#the revised chapters are uh. longer <3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

electrospherevaults · 5 months

Text

Defiler - Chapter 25

[Click here to read the rest of the Defiler story]

Wound, Part II

[ESTABLISHING LINK...] [....................000%] [///.................016%] [////////............044%] [/////////...........045%] [///////////.........056%] [/////////////////...088%] [////////////////////100%] [LINK COMPLETE]

[OPERATION: WOUND SYSTEM: -BLANK- PLANET: EONOV JURISDICTION: INDEPENDENT A.O.E: NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SPACE ABOVE PLANET DANGER LEVEL: CRITICAL STATUS: INITIATING]

[LINK WITH 301ST PROLITHE TACTICAL WING SQUADRON – CALLSIGN “GAUNTLE”, ESTABLISHED.]

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << Gauntle 1 to all Gauntle wings, check in. >>

Gauntle 2 - Bronze << Gauntle 2, on standby. >>

Gauntle 3 << Gauntle 3, on standby. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Tinker, on standby! >>

Gauntle 3 << Gauntle 4... >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Ah, sorry Jerry! Gauntle 4, on standby! >>

Gauntle 5 – Golden Boy << Gauntle 5, on standby! >>

Gauntle 6 – Malaise << Gauntle 6, standing by! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Gauntle 7, on stand-by. >>

Gauntle 8 – Spanner << Gauntle 8, standby. >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << All checks complete. Look alive folks – we’ll be joining with the 877th Jardinista Tactical Fighter Squadron, callsign Jaune. Don’t embarrass me in front of our enemies. >>

Gauntle 3 << Roger that, Gauntle Leader. >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << And Renard? Try not to be such an uptight ass. >>

Gauntle 3 << Can’t do that, Gauntle Leader. >>

[ERROR: MULTIPLE CONCURRENT COMMUNICATIONS LINKS ACTIVE]

Gauntle 2 – Bronze << A’ight, ev’ryone cut the chatter. We closin’ in with Zaune. >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << Look sharp, Gauntle! Tinker, link us up. >>

[ESTABLISHING LINK...] [....................000%] [/////////////////...089%] [////////////////////100%] [LINK WITH 877TH JARDINISTA TACTICAL FIGHTER SQUADRON – CALLSIGN “JAUNE”, ESTABLISHED.]

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << That was fast! >>

Gauntle 5 – Golden Boy << Yeah, you’d figure it’d take longer, being- >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << This is Lieutenant [STATIC]. The Jaune Squadron will be flying with you today. >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << You are speaking with Captain Perrault, Gauntle Squadron Leader. Gauntle-301 accepts. >>

Jaune 1 - [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << Gauntle, huh? A fine Scythian name indeed! I assume you have been briefed on the revised assault plan? >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << What revised assault plan? >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << We got an escort mission on top of everything else. >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << An escort mission? >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << Mhmm. The powers that be decided the classic five-way thrust assault is not enough. Even if it worked wonders against the starchildren a hundred years ago. >>

Gauntle 2 – Bronze << So what’re we escorting? >>

Jaune 2 – Gigi << Precious cargo. Boarding parties. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << We’re boarding the planet-killer?! >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << Indeed... Uh, I guess I’ll call you Tinker, since that’s what showing up on my comms. I only hope it works for us too. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << If I may be so bold, capitan- >>

Jaune 3 – Orphan << Monkey, no. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << The plan still seems way too risky to me. We got a tried and true battle formation, which is proven to work. What is different now? >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] <>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << All I’m saying- >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Wait, I recognize this voice. Luc? >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Jean-Michel? Is that you?! >>

Jaune 2 – Gigi << Oh great, now there’s two of them. >>

[PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL ESTABLISHED]

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Holy shit, Jean-Michel! Didn’t expect to come across you here of all places! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Life plays riddles like that sometimes! How’s the cosmonaut life been treating you, Luc? >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Pretty good! I’ve seen the cosmos, and now I’m about to destroy it, evidently! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Heh. Or board it more like. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Hah, for real! Man, we have so much to talk about! I should buy you a beer after all this is over! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << You know I only drink sparkled wine, Luc! >>

** Laughs ** << Think you got enough in your pocket to buy me some? >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Haha, fuck you, of course I do! What, you think us Jardinistas just roll in the mud all day? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << A little. Then, you get in your rockets to play soldiers! >> ** Laughs **

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Ha-ha, fuck you, you prick! >> ** Laughs **

<< ... >> << Listen. About mom- >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Don’t. >> << We’ll mourn the dead later, whilst us wounded still fight. >>

Jaune 5 - Monkey << ... >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << We should get back to the briefing. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Jean-Michel wait! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << What, Luc? >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << ...I’m glad you’re still alive. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << You too, Luc. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Promise me you’ll stay alive, Jean-Michel. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <>

Jaune 5 – Monkey <>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << ...I’ll try. And I want you to do the same, Luc. >>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << Wilco. >> << ... >> <>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Heh, right. >> << Just like back home. >>

[PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL TERMINATED]

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << Look alive, Gauntle! Jaune is taking the lead, we’re passing through Jardinista space. Keep your fingers off your triggers – let’s not start a three-way fight now! >>

Jaune 2 – Gigi <>

Jaune 5 – Monkey << You mean a fight right? >> << ... >> << Right? >>

Jaune 2 – Gigi << You are embarrassing me, Monkey, and you’ll pay for it dearly. >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << What have I told you two about the comms channels? For crying out loud! >>

Gauntle 5 – Golden Boy << And I thought Tinker would embarrass us! >>

Gauntle 2 – Bronze <>

Jaune 3 – Orphan << I’ve not seen so many since the invasion of Ferrener. >>

Jaune 2 – Gigi << Pray it doesn’t go the same way, Orphan. >>

Gauntle 3 <>

Gauntle 2 – Bronze <>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry <>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << Think the plan will be cancelled? >>

Gauntle 1 – Jerry << Hell no. Too much fuel has been spent. This is a gamble, and we’re the chips. We’ll roll with the dice. >>

Jaune 1 – [ERROR; CALLSIGN CANNOT BE LOADED] << Hm. May the dice be in our favour then. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Gauntle Leader, I see it! I see the starchild! It... >> << Oh gods. >> << It is

Enormous.

[COMMUNICATIONS LOST.]

[RE-ESTABLISHING CONNECTION]

[....................................................................] [CONNECTION TIMED OUT]

[RE-ESTABLISHING CONNECTION]

[..............]

[CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED]

[ESTABLISHING LINK...] [....................000%] [/...................004%] [//..................010%] [///.................014%] [///.................014%] [////................016%] [////................017%] [////................016%] [//..................009%] [///.................011%] [///.................011%] [LINK FAILED TO ESTABLISH]

[RETRY TRANSMISSION?] > Yes No

[ESTABLISHING LINK...] [....................000%] [//..................010%] [///.................012%] [///.................014%] [////................016%] [////................017%] [////................016%] [////////////////....082%] [////////////////////100%] [LINK COMPLETE]

[OPERATION: WOUND SYSTEM: -BLANK- PLANET: EONOV JURISDICTION: INDEPENDENT A.O.E: NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SPACE ABOVE PLANET DANGER LEVEL: CRITICAL STATUS: UNDERWAY]

[LINK WITH 301ST PROLITHE TACTICAL WING SQUADRON – CALLSIGN “GAUNTLE”, RE-ESTABLISHED.]

Gauntle 3 << Sound off! Who’s still alive?! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Gauntle 7, regrouping. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Gauntle 4, wounded but still kicking! >>

Gauntle 3 << How wounded? >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << I, uhhhh, have lost engine 2. 3 is leaking oil – maybe misfire. I’ll reboot just to be sure. >>

Gauntle 7 - Wrench << Anyone else? >>

Gauntle 3 <>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Engine 3 back online! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << What happened to Jaune Squadron? >>

Gauntle 3 <>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Any survivors? >>

Gauntle 3 << Nothing on my radar. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << ... >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << I’m sorry Wrench. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Gauntle 3, think we can get back into action? >>

Gauntle 3 << Our squadron has lost 70% of our fighting capabilities, possibly more given that misfire on Gauntle 4. I think it’d be better to disengage. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << How’s it looking on the rest of the battlefield? >>

Gauntle 3 << Pretty fucking bad, Gauntle 7. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Figures. >>

I got you now.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << What do you mean “you got me now?” >>

Gauntle 3 << Huh? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Thought one of you two talked to me on private comms. >>

Gauntle 3 << Nope. No privacy enabled. Just the usual radio chatter. >>

Your name is Jean-Michel du Rembrandt, isn’t it? I will need your help.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Who are you? >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Wrench, you alright man? >>

Born in Scythia, raised on southern Gaulloiserie… Holy Maker, your world is beautiful! I’ve never seen so much greenery before! I’ve had seen your banners, and your masks, and always thought Scythia was a land of volcanoes and ash. So the Maker wasn’t putting up illusions after all…

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Tinker, perform an analysis on my comms; I might be compromised. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Wilco, gimme a sec! >> << ... >> << All systems nominal, Wrench! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Ugh. Think it might be that Starchild messing with us? >>

Gauntle 3 <>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << I-

I’m fine. Just radio chatter messing up my rhythm. I’ll deal with it.

Gauntle 3 << Aaaaaaalright. Look alive, Jean-Michel. >>

I will need your help, Jean-Michel. It is a big request, however,

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << W-will do, Gauntle 3. >>

Do not be alarmed. We will speak in private – and face to face – from now on.

Jean-Michel << Who the hel- >> << W-where am I? >>

This is a safebox we’re in. Time is immobile. Space is immaterial. It is only you and me in here. Nothing can reach us, nothing can harm us, and we got time to discuss the battle lying ahead. The battle against the Maker. He is wounded now; I incapacitated Him, but I don’t know for how long. So, I am looking to find a way to kill Him.

But I first want to apologize for your friends. Believe me, I did not want things to go this way. But things are very fucked up, as you can tell.

Jean-Michel <>

You are being pretentious. I am no god. My name is Mallik. I am a ratlung from Tabora, the planet below whose god now awakened, and whose god you’ve come to take over.

Jean-Michel << So this starchild is... your god? >>

Used to be. My mother used to believe in Him. My grandmother too.

He killed them both.

Jean-Michel <>

I am well aware, Jean-Michel. I am sorry I could not save your brother. Timespace is tricky; I know it’s of little consolation to you now, but god damn it I tried! Believe me.

Jean-Michel << ...It’s fine. >> << It’s clear you got a lot on your plate, and you’re only just getting used to things. Not every day your god turns out to be real and shares their powers with you personally, only to then betray you, I hazard. >> << But, still, I got to ask you: >> << Why should I trust you? What do you need a random scythian cosmonaut like me for? >> << ... >> << Your abilities far surpass mine – and I’m not even a high ranking officer or anything of sorts. I cannot command, I cannot lead. I am just your typical spaceboy, like you said earlier. It baffles me, if I may be frank with you, ma’am. >>

When I was a kid, I dreamed to fly. I tried to join the academies in the Strip. And each and every time, I would surely be rejected. Heh. Funny thing that.

Jean-Michel << Heh. Didn’t think you had aspirations to be a spaceboy too. >> << Or spacegirl more like. >>

What can I say? Flying is cool. Space is cooler. Your lot may be jerks, but you got skills; the likes of which would make any girl red with envy.

Jean-Michel << Well, I don’t know if I’d call us all jerks, but- >>

Oh, believe me, once you’ve passed by the academy enough times and had so many spaceboys leer at you and whistle, or seen the pros on their off days get so rowdy in front of a ratlung outside the bars and in cruise trips, it is hard to shake off that kind of notoriety away.

Jean-Michel << ... >> << That is horrible. On behalf of the cosmonaut corps, I am deeply sorry for my colleagues. >>

Don’t be. Like I said – flying is cool, and space is cooler. You got the skills, and that is why I need you, Jean-Michel: You fly well. Exceptionally well, may I add. I’ve been pouring over this battle for the past couple hours – how many it’s been, I am uncertain – but, you are the one most capable of pulling it off.

Jean-Michel << Wait, hours? It can’t have been that long, has it? I need to- >>

Spacetime, Jean-Michel. It works differently. The battle lasts exactly twenty-four minutes and thirty-seven seconds in real time. From the time the first bullet rings out to the time the last vessel is struck down.

And it always ends with a graveyard that surrounds a planet cracked in half; another of His “miracles” that He escapes with a black hole He creates.

And I am not letting that happen.

I will need your help in this doomed battle, because the outcome will decide how many will live. On my planet, in your fleet, across the Kingdom whole. Your King, however, will not live to see any of these outcomes. You have a chance to save the Kingdom, Jean-Michel.

But for that, you will need to sacrifice yourself.

Are you willing to die for your King, cosmonaut?

Jean-Michel << Yes ma’am. >>

Okay, don’t “Yes ma’am” me, spaceboy; this is actual life-and-death we are talking about! No intrigues, no fancy fights. No fancy funerals or honours. Drop your soldiering and ask yourself – do I want to die for a man I’ve never met, a man who’ll never remember my name?

Are you truly willing to die for your King, cosmonaut?

Jean-Michel << ... >> << ...Yes. >> << I am a royal cosmonaut from the Scythian Republics, in willing service of King Arcuturus and the Kingdom of Solaria. But above all, I serve Scythia, and her prosperity relies on the prosperity of the Kingdom itself. You said the King will die, but his Kingdom will carry on, correct? Then I am willing to die in his name. >> << Is that a good enough answer for you, Mallik? >>

Very. You are brave, Jean-Michel. I am sorry you have to die.

Jean-Michel << It’s not death, ma’am. We can mourn the dead later, whilst us wounded still fight. >>

You may not see it, but I am smiling at you right now. I hope I can find a way to save you.

Now, here’s my plan, Jean-Michel. Follow it, and we might have a chance. All I ask is that you place your trust in me.

Please.

[SYSTEM REBOOT] [RE-ESTABLISHING TRANSMISSION] [....................000%] [/////////...........048%] [/////////////.......067%] [////////////////////100%] [TRANSMISSION COMPLETE] [LINK WITH GAUNTLE SQUADRON RE-ESTABLISHED]

Gauntle 3 << JEAN-MICHEL, DO YOU COPY? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Huh? >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Oh hey! He’s alive! >>

Gauntle 3 << Gauntle 7, you missed your fucking check in. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Ah, shit. Sorry. Gauntle 7, standing by. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Better late than never! >>

Gauntle 3 << Better late than dead too. It’s been five minutes. I timed it. >> << Nevermind all that now though, we are to re-enter the battlespace. We are losing badly, they need as many hands as they can get. We’ll fly a 3-wing delta formation, Gauntle 7 I need you on my left. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Roger that, Gauntle 3. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Hey, Renard. How does it feel to be a squadron leader finally? >>

Gauntle 3 << Anxiety-inducing, what with you two on-board. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << You wouldn’t want it any other way. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Feisty now after your powernap, huh? >>

Gauntle 3 << Shut up, both of you. >> << Golden Throne, Gauntle is seeking to re-engage. Give us targets. >>

BATTLESHIP-CARRIER Prolithe – Golden Throne << ... >>

Gauntle 3 << Golden Throne, do you copy? >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Comms look dead to- WATCH OUT! >>

[INTERFERENCE. MINIMIZING VOLUME. NOISE ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS: - Fire - Explosions - Scattered desperate shouting - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Death - Deat NOISE DELETED. COMMUNICATIONS RE-ESTABLISHED.]

