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#it is. they would kill durandal even though durandal helped build them they would kill the king even though he built them and. they left
letsbenditlikebennett · 7 months
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TIMING: Current PARTIES: @alan-duarte & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Alex meets up with Alan so that he can teach her how to shift outside the full moon. Unfortunately, their training session is rudely interrupted. CONTENT: Gun use, parental death, domestic abuse
Part of Alex had half a mind to cancel this meeting. After all, she had gotten by for thirteen years without changing outside of the full moon, did she really need to start now? She wanted to go home, back to her garden or her guitar, and forget all about the monster she became three nights a month. That was weak though and even if she hadn’t donned the name in years, somehow the Durand family legacy still hung over her head like a dark cloud, always casting a haze over anything good she tried to find in herself. She desperately wanted these lessons to change that. For her to be able to use the monster she’d become for something good. Maybe she couldn’t engage in combat with grace or agility, but if she could bring out the wolf in a more controlled setting, she could still protect people. If she couldn’t do that, why did she even survive that night? There had to be a reason for it. She had to be more than this. More than a monster. 
There was some unease that settled in the pit of her stomach as Alex walked up to their meeting spot. They would be far away from anyone, surrounded by the comforting blanket of trees and foliage that blanketed the depths of the forest this time of year. Normally, they grounded her, but the tension settled in her shoulders all the same. She still couldn’t fully wrap her mind around Alan killing hunters. Andy made it seem like it was understandable, but how could it be? Moreover, she wanted to get this right and still felt the pathological urge to make sure Alan liked her. Even if she couldn’t let herself parse through the whole murder thing, he was helping her. He was experienced in all of this. He carried himself like he knew what the fuck he was doing and Alex so desperately wanted to know what that felt like. 
A few calming breaths and taking in the smell of damp wood that hung in the air helped Alex bring her heart back down to a normal pace as she approached Alan. “Hey,” she waved with a half smile, “I feel like there should be some pop-culture mentor reference sorta deal here… but…” She shrugged, “Haven’t seen a lot of movies or TV shows.” Something she’d hoped would change as she spent more time with Cass, who loved both with a gusto. 
“So, uh,” Alex made a sort of ‘lead the way’ gesture toward Alan, “Where do we start, old man?” 
"Is that what I am?" A mentor. The idea of becoming someone's role model sat uncomfortably on his stomach. 
There was a time, a while ago, where Alan saw himself build a family with someone. Well, not someone. Rafael Brown wasn't just someone to him. He was not his first love, although he'd been his second, and the longest relationship he ever had. They got together before marriage became legal for them, and swiftly got married a year after they allowed it. Then, he got bitten, and Rafael started to suspect Alan didn't spend his all-nighters at work but in good company. Alan hadn't figured out yet why he was blacking out three nights a month when the other filed for a divorce. There was no amount of promising or begging that could have changed a thing for them. He got married again, a few years later, but that had been a terrible choice this time, even if his second husband was in the know. Especially, perhaps, because he was in the know.
He was now too old for this, for being a role model for his own kids. If he accepted to help Alex, he'd have to be at peace with it. He'd have to own it. 
The werewolf took a deep breath, brushing off a wrinkle from his tee-shirt. He'd grabbed something simple at the store. Target clothes were the sort he didn't mind tearing to pieces. 
He'd brought a backpack too. That was one of the things she'd have to learn about: leave a whole bunch of those around, just in case. "I grabbed you a change. You'll need one, so I hope you're not wearing your favourite clothes," because they weren't precisely pretty. He smiled. 
If nothing else, Alex had at least gotten the dress code for werewolf shifting club correct. She donned thrift store jeans that were several inches too long on her and a t-shirt from some movie she’d never heard of that she’d nicked because she liked the color. If this outfit was ripped to shreds by the end of the day, she wouldn’t really care. Though Alan had the forethought to think ahead with the whole change of clothes thing. Some part of her wanted to interject humor, place doubt in his ability to pick out a change of clothes, but she really doubted she’d have an issue with the change of clothes. Alan was nothing if not well dressed. Plus, her nerves would make it even harder to give any sort of convincing delivery. 
The idea of honesty had crossed Alex’s mind. It wasn’t too late to tell Alan everything. About the hunter, about how he recognized her sister and would likely recognize her. Some smaller part even wanted to scream about being a monster, about not wanting any of this, but instead, the thoughts were silenced and tucked away in some metaphorical vault. 
“Thanks,” she offered as smoothly as she could, “Did have enough sense to wear clothes I don’t care about.” She gestured at the bottoms of her jeans dragging in the mud, “In case we couldn’t tell by the terrible fit.” She sucked in a deep breath in hopes of finding some balance on the knife’s edge she felt like she was standing on. Even asking for these lessons was some sort of embracing of the monster she was. Was she ready for that? Did it really matter whether she was ready for it? It didn’t and she knew as much. This town didn’t care what you were ready for, it’d throw it at you. 
“So,” she started, looking between the two of them, “How does this work? You’re not gonna go into some capitalist meditative retreat schtick, are you?” 
“Not funny,” Alan pointed out. Capitalist meditative retreat schtick. Did he need to remind her that the ugly mean capitalist was offering gracefully, free of charge, to help her, and absolutely not to fill the hole in heart that had been left by crushed dreams of a perfect life with a happy American family. He had the picket fence, he didn’t precisely need a dog, considering he had a nice house, a pool, a best friend, a job, a business he owned. He couldn’t shake off this much : he wasn’t always very happy. 
Lately, happiness had been outnumbered by dimmer days. He couldn’t really pinpoint why. He’d wake up in the morning, feeling grey. Sometimes, passing the threshold of his work place made him take a U turn on those feelings. Sometimes. Maybe this was why he was doing this. It wasn’t graceful. It wasn’t selfless. He just wanted to try something new. At his age, it was about damn time. He also wanted to slap himself. He didn’t have to be so fucking dramatic, did he? He just had to kick his own ass and get back into the right track. 
With a sigh, one that was destined to himself, and his stupid tribulations, Alan turned to face the kid. He put his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, took a moment to collect his thoughts, and get started. “How does it work?” A tough question. No one had a guide for this. He had gotten help, himself, from wolves that wound up dead months, years later. Hunters. They knew how to make things harder. “You want to control something that won’t want you to control it,” he paused, “but that something. It’s just you.” Which made it more complicated. He couldn’t get in her head, and she couldn’t get in his own. “We’re not the same but, we both want to be aware of what the fuck we’re doing,” no dissociative bullshit. None of it. 
“You’re gonna need to find within you, that thing that takes over during full moons,” it sounded stupid. Perhaps it wasn’t even material, but that’s how he had managed to control it. He located it, or imagined that he did, and he pictured himself controlling it. 
“It was kind of funny,” Alex shrugged, “I was only joking anyway.” There was something a little heavier in the way Alan carried himself that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. So much of her childhood had been spent being so tuned into other’s energy that it was hard not to notice the subtle shift. It wasn’t the same as it had been with her father though, she didn’t feel the edge brewing in her that came whenever her father had looked less than pleased. In the context of training especially, it was unnerving. Too many of the cruel things her father had done to make her a better ranger had been in the name of training and she didn’t resent those things, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to welcome them in either. Even with the slight slump in his shoulders, she still felt safe around Alan. In the very back of her mind, she could acknowledge that she felt safer with him than she ever had with her father, but she wasn’t prepared to fully accept that reality just yet. 
As much shit as she liked to give him, Alex had to admit that he was insightful. There wasn’t sugarcoating in his words and he was able to find their common ground with ease. It was funny as different as they were, they shared so much because of what they were. Even if they wanted entirely different things out of life, there was a certain kinship to be had in wanting their lives to be on their own terms. He understood grasping for those threads of control when it felt like everything else had been all but ripped from you. She hated that she could relate to his words, hated that he was right on the money, and most of all, she hated that it furthered her from the mold of a ranger her parents had so tenaciously tried to fit her into. 
“Yeah,” she answered softly, still letting the words sink in. It was hard to acknowledge the werewolf as part of her. There was comfort in the fallacy that a monster wasn’t the only thing she was, that there was somehow more to her, to both of them. Alex shifted on her feet and tried to think of how she felt on the full moon despite the fact she had no desire to immerse herself in those memories. “So more tune into that part of my brain and memories than dissociate,” she clarified. It was admittedly better than the new age bullshit she suspected most people would recommend, not that she was expecting Alan to be an undercover zen girlie or something. 
It sounded simple enough and in reality, it probably was that simple. It’s not like it would be a huge surprise to Alex if she was as shitty of a werewolf as she was a ranger. She shook that thought, the wolf never doubted. At least, in her memories, it never did. 
“Okay, I think I get what you’re going for,” she nodded, “I guess I’ll give it a go with focusing and you… I don’t know, maybe if it’s not kicking in a little show and tell or something?” Maybe the other wolf could coax hers out. Maybe not. She both wanted to master her shift and dreaded it at the same time, but she let her eyes flutter close so she could focus on her full moon memories and the way the beast’s mind worked, how it was driven by instinct and the hunt. 
He didn’t reply. Arms crossed over his chest, the werewolf took a look at her. He wondered what was going through her head. It mustn’t have been easy for her either. Alan worried that he might not be a good instructor. She must have been just as worried. Alan didn’t want to think of what he would have done if he had been in her shoes, so young and unable to control himself. “Remember, you’re doing this for yourself,” he pointed out, squatting down to be lower than her, shorter. “You’re not doing this for me, or anyone else. I don’t care if we don’t get results today,” he offered her a smile before he took a seat on the ground. 
It hadn’t rained in a few days, still, he could feel the soil was fresh beneath the fallen leaves. 
“Sit down. You’ll focus better if you relax,” resting his arms on his knees, he nodded. “We don’t want to dissociate. Fuck that,” it was awful, scary, and not something he ever wanted to go through ever again. It wouldn’t be easy, and she’d need to train to achieve that at all times, but even if she never gained full control (God knew he tried), she could at least attempt to. 
Alan nodded along. “We’ll let you try and if it doesn’t work, I’ll show you,” he wasn’t sure if that would help, but didn’t people learn new things by watching how it’s done? He fell silent then, if only to give her all she needed to find that bubble of unhinged feral energy within, dormant, but very much there. 
There was something gentle in the way that Alan spoke and explained shifting to her that was unexpected. On their own merit, the interactions Alex shared with the older werewolf had been filled with a number of quips, but something about the kind approach to training was so foreign that it left her momentarily stunned. The environment was already better than the training room in her parents’ house, there was no locking her out here until she got it exactly right. The delivery was already softer, too, and there was something in the way he spoke that she couldn’t see him striking her out of any frustration in the name of building her skills. She felt safe and that was such a stark contrast to any training experience she had when it came to turning her into a ranger worthy of the Durand name. It was alarming that she felt safer here than she ever had training with her own father and she felt guilty for even thinking as much. 
Thoughts of her last name sent another wave of guilt through Alex. There was a hunter out there that recognized the family resemblance and she hadn’t told Alan. Here he was going out of his way to help her despite the fact she’d made it her mission to be the biggest pain in the ass possible and she hadn’t shared such an important piece of information with him. Maybe she could. She wanted to trust Alan. 
“Thank you,” Alex managed after a moment of quiet thought. It was all she could say, at least for the moment. She wasn’t even sure she could understand why the patience in this context meant everything to her and for once, part of her wished that maybe she could. “That kinda takes the pressure off,” she added. Because it did. She was always trying to impress and the fact Alan didn’t care whether or not she got it down today made it feel less big and scary. The idea of practicing shifting was becoming easier to warm up to. 
As directed, Alex took a seat on the ground. It had always been her preferred seat anyhow, especially when it was warm and lush with grass like it was in the midst of summer. She listened to what Alan said and relaxed. That should have been the simplest part of the whole exercise, but when did she ever feel relaxed? Her eyes fluttered shut and she tried to focus on the sound of the wind in the trees and how it rustled the leaves. It helped slow her heart and she tried to bring her mind to the place it was on full moon’s. She tried to embrace the instinctive nature of those thoughts, but her more human mind fought it. There was a certain ferocity to the wolf that Alex just didn’t possess even if the wolf was still her like Alan had said. 
Flashes of her tearing apart various critters flashed through her mind and the bloody images twisted her stomach into knots. Wasn’t that ferocity better than being too soft? Too weak? Alex could still remember the hushed words spoken between her parents like it was only moments ago. She finally had something in her that gave her an edge, but it still felt like forcing herself into a puzzle she wasn’t a part of. Her eyes flew back open. “Did you have a hard time letting that part of your mind in at first,” she asked, “I don’t think I can… make this me shut up enough.” 
She looked confused. Alan told himself that she must have had trouble following him, despite the fact that he was convinced of the simplicity of his explanations. What had happened to them was written in many books, but there really wasn't a manual for werewolves. The psychologists had not looked into the question, nor had the pedagogues. Alan would be the only help she could count on. For the first time since they had arrived, he was thinking about that truth again. Their condition left them very lonely in the face of the difficulties encountered. It was chilling.
With his will to control everything, Alan had long since taken control of the wolf that inhabited him, fiercely refusing to be manipulated in any way. If the full moons didn't give him that satisfaction, he could still decide how he wanted to act, but unfortunately not what decisions were made.
"There's no need to thank me," he let his hands slide against the dry leaves. The ground was cool below, even more than the shady forest air. "Just try your best, and remember, it's alright not to immediately get it right," he knew today wouldn't be when she would be in full control. But perhaps she'd manage to transform.
She spoke, and he couldn't hold back a smile. Impatient, weren't we?
"If you want, you can try to materialise it, as if it was a bubble within." He crossed his ankles. It had been a while since he last needed to do so, but he remembered his first time trying. There was always this anger bubbling up in his hand. He'd moved it through him, he was not sure of how, up until it took up all the room. "You need to imagine it grows or… you could try to imagine it moving across your body." 
The patience exhibited by the elder wolf seemed to come in endless supply which was a stark contrast to their first meeting. Alex knew which she preferred, but that felt too much like admitting maybe her parents didn’t have things all right. If she was worthy of this sort of calm and respect now, that would mean she had been then too and that was too much to grapple with. The feeling of standing at a ledge waiting for the metaphorical other shoe to drop was easier to swallow. Maybe she was weaving a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy with the inconvenient truth she kept stowed away in her back pocket, but it was becoming more difficult to not trust Alan. If he was singing the same tune at the end of this lesson when she inevitably failed then maybe she would tell him about the hunter and all the other reasons she felt like she needed to master this. But for right now, she would focus on the matter at hand. He was giving sage advice and she wanted to make him proud. 
“I do like bubbles,” she smiled with a feigned confidence. She knew well enough that the werewolf was always part of her. It could be felt in small parts of every day when instincts kicked in. Her reflexes weren’t necessarily better, but senses that allowed you to anticipate the smallest changes in the environment did make a difference. Sometimes, she could even feel the ferocity that wasn’t all her own. 
“I’ll give it a try.” Her eyes fluttered shut again and she tried to imagine the feeling of being in her werewolf form as something tangible. The experience was so heavily based in senses that she tried to engage all of them– the grass tickling her ankles, the rustling of leaves in trees, the thumping of their hearts, the smell of wet earth and something vaguely canine that had grown pleasantly familiar. She tried to move that bubble towards the sensory input and visualize how the werewolf would react. She tried to embrace how the wolf would feel it. Part of that was to keep close to Alan, some form of pack instinct she was sure, but also she found her head inclined to move toward directions of different stimuli. Still, something was holding her back. She tried to cling to that feeling, but it felt… vulnerable. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
She chewed nervously on her lower lip. “Do you think,” she started and trailed off uncertainly. There was a long pause as she tried to think of what would help. Maybe she’d feel less observed, less like she was being tested if he wasn’t watching… which seemed a little unfeasible, but maybe if he went first. “Sorry, uh, do you think you could go first? I think I’ll feel… less nervous. The bubble thing was definitely helping just… yeah.” 
“You want me to go first?” Alan wondered if she’d ever seen someone transform before. It wasn’t a pretty sight, bones popping, creaking, moving under the skin, adopting abnormal angles. He worried for no reason. She’d been doing this longer than him, but he couldn’t put her youthful looks behind that. It just made no sense to him, that someone would harm someone her age and yet, here they were. It was very stupid of him to be worried he might spook her. This hit him like a second thought, and made him smile. “Alright,” looking over at the young woman, the werewolf got himself up, his age showing as he pushed on his hands and failed to repress a grunt. 
He wondered, sometimes, if lycanthropy made it all worse or better. Was it slowly fucking up his bones or would he have had it so much worse without it? Either way, his back was not as young as before. 
