#maybe instead of a suit of armor its like… a power suit… or one of aviva’s inventions

[littlecrittereli]

…..do you guys see my vision

#I AM NOT ABOUT TO MAKE ANOTHER AU I SWEAR #but i think it would be so silly…….. #Chris Kratt as edward elric???? #and Martin as Alphonse????? #maybe instead of a suit of armor its like… a power suit… or one of aviva’s inventions #shitpost #wild kratts #chris kratt #martin kratt #it would be so awesome…… it would be so cool……….. #WAIT A MINUTE #AVIVA AS WINRY?????

[st-highwind]

Ramble, Bahamut Knight edition!

In my own little ffiv offshoot/au/whatever you wanna call it, I have different ideas for Kain. Ofc.

I politely and respectfully (against my will) dislike the Holy Dragoon getup. This idea initially stemmed from my dislike of the armor alone. However, the more I thought about it and as I actually played (and again, respectfully disliked) The After Years, the more the idea/concept developed.

Kain becoming a Holy Dragoon, to me, takes away from his whole spiel of “I didn’t kill off the dark parts of me, I just accepted them as part of me”. The gist of becoming a “Holy” anything is that the dark is completely purged, removed, eradicated— Kain explicitly does not “kill” his Dark Side, rather he absorbs it. The dark is there, but honed and harmonized. Of course, I don’t want this alteration or Bahamut’s involvement to detract from Kluya’s spirit recognizing Kain’s strength. I feel that that detail fiercely emphasized the bond Cecil and Kain share, for Cecil’s dead father to share power he’d once granted to his son to what I can only assume is another son figure for him. I do feel Kluya’s spirit’s involvement is a testimony to their brotherhood and devotion to one another.

I want to connect Kain to Bahamut, first and foremost. As the dragon god of the eidolons, Bahamut’s gotta know something or another about dragoons or, if we’re feeling pretentious, Mr. Highwind himself. Kain fights Lunar Bahamut during his Lunar Trial, and I want to build on that. A lot. Bahamut likely would’ve also known about the slaughter of dragoons and wyverns in the ffii storyline.

In my mind’s eye, I picture Kain defeating Dark Kain during his trial, Lunar Bahamut appearing and, upon its defeat, its scales flake off and the real Bahamut emerges like something of an odd cocoon. Hatching out of an egg, maybe. For symbolism.

(Alternatively, it would be neat for Bahamut to hatch out of an egg and parallel the last wyvern in ffii that baby Kain bonded with…but I digress)

Anyways, the real Bahamut appears in Kain’s trial. Ideally, Kain will have done a bit better in accepting the darker facets of his persona within my au given Thrush’s presence and therefore doesn’t feel the need to fuck off to Mt. Ordeals for ten years. Instead, Bahamut would appear at the end of Kain’s trial and, with Kluya’s lunarian spirit shrouding the room in some sort of magical aura, Bahamut commends Kain for his strength, resilience, and willpower. He offers to boost his strength and bestow upon him the capacity for black magic.

Kain, knowing the regality of the lunar dragon, kneels and accepts. Bahamut then inhales and unleashes a plume of flame onto the dragoon, enveloping him in a biblical cleansing flame. Once Bahamut’s breath flickers out, Kain stands in a brand new suit of armor with a new weapon fitting nicely in his hand.

“Now,” Bahamut begins, his draconic voice emanating from every corner of the room. “I declare you the Lance of Bahamut.”

Kain, as a Bahamut Knight, now possesses the ability to use black magic. He may not bolster tier 3 attack spells, and as a matter of fact, he might utilize black magic in the same way that Cecil uses white. They may lack the most useful spells that Rosa and Rydia harbor, but they make great backups and can still wail out physical damage. Kain, now with Abel’s Trident, finds that his Jump ability has been replaced with Dive Bomb, a skill that when used, adds a selected elemental charge to Kain’s jump while also increasing the damage output. He withstands magic attacks a bit better and is still a deadly quick fighter.

The development of Kain into a Bahamut Knight rather than the Holy Dragoon makes more sense in my mind as it truly does encapsulate the acceptance and control of his inner darks. It is the honing of the very facets of his persona and channeled into carving a path to his future and fully restoring his honor and dignity.

Idk. Thoughts?

#I might delete this tomorrow #it’s very very late and I have had one song on loop hallucinating the scene where Bahamut just unleashes a pillar of flame on Kain #and then Kain emerges in the sleekest fucking armor with this sick ass trident and a restored vigor #augh the worm in my brain is causing problems #help I’m having ideas beyond my creative capacity #ffiv #kain highwind #st-highwind #rambling… #sighs #I would like to kiss him on the mouth

[thydungeongal]

Congratulations on the gender!

I have a TTRPG question for you: I've been toying with this idea for a short campaign, but I'm not sure which system would be best for it. The basic concept is a sort of tomb raider/uncharted type thing, very pulpy, lots of exploration and action, gunplay, with some supernatural elements and ancient supertech type stuff. The concept was inspired by an extremely over-the-top arcade rail shooter called Lost Land Adventure, but I'm looking to make it, like, maybe 20% more serious.

My usual go-to system is PF2e, but I was hoping to find something with a more modern baseline, no/minimal armor, etc. I've been asking around and have seen people suggest Genius: The Transgression, Savage Worlds, Pulp Cthulhu, and Broken Compass, but I have no experience with any of them, so I'd like to hear your take.

Of the ones listed I would safely ignore Genius: The Transgression. Not because the system is bad but because weird science only seems to be a part of your focus!

Savage Worlds could definitely work because it is a system built towards action and adventure. It's got good fundamentals and it was explicitly built for pulpy adventures, so I definitely think that is a good option!

I could see Pulp Cthulhu. I have a soft spot for Basic Role-Playing, the system that powers Call of Cthulhu, and my main criticism of it is that it isn't really well suited to investigative gameplay, but it's actually, oddly enough, a potentially really fun dungeon crawler. You would of course have to ignore the mythos stuff, but there are enough BRP resources to replace the mythos stuff with super science and ancient mysteries.

Broken Compass I haven't read but if I were you I would look into it, because its sales pitch seems to fit your idea to a T!

And finally, I'm going to recommend @anim-ttrpgs Eureka, the prerelease version of which you can find for free on their pinned post! Eureka is an investigative game and depending on how hard you want to lean into characters solving ancient mysteries, Eureka might actually be a perfect fit! It is, however, a very gritty game, and while it definitely has meticulously detailed rules for combat, they lean towards realism instead of Hollywood gunplay. Still, I would absolutely recommend at least checking it out! A lot of the mechanics in place in it would be perfect for a globe-trotting treasure hunt!

But yeah, I think you've been able to narrow it down pretty well! If you want pulpy action, definitely go with Savage Worlds. Eureka is great if you want to focus on the solving mysteries aspect. And I think you should absolutely check out Broken Compass because I generally have a lot of faith in games custom-built for a certain purpose.

#thydungeongal answers

[tabletopmonsteroftheweek]

This one would of been a phenomenon mystery concept, however none of the phenomenon types really... felt right/fit it to me? It's essentially a big building, so it doesn't move. But having attacks is also weird to give it, idk.

The House always wins

People on the Vegas strip have gone missing, many believing that they got drunk and lost their way. The cause? A casino, the High Roller, has suddenly had a influx on winners, taking a trip to the penthouse suite to "spend the rest of their lives" at... or at least the last of their lives.

Monster: Aspect of Greed

Type: Parasite (motivation: to infest, control, and devour

The aspect of greed has taken over an existing casino, turning it into low stake high reward. It draws in new players with its low stakes and, those at are lucky enough to hit jackpot multiple times (which is once-twice daily), they are brought up to the penthouse. There the Aspect infests itself into the lucky winner, slowly draining them until they are nothing but dry husks. However, if they prove their worth they instead become the Staff, where they lead more people into the casino effectively giving it more prey.

Powers:

Addiction

Game Manipulation

Luck Detection

Weakness: The House Always Wins in the end... except when it doesn't. Much like gambling addicts, the Aspect of Greed will raise the stakes if it means the reward for itself is far greater. This will mean that it will take riskier bets, such as self-banishment if it loses a game. However, you HAVE to build up to it- it will not jump straight to that if it were just a normal game. Raise it over time, let it win some, get its ego up before the big bets.

Otherwise, using Big Magic in the casinos that circle around it will banish it out of the High Roller. However, this will mean the party is split as it sends minions out to stop the ritual once it knows what's going on.

Armor does not take into account for either- when it loses games it takes around 1-10 harm ignore armor depending on how high the stakes are.

Attacks:

Life-absorbtion- 2 harm close far ignore armor

It's a literal building (+3 armor)

Harm: 15 harm

Custom Moves:

Let the Games Begin- When the players challenge the Aspect, they will take turns on which game is being played. Meaning, the Aspect picks the game first, then the hunter, then back to the Aspect. It goes back and forth until theres one winner, and the hunter does have a chance to lose. All rolls will be done with Act Under Pressure because they ARE under pressure.

Only one hunter can challenge the Aspect to the game. However, that does not mean the other hunters cannot help in other ways as well. The Aspect's Staff will try to tilt the favor to the Aspect at any given chance. The Hunters not playing will have to keep an eye out and stop them before they do something to make the playing hunter lose. To the Aspect, so long as it's not the one cheating, it's not at fault. It will be annoyed if the playing Hunter uses that logic as well, but won't block it.

Addiction/Just One More Game...- The Hunters can easily fall under the influence of the Aspect should they play its random casino games. In order to snap out of it, they must roll Act Under Pressure.

On a 10+, they snap out of it. On a mix, they leave it alone but the temptation is there... they have -1 forward if they play another game (yes, that includes the challenge against The Aspect.) On a miss, they cannot stop playing, it's way too addicting! They have -1 ongoing while in the casino, including the final battle with the Aspect. Maybe one more spin will get them the jackpot...

Minion: The Staff

Type: Renfield (motivation: to push victims towards the monster)

People under the influence of the Aspect of Greed that weren't turned into husks. They lead people into the High Roller, scope out who has better luck, and then make sure they win so that they can go to the penthouse above. The richer the soul, the better luck they have.

Powers:

Game Manipulation

Soul Sight

Attacks:

9mm (2 harm close loud)

Brass Knuckles (1 harm hands small)

Harm: 5 harm

Custom Moves:

Game Manipulation: The Staff will turn the tides of a game no matter what, mostly subtly.

Bystander: Gamblers

Type: Victim (motivation: to unknowingly put themselves in danger.)

These are just random players in the casino. They do not know what they have got themselves into. They will more than likely refuse to leave with the hunters to go anywhere unless convinced that this area is not safe. Otherwise, they will slowly fall under the influence of the Aspect, continuously playing games until they hit their lucky streak and head up to the pent house.

#motw #monster of the week #monster of the week rpg #motw rpg #monster of the week mystery concept #motw mystery concept

[kasperbunny]

i gave myself brainrot when i made a post talking about arty patching up danse in a weirdly intimate way, so i needed to write an actual piece about it. this is before they catch feelings, but maybe this is the start of it?? hmm.....

this fic can also be found on ao3!

Touch || Paladin Danse/Sole Survivor

It was a routine mission, the two of them tasked with patrolling the area and reporting back any findings to Elder Maxson. Simple enough, and it almost went off without any issue, which was a strange occurrence when attempting to get anything done alongside Artemis. For once, though, there had been no backtalk from him, no bickering, and no disobeying orders. He had only muttered a ‘yes, sir’ and they had headed on their way. Danse would almost think something was wrong if he didn’t revel in the rare silence and obedience from his subordinate. Though, he made a mental note to check in on the Knight once they arrived back at the Prydwen. As much as Danse disliked the other man, he was still responsible for the wellbeing of the soldiers under his command.

Everything was going smoothly, both of them mostly keeping to themselves besides Danse barking out a few orders here and there, when suddenly he was stopping in his tracks, catching the attention of Artemis.

“What’s up?”

“The joints in my right arm are loose,” He punctuated his statement by rolling the shoulder of his armor and scrunching up his face a little, “It’s making it difficult to wield my weapon.”

“Mmm,” Artemis mused for a moment as he looked around, “I know this area. There’s an old abandoned gas station further up ahead,” He motioned in the general direction with a quick nod of his chin, “Could be useful.”