Gauntle 3 << ... >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker <> << Renard, where to? >>

Gauntle 3 << ... >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Guess it’s time for his- >>

Gauntle 3 << We are not escaping this battlefield alive, are we? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << We’re not. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Hey, hey, hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves! >> << Things are looking pretty fucking dire, but it ain’t over yet! Remember Ferrener? Now that was a clusterfuck – and we made it! >> << So, you know, don’t fucking panic, okay? >> << Now – where to, Gauntle 3? >>

Gauntle 3 << ... >> <>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << YOU got a plan? >>

Gauntle 3 << What is it, Gauntle 7? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << On our pass earlier, when we skirted close to the planet-killer, any of you noticed these holes on the surface? >>

Gauntle 3 << I’ve noticed chunks of the structure blown off, but... >> << Tendrils reached from within to pick those chunks back; they put the starchild back together. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Yeah. I thought all the ordinance our fleet had been throwing at it after it blew up the transport ships would do some damage. I... >> << Seriously, how did this formation work a hundred years ago? Just spray and pray it’s dead before you’re out of ammo? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << You wouldn’t be far off the mark I’d hazard. >> << Either way, I’ve noticed the hull has holes. The starchild cannot patch itself up fully – it is taking too much damage. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << What are you implying, Wrench? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << We fly in, blow it up from the inside. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << And be back home for dinner? That’s insane, I’m checking your life support levels. >>

Gauntle 3 << It might work. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Okay, I am checking yours too then! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << What other option is out there? >> << Given how much everything is being decimated out here, this might be our only chance at saving the fleet. At saving the King even! >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Wait, King Arcuturus is present? >>

Gauntle 3 << You should really start paying attention to briefing, Gauntle 4. >> << Gauntle 7, how sure are you about getting us to one of the holes in the starchild’s structure? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Pretty damn sure, Gauntle 3. >>

Gauntle 3 << Gauntle 7, take point. I’ll follow your lead. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << You lot are insane. UGH! Fine! Wrench, I’m right behind you! >> << Not like I was planning to make it to Jensen’s barbeque next Sunday. Prolithe is destroyed anyway. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Use the debris as cover. We must not let the starchild see us. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << If this thing pops real damn eyes next, I’m straight up quitting the force. I want you both to know that. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Alright then, I won’t tell you anything. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << ...For real?! >>

Gauntle 3 << Easy does it, Gauntle 4. Focus on your flying. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Yeah but- >> << Tendrils! 7 o’ clock high! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Evade, evade, evade! >>

Gauntle 3 <>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Renard! >> << UGH! SHIT! FUCK! >>

Gauntle 3 << Gauntle 4, are you okay?! >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Uh, shit, Jean-Michel, perform one of your scans, please? >> << ... >> << Please, tell me good news? >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Holy hell, how is your cockpit not cracked still? >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << This is not encouraging, buddy ol’ pal!!! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <> << ... >> << It’s not good, Bernice. >>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Hey, quick question? What the FUCK does that mean? >>

Gauntle 3 << Your wreckage is picking up speed, Gauntle 4. You will be out of comms range soon. >> << ... >> <>

Gauntle 4 – Tinker << Hey Renard? Fuck you, come save me! >> << Please! >> << ... >> << Please. >> << Please, I do not want to die. >> << Not here. Not like this. >> << At least shoot me dead! Come on!!! Can’t you spare a missile?! >> << Please don’t let me die! >> << Renard! Jean-Michel! >> << PLEASE! >> << ANSWER, YOU FUCKS! >> <>

[COMMUNICATIONS LOST.]

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <> << ... >> << We got to carry on. >> << You okay, Renard? >>

Gauntle 3 << No. But we’re pressing on regardless. Jean-Michel, I’ll keep following your lead. >> << Don’t get me killed. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Wilco. >>

On your approach, remember – the Maker has many eyes, but he still remains blind.

A blind man feels. But when surrounded by water, a droplet does not register.

Fly into the tunnels. You will dance with your fate there.

Gauntle 3 << Uh... This is not looking safe, Jean-Michel. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Trust me, Renard. >>

And be silent. You cannot let Him hear you.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << And be quiet! Don’t let Him hear you. >>

Gauntle 3 << Him? You mean the- >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << What did I just say, Renard?! >>

Gauntle 3 << Apologies. Going dark. >>

His weakness is his size. An ego the size of a planet. A man toying with fates of countless beings, all of them at his fingertips.

You will strike beneath him, aiming straight for the gaps where he breathes.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << There! The pulsating veins! >>

Gauntle 3 << Jean-Michel, this thing is alive. >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Aim for His veins, Renard! Make Him bleed! >>

Gauntle 3 << With pleasure. >> << Fox Two. >> << ... >>

<< Direct hi- >>

[ERROR. MULTIPLE CONCURRENT NOISE SIGNALS ACTIVE.]

[RE-ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION LINKS.]

[ADJUSTING VOLUME LEVELS.]

Gauntle 3 << What the fuck was that?! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Reloading laser canons! >>

Gauntle 3 <> << I’m heading for a second run! Cover me! >>

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Roger that, Renard! >> << Wrench, firing laser! >>

Mallik. What have you done?

Putting you back to sleep.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Direct hit! It’s coming off! >>

It is not over. It is far from over. Even as these two mosquitoes make my body bleed, it will not be enough to destroy me. You will need a lot more to make my body flood, and even if it does, these attacks are not enough to stop what you began. And I think you know it. Maybe I am not the sole defiler here.

Maybe you’re not.

But I think you misunderstand intentions.

Gauntle 3 << Jean-Michel, it’s shaking! >>

And you misjudge the ways your own body can betray you.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Good, it’s working! We’re near! >>

Gauntle 3 << Keep firing! Keep fir- >>

[COMMUNICATIONS LOST.]

As do you.

Fuck!

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Renard? >> << RENARD! >> << NO! >> << Ah shi- >>

[COMMUNICATIONS LOST.]

This isn’t over yet!

Of course it isn’t, Mallik. I will simply encircle you like before, like a snake awaiting for this tiny little rat to panic and keel over. The strike is certain, and I will keep ascending beyond these confines. You cannot put an end to destiny. I have to patch myself up. I will be back for you, Mallik. Once I find you.

Fuck you.

Jean-Michel.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << M-Mallik? >>

I am sorry for the pain. How are you holding up?

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << My ship is sliced in half, and I have a rod that has pierced my guts. I... I should be dead. Why am I not- >>

I’m trying to keep you alive. And I am doing the same with your ship. Sadly, He woke up sooner than we expected. And we got no time to lose now.

Genuinely, I am sorry. I am sorry for making you suffer. I am no better than Him…

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Don’t w-worry about it, ma’am. I appreciate the concerns. But we still got a fight to finish. >> << All engines are busted – yet they work at full capacity. You are carrying me, correct? >>

You will need to hit both of these bones at once. The interconnecting rods. It’s the spine that holds Him in place. With it gone…

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << He will fall. >> <>

You already have it.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench <> << ... >> << Will Scythia survive, Mallik? Will He be stopped? >>

It will. I will stop Him.

And I want to thank you once again, Jean-Michel.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Don’t mention it. Just make sure your god dies and I won’t haunt you from the afterlife. >>

Heh. Sounds like a plan.

I will leave you to prepare.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << Mallik. One last thing. >>

Yes?

Gauntle 7 – Wrench << You’ve seen beyond. Into... What comes after. >> << ... >> << Is there anything you saw? >>

An endless galaxy of stars. And we dance right alongside them. We pick our favourites. Each one a memory, a thought, a feeling. And it is peaceful. Quiet. Serene.

You will be alright, Jean-Michel, I can promise you this much.

Gauntle 7 – Wrench Jean-Michel << Thank you for your answer, Mallik. Gauntle 7, signing out. >> << ... >> ** Breathe In ** ** Breathe Out ** ** Cough ** << Luc. You damn bastard. I’ll pester you in a bit. >> << ... >> << Approaching gun range. Switching all power to weapons. Bypassing overheat overrides. >> << ... >> << Never thought the cockpit could get so toasty. Heh. >> <> << ... >> << Mother, I think you would be proud of him. He may had been an enemy. But he fought with valour. >>

<< Mother. I did my best. See you soon. >>

[COMMUNICATIONS LOST.]

See you, spaceboy.

#defiler #my writing #nanowrimo 2021 #nanowrimo wip #original fiction #sci fi

6 notes · View notes

fourth-quartet · 4 months

Note

Alright bitch, since you sent me so many questions...time to return the favor: 1, 3, 5, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 25, 27, 28, 35, 36, 44, 72

HAHAHAH ily <3

1. Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

It depends project to project, but I do tend to talk them out to myself at night. Staring up at the ceiling two feet from my face, usually in some kind of accent, until I can piece together what exactly I want out of it.

3. Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself?

Most of the time, I actually keep them to myself. The bigger projects I tend to share, just so I have someone other than myself to talk it out with.

5. How many wips do you have? What fandoms/pairings are they for?

10 currently! 6 of them are Critical Role (4 Essek/Caleb, 1 Lucien/Caleb, 1 Kingsley/Verin), 3 Devil Judge that will probably never see the light of day (1 Gaon/Yohan, 1 Yohan/Isaac, 1 Elijah-centic), 1 Strangers From Hell (implied Jongwoo/Moonjo but Moonjo-centric)

10. Do you work on multiple wips or stick to one fic at a time?

I've been leaning more recently towards sticking to one fic at a time. But if I have a particularly hard time with one (like I am right now), I might take a break to work on something else.

12. Do you outline your fics? If yes, how detailed are your outlines? How far do you stray from them?

Uh.

All jokes aside, I actually don't outline most of the time. I'm trying to get better about it for longer fics.

15. What’s your favorite time to write?

Early evening! Between 4-7p is really my primetime for writing. (Or morning, between 9a-11a also works pretty well for me. I just get sleepy mid-day).

18. Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research?

Yes!! I love research. One of the projects I'm currently working on, I've done some intense research into prisoners of war and internment/concentration camps. There was also a TDJ politics fic that never came to be where I dig some pretty extensive digging into the Korean political system.

21. Do you prefer writing chaptered fics or one-shots?

One-shots! I prefer writing one-shots.

25. What’s your favorite part of the writing process (worldbuilding, brainstorming/outlining, writing, editing, etc)?

Editing! I fucking love editing. I tend to take it to the extreme, not gonna lie, but it's so much fun to edit and revise.

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

Dialogue is absolutely my strongest skill.

28. What area of writing do you want to improve in?

Realistic and intentional world-building.

35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted?

restless constructions (don't leave me)

36. What fic are you proudest of?

voices stolen and people borrowed

44. What is your favorite genre to write?

Slice of Life/Thriller/Adventure. In other words, something angsty but fun.

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

(courtesy of @crying-cryptids)

Fanfiction Writing Asks | Send Me Asks

#took answers #moot tag #sass tag #fic stuffs #took writes

4 notes · View notes

setting-in-a-honeymoon · 1 year

Text

Informally tagged by @earlgreytea68 when she did this game and encouraged people to steal it, so, here I am, being a little thief, to procrastinate :3

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you've ever had?

Hmm maybe the idea that became Look at You and Smile. It's just soft and fluffy and fun, you know? Idk though, I've got a lot of fic ideas in my notes app/on my to-do list that might be strong contenders, like my Trojan War au and the conspiracy theorist radio fic.

What is your favorite part of being a writer? Which parts could you take or leave?

Um. Can I say writing for both?

I love the process of writing but also it is the bane of my existence, you know? When it goes as planned, awesome, but when it doesn't and I kind of want to tear my hair out, not awesome. And editing is fantastic, I highly recommend it, but it's also pain! Not gonna lie!

I will also say, I think it's frustrating when you try to get feedback from people and most of it amounts to they don't get your work. That might come off as pretentious, but I say this because last semester I was in a short story workshop, and some of the revision suggestions I got were really helpful, but some of the questions people had, especially about specific details I know I made clear in the story, made me want to roll my eyes and be like, "Did you even read it?"

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

Probably just creating the content that I want to see, and hoping other people will get as much joy out of it as I do. :)

What do you wish you knew when you first started out writing?

I don't really know? I think that any knowledge I have now, younger me wouldn't really know what to do with, you know? And uh. Thinking about that young adult Percy Jackson and the Olympians-esque novel I started writing in late elementary/early middle school. There's a lot of advice I could've given her. I would not know where to start. But I think it's probably better that I wrote the way I did and it's evolved into how I write now, so. Yeah, I don't know.

What is your favorite story you've written to completion? Link it if you'd like and can!

Right now, it's Look at You and Smile, mainly because the Tiny Dancer scene in that fic had been living in my head for so long, and I was so so happy when I typed it out and it came out exactly how I imagined it in my head. It made me feel like I'd been touched by the muses lmao. It was also really rewarding to finally write a fic I'd been tossing around in my head for (checks journals to make sure I have the date right) three years.

What is your favorite out of the box quote?

I'm gonna cheat a little bit and include two. First, from Don't Dare Stop:

But. They must’ve been working longer than Patrick thought, because it’s the beginning of golden hour, everything around them a little bit softer and fuzzier as the sun just barely starts to sink on the horizon. It’s enchanting the way a warm shower after a long day is, mundane and comforting.

Patrick looks at Pete. Soft. Fuzzy. Enchanting.

And also, this one, from one of the later chapter in Guided to You:

“No, I mean it.” He takes Patrick’s hand and intertwines their fingers. “There’s no one else I’d rather spend eternity with. If the afterlife weren’t real and reincarnation was what next, I’d want to be reborn with you every time.”

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

Probably Gerard in Head All Tangled Up, but that feels like a cop out, cause the way I wrote him is completely based on Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie that fic is based on, Stranger than Fiction (which I highly recommend, if you haven't seen it). Other than that, I don't think any of my characters have really had controversial mindsets.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

Probably first, "Wow, no novels?" And then, "What? Fanfiction? About who? That band that wrote 'Alone Together?'"

I tag @revolvingresidency @carbonbased000 @ybcpatrick @inquisitiveheretic @shark-myths @pyrchance @realdreams @toorational

#thanks for the tag!#would Much rather be talking about fanfic than doing a lit review lol

5 notes · View notes

aparticularbandit · 1 year

Text

several sentences sunday

I was tagged by @spyridonya! ...whose name I will eventually learn to type out on here. XD

I will tag @only-freaking-sunflowers (belle if you have agatha/eve/caro/agnes stuff then grabby hands for that), @hahnspoetrywrites, @butimnotasexyrussian, and @our-blood-is-our-ink. If any of you have things you would like to share with the class please and thank.

Alright, cool, bits and bops of current projects.

I will submit five!

...under the cut because this gets long, but I’ll also tell you what they are in case you don’t want to read:

1) Glass Onion Family Fluff

2) The Nature of Soulmates (next chapter)

3) Agatha/Eve ACTUAL Date (next one-shot)

4) Roisa Soulmate Timer AU Book 4 (...this has been done for almost two years and I really just need to edit it)

5) Noir Fic (which has been done even longer and is on the fifth draft and really needs some heavy revising)

Birdie Dresses Claire which is exactly what it says on the tin.

“Clairebear, I’m going to tell you a secret,” [Birdie] says, wrapping her arms around Claire’s waist and resting her head on her shoulder, “but you’ve got to promise you’re not going to tell anybody.”

Claire couldn’t promise anything right now. She can’t say anything right now that wouldn’t come out as incoherent mumbling because she’s not sure if she’s comfortable with this or uncomfortable with this. Birdie, do you even realize—

Birdie begins to play with Claire’s hair, wrapping strands of it around one finger, and if Claire thought she could say anything, she certainly can’t now. “So you remember how I used to fix everyone’s clothes?”

It’s been a while, but Claire remembers. Back when everyone had first met, when they’d first become friends, when Andi had convinced them it would be cheaper if they all moved into a little house together, and then they could pull their resources to help each other out (and she’d been right, but it had been weird, like living in a frat house, sometimes, with Duke in the basement and the sort of bro-ship he’d built up with Lionel), Birdie set herself up as their tailor. It was one of the things she was trying – looking at fashion from the clothes side of things instead of the model side of things – and it helped her to practice on their clothes…and when she got good at it, it had helped them to have clothes tailored to fit each of them specifically, even if they just got cheap jeans from Walmart, because it made them look sharper. More capable. And Birdie had gone from tailoring their clothes to making some of her own design, and—

Claire swallows once. Nods. “I remember.”

“I, uh. I still have all of your sizes.” Birdie giggles, buries her head in the slope of Claire’s neck, smiles against her skin, and then continues, “Not just yours, but. All of us? So sometimes, when I’m really bored, I just.” The fingers of the hand still around Claire’s waist drum against her skin. “Peg says it’s good to keep me busy doing something that isn’t Twitter.” She slumps, pouts. “Bras are harder to make, but I can do it.”

“You….” Claire takes a moment, wets her lips. “You make us clothes.”

Birdie nods. “Mmhm.”

“And you don’t…you didn’t tell any of us about this.”

Birdie nods again. “Mmhm.” Her head tilts. “Well, I think Andi knows, but she asks for stuff from me. You don’t. Duke never does. Lionel does sometimes, but only when he’s already found something he likes and just can’t get it in the right color.” Without thinking, she scowls, bites soft into Claire’s shoulder, hangs there for a second. “That’s not the same, though,” she mutters into Claire’s skin.

Claire swallows again. The worst thing about Birdie – the absolute worst thing about Birdie – is that she doesn’t mean anything by this. Being handsy. Setting her teeth into Claire’s shoulder. It’s just her. And yet Claire still shivers when she does it, like she does mean something when she knows – she knows – she doesn’t. “So you’re saying you have a bra. For me. For this dress you’ve made?”

“I didn’t make the dress.” Birdie unhooks her teeth from Clarie’s shoulder, and Claire resists the urge to turn to her, to open her eyes, because she already knows the confused expression Birdie is wearing. “You’re not ready for the dress I made for you.”

Somehow, this does not make Claire feel any better about this whole letting Birdie dress her thing.

“But I made a bra—”

The Nature of Soulmates chapter whatever we’re on now (is it really nine?!)

Outside, a brisk autumn breeze tussles Wanda’s hair, cools the unanticipated heat that now flows through your veins – the opposite of yesterday, when you’d been struck freezing again simply from grazing the thinnest thread of a fragile leaf. It isn’t silent; it can’t be, with the vroom of cars that speed past, the honking when one driver doesn’t notice that the light has changed as soon as the one behind them would like, the chirping of birds that you can almost make out underneath everything else, if you really think about it. But that doesn’t mean things can’t still feel awkward, full of things you want to say but don’t or the expectation that Wanda has something to say but doesn’t, because awkward doesn’t need true silence to still be silent.

