#Like hm… how far does that technology extend?

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

There’s a real paranormal attraction near me open at night!!! :D

…but everything is done in such a tourist-attracting way that the whole business appears to hinge upon sensationalized exploitation of the mentally ill >:(

[simowis]

My favourite two characters kept talking in my head, so I drew them. Sorry Crossovers, I couldn't resist.

translated by DeepL

Javik and Vegeta appeared in a room that said in large letters above the room, 'Chatting is allowed. Fighting is not. ' It was interesting that both could read the language.

Javik held out a hand and introduced himself in a voice with panelling, "Javik." It was the normal way of the prothean to deal with outsiders, it seemed that whatever intelligent race they were, they would grasp hands as a sign of friendship, and such contact would facilitate mind-reading. One of his eyes looked at the wall clock, as if the second hand of that clock would go whenever he spoke.

Vegeta looked the four-eyed alien across from him up and down, never mind, it Wasn't like he hadn't seen stranger ones before. He gripped the other man's hand tightly and suddenly smiled wickedly, " Would you mind, if I do an test." Javik found he couldn't pull his hand out, while Vegeta's palm began to glow with flashes of energy cannons!

Boom!

The two men stayed safe from each other. "It does seem violence doesn't work in this place." Vegeta shrugged and flew away. Javik's eyes widened as he watched his opponent blast all around the room.

He looked at his hand, "...so this is the Saiyan ...... is a race I don't want to meet on the battlefield."

When the Saiyans finally got tired of blasting back, the prothean pointed to the clock, "Let's Talk, and this clock will walk, maybe it's a timer counting down."

"Hmph, okay." Vegeta tightened his gloves, "Don't want to be carried away by the commands of this room though, say, what do you want to talk about?"

"Firstly, who are you?"

"Ha, indeed." Vegeta smiled, "The last of the world's, only three pureblooded Saiyan races left, I am the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta."

_____

"So this is the ...... scouter?"

Javik touched the scouter and examined himself through it with his four eyes, it showed a combat power of 728

"Hm... not a big number."

"That's because you're weak, haha!" Vegeta laughed evilly, "Put it on and watch me."

Javik used two fingers to hold the tool, watching Vegeta explode with energy, the number upward crazy soaring, a few thousand ...... to ten thousand ......

Vegeta shout, "It's not enough!" He suddenly transformed into a Super Saiyan and reached out with two fingers to pop one of the things that looked like a probe, the scouter instantly spiked to the point where the numbers couldn't be displayed and cracked.

"Ha, it's still possible to take out something that's spying on us." Vegeta looked back to see Javik glaring at the broken scouter.

"Looks like your race has very high bio-energy." He looked at Vegeta approvingly, "But your technological items are still too fragile."

Vegeta grunted contemptuously, "Not our technology. But it doesn't matter, power is everything to our race anyway."

Is this Saiyan race the Krogan type of being in their world... Javik thought, extending an invitation, "Then you might enjoy the challenge of our world."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, "Tell me about it?"

"The Challenge of Doom, there's a group called the Reapers who are killing everyone in the galaxy, how would you like to be a world hero for once?" For a moment Javik seemed to laugh, "On my world, I was considered a high combatant. No one else would have your level of biotic powers."

"Seems pretty harsh, I bet your world doesn't have things like Dragon Balls, does it?"

Javik blinks, "Actually, I've been meaning to ask that for a while now... does your world have a wish-granting machine called a Dragonball? Is your world... a fairy tale world?"

Vegeta spat, "I never thought my world was a fairy tale world until that Kakarot bastard showed up."

"I see. So want to come over and experience the real world where dead is real?"

"Hmph, consider it."

__________

Javik: "Powerful, cunning, and loyality, my people have such Avatars."

Vegeta: "In war, strength is far above cunning."

Javik: "Agreed, but when you are extremely vulnerable, you have to rely on cunning."

Vegeta, as if thinking of something very shameful, "Yes, in order to catch a break, one must even sometimes flatter the enemy."

Javik: "Our people do not push that way, is that your national custom?"

"Of course not!" Vegeta said through gritted teeth, "We are Saiyans, and we worship power! Only the most powerful can be leaders, and a dignified victory will gain the respect and obedience of the people."

Javik clasped his hands, sure enough, the Saiyans are the personality of the krogan combined with parts of the Turrian ...... a race which extremely offensive and undisguised, such a race was feared and exterminated by others anyway, it seems that the strength of the individual cannot determine the fate of the nation.

__________

"What about you?" Vegeta asked, turning his head. "You seem to know all about my side of things." "Me? Javik, prothean, recovered from a 50,000 year old stasis pod to find out it's time for another doom and gloom showdown with the Reapers." Javik replied instantly. "Hm...this wall is more than that." Vegeta thumped and kicked the wall, "It kept telling me about you while I was blasting the wall." Javik drew his gun and shot at the wall, it didn't change and he looked over at Vegeta. "Ha..! Maybe this room just wants a little 'information symmetry' between us?" Vegeta made an inverted comma with his finger, "To balance out that sensory touching ability you prothean have or something?"

Javik sighed, "What else did it say?" "Like you're the last living prothean in the whole race or something like that, Commander Javik." Vegeta shook his head, "I've thought about that sort of thing before." "So you figured it out?" All four eyes looked at the Saiyan. "The Saiyan-Earthling half-blood is stronger than the purebloods, and the continuation of our race won't be a problem. All I need to do is refine myself, and it turns out that God-given talents are far less important than self-effort." "So your world spontaneously solved the problem of racial continuity, a fairy tale indeed." Vegeta frowned, "Yeah, fairy tales, I don't dwell on that anymore," he looked over at Javik, "It sure is tough, in your world."

Javik touched his hand and mused, "It's tough, but thinking about that doesn't matter to me anymore either. Being a soldier is much easier than being a commander, and I only have one mission left to complete." Vegeta looked across the prothean with a locked brow, he knew exactly what this meant, he had been through it once before. Without a word, he simply removed his gloves and held out his hand, palm up. When Javik hesitantly took hold, he closed his eyes, remembering his battle with Freeza, his arrogance, his failure, his last words before he died. prothean read it, and he looked at Vegeta with half-open eyes. "In short, do your very best, and don't regret it until you're on your deathbed." Vegeta concluded, "Go for glory!" "Yes." The last prothean replied quiet but firmly.

[sincerely-krp]

・❥・

could someone explain in very simple terms what blockchain is / i can smell the misinfo abt this so pls listen to me folks! this is gonna be long asf, but it’s important. this is literally my major, my industry, i just drank my fourth cup of coffee, i got this. sincerely admins, pls post this submission without my tumblr acct attached to it! a) mewe has been on blockchain tech (look up project liberty) since 2022. this is nbd. what’s happening rn is

b) people can OPT-IN to frequency’s blockchain, which aims to put identity back into the users’ hands. what does this mean? how do i even know this isn’t a scam? so glad you asked! i’ll rewind, so we can start from the top. 

1) what is blockchain?

let’s start with what we can understand from the name and the vibes. we know it’s somewhat tech related, we know that we hear it all the time with the dreaded nfts (spooky), and we also know, that its name must mean something about it’s structure. block - chain. a chain of blocks. that’s an easy enough place to start, i think. 

2) so what is the chain, and what are the blocks that are making up this chain?

honestly i’ll make it super easy. this technology is primarily used in money matters. lets say you want to buy a cute keychain from a street vendor. you probably hand them cash or venmo them money in return for the keychain, right? that’s a transaction. either you’re both trusting each other to honor the transaction if this was cash, or you’re both inputing your information, and trusting venmo, this bank, to do the authorizing and verifying for you. 

since we’re talking tech, lets think about that second scenario a little more. we put so much sensitive information into this app (or paypal, zelle, whatever), and we trust that they won’t misuse the information that they now have of ours. we trust that they’re verifying the other person has enough money for the purchase, that they’re a real account, stuff like that. 

the key takeaway here is that we are putting this trust in others, not ourselves. 

3) okay but wtf does this have to do with the chain of blocks?

lets say you want to have the control over your own information. you don’t want to send money through a third party, like venmo, or through a bank, like zelle, or through apple/google/meta pay. essentially you want to be able to do all of this stuff without giving anyone highly sensitive material they might be storing in a database somewhere. but you want to make sure that the others that may also be doing this are still credible, even if this means you won’t know any information about them to be able to verify that. 

3) i’m lost. recap pls.

basically. we give all of our sensitive data to companies like google, meta, apple, venmo, paypal, banks, etc, because thus far they’re the ones that have the power to verify transactions. but we don’t like being slaves to these monopolies, so we want to move away from that behavior. 

4) how’s it possible to do that?

hm. well, maybe we use… a system. and this system will be open source, all about organizing data. no company will have it, rather, it will be self sufficient. we’ll come back to how we manage to build this, but let’s just talk about the product, the answer to our problem.

which is… blockchain.

the blocks are transactions, like ‘chihiro is going to pay yubaba 30 dollars.’

the chain is how we’re sticking them together. it’s the technology-equivalent to linking arms (called a reference, basically reaching to hold hands with the last transaction before extending the other towards the next one, which makes a little chain, connecting them all forever!), and lets the system organize all this data. like adding in items on a receipt, it’s just a very long receipt of each of your transactions

so if you make an account on one of these systems, you can send money to others. every transaction is a block, so there’s a complete history of everything. nothing can get lost, or manipulated by human hands. it’s like having red paint on your hands, it’ll smear and stain no matter where you put your hand. same concept.

but how is it going to be anonymous and secure?

when you make an account, it assigns you an ID. called a cryptokey (crypto from crypt, as in encrypt, as in encryption), it’s basically your fingerprints on this system. 

when you make a transaction, you can’t see anything inside of the blockchain, but heres what happens: every word you see gets rearranged into a code that no one can decode, and so not only do you have a complete and accurate history of records, no one can break into these fuckers and steal your identity or your life or your money. 

so, you send your transaction, your block is made. how do you know you’re not getting scammed? because the blockchain will only work with your unique keys, treated like a signature. there might be fifty chihiros and yubabas, but there’s only one of each with their individual keys.

before your block becomes accepted and recorded as such, as in, before your transaction goes through, it gets verified; this is where it does the checking that these big companies do, by itself. but the whole point is to not give our info. so we need to somehow... translate our money into a medium it can understand. this is what cryptocurrency is. you make 30 dollars into however many cryptocoins it equals, and you send it to the other side. 

okay, so blockchain is a way to send and receive money safely without needing to sell my soul to capitalism, cool. how does the system manage to work??

blockchain software gets downloaded to your computer and keeps updating, every time anyone in the world uses it. so the system is on everyone’s technology, not kept in one dark safe. if someone’s system dies they don’t lose anything because it’s all in everyone’s stuff, this record and this data. 

as for mewe, this technology is used in different ways; to speed up paperwork/automize forms, to rework archives of company setups, etc. 

i have my reservations and critiques for blockchain here because it’s so new, and my next words don’t mean i’m 100% in or anything because i haven’t thought about it much, but… i think it’s really fucking cool. hear me out!

frequency blockchain says it wants to use the cryptokey technology to give us social identities, this would mean one identity across multiple platforms that collaborate with it, and instead of having different friends on each social media, our social identities would be friends with one another. 

before you think it sounds insane: consider this, we already do it. we let apple sign us in on various social media accounts, or we use our google accounts to set up any number of accounts on different websites. with meta, instagram and threads and facebook all work through one single account. it’s basically like what we already know, the notifs that say 'add your contacts’ in new social media apps because your contacts are tied to your device, not the accounts on it. 

i’m tired so i’ll stop here, but i am super duper open for questions. credible sources (relatively): medium, anything with a .org should be okay too. 

[kittymsmithwritesstuff]

Theory Following the Bangalore/Wraith lore video.

Video Link: https://twitter.com/PlayApex/status/1378037453894848515?s=20

Note: 

* means additional info at bottom

Also, sorry if I repeat myself a couple times. Anywhoodle.

I am fucking LIVING for the Bangalore and Wraith interaction. This presents so many questions, and I find it fucking hilarious that Crypto is like, “yeah can y’all get a handle on yourselves?”

Also really nice to hear Wraith talk for an extended period of time, you really get an impression on just how “mellow” she is. The lorebook was fantastic on giving her a voice but hearing how she might actually say the words is interesting. 

ANYWAY HERE’S A THEORY

-Bangalore possibly knows something about Wraith that she’s not saying. Wraith, until this moment, seemed to be completely unaware of this. The question here is: what does she know, and why isn’t she telling her?

What she might know: So this requires having read the lorebook, so spoilers ahead as I drop some background.

Background

Bangalore is shown in the book to have some conflictions on her perspective of the IMC; more specifically, she has separated the individuals within it from the overall company for a number of reasons that are better explained in book. But what you need to know is that her eldest brother, Zeke, was killed in the Typhon explosion, alongside millions of other people. Typhon was a planet full of unarmed research and development scientists and civilians. This combined with her brother’s death made Bangalore hate the Militia more than she ever had. The final battle at Gridiron happened soon after, but Bangalore missed it because she was taken to her ship she had just been assigned to, the HMS Hestia, by her brother Jackson. He showed her a strange piece of tech and then everyone on the ship used it to escape, though Bangalore wanted to fight. The tech let them make a 20 year trip to the Outlands in 1 year (in cryo-sleep). It was then useless.

Jackson later told her the truth that is the origin of her conflictions and eventual separation of IMC individuals from the company overall. Her brother got insider info from a doctor who survived the explosion and had worked on the project with the strange technology. He revealed that the ARES division was torturing and doing horrific experiments on human beings, with one of their main projects concerning the strange tech (side note: I believe it is actually called an Ark but I’m too lazy to look it up), which they intended to turn into a massive weapon that could wipe out all IMC competition. In Bangalore’s words, “the Militia killed millions…to save billions.”

This is for everyone to read: Bangalore’s hatred for the Militia tempered some and shifted to the ARES division and General Marder, who was behind the giant weapon. She tends to avoid thinking about it too much. She maintains that the IMC was not completely evil, and it is the opinion of the author of this post that she is correct and there was bad on both sides, but this is another post. Other context clues indicate that Bangalore may, overall, avoid conflict when she cannot be sure of the correct choice.

So What She Might Actually Know

At the very least, she knows Wraith was previously part of ARES division. She might even know what part she was involved with before Project: Wraith, which could very well be part of the weapon of mass destruction. For Bangalore, this would be enough to hold a grudge. If she somehow got additional information – say from any possible database on the Hestia, or any other former IMC hotspots in the Outlands that she might have located-then she might have additional reason to hate or dislike Wraith. She specifically mentions that she especially doesn’t want Wraith saying Jackson’s name, which could indicate that she figured out Wraith had some special role in whatever hit the Hestia and caused Jackson’s (presumable) demise, since he’s been gone over a decade by Bangalore’s account, though that’s a far reach.

Baseline: She knows about Wraith’s connection to ARES, and possibly knows more about what Wraith did while working under ARES, something that may or may not connect to Jackson. Additionally, her resentment on Wraith specifically speaking Jackson’s name could simply root in the death of her other brother, Zeke.

Why she might not be teling her: It is possible Bangalore knows what kind of person Wraith was.* More specifically, she might know what she’s done. Why might she not tell her? There’s a few reasons, probably, but the main reason I can think of, almost in summary, is this: She doesn’t want to be the one to tell Wraith the horrible things she might have done, or did do.**

Wraith is shown in the Season 6 comic and in her Employee Intake form in the lorebook to have had trouble with empathy and aggression, her intake form containing a hard-to-read warning that advises keeping an eye on her because of possible conflict. Wraith knows some about this, but Bangalore may have the whole kit and kaboodle, or at least more than Wraith.  She is noted to dislike Wraith, specifically mentioning that she doesn’t like that she volunteered for the experiment that ruined her, but from the video we know they are at least civil, if not “acquaintances” due to the info Wraith has about Bangalore’s brother, though she could have gotten this from outside sources. It’s also possible this civility is a result of Bangalore doing her best to not take out her resentment on someone who has no way of knowing what they did wrong. This could be considered part of the long term effectsof her gradual character change and improvement that first changed significantly when she began her friendship with Loba.

Summary/TLDR: Bangalore probably dislikes Wraith both because she disagrees with her choice to volunteer for the Project: Wraith experiment, and definitively because of her previous ARES association. She might also dislike her for whatever actions she took during her time with ARES, which she may know about due to her IMC connections/previous access to IMC databases. She is trying to avoid acting on this knowledge because she doesn’t want to blame Wraith for something she doesn’t even remember and has no way of knowing she did. She is withholding information from Wraith because she does not want to be the one to inform her of the possibly horrific things she did under ARES, both out of sympathy and possibly because she simply doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to deal with it.

*in this case we assume fully that our Wraith is similar enough to the Wraith she traded places with that their actions are mirrored in each other’s respective dimensions. This might also contribute to why Wraith can’t just pop into another dimension and figure out what happened-only her and the other Wraith we saw in the Outlands video are similar enough, and she can’t see into the past in either dimension.

**I did entertain the possibility that she was retaining info for her own use, manipulation, or to be a flat fucking bitch, but in all honestly Bangalore’s character just doesn’t fit that. She’s not a horrible person; she’s a strict, sad, frustrated one, but if she found something about Wraith that would be to Wraith’s benefit, I highly, highly doubt she would withhold it, as that crosses the line from bitch to cruel.

[marvelmadam08]

Baby Blue 9/?

Summary: Alex takes Ace out for the first time.