“Outstanding,” Danse replied, and Artemis rolled his eyes at the praise, “Lead the way, soldier.”

Artemis took the lead, Danse in tow behind him as they walked the short distance to the mentioned building. To their relief, there was a power armor workstation in the garage of the building. Danse was urgent on doing a quick scope of the area to make sure they wouldn’t have any surprise guests, then wasted no time in docking his armor and getting to work.

It’s not like Artemis had never seen Danse out of his armor before, they lived together aboard the Prydwen after all, but he couldn’t help but steal a look as the Paladin stepped out of his armor. His orange jumpsuit was obviously worn and used thoroughly, speckled with dirt and a few oil stains. Despite its use, it still hugged his body in all the right places. The soft curve of his belly straining against the material of his suit caught Artemis’ attention, before he caught himself staring, instead taking great interest in looking at a spot of dirt on the crumbling wall.

“This shouldn’t take long. The joints just need some adjusting,” Danse pulled out a small set of tools he kept in the chest compartment of his armor for specific occasions like this. You could never be too prepared when traversing the wasteland.

Artemis only hummed in acknowledgment. He didn’t really care, simply relieved to be out of the sun for a while. He made himself comfortable, plopping down in a rickety chair that was strewn into the corner of the garage. He unsheathed his combat knife from his belt, using it to absentmindedly pick at his nails as he waited.

It was only a few moments before Artemis was startled by one of Danse’s tools clanging loudly to the concrete floor, quickly followed by a muttered curse under the Paladin’s breath. Danse emerged from behind the suit of armor right after, his palm bloody.

“What the hell happened?” Artemis didn’t appear terribly concerned as he stayed seated, but he craned his neck a bit in an attempt to see what had happened.

“I don’t know. My hand must have slipped,” Danse was pressing the thumb of his left hand into the cut, attempting to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Whatever piece of metal had cut him had sliced right through the glove of his jumpsuit, “There's a first aid kit in the storage unit of my armor.”

Artemis rose to his feet, unlocking the front of the armor and rummaging around for just a moment before he found what he was looking for. He ushered Danse to sit in the previously occupied chair in the corner, while Artemis sank to his knees in front of him. He removed Danse’s ruined glove, his fingers wrapping around the Paladin’s arm to keep him steady. Artemis pressed his thumb against the veins in the other man’s wrist, able to feel the faint thrumming of his heartbeat.

“I apologize,” Danse watched Artemis dab at his palm with a piece of cloth, attempting to clean up the blood, and then apply pressure to stop the bleeding all together. Danse felt his fingers twitch impatiently. He was annoyed with himself, “I only meant for us to be stationed here for a few minutes at most. Now we’re a vulnerable target if we sit here too long.”

The bleeding seemed to stop after a few moments, the cut not being very deep at all. Without warning, Artemis poured a small amount of antiseptic onto the wound. Danse’s face twitched in discomfort at the stinging sensation, but otherwise he didn’t complain.

“I’m not that worried,” Thankfully there was a bit of gauze in the kit, Artemis beginning to unroll it with both his hands. Cleaning up the wound left Artemis’ fingers speckled with a bit of blood, “I’m not helpless, I can shoot if someone comes up on us.”

“I understand, but–”

“Just shut up and let me finish, Danse,” Artemis was looking up at him, his brows scrunching up in annoyance. Then again, Danse supposed he looked like that most of the time by default, “I’ll be quick and we can get out of here sooner, if it really bothers you that much.”

“I don’t appreciate your tone, Lockett,” It was Danse’s turn to look annoyed, but he didn’t push any further, there would be no point in bickering over something as small as this, “But alright, do as you will, then.”

“Whatever,” Artemis glanced back down at the task at hand, his grip surprisingly soft despite his growing annoyance with his superior. Danse’s eyes followed the movement of his fingers as he rolled up the sleeve of Danse’s jumpsuit, his fingertips ghosting across Danse’s skin as he did so. The pads of his fingers were soft, so much unlike Danse’s own that were rough and calloused from years of rugged use. The thumb still against his wrist was warm. Goosebumps suddenly spread all across Danse’s arm, causing him to shiver.

Artemis didn’t seem to notice, beginning to wrap up the injury he was holding in his hands, starting at the wrist, and working the gauze around the palm of Danse’s large hand. Danse would never describe Artemis as a gentle person, so it took him by surprise as he watched him meticulously and carefully doctor up his cut, seemingly giving extra care not to pull the material too tight. For the first time, Danse was close enough to Artemis to notice the various moles and freckles that littered themselves across his knuckles and up onto his arms, most of them disappearing into the dark wisps of hair growing along his tanned, muscled forearms. Danse noted a few small, healed over scars scattered along the back of his hands, and briefly wondered where he had gotten them.

Though he had finally finished wrapping up the injury, Artemis’ fingers still lingered along the Paladin’s own. Danse suddenly felt very warm, and didn’t know why.

“Is that too tight?” Artemis’ voice was low as he glanced back up at Danse. His eyes were the same color as a storm at sea, but his expression was faintly softened.

Danse had never thought about how handsome Artemis was until this moment, as the other man gazed up at him. His inky black hair was growing out, much longer than it was when they had met many months ago. It was starting to curl around his ears and along his neck, but it framed his angular face nicely. His dark stubble was starting to come in from neglecting to shave for a couple of days, the fuzz dusting along his shapely jaw and right above his top lip. The moles along his arms were copied here, scattering themselves in random spots along his face. Danse couldn’t help but trace the curve of Artemis’ lips with his eyes, wondering if they were as soft as they looked…

“Paladin?” Artemis’ voice asked again, snapping Danse out of his thoughts, “Is it too tight?”

“Uh…” Danse cleared his throat awkwardly, finally looking away and blinking a few times as he felt his face become increasingly warm again, “No…No, it’s alright. Thank you, Knight.”

“Sure,” Artemis finally stood from his kneeling position, and Danse didn’t quite understand why he felt disappointed when their fingers finally disconnected, “Finish up if you want, but you’re right. We shouldn’t stay here too long.”

“Right,” Danse stood as well, flexing his fingers experimentally and feeling the sting of the cut, but it didn’t seem to deter him as he made his way back to his armor. He retrieved his abandoned tool from the ground and was quick to continue his adjustments, “I’ll just be a moment.”

“You promise this time?” Humor was evident on Artemis’ face, a small smirk lighting up his features. A dimple indented itself in his right cheek. 

“Yes. I promise,” Danse didn’t return the smile, but his eyes sparkled with something akin to mild amusement as they looked at each other. It was a pleasant surprise when Artemis dropped his gruff exterior and seemed a little more lighthearted. Danse appreciated the rare comradery. 

It didn’t take long at all for Danse to finish up his work on the armor, just as he had said. As soon as he was satisfied with the tightness of the joints, he began to gather up his supplies and put them back where they belonged. He was almost overjoyed when he jumped back into his armor, always tending to feel naked and vulnerable when he was outside of it. The familiar snugness of the suit always made him feel comfortable. Safe.

They were quick to make their way out of the little run down building, Danse resuming his role by taking the lead and continuing their mission just as they were before. Nothing had changed, and yet Danse caught himself being distracted more often than not. Even after they had returned to the Prydwen and gone their separate ways for the day, Danse couldn’t quite shake the image of Artemis’ hands against his own. 

The scene kept replaying in his head over and over again, even as he attempted to distract himself by tinkering with his armor further. If anything, it only reminded him of the memory that looped in his head. Artemis had been so careful with him, a stark contrast to the standoffish and, quite frankly, difficult man that he usually was. Danse thought about the dark hair on Artemis’ arms, the freckles that scattered along his skin. He thought about the scars on the back of his hands. Would his skin feel warm if Danse pressed his own lips against his knuckles? How would those soft fingers feel cupping Danse’s face, with Artemis’ thumb rubbing his cheek? Would Danse’s skin bubble up into goosebumps again if Artemis ran those hands along his biceps, his pecs, his stomach…?

Danse squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his face burn bright and hot again, finally deciding that maybe the best course of action was to take a very long, and very cold shower.

#kas writes stuff #artemis tag #danse/art #paladin danse #sole survivor #if danse is ooc no he isnt <3 #dont know what else to tag this #i finally figured out a pleasant way to format my fics on tumblr wahoooo #this was so fun to write. i havent had FUN writing in...........a while. which sounds insane but i like making things hard for myself

[obae-me]

Upside Down- CH 8

Author’s Notes: No MC’s perspective in this one, I thought I’d give our bros some time to bond, but don’t worry, we will be back with a vengeance soon!

Warnings: This chapter contains negative thoughts and panic attacks. As Always, Read Safely. 

Word Count: 6436

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The Life of a Hero

Now was the time! The wind would howl, sweeping up stray leaves in its fervent swirl. The clouds would darken the sky. The birds would all flee from their perches in the trees at once, causing a cacophonous cry above their heads. He would feel his soul glow with the power of a demon, his fingertips tingling as magical symbols twisted off his body, his pact mark burning with the sensation of satisfaction. Of temptation. His shouting would rattle the very heavens! 

“W…What are you doing?” Nothing but a gentle breeze blew past. 

Mammon lowered his arms, looking at his hands, a sudden fire burning in his face. Where was the magic? The fanfare? The glowy stuff? “What’s it look like I’m doin’?!” He looked around at the empty field in front of them, growling, rushing back over to Levi’s side to look at the map. The crown icon was still up where it was before. They hadn’t even budged. “Did ya lie to me, huh?!” He shouted at the map, poking MC’s player icon repeatedly. Way to make him look like a fool. That was supposed to be his moment! How cool would that have been to just snatch them out from under the clutches of the demon before they’d even started the game? So much for his secret hopes of playing with them. 

Levi took a moment to register what had happened before bursting out into laughter, his hand almost covering his mouth. “Did you just try casting a spell? OMG that was hilarious! The look on your face when nothing happened–” 

“Shaddup!” Mammon snatched the map from Levi’s hands and turned his back on his brother, trying to make heads or tails of this thing. He paced around the forested area, watching his little icon make little circles over the map as he moved. “MC said it would bring them right to me whenever I needed!” 

After he was laughing so hard his sides were hurting, Levi stopped his chuckling. “It’s probably because we’re in a video game, idiot.” He went to go habitually rest his hands in his jacket pockets, only to find that…right…they weren’t there. He rested one of his hands on the hilt of his sword instead. So cool! “The spell probably doesn’t work because you don’t have enough intelligence or mana to cast magic.” 

“Hey!” At being insulted, Mammon almost crinkled the map in his hands. All the sudden, there was a little rush of wind, the forest seeming slightly darker for just a moment. Mammon seemed to blink out of existence just a second, reappearing right in front of Levi just in time to give him a shove. Levi’s suit of armor glowed, and while the gamer might’ve normally fallen over with such a strong push, his feet had never felt sturdier. It had meant to be a fight, but instead, both humans looked at themselves with wide eyes. “D-did you see me do that?” Mammon muttered. 

“Uh-huh.” Levi had felt a little bit of doubt before, being thrust into this world on a whim. That and the whole demon thing was strange. But maybe…there was more to the world than he expected. Maybe the world wasn’t so dreary. Maybe he could be the hero this time…Which brought up another thing. “It’s possible that MC isn’t even a demon in this world,” Levi mentioned. “Maybe your pact doesn’t work here.” 

Levi didn’t often get to see Mammon get upset anymore, not like this. The second oldest usually got mad or irritated, but it had felt like ages since he’d seen his brother’s face fall. “Ah. Y-yeah, that makes sense.” 

“But maybe I’m wrong! Maybe we could find something to raise your magic stat and you can try that again later!” What…What was Levi doing? Comforting Mammon? But he couldn’t stand Mammon. Levi shook his head and came over to steal the map from his brother’s hands, able to figure out where they needed to go immediately. “This direction,” he pointed west from where they were standing. “There’s a town there, the only town around us for quite a while. It has to be the beginner town! Here’s some JRPG 101! Best place to get information is usually an inn or tavern. We figure out some details, find the NPC to start us on our quest to hunt the demon lord, and we’ll be set! A bit of side-questing, a bit of farming, and we’ll reach level one-hundred in no time!” Levi raised his own head, looking above him. He had to think about it for the words to show up, but they did eventually. Leviathan: LV 0 Soldier. Not even Paladin status yet, maybe he’d get it at level 30. 