This, however, is not awkward. Wanda sneaks glances at you every now and again as she sips at her chamomile tea, and whenever she meets your eyes, her lips curve up in what is almost a smile, although she hides that with her paper cup as much as possible. For your part, maybe you shouldn’t be staring at her, tracking her every movement, the excitement you can read beneath everything, but you can’t stop. You lift your thermos, sip at the last dregs of the hot apple cider you’d poured into it an hour or so ago (you still aren’t used to the café’s coffee not being shitty, and you still know better than to pour that much caffeine down your throat on any given day when you don’t want a huge anxiety attack), and smile when Wanda glances over to you in the same motion with her cup, meets your eyes, glances away quickly, and then looks back, meets your eyes again, and holds your gaze.

“So,” you start, not wanting to break the comfortable air that has fallen between you.

“So?” Wanda echoes, waiting for what you might say, both brows raising with the slightest hint of fear.

“Do you, um. Do you live around here?” Okay, that’s awkward.

Actual Agave Autumn Date

Eve looks at her text for probably a good ten minutes before sending it, swallowing hard as she clicks the button. The last time she’d even brought up the idea of a date, Agatha had been extremely uncomfortable, and even though that had, eventually, turned out well, she’d spent a week avoiding her texts and scrubbing dishes until her hands got raw and broke down crying in her hallway. She’d rather not have to go through all of that again. Hopefully setting the text up like one of those old school notes that she’d passed in middle school and elementary school and that had almost always (fuck Timmy Newton) ended with the warm, happy feeling of the boy she’d had a crush on sending it back with the y circled would succeed. Of course, her mom hadn’t actually let her go out with any of those boys, but sometimes she’d set up playdates with them (when she was in elementary school) or let her go to dances with them (when she was in middle school, which didn’t really count as a date, but at the time, it’d been close enough).

do you wanna go out with me?

please text one: y/n

That’s not the point.

The point is that hopefully sending it in this format means that Agatha won’t have the same reaction she did last time. Actually, sending it as a text instead of just dropping it on her one morning, right after she’d woken up and was probably more than a little groggy, is probably also a better idea. Maybe she should always bring up the date idea as a text. Give Agatha more time to think about it before she says—

Eve stares at the text. She maybe should have thought this through.

y as in yes or y as in why

The Time of Your Life: Book Four: Love Is Not A Victory March

Michael Cordero, Jr. had never had a strong fascination with hotels like the Marbella. He knew they existed, but to him, they had always seemed like tourist traps, destinations for people who didn’t live in Florida, meant for an elite sort of people that he and his family had never and would never be part of. That made it sound as though he had a strong distaste for them, and maybe, to some extent, that was true, but for the most part, he just didn’t think about them.

That was until his timer went off for one of the waitresses who worked there.

At the time, Michael couldn’t have guessed that’s what she was, and in the years since, years he’d spent watching her from afar while he tracked down a crime lord who had grown mysteriously silent until, finally, he’d been connected to the very same hotel where his soulmate worked, he’d found that distaste slowly growing. His soulmate deserved better, and he couldn’t wait to see her grow into whatever that better would be.

Mostly he couldn’t wait to spend his time watching something other than this stupid tourist trap hotel and its absolutely unattractive current manager with his rippling muscles that looked like they could burst out of his shirt at any moment or his leggy blonde wife who seemed to have no sense of propriety and wore bootie shorts everywhere like she wanted to be seen as a piece of meat. Not that he was one of those misogynistic assholes who thought that women couldn’t wear whatever they wanted, because he was not that.

He was just growing very, very tired of watching all of it.

Until Roman Zazo fell from a window on the twelfth floor and landed with the sharp point of an ice Marlin piercing through his chest.

Then everything seemed to suddenly grow a lot more interesting.

The Story of a Girl (title subject to change)

The sun shone down on the Manor, illuminating its ruins. Once the buildings must have been reminiscent of the ancient Greeks, but now all that remained of those glorious structures were their crumbling Corinthian columns. Living vineyards filled the grounds, a gentle breeze rustling their branches, and beyond these stood three intact buildings, built of decaying bricks. Throughout the rows of grapes stood a handful of women who tended the berries, their white robes barely so much as fluttering in the breeze. Some checked the leaves while others watered the still fragile fruit. Others disappeared from their work into the three standing buildings – most headed to the nearest building for their midday meal. On the whole, it looked like a child’s play area, bricks torn and made into new creations, while ants swarmed everywhere.

One woman glanced up at the sun, her lips parting as though to drink it in with a relaxed breath. She closed her eyes as the heat of the sun beat against her skin, the purple fabric along the inside of her robe.

Altena opened her lavender eyes and turned away from the plants, heading into the building farthest away. As she walked, the breeze tugged strands of her copper hair out of its loose braid without throwing them in her face. She shuffled down the pathway, steps hurried but steady. A few of the other women – her children, her servants – nodded in her direction as a way of acknowledgement, knowing that even the softest of words to her might distract from her current task.

As she walked, a calm smile appeared on her face – one that, although it appeared somewhat motherly, nevertheless did not reach her eyes. Therein one could see no joy or sparkle, just a grim determination and a deep-seated poise.

The smile did not leave as she entered the cool stone building, nor did it disappear as she reached her destination, footsteps slowing to a halt outside a bedroom just a few feet from the inner temple. She did not hesitate as she knocked twice on the closed door. She waited a moment, listening to the hustle behind the door. It did not concern her – not because she trusted her people but because experience was on their side. This was not the first time they had performed this particular procedure, but she knew it would be the last.

She did not expect that they would live long enough to pull it off a third time.

A woman with graying hair cracked the door open and upon seeing her mistress she opened it a sliver further. “Lady Altena,” she murmured with a lowering of her head. “We have just finished. Would you like to see her?”

“No, thank you, Anastasia. I just wanted to make sure everything is going according to plan.”

“Yes, mistress,” the woman said, averting her eyes. “Joanne is on her way to get the transport now.”

“Good.” Altena let her smile grow without losing any of the serene charm. “I trust that you will make sure nothing will go wrong. I’m counting on you.”

Anastasia nodded and closed the door once more, but before it shut, Altena could see an Asian teenager lying on a cot, seemingly asleep. She refused to focus on her, the checkmate, the last piece to the puzzle that was her actions. Instead, she stepped away and headed into the Temple, where a large carving of two women, half-kneeling with swords in their hands, stood. She stopped in front of the carving, gazing not at the two women but on the high priestess behind them, her hood lifted to hide her hair but not her serene face.

The two women may have been a team of assassins, but their actions were always guided by a soldier, a woman standing behind as guardian and head of their small family. But now the soldiers who might once have birthed them were just as corrupt as the world they were meant to save. No one, even the woman staring at the carving, could direct them without bias. But hopefully, with her current plans in motion, the new girls to take these women’s place would be free to seek the light together.

Altena bowed her head in front of the statue, hands clasped together in reverence. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. If her plans within plans worked, then this new team would become the new man within the man, the new love within the love, and, above all, the new sin within the sin. And with their dark hands, they would protect and save the grieving children of this world from everything that would corrupt them.

The breath escaped from her thin lips as she released it, letting go of her last strands of control. From now on, she would work in the shadows and wait for her saplings to return to her. Her small mouth moved in a whisper to form these words—

“Let Le Grand Retour begin.”

#musings #meme #memes #meme response #bandit writes fic #agatha dream fic #agave stuff #roisa soulmate timer au #noir fic #...noir fic is almost ten years old #it's not BAD #but it's not GREAT either wow #famfic fluff

1 note · View note

wipbigbang · 3 years

Text

going down to nowhere (MCU, Loki & Steve Rogers)

Story Title: going down to nowhere

Fandom: MCU

Link: right here (new stuff starts with chapter 3)

Summary: Things Steve was not expecting (aside from "literally everything about this situation") on his first visit to Asgard: getting roped into a temporary job as Odin's errand boy, seeing an immensely powerful and ancient alien about an immensely powerful and ancient artifact, and touring said alien's bizarre collection of things and beings from across the galaxy. Things he really, really wasn't expecting: finding Thor's not-actually-dead-after-all brother in a museum case as part of the collection. (The fact that this discovery results in various kinds of trouble is pretty much par for the course at this point, though.)

Warnings: detailed description of wounds, internalized fantastic racism (it's Loki), panic attacks, nightmares, flashbacks, dehumanization, slavery

Characters: Steve Rogers, Loki, the Collector/Taneleer Tivan, Carina

Pairings: intended to be pre-slash for Steve/Loki but just calling it Steve & Loki is more accurate because there's literally nothing shippy here

When I Started: I originally started writing this fic for MCU AU Fest 2017, defaulted, finished it for Marvel Big Bang 2017...and then never reposted it to AO3 because I kind of hated it.

How I Lost My Shit: It really did need a lot of revision, is the thing, because I wrote most of the original in a flaming panic at the last possible second. Did it actually need four entire years of revision? ...uh, no, especially since I spent most of that time guiltily reminded every so often that I should really get back to it but never actually doing that because I was positive it sucked. I asked a few different people to reassure me that it didn't suck, even, which they kindly did, but the longer I put off dealing with it, the more intimidating it got and the more convinced I became that it had to be absolutely perfect somehow before I could post--which of course was always going to be impossible.

How I Finished My Shit: I can't say I actually stopped being scared of this fic, but I signed up for WIP Big Bang to give myself a hard deadline and force myself to finally revise and finish the damn thing, at which point I discovered that it...really wasn't that bad to begin with. It needed revision, don't get me wrong--I ended up adding about 3,000 brand-new words, which of course doesn't account for many more changed words not reflected in the word count--but it just didn't suck that much in the first place, and now I hope it's even better. (It's not absolutely perfect, of course, but that was never going to happen.)

#submission #fandom: marvel #completed shit #!2021

12 notes · View notes

thoi2020 · 3 years

Note

u have advanced??????? wow. tips to qualify mains please??? help me with my modules.how do i solve them?????????

hnnng idk bestie here's some short tips n like if u want something more specific u can send another ask or dm me?

pay attention in class. sit in the front. listen out for what things the teacher puts an emphasis on. ask questions. yes, even the stupid ones. especially the stupid ones bc those are fundamentals u cannot miss bc a shaky foundation leads to a shaky building. also pay attention to ur teachers. theyve been doing this since before u even knew about jee they know what theyre doing. most of them want whats best for u, and if not specifically that, whats best for them n their institute which are usually similar things. im not saying blindly trust them without criticism but have some faith. dont dismiss them they prolly know better than u. if id followed my teachers instructions i prolly wouldnt have had to drop (but thats a discussion for another day lol).

revise notes on a regular basis. like. the day u studied it in class. then the next day. then a week later. then 2 weeks later. then a month later. google the curve of forgetting for more accurate time stamps. use flashcards for formulae n stuff that u have to memorise like inorganic chem.

analyse past papers. recognise the most important topics. but also there are some small chapters that are quite easy and some people skip them thinking there wont be any questions from them. ive given 4 papers of mains, and i can confirm that is utter bullshit. 1 question each from units and measurements, mathematical reasoning, stats, chemistry in everyday life, polymers, are guaranteed. u can easily secure at least those marks by spending just a little bit of time on them. esp for jee mains its relatively better to cover a wide range of topics with medium depth instead of just some but with deep understanding (the latter works well for advanced tho).

make a friend or two whos in the same boat as u, preparing for jee n try to keep each other accountable. tell each other everyday what ure going to study that day n then check back the next day. remind each other hlep each other out. also be friendly with the class toppers sometimes they can solve ur doubts better than teachers just bc something they explain clicks better. whenever i get confused about logarithms i think back to what my 9th grade classmate told me when i asked him to explain in 1 sentence n had him repeat it slowly to me multiple times. its burned in my memory and helped me so much.

practice tests. set the proper 3 hour limit and solve them. be honest w urself ure doing this for u. no point scoring 256/300 to impress ur teacher if u cheated bc on the day of the exam ure going to be screwed. in the beginning try out different strategies, different ones work for different ppl. like for me, math is my favourite and i find it easier than the other 2 so i do it first and it gives me confidence. then i move on to physics and then chem. some people look over the entire paper n solve the easiest from every section first, then the medium ones, then the tough ones. experiment in ur practice tests n figure out whats best for u n ur test taking. after the test, analyse. see what u got wrong, why u got it wrong. clarify doubts. mark problem questions to revise and solve again later. no point in solving more n more questions if theres no retention or learning.

for solving books specifically under the cut bc this is getting too long lol:

stick to 1 or 2 books max per subject. make them ur holy books and swear by them. if ure doing coaching then the modules provided by them are a very good option bc theyre specifically for jee and will cover what u need. coaching teachers will have a lot of experience with them too so u'll have an easy time with doubts clarification. if u choose other books tho, still consult with ur teacher and ask them to tell u what's relevant and what isnt and dont waste ur time on whats not. it might make u look or feel smarter to be solving questions on stuff thats beyond the scope of the exam but u literally dont need it and the syllabus is already very vast so ure just going to waste time and brainspace. like sure if ure interested study it in ur own time but dont make it an Important Must Do thing.

ok now that u have ur book with everything relevant to jee, make sure u devour them. study the theory alongside ur class notes. solve a few questions of corresponding topics the day they are covered so u dont have so many questions lined up at the end of the chapter. like if i studied friction in newton's laws of motion today, i'll solve the questions relevant to friction today itself. or u know this week. like,, keep it current. then while solving, speak out loud and explain the problem to urself like ure teaching someone else (or better yet, find someone to teach them to. stuffed toys, younger siblings, ur classmate, grandparents, online friend, whichever works). mark all the questions that took u longer than 5 mins or u cant solve at all. dog ear the pages. try them again the next day. then again a few days later. take the ones u still cant solve to ur teacher. try n ask for just a hint once and try again. and then if u cant then ask for the solution. DO NOT go on the internet. ur brain doesnt have to work for it then n u think u got it but u dont got it. make ur brain work for the solution so it'll remember.

now that uve given a good shot to every question and figured out where u stumble. analyse a bit. find a pattern if theres any: like a certain concept that is weak or something ure not understanding. read the theory for it if u have to n ask questions to clarify. then solve these problem questions again and again until u know every question well enough to be able to explain to someone. skip over the easy ones u dont gotta do them again n again, focus on the ones u stumbled on. theyre the weak spots. no use strengthening whats already strong enough.

and uh keep a notebook of the solutions of the questions u solve so that u dont have to go crazy searching for them in an emergency. like ur paper is tomorrow and u cant figure out this question that uve been trying for 1 hour then its a good time to review ur previous solution and refresh ur memory. often if uve practiced enough n its just exam stress etc thats making ur mind go blank then just a hint will be enough to remind u.

also this is more general but just. be consistent. small consistent efforts over multiple days instead of a big one in 1 day. u’ll retain better and ur brain does better with multiple small chunks spread out over an interval than a lot of stuff in a small one. and its ok to to have an off day dont kill urself over academics ur health is more important always. not getting into ur dream college might fuck u up but itll heal but ur health is more precarious and not getting enough sleep or food will def fuck u up and the consequences are a lot harder to deal with. dont think about the big picture or u’ll freak urself out just think about the next small step u can take. getting 99 percentile feels impossible but solving 10 questions for it does not. dont get disheartened by test results if ure working hard n smart u wont fail. even if u dont get into ur dream college u’ll have an excellent work ethic that’ll take u places u never thought of in ur wildest dreams. more than anything, be kind to urself and work n play hard.

#good luck!!!#sorry for the unpunctuated typing this was long i cba <3 #anonymous #again this is just from my experience plus teachers' advice that i liked and saw worked #tw iit jee #lmk if u wanna know sth else?#hope this helps #long post

10 notes · View notes

ennui-gt · 3 years

Text

Here it is. A Piece Of Borrower Content Written Entirely In Stream Of Consciousness:

AN: so this is incomplete and very…needs revisions to the timeline to incorporate some things I added later! It’s the original universe that Mira’s from! I edited it like Slightly to just change Ross’s name to Ross (if u see Max anywhere that’s his old one I just felt like changing it so that’s just him but different. Anyway) Everything's under the readmore tab, cheers!

