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euphreana · 3 days

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The Shape of Truth - Chapter 5: A Familiar Face

Masterpost

Ambrosius and Nimona looked at each other in unison; terror on Ambrosius’s face and annoyance on Nimona’s. Footsteps were coming down the walkway through the middle of the archives.

The manager’s voice came again.

“We know you’re in here! Come out and we’ll keep this simple!”

Thank Gloreth the sword drawer closed quietly. Ambrosius could hear footsteps moving through a ‘A’ section of the archives. Maybe if they hid, the manager and crew would give up and leave?

Ambrosius and Nimona hurried, quietly as they could, deeper into the archives. Nimona pointed out a small window in the ‘S’ section - it was too high off the ground to reach, but there was a tall shelf blocking the line of sight to the main walkway. There had to be a ladder around here somewhere…

Ambrosius’s phone buzzed an alert. Ambrosius shot his hand into his pocket and silenced it. The cadence of distant footsteps didn’t change. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then he realized the packet of Ballister's ashes was missing.

Ambrosius felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on him. The last link he had to Ballister, gone. It must have fallen on the floor when he’d pulled out his phone to investigate the sword. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he’d lost it forever!

“I dropped something.” he whispered to Nimona. “Back at the sword.”

Nimona gave him a ‘whyyyyyy’ gesture.

Ambrosius turned to go back.

Nimona grabbed his arm.

“Are you trying to get caught?” she hissed.

“I can’t leave without it!” he whispered back.

Nimona threw her hands in the air.

“Fine - I’ll distract them. Meet back here. I’m leaving if you get caught.”

Ambrosius nodded and hurried back along the wall. He ducked behind a cabinet as the footsteps came closer. Closer. Closer. Ambrosius hunched lower, as if making himself smaller would make them walk past him quicker.

“Check behind those cabinets.” the manager’s voice came.

Ambrosius caught his breath. That was it. He was done for.

Just then, the rattling thud of a cabinet closing came from the other side of the vault. He heard the footsteps stop.

“Found you.” one of the workers called from the direction of the telltale noise.

The statement was followed by a shriek of terror.

The nearby footsteps hurried away.

“What? What is it?!”

“It’s him!”

“Oh good Gloreth!”

Ambrosius seized his opportunity and dashed towards the B section. The sword’s aisle was empty. He scanned the floor for the ash packet. There. It had gotten kicked part way under a shelf. Ambrosius grabbed it, relief washing over him. Now to get out of here.

The commotion at the other side of the vault continued as Ambrosius made his way back to the window.

“Security! We need security up here now!” the manager’s voice sounded frantic.

There was the sound of running towards the door. Then the slam of the door closing. Ambrosius glanced down a walkway towards the door, wondering what that had been about.

There was someone in the middle of the walkway, their back to him. They were shuffling towards the door, a heavy rope trailing behind them. The person turned to look at Ambrosius. Ambrosius felt his knees give way.

It was Ballister. He was wearing the same prison garb he’d last been seen in, noose dangling from his neck. His head was slumped to the side, face tinted purple and eyes rolled back in his head. He faced Ambrosius for a moment. Then he shrunk down to Nimona’s form and pointed to the back of the vault.

“Window!”

Ambrosius was still in shock as Nimona grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the ‘S’ section. His ears were ringing so loud, he barely registered what Nimona was saying when they reached the window.

“Snap out of it!” she said, shaking him by the shoulders.

Ambrosius stared at her, slowly coming out of his daze.

“…Don’t do that again.”

The archives door banged open.

“Security! Stand down!”

Nimona’s teen form was suddenly replaced by a giant pink spider. It grabbed Ambrosius with two legs and scuttled up the wall to the window. Ambrosius had just enough presence of mind to undo the window latch before Nimona threw herself against it, hurtling them both into the alley outside.

“See? Window around the back.” Nimona said proudly, bouncing back into a teen.

Ambrosius rubbed his head where it had hit the opposite stone wall. He could feel a bruise forming.

“Don’t do that again,” he repeated.

“What? The spider?”

“No…”

“Your buddy? I thought you’d want to see him again.”

“Not like that!”

“Well if you hadn’t gone back for… what did you go back for?”

Ambrosius pulled out the packet.

Nimona looked from it, to him, to it again.

“Seriously?!” she threw her hands in the air. “Uuuuughhhhhhhhh… so sentimental…”

~ ~ ~

Thankfully, no one questioned the Emotional Support Dog when Amborsius went back to the dorms. He wanted to get out of his armor, being off-duty and not wanting to get mobbed by fans on his way to the shopping district. A set of regular clothes and a cloak usually took care of that - it looked gloomy enough outdoors that the hood would blend in.

"Hey, we can match - villain and sidekick!" Nimona exclaimed as she spun on the chair across the bedroom.

Ambrosius scowled as he pulled his cloak from his closet.

"I told you, I'm not a villain. And we don't need to match."

"Too late!"

When Ambrosius glanced back at her, she was wearing a cloak that matched his. She bounced off the chair and held a hand up.

"And don't think for a moment that you're going alone. You wouldn't have gotten close to this far without me."

Ambrosius weighed his options as he pulled his own cloak on. She wasn't wrong. And she wasn't... unpleasant to be around. But his cloak wasn't foolproof - if someone noticed him running around town with a strange teenager, there would be questions.

"Not like... that." he gestured at Nimona.

"C'mon, what's wrong with matching?"

"I mean... the girl form."

On cue, Nimona shrank back down to a service dog, vest matching the color of his cloak.

"Better?"

