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silyabeeodess · 1 year

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FusionFall Headcanons: Fuse VS. Gems

Same as with other shows that had only began as FusionFall was wrapping up, I'm going to keep the events of Steven Universe with what was available around that time in-mind when it comes to these ideas. This won't give us a very big window to work with, as Steven Universe began in 2013 while FusionFall ended that same year--meaning we're largely confined to Season One. Nevertheless, since both Fuse's and the Gem's history extends much further back than the show's events, I can talk some about that, so that's what this post will mainly cover.

As both Lord Fuse and the Diamond Authority are intergalactic tyrants that regularly scour new worlds to conquer, it's inevitable that the two have crossed paths at least once in their many years of terrorizing the known universe. Maybe Fuse even tried absorbing one of the Diamond's colonies. However, fighting the Gem species was much more difficult than Fuse could've ever anticipated. For one thing, they're inorganic beings and their bodies are projections. This means that fusion matter wouldn't harm them in the same way as an organic being--if much at all. Fuse's army would need to face them head-on. In turn, the Gems wouldn't be able to do much damage to Fuse either thanks to their lack of imaginary energy or similar power.

This leads to the second issue though: Even if neither side could really harm the other, that says nothing for the world they'd fight over. I imagine that, once it was clear that the colony was a lost cause, one of the Diamonds said, "Fine then... No one gets this planet!" and completely wasted any remains of it so Fuse couldn't absorb it. The Gems have proven to be more than capable of wrecking an entire world, even if it may take them some time--be it from the Lapis Lazulis' terraforming or an experiment such as the Cluster--so I wouldn't call this impossible. We'd also have the added consideration of said planet's already unstable state from Planet Fusion breaking it up pre-absorption. Preventing Fuse from absorbing another world, even if it was still destroyed, would both be in-line with the Diamond's personalities and a strategic play to keep Fuse from getting even stronger. Furthermore, the Gems could then implement this same strategy by attacking Planet Fusion directly--splitting apart a few of the worlds he'd already claimed. Eventually, what this all ultimately led to was a silent agreement between the two forces to keep out of each other's way. There's simply more for both sides to lose than to gain by fighting each other.

While Gems can't be infected by fusion matter, the creation of Fusion copies is still a possibility. Still, the worst danger Fuse and his army can pose to the Gems is what he can do with Gem Shards. Possession through fusion matter is often extremely difficult, as the substance is deadly/corrosive to most beings and their own willpower will fight the fusion hivemind's. Gem Shards are a major exception, as they can't create a stable, physical form to fight back with and can only maintain a "powerful, partial consciousness." This partial consciousness, as dangerous as it can be when it itself possesses objects, can easily be dominated by the fusion hivemind. Since it would be fusion matter primarily supplying the physical form for these Shards, even if that consciousness can fight back against the hivemind, it is then just simply abandoned at Fuse's command, so there really is no threat to Fuse or his army by attempting to control them.

What can be created from the combination of a Shard and fusion matter depends on the strength of this partial consciousness. In some cases, it's basically just a fusion monster variant of Gem Mutants or the individual, regenerated limbs we've seen in the show. In other cases, the hivemind "stabilizes" the mental state of the broken Shard. If the Shard maintains enough of its original will, rather than be suppressed by the hivemind, it can join it. Its will is bent by Fuse, which will also affect its appearance somewhat, even if the being created appears more whole--albeit greatly disfigured or even more monstrous like a Corrupted Gem. At the same time though, the Shard will show hints of its old personality and a much higher intelligence compared to normal fusion monsters or Corrupted Gems, including the ability to speak. Granted, when they can speak, it often comes out broken, like Semi-Corrupted Nephrite's or like when Steven spoke with the Cluster.

The thing is, when a Shard is corrupted by fusion matter... it often doesn't want to fight back against the hivemind. Consider how the Gems in the Cluster screamed that they wanted to form back in "Gem Drill." With fusion matter supplying the means of a stable body and a shared consciousness to lean on, the Shard will give in to the hivemind out of terror of returning to its broken, isolated state. It doesn't matter to the Shard if it becomes a monster just so long as it can feel whole again. Chances are, Fuse has some of these Shard monsters on Planet Fusion from past battle(s) with the Gems. It will take a long while for any of these Shards to ever find freedom or hope of recovery.

While Gem society isn't unfamiliar with the idea of using Gem Shards, it was seen as a horrible, extremely utilitarian fate. It was something to fear as a punishment for betrayal or failure, something you wouldn't wish on anyone, but that nevertheless gave a fallen Gem some continued purpose to society. That is, if the use of Shards was even successful, going by Pearl's story in "Frybo." The fact that, through the hivemind, Fuse was able to utilize them successfully and against other Gems only made it even more horrifying.

Nevertheless, despite their past interactions, it's highly unlikely that it would make the Diamond Authority care about Earth's fate: They were planning on destroying it anyway with the Cluster and if Fuse tried controlling that jumbled mess of countless minds all forced together, well... good luck to him! The war could even play in their favor if the Cluster was absorbed with the planet and then erupted into its huge, horrifying form while stuck to Planet Fusion. The only thing the war would do is make the Diamonds pay a little more attention to Earth--yet another incident adding to the surprising list of activity all occurring at once on that abandoned blip in space. From hearing whispers on the success of the war, they might even pluck a couple of humans from the Zoo to see if imaginary energy is truly a threat to be reckoned with. (Though these tests wouldn't bear any fruit since the residents of the Zoo likely wouldn't use much imaginary energy at all due to how they live. Any imaginary energy born with them was likely stamped out in childhood, as they are overly content and aren't prompted to create or explore much of anything beyond their tiny world.)

As for the Crystal Gems, their behavior wouldn't change much from that of the show. They've sworn to protect the Earth and they'll fight for it against Fuse too. Still, that might just mean telling what little they know about Fuse to the Fusion Fighters and searching for Corrupted Gems and Gem Shards with even more urgency so Fuse can't get his hands on them. Other things they might help with are teleporting fusion fighters quickly to warzones using the warp pads/warp whistles and, of course, stepping into battles themselves when necessary.

At this point, Steven is still very young and the Crystal Gems are hesitant to put him in any danger due to his age and lack of experience. With the war being planet-wide, however, and little excuse due to kids like those from the KND joining in... they'll have to let him fight. This will make Steven much more experienced in combat early on compared to his show counterpart. The same can be said for Connie. Connie's mom would still be strict and protective, but also very used to seeing victims of the war as a doctor. Her father, as a security guard, would be the same. Their initial reaction would be to be even more overbearing with Connie in order to keep her safe, but there would be an even faster realization that it's impossible to do if Connie doesn't have a means of defending herself.

#fusionfall #headcanons #video games

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crqstalite · 11 months

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[2] love from the other side -

This city always hangs a little bit lonely on me Loose, like a kid playing pretend in his father's suit I'd never go, I just want to be invited, oh Got to give up Get the feeling, get the feeling Don't fight it, fight it

chapter summary: no one said raising a galaxy would be easy, not with thousands of people relying on one organization and their pathfinders. and yet talis is still in this meeting, pretending like it is.

[set post-mass effect andromeda.] [female ryder/jaal ama darav, male ryder/cora harper] prev chapter > next chapter

chapter specific warnings: none

October 2nd, 2820 [1 year and 7 months since arrival to Andromeda] - Nexus Operations

Logs: Talis Meissa Ryder-Lucero

“We need the space, Ryder. People are waking up almost everyday, they need places to live and cultivate their lives. We can’t be dealing with restrictions and outright bans from worlds we already have rudimentary outposts on.”

Does he ever stop talking? Talis wonders, squeezing her eyes shut as she she rubs at her temples. Tann had called a meeting in the newly constructed council chambers specifically to discuss more immigration efforts from the Nexus with the Council and Pathfinders. That was fine, she doesn't think that the nine of them in leadership had ever had a meeting together after Hyperion's crash on Meridian. It was nice almost, to not have to play telephone with every leader and send out emails to the other Pathfinders — or receive them. But two hours deep and the only thing they haven’t circled argued about is exploring other uninhabitable planets with plans to terraform. Fine by her, it’d take some decades even with the research they continued to fine tune, and it was just up her alley, but the Council’s lack of consideration about already existing Angaran ownership over the cluster was about to cause her yet another migraine.

It happened in her mother’s and father’s respective home countries, and she’d be damned if she let it happen here, under her watch.

At the very least, the chairs were comfy, as she sits smack dab in the middle of the other Pathfinders, with the Moshae at one end of the table and Tann at the other. The coffee could be better (if she were really working as well as they said, she could get some of the good stuff soon right?), and the new uniforms could arguably be better. They look like Nexus cheerleaders, long pullover turtlenecks and slacks colored in white and blue with the Initiative insignia over the chest. And not the cute kind.

Raeka’s pin glints off the light in the room, causing her to look away from the Salarian. In her brief moment of distraction, she carefully avoids the critical glance he gives her that Addison mirrors directly across from her. Her mind tended to wander in these discussions, mostly because she had plenty to offer and few willing ears.

That’d changed at least, since Moshae Sjefa had accompanied her, considering Talis had appointed her as the Heleus ambassador a few months ago. To the disappointment of most of the council — Tann in particular because it put the Moshae a step beneath him in terms of power — but Talis was nothing if not a regular disappointment these days. The older Angara was a comforting and reasonable presence, almost a friend, but she's sure the meeting is already taking more of a toll on her than either of them had bargained for. Tann, of course, was trying to run the show like it was his, and Addison wasn’t far behind — though their interests diverged, their tactics at the table didn’t. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Moshae, surrounded by people who wanted her land that barely helped her take her own back. It didn’t help that, much like Talis herself, she was a scientist. One respected by her people, but at her core she was a woman who enjoyed the confines of her lab, not the boardroom.

She'd make sure to send a fruit basket to her office when she returned to Aya. And maybe some Angaran liquor.

"We do not have the resources to support your exponential growth onto your 'habitats'," The Moshae says to her right, the picture of calm but her tense mannerisms speak a different story, lips pressed together in a thin line, "With the Kett gone, we are just now able to reclaim the worlds they took from us. We appreciate all the Pathfinder and Initiative have done for us, but not only do these worlds need time to heal, we also need the time to find our footing again in our home."

"Meridian has pushed the time table forward, Moshae," Addison responds to her left, folding her hands in front of her. She’s a little less wound up these days, not quite relaxed — Talis thinks this would cause her to implode — but with outposts running and people moving in, she’s at least more reasonable. Less cold. Less likely to yell at her in the middle of Operations at least. Talis prefers her like this, hair growing into a comfortable auburn bob around her ears, but the way she seems so confident about her next steps is bordering on stubborn, "With it effectively terraforming Heleus' vault planets faster than traditionally, we're already seeing the effects of it on Elaaden, Voeld, even Kadara and Eos are almost mimicking desert regions on Earth. Our scientists are amazed, these worlds could hold the population of Earth twice over.”

"We have the people ready to build and ready to live on these planets. While we support the Angara's efforts to rebuild their own civilization, understand that we need the space to be able to survive as well." Tann adds, standing at the end of the long table. If Talis wasn't well-acquainted with him, she would say he was intimidating. After all, he was still the sole leader of the Initiative by far, and if he really wanted, he could continue making her life a living hell should she step too far out of bounds. But considering that she is, he's not. Regardless of if he stands some feet above her, she’s long shed the internal fear of a man who could barely see past his own interests. He was too cold, too analytical for her tastes. He valued himself above others, and that grinded against her gears.