Warnings: None

A/N: You ever get some news and it doesn’t fully hit you until later on, and then it weighs like a ton of bricks when it does? Yeah me neither. Enjoy!! (The next chapter will be longer, I promise)

~~~~~~

5 Weeks (and 1 Day) Old

 Alex peaked under the thin burp cloth she had draped over the Ace, strapped against her chest in the carrier, still asleep for the time being, and she happily sighed. So far his first day out was a successful one, Alex was glad in the fact that they finally got some fresh air at the park (same with Dodger). And he slept through most of the ride to the grocery store.

"What do you think Ace? Do you want Huggies or Luv's?" She jokingly asked him "Personally I think you should start potty training if you're gonna go through diapers like this. Hm- wonder if you'd could put that on resumes." She switched over to a baby voice "Say 'I was potty trained before I could even roll over. And didn't pee on Mommy ever again.' The end."

A low chuckle caught Alex by surprise. A guy, currently holding on to a set of baby onesies, stood not too far from Alex; unintentionally listening to her talk to herself.

"Sorry."

"No worries, my sister does the same thing with her kids." He smiled before adding "And she likes using the Honest diaper brand."

Alex scanned the selection for the brand in question, seeing them at the top of the shelf, just out of her reach. The guy followed her gaze and came over to help, easily reaching overhead to grab the bulk size pack.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Oh a baby." A new, older voice, squealed.

Alex barely had time to react before the fabric she had covering Ace was pulled back, the light in the store and sudden cool air waking him. The strange lady made faces at him, trying to gain his attention.

"Hello there cutie. What's your name?"

"Leave me alone." Alex turned away from the woman, securing the cloth back over her fussy son

"I was only trying to give him some air. You could suffocate him under that thing." She states in a nasally voice, Alex made a mental note to check Ace for early signs of a cold once she got the chance

"He's fine. Don't touch my son." Alex took a step back

The lady looked to the guy, still holding on to the diapers. "Tell your wife that I was only trying to help."

"She's not my wife." He quickly corrected "And she has every right to keep strange, know-it-alls like you away from her child."

"I've raised children of my own-"

"Good, go bother them and leave mine alone." Alex snapped

The lady scoffed before trotting back the way she came.

"Some people." The guy shook his head, gently setting the diapers down in Alex’s cart "If I had a dime for every time someone came and bothered me and one of my kids."

Alex nearly cheered, having found another adult to talk to, who was also a parent, made her feel like her vocabulary wouldn’t become nursery rhymes and random baby noises.

"Aw, how many do you have?"

He paused to think "The last one would make fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Alex started doing the math in her head, the guy couldn't have been much older than she was. If anything he appeared to be a few years younger.

��Oh- sorry- let me explain. I'm actually a nanny- or manny as alot of people like to call it." He extended his hand "Malik Bates."

"Alex Evans." She gratefully shook his hand "Nice to meet you. Now do you watch all these kids at the same time, if you do then you must have incredible patience.”

Malik chuckled “No, I’m only part-time. Mostly the families that hire me only keep me until the kids turn a certain age or if they relocate.”

“Oh, I see. I’m only asking because- well I haven’t gotten out much lately.” she shrugged, and rubbed Ace’s back “This little guy takes up most of my time now.”

“First one?”

“Yeah, is it that obvious?”

“Just a little.”

Ace let out a small grunt, one that Alex was familiar with. “Okay, time to go. Again, it’s was nice meeting you.”

“Same to you.” he waved

Ace gurgled, Alex quickly reverted back to her baby voice.

“Yeah Mommy made a friend. Now let’s go buy new diapers and change that stinky one.”

***

Chris paced up and down the length of the seats right outside his boarding gate, trying Alex’s cell again and only getting the voicemail.

While he didn't like everything about the rapid development in technology, Chris was a least thankful for video calls. Being stuck in Mexico turned his two day trip to L.A. into a two hour virtual meeting. Meaning once he got on the plane, he'd be heading home. He missed his family to the point where going another day without physically being able to hold his son and kiss his wife (even while they were arguing) made him unbearable to be around.

“Hey Al, it’s me again. I don’t know if you let your phone die or-” He glanced at his watch, cringing slightly when he realized it would be around one in the morning in Boston right now. And just after five when he would get back home. “maybe you’re just asleep, but the storm passed and I’m about to get on the airplane now, so I should be home soon. I love you I’ll see you when I get home.” 

[persimmononroll]

Jodie slinks into wherever she goes when she’s not Here and then meanders into the old wizard’s kitchen. She’s not sure if he’s actually a wizard but if an old vampire who commits crimes against nature for fun says he is, who is she to argue?

He’s measuring the walls again. One of the little cats, one that’s dangerously close to being educated, holds down the end of the measuring tape while Neht scribbles measurements into a notebook, not paying any attention to her arrival whatsoever because she’s uncommonly quiet and he’s wearing headphones and probably listening to ABBA. When the days start getting shorter and night falls earlier, sometimes the walls start shrinking little by little unless he takes care to adjust his perceptions. She thinks he probably wouldn’t have this issue if he just installed some electric lights instead of relying on old-fashioned methods because candlelight makes the room seem smaller, but while he’ll concede to the usefulness of fridges and computers, his willingness to try out new technology only extends so far. It’s not like she can’t see in the dark, so the dimness at night doesn’t bother her, but she thinks Neht makes things more complicated than they need to be.

Vampires, you see, are stupid.

Jodie’s very good and helpful, so she pours all of the groceries into a pile on the middle of the table for him to deal with and then plays with an empty bag for awhile until she remembers that she’s a grown person and grown persons probably don’t play with bags. Neht doesn’t notice her. He pats the little cat’s head and starts work on the next wall. It’s not that she’s jealous of the cats because they’re only dumb little creatures who don’t know anything at all, not even how to read, but she likes it when things are about her and doesn’t like it when things aren’t about her. He takes measurements for a bit. She gets tired of standing by the table so she perches on the counter that she’s not supposed to sit on because counters are for food and not for people. The little cat nudges against his hand. Jodie decides that the logical course of action is to knock a tin cup off the counter as hard as she can.

“Goodness, dear. We mustn’t do that, please,” he says with a sigh as he removes his headphones. The cat stares at her with wide, unblinking eyes and she stares right back because it’s really important to let these little dummies know their place in the household. “Oh no, please don’t sit on that, it’s terribly unhygienic. I thought you were gathering information in the Midwest, weren’t you?”

She doesn’t need to say that she’s not going to get down because both of them know exactly what she’s going to do. She has to be bribed first. Neht makes token protests but there’s nothing on Earth that’s going to stop her from doing exactly what she wants when she wants.

“Yep! I made a notebook! I’m bored though, so I thought I would get you groceries because I’m a really nice and a good person and you forget to eat. No blood though. I didn’t want the grocer think I was a vampire or anything. You guys are gross and stink,” she says, gesturing to the mess on the table. “Praise me.”

Neht stands up and makes his way over. He looks the same as ever but he’s been a bit slower these days, probably because he’s filled with gunk.

“What’s all this, hm? Let’s see: octopus balls, anchovies, milk, here’s a can of sardines, pie crust, there’s a can of crab-meat, my goodness, is that an entire eel? And nothing I eat. I suspect ulterior motives.”

Jodie shrugs.

“I got you a bottle of simple syrup. You eat that, don’t you? I’m really nice and good getting you simple syrup, so you should make me seafood pie. With sausage, just for me! Pie for me. Pie, please.”

“Mm, I can’t possibly imagine that flavor profile. If I must, I suppose,” he says because he has chronic problems telling her no because she’s perfect and a baby. Of course he can’t imagine it; he can’t even taste it.

“...The last I heard, you didn’t have a job. How, pray tell, did you pay for this?”

“I stole money!” she says proudly because she’s very smart and resourceful.

“Jodie, no.”

“I mean, it was your money. I’m allowed.”

She’s not, actually, but he doesn’t really make much of a mess when she takes it because it’s not like he uses it for much of anything and he is responsible for her existence. The electricity and gas in the cottage are technically stolen. He grows much of the fruit he eats and doesn’t spend much on clothing, not when he has such a hoard. He buys cat food, pie material, craft supplies, and blood. Sometimes he buys books.

"We’re going to have a discussion about that, you little rat, even though I scarcely think you’ll listen. Now, did you hear anything interesting?”

“Sure, loads of things. I mean, it’s boring but you care about it. Say, have there always been so many vaporvolphs in Maroa? I sniffed so many of them. They stink like burned sugar, bleh. Actually, I sniffed a lot of new sniffs on people. More aliens touching down, right?”

“Please don’t be unkind to the volphs, Jodie, or else they’ll gobble you up and they won’t be sorry for it one bit. And please do get off my counter, you menace. You’re going to pick that cup up or I won’t make you anything at all,” Neht says, shooing her away because he hates her and doesn't want her to be happy.

She grumbles but does get off the counter because she is hungry and doesn’t want to eat what’s simmering on the stove. It’s not that she won’t eat blood because she is a consummate carnivore but he’s doing that thing where he simmers fruit with blood and plants are gross most of the time.

“You’re no fun,” she says, sticking out her tongue. He sticks his out right back. “Oh, your wife, the one with the garden, asked me to give you your mail. I put it in my backpack.”

”Thank you,” he says. “You’re an utter little demon but I appreciate it. If you’re bored, I did receive word of something very interesting going on in the west.”

The pie’s good, even if Neht doesn’t appreciate a good bit of fish the same way she does. She gobbles down piece after piece because she’s always been a greedy piglet and falls asleep in front of the fire like in old times. In the morning, she slips into Nowhere again and sneaks off to California for awhile until she gets bored again.

[shapeshifting-wildcard]

Jou had heard about Mitsuru Kirijo a few times before. Thinking back, he'd heard Kanji and his friends mention her off and on a few times over the years. He'd never really paid it much mind, especially since they took pains not to mention her too much around him. Only now did he realize why, given all the secrecy that surrounded their shared powers.

He wasn't really sure what he had expected upon meeting her. Somehow, she both met and exceeded his expectations at the same time. She was a relatively tall woman, easily about his height even without the heels. She had long red hair that fell over one eye, immaculately styled in a way that clearly indicated she had a lot of money (and free time). She had on a white off-the-shoulder short-sleeved blouse, high waisted beige pants, and black stiletto-heeled boots. Her expression looked stern, her gaze seeming to pierce through whoever it landed on. She had an intimidating, commanding aura about her. Despite her relatively casual attire, she very much came across as The One In Charge.

Next to her stood a shorter young woman, one with short blonde hair and seemingly sporting some fancy headphones. She had on a business suit, complete with long sleeves and long pants. At the back of his mind Athena whispered, that's me.

The third young woman was the shortest of the three, standing at about the same height as Futaba. She had long teal hair, pulled into a fancy little french braid, the tail of which she was distractedly toying with as they arrived. She sported a pretty sea-green sundress, and had a darker green messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She was the one who greeted them, offering them a friendly wave as they approached.

"Hello! You must be the Phantom Thieves." She smiled at the assembled group. "I'm Fuuka Yamagishi. This is Aigis, and this is Mitsuru Kirijo. It's nice to meet you all."

The Thieves went around and introduced themselves, including their newest member Zenkichi. "So, what's the situation here?"

Mitsuru stood up straighter, making her presence that much more intimidating. "I'll start from the beginning. Some weeks ago, I attended a conference involving one Akira Konoe. Afterwards, he gave me a business card with his EMMA keyword on it. Upon entering it, I was transported into what I am told is known as a 'Jail.'"

"Wait, hang on a sec," Ryuji interjected. "Was it just you?"

Mitsuru paused and blinked. "Yes, it was. I happened to be alone at the time." "How did you get out of there, then? When it was me, Jou, and Mona we needed Sophia's help to get back out."

"I'll admit, it did take some doing," Mitsuru said. "But my Persona has some limited navigational capabilities. Plus, I'm used to undertaking missions on my own. I did have to rely on my Persona far more than I was comfortable with, but I did find my way to safety eventually."

"Dude!" Ryuji sounded impressed.

"Wow, so this is what a really experienced Persona user is like," Ann commented.

"Please continue, Kirijo-san," Naoto said.

"The moment I returned, I set about organizing a unit of Shadow Operatives to help investigate. Unfortunately, neither of our primary navigators were available at first."

"You have two navigators?" Futaba piped up, face lighting up.

"Yep!" Fuuka chimed in. "Me and Rise-chan."

Futaba's eyes practically sparkled.

"So, at first, I was the default navigator for our small team. We attempted to find a safe area to set up as a base, but were ultimately unable to find a suitable one. The Jail's defenses are too high. Thankfully, Fuuka managed to free up some time to help scout the area out."

"My power is able to extend across realities," Fuuka explained. "So I can safely navigate from outside the Jail."

"Wait, hang on," Futaba said, "outside the Jail? Does that mean you can summon a Persona in the real world?"

"Mm-hm!" Fuuka replied with a grin.

"That's possible?" Zenkichi exclaimed.

"Yes, though it's fairly difficult," Mitsuru said. "Fuuka is one of only a handful of people I know of that can pull it off. It's truly a testament to her skill."

Mitsuru's expression softened to a proud smile as she glanced over to Fuuka, who blushed and fiddled with her braid again.

"W-Well, it's not too far off from when we operated during the Dark Hour," Fuuka stammered.

"It's still impressive," Mitsuru gently insisted.

"What do you mean it's not that different?" Haru piped up.

"Oh," Fuuka stood a little straighter. "I mean, the Dark Hour felt... a little closer to the real world than the TV World and... um, Metaverse? Is that the right term?"

"That's right, yes," Haru said. "But... I'm still not quite sure what you mean?"

"The Dark Hour was like warping time and space in the real world," Aigis said. "While the TV World and Metaverse feel closer to separate worlds."

Jou recalled Kotone mentioning how the Dark Hour felt "different" from the Metaverse, but she'd never really elaborated. Warping time and space, though... that sure was a thing, huh.

"The Dark Hour can occur in any place, but only at a specific time," Aigis continued. "While the other two appear to be much more localized phenomena, from what you've told us."

"Yeah, we've only seen a few Jails pop up in specific places," Morgana chimed in. "And most Palaces only covered a fairly small area."

Fuuka and Mitsuru both blinked in surprise, attention turning to Morgana.

"...Did I hear that right?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah, it turns out that the cat can talk," Zenkichi said.

"Oh, so the rest of you can understand them," Aigis remarked.

"Huh," Mitsuru said, still staring at Morgana. She shook her head and returned to business as usual fairly quickly, however. "Anyway, I believe we still need to let you know what the keyword is, correct?"

"Right," Makoto said. "If you would?"

"It's 'Zephyrman.'"

There was a pause.

"Zephyrman?" Makoto repeated.

"Isn't that a really obscure super sentai-style show?" Futaba remarked. "Konoe must really like superheroes or something."

"Considering the way these keywords have worked out, I assume his Jail is going to have some sort of connection," Goro said.

"Oh yeah, that's a good point," Ann said. "What does the Jail actually look like? I mean, what kind of 'theme' does it have?"

"Mm, it's kind of... science fiction," Fuuka said, sounding a bit less than thrilled.

"Not a fan of sci-fi?" Futaba asked.

Fuuka shook her head rapidly. "Oh no, I love sci-fi! Just... this isn't the kind I'm fond of."

"Too hard or too soft?"

"Soft." Fuuka grimaced. "It's like something out of a futuristic dystopia movie. Bright neon lights everywhere, flying cars..."

"That sounds cool, though," Ryuji said.

Fuuka laughed. "I suppose to some people it would be. I just prefer something more realistic. You know, like technology that shows a lot of understanding of what people knew at the time, but expands upon it to create something that didn't exist. Or technological advancements that might actually happen in a few years!"

"Like a killer AI taking over the world?" Futaba commented.

Fuuka grimaced and glanced towards her bag. "...I think that's maybe a little too close to home."

"Actually, that reminds me." Zenkichi turned to Mitsuru. "Kirijo-san, why were you meeting with Konoe in the first place?"

"I was interested in his AI research, actually," Mitsuru said. "My company... dabbled in that back in the day, and I was interested in seeing what his company had to offer."

"Huh, I didn't know the Kirijo Group had done anything with AI," Zenkichi remarked.

"Like I said, it was a long time ago," Mitsuru said with a shrug. "And unfortunately, most of our research was lost in an accident almost twenty years ago. I haven't seen much of a reason to go back to it since."

Before anyone had a chance to press the issue further, a few growls issued from several people's stomachs. Jou suddenly recalled that he hadn't had a proper meal since they'd fled the hotel a few days ago. Mitsuru blinked at the teens, before letting out a soft chuckle.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation over lunch. I'm more than willing to cover everyone's meals, so feel free to get whatever you want."

The teens broke out into a spirited discussion of where to go for lunch, excitedly discussing all the possibilities available to them in Osaka.

[nobody-knose--archive]

so guess who bought complete demos today on a whim

yeah i wasn’t expecting this one to be over as quickly as it was either. have your liveblog

-complete demos. i bought it today & already forgot the tracklist. listening to it on the mp3 player i got for hmcrmshcidshdamsth because why not. makes pausing/typing easier that's why

-who the heck just coughed

-good lord the mixing is. and boy that's steve drumming isn't it. wow

-i mean we've got the stereo panning just like ever but this is incredibly rough. they are true babies aren't they

-oh those flutes are amazing what the hell. can people stop yelling in my individual ears

-and there's the rough megaphone. it's so incredibly clear that these aren't studio recordings but like. still tally hall!

-i think i'm finding many of these a little too funny but gotdam you're pitchbending your own voice do you really expect that to not sound so goofy at such a high pitch

-oh we're not slowing down at all, this is the same tempo as before for sure

-the flipping around audio channels is very not good at all when it comes to disguising the cuts between takes

-a sculptor you say? (is that one in the later versions? i don't remember it at all)

-nothing but rob's voices in the background and maybe 1 or two from red. no ross bits whatsoever. that's wild

-quick move into the greener intro and even quicker movement into greener itself

-well those are extra harmonies. interesting that they removed them for later versions because they're not bad, maybe a little out of place though

-honestly the biggest difference in steve vs ross drumming seems to be more a difference in the quality of the drums themselves. or the recording software but that applies to everything in this album

-it's painfully obvious that everything was recorded in really different circumstances & not mixed professionally and yep. complete demos alright. not inaccurately named in the slightest

-reminds me of the beta versions of g&e songs we heard live before they appeared on the album, makes me wonder if we could've gotten an admittedly complete demos for g&e somehow

-anyway these little different synths-

-hello there rob. alternate bridge. i have remembered this is a thing. something about tissues? a shoulder to cry on? cool

-yeah the little different synths do capture my attention from time to time

-and a basic piano for the outro? huh. sure gives it a different tone alright

-hm? who's that right at the end there- ooh! wtth time! and this still has steve in it doesn't it?

-generally more enthusiasm when it comes to that T, wonder what lost him attention in later years

-boy is that beatboxing weirdly mixed.

-lawn

-well this chorus is actually rather snazzy. the vocals seem better mixed than anything else i've heard in this album

-"who's to blame?" that's like the 4th time now i've heard someone's random voice that i can't recognize. ...it couldn't be steve, could it? i am now aware i have absolutely no clue what his voice sounds like but that seems like it could fit. hm

-zubin sounds really unenthusiastic here. just faintly unenthusiastic all over the place. still sounds more like "badiggle" than anything else

-oh shit they're falling down a well

-red's bit is hella unchanged other than the direct invasion of my individual ears & extra megaphone useage (i really wish the megaphone became more of a tally icon than it did but that's neither here nor there)

-it's rather more barebones though. less andrew keys in general. the calliope-reminiscent synth he uses is different i suppose.

-they did more stuff with funny crowd voices i think i've noticed. playing around with falsetto, as a college band dude might do

-ok yeah steve is a worse drummer. don't ask me what made me change my mind but i did

