#hungry luma | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weirdmarioenemies · 1 year

Text

I am going to rank all of the Super Mario Galaxies and none of you can stop me

That's right! I'm ranking all of them! All ninety-one of these things! Hi, I'm Mod Hooligon, and you may recognize me as "the mod that posted about Super Paper Mario a lot", but did you know? The Super Mario Galaxy games are maybe my actual favorite Mario games! In fact, I've never even beaten Super Paper Mario! I'm a fraud! But I'm a cute fraud, right?

But I'm not a fraud when it comes to Super Mario Galaxy, because I've 100%'d both games, and have replayed them multiple times over! And when you play some games that much, you start to have opinions. And then you want to subject everyone else to your opinions! So that's what I'm gonna do.

This is gonna be a little Weirdmarioenemies mini-series I run outside of our usual posting schedule, so expect a new part of this list every Sunday, until there's no Galaxies left to cover. Today we'll be tackling all the low-tier Galaxies, because there's not enough of them to warrant making three separate posts for F-tier, D-tier, and C-tier.

Got that? Good. Rankings start under the cut!

91. Sling Pod Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: F

Well, something had to be the worst. If you are an ardent Sling Pod Galaxy fan, I am so, so sorry. Let it be known that you are entitled to your own opinion, and that I understand.

But I'm also entitled to my own opinion and my opinion is that Sling Pod Galaxy is Not Very Good! Really, not a lot of the Hungry Luma galaxies from the first game are, we're gonna be covering most of them in this post...

The Sling Pods aren't an awful gimmick in and of themselves, it can be fun to slingshot Mario around, and they're used to great effect in the Tarantox boss fight! But I feel like they can be a bit imprecise, and nowhere does that show more than in Sling Pod Galaxy, where you're required to fling Mario from Sling Pod to Sling Pod with precise timing, and not a lot of wiggle room.

If your aim or timing is just slightly off (and let's face it, it uses motion controls, so it's probably going to be) then you're gonna sling Mario right into the void. There's a cool concept here, but at the end of the day, I'll always find Sling Pod Galaxy more frustrating than fun.

And besides that, it's just not very thematically interesting! It's kinda just cobbled together out of miscellaneous assets, but doesn't manage to make it feel like a Theme the way Space Junk Galaxy does.

90. Snow Cap Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: F

Oh look, another Hungry Luma Galaxy! That didn't take long at all.

I feel like most people wouldn't consider the bunny chases the highlights of the Super Mario Galaxy games, and Snow Cap Galaxy is a galaxy that makes you chase three bunnies, all of which start the mission hidden, under a pretty strict time limit. There's a small chamber you can open that you can chase the bunnies into, but in order to open it, you need to activate a number of Flipswitches, most of which are hidden in the snow, which you need to use your cursor to clear out...

I feel like this mission asks too much of you in too little time, and ends up being another one that ends up more frustrating than fun, especially with how inconsistent chasing down the bunnies can actually be! That being said, I'll give it the edge over Sling Pod, since I think it's at least a little more aesthetically interesting. Bunnies hiding in the snow! It's cute.

89. Stone Cyclone Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: F

If the Hungry Lumas have the worst galaxies in the first game, then World S has some of the worst in the second. I wouldn't say the track record is nearly as bad, I think Super Mario Galaxy 2's quality is much more consistent all around, but that didn't manage to save Stone Cyclone from escaping the bottom tier...

I like a good challenge, but I like a good challenge, and I don't know if I'd consider Stone Cyclone Galaxy good. It's a repeat of the Stone Cyclone planet from the first game (which I do like!), but with all the Tox Boxes, Thwomps, and moving platforms moving 4 times faster. You're given switches that can temporarily slow everything down, and make everything much more manageable, but since it's all temporary, you better be able to manage the faster version once the timer's up!

I don't know, there's a cool concept here, but I feel everything moves so fast when time isn't slowed down, that making jumps between the moving platforms in particular can be really difficult. And when the Tox Boxes are moving faster than you do, sometimes it feels like there's not much room to move without getting squished soon after!