Now what was the right course of action : shift effortlessly or pretend it was hard? He felt like either way, she would be concerned but perhaps there was more hope to be found in an easy looking feat. Alan had long replaced the anger within with something more contained, still, the pain of shifting was for a long while what made him lose control over himself. One last time, he looked at Alex, a reassuring look in his eyes letting her know that he trusted her. “And remember, it’s alright if you don’t get it right today. It might take longer,” his smile grew more confident and he left the werewolf take all the room, pushing against every bone, every muscle until there was nothing human about his groans, nothing left of him but what was inside.
Alex nodded. The idea of him going first felt like it took some of the pressure off her, not that he was the one applying any pressure to her in the first place. It was becoming more and more apparent that was of her own design, that Alan had no expectations for her other than that she tried which didn’t seem right. How could he not expect more from her? “Please,” she answered meekly. 
There were more reassurances that she gave a soft smile for before she watched Alan turn into a wolf. Alex had never seen the shift from this side before, but she could imagine based on her own experiences that it was about as brutal as it looked. It was fascinating in its own way too and thankfully not quite so bloody that it made her stomach turn. If anything it made her feel the presence of the wolf in her more. As she watched his limbs twist and turn into something more lupine and covered in dust-speckled brown fur, her own instincts and senses felt heightened as if the werewolf in her knew this was her pack. 
For a few moments, all Alex could do was stare at Alan in his werewolf form. He already towered over her normally, but like this he seemed larger than life. When she was a kid, the sheer size of werewolves always intimidated her. She never really wanted to fight them, she’d wanted to hide. Some weird twist of fate meant she never made it to that stage of her training, but she felt no need to hide now. The beast before her was a friend and when he was like this, the wolf in her wouldn’t let her deny that he was becoming something closer to family. She smiled at the shifted werewolf, “You look pretty badass for an old guy.” 
Her own laughter followed her joke and she could practically imagine the wolf giving her an eye roll for continuing to call him old. It became easier to connect with and feel the werewolf within herself and the balance between the two felt foreign, but nice. Alex held onto the feeling and let her mind race through her senses instinctively as the wolf would. Alan in his majestic yet undoubtedly dangerous form seemed to be watching her, as if silently guiding her through the process. 
With every sound, her eyes flicked to follow it or her nose turned to pull in the scent. The werewolf in her felt like it was just at the surface, ready to come out, when the smallest sound in the brush caught her attention. Alex found her eyes falling on a familiar face though not one she had met personally. She’d memorized his features from the photo Andy sent her and the way his dark eyes scrutinized her from a distance. Something ferocious crawled under her skin and she found herself caught in a web of both shame and anger as he studied her. Her fists clenched at her side in an effort to play it off as her own attempt to shift, but then she saw the flash of metal in his hand and the gun cocking which fired off every instinct in her. 
The wolf within that she had been grasping at came to the forefront and her bones mashed themselves into the monstrous form she’d spent so long being ashamed of. A small part of Alex wondered what the hunter’s face looked like as he watched her shift. Had he known he was dealing with two werewolves or had he assumed she was a traitor to their hunter code? It didn’t matter, the more human thoughts quickly subsided as the freshly transformed werewolf barreled toward Alan as the gunshot rang through the field. All four of her paws found the ground to give her as much speed as possible as she raced to intercept the bullet. There were barely seconds between her colliding into Alan to move him from the bullet’s path and her own yowl escaping as silver burned into her back left hip. As if in argument, the pained howl continued as icy blue lycanthrope eyes stared the hunter down. She didn’t want to hurt the man, but she hoped the prospect of two werewolves was enough to make him run before Alan attacked. 
This was how it all went. Everything. One minute, everything was fine, the next, a shit storm. Such was life. Or such was his life the moment he left his parents' house. He wondered if perhaps any and all people could relate to it, if any and all parents tried their best to shield their kids for as long as they could from the storm. In Alex's case, Alan knew that she didn't even get that. She never got quiet,simpler times. Things were always complicated. 
Maybe this was why she reacted faster. 
By the time the older werewolf's eyes set on the hunter, he already had taken an aim at him. He didn't see the girl transform, and she took him by surprise as well, pushing him aside, out of harm's way. All for what. Once again, Alan wondered how someone would harm someone her age. Werewolves and hunters, both equally monstrous.
He could hear her pain, heart wrenching and unfair. Picking himself up, the grey wolf, worried as he might have been, moved forward. If he put up a fight, maybe she’d have time to run away from here. Hope. It was all he had. Alan rushed towards the hunter, his brown eyes filled with pain and disgust. The werewolf deserved to be hunted. He had used his abilities for his own gain, he had also killed many hunters to feed his friend. If he could regret the former, he felt not the slightest ounce of sorrow for the latter.
The hunter busying himself with his weapon, Alan thought he had a chance of knocking him down before he reloaded. A shot contradicted him, then a burn in his shoulder confirmed his mistake. He who often thought he was smarter than everyone else, howled in pain, and came to rest his back against a trunk, hoping to escape the hunter while he regained his wits.
The fact the afternoon had been going so well should have been a giveaway. Despite her nerves, Alex had been shown patience over and over again by the older werewolf. Just like dancing in the cave with Cass, this lesson with an older werewolf who was easy to see as a father figure was too good to be true. Those kinds of connections were only afforded to people who deserved them and she knew she didn’t, especially considering she hadn’t even warned Alan about the hunter who was crashing the lesson he was so kindly giving her. 
Pushing Alan out of the way had gone well enough, but time felt like it froze around the younger wolf as the silver bullet burned into her hip. No amount of training had made Alex any better at handling pain, at least not such violent pain. The shift had become more natural and didn’t leave her bones feeling heavy for days following the full moon, but this seared and dug into her in a way that felt unbearable. It was almost impossible to ignore, but her nose was quick to pick up the change in Alan’s scent. 
The older werewolf was ready to attack and protect. The thoughts were a bit different as a wolf, Alan’s instinct to protect felt natural, but her own self-loathing thoughts were still mixed with the instinct. She let out a sound between a howl and a grumble in protest, but he was already rushing toward the hunter. The younger werewolf wanted to stop him, to keep him from inevitably eating the hunter because it was wrong, but every breath through the pain felt labored. 
Her own heart pounded in her ears as she watched Alan race toward the hunter only for the deafening sound of another gunshot to echo through the field. Another pained yelp escaped from Alex, but this time, it was not from her own pain. For a flash, she saw Alan’s life and death flash before her eyes, but he was moving again and she felt a wave of relief. He was leaning against a tree and she looked to the hunter… who was running off? Why was he running off? She guessed two werewolves was a bit much for any hunter, but the fact he was running off didn’t bring her any comfort. 
The younger werewolf looked to Alan whose dusty brown fur was becoming coated in blood as he leaned against a tree that was surely bearing the brunt of his weight. He was hurt and it was her fault. She’d lied to him and now he was hurt. She’d put him in danger despite all he was doing for her and the guilt coiled through her like a hurricane. Somehow, even her werewolf form could tremble and she hated herself for that on top of everything else. The blood seemed to be coming from the shoulder and he appeared okay enough leaning against the tree he was at. With the hunter out of sight, that just left the two of them… which meant facing Alan and the inevitable disappointment with the fact she’d lied, with the fact she’d wanted to protect that hunter, too. 
After all the patience and diverted expectations, Alex didn’t think she could face him. She’d let herself feel hopeful that she could find something in the older werewolf. A pack? Maybe? Some part of her knew it was deeper than that and the guilt made everything in her feel like it was on edge, so all she could do was run. It was part instinct, but Alex knew she couldn’t chalk it all up to that. Her own fear had a death grip on the wheel as she barreled away from the scene of the attack and toward anywhere else. After all, why had she thought she could be any less disappointing to a defacto father figure than she had been to her own father? Alan would be okay and better without her bringing problems into his life, even if it was a lot more than the bullet in her hip that ached as she raced away through the trees. 
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gideonthefirst · 2 years
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man. thinking about how aegis is only aegis because of alita and they. left her to die
#aegis. learned how to be a person because they knew alita. because they heard alita's stories#because she called them her friend because she didn't blame them for not being ezra#they. if the chosen had been anyone but alita they would've been anyone but aegis. they might not've become a person at all#and that's. what they were really thanking her for on the train. it wasn't just the stories it was. themself. three people built aegis.#and they're all dead. and they had a hand in all three of their deaths even if like for the king it was a small one#it is. they would kill durandal even though durandal helped build them they would kill the king even though he built them and. they left#alita to die even though she's why they're anyone at all#and they knew she would die if they left. they knew they weren't leaving her with a chance.#and they still don't regret it because they're. alive. more than anything else alita taught them how to love being alive#the difference between wanting to live because of being scared of death and wantinglive because they Want To Live was. alita. she gave#that to them. i don't even really know where i'm going with this i just. man. she sure was the chosen.#the thing is that. they would have counted living as worth it even if the king had won and they'd had to be terrified forever.#they would have held just as tight they would have been just as grateful for the chance they were given#but they. there is so little to be afraid of. they wake up every morning and they can. go outside and look at the sky.#arion came to them after five years. it took five years for xem to be able to forgive them but they. maybe they will have a friend again.#someone else to learn from.#there is no one in this village who had ever seen their first body and there will be no one in the next or the next or the next#i can't even. i'm not even capable of Imagining the joy they feel for it all#she gave them such a gift......#maybe they take her name. maybe eventually they are aegis nikolaev. a name from the king and their other half and a name from the girl they#left to die even though she gave them life. maybe.#i am so unbelievably grateful and lucky that i got to play this game and this character with other players and a dm who Let me play this#game and this character.....#i just. man. game of all time. 4/6 dead and we Won. and aegis gets to live for decades yet.#dnd blogging#campaign: magic sword#character: aegis
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damndaehyung · 3 years
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Rocky Rides
Daniel Choi JTMD AU Included : Daniel, Maude, Tara, Jane, Minah Mentioned : Tyler 
Daniel’s day was going reasonably well, which he quickly come to realize would mean it was bound to be ruined by Tyler Lee or his numerous enemies. He had managed to dodge the revenge squad, jumping into a bush to avoid Jane as she walked by campus, running into the men's bathroom to avoid Minah and hiding out amongst Emily’s friends at one point to avoid Tara Lee and what surely would be a lecture about not breaking her older brother’s heart. Tyler Lee himself was trickier to avoid which surprised him, apparently, he was like a missile when he latched onto something and apparently he had the campus grapevine in grasp because the number of times Daniel had thought he was well hidden only for Tyler Lee to pop up out of nowhere was getting a bit ridiculous but today he was sure Tyler would be busy, he had training - a fact Daniel hate’s that he knows, so Daniel was free.
“Are you Daniel Choi?” Someone said grabbing him and spinning him around. Daniel scowled as he came eye to eye to the other brunette, the one that wasn’t in on the plane. Mauve or something.
“Look i don’t autographs or photos”,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Sorry,” he said turning back around only for her to step around of him back into his line of view. “Is there a problem here?” he asked tapping his foot in annoyance. “Because I have a lecture to go and no offence but I’d rather listen to a seventy-year-old rave on about Cubism then what i am sure will be a real brain cell killing conversation,” he said looking at this girl pointedly.
“Look, I don’t know who you are -” she started.
“You just said my full name,” Daniel huffed. “Which is very strange might i add,” he said. He was sick of Tyler and his exes knowing too much information about me.
“Or what you up to but leave Tyler alone,” she continued on. “If this is some plan to get popular just stop,” she said with her hand on hips. “And if you are delusional enough to believe you stand a shot with him don’t bother, he isn’t gay and even if he was he wouldn’t slum it with you,” she said haughty, smiling proudly, oh she really thinks she did something. Daniel couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips.
“Sorry,” he said between chuckles. “That was a great speech i feel very threatened,” he continued shaking his head. “But Monroe was it i am just going to have pointed a few things out to you - I am not doing anything with Tyler, in fact i am trying to avoid him so maybe if you actually learned how to give some good head I’d be so much happier, two I am popular even though i don’t hide my disdain for anyone in this university somehow i am liked and lastly, I am a signed to one of the best modelling agencies in the world, unlike you, i don’t just read Vogue i am in it so next time you try imply i am slumming it look in the mirror because if i wanted Tyler i would have him can you say the same? I mean he had three other girlfriends because you weren’t cutting it,” he said smirking. “Now get your hands off me, didn’t anyone tell you not to touch what you can’t afford,” he sneered turning to go in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going asshole, you were walking in the other way,” Maude called out,
“Your EX boyfriend invited me to watch his practice, said to meet him in the locker and you know i had this revelation while talking to you that maybe i should be a better friend to him,” he said turning to look at her. “Ta Ta Melaine,” he said waving mockingly turning on his heels.
Of course Tyler hadn’t invited him to practice and even if he did Daniel would not attend. He had no interest in Basketball and never would.
“You seem happy,” Tara said leaning against the wall. In his victory over Maude, he had forgotten about the not so golden trio. “Come on, we have to talk,” she said linking arms with him and leading him to one of the on-campus apartment buildings.
“You know kidnapping is illegal,” he said. “And no offence Tara but i don’t think you are cut out for prison life,” he continued as Tara ignored him pushing him into the elevator. “If you wanted me alone in an elevator that bad all you had to do is ask,” he said with a cheeky wink. “ I mean i am not interested but f it comes to helping a broken heart i will surfer,” he said as Tara scowled.
“Good go make out with my brother like you are supposed to,” she said sarcastically. “What happened to if you manage to get him interested I’ll play along,” she ranted.
“Haven’t you heard of treat them mean keep them keen?” Daniel said with an eye roll. “How did you even have a boyfriend,” he said shaking his head. “Where are we going?” he asked. “Are you going to kill me because you don’t know anything about how to play games - is this some sort of weird girl mafia thing here?” he asked.
“Yes Daniel, I am the godfather,” Tara said with an eye-roll. “No you fool we are meeting up with Minah and Jane,” she huffed.
“I’d rather the horse head at the end of my bed,” Daniel muttered under his breath.
“That can be arranged,” Tara said happily.
“Please tell me there will be alcohol at this little meetup? I’ve already dealt with one of your brother’s exes and now Minah and Jane, i deserve a whole bottle,” he said leaning against the elevator wall. “How far up is Miss Durand? Does she live on the roof?” he asked wondering why this elevator trip was taking so long.
“Pretty close, she is the penthouse,” Tara commented. Daniel nodded, of course, she was. Why would he expect anything else? The rest of the elevator ride was filled by a completely uncomfortable silence, Daniel supposed it could be worse it could be filled with awkward chit chat.
Daniel let out a sigh of relief when they finally reached Jane’s floor. “Hello, look who i found,” Tara called out as she walked down the hallway. Daniel looked back at the elevator wondering if he could leg it and escape but given how slow that elevator was they’d probably be down before he even got out of the elevator.
“Is it Harry Styles?” Jane called out as Daniel walked into her apartment. “Oh it's just him,” she said, sounding genuinely disappointed. “Well come on in, do you like red wine?” she asked, Daniel opened his mouth to respond but before he could Jane laughed,” too bad if you don’t,” she snorted walking back to the living area where Daniel could spy Minah sitting rather stiffly on the couch, a stark contrast to the view of the busy campus behind her.
“So is there a reason we are having group meetings now?” he asked sitting on the loveseat. “I say this in the nicest way possible I can’t stand any of you and i am pretty sure you all feel the same so why am i here waiting for my bottle of red wine?” he asked sending a pointed look Jane’s way.
“I am not giving you one of my bottles,” Jane said hugging the bottle of wine currently in her hand. “And wrong i can tolerate you for small amounts of time, I can’t stand Minah,” she said.
“The feeling is mutual,” Minah snapped. “To both of you,” she said with an eye roll. “And you are here because you are wasting our time by doing nothing,” she said with a scowl.
“I am playing hard to get,” Daniel shrugged. “Look whatever you did to get Tyler to pursue me won’t last long if he thinks he can just get me,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing. Jane came over handing him a glass. “I need to make him work for it otherwise it won’t hurt enough,” he said taking a sip of the wine.
“I get it,” Jane commented. “You don’t want to seem keen,” she said.
“Please you’ve never been hard to get,” Minah sneered.
“Stop,” Tara warned looking between the two girls with an exhausted look on her face. “We are going off-topic,”
“No no, let them continue,” Daniel commented leaning forward. “So Jane, Minah just said you were easy do you have any response? Or Minah would you like to tell the group about why you think that?” he said with a wide grin. “If we are going to be a successful team everything should be in the open -”
“Don’t make me tip this glass over your head,” Tara said pointing to her glass, Daniel nose wrinkled in disgust as he eyed the glass curiously. Was she drinking water? How silly of her, in the current company she needs something stronger. “Look i know it’s tense but can we focus here? Operation break Tyler’s heart? Does anyone else remember it?”
