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Just A Little Further 17/40
2023.05.31 12:16 jpitha Just A Little Further 17/40
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The moment I sat down on the Throne, something activated. The lights that I turned on in the room became brighter, and there were more of them. Galleries on my left and right lit up, empty now but clearly meant for the residents to see me when I make speeches or proclamations. And most surprising of all
I can see.
Everything.
I can see how many ships are docked - it's 6 counting us. Hah, we're listed as UNKNOWN STARSHIP. Hold on, I can fix that... There. Now we're listed as FarReach - Human/K'laxi exploration Starjumper.
I can see how many people are here - it's 11.5 million - huh, Rapid River Roaring wasn't lying after all.
I can see the food distribution centers - they're offline. What the? How are people getting fed? Clearly something is up there. I won't turn them on just yet until I learn more.
I can see the environmental systems... why are they running at such low output? That doesn't seem right. I think if I push here, and tweak there... There we go. That should help a great deal.
I can see... wait, what's this over here?
I can see the Gate
The Gate is locked.
How did we get through the Gate then? I mean, that means that Ottarn won't be able to get through at least. I'll have to explore that one later.
Turning away from the Gate, I look back at the Starbase. Hmm. It feels like I'm on the edge of something big. If I were to just... let go a little bit... I think I can... see...
I regain consciousness on the floor, out of breath, with Ava kneeling over me nearly in tears from panic. "Melody! Melody! Oh thank goodness you're all right!"
I sit up and look around. Ava wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly. "I was so scared Melody. After you sat on the Throne, I heard noises like heavy machinery starting up, and then there was this storm of wind, and then your eyes glowed and there was a scream."
"Slow down Ava, a scream?"
"It came from everywhere. It sounded like the whole Starbase was screaming! It sounded like you were screaming. I looked up at you, and you had blood coming from your nose and ears and your mouth was open and you were glowing but your body wasn't making noise. I-I didn't know what to do, so I pulled you off the Throne."
Reaching up to my face I touch my ears, sure enough, my finger comes back wet with blood. I can feel it drying under my nose. What the hell happened?
You tried to integrate with Reach of the Might of Vzzx, but the Nanites weren't ready. You had a partial connection. Ava was correct to pull you off.
But what does it mean? What about all that stuff I saw?
When you sit on the Throne and truly integrate you become Reach of the Might of Vzzx. This is what Builders are.
Wait. Our starbases and starships are operated by AIs. You're telling me that out here they're operated by Builders?
Builders build. They rule. They are.
I look back at Ava "Thank you Ava, the Nanites tell me that you saved me." I return the hug just as tightly. "Builders are the starbases out here. They sit in the throne and become the starbase."
Holy shit. That's the missing piece!
"Ava! I know why everything looks so run down here. They haven't had a Builder on the throne in a long time. Reach of the Might of Vzzx is running on automatic! The wind you heard? The environmental systems were running at a super low setting. I turned up the air and scrubbers!"
Ava breaks the hug and looks at me wide eyed. "You mean that they... don't have AIs here, they have... humans running all the stations? As Builders?"
"Yes, I think that's how it works. A Builder, or a team of Builders lives and works at every starbase and they... become the starbase with the help of the Nanites. My Throne is like a... superpowered version of that. I can see so much more than the Starbase. I was able to perceive out into space, I could see the Gates! Ours is locked by the way, Ottarn isn't going anywhere."
"But, how did we get through then?"
I shrug "Builder magic I guess. As we learn more, we will become more proficient at operating things I think. For now, I'm going to take it easy and just try and get a handle on the basics." I move to get up and get back onto the Throne.
"No Melody! It nearly killed you!" Ava's voice trembles.
I reach for her hand and squeeze it tightly. "It's okay Ava. I know what I did wrong. I tried to go to deeply too early. The Nanites say I'm not ready to fully integrate yet, but I can get on and at least like... read the status log. Find out what needs to be done, and then make plans. I'm also going to try and reach out to FarReach, and let her know what I've found."
"Okay, if you say so." Ava plunks down next to the throne, sitting on the floor. "I'm staying right here though. If you start making the Starbase scream again, I'm pulling you off."
"Thanks Ava, please do that." I smile warmly at her. With the dried blood under my nose and down my neck, it probably doesn't look at nurturing as I meant it to.
Sitting again, I'm more prepared for it, but it's still a shock when I become the starbase again. This time, I reach out for the radio. There, okay, I see how it works. I think about the human system frequency for our Starjumpers and try and talk to FarReach.
There's a pause and a burst of static, then it clears and I hear FarReach! "This is FarReach, joint Human/K'laxi exploration Starjumper, who is this?"
"Hi FarReach!" I say brightly! "It's Melody!"
"Melody? Where are you? What are you doing? I suddenly got flooded with radio until I opened the mic to listen, and then it focused in on the standard channel."
"Sorry, that was me."
"You? Are you at a comm station?"
"Kind of? I'm Reach of the Might of Vzzx right now."
"I know you're on the Starbase Melody, where on the Starbase are you?"
"No no, I mean I am Might of Vzzx right now. I've reassumed my Throne and it turns out when a Builder does that.. they kind of become the starbase.
"Become the-- Melody, What are you doing?" FarReach sounds worried.
"Don't worry FarReach, other than the screaming - that was totally my fault, I tried to go too deep at first - it's fine. It's better than fine actually! I can see everything. I can see the Gates - they're locked by the way, I have no idea why we can traverse them. Also I can see... everything. It's tough to describe."
"Believe it or not, Melody, I have a hunch I know what you mean. You're looking at things like we see them."
"Yes! That's what I was thinking. I don't think they have AIs out here, they have Builders."
"Melody, that's... quite a lot. Is this what being an Empress is over here?"
"I think it's what being a Builder is. As Empress I think I have access to like, a higher level. I tried to access it, but Ava said I made the whole Starbase scream, and she had to pull me off the Throne."
"We heard that! That was you?" FarReach sounds worried.
"Ava said it was. Sorry if I scared everyone."
"And you got back onto the Throne?"
"Well, yes. I am Empress now. This starbase hasn't been managed in a long time. I need to read the logs and figure out how to start affecting repairs."
There's a pause at that. I bet FarReach is talking with the crew.
"So Mei'la was right. Thank you for reaching out and letting us know where you are and that you're safe. Captain Q'ari was worried when Mei'la and Fer'resi came back alone. Ava is with you?"
I look down at Ava, and she looks back up to me worried. I smile down to her and give her a thumbs up.
"Yes, Ava is here with me, she's okay too."
"Thank you Melody. Come on back when you're able. Everyone would love to hear about what you found." and FarReach closes the connection.
Huh. That was odd. She sounded distracted at the end. I wonder why.
The crew told her something she didn't like.
But what, do you suppose?
Many people in the crew do not like your new role and title. Some worry about what it means for them, others worry about what it means for things back home. Still others seethe with jealousy.
No, that can't be it. Why would they be jealous? Why would they worry about what this means for back home?
Melody, you are being naïve again. You are Empress. You can control matter. You can order people to do anything. You rule this side of the Galaxy now, and can easily rule the other again.
But it's not like I'm going to do anything bad to anyone. I'll be a good Empress. A great one even.
Great Empresses are feared as much as they are loved. More so perhaps. We can discuss this later. Look, you are seated upon your Throne. Much can be done here, call up the Gate map.
I think about a Gate map. Springing in front of me is a stylized map of the Galaxy. I recognize the spiral arms and it's actually quite pretty. A small royal blue dot is lit. That must be here.
I concentrate on the map "Show me the location of all Gates."
A flood of yellow dots appears on the map, all over the Galaxy. Far more than we had mapped out, truly there are over five hundred of them.
Wow.
"Show me currently active Gates."
A worryingly small amount of the yellow dots turns blue. Maybe seventy five of them? Interestingly there is a large cloud of blue dots over on the other side of the galaxy, back home. Other than a small swarm around here, that's the largest other location of Gates.
Even after they rejected your rule, they kept their Gates and they are some of the largest group now active. The Nanites chuckle to themselves.
Hmm. If the Gates are connected to each other - and they'd have to be in order to work then I wonder...
"Ping all Gates. Color code replies; Green as working active gates, Yellow as working but deactivated gates, Red as locked but still active gates, and Black as no reply received."
At that command, I can feel it. My... order, my command leaves the Reach and connects to the Gate. There's a sense of spreading as the command reaches out. How am I able to see the Gates so quickly? What am I seeing?
There is only The Gate. All Gates you traverse are... shadows of The Gate that exist in four dimensional spacetime. They all pass through The Gate that exists in a higher plane.
So Gate traversal is instantaneous?
Well yes. You're not moving once you enter the Gate. The Addressing Module directs the Gate where to put you in Spacetime. It takes no time, because no distance is traveled.
Wild. Did Builders make them?
Yes, long, long *ago. It was one of our greatest achievements.*
Okay, so I have the data, but how to interpret it. Let me try and overlay the results of the Census over the galaxy map. When I look up, my jaw drops.
Way more of the gates are green than I had figured. As in, active, operating and ready to traverse. The majority are yellow, meaning that they're currently not online, but can be brought online. There are only a few red gates, and no black gates.
The Gate system is completely intact.
Wait, what's that red gate over on the other side of the galaxy. There's a locked gate near home. The K'laxi have never reported to us they found a locked gate. I wonder if that's one we don't know about or if...
That's the Gate to Earth.
It's just locked? As in, I could unlock it and open it?
At any time, Empress.
But, we never had a Gate. We explored our system inside and outside and never found any technology - and believe me we looked. We spent millennia thinking we were alone until we met the K'laxi. Why didn't a previous Empress open it though. If it is that easy, they could have gone back at any time.
I want to unlock the Gate. Pass through it, and show everyone what I found, what I am.
You need only say it, Empress.
No. Not yet. I need to be able to go there in a way that's... befitting me.
Back to the starbase. If it has 11 something million people, then it has to be way larger than what I've seen. Show me the whole thing.
I'm shown. I see kilometers upon kilometers of halls, thousand upon thousands of living quarters, I see gardens, and parks and playgrounds and offices and... I see a whole transit system I had no idea was here! I can't believe there's a train here and I haven't ridden it yet!
Remembering Ava, I say out loud "Holy shit, this place is huge. The parts that we've seen is barely a tenth of the whole place. They have a train Ava! Let's go for a ride later!"
Ava smiles "I'd love that, Melody."
Wait a minute. I turn inwards again.
"Give me a listing of all known Starbases."
A list appears next to the galaxy map. Almost every system at one time had a Starbase at least as large as this one, some had even larger ones.
"Give me a listing of known Planets."
A slightly smaller, but still large list appears. I'm starting to feel faint. What have I dived into? There are literally tens, if not hundreds of billions of people here. Back home there around 15 billion humans spread across space, with 4 or 5 billion K'laxi and 3 or 4 billion Xenni. Combined that's...
That's more people than what I can effectively rule. What am I doing? I don't even know about this whole Starbase, let alone the Galaxy. One person can't rule a Galaxy, no matter how much they want to. What are these Nanites trying to sign me up for?
We need you to understand the immenseness of your task, and understand that we do not intend for you to rule alone. Currently, you are the only Builder known, but that never meant you were meant to be the only Builder. Make more.
W-What? I don't even have a partner! I don't even really know yet if I like men or women or both or neither! I'm barely out of my teen years, I can't make more people!
Sigh. Not like that, Melody. Use us. Use the Nanites to make Builders. You are Empress, only you will have the commanding voice, but other Builders will help you to rule. Start with that one, Ava. She already craves it. She will be a welcome and loyal addition.
I look over at Ava. She's still looking at me worriedly. She really does want to be a part of all this - whatever it's going to be.
There are others too. Q'ari wants to be involved very badly, but we don't know if the Nanites will work on K'laxi. We don't know how we feel about K'laxi Builders too.
Don't be racist. They'd do a fine job.
So you say, Empress. Invite them then.
Ugh. If I'm going to do this, the Nanites are right. I need help. I'll need more Builders. Should I do this? I want to do this, but is that the Nanites talking? Every time I let them off leash I tend to sound... intense. I wish I had some coffee.
I wish I could get some range time in.
I sigh. Am I doing this? Am I really doing this?
I think I am. I have never really wanted anything as much as I want this. As much as I want to show everyone what I can do, what I can be.
I stand up and break the connection. I feel... empty for a moment. I can see how people could get addicted to data streams like that. I stretch mightily and sit down on the floor next to Ava.
"Ava. There's a metric ton of work to be done, and I don't think I can do it all on my own. I don't want to do it all on my own. The Nanites were giving me options and I was wondering..."
As I speak, her eyes get wider and wider and she practically vibrates from excitement. She knows what I'm going to ask her.
"Do you want to become a Builder? You won't get the voice that orders people around, that's an Empress thing apparently, only one person as a time can do that. I can see why too, what happens if we both have the ability and try to use it on each other, right? Anyway. The Nanites say I can make you a Builder, and you can help me out. We'll need more Builders too. I want to try on the K'laxi too, Captain Q'ari seems like she wants in, though I don't know if she'll agree to it. Being Captain is important to her. So what do you say?"
"Yes yes yes yes! I want in!"
I hold up a hand. "This means that officially, your old life is over. It means throwing our lot in on this side of the Galaxy permanently. We can Gate home for visits or something, but it won't be for a while, and it'll be as foreigners. We will be cutting ourselves off from our old lives."
"My old life sucked ass. I want in!"
"Okay, last thing." I take a breath. "It could mean - though I hope it doesn't - that we will be seen as enemies back home. You saw the Marien's ship, it's trying to escape and is taking days to get somewhere FarReach can go in hours. FarReach alone has enough firepower to shrug off any threat we can bring to bear. If the folks back home decide to cause trouble for us, it'll be big trouble. If you throw in with me, it becomes your trouble. Our trouble.
Ava kneels down in front of me without a single bit of hesitation. "I want this, Melody. More than anything else I've ever wanted. I accept all the risks, I happily throw my old life away."
We like her. She gets it.
I stand up in front of her.
Okay then, how do we give her the Nanites?
Give her a kiss.
You are kidding me.
We are completely serious. It's the quickest way to transfer enough of us to begin the process. Plus, it's ceremonial, has an air of regal intimacy about it. Also, she'll love it.
Fine.
I reach down and gently tip her head up with my fingers, bend down and gently kiss her on the lips.
She leans in slightly and melts into the kiss.
Told you she'd love it.
"Rise, Builder."
She stands on shaky legs. "Builder Ava, it will take a day or so for the Nanites to replicate and integrate, but once they do, you will be a Builder like me, and be able to do many of the things I can do. You will be my right hand, and be my voice where I am not. You will carry out my decisions and have the power to make your own. Together with the other Builders I create, we will reunite this galaxy and show everyone our power, our might and our love."
"I am yours to command Empress."
"Excellent. Your first task is to get me my coffee supplies from FarReach, I am dying for a cup."
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The moment I sat down on the Throne, something activated. The lights that I turned on in the room became brighter, and there were more of them. Galleries on my left and right lit up, empty now but clearly meant for the residents to see me when I make speeches or proclamations. And most surprising of all
I can see.
Everything.
I can see how many ships are docked - it's 6 counting us. Hah, we're listed as UNKNOWN STARSHIP. Hold on, I can fix that... There. Now we're listed as FarReach - Human/K'laxi exploration Starjumper.
I can see how many people are here - it's 11.5 million - huh, Rapid River Roaring wasn't lying after all.
I can see the food distribution centers - they're offline. What the? How are people getting fed? Clearly something is up there. I won't turn them on just yet until I learn more.
I can see the environmental systems... why are they running at such low output? That doesn't seem right. I think if I push here, and tweak there... There we go. That should help a great deal.
I can see... wait, what's this over here?
I can see the Gate
The Gate is locked.
How did we get through the Gate then? I mean, that means that Ottarn won't be able to get through at least. I'll have to explore that one later.
Turning away from the Gate, I look back at the Starbase. Hmm. It feels like I'm on the edge of something big. If I were to just... let go a little bit... I think I can... see...
I regain consciousness on the floor, out of breath, with Ava kneeling over me nearly in tears from panic. "Melody! Melody! Oh thank goodness you're all right!"
I sit up and look around. Ava wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly. "I was so scared Melody. After you sat on the Throne, I heard noises like heavy machinery starting up, and then there was this storm of wind, and then your eyes glowed and there was a scream."
"Slow down Ava, a scream?"
"It came from everywhere. It sounded like the whole Starbase was screaming! It sounded like you were screaming. I looked up at you, and you had blood coming from your nose and ears and your mouth was open and you were glowing but your body wasn't making noise. I-I didn't know what to do, so I pulled you off the Throne."
Reaching up to my face I touch my ears, sure enough, my finger comes back wet with blood. I can feel it drying under my nose. What the hell happened?
You tried to integrate with Reach of the Might of Vzzx, but the Nanites weren't ready. You had a partial connection. Ava was correct to pull you off.
But what does it mean? What about all that stuff I saw?
When you sit on the Throne and truly integrate you become Reach of the Might of Vzzx. This is what Builders are.
Wait. Our starbases and starships are operated by AIs. You're telling me that out here they're operated by Builders?
Builders build. They rule. They are.
I look back at Ava "Thank you Ava, the Nanites tell me that you saved me." I return the hug just as tightly. "Builders are the starbases out here. They sit in the throne and become the starbase."
Holy shit. That's the missing piece!
"Ava! I know why everything looks so run down here. They haven't had a Builder on the throne in a long time. Reach of the Might of Vzzx is running on automatic! The wind you heard? The environmental systems were running at a super low setting. I turned up the air and scrubbers!"
Ava breaks the hug and looks at me wide eyed. "You mean that they... don't have AIs here, they have... humans running all the stations? As Builders?"
"Yes, I think that's how it works. A Builder, or a team of Builders lives and works at every starbase and they... become the starbase with the help of the Nanites. My Throne is like a... superpowered version of that. I can see so much more than the Starbase. I was able to perceive out into space, I could see the Gates! Ours is locked by the way, Ottarn isn't going anywhere."
"But, how did we get through then?"
I shrug "Builder magic I guess. As we learn more, we will become more proficient at operating things I think. For now, I'm going to take it easy and just try and get a handle on the basics." I move to get up and get back onto the Throne.
"No Melody! It nearly killed you!" Ava's voice trembles.
I reach for her hand and squeeze it tightly. "It's okay Ava. I know what I did wrong. I tried to go to deeply too early. The Nanites say I'm not ready to fully integrate yet, but I can get on and at least like... read the status log. Find out what needs to be done, and then make plans. I'm also going to try and reach out to FarReach, and let her know what I've found."
"Okay, if you say so." Ava plunks down next to the throne, sitting on the floor. "I'm staying right here though. If you start making the Starbase scream again, I'm pulling you off."
"Thanks Ava, please do that." I smile warmly at her. With the dried blood under my nose and down my neck, it probably doesn't look at nurturing as I meant it to.
Sitting again, I'm more prepared for it, but it's still a shock when I become the starbase again. This time, I reach out for the radio. There, okay, I see how it works. I think about the human system frequency for our Starjumpers and try and talk to FarReach.
There's a pause and a burst of static, then it clears and I hear FarReach! "This is FarReach, joint Human/K'laxi exploration Starjumper, who is this?"
"Hi FarReach!" I say brightly! "It's Melody!"
"Melody? Where are you? What are you doing? I suddenly got flooded with radio until I opened the mic to listen, and then it focused in on the standard channel."
"Sorry, that was me."
"You? Are you at a comm station?"
"Kind of? I'm Reach of the Might of Vzzx right now."
"I know you're on the Starbase Melody, where on the Starbase are you?"
"No no, I mean I am Might of Vzzx right now. I've reassumed my Throne and it turns out when a Builder does that.. they kind of become the starbase.
"Become the-- Melody, What are you doing?" FarReach sounds worried.
"Don't worry FarReach, other than the screaming - that was totally my fault, I tried to go too deep at first - it's fine. It's better than fine actually! I can see everything. I can see the Gates - they're locked by the way, I have no idea why we can traverse them. Also I can see... everything. It's tough to describe."
"Believe it or not, Melody, I have a hunch I know what you mean. You're looking at things like we see them."
"Yes! That's what I was thinking. I don't think they have AIs out here, they have Builders."
"Melody, that's... quite a lot. Is this what being an Empress is over here?"
"I think it's what being a Builder is. As Empress I think I have access to like, a higher level. I tried to access it, but Ava said I made the whole Starbase scream, and she had to pull me off the Throne."
"We heard that! That was you?" FarReach sounds worried.
"Ava said it was. Sorry if I scared everyone."
"And you got back onto the Throne?"
"Well, yes. I am Empress now. This starbase hasn't been managed in a long time. I need to read the logs and figure out how to start affecting repairs."
There's a pause at that. I bet FarReach is talking with the crew.
"So Mei'la was right. Thank you for reaching out and letting us know where you are and that you're safe. Captain Q'ari was worried when Mei'la and Fer'resi came back alone. Ava is with you?"
I look down at Ava, and she looks back up to me worried. I smile down to her and give her a thumbs up.
"Yes, Ava is here with me, she's okay too."
"Thank you Melody. Come on back when you're able. Everyone would love to hear about what you found." and FarReach closes the connection.
Huh. That was odd. She sounded distracted at the end. I wonder why.
The crew told her something she didn't like.
But what, do you suppose?
Many people in the crew do not like your new role and title. Some worry about what it means for them, others worry about what it means for things back home. Still others seethe with jealousy.
No, that can't be it. Why would they be jealous? Why would they worry about what this means for back home?
Melody, you are being naïve again. You are Empress. You can control matter. You can order people to do anything. You rule this side of the Galaxy now, and can easily rule the other again.
But it's not like I'm going to do anything bad to anyone. I'll be a good Empress. A great one even.
Great Empresses are feared as much as they are loved. More so perhaps. We can discuss this later. Look, you are seated upon your Throne. Much can be done here, call up the Gate map.
I think about a Gate map. Springing in front of me is a stylized map of the Galaxy. I recognize the spiral arms and it's actually quite pretty. A small royal blue dot is lit. That must be here.
I concentrate on the map "Show me the location of all Gates."
A flood of yellow dots appears on the map, all over the Galaxy. Far more than we had mapped out, truly there are over five hundred of them.
Wow.
"Show me currently active Gates."
A worryingly small amount of the yellow dots turns blue. Maybe seventy five of them? Interestingly there is a large cloud of blue dots over on the other side of the galaxy, back home. Other than a small swarm around here, that's the largest other location of Gates.
Even after they rejected your rule, they kept their Gates and they are some of the largest group now active. The Nanites chuckle to themselves.
Hmm. If the Gates are connected to each other - and they'd have to be in order to work then I wonder...
"Ping all Gates. Color code replies; Green as working active gates, Yellow as working but deactivated gates, Red as locked but still active gates, and Black as no reply received."
At that command, I can feel it. My... order, my command leaves the Reach and connects to the Gate. There's a sense of spreading as the command reaches out. How am I able to see the Gates so quickly? What am I seeing?
There is only The Gate. All Gates you traverse are... shadows of The Gate that exist in four dimensional spacetime. They all pass through The Gate that exists in a higher plane.
So Gate traversal is instantaneous?
Well yes. You're not moving once you enter the Gate. The Addressing Module directs the Gate where to put you in Spacetime. It takes no time, because no distance is traveled.
Wild. Did Builders make them?
Yes, long, long *ago. It was one of our greatest achievements.*
Okay, so I have the data, but how to interpret it. Let me try and overlay the results of the Census over the galaxy map. When I look up, my jaw drops.
Way more of the gates are green than I had figured. As in, active, operating and ready to traverse. The majority are yellow, meaning that they're currently not online, but can be brought online. There are only a few red gates, and no black gates.
The Gate system is completely intact.
Wait, what's that red gate over on the other side of the galaxy. There's a locked gate near home. The K'laxi have never reported to us they found a locked gate. I wonder if that's one we don't know about or if...
That's the Gate to Earth.
It's just locked? As in, I could unlock it and open it?
At any time, Empress.
But, we never had a Gate. We explored our system inside and outside and never found any technology - and believe me we looked. We spent millennia thinking we were alone until we met the K'laxi. Why didn't a previous Empress open it though. If it is that easy, they could have gone back at any time.
I want to unlock the Gate. Pass through it, and show everyone what I found, what I am.
You need only say it, Empress.
No. Not yet. I need to be able to go there in a way that's... befitting me.
Back to the starbase. If it has 11 something million people, then it has to be way larger than what I've seen. Show me the whole thing.
I'm shown. I see kilometers upon kilometers of halls, thousand upon thousands of living quarters, I see gardens, and parks and playgrounds and offices and... I see a whole transit system I had no idea was here! I can't believe there's a train here and I haven't ridden it yet!
Remembering Ava, I say out loud "Holy shit, this place is huge. The parts that we've seen is barely a tenth of the whole place. They have a train Ava! Let's go for a ride later!"
Ava smiles "I'd love that, Melody."
Wait a minute. I turn inwards again.
"Give me a listing of all known Starbases."
A list appears next to the galaxy map. Almost every system at one time had a Starbase at least as large as this one, some had even larger ones.
"Give me a listing of known Planets."
A slightly smaller, but still large list appears. I'm starting to feel faint. What have I dived into? There are literally tens, if not hundreds of billions of people here. Back home there around 15 billion humans spread across space, with 4 or 5 billion K'laxi and 3 or 4 billion Xenni. Combined that's...
That's more people than what I can effectively rule. What am I doing? I don't even know about this whole Starbase, let alone the Galaxy. One person can't rule a Galaxy, no matter how much they want to. What are these Nanites trying to sign me up for?
We need you to understand the immenseness of your task, and understand that we do not intend for you to rule alone. Currently, you are the only Builder known, but that never meant you were meant to be the only Builder. Make more.
W-What? I don't even have a partner! I don't even really know yet if I like men or women or both or neither! I'm barely out of my teen years, I can't make more people!
Sigh. Not like that, Melody. Use us. Use the Nanites to make Builders. You are Empress, only you will have the commanding voice, but other Builders will help you to rule. Start with that one, Ava. She already craves it. She will be a welcome and loyal addition.
I look over at Ava. She's still looking at me worriedly. She really does want to be a part of all this - whatever it's going to be.
There are others too. Q'ari wants to be involved very badly, but we don't know if the Nanites will work on K'laxi. We don't know how we feel about K'laxi Builders too.
Don't be racist. They'd do a fine job.
So you say, Empress. Invite them then.
Ugh. If I'm going to do this, the Nanites are right. I need help. I'll need more Builders. Should I do this? I want to do this, but is that the Nanites talking? Every time I let them off leash I tend to sound... intense. I wish I had some coffee.
I wish I could get some range time in.
I sigh. Am I doing this? Am I really doing this?
I think I am. I have never really wanted anything as much as I want this. As much as I want to show everyone what I can do, what I can be.
I stand up and break the connection. I feel... empty for a moment. I can see how people could get addicted to data streams like that. I stretch mightily and sit down on the floor next to Ava.
"Ava. There's a metric ton of work to be done, and I don't think I can do it all on my own. I don't want to do it all on my own. The Nanites were giving me options and I was wondering..."
As I speak, her eyes get wider and wider and she practically vibrates from excitement. She knows what I'm going to ask her.
"Do you want to become a Builder? You won't get the voice that orders people around, that's an Empress thing apparently, only one person as a time can do that. I can see why too, what happens if we both have the ability and try to use it on each other, right? Anyway. The Nanites say I can make you a Builder, and you can help me out. We'll need more Builders too. I want to try on the K'laxi too, Captain Q'ari seems like she wants in, though I don't know if she'll agree to it. Being Captain is important to her. So what do you say?"
"Yes yes yes yes! I want in!"
I hold up a hand. "This means that officially, your old life is over. It means throwing our lot in on this side of the Galaxy permanently. We can Gate home for visits or something, but it won't be for a while, and it'll be as foreigners. We will be cutting ourselves off from our old lives."
"My old life sucked ass. I want in!"
"Okay, last thing." I take a breath. "It could mean - though I hope it doesn't - that we will be seen as enemies back home. You saw the Marien's ship, it's trying to escape and is taking days to get somewhere FarReach can go in hours. FarReach alone has enough firepower to shrug off any threat we can bring to bear. If the folks back home decide to cause trouble for us, it'll be big trouble. If you throw in with me, it becomes your trouble. Our trouble.
Ava kneels down in front of me without a single bit of hesitation. "I want this, Melody. More than anything else I've ever wanted. I accept all the risks, I happily throw my old life away."
We like her. She gets it.
I stand up in front of her.
Okay then, how do we give her the Nanites?
Give her a kiss.
You are kidding me.
We are completely serious. It's the quickest way to transfer enough of us to begin the process. Plus, it's ceremonial, has an air of regal intimacy about it. Also, she'll love it.
Fine.
I reach down and gently tip her head up with my fingers, bend down and gently kiss her on the lips.
She leans in slightly and melts into the kiss.
Told you she'd love it.
"Rise, Builder."
She stands on shaky legs. "Builder Ava, it will take a day or so for the Nanites to replicate and integrate, but once they do, you will be a Builder like me, and be able to do many of the things I can do. You will be my right hand, and be my voice where I am not. You will carry out my decisions and have the power to make your own. Together with the other Builders I create, we will reunite this galaxy and show everyone our power, our might and our love."
"I am yours to command Empress."
"Excellent. Your first task is to get me my coffee supplies from FarReach, I am dying for a cup."
First / Previous / Next
2023.05.31 11:58 dadcamebackwithcandy A Daughter and Wholesomeness (and Modern Fantasy)
Or: “Lysias, Father of Consequences”
Hi.
41/m looking for a SFW RP with fantasy elements where you’d play the daughter of my guy, either adopted or natural. I figure they would be meeting for the first time for some reason, and he’d be trying to figure out how to be a parent/better human while your OC works on being at all okay with this. The goal is character development, drama, sarcasm, humor, and super sappy heartwarming wholesomeness. The idea is that they’d need each other, and both would come out of their adventures as better people and a better family.
I write third person via Discord, anywhere between several paragraphs to set a scene and a few sentences for dialogue. I’m pretty easy going in general and ask you to be the same; the goal is to post as long as necessary, not meet some quota for how much entertainment we’re providing each other—I am genuinely looking for a writing partner, not to be someone’s GM.
My schedule is maybe 8pm-12pm the next day Central Time, as I work nights. My job provides a significant amount of downtime however, so regular posting in the evening or morning won’t be a problem. If you can post a few times a week, that would be lovely. More is of course great too.
Story ideas!
The actual dynamic and events of the story are way up for discussion. I love brainstorming and world building and trading off who leads the next scene based on who has the vision for it. That said, I do have a few different ideas for settings and stories and themes, and beyond character development we can do Adventure or Mystery or Slice of Life or all of them together. The writing sample below is from one of my feistier characters in a specific setting, and if it sounds interesting we go with that and modify as we felt like, or something completely new.
If you’re interested, let me know via chat or DM’s. Thanks for your time.
-Lysias
An old French song played from a small room behind the counter of the pawn shop. Lysias sang along with some slight skill, turning an old violin over in his hands. The late sunlight that filtered in caught on the pits and chips of worn lacquer like they were being graded by one of his old professors, highlighting the imperfections with supposed warmth that dimmed the excellence of the work, nevertheless. It was a fine violin, too: one of the few brought in that was actually worth fixing. The varnish would need to be stripped before he could do anything, of course, like rehydrating the wood or sealing it—a tedious process by anyone’s standard but his. After all, ruination rested within his every breath, just a heavy sigh away.
The Cuss walked with him. Lived with him. Breathed with him.
Ate at him. Stole from him. Marginalized. Vilified. Consoled. Condemned.
It lifted his spirits and diminished his joys, adding and subtracting the human experience until the sum of his life was zero; no highs, no lows, just a meaningless medium. The Cuss was parasite and partner both. He almost hated it when he had the energy to hate something.
Lysias raised a finger, a mote of darkness erasing a spot in the air above it. As small as the tear was, he could hear the music bending, the sounds of the busy street outside distorted by its presence, sounding like water sloshing in his ear. The lacquer of the violin was gone in a blink, and the Cuss was put away again, as much as some distant, broken part of him wanted to watch as it ran loose in the streets.
Those visions always came. He knew what it wanted, but eff what it wanted—it had more than enough of him as it was.
Turning for the sanding block, he saw the ad for New York Healing Institute he pulled from his mailbox. A few stand-out words were read over his scarlet-lensed glasses. “It’s never too late to learn!” He had thoughts about that. “NYHI has new scholarships and grants for the aspiring healer! Find us on the web at-“
It was ridiculous.
Besides, no one would have a thirty-something, self-taught, null-aspected mage anyway. Just being around other casters as they spoke or chanted or sang or drew or painted their magic was enough to unravel it sometimes, and that was without trying. If a caster actually came at him, it wasn’t even a fight; he didn’t have to say a word to cuss out their pretty sparks and flames, turning their power and years of study into less than a fizzled-out bottle rocket.
As long as they were within a few feet of him, of course.
And they weren’t a mind mage.
Or an illusionist.
…Fine maybe a few others, but generally, he could take care of himself.
Lowering the sanding block to his work, the abrasive scoured away the bare finish of the violin, leaving a brighter, healthier wood waiting just beneath. Soon, it would be ready to accept new polish and a new role. In fact, there was so little preparation left that it hardly took any effort at all to remove the last of the stains and give it a fresh start.
Green eyes flicked again to the article, to the propaganda and its ludicrous optimism.
It was ridiculous.
But still.
Still, he wondered if there were pretty sparks or fairy lights that could restore to him what the dark had devoured. To put the lacquer back. To seal his surface so he might weather life without the stains of every tear warping him, cracking the grain, giving unnatural life to maladies that grew into ruin and rot.
Lysias was wallowing of a fine state of melodrama when the door jingled. Yet another customer here to rudely interrupt his pity party. He was just about list every woman that had ever shot him down, too.
With a sigh, he pushed up his glasses and stepped out from the back in a black tee and jeans, the latter slightly more torn than the former. Neither went with his super-sexy $1,200 caiman cowboy boots, but that’s what the matching belt was for. The tarnished silver buckle though? With the giant “L” in 18k gold? That was just for him, and he offered no apologies or for it—fashion sense be damned.
He saw intruder—or customer, whatever—from the corner of his eye, focusing instead on straightening the bracelets in the display case before him, both magical and mundane. “Weeeeelcome to Arcane Pawn & Repair,” he drawled, monotone, “where we REpair, REstore, and REgret every decision that brought us here. What do you want?”
submitted by dadcamebackwithcandy to AdvLiterateRP [link] [comments]
Hi.
41/m looking for a SFW RP with fantasy elements where you’d play the daughter of my guy, either adopted or natural. I figure they would be meeting for the first time for some reason, and he’d be trying to figure out how to be a parent/better human while your OC works on being at all okay with this. The goal is character development, drama, sarcasm, humor, and super sappy heartwarming wholesomeness. The idea is that they’d need each other, and both would come out of their adventures as better people and a better family.
I write third person via Discord, anywhere between several paragraphs to set a scene and a few sentences for dialogue. I’m pretty easy going in general and ask you to be the same; the goal is to post as long as necessary, not meet some quota for how much entertainment we’re providing each other—I am genuinely looking for a writing partner, not to be someone’s GM.
My schedule is maybe 8pm-12pm the next day Central Time, as I work nights. My job provides a significant amount of downtime however, so regular posting in the evening or morning won’t be a problem. If you can post a few times a week, that would be lovely. More is of course great too.
Story ideas!
The actual dynamic and events of the story are way up for discussion. I love brainstorming and world building and trading off who leads the next scene based on who has the vision for it. That said, I do have a few different ideas for settings and stories and themes, and beyond character development we can do Adventure or Mystery or Slice of Life or all of them together. The writing sample below is from one of my feistier characters in a specific setting, and if it sounds interesting we go with that and modify as we felt like, or something completely new.
If you’re interested, let me know via chat or DM’s. Thanks for your time.
-Lysias
An old French song played from a small room behind the counter of the pawn shop. Lysias sang along with some slight skill, turning an old violin over in his hands. The late sunlight that filtered in caught on the pits and chips of worn lacquer like they were being graded by one of his old professors, highlighting the imperfections with supposed warmth that dimmed the excellence of the work, nevertheless. It was a fine violin, too: one of the few brought in that was actually worth fixing. The varnish would need to be stripped before he could do anything, of course, like rehydrating the wood or sealing it—a tedious process by anyone’s standard but his. After all, ruination rested within his every breath, just a heavy sigh away.
The Cuss walked with him. Lived with him. Breathed with him.
Ate at him. Stole from him. Marginalized. Vilified. Consoled. Condemned.
It lifted his spirits and diminished his joys, adding and subtracting the human experience until the sum of his life was zero; no highs, no lows, just a meaningless medium. The Cuss was parasite and partner both. He almost hated it when he had the energy to hate something.
Lysias raised a finger, a mote of darkness erasing a spot in the air above it. As small as the tear was, he could hear the music bending, the sounds of the busy street outside distorted by its presence, sounding like water sloshing in his ear. The lacquer of the violin was gone in a blink, and the Cuss was put away again, as much as some distant, broken part of him wanted to watch as it ran loose in the streets.
Those visions always came. He knew what it wanted, but eff what it wanted—it had more than enough of him as it was.
Turning for the sanding block, he saw the ad for New York Healing Institute he pulled from his mailbox. A few stand-out words were read over his scarlet-lensed glasses. “It’s never too late to learn!” He had thoughts about that. “NYHI has new scholarships and grants for the aspiring healer! Find us on the web at-“
It was ridiculous.
Besides, no one would have a thirty-something, self-taught, null-aspected mage anyway. Just being around other casters as they spoke or chanted or sang or drew or painted their magic was enough to unravel it sometimes, and that was without trying. If a caster actually came at him, it wasn’t even a fight; he didn’t have to say a word to cuss out their pretty sparks and flames, turning their power and years of study into less than a fizzled-out bottle rocket.
As long as they were within a few feet of him, of course.
And they weren’t a mind mage.
Or an illusionist.
…Fine maybe a few others, but generally, he could take care of himself.
Lowering the sanding block to his work, the abrasive scoured away the bare finish of the violin, leaving a brighter, healthier wood waiting just beneath. Soon, it would be ready to accept new polish and a new role. In fact, there was so little preparation left that it hardly took any effort at all to remove the last of the stains and give it a fresh start.
Green eyes flicked again to the article, to the propaganda and its ludicrous optimism.
It was ridiculous.
But still.
Still, he wondered if there were pretty sparks or fairy lights that could restore to him what the dark had devoured. To put the lacquer back. To seal his surface so he might weather life without the stains of every tear warping him, cracking the grain, giving unnatural life to maladies that grew into ruin and rot.
Lysias was wallowing of a fine state of melodrama when the door jingled. Yet another customer here to rudely interrupt his pity party. He was just about list every woman that had ever shot him down, too.
With a sigh, he pushed up his glasses and stepped out from the back in a black tee and jeans, the latter slightly more torn than the former. Neither went with his super-sexy $1,200 caiman cowboy boots, but that’s what the matching belt was for. The tarnished silver buckle though? With the giant “L” in 18k gold? That was just for him, and he offered no apologies or for it—fashion sense be damned.
He saw intruder—or customer, whatever—from the corner of his eye, focusing instead on straightening the bracelets in the display case before him, both magical and mundane. “Weeeeelcome to Arcane Pawn & Repair,” he drawled, monotone, “where we REpair, REstore, and REgret every decision that brought us here. What do you want?”
2023.05.31 11:50 Black_Hazard_YABEI Tentative Plot Preview of my Amourshipping fic (Pokemon A/S) Version 1.5
Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Protagionist: Ash and Serena (Of course)
Main Cast: Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts while May will become Top Coordinator by defeating May on screen.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : May >= Dawn > Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
-Clembot will be upgraded to Clembot MKIII in this fic
-Arceus become way more loyal to Ash into the point that will makes Arceus angry enough to personally
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time
I might consider to make the Pearlshipping Side Story which will take place before
--------------------------------------Season 1--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Featured Characters: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Miette, May, Dawn
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
First Appearance of Dawn
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May as they moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Featured Characters: Clemont, Bonnie, Meyer
Featured Antagionist: Xerosic
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Clemont's Chespin evolved into Chesnaught, first appearance of Clemont-Chesnaught and they have to move to Ash's house because Prism Tower had been damaged
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
-------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
First appearance of Mega Pidgeot
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Featured Antagionist: Tons of Fearows
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Ash single chapter (ep 9)--------------------
Type: Adventure
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Ash will caught Dunsparce in this episode
Epsiode 9: After 27 years of failure, Ash had finally caught his most longed wanted Dunsparce ! (which will later evolve into the rare 3 segment dundunsparce by TM him Hyper Drill)
--------------------The Muted Princess of Hoenn Arc (ep 10-12)--------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor
May, the Princess of Hoenn had been diagnosed spasmodic dysphonia and become inability to speak like Red) did! Meanwhile, Ash and Serena being sent to Hoenn in very funny way and reunited with May and Max! This epsiode also features
Featured Characters: Ash, May, Max, Serena, Molly
Featured Antagonist: Team Rocket Trio (Epsiode 10 only)
Epsiode 10: Team Rocket trio caught Ash's Pikachu once again! Ash jump to the Team Rocket ballon to save Pikachu while having Serena caught his feet, but Ash had end up makes the Team Rocket ballon explodes and sent Ash, Pikachu and Serena to Hoenn! (lol!). May and Max meet Ash and Serena once again and was surprised why Ash would hugging Serena so tight and lying on the ground (lol)! Ash and Serena attempt greets May and Max but May didn't speak and respond with sign language! Max then told Ash and Serena's sad news about May become inability to speak because of the spasmodic dysphonia! Knowing that Jirachi will took 980 years to become useable again, Max decided to find which pokemon can cure May.
Serena will get Absol in this epsiode
Epsiode 11: While May and Max was staying at their home to find if there's any pokemon to makes May can speak again, Ash and Serena went outside and saw the Absol laying down outside and end up seriously injured.
Epsiode 12: After Serena caught Absol, Max had found that the only way to makes May can speak again is to find the Unown, and Molly is the only person who can use Unown to make May speaks again. Ash, Serena, May and Max went to greenfield and found Molly to use unown to spell "May Speak" so that May can speak again
------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 13-21)--------------------
Type: Action
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Professor Oak, Korrina, Alain, Diantha, Mewtwo, Lugia, Butch and Cassidy (Flashback)
Featured Antagonist: Giovanni, Domino , Dr. Namba (With Artifical Shadow Lugia), team rocket trio (Redeemed in ending), various of unnamed Team Rocket Grunts and Artifical Pokemons
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 13: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 14: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 16: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. They managed to clean the way and proceed, but Domino appears and blocked their way! Misty and Brock decided to stay here to fight against Domino to let Ash and Gary reaching Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 17: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 18: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army and Dr. Namba. Korrina, Alain and Diantha decided to fight against Dr. Namba while Clemont, Bonnie an Serena stay to fight against those artifical pokemon to clean their way to save ash. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 19: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock had finally defeated Domino while Korrina, Alain and Diantha managed to defeat Dr. Namba and the artifical Lugia thanks to the Real Lugia (the one from M02) , while Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had defeated all of those artifical pokemon army. They all reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 20: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain , Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and team up with Lugia to helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 21: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------------------------Season 2--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 22-24)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 22: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash, but Ash's bond between pokemon quickly turns the table! While Ash was about to defeat Damian, his Pikachu suddenly unleashed the large amount of power and went berserk!
Epsiode 23: Having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 24: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his device to prevent the brainwash from happening! **Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on ground and Ash have only pikachu left to stop that energy crystal! Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which allows pikachu utilized that power once again to **create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok!
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 25)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 25: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Alola Arc (Epsiode 26-37) -------------------------------------
Type: Story telling, adventure, action (ep 29-30, 33-35)
Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock will go to Alola and meet Ash's classmates.
This might be the Only Story Arc where Ash's Alola classmates will have major appearance for a while
Lillie will merge with the Shiny Nihiliego with same name#Lillie) in this Arc
Ash's Dunsparce will learn Hyper Drill and evolve into 3 segment dundunsparce in this Arc.
Episode 26: Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock went to Alola for vacation and reunited with Ash's classmates. Ash and Serena will share their experience in those years
Epsiode 27: In order to prepare the Lomi-lomi salmon. recipe for Mallow, Misty and Lana went to fishing the large sized Hawaiian Salmons. They met Cilan who was also fishing for the Hawaiian Salmons for his new recipes. Lana eventally managed to obtain the large sized Hawaiian Salmons and give it to Mallow.
Epsiode 28: Ash, Serena ,Brock and Misty went to visit Aether Paradise with Lusamine, Gladion and Lillie, Serena was so excited about the equalvent inside. Brock met Lusamine for first time and become horny and being instantly poison jabbed by his Croagunk and dragged away by Misty like usual (lol!) Meanwhile, the parallel version of Lusamine (from Pokemon Sun and Moon game) had went to this universe using the Ultra Wormholes and kidnapped the Shiny Lillie#Lillie) (nihilego) for parallel Lusamine's evil deed!
Epsiode 29: The Shiny nihilego had been kidnapped! Ash and his Alola classmate must find the way to recuse the Shiny nihilego! Clemont attempt to create something that can sent them to another universe but failed. Meanwhile, Ash's Naganadel and Solgaleo appears from the Ultra Wormhole. Ash was confused why Naganadel would finds him while he's living with his friends on his own world, Naganadel said that his own world had appears thousands of Ultra Wormhole and being invaded by vile Ultra Beasts. Ash, Serena, Gladion and Ash's classmate become Ultra Guardians. With the help of Solgaleo to create the Ultra Wormhole, the Ultra Guardians begin to went to the alternative universe and save Shiny Nihiliego!
Epsiode 30: Inside the Aether Paradise of Alternative universe, the Ultra Guardians defeats all who stops them and was managed to find the Shiny nihilego which is trapped into the tube. The Alternative Lusamine was just seen to kicked the Alternative Lillie out of her room and told the Ultra Guardians that she'll rules Ash's world. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow went to fight against Alternative Lusamine while Ash, Kiawe and Gladion attempt to use their Z move to break that tube but failed. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow was slowly being overwhelmed by Alternative Lusamine until Kiawe and Gladion aids them. Ash attempts to use his Aura to brute force that tube but seeing that the Shiny nihilego was taking damage as well! With Ash running low on options, Ash call out his Dunsparce and pray for his Dunsparce for helping him. His Dunsparce agrees and evolves into the rare 3 segment Dudunsparce. Ash's Dudunsparce use Hyper Drill to destroy that tube and sucressfully recuse the Shiny nihilego. At the same time, the Ultra Guardians had defeated the Alternative Lusamine. Ash's Solgaleo created the Ultra Wormhole to brings the Ultra Guardians back to their own universe!
Epsiode 31: Ultra Guardians and the Shiny nihilego had returned to this universe! Now the 1st anniversity party of Ash become Champion had finally begins!
Epsiode 32: Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock, Clemont, Bonnie, Gladion and Ash's teammate went to Pokémon Paradise Resort and have a relaxing bath before settling down in bed. Everyone falls asleep. Meanwhile, the sky have tons of Ultra Wormhole appears.
Epsiode 33: Ash's gang woke up and was horrified about how the sky are being filled with Ultra Wormhole, Ash, Lillie and Gladion went to Aether Paradise while the rest are stay in Alola to sent those Ultra Beast back to their own place. Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine was horrified to see that the Alternative Lusamine (merged with Nihiliego) had appears to follow them into this universe.
Epsiode 34: Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine fought against the Alternative Lusamine and seemsly to defeated the Alternative Lusamine, but Alternative Lusamine suddenly wake up and about to directly attack Lillie! However, The Shiny Nihiliego (Lillie) merges with Lillie (Artist: yu☀︎) and emerage unharmed. The 2 Nihiliego-Human fusion fight each other, but Ash's Solgaleo appears once again and push (with the combined effort of Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine) ,the Alternative Lusamine back to it's universe via the Ultra Wormhole!
Epsiode 35: Despite they finally get rid of Alternative Lusamine, the Ultra Guardians had been outnumbered by the Ultra Beast even with the combined effort of Guardian deities! Professor Kukui had found that the only way to sent all those Ultra Beast back is to combine the power of all 7 Z rings to shut down the Ultra Wormhole. Ash, Gladion and Ash's classmate had used the Z rings to create the giant rainbow laser to the sky to power up the Guardian deities's grand cross shaped beam to suck those Ultra Beast back to Ultra Wormhole and closing those Ultra Wormhole, ending the Ultra Beast crisis once and for all.
Epsiode 36: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock and Ash's classmate went to Treasure Island for fun.
Epsiode 37: Ash had saw the news about May and Dawn will appears in the final of Grand Festival in Galar; Ash then realized that he made the promise that he'll cheer up either May or Dawn in person should they managed to reach to the finale. At the same time, Misty had recieved the phone call that the 3 sisters will need Misty's help for Gym's Refurbishment. Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty and Brock says goodbye to Ash's classmate as Misty heading back to her Gym and the rest heading to Galar.