The Library Fairy:

Basic Plot (Chrono, comic starts from human perspective abt the ‘legend of the library fairy’ ig maybe. Nothing here is permanent cept the characterization)

Part A

1- Mira is borrower currently chillin in a college library

2- She lives off of the cafe on the second floor nd reads lots and lots of stuff about everything when the upper floors close (lower floor open 24/7 but upper floors r vacant p much after 12:00 AM)

3- she starts getting increasingly curious about human stuff cos she’s literate nd books r pry neat

4- it starts one night when she spots an unattended notebook and a half eaten blueberry muffin, nd it’s 12:30 so nobody’s coming back in atm (it’s the 80s so no laptops for the plebians quite yet)

5- so she goes ‘welp’ nd takes part of the muffin, then sees the work on the page and goes ‘hmmmm this is incorrect’ so she helps our and leaves notes here n there to point the kid in the right direction and puts down some book refs for further study bcos at this point she’s been there for 2 years and she knows where most things are

6- she stays behind to see if the human comes back for it, hidden in a hidey hole near the desk

7- human comes in, sees notebook, practically melts w relief nd stuffs it in his bag

8- next day human comes back nd leaves nother notebook and a cookie, along w a hidden camera

9- Mira goes ‘o boy, this a trap, innit’

10- Mira then decides ‘eh whatever I haven’t had contact w anyone in years now so I might as well’

11- she steals the camera film nd leaves a lil scrap of paper saying ‘nice try ;)’ on it

12- student comes back, sees paper, goes ‘dammit’, then leaves note addressed to the ‘library fairy’ and another cookie, as well as more of their work for her to help with

13- bout a decade goes by and now the “Library Fairy” is an urban myth, it’s currently 2003 so she’s also wound up on the school’s unofficial Wikipedia page under ‘local cryptids’

14- most library employees know of her but they don’t go looking out of fear stemming from superstitions bout her, somehow the legend grew from ‘can’t be photographed’ to ‘a student once saw her and died that day’

15- there’s now a small shrine devoted to her where ppl bring offerings hoping to get good grades in return, sometimes they will leave papers for her to proofread nd stuff

16- new prof (named Alexei) finds online article thinks he Knows What’s Up bcos he had a borrower friend as a kid, but they left when borrower’s fam found out about them knowing each other

17- he leaves note wedged in one of her secret entrances behind outlet, asking if she can meet w him at some point

18- Mira, already In it, goes ‘Okay. Alright. This has gone on for long enough. Time to go and never return’ but ofc she’s curious as all hell and like she decides she will at least honor the guy’s request for a convo b4 she goes, but on her terms and w/o speaking face 2 face

19- they Talk in the library after hours, bcos he paid off the janitor to let him stay after hours nd most of the student employees recognize him as a prof nd leave him alone

20- they talk again for every subsequent night

21- she uhhhh finally decides to reveal herself nd prays that her hunch was right nd he won’t try to grab her or anything

22- he doesn’t but she’s nervous so she winds up gettin caught in her own climbing rope like idiot, is now dangling from ceiling in tangled mess

23- he stifles chuckle nd she says smthn sarcastic

24- he moves closer and offers to untangle her

25- she’s like ‘please’

26- so he do, but her grip on the rope slips nd he has to catch her

26- so now she’s in his hand and he just sets her down and now he’s a bumbling embarrassed mess bcos he said he wasn’t going to hold her and he just did and o dear pls forgib him

28- nd she’s like ‘dude u just saved my life it’s fine ur fine chill’

29- internally she’s going HOLY FUCK AAAAAAA but externally, her human’s already worked up enough as it is so she’s gotta b the level headed one

29.5- after a while they both kinda get used to each other more, he gets tenure, they celebrate, some more stuff happens, Aleksei got married (not to Mira, Mira hasn’t actually rly thought about being in a relationship w anyone cos she’s laser focused on gaining as much knowledge as possible)

30- eventually Alexei’s like ‘hey so I’m dean of faculty for the biotech branch now uhhhh would u like actual job teaching students? Cos, uh, you can do it remotely thru online lectures n stuff, no in person interaction, and I uh was just kinda wondering—‘

31- she’s like ‘yes. Yes!!! LET ME HELP PEOPLE OFFICIALLY KINDA’

32- so now she’s a professor, and has revealed her Secret a few times here n there to a number of the faculty, nd she has recorded her own findings in a personal journal

33- ‘humans will treat u like a human if they think ur human first. The kids call it ‘catfishing’’

34- enter Ross, an mall goth who accidentally tripped headfirst into a premed program

35- Mira’s favorite field of study is bio so naturally she’s his prof for a majority of his classes

36- being the good boy that he is, he now knows Mira’s secret. There is an Entire Chapter on him finding out and legit just continuing their conversation as if everything was normal bcos he thought that was how he was supposed to handle the situation

37- then she says ‘u can ask questions, u know’ he’s like OH THANK FUCK CAUSE I HAVE SEVEN HUNDRED OF THOSE

38- and now he kinda knows what to look for in terms of ‘do borrowers live here check yes or no’

39-in his apartment, the answer is yes and he mistakenly kinda stumbles upon the mom one night when he wakes up in the middle of the night for Snack and opts to pretend like its not happening. Unfortunately the thing she was trying 2 borrow (piece of crumb cake for Son Boy’s birthday) is the thing he wants 2 eat so he’s like “uh. ‘Scuse me, ma’am.” and he peels back the saran wrap on the other side of the plate, takes piece, nd then leaves some there for her

40-so now the woman is like ‘welp guess it time 2 Leave’

.1- she and husband Talk

.2-they decide it best 2 go

.3-theyre Packing

.4-lil bab Ellie confused

.5-hawk attacke

.6-cut to Ross

41- Ross also happens to work at a bar and he goes outside for a break

43- he finds smal child—smol smal—on the sidewalk and said child is missing an arm, nd has lost a lot of blood, so he’s uhhhhh Losing It highkey

43.5-parents r nowhere 2 b seen, but the hawk is nearby and circling. Ross gets an idea of what just happened

44- he up and leaves work, thankfully his apartment is above the shop so he jumps up the fire escape w the child and

45- he make tourniquet

46- he calls Mira nd asks her 2 come over to ASAP. he’s A Mess at this point

47- it is Very touch and go, kid needs blood, Mira is the only viable donor so she’s just gotta pray that the blood type is fine and won’t kill him

48- and then eventually they manage 2 stave infection thru antibiotics properly dosed to his size, Mira does Math and Prays basically

49- ‘bout a month in, kid wakes up

50- kid doesn’t rember much since he’s only 3

51- hes v scared of Ross at first but over time he gets used 2 the human

52- kid (elliot) starts 2 call Ross ‘dad’ after a while

53- Ross: *internal screaming but in a good way*

54- the end kinda for now

Part 2

A- New Borrowers In The Building

—three of em. paranoid dad, mom, nd daughter that’s Elliot’s age so he’s pumped

B- Elliot offers them a place 2 stay briefly

C- he knows by now bout like, how borrowers don’t typically interact w humans and Auntie Mira’s a bit of a weird case so he just doesn’t tell em bout his dad being the human

D- the kid finds out first nd doesn’t tell the parents, but they figure it out later kinda and think that it’s a ‘o god he’s being kept as a pet’ sitch so they’re >:| abt it

E- they move out and try to take Elliot w them (by force bcos they think he’s brainwashed) but he escapes and makes it to Ross, who’s like “uhhhhhh”

F- and the mom come out the hole near the counter n starts yelling at Ross, who is…kinda used to it since Mira brings in ppl who need help from time 2 time and they typically don’t react well when they’re lucid enough to understand what’s going on. He’s just not used to being questioned about his own kid

G- so they’re like “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH HIM”

H- and he’s like “r…raising him???”

I- and Ellie steps up and he’s like “this is my dad. I decided he was my dad when I was three. He’s being a good parent”

J- and Ross is like “yeah what he said. I’m a good parent.”

K- Ross is riding that high til the end of fucking time but like back to the story at hand

L- this is when the husband comes out nd is like “lissen. wifey. ily but that is a very big human and he hasn’t grabbed us yet so let’s count our blessings and gtfo”

M- but she’s like “uh no we stay until I’m sure Elliot is Safe and fucking Sound”

N- so they stay for dinner nd stick around a little longer.

O- Val (the kid) gets closer 2 Elliot and also Ross a bit

P- Mira shows once or twice, first time she shows up they’re like “oh god it’s the crazy doctor lady this all makes sense now” (bcos Mira does check up on as many borrower families as possible in her free time so word has got around by now Of her, and the number by which to contact her in case her services r needed)

Q- After a month or so, then they decide to leave bcos they’re like “look we get that ur son is ur son and he only has one arm and in our profession that is kind of a death sentence but we can’t have our kid getting used to dealing w humans who know about our existence” so they go and leave on a kind of sour note bcos Ellie can do anything he wants to do just as well as any other borrower Thank You Very Much and Ross is ready to fite anyone who thinks otherwise

R- Elliot starts trying 2 b more independent, basically from now on he’s like ‘I can do everything my Damn Self Thanks’

S- but uh he does it to a point where he’s going out of the way to endanger himself

T- so they get into a fite about it and ross Yells and Elliot is like ‘kthxbye’

U- and the boi just. Fuckin bolts. Runs Away. Ross is a Mess, he starts smoking again (he quit cold turkey the day he took Elliot in) to curb the depression, he’s jus. Not doin good, worried that his son is dead and the last time they talked it’d ended badly

V- FREEDOM!!!1! Except Ellie doesn’t kno how to take care of himself so it’s a rough month or so and then he runs into some other borrowers livin in their own town in the wild ig, chillin, being hella independent, and he’s like “uh yes ofc I will join u, I was w my dad for a while but.........” he neither confirms nor denies that his dad’s dead but everyone kinda just assumes.

Part 3

W-anyway a year goes by and then the borrower group gets hit hard w some kind of sickness ig. Elliot gets it too he’s basically incapacitated n drifting in and out of lucidity. So. They contact the weird crazy doctor lady who hangs around humans, a.k.a. Mira, and she’s like “oh. fuck. I know this kid.” bcos she does, u kno, and she jus treats em all for their ailment and shows them how to make antibiotic poultice thing in case smthn like it happens again. Mold. Penicillin is basically what it is

X-she and Elliot hav a Chat (Mira basically yells at him a lot) once he’s fixed up and he decides he’s gonna visit his dad but he makes it very clear that he is a Grown Up (he’s not, he’s literally sixteen), and he is living on his own now

Y- he agrees to stay for a week tho since he misses his home a lot tbh and Ross is just. Over the fucking moon to know he’s ALIVE, he’s not gonna fuck up their relationship by insisting that he stay. Or like, by keeping him ofc he would never

Z- unfortunately the borrower community put two and two together and figured out his dad’s human so they have his stuff packed up when he gets back w mira, who’s ready to go the fuck off on them

End 1:

-Ellie is living at Ross’s place atm and hopeful about the future basically. He eventually will go off on his own but he’ll keep in contact w his dad and stuff

Part C.5

55- few yrs later

56- elliot is Adult now he does adult borrower stuff

57- he moves out

58- finds nice borrower gf (her name’s Tess)

59- doesn’t tell her about his dad being human but talks about his dad a LOT

60- so when she asks to meet said father he’s just like “uh. Maybe we don’t do that actually”

61- and she’s like “y tho”

62- and he’s like “bcos”

63- anyway she decides to look into it cos she knows he goes to see his dad nd keep in touch but his dad is allegedly “a recluse who lives in the big scary human’s walls to avoid other ppl”

64- which is. Not true in the slightest tbqh he’s def not an introvert he’s just a workaholic and he Is the big scary human

65- anywho they run into Val and her wife and she’s like “how’s Ross been?” And Elliot is acting Very Suspish so she, being Smart, calls it immediately and is like “oh shit u haven’t told her yet have u”

66- Tess: “told me what”

67- Val: “El’s dad is a human, bro.”

68- Tess: “I’m sorry?”

69- this results in a Big Fight and they separate for like, a month. Elliot blames Val bcos he’s being irrational and doesn’t wanna admit to the fact that lying to his girlfriend for over a year was Real Bad Actually, but over time he’s like ‘yeah it’s my fault sry for snapping at u’ cos he works thru his emotions n stuff

70- Eventually gf comes back cos she’s like “ok so. I understand why you lied to me about your dad. It was a dick move but I do get it and I still care about you a lot. I would like. To meet him.”

80- this is a lie she does not want to meet him she is doing this bcos she does not want to lose Elliot and that outweighs the fear of his dad

81- so they go to meet him but she’s just kinda. Behind the wall at first like “that’s a crazy big human this is crazy ur crazy it’s time to gO”

82- Val is also there bcos she hasn’t seen Ross in a while

83- they eventually coax her out of hiding

84- and by that I mean Val picks her up and drags her out into the open by force bcos she basically freezes up the second she catches sight of Ross and Val’s like “u didn’t come all this way for nothing, bich”

85- they have a Painfully Awkward First Meeting, Tess is trying her best but oh god he’s just too fucking. Larg. Ellie ur dad too big

86- tbh tho the ice kinda breaks after Ellie and Ross get into a fight over smthn stupid (im thinking Elliot grumbles bout Ross’s hair being unruly and he’s worried that mira’s using it like a personal storage system again and Ross is like “I’ve been keeping better track of that actually” and then like a little line of paper clips and a few hand-bound notebooks tied together w some string fall out of his fucking mane and he’s like “I can explain”

87- “dad you can’t keep letting her use your hair like a fucking NEST”

88- Tess is laughing now cos god damn this was not what she was expecting

89- that’s it the end it ends w Tess laughing at them being idiots good times r had by all

Uhhhh that’s it so far. I have More but it’s kinda jumbled rn and I need to fit stuff in places. Anyway.

#was gonna make this into a comic lawl #if I like actually manage to get off my ass over the coming weeks I probably will be able to do that! but yeah #also this was once posted b4 and I deleted it but it’s back now say hellow #Library Fairy #oc: Mira #oc: Ross #oc: Elliot #oc: Tess #oc: Val #oc: Alexei #anyway yeah here it is behold #the uhhhhh most slice of life thing I have ever created

6 notes · View notes

ryttu3k · 3 years

Text

Finishing up SoNY, ‘bad’ end and final thoughts!

But first, the early game over.

Wow, she just gets shot. Not even slurped? That’s rude as hell XD;;

And on to the ‘bad’ end!

Beginning is much the same, ofc.

“You’re too in love with weaving a good story and establishing a seductive narrative to let facts get in the way.” Foreshadowing for the ‘good’ end, maybe?

God that Embrace scene gives me literal goosebumps.

Alright! Last time I did Danse Macabre and Retributive Justice, let’s try The Risks of Swiping Right!

lmao god I’d eat this guy too. Back to the ghost club! That legitimately is a really neat scene. ...Ooh yes so that’s where the girl was from.

Panhard just lowkey dying at the mental image of Katherine Weise in a fast food restaurant is so good.

The sweet scene between Julia and Dakota hits a bit different after the ‘good’ end XD;;

Went to the park, reminisced, and helped out the guy. That was sweet ;_; High-humanity Julia, this time!

‘Fairy God Mother?’ is great but ‘Vin Diesel?’ is objectively the funnier response.

“Shining even more brightly than usual, Aisling.” Samira got a cru-ush~

Poor Julie. It’s probably been tough without Sophie around :(

Huh. Interestingly, refusing to lie to Mia results in Julia actually feeling genuine loyalty to the Cammies (for now, at least).

Believing Agathon is still alive = more optimistic = different dialogue! See, this is how you make choices have consequences, game!

Oooh boy time to meet Adelaide XD;;

“She uncrosses her legs in a strangely seductive motion. In her mind’s eye, it probably looked like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, but in reality, it had all the grace of a tracksuit Slav squatting.” *snickering*

Fight me, Adelaide >:(

‘sup Nastya. Went with the slightly less disruptive routine here XD Huh, she’s an aspiring DJ! Julia is deeply confused as to how being a DJ and being head of security works together.

lmao Julia referring to Hope as a girlboss. That phrase has lost all meaning to me...

The conversation between Julia and Father Leonard is still really interesting. Man, you know who I want Julia to talk to? Anatole. Interesting insights into balancing being queer Catholic vampires there for sure.

lmao oh my god I want to fight this street reporter.

‘I can almost feel my brain losing its wrinkles.’ *snort*

Yeaghhhh the Abyss bit is still so creepy...

Oops. Being honest regarding Tamika and Torque’s relationships gets a fail :(

Oh, or not XD That works! Also, uh, apparently the giant albino ghoul alligator is real, according to New York by Night. He’s Calebros’ pet.

“Because I think I have a pretty good nose for people’s auras. And when I take a good look at you... ...somehow, I have a feeling you’re a surprisingly decent person. Whatever way of unlife you choose, I hope you don’t change it. And that you remember my advice.” :)

“I know.” Oof.

“Hi.” “WAAAH!” lmao sorry Princess XD;; Just trying to imagine Qadir’s face as he tells Julia to find a 1990 glass statue of Scrooge McDuck... dying...

Oh she’s so a Toreador XD Low art options are a fantasy book, an anime DVD, or a video game... those can all be arty, though! And went with the anime DVD called ‘Ririsu no Daibouken’... that translates to ‘Adventures of Lilith’. How on the nose XD “The cover says ‘Lilith’s Carnal Carnival’.” Oh. Yeah, that’d do it XD

“This 90s original video anime presents us with a tale of five big-bosomed samurai warriors travelling through America in search of General Hastavista, The Incubus King. Don’t let all the titillation misguide you: the main draws here are peerless direction, a nearly avant-garde editing rhythm and dialogue that coyly comments on traditional gender roles in anime. Once you see the animation in the final battle, you’ll understand why it never fails to set a sakuga fan’s heart ablaze!”

She’s my new favourite.

“So can I know your name now?”

“Hmmm... Let me think...

No. <3″

I need to stress that the heart appears in the dialogue box. Like. The actual less-than-three heart.

Didn’t investigate the rat this time, so Qadir did and I die. “Glad you’re alright, little guy.” Qadir...

Still not over the drunk blood doll rats.

Kaiser’s still a goddamn creep and this time Julia is not going too far. She still has her humanity, dammit. Final set of traits:

Loyal to the end

Glass half-full

Not into a bad cop schtick

Honesty is the best policy

No more human, still humane

Onwards to the ‘bad’ end! Oops, and Dakota still did the Single White Female thing XD;;

Man I’m still really curious who the ‘good friend’ is!!

