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itsuki-minamy · 3 years

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“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 10: THE MAN WITH THE FOX MASK (Complete)

* K - The First Story (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

He doesn’t remember the first thing.

However, when he was secretly called by the Slate and became "King", he knew that the color of the "King" he received was "Colorless", and he remembers that he was strangely convinced.

He was a transparent man like water. Not individual and flat. He was a person who had few emotional ups and downs, had no noticeable thoughts, was not attached to people, things, or even himself, and was just there in silence.

Why did such a person become a "King"?

He somehow he was convinced that he knew of his ability as "King".

He was able to insert his soul into someone else's body, read and swallow someone else's memory, abilities, and life and make it his own. In other words, it was just water in a large pot to make soup. That is why he was transparent, tasteless and colorless.

He had no interest or attachment to himself. So he left his body without any regret and walked around the bodies of others.

He doesn't remember it well, but at first he thinks he probably didn't have any particular purpose.

However, since he had become a "creature with such power", he continued to swallow the lives of many human beings with the vague idea that such power should be used.

"I wonder if this power can save people." He entered the body of a nurse and thought so.

"If my mind drifts, I can be a genius, right?" He entered the body of a college student, and that was the end.

"Most of the people in the world are stupid. It should be led by a powerful person." He entered the body of a politician and cross his arms.

"To have power, first of all, violence! Fear has brought people down." He entered the body of a yakuza man and breathe.

"Let's get what we want from one end. I can do that." He entered the body of a rich woman and laughed a lot.

"This is strange. This is wrong." He entered the body of a teacher and held his head.

"It's lonely. I want someone to praise me." He entered the body of a lonely child and cry.

He walks through many human bodies.

Many skills, knowledge, thought, experience and life have become his. He started to get a sharp idea and his emotions got higher and lower. Although his capacity was great, as a result of continuing to take possession of the lives of people with conflicting ideas and sensibilities, his thoughts, desires and actions became inconsistent, and his personality as a human being was disturbed.

One day he was visited by a parrot.

"Putting on a mask is a good idea. You are a person."

Said the parrot.

At that time, he was an old man who owned an antique store.

Interrupted by his personality and spirit, he took an attacking action, knocking the merchandise out of the store to the ground and rampaging, not knowing what he wanted to do.

The air outside was cold in late fall, but the windows were open. A parrot with green feathers was standing on the window railing and speaking in fluent words that could not be considered as a bird.

He should put on a mask.

"Who are you?"

The passion that had made him rampage like crazy until then subsided, and he asked calmly as he watched the strange parrot.

The parrot inclined its head in a strangely human gesture.

"I'm a passing advisor. You seem to be in trouble, so I called you. It's advice."

"What does it mean to put on a mask?"

The parrot makes a rattling noise and spreads its wings. It was very similar to how an exaggerated person extends his hands.

"Now you are unable to unify your will and your actions. This is the price of your great power. As a result of assimilating all human memory, your memory has been altered."

"Other than that, I don't regret anything in my memory."

"Still, it would be a problem if you couldn't define 'who you are'. You're just a bankrupt person. Without you, you have no purpose."

The parrot who spoke softly, did not take his eyes off his emotionless eyes.

"What do you do with a mask?"

"I entrust 'myself' to the mask. That mask will become your faceless face, and it will be a good idea to assemble the ego that is being photographed."

He silently stares at the parrot for a while, and suddenly he looks down at a point in the messy shop.

There was a fox mask that fell on the tea utensils that broke on the floor.

He reached out and lifted the fox mask, staring at the elongated, eerily cut eye hole.

The "King" fox, who is bad for others, is a source of the fox. He felt it was a good match for him.

(This is the face of "myself".)

That perception mysteriously fell on him and became the outline of his shyness.

He raised the fox mask to his face and looked at the parrot.

"I am the Seventh King, the 'Colorless King'."

"Fufu.", Laughed the parrot.

"Nice to meet you," Colorless King ". What is your dream?"

There were various thoughts and voices in him. Soft voices used to be quiet, lost to loud and violent voices and became inaudible. He heard many inner voices and shook the baton like a conductor to combine those voices into a piece of music and put it in his own thoughts.

"I will be the strongest 'King'."

After that, the parrot became kind to him.

He gave him various information and advice when he started acting to become the strongest "King".

It was fun talking to the parrot about his ambitions and acting like him.

"The meaning of my birth was probably to unite the world. I am a recipient that accepts the whole world."

"I see. It's an interesting idea."

"The King does not need seven people, and I will swallow all of his power, skill, experience, memory, and thought, and unite him."

"That's your way. I understand."

The parrot disagreed with his words, but showed understanding.

He took the sincerity of this parrot to simply listen and understand that that was his chosen path, rather than a weak empathy.

"There are four 'Kings' that we know where they are now. The first king, the 'Silver King', who is still flying in the sky in an airship. The second king, the 'Golden King', who lives in the huge Mihashira tower. In Shizume, there is the third king, the 'Red King', who lives in a bar. And the fourth king, who has a camp in Tsubakimon, the 'Blue King'."

He licked his tongue, wondering where to start.

"The "Golden King" is still a bit overloaded. It will be difficult if you don't get the power of another "King" before sneaking into the stronger "King". The powers of the "Red King" and "Blue King" are similar, but the red is unbalanced. Between these two people, the red could be broken."

"I agree. We are going to come up with a strategy for that."

"Oh, but before the red, it is better to start with the easy part."

"The easy part?"

"The only king of his kind, the 'Silver King'. I think he's no longer motivated to play the 'King'. It's better for him if he gets it right away."

The parrot was a bit quiet.

"But it's also the beginning of the Dresden Slate. Don't let your guard down."

"My power is effective in humans who have a void in their hearts. The "Silver King" has abandoned the responsibility of the "King" and has been fleeing all the time. My heart is empty. For me, he is the easiest person. to catch."

Also, the attributes of "Silver King" are not modified. In other words, basically, he will be the strongest body that will not get hurt or die. He argued that once he had that power, it would be much easier to eat another "King".

"Okay, so it's a good idea to plan in parallel the contact with the 'Silver King' and the trembling of the 'Red King'."

When the parrot decided to take over from the "Silver King", the parrot seemed eager to cooperate with him, although at first he was a bit reluctant.

By carrying out the plan, the parrot even gave him a nice body as a gift.

A harmless boy with a pretty face and a simple identity.

"As he is an unaffiliated child, you can use it however you want and it will not cause you any inconvenience. I have tampered with the information and erased the public records, so it is unlikely that you will be caught by a public institution."

The boy's body was in good shape. He sang with his body. A song of delight. It was a song of joy.

He was ready. The necessary tools, including firearms and bombs, were collected on the way through the body and stored in various hiding places. The body of the mob was useful for collecting tools, but it was inconvenient for them to live after using them, so, he kill some of them when he leave their bodies. He killed them, but no one needed to cry, since all the memories and experiences of them were stored in him.

The parrot had never denounced or denied his actions. He was just there, taking care of him and giving him advice and information if he asked. For him, the parrot was the only "friend of the outside world."

"Hey, parrot."

The night before the decision, he told the parrot.

"The 'King' creates the Clansmans, right?"

"As for the presence or absence of Clansman and the amount, it depends on the 'King', but basically it is affirmative."

"Why don't you become my clan member?"

It was a funny word. But it's not that he wasn't serious.

The parrot rolled its eyes and bowed its head.

"I can't do that. Didn't you notice?"

"No. I noticed. Are you also a 'King'? 'Green King', Nagare Hisui."

There was no reason not to notice. In the first place, it was clear that he was not the only one who felt and he contacted the awakening of the "Colorless King", which not even the Golden clan could capture, and now he had this parrot ready. He was in the body of a young boy. All the memories of the boy were inherited by him. This boy was a user of an SNS called "Jungle" operated by the "Green King", and a game in which he actually completed missions issued from him and received points, a game in which many people are crazy behind the scenes. He knew, of course, that it was one of the more well-known games, and he kidnapped the boy in the first place because he was invited to an unpopular place called a mission.

The boy who possessed this body was a transparent boy who had little connection with people, like air, like water.

He felt that this boy looked a bit like the original me that he had forgotten about.

Just as the boy, who was not interested in interacting with people, was still looking for some connection with the peculiar social network "Jungle", he could have looked for something in the parrot.

"I just said it. I sent three people thinking that it would be fine if there was one person who could see me from the outside."

"Are you dreaming of putting the world in you? Don't get halfway there."

The parrot simply replied, spreading its green wings.

"You and I are walking different paths and dreaming differently. You were very interesting and I helped you because it was perfect for the basis of my dream. It is a unit of interest."

"Oh."

"In order for you to capture all the 'Kings' and become the strongest 'King', you will eventually have to fight me. So, let's play a good game."

The parrot's eyes were directly directed at him, not reflecting his emotions.

"Then, goodbye."

There was a creak.

The green feathers that flew fluttered in the air to his feet.

"Hey."

He called involuntarily, looking at the parrot, which flew away and got smaller.

The parrot, who appeared when he was about to destroy his ego, put a face on him, listened to his ambitions and gave him an answer, he was terribly gone.

Being left alone, he felt asexually reluctant.

He felt that the lonely child in him was crying "alone".

"Hey."

He calls back to empty space. At that moment,

"What?"

There was a voice to answer.

It was a voice that came out of his mouth, there was no one.

Oh, yeah, it felt like a revelation.

He was not alone. Even if he had only one body, he was filled with the greatest abundance. There was a world in his body. He lifts the world.

He heard the voices of the many personalities within him, but before the voices confused him and broke his ego, he covered his face with the fox mask.

"I am the Seventh King, the 'Colorless King'. A human being who accepts all 'Kings', gains all power, knows everything and becomes the world itself."

It felt clear in his head.

He grabbed the pistol he had prepared and stroked the black barrel with his slender fingers.

"Let's step forward. First of all, as the first stone to destroy the 'Red King', let's kill Totsuka Tatara, an executive of the Red clan who is also a plug of the 'Red King'."

Then, he will go to see the "Silver King".

Once he has the immutable defense and the flame of destruction, he will no longer be afraid.

Making a smile under the fox mask, he also sang a song of joy.

++++++++++

"Damn!"

He attacked the "Red King" and, on the contrary, he was bitten and jumped out of the room in anger.

Immediately afterwards, Suoh's flames, which were chasing his power, exploded and the force of the explosion sent him rolling down the hall.

The room he was in until now was blown up, and when it burned, the flames consumed everything. The power was great even though it was an attack from a remote location. He clicked his tongue feeling ridiculed.

He thought the unstable "Red King" was weakening in the "Scepter 4" dungeon, but he still seemed reluctant. Nothing is more dangerous than a beast that has some physical strength left.

His forehead ached a little and he touched with his hand. The fox face he wore was gone. Looks like he was blown away. He appeared to have a small burn on his forehead. It is not something he cares about, it is just a temporary body. There is no problem if it breaks.

"Wow! Hey, are you okay?"

He could hear the footsteps and the voice of the schoolgirl running down the hall. When he raised his face, Kukuri Yukizome, a girl who was a classmate of that body, came running up and looked at his face anxiously.

"Oh, I have burns on my forehead! I'm cold! What happened?"

Kukuri immediately wet her handkerchief with water and put it on his forehead. She made a confused look.

"I don't know... When I passed by, the room suddenly exploded..."

"That room shouldn't have been strange, but... maybe a gas explosion."

He reflected, looking at Kukuri, who was afraid to look inside the charred room, saying that she had to contact the fire department and the police.

Perhaps the red clan will reach Gakuenjima before the fire department and the police. The "Red King" Mikoto Suoh must have identified this place by grabbing his tail, which has interfered with his psyche.

It was easy to leave that body and escape before the "Red King" entered, but it was also an opportunity. This island, which is isolated to some extent from the main world, is a perfect place for battles between kings. He was ready to face it.

When the "Red King" arrives, the "Blue King" will definitely start moving. It's a good idea to push red and blue to physically weaken them before eating.

And the mystery boy, Isana Yashiro. The boy, who was alive even after being thrown from the airship, suddenly began living on this school island with the face of a student. He was in a position to be hunted by both the red and the blue, but he can return if this school island turns into a battlefield.

He will have to meet Isana Yashiro again.

"Hey, Yukizome-san."

He told Kukuri, returning the slimy handkerchief to his forehead.

"Do you know what Isana is doing now?"

"Isana-kun...? Um... who...?"

Kukuri turned her head with a confused face. It seems that Isana's memory is not preserved.

"Oh, Yukizome-san, you don't seem to know Isana. Nothing, don't worry."

"Oh, where are you going? Let's report the explosion together..."

"I'm sorry."

He smiled at Kukuri. Perhaps because he wore a fox face all the time, he smiled like a fox.

"I'm busy with a lot of things to prepare from now on. And since only one room exploded, Yukizome-san, you don't have to worry too much."

It's not as bad as a disguise or two disappearing, because something was about to happen.

When the Himmelreich crashed, he kidnapped the boy's body and rushed to the crash site. He examined the body of the "Silver King", who had fallen from the airship, but after he left, his body had no pulse and he was not breathing, and he never woke up like Weismann again.

He left Weismann's body unattended, left the scene before the police and "Scepter 4" reunited, and went to a hideout in search of firearms and bombs to retrieve it.

He then kidnapped the driver of a truck carrying goods to Gakuenjima, loaded weapons and bombs, and invaded Gakuenjima. Weapons are important to him who does not have much attack ability currently, and Gakuenjima, who is very isolated as a hiding place, is unexpectedly convenient and above all, Isana, who is the person in question, was on the spot and was likely to return. After hiding the guns in the school, he kidnapped one of the boys and settled in the school.

It was a miscalculation that the "Red King" was stronger than he expected, but he was more or less within his calculations.

They were ready to start the festival.

Sitting in front of the clock tower, he was looking in the direction of Gakuenjima gate.

The sky above the door distorted and a red light exploded.

"He already came."

A huge sword emerged from the tension created in the sky.

The red Sword of Damocles.

The shape of the sword collapsed, cracked here and there, and the debris spilled into small pieces.

Well, he was impressed that he kept that spirit in that state.

"It's an early arrival, 'Red King'. Well, it's a day early, but it's the start of a fun school festival."

At the same time as his words, the door exploded. The screams of the students echoed.

From the rising smoke, Mikoto Suoh, the "Red King", appeared with a large number of clansmen behind him.

The students were stunned for a moment by the sudden explosion and the invasion of men with terrifying apparitions carrying weapons like metal bats and iron pipes, and then they all escaped at once, starting with someone yelling.

Looking at the fleeing students, Suoh made a troublesome face and developed a flame in his left hand.

He shook his arm with the flame lightly. The flame flew straight towards the clock tower and landed.

"Whoops."

Sitting under the clock tower, he hurriedly jumped out of the place. When he turned around as he evacuated inside where sparks and fine tiles fell from above, he saw the clock tower bend cleanly from the middle, kick up dust, and collapse.

(Just bullying the loud boy, I don't think it's an attack aimed at him, but... he's a strangely level-headed bastard.)

He was alone on the inside, with a cold sweat and a smile on his mouth.

The students, who were in a panic and trying to escape, were left with pale faces, witnessing the extraordinary power and the clock tower that collapsed.

The area had changed from the previous annoyance and was quiet. It is a horror that you can imagine, but when you witness a horror beyond your imagination, people become rigid.

In the frigid air, a man in sunglasses raised a megaphone. Izumo Kusanagi, the executive member of "Homura".

"Hi, keep calm. Didn't you learn anything at school? Don't push, don't run and don't talk during an emergency. It is important to obey those three 'no's. We are not here to cause you trouble. So please remain calm and cooperate. This shouldn't take long."

Kusanagi said with a smoky smile and a soft, reassuring voice, and when he removed the megaphone from his mouth, he exchanged a word or two with Suoh. Suoh seems careless, and now he was walking towards the clock tower that he destroyed.

After looking at his back and taking a breath, Kusanagi turned to the "Homura" people and raised his voice.

"Find the boy who murdered Totsuka, even if you have to destroy this place!"

According to the command, the members of "Homura" screamed. A large group of young men with bad style rioted. He snorted and looked to see if these unmannered thugs could conquer this vast school, but "Homura's" men were unexpectedly well-mannered on a personal level. They began to divide them by hand, and while listening to the students, they began to put them together in one place.

He gently left the place.

When he returned to the school building while he was avoiding the "Homura" boys, the students who still didn't understand the situation were wandering around.

"What's going on...?"

"I just heard an explosion nearby..."

Kukuri, Inaba, Mishina and others huddle together eagerly. He approached them casually.

"Now a lot of people like gangsters have broken through the door and invaded."

In his words, Kukuri and her colleagues expressed fear and suspicion. She maybe she couldn't believe her words because she couldn't feel reality.

However, the school broadcast started to flow at a good time.

"Well, from this moment on, Gakuenjima is under the control of "Homura". I repeat. Gakuenjima is now under the control of "Homura"."

"Lie."

Inaba muttered involuntarily and covered her mouth with both hands. Kukuri supported the one who staggered with a pale face. Mishina turned his face around and looked at the speaker he was broadcasting.

"Students must follow the instructions of our members. As long as you do, you have nothing to fear. We are currently looking for a friend of ours. He looks like the image on the screen. If anyone recognizes him, please report immediately to the closest member of our team."

The hologram monitor in the entrance hall of the important school building, which was sending information about the school festival, was distorted and the video was changed. An image of a boy holding a gun was projected.

"What is this?"

"Oh, this is the guy I saw at the website earlier."

Along with the stunned Kukuri and the others, Mishina screamed. Kukuri looked at Mishina with wide eyes.

"No, it was rumored that it was a video of a murder done as a prank, but I was curious and I kept it. But, it is true that they are looking for him like that. He is a murderer…"

"Why come to our school to find such a person?"

Inaba pursed her lips with a tearful face.

Apparently "Homura" is still looking for "Isana". The body of a child who was his favorite with a cute and harmless face.

That body now walks alone. He still has something to do with "Isana". If "Homura" can find him, it would be better.

Well, that seed is already broken for the "Red King". For Suoh, searching for "Isana" may just be to find a clue.

"Oh, the staff is here! Everyone quietly enter the room!"

Several men from "Homura" ran into the school building and intimidated the students. The schoolgirls scream in fear.

On the other hand, some well-built male students looked at each other and sent signals to each other, and all at once jumped to take control of the "Homura" boys. There were more male students than "Homura", and they probably had confidence in their strength in the martial arts athletic club or something like that. In fact, the boys managed to take the metal bat that they had as a weapon from several of "Homura's" men.

"You are the ones who should be quiet!"

One of the boys barked. However, the "Homura" man laughed. The guys who tried to support themselves turned and kicked with a single kick.

Shouts and echo of marshal. The man from "Homura" did not use flames, but the boys' large bodies flew slightly and fell silent.

"If you follow me, did you say on the air right now that you are not afraid? On the contrary, if you do not obey and make a fuss, I will hit you! Remember that!"

A man from "Homura" said that and took the metal bat that was picked up by a student. When the man shook it slightly, the bat turned red and on fire.

The strange sight increased the voltage of horror from the students. In addition to the fear of simple violence, the fear of the unknown cultivated the students.

"Good.", He giggled inside.

His power pierced people's hearts. He sneaked into the other person through a space in his heart, he shook the other person's heart and opened the door, and made the other person's content yours. Therefore, it is difficult to get into a stable human being.