“That’s a terrible name,” Jane commented as Minah chimed out in agreement making Daniel frown, he was close to getting them to fight and Tara just had to ruin it. “But yes back to the plan, while your hard to get is great you need to throw him a little bone or he is going to get bored,” she sighed.
“So the whole avoiding him because people grossly overestimated your appeal and now you can’t actually do it thing isn’t going to work for much longer,” Minah commented. In his head Daniel repeated Minah said mockingly, his face twitching as he did so. Overestimated his appeal - not bloody likely.
“So thanks to Jane’s new friend,” Tara said. “We have this,” Daniel strained his eyes to look at what seemed to be a little square chip. “Before you ask it’s a camera and its linked to our phones,” she said. Daniel frowned at the thought of them watching his every move. “Don’t worry we aren’t going to be watching you all the time, only when you are with Tyler,” she said happily.
“And how would you know when i am around Tyler?” Daniel asked. “Because no offence this seems a little,” he trailed off not sure it would be safe to say creepy.
“We just will,” Minah said ominously. Well, that didn’t make anything less creepy.
“Look, we just want some insurance that our plan is working, plus we can give you some tips,” Tara said as the other girls turned to her, shaking their heads. “I know Tyler better than anyone and those two dated him so they must know something about his… preferences,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.
Daniel held himself back, he could have pointed out that if Tara knew her brother so well then none of this would be happening and if the other two knew so much about Tyler and his preferences well they wouldn’t have got dumped by text but he knew the number advantage was not on his side.
“It’s easy to work, all you have to do is press it once to turn it on and twice to turn it off,” Tara continued. “We won’t see anything else,” she explained. Well, that was slightly better Daniel guesses.
“Fine,” Daniel sighed. “But you need to calm down a little it’s been like four days,” Daniel pointed out. “I said i was going to do it and i will,” he shrugged.
“And if you fail?” Minah asked.
“Well then i can i join you in the dumped by Tyler Lee club, do we have a meeting as well, I am usually free on Thursday if that is good with you two?” he said looking at Jane and Minah.
“Hey don’t drag me into this. I am not being the pessimist here,” Jane said. “I welcomed you into my house and gave you wine, don’t lump in with her,” she pouted.
‘Anyway -” Tara said, interrupting.
“How did you get Tyler to be interested in the first place, like no offence but he is just so…. straight.” He said with a shudder. “It’s gross and exhausting,” he said sipping on his wine.
“We have our ways,” Jane said. “Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over,” Jane commented. “All you have to focus on is charming our boy over,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“Exactly, anyway i got to go,” Tara said looking at her phone, “Dinner with Adela,” she commented. Daniel wracked his brain to try and figure out if that was the one Tyler had hooked up with. It did start with A.
‘Well since this is over,” Minah said standing up walking straight past everyone and straight into the elevator effectively stopping everyone else from leaving but someone how she managed to get it to work instantaneously for her.
“Well that is great,” Tara frowned, “She could have at least held it for me,” she said with a huff leaning against the counter.
“It’s Minah,” Jane said simply.
“So i guess I’ll take the stairs,” Daniel said standing up and walking over to the counter grabbing one of the opened glasses before filling his cup up. “I am just hydrating for my trip,” he said as the girls looked at him. He downed the entire glass in one gulp, pulling a face it when down. “So should i put this in the dishwater,” he said holding his cup up. “And Tara i need that little chip,” he said looking at the younger one who was scowling at her phone. “Or we can just leave it for now if you got something on,” he said slowly as he eyed her curiously.
.” Yeah yeah whatever,” Tara answered absentmindedly, eyes never leaving her phone.
“Is everything okay Tara?” Jane asked standing up and coming over to her friend, a frown gracing her lips as she saw whatever it was Tara was looking at. “Don’t worry about her, you know better to trust anything that comes out of her mouth,” she said rubbing her back. Daniel looked away uncomfortable at the sight of friendship, it felt like he was intruding on their moment.
Daniel snuck out of the apartment, sighing at the sight of the staircase as he tried to remember just how floors this apartment actually was. It could be worse, he could have to walk up the stairs instead of down them. “Hey, where do you think you are going?” Tara called as Daniel was halfway down the first flight of stairs.
“Down the stairs, i figured you wouldn’t want to be stuck with me in confide spaces again,” he called back. “Plus i’ll get to have my The Rock moment,” he joked.
“Don’t you mean Rocky? Tara called out, Daniel gave her a tired look because honestly who cares, he was sure The Rock had run upstairs at least once in his life so he wasn’t wrong.. “And come on, don’t be silly,” Daniel sighed as started to trudge up the stairs. So much for not walking upstairs today, on the positive side hiis legs would get a workout.
“I am beginning to think you like my company,” Daniel said as he reached Tara, the elevator dinging just as he arrived.
“I am beginning to think you like being wrong,” She said back. “Anyway here,” she said reaching out and handing him the tiny camera. “You’ll be needing this,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah i asked about it before but you were kinda zoned out,” he shrugged. “Not that i care but are you good?” he asked. Tara shifted uncomfortably, a tight-lipped on her face as she nodded quickly a mumbled it’s nothing escaping.
Daniel nodded, “So -” he continued. “Should we do the whole awkward chit chat or go for uncomfortable silence?” he asked as Tara snorted with a shake of her head. “Silence it is,” he said.
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roadsterguysblog · 3 years
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Dear Yuletide Author
You are amazing, and thank you so much for this!
I have details for each specific request below the general things.  So, General Things:
My prompts are just that, prompts to get your brain spinning.  If you have a great idea for a fic that isn’t on the prompts, or one of them sends you off on a tangent, write that!  The best fics come from what moves the author.
For general guidelines, though - I love plot.  I love something interesting and canonical going on that I can really sink my teeth into.  If you write that, and you’re not into slash/ship, then that is amazing and makes my Yule.  I love writing that fills in the world of these wonderful fandoms.  There’s nothing better than a little line or unexpected note that answers a question that canon didn’t - what’s the bathroom like?  What do they drink in the morning?  How do they get the news? 
I like first-time fic.  I love a lot of UST and slow burn and people unable to just say what they’re feeling, until something happens and it does.
I’m a physical H/C FIEND.  I love some nice bloody hurt and some nice stoic comfort. I love that combined with the above.
I love a crusty old bastard with a heart of gold.  Even if they happen to be young (a young person can pull off a Crusty Old Bastard if they put the work into it).  It’s my kink.
I love explicit, in-character sex.  If you’re feeling sex, bring that on!  Bring on every bit of sex, good and bad - teeth bumping, coming too fast because this has been such a long burn, santorum, sweat and hot kisses and oral leading to anal or whatever.  Bring it on.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within (Video Game) 
I came to this game as an old-school player of XCom:UFO Defense. I really love the narrative additions that they made, and particularly Bradford as a character. I found Zhang and Durand to be great additions to this game too! I particularly love Durand's dialog on missions. She's such a goofy deadly little kid. I like the vague hints at Zhang's past, and would really love to explore that more.
I couldn't choose 'all of XCom' as a fandom, so I chose EW. My 'stretch' ask, then, is for some inclusion of the Legacy missions, XCom 2, and/or War of the Chosen with Zhang/Bradford slash - I love the development of XCom as a guerilla group, I love the classes (particularly Rangers!). I love that Bradford was a Ranger and that he fought as one in Legacy and 2. I'd love to see where Zhang was in 2, maybe even a reunion after the events of 2 and before/during Chimera Squad.
If you're looking to write just EW, that would be fantastic too! I'd very much like some in-EW Bradford/Zhang slash. I'm not one for PWP; I love a good juicy narrative. I love the canon, as discussed above, and would really like a fic that builds off of canon. And there's so much! The downtime between missions and the rapid gear-up for them. Bradford trying to figure out anything about Zhang. Zhang and Durand training - Zhang has the experience killing people but no experience with psionic powers, while powers and fighting are both new to Durand, so there's a lot of possibility there. In-mission and/or post-mission fic. Fic during/after the Base Invasion or the Final Mission. Testing out stuff that Shen is making. Being tested by Vahlen. Or anything else you want to explore!
If you're not into slash, that would be fantastic too! I love a good juicy genfic with a lot of great narrative. All of the stuff I mentioned above! If you want to write a fic from the PoV of some random soldier, that'd be delightful too! Or any canon exploration/gapfiller that grabs you that you want to write!
Do Not Want: Durand/Bradford shipping. I just don't see them as a couple at all and the age difference wigs me. I'm fine with them interacting; in fact, one of the things I love about Durand is how much of an Excited Little Kid she is on the missions! So an older battle-hardened dude helping settle her down and give some guidance would be a nice plotline, and platonic affection would be totally good. Ditto Durand/Zhang - platonic relationship is great, just not romantic/sexual.
Too much Commander. I realize that's a little vague, but since the Commander is the headspace of the player, having too much of their thoughts might pull me out? I'm fully there with the Commander being present to direct missions, chatting around with people, being supportive of characters during the fic, serving as Commander Ex Machina to move the plot along, things like that.
Scat/piss play (I'm fine with playing with the blood (human and/or alien) and sweat of battle as being either potentially sexy or a strange counterpoint to sexiness)
Out-of-character-ness
Homophobia/transphobia/racism by the main characters. As a gay trans dude, I am very down with any of them being gay/trans/queer/etc and experiencing it, and I'm even OK if they accidentally find that some of their activities are - but just no overt, knowing bigotry. (Bradford does have xenophobic tendencies, and I'd actually find that a cool angle to explore, as I think he's a fundamentally decent guy who's had a fuck of a time and suffers from some degree of toxic masculinity.)
XCOM 2 (Video Game)
I came to this game as an old-school player of XCom:UFO Defense. I really love the narrative additions that they made, and particularly Bradford as a character. I love the world of XCom2 - they do such a wonderful job of building Advent's Stepford Cities, the scattered resistance havens, XCom as a guerilla group, the Speaker, the various aliens, the Chosen, the classes of warriors, Lily Shen's badassery, Dr Tygan's smooth stoicism, Advent Burgers (ARE PEOPLE!) - all of it!
I couldn't choose 'all of XCom' as a fandom, so I chose XCom2. My 'stretch' ask, then, is for inclusion of some EW plotlines - particularly Zhang, because I loved him as a character. I love me some Braford/Zhang slash, so if you want to pull him in - see what he was doing in parallel at the time, or reunion after 2/during Chimera Squad - I would be just delighted.
If you're not into writing that or didn't play EW, an XCom2 fic would be fantastic! I loved Legacy, I loved 2 (with the missions Shen and Bradford do), I loved WotC. There's so much there! I love that Bradford was a Ranger (I'd be delighted for fics of him getting down and dirty and bloody with a sword), I loved that Tygan had a Thing for Advent Burgers, I loved that Bradford got mad that the wrappers kept getting left around. I loved that Shen and Tygan kept giving Bradford shit for his flying. I think it's interesting that Bradford turned alcoholic after the base invasion, and I'd be interested in explorations of that, and if he started to get control of it when the Avenger took off and things started to go well. I love the Skirmishers, I love Mox - I'd love some more of their backstory, and/or how things go for them after the events of the game. (Generally, any Adaption To Civilian Life And Living Amongst The Aliens sort of fic really tickles me). If you want to write a fic from the PoV of some random soldier, that'd be delightful too! Or even the PoV of a young civilian who has known nothing but Advent and slowly realizes what's going on. Basically, anything that fleshes out/extends/expands the wonderful rich canon of this game.
Do Not Want: Shen/Bradford shipping. I love love love them as a Surly Old Loving Dad and Spunky Smart Loving Kid, so I love that dynamic, and would love to read some of them awkwardly expressing their mutual affection on that level, but just no to romance or sex.
Too much Commander. I realize that's a little vague, but since the Commander is the headspace of the player, having too much of their thoughts might pull me out? I'm fully there with the Commander being present to direct missions, chatting around with people, being supportive of characters during the fic, serving as Commander Ex Machina to move the plot along, things like that.
Scat/piss play (I'm fine with playing with the blood (human and/or alien) and sweat of battle as being either potentially sexy or a strange counterpoint to sexiness)
Out-of-character-ness
Homophobia/transphobia/racism by the main characters. As a gay trans dude, I am very down with any of them being gay/trans/queer/etc and experiencing it, and I'm even OK if they accidentally find that some of their activities are - but just no overt, knowing bigotry. (Bradford does have xenophobic tendencies, and I'd actually find that a cool angle to explore, as I think he's a fundamentally decent guy who's had a fuck of a time and suffers from some degree of toxic masculinity.)
Ship Series - Anne McCaffrey
What can I say, I'm a Helva/Niall shipper. That being said, I think there's a lot that's dysfunctional about their relationship. The way chastity is valued so highly, the way that she thinks of herself as a chaste armored Valkyrie (the armor protecting her equally from both sex and physical harm). The awkwardness around any thought of physical contact - and yes, it's dangerous for her to be outside of the shell, but there are so many workarounds. Her shell is wired for sensation, after all, there's no reason that creative ways to make love to a ship couldn't be played with. And they never do anything around physical intimacy with their mental connection, even though it's explicitly written that Helva can sense what Niall does.
I'm also very skeeved by the way she turns off his hologram after he's dead. The hologram seems to have some degree of independent thought, the way it's written. Is it a sentient AI, perhaps? Or did he fully transfer to her subconscious after his body died, and this is his way of having some consciousness? None of these issues were explored, and I'd be delighted if you want to give them a go.
I'm also totally down with fics that don't go into the side of things I laid out above. I'd be delighted for mission fics, gapfillers, fics where they have to deal with Central Command. Action and adventure!
I'd love fics that explore some of the issues of toxic straight culture and toxic masculinity. These characters are great and interesting and flawed, and I love fics that acknowledge and embrace the flaws.
Also, I'm fully down with Niall being written as trans and/or bi/pan, if that strikes your fancy (and if you want to put that into the She Can Sense What He Does context). I know he's represented as being with women a lot, but I'd love a subversion of that as being down to some toxic straight culture (already abundant evidence for that in canon!) and/or overcompensation for being the butt of the flavor of toxic masculinity that considers short stature to be a deficit in men.
Do not want: True downplaying of short guys. Niall is sensitive about being tinchy, but I don't want that written as something that's actually, objectively wrong with him. As a short trans guy, I'm on board with him expressing that insecurity, I'm fine with stories playing with that insecurity, I'd awfully like a fic where the insecurity is helped to some extent.
Scat/piss play
Out-of-character-ness
Lucky Starr - Isaac Asimov
What can I say? Never has 1950s sensibility lead to a more homoerotic set of stories!
That being said, I also love how scientifically based it is. That's what I want from this fandom - a true Lucky Starr fic that is solidly grounded in some real science, and has some of the real science come back as part of the Twist Ending. If you want to put some explicit Lucky/Bigman slash in there, I'd be delighted. But if you don't, a gen Lucky Starr story is already pretty damn slashy to me. :)
I love the whole world. I love the Sirians and all of the biological 'lessons' their perceived but not-actual superiority could represent. I love Sten insulting Bigman and Bigman getting his own. I'd love more exploration of Sten's comment about Lucky making an excellent Sirian.
I'd be delighted with a fic that explores the paucity of females in-universe, particularly in positions of leadership. Ditto a fic that explores how white and US/European the culture is.
I particularly love the Bigman/Yonge friendship. Although Yonge is technically the Ideal Tall Strong Man, he'd be a little at sea now that he's left Sirius - he doesn't know the society, the norms, the conventions. I'd love to explore their friendship a little more, with Yonge getting over all he's been indoctrinated to believe about Sirian Superiority. Particularly since that gets at a very valid biological point, to tie into the scientific underpinnings of Lucky Starr episodes!
If you want to write either Yonge, Bigman, or both as gay, I'd find that an interesting fic for sure! Although my preference is Lucky/Bigman, I'm interested in a Bigman/Yonge, especially if it leads to Lucky/Bigman. :)
If you want to write Bigman as trans, I'm totally down with that.
Do not want: True downplaying of short guys. I know there's a fair bit of that in canon, beyond just Bigman's sensitivity about it, but I don't want that written as something that's actually, objectively wrong with him. As a short trans guy, I'm on board with him expressing that insecurity, I'm fine with stories playing with that insecurity, I'd awfully like a fic where the insecurity is helped to some extent. I'm fine with canon-level teasing of him about it, but always in the context of Lucky genuinely caring for him and him bringing real value to Lucky's work.
