#[ not visible ic ]

[millenniumdueled]

"Can't sleep, Partner?"

Yugi opens his eyes to find the spectral form of his other self, a ghost only he can see, sitting at the edge of his bed. He makes a face as he sits himself upright against the pillow. "you too, huh?"

Suddenly, the Other Yugi straightens, like a cat on high alert. Yugi's own eyes widen. "so you heard that too--"

"Shh."

Silence falls between the two, and neither moves a muscle. Then it comes again, the sound of a woman's voice calling for help. But this time, in the stillness of their bedroom, a realization hits the two of them: is isn't their ears hearing the cries, but their heart.

No sooner does that thought occur to them, the bedroom falls away, the sudden change of scenery hitting them both with whiplash as the impossible, escherian stairs of the Other Yugi's soul room surround them on all sides.

"oh," Yugi says softly as he looks around himself. "this is your...."

"Mm. Someone is in here."

Yugi's attention snaps back to the other man beside him. "in here...? in our heart???"

The Other Yugi doesn't answer. As another cry for help rings out, echoing clearly through the maze of stairs and doors, he takes off running to try and find the source. "wait up!!!" Yugi calls, running after the Other.

The two race up and down impossible stairs, throw open doors to nowhere. The Other Yugi grabs his Partner's hand as he starts to reach for a door that he already knows is no good and shakes his head, before the two run off to try another.

The search seems tireless as both Yugis race back and forth throughout the unending maze of the Other Yugi's soul room. As they meet again in the place where they started, in front of the door to the void between their rooms, Yugi looks exasperated. "i don't hear her anymore..."

The Other Yugi doesn't answer. Instead, a different, familar cry, like some kind of pokemon, catches his attention, makes him turn on his heel.

"Kuriboh--?!"

Sure enough, atop one flight of stairs, bounces the furry little fiend. Once their eyes meet, however, the furball turns, bouncing into the darkness, chirping its "kurikurii~!" the entire way.

"does kuriboh want us to follow it?!"

The question hasn't even left Yugi's lips before he's racing after his Other Self in the direction the monster had gone. The escherian staircases fall away, the expansive walls grow narrower, as Yugi realizes they're following the Kuriboh down a blank hallway now. And this... This is new. He's only been inside of his Other Self's room a few times, but it's never been anything other than those stairs and many, many doors....

His eyes widen.

The hallway ends suddenly with a single, heavy, metal door. Though Kuriboh turns to bright light and slips easily though the keyhole, the Yugis both skid to a stop.

The Other Yugi neither hesitates nor speaks as he reaches for the door's handle.

Instead of the worn, intricately carved sandstone that makes up this room, before them stretches a long hall of black and white, long shadows cast from a blinding, unknown light source. Yugi's eyes go wide and he gives the Other's hand a little squeeze. "has that always been here...?"

"No I've never seen this before," the Other Yugi confirms, voice cautious, eyes narrowed. The woman's voice calls out for help again, and his violet red eyes flash with surprise. Is that the silhouette of a girl dashing between the oversaturated trees? He returns the squeeze. "Stay close and be careful, Partner," he warns as he takes a cautious step forward.

His foot meets nothing. Unable to react in time, he pulls Yugi after him by his held hand.

The place they find themselves is... Unexpected, to say the least. They don't hit the ground, rather their descent slows until the pair are left floating, high above a large castle, surrounded by an expanse of green grass cut by a blue river below. But the serene scene is marred by a dark shadow, a massive orb of radiating darkness looming overhead. at the center of the dark sun, a single, yellow eye stares out, straight ahead at the two floating like ghosts over this new domain. As they watch, monsters, dragons, a siren, are sucked from the forests and fields below, pulled, struggling, into the abyss that hovers over them.

With wide eyes, Yugi gives his Other a glance. "wgat is that--?!"

The Other Yugi's eyebrows twitch into a tightly knit scowl. He doesn't answer immediately, until something inside his heart pulls his attention back to the castle below him. A small sound, somewhere between a hum and a grunt, is the only response that Yugi gets before he finds himself following his Other, floating down, down, down.

They enter the castle through a hall window, joining hands again as they find themselves slowly lowering. The hall they arrive in is massive, though completely empty aside from three statues, resembling dragons and encased in the same icy crystal that had covered the Tablet of Memories back in the museum the day before.

"Three dragons...?" the Other Yugi wonders.

"You came!!""

As they ponder the statues, a voice makes them both jump. They spin on their heels, turning quickly to face--

"dark magician girl?!" Yugi squeaks.

Sure enough, standing before them, a pleading look in her bright blue eyes, is a monster they both know well. She looks nervous, clutching her staff in both hands.

"You're the one who's been calling for help?" the Other Yugi asks.

"Yes..." she answers hesitantly. "I need your help! Both of our worlds are in danger..."

"Tell us what's going on," the Other Yugi demands.

And so, she explains. The Dark Magician girl explains that their worlds run parallel to each other, that this world of monsters was created by the thoughts and souls of the people of Yugi's world. That they exist codependently, a world of magic and a world of the mundane. The two Duelists stay quiet as they listen, a look of nervous wonder on Yugi's face, an unreadable, tight-browed expression on the Other's.

She goes on. That dark sun looming overhead, she explains, has been devouring the monsters of her world, leaving only a handful left to hide within the castle. Other Yugi's expression softens as he feels the sorrow and sympathy inside his Partner's heart.

"Partner...."

"isn't there any way to save both of our worlds...?" Yugi asks.

Now, the Dark Magician Girl goes quiet. She takes a deep breath, holding her staff straight and close to her chest as she suddenly rises into the air without another word. Lifting her head, she looks to the statues behind the Duelists.

"These dragons have protected our world since ancient times. But they used up their power in past battles, and fell into deep hibernation," she explains. "No one knows their names, or just how long they've been here...."

Other Yugi's hand tightens around his Partner's. "Nameless dragons..." he mutters. With a light jump, he rises into their air after the Magician, gently tugging Yugi along with him.

"There's a legend about these dragons though. That one day, when our worlds both need it, a True Duelist would arrive. Only they hold the power to wake these dragons..."

The Yugis look at each other. Then, to the dragons once more.

"a true duelist...." Yugi chews on the words as his

"Mm..." the Other ponders quietly. A golden-hilted sword protrudes from the eye of the dragon before them and catches his gaze.

"Masters, I believe you were chosen to free the dragon!" the Dark Magician Girl cries. "Remove the sword and call out its name..."

"You said no one knows their names," the Other Yugi points out.

"The chosen Duelists will know when it's needed of them. Please, you have to try!!"

There's another moment of hesitation.

"Partner..."

Yugi just nods confidently, and it's settled. Together, they each reach out one hand, taking the sword at once. And just like that, without any resistance, the sword slides free of the crystal below, and Yugi gasps.

"other me--"

"Yeah." He takes a deep breath.

"Timaeus!!! Awaken!" they call as one.

An ear splitting CRACK echoes through the hall. The crystal falls away, crashing to the floor below as the teal dragon below roars to life. It throws back its head, and the power it emits makes Yugi tremble.

"i can feel it--" he gasps, wide eyed.

"Timaeus can awaken the dormant power of all monsters," the Other Yugi says, awestruck.

The moment seems to last forever as the two hover, gazing in wonder at the great beast.

"Duelists!!!" Dark Magician Girl's voice breaks the two from their mesmerized trance. "Use its power!"

"oh--"

"Mm."

The two look at each other and nod. Side by side, a mirror image of each other, they stretch out a hand toward the mighty dragon. The energy pulses between them, a terrible pressure and a rush of wind, and heat as the dragon roars again--

Yugi sits up in his bed with a start, gasping as his eyes fly open. His breath comes heavy as he looks quickly around himself, trying frantically to get his barings.

A dream.

A dream!

Of course that was just a dream.

He leans back against his pillow, taking, holding, and releasing a deep breath. He can feel his Other Self inside his heart, nothing seems to be wrong. He watches the glow of rainbow lights dance across his floor from the sky light window over his desk. It's pretty, calming....

"what is that light anyway?" he wonders aloud. "an aurora?"

He starts to close his eyes, to drift back off to sleep, to a more relaxing dream, before a suddeb realization has his heart leaping into his throat once again.

Domino City doesn't get auroras.

A monsterous roar from outside confirms his fears. Without another moment's hesitation, he bolts from the bed, grabbing the Puzzle, his phone, and his Duel Disk as he races down the stairs and outside, dressed in only his pajamas and jacket.

[orphika]

@cherubim-now-throne

You busy thinkin' with portals, or can we talk?

[sketchyonlooker]

The Case of Akazawa Shiho (DMGBeloved) - Pt. 2 (( Alt Title: Other Yugi Gets a Cult in His Lack of Name ))

--

Domino City was a ghost town; not a single person could be seen. Empty vehicles were left on the streets, doors wide open. Dropped food and bags abandoned everywhere. And yet compared to the subway station, there was actually few signs of death and mayhem.

Maybe a splatter of red here or a limb there, but compared to the bloody carnage underground, the streets were practically peaceful.

Did people get away somehow?

It was hard to believe that everyone was consumed without a trace, not when the monsters below proved themselves to be very messy eaters. Maybe because it was the subway where they were all summoned from? It was hard to tell.

The few monsters she found ended up wandering elsewhere. Those that could fly did. Where they wandered to, she doesn't know, but Japan would likely be facing more misery in the near future.

Whatever kept her and the stray dog she's following invisible continued to work its magic. Sadly, it didn't help the pain from her broken foot, the adrenaline from minutes ago wearing off. Even the walking stick she found didn't help much, but luckily the stray didn't have her walk for long.

The dog started climbing the access ramp of an empty building...

Domino Museum.

Why come here?