88. Flipswitch Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Yep! Stone Cyclone was the last of the bottom-tiers. Again, there's not really a lot of galaxies in these games I don't like. Now we're at the "I don't necessarily hate them, but also find them kind of pointless" tier!

And no Galaxy feels more pointless to me than Flipswitch Galaxy, which is honestly kind of a joke. Flipswitch Galaxy is One planet. That's right, you get one! This is an entire Galaxy that could easily be a mission in another Galaxy, and even that's being generous. This is a stopgap between two planets in a cooler, more elaborate Galaxy.

Flipswitch Galaxy isn't really frustrating at all, it's probably one of the easiest missions in the entire game, but it's so short and so pointless, that I just wish they did a little more with it, you know? Add a couple more planets, let things escalate a little more, I know you want to keep it easy because of how early in the game it is, but if Flip-Swap Galaxy is any indication, you can do a breezy early-game gimmick galaxy much better than this!

87. Bigmouth Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Okay, quick question, how many of you have beaten Bigmouth Galaxy the intended way? I genuinely didn't know until a pretty recent playthrough that there even were Star Chips in this Galaxy. I always just used gravity shenanigans to jump from the top of pool to the other! I thought that's what you were supposed to do, and that the jump was just a little annoying to get right! I'm not sure if I've even ever done this mission the intended way. The jump is just way quicker.

Bigmouth Galaxy is pretty whatever. It sure does exist! I think it's funny that this is a Hungry Luma Galaxy, but Penguru says he likes to come here frequently just to think. He's been a frequent here ever since the galaxy was born five minutes ago!

What do you want me to say about Bigmouth Galaxy. It's a shorter, easier, more mediocre version of Slimy Spring Galaxy, I guess.

86. Drip Drop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

I'm just not giving these Hungry Luma galaxies a break, am I? Don't worry Hungry Lumas, you'll do better in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Anyway, Drip Drop Galaxy is a single planet where you kill a few Gringills with shells, and that's really it. The underwater controls in this game can feel a little janky, so aiming the shells can be a little frustrating, but it's not especially hard, especially if you can find the Red Shells, which retain their homing ability from Mario Kart.

Pretty unremarkable, not especially fun, but I don't dread it the way I do some others, so that's a plus. Apparently this is where Penguru lives.

85. Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: D

Wrapping up the D-tiers, we have Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, the most forgettable of the Bowser and Bowser Jr. stages. King Kaliente is a cool boss and all, and I think the sinking lava platforms are a cool shakeup to his fight, but for the final boss of the fifth dome, you kinda think they'd do a bit more, right?

There's not really a lot of buildup to the boss, and the boss itself isn't all that difficult, which makes this mission feel pretty underwhelming. I'm curious if I'd put this higher if it weren't one of the Bowser Jr. stages. My stance is "probably, but not by too much". There's not a lot going on in this galaxy.

84. Boo's Boneyard Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

I don't know what it says that this is one of the better Hungry Luma galaxies from the first game.

Let's talk positives first! I think it's cool that they give you a rematch against the Spooky Speedster, and I like that it shakes things up so much. The idea of you getting the Boo Mushroom to become more "equal" with the Spooky Speedster is cool, and I like that they further differentiate things by making it a 2D level. That's all pretty cool!

It's just that... I think this mission is really easy. The Spooky Speedster isn't really all that speedy here, and unlike the shortcut during the first race which you kinda have to go out of your way for, this time it's in plain sight, and not hard to reach at all. Besides that, I just don't think the Boo Mushroom is an especially fun powerup to use in a Race. It's a good powerup, make no mistake, but in the context of a race, it feels pretty sluggish...

83. Loopdeeloop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Super Mario Galaxy has a handful of motion-control based minigames, and of the bunch, I think the ray surfing is my least favorite. I don't hate it, I kinda like how wild riding the waves can feel, but at the same time, that wildness combined with the motion controls can make it feel at times like you don't have a lot of control over where you're going, you know?

