labnegativeone

[labnegativeone]

Has Fukua ever eaten fast food? Or any food for that matter

"Uh...yeah, I do in fact need to eat food. Eaten plenty of food in my lifetime."

"As far as 'fast' food goes? Uh...I might need to defer to you guys on this one."

[FAST FOOD: TERM FOR THE MEALS PREPARED AND SERVED AT CERTAIN CHAIN RESTAURANTS, WHICH ARE OFTEN OPTIMIZED FOR SPEED OF PREPARATION AND SERVING, AS WELL AS LOW COST. QUALITY IS OFTEN SACRIFICED TO MEET THESE GOALS.]

I'm trying to think...when I go out for groceries, it usually doesn't make very much sense to stop and get anything from a restaurant, especially since we're still a solid 30 minutes away from town. Anything I get out there will be pretty close to cold by the time I get back. But I think maybe there was...?

{YEAH, YEAH, NO, SHE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT FRENCH FRIES TASTED LIKE AND YOU FIGURED THAT YOU WERE BETTER OFF GIVING HER SOMETHING FROM A RESTAURANT RATHER THAN TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING YOURSELF.}

Right. It would have been something, but it wouldn't really have been representative of what people mean when they say they want 'French Fries'. It's not like we have an actual fryer here, and I can't in good conscience slather that much salt on anything I make. I leave that to the professionals.

[AT THIS POINT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE A PURROFESSIONAL COOK. KEEPING THESE TWO FED IS ABOUT THE ONLY THING OF VALUE TO BE DONE DOWN HERE NOW.]

{*SNRK*. YEAH, NO, NOT A PROFESSIONAL.}

Oh, laugh it up. Not like Fukua could tell the...

...Hmmph. That's not funny, actually.

"That said, I really wouldn't mind getting to try more stuff that people actually eat in, like, the real world. If it would be too hard to get anything hot back here, why don't we just try something cold?"

Not a terrible idea. Although, I don't know, most things you would get cold we could make just as well down here. It's usually just stuff like...sandwiches. Salads. Uh...some soups, I guess...?

"...."

"Sushi."

Huh?

"I want sushi. That's cold, right?"

[TRADITIONALLY, YES.]

{OHH, THAT ACTUALLY SOUNDS AMAZING RIGHT NOW.}

Huh...you know what, fair enough.

Alright, then. Sushi it is. I do happen to know a place.

[YAAAAAAAAY]

{WHAT DO YOU CARE?}

[I JUST LIKE TO FEEL INCLUDED!]

[labnegativeone]

How would you run things if you were the director of Lab Zero?

Alright, can we at least entertain this one, girls?

[OH, I'LL "ENTERTAIN" ALRIGHT.]

{WHATEVER.}

{........OH, WE'RE STARTING WITH ME, ARE WE? FINE.}

{I GUESS, UH......WELL, FOR ONE, I DON'T GET WHY WE'RE SO SECRETIVE ABOUT ALL THIS CRAP. OTHER THAN IT LETTING BRAIN DRAIN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS, I GUESS.}

{IT'S A GOVERNMENT FACILITY. AND ONE WITH A GOAL THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE CAN GET BEHIND, SO LONG AS WE IGNORE ALL OF THE INHUMANE EXPERIMENTATION. SO...QUIT DOING THAT PART, TOO. OBVIOUSLY. I DON'T THINK I EVEN REALLY NEED TO SAY IT.}

[MY LAB 0 WOULD BE A GLORIOUS TESTAMENT TO MY PERFECTION. DESIGNED WITH THE INTENT TO SPREAD MY IMAGE ACROSS THE WORLD, AND BEYOND. DOZENS OF ROBOTS IN MY LIKENESS, HUNDREDS OF FEET TALL, WATCHING AS NOBLE PROTECTORS OVER ALL HUMANITY.]

[FOR A WHILE.]

Inspiring stuff.

Well, I hate to be the boring one, but I don't think I'm cut out for that gig, honestly. If it were up to me...I don't know that this facility would still exist. I might just let the labs fold back into the Egret's R&D.

Honestly, without the job I have, I'd prefer to just call the whole thing off and go h-

"Nngh-gjgt-gah! Put me down, put me down, put-me-"

"DOWN, you stupid piece of-"

"HAGGGHK-HAKGH-HAHHHKKKKWIDDITTTT-"

*Ahem*

O-oh. Hey...everyone.

