the palace. Their children had gone for a day trip with Dante to visit Umama and Baba Z giving their mothers quiet time to work and get ready without interruption. A gentle, skin-caressing breeze carried the vibrant scent of river waterlilies. Yani sniffed the sweet odors of the flowers wafting around them and took it as a good sign that the day would go well.

The flight to the hotel conference center was quiet. Yani went over her speech in her mind and their stroll into the main room kept her focused. The diaspora delegates had been divided into sections dealing with health. The afternoon session centered on maternal health and postnatal well-being. Yani would open the session and the rest of their time there would be spent hashing out the best way Wakanda could assist the various countries represented. Yani met up with her leadership team of Dr. Bryan, Dr. Dixon, and Dr. Alcindor and they all prepared paper documents to pass out to the round delegate work tables. The conference area had been broken down into a war room of sorts. People arrived on time and ready, and as the crowd surged, the more nervous Yani became.

Disa set up her holo projector and waited at a nearby side table for Yani's cue to begin after Queen Ramonda welcomed the delegates and did a bit of conference housekeeping. A shout from a side door by a Dora announced the arrival of King N'Jadaka. Everyone rose to their feet and a hush went across the room.

N'Jadaka gazed at everyone he passed by. Mpilo walked behind him with a new contingency of people. Yani recognized Rolita and Nevaeh walking with the king, but ten other Native people were with them. N'Jadaka led them to a special table near his and the Council of Elders. He walked to the podium and lowered his hands for people to sit.

"Good afternoon. I know this morning's session was busy, but you all look well-fed and ready for another round," N'Jadaka joked.

The audience agreed with him. He glanced over at Rolita.

"Seated near me is a very special delegation of Native elders who were selected to bear witness to our proceedings. Many of us throughout the African diaspora live on stolen Indigenous lands, and any plans we have to shape the countries we live in must take into consideration the people who lived there first. My Aunt Rolita is here representing the Yurok and will act as a lead liaison for Native affairs that may overlap with our plans. This small delegation has members of First Nations from Canada, Central America, and South American tribes. They are sworn to secrecy just the same as all of you. Are there any questions?" N'Jadaka said.

No one said anything.

The king turned toward Yani and she prayed her knees wouldn't knock. His intense eyes demanded the best of her.

"I present to you Princess and doctor Yani Galiber, a direct descendent of Queen Mary Thomas of St. Croix."

The audience rose and clapped for her. Yani threw her shoulders back and stepped up to the podium. N'Jadaka held out his hand for her and she took it. He bent over resting his lips near her ear.

"Do your thing, Ma," he said.

He winked at her as he walked to his seat. She nodded to Disa who awaited her signal to begin.

Disa tapped her holo projector displaying a beautiful model of a birth care center she made for Yani. She watched Yani captivate the enthralled audience with her moving speech and plans to replicate the successful birthing practices of Wakanda and Black midwives from an island collective she belonged to with members spanning the globe. Yani's voice remained confident throughout the presentation, although she stumbled once while glancing toward N'Jadaka. He wore a stern expression with a wrinkled fold down the center of his forehead, and Disa wondered if he was displeased with some figures and financial predictions presented. Wakanda was a wealthy nation, but it would take more than half a billion over the course of twenty years Yani projected to get at least two generations on track in the future.

Yani ended her speech and received a full round of applause before Disa stood up to show more sketches and models.

"Thank you Dr. Galiber for an excellent presentation," Disa said.

Yani stood next to her, relief softening her sweet face. Disa displayed her work and Yani answered questions with her when needed. They wrapped up in under seventy-five minutes. The next thirty minutes were given over for a Q & A with N'Jadaka's cabinet officials. They were all given a twenty-minute break before a late working lunch at their assigned colleague tables. Disa stuffed her mouth with garlic-fried potatoes and pepper steak while going over building codes in the U.S. with her northern hemisphere team. She ate, took, notes, gave suggestions, and listened to experts in her field from various countries on how to build affordable healthcare centers that would attract very little attention from other governments.

Before the dinner break, Rolita and a First Nation elder from the Kanai nation in Alberta Canada spoke of sovereign indigenous lands willing to have wellness hospitals built on tribal territories in exchange for protection and use with the African diaspora. Clean water was a critical issue in many areas, especially on tribal lands in the U.S.

