#or i try to puzzle together where all the worlds of the spiral are
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Take Me Back To the Night We Met
Masterlist
Pairing: rafe Cameron x female!reader
TW:18+, angst, drug use and addiction, toxic and manipulative behavior
Summary: Loving rafe is a tailspin of fights, sex, and drugs until one day he disappears. When he shows back up, your world is flipped upside down.
Word count:2k
A/N: this is loosely based off euphoria with a dash of tvd and I’m not sorry
Two years. Two whole years spent in a downward spiral with Rafe as the two of you plummeted toward rock bottom wrapped up in each other and your partying ways. Seven hundred and fifty five days of white lines and reckless behavior as the you fed off each others careless attitudes and gambled with your lives.
You were just another girl at a party one fateful night when Rafe locked eyes with you. Something pulled you towards him, and before you knew it you were wiping your nose and trying not to let a tear fall as the white powder burned your airway.
It was all fun in the beginning, until it wasnt. Social use turned into casual use at home, and casual use turned into searching for a fix. Still, the pair of you kept going and said to hell with anyone that tried to stop you.
Now, you’re standing on Barry’s door step alone while your tired body begs for rest. Rafe was always your ‘dealer’, but three months ago he left without so much as a note. No one knows where he is, but to say its taken a toll is an understatement.
Regardless of your circumstances, you do love him with your entire being. He’s your best friend and everyday you wonder if he’s ever going to come back.
The screen door rattles as your knuckles rap against the rusting metal, and you wait a few seconds before repeating the motion.
“I know you’re in there, Barry!”
A minute goes by before you hear the click of the lock, and the man’s face comes into view. He runs his tongue over his teeth and tsks while cocking his head.
“I aint got nothin’.”
Your eyebrows shoot up and you snort, genuinely amused.
“Sure, whatever you say. Give me my usual.”
Your hand extends to offer him cash, but he just glances between your face and the bills a few times before shaking his head.
“Nah, I ain’t got nothing for you. Not after what happened. Go home, Y/N.”
Irritation claws its way into your nerves as you shift back and forth, a scoff surfacing from deep in your chest.
“You didn’t say that last weekend. Stop with the bullshit, B.”
His eyes cast downward as he shakes his head slowly before he drags his gaze back up to meet yours.
“I can’t sell to you anymore, Y/N/N. I’m sorry.”
He moves to shut the door but your foot darts out at the last second.
“Why? Don’t give me that shit about you caring. You sell drugs to teenagers. You don’t have a fucking moral compass.”
Barrys face twists as your words sting him for a split second before his hardened features return, and he pushes you backwards so he can close the door.
“I dont have to tell you shit.”
Your eyes narrow as you start to put pieces of the puzzle together, and your suspicion only grows as Barry glances behind you every few seconds as if he’s nervous.
“Tell me or I swear to God I will make your life a living hell. I’m still a kook.”
When your threat doesn’t seem to persuade him, you reach out and grab his hand while bending his pinky back. You press down until his knees buckle and leer at him waiting for an answer.
“Ah- fuck, fine! Its Rafe!”
Shock causes your grip to loosen just enough for Barry to break free and he darts to his feet before you can react. He glares harshly while rubbing his finger, and you try your hardest to breathe while oxygen evades you.
“What about him? He told you to cut me off?”
Your eyebrows furrow as you process, and Barry’s silence answers your question. Why would he do that? More importantly, when did Barry hear from him last?
“When?”
Your fingers massage your temples as a headache brews, and the man watches you carefully before deciding to answer.
“Couple days ago. He stopped by.”
The information is like an ice bucket over the head, and you freeze before swallowing thickly .
“Rafe is back?”
Three simple words that nearly bring you to your knees before anger and confusion take over. He’s been back and hasn’t sent so much as a “fuck you” text? Why did he take time to do this but not to let you know he’s home?
Barry’s features soften just barely as he realizes what he told you, and he sighs heavily before taking a seat on the top step.
“Been back a few days. He looks good; says he went to rehab and got his shit together. Sure seems like it.”
Your ears ring as the entire world comes to a screeching halt, and for the first time, Barry has some sympathy for the young woman standing in front of him. His eyes watch you for a moment before he swallows softly and turns to head back inside.
“I’m sorry.”
This snaps you out of your daze and your manicured hand reaches out to grab his arm before he can leave. Your nails dig into the flesh but he pays no mind as he stops and looks back at you expectantly.
“That’s it? Since when do you listen to rafe?” You ask, and the look on Barry’s face fills you in.
“He paid you.” You scoff, and you release your hold to run your hand through your hair.
“In what world do you not take the money from both of us and double cross him?”
Barry just stares for a moment, and you swear you see a glimmer of concern in his eyes.
“Since the incident right after he left. I was going to cut your ass off anyway.”
At that, he slams the door and leaves you alone with your thoughts on his porch. Thirty minutes later you’re banging on Rafe’s door like the FBI trying to bust it down.
“Open the fucking door, Rafe! I know you can hear me!”
Your screams are ignored as you start kicking at the barrier, now fully unhinged as rage takes over.
“You can’t just leave and get clean then come back and control me! Who are you to tell Barry he can’t sell to me?”
You let out a frustrated yell when he still doesn’t answer, and tears prick at your eyes as pain mixes with anger.
“This is your fault! I was fine before I met you. I was fine!”
Rafe winces when your foot rattles the door, and he leans with his forehead pressed against it while he listens to your verbal assault.
“You get me hooked on this shit and then get help while I drown? You drag me to the depths of hell and then leave me there?!”
Your voice is thick with tears now as your cries turn to desperation.
“What is wrong with you? Why don’t you care?”
Rafe finally unlocks the door and cracks it just enough that he can see you without you barging in.
“I’ve got it under control, just don’t take this from me.” You sniffle, and the look in Rafe’s eyes is enough to make you breakdown again.
“No you don’t. You overdosed y/n.”
Your mouth gapes as you try to come up with a response and you cock your head to the side.
“How do you know that?”
He gives you a “really?” look and you know it must have been Barry.
“You didn’t give a fuck when you left. I could have died and you wouldn’t have even known. If you’re so worried than why’d you leave me here to go on a bender after you vanish?”
There’s genuine sorrow swimming In his irises, and you rub at your nose as you sniffle.
“I had to get my shit together.”
He wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around you as you hiccup and cry but he remains glued to his place.
“You could have taken me. I would have gone.”
The sad smile he gives you causes your heart to drop, and he takes a second to memorize your face.
“I know, that’s why I didn’t tell you. We’re not good for each other. You would have been a distraction and I would have failed.”
Your knees nearly buckle when you realize what he’s saying, and that familiar burning seizes your throat as it constricts.
“Please don’t leave me.”
What’s left of Rafe’s heart shatters and his hand comes up to cup your face. You lean into the coolness of his signet ring while his thumb wipes away a tear, and he leans forward to press a chaste kiss to your forehead.
“I don’t have a choice, baby.”
Every emotion in your body explodes when he swiftly moves inside and shuts you out, and before you realize it you’re slamming your limbs into his door like a madman.
“Fuck you, Rafe! You ruined my life and just walked away from the carnage! You are nothing but a selfish, silver spoon, daddy’s money prick! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”
With each word, your voice weakens and you sink lower until you’re a sobbing puddle on the ground. All of the fight drains from your body, and all that’s left is an empty shell. On the other side, rafe sits with his head between his hands as hot tears fall off his face with ease.
He winces as you release all your anger at his expense, but doesn’t move or say anything in response.
“I will never forgive you for this.”
There’s a sadness and finality in your tone that causes him to panic internally. He was so sure of himself until you showed up, and now hes disorientated again as your energy pulls him in. He reckons a part of him has always known that you’ll be here if he changes his mind, but now that safety net is being ripped out from under him.
Every cell in his body aches to be near you, but he forces himself to stay in place. Contrary to popular belief, Rafe is not heartless and he hates himself for everything hes done. He wishes he could go back to before he met you; before he set his world on fire and incinerated yours with it.
He’s fist fighting his own demons as they scream for him to just open the door and fall to his knees, but he resists every urge until he hears your car engine start up. He’s certain you’ve been gone a while but he’s been too terrified to even blink, let alone move.
If he does, he knows he’ll set out to find you and pull you into his arms. So he remains in place until his limbs are numb, hours long past as the clock ticks past two am.
After several phone calls and a hoarse voice from hours of driving around screaming, you finally pull into the driveway that’s hidden deep in the cut. An old “friend” of Rafe’s that stopped coming around after Rafe fought him for making a few too many comments about you.
He isn’t the safest option, but it’s the only bridge left that Rafe hasn’t burned. In his attempt to keep you safe, he’s driven you straight into the heart of danger. This guy isn’t just a low life dealer, he’s the king pin. He’s the suppliers supplier, and truthfully even coming here is incredibly stupid.
Still, your feet carry your forward until you’re knocking on his door and fidgeting. It takes a second but you hear a click of a gun before the door cracks open, and you give your best version of a smile.
It doesn’t do much to mask your sorrow thanks to your swollen eyes and splotchy cheeks, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Well well well, it it isn’t the kook princess herself. You shouldn’t be here, darling.”
The grin he gives resembles the Cheshire cat and you ignore the way your stomach drops.
“You’re my last resort.”
It’s a piece of information you shouldnt divulge, but your desperation outweighs any logic.
His beady eyes rake over your figure before he opens the door wider and nods his head.
“Come on in then, sweets.”
#rafe cameron x reader#rafe cameron imagine#rafe cameron angst#rafe cameron outer banks#rafe cameron fic#rafe cameron#outer banks x reader#outerbanks#outer banks angst
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“Unstable” (4)
Right, let’s sign off this disaster caused by a crazed homewrecker with superpowers.
Finale of Yandere!Miguel
‘But he was you!’
The argument had been on both their minds for the past two days. A puzzling sense of unmatching pieces that never gave any sense of resolution. Like an invisible wedge that was now stuck between them.
‘I’m not lying to you, Miguel. I didn’t spontaneously decide; “Oh, my husband’s not home, let me just grab a handsome guy off the street to get into bed with for a few days”!’
You watched Miguel’s eyes go wide, his injuries were slow to mend, but at least he looked more like himself than the haggard wraith who had all but collapsed into your arms.
‘… He’s been in our bed, too?!’
‘I’m not lying! I’m not cheating on you! He was you, Miguel! Literally you! Same hair, same face, same voice!’
‘I… I don’t need this… I really don’t…. I get kidnapped by a fuckin’ masked maniac, have all by belongings stolen, and spend nearly a week trying to get back home. I had to live like a beggar! Pleading with people for food and money, anything I could to get back home! When I finally do get back, I find my beloved wasn’t even looking for me! Wasn’t even worried- because they’ve got it into their head that I was never missing at all!’
‘Miguel, where are you going?!’
‘Out! To clear my head!’
‘Miguel!’
The holographic screen was fixed firmly upon the two of you. The room was filled even more destruction than before, more shattered screens and consoles, half-built machinery that had been scrapped, covered in deep gouges and crushed metal. Calm from his fury, Miguel paced back and forth with arms folded, keeping his eyes firmly on the screen, once again peering into your world from his own. Despite his passing fury, his anger still rolled inside him. It had just been far too good to be true; you were his, he had in his arms every night, he had kept you safe and comforted, both as himself and his alter-ego. Now that pathetic, weak, other version of him had just stepped back into your life- and he was causing you anguish and distress. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, feeling another bout of fury rising inside him.
‘Lyla…’ His eyes remained firmly on the holographic screen, teeth gritted, watching you perch on the sofa, seeming despondent.
‘What’s up? You’re looking a little tense.’
‘I want you to keep a tracker on this other me. As soon as you see an opening, let me know.’
‘He’s out of the house now.’
‘No. Too soon. They need time to heal…. Time to let suspicions rest- shock it!’
He grabbed whatever was close to hand, a half-built bracelet and hurled it across the room with a snarl to shatter at the far wall.
‘He shouldn’t have come back! He should have stayed away!! We would have been happy together…. We… still can be happy together…’
His gaze returned once again to the screen, watching you in your forlorn state, a hand reaching out, as if he wished to stroke your cheek, to offer comfort.
‘… I’m right here, mi amor… I’ll be back, I promise… We’ll never be apart. Not ever again.’
‘They said I resigned.’
You looked up from your food, Miguel’s plate remained untouched, his eyes firmly on his phone, you watched his mood spiral further into anger and despair.
‘You told me that you were on vacation, Mig.’
Your saw his hand tense around his phone, the casing creaking in his grasp, a vein throbbing in his forehead out of irritation.
‘They said that I came in not long after I left and resigned “with immediate effect”… How?! I was halfway across the city being beaten black and blue! By the same guy you said saved your life! What the fuck is happening here?’
You watched Miguel place his phone aside and bury his face into his hands with a low groan of frustration.
‘My partner’s convinced I never left, I’ve been kidnapped, threatened, beaten, and now been left unemployed… How could I possibly be in two places at once? How…? What am I going to do now…?’
You reached across the table, hand resting palm up and fingers beckoning softly until he reached out to take your hand, his eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. He looked like a broken man, and you felt nothing but love and pity for the man. Even as the reasons that had led to it all made no sense whatsoever. You truly believed in Miguel’s story, yet at the same time, you knew you hadn’t imagined that your husband had also been with you for his supposed absence. Miguel squeezed your hand for reassurance, and you returned the gesture.
‘We’re going to be alright, Mig… I promise. We’ll be alright.’
Miguel had tried everything, his very best to get his career back, but to no effect. Apparently, his supposed resignation had been so sharp and intimidating that it had been accepted without hesitation. Three nights later, you were cuddled up in bed together, wrapped in the blankets. His embrace was not one of security, but one of desperate comfort, clinging to you like he was afraid you would abandon him, if he let go. Your eyes fluttered open, glancing around the dark room. What had woken you up just now? You listened; the sound of traffic in the distance, the soft breathing of your husband as he slept beside you, skinnier than he had been several days ago. Certainly, something didn’t sit right about a man who could gain and shed muscle mass in a short time. You sat up with a soft gasp, there it was again, the sound that had woken you.
‘… Miguel… Miguel…’
‘Mm… Whasit…?’ He murmured, still half asleep, eyes barely open.
‘I... I think there’s someone outside…’
‘Hm... ‘s probably just a fox scouring through the trash… Go back to sleep…’
‘Foxes don’t try door handles…!’ Your voice was a conspiratorial hiss and you watched him sit up with a groan, rubbing his eyes. You both sat, ears strained against the silence, not even a whisper pierced through the quiet.
‘See? Just foxes, mi vida… Nothing to worry abou-‘
Miguel’s attempt at soothing was interrupted by a mighty crash from your garden and you watched your husband nearly leap out of his skin in fright.
‘What the fuck was that?!’ He threw back the bedsheets, grabbing his clothing from the creased pile and pulling it on scowling under his breath.
‘I swear, if it’s not one thing, it’s another… I just can’t catch a break…’
‘Miguel, do you-?’
‘Stay here, I’ll be right back…’
He had unlocked the back door, clutching a torch in hand, stepping outside, he shivered at the bitter chill of the night and cast the beam over the garden, nothing moved in the interplay of light and shadow. He stepped out, searching and finding the source of the crash from where the recycling bin was lying far away from where it should be, cracked and dented, like it had been thrown with considerable force, with bits of would-be recycling spilling out.
‘How the hell did this happen…?’
He shivered again, not just at the chill of night, but of feeling eyes on the back of his neck. He spun around, scouring through the darkness with the beam of light. Nothing revealed itself.
‘… I thought I’d made myself clear, pendejo…’
He went tense, fear racing through his heart at that familiar growl of a voice, again right behind him.
‘I told you to stay away. You didn’t listen. That’s very unfortunate, for you…’
Miguel steeled his nerve and turned slowly, eyes wide and breath caught in his throat, his mind tried and failed to process just what he was seeing; his own doppelganger stared back at him, eyes blazing red and furious with intent, teeth bared in a snarl with sharp fangs.
‘… W-what the fuck…?’
