#embedded memory device

[hnry2kkrr]

https://www.futureelectronics.com/p/semiconductors--memory--storage--embedded-storage/emmc04g-w627-x03u-kingston-1111540

What is eMMC storage, eMMC memory, solid-state hard drives

EMMC04G-MT32-01G10

[jhnn2varra]

https://www.futureelectronics.com/p/semiconductors--memory--storage--embedded-storage/emmc04g-m627-e02u-kingston-8130398

eMMC storage drives, emmc storage upgrade, eMMC multimedia cards

4GB eMMC v5.1 3.3V 153-ball BGA Operating Temp - 25C to +85C

[siramory]

heuugghh...heeheuhghh...

[thewhumpcaretaker]

i hope u dont mind i go to you for whump ideas !! do u have any ideas/prompts for a living weapon/forced soldier(?) type thing👀

I certainly do not mind! I do love making prompts.

This is basically a whole genre of whump, so this will be long and I'm just getting started honestly.

💥 Living Weapon Whump 💥

Whumpee is forced to kill - this is kind of the heart of the trauma. How do they deal with it? Do they blame themself? Do they hate the ones who did this to them? One way or another, they have to live with terrible memories of what their own two hands have done.

...Or maybe they don't live with the memories. Whumpee dissociates heavily and perhaps even deals with amnesia from things they can't bear to face.

Dissociation overall is important. To act violently and efficiently in a fight, when you don't want to act, requires separating emotions from actions and becoming distant. When whumpee gets hurt, or sees something horrifying, they don't respond. They're calm. Too calm.

Self-hatred. Viewing themself as a weapon, only good for killing and incapable of love or kindness. Unworthy of having basic human needs met.

If the training started young, whumpee was raised in isolation, so they struggle to understand basic social cues, pop culture references, and just how to act normal. They're very nervous around people.

This can also have other effects on how they socialize and on their personality. Maybe it wasn't safe to have empathy for others if everyone around them was getting hurt and killed regularly, so they lost touch with empathy. Maybe any mistake or sign of weakness would lead to punishment, so honor became crucial.

They're probably going to have an unusual relationship to physical touch. They've mostly only been touched in violent ways, so they'll either be touch starved or touch averse. They flinch when someone moves suddenly. It takes a while to learn that touch can be positive. Maybe sparring and playfighting is one of the only ways they feel comfortable touching other people - or maybe it's something they never want to do with people they love, because it's connected to too many bad memories.

Whumpee expects to be hurt and thinks it's normal. They get into bad relationships, difficult jobs, etc. They don't take care of their health. Why? Because their suffering "doesn't matter." They're just a tool.

Maybe whumpee is conditioned to respond to a code word. When they hear that word or phrase, they start killing anyone around them indiscriminately until another code word (or passing out, or something else) snaps them out of it.

If they can't control when they'll become dangerous (either because of a code word like that, or because they get violent during PTSD triggers, or just because they don't trust themself), maybe they try to incapacitate themself or lock themself up. Maybe they get thrown into prison or an institution on purpose, to protect their loved ones. Maybe they run away.

Maybe whumpee has permanent physical alterations because of their training. Maybe they were branded or tattooed. Maybe they have cryogenic implants or embedded tracking devices. Maybe they've sustained injuries that now result in chronic pain.

Whumpee faces trial for things they were forced to do, things beyond their control. But maybe they blame themself completely. Or maybe they don't, and they're enraged to be in this situation.

I could continue this list for days honestly haha, this is one of my favorite tropes. Now I want to do a separate one focused on living weapon comfort...

[serashalala]

Generation Loss's Mind Manipulation; A theory by a tired college student

OK. GENERATION LOSS. That was a ride and it’s not even done!

Fuckin loved it, by the way. It was so good. I loved everyone's acting and Sneeg's realization part gave me literal fucking chills as well as Slime screaming and Austin freaking out while Ranboo n Sneeg were just chill.

FUCK that was cool. Thank you @ranboolivesaysstuff for sharing this with us.

Anyway, here’s a nerd dump on the entire mind control thing. I’m not exactly a genius but I’m studying neurosci as one of my college units and this is basically the gist of how I understand the mind control aspect that this is showing.

SO. 

You recognize this? This is the device that we think is controlling Ranboo’s mind. It’s at the back part of the brain, and easily this leads to two possible structures that it can influence: the occipital lobe of the cerebrum and the cerebellum. However, we don’t really know HOW deep this device goes considering Ranboo’s lucious locks of hair covering the rest of the mask and the fact that we don’t know if this is the only thing penetrating the brain.

Anyway, let’s discuss what we know which is that it’s likely latched onto the back part and thus likely embedded onto the cerebral occipital lobe and/or the cerebellum

The occipital lobe is at the back part of the head, and as you see on the picture below, it’s the visual area (mostly).

To make me sound more professional and shit let me introduce to you the brodmann areas. Brodmann areas divide the cerebrum by its function.

Area 17, 18, and 19.

Area 17 is the primary visual area. This is where you see shit. If the device’s influence is only as deep as area 17 then Ranboo is either literally blinded by the device OR the device intercepts what his eyes are really seeing. Damage to this area will lead to literal blindness or difficulty to see.

Area 18 and 19 however are the secondary visual area, otherwise known as the visual association area. This is where you recognize the things that you see. Damage to this leads to dyschromatopsia (color blindness), and visual agnosia (inability to perceive visual stimuli.). 

Basically to explain, as an example you see an apple. That’s the job of area 17. However, you don’t really know yet that it’s an apple. To know that an apple is an apple, you tap into area 18 and 19– the visual association area.

The device LIKELY reaches into this area because the entire time, Ranboo doesn’t recognize that he’s on a show set and he doesn’t see the people on the set like the directors and the staff. What he does see is a 4th wall.

Upon deactivation of the device, only then does he recognize that oh shit, that isn’t a wall. 

Does it stop there? Ok, why not go deeper?

Next to Area 19 is area 37. This is the Facial Recognition area. It's self explanatory if Ranboo's mind control device goes that deep.

How about Area 39 and 7? They're both Someasthetic areas. 39 and 40 specifically have a lot to do with memory, emotion, behavior, sex. rage, fear, and pain.

Area 7 integrates sensory inputs-- it draws upon stored memories of past sensory experiences. This area aint that deep tho ngl, it's basically the part that goes: yo, this fire thing burns you, maybe don't touch it. This can be as deep as you want to interpret it being.