--------------------------------------Planned Future story Arc:--------------------------------------
Pokemon Contest Arc (Mittie vs Serena) or:
Features with May vs Dawn, but I don't know who should win the contest. If May wins, Serena will encounter May and if Dawn wins, Serena will encounter Dawn. Serena will lose either way.
Wallce Cup Arc(May vs Dawn, Chloe vs May, Chloe vs Dawn, Dawn vs Serena) or:
countine the romance amour with Ash arc: (Should I? But I really suck at writing those)
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
In this Arc, Goh will learn the very harsh lesson of how Pokemon supposed to be treated. Although many chinese Amourshipping Fic have Goh as Villain or being brutally murdered, this Fanfic will instead makes Goh learns fear.
--------------------------------------May and Dawn Single Chapter--------------------------------------
Epsiode 38: In Galar, May and Dawn will begin the rematch with very same) Pokemon) they used Last time. However, May's more superior skills had finally defeats Dawn and become second Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comfort Dawn, with Serena become curious about Top Coordinator thingy and shared their experienced with Dawn. Meanwhile, Ash recieved the phone call from --------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Epsiode 39: Inside Hoenn, Serena sawing that May was doing rematch with Dawn, and May finally defeats Dawn and become Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comforts Dawn and Dawn promised that she'll become another Top Coordinator. Dawn and Serena will also shared their experience.
Epsiode 40: Chloe finally determinate to caught more Pokemon for the future Pokemon
Epsiode 40: Ash worried about how
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by Oizys in front of Serena's eyes and defeated almost every single Ash's traveling partner, all 7 Pokemon Masters , Gary Oak and Serena. But Serena was eventally managed to free Ash from Oizys control. After defeating Oizys, Goh finally wake up and learned the harsh lesson about how to take care of his pokemon.
--------------------------------------Season 3--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------gossip Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break sans Action. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash and Serena must find a way to debunk various of the fake news (like Liko is Ash and Serena's daughter) that damaging their reputations and free Liko from being cyberbullied. In addition, they'll also met Nemona marks the first appearance in this Arc and will join Ash's team!
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc 1--------------------------------------
Ash and Serena finally went to Paldea for first time, Liko, Roy and Necoma finally join Ash's team in this Arc.
Ash, Serena, Roy, Liko and Nemona will meet Steven to obtain the Tera Orb to Terastalize their Pokemon.
Ash will also caught the Paldea flying type Pokemon here
--------------------------------------Kalos Queen defend Arc --------------------------------------
First appearance of terastallize
The new season of Pokémon Showcase begins! Can Serena Defend her Kalos Queen title?
--------------------------------------"Shipping War" Arc (adopted from This one shot): --------------------------------------
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
After The giant blue bird had makes Serena and Misty , all Ash's female travel companion and even all humans in pokemon kills each other until there's only 1 left against their will! Ash was able to free all of his friend before any tragic happens but that giant blue bird absorbed Serena and begin to spread all over the world! The only way to save Serena is to have Ash insert the feelings toward Serena into the water shuriken to open the hole out of Twitter's physical body so that Ash can save Serena.
--------------------------------------Season 4--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old truth Arc Prequel (adopted from this one shot**):**--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, character building, Action
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break! Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
After Ash and Serena discovered the truth about Ash's being cursed with eternal 10 years old which might potentially eventally wipe away his character development and revert him back to the 10 years old stupid dense shell like in Uvona, Ash and Serena got psychological shadow and escape from reality by living in their own dream and refuse to wake up. However, Ash and Serena would eventually overcome their fear and . It'll also features with the cameo appearance of Calem and Game Serena.
--------------------------------------Fanfic Flashback Special Single Epsiode--------------------------------------
Type: Crossover, Flashback
After Calem being freed from Camel's possessing, Ash, Serena, Calem and Serena (Game) will meet each other and share their life experience before sending Calem and Serena (Game) back to their own universe.
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc 2--------------------------------------
Ash, Serena
--------------------------------------Tobias Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Amour, character building, Action
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Tobias was revealed to be the "Ash's dream crusher", so strong that not even the combined effort of 7 Pokemon Master can stop him! This Arc features with the return and the final battle against Oizys and Damian.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Last Story Arc where Ash is still 10 years old
Ash finally defeated Tobias, but Ash's 10 years old curse had finally reverted Ash back to the tough dense shell. Ash's friend and Serena must find the way to break that curse to stop Ash from being 10 years old and bring the mature Ash back.
--------------------------------------Oshi no Ko crossoveIdol industry dark truth Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: crossover, drama, Break Fourth Wall, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, heavy irony, fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Ash finally grown up! Serena was being invited to went to Japan for the performance but eventually rejected after she discovered the shocking, ugly truth of the idol industry in Japan. Officer Jenny gives the secret mission for Ash, Team Rocket Trio (served their sentence), Latias and Team Rocket Trio's Ditto will camouflage as Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe to sneak into those idol industry and debunk the dirty act in idol industry in Japan, while the real Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe will appeals to her fans all over the world to boycott such dirty act in idol industry in Japan.
--------------------------------------TBA Arc--------------------------------------
submitted by Black_Hazard_YABEI to u/Black_Hazard_YABEI [link] [comments]
Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Protagionist: Ash and Serena (Of course)
Main Cast: Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts while May will become Top Coordinator by defeating May on screen.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : May >= Dawn > Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
- become smarter and more mature at beginning, but still a dense shell (slowly breaks)
- Use Aura and his superhuman strength very often
- Ash will not release any non Pikachu pokemon at beginning, Regularly use his old pokemon and keep switching his party except Pikachu, because in this fanfic, Ash want to spent more time with their old pokemon. However, as the times comes by, Ash will slowly have the fixed team that features with few Paldea Pokemon.
- Some of his Pokemon like Bayleef and Gable will be fully evolved
- Acknowledge that Team Rocket Trio have heart and will display Sympathy to them
- will slowly become a better battler than anime counterpart (become as strong as Clemont) , joining battle way more often and will even features with several back-to-back action with Ash
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
-Clembot will be upgraded to Clembot MKIII in this fic
-Arceus become way more loyal to Ash into the point that will makes Arceus angry enough to personally
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time
I might consider to make the Pearlshipping Side Story which will take place before
--------------------------------------Season 1--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Featured Characters: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Miette, May, Dawn
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
First Appearance of Dawn
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May as they moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Featured Characters: Clemont, Bonnie, Meyer
Featured Antagionist: Xerosic
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Clemont's Chespin evolved into Chesnaught, first appearance of Clemont-Chesnaught and they have to move to Ash's house because Prism Tower had been damaged
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
-------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
First appearance of Mega Pidgeot
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Featured Antagionist: Tons of Fearows
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Ash single chapter (ep 9)--------------------
Type: Adventure
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Ash will caught Dunsparce in this episode
Epsiode 9: After 27 years of failure, Ash had finally caught his most longed wanted Dunsparce ! (which will later evolve into the rare 3 segment dundunsparce by TM him Hyper Drill)
--------------------The Muted Princess of Hoenn Arc (ep 10-12)--------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor
May, the Princess of Hoenn had been diagnosed spasmodic dysphonia and become inability to speak like Red) did! Meanwhile, Ash and Serena being sent to Hoenn in very funny way and reunited with May and Max! This epsiode also features
Featured Characters: Ash, May, Max, Serena, Molly
Featured Antagonist: Team Rocket Trio (Epsiode 10 only)
Epsiode 10: Team Rocket trio caught Ash's Pikachu once again! Ash jump to the Team Rocket ballon to save Pikachu while having Serena caught his feet, but Ash had end up makes the Team Rocket ballon explodes and sent Ash, Pikachu and Serena to Hoenn! (lol!). May and Max meet Ash and Serena once again and was surprised why Ash would hugging Serena so tight and lying on the ground (lol)! Ash and Serena attempt greets May and Max but May didn't speak and respond with sign language! Max then told Ash and Serena's sad news about May become inability to speak because of the spasmodic dysphonia! Knowing that Jirachi will took 980 years to become useable again, Max decided to find which pokemon can cure May.
Serena will get Absol in this epsiode
Epsiode 11: While May and Max was staying at their home to find if there's any pokemon to makes May can speak again, Ash and Serena went outside and saw the Absol laying down outside and end up seriously injured.
Epsiode 12: After Serena caught Absol, Max had found that the only way to makes May can speak again is to find the Unown, and Molly is the only person who can use Unown to make May speaks again. Ash, Serena, May and Max went to greenfield and found Molly to use unown to spell "May Speak" so that May can speak again
------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 13-21)--------------------
Type: Action
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Professor Oak, Korrina, Alain, Diantha, Mewtwo, Lugia, Butch and Cassidy (Flashback)
Featured Antagonist: Giovanni, Domino , Dr. Namba (With Artifical Shadow Lugia), team rocket trio (Redeemed in ending), various of unnamed Team Rocket Grunts and Artifical Pokemons
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 13: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 14: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 16: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. They managed to clean the way and proceed, but Domino appears and blocked their way! Misty and Brock decided to stay here to fight against Domino to let Ash and Gary reaching Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 17: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 18: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army and Dr. Namba. Korrina, Alain and Diantha decided to fight against Dr. Namba while Clemont, Bonnie an Serena stay to fight against those artifical pokemon to clean their way to save ash. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 19: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock had finally defeated Domino while Korrina, Alain and Diantha managed to defeat Dr. Namba and the artifical Lugia thanks to the Real Lugia (the one from M02) , while Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had defeated all of those artifical pokemon army. They all reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 20: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain , Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and team up with Lugia to helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 21: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------------------------Season 2--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 22-24)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 22: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash, but Ash's bond between pokemon quickly turns the table! While Ash was about to defeat Damian, his Pikachu suddenly unleashed the large amount of power and went berserk!
Epsiode 23: Having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 24: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his device to prevent the brainwash from happening! **Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on ground and Ash have only pikachu left to stop that energy crystal! Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which allows pikachu utilized that power once again to **create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok!
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 25)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 25: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Alola Arc (Epsiode 26-37) -------------------------------------
Type: Story telling, adventure, action (ep 29-30, 33-35)
Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock will go to Alola and meet Ash's classmates.
This might be the Only Story Arc where Ash's Alola classmates will have major appearance for a while
Lillie will merge with the Shiny Nihiliego with same name#Lillie) in this Arc
Ash's Dunsparce will learn Hyper Drill and evolve into 3 segment dundunsparce in this Arc.
Episode 26: Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock went to Alola for vacation and reunited with Ash's classmates. Ash and Serena will share their experience in those years
Epsiode 27: In order to prepare the Lomi-lomi salmon. recipe for Mallow, Misty and Lana went to fishing the large sized Hawaiian Salmons. They met Cilan who was also fishing for the Hawaiian Salmons for his new recipes. Lana eventally managed to obtain the large sized Hawaiian Salmons and give it to Mallow.
Epsiode 28: Ash, Serena ,Brock and Misty went to visit Aether Paradise with Lusamine, Gladion and Lillie, Serena was so excited about the equalvent inside. Brock met Lusamine for first time and become horny and being instantly poison jabbed by his Croagunk and dragged away by Misty like usual (lol!) Meanwhile, the parallel version of Lusamine (from Pokemon Sun and Moon game) had went to this universe using the Ultra Wormholes and kidnapped the Shiny Lillie#Lillie) (nihilego) for parallel Lusamine's evil deed!
Epsiode 29: The Shiny nihilego had been kidnapped! Ash and his Alola classmate must find the way to recuse the Shiny nihilego! Clemont attempt to create something that can sent them to another universe but failed. Meanwhile, Ash's Naganadel and Solgaleo appears from the Ultra Wormhole. Ash was confused why Naganadel would finds him while he's living with his friends on his own world, Naganadel said that his own world had appears thousands of Ultra Wormhole and being invaded by vile Ultra Beasts. Ash, Serena, Gladion and Ash's classmate become Ultra Guardians. With the help of Solgaleo to create the Ultra Wormhole, the Ultra Guardians begin to went to the alternative universe and save Shiny Nihiliego!
Epsiode 30: Inside the Aether Paradise of Alternative universe, the Ultra Guardians defeats all who stops them and was managed to find the Shiny nihilego which is trapped into the tube. The Alternative Lusamine was just seen to kicked the Alternative Lillie out of her room and told the Ultra Guardians that she'll rules Ash's world. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow went to fight against Alternative Lusamine while Ash, Kiawe and Gladion attempt to use their Z move to break that tube but failed. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow was slowly being overwhelmed by Alternative Lusamine until Kiawe and Gladion aids them. Ash attempts to use his Aura to brute force that tube but seeing that the Shiny nihilego was taking damage as well! With Ash running low on options, Ash call out his Dunsparce and pray for his Dunsparce for helping him. His Dunsparce agrees and evolves into the rare 3 segment Dudunsparce. Ash's Dudunsparce use Hyper Drill to destroy that tube and sucressfully recuse the Shiny nihilego. At the same time, the Ultra Guardians had defeated the Alternative Lusamine. Ash's Solgaleo created the Ultra Wormhole to brings the Ultra Guardians back to their own universe!
Epsiode 31: Ultra Guardians and the Shiny nihilego had returned to this universe! Now the 1st anniversity party of Ash become Champion had finally begins!
Epsiode 32: Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock, Clemont, Bonnie, Gladion and Ash's teammate went to Pokémon Paradise Resort and have a relaxing bath before settling down in bed. Everyone falls asleep. Meanwhile, the sky have tons of Ultra Wormhole appears.
Epsiode 33: Ash's gang woke up and was horrified about how the sky are being filled with Ultra Wormhole, Ash, Lillie and Gladion went to Aether Paradise while the rest are stay in Alola to sent those Ultra Beast back to their own place. Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine was horrified to see that the Alternative Lusamine (merged with Nihiliego) had appears to follow them into this universe.
Epsiode 34: Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine fought against the Alternative Lusamine and seemsly to defeated the Alternative Lusamine, but Alternative Lusamine suddenly wake up and about to directly attack Lillie! However, The Shiny Nihiliego (Lillie) merges with Lillie (Artist: yu☀︎) and emerage unharmed. The 2 Nihiliego-Human fusion fight each other, but Ash's Solgaleo appears once again and push (with the combined effort of Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine) ,the Alternative Lusamine back to it's universe via the Ultra Wormhole!
Epsiode 35: Despite they finally get rid of Alternative Lusamine, the Ultra Guardians had been outnumbered by the Ultra Beast even with the combined effort of Guardian deities! Professor Kukui had found that the only way to sent all those Ultra Beast back is to combine the power of all 7 Z rings to shut down the Ultra Wormhole. Ash, Gladion and Ash's classmate had used the Z rings to create the giant rainbow laser to the sky to power up the Guardian deities's grand cross shaped beam to suck those Ultra Beast back to Ultra Wormhole and closing those Ultra Wormhole, ending the Ultra Beast crisis once and for all.
Epsiode 36: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock and Ash's classmate went to Treasure Island for fun.
Epsiode 37: Ash had saw the news about May and Dawn will appears in the final of Grand Festival in Galar; Ash then realized that he made the promise that he'll cheer up either May or Dawn in person should they managed to reach to the finale. At the same time, Misty had recieved the phone call that the 3 sisters will need Misty's help for Gym's Refurbishment. Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty and Brock says goodbye to Ash's classmate as Misty heading back to her Gym and the rest heading to Galar.
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
In this Arc, Goh will learn the very harsh lesson of how Pokemon supposed to be treated. Although many chinese Amourshipping Fic have Goh as Villain or being brutally murdered, this Fanfic will instead makes Goh learns fear.
--------------------------------------May and Dawn Single Chapter--------------------------------------
Epsiode 38: In Galar, May and Dawn will begin the rematch with very same) Pokemon) they used Last time. However, May's more superior skills had finally defeats Dawn and become second Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comfort Dawn, with Serena become curious about Top Coordinator thingy and shared their experienced with Dawn. Meanwhile, Ash recieved the phone call from --------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Epsiode 39: Inside Hoenn, Serena sawing that May was doing rematch with Dawn, and May finally defeats Dawn and become Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comforts Dawn and Dawn promised that she'll become another Top Coordinator. Dawn and Serena will also shared their experience.
Epsiode 40: Chloe finally determinate to caught more Pokemon for the future Pokemon
Epsiode 40: Ash worried about how
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by Oizys in front of Serena's eyes and defeated almost every single Ash's traveling partner, all 7 Pokemon Masters , Gary Oak and Serena. But Serena was eventally managed to free Ash from Oizys control. After defeating Oizys, Goh finally wake up and learned the harsh lesson about how to take care of his pokemon.
--------------------------------------Season 3--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------gossip Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break sans Action. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash and Serena must find a way to debunk various of the fake news (like Liko is Ash and Serena's daughter) that damaging their reputations and free Liko from being cyberbullied. In addition, they'll also met Nemona marks the first appearance in this Arc and will join Ash's team!
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc 1--------------------------------------
Ash and Serena finally went to Paldea for first time, Liko, Roy and Necoma finally join Ash's team in this Arc.
Ash, Serena, Roy, Liko and Nemona will meet Steven to obtain the Tera Orb to Terastalize their Pokemon.
Ash will also caught the Paldea flying type Pokemon here
--------------------------------------Kalos Queen defend Arc --------------------------------------
First appearance of terastallize
The new season of Pokémon Showcase begins! Can Serena Defend her Kalos Queen title?
--------------------------------------"Shipping War" Arc (adopted from This one shot): --------------------------------------
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
After The giant blue bird had makes Serena and Misty , all Ash's female travel companion and even all humans in pokemon kills each other until there's only 1 left against their will! Ash was able to free all of his friend before any tragic happens but that giant blue bird absorbed Serena and begin to spread all over the world! The only way to save Serena is to have Ash insert the feelings toward Serena into the water shuriken to open the hole out of Twitter's physical body so that Ash can save Serena.
--------------------------------------Season 4--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old truth Arc Prequel (adopted from this one shot**):**--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, character building, Action
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break! Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
After Ash and Serena discovered the truth about Ash's being cursed with eternal 10 years old which might potentially eventally wipe away his character development and revert him back to the 10 years old stupid dense shell like in Uvona, Ash and Serena got psychological shadow and escape from reality by living in their own dream and refuse to wake up. However, Ash and Serena would eventually overcome their fear and . It'll also features with the cameo appearance of Calem and Game Serena.
--------------------------------------Fanfic Flashback Special Single Epsiode--------------------------------------
Type: Crossover, Flashback
After Calem being freed from Camel's possessing, Ash, Serena, Calem and Serena (Game) will meet each other and share their life experience before sending Calem and Serena (Game) back to their own universe.
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc 2--------------------------------------
Ash, Serena
--------------------------------------Tobias Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Amour, character building, Action
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Tobias was revealed to be the "Ash's dream crusher", so strong that not even the combined effort of 7 Pokemon Master can stop him! This Arc features with the return and the final battle against Oizys and Damian.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Last Story Arc where Ash is still 10 years old
Ash finally defeated Tobias, but Ash's 10 years old curse had finally reverted Ash back to the tough dense shell. Ash's friend and Serena must find the way to break that curse to stop Ash from being 10 years old and bring the mature Ash back.
--------------------------------------Oshi no Ko crossoveIdol industry dark truth Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: crossover, drama, Break Fourth Wall, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, heavy irony, fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Ash finally grown up! Serena was being invited to went to Japan for the performance but eventually rejected after she discovered the shocking, ugly truth of the idol industry in Japan. Officer Jenny gives the secret mission for Ash, Team Rocket Trio (served their sentence), Latias and Team Rocket Trio's Ditto will camouflage as Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe to sneak into those idol industry and debunk the dirty act in idol industry in Japan, while the real Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe will appeals to her fans all over the world to boycott such dirty act in idol industry in Japan.
--------------------------------------TBA Arc--------------------------------------
2023.05.31 10:33 JoshAsdvgi The Enchanted Moccasins
 | submitted by JoshAsdvgi to Native_Stories [link] [comments] The Enchanted Moccasins A long, long time ago, a little boy was living with his sister entirely alone in an uninhabited country, far out in the north-west. He was called the Boy that carries the Ball on his Back, from an idea that he possessed supernatural powers. This boy was in the habit of meditating alone, and asking within himself, whether there were other beings similar to themselves on the earth. When he grew up to manhood, he inquired of his sister whether she knew of any human beings beside themselves. She replied that she did; and that there was, at a great distance, a large village. As soon as he heard this, he said to his sister, “I am now a young man and very much in want of a companion;” and he asked his sister to make him several pairs of moccasins. She complied with his request; and as soon as he received the moccasins, he took up his war-club and set out in quest of the distant village. He traveled on till he came to a small wigwam, and on looking into it he discovered a very old woman sitting alone by the fire. As soon as she saw the stranger, she invited him in, and thus addressed him: “My poor grandchild, I suppose you are one of those who seek for the distant village, from which no person has ever yet returned. Unless your guardian is more powerful than the guardians of those who have gone before you, you will share a similar fate to theirs. Be careful to provide yourself with the invisible bones they use in the medicine-dance, for without these you can not succeed.” After she had thus spoken, she gave him the following directions for his journey: “When you come near to the village which you seek, you will see in the center a large lodge, in which the chief of the village, who has two daughters, resides. Before the door there is a great tree, which is smooth and without bark. On this tree, about the height of a man from the ground, is hung a small lodge, in which these two false daughters dwell. It is here that so many have been destroyed, and among them your two elder brothers. Be wise, my grandchild, and abide strictly by my directions.” The old woman then gave to the young man the bones which were to secure his success; and she informed him with great care how he was to proceed. Placing them in his bosom, Onwee Bahmondang, or the Wearer of the Ball, continued his journey, and kept eagerly on until he arrived at the village of which he was in search; and as he was gazing around him, he saw both the tree and the lodge which the old woman had mentioned. He at once bent his steps for the tree, and approaching, he endeavored to reach the suspended lodge. But all his efforts were in vain; for as often as he attempted to reach it, the tree began to tremble, and it soon shot up so that the lodge could hardly be perceived. He bethought him of his guardian, and invoking his aid, and changing himself into a squirrel, he mounted nimbly up again, in the hope that the lodge would not now escape him. Away shot the lodge, climb as briskly as he might. Panting, and out of breath, he remembered the instructions of the old woman, and drawing from his bosom one of the bones, he thrust it into the trunk of the tree, and rested himself to be ready to start again. As often as he wearied of climbing, for even a squirrel can not climb forever, he repeated the little ceremony of the bones; but whenever he came near the lodge and put forth his hand to touch it, the tree would shoot up as before, and carry the lodge up far beyond his reach. At length the bones being all gone, and the lodge well-nigh out of sight, he began to despair, for the earth, too, had long since vanished entirely from his view. Summoning his whole heart, he resolved to try once more. On and up he went, and, as soon as he put forth his hand to touch it, the tree again shook, and away went the lodge. One more endeavor, brave Onwee, and in he goes; for having now reached the arch of heaven, the fly-away lodge could go no higher. Onwee entered the lodge with a fearless step, and he beheld the two wicked sisters sitting opposite each other. He asked their names. The one on his left hand called herself Azhabee, and the one on the right, Negahnabee. After talking with them a little while, he discovered that whenever he addressed the one on his left hand, the tree would tremble as before and settle down to its former place; but when he addressed the one on his right hand, it would again shoot upward. When he thus perceived that by addressing the one on his left hand that the tree would descend, he continued to do so until it had again settled down to its place near the earth. Then seizing his war-club, he said to the sisters: “You who have caused the death of so many of my brethren I will now put an end to, and thus have revenge for those you have destroyed.” As he spoke this he raised the club, and with one blow laid the two wicked women dead at his feet. Onwee then descended, and learning that these sisters had a brother living with their father, who had shared all together in the spoils of all such as the wicked sisters had betrayed, and who would now pursue him for having put an end to their wicked profits, Onwee set off at random, not knowing whither he went. The father coming in the evening to visit the lodge of his daughters, discovered what had happened. He immediately sent word to his son that his sisters had been slain, and that there were no more spoils to be had, which greatly inflamed the young man’s temper, especially the woeful announcement at the close. “The person who has done this,” said the brother, as soon as he had reached the spot, chafing and half beside himself at the gloomy prospect of having no more travelers to strip, “must be that boy who carries the ball on his back. I know his mode of going about his business, and since he would not allow himself to be killed by my sisters, he shall have the honor of dying by my hand. I will pursue him and have revenge.” “It is well, my son,” replied the father; “the spirit of your life grant you success. I counsel you to be wary in the pursuit. Bahmondang is a cunning youth. It is a strong spirit who has put him on to do this injury to us, and he will try to deceive you in every way. Above all, avoid tasting food till you succeed; for if you break your fast before you see his blood, your power will be destroyed.” The son took this fatherly advice all in good part, except that portion which enjoined upon him to abstain from staying his stomach; but over that he made a number of wry faces, for the brother of the two wicked sisters had, among numerous noble gifts, a very noble appetite. Nevertheless, he took up his weapons and departed in pursuit of Onwee Bahmondang, at the top of his speed. Onwee finding that he was closely followed, climbed up into one of the tallest trees, and shot forth the magic arrows with which he had provided himself. Seeing that his pursuer was not turned back by his arrows, Onwee renewed his flight; and when he found himself hard pressed, and his enemy close behind him, he transformed himself into the skeleton of a moose that had been killed, whose flesh had come off from his bones. He then remembered the moccasins which his sister had given him, and which were enchanted. Taking a pair of them, he placed them near the skeleton. “Go,” said he to them, “to the end of the earth.” The moccasins then left him, and their tracks remained. The angry brother at length came to the skeleton of the moose, when he perceived that the track he had been long pursuing did not stop there, so he continued to follow it up till he arrived at the end of the earth, where, for all his trouble, he found only a pair of moccasins. Vexed that he had been outwitted by following a pair of moccasins instead of their owner, who was the object of his pursuit, he bitterly complained, resolving not to give up his revenge, and to be more wary in scrutinizing signs. He then called to mind the skeleton he had met with on his way, and concluded that it must be the object of his search. He retraced his steps toward the skeleton, but to his surprise it had disappeared, and the tracks of the wearer of the ball were in another direction. He now became faint with hunger, and lost heart; but when he remembered the blood of his sisters, and that he should not be allowed to enjoy a meal, nor so much as a mouthful, until he had put an end to Onwee Bahmondang, he plucked up his spirits and determined again to pursue. Onwee, finding that he was closely followed, and that the hungry brother was approaching very fast, changed himself into a very old man, with two daughters, and living in a large lodge in the center of a beautiful garden, which was filled with every thing that could delight the eye, or was pleasant to the taste. He made himself appear so very old as to be unable to leave his lodge, and to require his daughters to bring him food and wait on him, as though he had been a mere child. The garden also had the appearance of old age, with its ancient bushes and hanging branches and decrepit vines loitering lazily about in the sun. The brother kept on until he was nearly starved and ready to sink to the earth. He exclaimed, with a long-drawn and most mournful sigh, “Oh! I will forget the blood of my sisters, for I am starving. Oh! oh!” But again he thought of the blood of his sisters, and what a fine appetite he would have if he should ever be allowed to eat any thing again, and once more he resolved to pursue, and to be content with nothing short of the amplest revenge. He pushed on till he came to the beautiful garden. He advanced toward the lodge. As soon as the fairy daughters perceived him they ran and told their father that a stranger approached. Their father replied, “Invite him in, my children, invite him in.” They did so promptly, and, by the command of their father, they boiled some corn, and prepared several other palatable dishes. The savor was most delicious to the nostrils of the hungry brother, who had not the least suspicion of the sport that was going on at his expense. He was faint and weary with travel, and he felt that he could endure fasting no longer; for his appetite was terribly inflamed by the sight of the choice food that was steaming before him. He fell to and partook heartily of the meal; and, by so doing, he was overcome, and lost his right of revenge. All at once he forgot the blood of his sisters, and even the village of his nativity, and his father’s lodge, and his whole past life. He ate so keenly, and came and went to the choice dishes so often, that drowsiness at length overpowered him, and he soon fell into a profound sleep. Onwee Bahmondang watched his opportunity, and as soon as he saw that the false brother’s sleep was sound, he resumed his youthful form, and sent off the two fairy daughters and the old garden; and drawing the magic-ball from his back, which turned out to be a great war-club, he fetched the slumbering brother a mighty blow, which sent him away too; and thus did Onwee Bahmondang vindicate his title as the Wearer of the Ball. When Onwee swung around, with the great force and weight of the club with which he had dispatched the brother of the two wicked women, he found himself in a large village, surrounded by a great crowd of people. At the door of a beautiful lodge stood his sister, smiling, and ready to invite him in. Onwee entered, and hanging up his war-club and the enchanted moccasins, which he had recovered, he rested from his labors, and smoked his evening pipe, with the admiration and approval of the whole world. With one exception only, Onwee Bahmondang had the hearty praises of all the people. Now it happened that there lived in this same village an envious and boastful fellow, who had been once a chief, but coming home always badly whipped, he was put out of office, and now spent his time about the place mainly, in proclaiming certain great things which he had in his eye, and which he meant to do—one of these days. This man’s name was Ko-ko, the Owl; and hearing much of the wonderful achievements of the Wearer of the Ball, Ko-ko put on a big look, and announced that he was going to do something extraordinary himself. Onwee Bahmondang, he said, had not half done his work, and he, Ko-ko, meant to go on the ground and finish it up as it should be. He began by procuring an oak ball, which he thrust down his back, and, confident in its magical powers, he, too, called himself the Wearer of the Ball. In fact it was the self-same ball that Onwee had employed, except that the magic had entirely gone out of it. Coming by night in the shadow of the lodge, he thrust his arm in at the door, and stealthily possessed himself of the enchanted moccasins. He would have taken away Onwee’s war-club too, if he could have carried it; but although he was twice the size and girth of Onwee, he had not the strength to lift it; so he borrowed a club from an old chief, who was purblind, and mistook Ko-ko for his brother who was a brave man; and raising a terrible tumult with his voice, and a great dust with his heels, Ko-ko set out. He had traveled all day, when he came to a small wigwam, and on looking into it, he discovered a very old woman sitting alone by the fire; just as Onwee had before. This is the wigwam, said Ko-ko, and this is the old woman. “What are you looking for?” asked the old woman. “I want to find the lodge with the wicked young women in it, who slay travellers and steal their trappings,” answered Ko-ko. “You mean the two young women who lived in the flying lodge?” said the old woman. “The same,” answered Ko-ko. “I am going to kill them.” With this he gave a great flourish with his borrowed club, and looked desperate and murderous as he could. “They were slain yesterday by the Wearer of the Ball,” said the old woman. Ko-ko looked around for the door in a very owlish way, and heaving a short hem from his chest, he acknowledged that he had heard something to that effect down in one of the villages. “But there’s the brother. I’ll have a chance at him,” said Ko-ko. “He is dead too,” said the old woman. “Is there nobody then left for me to kill?” cried Ko-ko. “Must I then go back without any blood upon my hands?” He made as if he could shed tears over his sad mishap. “The father is still living; and you will find him in the lodge, if you have a mind to call on him. He would like to see the Owl,” the old woman added. “He shall,” replied Ko-ko. “Have you any bones about the house; for I suppose I shall have to climb that tree.” “Oh, yes; plenty,” answered the old woman. “You can have as many as you want.” And she gave him a handful of fish-bones, which Ko-ko, taking them to be the Invisible Tallies which had helped Onwee Bahmondang in climbing the magical tree, thrust into his bosom. “Thank you,” said Ko-ko; taking up his club and striding toward the door. “Will you not have a little advice,” said the old woman. “This is a dangerous business you are going on.” Ko-ko turned about and laughed to scorn the proposal, and putting forth his right foot from the lodge first, an observance in which he had great hopes, he started for the lodge of the wicked father. Ko-ko ran very fast, as if he feared he should lose the chance of massacring any member of the wicked family, until he came in sight of the lodge hanging upon the tree. He then slackened his pace, and crept forward with a wary eye lest somebody might chance to be looking out at the door. All was, however, still up there; and Ko-ko clasped the tree and began to climb. Away went the lodge, and up went Ko-ko, puffing and panting, after it. And it was not a great while before the Owl had puffed and panted away all the wind he had to spare; and yet the lodge kept flying aloft, higher, higher. What was to be done! Ko-ko of course bethought him of the bones, for that was just what, as he knew, had occurred to Onwee Bahmondang under the like circumstances. He had the bones in his bosom; and now it was necessary for him to be a squirrel. He immediately called on several guardian spirits whom he knew of by name, and requested them to convert him into a squirrel. But not one of all them seemed to pay the slightest attention to his request; for there he hung, the same heavy-limbed, big-headed, be-clubbed, and be-blanketed Ko-ko as ever. He then desired that they would turn him into an opossum; an application which met with the same luck as the previous one. After this he petitioned to be a wolf, a gophir, a dog, or a bear—if they would be so obliging. The guardian spirits were either all deaf, or indifferent to his wishes, or absent on some other business. Ko-ko, in spite of all his begging and supplication and beseeching, was obliged to be still Ko-ko. “The bones, however,” he said, to himself, “are good. I shall get a nice rest, at any rate, if I am forced to climb as I am.” With this he drew out one of the bones from his bosom, and shouting aloud, “Ho! ho! who is there?” he thrust it into the trunk of the tree, and would have indulged himself in a rest; but being no more than a common fish-bone, without the slightest savor of magic in it, it snapped with Ko-ko, who came tumbling down, with the door of the lodge which he had shaken loose, rattling after him. “Ho! ho! who is there?” cried the wicked father, making his appearance at the opening and looking down. “It is I, Onwee Bahmondang!” cried Ko-koor, thinking to frighten the wicked father. “Ah! it is you, is it? I will be there presently,” called the old man. “Do not be in haste to go away!” Ko-ko, observing that the old man was in earnest, scrambled up from the ground, and set off promptly at his highest rate of speed. When he looked back and saw that the wicked father was gaining upon him, Ko-koor mounted a tree, as had Onwee Bahmondang before, and fired off a number of arrows, but as they were no more than common arrows, he got nothing by it, but was obliged to descend, and run again for life. As he hurried on he encountered the skeleton of a moose, into which he would have transformed himself, but not having the slightest confidence in any one of all the guardians who should have helped him, he passed on. The wicked father was hot in pursuit, and Ko-koor was suffering terribly for lack of wind, when luckily he remembered the enchanted moccasins. He could not send them to the end of the earth, as had Onwee Bahmondang. “I will improve on that dull fellow,” said Ko-ko. “I will put them on myself.” Accordingly, Ko-ko had just time to draw on the moccasins when the wicked father came in sight. “Go now!” cried Ko-ko, giving orders to the enchanted moccasins; and go they did; but to the astonishment of the Owl, they turned immediately about in the way in which the wicked father, now, very furious, was approaching. “The other way! the other way!” cried Ko-ko. Cry as loud as he would, the enchanted moccasins would keep on in their own course; and before he could shake himself out of them, they had run him directly into the face of the wicked father. “What do you mean, you Owl?” cried the wicked father, falling upon Ko-ko with a huge club, and counting his ribs at every stroke. “I can not help it, good man,” answered Ko-ko. “I tried my best—” Ko-ko would have gone the other way, but the enchanted moccasins kept hurrying him forward. “Stand off, will you?” cried the old man. By this time, allowing the wicked father chance to bestow no more than five-and-twenty more blows upon Ko-ko, the moccasins were taking him past. “Stop!” cried the old man again. “You are running away. Ho! ho! you are a coward!” “I am not, good man,” answered Ko-ko, carried away by the magical shoes, “I assure you.” But ere he could finish his avowal, the moccasins had hurried him out of sight. “At any rate, I shall soon be home at this speed,” said Ko-koor to himself. The moccasins seemed to know his thoughts; for just then they gave a sudden leap, slipped away from his feet, and left the Owl flat upon his back! while they glided home by themselves, to the lodge of Onwee Bahmondang, where they belonged. A party of hunters passing that way after several days, found Ko-ko sitting among the bushes, looking greatly bewildered; and when they inquired of him how he had succeeded with the wicked father at the lodge, he answered that he had demolished the whole establishment, but that his name was not Ko-ko, but Onwee Bahmondang; saying which, he ran away into the woods, and was never seen more. |
2023.05.31 09:47 Black_Hazard_YABEI Tentative Plot Preview of my Amourshipping fic (Pokemon A/S) Version 1.4
Version 1.2: https://www.reddit.com/useBlack_Hazard_YABEI/comments/13vifky/tentative_plot_preview_of_my_amourshipping_fic/
Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Protagionist: Ash and Serena (Of course)
Main Cast: Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts while May will become Top Coordinator by defeating May on screen.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : May >= Dawn > Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
-Clembot will be upgraded to Clembot MKIII in this fic
-Arceus become way more loyal to Ash into the point that will makes Arceus angry enough to personally
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time
I might consider to make the Pearlshipping Side Story which will take place before
--------------------------------------Season 1--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Featured Characters: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Miette, May, Dawn
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
First Appearance of Dawn
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May as they moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Featured Characters: Clemont, Bonnie, Meyer
Featured Antagionist: Xerosic
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Clemont's Chespin evolved into Chesnaught, first appearance of Clemont-Chesnaught and they have to move to Ash's house because Prism Tower had been damaged
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
-------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
First appearance of Mega Pidgeot
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Featured Antagionist: Tons of Fearows
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Ash single chapter (ep 9)--------------------
Type: Adventure
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Ash will caught Dunsparce in this episode
Epsiode 9: After 27 years of failure, Ash had finally caught his most longed wanted Dunsparce ! (which will later evolve into the rare 3 segment dundunsparce by TM him Hyper Drill)
--------------------The Muted Princess of Hoenn Arc (ep 10-12)--------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor
May, the Princess of Hoenn had been diagnosed spasmodic dysphonia and become inability to speak like Red) did! Meanwhile, Ash and Serena being sent to Hoenn in very funny way and reunited with May and Max! This epsiode also features
Featured Characters: Ash, May, Max, Serena, Molly
Featured Antagonist: Team Rocket Trio (Epsiode 10 only)
Epsiode 10: Team Rocket trio caught Ash's Pikachu once again! Ash jump to the Team Rocket ballon to save Pikachu while having Serena caught his feet, but Ash had end up makes the Team Rocket ballon explodes and sent Ash, Pikachu and Serena to Hoenn! (lol!). May and Max meet Ash and Serena once again and was surprised why Ash would hugging Serena so tight and lying on the ground (lol)! Ash and Serena attempt greets May and Max but May didn't speak and respond with sign language! Max then told Ash and Serena's sad news about May become inability to speak because of the spasmodic dysphonia! Knowing that Jirachi will took 980 years to become useable again, Max decided to find which pokemon can cure May.
Serena will get Absol in this epsiode
Epsiode 11: While May and Max was staying at their home to find if there's any pokemon to makes May can speak again, Ash and Serena went outside and saw the Absol laying down outside and end up seriously injured.
Epsiode 12: After Serena caught Absol, Max had found that the only way to makes May can speak again is to find the Unown, and Molly is the only person who can use Unown to make May speaks again. Ash, Serena, May and Max went to greenfield and found Molly to use unown to spell "May Speak" so that May can speak again
------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 13-21)--------------------
Type: Action
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Professor Oak, Korrina, Alain, Diantha, Mewtwo, Lugia, Butch and Cassidy (Flashback)
Featured Antagonist: Giovanni, Domino , Dr. Namba (With Artifical Shadow Lugia), team rocket trio (Redeemed in ending), various of unnamed Team Rocket Grunts and Artifical Pokemons
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 13: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 14: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 16: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. They managed to clean the way and proceed, but Domino appears and blocked their way! Misty and Brock decided to stay here to fight against Domino to let Ash and Gary reaching Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 17: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 18: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army and Dr. Namba. Korrina, Alain and Diantha decided to fight against Dr. Namba while Clemont, Bonnie an Serena stay to fight against those artifical pokemon to clean their way to save ash. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 19: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock had finally defeated Domino while Korrina, Alain and Diantha managed to defeat Dr. Namba and the artifical Lugia thanks to the Real Lugia (the one from M02) , while Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had defeated all of those artifical pokemon army. They all reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 20: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain , Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and team up with Lugia to helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 21: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------------------------Season 2--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 22-24)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 22: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash, but Ash's bond between pokemon quickly turns the table! While Ash was about to defeat Damian, his Pikachu suddenly unleashed the large amount of power and went berserk!
Epsiode 23: Having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 24: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his device to prevent the brainwash from happening! **Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on ground and Ash have only pikachu left to stop that energy crystal! Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which allows pikachu utilized that power once again to **create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok!
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 25)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 25: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Alola Arc (Epsiode 26-37) -------------------------------------
Type: Story telling, adventure, action (ep 29-30, 33-35)
Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock will go to Alola and meet Ash's classmates.
This might be the Only Story Arc where Ash's Alola classmates will have major appearance for a while
Lillie will merge with the Shiny Nihiliego with same name#Lillie) in this Arc
Ash's Dunsparce will learn Hyper Drill and evolve into 3 segment dundunsparce in this Arc.
Episode 26: Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock went to Alola for vacation and reunited with Ash's classmates. Ash and Serena will share their experience in those years
Epsiode 27: In order to prepare the Lomi-lomi salmon. recipe for Mallow, Misty and Lana went to fishing the large sized Hawaiian Salmons. They met Cilan who was also fishing for the Hawaiian Salmons for his new recipes. Lana eventally managed to obtain the large sized Hawaiian Salmons and give it to Mallow.
Epsiode 28: Ash, Serena ,Brock and Misty went to visit Aether Paradise with Lusamine, Gladion and Lillie, Serena was so excited about the equalvent inside. Brock met Lusamine for first time and become horny and being instantly poison jabbed by his Croagunk and dragged away by Misty like usual (lol!) Meanwhile, the parallel version of Lusamine (from Pokemon Sun and Moon game) had went to this universe using the Ultra Wormholes and kidnapped the Shiny Lillie#Lillie) (nihilego) for parallel Lusamine's evil deed!
Epsiode 29: The Shiny nihilego had been kidnapped! Ash and his Alola classmate must find the way to recuse the Shiny nihilego! Clemont attempt to create something that can sent them to another universe but failed. Meanwhile, Ash's Naganadel and Solgaleo appears from the Ultra Wormhole. Ash was confused why Naganadel would finds him while he's living with his friends on his own world, Naganadel said that his own world had appears thousands of Ultra Wormhole and being invaded by vile Ultra Beasts. Ash, Serena, Gladion and Ash's classmate become Ultra Guardians. With the help of Solgaleo to create the Ultra Wormhole, the Ultra Guardians begin to went to the alternative universe and save Shiny Nihiliego!
Epsiode 30: Inside the Aether Paradise of Alternative universe, the Ultra Guardians defeats all who stops them and was managed to find the Shiny nihilego which is trapped into the tube. The Alternative Lusamine was just seen to kicked the Alternative Lillie out of her room and told the Ultra Guardians that she'll rules Ash's world. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow went to fight against Alternative Lusamine while Ash, Kiawe and Gladion attempt to use their Z move to break that tube but failed. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow was slowly being overwhelmed by Alternative Lusamine until Kiawe and Gladion aids them. Ash attempts to use his Aura to brute force that tube but seeing that the Shiny nihilego was taking damage as well! With Ash running low on options, Ash call out his Dunsparce and pray for his Dunsparce for helping him. His Dunsparce agrees and evolves into the rare 3 segment Dudunsparce. Ash's Dudunsparce use Hyper Drill to destroy that tube and sucressfully recuse the Shiny nihilego. At the same time, the Ultra Guardians had defeated the Alternative Lusamine. Ash's Solgaleo created the Ultra Wormhole to brings the Ultra Guardians back to their own universe!
Epsiode 31: Ultra Guardians and the Shiny nihilego had returned to this universe! Now the 1st anniversity party of Ash become Champion had finally begins!
Epsiode 32: Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock, Clemont, Bonnie, Gladion and Ash's teammate went to Pokémon Paradise Resort and have a relaxing bath before settling down in bed. Everyone falls asleep. Meanwhile, the sky have tons of Ultra Wormhole appears.
Epsiode 33: Ash's gang woke up and was horrified about how the sky are being filled with Ultra Wormhole, Ash, Lillie and Gladion went to Aether Paradise while the rest are stay in Alola to sent those Ultra Beast back to their own place. Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine was horrified to see that the Alternative Lusamine (merged with Nihiliego) had appears to follow them into this universe.
Epsiode 34: Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine fought against the Alternative Lusamine and seemsly to defeated the Alternative Lusamine, but Alternative Lusamine suddenly wake up and about to directly attack Lillie! However, The Shiny Nihiliego (Lillie) merges with Lillie (Artist: yu☀︎) and emerage unharmed. The 2 Nihiliego-Human fusion fight each other, but Ash's Solgaleo appears once again and push (with the combined effort of Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine) ,the Alternative Lusamine back to it's universe via the Ultra Wormhole!
Epsiode 35: Despite they finally get rid of Alternative Lusamine, the Ultra Guardians had been outnumbered by the Ultra Beast even with the combined effort of Guardian deities! Professor Kukui had found that the only way to sent all those Ultra Beast back is to combine the power of all 7 Z rings to shut down the Ultra Wormhole. Ash, Gladion and Ash's classmate had used the Z rings to create the giant rainbow laser to the sky to power up the Guardian deities's grand cross shaped beam to suck those Ultra Beast back to Ultra Wormhole and closing those Ultra Wormhole, ending the Ultra Beast crisis once and for all.
Epsiode 36: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock and Ash's classmate went to Treasure Island for fun.
Epsiode 37: Ash had saw the news about May and Dawn will appears in the final of Grand Festival in Galar; Ash then realized that he made the promise that he'll cheer up either May or Dawn in person should they managed to reach to the finale. At the same time, Misty had recieved the phone call that the 3 sisters will need Misty's help for Gym's Refurbishment. Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty and Brock says goodbye to Ash's classmate as Misty heading back to her Gym and the rest heading to Galar.
--------------------------------------Planned Future story Arc:--------------------------------------
Pokemon Contest Arc (Mittie vs Serena) or:
Features with May vs Dawn, but I don't know who should win the contest. If May wins, Serena will encounter May and if Dawn wins, Serena will encounter Dawn. Serena will lose either way.
Wallce Cup Arc(May vs Dawn, Chloe vs May, Chloe vs Dawn, Dawn vs Serena) or:
countine the romance amour with Ash arc: (Should I? But I really suck at writing those)
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
In this Arc, Goh will learn the very harsh lesson of how Pokemon supposed to be treated. Although many chinese Amourshipping Fic have Goh as Villain or being brutally murdered, this Fanfic will instead makes Goh learns fear.
--------------------------------------May and Dawn Single Chapter--------------------------------------
Epsiode 38: In Galar, May and Dawn will begin the rematch with very same) Pokemon) they used Last time. However, May's more superior skills had finally defeats Dawn and become second Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comfort Dawn, with Serena become curious about Top Coordinator thingy and shared their experienced with Dawn. Meanwhile, Ash recieved the phone call from --------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Epsiode 39: Inside Hoenn, Serena sawing that May was doing rematch with Dawn, and May finally defeats Dawn and become Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comforts Dawn and Dawn promised that she'll become another Top Coordinator. Dawn and Serena will also shared their experience.
Epsiode 40: Chloe finally determinate to caught more Pokemon for the future Pokemon
Epsiode 40: Ash worried about how
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by
submitted by Black_Hazard_YABEI to u/Black_Hazard_YABEI [link] [comments]
Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Protagionist: Ash and Serena (Of course)
Main Cast: Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
Gary Oak become Professor before the fic starts.
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts while May will become Top Coordinator by defeating May on screen.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : May >= Dawn > Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash:
- become smarter and more mature at beginning, but still a dense shell (slowly breaks)
- Use Aura and his superhuman strength very often
- Ash will not release any non Pikachu pokemon at beginning, Regularly use his old pokemon and keep switching his party except Pikachu, because in this fanfic, Ash want to spent more time with their old pokemon. However, as the times comes by, Ash will slowly have the fixed team that features with few Paldea Pokemon.
- Some of his Pokemon like Bayleef and Gable will be fully evolved
- Acknowledge that Team Rocket Trio have heart and will display Sympathy to them
- will slowly become a better battler than anime counterpart (become as strong as Clemont) , joining battle way more often and will even features with several back-to-back action with Ash
-Clemont's Chespin will evolve to Chesnaught because of some Lab accident which also blow up the Prism Tower(lol!)
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid and use squishy to help saves the day more often.