Disa watched N'Jadaka's face as he listened. He interjected very little the entire day, preferring to listen and let the experts there present their needs and solutions. It was a good look for Wakanda from her vantage point. Wakanda became a partner instead of acting like a powerful twenty-first-century global colonizer. N'Jadaka still projected an imposing figure in his seat while talking with Ramonda and Efetobo.

She skipped the hearty dinner buffet and sampled a small salad and fruit cup instead. N'Jadaka made his rounds to speak with people seated at the outdoor dining areas before joining her and Yani in enjoying the cooling summer air. Reaching across the table he squeezed Yani's hand and she beamed from ear to ear.

"You put it down, Yani. Disa… you were outstanding, too. Thank you for all your hard work. I sent your projections of cost and labor to the treasurer early and we should be able to come up with a working budget soon," he said.

Yani leaned forward in her chair to say something to him, but Ramonda pulled him away from the table to discuss the evening program that would be a closed debriefing with the delegates. N'Jadaka greeted an older American woman from the Bay area and led her to a table with Ramonda far away from them. Yani sat back in her seat, the corners of her lips downturned by his departure. Disa lifted a glass of water.

"He's so busy," Disa said.

Yani nodded and tried to muster a smile, but her body language didn't reciprocate.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to him since we've been back here," Yani said. "The palace keeps him tied up with all his other duties."

"I'm glad that things are running well with the conference for him. A lot of Wakandans are still against helping on the outside."

Yani glanced around at all the visitors.

"These people are here to work for themselves. They just need our protection more than anything," Yani said.

"I heard he's flying Walter here to work on some protective clothing designs next month," Disa said.

"Really?"

"Dante mentioned it to me before I left for the Jabari lands. The idea is to have DNA sequenced shirts that activate by mental command."

Yani folded her hands on the table.

"Is everything okay, Yani?" Disa asked.

"Do you think he's doing too much too fast?" Yani asked.

"He's always been meticulous… a heavy planner with contingency plans while he was in school. When he sets his mind on something, he'll see it through."

"There's so much coming at him. I worry about his health."

"He's put on weight in the mountains," Disa said.

"Yeah," Yani said.

Yani's eyes became wistful and dreamy.

They were still in love with each other.

Disa felt it when N'Jadaka reached across the table for Yani's hand. Yani's hesitation was understandable, but Disa and the Udaku family knew the truth. N'Jadaka and Yani were scared to lose one another. But N'Jadaka had to serve the people first. That was the ultimate job of a ruler.

She thought of her time in the mountains with Adebiyi, how freeing it was to get to know a man away from prying eyes and public speculation. Disa gave that up willingly as she discovered the beautiful parts of a man from a new culture just as hidden as Wakanda. Her trip was eye-opening and solidified her desire to take what she needed in a relaxed environment. Ayomide was pleased with the interest in her brother from Disa, and she planned on exploring that relationship slowly without her daughter mixed up in it. That meant more trips alone and perhaps a move away from the palace. Umama and Baba Z were open to anyone coming to their Jabari estate, and if Adebiyi turned out to be the man she felt he was from her first visit, there were changes to come for her and Joba. A serious conversation needed to be had with N'Jadaka about that. Like Yani, Disa secretly worried about his mental and physical health with all the tasks he wanted to accomplish before the year's end. Had he bitten more than he could chew? The man was fully capable of compartmentalizing his world, but being the public face of a kingdom was all-encompassing of his twenty-four hours each day. The only exception he made for anyone was his children. They always came first.

The doors of the conference room opened back up and she took a seat behind her former professor from M.I.T. who had retired after Disa received her Ph.D. Professor Donald Robinson had been the reason why Disa chose to study at M.I.T. in the first place. He was one of the rare teachers who understood the need to integrate climate change with architecture in coastal territories. She patted his back to get his attention and he clasped her hand to shake it, his fingers trembling with nervous energy. The podium in front of the room had been removed and in its place were ten stately chairs with men and women seated in them. Once the doors were closed, N'Jadaka stepped to the side of the front chairs and addressed the audience.

"Dr. Barbara Davis, please stand," N'Jadaka said.

The older woman with slicked-back white hair and dark chestnut skin who sat in the center stood and surveyed the audience. She adjusted her thick glasses and glanced at the king. N'Jadaka walked over and held her hand.