Scat/piss play
Out-of-character-ness
Homophobia/transphobia/racism by the main characters. As a gay trans dude, I am very down with any of them being gay/trans/queer/etc and experiencing it, and even if they accidentally find that some of their activities are, but just no overt, knowing bigotry.
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atths--twice · 3 years
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Chapter Seven 7/9
Durand Home December 18, 2017 2:30 a.m.
Arielle woke up in a cold sweat, shivering violently, as she laid back down. She pulled the covers tighter around herself, the portable heater humming as it began to pump out more heat.
Another nightmare. Screaming bouncing inside her head, someone crying, and the cold. Always so cold.
“I am safe. I am home. I am safe. I am home,” she whispered the mantra she had been saying to herself, finding it helped to calm her down. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, the nightlight in the corner letting out a soft light.
Until this happened, she had blackout curtains on her windows, loving it as dark as possible. Now… now the dark was scary and she needed to have a nightlight, like some terrified little child.
Throwing back her covers angrily, she grabbed her robe and turned down the heater, leaving it just warm enough. Closing the door as she left the room, she shivered as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to make some tea.
She hoped not to wake her parents or her sister, but there was no chance she would be able to sleep any longer. She would be up most of the night now, the dream world too unpredictable. Once the sun was up, she would take a sleeping pill and sleep when it was safer.
Turning on the electric kettle, she got her cup ready and stood shivering until the water boiled. As the tea steeped, she set it on the dining room table and sighed, looking around at the dimly light room.
Her mother had put up nightlights everywhere to help her feel comfortable and at ease. They gave the room a cozy glow and for that she was thankful, so much out of her control right now.
Sighing again, she noticed the box at the end of the table and she walked over to it. As she looked at the contents, she smiled slightly. Great Grammy Corinne… she had been a character. She had so many stories and she swore they were as real as they could be without being completely factual; a statement which always made Arielle laugh.
She took out the book on top and sat down to look at it as she drank her tea. Reading through the stories, she shook her head at the thought of being a slave, bought and sold at a whim, taken from your family to never see them again. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of being in that situation, the fear they must have felt.
About to close the book, she saw a story that caught her attention, one she had liked and also been terrified of as a child: Elinor and Mary. Rereading the story, she began to feel a chill, her breathing becoming faster.
“Boudreaux…” she whispered, standing up from the table and bringing the book with her and walking to her mother’s study.
Turning on the light above the desk, she opened her mother’s laptop and entered the password, her heart racing. A few taps on the keyboard and she found what she was looking for. She saw the photos of the victims from the second attack and read the articles about it.
Taking deep breaths, she searched for information about the night she and the others were attacked. Finding them, she closed her eyes before she clicked on the links.
“I am home. I am safe. I am home. I am safe…” Opening her eyes, she clicked the first link.
Through tears that never seemed to stop, she read articles and looked at photos. She felt sick and frozen and yet she kept clicking, kept searching. There was something she needed to find, but she did not know what it was.
The last article she clicked on, she ended up on her feet, staring at the computer screen. It was an older article about areas of ruin around the city. Abandoned buildings, homes, churches. Some very old and some more recent.
It was not the words in the article that caused her to rise to her feet however, it was the photographs within it, or more accurately the tag underneath it.
There was a close up photo of a headstone in the church graveyard where they had been attacked. An old headstone that was  missing letters from the first name. Then there was a wide shot of the headstone and the statue across from it. Last was a close shot of the statue: a woman in a long dress, her hands at her breast, head turned to the side and her eyes downcast.  
Photographs courtesy of Sally Sparrow.
“Cera…” Arielle whispered as she sat back down and hit print, the printer whirring quietly to life.
The pages printed out as she began searching for more information about the attacks, specifically the most recent one.
“Oh my god,” she breathed as she saw the list of victim names, finding Cera Lee within them. “Oh…” She stood up, grabbing the pages from the printer and leaving the room, knowing this had been what she was looking for.
She hurried to her bedroom and opened her side table drawer, taking out her cell phone and turning it on for the first time in weeks. The battery was nearly dead and she plugged it in, pacing the room as she looked at the clock.
Five in the morning.
Shaking her head, knowing if he was feeling like her, he would be awake. She picked up the phone and scrolled through her contacts, pressed send and closed her eyes, hoping she would get through.
Three rings and the phone was answered, though no words were spoken.
“Hello? Davis?”
“Arielle.”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“Arielle… this is gonna sound crazy… but I’m… I’m almost to your house…” He sounded confused and not sure why he was driving to her house in the middle of the night.
“Good. I’ll going to get dressed and be out in a minute. We have some things we need to do.”
____________________
She was crying again, the sound echoing all around him. He could hear her, far away and right beside him, and he wished for the millionth time that he could reach her and hold her hand. Tell her it would be okay. But he was frozen in place, his body heavy even as it felt weightless.
Her sobs grew louder and he closed his eyes thinking of her smile and how her kiss had made his heart race.
Farrah.  
T… Tyler? Tyler is that you?
His eyes flew open and he stared into the ever pressing darkness.
You can hear me? How? Why now?
I… I don’t know. Are we… speaking?
I don’t know.
He shook his head, not sure what to do or how this was possible. He had wanted to help her and now she sounded even more upset.
Tyler! Tyler, I… I don’t know where I am. Where… where am I? Where are you?
I don’t know, Farrah. What can you see?
Nothing. I can’t see anything. Just… darkness.
Me too.
What does that mean?
IT MEANS… a voice said, one he had not heard since that night in the graveyard, and he heard Farrah gasp. IT MEANS IT IS ALMOST TIME.
Farrah began to cry harder, deep sobs that broke his heart.
Tyler… I don’t know where I am… please… it’s so cold…
His anger began to grow and he swore when he found out who had done this, who had caused her this pain, he would kill them.
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madartiste · 5 years
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Deadly Fortune, Book 1, Chapters 1-5
So I started reading the only English translation I could find of the DMC4 “Deadly Fortune” novels to mine them for good character info.  I have no idea if anyone else will be interested, but I’ll post the notes I’m taking here.  Mostly this is just a retelling of the game, but there are scenes that aren’t shown and some interesting context/internal monologue things to be found.   I skipped the first chapter because it was just Dante and Trish being cryptic, and I didn’t notice anything interesting.  I’ll post more as I work my way through the novels.
The chapters are referred to as “stages.”  Stuff in bold are things I found particularly interesting.  Everything is under the cut because I’m a wordy fool and I didn’t want to drown anyone’s dashboard.
EDIT: Forgot the friggin link to where I found the translation: https://originaldmc.github.io/DivinityStatue/Downloads.html
Stage 02 (Pregame)
Kyrie visits Nero (he doesn't live with her).  She sometimes brings little gifts to the knights in the barracks.
Nero doesn't know if his arm is poisoned or possessed
Kyrie is one year older, treats Nero like a kid when something bad happens
Kyrie hasn't sung in front of a big crowd before (though she has sung in church)
Attendance at the Festival of the Blade isn't mandatory, so Nero finds an excuse not to go every year -- except this one since Kyrie asks him if he's going and she's performing
Nero's arm was injured one month prior to the game.  The demons were in the 'forests of the suburbs.'  (Later he says it's Mitis forest, though when he describes getting to the scene he doesn't actually go that far?)  Only three knights were sent because the ones that show up near the city are usually weak, but this time there were a lot of them.  Nero isn't considered a 'team player,' and he thinks that he is about as far from being a hero as you can get, so he isn't given tasks like that. 
Nero is given tasks that require him to work alone and thinks that even the order has secrets he wants to keep.  His job is to deal with humans who've been possessed by demons that the Order thinks can't be saved.  He is expected to kill them without a trace (OMG!).  Basically, the Order doesn't want the people to lose faith in them if a devout follower is possessed by a demon.  The people are told that Sparda will protect them, and if they knew the truth it would look bad for the Order. Nero says he isn't happy about killing people, but if no one else will do it, he will, since it's very difficult to save someone who's possessed.  So Nero is basically a hit man jeeeeeeeeeeeez.
Another reason Nero is shunned is that he likes using guns.  Being the 'Order of the Sword,' they place a huge emphasis on swords.  Nero doesn't care about that -- if it kills demons, why not use it? -- and since there are no gunsmiths, he built Blue Rose himself.  (He talks a lot about the gun a lot and why he chose a revolver too.  Kid knows his guns, though he says he's not a 'serious gun expert.')
The 'dean of the Orphanage' where Nero was raised is an old lady named Sister Xista.  (Nero comments that he knows she loves the orphans she works with.)
Kyrie was out in the forest with the orphans on an outing.  Ah!  She had come back from Mitis forest and was in the city when they got attacked by (30!) scarecrows.  Nero runs along the rooftops to get there (and is really casual about it like a normal person could just vault up there and run).
The three knights are Josh (who dies -- poor Josh), Sagan, and Tonio (who seems to be in charge?  He's also old fashioned, uncomfortable around Nero, and also 'obsessed with honor.').
Apparently Red Queen is so suped up that if Nero uses it too close to people he could accidentally burn them.
Nero likes that Kyrie is the type of person who would protect other people at the risk of herself but also kinda hates it since she could get hurt.
There's a very interesting passage where Nero thinks about how many of the knights want to become famous and are very into the legend of Sparda, but Nero feels they should be focusing more on the 'good heart of his struggle to protect humanity' part of the story.  He also feels they should be less mad at him for jumping into the fight and stealing their thunder and instead comfort Kyrie and the children who were nearly killed.
An Assault pops in through a 'magic array' right behind Kyrie as she's trying to tend to Josh's wound.  This is where the "Kyrie, run!" memory from when Nero blacks out in Agnus' lab comes in. Josh tries to defend her, but gets slashed up.  His blood actually spatters on Kyrie's face, who is too stunned to react.  Nero revvs Red Queen all the way up and jumps at the demon, can't block an attack which is how his arm gets hurt.  He burns out the Exceed system so he can't really protect himself.  Sagan and Tonio jump in to help while Josh gets Kyrie and the kids away.  The demon chases them and injures a kid named Kelly and kills Josh.  Nero finally takes it out with his gun.
One of the kids is named Gili.
The Order tries to hide the incident, but since a bunch of kids were involved, it's a bit hard.  Josh was an orphan (like Nero), and all of the other adults were forbidden from talking about it.  The whole thing seems to piss Nero of since Josh died and Kyrie was injured. He decides to try to get stronger, and apparently Sagan and Tonio have the same idea since they start training a lot.
Nero refers to a building called the 'Sword House' which used to be the Order's HQ until the 'new Faculty HQ' was built.  Credo's office is still in the Sword House, and Nero tries to avoid making too much noise on the creaky stairs.  Hahaha! Credo asks Nero "How are you so slow?"  Credo's got a new mission for Nero -- Nero refers to it as 'dirty work.'.
There's an 'Investigation Bureau' for the Order.
Credo wants the mission dealt with quietly since today is a festival day.  He DOES very seriously ask if Nero is okay to fight. Which Nero sarcastically replies "Will someone else do it if I say no?"  
Red Queen is out at the 'technical bureau' for repairs because it has a lot of special parts.  Credo gives Nero one of the Caliburn swords (the Durandal is the officers' sword type).  He also tells Nero not to use his gun because it'll make noise and draw attention.  Nero notices that Credo is out of sorts.  He's apparently pretty upset about Nero being injured, Josh being killed, and all of it being covered up.
There's some guy named Kars (or Karls?  The translation keeps changing his name) who Nero asked to buy that cute necklace for Kyrie.  Nero is nice and apologetic for keeping the guy waiting, which throws Kars off a bit.
The Devil Bringer hurts as well as glows when there's a demon around.
Nero beats up a bunch of Scarecrows and heads back to go listen to Kyrie sing.  That's literally the only reason he's going since he doesn't actually have to be there at the ceremony.
Okay, so Fortuna Castle is where Sparda supposedly lived when he was lord.  It's used as an Art Gallery these days, and citizens are free to come and go as they like.  The 'technical bureau' room (the underground lab) isn't known to most people, though, and their purpose is to build weapons to fight demons.
Agnus loves research, teaching, and Sanctus apparently.  He also talks to Yamato.  It doesn't talk back, but he's mainly complaining to it about not being able to fix the damn thing.  He found Yamato a year ago on the outskirts of Fortuna. Even though the sword is only mentioned a few times in ancient books, Angus recognized it right away.  In the translation Devil Arms are referred to as Magic Swords -- which might be how the Order thinks of them?  In any case, they lost track of Sparda's swords after he left 2000 years ago.  
Apparently you can repair Devil Arms.  Some repair themselves overtime, other kinds can be fixed if you have the right type of material.  Yamato is neither of those.  Agnus thinks if Yamato was made from a Devil, then this makes sense -- BUT if that was the case it should've lost all its power when it was broken.  Instead, Yamato still has lots of power.  He calls the sword 'unpleasant' after yelling at it.  Heh.
Gloria shows up with a guy named Greg.  Agnus hates Gloria and is apparently a misogynist.  As if we need another reason to dislike him.  He doesn't trust her and also thinks it's distasteful for women to flaunt their stuff as a 'weapon.'  Also Gloria clearly likes harassing him because he's such an uptight jerk.
The Order has never accepted 'foreigners' into its ranks before (hence some of Agnus' distrust).  There's a line about the church paying attention to 'the birthplace and family' of its members -- which is interesting.  I wonder if that's part of the reason some of the knights are weird about Nero?  Because no one knows who his family is…
Gloria told them she was a treasure hunter and that's how she found the Devil Sword Sparda.  Agnus thinks the sword is basically a holy relic since it was Sparda's actual sword.  She caused quite a stir when she showed up and asked to speak to Sanctus (the knight who met her thought she was his mistress!).
Gloria also brought along the Devil Arms that were used to power the smaller Hell Gates (lol, Trish just swiped all of Dante's stuff!).  The real Hell Gate can only be opened with a complete Yamato.
Stage 03 (Start of the game)
Nero bought his headphones from Kars.
Nero thinks the preaching is bullshit.  It was Kyrie and Credo and their parents that showed him love and warmth, not some 'sinless' god.  He thinks it's weird that their parents were so kind to him, and that it was probably because he has 'silver' hair like Sparda is said to have.  There's an interesting line: "I don't have parents, so in their hearts I might be someone who has a relationship with Sparda."
He feels they were good people, if blind and naive, and seems angry they were killed by demons.  It happened before he was a knight, and he doesn't know the circumstances.  There's a reference to them investigating the ruins in Mitis Forest when they were killed?  But that's why he doesn't believe in Sparda -- because why would god let good people like that die at the hands of demons? He also says that he could understand if it was someone like him (!) but not people who were devout, kind believers.
Very Vergil line from Nero: "So, I don't believe in God, I only believe in power."
He also decided to stick around to protect Kyrie, presumably because no god was going to do it.
The necklace Nero bought for Kyrie isn't very expensive.  He wanted to thank her for taking care of him and congratulate her on getting to be the soloist at the ceremony.
"The Buddhism of the Pope on the stage continues."  That line cracked me up.  I assume it just means that Sanctus kept going with his sermon.
Dante shoots Sanctus, everyone panics.  Nero doesn't worry about Kyrie dropping her gift since he can just buy her another one if she wants.
Nero's surprised by how fast Dante wrecks the knights since they're trained to fight demons.  He mentions that 'many demons have human forms.'  He didn't even stop to think before drop kicking Dante.  He just wanted to save Kyrie.
When they end up on top of the statue of Sparda, Nero realizes that Dante is way stronger than he is even though Nero is far stronger than a normal person.
There's some surprise from Nero when Dante doesn't care that Credo and Kyrie escape, and he wonders if the 'murderer' has some kind of conscience after all.  But he also doesn't care.  Dante is clearly amused by this whole thing.
Nero's got an 'auto-loader' for Blue Rose because he has to load two types of ammo.
Nero doesn't use his right arm at first because he doesn't know when reinforcements will show up and doesn't want to have to explain it to them.
Dante doesn't seem to know what to make of Nero's arm at first?  He asks if there is 'titanium inside.'  Which is weird.  Not sure if that's a translation thing or not.
Nero's right hand might actually be stronger than Dante.  When Dante goes to staff him and Nero catches Rebellion, Dante can't quite pull away (though there's no indication of how hard he was trying).
Dante says "You too?" when Nero goes to throw the statue's sword at him, and Nero is confused.  Dante also says "No, you don't have the smell of garbage," which I assume means he can tell that Nero isn't one of the artificial demons like the other knights.
Ooof.  Nero thinks that he's killed humans possessed by demons but he's never killed a living person before.  He can't really tell what Dante is, but he's gonna kill him.  There's a weird line about how 'some fierce part of my heart awakened' and that he 'must kill this man, just like he is my old enemy.'