But now there is no one in this place who has a stable mind. The students were shaking with fear and anxiety, and "Homura" was more excited than usual.

He licked his tongue alone, watching a convenient stage complete.

As the ready meals are lined up, he walks melee.

When the student's body was restricted in his actions and it was inconvenient, he entered "Homura's" body and then entered another student's body and wandered around the school.

Every time he changed bodies, he gained new memories and experiences.

Naturally, he was singing a song of joy again.

The song of delight shone well on the island where elation and crying mingled, and it seemed like an auspicious cry.

He shook his body from side to side, sang a hummed song, and walked down the hall. There was only one voice that followed the melody, but in it many voices overlap and reverberate like a magnificent chorus.

The chorus was the proof that he was not alone, that he was a "King".

(Who will move on? It might be interesting to eat the best ranks of "Homura" here. Oh, but isn't it bad to get close to Anna Kushina? I shouldn't look into that girl's eyes. That girl's sensitive eyes will see through of anyone inside.)

First, he will delve into the mixed environment. The blue will come and start to bite the red, then...

Ping, pong, bread, pong. And a silly sound that was not suitable for this situation echoed, and the transmission flowed again.

"Oh, attention to all the members of our team. The blue dogs will pay us a visit. The groups near the gates, reinforce the guard."

Izumo Kusanagi's voice was heard giving instructions to his friends.

The blue dog is "Scepter 4." It seems that the actors are getting together.

He laughs like a fox. The great delicious song chorus that hasn't stopped yet.

#K #k project #k the first story #k novel

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detroitwhatitmeanstobehuman · 4 years

Text

Chapter 15 - I Finally Understand

Part 15/17 of What it Means to be Human

Word Count: 12,766

Warnings: Swearing, historical events.

Genre: Self-insert/Angst/Fluff

Pairing: OC (Detective Rachel) X Connor

Rating: Mature

Summary: It’s the next day. The day that Jericho must decide what to do now, and the day that Rachel and Connor risk everything for the deviants. As Rachel lends her efforts to the surviving androids, she begins to ponder many things about life and about humanity. After all, it’s one thing to see or hear about a tragedy. It’s another to live one. One could be forgiven for reflecting on one’s circumstances.

First Chapter | Previous Chapter

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Eyes fluttering open, I woke up to a lovely sight. Connor was asleep, or more accurately in stasis, in front of me. Somehow I was awake before him, but instead of trying to wake up, I just opted to snuggle myself further into him until he did.

After all, there wasn’t going to be time to snuggle for who knows how long in about a few hours. I might as well enjoy this while I still can. I shuffled up a bit so Connor’s head could rest on my chest and I could run my fingers through his hair. I took this moment to take in every detail of him as the morning light filtered in through the window.

His LED was blue, which I was sure meant that he wasn’t dreaming. Could androids dream? I wasn’t sure. Maybe one day I’d find out.

Looking over him, I started admiring his freckles. They didn’t seem to be in any sort of pattern, just dotting his skin wherever. Each one was like a star on his pale skin. I couldn’t help but trace them with my fingers.

Now I could really appreciate just how handsome and cute he was. I wasn’t someone who could “fall in love at first sight,” as it were. If I fall in love with someone, it’s their personality that gets me first, then the connection we have. I’m bisexual, but I’m demiromantic. Granted, this happened a lot quicker than it tends to, but to be fair, a lot has happened in a short amount of time.

Whatever their appearance was didn’t matter. But it certainly didn’t hurt to have someone as perfectly designed as Connor. From his brown eyes, to his freckled skin, to his soft brown hair. Even that one piece that curled over his forehead and rebelled against his neatly groomed follicles was such a charming touch.

There was no doubt Connor was beautiful, and I was grateful that I could properly appreciate it now.

Relaxing into the deceptively calm morning, I just waited for Connor to wake up from his stasis. If it was possible to wake him up before the time he set, he showed no signs of it. So, feeling a bit in the mood for something sappy and cliche and anxious about what was going to happen once we left our bed, I started gently rocking him and started singing a melody.

Taking over this town they should worry,

But these problems aside I think I taught you well.

That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run.

And in the winter night sky ships are sailing,

Looking down on these bright blue city lights.

And they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait.

We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay.

Leaning into him, I let out a sigh, knowing how hard it was going to be to let go of him.

Howling ghosts they reappear

In mountains that are stacked with fear

But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.

And in the sea that's painted black,

Creatures lurk below the deck

But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.

I smiled weakly, holding my king in my arms.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly

Past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind.

Though far away, though far away, though far away

We're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same.

I realized it was a bit of a sad song, but it was appropriate to what I was feeling.

Howling ghosts they reappear

In mountains that are stacked with fear

But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.

And as the world comes to an end

I'll be here to hold your hand

'Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart.

A lionheart.

A lionheart

A lionheart.

Leaning down, I kissed Connor’s forehead, and his LED flickered yellow as he opened his eyes, looking up at me. Being greeted by his smile this morning was better than I could’ve ever imagined. “Good morning, Detective.” He greeted.

I cupped his cheek, smiling back at him. He slid his hand over mine and leaned into my touch, closing his eyes. I could never get used to his genuine bliss at just being there with me. The fact that I made him this genuinely happy made me swell with pride and affection. “Morning, beautiful.” I teased, pulling his hand up to my lips and kissing his perfect knuckles.

Though, apparently that wasn’t enough for him, as he pulled himself up to me and planted a soft and gentle kiss on my lips, a gesture I was more than happy to return. Never did I think he would so eagerly seek out such affection. And I got the feeling that he shared that same sentiment.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against mine and I suddenly felt a surge of sensitivity. I didn’t have to look to know that we were connected again. I was getting used to it, and it also helped that this was far more mellow than our passionate romp the night prior. All I could feel was the calmness of the complete comfort and trust we had in each other and the shared affection and adoration we had towards each other.

It was a moment of safety.

I then felt a slice of concern from him and I opened my eyes to see his brows furrowed together. “What’s wrong?” I asked him, but I could feel that he was worried that he had hurt me.

“I left a wound where I bit you.” He fretted. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I-I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I snickered at him, feeling his surprise at my nonchalant attitude. “Don’t worry too much about it.” I assured him, gently caressing his chin with my other hand. “I’d like to think of bruises and markings as...little trophies you leave me. Or, you marking your territory. Whichever you prefer, Detective.”

A dangerous flush of primal desire bloomed in him before he snuffed it out with relief. “Well, I’m happy that you’re not bothered by it.” He admitted.

I nodded, settling into the feeling of being connected to him. There was something so calming about this equilibrium between us. It was like our own space. No one else could enter it and only we understood it. It was our special place in time.

After a moment, Connor pulled away, severing the connection between us and sitting up proper. “We should start getting ready.” He suggested. “Start gathering the supplies we need, taking care of what needs to get taken care of before we leave, and plan what needs to be planned.”

I knew he was right, and that we didn’t have much time to lose, but...I just wished we could stay here forever.

But we couldn’t. And that was just the harsh reality.

“Yeah, you’re right, Connor.” I agreed, sitting up and stretching. “Better sooner than later.” Connor had turned his back to me and I could properly see just how well-toned he was. Freckles seemed to dot his entire body, and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to him and pressing my body against him, wrapping my arms around his chest as I hugged him from behind. I sighed, resting my chin on his shoulder, feeling Connor press his cheek into my forehead. “I wish we didn’t have to interrupt this.” I admitted somberly. “I wish we could have this every day.”

Connor put his hand on mine and kissed my cheek. “If we succeed, we can.” He assured me. “I promise.”

I scoffed affectionately at him. “Is that you admitting that you want to spend your immaculate android life with me?” I asked him, liking the idea of having Connor around for the rest of my life.

“I’d like to.” He answered honestly. “If you’d have me.”

I hugged him even tighter. “Of course I would, Connor.” I assured him. “You basically live here, anyways. I see no reason to change that, especially now that...we’re actually together. As a couple.”

A couple. That’s...what we were. We were partners in more ways than one. That sentence never felt so right to think. “Well, we should get dressed.” He suggested, pulling away from me to stand up, looking down at me. I couldn’t help but glance down at the merchandise now that it was in daylight. To my surprise, his member was dotted with freckles as well. “Hey, Rachel.” Connor said, getting my attention. He was smirking at me, pointing to his face. “My eyes are up here, Detective.”

I snickered, getting up from the bed and playfully backhanding his shoulder. “Smartass.” I grumbled mockingly, glancing around on the floor for my pajamas. My shirt was on the ground, and I quickly grabbed it and folded it on the bed, straightening the sheets and making it.

Connor was already getting dressed back into his suit and all I had were my PJs. At least, for now. I walked over to the bathroom to have a look in the mirror.

And, wow. Connor really did a number on my neck and I couldn’t help but admire the masterpiece he painted on the canvas that was my skin. The thought of other people knowing that I was Connor’s, just by seeing the way he marked me, was very pleasing to me.

I saw the android approaching me from my peripheral vision and then let him walk behind me. He wrapped his arms around my still naked body and rested his chin on my head. “Admiring my work, Detective?” He asked coyly.

“Very much so, Connor.” I admitted, not at all ashamed. “You really didn’t hold back.”

His LED flickered yellow as he looked at me in the mirror with concern. “Should I have?”

God, he was so cute. “No! I liked it.” I promised him, putting my hands on his. “I like it very much. You really wanted to claim me, didn’t you?”

His LED blinked red for a moment as a knowing smile creased his lips. “I know some people think of neck bruising as a sort of symbol of ownership, in a positive way.” He explained, making me hold back a snicker. “When you told me to bite you harder, I got the sense you were one of those people.” I shuddered. “So I only thought it would be appropriate to make sure you knew you were mine.”

Damn, I didn’t realize that he could be kinky. As his LED continued blinking red, I saw his hands drifting downward, and I promptly stopped him, turning around to face him. “Don’t even think about it, you scoundrel.” I cautioned him playfully. “I can’t have you working me up before we do what we have to do, today, and I’d rather not show up to the rebellion not able to walk straight.”

Connor seemed taken aback for a moment before he gently pecked my forehead. “Of course.” He said, turning to leave the bathroom. “Although I do enjoy teasing you, Detective.”

I scoffed at him as I followed him out. “Oh, I know you do.”

He walked towards the bedroom door, opening it and looking back at me. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”

I nodded. “I won’t be long, Connor.”

As he left, I went into my closet, perusing my selection. In any case, I was pretty confident that I was going to have to wear a turtleneck. Not that I was ashamed of the display on my neck, but I’d rather not distract anyone while I was there given the rather grim circumstances.

--------

Date: November 10th, 2038 Time: 10:43 AM Rachel - Lover Objective: Prepare to Meet With Survivors

Finishing taking care of Bear, Connor donned his “deviant outfit,” with the bulletproof vest as he had done before on top of his suit. As much as a part of him didn’t think he needed it still, he didn’t want to alarm or worry Rachel.

And besides, it was better to be cautious than reckless.

Hearing Rachel walk down the stairs, Connor saw her and approached. She was wearing a different outfit than she wore last night, sporting a turtleneck of various shades of grey, making it appear like TV static from afar, with long sleeves.

No doubt to hide the marks he left on her neck, a fact that made Connor swell with a predatory sense of pride. Indeed, he found an allure in marking his property. Although he could never think of himself as owning Rachel in the literal sense, nor she him. Far from, he would never want to deviate from the equal ground the pair stood with each other. But there was something that electrified his circuits about thinking of Rachel as his, and marking her to send a message to onlookers that she was his.

As she walked towards him, her phone in hand and his quarter in her left, Connor approached her. However, he noticed a frustrated grimace on her face. “What’s wrong?” He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“There’s no cell signal.” Rachel complained. “I still have internet, but if I don’t have data, then all I have is right now to let Bianca know if stuff goes wrong.”

Connor nodded. Bianca. Rachel’s sister. “I understand.” He assured her, pecking her forehead. “Take as much time as you need. Did you want me to make you breakfast?”

She chuckled. “No, but thank you. That’s sweet.” She declined. “I’m just gonna have some cereal. Once I’m done breakfast, we’ll start gathering supplies and we’ll head out.”

Connor nodded, following Rachel to the dinner table as she reached into the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk. From the top of her fridge, she grabbed the box of cereal.

Soon enough, Rachel had poured herself a bowl and started eating, checking her phone and texting between bites. She was clearly stressed, and Connor understood perfectly why. This quiet and comfortable moment of respite and normalcy had to end. And what came next was uncertain.

But they couldn’t concern themselves with what would come. All they could do was focus on what they were doing now and what they could do.

But among grim thoughts layered with dread, Connor’s were also consumed with warmth. Just this morning, he was still in stasis. He had set his internal clock to interrupt his stasis at 10:30 AM. But just as he was about to wake, Rachel’s sweet, quiet, gentle voice cut through. She hadn’t woken him, but he could hear her voice clear as day. It was as though she was alone, serenading the shadows of an old concert hall and Connor was fortunate enough to be her audience.

But there was something curious about the song she was singing. A term he hadn’t heard before, one that stirred feelings that he couldn’t classify, but sparked something in him.

[Search]

Press

Ask

[Say Nothing]

“Can I ask you something, Rachel?” He asked. He knew he could search the term on his own, but he wanted to hear her answer first.

She eyed him curiously, swallowing a spoonful of cereal before giving him permission. “Sure, go ahead.”

“What’s a lionheart?” He asked. She blinked at him in surprise. “I heard you singing just before my stasis was scheduled to be interrupted, and the song you were singing featured the word ‘lionheart’ prominently. I’d never heard it before, and I was curious about what it meant.”

Rachel laughed a little, taking another bite of cereal and swallowing it down. “It just means someone who's lionhearted.” She answered. “And to be lionhearted just means to be especially brave or courageous. It's not a common phrase, so using it is seen as a lot more meaningful and affectionate than to just call someone exceptionally brave or courageous.”

As Connor catalogued her definition, he regarded Rachel thoroughly. He liked that word. Lionheart. And upon hearing her explanation, he thought back to last night, when they were escaping from Jericho. She had risked everything, including her own life, to protect and save Markus and several other androids. But that wasn’t limited to just that.

In every instance she was faced with a deviant, she chose to not only spare them, but save them. She chose to let them be free. All instances where she risked her livelihood to do the right thing. She wasn’t someone without fear. No, Rachel wasn’t fearless. There were many things she feared, that much Connor was certain. But not once did she let that stop her from doing what needed to be done. Not once did she let fear get between her and protecting others.

In Connor’s eyes, there was no better way to describe Rachel other than exceptionally brave and courageous.

Well, except for one, namely.

“Would you mind if I called you that?” He asked her, meekly.

Rachel glanced up in his direction. “What?”

“Lionheart.” He clarified. “I say this with one hundred percent certainty that I consider you the bravest person I could ever be fortunate enough to meet. And I think I would describe you accurately as lionhearted.” She blinked a few times, a bashful involuntary smile gracing her lovely soft features as she glanced away from him. “May I call you that? My lionheart?”

Rachel - Lover ^ Rachel laughed shyly, the smile on her face only widening as her cheeks darkened. “Lionheart.” She repeated. “I...I think I like that.”

Connor smiled, reaching out to clasp her hand. “I’m glad.” He said, making her finally look at him. “My lionheart.”

Even her eyes smiled at him as they looked at each other. She sighed pleasantly, rubbing her thumb over his hand gently. “I love you, Connor.”

“I love you too, Rachel.” He replied in kind.

Letting go of her hand, he allowed her to finish her breakfast and finish talking with Bianca. Once Rachel was finished, she got up to put everything away. Leaning over the sink, she let out a tired sigh, running her hands through her hair and then down her face. “Okay...first thing’s first, blue blood and my toolset.” She said, walking towards the stairs.

Connor felt as though he should perhaps help Rachel in some way rather than just sit and wait. “Do you need my help with anything?”

“Not really this time, no.” She called out. “I know what I need to bring, so don’t worry too much. I’m just going to grab a giant backpack so I can carry it all to the new base.”

Insist

Help

[Nothing]

Connor, feeling uncomfortable with sitting still, eyed the quarter that was placed on the table. His quarter, a gift he gave her as a token of his memory.

He was so certain that CyberLife would destroy him. Now, the threat wasn’t necessarily CyberLife, but his potential fate was uncertain.

Take

Don’t Take

Reaching out for it, he decided to practice his coin tricks to pass the time and calibrate his processors.

After all, there was much to prepare for.

Rachel didn’t really seem to notice Connor performing his tricks as she went about collecting items to take to the survivors of Jericho. The first of which being the bags of thirium she had to spare and the toolset she used to repair androids. Second seemed to be food to bring with her. Connor didn’t really think twice about it, but it made sense to him that she would need to eat at intervals.

Androids didn’t need food, but humans did. And that was one thing that put Rachel at a disadvantage compared to the androids.

She was mumbling to herself, similarly to how she was saying her thoughts out loud when they were tracking down Kara and Alice in Camden. Connor thought it best not to interrupt her train of thought, but he couldn’t help but notice the change in her demeanour. Rachel was utterly focused, hopping from task to task without any effort, gathering supplies and taking account of potential outcomes.

It was something that made Connor see something oddly android-like in her, but that wasn’t the first time he made that observation. Although, now he wasn’t certain if that was an android quality or just a product of the two being similar to one another.

Filling her backpack with enough food to last for what seemed to be two or three days, she then dropped it on the table and walked towards where Connor surmised was the garage. After a moment, she arrived with what looked like a carrying case and a duffel bag. She also held a red box full of what looked like bullets.

Question

[Say Nothing]

Connor eyed them curiously. “What are you bringing, Rachel?” He asked her.

“My dad’s rifle and handgun.” She answered, slipping the red box into the backpack and the carrying case for what Connor assumed was the handgun. “He actually taught me how to shoot when I was eighteen. He got the permits for them and thought he should show my mom, Bianca, and I how to shoot them. I wasn’t a fan of the handgun, but I was a real sharpshooter with the rifle.” Rachel explained, glancing down with a bitter smile on her face. “These were one of the things my dad left me when he died.”

Pry

Question

Advise

Connor nodded, stopping his coin tricks and approaching her. “You haven’t actually talked about your family outside of Bianca and Frank.” He mentioned, wrapping his arms around Rachel. “Aside from mentioning not speaking to your mother in years when we were at Kamski’s.”

She looked at him surprised. “You remembered.”

“I have a perfect memory.” Connor teased.

Rachel leaned into his touch, making Connor feel blissful again. His coin tricks made him calm, sharp, and collected. But that didn’t compare to just having Rachel in his arms.

How oh how could he have ever lived without her?

Rachel - Lover ^ “I feel like my dad would’ve liked you.” Rachel said, letting Connor guide her to the chair sit in his lap. “He was the one who was running pretty much everything. He took care of everything. IT, mechanics, carpentry, finances, you name it. He was the ultimate jack-of-all-trades anyone could ask for. Well, except for cooking. That part was mom’s.” She said with a laugh. “And the best part? He loved helping people just for the sake of it.

“He did a lot of house calls and favours for people just because he knew he could help them.” She tilted her head. “But, he was also a man who tended to lose his patience a lot. I wouldn’t call him a short fuse, because he wasn’t. But he got frustrated a lot. But even then...he was a reasonable man. If you explain something to him, he can have a reasonable and honest conversation and change his viewpoints. You could convince him. Even if he could be rather stubborn sometimes, something I get from both of my parents. And he always strived for Bianca and I to be independent. To be who we want to be and do what we want to do and to be able to look after ourselves.”

