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hermitcraftheadcanons · 3 years

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Hermitopia AU Masterpost 1 [COMPLETE]

This is a gathering place for the events of the Hermitopia AU, as well as art and writing resulting from it (art and writing listed at the bottom). Please read the AU introduction and rules here before submitting! Feel free to join the discussions on the HCHC discord server!

(Disclaimer/PSA: All points are asks contributed by the community, the mods take no credit for the ideas within them)

If you would like specific credit in the masterpost, please sign within the text of the ask! (A dash and a signature at the end should do.) Asks not signed will be treated as anonymous.

Summary posts:

Not all elements of plot and character will be summarized, but here are a few basic things you may want to be familiar with before submitting an ask! (Unless you are purposely aiming to create an [ALTERNATE] idea for a Hermit)

1 - Starting positions and each Hermit's powers (based on the submissions from Day 1)

Summary post 2 - Interpersonal connections (based on Day 1 and 2 submissions)

Make sure to check out the second masterpost here for more up to date information, including newer art and writing!

Asks:

- (copied ask) [summarized mod comment]

- Hermitopia | Scar was experimented on by Cub. He gained dangerous powers and wings that resemble a dragon’s, but he keeps both hidden. Unless someone makes him angry. He has no idea who gave him his powers. Eventually he and Cub decided that they wanted to control things beyond their corporation, so Scar ran for mayor. (there are things to fill in but im lazy) [Scar assumes he got the powers in an accident during research. He enjoys having them but has no idea that they were intentional.]

- Hermitopia AU team ZIT is a superpowered crime-fighting trio!

- owing to a very particular set of guidelines he put in place, Joe can now copy powers if he sees them in use and can reverse-engineer how those powers are used. needless to say, this is massively overpowered in the right hands.but it got worse. at some point, there was an... incident... on ConCorp grounds, something to do with a mass amount of entities causing time dilation -- and Joe was caught in the thick of it, unable to be rescued for a while.the problem is, he got out by piecing together how the time dilation worked.needless to say, Joe... has a ridiculous powerset. so he chooses largely not to use his powers anymore unless it's absolutely dire or petty enough to shrug off as a random occurrence. nobody needs to know that one of the most powerful Unaffiliated in the city is standing right in front of them... especially not ConCorp.

- doc was a former high ranking employee of concorp before he volunteered for an experiment and it went horribly wrong. since then, the company has tried to erase any evidence of his existence. doc is now seeking revenge for all that the company did to him and is determined to tear it apart

- HI ok follow up asks will be sent later when my thoughts are coherent but concept: cleo has like super messed up healing powers where she can make healing go Too Far. also i pin her as unbound, considering, like, everything - shovel-shuffle

- So, his power was meant to be super-regen, right? except things don't always quite go to plan. Someone volunteered for the powers surgeries and is arguably dead. Etho is a name shared by the many many clones that developed themselves out of the leftovers. They're not quite individuals, not quite a hivemind. Any one of them has no fear of death because the others will continue, but they all act independently around their overarching goal. (which I won't snitch about) - DragonKay

- Bdubs was a hero. Key word? Was. He climbed the ranks through the government, he was a loyal and dutiful member of society, and he used his plant manipulation powers to subdue evil-doers without hurting them. But he’s always been a friendly guy, and he couldn’t help himself—talking to the Unrestrained, especially those in custody, was interesting! ...but it’s a slippery slope to walk, being friendly with the enemy and not sympathizing to their cause. Nobody knows where he is now, but there are rumours of a vigilante with similar abilities, and his three compatriots, two of whom he helped escape from ConCorp... They call themselves the nHo. - slimetek [Bdubs deserted Concorp while helping Doc escape after his experiment went wrong]

- Concorp managed to make a device that allows animals to speak or translate their thoughts into writing. This means that the good old mayor Scar has a certain cat giving some advice on how to run the city.

- Iskall is an assasin/mercenary against their own volition. An accident they'd rather forget almost killed them, and in exchange for their freedom and free will they got to live as a cyborg. Though its hard to forget with the implant that covers their eye and the limb of cool metal hanging at their side - @ghastly-ghostie [Iskall works for Concorp off-books, bound by the debt owed to them for the life saving experimental modifications]

- so I think grians original powers could be like cloning, but something goes wrong and the clones are different people. as a result of the duplication process, some funky magic rocks are made. the clones decide to take most of the funky rocks and run off, leaving grian with one rock that gives him some new abilities and the clones' rocks give him others. also uhh mechanical wings bc yes. so grians plot is him trying to find them while also causing problems on purpose. infinity stones. update to my grian ask from earlier, I had better ideas: the rocks are old like magic things that grian finds before the cloning and ends up collecting, but his clones snatch them - simplyskipper [some of the alternate Grians are aligned with different factions in Hermitopia, while the locations of others are farther or unknown]

- Hermitopia- Impulse has solid-light powers. He has golden crystals implanted in his hands, which he can reflect light through to solidify it into all sorts of shapes. This can be used to make barriers, projectiles, and much more, though more detailed constructs take more time.- @mleemwyvern

- Hermitopia AU Poultry man is a well-known chaotic neutral leaning towards good, as a one of the unrestrained.

- I think Team ZIT should be a little be wild card-y, that's how they act after all! [they are employed by the government for standard crimefighting, but they don't always take Scar's word at its intended meaning and often play a bit on the chaotic side when given instructions]

- [Hermitopia AU] False is an antihero/vigilante type who's specialty is not defined by powers or the such, but just... the absolute skill of being able to dual wield two (more sci-fi era) short swords. Maybe someone upgrades them to be "enchanted" (electrical, fire, etc. something that tech could do well probably). She's willing to be paid-for-hire, but if you go past her moral line she's also willin' to backstab you. -- @cheshire-vex [she's a free agent who sort of drifts between Concorp, the government, and whoever else will pay her on a job-by-job basis]

- Hermitopia impulse has more connections then one may think. He has ties to people pretty much everywhere, for reasons unknown. There is a 100% someone will come and greet him wherever he goes. [the greetings are usually friendly]

- Hermitopia Au! Keralis is a hero who most people wouldn't expect to be too skilled at fighting. His power is similar to hypnosis so he has no need to get very physical. Yeah, that changed when some bastard villain decided to attack his friends shop. [that incident caused his employer Scar to realize his untapped potential for protecting people and assign him to a few more high-stakes jobs]

- Hermittopia!TFC was one of ConCorp’s first experiments and as such his powers are a bit less...refined then the others. He has geokinetic powers, allowing him to psychically control rocks and other earthen materials. He used to be one of the VEX programs top graduates, but has since parted ways with them for unknown reasons and now operates his own plans of keep crime in Hermitopia under control. -lechairpourriedegrianri [he is considered Unaffiliated and both Concorp and the government largely leave him to his own devices, since he is helping to keep the city together]

-Wels doesn't have powers. He does have a super-suit made of fire and heat resistant carbon fibre (like the material used for the space shuttle) and has a built in hologram projector. One time, he used the hologram projector to project an image of himself, which everyone thought was a clone. He didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. (AKA everyone thinks Wels has powers but he doesn't) -Silverwolf53 [he got the suit in Project VEX]

- To follow up on the Impulse ask- Team ZIT are a space-themed superhero team. Government-aligned, at least for now.Tango has meteor-like powers, he can shoot fire from his hands and feet and often uses this to propel himself at high speeds. Zed has gravity powers! He can increase or decrease the density of any object, to the point of making small black holes. They all have space-themed costumes, and it was probably Zed's idea. - @mleemwyvern

- TFC was the first participant in project VEX

- Grian was an attempted success. It fixed some problems with Etho's unintended cloning, but at the same time created some problems of its own, seeing as the clones appeared to have a life of their own.It's fine, though. It's probably fine

- I would say Grian is unrestrained, a bit like Etho, Chaotic in his own way. Does not activily Try to hurt people, but does mostly what he wants for fun.-Ciara

- Xisuma is a civilian- he has hero friends, but despite all their teasing he’s never wanted to go through VEX training. But in the night, the unrestrained Void walks the streets [Void is a symbiotic creature made of nothingness that uses Xisuma's body as a substitute physical form]

- Bdubs was such a good man... he could be trusted to look after Doc, couldn’t he? Somebody had to oversee him, somebody who was reliable and would never, ever consider betraying the mayor and ConCorp...They let their guard down, and Bdubs got curious. Bdubs made a friend.And then they lost him.- Slimetek

- The hels hermits are considered evil by default. How do you spot these clones, how could you protect yourself? Well in the past it was a lot easier, just look for their red eyesNowadays contacts exist but that doesn't stop people trying to call the police on tango, calling him a hels. Hes netherian, they have unnatural eye colours and their iris fills the entire eye, hes not evil but if people keep doing this hes gonna be!