-wow a crowd that can consistently clap on the 1-2-3-4? how utterly unrealistic

-no wonky wild & weird intro to taken for a ride because i don't think it's on this album. understandable, i can't imagine what sort of wild hell the vocoder would be if it was attempted this early in its lifespan

-1st 2 piano chords of just apathy has me thinking of i know your name (deporitaz ver.) which is certainly as good a start to a song as any

-extended piano intro has me thinking of the ending of mold en mono but nope here's rob's voice to completely knock that impression out of the water

-ohoho? rob cantor swearing momence? i hadn't realized there'd be this many lyric changes

-interestingly enough this track doesn't seem horrendously mixed so far- nevermind that guitar/piano together is way too loud

-the guitar itself does have a pretty cool unique sound. obviously they hadn't had any access to string instruments at this point so given that those're the main thing separating this song from your average sade rock ballad there aren't a whole lot of notable differences here other than said guitar

-very different tone to this lil bridge. faintly reminiscent of weezer but it's not like i know anything about weezer

-sounds like the same synth from wtth being used in the bg there. what, did they have just that limited a selection so as to need repetition that frequently, or did they really like how it sounds? hard to tell with 200 (uhhhh) 4 college band dudes

-and right into two wuv. yes i had heard there's no haiku in this one but i forget what else will be missing. not sure if anything else will other than hidden in the sand. they would have ruler of everything, right? and a track that appears here but not any other albums? something like that i think

-more of that piano in the bg and more of mildly unenthusiastic zubin singing. different melody for said singing but it's not much of a secret that these guys were more untrained vocalists at this time

- .subsides?

-this chorus sounds significantly more laid-back than the later version

-the extra piano part sure moves this piece way further away from "rock love song" & way closer to "andrew horowitz song", especially that lil flourish where a bee buzzing might otherwise be

-ooh! andrew! he speaks! so does zubin! this song's two olsen boys coming in for a weird bridge bit! hell yeah oh this is adorable

-"because there's 2 of them :}"

-hm. are they actually just removing various parts because they don't have the technological capabilities to do a straight fadeout here? got dam

-i suppose letting zubin do a final solo-ish cadence works too

-uh- say it ain't so‽ w. no this is stationary love, the song that appeared here & nowhere else. cool, cool. strange but cool i guess

-i guess that can explain the multitude of weezer comparisons made for these lads. it's certainly there. honestly andrew was the only thing keeping them from being true weezer successors

-pure acoustic guitar thus far. this is my first time hearing this song of course & it seems like a pretty typical rob "homophonic heterophobic" cantor song

-nothing but acoustic guitar. nothing but rob vocals. nothing but alloromanticism. guess what! it's not my cup of tea! however i can't help but think if this song was worked on more, fixed up a la either mmmm release, with some more andrew/red touches, i could enjoy it some more

-not even any drumming. the simplicity could easily explain why it wasn't played live very often at all

-so the next thing i expect is some very funky & very weird spring and a storm which should highlight steve's (worse) drumming more than anything else i'm sure

-nevermind banana man's just getting slapped directly in here out of order compared to the later mmmm releases. this version i have indeed heard before because it's the version used in the music video

-therefore i have very little to say about it i haven't said on any of the other banana men. or other tracks on this album. the intrusions of vocal harmonies seem jarring because they're not mixed professionally, an effect that's only enhanced by the stereo panning & intense reverb

-this song really didn't change all that much over its lifespan, did it? vocal flairs were redone, but relatively few harmonies were added/removed, i don't think things like the bridge(s) were modified severely. not as noticeably as any of the other songs, at the very least

-i'm pretty sure i can hear andrew's voice in there but beyond that this is severely unsettling

-back to the chorus wahoo. relievingly  familiar territory

-get out of my left ear hawaiian guitar- wait a minute are my earbuds on wrong

-no i'm good

-oh holy shit i forgot this had to be somewhere didn't it‽ i know it's just the same! ok ok

-i've heard this one but only because i had no idea it was from complete demos, it's like rather polished too so i had never considered it would be on an unpolished album like this. i also had no idea that was goddam steve drumming in there too hot damn

-and this is the only recording of it‽ that's wild i always thought it was redone at some point & just kinda. manifested in one of the vague ways miscellaneous high quality tally hall songs do

-it's another romance one but the guitar arpeggios and extra layers give it a pass in my book. man i should watch the music video for it shouldn't i

-i still think it's utterly wild how tally hall played this at an actual high school's homecoming once. wouldn't that just blow your mind

-there's not a major difference between how it's performed here & what i've heard of it in from the occasional live performance, which is making me realize i should watch more live performances of this song

-angstier prequel to hidden in the sand

-or sidequel maybe. depends really. we can tell whatever stories we like

-did my hidden in the sand sotry come out of the queue yet? i feel like i queued it a while ago but also like y'all would've said something if you'd seen it

-bit slow paced innit. much like everything else in this album, it would have gained much from a professional studio treatment, but its mixing & general quality is still surely the best out of everything i've heard so far

-working your falsetto there aren't you my dude? ooh boy

-ruler of everything.... so no spring & a storm? >{

-yeah. ok. weird glockenspiel. almost sounds like a music box

-no vocoding either! i just realized that's a thing here! curious. and... those are some heavily wonky sfx in the background

-who's singing those aaaaas anyway? it's not a chorus which i thought could surely be handled and there's really minimal reverb too; strange considering not only is reverb a jh trademark but easily doable here

-the piano synth used is mostly identical to the 05 mmmm- oh holy shit there's different lyrics & they're being beamed directly into my skull

-even more nonsensical & it's because you can hear them hella easily too. that backwards segment did not need to go on as long as it did. also

-so no zubin vocals? >{

-slapping 5 billion vocal effects on doesn't make up for a lack of the best singer in this damn band

-especially because he sounds reminiscent of goddam fred. being fred before fred was even a thing. oh how accursed

-quiet down your guitars when you're singing shouting through a megaphone if you please

-and there's the earstrain-ass reverb + vocoding on the flibbity jibber jabber reprise. i feared as much would happen. doesn't sound horrible i just need to turn down the volume on my mp3 player

-honestly thing whole thing isn't bad at all in the sense that it's mostly just strongly different from the later versions & lacks zubin

-lease stop yelling though my dude schwiggling your voice like that isn't always a good thing at high volumes

-is that the end? are we.... at the end? i heard that's the name of some song from like sketches or something

-no. how silly of me to assume as much. anyway my dude needs to fix up his ukulele this one sounds like shit

-no vocal effects makes me realize how few times we got this one live-

-now what would you call a wonky little transition like that? puts a smile on my face, even if it does take me by surprise at the same time

-but at least one of the times this was done live featured casey shea

-now for the love of god i already hate the ending of something glowing (view-monster) for its weird-ass asmr finale don't reverse someone's cough & twiddle your ukulele strings directly into my right ear to end an otherwise really nice version of hidden in the sand if you please. oh mama mia. good night

[georgecrecy]

Living Fossils {2}

The group of explorers made their way back to the shuttle and entered, chattering excitedly about their findings and what might yet lay in store. One by one they entered the cramped shower facilities to wash off the toils of the day, and finally gathered in the helm.

As everyone sat down in turn, Doctor Ghan busied himself with the report to Allnex, while Codru poured over the pictures of the site on a combipad with Murien, each pointing with long fingers at various points of interest as they spoke in a low mutter.

By the time everyone had gathered again, Doctor Ghan had finished his report and sent it off to the ship in orbit. He cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention as Hyupi sat down, still toweling off her tendrils from the shower. "Ahem, welcome back everyone. I know we're all tired so I'll make it brief before we retire for some proper sleep." The doctor eyed Kenta as he mouthed, "Thank the stars." to Hyupi, who smirked in response. The doctor continued regardless. "I would be lying if I were to say I wasn't excited. It's not often we-"

His sentence was broken off by the insistent beeping from the console behind him. The rest got a bit closer as the Doctor smiled and hit the answering key. A new face, upside down, came over the screen.

The doctor looked aghast. "Epan, why in the world is the gravity field off? Is the ship damaged?"

Epan, gangly even for their race, blinked back in brief confusion before his face broke out in a smile. "Ah, naw Doc, she's fine. But you know how the negative sound sets my nerves off, and with no one else up here, I just thought…"

Ghan was visibly relieved, but his tone was still stern for the younger technician. "Yes, well, that's fine and all if nothing's wrong, but would you please orient yourself right side up to the screen?"

Epan cheekily and slowly turned two loops in the air, waving at the others as Ghan looked on with a fake air of weariness. Once Epan was right side up to the screen, Ghan continued. "You rang, Epan?"

"Oh, right! Yeah, is this report for real? You found a Class A? That's amazing!"

Ghan nodded, "Yes, and I was about to mention that it's not often we have this opportunity to explore an untouched, late Class A Civilization structure that is so well preserved. I suspect that once Allnex receives my report in a day or so that it will take to traverse the techweb, that we will be flooded with scientists clamoring over our find in a week!"

Epan looked to the side of the screen sheepishly. "Well, about that doc… unfortunately, we are a little dark up here with the techweb. The antenna's on the fritz and my baby ain't being nice back to me, so Allnex won't be getting any news for a while." 

Kenta piped up from the back of the group. "Could it be pirate jammers? I don't know when this sector was last sweeper for them.'

Epan shook his head, his body tilting a bit awry from the motion before a hand reached out to steady himself. "Nah, it's nothing like that. Sector scans are clear, and I did post-jump diagnostic runs when we first popped in, that was all green. But it's me we're talking about, I can get her squawking again in no time!"

Ghan nodded in thought, and looked briefly at the others in the group before turning back to the screen. "I'm sure you will. But in the meantime, be on the alert, the scans may have missed something behind one of the system moons or in the asteroid belt. We will talk later. Be good up there and keep the bunks warm for our return!"

Epan saluted, "You got it Doc. I'll even warm up the fahn rolls for us all when you get back! Over and out."

The screen faded to black as Ghan turned back fully to the others. "This means that the sooner we get the choicest artifacts for study, the sooner we can go home and get the most credit for our intrepid work… and, of course, be paid handsomely." The doctor nodded to the two mercenaries, and then clapped his hands in anticipation. "But we need to rest, so we get started as soon as we can tomorrow. Goodnight, and good work today, everyone!"

All began to shuffle to their respective bunks. The accommodations were rather cramped on the landing shuttle, so there were typically two to a room, such as the one Codru and Saffer shared. As Saffer prepared for bed, he gazed sidelong at Codru in the upper bunk, the light from the combipad lighting up his face and the bulkhead behind him, the former of which was scrunched up in concentration.

Saffer's curiosity got the best of him as he jokingly asked, "What are you thinking about so hard that you look like a wounded Gorhax?"

Codru, so concentrated on his thoughts, barely registered the jibe. "Just trying to translate the alien script from the pad. The script is very unique so the translation program isn't getting very far at all, and I don't even want to talk about my manual attempts. Have you taken xenolinguistics?" Codru looked down from his bunk hopefully.

Saffer tilted his head, "I can speak a little Zenthian from my primary days, but I haven't had the prerequisites to take that class yet."

Codru looked back at the pad in disappointment. "That's alright. Given the amount of species out there -- let alone their scripts and all the variants -- it's a tad broad, but Dr. Juil makes it pretty fun. I only got a B- though, and I think she was being kind to me on that- ugh, damn!"

Saffer, who had slipped into his bottom bunk, could only see the light above wink in and out before the room plunged completely into darkness, and hear the sound of Codru tapping hard on the combipad. "What's wrong?"

"Hm, this Allnex piece of tech trash, it won't hold a charge or something! I might dig through the storage and see if there is a new one tomorrow. I really don't want to have this issue in the middle of the dig."

Saffer yawned, and laid his head back down on the bedding. "Oh, ok. If it does happen again tomorrow, you could use mine if you need to. Goodnight!"

Codru fiddled with the pad a little more, but eventually tossed it toward his feet in disgust and defeat. Closing his multicolored eyes, the senior student eventually joined his younger companion below in the realm of sleep.

Several minutes later, the combipad's screen lit up once more, and in milliseconds slipped past the code screen to the linguistic program beyond. The progress bar, which had been stuck at no more than 2% for the last several hours, suddenly jumped to 34%, and over the image of the pad their language dropped into place somewhat translucently over the alien script.

"W*lcom* to th* ***. Pl**s* imp*t **thoriz*tion."

The small room went dark once more, while over the soft sound of the two occupants snoring, there was only the hum of the ship and the omnipresent scraping and tapping of debris against the hull outside.

_______________________________

The stamping of feet on hull preceded the shouting which echoed along the short hallway, "Doctor Ghan! Doctor Ghan!" The owner of the name looked up from his morning tea in amazement at the disheveled figure of the usually unexcitable Codru, who was holding his combipad in front of him with elation clear on his face. 

Ghan, with his browplates raised almost as far as they could extend said, "Codru, what in Navek's name has got you so excited?"

Handing his combipad to the Doctor, once he had gotten some composure back he exclaimed, "Look at that! Last night it wasn't getting anywhere, but the translation software finally came through while we were sleeping." 

Ghan briefly looked over the picture of the door pad, the alien letters now partially transposed with letters of their own language. He looked up at Codru and the others who had gathered to the commotion with a grin. "This is excellent! Then the faster we get out there, the faster we can plumb the depths of this little mystery, so to speak!"

Murien, who was gazing at the screen over the doctor's shoulder asked, "Do we have an idea what the contents might be then? What it's welcoming us to?"

Both Ghan and Codru shook their heads, the former responding, "No, there isn't enough info just yet for us to even guess." He sipped a last hurried gulp of his tea before standing up, "So let's get out there and find out, shall we?"

The rest agreed, and within forty-five minutes the group were suited up and on their way, struggling through the early morning winds. However, it wasn't very long before Hyupi stopped the procession with a hand signal of warning. Over the helmet comms she commanded, "Kentu, cover our rear, there is something in the sand ahead."

While the rest kneeled in wait, Hyupi carefully moved up to her target: a half-buried sphere of rusted metal with various antennas, cracked camera lenses, sensors, and propulsion systems. 

The rest of the survey team witnessed as she swept her carbine over what little of the landscape was visible through the storm, which had abated a little since their setting out. Finally they heard the crackle of her voice over the comms say, "Alright, all clear. Seems like a nonfunctioning probe."

The group moved forward to her position, gathering around the probe, which had a drift of sand built up to one side. Saffer kneeled down again to examine it closely. "Ooh, Doctor, is this another example of this civilization's technology?"

Ghan pulled out his combipad and a sensor pack, taking readings of the probe. The rest had to wait a few minutes while he looked over the results. "I… I don't believe so. It isn't nearly as old as the building, the dating shows only a century or so, and of a different material structure entirely. Does anyone see any markings?"

Saffer and Hyupi dug around the probe, exposing more of its body. Saffer was the one that found the remains of a red triangle, with an inner line of symbols. "Here's something, but I don't know what."

Kentu's voice now sounded over the comms channel, "I do, I've used their tech before on missions. That belonged to the old Erzeni Corporation, they used to make all sorts of military-grade equipment."

Murien looked back at him, "Used to?"

Kentu nodded, "Eh, they've been out of business for decades. I've only used surplus leftovers. But they were dependable despite their age, which makes sense considering it's a Scaanid company." 

Ghan looked at the probe and Kentu questioningly. "Are you sure Kentu? We're practically on the other side of the galaxy from the Scaanid Empire, there would be no reason for a probe of theirs here." 

Kentu shrugged imperceptibly through the bulk of his suit. "I'm pretty sure, doc. I probably still have a thing or two of theirs in storage to compare. Maybe it was a wayward one that happened to crash here."

Saffer interjected, "I don't think it came from space. It would have been flattened and broken apart if it had, with a larger crater. With its condition, it didn't fall more than a hundred feet, right Doctor?" 

Ghan was very lost in thought, but Saffer's question seemed to wake him. "Hmm? Oh, yes, quite possibly. Let's get some pictures taken of this and get back to our main mission before we use too much of our limited time on this. And yes, Kentu, I would like to compare the markings when we get back."

The rest of the trip was uneventful, fortunately, and soon the group returned to the imposing metal structure. It didn't take much more digging to uncover the door again from the night's accumulation against their earlier work. They once more were confronted by the pad, which lit up at the mere touch of a brush clearing the sand crusting the top.

Codru retrieved his combipad from his pack, which was piled with the rest to one side while they dug into the sand, and booted up the translation program once again. Using the overlay he began to manually interact with the door pad, looking at it through the screen of his own combipad. Ghan, Saffer, and Murien were crowded around him as he worked, offering the occasional bit of advice as he did so.

"Try finding some sort of diagn-"

"Diagnostic settings, yes, that's what I'm looking for."

"Did you try that button there?"

"I'd rather not just try buttons, Murien. That never works."

"But it looked promising!"

"Make sure to record this process, Codru, we may have to figure this out again should the translation not improve."

"Of course, doctor."

His suit hampered his attempts at pushing the buttons on the screen, but once he figured out a good angle to use with the thick finger pads his attempts went much smoother. Through a multitude of screens and clumsy backtracks, eventually he was able to get to a screen with a green and red button. 

* _c_ss p_th 46*

*Op_n door?* 

He pressed the green one, and the six of them heard through the rushing wind around them the hiss of decompression, and the door next to the pad jolted open slightly. All patted each other on the back in joy before opening the door fully. Murien looked at Codru suspiciously, "How did you know that was the right button to press?"

Codru sniffed, and after a moment of hesitation as the group donned their packs once more, he said, "After careful consideration of the circumstances, it seemed the most logical choice." 

Saffer interjected with a smile clearly visible through his helmet. "Don't you mean it looked promising?"

The older student didn't deign to respond as they entered in turn through the door.

The lights on their suits bounced off of smooth, granite grey walls and the stairs that led downward from the entrance landing. The last two in line were held up momentarily as they wrestled the door back closed, the combined strength of Kentu and Murien still straining against the difference in pressure and the sand piling up while rocks bounced off of the walls and down the stairs ahead of them all. The door closed with another hiss and squeal, the howling wind outside stifled to a low moan as the few remaining clacks of bouncing rocks echoed into the beyond. Lights embedded in the juncture of the ceiling and walls promptly lit up the stairway as soon as the door closed.

Doctor Ghan looked back towards the team above him from his position several steps down once the clattering of pebbles stopped, turning his suit lights off. "Excellent! Alright. Turn your recorders on if you haven't already, because we are stepping into the uncharted world of this newly discovered civilization, and I don't want to miss a single detail! You all know your respective jobs. With a building as ancient as this, I also need not remind you to be very careful and call out any structural faults you see near us. I'd like to first find that power source, so that will be one of our main goals of study. But keep an eye out for anything else that might be of interest. Let's move on, stay close all." With preparations and speeches finished, the team descended deeper into the unknown.

[viperthefangirl]

The Makeup Artist-An Introduction/Preview of my Lotura Alternate Reality FanFic