-Clemont will become more successful Scientist because he now got the more competent assistant (Clembot MKIII and his Chesnaught)
-Clembot will be upgraded to Clembot MKIII in this fic
-Arceus become way more loyal to Ash into the point that will makes Arceus angry enough to personally
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
Serena will move to Pallet Town and live with Ash, while Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer will temporary living with Ash as well
Calem will appears in this fanfic as cameo alongside with Serena's Game counterpart) , who will appears with Anime Serena at the same time
I might consider to make the Pearlshipping Side Story which will take place before
--------------------------------------Season 1--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Featured Characters: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Miette, May, Dawn
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
First Appearance of Dawn
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May as they moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Featured Characters: Clemont, Bonnie, Meyer
Featured Antagionist: Xerosic
Type: Storytelling, Action, Humor
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Clemont's Chespin evolved into Chesnaught, first appearance of Clemont-Chesnaught and they have to move to Ash's house because Prism Tower had been damaged
Episode 7: Clemont was devloping the devloution device which allows the Pokemon to devolve if they accidentally evolved against their will. However, like most of Clemont's device, his devlution device went malfunction and begin to explode and accidentally fully evolved his Chespin into Chesnaught as well! Everyone was managed to escape, but the explosion was so huge that it blows half of the Prism Tower, leaving them homeless and have to temporary move to Pallet town to live with Ash until the Prism Tower had been fully restored. Meanwhile, Xerosic managed escaped from jail and separated Clemont from Bonnie and Meyer. Xerosic's power protector easily overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
-------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
First appearance of Mega Pidgeot
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Featured Antagionist: Tons of Fearows
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Ash single chapter (ep 9)--------------------
Type: Adventure
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Serena
Ash will caught Dunsparce in this episode
Epsiode 9: After 27 years of failure, Ash had finally caught his most longed wanted Dunsparce ! (which will later evolve into the rare 3 segment dundunsparce by TM him Hyper Drill)
--------------------The Muted Princess of Hoenn Arc (ep 10-12)--------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor
May, the Princess of Hoenn had been diagnosed spasmodic dysphonia and become inability to speak like Red) did! Meanwhile, Ash and Serena being sent to Hoenn in very funny way and reunited with May and Max! This epsiode also features
Featured Characters: Ash, May, Max, Serena, Molly
Featured Antagonist: Team Rocket Trio (Epsiode 10 only)
Epsiode 10: Team Rocket trio caught Ash's Pikachu once again! Ash jump to the Team Rocket ballon to save Pikachu while having Serena caught his feet, but Ash had end up makes the Team Rocket ballon explodes and sent Ash, Pikachu and Serena to Hoenn! (lol!). May and Max meet Ash and Serena once again and was surprised why Ash would hugging Serena so tight and lying on the ground (lol)! Ash and Serena attempt greets May and Max but May didn't speak and respond with sign language! Max then told Ash and Serena's sad news about May become inability to speak because of the spasmodic dysphonia! Knowing that Jirachi will took 980 years to become useable again, Max decided to find which pokemon can cure May.
Serena will get Absol in this epsiode
Epsiode 11: While May and Max was staying at their home to find if there's any pokemon to makes May can speak again, Ash and Serena went outside and saw the Absol laying down outside and end up seriously injured.
Epsiode 12: After Serena caught Absol, Max had found that the only way to makes May can speak again is to find the Unown, and Molly is the only person who can use Unown to make May speaks again. Ash, Serena, May and Max went to greenfield and found Molly to use unown to spell "May Speak" so that May can speak again
------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 13-21)--------------------
Type: Action
Featured Characters: Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Professor Oak, Korrina, Alain, Diantha, Mewtwo, Lugia, Butch and Cassidy (Flashback)
Featured Antagonist: Giovanni, Domino , Dr. Namba (With Artifical Shadow Lugia), team rocket trio (Redeemed in ending), various of unnamed Team Rocket Grunts and Artifical Pokemons
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 13: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 14: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 16: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. They managed to clean the way and proceed, but Domino appears and blocked their way! Misty and Brock decided to stay here to fight against Domino to let Ash and Gary reaching Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 17: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 18: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army and Dr. Namba. Korrina, Alain and Diantha decided to fight against Dr. Namba while Clemont, Bonnie an Serena stay to fight against those artifical pokemon to clean their way to save ash. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 19: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock had finally defeated Domino while Korrina, Alain and Diantha managed to defeat Dr. Namba and the artifical Lugia thanks to the Real Lugia (the one from M02) , while Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had defeated all of those artifical pokemon army. They all reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 20: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain , Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and team up with Lugia to helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 21: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------------------------Season 2--------------------------------------
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 22-24)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 22: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash, but Ash's bond between pokemon quickly turns the table! While Ash was about to defeat Damian, his Pikachu suddenly unleashed the large amount of power and went berserk!
Epsiode 23: Having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 24: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his device to prevent the brainwash from happening! **Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on ground and Ash have only pikachu left to stop that energy crystal! Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which allows pikachu utilized that power once again to **create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok!
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 25)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 25: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Alola Arc (Epsiode 26-37) -------------------------------------
Type: Story telling, adventure, action (ep 29-30, 33-35)
Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock will go to Alola and meet Ash's classmates.
This might be the Only Story Arc where Ash's Alola classmates will have major appearance for a while
Lillie will merge with the Shiny Nihiliego with same name#Lillie) in this Arc
Ash's Dunsparce will learn Hyper Drill and evolve into 3 segment dundunsparce in this Arc.
Episode 26: Ash,Serena, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie and Brock went to Alola for vacation and reunited with Ash's classmates. Ash and Serena will share their experience in those years
Epsiode 27: In order to prepare the Lomi-lomi salmon. recipe for Mallow, Misty and Lana went to fishing the large sized Hawaiian Salmons. They met Cilan who was also fishing for the Hawaiian Salmons for his new recipes. Lana eventally managed to obtain the large sized Hawaiian Salmons and give it to Mallow.
Epsiode 28: Ash, Serena ,Brock and Misty went to visit Aether Paradise with Lusamine, Gladion and Lillie, Serena was so excited about the equalvent inside. Brock met Lusamine for first time and become horny and being instantly poison jabbed by his Croagunk and dragged away by Misty like usual (lol!) Meanwhile, the parallel version of Lusamine (from Pokemon Sun and Moon game) had went to this universe using the Ultra Wormholes and kidnapped the Shiny Lillie#Lillie) (nihilego) for parallel Lusamine's evil deed!
Epsiode 29: The Shiny nihilego had been kidnapped! Ash and his Alola classmate must find the way to recuse the Shiny nihilego! Clemont attempt to create something that can sent them to another universe but failed. Meanwhile, Ash's Naganadel and Solgaleo appears from the Ultra Wormhole. Ash was confused why Naganadel would finds him while he's living with his friends on his own world, Naganadel said that his own world had appears thousands of Ultra Wormhole and being invaded by vile Ultra Beasts. Ash, Serena, Gladion and Ash's classmate become Ultra Guardians. With the help of Solgaleo to create the Ultra Wormhole, the Ultra Guardians begin to went to the alternative universe and save Shiny Nihiliego!
Epsiode 30: Inside the Aether Paradise of Alternative universe, the Ultra Guardians defeats all who stops them and was managed to find the Shiny nihilego which is trapped into the tube. The Alternative Lusamine was just seen to kicked the Alternative Lillie out of her room and told the Ultra Guardians that she'll rules Ash's world. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow went to fight against Alternative Lusamine while Ash, Kiawe and Gladion attempt to use their Z move to break that tube but failed. Serena, Lillie, Lana and Mallow was slowly being overwhelmed by Alternative Lusamine until Kiawe and Gladion aids them. Ash attempts to use his Aura to brute force that tube but seeing that the Shiny nihilego was taking damage as well! With Ash running low on options, Ash call out his Dunsparce and pray for his Dunsparce for helping him. His Dunsparce agrees and evolves into the rare 3 segment Dudunsparce. Ash's Dudunsparce use Hyper Drill to destroy that tube and sucressfully recuse the Shiny nihilego. At the same time, the Ultra Guardians had defeated the Alternative Lusamine. Ash's Solgaleo created the Ultra Wormhole to brings the Ultra Guardians back to their own universe!
Epsiode 31: Ultra Guardians and the Shiny nihilego had returned to this universe! Now the 1st anniversity party of Ash become Champion had finally begins!
Epsiode 32: Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock, Clemont, Bonnie, Gladion and Ash's teammate went to Pokémon Paradise Resort and have a relaxing bath before settling down in bed. Everyone falls asleep. Meanwhile, the sky have tons of Ultra Wormhole appears.
Epsiode 33: Ash's gang woke up and was horrified about how the sky are being filled with Ultra Wormhole, Ash, Lillie and Gladion went to Aether Paradise while the rest are stay in Alola to sent those Ultra Beast back to their own place. Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine was horrified to see that the Alternative Lusamine (merged with Nihiliego) had appears to follow them into this universe.
Epsiode 34: Ash, Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine fought against the Alternative Lusamine and seemsly to defeated the Alternative Lusamine, but Alternative Lusamine suddenly wake up and about to directly attack Lillie! However, The Shiny Nihiliego (Lillie) merges with Lillie (Artist: yu☀︎) and emerage unharmed. The 2 Nihiliego-Human fusion fight each other, but Ash's Solgaleo appears once again and push (with the combined effort of Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine) ,the Alternative Lusamine back to it's universe via the Ultra Wormhole!
Epsiode 35: Despite they finally get rid of Alternative Lusamine, the Ultra Guardians had been outnumbered by the Ultra Beast even with the combined effort of Guardian deities! Professor Kukui had found that the only way to sent all those Ultra Beast back is to combine the power of all 7 Z rings to shut down the Ultra Wormhole. Ash, Gladion and Ash's classmate had used the Z rings to create the giant rainbow laser to the sky to power up the Guardian deities's grand cross shaped beam to suck those Ultra Beast back to Ultra Wormhole and closing those Ultra Wormhole, ending the Ultra Beast crisis once and for all.
Epsiode 36: Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock and Ash's classmate went to Treasure Island for fun.
Epsiode 37: Ash had saw the news about May and Dawn will appears in the final of Grand Festival in Galar; Ash then realized that he made the promise that he'll cheer up either May or Dawn in person should they managed to reach to the finale. At the same time, Misty had recieved the phone call that the 3 sisters will need Misty's help for Gym's Refurbishment. Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty and Brock says goodbye to Ash's classmate as Misty heading back to her Gym and the rest heading to Galar.
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
In this Arc, Goh will learn the very harsh lesson of how Pokemon supposed to be treated. Although many chinese Amourshipping Fic have Goh as Villain or being brutally murdered, this Fanfic will instead makes Goh learns fear.
--------------------------------------May and Dawn Single Chapter--------------------------------------
Epsiode 38: In Galar, May and Dawn will begin the rematch with very same) Pokemon) they used Last time. However, May's more superior skills had finally defeats Dawn and become second Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comfort Dawn, with Serena become curious about Top Coordinator thingy and shared their experienced with Dawn. Meanwhile, Ash recieved the phone call from --------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Epsiode 39: Inside Hoenn, Serena sawing that May was doing rematch with Dawn, and May finally defeats Dawn and become Top Coordinator. Ash and Brock comforts Dawn and Dawn promised that she'll become another Top Coordinator. Dawn and Serena will also shared their experience.
Epsiode 40: Chloe finally determinate to caught more Pokemon for the future Pokemon
Epsiode 40: Ash worried about how
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by
2023.05.31 09:27 ZodiacNova6041 Why don’t I like food?
I’m not sure if the flair applies but better to be safe than sorry. I’ve been seeing an occupational therapist for my issues with food and it’s been making me feel really sick with myself. Other people have fears of clowns and the dark but I can’t be served anything I don’t like without crying and having a fucking anxiety attack. 6 million years of evaluation and I can’t watch people eat moist food without wanting to tear my ears off. A few weeks ago, someone who was seated close to me was eating a cup of noodles and I had to leave the room because of the smell. I’ve wasted so much food because of something that was on it that wasn’t supposed to be on it. Example: If I order a cheese pizza from a pizza place that I know I like and when it gets delivered, I discover that there is a small piece of pineapple on a slice of my pizza, then I can’t eat any of it. I don’t even know how I came to the conclusion that if one piece has pineapple on it then the whole pizza is “contaminated”. (please keep in mind that my family has a lot of pets who will gladly eat anything that I don’t) I am autistic but I’ve noticed that texture is usually not the problem. In some cases it isn’t even the food that’s the problem. I just simply can’t bring myself to eat it. I don’t know if this is an autistic thing or not. It’s really starting to affect my health. I’ve had people suggest that it may be because of anorexia but I disagree. I am not insecure about my weight and I don’t want to lose weight. I have no idea what I should do.
submitted by ZodiacNova6041 to Vent [link] [comments]
2023.05.31 09:09 sugar-soad I was recently crowned America's Next Top Serial Killer (part 2)
I awoke and gazed around at a room I didn't recognise. I immediately started suffering from deja vu as I remembered what had transpired last year. I made my way to the door and looked down an empty hallway. I started moving forward towards the two large doors at the end of the hall.
The room inside was sparsely lit so I inched my way inside. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door slammed shut behind me. Floodlights suddenly lit up the room and I had to use my hands to shield my eyes. A voice started booming over an intercom to announce that we were the contestants for this year's America's Next Top Serial Killer. A number of previous winners were now competing to see who was the ultimate serial killer.
My eyes adjusted to the lights and I saw there were a number of other people in the room with me. A few of them were looking over at me with sneering looks on their faces. They obviously knew I had won by sheer luck and had started off as an intended victim.
They were all dressed in an assortment of clothing while I was dressed in a hoodie and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. I spotted a number of weapons lying on a table nearby and went over to investigate. I quickly picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows as I used to be quite good as a child.
A number of large men came in and began leading us to a couple of golf carts. We were then led along a number of passages. We stopped intermittently and one of the other killers hopped off and were led away. I was the last one to be ushered out. I was led to a ladder and told to climb.
I climbed the ladder and stepped out into an open field. There was no one around me so I began to move forward at a steady pace. I spun around after hearing running footsteps approaching me from behind.
A woman carrying a spear with a small American flag attached was charging at me. The spear was lowered and she obviously intended to gut me. I stood aside at the last moment and stuck my foot out to trip her.
She fell awkwardly and the spear managed to embed itself in her throat. Blood started spurting out of her mouth as she lay on the ground. She looked like she was trying to say something but all that came out were bubbles of blood. I noticed a name tag on the spear and it said Lady Liberty. Her eyes slowly dimmed and I stood over her corpse for a few more moments.
I heard shouting in the distance and made my way towards it to see what was going on. I walked into a scene of absolute chaos. One of the other killers had cornered a group of victims and was using a flamethrower to burn them alive. Their screams were cut off as the flames destroyed their vocal cords. Within seconds they were nothing but charred ash.
I nocked an arrow and tried to sneak up behind the killer to get a better shot. I don't know how he heard but he suddenly wheeled around and smiled when he saw me. I had to rush back as he turned the flamethrower on me and the flames missed me by mere inches. I decided to call him Pyro as it suited him
I started to use the wide open space to my advantage. I refused to get too close to him so his weapon was useless. I could see that he was starting to tire as he was lugging around a heavy flamethrower. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and I decided to finish him.
I let loose an arrow and it managed to hit the tank on his back. He seemed to smile at me milliseconds before the tank exploded. His body became a flaming inferno and he tried to roll on the ground to put out the flames but to no avail. I considered killing him with an arrow but decided to let him burn. I started to move away as the smell of burnt flesh was starting to make me hungry.
I searched the area and found no one else alive. I did find some food supplies and quickly ate my fill. There was some cooked meat for sandwiches but I opted not to as I kept thinking of Pyro's burning flesh. I spotted cameras in nearby trees and considered destroying them but thought it would be best to leave them alone.
I spotted a couple of bicycles nearby and found a map attached to all of them. They showed my location and also indicated where we needed to go next.
I hopped onto the bicycle and began to move towards my next destination. I planned to save a few of the intended victims and kill the rest of these bloody killers.
I saw something on the horizon and was confused to see what looked like a cemetery in the middle of nowhere. I ditched the bicycle outside the entrance and hyped myself up before entering.
The interior of the cemetery was dark and foreboding as a large number of trees cast shadows over everything. I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eye which were only branches moving in the wind.
I crept forward with an arrow ready to let fly at a moment's notice. I was soon surrounded by shadows as the trees were all around me. I was having to step over the gravestones as many of them were cracked and broken.
I stupidly tripped over a gravestone that was buried in grass, which managed to save my life. I felt a breeze against the back of my neck as I was falling. I quickly pushed myself off the ground to see a man standing beside me carrying a scythe. He had obviously swung it at me but had missed due to me falling. He was dressed all in black and wore a hood that covered his face.
I lashed out with my foot and heard a satisfying crack as it connected with his knee. He fell backwards and I flinched as I heard the sickening sound of his head smashing into one of the gravestones. I found his name tag and wasn't surprised that it read Grim. I pulled his hood back and laughed when I saw his face. He looked so much like my old science teacher Mr Rogers who always showed up to work with the stench of alcohol on his breath.
I started to move through the rest of the cemetery and found the decapitated remains of victims who Grim had managed to sneak up on. Many of their faces looked surprised as if he had caught them completely unawares.
There was a paved road on the other side of the cemetery and I found a number of segways hidden close by and more food supplies. I spent a few minutes learning how to ride without falling off before setting off along the road. The road was very thin and the woods on either side could have hidden anything.
I passed bodies that looked like they had been ripped apart by a wild animal and decided to walk the rest of the way. I kept getting a feeling that I was being watched and I could feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I heard something come charging out of the woods and I let fly with an arrow.
A demonic creature came tearing out of the woods and I knew that I was dead. It seemed to be seeming to size me up before suddenly falling forwards. I was frozen in shock for a couple of seconds before finally snapping out of it.
I spotted my arrow in the creature's head and was ecstatic that I killed it. I quickly realised that this wasn't a creature but an almost seven foot tall man. He was naked except for a pair of underwear and was covered in mud and god knows what else. I opted not to look for a name tag and just call him The Beast.
I found a clearing nearby and decided to get some rest as it was starting to get dark and I could barely stay standing.
I awoke the next morning invigorated and determined to kill anyone that stood in my way of surviving this. I still had a healthy supply of arrows left so I just needed to keep any enemies at bay.
I started to jog forward along the road as I wanted to get this finished by the end of the day. I slowed my pace as I reached the bottom of a steep hill. I set a steady pace on the way up but didn't exert myself as I knew that I might need the energy later in the day.
I finally reached the peak and stood there gazing down at the horrific sight that was unfolding in front of me. Three of the killers had teamed up and were now slaughtering a number of victims. The victims were running around like headless chickens and were being easily picked off one by one.
I grabbed an arrow and fired it at a man wearing a Jim Carrey mask who was killing his victims with what looked like a stick of sharpened liquorice. I let out a satisfied sigh as I watched the arrow go through his ear. He turned his head for a moment and I saw the tip had exited the far side. He took two steps forward before falling dead on the floor.
The two other killers had finished off the other victims and now began to make their way toward me. I grabbed an arrow to fire and then began to panic as it dropped out of my hand. The killers quickly covered the distance and I prepared to use the bow as a club.
I tried to keep both killers in my eyeline as they circled around me. One was a girl dressed in a cheerleader's uniform who kept twirling a baton with blades on either end. The other was a male dressed as a pirate who had hooks on the end of each arm. He had an eyepatch covering one of his eyes.
The Pirate darted forward and I managed to whack him on the side of the head. I ducked out of instinct and watched as the baton was swung harmlessly over my head. I managed to swing the bow and knock the baton out of her hands. I then grabbed the arrow I had dropped earlier and plunged it into her eye. She seemed to be winking at me before walking off.
The Pirate let out a cry of anguish and ran over to her. He held onto her as she slowly began to fall over. He started to weep and begged her to get up. He gazed at me with a look of fury and then suddenly charged at me. I grabbed her baton and placed it in front of me. He must not have seen it because he impaled himself on it. He stared at me for a few seconds before looking down at the blade that was now stuck in his gut. He pulled the baton out of my hands and made his way back to the Cheerleader. He lay down beside her and died in her arms.
I did a quick count in my head and knew there was only one killer left. I walked past the recently killed victims and made my way down the slope towards the bottom of the hill.
My heart was beating quickly as I knew that I was one kill away from surviving. I noticed what looked like a pitch ahead and knew that was where this would be decided.
The final killer stood on the pitch awaiting me. He was dressed in an American Football uniform that had once been white but was now stained red due to the bodies that lay at his feet.
I fired an arrow that struck him in the shoulder and he barely flinched. I could see a fresh trickle of blood running down so I knew that I got through his uniform. He charged at me and I quickly fired another arrow which missed him by inches. I moved at the last second but he still collided with my side and I was sent sprawling to the pitch. The bow went flying out of my hands and he stood on it and snapped it.
I began wheezing as he moved away and seemed to be gloating. He waited until I got my breath back and stood up before coming at me once again. I managed to avoid him this time but knew I wouldn't survive for very long.
He turned around and advanced on me while obviously intending to use his overwhelming strength to crush me. He pulled me into a bear hug and I started to feel light headed as his arms crushed my body.
I managed to grab a hold of the hook that I had cut off the Pirate's hand and plunged it at his groin area. He immediately released me and I fell to the floor. He was now bent forward and I crawled forward and used the hook to slice open the back of his ankles. His feet gave way beneath him and I climbed on top of him and used the hook to open up his jugular.
Music began blaring and the same host from last year seemed to emerge from nowhere. He grabbed my arm and wrenched it into the air while declaring me the ultimate serial killer. He then stepped back after looking into my eyes. A number of armed guards appeared after he clicked his fingers. I moved past them and towards a door which I hoped would lead me away from this place.
100 million was transferred into my bank account the next day but I refuse to touch it. I have been searching for a job lately and always smile when applying for jobs when they ask do you have any special skills. Unfortunately no job I apply for is looking for someone who is exceptionally good at killing people.
submitted by sugar-soad to The_sugar_load [link] [comments]
The room inside was sparsely lit so I inched my way inside. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door slammed shut behind me. Floodlights suddenly lit up the room and I had to use my hands to shield my eyes. A voice started booming over an intercom to announce that we were the contestants for this year's America's Next Top Serial Killer. A number of previous winners were now competing to see who was the ultimate serial killer.
My eyes adjusted to the lights and I saw there were a number of other people in the room with me. A few of them were looking over at me with sneering looks on their faces. They obviously knew I had won by sheer luck and had started off as an intended victim.
They were all dressed in an assortment of clothing while I was dressed in a hoodie and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. I spotted a number of weapons lying on a table nearby and went over to investigate. I quickly picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows as I used to be quite good as a child.
A number of large men came in and began leading us to a couple of golf carts. We were then led along a number of passages. We stopped intermittently and one of the other killers hopped off and were led away. I was the last one to be ushered out. I was led to a ladder and told to climb.
I climbed the ladder and stepped out into an open field. There was no one around me so I began to move forward at a steady pace. I spun around after hearing running footsteps approaching me from behind.
A woman carrying a spear with a small American flag attached was charging at me. The spear was lowered and she obviously intended to gut me. I stood aside at the last moment and stuck my foot out to trip her.
She fell awkwardly and the spear managed to embed itself in her throat. Blood started spurting out of her mouth as she lay on the ground. She looked like she was trying to say something but all that came out were bubbles of blood. I noticed a name tag on the spear and it said Lady Liberty. Her eyes slowly dimmed and I stood over her corpse for a few more moments.
I heard shouting in the distance and made my way towards it to see what was going on. I walked into a scene of absolute chaos. One of the other killers had cornered a group of victims and was using a flamethrower to burn them alive. Their screams were cut off as the flames destroyed their vocal cords. Within seconds they were nothing but charred ash.
I nocked an arrow and tried to sneak up behind the killer to get a better shot. I don't know how he heard but he suddenly wheeled around and smiled when he saw me. I had to rush back as he turned the flamethrower on me and the flames missed me by mere inches. I decided to call him Pyro as it suited him
I started to use the wide open space to my advantage. I refused to get too close to him so his weapon was useless. I could see that he was starting to tire as he was lugging around a heavy flamethrower. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and I decided to finish him.
I let loose an arrow and it managed to hit the tank on his back. He seemed to smile at me milliseconds before the tank exploded. His body became a flaming inferno and he tried to roll on the ground to put out the flames but to no avail. I considered killing him with an arrow but decided to let him burn. I started to move away as the smell of burnt flesh was starting to make me hungry.
I searched the area and found no one else alive. I did find some food supplies and quickly ate my fill. There was some cooked meat for sandwiches but I opted not to as I kept thinking of Pyro's burning flesh. I spotted cameras in nearby trees and considered destroying them but thought it would be best to leave them alone.
I spotted a couple of bicycles nearby and found a map attached to all of them. They showed my location and also indicated where we needed to go next.
I hopped onto the bicycle and began to move towards my next destination. I planned to save a few of the intended victims and kill the rest of these bloody killers.
I saw something on the horizon and was confused to see what looked like a cemetery in the middle of nowhere. I ditched the bicycle outside the entrance and hyped myself up before entering.
The interior of the cemetery was dark and foreboding as a large number of trees cast shadows over everything. I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eye which were only branches moving in the wind.
I crept forward with an arrow ready to let fly at a moment's notice. I was soon surrounded by shadows as the trees were all around me. I was having to step over the gravestones as many of them were cracked and broken.
I stupidly tripped over a gravestone that was buried in grass, which managed to save my life. I felt a breeze against the back of my neck as I was falling. I quickly pushed myself off the ground to see a man standing beside me carrying a scythe. He had obviously swung it at me but had missed due to me falling. He was dressed all in black and wore a hood that covered his face.
I lashed out with my foot and heard a satisfying crack as it connected with his knee. He fell backwards and I flinched as I heard the sickening sound of his head smashing into one of the gravestones. I found his name tag and wasn't surprised that it read Grim. I pulled his hood back and laughed when I saw his face. He looked so much like my old science teacher Mr Rogers who always showed up to work with the stench of alcohol on his breath.
I started to move through the rest of the cemetery and found the decapitated remains of victims who Grim had managed to sneak up on. Many of their faces looked surprised as if he had caught them completely unawares.
There was a paved road on the other side of the cemetery and I found a number of segways hidden close by and more food supplies. I spent a few minutes learning how to ride without falling off before setting off along the road. The road was very thin and the woods on either side could have hidden anything.
I passed bodies that looked like they had been ripped apart by a wild animal and decided to walk the rest of the way. I kept getting a feeling that I was being watched and I could feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I heard something come charging out of the woods and I let fly with an arrow.
A demonic creature came tearing out of the woods and I knew that I was dead. It seemed to be seeming to size me up before suddenly falling forwards. I was frozen in shock for a couple of seconds before finally snapping out of it.
I spotted my arrow in the creature's head and was ecstatic that I killed it. I quickly realised that this wasn't a creature but an almost seven foot tall man. He was naked except for a pair of underwear and was covered in mud and god knows what else. I opted not to look for a name tag and just call him The Beast.
I found a clearing nearby and decided to get some rest as it was starting to get dark and I could barely stay standing.
I awoke the next morning invigorated and determined to kill anyone that stood in my way of surviving this. I still had a healthy supply of arrows left so I just needed to keep any enemies at bay.
I started to jog forward along the road as I wanted to get this finished by the end of the day. I slowed my pace as I reached the bottom of a steep hill. I set a steady pace on the way up but didn't exert myself as I knew that I might need the energy later in the day.
I finally reached the peak and stood there gazing down at the horrific sight that was unfolding in front of me. Three of the killers had teamed up and were now slaughtering a number of victims. The victims were running around like headless chickens and were being easily picked off one by one.
I grabbed an arrow and fired it at a man wearing a Jim Carrey mask who was killing his victims with what looked like a stick of sharpened liquorice. I let out a satisfied sigh as I watched the arrow go through his ear. He turned his head for a moment and I saw the tip had exited the far side. He took two steps forward before falling dead on the floor.
The two other killers had finished off the other victims and now began to make their way toward me. I grabbed an arrow to fire and then began to panic as it dropped out of my hand. The killers quickly covered the distance and I prepared to use the bow as a club.
I tried to keep both killers in my eyeline as they circled around me. One was a girl dressed in a cheerleader's uniform who kept twirling a baton with blades on either end. The other was a male dressed as a pirate who had hooks on the end of each arm. He had an eyepatch covering one of his eyes.
The Pirate darted forward and I managed to whack him on the side of the head. I ducked out of instinct and watched as the baton was swung harmlessly over my head. I managed to swing the bow and knock the baton out of her hands. I then grabbed the arrow I had dropped earlier and plunged it into her eye. She seemed to be winking at me before walking off.
The Pirate let out a cry of anguish and ran over to her. He held onto her as she slowly began to fall over. He started to weep and begged her to get up. He gazed at me with a look of fury and then suddenly charged at me. I grabbed her baton and placed it in front of me. He must not have seen it because he impaled himself on it. He stared at me for a few seconds before looking down at the blade that was now stuck in his gut. He pulled the baton out of my hands and made his way back to the Cheerleader. He lay down beside her and died in her arms.
I did a quick count in my head and knew there was only one killer left. I walked past the recently killed victims and made my way down the slope towards the bottom of the hill.
My heart was beating quickly as I knew that I was one kill away from surviving. I noticed what looked like a pitch ahead and knew that was where this would be decided.
The final killer stood on the pitch awaiting me. He was dressed in an American Football uniform that had once been white but was now stained red due to the bodies that lay at his feet.
I fired an arrow that struck him in the shoulder and he barely flinched. I could see a fresh trickle of blood running down so I knew that I got through his uniform. He charged at me and I quickly fired another arrow which missed him by inches. I moved at the last second but he still collided with my side and I was sent sprawling to the pitch. The bow went flying out of my hands and he stood on it and snapped it.
I began wheezing as he moved away and seemed to be gloating. He waited until I got my breath back and stood up before coming at me once again. I managed to avoid him this time but knew I wouldn't survive for very long.
He turned around and advanced on me while obviously intending to use his overwhelming strength to crush me. He pulled me into a bear hug and I started to feel light headed as his arms crushed my body.
I managed to grab a hold of the hook that I had cut off the Pirate's hand and plunged it at his groin area. He immediately released me and I fell to the floor. He was now bent forward and I crawled forward and used the hook to slice open the back of his ankles. His feet gave way beneath him and I climbed on top of him and used the hook to open up his jugular.
Music began blaring and the same host from last year seemed to emerge from nowhere. He grabbed my arm and wrenched it into the air while declaring me the ultimate serial killer. He then stepped back after looking into my eyes. A number of armed guards appeared after he clicked his fingers. I moved past them and towards a door which I hoped would lead me away from this place.
100 million was transferred into my bank account the next day but I refuse to touch it. I have been searching for a job lately and always smile when applying for jobs when they ask do you have any special skills. Unfortunately no job I apply for is looking for someone who is exceptionally good at killing people.
2023.05.31 08:09 thiennghi178 Rattan Swivel Restoration - Need Help!
 | I am restoring a rattan swivel I bought from someone else. The polyurethane was cracking and uneven but this project has proven to be much bigger than I originally thought. I am taking off all of the old finish to reapply a new finish and a new coat of polyurethane. submitted by thiennghi178 to furniturerestoration [link] [comments] I have soda blasted and sanded the chair with 150 grit sandpaper. But this piece has tons of crevices and fraying that comes out when it is soda blasted and hand sanded. I am now switching to an oscillating sander after soda blasting and the fraying has stopped (at least to the naked eye) Is fraying normal? Is this piece too old? Is there anything I can do to remoisturize it? I am worried that after refinishing and applying a new coat of polyurethane, it will fray again when I have to sand between many coats of polyurethane. Can I refinish it just like a wood piece? Attached is the chair before restoration, it was dirty and cracking in some spots. The poly coat was flaking off and also cracking. There are photos of said frays/mini splinters and a video of the base without any poly. I was told I do not have to sand the old finish off completely if the new finish is darker so I might go for a darker finish. I am in way over my head but I am hopeful. Please feel free to share your opinion. Much appreciated |
2023.05.31 07:59 xMrPink85 [USA-CA] [H] PlayStation/XBox/Nintendo/Sega Consoles/Games/Manuals [W] Sega Games/Playstation Games/Nintendo Games/Lists/Offers
Happy to provide pics of anything you might be interested in. If you would like to buy, see my GameSale post!
If you are local to the Sacramento area I might be willing to do a local meetup. Cash/Paypal also acceptable on either side to help even out a trade.
Thanks for looking! Happy trading!
[HAVE]
[WANT]
Some specific items I'm after:
submitted by xMrPink85 to gameswap [link] [comments]
If you are local to the Sacramento area I might be willing to do a local meetup. Cash/Paypal also acceptable on either side to help even out a trade.
Thanks for looking! Happy trading!
[HAVE]
| PLAYSTATION | ||
|---|---|---|
| Playstation | Legacy of Kain Collectors Edition Triple Pack | SEALED Hard to value.. I don't see this very often at all.. There is one other one on eBay right now for $369 in similar condition.. This one does have some minor wear to the corners/seal as seen in the pics.. I would really like a big item from my list for this.. |
| Playstation | DarkStalkers 3 | BL - CIB - Minor Staining |
| Playstation | GranStream Saga | BL - CIB - Water damaged rear art |
| Playstation 2 | Final Fantasy X Brady Games Strategy Guide | Very worn. Has tear in front cover. No poster. |
| Playstation 2 | Final Fantasy X -2 Brady Games Strategy Guide | Moderately worn. Has smaller tear in back cover. Includes Poster. |
| Playstation 2 | 24 The Game | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | Crazy Taxi | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | .Hack Infection | BL - CIB - Cover art has some water damage |
| Playstation 2 | .Hack Mutation | Missing DVD - Complete and pretty minty otherwise. |
| Playstation 2 | Guitar Hero II | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | Guitar Hero Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80's | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | Myst III Exile | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | RPG Maker 3 | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 2 | Wheel of Fortune | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 3 | Ace Combat Assault Horizon | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 3 | BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend | Limited Edition Big Box - CIB - Includes Soundtrack, Art Book, and Calendar. Box has heavy wear. Everything else is pretty minty. Game case has some minor shelf wear. |
| Playstation 3 | Dark Souls II | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 3 | Diablo III | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | 500 Million Dual Shock 4 Controller | Loose - Has crack in center but otherwise, pretty nice with very low usage. |
| Playstation 4 | 7 Days to Die | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Call Of Duty Infinite Warfare | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Dead Cells [Action Game of the Year] | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Evolve | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Final Fantasy XV Deluxe Steelbook Edition book w/Slipcover | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 | BL - CIB - Spine damage/tear |
| Playstation 4 | Middle Earth Shadow of War | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Nascar Heat 3 | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Overwatch Origins | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 4 | Resident Evil Village Deluxe Edition | BL - CIB |
| Playstation 5 | Apsulov | CIB |
| Playstation 5 | Babylon's Fall | Sealed |
| Playstation 5 | Death Stranding | Sealed |
| Playstation 5 | Rustler | CIB |
| Playstation 5 | Thymesia | CIB - Case/art has some damage |
| PSP | PSP 1001 - Loose. PSP ONLY | Body and screen are pretty scratched up, includes a rubber grip cover and I can include a white replacement shell... Charge port can be touchy sometimes so it also includes a replacement port. |
| PSP | SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo | One 2.0GB Translucent Blue and one 512KB Translucent Green available. |
| PSP | Generation of Chaos | BL - No Manual |
| PSP | Sid Meier's Pirates! Live the Life | BL - CIB |
| PSP | Tekken 6 | BL - CIB |
| PSP | PSP 3000 Box and tray only - No PSP included | Box has moderate to heavy wear with some creasing. |
| PSVITA | Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus | Loose |
| PSVITA | Wipeout 2048 | Loose |
| XBOX | ||
|---|---|---|
| Xbox | Blowout | BL - CIB |
| Xbox | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | BL - CIB |
| Xbox | Indiana Jones and The Emperors Tomb | BL - CIB |
| Xbox | Pac Man World 2 | PH - CIB |
| Xbox | Return To Castle Wolfenstein Tides of War | PH - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | 4GB - 360 Slim Console | Includes OEM power supply and controller. I can probably include an HDMI cable if needed. |
| Xbox 360 | 250GB - 360 Slim Console | Includes OEM power supply, controller and Kinect. I can probably include an HDMI cable if needed. |
| Xbox 360 | Dead Space 3 | PH - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | Dragonball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi | BL - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | Fable 2 Limited Edition | BL - CIB* (No special features disc) |
| Xbox 360 | Fable 3 | BL - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | Forza 4 | BL - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | Grand Theft Auto 5 | BL - Boxed w/map |
| Xbox 360 | Halo 3 Limited Edition Steel book w/sleeve (minor damage) | BL - CIB - Includes manual, but no book.. |
| Xbox 360 | Hitman HD Trilogy - Premium Edition w/ slipcoveartbook | BL - CIB - Moderate - Heavy wear |
| Xbox 360 | Mortal Kombat | BL - Boxed (No Manual) |
| Xbox 360 | NBA Live 2010 | BL - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | NBA 2K18 | BL - CIB |
| Xbox 360 | Portal 2 | BL - Boxed (No Manual) |
| Xbox 360 | Test Drive Unlimited | BL - CIB |
| Xbox One | Battlefield 4 Steelbook Edition | CIB |
| Xbox One | Battlefield Hardline | CIB |
| Xbox One | Dark Souls 3 | CIB |
| Xbox One | Madden 22 | CIB |
| Xbox One | Prototype BioHazard Bundle | CIB |
| Xbox One | Rare Replay | CIB |
| Xbox One | Skylanders Trap Team | CIB |
| Xbox One | UFC 3 | CIB |
| Xbox One | Watch Dogs 2 | CIB |
| Xbox One | Wolfenstein The New Order | CIB |
| NINTENDO | ||
|---|---|---|
| NES | Nintendo of America Letter | w/ Official Nintendo Envelope, Cover Letter, Nintendo Power order form, service center list, Game Pak Directory, Replacement parts list, Nintendo history. Great little piece. Definitely shows some wear and a few markings but the order forms are blank. Not sure how to value this |
| NES | Bart vs The Space Mutants | Manual Only |
| NES | Gradius | Manual Only |
| NES | Mega Man 1 | Manual Only |
| NES | Mission Impossible | Manual Only |
| NES | NES Advantage controller | Manual Only |
| NES | Zodas Revenge | Manual Only |
| NES | Kung Fu | Loose |
| NES | Ninja Gaiden II | Loose |
| NES | Skate or Die | Loose - Worn/snagged top label |
| NES | Wizards and Warriors III | Loose - Worn/torn top label |
| NES | GAME GENIE | Loose |
| SNES | DOOM | CIB** - Might be willing to trade box/contents separately. |
| SNES | Rockos Modern Life | CIB - Box is worn, includes insert, manual and warning slip.. both have some wear, Cart is in great shape! Might be willing to trade box/contents separately. |
| SNES | Yoshi's Safari | CIB** - Might be willing to trade box/contents separately. |
| SNES | Buster Busts Loose | Manual Only |
| SNES | Hey Punk! Are You Tuff E Nuff? | Manual Only |
| SNES | Lawnmower Man | Manual Only |
| SNES | Mega Man X | Manual Only |
| SNES | World Heroes | Manual Only |
| SNES | GAME GENIE | Loose |
| N64 | Standard N64 Console and gray controller. No wires, but I'd be willing to trade towards an OEM set. | Includes OEM expansion pack. |
| Wii | Red Steel | BL - Boxed (No Manual) |
| Wii | Trauma Center Second Opinion | BL - CIB |
| Wii U | The Legend of Zelda Windwaker HD Edition Wii U | Complete in box** - Super Hard trade |
| Wii U | The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD | SEALED |
| Wii U | Super Mario 3D World | NS - CIB |
| Switch | Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Edition OLED Switch | NEW |
| Switch | BloodRayne Fresh Bites | Sealed - w/card |
| Switch | Fire Emblem Three Houses | CIB |
| Switch | Great Ace Attorney Chronicles | CIB |
| Gameboy | Ren and Stimpy Veediots | Manual Only |
| NDS | Red Super Mario Bros 25th Anniversary Edition DSi XL | Loose - With charger. Does have some minor wear and teascuffs on corners |
| NDS | Mario Party DS | Sealed - (Has some knicks/tear in seal.) |
| NDS | Pokémon Heartgold | CIB - NFR case, no big box or Pokewalker - Only considering trading this so I can upgrade.. Would also trade FOR the big box.. |
| NDS | Spiderman Shattered Dimensions | Loose |
| NDS | Spyro The Eternal Night | Loose |
| NDS | DS Lite Car adaptecharger | NEW - Power A branded, Nintendo officially licensed. |
| NDS | DSi XL Stylus 5 packs. One of each color set available (2) | NEW - Power A branded, Nintendo officially licensed. |
| 3DS | Animal Crossing New Leaf | CIB |
| 3DS | Bravely Second End Layer | CIB - Minor damage to case/art |
| 3DS | Legend of Legacy | Sealed |
| 3DS | Super Smash Bros. 3DS | Loose |
| SEGA | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saturn | Model 2 Console | Loose - Includes power cord + OEM controller |
| Saturn | Street Fighter Alpha 2 | CIB |
| Dreamcast | Crazy Taxi | Loose |
[WANT]
Some specific items I'm after:
- 3D Dot Game Heroes
- Attack On Titan 2 or Final Battle PS4
- Baten Kaitos - Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
- Castlevania Curse of Darkness - PS2
- Castlevania Lament of Innocence - PS2
- Castlevania Dracula X
- Conkers Bad Fur Day
- Chocobos Dungeon
- Clock Tower (all)
- Drakengard 2
- Earthbound
- Evil Dead (PS1-PS2)
- Folklore
- Geist - Gamecube
- Grandia Xtreme
- The Legend of Zelda Four Swords - Gamecube
- Majoras Mask N64
- Mario Party 6 - Complete only
- Mario Party 7 - Manual only
- Marvel vs Capcom 1 and 2 PS1/PS2 or Dreamcast
- Misadventures of Tron Bonne
- Mega Man 64 - Cart or CIB
- Paper Mario TTYD - Complete and NON Players Choice/Best Seller
- Parasite Eve II - Manual only
- Pokemon Crystal, Emerald, Ruby, and Silver
- Pokemon White, Black, HGSS (Big Box), Alpha Sapphire, Moon, Y, Ultra Sun/Moon
- Resident Evil - Saturn
- Resident Evil - PS1 Long Box
- Resident Evil Code Veronica - Gamecube
- Resident Evil Dead Aim (Also looking for other light Gun games like Point Blank, Time Crisis, House of the Dead..)
- Resident Evil Survivor
- Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles - Highly Prefer the Gun Bundle Version.
- Saga Frontier 2 PS1, Unlimited Saga PS2
- Shadow Hearts - PS2
- Shadow Hearts From the New World - Disc only
- Silent Hill Origins and Shattered Memories - PS2
- Suikoden, Suikoden II and Suikoden Tactics
- Tekken Long Box
- Twisted Metal Long Box
- Valkyrie Profile PS1
- Wario Ware/World - Gamecube
- Xenosaga Episode III - PS2 - Complete only. Lenticular preferred.
- I'd like to bulk up my Gamecube and Sega collections; Dreamcast, CD/Saturn and Genesis.. I don't really need any hardware at the moment. But a CDX or Nomad would be cool though!
- PlayStation 5 games. Official Sony dual controller charger - CIB or New
- PS1 - PS4 Heavies
- PS Vita Games and maybe certain Vitas.
- PSP Games
- PSVR Games
- PS1 Long Box games
- PSX Console
- Special Edition Sony/PlayStation stuff.
- Switch games, SE Pro controllers
- Gameboys
- DS/3DS games
2023.05.31 07:54 AHauntedBarista I worked at a cafe that served the supernatural. There is a city deep in the forest; it is the home of an ancient deity.
My name is Axel, as most of you know. The shop is closed permanently, which is good because all of my recent efforts have been focused on finding Selene. There have been signs and I am certain she still exists in this reality, but I am starting to wonder if I even want to find her. Because of everything that happened, she is really all that is left for me. She is the only one with answers.
But if none of that makes sense, go here. You have some catching up to do.
---------------------------------------
We left off with us prior baristas agreeing to follow Em and her father to the city they called home. A city called Fraeria. Usually the supernatural activity surrounding the Drowsy Spectre only occurred at night, so I was a bit confused when Em asked us to arrive in the parking lot during the day. At around 4pm we gathered outside the shop. I had expected Amber to be there for some reason, ready to impart some sort of cryptic wisdom in return for buying a candle. She wasn't there, though, and her car was absent too. Whatever Selene did with those marks seemed to have scared everyone and everything away.
Silence demanded to come along. The black snake had to see Em's father, she had closure to achieve and I think a bit of revenge perhaps. There wasn't much a small reptile like her could do, especially since she'd been turned into a non-venomous species. That wasn't for me to question. Silence had been a snake so long that she couldn't even remember who she was before; who was I to refuse her the possibility of some answers?
Anyway, we were in the parking lot. Em's father refused to give us his actual name, so we came to know him as Guide. It seems creatures of his kind prefer titles that describe their purpose, not the names given at their creation or birth. We didn't speak much before Guide led us into the forest surrounding the cafe, but it was a very long walk ahead and eventually Barrow approached me.
"Did you bring the doll?"
I didn't see a reason to be dishonest. "It is gone."
"What?"
"That wish you had me make? It caused this." I showed him my wrist. "My wish to end it burned the doll to a crisp."
"Interesting." He then fell behind a bit, lost in thought.
We stopped to eat at some point when it got dark. Seeing as one of the main rules of the cafe was to not be outside at night, I was a bit nervous. Nomic ended up tagging along, enticed by the healing of his mind. Guide did not promise anything, but he certainly did suggest that it was possible in the magical city he was leading us to. Our party included Em, Barrow, Nomic, myself, and Guide.
"We cannot stop for long." Guide stated after summoning a fire with the clap of his hands. "Even my power will not protect you from everything this strange forest harbors."
"So it is even strange to you?" Barrow asked.
Guide laughed. "I may wander it, but that does not mean I have a clue what it is. My people are not of this world, but can be brought here through this forest. Where I am from, we are called Elwae. It is your people that have given us strange titles from your children's tales."
"Wait, so Em is not a pixie?" I asked.
"You decide what is in a name. She is to you whatever you call her. A flower, or a stone." He eyed the darkening forest. "I am curious; what has become of your giant?"
"We have not seen him since the teeth got him." Em answered.
I recalled Tall Ben asking for help. Maybe if I would have accepted, he would be here to assist us in this time of trouble. "Maybe they ate him up. The tooth plague killed Heartmin. Might've taken longer, but I don't see why it couldn't chew him up too."
"I thought he was more resilient. The giant would have been a proper ally in darker hours yet to come."
Ominous. "What do you mean by that?"
He chose not to answer. Instead, he produced some fish from his bag. He passed it to Em, who then placed it over the fire. "There is food if you are hungry."
"No strings?"
Em looked at Barrow. "Why do you think he gave it to me first?"
He accepted this before taking one of her wooden plates.
I was not satisfied with the lack of answer. "Guide, what did you mean by that?"
"There are birthing pains here. Something draws near and this issue of ours is merely a symptom." He grinned. "It would have been much easier for you if you would have let me turn you into some rodent, yeah? I little bird, perhaps." That's what Selene called me. How did he know that? "Do you still have that one little trouble maker? The snake, that is. Oh, and that lizard too. I do hope they've adjusted well."
"They are free now."
"Are they? I've watched closely. So far I've not seen them leave your apartment. I could change them back, you know, for a price."
He wanted a deal. "I'm not playing this game!"
A hand rested on my knee. "You okay man?" It was Nomic; he looked concerned. "Your face is all red."
It was then I realized that no one else had commented on our conversation, or even taken notice. Had it been in my head? Guide gave me a knowing smirk and invaded my thoughts once again. "Just between us. Think on it."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." I lied to Nomic. Em's father would be trouble, it seemed. That wasn't much of a surprise.
A little voice tickled my ear. "Kill him." I couldn't answer discretely enough to not be noticed. Silence spoke once more with a long hiss. "Hurt him."
I gently place a hand on my shoulder, comforting the snake underneath my coat. It was still cold around my neck of the woods and Silence always got... irritated at such temperatures. This area shouldn't have been that cold, though, but I could only blame that on the unnatural forest we found ourselves in. As night grew later, it only got worse. The fire was going strong, despite its unnatural creation. There was no time to sleep, it seemed, as after only roughly two hours of sitting Guide demanded we all prepare to move again. To my comfort, the forest was not silent. Crickets chirped despite the cold weather and even bats could be heard squeaking overhead. Other than the company, everything seemed completely normal about the forest that surrounded the cafe. I assumed this was because we entered it during the day and not when the sun set but, if that was the case, then how could it possibly lead us to this supernatural civilization that Guide and Em were from?
Those questions were answered when we saw the first teeth. They were stuck in a tree that bled sap. At our approach, the teeth wiggled but could not make the tree move towards us. I feared that because they were there, that may mean that the rest of our troublesome neighbors might also make an appearance.
"Is she a friend?" A little voice whispered to me along the way. Silence slithered closer to my ear. "The spider-woman?"
I glanced behind us and saw a face in the trees. It was a familiar one and, for anyone other than me, might deceive a lonely man into becoming a meal. I had already fallen to her whims once, but this was not the same. Her eyes gazed with fear at our guide, Em's father, and she beckoned me closer. I fell discretely to the back of the line, just near enough for her to climb overhead. Ramata was her name, as some of you might remember.
I saw her full glory. The head and torso of a woman, but with many legs sprouting from under her shoulders. There were far more than eight, as a normal spider would have, instead boasting more than a dozen. They each ended with black hands full of sharp nails. She moved with complete silence, not even disturbing Guide. If I did not trust her intentions due to our prior history, I would have fled into the dark full of the most potent terror.