“And animals need to be leashed on the subwa--”

“One step ahead of you!” A leash sprouted from the vest. She picked up the handle in her mouth and tossed it to him.

Ambrosius held the handle awkwardly. Nimona cocked her head to the side.

“Never walked a dog before?”

“My dad hated dogs.”

“That's not an excuse - he died when you were what, 8? Don't tell me your mom hated dogs too...”

“She said she was too busy for a pet. Most senators are.”

“You missed out, man. But anyway it’s easy - just hold on!”

Nimona darted to the door, the leash jerking Ambrosius forward.

~ ~ ~

Nimona practically dragged Ambrosius all the way to the subway station. Ambrosius could swear she was grinning the whole time, if dogs could grin.

The duo had just missed the morning rush hour, getting a car with only a few other passengers. Dog-ona sprawled on the floor under Ambrosius's seat leisurely, earning a stink eye the passenger at the other end of the cabin. Ambrosius kept his head down, phone in his hands.

“Could you not?” he muttered, just loud enough for Nimona to hear.

“Relax - it’s not like someone else wants this space.” Nimona’s voice was barely audible over the sound of the subway.

Ambrosius glared at her, then went back to the game on his phone.

Nimona’s voice got his attention.

“I can’t believe your mom never got you a dog. Everyone in your family before you had at least one dog.”

“I’m sure somebody in the line didn’t.”

“Nope. Believe me, I would know.”

That didn’t sit right with Ambrosius. Most details about his family were public knowledge, but that felt oddly specific.

“How would you know?”

There was a brief pause before Nimona replied, “I did a report for school.”

Ambrosius glanced up from his phone.

“How old are you anyway?”

“Didn’t your parents tell you to never ask a lady’s age?”

Ambrosius rolled his eyes.

“Do your parents know you’re out here?”

“They’re dead. It’s just me.”

Ambrosius hesitated. His habitual politeness didn’t want him to pry, but he wanted answers.

“Were… they like you too?”

“Dogs?”

“No I mean… you can change into whatever. Is that… hereditary?”

Nimona stretched her paws out, yawning.

“Probably… I never met them, so I wouldn’t know.”

“So you could always do that?”

“As far as I can remember.”

“How?”

“Because I’m awesome.”

That wasn’t a sufficient answer, but the car had reached an interim stop and several more passengers boarded, one sitting across the walkway from Ambrosius. The conversation would have to wait.

The nearby passenger flipped open a newspaper, front page in full view. Ambrosius’s grip on his phone tightened. The image printed on the front was of him, arms wrapped around Ballister's limp body while two guards tried to pry him loose. Ambrosius was suddenly back at the event - he could feel the tears on his face, the dead weight of his lover in his arms, the knowledge that this was all his fault - that if he hadn’t been so slow with the paperwork, Ballister would still be alive.

Ambrosius didn’t hear the digital voice announcing the stop for the shopping district. He didn’t feel the dog nose prodding his hand or the paw scratching his leg either. Then suddenly, he felt his face get smacked by something wet.

He blinked, slowly coming back to the present. A pink dog was up in his face, wet tongue hanging out of its mouth.

“…Nimona?”

Dog-ona grabbed the end of the leash and looped it around Ambrosius's wrist, then darted towards the now-closing doors, barely pausing to grab Ambrosius’s dropped phone in her mouth. Ambrosius was just alert enough to get to his feet before the leash snapped tight and yanked him out of the subway car before the doors closed.

Nimona had tugged him all the way to a bench away from foot traffic before he got out of his fog. He slumped down onto the bench, limbs weak from the emotional toll of the flashback. Nimona dropped his phone - now wet with dog slobber - into his lap before speaking.

“Hey - hey, wake up - we’ve got stuff to do.”

Ambrosius rubbed his face, coming back to himself.

“I am, I am, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Just... give me a moment.” he took a deep breath, then glanced around to see if anyone had noticed him talking to a dog. Nobody had. Then he noticed his soggy phone.

“Why is my phone…”

Nimona waved a paw.

“I don’t have thumbs, remember?”

He wiped his phone on his shirt.

“…Thanks.”

“Just watching out for you, Boss.”

#reblogging for the weekend people

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euphreana · 4 days

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Doodle from this week's TSOT chapter

#tsot art #the shape of truth #nimona

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euphreana · 7 days

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The Shape of Truth - Chapter 5: A Familiar Face

Masterpost

Ambrosius and Nimona looked at each other in unison; terror on Ambrosius’s face and annoyance on Nimona’s. Footsteps were coming down the walkway through the middle of the archives.

The manager’s voice came again.

“We know you’re in here! Come out and we’ll keep this simple!”

Thank Gloreth the sword drawer closed quietly. Ambrosius could hear footsteps moving through a ‘A’ section of the archives. Maybe if they hid, the manager and crew would give up and leave?

“I dropped something.” he whispered to Nimona. “Back at the sword.”

Nimona gave him a ‘whyyyyyy’ gesture.

Ambrosius turned to go back.

Nimona grabbed his arm.

“Are you trying to get caught?” she hissed.

“I can’t leave without it!” he whispered back.

Nimona threw her hands in the air.

“Fine - I’ll distract them. Meet back here. I’m leaving if you get caught.”

“Check behind those cabinets.” the manager’s voice came.

Ambrosius caught his breath. That was it. He was done for.

Just then, the rattling thud of a cabinet closing came from the other side of the vault. He heard the footsteps stop.

“Found you.” one of the workers called from the direction of the telltale noise.

The statement was followed by a shriek of terror.

The nearby footsteps hurried away.

“What? What is it?!”

“It’s him!”

“Oh good Gloreth!”