Nero isn't thinking clearly when he nails Dante to the statue and is a bit freaked out by his own reaction.
Nero's reaction to Dante surviving being impaled: 'This is a very outrageous guy.'  Hah!
There's more made out of Dante saying that he and Nero are the same in the book.  Dante out says "I am not human, are you not the same?" and Nero replies "I am… human," but he hides his arm and is shaken up by the question.
Dante still yeets out through the ceiling, but he calls Nero "little devil" when he leaves.  It's kinda cute.
Nero's never met a demon that can understand human language.  Evidently it's mainly the powerful ones who can.  He worries that he might be a demon after all.  The reinforcements show up before he can go check out the dead Order knights to confirm that they're not human.  He wonders if he just imagined it, but knows that asking questions won't get him anything.
Switch to Dante POV.  Sparda told his boys stories when they were little, though it seems like he left when they were still too young to really grasp everything or to think it was weird that their father was a demon.  A lot of the stories of Sparda are considered just fairy tales and legends, so it's hard to piece together what he was really up to for those 2000 years before he met Eva.
The wording is strange, but Dante seems to realize that Vergil likely came to Fortuna to investigate legends of Sparda.  After thinking it over, he laughs off the thought that Nero could be Vergil's kid.
Trish is 'very concerned about punctuality' and Dante has to go to the castle to meet her.
Back to Nero:  He wants to go back to the dormitory and rest (what a mood), but Credo wants him to chase down Dante.  Nero actually thinks he's not sure he can do it.
There's someone named Claude who's Durandl Nero was using?  It just references "Claude's Durandl' being a very good sword.
Fortuna is surrounded by a solid wall, and there is only one exit by land. It's in the opposite direction of the Opera House and… the Fortuna duna? (Maybe the docks?)  The Order keeps an eye on the ships in the port, though, so Dante can't escape that way.
Awww, he thinks the necklace suits Kyrie.
Demons attack the courtyard outside of the Opera house.  Demons in Fortuna aren't rare, but having so many is.  Also Nero has never seen them in the center of the city before in his 'few years as a knight.'   Nero wonders if Dante is responsible.  The plan is to take the citizens to HQ to keep them safe.  (I get the feeling that the layout of the island is not so spread out as it is in the game.  Either that or headquarters is actually a mistranslation.)
Nero mentally gushes about how great Kyrie is, that she'd even protect someone who treated her poorly.  The boy is totally smitten.  More very Vergil type thoughts: 'compassion without power can't change anything.'  He decides he will be strong so that Kyrie's compassion isn't wasted. (Awww).
Nero deliberately breaks the archway to keep the demons from getting to the people.  He ends up having to take the long way to get to HQ because the road is blocked
Stage 04 (Sanctus' resurrection and Berial)
'The room on the uppermost corner of the Magic Swords Corps' is Sanctus' bedroom.  I'm assuming this is in the HQ building since this scene analogous to the one in the game where Sanctus is resurrected in the 'Ascension Chamber.'
Hahaha!  Sanctus refers to Dante as an "awful guy."  Okay, he apparently knew that Dante might come after him, but didn't expect him to drop into the middle of a big ceremony.  He's also annoyed that he was killed in front of all the believers.
Agnus and Credo clearly don't like each other.  Credo deliberately says some things to piss him off and Agnus absolutely takes the bait.
There's some strange wording, but my interpretation is:  Credo partly sent Nero after Dante to make the kid look good.  He knows that Nero isn't respected by the Order, but Credo thinks Nero is very strong.  There's a comment about the Ascension Ceremony -- which Credo is convinced Nero could survive despite the low success rate (it says only 10 people survived, but that doesn't seem right).  Evidently Credo wants to help Nero get in everyone's good graces to prepare him for the ceremony (Credo!  Wut r u doin'?!)
Also Credo doesn't think there's any point in reasoning with Agnus.  He really doesn't like him.  Sanctus has to be the adult.  He has some good skills in that, having to get all the different personalities in the Order to work with each other.
Agnus is a giant Sanctus fanboy.  He's also easily excitable, which both Sanctus and Credo comment on.
Back to Nero:  Lots o' demons in the city.  He's very confused.  Certain places are easier to open a Hell Gate than others.  The translation is confusing here, saying it's easy to open a 'cave' in the area around 'Fodu.'  I'm assuming that it means you can open portals to the Underworld easily on Fortuna?
Nero is pretty sure Rebellion is a powerful Devil Arm since he felt something in his Devil Bringer when he touched it.
Fortuna Castle was built up in the mountain because the people of Fortuna didn't want to destroy the environment.  They do a lot to try to preserve the state of the island as close to how it was when Sparda was there.  Nero thinks Sparda wouldn't care if they made their lives more convenient by modernizing things. (Pretty sure he's right.)
They refer to the big Hell Gate in the city as 'the monument.'  Nero is surprised to find one in the Ferrum Hills.
Nero can tell how strong a demon is by how much his Devil Bringer hurts.
Hahaha!  He thinks that Berial's sword is 'a little pitiful.'    There's actually a nice illustration of Nero facing down Berial.
Nero seems convinced that Dante is a demon when he hears Berial also speak in a human language.  There's a weird phrase: 'a lovely type of chat in the demonic race.'  I'm not sure what that means.
Nero doesn't like heat.  He's also annoyed (?) that Berial just ignored him because he's a human.  He also calls Berial old.  Also, oh snap, he quickly realizes that Berial is no threat to him, though at first he's a little worried.  Nero thinks Berial is weaksauce compared to fighting with Dante.  Berial also calls Nero "little devil."
Berial is surprised by Blue Rose.  He's never seen a gun before.  Nero's ticked that Berial has stronger fire than Red Queen.
Nero has been avoiding thinking about his arm too much, but fighting Berial makes him realize that his power is definitely like a demon's.  Berial demands to know if Nero is human or not, and Nero's response is basically "I'm a special case."  After Nero beats him up, Berial says he's sure that Nero is a devil, though Nero now denies it.
Berial gives him a weird look and says "Neither a demon nor a human being… that's it.  You are like him."  And then yeets into the Hell Gate because he knows he can't beat Nero without a refresh.
Nero apparently tries to destroy the Hell Gate but can't.  He decides to move on, and wonders if the 'him' Berial was talking about is the man in red -- Dante.
Stage 05 (Fortuna Castle and Bael)
Dante POV: He's running around the castle to find Trish.  She didn't tell him where to meet, only when.  He wonders if Sparda really lived in such a place because there are only normal human things lying around and not Devil Arms.
He pops by the library and grabs a book off the shelf (Nero in the game comments on Dante having been there), but can't read the language.  He feels like someone is watching him and calls them out.  It's Trish who didn't want to startle him because she looks different.  Dante feels the library suits Trish because 'she has a strong desire for knowledge.'  (Interesting.)  She doesn't actually show her Gloria disguise to him here.
Trish tells him where Yamato is.  Dante wants it back because it's a memento of both his father and brother.  There's a nice illustration of Dante and Trish.
They decide to deal with the Order before grabbing the sword since it's broken and they can't use it.  Dante decides to poke around the castle a bit more, though Trish correctly guesses he's looking for anything that might have belonged to his dad.
Back to Nero: It seems like Nero hasn't been up to Lamina Peak (It's also called the Holy Mountain) before.  He thinks the snow might be normal, but isn't sure.  Tourists are rare, but the Castle is a big draw.
So the complicated route to get to the castle might have been to make it hard for enemies to get there in the Middle Ages.  But he says the bridge is 2000 years old in the next sentence, so…  Not really the Middle Ages.
Nero is actually pleased the bridge gets broken because it gives him a shortcut he wouldn't have thought of otherwise.  Fights the Frosts, thinks they can't be the cause of the snow because they're not that kind of demon.
Nero is sure Gloria isn't from Fortuna, and he definitely notices the saucy clothing.  Fortuna ladies don't dress like that.  He mainly wants to know who she is.  He has no idea why his Devil Bringer is still hurting after the demons are defeated, and wonders if that means the woman is a demon.
He hides his Devil Bringer from her -- which is why he doesn't shake her hand.  She knows who he is, which means she's a knight, so he assumes that his arm is reacting to other demons nearby.
Gloria lists his nicknames: "'The bad bird to get along with', the arrogant atheist''
He's not surprised.
Ah, he turns away when she puts the knife away because he's being a bit polite and kinda doesn't want to get flashed.
Oh, he HAS been to the Castle, but he can't remember when.  It was at least 3 years ago, before he was a knight.  He doesn't like the place because of the 'damp air.'
He thinks maybe Dante came here to steal art (hah!). 
Nero can't completely read the book Dante was looking at either.  He knows enough to pick out that it's about demons, though, and he thinks that it might help him understand what Dante is after.
He's never seen the Bianco Angelos before, and figures it has to be a new weapon of the Order.  Nero seems to think the guy in the armor is just a jerk messing with him.
Nero isn't even slightly tempted by Bael's sexy ladies -- the translation uses the word 'goblins' for them.  Like Dante says in the game, Bael smells pretty bad.  Also Nero can barely understand what Bael is saying, his human is so garbled.  Bael also calls Nero "little devil" when he dies.
Link to the next part of the notes: https://madartiste.tumblr.com/post/186824600040/deadly-fortune-book-1-chapters-6-11
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criiedpower · 5 years
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     𝓌𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒  𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝒾𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒  𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱  𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈.
( summer bishil. cisfemale, she/her, truth hurts + lizzo. ) have you seen ROSAMIE LYNN walking around central park during lunch time? rumor has it they’re 32, but i think their mental age is 3,896. currently, they’re posing as a CEO at LYNN’S FASHION, and during dark you can always find them going home to MANHATTAN by TAXI. apparently, they DID attend the met gala this year!
has literally been around forever
rosamie was born to a tribe of nomads almost 4,000 years ago
off an island of egypt
her youth was never in one place
her parents were the leaders,  making her the next leader after they passed away
led her tribe for the next few five hundred or so years until she  ...  let them all pass away
was a bit chaotic then,  killed a lot of innocents,  set terror on small towns etc
is the oldest vampire,  aside from the original themself,  as well as the first - meaning she’s strong,  smart,  agile,  etc.
was homies with cleopatra frfr
came to the americas in the early 1600s,  helped build nyc from ground up
she’s not mean nor petty nor cruel,  instead has very good impulse control and does her best to think with a cool and clear head 
that being said she doesn’t really like  ...  making close connections,  bc she knows they’ll die anyways
unless ur her fam or cassius 
would die 4 cassius
because she’s been around for awhile , her rise to ceo was fairly easy ; she’s been involved with companies in the past , and had been working at it for a few years
fashion is a quick pass time for her , and she usually lets the credit go to her employees 
she’s a very good ceo - her employees like her a lot - and though she’s tough , she’s honest 
most of her employees are vampires and humans , though there are a few witches in the mix and even less of other species 
she definitely does not run the company alone and she acknowledges it, so she keeps a lot of employees to help her out - and lets the people know probably 
lets top employees & interns come to the met ball with her 
was there for the first met lmfao
morals are iffy ? 
will not get involved with supernatural unless it personally effects her tbh 
will always help her employees outta sticky situations tho 
like i said her morals teeter a lot
not rlly a big fan of werewolves , just bc younger her wasn’t
doesn’t care for fae but doesn’t particularly hate them either 
knows hunters rlly couldn’t do shit to her she too good at what she does 
respects witches , is probably allied with some ?
aka the durands.  open to others !  
was always in the shadows,  being the ceo is the  biggest  thing she’s done in awhile
wanted plots:
personal assistant,  must be 23+ in age and human.  they found out about vampires accidentally but stuck around.
5-7 interns,  they do the jobs the personal assistant can’t do,  often helps out the personal assistant.
general employees.
best friend,  preferably male but honestly don’t really care that  much about that,  they’re about 1,000 years younger than her  -  is a founding family member,  vampire leader,  they came to america together during their youth.  she would die for them lmfao. 
roommate.  rooming with them out of pity,  could potentially really care about them
exes.  but like  OLD  exes.  from history and shit,  before america too !  
hookups / modern exes
vamps she sired
MORE OF HER FAM WE WANT A MULTCULTURAL FAM OR ELSE :GUN EMOJI:
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killer oc: the outsider
Real  Name: Antonio Torres 
Benedict Quote: “ it lurks in the shadows but even with the help of the new moon, the glow he creates will always tell his location. But to him it seems to not be an issue unlike some of the other beings around here, odd this once human now treats us more like play toys than anything. Flinging his acid and what seems to be watching in a disgusting form of a grin as we twist and turn on the dirt floor trying to get rid of the burning pain, but there something different about him, I had finally came to the conclusion of what this was when I had a chance to see the monstrosity in the eye. And if there ever is a god then from what have seen in that pitch darkness, may God bless those who ever crossed this thing.
General description/overview: the outsider is a staller, with his ability “toxic torment” that allows him to puke up balls of corrosive acid at objects. he is able to stop work and confuse the survivors long enough for him to make the kill. With his perks: rancid odor, monstrous gambol, and dispense hysteria. The outsider’s perks give him the advantage of separating groups and causing as much havoc as he can.  Year arrived: 1992 Gender: male Ethnicity: latino Nationality: American Chapter: prom night massacre   Survivor: Antoine Durand Realm:  jointer high Weapon: ritual clever Power: toxic torment Height: 7’1” ft/ 2.1 m Clothing description: The outsider wears the clothes he wore to the crime. However, this time they are burned and torn from the entity's involvement. The hoodie that had concealed his face is torn and burned from the left shoulder to the right hip and the hood completely gone. The jogging pants he wore is covered in holes and tears. And he discarded the sneakers that adorn his feet when the entity converted him leaving him barefoot. Physical description: The outsider has greenish grey skin and sunken eyes. His lower jaw is completely stripped of skin leaving only burnt flesh and bone, and his chest is bloody raw. Clawed hands and feet and patches of flatten hair only meant to increase in the terror it already imposes. His physique is that of a mixture of a corpse and an emaciated human, he hunches over like a wild animal ready for the hunt. Backstory: Antonio Torres was born under the hot Miami sun, however, the weather couldn’t warm the child’s heart growing up. What seems to be a cold-hearted child, the boy just like in all fairy tales was just misunderstood. Sadly, he was never given a chance. Already was viewed as an oddity by the other locals,rumors were spread and people talked behind the child’s back, and ultimately  he was left alone to stew in his anger and negative thoughts as he would stare into the tv for hours while crying after being told by the other children that they didn’t want to play with him. But, there was something that gave the child light in the shadows of being alone and that was his family, living in a single parent house is always difficult and it showed when the only thing a young Antonio could do was watch TV as his mother went to work at the local chicken factory. Also, there to watch the young child was Antonio’s grandmother, a frail old woman who was the only one who kept Antonio from getting into trouble. However, the bullying didn’t stop, especially after the boy was caught drowning one of his neighbor's dogs. Though already having a bad reputation in the community, it as easy for him to persuade his neighbors that what happened was an accident, a misunderstanding of how life works when it comes to forcing a toy dog in a vat of water when it’s the owner wasn’t looking. Listening to the shadows in his ear telling him in what to do, this wouldn’t b the last nor first time he followed these whispers. They were also there when he shoved a younger kid down a pair of old stairs on the outskirts of their apartment buildings that he dragged them too, watching them as they screamed with each step they took before their head slammed onto the abandoned concrete. And like with the dog incident this time too, he manipulated and played the people into not getting the worst punishment. But the feeling of being more ostracized then already wasn’t worth the pleasure he felt seeing his image in the pool of crimson. Now totally cut off from society in the form of total silence, Antonio seemed to snap. Now after years of the shadows being his friends and the death of his grandmother, the boy finally gave the fog what it wants. Waiting for his prom night that he wasn’t invited too, even though he had to go through a pesky janitor with a wench, he was able to break into the school’s basement. Where the eighteen-year-old opened the water source, he could only smile as he drained some of the water to replace it with acid and bleach he snatched from his mother’s work. Afterward, while the partygoers were having their fun, Antonio went into work sealing and covering every exit. With a punch to the door window and lit of a match, with disgusting glee, he watched as the room sprung into chaos as it filled with acid rain and chlorine gas. As teens and teachers alike were not only covered with boils but those boils being dissolved along with the rest of their flesh. Antonio watched with glee at the sight only to fall into the claws of the entity. By the time the police arrived there were no survivors, and there were no Antonio either. Only a pair of shoes covered in the blood.