"GUHH....GUH...GAH. HELL, YOU'RE SO MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU LOOK. WHATEVER. DING DONG EVERYBODY, SAD SACK DELIVERY."

[FUKUA! FINALLY! THE GANG'S ALL BACK TOGETHER.]

"...The gang? You mean like-oh. Yeah. You're doing that again?"

{UH...YEAH. WE ARE. THIS GUY ASKED US WHAT WE'D DO IF WE WERE THE DIRECTORS OF LAB ZERO INSTEAD OF-}

"Next! Next question! I'll-I'll answer a question, just...next question. Please."

[WELL OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-KAY.]

[labnegativeone]

“HAVE YOU TIRED YOURSELF OUT YET?”

Despite Shamone’s griping, his host didn’t seem particularly interested in stopping her full-on assault of the ears, fingers moving in absolute frustrated disunity as she slammed the strings on her bass. It wasn’t much of a tune, really. It wasn’t ANYTHING of a tune. But she knew she had to get her issues out *somehow*, and this was all she felt like she had right now. Her eyes shut tight, her mouth curled into an annoyed grimace as she plays.

“No,” she eventually responds after frankly far too long. He sighs, then, flattening on top of Fukua’s head and staring at the ceiling.

“...GIRL. COME ON. IT’S BEEN MONTHS. YOU CAN’T STILL BE OUT OF SORTS ABOUT THIS.”

Fukua makes a frustrated noise, gripping the neck of her instrument much too tightly.

“Why not? How can you possibly not care about this? Everything’s ruined.”

“NOT SEEING IT.”

“Not see-” Fukua groans, pressing a hand up against her forehead and pushing it up and into Shamone’s body. “How can you not see this!? Everything is ruined! Our entire world is completely out of whack, and it’s all my fault! It’s all our fault!”

Shamone scoffs, folding two tendrils of hair like arms. “OH, COME ON, GIRL. THAT’S WHAT FRIGGING BRAIN DRAIN IS TELLING YOU. SINCE WHEN HAVE WE EVER CARED ABOUT HIS OPINION!?”

Fukua looks down, eyes lowered nearly to closing. She shudders, and her voice comes out as little more than a breath. “Maybe I should.”

The room is unearthly silent. “OH.” Shamone says, abnormally quietly for the otherwise boisterous personality. “...NO.”

“What?”

“NO. WE’RE NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE.”

“Shamone, what are y-hey!” Fukua kicks at the air, as Shamone grows to nearly humanoid size, pushing off the bed and touching two leg-like appendages of hair to the ground.

“NO MORE HIDING, GIRL. WE’RE GOING OUT THERE AND WE’RE GONNA GREET THE FUCKING DAWN. AND ALSO THAT ANNOYING ROBOT.”

Fukua groans and whines, flailing uselessly as Shamone holds her up off the ground. “Ghost!! Come on, help me out here!!!”

““...........”“ The silent assassin shimmers into reality a few feet away, looking at the showing in front of her with a pensive expression. Fukua gives a pleading look, to which Ghost returns only a slow shake of her head.

“Traitor!” Fukua calls after her. “TRAITORRRRR!”

[labnegativeone]

TESTING.

TESTING.

IS THIS WORKING?

IT SEEMS IT IS

HM.

I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY. ALTHOUGH I AM CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING.

ROBO-FORTUNE.

HOW DO YOU FUNCTION?

AS IN.

WHAT MAKES YOU FUNCTION. WHAT POWERS YOU. WHAT FUELS YOU TO WORK.

[OH, YOU MEAN-]

[-THIS?]

WHAT THE HELL, FORTUNE!?

[DON'T BE SUCH A BABY. IT'S NOT LIKE I-]

*BMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBM*

...

Ugh, and now I have to clean that up...

[SORRY. I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. WHAT WERE WE TALKING ABOUT?]

Your theonite core. Which happens to be expensive.

[AND EXPLOSIVE!]

[........OKAY, BUT SHE IS RIGHT, I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T DO THAT. IT WAS FUNNY THOUGH.]

*Siiigh* Well, whatever. We already budgeted the material for your bodies, it's not the end of the world to lose one. But I would have much preferred if it was destroyed for a reason.

[IT WAS FUNNY. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?]

Well, as Fortune so...helpfully demonstrated, she's powered by a theonite "heart". The director has refused to explain to me precisely how it works, but it only takes just a little bit of the stuff to theoretically power a body for potentially decades, and that's just when it's in use.