She took a step forwar-

Her vision blurred. She blinked several times as what was previously an empty museum suddenly became populated with people. Armed police officers were guarding the perimeter, dressed up in helmets and body flak - hell, she's never seen a pistol in Japan before, much less the rifles she's seeing now. The few families that lingered outside were crying and hugging each other, probably in reunion. The ticketing and reception booth nearby was transformed into a medical center, seeing as that's where people with scrapes and missing limbs were going - she'll probably have to make a visit for her foot later.

There were also many well-groomed dogs here who clearly stuck to their families. Other dogs - the strays - simply ran out again including the one she was following.

Thanks, doggie.

No one noticed her and her cosplay witch's hat in the bustle of the crowd - whether that was the weird invisible thing she got going on or their preoccupation, she didn't know.

...Huh. There's a commotion going on inside the museum.

Given she seemed to still have the advantage of being invisible, it couldn't hurt taking a look first before getting her foot checked.

-----

The Domino Exhibit was still here.

The tablet with the scratched out cartouche.

The Tablet of the Nameless Pharoah.

She had visited the Nameless Pharoah exhibit before, since there were rumors that Maximillian Pegasus was inspired by Egyptian myths to create Duel Monsters.

And then Kaiba announced his tournament.

“Come to the place where the ancient duelists and their cards slumber in the stones.”

She's pretty sure almost every duelist in Battle City had visited this place at one point. And everyone including her thought this whole exhibit was a KaibaCorp publicity stunt for Battle City.

Really, what sort of ancient pharaoh would have the King of Games's hairdo - and the guy with the blue eyes white dragon that looked suspiciously like Kaiba? Ha.

To see it here again though covered in crystal that looked like ice - right here and now - was rather surreal.

However, it's the newest addition to the exhibit that was incredibly peculiar.

A small stone altar filled with money offerings is seen in front of the tablet. Carved into the altar is a strange symbol that looks like a spiky crescent moon surrounding a star.

In front was a passionate middle-aged man wearing a Duel Disk and loudly preaching to a large crowd. The people around him were quietly hanging on to his every word.

"Do you see? It is the Nameless Pharoah that protects us all! He has delivered us from the evil monsters! Pray and leave offerings to our Pharoah - as symbolized by the trinity of Ra, Slifer, and Obelisk - the Sun, the Moon, and the Star!"

He punctuates his point by vigorously waving his hands towards the ceiling.

"Sir! Do you think the Nameless Pharoah will save the world?" said a child. One of the kid's parents was also notably wearing a Duel Disk.

"Of course!" the zealous man said, "The King of Games has clearly reincarnated after millennia to duel this evil! And have joined forces with the King of Dragons - the Blue Eyes King - as well!" He points at the tablet depicting the Pharoah and High Priest. "Why else would this museum become a sanctuary? Why else would the dogs - the agents of Anubis - bring us here?"

"Do not doubt his deliverance!" he announced to the crowd, his smile kindly.

"And now behold the miracle of the offering!"

The man places an apple onto the money-filled basin on the altar.

Immediately, a young girl with long black hair, no older than 10, popped out from behind the altar and snatched the apple, sending some of the bills flying. The girl in rags quickly started chomping on the apple to the gasps of the crowd.

"See! Our mortal money has no use in the Underworld. The best way to show our gratitude is through food and drink, so the gods too may feast!"

Wait what? Wasn't it just a girl eating an apple?

Chomp chomp chomp.

What was a little surprising was that the young girl devoured the apple completely. Didn't even leave the core or stem behind. But that didn't constitute anything spe-

The girl suddenly locked eyes with her, and her breath immediately caught in her throat. The gaze wasn't hostile, more curious than anything else. But it carried a sense of growing pressure. Bearable at first.

And then others - many that she couldn't see but rather felt - joined it.

Her knees buckled underneath that enormous weight, like getting crushed by the sky itself.

She wanted to take a breath, but the pressure on her chest was too great. She wanted to scream for help, but nothing would come out. Her body, her consciousness - her everything - felt like it was being constricted from all sides. And just as everything began to get dar-

Riinng.

A familiar tone.

The feeling of being squeezed out of existence stopped, and color returned to her vision. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she was allowed to breath again. Something in her phone buzzed weakly, but she ignored it in favor of the very dangerous creature in front of her.

The figure now staring at her...

Her heart dropped into her stomach. She can't remember what it looked like - just like one of those internet creepypastas.

In its place was a dark shadowy silhouette shaped like a girl.

Even without a face of its own - it definitely did have a face before - she could tell it is still staring at her curiously. However, its attention is quickly redirected to the banana that was placed on the altar.

A second silhouette immediately popped out from the altar itself - like a fish hopping out of the water. It eats the banana, skin and all, in one bite to the gasps of the crowd. It stops to look at her briefly when it lands before sinking into the altar again. The first one - she gets a sense it's a bit miffed - also disappears into the altar.

"Bear witness to our offerings descending to where the gods lie!" continued the man, face red with fervor. "For the Nameless Pharoah!

The crowd cheered on.

"For the Nameless Pharoah!"

"For the Pharoah!"

"For the King of Games!"

"Save us Nameless Pharoah!"

No one can see the creatures she's seeing, could they? Otherwise there'd definitely be more of a panic here. Otherworldly creatures - in their supposed safe spot - would probably not go very well right now.

She's also certain that whatever is protecting them right now is not the Nameless Pharoah.

After all, that sound...

Wait, didn't her phone buzz before?

She opened up her phone.

...A notification from the Stream chat.

[ You have been made Unknowable. ] - 17 min ago [ You are no longer Unknowable. ] - 12 seconds ago.

[holyhappyhour]

A Beautiful Monstrosity part 1

It's just around dawn when Nico Martin gets home. But that's not exactly unusual.

It's been, what? Not even two years since their last full moon patrol, a mere blink of an eye in the grand scheme of their extended life. But they give an exhausted sigh, their legs heavy as lead as they climb the four or five steps to their brownstone town house.

They aren't just out of practice, though. Even their busiest nights on the beat couldnt have prepared them for this weekend.

At least it's almost over. One more night, and they can resume their quiet desk job, writing their reports, filing their expenses documents, scripting explanations to the public for the week's spike in violence.

The moment the heavy, enchanted door closes behind them, their sturdy shoulders slump, their guard dropping along with their polite, signature smile.

A fluffy white cat greets them as they peel off their shoes to relax their aching feet. "Hello Bijou, yes, I know, I know. It's past dinner time, isn't it?" they coo affectionately.

In the security of their own home, Nico falls into familiar patterns. They feed Bijou, but find little appetite themself. Instead, they drag themself up the stairs to draw a hot bath in an attempt to wash the evening off them.

Four frenzies would have been a busy weekend, back when they worked the field. They'd responded to no fewer just that night. But at least they hadn't had to face some awful Monstrosity, like the night before....

They stay in the bath until it's cold. But they still don't quite feel clean as they crawl into bed behind the thick, black curtains of their room.

----

It's well into the afternoon when Nico wakes again, naked and groggy still. But they drag themself from bed and stretch, before wrapping themself in a long, satin robe. A fine luxury justified by the way that every muscle in their body aches as they move.

Finally, they have to eat. But a liquid breakfast is more than enough for today. And most days, really. Other nutrients are unnecessary for them, after all.

They drop a LifeBlood tablet into a glass of cabernet sauvingnon and give the glass a swirl, idly watching fizzy bubbles rise to the top as the tablet dissolves.

As they sip, Nico leans against the kitchen counter, watching their tiny back garden from the tinted window. A sunny day. An inside day. For the better, they still have another night of patrol to rest up for after all. They should get started on their reports, their version of each of the previous night's events for their higher-ups' satisfaction. Maybe they can find some time for needlepoint, or to read a bit--

Mm. That's weird.

They rub their stomach, frowning slightly at the glass in their hand. Yet they take another sip, even as they take the bottle to check the expiration date on their Life Blood supply. Satisfied with that, they pass the indigestion off as a symptom of a long and exhausting shift. Take their glass with them as they move to their living room to relax.

But the floral wallpaper swims and squirms in Nico's vision. Their head pulses. Their heart is racing now. The glass shakes though they hold it now in both hands. Their mouth feels dry, and they can't help but take another long, greedy sip of their wine and Life Blood.

Their head pulses again.

Their red eyes go wide

The glass shatters against the floor.

They know this feeling.

But the realization comes far too late, unfortunately. Their pulse is deafening in their ears as they brace themself against a doorframe. Trying to think through the panic.

They swear they see their skin begin to blister and boil and bubble, turning black before their eyes. Maybe they're just delusional from the oncoming frenzy.

Their phone.

Racing to the kitchen, they fight against all their hunger, all the wild instincts telling them to scream and tear and bite and feed. Their legs give out the moment they scoop their phone from the counter where they'd left it, and the device skids across the tile floor. Their fingers split open as they frantically reach for it, talons bursting from their nailbeds as a scream tears itself from the wide, toothy mouth of Charybdis that Nico's own twists into.

Somehow, they manage to touch the screen. Talons scrape the glass as they press their most recent contact. But as black tentacles burst from their spine, they can do nothing but scream, giving in to Monstrosity.

[nameless-brand]

((📑 if it's okay?))

Hinata - hulizi

Hinata, nicknamed Nata but not Hina, is a woman 26 years of age per blog description/header. Selfies usually involve her having a pair of large horns, curled like ram horns. It is unclear if this is a transformation or her natural form as her selfies also will show a more human form.

As of right now, she reports having damage in one of her horns - presumably left - which has resulted in a scab in her human form that was altered into an undercut. This is from a fight from an apparent entity known on Tumblr as damara. This still is inconclusive about which form is her "real" form as damage to a transformed state can also cause changes to the natural one and vice versa.

She knows Lillian from the past timeline, though how she does, I do not know. It's enough to prompt a "Nata?" immediately from Chi upon saying her username though.