"Dr. Davis was my therapist when I was a child. She specializes in generational trauma, especially in children. I asked for her help in dealing with issues that may be brought up because of your stay here for this gathering. Because we are all part of the diaspora with troubling histories, I believe it's important to face and voice what your experience has been like here, so far. I grew up only knowing the iceberg tip of what Wakanda was. To find out the truth was painful for me and my mother. Many of you may feel the same. Dr. Davis and her team will talk with us about how to deal with our emotions as descendants from the Lost Tribe, and they will help us look toward the future with tools to help us work through the mental work we will face leaving here… Dr. Davis…"

N'Jadaka stepped away from the front of the room and took a seat on a corner chair near the front. Dr. Davis greeted everyone with a warm hot cocoa voice that had the authority of a beloved grandmother smothering her grandchildren in a cozy weighted blanket. Disa didn't expect to get a wonderfully succinct explanation of epigenetics and the history of the enslaved, but she sat there and listened to Dr. Davis capture the minds of everyone present.

Disa glanced over at N'Jadaka and imagined him being a child and talking to Dr. Davis about his childhood pain. There were sniffles and quiet weeping throughout the room. She glimpsed Yani wiping her eyes with a tissue. So much hurt filled the air with a thick cloud that choked Disa up too. The psychic trauma of loss and abandonment pervaded the space. No wonder N'Jadaka kept all the Wakandans out of the room, including his royal guards. They had to purge their pain in private.

The other therapists there spoke after Dr. Davis, and the other people in the room who wanted to ask a question or vent their pain in a safe space did so. The mood grew too overbearing for some, and they were allowed to go sit in an adjoining room that was created for that need. Disa counted about forty people needing to step out from the core group. N'Jadaka had been so wise to set aside time for a mental health discussion.

The private session concluded after two hours, and everyone was free to relax and reflect for the rest of the night and all of the next day. Disa watched Yani step into a corner with Twyla. The two cousins hugged each other and Twyla kept wiping Yani's cheeks. She looked for N'Jadaka, but he had vanished from the scene, probably off to work on something else without resting. Her cheeks grew tight with a smile when she caught sight of him taking long strides to the Royal Talon Fighter waiting for him on the top of a grassy knoll of the hotel's welcoming landscape.

He was beautiful… his swagger so full of confidence and royal cool. The colors of the fading late sunset painted him with glorious shades of royal purple and burnt orange. The sunset was like their past loving romance… still beautiful even as that relationship ended. He would always be her special one, but like sunsets dying, there was always the promise of a new day and a new sunrise. Adebiyi proved that to her with his uncovered kindness and passion for his life as a creative builder… just like her. Disa blew a kiss N'Jadaka's way as he stepped onto the Talon Fighter with his Dora Milaje. Allah had blessed her king and best friend.

Yani and Twyla wandered out from the conference room and found her gazing at a blue-black sky.

"Ready to head to the palace?" Disa asked.

Yani stared at her face, then reached up and wiped a tear away from Disa's left eyelid. Twyla rubbed her back. The gestures of kindness were another gift from Allah. Marisol joined them and the mood lifted to one of reverent joy. Disa would always have a loving bond with the three of them. They were a sacred sisterhood in Wakanda. Daughters of the diaspora who returned home.

N'Jadaka waited until after four in the afternoon to leave for a visit aboard the Sea Leopard. He slept in all day and visited his children for an early dinner before picking up Shuri and T'Challa from her lab. They flew across Birnin S'Yan to reach the ocean and followed a course correction that was transmitted from the Sea Leopard hundreds of miles out to sea.

"There," Okoye said, bringing up the images of the formidable ship.

The Royal Talon fighter circled the Sea Leopard once before docking on it. Captain Lebohang greeted him with brisk professionalism. His eyes looked strained and bloodshot from a lack of sleep. Setting foot on the top deck, N'Jadaka adjusted his balance from the heavy swells rocking the ship. A gust of wind ticked up and blew cool air on his face.

"The weather shifted twenty minutes ago, there is a storm headed this way," Lebohang said.

Shuri kept up with N'Jadaka, geeked out that he had permitted her to come on the sudden trip. She deserved a break from the lab and babysitting Bucky Barnes and Nick Fury. T'Challa led the way to the quarterdeck where the bridge was. Ship personnel greeted him and his cousins with hearty enthusiasm. The three of them together were a sight to see. The Dora Milaje stayed in the background.

"There," Lebohag said, pointing to the radar imaging. "We have kept an eye on that ship all day. No movement. No signs of anything."

"Let's get closer," N'Jadaka said.