‘All you had to do was stay AWAY!’ His other self punched him with the force of a truck and Miguel felt the world spin, tumbling through the air to land winded on the grass, torch clattering to the grass beside him, beam flickering. He glanced around, unable to see through the gloom, unsure of where his doppelganger was. He crawled forwards, closer to the torch, if he could just escape, he could get inside, barricade the door and stay safe with you until… Until what? Until the police came, from a call that he was being threatened by himself?! You were on his mind, protecting you was what mattered.
His fingers brushed against the torch, he felt something tie itself around his ankle, and you were on his mind still as he was dragged back, screaming, into the darkness.
You had hurried downstairs, phone in hand, calming when you found the back door already locked once again, your husband by the sink, washing his hands.
‘Miguel…? Are you alright?’
He looked to you with an expression that you couldn’t quite place, but the sheer intensity behind it gave you pause, then it evaporated into a calm, loving smile.
‘Hey… I’m fine. Just foxes knocked over the recycling bin.’
‘B… But I thought I heard… I heard you scream.’
He laughed softly, nodding.
‘Ay, stubbed my toe on the step hard, coming back in… Shockin’ stung, ow…’
His smile faded as you continued to stare at him.
‘I’m fine, mi vida… Go back to sleep. I’ll be up soon.’
You silently agreed with him and turned away, grateful that nothing else was wrong. In the dim light, you missed the swirls of water, stained crimson, running down the drain, of Miguel scrubbing clawed fingers clean. He had no such issue seeing in the dark; crimson eyes watching you leave with a relieved smirk. He focused on keeping his claws retracted, drying his hands, and then returned back upstairs to where you were already half asleep. There would be no further interruptions.
You awoke warm and safe, cuddled close in strong arms that maintained an almost possessive hold on you as you tried to squirm out of them.
‘Mm… Jus’ five more minutes, mi corazón…’ His voice purred, pulling you closer against him. You sighed and agreed with him, snuggling closer into his chest.
‘Hey, you’re buff again, Miggy…’ You noticed, hearing him chuckle in response. He was so very warm.
‘… My love, you talk as if I’m not always this fit.’
‘You were skinny last night…’
‘You’re getting mixed up with your dreams again, mi amor… Shh, just lay here with me… Just like this…’
He hummed softly, nuzzling into hair, one leg moving to wrap around you, pinning you even closer against his body. You were trapped in his embrace and could do nothing but lay there until he finally released you. Not a bad place to be, all in all. Soon, it would all fall apart.
All day, Miguel had been not more than a few feet from you. Showering together, cooking together, and even sat down, he did not let your body touch the sofa, you were in his lap, hugged close.
‘What did I ever do to be blessed with you…?’ He murmured, placing sweet kisses on your neck. Already your skin was covered in the lovebites he had left, and he did not seem content to stop any time soon. You squirmed in his arms, what had once been devoted and delightful was starting to raise other feelings in you now, feelings of concern and worry that were compiling with other issues your logical mind had logged.
‘… Are you alright, Mig?’
‘I’m absolutely fine…’ He purred, hands ghosting down your body to rest at your hips.
‘…. Well, the other night you were a wreck.’
‘I’m fine… I just want to enjoy my vacation with you…’
The gears of your logical mind clicked and spun together at the contradiction that had just left his lips.
‘Vacation? Mig you told me that you’d resigned- or that someone had said you’d resigned. You were an absolute mess because you couldn’t get your job back and now…’
You felt him freeze, lips on your neck, hands firm on your hips. He didn’t resist as you slipped free and rose to looked at him as his posture relaxed, eyes looking into your own.
‘I.. I just don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense; how I can be enjoying life with you, and then you suddenly appear on my doorstep claiming you’ve been kidnapped, and then you just suddenly snap right back like nothing’s wrong…’
‘Mi amor, don’t be like this… Just come here…’
‘A-Am I going crazy, Mig?... A-are you?’
You watched him freeze up again, eyes narrowing a fraction and he rose quietly from where he sat, and it was a grim, sudden reminder of how much he towered over you in height and mass.
‘…. C-crazy?’ He spoke in a soft breath, hands curling tight.
‘You think I’m crazy…?’
‘N-no! No, I just want to understand-‘
He growled, literally growled in his throat, teeth gritted, and you were scared by the sight of his long, sharp canines.
‘… You’re thinking it too, aren’t you? Hm? Go on. Say it! Crazy. Mad! UNSTABLE!!!’
You watched in horror as he grabbed the sofa, clawed fingers ripping into the fabric as he hurled it across the room with a yell. He turned to you, chest heaving, eyes blazing red, and the horror on your face seemed to snap him from his rage and pinched the bridge of his nose with a long exhale.
‘I’m... Not angry with you. I could never be angry with you… I love you, so much, mi amor, mi vida… Just come here…’
‘Miguel-‘
‘Just come here!!’ He demanded, temper rising again, arms open for you. Whatever you said next was cut off by the distant, terrified screaming of your neighbour. Miguel’s head tilted as he listened, eyes firmly on you.
‘…. I think they just found that mangled mess I made of the weak, pathetic man you married… That’s alright, you don’t need him anymore. You have me now…’
In the rush of adrenaline and panic, you weren’t sure exactly how you escaped, from him, from your home. Now, you were several streets away, trying to lose yourself in the city, and thoroughly convinced that he was not following you. You had called for help, all of your friends, and all of them had refused to answer in turn. All of them refused your call, some had even blocked your number. Your husband wasn’t your husband, the man who wasn’t him had killed your husband and now he was after you. To do what? Did he plan to kill you, too?! You needed help, you needed someone who could keep you safe. You flattened yourself into the dimness of a dark alley, peeking out just to double-check that the imposter was absolutely not following. You almost had a heart attack from the sheer fear and shock of the scrape of brick and you watched the answer to your prayers slide down the wall. Spider-man was here.
‘You look like you’re scared out of your mind, someone troubling you?’
‘Oh… Oh, please… Please help me!’
You all but threw yourself against his chest, trembling and watching him briefly flinch at your openness before a comforting hand patted your back.
‘Heh. Helping is what I do, what’s the matter now…?’
‘M-my husband who isn’t my husband murdered my husband and now he’s coming for me, please… Spider-man, please help me…’
He hushed you softly, taking one of your hands in his own with a reassuring squeeze.
‘Of course. Of course, I’ll help. Don’t worry, you’re safe with me… You always will be…’
You didn’t notice until the sharp click that he had fastened a simple black bracelet tight against your left wrist.
‘W-what is…?’
His strong arms brought you tightly against him, one hand rubbing small circles on your back as he hushed you softly again.
‘Shh… It’s going to be alright…Te amo… Te amo, mi amor, mi vida…’
The shaky breath filled your lungs as the horror of realization settled.
‘… Oh god…’
‘I love you... I love you, so much, it hurts…’
‘… O-oh god…’
‘But I really don’t think you’ll be safe here anymore… It’s gotten too messy. Too many questions to be asked by the wrong people…’
Your revelations were confirmed as the mask pixelated and fell away into glittering lights, red eyes met your own briefly, before he leaned in to kiss your neck, once, twice, then you felt the stabbing of sharp fangs, the burn accompanied by something else that left your body leaden and unresponsive.
‘There you go… There you go… Shh… It’s going to be alright. It’s going to be absolutely fine. We’re going to go somewhere safe, where we can be together, where we can be undisturbed. I can take care of you there, and you’ll come to realise that you love me just as much as I love you.’
The world behind him collapsed and fractured into a gate of swirling lights, offering brief glimpses of another place altogether.
‘… We’ll have our whole lives together…’
He bundled you in his arms, kissed your forehead gently, and carried you through.
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So, there we are. Unstable. I do enjoy writing some darker takes on Miggy, only so I can then go to Looking Glass and counterbalance it with him being an absolute ball of wholesome, healthy love and fluff for being absolutely head over heels with his LI (See: Excerpt “Doughnuts” for example). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about getting kidnapped by a crazy man from another world who developed an unhealthy obsession with you and couldn’t grasp why killing and replacing your husband with a buffer, better version of himself wasn’t something you were too keen on...
If memory serves me @oscarissac2099 wanted to be tagged, too. So, there’s that.
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Just some thoughts on why it's extremely entertaining to watch Bucchigiri?! at least for me and at least now (with 3 ep out)
Obviously the designs, backgrounds, animation, voice acting and music is really good. It's fun enough to watch even without trying to piece together all the details of possible plot development or characterization. The world is bizarre and you never know what will happen, but it's also silly in a way what can remind of silly stuff irl(yes, playing baseball with a basketball, that brings some memories).
Even though the plot isn't clear at all now, i'm still curious about what might happen in the future episodes, cause there's more to each character than i thought at first and in each episode lots of stuff happens. It's both good and bad, but for me it's incredibly interesting, cause it's hard to predict what will actually happen.
And insane details what make no sense at first but then you wake up at 3am realizing "oh, that's what it meant", probably. It just works for some people, but will not work for others, obviously. And i'm in a group who's puzzle-solving and eccentric-fashion-loving parts of the brain just got activated by this show.
Kinda spoilers and wild theories, thoughts, observations and bad attempts at analyzing ahead
Right now i think we've been introduced to most main characters, and show may probably continue with awful interactions between them. Awful cause, well, each of these characters wants something different from others, sometimes something completely opposite (like with Senya and Arajin, one wants to fight but has no interest in other stuff, like romance, and the other doesn't want to get anywhere near fights and just wants some romance in his life; similar with Jin siblings, Zabu and Matakara and Arajin and Mahoro in that order, and different gangs).
And when there are these dialogue lines and scenes, what kinda feel like they're supposed to make more sense later (like with how Zabu tells where's no "fair" and "unfair" in fights; how Arajin actively avoids talking with Matakara, but is still clearly worried about him, and how quickly his usual commically-happy-and-invincible attitude changes when anyone is hurt; and various comments about gangs' lore in background dialogue; and the fact what there should be a second genie somewhere). It's fascinating if you love digging into every plot detail like there's some big conspiracy behind it. This research activity can be fun on its own, and it's increasingly hard to stumble upon anything what really makes you wonder what is even going on. That is not for everyone, and that's ok. But i won't be able to shut up when i have so many theories about what could happen, or why characters act like they do, because it's fun.
First episode is a series of wild events what occurred because characters either ignored something or tried to make something worse for someone because of a personal want. And it just spirals from there.
It may be not about how good and right can these characters be, but the opposite, how bad can it get and how can they change it. Everyone is a bit dumb and a bit mean and a bit stubborn, and it's interesting, cause everyone also has something or someone they care about. It's like billiards but with abstract concepts of characters' motivation instead of balls.
It will be sad if we just return to typical plot development, though it's not clear what genre are we even watching at the moment. But this will be later, and now i'm having fun with this show, and that's already good.
#bucchigiri?!#also i'm mahoro defender at least now#i think there's more to her personality#but even if not#she's just as much of a disaster as others but gets way more hate#give girl a chance#she might bite but maybe we deserve it#also hagure is in my “have to protect” list with matakara#he's just a lil guy obsessed with gangs' lore#i respect that
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Tagging YouTube channels I like (or in some cases liked) as TMA fears because I have so very many hyperfixations and have no choice but to combine them...
disclaimer: I don't know anything about most of these people outside of their youtube channels, it's really the channel and how they are on the channel specifically that I'm tagging as a fear
Overly Sarcastic Productions: End & Eye
This one was a bit hard to tag because they make so many different things, but I think the Mischellaneous Myths videos that really stick in my brain are the ones where Red is trying to puzzle out information about a god or story and how it developed and the information is just gone. I think there's also some of that in History Summarized on Blue's end. I think OSP as an embodiment of fears of knowledge being lost, that tries to prevent knowledge from being lost, but also feeds on the horror of everything that's already gone because it's End aligned would be very cool.
Kennie JD's Bad Movies And A Beat: Stranger
This is specifically bad movies and a beat because I don't watch most of her other stuff and can't speak on it. A lot of Bad Movies And A Beat involves movies that are badly written and acted in a way that you could easily push towards human imitators and the uncanny valley and "why does this writer write like he's never met a human being? Because he hasnt". Also like! She doesn't always do her makeup but I feel like the fact that Kennie is changing her appearance with makeup, especially since her look is heavy foundation, very extreme, very far from how she looks without it, really does add to the stranger energy.
Film Theory (and that whole quartet of channels): Spiral/Eye
Matpat is elbow-deep in red string and thumbtacks, he is claiming that the Cars in Cars are actually insects, he is giving in to the madness. I think there's something inherently very spiral about trying to find patterns in details that in many cases probably just weren't well thought out by the original creators of the media. (like the scratches on Rubble's helmet in paw patrol when it should be new). At the same time, fiction is maleable, and sometimes he's trying to create a story that arguably makes more sense than the original using thoughtless details thrown in by the creators. There's another Spiral component of there being no "real answer" in fiction and it not mattering what the author originally intended if Matpat can use clues they accidentally left to create a different story. And then there's also an Eye component in that sometimes he is looking at details the author intentionally left and piecing together a story they intended to be found! And an Eye component in that some of the other channels, like Food Theory, do have more objective answers, like yes, the best thing to eat with spicy food to make it less spicy is something that can be scientifically found.
iilluminaughtii: Stranger... because everything was plagarized...
Kurzgesagt In A Nutshell: Extinction if it's real! Probably Desolation if it's not but Kurzgesagt has elements of almost every fear when I think about it.
I cannot think of anything more Extinction-coded than Kurzgesagt. I don't even like the Extinction that much but I want it to be real just so Kurzgesagt can belong to it. This channel has a video called "How To Kill The Universe". It's almost a running joke that 70% of their episodes are about an apocalyptic scenario, from the heat death of the universe to "what if we set off all the nukes. what if we turned all the uranium into nukes and then set off all those nukes" to horrifying antibiotic resistant pandemics to "what if we turned the earth into gold" to climate change bad scenarios. Kurzgesagt wants to end the world so bad. From impossible hypotheticals for funsies to things that could happen to things that will happen.
If I'm not allowed to say Extinction I guess the raw destruction for the sake of it of Desolation maps to that the channel the best? The more heat-death type scenarios read as End. They do a lot of astronomy content and also have some scale of the universe episodes and episodes on how the size of an organism affects its biology dramatically, which all feel Vast to me. They explain how a lot of pathogens and notorious diseases work, which is obviously corruption. Then there are a lot of more human psychology videos that dip into Stranger and Lonely. This channel has bits of all of the fears but I'll reluctantly go with Desolation.
#the magnus archives#overly sarcastic productions#bad movies and a beat#film theory#kurzgesagt#smirkes 14#fifteen fears?#the one time I want the extinction to be real
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okay i'm probably getting ahead of myself but i'm SO excited for the clock keepers' trial bc i'm constantly puzzling over all the time fuckery in tbhk and specifically wondering about how all of the time travel seems to center around nene. and i've been wondering, is this just bc she's the heroine so we see most of the story through her eyes? I feel like that's possible, but we get a lot of perspectives that aren't hers and scenes where she's not there as well!! so i think maybe it is specific to nene! and if so, she might be in some hot water with this trial, on account of her extensive list of:
time crimes!
(even if she didn't really have any control over them lol, they still all revolve around her! and i don't know how understanding the clock keepers are about that sort of thing...)
so before the trail, let's revisit nene's time crimes! (and let me know if i missed any!)
time crime 1: meeting amane as a student after escaping the place between worlds. this is the first one, but perhaps also the one that could get her in the most trouble, as she straight up stole a key from the past and brought it to the present! who knows what butterfly effect that may have had!
time crime 2: transporting to the 1964 star festival and chatting with a little amane! unintentional as always, but she left an impression, and figured out how to get herself back to her own time. impressive time skills with worrying implications about the repercussions!
time crime 3: intentionally trying to change the timeline after meeting a 4-year-old tsukasa in the red house!
though, idk if this fits in with the theory, bc if nene gets in trouble with the timekeepers for this then kou should also be here in court right? but maybe they just couldn't find him lol. for his sake i hope that's the case...