The commotion at the other side of the vault continued as Ambrosius made his way back to the window.

“Security! We need security up here now!” the manager’s voice sounded frantic.

There was the sound of running towards the door. Then the slam of the door closing. Ambrosius glanced down a walkway towards the door, wondering what that had been about.

“Window!”

“Snap out of it!” she said, shaking him by the shoulders.

Ambrosius stared at her, slowly coming out of his daze.

“…Don’t do that again.”

The archives door banged open.

“Security! Stand down!”

“See? Window around the back.” Nimona said proudly, bouncing back into a teen.

Ambrosius rubbed his head where it had hit the opposite stone wall. He could feel a bruise forming.

“Don’t do that again,” he repeated.

“What? The spider?”

“No…”

“Your buddy? I thought you’d want to see him again.”

“Not like that!”

“Well if you hadn’t gone back for… what did you go back for?”

Ambrosius pulled out the packet.

Nimona looked from it, to him, to it again.

“Seriously?!” she threw her hands in the air. “Uuuuughhhhhhhhh… so sentimental…”

~ ~ ~

"Hey, we can match - villain and sidekick!" Nimona exclaimed as she spun on the chair across the bedroom.

Ambrosius scowled as he pulled his cloak from his closet.

"I told you, I'm not a villain. And we don't need to match."

"Too late!"

When Ambrosius glanced back at her, she was wearing a cloak that matched his. She bounced off the chair and held a hand up.

"And don't think for a moment that you're going alone. You wouldn't have gotten close to this far without me."

"Not like... that." he gestured at Nimona.

"C'mon, what's wrong with matching?"

"I mean... the girl form."

On cue, Nimona shrank back down to a service dog, vest matching the color of his cloak.

"Better?"

“And animals need to be leashed on the subwa--”

“One step ahead of you!” A leash sprouted from the vest. She picked up the handle in her mouth and tossed it to him.

Ambrosius held the handle awkwardly. Nimona cocked her head to the side.

“Never walked a dog before?”

“My dad hated dogs.”

“That's not an excuse - he died when you were what, 8? Don't tell me your mom hated dogs too...”

“She said she was too busy for a pet. Most senators are.”

“You missed out, man. But anyway it’s easy - just hold on!”

Nimona darted to the door, the leash jerking Ambrosius forward.

~ ~ ~

Nimona practically dragged Ambrosius all the way to the subway station. Ambrosius could swear she was grinning the whole time, if dogs could grin.

“Could you not?” he muttered, just loud enough for Nimona to hear.

“Relax - it’s not like someone else wants this space.” Nimona’s voice was barely audible over the sound of the subway.

Ambrosius glared at her, then went back to the game on his phone.

Nimona’s voice got his attention.

“I can’t believe your mom never got you a dog. Everyone in your family before you had at least one dog.”

“I’m sure somebody in the line didn’t.”

“Nope. Believe me, I would know.”

That didn’t sit right with Ambrosius. Most details about his family were public knowledge, but that felt oddly specific.

“How would you know?”

There was a brief pause before Nimona replied, “I did a report for school.”

Ambrosius glanced up from his phone.

“How old are you anyway?”

“Didn’t your parents tell you to never ask a lady’s age?”

Ambrosius rolled his eyes.

“Do your parents know you’re out here?”

“They’re dead. It’s just me.”

Ambrosius hesitated. His habitual politeness didn’t want him to pry, but he wanted answers.

“Were… they like you too?”

“Dogs?”

“No I mean… you can change into whatever. Is that… hereditary?”

Nimona stretched her paws out, yawning.

“Probably… I never met them, so I wouldn’t know.”

“So you could always do that?”

“As far as I can remember.”

“How?”

“Because I’m awesome.”

That wasn’t a sufficient answer, but the car had reached an interim stop and several more passengers boarded, one sitting across the walkway from Ambrosius. The conversation would have to wait.

He blinked, slowly coming back to the present. A pink dog was up in his face, wet tongue hanging out of its mouth.

“…Nimona?”

“Hey - hey, wake up - we’ve got stuff to do.”

Ambrosius rubbed his face, coming back to himself.

“I am, I am, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Just... give me a moment.” he took a deep breath, then glanced around to see if anyone had noticed him talking to a dog. Nobody had. Then he noticed his soggy phone.

“Why is my phone…”

Nimona waved a paw.

“I don’t have thumbs, remember?”

He wiped his phone on his shirt.

“…Thanks.”

“Just watching out for you, Boss.”

#going to take a break from TSOT for a week or two #I ran out my buffer #the shape of truth #nimona

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euphreana · 9 days

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Opening 5 slots right now - DM if interested!

I'll give any OC or fandom a shot - I do mild nsfw (with conditions) too!

#it turned out I owed on my taxes #like a lot #KEEP YOUR INFO UP TO DATE ON HEALTHCARE.GOV PEOPLE

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euphreana · 10 days

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA A FIC OF MY FIC?!? SO AWESOME! and dang you got sadness tears in my eyes while reading it - I guess that's payback for me making everyone else cry!