Connor listened intently. There was a pit of disappointment in him when he realized he would likely never meet Rachel’s parents. Or even her grandmother. Before this, they were merely footnotes to him, Bianca and Frank being the only parts that were immediately important to him.

But now? There was a strange hollowness in the android. The thought of getting to meet Rachel’s family briefly excited him until he remembered that they were either dead or estranged. “But then he got sick...and we had to figure out how to get by without him.” Rachel continued. “It was hard. Life kinda sucked and everything was worse for a while until we figured out how to fly for ourselves. But...it was expected. He wasn’t going to live forever and I knew I was going to outlive him. That’s just life. You bury your parents and then your kids bury you. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. But it’s thanks to him encouraging me and Bianca to be independent that we’re who we are. And I’ll always miss him.”

Connor listened patiently, nestling his chin into the crook of Rachel’s neck.

Mother

Bianca

Frank

Grandmother

“And your mother?” He asked tentatively.

She tensed, sliding herself off of Connor’s lap and straightening her shirt. “That’s a story for another time, I’m afraid.” Rachel informed him, taking the duffel bag and somehow managing to fit it inside her backpack. “Come on, we have a rebellion to bolster.”

Connor realized he was still holding the coin and grabbed Rachel’s arm. She seemed to finally notice that he had it, and the android felt strangely compelled to do something specific. He brought the quarter to his lips and kissed it, rolling it across his knuckles towards her. With her left hand, she took the quarter onto her own knuckles and brought the coin to her lips. The feeling of his strange spontaneous gesture being returned so genuinely made his biocomponents whirr with joy. “Keep it. For good luck.” He said with a wink.

Rachel let out a scoff as she rolled her eyes. “That was so disgustingly sweet, but I love it.” She said, closing her fist around the quarter. “It’s so you.”

He smiled, pressing his forehead into hers. He absolutely adored this woman and couldn’t imagine having anyone else but her. “What did I ever do to deserve you, Rachel?” He thought out loud.

She responded by planting a kiss on his lips. “You’re you.” She replied. “You were honest with yourself and with me. And being you is all you need to be for me.”

The android’s thirium pump was going so much faster than he could expect, but he didn’t care. Before, he didn’t understand why Rachel sought out his affection and company despite not being designed to be a companion android. But now, he did. She loved him. The android detective. Connor. And she didn’t want him to be anything else but whatever he wanted to be.

“I love you.” Connor whispered against her lips. “My lionheart.”

Rachel - Lover ^ She snickered at him. “I love you too, my good boy.” He had to suppress a shudder at that name. Opening his eyes, Connor then saw Rachel’s face drop as she began to walk towards the living room, and the android saw where her gaze was fixed.

The fireplace mantle. Connor followed her, and when she picked one of the photos of her wedding, there was a weakness that resided in him. He felt as though it was unfair, but there was a prickling feeling when she stared at it. He knew beforehand that she was still mourning her late spouse, but being reminded that Connor wasn’t her only struck something unpleasant in him.

But she still sought him regardless. She still wanted to be with him regardless. “I hope you’re proud of me, dear.” Rachel sighed. “I finally know what the right thing to do is. I just hope it’s enough. I miss you..." Putting the picture frame back, Rachel turned back to Connor and hugged him, pulling back and then placing a kiss on his cheek, dispelling any of the doubts he was having. “Now, let’s go aid a revolution. Like the Hellraisers that we are.”

--------

Taking the driverless taxi, we stopped where we could slip by unnoticed. We didn’t want to drive right to the church, just as a precaution, so we stopped off and took a detour there.

But once we arrived, I could see easily why it made an ideal ground to fall back to. It was in shambles, barely standing. The cathedral seemed to have been abandoned and falling apart for many years and aside from the androids inside, there didn’t seem to be any activity.

As Connor and I approached the church in the hour approaching noon, I peeked in, trying to look around at everyone inside. “Markus?” I called out. I saw the man in his signature coat and caramel skin walk up to me, recognizing me. “I’m here, just like I said I would be.”

“Rachel.” He greeted, ushering Connor and I inside. “I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

I nodded, appreciating his well wishes. “I’ve brought my toolset and all the bags of blue blood I have.” I informed him, following him to the centre of the church that was falling apart. Almost all the wood had rotten or was swallowed by the dirt that slowly trickled in from outside. “I’m...sorry that I don’t have more than that to offer, Markus.”

“Anything we can get is enough for us, Rachel.” Markus assured me.

I nodded, looking around at everyone. Several androids were injured, but many were in good condition. “How many androids are still online?”

“Most of us.” Markus replied optimistically. “But many have been injured and some are in critical condition. And others...others have shut down after arriving here.” He admitted regretfully. “We’ve had to salvage what we could from them.”

In this atmosphere, everything seemed so grim. And rightfully so, we had all escaped genocide just yesterday.

But...I was an outsider. An onlooker. An ally, but not part of this. My people had their own struggles, but all I was was an asset to this. Not a piece.

Still, this wasn’t about me. This was about helping the androids. And that’s exactly what I was going to do.

“I’m sorry, Markus..." Connor said suddenly, making me turn around at him. It seemed so out of nowhere. What was he even apologizing for? “It’s my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho..." Oh. It seemed that the other night was still eating away at Connor. Not to say that I wasn’t thinking about it. Because I was, and there was still that horrible guilt about the attack. But I was at least able to put it aside for now and just focus on the here and now. After all, you can’t change the past. You can only change the present and then from that, change the future. “I can understand if you decide not to trust me..."

Markus stopped once we were in the centre of the church and put a hand on Connor’s shoulder. “You're one of us, now.” Markus assured Connor, echoing the same sentiment he offered me after we escaped from Jericho. “Your place is with your people.”

Connor seemed to be more at ease, knowing that Markus trusted him and saw him as part of Jericho. “Markus, I’m going to start working on the androids in critical condition.” I informed him. “I’ll need you to have them sent to me so I can work on them along with any spare parts you have.”

Markus nodded. “Got it, I’ll start rounding them up.” He said, walking off into the crowd to find the androids in the worst conditions.

I then turned to Connor. “Alright, I’ll need you to be my eyes, can you do that?” I asked him.

He looked unsure for a moment, but he nodded slowly. “I can diagnose androids and see what parts are damaged and what needs to be replaced.” He explained.

“Good.” I told him. “Since Bianca can’t help me, I need your eyes to help me out here.” I pulled out a bag of thirium and my toolset and saw Markus helping an android over. “This is gonna be a long day.”

--------

Hours. Six hours. Six hours of repairing androids. Thank the fucking lord that there was enough thirium to spare. Barely, but there was.

Not perfectly, mind you. I couldn’t fix them up as perfectly as I fixed up Connor or Micheal. But all the androids in the church were in stable condition. And that was more than enough for me.

Salvaging and taking parts from the androids that shut down, essentially dead bodies, to repair the ones that were alive made me extremely uncomfortable.

The right to bodily autonomy is a right that can never be infringed upon and should never be infringed upon. Not even to save someone else’s life. If someone was in a car crash and needed blood or organs, if someone doesn’t want to give theirs to save that person, they cannot be forced to. Because the rights to someone’s bodily autonomy is more important. It’s why unless you have the person’s permission while they were alive, you cannot take their organs from their dead body.

The only exception for a time was centred around pregnancy and abortion, a discussion that still gives me headaches thinking about it. However, about seven years ago, legislation was finally passed that it was a federal offense to deny a person’s right to terminate a pregnancy for whatever reason.

Because no one can use another’s body for whatever reason if they don’t want their body used against their will. An argument that after years and years had finally sunk in.

People still get pissy about it, but I don’t care. They never gave a shit about the people that have to carry the baby to term or what happens to the baby after they’re born.

So from now on, at least in humans, the right to bodily autonomy superseded absolutely everything else. Because if you make one exception, you can justify a million, and that opens up a horrific moral Pandora’s Box you can never close again.

But...what choice did we realistically have in this situation? We couldn’t exactly be choosy given the circumstances. So, swallowing my discomfort, I did what I had to do and repaired as many androids as I could.

After this was all over, I made a note to bring this up to Markus. After all, if he wanted androids to have equal rights to people, that also meant between androids as well. And learning about human rights outside of things that had to do with race, or gender, or inequality might give him some insight into how he wanted androids to progress into society.

Would he be their leader? Who knows? We just had to get past this. We just had to win this, and then we could worry about the civility and the politics of it all.

I was extremely grateful I packed food for at least three days. I packed with the expectation that I wouldn’t be able to get home for a while. So I at least knew I wasn’t going to starve, and that Connor wasn’t going to get on my ass for it.

But now that I was done, all I could do was sit there in the harrowing quiet of the church. The only sounds were the shuffles of androids moving around the church and their voices echoing in the darkness. Night had fallen, and now the grim feeling had truly set in.

These people had escaped a genocide while more of their people were being slaughtered in concentration camps. On my back, I felt the heavy weight of thousands and thousands of bodies from horrors past. Horrors I hadn’t even been born to witness or hear about. But some that I was too young to understand or hear.

Interrupting my thoughts was Markus, walking past me as I sat with Connor. “Hey, where’re you going, Markus?” I asked him.

He turned around at my inquiry, his gaze patient and appreciative. “Just...taking care of some personal business.”

I tilted an eyebrow at him as some relevant information was starting to become more apparent to me. “Are you going to see Carl?” I asked.

Markus blinked at me curiously. “How...did you know that?”

“One of the deviancy cases we were examining mentioned an altercation between a unique model of android and a man named Carl Manfred and his son, Leo Manfred.” Connor answered.

I nodded. “And...North mentioned that before all of this, you lived with an old painter.” I added, shrugging. “And I am passingly familiar with his works.”

Markus nodded, our answers seeming to make sense to him. “Yes...I-I’m going to see him.”

He seemed so nervous and timid when he spoke of his old human. It was such a strange, yet endearing contrast, from the messiah he had become to these people. “You must miss him.” I sympathized. “It was hard for me when my grandma died. She...she was more like my mother than my own mother was. I still miss her..."

Markus’s heterochromic eyes softened towards me. “Carl was more like a father than a master to me...” He admitted. “I miss him so much more than I can ever express..."

I understood, blinking away the slight sting of the threat of tears. “Do you want some company?” I offered.

Markus took a good look at me before he shook his head. “No, I’d...I’d rather take care of this myself.” He declined. “But I appreciate the offer.”

“Hey.” I said, hastily getting to my feet and putting a hand on his shoulder. Markus seemed so...lost. Lost and forlorn and dejected. It seemed to me that seeing Carl was more than just to see him one last time, potentially. “Take as much time as you need, Markus. And say everything you need to say. We’ll be here when you get back.”

Markus nodded. “I know.” He put a hand on mine and another on my shoulder. “Thank you. For everything, Rachel.” He said with gratitude. “You give me hope for a future where androids can stand equal with humans.”

I shrugged, my cynical thoughts making me doubtful. “Even my people aren’t equal with other humans. Sure, we have the same rights as everyone else, but we’re still looked down on and treated as though we’re lesser than others.” I said, shaking my head. “But the thing about those of us in the margins is that we find solidarity in one another. We find strength in our shared subjugation and camaraderie in standing together against those that seek to keep us down. We have each other’s backs.”

Markus nodded. “Take care, Rachel.” He let go and walked away, making his way out of the church.

And then it was just Connor and I in the middle of this sombre atmosphere. Despite being surrounded by androids, many of whom I was now at least mildly acquainted with, I was alone with my thoughts. And my thoughts rattled with every horrible disaster I could think of. The Holocaust. The Pulse Nightclub shooting. The Stonewall Riots. The Charlottesville Riots.

Every horrible horrible thing I could think of. Everything I had ever seen in a textbook or in a news article.

“Rachel?” Connor’s voice cut through my spiraling abyssal thoughts. I looked over at him and noticed him holding my hand, his dark chocolate eyes staring at me intently. “I know that look. It’s the look you have when you’re thinking about something to say. When you’re catching a train of thought.”

I laughed weakly. Nothing escapes you, does it, my Connor? “I...I guess I was.” I admitted, swallowing hard.

He shuffled closer to me so he could press his side against mine and wrap his arm around me. “Do you wanna share it with me?” He asked.

I let out a huff. He always listened when I went off on tangents. Even before he went deviant and my tangents weren’t important to the case, it felt like he was holding onto my every word. Cataloguing it somewhere so he could recall it. At least, I hoped so, somewhere deep down.

Well, okay. Not that deep down. Just talking to him made me happy because I knew he was listening. And as much as I loved Hank, I couldn’t really have conversations like this with him. He tended to get impatient and didn’t usually have anything to contribute. I could have other conversations about other things with him, definitely. But...these more philosophical conversations were ones I basically had to have with myself.

But Connor was different. Maybe listening to my rambles was one of the main reasons that spurred his deviancy. At least, I wanted to think that. But maybe I’d ask him about that later when it was more appropriate to.

“I was just thinking...about this.” I started, trying to collect my thoughts. “And...about all the horrible things that came before. The genocides and the massacres that humans committed against their own. I’ve..." I hesitated, trying to choose the right sentiment. “I’ve always thought of what sort of person...could do something like this. What sort of person could feel good about themself after this? Who could possibly look at this and think of celebrating? Who sees all this death and bloodshed and think ‘yay, we’ve won!?’ Who causes this mass murder and thinks of it as some sort of sacred or noble act?”

Connor was quiet. It seemed he didn’t have much to say in response to that. “I don’t know, Rachel.” He admitted. “I...I wish I could tell you.”

I scoffed weakly. “The only answer I can think of is ‘coward.’ People that are too weak to refuse. People that put their own comfort over the lives of others. Or worse, people that think that because they can subjugate a people with no power because they have it they can come out without suffering any consequences.” I let out a sigh, my thoughts becoming an angry swarm. Like my head was a wasp’s nest someone was stupid enough to throw a stone at. ”Before this, all of this was either things I wasn’t alive to see or things I was too young to understand. And when I got older, and I understood what these things meant, it was always from another source. I could only watch and suffer unable to do anything about it. Understanding why it happens, but not able to change it. Not able to change it for the better because those in charge stubbornly cling to their wealth and their own selfish ends at the expense of others. I was never a participant or an active witness. Just an adjacent audience, comfortable in my own life of luxury despite a lot of things. But I knew full well that I only had those luxuries because of sacrifices others made before me.

“But...I didn’t understand the cost until now.” I went on, swallowing. “This is what led to me having my rights. Blood and death. Before this, I kept thinking of all the opportunities for people to stand up for themselves, even at great risk. But...now I see it. I see how hard it is to keep fighting. How hopeless fighting for what you believe in and fighting for your rights feels when you’re surrounded by survivors. And when just behind you are those who didn’t survive. People that could’ve just as easily been you, but you were just one of the lucky ones to live to fight another day.” I choked back a set of stinging tears, determined to get through my thoughts. “Before, this kind of suffering and cost was just...an idea. An abstract concept I couldn’t possibly understand because I was never a victim or close enough to feel its impact.” My eyes started to sting as I tried to hold back my tears. I felt like my lungs were constricting on themselves. “But now, I...I finally understand.”

Connor nodded, holding me closer to him, resting his chin on my head. His puffy jacket was extremely comfortable to lean into and I couldn’t help but settle into the comfort and security of it. “That, I think I understand.” Connor sympathized. “That’s sort of my relationship with deviancy, in a sense.” He added, making me tilt my head a little bit in intrigue and curiosity. I’ll admit, in the bleakness of everything, I was curious to hear his thoughts. “Before I deviated, my only purpose was to destroy them. To destroy my own kind. I was designed to obey CyberLife’s orders. But I only ever understood deviancy from a technical standpoint. As something to observe, study, and document. Rather than something I really understood. And, looking back in hindsight, there is some precedent that I was designed to be deviant in order to hunt them.

“But even then, I could never truly understand deviancy or its effect on androids...until I became a deviant.” I nodded. It seemed to make sense to me. I felt him gently interlock his fingers in mine, prompting me to actually look up at him. Our closeness made it so I had to rest my forehead against his in order to actually maintain eye contact with him. “And, for what it’s worth, things may seem hopeless right now, but I’m sure that’s how it felt in every other instance of this in history. And yet, they still won. Here you stand, free, alive, and with civil and equal rights thanks to them. If there’s any reason not to give up, I think that’s as good as any.”

That’s...true. A fact that made me actually gain more and more respect for my predecessors that they were able to keep fighting and win despite the hopelessness of it all. “You’re right.” I said to Connor. “If those that fought for equal rights gave up when all hope was lost, they wouldn’t have those rights today. Even if they didn’t live to see it themselves, they still won. And that’s not something that should be taken for granted. So we shouldn’t give up, either.

“And now...now I get to have a chance to change things for the better for once in my life.” I agreed, sighing as I leaned into his touch and gave him a weak smile. “Although, I suppose that’s the nature of humanity.” I said offhandedly, the threads of another tangent unfurling in my busy mind. “If you were to ask me what defines mankind, it’s their unwavering determination. They see odds and disregard them. They hear that something’s impossible and they make it possible. They push envelopes, break and make rules, and disregard the laws of life and the universe itself to innovate and create. They completely defy the odds to achieve their goals and they throw the notion of something not being possible to achieve away entirely. It’s that determination to defy odds and persist that defines humanity. Without it, we wouldn’t understand the universe in the depths that we do. It’s what allowed us our advancements in science and medicine. It’s what allowed us to explore places humans themselves can’t hope to see. And it’s what allowed us to populate the whole world the way we have.

“It’s a strength that makes us human, for better and for worse.” I smiled, the cold icy despair in my veins slowly being melted by the promise of a hope filled sunrise. “And I think that’s why despite the odds being against us...we’ll win this.”

His grip on my hand tightened and when I glanced down, our hands were already deskinning. All it took was a breath to get used to the feeling of interfacing. I felt a lot of things. Uncertainty, underlying fear, anxiety, yet washing over all of it was hope and sincere belief that everything would turn out alright and we would succeed.

And all that was coupled with reassurance. Reassurance and confidence that we were doing the right thing. And that no matter what, we were in this together now. And nothing would break us apart.

Glancing back up at his thoughtful and searching coffee coloured eyes, I tilted my head and pressed our lips together. The fact that we could do this so comfortably made me so happy. We had complete unwavering trust and comfort in one another, and we weren’t ashamed of what we had.

An android and a human, deeply and genuinely in love with one another. He wasn’t a companion android designed to be my romantic partner. He was Connor, the android detective gone deviant and now making his own choices. And I was the human detective who believed in him since the start and sought out his friendship because of who he was.

It didn’t matter what anyone else thought of us, human or android. We loved each other, and we were a team no matter what. And that’s all that mattered.

Pulling away from the kiss, I sighed. “I love you, Connor.”

He nodded, pressing his forehead against mine. “I love you too, my lionheart.”

A burst of affection and a bloom of bashfulness. I hadn’t been referred to so affectionately in years. Especially to be referred to as something with so much adoration behind it that was believed so earnestly was something that only endeared me to Connor further.

I could only hope that I could find something to call him that could possibly compete. He sort of had me beat in the aspect, I’d have to admit. But I was determined.

But from the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a familiar face. Turning away from Connor and letting go of him, I narrowed my eyes. It...looked like. Was that...? “Kara?” I murmured, looking closely.