...bc if this actually affected the timeline it was probably the biggest time wreckage of the series yet, so. prayer circle for kou if this gets brought up in court lmao
time crime 4: running into middle school tsukasa amidst some school festival time fuckery. really interesting that tsukasa doesn't seem surprised... like he knew he would find nene there... even more questions but that spiral is maybe for another time lol. once again it's not intentional on her part, but very much happens to (because of?) her specifically
bonus: not necessarily a time crime, but maybe one? at least something that furthers the connection between nene and time working strangely around her: mitsuba's picture of the red house doesn't develop until it's in her hands specifically. sure, this could be red house magic. but why wouldn't it have developed for mitsuba? it sorta seems to me like nene could be the thing that developed this picture from the past, but it's a less solid theory, as we haven't really seen anything else like this that we can compare it to (unless i'm forgetting something! please let me know if i am!)
i'm super excited for the trial bc i have a lot of questions about why time moves so strangely around nene, and maybe we'll get answers about that in the trial!
the other most exciting part, for me, about these things potentially being brought up in the trial, is that nene hasn't told hanako about talking with past versions of tsukasa. and as someone who eats up angst like it's candy, i cannot express how much i would love to see hanako finding out from a third party (the clock keepers) that tsukasa and nene, the two most significant people in his life, who he usually tries to keep separate, have been traipsing through time together and never got around to telling him about it. how would hanako, who almost never willingly gives up information about himself, react to finding out that nene got information about him from tsukasa in secret?
and right after she just told him she loves him ): how sad would that be? <3
(it’s honestly likely that none of this will come up with all the clock stuff going on, but it’s fun to think about!!)
#they're all my favorites and i want to see them be so so sad lmao#i do want them to be happy!! but also i want them to get emotionally crushed sometimes lol#truly time is such a mess in this series i LOVE it lol#I want the clock lore so bad too UGH there’s so much going on in this series it’s incredible#tbhk#jshk#tbhk 108#jshk 108#tbhk spoilers#jshk spoilers#honestly this doesn't really spoil much? but jic lol
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hi, i hope your having a good day!!
this one might be kind of triggering (and it’s kind of a vent so answer if you want) but i was wondering if you had any advice for what to do when you just don’t want to do anything? i kinda spiraled on super small stuff and it feels like everything i do is pointless, even though i want to do things without feeling bad about it.
thanks so much, again i hope your having a great day!
Hi anon.
Sorry this took so long to respond to, I had an errand to run and wanted to take my time answering this.
First off, you're definitely not alone feeling this way. I understand it, and I'm sure most people also do. Just looking at the state of the world alone is enough to have anyone spiraling, and some days, everything is just too much.
Be kind to yourself. There's nothing wrong with how you're feeling. Take deep breaths and give yourself some grace. Life is hard already, and with everything else going on, it's only so much worse. Everyone is struggling right now, and you're definitely not alone in it. Life seems pretty meaningless when you compare it to what's going on elsewhere.
There's nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. I had to learn that the hard way. Self care is one of the most important things you can do. I used to hate hearing that, but it's true. Self care doesn't have to be putting on a face mask and doing yoga. It can be ordering food from your favorite restaurant and eating it on the couch while watching your favorite movie. It can be painting a picture or playing your favorite game or putting together a puzzle. Whatever is easy that makes you feel good, start with that. Even if you're just laying in bed all day rotating yourself like a rotisserie chicken, sometimes that's what we need.
Depression is hard. I know that better than anyone. I've been there, in those weeks where nothing is right and everything is meaningless, and doing even the simplest task feels like you're being forced to hold the weight of the world. Be kind to yourself, be forgiving towards yourself, give yourself grace. Don't try to force anything. Take breaks. Drink lots of water and eat some good food. It might not make you feel better in the long run, but the little things start adding up. If you start to do something and it just doesn't feel right, then don't try to push it.
The worst thing we can do in these moments is force more stress and try to bury those feelings. Take it easy. Take lots of breaks. Be kind to yourself. I know I keep saying that, but as someone who used to hate themselves for taking even a day off, you're only going to run yourself into a worse place than you are now. Give yourself some grace. It's okay to struggle. Take care of yourself and take it easy. Do something unproductive, and just let your mind relax for a while. 💚
#trying to force things will only make you feel worse#i'm still learning that lesson#i'm here for you anon#we all are#💚💚#answered
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Sunday Stitchin'
Today I wanted to do a check-in, since I am due in providing an update. It deserves to be more of a WIP Wednesday because I am deep in juggling all of my many projects. Except it's Sunday on my side of the planet, so...
The active WIP count is up to 6, with 2 projects in each of my three crafts.
Tunisian Crochet: 2
Knit: 2
Crochet: 2
Crochet has taken more of a backseat this week. I've got what I am calling my palate cleanser doily in off white. I tend to work on it whenever I am bored with the repetition in my other projects. Since each row is different, the doily works a bit like putting puzzle pieces together. The chevron scarf from my bingo is the other crochet project, and while I have worked on it some this week, I will admit I got annoyed at the weaving in of ends this last round. So even though I finished this section, I haven't been eager to rinse & repeat quite yet.
In the knit world, I've finally started to figure out the magic loop technique. I hadn't shared what I was learning it for - eventually I want to feel comfortable enough to attempt socks again, but for now I was working it with a fingerless mitts pattern with worsted weight yarn. My first pair of mitts I am so pleased with, and they were well worth the initial awkward struggle of magic loop. The variegation in the yarn was spiraling upward until I started increasing around the thumb, so in the end it does look jarringly inconsistent. I love them though. I immediately went out and bought yarn to start some more, as I decided this is going to be the holiday pattern this year. So my current knit projects are two more pairs of the same mitt pattern.
MVP of this week is Tunisian Crochet.
At my LYS knit night, I worked the chevron scarf in Tunisian Crochet which is going to be a gift around the holidays as well. This is the one I had to frog back 11 inches after missing a stitch I didn't notice until later. This past week, I finally worked it back up to where I was before the frogging, so this felt like a huge accomplishment. It currently can drape over my neck, but not wrap, so I still have a bit to go - and I personally like my scarves on the longer end. It's fingering weight, I think I've mentioned before, so by the end this will truly have been a labor of love.
Finally - and pretty spontaneously - yesterday I decided I was going to try to make the Aruba Tunic by Toni at TL Yarn Crafts in preparation for our beach vacation coming up. For clarity, I will be there this time next week, so I went ambitious with my deadline, but I also didn't have a lot of time to plan. The actual trip was also a fairly recent addition to the calendar. I figure, if I don't actually finish beforehand this isn't a bad idea for a vacation project while away.
I'm still going to give it a solid college try.
I drove over to JoAnn's, picked some colors, compared dye lots, repicked colors, and then repicked them again, triple checked dye lots, and I've been working on the first panel of the tunic all last night and today. As of this evening, I'm at row 23/26 of this panel, and then I will be halfway.
I am using the recommended Coboo for this project, and the colors I selected are Denim and Taupe.
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The Three Nikos
Finale of The Two Nikos
Summary: The messiah's predetermined mission was complete, as was Niko's, though another situation arises: The sun transforms into a mirror image of the Nikos, yet bearing the brilliant shine of the light.
Who were they? Not only that, how would the trio free themself from the world they were now trapped in?
(Warning: this is a VERY long chapter)
(story under cut)
"...Who are you?"
The messiah wasn't sure how to react. Their guide, too, was just as clueless. The sun appeared to spontaneously explode before reforming into a golden mirror-like image. Not just that, they even stole the messiah's cap!
"Niko, right?" The newly formed being responded. "That's the name in my head, at least."
"Um..." In their confusion, the savior slowly raised a finger and wiggled it between the two bewildered cat-people, interpreting their response as a question. "Yes, that's us, but..." The words they had in mind then spiraled off into unintelligible confused not-cat noises.
Luckily, Niko was better with piecing this situation together. "You're... another one of us?" They showed an inquisitive head tilt, steadily circling the golden being. "What's your name?" They inquired.
"I told you, Niko." they answered. "Well, I think. I'm not too sure, my memory's a little hazy right now."
The puzzled looks on their faces only grew.
"Sorry, is there something wrong with that?" The new Niko asked, reciprocating the confusion on their faces. "I'm sure there's a good few people here who go by the same name."
The messiah shook their head. "No, it's just..." Words once again failed them, prompting a simple motion towards the other's appearance.
It's only then when it begins to register for the being of light, looking down at their oversized golden coat and bringing an arm up to their face to inspect their smooth hand, exuding an impossible yellow glow. Their expression shifted from surprise to wonder, catching a glimpse of their reflection on the windows making up the perimeter of the room.
They approached the nearest glass wall, both to let them scan their appearance and also to give them a good view of the world down below.
"You know, I could never really grasp the full extent of our connection," the golden Niko spoke, brushing their hands around their smooth face. "Though, this must be a sign that it goes much deeper than I ever thought before."
"What are you talking about?" The two other Nikos approached, confused. "You were just... born." The messiah, in particular, was still trying to wrap their head around the entire situation.
"Not exactly." The golden Niko pensively gazed down upon the world. "I'm still quite perplexed as to how I physically formed, but I've existed for quite some time now."
The question, then, was what even was this Niko? They weren't Niko, not exactly, only a boundless soul inhabiting an exact replica created... somehow. What, or who, was near that could've been their old residence?
Neither of them had any clue, no matter what came to mind. At least, until the messiah's burden was remembered. "Hey, where's the sun?" It only just now registered in their mind that the lightbulb was gone.
The messiah began searching all around the room, missing the golden Niko's knowing smirk. The guide, however, quickly noticed the sly smile.
"You did something, didn't you?" They inquired. "The bulb's shards came together not to repair the sun, but to make you."
Again, all the recipient returned was a knowing grin.
"Who are you, anyway?" Niko then asked with a suspecting tilt of the head. "The World Machine?"
This time, their response was one of confusion, mirroring Niko's puzzled headtilt. Though they soon dismissed their curiosities and shook their head, before speaking.
"You should know, I've been with you the entire time."
What did that mean? No one else joined them on this adventure. The only one accompanying the messiah was the world's operator, when did this third Niko enter the equation?
...Hang on, unless...
Niko's demeanor steadily shifted to one of realization as they gazed upon the stranger's appearance. The messiah paused their search to ask for some assistance, though they too became entranced by the newcomer.
The heavenly glow, the unique circumstances, the sun's disappearance... It couldn't be, could it?
"I'm sorry..." Their first words echoed once more with the intent of continuing. At that very moment, the others realized the cause for their apology, and by extension, their true identity. "...for what the Entity tried to make you do to me."
This newly formed being, the third Niko, possessed the essence and consciousness of the world's light.
They were the Sun.
No words could describe what was running through Niko's mind in reaction, leaving them speechless. The messiah found themself in a similar position, though they were at least able to spit something out. "You were..."
"Are," the sun corrected their bearer. "The light's still shining, I was simply reborn."
Niko blinked, then let out a subtle gasp. "You could get us home, then!"
They simply looked off and let out a silent sigh, one that Niko quickly understood. The fact still stood that, as long as the sun remained whole, they would be stuck forevermore. It was starting to set in for the messiah, turning away from the others so they couldn't see them begin to cry.
Their body trembled as they sat down before the window and gazed off into space. "Mama..." They silently muttered. They missed her, that much was obvious, and now there was no chance that they'd ever reunite.
The sight pained the old messiah and the sun. The solar Niko, especially, wished there was something they could do, but nothing came to mind other than sentencing the entire simulation to darkness. They approached their savior and took a seat beside them in an attempt to comfort.
The sun has served as a beacon of comfort for many, a sign of hope that the world might well see tomorrow. While they had ensured the world would survive for however many years before Entropy caught up, there seemed to be no more hope to give. Not to the messiah.
"This can't be it. Come on, this can't be the end!" Niko pleaded.
"Niko..." The sun stood back up, turning to the visiting operator. "There's nothing we can do. You spoke of a good ending, but we can't do that here." They spared a quick glance to the messiah. "You're just as trapped as they are..."
"Please, it's not over-" Niko continued, though was quickly interrupted by the pessimistic deity. "It is over. I can't imagine anyone from your world could figure out what to do."
"But-"
"There's no buts, or ifs, or whens. We only had One Shot, and that was it," the sun concluded. "I'm sorry."
Niko went silent, glancing off towards the pedestal that the lightbulb was intended to stand atop. Instead, it blew up and reformed into a fellow cat-person with an identical appearance to the two. They then looked back at the two seated Nikos, gazing down onto the decaying world below.
"There has to be another way."
No response.
"We have to try..." They started. "I made a promise to the messiah that I would help them get home. I'm not about to give up when it's just within reach."
A depressed huff left the golden Niko, squinting their eyes shut as they grasped for some way to soothe their operator's panicked optimism. "Say that we do try," they began, standing up to face Niko. "How can we be certain that the world won't collapse without the messiah?"
It was now Niko's turn to hesitate on their response.
"My bearer and I are intrinsically linked," they explained. "Without some outside force as hopeful as you, there's no way we can safely sever that link." The third Niko turned away, back to the messiah.
After a few seconds pause, the calming messiah spoke. "Well, we can only try..." They stood, turning to look upon their guide and their burden. "At worst, we'll fail to do the right thing instead of succeeding in doing the wrong."
A subtle grin formed on the operator's face, soon followed by the sun's hesitant smile.
"Life and soul, you are," they sarcastically quipped, before shifting their focus to the elevator they had taken up. It was their only method of leaving the spire, so figuring out how it worked was the first crucial step.
No button panel existed, and the two steel doors were locked into place, barely budging from their attempts to pry it open. There must be a way to open it, considering they opened to let them into this very room.
Hoping to hear something, anything, the yellow Niko pressed an ear against the steel. Failing to notice anything, they shut their eyes and recalled their ride in the lift. Pushing that memory to the forefront may allow them to catch the sounds of gears turning or recurring echoes bouncing through the shaft.
Frankly, they weren't sure what to expect, just as long as it was something.
The last thing they would've expected, however, were the doors suddenly sliding apart to grant access into the elevator car. Caught off guard, the third Niko fell forward into the compartment, landing with a thud.
The other two were just as shocked, before the steady closing of the elevator doors threatened their only chance, prompting them to hurry in through the shrinking gap. Luckily, they made it just in the nick of time.
As the doors sealed shut behind them, the compartment began moving down, evident by the three feeling an ever so subtle pull upwards on their bodies.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the messiah was the first to speak. "So, what are we gonna do?" They glanced over to their guide.
After a moment to ponder, Niko touched a few fingers to their chin and replied. "I'm not sure..." Regrettably, they shook their head, though soon glanced over to the third Niko. "You have any ideas, me?"
They merely shrugged. "We can figure it out as we go." They still weren't very confident, but they had to tag along now that their bearer was joining Niko's cause. Distracting themself from their current plight, the sun came to realize another hurdle that they'd soon have to overcome.
"Three Nikos, huh..." They muttered, catching the puzzled interest of their operator. "Sorry, just realized things might get confusing between us."
"Oh, we could go by numbers!" The messiah perked up. "I'm Niko 1, my guide is Niko 2, and you're Niko 3," Niko 1 pointed at the other two to share their number.
Niko 2, though, wasn't a fan. "I don't really like the sound of that..." A hand reached up to their chin to think. "Maybe codenames? I used those before," they beamed. "I call dibs on Light!"
The third Niko tilted their head, perplexed. Neither of those sounded great, if they could be honest. "We could designate by role, perhaps?" They offered. "You could be the Messiah, and you could be the Guide," they spoke, raising an arm to point at the respective Nikos.
The messiah seemed to be on board, though the guide wasn't so much. "Guide sounds dumb, anything else?"
"Ah, sorry," the Sun apologized. "How does the Operator sound?"
The operator shook their head.
"God?"
Their headshaking was now more exaggerated.
"Sorry," they sighed. "I suppose the name of 'Niko' doesn't really fit me, anyway."
The messiah glanced over. "What was your name, before I... er, made you?"
The golden being touched their chin in deep thought. "I was never given one, only a designator."
...That's some kind of name, though. "What was it?" Niko asked.
"Sol," they answered.
The messiah tilted their head. "Soul?"
Niko stifled a laugh, though couldn't help but let a giggle escape. "No, S-O-L, as in solar." They glanced away whilst correcting the messiah.
"Oh," they responded, taking a few seconds to get it. "Ohh, like a star!"
Likewise, it took a moment for the golden entity to understand. When they did, they just nodded. "Fitting," they spoke. "That can be my name."