IF MELANIE WAS IN THE STORY "THE SHAPE OF TRUTH" (Ballister's hanging part)

As Ballister was hung, I watched in horror seeing my own dad being hung. I watched my father scream with shock and dispare as he ran over to Ballister. I follow behind him as I watch him grab my dad's limp body. First, my grandmother and now my dad... What else could possibly happen to me... Tears filled my eyes as my body trembled with distraught and adrenaline as I stared at the cold blank, lifeless expression on my now dead dad's face. I didn't want to believe it, but everything was right in front of my eyes to see. I watch the knights fight Ambrosius to get Ballister's body away from him as I just stood there, not knowing what to do or say. Tears ran down my cheeks as I stood there frozen. Once the knights got Ballister's body away from Ambrosius, he broke down into sobs as they took my dad's body away. My breathing became shallow and uneven as my mind raced with so many things. Ambrosius saw my trembling body out of his peripheral vision, and he immediately realized that his own 13 year old daughter had just watched her dad be hung. Ambrosius rushed over to me and pulled me into a hug as I hyperventilated, cold air drying my throat as I quickly breathed in and out. Ambrosius tried his best to comfort me, but his mind was too busy with the distraught of his husband being hung that he failed miserably and broke down crying as he held me. I began to cry as Ambrosius took my hand and dragged me off to go follow the knights.

THE END??

#I'm so very excited!#tsot misc #the shape of truth

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euphreana · 10 days

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The Shape of Truth - Chapter 4: All Sworded Out

Masterpost

‘ACCESS DENIED’ flashed on the lock readout.

“Try it upside down?” Nimona suggested.

ACCESS DENIED.

Ambrosius narrowed his eyes at the ID card reader. He was a knight now - shouldn’t that let him into the archives? Maybe the systems hadn’t been updated yet…

“Hey, you’re not allowed back here!” the voice of an archives worker made Ambrosius jump, “This is a high-security area. You need special clearance to be here.”

“I’m a knight. Isn’t that clearance enough?”

“Not for there.” The worker jerked his head towards the locked door. “If you want to retrieve something, you can fill out a request form with the receptionist.”

Ambrosius grimaced as the worker shooed them from the room. Not more paperwork…

The pink, dog-shaped hallucination by Ambrosius’s side spoke up as soon as they were out of earshot.

“Go wait for me outdoors - I’ll look around back for any windows.” she said with a wink before trotting off around the corner.

Ambrosius wondered what she’d say if she returned - since she was a figment of his imagination, she couldn’t know anything he didn’t, windows included. He glanced back at the room he’d come from. What was he doing anyway? Sneaking into the archives was a bad idea. He could ‘dig’, as Nimona had put it, another way. And he could figure out that other way over breakfast at the tea shop across the street.

~ ~ ~

Ambrosius tried to ignore the judging glances from the other patrons when he entered the shop. No doubt his appearance at the execution yesterday had made the news. He knew he’d hear it from The Director when he went in for work tomorrow - stuff about ‘damage control’ and ‘keeping an appearance worthy of the Goldenloin lineage’, yadda yadda. It was stifling.

He scanned the tea shop menu. Ballister had always ordered the same thing whenever they’d come here; earl gray with milk (not creamer) and sugar. Nobody else Ambrosius knew used milk - his mom had liked it that way and gotten Ballister hooked on it the first time he’d visited. Ambrosius had thought Bal was just humoring her at first, but he’d continued to order it after she’d died. Now there was nobody left to order it...

Ambrosius ordered the earl grey with milk and sugar. He may as well have ordered nothing; once he got it, he couldn’t bring himself to drink it. All he could think about were the two people who used to order this very thing, both dead and gone. The last time he’d seen either of them had been distressing - his mom sick in bed with her hair shorn off, Ballister being dragged away after shooting the queen…

Eventually, Ambrosius reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper packet the size of his fist. ‘Bal’ had been written on it in ink - the only label he could think to give the handful of ash. He held it in his hands. He and Ballister had been inseparable since childhood - even now, Ambrosius couldn’t leave him behind to sit on a nightstand.

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman in a lab coat sitting down opposite him.

“I got it.” She grinned at him. She had Nimona’s voice.

Ambrosius shoved the ash packet back into his pocket, curious about this new form.

“Got what?”

Nimona held up a matching ID badge. “I’m the archives manager! I’ll just walk you in - the real manager’s out and won’t notice her badge is gone for at least an hour.”

It would have been a good plan if Nimona had been real, Ambrosius thought. Just then, a man in a matching lab coat walked up to the table.

“Oh, Priyanka, I thought you were in your office.”

Ambrosius blinked in surprise. He looked up at the man.

“What did you call me?”

“Not you.” The man looked at Nimona. “I could have picked up your order for you.”

Ambrosius’s jaw fell open.

“You can see her too?!”

The man gave Ambrosius a confused look.

Nimona spoke up. “I’ll let you know next time.” she said in what Ambrosius guessed was the manager’s voice.

Ambrosius’s head was spinning so hard, he didn’t notice the man leave. He reached across the table and prodded manager-Nimona’s shoulder.

“You’re real?”

“What, did you think you were imagining things?” Nimona snorted, back in her original voice. “Hooo boy, that explains so much.”

“This doesn’t make sense - you were a girl, then a dog, then—”

“Don’t forget the cat. You gonna drink that?” she pointed at the tea.

When Ambrosius didn’t answer, Nimona popped off the lid and guzzled it down.

“Hoo yeah, good combo. Anyway, you coming?”

“You… what are you?”

“I’m Nimona.”

“But you—”

“Listen, we can sit here talking, or we can get into the archives before the real manager gets back. Are you coming or not?”

Alarm bells were going off in Ambrosius’s head. Nimona was Wrong. He’d never heard of anyone in the kingdom able to change form at will. Where had she come from? From outside the wall? Impossible. Nobody could live out there because of the monsters - huge, hulking creatures with ravenous hunger - and the wall hadn’t been breached for as long as it’d stood. By all logic, Nimona shouldn’t exist. And yet here she was, offering him a chance to get some closure about about the man he’d loved. That couldn’t be wrong… could it?