Pre-notes: This is one of my first fanfictions (this is NOT the completed first chapter), so, I’m sorry if it is awful XD. In this setting, “Lukas” is this alternate reality’s version of Prince Lotor (my all-time favorite cartoon character). If you don’t want any future spoilers, stop reading here and continue to the start of the story, but I’ve put a general backstory here in case you want some context to see what I’m working from. This will all be told eventually if I ever finish this fanfiction.  He was held in a cryo-stasis pod at age 5 on Daibazaal for around 10,000 years (as well as Allura, but she was on Altea) and, when he was released, ran away from Emperor Zarkon and Empress Honerva at age 7. He sneaked aboard a cargo ship headed for Earth (which is a major power player in this universe and far more technologically advanced than ours). He then lived on the streets of New York City under the name Lukas Frinell (which he got from a guy he stole a wallet from). He lived in alleys and doorsteps with his friend Nicholas, this reality’s version of Lance McLain (who’s family were intergalactic businessmen that were all killed-including extended family-by space pirates). They were later adopted by Gabriel and Maria Garcia (at age 12 for Lukas and 9 Nicholas. Their tiny age difference is because of how long Lukas was in the cryo-stasis pod) after Lukas and Nicholas hotwired Gabriel’s Lambo and almost got away with the car. Gabriel Garcia, the leader of an organized crime group, had had a similar childhood and didn’t want to see them end up like him. Lukas and Nicholas have a very strong brotherly bond, and Nicholas is always trying to get Lukas a girlfriend.  

The Makeup Artist: by Viper

“I think we should send a security detail to prom with Allura…what do you think, Melenor?” Alfor asked as he looked over today’s newspaper.  

<<”Garcia Family Implicated in Newest Organized Crime Investigation”>> he read to himself.

Melenor looked up from her phone. “I mean, whatever you think. She’ll be angry with you for months though…”

“I guess she would be angry…I’d-” Alfor began.

“Hey, Mom,” Allura called from her room upstairs, ”one of my friends is coming over right now to do my hair and makeup before my date gets here, okay? Will you let him in?!”

Alfor rolled his eyes at the interruption.

“All right, Allura! We’ll let her in!” Melenor called back.

“Did she just say ‘him’?” Alfor asked.

“I’m sure you misheard, dear-now, what were you saying?”  

“I was just saying that I’d at least have peace of mind if someone trustworthy was-”

A knock at the door cut him off before he could finish.

“With her,” Alfor finished in an exasperated tone as he put down his newspaper, “That was fast…I’ll get the door.”

Melenor got up as well. “I’ll come with you. I hope it’s Raven. She’s such a nice girl.”

Alfor opened the door and froze.  

“You’re not Raven,” Melenor said abruptly.

She was right too. The person at the door definitely wasn’t Raven-in fact, it wasn’t even a girl. Standing on the front porch of the royal family’s mansion was a six-foot tall Altean teenage boy.

“I would hope not,” he said with a smirk. “I rather like being a guy. I’m Lukas, by the way. Allura and I go to school together.”

Alfor raised his eyebrows. Lukas did not look like someone that went to the same school as Allura. Her schoolmates were all rich and related to famous families, and the usual thing the male students at Central Altea High School of Technology and the Sciences for the Gifted wore on a daily basis was crème khaki pants and a sweater vest. They all has the same side slicked black or brown hairstyle too. And freckles. Definitley lots of freckles.

This boy, Lukas, had almost shoulder length thick blonde hair, the top layer of which was tied back in a short ponytail, and he had perfect-almost platinum blonde-eyebrows. His skin tone was a dark tan with no blemishes or freckles, and his eyes were a piercing deep blue, the color of the sky on a perfect day. His left ear had a piercing, as well as several cartilage piercings, and a hipster-style pair of plastic, black glasses hung from the neckline of his black hoodie. The hoodie had large, white text printed on it that read “Off The Wall”. Lukas also wore a pair of worn, true black, distressed skinny jeans and black Vans Hi-Tops. A backpack hung from his left shoulder, and he held a beaten-up skateboard in his right arm. A small, silver, Catholic cross hung around his neck as well. When Lukas smirked, Alfor noticed that some of his teeth were sharpened, like Galran fangs, meaning that he must be part Galra. Alfor’s eyes narrowed as he noticed several curse words drawn on the grip tape of his board and heard rap playing through his airpods.

“I can hear your music through your earbuds,” Melenor said flaty.

Lukas squinted his eyes as he looked at her. “Thanks, so can I.”

Alfor looked over his shoulder as he heard footsteps racing down the stairs.

Within seconds, Allura, dressed in a high-low red satin dress, appeared by her parents and pulled Lukas into the house. Thrown off balance, Lukas almost fell over and dropped his skateboard on the porch before he regained his composure and straightened himself.

“Geez, Ali, you trying to kill me?” he asked while raising an eyebrow and taking out his airpods. “Wow…you look amazing!”

His entire face lit up in genuine awe at how beautiful she was, regardless of her hair being a mess, her lack of makeup, or her Hello Kitten slippers.

Allura blushed slightly and looked down.

“Thanks…” she said with a small smile.  

“Michael’s lucky you said yes,” the boy laughed. “I’m surprised you said yes, actually. He’s a total douche bag. Rich and popular, but still a douche bag.”

Allura smiled, her eyebrows raising slightly, “He’s my boyfriend. What was I supposed to say?”

Alfor raised one eyebrow at Melenor. She simply shook her head.

Lukas set his skateboard by the door and looked around.

“So, where am I doing your makeup?”

“In my dressing room on the third floor,” Allura answered simply. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Alfor and Melenor stared at them as Allura began to take the boy upstairs.

“Are we just going to let this boy walk around our house? Who knows who his parents are. Where he’s been? If he’s safe? If he goes to Allura’s school, how come I’ve never heard of him?” Alfor asked quietly.

Allura stopped halfway up the stairs and turned around.

“Mom, Dad, this is my friend Lukas. He does the stage makeup for the theater group at school…I’ve told you about him before…”

Lukas stood slightly behind their daughter, fidgeting with his cross. Their perfect little girl who was never in trouble and had always had the perfect friends that were more interested in the stock market or runway fashion to ever be as dangerous as this boy looked. If Allura hadn’t told them that the boy was her classmate, they would have thought he was a commoner, maybe even a street kid. How come she’d never mentioned this “Lukas” before?

Then the boy shifted his weight, his face darkening as he acknowledged that he was not welcome in the Altea home. Then he smirked.

“You know, I came here to help Ali have a good prom, not to be judged. And who my parents are doesn’t mean shit. It was nice meeting you boomers, but I have to get this over with as fast as possible. I’m going skating with my friends after this.”  

Allura’s head swiveled around to look at Lukas. “Are you not going to prom?”

“Hm?” Lukas asked before realizing what she asked. “Oh, no, I didn’t have anyone to go with me. Plus, prom is so overrated.”

Allura looked at him sympathetically. “I can get you a date…my friend Jennifer would love to go with you. She doesn’t have a date yet either.”

Lukas shrugged and shook his head. “No thanks. I’m going to hang out with Raven and Nick and some my old friends from James Madison High in New York.”

Meanwhile, Alfor and Melenor continued to looked at them in confusion.

“How are they friends?” Alfor whispered to Melenor.

“How is he in our home?” Melenor whispered back.

Alfor shrugged.

“Listen, I’m going to take Lukas up to my dressing room to do my makeup…is…is that all right with you?” Allura asked, her eyes begging her parents to be kind to her friend.

Finally Alfor caved.

“Fine. You can go. But, Lukas was it? Don’t try anything. We have guards stationed around the house.”

Lukas made a disgusted face at the king’s implications. “Excuse you, your highness, but I am a person of moral dignity and class. Your suggestions of my behavior disgust me, and I demand at least some sort of ‘benefit of the doubt’, as you have never met me before.”

Allura laughed and took Lukas by the arm, almost dragging him up the stairs. It was hilarious, actually, to see the tall boy tripping on the stairs as Allura continued to drag him upstairs. Alfor would have laughed at the sight himself, but something about Lukas stopped him. His tone of voice had become commanding and almost regal, for a spit second, his eyes cold and dark, and his face as though set in steel. His entire being had become hostile, his Galra fangs making him appear more menacing. But more importantly he saw, mirrored in the boy’s mannerisms, a reflection of something he never believed he would see again.

“Alfor…” Melenor started, “just then…something about that boy reminded me of-”

“I know...” Alfor finished for her.

Melenor looked at her husband, worry seeping into her expression, and nodded.

Upstairs, Alfor heard Allura recalling when she had pretended she was a paladin of Voltron when she was little in that very house. Lukas laughed. But the laugh no longer was mildly annoying, depite how kind he sounded, but instead put Alfor on edge. His laugh was almost identical to Zarkon’s.

P.S. Something about Tumblr wouldn’t let me indent my paragraphs (which mildly infuriated me) so, I’m sorry if it bothered anyone who might be reading this…if anyone would read this…

Please give me some tips or ideas for the fanfic anyone has!

[journeysintowebcomics]

Worm Liveblog #120

UPDATE 120: Hope

Last time the Travelers plus Cody managed to escape from the quarantine. Everyone has powers – well, Oliver kind of doesn’t – and it’s all fine and dandy while they drive to the next city. This peace lasts until the first signs something’s very wrong with Noelle show themselves. Let’s continue.

Looks like there was a time skip, because Trickster is now standing at a front desk. A receptionist for someone. Trickster feels the need to smoke, and although the receptionist says that’s a bad idea, he does so anyway. He’s at Boston right now, one year and three months have passed since their arrival to this world. That means by now they’re officially a team, hm...

You know, I wish I could have read any discussion they had to decide their names. That could have been interesting to read! But yeah, by now, they all have their names, I bet. Trickster does, after all.

How had Jess put it?  This world was sublime.  A world that was awesome in the truer sense of the word, greater in so many respects.  In a metaphorical sense, the peaks were higher, the valleys lower, works of art more artful, extremes more… extreme.  It wasn’t a good thing.  Make the mountains twice as tall and the chasms twice as deep, and things start crumbling.

Iiii don’t know if it’s really that worthy of admiration. I don’t think the entire world has as big of a mess as Brockton Bay does, but given entire islands have been obliterated, there are superpowered villains everywhere, and you don’t know when your life is going to be turned upside-down and most likely ruined, I sure would prefer a world like the Earth without parahumans. Besides, it’s not like the general population gets to enjoy the high technology and all that. Most of those are limited to the heroes and villains’ use. It doesn’t seem to me like any random person lives much different of a life than they would if there were no powers around. No, thanks, you keep your awesome world, I’m satisfied with mine.

The person Trickster came to meet is called Accord, and looks more like the kind of supervillain that tries to make things civilized and orderly for his own again. Like Coil, but less sinister. And less successful, since he’s not even the most influential villain in Boston. Accord shakes Trickster’s hand and asks for the reason for his visit. Well it turns out Trickster is here to reach some agreements and introduce himself, as it’s customary for him when he arrives at a new city. Gotta make sure you’re not stepping on anyone’s toes, you see.

Hah! He asks for permission before committing crimes. I doubt many villains are like Skitter in that they want to keep their communities orderly and with the least amount of trouble possible, but it’s good he’s being prudent. You don’t want to mess with villains.

“If I granted that permission, Trickster,” Accord raised a warning finger. “I would not be doing so for free.”

Trickster nodded.  “I understand, and I wouldn’t expect you to.  We’ve recently passed through Richmond, Paine, Baltimore and Philadelphia.  Each time, we paid a modest up front fee to anyone that hosted us in their territory.  We also offered up a twelve, thirteen, twelve and ten percent share, respectively, of our take.  For you, if you’ll allow me to make an opening offer, I’d suggest ten thousand dollars up front and a fourteen percent share of anything we gain.  We’ll be saying for ten days.”

And it turns out ten days is longer than they usually stay. Golly, that means they have been a very, very, veeery long time in Brockton Bay by now, that’s the most stable place of residence they have had. It’s because Coil can help them, I’m sure. But yeah, they’re on the move more often than I thought. Destructive Noelle or not, I thought it was like...a monthly thing. At this rate they’ll run out of places to be at in this country!

Trickster seems to be trying to be particularly flattering, offering Accord more money and being generally polite. Since he gets information before making a move, I suppose he was told he had to be as flattering as possible. Regardless, it’s working. Accord sees right through Trickster, but he’s accepting the offer, although with a warning not to scam him.

I’m not sure what Accord’s power is. There’s a lot of emphasis on things being rather orderly, but I’m uncertain if that’s an indication of what his superpower is, or if he’s just a very neat person.

Accord looked down and corrected the position of the pen on his desk before turning back to Trickster. “Fifteen thousand dollars, and fifteen percent of any take.  The heroes don’t have a strong presence here because they don’t need a strong presence here. I maintain the peace.  It will cost me if I have people here, active and causing trouble.”

Okay! Maybe he does keep the community safe to some extent. In that case, he should keep under wraps that he’s getting a share of the bounty from any stealing the Travelers do. Just in case. I’m sure there’d be people who would be very upset about that, even if they can do nothing about it.

Since the Travelers are here, Accord offers to forgo the fifteen thousand dollars from his fee and reduce his share, as long as they complete a job for him. Hey, Luke, there’s a job offer! The job is to steal tools from a tinker. Seems like Accord isn’t a tinker at all.

“Blasto.  A tinker.  Not quite the destructive personality his name implies.”

“I read up on him.  Blasto from the latin prefix, meaning bud, germination or seed.  Tinker botanist, grows walking, sentient plants in giant glass tubes.”

Not what I’d have imagined from that name, I admit. My knowledge of latin prefixes is quite lacking, turns out – and given I speak Spanish as my native language, that’s kind of sad. But, you know, if the intent is to steal tools and destroy this Blasto tinker’s stuff, Trickster and Sundancer is perfect for this. They should be done in no time! Which is why I suppose it won’t be that simple.

That said...I doubt it’ll get written. It’d be quite the side story! But it’d extend this origin interlude for maybe a tad too long. I’m not sure how well this all was received back when it was written, but I know I’d be kind of annoyed at a meandering interlude. Still...hey, Mr. Wildbow, how much do I have to donate for you to write how this went?

Not only he’ll forgo the entrance fee and reduce his share, he also will make costumes for the Travelers! Oh boy! Does that mean the costumes they’re all wearing in the present were designed by Accord? Didn’t expect that, honestly.

And you bring the world a little more in order, Trickster thought.  Accord was a thinker, and the running theory on his power was that he got naturally smarter as the problems he was addressing got more complex.  It gave him an intuitive understanding of groupthink, politics, and convoluted designs.  It also made him a local warlord capable of devastating counterattacks.  The power failed to grant him the same advantages in a one-on-one fight, and he wasn’t quite the same battlefield strategist when it came to direct assaults.

Which was, Trickster understood, why Accord wanted him and the other Travelers to handle the attack on their own.

Huh. That’s...a power. I’m not entirely sure how useful it is, I admit. It’s...a bit underwhelming, to some extent? But he has achieved some success, so I suppose he knows how to get use out of it. Maybe he’s like Tattletale. More like a mastermind type of person. Just that instead of finding out secrets like Tattletale does, he finds...solutions to problems.

Say, I just realized that when they attack Blasto there really are veeeery high chances it won’t go according to plan, thanks to a certain leader whose name I won’t reveal. He hasn’t been a particularly impressive force when it’s about attacking someone else’s lair. Personally I can’t let go of the Slaughterhouse Nine rescue, really.

Only four people will need costumes. Trickster himself, Sundancer, Ballistic...hm. Genesis wouldn’t need a costume because she does everything with her creations, Oliver wouldn’t want to be anywhere near a battle, so...Noelle or Cody.

Cody. The text pretty much says Noelle won’t get a costume. So this Cody person is still going with the group, one year later. He hasn’t gotten in the way of their return home. Say, how far in the past is this, I wonder? Could it be Cody’s...not-being-in-the-team is a more recent change than I thought?

The relatively pleasant discussion is interrupted when Sundancer bursts into the office, alarming Trickster, who had told her to stay back and not meddle. That she was disobeying and ruining Trickster’s carefully calculated meeting plan meant something was very, very wrong, and he should be worried. Hah! He’s got more immediate things to be worried about, right there! Accord isn’t happy at all with Sundancer.

Accord stepped over to the window behind his desk and stared outside.  Trickster waited patiently as the man composed himself.  Long seconds passed, and Trickster couldn’t help but imagine the worst case scenarios that would have Sundancer forgetting common sense and crashing a private meeting between supervillains.

I can only imagine it’s related to Noelle. Maybe she’s out there, causing immense amounts of havoc, in a sample of what will happen to Brockton Bay in the present. It’d be quite the way to establish how big of a Noelle threat is.

And there’s the immediate threat! Accord isn’t happy at all, and is already laying a series of demands. One: he’ll get the full amount of money he demanded. Okay then. Two: they’ll complete the mercenary job and receive nothing in exchange. It’s going to suck, but I guess it was to be expected. Three: Sundancer has to die. Beg your pardon?

Trickster tensed.  Really, really didn’t want to have to fight this guy. “Let’s… not be so hasty.”

Okay then! Accord just made the stakes go way higher. So, Sundancer is very obviously alive in the present, so as I see it, there’s only one possibility: Trickster killed Accord. I really doubt by now fleeing Boston is an option, and given how upset Accord is with the...imbalance Sundancer brought to his turf, I don’t think he’d accept something else in exchange of her life. Unless she proves to be absolutely stellar in the mercenary job. Who knows, maybe she burned Blasto’s lair to the ground and that saved her.

How to convince the lunatic to leave Sundancer alone?  If he couldn’t, would it be better to fight and kill Accord now or wait until he could recruit the others?  Accord wouldn’t have invited him to a meeting if he didn’t have some kind of safeguards. Traps?  For all Trickster knew, there was a pitfall in the floor or dart traps in the walls.  Accord’s power, his knack for complexity, would make it trivial to weave such things into the architecture of his home and office.  If he knew, he could use his power, time it to put Accord in the way of his own trap… but it could be something else entirely.

I meeeean...if he has the ability to make traps and safeguards, I’m certain making it so Trickster can’t use his power effectively to attack him would be easy as pie. Also, given how it was remarked Accord isn’t very good in one-on-one confrontations and is a warlord, I think it’s plausible he has a few people ready to act if things go pear-shaped. He wouldn’t rely on himself to ensure his own safety if he knows he wouldn’t be enough.

Accord was still talking.  “Others aren’t so accommodating.  They are freefalling, careening elements, bouncing off any and every surface, damaging everything they touch.  Pyrokinetics so often fall into this category, I’ve found. Rest assured, it’s better to eliminate this disordered element before it does too much damage.”

...suddenly I have a nagging feeling Sundancer burning Blasto’s plants and lair to the ground would make things worse in Accord’s eyes. Scrap that plan. New plan: lose your powers, and then get them back before you get to Brockton Bay. There, problem solved. I’m a problem solver now, Accord-lite, praise me.

Turns out Trickster does think of a possible alternative on how to handle this. He appeals to Accord’s sense of order, saying Sundancer is an agent of harmony despite her powers, and that she’ll prove it to him. Trickster has effectively placed the burden of proof right on Sundancer’s hands. Masterful leader move, pal, throwing the weight onto your subordinate and friend. But hey, she’s alive in Brockton Bay, meaning it worked, meaning I have no grounds to complain. Besides, he’s going to discuss it with Sundancer right now. I for one am looking forward to finding out what he intends to suggest she does.

Trickster gets ten minutes to male Sundancer go into Accord’s office – alone. As expected, Sundancer is taken aback by the fact her life is in danger just like that. I share Trickster’s opinion in that Sundancer wouldn’t ruin Trickster’s meeting if there wasn’t a very good reason, though...she even tried to bring it up immediately, and Trickster didn’t let her speak. At least he’ll get briefed by someone else.

When the timer hits zero, you’ll walk into his office, then you’ll perform a ballet routine.

Well! That’s not going to bring up any good memories, is it. Given how one of Sundancer’s memories was freezing and not being able to do a thing, in front of a public, I hope it won’t happen again. At least she won’t have the Simurgh showing her those awful memories over and over, but still...ouch, the things she has to do to survive.

 If he gives any sign he’s not satisfied, or the second you fuck up, set the place on fire and scram.”