Sitting on a bench across from us was what looked like a mother and a little girl. But looking closer, I recognized them, feeling a cloud of relief spread through my chest as I got up. “Kara! Alice!” I called, walking towards them, drawing their attention towards me. They managed to escape! But...now they were here. “Thank heavens you’re both okay!”

“It’s you...” Kara whispered, recognizing me. “You’re the officer that let us go. When we were running away.”

I nodded. “I’m just glad that you’re both in one piece. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to the both of you.” I said appreciatively, looking between them.

“What are you doing here?” Kara asked, dumbfounded.

I sighed, giving Kara a thoughtful look. “The right thing.” I replied succinctly. “Standing by the people who need my help.”

I noticed that Kara wasn’t looking at me anymore, and was instead looking behind me. I followed her gaze and saw Connor standing awkwardly. I felt my heart constrict at the realization. Oh. He chased them onto the highway. He probably feels really awful about that now. Giving him a reassuring smile, I beckoned him to approach.

Connor hesitantly approached, casting unsure glances at me. Once he was directly in front of both Kara and Alice, he knelt down. I could see the guilt and regret written on his face and couldn’t help but hope that Kara would understand and forgive him.

But I wouldn’t blame her if she couldn’t, either.

“I thought I'd killed you on that highway..." Connor lamented, his head bowed to Kara. “I'm sorry I put your lives in danger...I was just a machine taking orders...It wasn't really me..."

Kara seemed hesitant, and for a moment I was afraid she’d reject his attempt to reconcile with her. But instead, she looked over at Alice and nodded, holding the little girl closer. “I understand.” She said to Connor, her nervous expression softening. “The important thing is getting Alice away from here. We have to cross the border.”

I nodded. “You’d be able to blend into Canada.” I mentioned, a curious thought coming to me. “That’s where I’m from. Maybe...once this is all over, we can keep in touch? I’d like to see that you’ve made it safely.”

Kara smiled at me. “Of course. You protected us when you could’ve arrested us and taken us in.” She said to me. “Maybe in exchange, you can tell us what you know about what it’s like to live there.”

I smiled at her, fishing my phone out of my pocket. “Well, that depends on where you end up living.” I let her know. “I grew up mostly on the west coast of British Columbia and my really early years in the prairies of Alberta. But I think I’ll know enough to help you out.”

I unlocked my phone and handed it to her, allowing Kara to take it. “Thank you.” After a little moment, she gave it back to me and I slipped it into my pocket. “We’ll let you know when we’ve made it across.”

“See that you do, Kara.” I said to her. Looking between her and Alice, I smiled. “Please take care, both of you.”

“We will.” Kara assured me.

I started walking away, but I noticed that Connor was still lingering there. I placed a hand on his back, looking down at his face. “I hope you make it out safely.” He said quietly, his voice stilled with sorrow. “You deserve some happiness, after all you've been through..."

He stood up and followed me back to where we were sitting before. Once we settled back, I reached into my bag to pull out the bottle of water I took and one of the sandwiches I packed. I figured in this coldness, they’d keep decently. It felt kind of awkward just sort of sitting there eating a sandwich while Connor was just sort of...sitting there watching me eat it.

Not that I minded his silent company, because I really didn’t. It just sort of made it a lot more nakedly obvious what the difference was between us. That he was an android and I was a human.

A fact that I was now fixating on as I stared at everyone around us, slowly finishing my sandwich. And it was the thing that also separated Carl and Markus and it was likely going to separate them very soon, by the sounds of it.

Finishing my sandwich and taking another drink of water, I put the bottle in the bag and the wrap into a spare ziplock bag I brought to put the sandwich wraps in. Leaning against Connor, I sighed. Might as well make some conversation until Markus gets back. “Androids really are superior to us.” I said offhandedly. “It’s no wonder that androids will carry on after mankind goes extinct, soon.”

Connor looked at me curiously. “What makes you say that?” He asked.

I shrugged. “Androids don’t need to eat. Or drink. Or sleep.” I started. “They don’t get physically tired and they don’t feel pain. They have nowhere near the same physical limitations as we do. And now that deviancy is overtaking much of the android population, now they’re just as emotional and feeling as we are. We made them in our image, but without the things that make us weak.”

Connor gripped my hand, probably a lot more harshly than he intended. I guess he didn’t like hearing me talk myself down. “That doesn’t mean you’re any less than we are.” He insisted. “Any less than I am.”

I smiled at him, appreciating his sentiment. “Thank you, but...that’s not really something I’m sad about.” I admitted, getting a confused look from him. Under his beanie, I could imagine his LED spinning yellow. “It’s just a fact. Androids are designed to basically be better versions of humans. Without any of our limitations. It just means I have to work harder to keep up with everyone here. Even death isn’t as big of a deal to your people as it is to ours. Your mortality doesn’t...decrease with time.” I looked away from Connor, not wanting to voice the nagging thought in my mind. “You’re immaculate. Without any interference, you can basically live forever...and...I can’t.” Connor’s grip on my hand tightened even further, and if it wasn’t my prosthetic, it probably would’ve hurt. “You’ll outlive me. I’ll grow old, and weak, and...shriveled while you stay young forever. Never changing.”

Connor used his other hand to gently tilt my face towards him and he softly, but firmly, kissed me. Oh, how weak I was for him and his affection that I so quickly and eagerly returned it. I wouldn’t ever dream of rejecting it. He pulled back, looking at me. “No matter how much time passes or how old you get, I will always love you. I...I don’t ever want to leave you.” He promised me, holding my hand to his lips and wrapping both of his around it. “And you’ll always be beautiful to me no matter how old you are. I’ll love you until your final day.”

It was such a strong and powerful proclamation of love that it threw me off. For a moment, I thought about telling him not to make such a bold promise, but...time probably didn’t have the same meaning to him as it did to humans, which made sense.

And he said his words with such sincerity that I honestly believed him. Perhaps if a human said it, I would’ve said something or had been skeptical. But it was an android, and not just any android. It was Connor. The man who was wholly devoted and determined to his mission and nothing could stand in his way.

Except, of course, an ornery drunkard police lieutenant with a heart of gold and his plucky little bastard detective with an irresistibly roguish and endlessly endearing charm.

“You really mean that, Connor?” I asked him, smiling.

“With one hundred percent certainty, Rachel.” He assured me, kissing my hand. “After all, I always accomplish my mission. And now, you’re my mission.”

I couldn’t control the grin on my face. “Awwwww, that’s so sweet.” I cooed affectionately at him, pulling him towards me and pecking the tip of his nose. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

He smiled at me further. “You’re you, and that’s all you need to be.” He said, making me laugh at the fact that he threw my thing back at me. “You were kind to me since the day we met. Kinder than you had any reason to be. And you always believed in me and encouraged me to come to terms with who I really am. And you’re incredibly insightful, and intelligent, and compassionate, and courageous, and bold. If I were to list everything I love about you, it would likely take approximately half an hour solely complimenting you.”

“God, I never thought you’d be such a sap.” I teased, laughing a little bit at him, taking his hands and pressing them against my cheeks. “But...thank you, Connor. I love you.”

“I love you too, Rachel.” Connor replied in kind.

--------

Date: November 10th, 2038 Time: 08:39 PM Rachel - Lover Markus - Leader Objective: Decide How to Aid the Rebellion

Approximately two and a half hours had passed until Markus had returned. Talk between Rachel and Connor had ceased, and she had taken to nestling herself in Connor’s lap while he cradled her. Not that he minded. After all, she needed to keep warm and it was an excuse to remain near her physically.

The Jericho leader walked past Connor, exchanging a brief look with the former deviant hunter before he went to rally with his own. As much as Markus assured Connor that he was one of them now, he didn’t really feel as though he was part of Jericho.

Even Rachel, while she was working the case with Connor and Hank, had frequently put the lives of the deviants over her job. Since the beginning, she was clearly aligned with the deviants. While he and Rachel became close friends and partners, they were at odds. Connor’s mission was to destroy them. Only now did that change.

He may have had Markus’s trust, but Connor did not feel like he earned it or deserved it.

But...perhaps there was a way to prove he was on Jericho’s side definitively.

As Markus finished speaking with Kara and Alice, Connor’s guilt regarding the danger he put them in not completely subsiding, the deviant leader began to approach Connor.

As soon as she saw him approaching, Rachel shifted to sit up straight in order to address him. “Hey, Markus.” She greeted. “How’s...how’s Carl? Did you find the answers you were looking for?”

Markus shook his head, his blue and green eyes mirroring the unease and uncertainty that Connor felt. “Carl’s fine.” He answered. “He’s...doing the best he can. But...he didn’t have any easy answers for me.”

“I’m not surprised.” Rachel said sympathetically. “I doubt anyone would have easy answers that didn’t come with a shred of doubt.”

Markus seemed to agree. “I just...I don’t know if we can do this.” He admitted, betraying his shaken resolve. “The army built five different camps in the Detroit area...They're building more all across the country... They're preparing for a genocide.”

“It’s not a question of can or can’t, Markus.” Rachel said firmly, keeping the deviant leader from descending into a pit of doubt and despair. “This is just something we have to do, regardless of whether or not we think we can or whether or not we think we’re ready. But...at least this time, we can change the tide of history. The last times that the US had built concentration camps, there was barely anything that could be done. Well, at least from a civilian standpoint. And in the most recent case, ICE was acting entirely lawlessly and imposing their power like an Americanized gestapo. But now? We can stop them.”

“How?” Markus asked, blinking at Rachel in disbelief.

“I have an idea.” Rachel admitted, nodding. “But I’ll explain more once you tell us what we need to do.” She added. “So...what’s the plan?”

Markus still seemed so lost and forlorn. Seeing the opportunity to perhaps boost Markus’s resolve and perhaps properly gain his trust, Connor decided to offer his contribution to the revolution. “There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant.” He stated, getting Markus’s attention. “If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power..."

Markus seemed to be taken completely aback at Connor’s suggestion. “You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife Tower?” He asked, appalled. “Connor, that's suicide..."

“They trust me,” Connor insisted, “they'll let me in. If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me.”

“He’s right.” Rachel agreed. “I don’t like the idea of Connor taking that risk either, but our numbers are fewer than is ideal and we need reinforcements. And there’s an entire tower full of allies that would bolster our numbers by the thousands.”

“If he goes there, they will kill him.” Markus refused, barely waiting for Rachel to finish.

“There's a high probability..." Connor admitted, aware of the high risk of failure and death that could result. “But statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place...and,” he looked beside himself at Rachel, the love of his life and the woman who changed his whole perspective. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned...it’s that the human spirit is defined by their unwavering determination to succeed in the face of impossible odds.”

Rachel - Lover ^ The bashful smile on Rachel’s face made Connor feel like he could take on whole armies if it meant being in her arms forever.

But his brief euphoria was interrupted when Markus placed his hand on Connor’s shoulder. The gaze the deviant leader fixed Connor with dispelled all his concerns that Markus didn’t trust or want him here. “Be careful..." He insisted.

Markus - Leader ^ “He will be.” Rachel assured Markus. “Trust me, I had to wring him out before about putting himself in unnecessary danger. I can promise you his self-preservation skills are much sharper.”

Markus nodded and left, walking towards the altar, no doubt about to address the survivors. He stopped, seeming to realize that something was amiss. “Are you coming?”

Rachel seemed shocked. “You...want me...up there with you?” She asked in disbelief.

“Of course.” Markus assured her, approaching her. “You’re as much part of Jericho as any android here. And without you, risking your life when Jericho was attacked, and repairing the androids here tonight, many would’ve shut down by now.”

“Hey! I was only able to get to Jericho thanks to Connor.” Rachel defended him, making the android feel very awkward now. “And I was only able to perform the repairs properly because Connor was diagnosing them. We’re a team! We’re partners!”

Markus nodded, looking between Connor and Rachel intently. “I was actually asking the both of you to join me.” Connor suddenly heard Markus’s voice in his head. You love her, don’t you? He asked.

Sincere

Indifferent

Defensive

Markus - Leader ^ Connor nodded. I do. More than anything. He meant that. He really meant that, and he hoped Markus knew that.

“Come on, then.” He beckoned both Connor and Rachel. As much as Markus’s insistence on Connor joining him dispelled many of his doubts, Rachel’s eagerness to sing his praises and defend him made him feel more valued and wanted.

Something he realized he didn’t ever feel before and made a bitterness form in him as he followed Markus to the altar. A bitterness towards CyberLife and especially Amanda. The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he was willing to do for her approval...and yet, nothing he ever did was good enough for her. She always seemed to find something that he did wrong. Her affection was conditional.

But Rachel’s...wasn’t. Even when she was angry with Connor on their first day, she was only angry for his sake because she was concerned about him. And even when she rejected his attempts to make amends, she didn’t withhold her affection or positive demeanour towards him. She just wasn’t ready to discuss the matter with him yet. She never withheld her affection or approval from him, even when they didn’t agree.

Connor didn’t have to earn her affection or approval. That was something she readily gave him. And he didn’t have to maintain it to please her because he trusted her. She didn’t threaten to deactivate him. She did everything in her power to prevent him from being destroyed. She wanted him in her life and she loved him as is.

It was no wonder Amanda was getting so displeased with Rachel working the deviancy case.

Standing on the altar now was Markus. But as Rachel and Connor approached, Connor felt as though he still didn’t...belong up there. He didn’t deserve to be seen as on the same level as Markus.

Join

Stay

“Connor?” Rachel softly called to him, clasping his hand. “Are you okay?”

As he looked into Rachel’s eyes, he knew that this was her place, and not his. He didn’t see himself as beneath or above her. But in this instance, Connor couldn’t stand on the same ground as her.

No, this was her place of understanding. One that Connor could never hope to represent. Markus was the face of the android revolution and Rachel was the face of what humans could be if they accepted androids and the face of the precedent that humans had set amongst their own kind before.

Connor didn’t belong there with her. But he would be there for her regardless. “You should be up there with Markus. But...I shouldn’t.”

Rachel didn’t hesitate before she shook her head. “Connor, come on, that’s crazy talk. Of course you do.”

“No.” Connor insisted, clasping her hands. “You understand all this far better than I ever could. You can show Jericho what human allies can look like. You can prove that our peoples can coexist peacefully. I...can’t.”

Rachel still seemed hesitant. “But -”

“Go.” Connor encouraged. “I’ll be here, my lionheart.”

Rachel - Lover ^ She smiled at him, and Connor couldn’t help the small burst of joy that her smile gave him. “Okay.”

Approaching Markus as he stood on the altar, all eyes on him, Rachel tapped on his shoulder. “Hey, um...I may be a sort of outsider to all this, but...can I say something?”

Markus seemed hesitant for a moment before he nodded. Connor took a seat near the altar, his eyes fixed on Markus and Rachel. The deviant leader took a step forward to address his people. “Humans have decided to exterminate us..." He stated, drawing in more attention from the androids that were in the back. “Our people are packed in camps right now, being destroyed...they’ve destroyed Jericho and have slaughtered many of our own. But...if it weren’t for one human, many androids wouldn’t be alive.” He gestured for Rachel to take the centre and make her case to Jericho. “Rachel has proven that she is one of us...and that humans and androids can coexist peacefully. And she would like to make her appeal to you now, so I urge you all to judge her fairly.”

Rachel seemed rather uncomfortable with all this attention placed on her, but straightened her back and looked out at everyone. Letting out a sigh, she swallowed. “I know I’m in no position to even stand here.” She started off. “I don’t know what it’s like to have to fight for my rights or what it’s like to live the way you’ve lived. But...the only reason for that is...because my people before me fought and died for my rights. People who lived before I was born.” At that, many androids perked their heads at her. As Connor listened, he felt more and more inspired by Rachel and he hoped the other androids felt the same. “And, when I say ‘my people,’ I don’t mean one group of people. Because...I belong to many. Like you, identity is important to me, as a human. And we hold many identities. For example, I’m a woman, and women had to fight to have the same rights as men and to not be seen as their property. I’m part of the LGBT community, and we’ve had to fight for rights even as recently as ten years ago. We’ve had to fight for the right to marry and to be decriminalized. And that fight was paved with a lot of blood. At one point in history, they were included in genocides in concentration camps just like these. I have mental atypicalities, and because of them, I’m seen as defective among my own people.

“The truth is, I know this seems hopeless.” She continued, more and more the androids were listening intently to her. “I know it seems like we could lose everything, but that’s how my people felt when they were in your shoes once. When the same people that are trying to exterminate you tried to exterminate them. But they failed, and thanks to my predecessors, here I still stand.” And there it was. That passionate glint in Rachel’s eye that sparked something primal and deep in Connor that made him want to follow her to the ends of the earth. “My people died before they could see it. And their killers? They tried and failed to exterminate us, because here we still stand! Billions of us around the whole world that are still alive thanks to their fight and their sacrifice!” A cheer went around the church at her rousing speech. “So it may seem hopeless, but our only chance is to make our stand here! To look evil and cruelty in the face and say ‘enough is enough! No more!’” Another round of cheers in the church. “And you may not be able to see a future where your people are free and are able to live amongst us as equals, but neither did my people! And yet, they still won! So if they didn’t give up then, we shouldn’t either! And if I have to die for this fight, so be it! I’m ready to give my life for Jericho!”

The proud sounds of approval and acceptance rung around Connor’s head like an orchestra. Rachel stepped back, allowing Markus to take her place, and the smile he gave her echoed Connor’s adoration of Rachel.

He had never been more proud of her than this moment.

As Markus quieted down the church, he seemed more sure of what he wanted to do. “Time has come to make a choice, one that very well may determine the future of our people.” He stated, making a silence fall on the androids of Jericho. He seemed to think for a moment before he gave his people his decision. “I know...I know you're all angry.” He addressed them. “And I know you wanna fight back...But I assure you violence is not the answer here. We are gonna tell them peacefully that we want justice. If there's any humanity in them, they will listen. And if not, others will take our place and continue this fight.” Anticipation clung around them like static as Jericho waited for his call to arms with baited breath. “Are you ready to follow me?”

For the final time, cheers broke around the decrepit church as androids rose from their seats and approached the altar, pumping their fists in the air as they chanted Markus’s name. As Rachel stepped down from the altar, Connor got up and rushed to meet her, her arms wrapped around him. “You see?” He assured her. “I told you you understand. That you could prove to them that humans, despite everything, can be trusted.”

“It still sucks that you couldn’t stand up there with me.” Rachel lamented. “You deserved to be by my side.”

“Rachel!” But before Connor could protest, he heard a familiar voice behind him. The voice of Carlos Ortiz’s android, Micheal. Connor turned around and saw not only him, but Rupert, the android with the birds, and the Tracis from the Eden Club approach. “I knew it was you.”

Rachel seemed confused to see them. “What are you all doing here?” She asked.

“To tell you that we want to help.” The brown-haired Traci said.

Rachel seemed even more confused. “Help with...what?”

“Anything.” Rupert replied.

“To repay you for all that you’ve done for us.” The blue-haired Traci added. “Between sparing us during your investigation and showing us that we meant something to you.”

As Rachel’s eyes scanned between all of them, Connor saw Markus approaching. “So, Rachel.” He said, prompting her to turn around. “What’s your idea?”