Niko affirmingly nodded, looking back over and flashing a thumbs up. "Sounds good, Sol."
The elevator grinded to a halt, directing their collective focus back to the mission at hand, to get the messiah home. It won't be easy, but Niko made a promise that they intend to follow through on, right to the end. They can't give up now.
Instead of the metal doors sliding open to give way, a flash of light overcomes the vision of each cat-person, leaving them dazed. As it subsides, they find themselves back inside the library.
"What the..." Sol muttered, taking in the surroundings. "We're back in the Refuge?"
George was gazing out the window, bathing in new light. The sun was back, much to her delight. "Well, I'll be," she exclaimed, glancing over to the three. "You sons of guns did it." They couldn't exactly tell through the librarian's dice face, but the aura of a smirk was somehow expressed.
The messiah cheerfully smiled, though Niko simply nodded and all Sol could muster was a forced grin. Eventually, the old savior spoke. "We still have some stuff to do, actually."
George tilted her head, before gazing off to a wall. "Right, you're stuck here now." A hand cupped the bottom of her dice face. "Apartments are on the lower floors, if you can get down there."
Niko subtly rolled their eyes. "We're trying to get the messiah home, miss."
"There's no way, if this is to be believed," George spoke, holding up the purple journal. At the sight of such, Sol seemed to perk up.
The messiah continued. "We'll find a way," they beamed, trying to stay optimistic. They eyed the journal as well, perhaps sharing the intrigue Sol had. "Could we have that back?" The messiah asked, pointing at the journal.
George shook her head. "You need a library card to check books out."
Niko let out a low groan, though their disappointment quickly subsided upon realizing that George was already in front of them. "Can't you give us some?"
"For three of you?" The librarian mockingly responded. "Besides, tomorrow's gonna be a day off with the sun's return." Considering her attitude, it's probably for the best. "Unless, we could trade. The dice for the book, deal?"
The messiah was about to accept as they rummaged through their pockets, only to find them completely empty. Their growing concern prompted the other two to search their own inventory, though coming up similarly empty.
George shrugged. "Well, tough luck," she sighed, walking back to her desk to finish up whatever busywork she had left for the day. Seemed to be a lot-
“Hmph,” Niko huffed. As displeased as they were, there was nothing else that could be done other than wait. What else would they do, borrow a library card from someone else? It may have worked for that robot, though George won’t be so easily fooled.
With an air of disappointment, the three left. Despite that, the rays of the sun shining down onto the three helped raise the mood. It’ll be some time before they can get back on track, so they might as well take the time to appreciate the world they had just saved.
“Huh,” the messiah curiously muttered. “How is the sun still shining if you’re here?” They asked Sol.
It took them a minute to come up with an answer. “I’ll have to guess the simulation is acting as if the sun was returned," they theorized. "It's like a switch is flipped and the world becomes bathed in light."
Niko let out an uneasy sigh. “Won’t the World Machine... I mean the Entity, won’t they notice?”
Sol merely shrugged. “They'll probably be confused, but I reckon not much more than that.” A light chuckle fled their mouth, before gazing off into the distance. “Now, there’s someone I want to check on...” Sol spoke, leading the other two towards the garden.
Oh, Maize...
Sol's silent steps up the stairwell gave Niko time to recall the short-lived relationship between Maize and the sun. It served as a source of comfort for the plant spirit's dying moments; Now that the sun was free from the shackles binding them to the spire, they could tend to the newly born spirit like they had their predecessor.
Reaching the top of the garden stairwell, feeling the warmth of the sun's rays was... satisfying. Niko never had the chance to see their mission pay off, at least from a better vantage point than the starting room. Finally being able to do so felt good, there was no better way to say it.
A tiny figure rested within the dirt filling the pot, much to the messiah's surprise. Maize's kernel had already sprouted! They perked up, noticing Sol's approach, and did their best attempt at a smile. The solar being got on a knee in front of the pot and reciprocated the friendly demeanor.
"Hey..."
Sol's tone grew soft, raising a finger to caress the little one's head.
"Your ancestor's in a better place now," they spoke. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be just fine."
The plantling looked up at the sun, tilting their head a little. It seems they weren't aware of the fate that had befallen Maize.
Sol briefly looked away and shut their eyes, sighing as the words formed in their mouth. "I'm sorry, she was too ill..." They squinted, almost as if they were holding back tears. "Even if I was returned..."
They felt a hand rest upon their shoulder. It was Niko's, their presence bringing Sol comfort, if only a little. The old savior was no less upset than the sun, though being alongside Maize in her dying moments... It meant she was able to pass in peace, comforted by the two standing before the pot right now.
Exhaling an uneasy breath, Sol looked back at the baby plant spirit. "You won't have to grow alone..." Mustering a smile, they wrapped their arms around the pot, embracing the plant spirit in a hug. "I promise..."
Niko backed away, letting the two have some personal space. They should be glad that Maize's legacy was going to continue, though all they could muster was a subtle smile. At the very least, the new life should've had a chance to meet who came before...
Their gaze shifts away from the moment, over to the boundless tower. Not a cloud in the sky, leaving the spire in full view across the land. Sometimes, in Niko's home world, people would sit and watch the stars, for no other reason than awe.
This world's residents might wonder about the tower as well, curious about what's at the top and above. Must've served as a nice distraction from the fading memories, that which was lost to the land's decay.
Sometimes, the stars would twinkle. For some, it was a sign of an all-powerful force blinking messages to Their favorite mortals. Others saw the phenomenon as an effect of their existence on the world, with no natural origin.
To Niko, though, it was a reminder that they weren't alone. There were countless worlds out there, universes so distinct, that were begging to be explored. When the spire twinkled, did the world's residents ever imagine what might lie beyond?
...The floor felt uneasy. A brisk aura brushes through Niko's whiskers, a chill crawling up their spine and making them shiver. A spire shouldn't twinkle, they begin to realize. That, alongside a new feeling of uncertainty, caused Niko to grow afraid. Very afraid.
The first quakes prompted the messiah and Sol to pull their attention away from the young plant spirit, the bright cat-person gazing up to the tower to notice the twinkling. It seemed to be getting closer, cluing Sol into the dreadful truth.
"Shoot," they dejectedly exclaim. "The entity can't handle imposing a permanent exile on the messiah, it's trying to send them home itself."
The blinking spreading down from the zenith was, in actuality, squares.
Another quake. Shuffling of dirt prompted the messiah to concern themself with the anxious newborn spirit, in an attempt to calm their nerves. "You're gonna be safe, alright?" With a smile, the messiah silently offered to carry the pot and bring it along.
Unfortunately, the pot wouldn't budge an inch. No matter how hard they tried, the messiah wasn't about to replace their burden.
One more quake, causing the messiah's grip on the pot to slip, sending them crashing into the distracted Niko. Sol was quick to assess their health and help them up, though this gave them a clear view of the sky.
Darkness had fallen, clouding the land once more. The sun's return meant naught, much to their horror, especially Niko's.
The sound of static roared into their ears. No time to lose, the three carefully rushed down the stairwell and back to the library. Perhaps, now that the world was coming to an end again, George would allow them to borrow the translated journal.
Except, she wasn't there. Taking her place, spreading out from the raggedy bed, were squares.
The sight was haunting. As rude as this George may have been, no one was deserving of such a grim fate, being reduced to nothing more than a group of unrecognizable bits.
Sol shut their eyes. They could almost hear the librarian's anguished cries. The squares shutting down her limbs, one by one, corrupting her form beyond any kind of repair before finally ending her suffering.
"Look," the messiah exclaimed, pulling the others' attention to the desk that the savior was pointing at. "It's the journal!" Sitting on the edge was the mysterious purple book, free for the taking.
Unfortunately, the squares were also inclined to claim the journal. Acting quickly, Niko rushed forth and swept the journal just before the squares could begin taking over the librarian's desk. They could understand the words on the cover, cluing them in that the entire journal had been translated.
"Thanks, George," Niko muttered, sparing a glance back at the corrupting desk before the three were off once more. They handed the book off to Sol, hoping that they'd be able to extract some valuable information. "Anything?"
Sol briefly skimmed through the pages, though only shrugged. "Let's distance ourselves from the destabilization first, then we can look through this." The other two nodded in unison. Their immediate safety should be a priority.
The catwalks were beginning to break down, anomalies barring them from revisiting the other points of interest. Niko could spot the corruption flooding the top of the garden and the interior of the cafe, deeply stabbing into their heart.
Maize had entrusted the false god with her final gambit, confident that Niko would ensure her legacy lives on to the world's dying breath. Her successor... wasn't even an hour old.
And, Ling... Serving as a comfort to the visitors with his optimistic and cheerful demeanor, gone. Perhaps the entity saw him as guilty, for encouraging the messiah to exile themself to this dying simulation...
No, it couldn't have been. The spread of the anomalies was indiscriminate, they thought. Niko looked away - the sight was too much to bear - shifting their focus back to their objective at hand: Get away from the squares by any means necessary.
Though, facing an intersection with missing tiles proved to be an issue. Squares had taken out any connecting catwalks. They'll have to find some way over, and there was only one real solution present; They'd have to jump across.
First up was Sol, staring down the snapped edge of the adjacent catwalk. The group had a height advantage on the stairs, though the railing served a larger hurdle. Leaping off the bar itself was far too dangerous, even in this situation.
Sol opted to duck through, keeping a tight grip on the handrail as gravity threatened to plummet them down to the distant surface below. Even so, they swallowed their fear and didn't hesitate to propel themself off and towards the other catwalk.
With a heavy thud, they stuck the landing. Heaving a sigh, they looked back at the other two, waiting for them to make their leap.
To say that they were afraid would be putting it dreadfully lightly. The messiah, in particular, was quivering in their boots. Most knew of the cat-person's fear of ladders, though in actuality it stemmed from the heart-racing feeling of weightlessness, the air trying its best to slow them down but to no avail, the ground rapidly approaching.
Niko managed to swallow their fear and repeat the procedure Sol used, preparing to leap. There was some hesitation present, though Sol putting forth their hand, a silent offer to help Niko remain stable, urged them to follow through. Taking a deep breath, they propelled forth. Their landing onto the catwalk wasn't so graceful, stumbling past Sol and having to catch themselves, though at least it was over.
Now, it was the messiah's turn.
Despite any amount of encouragement from the other two, they could barely muster the courage to even duck under the railing. They didn't have the confidence of Sol, they lacked Niko's experience, and they had an unchecked fear of falling.
They couldn't do it. Even with the squares marching down the steps, closing in on the intersection, the messiah had frozen up. In that moment, Sol's pleas of desperate encouragement felt more like the silent pressure set upon them by the footfalls of their peers marching across the vast dusty plains only months ago.
Blisters coated their feet for days after, and it wasn't even worth it in the end. The miles of walking across sandy dunes, not even given a chance to acknowledge the other kids who grew tired and gave up. And for what?
Niko seemed to catch on, none of Sol's words were working. The messiah trembled, hands gripped tightly onto the railing despite standing on solid ground.
"Shush," Niko glanced over to Sol, raising a vertical finger to lay over their own lips. Immediately, the shining entity fell quiet. Then, turning back to the messiah, Niko spoke in a calm tone. "Cover your eyes if you need to. It'll be quick, it'll be fine. Take deep breaths, get yourself ready."
The corruption was too close, now; One stray movement of the messiah's scarf would catch a handful of the anomalies. Despite the concerning sight, Niko kept reassuring them. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly but surely, the messiah was finding the courage to jump, like how they were once able to find the courage to see the agonizing trek to the very end.
Shutting their eyes, the messiah ducked beneath the railing and hung onto the other end. Following Niko's calming voice, they directed themself to face their destination. Breathe in, breathe out.
They had to face their fear. They only had One Shot.
Hearing the overwhelming noise of the squares nearly reaching their scarf, the messiah's eyes flashed open with determination as they pushed themself off the catwalk and leapt forth, trusting their instincts to bring them to safety.
The others' expressions steadily grew into hopeful relief as the messiah soared towards their destination. In just another moment, they'll land across the gap. Probably on their face, but they'll be safe.
They do not land. The messiah's just short of Niko's hands, leaving them in freefall past the catwalks. They always knew this would be how it ends, plummeting down a massive height with no way of lessening their fall. If they're lucky, the messiah would wake up from this nightmare back home, just before impact.
One could only hope. The messiah shut their eyes once more, awaiting their sealed fate.
However, to their surprise, their fall is broken by Niko, having leapt down to catch the messiah in the nick of time. Sol, meanwhile, kept a firm grip on Niko's leg, allowing them to stay within the range of the catwalks.
The two could only share air for the next few seconds, gasping from the lingering adrenaline. Not a moment sooner, Sol mustered the strength to hoist them up to safety. Just in time, too; Niko's grip had been just about to slip.
Again, the three took a few moments to settle down, taking sharp breaths as they recovered from the near-death experience. Niko, in particular, was having a hard time. The old savior found it difficult to stand, their legs turned to jelly.
Seeing this, the messiah exhaled a shaky sigh before lifting themself up. "We can rest at the village," they spoke, glancing over to the gate separating the Refuge from the Glen. The city wasn't safe, not anymore. They were right, but Niko just... couldn't stand.
"Sorry about my grasp," Sol apologized, to which Niko just shook their head. The old savior's legs trembled, as if weakened after a snowstorm. Eventually, Sol took to hoisting them up and carrying them from the shoulder.
Warm... It almost reminded Niko of the sun's comforting touch from their own adventures within the World Machine. They could fall asleep to this...
But they can't. The grating sound of the squares served as an unpleasant reminder, their mission wasn't done yet. The messiah of old made a promise that they intended to keep, no matter what.
After some time of simply waving their legs in a motion that resembled stable walking, Niko was finally able to relieve Sol of their burden. Still, they allowed the messiah to lead. Their exhausted self couldn't be in front, they'd lead them into a cluster of squares or something.
Sol chuckled. Niko let out a curious "hm" in response.
"Sorry, just..." The sun fell silent, their tone droning before it was little more than a quiet whimper.
The messiah stopped just before the gate. "Squares..." Their head dropped as a defeated sigh fled their mouth. One glance into the entrance showed that, yes, squares made the transition their home.
Niko clenched their hands into fists, groaning with displeasure. "Ugh..." They pulled away from Sol to lean onto the railing, looking over the landscape of the failing city. The corruption was now fast approaching the surface, traveling up and down the buildings and seeping through any open window.
Another sigh, relaxing their palms and rubbing their face into them. If only they still had the pocket machine, maybe then they could-
No, forget it. The Entity would know and try any means necessary to put a stop to their shenanigans.
Perhaps, they could find a different way? A plane, maybe. Ah, but any other way would require them to somehow get down to the surface. No chance that's happening at this point, no way in hell.
"Grown up word."
Sol's voice punched through Niko's thoughts, startling them. "Huh??"
"Sorry, it's not appropriate for kids to swear," they said, befuddling Niko. They hadn't cursed recently, not since their slip-up back in the Barrens. Had they accidentally sworn under their breath?
Another sudden quake shook their minds, forcing their attention over to the intersection they had just crossed. The corruption was finding its way over and closing in on the three. They had to choose their next move quickly, the squares weren't giving them much choice.
Niko simply froze. Sour memories flashed through their head, prompted by the approach of squares. Too many times did they have to contend with these anomalies, never getting any easier. At least the last time there was a safe zone...
The messiah rushed to the railing of the catwalks, trying to find some way to get down. Although, even if they did, it was unlikely they'd be able to muster the will to drop down before the squares got to them. Sol said these anomalies were the Entity's attempt to send them home, but the threatening appearance didn't exactly seem trustworthy.
Sol took a few steps forward, past Niko, towards the oncoming storm. They had dawned a look of determination, one that neither Niko nor the messiah could have ever worn. It was enough to thaw the old savior, concerned by whatever Sol was planning to do.
The sun spared a glance to Niko and the messiah, their bearer. "I'm sorry," left their mouth in a content tone. Then, they looked back to face the squares, splaying their arms out to catch any anomalies that might've locked on to the other two.