- Beef woke up from his brain surgery to receive telepathy powers, took one look into the mind of the overseer, and noped put of there as fast as he could go.He's on very public record. After all, the mind control he may be capable of is a very convenient explanation for anyone who turns against concorp... ~DragonKay

- Hypno can’t control minds.They say he does. It’s why he’s named Hypno, after all.In reality, he can’t control people like that... but he can control what they see.Your best friend might look like your greatest enemy. A pit of lava might look like solid ground. A 100-foot drop might look like a step down.It’s a good thing he’s a hero, and a good thing he keeps his true powers hidden beneath a guise of low-level hypnotism. There’s no telling what he could do if they let him go. [he works for Concorp, helping to protect VEX trainees from people trying to harm them before they get a chance to finish the program, as well as keeping other resources safe]

- The 9th Street Incident [referring to an earlier Impulse comment] was a friendly greeting. That particular version of Etho just thought that drawing weapons would be a friendly greeting for Impulse, but Tango and Zed seem to disagree

- They still don’t trust Bdubs. He was with the government for a long time, and things are hard out there on the run. Besides, they don’t know what he got up to there. ConCorp could have any sort of information on him, something that might scare him back.Bdubs understands this. He doesn’t want to go back. He’d hate to go back....but they think he will, and maybe there’s something he’s not telling them. An ace that ConCorp has yet to play.- Slimetek

- Mumbo works for concorp as an engineer specialising in robotics, most recently taking on the task of maintaining Iskall's cybernetics that somehow they just keep damaging. Iskall assures him they're just.. very clumsy. So far Mumbo hasn't caught on.

- Ren's power is that hes a werewolf, but he only found out when he was in his late teens with his childhood friend Iskall. He still feels guilty about it, he did kill his best friend afterall. Or so he thinks.He's lived off grid ever since, too overwhelmed with grief and guilt to rejoin society. Most assume he's dead too - @ghastly-ghostie [Ren dropped Iskall off to Concorp as a last ditch effort, running away before he could see whether they took his friend in or not. They did, starting Iskall's plotline. Iskall told Concorp about Ren's abilities, triggering a panic in the Concorp ranks at the fact that Ren is a superhuman being created by some force other than their own project]

- Where does Void come from? The same place all powers come from.Little did they know, something survived the crash and has taken a human host. Maybe it's not the only one...No, that place is not Concorp. Concorp's original goal was to develop technology by reverse-engineering from a crashed alien spaceship. These aliens did gene-editing the way some people do nose jobs, so they adapted that technology, too.~DragonKay

- i've already said a bit about it in the discord but i have hermitopia cleo brainrot. joe being there was able to save her by giving her the regen powers along with her puppeteering telekinesis power. anyways cleo is presumed dead, sent by concorp into a mission as fodder basically until zit could arrive. but now there's is one (1) bitter undead vigilante against concorp that is presumed dead

- Stress’s name has a few meanings in relation to her. Whenever she gets too angry or /stressed/, she transforms into the StressMonster, a monster that feeds off of other people’s stress to become more powerful. Luckily, the monster is rarely seen, but does terrible things when she is. She’s one of the most feared creatures in Hermitopia. Stress hates her and tries her best to hide her from her friends, but it can backfire sometimes. - @guster-animations

- to follow-up on Joe being presumed dead: remember the time dilation incident he was stuck in? ConCorp figured it was best to cut their losses and not try to send anyone in to rescue him -- it would be a pointless mission. so they abandoned him, quietly announced that he had died in the line of duty, and put the affected area under high security clearance in order to prevent any future accidents. they figured he was already dead. and Joe figures, given that they up and abandoned him, maybe it's for the best that they continue to figure just that. he changed his last name to "Hills" -- a joke about the biome containing the time anomaly -- and otherwise proceeded to stay under the radar. he still uses the time dilation area as a base of operations, sometimes; it's very useful to have a hideout that people physically cannot get into/out of without his direct assistance. is he nursing a grudge, coming up with some convoluted scheme to get back at the paramilitary group for abandoning him? or does he just want to live a relatively normal life off the grid? who knows. that's the Joe [REDACTED] Hills difference. -@betweenlands

- False has some big scary power that is almost Eldritch she just happens to prefer a sword and doesn’t really care for who she works for as long as they’re paying... (they don’t need to know of the power that had harmed the ones she loves the most)

- Keralis once encountered Void sulking around where Xisuma worked. So fearful for his friend’s safety, he used his power on Void and told him to go away. Apparently the charm is still active, because if Void spots Keralis anywhere, he’ll turn tail and run. No, it’s not because he’s scared. Absolutely not.

- Grumbot serves as a sentient supercomputer created by Mumbo for Grian. Grian is using Grumbot for... various activities, all of which harmless, but a certain evil clone [Helsknight] has reverse engineered the technology. Concorp would like for Mumbo to give them the tech, but mumbo stuck some eyes to the computer, got emotionally attached, and refuses to give up his baby boy.

- When Impulse hears his friend/colleague Bdubs has been "taken over" by the mind-controller [Beef], he wants to go on an off-the-books mission to rescue him! Just giving up like they were told to isn't in his nature.Of course the rest of ZIT are with him. Heroes save people! It's what they do!~DragonKay

- Hermitopia is a mixture of sleek futuristic and cyberpunk in terms of style. It really depends on where you live and work (ik this doesnt include any hermits but whatever) - @ghastly-ghostie

- I wonder if Cleo's overactive healing powers affect herself and if any injuries she receives immediately heal over like wolverine or deadpool

- Ren used to be friends with Cleo too, but then she died. Strangely enough, she died on the same day that Ren killed Iskall. Ren’s lost all his friends. It’s hard living in isolation when there’s no one left that even cares about you. (Unless— no, that’s impossible.)

- I was thinking about Biffa, like you do. And Biffa would totally be some robot that was created by Project VEX in its early stages, however they realised fast that it was easier to use humans and give them powers, maybe its not their strong suit with robots. But Biff went sentient and glitched and was scrapped so hes just out there doing his thing. Hes a wildcard and plays for which side he wants at the time, sometimes he'll help or sometimes hes the one causing trouble. He looks pretty similar to a android like in Detroit:Become human but hes a bit uncanny and eerie, maybe its the eyes or the blood red armour. Powerwise, he's got more strength than a human does, mainly because he isn't limited like others are. try not to get punched by him, it'll hurt! [He's convinced Concorp will destroy him if they find out he's alive and Unaffiliated] -lucodak

- Going off of my thing about hermotopia impulse having friends everywhere....this may include the nho. Okay, they beat him to a pulp on one of his solo patrols once, but theey felt bad n patched him up! He has to keep it a secret. He brings them dinner alot. And checks in on them.

- Beef is the perfect cover-up for Bdubs’ desertion. ConCorp doesn’t want any other employees getting bright ideas, now, do they? Nor do they want employees getting nosy and trying to figure out where Bdubs went. They don’t have to tell people what Beef’s powers are. They just release that he developed powers after brain surgery, and a rumour that he was spotted lurking around before Bdubs suddenly betrayed ConCorp... and people draw their own conclusions. -Slimetek

- xB is pretty sure he’s supposed to be evil.I mean, that’s what sentient AIs usually end up being, according to a quick internet search. And yet he’s... not. Or maybe he’s just on the wrong side. - Slimetek

- Yes impulse is friends with the nho....what he doesn't know? He's....easily susceptible to hypnosis. Very easily.......Of course, after impulse is basically a very tired n warm cuddle bug, so, cuddle piles tend to happen after all information is spilled. He must've fallen asleep at their apartment again! Whoops! But it's okay.....they take good care of him if he does! [Beef is using his mind reading ability on Impulse without his knowledge, to make sure that he hasn't spilled their location and to predict the government's next moves. He feels slightly bad about it but feels that it is necessary for the nHo's survival.]

- So far, Grian has only ever encountered two of his clones, NPC Grian and Robot Grian. Technically three, if one were to count Ariana Griande. Grian doesn't really, but some do. [Ariana Griande is a popular musician in Hermitopia who is building a career using the magical stone of voice enhancement she recieved through the cloning process]

- To handle the two Grumbot issue: the one working with Helsknight can be Jrumbot, a legion of robot drones meant to work as Grumbot’s physical form that ended up being hijacked by Helsknight and turned against ConCorp

- There...aren’t a lot of “normal” animals left in Hermittopia. ConCorp took one look at the animals populating the city and decided that, hey, they could make some improvements. Species after species, they modified their behavior, appearance, internal structure, whatever they could fix, tweak, or add. They were just improving their lives and the lives of the citizens of Hermittopia, after all, but the new animals quickly outcompeted the old for resources and habitats. And if it makes it easier for ConCorp to stick a camera in one or two of them, or set up robotic animals to keep a better eye on the city, no harm, no foul, right?(Bonus: there is one (1) singular cat left in Hermittopia, resulting in a spy movie-style heist where two teams of Hermits attempt to “rescue” the cat simultaneously. The cat keeps wandering away from both teams. Shenanigans ensue)- Adonis [the cat is Jellie, who orchestrated the competition between Team ZIT and Cleo and Joe for her own entertainment, getting away from both parties in the end]

- The Leak:Not all mutations are the result of controlled experiments! If some alien tech got away from the crash site, concorp never would have picked it up. It might have got into nature, not as refined as they made it in the labs but causing little changes here and there. Ren may have become a werewolf from being bitten by a mutant wolf~DragonKay

- Impulse is able to use his powers to create illusions or male things appear invisible! Sort of. After all, light dictates what we see. It takes a lot of focus, though, so it's not that practical. -@rayveewrites

- The one thing Hels wasn't able to steal was the cloning technology, hence his hostility with Concorp -- he needs the cloning device, because how else is the void going to get a body of their own? - SilverWolf53

- *glances at the hermitopia werewolf ask* okay but what if the same mystery people who made ren into a werewolf also created jevin, and maybe Etho? idk if either of them have been given any hermitopia headcanons yet lol. but im sure the same people who made a werewolf could make a sentient slime (or perhaps rescue one) or make... whatever etho is. [Since the "second organization" is an incorrect assumption believed by Concorp, Jevin was created when he came in contact with a waterway contaminated by The Leak. Concorp assumes he was created by an opposing organization and not by accident, and therefore would like to bring him in along with Ren.]