Information is limited due to her sparse appearances and lack of direct interaction. Her terseness in her posts is also noted with less than 30-40 words a post, which is similar to holyhappyhour's usual word count.

Background:

There is surprisingly little background information about Hinata's world proper. I have seen references to Seattle - and from her recent posts involving the aftermath of the damara fight also Pike and Belltown, which likely means this is Seattle, Washington.

Given the same name of the locations, she likely shares a similar history to my world - and many other worlds. I suspect the hypothesized "Tumblr Prime" connects to worlds that have a similar history to it, though it does not explain the wildly different universes that I do encounter [see Ernastrel, Caligo]. I do not believe her world is where the main "Tumblr Prime" exists though - as that world appears to be entirely mundane aside from the obviously abnormal website.

It is unclear if she shares a world with Kris though. It may just be me projecting, but the way [ Kris ] is separated out in her post is similar to someone writing "oh god." What is known is that she reports having powers similar to Kris's - and being able to do almost anything Kris can do - anon's original question was along the lines of "weirdest thing done wielding kris's powers". Ultimately, that connection may be similar to that of a priestess to their god with said priestess being able to wield the god's powers.

Furthermore, it is unclear how common the supernatural is in her world. The fact people know that Hinata can revive the dead and can yell at her about it suggests that knowledge of the supernatural is fairly common (though people having powers is likely more rare) - it also means that people in her world are terminally stupid demanding things of an already tired, injured entity that has revealed powers that go above moderate powers (over a block's scale). It is likely Hinata has revived people before, given the response of others and them knowing how to expect as such.

Is the human form a cover identity then? Or is the horned form the cover identity like a sort of magical girl transformation? Is there a governing body for supernatural folk?

How common are these supernatural attacks? This may be similar to my world's situation with the whole supervillains and superheroes situation. Perhaps when a proper opening is present could the question be asked - along the lines if other cities have protectors like her.

Description:

Her writing style is very terse. As mentioned before, she rarely goes above 50 words in a post, averaging maybe around 20-30 - usually less though. There is usually hesitancy in her writing - and from what I've read, she has trouble with publicly speaking. These two are likely connected. The tone in her writing has a sense of emphasis and finality on every word - her terseness may be boosting that tone - like everything has been carefully chosen and that is all she will have to say on the topic.

She shows what Lev would call "aggressive optimism" - actually that was exactly how she described Hinata. Determined to be happy and have others be happy. I'm not entirely sure about the personal happiness part though - it sounds more like she'd sacrifice her personal happiness for the sake of others' happiness.

There's a dependence on others - for affection, for upliftment, for acknowledgement. She seems to judge herself based on her usefulness to others - gauges her own worth through that criteria. This seems to go far deeper than having service as her language for affection though. May be related to the hate she has for her birth mother as mentioned on an ask.

Her humor either involves playing the straight man to another's joke or utilizing deadpan. The former is seen multiple times with her interactions with cavalarbor. The latter is usually seen her "good morning" related posts but can be seen with her interactions with Kris (usually a combination of both).

With the aggressive optimism, there is a tendency towards kindness in her posts. At the same time, she's what others would call "silk hiding steel" when it comes to others and even herself on occasion. It would be a mistake to consider her soft.

There is no doubt in my mind that her threat against people harming her city after damara's attack is real. Furthermore, when the local anon party decides to direct aggression towards others, she often is there disparaging those anons. As for herself, she's more polite with terrible questions directed at her; repeated awful questions result in a less polite refusal before eventually a complete refusal to entertain the anons further.

Her claim to being able to do almost anything Kris can do likely puts her at the deity level. Given that Kris could be considered top-tier on that list (not that I've met many deities beyond the Radiance and the Templars' god), she's likely somewhere in that range. Given my brief familiarity with Kris's powers, this would likely include multiverse travel, kinesis, matter construction, beam attack (I guess?), Impose? ( does that power even work anymore in a world mired in Reality? Lev's issues say no.), clairvoyance? Reviving the dead? Is that in Kris's repertoire too?

It's interesting that she didn't comply with that request actually, given her service-oriented nature. Cost seems very unlikely unless the cost is towards someone else. Or maybe a fundamental belief of letting the dead stay dead? Harm to the universe when bringing people back to the dead? The "It's not my place" and "I don't have that right" seem like the authority for life and death belongs to someone else - may have been discovered from her first time to revive people?

Miscellaneous:

Hinata has three fiancés/girlfriends, an adoptive mom?, and an adopted daughter as mentioned in discussions.

She has a father and a younger sister. Birth mother seems to be out of the picture now.

She knows how to cook and can cook in large batches too.

Considerations:

I have to say that I'm glad that the connection between Kris and Hinata is a friendly one. Because the alternative would effectively pit me against my own nature given what Kris has done for me personally. And that would just be annoying to deal with while writing this.

Anyway, the elephant. Her dependency and need for acknowledgment are not something that I personally can solve. It can only be solved through the people closest to her, and truthfully the problem may never get solved - like an Idea that becomes someone's core. If that's the case, it's up to the others that are lucky enough to have someone so affectionately loyal to them step up to the plate and give her that acknowledgment and worth she needs. I mean, my powers of observation are not unique to me. People must've have noticed, especially the ones closest to her.

As for money - if she wanted money, she could've had money.

Providing a safe haven in another world is likely pointless to someone like her. Her safe haven is where her heart is. She will not abandon her home so long as her loved ones are there.

Do they even live in the same world normally though? I know in-inertia seems to be elsewhere most of the time. The other two do likely live locally. Chances are they may have similar capabilities to her - will need to figure that out before additional considerations.

Maybe invite her and her loved ones to Lev and Chi's party when I finally get everything settled with the World Boundary. Probably learning a little bit more about her hobbies would also help when she becomes more active / recovered better from the attack on her city.

Negotiation Considerations:

Not wasting waking time simulating negotiations with anything close to the deity-level.

[saltspill]

M!Anon (If you want): A tiny, deep-green pouch, made of felt and tied with a metallic-purple string, appears in Arling's pocket. The pouch is speckled with little flecks of shimmery gold, and inside is a gold coin, big enough to fit in the palm of her hand and close comfortably around it. On the front side of the coin is a hexagon, bisected asymmetrically by a pair of vertical stripes, and on the back it says, "Hold onto me for luck! Be wary, I'm only good for a day!" A piece of paper slides out of the bag, with the coin, that further says, "Allows multiple uses, place in bag to turn it off, use sparingly." The flipside of that little slip of paper then says, "Won't stop the curse, but will give you a minute to breathe."

Arling is cleaning up the last of the wet dirt from the bromeliad disaster when they feel their pocket suddenly get heavy. Their first reaction is to go rigid, anxious as they retrieve the pouch and open it with caution. As they turn the coin over curiously, they almost miss the paper that falls from the pouch.

"What's that?" Vincent asks, glancing over from where he's been comforting his shaken plant baby.

"dunno. I don't remember picking this up anywhere...?"

Noticinng the paper on the floor near where he's crouched, Vinny picks up the note to read aloud.

"huh...." Arling hums, turning the coin over again in obseervation, before stuffing it into her vest pocket. "i guess it can't hurt?"

[ldgsfk]

💭?

Crowley is not bee. That is her conclusion after months of thinking about the topic. Others seem like they have a bigger happiness including Crowley when people think of Crowley as bee though.

But she is not bee.

Because bees die if they are alone.

She is survivor.

Everything else can die, but she will live.

She does not need the happiness to live. She does not need the comfort either. Or security. Or companionship. She will live because of living's sake.

It is strange.

Because she is not selfish either. She can and will sacrifice herself for others and what she believes in.

But she will still live despite that.

Because she is not bee.

She is survivor.

[sorchamidnite]

How do you feel about @midnight-blue-blood

i envy hazel havin someone like her take an interest. you can take whatever you want from that!

seriously though. she did the right thing by hazel. she's... proof the camarilla's not as shit everywhere as it was here. she's one of the good ones. idk if i like her - i think she could make you like her, an that makes me nervous 'cause i got squish brain.

stop thinkin about bein dominated by fina please brain

i always wonder if she's related tae baron monty. they've got a similar... energy. all that 'don't mourn, organise' stuff, the builder's instinct, an when they get up an do somethin themselves you know it's serious.

[shepsrpcastle]

Tsu tsu tsu ru tsu tsu ru -ish

Tsu tsu tsu ru tsu tsu ru -ish

[millenniumdueled]

Yugi stares out the window, watching the pouring rain as he listens to the buzz of his classmates around him. Talks of weekend plans, of parties and karaoke and dancing, of movie nights, of bowling and roller skating. Of invitations never extended to him, only ever overheard.

Yugi wonders what it might be like. To spend the weekend having fun with friends, making memories and trying new things together. Of playing games with someone other than his grandpa.

Of course, he'll be spending this weekend as he has every other since starting college, and for many weekends before: working the game shop and playing games alone in his room. With a sigh, he takes his backpack from the floor beside his desk and removes an intricate, ancient golden box. He may as well use this time before class starts to work on his biggest project. It's been 8 years, but--

"maybe today will be the day i finally solve the millennium puzzle," Yugi says under his breath.

No sooner has he removed the lid when the small sarcophagus is snatched from the desk before him, making Yugi jump.

"Are you talking to yourself?? What a creep," Tristan Taylor jeers, holding the golden box far above Yugi's head as the smaller man leaps from his seat.

"please--!! give that back, it's my treasure!!" Yugi pleads. As he tries unsuccessfully to jump for the relic, another bully takes it from Tristan's hands.

"What is this, a jewelry box?? Only a girl would care about something like that," the blond taunts. Yugi feels his face go red. "You want it back, man up, gimme all you got and take then."

Yugi sinks into himself, suddenly feeling smaller than ever. He hugs his arms across his chest. "i... i hate fighting. please, joey, just give it back!!!"