Loopdeeloop Galaxy is the galaxy that introduces this minigame, and it's fine. I generally prefer its more challenging variant (which we'll see later, but not too much later), but this works well enough as an introduction. It's just kind of a basic version of a minigame I'm not that big a fan of, there's not a lot to say about Loopdeeloop Galaxy.

82. Honeyclimb Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

As far as single-mission gimmick galaxies go, this one is alright. I like the use of Mandibugs and Meteors to spice things up. Unlike something like the Flipswitch Galaxy, this has a pretty solid sense of escalation, which I like!

That being said, it's still pretty basic, climbing honey walls isn't exactly the most exciting gimmick in the world, so I'm not gonna be that huge on a galaxy built completely around it. I guess the focus on the honey climbing lets it feel a bit more distinct from the other Bee Mushroom galaxies, but it's also easily the weakest of the Bee Mushroom galaxies, so I'm not sure if that's a good thing...

I feel like I don't have much to say about any of these mid-tier Galaxies. Sorry.

81. Grand Finale Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Of all the galaxy rankings, I feel like this is one of the ones I feel the least certain about. Part of me feels it should be lower, part of me thinks putting it lower would be unfair, so instead it ends up here!

From a gameplay perspective, Grand Finale Galaxy is not really that interesting at all. There's no challenge, you just grab the Purple Coins, which are all just out there in the open, and that's really it! That's the star! I don't even know if you can die in this galaxy at all.

But like, that feels like the wrong way to assess this galaxy, because it's not meant to be a challenge in the slightest, it's meant to be this nice little reward you get for getting 100% in this game. You beat the game twice over already, so get to enjoy the Star Festival without Bowser rudely interrupting! Get to spend a little more time with all the characters you've met on your journey before being done with the game for good, it's here as a nice little bonus.

That being said, as a Grand Finale, I feel it sort of lacks... grandeur? I dunno. It's cute as a nice little goodbye, but part of me feels they could've done a little more with it.

Don't ask me what! I'm not a game designer, I'm just some autistic girl on the internet talking about a 16 year old video game! Leave me alone!

80. Mario Squared Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

I'll give Mario Squared Galaxy this: it has one of the best names of any galaxy across these games, and that gotta count for something.

Mario Squared is pretty much just a reused planet from Toy Time Galaxy in the first game, just with the rotating squares swapped out for Flipswitches. And I mean hey, if you're gonna reuse content from any galaxy, Toy Time is a pretty good pick. but also the very nature of being reused content means I'm bumping it down a bit, because eh! We've already seen this before! I don't need a galaxy to be a small part of a better galaxy!

I'm pretty sure this galaxy solely exists so they could bring back the infamous Luigi's Purple Coins mission in Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I guess is fair. That mission is difficult, but it is fun, and I like the twists they add in this game (like the Cosmic Clones, and the fact you have to grab all of them this time)! Fun way to create a new take on one of the first game's most challenging missions.

...But can I really rate a galaxy that highly for redoing something another Galaxy already did? I don't know if I can give Mario Squared Galaxy a super high grade for copying Toy Time Galaxy's homework and changing it a little.

I think it's funny that the objective of this mission is to turn all the blue Flipswitches yellow, so it looks like Mario's SMB1 sprite, but once all the Flipswitches are activated, they all turn green, making the whole thing feel kinda pointless. This is fine because green is a better color than yellow anyway.

79. Hurry-Scurry Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Another one of those short gimmick galaxies with only one mission. I think building a galaxy around these disappearing panels is a pretty fun idea. Once you stand on one of them, it's gone forever, so you have to plan your route carefully, but don't spend too much time planning, because all the ground is disappearing panels. It creates a fun dynamic, that's true to the galaxy's name! There's a solid chance your route will be a little off, so you might have to make some big leaps to grab notes you may have missed. It's cool, I like it!

But not like, that much. It's still a pretty small galaxy all things considered. This one gets a little buildup before the end, which is nice, but it's not much buildup, so the whole experience ends up feeling a little short.

Not helping is the fact they repeat this mission later in the game, but more challenging, and in a galaxy that has other things going on. That does subtract from Hurry-Scurry Galaxy a bit, I feel.