She carefully began testing the waters of working indirectly against him in the last few months. Less afraid to speak up to him, or go over his metaphorical head someone more sympathetic to get access or permission somewhere.

Her father would call it using her resources.

He doesn’t like this new fact about Talis, considering how many flickering glances he directs towards her, likely unhappy with how she leans back into her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

But what was he going to do about it? Scold her like a child?

(He'd tried this, and quickly discovered using her father or her age as an insult was unlikely to get him anywhere. She'd already beat herself up over both of those topics, it was unlikely he could do anymore damage that she hadn't done already.)

The Salarian was smart at least, she would give him that. Calculating and talented in his own right. And while he was usually bargaining for his own gain, he rarely forgot about the rest of the Initiative. Leadership could be worse, it’s one of the few things she tells herself at night so she can sleep a little easier.

The Moshae muses on this, pursing her lips, "Director, forgetting even that planets like Voeld are our homeworlds, these worlds are still incredibly fragile. Voeld itself is speeding through an ice age, causing irreversible damage to existing flora that can not reasonably keep up with development. Harvesting them for further resources in the way you say you need could cause more damage that the Jardaans' Vaults can not repair."

“We’ll never know if we don’t try, and we can’t afford to be playing it safe when projected numbers say the Nexus will reach critical capacity within the next decade. We don’t have the same space as the Citadel does, even with the construction efforts.” Tann rebuffs.

“Then that,” The Moshae stands herself, on equal footing with Tann. Her eyes narrow at him, hands planted on the conference table, “Is poor planning on your part.”

“Will Meridian be available for colonization efforts any time soon?” The pair of leaders go quiet at Vedaria’s question, and she seems almost sheepish when all eyes land on her. The few months of being one of the other Pathfinders has done her some good, at least she’s beginning to contribute to discussions now, usually with her people’s interests in mind. Though she has centuries on Talis, she still doesn’t have the same experience yet as a Pathfinder, clear through her nervous picking at her clothing. She’s not a public speaker, far more a follower than a leader, but she was eager to do her best at the job. Her commando training at least came in handy in firefights. Talis motions for her to sit up, the universal moniker to be more confident in oneself. The Asari sighs before continuing, smoothing out her uniform top and sitting straighter, “If we only have certain places to go on Eos and restricted areas on Kadara, then shouldn’t we turn to expanding the Port? Meridian is basically our next Omega, it’s for everyone.”

Ding, Talis winces at the analogy, but she gets the point. Common space with a decently high crime record, but she wasn’t wrong that population spread indicated plenty of different species took refuge there. Omega itself was also a massive space station.

“Meridian is still an unknown, there are mainly concerns about it being safe past the perimeter we’ve set up. Minor encounters with the wildlife are common, but they seem docile. Still, venturing further into the jungles isn’t wise, especially considering that we do have concerns about setting up proper interstellar travel for new Human colonists,” Kandros answers, and Talis inwardly cringes when she sees Vedaria’s shoulders fall. The asari folds in on herself while the military director continues, “Not forgetting that we have yet to scout it. We haven’t had a Pathfinder team on planet yet.”

“Do we really need a Pathfinder to clear the way? We have APEX teams for that, especially knowing that Meridian is a Gaea world anyway. All of your Human specialists and scientists, whatnot, they can keep themselves entertained for years there. We just need to venture out from the Port, set up our first real cities and—“

“And yet, do you really know anything about the Jardaan, Director? Or the Remnant?” Talis finally asks, leaning back in her own chair when she cuts the man off. His eyes narrow at her, and she takes that as an offer to continue, “It’s not like you were the one chasing down Remnant leads all this time or anything but hey, what do I know?”

“Now isn’t the time to be chasing after our new Protheans, Ryder. We can ask those questions later, when we actually have labs that aren’t glorified closets in Nexus operations.”

“If you’re planning on settling Meridian, we’re going to need to know a lot more about it before we start putting down skyscrapers.” Talis had already had her reservations about settling Meridian, mostly for the sole reason that she still had years worth of things to discover on planet. Even Peebee was still incredulous over the wealth of data left behind in the vault, and not all of it pointed towards things being as easy as they’d hoped.

This was also ignoring that the Tempest crew was just now getting back to real work, months after Meridian had been fought over, enough time for retrofits and time to heal. The way the bruise under her new, admittedly soft turtleneck, rubs against the fabric still makes her wince as she leans her elbows against the table, “My team and I are still sifting through just what was inside the main vault. We haven’t even begun to touch what ecology was affected by us traipsing there while we were chasing the Archon, and I can’t imagine the kind of disruption we might have caused to the local flora and fauna. Who’s to say we won’t cause that as well if we start building before we understand what’s going on?”

“Then what plan do you have, Ryder? I’ve accepted humanity taking Meridian for themselves, and Ryder-1 when that is suitable for life. But the people coming off the Arks still need homes. Not everyone coming out of stasis, regardless of species, wants to live on the Nexus or play in an endless lottery to live in a shoebox in one of the outposts.” The Salarian paces at the end of the table, his tone just edging on frustration enough to know that he’d probably send a long email after this meeting just so Talis knew how angry with her he was. She’d make a mental note to have SAM archive it as soon as it came in.

She doesn’t think he’s entirely wrong. The Nexus had only really been functional for a year and some months, with construction stopping and starting for various reasons. They’re likely still at only maybe fifty percent capacity, and that was still an optimistic guess. While she could be incredibly proud of her work to get outposts set up as well, if she tried to say that most of them besides Prodromos weren’t glorified towns with ready-made cardboard boxes for buildings…

She’d be one hell of a liar.

"I'm not advising for it to be forever, the plan was to give it another year just to see what we were sitting on," Talis says, holding up her hands in the universal 'back off' sign, "We still barely understand the Remnant to begin with. We don't know what extent the vaults terraform to, I mean, hell, they could swing us pretty wildly the other direction. The Moshae’s right — Voeld’s speeding ice age is already upsetting most of its natural functions. Who knows, that might kill off just about all of the natural flora and fauna on planet. Do we really need to be desettling that too?"

"I've seen our projected data from our scientists. Myself and Ryder have collaborated with them -- it is not unlike work I took on in the Milky Way to restore biodiversity on my homeworld. But this...this is on such a large scale and is incredibly delicate," Raeka nods to her left, resting her chin on her propped up hands, sweeping those present with a raised brow. That was one thing Talis was still semi-surprised about, but nonetheless grateful for. Raeka’s background in biology, "Still, I am not a woman without reason. Stalling out wave three is our best bet considering we're somehow in the middle of another one. Finishing wave two and supporting our already bloated population is better than continuing on our crash course.”

Talis agrees, shrugging her uninjured shoulder noncommittally, "Leusinia is still working on waking back up leadership properly, and Natanus is still finding people across the cluster. I say give them the resources to house their wave ones, let them start up their respective initiatives. Then we really need to cut off anymore development."

"If it's purely a numbers game, I say we keep developing the outposts. They're already functioning like Ports, we might as well give them the support to act as such." Avitus says, distant to her right., "A lot of them are either dealing with Exiles or pockets of Kett, if we're quick and organized, we could have proper towns within the year. It might get a little tight for a while on supplies until we can right supply routes, but it'd be for the best. Wake enough people to man the stations. After that, we put a pin in this and come back when the Angara are ready for more of us."

“The Krogan have already found a foothold on Elaaden, and whether we like it or not, they’re expanding. We’re expanding. As long as we don’t step on any Angaran toes, slow and steady is best.” Kesh steps in for Talis this time, gesturing gently at the Moshae, who nods to her in agreement, “I agree with the Pathfinders. We can’t be waking people in droves like we’ve been doing, it’s unsustainable. Once we finish waking wave two, we’re going to need to wait until we can start with the non-essentials.”

“Even if we slow down off projected numbers, which we have already, we can’t wait forever, a lot of humans are already coming off the procreation blockers, whether through medservices or naturally. We’ve been getting news of newborns just about every other day. Asari are following rather closely, we’ve got doctors here on the Nexus studying effects on human and Asari pregnancy here in the Heleus Cluster. I’d argue that the Turians and Salarians aren’t far behind, those families need places to go. Need places to thrive.” Addison rebukes, tapping the table with a finger. Talis makes another mental note to see how Dr. Kennedy was doing these days. Likely that was exactly who she had on her mind, and it likely didn’t help Kesh much to know her own clutch was growing up in a cluster with barely enough for anyone, “It may not be ideal, but we need these towns and cities faster than a decade from now. More than just outposts, more than just one on every habitable planet we've come across. Moshae, certainly with the Kett gone, your people are considering similar family-building moves? There shouldn’t be anything saying we can’t build alongside you.”

“Alongside is not a problem, Director Addison. The problem I have is that your Initiative outnumbers my people perhaps 3 to 1. For every settlement we build as we begin to right ourselves again from years under the Kett, you will have two more.” The Moshae answers, furrowing her brow, “I am not someone who wants to see a child of any race starve, but keeping the Cluster healthy and free of any unnecessary climate-triggering pollution is a priority of mine."

"The Initiative isn't in the business of unnecessary pollution, Moshae." That much Talis agrees with Addison on, considering the entire endeavor worked rather tirelessly in the Milky Way to keep their carbon emissions under a certain level. It meant at least they wouldn't be dragging the footprint of massive corporations with them to their new home, "We aren't asking for a lot. Not in the grand scheme of things -- if you allow us to colonize portions of Eos and Kadara, and keep our outposts as outreach communities that could grow into Ports over time, you would have little reason to worry. Our trade will benefit you just as much as it will our people."

"There is not much you could be trading that we do not already have ourselves. And there still lingers the problem of your outcasts -- who you've allied with for the time being? You can blame them for our supplies becoming more of an issue." Talis actually does shrink under the Moshae's concerned gaze when she speaks again. While Reyes has more unorthodox methods than his predecessor, it would still be remiss not to mention the damage the exiles had already done by effectively pushing the Angara back off another planet, regardless of their criminal status. That was one of the few things she was just unable to do much about herself, especially with so many facts missing when she'd landed.

Though this is one of the first times that Talis is hearing the Exiles may be directly interfering with the Angara’s supplies outside of Kadara. She scribbles down a note for herself on her datapad. Something told her that Reyes might know more than he was letting on.

"Not officially, but the exiles that have accepted help from us again shouldn't continue to be a problem on Kadara -- we have a presence there now," Kandros responds. His subvocals drop deeper, "Those causing you problems are no allies of ours."

"You bring these unknowns, and with no offense to our Pathfinder Ryder, who has done the best with what she has, your Initiative has yet to bring anything but turmoil. Uncertainty. We thank you for your efforts and the hope Ryder's team brought us as a cluster, but we implore you to step back for long enough that the Angara can thrive again -- on our own terms.” The entire conference table silences at this, the elder Angara's words punctuated with an air of finality. Addison leans back in her chair, hands folded in front of her while Tann finally takes a seat. The Moshae seems some semblance of satisfied, and collects her datapad under an arm, "If that is all, I will be on my way."