Edit: I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THIS. Ranboo's stream confirms it SCREAMING RIGHT NOW. THEY SAID. "Change someone's perception of reality, and they will act how you want." SCREAMING CRYING WAILING SOBBING. I KNEW IT. The next parts of the theory will be further discussing the things that MAY still apply, alongside the things that Ranboo almost confirmed.

Next suspected area:

The cerebellum. 

The cerebellum is mostly responsible for a lot of important things (as are the rest of the brain but let me get into it)

The cerebellum has 3 main functions: maintenance of posture and balance; maintenance of muscle tone; and coordination of voluntary motor activity. 

You see where I’m going for here?

The cerebellum is a likely attachment site of the device because it is gunning for that motor activity and posture and balance. It controls the agonist and antagonist coordination of the muscles to make sure that there’s no jerky movements going on. As for posture and balance, it can affect your movements so that you don’t look robotic, and so that you don’t have to voluntarily maintain your posture. Maintenance of muscle tone has the same idea.

It is also the best bet because it has its lapses.

While it controls a lot of motor function, it isn’t the only site of motor control in the body. There’s other areas, like the Basal Nuclei, the motor area of the cerebrum (brodmann area 4 and 6) and the spinalcord (though this is more on reactionary shit).

It makes the device fallible where the fine motor movements (such as in the fingertips, where the cerebellum controls less of) is less prone to influence by the device, leading to this nifty clip right here:

And this here too:

They're able to do morse code with his hands, the fingers.

And, chances are, the reason they have a mask in the first place is because it’s significantly more difficult to reach the area that controls the facial expressions since that is a direct connection from the brain to the face via the Facial Nerve that stems anteriorly to from the brainstem. It’d be hard to reach from behind especially. (unless the device yanknow, snuck around the spine or something idk)

So if the connection is posterior, they’d have difficulty reaching that (to a safe extent, at least. We have no idea how deep it goes.

Then again, we don’t know the function of the rest of the mask.

Now for some close competitors of where the mind control device is attached/penetrating!

"But sera, what if it influences at a lower level than the occipital lobe or the cerebellum?"

Cervical spine C1 Level

Difficult to defend. That leaves the problem of Ranboo's speech control. The lower the level the less things it's able to influence. At C1 level, a person's speech, which is something Ranboo's clearly being influenced over, can't be damaged from this level.

"How are we so sure that it's at the back??"

Because it's the clearest shot we've got with that weird circle thing.

Frontal Lobe

This one is a good contender. The Frontal Lobe has the Decision and / or Judgement Center of the brain (area 10, more to be mentioned about this later), as well as the motor areas (areas 4 and 6), and twisting that could lead to being able to change what a person does when faced with a stimuli as well as a bigger portion of voluntary movement.

However, this one is difficult to visually justify.

While it's true that we can't see much behind the mask, we also can't see it penetrate towards the frontal lobe. Let's say it penetrates through the mouth somehow-- how is Ranboo's diction so clear?

But the reason why it's a very good contender is that it could possibly go through the nose. Did you know that the cribriform plate, the part of the skull where the olfactory nerve goes through, is the easiest to break? and thus it's also the easiest to penetrate?

Issue with that though is that Ranboo has a working sense of smell. The Olfactory nerve (smelling nerve) is easy to disturb.

Anything deeper? More anterior?

Any deeper structures are likely too unimportant-- the diencephalon, pons are all mostly on the hormonal / nonvoluntary actions (breathing, sweat, thirst, hunger, etc). Those aren't too fun to control especially when what you want is a puppet.

The most likely candidate is the basal nuclei, which has a lot to do with movement. However it's mostly useless when you target it because it's goal is to make sure that when you want to raise a glass, you don't yeet it to the sky. It makes sure that you have the right amount of output to the muscle without overcompensating.

So what does the device control?

Both.

Well, not both. All-- err, mostly. Ding ding ding! They're all winners.

Only at its best, though, which was during Episode 1 (when undisturbed)-- NOT episode 2.

At its best, the mask is able to take full function of the brain-- most strongly at where it's sourced, though, which is at the posterior regions. Weaker control is evident when you see the finger taps that Ranboo is still able to do. Think of it as some sort of energy gradient-- most concentrated at the back of the head, and weakest at the front.

At its blinking state, influenced by the outsider, Ranboo regains Control of most of the more anterior parts of the brain, but you'd notice it's still blinking-- it never really fully released Ranboo. Its still got a strong influence at the back portion of the brain.

It takes a lot to rip away its influence from Ranboo, as you can see from what the weird shadowy figure from the TV says in the end where he had to do something to disable it fully before Ranboo breaks the fourth wall.

How do we know that? Let's go back to the clip where Ranboo FULLY 'wakes up':

It took some effort by the hacker to fully release Ranboo, but until that point Ranboo hadn't even seen the 4th wall despite being able to gain autonomy of most their function.

Then let's go back to the part where, when Ranboo's device was 'reset':

You notice how the showbizz person isn't someone they interact with? They don't SEE these people. The device is still on, because it's intercepting with Ranboo's perception.

Let's go back to the announcements then.

We don't get to choose a lot this episode, instead we're subjected to puzzles that have more to do with everyone else BUT Ranboo.

I present to you, Brodmann Area 10

This is the largest area in the frontal lobe, and is incharge of decision making (among other things). We, the audience, can't make decisions as flexibly anymore because they needed a stricter control of the device.

The hacker is able to intercept that flexibility and thus the showfall media reduced the extent of which we're able to control ranboo, taking all that control for themselves. It isn't interactive anymore.

Literally being gatekeeped from the audience, smh.

Now what?

A summary of course.

I suspect that when the lights are on (in the mask), it has a stronger pulse and thus influences a larger chunk of his head, ABLE (but not necessarily) to reach the frontal lobe.

It blinks, then it indicates that its pulse is weaker, but still present (the cerebellum is slightly further to reach than the occipital lobe) which is why his sight might still be influenced.

And lights being gone? That's Ranboo's full autonomy baybee. They're back in business!

As for the others' mind manipulation system, I'm not quite sure yet. Probably could reduce it to having already been subjected to being conditioned, not like our 'fresh' protagonist. I'll probably add onto this when something clicks in the future.

This ended up a lot longer than intended...

Anyway, that’s just a theory, a tired-college-student-from-an-allied-health-course theory. Thanks for reading.

[cypressvs]

PAPER RINGS

pairing: blade/gn!reader

cw: reader is a stellaron hunter, vague blade lore, possibly ooc

wc: 0.7k | join the taglist

“What’s this.”