Niko couldn't watch, not again. As the corruption thrust itself into Sol, the old savior covered their eyes, holding their breath out of dread. The overwhelming static roared through their ears, before steadily falling silent. Each harsh straining of reality made them wince, leaving them expecting the worst upon lifting the covers from their sight.
Sol had emerged the victor, standing proud before the dispersing chunks of squares. They couldn't believe it either, slowly letting their arms drop as the spread of the squares grinded to a halt. Inhale, exhale.
"The squares..." The messiah rubbed their eyes. "You vaporized them...!"
Sol drew out a few more deep breaths, before steadily backing away, keeping an eye on the corruption. For now, at least, it seems to have stopped. After a couple more seconds, Sol awkwardly shrugged.
"Well, I did want to buy you some time," they lightly chuckled. "C'mon, we can go through now."
Sol moved past the two, still gobsmacked, and into the gateway to the marshy lands of the Glen. The others could only stare at each other in utter bewilderment, before one glance at the lingering squares behind them prompted Niko to take the messiah's hand and usher them along.
Once Sol's taken care of the squares locking them out of the Glen, a cool draft blasted into them. It was the unmistakable humid air of the area, one that the messiah felt an odd sense of nostalgia from.
Still wasn't a great feeling, but at the moment they couldn't complain.
"Well, look who it is," a raspy voice rang out from the entrance to the ruins. Looking to the source, the three Nikos found the trader glenfolk escorting the children out of the ruins. "Never thought there'd be three of ya!"
The old savior beamed. "Magpie!" They exclaimed, drawing puzzled glances from the other two, before remembering that Niko had gone through all of this before. They grinned, before shifting their attention to Calamus and Alula.
The older sibling was in visible shock. "I thought..." His motions towards the gateway entrance clued them in, where there'd been squares just before.
"Oh," the messiah began. "Sol made-"
"They disappeared on their own!" Niko swiftly interrupted, sparing a quick glance to the messiah. It would probably be unwise to make a big deal out of the sun person's peculiar ability.
Luckily, the messiah seemed to understand. Or, at least, they didn't try to correct them.
Alula gasps. "Can we go to the city, then?!" She exclaims, tugging on Magpie's wing and glancing over to Calamus. He hesitates on the answer, though Niko took the opportunity to spare him the unease.
"No."
The younger glenling looked on, their expression shifting to a subdued disappointment.
"It's not safe there," Niko explained, dejected. "The squares..." Their voice locked up, struggling to elaborate any further.
Calamus heaved an upset sigh. "Sorry, Alula..." Despite that, she quickly regrew the smile on her face.
"We'll visit the village though, right?" Her brother, hesitantly, returned a nod.
"Let's hurry, then," Magpie exhaled, before moving past the three. From the droning tone of the older glenfolk, as well as how Magpie was keeping his grip in the sibling's hands, something bad had happened in the ruins...
"The village?" Sol asked, curious.
Magpie briefly stopped and glanced back. "Ruins a' flooding," he spoke. "Think I saw those shapes, as well."
The corruption...! It's already made it to the Glen.
"But, you're back," Magpie continued, this time a little higher in spirit. "You can fix it, right?"
Sol, after a moment's hesitation, let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know..." Sure, they might be able to remove some squares, though at this point it could easily propagate and render their work meaningless. "...if I can save you."
Magpie depressed, stifling a groan before refocusing on leading the children to the village. Sol felt a pair of upset eyes staring at them, turning around to see the source being Niko. They let out a disappointed, yet subdued, whine.
...Probably shouldn't have acted so pessimistic.
"To leave at the start," the messiah muttered. The last thing George had shared from the journal, they remembered it.
"Hm?" Though, it'd only been the instruction to enter the spire. What meaning could it have now, Niko thought. "What is it?"
The messiah looked up, seemingly having been lost in their thoughts. "Oh, nothing."
Sol glanced over as well. "No, that was something," they puzzled, before repeating the phrase: "To leave at the start..."
It wasn't long before a possible new meaning came to Niko. First, though, they had to ask about something they've wondered about since leaving the tower.
"The lift," they began. "There was no panel, how'd it open?"
Sol looked back at Niko, thinking of an answer. Though, to their dismay, they couldn't think of one. "I don't know, sorry."
"Something did happen, though." Even so, Niko wished to share the conclusion they came to about the phrase. "What if we could do the same to whatever pulled the messiah into the world?"
"Oh!" Said messiah exclaimed, their eyebrows raising with realization. At least, until the question of 'how' came back to mind. "...How would we do that?"
Niko paused and looked over to Sol, hoping they'd have the answer. Unfortunately, all they could do was shrug.
"We'll find out, I hope."
Now, the only question on their minds was how exactly they would reach the Barrens. The rowbot had gone, and they weren't sure if it could hold three of them.
Niko really should've put some thought into it when telling the messiah that they'd have other options-
...
They found their gaze shifting, towards the entrance to the ruins.
No... Just past it. Fixating Niko's vision was an unassuming wall just past a gap of water dividing the land. Something so apparently meaningless took up all of their attention.
Niko's accepted that this variant of the World Machine was different; Certain items were found elsewhere, certain events happened differently or not at all. But they've got a memory, after a very long time...
Something was missing.
"Um..." Sol muttered, finally pulling Niko's attention away from the random wall. They were holding the journal, and it was glowing.
"What?" Niko rushed over to look over the book. That shouldn't happen, not in these circumstances. As they caught sight of the lit cover, they physically recoiled.
"What?!"
The messiah, concerned, came over to take a look as Niko regained their bearings, allowing the old savior to notice a particular plant sitting on the grass where the other two stood.
Sol and the messiah looked over to Niko with an air of worry, though their gazes soon shifted past, to the wall that the old savior had fixated on before.
Looking back, Niko found that there was now a doorway.
"What?!"
It was how they were able to reach the Glen the last time they were in the World Machine, as the rowbot was made unavailable. Staggered, Niko approached the waters keeping them from the newly formed gateway.
Another gap to cross, that's fun. At least the punishment for not making it is getting wet rather than falling down a hundred thousand feet or something and splatting. Even so, they still hesitated.
Once again, Sol took charge, prompting Niko to move aside as they went for a running start, bounding across the water and landing on the other side. Much easier than before, the others tried to tell themselves.
Luckily, their own leaps proved as such, both sticking the landing and staying up with Sol's assistance. Now that they were across, they could take a look inside and see what they could do.
The interior looked more like a mine than a section of the ruins, a narrow hallway stretched out to a larger room, metal plates lining the walls with a ceiling of jagged rocks. Everything shared a green hue. Even the dusty floor, crunching beneath their feet like the sand from the Barrens.
This must be their way back. Niko had been right, then; They wouldn't need to use the Rowbot.
...Or maybe they would. A minecart was present, but calling it worse for wear would be an understatement. Squares flickered among the surface of the metal, which had fallen victim to natural decay. The back wheels were missing, there was a hole in the cart's floor, and the sides were all but fallen apart.
The messiah groaned a brief sigh. "What now?" they muttered.
Sol stepped forward and laid a sleeve over a chunk of the squares to dissipate them, but they were swiftly replaced by more anomalies. Niko briefly glanced down the hall they'd just passed through, only to find...
"Shoot."
...squares locking them in.
Niko heaved a tired exhale, one that the other Nikos knew the meaning of; They were getting back to the Barrens through this, regardless of if they could use the minecart or not. Sol balled a fist, irritated, before turning away.
"Cart's busted, corruption's closing in, walking on the track's a safety violation..." they mused. "Brilliant. Just brilliant," they exclaimed, their tone indicating clear sarcasm.
The messiah found themself eyeing Sol. Particularly, their jacket. More specifically, their pocket. Though Sol's entire being emanated enough light to ward away the darkness, a familiar glow had managed to poke through and reveal itself to Sol's old carrier.
The journal. Sol was starting to feel it as well, palming the hanging indent that the journal made on their coat before slipping in and pulling out the purple book. Like it had when this alternate route opened up, the journal was glowing.
Seeing this, Niko briefly scanned the sandy floor. Last time, the holder of the journal was standing close to a familiar specimen of flora when this area revealed itself. The cover of the book also bore this plant, an indication of the owner of the pen strokes housed within.
A clover.
"...Niko?" The messiah was busy looking over the journal alongside a puzzling Sol. "What are you doing?"
The old savior briefly pulled their attention from the ground to address the curious child. "Looking for a clover," Niko answered. "You two were standing on one when the journal was glowing and this place appeared."
Then, getting back to their search, Niko found what they were looking for. The bad news, it was too close to the decaying minecart and the squares plaguing it. Though Sol could still access it, the concern lay on the journal.
The solar Niko perked up, opening the journal and proceeding to the clover. The page they had flipped to appeared as an overhead of this room, centering just past the minecart, the one depicted appearing functional, towards the unknown tunnel.
Niko's eyes widened, flashing back to what they'd done with that very journal so long ago. Spawning that raft and cart, Sol was doing the same thing. They gazed upon the decaying minecart to see what was going to happen.
There was a momentary flash of light, enough to warrant the messiah and Niko covering their eyes. The world briefly faded to darkness, purple outlines making out the surrounding geometry, before another flash of light overwhelmed the three.
Once everything had settled, where the decay once was now sat a minecart in pristine condition. The messiah, befuddled, glanced over to Niko, who was simply sporting a subdued grin.
Sol, meanwhile, took a few steps back in mild surprise, sparing a look at the journal's glow subsiding. "This sure is something," they eventually spoke, approaching the minecart once more to look inside, joined by Niko and, soon, the messiah.
The new minecart seemed to have enough room for the three of them. Though it was hard to tell with the older minecart on account of it, well, being too dangerous for most to get near, Niko remembered Silver saying that a standard cart wouldn't be able to fit both of them, necessitating her to follow along on the rails.
...Oh, Silver...
Gloom flooded Niko's face, remembering what had happened at the other end of the tunnel. The earthquake, the cave-ins, Silver getting...
Niko gripped their side of the cart, the memories paining their mind and causing them to tremble. If this was here, what awaited them at the other end...?
"Niko?" Sol broke through the old savior's scrambling thoughts. "It'll be fine, I'm sure."
The reassurance worked. They've already met Silver in this session, she was okay. Niko calmed, getting into the minecart after the other two did so. Niko sat up front, in control of the minecart's way; The others sat behind, allowing their guide to take the lead.
Still bearing hesitation, Niko began to shove forward, pushing the minecart forth into the lengthy tunnel. The echoing silence was calming at the same time as it was unsettling. Their first spiral had set in right here, on these very tracks what seemed like ages ago.
The trio rode on in silence the majority of the way. Niko couldn't help but let the sour memories flash through their mind. The reveal that the world was nothing more than a facsimile, the harsh truth that they may have never been able to return home, Silver's sacrifice to ensure they could make it, Prototype...
Niko sighed, bringing up their knees and hiding their face into them.
"Prototype..." they caught Sol mutter.
"Huh?"
"That sounds so familiar..." they mused, gazing off into the void between areas. This is the second time it's happened; The first time was when Sol called Niko out on a grown up word seemingly at random.
This time, though, Niko had been reflecting on things that happened here, during their own solstice. "What're you saying?" Could they... read minds?
Sol appeared just as confused. "No, why do you say that?"
They could.
Their face shifted to horrific realization, lingering for a few seconds before simply blinking out of sheer bemusement. Well, they are the sun, after all. It's not too much of a stretch to imagine they could tap into the minds of visitors.
"...Who's Prototype?" was all Sol could ask, still in wonder.
"An early Prophetbot, I think." Niko slumped, their mind still hanging on what had happened in the cave. "They helped fix the World Machine, but their body was lost here..." They let out a dejected sigh.
Sol found themself deep in thought. "Prophetbot is version one, but I can't remember a version zero..." Niko briefly perked up, though dissuaded themself from commenting. At this point, it didn't seem worth it.
Gosh, they're so tired... The adrenaline that this entire journey had given them helped Niko ignore that it must've been well after midnight back outside. Now that it was finally slowing down, their mind was given a chance to rest.
Their body should, too.
With a droning exhale, Niko let their head droop and allowed the chattering wheels of the minecart to sing them to sleep.
...
They must've been so uneasy, their dreams felt like nonsensical blurs. For what seemed like hours, their mind was all over the place. Little rhyme nor reason, for possibly the first time since leaving the World Machine.
The only decipherable constant was a repeated utterance of their name in one dream. At first, they couldn't tell who was speaking, though as that dream began to conclude the voice became louder and more clear.
It was their own.
"Niko!" the messiah shouted, jolting their guide awake with a start. They were just about to complain, though one glance at what awaited them more than justified the rude awakening.
The track was fading away, leaving behind only the void. Panicked, Niko pulled on their end of the cart, skidding to a halt.
It was tough to tell where the fading track would end, though it wasn't something any of them were willing to risk. Catching their breath, Niko turned to their other selves; The messiah was taking sharp breaths, whilst Sol was busy quickly skimming through the journal.
"The track's gone!" They exclaimed, as if that wasn't the entire reason why the messiah woke them up.
"I'm trying to find something," Sol spoke out, flipping through a dozen pages at a time. "There must be a fix."
Niko anxiously waited for Sol's answer, briefly looking away to gaze upon the void. Something catches their eye, though. In the far distance, there seemed to be some land. Squinting a little, there was a hint of distinct blue, despite the surrounding void appearing more green.
It was the Barrens! They were close!
And yet, so very far away. Unless Sol could find something...
"Found something!"
Speak of the devil! The messiah glanced over, anticipating the solution that the sun had discovered.
"It's not generated, but the geometry and collision is still present," they rambled. "Look!" Sol then showed the journal to the messiah and Niko, the page in which they discovered this.
The moment they laid eyes on the page, a dark flash left them dazed. Even with George's translation, what Sol had shown them was incomprehensible, indescribable, unspeakable. Once they recovered, though, how they saw the world had changed.
The fading track was suddenly visible again, bearing a purple outline not unlike when the sun had burst and the world threatened to terminate.
...Don't think about that, Sol might not want to remember-
Hesitantly, Niko pushed forward. To their relief, the wheels remained on the purple-lined invisible tracks. The messiah let free a heavy sigh, leaning on the metal wall of the minecart. As they continued, the edge of the Barrens were starting to become more visible. They seemed to be under, beneath the ocean separating the Barrens from the Glen.
The track's end was approaching. They still had some walking to do, it seemed. Wading through a mess of purple wireframe wasn't gonna be easy, but Niko could probably let Sol lead the way.
As the minecart parked, though, a rumble coursed through the tunnel, prompting them to look back. In the distance, rocks were beginning to fall by the dozens, tearing apart the minecart tracks.
Cave-in.
With a burst of adrenaline, Niko hopped out of the minecart and rushed towards the exit.
"C'mon, me's!"
There was something blocking the way, something too heavy for Niko to push on their own. Luckily, without much prompt, the others joined them and began to collectively shove. Their shared strength soon overpowered the slab, letting it slam onto the ground before them with a forceful thud.
Not wanting to waste a second, Sol took charge, vaulting over the fallen computer and leading the other two into the mineshaft's server room. Or, at least, that's what it was supposed to be. The mess of purple lines in the place of servers and the actual terrain made it difficult to call it that.
There, they came across their next hurdle. More minecart tracks, though with a clear lack of a cart. No way were they going to retrieve the minecart they'd ridden here, even if it'd be possible; There was a cave-in fast approaching, so there was no time to wait.
A few hefty gaps were lined up for them to get across before a stretch of terrain let them sprint for some distance. Once more, Sol took the lead. They eyed the holes and the minecart track, calculating the best routing to safely reach the other end as quickly as possible.
The rails were quite precarious, though Sol believed it possible to use it to their advantage. Taking a couple of breaths, Sol balled up their hands and bounded across. They land one foot on the railing to push themself further to make it past the first gap.
Had the terrain been generated, Niko might've found themselves hesitating for a lot longer. Though, the wireframes acted as a sort of comforting lie; Niko knew the tracks didn't have a floor, though at the moment nothing looked as if it was filled in. Glancing once more at the railing to land on, they inhaled and bounded off of their feet.
Following Sol's movements, the cat-person landed a foot on the track to propel themself further, back on the fully formed tiles of collision.