The bully only laughs at him as he takes a peek at the contents inside the box. "What is this shit anyway? Looks dumb." With that, he turns the box upside down, and the small, golden pieces rain down over Yugi's spikey head. Laughing as the smaller man drops to his knees to frantically collect the pieces, Joey tosses the box to the side. "Let's go, Tristan."

It's hard, it hurts, but Yugi manages to collect the pieces without crying. He'll wait until he walks home for that, when the rain will hide his tears.

That night, as he sits at his desk at home, the pieces of the Puzzle seem to click together more easily than ever. And for a moment, his heart begins to swell with nervous excitement. Is this it? He's never gotten this far before. If he twists this piece half a turn, then adds this other piece, then slides that piece over....

He tries not to let himself get his hopes up too much. But another piece fits, and the frame of the pyramid comes together.

His fingers tremble.

There's only one final piece.

He's done it! He's actually solved the--

Yugi's blood runs cold as he reaches into the golden box for the last piece, his fingers finding only the smooth bottom of the golden sarcophagus.

no...

He grabs the box, turns it upside down, but nothing falls out. Had he missed a piece when Joey had dumped them back at the school? No no no. Then that would mean the Puzzle could never be solved. No, he was sure that he had searched every inch of the floor, over and over, ensuring he hadn't forgotten any of the shimmering, golden pieces. He leaps up from his desk, tearing apart every inch of his room in search of the missing piece to no avail.

Finally, Yugi's hope gives out. He collapses to his knees in the middle of his room, surrounded by the mess he created in his frantic search, and cries.

----

Yugi must have floated through the weekend in a daze of sorrow, because the next thing he knows, it's Monday. He doesn't want to go to class today. Why does it matter? His major is undeclared. Uncertain. Unfinished. Just like the Puzzle sitting on his desk at home.

The rain is still pouring.

Usually, Yugi walks the short distance from the Kame game shop to the community college he attends, but today he doesn't have the energy. His feet feel heavy as lead as he climbs onto the public bus.

As Yugi seeks a spot to stand amongst the crowd of passengers, he finds his way toward the back of the bus where he spots a familiar face. Tomoya Hanasaki, one of the few people as quiet and unpopular as himself on campus. Maybe he should say hi? If there's anyone he has a chance of befriending at all, surely this other outcast is a safe bet...?

But before he finds his courage, he notices the discomfort on Hanasaki's bespectacled face. Then he recognizes the larger man sitting beside him, a notorious bully from their college by the name of Sozoji. Yugi tries to listen, but he can't hear their conversation over the other passengers, the hum of the bus, and the loud music blasting from the headphones hanging around Sozoji's thick neck.

Should he help...?

What could he possibly do...? He's no larger or more threatening than Hanasaki after all.

In the end, Yugi decides to turn his back, to mind his own business. The last thing he wants is to make anything worse for anyone. And if he just makes himself invisible, maybe he won't attract any of whatever cruelty Sozoji is planning.

He doesn't think he can take another beating, not with his heart so incomplete.

The next day, as Yugi sits alone in English class, he can't help but notice that Hanasaki's seat is empty. His stomach sinks, a feeling of guilt slowly filling his chest. As he stares out the window, he listens to the chatter of his classmates around him.

"--shattered ear drums--"

"--total hearing loss--"

"I heard he tried to kill himself--"

Yugi sinks down in his seat. It's not like he could have done anything, right...? If he had spoken up, it would just be him in the hospital now...

The rest of the day goes by in a blur.

----

The weeks that follow seem to be filled with nothing but more unfortunate events. Yugi stares at the empty seat once occupied by his biggest crush, a girl named Téa with dreams of being a dancer. Abducted from her waitress job by an escaped prisoner several days ago, her body had just been found that morning.

Yugi only feels numb.

---

The weekend comes around again, and once more, Yugi spends it alone in his room. He hasn't had the energy to work the shop these days. Letting his own grandpa down too, now.

Yugi lies on his bed, eyes unfocused towards the single window over his desk as he tries not to think of the misfortunes of the previous month. But as his eyes drift to the Millennium Puzzle, sitting on his desk, forever unfinished without its final piece, he can't help the thoughts that creep into his mind.

He's never believed in things like magic. But his grandpa's ominous warnings of curses and Shadow Games come to mind. Is that what this is? Did he anger the ancient Egyptian gods when he lost that final piece? Is this the Pharaoh's Curse, taking out everyone around him before finally coming for the man who handled the ancient relic so carelessly?

He wishes the curse would just take him. Or at least, hurt the people who deserve it. The bullies that hit him and taunted him.

What if he had spent those 8 years getting stronger?

Instead of wishing on some stupid Puzzle?

Yugi can't take it anymore. He jumps up from his bed, ready to smash the relic back into its many pieces. He snatches the incomplete Puzzle from his desk, only to hiss in pain and shake his burning fingers as the artifact falls to the carpeted floor below.

Why...?

Why would the Puzzle burn him...?

Why does he smell so much smoke....?

Why isn't Joey saving him, like--

Yugi's eyes go wide as they stare down at the Puzzle, haphazardly lying at his feet.

The Puzzle piece isn't the only thing that's missing, Yugi realizes. His friends, his allies, the voice inside his heart.

This isn't right.

This isn't how his story goes.

Heart pounding in his chest, Yugi reaches for the Puzzle, only to find himself falling. Through the floor, dragged by a chain around his ankle into the depths of the Domino City bay.

but it was my wrist, Yugi thinks as the world grows darker and darker. and it's okay. because joey will save me.

joey will save me.

and joey's sister will save him.

and then we'll save the kaibas.

and it will all be okay.

Yugi opens his mouth to take a deep breath, trusting the words he repeats in his mind. It will all be okay. It will all be okay.

And it is.

No water fills his lungs, only oxygen. His red-violet eyes flutter open to a blue sky overhead, lush grass all around him. He reaches for the Millennium Puzzle around his neck and frowns. So that's really missing. And so is the voice inside his soul.

But it's different. Though it's quiet, his heart doesn't feel empty. Not the way it did when Duke's father had shattered it to pieces. Even without the relic hanging from his neck, Yugi can tell that he isn't alone.

He sits up in the grass and crosses his legs, tries to clear his thoughts and get his bearings. Whatever nightmare he had just escaped, it was only that:

a nightmare.

Yugi knits his brows together. He can't come up with a logical explanation how he got here, to this clearing in these peaceful woods. Without the Puzzle to cling to, he presses a hand over his heart and closes his eyes, trying to focus on that feeling that tells him he isn't alone. When he tries to call out for his other self, he's met by something unexpected inside his chest.

How did he get here?

Last he remembers, he and his friends had been searching for the Kaiba Brothers. They had followed the coordinates that Mokuba had posted, appearing on a Kaiba Corporation branded aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific. They had been escorted deeper into the massive ship at gunpoint, ushered by mechanical guards into a bright, white room. And then...?

Feelings of rage, of anger, of resentment. Of sorrow. Of fear and insecurity.

Yugi's fingers curl into a fist, tight against his heart as he tries to calm the storm.

"hold on other me," he pleads aloud. "i'm going to find you. i promise i'm going to find you."

[lastcompact]

-eyebrow twitch -

[namelesschurch]

Weekly notes 6/30/2023:

Lev: Been testing Impose with the assistance of Sylph. Results have not been promising; admittedly, seeing her fail makes me feel a little relieved. The moment Lev starts really finding a direction in earnest is likely the moment she'll probably be getting into a lot of danger. I haven't really mentioned Crow to her, though she'll probably be reappearing in the next week...I should probably warn her.

Chi: Still do not get her unusual drive for school. Why school specifically? She does not seem to understand her own reasons or just doesn't want to tell me. I'm hoping school doesn't disappoint her...

Kris: His godhood is unusual in the sense that he retains his human characteristics. Usually, gods embody a concept such as rage or order - etc - and are usually engulfed by it. Just goes to show that the multiverse makes things different.

He however can still get bored, tired, listless, etc. Not sure what I have to offer - other than letting him go ham here. And though he does enjoy hanging out with Chi and Lev, it's probably not -fulfilling- he mentioned he likes to feel useful - probably to feel like his extraordinary powers - and potential suffering to get it- had purpose. I mean, I guess letting him deal with crime here would be useful - even if he's restricted by the World Boundary here, he still has the experience and technically can't die for real. It's not like this is the world I knew anymore, and the circumstances that led to the first timeline imploding are not present anymore.

Stupid Radiance. Stupid Dream.

Madison Ruarc (note the name change): He seems to be doing better after encountering two annoying bits of anonymous magic, which is concerning. Is he being targeted because he is an angel or is it something else entirely? The second one seems to be particularly ill-intended/problematic requiring someone else that I cannot recall off the top of my head to partially halt the effects.

He is currently living with some sort of entity known as Sarandiel - or at least was in the same room at one point - they seem non-hostile. What is of concern is that it does not seem that Mads may have his place of work anymore, which he seems to derive happiness and comfort from. He also doesn't like being off-world so-to-speak. Maybe create something that doesn't really require a time requirement here - like an animal shelter here with his assistance welcome as needed?

Chi seems to have already attracted another dog to the Inn on her walk with Lev. So we now have a chicken, 2 ducks, 2 dogs, and two cats (even if one of them is a ghost).

Random note, I am just going to admit this in the privacy of my own head.

I think it is an utter shame Gotham did not employ the Nameless City's stance on dog killers.

Erna: Met one of her friends online, Tataru. From the sound of it, considerations would likely have to be modified since it sounds like there's someone on it. As expected Scions is a close-knit group. Learning Erna having the capability to fight the equivalent of gods in her world is also surprising. Seems to be straining herself in regard to her comatose friends though if convo with Crowley is any indicator.