She came lower, just barely in the aura of our flashlights. I was happy to see that the teeth had not infected her. Yet, at least. A few steps behind Nomic, I fell behind as far as I felt comfortable.
"I assume you will hold true to your word?"
"I will. We are friends, my love." She whispered. Her voice was the wind, so slight and discrete; just for me. "You saved my children."
None of the others had noticed, but I kept my voice as low as I could regardless. "Then why are you stalking us?"
"That man's people come from a different world, one who shall bring forth a being that shall determine the fate of all things. My web stretches to many places, dear one. I have heard many things from those that wander into my traps." She waited, expecting me to have something to say. I didn't. "But there is tell that a human shall write about such things and influence the destiny of that world with mere words."
"You came here only to tell me that?"
I didn't intend to offend her, but she was far too cryptic for any use. "Destiny doesn't mean peace, young love. It is destined that all things will one day die. It may be in your power to halt this being from gaining the might to direct fate. Do not speak to the voice in the light, do not speak with the devil that is called Elidian."
"I am pretty tired of speaking with devils. It seems I've made deals with far too many."
"But this one will not come to strike a deal. Your heart; he will play it like a stringed instrument, and you will be inspired as any writer is. Do not listen." Her all too human eyes flickered towards Em's father. "And do not be mistaken; your guide has no intention of letting you return home."
"I know."
Suddenly she went silent, her face vanishing into the darkness. Ramata came bringing only questions, ones that I could not bring to anyone in our company. I did not trust Barrow anymore and could hardly trust Em with her father around. Nomic wouldn't have anything valuable to say considering he didn't even know who he was. That left Silence, who had decided to live up to her name and not answer anything I sent her way.
The insects had gone quiet. That was when I registered that Ramata wasn't being cryptic in her departure;
She had fled.
Em's father must have caught on as well, because he halted the journey. "Don't make a sound."
He did not turn off the flashlight, so I assumed it was safe to scan the trees. There sounded like a strong breeze to my left, approaching from the distance. But... the trees were swaying. I could hear leaves being picked up and thrashed about by the gust.
Then we all saw it. White dots crawling along the floor, carried on the backs of a living horde. Insects, rodents; an amalgamation of predators and prey driven on by their parasites. I grabbed Em, who was nearest, in a desperate bid to survive. These things hunted by sound and touch; we had once chance. I took my coat, wrapped it around her, and covered her completely. There was a nearby tree just wide enough for us to hide behind and I had only seconds to reach it.
That sound still echoes in my mind. Not one of the animals cried out, not one. But they got closer and I could hear tiny footsteps on the ground, I could feel the ground tremble with the sheer number of legs that the stampede boasted.
I thanked whatever god was listening that I wore gloves that day, because my hand was still out when the plague struck. It was a sparrow that smacked into it, slamming into the ground. The creature was surely crushed underneath the combined might of the horde. I could feel thousands of tiny legs crawl all over me and could only pray that they did not approach my exposed face.
Em was covered, I was not.
Something landed on me, something rather large but with many legs. It was not swept away immediately.
It crawled and clicked as it searched out flesh it surely sensed. Was it my breathing, was it my own trembling teeth?
You know how you can anticipate touch? Feel it before it happens? I knew it was going to reach me. I was going to die. I felt the tickle, the tiny sensation of an insect gripping onto a tiny pore. When it did, I felt something try to bite down on the bit of my exposed neck.
With only one option, I took a risk and grabbed the insect before the teeth on it could multiply using my own flesh. I saw a massive centipede covered in wiggled teeth from all manner of creatures. When I dropped it, it vanished into the sea of infected forest life. It seemed the hive mind was loose because none of them came for me.
And then it was over. We stayed in place to let those that fell behind catch up. Once the horde of teeth and meat was gone, I quickly checked my own neck. Em, sensing safety, assisted me and I nearly cheered when she swore I had no teeth on my neck. A tiny little red mark, a gentle cut, was the only evidence I had been bitten. Was that enough? Was I infected? Even now, I do not know.
Nomic and Em's father had the wisdom to cover up and hide. I was relieved to see that, regardless of how impossible it seemed, we had all escaped the tooth plague without infection. A minute or two after, the sounds of the natural forest returned.
"We need to move." Em's father was the first to break the silence. "No more speaking until I say."
Eventually we stopped to rest. This time, Guide told us that sleeping for a few hours would be possible. "We have crossed the threshold into the realm of the Elwae. Sleep easy tonight."
But I was the last to fall asleep. That was thanks to his constant gaze that never wavered from my face. Eventually I heard his voice once more, his mouth moved, but no one stirred. "You brought one of them with you, I see. The quiet snake. If I am honest, I do not even remember her name." He laughed at the fate he delivered to her. "Keep her. I am very curious to see what she plans to accomplish."
---------------------------------------
Our journey from then on was uneventful. We got maybe four or five hours of sleep, which was surprisingly not interrupted. I don't know if Barrow sleeps, though. I was the first one to wake up and even found that Em's father had fallen asleep. Barrow, however, arrived before the others woke up. He had been in the woods relieving himself. He had been gone for quite a while though.
During the early morning hours the woods were quite peaceful and pleasant to traverse. I did notice the occasional rodent with white marks on its body, sick with the plague that I somehow unleashed. There were some on the plants as well and, despite Guide's confidence that they were completely safe, he gave the plagued portions of the woods a wide pass.
But then we came to a treeline. It was the end of the haunted woods that separated the cafe from the many strange worlds beyond. A rolling field separated us from a city that was surprisingly modern. Skyscrapers of foreign design rose high into the sky. There were streets below with regular traffic, but everything was designed with a certain lack of color. Every structure was metallic or concrete. The City Fraeria was not the nature-haven I expected. I thought of elves from Lord of the Rings, or Fae Forests with entire kingdoms being carved from the wood of ancient trees. Instead Em's people lived in a place not entirely different from us, but with far more of a sleek taste. The buildings were very... sharp. Human skyscrapers are usually built with an antenna of some kind on top. Instead these seemed like knives meant to not just scrape the sky, but cut them open with surgical precision.
"That is not what I expected." Nomic confessed. "Why is there an entire metropolis in the middle of the woods?"
"It was all a forest once." Guide replied. "All of your cities. We only had the heart not to destroy the rest." He certainly wasn't wrong. "Come. We seek an audience with the Eilin Hae. Only with his permission can we go to the fountain of life. This is his city, we are his people, and it is that light that powers this place. He will need convincing."
Guide looked at me. "I don't have anything for him. He's your leader, that is up to you."
"I think you will be surprised, Mr. White. Eilin Hae finds worth deep in the soul. Come; every second wasted is a risk I am not willing to take."
We crossed the fields of fine grass, passing into a realm that wasn't quite the same as the one we had come from. It was like a mirror but with small mistakes in the design. The broken stripes on the road were yellow instead of white, the green traffic lights were purple instead for no particular reason. There were shops along the sidewalks and people that looked as human as myself went about their business. Everyone was generally taller, however, which made me quite confused as to why Em was so small. She took giant potions, after all, to make herself capable of blending in with humans.
That was a sensitive question to ask, however, and I wasn't going to be the one to voice it despite my curiosities. We were ticking bombs, capable of dying if the ritual that we were marked for was attempted again.
"We are missing someone." Em's father announced, halting the journey.
It was only then that any of us noticed Barrow's absence. I had been walking in the back and hadn't even noticed his departure. "Could he have been... snatched?"
"No. That is not how things are done here." Our guide scanned the nearby alleys. "Where has he gone? Tell me now." Seeing as, so far as I know, none of us had any idea, his demand was met with silence. "This is not a place for a human to wander. No matter, he will turn up if he wishes to ever make it home. Only the Elwae can find this place, and only an Elwae can navigate our side of the forest."
Our journey continued, but I approached Em. "Where did he go?"
She was his closest friend, but even she was unaware. "This place really isn't safe. It is hardly the place for him to wander off on his own."
"Will he be fine?"
"He better be. We don't have time to go looking for him, but..." She glanced at her father. "Maybe we should? We must see the Eilin Hae in his tower. I told Barrow about that and while he might not know his way around the city, the tower can't be missed."
Em sounded like she was trying to convince herself. I didn't like it, especially considering the fact that my burned wrist was thanks to Barrow's wish. He was up to something and my ability to trust him was waning. But, if I am honest, at the moment my mind was greatly preoccupied with the strange city and had no room to worry about Barrow's antics.
There was a massive building near the center of the city. It rose as high into the sky as the others, even taller than those around it, but the length and width were impressive too. This dwarfed even the greatest of our structures and it seemed to be our destination. Guide led us up the steps towards the front door and was stopped by professionally dressed security personnel. Again, this place was not very different from our own world.
After a short, hushed discussion, we were granted entry. We were each given a green wristband, very similar to the pink ones given to guests at hospitals, and ferried inside. The sideways glances we received within were far sharper than I had seen outside. We were not welcome in the city, but much less in the heart of their home, whatever "they" were. I counted myself lucky to discover that they had elevators. Of course, that seems obvious to assume, but we had walked all the way to the building instead of driving. That took a while and made me nervous seeing as Em's father didn't seem to have a limit to his endurance. Guide pressed the top button of the elevator and so began our long ascent to the highest floor.
The design was the same even inside the building, right down to the interior of the elevator. Dark metal, trimmed occasionally with wood. It wasn't iron, obviously, otherwise Em's father would be in incredible pain. There wasn't a single scratch on any of the polished metal; it was like a dark mirror wherever I looked.
The lights shined with a hint of emerald green, as if to mimic the natural sheen trees made when the sun poured from their canopy. Finally the elevator doors opened into a short hallway. That hall had double doors that a well-dressed man opened at our approach. We had to show our wristbands, let the barcode be scanned, and only when each of us passed were we able to enter.
What we found inside was not meant for human eyes.
Have you ever driven up to a crossroads and stopped, but when you stare ahead it seems like everything is sort of... zooming out? Or sometimes in, I guess. Within the room was what amounted to a portal of sorts. I could circle the center of the room as much as I wanted, but if I got closer it just... kept going. I barely made a dent in the distance that separates me from the brilliant green eye that watched us. It was celestial in size, my mind knew that, dwarfing even our own planet. But how could that fit in a room?
This being was nearly identical to the terrible Eye of Gold and Crimson that I had spoken with all those months ago. It was garbed in a storm that could not be measured, arcs of emerald lightning flashed but seemed as tiny things from such a distance. But it did not speak with the mouths of discarded flesh like the Eye of Gold. Instead, there was a woman sitting between us and the nigh-infinite walk to the eye. She got up from the floor and turned to greet us.
"I am The Eilin Hae." She said.
Or he, I guess? They had all referred to The Eilin Hae as a man. Being in the presence of what amounted to a god did not have the effect one may have expected. She was... a person. In appearance, that is. I anticipated a powerful voice, one that would inspire me to bend a knee and hide my face. But, as far as intimidation, I felt as if I was meeting the CEO of some business.
"My lady." Our guide bowed. We followed suit, but the pronoun he used further confused me. "A forbidden ritual has latched itself onto my daughter and these common people with me. We ask to visit the Infinite Sight."
When she stepped forward, she was no longer drowned by the green eye's countenance. It was only then that I saw her eyes burned with a similar light. When she spoke, that same glow was escaping from the depths of her throat, as if some great emerald fire burned at her core. That fixed my mind's mistake in relating her to a person. Those eyes... I felt like staring into them would burn mine out, blind me like the sun itself. But blind more than just my vision, blind my spirit and will entirely.
"Even if I accepted, your daughter is not human. Who is to say if the Infinite Sight has seen her? It belongs to wyr only."
"Even we were once wyr, my lady, were we not?"
She considered this. "An interesting thought. What reason would I allow this? What will you offer me in return?" The Eilin Hae's gaze abandoned Guide and fell to Nomic. "What can a lost man offer when he doesn't know his own name?" Then Em. "Or a girl who has no people?"
Then finally, she looked upon me. "But this is interesting." Then she came closer. She wore long robes of dark gray. Stitches of deep green made patterns all over her garb, an outfit of a deeply religious zealot. Every step seemed sacred, with the potential to bring any of us to our end. I did not know the meaning of the title "god" until I faced that gaze. But it was not hers, it belonged instead to the endless power that spoke through her.
"One that doesn't know his name, one that doesn't know her people, and one that I do not know. What sort of company have you brought me, Eruli?" I didn't remember falling to my knees, but there I was. She knelt to meet my gaze. "You know things, things you shouldn't know. There are machines that rely on the tiniest piece to run at all. If that tiny piece is removed, it falls apart."
Her hands were warm, she took mine and held them. "You have seen the abomination? The Eye of Two Colors?" I nodded, my tongue tied up in my mouth. "There is one that shall bear that golden gaze but, unlike my emerald eyes, that power will be at their command. I am simply the devout of the Eye of the Wilds."
"What do you want?" I finally asked.
She smiled. "That you keep your word. Write."
For reasons I still don't know, I found myself crying. Write? Write?! I keep being told to do that, and I am writing, but I know they weren't talking about this series of updates. There was something more and no one wanted to give me answers. "You... you aren't the first to ask. Write what?"
"You will know very soon. The Infinite Sight will allow you to see." She stood. "He is permitted to go. The others have nothing worth offering, so they may leave."
That wasn't enough of an answer for me. Waiting was done; I came here to fix my arm and find answers, to start my search for Selene. Cryptic instructions would not do. But Em's Father, who the Eilin Hae had called Eruli, clenched his fist. He barely held himself back, struggling to remain on his knees. "But... but my daughter will-"
"We all go, or I won't." I bargained my own importance. I could choose not to write whatever it was they found so important. "I won't go to the light."
Eilin Hae stared at me for a time before she finally spoke. "What is most curious about you, Axel White, is that you deem yourself a Fatewriter of more than just the story alloted to you. How is it your right to judge the fate of these with you?"
"How is it yours?"
"A wise answer. This is your bargain, I will accept."
Ramata had warned me not to listen to the devil that would come for me. She hadn't begged anything of me, however, so I accepted the deal. "Then I will go, but they will come with me."
She nodded and her eyes began to burn with further brilliance. The green wristbands we wore glowed in response. "And there is evidence of my permission. You may-"
Suddenly we were all knocked to the ground, the entire building shook as if it caught in a whirlwind. Even the Eilin Hae fell, striking the hardwood floor with a thud. She quickly recovered. "You brought it here!"
Before we could ask her what, the top of the building was peeled away. There were cloudy, gray skies on the horizon but above us was a black abyss. Deep in that darkness was a golden gaze, wreathed in a terrible storm, burning with a crimson glow. The Eye of Gold and Crimson had arrived.
"Leave!" Eilin Hae roared.
Flesh fell in squishing lumps. It looked like... chicken, blended with bloody ground beef. In mere seconds those clumps shaped themselves into poor imitations of living creatures. Those limbs were meant to be legs, but they barely supported the misshapen figure that tried to balance on them. More formed. Some had giant mouths, much like I had seen before, and others eyes or ears. There were no speeches this time, though. Instead the mouths simply babbled nonsense as they charged. We had only seconds to process this before the first abomination got its limbs around a nearby security personnel. The wad of flesh ripped off pieces of the Elwae with ease and, by merely touching the detached flesh, turned it into a mush that it threw to the side.
It took only moments to reduce him to a lump of flesh, only a gurgled cry later and he was gone.
Em's father grabbed my arm firmly, revealing that I was the only one stuck in place. So mesmerizing was the impossible sight that I had forgotten about my own life, which was clearly in peril. Even without the minions of the Eye of Gold, I would die. The building was coming down!
Against all my instincts, I followed Em's father and the others into a deathbox that was the elevator. It was the only way down, aside from jumping. Every time it shook, I was certain we were dead. Every shutter brought a prayer to my lips, but I didn't know what I was even praying to. Something listened, however, as the doors finally opened to a chaotic ground floor.
The front doors were shattered and there was no longer any security at the door. The city was full of screams. Cars were wrecked all along the full streets and fires burned everywhere.
Over the chaos, Em's father took charge. "Leave! We leave the city!" He put his hands in front of him and grasped at air, then pulled the empty space in front of him apart. As if tearing the fabric of reality, he ripped open a hole in the air. A boom, like thunder exploding just overhead, nearly burst my eardrums. Nomic and I were knocked to the ground, but Em seemed more ready.
I couldn't hear anymore, but I could see that Em was fighting her father. All my ears could do was ring. He grabbed her by the collar, ignored her scratching and fighting, and threw her into the hole. She went flying and I lost sight of her. Em's father then dragged me to my feet and I was shoved inside, followed by Nomic.
Just as my hearing was coming back, the hole slammed in on itself and shattered my senses once more. But when I came to, I realized that Em's father had not come along. We were back in the woods, who knows how far away from the city, and we no longer had our guide. Em screamed at the air.
My hearing was coming back again. "What... what happened?"
"He's still there." Em began to cry. "He is still in the city. You can't use your own portal... there isn't a way for him to follow."
"We don't have Barrow either." Nomic rubbed his ears hard. "We have to go back."
"How? I can't open portals."
"Portals? I didn't even know portals existed until today! You know more than the rest of us. If you can't do that... then we walk. That is how we got there, after all." I answered.
She shook her head. "Only pixies know the way."
This mission was about more than saving myself. I needed to find Selene and that meant I needed to be alive. "Your father himself said y'all aren't pixies. He called himself an Elwae. You aren't a pixie and you aren't a human, you are an Elwae like the rest of them. You can do this. Take us back."
"How?"
"I don't care how!" I snapped. I know, bad timing, but is there a good time to break? "Do something, quit asking for guidance! We. Don't. Know! Barrow is still there and we are still marked! I only have more questions, no answers!" We still had our wristbands. "This is our key. We go back and you'll lead us to the light under the city."
"I don't know if I can." Lifted her hands, her fear driving her defensive stance. "I've never gone to the city on my own."
"Did you take any potions with you?"
Em's eyes widened slightly. That was answer enough. "No more pretending. You can't hang inbetween, you'll take your true form. Like your father said, you are not a pixie."
"Then why am I small?!" She screamed, hands in her hair. "Why aren't I like anyone else?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! You are part Elwae, so start walking!" I looked to Nomic, who was still rubbing his ears. It was only then that I realized my own aggression. Taking a deep breath usually helps; it did not fail me. "Look, we don't have a choice. If you can't take us there, you can't take us home either. Just... just start walking. That is a good place to begin."
She didn't seem to like it, but there wasn't anything else to try. Em led us into the forest in a random direction. We had only two hopes; that her blood would lead her, or that luck would be on our side.
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There is far more to tell, obviously, but that seems like a good stopping point. Kinda shitty, I know, but you'll get the rest in time. I've got a plane to catch; there was a 4chan post about a strange blue mark on some guy's wrist. Could be nothing, but I managed to set up a meeting. Writing time is up and I'll be back in a few days. This could be the one, guys.
Sorry to keep everyone waiting this long. When I am finished writing, you'll understand. Until then, be safe. There is a terrible eye on us all.
submitted by AHauntedBarista to nosleep [link] [comments]
But if none of that makes sense, go here. You have some catching up to do.
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We left off with us prior baristas agreeing to follow Em and her father to the city they called home. A city called Fraeria. Usually the supernatural activity surrounding the Drowsy Spectre only occurred at night, so I was a bit confused when Em asked us to arrive in the parking lot during the day. At around 4pm we gathered outside the shop. I had expected Amber to be there for some reason, ready to impart some sort of cryptic wisdom in return for buying a candle. She wasn't there, though, and her car was absent too. Whatever Selene did with those marks seemed to have scared everyone and everything away.
Silence demanded to come along. The black snake had to see Em's father, she had closure to achieve and I think a bit of revenge perhaps. There wasn't much a small reptile like her could do, especially since she'd been turned into a non-venomous species. That wasn't for me to question. Silence had been a snake so long that she couldn't even remember who she was before; who was I to refuse her the possibility of some answers?
Anyway, we were in the parking lot. Em's father refused to give us his actual name, so we came to know him as Guide. It seems creatures of his kind prefer titles that describe their purpose, not the names given at their creation or birth. We didn't speak much before Guide led us into the forest surrounding the cafe, but it was a very long walk ahead and eventually Barrow approached me.
"Did you bring the doll?"
I didn't see a reason to be dishonest. "It is gone."
"What?"
"That wish you had me make? It caused this." I showed him my wrist. "My wish to end it burned the doll to a crisp."
"Interesting." He then fell behind a bit, lost in thought.
We stopped to eat at some point when it got dark. Seeing as one of the main rules of the cafe was to not be outside at night, I was a bit nervous. Nomic ended up tagging along, enticed by the healing of his mind. Guide did not promise anything, but he certainly did suggest that it was possible in the magical city he was leading us to. Our party included Em, Barrow, Nomic, myself, and Guide.
"We cannot stop for long." Guide stated after summoning a fire with the clap of his hands. "Even my power will not protect you from everything this strange forest harbors."
"So it is even strange to you?" Barrow asked.
Guide laughed. "I may wander it, but that does not mean I have a clue what it is. My people are not of this world, but can be brought here through this forest. Where I am from, we are called Elwae. It is your people that have given us strange titles from your children's tales."
"Wait, so Em is not a pixie?" I asked.
"You decide what is in a name. She is to you whatever you call her. A flower, or a stone." He eyed the darkening forest. "I am curious; what has become of your giant?"
"We have not seen him since the teeth got him." Em answered.
I recalled Tall Ben asking for help. Maybe if I would have accepted, he would be here to assist us in this time of trouble. "Maybe they ate him up. The tooth plague killed Heartmin. Might've taken longer, but I don't see why it couldn't chew him up too."
"I thought he was more resilient. The giant would have been a proper ally in darker hours yet to come."
Ominous. "What do you mean by that?"
He chose not to answer. Instead, he produced some fish from his bag. He passed it to Em, who then placed it over the fire. "There is food if you are hungry."
"No strings?"
Em looked at Barrow. "Why do you think he gave it to me first?"
He accepted this before taking one of her wooden plates.
I was not satisfied with the lack of answer. "Guide, what did you mean by that?"
"There are birthing pains here. Something draws near and this issue of ours is merely a symptom." He grinned. "It would have been much easier for you if you would have let me turn you into some rodent, yeah? I little bird, perhaps." That's what Selene called me. How did he know that? "Do you still have that one little trouble maker? The snake, that is. Oh, and that lizard too. I do hope they've adjusted well."
"They are free now."
"Are they? I've watched closely. So far I've not seen them leave your apartment. I could change them back, you know, for a price."
He wanted a deal. "I'm not playing this game!"
A hand rested on my knee. "You okay man?" It was Nomic; he looked concerned. "Your face is all red."
It was then I realized that no one else had commented on our conversation, or even taken notice. Had it been in my head? Guide gave me a knowing smirk and invaded my thoughts once again. "Just between us. Think on it."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." I lied to Nomic. Em's father would be trouble, it seemed. That wasn't much of a surprise.
A little voice tickled my ear. "Kill him." I couldn't answer discretely enough to not be noticed. Silence spoke once more with a long hiss. "Hurt him."
I gently place a hand on my shoulder, comforting the snake underneath my coat. It was still cold around my neck of the woods and Silence always got... irritated at such temperatures. This area shouldn't have been that cold, though, but I could only blame that on the unnatural forest we found ourselves in. As night grew later, it only got worse. The fire was going strong, despite its unnatural creation. There was no time to sleep, it seemed, as after only roughly two hours of sitting Guide demanded we all prepare to move again. To my comfort, the forest was not silent. Crickets chirped despite the cold weather and even bats could be heard squeaking overhead. Other than the company, everything seemed completely normal about the forest that surrounded the cafe. I assumed this was because we entered it during the day and not when the sun set but, if that was the case, then how could it possibly lead us to this supernatural civilization that Guide and Em were from?
Those questions were answered when we saw the first teeth. They were stuck in a tree that bled sap. At our approach, the teeth wiggled but could not make the tree move towards us. I feared that because they were there, that may mean that the rest of our troublesome neighbors might also make an appearance.
"Is she a friend?" A little voice whispered to me along the way. Silence slithered closer to my ear. "The spider-woman?"
I glanced behind us and saw a face in the trees. It was a familiar one and, for anyone other than me, might deceive a lonely man into becoming a meal. I had already fallen to her whims once, but this was not the same. Her eyes gazed with fear at our guide, Em's father, and she beckoned me closer. I fell discretely to the back of the line, just near enough for her to climb overhead. Ramata was her name, as some of you might remember.
I saw her full glory. The head and torso of a woman, but with many legs sprouting from under her shoulders. There were far more than eight, as a normal spider would have, instead boasting more than a dozen. They each ended with black hands full of sharp nails. She moved with complete silence, not even disturbing Guide. If I did not trust her intentions due to our prior history, I would have fled into the dark full of the most potent terror.
She came lower, just barely in the aura of our flashlights. I was happy to see that the teeth had not infected her. Yet, at least. A few steps behind Nomic, I fell behind as far as I felt comfortable.
"I assume you will hold true to your word?"
"I will. We are friends, my love." She whispered. Her voice was the wind, so slight and discrete; just for me. "You saved my children."
None of the others had noticed, but I kept my voice as low as I could regardless. "Then why are you stalking us?"
"That man's people come from a different world, one who shall bring forth a being that shall determine the fate of all things. My web stretches to many places, dear one. I have heard many things from those that wander into my traps." She waited, expecting me to have something to say. I didn't. "But there is tell that a human shall write about such things and influence the destiny of that world with mere words."
"You came here only to tell me that?"
I didn't intend to offend her, but she was far too cryptic for any use. "Destiny doesn't mean peace, young love. It is destined that all things will one day die. It may be in your power to halt this being from gaining the might to direct fate. Do not speak to the voice in the light, do not speak with the devil that is called Elidian."
"I am pretty tired of speaking with devils. It seems I've made deals with far too many."
"But this one will not come to strike a deal. Your heart; he will play it like a stringed instrument, and you will be inspired as any writer is. Do not listen." Her all too human eyes flickered towards Em's father. "And do not be mistaken; your guide has no intention of letting you return home."
"I know."
Suddenly she went silent, her face vanishing into the darkness. Ramata came bringing only questions, ones that I could not bring to anyone in our company. I did not trust Barrow anymore and could hardly trust Em with her father around. Nomic wouldn't have anything valuable to say considering he didn't even know who he was. That left Silence, who had decided to live up to her name and not answer anything I sent her way.
The insects had gone quiet. That was when I registered that Ramata wasn't being cryptic in her departure;
She had fled.
Em's father must have caught on as well, because he halted the journey. "Don't make a sound."
He did not turn off the flashlight, so I assumed it was safe to scan the trees. There sounded like a strong breeze to my left, approaching from the distance. But... the trees were swaying. I could hear leaves being picked up and thrashed about by the gust.
Then we all saw it. White dots crawling along the floor, carried on the backs of a living horde. Insects, rodents; an amalgamation of predators and prey driven on by their parasites. I grabbed Em, who was nearest, in a desperate bid to survive. These things hunted by sound and touch; we had once chance. I took my coat, wrapped it around her, and covered her completely. There was a nearby tree just wide enough for us to hide behind and I had only seconds to reach it.
That sound still echoes in my mind. Not one of the animals cried out, not one. But they got closer and I could hear tiny footsteps on the ground, I could feel the ground tremble with the sheer number of legs that the stampede boasted.
I thanked whatever god was listening that I wore gloves that day, because my hand was still out when the plague struck. It was a sparrow that smacked into it, slamming into the ground. The creature was surely crushed underneath the combined might of the horde. I could feel thousands of tiny legs crawl all over me and could only pray that they did not approach my exposed face.
Em was covered, I was not.
Something landed on me, something rather large but with many legs. It was not swept away immediately.
It crawled and clicked as it searched out flesh it surely sensed. Was it my breathing, was it my own trembling teeth?
You know how you can anticipate touch? Feel it before it happens? I knew it was going to reach me. I was going to die. I felt the tickle, the tiny sensation of an insect gripping onto a tiny pore. When it did, I felt something try to bite down on the bit of my exposed neck.
With only one option, I took a risk and grabbed the insect before the teeth on it could multiply using my own flesh. I saw a massive centipede covered in wiggled teeth from all manner of creatures. When I dropped it, it vanished into the sea of infected forest life. It seemed the hive mind was loose because none of them came for me.
And then it was over. We stayed in place to let those that fell behind catch up. Once the horde of teeth and meat was gone, I quickly checked my own neck. Em, sensing safety, assisted me and I nearly cheered when she swore I had no teeth on my neck. A tiny little red mark, a gentle cut, was the only evidence I had been bitten. Was that enough? Was I infected? Even now, I do not know.
Nomic and Em's father had the wisdom to cover up and hide. I was relieved to see that, regardless of how impossible it seemed, we had all escaped the tooth plague without infection. A minute or two after, the sounds of the natural forest returned.
"We need to move." Em's father was the first to break the silence. "No more speaking until I say."
Eventually we stopped to rest. This time, Guide told us that sleeping for a few hours would be possible. "We have crossed the threshold into the realm of the Elwae. Sleep easy tonight."
But I was the last to fall asleep. That was thanks to his constant gaze that never wavered from my face. Eventually I heard his voice once more, his mouth moved, but no one stirred. "You brought one of them with you, I see. The quiet snake. If I am honest, I do not even remember her name." He laughed at the fate he delivered to her. "Keep her. I am very curious to see what she plans to accomplish."
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Our journey from then on was uneventful. We got maybe four or five hours of sleep, which was surprisingly not interrupted. I don't know if Barrow sleeps, though. I was the first one to wake up and even found that Em's father had fallen asleep. Barrow, however, arrived before the others woke up. He had been in the woods relieving himself. He had been gone for quite a while though.
During the early morning hours the woods were quite peaceful and pleasant to traverse. I did notice the occasional rodent with white marks on its body, sick with the plague that I somehow unleashed. There were some on the plants as well and, despite Guide's confidence that they were completely safe, he gave the plagued portions of the woods a wide pass.
But then we came to a treeline. It was the end of the haunted woods that separated the cafe from the many strange worlds beyond. A rolling field separated us from a city that was surprisingly modern. Skyscrapers of foreign design rose high into the sky. There were streets below with regular traffic, but everything was designed with a certain lack of color. Every structure was metallic or concrete. The City Fraeria was not the nature-haven I expected. I thought of elves from Lord of the Rings, or Fae Forests with entire kingdoms being carved from the wood of ancient trees. Instead Em's people lived in a place not entirely different from us, but with far more of a sleek taste. The buildings were very... sharp. Human skyscrapers are usually built with an antenna of some kind on top. Instead these seemed like knives meant to not just scrape the sky, but cut them open with surgical precision.
"That is not what I expected." Nomic confessed. "Why is there an entire metropolis in the middle of the woods?"
"It was all a forest once." Guide replied. "All of your cities. We only had the heart not to destroy the rest." He certainly wasn't wrong. "Come. We seek an audience with the Eilin Hae. Only with his permission can we go to the fountain of life. This is his city, we are his people, and it is that light that powers this place. He will need convincing."
Guide looked at me. "I don't have anything for him. He's your leader, that is up to you."
"I think you will be surprised, Mr. White. Eilin Hae finds worth deep in the soul. Come; every second wasted is a risk I am not willing to take."
We crossed the fields of fine grass, passing into a realm that wasn't quite the same as the one we had come from. It was like a mirror but with small mistakes in the design. The broken stripes on the road were yellow instead of white, the green traffic lights were purple instead for no particular reason. There were shops along the sidewalks and people that looked as human as myself went about their business. Everyone was generally taller, however, which made me quite confused as to why Em was so small. She took giant potions, after all, to make herself capable of blending in with humans.
That was a sensitive question to ask, however, and I wasn't going to be the one to voice it despite my curiosities. We were ticking bombs, capable of dying if the ritual that we were marked for was attempted again.
"We are missing someone." Em's father announced, halting the journey.
It was only then that any of us noticed Barrow's absence. I had been walking in the back and hadn't even noticed his departure. "Could he have been... snatched?"
"No. That is not how things are done here." Our guide scanned the nearby alleys. "Where has he gone? Tell me now." Seeing as, so far as I know, none of us had any idea, his demand was met with silence. "This is not a place for a human to wander. No matter, he will turn up if he wishes to ever make it home. Only the Elwae can find this place, and only an Elwae can navigate our side of the forest."
Our journey continued, but I approached Em. "Where did he go?"
She was his closest friend, but even she was unaware. "This place really isn't safe. It is hardly the place for him to wander off on his own."
"Will he be fine?"
"He better be. We don't have time to go looking for him, but..." She glanced at her father. "Maybe we should? We must see the Eilin Hae in his tower. I told Barrow about that and while he might not know his way around the city, the tower can't be missed."
Em sounded like she was trying to convince herself. I didn't like it, especially considering the fact that my burned wrist was thanks to Barrow's wish. He was up to something and my ability to trust him was waning. But, if I am honest, at the moment my mind was greatly preoccupied with the strange city and had no room to worry about Barrow's antics.
There was a massive building near the center of the city. It rose as high into the sky as the others, even taller than those around it, but the length and width were impressive too. This dwarfed even the greatest of our structures and it seemed to be our destination. Guide led us up the steps towards the front door and was stopped by professionally dressed security personnel. Again, this place was not very different from our own world.
After a short, hushed discussion, we were granted entry. We were each given a green wristband, very similar to the pink ones given to guests at hospitals, and ferried inside. The sideways glances we received within were far sharper than I had seen outside. We were not welcome in the city, but much less in the heart of their home, whatever "they" were. I counted myself lucky to discover that they had elevators. Of course, that seems obvious to assume, but we had walked all the way to the building instead of driving. That took a while and made me nervous seeing as Em's father didn't seem to have a limit to his endurance. Guide pressed the top button of the elevator and so began our long ascent to the highest floor.
The design was the same even inside the building, right down to the interior of the elevator. Dark metal, trimmed occasionally with wood. It wasn't iron, obviously, otherwise Em's father would be in incredible pain. There wasn't a single scratch on any of the polished metal; it was like a dark mirror wherever I looked.
The lights shined with a hint of emerald green, as if to mimic the natural sheen trees made when the sun poured from their canopy. Finally the elevator doors opened into a short hallway. That hall had double doors that a well-dressed man opened at our approach. We had to show our wristbands, let the barcode be scanned, and only when each of us passed were we able to enter.
What we found inside was not meant for human eyes.
Have you ever driven up to a crossroads and stopped, but when you stare ahead it seems like everything is sort of... zooming out? Or sometimes in, I guess. Within the room was what amounted to a portal of sorts. I could circle the center of the room as much as I wanted, but if I got closer it just... kept going. I barely made a dent in the distance that separates me from the brilliant green eye that watched us. It was celestial in size, my mind knew that, dwarfing even our own planet. But how could that fit in a room?
This being was nearly identical to the terrible Eye of Gold and Crimson that I had spoken with all those months ago. It was garbed in a storm that could not be measured, arcs of emerald lightning flashed but seemed as tiny things from such a distance. But it did not speak with the mouths of discarded flesh like the Eye of Gold. Instead, there was a woman sitting between us and the nigh-infinite walk to the eye. She got up from the floor and turned to greet us.
"I am The Eilin Hae." She said.
Or he, I guess? They had all referred to The Eilin Hae as a man. Being in the presence of what amounted to a god did not have the effect one may have expected. She was... a person. In appearance, that is. I anticipated a powerful voice, one that would inspire me to bend a knee and hide my face. But, as far as intimidation, I felt as if I was meeting the CEO of some business.
"My lady." Our guide bowed. We followed suit, but the pronoun he used further confused me. "A forbidden ritual has latched itself onto my daughter and these common people with me. We ask to visit the Infinite Sight."
When she stepped forward, she was no longer drowned by the green eye's countenance. It was only then that I saw her eyes burned with a similar light. When she spoke, that same glow was escaping from the depths of her throat, as if some great emerald fire burned at her core. That fixed my mind's mistake in relating her to a person. Those eyes... I felt like staring into them would burn mine out, blind me like the sun itself. But blind more than just my vision, blind my spirit and will entirely.
"Even if I accepted, your daughter is not human. Who is to say if the Infinite Sight has seen her? It belongs to wyr only."
"Even we were once wyr, my lady, were we not?"
She considered this. "An interesting thought. What reason would I allow this? What will you offer me in return?" The Eilin Hae's gaze abandoned Guide and fell to Nomic. "What can a lost man offer when he doesn't know his own name?" Then Em. "Or a girl who has no people?"
Then finally, she looked upon me. "But this is interesting." Then she came closer. She wore long robes of dark gray. Stitches of deep green made patterns all over her garb, an outfit of a deeply religious zealot. Every step seemed sacred, with the potential to bring any of us to our end. I did not know the meaning of the title "god" until I faced that gaze. But it was not hers, it belonged instead to the endless power that spoke through her.
"One that doesn't know his name, one that doesn't know her people, and one that I do not know. What sort of company have you brought me, Eruli?" I didn't remember falling to my knees, but there I was. She knelt to meet my gaze. "You know things, things you shouldn't know. There are machines that rely on the tiniest piece to run at all. If that tiny piece is removed, it falls apart."
Her hands were warm, she took mine and held them. "You have seen the abomination? The Eye of Two Colors?" I nodded, my tongue tied up in my mouth. "There is one that shall bear that golden gaze but, unlike my emerald eyes, that power will be at their command. I am simply the devout of the Eye of the Wilds."
"What do you want?" I finally asked.
She smiled. "That you keep your word. Write."
For reasons I still don't know, I found myself crying. Write? Write?! I keep being told to do that, and I am writing, but I know they weren't talking about this series of updates. There was something more and no one wanted to give me answers. "You... you aren't the first to ask. Write what?"
"You will know very soon. The Infinite Sight will allow you to see." She stood. "He is permitted to go. The others have nothing worth offering, so they may leave."
That wasn't enough of an answer for me. Waiting was done; I came here to fix my arm and find answers, to start my search for Selene. Cryptic instructions would not do. But Em's Father, who the Eilin Hae had called Eruli, clenched his fist. He barely held himself back, struggling to remain on his knees. "But... but my daughter will-"
"We all go, or I won't." I bargained my own importance. I could choose not to write whatever it was they found so important. "I won't go to the light."
Eilin Hae stared at me for a time before she finally spoke. "What is most curious about you, Axel White, is that you deem yourself a Fatewriter of more than just the story alloted to you. How is it your right to judge the fate of these with you?"
"How is it yours?"
"A wise answer. This is your bargain, I will accept."
Ramata had warned me not to listen to the devil that would come for me. She hadn't begged anything of me, however, so I accepted the deal. "Then I will go, but they will come with me."
She nodded and her eyes began to burn with further brilliance. The green wristbands we wore glowed in response. "And there is evidence of my permission. You may-"
Suddenly we were all knocked to the ground, the entire building shook as if it caught in a whirlwind. Even the Eilin Hae fell, striking the hardwood floor with a thud. She quickly recovered. "You brought it here!"
Before we could ask her what, the top of the building was peeled away. There were cloudy, gray skies on the horizon but above us was a black abyss. Deep in that darkness was a golden gaze, wreathed in a terrible storm, burning with a crimson glow. The Eye of Gold and Crimson had arrived.
"Leave!" Eilin Hae roared.
Flesh fell in squishing lumps. It looked like... chicken, blended with bloody ground beef. In mere seconds those clumps shaped themselves into poor imitations of living creatures. Those limbs were meant to be legs, but they barely supported the misshapen figure that tried to balance on them. More formed. Some had giant mouths, much like I had seen before, and others eyes or ears. There were no speeches this time, though. Instead the mouths simply babbled nonsense as they charged. We had only seconds to process this before the first abomination got its limbs around a nearby security personnel. The wad of flesh ripped off pieces of the Elwae with ease and, by merely touching the detached flesh, turned it into a mush that it threw to the side.
It took only moments to reduce him to a lump of flesh, only a gurgled cry later and he was gone.
Em's father grabbed my arm firmly, revealing that I was the only one stuck in place. So mesmerizing was the impossible sight that I had forgotten about my own life, which was clearly in peril. Even without the minions of the Eye of Gold, I would die. The building was coming down!
Against all my instincts, I followed Em's father and the others into a deathbox that was the elevator. It was the only way down, aside from jumping. Every time it shook, I was certain we were dead. Every shutter brought a prayer to my lips, but I didn't know what I was even praying to. Something listened, however, as the doors finally opened to a chaotic ground floor.
The front doors were shattered and there was no longer any security at the door. The city was full of screams. Cars were wrecked all along the full streets and fires burned everywhere.
Over the chaos, Em's father took charge. "Leave! We leave the city!" He put his hands in front of him and grasped at air, then pulled the empty space in front of him apart. As if tearing the fabric of reality, he ripped open a hole in the air. A boom, like thunder exploding just overhead, nearly burst my eardrums. Nomic and I were knocked to the ground, but Em seemed more ready.
I couldn't hear anymore, but I could see that Em was fighting her father. All my ears could do was ring. He grabbed her by the collar, ignored her scratching and fighting, and threw her into the hole. She went flying and I lost sight of her. Em's father then dragged me to my feet and I was shoved inside, followed by Nomic.
Just as my hearing was coming back, the hole slammed in on itself and shattered my senses once more. But when I came to, I realized that Em's father had not come along. We were back in the woods, who knows how far away from the city, and we no longer had our guide. Em screamed at the air.
My hearing was coming back again. "What... what happened?"
"He's still there." Em began to cry. "He is still in the city. You can't use your own portal... there isn't a way for him to follow."
"We don't have Barrow either." Nomic rubbed his ears hard. "We have to go back."
"How? I can't open portals."
"Portals? I didn't even know portals existed until today! You know more than the rest of us. If you can't do that... then we walk. That is how we got there, after all." I answered.
She shook her head. "Only pixies know the way."
This mission was about more than saving myself. I needed to find Selene and that meant I needed to be alive. "Your father himself said y'all aren't pixies. He called himself an Elwae. You aren't a pixie and you aren't a human, you are an Elwae like the rest of them. You can do this. Take us back."
"How?"
"I don't care how!" I snapped. I know, bad timing, but is there a good time to break? "Do something, quit asking for guidance! We. Don't. Know! Barrow is still there and we are still marked! I only have more questions, no answers!" We still had our wristbands. "This is our key. We go back and you'll lead us to the light under the city."
"I don't know if I can." Lifted her hands, her fear driving her defensive stance. "I've never gone to the city on my own."
"Did you take any potions with you?"
Em's eyes widened slightly. That was answer enough. "No more pretending. You can't hang inbetween, you'll take your true form. Like your father said, you are not a pixie."
"Then why am I small?!" She screamed, hands in her hair. "Why aren't I like anyone else?!"
"I DON'T KNOW! You are part Elwae, so start walking!" I looked to Nomic, who was still rubbing his ears. It was only then that I realized my own aggression. Taking a deep breath usually helps; it did not fail me. "Look, we don't have a choice. If you can't take us there, you can't take us home either. Just... just start walking. That is a good place to begin."
She didn't seem to like it, but there wasn't anything else to try. Em led us into the forest in a random direction. We had only two hopes; that her blood would lead her, or that luck would be on our side.
---------------------------------------
There is far more to tell, obviously, but that seems like a good stopping point. Kinda shitty, I know, but you'll get the rest in time. I've got a plane to catch; there was a 4chan post about a strange blue mark on some guy's wrist. Could be nothing, but I managed to set up a meeting. Writing time is up and I'll be back in a few days. This could be the one, guys.
Sorry to keep everyone waiting this long. When I am finished writing, you'll understand. Until then, be safe. There is a terrible eye on us all.
2023.05.31 07:08 Anson-M I think I killed something I shouldn’t have.
It’s amazing the way good old fashioned fear can strike guilt into the long hardened hearts of men. Hello there, My name is Elroy Helms, I’m 48, and I live in a VERY rural community, running a slaughterhouse, and selling wild game. It’s been a generational business from my father, to his father, all the way to my great great grandfather who settled here and founded our first slaughterhouse. We always looked at it as if we were doing God’s work. Feeding and providing the good people of of our community with the freshest cuts of game! All for a very reasonable price of course. So...why feel guilt now? Why now do my palms sweat and heart race? What could have possibly been so special about that damn deer? But deep down I know it had to be something. I know not the lore or the specifics behind that sacred creature, but I’m not so dense that I couldn’t feel the unnatural urge to drop my gun and leave the woods the second I set my sights on him. But, apparently, I WAS just dense enough to ignore the fact that every fiber of my being was screaming “DONT SHOOT!” and “NOT THIS ONE”!.
I’ll be honest though. It had been a long winter. And a pretty shoddy spring too. I’m feeding a teenage boy for God’s sake, and defiantly spitting on family tradition by planning to send him off for higher education. To make something better of himself. To be more than the son of a hunter, bound to a town like this. Not that he even minds hunting with his father. He didn’t mind our town or way of life or anything. Hell, he even has a knack for running the shop. Maybe I just wanted to stick it in the faces of my forefathers. To show him that there was more to our bloodline than this life. Maybe it even had something to do with my late wife Loren, who wanted her son to grow up and be a scholar, and get sent off somewhere to make something of himself, and all that bullshit. Damn her for making him so soft. Damn her for going off alone to fish in those woods.
But all of that purpose and meaning put behind my pulling of the trigger seems foolish now. Purged away in the flame of anxiety that spreads through my body like a cancer. Goodness, it was a beautiful deer too. It stood at least 7 or 8 feet tall, with a mesmerizing set of antlers, curving in ways most unnatural, ending with long points, facing the sky like steeples. He’d have made a killing off the hide alone, which seemed almost luminescent, and gleamed with an unnatural color that I’m not entirely positive I had ever seen before. Just looking at the thing made tears well up in the corners of my eyes, as a feeling of deep reverence overtook me.
However, in my arrogance, I shook away these feelings, steeled my resolve, and denying every last bit of instinct i had to drop my gun and go home, I was overtaken by thoughts of greed. I could put back money for my boys education. I could buy that new knife I had been eyeing, and maybe even make myself a beautiful mount on the wall to go above the fireplace. And, perhaps greatest of all, I would finally be out of this hunting rut. I’d been getting shit from some of the boys down at the bar for my bad luck lately. Almost as much shit as I’d been getting from some of my customers who were sorely disappointed that I didn’t have any venison, or deer jerky, or deer sausage for them. So I took the shot. It was eerie how quickly and gracefully the thing submitted to death. It made no sound as prey usually did, how they usually screech and bleat and carry on, fighting the inevitable, fighting with that primal desire to cling on to life. It fell to the ground quickly and without fuss, and by the time I got to the body, the life was already extinguished from it’s eyes. The temperature was already decently chilly that late spring morning, and a light layer of frost dusted the grass, but it seemed to me that it plummeted even more so as soon as the deer hit the ground.
The trek back home was arduous. I had loaded the beast up on my well-used wagon, which creaked and groaned under its immense weight. There was a breadcrumb trail of bio-luminescent blood left behind us, that was the same odd indescribable color as was visible on the animals coat. After storing the body in my shed, outside of my slaughterhouse, I promptly threw up my breakfast of eggs and sliced ham. I had a pit in my stomach, my hands were shaking uncontrollably, and despite the cold, a smattering of sweat had formed on my brow. I figured I would prepare the carcass later, right now what I really needed was a drink, and a short rest in my old hide rocking chair. I stumbled inside, slamming my rickety back door and poured myself a glass of whiskey. Upon taking my seat in my favorite chair, I tried to focus on my whittling project that left shavings all over the floor, a hobby that often left Loren in a fit of annoyance. But I didn’t have to worry about that now, did I? My eyes grew heavy, and the rain that had just started drizzling was all the more lulling to me, my mind must have been exhausted after that stressful morning. As my sight turned bleary from the sleep that was quickly overtaking me, I thought I could make out a shadow of someone watching my from the window adjacent to my chair.
That was hours ago. I woke up and the sun was gone. There’s a horrible storm caught up outside and I can’t get this feeling of guilt out of my stomach. My heart feels like it’s going to explode. I can’t find my son, and he’s not answering his phone. There’s something that’s been watching me through the the storm. I can just barely make it out when lightning strikes for just a moment, there’s a figure, there’s something caught in the downpour. It’s always shuffling around, moving closer, then farther away, then closer. I can’t tell if I’m losing my mind, but throughout the onslaught of noise from the storm, I can almost hear something crying.
submitted by Anson-M to nosleep [link] [comments]
I’ll be honest though. It had been a long winter. And a pretty shoddy spring too. I’m feeding a teenage boy for God’s sake, and defiantly spitting on family tradition by planning to send him off for higher education. To make something better of himself. To be more than the son of a hunter, bound to a town like this. Not that he even minds hunting with his father. He didn’t mind our town or way of life or anything. Hell, he even has a knack for running the shop. Maybe I just wanted to stick it in the faces of my forefathers. To show him that there was more to our bloodline than this life. Maybe it even had something to do with my late wife Loren, who wanted her son to grow up and be a scholar, and get sent off somewhere to make something of himself, and all that bullshit. Damn her for making him so soft. Damn her for going off alone to fish in those woods.
