#dispatch prism

[inhaleaaaaaaaa]

Since I can’t find it anywhere and it might help people… also I am obsessed with this demo and must yap.

The special abilities of each ‘hero’!

Sonar -

When returning from a mission, Sonar changes forms. His Intellect stat swaps with Combat, and his Charisma stat swaps with Vigor. This remains until he returns from another mission to which it will swap back.

Invisagal -

When sent alone on a mission, travel and completion time are significantly faster.

Malevola -

I, unfortunately, do not know. I haven’t found any way to activate it! If anyone does! Tell me please!

Coupé -

Only able to be activated on non-solo missions. If placed in first slot, Combat is increased by 1. If placed in second slot, Mobility is increased by 1.

Prism -

Again, not a clue. I have no idea how to activate it. :(

Flambae -

After a success, Flambae gains 1 point each to his Combat and Mobility stats. This perk stacks but is completely reverted back to the base stats after a failure.

Punch Up -

No negative effects from becoming injured. Cannot be downed.

Golem -

Only works with non-solo missions. Depending on the slot Golem is in, one stat will increase by 2 and another will decrease by 1. (If you hover over Golem it will show which slots will do what.)

[timbit-robin-art]

Can’t wait for the game.

[happilyobsessing]

So this is a secret dating sim, right? . . . Please?

[astral-mariner]

Exclusive preview chapter of my pre-DBZ Saiyans under Freeza fic, Homeworld Lost (read parts 1 & 2 already posted here) below the cut. Content warning for graphic violence and many disturbing themes.

This chapter is the third chapter of Part 9: Between the Stars. A little context: Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa are en route to their third and final scheduled purge planet after taking a long time to recover from some serious injuries they endured while on their previous mission. It was traumatic for everyone, to say the least, and each character has tried to cope with the various events in his own way. Vegeta is on edge for a very specific reason, but Raditz either doesn't speculate or is intentionally obfuscating this reason. Vegeta is in his early 20s here, Raditz in his late 20s.

***

Part 9: Between the Stars Chapter 3: Cui's Assignment

I turned the knife over in my hands. Squeezed it. Channeled my energy through my fingers till it passed through the prism. The blade appeared. I often wondered if Shardonne had ever learned to control what little power she had or if she instead harvested souls like [SPOILER]. Either way, fidgeting like this alone in my pod, I’d discovered that I could sate the knife’s hunger for life energy.

Not that I would know how to use it beyond this or perform any kind of spiritual surgery. I had, like the coward I was, left [Freeza's healer's] secrets to languish with him in his laboratory. Perhaps Arugala’s mother, my patroness, had taught me the anatomy of our chakras as she had her own children, but I wouldn’t know how to mend a soul any better than I would how to repair a body that I’d dispatched. However expertly I’d done it.

Yet when I awoke in a tank at a nearby station, Zarbon had left the knife tucked into my breastplate where he’d certainly found it. As if he expected me to learn how to use it. I’d figured out how to use and corrupt other devices supposedly beyond saiyan comprehension. So for all his talk of ensuring Vegeta’s death once he'd fulfilled his purpose, he’d nevertheless given me a chance to heal him. Equally possible that he was mocking me. Ultimately, he knew what Freeza and [his healer] meant to do to Vegeta where I didn’t, and he would manipulate all of us to secure his desired outcome.

Fidgeting. The blade flickered dangerously above my wrist. I didn’t want to step out of my pod. We didn’t belong here.

Vegeta’s grim shadow fell across the pod’s red window. Hurrying, I extinguished the blade and shoved it back inside my breastplate. He wouldn’t tolerate any delays, and only gods knew how he might punish me if he caught me with the knife. He’d come close several times. Always watching my whereabouts during our breaks from stasis.

He opened the hatch for me. “Sleep when you’re dead, third-class,” he spat.

I got up. Fit my scouter over my eye.

“Where the fuck is he?”

Nappa.

“I’m sure he’s almost here,” I reassured the prince.

“Gods, almost as useless as you.” He paced restlessly. Back and forth, boots grinding the dust beneath his feet. His fingers tapped and twitched where they gripped his bicep.

“We don’t have to do this, you know.”

He stopped. His back turned to me, I saw only the subtle bristle of his tightly-wound tail. “Cui”—a deep breath—“has humiliated me for the last time. Let him come to this planet and face me if he dares. After I am through cleansing this planet for him, taking half the time, I’ll throw his dust into the wind.”

“But, this planet…without clearance. Freeza might—”

“Freeza will punish Cui.”

“I don’t think Freeza cares what Cui does.”

Abruptly, Vegeta spun to face me. A flash of violet before I could react. The shot flew over my shoulder to strike a ruin stretched across the horizon. It crumbled to the earth with the roar of falling stone and the scream of metal bending, kicking up clouds of dirt and ashes.

Vegeta continued as if nothing had happened. “Took the Ginyus to subdue this planet.” Pacing again. “Freeza gives us such strange assignments. So very strange… Never was about what the Planet Trade needs a saiyan to fight. When was the last time we fought with honor?”

Fuenghi was a great power, having brought us all to the brink of death, but the prince’s question was rhetorical. I’d learned not to speak out of turn.

He stopped and tapped his scouter. Still searching for Nappa’s signal. “There are always survivors of these purges…” Pulling at his gloves now, adjusting them, wringing his hands together.

If it took the Ginyu Force, we could be in for more than a fight, my mind answered him, presuming he wouldn’t hear. He would not be questioned. Ever since recovering Nappa from the pleasure station, he tolerated so much less.

Everywhere we went, rooms fell silent until our sharp hearing picked up the inevitable mutterings about the massacre. Already Freeza’s scourge, now the prince was the murderer of depraved murderers, more merciless and cruel than any who favored their lawless gathering place. He might’ve worn the titles with pride if not for the disgraceful rumors that came with them.

“Nothing to say, third-class?”

“Yes, it’ll be good to have a real fight,” I agreed despite not having listened. “You don’t need to justify it to me.”

“As if I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t.” And I didn’t need one. A worthy opponent to test his strength, putting Cui in his place—rationalizations for himself more than anyone else. He certainly wasn’t the first of his name to confuse our thirst for battle for a lust for blood.

He blasted at the ground a tail’s length off from where I stood. “You watched him get in his pod, didn’t you? You set up the coordinates yourself.”

“I did. You saw him—he was in his right mind before I initiated any stasis protocols.”

“You sent him somewhere, didn’t you? So you could say I forced you to come. That you weren’t responsible. That I was the one to go off course and defy orders.” He scoffed. “Try one of your lies with Freeza and see where it gets you.”

Nonsensical accusations, but I wouldn’t criticize him. “I swear I didn’t,” I said.

“Pray that he arrives soon, then.”