I imagine it would be much less efficient if it was used to power her consciousness, as well. One of the benefits of her mind/body split.

[IT ALSO ALLOWS ME TO SHOOT LASERS.]

It also allows her to shoot lasers.

[POTENTIALLY VERY LARGE LASERS.]

Several of them, in a pinch. I expect it's taking days off the battery life every time, but somehow I doubt that's going to be of much concern.

[labnegativeone]

TESTING.

TESTING.

IS THIS WORKING?

IT SEEMS IT IS

HM.

I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY. ALTHOUGH I AM CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING.

ROBO-FORTUNE.

HOW DO YOU FUNCTION?

AS IN.

WHAT MAKES YOU FUNCTION. WHAT POWERS YOU. WHAT FUELS YOU TO WORK.

[OH, YOU MEAN-]

[-THIS?]

WHAT THE HELL, FORTUNE!?

[DON'T BE SUCH A BABY. IT'S NOT LIKE I-]

*BMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBMBM*

...

Ugh, and now I have to clean that up...

[SORRY. I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT. WHAT WERE WE TALKING ABOUT?]

Your theonite core. Which happens to be expensive.

[AND EXPLOSIVE!]

[........OKAY, BUT SHE IS RIGHT, I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T DO THAT. IT WAS FUNNY THOUGH.]

*Siiigh* Well, whatever. We already budgeted the material for your bodies, it's not the end of the world to lose one. But I would have much preferred if it was destroyed for a reason.

[IT WAS FUNNY. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?]

Well, as Fortune so...helpfully demonstrated, she's powered by a theonite "heart". The director has refused to explain to me precisely how it works, but it only takes just a little bit of the stuff to theoretically power a body for potentially decades, and that's just when it's in use.

I imagine it would be much less efficient if it was used to power her consciousness, as well. One of the benefits of her mind/body split.

[IT ALSO ALLOWS ME TO SHOOT LASERS.]

It also allows her to shoot lasers.

[POTENTIALLY VERY LARGE LASERS.]

Several of them, in a pinch. I expect it's taking days off the battery life every time, but somehow I doubt that's going to be of much concern.

[labnegativeone]

ROBO, WHERE ARE YOU?! IT'S BEEN AT LEAST 2 YEARS AND WE MISS YOU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!

[WHAT? NO, NO, NO, THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT. IT FEELS LIKE I JUST HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH CAROL THREE DAYS AGO. THREE...]

[OH....DEAR. I'M SURE THERE MUST BE SOME RATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS.]

Fortune...? Who are you talking to? Ugh...Aeon, I feel like I just woke up from a killer nap...

[VALENTINE!!]

*CLANG*

GYAGH-GIRL, YOU'RE HEAVY!

[SORRY! SORRY! I JUST HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FUREVER!]

Right, well, while that's very endearing, I don't think killing me is going to make you any less lonely.

Besides, it hasn't been that long, has it? Only a couple days.

[....]

[I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT. SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, WHAT CAN I SAY?]

[I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE! IN THE REAL WORLD! ON THE INTERNET!]

Oh, really? Honestly, when you stopped so abruptly after that big blowup, I sort of figured you were done.

[AN ARTIST CAN NEVER TRULY ABANDON HER CRAFT.]

[WELL, NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE, I'LL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPOSITION DUMP. YOU LOVE TO EXPOSITION DUMP.]

...Hate install...? Hate install...

Oh, I know what you mean. I never would have thought to call it that, but I think I follow you. That right there is the Buer Drive. In intense situations, it pumps a chemical into her bloodstream that increases her speed and power. And since Gae Bolga feeds on her blood, it makes it even-

[HER.]

eh-What?

[GAE BOLGA. SHE'S A GIRL.]

...it has a gender?

[WELL, IF YOU CAN THINK OF ANY OTHER EXPLANATION FOR CAROL'S NAILS SUDDENLY CREATING A VENUS SYMBOL WHILE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HER, THEN RETURNING TO NORMAL ONCE WE CORRECTED OUR PRONOUNS, THEN I'D BE FASCINATED TO KNOW.]

...Well, okay then. I guess she gets even stronger from it. Of course, it's not without its drawbacks. While it does increase both Carol's power and that of her parasites significantly, it also impairs her cognitive functions. Er...Carol's, I mean. Well, maybe Gae Bolga's too, I honestly didn't realize i-she had anything resembling cognitive function until right about now.