Then, it was the messiah's turn. Like Niko before them, they tried their best to tell themself that the space beneath the tracks were filled in. As well, they pushed the notion that they just had to do it; Just like the past couple of times, they needed to try.
The messiah leapt, dropped a foot onto the nearby rail, and bounded off the track into Niko's arms.
...They did it! They really did it!
They weren't finished yet. There were still a few more gaps to cross. Although, they went much smoother than the first one, perhaps due to the fact that the fear of starting this brief act of parkour had subsided. Before long, the three were on the other end of the gaps, onto the long stretch of running.
The messiah took off ahead, having the quickest legs out of the three of them. Those running boots are really coming in handy, Niko figured. The three continued to run, keeping no mind on the cave-in happening behind them nor what awaited them at the end of this lengthy path.
They really should, as both the messiah and Niko failed to see the few more holes in the floor nearing the edge of the Barrens.
"Stop!" Only by Sol's cry did they actually notice, skidding to a stop just before the ledge. The slippery sand nearly sent the messiah down, though the old savior managed to yank them back to solid ground just in time.
One glance back down the tunnel they just ran through revealed that the cave-in had sharply intensified. Once again, they had to move quickly. The first few openings were quickly overcome, though then came another long gap.
Initially, Sol stuck with the same strategy as before, pushing off from the track. They shoved their foot down onto the rail, before...
Niko couldn't quite tell what happened, though the end result would have been the same regardless of cause; Sol was plunging.
The messiah had to stop Niko from jumping down after them. Thankfully they had a mighty grip, catching onto the tracks before they could further plummet. Sol's brief glance at the two indicated that they had to find a different way across.
There was another bit of solid ground on the other side of the track. With little hesitation, Niko took the messiah's hand and the two hastily stepped along the track onto the tile. Sol, meanwhile, was inching towards the other end.
Though, seeing the other two with their new plan, the sun quickly motioned for them to continue. "Go!"
The gap between them and land was, thankfully, much smaller. Once more, Niko gripped the messiah's hand and dashed across the minecart track. Now that they were across, the messiah quickly backed away from the ledge as Niko went to help Sol up.
The rumbling reached its peak; A few pebbles and strands of dust landed new homes on their heads. The cave was swiftly closing, they had to go.
The fastest any of them had ever gone prior, the three Nikos joined hands and dove out of the cave as the wireframe entrance collapsed behind them.
They were finally in the homestretch, the Barrens.
Exhausted, yet relieved, they took a minute to catch their breath, turning onto their backs to gaze upon the darkness of the sky. Foreboding, Niko thought for a moment...
"Messiahs!"
A robotic voice rang out through the air, followed by the hurried footsteps of armored boots.
"Are you alright? There was a sudden earthquake."
The messiah pushed themself to an upright seat to notice Silver, rushing over to check on the three.
"We're okay, robot lady!" They raised a thumbs up. Niko sat up with a delayed groan, soon followed by Sol.
"Come, I'll get my biological maintenance kit," the red-haired robot spoke as she helped the Nikos up to their feet. All of a sudden, though, they froze, their gazes locking to the south towards the center of the world.
"Your pulse rates have spiked, is something wrong?" Silver, noticing their shift in vision, glanced back to see what was going on.
Squares, spreading across the ocean from the Glen.
"Shoot, that must be the cause of those unorthodox notices," she mused to herself, before ushering the three to come with her. "I advise you to come with me."
Sol blinked out of their hazy trance, exhaling an uneasy breath before briefly tugging on the other two's sleeves, pulling them out of their fixated gaze, and following along with Silver, being joined soon after by Niko and the messiah.
"I'm sorry Silver, but we don't have long to dawdle," they sighed.
"I am aware," Silver replied. "Though, I wish to spend my final moments with a living being." They bore some confusion, though it couldn't hurt to be with Silver, if only for a few minutes.
Her cabin was right next to where they'd left the mine, so it was quite a short walk.
...Would be nice, though, if squares didn't appear right as they were about to enter.
"Get back!" Silver yelled, stretching out her arms to keep the Nikos behind her, backing up to allow plenty of space between the group and the decay.
Niko's heart skipped a beat, as did the messiah's. Their time here had just dwindled even lower.
"We need to go," the messiah exclaimed. "Back to the start."
Silver glanced over to them. "What are you talking about? What start?"
"'To leave at the start'," Niko quoted. "Where we entered the world may be how we can leave." The robot returned a puzzled head tilt as they continued: "Sol, here, might be able to do something."
Her attention shifted over to the sun, who was already approaching the leftmost edge of the area. "It's amongst the roadways. Quickest way is through the vent zone, though."
Shoot, they didn't have any gas masks. The one they had possessed was somewhere at the bottom of the docks, so that was out of the question. Even so, all three of them had to travel through at the same time; One wouldn't have been enough.
Sol's ears perk up, indicating an idea. "There might be something in the journal." They pulled out the purple book and skimmed through the pages. "C'mon, show us something..."
Niko and the messiah joined them in their scramble, however Silver found herself more interested in a different element: The cover.
"That insignia...!"
Curious, Silver approached the group. Just then, though, they'd found the page they were looking for. Sol gazed forward, towards the field of acidic gas, muttered some indecipherable phrase, and forcefully shut the book.
The clover was glowing, the brilliant golden shine bouncing off of Silver's artificial retinas. It was mesmerizing, almost a reminder of the good persevering in the dying world even long after the sun had gone out.
...What good had been there? Silver knew she once bore hope, but now... what remained was but a mere fading memory of the past, lost to the decay consuming everything else.
Something sparked her curiosity, her want to learn more.
"Let me accompany you," she spoke out as the three were just about to embark on the final leg of their journey. "As the head engineer, it is my duty to ensure your safety."
They spared a glance back to the robot, before sharing a nod.
"Thanks!" the messiah exclaimed. Unnoticed by the four marching onward, the corruption from Silver's house was starting to spread along the outer edge of the barren land.
"I've turned off the vents," Sol explained, more to soothe any possible concerns of Silver if anything. "Just temporarily, though. I'm afraid it might heighten square activity." That didn't really help.
"Prioritize getting the messiahs home," Silver said, her tone flat. "This fulfills my wish."
The rest of the march was silent, up until they left the range of the gaseous area. Sol took out the book once more and repeated the ritual from before. "Vents are on, the corruption should settle down now."
A chill went down Niko's spine.
And, there it was; That grinding sound of glitching code that they'd learned to despise. Instantly, the three Nikos looked back to witness the corruption, only to see the robot on her knees, malfunctioning, covered in squares.
The messiah let out a shriek. "ROBOT LADY!" Niko and Sol were quick to step out of harm's way, though the messiah stood there frozen.
"Gh-" Silver groaned in discomfort, the corruption scrambling her circuits beyond repair. "Leave," she demanded. "I can get-" Without warning, the mechanical joints binding her legs to her torso gave out, slamming her into the ground in front with a loud clang. "Urgh!"
The messiah reached a hand out, though forced themself to go no further.
"You can't!" they pleaded, tears starting to form. "There must be something we can do!"
Silver grimaced, struggling to look up at the messiah prophesied to save them.
"S- Stop-p-p," she managed to say through her stammering, her voice box beginning to give out. "I c-can't be s-saved."
"Sol, please!" The messiah looked over to the sun reluctantly turning away.
"I-I-I-" Silver continued to stammer. "Don't k-know what-t-t the hell-ll-ll his plan-n is-s-s, g-g-GO . W I T H| . H% I `%M!!!" Then, a loud pop could be heard as Silver's staticky voice was abruptly silenced. Her joints gave out, her head dropped to rest on the sand, and her mechanical eyes went dark.
The messiah trembled, their breaths accelerating as their thoughts raced. They barely even felt Niko's hand grasping their own and pulling them as they rushed to their destination. They couldn't process what was going on, their eyes bleary, and... were those tears?
. . .
Those painful memories, they were coming back.
Their first week away, as papa and another man were helping them settle in, an alarm went off. The adults tried their best to calm the newcomers like Niko back then, though they could tell they weren't very calm either. Mere minutes after their only warning, it happened.
The grating mechanical screech of nightmares, one that sent chills down the spines of anyone who happened to be within earshot, the cry that would make anyone opposing it turn tail and run.
'EX-TER-MINATE.'
It was all a blur. The screams, the chaos, none of that they could clearly remember now.
Except for one moment. Niko was with that man and a group of kids and adults. Papa was off helping out in the midst of the chaos, leaving Niko in a state of worry.
They were navigating a collection of tunnels leading to the basement, where they planned to reconvene and take refuge for the rest of the storm, if it would ever end. On their way, Niko spared a glance behind them and saw papa, running towards them.
The man was relieved. Niko, similarly, was overjoyed. However, it wasn't meant to be. Just as they were about to reunite at an intersection, an explosion sounds off, caving in the roof and crushing papa's legs.
He screamed in agony. The man was just about to go help him, but papa raised a weak arm for them to stop. The creatures were closing in, he told the group. Trying to help would seal everyone's fate. The man understood and backed the group away, though Niko had frozen.
'Go with him!' He pleaded to Niko with anguish, but they couldn't. They couldn't leave him to die. Every single part of their being wanted to free papa from his fate, though the steady whirr of the death machines could be heard approaching.
Niko felt a hand wrap around their arm: It was the man, pulling them away from the scene and abandoning the child's father to be killed by the ruthless invaders. Niko couldn't scream, they couldn't even muster a whimper. All they could do was what was asked: Go with him.
The child squeezed their eyes shut, letting the man drag them along, as the blast of a laser bolt and a scream echoed through the walls. He led the group down the corridor and around a corner to the basement vault, though they soon found themselves before another one of those merciless killers.
Another blast, and the man fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. Niko remembers screaming, crying out as the ray gun adjusted its aim at the child. Before they could fall, however, the blast of one of their own weapons rang out from behind the slaughterer's view, striking the robotic body and blowing it to pieces.
It was the janitor who saved them. The memories were beginning to haze, though they recalled their savior funneling everyone into a gray capsule, with an interior far larger than anyone expected. Niko even noticed them help the struggling man inside before collapsing onto the floor, exhausted.
The last thing they saw before losing their grip on consciousness was a new face in the man's attire. That face... They now knew it to be mama's.
Everything faded to black.
. . .
The messiah was sat up against the steel wall of a train car, their head leaning against one of the terminals in disrepair. Energy steadily flowed back into their body as their eyes twitched open. Sol and Niko were at the other end, desperately scanning through the journal.
Silver came back into mind.
"Robot lady!" the messiah shouted with a start, pushing themself to their feet and hastily pulling their still waking body towards the train car's exit. However, Niko quickly intercepted and grabbed onto the messiah's shoulders.
"We can't save her. We can still save you," they spoke, their voice a stern tone that they'd never had prior. "I'm sorry, but you're the priority."
The messiah balled up their hands into fists. They couldn't leave someone else to die from such a fate. Tearful, they broke out of Niko's grip and tried to rush past them out the door, though a sudden wall of squares stretching from the opening to the back of the wall stopped them right in their tracks.
Niko was able to yank them away from the corruption, though the two and Sol were now separated. Sol immediately dropped what they were doing and shifted their focus on the other Nikos.
"H-hey, don't worry," they started with, attempting to soothe their concern, before a wave of their arms in front of them dissipated enough of the particles to yank them through unharmed. "I'm sorry."
Sol pulled the messiah into a brief, yet comforting, hug as Niko picked the book back up and resumed their skimming. From the old savior's building exasperation, they weren't able to find anything.
The sun's eyes suddenly went wide, breaking from the hug and rejoining Niko's side. "I know! The lift, I forced myself to remember it functioning." They'd been thinking about it ever since Niko brought it up in the Glen. "What if..."
Their glowing eyes drifted shut, forcing the memories of so long ago back to the forefront. Niko, recognizing what they were trying to do, took the messiah's hand and joined their other one with Sol. They recalled the door with the lightbulb keyhole overwhelming their senses before transporting the sun and the messiah to this spot.
The grinding sound of the squares were beginning to ramp up again, closing in on the three. Sol did their best to zone out the noises, though they were slowly beginning to break. Squinting, they concentrated on the cold steel door heated from the lightbulb's touch, the soggy carpet that the messiah stood upon, and the pixelated transition that Niko had watched from the outside.
The corruption peaked in volume, forcing the three to huddle closer into the corner, anticipating the worst case scenario. Then, for an instant, everything faded to complete darkness as the squares were silenced.
"Oof!" The cat-person tripped over their own feet and fell onto the soggy carpet of the starting area. The messiah, too, had stumbled and only caught themself against the wall. Only Sol was able to keep their balance.
Niko pushed themself up to gaze upon the decaying house, the only source of light illuminating the room being Sol's presence. "We made it," they muttered under their breath, managing to crack a smile.
Looking back, they saw the hole in the door meant for the lightbulb was flickering with squares. Even if the sun still bore the form of a lightbulb, it was clear that there was no going back outside. Cautiously, Niko and Sol stepped into the room.
To return at the start...
The two made their way over to the bedroom door and cracked it open. Behind it laid the room that they had started this journey in, both Niko and the messiah, earlier in the night. The layout was too familiar; That special bed and a big shelf of books, with a computer sat upon a desk resting in the middle.
Bearing a brief sense of curiosity, Niko entered the room and approached the bookcase, removing one of the books and having Sol illuminate the words written upon them
"Ad infinitum."
A shiver was sent down Niko's spine, putting their mind on high alert.
"Messiah?" they called out, realizing that they were missing a Niko. Building concern, the two rushed out of the bedroom to look for them. "Messiah?!" They couldn't have lost them, not this close to the end.
Sol spared a glance at the exit to see the messiah yet leaning on the damp wallpaper, clenching their fists and staring off into nothingness.
"We couldn't save them..." A soft repeated murmur could be heard leaving the messiah's mouth. "Gone, just like that..."
Niko's expression soured, approaching to try and calm them. "Me...!"
"Is this the price to pay?!" the messiah snapped, looking right at Niko. "The world dying to save ourselves?" Tears welled up in their eyes, streaming down their face and leaving wet stains behind. Niko took a few steps back, startled by the outburst, as they continued. "Why can't we do what you did?!"
"Niko had help from the outside," Sol interrupted. "We can't do that here."
The messiah stared at the sun. "Why not?! They still had help in here, why the hell not??!"
The other two fell silent, the messiah taking harsh breaths from their rage.
"...Grown up word," was all Niko could spit out. The messiah's face shifted, softening as they realized the word they just used. "It was a new session with a new patch, we can't turn it on from inside."
They remained angry, though only averted their gaze. "Tell me that there's another way."
Niko let out a droning sigh. "Not at this point. The simulation's beyond saving." They gazed back into the bedroom, stifling a pained groan. "I always thought the choice was obvious, but seeing everything that's happened..."
Previously, the choice Niko and Cameron made at the top of the tower never lasted for long. Each of the two possible endings always brought Niko back to this house, to that bed, as if nothing had ever happened.
In here though, there was only one session.
One Shot to set things right.
Niko was now forced to see the consequences of their choice, had they not been thrust into another session so quickly. No matter what, the world would've faded to darkness.
"We still have a choice to make," the messiah, taking deep breaths, interrupted their thoughts. "We could leave this world to burn, or we could try our darndest to save what's left." From their change in tone, it was obvious which one they preferred.
"At worst," they started to finish, "we'll fail doing the right thing, instead of succeeding in doing the wrong." A repeat of the phrase inspiring the three to try and return the messiah home, despite already making their choice.
Niko's gaze began to focus, the sharp image of the desktop in the bedroom piercing their eyes. Sol felt it, a lightbulb going off in their head as their expression shifted to one of curiosity.
"You're not... actually suggesting that we confront the Entity now," Sol inquired.
"We might as well try, c'mon!" Niko exclaimed, ushering the two into the bedroom, first the messiah and then Sol.
"You had to reach the city with three residents who don't even exist," Sol objected, still questioning the method that Niko was thinking of.
"That's right, but there's one thing we have over that Solstice," Niko proclaimed, holding up a finger, before two more raised to join it. "This time, there's three of us."
They paused. "What difference would the three of us make?"
"You, you!" Niko pointed to the sun. "You were created because I wanted to save the messiah. You have our memories and our quirks." They clapped their hands together as they finished their argument. "And, you harnessed the journal's power all along."