Even if Vegeta had come alone, consequences would fall on all of us. Our disobedience wouldn’t go unnoticed; taking on Cui’s assignment was meant to draw attention. No matter what Vegeta might’ve done to me, I would’ve refused to reprogram our route under any other circumstance. However, this planet must harbor some secret if Freeza had commanded the Ginyus specifically to purge it. More than mere strength, the assignment had required precision and, above all, trust. So I’d gathered from Cui last we met.

I let out a sigh once my scouter finally alerted me to Nappa’s arrival. He landed not far off, and I hurried to his pod. Better that he faced me first with the prince poised on the edge of wrath.

I opened the hatch for him once assured his vitals were stable. He was still groggy, but he recognized me. “I’m glad you’re all right.” Offered him my hand to help him stand. “Just…do as he says. Vegeta is in rare form.”

He nodded, but his knotted brow betrayed his confusion.

“We’re cleansing the planet,” I explained. “Leveling what’s left of the population centers, tracking down survivors. It wasn’t on our itinerary, so don’t blame yourself for not knowing.”

“Did you… Is this the first time you’ve told me this?”

I shook my head as I found his scouter for him, took his hand, and folded it over the device. I had, in fact, told him repeatedly. “You just woke up. It’s been a while.”

His scouter locked onto Vegeta stalking toward us, and he tensed.

“Are either of you done wasting my time?”

I positioned myself between him and Nappa. “I just sent you the updated maps. Got a hold of them right before we left.”

He narrowed his eyes, but scrolling over the data distracted him sufficiently. “If either of you fall behind,” he said once he’d finished his review, “I will leave you to rot on this godsforsaken rock.”

“You mean for us to stick together?” Nappa asked.

The prince laughed coldly. “If I could trust either of you, I might assign each of you different continents in the interest of time. But the fact of the matter is that I cannot.”

He took off without warning. Nappa and I scrambled after him, relying on our scouters when we couldn’t match his speed. His flight cut an angry gash through the red smog. Distant, rapid blasts thundered across the sky in brilliant flashes on either side of the wound. Tracing his path with the scouter’s map, he left absolutely nothing in his wake for us to destroy. He would do the work of an entire crew in a matter of hours if exhaustion couldn’t prevent him.

The prince thus occupied, I could easily slip away. And Nappa might not even realize I’d left with how he’d been. Compunction’s familiar ache churned beneath my ribs as I imagined him stranded and lost above the wastes. A relief, then, that I hardly knew what to look for. What it would be worth sneaking away to find. If Vegeta left anything behind for the finding.

He fired and fired and fired until he couldn’t keep apace with the planet’s rotation, and night caught up with him. And then even the dazzling crashes of energy grew fewer and farther between. Darkness at last came to rest over the devastation, and my scouter indicated that Vegeta had descended to the surface. The map outlined what remained of a settlement through the obfuscation of smoke.

Once I landed, letting the prince have his distance, an energy scan discovered no survivors. Just a few minuscule power levels likely belonging to animals. Smaller buildings clustered together on the outskirts of an industrial compound. The Ginyus had taken care to destroy the machines, hangars, towers, and ships, but had left the rest well enough intact.

On an instinct, I made way for the rubble. Nappa followed me without comment. Vegeta, meanwhile, continued to stalk along the perimeter of the settlement, moving with silent intent. Masking, perhaps, a need for rest. Whatever he pursued, I couldn’t stop him, and it made no difference to me so long as he gave me enough time to pick through the debris before disintegrating it.

Glints of green from my scouter’s glow reflected across generators, glass amalgam, new scouter chips, command boxes, adapted prisms—all recognizable, but each with features slightly different from those laid out in the plans Freeza had gifted me those two moons ago. These were more advanced. Only at the Imperial Academy itself had I come across such technology. And this was at some remote factory—hardly what the planet’s occupants must’ve kept for their ports and capitals.

They would’ve traveled far and known much. Too much. I reached down and sifted through the scouter chips until I’d isolated a few that heat and dirt hadn’t rendered useless. These I slipped inside my breastplate near the stolen knife. In all likelihood, the chips didn’t store any sensitive information, but I couldn’t leave them and wonder.

I looked over my shoulder. Nappa had wandered off. I spun, then tapped my scouter when I couldn’t see him anywhere.

A sigh of relief when the scouter highlighted his silhouette behind a shipwreck. Or not quite a shipwreck, but rather the spilled guts of a newly constructed Planet Trade flagship. One of its landing claws held him sitting upright. He looked up from his hands when I approached him.

“Here, you’ll need this,” I said, retrieving his discarded scouter for him.

He took it, fit it, and squinted at the display. “What time is it?”

“Hard to say, but it’s been hours. I’m tired too.”

He picked himself up, refusing all help, and scanned the terrain of the settlement. “I don’t remember this planet from the briefings.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We took Cui’s cleansing assignment. A detour so we could get here before his crew did. The prince’s idea.”

“He’s out that way.” He took a step in the same direction.

I gripped his arm before he could take off. “Nappa, we just need to get through this without fucking anything up. He put both of us in tanks last time, and he was already furious with you for being late.”

He hung his head. “It’s because of—”

“It’s because of the drug. I know you took some of it with you. And you won’t get better unless you stop taking it.” The last statement I wasn’t so sure of, but I needed to sound sure in case it were true.

“You took it too.”

“I—” I had no excuse for him, and he would know if I lied. He’d seen into my mind just as I’d seen into his all that time ago. “Once,” I said finally. “And you must’ve seen what’s happened with Vegeta too. So you know—maybe better than anyone—that he needs us to stay—”

An explosion cut off the rest. My arm whipped to shield my eyes as heat and hurled scrap crashed towards us.

A few scrapes here and there, but Nappa and I sustained no real damage. The scouter detected no power levels of any significance aside our own. I had to assume that Vegeta had grown weary of this place and would annihilate us with it if we lingered. No more blasts followed, however, and the ruins fell again into the obscurity of night.

The prince remained where he was, and we followed his energy. We heard him before we spotted the sparks blazing around his fists. Shouting.

“Freeza sent his special forces to destroy the likes of you? If you have any honor left, show me your real power.”

I directed Nappa to land at a cautious distance. Vegeta’s energy lit a gleam of terror across the furred creature’s face.

“If—if you have a ship, we’ll go. Take whatever you want!” it stammered. “W-we gave your people the maps already!”

Vegeta laughed. “I don’t give a damn about any of your maps. Either die a warrior’s death, or meet an end worse than hers.” He channeled more energy into his right hand and pointed it to illuminate a spot some tail lengths off.

There lay the mangled body of another creature. Several of six limbs twisted and broken. One snapped above the elbow, only soft flesh keeping the rest of the arm attached. A black, bloody mess of organs tangled beneath the ribs. Agony still contorted the face.