Crowley: Continues to deal with the hivemind algae thing. Lack of online presence is likely secondary to that. Her plan is interesting in that there's a way to somehow restrict said algae thing to make it seem like it is an ordinary, if probably toxic (red algae blooms?) algae. Makes me wonder how many supernatural things are being hidden in plain sight.

Hermes / saintworks: Still not sure how the "Datalight" went past the World Boundary, still theorizing. He is currently finding a new planet? to inhabit. What's left of his company after the attack seems to be a whole bunch of misfits and malcontents that are working together for the mutual sake of survival and potential new business.

Not quite sure how to approach, given Datalight for some odd reason passes through the World Boundary for no reason. The whole "don't want to draw attention until I figure out what's going on" to the "I can't figure out this person who bounces between rational and guns-glazing" to the whole "cross between AI and human body with some sort of very high-level technology that can pass as magic in any other world.

At least his cafeteria sounds decent. And they have food and housing. Safety, not so much.

Bruce / something-in-the-wayne: Upon my review of the dashboard later at night, he suddenly got very serious when talking to a kid that seemed like she was self-destructing and apparently entering into a dangerous situation. Probably because he's a father himself.

Other than that, not much changes other than some interesting advice from his own perspective as starting out with his inherited company. Which is useful. Unions could be used as a means to deal with annoying shareholders - the problem is I don't have any shareholders for them to deal with. Still cross-training is an interesting concept. No one really aspires to be a grocer after all. I can believe Farmer, but...grocer...Anyway.

And apparently he started using Grindr? again?

Not much happening on his front.

Nata: She seems to be healing from the wound she received (cracked horn) from Damara. And whatever aches and pains she's been feeling - perhaps just from a strenuous day - it seems that even deity / near-deities can still have aches and pains, though Kris also does prove that. Seems like Hermes can port things to her world too. She seems to be doing fine hopefully.

She does singing, which is interesting, though it does not seem like often enough - and the act itself has a special meaning to her.

Yugi: Introductions with Sarandiel have revealed some more of his hobbies, though the favoring of analog games over video games is expected. Seems to be more of a social creature, willing to do more things outside of his comfort level, if his friends are around. Friendship seems to be a big thing with Yugi - companionship and all that. This is assumed to be the main Yugi and not the other Yugi.

Clarification on the "Island Sinking." - so Yugi is not as dangerous as Lev made out. Lev made me believe that Yugi summoned a monster in a duel that accidentally took out the island with it - either that or this was just her exaggerating, which is likely.

Siege - strikingskeletonsiege - Backtracking on the dashboard - was likely one of the sources for Chi picking up the Flesh Suit thing. Also of note, Siege knows Nata - at least assumed given how he commented how Nata gets really stupid anons. He has a very lively personality as seen in his introductions with other people.

----

Lex Luthor - Earth-3 :: An interesting note that Lex has dill-emma's father's phone number - and used it to make sure dill-emma would be retrieved safely from a Joker (clowningachievement). Not much to report on this front though beyond that. He does note himself to be primarily doing meta-gene research and biology? except the way it was put like there's a supernatural element to it.

Lee (ultra-rage) - Well, his username matches his demeanor to say the least. Sounds like Lex really has a handful with him - sounds like that Ultraman (father?) really made a very bad impact on him. Superpowers and being easily provoked are not a good combination unfortunately.

Provocation seems to primarily stem from the feeling of being mocked? Or pointlessness. There's just a lot of disproportionate aggravation with his interactions involving dill-emma.

Has a soft side with Dove. Guess every lid has its pot.

Nightwing - slightlylessdarkknights - Haven't interacted much beyond the initial encounter. Seems to share a universe with thedarkestknight? and maybe kalkalicious? The times he is on, I suspect he is on patrol in the city as a superhero. Has an interesting mindset when at work - that everyone can be redeemed, and I'm assuming he is someone who will not kill another criminal.

His post (assuming again about dill-emma who is the inciting force of this week) is likely referencing her about how he cannot stand being drowned out by someone else. He doesn't like people who don't listen.

Ember and Jack - emberoops and cyberneticlagomorph - Linked due to the interaction. It is interesting that Ember works for Jack in some sort of "desk?" job. And that Ember gets PTO for an unspecified surgical procedure - or maybe it was specified and I missed it. But apparently he can divide into multiple bodies with a shared? consciousness - does having one part work and three part recreation memories lower the strain due to the proportion or amount of time lived?

As for Jack, apparently a somewhat lax boss who gives decent PTO. The kids are interesting, especially Egg who seems to be like in the terrible twos stage or something but perpetually. Jack is managing though. His world is especially interesting too - the Moon producing milk? Talk of fae, etc.

--

Miscellaneous: I'd been under the impression that Grindr is a branch of the Tinder dating website. I am technically correct. It is a dating site, but it is one that caters to the LGBTQ+ community. This explains Bruce's, while maintaining some level of jovial, somewhat taunting / somewhat "shame on you" posts.

[capucapo]

( chatlog from my discord RP with @nameless-brand , based on the alternate version of the Legendary Heroes VR game created by the Kaiba Corporation in Sato, Lev, and Chi's current universe. a few sections have been moved around slightly just to make things flow a little better part 1 )

Legendary Heroes: the Tutorial (part 2)

Once the helmet was put on, the next blink would bring Mokuba into the Avatar space, a deep blue infinite expanse spackled with hovering pale yellow strings of data. There's a sensation of feeling as though one were in a lucid dream - that at any moment, one could simply wake up in the real world if one chose to.

The ALTIMIT OS would slowly come into view as pale orange windows orbiting around Mokuba. The same sidebar would come into view, except instead of "The World" icon, it is now "Legendary Heroes" instead. An attempt to move around and poke around with the buttons would feel somewhat off like one's finger not quite touching where it was supposed to - as if one's limb were shorter than it was supposed to be.

That feeling of discoordination applies for any sort of motion including walking around or just simply moving in place.

Still, the senses being conveyed through the system seem to work fine, including the sensation of touch - touching one of the floating windows felt like touching one of the Duel Disk holograms.

[ Cannot connect to KC-ALTIMIT Server. Using default native assistant: Morganna. ]

[ The default assistant has been chosen. You may switch to the other two at any time. ]

A feminine voice rings out through the Avatar Space.

>> Welcome to the ALTIMIT's Avatar space. I am the assistant Morganna. Please note that my capabilities are limited without an internet connection, but I will try to answer any questions that you may have.

>> Your brainwave signature has been registered. You may use this to log in to ALTIMIT OS next time.

>> Welcome to the Avatar Space. As a first-time user, we will now synchronize your mind with your avatar body. A tingling sensation during this phase is perfectly normal. Are you ready?

It definitely takes Mokuba a few seconds to get his barings as he enters this new VR World. He blinks as he looks around himself, taking in the blue void. Stretches a hand out in front of himself to flex his fingers as the OS comes into focus around him.

It isn't as sophisticated as Noa's Virtual World, where everything felt almost painfully real. No, there's an obvious disconnect, some lucid feeling he recognized vaguely from his brother's own Legendary Heroes.

He takes a few steps, noticing the slight discoordination, and can't help but scoff to himself. Of course Gouzaburo's version would be inferior.

The voice catches his attention, and he can't help but admit he's relieved to not recognize it. He won't even ask about the other two options. Unfortunate that the system's functions are limited without an internet connection, but he'd kind of counted on that one.

He takes a deep, virtual breath.

"yeah, uh. I'm ready," he lies.

The System grossly understated the tingling sensation; it was more like accidentally getting zapped by static but all over. Just as quickly as the sensation arrives, it goes away. The following messages pop up during the brief message.

[[ Nerve Impulse Calculation... complete ]]

[[ Body-Limb Length Calculations...complete. ]]

[[ Sensory Linkage...calculating...complete. ]]

[[ Warning: **Subject has High Synchronization.** ]]

[[ Biofeedback Limiters engaged. You may change this in the Settings. ]]

[[ Calibrating... ]]

The surroundings become vivid as though a picture is now in focus. The colors seem brighter, the world sharper. Even the fake breaths Mokuba took now would feel like there's actual substance to it. Furthermore, that feeling of discoordination would vanish completely, leaving behind an avatar body that moves and acts just as well as the real thing.

The lucid dream feeling however becomes more definite as if the System is deliberately emphasizing the boundary between the Virtual and the Real.

>> "You are now Synchronized. Please note that Synchronization data will be... "

The virtual assistant quickly says many words but ultimately most of it is just legalese that KaibaCorp will be using the Synchronization data purely for making better calibration in the future.

>> "You have completed the Calibration process. Please test your movement to see if everything is working properly."

>> "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

While Mokuba had braced himself for the "tingle," the reality of the feeling makes him gasp. But luckily, the sensation doesn't last long, the pain quickly dissipating. Still, it doesn't do much to calm his nerves.

Biofeedback Limiters? That may be something to look into. He makes a mental note.

But as the system calibrates, he has to begrudgingly take back his previous skepticism. He moves his fingers again, takes a few steps around, and notices this time there's no discoordination. Still, the lucid feeling hangs as a reminder this isn't reality.

Good.

"thanks uhh... morganna? real quick. how do I like, leave here? just kinda want to... know all my options there."

The system does not comment as Mokuba experiments with his movement, though the vague white noise - a sensation more felt than heard really - persists, marking its presence.

It does not respond immediately, taking a second as if processing. When it does respond, it does so from a translucent window opening in front of Mokuba and speaking through there.

"To disconnect from the Avatar Space, all you need to do is to Wake Up."

"If you are finding it difficult to do so, you can also select Log Out from the Menu, accessed by thinking about it."

Mokuba mmms quietly to himself. That sounds straightforward enough, but there's still the lingering fear of being trapped by this mysterious program.

He's not quite ready to leave yet, he's just begun his exploration after all. But he does think about the Menu, wondering what other options he may find as well.