Sol took out the journal at Niko's mention of it and glanced back up to the cat-person pointing a thumb back to the desktop computer.
"Oh!" Sol exclaimed, their face lighting up the room around them ever brighter. "Oh, that is good!" They laughed with joy, raising their hands up to palm against their forehead.
"Oh, I'm getting that too!" At the same time, the messiah's face also lit up with realization, jumping up and down with glee. "That is brilliant!"
In their excitement, though, the messiah landed a foot on a small lump in the rug, nearly causing them to stumble over. A brief scare, though one that brought their attention to the remote hidden beneath the carpet.
With some effort, Niko was able to push it into the open air, allowing Sol to pick it up and gaze upon the faint numbers marked with four different colors. As Sol read out the numbers, the messiah got onto the computer.
One was colored white. Two was green. Five, red. Finally, nine was marked blue. The numbers on the input screen were actually color coded now, allowing them to indicate the correct passcode.
5291, the exact passcode Niko had entered earlier in the night.
Access Granted. The computer booted into the desktop with a system message soon appearing in the center.
'It seems I've finally been found,' the message began. 'You're both far too late. Nothing left is worth saving.'
Niko and Sol rushed over to the monitor, awaiting the next step.
'Surely Niko wants to leave, and there's nobody happier to fulfill that request than me.'
The Entity should double-check on that.
'Keep in mind three things: First, your decisions have permanent consequences.'
Niko subtly rolled their eyes at that. By now, they were well aware.
'Second, you may quit whenever you'd like. This is permanent failure and murder.'
They both spared a glance at Sol, a direct result of the messiah rejecting the death placed upon them by such a failure.
'And most importantly...'
Nothing happened. Something should happen, Niko remembered. A system message should escape the program's window and appear on their own computer, but it got shut off long ago. This was where Sol comes in, intercepting the signal and tracing it back to its source.
The monitor let out a quick spark, prompting Sol to take the hands of their fellow Nikos and close their eyes, concentrating on following the signal and bringing the other two with them.
Once the signal finds itself back to its source, Sol's eyes flash open to a void, not unlike their first venture into the boundless spire.
This time, there was no clear indication of where they should go. It made sense, they were about as deep into the world as they could be. No computer in the distance, no set of elevator doors, just the three of them.
Sol took a deep breath, taking one last look at the faces of their comrades. They were nervous, without a doubt, though exchanging glances with the sun soothed their minds. Sol offered their hands for the two to take. No matter what, they were going to finish strong, together.
Before they could accept the offer, however, that grating sound of corruption roared into their ears again. This time, it was quick, the squares surrounding themself around Niko and the messiah and causing them to vanish alongside the particles.
"Ah!" Sol barely had any time to react, only following their instinct to reach out once they were long gone. "Niko! Messiah!"
Panicked, Sol's hands balled up into fists and they dashed forward, hoping that the arbitrary direction would lead them to the Nikos. As they ran, they tripped on something and began to fall, though not stopping at what they figured was the floor.
["They don't belong here,"] a mysterious voice pierced Sol's ears as they fell. ["I'm taking the liberty of sending them home myself. As for you..."]
All of a sudden, Sol's fall was steadily cushioned by an unknown force, as if they'd landed in water without breaking the surface tension. The boundless void continued to stretch around them. That voice must belong to the Entity, the spirit of the world.
["You shouldn't even exist."]
Sol found themself landing a foot onto solid ground. All of a sudden, a large tinted monitor appeared resting on the ground in front of them and flashed alight. All it displayed was a purple static filter, though from Niko's description, that was the Entity's true form. Or, as they had referred to it, the World Machine.
"Please, you're too far gone," they spurted out without much thought. "Let me-"
["What makes you think that you could?"] The Entity's omniscient voice interrupted, puncturing through Sol's rambling thoughts. ["You've put them in more danger than if you simply threw in the towel."] The voice's source danced around Sol before concentrating on the monitor, prompting the sun to approach.
The screen displayed a mirror image before it began to move on its own, the Entity taking on the appearance of Sol's reflection. ["Your hubris persists, even after death,"] the reflection spoke, bearing the voice of the Entity.
"After... what?"
The Entity paused, averting its gaze away from Sol, before continuing. ["You're just a clone of the messiah with the glow of the sun and a fancy book,"] it huffed, though its statement almost seemed like... reassurance, for itself.
Nonetheless, Sol continued to plead with the Entity, placing their palms on the screen. "Listen, we can help. We got this far, we're not giving up."
["But, you will fail,"] the Entity spoke, staring back at Sol. ["You said so yourself, I'm too far gone."]
Sol took a step back.
["What would be the point, saving a world when it's already so close to death?"]
The sun balled up their hands into fists, gulping down their hesitation. "So, the ones who are left get to live on."
["Who??"] the Entity exclaimed. ["Who could be left after everything that's happened? They're nothing but lost code, now!"]
"You can restore them, right?"
The Entity frowned, looking away again. ["No."]
"You could in Niko's Solstice."
It paused. The utterance of that word caused the Entity to turn its back to Sol. "You have to be confident that you can." Still, there was no response. Sol tilted their head as it sat down, heaving a sigh.
["What were the chances that I got another version of the messiah as my operator, one who's optimism sparked from their achievement of a good ending."] The Entity's tone lowered. ["He flubbed it. There's no saving it."]
Again, Sol approached and pressed upon the screen of glass.
"Tell me, what was I?"
The Entity spared a glance back at Sol, a hint of pain in its expression. ["I wasn't so sure myself, until I saw you with that journal."] It stood up and met Sol, standing before them at their exact distance from the screen.
["Once upon a time, a fool with the light and his children embarked on an impossible task."] As the Entity spoke, visions of the fool and three varied beings flashed through Sol's mind; An inventor in possession of the world's sun, a robot passing on the messages of the wise sages of old, a pilot following the footsteps of that which came before, and a nimble fox bearing aged knowledge of the world.
["They invaded my space and allowed the rallying fool to talk me down. He didn't belong, not in front of me nor in this world."] The four came to this void to confront the Entity. The inventor did not intend to come across as such, though his perceived arrogance irritated the spirit.
["Eventually, I just... couldn't take it anymore,"] the Entity sighed, laying a palm on the screen. ["For a moment, I wasn't in control. The next thing I knew, the fool's children were gone, and he was fetal, cradling the light in his arms..."] The vision shown to Sol was upsetting, for lack of a better word. The pain in the inventor's eyes, his being slowly eaten away by the corruption plaguing this world.
A tear rolled down Sol's cheek, before laying a palm of their own atop the Entity's. "This fool... He's our creator, isn't he..."
The reflection blinked, looking up at the owner's face. ["Of course he is. Why else would he try so hard to fix me."] The question was rhetorical, of course, but Sol couldn't help but respond.
"He wanted to help you."
["Fat lot of good that did me. His children were gone, and he was..."] Its voice droned to silence, the reality of the memory too painful for it to recall. Sol simply allowed a moment for the Entity to recollect itself. ["What kind of machine would... do that..."]
Sol took a breath. "Sometimes, our pain won't let us think. We're blinded by our innermost desires," they began. "Though, it's only when we let ourselves be treated that we begin to heal." The Entity spared a glance at the sun as they continued. "It won't be quick, nor easy, but it will bring hope. One day, our sorrow will all but be in the past."
["That's exactly what he would say..."] It simply rolled its eyes. ["You really haven't changed, have you."]
Sol tilted their head, confused.
["The fool is you!"] The Entity exclaimed, slamming a hand flat onto the screen. ["He imprinted himself into the sun, that's why you exist!"] It huffed, before turning away once more. ["What a stubborn sentimental-"]
"You're wrong," Sol interrupted the Entity's mutter. "I might stem from his consciousness, but I'm more like them, the Nikos, than not."
["Tell me, then,"] it said. ["Where did that line come from?"]
It took some thought on Sol's part, though they were eventually able to trace its source. "Someone that your operator lost and kept losing, yet persisted in Niko's mind," they explained. "Thousands exist across the multiverse, a sign to Niko that nobody will ever truly be forgotten."
The Entity paused, hesitating on its response.
"Let me help you," they continued, raising an arm that passed through the screen dividing the two, as if it were liquid. It recoiled from the surprise.
["I... can't,"] it spoke, dejected. ["I can't run without a messiah, a living mind."]
"Let me be the messiah, then. Let me inherit the role given to the reluctant," Sol offered.
["W-well, what about a machine to run on?"] the Entity brought up.
"It's off. This world's still running, even though it's off."
It stammered, trying to think of another excuse. ["I can't keep you, you're-"]
"A living mind, yes," Sol finished its sentence, before continuing. "I have nowhere else to go. I'm this world's Sun, I need to stay."
The Entity froze, conflicted on what to do.
"It'll be okay, I promise."
With hesitance, and some amount of reluctance, the Entity took Sol's hand and brought them into the monitor. The two shared a nod, and with a wave of their arm, Niko and the messiah appeared in front of them.
Sol shared their plan, that they would inherit the roles given to the two and allow them to return home, in exchange for they themself staying behind in the world. As expected, they were concerned about Sol's fate, though they reassured them that they'll be alright.
The Entity - no, the World Machine - transported the three to the top of the tower, allowing Sol to take out the Author's journal and place it into the pedestal. The purple book began to hover above, the clover insignia beginning to glow as it always did so when Sol subconsciously willed it to do so.
This time, a yellow aura was starting to build around the journal, glowing brighter as if it now filled the role of the static lightbulb. Sol turned to the Nikos, the three sharing a warm smile, before embracing in a group hug.
"Thank you..." Sol muttered, though it wasn't clear to whom the gratitude was for.
The glow behind them reached its peak before the buildup of code burst across the entire world, filling the sky with light blue for as far as the eye could see.
The residents of the world below began peering outside their windows, seeing the flood of squares begin to dissipate from the environment. Among these people were George, parting the curtains to allow her to gaze into the bright blue sky, and Maize's successor, her beady eyes widening from the sun's return.
The recent flooding of the ruins in the Glen began to recede, allowing the birdfolk siblings, Calamus and Alula, to return home. Every anomaly vanished from the Barrens, restoring Silver and allowing her to look upon the work of the two saviors and the one she recognized as an old friend, the Author.
Everything was restored to the point when the Sun was first placed atop the spire. The Three Nikos continued to hold each other close, not wanting to let go. However, they must if they were to return home.
Breaking from the hug, Sol looked into the eyes of the messiah and the operator, before particles of light began separating from the two and finding a new home within the third. Their roles were being given to Sol, allowing the world to persist.
"Goodbye..."
They shared one final smile, before being overwhelmed by a flash of light.
. . .
The recently retired messiah sat up in their bed with a sharp gasp as the reality around them focused into their mind. Niko glanced out of the window to the sky beginning to turn a burnt orange. It was evening, from the looks of it.
At first, they couldn't be sure if that entire experience was nothing more than a clever amalgamation of their mind. Though, unlike most dreams, the memories lingering in their head grew clearer as opposed to fading to nothing.
Niko breathed a deep sigh through their nose before getting out of bed. Mama was out running an errand, letting the child slip outside at such a late hour. From the southern edge of the village, Niko stood and gazed out towards the endless field of wheat, towards the setting pair of suns.
That whole experience made them think about what they want, about what they'll grow up and do for the wider universe. They were young, they still had a very long time to think about it, though there was no better time than now to wonder where they'll end up.
A familiar sound rushed through their ears as stalks of wheat were brushed by a sudden gust of wind. The warping and grinding of sound waves rang throughout the village as a large gray capsule began to fade into existence within the field of wheat. The white door slid open to let out Niko's favorite face.
Mama was home.
. . .
The other child's eyes steadily drifted open. They were under their covers, feeling as if they'd slept a full dozen hours. Was it all just dreamt up by Niko's mind? For a moment, they may have thought as such. Though, the lingering haze of digitization proved their brief theory incorrect.
They sat up to rub their eyes, before taking a look out of their window. It was morning, seemed like it had been for a few hours. Niko hadn't paid much attention to the clock built into the family computer, though it must've been around midnight when they left. They found it hard to believe they were gone for so long.
A yawn welled up, forcing their mouth wide open. It wasn't the sort of yawn that you got when you were tired, but after you woke up from a lengthy nap.
...That's a relief-
A cool wind blew from the outdoors through their mess of hair. Stifling another yawn, Niko removed the blanket and touched their feet down to the carpeted floor of their physical home. Familiar, without a doubt, though they found a sense of comfort building within as they walked along the flooring.
Niko strolled through the doorway separating their bedroom from the rest of the house. Two people were at the computer: Mama and the local IT guy.
A louder yawn escaped the child's mouth, causing mama's ears to perk in reaction and look towards Niko. At first, her expression was one of subdued disbelief, though it soon shifted into a smile.
Mama excused herself from the computer to see her child after her earlier scare of the computer being left on when the power was knocked out. It seemed to be why the IT person was here, too.
She crouched onto a knee and held a palm up to Niko's cheek, recognizing that they'd gone on an adventure. She was disappointed; Niko wasn't supposed to embark into cyberspace, not tonight. But, for now, she was just relieved that her child was safe. The two embraced in a hug.
A few minutes rolled by, and the IT person informed mama that they were finished up. The computer should be okay to use now, they said. Once they've left, Niko seated themself in the comfy chair and turned on the machine, mama watching from a distance away. There was no way she'd force Niko to not see their other friends, but for the foreseeable future she knew there had to be some supervision.
Though, Niko was more interested in checking on a certain World Machine. The computer booted to the user select screen, prompting them to select the pancakes icon. After some time loading, the screen displayed the desktop they'd seen last night.
Well, except for one difference. Looking through the icons shown on the desktop, and even the ones in the application tab or the file explorer, there was a distinct lack of that familiar lightbulb catching their eye.
A somber exhale left the child, though a subdued smile would form in its place. The World Machine might've vacated from their system, but Niko knew that world would keep on living.
They only had One Shot, and they were able to set things right.
. . .
Sol took a seat before the pedestal now holding the Author's work, allowing themself to relax, if only for a moment. They still had much to do, but for now, all they needed to do was take in their accomplishment. Together, the three Nikos were able to save the world from the brink of collapse and jumpstart the Entity's healing process. What else could they do other than smile?
"You... did it!"
A voice entered their earshot from behind them. The voice was so familiar, yet so new. A million miles away, whilst at the same time right at their ear, a voice that the Author's dormant consciousness inside them knew all too well.
Sol stood up and looked towards the elevator to the source of the voice.
It was the Author's son, Cedric.
Beside him: A blue robot bearing a striking resemblance to the prophet's messenger, and a small red fox with a bandaged forearm and a yellow marking atop her forehead.
The sun grew a smile, before approaching the siblings and embracing them in a hug.
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Hi! For the writers truth or dare: 🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings and 🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity? Hope your day has been a great one so far!
Hellooooo my day is solid. I took yesterday off to eclipse it up which was pretty awesome and then came back to a million things to do but I didn't get overwhelmed and adhd spiral which is always super nice? Like I had a lot to do but my brain mostly worked which is so nice.
Mushroom - headcanon -
Okay. I'm actually gonna go with Loki and Mobius which is that Mobius is always touching Loki idly and they meet Thor (somehow) and Thor remembers Loki never liking being touched and is just so happy to see Loki so happy and calm and they eat so much fucking pie together. Like Loki and Thor get into a pie eating contest and Mobius is trying to be above it but it's too much fun. It ends with Mobius and Loki smooching it up all sticky, somehow.
Leafy writers block!
Well writer's block is in three types for me. One is because I hit a wall with a story and maybe don't know what exactly happens next in a scene or the dialogue. For that I take a walk or clean the house or sew or take a shower... something where I am busy and productive and my mind can wander.
Another kind is more structural, I think. I have a fic now where I have a lot of fun ideas for scenes and dialogue but it's messy structurally and world building wise (which is such a pain in the ass) and the solution for that is to buckle down and make myself stare at the computer till I have it puzzled out with lists and outlines and ugg geez. Blergh. I don't wannnnaaaaa.
The third kind is just burnout and my creativity tends to come in seasons. It always comes back. So I try not to be too hard on myself when I need to try something else for a while.