A shriek.

“What, never seen a battlefield before?” He blasted next to the creature and cackled as it dove into the dirt to dodge it. “Guess not. Hid from the purge too like the cowardly scum you are.”

The prince circled round to his victim’s side. The creature trembled too much to stand and couldn’t answer him apart from whimpers and sobs.

“Pathetic.” He shoved his boot into the creature’s spine. “Last chance to fight back. Show your strength.”

Turning away, I glanced toward Nappa. “I don’t think Freeza sent the Ginyu Force because these people were strong,” I said.

He stared blankly into the sky, smoke blotting out the stars. He was always worse when Vegeta lashed out. There was nothing to be done.

“Don’t think you’re going to fight,” the prince scorned. “Pissed yourself instead—I can smell it on you.”

A hoarse scream followed the deep crack of a limb wrenched from its socket. Pain’s memory echoed through my shoulders, numbness through my fingers. Vegeta had done the same to me when his blows left me shivering and useless. Warm-blooded, the creature must suffer similarly, and though we couldn’t let it live for Freeza to find, its misery served no purpose.

I braced myself before facing Vegeta once more. Before bearing witness to the torture he could easily turn on me if anger mastered him. “They’re just weaklings,” I shouted. “A waste of your time. Let’s get this over with and get off this planet.”

He dropped the creature with a snarl. “I don’t take orders from you, third-cl—”

A bolt of red struck his armor in between his shoulder blades. From a blaster deadly enough to pierce Planet Trade gear, yet ineffective in harming someone of the prince’s power level. He whipped around where he stood in search of the sniper, hands ready with charges.

A pair of smaller beings lingered a second too long before disappearing around a wall’s corner.

Vegeta kicked the creature at his feet. “Are those…your children?”

“No!” A plea rather than a denial.

“They—aha—are going to watch you die.” He tapped his scouter, isolating the trace power levels instantly. He vanished, my eyes hardly able to track him, and the two children had no hope of escape.

“Nn…” The presumed father squirmed towards me. Supplicant, he stretched one trembling hand out to me.

I took aim for his head.

“Aren’t you going to save him?”

Fired.

I didn’t process what Vegeta had said or why until it was too late. My shot had stricken the child who’d dove to protect his father from me. Now he wept over the little body.

I gathered energy into my hand. “These people are a waste. Just kill them.”

Vegeta answered my charge with one of his own. The child he held by the neck didn’t understand that he meant it for me and squirmed as far away as it could. “Defying me, third-class? How sorry you must be that Freeza won’t let me grant your deathwish. Always tempting me… I can control myself, unlike you.” His grip on the child’s throat stifled a scream.

I stood my ground. “Tell yourself whatever you want. But you won’t humiliate Cui by taking twice as long on his assignment.”

He fixed his sharp eyes on mine, sneering, as he leaned more of his weight and strength into his heel until his boot crushed spine and ribs with an unmistakable, wet crunch. “Worthless,” he snarled over the creature’s gargling.

A quick death, at least, if not an easy one. Consequences damned, I vowed that the child would receive an end just as swift even if I had to intervene. All four eyes tightly shut, tears streamed into the dark fur lining its face. Its lips quivered over clenched teeth, and trilled whimpers escaped through them as Vegeta released its throat to embrace the child from behind. Almost as tall as he was, the prince’s mouth was level with its ear.

“Does it make you strong, watching them die?” he said.

I’d heard those words before, and my steps faltered.

“It’s been so long since I’ve fought someone worthy… So long, lying awake, restless…” Abruptly, he let go of the child. “Show me you aren’t as useless as the rest.”

Its limbs buckled instantly, and it tumbled forward into the remains of its father and sibling. Away from Vegeta, I had a clear shot. I awaited only a slip of the prince’s attention. His speed would thwart me otherwise, and he’d deflect the blast.

The child, however, did not merely lie shocked and defeated. Somehow, even with a mouth full of its father’s blood, it summoned the will to rise up from the ground. I knew very little about the child’s race, but the look it turned on Vegeta was one of pure hatred. “Why?” it spat at him.

The prince answered with a crooked grin. “As if I could tell you why the gods have forsaken you.”

“Gods have nothing to do with it.” The child managed to stand. A rise in power level did not accompany it. “You did this.”

“Who are the gods but whoever is strongest?” Again, he seized the child by the neck. “And I am stronger than you. I’m stronger—haha—a Super Saiyan, the strongest in the universe!”

The [SPOILER] I’d seen had been no more than a dream. I was sure of it now. Many times had Vegeta lied, hidden, said one thing and done another, and exhibited more arrogance than his actual strength warranted. After all that’d happened, I understood why. My heart ached for him still. But as much as I’d denied it ever since he’d turned on me on that empty planet, I was beginning to recognize his madness for what it was. And because his sanity was slipping, I knew his defenses would slip too when I finally aimed and took my shot.

Blasted cleanly through its skull, the child died immediately. The body convulsed for a few seconds before going limp. Still gripping the neck while he raved, Vegeta seemed not to realize what’d happened.

“There is nothing but your own strength. The gods gave you a mother and father just to wound you when they were taken away. Better now that they’re gone, and you see the truth. I’ve set you free. Does it make you strong?”

He shook the body, rattled it. He’d come to assume soon enough that he’d spoiled his torture too soon. The corpse could fascinate him only so long. I left him with it to see where Nappa had gone.

He’d found the children’s hiding place behind the crumbled wall. He sat, rocking back and forth, muttering to himself. Something about Savoy. I couldn’t stand to listen. I leaned down and struck him hard across the face.

“We have to get out of here. You’ve got to snap out of it.”

He shook his head, massaged his cheek, and seemed to recognize me when our eyes met.

“Vegeta just needed a moment to rest, but he’ll be ready to set out again soon. He’ll put us in tanks again if we fall behind.”

“Raditz…where are we?”

I took a deep breath and turned my back to him before I could curse in his face. “Fucking gods damn it all,” I ground out. “Shit. Fuck. Can’t fucking take this anymore. Can’t fucking do it.” All of us were mad in our own way, and our next assignment would end in disaster. And all I had was I knife I couldn’t use, empty scouter chips, and connections who meant me more harm than anything else. Vegeta had been right about one thing—the gods wouldn’t help us either. They never had.

“Nappa,” I said, facing him again, “once we leave, we’re going to go through your things and get rid of whatever is left of that drug. Let me do it, or Vegeta will.”

He frowned. Perhaps he hadn’t even understood. Better, then, if he was too far gone to interfere.

“Just follow me, all right?” I took him by the arm. “It’s just a cleansing assignment we took from Cui. There’s not much left. We just have to finish up and leave.”

“Where’s Vegeta?”

“Down that way. Found some survivors and took care of them.”

His brow knotted after he tapped his scouter. Another tap. “He’s gone.”