- hermitopia - mumbo and grian were friends back when cloning experiments were still happening (or . as friendly as you can be with someone who's treating you like a lab rat), but after everything went wrong and grian escaped, mumbo has his memories wiped nd thats why he's trusted w iskall's stuff? bc he inherently remembers working on high-level things without knowing where he learnt it - muscle memory, yk?anyway massive angst with grian maybe recognising mumbo, but not the other way round, and trying to rekindle their friendship? and that's where grumbot comes in? -gin [Mumbo's memory was wiped so that he would forget the deadly purpose of Iskall's cybernetics, which he was working on at the same time as the Grian project in the background. Mumbo does not remember creating Grian's mechanical wings or Iskall's arm and eye, and he has no memory of either individual previous to "meeting" Iskall as the person assigned to his repair and upkeep.]

- Etho doesn't so much have powers as he is powers. All the powers the ‘original’ had went into creating him; now he just exists, as whatever sort of being he is. Not a human one, that much is obvious. ~DragonKay [Etho has no powers beyond the hivemind and his training, due to the error in the experiment that caused the clones]

- Mumbo started the button as a joke. A nonsense social expirement to see how much people want worthless signs of status. Unfortunately things got out of hand, and violent too. But hey! It's not his fault that the five special anomalous stones were misplaced into the prize dispenser! It was just chance that they fell into the hands of the clone of the worst gremlin in the city! Don't fire him! [He was not fired, but Cub was Decidedly Unhappy with him for a good long while]

- Void mostly trashes ConCorp facilities- trying to figure out if any of his siblings survived the spaceship crash, but occasionally he’ll pilfer from a bakery, because X is a health nut and Void just wants a gods damned cookie [Void very much dislikes unseasoned chicken]

- If the Stress Monster gets too big, too dangerous, Cleo is sworn under oath to Stress to zap her with her healing powers. Cleo doesn’t like to do it, overhealing a stressed Stress makes her so calm she gets knocked out for a couple of days, but Stress can take a small comfort in the fact that at least one person out there can stop her

- Ooh with the self healing Cleo she'd be able to develop a small amount of super strength, with how the mind keeps from going full throttle because it would destroy the body once she gets over it it's hysterical strength whenever she wants [it is quite painful, but a good backup plan]

- Being a hive mind of disposable clones that can spawn new copies at will, it can sometimes be hard for the Etho Entity to remember that it is indeed a big deal for other people when they get hurt. This can make him come off as callous to those around him, placing him firmly in the "villain" category in most citizen's books, but he really doesn't intend any harm!

- Grian used to be tall, but then the cloning happened. With each clone they stole a little bit of his height making him the short man he is today. He needs to capture those clones and get his height back. [Grian isn't entirely sure how to accomplish this, but he's dead set on trying! He misses being tall!]

- While Grian was perfectly fine with Ariana Griande living her own life, he did insist on one thing.Her "older brother" getting backstage access whenever she was on tour. He's very proud and supportive of her and her music career.

- Mumbo is perfectly content working in tech, watching the other hermits get up to crazy shenanigans. Except of course, there was that one time he was out testing some new gear and accidentally saved a crowd from some villains... and there were all those times after too...But hey! It’s not his fault that people like him, and he certainly isn’t going to get caught by Concorp during his after hours activities. [Mumbo considers himself an accidental hobbyist, not thinking he has the nerve or the skill for proper hero work. Time will tell if he's right about that or not...but unfortunately, he probably is. This should be fun.]

- There’s still some people overseeing VEX, even over Cub. They’re the ones that push Cub to do certain experiments or to scrap one. They’re the ones to give Cub the decision for Iskall’s life debt. Scar was under them too for the longest time, but eventually he wanted out. Cub still wanted in. They were still in the right, right? That’s what they tell him. He’s starting to doubt it. [Cub is way too invested in everything he's built to even think about going rogue now, but he does resent and occasionally question the judgement of his superiors increasingly as his project begins to fail more and more often. He also fears that Scar's shift in career will be seen as a betrayal, rather than as a tactical attempt to gain the company influence in the government.]

- Been thinking about the impulse + nho asks and just,,, what would happen if concorp/the government found out? It cant be good with interrogation/hypnosis on both sides (incase you cant tell,, the brainrot got me as well) (apologies if this is a mess im excited) [Hypno is assigned to set up an illusionary conversation to make Impulse reveal nHo location to Concorp and government agents while thinking that he's actually talking to the nHo in a random encounter]

- The one mind Beef can't read is Etho's. Their hivemind is just too weird for him to comprehend. If he ever tries to listen in, it sounds like just a bunch of static from an old TV.

- for hermitopia au!: Out of most of the heros, the most reckless may be team zit. sure they tell themselves they'll plan out missions but it's hard when they share a braincell and tango just runs in. impulse and zed share a look everytime and have to run after him to make sure he doesn't get too hurt or overwhelmed by the enemy. in their defence its hard to plan ahead against an enemy when you dont know what they are thinking.-lucodak ["You might not have known what they were thinking, Tango, but we'd generally like you to know what you're thinking!"]

- i bet ConCorp really wants to make it out like theres some secret shady organization creating all these people with mutations, rather than their own operatives deserting and their own failure to contain dangerous chemicals... whether its malicious coverups or just ignorance to the fact they messed up, wonder what would happen if that sort of thing came to light...? [If they found out that the unintentional superhumans were a result of the poorly-contained crash site? Cub would lose his job...maybe worse. If Cub found out (and he hasn't, yet) he would do everything in his power to keep that information from his superiors.]

- (paraphrased) Impulse accidentally walks in on heroes and agents breaking down the doors of the nHo's hideout and confronting them. Scar claims that they did so on information Impulse himself provided and thanks him for his service. Impulse, feeling confused and betrayed, resists Hypno's attempts to illusion him back to Scar's side and flees the scene with the nHo, knowing very little other than the fact that he doesn't want to be manipulated by the government any more (and still not knowing that Beef has been reading his mind)

- Impulse may have been labeled a traitor. But do you really think that Impulse, secret rebel, starting to learn how dangerous and corrupted Concorp really is, wouldn't let his best friends know about the danger they might be in? I think Team ZIT is more loyal to each other than to the government. - @mleemwyvern [ Impulse's first stop after escaping with the nHo is to find a place to secretly meet Tango and Zedaph and tell them about the way he was tricked. It takes a lot of explaining and a lot of trust, but they eventually decide to believe his claims and are left with a choice: will they openly go rogue and become a target along with Impulse and the rest of the nHo, or are they better off using their established image and reputation to keep an eye on the government heros' movements from the inside?]

- (two asks combined, paraphrased) Ren runs out of supplies and decides to head back into the city, confident in his ability to stay off the grid after so many years of experience and such a long time away. Once there, he runs into Doc, and they hit it off quite quickly. However, the more Ren talks the more Doc realizes - with his ex-Concorp knowledge - that Ren matches the description of Iskall's main target exactly. He warns Ren, who is then faced with the knowledge that Iskall is alive and assigned to kill him...so many questions and so many tears to follow...

- Why did Hermitopia start needing heroes? When the Unrestrained started to appear, if course. Why did the Unrestrained start to appear? A question asked a little less. When did the VEX program start? When did they start taking more risks? When did they stop caring about certainty and safety and shift towards trying to push boundaries they weren't ready to? People can be so enamoured with the concept of superhuman abilities, something bright and glorious and good- and perhaps they could have that too- they don't ask all the right questions. It's all an elaborate game of damage control, don't let the flashy heroics fool you, they've made mistakes, terrible, terrible mistakes, and now there are villains running loose with powers they fooled ConCorp into giving them. Are they villains? Are they victims? Does it matter? They're causing problems. [Project VEX has developed into a solution to its own problems, a self perpetuating cycle...one that Cub, as a businessman, is very familiar with. It's what keeps the wheels of industry turning. It's what keeps innovation creeping forward. It wasn't intentional, not this time...but if it keeps his project alive, he'll take it.]