“Krouse-”

“Call me Trickster when I’m in costume,” he corrected, his voice hard.  “Don’t worry about burning him alive.  He’ll have escape routes.

Oh, yeah, he’ll have escape routes. You know what else he’ll have? A desire to have both your heads on a plate, just saying. If he gets his office incinerated, there won’t be anything that’ll stop him from getting everyone he has to pursue the Travelers, I’m sure of it.

Since she has to go get ready and hopefully save her own life, Sundancer hurries inside, leaving Trickster to find out what problem is going on that made Sundancer risk ruining everything like that.

“It’s Cody.  He touched Noelle.”

Trickster froze.  “How bad is it?”

“Three times, Krouse.”

“Three,” Trickster said.  “Fuck me.  I’m on my way.”

Okay then! It was Cody’s fault. Not surprised he’s being a pain, really. He touched Noelle a total of three times, and that is...bad. For reasons I imagine I’ll find out very soon.

There’s no way Cody’s stupid enough to make contact with Noelle.

There’s no way anyone would do it three times.  How?

Hm. I don’t know what exactly are the consequences of touching Noelle, but given the fact it was three times, I doubt it was an accident. It happening once would give him the benefit of the doubt, it happening three times pretty much guarantees it was on purpose, unless it turns out there was a really contrived reason like...some parahuman slamming Cody onto Noelle three times or something. But seriously, what happens when you touch Noelle?

Apparently whatever’s happening is among a crowd, and Trickster searches while thinking how everything they have been doing recently is minimize damage. Well, given how they keep moving because of Noelle, I imagine she’s the source of the damage. Does this mean lately she’s been getting worse? More powerful, dangerous?

What Trickster encounters reminds me a lot of those very mutated monstrous humans that arrived with the Simurgh. It’s a very deformed person, attacking bystanders and being rather violent. This mutant’s nature is revealed right afterwards:

Three seconds later, the man snapped back into the same position, in front of the creature.  Perdition… Cody.  Except not quite.  The man carried through the shoving motion, but Perdition wasn’t there any more.

That’s Cody? Goodness gracious, what did he do?! Holy crap. What I note is that nowhere in the description Trickster gave of that thing attacking, he mentioned it looked like Cody at all. The extent of those tumor things on him and the twisted crooked factions must be such there isn’t much left of Cody. Noelle must have some sort of mutagenic quality, then. Perhaps she mutates those that make contact with her skin? Since that was what was fizzing and all that. And the more you touch her, the worse it gets. Cody touched her three times. Here’s the result, I suppose.

Innocent children are about to get attacked, and Trickster shouts to get Perdition’s attention. May as well exploit Perdition’s hatred of him! And it works, Perdition swivels around, looking for Trickster to do him some harm. Trickster keeps moving around to stay out of his sight while Perdition shouts slurred threats, accusing Trickster of having taken everything from him. Technically he did – except the part about ‘my girl’, because Noelle was never his – but it’s not like Trickster one day woke up and thought ‘oh you know what’d be a riot? Let’s ruin that Cody guy’s life’. Perdition is lashing out as usual, really.

Some of the time, the powers would be different.  Most of the time, going by precedent, they were stronger.  Trickster was left to wonder how Perdition’s powers had changed.  Duration?  Range?  The amount of time reversed?

Huh, that so? It could be the mutations are an attempt to enhance the powers of those who touch her, then? And it doesn’t work properly because she didn’t take the vial correctly. That doesn’t take into account the eye thing from last chapter’s ending, though...right now my thought about that is that maybe she’s not immune to her own mutations. It could even be that Perdition touching her made her even worse.

Perdition uses his powers to keep track of Trickster, getting him closer and closer to him to perform some murderin’. Trickster tries to stay away, although that soon leads to...well...casualties. There have been at least two so far. Damn. Trickster makes some calculations and tries to think of a plan on how to handle this.

What he does is hurry, swap himself with one of the casualties’ bodies, and shoot Perdition to death. Well! That was anticlimactic. I’m pretty sure if Perdition knew how simple that was, he’d be very upset. So this is why he’s not part of the team nowadays...not really how I expected him to die, although I did expect Trickster to be the one to kill him.

The next scene starts with Francis arriving to a place, where I suppose the rest of the Travelers are hiding. Oliver is already waiting for him, and the effects of his half of the power potion are shown: Oliver is handsome. Like, real handsome and smarter and also learns skills? He got lucky, then. If this is the extent of what his botched power has, then he’s incredibly lucky. But it’s still Oliver, so he’s as milquetoast and socially stunted as usual. Maybe forever, given how he’s...pretty much in a stranger’s body.

...

Maybe he wasn’t as lucky as I thought at first, when I think about it like that.

Fuck you, Simurgh, Krouse thought.  They’d all been forced to deal with their individual tragedies.  Noelle’s went without saying.  Jess hadn’t gotten to walk, Luke hadn’t gotten to fly, Oliver got a physical and mental overhaul without any fixes for the real problems, and Marissa had been thrust into the situation she’d fought so hard to escape, where she was forced to pursue a life she didn’t want.

Krouse’s tragedy was waiting for him inside.

Wow. Things are pretty bad for everyone here, but the way it’s worded Luke’s plight is so out of place. He didn’t get the power to fly. That sucks, but it certainly isn’t on anyone else’s level. Surely there must be something else about this situation that’s more fitting to bring up as Luke’s tragedy. Maybe that he’s very dissatisfied with being part of this group and feels they’re getting nowhere? That’s the impression I have of him in the present, after all.

Between Francis and Oliver they manage to drag Cody’s corpse to the living room, where there are...another two. Two more of Cody. Okay then! Looks like something’s going on. Does someone care to explain? One Cody is bad enough, the universe doesn’t need two more, hah!

Noelle is upset right now and it’s Francis’ duty to go calm her down. Before he goes he glances at the bodies.

They all stared at the bodies. This would be the third incident. Or incidents three through five, if he wanted to count it that way.

This can mean either this is the third incident where mutated people go and cause destruction, or this is the third time Cody has touched Noelle. Both are equally plausible, honestly – but I lean towards the former, because...then it would mean Noelle is causing some awful terror and destruction. Just like a Simurgh thrall would. Everyone else in the Travelers, taking her around the country, are doing their part as well.

There’s a lot of injured people and a few casualties because of the many Perditions. The...real Perdition? He’s somewhere inside the house. Nobody has found out what exactly happened, why Cody would touch Noelle three times despite presumably knowing really well what would happen. Francis will have to deal with this problem, since he’s the leader. First he goes to smoke for a while.

Sundancer has arrived! And she’s unharmed, thank goodness. Looks like her dancing routine in front of Accord went well, then! Or not, as she says two lines later. It satisfied Accord anyway, so may as well take that as a victory.

“No,” she said.  “He said I wasn’t perfect, but that he saw what you meant. He said I was trying, despite myself. I… I don’t know if that was a compliment or not.”

That’s definitely a compliment. If it wasn’t, then she wouldn’t be here alive, or at the very least there’d be mercenaries pursuing her. She must have done well – not being the agent of chaos and disorder Accord thought she’d be, despite her incendiary powers.

Since Mars has been declared not responsible for the incredible chaos from today, Accord wants Francis to bring the real cause. He decides he won’t be bringing Noelle – obviously not, because that’d be incredibly dangerous and, more importantly, there’s no way Francis would backstab Noelle. Instead, he decides he’ll take Cody. Hah! Well it’s pretty clear Cody isn’t harmonious at all, so...maybe that’ll work. It helps that those berserk things were literally him.

Mars isn’t into the ‘let’s blame Cody for everything’ plan because it’s very likely Cody will die, and Francis although isn’t happy about it either, sees no other option. Is he going to inform everyone else of his decision? Because I figure everybody would like to be aware one of their teammates is going to be murdered by a local villain, even if it’s Cody.

As Francis sees it, there’s only one scenario where Cody would be in contact with Noelle three times, and it is that Cody went to wherever she is, was a major dick like he usually is, and made her so upset she attacked him so badly Cody has broken limbs. An arm and a leg. Well those sure are two of the three contact spots!

“He had a goal in mind, only he didn’t anticipate how fast she moves, how strong she is.  He was trying to do one of two things.  Either he did something general, said something, with the aim of making her go berserk… or he tried to kill her.  One way or another, Cody wanted to end this.  End our mission.  Free himself.  He doesn’t give a fuck about the promise, so I don’t see why the promise should protect him.”

Cody was trying to kill her? I’m not sure about that. He has to know Noelle has some form of fast regeneration, meaning hurting her physically is a chore and almost unlikely to work. Also, he has to know touching her is a very bad idea. No, I’m leaning more towards thinking he was once again disparaging people around and trying to not be an outsider, and for some reason he was...talking with Noelle...and said something he shouldn’t have...and...okay this reasoning is kind of falling apart by the seams. Fucking Cody. What the hell was he planning?

Well at least Francis is going to talk to everyone else before taking a decision, he even is going to have a word with Cody to see if his suspicions have a reasonable base or not. That’s more than Cody usually gets, really – although I doubt he’ll appreciate it at all, what with Francis being the one to talk to him and what not. Oh well. Now that that’s...somewhat settled, Mars has the task of going to get a lot of food for Noelle. A lot of meat, in fact. Right, I kind of remember that was necessary. Geez.

Before she leaves, there’s something else to bring up!

“I almost forgot.  Accord.  He wanted me to pass this on.”

She handed him a piece of paper. There was a number printed on it. Different area code.

Holy crap, Mars, you can’t just forget something Accord asked you to do. You almost died today because you metaphorically stepped on the guy’s toes, and you were about to do it again. Goodness gracious...and the reason why she’s hesitant to even remember stuff Accord asks is because she doesn’t want to interact with guys like him. Hah! Boy will her time under Coil’s employment be a treat, then. Coil and Accord seem to be a rather similar kind of person, just that Coil is far more sinister in so many different ways – although I’m sure Accord has his own shady plans, of course.

Once Mars has left, Francis dials the number and gets in contact with whoever it is. Francis doesn’t seem to appreciate much having to call acquaintances of Accord. It’s only when this person says it’s a long-term job I have a hunch of who it is. That you, Coil? Will it turn out Accord and Coil do know each other? Hah! Well! I was saying they were kind of similar in terms of the way they work, but I never thought they knew each other.

“I know Accord through a mutual acquaintance.  Through this acquaintance and my own resources, I’ve gathered a fairly robust set of data on you Travelers.“

Intereeeesting. I think there’s a pretty good chance this acquaintance is the entirety of Cauldron. In that case, could it be Accord got his powers from Cauldron? Also, if they got information about them through Cauldron, then it means that big shady organization that gives powers is aware of the Travelers and how they got the powers. Oh boy! No indication Cauldron has sent superpowered thugs to take due revenge for the Travelers pretty much stealing powers, hmmmmm...could it be Cauldron is letting them do whatever they want, knowing they can use them later? It’d explain that, at least.

The person, who I’m absolutely certain is Coil, says he’s offering a solution to three things in exchange for them working for him. That’s enough to get Francis’ attention, he’s willing to listen. Make your offer, Coil!

I thought he was Luke Brito, not Luke Casseus. Either way, there are records of one Luke Casseus and one Noelle Meinhardt who were once in the hospital at the quarantine, and seem to have appeared out of nowhere. Most people would simply think those teenagers used fake names for some reason, but Coil has more information that indicates there’s something going on.

Also, Meinhardt is a cool last name. I like it a lot.

“Rest assured, Trickster, there is no need for any alarm.  The fact that I know these things is an asset to you.  A contact of mine in the PRT has taken over your case file and requisitioned all details on your encounter with Myrddin.  That case will not be pursued further.“

I suppose Myrddin gave all the information and control of that particular investigation and just…focused on the myriad of other things he has to deal with. I guess that makes sense, but I’d have thought the PRT would be far more attentive with investigations involving roaming Simurgh thralls. Coil and Cauldron’s influence is quite notable.

So, Coil has three solutions that will solve all of the Travelers’ problems. One is that Coil will offer all the money they need. Right, about that...since you’re offering, can you send them $15000 in cash, they need it kind of urgently.

The second solution is that he’ll send them home. Naturally, they wouldn’t work for him unless he made such an offer. The contacts he’s talking about are undoubtedly in Cauldron, more concretely the one who can make portals to reach Cauldron’s buildings. Given Coil’s...demeanor, I think he really would have fulfilled his end of the deal once he had taken over Brockton Bay, at least when it’s about sending them home. Unlike Dinah, there’s really no reason to keep the Travelers around, it’s not like they’re especially noteworthy as a team and other than Noelle their powers are nothing too remarkable. Who knows, though...maybe he’d have tried to keep Noelle, for one reason or another. Make clones of his soldiers or something to have a permanent source of non-powered mercenaries.

The last thing Coil offers is not said in the text, but I imagine it’s related to Noelle, since that was the other thing the Travelers were so worried about. They wouldn’t work for Coil unless he promised to fix her. Which is very...unlikely, really...but not impossible. If there’s someone who maybe could, it’s Cauldron. At a very, very, incredibly exorbitant price, I suppose, but they could. Don’t ask me how, though, because I don’t have the slightest idea. I’m not part of the group who sells bottled powers around.

Francis goes into the house, where Luke tries to get him to join them into a meeting about what they’ll do about Cody. The chance to explain they’re throwing him at Accord and hoping for the best! But nope, first he wants to talk to Noelle.

“After, Luke,” Krouse said.  He spun around, faced his friend. “I think we’ve got what we’re looking for.”

“What?”

“A way home.  Maybe even a fix for Noelle.”

Maybe a fix for Noelle, he says, meaning that even though that may be what Coil offered, he didn’t phrase it as a certainty at all. Merely a possibility. But...a possibility is the best they can get, really.

Promising to tell everyone else – sans Cody, I imagine – what the solution to all their problems is like, Noelle knocks to the door of Noelle’s room, where she immediately tells him to go away. Boy, even if she returns to normal, she won’t be anywhere close to Francis, I’m sure of that. It’s over between them, isn’t it?

Doesn’t take much to convince her to let him enter, so he does. The inside of the room is all broken, no word on if it was like that before Cody pissed her off.

“Come to talk?” she asked.  “Keep me company?”

“I was planning on doing it a little later. Things are kind of a mess out there, you know.  The Cody situation.”

“Nobody keeps me company any more. Only you.”

Ouch. Not even Mars? That must hurt. I had the impression Noelle was in good terms with pretty much everyone, that only Francis visits her...well, that really sucks. Is it perhaps because they’re afraid of touching her and making more of those deformed copies happen?

Noelle sure doesn’t try to deny Francis’ theory about Cody’s murder attempt, she instead says she can’t die. She has tried to end it. So yeah, she does have fast healing.

“I’m one of them.  Or I’m becoming that way.”

“Maybe.”

“An Endbringer.”

So that was the Simurgh’s plan? To create a...pseudoendbringer? Since they were never human in the first place, from what I was told ages ago, it’s unlikely Noelle will turn into one, but she’ll...be pretty close to one if things get worse, she fears. And apparently, given what she can do, it’s not an outlandish possibility.

“I’ll be just as bad as the Simurgh. In a different way.  I touch someone, and then I spit out copies. Uglier, stronger… meaner.  I can’t control them.  If I got my hands on one of the major heroes?  Someone like that Myrddin guy?”

It’ll be even worse if she gets her hands on many of the major heroes. Many evil copies of the major heroes roaming around and destroying everything would make things go downhill fast, that’s for sure.

You know, in general I’m against clones as a plot point, but I think this is fine. This is interesting!

Francis brings up that he talked with someone who maybe will be able to help them, and that they should give it a try because this person knows a person who has a way, who goes between worlds.

Aha, so this is how Coil got Francis aboard. He promised hope, not by promising to heal Noelle and send them all back to their worlds – but by promising to get them out of the Simurgh’s plans.

“No, listen.  The Simurgh?  This guy said she has a weakness.  Two ways where she can’t see the future.  Two ways to break free of her cause and effect.”

Noelle didn’t say anything.

“The first way, you’ve got to be basically immune to powers.  Scion is.  He’s immune to precognition, throws everything out the window when he shows up.  I saw it when he fought the Simurgh.  She couldn’t automatically dodge his stuff, because she either couldn’t read his mind or she couldn’t see the attacks before they happened.  So he hit her, a bunch of times.  I saw it.”

That supposed weakness isn’t going to lead anywhere, really. What is Coil going to do? Get Cauldron to fill the Travelers up with powers until they’re like Scion? Hardly. I don’t think it’d even be feasible because...I mean...having more than one power into you has to make some of them interact with each other in nasty ways, no? Taking half a vial is bad, taking two or more has to be bad too if you don’t know what you’re doing. No, the whatever this second way is like has to be what they’re looking for.

Also, that’d be hella expensive and not even Coil would be able to buy it, I’m sure.

Krouse was getting more excited, had to press his hand flat against the floor to stop it from shaking.  “And the other way?  There’s thinker powers that mess with her ability to influence events. If another precog gets a hand in events, the Simurgh automatically shuts them down and vice-versa.  The way this guy said it, the precogs get overloaded with the second-guessing the other precog, on top of having to figure out all the quantum possibilities and split paths.  And this guy?  He has a power that messes with precogs some, and the precog working for him has a power that will help circumvent the Simurgh’s power.  Get it?  So long as we work for him, we’re free of it.  No more cause and effect.  No more feeling like we’re doomed no matter what choice we make.  We go from that kind of safety to home.  To our world.“

I suppose this precog is supposed to be Dinah, because I can’t recall anyone else who has that kind of power and is under Coil’s employment – also, employment is definitely not the right word to use when it’s about Dinah, Coil, that’s imprisonment. Either way, if not Dinah, then...Tattletale is the closest one I can think, but she can’t foresee the future and I’m sure Coil knows that rather well. No, it has to be Dinah.

Which would give the Travelers a lot of encouragement to get in Skitter’s way, really. If Dinah is giving them the safety they need to not be destroying everything in their path, then of course they would disapprove of Skitter trying to free her. Still...do things really work like that? I don’t know, something’s off here.

I just find a bit hard to believe Dinah can singlehandedly stop the Simurgh’s cause and effect. Is there a ratio of effect or what? Does Dinah have to think of the Travelers? The details are a tad vague. I’m sure Mr. Wildbow thought the details well, so I’m not going to insult him by insinuating he didn’t think things through with that paragraph, but the amount of details given to me the reader right now is kind of lacking. I’m kind of leaning towards the possibility Coil is wrong about how this all works. Or he’s hiding something. This just...needs more building upon.

What follows to this is the reveal of what’s going on with Noelle. I had months to imagine what could be so bad it needed a vault and widespread panic, and this doesn’t disappoint. It’s worse than I expected. What can I say, I’m somewhat optimistic by nature, the worst case scenarios aren’t something I indulge into if I can avoid it, haha...ha...but yeah, this is nasty.

Around where her pelvis should have been, she’d changed.  The mass of tissue left her tall enough that she had to hunch over to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, and she was lying down.  Half of it was angry, red, wrinkled or blistered.  The other half was smooth tissue, dark greens, dark brown and pale grays.  The head of an animal, half-bovine and half-canine, extended from the front, large as a horse from the back of its skull to the tip of its flaring nostrils.  Another head was in progress, emerging just to the left.  Two forelegs extended to either side of the heads, rippling with powerful muscle, ending in something that fell between claw and hoof, massive and easily capable of tearing through steel.

There were the fingers and thumb of a hand, extending from her right hindquarters, each digit thicker around than Krouse was, with another, smaller limb extending from the palm.  Her rear left hindquarters featured only a mess of tentacles, some bearing partial exoskeleton, some long enough that they had to encircle the massive head and numerous limbs, or wind in a wreath around her as she lay down, lest their coiled mass fill the master bedroom of the house and leave Krouse nowhere to sit.  Despite the apparent lack of bones, the tentacles were capable of supporting her weight.