The Menu opens as a floating translucent screen in front of Mokuba:

>> Legendary Heroes

>> Mailer

>> Accessories

>> Audio

>> Data

>> Settings

>> Log Out

The floating, visible menu is a nice touch and, admittedly, does help to calm Mokuba's nerves slightly. Seeing the very clear option to Log Out displayed gives him hope. Maybe this is just a normal Virtual Reality game after all.

He'll reach out to press the Setting option next.

The Settings reveals a variety of options:

>> Audio

>> Accessibility Options

>> Biofeedback

>> Quality of Life

>> Alarms

>> Connectivity

>> Recalibrate

Oh interesting! The first two seem pretty straightforward, so Mokuba will pick Biofeedback first

The Biofeedback Option reveals the following:

>> Pain Dampening

>> Sensory Link

>> Immersion

>> Time Perception

Oh. As he looks over those options, suddenly he feels nervous. Maybe it isn't such a good idea to mess with these settings yet after all.

Though...

He does select the last one, Time Perception. Mostly out of curiosity for the default.

The Time Perception setting opens up to a slider that is grayed out.

Time Perception: 100% of normal.

The bars appear to only go to -50% and +50% max of normal.

>> Note that Time Perception is the ratio between Virtual Time and Real Time. To adjust what is known as Bullet-Time settings, please refer to Sensory Link.

>> Note that this setting is only available while connected to the KCAltimit servers.

Very good to know, at least he won't accidentally spend days in here. He won't try to mess with the inaccessible settings, returning to the main menu. Part of him wants to take this exploration slowly, to check out each and every setting before jumping into anything.

Another part is already growing bored, itching to get to the game already. He chews at his lip as he decides what to do next, before finally...

"fuck it," he sighs and presses Legendary Heroes.

Upon pressing the Legendary Heroes button, the entire Avatar Space seems to fade seamlessly into darkness. From underneath Mokuba's feet, a large city shrouded by the night comes into view. What was immediately noticeable was the tall stone wall that surrounded it and the completely leveled area that separated it from the broken suburbia.

The leveled area's purpose quickly becomes obvious as mutated creatures approaching from the outside charge and rush on over, vaguely resembling the animals that used to be: rats, raccoons, birds, etc. Many of them even spouted flames and ice as they tried to attack the wall.

Retaliation from the city is almost immediate. Gunfire flashes from the tall wall along with an assortment of elemental projectiles that detonate explosively on the battlefield. The battle continues on for several seconds before everything fades gently into black.

A window slowly appears before Mokuba.

[ Welcome to Legendary Heroes, the world's first Full Immersion Survival and Conquest MMORPG. ]

[ Please note that there will be limited functionality without an online connection. ]

[ You may still create a character that can be loaded into the server and go through the tutorial that will teach you how to play. Please note that you may only have one character active at any one time. ]

An image of Mokuba could be seen before him in military garb: flaks, bandolier, and all. There are character sliders that modify the person's facial and body traits along with an assortment of eye and hair color options.

What was noticeable was that one could only change height 90-110% with the reasoning that it may mess with synchronization. It specifically states that height changes are not recommended, and the character cannot be changed after login.

It also states that a username cannot be chosen until he connects.

Mokuba's heart skips a beat as the scene changes. There's still that lingering fear of being trapped, but he takes a deep (virtual) breath as the city appears. He watches the scene play out before him, the creatures gunned down.

Yeah. This is a little different from the Legendary Heroes game his brother had made.

He quickly reads through the window that appears. He might have to connect to the internet eventually, but for now the limited gameplay is fine.

But he frowns as he faces himself as the character creation begins. The drab uniform and martial accessories look out of place on him, and an uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of his stomach.

"there better be other outfits," he gumbles to himself as he selects a brighter purple for his eyes and begins flipping through some of the hairstyles. "is there like, a girl option? for clothes?? is it cuter???"

Morganna's voice pops in briefly upon Mokuba's complaints about the unsuited clothes.

"Military garb is the default for starting characters as this style is the most popular among beta-testers. Civilian clothing is available under the databases, though most do not provide stat bonuses like the military garb does."

Additional clothing is made available, though they are clearly more region-specific. A variety of kimono, yukata, and furisodes are provided, though there's only a single western dress in the whole collection. There's also two skirts, red and gray, out of the whole collection. The hair changes are quickly implemented as visual changes to the hair itself, lengthening and shortening as Mokuba sees fit. Same goes with the eye color. Several notifications pop up after Morganna spoke about the clothing.

< A connection to the Server has been detected. Would you like to create an account name now? >

< A connection to the Server has been detected. Would you like to choose a Class now? >

< Do you have a preference for supernatural abilities, firearms, or melee? >

"well that's DUMB, people shouldn't have to dress ugly just to be competitive," he continues to complain. Though, as the extra options become available to him, he can't help but be a little pleasantly surprised. Not by the options themselves, the limited wardrobe causes him to make an exaggerated gagging sound. But that Gouzaburo hadn't blocked the ability to dress against one's sex. For a moment, he wonders if he could change that setting too, but it's more of a passing curiosity that he quickly moves on from.

He'll select the red skirt, rolling the waist band until satisfied with the length-- or lack thereof. Then, a white, short-sleeve button up shirt. Topped off with a male furisode, worn open over the bandolier. Puts his hair up into a high ponytail, and finally nods to himself.

"that's fine for now.... but there better be unlockables or something--" he continues to gripe, only to be cut off by the new pop-ups.

And once again, his anxiety spikes.

He swallows thickly. A connection to the server shouldn't be possible. The laptop he's installed the OS on wasn't connected to the internet. Shouldn't have been able to connect itself without manually inputting the security key.

He hesitates for a moment, before continuing.

>> Yes.

>> Yes.

>> Supernatural Abilities

"I do not have an opinion on that,"

Morganna says generically as it observes Mokuba and his new look. It then adds in

"There are no unlockables. You are able to scavenge clothes from the department stores that still remain in parts of the fallen cities. It is expected that there will be clothing designers in the future as the game progresses."

"Your heart rate has spiked. Is there something wrong? Please note that if you wish to disable biometric alerts, you may disable them in the Alarms section."

< Choose a username. Please note a unique number identifier may be addended at the end as a hashtag that will only be visible to those looking at your dossier. You may not use forbidden keywords such as Admin, KaibaCorp, ALTIMIT, or Moderator. >

It's a bit disappointing to hear there's no unlockables, but at least there may be other options later on in some form or another. For now, he's satisfied enough with his appearance.

"uhhh no. no it's fine, I just didn't expect to go online, uh...." he hesitates. "..is my username gonna be what people call me, or do I get a separate nickname too?" he changes the subject.

"Connectivity issues are usually a host-side issue. Please run diagnostics on your hardware or contact your ISP to solve the issues,"

said Morganna unhelpfully.

"Your username will be what people will primarily call you, though if you achieve a high enough level of fame or infamy, you will be able to gain a unique Title / Moniker for yourself. I hope this answers your question."

"gee, thanks," Mokuba huffs sarcastically with a roll of his now brighter amethyst eyes. He wonders for a second, if this game is going to give him an indetifier anyway, can he just use his name?

He'll try that first and input simply, "Mokuba". In romaji, however, not the kanji he uses officially.

< Welcome to Legendary Heroes, Mokuba. On behalf of KaibaCorp and ALTIMIT, we hope you enjoy the VR experience. >

The name is seemingly accepted without any other changes.

He is pleasantly surprised that worked! Good. His usual screen names are fine and good, but he'd rather just be known as himself.

< The following Starting supernatural abilities are as follows: You may choose two. >

< Fire Arrow >

< Wind Blade >

< Summon Golem >

< Ice Shard >

< Enhanced Strength >

< Juggernaut >

< Healing >

< Specializing in Supernatural Abilities means you will be reliant on gathering Crystals from Monsters for both improving your abilities and to keep your Psyche up. You receive growth bonuses to Psyche, Intelligence, and Wisdom and penalized in Strength, Dexterity, Health, and Stamina. (Unless you've chosen the respective starting supernatural abilities for those penalties). >

Hearing the penalties almost makes him reconsider his choice, but the alternatives feel like a weight in his chest. Sure, he usually likes shooting games. But those games aren't usually directly glorifying his warmongering adoptive father. He chooses Summon Golem and Fire Arrow.

< You have acquired Summon Golem. >

< You have acquired Fire Arrow. >

Hopefully, the ability to summon a powerful golem will make up for his loss in Strength.

< You may wield your abilities by utilizing a hand gesture or thought to trigger them. Note that a thought-triggered ability will have all stats halved.

A video displays Fire Arrow: The hand opens up with all fingers out, followed by a twist of the wrist, and two fingers pointing upwards. The Fire Arrow blooms from the tip of the fingers, which can be thrown at the target.

A video displays Summon Golem: The hand is clenched in a tight fist, followed by slamming one's open palm into the ground. Contrary to Mokuba's expectation, the Golem that appears is not particularly mighty-looking. It is probably half of Mokuba's height and is completely featureless aside from looking humanoid. It appears to attract attention mostly as a decoy rather than being a mighty tank.

He makes a note of that tip. Then, he mimics the motions shown by the video displayed to him, several times each. Nods definitively to himself. That's easy enough.

The Golem however is...... Disappointing. He frowns as the small figure appears. He'd been hoping for something more like the Minecraft mob, at least... But his decision is already made.

Immediately, a table full of firearms and melee weapons slides in from out of nowhere, hovering beneath Mokuba's hands. They all seem rather generic, not tied to a specific brand of weapon. A shotgun, a pistol, a rifle, a submachine gun, etc. The melee weapons on the other hand range from a baseball bat, a katana, a knife, a sledgehammer, a crowbar - and then some exotic ones like nun-chucks, a morningstar, and a guandao.

< Please note that the heavier the weapon, the greater the penalty to your movement. >

< Weapon stats are available for each specific weapon and can be analyzed with the < Observe > ability. >

As the weapons appear, the reluctancy of his Class choice fades further. So he can still use these too! Excellent.