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, Nimona was able to waltz right into the high-security archives with Ambrosius in tow. Ambrosius tried to play it cool as best he could, but guilt and anxiety pounded in his head. This was a security violation. A necessary one, he told himself - he was doing this for the good of the kingdom. If Bal had been telling the truth, then there was still a murderer on the loose. He couldn’t let that happen, right? And it wasn’t like he could have stopped Nimona from breaking in if she’d wanted to. He was just taking advantage of the situation.

The vault was bigger than he’d expected - rows upon rows of tall shelving units and cabinets labeled from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. There were several windows in one wall letting light in, all of them close to the ceiling and looking securely locked. Otherwise the only source of light was the old buzzing lamps above.

The sword was in a drawer in the B section, under ‘Boldheart’. The charred pieces were laid out on white felt, easy to see even in the flickering lights. Ambrosius carefully picked up a piece of the hilt, remembering the clang it had made when he’d knocked it from Ballister’s hand. He could remember it clearly now, the way the sword had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces. The way Ballister had looked at him in shock - not the eyes of a murderer, but the eyes of a man horrified.

“Anything jumping out at you?” Nimona interrupted the flashback. She was back in her original form - the punk teenager one.

Ambrosius set the piece down, trying to calm his anxiety jitters.

“Honestly? I don’t even know what we’re looking for.”

Nimona looked down into the drawer.

“Well by the looks of it, it wasn’t a real sword in the first place. Someone took a sword-shaped shell and stuffed a blaster inside.”

That’s what the official write-up had said too. The write-up hadn’t mentioned how realistic the shell had been. The lengths the maker had gone to make it look like the original was phenomenal. Despite it's broken state, Ambrosius could see everything, right down to the scratches on the pommel, had been duplicated perfectly. The only difference was that the replica was hollow inside.

“There’s no way this was a store-bought prop,” he mused, “It had to have been commissioned from a workshop or something.” That didn’t sit right. Where would Bal have gotten the money to pay for it?

“So we are looking for a third party here.” Nimona said gleefully. “A whole workshop of people trying to overthrow the monarchy…”

“Unless they didn’t know what the sword was for. With that many people, someone would have gotten caught by now.” Probably.

“So if they didn’t know when they made it… maybe there’s a maker’s mark or something somewhere?”

It was as good a hunch as any. Ambrosius pulled out his phone and switched on its flashlight. He shone the light on the drawer as Nimona examined the pieces one by one.

“They really did a good job collecting all the pieces.” She muttered. “There’s almost too many to- HEY!” She held up a piece triumphantly - a chunk of the base of the blade. Sure enough, there was a tiny logo stamped into the metal - a crossed hammer and sword. It was just small and faint enough to be missed if you weren’t looking for it.

Nimona held the piece under the flashlight.

“Look familiar at all?”

Ambrosius had no idea. He did a search on his phone for logos matching the description… Bingo.

“‘Arms & Hammer’ - it’s a workshop in the shopping district. By the looks of it… custom swords are their specialty.”

“That’ll be a lot of orders to sort through.” Nimona huffed, “But if we find out who commissioned it, we find the perp.”

Ambrosius was still mulling over the question of who could have paid for the sword. Someone with money had to be behind the assassination. Or maybe several middle-class people. Suddenly, Bal being innocent like he’d claimed seemed less far-fetched.

Ambrosius was about to mention it when the sound of a door banging open echoed through the vault.

“I could have sworn it was you!” the voice of an archive worker resonated off the walls. “She had your ID and everything!”

“Well it wasn’t me.” said the voice of the real manager. “And whatever prankster it was is in a world of trouble.”

#reblogging for the weekend people

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euphreana · 12 days

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Improving your skills is good and all, but really if you aren't doing 'work art' (studying or getting paid), there's no reason to stick to an abstract idea of 'good/correct'. (which is why you really shouldn't limit yourself to just doing 'work art' - it isn't healthy to worry about whether or not everything you do is going to get approval)

I'm just gonna say it - when browsing the internet (and IRL) I don't care about an artist's skill level. If I can tell you've put heart and love into an artwork, I'm going to love it too

Don't ever be ashamed or think you stuff 'isn't good enough' to share - some people/places have criteria for what they think is 'good' (really just skill level,) but you can't let their opinion control everything you draw

Fuck skill level. Draw because it sets you free.

#there's a reason my drawing mantra for years has been #'screw it I'm not getting paid for this'

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euphreana · 12 days

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I'm just gonna say it - when browsing the internet (and IRL) I don't care about an artist's skill level. If I can tell you've put heart and love into an artwork, I'm going to love it too

Fuck skill level. Draw because it sets you free.

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euphreana · 14 days

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The Shape of Truth - Chapter 4: All Sworded Out

Masterpost

‘ACCESS DENIED’ flashed on the lock readout.

“Try it upside down?” Nimona suggested.

ACCESS DENIED.

Ambrosius narrowed his eyes at the ID card reader. He was a knight now - shouldn’t that let him into the archives? Maybe the systems hadn’t been updated yet…

“Hey, you’re not allowed back here!” the voice of an archives worker made Ambrosius jump, “This is a high-security area. You need special clearance to be here.”

“I’m a knight. Isn’t that clearance enough?”

“Not for there.” The worker jerked his head towards the locked door. “If you want to retrieve something, you can fill out a request form with the receptionist.”

Ambrosius grimaced as the worker shooed them from the room. Not more paperwork…

The pink, dog-shaped hallucination by Ambrosius’s side spoke up as soon as they were out of earshot.