It’s like she’s piling more and more tissue and forming...limbs. And a couple heads, for some reason? I’m morbidly curious if she can see through that head that’s already formed. Oh god. Here I am, trying to distract myself with banal thoughts like...how do the Travelers manage to move Noelle from city to city, do they steal a freight truck every time? Sorry, I’m thinking of all kinds of things to distract myself about how horrible it must be to be Noelle right now, augh

I can see why nobody else but Francis visits her, though. It must be hard to...to see Noelle and try to not focus on what’s going on with her. Not many would have the...bravery to face her and try to make small talk or anything. What would you even say if you went to see her? How uncomfortable, for both Noelle and someone else, would it be to sit around and try not to talk about the elephant in the room? This is a situation nobody is prepared to deal with. I can definitely understand why it’s easier to just...not go see her at all.

But damn that must feel very lonely for Noelle.

She’d tried to starve herself, to die of thirst.  It had turned out badly.  She’d gone berserk and killed forty people in one autumn night.  Their tissues had played a large part in building the massive fingers and thumb that extended behind her.

Welp! The Simurgh really knew what she was doing. That’s all I have to say. Well played.

And so that’s how the Travelers started working under Coil. Because they were given hope. And nooooow that hope is gone. Here is the present time now, where Coil is dead. No wonder Noelle went berserk and escaped the vault. Where could she have gone...? Where could she be hiding? Because...if she was destroying anything, they would have heard about it even before they saw the broken vault.

But it still can happen. In the very near future. The rage of Noelle.

He had no doubt as to who had died here.  Could remember the scene as it had been just before he’d been knocked unconscious, could remember where people had been standing.

Another wave crashed against the beach.  He heard the seagulls cawing angrily, wanting the morsels that littered the ground in front of him.

Krouse spent a very long time staring at the stain.

This must be the end for this interlude arc. It’s quite the ending, pretty poignant. A quick check on the next chapter link shows that yeah, a new arc is starting next time.

So yeah, that’s it. The Travelers’ arc is over. Must say, this may be one of my favorite arcs so far. It sure makes a few things seem different than before. I appreciated the extensive peek into the circumstances of the Travelers and everything they went through. They’re quite a tragic group, really. In one single day they went from just a normal gaming team to a superpowered bunch without a home and having to lug around someone who is...slowly and horrifically mutating into a mess of flesh that creates mutant copies of people. Pretty amazing they all have held onto their sanity, really.

I’m sure the next arc – which I suppose will be about possibly finding and fighting Noelle – will be quite a thing! I’m looking forward to that.

Next time.

Next time: in three updates

[empmoniitor]

IS WORK FROM HOME REVOLUTION GOING TO STAY, EVEN AFTER COVID-19?

The work from home revolution didn’t seem very radical. Often it seems as the revolution was more of a minor rebellion, with just a few businesses and individuals involved.

As per different statistics and survey data, only 7 percent of workers in the U.S. had the flexibility to work from home before this COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet millions more are adjusting because of office closures and shelter-in-place orders to operate from their bedrooms, kitchen tables, and home offices. Coronavirus almost immediately changed the working environment – but will all the things remain in the same way?

Do you know the reasons why the major pandemic made workplaces shift to remote work? Will this new style of working continue even after this pandemic? Let’s move ahead and get to know the answers behind all these questions.

WHY WERE BUSINESSES HESITANT TO ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO WORK FROM HOME BEFORE CORONAVIRUS?

Although several businesses had the option of allowing their workers to work from home, they were reluctant to turn to that model. Were there any specifications to adopt this culture?

Most of the employers worry about productivity. As they were concerned that employees wouldn’t  have enough productivity and daily work and had a fear of wasting time monitoring them now and then.  

Few employers also shared their concerns about not being able to communicate effectively.

Some thought moving to a remote workforce can be difficult to manage and handle.

And, the next biggest concern was to invest in the latest technologies and software requirements for changing work culture.

These are some of the concerns which kept many businesses from moving into the new work culture. When the Coronavirus outbreak started spreading, it made business to forcefully move to remote work.

REASONS WHY WORKING FROM HOME MAY CONTINUE AFTER CORONAVIRUS IS OVER

Now most of the businesses have moved to the work from the home culture in order to follow the Government work from home policies in this pandemic situation. So, here the big question comes in, will the corporate industries continue to work from home – after this outbreak?

Here are some of the reasons why people may continue working from home even after this current scenario.

HEALTHIER AND SAFER

Most of the employees work under such pressure to move down to their office even when they are sick. With a new emphasis on our mental wellbeing, workplaces may want to minimize coworkers’ instances of bringing their sniffles and coughs to the office. Thus, this new changing work culture is better to prevent disease spread (It does not only apply to COVID-19 but also all other seasonal illnesses.)

EMPLOYERS HAVE INVESTED A LOT

Companies have put in place the means, processes, and technology that their teams need in their home to work. Coronavirus necessitated this. The transition probably involved purchasing new hardware and software, creating new routines, schedules, and setting up workflows.

Because they’ve invested time, energy, and capital in working from home, they’re more likely to stick with it even when all of this is over. Why not take advantage of what was already established?

The main advantage of remote work is that these systems only compound the advantages and lower costs as the company’s size increases. Building a distributed team now means hopefully setting up an organization for development in the coming few years.

IT’S BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

If in the long term, more companies moved to a work from home job, the economy may see some substantial benefits.

For instance, if an employee has an average regular roundtrip work commute of 30 miles, they would emit 330lbs of carbon dioxide emissions per month according to Stanford’s carbon emissions calculator. That’s almost four thousand kilos a year! Working from home would completely reduce certain carbon emissions.

Additionally, if everyone worked from home, there would be no need to build large office buildings using resources and valuable land. Instead, our homes would be doing dual duty as our offices and we could use office space for other purposes.

ENHANCES PRODUCTIVITY

Employers think employees would be less productive while working from home. They were concerned that employees would face issues in working in full shifts and get distracted while working on important tasks.

But the recent stats have shown that people working from home have proved to be more productive in reality. As remote employees are much likely to work for nearly 1.5 times more as compared to the ones who work conventionally, which results in more than three additional weeks of output per year. Employees working from home also face fewer obstacles and may concentrate on their job in a more productive and self-directed manner.

MAKES EMPLOYEES HAPPY

One of the common reasons why work from home is loved by all is because it makes employees happy as they can spend more time with their family.  When your employees are happier, they will be more productive and loyal to your organization.

Full-time remote employees say they are 29 percent happier in their careers in comparison to the on-site workers. Working from home, after all, can also make for a better work-life balance, less workplace drama, and far less tension.

Even not braving a cold morning commute can be a joy-booster for employees. They can then get some extra sleep, make a delicious home-cooked breakfast, and log into their office while still wearing their favorite pair of fuzzy slippers.

HELPS IN SAVING MONEY

The reality is that decisions are taken by many companies considering the bottom line in mind. In light of this, there’s something to say about how much money working from home can save the business.

Other benefits of remote work, such as improved employee productivity and efficiency, help in influencing the bottom line of the company in a very positive way. On the whole, the work from home model is much more efficient and effective.

PROVIDES DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES

Remote work makes it easier for your team to employ talent from different countries around the world-adding a global perspective. Team members can be hired from anywhere, and biases can be reduced as you can not hear accents when you type in. When employees work remotely, the focus is not on their appearance, age, gender, ethnicity, or any other factor but their output.

Furthermore, women can revert to work earlier after having a baby or while caring for family members. Employees with disabilities should stop driving to the workplace and working in their home setting, which is already adapted to their needs. They can also better integrate their physiotherapy or specialist appointments into their schedule.

So, these are some of the benefits of implementing work from home revolution, but along with the perks, various stumbling blocks arise often (discussed in the introduction section). So, to all those questions, I have a solution –

DIFFICULTY IN MANAGING AND MAINTAINING TEAMS

While working from home, there is more work to manage within minimum time in comparison to conventional working. There are also higher chances where employers forget the remote workers or face difficulty in evaluating their productivity levels.

One of the major reasons behind this is the remote teams do not share one physical location. Hence, it’s difficult for employers to keep a check on the standard measures of performance and management, which includes time in and out, idle time, etc.

The strategies that worked for conventional teams earlier might not work now for the remote teams. As you can’t get your teams at the desk post-lunch for the project discussion, or no more walking around to check everyone’s daily work.

In addition to all these it’s quite difficult to manage the work practices, as it’s tough to keep the remote employees accountable. With complete virtual presence, it’s quite hard to establish ties, which includes sociability and friendship, that encourage accountability.

WHAT TO DO?

Implement Management and Monitoring Software – It’s always good to make sure that your remote employees are not over stressed while working. Therefore, it’s suggested to see the projects they are working on currently. At EmpMonitor, we use our software that supports productivity measurement, screenshot monitoring, Browser tracking history, Apps and websites monitoring, etc.

Know More

https://empmonitor.com/blog/employee-management-software-like-empmonitor/

LOSS IN PRODUCTIVITY RATIO

With some mid-day naps, online games, music sessions, window shopping, and various other distractions there in a day. It’s no surprise to see managers worrying about their employees work productivity. As I can see, how common it is for tasks to take longer, because the things which take one hour in office probably takes 3 hours with distractions.

WHAT TO DO?

USE PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

One of the best tools is Google Drive, that syncs everything in one go. For more, you check the productivity levels using EmpMonitor software, as it helps to block the unwanted sites and keeps the complete browsing and download history of the employees workplace systems. It easen up the process of to track the most active billable clients.

Know More-

https://empmonitor.com/blog/6-tools-to-manage-remote-teams/

SECURITY CONCERNS

The loss of laptops can be catastrophic, especially for the ones who use official systems, that contains all the secured data. Other reasons can be if employees leak or steal some of the company’s data and data theft happens, (both conventional and remote) can be more dangerous than you think. So worrying for your data security can be a good reason.

WHAT TO DO?

USE VPN’S

Digital private networks encrypt your data and provide encrypted Internet connectivity to a remote computer. It extends a private network, such as the Internet, over a public one. These are excellent to keep your data and files safe, yet accessible to remote workers. I use HMA VPN, but there are various others which you can use.

If you are a manager, try implementing EmpMonitor in the employees system and you can whitelist the IP so as to eliminate the risk of data breach or data loss.

Know More-

https://empmonitor.com/blog/data-security-work-from-home/

WRAPPING WORDS

In this blog I have covered the benefits along with the challenges and their desired solutions which makes the whole process of remote work go smooth and easy. But, still the question “Is Work From Home Revolution Going To Stay, Even After COVID-19?” seems unanswered.

To this, yes we can get back to office work eventually when things normalize, but we should ask ourselves whether we should or not. There are tons of advantages of working remotely that are worth considering.

Maybe this inevitable change to working from home was the nudge we needed to make the transition to a better system all along. Remote working could just stick around – and the office days may come to an end.

Originally Published On: EmpMonitor

[littletayyswriting]

Title: The Sun Still Waits Here (With the Moon and Stars Beside It) (7/?)

Author: LittleTayy

Rating: Mature

Characters: Marisa Coulter, Lord Asriel, Lyra Belacqua, Ma Costa

Summary: Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel aren’t typical parents but they certainly try their best. Raising their child isn’t as easy as they thought it would be; professional ambitions and personal vices getting in the way. 

( Snippets of an AU story, set in our modern world. )

AN: This is based off the TV Show.

Read On: AO3

the family torn asunder requires the gentlest stitch

part ii

.

It is just after 10AM when Marisa receives a phone call. She'd been lamenting, tipsy on 20 year old scotch, sprawled across her expensive couch. She and Asriel had been searching for Lyra all night and at the insistence of the police officers they'd spoken too, had eventually retired to her flat around the early morning.

Marisa wasn't sure what time they'd gotten in, she just knew that she was exhausted. And by the looks of Asriel, who she had reluctantly let follow her up, he was too. So, instead of doing anything sensible they'd opened a bottle of scotch; Asriel drinking only a few fingers and Marisa the rest.

She scrambles for her phone, brows furrowing for a moment as the caller I.D. is unknown but answers it nonetheless. “Yes? Hello?” She answers rather rudely, hoping and praying it is someone calling to say they'd found Lyra.

To her relief, it is. The sergeant, she can't remember his name, puts Lyra on the phone for a moment and Marisa can't remember ever being so happy. Asriel, for his part, has perked up on the couch across from her, clearly realising the importance of the phone call.

Marisa is loathe to hang up but when she does, she turns her watery eyes and wide smile to Asriel happily. “They found her. Thank God!” She exclaims breathlessly, pushing up off the couch and straightening herself up.

She busies herself while they wait. Now too anxious and frantic to sit. Asriel is amused, though he keeps his calm exterior. It would do no one any good to see how worried and anxious he'd also been. Marisa was the one, despite how hard she tried to keep herself sedate, that was inexplicably hot tempered. Asriel found that it was easier to be the counterpoint to her hot temperament.

The elevator arrived with a ding to Marisa’s penthouse floor. Gilded golden doors opening just as Marisa rushed into the hallway, eyes set on her child huddled up in a policeman’s jacket.

“Lyra!” Marisa cried, rushing forward and all but snatching their child into her arms.

She paid no attention to the policeman whatsoever, leaving that to Asriel as he stepped out of the living room to witness the reunion. He eyed the police officer with suspicion and curiosity, stepping forward with a nod.

“Thank you, Officer…”

“Byrnison, sir. PC Byrnison,” the PC replied, voice gruff as his gaze moved from mother and daughter, up to look at Asriel.

Asriel extended his hand and PC Byrnison shook it strongly. Asriel didn't like the way the constable was regarding them so wearily.

“Where did you find my daughter?” Asriel asked, voice deep and commanding. There was no harm in reminding Byrnison that he was a Lord and that their family was far above some lowly police officer.

Unfortunately, Byrnison took no notice. Or so it seemed. “Your daughter was entertaining herself at the markets. Seems she'd slept in a park shed overnight and then thought she'd try and get some breakfast this morning,” Byrnison told him, amusement pacing his tone, though his eyes still held suspicion. “I caught her trying to steal a bun. I bought it for her, instead. Then we had a nice long chat and she mentioned who she was. That's when I remembered the alert that went out,” the PC replied.

Asriel glared haughtily as Marisa stood finally. She'd been fussing over Lyra but that hadn't stopped her from listening to the conversation. It was clear to Marisa, by the way the constable had spoken, that Lyra had divulged the argument she'd had with them last night. PC Byrnison was suspicious of them as parents and though she could understand why, their eight year old had run away after all, she was not going to let him get the wrong idea about them.

Her arms still wound around Lyra as she stood there, keeping her daughter pressed close. A wide, charming smile settled on her lips as she finally looked at the PC. “Thank you, for taking care of our Lyra, Constable. We are so grateful. We were worried sick but we’re so glad she's home,” Marisa told him, her tone honeyed and almost sickeningly sweet. It was a clear dismissal, she wanted him out of their flat.

PC Byrnison looked as if he'd taken the hint, nodding his head and turning back to the elevator. He was about to press the down button when suddenly, he turned back around.

“Forgive me, if I'm overstepping,” Byrnison started, though he didn't sound at all like he was sorry. He pinned Marisa, then Asriel with a knowing stare. “But Lyra mentioned there'd been an argument. That she'd interrupted an argument…Or, gotten into one...”

Marisa felt Lyra tense in her arms and resisted the urge to glance down at her child. There was no doubt in her mind that Lyra had said something she shouldn't have. Both Asriel and Marisa could so clearly understand what the PC was inferring.

“A simple family argument,” Marisa interjected before Byrnison could suggest any further. “Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. We usually try not to argue in front of Lyra, you see. But noise travels in this flat. Lyra was simply upset,” Marisa continued, lacing her words with half-truths and sincerity.

“I see,” the Constable replied, giving them a nod. He didn’t look like he believed them. “I'll be off then. The station may want to follow up on a missing child however. Someone may be in touch,” he told them, finally stepping onto the elevator.

Marisa, Asriel and Lyra watched him as the doors closed; Marisa clinging to Lyra and Asriel hovering just behind them. Byrnison found the sight of the family strangely unsettling. Marisa couldn't help feeling that Byrnison didn't fully believe them but she knew, for now, he'd have no power to do anything about his suspicions.

-

“You can't run off like that Lyra,” Marisa insists, for what felt like the millionth time that day. “You had us so worried! Anything could have happened to you,” she continued, stroking Lyra’s hair as she lead her down the hall.

Lyra had just gotten out of a bath and Marisa had washed her, towelled her and dressed her, all as if Lyra was a baby again. Lyra complained only mildly at the treatment before realising that instead of the coddling, she could’ve been punished. So, she let her mother dress her in fancy silk pyjamas and lead her into her mother’s room, fussing over her along the way.

“You need your rest,” Marisa told her child softly, just glad to have her little girl back in her possession. There was a part of her that didn’t want to let Lyra out of her sight ever again but she knew her daughter wouldn’t appreciate her over-bearing presence. Still, she figured she could get away with it for at least the next few days.

“But I’m not tired,” Lyra replied, as Marisa ushered her up and onto her large bed. Lyra relished in the comfort of her mothers blankets and pillows, cuddling into them as she looked up at her mother. She’d only slept in this bed a few times since they’d been in London; her mother had taken to locking her bedroom door.

“I know, darling. But you need your rest,” Marisa told her, a genuine smile settling on her lips as she sat on the edge of the bed. She stroked Lyra’s hair, cupping her cheek gently as she spoke. “How about I make us some hot chocolate and we can watch a movie in here, together. Hm?” Marisa suggested, head nodding slightly in encouragement.

“Okay...can I pick the movie?” Lyra asked, suddenly perking up a little at the special treatment she was receiving. She knew at some point she was going to receive a lecture about her action and behaviour but for now, she was going to bask in her mother’s concern for as long as she could.

Marisa smiled, leaning forward to press a quick peck to Lyra’s forehead before standing up. “Of course,” she replied, moving over to her dresser and picking up the laptop she’d abandoned there the night before.

She didn’t have a television in her room, she’d never thought there was a need for it and she wasn’t one to laze around in bed all that often. But, she did have a streaming service on her laptop, one that thankfully Lyra knew how to use. She deposited the laptop on the bed, opening it and putting in the password before finding the appropriate site, only then turning it over to Lyra to let her use it. Technology was useful but she was weary about how much she let her daughter use it.