Mammon’s was much the same. Mammoney: LV 0 Thief. Mammon put his hands on his hips after looking at his tag, eyes suddenly filled with a little bit of worry. “Gotta get to one-hundred, huh? How long will that take, do ya think?” 

“I can usually grind out a JRPG like this in…sixty hours?” 

“Sixty?!” 

“But if we really can die here, we need to be extra careful. We can’t just hop into any quest or dungeon without being safely over-leveled. Plus, if we still need to sleep and eat here, we might be here for days, weeks, even.” 

“We don’t have weeks! MC might not be…We can’t take that long!” Another look of recognition crossed over Mammon’s face, his eyes darkening. “Oh, god…What’ll the others think?” Mammon began to pace again, one hand rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Lucifer’ll be pissed.” 

“If time is the same inside and outside, we’ll be registered as missing…Or, maybe we won’t be.” A swirl of negative emotions swirled within Levi’s body, making his brain feel heavy. “I doubt Lucifer will care enough to look for the both of us. You’re a pain in the ass and I’m a useless nobody…He’ll probably be glad we’re gone…” They both shared a moment of silence, elated faces turned into depressed ones. Levi was once again reminded that the real world…was a terribly harsh place. Filled with disappointment. Filled with pain. Needless suffering. There was no place in a world like that for him. Maybe…maybe he could figure out a way to stay here…forever. 

Levi suddenly felt a harsh smack on the back of his head. Mammon grabbed Levi by one of his shoulders and tugged him along till his feet moved on their own. “You’ve got that look on your face when you’re thinking something pathetic again. I can’t have you sulkin’ around all sad. All of our brothers are gonna cry buckets of tears when they realize we’ve gone missing! We’ll come back and they’ll throw a party! Then we’ll get MC back and help them kick those other demon’s asses, and you’ll officially be part of our group!” 

Levi winced a bit at his head, but it did snap him out of the spiral he was heading down… “Group?” 

“Yeah, the cool group! The Demon group! The…Secretive…Mammon, MC, and Levi Group!” 

“That’s just our names…” A little bubble of humor floated up to Levi’s chest. How was Mammon always like this? Trying to look at things positively always, even when he knew he was going to lose. He’d try things over and over and over again, getting the same result, which is technically the definition of insanity. Yet, he never cared. Somehow, most things worked out in the end for him anyway. Then he’d always say something stupid like ‘see, I knew things would go my way’, despite all the pain he had been through… Levi wished he was like that. He could never see the positive in anything. Nothing ever went right for him. Yet…this was happening now. He was spending this much time with his older brother and was actually…enjoying himself. Mammon was trying to cheer him up again too…This was…all he ever wanted. And yet some part of him couldn’t stand it. Levi suddenly felt a few tears fall from his face. He brushed them away before his older brother noticed. “You’re such a moron,” he blurted out, dashing away from Mammon before things got too emotional. 

“Oi, don’t leave me behind!” Despite Levi’s large head-start, Mammon seemed to catch up to him in two seconds. They both left the clearing, ducking under the shade of trees, trying to leave behind sadder memories in that clearing, perhaps standing a bit closer than usual, Mammon constantly bumping into his brother’s shoulder trying to peek at the map Levi had open. 

They continued to head west until they came across a dirt road cutting a path through the forest. With a bit of relief, Levi shared that it was safer to stay on the roads. Drifting too far from them usually ended up sending you straight into random enemies. For now, it seemed the game was giving them safety till they could reach the tutorials. Walking like this like a normal person was a pain, though. On the map, the town didn’t seem too far, but already they’d been walking for half an hour and they were only halfway there. Hopefully they’d both get some kind of mount to move faster or his previous estimates of how long they were going to stay here were going to suddenly be much longer. And this suit of armor wasn’t helping… If he were back in the normal world, he probably wouldn’t have been able to take a step with all this added weight on him, but that wasn’t to say he was completely immune to it. If only he were a mage…those robes would be much easier to wear. 

“Let’s take a break for a second…” Levi finally uttered, his stamina spent. “No more AP…” Time to recharge. He conveniently managed to spot a tree stump along the road, using that to sit down on for a few minutes. 

Mammon remained standing, hardly winded, looking up and down the road with an annoyed expression. “Maaaan. What a pain. Why couldn’t they spawn us in the town or something? Why do we gotta head over there ourselves?” 

Their little moment of pity was interrupted by the sound of a horse. They both turned their heads to spy a wagon being pulled towards their direction. It hadn’t been there before. Maybe they’d triggered an interaction. “Maybe we can get them to take us to the town!” Levi was suddenly back up at his feet, heading towards the wagon with hope in his eyes yet again. He waved his arms a bit as the cart approached. “E-excuse me!” 

The rider pulled back gently on the reins, turning his hooded head to both the travelers. With a small movement, the rider pulled his hood back, revealing his face. 

Both brothers suddenly stuttered, confounded, minds reeling in a bit of panic. They both shouted in unison, expressing their mutual question. “Satan?!” 

“Here we are. Welcome, adventurers, to Dawn’s Hollow.” 

Both humans raised their heads as the wagon pulled up to the town. It was a quaint little city, the exact type you would expect from a starter town in the woods. A high cobblestone wall fenced off the town’s perimeter. Two guards with leather armor held spears to guard the entrance. As Satan approached with his wagon, the two guards stepped aside, letting him pass. Immediately the smell of freshly made bread filled Levi and Mammon’s noses. This side of the town seemed to hold most of the shops. A bakery, a butchery, a general store, a blacksmith’s shop, the Inn which also seemed to be the town’s tavern as well. Other people seemed to be walking around although in a way that didn’t seem to be entirely natural, like they were following set paths. Even small children seemed to be running around towards nothing in particular. 

The wagon stopped near the general store, Satan hopping down from his seat. He came over to the back of the wagon and stood there. Just…waiting. Seems like he was waiting for them to get out before they could talk. “See, I told you he was an NPC,” Levi sighed a bit, standing. He appreciated the ride, but boy, was he glad to finally be getting on solid ground. Fantasy rides sure were bumpier than he expected. 

Mammon hopped out with ease, landing on the ground, looking over at his brother…or his not brother, with curiosity. “So he is Satan, but not Satan?” 

“If I had to guess–” Levi gasped a little bit as he almost fell getting out of the wagon, clutching the wooden rails like his life depended on it. His character was lacking in agility it seemed. He cleared his throat and continued as soon as his feet touched stable ground, staring at Satan. “This game probably changed some NPC’s according to our memories. Maybe to make it easier to know who to talk to? Or maybe just to make us more comfortable in this environment. I’ve seen similar situations happen in anime.” 

Mammon muttered his response under his breath, expecting the person that looked like Satan to react the same and throttle him or threaten him at the very least. “Satan and comfort don’t really go together…” But no, the NPC continued to just look towards them, waiting for them to start the interaction. “Super weird…” The older of the two took a few steps forward. Apparently closer proximity was all he needed before NPC Satan lowered the back of the wagon, beginning to remove the contents. 

“Glad I found you out there before something happened to you both. The woods out here used to be peaceful, but lately even the roads during the day can be risky.” Satan pulled down a crate with surprising ease and settled it near the outer wall of the shop. “Anyways, it’s nice to meet you both. I’m Satan. I own this shop right here. I travel out every so often to bring back goods to sell. You both caught me at the perfect time. It’s as if it was some twist of destiny, right?” After he finished placing down some books, he straightened his body and smiled. It was a weird feeling, to see their brother so happy and calm. Apparently personalities didn’t fully transfer, only images and apparently names. 

“Right…” Mammon glanced away awkwardly. 

“I can’t quite give you a tour, but all the things you travelers might need are nearby. The Inn you saw is right across the way. You can get food just a few shops down, and if you need to stock up on supplies, you know where to find me.” As he spoke, a little noise chimed. Levi pulled out the map, since it seemed to be the only thing they both had in their possessions. The locations NPC Satan mentioned were now pinged on the map, the entire city of Dawn’s Hollow enlarged to see better. “Oh, but I bet you two are short on funds, aren’t you?” 

Levi couldn’t help but chuckle, looking over at his older brother. “Guess even in the fantasy world you’re still broke, huh, Mammon?” 

Instead of looking angry, Mammon looked a bit sad. “If I had my precious Goldie, we could get anything we wanted in here…” 

The shopkeep seemed unaffected by their conversation, moving forward with the information. “If you need payment, the leader of this town is always looking for some extra hands. He should have a few jobs for you.” Satan finally unloaded the last of his goods, settling one hand on his hip. “If you can’t find him, ask the Innkeeper, he always seems to know exactly where anyone is at any time.” 

An exhausted groan filled the air. Mammon tilted his head back, rolling his eyes a bit. “So if we wanna stay at the Inn, we gotta find the Town Leader to get money, but to find the Town Leader, we gotta go to the Inn anyway? What’s with this back and forth crap?” The NPC didn’t answer. Satan simply turned and began to bring his items inside his store, his dialogue apparently spent. 

Levi shrugged. “It’s natural for these types of games. Come on, we won’t get anywhere just standing around.” He tucked the map away, not needing it to remember where to go to find the Inn. They passed a few more nameless NPC’s before approaching the sound of merry chatter, comforting noises coming from the tavern inside. It was clever, able to have people drink to their heart’s content downstairs and then charge them for a bed upstairs should they be too drunk to wander off. Almost like a Bed and Breakfast except it was more like a…Drink and Dream?

As the two players entered the building, a bubbly voice greeted them immediately. “Welcome in! Oh! New faces! I love new faces!” A blur of pink approached the pair before they could even register what they were seeing. “Welcome to Heaven’s Rest, lovelies! What do you two need, a drink or a room?” 

After a moment of blinking, Mammon sighed. “Makes sense Asmo would be the one running a place like this. Not gonna lie, these things actually freak me out a bit…” Mammon leaned in a bit, getting a closer look at Fake-Asmo’s face. The NPC didn’t budge at that, just waited for a response. 

“I wonder if all our brothers are here,” Levi thought aloud before squaring his shoulders a bit, getting into character. “We were told you might know where the Town Leader is? We’re looking for him.” 

Asmo took a step back, his index finger resting just under his bottom lip as he thought. “The Town Leader? He should still be overseeing reconstruction of the town wall.” His finger lowered as his hand cupped near his mouth like he was trying to keep this next bit of information quiet, as if the other NPC’s might panic if they heard. “Apparently the other night a monster broke through the wall. Tore a huge hole in it! They managed to chase it away but the Town Leader is pushing to get the wall repaired as soon as possible! I swear, you can’t be safe anywhere anymore!” Then the hand went to his chest right over his heart. “It’s about enough to make anyone stressed out!” After the dramatics, NPC Asmo pointed to the right of himself. “If you both head down in that direction, you should come across him. Just follow the wall and the sounds of hammers! And then come back to me if you need a place to rest! Bye now!” Having handed off the quest, the Innkeeper bounded away. 

Levi didn’t want to admit it, but even he was starting to get tired of being sent off to someone else. Quests like these are much easier done from a chair behind a screen…Hopefully they’d set off on their journey soon… For now, the two followed the directions, following the wall in the direction they’d been pointed in until they heard banging and clanging and assorted construction sounds. The hole that had been mentioned before was a bit of an understatement. It wasn’t like they were working to fix a little piece of wall that had crumbled down, but actually a giant gaping entrance. It seemed they were working hard to make temporary fixes, using logs instead of stone. Workers kept running back and forth to pick up supplies, and for some reason some NPC’s were hammering in places they didn’t need to be. One character did stand out from the others. He stood observing with his arms crossed, a nice blue hue to his clothes making him stick out from the others. Both the brothers knew who this was just from looking at the back of him. They both stopped their approach, a little on edge despite knowing that he wasn’t the real deal. 

“Figures…” Mammon scoffed. 

“B-Better a Town Leader than a final boss though. He seems a little less scary this way. Why don’t you approach him first?” 

“Nah, Mr. Hero, you go first!” 

“Older brothers first!” 

They both bickered for a bit before Levi eventually gave in, approaching the familiar figure with his head almost held low. It’s amazing that even a fake version of Lucifer could have them both on edge. “H-hello,” he called out once he was close enough. 