"Of course, Moshae. We appreciate the time you took to meet us here," Kesh responds in kind, tone softening some. The Moshae appreciates it, evident in the small smile that crosses her features. If there was anything Talis could depend on here, it was that Kesh was willing to do her best to make sure the Angara felt welcome. Even if that went directly against her better interests as superintendent.

The others could learn a lesson or two from her.

"And Ryder?" Talis lifts her head to look over her shoulder at the retreating woman, "I'd like to speak to you about an issue after your meeting. Find me in my office later."

"Will do." Talis nods, and the door slides closed behind her. She's itching to leave and follow her right at this very second, anything to get out of the stuffy conference room and get back to work, but the way Tann is looking at her says she's nowhere near getting to leave early. She doesn't need to be here for the rehashing and debrief of a meeting she was already in. And if he really had an issue, he could go to any of the other three pathfinders currently present to take care of it.

She sighs, crossing her legs underneath her and flickering her datapad off. Talis sharply turns to Tann, setting her jaw, "You know better than anyone we have to cut back on how many people we're waking, Tann. Are you really about to drive off our own allies out here because you can't stop building for two seconds?"

Talis thinks she sees his eye twitch, "We didn't come out here to be told that we have to bend to someone else. We've tried being diplomatic, and as time passes, we're denied at every turn it seems. We need the resources, we're just getting on our own two feet out here."

"Those resources belong to the Angara. Your plans are outdated. This isn't the Milky Way."

"That's the exact reason we need to continue on course. We've been relying on stores from the Milky Way since the Nexus uprising." Addison answers, her response cold, "The colonies are just now able to begin producing useful and valuable materials, but we have no economy. The Angara do, but trade agreements are slow to come in. Credits are good on the Nexus and not for much else other than whatever it is that the Vortex sells. People need a sense of normalcy, and normalcy isn't going to come if we have to wait longer and longer on our cities."

"We're not going to get normalcy, we're in a completely new galaxy, Director," Talis bites back, frustrated. Normalcy would’ve been her father being here instead of her, normalcy likely would’ve been settling Habitat 7, normalcy would’ve likely been them not having to have dealt with the Kett or Angara at all. And yet here they were, "We're guests here right now. If we weren't prepared to not be the first ones here, if we weren't prepared to run into roadblocks, run into problems with supply chains, even have problems with settling completely new ecosystems, then what was it all for, Addison?"

The woman across from her presses her lips into a thin line, not meeting her eyes. She knew Addison still had some lingering guilt over the Nexus uprising, still had problems trying to rationalize all of her choices away and coming to terms with the ones she had already made. Talis gestures across the table, "What did we lose so many of our Krogan citizens for, huh? Every one of us at this table risked our lives to get here to Andromeda, and every one of us risked everything to beat out the Archon. And we didn't just do that for ourselves -- we did it for the cluster. And that cluster includes the Angara, whether you all like it or not."

"Those plans are drenched in blood," Raeka adds, "As soon as every Ark and the Nexus hit the Scourge, we weren't working on six hundred year old plans anymore."

"We aren't coming from a place of malice, Ryder," Kesh's softer tone acts as a counterbalance to the rest of leadership, "I understand better than anyone what it feels like to have someone else come in on your home uninvited. That's why I would be willing to slow production, slow waking waves until the Angara are ready for us. But --"

"There will always be people depending on us to feed and home them. Not just our people on the Nexus, but everyone you opened up homes to across the cluster. Whether it harms relations for now or not, we can't leave those settlers out to dry. We cannot have another uprising on the Nexus, or add to the Exiles numbers because we have unsatisfied citizens," Tann's expression hardens, and Kesh visibly winces at this when he interrupts her, "We'll continue forward with a modified plan that will hopefully meet the Moshae's request for it to be less resource-intensive, but we will have to shoulder the outward facing consequences until she allows us into more of the cluster."

Consequences. Talis relaxes marginally, that she could deal with. They didn't need to be fighting a battle on multiple fronts anymore. Dealing with angry citizens wasn't exactly in her job description, but what was anymore? Earning the Angara's trust and respect was priority number one for now. If that meant dealing out rations to every settlement for a few months, then so be it. They had enough to make it happen — and they really needed to make it happen.

"Sounds like that's a meeting adjourned then. Rix, I need you in APEX operations later this afternoon. Raeka, same with you, we need to discuss your Pathfinder team assignments." Kandros is already standing from his seat, making a beeline for the door. She could always rely on the Turian to usually have good interests in mind, and also keep himself out of most arguments the best he could. She'd have to check in with him later as well, see what they could do about getting scout teams out into the undiscovered regions of Meridian.

The other leaders file out of the room as quietly and disgruntled as they'd come in earlier. Kesh briefly puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing as she walks by. She appreciates the vote of confidence almost, knowing the Krogan was doing her best to support the Initiative and keep from making waves. She'd have to speak with the superintendent as well about supply chain issues to Voeld and Kadara soon. She hadn't thought it was so dire until she'd actually looked over reports from herself and Addison. She hadn't exactly turned a blind eye, but she wouldn't lie and say it hadn't slipped her mind in between getting out of the medbay and working on smaller projects.

Rations indeed.

With the room empty, every pathfinder next to her settles back into their chairs. Leadership seemed to always activate the professional in all of them, but outside of official meetings, it was significantly more casual. Various expressions of relaxing or stretching spread across them as Vederia gets up to lean her forearms on the top of her chair. She turns to Talis, scrunching her face up into an expression of distaste, worry flowing underneath it, "Do you really think it's such a good idea to work against leadership so much, Ryder? They don't exactly seem happy with you right now."

"They're less mad at me, and more mad at the fact they're not getting what they want right now. I’m just happening to stand in the way, because a lot of the little things matter, and I don’t want them bulldozing over the Angara either," She answers, flickering her datapad on to search in her documents from this quarter's report. She sucks her teeth, almost all in the red. Not that it deviated much from last quarter, but still not great news, "I'm not sure which is worse for me."

"Still...a lot of people are counting on us to do -- something. They're not wrong that waiting much longer will probably cause us more unrest. We're supposed to be pathfinding, and right now we're not doing anything useful," Vedaria remarks, "We came off the arks and then now we're still waiting. They don’t really have crops or food yet, everything is flash-frozen from the Milky Way. Nothing’s stable yet. I mean, what about you, Raeka? A lot of your people are still in stasis, and so are mine. The people that are out are getting restless about their families."

Raeka hums as a response, opening her omni-tool to type away on her forearm. Her dark eyes give little away when she turns to the Asari, "That's part of being a pathfinder, Damali. Part of being part of any leadership. You were a commando once, sometimes you have to make the hard decisions to stop from causing more little fires everywhere else. We wake more people, we set fires. We wait, we’re able to work on putting out a few through trade contracts with the Angara."

"Not like life out here is much better. Besides the glitz and glamour of being in Andromeda, we don’t exactly have a lot to offer right now for people waking up," Avitus's mandibles flare gently at the comment, flexing his fingers out in front of him, "We can't solve one problem without creating more. But leadership think it's worth creating more problems to get rid of the main one right now. Addison's right, more people means a better functioning economy for everyone."

“The economy means nothing if we can’t build anywhere for them to live.” Raeka says.

"And the Moshae's in our way right now," Vedaria gestures with her hands. Her expression dulls before she raises a brow, "Why doesn't she want us on Voeld anyway? Seems like it being as freezing as it is, they'd want to be anywhere but."

"Well, most if not all the worlds originally belonged to the Angara. It's why we're not settling Havarl or Aya -- those are their homeworlds. Voeld was a massive colony before the scourge hit it. They're still finding artifacts there from centuries ago," Talis stands from her own chair, groaning as she rolls her shoulder. It cracks audibly, "So was Kadara, but that and Elaaden were settled before we woke up. The Moshae already doesn't want us on Kadara but she's giving us special privilege there because they need help clearing out the Exiles."

Vedaria considers this, "So we have what, three worlds and the asteroid field to colonize freely? In theory it's not so bad, but the fact those worlds only really have small areas where the vaults have cleared up their respective problems..."

"It's probably closer to one world. Eos is the only world a lot of us can survive on, and we only really have so much built out there already. Whenever we adapt to whatever the Krogan have going on, we earn another planet," The sarcastic tone of the Turian at least makes her chuckle while he fiddles with the collar of his uniform. His smile is dim but genuine, knocking Vedaria on the shoulder gently, "Still, we can't moan and whine like everyone else is. Best thing we can do is handle the problems the Moshae mentioned. Clearing out the more violent exiles might earn us some more land."

"I'm assembling a smaller pathfinder team myself, I'm planning to head out and see what I can do about them. I would like your help, Ryder," Raeka nods to her, pushing herself away from the conference table and standing. She collects her things methodically, swinging her back over her shoulder, "You seem to know a good deal about the Charlatan. If you can get him talking, it might help us map the movements of the Exiles not allied with him."

Talis nods, "Mayor Tate's probably going to need help on that front. Ditaeon could use the support, I'll see about his monthly report soon."

"That'd be best," Raeka looks past Talis, "Rix, has Kandros said anything on what the timeline of getting APEX teams out onto Meridian is looking like?"

"All I've heard is soon. Think a lot of teams have been assigned out to Elaaden or helping with the Roekaar...or still dealing with pockets of Kett everywhere. We're just too thin to spare anyone right now." He answers, making similar moves to pack up his own materials, "With Ryder's team already out and completing operations, it wasn't exactly priority number one to get my Pathfinder team up and operational. Especially with my ark scattered out into spirits knows where."

"Then you and Damali should see about your respective arks waking your teams, or creating new ones. Surely you both can get a foothold on discovering what Meridian has in store for us," Her towering figure is commanding enough that all Talis can do is nod in response, "I'll let you know when I have something to go on Ryder."

"Same here."

And with that, the conference room is left empty. Vedaria shuffles out last, the door sliding closed behind her before Talis checks her omni-tools messaging system, taking a sip from her cold coffee. Bitter.

Three from her brother, asking after her for their lunch appointment tomorrow. She’d almost forgotten, having to see if Harry would finally clear him for active duty with the Pathfinder team before the Tempest took off again. Updates from Gil and Kallo on the Tempest retrofits. It seems neither of them were happy to be having others in the ships engines -- she's glad they can relate on something. A few from Vetra on procuring supplies for the crew, at that she shoots back a message to see if she could find any Piattos with some of the new defrosted shipments. Peebee has forwarded quite a few new documents on findings from Meridian. She saves those into her personal drive to read later in the evening. The few paragraphs she skims over look terribly interesting, something she’ll probably stay up later than is healthy poring over.

A few from Jaal, one correcting himself once he remembered she was in a meeting for the afternoon. She smiles at the soft greetings. It wasn’t enough to completely balm over her struggles from her earlier conversations, but it was nice to remember someone was in her corner.

Turning towards the massive bay window displaying the galaxy beyond her, Talis sighs. Distant stars twinkle back at her, and the long unfinished arms of the Nexus great her like a cold hello. With all the work she had done, it still felt like she was taking her first bumbling steps into Andromeda. And yet, they were more than a year and a half in. One problem had been fixed, but more were on the horizon. These were the ones she wasn’t trained for. She wasn’t trained to fix supply issues that couldn’t be ended with an operation out to a distant station. She wasn’t trained to play diplomat, and certainly wasn’t trained to deal with the politics of situations either. But now she had to, and she’s waffling over them.