But all of that purpose and meaning put behind my pulling of the trigger seems foolish now. Purged away in the flame of anxiety that spreads through my body like a cancer. Goodness, it was a beautiful deer too. It stood at least 7 or 8 feet tall, with a mesmerizing set of antlers, curving in ways most unnatural, ending with long points, facing the sky like steeples. He’d have made a killing off the hide alone, which seemed almost luminescent, and gleamed with an unnatural color that I’m not entirely positive I had ever seen before. Just looking at the thing made tears well up in the corners of my eyes, as a feeling of deep reverence overtook me.
However, in my arrogance, I shook away these feelings, steeled my resolve, and denying every last bit of instinct i had to drop my gun and go home, I was overtaken by thoughts of greed. I could put back money for my boys education. I could buy that new knife I had been eyeing, and maybe even make myself a beautiful mount on the wall to go above the fireplace. And, perhaps greatest of all, I would finally be out of this hunting rut. I’d been getting shit from some of the boys down at the bar for my bad luck lately. Almost as much shit as I’d been getting from some of my customers who were sorely disappointed that I didn’t have any venison, or deer jerky, or deer sausage for them. So I took the shot. It was eerie how quickly and gracefully the thing submitted to death. It made no sound as prey usually did, how they usually screech and bleat and carry on, fighting the inevitable, fighting with that primal desire to cling on to life. It fell to the ground quickly and without fuss, and by the time I got to the body, the life was already extinguished from it’s eyes. The temperature was already decently chilly that late spring morning, and a light layer of frost dusted the grass, but it seemed to me that it plummeted even more so as soon as the deer hit the ground.
The trek back home was arduous. I had loaded the beast up on my well-used wagon, which creaked and groaned under its immense weight. There was a breadcrumb trail of bio-luminescent blood left behind us, that was the same odd indescribable color as was visible on the animals coat. After storing the body in my shed, outside of my slaughterhouse, I promptly threw up my breakfast of eggs and sliced ham. I had a pit in my stomach, my hands were shaking uncontrollably, and despite the cold, a smattering of sweat had formed on my brow. I figured I would prepare the carcass later, right now what I really needed was a drink, and a short rest in my old hide rocking chair. I stumbled inside, slamming my rickety back door and poured myself a glass of whiskey. Upon taking my seat in my favorite chair, I tried to focus on my whittling project that left shavings all over the floor, a hobby that often left Loren in a fit of annoyance. But I didn’t have to worry about that now, did I? My eyes grew heavy, and the rain that had just started drizzling was all the more lulling to me, my mind must have been exhausted after that stressful morning. As my sight turned bleary from the sleep that was quickly overtaking me, I thought I could make out a shadow of someone watching my from the window adjacent to my chair.
That was hours ago. I woke up and the sun was gone. There’s a horrible storm caught up outside and I can’t get this feeling of guilt out of my stomach. My heart feels like it’s going to explode. I can’t find my son, and he’s not answering his phone. There’s something that’s been watching me through the the storm. I can just barely make it out when lightning strikes for just a moment, there’s a figure, there’s something caught in the downpour. It’s always shuffling around, moving closer, then farther away, then closer. I can’t tell if I’m losing my mind, but throughout the onslaught of noise from the storm, I can almost hear something crying.
2023.05.31 06:53 Office-Republic officerepublic.pk Top Office Furniture companies in Lahore, Pakistan
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submitted by Office-Republic to u/Office-Republic [link] [comments]
Office furniture plays an important role in creating a comfortable and productive workspace. It not only provides employees with a place to work, but also enhances the overall aesthetics of an office. This is where Office Republic comes in. With a wide range of high-quality office furniture, Office Republic is the perfect solution for all your office furnishing needs.
One of the key features of Office Republic’s office furniture is its versatility. Whether you’re looking for modern or traditional designs, Office Republic has got you covered. From desks and chairs to storage units and conference tables, they offer a wide range of office furniture that can be customized to fit your specific needs.
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Finally, Office Republic’s commitment to customer satisfaction is evident in their personalized approach to office furniture. They work closely with their clients to understand their specific needs and preferences, and then create customized solutions that meet those needs. This means that you can be sure that your office furniture will not only be functional and durable, but also stylish and unique to your office space.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for high-quality, functional, and stylish office furniture, Office Republic is the perfect choice. With a wide range of options, personalized solutions, and a commitment to customer satisfaction, Office Republic is the go-to destination for all your office furniture needs.
2023.05.31 06:28 tyrannosaurus_r Cole’s cycle: bootstrap paradox, or the natural end of a time travel cascade?
TL;DR: Jones must’ve sent Hannah back prior to the original loop, thus creating James, and making him a factor for all successive loops until the end.
I’ve just finished the show tonight and, beyond my happy tears for a perfect, well executed ending (I was expecting a true sad one), I’ve got a few thoughts that probably merit an immediate rewatch. One sticks out, though: if Cole’s existence, and the entire conflict of the show, is a consequence of time travel, how did Cole come to be?
I suppose the answer here is “up to you”, because I don’t think the show ever addresses this in any real way. So, in the spirit of the best ending being the one you choose for yourself, my answer has to be: since time travel clearly broke the timeline, and Cole was the center of that breakage, my conclusion has to be that some event involving Cole’s existence happened that shouldn’t have.
To liken this to another famous time travel franchise, the Terminator Conundrum frames my thoughts here. Skynet comes online and becomes self aware at whatever the original point in history, and is defeated, by chance, by the original John Connor. His father probably wasn’t Reese, and the original timeline is sufficiently different, but Connor was still born of Sarah, and still is decisive in defeating Skynet. Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill his mom, then John sends his best soldier, Reese, who winds up becoming his father instead. The key factor here is John was born to Sarah, which is enough for him to become the leader he needs to be to defeat Skynet. The bootstrap paradox ensues, until something breaks the cycle: likely, when Skynet is either stopped entirely from existing, or is defeated before it can use the time weapon. Now, whatever the final shape of the timeline is, Kyle Reese was always John’s dad. He was displaced from time, so any changes to the timeline thereafter don’t alter the events that had already happened. John retains knowledge of the war to come, and the cycle is eventually broken when he doesn’t have to send Kyle back. John is a man who shouldn’t exist, but does.
Extrapolating this to 12 Monkeys, the translation is fairly direct. At some point prior to the iteration of Project Splinter we know, something had to happen to make Cole. He’s the man that shouldn’t exist, and time travel simply existing is what started the war with the Monkeys. The logical conclusion is that the snowballing effect of time travel led to the 12 Monkeys, and eventually, the Witness, moving to create the Red Forest, but the inciting action for all of this was the birth of James Cole.
How did that happen? This is basically just headcanon, but from what we know of the characters, I think Jones’s first attempt to escape the doom of mankind was simply to spare Hannah. Somehow, she survived the illness, and was able to be sent back to 2009 where she met James’s dad, and became his mother. Or, perhaps, there wasn’t even a plague— maybe Katarina and Elliot just cracked Splinter tech without issue, and made the mistake of sending Hannah back a little bit too hastily.
Cole shouldn’t exist, and couldn’t exist, otherwise: in the original timeline, the Monkeys release the Kalavirus (likely just made without Olivia’s corpse), and humanity eventually succumbs after decades of mutation. In the new timeline, Cole exists. He is found by Jones, or, perhaps was always with her— he’s her grandson, after all— and is sent back to Cassie, who they can identify as the person who spearheaded the containment effort of the virus, and came closest to identifying its origin. One could even conceivably posit that this timeline were the events of the movie.
After a few iterations of trying, and failing, to alter the timeline substantially, the iteration and reiteration of events cascade until the Monkeys, whether via knowledge of the Primaries (who undoubtedly notice what’s going on), wisen up to time travel and begin to counter Project Splinter. It’s just an arms race of increasingly drastic changes to the timeline, akin to what we see after the team’s only successful shift of events prior to the finale (moving the apocalypse to 2018).
The loop happens again, and again, until we wind up with the one in the show, where just the right pieces fall into place such that the cycle can be broken. At the end of it all, Jones was right when she sent Cassie back to kill her— time travel did start the mess, but by that point, they were already in too deep. Once the boots are laced, adding more knots just makes a tighter mess. The only way to solve it was to just take off the shoes.
submitted by tyrannosaurus_r to 12Monkeys [link] [comments]
I suppose the answer here is “up to you”, because I don’t think the show ever addresses this in any real way. So, in the spirit of the best ending being the one you choose for yourself, my answer has to be: since time travel clearly broke the timeline, and Cole was the center of that breakage, my conclusion has to be that some event involving Cole’s existence happened that shouldn’t have.
To liken this to another famous time travel franchise, the Terminator Conundrum frames my thoughts here. Skynet comes online and becomes self aware at whatever the original point in history, and is defeated, by chance, by the original John Connor. His father probably wasn’t Reese, and the original timeline is sufficiently different, but Connor was still born of Sarah, and still is decisive in defeating Skynet. Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill his mom, then John sends his best soldier, Reese, who winds up becoming his father instead. The key factor here is John was born to Sarah, which is enough for him to become the leader he needs to be to defeat Skynet. The bootstrap paradox ensues, until something breaks the cycle: likely, when Skynet is either stopped entirely from existing, or is defeated before it can use the time weapon. Now, whatever the final shape of the timeline is, Kyle Reese was always John’s dad. He was displaced from time, so any changes to the timeline thereafter don’t alter the events that had already happened. John retains knowledge of the war to come, and the cycle is eventually broken when he doesn’t have to send Kyle back. John is a man who shouldn’t exist, but does.
Extrapolating this to 12 Monkeys, the translation is fairly direct. At some point prior to the iteration of Project Splinter we know, something had to happen to make Cole. He’s the man that shouldn’t exist, and time travel simply existing is what started the war with the Monkeys. The logical conclusion is that the snowballing effect of time travel led to the 12 Monkeys, and eventually, the Witness, moving to create the Red Forest, but the inciting action for all of this was the birth of James Cole.
How did that happen? This is basically just headcanon, but from what we know of the characters, I think Jones’s first attempt to escape the doom of mankind was simply to spare Hannah. Somehow, she survived the illness, and was able to be sent back to 2009 where she met James’s dad, and became his mother. Or, perhaps, there wasn’t even a plague— maybe Katarina and Elliot just cracked Splinter tech without issue, and made the mistake of sending Hannah back a little bit too hastily.
Cole shouldn’t exist, and couldn’t exist, otherwise: in the original timeline, the Monkeys release the Kalavirus (likely just made without Olivia’s corpse), and humanity eventually succumbs after decades of mutation. In the new timeline, Cole exists. He is found by Jones, or, perhaps was always with her— he’s her grandson, after all— and is sent back to Cassie, who they can identify as the person who spearheaded the containment effort of the virus, and came closest to identifying its origin. One could even conceivably posit that this timeline were the events of the movie.
After a few iterations of trying, and failing, to alter the timeline substantially, the iteration and reiteration of events cascade until the Monkeys, whether via knowledge of the Primaries (who undoubtedly notice what’s going on), wisen up to time travel and begin to counter Project Splinter. It’s just an arms race of increasingly drastic changes to the timeline, akin to what we see after the team’s only successful shift of events prior to the finale (moving the apocalypse to 2018).
The loop happens again, and again, until we wind up with the one in the show, where just the right pieces fall into place such that the cycle can be broken. At the end of it all, Jones was right when she sent Cassie back to kill her— time travel did start the mess, but by that point, they were already in too deep. Once the boots are laced, adding more knots just makes a tighter mess. The only way to solve it was to just take off the shoes.
2023.05.31 05:35 Edwardthecrazyman Hiraeth or Where the Children Play: Wizard Tonics and Silly Little Love Songs [4]
Previous/
The wagons or tanks rolled through the gate in a caravan that was more akin to a carnival than a group of tradesmen; all the wizards with their pointed hats were shaped magnificently against the browns and grays, some wore white porcelain dramedy masks beneath headwear as dark as pipe resin, men and women and those between—as that was common from where they hailed. Their company was perhaps forty and their mules and mares were thirsty and were led to troughs to idle while the wizards removed goods from their wagons or tanks and although it was not a spectacle for them to arrive within Golgotha’s walls, it was something still and the citizens gathered to greet whatever wizards they might know but mostly perhaps to whisper rumors on them. The wizards seemed a taller folk, but that was because of the hats, and they seemed wider too, but that was for the robes they adorned with costume jewelry, trinkets, or fingernail-sized lanterns which contained magical properties hung off their clothes as ornaments (some metal and other crudely wooden). I never knew a people that could trek the wastes in that time as well as me till I knew them.
Boss Maron was there at the gates with his wall men, hollering—shouting really, “The Whores of Babylon have come again!” And the bells signaled from atop the highest tower over the hall of Bosses and I met the front square with a morning headache and a cigarette. The Boss sheriff was clothed, cowboy hat pulled tightly to his ears, and he waltzed through the square, inspecting the new arrivals with his crotch out in front of him as he moved in a swagger like a cup of shifted water. Morning sunlight crested the wall to reflect on the pistol in his holster as it did on the star pin of his hat.
Among them, there was only one wizard I cared to see. Their name was Suzanne.
The hanged bodies of the men remained on the wall, dead and stiff and shifting to the little wind there was.
The square had filled with carts (some drawn by animals and others pushed on oil), and even if it were not for the bells which signaled their arrival, I’d have surely known their presence for the clatter of their metal engines.
“Well goddamn!” said Maron while examining a wizard, “What’s that you’ve got on your legs?”
The wizard, a young woman in plain pants wore a set of leg braces and whenever she moved, she did so in shifting her hips around. “Braces,” she said.
“What’s it for? Or is it some of your all’s secret whodo?”
“I’ve got bad legs. The braces help.” She said plainly, attempting to angle herself straight like a stick against one of the traveling party’s wagons.
“Bad legs?” Boss Maron’s expression was incredulous. “Who has bad legs? What sort of nonsense is it? If a lady like you’s made it this far in life with bad legs, then someone’s done you a disservice.”
She looked on questioningly while the other wizards continued with their unpacking or their conversating—whether it be amongst themselves or with the freckle-spaced citizens in the square.
“How are you to outrun trouble when you’ve got them?” He nodded at the young woman’s legs.
“I don’t.” Her face was red either because of the sun or because of the scrutiny. “I’m just bow-legged.”
“Damn,” he shook his head, “Well how much you want for one of them?”
“One of my braces?”
“Yeah. All I want’s the one anyway.”
“I need both of them.”
“C’mon. You wouldn’t notice just one missing. I mean, you’ve got a spare right next to it.”
Upon noticing a robed figure I recognized by the animals at the troughs, I moved to them instead and let Maron’s conversation fall to the wayside. The chatter of the crowd was wild and startled words came as a wizard exposed their collection of tonics to passersby.
“Suzanne,” I said.
The figure turned to face me, moving their head to look away from a mare they’d been brushing to expose one of those white porcelain masks.
I knew it and could not contain a smile.
“Harlan?” asked the figure. The mask on its face was split in the middle with hinges on either side and they opened it to show their face; it was Suzanne. They’d grown some hair around their throat and wore lipstick on their lips and dyes on their eyes.
“It’s good to see you.” I pushed myself into a hug with them and I could smell the travel off them but didn’t care.
They shifted timidly before hugging me back and I pretended not to notice. Once we’d separated, I looked on Suzanne’s face again and they were looking on at the hanging men on the wall. “Again?” they asked.
I nodded and shot a look towards the Boss across the way.
“What justice?” they asked no one while shaking their head.
Trying an answer, I said, “Justice is something man made, I think. I’ll leave men to men and the rest to God.”
“God.” Suzanne nodded glumly then shook their head. “Which one?”
I laughed a good laugh that felt real but nervous too then kicked the ground and took the last drag off my cigarette before chucking it to the ground. “What’s brought you here?”
Suzanne answered plainly. “We took a long time east out near Pittsburgh.” Their eyes scanned the buildings further on from the square. “The people there are worse than here, it seems. At least you still have your walls.”
“Pittsburgh’s fallen?”
They frowned. “Not completely. They’ve mostly gone underground. A skitterbug infestation caused a plague directly before an attack of proportions I’ve yet seen.” Suzanne’s brow furrowed. “It was awful.” The words hung in the air for a moment. “But we’re here now and thought we’d stop for a rest and some guns and ammo before returning to Babylon. We’ve brought some medicines to trade.”
I learned from my friend that Pittsburgh’s infrastructure and fortifications were decimated in an attack the wizards only caught second-hand and the survivors—holed away in the tunnels beneath Pittsburgh—told of how the demons ran the walls once their reserves were low.
Then the wizards gathered there began unpacking books, some scrolls, and there were medicines too and some of the Bosses other than Maron (he pushed his harassment of the young wizard with leg braces) graced us there with their presence as they came on and began to pick across the goods, haggling prices. Boss Frank was there, and he stood before a wizard by a tank with a wooden table of jars—capped elixirs of varying colors—he grew increasingly frustrated with their selection and took on in his braggadocious way, speaking of numbers. A few of the idle wizards leaned against carts or even took across town and a small group of them had gathered for a quick show near the guard posts, playing instruments (strings over the vocals of “In My Life”) and there in the front of them was a young wizard man that had removed his hat to show how he played with fire flames off his hands—it was a sideshow play—and the citizens wore variations of bemusement or disgust. The children of Golgotha, all dirty faced with sprigs of hair jutting about from their morning’s waking, seemed totally bewildered in the joy of song and clapped their hands or shook their hips all with smiles.
I stuffed my hands in my jacket and prodded Suzanne, “What’s with the plague? I mean, was it contained? None of your lot got sick, did they?”
Suzanne scoffed, perhaps a little pridefully, “No. I wouldn’t worry about that.” They patted a nearby mule then withdrew a brush and moved it across its thin coat before looking over its hooves. “I’ve brought you some books I found out that way though. You still read?”
I nodded.
“Don’t expect any of that fiction. The only ones I’ve found recently are old pamphlets or medical texts.” Suzanne paused and smiled, returning the animal brush to their robes, “You haven’t happened upon anything that might interest me, have you?”
Their shown teeth were infectious. “Mayhap. I’d need you to come back to my place so I could give them to you.” An awkward pause followed and the roar of the still accumulating crowd overtook the space between us before I continued. “Mostly interesting containers and a few flecks of gold I took from some old computers—they’ve been waitin’ on you for weeks now. I got some parchment that might be of use to you too. You can take what you need as always.”
“How about we get some food? I’m famished. Riding through the night takes its toll.”
Me and Suzanne took from the square up a narrow route that led through residences where the lower levels had their curtains drawn and then we took stairs toward balconies and catwalks configured from reinforced metal; we spoke as we went and a few odd glances from passersby met the wizard as we did.
“The tide on the east is rising again,” said Suzanne.
“Worse than before?”
“Worse than before.”
“God, I don’t think I’ve seen the ocean for a decade or more.” I slid my hand along the railing once we came to what was essentially my front porch; it was a perch among the catwalks that cut against the domicile where I shared walls with others on three sides and we stopped there outside my door. “We saw a dragon only a few days ago.”
Suzanne’s interest seemed piqued. “A dragon? And what direction was it traveling?”
“Well,” I craned over the railing, looking down the narrow walkway that separated my building and the one across the way; I couldn’t see the front square from outside my home, but I could still just make out the music echoing from that direction, “Could’ve been north or west. I was preoccupied, but I wouldn’t worry much. The wall men gave it a pretty good thrashing before it took off.”
“Hmm.”
“So, the ocean? It’s rising, huh?”
They joined me there on railing, supporting themselves against their forearms. “It is. Faster than ever. Some bad magic’s taken the water. I imagine by the end of the year Pittsburgh will be under it. There’s something bad coming. You might call it intuition if you want, but I know it’s coming. Something bad. Revelations bad. There comes a time when even those of us forsaken are brought worse.”
“Bah!” I couldn’t help it, “John thought it was the end times while he wrote the damn thing. And what about all the other books? Hm?”
Suzanne put up their hands. “I didn’t mean it like that at all. You know I’m only the mildest scholar on the topic.”
“Anyway. You’d better not start having visions. Got enough to worry about as is.” I’d not realized my shoulders were tense until their hand touched me, and I flinched.
“You’ve a bruise around your neck. Care to elaborate there?”
I shook my head. “Got into a fight.”
Suzanne laughed, removed their pointed hat and playfully put it on my head. “C’mon. Cook me something. You might not know a thing about spices, but your cooking’s always tasted better.”
We took through my door to my small single room where simple amenities awaited and an ancient, decommissioned pump-shotgun hung on the wall over the bed. “That’s just ‘cause you ain’t the one laboring over it.”
Across a meal of potato cakes and toasted bread, we drank coffee until I broke into the liquor to spice my coffee and alleviate my hangover, and we shared the drink and Suzanne took to wash in the sink while I smoked outside on the overlook. Upon returning to the room, I saw them there with a wet rag stuffed beneath an armpit and they were beautiful caught without robes, frame cast in sunglow through the crack in my doorway. In a moment, our hands glided around one another in a scramble of arms at the middle point between us and we took to bed for a while.
Come midday, we remained there, staring at the ceiling, chests bare, and blanket strewn across our lower halves.
“You’re going gray,” said Suzanne.
“You’re getting old too, ya’know.”
“Yes.”
“How long did you say you’ll be staying?” I asked while trying to mask whatever excitement may be present.
“Few days. Once we’ve enough ammunition.” They traced their index finger along my ear lobe.
“Stay.” I offered.
They frowned. “Come.”
“I did already.”
They gave me a light shove and cut their eyes at me. Hazel. How good that color was. “Really. What keeps you here?”
“Things.” I pushed up in the bed to sit, finagling my underwear from the jeans on the floor.
“I wish you would.”
“I’m no wizard.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“Maybe there will come a time when I take you up on that offer. Who knows?” I slid into the drawers.
“Is it Maron?” they asked, “I don’t know your fascination with him. He’s the worst combination cruel and dumb I’ve seen.”
“Like an animal.” I nodded. “Like something real bad’s wrong with him. But no. He’s not my fascination.” Lying was always hard with them. “I worry about this place. I wouldn’t do the things I do if I didn’t. What if I were to leave it and then it turns out like Pittsburgh.”
“Oh, you’re an expert in plagues now?”
“No,” I scoffed, “I guess it’s just a place that weighs on my conscious.” I went to sit on the bed alongside them.
“You hate it here. I can see it more on your face every time we meet.”
“That I do. Call it an investment dilemma. I’ve put time in it, and I want it to be well.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
I caught Suzanne’s face there, staring up from the flat pillow, flustered. My reasoning was hard, but I continued, “There is one thing I should undo before I leave here. It’s a long time coming, and I don’t know if I can. But it’s important,” upon seeing their quizzical expression, I added, “And it is secret.”
“I wish you’d come with us. You’d be welcome.”
“I’ll visit Babylon sometime next month. I promise.”
“You shouldn’t call it that. I don’t like it when you call it that.” The wizards never called their home Babylon; that was a name conjured by the many religious fanatics that considered their magic evil (even if they did trade with the ‘heretics’ from time to time). The name they’d given their own city of medicine was Alexandria; it was fitting for I’d seen their expansive libraries and could become lost in them easily.
“Fine. I’ll be there.” I squeezed their hand in mine. “I’ll miss you once you’ve gone.”
“Don’t get sappy,” they said before planting a kiss on my forehead.
The day went and then the next and another and the wizards packed their belongings. No more music for Golgotha, only quiet agony. As Suzanne said, they’d left me a few books and I’d given away my parchment, jars, and gold. While they were in town, I even was able to snag a few more bottles of their famous wizard liquor along with a few vials of medicine—always good to have whenever I set foot beyond the walls or when someone within might need it.
There came a time finally—as every time it does—where I watched the caravan, with gray smoke clouds off the engines, take on north first where there was an opening wide enough in the ruins to accommodate vehicles, then it hooked around a wide bend that took them west then their black shapes against the red morning skyline disappeared like fading ink as their magic cloaked them entirely. I wished them well, but at the moment of dissipation, I felt an urge to leap from the top of the wall, charge across the field, scream that I was coming and scream it loud enough that I’d hurt myself. I think I just loved—though I never said it aloud and neither did they—and love is a bad thing more often than it is good, for the longing it leaves in its absence drives a person mad and I did not want to be mad; the feeling burst from me quietly there on the wall while I was flanked on either side by guards. I was sure all along the way they went that I could just make out Suzanne among them; that was probably a fault in my vision, but I imagined they were casting glances back, hoping to hold me as strongly as I wished to hold them. I went to the streets of Golgotha where the town quieted from the previous days’ engagements with the wizards.
Normal came and settled and then came chanting from Lady as she moved through sullen quiet streets. She was so far off that I was not sure it was her at all and then came the lines as she drew nearer by the hydroponics towers, and she shouted them vigorously and shook her fist above the air and held a staff with a swinging lantern of incense in her opposite hand, partly for ceremony and partly for support. The words came harshly, gravelly:
“They called to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
“The lamb will be your shepherd. He will guide you. Hallelujah! He will lead you to the springs of living water and wipe away every tear!”
“Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand! Do not be tempted by the deviousness of the whorish Babylonians for all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
A person, among the catwalks, shouted down at Lady, “Shut-the-fuck-up!”
I watched her come fully down the avenue as she dodged a thrown egg from somewhere unseen, then dashed away toward an offshoot alley to hide somewhere, incense lantern smoking, clanging against her back while she screeched off more scripture from memory. After she was long gone, I moved to the spot where the egg was, rubbed it into dirt with the sole of my boot and looked up through the spiderweb network of catwalks overhead; there was no one.
Without a thing keeping me, I took off the following day, and upon meeting the gates, Maron was there and I could see he was the proud owner of a used leg brace; he grinned upon seeing me, patting his mustache down with his forefinger and thumb.
“Whatcha’ think?” He motioned to his left leg. “It’s a bit of a conversation starter, ain’t it?”
“Get your boys to open the gate, I’m going out.”
He shook his head. “Won’t find anything out there. It’s all dirt and rubble, you know.”
“Just open it.”
“You know what?” He cut his eyes at me. “There’s gonna’ come a day when you won’t be so able bodied or maybe the Bosses won’t like you coming and going as you please.”
I inhaled heavily then let it go. “Now can’t we skip to the end where you acquiesce to my request?”
“Words words words you’ve got. You’ve got a lot of words. Acquiesce. Psshaw.” Boss Maron waved for the guards to open the gate and they did, and I stepped by him, and he spit somewhere behind me before I heard him hobble around with his single leg brace.
The path was clear and open on all sides and in no time, I’d taken across the field to the east and found myself on the edge of the ruins where things stank, and I was free from no other thought than to live. Creeping hot overcame me and brought my hair to my forehead and I holed off in a shadow to drank from my gourd before continuing. The sun was red in the sky in the places where I could see sky from around the black shadows of towering structures. I ducked beneath an old shop counter when I heard the skittering of fart heads and pulled a sleeve to kill the scent of their chlorine breath.
Once they’d gone, I pulled through the wreckage more and more till I came upon the markings for an old safehouse in the back office of a garage I’d not been to in a while. What were my intentions? Was I going to go all the way to the coast? Throw myself into those bad magic waters? There’s a thing they don’t teach you in religion. They prattle all day to do this or that and they say that Hell awaits sinners or Hades or maybe its in layers or circles or what have you. They’ll tell you about the places and they’ll say that if you take life into your own hands, you end in Hell, but what’s a person to do when those creeping intrusions come along—the ones that call to a person in the darkness, the ones where they tempt you to jump from a high place or there’s always a gun or a poison. Maybe a person could bribe another to do it for them. Where do they end up then? What are you supposed to do to stave off those thoughts? Should a person contend such melancholies with prayer? That did not seem helpful. What is the soulless to do without the promise of those pearly gates anyway?
Anyway, I took on past the safehouse and found a utility hall in the side of a tall industrial building just beyond a partially erect chain link fence. The wall was opened up like a cracked shell from years of standing alone, and after ducking through there, I found some old matches in a drawer, plastic gas cans whose contents had long since congealed within; I kicked them (not that I expected anything more). Moving further down the wide hallway, there were shelves of dusty tools, and I took some hammers and knives (cheapo stuff).
Further still down the hall, there was a staircase, and I took it quietly; the stone stairs made hardly a sound against the bottoms of my boots, and I took the stairs more quickly till I was out of breath and caught myself on a landing where I supped silent air before rushing further up the stairs. An old metallic cabinet or console—I couldn’t make it out—lay strewn across the steps to the second-highest floor and I climbed over it before coming to the building’s roof access. Upon coming to the door with a metal push bar across its middle, I gave it a shove and it did not budge but a minor clink and I took a moment to collect myself before rummaging through my gear.
Slung through a loop on the inside of my pack was a short prybar that was so worn around its tooth it was more rounded than an edge; I shimmied the piece of metal into the spot where the door latched into the way and began crimping the spot apart, trying all the while to maintain a relative quiet in the dead ruins. Once I’d bent away at the door for a few moments, I elevated my body weight at an awkward angle to pop the door free and it did so, half open, with a rusty screech that forced a long pause from me; I stood there by the newly opened doorway for a full minute, holding the prybar, holding my breath. Upon hearing nothing in response to the noise of the door, I slid the tool into my pack and slipped through the threshold.
The flat roof of the industrial building sloped to one corner—where the opening in the wall of the first floor was—and sitting there in the middle of an open platform was an old helicopter, blades half torn away or rusted off and the remaining slanted from the top of the old vehicle, touching the platform it sat upon. The roof access looked like a little square house atop the flat headed structure and around the side of the access, I found an old corpse (entirely bones) wrapped in black plastic-like armor, the white dry fingers laid across its lap, several digits gone and its hollow eye holes staring off into the sky with a permanent smile. I moved to the thing that hadn’t been human in a long time and prodded it; the skeleton slumped to the side and looked on the ground by its shoes. How long had it been staring at the sky and how long had it been waiting for me to come and change its dead visage?
I moved to the edge of the building, to the corner where the building sloped and looked off the edge to the ground below; all was quiet, and nothing moved save the shadows’ stalwart creep across the ground. Examining from above, I could see the opening I’d climbed through and beneath my shifting feet, I felt the ground give a little; timidly, I angled more forward and for a moment I thought I knew why I’d gone up there in the first place. Suddenly six-stories felt high. The urge to jump came. Perhaps on the way down, I’d have just a blink to convince myself I’d slipped.
“Hey!” A shout from somewhere down below came from the direction I’d come from. I shook my head as it felt as though it was a ghost echo, a noise that wasn’t. Then it came again, “Hey!”
I squinted my eyes and there in the crumbled road below, there was a human I didn’t initially recognize; it was only after the figure tumbled through the remains of the chain link fence that I recognized it as Dave. I blinked.
Out of breath, he angled over to the opening at the base of the structure and called up at me, “Hey! I see you up there!”
Whisper-yelling, I cupped my hands, “Shutup!”
I took back to the stairs, and he hollered after, “Where you going?”
With reckless abandon, I took the stairs many at a time, leapt the cabinet on the stairs, scrambling while also reaching for the prybar I’d put away. I held the cold metal in my hand and charged toward the industrial storage hallway where I could see him silhouetted in the frame of the crumbled opening.
His chest heaved and he wiped at his brow; slung across his shoulder was a small supply bag and worn like a necklace was a pair of binoculars. “God, you move fast. Like a fuckin’ cockroach in light.” His eyes shifted from my face to the prybar in my hand as I approached him.
Standing within the echoey hallway, I lifted the weapon and pointed it at him. “What’d you follow me for?”
“You wouldn’t use that on me.” He took his eyes from the prybar. “I don’t think you would anyway. You might be shady, Harlan, but I don’t take you as a stone-cold murderer.”
“You take me wrong,” I said.
“Maybe.” He seemed to think on it a moment. “You wouldn’t?”
“If you’ve given away my position to those things, I might.”
“Lots of bluster.” Dave offered an incredibly forced smile, and I could see just from the little shine of the sun in the opening that his eye had blacked but remained functional. “I been watching you.”
“Oh?”
He nodded. “I snuck out after you.”
“You ought to go back.”
“You ought to just listen. There ain’t a thing back there for me.”
“I don’t care.” The sharpness in my voice felt good. “I don’t need some sorry sack sneaking up on me when I’m mindin’ my own.”
A quiet laugh. “There’s nothing there for me. I been farming all my life and if I die,” he shrugged, “So be it.”
“Idiot. Fuckin’ idiot.”
“You manage out here! Wizards can too!”
“Wizards have magic.”
“You got some of that?”
I lowered the crowbar.
“We’ve got to stop starting our conversations with fights.” He paused and moved into the shadowy hallway of the building before perching in a half-sit half-lean against the wall near me. “I never was violent anyway, so if you want to hit me with that then do it.”
“Hmm.”
His shirt clung to him, sweat thick and dark on his chest and pits. “Goddamn you move fast.”
“You should wear a jacket or something. Long sleeves keep the sun off and a thicker material gives you a modicum of protection.” I took to squatting too, maintaining ample distance betwixt us. “A hat helps too, but I’m always losing hats.” I chewed on my tongue while mulling over whether I should leave him.
“Are you going to try and slink away while I’m not looking?”
I blinked. “No.”
“Liar.” He took a healthy gulp from his water gourd then wiped his mouth. “East is the ocean?”
I nodded.
“Is it far?”
I nodded. “For you.”
Dave sighed. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Telling me.”
“Okay.”
“You ever have any kids?”
I shook my head.
“It’s somethin’. Henry had so much energy—especially when he was little—there was times I didn’t think he’d ever settle down.”
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Helen told me she was the same way when she was his age. She had energy too. I feel so tired.”
“Dave. What the fuck are you doing out here? Why’d you follow me?”
He took one last swallow from his gourd before shoving it into his pack. “I wanted to talk to you about killin’ the Bosses.”
I laughed into my hand. “That’s—that’s a thought.”
“I mean it.” His stare was like pinpricks.
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submitted by Edwardthecrazyman to libraryofshadows [link] [comments]
The wagons or tanks rolled through the gate in a caravan that was more akin to a carnival than a group of tradesmen; all the wizards with their pointed hats were shaped magnificently against the browns and grays, some wore white porcelain dramedy masks beneath headwear as dark as pipe resin, men and women and those between—as that was common from where they hailed. Their company was perhaps forty and their mules and mares were thirsty and were led to troughs to idle while the wizards removed goods from their wagons or tanks and although it was not a spectacle for them to arrive within Golgotha’s walls, it was something still and the citizens gathered to greet whatever wizards they might know but mostly perhaps to whisper rumors on them. The wizards seemed a taller folk, but that was because of the hats, and they seemed wider too, but that was for the robes they adorned with costume jewelry, trinkets, or fingernail-sized lanterns which contained magical properties hung off their clothes as ornaments (some metal and other crudely wooden). I never knew a people that could trek the wastes in that time as well as me till I knew them.
Boss Maron was there at the gates with his wall men, hollering—shouting really, “The Whores of Babylon have come again!” And the bells signaled from atop the highest tower over the hall of Bosses and I met the front square with a morning headache and a cigarette. The Boss sheriff was clothed, cowboy hat pulled tightly to his ears, and he waltzed through the square, inspecting the new arrivals with his crotch out in front of him as he moved in a swagger like a cup of shifted water. Morning sunlight crested the wall to reflect on the pistol in his holster as it did on the star pin of his hat.
Among them, there was only one wizard I cared to see. Their name was Suzanne.
The hanged bodies of the men remained on the wall, dead and stiff and shifting to the little wind there was.
The square had filled with carts (some drawn by animals and others pushed on oil), and even if it were not for the bells which signaled their arrival, I’d have surely known their presence for the clatter of their metal engines.
“Well goddamn!” said Maron while examining a wizard, “What’s that you’ve got on your legs?”
The wizard, a young woman in plain pants wore a set of leg braces and whenever she moved, she did so in shifting her hips around. “Braces,” she said.
“What’s it for? Or is it some of your all’s secret whodo?”
“I’ve got bad legs. The braces help.” She said plainly, attempting to angle herself straight like a stick against one of the traveling party’s wagons.
“Bad legs?” Boss Maron’s expression was incredulous. “Who has bad legs? What sort of nonsense is it? If a lady like you’s made it this far in life with bad legs, then someone’s done you a disservice.”
She looked on questioningly while the other wizards continued with their unpacking or their conversating—whether it be amongst themselves or with the freckle-spaced citizens in the square.
“How are you to outrun trouble when you’ve got them?” He nodded at the young woman’s legs.
“I don’t.” Her face was red either because of the sun or because of the scrutiny. “I’m just bow-legged.”
“Damn,” he shook his head, “Well how much you want for one of them?”
“One of my braces?”
“Yeah. All I want’s the one anyway.”
“I need both of them.”
“C’mon. You wouldn’t notice just one missing. I mean, you’ve got a spare right next to it.”
Upon noticing a robed figure I recognized by the animals at the troughs, I moved to them instead and let Maron’s conversation fall to the wayside. The chatter of the crowd was wild and startled words came as a wizard exposed their collection of tonics to passersby.
“Suzanne,” I said.
The figure turned to face me, moving their head to look away from a mare they’d been brushing to expose one of those white porcelain masks.
I knew it and could not contain a smile.
“Harlan?” asked the figure. The mask on its face was split in the middle with hinges on either side and they opened it to show their face; it was Suzanne. They’d grown some hair around their throat and wore lipstick on their lips and dyes on their eyes.
“It’s good to see you.” I pushed myself into a hug with them and I could smell the travel off them but didn’t care.
They shifted timidly before hugging me back and I pretended not to notice. Once we’d separated, I looked on Suzanne’s face again and they were looking on at the hanging men on the wall. “Again?” they asked.
I nodded and shot a look towards the Boss across the way.
“What justice?” they asked no one while shaking their head.
Trying an answer, I said, “Justice is something man made, I think. I’ll leave men to men and the rest to God.”
“God.” Suzanne nodded glumly then shook their head. “Which one?”
I laughed a good laugh that felt real but nervous too then kicked the ground and took the last drag off my cigarette before chucking it to the ground. “What’s brought you here?”
Suzanne answered plainly. “We took a long time east out near Pittsburgh.” Their eyes scanned the buildings further on from the square. “The people there are worse than here, it seems. At least you still have your walls.”
“Pittsburgh’s fallen?”
They frowned. “Not completely. They’ve mostly gone underground. A skitterbug infestation caused a plague directly before an attack of proportions I’ve yet seen.” Suzanne’s brow furrowed. “It was awful.” The words hung in the air for a moment. “But we’re here now and thought we’d stop for a rest and some guns and ammo before returning to Babylon. We’ve brought some medicines to trade.”
I learned from my friend that Pittsburgh’s infrastructure and fortifications were decimated in an attack the wizards only caught second-hand and the survivors—holed away in the tunnels beneath Pittsburgh—told of how the demons ran the walls once their reserves were low.
Then the wizards gathered there began unpacking books, some scrolls, and there were medicines too and some of the Bosses other than Maron (he pushed his harassment of the young wizard with leg braces) graced us there with their presence as they came on and began to pick across the goods, haggling prices. Boss Frank was there, and he stood before a wizard by a tank with a wooden table of jars—capped elixirs of varying colors—he grew increasingly frustrated with their selection and took on in his braggadocious way, speaking of numbers. A few of the idle wizards leaned against carts or even took across town and a small group of them had gathered for a quick show near the guard posts, playing instruments (strings over the vocals of “In My Life”) and there in the front of them was a young wizard man that had removed his hat to show how he played with fire flames off his hands—it was a sideshow play—and the citizens wore variations of bemusement or disgust. The children of Golgotha, all dirty faced with sprigs of hair jutting about from their morning’s waking, seemed totally bewildered in the joy of song and clapped their hands or shook their hips all with smiles.
I stuffed my hands in my jacket and prodded Suzanne, “What’s with the plague? I mean, was it contained? None of your lot got sick, did they?”
Suzanne scoffed, perhaps a little pridefully, “No. I wouldn’t worry about that.” They patted a nearby mule then withdrew a brush and moved it across its thin coat before looking over its hooves. “I’ve brought you some books I found out that way though. You still read?”
I nodded.
“Don’t expect any of that fiction. The only ones I’ve found recently are old pamphlets or medical texts.” Suzanne paused and smiled, returning the animal brush to their robes, “You haven’t happened upon anything that might interest me, have you?”
Their shown teeth were infectious. “Mayhap. I’d need you to come back to my place so I could give them to you.” An awkward pause followed and the roar of the still accumulating crowd overtook the space between us before I continued. “Mostly interesting containers and a few flecks of gold I took from some old computers—they’ve been waitin’ on you for weeks now. I got some parchment that might be of use to you too. You can take what you need as always.”
“How about we get some food? I’m famished. Riding through the night takes its toll.”
Me and Suzanne took from the square up a narrow route that led through residences where the lower levels had their curtains drawn and then we took stairs toward balconies and catwalks configured from reinforced metal; we spoke as we went and a few odd glances from passersby met the wizard as we did.
“The tide on the east is rising again,” said Suzanne.
“Worse than before?”
“Worse than before.”
“God, I don’t think I’ve seen the ocean for a decade or more.” I slid my hand along the railing once we came to what was essentially my front porch; it was a perch among the catwalks that cut against the domicile where I shared walls with others on three sides and we stopped there outside my door. “We saw a dragon only a few days ago.”
Suzanne’s interest seemed piqued. “A dragon? And what direction was it traveling?”
“Well,” I craned over the railing, looking down the narrow walkway that separated my building and the one across the way; I couldn’t see the front square from outside my home, but I could still just make out the music echoing from that direction, “Could’ve been north or west. I was preoccupied, but I wouldn’t worry much. The wall men gave it a pretty good thrashing before it took off.”
“Hmm.”
“So, the ocean? It’s rising, huh?”
They joined me there on railing, supporting themselves against their forearms. “It is. Faster than ever. Some bad magic’s taken the water. I imagine by the end of the year Pittsburgh will be under it. There’s something bad coming. You might call it intuition if you want, but I know it’s coming. Something bad. Revelations bad. There comes a time when even those of us forsaken are brought worse.”
“Bah!” I couldn’t help it, “John thought it was the end times while he wrote the damn thing. And what about all the other books? Hm?”
Suzanne put up their hands. “I didn’t mean it like that at all. You know I’m only the mildest scholar on the topic.”
“Anyway. You’d better not start having visions. Got enough to worry about as is.” I’d not realized my shoulders were tense until their hand touched me, and I flinched.
“You’ve a bruise around your neck. Care to elaborate there?”
I shook my head. “Got into a fight.”
Suzanne laughed, removed their pointed hat and playfully put it on my head. “C’mon. Cook me something. You might not know a thing about spices, but your cooking’s always tasted better.”
We took through my door to my small single room where simple amenities awaited and an ancient, decommissioned pump-shotgun hung on the wall over the bed. “That’s just ‘cause you ain’t the one laboring over it.”
Across a meal of potato cakes and toasted bread, we drank coffee until I broke into the liquor to spice my coffee and alleviate my hangover, and we shared the drink and Suzanne took to wash in the sink while I smoked outside on the overlook. Upon returning to the room, I saw them there with a wet rag stuffed beneath an armpit and they were beautiful caught without robes, frame cast in sunglow through the crack in my doorway. In a moment, our hands glided around one another in a scramble of arms at the middle point between us and we took to bed for a while.
Come midday, we remained there, staring at the ceiling, chests bare, and blanket strewn across our lower halves.
“You’re going gray,” said Suzanne.
“You’re getting old too, ya’know.”
“Yes.”
“How long did you say you’ll be staying?” I asked while trying to mask whatever excitement may be present.
“Few days. Once we’ve enough ammunition.” They traced their index finger along my ear lobe.
“Stay.” I offered.
They frowned. “Come.”
“I did already.”
They gave me a light shove and cut their eyes at me. Hazel. How good that color was. “Really. What keeps you here?”
“Things.” I pushed up in the bed to sit, finagling my underwear from the jeans on the floor.
“I wish you would.”
“I’m no wizard.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“Maybe there will come a time when I take you up on that offer. Who knows?” I slid into the drawers.
“Is it Maron?” they asked, “I don’t know your fascination with him. He’s the worst combination cruel and dumb I’ve seen.”
“Like an animal.” I nodded. “Like something real bad’s wrong with him. But no. He’s not my fascination.” Lying was always hard with them. “I worry about this place. I wouldn’t do the things I do if I didn’t. What if I were to leave it and then it turns out like Pittsburgh.”
“Oh, you’re an expert in plagues now?”
“No,” I scoffed, “I guess it’s just a place that weighs on my conscious.” I went to sit on the bed alongside them.
“You hate it here. I can see it more on your face every time we meet.”
“That I do. Call it an investment dilemma. I’ve put time in it, and I want it to be well.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
I caught Suzanne’s face there, staring up from the flat pillow, flustered. My reasoning was hard, but I continued, “There is one thing I should undo before I leave here. It’s a long time coming, and I don’t know if I can. But it’s important,” upon seeing their quizzical expression, I added, “And it is secret.”
“I wish you’d come with us. You’d be welcome.”
“I’ll visit Babylon sometime next month. I promise.”
“You shouldn’t call it that. I don’t like it when you call it that.” The wizards never called their home Babylon; that was a name conjured by the many religious fanatics that considered their magic evil (even if they did trade with the ‘heretics’ from time to time). The name they’d given their own city of medicine was Alexandria; it was fitting for I’d seen their expansive libraries and could become lost in them easily.
“Fine. I’ll be there.” I squeezed their hand in mine. “I’ll miss you once you’ve gone.”
“Don’t get sappy,” they said before planting a kiss on my forehead.
The day went and then the next and another and the wizards packed their belongings. No more music for Golgotha, only quiet agony. As Suzanne said, they’d left me a few books and I’d given away my parchment, jars, and gold. While they were in town, I even was able to snag a few more bottles of their famous wizard liquor along with a few vials of medicine—always good to have whenever I set foot beyond the walls or when someone within might need it.
There came a time finally—as every time it does—where I watched the caravan, with gray smoke clouds off the engines, take on north first where there was an opening wide enough in the ruins to accommodate vehicles, then it hooked around a wide bend that took them west then their black shapes against the red morning skyline disappeared like fading ink as their magic cloaked them entirely. I wished them well, but at the moment of dissipation, I felt an urge to leap from the top of the wall, charge across the field, scream that I was coming and scream it loud enough that I’d hurt myself. I think I just loved—though I never said it aloud and neither did they—and love is a bad thing more often than it is good, for the longing it leaves in its absence drives a person mad and I did not want to be mad; the feeling burst from me quietly there on the wall while I was flanked on either side by guards. I was sure all along the way they went that I could just make out Suzanne among them; that was probably a fault in my vision, but I imagined they were casting glances back, hoping to hold me as strongly as I wished to hold them. I went to the streets of Golgotha where the town quieted from the previous days’ engagements with the wizards.
Normal came and settled and then came chanting from Lady as she moved through sullen quiet streets. She was so far off that I was not sure it was her at all and then came the lines as she drew nearer by the hydroponics towers, and she shouted them vigorously and shook her fist above the air and held a staff with a swinging lantern of incense in her opposite hand, partly for ceremony and partly for support. The words came harshly, gravelly:
“They called to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
“The lamb will be your shepherd. He will guide you. Hallelujah! He will lead you to the springs of living water and wipe away every tear!”
“Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand! Do not be tempted by the deviousness of the whorish Babylonians for all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
A person, among the catwalks, shouted down at Lady, “Shut-the-fuck-up!”
I watched her come fully down the avenue as she dodged a thrown egg from somewhere unseen, then dashed away toward an offshoot alley to hide somewhere, incense lantern smoking, clanging against her back while she screeched off more scripture from memory. After she was long gone, I moved to the spot where the egg was, rubbed it into dirt with the sole of my boot and looked up through the spiderweb network of catwalks overhead; there was no one.
Without a thing keeping me, I took off the following day, and upon meeting the gates, Maron was there and I could see he was the proud owner of a used leg brace; he grinned upon seeing me, patting his mustache down with his forefinger and thumb.
“Whatcha’ think?” He motioned to his left leg. “It’s a bit of a conversation starter, ain’t it?”
“Get your boys to open the gate, I’m going out.”
He shook his head. “Won’t find anything out there. It’s all dirt and rubble, you know.”
“Just open it.”
“You know what?” He cut his eyes at me. “There’s gonna’ come a day when you won’t be so able bodied or maybe the Bosses won’t like you coming and going as you please.”
I inhaled heavily then let it go. “Now can’t we skip to the end where you acquiesce to my request?”
“Words words words you’ve got. You’ve got a lot of words. Acquiesce. Psshaw.” Boss Maron waved for the guards to open the gate and they did, and I stepped by him, and he spit somewhere behind me before I heard him hobble around with his single leg brace.
The path was clear and open on all sides and in no time, I’d taken across the field to the east and found myself on the edge of the ruins where things stank, and I was free from no other thought than to live. Creeping hot overcame me and brought my hair to my forehead and I holed off in a shadow to drank from my gourd before continuing. The sun was red in the sky in the places where I could see sky from around the black shadows of towering structures. I ducked beneath an old shop counter when I heard the skittering of fart heads and pulled a sleeve to kill the scent of their chlorine breath.