“Go wait for me outdoors - I’ll look around back for any windows.” she said with a wink before trotting off around the corner.

~ ~ ~

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman in a lab coat sitting down opposite him.

“I got it.” She grinned at him. She had Nimona’s voice.

Ambrosius shoved the ash packet back into his pocket, curious about this new form.

“Got what?”

Nimona held up a matching ID badge. “I’m the archives manager! I’ll just walk you in - the real manager’s out and won’t notice her badge is gone for at least an hour.”

It would have been a good plan if Nimona had been real, Ambrosius thought. Just then, a man in a matching lab coat walked up to the table.

“Oh, Priyanka, I thought you were in your office.”

Ambrosius blinked in surprise. He looked up at the man.

“What did you call me?”

“Not you.” The man looked at Nimona. “I could have picked up your order for you.”

Ambrosius’s jaw fell open.

“You can see her too?!”

The man gave Ambrosius a confused look.

Nimona spoke up. “I’ll let you know next time.” she said in what Ambrosius guessed was the manager’s voice.

Ambrosius’s head was spinning so hard, he didn’t notice the man leave. He reached across the table and prodded manager-Nimona’s shoulder.

“You’re real?”

“What, did you think you were imagining things?” Nimona snorted, back in her original voice. “Hooo boy, that explains so much.”

“This doesn’t make sense - you were a girl, then a dog, then—”

“Don’t forget the cat. You gonna drink that?” she pointed at the tea.

When Ambrosius didn’t answer, Nimona popped off the lid and guzzled it down.

“Hoo yeah, good combo. Anyway, you coming?”

“You… what are you?”

“I’m Nimona.”

“But you—”

“Listen, we can sit here talking, or we can get into the archives before the real manager gets back. Are you coming or not?”

~ ~ ~

“Anything jumping out at you?” Nimona interrupted the flashback. She was back in her original form - the punk teenager one.

Ambrosius set the piece down, trying to calm his anxiety jitters.

“Honestly? I don’t even know what we’re looking for.”

Nimona looked down into the drawer.

“Well by the looks of it, it wasn’t a real sword in the first place. Someone took a sword-shaped shell and stuffed a blaster inside.”

“So we are looking for a third party here.” Nimona said gleefully. “A whole workshop of people trying to overthrow the monarchy…”

“Unless they didn’t know what the sword was for. With that many people, someone would have gotten caught by now.” Probably.

“So if they didn’t know when they made it… maybe there’s a maker’s mark or something somewhere?”

It was as good a hunch as any. Ambrosius pulled out his phone and switched on its flashlight. He shone the light on the drawer as Nimona examined the pieces one by one.

Nimona held the piece under the flashlight.

“Look familiar at all?”

Ambrosius had no idea. He did a search on his phone for logos matching the description… Bingo.

“‘Arms & Hammer’ - it’s a workshop in the shopping district. By the looks of it… custom swords are their specialty.”

“That’ll be a lot of orders to sort through.” Nimona huffed, “But if we find out who commissioned it, we find the perp.”

Ambrosius was about to mention it when the sound of a door banging open echoed through the vault.

“I could have sworn it was you!” the voice of an archive worker resonated off the walls. “She had your ID and everything!”

“Well it wasn’t me.” said the voice of the real manager. “And whatever prankster it was is in a world of trouble.”

Chapter 5

#dun dun DUN #nimona #the shape of truth

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euphreana · 15 days

Note

6, 7, 31, 34, 57 from this ask game

6. I'd say I relate most to movie Ambrosius, since I grew up as 'the golden girl'.

7. I mentioned this is the last ask, but it's the subway-distraction scene! It made me laugh so hard the first time I watched it and was the moment I decided to share it with everyone I knew.

31. I saw the movie first. Which order I'd recommend to others would depend on the tone/flavor of media they like most, since they're pretty different in different ways, and recommend that one. But for most people I'd probably recommend movie first just to get into it, then read the book since it delves into more detail.

34. I loved the christmas specials in the back of the book! I'm a sucker for self-contained fluff like that, and Nimona turning into an excited dog to express her joy is perfect.

57. Hehehe, I've made 38 pages for 4 different short comics, 9 individual artworks, 6 composition studies, 5 mini comics, 3 fics, 3 keychains (one not pictured), and 1 mug. My favorites would be:

You can find them all in my pinned post! :D

#thanks for the ask!#ask game

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euphreana · 15 days

Text

Back in 2021 I posted to instagram the saga of making a Lake figurine. I modeled her, printed her, and painted her outfit... and then she sat for three years waiting for her face to get painted. (My eyes and hands aren't steady enough to paint detail work.) But today she is finished, courtesy of my brother!

#infinity train #infinity train lake #3D printing

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euphreana · 17 days

Text

The Shape of Truth - Chapter 3: The Pink Phantom

Masterpost

Ambrosius was convinced he was seeing things. The stress of the day was getting to him. The punk teen who’d randomly appeared in his room continued to hold her hand out expectantly.

“I don't care.” He said in response to the greeting, “Just leave me alone.” He moved past the pink figure and flopped back onto his bed, eyes closed.

“Leave you alone? You look like you need all the help you can get!”

Ambrosius cracked his eyes open. The hallucination that had called itself ‘Nimona’ had her face inches away from his, upside down. She grinned.

“And luckily for you, I happen to be the perfect one for the job!”

Ambrosius narrowed his eyes. “What job?”

“Your new sidekick!”

Ambrosius groaned and rubbed his eyes. Was his brain trying to create an imaginary friend to fill the void Bal had left behind? When Ambrosius opened his eyes again, the teen had disappeared. Good. Then the same voice cut in again from atop a shelving unit.