Honestly, she becomes a force of nature. Terrifying, to be frank. Especially since if Buer goes a bit too overboard, she stops being able to easily tell friend from foe. It's a bit of a-

[BUER-SERKER RAGE.]

Sure. Let's go with that.

[labnegativeone]

ROBO, WHERE ARE YOU?! IT'S BEEN AT LEAST 2 YEARS AND WE MISS YOU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!

[WHAT? NO, NO, NO, THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT. IT FEELS LIKE I JUST HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH CAROL THREE DAYS AGO. THREE...]

[OH....DEAR. I'M SURE THERE MUST BE SOME RATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS.]

Fortune...? Who are you talking to? Ugh...Aeon, I feel like I just woke up from a killer nap...

[VALENTINE!!]

*CLANG*

GYAGH-GIRL, YOU'RE HEAVY!

[SORRY! SORRY! I JUST HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FUREVER!]

Right, well, while that's very endearing, I don't think killing me is going to make you any less lonely.

Besides, it hasn't been that long, has it? Only a couple days.

[....]

[I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT. SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, WHAT CAN I SAY?]

[I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE! IN THE REAL WORLD! ON THE INTERNET!]

Oh, really? Honestly, when you stopped so abruptly after that big blowup, I sort of figured you were done.

[AN ARTIST CAN NEVER TRULY ABANDON HER CRAFT.]

[WELL, NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE, I'LL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPOSITION DUMP. YOU LOVE TO EXPOSITION DUMP.]

...Hate install...? Hate install...

Oh, I know what you mean. I never would have thought to call it that, but I think I follow you. That right there is the Buer Drive. In intense situations, it pumps a chemical into her bloodstream that increases her speed and power. And since Gae Bolga feeds on her blood, it makes it even-

[HER.]

eh-What?

[GAE BOLGA. SHE'S A GIRL.]

...it has a gender?

[WELL, IF YOU CAN THINK OF ANY OTHER EXPLANATION FOR CAROL'S NAILS SUDDENLY CREATING A VENUS SYMBOL WHILE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HER, THEN RETURNING TO NORMAL ONCE WE CORRECTED OUR PRONOUNS, THEN I'D BE FASCINATED TO KNOW.]

...Well, okay then. I guess she gets even stronger from it. Of course, it's not without its drawbacks. While it does increase both Carol's power and that of her parasites significantly, it also impairs her cognitive functions. Er...Carol's, I mean. Well, maybe Gae Bolga's too, I honestly didn't realize i-she had anything resembling cognitive function until right about now.

Honestly, she becomes a force of nature. Terrifying, to be frank. Especially since if Buer goes a bit too overboard, she stops being able to easily tell friend from foe. It's a bit of a-

[BUER-SERKER RAGE.]

Sure. Let's go with that.

[labnegativeone]

So what IS L0 like, anyways? Is it a massive, hidden underground labyrinth, a few large rooms packed together or what?

{I GUESS IF I HAD TO DESCRIBE IT, IT'S THAT THERE'S...}

{A LOT OF SPACE, BUT NOT A LOT IN IT. WE PROVIDE MOST OF THE POWER FOR THE REST OF THE LABS, I THINK. WHICH USED TO MEAN WE NEEDED ALL THAT SPACE. AND NOW, IT DOESN'T.}

[WE ALL HAVE OUR QUARTERS. I ALSO HAVE MY CENTRAL SERVER AND BODY STORAGE ROOM. THERE'S WHAT PASSES FOR A DINING ROOM. THEN SEVERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS, MOSTLY POPULATED BY THE DIRECTOR AND VALENTINE.]

{THE PLAYFIGHTS HAPPEN IN ONE OF THOSE. I ASSUME IT WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT FOR SOMETHING ELSE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT.}

[I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE LAB FUKUA WAS CREATED IN, ACTUALLY! I SUPPOSE IT MADE SENSE TO REPURPOSE IT, I DON'T EXPECT ANY MORE CLONING EFFORTS TO BE MADE THERE.]

{NO MATTER HOW BIG IT IS, IT STILL FEELS CRAMPED. I MISS HAVING REAL FRESH AIR, AS OPPOSED TO THE CRAP THEY PUMP THIS FAR DOWN.}

[labnegativeone]

To Robo fortune, I suggest you don't underestimate Hungern, insatiable devourer of people, armies, civilizations and everything in-between.