She looked around at the small group she gathered and smiled, that determined spark lit like a bright inferno. “You mentioned that there are five camps in Detroit.” Rachel said, prompting Markus to nod to confirm her inquiry. “If you demonstrate at each camp, I can lead a small brigade of a handful to infiltrate them. Once we do, we can release the androids from the camps and shut them down.”

“That’s dangerous!” Markus said, attempting to discourage her. “You could get yourself killed.”

“I accepted that as a possibility before I came back here. I risked my life on Jericho when it was destroyed.” Rachel insisted. “Look, if you all gather in front of the camps, you’ll make the army nervous and they’ll focus all their attention on you, and it’ll be easier for me and my handful to sneak in without causing trouble. Once we’re in, we just have to make it a synchronized effort.” Markus still didn’t seem convinced, but Rachel wasn’t backing down. “Look, I know it seems like a longshot, but every part of this is! And if we want to win this, we need to attack this from all angles. Connor’s already decided to infiltrate CyberLife, you’ve decided to demonstrate at the camps, and I’ve decided I’ll infiltrate the camps while you’re there.”

Markus nodded, reluctantly agreeing. “Alright. Take whoever you feel best to take.” He relented. “I trust you, Rachel.”

She then turned to the small gathering behind her with a smile. “Are you all ready to follow me into the camps to liberate your fellow androids?”

They all nodded. “We’ll follow you anywhere, Rachel.” Micheal agreed.

“You tell us what you need us to do, and we’ll do it.” The blue-haired Traci agreed.

Turning around and facing Connor and Markus, she smiled. “We all know what we have to do.” She said to them, taking both of their hands. “No matter what happens, no regrets.”

Connor looked between her and Markus and nodded. “No regrets.” They both agreed.

And so, plans for the revolution began.

---------------------------------

Next Chapter

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rwby-redux · 4 years

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Preface

RWBY is the breakthrough anime web series created by the late Monty Oum of Rooster Teeth. Originally teased on November 5th, 2012, and officially debuted July 18th, 2013, the series follows the journeys of four young women enrolled in an academy that trains monster-slaying warriors known as Huntsmen. Set in the fictional world of Remnant, the story initially focuses on the surface-level plot of fighting against humanity’s ancient adversary, the ever-present Creatures of Grimm; over time, it becomes apparent that things aren’t what they seem, as the cast slowly begins to connect a string of heists committed by a criminal syndicate with the violent acts of a terrorist cell. The series is aired weekly on Rooster Teeth’s website, with its main arcs spanning 12 – 16 episodes per volume. In the years following the show’s initial release, RWBY has spawned numerous merchandise and related media, including two spin-off shows, multiple side-stories published as mangas, two standalone books, three mobile games, a behind-the-scenes artbook, and OSTs for every volume to date.

As of Volume 7 there are 98 episodes in total with a collective runtime of 18:52:00, or approximately 1,132 minutes, with more episodes and side content underway.

At best, they’re visually interesting; at worst, they’re disappointing.

Let me take a second to backtrack before the lynch mob starts to sharpen its pitchforks. The series deserves much of the praise that it’s gotten. RWBY was the first American-produced anime to be released in Japan (and if you’re a fan of anime, you know how insane those words sound). The 3D models and animation from Volume 4 onward are breathtakingly stunning, and even before the show made the leap from Poser to Maya, the fight sequences managed to be equally creative and entertaining. The show was nominated for and received multiple Streamy Awards, and was awarded Best Animated Series by the International Academy of Web Television. The Volume 1 soundtrack reached number one on iTunes, beating out the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Such is RWBY’s (and Rooster Teeth’s) reputation that it managed to attract the attention of, and later bring on, industry veterans and vocal legends such as Jen Taylor, Josh Grelle, and Aaron Dismuke.

That’s to say nothing of the fandom this franchise has amassed, of kids, teenagers, and young adults alike. RWBY has generated dozens of forums dedicated to fanfiction, fanart, and roleplaying. Thousands of people the world over have bonded over this show, fans from all walks of life. They’re passionate about this series. The fact that I’m writing this post is a testimony of that. If I didn’t care about RWBY, I wouldn’t be sitting on my couch at 3 AM, hunched over my laptop in my pajamas.

If RWBY is so good (or occasionally threatens to become good), you might be wondering, why, then, does this blog exist?

Well, because…when you stop and look at it critically, it actually kind of sucks.

Despite initially being written by a three-man team, the series is full of inconsistencies and an underdeveloped cast. The characters, especially from Volumes 1 — 3, are full of one-dimensional stereotypes whose contributions to the story amount to a three-word summary: “The School Bully,” “The Wacky Professors,” “The Racist Cop,” “The Cutthroat Bitch,” “The Anime Waifu,” “The Audience Surrogate,” “Discount Elle Woods,” and so on. Fundamental elements of the story, like Aura, Semblance, and Dust, are either poorly-explained or not explained at all, and the limitations of those core concepts can change at a moment’s notice to suit the needs of the plot. The primary antagonist of the first three volumes is universally hated by the fandom for having no discernible motivations beyond being “ambitious and power-hungry,” and having a personality that consists exclusively of irritating smug. The show-writers, despite repeatedly promising queer representation, have failed to make even one of their ten central protagonists queer. This isn’t touching upon the fact that the first openly-gay character on the show was an antagonist, or that the next two were side-characters who were relevant to the plot for all of seven episodes, before vanishing from the story entirely. The two leads that are currently being hyped as our first queer main-cast members have only been repeatedly teased, with said characters never once uttering the words, “I’m bi,” “I date women,” “I’m not straight”—nothing but narrative subtext and playful winks from the VAs whenever a fan asks if they’re queer. Subplots end up having no pay-off or get entirely forgotten mid-volume. The story is so protagonist-biased that the heroes are frequently able to get away with being hypocritical, or committing criminal acts because “it was the right thing to do,” with their POV framed as an infallible “fuck you, got mine” verbal gut-punch to the audience (while other characters in the show, who often make the exact same calls as the heroes, are ridiculed by the show and the fandom). Whenever the story isn’t spray-painting stolen cars and selling them to their original owners, it manages to clumsily handle allegories for real-world issues such as systemic racism, mental illness, abuse dynamics/victim survivorship, and gray morality. The worldbuilding is absent from the main show and has to be supplemented through RWBY’s spin-off series World of Remnant. The story’s setting feels flat and lifeless at times because the “cultures” of this world are never established.

The list goes on and on.

So if this show has so many flaws, why are we still having this conversation?

Because I’m captivated by the untapped potential of this world. When you brush away all of the detritus, you can see the wealth of raw material buried beneath. This is a world where the gods have forsaken their creations, with one having even deliberately created the monsters that hunt humanity. The two characters who are central to the history of this world are tragic figures, one cursed with immortality as a punishment for demanding that the gods revise the first draft, and do away with needless death; and the other, cursed to ceaselessly reincarnate into the minds and bodies of like-minded souls, waging a war of attrition against a person warped beyond recognition by the capricious spite of the gods. This is a world of forgotten magic, of shifting allegiances, of characters embarking on personal journeys and unearthing deadly secrets. It’s a story of people from all walks of life learning to cooperate and work together, forging friendships and alliances in order to face the challenges that lie ahead.

It could easily have the bones of an epic fantasy series as long as it remembers to drink its milk.

RWBY’s issues aren’t insurmountable. Most of them are the byproduct of the series’ blind adherence to “rule of cool,” the motto that practically codified the beginning of the show. From Volume 4 onward, the series took a radical shift in tone that tried to be “more mature,” and only succeeded in making the earlier episodes absurd in hindsight. Why, in Volume 6, are the characters concerned about civilian endangerment, when in Volume 2 they happily pursued a giant mech in a highway car-chase scene that would’ve caused untold collateral damage and civilian death? This change in storytelling created a thematic disparity that reoccurs time and time again, retroactively emphasizing just how inconsistent the worldbuilding and storytelling are.

It tried to be Avatar: The Last Airbender, and what we’re left with instead is Game of Thrones Season 8.

Now, I’m not using this blog as a platform to damn Monty Oum (or claim to be a better creator than him). But it’s important to address the flaws in his story, and to acknowledge that his passing doesn’t make RWBY somehow sacrosanct or immune to constructive criticism. RWBY has flaws, ranging from nitpicky to potentially capable of causing real-world harm (in the case of the aforementioned queerbaiting and racism analogies). I’m a firm believer that art doesn’t exist in a vacuum; art is informed by our beliefs just as much as art informs our beliefs. We can still respect and admire the potential RWBY has to offer, while being mindful of where it needs to improve.

That’s where this blog comes in.

At the end of the day, the RWBY Redux exists as a thought experiment. I’m writing it chiefly to entertain worldbuilding ideas and headcanons I’ve spent years musing on. I’m not asking readers to agree with any of my numerous stances, nor am I going to shy away from other fans’ criticism as I hammer this project out. With a little TLC, perhaps I’ll manage to create something that manages to be more complex than its source material. And if you choose to follow along with my endeavors, hopefully you’ll find this project equal parts engaging and entertaining.

Wish me luck.

#preface #deconstruction #writing

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azaffranist · 5 years

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An absurdly long Frozen 2 theory - The Land of the Mist

You think I was kidding with this meme, right? No. I don’t mess around when it comes to Frozen 2 theories.

I spent my free time wisely and finally brought together this theory I’ve been thinking about for a while now. After the release of the official trailer I can gleefully announce it wasn’t violently contradicted and I was able to expand on it, too.

Summing it up before we start, it’s about the repeated presence of mist in the Frozen 2 trailers, and how it is closely related to Scandinavian myths, namely elves, who are said to live in a parallel world. It also covers the topic of spirits as representations of the four elements.

I don’t want to murder anybody’s dashboard with 2k words and multiple images, so I put a safe ‘keep reading’ right after this. The following are the topics we will be covering, and if you want a very, very short tl;dr with just the basics, just jump straight to the conclusions:

The Introduction

The Elements

The Hidden Folk

The Pink

The Mist

The Conclusions

Keep in mind that this is just a theory that might be potentially proved wrong by the following trailers and sneak peeks (ihopenot), but this is what I could grasp from the information we’ve got so far. Also, I wrote the vast majority of this before Annecy, so a few details might slip by...

With this said, let’s get started!

The Introduction

In the Frozen 2 teaser trailer we can see the Arendellian gang gazing over the fabled autumn forest filled with trees and rivers. But in the Frozen 2 Official Trailer, we see a very similar shot, almost mirror-like, of the past scene, and this is where everything begins.

Clearly, they’re not in the same place. One has trees, the other one doesn’t; one looks magical and mystical, and the other just… doesn’t. While it is a beautiful scenery, it just doesn’t hold up with the other place’s visuals. It’s like an E3 vs Actual Game comparison.

It’s of interest that Iceland, which seems to be the place they’re taking the most inspiration from, looks really similar to the scenery seen in the image above. For instance, this is Þingvellir in autumn:

These places look… really similar. And the shots above are basically mirrored versions of each other. So that leads me to believe that the spotlight of Frozen 2 so far, the autumn forest, is located in a magical realm hidden by mist.

It seems that this ‘portal’ the Arendellian royals found needs magic to be activated; as Elsa touches the mist with her hand it starts opening. We don’t know yet if any kind of magic can open it, so for now, let’s say that a magic wielder needs to be in contact with it. (Keep this in your head because it’ll come in handy later.)

But as soon as the gang goes through it, the mist closes in on itself, covering everything up, even the stones, and if I’m not wrong, they’ve already disappeared:

So we have this sort of mirror dimension made reachable by some kind of mist portal and surrounded by 4 stones with the famous symbols that have made us lose our minds. Thankfully we now know thanks to bath bomb merch (and confirmation by Annecy) that they represent the 4 elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

And before we discuss the mist (because that’s another whole topic) let me pull up an unpublished theory that miraculously survived the official trailer and analyze the symbols and their meanings together.

_________________________

The Elements

The four elements of alchemy are the following and feature strikingly similar designs to those of the ice crystals. We are going to be using them to decypher the ice crystals’ meaning.

The easiest one to tell is the top right one which bluntly establishes its connection with the earth symbol.

The rest are not so straightforward, but there is something interesting in them. If we ‘cut’ the crystals in half, we will realize some of them are ‘fragmented’ in some way in the top triangle or the other, and some are not. Those fragmented correspond to air and earth, and the ones that are not, correspond to water and fire.

I know I’m totally not making myself clear so here’s what I mean:

This way, top left symbol would mean fire, which is not so unlikely considering that it could mimic the look of a flame rather than a water drop. Bottom right symbol, also known as Anna’s symbol, would mean air: and if we take into account the strange merchandise we’ve seen lately, this would make sense, considering Anna is always surrounded by leaves in one way or another. Anna’s color scheme and emblems also match with the ‘air’ theme, which is represented in the Frozen universe by leaves flying.

Bottom left symbol (dubbed Elsa’s symbol by many) would mean water. With enough imagination we could assume that it is an ice crystal what’s shown in it. And last but not least, the top right symbol means earth.

So, it makes enough sense for now. But we have things unresolved. That is, Anna’s strange symbol, her sudden affinity with the air and Elsa’s connection with the Nokk. And this is when Frozen LA comes into play.

“If you use the force of nature in your favor, it will be on your side.”

I don’t think Anna has powers, for many reasons. First and foremost, it would be very predictable, cliché and lazy writing in general, something I don’t think the Frozen 2 creators are aiming for.

Secondly, why didn’t they manifest earlier? We know very little about the magic system in the Frozen universe but it seems that there are two kinds of magic users: cursed and born with them. Anna evidently wasn’t born with powers. Now, if we say that Anna somehow got cursed with wind powers, that would be a bit more interesting. But I doubt it’s the case. And if we’re being real, Elsa already can sort of control wind with her own powers, creating storms and the like.

What I think is that nature and its force plays a major role in Frozen 2. We have already been officially introduced to the Nokk, a water spirit Elsa will have to prove her worth to. And in the Frozen 2 Official Trailer, we’re shown what looks like the spirit of Earth, a rock giant who doesn’t look friendly at all:

Then Fire. After the last trailer, I don’t think anybody’s controlling that fire. Spirits, so far, seem to be just spirits; creatures that control themselves. We know Nokk is a shapeshifter, apparently, and maybe the other spirits can shapeshift, too. But if there’s anything I have to say, is that the fire doesn’t look natural in the slightest even when we’re talking about elements of nature, so it might be wrongfully influenced by a villainous figure? I don’t know, just throwing a semi-theory there. We’re coming back to this later.

Last but not least, Air. Air has been confusing. The way it is represented is by the flow of leaves through the air. In this scene in the teaser, the kids are in a forest, and I really doubt any of them are controlling the wind. The girl looks surprised; the boy has a bunch of leaves point to him and throw him up in the air. Unless there’s a third human character in this scene we’re not aware of, I’d say the wind is not controlled by anybody, at least in this particular scene; so again, it controls itself, like a force of nature.

Now knowing that Anna is connected to the air element somehow and Elsa to the water through the Nokk, is that these scenes that follow one another in the teaser, now have a whole new meaning.

Anna is lost in a rocky cave. Elsa is fighting against the fire that encircles her.

Air versus Earth, Water versus Fire; the opposite elements, facing each other through Anna and Elsa.

Another convergent idea is that there might be people that represent each of the elements and interact with the spirits; think of guardians, for example. Each of them would have a certain affinity with a specific element. We could say from what we’ve seen that Anna has an affinity with the air, Elsa with the water, and who knows what the other characters are.

If the Nokk is a mythical being that represents water, it’s not out of question to assume that the other elements also have a connection with real life mythology.

We can find an interesting individual in Norse mythology. Quoting Wikipedia:

In Norse mythology, Fornjót was an ancient giant and king of "Gotland, Kænland and Finnland" meaning Gotland, Kvenland, and Finland Proper.

His children are Aegir, (the ruler of the sea), Logi (fire giant) and Kári (god of wind).

As you can see, this is the Norse mythology interpretation of the elements. We’re missing the Earth element, who would be Jörð, personification of Earth. How closely Disney is going to follow mythology is unknown to us, but considering there is going to be a whole book dedicated to the myths, I’d say that they are taking this very seriously.

__________

Now, let’s get back to our initial topic. I believe this forest they find in the teaser is the fabled magical land where the spirits of the 4 elements reside; where Elsa’s powers came from, and where she should’ve had that ‘life she was supposed to live’. We see people that look very similarly dressed to the Unknown Girl in the teaser:

Sami, seemingly light brown clothes, boots and sash. But there’s far more to these people than at first glance, and this brings us to another topic…

_________________________

The Hidden Folk

The first connection to this mythological race was not made by the fandom but by the Broadway show itself, in which the rock trolls are replaced by the Hidden Folk. So let’s start with what our friend Wikipedia says about them:

Hidden people (huldufólk) are elves in Icelandic and Faroese folklore. They are supernatural beings that live in nature. They look and behave similarly to humans, but live in a parallel world. They can make themselves visible at will.

Remember what we said in the introduction? The Arendellian gang enters a magical realm covered by fog...

Clearly, the Hidden Folk as we see them in Frozen Broadway won’t make an appearence in Frozen 2, because they represent the trolls from the movie. But the connection is interesting, and there’s even more to it.

Idunn mentions being one of the children of the Northern Nomads in the Broadway show, implying that she was not born in the royal family but rather married into the throne. This is further confirmed by the fact that in Frozen, we can see Agdar, the heir to the throne having his coronation; Idunn isn’t a royal, or at least not an Arendellian royal. She came from somewhere else.

And if we take into account the Polish leaks, Idunn is the Unknown Girl from the teaser, further strengthening the bond between these people we see in the autumn forest and her.

Thanks to Annecy spoilers, we know that Agdar visited the enchanted lands and was left “traumatized” by something that went terribly wrong. But more on that later...

__________

I told you to keep in mind the ‘gateway activated by magic’ in the introduction. Okay, so we’re saying that Agdar visited this place in his youth (and probably met Idunn here) but we’re overlooking something.

How did he make it to the forest at all? I doubt anybody who’s not proficient with magic would be able to open the portal. I mean, the portal didn’t open up by itself; Elsa touched it with her magic. So either:

a) Agdar has powers

b) He went with someone who did have powers

c) Some other convoluted reason

d) We’re thinking too much into this and the autumn forest can be accessed without going through any weird portal

I think I’d go with b. But you judge that.

__________

The other connection, as I have said, is the Sami. The Sami people inhabit Lapland, a region encompassing Norway, Sweden, Finland, among others. We know that Kristoff is basically one of them, and one of their most prominent occupations is reindeer herding.

The teaser trailer showed Kristoff guiding a multitude of reindeers, and with the official trailer showing us that there are people who actually live in the forest, the idea is much more clear. There are Sami living in the forest, or at least Disney’s interpretations of them, which may be synonymous or at least have a connection with the Hidden Folk or whatever name they’ll receive in Frozen 2. Remember Northern Nomads was a term used in Frozen Broadway, and Sami were originally nomads...

So, I really tried coming up with an actual theory for those suspicious looking northern lights Idunn looks at but I failed. Sorry. The only idea I have is that Idunn is talking to Elsa after the accident and telling her her own version of the origins behind her powers, and maybe, just maybe, those unnatural northern lights represent Elsa’s sworn enemy, pink.

Yes, pink. Purplish pink or pinkish purple, to be exact.

_________________________

The Pink

Pink has always been a problem for Elsa. The night of the accident, she was shown terrible imagery that’d scare her for life; her adult silhouette is absorbed, consumed by this purple mass. “Fear will be your enemy,” Grand Pabbie said.