Once they’d gone, I pulled through the wreckage more and more till I came upon the markings for an old safehouse in the back office of a garage I’d not been to in a while. What were my intentions? Was I going to go all the way to the coast? Throw myself into those bad magic waters? There’s a thing they don’t teach you in religion. They prattle all day to do this or that and they say that Hell awaits sinners or Hades or maybe its in layers or circles or what have you. They’ll tell you about the places and they’ll say that if you take life into your own hands, you end in Hell, but what’s a person to do when those creeping intrusions come along—the ones that call to a person in the darkness, the ones where they tempt you to jump from a high place or there’s always a gun or a poison. Maybe a person could bribe another to do it for them. Where do they end up then? What are you supposed to do to stave off those thoughts? Should a person contend such melancholies with prayer? That did not seem helpful. What is the soulless to do without the promise of those pearly gates anyway?
Anyway, I took on past the safehouse and found a utility hall in the side of a tall industrial building just beyond a partially erect chain link fence. The wall was opened up like a cracked shell from years of standing alone, and after ducking through there, I found some old matches in a drawer, plastic gas cans whose contents had long since congealed within; I kicked them (not that I expected anything more). Moving further down the wide hallway, there were shelves of dusty tools, and I took some hammers and knives (cheapo stuff).
Further still down the hall, there was a staircase, and I took it quietly; the stone stairs made hardly a sound against the bottoms of my boots, and I took the stairs more quickly till I was out of breath and caught myself on a landing where I supped silent air before rushing further up the stairs. An old metallic cabinet or console—I couldn’t make it out—lay strewn across the steps to the second-highest floor and I climbed over it before coming to the building’s roof access. Upon coming to the door with a metal push bar across its middle, I gave it a shove and it did not budge but a minor clink and I took a moment to collect myself before rummaging through my gear.
Slung through a loop on the inside of my pack was a short prybar that was so worn around its tooth it was more rounded than an edge; I shimmied the piece of metal into the spot where the door latched into the way and began crimping the spot apart, trying all the while to maintain a relative quiet in the dead ruins. Once I’d bent away at the door for a few moments, I elevated my body weight at an awkward angle to pop the door free and it did so, half open, with a rusty screech that forced a long pause from me; I stood there by the newly opened doorway for a full minute, holding the prybar, holding my breath. Upon hearing nothing in response to the noise of the door, I slid the tool into my pack and slipped through the threshold.
The flat roof of the industrial building sloped to one corner—where the opening in the wall of the first floor was—and sitting there in the middle of an open platform was an old helicopter, blades half torn away or rusted off and the remaining slanted from the top of the old vehicle, touching the platform it sat upon. The roof access looked like a little square house atop the flat headed structure and around the side of the access, I found an old corpse (entirely bones) wrapped in black plastic-like armor, the white dry fingers laid across its lap, several digits gone and its hollow eye holes staring off into the sky with a permanent smile. I moved to the thing that hadn’t been human in a long time and prodded it; the skeleton slumped to the side and looked on the ground by its shoes. How long had it been staring at the sky and how long had it been waiting for me to come and change its dead visage?
I moved to the edge of the building, to the corner where the building sloped and looked off the edge to the ground below; all was quiet, and nothing moved save the shadows’ stalwart creep across the ground. Examining from above, I could see the opening I’d climbed through and beneath my shifting feet, I felt the ground give a little; timidly, I angled more forward and for a moment I thought I knew why I’d gone up there in the first place. Suddenly six-stories felt high. The urge to jump came. Perhaps on the way down, I’d have just a blink to convince myself I’d slipped.
“Hey!” A shout from somewhere down below came from the direction I’d come from. I shook my head as it felt as though it was a ghost echo, a noise that wasn’t. Then it came again, “Hey!”
I squinted my eyes and there in the crumbled road below, there was a human I didn’t initially recognize; it was only after the figure tumbled through the remains of the chain link fence that I recognized it as Dave. I blinked.
Out of breath, he angled over to the opening at the base of the structure and called up at me, “Hey! I see you up there!”
Whisper-yelling, I cupped my hands, “Shutup!”
I took back to the stairs, and he hollered after, “Where you going?”
With reckless abandon, I took the stairs many at a time, leapt the cabinet on the stairs, scrambling while also reaching for the prybar I’d put away. I held the cold metal in my hand and charged toward the industrial storage hallway where I could see him silhouetted in the frame of the crumbled opening.
His chest heaved and he wiped at his brow; slung across his shoulder was a small supply bag and worn like a necklace was a pair of binoculars. “God, you move fast. Like a fuckin’ cockroach in light.” His eyes shifted from my face to the prybar in my hand as I approached him.
Standing within the echoey hallway, I lifted the weapon and pointed it at him. “What’d you follow me for?”
“You wouldn’t use that on me.” He took his eyes from the prybar. “I don’t think you would anyway. You might be shady, Harlan, but I don’t take you as a stone-cold murderer.”
“You take me wrong,” I said.
“Maybe.” He seemed to think on it a moment. “You wouldn’t?”
“If you’ve given away my position to those things, I might.”
“Lots of bluster.” Dave offered an incredibly forced smile, and I could see just from the little shine of the sun in the opening that his eye had blacked but remained functional. “I been watching you.”
“Oh?”
He nodded. “I snuck out after you.”
“You ought to go back.”
“You ought to just listen. There ain’t a thing back there for me.”
“I don’t care.” The sharpness in my voice felt good. “I don’t need some sorry sack sneaking up on me when I’m mindin’ my own.”
A quiet laugh. “There’s nothing there for me. I been farming all my life and if I die,” he shrugged, “So be it.”
“Idiot. Fuckin’ idiot.”
“You manage out here! Wizards can too!”
“Wizards have magic.”
“You got some of that?”
I lowered the crowbar.
“We’ve got to stop starting our conversations with fights.” He paused and moved into the shadowy hallway of the building before perching in a half-sit half-lean against the wall near me. “I never was violent anyway, so if you want to hit me with that then do it.”
“Hmm.”
His shirt clung to him, sweat thick and dark on his chest and pits. “Goddamn you move fast.”
“You should wear a jacket or something. Long sleeves keep the sun off and a thicker material gives you a modicum of protection.” I took to squatting too, maintaining ample distance betwixt us. “A hat helps too, but I’m always losing hats.” I chewed on my tongue while mulling over whether I should leave him.
“Are you going to try and slink away while I’m not looking?”
I blinked. “No.”
“Liar.” He took a healthy gulp from his water gourd then wiped his mouth. “East is the ocean?”
I nodded.
“Is it far?”
I nodded. “For you.”
Dave sighed. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Telling me.”
“Okay.”
“You ever have any kids?”
I shook my head.
“It’s somethin’. Henry had so much energy—especially when he was little—there was times I didn’t think he’d ever settle down.”
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Helen told me she was the same way when she was his age. She had energy too. I feel so tired.”
“Dave. What the fuck are you doing out here? Why’d you follow me?”
He took one last swallow from his gourd before shoving it into his pack. “I wanted to talk to you about killin’ the Bosses.”
I laughed into my hand. “That’s—that’s a thought.”
“I mean it.” His stare was like pinpricks.
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2023.05.31 05:26 British_Tea_Company Respect: Uriel Ventris (Warhammer 40k)
Uriel Ventris, Captain of the Ultramarines' 4th company
Uriel Ventris is the current Captain of the Ultramarines 4th Company. Elevated to his rank after the death of his predecessor and mentor, Captain Idaeus, Ventris took in the teachings of his mentor to heart utilizing a more flexible and liberal approach over the rigid ruleset dictated by the Codex Astartes. These deviations ultimately got Uriel into trouble with the rest of his chapter where he had taken ad hoc command during a Tyranid invasion of a Deathwatch operation, resulting in a breach of the codex astartes. This transgression resulted in a trial which saw Uriel exiled from the chapter (a punishment he willingly took and submitted to without the usual defense).During Exile, Ventris was unexpectedly brought to Medrengard, homeworld of the Iron Warriors. There he ran afoul with the warlord Honsou by destroying his prized Daemoncubula (mutated women meant to 'birth' out skinless chaos space marines) before returning to Imperial space and receiving a cold welcome from the authorities. After finally being confirmed clean by both the Grey Knights and his own chapter, Uriel Ventris was allowed to return to the chapter and served again as its 4th captain, crossing the Rubicon Primaris when his Primarch returned and continuing to serve to this day.
Note: Events of books are listed in chronological order. Uriel as of Swords of Calth has become a Primaris Space Marine and has increased stats overall
Strength
- Turns a man's head into shards, and then knocks off a man's jaw Chains of Command
- Breaks a man's knee with a kick Chains of Command
- Breaks bones and kills people with just punches and kicks Chains of Command
- Shatters bones by jumping on someone then kills another person by punching Chains of Command
- Knifes another Space Marine to death through a weak spot and cuts them despite being shot in the process. Chains of Command
- Snaps another Space Marine's neck despite the earlier injury from above. Chains of Command
- Climbs a mountain with power assistance without any issues despite lingering injuries from the events of Chains of Command Nightbringer
- Breaks an Eldar's neck and helmet with an elbow Nightbringer
- Breaks open a door Nightbringer
- Disintegrates a helmeted man's face with a punch Nightbringer
- Yoinks a heavy bolter and uses it on the people who had been operating it Nightbringer
- Crushes a Necron to dust Nightbringer
- Kicks an Ork's teeth out Leviathan
- Blocks a swing from an Ork warboss Leviathan
- Breaks an Ork Warbosses' face by headbutting him and frees himself from its grip Leviathan
- Beats a Genestealer to death and spills its brains Leviathan
- Briefly holds down a genestealer long enough for his allies to shoot it dead despite getting clawed by it Leviathan
- Crushes the head of a Tyranid creature (presumably a Termagant) Warriors of Ultramar
- Unclear Used a wounded knee to kick and break a Tyranid's neck? Or was it his good knee? Warriors of Ultramar
- Sucker punches another Space Marine some unspecified distance till they hit a wall Warriors of Ultramar
- Kicks a Hormagaunt's head off Warriors of Ultramar
- Gets dog-piled by a bunch of Hormagaunts and shakes them off, crushing them beneath his weight, breaking their bones with an elbow strike and chopping through several of them Warriors of Ultramar
- Holds down an injured lictor with the help of a friend. Warriors of Ultramar
- Is able to just barely support the weight of a falling Space Marine and a Tyranid warrior trying to pull him down with one hand while grabbing a bolter in another Warriors of Ultramar
- This is a ton of weight to be supporting as the book describes warriors to be 3-meters tall as well.
- Punches through the inner walls of a Tyranid ship Warriors of Ultramar
- Matches strength with a Tyranid organism bigger than a carnifex Warriors of Ultramar
- Draws blood from another Space Marine with a punch Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Breaks another Space Marine's knees with a kick Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Catches Honsou's fist and throws him off of himself Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Despite having been dying and taking several injuries in the past few chapters, Uriel is able to tear his way outside the belly of a daemonic-beast Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Crushes a mutant's skull with a punch Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Pieces of machinery which is big enough to support an assembly line of tanks immobilizes him but he would have been able to free himself if armored The Killing Grounds
- Hurts a Grey Knight Captain with a punch The Killing Grounds
- Snaps the neck of a Kroot Courage and Honour
- Is able to block a sword swing from a T'au battlesuit strong enough to crumple space marines, but isn't able to keep his weapon in the process Courage and Honour
- Staggers a T'au battlesuit by kicking it Courage and Honour
- Easily blocks a blow from a human soldier The Chapter's Due
- Turns aside the blow of a giant daemon prince who is strong enough to pick up Marneus Calgar and prevent him from breaking out of its grip. The Chapter's Due
- Uriel is in this group Uriel and his group are all using weapons that require two strong men to lift Swords of Calth
- Punches a Necron's head in and then crushes its head Swords of Calth
- Lifts an gunship as well as tons of rubble over it Swords of Calth
- Continues to support the weight of an entire gunship but cannot hold this indefinetily Swords of Calth
- Barges through a group of necrons Swords of Calth
- Breaks out of the grapple of a necron, throws it, caves in its chest and then throws it again Swords of Calth
- Parries the blow of presumably a skorpekh destroyer from the description Swords of Calth
- Smashes two necrons with his fists Swords of Calth
- Climbs a Titan while its moving mid-motion Swords of Calth
- Parries a blow (if barely) from the Nightbringer shard Swords of Calth
Durability
- Takes no mentioned damage from a las-rifle Chains of Command
- Members of his squad (note Uriel is not mentioned to be hit) are able to withstand heavy bolter fire Chains of Command
- A bullet just pings off of him Chains of Command
- Is still standing after being shot by a bolter and having a fist-sized hole in himself Chains of Command
- No-sells splinter rifle fire Nightbringer
- Gets poisoned but doesn't seem affected Nightbringer
- Tanks multiple blows from a Dark Eldar's axe Nightbringer
- No-sells shrapnel but is injured by a direct hit from a bolter Nightbringer
- Tanks a las-bolt Nightbringer
- Tanks another one Nightbringer
- Tanks what is most likely lasgun fire Nightbringer
- Has another slugfest with a Dark Eldar commander Nightbringer
- Touches the Nightbringer shard and is subjected to 'glacial chill. Then gets punched through the chest by the Nightbringer, having a lung and heart damaged Nightbringer
- Doesn't seem bothered by an elbow strike from an Ork Leviathan
- Gets punched by an Ork warboss Leviathan
- A cut quickly heals Leviathan
- Tanks surprise claw attacks from a genestealer Leviathan
- Tanks more genestealer claw attacks Leviathan
- Is floored by a Tyranid creature striking him and clawing through his armor Warriors of Ultramar
- Is in pain but continues to run despite the above injury Warriors of Ultramar
- Can't get drunk and as part of Space Marine biology, simply neutralizes toxins. Warriors of Ultramar
- A flesh wound instantly clots Warriors of Ultramar
- Uriel and friend no-sell multiple blows that would have killed normal people twice over Warriors of Ultramar
- Tanks a blow from a 3-meter tall Tyranid warrior Warriors of Ultramar
- Tanks bio-plasma from a Carnifex Warriors of Ultramar
- Tanks blows from various Tyranid warrior strains Warriors of Ultramar
- Gets bitten by a unspecified swarm leader (presumably a hive tyrant) and is fine but injured. Warriors of Ultramar
- Gets bitten by a Tyranid that rips out a fist-sized chunk out of him but keeps fighting Warriors of Ultramar
- Trades blows with another Space Marine who also has a bionic arm Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Gets punched by an extra strong Space Marine who sends him flying Dead Sky, Black Sun
- His mind can switch off pieces of it in order to 'sleep' but still let him be aware of his surrondings Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Rubble falling on him only cracks his visor Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Gets stabbed through the throat and lives Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Gets punched a distance, and then gets his jaw broken by Honsou Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Tanks a continuous beating from Honsou before turning the tables Dead Sky, Black Sun
- A dark mechanicum priest punching him draws blood from him Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Gets thrown across a large pit and slams into a statue of the Emperor and is not meaningfully hurt Dead Sky, Black Sun
- 3 bolt shells (and one non-detonation) is almost able to kill him Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Heals from those injuries however basically by the next chapter Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Is hurt but fine after being struck by multiple bullets The Killing Ground
- Trades blows with a Grey Knight Captain The Killing Ground
- Has an extended fight with said Captain in a 2v1 but loses (that was the point however) The Killing Ground
- By the events of Courage and Honour, Uriel is given a new set of armor to replace his old damaged one. Courage and Honour
- No-sells three gunshots from Kroot Courage and Honour
- Swords break against his armor Courage and Honour
- Tanks a gunshot and a club to the head from an opponent of comparable strength Courage and Honour
- Said Kroot was 'unnaturally muscled' but still couldn't meaningfully damage him through his armor. Courage and Honour
- Tanks but is not unscathed by T'au pulse weapons Courage and Honour
- Gets stabbed by a sword which had simultaneously cut through two space marines at once earlier and then is kicked by a battlesuit which had crushed space marine armor and bones and is only somewhat injured Courage and Honour
- Tanks a heavy caliber bullet Courage and Honour
- Is shot thrice in a combat zone where 'all but the most heavily armored' would have died in an instant Courage and Honour
- Runs straight through a flamethrower Courage and Honour
- Tanks several shots from T'au weapons Courage and Honour
- Is injured from being repeatedly punched by a Space Marine berserker with a spiked gauntlet The Chapter's Due
- Has an extended brawl with another Space Marine The Chapter's Due
- Gets shot in the head by a bolt pistol and is KOed and loses his eye in the process. The Chapter's Due
- They mention this bolt shot did NOT arm properly. It's not implicit if Uriel would have lived or not if it did arm properly.
- Tanks a beating from another Space Marine The Chapter's Due
- Tanks a punch from Honsou The Chapter's Due
- Gets slammed into a sarcophagus by Honsou and is injured badly enough where he doesn't stand up until assisted by the ghost of an ancient ultramarine hero and his friend](https://i.imgur.com/bFLgVS3.png) The Chapter's Due
- Gets buried by the rubble of an explosion but manages to live despite plural tons of rubble being on top of him and then frees himself The Chapter's Due
- Lands with enough force to shatter rock but takes no appreciable damage from it The Chapter's Due
- Survived the Rubicon Primaris and became stronger Swords of Calth
- Six seconds in a gunship crash and is already recovering Swords of Calth
- No-sells Flayed One claws Swords of Calth
- A claw gets through a weak spot which then just heals quickly anyways Swords of Calth
- Cracked bones heal mid-fight Swords of Calth
- Gets cut by a shard of the Nightbringer but rapidly begins to heal Swords of Calth
Speed
- Avoids a bayonet thrust from a normal person while killing another Chains of Command
- Kills four people while performing various actions in 3 seconds Chains of Command
- Gets up and starts running before the shockwave of an explosion can disappear Chains of Command
- As a child Gets elbowed in the face during a race and then gets back up and runs past several people despite a bloody nose Nightbringer
- Dodges an Eldar stabbing him Nightbringer
- Has an extended fight with an opponent moving at 'preternatural' speed Nightbringer
- Same opponent as before, but wins this time Nightbringer
- Avoids heavy bolter fire Nightbringer
- Still manages to avoid an Ork swing despite being surprised at the Ork being still alive Leviathan
- Dodges axe swings from an Ork Leviathan
- Dodges swings from an Ork warboss who was 'surprisingly fast' Leviathan
- Hits targets moving at 'inhuman' speeds Leviathan
- Kills dozens of Tyranids mid-sprint Warriors of Ultramar
- Avoids a blow from a Carnifex+ size Tyranid guardian organism Warriors of Ultramar
- Dodges las-bolts Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Killing 30 people in 4 minutes is considered a bad job by his standards Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Frees himself from a knife in less time than for it to stab another centimeter into his flesh Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Dodges a blow from another Space Marine Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Barely avoids a blow from a Possessed Space Marine that was bolter timing Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Dodges a halberd swing from a mutant Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Claims he can kill a woman before she can halfway draw a sword The Killing Ground
- Dodges a Tau pulse rifle shot Courage and Honour
- Dodges a surprise T'au battlesuit from behind Courage and Honour
- Dodges high caliber shells Courage and Honour
- Dodges a battlesuit punch Courage and Honour
- Dodges a Space Marine's axe swing and cuts him in half Courage and Honour
- Avoids shrapnel The Chapter's Due
- Reacts to attacks from bolter timers, but admits he is 'monstrously outclassed' The Chapter's Due
- Repeatedly tags his opponent from above however The Chapter's Due
- Blocks and parries blows from an opponent who attacks in blurs but many go through The Chapter's Due
- Blocks a blow from someone who is moving way faster than anyone should be capable of in power armor The Chapter's Due
- Avoids bolter shots The Chapter's Due
- An observer notes Space Marines are inhumanly fast and graceful Swords of Calth
- His speed is inhuman and his mind is 'numinous' Swords of Calth
- Not sure how literal Seconds passing seems like hours Swords of Calth
- Dodges a Necron gauss beam Swords of Calth
- Dodges and parries the blow of an opponent that is 'inhumanly' fast Swords of Calth
Skill
- Honsou, a veteran Iron Warrior lord admits Ventris would beat him 1v1 Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Makes six headshots while running fullstop Swords of Calth
- His post-transformation makes him more precise than the company champion Swords of Calth
- Presumably blocks blows from a faster opponent with just skill Swords of Calth
- Thinks he can beat the same type of opponent later despite a speed advantage and no other tangible stat advantages Swords of Calth
Willpower
- Resists horrific visions being pressed into his mind by the Nightbringer Nightbringer
- Continues to do so Nightbringer
- Resists the influence of the Nightbringer shard despite being face to face with it Nightbringer
- Resists the Nightbringer shard actively pressing into his mind, and even so much as intimidates it into backing off by threatening to blow up something it wanted Nightbringer
- Is subjected horrific visions and the natural insanity inducing aspects of the warp and emerges fine Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Insanity inducing architecture doesn't have an effect on him or his brothers Swords of Calth
- Outwillpowers the Nightbringer shard Swords of Calth
Senses
- Can see past 30 meters in heavy rain Chains of Command
- Smells enemy soldiers from a distance Chains of Command
- Can see a distant shoreline from atop a mountain Nightbringer
- Can hear cries of pain from 100+ meters away Warriors of Ultramar
- His armor's auto-senses can detect a chamleon-creature Warriors of Ultramar
- His armor also offers aim-assist Warriors of Ultramar
- Can filter out noises and hone in on things he wants/needs to hear The Killing ground
- His helmet's targeting is synced with his weapon's Courage and Honour
- His helmet's vision is able to point out general locations of invisible targets Courage and Honour
- Bionic Eye During the events of Chapter's Due, Uriel is shot in the head and loses his eye in the process. His new bionic eye enables him to see more colors, better spatial awareness, better aim and even functions as a camera and recorder. The Chapter's Due
- Bionic Eye Gives him an awful lot of information in addition to the above stated The Chapter's Due
- Bionic Eye Uses heat-based vision to see incoming infantry The Chapter's Due
- Bionic Eye It can interface and link with vehicles he's also using The Chapter's Due
- Can see and hear people in sniper's range away from him. Swords of Calth
Stealth
- Moves quietly despite his size Chains of Command
- Kills completely quietly Chains of Command
Wargear
- Bolt Pistol Explodes two people's heads Chains of Command
- Bolt Pistol Explodes another man's head Chains of Command
- Bolt Pistol Kills enemy Space Marines Chains of Command
- Bolt Pistol Kills two Eldar Nightbringer
- Bolt Pistol + Powersword More Eldar kills Nightbringer
- Bolt Pistol Shoots through a Tyranid drop pod and injures the creature inside Warriors of Ultramar
- Bolt Pistol Kills two Tyranid creatures which are unspecified to what type (probably Termagants?) Warriors of Ultramar
- Bolt Pistol Blasts apart swarms of hormogaunts Warriors of Ultramar
- Bolt Pistol Breaks another Space Marine's weapon by shooting it The Chapter's Due
- Bolter Kills Orks Leviathan
- Bolter Kills Genestealers Leviathan
- Bolter Blasts the brains out of a Tyranid warrior Warriors of Ultramar
- Bolter Blows off a man's head Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Bolter Blows up a T'au soldier's chest and shoulders with a single shot Courage and Honour
- Bolter Damages a T'au stealth suit and prevents it from stealthing again Courage and Honour
- Bolter Guns down Space Marine Berserkers The Chapters Due
- Bolter One-taps a Space Marine Berserker The Chapters Due
- Boltstorm Gauntlet Blows up the heads of six necrons Swords of Calth
- Powersword Captain Idaeus (the previous owner) uses it to decapitate a normal human Chains of Command
- Powersword Captain Idaeus chops through a Night Lord Space Marine Chains of Command
- Powersword Captain Idaeus stabs through a Night Lord Space Marine Chains of Command
- Powersword Again Chains of Command
- Powersword Chops through an Eldar from neck to groin Nightbringer
- Powersword Easily cuts through a flesh monster Nightbringer
- Powersword Chops through a big Ork in two Leviathan
- Powersword Slices through two Orks Leviathan
- Powersword More Leviathan
- Powersword Stabs in an Ork warboss Leviathan
- Powersword Brutalizes the fuck out of an Ork warboss Leviathan
- Powersword Chops through a genestealer Leviathan
- Powersword More Leviathan
- Powersword Chops through two Tyranid creatures (presumably Termagants) at the same time Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Slashes through a hormagaunt Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Slashes through multiple hormagaunts Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Chops through a 3 meter tall Tyranid warrior and then stabs through its skull. The same warrior creature was tanking bolt shells from earlier Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Cuts into a carnifex Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Chops through an awful lot of Tyrannids Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword More of the above Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Stabs through the head of a swarm leader (presumably a hive tyrant) Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Chops through Tyranids of undescribed size Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Chops through the tentacles and legs of a Tyranid organism described to be bigger than a carnifex Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Chops through the midsection of said Tyranid Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Stabs through another Tyranid warrior Warriors of Ultramar
- Powersword Hacks apart two mutants Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Powersword Kills another Space Marine Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Powersword Cuts into the armor of Honsou (one of the head honchos of the Iron Warriors) Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Powersword Repeatedly stabs and tag-teams a Savage Mortician who is large enough to be using space marine+ sized weapons and kills him Dead Sky, Black Sun
- Powersword Decapitates a Kroot Courage and Honour
- Powersword Stabs through a T'au warrior Courage and Honour
- Powersword Chops through a T'au soldier from pelvis to collarbone Courage and Honour
- Powersword Chops through a T'au battlesuit Courage and Honour
- Powersword Again Courage and Honour
- Powersword And Again Courage and Honour
- Powersword He chops through a lot of battlesuits Courage and Honour
- Powersword Cuts through T'au stealth suits which earlier were able to tank bolter rounds Courage and Honour
- Powersword MORE BATTLESUIT CUTS Courage and Honour
- Powersword Chops through a mostly metal servitor (cyborg) The Chapter's Due
- Powersword Offscreen stabs through a Berserker The Chapter's Due
- Powersword Cuts an enemy space marine in half The Chapter's Due
- Powersword Again The Chapter's Due
- Powersword Chops through Daemons The Chapter's Due
- Powersword Slices through six necrons at the same time Swords of Calth
- Powersword And then a seventh Swords of Calth
- Powersword Stabs through an unmentioned amount of Necrons Swords of Calth
- Powersword Cuts through the neck of a Skorpekh Destroyer Swords of Calth
- Powersword Repeated attacks do minor damage to the Nightbringer shard Swords of Calth
- Power Knife Chops through a Necron warrior Nightbringer
- Chainsword + Bolt pistol Chops and shoots through people Nightbringer
- Chainsword + Bolt pistol Chops through an awful lot of people Nightbringer
- Chainsword Chops through enemy soldiers Nightbringer
- Chainsword Chops through a Necron warrior Nightbringer
- Grenades Blows up a bunch of Tyranids with some Warriors of Ultramar
Misc
- His armor monitors his health functions Courage and Honour
2023.05.31 04:42 Big-Brown-Goose Bad platelet experience, probably wont try again.
Last week I was going to go donate blood with my wife. The blood people called and asked if I could donate platelets as they needed A+ platelets. I said sure since all my previous donations went smoothly without a thought. I lasted a whopping 10 minutes before I had to surrender. That was the most painful experience I have experienced in the past few years. Everyone in the clinic was baffled that it could hurt as much as I made it out to be. I'm a pretty muscular guy with very low body fat and have large veins. One of the workers said that may be why it was painful but couldn't give a further explanation. Literally felt like my arm was going to explode (I know it literally wouldn't) from the inside out. I'm pretty pain tolerant and work with a lot of heavy lifting in my job so I am pretty tolerate of physical wear and tear but this was a surreal pain experience.
That was almost a week ago and my arm still kills me, my entire forearm is bruised like no tomorrow (I very rarely bruise from anything), and the arm is noticeably swollen still. It is affecting my sleep as i cannot sleep on my left side due to the pain. Again, I have never had any residual pain or visual effects after donating blood or plasma. My wife is a doctor and said since I have a good pulse and feeling in my hand I probably don't have anything serious going on so I'm not worried about that, but it is negatively impacting my ability to work. Today while team lifting a 150kg piece of machinery at work I got fussed at by teammates because I was shaking so terribly from the pain in my arm (again, I'm usually one of [if not THE] strongest men on the team).
I already have really bad social anxiety so it is rather embarrassing and emasculating that I apparently cant donate blood "right". I'm 99% sure I'm never doing the platelet donation again, and at this point thinking of never donating blood at all again it has been such a miserable experience. It really makes me sad that I had to chicken out in the middle of donating and wasting everyone's time, but my long term pain seems to denote something went wrong. I am probably just being dramatic due to the irritability from the embarrassment and pain; but I feel like if i am donating my time and body for charity, then I shouldn't have week+ long bodily harm from doing so. I am mainly posting this here because I cant seem to find many, if any, similar experiences donating platelets anywhere online. Maybe I am seeking encouragement to try again, with tips or tricks I must have missed? Or maybe I am looking for some empathy from someone who had similar experience.
submitted by Big-Brown-Goose to Blooddonors [link] [comments]
That was almost a week ago and my arm still kills me, my entire forearm is bruised like no tomorrow (I very rarely bruise from anything), and the arm is noticeably swollen still. It is affecting my sleep as i cannot sleep on my left side due to the pain. Again, I have never had any residual pain or visual effects after donating blood or plasma. My wife is a doctor and said since I have a good pulse and feeling in my hand I probably don't have anything serious going on so I'm not worried about that, but it is negatively impacting my ability to work. Today while team lifting a 150kg piece of machinery at work I got fussed at by teammates because I was shaking so terribly from the pain in my arm (again, I'm usually one of [if not THE] strongest men on the team).
I already have really bad social anxiety so it is rather embarrassing and emasculating that I apparently cant donate blood "right". I'm 99% sure I'm never doing the platelet donation again, and at this point thinking of never donating blood at all again it has been such a miserable experience. It really makes me sad that I had to chicken out in the middle of donating and wasting everyone's time, but my long term pain seems to denote something went wrong. I am probably just being dramatic due to the irritability from the embarrassment and pain; but I feel like if i am donating my time and body for charity, then I shouldn't have week+ long bodily harm from doing so. I am mainly posting this here because I cant seem to find many, if any, similar experiences donating platelets anywhere online. Maybe I am seeking encouragement to try again, with tips or tricks I must have missed? Or maybe I am looking for some empathy from someone who had similar experience.
2023.05.31 04:21 UncleCeiling Going Native, Chapter 123
Read Chapter 1 Here
Previous Chapter Here
My other SSB story, Writing on the Wall, Here
Buckle in, this is a long one!
*****
"I still can't believe your dad," Ayen huffed as he glared at Elera from his seat next to her. He crossed his arms across his chest and gave his head a little shake, perfectly coiffed hair bouncing in the soft evening light cutting through a nearby window.
"It was pretty hilarious," Marin chimed in. They were staying with her parents at the moment, using it as a sort of neutral ground. Ayen's father, Allis, was in full wedding planner mode and staying there was getting pretty intense. Elera's parents, on the other hand…
"He thought I was some kind of… of…" Ayen's voice dropped to a near whisper, hissing through clenched teeth. "...escort."
"It's not your fault," Elera tried her best to placate the young man. She leaned against him from her spot to his left and wrapped one muscular arm across his shoulders. Despite Ayen's grumpiness he still leaned into her, his head resting against her chest. "I think he just never expected me to actually marry a boy."
"That part was even better." Marin, tall and lanky, stood near the window in their little room, watching the quiet dribbles of rain slip down the glass. It had been a good day, really a good month. Elera's proposal was well received, Ayen was happy, and with Stace on his mission Marin could feel like she actually had some of her husband's attention. It wasn't a particularly attractive or kind thought, but she hadn't quite managed to pull free of the jealousy the Human elicited in her.
"Don't you start," Elera warned with a glare.
"I thought it was kind of sweet!" Marin grinned, watching Elera and Ayen both darken with matching blushes.
The fact that Elera was getting married had come as a surprise to her family. Marin had the impression that Elera was pretty bad at actually communicating with her parents, and it had been nearly a year since Elera’s time in the frozen north. The Heleum clan was large and Elera was seen as being a self-sufficient adult who didn't need much looking after. She also had a bit of a reputation as a partier, so when Elera showed up with Ayen and Marin in tow to announce her engagement, Elera's father had made some assumptions.
Specifically, he had assumed that Elera was marrying Marin and that Ayen was an "entertainer" the pair hired to celebrate.
It made a sort of sense, considering how open Elera was about the time she spent with other girls. At some point, her father just assumed that she had no interest in guys at all. Convincing him that Elera was, in fact, marrying Ayen and that Marin was first wife took some doing. And now, three weeks later, Ayen was still grumbling about it.
Still, it all worked out.
"Think of it this way," Marin added as way of conciliation. "After that whole fiasco, you pretty much have Elera's family wrapped around your finger. They didn't even complain when you suggested a Human-style wedding."
"...as long as we have it here on Shil." Ayen sighed. "Which makes sense, I guess. We can't afford to fly everyone out even if Sam said we can use the Observatory for free."
"I bet if we asked Jel'si she would let us use that cliffside villa the Sams are staying at." Elera turned to look at Ayen as she spoke and Marin tried to hold in a sigh. Her husband's boyfriend's girlfriend was a nice enough person, and having the resources of a Noble House in the family was great, but thinking of Jel'si just made Marin think of Stace again.
There had to be some way for her to get past this funk. The strange Human was part of the family at least as much as the Sams were, and Marin wasn't about to give them up. Spending more time socializing had helped, but now that he was off on his mission and it was clear how much Ayen and Elera missed him, all of Marin's anxiety was flooding back.
Still, she had to be responsible. Their strange and ever-growing family needed to iron out any wrinkles and-
"Marin, dear?" The voice came from the side door and Marin turned to see Mevis, her father, quietly rapping at the door frame to get her attention. The room went silent as Ayen and Elera paused their conversation and glanced towards the doorway. The large, somewhat heavy set woman standing behind him was recognizable but entirely unexpected.
"You have a visitor.”
It took Marin a moment to recall the last time she had seen Colonel Et’tai. It was just after the first attack on the observatory; Marin had been a mess of nerves, having just repelled an invasion of Humans intending to kill her husband and new lovers. That she had to clarify to herself that it was the “first'' attack only made the memory sting more.
That said, it was hard to focus on the Colonel. Just like everyone else, her attention was drawn to the briefcase chained to the large woman’s wrist. The Colonel had the perfect posture of career military, but even then the case, a glossy blue rectangle of painted metal, unadorned aside from the seal of the Empress wrought in gold, seemed to have its own gravity.
“I need to speak with Lieutenants Elera and Marin,” she said brusquely. The Colonel’s voice was rough, her face lined with age and a grimace of displeasure. She turned towards where Ayen stood, his eyes fixed on that same case, and her expression softened. “Alone, please. I promise to give them back to you in one piece.”
Ayen started, then nodded. He stepped away as fast as he could without breaking into a run, tucking an arm around Marin’s father and pulling him from the doorway as he slipped past. Marin really couldn’t blame him.
After all, who wanted to share a room with a bomb?
Maximum security cases like the one Colonel Et’tai had strapped to her wrist played prominently in movies, tv shows, video games, really any media where you needed some sort of object to push the story along. What did Sam always call them? A macmuffin? Something like that. The cases were made to only be opened by one particular citizen of the Empire, and if the biometric lock detected the wrong person trying to open it the entire case would detonate, destroying the contents and, depending on the media it was being portrayed in, the entire room, building, or starship around it. Marin had never actually seen one in person.
“May I ask what this is about, ma’am?” Elera’s words helped pull Marin out of her distraction, and she watched as the Colonel stepped to a sideboard cabinet under a window..
“You can ask, but I can’t answer,” Colonel Et’tai replied with a grunt. “Four days ago, I was on Earth doing my job. Then I get a summons back to Shil, a boombox gets strapped to my wrist, and I’m told to meet the two of you.” The Colonel tapped at the case with a fingertip, smirking slightly as Marin and Elera both flinched. “I’m supposed to open it with the two of you present, then follow the directions.”
Colonel Et’tai carefully pushed the various curios and knickknacks decorating the sideboard out of the way, then placed the box onto the cleared surface. Marin found herself frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch as the old soldier pressed a finger to the golden seal in the center of the lid. The crest hinged open with a little click, revealing the dark glass of a camera and a hole just large enough to insert a finger.
“I hate this part,” the Colonel mumbled to herself. Marin tried to keep her distance, but to her chagrin she wasn’t going to be able to. Elera’s rough, strong hand reached out and took hers, dragging Marin closer just as Et’tai inserted her finger into the hole.
“Colonel Liretta Et’tai, nine-seven-twenty-three-six-fourteen-twelve-vector.” As the last word left her mouth, the case made a small ‘snick’ and Et’tai flinched. After a moment that felt like an eternity, a moment when Marin was sure she was about to die, the case made a much louder click and the lid popped open with a hiss of released pressure.
Relief flooded Marin’s body as the threat of imminent death faded. She squeezed Elera’s hand, then released it so she could rub the sweat from her brow. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“Oh, fuck me,” Elera whispered, and Marin’s eyes flew back open. The Colonel had begun unpacking the case, and now where there had been only one bomb sitting on the sideboard there were now three. The two new ones were barely large enough to hold more than a few sheets of paper, but they had the same crest and very likely the same security system. The Colonel seemed to be ignoring the boxes, instead reading a piece of paper. Her face was a mix of concern and growing amusement. Finally, she stopped and placed the paper back in the case, removing instead two small boxes made of dark wood.
“Attention!” The word wasn’t loud, but it was direct and Marin felt her back slam straight out of sheer instinct. Next to her, Elera did the same. Neither was in uniform, but that only added to the surreal oddness of the situation. Marin wondered idly if she was dreaming.
“I don’t know what sort of shit you two have gotten yourselves involved in, but it’s not my job to question the wisdom of the Empress, only to serve Her to the best of my ability.” She reached out and handed Marin one of the wooden boxes, Elera the other.
“By order of Empress Tasoo of the Shil’vati Empire, it is my distinct pleasure to promote Elera Heleum and Marin Elbruk to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, effective immediately.” The Colonel gestured and Marin, feeling as if she was sleep walking, popped the lid from the wood box. Laying in a little nest of velvet was her new insignia. Marin didn’t know what to say. She just stood there, staring down at the evidence of a promotion she hadn’t earned. She almost missed the Colonel’s next words.
“Enjoy your retirement.”
Now Marin was sure she was dreaming. She glanced over at Elera, who looked mildly concussed. The moment dragged on, Colonel Et’tai standing in front of the pair, seeming to delight in how awkward the whole situation was for the two other Marines. After another moment of watching the pair, Et’tai turned back to the counter and returned with the pair of smaller cases. She glanced at each one, then held them out.
Marin took the case in a trembling hand, awkwardly tucking the simple wooden box with its Lieutenant Colonel insignia into her pocket. Her name was embossed onto the security case, just below the Imperial Seal. She glanced at Elera, who tried to grin. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, where panic lurked.
“As fun as this is to watch, we don’t have all day, girls. I have an orbital to catch if I want to get back to Earth sometime in the next month.”
After a quick swallow and a deep breath, Marin pressed down on the crest. It popped open with a little click, revealing a camera lens and a finger-sized hole. Biometric test one passed. The inside of the hole felt cool as she slipped a finger in.
“Lieu… Lieutenant Colonel Marin Elbruk, Nineteen-thirty-seven-two-sixteen-one-one-eleven-tangent,” she whispered out. Her ID code was punctuated by a snapping sound and a burst of pain as the little box sank a needle into her finger, far deeper than she expected. Marin let out a little whimper as the needle withdrew, releasing her.
“Fuck that hurt,” grumped Elera. She had finished her own biometric test and was shaking out her hand, apparently not noticing that she was flicking blood onto the floor. Marin was about to reach out and stop her soon to be co-wife but her attention was drawn back to the box by the hiss of released pressure. She unfolded the lid and looked inside.
After all the pomp and ceremony, a few pieces of paper might have been underwhelming. Then again, any Shil’vati could recognize an Imperial Writ.
By order of the Empress,
Lieutenant Colonel Marin Elbruk is called upon to fulfill her obligation as a loyal subject of the Shil’vati Imperium and member of the Armed Forces. She is tasked by the Empress Herself to attend to the following duties:
Protect the persons known as Sammi Painter-Forsythe and Samuel Forsythe-Painter from all enemies of the Imperium, foreign and domestic, even at the cost of her own life.
Ensure the safety and security of the Painter Research Institute and its research even at the cost of her own life. If safety and security is untenable, she is tasked to destroy the Painter Research Institute, its data, and its employees as necessary to prevent their acquisition by enemies of the Imperium.
Prevent any knowledge of the planet Nix, its system, or its people from spreading outside of the Painter Research Institute and the Lone Caribou Survival Company.
This writ supersedes and countermands any orders that run contrary to the abovementioned duties. Its duration is indefinite, and failure to adhere to this Writ is to be met with summary execution.
Marin’s eyes continued to drift down, past the text, past the heavy gilt of the Imperial Seal. Her mind was reeling at the implications, but before she could focus on what she had read she noticed a small, handwritten note. In contrast to the plain text of the document’s body, this was an elegant scrawl.
Don’t fuck this up.
With fingers that felt wooden, Marin pulled the writ forward to flip through the papers behind it. They were far more plain, detailing Marin’s promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, effective three days ago, and her retirement at full pay and benefits, effective today.
She flipped back to the Writ, read it again, then looked at the other paperwork. She felt too stunned, too panicked to actually make the connections. When Colonel Et’tai started speaking again, it came as a relief.
—-
“Before either of you start yammering,” the aged soldier remarked, “I need to make it clear that I am NOT privy to whatever your assignments say. I get the feeling I would be better off not knowing.” She took a moment to lock eyes with each of the women in front of her. Neither one of them looked like they would be up to conversing much.
Liretta Et’tai had spent her entire trip to Shil worried that she had somehow monumentally fucked something up. Was she going to be the sacrifice to the Goddess of Blame for everything that had happened on the “North American” continent? Fear had turned into confusion and guilt when the boombox had been strapped to her wrist and she was sent to find the two Lieutenants in charge of the Painter Research Institute’s security.
Vivid, increasingly unlikely predictions rattled around in her head during the auto-cab ride to the house. The security case would detonate, killing the three of them as soon as Et’tai opened it. She would open it, and it would contain a pistol and orders to kill the two Lieutenants. Or the Lieutenants and their families.
What she had found had been enough of a relief that she was able to roll with the strangeness. Now that all three of the soldiers were on the same page (or at least the same chapter), Et’tai could fill them in on her side of things.
“My orders are simple: If you two get into a crisis and need immediate support with…” She gestured at the two thin boxes in the girls’ hands. “...that, I am to provide it. Maximum force, up to and including an orbital strike. You’ve both been retired at full LC benefits so you can focus on your Writ and not have to worry about providing for your families. Nobody else can order you around, and if you show off your papers it will at least sow enough confusion to buy you some time while I start dropping help from orbit.” At that, Et’tai found herself smirking. Who would believe these two young women who were little better than rank-and-file a year ago were now Lieutenant Colonels?
“Oh, congratulations on the engagement, by the way.” Et’tai paused to collect a slightly slack and confused fist bump from Elera, then another from Marin. When neither of the women had anything else to say, Liretta shrugged, packed up her case, and left.
—
Unpacked, it wasn’t at all what Paitl expected. A glossy black panel as smooth as still water, half a meter wide and a third tall, perched on a post of silver metal. The base was H shaped, designed to prevent the device from tipping if someone accidentally bumped into it or caught it with a tail.
Paitl sat on his little stool in front of the device. Unpacking the case had been a simple thing, and the glossy black panels that formed the inside of the box now lay flat in the sun. A thick, strangely intestinal-feeling hose connected the outdoor component to the panel. Paitl-Tesh had carefully cut a notch in the cave door for the ‘power cable’ to fit through, stuffing the gaps with bits of cloth while Paitl-Cet assembled the rest of it under Paitl’s instruction.
The other Fathers of the colony grumbled about Paitl being the one in charge, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. It was Paitl’s find, after all. He suspected that much of the complaining had less to do with Paitl being the one in the lead and more to do with him snatching up Paitl-Cet. Apparently he wasn’t the only one looking at her.
On Paitl’s lap sat a book. The paper was white, so clean and bright that it almost hurt to look at and so smooth that it clung to the grip pads on Paitl’s fingers in an unnatural and disconcerting way. It contained over a hundred pages of large print and diagrams, written in simple language. Instructions that he had taken the time to memorize while the rest of Paitl worked.
It was time.
Thirteen of the People surrounded Paitl and the device. Paitl-Tesh and Paitl-Cet flanked him, with three other Fathers and their nests crowding the space behind. As he raised a hand and reached out for the device, silence descended into the hall.
Paitl’s finger found the oddly raised, green colored ridge on the right side of the device and pushed. The ridge snapped down with a dull clunk, tilting so a new section raised in its place. The entire green section began to glow.
That single unnatural green light would have been disconcerting enough, but it was only a precursor. The entire front of the device, the water-smooth panel, lit up. The reflective glass was suddenly gone, perspective shifting.
Paitl wasn’t looking at glass, he was looking through a hole in the world, like looking into a box tipped on its side. The audience gasped as a white dot appeared, swelling larger and larger until the dot became a ball, then a globe. It hovered inside the device, the size of an almost-hatched father-egg. A ball of white and brown, wearing an uneven belt of blue.
His world, as seen from farther away than any of the People had ever been.
Paitl reached out, hand splayed to touch the orb, but his fingertips dully thunked against the glass. On the screen, the image of Nix began to spin slowly.
Only an illusion.
Paitl opened the book on his lap to the section explaining the gestures he could use to control the device. Or, as the book called them, “movements of the hands and fingers that cause actions.” The whole manual was written like that, never using one technical word when a bunch of simpler ones could work. With the fat pad of his finger, Paitl tapped a symbol in the corner of the display. It was a simple green cross with a smaller circle inside it.
As soon as his finger hit the symbol, the ball spun. Nix grew huge, speeding towards Paitl at a frightening pace. He was suddenly falling from a great height towards the frozen earth. He flinched backwards, pulling his finger away while yelping out in pain. The grip pad of his digit felt aflame and he began to shake his hand even as the flare of panic set off a fit of racking coughs.
With his hands and feet freshly cleaned, Paitl could easily climb up any of the walls in the cave his colony called home, wet or dry. The grip pads and their incredibly fine layers of setae let the People cling to nearly any surface with little more than a thought. The surface of this alien machine, however, was far smoother than any cave wall. In his surprised motion, Paitl had nearly managed to rip his grip pad off.
He would have to be more careful, using the less grippy tips of his fingers and peeling them free from the screen instead of just yanking like that. At least he hadn’t tipped over the device.
“Look,” Paitl-Cet remarked, pointing at the screen. “It’s us.”
The strange display was showing an image now, their home as seen from high above. He could recognize the curves of the coast line, the ruins that were once sea-side buildings long since destroyed by storm.
“It’s a thing of the past,” one of the other Fathers commented. A thin, nearly skeletal hand reached past Paitl to point. “We already cut those trees for burning.”
Paitl swung an eye sideways to look at the unnervingly thin Father, Asep, while the other watched the screen. Taking care to only use the very tips of his fingers, Paitl made the “motion to cause larger size” and the image loomed closer. The “motion to cause an area to be most visible” centered the spot in the center of the display.
There was a pile of four logs there, dragged from the dead forest. Those same four logs were now inside the caves, chopped into smaller pieces to keep them warm.
“When did Asep finish that task? We may be able to determine when this was made.” As Paitl watched, attention divided, Asep asked his nest. While he would have no direct knowledge, Paitl figured his nestmates must know. It only took a few moments to get a response.
“Asep-Nak says the last log was chopped four days ago. Asep-Tel believes they were down to four logs six days ago, perhaps seven.” Asep’s eyes, a kaledoscopic mix of blues and greens, swept to both sides to indicate the room. “It is the best they can tell us.”
Paitl smiled. “Your nest should be commended for remembering something so small. Asep’s reputation for studiousness is well-earned.” It was perhaps a bit of a platitude, and Asep knew it, but the males both knew how important it was to keep their nest mates happy. The girls of Asep visibly preened at the compliment. It took some of the sting out of not being the ones to find the treasure.
Carefully, Paitl played with the gestures in the book, manipulating the spinning globe that seemed to float in the air. He quickly found a dot that looked to be exactly where Paitl (or perhaps the device) was standing. It was marked in blue text as:
Receiver 7 - (0.2S,132.4E)
While Paitl-Tesh ran to the colony's library to find an atlas, Paitl found the section in the book that explained the numbers. They indicated latitude and longitude using a system that was slightly different than what the people of Nix had always used. Apparently the designers of this device only used one hundred and eighty major deviations. Converting it in his head was easy enough.
Spinning the ball around with increasing confidence, Paitl found at least a dozen other receivers marked on the sphere of Nix. They formed a belt around the equator, and referencing the ancient atlas Paitl-Tesh brought showed that many, like his own settlement, were near where small coastal towns once stood.
“What’s that?”
Paitl swung an eye up from the atlas and towards the display, his other looking for the speaker. A rather young woman stood there, her head crest still flat but twitching nervously. Paitl did not know her name, but the notches along the underside of her left ear marked her as recently brought into Tineh. Tineh himself was resting in his nest, his health increasingly poor as of late.