[...WELL, I DID SAY IT SEEMED LIKE A THREAT TO THE WORLD, BUT THIS STATEMENT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THERE'S SOMETHING I'VE MISSED. GIVE ME A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT THE SCOOP.]

{...AT LEAST THIS MEANS I HAVE SOME IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE. I GUESS. HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?}

[UHM. LET ME HELP YOU PASS THE TIME.]

{OH, BUER? YEAH, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SEGMENTS HERE IS PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY EXTENDABLE. OR RETRACTABLE, I GUESS, NOT THAT HAVING THEM ALL TOGETHER WOULD DO MUCH FOR ME.}

{...THAT SAID, I REALLY DON'T THINK IT'S A 'HE'. I MEAN, GAE BOLGA ACTS ON ITS OWN. I DIDN'T TELL IT TO MAKE THE NAILS, OR THE BRACELETS, AND IT...MAKES SAD FACES SOMETIMES. BUT THE BUER DRIVE REALLY DOES JUST...MOVE WHEN I TELL IT TO. IF IT HAS A PERSONALITY AT ALL, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY EVIDENCE OF IT.}

{I GUESS I DON'T KNOW, THOUGH. I NEVER EXPECTED ANYTHING FROM GAE BOLGA, BUT IT-}

{{GGKKKRSHHKRHKS}}

{O-KAY. GOOD TO KNOW. I DIDN'T EXPECT ANYTHING, BUT SHE'S SURPRISED ME.}

[labnegativeone]

Painwheel/Carol, how is your relationship with your Synthetic Parasites? Peacock and the other Lab 8 kids appear to have a good relationship with theirs so...?

{WHAT RELATIONSHIP?}

[AS FAR AS I'M AWARE, THEY'VE NEVER SPOKEN.]

{VAL SAYS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE SOME KIND OF PERSONALITY. I MEAN, GAE BOLGA ACTS ON ITS OWN SOMETIMES. BUT THEY NEVER TALK TO ME. IF THEY EVEN CAN.}

[THAT'S THE THING ABOUT ARTIFICIAL PARASITES. WE DON'T REALLY CONTROL THEIR DEVELOPMENT PER SE, SO *NOBODY* REALLY KNOWS WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO.]

{WELL, I'M NOT COMPLAINING, ANYWAY. I DON'T REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT PARASITES DESIGNED BY THE FRIGGIN' DIRECTOR AND GROWN IN MY HATE-FILLED BRAIN SOUP HAVE TO SA-.}

{{GGHGHGKRKRRHGNGNASSHK}}

{UH. O...KAY THEN. SORRY?}

[labnegativeone]

Okay Carol... If Filia were to fight Brain Drain with a declaration of love towards you, would you recipricate, I say this cause I am genuinely curious.

{...ARE YOU KIDDING? IS THIS A JOKE? YEAH, IF THE GIRL I LIKED AND HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS SHOWED UP AND DID THE MOST ROMANTIC GODDAMN THING I CAN THINK OF, I THINK I'D BE A FAN. JUST A HUNCH.}

[I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT SHE MUST BE LIKE. YOU KNEW HER, HOW MUCH IS SHE ACTUALLY LIKE FUKUA?]

{...EH, NOT MUCH. I MEAN, SHE HAD THE BITCHINESS TOO, BUT NOT LIKE FUKUA. HERS WAS JUST, LIKE...}

{...I MEAN, LOOK, DON'T GET ME WRONG, SHE DIDN'T LIKE HER EXTENDED FAMILY. BUT SHE WAS RICH. YOU COULD TELL THAT PRETTY EASILY. FUKUA'S JUST...OVEREMOTIONIAL. I THINK THERE'S A LOT YOU COULD SAY ABOUT HER, BUT SHE'S ABSOLUTELY *NOT* PRIVILEGED.}

{OTHER THAN THAT? I MEAN, SHE REMINDS ME OF HER SOMETIMES. ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S ACTUALLY HAPPY.}

{...THEY BOTH SMILE THE SAME WAY.}

[HACK! GAG! HORF!]

{YEAH, LAUGH IT UP.}

[labnegativeone]

Okay Carol... If Filia were to fight Brain Drain with a declaration of love towards you, would you recipricate, I say this cause I am genuinely curious.