The NPC turned, raising an eyebrow, keeping his arms crossed. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you two here before. Just arrived today I assume?” NPC Lucifer didn’t need a response to know, much like the one in real life did. “Came here to take on an errand? Well, that’s good to hear at least. You have no idea how many problems I’ve had to deal with lately.” He sighed, his arms dropping from their tense position. Normally, there would’ve been a deep anger behind those furrowed eyebrows, but now he just simply seemed like a tired and overly stressed man. There was no hostility to him at all. Definitely…not the real Lucifer. “I’ll pay you for each problem you solve.” He then began to rattle off a fairly long list of delivery quests, fetch quests, gathering quests, small monster hunts, etc. Every problem he listed felt like another year taken off Levi and Mammon’s lives. And for a small moment…Levi actually wished he was back home. The life of a hero is a lot of work. 

The two brothers looked at each other with surprising sympathy, now that they were both stuck in this situation together. “Guess…Guess we better get started,” Levi felt his shoulders slump a little. Perhaps once they got out of this beginner town, that’s where the fun would begin… 

“Now this is more like it!” Mammon shouted, continuing to dash all around, occasionally disappearing in a flash of smoke only to appear with his blades glinting in the sunlight. He drove his daggers down into the body of the small green slime. It made a whimpering gurgle before melting, disappearing completely after a moment. 

“That’s the last of them,” Levi sighed, sliding his sword back into his sheath, tucking his shield onto his back. Then all the sudden, light shimmered around them both. The exhaustion they both had felt was gone in an instant as the wind and glimmer revitalized them. At this point, it didn’t surprise them…well, not too much anyway. This had happened already a few times before now that they were working on quests. The names above both their heads now had a more comforting level ten next to their names rather than a paltry zero. Still ninety levels to go though…and there wouldn’t be an easy walkthrough for this game. Levi straightened, his shoulders not so weary. “We should turn all these in now, we could probably get another five levels before the end of the day.” 

Mammon looked up at that. Sure enough, the sun was lowering, the artificial sky awash in a myriad of warm colors, the clouds a pleasing cotton-candy color. He stared for a little while before shaking his head, snapping himself out of the little daze he was in. Levi found it hard to tell what he was thinking. Although he was used to it at this point. None of his brothers told him anything anymore. “Yeah, let’s head back. The sooner we get rest, the sooner we can head out again.” Mammon strode past Levi with confident footsteps, the younger sibling trailing behind. They made it back to the town rather quickly, the two of them retracing the path back to NPC Lucifer who had a subtle green glow around him, probably telling the two players that the quests they had finished were ready to complete. Mammon seemed to have no problem now walking up to this mimic. He strutted in front of NPC Lucifer and turned to face him, one hand on his hip. “I finished your stuff for ya! It’s reward time!” 

“Thank you. I’m sure this town will sleep a little easier at night knowing they’re a little safer. I can’t tell you what this means to me. I’m grateful such capable adventurers wandered into my town.” The fake Lucifer smiled at the both of them, the two real humans falling silent. 

Mammon actually took a step forward, his eyes almost shimmering. “I wish…” His voice fell silent, but Levi knew what his brother was feeling. He was wishing the same. They both wished their older brother could say such things in real life. They wished he could smile at them without needing to drink first. 

“Here is the reward I promised.” With an outstretched hand, NPC Lucifer handed over a bag of money. As soon as Mammon grabbed it, the bag disappeared, but a faint sound of coins and the small outline of words that said ‘+1000 gold’ suggested that they had gotten paid sufficiently. They continued to turn in each quest, needing to do so individually, leveling up occasionally, listening to NPC Lucifer say the same dialogue over and over again until their quests were spent. Finally, at the end of it all, Lucifer looked surprised. “You both really did everything I asked. I can’t believe it. You’ve saved me weeks worth of stress, thank you. I feel deeply indebted to you both, but unfortunately there’s not much more I can offer you.” NPC Lucifer shifted on his feet, thinking for a moment before snapping back into his usual position. “I know. Both of you take this.” He held out his palm, Mammon picking up the object carefully. It was a little charm attached to a string. It seemed to be made out of little branches, carefully woven into a circular braid, a blue crystal dangling in the middle. “It’s a charm that’s been in my possession for as long as I can remember. It’s supposed to be good luck, but I was never the superstitious type. If you show it to the other shops in town, they’ll know I gave it to you. They’ll make sure you both are properly outfitted for your journey free of charge. Keep it. May it give you the luck it never gave me and keep you safe on your adventures. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” That was all his character needed to give, it seemed. He walked away from both of them, his image slowly disappearing till he was gone. 

Levi seemed to only be able to stand there in place, forgetting the game he was in for a moment. Mammon took him by one of his shoulders and tugged him along. “Come on, let’s get some food or somethin’.” 

Before long, they both found themselves back at Heaven’s Rest, NPC Asmo bounding back towards them the same as before. “Welcome! What can I get you two?” 

“Food. Oh and– and a room, please,” Levi requested, shrugging his shoulders a bit, wondering if he’d have to sleep inside his armor or if he could take it off somehow. 

“Of course!” NPC Asmo beamed before turning swiftly and gracefully on his feet, looking at the counter behind him. “Belphie!” The name caused the human’s eyes to go a bit wide. Even Belphie was here? “Belphie!” Asmo called again when he heard no response. 

Finally, a head rose up from behind the counter, two sleepy and annoyed looking eyes glaring back at Asmo. “What?” It was. It was really him. Well…not really him, but the image of him. 

“I feel like we haven’t seen him in forever…” Mammon muttered, his gaze soft towards the figure that resembled their youngest brother. 

Levi’s lips twitched into a frown. Something cold settled into his stomach. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year.” 

Despite their conversation, the NPC’s were having one of their own. Shouts of ‘get them a room’ and ‘why should I’ and ‘what do you even work here for’. But Mammon and Levi moved on. “He’s comin’ back soon, ain’t he? Lucifer said he’s gettin’ better.” 

Levi walked past him as NPC Belphie waved them over to take them to their room. “I don’t really want to talk about this right now…” Aside from Lilith, the Morningstars all had another subject they tended to avoid, especially recently. Belphie… Levi kept his eyes to the floor to avoid staring at this digital version of the youngest sibling, stepping into their Inn room as soon as he was able, only feeling a little better when Mammon shut the door behind him. As soon as the door clicked into place, Levi thrashed, pulling and tugging at his armor to take it off. This all suddenly felt so suffocating. The world was much too big and yet much too tight at the same time. This is why he never wanted to leave his room…

“Hey, woah, chill out!” Mammon came to Levi’s side, grabbing Levi’s shield and putting it aside. “Lemme help ya.” It took some work, but they both managed to get Levi free from the metal, wearing just a regular tunic and some cloth pants under it all. 

Mammon opened his mouth to joke about what a hassle it had been, but before he could do that, Levi scrambled for the far corner of the room, tucking himself between the wall and one of the two beds this room graced them with. The youngest of the two curled up into a ball, his nerves suddenly overtaken with panic. This was too much. Far too much. Why was he here? Why did he have to do this? To try and save someone he didn’t even know? Was this even real? Had he gone crazy like Belphie had? Why him? Why them? Why couldn’t he go home? Why, why, why?

Amidst the panic, a blanket was thrown over Levi’s head. Levi pulled it around him, cowering under it, feeling a bit safer, feeling more hidden. He covered his face as tears fell down his cheeks. He heard his brother sit down beside him. “I told ya to chill,” Mammon sighed, his hand settling at the back of Levi’s head. “You remember what the doctor told you to do with these, don’t ya?” The older brother waited for a response but never got one, only hearing Levi wheeze and sob in anxiety. “Breathe in, bud, come on, I’ll do it with ya.” Mammon breathed in loudly and dramatically, holding it in, and then sighing it out, repeating it over and over again until Levi did it with him. “There ya go.” It took some time, but Levi’s panic attack came to an end. Now he was just embarrassed, continuing to hide under the cover of the blanket. The warmth of Mammon’s body left as he stood. Levi heard the sound of him throwing his shoes off as he spoke. “Jeez, you haven’t had one of those in a while.”

That you know of, Levi thought to himself, staying silent as there was a knock at the door. Their food apparently. It would be nice if it tasted as good as it smelled, but he wasn’t sure how digital food worked. The sound of silent and brief conversation could be heard as Mammon opened the door and shut it shortly after. Footsteps were followed by sudden light as Levi’s cover was pulled away from his head, a plate held out to him. 

“Come on, eat,” Mammon commanded, sitting back beside him with his own plate in his lap. It just looked like regular steak and mashed potatoes, not really the most magical of meals. Levi looked down at the food, then at his brother who was already digging in. Levi muttered a bitter question under his breath. “Huh?” Mammon raised an eyebrow, speaking with some mashed potatoes in his mouth. “Didn’t catch that.” 

“How are you so calm?” Levi hissed, startled at the sound of his own voice. He placed the plate down on the floor in front of him and tucked his legs closer to his body. “This is crazy! This is messed up! And you’re treating it all like it’s a joke!” Levi held his hands against his temples. “Just like with Lilith! With Belphie! You never take anything seriously! This is why all of us hate you!” 

Mammon didn’t respond with anything, just continued to eat in silence, hardly looking phased at what Levi had just said. Eventually, he stood up with his plate and shrugged at it. “The food doesn’t taste like much, but at least it’s somethin’. Try to eat a bit of it or you’re gonna feel like garbage tomorrow.” He walked away and settled it on the small table by the window. Mammon picked the other bed to rest on, pulling off some of his own clothes and straps and dropping them on the floor. Levi glared and then sighed, a stray tear falling from one of his eyes before he picked up his plate. There was silence in the room for a long while. So long, Levi assumed Mammon had fallen asleep. But eventually, just as Levi finished what he could stomach, he heard his brother speak again. “I don’t know why I’m calm.” Mammon shifted in the bed, laying on his back, looking up at the ceiling as both of his hands rested under the back of his head. “Guess I just try not to think about anything other than what I want. Forget everything but my next paycheck, my next car, my next big score. Makes it easier that way.” 

Levi glanced around the room, a small knot of guilt in his chest. “That’s not any healthier.” 

“Didn’t say it was.” Mammon took another deep breath and then let it out in a little laugh. “We’re all pretty screwed up, aren’t we?” 

Levi shook his head, ignoring Mammon’s joke despite the stinging truth it contained. “But– But you seem different here. You haven’t tried to steal anything, you didn’t even mention the money we earned from the quests. You could’ve gone straight to a shop but you…you didn’t.” Levi slowly got up, crawling onto the mattress he was next too, sitting and staring at his brother curiously, enviously. 

Mammon had to think about that himself, his head tilting back and forth. He wasn’t sure why. “Maybe if it’s not real money it doesn’t count? Or maybe I’m more freaked out than I realize? Who knows? I’m not a shrink.” He glanced at Levi through the sides of his eyes before turning his attention towards the night sky out the window. “Maybe I want something more than just money right now.” 

“Like…Like what?” 

Mammon scoffed, turning on his side, propping his head up with his hand. “You’re really just askin’ me for all my secrets, aren’t ya?” 

Levi turned slightly away from his brother, leaning back against the wall. “We haven’t really talked like this before. F-Forget about it. It was a dumb question to ask anyway.” 

“I want Lucifer to yell at me,” Mammon spoke suddenly, laughing at himself. “Isn’t that weird? I want him to say somethin’ like, ‘you’re unbelievable’ or ‘it’s a miracle you can breathe on your own’ because that’s how I know he had an okay day. If he’s too quiet, he’s upset. I want to start eating meals in the dining room again. I want to sleep in my bedroom again instead of in one of my cars in an empty parking lot tryin’ to treat the street lamps like stars. I want to go to another one of Beel’s games and embarrass the hell out of him with how loudly I can scream. I wanna lose my voice shoutin’ so loud. I want to be there to greet Belphie when he comes home and fluff up his hair a bunch because I know how much he hates it.” Mammon sat up rubbing the back of his neck , a little embarrassed but with a light behind his eyes Levi hadn’t seen in a long time. “I want to get MC and get out of here and learn more about magic and demons so I can do something really badass... I want us all to be a family again.” 