“Don’t bother to fill me in, I saw everything.”

“What?” Ambrosius sat up, seeing Nimona now lounging on the shelves.

“It was a beautiful scheme!” She said.

Ambrosius blinked, and Nimona was suddenly spinning on the easy chair across the room.

“Assassination of a monarch, the kingdom thrown into complete and utter chaos, it would have been perfect, if only he’d made his daring escape! But don’t worry! This is just half-time - you can still finish what he started!”

“Finish w—” Ambrosius began, but suddenly found a sheaf of papers whirled into his hands. “What’s this?”

“My resume!”

Ambrosius glanced at the papers. There was no text; just crayon drawings of all manner of animals rampaging through piles of royal guards.

“… This is—”

“Awesome, isn’t it? I thought a visual aid would really make it POP!”

Ambrosius looked up from the papers to see Nimona sitting on the dresser.

“Sooo… what’s the plan, boss?”

Ambrosius stared at her for a long moment.

“What are you supposed to be exactly? Some repressed memory?”

The teen huffed and hopped off the dresser. “I told you - I’m Nimona.”

“Okay… Nimona. I’m tired and don’t want to deal with this right now.”

“Oh, oh sure, I get it. Still getting over your buddy’s death. Got it. Just let me know when you’re ready to move on to the next stage of the plan.”

Ambrosius shoved the papers back into her hands.

“There is no plan. Bal is…” He locked his jaw, willing the tears to go away.

“That’s not going to stop you though, right? The man must be avenged!”

Ambrosius was about to respond when he heard a knock at the door. He hoped the noise was real this time.

He opened the door. It was Captain Ironwill; a burly man with black hair.

“Captain.” Ambrosius greeted him.

“Goldenloin.” Ironwill nodded. “I heard about what happened at the execution. They’re giving you tomorrow off.”

Ambrosius lowered his gaze. “Thanks.”

“I tried to get you full bereavement leave, but you weren’t legally related.” Ironwill’s voice dropped slightly. “I’m sorry. I know you were close. At least he didn’t drag you into it.”

Ambrosius nodded.

Ironwill continued, “Nice choice of color.”

Ambrosius looked up. Ironwill was looking past him, into the room. Ambrosius turned around. There was a pink cat sitting on the bed wearing a vest labeled ‘Emotional Support’. Ambrosius stared at it mutely.

Ironwill acknowledged Ambrosius again and left. Ambrosius stood in the doorway, still staring at the cat.

The cat spoke up, “What? Not a cat person?”

Ambrosius sputtered, then turned to the open door behind him. The hallway outside was empty.

“Good Gloreth I’m going crazy…” he muttered, shutting the door.

“Come again?” Ambrosius turned back to see Nimona sitting cross-legged where the cat had been. Definitely a hallucination, and one he was tired of.

“How do I make you go away?”

Nimona shrugged and got up, bouncing on the bed a few times. “Same time tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Morning?”

Ambroisus rubbed his eyes. Anything to make her leave.

“Fine. Just go.”

“Got it, boss!”

When he opened his eyes again, there was a pink bird perched on the windowsill.

“Tomorrow!” the bird said, then took off, leaving him alone in his room. Finally.

“Gloreth please don’t let this happen again.” Ambrosius said to himself, falling back onto his bed. He didn’t want to end up in the psych ward.

~ ~ ~

The front office was surprised to see Ambrosius when he went in early the next morning.

“Didn’t someone tell you to take the day off?” the receptionist said.

Ambrosius remembered the stress hallucination from the day before. Or had it been a vision of the future?

“Oh… Yeah, I forgot.” he stammered.

Ambrosius left the building, wondering what it was that had happened yesterday.

“THERE you are!” a familiar voice broke into his thoughts. It was that Nimona hallucination, except this time she’d taken the form of a large, pink dog, again wearing the emotional support vest.

Ambrosius groaned.

“You again…”

“Me again! I thought the longer legs would make it easier to keep up.” The dog waved a paw. “So what’s the plan for today? Or should we… discuss things somewhere private?”

Ambrosius wondered if ignoring Nimona would make her go away. He didn’t want to be seen talking to an imaginary friend, although there wasn’t really anyone to see - it was early enough that hardly anyone was out on the campus.

“Whatever.” he mumbled and started the walk to a nearby tea shop.

“What better place to hide than in the open. I like that.” Dog-Nimona winked and followed alongside, “I thought up some ideas for revenge - it looks like the director was the one who ordered the execution, so I was thinking we-”

“I’m not taking revenge. For all I know… Bal was guilty.”

“No duh! I saw him fire the… wait, are you saying that wasn’t part of the plan?”

“What? No! Why would I- I wasn’t- I don’t even know if-”

“Oh….” The dog suddenly looked disappointed. It was a look Ambrosius had always dreaded seeing. Was even his subconscious disappointed with him?

The dog spoke up again.

“So you’re not a villain?”

“No!”

“But he was, right?”

“I don’t—”

“Well someone is. So why don’t we find out who?” Nimona hurried in front of Ambrosius, now walking backwards so she could see his face. “We dig - we find out if your buddy was behind the plot, and if he wasn’t, we find out who was. And we take revenge!”

“Revenge?”

“So what leads do you have? Assuming you’ve already been looking into this. Searched his belongings for clues?”

“Everything got confiscated or thrown out.”

“Huh. Anything else of his?”

“I don’t know… they have his sword in the archives.”

“Then off to the archives we go!” Nimona began to trot on ahead.