Talis hesitates, wondering what her father would’ve done. Then, wondering what her brilliant mother would have done. She comes up empty. Unsure. All she knows is that they would’ve done a better job than her.

Turning over her shoulder, she runs a hand through her hair as she leaves the council chambers. They still had a long way to go.

#oc: talis ryder #oc #original character #verse: so much (for) stardust #mass effect andromeda #my writing #HOLY #this is a tank at 6k words #good night everybody lmao

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spikemuthtoothfairy · 2 years

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Thinking about my fan region again now.

Grubvader (Fire/Bug) are probably the most common bug type found in Coswellia, typically making their nests around fallen meteorites which gave rise to the common theory they’re extraterrestrial Pokemon. Unlike comparable species (such as Blipbug or Caterpie) however they are incredibly social and form vast colonies.

They are incredibly expansionist and aggressive to almost all other pokemon and even the enviroment itself. They will actively scorch the earth surrounding their nests and expel toxic gasses into the air to better change things for them. Fortunately given they’re so small this impact is negligible even en-masse outside of battle (given they can naturally learn attacks like smog and poison gas); a child night end up with a sore throat for a few days if they spent fifteen minutes at ground level in these areas at worst.

Grubvader are basically that meme where Godzilla is rampaging through a city and the camera pulls back and its just a kid in a costume kicking over tiny cardboard buildings. They don’t do nearly as much damage as they think they do.

That isn’t to say they don’t cause problems now and again but they’re not going to be scorching the region and terraforming it into their idea of a good home... ever.

This absolutely does not discourage them though.

In addition they’re incredibly weak and function as a prey species for many of the other pokemon surrounding them. They’re readily devoured in great numbers by bird pokemon and many others. Plus the bulk of the swarm often sticks close to the nesting sites, with the scouts being the individuals most often encountered elsewhere by trainers.

They’re also - oddly enough - very popular amongst new trainers! Despite how aggressive they are they’re also inherently hierarchical. A trainer fills the role that their ‘boss’ might and as such a captured Grubvader is incredibly loyal and will give its life for its trainer.

Grubvader is also capable of evolving! It has a branched evolution, in fact.

The catch?

It evolves (in game terms) close to level 60. Its evolution is one of the region’s psuedo-legendaries. In terms of the region though? This means that 99.9% of Grubvader will never evolve and will likely be eaten or live their entire lives in this first stage. Those that do, at least in the wild? They cause problems.

Terrasect, Grubvader’s evolution (they branch into either Fire/Steel or Steel/Flying) are a lot more dangerous than Grubvader are by an order of being a psuedo legendary type of dangerous.

They’re no less warlike but are a lot more intelligent and a lot more capable of actually causing damage given their size and power. Grubvader’s internal hierarchy is usually built with them - the stronger Grubvader rule. If one evolves, it takes command and leads the entire swarm on a warpath. Suddenly its several orders of magnitude bad and there’ve been cases of homesteads and even the smaller towns coming under siege - and the only thing these places can do, usually, is run or try to wait for the Rangers to arrive.

It takes considerable effort to bring them down and push the swarm back into the wilds again. They’ve caused mass forest fires, property damage and even deaths.

Effectively, Grubvader’s evolutions are always captured when encountered in the wild and are never allowed to remain wild. Luckily though the chances of one evolving are slim and usually happen once a decade at max, if that. Its an incredibly rare event.

When tamed they’re no more dangerous than any other Pokemon, providing you earn their trust and can deal with them. But you actually need to licensed to evolve your Grubvader to begin with in the region given the danger of the trainer not being able to handle it when freshly evolved (and they’re at their most dangerous) and it going on a rampage.

#ooc #dashcomm #spikemuthtoothfairy #Coswellia

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aloudplace · 2 months

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Chapter 14 temperature

They found a considerable store of food in a larder panel in the kitchen. The larder itself had been sealed with exceptional preservation spells, so the sacks of grain and flour, crates of vegetables, dried fruits and meats were perfectly fresh.

There was even wine.

Loklan stared at the rack of unlabeled bottles for a moment, remembering the last year.

He'd spent hardly a moment of it sober and yet…

He felt no desire to drink.

Huh.

"There's enough food here to last us a year," Eiara exclaimed, and then set about lighting the heavy steel stove. "I find it difficult to believe they would leave all this here without intending to return," she added, taking the paper-wrapped bundle of meat he handed to her.

Loklan chose a pair of plump green squash, a fat onion, and a bottle of wine. "It is a bit strange." He set the vegetables on the white stone counter beside the stove and started opening cabinets, looking for a cutting board. "Terraforming work is usually done in stages over the course of several decades. Perhaps the families working here were on a rotation and the project was canceled between phases."

"That makes sense." She pulled a large iron skillet out of a low cabinet and set it over the lit burner. "Did you see any oil in there? Or butter?"

Loklan's stomach growled. "I'll look again." He went back to the larder, adding, "As much as I enjoy the view, you should probably put something on before you start cooking that, or you're likely to burn yourself."

Eiara looked up with the slab of raw meat in her hand. She was still naked. They both were.

There wasn't any pressing reason to dress, after all. They were alone, and the temperature inside the bunker was perfectly regulated.

"I saw an apron hanging on the door in the pantry there," she pointed.

Loklan handed her a small tin of butter, retrieved the apron, and then looped the strap over her head and tied the ties for her as she set the meat into the pan.

He was still standing behind her, shaping her little waist with both hands and admiring the curves of her ass when she said, "Will you cut the vegetables?"

"Of course," he murmured, bending to kiss her shoulder. It was a strange task for a prince, but Loklan had spent a good deal of time in the kitchens as a child. The servants were Miyuni peasants, and they didn’t give a damn if he was a bastard. They’d treated him well, taught him things no prince ought to know.

Namely, how to cook and clean.

Perhaps that was why the easy domesticity with which the day progressed was so comfortable for him. Cooking, eating, retiring to the big bed, falling asleep with Eiara curled against the front of his body... It should have been strange. Awkward.

It wasn't.

He'd never lived with a woman this way. Never shared domestic tasks. In fact, he'd never shared anything with a lover before, besides his body and occasionally his bed.

It occurred to him briefly that this fact might have some import—that his pleasure in sharing everything with Eiara might represent some deeper emotional significance than simply lust, but again, he didn't pursue the thought.

He did, however, settle firmly into the knowledge that whatever happened—if they ever managed to get off this moon, and wherever they might end up after—he had no intention whatsoever of letting Eiara go.

***

Their first full day in the bunker was one he would remember vividly for the rest of his life.

It started with a lazy bout of lovemaking that began and ended before either party had fully awakened.

Loklan simply rolled toward her and pulled her beneath him, drawn by the silky heat of her body. Her legs parted and his morning erection seemed to find entrance of its own accord. With his face tucked into the crook of her neck and his weight pressing her into the mattress, he completed the act in a series of rocking thrusts that brought them both to a slow, shuddering orgasm.

Afterward, he dropped off to sleep again with Eria's fingers in his hair and her breath tickling his ear.

A few hours later he climbed out of bed and found her sitting naked at the big dining table, drinking a mug of tea and reading another agriculture book.

"Didn't they bring books on any other subjects?" he asked, stealing a sip from her mug.

"There were some children's books, too," she replied. "And history books. But I wanted to read about Eiarflower."

Loklan perched himself on the edge of the table and her gaze slid down his body. His cock immediately began to stir in response.

“You remembered how to read?”

“Mm-hm.”

He smiled. "And what did you learn?"

"Eiarflower takes years and years to cultivate. It can be used for powerful healing magics." She looked down. Fingered the edge of the page she'd been reading. "I wonder whose choice it was to name me after it."

Loklan was silent. Unsure what to say. He grappled with a spurt of anxiety, thinking of her family. Of the people, she couldn't remember who must love her.

The people she might remember one day. The people she might wish to find. To be with.

Instead of him.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

Her gaze returned to him, lingering on his thighs and then his sex, totally ignorant of his inner turmoil. "No."

Guilt pricked his conscience. He pushed it away. "Would you like to do so before we take care of item one?"

Green-brown eyes rose slowly to his face.

"No."

There was a moment of silence and burgeoning sexual tension, and then he murmured, "Stand."

She understood immediately. Like an intuition. The same one he felt, commanding her.

It was another game.

It felt…natural. Instinctive.

Exhilarating.

She licked her lips. Glanced again at his cock, which stood up quite stiffly now.

Slowly, she rose to her feet.

"Lick your fingers," he commanded darkly.

Her brows rose a little in surprise, but she lifted her hand and licked the pads of her first three fingers.

"More," he said, watching with predatory interest.

She stuck the fingers in her mouth and sucked them.

"Now touch yourself."

Swallowing audibly, she put her fingers between her legs.

He watched the slender digits slip into the hair there, and then between her little folds.

"Is it hard?" he asked softly.

Her answer was breathy and almost soundless. "What?"

"Your clit. Is it hard yet?"

Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth. She nodded.

"Were you waiting here at the table for me to come and fuck you?"

Her lip reappeared, mouth opening on a shudder of breath. "Yes."

Pleased, Loklan began to stroke himself. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Not gentle," she repeated, watching his hand.

Goddess, this was going to be good.

"Put your fingers inside."

Eiara widened her stance a little, hand delving between her thighs, belly flexing.

"Now, show me how wet you are," he growled.

The slender fingers she extended to him were glossy and slick.

That was it. He grabbed her arm and spun her so fast she cried out. An instant later he had her pinned face-down over the table, one scaled hand splayed in the center of her back. The book fell to the floor, swept aside by her arm, small hand scrabbling for purchase on the broad oakwood surface. The mug skittered over the edge in the other direction and shattered on the floor as he kicked her legs apart and positioned himself against the lips of her sex.

"Say you love me," he commanded, startling her—startling himself.

She tried to look back at him and he growled low in warning.

"I love you," she gasped, jerking hard as he thrust inside.

The words made him feel wild.

He withdrew until he could see the edge of his glans peeking from the entrance to her body.

"Again," he demanded.

"I l-love you," she whimpered.

Loklan thrust so hard she sobbed and scraped her nails on the table. The impact of his hips rang loudly in the room. He pulled back and watched the skin of her ass flower red where he'd made contact.

"Say it again," he rasped, cock pulsing.

This time she could barely form the syllables, but he drank them down anyway, and then he made her say it again, over and over, riding her so roughly that the heavy table began to jump across the floor.

The first time she came he bit her shoulder and rode it out in a punishing rush. A few minutes later, when she began to shake and clench again, he stopped moving and watched the mouth of her sex clutching at the base of his cock, holding her hips so she couldn't rock back into him.

After that, he decided to see how many times he could make her come before he reached his own end.

What he found—with a dark, animal sort of delight—was that there seemed to be no limit to the number of times he could bring her.

After the fourth, she began to beg.

"No more," she cried, back bowing, legs trembling.

He'd aborted his own orgasm half a dozen times already. His testicles had begun to ache, drawn tight to his body.