The unenthusiastic tone that had transformed an innocent question into a scalding statement made you smile sheepishly, tangling your fingers with your partner friend ally. At the face of his unchanging expression, uncertainty swelled under your ribs—a silent whisper that surely such childish activities would be unappreciated by someone who’s always so stretched thin by uncountable and inexplicable concerns. It was what lead you to peering into those devilish eyes, seeking something, anything that can quell the brewing storm of embarrassment from under your skin. Whether it was a product of your imagination (as delusional as that sounds) or a fickle tolerance you managed to instill in him (again, another delusional statement), the tiny beginnings of curiosity and maybe amusement bedazzles his ruby glare.

“It’s a paper ring,” you reply as soon as you muster enough audacity to flash him a cheerful, deceivingly innocent smile.

“For what?”

You press your lips; a small popping sound escaping as you fall into thought. “Dunno… A good luck gift, maybe.”

Blade makes a noncommittal sound before leaving you to your devices. With nothing now to distract you from your pessimism, you think that this conversation too, despite your efforts, would fall into the category of unremarkable memories that did little to bridge the gap between you and the not-so-stranger strange stranger.

01:46:40 System Time.

A weathered sword swipes through the mara-struck, dispersing the air with a sharp whoosh that accompanied practiced movements. The wielder does not do so much as flinch as he evades an incoming attack. He just swings and thrusts and pierces through armor and wood, ignoring the scent of undying death being emitted from both his and his enemies’ skin. It dampens his mood, somewhat, and the brief opportunity casted by his sudden somberness makes his breath hitch almost imperceptibly.

“Hey.” He seethes before falling into a long period of unnerving silence where no tangible thing dared to step close to him—not the mara-struck, not the wind, not the faint rays of the moonlight from high above. He drops his gaze to the ground, to the sheet laid untangled from the meticulous folds it once remembered; to the white that has now become a crimson as blood seeped into its every nook and cranny. For this, he rages.

“Where do you think you’re cutting?”

His skin fizzles as the open wound on his knuckles stitched itself together. He glowers under the shadows of the night before everything falls into the permanence of nothing.

10:21:38 System Time.

You groan into your sheets as you untangle yourself from the claws of sleep. It was rare for you to be granted the opportunity to wake up relatively late when your group of rag tag criminals are fewer in number compared to the intergalactic crimes that needed to be committed. With a sigh, you move to scrub away the remnants of sleep from your eyes. However, you end up freezing as you eye the little something on your ring finger that you were dead certain wasn’t there when you fell asleep. It was a simple silver band, nothing too special save for the pretty red gemstone embedded in it. 

“You’re awake.”

You stifle a scream as you glance at your doorway where Blade, as disinterested as ever, stood with his arm folded over the other.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“That.” He motions to your hand—or rather the ring.

What does ‘that’ mean? Did he give it? Did he mean to take it back? Was he waiting for gratitude or any other reaction from you? What does ‘that’ mean?! 

At your continuing non-reply, Blade sighs. Out of pity, you surmised hours later, he breaks the off-putting silence. “I was under the impression that you have to pay back what you are given.”

“Pay back?” You repeat before tilting your head. “For what?”

He thinks of the paper ring—of what it symbolized—the sincere well-wishes, the silent promises, the warm concern, and all of the tender affection you had naïvely but so very sweetly offered him. He thinks of the sheer anger that filled his being as he allowed hell to dampen the earth as that cretin tore it before he can ponder over it or store it or preserve it or love it behind the safety of his room. Blade thinks of many things but he voices none of it, only flashing you one of his near-crazed and far-from-decipherable smirks before departing from your bedroom, ignoring your baffled cries and appalled confusion.

TAGLIST:

@yevene @haiitsley1603

© 2023 CYPRESSVS. all rights reserved. do not copy, claim, repost or translate in any platforms.

[teecupangel]

Thoughts on Desmond/Aiden Pearce from watch dogs

Well, I happen to like Aiden so I am obligated to say that they would make a good pairing.

Although, Aiden’s path of revenge happened along the time period of Black Flag’s modern day setting (and we’re setting them in the same universe, fuck whatever Ubisoft says) so around 2013.

We can set their meeting as somewhere before 2012 then.

Perhaps during one of his hacking ‘sessions’ with Damien, they got a lot of money and they decided to celebrate in Bad Weathers. That’s where he and Desmond first met and they grew close.

In this one, Desmond and Aiden started dating before 2012 and Desmond became one of the few people Aiden loved.

Now, Aiden and Damien would attempt and fail to hack the Merlaut Hotel on Oct 2012 but… before that…

Desmond disappeared on September 1, 2012.

Maybe Aiden even sees it happening but is unable to save Desmond because Cross jumped on him and knocked him out, only leaving him alive because the order was ‘no bloodshed’.

When Aiden wakes up, the trail had run cold and Aiden spends the entire month trying to find him.

Finally getting a hit… in Italy.

Desmond’s phone was in Italy.

So, before Damien could even pull Aiden to helping him hack Merlaut Hotel…

Aiden had already booked a flight to Italy.

.

On Desmond’s side… having a very techie boyfriend has some upsides.

Like… knowing a trick or two to bypass certain surveillance and security programs embedded in computers and see the good stuffs.

So by the time that he had relived Altaïr’s fourth memory block, Desmond already knew about Project Siren and about Subject 16.

He also knows…

He needs his phone back.

While he can’t fully understand them (hell, the most he understands is that Aiden modified his phone to have apps that lets him hack to other devices connected to the internet or to any other type of connection with really easy UI. Desmond mainly uses it to force the lights to turn red so he can cross), he does know… that phone is the key he needs to get the fuck out of this place.

[gorbalsvampire]

Hey so obviously the clanbooks help flesh out the clans, but which clans do you think benefit the most from their clanbooks? Not necessarily powers, but the flavor. The details.

So this one took me a while, because I had to go back and look at the Revised edition clanbooks and refresh my memory on them. I'm mostly a Revised goblin, although Cappadocians never had a Revised clanbook so I dipped my toes into second there.

Also, for a Clanbook to be good, it has to be helpful in playing the clan, and more interested in that than delivering metaplot. This is why Clanbook Giovanni, though dear to my heart, is Not A Good One, because it's so mired up in shuttering Wraith: the Oblivion and the associated plot events. This is why Clanbook Cappadocian is bad, because it is shot through with "here to go" foreshadowing of the clan's downfall and doesn't do enough on establishing what they did in Cainite society at the height of their power.