Lyra was busy scrolling through movie options as Marisa made her way out of the room. She’d promised Lyra hot chocolate and though it was for her daughter, Marisa needed one just as much. It had been a trying night and morning and as she made her way through the flat towards the kitchen, Marisa could feel the exhaustion hitting her. She’d make them their hot chocolates and bring them to Lyra but she wasn’t sure if she’d manage to make it through a whole movie.

Stepping into the light, gold accented kitchen, she froze for a moment at the figure standing by the bench. She had been so focused on Lyra that she’d completely forgotten Asriel was still there. He was still in the clothes he’d turned up in last night and he looked as tired as she did but the smirk on his face looked infuriatingly fresh.

“Have you just been lurking this whole time?” Marisa asked, moving through the kitchen to start on making the hot chocolate. Asriel didn’t move from his spot, sipping on what she assumed was coffee. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d added a little something to help it go down smoother and then wondered if she could do the same with the hot chocolate.

“You seemed to have everything under control,” Asriel replied after a moment, eyes watching her intensely. “Surprised you didn’t drag her here with you. To keep an eye on her,” he continued, amusement heavy in his tone.

Marisa resisted rolling her eyes, though her lips pursed a little at his words. He always made her out to be so clingy but Lyra was her only living child. It was hardly a crime that she wanted to keep her close.

“She’s picking a movie,” Marisa told him simply, focused over the pot and milk and chocolate. She gave him a little sideways glance then, the corner of her lips turning upwards in a smirk. “I’d say you could join us. But that’s not really your thing, is it?”

Asriel simply shakes his head. He knows Marisa is trying to goad him and try as she might, he wasn’t going to fall for it this time.

With a sigh, he sets his mug down on the marble counter top and takes a step closer to Marisa. He watches her, while she pretends she is not watching him from the corner of her eye. He doesn’t say anything as she mixes the milk and chocolate and then pours them into two mugs. He lets her dust powdered chocolate over the two cups before speaking again.

“Marry me,” Asriel says. It is not at all romantic or sentimental or sweet. It’s matter of fact, almost a statement. As if he believes she always will.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marisa snaps then, head turning to look at him with a frown. She searches his eyes, finds that he’s serious and can’t believe the audacity of the man. Her hand itches to slap him like she had the night before.

Asriel simply chuckles, grinning wildly. He can tell what she wants to do by the twitch of her hand. At least he’d be ready for her this time, unlike last night.

“It’s not ridiculous. What’s ridiculous is that you still go by Coulter. You were married to him less time then Lyra’s been alive!” Asriel remarks with a smirk. He steps closer, voice low and deep as he catches her eye, pinning her gaze. “Wouldn’t you rather be Lady Belacqua? Imagine the regard you’d have then, if we made it official? You wouldn’t have anyone looking down on you then,” Asriel teased, a hand coming up to settle on her waist as he pulled her closer. He could see the interest sparkling in her eyes. “Lady Marisa Belacqua. It’s like you were born for the name. We should have done it years ago,” he continues his seduction, barely pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away. He knows she won’t say yes, not now, not yet. His intention had simply been to plant the idea in her head.

“Yes, we should have,” Marisa says after a moment, voice still light and breathy. She’d lost herself to the moment, had let him intoxicate her as he always had. But she steeled herself against him now, she wasn’t going to succumb to his flights of fancy, not when it’d been almost a year since they’d been in physical proximity.

She pulled away from him reluctantly, her body yearning to touch him and be close but her mind gaining full control back. “You can see yourself out if you wish,” Marisa says, making it clear that he does not have to stay. She ignores him as she makes her way back to her bedroom, the two cups of hot chocolate carefully in hand.

Lyra is snuggled up on her bed, resting comfortably on the pillows with the laptop in front of her. It’s clear she’d picked a movie and by her fidgeting had been waiting impatiently for Marisa to get back. “Thank you, mummy,” Lyra whispers as Marisa hands her the hot chocolate, warning that it’s hot and to not drink it too quickly.

She places her own mug down on the bedside table as she climbs onto the bed, sitting snugly beside Lyra before picking it up once again. Her gaze flicks to the screen, brows furrowed for a moment as she tries to figure out which movie Lyra had settled on. It’s a title she recognises but not one she recalls seeing.

Lyra starts the movie then and they sip their warm drinks contentedly. It’s ten minutes in when Asriel wanders into the room, moving about the space as if he had every right to be there. Marisa glares over her mug but says nothing as he kicks off his boots and climbs onto her bed, settling beside her. Her gaze drops to Lyra and realises she looks thrilled to have Asriel there with them, so she says nothing.

Eventually both hot chocolates are finished and are placed onto the bedside table, out of the way. Lyra is intensely focused on the movie, some children’s fantasy that has Lyra intrigued and delighted. Marisa finds herself the little spoon as Asriel shifts, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her tightly and it isn’t long before her exhaustion overtakes her and she’s fallen asleep in his arms. It’s a sight to behold, Marisa so comfortable and relaxed, one of her hands touching Lyra at all times.

Asriel thinks, for once, that maybe he had actually been in the wrong. He won’t ever admit it but gazing over his sleeping lover and their child, he decides he doesn’t want to lose them. He squeezes Marisa a little tighter, hand entwining with hers, thumb rubbing soft circles over her palm, pressing a kiss to her cheek and lays his head down. After all, he’d not had any sleep all night too.

The movie is almost finished when Lyra starts to hear her father’s light snores. She ignores them until the movie ends, then turns the site off and closes her mother’s laptop, wriggling a little out of her mother’s hold to place the device on the table beside the bed. Turning back around, Lyra grins as she see’s both her parents asleep, cuddling up together.

It’s a sight she hasn’t seen since before her sister died. She’s missed having her father around and she’s missed her mother being happy; seeing them like that she can’t help but wish that they never part again. With a smile on her face, she snuggles back into her mother, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep with thoughts of being a proper family again in her mind.

[askthiscpblog]

Can we have a story abt Slender recruiting someone

Ben leads the female Danny Phantom back to the mansion, himself floating the entire way making a straight line for it. They had to weave through the trees, but it wasn’t going to be difficult to follow otherwise. “So just letting you know, boss man isn’t keen on kids. You might be too old for him, but I say start praying to whoever you believe in now before meeting him.” Ben suggests, looking back at the girl.

“At this point, if I die, all I want is to be a ghost and haunt rich people,” she joked as she followed him.

“I mean, you’re already halfway there with your curse.” He retorted as the mansion came into view. It was a huge, old Victorian-style gothic mansion that looks as if it is going to fall apart by someone breathing on it. The shutters were closed, the glass stained and ruined but not broken. Everything about it screamed danger.

“Nice aesthetic, but it looks a little old to be housing so many people.” She rubbed the back of her neck. To say she was nervous was a bit of an understatement. She’s surprised she hadn’t started shaking.

“Only 4 people live here, the rest of us have our own place in the Domain,” he explains, looking back at her. “Welp, don’t die looking for him. The house is deadly. Good luck!” With that, he fades away.

Dread filled her as he faded away. She hoped at least she wouldn’t have to do this alone. ‘Not surprised he left, you should be used to having to do things without help. Useless coward.’ She glared at the obnoxious spirit, “Shut it, I don’t need that right now.” With that, she went to enter the mansion.

The spirits vanish at the start of the door to the mansion. The floorboards creaked under her feet, despite how light she might be, as she entered. The mansion in the place looked old, but everything on the inside was much nicer than the outside. It was…shocking in the sense of what one would expect.

“Much nicer on the inside,” she whispered to herself. The creaking of the floorboards was grinding on her every nerve. She didn’t like making so much noise and giving out her position. “Bright side, if I survive I can map out the creaky spots later.”

As she went through, she could feel as if the walls had eyes and were watching her. In her head, flashes of a library dance across it, in her vision blurring for a split second before coming back.

“Huh,” she muttered, “Guess that’s the room I need to find then.” As she searches for the library, she couldn’t help but get the urge to run away, far, far away. “I’m going to die here, aren’t I?”

As she went through the first door, she entered a hall. Continuing as she traveled, it only continued through other doors and halls. A dining room popped up a few times, then the kitchen, each becoming more decrepit and worn away every time she passed.

“It’s like something from an indie game.” Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t talk to herself out loud, but voicing her thoughts while playing horror games made her feel better sometimes. Each time she passed the same room again her anxiety increased a little. “At least this isn’t the worst way to go out. I think burning alive is supposed to be the most painful.”

Then she happened upon the experimentation rooms, where they sprawled out like buildings inside a building. She came into a control room, looking around as on monitors that something escaped and is hunting things in here.

“Must’ve been strong if it escaped from a place like this,” she looked over the monitors with curiosity and other bits of technology in the room. “Bet Sam would’ve liked this.. wonder how he’s doing.” She shakes her head, not wanting to reminisce on the past and continued her search.

Silent could then hear the movement above her, of something heavy in the air vents hanging around the place. It seemed to have stopped for a bit before making its way back to her.

Her fingers twitched as she quickened her pace. She wasn’t very good at combat, she preferred to get the drop on her enemies, attack from the shadows.

As she quickened, it seemed to have picked up the pace too. Going through another door, it dropped down ripping the door open itself. If Silent looked, it was a large, 10 foot tall mass of feathers with a beak coming out of it. It’s hunched over, claws on the end of arms as it rushed after her screaming.

She didn’t bother with looking back. The minute she heard the noise she could only think to do one thing: Sprint. Her fight or flight instincts took over and she turned invisible as she ran, not realizing it.

As she took off and her form faded, the creature running after her, it tried to catch up and took a swipe at her, slamming into the wall and breaking the wall. Shattering it. This continued on for a few more rooms, it losing her then catching up, rinse and repeat.

‘Frick, frick frICK,’ her thoughts panicked as she ran. ‘What do I do? I can’t run forever! Okay, three options: hide in a place it can’t get me, catch it, or die. Let’s hope I won’t die.’

Whatever she wanted to do, she would have to act fast. The creature, growling and snarling, was gaining on her again and clipped her leg with one of its claws. It knew where she was now and was close.

She bit back a silent yelp of pain, almost tripping when the monster hit her leg. She refused to die but she couldn’t fight something twice her size. ‘Cowards way out then,’ she decided, searching frantically for a space that only she can fit into.

As she crawled into it, it slammed into the wall reaching out for her as it cut up her leg again as she fled. Snarling and howling, it reached out for her as she crawled and it couldn’t catch her.

As the beast continued to swipe at her she thanked whatever high power there was that she was small, backing up farther into space in the case. Her heart pounded in her ears and her body shaking from the adrenaline.

It felt like forever until it finally lost interest and left her alone. It was another long, exaggerated period of time before it felt like it was safe to leave again. When she finally does, she crawls out into a different room. It looks like a library.

“Okay… what now?” She asked herself, looking around the room. She ran her fingers across the spines of several books with caution. There was a tingling feeling in the back of her mind, a memory hidden and long forgotten. Silent couldn’t explain it, but she had the sudden urge to climb the shelves and read as many of the books as she could.

'You sit and answer my questions.’ a voice rang in her head, neither male or female. Both of them spoke at the same time, overlapping with a faint echo inside her head.

“Hm?” She turned around to see a tall, faceless figure wearing a dark suit watching her. “Oh, BEN’s boss I’m guessing?” She asked, her voice coming out sounding like a mouse, moving to sit on the couch.

'Yes, you have that correct. Who are you?’ it asks, going to sit down on a chair across from her, its blank face looking right at her.

“Well, I go by Silent Scream now, I guess,” she shrugged, pulling her legs up onto the couch with her and hugging them to her chest. Not being able to read his face made her uneasy. “By the way, did you know there’s a bird monster running loose?”

'Seedeater is free to wander the house as he pleases. He might have realized that you were a child and wished to eat you to extend his life. While you’re here you don’t have to worry.’ Slender watched the child, seeing her ball up and be nervous to the situation around her. She is a little old for those he steals away but knows too much.

“That’s a new reason for someone to want to kill me,” she gave a nervous smile, remembering BEN’s words of how his Boss doesn’t like children. “Are you sure, because I’ve been told you wouldn’t be too very fond of me?”

'You are older than my choice morsels. On the cusp of being too aged. That is why I haven’t done anything with you, yet.’

“Oh, That’s nice,” she yawned into her hand, her form fading. Though she had eaten the leftovers earlier, she was still tired and had worked out most of the energy from running from Seedeater. And with the spirits disappearing at the door, there was no one to keep her awake for now. “So, who are you anyway?”

'I suggest you stay awake little one, else you wake up somewhere you wouldn’t like. Your kind knows me as the Slenderman, but Slender is fine. Tell me, I saw you were here because you got lost. You understand I can’t let you go with how much you’ve seen, despite it being from Ben’s doing.’

“Sorry, can’t help it sometimes. I was lost, and I don’t expect to get out of this place without dying first.”

'Aren’t you already dead with your condition?’

“I’m… not actually sure,” her brow furrowed in confusion. “I think I’m technically alive right now, but I can still die and after a while, I eventually come back.” She ran her hands through her hair, trying to recall each time she died before ending up in Slender’s domain. “And I can’t really remember what happens when I’m dead. I just wake up in another place and continue from there.”

'Do you age still?’

“I’m pretty sure I still do, maybe not during the time I’m dead, but if I ever stop aging I’ll let you know.”

He seemed perturbed at these answers, how casual the child was when facing death. But from the information she is giving, death seems to be more of a mild inconvenience to her than anything. Could be useful. 'Ben informed me you know who did this to you? Did they mark you?’

“Mark? As in claiming me?” She shook her head, “No, they wouldn’t do that as far as I know. They wanted to wipe me off the face of the Earth.”

'And I assume you have no idea on why.’

“Only a small one really. I believe he had me confused with someone else.”

'I see. If you could would you take measures to take revenge upon him?’

“I would prefer some answers, but sure.” She felt as if she were missing something very important, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what it was.

'Can you fight? Are you okay with killing others? And to what extent can you control your abilities?’ These questions seemed forced, rushed, to the point.

“I prefer assassin style and I need improvement in close-range combat, I have no problem with killing, and I’m not entirely sure.”

'Then you will be studying under Masky, one of the proxies that I have. He is the close-range fighter of the trio but will be trading off with Hoodie sometimes to keep your assassin technique perfected. Being a child you will be expected to complete studies, and are charged with keeping watch over Sally.’

A legitimate smile broke out on her face, pleased that she wouldn’t be harmed for now. “Thank you, sir- wait, what’s the catch?” She eyed him with suspicion. She had learned her lesson about not asking the consequences.

'You’re working for me until your premiant death. Marked, but that means you do not have to worry about the other trying to control you. You do as I say, and if there is any rebellion I will be merciless in my execution of judgment.’

“Alright, seems fair enough,” she joked, “It’s not like I have any better options.”

'It beats running around the planet forever and getting no rest. I would suggest staying away from Seed. He respects my decisions but is a sly one in trying to find loopholes. You may leave me now, the house will no longer be a maze to you. Find a room and do as you wish.’

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere him after that.“ She got up and left the room, already deciding to sleep for as long as she could when she finds a room.

[angelkurenai]

Sleepless nights - Steve Rogers x Reader

Title: Sleepless nights

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Being the adopted daughter of the one and only Tony Stark, after your parents’ death, has both its perks and drawbacks, like getting to know Captain America himself. However, no matter how close you are, whenever you try to have some alone time with the supersoldier someone seems to be ready to interrupt. So when you find him alone in the gym one night, you decide to take the chance. Only you don’t know his pent up frustration has a lot to do with you.

Staying up till late at night had disadvantages and more often than not cause a lot of trouble. Whether it would be arguing with Tony or more like being lectured by your father-figure that you weren't getting enough sleep and how unhealthy it was to work till late at night – look who's talking – or making careless mistakes during missions, because of lack of sleep, that ended in you getting hurt pretty bad sometimes and in the end getting the 'I told you so' look from Tony and other members of the team; or even worse sometimes the concerned look in Steve's baby blue eyes that just broke your heart, knowing you put him through such worry. 

You weren't an Avenger but your knowledge in technology and all of the things that Tony had taught you over the years, from helping in making all the suits to hacking in systems not even FRIDAY could, came in handy more often than not. Not to mention that once in a while you loved being there and seeing the Avengers in action, alright maybe Steve a little more than the others.

Steve. Steve Rogers. Captain America. Friend. And above all, the man that stole your heart from the first moment you met. Not to mention the biggest advantage of staying up till late at night. The only perk other than getting your job done, was walking by the training rooms to see the shoulders flex underneath his shirt as he kept punching the punching bag in front of him. You got carried away admiring for a full minute, not a surprise there and not the first time either, but this time at least you weren't on edge thinking someone might catch you, because nobody else apart from you and Steve (apparently) was awake at this time of the night.

It was so easy for this man to distract you even with the smallest thing. You bit your lip, glancing around the small hallway in case somebody was around, luck wasn't with your side whenever you wanted to be alone with the super soldier, so if this was your chance you weren't going to let it slip.

“I never took you for a night owl, Stevie.” you said in a soft voice so as not to startle him, when you entered the training room.

The man paused, turning to look in your direction before a small adorable smile graced his lips that made your knees go weak “Trust me, I surprise myself sometimes too.”

Your smile only got bigger, not just because of his one, but also because if his back could have you staring then his sweaty front side had you gawking “Seems like you were going hard on that punching bag, makes one wonder whose face you were picturing.” you said with a smirk that made him let out a soft laugh.

“If you are implying Tony because of what happened today at the mission, I'll admit that he made me see red but no, not to that extend.” he walked towards you, unwrapping the gauze from his hands “We don't always see eye to eye, but that's how we work I guess.”

“Hey, nobody's gonna blame you if you were picturing his face! I know I do sometimes.” you confessed with a sly smile that made a beautiful chuckle leave his lips.

“You do huh?” he raised an eyebrow and you nodded your head.

“I love dad, but sometimes he's so infuriating he's just asking for it.” you shrugged.

“Dad huh?” he breathed out and you gave him a small nod and smile “I'm glad that you've gone on that level with him, now. Infuriating or not, he's a good man and he does see you as his daughter. He cares about you like a father would, and that's something we all can see. Whether you're adopted or not, you're more family to him than blood relation can go.”

“Tony was...” your smile fell as your eyes casted down “He was the only one I had when my parents died. My whole world crumbled down when I realized that the people closest to me where gone and they weren't coming back. He supported me so much on an emotional level, helped me through my nightmares, through my anxiety attacks, he-” you blinked away the tears, looking up when you felt his hand on your shoulder “He stood by my side like a real father, not just because they were old friends or because he decided to take me in, but because he was really there for me, I really think he deserves it. He was the only one I had when everything fell apart around me and now... I have you too.”

“You always will have me. For anything that's worrying you or troubling you, I'm- I'm here for you.” he said in a soft whisper “I-” he cleared his throat, looking down before adding “I know what it's like to lose everything you knew, to have to deal with nightmares and have nothing to grasp onto for sanity.”