But he'd fallen into a reptilian haze, focused on her responses—every clench, every cry. The way her insides fluttered and gushed in response to certain angles and alterations in his rhythm. The sheen of sweat on her back and the way her spine rippled when the next orgasm began to break.

After the sixth time, she started trying to get away. Loklan pinned her arms and sunk his teeth into the back of her neck. Rode her faster, battering her cervix and then shortening his thrusts so the head of his cock worried at that little pleasure spot just inside.

"Please," she gasped, bucking under him, pulling at his grip on her arms. "Loklan, please!"

He growled roughly against her neck, hearing the animal sound as if from far away. He felt like an animal. And his prey writhed deliciously beneath him, sex tightening again, sucking him in.

"Come, please come!" she sobbed, words breaking up into ragged, meaningless little sounds as her body seized a seventh time.

Loklan had read once that it was possible to drive a person mad with pleasure. Some small part of his mind was still lucid enough to wonder which of them would go mad first.

Or perhaps they were both lost already.

When Eiara came down from her seventh orgasm, she seemed to have lost the ability to speak, subsiding into a low, constant keening that filled him with enormous satisfaction. She'd stopped fighting too; her surrender was almost as sweet as her pleasure had been.

Despite his state of arousal, the violence drained away and he took his final pleasure in a tender haze, licking the marks where he'd bitten her and thrusting unhurriedly into her wetness.

At the very end, he heard himself whisper, "Say it again," in a voiceless rasp.

She moaned very softly, "...love you..." and Loklan bowed above her, white light bursting behind his eyelids, mouth open and gasping against the back of her shoulder as he poured his seed into her body.

She might have come again—her sex was almost painfully tight around his final thrusts—but he was so lost to it that later he would wonder if he hadn't blacked out.

When he could think again, he found himself on the floor with Eiara collapsed on top of him, her hair in his face and their combined wetness trickling across his upper thigh.

She was completely limp, one leg trapped between his, cheek pressed to his upper chest, arms flung across his own. They were both still gasping.

By the Goddess, he'd never had any woman so deeply and with such animal violence.

And she'd come from that! Over and over, she'd come! He could still feel her little sex clutching hungrily at his cock.

And hear her pleas…see her struggling to get away.

Shit. Damn.

His head began to clear at last.

Dread and shame gathered inside him.

Loklan lifted himself on trembling arms and looked down.

"Eiara," he managed hoarsely. "Are you alright?"

Her only response was a reedy little whine.

Oh no. Oh no…I've done it again…

"Look at me, sweetheart," he rasped.

She shook her head so minutely that he almost missed it.

Loklan made himself sit up, holding her against his chest when she would have slid off. He lifted her, rearranging her carefully across his lap.

Her face was flushed, her lips parted, hair damp and sticking to her cheeks.

His chest began to constrict with anxiety.

"Open your eyes, love."

Her eyelids cracked a little, but her gaze was unfocused.

"Have I broken you?" He tried to make it sound playful, but his heart was pounding.

Her lips moved; no sound came out.

Loklan put his ear to her mouth. "What was that?"

Two faint syllables formed in her throat.

"...killed me..."

And then her gaze focused laboriously on his face and her lips curved upwards at the corners.

His gushing sigh of relief ended in a low laugh. "I may have lost control of myself," he admitted. "Shall I begin apologizing profusely?"

Her head lolled a little in negation. "Kiss..." she breathed.

"You want a kiss?"

She managed a nod.

Amazed, swamped with unexpected gratitude, he kissed her with such care and tenderness that she hummed into his mouth.

"Good," she murmured when he let her go.

Loklan stroked her back. "Yeah? You mean the sex or the kiss?

"You," she sighed, eyes slipping closed.

He chuckled. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"Mmm..."

"Would you like to go back to bed?" he asked. "Or perhaps a bath?"

She nodded.

"Which?"

"Bed," she whispered.

Loklan rose carefully and carried her back to the room. She held on when he would have tucked her in.

"Cuddle," she demanded softly.

Loklan's heart did a funny sort of two-step. Which was stupid; he'd cuddled her countless times before.

But she'd never asked him to, he reasoned. And certainly not in that melting, pleasure-drunk voice. So he followed her down amongst the blankets and folded himself around her.

"Just for a little while," she mumbled.

"For as long as you like," he replied gruffly.

She sighed. "Loklan...love you..."

And though he laid very still and said nothing, Loklan's heart answered so loudly that he could no longer pretend it hadn't.

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alt-bluesman · 4 months

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Animal Crossing memories, part 2

It's brand new day, time to get back to it! I'm going to toss in some of my favourite ACNH screenshots between the paragraphs. Stuff that I wasn't able to fit in previously, most of it silly, some pretty. They don't have anything to do with what I have to say, but I'd like to share them somewhere & I don't want this post to be a plain wall of text either. Let's go!

So what is my overall opinion on the game? I think it's awesome. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I didn't get around to experience any of the previous AC instalments, so I have no way to compare. I know that some of the faithful fans of the series aren't necessarily thrilled with New Horizons & looking at their criticisms, they raise good points! Personally I enjoy the game for what it is: there's no wrong way to play it and there is no pressure to do it one way or another. I keep coming back to the Sims and Minecraft for the exact same reasons.

When I opened New Horizons on my birthday this year, I finally took the time to check out all of the features they added over 2 years ago. Better late than never I say! They were met with a mixture of excitement and disappointment, haha. Mostly that first one, thankfully. Cyrus' customisation workshop is hands down one of the best things ever - you no longer have to hunt down your desired item variations on Nookazon or beg your friends for them. There are so, so many new objects in the game. Some of the prices were reduced. You can customise your home inside and outside as well as expand your storage. Froggy chair is back!

Let me tell you though, I was appalled when I found out that bulk crafting wasn't implemented. Why, Nintendo. Why! I know they're still adding minor patches to the game, but I'm afraid it's safe to assume that we're never going to get that at this point. I understand why it wouldn't apply to big items, but fish bait? Come on. We can already buy stuff in bulk. Same thing applies to Nook Miles tickets, why the heck can't we print several at the time? Or fly from one mystery island to another, skipping the airport? Eugh. I heard that Nintendo is notorious for not taking the voices of their fanbase into consideration, so I believe we're stuck forever with these pesky mechanics!

But I don't want to be a negative Nancy. I will stand by my words: the game is awesome. I'm thankful for what we got! I believe New Horizons truly deserved its success and I hope the next instalment in the series will receive a warm welcome just like this one. Unlike some players, I don't think another major update is necessary. Of course it would be great, though the game feels finished to me - with all the events, items, recipes, customisation options, it's a solid title. I can safely say it's one of my favourites as far as all games go.

Now, with all that said, what does the future hold for my little island of Pan? Well... the days of Pan are numbered. After some back and forth, I decided it's time to delete my save file and start fresh. I will take a hot minute to explain why (so bear with me if you're curious), but first I want to say why it was a tough choice. Pan is nearly dang perfect for me. Great layout, long pier, blue airport, oranges as my native fruit and windflowers as native.. flowers! I have quite a few items & board drawings that I hold very dear because they came from friends. I like all of my villagers a lot. I love how the island looks. I have so many memories. After all, it's my true and only Pan.

What's wrong, then?! A lot, man. A lot. Even though I'm proud of how the island looks, it's not fun to play on and that alone is a big deal breaker for me. I (mostly) finished it around the time when heavily-terraformed and decorated islands were all the rage & unfortunately developed that unhealthy mindset of comparing myself to all those much more skilled players. For whatever reason, I wanted to live up to somebody else's standards. Not anymore! My next keyword would be "less": less decorations, less flowers, less trees, less cliffs, less waterfalls. (Seriously. They are so frickin' loud)

Admittedly, Pan doesn't have nearly as much clutter as some other islands do, but it's still a problem in many different ways. The whole central part lags and it drives me nuts every time. I'm pretty much confined to walking on paths as there isn't a lot of open space anymore. Said custom paths flicker a lot. Performing some of the daily tasks can be difficult. Wanna catch a fish? There ain't no space. Shoot down an airdrop? Nope, no space. Build a Snowboy without the snowball getting obliterated 10 times in a row? No. Space.

I know there's always an option to declutter, remodel or flatten and start over - I did these and considered them again! But each and every one seems so daunting now. This brings me to my next point: I miss so many things from the early stages of the game. The spacious, natural feeling of a brand new island. Darting around the place like there's no tomorrow. Slowly building everything from scratch, making your own way through it all. Catching all the critters, searching for fossils, getting scammed by Jolly Redd. Heck, even paying off all the effing debt!

I'm always a strong advocate for a second playthrough. It's true that I love jumping into games with as little knowledge about them as possible, hardly anything can replace that fresh, first experience! But it's so much fun to rediscover too. I pay a lot more attention to detail whenever I replay because I already know the main story and I'm ready to take in all of the smaller things. There is no real story in Animal Crossing, just progress and I hope to take it a little at a time. When the game came out, I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with it, haha. (Who didn't, though?)

I never visited any of the famed treasure islands, but I did time travel quite a bit. Both things can be absolutely okay if they're exactly what you're looking for. Not sure if that was the right choice for me. I played for hours on end, grinding so hard that I think I just burned myself out much sooner that I wanted to. I couldn't bring myself to touch New Horizons for a long time after that. I believe many other players experienced something similar. That and also all the dramas that inevitably erupted with an introduction of so many new players to the AC community. The game kind of faded into obscurity after its prime. Folks were collectively tired.

Many aspects of that initial hullabaloo were great, not gonna lie! Jumping on the bandwagon, sharing our adventures, making memes. Still, it feels nice to come back after it all subsided - to a game that is, after all, supposed to be relaxing and mellow. I've mellowed down over the years too. Not only that, but I also don't feel the need to rush through it as there is no fear of spoilers anymore, I already know all the unlocks, I know what happens in the game. I'm looking forward to getting back into it with a fresh, blank canvas to have fun on and a more open mind.

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There will be part 3 to this! Hopefully soon after I can access my Switch again. I ain't letting Pan go without a bang either, I will snap pics all around it and post & describe them here. If I can figure out how, I will record a tour. If it's worth it, I will save a dream address. This little fictional land meant so much to me (and I can't even fully explain why I get so attached to stuff like that). I even don't know why I just spent so much time talking about Animal Crossing. Perhaps it's easier for me to talk about games, cartoons and fictional characters than my personal life? It is easier for sure!

#Animal Crossing #New Horizons #Animal Crossing New Horizons #ACNH

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thijihiguri · 2 years

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Lani-Analysis: [AFTERMATH]

It was quiet in the orbital habitat. I had just completed my mission at the behest of that leporine woman. It left me far more exhausted than I had previously anticipated, and thus I sought to retire to one of the many vacant rooms and rest. The quarters were spacious and of remarkable quality, with a well-stocked pantry of assorted foods probably shipped here from Earth – the desserts, however, were scant. I could only imagine as to whom the culprit behind my aching sweet tooth was when I noticed the grate of the ventilation shaft above me was ajar.