- One time, Jevin had narrowly dodged being captured by Concorp. He was laying low in the forest out of town, when he had a run-in with some sort of wolf creature. Thankfully, claws and teeth couldn't exactly hurt him anymore, so he just played dead until it gave up.When the moon set, the wolf-thing slowly transformed into a human being. Ren was horrified at the thought he'd lost control and hurt someone- again- but Jevin assured him he was fine. Jevin got the feeling that the werewolf needed a friend, and Jevin himself needed a place to stay for a while... -RayveeWrites [Ren and Jevin are not currently in the same location, but they each have a means of contacting each other for help if needed]

- Worm Man wasn't a well- known super, but plenty of people have noticed that he seemed to vanish at the same time Team ZIT first started active duty. Those people have also noticed that one of the members has a very similar power set to WM.Officially, that's just a coincidence. Officially.-RayveeWrites [Zedaph was trying to get some unofficial practice while still in training in the VEX program]

- A common misconception is that Bdubs conjures up his vines from nowhere. He can't.Like any plant, his vines grow from seeds. They grow unnaturally fast, when Bdubs wills it, but they have to come from seeds. Where do these seeds come from, you may ask?Well, a long time ago, Bdubs ingested some strange fruits. Somehow, in wild defiance of human biology, the seeds contained in those fruits worked their way into his muscles and germinated. Some of the roots worked their way into his brain and fused into it; the rest spread through his muscles, grew beneath his skin, coiled around his bones. Thanks to the way the vines connected to his brain, Bdubs is able to command the vines, and their magic, at will.The vines produce seeds; some stay in his body to replace the old ones when they die, and most work their way into a pair of 'seed pods' in his wrists. Bdubs provides the nutrients, the energy; the vines provide the seeds, the magic. As an extra bonus: if the vines were to be totally removed from Bdubs' body, he would be at best extremely weak, and at worst dead. The vines have grown into his muscles, to the point where they've essentially replaced them in some areas. It's fortunate that they connected with his mind so early on, otherwise he'd be dead. -RayveeWrites [Concorp developed the fruit, and the fact that Bdubs is evidence of the unlikely success of that experiment makes them all the more angry at his betrayal]

- A lot of excellent xB information (it's too long to copy but please read it it's very good)

- Iskall has exactly one (1) failed assignment. That assignment? The kill or capture of Stress. Stress and Iskall have been, or should it be were now, friends for a very long time, since before Iskall even met Ren. So one can imagine the stress this causes Iskall, to be told to kill his one remaining friend that he knows is alive. Of course, this stress is quite enough to to Stress's Stress Monster into one it's strongest yet seen forms, allowing for Stress to then get away. (1/2)(2/2) Of course, Con Corp doesn't- and can never- know the true reason that Iskall cannot kill or capture Stress. If they knew, if they subjected Stress to the same hell he's in- no, that cannot happen. So Iskall hires False to protect Stress, to interfere whenever they send him on a mission for her. Luckily, False is good at keeping secrets when she wants to, and this one she'll keep. But as far as Con Corp knows, Iskall has severe stress and trauma from being a cyborg, and that's why he fails. [This all adds up to a monumental waste of Concorp's time and money, which also results in False getting payed, so all parties involved are happy except for Concorp >:)]

- Impulse would take a bullet for his teammates, and he knows they might be about to take one for him, keeping him updated on what's going on government side of this... slander. Still, Tango and Zed are great actors, and if he didn't know better, he might be a little worried they would *actually* be hunting him down in the name of justice [Tango and Zed are now being sent on missions to retrieve Impulse, which they must pretend to lose believably. They occasionally overestimate their friend's abilities and give him a few more close calls than he'd like, but overall the ruse is holding up.]

Writing:

- Wels, Hels, TFC, and Grumbot

- Bdubs Concorp promotion and desertion

- Joe Hills in his time dilation hideout

- Etho clones, ZIT, and the nHo

- Keralis and Void

- [ALTERNATE] Reveal of Impulse's situation with the nHo

Art:

- Impulse suit design

#hermitcraft #hermitblr #hcraft #Hermitopia AU #masterpost #long post #mod Shade

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medeafive · 4 years

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Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov Characters: Natasha Romanov (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Nick Fury, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Sharon Carter (Marvel) Additional Tags: Vampires, I only write AUs now don't ask, Vampire Hunters, Going for dark and gritty here, Set in Prague because I love it, Suicide mentions, Late 90s Summary:

She's good. Really good. She's done this longer than almost anyone else and no one tracks vampires down better than her. That's the only thing that matters. Hunt and kill. He has white eyes and a black cloak. He's either an impostor or, judging by the color of his eyes, the most dangerous vampire she's ever met. And he's not going to leave her alone.

"Are you hurt?" he asks.

She blushes. "No, no. Cut healed cleanly. It's just- that time of the month. I may be sterilized but I still get my period."

They are walking alongside the Vltava in Holešovice. Not a pretty neighborhood if you don't want to get into the parks leading to the Castle. He sniffs. "Wow. I really smell that."

She snorts. "Come on. That's creepy."

"Sorry," he replies. "Can't change it, though. So we should probably get somewhere indoors."

"Don't wanna take on a hunting party?" she asks. "That would be fun. Haven't been in a fight in a while."

"They're allies," he remarks. "I shouldn't bother them more than I have to."

"You're boring," she accuses. "Let's cross over. I know a place."

She always liked Karlín, the old townhouses, streets lined with trees, art nouveau architecture. It would be even prettier without vampires, if the cafés and bars could open longer, people would sit outside more, all that. If everyone didn't look scared.

The apartment is on the highest floor, including a balcony and all. Not very useful now. The couple who lived here moved out quite orderly, leaving the big pieces of furniture behind. It seems a little like they're just on a very long holiday.

"You know, I've been wondering," she remarks, casually placing her guns and knives on the table. "Does Schmidt actually have red skin?"

"Oh yeah." He looks around, the empty nails where photos must have hung, maybe even art. "He does."

"Creepy," she finds. "What about Zola?"

"No." He walks to the window. "It was just the very first version, I think. I don't know."

"Why did they even send you to recruit me?" she asks. "No offense, but you're not exactly convincing."

He snorts. "I'm reliable. I do as I'm told. The- what did you call it- the mind control works better on some than on others. Don't ask me why."

"So they're worried this might go off the rails?" she asks. "Why?"

"Someone else might have already drunk you," he replies. "Everything that's not just murdering people is a delicate mission. Some have less control over their urges."

She snorts. "Oh, great. You were the most boring, controlled, sophisticated vampire they could find."

"I was told not to hurt you," he says, turning around. "And I don't want to. I like you, actually."

"You don't want to drink my blood?" she asks, walking over. "Honestly. Come on, you smell it."

"Wouldn't mind a little sip, to be perfectly honest," he admits. "But I really don't want to hurt you. I promised."

"That wouldn't turn me," she clarifies. "Really? You could stop after just a little?"

He grins, fangs shining golden. "Is that an offer?"

"Fuck off," she returns. "No."

He shrugs, unimpressed. "That's too risky for you suddenly? But injecting vampire blood was totally okay?"

"I stopped," she points out. "And I didn't grow fangs or claws, so what. Though I… I felt like I could smell better. Maybe I was getting some vampire senses."

"Possible," he admits. "After all, nobody knows all of the effects."

"It didn't heal the scars, though," she tells him. "Wounds were gone quickly but the scars stayed."

"The virus doesn't care about scars," he explains. "No impact on function. So no, those never go away."

"You have a lot?" she asks.

He snorts. "Come on. Don't make me take off my shirt."

She steps back and reaches for the biteguard around her neck. "I can go first."

He looks intrigued. "Sure you wanna take off the armor?"

"I won't smell more of blood," she points out, unclasping the biteguard and reaching for the zipper that was underneath. "Deal?"

"Okay," he breathes. "Deal."

She pulls the zipper unceremoniously down to the belt with the red hourglass, pulling the arms from the plated sleeves. She's pale, too. Not like she spends her days lying on the beach. She shows him her forearms, with all the scars. "We didn't have the carbon fibre and the kevlar at the beginning. Got scratched a lot."

"You went out there to fight vampires without proper protection?" he asks, staring at the pale skin and the even paler scars. "You could've died ."

"Yeah, no shit," she returns. "Wasn't fun, bleeding and then having to deal with vampires in a blood frenzy. Yeah, I've really been doing this for a long time. Uh, that one's from when they cut open my belly to take out the ovaries. That one, I actually got shot. Accident."

He unties the black cloak. "You're insane."

"Fuck off," she repeats, uncomfortable feeling broiling in her belly. "Not my fault."

"You could've stopped," he suggests, opening straps on his leather jacket. "Not like you owed anyone anything."

"While the world was going to shit?" she questions. "Hell no."

He pulls the jacket open. She's not prepared for how bad his left arm really looks, the metal forced in, red red lines on white skin. And the red bite. It looks worse than just a scar, somehow alive. He pulls the black shirt over his head, too.

His entire chest is covered in scars, both faint and strong. She takes a deep breath. "What happened to you?"

He doesn't put the shirt down, sort of self-consciously hiding behind it. "We train. Fight. It's brutal."

"I can see that," she mutters, fingers darting forward carefully. "Can I- mind if I-"

"Please," he blurts out, fisting the shirt. "It's- he says he only wants the strong ones to survive. The others are useless."

"Kill or be killed," she mutters, finger tracing over the white cold hard line that gives in under her touch. "I'm sorry. That- he really is a monster."

He snorts softly, pushing the shirt off his wrists. "Thanks. Uh- that kinda tickles."

"Seriously?" she questions, pressing her entire palm to his scarred abs. "You're ticklish?"

"What about it," he replies. "I'm not dead, for the umpteenth time."