Power: 
toxic torment- toxic torment allow the outcast to hurl balls of acid at the survivor. If hit the survivor will not be hurt. However, it will give the burn effect ( the acid stays on the survivor giving a  5/10/20(depending on add-on) percent penalty on all skill check, after 40/35/20 seconds the survivor will be put into the injured state, and after that 30/25/10 seconds the survivor will go into the dying state. The only way to get rid of the acid is to get heal from another survivor. Survivors will also be more noticeable when hit due to the neon green painted on them.) 
“ a power bestowed to the killer as a welcoming gift after enduring the torture of the entity”   
Perks: Rancid odor- you are rotten inside and out, and with this, you use it to get those who become too comfortable. 
this increases your terror radius by 14,25,37 meters, once survivors get into your terror radius skill check will get a 2/5/10%  bonus decrease. “ God, what is that smell. It’s putrid.” Monstrous gamble- you feed on chaos, and because of this you will do anything to gets your fill. Your aura reading capabilities increased, allowing you to see survivors after doing a loud action or failed skill check in your terror radius. Until hook, However, this increased the chance of being blinded longer.   Dispense hysteria-  your connection with the entity is great, and to you, this means you can play with your toys just the way you want. With each hit you get a token, 2 tokens allow you to receive a 10% speed boost, 3 tokens allow you to break gens and pallet, but also vault quicker, 4 tokens gives you the ability to see scratch marks and pools of blood easier, 5 tokens give the survivors the hindered status. Mori: the outcast will pounce on the survivor, straddling them as he strangles him/ her before throwing up acid all over his face.
Add-ons: Common: Chewed up pen- A used pen with a busted cartridge, empty of ink. Slightly increases the distance of toxic treatment. Trampled notebook- A notebook with muddy footprints on it. “ they beat me up abuela! They beat me up!” Slightly increases the potency of toxic treatment. Returned birthday letter- A birthday letter with a “return to sender” sticker on it. Slightly increases the speed of reloading for toxic treatment. Burnt gloves- A pair of holed filled gloves used in a heinous crime. Moderately increases the number of toxic treatment: +1 Uncommon: Crumbled up notes - Pieces of paper with what seems to be algebra on it, crumbled into a ball. Moderately increases the distance of toxic treatment. Burnt love letter- The remains of what seems to be a love letter, the only thing that can be truly read is “ dear, Louis.” Moderately increases the potency of toxic treatment. Cracked brick- A brick with a crack in it.it was the one that flew into a window. Moderately increase the speed of toxic treatment. Gives toxic treatment the exhaustion status. Bloodied wench- A wench used to crack open the janitor's skull. “ you should haven’t have opened your mouth” Gives all survivors who get hit by toxic treatment the blind status Slightly slows the survivor down if hit.   Rare: Scratched CD: A CD with writing on it, but it’s all scratched up. Moderately increase the distance of toxic treatment. Allows the outsider to see the aura of survivors who were hit with toxic treatment for 5 seconds. Damp leash: A  damp leash made for a dog. Moderately increase the potency of toxic treatment. Stops all survivors from completely quick vaults. Burnt empty bottle: Bottles of chemicals used to clean heavy machinery, burn holes are littered on the plastic. Moderately increases the amount of toxic treatment: +2 Gives the exhaustion status Very Rare: Abuela’s necklace  A sapphire necklace filled with negative energy. Was given by a passed away loved one. Moderately increase the distance of toxic treatment Gives the hit survivor the blind status Increases the time it takes to clean off toxic treatment. Broken headset A headset used by a lonely teen. Tremendously increase the potency of toxic treatment Give the hit survivor the exhaustion status. Stops all survivors hit with toxic treatment from doing quick actions. Bloodied piece of fabric A piece of fabric with dried blood on it seems like a reminder for someone who’ve been hurt. Tremendously increase the number of toxic treatment: +2 Give the hit survivor the hindered status. Tremendously increase the reload time of toxic treatment
Ultra Rare:
Bloodied sneakers
Sneakers drenched in the blood of those the wearers have killed.
Moderately Increase the outsiders reload time 
Gives the hit survivor the exhaustion status
Allows to down survivor into death state. 
Iridescent crown: 
A  melted glass crown forged by the fog itself, the wearer is filled with the entity’s power and can feel the intense vibration it creates. 
Allows the outsider to break pallets when thrown on him. Gives toxic treatment the exposed status Gives  10 percent cooldown on Map: jointer high Description: This place was once for learning, for understanding the world around us and even how some dare goes past the line between what society considers right and wrong. But, everyone knows more then that happens in these walls. Teenagers at that age don’t care about right and wrong, but of what can past as “cool” and “uncool.” it this lack of empathy that helps fester a disease that plagued the halls, a disease created by years of abuse from society itself. Now empty these walls now only hold the disease and the remnants of the event that painted the walls red. Gymnasium: The scene of the massacre, now rotten and overgrown all seem to be forgotten. With open patches in the wooden floor and broken ceiling lying chaotically on the floor, decorations from that night still lay a mess. The only creature still living in the mass crypt is the shadows that were rumored to still roam.
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noxloved-archive · 6 years
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Can you sort your muses from weakest to strongest?
so, for simplicity’s sake, i’m going to go with ‘how well would this muse do in a fight’ as my metric here (because if we went for emotional strength, well, we’d be here for a long time.
under the cut because i have a fuckton of muses. oops. (the real reason i decided to wait…i forgot how to do readmores on mobile lmao). as in the ask, this is going from weakest to strongest. also will be assuming main verses for them all (since phila, for example, would be much stronger prior to the fall, but i don’t want to put her twice).
frankie - frankie has zero combat experience, and due to their disabilities, melee fighting is a no-go. they do pick up archery while in askr, because they don’t feel comfortable being out in the thick of things with absolutely no means to protect themselves, but because they’re still learning (and the chronic illnesses don’t make it easy) and because their disabilities often wear them out, they wouldn’t last that long in a fight.
ethlyn - ethlyn is primarily a healer. she can use a sword, and while she’s not bad she lacks the strength to do a whole lot of damage–it’s enough to hold off an enemy until help arrives (or until she can escape), but she’s not exactly anyone’s first choice for front-line fighting.
elise - elise can use tomes, but she’s still learning, and her siblings are understandably reluctant to have her in the thick of things, since she’s thirteen. with that said, she has a natural talent for magic, so she can deal some devastating blows. 
flora - flora states herself that she’s not particularly adept at the combat arts, and she’s not. with practice and time, she could become strong enough to hold her own, but her primary role in the army is support…especially in birthright when she has to recover from all those self-inflicted burns. she’s also similar to yoshiko in that if she turned completely towards magic, she’d actually be a better fighter, but she’s forbidden from doing so under king garon’s stipulations (not that those mean much in birthright or revelations, but there’s a learning curve).
miriel - strong in magic, but not the most agile of fighters. she’s actually a little on the clumsy side, and she doesn’t care much for fighting. she does it because she needs to in order to be a shepherd.
yoshiko - if she used offensive magic, she’d actually be a force to be reckoned with. but she doesn’t, having gone for the yumi instead (as a deliberate limit to her fighting strength). that said, she is fairly decent at hand to hand combat. what she lacks in physical strength she makes up for with knowledge of the body and how to turn an opponent’s strength against them. 
rosalind - rosalind, unlike frankie or yoshiko, is actually a pretty good archer, and she also keeps a dagger or two on her person just in case someone gets close. she’s also got a lot of dirty tricks and other strategies up her sleeve, so she’s far from defenseless.
maribelle - maribelle, like elise and ethlyn and flora, is also more of a healer than a fighter, but she’s got her fair share of experience and while she’s far from bloodthirsty, she doesn’t hesitate during a fight and she’s not averse to doing what she thinks needs to be done. also, her confidence helps.
faye - faye is still in training, so she’s not the strongest of pegasus knights, but she’s got determination in spades and a good lance arm thanks to having grown up laboring in the fields. by the end of echoes, she probably ranks somewhere around the same as caeda.
florina - florina isn’t the strongest, physically, nor is she the most experienced, but thanks to a strong bond with huey she can easily hold her own. if nothing else, huey can act as a weapon. (just kidding…sort of)
aileen - aileen, in theory, makes for a pretty formidable opponent, as she has high resistance and can wallop an enemy with dark or anima magic. however, her ptsd can hinder her in battle to the point where she needs to withdraw, and she’s not physically very strong. 
phila - sure, she’s disabled, but phila still has a lot of military training under her belt, and if you give her a mount she’s still a formidable foe. it takes her time to build back her strength after being bedridden with near-fatal wounds for months, but she’s not gonna let that stop her. that said, she’d have a hard time fighting without a mount…unlike her pre-fall self.
lianna - she’s never been as inclined towards the martial arts as rowan, and it shows. but she’s not bad by any means, either.
chihiro - despite their relative lack of experience, they manage to survive garon’s suicide missions, so i’d say that counts for something. plus, they learn pretty quickly how to fight out of necessity.
myrrh - while myrrh is very strong in her draconic form, she’s more or less defenseless in human form (unless you want to count the fact that she can fly). in other words, in humanoid form she’s good at escaping fights, but not so good at actually fighting. but that also means she doesn’t get hurt too often unless she really needs to hide her identity as a dragon.
idunn - i’m ranking her above myrrh in dragon form largely because she was more or less formed into a weapon and because she’s a mage dragon, meaning that spells don’t do anything to her. however, in human form she’s likewise defenseless (well, except for her absurdly high magical resistance–she may as well retain the properties of a mage dragon as human). she’s the final boss for a reason.
nah - unlike myrrh and idunn, nah can fight in her human form. she’s not exceptional at it, but necessity dictated that she learn to do it. even though idunn is by far stronger than her in draconic form, nah’s greater sense of free will and the fact that she can defend herself in human form place her higher on the list.
panne - panne also suffers from the significantly weaker in human form thing, but like nah, she knows her way around a fight in her human form. she’s actually better at it than nah is, though, hence her being the “strongest” of my transforming muses.
nyx - nyx has had centuries to hone her craft, and it shows. her biggest drawback is that her body is a little more on the fragile side, and her chronic pain means that she doesn’t have the best stamina on the battlefield. she’s good at hitting hard and fast, and then pulling back out for the longer haul.
katarina - katarina’s biggest downfall as a fighter is that she’s too kind, honestly. it’s relatively easy to tug at her heartstrings and therefore cause her not to fight at full capacity. with that said, she’s a highly trained assassin, a decent tactician, and a competent mage. if she’s going at you with full force, you’re likely in for some trouble.
eliwood - he’s well-trained and has excellent fighting technique, but he’s not the strongest of fighters (in part because he doesn’t care for it all). putting him on a horse helps a fair amount, though, as does giving him durandal.
caeda - caeda lacks the formal training of, say, the whitewings, but as she fights alongside marth and his army, she grows to be a formidable fighter in her own right. though she’s not trained in strategy, she’s good at thinking on her feet, too.
cynthia - cynthia is a seasoned fighter out of necessity. you can tell she’s significantly self-taught, but she sure as hell is effective. if she gets caught up in her heroics, however, she sometimes leaves herself wide open. she can also be reckless during a fight.
lyn - she’s well-trained, fast, and highly determined. in other words, she’ll probably kick your ass. with that said, she can be a little hot-tempered, which can get her into trouble, and while she’s physically strong, she can still be overpowered by an enemy.
anelie - like lyn, anelie can be overpowered by an enemy, but anelie fights dirty thanks to her training as an assassin on top of her skills and speed. it’s the dirty fighting that puts her just barely above lyn. 
palla - she’s an elite whitewing, meaning she has formal military training and a boatload of skill. she had to, because the whitewings had to prove themselves useful in an army consisting mostly of wyvern riders. her mount is also fiercely protective of her. 
sonya - i’m just saying, there’s a reason she made a name for herself in grieth’s army. she has no qualms about killing those who stand in her way, and she’s a formidable mage to boot. like anelie, she’s also more than willing to fight dirty. 
hanan - hanan isn’t as good at fighting as ruya, but she’s still a strong fighter on her own, and her strategic knowledge gives her an extra edge. unfortunately in a real battle, having to find alternate means of communication puts her at a slight disadvantage. with that said, hanan is nigh-indestructible thanks to grima.
chrom - he’s physically quite strong and has an unpredictable (albeit flashy) fighting style. he’s also constantly honing his craft, and he’s able to practice with a wide variety of others due to the shepherds’ eclectic fighting force. however, he’s largely self-taught, which does leave some holes in his technique, and his flashier moves can leave him open to attack.
sigurd - his mount may as well be a weapon itself, and he’s a highly skilled knight used to fighting against tough opponents. 
camilla - her wyvern is a force to be reckoned with, and she’s got brute strength and raw magical power in spades. between her own innate fighting prowess and her ruthlessness on the field, she’s one of the strongest fighters in my muse list.
aversa - tbh, aversa and camilla are about equal in strength, though aversa is slightly stronger in magic and slightly weaker in melee combat than camilla. aversa also has a little more tactical know-how.
xander - xander is canonically one of the strongest fighters in fates, and he’s helped in no small amount by the fact that he has a divine weapon. he’s also fully capable of being ruthless when he wants to be, and his war horse is nothing to scoff at either. he’s also very strong tactically.
zeke - he’s pretty close to xander in strength, but i figure the fact that he somehow manages to survive an unplanned voyage across the sea while on the verge of death counts for something. 
ruya - before you accuse me of favoritism, I HAVE AN ACTUAL REASON. ruya might not be the best melee fighter, but she’s got strong magic and a fuckton of skill, meaning that her skills tend to trigger often, not to mention her strategic advantage. moreover, like hanan (actually i wrote this hc for her first), grima drastically boosts her defenses, meaning that she’s really fucking hard to kill. 
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Saw your post about Gilgamesh, and I really want to learn more about the other Champions after him, and how they will play in your story.
Here’s the post the anon is referring to in case anyone didn’t noticed.
Gladly!
Do note in my headcanon/story: Gilgamesh was instructed by Diabolos, Minerva, and the observers to leave one drop of his blood in the mako pool (the only access to the Lifestream within his prison) at a specific time for his Champions to be born. Also, when the Champions died, they will be part of the reincarnation cycle. Once their reincarnate reach the maturity of age 18 (unless Gilgamesh can speed of the process… if he’s ever free…), the Champions will “awaken”, which would either result in either a fusion of two souls and minds, or two souls sharing the same body. However, “The One with Many Names” tried to foil their cycle, that the Devil successfully created “An Error” on the cycles (some Champions would reincarnate later rather instantly, or some reincarnate would died before the age of 18. Or in the distant future where the reignited “War of the Beasts” occurred, some would be too late to be reincarnated (the would be reincarnated a century later rather than instantly in their next lifestime), or Champion fail to “awaken” in time due to their reincarnate haven’t reached the age of Maturity. ALSO, Champions cannot “awaken” when their reincarnate have the “Legacy of the Calamity” within their blood stream)
Well, there are numerous Champions being born every generation after Gilgamesh’s imprisonment by “The One with Many Names”. Most of these champions of Gaia were inspired by both historical/mythological figures in our world and the Heroic Spirits of Fate/ series. Because there are numerous champions, I’ll list out the important one related to my stories along with some AU elements:
King Solomon
the Cetra “King” (Leader, but many children like to refer him as King)
Given Wisdom by Minerva, and learning Magic from Diabolos (in human form)
Help participate in the “creation” of the Omega’s Harbinger, Chaos, with Diabolos (who used one of his rib bones as a catalyst within the gathered tainted lifestream) by crafting the Protomateria with his magic to connect with Chaos (Yes, in my story/headcanon, Diabolos created Chaos, so technically, he is the “Father” of Chaos)
Solomon and the unborn Chaos form a spiritual bond and connection in hope to get the Harbinger to understand Mankind as “pact partners”and almost like “friends”
“The One with Many Names” manipulated a wayward Cetra of granting her wish for a new god to worship, so the Devil send out its second child (who is now know as Jenova, since Erebos is still weak from the aftermath of the War of the Beasts). Then Jenova descend to the Planet and you know what happens…
Solomon, not want to wait any further for the surviving gods and the Planet to complete the creation of the other WEAPONS, so he willingly sacrifice his life to seal Jenova.
In FFVII, his latest reincarnate is Grimoire Valentine (my headcanon that one of the reason to reseach Chaos and Omega, is because his fusion with Solomon’s wisdom, Grimoire is preparing to reconnect with Chaos in order to be prepare for reignited “War of the Beasts” in the future, but things didn’t go as plan when Chaos went beserk at the sight of Lucretia, sensing her as a “Threat”. Then Grimoire dies, and Chaos became distraught that he killed the reincarnation of his “friend” and one of Mankind’s Last Hope. And the reason his connection with Vincent is difficult is because Chaos is still guilty about what happen to Grimoire/Solomon that he feit unworthy to the son of his “friend” that he want to break free and such)
Alexander the Great
The conqueror with strong will
Instructed by Minerva to find the WEAPONs (still in statis) and “inherit their data“
His rival, by the name of Darius, became manipulated by “The One with Many Names” into creating the Black Materia to end Mankind and destroy the imperfect world.