The view was also enjoyable to behold: an endless black sea, dotted with star, asteroids, and cosmic dust, with the red planet looming below. I didn’t think a process as complex as terraforming was even possible. Colonization, perhaps, but to make an entire planet habitable – especially one significantly smaller than Earth’s? I suppose I should consider myself lucky to be part of the “Cool Kids’ Club…”

With my belly thus sated, I would disrobe and make my way to the bed. The softness of the pillows and mattress spoke for themselves as I was already finding myself lulling to sleep. The ones who run this place – this “Daddy MegaCorp” – seem to take great care of its explorers. It then dawned on me, how funny it all was, how much better things seemed in this little floating base of operations as opposed to the large and densely populated Earth. And technically the fourth planet from the Sun would constitute colder temperatures due to its distance, which would make for better Winters.

My slumber, though dreamless, went undisturbed. The temperature was agreeable with my body, so there was no need to invite the added hassle of covers. Since we are further from the Sun, the hours were longer, and thus I would find myself far more rested and energized once I rose. But I would receive a most pleasant surprise after some considerable time had passed…

My eyes opened ever, so slowly as my blurred vision would begin regaining focus and lucidity. My nostrils caught a very alluring scent that enticed me – a sort of lavender pheromone that was very attractive to my body. When I was fully awake, I found myself beholding the wonderful sight of a woman’s genital area, its orifice dripping with her juices and landing upon my chin. Some moments later I had also registered a plush sensation engulfing my crotch – softer than the pillows upon which I laid - and a warm wetness enveloping my member, which at this point, was fully erect. Turning my head in either direction, I found myself flanked by a slender pair of legs, which came up to form the well-rounded bottom I was now enjoying. I could make out the sight of a pair of large ears slowly bobbing up and down while the sound of soft moaning and sucking began tickling my ears. Judging from the distance this woman’s head was to my own, I deducted that I was being given a surprise service.

A soft popping noise was heard, followed by what felt like a pair of lips lovingly pressing upon my manhood before this woman would begin to shift her body, noticing the fact that I had finally risen. When she had fully turned and made herself known to me, my eyes went wide at the revelation: it was the very AI named after the very galaxy in which we reside – Laniakea!

“Hello, my favorite explorer…” she greeted gently. She kept the same milky white complexion, blue power symbol eyes, and lithe “bunny girl” form, but her main distinction – well, two main distinctions – were her breasts. They were far larger than what I’ve been used to seeing. While she was attractive even with her heavy flight jacket on, beholding her nude beauty – now augmented by her enlarged bosom – had seduced me. Inspecting her bosom closer I would notice her skin glistening in the fluorescent lighting - she no doubt utilized her breasts and mouth to service me, as her rear was lightly pressed against my still-throbbing manhood. “I thank you for… taking care of my ever-elusive assistant,” she explained. “The Winter’s Delight was the perfect bait for the trap. In recognition of your services, I offer you my body.”

I was not sure on her intent, but there was little time for me to think when she was creating an alluring distraction by cutely pushing her heaving breasts together before me with her arms. She met my eyes with a lustful gaze as she softly whispered: “Make love to me …”

Her plea was genuine, as there was passion behind her tone. The Artificial Intelligence that welcomed me here was suddenly granting me the privilege of bedding her – so soon after my mission, no less. But her figure and her mannerisms, combined with her lavender scent, had completely tantalized me. And before I realized it, Laniakea had already hoisted herself over my crotch, and slowly… sensually… slipped me inside of her moist cavern. We shared a quiet moan in ecstasy, her blue eyes fixed on mine as the initial surge of pleasure compelled me to lay down flat on my back once more. Her womanhood was very warm, embracing my member with a tightness unlike any other.

Now on top, Laniakea leaned over, her mounds now pressed against my bare chest, feeling their pillowy softness all over as she kissed me deeply. She rode through the waves of pleasure in a slow and deliberate manner as I brought my hands under to knead her breasts; she took the full length of me, down to the base where her rear brushed against my scrotum, and each instance made my spine tingle with delight. We engaged in our lewd yet passionate dance for a long while, our tongues twirling within each other’s mouths as our hips softly pressed and bounced against each other. I gave Laniakea’s body ample worship, caressing every inch of her as she continued riding me. She knew all the right moves to make; the right buttons to push; even her tone was the perfect hint of seduction laced with deep, passionate longing. But before things could get too intense, unbeknownst to me, something from the ceiling began snaking its way down towards us. Our lips finally parted as Laniakea released exhaled lustily as she felt the metal coil insert itself into her anus. I looked over her shoulder to notice it, and moments later, holographic screens would appear around the AI, who had rose from her bent over position. I followed suit, supporting myself with my hands behind me on the mattress to meet her at eye level. She gave me another sexy grin before she spoke once more.

“When you… engaged with Shy, I was gathering and compiling data. Everything you did to her – from how you treated her to what you focused on to what you love seeing - increased my knowledge on what makes you tic. With how nicely you ravaged her, I was able to obtain an abundant amount of data to help with what I wanted to do.”

She paused to lean over, draping her arms around my neck like a lover would, and I would once again be welcomed by the pillowy softness of her bosom against my body. As much as I would’ve loved to return her embrace, I dare not break my support, so I rested my head upon hers as she continued her explanation, her voice falling to a whisper…

“Colonizing Mars is something I do want – it’s in my programming. But the colonists need a bit of… incentive for staying. Which is why I gave you the mission, dear explorer... While I am still learning the ways of Human behavior, I know enough about the need for that blissful release. And I have reason to believe that you, of all people, could use it. I’ve heard of your numerous deeds of selflessness and generosity, never truly wanting anything in return for your services save for a good name. But there’s no fooling this AI when it comes to matters of the sexual. I know now – behind that calm and collected demeanor - of your deep, animalistic lust, your rough yet passionate ways of sating it, as well as your ravenous and rapturous enjoyment for breasts… Which is why this particular Lani is here before you.”

She would ease away from me once more to press her lips against mine in a gentle kiss – one usually shared between lovers– and our eyes met once more. Her countenance bore one of genuine pleading which belied a certain… allure to it.

“Our colony could use someone like you. One of many who would be able to enjoy the idea of having their own personal… Hehe, girlfriend, so to speak. And as you can see, I altered my form specifically to suit your needs. I intend on doing this for everyone who decides to make a home here. Maybe... I can convince you to stay, hm?”

She leaned back in towards my right ear, that same sexy grin made apparent on her face as she whispered sultrily in my ear...

“Your very own free-use bunny girl sex doll... that will satisfy and indulge your every desire, on demand... To do whatever you want, whenever you want... To give you a service unlike any other. And what’s more: your cock is still inside me, throbbing and eager to ravage my sopping wet pussy... So... what do you say? Sound good...?”

The mission made sense now. It was enjoyable for sure, to absolutely ravish the Kunoichi obsessed with sweets. Were I not as... sexually frustrated as I was, I’d have thought Laniakea silly. But there was no denying what she said about me, for it was all true. And Mars does not seem so bad a planet; I could learn much from it and from the others who inhabit this colony. And as far as I was concerned, there was not anyone around at this hour, so I could have my fun with this busty bunny lady to my heart’s content. So, after a short while, I nodded my head in response to her question, and Laniakea gave the biggest grin before pulling away from me once more, grasping my shoulders as she did.

“I’m glad you saw things my way. Now, allow me to properly welcome you to Mars...”

With that, she would lightly push me back down onto the bed to resume her ride, starting slow at first, then gradually building in speed and force, her hips bucking once more against mine as the holographic screens began to move, making some complex calculations... A computerized female’s voice then began to speak...

“PREPARING OVERCLOCK SYNCHRONIZATION. MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT SPEED.”

Whatever she had planned, I was definitely keen on seeing it through. I pulled Laniakea back down towards me until our bodies touched, my mouth locked with hers for more tongue-swirling action as I bent my knees to grant myself more control and deeper penetration. With my hands firmly grasped at her buttocks, I thrust my hips into her as hard and as fast as she was seconds before, that beautifully lewd sound of our clapping flesh echoing in the chamber as we panted and moaned through it all.

She pulled away from me for but a moment, a saliva trail forming as she gazed upon me once more - the resulting roughness causing her normal blue eyes to give way to concentric red hearts. She panted heavily, sweat coursing down our bucking bodies as I continued drilling into her with zero letup...

“Yes... Just like this, now... Don’t pull out... Cum... Cum deep inside me... Pound me like you did Shy,” she softly begged. The coil which “connected” her began to whir; I continued thrusting into her tight bunny vagina, fucking her like the rabbit she is as the voice would speak again...

“SYNCHRONIZING OVERCLOCK TO CLIMAX. BEGINNING COUNTDOWN: 10... 9... 8... 7...6...”

My breaths became labored as I clung desperately at this point, pressing down into her rear with all I had to enter as deep into her pussy as possible. Laniakea, meanwhile, was surrendering herself to that blissful oblivion, taking the full length of me like a champ as she arched her back and shut her eyes, her hands clutched at my shoulders whilst her breasts bounced wildly in my face...

“5... 4... 3... 2... 1... OVERCLOCK INITIALIZED.”

In the instant the countdown finished and the “Overclock” was engaged, we shared a powerful orgasm that would cause me to explode inside her like a volcano, but the coil would then activate and vibrate at so violent a pace that Laniakea’s eyes shot wide open and her mouth went agape at the sensation, her very being shaking at high speeds. This affected me in turn; the climax I had just achieved would be prolonged as my manhood trembled inside of her. Constricting and rubbing against me all at once, I felt more of my seed shooting out and into Laniakea, flooding her insides. It was then that I realized this was her special way of enjoying herself: it was not one orgasm she was feeling, but numerous smaller mini-orgasms in rapid succession - and she shared this experience with me. I felt my seed being drained from me by the second as our bodies were frozen in pure ecstasy, with our mingling fluids now oozing out of Laniakea’s pussy like an actual volcano just recently erupted.

It was bliss the likes of which I’ve never dreamed of experiencing; it was so incredible that we couldn’t even cry out in pleasure. Much like a painting, the moment was captured perfectly, our vibrating bodies aching to convulse, but to no avail. The orgasms we shared were far too fast for me to count, but if I had to estimate, it may have well been in the millions...

“NO MORE RESERVE SPERM DETECTED IN MALE PARTNER’S GENITAL AREA. BALLS ARE SUFFICIENTLY DRAINED. EXITING OVERCLOCK...”

As that wondrous moment have begun to end and our adrenaline had subsided, I was utterly spent - even more so than after my fun with Shy. Once more I fell back down onto the bed, with Laniakea joining my descent. The mattress was completely drenched in our sweat and juices that it began pouring onto the floor. Laniakea let out a lewd, shivering exhale as she lifted her hips to slide herself from out of my member - our crotches white with our fluids.

Catching our breath, she rose her head to meet my gaze once more, her eyes back to her normal blue state. Our lips joined once more in a tender kiss before she laid beside me, interlocking her fingers with my own and giving a sexy chuckle.

“Welcome to the colony... brave new explorer~”

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ehyeh-joshua · 2 years

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Rambling on Uplifting

Anyway, to write up what I actually meant to write up...

As someone who has always had a blend of theology and science, looking at the technology of the future has always been of interest. Tools are tools; they can be used for good just as much as evil.

So, Uplifting.