"You're cold like it, though," she remarks, pressing her other palm to his cold hard chest. "How does that feel, other than warm?"

"Honestly," he says. "Pretty nice."

His chest has warmed up to her by now. She takes the hand away, then touches again. Still warm. The scars look really fucking bad, though. "So you're one of the strong ones."

"For now," he whispers. "Yeah."

"And the…" She kicks the black cloak on the floor. "That one. That doesn't help?"

"It's just a cloak," he says. "He's trying to develop better vampires, stronger, faster. If I can't keep up, if I'm no longer useful… I guess that would be it."

"He's using you," she whispers, leaning in. "You're just a disposable tool to him."

He doesn't reply before her lips touch his, cold for just a second, she feels the fangs pressing through but it doesn't really bother her, weirdly enough, he kisses her back and she grips his chest, fingers digging in. He's warm now, alive. She opens her mouth, swiping her tongue over his beautiful lips, over the fang, cold and smooth gold, carefully over the tip, his hands come to her hips, very careful. His tongue comes out and tangles with hers. Her fingers dig in even harder, soft skin, but then she pulls back to catch a breath. His eyes flutter open. "What are you doing?" he rasps out.

"Shut up," she whispers, leaning back in and kissing him again. Now he's really warm and soft, she might be mistaken but he smells differently, no more old book, his fingers dig into her hips, release and dig in again, more carefully. She strokes the scars on his chest, finds the warmth has spread out, even where she didn't touch him before. She touches his cheek, warm-

Something buzzes, loud, they both startle, jumping apart, it buzzes again, at her belt, her phone, fucking phone-

"Well," she remarks. "This is awkward."

He clears his throat, lips swollen. "Maybe- maybe you should pick up."

She fumbles around, the top of the suit is hanging over the belt. Buzzes. She gets it out finally, flips it open. "Yes? What the fuck is it?"

"Are you okay?" Bruce's voice asks. "Your pulse literally disappeared."

"My-" The fucking tracker. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Just- just rolled the sleeve up, I guess."

"You what?" Tony asks loudly. "Why? What about the one in the collar?"

She groans quietly, closing her eyes, pinching her nose. "I'm fine. Really."

"What are you doing ," Tony inquires. "Your vitals are doing some weird shit. Are you running?"

The- still no name- he has picked up his shirt and put it on again, though not the jacket. "Get out of my fucking business," she demands. "Okay? Everything's alright. I'll hang up now."

"Okay," Bruce says. "Just get home safely. Stay safe."

She hangs up, rolling her eyes. "Oh man."

"They're monitoring you?" he asks.

"They thought tracking me would make me safer or something," she remarks, fumbling with the sleeves. "Guess I should put that back on."

"Yeah, probably," he agrees. "Uh, not to be awkward, but what was that all about?"

"No, no, no," she interrupts, fiddling into the rigid sleeve. "Don't make me- My pulse will go up again and then I'll get another fucking call."

He grins, picking up the jacket. "Okay. Whatever."

"What do I call you, though?" she asks, zipping the suit up. "Got a name for me?"

He shrugs. "Don't really care. Whatever you want."

"Someone suggested Steve," she offers.

He snorts. "That sounds wrong."

"Well, what doesn't?" she asks.

He studies her, jacket in hand. "James," he offers finally.

"James, then," she decides, fixing her ponytail up again. Why is she so dishevelled? "I guess you already know everything about me, right?"

"Yeah, sure," he replies sarcastically, peeling himself back into the leather jacket. "That you're a really horrible person and all."

"Are you fucking with me?" She snorts, gathering up her guns. "Come on. I've done some shit."

"Not disputing that," he states. "You're leaving?"

"Guess I should," she replies. "Before they get all worked up again."

"Sounds annoying," he remarks. "Yeah, I guess- I don't know what to say. Guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah," she agrees, sheathing her knives as well. "If you keep following me around, sure."

"I still find it creepy," Clint remarks. "I mean, I trust you and I don't think you're dumb or gullible or anything, but it's just… weird."

They're sitting on a roof again, looking out over the city and the river. "I get that," she replies. "I don't like that he helped start a global vampire outbreak either."

Clint snorts. "Putting it mildly. And then you're just gone, I really thought, when I heard…"

"Not my fault if the suit malfunctions," she returns. "I was safe, really."

"Because of the extension?" Clint asks.

"More than that," she replies. "It's… Fury wants to get him on our side. Don't say Stockholm but… I really think I'm getting somewhere."

He opens his mouth but closes it again carefully. "Are you… sure?"

"He literally said mind control," she tells him. "He told me about Schmidt and the horrible structure, the torture and the experiments. Not in detail but… It really scarred him. I can work with that."

"I mean," Clint acknowledges. "I understand if he wants to get away from the evil vampire overlord. I wouldn't trust him, though."

She snorts. "Why do you trust me, then? Because I kill vampires? He kills vampires too. The ones he's told to kill, but maybe we could get him to kill others, too. Like the ones in the Castle."

Clint grins. "You're insane. That's why I trust you."

"Just imagine," she suggests. "Wiping out the Castle. Battling back the black cloaks and Schmidt's forces. Taking out Schmidt."

"Seems a little too ambitious," Clint remarks. "But alright, your call. It's still creepy to think he might be around right now."

"I don't know how close he is," she says. "Should test that sometime. I mean, I don't like it either but it's helpful."

"Are you sure you don't like it?" Clint asks slowly.

"Yes," she replies perplexed. "Of course. Why?"

"Doesn't always seem like it," he says carefully. "With all your running around alone at night. You kinda like him, don't you."

"Liking him makes it easier," she whispers. "But I don't like everything he does . I don't have to, either."

"Your business," Clint states. "You should just be honest to yourself about what you're doing and why."

"Fair," she acknowledges. "Something else, what do you think about the new girl? I didn't get to go on patrol with her yet, so I don't really know."

"She's good," he admits. "She has a different approach, with a lot of research and all, while you seem to do everything on instinct. Maybe you'd complement each other. Fury just doesn't want to send you out together yet because she doesn't know the city and you're kinda distracted sometimes."

"I've really been doing this forever," she repeats. "There was no research back then. Just a bunch of vets with Kalashnikovs."

"Didn't you have a sword?" Clint asks.

"Yeah," she confirms. "Helped with the beheading part. Knife just isn't heavy enough. That was cool, actually, maybe I should get one again."

"You're really insane," Clint repeats. "God help us all."

"So," Sharon asks. "What's he like ?"

Natasha almost cuts into her finger. Damn carrots. "I don't know. Normal."

"Normal?" Sharon repeats. "In what way?"

This is why she doesn't have friends. She can't cook either. Sam can cook and everyone likes him. "I don't know. I can talk to him normally, I guess. Not like I have to be careful or anything."

"You have weird standards," Sam remarks. "Uh, could you cut them a little smaller?"

"Is he funny?" Sharon inquires.

Weird question. "Annoying, mostly. Kinda smug? I don't know. He's okay."

"Could you wash the coleslaw, Sharon?" Sam asks. "Thanks."

The kitchen is a little small for three people but alright. "Yeah, sure," Sharon agrees. "Sorry. I'm just really curious. Nobody ever had longer encounters with a black cloak and lived to tell the tale."

"He's-" She hesitates but says it anyway. "He's more human than the fresh vampires. More in control. He doesn't just drop into a blood frenzy at the drop of a pin."

"I would certainly hope so," Sam remarks. "Drop of a hat, by the way."

The water is turned on. "Does he like you?" Sharon asks with curiosity.

Natasha snorts. "Guess so. Which is good, I guess."

"If it keeps him from murdering you and us all," Sam states. "Then yeah, definitely."

"I feel like I'm discussing with a teenager," Tony says. "No. Come on, you're breaking Brucey's heart."

"I'm not wearing that thing again," she repeats, arms crossed. "You have no right to stalk me. Also, it clearly gives false alarms all the fucking time."

" Once ," Tony emphasizes. "And I still think that was on you somehow. You always pretend you're that mysterious and interesting but really, you're not. So no need to get on such a high horse about your privacy."

"The tracker would be really helpful," Bruce interjects uncomfortably. "In case… you know. We could put it somewhere else, I guess. If it bothers you in the suit."

"Not going down that road," Tony protests. "No way."

"No more vitals?" she asks. "Just the GPS?"

"Yes," Bruce confirms. "If that's what you want."

She drops her arms. "Okay. Put it in the phone. Can you do that, Stark, or do I have to do it myself?"

"I'll get the suit," Bruce announces, leaving the room.

Tony takes her phone but not his eyes off her. "You're up to something. And I don't like it."

"Fuck off," she returns. "You can't even do the vampire cure."

"Yeah, can you?" he challenges. "Didn't think so. But oh, I forget, you're the Black Widow."

"Do not go there," she hisses. "You don't know shit about that."

"I would never," Tony states provocatively calmly. "Your judgment is clearly impeccable. Undoubtable."

Bruce returns, thankfully, as always completely unaware of the atmosphere in the room. "There's the tracker. I'll take out all the measuring devices now."

"Thanks, boys," she says with a sneering undertone. "I'll grab a beer in the meantime."

"You wanted a fight," he- James states. "I got you a fight."

"Oh, so now we're taking on the hunting party?" she asks. "Where?"

He snorts. "Still no. A nest moved in from South. If we're quick, we'll get them before the Castle does."

"I like that," she admits. "You're gonna jump around like crazy again? I'm in. I saw you on my last patrol, by the way. Don't think I didn't just because I didn't say anything."

"It's quicker," he offers. "If you wanna, you know."

She steps up to him. "Cuddle up to you?"

"I'll literally never get you to do anything, will I," he remarks.

"Hey." She pulls a face. "I stopped taking vampire blood. Not for you, though, I admit."

He rolls his eyes, putting his left hand on her shoulder. "Okay. Hold on. Really hold on, I can't catch you."

She grabs one of the straps of his jacket, wrapping the other arm around his torso. "Okay. Ready."

He jumps and suddenly they're on the roof of the building, just briefly before taking off again, cutting through the cold night air, cloak flaring behind them. She's starting to feel nauseous when another building approaches and they're going down down down, but he barely lands before he drags her up in the air again. It's heady. She turns her head and stares up at the night sky, the moon, the clouds, the few stars.

They land in a more suburban part of the city, rows of houses, big squares, lots of green. Everyone has a garden. Her legs almost give out and she giggles. "Oh. You know, I kinda like that. Flying."

"It's exhausting," he says. "Makes me hungry."

Maybe she could give him a little today. Just a little. "So, how many? Where?"

"Two," he replies. "I don't know. We'll have to track them down. Careful, though, they have UV lights around here."

"I can do that," she says. "Just a second to get used to gravity again."

"Take your time," he states. "Do you have the tracker still? Will they think you're dying again?"

"Got rid of it," she replies. "GPS in my phone, but I can get rid of that if necessary. Oh, I'll put it on silent."

"Okay," he says. "Then we should be good."

"Yeah," she agrees. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll go first."

There's lots of shadows around here, some moving. It's actually less quiet than in the city center, people talking indoors, laughing loudly. Not every window locked with wood. Seems to be a good place for young families. If they stay in at night.

She catches their trail around a park, following it the hill down past a church. Nice place to live. Turn right. Where would vampires hide around here? Turn left. No, that seems wrong. Up the hill again. She almost startles when she notices the black cloak behind her, but she really shouldn't be surprised. She's on edge. Somewhere around-

She takes out the knife, waiting. Here. Somewhere here. She just has to place-

Rustling leaves.

She slips into the abandoned garden, holding her breath. They must smell her. Tries to make out in the dark-

Flashing teeth. She jumps back, barely escaping the woman's claws. Cuts after her with her knife. The vampiress hisses. They clash, knife dropping to the ground.

She's not a young vampire, already in control of her strength, her body. She kicks and claws, bites and hits. Natasha knocks her back, scanning her surroundings. Two. Must be two. The woman grabs her, throwing her against a tree. Natasha twists her hand before she can claw at her, making her howl. Kicks her knee. The woman staggers back, fleeing over the fence.

Knife. She jumps over the fence as well, following, another fence, she can hear her moving- She ducks and the vampire misses her, elbows him, grunt, slashes across his face, arm, bleeding slows them, he catches her arm but she snaps her knee up. The vampiress returns and Natasha shoots at her, missing the heart. The vampire throws her to the ground, kicking, she catches his foot and uses his force to twist him down. She's back up and hits the woman, knife, sinks it into her shoulder. Whips around and kicks the guy in the face. The woman tries to push her away but she gets the garotte around her neck, pulling hard. She struggles to break free, but Natasha's stronger than she looks. When she lets go suddenly, she plunges the silver knife into her heart through until it hits the breastplate of her suit.

The other vampire is gone, fleeing down even more gardens. Natasha runs after him. Fence. Tree. Hedge. Fence. He's too fast. She takes the left, crossing the street, left again, she's faster on pavement, catches sight of him between the houses, little faster, sweeps right-

He's too slow. She knocks him down, takes the gun and shoots him in the head.

She's alone. Wait. Lost. She runs back.

There's a light that went on, movement sensor, he's rolled in on the pavement-

Shit. She skids to a stop, grabbing the black cloak and throwing it over him. His skin is red, blistered, fucking UV light. He groans. "Are you okay? Do you hear me?"

"It burns," he whispers weakly.

"I'll get you out," she promises, pulling him up a little, always making sure she blocks out the light. "Fuck these guys. Let's get you up."

He sits up, barely, another ray of light hits his face and she curses, dragging him up all the way. "Sorry. Just- quick."

It seems forever until they're out of the light. She's not even sure covering him with the black cloak is enough. His face looks really bad. "I'll take care of you," she promises. "Do you- do you have a place? Around here?"

He groans. "Spořilov."

That's not too far. They can walk that, long before the sun goes up. "I'll get you there. Just tell me where exactly. I'll get you to safety."

He really looks bad, though, and she has to steady him. And then he stops replying.

#buckynat #full chapter 6 #because I really like this one #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes #black widow #winter soldier #fanfic #my writing #vampires

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aardvark-123 · 6 years

Text

Gensokyo Festival Day 18: The Great Race

A fairly ridiculous tale of derring-do on the high seas.

Miko's clenched fist thwacked into the wooden table, making the dishes tremble and clatter. Tojiko yelped as her scrambled eggs went flying.

"I am sick and tired," said Miko furiously, "of losing to Byakuren and her goody-two-shoes Budhhist collective every time we have a race. Her bicycle has an oil engine, her entire temple is a flying ship... We can't let this continue!"

"But what can we do?" said Futo glumly. "Mine own boat cannot fly, nor have we a single motorised velocipede, and the Budhhists hath no shopping trolleys. Even in a foot race, the accursed false saint Byakuren wouldst trounce us..."

"It's just not fair! Why can't we be the ones with the cuddly yamabiko and the massive ship and the ghost with a ladle and the-"

"THAT'S IT!" Tojiko leapt to her tails with both arms raised in a spirited double fist-pump. "A boat race! Futo's boat can't be beaten on the water!"

"It cannot?!" Futo stared at Tojiko in amazement. "Ah, may I remind thee that the Buddhists are in possession of a colossal flying vessel-"

"Which is still at the mercy of fluid dynamics in the water," Tojiko cut in. "Trust me. A small, nimble boat can never lose!"

Byakuren laughed a superior laugh. "A race? On the water? Oh, Miko, our mighty Palanquin can never lose! It would be the biggest humiliation of your life."

Miko raised one eyebrow. "Your point being?"

"My point being we should do it. Would Tuesday be good for you?"

"Why not Monday?"

"Well, why not Sunday, then?"

"Why not Saturday?"

"Why not Friday?"

"Let's just do it now," suggested Miko.

"Be at Misty Lake in one hour," agreed Byakuren.

A gaggle of fairies and a few of the local youkai had gathered on the northern shore of Misty Lake. One of them was selling grilled lampreys.

"Good luck! Bon voyage!" Yoshika was waving her handkerchief as best she could with such stiff arms. A single tear rolled down her unhealthily grey cheeks. "I'm going to miss them..."

"They're just sailing across the lake, you idiot," sighed Seiga. "Good luck, Miko, Futo and Tojiko! Have a great time!"

"We'll send you a postcard when we get there!" shouted Tojiko.

Space was at a premium on Futo's little wooden Ame no Iwafune, so Miko had to stand in the prow. She stood like a proud and fearsome warrior, with one hand on her hip and the other holding her shaku aloft. She signalled to Mamizou, who was hovering above the shore with megaphone in hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, both captains have declared themselves ready! The Great Holy War on the Water will begin in precisely a few seconds!" shouted Mamizou. She squinted at her pocket-watch. "Five... Four... Three..."

"Tojiko, spin those tails!" ordered Miko.

"Right!" Tojiko lowered herself off the stern until she was chest-deep in the icy water of the lake. Her tails spun into a frenzy, roaring as they churned up the water. The Ame no Iwafune shot forwards.

"Good-for-nothing cheaters... Punch it, Captain!" ordered Byakuren.

Minamitsu immediately began barking orders. Shou, Ichirin, Unzan, Kyouko, Nazrin, Nue and a dozen youkai monks ran around the deck, hoisting the sails, shivering the timbers and whatever else people apparently have to do on a ship. Slowly but surely, like an avalanche gathering speed, the Palanquin began to move.

"Not a chance." Miko could barely suppress her triumphant laughter. "We've got it in the bag, you two! Oh, I can almost see the look on Byakuren's face!"

"I hadst not a notion that my vessel couldst do this! Woohoo!" Futo's legendary boat was crashing through the waves faster than a horse could run, faster even than a tsuchigumo could fly. Squeezed between Miko and Tojiko, Futo was having the time of her life.

"Glad you're... Having... Fun..." panted Tojiko.

On the deck of the Palanquin, Byakuren sighed deeply. "So much for punching it. Captain, is there any way we can go faster?"

"Not without using the cyclonic drive, and that'd be cheating," said Minamitsu glumly.

"Really?" Byakuren's eyebrows rose in a look of innocent surprise. "It wouldn't be cheating as long as we stay in contact with the water, now, would it?"

"...It wouldn't? Well, I..." A wicked grin spread across Minamitsu's face. "I like the way you think. Engine room, activate the cyclonic drive! Maximum thrust!"

The roar of a mighty wind sounded inside the Palanquin's hull. Its sails billowed as an invisible force blew upon them, sending the ship charging forwards.

Futo soon heard the roaring of the Palanquin's engines. She glanced over her shoulder and almost screamed. "Miko! Tojiko! They-they're coming after us!"

"Yeah, but we're miles ahead." Miko glanced behind the Ame no Iwafune. Her jaw dropped. "T-t-t-t-t-t-Tojiko, hurry up!"

"Are you... Kidding...?! I'm... Exhausted... Already..." gasped Tojiko.

"Damn it..." Miko grit her teeth and tried to come up with a plan. "Futo, you can make this thing fly, right?"

"The Ame no Iwafune is not a mere 'thing', Your Highness," said Futo severely. "I can, however."

"Good. Do that, but fly touching the surface of the water, all right? Tojiko, go ahead and take a break." Miko swung around to face the onrushing Palanquin. "I'll see if I can stop this lot in their tracks."

Futo rose unsteadily to her feet, stomping on Tojiko's hand in the process. "Heaven Sign: Iwafune Ascending to Heaven!"

The boat surged forwards. Blue and purple bullets exploded from the stern, making Tojiko yelp with pain as they battered her tails. She hauled herself onto the deck, curled up between Futo's feet and glowered up at her warm fleecy shorts.

"Now, that's what I call speed! Futo, you rock!" declared Miko, giving Futo a pat on the back.

"Um," said Futo, "I did barely comprehend a quarter of thy words."

"She's saying thou art a fruitful, honey-tongued Welsh cheese," grunted Tojiko.

Futo's cheeks turned pink. "T-truly?! O sweet prince, how my heart doth sing to hear those words, albeit from the rather less savoury mouth of Tojiko! Cometh to my arms!"

Before Miko could cometh to anybody's arms, a heavy iron grappling-hook smashed into the water.

Tojiko gasped. "The bastards! They're trying to harpoon us!"

"I knew it," growled Miko. "Let's see how they like this. Divine Light: Honour the Avoidance of Defiance!"

Miko hurled dozens of golden rays in her enemies' general direction, followed by countless multicoloured bullets. All was quiet for a few seconds, and then a barrage of purple rectangles came flying off the Palanquin's prow.

"Good thinking, straw hat girl. Trying to hem us in." Miko smiled. "Futo, evasive manoeuvres! Now!"

Futo swung the Ame no Iwafune around, willing the boat to move with every fibre of her being. She drove the boat at full tilt past the Palanquin's flank.

"Perfect! There's no way they can hit us now!" laughed Miko.

"They won't need to, though, will they? We've just lost the lead," Tojiko pointed out.

Miko's good mood immediately vanished. "Oh, shite. She's going to be insufferable, isn't she?"

"Completely," groaned Tojiko.

"I'm so sorry..." sobbed Futo.

It turned out, however, that Byakuren was going to be anything but insufferable. The Palanquin was rapidly running out of lake.

"Oh, my days! Captain, quick, turn!" screamed Byakuren.

"No time! Brace, everyone, brace!" wailed Minamitsu.

The Panalquin skidded up the beach and arced up over the dense forest. The cyclonic drive roared in defiance, but there was nothing it could do against momentum. The mighty ship crashed nose-first among the trees, scattering the crew into the canopy.

Scudding over the lake half a mile away, Miko burst out laughing. "Come on, you two, that is just PRICELESS! Up the beach, into the forest, bye-bye Palanquin! Gods, I love races. We need to have an Incident one of these days where everything gets sorted out by racing. Maybe we could let the spectators throw stuff at the competitors, just to spice things up-"

"WE'RE HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE MANSION!" screamed Tojiko.

Miko went pale. They were indeed speeding towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "Um-"

The Ame no Iwafune shot up over the beach and smashed into the clock tower.

After a few minutes, Tojiko stirred beneath the crimson rubble. She forced herself up on her hands and things resembling knees, trembled, and flopped back down in defeat.

"You know," she said grumpily, "being beaten up by a bratty vampire and her sadistic maid is exactly how I like to spend my afternoons."

For advice on flowery Shakespearean compliments that make Futo’s heart sing, start here: https://www.folger.edu/sites/default/files/QuotesScripts_Compliments.pdf

#gensokyofestival #touhou #ten desires #fanfic #toyosatomimi no miko #mononobe no futo #soga no tojiko #byakuren hijiri #minamitsu murasa

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existential-periphery · 6 years

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo Switch) Review

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will inevitably be, and indeed has been since release, a divisive game even among people who like gaming, and even among people who like this specific genre of gaming (JRPGs). So imperfect is Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that even the most forgiving of critics cannot possibly review this game without making mention of the numerous issues that litter the game – the excesses of its overwhelmingly complicated gameplay, the poorly-designed map system (even after a recent patch has improved it), the horrifying deluge of battle dialogue, and the numerous technical issues surrounding graphical resolution and frame rate, especially in handheld mode, and all this is not even mentioning the numerous subjective issues that many gamers will no doubt have when it comes to certain design choices, such as the clearly anime-inspired art style and writing. And indeed, a quick glance at the critical consensus surrounding this game would suggest that it is a far cry from its decorated predecessor on the Wii.

And yet for me, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a miracle. It is a miracle that may perhaps be specific to me and my tastes, but the fact remains that it is a miracle – one that, for me, completely outdoes its predecessor in every way imaginable.

I do not have the luxury of time to write a review as long as the one I wrote for Persona 5, unfortunately, and therefore, I shall not delve too deeply into Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s gameplay. Suffice it to say that this is not a game for everybody, and there will be people who justifiably hate the gameplay. The game is massive, and I truly mean massive, in a way that can be extremely and perhaps even unnecessarily overwhelming – as a rough scale, it took me 136 hours to finish the game, and I don’t believe I’ve completed much more than half of the content that the game offers. Combat is difficult to describe, being action-based without being completely action-based, and is sure to polarise some gamers as well. Character progression too is overwhelmingly complicated, especially when considering that there are numerous Rare Blades in the game, each of which have different progression sequences and requirements. The randomised manner of obtaining Rare Blades can be frustrating, and is sure to be a point of contention for some gamers as well.

A reviewer who spends an entire paragraph describing the ways in which a game’s gameplay could potentially be hated surely can’t think too highly of the game – and yet I absolutely found Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be a blast to play. I found combat to be adrenaline-inducing and exhilarating, I found it incredibly rewarding to obtain the huge diversity of Rare Blades available and experimenting with using different ones, I found it empowering to feel myself getting better and better at the game (despite how ridiculously and perhaps needlessly complex it can be), and, well, I willingly spent 136 hours playing this game, which should speak volumes as to how much I enjoyed the game.

There is much more that can be said about the gameplay that I’ve skimmed over in order to keep this review as short as possible. In a lot of ways, my adoration of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 stem from reasons – or the lack of reasons – that reside within my heart. If you happen to be reading this review for an objective rundown of the game and a critical look at the ways in which it succeeds or fails, this is perhaps not the best review to be reading, for this is ultimately a review that comes from my heart:

I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

I love how every fibre of its existence oozes with the stylistic essence of Japanese animes – from its art style, its character designs, its humour, to its storyline. I love how polished the Japanese voice acting is, and how exceedingly well the voice actors and actresses lend themselves to imbuing life into each and every character in the game (though it’s a pity that much of the field dialogue goes un-subtitled). I love the quality of its animated cutscenes and how boldly, confidently, and stylishly they can stretch on for extended periods of time, scintillating proudly the sheer intensity of its numerous moments of bloodcurdling battles or otherwise expanding upon the plot with lengthy conversations, or otherwise simply giving me a good chuckle with its many moments of lighthearted humour. Lengthy cutscenes that focus solely on exposition and narrative are becoming increasingly rare in videogames these days, which tend to be more to-the-point and punchy in order to focus on game-play, and I deeply love how Xenoblade Chronicles 2 defies this convention and is completely unashamed with its use of lengthy cutscenes to tell its story, a style of video-game storytelling reminiscent of early JRPGs. I love Japanese Role-Playing Games, and I love how quintessentially Japanese Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is.

I love how fantastically fascinating and fascinatingly fantastical the world of Alrest is, with its endless sea of clouds, and habitats that take the form of numerous different Titans, each of which has their own landscapes and climates. I love how organic the world of Alrest feels, and I love how breathtaking it can be to take in the many scenic sights of Alrest while exploring its many nooks and crannies by going off the beaten path and simply exploring. I love that this is a world of fantasy so rich with imaginativeness and unexpected revelations, and I love that there are so many secrets to be uncovered about this world, both within and outside of its main story. I love that this is a world full of beauty and yet full of underlying strife and darkness as well. And I love that all this is accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack that can only be described as divine.

Above all, I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 because of how much I love its characters and the journey they embark on together. At so many times, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 made me broke out in hearty laughter with its unrealistic, over-the-top, and blatantly Japanese humour, which injected a strong dose of joyful lightheartedness into its plot. Yet, this lightheartedness betrays little of the numerous emotional scenes which roused tears from my eyes and wrenched my heart. With these characters and the 136-hour-long journey I embarked along their side, I experienced an adventure characterised by an entire spectrum of emotions – with them I laughed my heart out and had fun, with them I felt anger and indignant at the deeds of our adversaries, with them my heart broke and I cried along their side when all seemed to be lost, and with them I fell in love. To venture too much further into how much I love each and every character of the game would perhaps betray too much information as to the game’s intricate plot and its character development, which are decorated with numerous twists and turns and revelations that kept me compelled for the entire length of its narrative. I love that, fundamentally, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 tells a beautiful love story situated within the context of a fantasy world and plot – full of the clichés one might expect of a love story, and yet also offering so, so, so much more than that.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is, for me, a miracle, because many of the reasons why I love it are ostensibly reasons that could have led someone else to hate or at least to dislike it. It is unabashedly anime-inspired in its tone and its aesthetics, it is an emotional, compelling and occasionally clichéd love story but it is also far more than just that, and it is as JRPG as a JRPG can be. It is therefore a miracle for me because I happen to really like anime, JRPGs, and I also have a soft spot for sappy love stories – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is thus precisely the kind of game I’ve always wanted to play, and to be given this game near the end of one of the best gaming years ever is itself a miracle.

Up until the very end, I cannot help but notice the imperfections peeking out of the corners of this game. They mar the experience not insubstantially, and there are indeed a great many ways that this could have been a better game. At the same time, however, as the game built up to its ultimate ending scene, the tears that welled up in my eyes made it clear how endeared I had become to this game, its world, and the characters in it. In these 136 hours, I too, along with these characters, had made memories I do not ever want to forget.

Gameplay score: A Storyline score: A Characters score: A+ Aesthetics score: A- Enjoyment score: A+

Overall Xenoblade Chronicles 2 score: 95/100

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is not a game for everybody. I acknowledge that, I recognise that it is heavily flawed, and I respect that not everyone will adore this game the way I did. However, if someone out there happens to stumble upon this review, happens to have too much time and therefore to read the review of a random insignificant Internet stranger, and happens to resonate with my narrative of how much I love this game and why I love it, and thereafter happens to buy this game and happens to love it as much as I did, then I would feel as if I have done this miraculous little gem of a game a great service.

P.S. I absolutely love Pyra and Mythra.

#xenoblade chronicles 2 #xenoblade #nintendo #nintendo switch #switch #review #games

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wellamarke · 7 years

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top five things to change? Two hard ones: cabin pressure and humans :)

ooooooh thank you!! very hard because y’all know those are my two absolute favourite shows in the whole entire world and i frequently claim that they are pefect, but I will try!!

5 things I would change about Cabin Pressure:

1. Alphabet what now?! I would, obviously, extend it to at LEAST one more series! Its only flaw of note is that it ended :/

2. I know that the actors had very minimal rehearsal time and that when recording, they can’t always go over lines for a very tiny slip, and I also know I am overly pedantic, particularly for someone who isn’t particularly eloquent out loud….. but the only person of the main cast who never miss-emphasises a line is John. Cause, you know, he wrote it. Benedict straight up changes the company name to ‘MGN’ more than once in series 4, Carolyn and Douglas both lose the one-syllable game by choosing the two-syllable pronunciation of ‘beer’. And I was listening to Douz today and remembered this, which I cannot unhear now that I’ve noticed it:

MARTIN: I am the senior pilot on board, Carolyn. CAROLYN: Yes. But Douglas is the better pilot on board.

why does she inflect pilot and not better? That’s what she’s correcting him on, after all. I adore Stephanie Cole with EVERY FIBRE of my earthly being, and if this was a normal show that she had extensive rehearsal and reshoot time for, they would have got it right, I know. But since we’re picking faults, I’d change that line for sure!

3. The change in Caitlin’s name, from Cayt-lin to Caht-lin, will always annoy me. I know that it has WOG explanation, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I would have them stick to saying ‘Caytlin’.

4. The timeline! Arthur’s 28 and a half in Boston, and “nearly thirty” in St Petersburg, but when asked, the Finnemore usually claims that the timeline is supposed to run sort of parallel to its broadcast. Somehow, July 2008 to August 2011 - more than 3 years - is condensed into 18 months, and as someone much cleverer than me has worked out, somewhere, this throws out other people’s ages too, and messes with things like the length of time Martin’s worked at MJN. So I’d change Douglas’s line in SP. Or maybe make Arthur 26 and a half in Boston!  (But outside of this post, my theory is that Arthur understands the word “nearly” to mean “around the general area of”, so he doesn’t correct Douglas - 31 and a half is nearly 30, after all, it’s just after rather than before.)

5. Although I loved Zurich and thought it was a beautiful end to a beautiful show, it’s forever devastating that Martin leaves. Give me that Air Liechtenstein AU any day of the week.

Lol, most of these are so petty and tiny, and maybe someone who isn’t me could think of really smart, conceptual improvements to the show as a whole, but…. I…. just really love Cabin Pressure, okay.

5 things I would change about Humans

(which got a bit long, sorry lol)

1. Obviously, I would put Fred in series 2. At first I wasn’t sure how I would put him in, but I think I would have had Athena trying to fix him/introduce V into his mainframe in the early episodes, despairing and going after the other prototypes when she couldn’t, and then maybe repairing his code with Karen’s help? This would kill two of my series 2 birds with one stone: because one, I really missed Karen interacting with any of the Elsters this year (she literally exchanged one look with Mia, that was it.) and two, I started joking that Athena and Milo’s scenes were actually a crossover into another show, because they interacted almost exclusively with each other (and V) for most of the series. I had an easy time getting to love Renie, Flash and even Hester, because they were so involved in the lives of characters I already loved. In the early episodes, the most connected I felt to Athena was when she went to talk to Hobb, of all people, hehe. So giving her Fred to fix would (a) fix Fred and (b) make Athena feel more part of the show’s core.

2. Joe and Laura’s interactions with Sophie in the second season. Well, more particularly Joe, since Laura had other niskesque things on her mind. How does Joe not realise specifically that Sophie is mimicking synth behaviour very early on? Instead he talks vaguely about her ‘putting up walls’, when it’s painfully obvious what she’s actually doing. He tries, repeatedly, to talk her out of it in hushed, Serious Tones, rather than trying to engage her properly in childlike activities (although props for the foodfight scene, and maybe the lack of anything similar that went before it is what makes that so affecting). And the most!!! annoying thing!!!! is that in whichever episode it is that Renie comes over (4/5?), they let her answer the door and let Renie inside, like? is it just me? or should they have been at least listening out - just in general when a child answers the door but particularly when a child who’s supposed to be staying away from synths answers the door to -apparently- a synth! Who’s come to visit your son, no less? Like why didn’t they even check what was going on? This is made worse by the fact that when the Ominous Utility Synth of Doom arrives, they’re suddenly all about knowing who’s coming and going. Basically, Joe and Laura are only interested when it’s convenient, when it’s not interrupting their covert whispering about how worried they are about Sophie. Less whispering, more parenting, guys.

3. I gotta get in one petty intonation point, okay - the way Lindsey Kiwanuka, bless her, says that Vera can do “ten times what the D-series can do” instead of “ten times what the D-series can do”. It just… sounds so wrong, so I would substitute that line for the proper inflection. I don’t know if you’ve noticed haha but I am a person who italicises for emphasis, like, a lot. I speak quite emphatically IRL and I like that to be reflected in anything I write. So I guess I’m quite tuned in to it, and whenever I hear some poor actor botch the inflection of a line, I think to myself “I bet the writer didn’t italicise that properly in the script!” (oops, there I go again). So, yep, that. But kudos for Humans for having very few examples to choose from. I actually can’t think of any others.

4. Pretty much all the deployment of Odi in series 2, like… need I say anything more, that was just heartbreakingly inadequate. I loved parts of it very much, but it sort of feels like they wasted his character and kind of implicated Mattie (and all of the Hawkinses except Sophie, really) by having them neglect his needs. It’s just sad. Not the kind of tragedy his character provided in series 1, which was art. Just sad sadness.

5. Above all else, though, I would change the length of each series!! It’s a common complaint that series 2 tried to stretch itself over too many storylines, but honestly I don’t know which one I’d go without, per se - really, I just wanted more of pretty much everything, except Joe, because no. Every plot is intriguing and valid and has amazing points, but they pretty much all suffer from underdevelopment and scarcity of scenes. I feel like the stuff with Hester was very well done, good pacing, excellent development, but she was pretty much the only character I found wholly satisfying as regards her narrative deployment. Everyone else left me wanting explanations, extensions, more of the quiet llittle character moments series 1 was full of. The Hawkinses, for example, seemed like more of a unit in series 1, when they were divided and tense, than they did this year - all spread into their little corners of the plot. Does Mattie even know Renie exists? Does Joe know Odi’s name? Imagine if we had, like, 12 episodes even - I’m not saying go 24 like some American shows, necessarily, though I’d obviously love that - you wouldn’t need to add much plotwise, just give us some breathing space. C’mon. Commission a slightly longer 3rd series, powers that be…… you know it makes sense.

Thank yooooou this was fun!

Send me a show and I’ll try and come up with 5 things I’d change

#ask things #2 #3 #4 #5 #cabin pressure #c4 humans

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medeafive · 4 years

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Blood and Stone -06

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