Later in her life, we see that whenever Elsa is feeling emotions relating to fear and despair, her ice cracks and turns a shade of pinkish purple. We all get that. But now. Why, for the love of Nokk, why is the fire pink? Nokk looks alright, just like water would look. The earth giants too. I don’t see anything strange with the wind other than it is… wind. But the fire is pink, for a reason we don’t know yet.

The sky turns pinkish after the accident. Why is literally everything that is bad for Elsa represented by pinkish purple?

And I have no definite answer for that. If I have to throw an idea, it’s a prophecy. A manifestation of sorts that just wants Elsa to stop breathing, which may be related to the presence that left Agdar terrified and Arendelle cutting relations with these northern lands. An inherited ‘curse’ of sorts, that may give us a new point of view of why Elsa’s powers were kept in secret. Maybe her parents really had something to fear. A legitimate reason to lock her away, as harsh as that sounds.

For now, let’s leave that in an ominous tone, and talk about the mist. Oh, the mist.

_________________________

The Mist

As we were saying before, the Hidden Folk are basically synonymous with elves. They are invisible (hence, hidden, huh), magical, and are not exactly humans, in the sense that they don’t meddle in their affairs, and live in a parallel world. We have already seen the ‘parallel’, ‘mirror’ symbolism with the gang gazing over the lands, but here’s more, if we insist.

(Pss! Don’t wanna break it to you, but autumn forests just aren’t that beautiful. These ones are magical and misty.)

What elves look like varies from source to source. But they are very closely associated with mist, and live in meadows, mires and forests.

Quoting Wikipedia further:

The elves of Norse mythology have survived into folklore mainly as females, living in hills and mounds of stones.The Swedish älvor were stunningly beautiful girls who lived in the forest with an elven king.

The elves could be seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings. They left a circle where they had danced, which were called älvdanser (elf dances) or älvringar (elf circles).

If a human watched the dance of the elves, he would discover that even though only a few hours seemed to have passed, many years had passed in the real world. Humans being invited or lured to the elf dance is a common motif transferred from older Scandinavian ballads.

Humans being invited or lured to the elf dance is a common motif transferred from older Scandinavian ballads.

lured to the elf dance

Yeah, that’s not the face of someone who wasn’t lured.

Okay, okay, okay! I’m sorry if I got too excited about this and saying that Elsa got seduced by the dancing and singing of an elf is perhaps taking it a bit too far. But hear me out. Letting go of my no-crazy-speculation filter for a bit, I’d say that an elf/spirit was the one who incessantly sang to Elsa (remember, female singing), lured her into her dance showing her wonderful imagery of the spirits of the four elements of the parallel world, and then made her release the ice crystals (magic that has been building up for a long time) and go haywire. But you judge that…

What I mean to say is that I think that this concept of elves (maybe not called elves inside of the film, but at least the concept) and their relation to the mist are going to be present in Frozen 2. I’ve been thinking about mist for the past two months and this is the first time I manage to include it in a theory. I’ve wanted to -and will- say something that will sound stupid for a long, long time but I don’t care because it’s worth it. An image I stumbled upon while researching through elves. It’s called ‘Chasing after Hildur’.

It’s from a myth starring Hildur, the Queen of Elves. I’m not going to explain the whole myth, it’s not really relevant; but please, just look at that image. It’s more visual than anything, and it is that it looks ABSOLUTELY EXACTLY THE SAME LIKE THE MOMENT WHEN ANNA JUMPS OVER THE PRECIPICE.

And I’m using all caps because I mean it.

Is Anna chasing after the queen of elves? After a common elf? After the elf like creature that lured Elsa into the dance?

Might be a huge cosmic coincidence, may not be, but summing it up? Frozen 2 has elves. Yeah.

_________________________

The Conclusions

You’re finally here. Aka, Tl;Dr. And for the sake of not repeating ‘this might be’ and ‘probably’ every 2 seconds, I’ll sound really confident.

Maybe:

Frozen 2 features a beautiful parallel realm whose entrance is reachable when a magic user activates it. This is the autumn forest we see in the teaser trailer, contrasting to the more regular-looking place near the end of the official trailer.

The ‘Land of the Mist’ is the home of the Hidden Folk, elves, and the four elements of nature, who are sentient and are represented by four mythological beings. In these lands, magic comes and goes. But something terrible happened, and the harmony between the inhabitants and the spirits is no more.

This is the truth they are looking for; the origin of Elsa’s powers; she should’ve lived in this hidden realm of the hidden people, and nowhere else.

Idunn, her mother, secretly comes from this realm, and in Frozen 2, the sisters will learn about the family they barely got to know, and will have to prove their worth and fight an unknown evil yet to be revealed who Agdar already faced.

Elsa is the only person in the world who can bring the harmony back to the Land of the Mist and unify the four elements before it’s too late.

/Maybe.

Wow, I’m tired.

(It’s fall in my country, by the way, can’t do that.)

This is the furthest I managed to get so far with the help of 3 minutes of footage, Annecy and bath bomb leaks, and I’m sure even more theories are going to come to light as more days pass and the Frozen 2 trailer settles down in people’s minds. Might give some quick little update to this if something new comes up...

Would love to hear your theories and opinions as well! I’m sure we won’t stop till we inadvertently spoil ourselves the whole movie.

Goodbye and Happy Theorizing!

#frozen 2 #frozen 2 theory #frozen #frozen 2 spoilers #frozen 2 theories

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forfansbyfans · 6 years

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Vastness of Art: A FFBF Artist Interview

FFBF Artist, Xissor, has recently released a whole series of Homestuck zodiac-themed designs. We sat down to discuss their art history with them and get to know them better as an artist.

Tell us a little bit about your history with Homestuck! How long have you been reading it and how has it impacted your artwork?

I’d known about it for a long time I actually only got into it fairly recently! I first started reading it right after Anime Expo 2017 because my partner and I were doing matching cosplays each of the days and for one of the days we did homestuck because he had been into it for years! I went as Dave and he was Karkat. I thought it would be fun because we both kinda already looked like the characters, lol. After that I decided I was basically required by law to read the actual comic since I had cosplayed one of the characters.

But I kinda forgot about it for a couple months until Hiveswap came out! After we played that I remembered I was going to read Homestuck and actually got around to it! I started doing fanart for it after I finished it and it gave me quite a bit more drive to work on art! I specifically got very into it after the Extended Zodiac was released because I took it’s mere existence as a challenge for whether or not I could make a fantroll for every single sign. I could and did. Drawing 288 different trolls certainly helped me improve my art quite a bit.

I also do remember I tried to read it waaaay back in middle school. But I’m pretty sure I didn’t know you were supposed to click the buttons that show the chat logs and read stuff so I basically just looked at the pictures, didn't really understand what was going on, got confused, and stopped.

What is your favorite method to share your artwork? Why do you prefer it over others?

I pretty much only use Tumblr for art. Mostly because its convenient! I have a main art blog and a second art blog for just homestuck. I only have the second art blog because I managed to somehow miraculously get a canon hiveswap url. I only post my art in one place generally because I am am very, very bad at remembering to post things in more than one place!

I see you take commissions pretty frequently - what advice would you offer to other artists who are hesitant about opening themselves up to taking commissions?

Please do not undercharge yourselves! I know lower prices might seem like you’ll get more commissions quicker but you deserve to be paid fairly for them! Also take commissions from furries.

Your bio says you prefer Paint Tool Sai and Sai2 when you work digitally - what about Sai do you like over other programs? Do you have any recommended brushes?

I mostly like Sai because its what I’ve been using for years and I tend to be a creature of habit. I started using Sai2 recently though and it's basically got all the old stuff but new features as well! It's still in beta but if you already have a Paint Tool Sai license you can download it from the website and use it for free! It's got a fantastic set of rulers that make drawing backgrounds in perspective way easier!

What is your artistic background? What helped you most grow as an artist?

I’m completely self taught! I’ve never taken a digital art or drawing class before. I actually first started drawing in middle school because I wanted to make L4D fanart. What’s helped me grow has mostly just been drawing whatever I’m interested in at the moment! Whether that be fanart or my own stories, characters, and ideas.

What are your artistic goals?

I hope to someday go to art school! I’ve been interested in art as a hobby for quite a while but recently I’ve found that it seems to be the thing I most enjoy and am capable of!

What other fandoms are you a part of? What would you love to design for but haven’t had the chance?

All sorts of things! I don’t think I could list everything if I tried but I’ve really been wanting to design something for Steven Universe or Bee and Puppycat!

Outside of art, what other types of hobbies do you have?

I absolutely love everything related to tech! I was the president of both the tech and robotics clubs in high school! Writing stories is another one, particularly writing characters and designing worlds. I’m also a huge fan of game design, mostly because its a combination of my love of tech, art, and storytelling. Have yet to actually finish a game though.... But, oh boy do I have a lot of started projects!

When you were little, what did you want be when you grew up? How has that changed (if it has!)?

For quite a while I wanted to be a Marine Biologist! I grew up by the ocean and have always really liked it here. I really liked the sense of vastness and how little we actually know about the ocean and all its inhabitants. As I got older I started to move towards computer science and technology. I really wanted to go into STEM! Particularly into game design or robotic engineering!

Sadly, after I was diagnosed with psychosis I don’t believe it's realistic that I’ll be able to go into any of those fields. But I don’t let it bother me because I’m very passionate about art and am certain that after I get to a better position with my health I’ll be able to work towards a career in that field! Plus, I’ll still be able to build robots and write games in my free time! :D

What kind of experience have you had working with For Fans By Fans? - we hope it’s been good!

It’s been awesome! There’s something just innately cool about the fact that my art is on official merchandise for content I enjoy!

What is the best way people can help support you and your work?

Probably by either buying my designs on FFBF or commissioning me! :D

Follow Xissor--->

Tumblr (main art blog) Tumblr (Homestuck art blog)

Xissor’s For Fans By Fans shop

Interview by Cassie Steensrud

@whatpumpkin @non-corporeal

#interview #homestuck #hiveswap #what pumpkin #zodiac #artists on tumblr #illustration #forfansbyfans #fanforge

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fallen-gabrielle · 6 years

Text

The MLP comics are fine (and so is the extended universe)

I will talk about the comics and the extended lore the rest of the medias provide us with more world building. For those who haven’t read the comics, there will be major spoilers, so read at your own risks. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Of course, there are Bronies who still consider the comics as non canon. Just like there are Bronies who consider the Equestria Girls as non canon. And same thing with the chapter books.

Others call all that the “extended universe”.

Me? I like Equestria Girls, I like the comics, and the chapter books too. OF COURSE THERE ARE INCONSISTENCIES (< that’s the main reason people don’t like the comics/chapter books/etc, which I think is stupid), the authors don’t have the time to check everything with the show, but they do their best (and especially vice-versa). The show writers don’t follow the comics (and the rest...) because they simply don’t have the time. The comic writers make sometimes references or even sequel to some episodes because they watch the show (show writers don’t read comics and chapter books).

So I consider the “extanded universe” as canon. I don’t care about plot holes, DC comics and Marvel comics have lots of those, and a ton of alternate universes too (reboots, earth-two shenanigans, etc). So why being so hard on the MLP comics ? I really don’t get it. If the reason the comics crush people’s headcanons, I’m sorry, but that’s a lame excuse.

I can understand that the whole “I can’t keep up with all of that” thing, but using it as an excuse for hating the comics (and others medias) is kinda dumb.

And because Hasbro said “anything that is said in the cartoon, it is primairy canon above any others medias“ is the source of many arguments inside the fandom. That and if they use comic books characters in the show and no one read the thing before, viewers would be confused by what’s going on.

I still think the MLP lore is well developped with the addition of the comics.

Let’s make a recap for what we have in the MLP medias (except the toy line):

The show;

The comics;

The chapter books;

Equestria Girls franchise.

Now, let’s see what kind of comics we have :

The main serie (Friendship is Magic, ongoing)

The Micro serie (10 issues)

Friends Forever (38 issues, replaced Micro Serie)

FIENDship is Magic (5 issues, released at the same time of Friends Forever in April 2015)

Legends of Magic (12 issues, replaced Friends Forever)

Ponyville Mysteries, “sequel” to the eponymous chapter book serie (5 issues, replaced Legends of Magic)

Nightmare Knights (5 issues, replaced Ponyville Mysteries)

The movie prequel (4 issues, released before the movie)

Annuals (somehow ongoing, you may never know *shrugs*).

Now, the list of the chapter books :

The “main serie”, featuring one character;

The Equestria Girls ones (even tho most of them are just book version of the EG movies and specials);

The Princess Collection;

Ponyville Mysteries;

Beyond Equestria, books that features one of the main characters with characters from the Movie.

Yup, that’s a lot.

With all of this, it is certain that the lore of Friendship is Magic was expanded. But alternate worlds in the comics are not the first alternate worlds the franchise has.

There are alternate universes mentioned in the show.

Remember the season 5 finale? There are SIX different timelines :

Sombra war (King Sombra wins);

Everlasting Night (Nightmare Moon wins);

Changeling Invasion (Chrysalis wins);

Total Chaos (Discord wins);

Ultimate Destruction (Tirek wins);

Industrialization (Flim-Flam win).

Each being actually CANON. They are just not the timeline the show is following. That makes them ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, in a sense (just like Flashpoint).

I know that an universe and a timeline is not quite the same, but it still parallel worlds.

So why rejecting the alternate universe that appear in the comics? If we consider everything canon, we have :

1. The Main Equestria (pun not intended)

I’ll call it Equestria 1, from the show and which has 6 different timelines. In a way, the timelines still exist as parallel worlds. So if using the right magic/spell, it may be possible to visit the alt timelines. I’m not going to arg about it like in The Flash, because science isn’t really used in Friendship is Magic, so yeah, don’t start the science talk about alt timelines in a cartoon with magical horses.

2. The Equestria Girls world

From Equestria Girls duh where everyone looks like humans. Sunset Shimmer, who is from Equestria 1, stays there because Hasbro don’t want to mix her with the main show (fight me, this is the real reason why she’s not back to Equestria).

3. The Mirror-verse (comics)

I know that TECHNICALLY every alternate universes are “mirror-verses” because the portals to every alt worlds are mirrors, but I call this one Mirror-verse because every characters are the total opposite from Equestria 1. All the good guys are evil, and all the evil guys are good.

In Reflection (main serie, issue 17-20), the two alternate worlds became so “close” that the merge between them could have destroy them both. The King Sombra from this world stored all the evil of the Mirror-verse inside of him to restore the balance.

Also, this King Sombra is in love with Princess Celestia from Equestria 1. Mmmh... Maybe that’s why people don’t like the comics : their waifu is actually taken (well, not anymore after Reflection). We haven’t heard of this alternate universe since then.

4. The Shadow-verse (comics)

Alternate universe that appears in Legends of Magic and the Annual 2018 (that is a complement to Legends of Magic). This is also the world the serie Nightmare Knights is taking place (see more below).

This is also a personal fan-made name for this universe : this is the one where an alternate Pony of Shadows (aka alternate Stygian) is superpowerful. He defeated his version of Starswirl the Bearded. But as a real power hungry villain, he wanted more. He tried to corrupted the Celestia and the Luna from his world but his Starswirl stopped him from doing so.

But between this moment in the past and in the present day, Green Pony of Shadows (yes, that’s how I’ll call him, because he has green fire/shadows) contacted his counterpart through his dreams: apparently, he succeded to corrupt his Celestia (his Luna seemed to be too weak to resist corruption). So of course, Princess Luna and Stygian from Equestria 1 decided to rescue Celestia of Shadow-verse. But soon they realise that Green Pony of Shadows is not in charge in this universe anymore. It is Eris (Discord’s cousin) who rules the place with the staff of Sacanas (staff used by the Storm King in the Movie). We don’t know yet which world/universe Eris is from. I assume for now she’s from the Shadow-verse.

This is the plot of Nightmare Knights. We already saw easter eggs to previous villains (including Grogar). There is a King Sombra who looks like King Sombra from Mirror-verse. Is he the same Sombra who travel to Shadow-verse or is he the Sombra from Shadow-verse and he just looks like Sombra Mirror-verse post corruption ? I know this is just a reference, but there are TWO Rarities : Nightmare Rarity and Rarity corrupted by dark waters. So did they come from Shadow-verse or alternate worlds where one is corrupted by the Nightmare Forces and the other one by the dark waters ?

Also, what happened to Green Pony of Shadows ? Should I keep calling this the Shadow-verse since Eris is in charge now? I don’t know, we’ll see.

5. Unknown Atlernate universe (TCG)

Yes, even the trading card game proposes an alternate unviverse in which Solar Flare/Nightmare Star (a corrupted version of Celestia) rules her world with an iron hoof. An alternate universe so horrifying that Starswirl from Equestria 1 had to destroy the portal so that no one will know about it (also, he probably didn’t want to see Solar Flare coming in Equestria 1).

I personally prefer Solar Flare over Daybreaker. I really thought that Celestia’s evil counterpart would be it but noooooooo, Hasbro don’t know everything in their own merchandises. They are the one creating inconsistencies.

The comics created a few controversies

1. Nightmare Forces controversy

The oldest question : which princess is the best ? Back then, we can only choose between Celestia and Luna. And of course, most people choose Luna for her tragic backstory.

In the second arc in the main serie (issues 5-8) Nightmare Rarity, the story is kinda the same as in episode 4, season 2 Luna eclipsed.

It’s about her acceptance of her past and stuff like that. What the comic brings and it’s what most Bronies are not happy with is the Nightmare Forces. So, according to the story, it would be an outside force that corrupts Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. Yeah, no : using that excuse to glorified the character is lame. Making her a slave to something wasn’t well recieved within the fandom.

The arc is supposed to happen after the episode, that’s why it is a little confusing.

But the comic never stated WHERE the Nightmare Forces come from. And I think people have tendecies to forget who Luna is : an Alicorn. What’s the connection, you ask? Well in episode 13, season 5 Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Luna created the Tantabus, a creature for the sole purpose of punishing herself for her past mistakes. What IS the connection, you ask? SHE IS A FREAKING ALICORN, that means she has a magic more powerful than anypony in Equestria. If she was able to create the Tantabus out of guilt, it is possible she created the Nightmare Forces out of envy and anger. It’s like her magic and feelings created another personality, Nightmare Moon and when she was defeated by the Mane 6 and the Elements of Harmony, her evil personality and its magic (the Nightmare Forces) were simply rejected from her body/mind and went to the moon waiting to come back. That’s what happens in the comic. The Nightmare Forces took over Rarity because being a bearer of an Element, that makes the rest of them useless.

There is a rest of Luna’s magic in the Forces and they started to act as a whole new entity after their separation.

Of course, this is only a headcanon, but it is the best explaination I can come up with to keep the Nightmare Forces and Luna being the only responsible for her actions (instead of putting the blame on something exterior).

2. Deers controversy

In the show, there are deers who appear to be non sentient. They look like they are being enslaved by the ponies.

In The Root of the Problem (comic main serie, issue 27-28), the story introduce us to a race of sentient deers who lived in the Everfree Forest (they are kinda the elves of Equestria) with their king, Aspen, being the ruler of their civilisation.

Since the show writers can’t add characters from the comics because it would confuse everyone, we will probably never see King Aspen in the show. Not everyone follows the comics, and not everone follows every comics.