{...ARE YOU KIDDING? IS THIS A JOKE? YEAH, IF THE GIRL I LIKED AND HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS SHOWED UP AND DID THE MOST ROMANTIC GODDAMN THING I CAN THINK OF, I THINK I'D BE A FAN. JUST A HUNCH.}

[I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT SHE MUST BE LIKE. YOU KNEW HER, HOW MUCH IS SHE ACTUALLY LIKE FUKUA?]

{...EH, NOT MUCH. I MEAN, SHE HAD THE BITCHINESS TOO, BUT NOT LIKE FUKUA. HERS WAS JUST, LIKE...}

{...I MEAN, LOOK, DON'T GET ME WRONG, SHE DIDN'T LIKE HER EXTENDED FAMILY. BUT SHE WAS RICH. YOU COULD TELL THAT PRETTY EASILY. FUKUA'S JUST...OVEREMOTIONIAL. I THINK THERE'S A LOT YOU COULD SAY ABOUT HER, BUT SHE'S ABSOLUTELY *NOT* PRIVILEGED.}

{OTHER THAN THAT? I MEAN, SHE REMINDS ME OF HER SOMETIMES. ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S ACTUALLY HAPPY.}

{...THEY BOTH SMILE THE SAME WAY.}

[HACK! GAG! HORF!]

{YEAH, LAUGH IT UP.}

[labnegativeone]

I am assuming since Robo fortune question, both Carol and Valentine are comforting Fukua, and the reason she decline is cause she feeling guilty of letting the cat out of the bag as it were. Am i right or am I WAY off?

[OH, NO, THAT WAS MONTHS AGO.]

[WELL, CAROL TRIED, BUT SHE’S...]

[I AM GOING TO SAY ‘DIFFICULT’.]

[...WE’VE ALL KIND OF BEEN ON AUTOPILOT. BACK TO OLD HABITS, I GUESS. OLDER THAN WHEN YOU WERE EVER IN THE PICTURE, I MEAN. FUKUA’S BEEN DISTANT, BUT PRESENT. PAINWHEEL HAS KEPT HERSELF LARGELY AWAY FROM ALL OF US. WELL, NO, HER AND FUKUA TALK. THAT’S NEW.]

[...I THINK MORE THAN ANYONE, VALENTINE IS TRYING TO PRETEND THAT NOTHING’S CHANGED. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY. SHE CERTAINLY HASN’T TOLD ME. SPECULATION: SHE HOPES THAT AS THE ONLY AUTHORITY FIGURE FUKUA RESPECTS AND CAROL HAS COME TO BEGRUDGINGLY NOT ENTIRELY DESPISE, SHE MIGHT HELP THEM BOTH CALM DOWN EVENTUALLY. IF YOU ASK ME, IT’S BEEN LONG ENOUGH TH-]

{FORTUNE? OH, ARE WE FINALLY DOING THIS AGAIN?}

[NYA!!]

{WHAT? I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO COME OUT OF THIS FUNK THIS ENTIRE TIME, I KNEW YOU’D START DOING THIS AGAIN EVENTUALLY.}

[...I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A FUNK.]

{...REALLY. YOU HAVEN’T? BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE FOOLED ME.}

[I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A FUNK.]

{YOU’VE BEEN SPENDING MONTHS DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I HAVEN’T EVEN HEARD YOU DOING ANY DUMB CAT PUNS OR ANYTHING, YOU’VE BEEN IN A-}

{I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A FUNK!!!!]

{UGH, FINE, YOU’RE THE PICTURE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND COMPOSURE, WHATEVER. KICK AN ASK MY WAY.}

[labnegativeone]

[OH, DEAR. I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO *THAT.*]

[WELL! I FOR ONE DO NOT INTEND TO ALLOW THE KNOWLEDGE THAT MY ENTIRE LIFE IS A LIE STOP ME FROM MESSING AROUND ON THE INTERNET.]

[THERE MUST BE SOMETHING GOOD HERE. HMM. AGGRESSION AGAINST THE DIRECTOR, AGGRESSION AGAINST THE DIRECTOR, MEME, MEME-AHA! INTERESTING ENOUGH!]

[...THIS WOULD USUALLY BE FIELDED FOR VALENTINE, BUT I’LL MAKE DO.]