78. Sand Spiral Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

I know I've mentioned multiple times in this post how mediocre the Hungry Luma galaxies in the first game are, but for emphasis: this is the second best one, and it's in C-Tier. Don't feel too bad, Sand Spiral Galaxy. You'll still outshine most of your siblings at the family reunion. At least if you're ignoring those pesky Super Mario Galaxy 2 Hungry Luma galaxies.

This Galaxy gives you a choice between the Bee Mushroom and the Boo Mushroom, and I pretty much always pick the Boo Mushroom I'm pretty sure. There's obstacles for both on the way, so it's not like one's strictly "better" than the other, but I always appreciate the extra control the Boo Mushroom gives me here. After a short tunnel, you lose your powerup, are sent to a spiral planet spinning around a moon, where you grab a Rainbow Star and run through some mines to grab the Star at the end.

It's a pretty short mission that doesn't really feel like it knows what it wants to do, but at the very least, I appreciate that it gives you multiple options, the visual at the end is pretty striking, and making big jumps during the spiral as a Speedrun Strat can be pretty satisfying.

77. Boss Blitz Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

If you couldn't tell already, a lot of World S in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is reused content, and that's a lot of why these galaxies are scoring so low. Boss Blitz Galaxy is a string of five boss fights from the first game in a row, which I guess makes it a bit interesting in the context of the sequel, given none of these bosses show up in the main quest, so if this is your only Super Mario Galaxy game, you kinda gotta figure them all out on the fly.

Thankfully, most of these boss fights are still pretty fun, though again, they're all reused so you're not really getting much new here. The timer challenge is sort of teetering on the edge between being "challenging in a frustrating way" and "challenging in a fun way" for me. Speedrunning all the boss fights can be really fun, but none of them really have shortcuts the way the bosses in say, Super Mario Odyssey do, and some of the RNG in the Bouldergeist fight can make the challenge feel a bit inconsistent (even if that IS the best of the bosses), so sometimes your pace feels a bit out of your control.

It also feels weird to have both Dino Piranha and Fiery Dino Piranha, it's kinda redundant, though I do like having them as the bookends, I guess.

76. Twisty Trials Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: C

Woah, reusing content from Super Mario Sunshine now? Slow down, World S!

For what it's worth, reusing Sunshine content is a bit more interesting than reusing Galaxy content, because it's a different game with different controls and different physics and whatnot. Still, it's not like Twisty Trials Galaxy is that interesting. It's a series of progressively more difficult rotating platforms that you have to keep your balance on, and that's really it, though I do like the comet challenge where they move twice as fast, and you have to use the Cloud Flower to keep on pace. That's pretty neat.

I wish they kept the music from Sunshine. I like the weird a capella version of the Super Mario Bros. Overworld theme way more than Super Mario 2007.

75. Loopdeeswoop Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

"The Galaxy's Greatest Wave". I mean, there's only two ray surfing galaxies across both games, this one and Loopdeeloop, so is there really that much competition?

That being said, yeah, I like this more challenging version. I know that the ray surfing minigame still isn't really my favorite (it's in C-tier for a reason!) but having a more difficult course I think brings out some of the best aspects, like how wild it feels to control! And also some of the worst aspects, like how wild it feels to control! It's still as much of a double-edged sword as ever, just a bit more extreme due to the more extreme course.

That being said, since it's more challenging, that makes finishing it feel a lot more satisfying, and I'd never say it really feels unfair. Sure, falling off can be frustrating given how difficult it can be to control, but when it's all done, I end up feeling more "yeah, I did it :D" than "oh thank god that's over with", which I think is the important distinction between an F-tier and a C-tier.

Don't take that as meaning I'm in love with this galaxy, though. It's still here for a reason.

74. Bonefin Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

The cooler Drip Drop Galaxy.

That's really pretty much all this one is, it's Drip Drop Galaxy again but this time it's a boss fight, and it's a bit more exciting because of it. Heck, you need to beat Drip Drop Galaxy to unlock this one, so the resemblance isn't unintentional!

Since it's pretty much Drip Drop Galaxy again, it suffers a lot of the same issues that Galaxy has, but I'm not gonna pretend it doesn't get boosted a lot from the Style Points, though I also think having a single large target to hit ends up feeling a lot better than several smaller targets. Aiming your shells feels a lot easier, but since it's a boss fight, there's also a better sense of escalation here.

Still, it's pretty much just the boss fight, and I mean, being a slightly better version of a D-tier Galaxy isn't exactly something I'll sing my highest praises about. If nothing else, at least it has a killer atmosphere.

73. Sea Slide Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: C

Wrapping up the C-tier is Sea Slide Galaxy, the worst of the "big" Galaxies from the first game. To quote myself from earlier in the same post, "Well, something had to be the worst." But also not quite like that since it's nowhere near as bad.

The biggest issue with Sea Slide Galaxy is there's really not an awful lot of diversity in its missions. Of the six missions here, three of them are basically "swim in a loop around the galaxy," just with slightly different distances. The Silver Star mission, thankfully, fares a lot better, as does the Improved Version of Hurry-Scurry Galaxy (here it is!) but the last of the missions is one of the boring Purple Coin missions. Mod Hooligon's Tip: If you start a Purple Coin mission and it doesn't have this banger, I'm Sorry.

The galaxy definitely has a unique layout, but there's not really much to do in the water besides swim in a circle, since every mission that doesn't involve swimming in a circle usually has you ignoring the water outright. Would this galaxy be better if it had more swimming? I dunno. As stated, the underwater controls in this game can be a bit finnicky, so maybe I should be glad it's either swim in a circle or don't swim at all.

And that's it for today's post! Do you agree with my opinions? Do you disagree? If you're a Sling Pod Galaxy fan, make some noise!

And if you're looking for the B-Tier galaxies, you're in luck, because you can find those here!

#super mario galaxy #super mario galaxy 2 #mod hooligon

532 notes · View notes

unicyclehippo · 9 months

Note

One word prompt: pause

imogen was glorious, holding her own before the most powerful people in the world. she was gorgeous and glorious and strange. to herself, from herself.

‘that’s probably why he was staring at us. because storm lord, storm powers.’

‘yeah. yeah,’ imogen muttered with a quick smile. ‘that’s probably it.’

it had nothing to do with profound distrust or the inhuman recognition of the inhuman in imogen, surely. laudna watched imogen watch the earthbreaker stride back to his small battalion of warriors. her eyes lingered, burned. then they met laudna’s and imogen seemed to pause before the burning gave way to only warmth.

‘hey, honey. done talking to the voice?’

laudna nodded. her fingers twisted, knotted together.

fearne waggled her eyebrows at them. ‘how was last night? the manor is so romantic, isn’t it?’

imogen conjured a little laugh, a little blush. enough to make fearne coo at them, teasing, and turn tail to give them a moment alone. laudna watched it happen and tried to pair the blush with the quiet night they’d had, laying untouching side by side. imogen hadn’t slept much and had said less.

‘we didn’t do anything,’ laudna whispered.

imogen shook her head with another laugh. ‘she doesn’t need to know that.’

‘we didn’t do anything.’

‘i know. do you want me to tell her that?’ imogen asked quietly, laugh falling away to a mild frown. her eyes drifted sidelong, mind drifted sidelong against laudna’s. laudna wished she would look within—maybe she could explain laudna’s thoughts to her. all she knew was that it was filled with hungry shadows and visions of the red storm, and imogen. ‘laud?’ imogen touched her cheek gently. from her tone, it wasn’t the first time she had called laudna’s name.

‘i’m alright, darling.’

‘that’s why you’re pulling your hair out? because you’re alright?’ imogen’s frown softened. ‘cmon, let’s get out of the sun.’

she guided laudna to a spot of shade against the wall of the fort. at a pointed glare, a nearby guard jumped to their feet and carried over a bucket with a crisp salute and ‘ma’am!’ they hurried away just as fast and imogen overturned the bucket, sat laudna down upon it.

the shade was blissful. after the dark damp of morrigan’s fane, the desert was so harsh. brutal sunlight burned down onto laudna’s pale skin. and everywhere she looked it was a vision of death and blood, pale faces drawn in nerves and painted red by the light of the moon.

‘close your eyes,’ imogen told her, crouching beside her. ‘it’s okay. don’t look.’

laudna clamped her eyes shut. ‘the red…’

‘i know.’

‘it’s like your old dreams. the red and the sand.’

‘yeah.’

‘and all of these souls… what if they’re like dear old bertrand? the lumas twins? what if all of them are claimed by the moon?’

imogen’s hands tightened on laudna’s. ‘that’d be pretty awful, huh?’

laudna didn’t answer for a long moment. the silence stretched, a strained tendon. she didn’t dare open her eyes. all she wanted was quiet and dark and imogen.

‘i’m here,’ imogen murmured.

laudna felt her hands being moved and peeked down through dark lashes to see imogen lift one of her hands, press her lips to it. laudna’s sharp inhale was almost a gasp and it drew imogen’s gaze upward. her lips drew up in a bright, sharp smile. the corner of her mouth was thin, pulled long by her smile. laudna touched a trembling finger to imogen’s cheek, just shy of her mouth.

‘beautiful,’ she whispered. then, unable to keep the words back any longer, ‘don’t leave me.’

imogen’s smile flickered. ‘why would i—‘

‘you can fool the others but you can’t fool me. something happened when you gave in.’

‘laudna.’

‘no please, let me finish.’ she gathered imogen’s hand up. ‘i know what it feels like, i know.’

‘no. you don’t.’ imogen yanked her hand free and shoved up to her feet. ‘i’m fine,’ she assured her, eyes elsewhere, already looking for where she could go, anywhere to get away from this conversation. orym stood at the other end of the fort, filling water canteens with ashton’s help. imogen started toward him—only to stop when laudna wrapped a hand around her wrist.

‘let me go.’

‘it felt good,’ laudna said, voice low. ‘safe. it felt like you were hardly there, that predathos was holding you so tight you could hardly breathe and it was wonderful because he could keep you so safe if anything happened, if anything scared you, hurt you. it felt good because no one has ever wanted you that much.’ imogen tried to pull her hand away. with uncommon strength, laudna held tight. ‘he made you feel powerful, welcome, special. he showed you that you are already all those things, that he sees that in you. he showed you how l-‘ laudna stopped, voice cracking. after a moment, she pressed on. ‘he showed you how lonely you are. that he doesn’t see you as a monster. you aren’t scary with him. you aren’t freakish or dangerous. you belong with him.’

imogen was panting now, eyes wide. she turned to face laudna, who spoke quick and quiet as though she only had a few seconds to speak, a few seconds before something would stop her. or someone.

‘you’re wrong.’

‘no.’

‘i’m not weak,’ imogen spat, not seeing laudna’s flinch. ‘he can tell me whatever he wants, i know what is true. what is right.’

laudna clenched her jaw. the planes of her face went hard as marble, eyes stern. her voice wavered then went harsh. ‘you are weak, imogen.’

the shock of the words made imogen pause, jaw dropping.

‘w-what?’

‘you have a weakness, and he will exploit it. that is what they do. you have been a stranger to everyone in your life. you have been in pain for a decade. you are scarred all over and so powerful it scares people. your mother left, your father ignored you, and no one else could come close because it hurt—‘

‘stop it.’

‘you have spent years wanting to get as far away as you could, somewhere without awful people, somewhere you could just be. it is a terribly strong lure, to feel that you might be able to be around others like you. no longer the odd one out. to find joy in who you are, not pain.’

‘stop it!’ imogen snapped. ‘it doesn’t matter what he offers me, ‘cause i ain’t taking it. and if you felt so damn strong about this, you should’ve said somethin’ before i dreamed last night.’

the stone in laudna’s face cracked, crumbled. ‘yes,’ she whispered. ‘i should have.’

‘good, well, it’s too late.’ imogen wrenched free, successfully this time. she rubbed her wrist where laudna had held her. the grip hadn’t been tight nor painful but something in the closeness now made her skin crawl. her eyes dragged up to the moon hanging overhead; when she refocused on laudna, she was met with a look of understanding.

‘i want you to make your choices. i will follow, whatever you choose—‘

‘no.’

laudna stuttered to a stop. ‘no?’

‘i don’t want to make the choices for you. you have to figure out what is right, laudna! you aren’t her! and you sure as hell aren’t me. stop giving into her and start thinking about what is right for once! make a choice!’

‘i choose you—‘

‘choose yourself,’ imogen snapped. sucked in a breath as she heard the sharpness of her tone, saw the way laudna’s certainty wavered and she began to fold into herself once more. ‘choose yourself,’ she said again, more calmly. ‘i love you. i went to the ends of the world and beyond to get you back, ripped you out of her tree, so that you could live your life, not hers.’

‘i know.’

‘good. so just focus on keepin’ her out and doing what we came here to do and it’ll all work out.’

laudna pursed her lips with a tiny frown. ‘i- i should have said something earlier. i’m so sorry, darling. i want you to feel at home. loved. but…’ she swallowed harshly, then held her hand toward imogen. she didn’t grab at her, nor move closer. ‘predathos doesn’t love you.’

imogen laughed, sound harsh. ‘i know that.’

‘do you?’

it was too hard to meet laudna’s eyes. something in her still pulled, yearned, for the moon. imogen knew the moment her feet landed on the moon that she would feel more at home than she ever had. that the weight of the world would lift that small amount, that gravity would right itself around her. she didn’t know how she could come back to exandria after, knowing that.

‘whatever he says to you, whatever he offers,’ laudna continued when imogen said nothing, ‘tell me. i will spend the rest of my life trying to give it to you,’ she vowed. ‘you will never owe me anything. it will be the joy of my life to - to love you. to build a home with you, away from the world, away from everyone else.’

‘and safe?’ imogen whispered. ‘can you promise we’ll be safe?’

laudna lowered her eyes. ‘no.’

‘no. that’s what i thought.’

‘but he can’t keep you safe either.’

‘i dunno, laud. he felt… powerful. it felt like nothing could touch me there.’

‘perhaps nothing could,’ laudna agreed. her hand was still outstretched, unwavering, though imogen had not yet taken it. ‘that sounds terribly lonely, darling.’

imogen shook her head. ‘he was everywhere. i’d never be alone.’

the words struck laudna. she looked sickened, and for an instant her hand trembled. she kept from snatching at imogen, barely.

‘it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be,’ she whispered. ‘you lose track. of your own voice. yourself.’

‘it wouldn’t be like that.’

‘you wouldn’t even feel it happen.’

imogen bowed her head. the sun had shifted overhead, the day straining to press on against the weight of the moon. the shade they had stood in was being eaten up. soon, there would be nothing left of it at all.

she reached out. took laudna’s hand.

‘before we get there, while i’m still myself. bring me back.’ her grip tightened. it must have been painful. laudna held her as tight, nails digging into imogen’s skin. ‘i might scream or fight. i might not want to come back. but.’ her throat tightened, something in her already fighting the words. ‘this is my home. you. exandria. bring me home. whatever it takes.’

laudna nodded. stepped in, pressing her cool forehead to imogen’s. ‘a tether.’

‘my tether.’

‘my whole world,’ laudna murmured.

the words didn’t quite touch her. imogen could still feel the lure, the pull, the feeling of belonging and home just out of reach. she could feel it burrowing beneath her skin to hollow her out and for a moment she could see past the haze of red sand and static and knew that laudna was right. the clarity wouldn’t last long.

she kissed laudna there, for anyone to see. her lips were chapped but laudna didn’t complain, only kissed her sweetly and gently. there was such a look of surprise and adoration when she pulled back that for a second imogen felt it. home.

‘he can’t have me,’ imogen promised, voice edged with a sandstorm growl. ‘better halves. i’m already whole.’

#tagging my stories #prompt fill #imodna my beloveds #cr fic

95 notes · View notes