Your heart did a small drop, thinking that this was just Steve being the sweetheart he was to everyone and not because you more special to him than others “Is that why you're here tonight? Trying to grasp onto some sanity?”

Or at least so you thought, because in his eyes you were far more than just what you gave yourself credit for.

He cleared his throat, looking away from you while his hand fell and he rubbed the back of his neck almost nervously “You could say that, I guess.”

“You know-” you took hold of his hand before he could turn away from you, surprising mostly yourself than him “If anything, anything at all, is bothering you then I need you to know I am here for you as well, Steve. You can talk to me without fear, I will understand everything... At least, I'll try my best to.”

“Believe me, I know that. And you have no idea how important it is to me.” he gave you a breath-taking smile before, although hesitantly, he leaned down to kiss your cheek surprising the both of you. You were sure that the red tht tinted his cheeks matched that of yours but you both had two wide grins that were just impossible to hide.

“Alright-” you cleared your throat, still smiling “Until you feel like talking about any of the things troubling you, how about you let out your pent up frustration another way hm?”

“What?” he blinked, his eyebrows raising in surprise and his eyes slightly widened.

“What?” you asked back, tilting your head to the side , narrowing your eyes at him.

“I-” he shook his head “What did you mean?”

“Some combat. I'm not the best at it but I can hold a fight... or at least so I'd like to believe. You could always teach me a couple new things.” you giggled softly and he cleared his throat, nodding his head.

“Oh” he breathed out “Ye-yeah, of course. I guess it could come in handy at some point.”

“Especially if dad keeps getting on my nerves like this.” you grinned, starting to take off your long hoodie “Don't worry about hurting me though. You can go as rough as you want, I can- You ok?” you stopped yourself, giving him a curious look when you noticed he was staring quite wide-eyed.

“I'm- Yeah I'm alright.” he blinked, clearing his throat but still looking away.

“Are you sure?” you asked with a small smirk, always loving when he got bashful around you. A man who usually towered over everybody else, broad shoulders and big arms that could rip a log in half – and he had – could get so shy around you so easily and act like a teen in front of their crush. Or at least you wished.

“Yeah, of course. Alright, so what would you like to learn?” he asked, and the way he looked so intensely in your eyes made you raise an eyebrow. It was almost as if he was forcing himself to focus on your face and not- Oh. Oh!

“I-” you tried to fight the grin “Am I making you uncomfortable Steve?”

“No, not at all. Why would you say that?” he tried to play it cool but it was so obvious how flustered he was that it just made your heart skip another beat.

“Oh I don't know, I'm just guessing.” you shrugged “Sorry by the way, for the clothes. Dad likes the AC to work on max down in the labs sometimes but in my room it's usually warmer so keeping some shorts and a tank-top underneath the hoodie is always the best option. I thought you'd have gotten used to seeing women exposing much more skin in 2018.”

“No, no yeah of course I am. That's not it.” he shook his head, because it was true after all. He was used to that, more than he thought he'd be, but he was and could not get used enough to your body being so exposed around him or the way that made him feel to be as comfortable as he was with other women.

“Then what?” you took a step closer to him, noticing how he scooted back subtly. This time the move not making your heart ache the way it usually would because you understood very well the reason behind it.

“Steve...” you started in a soft voice, trying to fight the smile from your lips “Is there something you're not telling me?”

“What?” he frowned, blinking “Oh, no. No everything is alright. I'm just... troubled and worried, from the mission is all.” he knew he was lying through his teeth and he hoped you bought it but how could he ever tell you the whole truth?

He couldn't put that kind of truth into words, not even when he was alone, not to mention when he was facing you. How could he even say that he had come down to the training room after an ice-cold shower to find a way to get his mind off of you and all those so-not-appropriate thoughts and above all dreams he'd had about you that woke him up in the middle of the night? He couldn't say that.

“Stevie” you started, placing a hand on his arm and he instantly looked at you “I meant it when I said you can talk to me about anything.”

“And you really are the one I will always look for when I need to, you know it.” he gave you a small smile “B-But this one's different so it's better if you don't stress yourself out with my problems. I'll be alright, don't worry about me.”

“Yes, but-” you took another step closer to him, this time really surprising yourself with how daring you were “It will help get the weight of your shoulders, you know.”

“Or maybe ruin things for good.” he said back softly, worry in his eyes “And I can't afford that, I- I won't be able to take that.”

“Maybe. But maybe it could change things for the better. You won't know until you make the move.” you said softly, your hand sliding down to hold his and he gave your hand a squeeze.

“I- I just wanted-” but he didn't get to complete his sentence when another voice cut him off, and it wasn't yours.

“(Y/n) (Y/l/n)-Stark get your ass in the labs this moment before I come down there to take you myself.” Tony's voice echoed through the training room and it sounded just as pissed off as you'd expect from him. You all-but-jumped away from Steve before looking up at no particular wall because you didn't know where the cameras had been installed exactly.

“Oh and sorry for interrupting.” his voice was laced with sarcasm, making your blood boil.

“Are you spying on me or something now?” you crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at the wall.

“When you're forgetting to put clothes on, yes, yes I actually am.” his voice said back sassily and you rolled your eyes, mocking him childishly before he spoke up again “And don't roll your eyes on me, you hear me? Come here now.”

“And what if I say no?” you crossed your arms over your chest.

“(Y/n)” Steve warned softly, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“First of; hands off Rogers, I see you. Second; you either come here now or so help me, I have enough footage to blackmail you for the rest of your life.”

“Real mature, dad.” you muttered, but right before you could sass him back, Steve spoke to you gently.

“It's alright, (Y/n), really. We'll find another chance sometime.” he gave your shoulder a squeeze “Go. Knowing Tony he's going to keep his word.”

“I-” you sighed in defeat “I'm gonna burn those baby photos down.” you muttered before leaning in to kiss his cheek, despite Tony clearing his throat for you to hear “See you, Steve, maybe another time.”

“Oh I really hope not.” came your father's voice and you rolled your eyes, taking hold of your hoodie.

“Fuck you, dad.” you said loud enough for him to hear as you made your way to the door.

“Language!” you were surprised to hear from actually both of them but you just shrugged it off before you hurried to the labs.

And just as you expected you found a grumpy Tony Stark waiting for you there with his arms crossed over his chest as he said “Care to explain what was that?”

“Interesting, I was gonna ask you the same thing.” you shot back, after all these years you had started acting a lot more like him without realizing but despite how proud it made Tony, he now was only pissed.

“I could always see you had a thing for him but taking it this far? Really?”

“This far? Are you serious, dad?” you scoffed a laugh “We were just about to do some combat, Steve would teach me a couple moves. We weren't doing it in the middle of the training room because as you see I'm perfectly dressed considering it's the middle of freaking summer! When that happens it will be in my room or his, don't worry about it.” you shrugged casually but he choked on thin air, his eyes going wide.

“Oh shit my left side is going numb, shit I can't feel it. That's not normal, is it? It must be a heart attack, it needs to be.” he blinked and you rolled your eyes at how dramatic he was being “When did you even get to that part?!”

“We haven't but-” you shrugged casually again “We might. At least I hope, when I get the courage to tell him how I-”

“Hope?!” his eyes widened once more in just a couple minutes “Alright, that's it. Sit down, you and I need to have a talk.”

“You wanna talk? Fine, let's talk. But I'll give you a heads up: By the end of this conversation I will still tell you that I have feelings for Steve Grant Rogers and that is not going to change. Now-” you sat down on a chair, motioning for him to do the same “I'm listening.”

[cheswirls]

tether notes 1/3

long overdue, sry abt that.

pt. 1

why is there no change to the mines after 15+ years of destroying an environment?

i modeled the sinnoh region of tether almost exclusively on the hokkaido region of japan. from the layout of cities like sapporo, abashiri, and muroran, to geography like lake saroma northeast of veilstone and the hidaka mountain range for lower mt coronet, and especially, to the isolationism. i kept it trie to pokemon in the fact that sinnoh has no railways, unlike its real-life counterpart, which has plenty for traversing its vastness. a big part of hokkaido is how empty it is.

[on that note, though i mention both, i used muroran photography to model veilstone instead of abashiri, as its a proper port town. not super significant, jsu thought i’d bring it up, since muroran is sandgem’s counterpart.]

hokkaido is vastly underpopulated in ratio to its size. its mostly due to climate, and nature. things are far less technologized there. outside of sapporo, you won’t find very many glowing billboards and fancy casinos and active nightlife. you have to ride a train for hours to reach the next big town. the mountain range cuts the northern region in half.

when compared to this, little villages out in the middle of the wilds are far more isolated than towns. especially when they’re remnants of indigenous tribes. it’s sad, but it’s pretty standard process in the world nowadays -governments don’t care about the native people much. it’s prevalent in the united states, and if you’ve ever read commentary from fma’s mangaka arakawa, you’ll know the same is true for japan. the ainu are isolated to hokkaido. they aren’t looked after much.

so, even though it’s been a direct result of oreburgh’s mines’ negative effects, it’s still a matter of most of the sinnoh region not even knowing the village existed, and even if they did, not paying it mind. the wilds of sinnoh are difficult to traverse, and it’s more logical to take a boat to your destined city instead of traversing through them. that’s why so many of the big towns in sinnoh are located on a shore. for others, like jubilife and hearthome, there are airports that cater to people. and, for real life hokkaido, there are the trains.

i really wrote abt the mining incident in reference to bangladesh. in hokkaido, once all the prevalent mines started having accidents, the japanese government was quick to shut them down. in other eastern countries, especially bangladesh, the government is notorious for doing nothing abt the insane amounts of river pollution caused by factory waste. writing the river scene was heartbreaking, but learning about the trash rivers that prevail in countries with vast amounts of pollution, of the ones that run stark orange with mining waste, that was more difficult than anything i’d written for tether. 

so it comes down to being a mix of two things. one, sinnoh’s government viewing the production of the mine and the money it brings over the safety of the nature that surrounds it. and, two, no one noticing the damage anyway. it’s not like it ever affected oreburgh. or, maybe it did, but they installed the fresh-air vents to keep the mines clean, like the changes made in pokemon platinum suggest? the oreburgh mines are the sinnoh region’s majority of energy, after all (you can argue for sunyshore, but i’d say solar power only stretches so far from the source) so even if there’s a scuffle of it here or there, keeping it active is important.

also. my take of the pokemon world has always been a little gritty. so there’s that.

why hancock as champion?

i ask myself this question everyday. i don’t even like boa. why did i include her, if in name only? what was i thinking? oh well. it’s already been done.

[side note, again. if boa’s in charge of sinnoh, considering her, erm, personality, is it hard to believe nothing was ever done abt the mine pollution? aka does she care abt anyone but herself hm hm ]

pt 2.

i introduce a pokemon known as driftzel rather early on. it’s luffy’s, and it’s an in-progress pokemon, a concept i thought would be interesting to use. you can see what driftzel looks like here. it also links to the blog i got the idea from. instead of it being like a natural evolution, though, the idea in tether is more of a middle evolution for pokemon with two lines. so, there aren’t any for three-line evolutions. i was originally going to introduce ricaru, an evolution between riolu and lucario, but i moved away from that idea somewhere around writing part 4.

herbalist!law is the solution i came up with in lieu of him being a doctor. i had so much fun with the berries. when i was doing my maps for each part of tether, i had separate maps marking out the locations of berries in the games and which ones law collects along the journey to veilstone. 

hearthome is the only city i didn’t base on a real world counterpart. i think because i had too much to work with already. the cathedral, the contest hall, the gym. all the architecture. the poffin house. i didn’t wanna change anything abt hearthome, and more importantly, i wanted to portray part of japan’s hospitality here, too. it does extend all the way to hokkaido, yes. people are nice, and friendly, and happy to have travelers, just as depicted in all the games. 

yes, all of ace’s pokemon are named after spade pirates. except for isuka, because i couldn’t resist. yes, striker is a spade pirate, it was his ship. 

[in reference to the night walk between hearthome and solaceon] remember to bring a compass, when you’re in a region with a giant magnetic mountain range at its center, because it will be a lifesaver.

Law can see how uneasy Luffy still is, but as they walk further from the coast, he eases up, so he chooses not to ask

^ in platinum, the opposite shore houses the hallowed tower where you can encounter spiritomb. sensing the presence of an evil spirit leaves luffy on edge, thus their dodge to avoid it.

why are lunar wings, an event-only item, brought up in hearthome?

you’re right. lunar wing is a rare dppt item, and you can only get it after encountering cresselia on fullmoon island. my inspiration came from an episode of the dp anime, where a stall in canalave was selling the feathers as homage to the game event. actually, to go further, the same thing happened in the darkrai movie, which is where i got most of the insp. especially for the charms made out of them -look at the picture here!! i figured, with the sinnoh region i was depicting being a place of mostly friendly and peaceful pokemon, cresselia was more generous with her feathers. they make for popular items, and if they work in keeping the bad dreams away, whats the harm? plus, they’re in hearthome, a hotbed for tourists and foreign activity, because they’d sell best there. a good luck souvenir from sinnoh? sign me up.

but they are still lunar wings, and they do work, as shown with chimchar. i really wanted a piece of practical merchandise i could show off, and once i got the idea for chimchar’s introduction, i tweaked the hearthome scene to include the feathers. if you pay attention, though, you’ll note that law no longer has restless sleep after luffy’s secured a lunar wing.

the solaceon ruins was a place i wanted to explore so badly, but it just didn’t make sense within the continuity of the story, especially when i decided to go the northern route and introduce tsuru out of the fog. my original ideas were split between that, and law/lu cutting through the mountainous area of the ruins as a shortcut to veilstone. i was really captivated with exploring the uncharted areas of sinnoh’s map, and i think at this point i had established enough, so i decided they would stay on paved routes this time. but! i did want to bring it up, which is where carmel comes in.

in the games, there are houses on the outskirts of solaceon, nestled between the trees, and very close to the ruins. there’s one house where a little boy will give you ball capsule stickers. that’s the basis for mother carmel’s house. she lives there with anana, the first of the captive granddaughters to be introduced. 

anana is creepy in canon. you can’t die that. i used carmel’s canon portrayal to match, and then the scene becomes a match of who’s creepier -the ruins or this old lady? the atmosphere around the ruins is weird. there are unknown there, so the space is distorted. it’s an old place. it’s quite possibly connected to giratina and the distortion world, since there are unknown present. it’s supposed to be eerie and strange and off-putting. it’s supposed to feel like a place where a wandering child can disappear into quite easily. though, maybe carmel’s just inattentive.

The trees out here are tall, towering over them in shades of deep green and dull orange, a byproduct left over from spring’s bloom

i mention orange trees in a section of the woods just past solaceon. they’re not orange from fall, though, they’re naturally so. oran trees! any off-colored trees mentioned -assume they’re berry trees. also another berry thing i had fun with, deciding which was a bushel and which was a plant and which was a huge tree. 

i had way too much fun depicting the fog forest. i actually listened to a lot of pkmn soundtrack while writing tether, and for this part, this santalune forest remix was on constant replay. getting turned around, not being able to see your map, hearing the sounds and calls of wild pokemon, and then getting so lost in it that you begin to hear what isn’t there. not being able to see in front of you, barely able to dodge attacks and sabotage from wild pokemon, and feeling like youre going insane from myriads of different tunes clashing together. the road between solaceon and the dragon tamer’s house is terrifying, and i wanted to use this to depict the dangers of traveling in the pokemon world. though most sinnoh pokemon thus far had been shown to have good intentions, it can’t be said about every pokemon. 

not to mention the big drop you have before the bridge, right when you get out of the fog! not really even out of it, as it sticks around near the dragon tamer’s house. could you imagine encountering something like that in real life? imagine how many accidents there would be.

so i had a bit of trouble in deciding if i wanted to use tsuru or not. this was fairly early on in wano, and i knew i wanted to use tama, but who to pair her up with for grandmother/daughter matches was iffy. looking back at my list, i had lots of other picks for the dragon elder. gloriosa, shakky, kureha, rouge, gerth, even! carmel, too, at one point was a pick, since i planned this part out early on into the story. i actually had marine tsuru on the list as well! in the end, i think i decided on wano tsuru bc of all the dragon tie-ins thus far. if i were to go back, now, i think i might change it to toki and hiyori, possibly. or, tsuru and hiyori. not that i dont love tama, though, i do. 

i had a small list of grandkids, too, depending on who was the grandmother. anana, rebecca, tama, marguerite, and a few choices for marine tsuru (the standout was, apparently, isuka. then i repurposed the name for ace’s talonflame. tashigi was another pick, but in the end in wanted little girls.) at another point i thought about hiluluk and chopper, and had another grandfather/son combo that i can’t remember anymore. those were scrapped early on, since i wanted all girls. i also thought abt chimney and kokoro, but i wanted them on a more coastal city, to mirror water 7. 

there were two things i really wanted to happen in tether. one was a pokemon joining a team. and another was an evolution. part 2 fulfills one of those w chimchar, the pokemon i always wanted luffy to have, and the one i never knew i needed him to earn. also, giving pokemon their own personalities is really cute.

also, just before this scene, i take a skip, marking the second time an indefinite amount of time has passed between scenes. i realized while writing the time through mt coronet that i was writing more passively than actively, and this was speeding up things more than i liked. it’s why i took a break and depicted hearthome for a couple days, so that things were happening more in the moment. still, i hope at this point it’s gotten across that it’s taken a long time to travel to veilstone. moving across the entire region is a long journey, after all.

introducting aura, a movie concept.

so. aura was the main reason i wanted tether to take place in the sinnoh region. it’s actually mentioned in the games once, and that’s from riley, one of the sinnoh quartet, on iron island. in the movie where the concept is introduced, it’s brought with a lucario, another region. in the anime, riley has an active role in aura. but, for those who’ve just played the games, or know next to nothing abt pokemon, i tried to explain my best in-story. 

aura takes the place of conquerors haki in this pokemon verse, basically. you’re born with the sensitivity to it, so it’s not something just everyone can unlock. it’s rare, and it’s widely unknown. like law says, in sinnoh it’s considered an old myth. outside of sinnoh, it’s hardly known at all. so finding others to learn from is difficult. most people go their whole lives without even knowing what it is, just considering it natural luck that they can perceive things than others cannot. luffy meeting shanks, and learning that they both are sensitive to aura, is an incredible thing. having someone to teach you how to manipulate aura rare, and pretty amazing, when you think of the chances. but luffy and shanks live in different regions, and luffy has his own life. it’s been a long time, training, and as he expresses in part 2, he’s still not as far as he wants to be.

aura guardians, what shanks is, are almost unheard of. with great power comes great responsibility. and with great power comes the desire to obtain it. aura guardians are secret for a reason -if someone found out a person had an incredible power, and had the desire to, would they not seek it out for themselves? even to other aura users, revealing themselves wasn’t wise. protect yourself first. it’s a motto you’ll see come into play later.

with that said, and with one of the last things luffy mentions in part 2: could that have something to do with why shanks has gone missing?