What the woman had noticed was a new blip, its latitude up in the 40s. Receiver 4’s text was blinking a dull red. Paitl reached for it, meaning to zoom in, but his first control finger tapped the words and a large, dark box suddenly appeared to block out the white orb of the planet.
CONNECTING…
After a moment, the text was gone and Paitl found himself looking somewhere else.
The five women peering through the screen were haggard, their skin rough and broken with weeping sores. They seemed just as surprised as Paitl was, stretching to full height and flaring their head crests in panic.
Paitl gasped as he was pulled backwards, stool and all. Paitl-Tesh and Paitl-Cet interposed themselves between him and the women, hissing and raising their own crests in challenge. He wanted to say something, to calm everyone down, but the sudden surprise had induced another coughing fit. He could do nothing.
“There shall be no violence here.” Asep’s voice cut through the panic, and tensions immediately began to ease. A quick eye flick toward Paitl conveyed concern and comfort; he would aid while Paitl tried to get his breathing under control.
More words were exchanged, but Paitl couldn’t make them out. His world was swimming, motes of light filling his vision even as blood seeped from between his teeth. Paitl-Cet brought him water to drink and a fresh handkerchief to wipe his face while Paitl-Tesh continued to interpose herself between him and any potential danger.
By the time his breathing was under control, Paitl did not have much strength left to continue his work. He received a quick summary from Aesp; the women were the only survivors of a nest living in volcanic caves far to the north. Their last Father had died months ago, and until their box had fallen from the sky they had assumed none of the People lived but them. Seeing multiple new Fathers appear in their midst had been a shock.
The other Fathers had a suggestion for Paitl, one he agreed to wholeheartedly. Even if the device was rightfully Paitl’s, it was too important to be left to just one nest. Instead, they would create a roster and ensure that at least one Father (or, at the least, an older juvenile male) would be near the “Receiver” at all times. The instruction manual would be shared and read by all.
As Paitl-Tesh carried Paitl back to their nest, he noticed the odd change in the air. Everyone was louder, more boisterous. He even saw a few glimpses of frill peeking out on the necks of the younger Fathers.
For the first time that Paitl could remember, there was hope.
*****
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This is a fanfic that takes place in the “Between Worlds” universe (aka Sexy Space Babes), created and owned by u/BlueFishcake. No ownership of the settings or core concepts is expressed or implied by myself.
This is for fun. Can’t you just have fun?
submitted by UncleCeiling to Sexyspacebabes [link] [comments]
Previous Chapter Here
My other SSB story, Writing on the Wall, Here
Buckle in, this is a long one!
*****
"I still can't believe your dad," Ayen huffed as he glared at Elera from his seat next to her. He crossed his arms across his chest and gave his head a little shake, perfectly coiffed hair bouncing in the soft evening light cutting through a nearby window.
"It was pretty hilarious," Marin chimed in. They were staying with her parents at the moment, using it as a sort of neutral ground. Ayen's father, Allis, was in full wedding planner mode and staying there was getting pretty intense. Elera's parents, on the other hand…
"He thought I was some kind of… of…" Ayen's voice dropped to a near whisper, hissing through clenched teeth. "...escort."
"It's not your fault," Elera tried her best to placate the young man. She leaned against him from her spot to his left and wrapped one muscular arm across his shoulders. Despite Ayen's grumpiness he still leaned into her, his head resting against her chest. "I think he just never expected me to actually marry a boy."
"That part was even better." Marin, tall and lanky, stood near the window in their little room, watching the quiet dribbles of rain slip down the glass. It had been a good day, really a good month. Elera's proposal was well received, Ayen was happy, and with Stace on his mission Marin could feel like she actually had some of her husband's attention. It wasn't a particularly attractive or kind thought, but she hadn't quite managed to pull free of the jealousy the Human elicited in her.
"Don't you start," Elera warned with a glare.
"I thought it was kind of sweet!" Marin grinned, watching Elera and Ayen both darken with matching blushes.
The fact that Elera was getting married had come as a surprise to her family. Marin had the impression that Elera was pretty bad at actually communicating with her parents, and it had been nearly a year since Elera’s time in the frozen north. The Heleum clan was large and Elera was seen as being a self-sufficient adult who didn't need much looking after. She also had a bit of a reputation as a partier, so when Elera showed up with Ayen and Marin in tow to announce her engagement, Elera's father had made some assumptions.
Specifically, he had assumed that Elera was marrying Marin and that Ayen was an "entertainer" the pair hired to celebrate.
It made a sort of sense, considering how open Elera was about the time she spent with other girls. At some point, her father just assumed that she had no interest in guys at all. Convincing him that Elera was, in fact, marrying Ayen and that Marin was first wife took some doing. And now, three weeks later, Ayen was still grumbling about it.
Still, it all worked out.
"Think of it this way," Marin added as way of conciliation. "After that whole fiasco, you pretty much have Elera's family wrapped around your finger. They didn't even complain when you suggested a Human-style wedding."
"...as long as we have it here on Shil." Ayen sighed. "Which makes sense, I guess. We can't afford to fly everyone out even if Sam said we can use the Observatory for free."
"I bet if we asked Jel'si she would let us use that cliffside villa the Sams are staying at." Elera turned to look at Ayen as she spoke and Marin tried to hold in a sigh. Her husband's boyfriend's girlfriend was a nice enough person, and having the resources of a Noble House in the family was great, but thinking of Jel'si just made Marin think of Stace again.
There had to be some way for her to get past this funk. The strange Human was part of the family at least as much as the Sams were, and Marin wasn't about to give them up. Spending more time socializing had helped, but now that he was off on his mission and it was clear how much Ayen and Elera missed him, all of Marin's anxiety was flooding back.
Still, she had to be responsible. Their strange and ever-growing family needed to iron out any wrinkles and-
"Marin, dear?" The voice came from the side door and Marin turned to see Mevis, her father, quietly rapping at the door frame to get her attention. The room went silent as Ayen and Elera paused their conversation and glanced towards the doorway. The large, somewhat heavy set woman standing behind him was recognizable but entirely unexpected.
"You have a visitor.”
It took Marin a moment to recall the last time she had seen Colonel Et’tai. It was just after the first attack on the observatory; Marin had been a mess of nerves, having just repelled an invasion of Humans intending to kill her husband and new lovers. That she had to clarify to herself that it was the “first'' attack only made the memory sting more.
That said, it was hard to focus on the Colonel. Just like everyone else, her attention was drawn to the briefcase chained to the large woman’s wrist. The Colonel had the perfect posture of career military, but even then the case, a glossy blue rectangle of painted metal, unadorned aside from the seal of the Empress wrought in gold, seemed to have its own gravity.
“I need to speak with Lieutenants Elera and Marin,” she said brusquely. The Colonel’s voice was rough, her face lined with age and a grimace of displeasure. She turned towards where Ayen stood, his eyes fixed on that same case, and her expression softened. “Alone, please. I promise to give them back to you in one piece.”
Ayen started, then nodded. He stepped away as fast as he could without breaking into a run, tucking an arm around Marin’s father and pulling him from the doorway as he slipped past. Marin really couldn’t blame him.
After all, who wanted to share a room with a bomb?
Maximum security cases like the one Colonel Et’tai had strapped to her wrist played prominently in movies, tv shows, video games, really any media where you needed some sort of object to push the story along. What did Sam always call them? A macmuffin? Something like that. The cases were made to only be opened by one particular citizen of the Empire, and if the biometric lock detected the wrong person trying to open it the entire case would detonate, destroying the contents and, depending on the media it was being portrayed in, the entire room, building, or starship around it. Marin had never actually seen one in person.
“May I ask what this is about, ma’am?” Elera’s words helped pull Marin out of her distraction, and she watched as the Colonel stepped to a sideboard cabinet under a window..
“You can ask, but I can’t answer,” Colonel Et’tai replied with a grunt. “Four days ago, I was on Earth doing my job. Then I get a summons back to Shil, a boombox gets strapped to my wrist, and I’m told to meet the two of you.” The Colonel tapped at the case with a fingertip, smirking slightly as Marin and Elera both flinched. “I’m supposed to open it with the two of you present, then follow the directions.”
Colonel Et’tai carefully pushed the various curios and knickknacks decorating the sideboard out of the way, then placed the box onto the cleared surface. Marin found herself frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch as the old soldier pressed a finger to the golden seal in the center of the lid. The crest hinged open with a little click, revealing the dark glass of a camera and a hole just large enough to insert a finger.
“I hate this part,” the Colonel mumbled to herself. Marin tried to keep her distance, but to her chagrin she wasn’t going to be able to. Elera’s rough, strong hand reached out and took hers, dragging Marin closer just as Et’tai inserted her finger into the hole.
“Colonel Liretta Et’tai, nine-seven-twenty-three-six-fourteen-twelve-vector.” As the last word left her mouth, the case made a small ‘snick’ and Et’tai flinched. After a moment that felt like an eternity, a moment when Marin was sure she was about to die, the case made a much louder click and the lid popped open with a hiss of released pressure.
Relief flooded Marin’s body as the threat of imminent death faded. She squeezed Elera’s hand, then released it so she could rub the sweat from her brow. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“Oh, fuck me,” Elera whispered, and Marin’s eyes flew back open. The Colonel had begun unpacking the case, and now where there had been only one bomb sitting on the sideboard there were now three. The two new ones were barely large enough to hold more than a few sheets of paper, but they had the same crest and very likely the same security system. The Colonel seemed to be ignoring the boxes, instead reading a piece of paper. Her face was a mix of concern and growing amusement. Finally, she stopped and placed the paper back in the case, removing instead two small boxes made of dark wood.
“Attention!” The word wasn’t loud, but it was direct and Marin felt her back slam straight out of sheer instinct. Next to her, Elera did the same. Neither was in uniform, but that only added to the surreal oddness of the situation. Marin wondered idly if she was dreaming.
“I don’t know what sort of shit you two have gotten yourselves involved in, but it’s not my job to question the wisdom of the Empress, only to serve Her to the best of my ability.” She reached out and handed Marin one of the wooden boxes, Elera the other.
“By order of Empress Tasoo of the Shil’vati Empire, it is my distinct pleasure to promote Elera Heleum and Marin Elbruk to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, effective immediately.” The Colonel gestured and Marin, feeling as if she was sleep walking, popped the lid from the wood box. Laying in a little nest of velvet was her new insignia. Marin didn’t know what to say. She just stood there, staring down at the evidence of a promotion she hadn’t earned. She almost missed the Colonel’s next words.
“Enjoy your retirement.”
Now Marin was sure she was dreaming. She glanced over at Elera, who looked mildly concussed. The moment dragged on, Colonel Et’tai standing in front of the pair, seeming to delight in how awkward the whole situation was for the two other Marines. After another moment of watching the pair, Et’tai turned back to the counter and returned with the pair of smaller cases. She glanced at each one, then held them out.
Marin took the case in a trembling hand, awkwardly tucking the simple wooden box with its Lieutenant Colonel insignia into her pocket. Her name was embossed onto the security case, just below the Imperial Seal. She glanced at Elera, who tried to grin. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, where panic lurked.
“As fun as this is to watch, we don’t have all day, girls. I have an orbital to catch if I want to get back to Earth sometime in the next month.”
After a quick swallow and a deep breath, Marin pressed down on the crest. It popped open with a little click, revealing a camera lens and a finger-sized hole. Biometric test one passed. The inside of the hole felt cool as she slipped a finger in.
“Lieu… Lieutenant Colonel Marin Elbruk, Nineteen-thirty-seven-two-sixteen-one-one-eleven-tangent,” she whispered out. Her ID code was punctuated by a snapping sound and a burst of pain as the little box sank a needle into her finger, far deeper than she expected. Marin let out a little whimper as the needle withdrew, releasing her.
“Fuck that hurt,” grumped Elera. She had finished her own biometric test and was shaking out her hand, apparently not noticing that she was flicking blood onto the floor. Marin was about to reach out and stop her soon to be co-wife but her attention was drawn back to the box by the hiss of released pressure. She unfolded the lid and looked inside.
After all the pomp and ceremony, a few pieces of paper might have been underwhelming. Then again, any Shil’vati could recognize an Imperial Writ.
By order of the Empress,
Lieutenant Colonel Marin Elbruk is called upon to fulfill her obligation as a loyal subject of the Shil’vati Imperium and member of the Armed Forces. She is tasked by the Empress Herself to attend to the following duties:
Protect the persons known as Sammi Painter-Forsythe and Samuel Forsythe-Painter from all enemies of the Imperium, foreign and domestic, even at the cost of her own life.
Ensure the safety and security of the Painter Research Institute and its research even at the cost of her own life. If safety and security is untenable, she is tasked to destroy the Painter Research Institute, its data, and its employees as necessary to prevent their acquisition by enemies of the Imperium.
Prevent any knowledge of the planet Nix, its system, or its people from spreading outside of the Painter Research Institute and the Lone Caribou Survival Company.
This writ supersedes and countermands any orders that run contrary to the abovementioned duties. Its duration is indefinite, and failure to adhere to this Writ is to be met with summary execution.
Marin’s eyes continued to drift down, past the text, past the heavy gilt of the Imperial Seal. Her mind was reeling at the implications, but before she could focus on what she had read she noticed a small, handwritten note. In contrast to the plain text of the document’s body, this was an elegant scrawl.
Don’t fuck this up.
With fingers that felt wooden, Marin pulled the writ forward to flip through the papers behind it. They were far more plain, detailing Marin’s promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, effective three days ago, and her retirement at full pay and benefits, effective today.
She flipped back to the Writ, read it again, then looked at the other paperwork. She felt too stunned, too panicked to actually make the connections. When Colonel Et’tai started speaking again, it came as a relief.
—-
“Before either of you start yammering,” the aged soldier remarked, “I need to make it clear that I am NOT privy to whatever your assignments say. I get the feeling I would be better off not knowing.” She took a moment to lock eyes with each of the women in front of her. Neither one of them looked like they would be up to conversing much.
Liretta Et’tai had spent her entire trip to Shil worried that she had somehow monumentally fucked something up. Was she going to be the sacrifice to the Goddess of Blame for everything that had happened on the “North American” continent? Fear had turned into confusion and guilt when the boombox had been strapped to her wrist and she was sent to find the two Lieutenants in charge of the Painter Research Institute’s security.
Vivid, increasingly unlikely predictions rattled around in her head during the auto-cab ride to the house. The security case would detonate, killing the three of them as soon as Et’tai opened it. She would open it, and it would contain a pistol and orders to kill the two Lieutenants. Or the Lieutenants and their families.
What she had found had been enough of a relief that she was able to roll with the strangeness. Now that all three of the soldiers were on the same page (or at least the same chapter), Et’tai could fill them in on her side of things.
“My orders are simple: If you two get into a crisis and need immediate support with…” She gestured at the two thin boxes in the girls’ hands. “...that, I am to provide it. Maximum force, up to and including an orbital strike. You’ve both been retired at full LC benefits so you can focus on your Writ and not have to worry about providing for your families. Nobody else can order you around, and if you show off your papers it will at least sow enough confusion to buy you some time while I start dropping help from orbit.” At that, Et’tai found herself smirking. Who would believe these two young women who were little better than rank-and-file a year ago were now Lieutenant Colonels?
“Oh, congratulations on the engagement, by the way.” Et’tai paused to collect a slightly slack and confused fist bump from Elera, then another from Marin. When neither of the women had anything else to say, Liretta shrugged, packed up her case, and left.
—
Unpacked, it wasn’t at all what Paitl expected. A glossy black panel as smooth as still water, half a meter wide and a third tall, perched on a post of silver metal. The base was H shaped, designed to prevent the device from tipping if someone accidentally bumped into it or caught it with a tail.
Paitl sat on his little stool in front of the device. Unpacking the case had been a simple thing, and the glossy black panels that formed the inside of the box now lay flat in the sun. A thick, strangely intestinal-feeling hose connected the outdoor component to the panel. Paitl-Tesh had carefully cut a notch in the cave door for the ‘power cable’ to fit through, stuffing the gaps with bits of cloth while Paitl-Cet assembled the rest of it under Paitl’s instruction.
The other Fathers of the colony grumbled about Paitl being the one in charge, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. It was Paitl’s find, after all. He suspected that much of the complaining had less to do with Paitl being the one in the lead and more to do with him snatching up Paitl-Cet. Apparently he wasn’t the only one looking at her.
On Paitl’s lap sat a book. The paper was white, so clean and bright that it almost hurt to look at and so smooth that it clung to the grip pads on Paitl’s fingers in an unnatural and disconcerting way. It contained over a hundred pages of large print and diagrams, written in simple language. Instructions that he had taken the time to memorize while the rest of Paitl worked.
It was time.
Thirteen of the People surrounded Paitl and the device. Paitl-Tesh and Paitl-Cet flanked him, with three other Fathers and their nests crowding the space behind. As he raised a hand and reached out for the device, silence descended into the hall.
Paitl’s finger found the oddly raised, green colored ridge on the right side of the device and pushed. The ridge snapped down with a dull clunk, tilting so a new section raised in its place. The entire green section began to glow.
That single unnatural green light would have been disconcerting enough, but it was only a precursor. The entire front of the device, the water-smooth panel, lit up. The reflective glass was suddenly gone, perspective shifting.
Paitl wasn’t looking at glass, he was looking through a hole in the world, like looking into a box tipped on its side. The audience gasped as a white dot appeared, swelling larger and larger until the dot became a ball, then a globe. It hovered inside the device, the size of an almost-hatched father-egg. A ball of white and brown, wearing an uneven belt of blue.
His world, as seen from farther away than any of the People had ever been.
Paitl reached out, hand splayed to touch the orb, but his fingertips dully thunked against the glass. On the screen, the image of Nix began to spin slowly.
Only an illusion.
Paitl opened the book on his lap to the section explaining the gestures he could use to control the device. Or, as the book called them, “movements of the hands and fingers that cause actions.” The whole manual was written like that, never using one technical word when a bunch of simpler ones could work. With the fat pad of his finger, Paitl tapped a symbol in the corner of the display. It was a simple green cross with a smaller circle inside it.
As soon as his finger hit the symbol, the ball spun. Nix grew huge, speeding towards Paitl at a frightening pace. He was suddenly falling from a great height towards the frozen earth. He flinched backwards, pulling his finger away while yelping out in pain. The grip pad of his digit felt aflame and he began to shake his hand even as the flare of panic set off a fit of racking coughs.
With his hands and feet freshly cleaned, Paitl could easily climb up any of the walls in the cave his colony called home, wet or dry. The grip pads and their incredibly fine layers of setae let the People cling to nearly any surface with little more than a thought. The surface of this alien machine, however, was far smoother than any cave wall. In his surprised motion, Paitl had nearly managed to rip his grip pad off.
He would have to be more careful, using the less grippy tips of his fingers and peeling them free from the screen instead of just yanking like that. At least he hadn’t tipped over the device.
“Look,” Paitl-Cet remarked, pointing at the screen. “It’s us.”
The strange display was showing an image now, their home as seen from high above. He could recognize the curves of the coast line, the ruins that were once sea-side buildings long since destroyed by storm.
“It’s a thing of the past,” one of the other Fathers commented. A thin, nearly skeletal hand reached past Paitl to point. “We already cut those trees for burning.”
Paitl swung an eye sideways to look at the unnervingly thin Father, Asep, while the other watched the screen. Taking care to only use the very tips of his fingers, Paitl made the “motion to cause larger size” and the image loomed closer. The “motion to cause an area to be most visible” centered the spot in the center of the display.
There was a pile of four logs there, dragged from the dead forest. Those same four logs were now inside the caves, chopped into smaller pieces to keep them warm.
“When did Asep finish that task? We may be able to determine when this was made.” As Paitl watched, attention divided, Asep asked his nest. While he would have no direct knowledge, Paitl figured his nestmates must know. It only took a few moments to get a response.
“Asep-Nak says the last log was chopped four days ago. Asep-Tel believes they were down to four logs six days ago, perhaps seven.” Asep’s eyes, a kaledoscopic mix of blues and greens, swept to both sides to indicate the room. “It is the best they can tell us.”
Paitl smiled. “Your nest should be commended for remembering something so small. Asep’s reputation for studiousness is well-earned.” It was perhaps a bit of a platitude, and Asep knew it, but the males both knew how important it was to keep their nest mates happy. The girls of Asep visibly preened at the compliment. It took some of the sting out of not being the ones to find the treasure.
Carefully, Paitl played with the gestures in the book, manipulating the spinning globe that seemed to float in the air. He quickly found a dot that looked to be exactly where Paitl (or perhaps the device) was standing. It was marked in blue text as:
Receiver 7 - (0.2S,132.4E)
While Paitl-Tesh ran to the colony's library to find an atlas, Paitl found the section in the book that explained the numbers. They indicated latitude and longitude using a system that was slightly different than what the people of Nix had always used. Apparently the designers of this device only used one hundred and eighty major deviations. Converting it in his head was easy enough.
Spinning the ball around with increasing confidence, Paitl found at least a dozen other receivers marked on the sphere of Nix. They formed a belt around the equator, and referencing the ancient atlas Paitl-Tesh brought showed that many, like his own settlement, were near where small coastal towns once stood.
“What’s that?”
Paitl swung an eye up from the atlas and towards the display, his other looking for the speaker. A rather young woman stood there, her head crest still flat but twitching nervously. Paitl did not know her name, but the notches along the underside of her left ear marked her as recently brought into Tineh. Tineh himself was resting in his nest, his health increasingly poor as of late.
What the woman had noticed was a new blip, its latitude up in the 40s. Receiver 4’s text was blinking a dull red. Paitl reached for it, meaning to zoom in, but his first control finger tapped the words and a large, dark box suddenly appeared to block out the white orb of the planet.
CONNECTING…
After a moment, the text was gone and Paitl found himself looking somewhere else.
The five women peering through the screen were haggard, their skin rough and broken with weeping sores. They seemed just as surprised as Paitl was, stretching to full height and flaring their head crests in panic.
Paitl gasped as he was pulled backwards, stool and all. Paitl-Tesh and Paitl-Cet interposed themselves between him and the women, hissing and raising their own crests in challenge. He wanted to say something, to calm everyone down, but the sudden surprise had induced another coughing fit. He could do nothing.
“There shall be no violence here.” Asep’s voice cut through the panic, and tensions immediately began to ease. A quick eye flick toward Paitl conveyed concern and comfort; he would aid while Paitl tried to get his breathing under control.
More words were exchanged, but Paitl couldn’t make them out. His world was swimming, motes of light filling his vision even as blood seeped from between his teeth. Paitl-Cet brought him water to drink and a fresh handkerchief to wipe his face while Paitl-Tesh continued to interpose herself between him and any potential danger.
By the time his breathing was under control, Paitl did not have much strength left to continue his work. He received a quick summary from Aesp; the women were the only survivors of a nest living in volcanic caves far to the north. Their last Father had died months ago, and until their box had fallen from the sky they had assumed none of the People lived but them. Seeing multiple new Fathers appear in their midst had been a shock.
The other Fathers had a suggestion for Paitl, one he agreed to wholeheartedly. Even if the device was rightfully Paitl’s, it was too important to be left to just one nest. Instead, they would create a roster and ensure that at least one Father (or, at the least, an older juvenile male) would be near the “Receiver” at all times. The instruction manual would be shared and read by all.
As Paitl-Tesh carried Paitl back to their nest, he noticed the odd change in the air. Everyone was louder, more boisterous. He even saw a few glimpses of frill peeking out on the necks of the younger Fathers.
For the first time that Paitl could remember, there was hope.
*****
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This is a fanfic that takes place in the “Between Worlds” universe (aka Sexy Space Babes), created and owned by u/BlueFishcake. No ownership of the settings or core concepts is expressed or implied by myself.
This is for fun. Can’t you just have fun?
2023.05.31 03:44 beesa101 First ever wood carving is done (open to critiques)
 | I am very much a beginner as this is my first piece ever. I am also looking for tips on how to shape better and cleaning it up before I start my next piece. This was without a template or sketch so next time I will probably make one! I was just getting a feeling of what carving wood is like for this one. submitted by beesa101 to Woodcarving [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 03:33 Simmer_down_naahh Gym Shed project - ground prep advice
I'm thinking about embarking on the biggest DIY project I've ever done and am trying to sort out whether I'm going to bite off more than I can chew.
What I'm trying to do:
Build a structure in my side/front yard to serve as a gym/yoga studio. It will ideally be around 10x14 feet, have electrical outlets, and have a finished interior (insulation + drywall/paint, flooring, etc.). Since I've never built anything like this, I'm looking at kits like this: https://ezfitsheds.com/10-x-14-quick-ship-riverside-shed-kit/
I want to put the structure where the fence/planter area is, keeping a reasonable margin from the sidewalk. See here and here for reference.
The situation:
I'm reasonably confident I can demo the fence/plant area myself, can probably (hopefully) hack my way through constructing the kit, and will pay an electrician to deal with running a line to the structure, but I'm most concerned about prepping the ground properly. It is currently mostly these old aggregate concrete slabs, which are generally flat but not 100% even from slab to slab. There will also be some area (less than 20% of the area where the structure will sit) that is currently compacted clay-like dirt. You can see it in the above pics, but here is a close up of one of the slabs as well.
I'm in San Jose California in case that matters (weather, temps, etc.)
My question:
What are some recommendations for how I can approach the ground prep? Can I just get some crushed gravel to fill in the unevenness and call it a day? Or will I need to tear up all of the existing concrete and start from a clean slate? Keep in mind that this structure will only be around 140 sq ft, and will have 400-500 lbs worth of gym weights/equipment + at most 2 adults inside at any given time.
Some DIY projects I've undertaken to give a sense of where my skills/experience are at in case it affects the recommendation:
- 900 sq ft front yard landscaping project which included tearing out all existing grass, building a drip irrigation system, and a whole lot of moving wood chips/rocks.
- Built a few reasonably sized (8' x 6') trellis structures for front and side yard and cemented posts into the ground (they turned out pretty even and clean)
- Dug out a section of rock and poured 3 small concrete slabs that were about 4 inches thick. They got progressively better so by the third one I could do a clean, level slab.
- Drywall patch/repair around the house/garage
- Built custom shelves for pantry closet
- Built some planter boxes
In general I'd say I'm not completely without experience, can figure things out and am unafraid of hard work and troubleshooting, but this project will push me beyond my current experience/comfort zone by a significant margin.
Any advice would be appreciated!
submitted by Simmer_down_naahh to HomeImprovement [link] [comments]
What I'm trying to do:
Build a structure in my side/front yard to serve as a gym/yoga studio. It will ideally be around 10x14 feet, have electrical outlets, and have a finished interior (insulation + drywall/paint, flooring, etc.). Since I've never built anything like this, I'm looking at kits like this: https://ezfitsheds.com/10-x-14-quick-ship-riverside-shed-kit/
I want to put the structure where the fence/planter area is, keeping a reasonable margin from the sidewalk. See here and here for reference.
The situation:
I'm reasonably confident I can demo the fence/plant area myself, can probably (hopefully) hack my way through constructing the kit, and will pay an electrician to deal with running a line to the structure, but I'm most concerned about prepping the ground properly. It is currently mostly these old aggregate concrete slabs, which are generally flat but not 100% even from slab to slab. There will also be some area (less than 20% of the area where the structure will sit) that is currently compacted clay-like dirt. You can see it in the above pics, but here is a close up of one of the slabs as well.
I'm in San Jose California in case that matters (weather, temps, etc.)
My question:
What are some recommendations for how I can approach the ground prep? Can I just get some crushed gravel to fill in the unevenness and call it a day? Or will I need to tear up all of the existing concrete and start from a clean slate? Keep in mind that this structure will only be around 140 sq ft, and will have 400-500 lbs worth of gym weights/equipment + at most 2 adults inside at any given time.
Some DIY projects I've undertaken to give a sense of where my skills/experience are at in case it affects the recommendation:
- 900 sq ft front yard landscaping project which included tearing out all existing grass, building a drip irrigation system, and a whole lot of moving wood chips/rocks.
- Built a few reasonably sized (8' x 6') trellis structures for front and side yard and cemented posts into the ground (they turned out pretty even and clean)
- Dug out a section of rock and poured 3 small concrete slabs that were about 4 inches thick. They got progressively better so by the third one I could do a clean, level slab.
- Drywall patch/repair around the house/garage
- Built custom shelves for pantry closet
- Built some planter boxes
In general I'd say I'm not completely without experience, can figure things out and am unafraid of hard work and troubleshooting, but this project will push me beyond my current experience/comfort zone by a significant margin.
Any advice would be appreciated!
2023.05.31 02:11 bloodstreamcity Transmission
Transmission
by Brian Martinez
Let me start my story by telling you something about me, the most important thing, in fact: I find things, and I fix them. That’s who I am. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.
I’m a second-generation auto mechanic, born-and-bred. I’ve been repairing cars since before Ford Pintos were blowing up, when cars were made of steel and Route 66 wasn’t just something for the cartoons. These days I’m fortunate enough to own a shop downtown between two of those chain coffee places. It’s small, sure, but it has a reputation for saving cars so far-gone no one else will even touch ‘em. So if you live in the area, and you’ve ever been stuck with the sourest of lemons, or maybe your kid drove your minivan into the pool, we just might have crossed paths, you and I.
That reputation is what led to me getting a phone call from a guy I’d never met, saying he had something that might interest me. His name was Burt and he’d apparently just purchased a piece of property that sat unowned for the better part of twenty years. I knew of the area he was talking about. It’s out in the hills, where there isn’t much to look at. Most of the land there went to weed years ago; acres and acres of old woods and burnt-down barns just waiting for nobody in particular to see the value in them. And, well, it seems Burt was that nobody in particular.
I honestly didn’t know what Burt’s purchase had to do with me, and told him just that, figuring he must have had the wrong number. But the next words out of his mouth told me he knew exactly who he was talking to.
Apparently when old Burt started walking around his new property, digging around in the dirt, so to speak, he made an interesting discovery. So interesting, in fact, that it got me to grab my keys, hop in my truck, and drive up into the hills without so much as a pause to wash my hands.
Some things, you see, don’t wait for a man to look presentable.
As I drove up into the hills to meet Burt, I started to think about my father and the drives he used to take me on. He liked to get a feel for whichever car he was working on, and those drives, they always ended with a detour into the hills. ‘Nothing tests a vehicle like elevation,’ he used to say, and I have to admit, I still agree with that statement. All those long inclines, sharp turns and fast descents- not to mention the occasional slam on the brakes- really put a car through its paces.
Dad knew a thing or two about cars, even if he knew nothing about how to raise a family.
Other than maybe a slight fear of commitment, the main thing I got from my father was a passion for restoring old cars in my spare time. It’s a hobby of mine, and I do it in the garage at my house. I’m especially a sucker for rare cars, and the rarer the better. That little hobby of mine, more so than my day business, was why I ended up driving out to the middle of nowhere with dirty hands and a head full of ideas.
The road up was just as long and winding as I remembered. I almost missed the entrance for the property, a hidden driveway marked with little more than a broken mailbox and a rotting signpost. The private road got smaller and smaller by the minute until I swore the trees were going to swallow me whole and spit the bones back out.
When I finally reached what could pass for a clearing, a guy with a face like a junkyard dog was waiting for me next to the newest, cleanest Ford pick-up I’d seen outside of a dealership. He introduced himself to me as Eddie, an associate of old Burt. I told him I’d been expecting to meet Burt himself, but Eddie explained that Burt didn’t like to meet new people, and rarely came out in the cold weather. It was a bit raw, I had to admit, so I dropped the whole thing and let Eddie get down to the business at hand.
We left our cars behind and Eddie led me into the woods, where the walking was slow-going on account of the overgrowth of vines and dead branches. I’m not one to spook easily, but the more we walked the creepier those woods got, until I was fairly sure Eddie was going to use that French Mastiff face of his to tear my throat out. But just when I was thinking about turning back and saying screw it to the whole thing, I caught sight of what we’d come for.
The very first car I saw was a white, 1974 Pontiac Trans-Am. It was missing its door and tires, and it was buried under a layer of dead vines, but the body shape was unmistakable. Under the rust I could even see what was left of the telltale Firebird emblazoned across its hood in blue.
I couldn’t believe a car like that was just sitting out in the middle of the woods, waiting for anyone to come along and find it. As I got closer, though, I saw just how bad the condition of the car was. The insides were rotted out from rain and mold, and the floor was so eaten up by rust it was ready to fall out.
Before my brain could process the loss of such a beautiful machine, I caught sight of another car. This one was a Datsun 210 with a tree growing right through the hole where its trunk used to be. Wet leaves and newspaper filled the back seat, and the dashboard was an abandoned nest that crawled with leggy insects.
Old Burt hadn’t been pulling my leg: those woods were a graveyard for abandoned cars. From what I could tell, about three acres of woods were absolutely littered with the corpses of old autos. Some were in pieces, most were covered in dead leaves and rust and all the other things that happen when anything is left outside for years and years, but they were there. The sight of so many classic cars in one place, virtually unknown to anyone, both excited and saddened me.
For close to an hour I walked around random piles of tires and glass to stare at rusted-out Range Rovers and Jeeps with their headlights hanging out like popped eyeballs. Finally, like I’d woken up from a spell, I asked Eddie what Burt expected from me. And that’s when he told me the strangest, most interesting offer he could have told me in that moment.
He said if I could make every, single one of those cars disappear in three day’s time, at no cost to old Burt, I could keep them.
The words nearly knocked me off my feet. I’d have to call in every favor to every salvage yard and tow truck operator I knew, but it was possible. Still, nearly all of the cars I’d seen were beyond repair, even for a guy like me. At most I saw some parts that could be salvaged. Maybe a few of the newer, less damaged ones could be saved. I knew a few guys in my circle who might be interested, and I figured if I played my cards right I could make a few bucks out of the deal to boot- or at least land a good trade or two. Still, there weren’t any cars that I was interested in for myself.
Until, at the edge of the property, tucked away in a spot I’d nearly overlooked, I saw it. It was as if I’d been drawn there. Like I was meant to find it.
The car was familiar-looking, yet like nothing I’d ever seen. Cross a Chevelle Malibu Classic SE with the modern retro feel of the ‘97 Plymouth Prowler, add the large rear spoiler and flared wheel arches of a ‘99 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and you still won’t come close. It looked like something one of the big three manufacturers had made and yet I’d never seen or heard of its like ever before. It had no logos, no hood ornament, no identification of any kind. I practically ran around to the back of it to look for a name, a logo, something to identify it, tripping over hidden rocks and broken glass to do it.
But there was nothing. Nothing to betray the make and mark of the strange car in front of me. I even asked Eddie if he knew what it was. He only shrugged, clearly wanting to wrap up our little outdoor meeting. I half-heartedly agreed. It was later than I’d realized. Between the dwindling sun and the discovery I’d made, I’d started to get a chill I couldn’t shake. I had a bad tooth I’d been neglecting, and even that was starting to hurt from the cold.
So I agreed to Burt’s deal. I shook Eddie’s hand on it and got out of there, giving one last glance at the strange car in the woods on the way out.
The next day, after making more phone calls than a politician on election night, a swarm of flatbeds, wheel-lifts and salvage trucks descended on those woods. For two days they scooped out every piece of metal and glass in the place, while I oversaw the operation like a choir conductor from hell. I directed trucks this way and cutting crews that way. They snipped and cut and tore out every dead tree standing in the way so the truck crews could do the rest. I even got in there myself with the old chainsaw when it was needed.
It was an exhausting two days, but I managed to keep my word to Burt and clear every abandoned car off his property with about an hour to spare. Some of the cars went to the junkyard, others to various garages I’d made arrangements with.
I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. I was ready for a shower and a bed, in what order I wasn’t sure. And yet a crackle of energy went through me when I saw what had been dropped off in my garage.
My mystery car. Without the shadows of the woods hiding it, I could see it had been painted silver before the rust took over. It had been a fast sucker once, like a bullet to a werewolf’s chest. That had been a long time ago, and yet I sensed there was still some life in the old girl. I wanted so badly to start digging around under the hood, to see what I could find out, but my legs were ready to collapse and my eyes could barely focus. Intending to wake up early and hit the garage, I stumbled off to bed.
You know that feeling you get when you realize someone’s been talking to you for the past minute, thinking you’ve been listening, and you only just figured it out?
That’s the feeling I woke up to.
I sat straight up like a vampire rising from his coffin. My bedroom was still dark, which meant it was the middle of the night. In my half-sleep I tried to make out the clock on my nightstand but couldn’t read the numbers, so I fumbled for my glasses and shoved them on. It was just past two in the morning: way too early, even for me. No way was I getting up, strange feeling or no.
I was about to take my glasses off and lay back down when I heard the reason I’d woken up.
Whispering.
A man was in my room, whispering in the dark. I lunged across my bed and turned on the lamp, nearly knocking it over. I didn’t have a weapon, but if I could see the intruder I could do something about it. I spun back, back to the whispering, to see who it was, to shout at them or jump on them, whatever I had to do to save my life from the psycho in my bedroom.
But the room was empty. Just me and a pounding heart.
I was so confused, I jumped out of bed and tore around the room, making sure no one was hiding, but I didn’t find anyone. I was alone.
Then I heard it again, and I knew: the whispers were coming from down the hall.
With bare feet I followed it, trying to make out what it was saying, but it was too low to understand. I grabbed a knife as I passed through the kitchen and held it in front of me with sweat beading on my face despite how cold I kept the house.
I followed the whispering to the garage. The overhead light flickered on, lighting up the strange car in my garage. In my half-sleep, half-terror I’d nearly forgotten about it. But there it was, like a bear hibernating in its cave, waiting for the end of winter. It felt alive somehow. Not dead, just asleep and dreaming.
And it was whispering.
I knew how crazy that sounded, how crazy that was, but I swallowed hard and approached the car, knife first. The blade shook in front of me. The whispering got louder the closer I got, and yet I still couldn’t understand the words it was saying. Was someone hiding inside the car? Had I inherited a homeless man when I’d had it towed to my house? If so I had to get him out of there. Get him help, sure, make sure he had a place to sleep, but he couldn’t stay in my garage, whispering through the night. No way.
With my free hand I yanked on the driver’s side door. It didn’t open. Rusted shut. I slowly walked around to the passenger side and yanked again. It opened.
The whispering was louder now, louder but not clearer, like an old television tuned between channels, like a frequency not being picked up, like a…
Like a radio.
The whispers were coming from the radio. I laughed under my breath, realizing how ridiculous I’d been. But then I remembered there was no way the radio could be working. The car wasn’t turned on. If it even had a battery under the hood, it was probably little more than a square pile of rust and battery acid.
I clutched the kitchen knife tight, and with the other hand I slowly reached out to turn the volume knob. I needed to know if the whispers were coming from the radio, and if they were, I needed to know what they were saying. My temple throbbed as the whispers grew louder and louder, louder and louder, louder and-
The moment my finger touched the knob, the whispers stopped.
I felt like I was going crazy. I looked around the inside of the car, noting the strong smell of mildew and animal with a tinge of rotten leather. Other than my own breath echoing back at me, it was silent.
No whispers. No nothing.
I went back to bed, but I barely slept.
The next day was the day I usually took off from the shop, which was a relief since I woke up almost as tired as when I’d gone to bed. As I ate my breakfast, the night before still sat fresh in my mind. But the more I went over it, the more I thought it had been a bad dream, brought on by exhaustion and an imagination run wild. I had to admit the mystery car sitting in my garage had gotten my mind racing faster than a Formula 1.
I’m the kind of guy who likes a simple explanation, something I can touch and feel and, yes, fix, so I started to think that I could have picked up some kind of rogue radio transmission from a trucker, or even a passing plane. The police scanner I owned in my younger days had certainly picked up its share of random broadcasts, and when it comes to working on junkers I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
After I’d eaten my breakfast and downed my coffee I got right to work on the car. I wanted to clear the air of whatever had happened, and I was dying to see what that baby had going on under the hood. The mystery of who the hell had made the thing was still heavy on me.
But the enigma only deepened the more I looked. Under all that rust and dirt and oil I couldn’t find one damn mark that told me who’d made the car. I almost wanted to say it was a custom build, but the work was too precise, the system too well-planned out to be an after-market job.
I worked on it all day, so wrapped up in it I forgot to eat lunch. I ate dinner like a raccoon digging through a dumpster. Then I worked on it some more.
I was just crawling into bed when I heard it again.
The whispering.
This time I ignored it, hoping it would go away on its own. But it didn’t stop. Not until I got up, walked across my house, went into the garage, and touched the radio. Then, it stopped.
I decided right then and there not to go to the shop the next day. There was just too much work to be done.
I’d been working on the car for four days straight before I got it started up. Four days of stripping and cleaning and rebuilding. Four nights of whispering. I was even starting to hear it during the day, but low, barely audible, like a television playing somewhere in the house.
After I got the engine started, the first thing I did was pull my code reader down from my tool wall and hook it up to the dashboard input. I’d been pleasantly surprised to find an input on the car, even though I was fairly certain it had been built after '96. To my shock the screen filled up with a bunch of random trouble codes I’d never seen before, then went blank. I tried to get it powered up again but apparently the connection had completely overloaded the device.
I’d had the reader for years and it had never given me a problem. I put it down and got back to the car, deciding to stick to the old-fashioned way and get a feel for what was wrong with it. Just like dad used to do.
With my foot on the gas I revved the engine good. It sounded better than I’d expected, like a beast waking up from deep sleep. But there was also something rattling around under the hood, something loose knocking around inside the carburetor or possibly even the manifold.
I tried a few options, opening up this and that, until I narrowed it down to something completely unexpected: the transmission.
With considerable force I managed to open up the transmission, and sure enough I found something inside. Something dark and red. I pulled it out and studied it under the light. It looked like a small rock covered in old transmission fluid. How it got in there I didn’t have a clue. But I decided to clean it off and get a better look at it, in case it pointed to a bigger problem. As I walked it to the slop sink, I noticed the whispering, usually a dull static during the day, had started to grow louder. I could almost make out individual words now. But I ignored it and ran the small rock under the faucet, watching the dark red fluid swirl down the drain.
That was when I discovered something I wasn’t prepared for. The thing in my hand wasn’t a rock- it was a tooth.
A human tooth.
The whispers had grown so loud I could barely hear myself think, barely feel the disgust rising in the pit of my stomach. With the whispers practically shouting in my ear I dropped the tooth and it bounced and clattered inside the sink, coming to a rest near the edge of the drain.
The whispers grew quiet again. A dull roar tickling at the back of my skull. I stared at it, the tooth in the sink, the impossible tooth from the impossible car. I had the urge to throw it out. To get it out of my house and never see it again. But I didn’t do that. I couldn’t tell you why not.
Maybe because that meant touching it again.
Maybe something else.
Feeling like I should give the car a rest, I worked on getting my code reader working again, otherwise I’d have to run to the store and buy a new one. I changed out the batteries and gave it a good, solid whack. A few seconds later I was happy to see the screen turn on. I thought I’d have to do a factory reset to use it again but I was surprised to find it worked perfectly fine. Not only that, the trouble codes it had read off the car were still stored in its memory.
There were pages and pages of codes like I’d never seen in my life, more than I think are even in the tool’s programming. In fact I couldn’t find a single one of them anywhere in the manual. I figured they were probably just random numbers, and yet there was something strange about them, like they had a pattern to them. I dusted off my old computer and typed in the problem codes, figuring if I could get a better look at them I might be able to figure out their meaning. If not, I could at least print them out and show them to somebody who could.
After twenty minutes I’d barely made a dent in typing up all the codes. I gave up on the idea that I could copy them all. I pushed away from my computer and stood up, rubbing my eyes from the strain. Between the glare of the old screen and the noise in my ears, my head was killing me. It all felt so pointless. So inconsequential.
Just before I shut the computer down, I happened to glance one last time at the screen. And when I did, I noticed something that made my skin go cold.
The codes. The pattern. The numbers and letters and spaces between them. They were starting to form a face. A human face, with two eyes and a screaming-
I shut the computer down as fast as I could, then unplugged it to be safe. Then I marched to the garage and disconnected the radio, practically ripping it out of the car.
The whispers stopped.
The house was quiet.
But not for long.
For three days I told myself to get rid of that car, tow it out of my garage and dump it somewhere no one could find it. Maybe even drench it in gasoline and light a match. For three days I ignored the whispers and the doorbell and the phone calls from my shop asking when I was coming back. For three days I buried my head under the hood and worked and worked and worked.
On the fourth day, when the whispers from the radio had grown louder than my own thoughts, louder but still unclear, without words I could understand, I lost it. I threw my wrench at the tool wall, knocking down chisels and socket wrenches and a dozen other tools clattering to the ground. I pounded on my ears, cursing them, willing them to go deaf and stop hearing the whispers.
But they didn’t stop hearing. And the whispers didn’t stop. So I decided. I decided that if I couldn’t stop hearing them, I at least needed to know what they were saying.
I went back to the slop sink. The tooth was still there, perched near the edge of the drain. I’d prayed for it to slip down and wash away on its own but there it was, round and sharp and real as ever. So I picked it up, and the whispers grew louder. Clearer. But still not clear enough to hear. Not enough to make out what the radio was saying. To understand what it wanted from me. It was like a broken antenna, only tuning in half the frequency.
The garage was a mess. I was a mess. Rancid grease stains everywhere. A hole in my tool wall where the wrench had struck it, the ground littered with hammers and screwdrivers and …
Pliers.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed the pliers from the ground, shoved it onto my mouth, got a good hold of my bad tooth, and ripped it out. It was easier than I expected, but it still hurt, and it bled a lot. But I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the tooth I’d found in the transmission into its place.
The moment I did, it was as if everything came into focus. As if the radio was inside my skull. No, as if my skull was the radio, and I was the antenna. I could hear the transmission clear as day now, a man’s voice inside my head.
Whispering to me.
Telling me where to find the rest of him.
I told you all of this, not because I expect you to believe me, but because I’m about to walk out my door and do something I might not come back from. And if that’s the case, if I don’t return today or any other day from this thing I need to do, I want people to know why.
Because I find things. I find things and fix them. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.
submitted by bloodstreamcity to ChillingApp [link] [comments]
by Brian Martinez
Let me start my story by telling you something about me, the most important thing, in fact: I find things, and I fix them. That’s who I am. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.
I’m a second-generation auto mechanic, born-and-bred. I’ve been repairing cars since before Ford Pintos were blowing up, when cars were made of steel and Route 66 wasn’t just something for the cartoons. These days I’m fortunate enough to own a shop downtown between two of those chain coffee places. It’s small, sure, but it has a reputation for saving cars so far-gone no one else will even touch ‘em. So if you live in the area, and you’ve ever been stuck with the sourest of lemons, or maybe your kid drove your minivan into the pool, we just might have crossed paths, you and I.
That reputation is what led to me getting a phone call from a guy I’d never met, saying he had something that might interest me. His name was Burt and he’d apparently just purchased a piece of property that sat unowned for the better part of twenty years. I knew of the area he was talking about. It’s out in the hills, where there isn’t much to look at. Most of the land there went to weed years ago; acres and acres of old woods and burnt-down barns just waiting for nobody in particular to see the value in them. And, well, it seems Burt was that nobody in particular.
I honestly didn’t know what Burt’s purchase had to do with me, and told him just that, figuring he must have had the wrong number. But the next words out of his mouth told me he knew exactly who he was talking to.
Apparently when old Burt started walking around his new property, digging around in the dirt, so to speak, he made an interesting discovery. So interesting, in fact, that it got me to grab my keys, hop in my truck, and drive up into the hills without so much as a pause to wash my hands.
Some things, you see, don’t wait for a man to look presentable.
Dad knew a thing or two about cars, even if he knew nothing about how to raise a family.
Other than maybe a slight fear of commitment, the main thing I got from my father was a passion for restoring old cars in my spare time. It’s a hobby of mine, and I do it in the garage at my house. I’m especially a sucker for rare cars, and the rarer the better. That little hobby of mine, more so than my day business, was why I ended up driving out to the middle of nowhere with dirty hands and a head full of ideas.
The road up was just as long and winding as I remembered. I almost missed the entrance for the property, a hidden driveway marked with little more than a broken mailbox and a rotting signpost. The private road got smaller and smaller by the minute until I swore the trees were going to swallow me whole and spit the bones back out.
When I finally reached what could pass for a clearing, a guy with a face like a junkyard dog was waiting for me next to the newest, cleanest Ford pick-up I’d seen outside of a dealership. He introduced himself to me as Eddie, an associate of old Burt. I told him I’d been expecting to meet Burt himself, but Eddie explained that Burt didn’t like to meet new people, and rarely came out in the cold weather. It was a bit raw, I had to admit, so I dropped the whole thing and let Eddie get down to the business at hand.
We left our cars behind and Eddie led me into the woods, where the walking was slow-going on account of the overgrowth of vines and dead branches. I’m not one to spook easily, but the more we walked the creepier those woods got, until I was fairly sure Eddie was going to use that French Mastiff face of his to tear my throat out. But just when I was thinking about turning back and saying screw it to the whole thing, I caught sight of what we’d come for.