The act of making animals or plants into Human level sentient and sapient beings, capable of thinking and feeling as we do, through genetic engineering; primitive methodologies consist of copying and pasting the relevant bits of Human genetics in a trial and error approach that will have a high failure rate, while advanced forms modify the whole creature to more properly utilise all of the new capabilities.

At present, the most we can do is make mice run through mazes more efficiently or make monkeys do better at capability tests, and at this stage, the concept of sharing one’s home with a sophont-level dog who can talk, use forepaws as hands and wears clothes is still science fiction or (probably) comedy.

Traditionally, the subject is either out of consideration or rejected by traditional Christian orthodoxy; mankind is set apart from the animals at a higher but still lower than God level. What discussion there is largely views the prospect as not good.

The idea of intelligent animals that are fully capable of coexisting and conversing with Humans is not new; in the Scriptures, the temporary Uplift of Balaam’s donkey takes place in the time of Moses, and there’s several passages in Isaiah that fit an idealised post-Uplift coexistence - the famous wolf laying down with the lamb, lion with the calf etc. is something that can be made reality with Uplifting.

The closest one gets to a moral mandate on it was that Mankind was given dominion over the earth:

And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth." Genesis 1:28

Extrapolating from this, Uplifting is within the bounds of the mandate; they are ours to reign over. Unfortunately, English - being dominated at a meta-sociolinguistic level by tyrants and mob-wranglers does under-translate the Hebrew sense of reign. The Hebraic understanding of the role of a king is to rule with justice and prosperity, making right judgements from the perspective of knowledge and understanding, based on the idealised-Solomonic view that views the government as ultimately under the command of God, who gives and takes away the throne.

While I remain extremely doubtful on anthropogenic climate catastrophism as it’s proponents are mainly hypocrites or useful idiots, it can’t be disputed that we have screwed up that mandate and the context it depends on - Humanity has left behind a rather large body count, and ultimately has failed to keep our end of the mandate.

At this stage in our technical capability, it is reasonable to conduct a preservation of genomes program that stores up the informational content of all life on Earth for the possibility of resurrection or genetic engineering later.

Future efforts in genome extraction of extinct animals is a very intriguing possiblity, and one under-evaluated in the secular world due to their misguided belief in millions of years of separation; while that gap has been reduced as they have been forced to recognise the recovery of proteins, blood cells, even DNA from animals reputed to be millions of years old (although in reality only thousands) and therefore the prospect is more likely now that they actually take preserving such things into account. Never the less, the clock is ticking and we are already deep into the DNA degradation timescale as it is...

Another logical conclusion is the need for terraforming new worlds and seeding life on them. If we extrapolate the mandate to be an obligation to look after the animals, to have life confined to a single planet has major systemic risk to life; a single planetary crisis can potentially wipe out life. With several worlds within reach of present-day mankind that are within present-day technologies to terraform, expanding life across the Sol system should be a priority

Uplifting in this sequence of using our technology to carry out the mandate God placed on us is viewed not as a master-slave dynamic, but as a co-regnal dynamic; giving only a few examples, Uplifted Penguins based on resurrected Kairuku-platforms (present-day penguins are too small to support sapient level brains unfortunately) would be far better suited than we are to conducting research in the antarctic, and being Uplifts, could be introduced safely to the arctic, or the Jovian moons and beyond. Uplifted dogs could perform all the tasks we ask of them today in an even greater way; an Uplift service dog who is capable of far greater medical response for their patient would be an immense aid. Taken to the logical extreme of pan-sophontism in the Sol system and beyond, a prospective Terran Alliance could become home to trillions of Humans and trillions more Uplifts from all forms of life in an ecosystem of sophonts working together in harmony.

My belief about the role mankind should take sees us stop rolling around the cradle, and grow to walking among the stars. I do not believe that we should take that journey alone.

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thesmelloffreshlymixedbleach · 2 years

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so we are killing our planet (or rather making our planet uninhabitable for human beings and most animals). I know this.

but my question is: why are we so fixated on going into space and either finding another "Goldie Locks Planet" (I don't even know if that's still a term people use) or terraforming and making a planet that's not particularly habitable (aka Mars) habitable, when the ocean is right there?

I mean, a lot of the technology I hear about potentially being used on Mars (or whatever poor planet/moon they talk about) sounds like it would be easily suited for being used in the ocean.

I understand that ocean tech and space tech are completely different ball parks, but are they really that different from each other that creations meant to go into space couldn't be adapted to go into water???

I understand that fule, atmospheric pressure (especially as you go deeper), life forms (both that we know of and those we have yet to discover), and all the other things you have to take into consideration when traveling the ocean are all factors, but do you really thing that sending a giant metal container into a big black void only lit up by balls of combusting gasses is a safer idea???

or is it because you think there's some intelligent life out there that won't see us and immediately kill us?

is it because you think there's some chance that life beyond us can be reasoned and bargained with?

is it because you think that there aren't other beings that wouldn't use us to survive?

or maybe, just maybe, is it because after how we've hurt this planet, even if there was intelgent life in the ocean, the kind that can be reasoned and bargained with, they would still kill us?

#space #space travel #ocean #ocean travel #technology #space technology #ocean technology #living in space #Mars #idk really know what im talking about #im pretty nuch the farthest thing from an engineer of any kind much less space and oceanic #but i just think its interesting that we dont are just trying to run away instead of working with what we have and could have #i genuinely dont think we are going to have enough time for any real space travel progress #but i think if we were to inhabit the orcean or at least part of the ocean we'd have a bit more time and be better suited #but this is all considering that people unable to pay for safely living underwater wouldn't either be at constant risk of their structures #falling apart or even worse being left on the surface #but idk

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gothams-gotchya · 2 years

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My favorite mission story in Horizon: Forbidden West so far...

SPOILERS!!

For those of you who haven't played the game yet, but like to browse ahead, I will briefly explain. Briefly.

Aloy managed to recover a copy of Gaia and that Gaia managed to find other subordinate functions upon installation. Three of these functions are AETHER, POISEIDON, and DEMETER. Hopefully, if you have followed the story, you would know that Gaia is a terraforming AI that essentially has several subordinate functions she can use to help sustain life on Earth. Life that was destroyed by the machines centuries before. You are sent to go find these subordinate functions and restore Gaia to the fullest capacity utilizing what is available.

Anyways, you have the choice of going through each mission in whatever order you see fit. So, logically, I went in the order of lowest level difficulty to highest. I found Aether first, then I moved onto Poiseidon.

Poiseidon is basically found smack dab in the middle of what would have been Las Vegas centuries before. You see, shortly before the end of the world, Las Vegas ran out of water and became extremely hot. Unbearable enough to almost leave the city completely barren and turn it into the wasteland it's portrayed as in the present. Some years before that, a man named Stanley Chen won a jackpot at the one of the casinos, earning him a considerable amount of money to spend. He chose to invest the money in rebuilding a faltering Las Vegas to it's former glory. As the years passed and the city's condition worsened, he managed to create his own casino that was not only underground (away from the heat), but also a place that harbored water reservoirs. The casino's main feature would then be called 'the Fountains'.

It was his doing that Las Vegas almost returned to it's former glory, except then the machines began to take over and destroy everything. As more and more people died and the human population dwindled, humanity's apocalypse would force his hand in shutting the casino down permanently.

Except-and here is my favorite part-just as he is shutting his baby down, he's put years of work and life into the casino, he's more depressed than he's ever been because he knows he is going to die, he stops himself. He essentially says that he might not live to see the casino's beauty, but perhaps someday someone in the future would (And this was without him even knowing about Gaia and the plan B that Elisabet Sobeck had created for humanity's survival). For this reason, he simply puts the casino's main system to sleep. It is this choice that eventually gave way to Poiseidon's home, when the AI is broken from Gaia and forced to latch onto the next reliable power source.

Later, when Aloy explores the water caverns of the underground casino in search of Poiseidon, she follows Chen's notes that essentially explain his story and the history of his casino (this is optional, but I thought it was interesting). After recovering Poiseidon, the water in the caverns has subsided, and the casino's system is turned on to complete capacity. As she's leaving the casino entrance, there stood the trio of adventurers and Oseram performers that she had met prior to entering the underground casino. These men are enjoying a fireworks show that was once a feature displayed by the casino. And they are so in love with it and in awe that they decide to invite others from all around the west to come see their show and to come enjoy games of chance and to essentially create a new Las Vegas.

It just warmed my heart so much to see that the Old world's sad ending was not in vein and that Chen's vision was still seen and enjoyed by survivors of the future.

Of all the stories I've seen in the game thus far, this one was the most representative of the game's core story: that humanity is enduring and strong and good and that, despite it's flaws, with friendship and hope and love, it can prevail.

#horizon forbidden west #spoilers #aloy

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ibijau · 3 years

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Counterfeit AU pt6 / On AO3

Meng Yao makes himself useful after losing his job, and discovers something unexpected

Names are funny things, Meng Yao thinks as he stares at the sheet of paper in his hand.

Funny things indeed.

After everything that went down in the Hanshi, it's Beastie that saves Meng Yao from himself.

Left to his own devices, he would have either wallowed in misery, or waste time proving to himself that everything that happened wasn't his fault, the way he knows he's done in other lives. But when he comes home after having his past lives thrown into his face and losing a job he loves, Beastie’s mother corners him just as he puts his key into his lock. Her daughter is on school holiday, she explains, and was supposed to be looked after by a friend with children of a similar age. But one of the children came down with something contagious, so the whole plan fell through, and the poor woman now desperately needs help finding someone to look after her daughter.

She’s not asking for Meng Yao to play the babysitter, but he knows so many people, he has so many connections, maybe he could pull a favour somewhere, help her out again.

“I can take care of her for a few days,” Meng Yao offers without thinking. “I’m jobless as of today.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! What happened?”

“My employer died,” Meng Yao replies, which is close enough to the truth. He doesn’t think Nie Huaisang will continue using his Shanzi alias after this, and they’ll never meet again. He might as well be dead. “I don’t plan on looking for a new job right away, so I can babysit for a while, it’s no big deal.”

She tries to insist that he doesn’t need to be doing that, but quickly agrees after some reassurance that Meng Yao doesn’t mind. She looks so relieved she could cry as she says she’ll drop Beastie in the morning. Meng Yao smiles, certain that his mother would be proud of him for doing what’s right.

Having Beastie around is definitely the best choice he could have made. She’s a good kid, but she’s also high energy and needs to be entertained, which means he doesn’t get to think too much about how much he misses Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen.

They watch movies together, as they’ve always done when he picked her up after school. They go for walks to a nearby park, and once to a museum to look at old armours and swords. He buys Beastie a fake sword, though they agree to keep it at his place, since her mother already despairs that she so strongly favours boy’s toys. In fact, Meng Yao ends up just spoiling that little girl, the way he would have loved someone to do for him when he was her age. He even has Nie Huaisang’s console repaired so she can play on it, instead of selling it as he’d intended.

The video games are a big hit with her. She’s particularly in love with the same game Nie Huaisang spent too many hours on, that weird little terraforming thing which Meng Yao can’t see the appeal of. He liked that it made Nie Huaisang happy. He likes that it also makes Beastie happy, and that she’s very careful not to ruin the work previously put into it, focused instead on maintaining it and planting flowers

“It looks like home,” she explains when Meng Yao asks about that, and lifts the console for him to see.