It didn’t sound like a bad idea, but Ambrosius wondered why his subconscious would be so focused on revenge. He’d been taught the pitfalls of seeking revenge since he was young - the right thing to do was forgive and move on. But… he did want to know if his dead boyfriend had been a murderer or not. He needed to know if what they’d had had been real. What if the Institute had missed something in their assessment of the situation and there was someone else involved? The authorities didn’t know Bal like he did, and stuff wasn’t adding up…

The imaginary dog had charged ahead, but now it was looking back at him with pleading puppy eyes, wagging its tail.

“Aren't you coming?”

Well, since this was basically his own advice, he might as well follow it.

#reblogging for the weekend people

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euphreana · 18 days

Text

Swords & Storytime - Page 12

First | Previous

And with that, this story is complete! Gonna take a short break from the comics for a few weeks while I finish up school finals, then I've got a different (darker) Nimona comic in the works that I'm planning to post next. (remember the 'Halloween comic' I mentioned last year?)

After that I've got a final short comic planned to cap off the series, so stay tuned!

#nimona #nimona fan comic #swords comic

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euphreana · 20 days

Note

For the nimona ask game I ask number 7- favourite scene? And number 15- any headcanons for nimonas origin?

I'm going with the freestyle jazz subway scene. It's the bit that sold me the first time I watched the movie, and it still makes me laugh today!

As for origin HCs, I like the idea that Nim's been around since prehistoric times, herself evolving over thousands of years.

(Ask game)

#thanks for the ask!#ask game

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euphreana · 20 days

Text

Nimona Ask Game

I like asking questions and I like Nimona, so I thought I'd make an ask game. For best results, write in the tags which Nimona media you've consumed (movie, comic, both) and if you've made any fanwork.

General/Movie

1 - How did you first hear about Nimona?

2 - What did you know about Nimona going in?

3 - What's your sales pitch for getting someone to watch the movie?

4 - Who is your favorite character?

5 - Who is your favorite side character? (not one of the main three)

6 - Which character do you relate to the most?

7 - What was your favorite part of the movie?

8 - Which of Nimona's forms did you like best?

9 - Who/what else would you like to see Nimona shape-shift into?

10 - What was something in the movie that made you laugh?

11 - What was something in the movie that made you emotional?

12 - What's your favorite quote from the movie?

13 - Are there any themes in Nimona that you especially like?

14 - Which pronouns do you use for Nimona?

15 - Do you have any headcanons about Nimona's origin story?

16 - Do you have any headcanons about how Ballister and Ambrosius met?

17 - Do you have any headcanons about how Ballister and Ambrosius started dating?

18 - How much time do you think passed between the assassination and Ballister meeting Nimona?

19 - How much time do you think passed between the cannon scene and the last scene of the movie?

20 - What do you think happened to the Institute?

21 - What do you think Nimona and Ambrosius' dynamic is like after the movie?

22 - Do you have any headcanons that you'd like to share?

23 - Are there any songs that you associate with any of the characters?

24 - Is arm-chopping a love language?

25 - What's your opinion on freestyle jazz?

26 - What's your opinion on pineapple on pizza?

27 - Are you allergic to anything?

28 - What other media do you recommend for people who enjoyed Nimona?

29 - Is there anything else you'd like to share about the movie?

Comic/Graphic Novel

30 - Have you seen the movie, read the comic/graphic novel, or done both?

31 - Did you read the comic first or watch the movie first? What order would you recommend for someone who hasn't done either?

32 - What's your sales pitch for getting someone to read the graphic novel?

33 - Did you see the Nimona comic on Tumblr before it was published as a graphic novel?

34 - What's your favorite part of the comic?

35 - Who is your favorite character in the comic?

36 - Pink hair or purple hair?

37 - Do you think Ballister and Nimona ever reunited?

38 - Do you have any headcanons about the comicverse that you'd like to share?

39 - Any thoughts on comic!Nimona vs. movie!Nimona?

40 - Any thoughts on comic!Ballister vs. movie!Ballister?

41 - Any thoughts on comic!Ambrosius vs. movie!Ambrosius?

42 - What would comic!Ambrosius think of movie!Ballister (and vice versa)?

43 - What would movie!Ambrosius think of comic!Ballister (and vice versa)?

44 - Is there anything about the movie that you liked better than the comic?

45 - Is there anything about the comic that you liked better than the movie?

46 - Is there anything from the comic that you wish was included in the movie?

47 - How would you fit Meredith Blitzmeyer in the movieverse?

48 - Is there anything else you'd like to share about the graphic novel?

Fanworks

49 - Share a link to a Nimona fanfic that you like.

50 - Share a link to Nimona art that you like. (Do NOT repost, especially without credit.)

51 - What are your favorite Nimona fanfic tropes to read and/or write?

52 - Which Nimona AO3 relationship tags are your favorites to read and/or write? (can be platonic or romantic)

53 - What are your favorite Nimona AO3 Additional Tags to read and/or write?

54 - What kinds of Nimona fics would you like to see more of?

55 - What kinds of Nimona art would you like to see more of?

56 - Are there any AUs that you'd like to see/write/make art of?

57 - Have you made any fanworks for Nimona (fanfic, fanart, meta analysis, etc.)? Please self-promote and share your work!

58 - Which character is your favorite to write/make art of?

59 - Is there a character who's especially difficult for you to write/make art of?

60 - Do you have any WIPs or upcoming projects that you'd like to share?

61 - Is there anything else you'd like to share about your Nimona fanwork?

Thanks so much for participating! Please feel free to comment on this post or shoot me an ask if you have any feedback or suggestions.

#pick a number & ask me!#I've seen/read both Nimona medias

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