I couldn’t believe a car like that was just sitting out in the middle of the woods, waiting for anyone to come along and find it. As I got closer, though, I saw just how bad the condition of the car was. The insides were rotted out from rain and mold, and the floor was so eaten up by rust it was ready to fall out.
Before my brain could process the loss of such a beautiful machine, I caught sight of another car. This one was a Datsun 210 with a tree growing right through the hole where its trunk used to be. Wet leaves and newspaper filled the back seat, and the dashboard was an abandoned nest that crawled with leggy insects.
Old Burt hadn’t been pulling my leg: those woods were a graveyard for abandoned cars. From what I could tell, about three acres of woods were absolutely littered with the corpses of old autos. Some were in pieces, most were covered in dead leaves and rust and all the other things that happen when anything is left outside for years and years, but they were there. The sight of so many classic cars in one place, virtually unknown to anyone, both excited and saddened me.
For close to an hour I walked around random piles of tires and glass to stare at rusted-out Range Rovers and Jeeps with their headlights hanging out like popped eyeballs. Finally, like I’d woken up from a spell, I asked Eddie what Burt expected from me. And that’s when he told me the strangest, most interesting offer he could have told me in that moment.
He said if I could make every, single one of those cars disappear in three day’s time, at no cost to old Burt, I could keep them.
The words nearly knocked me off my feet. I’d have to call in every favor to every salvage yard and tow truck operator I knew, but it was possible. Still, nearly all of the cars I’d seen were beyond repair, even for a guy like me. At most I saw some parts that could be salvaged. Maybe a few of the newer, less damaged ones could be saved. I knew a few guys in my circle who might be interested, and I figured if I played my cards right I could make a few bucks out of the deal to boot- or at least land a good trade or two. Still, there weren’t any cars that I was interested in for myself.
Until, at the edge of the property, tucked away in a spot I’d nearly overlooked, I saw it. It was as if I’d been drawn there. Like I was meant to find it.
The car was familiar-looking, yet like nothing I’d ever seen. Cross a Chevelle Malibu Classic SE with the modern retro feel of the ‘97 Plymouth Prowler, add the large rear spoiler and flared wheel arches of a ‘99 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and you still won’t come close. It looked like something one of the big three manufacturers had made and yet I’d never seen or heard of its like ever before. It had no logos, no hood ornament, no identification of any kind. I practically ran around to the back of it to look for a name, a logo, something to identify it, tripping over hidden rocks and broken glass to do it.
But there was nothing. Nothing to betray the make and mark of the strange car in front of me. I even asked Eddie if he knew what it was. He only shrugged, clearly wanting to wrap up our little outdoor meeting. I half-heartedly agreed. It was later than I’d realized. Between the dwindling sun and the discovery I’d made, I’d started to get a chill I couldn’t shake. I had a bad tooth I’d been neglecting, and even that was starting to hurt from the cold.
So I agreed to Burt’s deal. I shook Eddie’s hand on it and got out of there, giving one last glance at the strange car in the woods on the way out.
It was an exhausting two days, but I managed to keep my word to Burt and clear every abandoned car off his property with about an hour to spare. Some of the cars went to the junkyard, others to various garages I’d made arrangements with.
I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. I was ready for a shower and a bed, in what order I wasn’t sure. And yet a crackle of energy went through me when I saw what had been dropped off in my garage.
My mystery car. Without the shadows of the woods hiding it, I could see it had been painted silver before the rust took over. It had been a fast sucker once, like a bullet to a werewolf’s chest. That had been a long time ago, and yet I sensed there was still some life in the old girl. I wanted so badly to start digging around under the hood, to see what I could find out, but my legs were ready to collapse and my eyes could barely focus. Intending to wake up early and hit the garage, I stumbled off to bed.
That’s the feeling I woke up to.
I sat straight up like a vampire rising from his coffin. My bedroom was still dark, which meant it was the middle of the night. In my half-sleep I tried to make out the clock on my nightstand but couldn’t read the numbers, so I fumbled for my glasses and shoved them on. It was just past two in the morning: way too early, even for me. No way was I getting up, strange feeling or no.
I was about to take my glasses off and lay back down when I heard the reason I’d woken up.
Whispering.
A man was in my room, whispering in the dark. I lunged across my bed and turned on the lamp, nearly knocking it over. I didn’t have a weapon, but if I could see the intruder I could do something about it. I spun back, back to the whispering, to see who it was, to shout at them or jump on them, whatever I had to do to save my life from the psycho in my bedroom.
But the room was empty. Just me and a pounding heart.
I was so confused, I jumped out of bed and tore around the room, making sure no one was hiding, but I didn’t find anyone. I was alone.
Then I heard it again, and I knew: the whispers were coming from down the hall.
With bare feet I followed it, trying to make out what it was saying, but it was too low to understand. I grabbed a knife as I passed through the kitchen and held it in front of me with sweat beading on my face despite how cold I kept the house.
I followed the whispering to the garage. The overhead light flickered on, lighting up the strange car in my garage. In my half-sleep, half-terror I’d nearly forgotten about it. But there it was, like a bear hibernating in its cave, waiting for the end of winter. It felt alive somehow. Not dead, just asleep and dreaming.
And it was whispering.
I knew how crazy that sounded, how crazy that was, but I swallowed hard and approached the car, knife first. The blade shook in front of me. The whispering got louder the closer I got, and yet I still couldn’t understand the words it was saying. Was someone hiding inside the car? Had I inherited a homeless man when I’d had it towed to my house? If so I had to get him out of there. Get him help, sure, make sure he had a place to sleep, but he couldn’t stay in my garage, whispering through the night. No way.
With my free hand I yanked on the driver’s side door. It didn’t open. Rusted shut. I slowly walked around to the passenger side and yanked again. It opened.
The whispering was louder now, louder but not clearer, like an old television tuned between channels, like a frequency not being picked up, like a…
Like a radio.
The whispers were coming from the radio. I laughed under my breath, realizing how ridiculous I’d been. But then I remembered there was no way the radio could be working. The car wasn’t turned on. If it even had a battery under the hood, it was probably little more than a square pile of rust and battery acid.
I clutched the kitchen knife tight, and with the other hand I slowly reached out to turn the volume knob. I needed to know if the whispers were coming from the radio, and if they were, I needed to know what they were saying. My temple throbbed as the whispers grew louder and louder, louder and louder, louder and-
The moment my finger touched the knob, the whispers stopped.
I felt like I was going crazy. I looked around the inside of the car, noting the strong smell of mildew and animal with a tinge of rotten leather. Other than my own breath echoing back at me, it was silent.
No whispers. No nothing.
I went back to bed, but I barely slept.
I’m the kind of guy who likes a simple explanation, something I can touch and feel and, yes, fix, so I started to think that I could have picked up some kind of rogue radio transmission from a trucker, or even a passing plane. The police scanner I owned in my younger days had certainly picked up its share of random broadcasts, and when it comes to working on junkers I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
After I’d eaten my breakfast and downed my coffee I got right to work on the car. I wanted to clear the air of whatever had happened, and I was dying to see what that baby had going on under the hood. The mystery of who the hell had made the thing was still heavy on me.
But the enigma only deepened the more I looked. Under all that rust and dirt and oil I couldn’t find one damn mark that told me who’d made the car. I almost wanted to say it was a custom build, but the work was too precise, the system too well-planned out to be an after-market job.
I worked on it all day, so wrapped up in it I forgot to eat lunch. I ate dinner like a raccoon digging through a dumpster. Then I worked on it some more.
I was just crawling into bed when I heard it again.
The whispering.
This time I ignored it, hoping it would go away on its own. But it didn’t stop. Not until I got up, walked across my house, went into the garage, and touched the radio. Then, it stopped.
I decided right then and there not to go to the shop the next day. There was just too much work to be done.
After I got the engine started, the first thing I did was pull my code reader down from my tool wall and hook it up to the dashboard input. I’d been pleasantly surprised to find an input on the car, even though I was fairly certain it had been built after '96. To my shock the screen filled up with a bunch of random trouble codes I’d never seen before, then went blank. I tried to get it powered up again but apparently the connection had completely overloaded the device.
I’d had the reader for years and it had never given me a problem. I put it down and got back to the car, deciding to stick to the old-fashioned way and get a feel for what was wrong with it. Just like dad used to do.
With my foot on the gas I revved the engine good. It sounded better than I’d expected, like a beast waking up from deep sleep. But there was also something rattling around under the hood, something loose knocking around inside the carburetor or possibly even the manifold.
I tried a few options, opening up this and that, until I narrowed it down to something completely unexpected: the transmission.
With considerable force I managed to open up the transmission, and sure enough I found something inside. Something dark and red. I pulled it out and studied it under the light. It looked like a small rock covered in old transmission fluid. How it got in there I didn’t have a clue. But I decided to clean it off and get a better look at it, in case it pointed to a bigger problem. As I walked it to the slop sink, I noticed the whispering, usually a dull static during the day, had started to grow louder. I could almost make out individual words now. But I ignored it and ran the small rock under the faucet, watching the dark red fluid swirl down the drain.
That was when I discovered something I wasn’t prepared for. The thing in my hand wasn’t a rock- it was a tooth.
A human tooth.
The whispers had grown so loud I could barely hear myself think, barely feel the disgust rising in the pit of my stomach. With the whispers practically shouting in my ear I dropped the tooth and it bounced and clattered inside the sink, coming to a rest near the edge of the drain.
The whispers grew quiet again. A dull roar tickling at the back of my skull. I stared at it, the tooth in the sink, the impossible tooth from the impossible car. I had the urge to throw it out. To get it out of my house and never see it again. But I didn’t do that. I couldn’t tell you why not.
Maybe because that meant touching it again.
Maybe something else.
There were pages and pages of codes like I’d never seen in my life, more than I think are even in the tool’s programming. In fact I couldn’t find a single one of them anywhere in the manual. I figured they were probably just random numbers, and yet there was something strange about them, like they had a pattern to them. I dusted off my old computer and typed in the problem codes, figuring if I could get a better look at them I might be able to figure out their meaning. If not, I could at least print them out and show them to somebody who could.
After twenty minutes I’d barely made a dent in typing up all the codes. I gave up on the idea that I could copy them all. I pushed away from my computer and stood up, rubbing my eyes from the strain. Between the glare of the old screen and the noise in my ears, my head was killing me. It all felt so pointless. So inconsequential.
Just before I shut the computer down, I happened to glance one last time at the screen. And when I did, I noticed something that made my skin go cold.
The codes. The pattern. The numbers and letters and spaces between them. They were starting to form a face. A human face, with two eyes and a screaming-
I shut the computer down as fast as I could, then unplugged it to be safe. Then I marched to the garage and disconnected the radio, practically ripping it out of the car.
The whispers stopped.
The house was quiet.
But not for long.
On the fourth day, when the whispers from the radio had grown louder than my own thoughts, louder but still unclear, without words I could understand, I lost it. I threw my wrench at the tool wall, knocking down chisels and socket wrenches and a dozen other tools clattering to the ground. I pounded on my ears, cursing them, willing them to go deaf and stop hearing the whispers.
But they didn’t stop hearing. And the whispers didn’t stop. So I decided. I decided that if I couldn’t stop hearing them, I at least needed to know what they were saying.
I went back to the slop sink. The tooth was still there, perched near the edge of the drain. I’d prayed for it to slip down and wash away on its own but there it was, round and sharp and real as ever. So I picked it up, and the whispers grew louder. Clearer. But still not clear enough to hear. Not enough to make out what the radio was saying. To understand what it wanted from me. It was like a broken antenna, only tuning in half the frequency.
The garage was a mess. I was a mess. Rancid grease stains everywhere. A hole in my tool wall where the wrench had struck it, the ground littered with hammers and screwdrivers and …
Pliers.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed the pliers from the ground, shoved it onto my mouth, got a good hold of my bad tooth, and ripped it out. It was easier than I expected, but it still hurt, and it bled a lot. But I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the tooth I’d found in the transmission into its place.
The moment I did, it was as if everything came into focus. As if the radio was inside my skull. No, as if my skull was the radio, and I was the antenna. I could hear the transmission clear as day now, a man’s voice inside my head.
Whispering to me.
Telling me where to find the rest of him.
I told you all of this, not because I expect you to believe me, but because I’m about to walk out my door and do something I might not come back from. And if that’s the case, if I don’t return today or any other day from this thing I need to do, I want people to know why.
Because I find things. I find things and fix them. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.
2023.05.31 02:00 Logic_Sandwich JoJo's Bizarre OC Tournament #6: Semifinal 1 - Electra Heart vs 10538-2095
(Shoutouts to u/TheSlyKoopa for the match concept!)
Scenario: Isla de Piedra, Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea — 11:44AM
Dédalo Viatger, adventurer, archaeologist and explorer extraordinaire, had filled his travelog with countless exploits on his never-ending quest to uncover the secrets of the ancient world. Following the trail of the lost civilization of Pieduro was proving to be his lengthiest entry yet. Armed with powerful Pieduron artifacts known as the Temples, Dédalo and the Pieduron entity ｢Perdida｣ had forged a path across the Mediterranean, getting ever closer to solving the mystery of their disappearance.
With assistance from Cullinan Dwarf Star, Patron of the House of Muses, Dédalo and Perdida were on the verge of discovering the final piece of the puzzle. Their journey had come full circle, and Dédalo and Perdida’s adventure would end where it began; on the island of Isla de Piedra.
Situated between the coasts of Southern Spain and North Africa, Isla de Piedra had been uninhabited for all of recorded history, though not for lack of trying. The dense forests and greenery that covered every square meter of the island made it a ripe target for logging companies and greedy colonists to strip it for all it was worth. None had succeeded—their abandoned camps had long since been reclaimed by the forest.
The only other sign of human life on the island was the ancient Pieduron outpost where Dédalo’s journey first began, and where it would now hopefully end. The trek to get there was as difficult as the first time—but he didn’t have to do it alone now. At his side were his ever faithful companion Perdida, the inquisitive swordswoman Ninian, the extraordinary android 2095, and the illustrious ice skater Electra (although he didn’t call them that out loud).
Dédalo led the party up a long, winding stone staircase, pointing out the many partially-disabled traps along the way. He and Ninian had long been in contact, and the latter could personally vouch for her +1s—2095 one of the few Bastards she could trust and Electra having earned her trust in for her actions against Enyalius & Enyo Pharmaceuticals in San Battista.
“...and here’s a wall of spikes that shoot out when you pass over that threshold,” he pointed out with a tour guide’s enthusiasm. “I managed to jam up the mechanism with some cloth, but we should probably tread carefully around here.”
Electra rolled her eyes, even though Dédalo couldn’t see the gesture. “Should have just blown it up,” she muttered, annoyed. While her experiences in San Battista had somewhat melted her frosty demeanor, it had still been a long, hot, exhausting trip to get here, and old habits died hard.
“Watch your tone, miss,” Perdida said from behind her ear, making her jump. “My people’s architecture is not something to “blow up”.”
“And it might not have worked,” 2095 chimed in. “If this outpost could survive all those centuries of wear, I doubt a mundane explosion would do much damage to it.”
“The Piedurons built everything to last, from their treasures to their traps.” Dédalo gingerly ducked under the blade of a massive pendulum axe that jutted out from the ceiling. “Fortunate in some ways, unfortunate in others.”
At last, they reached the center chamber. Carved from stone and coated with moss, it appeared just as untouched as the rest of the outpost—save for the podium in the middle of the chamber and the conspicuously empty space on top of it, where the moss grew a little bit thinner.
“Ah, this brings back memories,” Dédalo chuckled. “This is where Perdida and I first met. The El Cor Terra necklace lay in this very spot at the heart of the chamber. When I unfastened it, poof! There she appeared in all of her resplendent glory. We hit it off right away.”
“He tried to cut my head off with a machete.”
“In self-defense!”
“Ok, move it along, lovebirds,” Electra huffed. “Where’s the thing we were looking for? It’s somewhere in here, right?”
Brushing past the “lovebirds” comment, Dédalo retrieved a piece of parchment from his explorer’s pack marked with the symbol of the House of Muses. “According to Cullinan, the hidden door should be right over on that wall.” He pointed over 2095’s shoulder at the northern wall of the chamber. “The question is…how do we open it?”
2095 gave the room a once-over. Aside from the layer of moss and vegetation covering the chamber, it was pretty bare. Its only noticeable feature seemed to be the podium.
“Perhaps the podium could offer some answers.” The party gathered around the stone podium—a stone cylinder, atop which stood a carving which vaguely resembled the neck and collarbone area of a human, with a thin groove running where a necklace would hang. Perdida instantly recognized the Cleria stone inlays around the circumference of the podium.
She traced a finger along the length of the groove, and the Cleria stone beneath it glowed—and, at a volume only audible to 2095’s mechanical hearing, it began to hum.
“Keep going, Perdida,” she whispered. Perdida closed her eyes, feeling herself attune to the place where she lay dormant for thousands of years. The Cleria stone grew brighter and brighter, the hum getting louder and louder.
Suddenly, the room shook. Electra leaped back, expecting another trap. Instead, she watched as the north wall slid open like the doors of an elevator, revealing two hallways; one leading up, the other leading down, both with Cleria stone markings along the walls that pulsed with a gentle light.
“Thank goodness,” Dédalo sighed. “I was worried the real treasure was going to be the friends we made along the way.”
Dédalo and Perdida continued to trek up the hallway, climbing what was likely the control tower of the outpost. Ninian dutifully followed behind them, ready to draw her blade at whatever might strike from the newly unknown section of the outpost. The sound of exhaled breath made her jump...but it was only a sigh from Dédalo. “A shame you came aboard so late, Ninian; our journey’s almost up.”
Ninian’s confusion spiked to alarm as the explorer motioned to lean against the wall. “Watch out-”
Dédalo made contact and nothing happened. He tilted his head to the end of the corridor, a doorway just a few meters away. “We’re far enough in that we’ve most likely avoided the worst of the traps. Besides, I don’t think the Piedurons would have placed many traps so close to a place of importance.” He wistfully rubbed his arm, massaging the strain of adventures and injuries in equal measure. “Feels almost bittersweet. So many months of travel and turmoil, and the end of our journey is in sight.”
“Hey, don’t say that yet. We still need to find a way to get my human body back.” Pedida gently punched him in his shoulder. Still, her pout eventually softened as she looked back towards the final chamber. “I guess you are correct, though. The answer to the Pieduron collapse lies beyond those doors. What comes after…nobody knows”
“Quite right,” Dédalo nodded, and the group moved onwards. “I hope that Electra and 2095 are doing okay down there, in any case.”
“I hope that the rest of the outpost is okay,” Perdida frowned. “They didn’t seem to appreciate how precious this place is—I don’t want to lose another one.”
“I don’t think we have to worry too much about losing them,” A grin of cat-like mischief unfurled on Ninian’s face as hoarse laughter echoed on a draft. There were adventures to come and to be seen, but one to reach its conclusion here and now, and the anticipation made Ninian’s hair stand on end.
The group carefully entered the room, and Perdida flickered out of existence. Before any of them could respond, the control room flickered to life. The stone walls that extended higher and higher suddenly turned “on” as if they were screens, but these were more akin to slabs whose light-emitting runes and rocks flickered and changed in the appearance of Perdida—Perdidas, in fact. All of them, on the many screens, acted in unison as Dédalo rushed forward. “Dédalo, what’s going on?”
“We’re figuring it out,” he shouted as he and Ninian raced to the panels below, trying to decipher the text streaming by. Soon, however, one message displayed on a readout screen:
Meanwhile, having taken the outpost’s lower path, 2095 and Electra entered into a large atrium. Like the rest of the outpost, the walls and floor were composed of the usual, teal stone that seemed impossibly durable. The fact that they could use it to form buildings, carve intricate murals, and keep it all hidden was impressive, but they craned their heads upwards towards the skylight that would let rain and sun in. Through the overgrown foliage, they could see a massive flat ring of Cleria floating above the ground in stubborn defiance of the laws of physics. Gravity-defying gyroscopes of stone spun and swirled in the air above, rotating with the same slow grace as the ancient gears that whirred to life around them. The glow of the Cleria blended together with the light of the noonday sun; the hum of power permeated the entire chamber.
“...shit,” Electra murmured, not sure what else to say.
2095 scanned the rest of the atrium, but ultimately found nothing beyond a discolored, glowing pad on the floor by the opposite wall, outcroppings on the walls that resembled benches, and the remnants of what appeared to be ancient drinking fountains. Rest now before it’s too late, the room seemed to scream.
“I believe we should wait for the others before we go deeper,” 2095 announced. “We could retrace our steps and explore the previous areas, in case we missed another hidden passageway or an undiscovered treasure. It would be a shame to proceed not knowing whether we’ve left every stone unturned-”
“Not a chance,” Electra huffed. “I’m not letting us get killed because of your FOMO. Come on.”
She grabbed 2095 by the wrist and began to drag her over to the pads. 2095 let her—partly because she weighed significantly more than Electra did and she didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to pull her by force, but partly because she was right. She could feel the air buzzing with energy, intensifying by the second. Something big was about to happen.
The two stepped onto the floor pad and immediately felt themselves being shunted into a different space as the teleporter activated. When their vision cleared, they found themselves standing on top of the Cleria ring itself. Electra could smell the ozone in the air and taste the prickling on her tongue. This ring was the key to the whole mechanism—either it was powering the outpost…or the outpost was powering it.
2095 gazed in awe at the machinery surrounding them. It reminded her of the technology from her time; except instead of steel and chrome, it was made of rock and crystal. What secrets died with the Piedurons when they disappeared?
She turned to Electra to express her wonder and nearly screamed when she saw the vantablack vines burst out of her shadowed face, ready to smash the ring to pieces.
“What are you doing?!” 2095 yelled, ｢Yours Truly｣ appearing at her side, tentacles raised.
“I’m destroying this thing, duh,” spat Electra. “I know a superweapon when I see one, and I’m not about to let some dipshit corporation get their hands on it after we leave.”
The chamber shook, bits of rocks and dust falling from the ceiling. “B-but we don’t even know whether this is a superweapon! Aren’t you acting a bit rash?”
“Rash? Seriously? You have no idea what some people in Dead Drop Bay would do for an artifact like this.” Electra remembered what she saw in San Battista—the monster that she had to put down, fuelled by a desire to abuse the remnants of the past for her own gain. “Farewell to Kings, Dead Man’s Hand; hell, even my own company. They’d sink this island to the bottom of the ocean for the chance to have this thing for themselves. This way, I’m solving the problem before it has a chance to start.”
“And risk destroying the legacy of an entire civilization?!” 2095 felt anger boiling in her metallic chest. A part of her resonated with the Piedurons in this moment—she knew what it was like to be a relic of an era far from the present, the last remaining piece of a time nobody would ever know. “What gives you the right to decide what to do with an artifact of this magnitude? To bury what could be the last hope of Pieduro to be remembered as anything but a footnote in history?”
The chamber shook again—this time, both 2095 and Electra felt the ground shift under their feet. Without warning, walls of stone burst out of the ground around them, tearing through centuries-old roots and vines to surround the ring on all sides. Slabs of Cleria stone with deep divots carved into the top of them emerged from the ring itself and floated just above its surface like a magnet levitating atop another.
In the control tower below them, Dédalo and Ninian scrambled from panel to panel, desperately trying to decipher what was going on. Dédalo could see the two other members of the party facing off inside the ring—but before he could call out to them, he heard Perdida’s voice resonate from every screen.
“The Temples…I can see them.”
Ninian watched the panel in front of her light up, displaying a holographic map of the Mediterranean, hundreds of glowing blue dots scattered across the projection.
Dédalo rushed to the nearest screen and grabbed it. “Perdida! Are you alright?!”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.” Perdida blinked hard, putting a hand to the side of her head. “I can feel every Temple in the Mediterranean. I…I think I can gain access to them from here.”
“Access? Like…you can turn them on?” Ninian asked.
“Yes. All of them.” Before Perdida could say any more, the chamber shook once more. In the room below, the ring glowed even more brightly, the two would-be explorers now utterly trapped within it by the sloped walls surrounding it.
“See what I mean?!” Electra clenched her fists, snapping flytrap jaws emerging from the shadow underneath her. “We need to put this entire place in the ground. For good. And like hell am I going to let you stop me!”
Suddenly, all across the surface of the ring, crackling orbs of energy sparked to life, both 2095 and Electra just managing to avoid them. The orbs spun in a circle around the ring, accelerating rapidly until they were nothing but a blur. 2095 recognized the movements of the orbs immediately; it looked like a particle accelerator.
“I hoped we could resolve this peacefully, Electra.” 2095 flicked the silver locks out of her face. “But now I have to convince you in the only language you seem to understand—the language of violence. Don’t hold back.”
The age-old machinery around them hummed to a crescendo. If either of the two combatants wanted to see their convictions through, they would need to survive the full power of Pieduro first.
OPEN THE GAME!
Location: On Isla de Piedra, (Shoutouts to u/TheSlyKoopa for the match art) inside the Floating Ring. The arena shown here has Electra on the north side and 2095 on the south side represented by their character tokens. The players are in the area inside the ring and have no way to exit with sloping walls on all sides.
The ring has a diameter of 60 meters and the internal width is 15 meters; the entire structure is A Durability.
The brown rectangles inside the ring are Pieduron Temples that resemble short, knee-tall minecarts made out of stone slabs.
Goal: RETIRE your opponent!
Additional Information: Over the course of 10 minutes, the ring will spawn 6-inch diameter orbs of light that will accelerate and move in an orbit around the ring at A Speed. Each orb takes 4 seconds to spawn-in, glowing in place and translucent, before it becomes a solid orb.
The orbs move completely along the curvature of the ring, counterclockwise (denoted by the arrows on the map) and can be spawned anywhere inside the ring. When they hit something solid, they will detonate at C Power—powerful enough to destroy vines and ink left by ｢Venus Fly Trap｣ and tentacles from ｢Yours Truly｣—and cause another orb to spawn where the original one started. The orbs have a blast radius of half a meter and other orbs exploding around them will not trigger them to detonate.
Orbs will complete one revolution around the ring anywhere from 3 seconds (inside track) to 6 seconds (along the rim).
Assuming you are standing still, the rough number of orbs that pass by will be 5 orbs per second at the first minute mark, 10 orbs per second at the second minute mark, and so on until the maximum of 50 orbs per second at the ten minute mark.
Starting near each player and around the map are Pieduron temples that resemble minecarts. Each kart can comfortably fit one person, have a handle on either side, and a single rudder-like steering peripheral. The wheels of the kart will always stick to the ring, but they can drive just fine along the walls or even the ceiling of the ring. Karts move at up to B Speed and players intuitively have a 4 in driving them. At max speed, karts can complete one revolution in 4 to 8 seconds (4 seconds on the inside track and 8 seconds on the rim).
All karts have three other special features that can be activated when a driver is steering it, the Turtle, the Spider, and the Crab:
Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!
submitted by Logic_Sandwich to StardustCrusaders [link] [comments]
Dédalo Viatger, adventurer, archaeologist and explorer extraordinaire, had filled his travelog with countless exploits on his never-ending quest to uncover the secrets of the ancient world. Following the trail of the lost civilization of Pieduro was proving to be his lengthiest entry yet. Armed with powerful Pieduron artifacts known as the Temples, Dédalo and the Pieduron entity ｢Perdida｣ had forged a path across the Mediterranean, getting ever closer to solving the mystery of their disappearance.
With assistance from Cullinan Dwarf Star, Patron of the House of Muses, Dédalo and Perdida were on the verge of discovering the final piece of the puzzle. Their journey had come full circle, and Dédalo and Perdida’s adventure would end where it began; on the island of Isla de Piedra.
Situated between the coasts of Southern Spain and North Africa, Isla de Piedra had been uninhabited for all of recorded history, though not for lack of trying. The dense forests and greenery that covered every square meter of the island made it a ripe target for logging companies and greedy colonists to strip it for all it was worth. None had succeeded—their abandoned camps had long since been reclaimed by the forest.
The only other sign of human life on the island was the ancient Pieduron outpost where Dédalo’s journey first began, and where it would now hopefully end. The trek to get there was as difficult as the first time—but he didn’t have to do it alone now. At his side were his ever faithful companion Perdida, the inquisitive swordswoman Ninian, the extraordinary android 2095, and the illustrious ice skater Electra (although he didn’t call them that out loud).
Dédalo led the party up a long, winding stone staircase, pointing out the many partially-disabled traps along the way. He and Ninian had long been in contact, and the latter could personally vouch for her +1s—2095 one of the few Bastards she could trust and Electra having earned her trust in for her actions against Enyalius & Enyo Pharmaceuticals in San Battista.
“...and here’s a wall of spikes that shoot out when you pass over that threshold,” he pointed out with a tour guide’s enthusiasm. “I managed to jam up the mechanism with some cloth, but we should probably tread carefully around here.”
Electra rolled her eyes, even though Dédalo couldn’t see the gesture. “Should have just blown it up,” she muttered, annoyed. While her experiences in San Battista had somewhat melted her frosty demeanor, it had still been a long, hot, exhausting trip to get here, and old habits died hard.
“Watch your tone, miss,” Perdida said from behind her ear, making her jump. “My people’s architecture is not something to “blow up”.”
“And it might not have worked,” 2095 chimed in. “If this outpost could survive all those centuries of wear, I doubt a mundane explosion would do much damage to it.”
“The Piedurons built everything to last, from their treasures to their traps.” Dédalo gingerly ducked under the blade of a massive pendulum axe that jutted out from the ceiling. “Fortunate in some ways, unfortunate in others.”
At last, they reached the center chamber. Carved from stone and coated with moss, it appeared just as untouched as the rest of the outpost—save for the podium in the middle of the chamber and the conspicuously empty space on top of it, where the moss grew a little bit thinner.
“Ah, this brings back memories,” Dédalo chuckled. “This is where Perdida and I first met. The El Cor Terra necklace lay in this very spot at the heart of the chamber. When I unfastened it, poof! There she appeared in all of her resplendent glory. We hit it off right away.”
“He tried to cut my head off with a machete.”
“In self-defense!”
“Ok, move it along, lovebirds,” Electra huffed. “Where’s the thing we were looking for? It’s somewhere in here, right?”
Brushing past the “lovebirds” comment, Dédalo retrieved a piece of parchment from his explorer’s pack marked with the symbol of the House of Muses. “According to Cullinan, the hidden door should be right over on that wall.” He pointed over 2095’s shoulder at the northern wall of the chamber. “The question is…how do we open it?”
2095 gave the room a once-over. Aside from the layer of moss and vegetation covering the chamber, it was pretty bare. Its only noticeable feature seemed to be the podium.
“Perhaps the podium could offer some answers.” The party gathered around the stone podium—a stone cylinder, atop which stood a carving which vaguely resembled the neck and collarbone area of a human, with a thin groove running where a necklace would hang. Perdida instantly recognized the Cleria stone inlays around the circumference of the podium.
She traced a finger along the length of the groove, and the Cleria stone beneath it glowed—and, at a volume only audible to 2095’s mechanical hearing, it began to hum.
“Keep going, Perdida,” she whispered. Perdida closed her eyes, feeling herself attune to the place where she lay dormant for thousands of years. The Cleria stone grew brighter and brighter, the hum getting louder and louder.
Suddenly, the room shook. Electra leaped back, expecting another trap. Instead, she watched as the north wall slid open like the doors of an elevator, revealing two hallways; one leading up, the other leading down, both with Cleria stone markings along the walls that pulsed with a gentle light.
“Thank goodness,” Dédalo sighed. “I was worried the real treasure was going to be the friends we made along the way.”
Ninian’s confusion spiked to alarm as the explorer motioned to lean against the wall. “Watch out-”
Dédalo made contact and nothing happened. He tilted his head to the end of the corridor, a doorway just a few meters away. “We’re far enough in that we’ve most likely avoided the worst of the traps. Besides, I don’t think the Piedurons would have placed many traps so close to a place of importance.” He wistfully rubbed his arm, massaging the strain of adventures and injuries in equal measure. “Feels almost bittersweet. So many months of travel and turmoil, and the end of our journey is in sight.”
“Hey, don’t say that yet. We still need to find a way to get my human body back.” Pedida gently punched him in his shoulder. Still, her pout eventually softened as she looked back towards the final chamber. “I guess you are correct, though. The answer to the Pieduron collapse lies beyond those doors. What comes after…nobody knows”
“Quite right,” Dédalo nodded, and the group moved onwards. “I hope that Electra and 2095 are doing okay down there, in any case.”
“I hope that the rest of the outpost is okay,” Perdida frowned. “They didn’t seem to appreciate how precious this place is—I don’t want to lose another one.”
“I don’t think we have to worry too much about losing them,” A grin of cat-like mischief unfurled on Ninian’s face as hoarse laughter echoed on a draft. There were adventures to come and to be seen, but one to reach its conclusion here and now, and the anticipation made Ninian’s hair stand on end.
The group carefully entered the room, and Perdida flickered out of existence. Before any of them could respond, the control room flickered to life. The stone walls that extended higher and higher suddenly turned “on” as if they were screens, but these were more akin to slabs whose light-emitting runes and rocks flickered and changed in the appearance of Perdida—Perdidas, in fact. All of them, on the many screens, acted in unison as Dédalo rushed forward. “Dédalo, what’s going on?”
“We’re figuring it out,” he shouted as he and Ninian raced to the panels below, trying to decipher the text streaming by. Soon, however, one message displayed on a readout screen:
MYSTICALLY AUTOMATED KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM 0 DETECTED
RESUMING RING FUNCTIONALITY
“...shit,” Electra murmured, not sure what else to say.
2095 scanned the rest of the atrium, but ultimately found nothing beyond a discolored, glowing pad on the floor by the opposite wall, outcroppings on the walls that resembled benches, and the remnants of what appeared to be ancient drinking fountains. Rest now before it’s too late, the room seemed to scream.
“I believe we should wait for the others before we go deeper,” 2095 announced. “We could retrace our steps and explore the previous areas, in case we missed another hidden passageway or an undiscovered treasure. It would be a shame to proceed not knowing whether we’ve left every stone unturned-”
“Not a chance,” Electra huffed. “I’m not letting us get killed because of your FOMO. Come on.”
She grabbed 2095 by the wrist and began to drag her over to the pads. 2095 let her—partly because she weighed significantly more than Electra did and she didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to pull her by force, but partly because she was right. She could feel the air buzzing with energy, intensifying by the second. Something big was about to happen.
The two stepped onto the floor pad and immediately felt themselves being shunted into a different space as the teleporter activated. When their vision cleared, they found themselves standing on top of the Cleria ring itself. Electra could smell the ozone in the air and taste the prickling on her tongue. This ring was the key to the whole mechanism—either it was powering the outpost…or the outpost was powering it.
2095 gazed in awe at the machinery surrounding them. It reminded her of the technology from her time; except instead of steel and chrome, it was made of rock and crystal. What secrets died with the Piedurons when they disappeared?
She turned to Electra to express her wonder and nearly screamed when she saw the vantablack vines burst out of her shadowed face, ready to smash the ring to pieces.
“What are you doing?!” 2095 yelled, ｢Yours Truly｣ appearing at her side, tentacles raised.
“I’m destroying this thing, duh,” spat Electra. “I know a superweapon when I see one, and I’m not about to let some dipshit corporation get their hands on it after we leave.”
The chamber shook, bits of rocks and dust falling from the ceiling. “B-but we don’t even know whether this is a superweapon! Aren’t you acting a bit rash?”
“Rash? Seriously? You have no idea what some people in Dead Drop Bay would do for an artifact like this.” Electra remembered what she saw in San Battista—the monster that she had to put down, fuelled by a desire to abuse the remnants of the past for her own gain. “Farewell to Kings, Dead Man’s Hand; hell, even my own company. They’d sink this island to the bottom of the ocean for the chance to have this thing for themselves. This way, I’m solving the problem before it has a chance to start.”
“And risk destroying the legacy of an entire civilization?!” 2095 felt anger boiling in her metallic chest. A part of her resonated with the Piedurons in this moment—she knew what it was like to be a relic of an era far from the present, the last remaining piece of a time nobody would ever know. “What gives you the right to decide what to do with an artifact of this magnitude? To bury what could be the last hope of Pieduro to be remembered as anything but a footnote in history?”
The chamber shook again—this time, both 2095 and Electra felt the ground shift under their feet. Without warning, walls of stone burst out of the ground around them, tearing through centuries-old roots and vines to surround the ring on all sides. Slabs of Cleria stone with deep divots carved into the top of them emerged from the ring itself and floated just above its surface like a magnet levitating atop another.
In the control tower below them, Dédalo and Ninian scrambled from panel to panel, desperately trying to decipher what was going on. Dédalo could see the two other members of the party facing off inside the ring—but before he could call out to them, he heard Perdida’s voice resonate from every screen.
“The Temples…I can see them.”
Ninian watched the panel in front of her light up, displaying a holographic map of the Mediterranean, hundreds of glowing blue dots scattered across the projection.
Dédalo rushed to the nearest screen and grabbed it. “Perdida! Are you alright?!”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.” Perdida blinked hard, putting a hand to the side of her head. “I can feel every Temple in the Mediterranean. I…I think I can gain access to them from here.”
“Access? Like…you can turn them on?” Ninian asked.
“Yes. All of them.” Before Perdida could say any more, the chamber shook once more. In the room below, the ring glowed even more brightly, the two would-be explorers now utterly trapped within it by the sloped walls surrounding it.
“See what I mean?!” Electra clenched her fists, snapping flytrap jaws emerging from the shadow underneath her. “We need to put this entire place in the ground. For good. And like hell am I going to let you stop me!”
Suddenly, all across the surface of the ring, crackling orbs of energy sparked to life, both 2095 and Electra just managing to avoid them. The orbs spun in a circle around the ring, accelerating rapidly until they were nothing but a blur. 2095 recognized the movements of the orbs immediately; it looked like a particle accelerator.
“I hoped we could resolve this peacefully, Electra.” 2095 flicked the silver locks out of her face. “But now I have to convince you in the only language you seem to understand—the language of violence. Don’t hold back.”
The age-old machinery around them hummed to a crescendo. If either of the two combatants wanted to see their convictions through, they would need to survive the full power of Pieduro first.
OPEN THE GAME!
The ring has a diameter of 60 meters and the internal width is 15 meters; the entire structure is A Durability.
The brown rectangles inside the ring are Pieduron Temples that resemble short, knee-tall minecarts made out of stone slabs.
Goal: RETIRE your opponent!
Additional Information: Over the course of 10 minutes, the ring will spawn 6-inch diameter orbs of light that will accelerate and move in an orbit around the ring at A Speed. Each orb takes 4 seconds to spawn-in, glowing in place and translucent, before it becomes a solid orb.
The orbs move completely along the curvature of the ring, counterclockwise (denoted by the arrows on the map) and can be spawned anywhere inside the ring. When they hit something solid, they will detonate at C Power—powerful enough to destroy vines and ink left by ｢Venus Fly Trap｣ and tentacles from ｢Yours Truly｣—and cause another orb to spawn where the original one started. The orbs have a blast radius of half a meter and other orbs exploding around them will not trigger them to detonate.
Orbs will complete one revolution around the ring anywhere from 3 seconds (inside track) to 6 seconds (along the rim).
Assuming you are standing still, the rough number of orbs that pass by will be 5 orbs per second at the first minute mark, 10 orbs per second at the second minute mark, and so on until the maximum of 50 orbs per second at the ten minute mark.
Starting near each player and around the map are Pieduron temples that resemble minecarts. Each kart can comfortably fit one person, have a handle on either side, and a single rudder-like steering peripheral. The wheels of the kart will always stick to the ring, but they can drive just fine along the walls or even the ceiling of the ring. Karts move at up to B Speed and players intuitively have a 4 in driving them. At max speed, karts can complete one revolution in 4 to 8 seconds (4 seconds on the inside track and 8 seconds on the rim).
All karts have three other special features that can be activated when a driver is steering it, the Turtle, the Spider, and the Crab:
- The Turtle is a forcefield-like shield that can cover the kart and anybody riding inside it. This forcefield only protects against the fast moving orbs and their explosions and is intangible to everything else. It lasts up to 2 seconds and has a 6 second cooldown before it can be activated again. It can also be set to automatically activate if the minecart is about to hit or be affected by an orb, otherwise it can be manually activated by the driver.
- The Spider is a net-like shield that functions somewhat similarly to the forcefield the Turtle. The main difference is that instead of blocking orbs, it catches them and converts them into an inert palm-sized orb that is stowed inside the minecart. This shield does also block explosions produced by orbs, but will not produce an inert orb in those cases. The Spider lasts up to 1 second and shares a cooldown with the Turtle. Inert orbs are orbs that can be converted back into fast moving orbs by being thrown with force and intent. They can be made to move exactly in a straight line or along the curvature of the ring when thrown. Inert orbs have no other special properties, other than being A Durability.
- The Crab is a fast sideways dash up to 8 meters, with a minimum distance of 1 meter. Once the dash is finished, the kart will resume moving in the direction and speed it had before initiating the dash, making it useful for dodging without turning or changing the direction the kart is going in. This feature has a stamina bar where the longer your dash distance is, the more stamina will be used up. It takes 4 seconds for the stamina bar to fill up from empty.
| Team | Combatant | JoJolity |
|---|---|---|
| Anvil Procession | Electra Heart | "I need to master this Spin..." Have a good plan for how to avoid and deal with the orbs spinning around you! |
| Bastards of Barcas | 10538-2095 | "The secret to the Steel Ball is the search for infinity..." Have a good plan for how to avoid and deal with the orbs spinning around you! |
Link to Match Schedule
2023.05.31 02:00 Hanzheyingle Theory: The gateway to the final circle
https://preview.redd.it/ri3xulcn833b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89cbf2a4a1fe70ee91962024e5ccc49ee0d943fb
(Also edit: Im balancing this with actual lame adult irl stuff, because ‘priorities.’ So if I sound incoherent its basically because I’m like ‘I spent waaaaayyyyy too much time over-analyzing MiA! Just post it!’)
Quick breakdown on the levels of the abyss and how they relate to Dante’s Inferno…
Layer 1: Limbo… This is the place of unbaptized children (or orphans)
Layer 2: Lust… Ozen is a ‘virile bull’ dom who crotch stomps Reg. Her assistant is a total fem boy.
Layer 3 - 4: Gluttony (Riko gets vored), Greed: (I think Nanachi actually kinda fits this)
Layer 5: Wrath and heresy; this is where the River Styx is. Dante needs to cross it to reach the ‘City of Dis’.
There’s a minotaur guarding the entrance (Bondrewd).
Nanachi has every reason to seek revenge for Mitty.
Layer 6: Violence… This one is a bit more direct: There’s a group literally called the ‘Suicide Corp’ and they get turned into a wood like substance via parasites. (Suicide forest)
There’s the ‘burning sand’… if you swap out the turtles for people then it looks really close to ‘Brunetto Latini speaks with Dante in Canto XV.’
Layer 6.5: Fraud
Basically most of Srajo’s group have ‘panderers and seducers’ strongly implied. Also Srajo openly admits to stealing a bunch of stuff from Bodnrewd.
In Bondrewd’s case, he could fill the ‘corrupt politician’ of this arc since he tried to use the same rules he openly flaunts to stall and trap Srajo’s group.
We then have the amputee fetishists who oddly align with ‘leper alchemists’ along with their clothes resembling ‘leaden cloaks weighing down hypocrites.’
…and they’re associated with stench… omg… I don’t think that scene was necessarily supposed to be sexual since ‘falsifiers’ existed in a ’pit, tearing each other to pieces.’ The symboligy of MiA would be the incest twins tearing off their prosthetics.
…and yes, there’s an ‘incest’ subtext with this circle of Hell too. They’re oddly checking off A LOT of boxes, as are Riko’s team.
Actually, there’s a fair amount of ‘dismemberment’ punishments here.
Riko would qualify as an ‘imposter white whistle.’ She ‘has’ a white whistle, but she’s missing the experience and skills.
Getting to the image…
The passage to the last circle of Hell is the ‘Central Well of Malebolge.’
There are BIG f-kers, half hidden in the entrance.
”At Virgil’s persuasion, Antreus takes the poets into his large palm and lowers them gently into the final level of Hell.”
Reg is effectively ‘Virgil.’ Instead calling in favors like Virgil does, he fights monsters instead.
A couple of theories…
- The ‘eye‘ is alive and proactively guarding the hole it resides in… it might even be a collection of creatures
- The incest twins are victims of a disease
- The incest twins are secretly evil (sowers of discord)
This is kind of an interesting possibility. Riko’s group already doesn’t trust Srajo. The twins by the end of ch 65 suggest what happened to them will happen to Riko’s group.
The thing is, the prevailing pattern of each arc is there’s usually an adult a—hole in power. The ‘a—hole’ would be Srajo in this case. However, Srajo being the ‘a—hole’ role wouldn’t be a ‘WHAM’ moment, since its pretty much assumed.
Meanwhile, the the last two circles of Hell deal in misinformation and treachery. You *cant* be ‘treacherous‘ if nobody trusts you. Therefore, there would really need to be a ‘third party’ to drive a wedge between Team Riko and Team Srajo.
- The final curse?
Kind of a weird one, but looking at each of the circles, things get progressively more gory, until you reach the end where people are just frozen.
- (…and as with my other theory lists) The ‘grand betrayal’… Reg and/or Lyza turn out to be the main antagonist.
submitted by Hanzheyingle to MadeInAbyss [link] [comments]
https://preview.redd.it/ri3xulcn833b1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89cbf2a4a1fe70ee91962024e5ccc49ee0d943fb
(Also edit: Im balancing this with actual lame adult irl stuff, because ‘priorities.’ So if I sound incoherent its basically because I’m like ‘I spent waaaaayyyyy too much time over-analyzing MiA! Just post it!’)
Quick breakdown on the levels of the abyss and how they relate to Dante’s Inferno…
Layer 1: Limbo… This is the place of unbaptized children (or orphans)
Layer 2: Lust… Ozen is a ‘virile bull’ dom who crotch stomps Reg. Her assistant is a total fem boy.
Layer 3 - 4: Gluttony (Riko gets vored), Greed: (I think Nanachi actually kinda fits this)
Layer 5: Wrath and heresy; this is where the River Styx is. Dante needs to cross it to reach the ‘City of Dis’.
There’s a minotaur guarding the entrance (Bondrewd).
Nanachi has every reason to seek revenge for Mitty.
Layer 6: Violence… This one is a bit more direct: There’s a group literally called the ‘Suicide Corp’ and they get turned into a wood like substance via parasites. (Suicide forest)
There’s the ‘burning sand’… if you swap out the turtles for people then it looks really close to ‘Brunetto Latini speaks with Dante in Canto XV.’
Layer 6.5: Fraud
Basically most of Srajo’s group have ‘panderers and seducers’ strongly implied. Also Srajo openly admits to stealing a bunch of stuff from Bodnrewd.
In Bondrewd’s case, he could fill the ‘corrupt politician’ of this arc since he tried to use the same rules he openly flaunts to stall and trap Srajo’s group.
We then have the amputee fetishists who oddly align with ‘leper alchemists’ along with their clothes resembling ‘leaden cloaks weighing down hypocrites.’
…and they’re associated with stench… omg… I don’t think that scene was necessarily supposed to be sexual since ‘falsifiers’ existed in a ’pit, tearing each other to pieces.’ The symboligy of MiA would be the incest twins tearing off their prosthetics.
…and yes, there’s an ‘incest’ subtext with this circle of Hell too. They’re oddly checking off A LOT of boxes, as are Riko’s team.
Actually, there’s a fair amount of ‘dismemberment’ punishments here.
Riko would qualify as an ‘imposter white whistle.’ She ‘has’ a white whistle, but she’s missing the experience and skills.
Getting to the image…
The passage to the last circle of Hell is the ‘Central Well of Malebolge.’
There are BIG f-kers, half hidden in the entrance.
”At Virgil’s persuasion, Antreus takes the poets into his large palm and lowers them gently into the final level of Hell.”
Reg is effectively ‘Virgil.’ Instead calling in favors like Virgil does, he fights monsters instead.
A couple of theories…
- The ‘eye‘ is alive and proactively guarding the hole it resides in… it might even be a collection of creatures
- The incest twins are victims of a disease
- The incest twins are secretly evil (sowers of discord)
This is kind of an interesting possibility. Riko’s group already doesn’t trust Srajo. The twins by the end of ch 65 suggest what happened to them will happen to Riko’s group.
The thing is, the prevailing pattern of each arc is there’s usually an adult a—hole in power. The ‘a—hole’ would be Srajo in this case. However, Srajo being the ‘a—hole’ role wouldn’t be a ‘WHAM’ moment, since its pretty much assumed.
Meanwhile, the the last two circles of Hell deal in misinformation and treachery. You *cant* be ‘treacherous‘ if nobody trusts you. Therefore, there would really need to be a ‘third party’ to drive a wedge between Team Riko and Team Srajo.
- The final curse?
Kind of a weird one, but looking at each of the circles, things get progressively more gory, until you reach the end where people are just frozen.
- (…and as with my other theory lists) The ‘grand betrayal’… Reg and/or Lyza turn out to be the main antagonist.