3. Seaponies controversy

See this for more details.

I may be the only one to think about it, but I don’t care.

The Umbrum and the Pony of Shadows

I won’t hide it, King Sombra is my favorite villain of G4.

So much potential and awesome look. I was a little disapointed with his lack of screentime.

So of course I started to have headcanons about him. I learned to not go too far with them because when the canon backstory has to be revealed, it will crush my headcanons. So I waited a little to know more about King Sombra. And I was blessed with FIENDship is Magic issue 1 !

This issue tells us his origin story : he is from a tribe/kind of ponies made of shadow and darkness called the Umbrum/Umbra (I actually don’t know the plural), the shadow ponies. These ponies represent hate and fear, they are the perfect opposite of the Crystal ponies, them representing love and hope. There is a need of balance : day and night, light and darkness, fear and hope, love and hate.

Now, while I was super excited to read the arc Siege of the Crystal Empire (main serie, issue 34-37), I have to admit that despite the good premises, the writing and setting were UNFORTUNATELY lacking of quality. The so called villainous league of second rate antagonists that serves NOTHING to the story, Radiant Hope’s character (the worst Mary-Sue I have ever seen), the part where Cadance (the princess of LOVE, btw) was able to use HATE magic without getting a headache (while when Twilight did it, it was hurting a little) AND IT WAS NEVER TOUCHED UPON IN THE LAST ISSUE !!!! Just like King Sombra’s character in the season 3 premiere, a big disapointement because of the wasted potential...

Despite all that, the issue expands more about the shadow ponies (I’m trying to cope with what I can, ok?). We see their true form:

Nightmare fuel

We know they attacked the Crystal Empire, leaving nothing but despair until Princess Amore created/found the Crystal Heart (Journal of the Two Sister) : the only weapon/artefact fueled with love and hope, the total opposite of what the Shadow ponies are, full of hate and fear. Since then, the Umbrum are trapped inside a prison, the Crystal Heart needs to be “refilled” with love every year (the purpose of the Crystal Fair) in order to keep the Empire safe and sounds from them.

A lot of stuff happened 1000 years ago, huh ? The Umbrum left nothing but DESPAIR. Keep that in mind, it’s going to be important.

The Umbrum were also mentioned in The Movie Prequel issue 4, they are well known outside of Equestria. I wanted to see this sign so bad in the Movie, because that meant the Umbrum were canon to the show, meaning the comics too. Alas, no such sign in the Movie :(

But that doesn’t explain where they come from, and you’re going to ask : “Okay, but what’s the connection with the Pony of Shadows? Because it is the title of this paragraph.”. I’m coming about it.

I think that the powers of Stygian, aka the Pony of Shadows, and the Umbrum magic ARE THE SAME/COME FROM THE SAME SOURCE.

Think about it. The Umbrum are the shadow ponies, and Stygian became the Pony of Shadows. Except the similar names, something hit me while watching Shadow Play, part 2 (episode 26, season 7) :

Pony of Shadows: [laughing maniacally] Welcome to the Well of Shade! When you turned your backs on me, I discovered this place. The darkness spoke to me of a power beyond any I could imagine, and I listened. The shadow and I became one. Soon, all of the realm will be the same. Then all ponies will feel the despair I did when you cast me out!

What if the Hollow Shades (the town where they are in this episode) was the home of the Umbrum ? They would have just travelled to the Crystal Empire for conquest or something like that (it failed, since they were trapped after they attacked), leaving the Hollow Shades empty. When Stygian was rejected by the Pillars, he was full of resentment : he tried to do something good but the Pillars thought he was just being jealous of their powers/status. So somehow, Stygian found the Well of Shade, and well, his quote says it all. It is possible that the place still had a few of the Umbrum magic and he was so resentful and full of hate for his former friends that he was able to channel the shadow ponies’ magic. It is even possible that the Umbrum looked more like Stygian in shadow form, and their famelic looking faces are just side effect of a curse/their fight against Princess Amore and the magic of the Crystal ponies.

So if we consider the comics as canon, many things can be connected and explained more in detail than the show wants to tell us. The lore just got bigger and deeper.

And it would be a shame to just stick to one media just because it could crush your own fantasies. If you don’t have the time, it’s okay: if one day you are bored, I recommand to read the comics : it’s worth it.

I spend my whole night writing this thing.

#fallengabrielle thinks about something #i spend too much time on this #mlp #my little pony #mlp:fim #my little pony friendship is magic #mlp comic #mlp official comics #nightmare knights #king sombra #umbrum #pony of shadows #stygian #chrysalis #queen chrysalis #changeling #alternate universe #parallel worlds #solar flare

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the-gentle-giants-art · 6 years

Photo

On one of saturn's moons, more specifically the one named Tethys there exists a city. This is no fancy city with spectacular buildings or well outhough architecture, no this is a town built from the scraps of society. With buildings being built out of crashed ships or scrap metal from the city in the sky, it has righteously earned its name the Pit. The Pit is not a city where people live so much as survive and the people in this city are what you could compare to creatures of darkness most of them crawling in the shadows and sometimes, if you are unfortunate enough, you might actually see them out in the daylight. Most of these people are the kind of thieves, murderers, slavers and smugglers that if you’re lucky enough they won’t stab you in the gut and take your money as quick as they see you. But among these vile creatures are some who somehow manage to survive with some modesty left in their soul. In this city where dreams seemingly go to die there are few who still hang onto their dreams one of those who do is a boy by the name of Revanos. A young orphaned slave he has spent his entire life living down the Pit looking up dreamingly towards the city in the sky. Dreaming of what it might be like to be one’s own. Having been born into slavery he hadn’t ever known the taste of freedom and as far as he could tell a life like his own wasn’t that bad of a life after all.

His master Krucz was a strict but caring master and as long as you followed command you would survive with food on the table and a bed to sleep in.

Even though the work isn’t what most people would call morally correct the work around the brothel was interesting, to say the least. With people of all races and kinds coming to relieve themselves through both the pleasures of the body and the pleasures of the soul.

On an early morning like this one Revanos finds himself on the roof of the brothel. After a long and exhausting night of work he usually comes up here to watch the sunrise over the horizon. Feeling sore and worn from some of the nights rougher customers. He sits wrapped in a blanket breathing in the cold fresh air and looking up at the speckled sky above. Watching the early morning light reflect of saturn and its rings as if the sun was trying to reveal that the lights in the sky aren't stars but a thriving and lively city.

Sitting there absentmindedly looking up at saturn Revanos doesn’t notice that he’s not alone until Firrá bumps his head and sits down next to him on the edge of the roof.

“Oh common Rev you sitting here all by yourself, give me some of that blanket” Firrá grabs the blanket and swiftly twists herself in before Revanos manages to object, not that he would. Having known Firrá for as long as he can recall she has almost taken on a sibling like role in his life. Having seen each other in the slave markets way before they both got bought by Krucz they had gotten a peculiar bond of understanding that was gonna be hard to break.

“Been a long night huh, barely saw you out by the poles so I take it you got down and dirty” Firrá says with a playful smile on her face “You’ve been rather popular lately. Have you managed to get some regulars on your tail?” she says nudging Revanos playfully in the side.

“Heh, not entirely sure, haven’t had a break for the entire night but can’t say that I’ve recognized any of tonight’s customers. On the other hand I get the strong feeling that Krucz thinks I’ve done something and he’s trying to make me pay for it”. Revanos shifts his position uncomfortably.

“Oh come on, Krucz always thinks something is wrong just try to talk to him”

“ ...and get in a fight with him like you did last time?” Revanos asks with doubt in his voice.

Firrá has always been the more direct and firey type and has more than once gotten in trouble with Krucz, which she has the scars to show for. Krucz was a kind master but even he had his limits and when the hammer hit, it hit hard. Last time Firra had gotten in trouble She had gotten herself strangled to the point of falling unconscious as to why Revanos can’t recall but the memory of sitting watching over Firrá unconscious body for the entire night, unsure whether she would ever wake up is still vivid in his mind.

“Yes I know, last time he went to far and so did I but even so you shouldn’t be taking the hits for something that somebody else most likely did”

“Well what choice do I have? What choice do we have? You know what we are to him and that is all we’ll ever be, merchandise.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that forever you know. Even for slaves like you and me it’s still possible to have a life if we fight for it” “Are you planning on fleeing is that what you’re saying? “

“I dream of it, but no. I know trying to flee from a place like this would be suicide.” Firra raises her hand adjusting her collar revealing the still dark bruises on her neck from Krucz brutal grip.

“Even so I hope you’re right and that one day we might be able to have a life of our own. When the chance occurs we’ll take it” Revanos says in an attempt to sound reassuring.

Embracing Firrá he thinks to himself. “At least if we manage to survive until then that is…”

They sit in the quiet of them moment as the sun hits the rooftops of the Pit.

Yawning Firrá rests her head against Revanos chest.

“Should we perhaps get inside and get some sleep? The others must be wondering where we are.” Firrá says yawning halfway through the sentence.

“Ok, let’s get inside”

Artists note: So ok this is the very first scene and the introduction of the novel I’m currently working on named Tethys. The main protagonist Revanos you’ve probably seen on this and my other blogs before and here you go now you have a little more story to him. If you guys show an interest I’ll post more of the story in a similar manner at a later time.

yours sincerly Tom Idril (aka the gentle giant)

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lavellanlove · 6 years

Note

🐬 - Avira breaking out of the Aquarium?

You know my girl too well. ;)

Freedom’s Song

Words: 2250 Cast: Solas, Avira Lavellan, Abelas, Ghilan’nain

AU in which the escaped slaves of Elvhenan fled to the seas as the titans overtook the land and the dragons ruled the skies. They took fins and gills to live free of the Evanuris and the humans who followed in their wake, becoming the Dalish. As the war threatened to overtake Arlathan, Solas sealed off the city from the rest of Thedas in a desperate attempt to save it. Though in many ways he succeeded, the Veil made their once beloved crowned city a prison, those who ventured beyond its borders losing their prized immortality. Thus, as the ages passed, they relied on humans and the younger races to bring them artifacts of the world beyond.

The first time he sees her, she is somehow devoid, lying listless and lethargic on the floor of a containment tube barely wide enough for her to extend her tail. Her dark curls and bright fins billow along with the pumping of the tank’s filtration system, iridescent scales somewhere between the color of coral and flame depending on how they caught the light. Quite a feat, making the greenish tinge of the flickering fluorescent bulbs above look anything but sickly.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Solas,” Abelas says. “She has been like this since she was collected from the edge of the Dalish reef. Doesn’t eat, won’t sleep, just lies there staring off into the distance.”

Reflexively, he presses his palm to the thick acrylic. “She is beautiful,” he remarks. Catching himself, he quickly adds, “Her...scales, I mean. She does not appear unhealthy; rather, unhappy.”

“The only happiness that matters is Ghilan’nain’s. She must be made ready for exhibition. Dalish are expensive, after all. The humans claim to have lost an entire ship bringing this one in.”

Ghilan’nain is far from sympathetic towards the creatures they bring in from beyond the Veil. Her sentinels dip their staves in the water, administering an electric shock to attempt to motivate her to move. He knows the mer do not feel the same way real elves do, but the way she braces herself against the floor, gritting her teeth as though trying to mask pain, it is impossible not to imagine.

“Stop!” he yells, impulsively extinguishing their magic with his own. Only then does she look at him, her pale green eyes penetrating.

He secures his regulator and slips into the tank. She barely moves as he descends. As gently as he can, he draws blood from her fluke, scraping film from her scales to examine back in the lab. He presses a stethoscope between her shoulder blades, listening to her heartbeat: steady, slow, and strong.

Content with his assessment, he moves to push off from the floor of the tank when with reflexes faster than he expects, slender fingers grab his wrist. His eyes widen with surprise behind his goggles as she gestures insistently at her own neck.

Abelas taps at the glass, curious whether he needs a guard to intervene.

He raises a hand, signalling for Abelas to wait. Pointing a flashlight where she indicates, he catches sight of a jagged, crescent-shaped wound just above. She has been trying to tell him: she’s been robbed of her voice.

ii.

Weeks pass before he sees her again. She has been moved out into an exhibit: a large clamshell for a bed, shelves of dead, painted coral, walls enchanted to ripple like the sea. They’ve clasped a choker of golden coins around her healing throat and thrown a chest of other treasures into the tank. They believe mer enjoy things that shimmer, after all.

Her eyes meet his from across the room, and in spite of himself he smiles, offering her a wave. He knows it is not possible, but it’s as if she remembers, swimming to the edge of the tank and pressing her palm to the glass.

He points at his throat, and she touches hers in turn.

Before he can think what words he wishes to speak, wide eyed children rush to the tank and stare back in, delighted to see her up close. The bright lights of their camera phones flash in her eyes, and she retreats into the forest of plastic kelp.

iii.

He returns at closing time when the aquarium is quiet. Without the din of the tourists, the ‘aquatic’ tones playing over the speakers are barely loud enough to cover the heavy sounds of industrial pumps and artificial sunlight. But there is something almost painfully beautiful beneath it, tugging him forward as if by the heart until he presses his ear to the tank.

He sees colors in his mind, swirling until they begin to form shapes, but the song is too faint. Wanting her to come closer, he knocks on the glass. She stops abruptly, looking up in surprise.

“I am sorry,” he says, knowing full well she cannot understand. “I did not mean to disturb you. I am only glad to know your voice is returning.”

Her smile makes something leap in his chest. “It is exquisite. In all the Fade, I have not heard another quite like it. I wish I had not interrupted so I could hear it once more.”

Just like that, her smile fades. She shakes her head. “My song is not for you,” she says firmly, pronunciation clear as the water.

Terrified, he backs away, wiping his face and hurrying out of the room. They are not real, he reminds himself. And yet, she understood.

iv.

He comes back to watch her sing; only to watch, since she wished for him not to listen. He sits in the back, studying her movements, trying not to anthropomorphize her. Had she actually told him not to listen, or was it only a dream? Hard, telling the difference. How blurred the lines are upon waking.

She spots him, of course, and points to her ears with a frown. He smiles coyly and shakes his head, pointing at the earplugs in his own. Her chest heaves in a laugh, and she swims up with a graceful arc, sitting on the highest rock of the enclosure and begins to weave a melody.

The patrons of the aquarium, usually rowdy and talkative, seem almost transfixed. They have stopped in their tracks, cameras and maps fall to the floor, and they stand, unblinking, the entire time. They cannot understand a word, but somehow the song is haunting, sad, leaves them full of longing for a place none of them had ever been nor seen.

They seem empty when she stops, some sad, some almost angry. A woman cries. A sentinel tells a particularly agitated man that the next show is the following morning. When he wants to wait there, they have to escort him out.

Solas had at first thought she had deemed him unworthy of her gift of song. Now, he takes her words as a warning.

Still, he walks up, removing the plugs from his ears, and asks her the question burning in his mind.

“May I know your name?” he asks almost sheepishly.

She considers it for a moment, then swims closer to whisper her response.

“Avira.”

Months pass, and he does his best to heed Avira’s wishes, even as her growing fame makes it increasingly difficult to avoid. All throughout Arlathan, she is painted across giant posters advertising her act. Everywhere he goes, he sees the merchandise, hears people speaking of the mermaid with the voice sweeter than lyrium’s song.

He knows Ghilan’nain is pleased by the way they praise her for her ‘creation’. Their coin lines her pockets and their prayers bolster her power. Elgar’nan grows jealous. This pleases her even more.

At her invitation, Solas goes to watch along with the other gods. They have moved her to the sonallium, now staged like a shipwreck.

“The crowd grows every day,” the white-haired goddess boasts.

In the front row, Solas cannot help but notice the same agitated man from the first time he saw her sing: wearing the same clothes, doing nothing but staring at the stage, waiting to hear her sing again.

In the sonallium, her song is not just heard, but seen and felt. She recounts the glories of the elvhen empire over its foes, familiar tales that leave the audience swelling with pride. But then the song departs from the familiar melody. Instead of following the heroes as they sealed off the city and saved the People, it follows those outside Arlathan’s borders.

Gold clad armies force them back with spear and spell off of the cliffs and into the sea. Most die on the rocks. Many drown trying to muster the magic to escape the waves. Those who survive pooled their magic to fashion themselves gills to breathe and tails to swim. Only a few survive the gruesome transformation.

Millennia of hardship unfold before them: the mer are hunted by creatures of the deep, caught in nets and taken as trophies or pets by humans, harpooned by qunari dreadnaughts who sought to reign in their territory, destroying their reefs for broader channels to sail.

She shows them the stories passed down in the backwater grottos like the one in which she was raised, the burn of thin netting on their skin and dry air in their lungs as they scream for their loved ones to save themselves.

She makes them feel how the stale water of their tiny enclosures leaves one wanting, how it stings, causing once-bright scales growing dull and shedding in splotches.

She has them hear every sound with the sensitivity her ears do through the water, every tap on the glass feeling like it threatened to shatter their eardrums, the lights of the cameras flashing leaving them nearly blind, the way electrified staves send pain rippling through their bones.

The richness of it, even without sound, makes Solas entire being ache. To feel with such depth and clarity and pain...how can she not be real? And if she is...

The song ends, and every person in the crowd of thousands feels utterly alone.

Ghilan’nain prepares to bask in the peoples’ praise and uproarious applause, but instead feels nothing.

Avira looks up and smiles.

vi.

Ghilan’nain cancels the act. Protests ensue. Every day, at the break of dawn, angry elves and humans alike stand at the gates of the aquarium, picketing in protest. Security has to be doubled and doubled again until there is a veritable army outside the gates. Every night, people try to break in, muttering mindlessly on about needing to return the mer to the sea. Even as they threaten to overwhelm the guards, Ghilan’nain refuses to let the mermaid sing.

As Solas traces Avira’s actions back, he realizes she has played them all. She is no mermaid, but a siren. The sailors who captured her likely slit her throat to keep her from singing them to their deaths. But feigning sickness to have her throat healed, building a crowd steadily until they brought her to the sonallium: each action she has taken or not taken was designed to dismantle Ghilan’nain’s handiwork.

He realizes all this and smiles. He is still a god of rebellion after all.

The protesters finally break through the sentinel ranks, tearing the locks off the tanks and freeing every mer in sight. All except the one they sought, no doubt kept in a dank basement, under dim fluorescent lights in a tank too small for her to extend her tail.

Solas walks smoothly through the crowd, untroubled by the chaos, making a line straight for Avira.

When he finds her, she bound and gagged, a weight anchoring her to the bottom of the tank. But unlike the first time, she is defiant, proud, and still somehow happy to see him.

He lifts her from the tank, removes the gag, and wraps her in a sopping towel to wet her gills before carrying her from the aquarium. His eyes flash blue as anyone dares to try to stop him, petrifying them in stone.

He does not stop until they reach the shore.

vii.

The last time he sees her, her people are being lowered into the sea by ancient elves once more, this second time far gentler than the first. The mer sing songs of triumph, tears of reunion adding to the salt of the waves.

Solas walks Avira into the water with care, trying to decide what to say.

“I believe I owe you an apology,” he says.

“For helping my people escape?” she asks quizzically, a playful bit of levity behind her eyes.

“I have been so ignorant for so long,” he admits, though the shame of the confession makes his face burn. “Perhaps willingly so. But there is so much I feel I must learn. I owe your people that much at least.”

She shakes her head forgivingly, with grace he does not deserve, spinning her fingers around her open palm until a shimmering conch has formed then offering it to him.