Okay! Time for end game!!

So that’s the good friend, huh? “Let me phrase it differently, then. You’re not Ecaterina the Wise, the Agitator of Prague, a Brujah elder causing turbulences all over the world... are you?”

Mention of Christof! Mention of Christof doing shady shit :| Poor Hana.

“An immigrant from Eastern Europe comes to New York City, takes the position she always expected to find herself in, is molded into someone who is no longer herself.”

Julia and Dakota representing Carthage is kind of neat.

I want to say the mention of St Jude is a reference, but I’m not sure what to XD;; Is that from Redemption? Christof could have been the one to tell Hana that.

“Like a two-person human centipede loop or something. An Ouroburos? Or an, uhh, Mobius strip?” No, that’s the other traditionally Sabbat clan XD

That‘s. That’s a hell of a reconciliation XD “Yeah, let’s give it a try. By the way I’m on the run for my unlife, want to go to California and try to find utopia?”

Julia, wear a fucking mask XD

“Hey.”

“Yeah?“

“Do you love me?”

“... Of course I do. For now, at least.”

I still don’t know if I love her. Or even if I can love anyone, for that matter. I’m a fucking monster, after all. I don’t even know if we’ll exist next month. The prospects are not looking good. But although I can’t see myself in the rearview mirror right now...

...I will remember this image of us leaving the city, somewhat melancholic, and somewhat hopeful, forever. And maybe the meaning of this image will be clarified with time. Or maybe I will just force a more positive description on it, and that is what I’ll believe.

No matter what happens... even if oceans of blood lie before us, I will make this a cherished memory.

Whatever possible salvation still remains for me... ...it probably lies in the eyes of another.

Oh dang I have chills.

So the ‘bad’ ending is about the subverted compromise. Julia resigns herself to letting the compromise about the truth of Callihan’s death go ahead. ‘Catherine’ is a walking compromise to hide the Ecaterina’s real deeds. But while Hana is still stuck in her role for now, Julia refuses to accept the compromise she’s made, both the one relating to the investigation and the compromise she made of her own views and morals. It might blow up in her face, yeah. But damn, she’s going to try.

So, final thoughts! For the sake of completion, this is what I said about Coteries:

And of course this is the part where the game all falls apart :-\

Just… god. This is probably the biggest problem with CoNY, and the reason I didn’t bother getting it until it was like… 60% off. The bulk of the game is great - the writing is intriguing, the design is stunning. But the choices themselves are so limited it’s barely worth even getting it at 60% off!

You have three choices of characters, with their own opening chapters and own individual scenes with their touchstones. You have four choices of coterie members, and three sidequests. You can probably get in at least three full story arcs and a sidequest or two, but you’re only ever limited to two of your coterie members showing up at the not-yet-endgame.

So let’s say you decide to play all three protags, which, indeed, is encouraged (there’s an achievement for it). You are going to repeat coterie arcs and side quests, because there simply aren’t enough for three unique playthroughs.

And then you get to the end and literally everything is scripted. You get attacked by the SI. You get rescued by your two coterie members (and then never see them again, despite the game being called Coteries of New York). You meet Torque, you escape the SI, Sophie reveals her plan to Torque, you go to Ellis Island, Adelaide kills Sophie (and despite the fact that you’re given multiple options there, none of them work), Arturo does his spiel, end of game. You don’t even get to choose between ending up blood bound or going “no fuck you” and at least dying with a bit of dignity!

I just. I really want to like it, and there genuinely is a lot there to like! But uuuugh the ending. Like damn at least give the poor protag the option to choose what happens to them!

Anyway. Not sure what’s next. To get all the achievements, you have to finish with all three protags, so that’s three full runs and a lot of repetitiveness (compare to, say, Bloodlines or Night Road. I have eighty-five hours on Night Road and there’s still stuff I haven’t seen!), so I can’t even just… rush it through up to the meeting with the touchstones on the third play. Nope. Gotta finish it :-\

Final rating: 6/10

8/10 characters, 9/10 atmosphere, 8/10 story aside from ending, 3/10 story ending, 2/10 replayability. Final consensus: get it on major sale if you can, otherwise, you might as well just watch an LP. I might do that instead of doing a third run, although I at least want to do a second.

I ended up revising that 6/10 to 5.5/10 after finishing all runs and getting the achievements just out of how goddamn repetitive it was. So, how does Shadows measure up?

Absolutely continued with all the things I enjoyed about CoNY (characters, atmosphere, and writing), and of the bits I hated (cookie cutter protagonists, lack of real choice, repetitiveness, the godawful ending), every single part has been completely improved.

Instead of three fledglings so similar they even have the same internal thoughts, we have Julia, who’s got such a distinct voice that she becomes the most memorable game protag I’ve seen in years, and I’m including non-VtM games in this. This is absolutely her game, and it’s just... absolutely fascinating to read and watch.

Related - actual real choices. There are five key choices that determine the ending, and every single one has actual consequence in-game. You get different dialogue. Different introspection. Different philosophies. And this carries across - if Julia believes Agathon is alive, she’s more optimistic about her relationship with Dakota, too. And of course, both endings are completely distinct and incredibly written - the ‘good’ ending where Julia gives in to her most Lasombra instincts, plays the game, wins it, gets power and respect at the expense of her humanity and avoiding all those wraiths... or the ‘bad’ ending when she listens to her morals, reconciles with Dakota, and leaves for California, uncertain, but hopeful.

Not a lot of repetitiveness. Yes, by design, you’ll probably do two playthroughs. The main plot is much the same, but there are enough options there to get multiple dialogue options and stuff. And for the little sidequests, you can actually get all in with just the two playthroughs, only repeating like... two, I think. Still, I wasn’t feeling actively bored like I was midway through my second run of CoNY!

Loved seeing more in-depth backstory and development for the coterie members. Agathon’s section was particularly fascinating, literally getting into his head.

And just. Atmosphere and music is so, so good.

Final rating: 9/10. Thank you, Draw Distance, you hit it out of the park.

#vampire the masquerade #vtm shadows of new york #ry plays sony

8 notes · View notes

the-everqueen · 3 years

Text

why i disliked “the traitor baru cormorant”

so...recently i read Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant. i bought it thinking, Cool, an insightful fantasy series for me to get into while i wait to hear whether i passed my qualifying exams! i have some time before the semester starts!

and then i absolutely hated it and spent every minute cataloguing what i thought Dickinson got wrong.

...uh, if you want to get the tl;dr of the liveblog i gave the gf, here’s the top three reasons i disliked this book:

1) not a fan of the “strong female character” trope

yes, Baru doesn’t sling around a sword or shoot arrows better than Anyone In The Whole World. but Dickinson IMMEDIATELY tells us (not shows, tells) that she’s good at math, she’s clever at picking apart strategic scenarios, she’s a savant. (tbh, i don’t love how he shows this, either, with the standard child-prodigy-who-catches-the-attention-of-a-powerful-adult trope.) in Dickinson’s crafted world, her math skills aren’t entirely unusual: women (for...some reason?) are stereotyped as being good at calculations, despite also being aligned with hysteria and too many emotions. this bothers me more than it’s probably supposed to, because the sexism in this novel doesn’t really seem to follow an internal logic. i guess it’s so we can have a woman as the protagonist? also...hoo boy...her “savant” characterization bothers me because...she’s heavily coded as South East Asian (...maaaybe Philippines or Native Hawaii, but as i’ll get to later, Dickinson doesn’t make a huge distinction). uh...model minority stereotypes anyone? yes, within the text, plenty of people associated with the Empire comment that it’s impressive someone of her background got into a position of power so young. at the same time, i’m sure that sounds familiar to so many Asian-identified people! the constant tightrope of being expected to perform to a certain (white, Western) standard while also being Othered. mostly this bothers me because Baru is also characterized as...a sellout for the Empire. sure, her stated goal is to undo the Empire from within, but [MAJOR SPOILERS] in the end it appears that her actual goal was to attain enough power that the Empire would let her be a benevolent dictator over her home island? and it’s only after a major PERSONAL betrayal that she revises this plan? [END SPOILERS] Baru also assimilates without much pain or sacrifice. she hardly ever thinks about her parents or her childhood home. she willingly strips herself of cultural signifiers and adapts to Empire norms (apart from being a closeted lesbian, which...yeah, i’ll get to that, too). and it’s not that Dickinson doesn’t TRY to make her a nuanced character, but...to me, it feels so painfully obvious that this is not his experience. it feels almost...voyeuristic.

...much like his descriptions of wlw desire!

2) we get it, you read Foucault

the categories of sexual deviance are based entirely on a Western Victorian-era medical discourse around non-heterosexual forms of desire, but Dickinson ignores the network of sociocultural, religious, and historical contexts that contributed to that specific kind of discourse. he uses the terms “tribadism” and “sodomy” but those ideas CANNOT EXIST outside a Euro-American Christian context. yes, a huge part of the 19th century involved the pathologization of sexual and romantic desire (or lack thereof). but that in turn goes back to a history of medicine that relied on the “scientific method” as a means of studying and dissecting the human body--and that method in itself is a product of Enlightenment thinking. Theorist Sylvia Wynter (whomst everyone should read, imho) discusses how the Enlightenment attempted to make the Human (represented by a cisgender, heteronormative, white man) an agent of the State economy. every categorization of so-called deviance goes back to white supremacist attempts to define themselves as ‘human’ against a nonwhite, non-Christian Other. and IN TURN that was ultimately founded on anti-Black, anti-Indigenous racism. at this point it’s a meme in academic circles to mention Foucault, because so many scholars don’t go any further in engaging with his ideas or acknowledge their limits. but SERIOUSLY. Dickinson crafts the Masquerade as this psuedo-scientific empire that’s furthering erasure of native cultures, but...where did these ideas come from? who created them? what was the justification that gave them power? [MINOR SPOILER] blaming the Empire’s ideology on a handful of people behind the Mask who crafted this entire system makes me...uncomfortable, to say the least. part of what gives imperialism its power is that a lot of ordinary people buy in to its ideas, because it aligns with dominant belief systems or gives them some sense of advantage.

also speaking of cultural erasure...

3) culture is more than set dressing

again, to reiterate: Baru does NOT think back to her childhood home for longer than a couple passing sentences at various points in the narrative. but even though the early chapters literally take place on her home island, i don’t get a sense of...lived experience. this is true of ALL of the fantasy analogues Dickinson has created in his Empire. i felt uncomfortably aware of the real world counterparts that Dickinson was drawing inspiration from. at the same time...there are basically no details to really breathe life into these various fantasy cultures. i HATE the trope of “fantasy Asia” or “fantasy Africa” or “fantasy Middle East” that’s rampant among white male sff writers. Dickinson does not get points from me for basically just expanding that to “fantasy South East Asia,” “fantasy Mongolia,” “fantasy South America,” and... “fantasy Africa,” plus some European cultures crammed in there. he’s VERY OBVIOUSLY drawing on those languages for names, but otherwise there’s no real sense of their religious practices, the nuances of their cultures, the differences between those cultures (besides physiological, which...oh god). part of that is probably supposed to be justified by “well, the Empire just erased it!!!” but that’s not an excuse imho.

also...in making the Empire the ultimate signifier of the evils of imperialism...Dickinson kind of leans into the “noble savage” stereotype. Baru’s home island is portrayed as this idyllic environment where no one is shamed for who they love and gender doesn’t determine destiny and there are no major conflicts. (there is a minor nod to some infighting, but this is mostly a “weakness” that the Masquerade uses as an excuse to obliterate a whole tribe.) Dickinson justifies young Baru’s immediate assimilation as her attempt to figure out the Masquerade’s power from within, but given that the Masquerade presumably killed one of her dads and her mom maybe advocates a guerilla resistance...it’s weird that Baru basically abandons her family without a second thought. yeah, i get that she’s a kid when the Masquerade takes over the island, but...that’s still a hugely traumatic experience! the layers of trauma and conditioning and violence that go into this level of colonization are almost entirely externalized.

(later it’s implied that Baru might qualify as a psychopath, and tbh that feels like an excuse for why we haven’t gotten any sense of her inner world, not to mention kind of offensive.)

this isn’t exhaustive but...

it’s not that i don’t think white people shouldn’t ever address POC experiences in their books. just...if your entire trilogy is going to revolve around IMPERIALISM IS BAD, ACTUALLY, maybe you should contribute to the discourse that Black, Brown, and Indigenous authors have already done. reading this book made me so, so angry. i did not feel represented! i felt like i was being talked down to, both on a critical theory level AND on a craft level. there are SO MANY books by actual BIPOC and minority authors that have done this better. N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy and her current Cities series. Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti trilogy. Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House remains one of the more powerful novels i’ve read on how The System Is Out To Destroy You, That Is The Point. (Bardugo is non-practicing Spanish and Moroccan Jewish on one side of her family, and her character Alex is mixed and comes from a Jewish background!)

...

there’s not really a point to this. i get a lot of people have raved about this book. good for them. if that’s you, no judgment. i’m not trying to argue IF YOU LIKED THIS YOU ARE PROBLEMATIC. i’m just kind of enraged that a white dude wrote about a Brown lesbian under a colonial empire and that THIS Brown lesbian under a colonial empire couldn’t even get behind the representation. also kind of annoyed that it’s the Empire of Masks and Dickinson either hasn’t read Fanon or didn’t see fit to slip in a Fanon reference, which like. missed opportunity.

#meta #book review #maybe y'all can get enjoyment from my rage #also i don't want to publish this on like. goodreads.#i'm not out to destroy Seth Dickinson personally #i know this was a highly reviewed book #i just...hated it #and i figured putting the rage on my blog is less harmful #than leaving a one star review #while also maybe giving someone the insight #for why they might not want to read this #the traitor baru cormorant #the masked empire

13 notes · View notes

thegeminisage · 3 years

Note

lol how about 4, 9, 10, 14?

YOU GOT THEM. that's the rest of the questions. tyvm <3

4. Do you prefer writing long or short fics?

oh for sure long fics. i’m not sure i could write a short fic if my fucking life depended on it lmao it’s like my fatal flaw. that and being bad at arguments

9. What’s the fic you like the least?

SIGHS DEEPLY. the detroit become twink one, which i am not linking to, because something happened in the middle and i wasn’t able to finish it and now that i’m over that game i don’t know if i ever will. i really liked working on it and i was VERY excited about my ending, but...shit happens. :/ i hope one day i’ll either nut up and finish or just fucking delete it, i HATE having an unfinished work on my profile like that!

10. What would you change if you had it all to do again?

i assume you mean about broken road! i think if anything i’d adjust my timeline a little - it’s weird that such a long fic, which i posted over the course of seven weeks, only took place over about 5 days in-universe time. it feels like longer than that when you read it, so i’d adjust the timing so that it WAS actually longer than that - if anything, i’d like to give john and mary more than one day before breaking them up, and i think sam would have held out against john a lot longer than he did before losing his temper too. a longer timeline also would have allowed dean and cas’s argument to last more than just a couple of hours.

the other thing i might change is that i’d put the car scene after the argument instead of after dean telling cas about how he got his voice back and talking about the abuse. or maybe i’d swap and put all of chapter 3 close to the end, i don’t know - typically in character arcs, something like a sex scene would go near the end, not the middle. but i was too attached to having it where it was so it could be like it was when i first pictured it to move it. it was one of the very first scenes i ever envisioned for this fic, one of my reasons for writing it to begin with, and i was very loath to change it.

14. What’s your favorite shipping fic you’ve written? Favorite gen fic?

I WAS HOPING SOMEONE ASK THIS. hello supernatural community, i have written OTHER FANFICTION. it’s wild that broken road is so popular because i’m sitting over here like old man yelling at cloud going THIS IS NOT EVEN MY BEST WORK. and it’s not! i love broken road but it’s not my best work!!! cambionverse (supernatural next gen, EVERYONE who tries it likes it) is my best work, but i cowrote that. for fics i did on my own:

favorite (aka best) shipping fic: the anchor series, but particular the first one. these are teen wolf fics which diverge from canon at the end of season 4 and feature trauma and ace derek hale and past sexual assault and my weird secret rarepair. they are EXTREMELY NSFW i used to have a whole sideblog to hide them on. i think all the minors who used to follow me have aged up but if you are a minor i will literally send your browser history to your grandparents if you click on my ao3. don’t test me. anyway, i think anchor (the first fic) was probably the most perfectly-paced thing i’ve ever written. not before or since have i managed to nail such a beautifully perfect outline the first try with almost no revision required later. i wrote all 50k of it in a MONTH. i stayed up until 10 in the morning on the regular, but i got it done in record time. it practically fell out of my brain into the google doc fully formed. if a fic ever comes even half as easily to me as that one did ever again, i will be very happy.

favorite gen fic: technically, it’s pre-slash, but how arthur got his groove back for bbc merlin. i like to joke that this is basically the same story as broken road, because it covers many of the same things, such as: self-acceptance and acceptance of others after a lifetime of being told That Thing Is Wrong, daddy’s blunt little instrument grappling with his father’s misdeeds, daddy’s blunt little instrument grappling with what he himself wound up doing as a result of hero-worshipping his father, finding peace after traumatic events, batshit insane fight scenes that make me rub my hands together evilly, me deciding to turn my favorite episode into a 100k canon divergent fix-it fanfiction, and most importantly, people being shocked that gay people exist. i think it has much better “timing” than broken road (broken road’s timeline was so wonky and dumb), and also that it’s better-written, and that the side characters for more attention paid to their arcs.

when someone asks me what my best fic is, it’s always one of these two. so, uh, not to self-promote but if you were ever into teen wolf or merlin...yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

...AND THAT WRAPS UP OUR MEME. i don't think i've been asked literally every single question on one before, so thank you to everyone who sent one <3

#liz answers asks #anonymous #liz loves writing #broken road #liz watches spn #how arthur got his groove back

2 notes · View notes

smooshjames · 4 years

Text

forget you not (iii)

uh-oh, uh-oh, here i go again (or: interviews and old friends)

word count: just under 4k

a/n: part 3 of forget you not! i was gonna post this yesterday and then i totally forgot, but it’s here now! once again, the band in this story is based on little mix and i didn’t write any of the songs referenced (this chapter’s songs can be found here, here, here, and here). at the risk of sounding annoying, i have a ko-fi if you’d like to donate, but don’t feel obligated to do so!! if you can’t or don’t want to that’s totally fine, thank you for taking the time to read my work regardless of if you can spend money on it or not. i hope you enjoy!!

warnings: angst (again)

previous parts: one, two

Sunday morning brought with it more Twitter notifications than you’d gotten in a long time. Your alarm went off obscenely early yet again; you had a full day ahead of you. The band was recording a new single which would be released sometime later in the year (the date was still up in the air) and you had decided to do it while you were in LA since you could work with a few producers that you’d never met before.