With all the inherited data he gather, he was able to build “a moving fortress” and defeat Darius and his army
Sadly, the temple is indestructible no matter how hard he tried, so Alexander instruct his advisors (who are Cetra), with the help of the Blessing from Minerva and the Planet, to form a seal in the Temple to keep it hidden (but sadly, the seal will weaken in the distant future) while creating a countermeasure against the Black Materia, and thus the White Materia is created.
Learning from Diabolos that even though he is crucial for protecting Mankind, there may be a chance that his reincarnation in the distant future will died before the reignited “War of the Beast”, Alexander made a plan to split his soul in half  (having two reincarnations in every lifetime) in case one of them died, the half of his soul would go to his other half that reside in the other reincarnate. However, the effect of this would result with his two reincarnation being born in different time (ex. the second half of his reincarnate would be born 10 years after the first half)
As he reached his elderly age and slowly, he instructed his advisers to keep the White Materia safe and maintained, making sure that their descendants will keep it safe and use it if the Black Materia is ever discovered and used
In FFVII, his latest reincarnates are Angeal Hewley and a young boy living in solitude in Wutai. Alexander haven’t “awaken” when Angeal was 18 because of “Legacy of the Calamity”/Jenova Cells. When Angeal died, the half of his soul fused with the other half in the nine year boy in Wutai, who Cloud, Genesis, Dante, Neil and the co. will encounter that 17 year old man (nearly turning 18 soon) in my story.
Roland
A paladin that serve for King Charlemagne
Hero and great leader in the War
Given a blessed indestructible sword Durandal by Minerva
Many of his rivalry army and enemies (manipulated by “The One with Many Names”) desire for his sword and tried to kill him and his army for it.
Near the end of his last devastating battle, Roland, slowly dying from his wounds, tried to destroy Durandal to prevent anymore enemies from taking it and use it for bloodlust. But, the sword is still indestructible. So, not wanting Durandal to fall into the wrong hands, he prayed for Minerva to have the sword fused with his soul to keep it safe during the reincarnation cycle, which she did grant.
In FFVII, his latest reincarnate is Denzel, though Roland kinda reincarnate a little late as Denzel hasn’t reach his age of Maturity is during the time the reignite “War of the Beast”… unless Gilgamesh can help… if he’s free…
Joan of Arc
A saint (who is actually a Cetra) who hears and guided by the Voices of Minerva and the Planet.
An important figure during a War to serve the Goddess and her home country against a king of a rival county (who is manipulated by “The One with Many Names”)
She was then taken prison and being accused as a true enemy to Planet for formulating an endless war and was then burnt to stake.
In FFVII, her latest reincarnate is the Moogle Girl, but like Denzel and Roland’s situations, Joan also reincarnate a little late…
King Arthur
Gilgamesh, Minerva, and Diabolos believed him to be the destined “Champion to lead all Champions”
Diabolos help Uther on his role of becoming King by giving him an “inheritance of the Dragon (Bahamut)”, and later with Merlin help give Uther’s wife an elixer to drink (containing “Michael’s Legacy”) in order to give her unborn baby the “inheritance of the Saviour”. Sadly she died after giving birth to Arthur.
Similar to Arthur’s tale goes (From Sword of the Stone to inheriting Excalibur from Pontus/”Lady of the Lake” to Battle of Camlann)
As Arthur slowly dies from the mortal wounds he received from his illegitimate son Mordred, he prayed to Minerva to let Mordred return to Planet peacefully rather than let him fall into the hands of the Devil, and let himself keep on reincarnate in hope to reunite with his dear friend Merlin.
In FFVII, his latest reincarnate is Cloud Strife. He was so close to “awakening” when Cloud is almost reaching to age of 18, but was delayed when Cloud got injected by Jenova Cells… unless…
Also, though these three below aren’t Gilgamesh’s Champion, they still play an important role when it comes to reincarnation
Merlin:
The biological son of Diabolos and a Cetra woman. Diabolos gave his betrothed an elixer containing “Lucifer’s Legacy” in order for the unborn son to inherit it. She later died from Childbirh.
Merlin is the first ever Cambion to ever be born (half-human, half…”demon”) among the Planet
Cambions are both gifted and cursed: though they can utilize magic with their “Spiritus” (mana from their very souls) rather than Materias, they have a cursed existence. Their existence would cause misfortune around them, even themselves. Even if Merlin’s guidance would help Arthur become a successful king, Arthur and his kingdom are still destined to face downfall.
Making matter worse, when the Cambions dies, they are not allowed to return to the Lifestream, but are bound to the endless cycle of reincarnation with their misfortune following them throughout their lifetime.
After Uther’s Murder by the Devil, Merlin was forced to runaway with the infant Arthur by his father’s orders when Diabolos was found by “The One with Many Names”, who later devoured Diabolos and sent his soul to the corrupted Event Horizon, where he is tortured and reduced to Nothing there.
Merlin watched over Arthur, who is in care of Ector and Kay. and later made himself know when Arthur reached the right age and befriended him
Ever since Arthur pulled the Sword of the Stone, Merlin became his adviser throughout Arthur’s time a ruling… and slowly developed a romantic attachment and feelings for Arthur, but kept them to himself as Merlin has to make sure Arthur get together with Guinevere… despite what will happen between her and Lancelot in the future…
Before the Battle of Camlann happen, Merlin was found by Morgan Le Fay (who is manipulated by “The One with Many Names”). She killed him to prevent him from helping Arthur.
In FFVII, his latest reincarnate is Genesis Rhapsodos, and sadly cannot “awaken” due to the Jenova Cells…  unless…
Lucifer and Michael:
Disciples for Diabolos and Minerva respectively.
They were meant to be future Saviors for the Planet, but they both got Devoured by Erebos during the “Final Battle”.
“The One with Many Names” decided to make use of their souls to make them stray off their path as “Saviors” and lead them to bring destruction to the Planet and/or Mankind
Thus, waiting for the right opportunity, he send the souls of Lucifer and Michael to be reincarnated as Sephiroth and the new antagonist, respectively.
Not want to spoil just yet, but as Sephiroth fails three times for his revival. “The One with Many Names” then turn to my antagonist to wreck havoc among Mankind.
As for the Fate of Lucifer and Michael… you’ll see what happen to them in my story…
Phew!
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a-yaclov · 4 years
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Main character for a  story I’m going to start writing soon.
I finally finished answering this list of questions I made up so that I could better understand the main character of this story I wanted to write. The story with what I’ve come up with so far is set in a world where some people are born with magic and have to go to special schools for wizards to learn how to control their magic. The main character goes to one of these schools with their best friend. Amelia is taking classes on death magic, but a terrible secret about the death teacher’s assistant is found out. Amelia is there when the death teacher’s assistant flees from the scene, but before they do they put a curse on Amelia on accident while trying to aim at the cops who are trying to arrest them. Then Amelia would sneak out school with her friend to try and hunt down the death teacher’s assistant to find out what kind of curse was put on her and before its too late.
Anyway here’s everything about my main character so far.
Name: Amelia Durand
Meaning of name: Diligent, hardworking, strong, and enduring
Other names they go by: Grim reaper and Amy.
Do they like their names? They like the grim reaper name, but not Amy because their best friend uses it to taunt them.
Date of birth: September 30th 2003
Are they human? Yes.
Height: 5ft 2in
Weight/Build: 154lbs and pear shape body(?)
Skin color: Reddish Ivory
Birthmarks or scars? A small oval shaped birthmark under their left knee.
Freckles? Yes. On the shoulders and one on their left eyelid and underneath their right eye.
Blood type? A.
Healthy? Why or why not? They’re healthy for the most part.
Age/grade if they’re in school: 17 and are in their first year of wizard school after getting in early because they have too much magic and they can’t control it.
How old do they appear? 15
Eye color: Yellow brown mix.
Glasses? No.
Hair color: Brown with a prominent red tint.
Hair length: Medium length.
Do they workout? If so, how muscular are they? she does, but sometimes she forgets. she’s actually a bit muscular even though she doesn’t work out that much.
Taste in clothes: Formal steampunk look.
Greatest strength? Creative, open-minded, Persistent, Kind, and Socially intelligent.
Greatest weakness? Demanding on herself and on others, focuses mainly on small details or problems, Trouble with teams, Stubborn, and unorganized.
Soft spot and is it obvious? Can’t stand seeing other people sad and it's obvious because they immediately try to console whoever is sad.
Major flaws? she works herself until she can’t work anymore and someone needs to force her to stop, she has a lot of trouble working with other people which makes situations where they have to work with other people very difficult, and she would much rather do things her way which can lead to arguments with other people about what they should do. 
How do they feel about themselves? she’s very critical of herself most of the time and think that anything she does is wrong if it isn’t perfect.
More out there or secretive? Secretive with strangers and people she doesn’t know all that well, but are more open with close friends and family.
Do they trust easily? No, it takes a long time until she can fully trust someone.
Most at ease when: she is most at ease when she’s alone.
Least at ease when: In large crowds or around people who she doesn’t trust.
Past failure that they would be embarrassed to have people know about: The time she found out she had magic.
If they could be granted one wish what would it be and why? she would wish to be taller because she’s sick of people making fun of her. 
Music taste: Rock n’ roll and indie.
Daredevil or cautious? More cautious, but will take risks if she has no other choice.
Are they the same alone? she is more calm and open when alone.
Good habits: she exercises every other day under normal circumstances, she always says please and thank you, she always listens to the people around them, she makes her bed every morning when she wakes up (sort of ), and she makes sure to practice her magic everyday. 
Bad habits: Very rigid straight posture all of the time, forget to brush her hair sometimes, she forgets to eat or drink sometimes because she’s so distracted with her work, she puts herself last all the time and puts other people first, and Negative self talk/negative self criticism all of the time.
Other habits: she doodles in her notes which makes them very messy and unorganized, she messes with her hair when she’s thinking, she writes on her arms or hands sometimes so she doesn’t forget important bits of information or dates and times, She apologizes for almost everything even if it's not her fault.
Hobbies: she likes to paint with water colors and she likes to draw with markers. She keeps a little journal with her that details everything that happened that day with some pictures to go along.
Favorite thing: A little blue pen with orange ink that they love to use to write.
Favorite person/role model: The life teacher that they visit sometimes because the life school building helps them to de-stress.
Opinion on relationships: She doesn’t really care. She doesn’t mind not being in one and she wouldn’t mind being in one either.
Crush? No.
Are they in a relationship? No.
Selfish or selfless? Selfless most of the time unless she really feels like they're about to die and they don’t know the person then they won’t try to save them.
Do they have magic? If yes what kind? Yes. She majors in Death magic, but also practice some minor magics and a little bit of life magic.
Opinion on magic? She believes that magic is a powerful tool, but that it should be used with caution.
Favorite color? Dark purple.
Least favorite color? She doesn’t really like grey because she finds it boring.
Favorite food? Literally any type of pasta and chicken nuggets.
Least favorite food? She hates swiss cheese with every fiber of her being.
Best friend? Bella Plum-Juniper.
Enemies? Death teacher’s assistant. 
Occupation: She works with the police part-time to catch criminals as a wizard with her best friend.
Where do they live? She lives in an apartment with their best friend.
Economic status? Lower middle class are on the verge of being high middle class.
First memory: Eating chicken nuggets while they used their magic for the first time in a graveyard.
Pacifist or fighter? Pacifist, but will fight if people are attacking her. She just will refuse to kill anyone.
Fighting experience? Sort of skilled in the beginning, but then she gets better once she starts her journey and stops relying on her magic so much.
Weapons? She start out with a small dagger made of fairy bones then by the middle she gets more bones and makes herself a scythe and gets the nickname grim reaper from her best friend.
Biggest dream? To become the strongest wizard by being a necromancer.
Biggest goal? To catch the death teacher’s assistant so she can break the curse that was put on them.
Religion: No religious affiliation.
Drive and motivations: To break the curse that was put on her, to protect her friends and family, and to master their magic and become a powerful wizard. 
Relationship with mother: Okay, but She didn’t want Amelia to become a wizard because she was worried they would get hurt.
Relationship with father: Okay.
Any siblings and if yes relationship with them? Yes, she has two brothers and she likes to annoy their siblings.
If pets, what's the relationship with them? She has two cats that will eventually become their familiars. Their names are shadow and charlie.
Deepest fear: Not being able to do everything she wanted to in life.
Worse thing that could happen to them: She could lose her magic and never fulfill her dream of becoming the strongest wizard.
What would completely break them? If someone she cared about died trying to protect her because she couldn’t protect herself.
Best thing in their life: Her cats.
Worst thing in their life: Not being able to fully control her magic.
What are they reluctant to tell people? That she can’t fully control her magic because she thinks that people will treat her like she’s weak.
How does the way the character tries to be differ from how they actually are? she constantly try to seem unafraid even though she is afraid most of the time and she refuses to show it.
Most important memory: Her first training session with her best friend to better control her magic.
Biggest regret: Not being fast enough to avoid the curse that was put on her because now she feels like everything that she was taught was wasted.
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lexiseigneur · 5 years
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Chapter twenty-seven: The Manhattan Trials
It had been three months since Quinlan and Lexi had shared their knowledge with the prosecution. Not a single day had passed without David Alvi mulling over every word spoken by the two creatures. The best way to win a case was to be better informed than the other side. Alvi had no doubt that they were better informed than the defense or anyone else really. There were some things he wished he had never known.
He lit a cigarette, all attempt at pacing himself forgotten even though every single death stick cost a small fortune. Up to a gram of silver. In their new office the prosecutors finished gathering all the pieces of evidence to be presented to the court on that day. The list of everything they had filed filled a small book and now, they were reaching the last few pages. Those pages catalogued countless videos of camps, of medical centers, of bleeding lines and the dirty cages which had contained the humans meant for slaughter. Every time another hearing had taken place, every two weeks or so, the prosecution entered the court room with trolleys full of documents that they presented in excruciating detail. They described horrors so vile that it was not uncommon for people to burst out crying or storm out to vomit.
Alvi’s suit hung off his frame, though at the beginning of the proceedings it had been a perfect fit. He had thought his time during the Partnership era difficult. Hiding away with fake ID, pretending he had been a cab driver all his life, then giving away so much blood, he would pass out from standing up at least once a day. It dawned on him that he had had it easy. He had avoided the camps, the Librarian had found him before he could disappear like the others, and he had not been a woman with a desirable blood type.
Then, after the Master’s death, he had been in New York, which had quickly turned from the pit of Hell to the safest city in the world. It was still free of Strigoi, but for Alvi and the other four prosecutors, that didn’t mean it was safe. Though, it was probably more dangerous for the defense lawyers and the accused. But not by much.  Many in the city wished to hurt them. When Quinlan and Lexi had left them to deal with the trove of information they had bestowed upon them, the five prosecutors had come up with a strategy they knew would be successful but risky.
They had paid the cost for that strategy and were still paying it. In a few hours, they would know whether it had been worth it. What would unfold during today’s hearing would reveal it. The entire world held its breath. But not Alvi who sucked greedily on a cigarette.
“They are here, it’s time to go,” said Durand.
She adjusted her jacket to hide the bandages on her arm. A brick had left a nasty gash and a wide bruise just two weeks ago. The prosecutors left the windowless room, which served as their new office, then joined the several dozen men and women in the lobby. Some were police but most were Sun Hunters.
The orange light was not yet on the city, but it was prudent for them to arrive at the courthouse before dawn.
“Are they already there, Raul?” asked Alvi.
“Yup, they got there during the night.”
“Are they…ready?”
Raul glanced at his hunters who surrounded the prosecutors. Five hunters took their trolleys and they exchanged greetings and words of encouragement.
“They’re fine. You?”
“We miss having windows.”
Raul squeezed Alvi’s shoulder and his expression was obviously meant to be encouraging. They got into the black SUVs whose doors sported the Sun Hunter’s sigil and drove to the courthouse. The majestic building was defaced by graffiti and the impacts of various projectiles. Protesters had not yet arrived because few still dared brave the cover of night.
****
The prosecution described how the breeding centers functioned at their peak efficiency. Sanjay Desai had admitted to everything including the last heinous act which had sprung whispers of disgust in the room. Then Desai’s counsel had taken over and repeated the same line of questioning as they had before. The same argument, over and over again.
“Mister Desai, who gave you the order to schedule the delivery of these babies two months before their due dates?” asked Desai’s lawyer.