“...You’re being far too hopeful.” His brother always did want everything and anything...but…it sounded nice. Some of it anyway. He’d pass on Lucifer yelling. It always left a sick feeling in his stomach. And leaving his room was always a bad idea, but maybe if it was for Beel he could try it. And MC…he didn’t really know them, but he can very faintly remember the events that happened when he was under the influence of the potion. They had felt safe for some reason. Like a friend he had already known. They did try to save him too. They saved Mammon’s life. Levi looked at his palm where they had held his hand so many times. They had probably hated it, his hands were probably sweaty and gross. “I want to show them anime and video games. I want to read manga with Satan. I want Belphie to come home too. I want to be able to go a day without a panic attack.” Levi felt his eyes sting a little, but he blinked away the tears. “Don’t demons make wishes come true? If I make a pact with MC too will we be able to have all that?” 

Mammon looked down at his hand, pulling up his sleeve to see his pact mark which was luckily still there. “Not sure. We’re being tested, you know. The whole of mankind is being observed through us to see if we’re worthy of…some kind of peace or something between realms. Making a pact with MC just for selfish reasons might make humans look pretty bad.” 

Levi narrowed his eyes. The hero was always supposed to put the needs of the many above the needs of the few. Sacrifices were always made for the good of mankind. Screw mankind. He might’ve been on rocky terms with his family, but…he still cared about them. And if there was a small chance of things almost going back to how they were then… “I don’t care.” Maybe just this once he’ll try to do things Mammon’s way. Only focus on what you want, huh? If Mammon got a pact, why shouldn’t he? If Mammon could get what he wanted, why couldn’t he get the same? What did it cost? Some years off his life? His soul? So what? He knew he was doomed anyway. “Once we get out of here, I’m making a pact with MC.” He was never Hero material anyway. 

Tag-List

(Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from this list!) 

@rayanicaraynbow

@designatedbreadbox

@qrowsofafeather

@crystal-freak24

@coffeeandtealol

@crxwned-mxnarch​

@your-next-daydream​​

@josiedoesdoodles

@zerchlia​

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me mammon #obey me levi #tw panic attack

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Echo

Halo Infinite Timeloop idea - Chief's not the one stuck respawning. Warnings for timeloop death

-

The start to one of the worst day's of Esparza's life begins much like every day of the last six months. He wakes up alone in a pelican, drifting in space, neck cramping from sleeping in the pilot seat. But this time the AI voice waking him is saying something different.

The monotone announcement blares "SIGNAL DETECTED. TAG DESIGNATION: FRIENDLY." on repeat.

It makes him jolt awake and buck against the harness keeping him upright. He flounders out of the safety straps and stands, hands fumbling for the radio. He holds it up to his ear as he practically yells into the receiver.

"This is UNSC Pelican Echo 216. Can you hear me? This is UNS-" Words leave him as he wipes the condensation fogging the window off and reveals a Spartan floating in space. Not just any Spartan; The Spartan. There's a 117 emblazoned in white on a green so standard no one wears it out of respect.

Esparza is shocked. He's no tech but he knows that Spartans mean Mjolnir mean nuclear power. And this is the Master Chief! He can grab him and they can get out of here. If this works…just maybe…he can go home.

It's hard work getting the Spartan aboard but he does it. There's hope bubbling up in his throat alongside the anxiety that wants to quash it before it backfires in his face. He's holding two power cables that will either save them or fry the Spartan inside.

He wants this to work. Needs it to work. He can't be a thief and the guy who killed Master Chief. If the legend wasn't already dead in the suit of armor he just pulled out of space like it was scrap.

"Okay, if you can hear me in there, I hope you're ready. Please don't die. Please don't die."

Esparza closes his eyes and plugs the two cables together. They spark, but he succeeds in not killing the Master Chief. Instead the electrical current runs through his arms to his heart and then to the metal floor beneath him. He's dead before he hits the ground.

Zeta Halo looms in the distance, visible from the cockpit. It glows an ethereal blue as a data-surge fires from one of the beacons on its surface.

"SIGNAL DETECTED. TAG DESIGNATION: FRIENDLY. SIGNAL DETECTED. TAG DESIGNATION: FRIENDLY."

He screams awake and grabs his chest. The flight harness is the only reason he doesn't hit his face on the controls in his panic. What a vivid nightmare…

He wipes the condensation off the window and stares at the Master Chief, floating in space in front of him, again.

He begins the arduous task of loading the legend into the back of his dead pelican without losing his remaining oxygen. This time he dries his hands well, and digs out some gloves and proper protection.

He jumpstarts the pelican and his hopes of them going home before Chief starts acting like there's a mission to continue. Before he can even argue further a blast rocks the pelican and the systems go haywire.

"No! No, no, no. We need to run. Right now, We have to go."

The Spartan in front of him does not agree. He takes Esparza's pistol and shoos him into the cockpit while the Master Chief goes off to "improvise" a one man attack on a Banished Warship.

#my writing #snippets #Echo 216 #John 117 #very much inspired by Zita showing us edgeoftomorrow and me going. we could do this better. without tom cruise

[pandacommander24a]

Bug Batchall

Sometimes you do silly things. @asksanguinius40k

Right so the story.

It should maybe end with a funny joke about what I bid, but at the same time... A voice came to me, and it asked a simple question...

And, like, I took that personally.

For those that don't think about 80s wargames lore all the time... The fuck are we even talking about?

A batchall is the Battle Challenge, get it, issued before a Trial in Clan "Culture."

The clans are a group of space weirdos who left Earth after pulling a Space Middle East, leading to a Galactic war that left hundreds of worlds burning and hundreds of trillions dead. After they almost killed themselves in the same way that the poor bastard they left behind had, the worst son of the greatest military leader mankind ever had, came up with the "perfect society" to never have that threat happen again to the human race... Except he created the very thing that would lead to happening four more times. Trail of Annihilation, which you know the Wolverines were right, the Clan Invasion, the War of Reaving, and the Conquest of the Republic. Not my Ilkhan.

A Trial is an honorable combat to settle a dispute between Clans and inner Clan disagreements. There are six, and they grow in severity, ending with Annihilation. You can't have a Trial without a Batchall.

In this case, the Trail of Possession to Call a bug looking mech a bug, https://www.tumblr.com/gort-grundlekin/739688789810823168/bug-type-mech

Normally, a Batchall would start with me issuing the challenge and declaring what I think this attack should cost; my opponent would then state what they are bidding in defense. If I was cool, and I am cool, I would counter-bid with a lower force than my opponent. Then my opponent, being a cool person, would counter-bid lower. Then, because, as stated, I'm cool, I would counter a lower force. And then... You get the idea...

The idea is to get to the lowest cost possible for the conflict, agreed to by both parties. Mind you, this is expected to cost human life; the question is, how good is my human life to be able to beat the other person's human cost.

Which brings us to the Bid;

One War Hawk, an 85-ton gun platform, smashed into the IS forces of the DCMS so hard they named it Masakari because it hit like an ax and split forces in two. There is not a bad variant of this; all of them hit like a MACK truck, and none of them are fun face down.

Three Horned Owl Light mechs. Relatively lightly armed, the Horned Owl makes up for it by having speed, dexterity, and staying power, unlike most clan designs. The Clan Weapons easily make this one able to punch into the Medium Tonnage, but this guy is sharing the tonnage ranking just before you get medium and is basically, in some ways, a clan Panther.

Fun fact; this mech was based on the Zaku from Gundam, and you can see it with its mono-eye cockpit.

Finally, a star of Elementals. Imagine Astates in a hard Sci-fi setting instead of a Space Opera one, and that's the Elementals. Genetically engineered super soldiers clad in advance power armor, allowing them to rip apart tanks and mechs while moving faster than

In a bit of humor, the two clans that have championed this fight, the Goliath Scorpions and the Coyotes, are more responsible for the Elementals than their credited creators, Clan Wolf. All they did was steal better ideas for themselves; it is almost as if that will be the trend for their narrative...

Thanks to the Goliath Scorpions' creation of underwater suits known as Water Elementals to complete complex tasks at incredible depth, the Elemental Suits have incredible armor and a flexible chassis.

However getting any weapon systems or the amount of options that are fielded by the Elementals would not be possible without the OMNITECH created by Clan Coyote. The "Hey man, if you keep changing your fucking work order every five minutes, I'll brain you, warrior caste or no warrior caste" clan. Coyote Tech Caste created the flexible slot system to allow a greater amount of customization in payloads which allowed for rapid force changes in battle and easier repairs to a degree.

Additionally Clan Hell's Horse created the genetic template that would become the Elemental people. The first drafts were so good without the elemental suits they almost won against normal Clan Wolf Dudes in the power armor.

That is a good Star, strong punch, movibility and a surprise waiting at your feet.

My Rebuttal Bid:

Savage Coyote is an 85 ton Assault Mech built to showcase two weapon systems; Omni-Tech Advance Tactical Missiles or the Clan ATM, all the fun of LRMs with SRM fun. Thanks to a XL engine this bad boy is stuff with armor and weapons. Built to bring the Coyotes in tho the post Golden Century Swinging.

An oldie but a classic, the Coyotl is the first Omnitech. However, built to prove the concept, it is a capable machine. All of its variants are built to have a solution to any problem.

The Rabid Coyote is a medium mech designed to serve as backup to slower mechs. It's moderately armored, but its pulse laser ensures its deadly accurate and carries a mixed tonnage of ATM ammunition. It is more than able to punch up from its modest 55 tons.

To round this out, I have also taken;

TWO ELEMENTAL STARS!

The total of my Bid is 180 Tons vs 195. Kids never play tonnage, however, since everyone was Clan... It was the only way to do this. However surprisingly?

Pretty close in BV.

Right, so let's get to the actual fight:

For the purpose of not knowing and also keeping things relatively interesting, I decided I would use late-era mechs, mostly Jihad mechs.

Also Clan Coyote stops being important in the Clan Invasion and suffers from the "Don't want to write a complex Clan narrative anymore" that CGL blessed us with in the War of the Reaving. There are a lot of reason people hate the Jihad, and besides its name, this is one of the reasons.

Lamba Galaxy is generally my go-to pick for Clanners. Coyotes and I like our mechs experimental and they have a neat paint scheme in the lambas. Seen here on a group of bois I need to touch up at some point:

Clan Coyote will also join the Society in a big way; Lamba Galaxy almost completely defects to them during the War of Reaving. The Society was a revolt from Clan Scientists Caste who was tired of Collage Jocks making all the big choices because dying young is a big clan ethos for Warriors. So they threw out a bunch of tech and advanced battle mechs to maybe save the clans from their ways. They lost, big shocker right?

Clan Coyote however gets to stay in the Tree house and disappear from the game's story. Possible forever... Fucking Jihad.

The Savage Coyote Variant was one such model built by the Society, with a HAG, targeting computers and Imporved ATM its a tough nut with a great punch.

The Coyotl, like wise was a bunch of tech from later than the Golden Century but felt right as a good addition to my bid.

Finally I brought a regural Rabid Coyote default, because 3 pulse laser should kill Elementals dead. It is why the Komodo has 9 fucking Medium lasers after all.

Clan Goliath Scorpion got kicked out of the tree house and is running around the Deep Periphery kicking ass and taking names. They, too, lost the War of Reaving, but they aren't bitches like Jade Falcon, Wolf, and Ghost Bear. Ultimately, it looks like they are going to pull a Clan Invasion 2.0. It's going to be more Revenge of the Periphery than Attack of the Clans though, I'm hyped for it. So the Scoripon Empire moves on closer and closer to the Inner Sphere.

For the Warhawk, I picked the mixed tech Alternate Configuration T to reflect this era. This does drop the long-range murder effect to a degree but it gives it two PPC that are also flamers, which for a clan mech is murder on the wheel, they run hot, and it also kind of better puts it in the timeline for a dust up of Clans in a late-era that aren't just Sucessor States that were once Clans... Fucking Wolf Empire.

For the Owls I pick two later eras ones and one default. The Default is murder; the other ones are just fun. I do this when I field a bunch of the same much, take variants, and they stacked up well enough to help each other out and make so I can't quite use the same tactic on all three.

But I made creative choices that might not be made if we did this for real.