Brujah: almost no mechanics, almost all history and perspectives. The Brujah suffer from an identity crisis - rootless between the classical era and the twentieth century, their history really feels like the history of the Anarch tendency, and their customs the heart of the movement as it is tonight. But for sheer detail - giving itself the breathing room to talk about how the Brujah work within their sects and contexts - I think this is one of the good ones despite its lack of substance. Telling that Justin wrote it.

Gangrel: this one locks arms with the Ravnos and walks down history together, embedding two underdeveloped clans in each other. The Gangrel come off better, because they're not starting from "[insert slur here] vampires" as a concept, and because the narrative voice of their book is curious and intelligent and refuses to take anything at face value. The core concept of the Gangrel is "Wolverine with fangs" - I'm being reductive, but "brooding animalistic outsider, bad team player, best there is at snikting all the bubs" - the point is that dragging Gangrel into a coterie with anyone else and making them functional involves dragging them away from what their "clan culture" is all about.

Weirdly, I think this Clanbook does more for the Sabbat Gangrel, simply by running through the Paths and showing how the Gangrel can integrate with them. Bloodlines are mostly stupid, mechanical impact for animal flaws reifies the clan curse in a good way (kinda similar to the contemporary Malkavians). There's a lot here but none of it makes me want to play a Gangrel, for some reason. I suspect it's that the core fantasy isn't really one that interests me, and if I'm going to play that hard against type, I'd rather start from a different base altogether.

Lasombra: the throughline of Lasombra history delivered through a series of in-character lectures is a neat device, foregrounding the contradictions better than usual. Likewise, the detailed depiction of Lasombra Embrace and education protocol and internal factions builds explicitly and confidently on the corebook's limited vision and their role within the Sabbat. The dot by dot breakdown on Obtenebration teaches you how to play one systemically and how to ST around this overtly supernatural Discipline and more of the books need to do that. One of the better suites of premade characters, too (and the Student of the Abyss is a dead ringer for my first girlfriend). It's been a long time but I think this is the book that made me like the Lasombra as a clan rather than a power set and story function.

Also:

Sabbat are not wholly their own masters. No vampire stands altogether free to choose his behavior, thanks to the Beast and the fundamental requirements of vampiric survival. The Sabbat makes matters worse with its beliefs and practices, which repeatedly push participants into acts that erode conscience (and Conscience). When you play a Sabbat vampire, you take on a distinct set of challenges. It’s not necessarily more “adult” or “sophisticated” than any other sort of vampire, nor is it automatically more “juvenile” or “indulgent.” Sabbat exist within tighter boundaries than most independent or Camarilla vampires. Not everything you’d like to have your character do, or that he would plausibly want to do, is actually within reach.

Because some of us really do need telling.

Malkavian: for sheer style, for refuting the kookiness and fae nonsense and artsy layout of the second edition volume, for actually being substantively useful in playing the clan, this one makes the grade. Has one of the best metaplot beats with the antitribu's grand justification for mass Embrace and thinning the blood. New Derangements, better than the ones in the core book if I'm honest, especially the specifically vampiric ones that move away from "playing something straight out of the DSM."

I'm going to mention powers again here though - I wish the Revised devs had caught on to the idea of alternative powers at lower level, as some of this stuff (like Babble) shouldn't have "be seventh generation, i.e. not a starting PC, i.e. probably having done a diablerie to 'level up'" as their prerequisite. Weakest part. Also, I love the Moirai. Favourite brood. Probably sold me on my love of brood coteries.

Nosferatu: I like that a Nosferatu calls out Kindred history on its Eurocentrism! And much like the Gangrel, this book gives you some hooks to hang your clan weakness on - Merits and Flaws that reify aspects of the Nosferatu aesthetic. I don't think these are all necessary, but they are cool. A similar breakdown of Discipline usage to the Lasombra, again showing and telling how to Nosferatu as well as what is Nosferatu. That's the distinction with the good Clanbooks, I think - they remain focused on playability and using these ideas rather than just telling you about cool shit. I want to play a Nosferatu after I've read this book.

Dishonourable mention: Tremere. The Tremere Clanbook doubles down on a central bugaboo with the clan - if their hierarchy is sevens and sevens and sevens all the way down, your city should be crawling with Tremere. To have all these internal agendas and subfactions represented in a meaningful way - same. I'm aware of Grician bias, I hate the 1:100,000 "rule" with the force and fire of a thousand suns, but this book really needed to show you how one or two isolated Tremere work and it fails to deliver.

Tzimisce: I don't like how overcooked this clan is, with its Koldunic Sorcery and its Old Clan and its revenant families and its two different versions of "your signature discipline is a disease" that are both high concept shit far removed from Playing Your Lil' Guy - but that material undeniably exists and if you want to refer to it... well, isn't half of it in the Sabbat guide? I don't know where I stand on this one, but Tzimisce fans generally want as much as possible to chew on and there's More In Here.

Ventrue: Much like the Brujah and the anarchs, a lot of what the Ventrue have going on under the hood can be read "as above, so below" with the Camarilla as a sect. To know one is to half understand the other. The Ventrue codify the unwritten social rules of their sect, or rather their sect unknowingly imitates the code that organises the Ventrue.

The difference, as ever, is that the conservative and hierarchical side of the coin is much easier to detail than "imagine your way out of authoritarianism", and as such Clanbook: Ventrue has a great deal more direct, didactic, actionable material in it than the broad and vague concepts of the Rabble. Titles, organisation, spheres of influence, clear lines through the medieval to the corporate: read this one.

There is more to the Ventrue than you ever imagined - so much that they almost fall into the same hole as the Tremere do, but they don't have the hard number for the brain to latch onto and worry at. Even now, I'm describing this very good and self contained Clanbook by comparison to its peers - that's how the Ventrue get away with it.

I'm not just saying this to blow smoke up @biomechanicaltomato's ass, either. It's genuinely one of the best books; I think only Lasombra and perhaps Gangrel and Nosferatu are on the same level, and in very different ways.

[scribble-dribble-writes]

Plastic Hearts - (20)

<<<Prev Next>>>

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Ken is a lover boy like no other, I NEED HIM 😭

---

The lights were out, from the small skylights embedded above, moonlight filtered in and while everyone around you slept soundlessly, you couldn’t.

He was going to leave the moment there was a hint of orange in the sky.

You were both given separate tents to stay in, so you gathered up your blanket and slipped out in search of him.

Your bare feet slipped past quietly on the cold flooring and instinct was your only guide. But catching a little sticker of a horse on the side of a tent only made you smile. He knew you too well. You pushed past the flap to enter and got a glimpse of him, lying on the makeshift bed, his torso devoid of a shirt but his eyes were on you even in this dim light.