“Thomas Eichhorst told me to do it,” said Desai.
He was not as well-groomed as he had been in the pictures and videos presented. His suit was not bespoke and the fabric looked cheap.
“Why did you do it?”
“Because the Master was in the back of my head, taking over when I hesitated or when I thought to myself that I would not do it anymore.”
“How did it feel?”
“It was a nightmare. I did not want to hurt anyone. At the end I wanted to die for it to stop.”
Then for good measure, he broke into messy tears. His lawyer gave him time to recover then told the judge that he did not need to ask him anything else.
“Would the prosecution like to continue?” asked one of the judges.
The five remained seated, looked at each other, then Takaha stood and said,
“Mr. Desai, why is it that only a handful of humans could be controlled by the Master and not say...all of us?”
“It took too much mental effort. Strigoi were like an extension of him but we were separate. With our own minds.”
“That seems like a sensible explanation,” said Takaha.
“Well…huh? Alright,” said Desai, utterly confused.
The defense lawyers gawked at the prosecutor and even the judges could not hide their astonishment.
“We do not have more questions, thank you,” said Takaha.
The judges looked at one another, whispered then one stood and declared loudly.
“Thirty minute recess. Prosecutors, counsels, in my office.”
He stormed through a door in the back and the other judges followed with more composure. David craved another cigarette. He always did during those hearings and right now in particular. They followed the judges and as soon as the door closed behind them, the American judge, Reginald Smith, began speaking in his loud and intimidating voice,
“Why are you five not doing your jobs?”
The prosecutors exchanged looks. Judge Smith had put into simple words what the entire world thought about them. The defense lawyers stood apart from them with deadpan expressions.
“Are you blithe or just incompetent? If you think that you can just phone this in and we will still find them guilty, you are wrong!”
“I assure you, we have a plan,” said Takaha.
“You plan on making us look like fools? We don’t want to go down in history as the judges who presided over a masquerade of a trial. If you do not pull yourself up and actually prosecute we will acquit them. We won’t send people who were robbed of their agency to their deaths and so far they all agree this is what happened. Your own witnesses corroborate that the Master could control Strigoi and that he used some ability to freeze all the people in the plane. The defense has enough for reasonable doubt.”
Alvi had expected something of the sort to happen. In their respective countries, citizens petitioned to have them replaced and theories of possible corruption were constantly discussed on television. Some were certain that it showed how little the trial actually mattered and that in the end, the accused would be found guilty and executed. If no new piece of evidence came uncovered, the proceedings would soon end and the judges would give their verdicts and humankind would take a collective breath to either scream in outrage or sigh in relief.
“When we’re done today, they won’t,” said Alvi.
The defense lawyers squinted at them with suspicion. The judges appeared intrigued but still indignant. Both teams were dismissed curtly and the recess ended. Alvi took a deep breath because it was time for the moment of truth. Quite literally. He called on Zach Goodweather to speak.
“In your knowledge, after the plane arrived in New York, how many times did the Master change bodies?” asked Alvi.
“Twice…no…three times.”
Zach gave an apologetic smile to excuse his hesitancy. Alvi could not help but think it was an act to make himself appear stupider and younger.
“Is it true he inhabited the singer known as Bolivar?”
“Yeah.”
“When did he leave that body?”
“I don’t remember exactly.”
There again, the vacuous grin.
“Can you give an approximation?” asked Alvi.
“Maybe a month after the plane?”
“I’d like to submit another piece of evidence. A note from Councilwoman Ferraro describing the event of the 12th of March 2014.”
Alvi read the note on which Ferraro explained how for about a day, the Strigoi had turned stupid and easier to kill.
“Were the events described and the change of body connected?”
“When he was naked, just the worm, he could not control the Strigoi anymore.”
“Did that apply to all Strigoi?”
“I think so.”
“Even Thomas Eichhorst?”
“It was not the same. He still had a brain and could think alone but in the end he was always loyal even if he could not hear the Master.”
Alvi did not like that choice of word. Loyal. From what he had learned, the infected humans had had little choice in their worship of the Master.
“Was your mother the same?”
Zach shifted uncomfortably in his seat and after looking at his lawyers said,
“Yes.”
“During that time, his ability to control others was completely gone, was it?”
Zach’s eyes appeared panicked and he stared once more at his counsel.
“You will answer the question, young man,” said Judge Smith.
“I think so, I’m not sure.”
“We will submit now another recording dated on the 21th of March, the day of the Fall.”
On the first frame there was a high view of a luxurious office with a desk in a corner and at one end, the double doors of an elevator. A stone mural covered the wall facing the desk. A man sat there, alone in the middle of a mess, as if the space had been the scene of a war battle.
“Where is this?” asked Alvi.
“It’s Palmer’s office. In the penthouse,” said Zach between clenched teeth.
The video continued with the elevator opening, two people entering and a fight breaking out. Soon, Ephraim Goodweather stood by the corpse of a Strigoi then ran at Zach who held a small object in his hand. Alvi paused the video once more.
“Who is on the floor?” he asked.
“My mother.”
“And the other person?”
“My father.”
“And it is you in that footage?”
“Yes.”
“What are you holding?”
“The detonator, for the bomb.”
“Did you press it?”
Zach appeared angry now. And Alvi was certain he had been hiding this rage throughout the entirety of the trial.
“Yes,” said Zach.
“Thank you. I have no additional questions.”
Alvi sat down. A defense lawyer instantly stood and asked the same thing again.
“Why did you press it?”
“The Master made me do it,” said Zach almost automatically.
“Very well. I also do not have additional questions for Mister Goodweather.”
“We would like to call Augustin Elizalde as an expert witness,” said David once Zach rejoined the accused.
Alvi’s heart was bouncing on his plexus. It was time. Gus wore a simple black suit and his hair was elegantly combed to one side. On his lapel, a small silver pin shaped like a sun mirrored the tattoo on his neck.
“Mister Elizalde, how long have you been engaged in the conflict against the Strigoi?”
“Since before the Fall.”
“You led the assault which resulted in the Master’s death.”
“I was not alone, but yeah I guess.”
“Since then you became the head of the Sun Hunters with your cousin, Raul Elizalde.”
“Yeah.”
“I believe we all know and trust Mister Elizalde’s expertise,” said Judge Smith, “Get to the point.”
“We would like to show the recruitment video which ran for a time in the local television. Trust me your Honor, it is important that we do.”
“Very well. Proceed.”
The video started and when the three hunters finished killing every single Strigoi, David paused the video.
“Who is the man holding the rifle?”
“The handsome one? That’s me.”
There were a few laughs in the room and Gus winked at the nearest camera. Alvi looked to his right, then his left. Durand bit on a pencil as if smoking a cigarette and Issa plotted a handkerchief to his brow covered with sweat.
“Who are the other two people on that footage?”
“The big one is Quinlan and the tiny one is Lexi.”
As though reading his thoughts and finally understanding what he was about to ask, the room came alive with whispers.
“Silence!” ordered Smith.
He was irritated by the lack of discipline in the courtroom but at least he had stopped glaring at the prosecutors.
“What role did they play in the Sun Hunter organization?”
“You said earlier that I was at the head of the Sun Hunters with my couz. It’s true but so are those two, that’s why we worked with four teams,” said Gus.
“We would like to introduce another piece of evidence. The video in question was discovered by the authorities shortly after the Master’s death. It was in the memory of a cell phone abandoned in the bedroom of Zach Goodweather in the Belvedere Castle.”
Zach froze and turned pale. The footage started with Zach filming himself saying,
“The Born just arrived. What a moron.”
Then he flipped the camera toward a window and peered down. On the stone terrace, Quinlan kneeled at the feet of the Master. Seconds later Lexi arrived and Zach commented that she would soon become dinner. In the courtroom, Zach reddened and was increasingly agitated.
Fighting started and soon both warriors were visible and facing the Master. There were gasps and more whispering in the room. Some had taken notice that the weapons they held were very familiar. The defense lawyers’ expression were controlled but strained.
“Who are the two people armed with swords,” asked Alvi.
“Same as before, Quinlan and Lexi,” said Gus.
“Can you explain their appearance?”
“They ain’t human.”
David expected more whispers and perhaps even some shouting. There was just expectant silence.
“What are they?”
“Dhampir. They really don’t like it when people call them Strigoi.”
“What are Dhampir?”
“Something between a Strig and a human. Another species but almost extinct.”
“In your expert opinion, would you have defeated the Master without them?”
Gus leaned forward and with a serious expression said,
“I would have gotten my head yanked off.”
“And in your expert opinion, what would be the state of New York without their assistance?”
“It would be Strigoi central and I’d be long dead.”
“Do you trust them to give a thorough and truthful testimony here?”
“I do.”
The defense lawyers scrambled to sift through documentation.
“If your Honor will allow it, we would like to call the Sun Hunters, Quinlan and Lexi as witnesses,” said Alvi
“Your Honor! We received no notice concerning those witnesses and are not prepared,” said a defense lawyer after jumping to his feet.
“Please sit down. You will have all the time you need to prepare before the next hearing,” said Smith. He looked at Zach who was sweating and shaking in his seat. The other accused were barely masking their own anxieties.
“It looks like you’re going to need it,” added the judge.
 Outside the courtroom, in an isolated corner, Lexi and Quinlan waited for Alvi to call on them. She wore a dark blouse and dress pants and he a three piece suit whose jacket and tie he had refused to put on. To the prosecutors’ dismay since they had selected what clothing they would be wearing during the hearing. His reasoning had been simple.
“I will not dress like the German lapdog.”
The lawyers had not insisted further. The voices were loud enough for the Dhampir to follow what was being said in the courtroom.
“The die is cast,” Quinlan said when Gus revealed their identities.
It was done. People all around the world were aware of their existence. There was no point regretting it now, it was too late. All they could do was finishing what they had started. But she could not repress her guilt. She had insisted on stepping into the spotlight and Quinlan had reluctantly agreed. She tried to imagine the ramifications of the day’s events and when she did, her stomach twisted.
Minutes later, Raul came to find them. The crowd inside the courtroom had just seen their faces but they still goggled at them. Those sitting closest to the center alley shuffled away from the approaching Dhampir. A young woman almost climbed on the lap of her neighbor in her haste to put more distance between her and Quinlan. Their heartbeats were a chorus of rapid thuds and she had to make her breaths shallower so that the stink of adrenaline would not fill her nostrils. She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell at all of them and at the rest of the world she knew was watching.
Please…please, don’t fear us.
A man stared at Quinlan’s red throat and his mouth contorted in horror.
Please, don’t hate us.
Quinlan ignored them supremely but her eyes were burning. Gus had left the stand and walked straight to the cameraman who had lost his focus and whose camera was pointing at a wall.
“Brah, snap out of it,” said Gus and he clapped his hands next to the man’s face.
He startled, took hold of his camera and pointed it at the Dhampir. Lexi walked straight to the stand while Quinlan sat next to Aanya and Laura and where Raul and Gus joined him. The judge presiding asked Lexi to make an affirmation. That was easy.
“I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
As clear as if they spoke directly in her ear, Lexi heard quiet comments regarding her appearance and voice. Could she blame them? She thought back to her first encounter with Quinlan to reassure herself. Her first reaction had been to point a gun at his strange face and in comparison a few murmurs were tame.
Alvi began by asking her personal questions such as more particulars about her species. She repeated the lies she had told others until now. Quinlan and Lexi were a cousin species of the Strigoi and the Master had committed genocide against them. She had been born centuries ago and her Dhampir parents had died when she was young. Then she had had human loved ones and eventually, had met Quinlan. She was not proud of those lies. But she also had no wish to give ideas of eternal life to the wrong people. Wasn’t that how all of this had started? Alvi paused briefly and by the way his finger twisted, as if aching to hold a cigarette, she knew the more serious questions would come.
“Do you have worms like the Strigoi?”
“No, we are not parasites. You could swallow a glass full of my blood and nothing would come of it.”
“But you have a stinger and you drink human blood?”
“I do but I also enjoy biscuits and tea.”
There were more whispers, but this time, more curious than afraid. Alvi pointed at the screen still showing the two Dhampir facing the Master.
“What is taking place in that video?” he asked.
“The final battle. Our human associates, including Augustin and Raul are surrounding Central Park to defend devices which disrupted the link between the Master and the Strigoi.”
“Could he control the Strigoi at that very moment?”
“No, he could not and he was also in a weakened state. You can see several Strigoi unable to move while we fight.”
Alvi pressed play and slowed the video down so that their human eyes could see what was happening. A few Strigoi stood like statues on the periphery of the terrace. When Lexi was stabbed, Aanya startled and Laura slapped a hand over her mouth. Their horror intensified when the Master slashed as Quinlan’s face who retreated and stood between him and Lexi. On the footage, the Dhampir’s eyes glowed and within instants, they had the Master on his knees and their stingers pulled on his head which flew and landed on the ground. In the video, Zach who had attempted to follow the fight as best as he could, dropped the phone. The screen was dark but it still recorded sound. Seconds later, there was a gunshot and Alvi paused the video.
“What happened after you decapitated the Master?”
“Zach Goodweather shot Quinlan which is what we heard at the end of the video.”
“And the Master was headless when it happened?”
“He was.”
“Could Zach have acted under the Master’s control?”
“No.”
Judge Smith leaned forward with a grave face and the defense lawyers exchanged notes that they wrote very quickly. Lexi’s gaze fell on the only teenager sitting among the accused. She could see in his eyes the desire to hurt her. More than that, the desire to kill her.
She smiled at him. A deeply sorrowful smile, because although he did not deserve to be acquitted, she did not wish for his execution. Lexi wanted justice. The peace which would only arise from the people responsible to be held accountable for the atrocities they had committed. Lexi wished this justice could be dispensed without more death. Because of his youth and because he would never have a chance to redeem himself, she pitied him.
Unprepared for this revelation, the defense chose to forego questioning until the next hearing. She took a seat between Aanya and Laura, and the two women scooted closer to her. Laura slid her arm around Lexi’s elbow and Aanya took her hand. Her sorrow abated a little.
Quinlan now sat at the stand and the comments about him were slightly louder than mere whispers. The judge had to reclaim silence once more. Just like Lexi, he affirmed his devotion to telling only the truth. His clear eyes scanned the room then stayed on Alvi when he spoke again.
“Mister Quinlan, when were you born?”
“About two thousand years ago.”
“When did you start chasing the Master?”
“About two thousand years ago.”
The Sun Hunters chuckled but quickly stopped when Judge Smith glared at them.
“Why did you want to kill him?”
“Much the same reasons described by Lexi. I lost my mother, my wives and my children to the Master.”
“Were your wives human?”
“Yes. As were my adopted daughters.”
“You raised human children?”
“I did, during two separate eras of my life. Both times I came home and the Master had turned them so I had to give them mercy.”
Most of the Sun Hunters had not known this. Their lingering smiles disappeared.
“Twice? Why is that?”
“The Master knew of my existence and enjoyed inflicting suffering upon me. It was some sort of game for him.”
Laura stared away with a trembling chin and Lexi squeezed her hand gently. The woman always got flustered when hearing about children dying. Lexi was not a mother but she understood.
“I’m sorry to hear that. If you don’t mind we will now review another footage. The first half of a piece of evidence already introduced earlier.”
Alvi switched to the surveillance footage in the Stoneheart tower. Minutes before Dr. Goodweather killed his Strigoi of an ex-wife. Abraham Setrakian and Dr. Goodweather fought Eldritch Palmer who was not human anymore. Alvi commented that at this moment the Master already occupied the old man. Both Vasily Fet and Quinlan arrived and in seconds, the Master was locked in a metal coffin. Alvi asked Quinlan to explain the images. As he did, Lexi was distracted by the increasing loudness of the defense lawyers’ heartbeats. When she smelled the air in their direction it was slightly brackish from their sweat. But their expressions remained controlled.
“Was the Master still in the coffin when Zach Goodweather activated the atomic bomb just minutes later?”
“He was. In fact, the explosion blew open the coffin. By pressing that button, Zach effectively freed the Master.”
His face was cold when he added,
“The explosion killed the people who worked relentlessly to imprison the Master. Even Dr Goodweather who searched for his son in the fallout.” – he turned to Zach - “You are responsible for this death.”
Zach stood and screamed,
“You are lying! Liar! LIAR!”
Before he could take another breath, the bailiff dragged him out of the room. Even when the door closed they could hear his screams punctuated by loud sobs.
“That really hurt him,” said Lexi.
“He deserves to face the consequences of his wickedness.”
The judges put an end to the session and the Dhampir were ushered out of New York, lest they stay and face the consequences of their integrity.
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