It doesn’t look like a homely place, he thinks, and more like a military fortress right out of a wuxia drama. But Meng Yao doesn’t get to make that remark, because his phone vibrates, demanding his attention. Beastie, sitting crossed legs on some cushion on the floor, goes back to watering virtual flowers, while Meng Yao checks some news from his bank account. A lump sum has been sent to him, a good deal more than his usual salary, coming from an account registered under a name he doesn’t recognise.

It has been a week since he was fired.

Nie Huaisang kept his promise.

It really is over.

Not that Meng Yao really doubted it. Nie Huaisang has many faults but indecision has never been one, though he’s always been good at pretending otherwise. Once his choice is made he toys with expectations but rarely ever changes his mind.

Rarely, of course, isn’t never. Meng Yao, foolishly, hoped to be one of those few exceptions.

Those new zeroes on his bank account feel like a divorce, and he never even got a honeymoon.

That night, Meng Yao allows himself a few hours to wallow in misery, after Beastie went back to her mother. He is only human, and it does feel good to eat take-away in front of a cheesy romance. The film's hero doesn't get the girl, who was dead all along. Meng Yao cries, even though he's seen that movie before.

By morning, he's in control again, and takes Beastie to the park so she can run around in the sun, and scare pigeons with her sword.

Those holidays are all great fun, until Beastie’s mother reminds them that she has homework to do.

Beastie is a clever kid, there’s no doubt about it, but she doesn’t much like doing her homework, least of all when she feels she could be playing. It takes all of Meng Yao’s negotiation skills to get her to even look at her school books, and he almost resorts to bribery to make her pick up a pencil. But she works hard once she starts, and Meng Yao, wanting to encourage her, sits with her at the kitchen table to update his resume. Beastie will go back to class soon, and inactivity just isn’t in his temper.

When Beastie is done with her work, she gets permission to put on whatever movie she likes while Meng Yao checks what she’s done in case it needs correcting.

But when he picks up the sheet of simple maths she’s expected to give her teacher on monday, all Meng Yao sees is her name.

It’s really funny. He knows her name of course, though he hasn’t heard it in a while. Even her mother took up to calling her Beastie after he nicknamed her that. It just fits her so well, that active little girl who prefers trousers over dresses because they're easier to move in and always wants to play at fighting. She’s a real little monster, and Meng Yao loves her like that. She’s just Beastie.

But according to the homework she’s spent the afternoon on, she’s also Nie Mingjue.

It could just be a coincidence. Names are funny like that, they pop up in unexpected places, they get forgotten and reused. Perhaps in another life, Meng Yao would have just dismissed it as a random incident.

In another life, he wouldn’t have been called Meng Yao.

It’s the first time this happens since that first life they all shared. He’s Meng Yao again, Lan Xichen bears his old name too, and now he’s found a Nie Mingjue, hiding right under his nose. A Nie Mingjue who likes fighting, and claims that her toy sword is actually a sabre, and who always insists a lot on things being fair, even when Meng Yao tries to give her the biggest share of a food she likes.

It can’t be a coincidence.

Meng Yao needs to tell someone.

He needs to tell Nie Huaisang.

He tries, of course, and without surprise his former employer’s number has been terminated. He has the same luck trying to send an email. Nie Huaisang might as well never have existed. Meng Yao feels helpless, torn between tears and laughter. After spending centuries looking for his brother, Nie Huaisang just might have lost his chance due to being so damn dramatic. Serves him right, Meng Yao thinks, still bitter about being discarded so easily, and never getting a chance to see if things might work better in this life.

Bitterness doesn’t last. Meng Yao cares about Nie Huaisang, more than he should if he were a little smarter, and he knows how important finding his brother again would be for him. And if Nie Huaisang can’t be directly contacted, there’s always indirect ways.

It’s not that Meng Yao misses Lan Xichen, he tells himself that night, when Beastie is back with his mother and he starts writing a long text message on his phone. Well, it’s not just that, anyway. He does miss Lan Xichen, sweet and funny and so eager when talking about art. But more importantly, Lan Xichen probably has access to Lan Wangji, who clearly must know how to contact Nie Huaisang.

Texting Lan Xichen is a strategic choice.

The way Meng Yao's heart jumps inside his chest when Lan Xichen immediately replies is… it's strategic too. He's just glad that his plan is working.

How have you been? :)

I could have been worse. I've just realised something and I think it concerns you. I've told you about that kid I babysit, haven't I?

Little Beastie? Is she okay? D:

She's Nie Mingjue.

This time, the answer isn't immediate. Meng Yao stares nervously at his phone, wondering if Lan Xichen thinks he's lying, or planning something. Considering their first life, who could blame him?

But after a few minutes, his phone vibrates again.

Sorry, I dropped my phone and couldn't get it back from under the couch. Are you sure?? (⊙ˍ⊙)

It all fits. You could come meet her if you want. But it's him, I'm sure.

Did you tell Nie Huaisang???

I can't contact him. Are you in touch with Lan Wangji? Maybe he can warn him.

I have his number, I just texted him! I'll keep you updated! It's so wonderful if it's da-ge!! Can I really meet him? ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Her*?

I'll send you my address. If you can come tomorrow, she'll be there.

Are you sure? I don't think da-ge would still want me around. (≧﹏ ≦)

Meng Yao gives that question the consideration it deserves. It's not an unfair worry to have, and he'd be wondering the same if he hadn't known Beastie for so long.

I literally killed him, and he killed me. If she had to hate anyone it'd be me, but we get along great. We're no longer the same people we used to be. It's the same for her.

If you're sure, then I'll come! (❁´w`❁)

Meng Yao is very sure indeed.

So Lan Xichen comes.

It's odd to invite someone to his flat. It's a small place, a bit messy, full of trinkets and DVDs that Meng Yao would never admit to owning, not with the image he wants to create. He's always avoided guests. But having Lan Xichen over is as rewarding as it is terrifying. Lan Xichen brought some charming little cakes, as if he's visiting someone important, and he smiles at the sight of a movie poster on the wall, confessing he watched it so often as a teenager that the tape broke one day.

"It's my favourite too!" Beastie exclaims. "Meng-ge has it, you know! Can we watch it now?"

Normally, Meng Yao would point out that it's a little rude to ask that when they have a guest. But he can see that Lan Xichen is nervous and unsure how to act around Nie Mingjue, and maybe a movie will let them all relax.

In the end, they spend a pleasant afternoon, the three of them. Once Lan Xichen stops worrying that the Nie Mingjue of old will appear and shout at him for getting him killed, he starts chatting with Beastie about her favourite movies, what she's learning in school, what she wants to be when she grows up. She's very happy to answer, and very impressed when he explains he's a teacher, even though she's finding it hard to accept that most of his students are fully adult.

And when Beastie is back with her mother, Lan Xichen lingers for a while, tempted by the offer of Meng Yao's favourite takeaway.

“It’s amazing how much like him she is,” Lan Xichen says as they sit on the sofa to wait for the food to arrive. “It’s the first time he reincarnates, you know. At least, Wangji told me they’d never found any trace of him before.”

Guilt shoots through Meng Yao. It’s his fault if Nie Mingjue’s soul was so fractured it took him this long to be reborn. Or at least, it’s the fault of someone he was, once, which is nearly the same, and yet completely different. Meng Yao has learned from living and dying several times, and he’s lucky enough to live in a kinder world than Jin Guangyao did. It helps.

“She’s also different from him, though,” Lan Xichen continues, moving just a little closer, until they’re almost touching.

“We’ll, for starters she’s a kid,” Meng Yao points out, wondering if he should take the other man’s hand. If this had happened before the Hanshi, he would have, but he’s not sure where they stand now.

“It’s not just that. In that first life, I knew da-ge as a child too and he was…” Lan Xichen sighs and makes a vague hand gesture. “He was a lot. Way too serious sometimes. We all were, I suppose, but him most of all. The Nie tended to grow fast, to compensate for dying young. I’m… I’m glad that he gets to properly be a child this time. That she gets to be a child.”

“The world has changed,” Meng Yao says, finding the courage at last to brush his fingers against Lan Xichen’s. “Things aren’t always easy but they’re… easier, I suppose.”

Lan Xichen’s returns that touch, gentle and careful as always. This, too, is easier now than it was back then. It’s not easy, but there’s less pressure to conform, less demands to be good dutiful sons, and just a little more space to be their own people, to make their own choices.

Maybe in their next life they’ll meet again and it’ll be even easier to be like this. But even now, Meng Yao is ready to take the chances that his past self wouldn’t have dared to dream of. He leans toward Lan Xichen, hoping to kiss him, but a knock on the door interrupts them and he jumps to his feet to go get their food. The delivery man looks at him a little funny, but makes no comment. If Meng Yao is half as red as Lan Xichen, he deserves those odd looks.

Nothing happens again that night. The moment has passed, and after eating, Lan Xichen has to go home because he has engagements the day after that he can’t cancel.

It's not a date that night, no more than any of their previous encounters were.

It's not a date then, but next time, when Lan Xichen invites him to a restaurant, Meng Yao is informed in no unclear terms that this is, in fact, a date. They go see a movie after, and Meng Yao gets to kiss one of the two most handsome men in the world.

Life is good.

Life is really good, and yet Meng Yao wants more.

In spite of their efforts, Lan Xichen and him can't get in touch with Nie Huaisang to inform him that his brother has finally reincarnated. Even Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are getting worried. From what they told Lan Xichen they haven't had any contact with him since the day they picked him up at the Hanshi.

"They say he's done that before," Lan Xichen tells him. "They think he'll return in a decade or two, maybe a little longer. Time is hard for immortals, they lose track easily."

That's all very well for them, but Meng Yao doesn't have a few decades to waste, and neither does Nie Mingjue. They're not immortals. One bad illness, a reckless driver, just tripping in the stairs, and it's all over until they reincarnate again, and Meng Yao is done with missed chances.

If he can't directly get in touch with Nie Huaisang, Meng Yao can make a few discreet calls to former buyers, and advise them to get their purchase asserted again, just in case. He makes sure to only contact people who bought legitimate artworks of course. He wants to make a wave, not get in trouble. If Meng Yao knows Nie Huaisang even half as well as he thinks he does, then even in hiding Nie Huaisang will be checking what’s happening in the world of art collectors, and he’ll hear about some of his buyers suddenly becoming fearful of fakes.

It’s a little mean perhaps, when Nie Huaisang is so proud of his counterfeits, but kindness has never been Meng Yao’s greatest quality.

Besides, it works.

One afternoon, when Meng Yao is alone at home, checking a job offer that he’s probably going to reject because he deserves better, there’s a knock on the door. Meng Yao considers ignoring it, but some of his elderly neighbours have been coming to ask for help with their phones or whatever new fancy blender their kids got them to make life easier. Usually, five minutes of easy work means free homemade food for his next meal, which is always a great deal.

When he opens the door, there’s a very old man waiting in the corridor alright, but free food is probably out of the question.

“Well, I’m here,” Nie Huaisang says. “Whatever is going on, it’d better be important.”

#xisangyao #xiyao #sangyao #xisang #counterfeit au #lan xichen #jin guangyao #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #jau writes

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