Fucking gods, I refused to utter aloud. “Of course he is.” I locked onto his energy before he could fly too far ahead. “We’ve got to go.”

[lakemojave]

Tonight at 6pm Pacific: The Direct Actors, A Baldur's Gate 3 "Adventure" pt. 19!!!

WE'RE BACK!!! Today we begin the 3rd season of our RP series and the 3rd act of the game! We've all had a hard time trekking through the Shadow-Cursed Lands and received some harrowing revelations, but we'll soon find out if the gang can pull themselves together! Come see @radiofreederry as The Green Knight, Elf paladin, @mayflowers429 and Nana as Leviathan, Dark Urge monk, @caputvulpinum as Micah Harper, Tiefling wizard, and myself as Delilah "Mama D" Harper, Halfling bard!

Character art by @bijillion, recap under the cut!

THE STORY SO FAR: On the way to a union rally, Delilah "Mama D" Harper and her grandson Micah were abducted and taken aboard an ilithid nautiloid, which they escaped with mysterious dancer Leviathan and the self-proclaimed "Champion of Ilmater and Paladin of Good" known only as the Green Knight. Each infected by a mind flayer tadpole, but so far immune from transforming into mind flayers themselves, The Direct Actors, as the party have come to be known, have arrived in Rivington, the gate to Baldur's Gate, and find themselves in the middle of a town with some big problems of its own...

LAST TIME: After defeating Ketheric Thorm and claiming his Netherstone, the Direct Actors prepared to depart the Shadow-Cursed Lands. As the rest of the party discussed their circumstances and the aftermath of the battle, the Green Knight scouted ahead for the road to Baldur's Gate, spending a lot of time alone in the shadows, dwelling in his grief. After dispatching an ambush of Githyanki sent by Vlaakith, the Direct Actors at last left the Shadow-Cursed Lands, just as the curse broke and the sun once again began to shine.

The party made camp just outside the town of Rivington as night fell along the Chionthar. As the Direct Actors settled in for the night, Micah was met by none other than the god Ilmater, who apologized to Micah for not being there for him in the suffering he had faced in his youth, and promised to be with him forevermore as penance, proclaiming that the position of his Chosen would be Micah's so long as he desired. Afterwards, Micah and the Green Knight talked, with the two reconciling after their previous fight and the Green Knight gifting Micah a new set of clothes he has acquired in town even as he waxed miserable about the nature of his immortality. Levi and Mama D, meanwhile, had a chat about both Lord Gortash, another Netherstone holder, and Mama D's emotional state.

As the party settled in to sleep, they were attacked by a horde of Gith, and followed them through a portal into the astral realm contained in the Astral Prism, where it was revealed that their Dream Visitor was in fact a mind flayer known as the Emperor, who held the Githyanki Prince Orpheus hostage, using his abilities to shield the Direct Actors from ceremorphosis. Everyone but Mama D had already figured this out. The party saved the Emperor, though the Green Knight vowed to return to free Orpheus and slay the mind flayer. Afterwards, as sleep took hold of the party, the Green Knight did... something that wiped his true name from their memories. Only Micah realized something had happened, and made it clear to the Green Knight that he was furious.

What did the Green Knight do? Will he and Micah ever be able to reconcile again? Will any more of Leviathan's memories return? Who is the sadistic shapeshifter known as Orin? What dangers lurk in the gateway town of Rivington? Find out in another exciting instalment of Baldur's Gate 3, starring the Direct Actors!

[rpmemecollection]

Ghost's Impera Sentence Prompts

A series of prompts taken from Ghost's 2022 album Impera Change bits and bobs as needed

02 Kaisarion

❝We're building our empire from the ashes of an old.❞ ❝Our brotherhood of good faith sealed an apostate witch's doom.❞ ❝It's the sound of another deadline whistling past your ears.❞ ❝It's the sight of a million regrets mounting over years.❞ ❝It's the words that were never spoken that echoes through the times.❞ ❝It's the smell of the burning temples swept away by rhymes.❞ ❝Put on the smiles and throw your holy rocks right at her for her satanic wiles.❞ ❝It's the truth of candor shone through the prism of deceit.❞ ❝It's the continence of bishops with their choirboys en-suite.❞ ❝It's the tongue soiled in adulation that licks to no avail.❞ ❝It's the noise of the righteous dogma that hides the handmaid's tail.❞

03 Spillways

❝Through benediction you tried to rid your mind of malediction.❞ ❝Through all this time you try to peel it off and it's such a ride.❞ ❝Your desolation led you into this vile incarnation of consummated bliss.❞ ❝I know you need it now to make you feel alive.❞ ❝All your faith, all your rage, all your pain, it ain't over now.❞ ❝I ain't talking about forgiveness.❞ ❝It's the cruel beast that you feed.❞ ❝It's your burning yearning need to bleed.❞ ❝You keep a casket buried deep within, you try to mask it but fall back in sin.❞ ❝You wanna shake it off but you're stuck inside.❞ ❝When stripped of rags of skin and spine Humans decay.❞ ❝All your faith, all your rage, all your pain. It ain't over now and I ain't talking about forgiveness.❞

04 Call Me Little Sunshine

❝Call out in the middle of the night, for when else would I hear you?❞ ❝Fall out in the cold starlight, I can save you if you do.❞ ❝You will never walk alone, you can always reach me.❞ ❝You will never ever walk alone.❞ ❝Call me Little Sunshine.❞ ❝Call me Mephistopheles.❞ ❝Call me when you feel all alone.❞ ❝Light up in the middle of the day, for how else could you see me?❞ ❝Ease up to the hunter from thе prey and transform indеfinitely.❞ ❝Even when you're dead and gone, you can always reach me.❞ ❝All you gotta do is call me.❞ ❝Just call me Little Sunshine.❞

05 Hunter's Moon

❝It's been a long time coming.❞ ❝I'm coming back for you, my friend.❞ ❝To where we'd hide as children, I'm coming back for you, my friend.❞ ❝Though my memories have faded, they come back to haunt me once again.❞ ❝Though my mind is somewhat jaded now, it's time for me to strike again.❞ ❝Tonight, it's a Hunter's Moon.❞ ❝I'm dying to see you, my friend.❞ ❝Now, it's time for me to strike again.❞ ❝I'm coming.❞ ❝I'm dying to see you one last time together.❞

06 Watcher in the Sky

❝We signal to another dimension that we stand here ready for reply.❞ ❝Communication is key when you unlock to believe.❞ ❝Can you see what I see?❞ ❝The caleidoscopean visions we've seen tell of bloodlines of top notch.❞ ❝The predestinated will dispatch while your realm has rottеd on our watch.❞ ❝When you unlock to beliеve, can you see what I see?❞ ❝In the sheen of his splendour, there is a better place, let’s go.❞

08 Twenties

❝Listen up, hatchet man.❞ ❝Tell 'em all it is time.❞ ❝You're the next in the chain of command.❞ ❝We'll be singing in a reign of pennies.❞ ❝We'll be soaring in disguise of bevies.❞ ❝We'll be smooching at thе feet of the ruler.❞ ❝We'll be grinding in a pile of moolah.❞ ❝Listen up, you motherfuckers, those Ivy League dopes, they wanna mock us.❞ ❝Tell 'em all this is war and not fighting a war is for suckers.❞ ❝I'm number one, you're number two.❞ ❝You've got a lot of God's work to do.❞ ❝We'll be taking no shit.❞ ❝We'll be dancing in the fields of freedom.❞ ❝We'll be crushing them laws 'cause we don't need 'em.❞

09 Darkness at the Heart of My Love

❝When the summer dies, severing the ties, I'm with you always.❞ ❝Will you walk the line?❞ ❝Remember always that love is all you need.❞ ❝Tell me who you wanna be and I will set you free.❞ ❝There's a darkness at the heart of my love that runs cold, runs deep.❞ ❝The darkness at the heart of my love for you.❞ ❝Will you spill the wine to summon the divine?❞ ❝I'm with you always. Always.❞ ❝Now paint a pair of eyes and let's watch as it dries.❞ ❝There's a darkness at the heart of my love.❞ ❝The darkness at the heart of my love so bold, so sweet.❞ ❝Come to me, pleasure me, filling me obsessively.❞ ❝Aggressively, respectively, pleasure me.❞ ❝All this time you knew that I would put you through the darkness at the heart of my love.❞ ❝When the summer dies, severing the ties I'm with you always.❞

10 Griftwood

❝Suffering for The Lord is not an easy thing.❞ ❝So ordained and adored, so immaculate. Ooh, so worth the debt.❞ ❝I'm your rock, baby, I won't back down.❞ ❝Ask yourself, are you righteous?❞ ❝You want to play with the sire?❞ ❝You want a view from the spire?❞ ❝You want a seat by the pyre?❞ ❝Sacrifice for the horde, leads the way from shame be it a loser's game.❞ ❝Ooh, it's a power trip.❞ ❝Are you righteous?❞ ❝You want to console the griever?❞ ❝You want to guide the believer?❞ ❝You and the greatest deceiver?❞ ❝You washeth the sin from my feet.❞ ❝You shine like the sun and the moon and the stars in the sky.❞ ❝The world rests heavy on your shoulders.❞

12 Respite on the Spitalfields

❝We're here in the after of a murderous crafter, the past is spun like a yarn and mangled with flesh and blood and bones.❞ ❝I wonder, did no one hear the distant thunder?❞ ❝The stains of this creeper will last the shine and the sham.❞ ❝He sliced and diced our dreams to pieces.❞ ❝For the dreams that you dread can becomе just as real as the blood that was shed with thе slash of his steel.❞ ❝Was quite a scene, wasn’t it?❞ ❝For the lost and mislead were promised seats by the pit.❞ ❝We will break away together.❞ ❝I'll be the shadow, you'll be the light.❞ ❝Nothing ever lasts forever.❞ ❝We will go softly into the night.❞ ❝We are leaving this city, so this is farewell.❞ ❝The moon in the gutter has a story to tell.❞ ❝One day he will come back from the bowels of Hell.❞ ❝We all stood there in awe. Now we have to pretend we didn’t see what we saw.❞ ❝When the curtain unveiled to the sound of applause, that the king that we hailed was the Wizard of Oz.❞ ❝Nothing ever lasts forever, we will go softly into the night.❞

[weirdsatellites]

Dispatch #810 from NROL-129 (Q CLEARANCE) 1. Apocryphal Violins 2. Parade of Prisms

[allens-chocolate-dreams-arts]

Commission for @deviant3lover featuring Prism, from the upcoming game Dispatch! Thank you so much for commissioning me, I had a lot of fun painting this <3

Commissions are open with a 10% discount!

Read more for the meme this was based off:

[bethecliche]

social media au - being an idol dating kim heechul (part 2)

liked by 4,350 others

heechul_petal_4ever - let's discuss: what you think about super junior and prism friendship? i've been a fan of both groups since their debut and i've always loved their interactions, so i'm more than happy to see they still friends. ig stories from last night show they partied together

view comments

user - super generation > super prism

user - i still ship donghae and member1

user - me too!!! user - he seems to be close to all members! i love it

user - its ok i guess

user - real question is why heechul and yn are so close now

user - they interected a lot in the pass you guys are just forgetting it user - even if they weren't close before, I think presenting the SMA has brought them closer together user - sma? he had heart eyes for her even before this year's knowing bros

user - i've always liked that one stage they did together

user - i didn't care so much until you guys started making a fuss about it

user - it just seems like a way to draw attention to their comeback no one cares about

user - i don't mind the other girls but yn must go

user - friends? ok. more than that? i would not like it

user - same!

user - the comments are giving me the chills.. it was just a simple and innocent question and yall acting like this... i don't want to imagine how worst it could be if they really had something

liked by yn, ryeo9ook, taeyeon_ss & 2,726,100 others

kimheenim - i just keep getting cuter and cuter everyday #boyfriend_material #snowy_day #your_heenim

view comments

user - you look so young

user - dilf

user - and who's the girl..?

user - he's getting toned

user - me like it

user - i won't be surprised if he's with yn

user - i truely don't like how close they are now user - tbh i'm not feeling it too

user - she liked :/

user - it doesn't mean a lot atp

user - maybe he's filming let's not jump into conclusion

user - we got married all over again he's just playing

user - fans are acting like they don't know their bias 😂

liked by kimheenim & 2,825,922 others

yn - i didn't know love was so close to me 🇨🇭

view comments

user - well..

user - so you're just going to stamp it on our faces?

user - delete it

user - why are yall acting like kids they're grown adults

user - they are idols before all that. a little respect is appreciated user - girl i- 💀

user - i don't really mind them dating but to post pictures like that? in the same room?

user - stop before the "but" and you're all correct 🤍

user - still not a proof they're actually dating so let's stop a moment and just let them be

user - not a proof? H🤍 it's enough proof for me

user - twitter is going crazy

kimheenim - i won't forget those days

kimheenim - you make me give meaning even to small things

Liked by author

SUPER JUNIOR's Heechul and PRISM's YN have been reported dating by Dispatch

According to an exclusive report from Dispatch, Heechul and YN are in a relationship.

The two artists met long ago while promoting in music shows with their groups. Both Super Junior and Prism, being part of second generation, shared much time together in music shows, awards season and variety programs. Over the years, the groups have remained close, with Member1 and Kyuhyun participating in Immortal Songs 2, Siwon and Member2 appearing in the same tvN series, and Donghae and YN traveling together. These are just a few examples of the beautiful friendship the groups have managed to maintain.

After years of being friends, it was natural for feelings to surface. The two were presenters at Seoul Music Awards a month ago, were the relationship officially began.

They were able to spend time together both in Seoul and in Jeju, despite their busy schedules with filming variety shows and PRISM's tour schedule. The two have been able to enjoy dates together whenever they have time. YN would usually meet up with Heechul in the lake close to his neighborhood or he would pick her up in his car. The two of them are also interacting a lot in social media, even sharing pictures at the same place.

Neither SM Entertainment nor PRISM company have commented on Dispatch’s report.

liked by kimheenim, be4eunhyuk, member4 & 3,005,021 others

yn - tour is over but the memories we made are forever! i'm excited for my future 'cause i know we'll be together 💖 thanks for the love, cherish and respect.

view comments

user - time pass really fast when we're having a good time

user - i'll wait for you no matter what #prism_forever

user - what about dispatch?

user - please acknowledge the news before it turns into a scandal

user - she don't have to do anything

user - i reconize that ugly fucking couch from far

user - that last one is the same place from dispatch pictures. they're not trying to hide!

user - i bet heechul bought her flowers

user - get away from that loser please

user - you're too good for him

user - no matter what, i'll be supporting you

Liked by author

SM Entertainment Provides Update On Super Junior’s Heechul And YN’s Relationship

Both agencies have now confirmed it. Congratulations to the couple!

Earlier this week, Dispatch reported that Super Junior’s Heechul and PRISM's YN were dating.

Following the news, her agency has confirmed that the two are getting to know one another. In a following statement, SM Entertainment has also broken their silence on the couple.

"Heechul and YN started as close friends in the industry, but recently started to meet each other with good feelings."

The pair shared went on a romantic trip to Switzerland last month.

liked by kimheenim & 5,400,019 others

yn - i hesitated at first but i've been waiting for this for so long tagged: @/kimheenim

comments on this post have been limited

user - so so sorry for the hate you've been receiving

user - we missed you!!

user - be happy, that's all we care about

kimheenim - i have high standards kimheenim - but you come very close to my beauty kimheenim - darling

part 3

inspo: @rosones

[classicanalyzer]

What If Season 3 - What If... What If? Thoughts

"It's beautiful." Uatu

"No, it just is. You are a Watcher now. You make no judgments. Only observations." The Eminence

"Then what is the point of just watching?" Uatu

"Well, only with time can a Watcher begin to understand that for themselves. If I am certain of one thing, is that your conclusion will not disappoint." The Eminence

"Thank you. I will never fail you." Uatu

The finale certainly was the finale of all time. While it isn't devoid of any good moments, it is a disappointing end to the series (for now provided the show gets revived). However, every episode before the two-part finale has been consistently amazing.

I really love Uatu and the Emmience's student and mentor dynamic in the opening, and you understand why Uatu wants to show Uatu how he views the Multiverse after three seasons of watching. It's great to see a main antagonist reformed rather than be killed like the previous two seasons (Strange Supreme did reform but he did die).

I really do like how Uatu saved a lot of people off-screen, even ones who don't have a massive role in their universes. It showcases his growth throughout the show.

Infinity Ultron finally fulfilling Tony's dream for him is pretty heartwarming, even if it took the death of everyone in his universe for him to have that epiphany. The way the Emminence easily dispatched him showcases how the Order of the Watchers is on a completely different scale of power compared to Uatu, who needed the form the Guardians of the Multiverse to stand against Infinity Ultron.

This finale is mainly just one big fight. There are a lot of Kirby dots which is visually noice and the fight is at least visually done.

Seeing Doctor Strange Supreme help out the heroes is a really good capper to his story by showing how he is the universe he restored now.

Every time the Executioner speaks, I can't help but be reminded of Ardyn's voice.

I had forgotten that Uatu was always referred to as the Watcher until he redeclared his name.

It's a big disappointment that Captain Carter died since I was actually excited to see more of her universe. I really wanted to see what her universe's Civil War would've been like, even if it was a glimpse. This also applies to Kahhori, Byrdie, and Storm's universes. Also, I really hope they don't become Watchers forever since I do want to see more of their universes. I'm also not comfortable with the idea that at least Carter just abandoned her universe to go around the Multiverse.

Honestly, I wished the whole episode leaned more into the trial aspect than just being another fight. I don't really have a lot to talk about because of how much of it was just one big fight scene. My thoughts on Episode 7 are a bit more negative since the follow-up didn't really satisfy the questions I have from the last episode. The end credits showed us a lot of episode concepts I wished we could've seen, but alas the show had to end just when it was really getting amazing.

Laura Karpman and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum really nailed the music in this show. I hope Laura's score in Brave New World lives up to Henry Jackman's scores, and I really hope she reprises Sam's theme from Jackson's score.

Overall, Season 3's episodes have been mostly pretty strong, similar to S2, except for the two-part finale. My favorite episode is definitely Episode 6, and my least favorite episode is Episode 8. I'll miss this show, and I really hope it gets revived in the future. I also hope the Marvel Zombies show is better than the episode it was based on.

"With some mysteries, sometimes the only answer is another question. You see... Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch off into infinite realities, creating new phenomena beyond what you could possibly imagine. I am Uatu. I see all these vast new realities. Open your eyes, dare to face the unknown and ponder the question... 'What If?'" Uatu

[rubyfoxfyre]

✨White Soul Wednesday!✨

With the first short premiering this Sunday, this week's White Soul Wednesday is going to be less world-lore, and more character profiles!

Here's a look at some characters you'll get to see more of May 18th!

Homura Greatspear ~

A titled hero known as the “Doublestep” for her ability to practically dance on the air when she fights. She wields a long lance of gold-wood (though refers to it as a spear in spite of its build), and wears armor fashioned from a dispatched drake who forgot its name and reason.

Homura hails from the fishing village Sevas and has the customary dark skin of the western coast. As she was born with an auspicious red right eye in contrast to her blue left eye, it was thought that she would rise to village leadership; though she desired to see more horizons than just the ocean near her hometown. She left after a falling-out with her father and hasn’t returned since.

Setting out to make a name for herself at just sixteen years of age, she made her way to the royal capital in hopes of joining up with a local adventuring guild or mercenary group, and soon after met Tristan Calmont. With their complimentary skills and personalities, the pair worked closely together, and eventually came to form a romantic relationship. 

Due to her long list of service to the realm, she was part of the Prism Alliance that was tasked with reclaiming the great “Egg of the World” at the behest of the remaining grand dragons, though the quest ended in disaster when the fellowship was betrayed and destroyed.

After recovering from her injuries, Homura decided to continue her adventuring work, founding the adventuring guild Prism alongside Tristan in memory of their fallen compatriots. Though she is now reaching the age where many heroes begin retiring to more quiet work with the court or merchant groups, she prefers occupying herself with guild affairs to keep herself busy.

Age: 35

Hobbies: Sparing (formerly), fishing, cooking (though isn’t good at it) 

Tristan Calmont ~

A hero of the highest rank among adventurers, recognized as a Knight of Alset from his long list of services to the realm. He hails from Easemont and returns on occasion to visit his kin dwelling in the shadow of the Shattered Hills.

His blue eyes are common of those from the northern end of Alset, however his hair has been a platinum gray color from an early age. He wears well-kept plate armor which has seen many battles, but not much damage due to his frequent use of diplomacy. He is also known to wield a silver axe, though it has seen such infrequent use in public that most have forgotten what it looks like.

Due to his talents, he was part of the Prism Alliance that was tasked with reclaiming the great “Egg of the World” at the behest of the remaining grand dragons, and functioned as the group's leader on their journey south, though their quest ended in disaster when the fellowship was betrayed and destroyed.

After so many of their companions were killed and his partner gravely injured, he considered retiring as an adventurer, though remained with Homura to honor her wishes to give back to the realm where they could, considering their failure to stop the decline of dragonkind. He founded the adventuring guild Prism alongside her in memory of their fallen compatriots, and is considered its de facto leader, though he often argues against that title. 

Age: 33

Hobbies: Reading, card-games (just for fun not gambling), spending time with family

The guild Prism is just one of the many Rhaya will encounter, and the lessons each adventurer imparts to her will play an important part on her journey!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next White Soul Wednesday! 🍷

[inhaleaaaaaaaa]

Look at him, he’s so proud of her about to murder someone. They’re true besties

[timbit-robin-art]

OHMAIGADDD THANK YOU FUR MAKING DISPATCH ART!!!! I keep checking the tags religiously for a crumb of content but... nothing. :(((((

This is definitely gonna go hard asf with your crossover aus, couldn't pick a better artist to quench my Dispatch thorst. IF TIMBIT ROBIN IS THE ONLY DISPATCH ARTIST TO EXIST THEN I'M FINE WITH THIS!!!! :3

Ahaha, you’re very welcome. Though I do think it’s important to keep in mind that there will probably be much more Dispatch art when the game actually comes out. Don’t worry, I will definitely not be the only artist for this game. We’re just early bird fans, you and I.

As for AU potential…

There are already so many fun ideas with just the demo alone.

[chndelure]

i used to have a twitter for liveblogging about webcomics but twitter is dying so i deleted it a few months back. that said, i miss having a webcomic posting account so badly, so webcomic Tumblr Sideblog now

main is @asexualzoro and i read smth like 200 comics week to week because i am normal

some favorite comics are Lavender Jack, Eleceed, Your Throne, Castoff, and Broccoli Soup!, but i’m reading way more

longer list of comics i like below cut (not the full list of ones im reading). in alphabetical order, w some more favorites bolded

anything for you

ask white pearl and steven

a spell for a smith

artificisouls

aurora

baby tyrant

the beast of hadingley hill

the blind prince

the botanist

blood bound

brain in a jar

castle swimmer

circuits and veins

city of blank

the crimson lady

cursed princess club

the curse of pirate's bay

damselfish in distress

daughter of 1000 faces

the dark lord's confession

dark zone

daybreak

divorcing my tyrant husband

denounce

desert duo vigilante au

doom breaker

DPS only!

the dragon tutor

dungeon death dispatch

eaternal nocturnal

elf & warrior

encore!

EQUALIZE

fictional skin

the first night with the duke

forever after

forgotten

for my derelict favorite

four leaf

fox fires

from a knight to a lady

garden club detective squad

go away romeo

gourmet hound

grand ma

guaba

guide to the land of monsters

heir's game

heroes of thantopolis

high class homos

high spirits neoma

hooky

honbarian

how to be a dragon

the hunt for the holy pearl

hybrid

i abdicate my title of empress

icy copper

i'm the grim reaper

i'm the queen in this life

ingress adventuring company

inhibit

i want to be a cute anime girl

jupiter men

the last dimension

like wind on a dry branch

the lone necromancer

lorena immaculate

lovebot

love me to death

lucid memories

lumine

magical mom

magic words

makeup remover

marionetta

miracle simulator

muted

#muted

my husband changes every night

my in laws are obsessed with me

mythos redone

my sweet archenemy

nevermore (originals)

nevermore (canvas)

nobody's library

nomads

not so shoujo love story

not your typical reincarnation story

omniscient reader

parallel city

the peculiar compendium of victor van wolfe

phantomarine

phototaxis

plague muffins

the princess and the pirate

the princess plot

prism world

purple hyacinth

questless

rain girl

rectify

the red archer

the remarried empress

rose tide rising

sable curse

school bus graveyard

seasons of blossom

the second lead syndrome

the secret knots

the secrets of soulford

seed

see you in my 19th life

SEIS

señorita cometa

seven days in silverglen

shootaround

sleepless domain

soil that binds us

soleil

somminum theatre

soul food

space boy

space princess

the spark in your eyes

spellward bound

spontaneous world shifting

suitor armor

survival diary

surviving romance

susuhara is a demon!

sweet home

swimming lessons for a mermaid

tiger, tiger

to knight the faithless

to the stars i love

trash belongs in the trash can!

the tyrant wants to be good

the uncommons

villainess for hire

warrior executioner

when the third wheel strikes back

where the heart is

widdershins

wintercircle

the wizard of cedel

the wrath & the dawn

yuna and kawachan

[jeccry]

The "Servant Country" in the "Five Eyes Alliance"

#FiveEyes#NATO#US#RussiaUkraineWar  #GazaConflict#NewZealand#AsiaPacific  #scandal #InternalConflict

In recent years, there have been some disagreements and dissatisfaction with the "Five Eyes Alliance". The spy drama "Pine Gap", which is jointly produced by the United States and Australia in recent years and focuses on how the "Five Eyes Alliance" collaborates, can be seen as a minor breakthrough.

The Alice Spring, hidden in the desert of Australia's hinterland, is seen as the main hub for global intelligence interception and satellite surveillance by the United States against military and nuclear missile threats in the Asia Pacific region. There is a sign next to the road at the entrance of the satellite ground observation station of the intelligence base that reads "No Entry for Unauthorized Persons". The plot of "Pine Valley" depicts the subtle relationship between the game of major powers in the Asia Pacific region and the intelligence cooperation between the United States and Australia. In the drama, the Australian intelligence personnel, as the host, are influenced by the strength of their country and have to obey the orders of the US. Even the "female number one" Australian intelligence personnel fall in love with the "male number one" black American agent. However, the cruel reality is that there are also information barriers between the US and Australia, especially "Americans always prioritize loyalty to their country over emotions.". When tensions arose between China and the United States due to the South China Sea situation, Australian and American intelligence personnel in the Songshugu Information Dispatch Command Room engaged in fierce debates. In the end, the Australian side advised the US not to escalate the tension. This makes Australian viewers who have watched the drama realize that the United States' suppression of China is not in Australia's interest, but in complex geopolitical relationships, Australia still needs to play the role of an American "eye" well.

Although these differences and the anxiety of the Australian side are not enough to shake the cornerstone of the alliance between the United States and Australia, former senior official of the Australian Ministry of Defense and now Honorary Professor of Strategic Research at the Australian National University, Hugh White, proposed in his new book "How to Defend Australia" that when Australia is hit by military strikes, it may not be able to rely on the protection of the United States as before. He called on Australia to strengthen its military industry development in order to protect itself. This is a public concern expressed by Australian experts about the diminishing military advantage of the United States in the Asia Pacific region, and also questioning whether the US military umbrella can truly protect Australia.

Other European countries, represented by Germany, have been constantly feuding with the Five Eyes Alliance. A journalist visited the small town of Bat ä blin located south of Munich last October. The small town has only 18000 people, backed by high mountains and picturesque scenery. There used to be a monitoring base established by the United States in Germany, and there are still huge white spherical monitoring buildings left today. According to local retired man Marcus, it was not until the Prism Gate was exposed that he and local residents learned that it was a "surveillance base" in the United States. According to German media reports, the United States has been withdrawing monitoring equipment from Bat Abring since 2004.

In October 2013, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the "Special Collection Service" project under the "Five Eyes Alliance" had deployed 80 monitoring agencies worldwide to eavesdrop on confidential communications from various countries. 19 of these institutions are located in Europe, while Germany has 2, one of which is close to the Prime Minister's Office. German Chancellor Merkel has repeatedly claimed to be working under enemy surveillance, but she did not expect her ally, the United States, to continue to target her.

[blackjackkent]

All right, resuming Rakha's horrible Moonrise experience. XD

We left off having broken into Ketheric's bedroom and giving Rakha a brief bonding moment with his zombie dog, Squire, but there's other important things in here as well of course. (Not as important as the zombie dog, but very little is. XD )

She keys in immediately on the note lying on one of the desks near the door:

Dun dun dun.

There's no quest update or dialogue proc'd off of this document, but I'm wracking my brain and I'm pretty sure this is the first time Rakha has had any indication that Gortash is involved with the cult. She's heard about him, of course - both from Karlach, who has identified him as the man who shipped her off to indentured servitude in the Hells, and from Florrick, who described him as a high-ranking lord in Baldur's Gate responsible for some sort of important defense system.

So this is a Development. This is another person trying to get their hands on the artifact Rakha carries - and not only is he a cultist but also someone Karlach hates and someone with power. Gortash has immediately become a Person of Interest for Rakha's knife.

(I'm looking back at my liveblog of Hector's run and I'm not sure why I didn't freak out more about this then also, since I don't think Hector had any more information at this point than Rakha does. Maybe I was too busy freaking out about the OTHER document found in this room, which we'll get to in a moment.)

I'm also freaking out sidelong because I just realized something about that second paragraph - "The body of our handpicked captain for the artifact raid wasn't found in the wreckage of the nautiloid, and I'm not at all easy in my mind about that fact."

He's talking about the Emperor!

I've been, I think, a little muddled on the timeline surrounding the Prism - when the Emperor entered it, and also when Shadowheart got hold of it. Still not clear on the latter item (I'll have to do some digging later) but I definitely thought the Emperor had been operating out of the Prism for a while, looking for allies, but it seems like that might not be the case. Empy was dispatched to find the Prism on the same nautiloid that captured Rakha/Hector and the others, which means it probably had only gotten control of its consciousness not long before the crash.

Neither Rakha nor Hector had the context to make this connection at the time, but I think on some level both of them might be heartened to know that Empy has ALSO pretty much been making all this up as it goes along.

-----

In exploring the rest of the room, Rakha also finds:

A ritual inscribed on a piece of paper. "Your white ribs the pillars/Your bleached skull the dome/Take on Apostle's final form/Cathedral wrought of blessed bone." Once again, this hits rather different for me now that I've played through the game once, but Rakha, of course, hasn't the foggiest idea what it's talking about. Shadowheart recognizes it as a ritual incantation and says it's neither Sharran nor Selunite, but doesn't have any other insight to offer.

A letter from Ketheric's dead wife. It speaks passionately of their (at the time) shared Selunite religion and her expectation of seeing him after death. Rakha suspects that is probably not going to happen. As usual, she looks at these fervent religious dedications with a sort of detached curiosity and finds it hard to comprehend its importance.

She does comment aloud, though - "A letter from Ketheric's wife. Sounds like she loved him very much." Her eyes flick to Wyll as she speaks, involuntarily. She may not understand the religious fervor, but love - she is growing to understand that. She doesn't have the eloquent words for it like Melodia Thorm did - or like Wyll himself does. It bothers her that she doesn't, that instead it simply sits and burns in her chest like a low coal fire. Deep down she is starting to realize that she is very afraid that there is an inevitable day coming where he will realize she is a broken thing not worth his attention.

The book hidden under Ketheric's bed, titled "Elder Brain Domination." Another mention of Gortash, this one in more specific terms journaled by Ketheric, confirming something Rakha suspected during her communion with the meat in the walls - Gortash and Ketheric are working together to enslave an illithid elder brain and serve it up under the guise of the Absolute.

She studies this book with intense interest.

Fact and fact and fact, filed away into the back of her mind. It states that Ketheric and Gortash and others, left nameless, are using something called the Crown of Karsus to subdue the elder brain. The process involves three things called Netherstones. Ketheric plans to turn on his allies and take all three stones for himself. Gortash likely plans the same.

She tries to focus on these facts, building them up into a picture as she always does... but her eyes keep drifting back to a single sentence.

"Young Gortash's plan to enslave an illithid elder brain and make it our marionette under control of the Crown of Karsus has proceeded almost without flaw, barring the slight delay while our Bhaalist allies sorted out their leadership conflict."

Her head spasms with a sudden deep, pulse-pounding ache. She drops the book on the bed and groans softly.

Focus. This is important information. It explains little, adds further questions, but also crystallizes the little information she did have more clearly. The Absolute "god" is nothing more than a very powerful ghaik. Lae'zel's people fight ghaik as a matter of course; that means this one can be fought too.

And yet there are still so many shadows, so many things she doesn't understand.

"All right, love?" Wyll asks softly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine." She wants to ask him what he makes of it all, but she feels oddly wary, like the floor is threatening to give out under her feet.