BV and tonnage works out. Sadly I didn't have any friends online, so I had to resort to Princess, megamek's ai, and since this will be a quick game, brawler seemed good (maybe I shouldn't have had the Run Away so high in hindsight.)

Default victory I used with my friends is 40% BV lost, which is a good place for a friendly fight. Also so it doesn't last forever which can happen with bad dice.

For Pilots, I set all to the Clanner Default, 3/4 for everyone.

I picked the terrain.

A good mix of hills and vegitation. Flipping a coin, I was north, and my opponent south.

The fight was pretty fast. we moved quickly towards each other and started blasting, mostly missing. My Rabid Coyote got caught in the open and was knocked down, but the pilot managed to get her up and moving next round.

Then we slammed into each other, and the first blood went to the Scorpions.

The Coyatl has ECM, but it really didn't do much. It was funny. The Owls proved to be deadly, swarmed my Rabid Coyote and just sliced him to pieces. Managed to knock one of the Owls down.

The Toads jump in behind.

The next phase, I pulled back into the forest, and as my Coyotl pulled rapidly back trying to catch the Owls in a better firing line. The Owls that could jump far and wide, with one finding my rear armor of the Savage open to their pulse weapons. The owl, knocked prone, made an effort to go hull down, unable to get back up the next round.

The Warhawk fell back and opened fire on my Savage as well; with the high advantage and those long-ranged guns, it was the smart call.

In the firing phase saw my Savage tooke nearly 120 damage. Luckily no punches through the armor for the Warhawk and some how under the pulse lasers the back armor held.

Thanks to that barrage, my savage was knocked down, but the pilot pulled a hull down, allowing it to stay fighting.

Since this massive exchange happened in rapid order and heat was running red for both of us. I couldn't get the Savage moving too much heat, but to my dismay, the Warhawk bet heavily on that attack as well and was left unable to move and, worst, exposed on that hill.

Moving my elementals I forced them to get the Owls off the Savage while moving my Coyotl into minimum range bracket for all its weapons. This allowed me to pour fire from both the Savage and the Coyotle, scoring two engine hits despite not punching through the massive armor. The Warhawk had been cripple and couldn't likely survive another attack with that savaging, and with its engine compromised, so too were the heat sinks.

The Warhawk had to pull back and try and get off that hill.

Meanwhile, the Owl knocked prone manage to get up and turn on my Coatyl near it. However, thanks to the coyotes movement, I was able to win that fight and knock out that Owl.

In the moving away from the Toadies one of the other owls messed up a jump roll and was forced off the game, considering it retreated bummer...

Unable to get the Warhawk moving, the AI punched it out as well.

Finally with the toadies in range the real fight got started as the last owl jumped in to finish off my Savage, but my elementals were waiting and pounced on the light mech begingin to swarm as their elements closed distance and proceeded to bloody my other elemental unit.

And the game ended because a lot of BV was scraped off the board.

So I win.

And as my right to decide... It's a bug mech, the king of all bugs even. Realized now, after writing this 3 hours later, that the Trail was for our Gender... Does this make your pronouns my bond servants?

Thanks for Reading. I am now going to have to think about Clans created in the 80s by dudes who gave us a legacy of yellow scare to unpack and how they would have written gender.

#Battletech #mechwarrior #megamek #All my homies hate on clan wolf #I love FASA but some of their takes did not age well #This was not serious #Finding more Articles wrong on Sarna again

[doom-nerdo-666]

I kinda want to articulate why the D3 armor in QC feels weird to me.

A lot of these "throwback" armors do have differences to their actual designs, even the D2/64 ones in Eternal (Obviously because inconsistencies in designs aren't new to Doom but D3 was a game with more elaborate 3D models compared to others with sprites, few promo art and even low poly models like Q3A).

But D3 feels weird and i think it's because D3 had a specific art direction while in QC, it comes off as making it adhere to some of 2016's art style elements.

Maybe that's way: It's not just the looks themselves but it reminds me of a mindset that comes off as "fixing D3 means making it adhere to 2016/Eternal".

When in reality it should mean "making D3 a better D3 or at least make it respect/handle itself a bit better while being its own thing".

Because anyone who already dislikes D3 and prefers 2016/Eternal could just keep with those and get more of them.

D3 is its own flavor and it also comes off as misunderstood even by itself.

I keep saying D3 and "Slayer games" are like 2 sides of the Doom coin or seperate, opposite branches in the "Doom tree".

But maybe that mindset requires to admit "here's how 2016/Eternal still differ from old Doom" when some people prefer to think of them as being closer to the originals (Part of why i like that MatthewMatosis went "it's not like the classics but that's okay, they're still good and the old ones still get stuff").

If anything, admitting that modern Doom differs from old Doom can lead to so much more:

On one hand, finding many ways to explore classic Doom like how to better translate Doomguy's face to 3D.

But also, welcome newer, even if riskier things that could suit Doom in a way despite being alienating at first (Even if a boundry could be drawn like "don't turn demons into aliens").

Part of why 2016 and Eternal shouldn't be seen as "remakes" of D1 and 2 because they're clearly their own games (and also, D1/2 don't need "remakes" but you could have modern games with their own material that just vaguely parallel them?).

At the very least, this "D3 armor" being different could be seen as a "variation" of the D3 armor like how Eternal has a different take on the Praetor suit.

So imagine if a "Doom 3 sequel" had a design like the QC D3 armor but different/new enough while a "true" D3 armor is an unlockable skin (Plus, helmet on/off option).

Looking back, even MetaDoom uses this design and that's the mod i hype up as "ultimate Doom tribute, not even id themselves could do stuff like this".

And again, D3 fixing could mean a lot:

A proper re-release that does what BFG Edition and others should've done instead.

Maybe one more expansion that just tweaks the gameplay a bit (while leaving some flaws in base game but with settings/options) and does specific stuff like using the obscure power ups.

Its own "Hell on Earth" follow up that the D4 project should've been.

Anything but a "remake", because "remaking" D3 could lead to what i fear would happen like "making it for people that already dislike D3's concept alone".

#doom #doom 3 #id software #doomguy #opinions #armor #quake #quake champions

[protagonistheavy]

We finished the Fallout show, somehow my eyes survived rolling around that much. The final episode is relatively fine, it's much better than all the other episodes, but so much on the merits that finally some plot twists are reached, some plot lines are explained... and yet so much is left unanswered or, worse, has just a dumb fucking answer to it.

This feels less like a season finale and more of a mid-season waypoint, which is pretty much the case with so many shows nowadays, where second seasons are already planned in advance -- effectively taking one decent season and cutting it in half to sell twice.

Though some of my previous concerns were relieved by watching the show to the end, there's still plenty that goes unresolved. I still stand that much of the gore and sex are overdone, especially for representing a series that has fairly little of both -- I certainly don't think sex and blood first when I imagine Fallout. In fact most of the elements I most wanted to see from this adaptation of Fallout go overlooked, in favor of cramming in all the most generic or fan-favorite elements.

And there are just some really, really fucking stupid moments in this show. I'm so surprised at how much of this stuff gets a pass from other viewers because it stands out to me so badly. One sequence that bothers me so much involves the episodes where Lucy and Maximus are in the other vault, a location that is just so aggravating. Sorta spoilers: it's wild to me how convenient it was that, in all of the wasteland, and with the armor even being hidden beforehand, the vault STILL manages to find and then carry back an entire power armor suit... but then they also leave it accessible and unguarded for the very owner to then reclaim whenever he wants, which okay, it doesnt have a fusion core -- but then this vault also leaves their energy facility completely accessible and unguarded where anyone can just come down and take out the vault's entire power source, and THEN when this maniac comes out raging in power armor, they just.... let him leave, with the fusion core, that is essential to their survival, and only afterwards do Lucy and Maximus have the conversation to give the fusion core back, which leaves the armor powerless again, but instead of hiding it or doing anything with it this time, they just, leave it sitting there outside the vault. I mean, jesus fucking christ.

And the show has such an obsession with trying to introduce some new annoying character every couple of episodes. Maybe the humor worked for some viewers but I found so much of it more annoying than endearing. Some moments are fairly funny, but the tone rarely works; I was laughing at many other unintentional aspects than deliberate jokes.

Like how they kept reusing the gulper cgi that must have gulped the entire special effects budget. Appearing as a straight-up monster that gets killed in a swamp, seen again as some kind of captive specimen in a lab, and then AGAIN as the break-out science experiment seen in the old video footage. They really couldnt have whipped up some other creatures besides rad roaches huh. I mean for something that seems so designed "for fans" we don't even get to see a classic deathclaw, except for like its skull in the desert, like, come on.

So yeah after all this Im just so surprised how much praise it's gotten. I do see a fair half of people also dislike the show as much as I do, it's a pretty even-split down the middle, so I know I'm not totally crazy. There are parts to like about this story but it's so riddled with issues and all together does not feel like a complete season of a show, with some entire characters being left in an awkward middle state with nothing to be left thinking about between seasons. The parts that most feel like Fallout are all the most Bethesda-based aspects; the parts where it tries harder to be something different is where it works best, hence why I find myself more invested in the pre-war scenes rather than all the stuff that feels like a scrapped Fallout 5 plot.

[sylvie-fics]

Dissension’s Dynamism

its a multi part enemies to lovers with mr machine man and the ever so loved she/her y/n <3

Im so excited about this! I really hope you all like it! oh my gosh I haven’t wrote fanfiction in.... like since hetalia was popular. Also, I just want to say making a title was the hardest part of this, I am... not the best at those. 

Summary: Viktor and y/n both want the mysterious and magical blue orb that was recovered from a lake. Viktor knows exactly what it is, having worked with it all those years ago. y/n, on the other hand, is an aspiring inventor who has no clue what it is. After Viktor outbids her, y/n is determined to make Viktor’s life a living hell.

warning: language

word count: 1.5k

“This orb was actually found at the bottom of the lake out there. I don’t know much about it, but I'm sure you could figure out how it works. If it works.” said the shopkeeper.

“And it’s just the one?” asked (y/n), examining its glow. “How much?”

(y/n) had never seen one in person, but she had long heard of it. At some point, many of these were stolen from a lab, and seemingly lost to time, never recovered. Until now, that is. As an aspiring inventor, (y/n) saw this as an opportunity to advance her builds. If she could just figure out how to make it work, and then incorporate that into her own work..

Just then, as she begins to consider all the possibilities, a set of heavy footsteps draws near. 

“I’ll take it.” calls a voice, notably deep and… modulated, in a way.

(y/n) turned her head to the voice, looking up at the man who easily towered over her. Yes, she’d heard of this man before. He has a reputation about these parts of town. Menacing, perhaps even unhinged. Personally, you’ve always found his outlandish ideas to be quite endearing. True artists are never accepted in their own time, right? You aren't afraid of a man in a suit of armor with an arcade claw attached to his back. In fact, you’re annoyed by his insistence on buying what you have so rightfully claimed first.

“Back off, I saw it first.” (y/n) snarls, squinting her eyes for added intimidation.

Before her intimidation can fully set in, a bag of coins is tossed onto the counter, filled to the brim and spilling out. The shopkeeper looks to (y/n), and then to the man beside her. An apologetic look comes across his face as the shopkeeper plucks the orb from (y/n)’s hand.

“Would you like this wrapped up, sir?”

Slamming her hands onto the table, (y/n) yells out.

“You can't be serious! I hardly think that’s fair.”

The Machine Herald shakes his head, opting to carry it with his claw arm instead.

“Have you considered that maybe they don’t sell magical items to people who would use them for paperweights?” Viktor scoffed, walking out the door.

(Y/n) doesn’t take kindly to those who don't take kindly to her. Quite frankly, her opinion of the esteemed Machine herald had changed from admiration to intense hatred in a matter of minutes. Giving one last glare to the shopkeep, (y/n) bolted out the door– hot on the trail of her newfound enemy.

“Hey! Hey you!” she yelled out, not seeming to catch his attention at all. He could definitely hear her, but was actively ignoring her. (Y/n) was quick to notice that every two steps he took were easily four for her. He wasn’t easy to keep up with. That didn't matter – she could feel the fatigue later. Right now, all that mattered was giving him a piece of her mind.