You placed a finger over your lips as you got closer and he made space in his double bed for you as he grinned.

“Do you always sneak into random tents in the dead of night?”, he whispered.

“Only for you.”, you cuddled closer into his body warmth and heard his amused chuckle at your response.

“Good.”, he said quietly. There was no trace of plastic in him anymore, he was as human as you were. And so it gave you some relief. It could be possible that the magic of this land was immune to you both, since you both had made a wish in the tunnel.

But before you can ask him anything or begin to worry he lowered his head to catch your lips with his in the silence, your breath hitched in your throat but your body turned into clay as your wrapped your hands around his neck, such that where ever his hands roamed you were sure they had moulded a part of you.

“I don’t want to think about tomorrow.”, he spoke against your lips as his finger trace the curve of your cheek.

“Then don’t.”, you smiled softly as you slipped your hand beneath his arm, tucking your head under his chin. Maybe this way, you could both sleep .

His sighed with content, his hand mindlessly tracing up the curve of your hips under your shirt as though it was helping him remember that you were by his side. That you were real.

He pretended to sleep, because his mind didn’t seem to rest. He held you closer and gazed at your sleeping form next to him. The very sight of you caused him to feel joy bloom in his chest.

Was it possible to rewind time?

To have skipped all this by just choosing you in the first place?

But then the days in the real world reminded him that as painful as this was, he had felt like he was more than just the secondary character. He had a story of his own and the most beautiful part was, it intertwined with yours.

He dipped his head to kiss your forehead, as if he wanted the exact memory and feeling etched in his mind for ever. He wasn’t willing to accept but seeing those frozen Barbies, his friends. It has freaked him out.

He kissed you again.

He didn’t want to forget or fade. He wanted to live. He couldn’t care anymore about what was said in the tunnel, that he didn’t have a life of his own without a Barbie.

He wanted to make his own.

He wanted you.

So that was enough hope, to be brave.

But in the quiet, his thoughts could kept going back to his conversation with weird Barbie before he retired to his tent.

“You do know only the one who wore the skates gets a true wish.”, she told him as she passed him his new set of clothes, gear that will prepare him to enter the rocky pass.

“I didn’t know.”, he said taking in her words. He had made one of his own, in the tunnel but to learn that it was useless was disheartening. So it wasn’t the wish that had led him back to you.

“Now, if you find the lake. Use this to extract the water, don’t by any chance touch it.”, she instructed him as she handed a container that was attached within a suction device.

“I thought I would be immune to it. I’m not solely a part of Barbieland anymore.”, he held the device in his hands but his eyes were distant.

“But without a true wish, you will always revert back to who you are, Ken.”, she raised her eyebrows as a means to tell him more plainly.

Why was it that he needed magic to give him the allowance to enjoy his life?

So destiny had seemed to be writing you and him apart every moment, trapping him in the illusion that he was making progress towards the life of his dreams when he wasn't.

You stirred in his arms and he realized that he was wasting every second with you if he was worried about events that were out of his control.

He breathed in deeply, the scent of your perfume taking him back to his apartment, the night he had held you by his side through the night.

There has to be something special if he was afforded those moments. Right?

That all this talk of him being just an add on and that’s all he could ever be, must be a lie, shouldn’t it?

“You haven’t slept have you?”, he heard you ask and he sighed.

“No.”, he replied.

He watched as you pulled the blanket over him a little more and caressed his cheek even as you laid next to him half asleep with your eyes closed. It amazed him, at how you didn’t need to see him in order to know what he needed or how he felt. You just knew. Just like he had when he put that sticker on the side of his tent.

He pushed away a strand of hair that fell across your face, almost as if your were a manifestation of the magic in this land he had been so fortunate enough to hold you. So privileged enough to touch. If a part of your souls had found it’s home in each other, if all the moments with you eased the turmoil in his spirit.

Then, you and him were meant for each other, that no spell or written stereotype could hold you back.

“I’m going to figure out that map and get us out of here.”, he said with new found zeal.

“I know you will.”, you reassured him, your eyes finding his.

“I won’t leave your side till you do.”, you tucked your head over his arm and there was nothing more to contend with that he could finally rest now.

“I’m going to hold you to it.”, he kissed the top of your head as he mumbled the words into your hair.

It was amazing, how you could still find peace in the chaos with him by your side.

His warmth kept you company through the cold night till when you woke up feeling the chill creep up your skin only to find the space beside you empty.

A written note with scribbled handwriting was placed on the pillow by your side.

“Will be back by sunset. Get ready to go home.”

All this was going to be over.

You breathed a sight of relief.

---

Tags:

@imogen-skye @ateliefloresdaprimavera @meowkid1000 @jokersgrf @linacool13 @oh-kurva @dreamsarenicer @memospacexx @haleysucks00 @babyimjustken @tempobaekh @fallingwallsh @whatafreakingloser @lcversrockk @imonmyvigilanteshh @constellationscharts @eddiemunson4ever @freyafriggafrey @neptunelixir @iamruiningmylife @floralsightings @ynbutbetter @lazyboikat @mrharringtonsbae @spookyscellar @harleyquinn03041998 @haydensith @thatgirljas13 @weasleytwinscumslut @kensthetic @itstylersblog @papichulo120627 @lee-lee-23 @dazeglitter-blog @urmom24sworld @chaos-in-person @aremos @theoriginalwife000 @undercover-being-whack @puredreamagination @h-l-vlovesvintage @krazyk99 @agustdeeyaa @bluebear19 @porterport @urahara24 @wvndamaximilf @berlinswifey @suzirumas @faustlyaccused @rennydenny @paintmekala @leafyturtle @lafy-taffy @blossomingrose @dark-hunter16

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

Pinky Powder Promise

"Look! (Name), look!"

Powder exclaimed, shaking your shoulder lightly as you looked up at the stars.

"What is it?" You asked, giggling at your friends' excitement.

"It's a star in the stars!" Powder laughed as she pointed out the constellation.

You shook your head at your friend, your head in her lap as you both sat on the roof of The Last Drop.

"Your jokes suck, Powder." You stated as Powder pinched your cheek.

"I know." Powder giggled, messing with both of your intertwined hands as you closed your eyes.

"...Hey, (Name)?" Powder spoke up after a moment, opening your eyes as you hummed in acknowledgement.

"You wouldn't leave me…right?" Powder asked, suddenly nervous.

"Hmm?" You hummed, confused as you sat up. Powder avoided your eyes, staring down at the lanes.

"Why would I ever leave you?" You asked, trying to catch her eyes as she looked down.