He knows the larger guns probably won't suit him. And that's fine. He'll Observe the Pistol first.

< Pistol :: Damage 3, Fire Rate: 2, Accuracy: High, Recoil: Low, Ammo: 13.

The ASATI Pistol is the standard sidearm of the New World. Made from the few industrial factories that still remain, the pistol boasts high durability and does not malfunction even after being submerged in water, covered in sand, or smashed by a sledgehammer. Its durability however is offset by its reduced stats aside from its accuracy. >

That's alright with him. He figures that his limited strength will likely interfere with the other firearms, but he'll Observe them anyway just to be sure.

The other weapons display a similar flavor text, mentioning where they came from and their high durability and their poorer performance compared to other non-ASATI weapons. The main weapons that Mokuba cannot use are the rocket launchers and large machine guns, which are solely reserved for military specialists.

< Shotgun: Damage 2 (x 5), Fire Rate: 2, Accuracy: Low, Recoil: High, Ammo: 1 >

< Hunting Rifle: Damage 6, Fire Rate 1, Accuracy: High, Recoil: High, Ammo: 7 >

< Submachine Gun: Damage 3, Fire Rate:5, Accuracy: Low, Recoil: High, Ammo: 20 >

< Revolver: Damage 6, Fire Rate: 2, Fire Rate: 2, Accuracy: High, Recoil: High, Ammo: 6 >

< The Hunting Rifle applies penalties to movement when carried as you do not have the Strength stat to effortlessly support it. >

< All ranged weapons come with three ammo reloads. Please remember that ammo and food counts against your weight limit. >

The small golem doesn't seem to react to Mokuba's frown. Instead, it simply stands there as if waiting for a command.

Mokuba mmms to himself as he looks over the options, finally deciding to go with his first choice after all. Then moves to Observe the melee weapons next.

Though, that last tip makes him groan. "what kind of asshole devs came up with that genius idea? weight limits are dumb enough already."

Gives a glance to the little golem and, "uhhh.... do I like... dismiss you or something? are you just like... here now??"

Unfortunately, said assholes Devs have also implemented another bad idea, reflected by the new omnipresent stat seen on the melee weapons.

< Dagger: Damage 3, Bonuses to Sneak/Surprise, Durability 60/60 >

< Katana: Damage 7, Durability 100/100 >

< Sledgehammer: Damage 13, only at the Hammer's Head. Penalties to movement. Durability 60/60 >

< Guandao: Damage 10. Can only be wielded by Melee Specialist. Durability 100/100>

< Crowbar: Damage 4, Can efficently pry open doors with minimal durability loss, Durability 70/70 >

< Bat (Wooden): Damage 3, Durability 50/50>

< Note that all guns have Durability 100/100. As Durability goes down through usage, it loses 20% * Percentage of Durability Loss. If Durability reaches zero, the weapon becomes unusuable and/or destroyed. Weapon maintenance can restore Durability at the expense of Maximum Durability. >

The little golem gives a simple shrug, not quite sure either.

Oh yeah, Mokuba's going to groan audibly at that. So far, his opinions of this game aren't great-- though admittedly, he does have his bias.

He takes a few moments to consider his options, as well as their bonuses. The crowbar's utility makes it an attractive choice. On the other hand, he can't help but think the katana would really complete his outfit. And he isn't sure how seriously he wants to take this game, either....

He looks to the golem. "what do you think, lil guy? katana or crowbar?"

When prompted, the small golem adopts a thinking pose briefly before pointing at the Katana. Whatever its logic for choosing the weapon is anyone's guess though. It gives a shrug as if to indicate the choice is still its summoner's.

Mokuba nods in agreement. "yeah, that's what I was thinking. the crowbar's kinda ugly," he says as he chooses the blade.

The small golem mimics Mokuba by simply nodding in agreement.

"You have completed Character Creation. Are you sure you wish to keep your selection? Remember that this cannot be changed once you confirm."

For a second, Mokuba's gaze lingers on the little golem. Yeah, he's cute. But if he only gets two spells, maybe he should he consider something a little more..... useful? He sucks in a sharp breath between his teeth.

"....yeah. yeah, I'm good."

< Your destination will be Neo Toky-. >.

A brief burst of visual static suddenly fills the Avatar Space, followed by a strange tone, before it calms down once again.

< Neo Tokyo is currently saturated with newcomers. >

< Your new destination will be Outskirts: Lake Alba. >

< Welcome to Legendary Heroes. >

[holyhappyhour]

A Beautiful Monstrosity pt 2

It's closer to evening than afternoon when Le finally wakes. She groans and turns over, but the familiar scent of bacon lofting through the open door way has her rising quickly after. Sometimes, sharing her apartment has its benefits.

"Morning, Otter Pop," Conrad chirps as Le slides onto a stool at her kitchen counter to watch him finish up their oddly timed breakfast.

The two chat idly through dinner, mostly speaking of the events of the last two nights. Making plans for their days off after the full moon's power fades tonight.

But as the pair digest, Le's cell phone begins to ring.

Le can't help but raise an eyebrow, seeing the name on the screen. With the sun shining brightly outside, she doubted that Nico was calling to grab a drink before work. Which is why her stomach drops before she even answers.

"What's up, N?" she asks.

The only response comes in the form of screaming. Of the sound of gurgling, of some kind of commotion. And Le's blood runs cold inside her veins.

"Le...?" Conrad asks nervously, seeing the horroified look on his partner's pale face. "Le? Is everything okay...?"

She's quiet for a long moment, until she can't take another second of the chaos on the other line. She ends the call with shaking hands as she sucks in a sharp breath.

"Something happened to Nico."

----

If they knew that Le had saved exact coordinates to their stoop, Nico surely would have ended her life themself. She had hoped to never need them.

Her heart races as she stares up at the heavy door, watching Conrad slams his shoulder against it to no avail. She chews at the skin of her bottom lip. Reinforced as the door is, they can hear the commotion on the other side of it.

"Let's try the back door, at least it won't attract as much attention," Le suggests urgently. Conrad nods in agreement, and the two race to the small alley between slender townhomes. The sound of breaking glass affirms her suggestion, and they both watch as a horrible, inky tendril rereats through the back door's small window, accompanied by an awful, inhuman shriek.

With the window broken, the enchantments break too. Conrad slams his full weight against the door, and in three tries it gives way, the entire frame splintering as he stumbles into the kitchen

and face to face with Hell itself.

What stands before them is not Nico Martin.

Rows upon rows of Charybdis' teeth. Tirroth's flailing tentacles. Strix's talons. Nico's red eyes, freckles and moles, out of place on the misshapen, inhuman face.

Before either of them can process the abomination before them, two of those black tentacles launch themselves in the direction of Le and Conrad. The two dive out of the way, Le somersaulting quickly back to her feet. She draws her gun, but her stomach drops.

This isn't just any Monstrosity.

This is her mentor. Her best friend.

She curses as another tentacle whips toward her. She fires a shot, and the appendage falls, writhing, to the floor. But then that terrible mouth opens wide, rows and rows of teeth rotating as a powerful wind threatens to pull Le in.

She curses, grabbing onto Nico's refrigerator. Conrad holds out a hand, a bright light shining from his palm that quickly extends into the form of a sword. But his attack is easily countered by the tentacles, seemingly unhindered by the loss of one.

"What do we do, Le?!! We-- We can't kill--"

Le grits her teeth. She manages to open the refrigerator door, shielding herself behind it while chucking whatever she can at the Monstrosity. The vacuum of wind ceases as a bottle of fish sauce strikes it right between Nico's cherry red eyes.

"We have to, Conrad," Le hisses, raising her service pistol again.

"There's no coming back from Monstrosity--"

But the fight draws on throughout the townhome. The abilities of the great demons Nico had contracted with prove to be a greater force than anything they'd fought this weekend. And despite her words, despite all her training, despite everything hounded into her over and over again, Le just can't aim for the head. Conrad hesitates even more. He uses bursts of holy light, spells meant to slow or stop the terrible creature.

Nothing seems to work. When the body is restrained, those tentacles still whip wildly. The great breath of Charybdis still tries to pull them in.

And hearing the sound of police sirens growing closer, Le realizes that this fight can't go on much longer.

She takes cover as those awful teeth begin to spin again, diving into Nico's room. But as she braces herself against the wall, she hears a familiar, horrible sound. The crunching and grinding of bones inside that awful maw. She's witnessed the powers of Nico's demons before, cheered as enemies devoured by that mouth.

But now, her stomach drops.

Her blood runs cold.

She doesn't want to look. She wants to believe she's wrong. Believe that sound could have been anything else.

It seems like a lifetime passes.

Then she hears loud footsteps on the wooden floor as the beast grows closer. Le's heart pounds in her ears. She only has one chance at this as she races to the other side of the room, hastily tying the ends of Nico's blackout curtains together, pushing up the window behind each as she does.

The Monster that was once her friend comes barreling into the large bedroom. And as they do, Le gives the curtains she holds a yank with all of her strength. As they give way, so do all the others they're tied to. And with the tinted windows pushed open, bright, unfiltered sunlight floods the room.

The Monstrosity shrieks, backpedaling against the burning light. Le raises her gun again, but she still just can't bring herself to aim between those cherry red eyes. Two shots fired, one to each of the Monsterous, clawed back legs, and she scrambles out of the room, slamming the door behind her as the horrible creature screams.

It won't keep her safe for long.

But before she can pull her thoughts together, before she can come up with some other creative solution, her eyes rest on the sight she'd dreaded most.

Conrad's body, or the lower half of him at least.

Mangled and discarded in a pool of dark red blood.

Le's legs give out.

So does her stomach.

She never cries. But now she wails loudly, kneeling helplessly beside the Partner she couldn't save. Listening to the distant shrieks of what's become of her best friend.