The chief officer moved quickly to direct the Sea Leopard toward the unknown ship. A gray hue of fat storm clouds crowded the horizon, swallowing the rays of sunlight until the giant puffy condensed air looked like smoke rising from a sea fire. Their ship moved a slow ten knots, and the closer they moved toward their target, the darker the sky became.

"So strange," Shuri said.

The waves kicked up, rocking them more, and the sky changed into a stark grayish blue.

"I see it," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka glanced at the radar first, then stared through the window at a large vessel sitting in the middle of the sea.

"American," Lebohang said as he scanned the ship.

"Captain, there are no life readings on board," the first officer said.

"A ghost ship?" N'Jadaka said.

"I tapped into the ship's manifest. It is the U.S.S. Powell. The ship is only ten years old," Lebohang said.

The captain ran his fingers across a touch screen. N'Jadaka turned to T'Challa.

"Go with the ship's team to check it out. We need to know if this is a lure to trick us," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa's Black Panther suit swarmed over him and he left N'Jadaka's side. Ten other soldiers from the ship joined him on board a spider-class aircraft that lifted away to go land on the abandoned ship. Lebohag set the soldier's visuals on a viewscreen.

The soldiers on the ghost ship scanned the vessel further for leaks, explosives, or traps. Nothing appeared wrong. Fresh food sat piping hot on their mess deck.

"N'Jadaka, all of their electronics work and there is no damage in the engine room," T'Challa reported.

"Where are the crew?" Shuri muttered under her breath.

"Their lifeboats and emergency equipment are intact," a soldier informed them on the other ship.

"Another American ship is approaching. Five miles away. Moving fast," the first officer said.

T'Challa and the inspection team gathered together and flew back over on the spider craft. Lebohang ordered submersion and the Sea Leopard camouflaged itself before going underwater to hide.

"Captain Lebohang!" The first officer shouted.

The Sea Leopard had only gone to a depth of one hundred meters, and their sonar picked up images that made Shuri gasp next to him. Lebohang tapped the screen in front of him and underwater lights revealed the fate of the U.S.S. Powell crew.

Hundreds of drowned bodies floated within the pale light of their submerged ship.

"Scanning," Lebohang said.

The captain stared at N'Jadaka.

"No wounds… no bleeding…" Lebohang said with disbelief.

All dead. Drowned by a hidden hand.

"Back us away at a safe distance. I want us to stay hidden but back up on the surface," N'Jadaka said.

He rushed away from the captain with T'Challa and Shuri on his heels. The low hum of the ship guided them back to the surface. The spectral camouflage allowed them to see out, but the Americans had no clue they were being spied on by the Wakandans. On the top deck, N'Jadaka's golden jaguar suit enveloped him. He used his mask to see further on the other ship. Shuri stood between them with her own binocular shades on.

The new ship approached the U.S.S. Powell and a flurry of activity took place on it as they maneuvered closer to the ghost ship.

"What is that glowing redness in the water?" T'Challa said.

They gazed at the dark water as a shimmering neon blood-red shape emerged from the deep. A monstrous giant squid breached the surface, stopping the new ship.

A shrill sound stabbed N'Jadaka's eardrum and he jammed his hands over his ears. T'Challa and Shuri became transfixed and slowly walked toward the edge of the Sea Leopard.

"The fuck?" N'Jadaka screeched.

Hundreds of human heads bobbed in the water, facing the ship. With his mask's enhanced optics, he made out fierce faces that seemed to be… singing?

He grabbed T'Challa and Shuri's arms, but they kept moving closer to the edge. Splashes broke his concentration away from his cousins. Across the water, sailors from the new American ship leaped to their deaths, the choppy waves folding over their bodies as they joined their unfortunate comrades floating dead down below.

"Captain Lebohang! Soundproof the Sea Leopard! Now!" N'Jadaka screamed.

He watched in rising dread as men took their own lives listening to the deadly voices luring them to commit mass suicide. T'Challa slumped to his knees as the effects wore off, but Shuri had reached the protective railing and climbed over it. She dangled like a limp doll, but N'Jadaka grabbed her, yanking her body back to him. Her foot smacked the spectral camouflage shield making it glint brightly.

A body floated out of the sea and flew toward the middle of both ships. It rose above the Sea Leopard's great height and N'Jadaka observed that it was a man. He stared directly at their hidden ship.

"How can he know we are here?" T'Challa said, shaking his head to get his mind right again.

"He senses that there is a protective covering," Shuri said, resting her fingers against her temples.

All they could see was his dark shape holding a spear.

"There are wings on his feet," N'Jadaka said.

"The others aren't able to fly," T'Challa said.

They watched a swarm of men and women crawl up the side of the new ship. Soldiers continued to toss themselves overboard.

"Should we help them?" Shuri asked.

"No, we'll be blamed for all of this and we don't have enough manpower to fight them," N'Jadaka said.

He shifted to night vision with his mask.

"Oh, my Bast!" Shuri shrieked.

N'Jadaka swallowed hard. The hairs on his arms rose. There were at least a thousand people in the water that they could see, their heads lifted in siren song to kill their enemy. Sonic warfare at its best.

"It is them… the Talokanil," N'Jadaka said.

Shuri clutched at her brother's arm.

"That is their leader," N'Jadaka said, pointing to the flying man who rose higher in the sky above them hidden in the darkness of the black clouds.

The Talokan leader thrust his spear out and hovered in the air. Waiting.

No more bodies jumped from the new ship. The bobbing heads turned to face their flying leader.

"Lebohang, lower the camouflage shield," N'Jadaka ordered.

"Are you sure about that?" T'Challa asked.

"They aren't singing," N'Jadaka said.

The shield disappeared and the Sea Leopard became visible to the Talokanil.

N'Jadaka stepped forward, his golden jaguar suit covering every inch of him. He lowered his mask and latched his eyes on the flying man.

"Ndingu ukumkani N'Jadaka Udaku, ukusuka Wakanda!" N'Jadaka shouted.

The flying man raised his hand and flicked it. His people in the water disappeared below the surface. Captain Lebohang turned on underwater lights and N'Jadaka exhaled with a shuddery breath. There were thousands more swimming under the water with orcas and humpback whales carrying most of them away. No wonder King T'Chaka kept his mouth shut for so long.

"Are you the son of King T'Chaka?"

The flying man dropped down so that he was only twenty feet away from N'Jadaka and his cousins.

"I am the late king's son," T'Challa said.

T'Challa stepped in front of N'Jadaka, automatically protecting the king even though he had his own suit.

"King T'Chaka was my uncle," N'Jadaka said.

"You see what we have done to those surface dwellers?" the stranger said, pointing his spear toward the water.

"We still recognize the truce between Wakanda and Talokan," N'Jadaka said.

The stranger tilted his head and his lips curled into a sinister smile.

"That is good to hear."

"What do they call you?" N'Jadaka asked, watching the last of the Talokanil disappear.

"K'uk'ulkan."

"He is a mutant," Shuri said, tapping her kimoyo scanner.

K'uk'ulkan stared at her and his jaw tightened, making the smile turn into a cruel sneer.

"I am the feathered serpent God," he said with a hard tone.

"Why did you kill them? What did they do to you?" T'Challa asked.

"Nothing. I will keep it that way," K'uk'ulkan said.

"Captain Lebohang, take us back to Wakanda," N'Jadaka commanded.

The Sea Leopard hummed and moved away slowly from the dead and two ghost ships. N'Jadaka turned his back on the feathered serpent God. Shuri rushed to his side.

"Wait, N'Jadaka! We must talk with him! Did you not see that he wore vibranium on his body? Even his spear was made from it," Shuri blurted out.

"I saw it, and that's why we're going home and minding our business for now. They don't fuck with the surface world and we will not fuck with them until we need to."

"But this is a tremendous discovery! That means Wakanda isn't the only country to have vibranium. We need to know how much they have… maybe even see their world."

"In due time cuz, but right now I need him to see that we're not a problem to him. The truce is our temporary buffer," N'Jadaka said.

"When we get back home, I am going to find where they come from and send a tracking drone—"

"Shuri. You can do your research for me, but we will not antagonize him. I needed them to see me in person so they know I'm not a punk. He knows that now. He'll also kill without provocation. That tells me his people come first above anything. He's not interested in a foreign exchange of intellect or curiosity. He don't give a fuck. He also knows we have vibranium."

"You're scared like our father," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka stopped walking. They were back on the bridge.

"Cautious," N'Jadaka said. "We can't afford to look weak. But we know where his territory begins."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Show me where I can rest and think," N'Jadaka said.

"Right this way, King N'Jadaka," Lebohang said.

Chapter 66 HERE.

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