“Paperweight! I’ll have you know I was going to use that on my latest invention. Before you had to come in and rip it out of my hands! What? You think you can have what you want because people are afraid of you? Because of your silly little armor suit? Well guess what, asshole. My inventions are ten times better than yours! In fact, I’m gonna flip you off so hard that my middle finger transcends the boundaries of this planet, and flies into space. And then, I’m gonna go home and build a new middle finger that has the power to teleport the old one from space right to your front porch. Just so you can be reminded of how much I despise you every day for the rest of your sad little life.”

She swore she could see him trying to stifle a laugh. Somehow, her speech of passion was humorous to him. Oh, how she seethed with even more rage. 

Viktor was taken aback by this stranger’s words. It had been entirely too long since anyone had addressed him in that manner. On any given day, he would expect the horrified glance of passersby, and the forced politeness of those who engaged in interactions with him. To think there was someone who hated him so openly was… amusing, yet refreshing. Maybe he should have laughed a bit louder, he thought. Who knows how long that spiel could have gone? 

“I'm sure you will.” he responded, unlocking the door to his lab/house. 

He took a moment to think before opening the door, and turning to look at the girl behind him. She stood there– arms crossed, an expression of rage across her face. 

“Would you like to see what I’m using it for?”

Viktor could tell the girl was having an internal dilemma. She just couldn’t stand it. In (y/n)’s mind, she was torn between being angry, or seeing something potentially groundbreaking. On any other day, she might let her emotions win. Today though… curiosity took over. (y/n) threw her hands to her side, before letting out an exasperated “yes…” followed quickly by a, “But don't expect this to change anything! I’m still very upset at you.”

Motioning for her to step in, Viktor gave an amused huff. “Trust me, I’m not interested in winning you over.”

The inside of his house-lab combination was… cold. Not so much in the sense of temperature, but in the way of decor. It was not welcoming in the slightest. Gray and industrial, only the things one might need to survive. Even then, not survive comfortably. As he motioned her to his workspace, she let out an adamant, “let me decorate your house.”

“No.” 

Flipping on the lights over the workbench, a mess of parts and gears appeared before the two. While this project was not anywhere near completion, it was obvious it would be a robot of some kind. The blueprints laid out beneath one of the parts showed a hastily drawn sketch of the creature-in-progress. 

“I plan to use this as a power source for him. He’ll be about nine feet tall, with the ability to act on his own free will.” he explained, picking up and moving some parts around.

“What?! That’s cool as hell!” (y/n) yelled, eyes wide. Suddenly, her expression became grim and solemn, muttering out something incomprehensible.

“What was that?”

“I said…”

“Once more?”

“I was gonna use that stupid glowy thing for a coffee maker! Ugh!”

Viktor was taken aback, truly at a loss for words. Considering he had been mocked and degraded beyond belief in the past half hour, he had expected this strange woman’s supposedly ‘better’ invention to be… well, better. It would be fun to escalate the situation, but it seemed the poor girl had already had enough for one day.

“To power it?” he asked, attempting to take interest in the idea.

“What? No. I was gonna pour the coffee over the orb to see if it made it taste different.”

Some battles you have to pick and choose. Viktor could explain to this very angry, very eccentric woman how that would not work. Or– he could choose to not explain. The urge was strong, creeping from his mind to his mouth. Before he could get a word out though, (y/n) had already changed her focus to something else, grabbing a pencil and making marks on the blueprint.

“Hey!” he spat out, claw reaching to grab the pencil from her hand. “Don’t mess with that.”

“Your design needs work… come find me when you realize this looks cooler.”

(Y/n) was out the door before he could defend his own design. Huffing, he went to erase the changes that had been made. 

… it really was cooler. Undeniably so.

Viktor wasn’t too keen on the idea of working with you. In fact, he wouldn’t much mind if he never had to see you again. Maybe…. Yes, if he could match this design to the rest of the robot, he wouldn’t have to find you and have you finish the sketch. Art and design may not have been his strong suit, but he was still quite proud of his prior works’ artistry. He had no doubt that this could be easily matched, maybe even made better. 

Even hours into that thinking , with crumpled papers scattered all across the floor, he was convinced he could match it. Perhaps it was stubbornness, or a piece of pride that he couldn’t afford to lose. He had never accepted help before. He knew how his past collaborative works had gone. But… this wasn’t considered help, right? Yes. This wasn’t him getting help or collaborating on a piece. This was just a man of science walking towards the main part of town that next day to civilly speak *about* design with another person.

Viktor doesn’t need help. Viktor doesn’t need friends, or enemies, or any sort of people at all. That, at least, he was sure of.

#lol arcane #viktor x reader #Viktor Arcane #arcane viktor x reader #viktor x y/n #viktor arcane x reader #machine herald viktor #machine herald x reader #machine herald viktor x reader #viktor x you #league of legends arcane #League of Legends #league of legends x reader

[voidsentprinces]

Now Ragnaroks been out for a time. I like the Odin using the excuse of doing it for his “family” after killing Thor. Echoes the same sentiment as Zeus claiming he is killing Kratos for the good of Olympus. In addition, this doesn’t work to placate Kratos because Odin is practically strong arming forced labor from the Dwarves and has Tyr imprisoned somewhere. Just as Zeus imprisoned the Titans, when he could of possibly forged a lasting peace with them. Odin SAYS he was young and foolish at the time but it is just an excuse, just as the one Zeus told himself. That what he did was for the good of all. Even though, like Zeus, Odin cannot see the corruption he infested himself with. And while unlike the Olympians who were too far gone to be aided, Sif and Thor are trying to make amends by making a new future for their remaining daughter after losing Modi and Magni. What were once abusive, drunk tyrants controlled by Odin’s whims are now characters looking to the future. Thor is obviously having a rougher time of it. As he is wrestling with centuries of alcoholism now going through withdraws while being ordered by Odin to aid one of the reasons his sons are dead while having his armor pierced by the abusive nature of Odin. Though, we know not all the Norse Gods are saints, Heimdall would be right at place with the Olympians for his arrogance and cockiness. But, unlike Helios’s head, Mimir was a willing participant in his brief deicide and is now a stead fast ally to Kratos and Atreus. Kratos probably remembers the final moments of Hera, when he sees Freya and rather than destroy another Goddess of Nature’s realm is actively trying to negotiate with her. Helping with her own realm rather than killing her in his old fury, he seeks to see a means to keep moving forward. In her brother, he uses his past experience with his own brother and considers how a celebrated Alfheim hero would be good to have around. When Kratos approaches Surtr, he probably remembers Hephestios. Who aided him up until he threatened Pandora. Instead of blustering his way through and shrugging off, Kratos takes AMAZING care to listen and understand Surtr’s hang ups of becoming Ragnaork. And then there is Tyr. Having only known Ares to be a brutal and callous God, Kratos does not force Tyr to go through anything he is not prepared for and actively councils Atreus away from leaning too heavily on the old God of Wars’ presence.

Additionally every God from the Norse, he comes across, he gives a way out to just walk away. Seeing the mistakes he made in Greece in each of the Pantheon and although Heimdall, Odin, Modi, Magni, and Baldur reject the offer. Freya, Mimir, Tyr, and Freyr accept it. And in doing so, Kratos might be finding solace that he is worthy of the same forgiveness. To move past his mistakes and create something new in this new realm after utterly destroying the last and most importantly ensuring the sins of the father, do not become the sins of the son in the raising of Atreus. In parting harsh lessons at first but then trying his best to provide better philosophies to his child. And Atreus is shaping up to be a better man than Kratos, which makes him proud and shows his efforts are worthy. After shaking of Athena’s last influence on himself, Kratos will eventually be worshiped in a way Odin could only dream. The crown of power ill suits the man who seeks it and better fits the man who does not.

Greece may never return to what it once was but with the hope, Kratos released at the end of GoW III maybe the survivors are building a new realm with only...maybe Aphrodite and Athena still being around to influence them. But unlike with Greece, Kratos has brought down Asgard to stop a different corruption of a different God. With every intent to save its mortal citizens and actively help in their settlement after their fall. Trying to even fight the Gods who move against him to stop him. In an attempt to not repeat another Olympus fall. Ensuring to save everyone he can on the way. And rather than seeking the destruction Asgard as he did Olympus. This older Kratos is following every path to stop Ragnarok from occurring. But never allows himself to be influenced by Odin or any God ever again. Breaking bread with those he makes peace with and reluctantly killing those who force his hand. Seen in his sorrow and deep seated confliction after killing even Heimdall who probably sees the visages of Hermes in. An arrogant, taunting God. Who is just an absolute ass.

Its bittersweet to see much of decisions reflected in Ragnarok juxtaposed against every decision in GoW3. But I think the best decision is Kratos seeing how Atreus handles the Angraboda situation over how Kratos was nearly powerless to actually help in the Pandora situation. Both women who were crucial to their own pantheon’s doom. But Atreus words in having Angraboda find her own path beyond fate ushers in an ending much kinder than when Kratos tried to stop Pandora from accepting her own fate. Which, learn at the end of GoW3, was a sacrifice made in vain.

A nice bow on top of Kratos’s brutal begins meeting a somber, quieter end. But a far better one than when we left him at the end of the last major series.

#spoilers #{ rambling }

[tea-with-eleni]

A Quiet Moment

The stars are incongruously peaceful overhead.

You sigh. The view is familiar. The view is home. You know these streets… or had, once. You grew up here. You played with friends here. Maybe you even first heard the viol played by a bard perched on this very rooftop. How long ago would it have been? Ten years ago? Twenty? Thirty? How old are you? It doesn’t bear thinking about. It’s just one more thing your sister stole from you. It’s just one more thing you’ll never get back.

You brace for the fury to rise at that thought. You wait for the red to cloud the edges of your vision. You wait for your pulse to speed up, for the adrenaline to build, for the urge to kill her, again, in vengeance.

A guard walks down the street below you. You hear laughter from the square nearby. A breeze stirs your hair. You feel your companions sleeping below, their minds never completely separate from yours anymore.

You do not feel the urge.

You almost laugh with relief. Instead, you choke a little. It turns into half a sob and you sink against a pillar. You still can’t believe it. Today - gods, was it only today? - you rose full of gratitude that your friends, companions, and allies all survived the night. That your lover survived the night, risking everything to be near you. You know that some of your companions kept watch to protect against you, and you were still of two minds over whether you should thank them or try to kill them to prove a point. You did neither. You donned your father’s cloak over your armor. You’re still of two minds about that, as well.

Today, you became your father’s unholy assassin. You regret that, a little, but you know why you did it. You needed a way to avoid further bloodshed at all costs. You needed to end this little family feud, one way or another.

You asked your companions, the ones who followed you into the darkness, to never breathe a word of that particular title to anyone. You feel confident that two of them will take the secret with them to… well, perhaps not their graves, exactly, but it isn’t something they’ll broadcast. You’re equally confident that Astarion will use it to mock you and, in so doing, will completely rob the title of its power. Both suit you just fine.

Returning to the temple of Bhaal felt frighteningly normal. The attempt on your life outside the door - had that been your idea? It feels dramatic. It feels like it could have been you. The traps - that was definitely you. Disabling them felt familiar and a little embarrassing.

The altar where your sister, your blood-kin, mocked you. That, oh yes. That was familiar.

Your blood sang when you killed her. It was the most joyful and the most horrible thing you’ve ever felt. Not that it means much, to say that. You remember, what, a few weeks, if you really think back on it? It’s hard to believe. The nautiloid feels like a lifetime ago. For you, it literally was.

You don’t want to think of your father. Denying him to his face was the hardest thing you’ve done. It had been so easy, to discuss the idea of defying a god with Gale and Shadowheart in the comfortable rooms of this tavern. Doing it when you knew it meant your death… that was much harder.

You’re not sure if the glimmer of Orin’s nether stone was what gave you courage or not. It would be nice to think that one of your final thoughts was that you gave your friends a tool they could use to win the fight against the elder brain. That you sacrificed your life and knew they could carry on without you. You’re not sure that’s the truth. It’s equally possible you were struck by the exquisite beauty of your sister’s gore and never believed father would kill the creator of such a masterpiece.

You suppose that it doesn’t matter in the end. You’re alive. She’s a pile of viscera. You have her dagger. It’s stained with your blood. The wrapping on the handle may yet have bits of your brain matter embedded in the leather. Repulsive thought, that. You briefly considered passing the blade to someone else but… no. You want a reminder of what you were. Of who you could have been.