[YOU’D BE SURPRISED HOW LITTLE SHAMONE TAKES TO UPKEEP. I EXPECT A LOT OF THAT IS DUE TO HIS NATURE AS A...QUESTIONABLE VARIANT OF A ‘PARASITE’. HIS NEEDS ARE COMPENSATED LARGELY BY SIMPLY FEEDING HIM ALONGSIDE FUKUA. SHE INFORMS ME IT FEELS UNPLEASANT, BUT NOT AS BAD AS LETTING HIM GO HUNGRY.]

[THE BUER DRIVE IS POWERED BY ELECTRICITY. LARGELY IT’S UPKEPT BY GIVING CAROL AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE WHEN IT HAS TO BE USED. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IT ACTUALLY DOESN’T HURT VERY MUCH. NOT ANY MORE THAN...MOST OTHER THINGS SHE DOES.]

[...GAE BOLGA NEEDS A LOT OF IRON THOUGH. SHE’S LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIKE BEANS.]

[ALRIGHT! NOT SO BAD! NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, LET’S KEEP THE BALL ROLLING. NEXT, NEXT, NEXT, ISSSSS...

[THE PREPUBESCENT SISTER OF PRINCESS PARASOUL? WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANY OF US FIGHT HER?]

[IS WHAT I *WOULD* HAVE SAID! NO, I KNOW EXACTLY WHY YOU’RE ASKING THIS QUESTION. WELL, ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL, I WOULD LIKE TO CLAIM THAT WE’RE BETTER THAN GETTING INTO A SCRAP WITH AN 11 YEAR OLD.]

[HA HA HA HA HA NO I WOULDN’T. IF SHE WAS TO MAKE A BID FOR THE SKULL HEART, OUR JOB WOULD BE OUR JOB. WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY ALL BEAT UP THE CHILD. BESIDES, THAT LIVING WEAPON OF HERS SEEMS LIKE A DISTINCT THREAT TO THE WORLD.]

[WELL, NOT THAT I FORESEE ANY OF THAT BEING A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE ANY TIME SOON. NO SKULLGIRL, NO SKULL HEART, NO FIGHTING IN ORDER TO CLAIM IT.]

[labnegativeone]

Hey, I was wondering about Fukua’s sprites. She only has 4 dialogue sprites officially, yet here we see her having all of fillia’s talk sprites. So I was wondering… Did you edit those yourself, or did you get them from somewhere? If you made them yourself, could you share them somewhere, like Spriter’s resource or DeviantArt or something?

-----------------------------------

((I made them myself using photoshop! This is also why you might notice there’s actually some slight discrepancies with Fukua’s canonical design: Obviously the colors aren’t quite the same, but also the weird little….clasp….thing???? around her waist is green in Fukua’s canonical design, but still colored the same as Filia’s in my sprites. That was a mistake initially, but I’ve come to just kind of…prefer it that way, so I’ve never fixed it.

When I initially converted all* of Filia’s sprites, I made them into an imgur album and posted them on the SG subreddit. You can find that here. https://imgur.com/a/HjLI2qK

*(I was not going to make the “"defeated”“ sprite.)

Obviously, since this initial creation I’ve made…a *few* more variations and tweaks on these portraits to try to get more varied and broad expressions for more situations. If people want, I could certainly update this album.))

[labnegativeone]

Been in a skullgirls type mood the past day or so, so I played a little bit yesterday and suddenly had an idea for a Filia/Fukua redesign. 

I wanted to make em look a little more edgy? Hopefully it looks cool, both of them are probably my favorite characters to play as currently.

Update:  Actually I think it’d be neat if their hair was styled differently too, to really make Fukua a different character cause I like her a lot and I love when joke characters get way more attention that you’d expect lol

[labnegativeone]

Yo, Brian Drian.

Any of your ASG units field ready yet? You're two years behind schedule. I'd bet if Dr. Avian was the one in charge of them, they'd have defeated the Skullgirl by now.

(Ah, yes. You. Persistent, aren't you? Always trying to needle at me.)

(Dr. Avian's units are 'combat ready' insofar as, yes, in theory, if you put them in combat they might arguably be mentally prepared. But Birdland and Peacock are their only two *capable* units. Birdland he can hardly lay claim to-the man was already combat trained. Avian just made him a few thousand pounds heavier and eye-rollingly thematic.)

(Oh, I have nothing against Peacock, though. Sure, she's a loose cannon, but that's what her abilities would necessitate anyway. Besides...)

(I know what working with these people is like. You don't. If it's so easy, I'd love to see you try.)