So, at five o’clock in the morning, you rolled over in your hotel bed and groped around on your nightstand for your phone. You shot upright when you saw how many notifications you had, a bolt of panic going through you at first. What the hell could’ve happened to result in so much activity?

You scrolled through a couple of your mentions before you got to a tweet from some gossip site. There was a photo of you from the concert the night before, probably taken by a fan if the quality was anything to go by. You were mid-note, your mouth open around a word, and it was pretty obvious that you were crying. The tweet read: “‘You never brought me flowers’! Y/N Y/L/N tears up while singing her band’s hit song Towers. Could there be a mystery man that caused her to get so emotional on stage…?”

Carly mumbled a good morning from the bed next to yours. You didn’t reply. You barely even noticed her leaving the main area of the room and heading into the bathroom; you were too busy looking through the replies to the tweet. They were all pretty tame, but you still felt a pit opening up in your stomach. You didn’t have any press that day since you were recording the new single, but the next day was chock-full of interviews and other promotional shit. Your Twitter feed was showing no signs of slowing down, and you really didn't want to have to explain to some random interviewer that you'd been crying because you still weren't over a breakup from five years ago.

“Everything okay?” Carly asked. You looked up, startled, and realized that she had come back from the bathroom. “You seem… distraught.”

You beckoned her over to your bed and showed her the original tweet from the gossip site. Carly gasped and took your phone from you, beginning to scroll through the replies. “Jesus,” she said. “This’ll be a shitstorm.”

“I know,” you replied. You glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and sighed; you needed to get up and ready for the day. Carly gave your phone back to you.

You muted your Twitter notifications for the time being, not wanting to be distracted while you were recording the new single. If an interviewer brought it up you’d just find a way to gloss over it.

You shuffled into the bathroom and did your usual morning routine. You decided to forego makeup for the day since you’d just be sitting around a studio all day, anyway. You dressed in comfortable clothes for the same reason. You figured it would be a little bit hard to focus on recording if you were in heels or tight jeans or something similarly uncomfortable, and you wanted to save your remaining nice clothes for the following day, anyway. Sweatpants and an old t-shirt it was.

Once you were dressed and somewhat ready to face the world, you and Carly grabbed your bags and went out into the hallway. Alexis and Piper were still in their room next door, but they let you and Carly in so that you could all sit and talk while they finished getting ready. Once you were all good to go, you met up with Michelle in the lobby and got into the car that would take you to the studio.

It was a pretty cool space; chill, with couches and chairs spread out around the mixing board where the producers would work their magic. You met the audio engineers as you were walking in, and everyone shook hands and went in to get to work. They seemed nice, and they definitely had a lot of cool ideas for what might enhance the song’s sound. You and the rest of the band had already worked out the lyrics and a basic melody, but the recording technicians had some ideas to really make the song pop.

The day passed in a blur of singing and listening and revising, and then repeating the process all over again. By the time you left, the sun was touching the western horizon and the song was almost finished; just a few final edits before it would be perfect and ready for release. “We’ll get it to Michelle in the next couple of days,” one of the producers said.

You were exhausted as you collapsed back into your hotel bed, but it was a good sort of exhaustion; the kind of sated tiredness that comes with a good day’s work.

You were flying so high, in fact, that you’d almost forgotten about all the Shayne drama. You fell asleep with a slight smile on your face, and your sleep was peaceful and dreamless.

***

That pleasant warmth of a job well done was ripped from you almost as soon as the next day began. Your first interview was with a local radio station, and it went alright for about five minutes; you exchanged pleasantries with the hosts, Joe and Maggie, and sat down between Carly and Alexis for your interview.

The hosts did their intro, introduced the band, and explained that you were currently in LA on the west coast branch of your current tour. Once that was done and the band had all said hello, Maggie turned to you, and the smile she flashed you was… strangely apologetic.

And then you remembered. Shayne, Towers, crying onstage. That apologetic smile hit you so fast it practically gave you whiplash.

“So, ladies,” Maggie said. “There was some interesting news about your concert on Saturday. You guys sang your song Towers -- beautiful song, by the way -- and Y/N… there were a couple of tears there, huh? Anything you can tell us about that? Is everything okay?”

From beside you, Carly opened her mouth, probably to say that you didn’t want to talk about it, but you stopped her with a hand on her arm. Her willingness to defend you meant a lot, but if you didn’t address it, it would just keep getting brought up. At least if you answered this you could do some damage control. “Yeah,” you said. “Um, I actually lived in LA for a while before meeting these lovely ladies and starting up the band with them. And while I was here, I was in a pretty serious relationship with a guy -- I won’t say his name for privacy’s sake -- and we broke up. I guess being back in LA and singing that song just… brought back some memories. But that was all; no new mystery man or anything like that, I’m afraid.”

There, that was a good enough answer. It held enough of the truth that you felt confident they wouldn’t press you for any more information, but you hadn’t told them the exact real reason. They didn’t know he was in the room, and they didn’t know who he was.

Maggie smiled and nodded, and Joe asked another question about the band that was unrelated to your love life, which brought a wave of relief sweeping over you. You smiled and laughed through the rest of the interview, chiming in with answers whenever it felt appropriate, and then said your goodbyes as the hosts transitioned into the next song

All things considered, that hadn’t been so bad.

Once you were out of the radio station headquarters and into your car, Michelle got back to business. “Alright, next up… another interview which won’t be broadcasted live. You guys are performing Think About Us while you’re there. Then we have an hour for lunch. After lunch, you’ll film a video with Smosh, and then another radio interview after that, and then you’re free for the day. Assuming everything goes to plan.”

You nodded and settled into easy conversation with the girls during the car ride to your next venue. You were pretty excited to film with Smosh; you hadn’t seen any of their recent stuff, but you were familiar with them in that you had heard of them and you knew they primarily made comedic content. You figured that would probably mean it would be a fun time to film there.

The next interview went just fine, and the performance went even better. For lunch, you and the rest of the team got food at a cute little bistro near Smosh’s offices.

When you arrived after your lunch break you were greeted by Ian Hecox, the president of the company. He was super friendly, greeting you all with handshakes and a warm smile. Once you’d all been introduced he began to lead you through the office space, explaining that you’d be recording an episode of their ongoing Try Not to Laugh series. As he launched into an explanation of the rules, a hand on your shoulder made you tense and whip around, surprised. This brought you face to face with…

“Damien?”

Your eyes widened almost comically as you saw the man standing before you. He looked a little different since you’d seen him last; his hair was longer and streaked with blue, and he carried himself a little taller, a little prouder. But he still had that same boyish smile, those same brown eyes. He was still Damien, and he was here.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said.

You laughed, shocked and joyful, and threw your arms around his shoulders, practically launching yourself onto him. He hugged you back tightly. When you pulled back, you punched him jovially on the arm.

“It’s so good to see you!” you said, a little breathless. “What are you doing here?

“I work here. I’ll actually be filming with you guys this afternoon,” he replied

“No way, that’s crazy!” You leaned back and perched your hands on his hips, surveying him, half disbelieving.

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak again, but Ian’s voice interrupted your reunion. “You two, uh… you two know each other?”

“Yeah,” you said, glancing over your shoulder. “I knew Damien… God, ages ago. We were really good friends.”

Carly’s eyes now widened in recognition. She smiled at Damien and raised her hand in greeting to him.

“Hey, Carly,” he said. He put his hand on your forearm and you turned back to face him again. The look on his face made your smile fade a little bit; he seemed nervous and a little sad. “Y/N, I should warn you --”

“Holy shit!” another voice interrupted you two, this one distinctively female. And also… strangely familiar. You turned toward the source and what you saw felt like two consecutive throat punches.

Courtney, Shayne’s new girlfriend, was standing across the room. She seemed to have just entered, and judging from the wide-eyed look on her face, she was just as surprised as you were. Standing directly next to her, staring at the floor by your feet… was Shayne himself.

You heard Damien mutter something under his breath, but your brain didn’t fully process what he said. You were too busy looking at Courtney and Shayne and wondering why the hell they were here. Before you could say anything, though, Ian stepped forward.

“Sweet, we’re all here,” he said. “Y/N, Alexis, Piper, Carly, this is Shayne and Courtney. Shayne’s gonna be filming with you guys this afternoon --” of course he was “-- and Courtney is --”

“Your biggest fan!” the girl interrupted him, and even despite the resentment you couldn't help feeling toward her, you had to admit that she was really sweet. She seemed like someone you might be really good friends with were it not for the fact that she was dating your ex, which made you feel even worse; she hadn’t done anything to deserve your hatred, but here you were hating her anyway. “You probably don’t remember, but I was at the concert on Saturday. It was super good, you guys crushed it.”

“I remember,” you said, because you didn’t know when to shut up. Courtney’s jaw dropped onto the floor. “Yeah, I remember. You guys came together, didn’t you?”

The accusation was clear, at least to those in the know; Carly went pale, Piper inhaled sharply, Alexis started coughing, Damien shuffled his feet nervously, and Shayne opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say whatever he wanted to, though, he seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth again.

Courtney didn’t seem to pick up on anything unusual, though, because she just nodded happily and went on talking.

“Yeah, we did!” she said, slinging her arm around Shayne’s shoulders. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve said that he stiffened as she pulled him into her side. His face tightened into a grimace, but you couldn't possibly imagine why. It was obvious that they were together. He didn’t need to hide that for your sake. “I was so fucking pumped when you guys sang Towers, you don’t even understand. That’s one of my favorite songs by you guys and you crushed it, especially you Y/N. Your part always hits a little different for me.”

Yeah, you and me both, you thought. But you smiled and nodded happily. “I’m glad you liked it!” you said. You turned back to the band and made eye contact with Michelle. She raised an eyebrow. You inclined your head just slightly toward Ian. She nodded; she knew what you needed.

“I hate to interrupt,” she said, “but we should probably get this show on the road. The girls have got a packed schedule today.”

“Of course!” Ian said. “Courtney, maybe you can harass them more if they have time when we’re done filming. But for now, Shayne, Damien, ladies, follow me.”

You hurried to catch up to the rest of the band. Carly and Alexis fell into step with you while Piper started walking behind you, obviously trying to shield you from Shayne’s gaze. You had another moment of profound gratitude for these girls; they took care of you when no one else would, they loved you when you couldn’t love yourself, and they always seemed to know what you needed without having to ask. That shared strength and love was one of the reasons the band had stayed together for so long.

Impressively enough, you managed to keep your shit together until you got to Carly’s. You didn’t bother texting her to let her know that you were coming. She’d let you in if she was home, and if she wasn't home, you knew her building code and where she kept her spare key.

Luckily, she was home; she let you up to her apartment without question.

Only once you’d crossed the threshold of your best friend’s apartment did you allow yourself to cry. You crumpled like a piece of paper against her and let out a sob so loud it bordered on a scream. Carly maneuvered you back onto her couch, sat down with you, and held you until you could talk. You were still crying when you pulled away from her, but you’d gotten out the full-body sobs.

“Honey, what happened?” Carly asked. You could hear the concern in her voice; it was rare that you showed up at her place unannounced, and even rarer that you started the visit by scream-crying into her shirt. She probably thought somebody was dead.

“Shayne got home from work and ended things,” you said. “Just… no warning, no ceremony, nothing. Three days ago he asked me my fucking ring size and today he told me that we aren’t working anymore. And I don’t understand because I thought he was happy! I thought we were good! I thought that we’d be fucking picking a date for our wedding, not for when I’m gonna come move out the rest of my shit!”

Before Carly could respond, your phone vibrated. You took it out and couldn’t help your tearful, almost-manic laugh at what you saw there; a text from Shayne, apologizing, asking if you would come home and talk. You went to reply, but Carly grabbed your phone and held it away from you before you could.

“Hey!” you exclaimed, lunging for your phone. She was an expert at keep-away, though, and you couldn’t even get close. You cursed yourself for all the nights out where you asked her to keep your phone away from you if you got too drunk. “Carly, give me my phone!”

“Promise me you won’t text him back and you can have it,” she said.

“That’s ridiculous! Of course I’m gonna text him back!”

“Is that a good idea?” she asked. She cocked an eyebrow. “If you can honestly tell me that you think it’s a good idea for you to say anything to him right now, I’ll give you your phone back.”

That knocked some sense into you. Immediately, the fight left your body and you sat back on the couch. She studied you for a moment and then leaned forward to set the phone on the coffee table. When you didn’t go for it, she relaxed and leaned back.

“Sorry,” you said. “I’m all over the place.”

“I know. It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for, right? Now, walk me through what happened.”

“He came home and he was being weird, and he was like ‘hey can we talk’ and then he basically just said that it isn’t working anymore and that he can’t be with me. He didn’t give me a reason besides that and I didn’t ask him for one. I just packed a bag and came here.”

Carly nodded, considering. “That’s really fucking weird.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long,” you said. At her shocked expression, you shrugged. “I’ve always said that he’s out of my league, right? It was only a matter of time before he got tired of me and realized he could do better. He probably realized that if we got married, he’d have a hell of a harder time getting away from me.”

“Were it not for the state of emotional peril you’re in right now, I would slap you,” Carly said. You let out a startled laugh; of all the things she could've said, you weren't expecting that. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say, and I’ve known you for a long time. If that was true -- which it isn’t, by the way, you’re the sexiest, most beautiful, smartest, funniest, greatest person I know -- it wouldn’t have taken him three years to ‘get bored.’ This is one of the dumber stunts he’s pulled, which is saying something. But this isn’t your fault. He’s the asshole here, regardless of his reasoning. If you want to talk to him and try to work things out, that’s your business. But whether or not things work out, this will always be on him. And I’ll be here every step of the way, buttercup.”

You nodded gratefully, even though you didn't believe her. You’d never been good enough for Shayne. This was always inevitable. Still, you put on a brave face for Carly. Better she didn’t know what you were really thinking. “You’re right,” you said. “Thanks, Carly.”

You could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t completely believe you, which wasn’t surprising. Carly always knew when you were lying. But she also knew when to let an issue lie. “Good,” she said. “Now, Bridesmaids or Legally Blonde?”

Ian led the group to a colorful sound stage. To the right was a partition, and behind it a bunch of strange props and costume pieces. To the left was a single stool, a piano, and some bongos.

The room was swarming with activity as crew people moved around getting everything set up and ready to go. Shayne and Damien led you over to the set. “Y/N, why don’t you sit in the stool for the intro?” Shayne said, the first words he’d said to you since you had broken up. His voice was professional and upbeat, betraying almost no emotion. “And then I’ll stand to your right, Damien will be behind me, and the rest of the band can be to your left.”

“Sounds fine to me,” you said, and you hoped your voice sounded less forced to him than it did to you. You sat on the stool, glad to be off your feet; your balance was suddenly fucked now that Shayne was next to you, and you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep yourself upright if you tried to stand for much longer.

Shayne went to go check something with a cameraperson, and the girls formed another huddle around you. Carly stood right in front of you, Piper to your immediate left, and Alexis just behind you. “Are you alright?” Carly asked.

“I’m sorry,” Damien said, cutting into the conversation before you could even think about how to answer Carly’s question. He was standing to your right, though he was a little farther away than your bandmates were. “I wanted to let you know before you saw him. I thought maybe it would be easier that way.”

“It’s okay, Dames. It’s not your fault,” you said. You reached over to squeeze his bicep, hoping to ease his mind a little bit, but the guilt didn’t leave his face.

“How did you know we would be here today?” Carly asked. You gave her a stern look, but she either didn’t see it or just didn’t care.

Damien fidgeted, nervous. You didn’t blame him; Carly was a force of nature when she wanted to be. “Um,” he said, “what do you mean?

“I mean that you had enough foresight to know that you could surprise Y/N and warn her about Shayne. So you knew we would be here.”

“We get a filming schedule at the beginning of the week,” Damien said. You looked at Carly as if to say There, see? A perfectly good reason. Now back off and let the poor boy breathe. But then Damien continued: “and Shayne told me about seeing Y/N on Saturday, so --”

He cut himself off, clamping his mouth shut as he seemed to realize what he’d said. Your gaze flew from Carly to Damien. For a moment, you felt thoroughly like a middle schooler; the he-said-she-said was something you thought would get left in sixth grade, but here you were nonetheless. Still, you couldn’t help the way your heart rate accelerated at Damien’s words. If Shayne had mentioned you specifically…

“What?” you asked.

You didn’t want to get your hopes up. You couldn’t get your hopes up. Shayne mentioning you didn’t mean anything. Besides, he had a new girlfriend now, anyway. He’d probably just done it since you and Damien were friends before shit hit the fan.

Damien didn’t get the chance to answer your question before Shayne returned from his conversation with the cameraperson. You were pretty sure he knew that you guys had been talking about him; it was pretty obvious by the way the conversation stopped short as soon as he got within earshot. But if he knew, he didn’t comment on it. He just walked over and took his place next to you.

Carly flashed him a look colder than the south pole and moved to stand on your other side, and then she plastered the brightest smile you’d ever seen on her face. You did the same.

“Alright, everybody ready?” one of the crew people asked. You nodded your assent. “Three, two, and… action!”

#shayne topp x reader #shayne topp #eliza.txt #forget you not

82 notes · View notes

takethisroad · 3 years

Text

fanfic author tag game!

tagged by: @halewoods

tagging: anyone who wants to play!

Where you post: depends what it’s for! I’ve got snippets on this blog for fandoms that I Lose or Have Lost My Mind over. Any longer stuff or stuff for fandom events goes on AO3. (Prior to tumblr/ao3, it was lj and the pit of voles but if you’ve seen my writing on there, no you haven’t ;-* )

Most Popular One Shot (by kudos): crack filth that I wrote a decade ago for a meme on lj, that’s all you need to know

Most Popular Multi-Chapter (by kudos): lmao it’s a personal victory to get over 5k words. I’ve got exactly one multi-chapter fic up on AO3, and it’s we could be more (than just part-time lovers).

Favorite story you’ve written so far: HOW DO I CHOOSE.

There’s one I’m writing (for a very loose definition of writing... it’s been on pause for years and I only picked it back up earlier this year) that, while I know it needs major revision and work, and will probably never be posted, sparks Extreme Joy when I work on it.

Otherwise, honestly, probably A Well-Made Man simply because trans Jack Rackham lives rent-free in my brain.

Fic you were nervous to post: ALL OF THEM. I hit post and immediately hide because my writing is - how can I put this - hot garbage. That said, probably The Finest Thing (Whatever It Is One Loves), because it was my first time doing Fandom Trumps Hate and the person who requested it donated a bunch of money to charity, so I really wanted it to be perfect.

How do you choose your titles?: song lyrics, mainly. Otherwise, if there’s a line from the fic that I like, it might go there.

Do you outline?: what the fuck’s an outline? jk jk it depends. For prompts and snippets on this blog, no. For longer fics (keeping in mind that “long” for me means “5k”), i’ll jot some notes down if there are scenes I want to hit or a 5+1 structure, or anything like that. Or if I need a plot. Plot is hard.

# Complete: 13 on AO3. A bunch of snippets on here. More lost in the ether of the 2000s-era internet.

# In-Progress: You’re really gonna make me do this, huh? Christ, I don’t even know how to count them. Fics that I’ve worked on in the last 2 weeks? Ones I haven’t touched in 2 months but fully intend to finish before I die? There are oodles of WIPs that I want to write one day, with no specific timeframe. There are about 2 or 3 fics and snippets that I’m actively trying to get done before the end of the year.

Coming soon/not yet started: half my WIP ideas. I have a lot of notes on my phone about lines I would like to use or concepts I would like to explore. For example, I am still daydreaming the Nassau General Hospital BS AU, though I’ve barely put anything on paper for it.

Prompts?: I love prompts! However, I am the worst and still have prompts in my inbox from the summer, so uh. Once those are done, I’ll be open for more (and hopefully will not need half a year to respond).

Upcoming work you’re most excited about: nothing’s super upcoming? Slowly chipping away at the silverflintham post-series fic i have going, but gods only know when that will ever be posted ;p

#takethisroad talks #thank you for tagging me!!! <3

4 notes · View notes

nanakibh · 4 years

Text

Final Fantasy Agito: Second Cycle, Chapter 4, Act 3 Characters: Player, Miyu, King, Deuce, King of Concordia, Celestia, Izana, Machina Summary: The King of Concordia’s hubris leads him to foolishly take matters into his own hands. An unprecedented chance for reprisal presents itself to Rubrum.

Thank you to @reverse-vampire for the screenshots which made this translation possible!

"While there’s life, there’s hope."

Chapter 4, Act 3 The Battle of Judecca

[Setting: Central Command]

Miyu: Player, King, Deuce. Today's the day of the decisive battle. Miyu: This largescale counterattack against Concordia has been under revision since the other day. Preparations are finally complete. Miyu: All troops who can move will march toward Concordia. That includes you cadets, the legion, and Lord Zhuyu. Miyu: It's all to destroy the Azure Dragon Crystal - to open a path to where the Crystal is located in the heart of Concordia. King: This certainly sounds like it'll be a large battle. Player, are you prepared?

Player choice: >I've been ready. >I'm worried about everyone else.

King: Heh. You're always reliable. But you can rely on us, too. Deuce: That's right. Let's make sure no more blood is needlessly spilled.

---

(Alternate Player Choice)

King: This certainly sounds like it'll be a large battle. Player, are you prepared?

Player choice: >I've been ready. >I'm worried about everyone else.

King: Heh. So at a time like this, you're worried more about others. You're a real kindhearted person, you know that? Deuce: ...But please don't worry too much, Player. Deuce: I'm also prepared. Let's make sure no more blood is needlessly spilled.

---

Deuce, determined: This isn't just for Rubrum. We have to destroy the Crystal to save the lives of the people of Concordia, too. Miyu: I like how that sounds. You've all truly surpassed me. Miyu: Well then, men, let's depart! To the Rubrum-Concordian border! To the Strait of Judecca!

Thus, Rubrum launched their counterattack against Concordia.

Concordia intercepted it with all their strength, and both armies clashed at the Strait of Judecca.

(Cutscene with the following narration)

The battle began with a breath attack from the Azure Dragon l'Cie, Soryu. Having taken advantage of the chaos in the Rubrum army, Concordia at first thought they had seized control of the situation. That was when the Vermilion Bird l'Cie, Zhuyu, made his appearance and suppressed Soryu.

(Cutscene ends)

Due to the collision between the two l'Cie, The battle which began to look like a free-for-all became a war of attrition between the conventional strength of each side...

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

The fierce battle at Judecca in which the cadets were also participating began to lean slightly in Rubrum's favor.

Having received word of this, Celestia hurriedly returned to the capital.

[Setting: Mahamayuri, Concordia]

King of Concordia: You were defeated in the battle at Judecca?! Just how useless can you all be?! Celestia: Please stay calm, Your Lordship. Only the Yoiyami guard squad has been defeated. Celestia: In terms of our total forces, we still have my portion. In due time, we will surely make Rubrum fall. King of Concordia: And when will that be?! I cannot trust you with this any longer! King of Concordia: Since it's come to this, I will assume direct command! Leave the command of the whole army to me! Celestia: Wha...?! Your Lordship? Commanding the army?! Celestia: Please wait, Your Lordship! Pardon my saying, but you lack the necessary experience! Celestia: Rubrum cannot be defeated at your level! King of Concordia: How dare you call my experience into question! I'm certainly more capable than you worthless lot! King of Concordia: Akatoki Warden Celestia, I release you of your command! Stand down! Celestia: Absurd...! Celestia: At such a crucial time, after I even returned here to inform you... Without seeking to understand the situation, just impatiently rushing to win... Celestia: Do you seriously think you're capable of guiding Concordia to victory that way?! King of Concordia: You insolent whelp. You don't know when to shut your mouth, do you? War has always been the job of the King. King of Concordia: Warriors obediently follow their Masters. If you disagree, do you intend to kill me as well? Celestia: Ngh...! King of Concordia: Get out of my sight, Celestia. I will lead the army now. King of Concordia: I will bring Rubrum to their knees in short order. Behold your King's battle.

--Several days later, in Rubrum--

[Setting: Central Command]

Miyu: There's something unusual about the way the Concordian army is acting...?! King, are you sure?! King: Yeah. I don't know what's behind it, though. King: The soldiers who were concentrated in Judecca are individually heading toward Akademeia. King: There are a lot of soldiers, but they don't seem to be working together. They're just recklessly advancing and disturbing the battlefield. Deuce: What's more, they don't have many troops guarding their capital. Deuce: By sending troops one after another to the frontlines, it's like they aren't even thinking about their defense... Miyu: Alright! It looks an opportunity we can take advantage of has appeared! Miyu: Inform the military! It's time to devise a plan to assault the Concordian capital!

[Setting: Back Garden]

Deuce: Hey, Player, what do you think happened to make the Concordian army act so strangely? Deuce: Here's what I've been thinking... There could be people on the Concordian side who hate fighting. Deuce: I've heard rumors that the current King wanted power so badly, he assassinated the former Queen... Deuce: If that's what happened, I don't want any more pointless conflicts with people who didn't even want to fight! Deuce: Perhaps, if we told them that we only wanted to destroy their Crystal in order to end the war-- Deuce: And perhaps, if we told them that we had no intention of invading Concordian territory-- Deuce: Then wouldn't they put down their arms and work together with us?! Deuce: ...Uh, sorry. Deuce: I... I know. Something like that is probably impossible... Deuce: After all, we have no choice but to keep fighting if we want to protect the people who are precious to us... Deuce: But, I... I don't want to give up. Deuce: Even if it ends in vain, I want to keep trying to think of a way to avoid fighting with them.

[Setting: Chocobo Ranch]

Izana: Ah, Player! Gosh, it's good to see you again! Izana: To be honest, I didn't think I'd come back from Judecca alive... Machina: Yeah... I couldn't stop thinking about when I might forget you, brother. Machina: So I was really relieved when we were able to reunite at Akademeia. Izana: Oh, you don't say, Machina? I've always been worried about when I might forget you. Izana: So, to even be able to have a casual conversation like this... As they say, "While there’s life, there’s hope." Izana: Well, anyhow. Good work, Player. Let's survive through the next battle, too!

#translation #ff agito translations #ff agito second cycle #miyu kagirohi #king #deuce #celestia #izana #machina

3 notes · View notes

indestinatus · 4 years

Note

FanFic Ask Game- H, L, Q and U 😊

Heeey Luciaa

H: How would you describe your style?

Uh… very descriptive is the only thing I can think of haha

Especially in my longer fics (aka Something Blue) I love putting as much as detail as I can. It’s not so much a good thing because it becomes repetitive and sometimes tiring, but I like it and it makes me see the scenes when I read them.

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

A LOT. As in maybe… 3 times reading everything? And little editing when I’m writing them. But still manage to let mistakes pass and only notice them weeks later. Oh well.

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

I LOVE THE IDEA! If anyone is up for Tiva/Ellick collabs, let me know :D

Two minds are always better than one, and to be excited about something is such a great feeling to share!!!

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

@beatrixacs because her fanfiction was the first I read back in 2013. Great great times for tiva stories, I miss it. And her stories are the bessssst, wow.

@ jelenamichel because it’s really in character. Also great plots and oof steamy.

@benditlikepress and I can’t stress this enough!!! Queen!!! of tiva fics!!!!

also everyone at the Ellick GC, you guys are the best and you know it.

thank you, lovely!

writing ask game ✨ reblog and I’ll ask you something cuz I have nothing to do.

#thank you so for always asking me something #love youu #ask #luciamejia13

8 notes · View notes

toothpastecanyon · 5 years

Text

We Walk Like Humans Do, Chapter 2

The Transcendence has been, on the whole, a good thing for magical creatures... for the ones that walked on two legs and fit in doorways, at least. Lacie has other problems to overcome before she can live in the big city.

Thanks to @feferipeixes for help editing this chapter! Go check out their awesome stuff!

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

________________________________________________________________

Oh, my stars. Alcor hasn’t laughed this hard in lifetimes.

Chapter 2 of Wizard Animago’s Not-So-Secret Spellbook - Everything You Already Knew About Transfiguration and Literally Nothing Else

Hi, I’m 18Lacie5 and I wrote another chapter for you humans. Everyone was really confused on my last post and seemed to think it was a joke, so I’ll start out by answering the five most common questions you had.

1 - Yes, I am a basilisk.

2 - No, I am not the basilisk from Harry Potter.

3 - No, I do not live in the Chamber of Secrets from Harry Potter.

4 - No, I am not the horcrux snake from Harry Potter.

5 - No, I am not in any way related to Harry Potter.

Are we all on the same page now? Good, because holy shit some of you really missed the point here. I got a visit from one of you with a replica of Gryffindor’s sword, and that was so annoying I didn’t even feel bad killing him - like dude, all that tells me is I KNOW you read my post about not coming down here, and then decided to come down here anyway ‘cause fuck me, right?

(The sword wasn’t even that good. It was made of cheap plastic, snapped like a spine.)

Anyway, despite all this the last post was fun to write, so I’m doing it again. Also it seems like the number of visits from treasure hunters has gone down since I posted, though it’s hard to tell. There’s not really a consistent number from year to year, and the day I start keeping a deathcount is the day I give up on life and buy a mirror to see if I can kill myself with my own reflection.

For science, you know?

Alcor’s read the entire blog by now and it’s just perfect. The snark, the sarcasm, the casual disregard towards human lives that could only have been written by an ancient and powerful being - it’s hilarious! And the spell entries… man, he could listen to Lacie tear apart someone’s Latin any day of the decade. If only she could come to some of his summons; she’d have so much material to work with there.

With a chuckle, Alcor looks up and glances around the darkness of the Mindscape. He needs to show this to someone. But who? Mizar? She’s only a year into the current reincarnation… hmm, she might be a little too young to understand it. Lucy Ann’s somewhere around; he probes for her, and finds her - dammit - during naptime at some kindergarten in Portland.

Anyone else?

…

No one else.

There’s absolutely no one else in his life right now. That’s… that’s a fun reminder.

He sighs, and sits back on the fabric of reality. Maybe some cultists’ll summon him; he could read them a blog post, see if they laugh. That’d be fun, right?

Al narrows his eyes at the great nothingness before him. It’d be something, at least.

...You know, he can feel a little tug now.

A weak one, just one summoner, and no circle. That confuses him at first - even the real amateurs usually manage to scribble out some sort of rounded shape - and when he looks closer, he sees it’s holding one of his summoning cards, holding it in its… hand?

No, not quite a hand, and Alcor jolts right up as he realises shit that’s Lacie trying to call him, shit he didn’t think she’d call him back so soon! How long did he keep her waiting? It’s been a couple hours - shit!

Alcor tessers over to her in an instant, his mouth already open and spilling apologies: “Oh my stars Lacie, I am so sorry for the delay! I got distracted and I didn’t think you’d call back so soon so I wasn’t watching as closely as I-”

A deep, rumbling growl cuts him off. It’s a deafening sound, coming from a creature lounging on a pile of bones and gold with teeth the size of Alcor’s entire body; he can’t help but cringe at that. He takes a deep breath, remind himself that he’s an all-powerful demon who definitely doesn’t need to be scared of some mere mortal… even if she is pretty scary for a mortal.

You know, relatively speaking. He isn’t scared, he just thinks she’s scarier than, like, a human. Like a human from that pile of human skeletons she’s smashed into the wall. Yeah, that’s not scary at all. That wouldn’t kill him… looks like it would hurt, though.

He double checked he isn’t standing near that spellbook she’s bound to, right?

Just as he’s thinking this, Lacie lets out another even louder growl, and he jumps back with an undignified yelp.

“Hey, whoa, Lacie!” Alcor watches her head shift to the side. “Lacie? Hello?”

She doesn’t reply, and he looks to her face for an answer. He sees one of her eyes now: it’s closed?

Closed.

The realisation washes over him as she lets out another slow, rumbling snore.

“Oh. You’re… you’re just sleeping, aren’t you. Duh.” He straightens, and casts a glance around the room as he fixes his tie and straightens his hat. “Glad no one noticed that… Lacie?”

She doesn’t stir, and Alcor makes a face. He’s never turned up to a summons and had the summoner fall asleep; would she want him to wake her up? Her dreams feel pretty peaceful to him, and even though that thing - is that a giant laptop? - she’s using as a pillow doesn’t look particularly comfy, it doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.

Yeah, it looks like he should just let her call him back… but there is something. Embedded in her sluggish thoughts, he can feel a sort of drive, a sort of desperation, and that makes him hesitate. He looks for her tail, and spots it still wrapped around his summoning card, still squeezing it in a death grip.

Alcor frowns. He watches her snore one more time, then makes up his mind. With a deep breath, he reaches out and prods at her thoughts; they immediately begin to stir. He prods again, and Lacie lets out a grunt. Her eyelid cracks open, and she drags a sleepy glare across the room.

Her gaze meets his, and he feels pain, pain in his soul, his soul feels like it’s being pushed out through his ears ow ow OW- and he recoils, unable to bear it for a second longer.

Wow, he thinks, that really is potent. What on earth makes it so powerful?

Before he can wonder about that, there’s a noise. Gold coins clink against each other as Lacie jerks up, blinking hard, panic flashing in her aura. Alcor holds up his hands.

“Hey, hey, it’s just me!” He looks down as she fixes her eyes on him. “Sorry if you, uh, didn’t want to be woken up, I just thought… you know, you called me, and… what are you doing?”

She’s cast the summoning card aside and is now wiggling the touchpad on her laptop. He cocks his head.

“Whoa, I’ve never seen a laptop that big. Where on Earth did you buy that?”

Lacie doesn’t acknowledge his question. She starts typing something, and he floats closer to see her login screen.

“18Lacie5. Heh, I like your username.” He watches her click on the password box and slowly, painstakingly jab each key with her tail. “E… Y… E… What? Why are you looking at me like- oh. Oh, I’m so sorry!”

There’s a faint snort from Lacie as he turns away. His cheeks redden.

“Sorry, I forget hu- uh, mortals? Mortals tend to like their privacy on stuff… it’s kind of useless since Al-V can hack into pretty much any computer on earth - um, the Alcor Virus, that’s Alvie.” He hears the typing stop, and suddenly wishes he’d chosen literally any other topic in the world. “Um, not that I would make him hack into your computer! I’m just saying he could, and he probably has already… um, I just made him to get rid of Twin Souls though, you’re fine! O-or you should be fine - you don’t, by any chance, happen to like Twin Souls, do you? It’s, um, this book - well it’s a movie now but it was a book - and Mizar - who is my sister by the way - well, that’s why I hate it, because it has my sister and I, umm…ugh, sorry, it’s gross, my sister and I, we’re- huh?”

A low hiss makes him look back, and he sees Lacie - ow - staring right at him. She gestures to the screen, which has a word document open on it with big, bold letters.

“Oh, you want me to read that?” He floats closer, and frowns as he reads the first line:

Im pretending 2 type rite now 2 see how long u wil ramble 4 wtf youre still going and now twin souls no nono why r u explaning i actually cant take the awkwardnes i got 2 stop u

Alcor blinks, then shoots her a dirty look. The noise coming out of her now sounds an awful lot like snickering.

“Wha- I was just-! I just wanted to clarify the hacking thing I said, I-!” The snickering gets louder, and he rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I guess I’m a little rusty at small talk, very funny. I’d like to see how awkward you’d be if the only practice you could get is on a bunch of cultists in basements. They’re not exactly social butterflies either, you know!”

Lacie just keeps laughing, and Alcor… well, he puts on a show of crossing his arms and heaving a long-suffering sigh, but he’s fighting a smile.

It’s strangely nice, being here. Lacie’s strangely nice to be around; she already feels - and he has to remind himself he’s only met her twice - almost like a friend? Maybe he just has a low bar these days, but he hears her laughter, and… it’s just very, very nice. Nice in a way that’s hard to describe.

Nice in a way he hasn’t felt for a while.

The feeling lingers even after Lacie’s chuckling dies off, and he’s still smiling as he watches her reach for the laptop again. She jabs the down arrow a couple times, and some more, better punctuated text comes into view.

I have revised the terms of our deal, it starts, and Alcor clears his throat, squares his shoulders, tries to get himself back into business mode. He reads on: and I would like to exchange the human bones that are currently in my room for a human disguise I am capable of putting on and taking off at will.

He raises an eyebrow as he reaches the end. This is not the deal he was expecting to make. A human disguise… he can tell she’s no demonologist, that’s for sure; there’s so many interpretations of that, so many wonderful ways to tw͏is͡t her̡ ̵w̢or̵d̸s ͏a͟g̢ai͘n̸st͠ ̢h͝er-

No. He shakes his head to clear it of his worst instincts, but they won’t leave, not in the presence of such an enticing deal. Suddenly, he’s glad he doesn’t have to look her in the eyes right now; he trains them on the ground instead, and starts to speak.

“So, um… when you’re saying a ‘human disguise’, what do you mean by that?” He can’t see her face, but he can see a bolt of frustration flash across her aura. “Huh? What’s- oh right, can’t talk, uh… well, do you want me to make an actual, convincing disguise? You know, instead of, like, a wig and some sunglasses?”

Lacie nods vigourously. He watches her tap the caps key and add ‘CONVINCING’ before the human disguise bit. A part of him screams at all the opportunities he’s giving up - willingly! - but he forces a smile and nods.

“Cool, I can do that. I’ve made a few humans before- human bodies, that is, not… um.” Alcor coughs. “Anyway, I can give you a convincing human form for those bones of yours. How does that sound?”

She taps the screen.

“What…? Oh, yes, I’ll make it so you can switch back and forth at will. Good catch. Now, do we have a d̕e͇̪͍̜̻̪͘a̙̻̬̦͔ͅl̲̝͓͔?”

He doesn’t extend a hand to shake, but blue sparks spurt from his fingertips as he watches Lacie mull it over. Her aura fizzles with nervous energy, but it only takes a couple seconds for her to tamp it down and give him a firm nod. The rush of a newly made deal makes his grin go wide; he tries not to let it go too wide as he claps his hands together.

“Alrighty, then,” he says, rubbing them until those sparks turn into a full-blown fire. “One meatsuit coming right up!”

He extends a hand to the pile of bones in the corner of the room, and with a flick of the wrist he rips the energy from them all and absorbs it. The sacrifice warms him like a good meal, and he turns back to Lacie, ready to put that newly-gained power to use.

He steps back and sizes her up with his hands, a gesture that makes her aura simmer with uncertainty. She makes a low, nervous sound, and he waves her away.

“It’s alright, I just… need to remember how big a human is, how much I need to squish you down... Got it!!” Alcor readies his fingers to snap. “Okay, I’ve only done this on myself before, so there might be some kinks I haven’t thought of! Don’t worry, though, I’ll probably be able to fix them!”

Before Lacie could respond, he snaps his fingers, and his magic rushes around her like a cloud. Skin forms over scales, hair grows over horns, and the figure that remains when it disperses is unmistakably human.

It’s also falling to the ground from the height of Lacie’s head, and oh shit catch her catch her catch her - he freezes her momentum a couple inches from the ground then lets her plop, safely but definitely not gracefully, into a puddle.

“Oh, my stars! Are you okay?” Heart pounding in his chest, he dashes over. “I am so sorry about that fall, how are you- ow, okay , I’m gonna need to get you some sunglasses or something - how are you feeling? Here, let me help you up!”

He extends a hand, and Lacie… just stares at it.

Just stares at him, not moving, and he can feel panic flaring up in her aura as she can’t move, oh stars she’s so tiny right now and she can’t move oh fuck-

Alcor blinks. “Oh, right. Um, don’t panic-”

Don’t panic??? DON’T PANIC??? FUCK THIS SHE’S LIKE FIVE INCHES TALL RIGHT NOW AND SHE CAN’T FUCKING MOVE OH MY STARS WHY DID SHE DO THIS TO HERSELF THIS IS THE STUPIDEST FUCKING IDEA SHE’S EVER HAD IN HER LIFE-

“Lacie? Take a deep breath… Lacie? Lacie!” He cringes when Lacie’s eyes fix on him again. “Okay, um, I can see this is… a little stressful for you?”

She nods vigourously.

“Alright, um… don’t worry, I made it easy for you to change back! You just, y’know, gotta think of yourself being a basilisk again - or is it pronounced ‘battle-isk’? ‘Bas-til-isk’? Heh, that’s a weird word, I’ve only ever seen it written down-”

Lacie ditches her human disguise as fast as she could, shooting back out to her original form and cutting Alcor off mid-tangent. He jumps back, watching relief flood through her aura as she could move again, thank the stars she could actually move and everything’s normal sized again… fuck, everything’s normal sized again. She wasted her deal!

The relief’s spiking up into another panic, and Alcor clears his throat. “Alright, so that deal didn’t go to plan. No worries! I can’t exactly do refunds, but you’ve still got plenty of good stuff to sacrifice in here! Doesn’t bother me if this takes a few tries, heh.”

But that doesn’t calm Lacie in the slightest, because now she has to think of another deal, her mind’s blank, she’s got nothing! But she’ll fall asleep if she makes Alcor leave again… maybe she will have to go for that deal.

It’s hard to read her thoughts when they go quiet, but Alcor definitely picks up something about that deal as they’re retreating into a murky bubble of disappointment. He sees how she hangs her head at the idea, then lugs her laptop over to her, begins to peck away at the keys.

He sees that, and frowns. “Hey, uh,” he starts, and right away her eyes dart over to him. “If you don’t want to make a new deal, I’m sure we could make this one work?”

Lacie cocks her head.

“I mean, I’ve been… I know a thing or two about being in a human body. It’s been a while, but maybe I could… y’know, show you the ropes?”

She doesn’t say a word. The silence stretches, and Alcor laughs nervously.

“I-if you want. I mean, it’s been a while, but maybe I could show you enough to get around? I did technically promise your disguise would be ‘convincing’, so a couple human lessons should be easy enough to fit in, without… without another deal... um, I don’t know if you like this idea or you want me to stop talking? If you do that’s fine, I can do another deal, just give me a-”

There’s a sort of fwoomp sound, and the coils and coils of Lacie’s body seem to twist out of existence. At the same time, a human takes shape where her head was, and falls right into Alcor’s arms before he has time to blink.

“-a sign?” He finishes, and stares down at her. She stares right back, and he’d admire the steely resolve, the carefully-controlled fear in her gaze a whole lot longer if it didn’t make his soul want to push itself out through his ears.

“Oh, Okay. Wow, you’re, um… diving right in, huh?”

Lacie gives her closest approximation to a human smile, and Alcor’s caught off guard by how quickly he finds himself grinning back. An actual, genuine grin stretches across his face for the first time in too long, and he chuckles.

“Alright, Lacie, I like your gumption!” He summons a pair of sunglasses, and sticks them over her eyes. “Let’s get humaning!”

________________________________________________________________

Humaning. Lacie had taught herself many human things over the years; she’d taught herself to read, to type, to write - heck, she’d even managed to summon a demon (and in proper human tradition, had made a poorly thought-out deal with it.) She was no novice in learning how to human.

Maybe that’s why she thought the whole human form was a good idea. She was great at humaning! She’d taught herself so many of their skills, educated herself on so many of their customs, she was able to pass as one of them online… sometimes, it really didn’t feel like she was all that different from them.

After all, if she could read like a human and write like a human and think like a human, how hard could it be to walk around like one, too?

…

As it turns out, hard.

Very, very hard.

Duh.

Everything, everything is different in a human body. Sure, she thought having arms and legs would take some getting used to, but how about all this hair? How about her cramped little mouth and her stubby tongue? How about her skin? Her skin is stupidly sensitive without scales; when she was lying on the stone, she could feel every little bump in it, could feel water soaking her, making her shiver - and shivering, ugh! What an awful sensation! Even though Alcor’s got her propped her up in a chair now, her skin won’t stop whining to her that, gasp, the fabric’s a little itchy!

Whoop de fucking do, skin. Hopefully she grows a thicker one soon enough, because this is driving her crazy. She’s laughing at the Lacie of a couple hours ago who thought she’d just be able to stand up and walk out of the sewers, and oh, speaking of walking ?

Hah! Try moving them at all!

Lacie’s been without these strange appendages all her life, and moving them would be like a human trying to nod with a second head they’ve just sprouted - sometimes she’ll get lucky and hit upon whatever bundle of nerves is controlling each of these limbs, and after two hours of Alcor’s patient coaching she can make them twitch on a somewhat consistent basis, but she’s not getting anywhere fast with them any time soon.

She can only lie here, with her blunt teeth, with her papery skin, with her useless limbs…

Helpless.

Absolutely helpless.

Alcor looms over her whenever he stands up… and that scares her more than she thought it would. Everything looms over her in this form; the - she called it little - pile of treasure she sleeps on now seems like a great mountain, the ceiling she often bangs her head on is higher still, impossibly high. She sees her spellbook resting on its lecturn, and it’s about the same size as her now; she remembers how tiny it once seemed, and- OH FUCK WHAT’S GOING- oh, she’s shivering again.

Lacie frowns at that, and she lets out a noise that’s weirdly squeaky in this throat, and Alcor taps her shoulder.

(And she feels that, holy shit skin it’s literally just a hand)

“...need to take a break?” He’s asking. Frowning. “Lacie?”

She nods, quickly, and he takes the sunglasses off her face before scooting back. Closing her eyes, she thinks of being a basilisk again, and all these alien sensations fall away with a flood of relief. Lacie is herself again; she takes a long moment to savour it, to lounge across her sleeping pile, to listen to her scales scratch against the stone floor, to open an eye and see Alcor as a tiny figure in her field of vision.

“That looks comfy.” He says. He’s grinning, but she can barely make that out. “Darn, I should’ve moved the chair, too.”

The chair? She lifts her body, and finds the chair she’d been sitting on, crushed beneath the weight of her coils. With a little chuckle, she sweeps it out from under her, marvelling at how tiny it is - how tiny she was.

Alcor laughs, too. “Sheesh, you flattened it. I think it’ll be easier to make a new chair.”

Laying her head on the ground, she lets out a lazy snort.

“…um, when you’re ready, I mean.” He adds. “Or we can stop, if you’re tired? I can-”

She heaves herself up. Ugh, she is tired - it creeps up on her. She can’t sleep though, not when she’s so close, so fucking close to getting out of here.

“Oh, okay… are you sure? We’ve been at this a while, I really don’t mind taking a break…”

Lacie tugs at that mental link in the back of her mind, and feels herself switch back into human form again. Unlike switching the other way, this form greets her not with a flood of relief, but with a host of silly little complaints: her back hurts, the stone’s not comfy on her face, it’s cold, she’s wet, on and on and on and she just wants it all to shut up… but, she will admit, there is one thing she likes.

Alcor hoists her up on one of those tiny little chairs she’d been laughing at just a second ago, and she stares at him, and she feels awake.

Completely awake.

She can’t remember the last time her head’s felt this clear, and it’s a pity she has to spend half her human time fidgeting in a seat because otherwise it’d be amazing. Is this really how bad the energy situation had gotten down here? Wow, she really needed to get out of here, and fast.

“Hey, Lacie?” Alcor’s saying something, and she looks over at him. “So I know you said - or, uh, indicated, anyway - that you didn’t want a break…”

He pauses expectantly, and then, seeming to realise she isn’t going to follow it up with a ‘Yes?’ clears his throat.

“Right. Well, I kind of would. Like a break. If that’s okay with you.”

Lacie blinks.

“You know, we’ve been doing this for a while, and I’m thinking maybe we could do something else? You know, it could be something fun! It could be something like, um, like… oh, do you play Scrabble?”

She shakes her head.

“No? Oh, I guess that was a longshot… how bout chess? I know there’s like, online chess… no?” He frowns at her continued head-shaking. “Alright, well… What do you do for fun down here?”

Lacie thinks on that for a moment, then turns her head towards the laptop.

“Oh, your laptop? Nice, nice.” He grins at her. “I love your blog.”

Wait, her blog? He’s read that? He likes that? The surprise must be showing on her face, because Alcor starts laughing.

“Yeah, it’s hilarious! I was actually so caught up reading it, I didn’t realise you were summoning me! I love just how sarcastic it is! It’s amazing!”

Lacie blinks. Is he… gushing? Is Alcor the Dreambender gushing about her blog?

Is this her life?

“Man,” he rambles on. “that joke about a killcount, that was great. I just don’t get why it’s not more popular! Humans, they just don’t have any taste… they’re, heh, they’re too busy reading Harry Potter, amirite?”

He nudges her like he’s made some kind of clever reference, and she snorts at him. Okay, wow, demon or not, this guy really is an absolute plonker. She loves it.

“Haha, yeah! They’ve been, uh, playing Quidditch too much to read your stuff! Yeah! Or they’ve been, um… making swords? Making- I should stop now, shouldn’t I.”

With a big dumb grin on her face, she nods.

“Yep, that was getting out of hand.” Alcor rubs his neck. “I just wanted to say I really liked it a lot. It was funny.”

Lacie’s grin got even bigger.

“So, uh, you really have been down here all your life, huh? Dealing with treasure hunters-” He chuckles when she rolls her eyes. “Hah, I can imagine that’s not fun! Yeah... so, uh, have you ever been outside?”

She shakes her head. Maybe before she was old enough to remember, but that was a long, long time ago. Alcor makes a face at that.

“Yeah, yeesh. No wonder you want to get out of here, no wonder…”

He trails off, and Lacie watches his eyes go distant for a second before a thought seems to strike him; he blinks, frowns, then, slowly, he starts to grin. He turns to her again, and she raises an eyebrow at the shine in his eyes.

“Hey, Lacie,” He says. “Want me to take you on a little tour?”

#transcendence au #Lacie #fanfiction

31 notes · View notes