The trapdoor beside you creaks. You aren’t surprised to see the person who climbs onto the roof beside you. You felt them stir, notice you missing down below. You felt them look for you. You felt their worry and you smile a little to assuage it now. It’s a genuine smile. It isn’t the terrible blank smile you wore when the urge to kill threatened to overwhelm you. You can’t quite believe it yet, but you’ll never feel that way again. You are no longer your father’s child. The relief threatens tears and your lover’s face softens. They pull you close. The desire to berate you for scaring them fades. You apologize anyway. You have so much to atone for, so much that can never be forgiven, you’ll earn any scrap of forgiveness you can get. You would do anything for them.

They kiss the top of your head. You shift slightly to get even more comfortable in their embrace. They laugh softly at the way you melt against them. They stroke your hair and their hand comes to rest on the back of your neck. “For what it’s worth,” they say, after a while, “I’m proud of you. I can’t imagine what that took. How are you feeling now?”

You sigh. “I don’t know,” you say. “I didn’t think I could escape—what I am. I feel strange.” You unconsciously shy away from the word. Your lover knows what you mean.

“Good strange or terrifying strange?”

“Good. Definitely good.” You feel like you’re wrapping around them like an octopus and the mental image of the Emperor flirting with you comes to mind. You force it back. Some things really shouldn't be shared. They're too weird. You redirect your thoughts to the topic at hand. “I didn’t exactly want to be a bloodthirsty maniac.” You're pretty sure you're telling the truth. It's the truth that matters, anyway, because this you, whoever you are now, whoever it was that woke up on the nautiloid... this you never wanted to enjoy slaughter. You don't know about who you were before. You only have the unreliable accounts of murder-crazed maniacs to go on.

Your lover is either oblivious to your internal monologue or chooses to ignore it. Their fingers find the gnarled scar under your hair where Orin once tried to tear you apart. You try not to flinch away.

The conversation dies out. Both of you are too tired and, in your case, too battered to have the energy to continue. You know that you barely won the fight today. You don't know if you are enough for the fight that is to come. You're not your father's chosen. You're not even his child anymore. You're mortal. You could die. You came so close to death today.

But here and now, the stars are peaceful. You're not alone. You'll deal with everything else tomorrow.

#baldur's gate 3 #my writing #dark urge #dark urge x party member #bg3 durge #durge

[purplekoop]

Alright gonna make a bit of a format for the individual heroes, starting with one of the first "requeues" I thought of:

Mei

New Role: Tank. Health: 500 (100 of which is armor)

Part of an Antarctic research team lost to a freak snowstorm, Mei-Ling Zhou was the sole survivor out of her crew due to a malfunction in the cryo-stasis chambers they hid in to weather their dire situation. However, Mei was not totally unharmed by incident. The malfunction in her pod, while miraculously sparing her life, left her body in a severely weakened state, barely able to survive outside of her stasis pod's life support systems. With the help of the base's survey drone, Snowball, she managed to get a signal out to the recently recalled Overwatch. In critical condition, she was found resting in her pod by the rescue team finally sent to recover her. While stabilized thanks to Tracer's time-rewinding healing powers, Mei was left in a troubled situation in an even more troubled world. With threats like Talon and Null Sector on the rise, and the environmental anomaly that was her original mission still unsolved, she could hardly stand sitting by idly while the world remained in turmoil. With this in mind, Mei approached Winston with an interesting proposition...

Now, Mei has taken to the fight inside an armored cryo-suit, keeping herself safe while also allowing her to defend her allies and those in need, all while Snowball has her back as ever.

Mei's Cryo Suit increases her size significantly compared to her normal appearance, standing at about 6'8" instead of her usual 5'3". Her health has been increased to compensate, and her abilities retain their defensive nature to keep herself and teammates alive.

Her primary fire, now upgraded to Endothermic Cannon, acts very similarly to its current in-game iteration, but now has a bit more of a conical area of effect, making it more effective at slowing down multiple enemies at once. Her secondary fire however is receiving a small damage nerf, from 75 to 60, as to make it less lethal at longer ranges. It retains its critical hit capabilities, as well as the recently added Snap Freeze mechanic to increase its damage in tandem with her primary fire, but this makes it less of a sudden burst of damage on its own while not totally neutering her ranged effectiveness.

Her first ability Cryo-Freeze is now replaced with a slightly different self-defense tool: Cryo Shielding. Putting her arms in a defensive position and covering her entire suit in a layer of dense ice, Mei gains 200 overhealth and immunity to debuffs, cleanses any debuffs she had on activation, and slowly heals while the ability is active, but can't attack and has greatly reduced movement speed for the duration. The ability can be manually cancelled early just like Cryo-Freeze, but if the overhealth is depleted, then the ice armor breaks and the ability ends early.

Her second ability is still Ice Wall, and it's largely the same as before, but to ease some of the frustrations and reinforce its role as a defensive ability, the wall is now much more thin, to the point where it can't be used as a walkable surface when placed underfoot. It still acts as a physical object, but now there's only three wall segments with increased health instead of five.

Finally, her ultimate, Blizzard, is... unchanged. Yeah to be honest, it's already kind of a perfect Tank ultimate. It's a big area denial/crowd control/team setup ult, which is what most Tank ults are anyways. Shame about the name though...

So yeah, that's Mei. The fun part of her rework is the visual overhaul to make her "tank-sized", her abilities are already largely fitting for a tank, but uh. Yeah 5'3" ain't gonna cut it. Actually was surprised to learn the other day she's one of the shortest heroes, that caught me off guard a little. Maybe a little tacky that my solution was just to make her basically Mr. Freeze, but it felt like a logical twist on her backstory like what I had with Reaper... who I turned into basically Venom, okay there might be a pattern here.

Also Mei here is one of the designs I actually want to design the most, the cryo-suit is one of those things I think would make more sense with a visual rather than just an explanation. Again, just saying "it's like Mr. Freeze" gets the gist across, but I'd add a bit more nuance. Mei's a very "cutesy" character with a distinct look to her tech and outfit, so keeping that thematic identity intact while also making her enough a sizeable presence to fit as a tank is something that I think would make for a fun visual.

So yeah, that's Mei's role requeue! Next up on the agenda is the first "new" Damage hero, which... honestly isn't gonna be much of a change of pace for him, outside of the ability to walk.

#overwatch #overwatch 2 #role requeue #overwatch role requeue #mei #mei ling zhou #mei overwatch

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay: Dec 14th, 2016

Title: Cuteness Girl Member - Claire

Here's another female (5th Harvey Beaks) character who joins the "Cuteness Defender Academy", and her name is "Claire". 🦊 And this ain't from the original customized mobile suit, these came from the customized Gunpla which is convert it to a "Cuteness Mecha Armor". 🤖😁

BTW: There's a line shadow behind her, something combining a mobile armor and herself into one. So maybe I'll be drawing for that by some other time. 😉

Amethyst Victory Claire Based on: LM312V04 Amethyst Victory Gundam [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

Beam Rifle • One of two handheld ranged weaponry used by the suit, it is the same beam rifle as the one used by the original Victory.

Beam Saber • A sword-like beam weapon that is used for close combat, the Amethyst Victory is equipped with four beam sabers stored in forearm recharge racks when not in use.

Beam Shield • The suit's main defensive equipment, a pair of beam shields are stored in the forearms. The beam shield generates a plane of energy similar to the blade of a beam saber, but uses it for blocking both beam and projectile weapons.

Beam Smart Gun • The other handheld ranged weaponry used by the suit, it is a high-powered beam rifle and the same weapon as the one used by the V-Dash.

MMI-710 "Excalibur" Anti-ship Laser Sword • The Amethyst Victory Claire's main close combat weapons, the anti-ship laser swords are large physical swords with a laser blade along their cutting edge and are effective in cutting up ships and mobile suits. A pair of these swords are stored on the β Sword Silhouette Pack, and they can be joined at their hilts to form a large dual-bladed ambidextrous form.

RQM60 "Flash-Edge" Beam Boomerang • Stored on the β Sword Silhouette Pack on the suit's back, the pair of beam boomerangs are throwing weapons that emits a short beam blade on one end, and can return to the owner after throwing, often catching enemy units by surprise.

Special Feature(s):

Hardpoints • An attachment point for weapons, shields, spare ammunition, or optional mission-specific equipment. Hardpoints can also be used to store carried weapons when a mobile suit needs its manipulators free for other purposes. The LM312V04 Amethyst Victory is equipped with eight hardpoints, four on the arms, and two each on the side skirt armor and legs.

Claire - Harvey Beaks © Nickelodeon Armor (Gundam Build Fighters Try) - Gundam series © Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. (SUNRISE), Sotsu

[wixelt]

The Planters aren't entirely sure what to expect from these giants.

The first was huge and muscular and a skilled hunter and, while from different worlds, an example of what Anne could be as an adult (although they wouldn't learn until later that included the skill in magic). She also had a plethora of battle scars.

The second was less bulky and more doll like, but had wings, a clear indication of a predator to the Planters. He was alien in disposition, almost like a fey creature in mentality, and had many of the tells of a predator in these actions. Luckily, these tendencies would not be pointed at you unless you first showed hostility to him.

So far, physical traits were decent metrics of judging these people, although first one would have to take Anne's kindness as a baseline with none of her naivety. The third would continue the pattern of Anne as a baseline. It would not continue the pattern of physical signs.

Xisuma was whiplash at every step. At first, they had mistaken him for another robot of this old factory as he had changed his armor to frog mode. His ability to speak and respond and clumsiness and Anne's realization that the screen in the middle of his face was a visor for a helmet, gave them the realization that this was probably a hermit. When their other two hermits told the others that this klutz in thick power armor seemingly to protect him more from his own two left feet than monsters was their admin, something they had gotten the impression from False and Grian's stories was a God-like being with great powers of creation and death that governed a great ship which traversed the stars, but did not seem to be treated with any degree of reverence by the other two beyond what you may give a village mayor, they hoped that maybe he was some form of exception to the rules they had gaged for the hermits. Deep down, they new, however, that he most certainly was not.

I had a different intro in mind for X, involving a certain wax museum, but I love this & it fits thematically, so Fort in the Road is now what happens instead (this also means Xisuma's present for Quarreler's Pass, one more person Hop Pop has to convince to let Sprig & Polly go it alone).

After False & Grian (& Scar, met but currently with Sasha), the Plantars were ready to take whatever weirdness the next Hermit they ran into carried at face value, the only question being what extreme away from Anne's standard they'd be in for.

Understandably, a supposedly god-like entity who's seemingly just a clumsy dude in pressurized armor - & the first time he takes the helmet off proves he really is just some human guy - feels like a bit of a contradiction. Sprig & Polly take it in stride, while Hop Pop is more suspicious/inquisitive, knowing from the power someone as visibly mundane as Grian can display that looks aren't everything.

For now, though, X is the bearer of bad news for Grian & False. As they'd feared, he's absent his admin powers in Amphibia, & attempts to make some form of contact with a local divinity to cut a deal have failed. In the meantime, he's been stuck scouting, his suit's control link to the Hermithius severed in the scattering (though when he learns Anne's involvement, he assures the guilt-ridden girl the ship's programmed to auto-rendezvous, so its fine). He's gotten a good idea of the local populations, but has steered clear of direct encounters til now. He's been at this factory for several weeks before the Plantar group & their shenanigans rocked up, time spent trying to adapt his armor with local technology to better blend in (might be a plot-line here where he briefly looses control of his suit due to Amphibia tech trying to take over, but we'll see).

Anne, Sprig & Polly all think his armor is cool, though he laments that diamond or netherite exo-plating (my thought on how X wears Minecraft armor) would've been a better option, still, confusing the frog kids & giving Anne food for thought, as False has so far only loosely gone over the "tiers" of armor the Hermits have access to.

Right now, he's just a guy in a suit. But he's a guy in a suit with the mission to bring the Hermits - his family of choice - back together.

#hermitphibia au #hermitcraft #hermitblr #hermitcraft au #amphibia #amphibia au #xisumavoid #grian #anne boonchuy #falsesymmetry #hopediah plantar #hop pop plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar