Jupiter the Joyous is open for asks!

Jupiter's ref page has been added

Olympus (Abode of Jupiter the Joyous) has now been accessed

[EUROPA, GANYMEDE, and IO cast a Transplanar Mirror Warp spell. EUROPA, GANYMEDE, and IO appeared!]

IO: well... here we are... home sweet home...

ASK: So you three are kidnappers?? Just what kind of "business" is this anyway!?

GANYMEDE: I hardly see how that's any of your concern, morta--

EUROPA: It's the business of mythics! And now we're gunna show off my catch 2 mom! And she'll tell me how I'm her favorite!

GANYMEDE: Europa, if you would let me finish my thought. Our "business" is for beings far surpassing your comprehension. Warriors of the universe, champions of light and darkness, we hold the very fabric of spacetime within our very fingertips!

IO: dialga, you make me embarrassed to be a mythic...

GANYMEDE: YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

ORCHID: I don't care... what the hell y-you are... I'm going to fucking... kill you all

EUROPA: HUSH, SUSPECT!! We're not done w u yet! We have a lotta questions 4 u. MOOOOOOOOM!!! WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

ORCHID: What the fuck is... going... on....

GANYMEDE: Submit yourself, mortal. You stand in the presence of the paradox mythic, Jupiter the Joyous.

JUPITER: Ah, my darling children, welcome home.

The Sheridan Tapes bonus episodes:

I forgot so many of these lol, really like the format of Amy taking us on a tour of possible universes and futures.

Deleted scenes - Moments from Meriwether - the voices over the intercom are hard to understand but honestly fun to listen to for the vibes. Would love to be able to concentrate on the cosmic conversation Oroborous had with Caldwell but the concept went way over my half shut down brain.

Interlude 01 - the silver age - oh wow Paul the superhero... Kinda devastating that that could have been him but in the canon timeline he was revenge fueled without any other life or purpose... Poor guy. Wonder who was the controller

Interlude 02 - worlds apart - omg the Llewelyn and Utkin story, I loved that arc! Hilariously up until now I truly remembered being a whole different podcast, somehow did not remember it from the Sheridan Tapes lol. I love the concept of two people in the north and south poles, being only able to communicate with each other, not knowing of the chaos the world has plunged into around them.

Interlude 03 - music of the spheres - oh god Adam 😭😭😭. What a tragic conversation with the jovian that sure hurt. Good thing the crew will save the world and stranding Adam alone in space with a gene bank to fend off all of the aliens and the darkness chasing after him from earth won't happen, right? Right?

Interlude 04 - worlds after - part two of worlds apart, the best post apocalyptic worlds are the frozen ones. Love utkin being asexual and talking about it. Hope he manages to save humanity along with Llewelyn doing her own thing.

B-side 09 - oblivion - oh god what a horrible bit. Who was the person struck in the wall... poor Connor you should've stayed away from ISPHA 😭

B-side 10 - air - Adrian my radio boy! Again, I completely forgot about this episode lol. I absolutely love Amy's manic energy in all these. The 2 first dear Amy's contradicting each other with the whole you're connected to everyone you've ever known and yet you're always and forever alone. Then the third story about Adrian, did not remember that he decided on his own to come to Oslow to search for the ranger and then got trapped there, truly a bad luck Brian lol

B-side 11 - paradise - Bill and Rob having a beach episode in the source, what adventures will they have! Hehe their conversation about Bill possibly being into Ned was cute, now I have a vivid image of both Rob and Ned wearing these hates and Bill just becoming completely flustered.

B-side 12 - anathema - what a great short tale, amazing trans themes in it too, into Anna's short story collection it goes <3

What other AU ideas do you have? I’d like to hear about them 😁

Blessssssss this is long overdue, sorry Cheesey!

TL;DR I have a LOT of different AU ideas, and they really can be separated into three categories: multi-chapter story AUs, AUs focusing more on one-offs/three to five chapter arcs, and aesthetic-based AUs I would want to draw.

Between time, energy, and mental health I sadly can't engage in all of my AUs to the same degree I have Genesis Day/Kaiju!AU and Offline Valor/Borrower!AU. But if I was to only tell you about two other AUs that I haven't touched on yet, I'd say...

Urban Fantasy!AU: Unlike my University!AU (which absolutely will still be getting its own story, just waiting for the right inspo), the Urban Fantasy!AU takes place in the modern-day but in a fictional city akin to New York City or Chicago. Think something akin to Percy Jackson, where magic dwell just beneath the surface of perception—with mortal heroes fighting the forces of darkness. This would be an ensemble cast featuring Freyja, Alice, Rowan, and Zelly all as Humans (probably) and average jobs in the big city—though Freyja and one of the sides of Rolly (potentially Rowan) would be Shifters.

Sci-Fi!AU: Not much to say about this one yet! I've always loved Space Anything, so this will be me dipping my toes into it. What I can tell you is that the two main characters will be a Humanoid cloned ex-soldier (name TBD) who is brimming up with optimism who is trying to make his way in this ruthless galaxy, along with a Jovian (Giant) named Io who is an outlaw paladin on the run from her people. New couple this time! But chances are Herbeau and Rolly will have one-shots/three-to-five chapter bits off to the side.

Aside from that we have a TON of others bubbling and in the works like my Post-Apocalyptic!AU (brand new as of this morning lol), CyberPunk!AU (ideas for both Herbeau and Rolly), Gulliver but Freyja, Jack and the Beanstalk (Alice & Frey edition), Mad Max-esque Demolition Derby + roller derby with Frey as a reigning champion called “She-Wrecks” (very like, wrestler-esque AU. Just a bunch of Giants being silly and putting on shows), something with Giant!Zelly (but not QUITE sure what yet), Shrinking!Rowan (maybe tied to Doctor!Zelly?), Monster Hunter!Rowan + Werejaguar!Zelly, Gladiator!Frey, something like Sea Beasts + Mer!AU called “Cold Light!AU.”

(And ofc still having stuff like Kaiju!AU, Borrower!AU, University!AU, and the other previously established AUs on the side too<3)

Thank you again Cheesey! I appreciate you asking 💜

Today marks Two years since the start of the DnD campaign that I will not shut up about

It’s been one hell of a ride, AND JUST ONE ARC!!!! THERE’S AT LEAST 5 MORE CHARACTER ARCS!!! AAAAA

Here’s to more years of the wild and crazy, yet stubborn and brave Bounty Crew!

From left to right:

Laurence, Yogurt the beagle, Sylviel, Chicken Finger the chicken and Kirby the hawkmouse, Galla

Jovian, Daemos, Cletus

Azrael, Aurelian

Levvari, Damidi and Sura the lizard

Galena, Macy the dog, Graham Cracker the tortoiseshell cat, Otho, Althea the black cat

Orion, Icarus

This was a collab with @rens-art-15

Ren did:

Background

Laurence, Yogurt the beagle, Sylviel, Chicken Finger the chicken and Kirby the hawkmouse, Galla

Azrael, Aurelian

Galena, Otho

Final touches

I did:

Galena’s pets (Macy the dog, Graham Cracker the tortoiseshell cat, Althea the black cat)

Jovian, Daemos, Cletus

Orion and Icarus

Levvari, Damidi and Sura the lizard

Shading

Effects

II Legion "The Conquerors of Steel"

Legion Name: The steel breakers

Legion Number: II

Primarch: Jovian Malleolus

First Captain/Legion Master: Argento Lombardi

Legion Specialties: 

Asymmetrical warfare: The legion specialized in guerrilla and sabotage warfare, crippling enemy factories, war machinery, communication, and energy sources. They collapsed the infrastructure needed to sustain any war effort.

Anti Armored support: Thanks to their specialized weapons and mutations, they offer support against armored forces exceptionally well. Their tesla/arc weapons leave most heavy vehicles inoperable as they fry the circuits, make the power source combust, or make any explosive inside the vehicle explode. They are exceptionally effective against any machine or man wielding any kind of energy weapon since their arc weapons generally make them malfunction in a gruesome fashion.

Combat Doctrine:

While they specialized in sabotaging their enemy's forces and rendering their war machinery useless, they often aimed for range combat with armored support whenever they engaged in a large-scale conflict. This doesn't mean they are incompetent in melee combat; they just don't see the logic of engaging mele in the middle of a warzone, saving mele and short-range engagement to their more precise engagement. 

Characteristic Legion Training:

Endure Anything: Training in this chapter emphasizes the need for any squad to be ready to endure any trials they find themselves in. They produce tough, durable brothers with diverse specialties. 

Special Equipment:

Rare Weaponry: The Legion has a large stock of weaponry considered rare amongst the other Chapters. Wielding one of these weapons in battle is a symbol of honor.

Special Vehicle: This Chapter prefers to ride into battle in more modern conveyances. While the traditional Space Marine vehicle is the Rhino, other Chapters may use rare vehicles as primary transport. Examples: Modified Rhino, Land Raider, or Land Speeder

Warcry: "From the flesh and blood that had been taken from us, we endure the curse of steel!

Legion Geneseed: 

The geneseed have a particular mutation that over-stimulates the cells of the body, making them generate and store energy which can later be released as electricity, which is shown in the astartes as glowing blue marks on the body. This mutation makes the acceptance rate somehow low. This required the astartes to use modified equipment to avoid malfunctioning.

Legion Culture: 

"Purity of Man." Jovian Malleolus has taught his sons the belief in the strength of the human body and humanity as a whole, and anything that contradicts that belief is despised. They understand the great sacrifice of men and women during the war when they risk their lives and bodies for their duties. Those who use cybernetic implants or prostheses after putting their life on the line for their fellow soldiers should be held in high regard and respect as they lose something that can't be recovered. 

They had an unspoken animosity with the mechanicus for the same reason. They butchered their bodies, willingly replacing the gift of flesh with the cursed metal. It filled them with disgust and contempt. Any person who defiles the human body, either their own or someone else's, should be punished because they are taking away something that can never be recovered. In modern times this belief has also extended against the forces of chaos, the genestealer and tyranids. 

Armor look and color

Background:

Before being assigned to their primarch, they were known as the machine breaker. Sadly, The legion didn't earn such a title because of a glorious battle but because of their geneseed mutation, which made the legion members naturally generate and expel electricity through their bodies. This led to many equipment and vehicles constantly malfunctioning by the sudden discharge of electricity, which led to the mechanicus shunning them, leaving them quite often ill-equipped and fending from themselves. 

After The Emperor brought them to their primarch, he began to use his influence to aid his men, giving them proper equipment for their unique bodies and teaching them how to harness the power of their mutation. The legion began to take the teaching of their primarch at heart, especially after hearing his stories about his life on a planet controlled by an AI and how they managed to beat it. Soon they become one of the most resourceful and self-reliable legions, primarily because of their strained and almost hostile relationship with the Adeptus mechanicus, who shunned them for so long.

"What shall I, frail man, be pleading?

Who for me be interceding,

When the just are mercy needing?"

Basically this is presented as a Jovian artpiece showing Hel's unjust execution. Not unlike paintings of Joan of Arc's execution. Jove is present in the three eyes above, crying for our poor hero. They and Hel are the only ones in light.

The cathedral in the background is not only architecturally representative of Jovianism on a good day, but the sharp spire "aimed" at Jove is representing the fault of human judgement, it looks like Jove is about to be impaled on the cathedral.

In depicting Parami architecture, I rememberd that they aren't fond of much ornamentation, a rather minimalist people. But I took that to mean that they make their architecture beautiful in purpose. So timber frames, colored plaster for the walls, and patterned roofs for important buildings. Most things present serve a practical purpose.

A Destiny Story - New Light

Cayde x Female Guardian

My energy wavers as I run out of arc, and the Archon smiles as I look down the barrel of his gun. I return the smile, throwing my last grenade, killing him and sending me flying. I pick myself off the ground groaning in pain as Stell heals my wounds, and I grab the Archons cape and hold it proudly. "You.. you just killed an Archon." She says, her voice full of amazement. "I guess I did."I laugh, unable to process the moment. I pick up some stray glimmer as Stell locates the warp drive. "We got a warp drive. Now let's get back home." I nod, pocketing the glimmer and cape before Stell transmats me back to my ship. My adrenaline was still running high when I got back to the Tower. My first stop was Amanda to drop off the drive. "Holy shit." She breathes as I drop the drive on her workbench. "Will it work?" She examines it quickly and nods. "Perfectly. Give me a day, and you'll be good to fly anywhere in Sol." "Don't rush. I need a few days off after what happened out there?" "Care to share?" "Later, for sure." "Drinks?" "Sounds good." Her face lights up before she returns to her new project.

Now it was time to gloat to Cayde. I dropped off some bounties on the way, pocketing even more glimmer before pulling the cape out and striding into headquarters. All eyes are on me as I head to the table at the centre of the room and place the cape down right in front of Cayde. "Is this?" "An Archon cape," I confirm. Zavala joins us, examining the scrap of fabric. "This isn't just any Archon cloak." Zavala brings it to Ikora, who nods in agreement. "Mind telling who I killed?" They all turned to face me, and Cayde's mouth hung open in shock. "You killed Riksis?" "Was that his name?" "I've sent Hunter after Hunter after him. Some came back empty-handed. Few didn't come back at all." I swallow a lump in my throat at the thought of the dead Guardians. "He had my warp drive." I point out nonchalantly. Zavala smiled, handing me back the cloak. "You've just begun your Guardian career, and you've already slain an Archon. Impressive." I feel my cheeks burning—pride burning in my chest. "I say it's more than impressive. She is going to be a great Hunter." I turn to see Cayde leaning on his chair, giving me a thumbs up. I suppress an eye roll and scoff, deciding on a simple nod of acknowledgment.

"Well, let's see if you can maintain your tenacity. I'm sending back into action." I want to say no. I just want to rest my adrenaline wearing off, but I know by the look Stell gives me not to argue. "Fallen forces are strengthening their position at the Jovian and Terrestrial complexes in the Cosmodrome. Scout the area, then report back to me." He adds, and I nod. "Yes, sir." I turn on my heels and leave, letting out the sigh I was holding. "I just want to eat and sleep," I grumble. "Not-" "Ruby!" I groan, turning to see Cayde and Stell huffed that she got cut off. "What?" "I wanted to tell you again. Great job on the Archon kill." "That's all?" "And-" He pauses, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry." I raise an eyebrow waiting for him to elaborate. "I shouldn't have doubted you." "No, you shouldn't have." "I- I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I never got to see you in action before I made my judgment." "You also made that judgement after I confided in you on how difficult all this was. I trusted you." I could see that hit its mark.

Full Chapter on Ao3

II Legion "The Conquerors of Steel"

Legion Name: The steel breakers

Legion Number: II

Primarch: Jovian Malleolus

First Captain/Legion Master: Argento Lombardi

Legion Specialties: 

Asymmetrical warfare: The legion specialized in guerrilla and sabotage warfare, crippling enemy factories, war machinery, communication, and energy sources. They collapsed the infrastructure needed to sustain any war effort.

Anti Armored support: Thanks to their specialized weapons and mutations, they offer support against armored forces exceptionally well. Their tesla/arc weapons leave most heavy vehicles inoperable as they fry the circuits, make the power source combust, or make any explosive inside the vehicle explode. They are exceptionally effective against any machine or man wielding any kind of energy weapon since their arc weapons generally make them malfunction in a gruesome fashion.

Combat Doctrine:

While they specialized in sabotaging their enemy's forces and rendering their war machinery useless, they often aimed for range combat with armored support whenever they engaged in a large-scale conflict. This doesn't mean they are incompetent in melee combat; they just don't see the logic of engaging mele in the middle of a warzone, saving mele and short-range engagement to their more precise engagement. 

Characteristic Legion Training:

Endure Anything: Training in this chapter emphasizes the need for any squad to be ready to endure any trials they find themselves in. They produce tough, durable brothers with diverse specialties. 

Special Equipment:

Rare Weaponry: The Legion has a large stock of weaponry considered rare amongst the other Chapters. Wielding one of these weapons in battle is a symbol of honor.

Special Vehicle: This Chapter prefers to ride into battle in more modern conveyances. While the traditional Space Marine vehicle is the Rhino, other Chapters may use rare vehicles as primary transport. Examples: Modified Rhino, Land Raider, or Land Speeder

Warcry: "From the flesh and blood that had been taken from us, we endure the curse of steel!

Legion Geneseed: 

The geneseed have a particular mutation that over-stimulates the cells of the body, making them generate and store energy which can later be released as electricity, which is shown in the astartes as glowing blue marks on the body. This mutation makes the acceptance rate somehow low. This required the astartes to use modified equipment to avoid malfunctioning.

Legion Culture: 

"Purity of Man." Jovian Malleolus has taught his sons the belief in the strength of the human body and humanity as a whole, and anything that contradicts that belief is despised. They understand the great sacrifice of men and women during the war when they risk their lives and bodies for their duties. Those who use cybernetic implants or prostheses after putting their life on the line for their fellow soldiers should be held in high regard and respect as they lose something that can't be recovered. 

They had an unspoken animosity with the mechanicus for the same reason. They butchered their bodies, willingly replacing the gift of flesh with the cursed metal. It filled them with disgust and contempt. Any person who defiles the human body, either their own or someone else's, should be punished because they are taking away something that can never be recovered. In modern times this belief has also extended against the forces of chaos, the genestealer and tyranids. 

Armor look and color

Background:

Before being assigned to their primarch, they were known as the machine breaker. Sadly, The legion didn't earn such a title because of a glorious battle but because of their geneseed mutation, which made the legion members naturally generate and expel electricity through their bodies. This led to many equipment and vehicles constantly malfunctioning by the sudden discharge of electricity, which led to the mechanicus shunning them, leaving them quite often ill-equipped and fending from themselves. 

After The Emperor brought them to their primarch, he began to use his influence to aid his men, giving them proper equipment for their unique bodies and teaching them how to harness the power of their mutation. The legion began to take the teaching of their primarch at heart, especially after hearing his stories about his life on a planet controlled by an AI and how they managed to beat it. Soon they become one of the most resourceful and self-reliable legions, primarily because of their strained and almost hostile relationship with the Adeptus mechanicus, who shunned them for so long.

Exit Jupiter

If the end came tomorrow, what would be on his wrist? That man, her master, who so deeply loved haute horology.

High above the Jovian clouds, she fidgeted with the clasp of her ring. It was a slaving device that contracted tighter around her finger the more it was tampered with. In a barbaric way, it showed how much she still loved him.

But she thought she knew the way to its combination.

Asleep across her body, she had arranged his watches in a row. She knew because he had told her which were his favorites. His favorites held the code to her freedom. And she knew the beats of their mechanical hearts held the key to the ring.

Watching her master run his fingers over the chunks of polished steel, which he would pick up, and his eyes as he wrapped the exotic leather bands around his wrist, holding up the watch to the windows filled with the glowing red light of the gas giant.

If she knew wrong her finger would be crushed, it’s blood supply constricted. He would stand over her as she grimaced in frustration and shame, and demand to know why.

That evening, in a gown of glittering silver, she danced with him cheek to cheek. After dinner she had prepared, of space crabs and spiced weed from the ice oceans of the moon Europa.

Kneeling on a stool, she poured him a vintage. She raised her goblet and he smiled at her beauty. As they drank, she walked over to him and sat in his lap.

This is yours, she said, dropping the slave ring into his wine. Through the pale green-yellow liquid he could see her bare finger. How could it be?

By law, the collector of fine watches had to let her go. It was his promise. He stared in his drink, at the dismantled arcs of silver and gold as she walked out of the penthouse. But in reality they were but a clever fake she had been machining, and on the goblet, a strip of discreet magicians tape that obstructed her still slaved finger.

In the corridor of the habitation sphere, she counted to 100 for him to decouple the ring. It was a risk she had to take, then she pushed for an elevator to the shuttle deck. The doors slid close, about her finger, over the slaving ring, crushing both flesh and metal. She cried out, then turned her finger and let the flattened ring be crushed again just so. And the gnarled device came loose.

The shuttle bay was chilly and wind swept. She rubbed her finger, swollen and bruised. But the watch on her wrist had told the time wrong. The bay was empty. It was an interplanetary timer set to the Venusian meridian. She hugged herself, shivering. He would see the scars.

reanimating my favourite jovian concord codex entry as a lipsync test. 

wip 1/? (okay to rb)

Disappointed with 10-C

If you’ve been following Star Trek Discovery lately, you know their most recent story arc has revolved around the “Dark Matter Anomaly”, this enormous thing which appeared in the galaxy and was wreaking terrible havoc in a narratively-acceptable way which does not have lasting effects on the overall setting of the story.

They quickly realize the DMA is artificial, and realize it’s probably being used to mine a phlebotinium. This is really the kind of story line where Star Trek excels: nobody is actually evil, they’re just acting in ways which either inadvertently or negligently hurt others.

Now, they spent several episodes talking up how unspeakably advanced the creators of the DMA, “Unknown Species 10-C” must be. And strictly speaking, they are: they’re firmly a Kardashev Type II civilization, and given that they’re using the power output equivalent to a hypergiant just for one thing, one could reasonably put them on the upper end of Type II, potentially being at a Type III (It’s worth noting that the Kardashev scale is about potential, you can chill in your own solar system; you’re still a Type II if you can play interstellar billiards even if you choose not to).

So, okay. 10-C is a type II. ‘course, it’s worth noting so is the Federation. They don’t build Dyson Spheres and stuff, because that’s not the direction they’ve chosen to go, but by any reasonable assessment the Federation has the ability to collect and use that kind of energy. It’s fair to say 10-C are more advanced, but we’re not talking “We are like ants to them” sort of difference.

What we find out is, the 10-C are extragalactic. They’re juuuuust outside the “Galactic Barrier” (which is one of the biggest fscking question marks in Star Trek lore but I’m gonna let that pass). Anyway, being extragalactic is, from ST perspective a huge opportunity. Within ST lore, the reason we’re a galaxy of rubber forehead aliens is, there was an ancient civilization which seeded the entire galaxy so we all kinda look like each other. It’s convenient because it means we can mostly breathe the same atmosphere, use Universal Translators, etc.. Very convenient.

10-C is completely free of all that. They are from a place outside our galaxy. They are not like us. There is no reason to believe they will have bodies like ours, brains like ours, modes of thought like ours... any of that stuff. And at first it felt like they were going to lean in on that. But then they kinda... didn’t.

What we got was a race which had lost its homeworld to asteroid bombardment (What? You mean a species which can create an energy field big enough to enclose a star system can’t protect a planet?) and had decided to build an enormous, energy-intensive field to protect themselves from the universe. They were depicted as physiologically different, but not actually all that different.

I feel like this was a missed opportunity. They didn’t need to have solid bodies - think the Jovians in Clarke’s 2010; gaseous life forms which exist in the cloud layers of Jupiter. Which would also explain how they could be both terribly advanced and only in one star system: there’s a huge biome there.

And I think that could have held a lot of potential. The 10-C’s technology wouldn’t have used solid matter at all - gas and energy, intense mathematics and powerful energy fields. To them, solid matter would be death; the idea that it could be life would be utterly alien. Yet, things like warp drives (to go where???) and tractor beams would just make no sense. Imagine an entire civilization to which our existence seems impossible. Not more or less advanced, but truly alien. Something that had a completely different starting point from us, and had been going in entirely different directions for at least as long.

I’m not complaining about the writing, but I feel like they shied away from a chance to really even hint at what “alien” can really mean.

Europa, Ganymede, and Io are open for asks!

ASK: Honestly Pali, don't waste your time on that dick. He doesn't deserve to be a part of your life if all he'll do is treat you like trash.

PALI: I agree. Obviously going our separate ways was working. I'll be sure to return to the status quo... right after I find out where he's going. And maybe beat some answers out of him. Dialga, why is he going all the way out here? Oh, he stopped?

AEON: Hello, wildcat. We take it everything has been running smoothly on your end?

ORCHID: Ugh, more or less. Found something that could lead me to my lost memories. Went through hell to get it, though..

PALI: Is he... is he talking to someone!? Oh Dialga has he actually gone mad?

AEON: Be wary, it is dangerous to fixate on the past too often. Let's see what you've brought us today.

[Orchid used RE:integrate]

PALI: Wha... is... is that a RIFT!?

AEON: We're surprised we haven't already found something like this. Where did you find it?

ORCHID: Some old mew temple. I don't even wanna get into the shitshow that turned out to be.

AEON: We see. Then this should be no issue to collapse.

[AEON used ?????. It was super effective!]

PALI: What the bloody hell? Did Orchid just open and collapse a rift?? Since when could he do that?

AEON: Thank you for bringing this to us, wildcat, but it seems that we both should take our leave. Seems that you're not alone.

[AEON has fled]

ORCHID: SHIT! I've been followed!

[EUROPA used Fling. EUROPA flung her light orb!]

ORCHID: GRAAAAAAAH!!!

[ORCHID is paralyzed! It can't move!]

EUROPA: SEE! I TOLD YOU GUYS!!

PALI: -thinking- Oh no, that voice...

EUROPA: I TOLD U SMTH WAS WEIRD ABT THEM!!

GANYMEDE: Yes yes, you've told us many, many times. Despite how poorly you've described it.

EUROPA: Um, how abt a thank u Eura??? U literally never wouldve found them w/out me??? Theyve been givin suuuper off vibes ever since I saw them! And BAM! They just made a rift!

IO: mmm... but did you like... need to paralyze them...? seems kinda... um... cruel... i guess...?

EUROPA: Wut was I sposed 2 do? They woulda ran if I confronted them!

IO: yeah... i guess youre right. their soul is... like... super janked up and stuff... never seen nothin like it before...

GANYMEDE: I agree. Perhaps it's best if we take it to Mother. She should know how to sort this out.

EUROPA: Fine. But Im takin the credit 4 this 1.

[EUROPA, GANYMEDE, and IO cast a Transplanar Mirror Warp spell. EUROPA, GANYMEDE, and IO have fled]

PALI: Arceus... they're going to take him to mum. -inhale- Nope. Not my problem. He got himself into this mess, he can get himself out.

8. w/ Eris and Toland?

8. Shielding the other one with their body

(Notes at the end, also on AO3)

. . .

Going unseen was Eris Morn's favorite part of being a Hunter. It was quiet footsteps and vanishing into her surroundings, but also the ability to slink away from the Tower for days — or weeks — at a time without suspicion.

If anyone asked, she was patrolling the Cosmodrome. This was technically true, but she wasn't here to scavenge useful tech, tamp down the ever-present House of Devils, or guide young risen to safety. Today's expedition took her into an endless labyrinth of subterranean utility tunnels, seeking answers on the hive broods who had recently begun to colonize Old Russia. Earth's ecology was thought to be sub-optimal to their species; her team wanted to know what had allowed them to gain a foothold here, however small.

While she'd managed to sneak out of the City without notice, she was less stealthy than she might otherwise have been in the damp, chilled underbelly of the complex. Toland The Shattered walked beside her, robes rustling and bone charms rattling with each step. The sound had alternated between comforting and irritating for as long as she had known him; it was incessant, but made him easier to keep track of. What was generally a benefit had become a liability in a place where she didn't want to be easily located.

She'd wanted to make the trip alone, but Eriana-3 had demanded she bring a partner and Toland had volunteered before the exo could finish her sentence. Eris hadn't objected, even with the complication of bringing the warlock along. She knew that he would stop to examine everything he found (he did), and that he would hum softly under his breath (he had until she hushed him), and that he would put himself in danger to get the answers he wanted (she waited for this).

Nevertheless, she was heartened at the prospect of having Toland along with her. For all his maddening behavior, his expertise on the hive was unmatched, and he wielded the Light with a majesty Eris found both captivating and enviable. Solar and void did not come easily to her, yet he had switched between them effortlessly when they fought skirmishing hive and fallen outside the Jovian Complex. As she cut through swarms of thrall with blades of pure electricity, she took satisfaction in his ineptitude with stormcalling; at least mastery of arc was hers alone.

Still, as he had shone with solar radiance and held the fierce chill of the void, she had beheld him with the same pleasure she would a painter at their canvas, or a skilled marksman in the Crucible. And, perhaps, something more.

They were deep in the complex now, bathed in the dim, flickering red of the emergency backup lights. They had faced few hostiles since the fight on the surface, though Eris was uneasy at the lack of resistance, wondering with each step if an ambush lay in wait. The halls were more hive corruption than concrete down here, and it suffocated the air with the persistent scent of decay. By Toland's estimation, there was a brood site nearby, but he did not think they were close enough to draw attention. Eris was not so confident. She and Brya kept lookout as Toland assessed the growth, performing whatever rite it was that helped him understand its purpose.

With Hunter-keen senses, Eris stayed aware of their surroundings, but her eyes lingered on Toland. She spent enough time with warlocks to recognize that these spells were not of the Light, not entirely, and watching him perform them filled her with dreadful fascination. She paid attention to other things, too, as he worked. The way his long, silver-streaked hair fell across his shoulder. How he talked easily and intimately with Guren, who scanned the hive-stuff with almost as much enthusiasm as his Guardian. The glint of the old Vanguard-issued auto-rifle slung from his back. She kept meaning to ask him why he held onto a weapon bearing the insignia of his persecutors. Maybe once they got out of here…

She did not know the exact words to put to her feelings. Sometimes, she was certain it was attraction. Other times she dismissed it as misplaced awe at his skill as a scholar and warrior, or stress looking for an outlet. Still, she couldn't deny that something was there. She hoped that whatever it was, it was reciprocal — she had suspicions, though he was hard to read — even if that hope was tempered by their circumstances. Requited or acted upon or not, there would be consequences. She feared that Eriana would find out, if she hadn't picked up on it already. She worried that Omar would mistrust her if he knew. She had quietly confided in Brya, and although her Ghost hadn't judged her outwardly she wondered what had been left unsaid.

Her introspection was interrupted by distant clattering. Her eyes locked onto the source —  the far end of the hallway — as her hand reached for her scout rifle. Toland glanced up briefly, unbothered. She did not deign to know the way of Warlocks, so she let him continue his ritual even as the thudding drew closer.

"Are you almost done?" she asked, barely above a whisper. Brya transmatted to the safety of her pack with a concerned chirp.

Toland did not respond for a long moment.

"Nearly," he finally spoke with alarming nonchalance, before rambling about the unique properties of the hive corruption here. Eris was not sure if he was speaking to himself or her. If he was speaking to her, it was pointless; she was too preoccupied with the approaching footsteps to pay attention.

Panic spiked when the jagged shadow of a knight appeared from around the corner. One chitinous tree-trunk of a limb stepped forth before Eris yanked Toland by the arm, and, scanning for hiding places, tugged him into a recess in the wall, swinging him around and pinning him as flat as possible in the shallow space. He started to say something when she silenced him with a palm against his mouth, summoning a smoke grenade with her other hand. She threw the concentrated light at their feet and they shimmered into nothingness a moment before the knight reached them. It fell still, and for a brief moment dilated into an agonizing length of time, Eris thought she had cloaked too late. The world shrunk to this corridor, tense bodies and fast heartbeats and the ragged breath of the knight behind them —

Suddenly it trundled off, back the way it had come. She dropped her hand and exhaled a silent, shaky sigh of relief against Toland's chest, face pressed to the rough wool of his tabard. He breathed out heavily against the top of her head. The danger had passed. They didn't need to stay embraced here, her hand on his clavicle, his hand on her waist, solar-warm even through her leather armor. Yet neither of them seemed willing to move.

Her heart was beating harder than it had under the knight's gaze.

They were transparent still, but not so much that they couldn't make out the form of one another. She gazed up at him for a moment before lifting onto her toes, closing her eyes and tilting her head slightly as she brushed her lips against his experimentally. He stumbled briefly before reciprocating, leaning in to meet her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her. Gloved fingers grasped at the collar of his robes as they kissed, rough and brief.

The cloaking dissipated a moment after they separated. Eris dropped her hands to his forearms, steadying herself as the reality of what she — they — had just done came rushing to her on a wave of exhilaration and nervousness, wanting more but fearing they had done too much. He kept his hands on her sides, fingers grazing the rough stamped leather of her armor, expression somehow more self-satisfied than she was used to.

They lingered for a moment, before Toland withdrew to finish his work and Eris resumed her post, new things to contemplate as she did.

. . .

Notes:

Setting a precedent for kissing in hive-infested tunnels. ;D

I don't know what I make of Eris' and Toland's pre-Hellmouth relationship. Romantic, but not dating, but not not dating, but committed, but not as much as their commitments to their respective duties. Is this my head-canonical Eris/Toland first kiss scenario? Not sure. Was it fun to write? Yes.

Shadow Price cameo because no one remembers that was his, too.

Credit to @eri-223 for the headcanon that Toland perpetually has songs stuck in his head. :)

Meet the WIP

tagged by @breadcrumbs thank you darling ♥♥♥ I’ve done this for Bearskin already (post here) so this time I think I’ll do my rewrite project I’m about to start on!

rules: choose a WIP you’re working on (can be a large project, a standalone short story, or anything else!) and answer for the questions below. tag others so you can see their projects too.

title: A Darker Dawn (Faer Duology, #1 — #2 is A Deeper Dream)

logline (1-3 sentence premise): Zelda Fairchild is used to seeing the Others walking through the streets of Gramarye, but when one kidnaps her best friend, it becomes a chase into Faeryland to take him back. When she finds out the truth, will she be able to save him? Or will she waver and leave them both trapped?

favourite theme explored: Loyalty—it’s a major theme, explored between all of the main characters in one way or another. Zelda and Scott have the loyalty of best friends; Zelda and Cai have the loyalty of enemies and then the loyalty of friendly rivals and then the loyalty of enemies again; Jupiter and Ramsay have the loyalty of exes forced to work together again after a tumultuous breakup, because there will always be something different about them because of the other. Exploring loyalty between all of the characters—Zelda and her dad; Zelda and Jupiter; Jupiter and her changeling brother Jovian and his human half Rivence; Caidred and his mother—is going to be my favorite thing about rewriting this.

a character i’m proud of and why: Caidred ‘Skifter’ Shiach for sure. His character arc centers around a curse that has changed his life; the name ‘Skifter’ was given to him and he absolutely hates it. A large part of his character is based on the fact that he despises everything that he’s been made into, but he has so little power to change any of it. He’s just trying to do one thing right so he can get himself un-cursed, and that unfortunately puts him on the opposite side of the plot from Zelda. Basically what I’m saying is yes, I did it again, I made my love interest an antagonist. Sue me.

that character’s tag (if there is one): Caidred’s tag // WIP Tag

link to a piece/excerpt/post i’m proud of: none yet!! but keep an eye out because you know I’m incapable of shutting up about myself ♥

any additional info i want others to know/i’m proud of: This is a rewrite of a project I drafted in 2018—I’m ageing it up from YA (15-17) to new adult if that was a thing adult (19-25) which will give me a lot more room to explore darker themes and also shittons of body horror which is one of my primary reasons for writing a WIP with fair folk in it. I’m such a sucker for magical body horror.

tagging @calligraphywriter @ikilledmyocs @tabbydrafts @ anyone else who sees this and would like to do it, tag me if you do!! 

GEMINI GETS LUCKY AND TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO JUPITER'S CLOUDS ** The international Gemini Observatory teams up with Hubble to support the Juno mission and bring new insights into Jovian weather. ** Researchers using a technique known as "lucky imaging" with the Gemini North telescope on Hawaii's Maunakea have collected some of the highest resolution images of Jupiter ever obtained from the ground. These images are part of a multi-year joint observing program with the Hubble Space Telescope in support of NASA's Juno mission. The Gemini images, when combined with the Hubble and Juno observations, reveal that lightning strikes, and some of the largest storm systems that create them, are formed in and around large convective cells over deep clouds of water ice and liquid. The new observations also confirm that dark spots in the famous Great Red Spot are actually gaps in the cloud cover and not due to cloud color variations. Three years of imaging observations using the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF's NOIRLab, have probed deep into Jupiter's cloud tops. The ultra-sharp Gemini infrared images complement optical and ultraviolet observations by Hubble and radio observations by the Juno spacecraft to reveal new secrets about the giant planet. "The Gemini data were critical because they allowed us to probe deeply into Jupiter's clouds on a regular schedule," said Michael Wong of UC Berkeley, who led the research team. "We used a very powerful technique called lucky imaging," adds Wong. With lucky imaging, a large number of very short exposure images are obtained and only the sharpest images, when the Earth's atmosphere is briefly stable, are used. The result in this case is some of the sharpest infrared images of Jupiter ever obtained from the ground. According to Wong, "These images rival the view from space." Gemini North's Near Infrared Imager (NIRI) allows astronomers to peer deep into Jupiter's mighty storms, since the longer wavelength infrared light can pass through the thin haze but is obscured by thicker clouds high in Jupiter's atmosphere. This creates a "jack-o-lantern"-like effect in the images where the warm, deep layers of Jupiter's atmosphere glow through gaps in the planet's thick cloud cover. The detailed, multiwavelength imaging of Jupiter by Gemini and Hubble has, over the past three years, proven crucial to contextualizing the observations by the Juno orbiter, and to understanding Jupiter's wind patterns, atmospheric waves, and cyclones. The two telescopes, together with Juno, can observe Jupiter's atmosphere as a system of winds, gases, heat, and weather phenomena, providing coverage and insight much like the network of weather satellites meteorologists use to observe Earth. Mapping Giant Lightning Storms On each of its close passes over Jupiter's clouds, Juno detected radio signals created by powerful lightning flashes called sferics (short for atmospherics) and whistlers (so-called because of the whistle-like tone they cause on radio receivers). Whenever possible, Gemini and Hubble focused on Jupiter and obtained high-resolution, wide-area maps of the giant planet to augment the Juno observations. Juno's instruments could determine the latitude and longitude coordinates of clusters of sferic and whistler signals. With Gemini and Hubble images at multiple wavelengths, researchers now can probe the cloud structure at these locations. By combining these three pieces of information the research team found that the lightning strikes, and some of the largest storm systems that create them, are formed in and around large convective cells over deep clouds of water ice and liquid. "Scientists track lightning because it is a marker of convection, the turbulent mixing process that transports Jupiter's internal heat up to the visible cloud tops," explained Wong. The largest concentration of lightning seen by Juno came from a swirling storm called a "filamentary cyclone." Imaging from Gemini and Hubble shows details in the cyclone, revealing it to be a twisted collection of tall convective clouds with deep gaps offering glimpses to the water clouds far below. "Ongoing studies of lightning sources will help us understand how convection on Jupiter is different from or similar to convection in the Earth's atmosphere," Wong commented. Glowing Features in the Great Red Spot While scanning the gas giant for gaps in cloud cover, Gemini spotted a telltale glow in the Great Red Spot, indicating a clear view down to deep, warmer atmospheric layers. "Similar features have been seen in the Great Red Spot before," said team member Glenn Orton of JPL, "but visible-light observation couldn't distinguish between darker cloud material, and thinner cloud cover over Jupiter's warm interior, so their nature remained a mystery." Now with the data from Gemini, this mystery is solved. Where visible light images from Hubble show a dark semicircle in the Great Red Spot, images taken by Gemini using infrared light reveal a bright arc lighting up the region. This infrared glow, from Jupiter's internal heat, would have been blocked by thicker clouds, but can pass through Jupiter's hazy atmosphere unobscured. By seeing these features as bright infrared hotspots, Gemini confirms that they are gaps in the clouds. "NIRI at Gemini North is the most effective way for the US and the international Gemini partnership investigators to get detailed maps of Jupiter at this wavelength," explained Wong. Gemini achieved a 500-kilometer (300-mile) resolution on Jupiter. "At this resolution, the telescope could resolve the two headlights of a car in Miami, seen from New York City," said Andrew Stephens, the Gemini astronomer who led the observations.[1] "These coordinated observations prove once again that ground-breaking astronomy is made possible by combining the capabilities of the Gemini telescopes with complimentary ground- and space-based facilities," said Martin Still, an astronomy program director at the National Science Foundation, which is Gemini's US funding agency. "The international Gemini Partnership provides open access to a powerful combination of large telescopes' collecting area, flexible scheduling, and a broad selection of interchangeable instruments." Note [1] This corresponds to an angular resolution of the Gemini infrared lucky imaging observations down to 0.13 arc-second. TOP IMAGE....Jupiter seen with Gemini’s Lucky Imaging. This image showing the entire disk of Jupiter in infrared light (4.7 μm) was compiled from a mosaic of nine separate pointings observed by the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab on 29 May 2019. From a lucky imaging set of 38 exposures taken at each pointing, the research team selected the sharpest 10%, combining them to image one ninth of Jupiter's disk. Stacks of exposures at the nine pointings were then combined to make one clear, global view of the planet. Even though it only takes a few seconds for Gemini to create each image in a lucky imaging set, completing all 38 exposures in a set can take minutes — long enough for features to rotate noticeably across the disk. In order to compare and combine the images, they are first mapped to their actual latitude and longitude on Jupiter, using the limb, or edge of the disk, as a reference. Once the mosaics are compiled into a full disk, the final images are some of the highest-resolution infrared views of Jupiter ever taken from the ground. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley) and team Acknowledgments: Mahdi Zamani. CENTRE IMAGE....Sharp/Unsharp Lucky Imaging. These images of Jupiter were taken in infrared light (4.7 μm) using the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab, on 8 April 2019. Because the telescope must observe through the Earth’s atmosphere, any disturbances in the air such as wind or temperature changes will distort and blur the image (left). This greatly limits the resolution the telescope can achieve on a target when only one image is taken. However, during a single night of lucky imaging observations, the telescope takes hundreds of exposures of the target. Some will be blurred, but many exposures will be taken when the view to space is still and clear of disturbances (right). In these lucky images, much smaller, more complex details on Jupiter are revealed. The research team finds the sharpest of these exposures, and compiles them into a mosaic of the whole disk. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley) and team Acknowledgments: Mahdi Zamani. LOWER IMAGE....Cloud Structure Illustration. This illustration of lightning, convective towers (thunderheads), deep water clouds, and clearings in Jupiter's atmosphere is based on data collected by the Juno spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Juno detects radio signals generated by lightning discharges. Because radio waves can pass through all of Jupiter's cloud layers, Juno is able to detect lightning in deep clouds as well as lightning on the day side of the planet. Hubble detects sunlight that has reflected off clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere. Different wavelengths penetrate to different depths in the clouds, giving researchers the ability to determine the relative heights of cloud tops. Gemini maps the thickness of cool clouds that block thermal infrared light from warmer atmospheric layers below the clouds. Thick clouds appear dark in the infrared maps, while clearings appear bright. The combination of observations can be used to map the cloud structure in three dimensions and infer details of atmospheric circulation. Thick, towering clouds form where moist air rises (upwelling and active convection). Clearings form where drier air sinks (downwelling). The clouds shown rise five times higher than similar convective towers in Earth's relatively shallow atmosphere. The region illustrated covers a horizontal span one third greater than that of the continental United States. Credit: NASA, ESA, M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley), and A. James and M.W. Carruthers (STScI). BOTTOM IMAGE....Optical/UV Hubble and IR Gemini Comparison. These images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot were made using data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope and the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF’s NOIRLab, on 1 April 2018. By combining observations captured at almost the same time from the two different observatories, astronomers were able to determine that dark features on the Great Red Spot are holes in the clouds rather than masses of dark material. Upper left (wide view) and lower left (detail): The Hubble image of sunlight (visible wavelengths) reflecting off clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere shows dark features within the Great Red Spot. Upper right: A thermal infrared image of the same area from Gemini shows heat energy emitted as infrared light. Cool overlying clouds appear as dark regions, but clearings in the clouds allow bright infrared emission to escape from warmer layers below. Lower middle: An ultraviolet image from Hubble shows sunlight scattered back from the haze over the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot appears red in visible light because the haze absorbs blue wavelengths. The Hubble data show that the haze continues to absorb even at shorter ultraviolet wavelengths. Lower right: A multiwavelength composite of Hubble and Gemini data shows visible light in blue and thermal infrared in red. The combined observations show that areas that are bright in infrared are clearings or places where there is less cloud cover blocking heat from the interior. The Hubble and Gemini observations were made to provide a wide-view context for Juno’s 12th pass (Perijove 12). Credit: NASA, ESA, and M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley) and team.