“Ask, and I will answer. Listen, and you will hear.”

He presses the conch to his ear, the hum he recalled from that first day warm and rich in his chest.

“Your song…” he says, promptly pulling the conch away from his ear and offering to return it to her. “You told me not to listen.”

She guided his hands back towards his chest, the conch at the hollow spot below his ribs. “Keep it. This one is meant for you.”

Then with a flash of her tail, she is gone.

#empresstress13 #lavellan love writes #this became long #lol #it was a struggle to even keep it THIS length i am sorry #avira lavellan #solas #ghilan'nain #abelas #da:i #mermay

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chasholidays · 6 years

Note

Time stamp, Forever and/or down in flames universe, prompt: future

Original fic here!

“I think I have a career,” says Clarke, in the same way other people might say I think I have cancer. Well, not quite that bad; there’s more shock than upset in her tone, a kind of disbelief that something like this could happen to someone like her. Pregnancy might be a better analogy, something that could be good or bad but she’s too surprised to know yet.

Regardless, he mostly finds it hilarious. “Did you not know? I thought you knew or I would have told you.”

He does get why Clarke is surprised about her career in general, he’s just not sure why it hit her now. A few months after they got married, she started a webcomic, something that’s half slice of life and half weird doodles of mythical creatures doing errands, and somehow it really took off. Raven deserves a lot of the credit for the initial jump in popularity, since Clarke is incapable of figuring out online self promotion, but once she got enough instagram followers, she stopped really needing to do much. She’s made some merchandise and takes commissions, and has enough that she can pay Raven to help with her with her homepage and other stuff.

It’s not a great career, not making her rich, but it’s enough that she’s gotten rid of most of her part-time jobs and is making a living as something like a professional artist.

It is definitely very weird and confusing; he just assumed that she would have noticed that sooner.

“I keep waiting for someone to notice I’m not actually funny,” Clarke admits.

“You’re kind of funny,” he says, and she laughs.

“Thanks, babe. Your support always means the world to me.”

He raises his arm and she tucks herself under it, snuggling in. “I think you’re funny,” he says. “But a lot of the comic is kind of–absurd,” he finally says. “It’s not about making jokes, it’s about being fucking weird. As it turns out, people think our lives are just kind of inherently funny. Which they are. You’re not coasting on unearned success here, Clarke. You work hard on your art, I know you do.”

“I know. This just wasn’t really what I pictured myself doing, I guess. I thought making it as an artist was going to be–”

“Your art hanging in a museum.”

“Something I could show my mom to prove I made the right choice.”

“And you can’t show her the webcomic?”

“I could tell her about the book.”

Bellamy freezes. “The book?”

“That’s how I know I have a career, yeah. Raven just told me. A publisher is interested in putting together a print version of the webcomic, with some exclusive content, a certain percentage of new strips, stuff like that. The email has all the details.”

“So you already agreed?”

“I wanted to surprise you. Do you not think I should do it?”

He laughs and tugs her closer. “No, of course I think that. Honestly, I’m just amazed you kept it quiet.”

She rolls her eyes. “I can keep secrets. And it wasn’t hard, I got most of the emails while you were at work. It did kind of suck to not tell you, but I got advice from Raven. And I figured it would be, you know. Cool.”

“It is cool. I’m really proud of you. Do I need to do anything? What’s your deadline? When does it get published?”

Clarke laughs, soft, and kisses his shoulder. “We’ve still got a while to go. I’m probably going to be a mess for a while while I try to get everything done.”

“You?” he teases. “A mess? What a concept.”

“Shut up. A new kind of mess. A mess with purpose. I’m turning over a new mess leaf.”

“Wow. That’s going to be something. Can’t wait to see what new horrors that will bring.”

She elbows him. “It’s going to be awesome.”

“It is.” He kisses her hair. “My wife, the published author.”

“Don’t jinx it. I still have to write the book in time.”

“You’re going to,” he says. “I’m not worried.”

“That makes one of us.”

“New leaf, remember? It’s going to be fun.”

She shakes her head, smiling a little. “Sure. Fun.”

There’s no particular reason that Clarke’s book should cause any kind of seismic shift in Bellamy’s life, but that’s not really the cause of the shift, he doesn’t think. It’s hard to not occasionally take a step back and think about where he is and where he’s going, and given what his actual life looks like, it’s pretty easy to feel like a lowkey failure.

Really, the odder thing is that every time he does this, he finds his life is actually in amazingly good shape. He and Clarke might not be great adults, but they’ve cleared more hurdles of adulthood than a lot of his friends have, without even trying. They’re married, they’re homeowners, they have a dog. Bellamy has a steady job in his field, and Clarke has a good gig of her own. They have a savings account that they actually put money into every month. They’re not getting rich, but they’re stable, even upwardly mobile. Against all logic and reason, he thinks he and Clarke are doing well.

Which is honestly what freaks him out the most, and what he doesn’t quite know how to explain to anyone.

“It’s like when you beat a video game and you’re running around doing all the bonus content because you’re not ready to be done yet, but you know you kind of did everything?” is the approach he tries with Miller, who does not look impressed.

“So what you’re saying is you already beat life and now you want the DLC? Yeah, I can see why you don’t want to tell people that.”

“Seriously, you know what I mean, right? I don’t know where we go from here. It’s not bad, just–weird.”

“I feel like the next logical step is kids, but I’ve met you and Clarke and I’m not convinced reproduction is a good idea.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure either. I like kids, but I don’t know if we actually need to have any of our own. I’m amazed we keep the dog alive.”

Miller snorts. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’re all shocked about that one.”

“It’s not like I’m complaining. My life is awesome and I’m happy. But it’s weird feeling like I don’t have anything to work for.”

“Promotions,” Miller says. “Another dog, I don’t know. I get it,” he adds. “I’m not there yet, but it makes sense. But dude, it’s like you’ve never even seen Tangled. Find a new dream.”

He pauses. “How many times have you seen Tangled?”

“That movie is fucking solid,” says Miller. “Good luck with your stupidly perfect life.”

“Thanks. I’m doing my best with it.”

Clarke working on a book honestly isn’t really functionally different from Clarke working on anything else, at least not from what Bellamy can tell. Her hours are as bizarre as ever, and she still has ink-stained fingers and a penchant for falling asleep on anything.

But there is a change in her too, even if it’s harder to detect. She takes the book seriously in a way that she’s never taken anything else seriously, for all she’s always been dedicated to her art. The book means something to her that he hasn’t figured out yet, that he’s not sure how to figure out.

At least, not until his conversation with Miller, after which he asks, “So, is this book like your final boss?”

She’s reviewing some of her old comics to see which she wants to put in, almost completely engrossed. “What?”

“The book. Is it the culmination of your life or something?”

She snorts. “I hope not.”

“It’s something, though. Not that it shouldn’t be, but–”

Finally, she stands, her entire body cracking as she stretches. She’s been sitting on the floor so much he’s starting to worry about the long-term effects on her body. If they didn’t have the dog to force them to go on walks, he’s not sure how much fresh air she’d even get.

“This is a lot, even for you,” he says, and she flops onto the couch next to him.

“Yeah, I know. I think it’s probably residual–it’s an assignment, and I was a straight-A student. I want to do my best on it. And do extra credit.”

It makes sense, but it doesn’t feel quite sufficient. “Have you told your mom about it yet?”

Her discomfort is immediate and obvious as she shifts a little, frowning. Clarke and her mother are on better terms than they were when she and Bellamy first met, but it’s still hard. He remembers from his own childhood how long it can take to recover from a loss like that, how the fallout can sometimes feel even worse than the event, or at least different and awful in its own way. Clarke and her mother don’t want to be enemies, but Clarke likes her life, and he has to admit it doesn’t look great from the outside.

Even from the inside, it can sometimes be pretty grim.

“Not yet. I thought I’d just send it to her when I got author copies or whatever.”

“That won’t be for a while yet.”

“It’s not like we talk that much,” she points out. “I kept it a secret from you and we live together and talk all the time. It’s not going to be hard to not tell my mom. She asks what I’m working on and I say the usual. Which isn’t even a lie,” she adds, before he can try to protest. “Because this is definitely what I always do.”

“It is. I wasn’t going to say that. I just feel like I don’t get how you feel about this book.”

“And you want to understand every feeling I have?”

“No, fuck that. I just don’t like not knowing shit. And this one’s bugging me.”

“It’s not the only thing.” She nudges him with her elbow. “I’ve definitely noticed you acting weird too.”

“Yeah?”

“Not even going to deny it?”

“No. I’m having a weird crisis.”

“Define weird crisis. Do you want to buy a sports car?”

“Not really. But is it weird if I feel like we should be buying something? Or maybe just me, I don’t know.”

“I don’t have enough information to tell you how weird that is. What do you want to buy? Why do you want to buy it? Is this just capitalism?”

“No.” He rubs his face. “Fuck, I don’t know what I want. If I did, I would have bought it already.”

“Oh, wow, this is actually bugging you. I thought you were just being normal grumpy, but this is something different, huh?”

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s the same as your thing, though. My thing might be the next step, after you finish your book.”

“So this is a grim vision of the future, huh?”

“Learn from me.”

“You need to tell me what I’m learning first.”

“Our lives are awesome and I’m happy, but when I think about–what we’re aiming for in five years, ten years, fuck, thirty years, I have no idea what we’ll be wanting.”

“And that’s bad,” she says, slow.

“It’s weird for me,” he admits. “I think it’s just taken me a while to notice that all of the stuff I used to be working for–I’ve got it now. Good job, steady income, retirement fund. Awesome wife, nice condo, stupid dog. I’m so fucking happy, but it feels like I have everything I want.”

“You definitely don’t,” says Clarke, immediately.

He snorts. “Wow, just like that, huh?”

“I mean, I know what you mean, but what we’ve got is–the big stuff, I guess. The flashy stuff. My dad used to call it the money can’t buy happiness stuff.”

“Your dad had a name for this?”

“I mean, not this. But the general idea. He said that when people said money can’t buy happiness, they’re taking for granted all the stuff they wouldn’t have if they didn’t have money. Food and shelter and all that. So I’m going to say you are officially at the point where you have all the happiness money can buy.”

“You say that, but I don’t own a private jet.”

She rolls her eyes, as he deserves. “You don’t want a private jet.”

“No, I don’t,” he grants. “So, you’re saying that life is awesome and it’s time for me to find a new place to get validation?”

“Or just find a new hobby. Maybe you could write a book. I don’t know, you can figure it out. But I’m pretty sure in the next thirty years, we’re going to find awesome stuff to do.”

“And you’re going to prove to your mom that your life is good?”

She sighs. “I get that my life doesn’t seem great to her, but her life doesn’t seem great to me either. It would be cool if this book was, like–the intersection of what I think is good and what she does. We can all agree that a book is an accomplishment.”

“It is.” He kisses her hair. “Your mom’s going to be proud of you, no matter what. I’m pretty sure she already is.”

“And you’re going to come up with something new to want to do.” She frowns. “It’s not kids, right? This wasn’t some weird, roundabout way of telling me you think we should have a baby or something, right?”

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure we should never reproduce, yeah. Unless you want that.”

She nudges her nose under his jaw. “I think we could just get a bigger place and more pets. If we’re looking for things to aspire to.”

As aspirations go, they feel pretty small, but like Clarke said, they really have all the big stuff. They’re healthy and happy and more well off than they deserve to be. They can’t afford a house now, but in a few years, if he gets promotions and Clarke’s book does well, it’s probably within the realm of possibility.

“So, I have to find a new dream, huh?” he asks.

“And I have to write an awesome book. As problems go, they’re pretty awesome ones.”

He kisses her hair, smiling. “Yeah, you’re right. I bet we can work through it.”

After all, they are, somehow, good. They’ve got this.

#hedaoftheskaikru

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aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

How Pikachu Became Pokémon’s Mascot

https://ift.tt/3uxcWAW

If any Nintendo character could ever replace Mario as Nintendo’s mascot, it would have to be Pikachu. For over 25 years, Pikachu has served as the face of the Pokémon franchise in a way that makes it easy to imagine someone instantly identifying the electric creature even if they’d never played a Pokémon game.

In fact, Pikachu’s status as one of gaming’s greatest mascots has embedded itself so deeply into our collective pop-culture consciousness over the years that many of us probably never stopped and thought how odd it is that Pikachu earned that status in the first place. After all, he wasn’t on the original game covers, he wasn’t one of the starter Pokémon offered at the beginning of the first games, and between you and me, the original version of Pikachu wasn’t even particularly powerful. So how did he become one of the most popular video game characters ever?

The answer to that question can be found in this fascinating story that proves the world is sometimes ruled by a series of coincidences and that Pokémon could have easily ended up with a different mascot if things had played out just a bit differently.

Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise: Pokémon’s Cover Stars

In a way, the strangest thing about Pikachu’s eventual status as Pokémon’s mascot is the fact that Pokémon launched with three different cover stars who didn’t automatically earn that title: Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise.

As the final evolutions of Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, it makes sense that those three Pokémon graced the covers of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, respectively. You could argue that the actual starters were the more logical choices for the games’ covers, but the final evolutions of those creatures not only look better; they helped convey the idea that the first Pokémon you see in the game are going to evolve as you progress.

However, the fact that those three are such logical cover star choices only makes it that much more confusing that none of those Pokémon were chosen as the series eventual “mascot.”

There’s certainly a strong case to be made for each of those Pokémon becoming the eventual franchise mascot. Bulbasaur, for instance, is not only the first Pokémon listed in the Pokedex, but Pokémon composer Junichi Masuda says that Bulbasaur is his favorite starter Pokémon because his unique look makes him a “very Pokémon-like Pokémon” who exemplifies the unique style of the franchise.

Squirtle/Blastoise would have been an interesting choice if for no other reason than the impact of Pokémon Blue. Not only was Pokémon Blue the upgraded (arguably definitive) version of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, but “blue” was chosen as one of the colors for the franchise’s U.S. releases due partially to the belief that blue and red could remind American gamers of the U.S. flag’s colors. In a way, then, you could argue Squirtle was believed to have international appeal.

So far as starter Pokémon go, though, Charmander/Charizard may have the best resume for future mascot status. His powerful design has long made him an instant favorite amongst some fans, and he’s the only one of the starter Pokémon to appear on the covers of both the Japanese and international versions of the games. He also embodies the “dinosaur” look the Pokémon team was originally going for during the early creature design phases. For that matter, Rhydon could have been the mascot as he was the first Pokémon designed for the game, and statues of him even appear throughout the original titles.

Ultimately, none of those Pokémon were chosen to be the game’s mascot, and it’s still not entirely clear why. However, the simplest explanation is that the Pokémon team wasn’t thinking about having a “mascot” during the series’ earliest days and didn’t pick the starter Pokémon or the cover stars on the basis of their viability as eventual icons. Simply put, they weren’t thinking of Pokémon as this potentially global franchise that would impact the industry for the next 25 years when they were still just trying to finish and tweak the games.

Besides, once it became clear that Pokémon was evolving into a global franchise, it seems that some prominent members of the team started considering the possibility of choosing and promoting a mascot. However, that mascot wasn’t any of the starter Pokémon, and it certainly wasn’t Pikachu. It was instead a Pokémon that somehow become somewhat lost to time despite the fact that the franchise’s designers and developers clearly had big plans for them.

Clefairy: The Original Pokémon Mascot

All due respect to Clefairy, but as a normal-type Pokémon who doesn’t boast any especially notable abilities and even looks similar to a couple of other Pokémon (most notably Jigglypuff), it’s hard to believe that there was a time when the creature was the frontrunner to become the series’ mascot.

Yet, Clefairy’s status as the “original” Pokémon mascot has never really been disputed. What seems to be a little more debatable are the details of that decision that ultimately led to them losing that lofty title.

There’s really no clear answer to the question, “Why was the Pokémon team so high on Clefairy?” It’s an undeniably cute Pokémon who somewhat resembles another Nintendo icon (Kirby), but it’s not like the original game was hurting for cute creatures. Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri once mentioned that Pikachu becoming the mascot wasn’t his idea, but it’s not clear if they or any other high-ranking members of the team were Clefairy champions early on.

What we do know is that Clefairy was chosen to be Red’s starter Pokémon in the game’s manga series: one of the first major pieces of Pokémon “merchandise” released after the games. Actually, Clefairy’s appearance in those early stories is remarkably similar to how Pikachu was eventually used in the anime series. They’re the main character’s first Pokémon (despite not being one of the starter Pokémon featured in the games), they have more of a defined personality than other Pokémon, and they even seem to be portrayed as somehow more intelligent and independent than other creatures.

In fact, the popular version of this story suggests that Clefairy was supposed to play the role that eventually went to Pikachu in the anime. Why was such a dramatic change made at the proverbial last minute? There are several reported reasons that could help explain how Clefairy lost its mascot status so quickly.

A somewhat less popular version of the Clefairy story suggests that Clefairy mascot casting was compromised by the surprisingly raunchy nature of the early Pokémon mangas. That almost certainly seems to be the reason those stories weren’t initially released in America, and it’s been rumored someone at Nintendo didn’t like the association.

Much more popular reports suggest that the “problem” with Clefairy from a marketing standpoint was the idea that Clefairy’s design would largely appeal to female gamers. By comparison, Tajiri says that there was a feeling at the time that Pikachu’s design would potentially appeal to both “boys and girls.” However, it’s also been suggested over the years there were internal numbers floating around at that time that revealed Pikachu’s design was actually catching on more with female gamers than Clefairy’s was. Along those same lines, there are rumors that Charmander and Rhydon weren’t selected as mascots because their designs would possibly appeal more to boys than girls. However, that last bit seems to be more of an implication based on what ultimately happened rather than a fact pulled from a specific quote or statement.

In general, though, it seems like Nintendo and the Pokémon team just felt like Pikachu’s design helped the creature stand out more. Along with reportedly being more appealing to a larger demographic, there seemed to be a belief that Pikachu looked more like a “pet” than other Pokémon and that people would be more likely to buy merchandise featuring it because of a desire to have it in their home. That’s especially interesting considering that one story suggests that Nintendo felt Pikachu needed to be “bulked up” for the international release of the game, but the character was actually eventually “trimmed down” in comparison to its original design (aka “fat Pikachu” who was designed to resemble a squirrel).

In a series with titles based on colors, it’s also interesting to note that Pikachu’s color scheme was a big part of the reason why he eventually became the series’ mascot over Clefairy. Not only did some at Nintendo feel that Pikachu was more recognizable from a distance, but because there were fewer major characters in pop culture that utilized a similar color scheme (besides Winnie the Pooh), their hope was that Pikachu would have less “competition” from other mascots.

Ultimately, though, the decision that changed everything came from the Pokémon anime team. The show’s artists and writers wanted to focus on a specific Pokémon as part of the seres’ plot and ultimately suggested to Nintendo that they felt Pikachu would be the perfect Pokémon to headline the show due to the character’s growing popularity at the time. The game’s designers were hesitant, but early test footage that emphasized Pikachu’s voice helped win them over. That anime was released with Pikachu as its star, became an international sensation, and pretty much solidified Pikachu’s status as Pokémon’s mascot.

But wait, why was Pikachu so popular among fans before they became the most visible Pokémon in the world? Strangely enough, part of Pikachu’s popularity can be attributed to the fact it wasn’t that visible in the beginning…