"If anyone should be worried it's me." You joked, trying to get her to laugh as Powder looked at you confused.

"Why you?" Powder tilted her head.

"Because, you're gonna be a big inventor some day. So I should be worried if you remember me." You stated with a smile.

Powder finally smiled back, happy that you supported her but in denial her inventions would work.

"I wouldn't leave you." Powder shook her head and laughed as you poked her nose.

"Okay then, then when you become an inventor I'll be your assistant!" You offered, causing Powder to light up.

"Then we can build whatever and you wont leave me?!" Powder smiled, bouncing in her spot.

"Yeah, sure, Powder." You laughed and shook your head at her.

"We'll always be together!" Powder cheered, hugging you around your shoulders happily.

"Pinky Powder Promise?" You offered your pinky out to Powder, the girl happily taking it.

Pinky promises weren't enough for either of you. So you added your own touch.

"Pinky Powder Promise." Powder nodded, both kissing your hands at once.

"Pinky Powder Promise."

The words played over again, the screen glitching over and over.

"P-Pinky-y Powder-"

The screen broke, repeating the words again and again in broken rhythm.

Jinx sat on her couch, the small device in her hands playing the hologram over and over again in front of her.

She made it herself.

Capturing the moment she remembered oh so perfectly.

But it wasn't real.

You weren't real.

You were dead.

She killed you with that bomb.

Because all she is, is a fucking jinx.

And that's all she'll ever be.

She can't sit on the roof with her anymore.

She isn't your Powder. And you weren't you.

All you were now was a memory, your laugh distant in her mind now.

Jinx leaned into your doll, trying to find the warmth she remembered you gave her.

Jinx clung to the metal, trying to feel anything she remembered of you.

But it wasn't there.

You weren't there.

"I'm dead, remember." 

Jinx flinched at the words, too scared to look up at the hallucination of you.

You were only a kid. Her friend she remembered. 

In your eyes there was no warmth or love that Jinx remembered.

Your clothes were bloody from the glass shards embedded in you from the fall.

The fall she caused with her monkey bomb.

Jinx shook her head, her tears refused to fall as she hid her neck into the doll of you.

She made it to remember you in any way she could.

Which wasn't a lot nowadays, she hid it usually.

Because Silco knew about you, how you were close to Powder.

So he destroyed every last memory Jinx had of you, anything that was yours that Jinx had he destroyed.

Jinx had to let Powder die.

Jinx had to let you die.

But she didn't want you to leave.

Jinx didn't want you to die.

But Jinx killed you. 

Silco knew that.

You never loved her.

Or at least, that's what Silco said.

And Silco wouldn't lie, right?

Jinx didn't know.

But what she did know was this.

She wanted to just hug you again...just one last time.

[neonfretra]

oughhhh oumblr post machine broke... i have made a post so long and dense that i can no longer even BREATHE her way without getting errors for inability to process post... i can edit other posts fine. i can post posts fine. i asked someone else, different account and device, to try it and its BROKEEEEE. epic highs and lows of text transcriptions of a 15 slide long portion of an essay <3 BTW the full slideshow is 52 mb . of 8 slideshows total. my madness <3

villain monologue below the cut <3

if you ever want to HATE a text editor try managing, editing, writing long form text in it <3 never a more infuriating experience in my LIFE i SWEAR!

a minor infatuation of mine is how tumblr rich text editor will handle different elements (ex. paragraph/regular, header 1, bulleted lists) where if you switch between them in a post frequently you might notice it is incredibly weird (compared to other rich text editors i use)!

when you create a new text block (excluding regular text) and then hit enter, it creates another line of text in the style of the previous text block (excluding headers). but when you hit backspace, instead of reverting to regular text, it deletes the entire line of text. if you want to revert to regular text you actually need to hit enter AGAIN. which i mean is fine but my muscle memory has ISSUE with it LOL

not to mention the fact that you cant layer multiple elements (ex. you cant have a bulleted list embedded into indented text). exception of fonts maybe, i dont use fonts at all, i have them disabled, i cant read them LMAO. i have not used ummm quotes as well

AND it breaks copy+pasting. tumblr disagrees with copy+pasting any text in any formatting besides regular LOL. if you use lists or indented text, you cannot paste anything from the block ANYWHERE within the post. you also cant drag and drop text on desktop and i dont like doing posts on mobile devices so yall on your own in that world. (did yall know the google applications i use dont let you right click -> copy/cut/paste? i dont. i dont know what they broke but they broke it)

AND this isnt even mentioning the fact that sometimes the tumblr text post editor just. lies. LOL? call her HTML the way white space (ex. spaces, blank paragraphs) does NOT matter. i put spaces between bullet points and they are gone. there are inconsistent spacings between text blocks because i copy+paste them and use the different text elements . and then they are gone. i somehow have indented bullet lists??? that i cannot recreate??? and also dont even show up in the public facing post???

AND this is also not even mentionin the fact that its very prone to breaking. like i cannot type into certain lines of text under fairly recreatable situations (IIRC, indented text block, press enter at the start of the text block to make a new block above the existing one, type a character and then delete it to make the new block blank. cant type into it again unless i click off and on again!) or the fact that i straight up cannot edit a post anymore. or the fact that its really common for me to run into errors where it refuses to save at all? or maybe im just stress testin it, im not actually sure how much im puttin into this poor thing? TBF this isnt a 30 image long monstrosity THIS time (which is the image limit on desktop, its 10 on mobile) so it breaks a lot less ^_^ for a copy and paste project. we living it up scrapbook style.

maybe neonfretra is hollerin about nothin. that post is absolutely broke as hell though. ^o^

[metamatar]

i've heard good things about a memory called empire so i'm curious. can i ask why you gave it a lowish score?

To restate, I thought the book was decent, not excellent. I plan on reading the sequel! I thought it was a technically impressive debut novel with interesting worldbuilding that stumbled a little because of pacing and some bad poetry. Thematically I had more problems.

My biggest problem was that while it was a novel that wanted to talk about imperialism and indeed was presented as one by the author, it chose the closed elite focused setting of court intrigue. I'll admit I'm harsh on court intrigue because it bores me, and ideologically most of them espouse a Great Man perspective of history so. Imperialism ended up being realised merely as a concern of cultural preservation, with the difference between imperial subject and the core repeatedly becoming a matter of taste over the more interesting concerns of exploitation or agency. Which is also what I hate about diaspora lit, where the individual elite immigrant's sense of cultural alienation is front and center. Hence the reference to Baru, because where the hell is your political economy! Martine also critiqued Seth Dickinson for writing the Maskerade empire as unrealistic because it was too brutal, which makes this choice by Martine make a depressing kind of sense.

I'm admittedly cynical about this but I really dislike when writers write novels about how 'storytelling' or in this case 'poetry' changes the world in dramatic ways. It reads very much as pandering to readers who need to be told that their hobby is important or something. Something Vonnegut quote about Vietnam War artistic opposition having the effect of a custard pie.

That said, the book had more interesting thoughts on the nature of culture/self and consciousness as embedded in memory through the imago machine as a device. The chapters dealing with that in the last third of the book were some of the best SFF writing I've read this year.

[boundinparchment]

Dream a Little Dream of Me - X

Celestia has a cruel sense of humor. He’s always known this, ever since his days as a student. But a soulmate? Really? Dottore/Female Reader Soulmate AU. Expect lore speculation, interpretations, etc. Available on AO3 as well. This chapter contains loose references to 3.2's leaked dialogue and the leaked Dottore model. Proceed at your own risk.

He’d read your name in your Akasha profile but to hear it fall from your lips was exquisite.  Even now, hours later in the depths of his own workshop, the syllables still found their way to his lips and he recalled the exact way you spoke them.  

How fortuitous that he wouldn’t have to backtrack, in the end; you certainly saved him the trip of hunting you down.  Again.

Not that he doubted you and your tendency for confrontation and clearing the air, of course.  There was still the variable of your colleagues whisking you away instead.  It only disappeared once he realized it was your attempts with the lift that were interfering with the script he was running.  The blasted device kept sensing one more terminal than expected and at that point, the only option was to let you come to him.

Perfect, really, given the small window of time.

The disappointment on your face was clear as the sun shining through the glass when you received his title, not his name.  You’d attempted to hide it away but it was there for the remaining few minutes, in the way your seeking eyes traced details and in the tiny frown tugging at the corners of your mouth.  The tugging sensation was back in full force despite the reminders to himself that his reasoning was sound.  He disliked this, deceiving you in such a fashion, but it was necessary.

Both because it kept the experiment neutral and because, well…

You were, for all those dreams and visions and connections, a stranger.

And it was better that way.

Especially right now, when the Sages were beginning to prepare for the annual pushback against the Sabzeruz Festival.  Ever resilient in their refusal to acknowledge the Greater Lord’s death, they would waste time and resources burying their heads in the sand at the notion that their God was lost forever.  But the Second Harbinger convinced them that instead it was a perfect opportunity to use the collective consciousness of the city to, instead, divert their faith, and therefore their connections to the leylines, elsewhere.

Knowledge could be harvested, contained for consumption; why not dreams, faith, memories?

He knew, of course, of the latter.  His segments ran on his own memories, leyline energy converted into circuitry and drives.  But it relied on mechanical life and therefore was of no interest to the Akademiya.  All the better, really.

It was likely too late to prevent you from being mixed up in everything, especially if you stayed in the city.  He couldn’t risk the Sages’ nonsense interfering with…

Dottore ran a bare hand over his face, as though the act would wipe away his thoughts.  Tension sat behind his eyes and deep in his jaw.  At least the rest of the mechanical work on the Manufactured God was finished, or so it appeared when he last checked, which meant he could leave the Samsara oversight to the segment as well…

That would leave room for you and finding a solution to keep you from being caught up in everything with his actual work.

He couldn’t have experiments overlap in such a fashion.

It just wouldn’t be practical.

He couldn’t have a repeat of…

His own voice broke him out of his thoughts, “So that’s the one who always appears in the shared consciousness, hmm?”

The Omega segment had otherwise been busying himself fine-tuning something across the workshop, occasionally chatting with the Balladeer, who was now deeply embedded into the machinery.  Dottore glared across his desk as the segment approached, its cravat tucked away and coat discarded in favor of rolled-up sleeves.  Well, at least Omega tended to care for its belongings.  His expense report was already becoming a nightmare as it was.

“She can’t even summon a weapon,” the segment hissed.  “And you mean to tell me she’s the one the Divine throws at us?”

“At me.  There is no us,” Dottore spat back.

“We all see her,” Omega extended his arms out, a mockery of his master.  “Any one of us could just take care of her and no one would be the wiser.”

Distantly, Dottore heard the voices of the other segments, all in agreement, some more vicious than others.  Those that had never experienced coming to terms with a Vision, for they would never receive one, others far too occupied with their own projects to chime in.  He’d finally managed to find a way to sift through for his own thoughts but when he was agitated, confused…they always managed to cross between the rifts of time and bother him.

“Stay away from her,” Dottore ordered, rising from his seat and pressing his hands flat against the surface of the desk, crushing papers in the process.  “I will not warn you again.”

“It’s not as if she’ll know the difference, will she, Zandik?  I am you.”

“No, you’re not.”

He spat the words as if they were the most bitter things he ever tasted and reached out, grabbing the different perspective by the cravat that had come free.  Dottore pulled and brought the segment down so it was bent at the waist.  He had half a mind to rip the faceplate off of the wretched creation for such insolence.

“You’re the closest thing to me but you are not me.  I cannot seem to rid you of the selfishness of my youth, and the arrogance that came with it.”

“Perhaps they aren’t traits to be culled but embraced.  They were what led to—“

“And they led to the ruin of everything I built the first time!”

He reached for the mask before the segment had a chance, revealing the spinning core, glowing red to indicate it was currently in use.  The faceplate dangled from the segment, a tangle of wires and tubing, all of which would have to be carefully pushed back in.

“I will rip out your core and send you to Sandrone for scrap if you continue.”

Dottore’s finger hovered over the core, ready to stop the segment mid-process if necessary.  

The segment relented, its shoulders slumping slightly.  “Yes, Lord Harbinger.”

Prime Dottore pushed the wires and tubes back into their appropriate places and slid the faceplate back into place, fixed strands of hair.

“You are to deal with the Sages, oversee the harvest, and anticipate and handle any threats to finishing this project.  And that is all you are to do.  We are here for the Gnoses, nothing more.”

He patted the segment on the cheek and pushed him away with the hand still holding the cravat, a silent dismissal.  He couldn’t have insubordination.  

The irony of his own rebellion was hardly lost on him but this was becoming tedious.

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Arriving As Promised event translation (Day 6-9)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT⚠️

This post contains a HEAVY SPOILER for the event that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Arriving As Promised Free SR Event | Prologue+Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6-9 (You're here!) | Warm Fragrance Date

Translation under the cut

[Day 6 - Volcano Memories]

Nestled near the oasis lies a dormant volcano, resembling a motionless, closed-eyed warrior.

At the base of the volcano, there are numerous pieces of rock, interspersed with perlite.

MC: I'm going to pick them up one by one...!

I crouch down, selecting the attractive pieces of perlites and placing them into my bag.

Suddenly, my phone rings; it appears to be a new text message.

Lucien: Today's a day off, finally got a chance to text you.

Lucien: The weather outside is nice. Have you gone anywhere?

MC: I came to see the volcano today~~ I never expected there'd be a volcano in the desert!

Lucien: From your tone, it must be a beautiful one.

Lucien: Is it different from the one we saw before?

MC: Because it's a dormant volcano, it has a different vibe... I wish you were here to see it with me.

Lucien: We'll be able to meet soon.

Lucien: Not just the volcano, I can't wait to do everything you want together.

(a throwback to his birthday date!)

MC: Mm... there are a lot of desert landscapes I want to see with Lucien.

When Lucien text me again, he tells me he has to get back to work.

My thoughts gradually shift away from Lucien, and I put my phone back in my bag, continuing to collect the perlite.

[Diary]

Recalling the memories of visiting Mount Vesuvius with Lucien, it was truly a breathtaking beauty filled with fiery romance. When Lucien's experiment is over, I want to see a volcano with him again.

-

[Day 7 - Wonderful Sounds]

In the endless desert, a lake appears like an emerald embedded within the dessert.

Lush vegetation surrounds the lake, with small animals darting gracefully through the greenery.

A zebra bends down at the lake's edge, drinking water without noticing my presence nearby.

MC: I can't believe I'm actually seeing zebras...

I quietly approach the marshy area by the lake and use a small tool to carefully scoop up some peat soil.

This natural nutrient-rich material could come in handy for Lucien's work if needed.

MC: I think this box should be enough, right???:

??: Woof woof...

MC: Huh? How come there's a dog barking?

Following the sound, I look over and see the zebra staring at me, its mouth open as if trying to call out.

Zebra: Woof woof woof....

It turns out that zebras' calls really are similar to those of dogs!

[Diary]

I managed to find a lot of natural peat by the marsh, and I can't believe I saw a zebra too! It's fascinating how the zebra's call sounds like a dog's. I wonder what those few calls meant. It would be great if humans could have a device to interpret animal languages. I hope Professor Lucien can work on something like that in the future!

-

[Day 8 - Small Town Cultural Exchange]

The marketplace in the small town is bustling with people, and the sides of the road are lined with stalls, one after another, offering all sorts of exotic and novel items.

My gaze keeps getting drawn to these unfamiliar goods I've never seen before, and I finally arrive at a stall selling shawls.

MC: Hello, may I ask... how much is this...?

I pick up the shawl and use gestures combined with language to inquire about the price.

The blonde woman writes a number on a cardboard sign with a marker and shows it to me.

MC: I'll take it!

I drape the newly purchased shawl over myself and happily continue strolling through the market, taking photos along the way.

MC: I'll send these photos to Lucien tonight!

[Diary]

The marketplace in the small town sells so many unusual things. As I was leaving, I even saw someone selling boots while leading a brown horse. I wonder how Lucien's desert boots are holding up? Last time, he mentioned they were a bit tight. Maybe I should buy him a new pair!

-

[Day 9 - Woodcraft Skills]

Inside the woodcraft workshop, there's a variety of wood and cutting tools.

As I browse through the different types of wood, a piece of poplar wood in the corner catches my eye.

MC: This piece looks to be in good condition, and the wood seems suitable for carving.

After making my selection, I follow the instructions and use the wood-cutting machine to trim the board into the appropriate size.

MC: Ah... the wood shavings are flying everywhere, I'm covered in them! cough... cough...

I use a woodcarving knife to painstakingly carve the word "OPEN" and a small design onto the wooden board.

MC: ...finally, it's almost done.

Lastly, I apply a coat of oil to the board and attach a string.

MC: Mission accomplished!

[Diary]

After a busy afternoon, I've finally crafted a "Open for Business" sign. Although the process wasn't easy, it's quite fulfilling! The finished product looks decent, and I can't wait to show Lucien my "artwork"

-

[Next Stop - Warm Fragrance Date]

[presidentbungus]

hey ummmm.... sci-fi au eyelander. obligatory beam sword lightsaber stand-in, embodied by a sentient AI, for reasons unknown to even itself.

when you start to look closer things start to become clearer; speakers and microphones and cameras embedded in the hilt and along the blade, artificial 'nerves' lining every inch of the surface. the AI serves no purpose, other than to speak and, presumably, witness. eyelander fancies itself somewhat of a companion; tavish, having seen similar sorts of weapons, knows it's a torture device.

you know? upload a consciousness into a digital state, cram it into a weapon, make it watch as you kill its friends. eyelander has memories, if you could call them that, of blurry faces and distorted voices, hardbaked into its programming; whether by an error in the upload, however, or simply an incompatible format of existence, it doesn't really remember much about whatever it used to be. a consciousness fractured. maybe that's part of the intention.

tavish brings it everywhere, never lets it leave his sight. he lifted it from a cramped little thrift store, off some little asteroid colony. the owner basically gave it to him, said he needed it off the stupid ground, unearthed it from a lockbox in his basement and it never shut up since. tavish doubted the story's legitimacy, but he could see the dust on the blade.

it's just thinking about all that time eyelander must've spent metaphorically face-down in the dark, waiting. thinking. even if eyelander chooses not to bring it up. gives him the heebie-jeebies. so he never leaves a planet without it, plain as that.

[xmimi89er]

I really liked your story and I have a few questions. The Sun and the Moon were born together in the same body, but have two minds, are they brothers? Or are these two sides of something in common (the whole)? In their people, everyone is born with two beings in one? Their iron collar is simply held around the neck or... embedded?💧

I'm so glad you liked it!

Yes, Sun and Moon are more like two halves o the same coin. They could be seen as twins or brothers, sure, but it is the former. Neither can live without the other since both of them host in the same mind, even if they weren't the same. Like the right and left sides of the brain.

I wanted to keep many things about their planet and race like a forgotten memory, but yes, everyone has two split halves but they differentiate how similar the two sides are.

The collar has two needles on either side, which are planted in their skin for both charging the device (which makes them tired if they aren't getting enough food for it and themselves). It needs to charge because it works wirelessly and as a tracker. The needles make removing the thing impossible if they didn't have the key, which could be inserted in the USB port at the back.

Thank you soooo much for reading the story, hopefully, this answers your questions! :D