And suddenly she's a little girl again. Barely 16, staring into her brother's room as he tears the throat from a doctor who had only wanted to help. The cold, lifeless eyes of her grandfather lying nearby.

Le closes her eyes. She fists her bloody hands in her hair, grips her head in frustration as she begins to do somerhing she's never once done before.

She prays.

[nameless-brand]

((📑 if you'd have any desire to? :'D))

Meredith Crowley - creepy-crowleys

Meredith Crowley is an agent and archivist of the Illuminati in her world. It is unknown if this is the same Illuminati that is rumored to be in my own world or simply that they share the same name. As for references to Bees, it seems they are related to how she was empowered, but this is not fully confirmed.

First contact was when I suddenly started having multiverse Tunglr access after three years of buying the failed company. Crowley introduced herself as Lev's friend, and Lev confirms this. There is a respect there, which makes me assume that Crowley has strength in her own right, though scouring her blog has not yielded many demonstrations of it - may need to eventually deep-dive her archive later.

Background:

Crowley's world is hard to pinpoint in the supernatural versus mundane scale of things. Her description of her government's response to rogue vampires suggests that the higher-ups do know about the existence of supernatural beings, but the common populace does not.

It also appears that the supernatural factions are powerful enough that harm to the common people can be disregarded as the price of standard operating procedure. This view appears prevalent enough that it seems that Crowley has mostly accepted it, which does somewhat go against my read of her.

Probably a self-defense mechanism. A means to stay sane by focusing on fighting the evils she can reasonably deal with. Her world sounds like there's so many powers at work that actually chasing after every perceived evil in her world will just end badly for her - either through exhaustion or getting crushed.

Multiple factions are described, primarily from the Sargasso Sea Events that Crowley has chronicled in detail. There appears to be a Council of Venice which consists of three factions: Illuminati, Dragon, and Templars. And the Templars have an antagonist relationship with Crowley's faction. Scale of influence of the Council of Venice is unknown: is it based on region? country? world-wide?

Bees refer to a group of people including Crowley and also a separate entity at the same time. She references other factions collecting Bees as well through this particular ask. However, given Crowley's boast involving the unlikelihood they can send something to deal with her in reply to my reply, it's clear there's probably different degrees that "Bee" can empower a person - or they augment what's already there.

As mentioned earlier, Crowley's work involves both archiving and direct intervention. Per her discussion with Kaiba Seto, it is focused more on disaster management and occult terrorism, which would explain why she's dealing with some sort of hivemind algae-based entity now.

Will continue scouring for more background at another time. I forgot why I didn't continue past Seto's conversation the first time. Stupid stupid.

Description:

She has two writing styles. The first style is her more casual style when she talks to people she knows on Tunglr - a little bit on the amused dramatic side, like she's humoring you, but there is still genuine interest. Her second style is more of an expository style - I suppose that is the archivist in her speaking where everything turns more matter-of-fact and analysis.

Her humor is a combination of deadpan and general silliness that tends towards surreality. The humor tends to come out more when someone else presents a dark topic pertaining to her - similar to Lev's motto of "any near-death experience older than six months is fodder for jokes" - the deadpan is mostly deadpan simplicity / underreaction - this is referenced by her response to fuckingshutup's question with a: "Imprisoned cosmic horrors. Celestial body-sized, reality warping, etc" and her other response to the favorite meme question. She does use humor outside of awkward situations, so this is likely how her humor manifests as opposed to it being used only for deflection. It would likely be a bad cue to determine how anxious she is because of it.

Not sure her recent references to crabs are part of her humor or from dashwatching. The wider Tumblr's sale of "online crabs" are likely skewing observations.

The degree of power that she has is unclear. I was not able to naturally bring the conversation to that topic when I was asking Lev about her friends and whom I should contact - to let everyone know she's alive. It's probably lower than that of a deity's given her rather mundane concerns, but I am certain her power is far more than most people in her world - the fact she is able to establish a safe zone in a region that sounds like it would brain people suggests a high psychic resistance similar to Lev's Fourth Wall.

She has a foundation in some sort of magical science which revolve around something known as Anima - maybe an alternate name for Mana? The brief glimpses of conversation I saw from lastlycoris suggests that she has multiversal travel capabilities (reference to coords), which may be related to the manipulation of anima (as she claims to be able to use it to anchor a region to space).

The need to get groceries suggests mundane needs and that she still has relatively human? physiology. This includes human-level intelligence, though naturally at the higher end of it given profession and likely aptitude. She can have fits of pique, semi-regularly from the sound of it, though that can already be seen from her brand of humor.

The question to human? physiology is due to her apparent resistance to airborne toxins. Is she using equipment to filter the poison out? But I'd imagine she would've mentioned it in her discussion with fuckingshutup when that person wanted to come along to observe the crabs - using a reply like "I don't have another set of protective equipment unfortunately." I'm going to assume she has significantly higher physical resistance accompanying her mental one.

Miscellaneous:

She has Pokemon. I don't really know how to process this.

Unclear how the Orochi Group fits into all this, though it sounds like they're a source of many problems. It doesn't help they sound like a conglomerate, a powerful company, that is actively collecting people like Crowley. It is unknown what Samael? - a higher-up? in Orochi Group - is doing but that Crowley has some agreement with his ideals.

Considerations:

It is difficult to make considerations with so many unknown elements, but she is ultimately one of Lev's friends. Chi's too, I think. And maybe mine by proxy versus actual friendship? So the information gathering for considerations will naturally continue.

It is unclear how loyal she is to her faction. Does she stick around because of people potentially stronger than her or that Bees have a method of control (probably? not, given how I'd imagine she'd be more disgusted by them when being referenced as one but cannot discount)? Or does she genuinely believe in their cause? She mentions the pay is good, and the availability of lost knowledge would certainly appeal to any archivist.

There is a brief mention that the town and potentially whole island that Crowley lives on is owned by her employers too - also mentions of another Meredith (a second timeline?) and potential family. So this likely can be a means to control her too.

The whole timeline resetting is problematic. She however sounds like she has the capability to jump universes if she has to, so she hopefully won't be ended by it if it comes to that. However, last thing I remember from my timeline ending was the world effectively being < Stopped > due to the concept of Time being irrevocably damaged. I suspect the only reason why I could at least think through it despite the physical immobility is that beings that have hit the deity-level at least once are mentally unaffected by changes in timeline (that's my theory anyway, explains Lev's ability to retain her memories despite her "trip" with the Radiance). I do not have any countermeasures or solutions to deal with this effect physically though - Kris or Mirielle might though. In any case, I could broach this topic with Crowley once we're closer - she might already be aware of this and have a solution.

It also sounds like she has visited other universes too, so whatever a Bee is does not actively restrict her from universe hopping. Will need to ask what a Bee is in detail - if it can be used as a killswitch, that may be a problem for getting her to initially escape.

The World Boundary here might be helpful to resist such an effect, since a kill-switch would definitely count as something negative coming into the world - similar to Mads's anon magic involving obedience. I could potentially invite Crowley to have a room in the Inn when I finally figure out how to lower the Boundary enough so we can have a party with Lev and Chi and Mirielle and Sasha back - or sooner (it's actively resisting Mirielle's entry).

Hmm. I'm not entirely sure how much Crowley likes to fight though. If she's forced to live here, she'll probably lose access to many of her abilities given the World Boundary acting as a hard limit to supernatural powers. Will she be fulfilled living a mostly mundane life? Or will she be like Lev preparing for the next disaster?

At the very least, I should probably look into jobs involving museums and archeology to give her options for the potential future - if she decides this world is the best option. Does she particularly favor a certain country when it comes to history or does she like all things equally? Does she favor primarily mythology or anthropology? I have a feeling she may like more exotic locations also.

I guess future questions should revolve around that.

Negotiation Considerations:

I suspect high-society locations would be to my advantage. She seems far more of a boots on the ground type of person than an actual politico and policy-dictator type. It has to be the correct sort of fancy like modern fancy as opposed to more traditional / ethnic fanciness - the danger she might actually recognize the associated culture may give her more small talk options / references to use.

Appealing to her sense of the greater good may be effective. She is after all going after this deadly hivemind spewing airborne toxin.

Whether to use logical or emotional arguments... It is hard to determine. I want to say the emotional would appeal more to her than the logical, given how she'd prefer being an agent to a desk job. But she is also an archivist.

Bullying and intimidation tactics won't work. I am very sure that anything I say or do would be a drop in the ocean compared to the intimidating things Crowley has experienced.

Silence however will likely work. Especially if she makes a joke to ease the tension - to make her feel like she just caused a social faux pas. The above bullying and intimidation may not work, but making her a fish out of water - and that I am doing the best thing for everyone in the negotiation - will probably be the best approach.

Attacking aggressively from a position of higher negotiation power may end poorly unless I really have an absolute advantage. I have a feeling that doing so would cause her to dig in and become more defiant - I suspect there has to be a reason why Lev respects her so much.

[dreams-of-cerulean]

(( Because she’ll likely never voice it: 

Ohhh man. Lev really hates the thought that she had just sent Kris, one of her friends, to his potential death. It might’ve be temporary, but what if it wasn’t. What if Kris still insisted on helping, even with a portent of true death? And that thought is driving her crazy. She feels that Kris would still insist on helping, and she would blatantly refuse - it’d been difficult enough to get herself to summon him with just temporary death. And she feels like one of her few friends would hate her for preventing him from saving a whole bunch of people that he knew were going to get harmed. Even the hypothetical is distressing her immensely. 

And she also hates the fact she can’t even join him just to keep an eye out either because the point of Kris acting independently is to not draw attention on the Nameless Church. Because the other factions, after deciding they can’t kill Kris normally, would try to kill whoever is summoning him instead - and since extraplanar summoning has been made illegal on par with treason...

))