I SAW YOUR POST AND WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO GUSH!! What's your favorite thing about your stories? Is there one that you're really proud of? Are there any exciting character/plot moments that you can't wait to write (and that you're willing to talk about)?

Thank you! Let me try and order my thoughts. I’ll try not to swamp you with too many thoughts! So in terms of what I love about my stories is the emotional pitch I feel like I’m hitting. I know this is always subjective, and maybe it’s because I visualize these stories so intrinsically, but I always connect with the emotional beats I write. Likewise I love writing dialogue. If the right mood should strike me, and my heads in the game, the conversations flow smooth as water from me. Here’s a fun little passage I wrote recently.

_______________________________

“We can’t hold this position!” Captain Merculia barked into her comm unit. The Jovian was taking a beating, her recently retrofitted shields were on the brink of collapse. Once they were gone then the real problems would begin.

“We need to break off engagement!” she yelled.

“Negative.” Wanzay replied. “My team has now not yet achieved insertion. Your request to withdraw is denied.”

She slammed her fist against her command chair. “To hell with your team Wanzay! This is a pointless suicide mission and you know it!”

“I’m afraid Captain that however you read this situation is not my concern. You will maintain station until insertion is completed and I authorize your withdrawal.”

“We won’t last that long!” she screamed.

“Then you and your crew have my condolences captain. I’ll see to it your names are given all appropriate honors.”

She clenched her fist so tight that she could feel the bones creaking beneath it. “And I’ll see to it that an appropriate seat is reserved for in hell! The throne perhaps!” She slammed the comm controls and the line went dead. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of having the last word.

“Captain!” her watch hand called. “Shields have failed!”

“Damn you Wanzay.” she cursed under her breath.

_______________________________

As for my stories I have quite a few of them. The best developed though (and probably most fun) are my series Vanksworld and Level Up! Vanksworld follows the story of a bunch of misfits on space adventures. Hardly original but I enjoy putting my own twist on the genre. Currently I’m (very slowly) writing each crew members introduction to the series and how they end up on board. Level Up! follows Aelia. The reckless screwball with no respect for the rules. She’s a good person though, just really impulsive with no good check on it. She’s a hero who revels in the joy of fighting. Her power is ridiculously OP, giving her boosted strength, speed etc with each new level up. It also spikes her system with an unbeatable high, leaving her always craving the next level up (like a junkie).

I have ideas for story arcs that I’m thrilled to think about, terrified to execute. There’s the one where Aelia is brainwashed into thinking she’s a villain. In Vanksworld I have the concept of the final crew member, Sera, being kidnapped by them initially to return to her father. They let her go cause it’s the right thing to do, only for her to be kidnapped almost immediately by another gang. Then they have to rescue her.

Honestly I could keep going and going. But this is where most people tune out. I kinda wish I had people to bounce ideas off, but writing is a time consuming hobby. Getting friends to read my stuff is difficult as it’s a big time ask to do so, and often there feedback can be rather basic. Often leaves me bouncing ideas inside my own head instead for critical analysis. I’m guilty of it too. I don’t read many other peoples stories for the same reasons. So I don’t judge anyone harshly for it. Sorry to gripe at the end here. It’s just a relief off the chest to say it.