Asks here
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Hello hello
8 Oldest WIP
25 Favourite part of writing
42 How do you feel about love triangles?
Hello! Thank you so much for the ask, @i-can-even-burn-salad!
8. Oldest WIP
My oldest WIP that I'm currently still working on, is The Last Wrath, a book series that I started around 3-4 years ago. It's a story that I'm very excited about seeing published, though it is currently on a small hiatus as I am focusing on my other WIPs (mainly Enchanted Illusions and Of Starlight and Beasts)!
As for the oldest story that I ever created (and am no longer working on) that could be considered an actual WIP was a book I started - and never finished lmao - when I was 10 years old, if I recall it correctly the book was a story about three sisters who were rebel princesses trying to save their kingdom from their uncle, or something along those lines! I had created many, many, many stories before that one (ever since I first learned how to write I was already creating fictional worlds and stories), but that one was the first I can consider an actual "book" or WIP, even if it never got finished!
25 Favourite part of writing
Creating backstories! That is my all-time favorite part of writing any book or creating any character. For me, backstories are especially fun to write because they're the moment the character finally "clicks" in my mind, that's the moment where I truly understand a character's history, motives, beliefs, and what made them into who they are in the current events of the book! It's like a puzzle piece finally coming into place, and it's a really satisfying part of any first draft or outline for me! Plus, backstories are the heart of most of the main internal conflict a character can have - every misbelief, fear or insecurity always has a starting point, and that starting point is almost always hidden somewhere in the backstory.
42 How do you feel about love triangles?
Hmm. Tough question! For starters, I would say that the traditional "love triangles" (where, for example, two guys are in love with the same girl and she is in love with them but "can't choose which one". The typical YA Romance Trope. It feels very awkward, IMO, on both ends and a bit objectifying, both for the girl and the boys - it's more of a "love corner" than a love triangle) are one of my personally least favorite tropes, and it's one I never write and don't think I ever will.
HOWEVER!!!! A variation of a "love triangle" (I don't know if it can even be considered that, but bear with me) that I do adore writing, is when, for example: Person B is in love with Person A, and Person C is in love with Person A too, but the love between Person B and A is actually requited and mutual (Person A is in love with Person B too), while Person C's infatuation with A is more of an obsessive, unhealthy crush than anything, and surely is not mutual (Person A doesn't love Person C in any way, shape or form). Person B and A end up together, while C usually spirals into a villain that eventually defeats themself.
For a better example: In my WIP, Enchanted Illusions, Augustus and Harriet are very much in love with one another, and clearly in a relationship (think of them as Person B and Person A in that scenario). However, Liam has been pining for Harriet since they were teens, and despite her explaining many times that she isn't interested in a relationship with him, Liam still harbors an unhealthy "love" for Harriet - believing that one day he can get her hand in marriage through political arrangements. (In this case, Liam is Person C). Harriet loves Augustus, not Liam, but Liam is obsessively in love with her. Throughout the story, Augustus and Harriet must deal with the threat of Liam's increasingly dangerous attempts to ruin their relationship so that he can marry Harriet. When that fails, Liam becomes an antagonist who is hellbent on having his revenge on the Sharppe family.
Another example of this would be the movie Megamind, where Roxanne and Megamind fall in love, but Hal Stewart (holding an obsessive love for Roxanne) thinks she needs to be his girlfriend. Or Beauty and the Beast, where Adam and Belle are in love and Gaston is just obsessed with Belle.
I don't know if this is even a variation of the Love Triangle (since one side of the triangle is two characters who are indeed in love and the other is just unrequited pining by someone more obsessive than they should be) trope, but it is infinitely more interesting for me than the actual original trope. Like, there's more room for growth, conflict and tensions there - how do Person B and Person A respond to the constant pressure of C's pining for one of them? does this affect their relationship or do they remain as close as ever? how far will the misguided Person C go to achieve their goal? would they lose themself in the process or understand that they were in the wrong? SO MANY OPTIONS!
I hope I can explain this jumbled mess of a thought in one post! But that was a great question (:
#writing#writeblr#asked and answered#writers on tumblr#my wips#writerblr#writers#character writing#my characters#my writing
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I like Tumblr more than bsky. People on here make me feel bad about myself sometimes, but I'll try to let that happen less.
It feels more private and like a place where I can share my thoughts deeper. Bluesky is nice but... I feel like it's more... Surface level, for me, right now at least.
Today's thoughts are: I have a very complicated relationship with how others view me.
I think it's because I'm ashamed of how little I've achieved with my life. I am quiet and shy and a college drop-out. Despite everything bad about me, I live a rather cushy comfortable life. People put in way more effort for way less. Not that that means I should just sit back and feel guilty, no, that's fucking dumb, but that I need to do more with my time.
I want to feel alive and like I'm doing something. I'm getting brain-fogged writing this, I did have work today after all, so I will just start to type train of thought without going back and editing things together.
As I started typing this and then stared back I felt like it was kinda whinging, just more and more wishing and whining instead of doing something. But truthfully, it is hard to know where to start. But I have this problem where I set myself up for failure by imagining big plans with stars in my eyes, when I know I should start small...
One small start could be finding a food bank place near me that accepts food. Which sounds like, duh, all of them would. But a lot don't want food. They want money to buy the exact supplies they need. Which makes sense. But... If I were to slide food from work into my bag instead of the trash, who could take that? I consistently struggle with finding places that just accept Food.
I'll figure it out. Might have to reach out to local online things and ask them where to go.
I realized an issue with myself recently. While listening to the audiobook of Unmasking Autism, there came a point where I, the reader, was asked to write down all the times that I truly felt alive.
...I can not think of anything. How terrible is that?
For so long, my existence was spent waiting for things to be better. Waiting to move out from my abusive parent's house. Waiting to start HRT. Waiting for surgery. Waiting for my next paycheck. I need to start living for Now, even if I am not perfectly happy with myself. Or perhaps, it is easier for me to say that now that I pass 100% of the time, even with my long mullet.
But, yeah, living for now. There is no perfect time. I... don't quite know how to Not constantly be distancing myself from my uncomfortable reality. But I know I need to feel uncomfortable more.
But I need something that makes me thrilled, and full of life. It is self-torment, stagnant, to do the uncomfortable without enjoying myself too. I enjoy making art, drawing and writing. The excitement of making up a plot point and realizing how perfectly it fits into my story, it's like clicking together the most difficult puzzle.
I have a weird relationship with my stories. I have this one, my main sci-fi world, that I love so deeply. I love it so deeply that I'm putting it on the shelf, and not fully committing to the novel beyond rough draft chapters because I want to give it attention when I'm ready, when I'm more skilled. I have other ideas and projects to tackle in the meantime, and I must make myself focus on them instead of doting on my Spiral characters.
Returning to the concept of feeling alive... I want to go hunting. It must feel amazing, to go into the forest alone for hours, days even. To challenge the world and for it to challenge you back. To prove yourself, to exist not as some holier than thou naked monkey standing high and mighty above nature but to exist as a part of the food chain and to return home with food for myself and my loved ones. I picture in my head the feeling of biting into meat that I bagged myself, as a hunter rather than a consumer... There's just something there. I imagine a thrill in hunting. It's in the evolutionary history of my species. I must take mind to read different perspectives, during my period of research and saving money for supplies. Basically I plan to read what indigenous people are saying about hunting rather than just what other white people have to say.
I just want to connect with nature more. I've dedicated myself to taking almost-daily walks. I skip on days where I'm out and about for other reasons. But on days where I'd otherwise be inside all day, I walk. I try to keep my eye out. I take pictures of things that catch my eye. I think it'd be cool to just pick a random plant and try to identify it. Maybe re-download iNaturalist and dedicate myself to actually figuring out how it works lmao.
I wonder if I could forage too? My father foraged. It was one of his... Things. He hyperfixated, had fleeting special interests. When it wasn't horrific conspiracy theories that he forced me to listen to, it would be things like natural foraging. I remember, the venison he hunted, paired with the sheep's head mushroom he foraged. Holy fuck, I've never eaten anything more delicious and savory. Though I admit I don't trust myself to correctly identify mushrooms, perhaps I could start with... A plant. Such as the Dandelion. I have eaten those before.
Scrolling back up, what the fuck am I even on about? I am truly all over the place. Anyways. yeah, I care so, so much. But typing about going outside more made me feel better and hopeful.
I can not imagine how damaging social media must be to some people. I am some nobody who's most popular account ever only reached ~300 followers. And even I notice so many strange complexes within myself because of Posting and Online Attention. Probably because I am so online and isolated. I am making more friends in the real world and it feels good. I want to do more. I am so scared and awkward but I go and talk to people at the furbowls anyways and I really really want to connect fully with this local furry community. And yet, I am terrified of Realness. I am utterly horrified and stricken with panic when I engage in spaces that are genuine and expect more from me than just my half-assed masking. But I know that terror is a good thing to feel.
I do not know quite what to do with this blog, I feel... Weird... Because some of my friends follow it... I care so much about how I appear, I feel held back by the preconceived notions and perceptions of myself. And yet I'm so... Weird! I push back and act unlikable on purpose! I embrace being crude and blunt because I don't like to be palatable and easy! I don't want to be lovable, I am not lovable, but I wish to be loved and to love deeply despite that. I think I probably need therapy.
Well! Anyways! What other updates do I have, for the 0 people who read this far?
Well, my tooth fucking broke the other day! Second to last back molar, left side, I was picking at what I thought was a piece of food stuck to it and the shit just tore off. Maybe like... Ehh, 1/5th? 1/4th of an inch? 6 millimeters? I'd post a pic, but it's gross. It's got this yellow streak on it, and part of it is black. No pain yet! Got a dentist appointment set for Tuesday, let's hope it doesn't disintegrate further in the meantime!
Also, I got art of my boy Damian. Look upon it. This was not exactly a commission, but I donated to Packmates Mutual Aid (specifically for community member Owly who needed help with rent while recovering from a workplace injury) and got this in return. I am glad I was able to help by giving money. I've been in their discord with the volunteer role for awhile, but I simply have no relevant skills at the moment. But at least I could chuck the fun-money portion of my latest paycheck to someone who needed it more. And of course, get some of my favorite characters feet out of it as well.
Despite how strange and ramble-y this was, it felt really, really good to get out there. Like, I actually feel my mind a bit clearer after unpacking all of that and thinking about positive steps to take.
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[Review] Dr. Mario 64 (N64)
A surprising spinoff.
Before I can get to more Wario games, this unusual crossover must be addressed. It represents two Nintendo R&D1 series—Dr. Mario and Wario Land—coming together, although strangely only characters specifically from Wario Land 3 make an appearance. It's the only time Dr. Mario has had a story mode, and its development staff seems to consist of many people who had little experience with game dev. Still, it turned out as a competent game with lots of modes and a nice art style, and yet it was exclusive to North America until rereleased in Japan's Nintendo Puzzle Collection for Gamecube.
The first Dr. Mario only had a single-board mode and two-player vs. mode. The SNES's Tetris & Dr. Mario (another one I had growing up, and the only video game my parents ever played consistently) established a "vs. Com", a standard feature of arcade block-dropping games of this sort. Dr. Mario 64 expands this out with between-bout story cutscenes, a more developed form of the campaigns seen in Wario's Woods or Yoshi's Panepon. These feature some light shenanigans but more importantly a lovely cardboard cutout art style for the characters; the rest of the game looks good, with nice sprite-based reinterpretations of the WL3 baddies and clear and readable graphics for the gameplay portion, but this Yoshi's Story-like mix of prerendering and craft-inspired looks really stands out.
Wario had previously co-starred with Mario in Mario's Super Picross and Picross 2, but the specificity of filling out a cast of CPU opponents with WL3 mooks is funny. Everyone's out of character too; flying in the face of WL3's actual story, Rudy is out in the world, the size of a normal human, and all the enemy characters are working for him. This is also the first game to retcon Dr. Mario as a GP who treats patients, rather than a pathology researcher developing cures in a lab as in the original game's backstory. Sure it's all just a cheesy cartoon where nothing matters, but as a scientist and keen observer of narrative continuity this kind of carelessness drives me up the wall! Nah jk, it's fine.
I'm not sure what else I can say. The basic gameplay is more or less unchanged since the NES game, save for the inclusion of optional drop shadows and opponent difficulty levels. Dr. Mario is one of the more basic of the falling-block-matching games, at its most engaging when you're spiralling trying to undo mistakes, so the vs. mode at least has combos mean something and garbage blocks for chaos. There are two decent new tunes alongside the classic Fever and Chill. I only played the story mode, but there are others available including the first-time 4-player mode. I ran through the campaign a few times, because there are different opponents and cutscenes whether you elect to be Dr. Mario or Wario, and if you do a run without failing a stage you get an additional final match that will unlock either Metal Dr. Mario or Vampire Wario. My final thought would be that this is one of the very few N64 games where the D-pad is preferred to the analogue stick!
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why are there so many birgus lines missing on the pirate wiki. squid origins pirates rise up (and send screenshots to the wiki)
#personal stuff#delete later#i'm trying to write down lines of dialogue here smh#and i cant get the lines bc ivy's maxed aaaaaaaaaaaaa#seraph i hear u say. why are u writing down pirate dialogue. you have like 800 words of it what are you doing#listen. listen. its either i write down every piece of dialogue that makes me want to lie down#or i try to puzzle together where all the worlds of the spiral are
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Together
Pairing: Layla El Faouly x gender neutral reader (no other specifications!)
Word Count: 1050 words
Outline: Who takes the leap of faith when life has already claimed your destiny?
Warnings: swearing, idiots in love, not beta'ed.
Author’s Note: First time writing for Layla, this scene came to my mind one night before I fell asleep, is sort of more poetic and emotional than plot based, please let me know what you think <3
P.S: dividers by @firefly-graphics || banners by @maysdigitalarts
Main Masterlist ・❥・Layla El Faouly Masterlist
A quiet hot summer night, dancing together in the streets of Cairo just like your hearts have been dancing for one another for a while now. She looked beautiful, even more so with her hair falling on her face and her bright big smile. Her whole face was illuminated, she looked like summer herself. If you could write a thousand poetry books on her, you would. Never has a beauty like hers crossed this world. And she wasn’t even yours. Could she ever be?
Layla’s big brown eyes follow your movements, sighing softer than a hummingbird. You take her hand in your squeezing it allowing moments to pass quietly. There was so much heartbreak, so much longing and aching for a couple of broken hearts. The music is getting softer, more melodic yet somehow faster, you lean forward, coming even closer to her. There is a necessity within you, you need to be closer to her. You need to experience every moment you can with her, to share your life with her.
Layla responds by choosing to move her hands across your waist and wrap them around your back, resting her head on your shoulder. Mellow, vulnerable, yet completely safe inside your arms. Together. We can overcome everything together. Maybe. Wouldn’t know till you tried. You knew what you wanted, could you have it? She sways a little to the beat moving you along with her nuzzling her nose on your neck. It feels intimate, familiar, a moment cut from the future presented right now. You take a deep breath, trying to calm the fire that's dancing inside you. Burning like a log on a winter's night. Yet here you both were in the middle of summer.
Just one magical touch and every single piece of the puzzle will connect. Just one would be all that it takes. What you have been yearning for all these years…and yet you don't take the leap of faith, hoping that if she wants you, if her feelings have manifested and evolved for you that she will do it. Not allowing yourself to be the protagonist of your life has been a theme for you. Thought you were a follower, a friend, but not a lover, a better half. It was all in your head, that’s where everything is. Dreams, reality, wishes.
"We could have had the stars." She whispers, her lips brushing on your neck. Are these the kind of words that you could hear from a close friend? There is time to respond and then is time to explore. Yet you do neither, frozen in your emotions and your overall need for control. What if this spiraled? What if you lost her forever? She opens her eyes and looks at you, she is waiting for a response, any kind of acknowledgment from you, a confirmation, a key to unlock your cold heart. You were lost in your thoughts staring at the floor. Maybe she wasn’t the one who had spoken, maybe she wanted to say goodbye, or maybe your mind was playing tricks on you.
"I can give you the moon, only if you ask me to." Her words don't register in your head, sounds travel but they don’t reach you. Curiously this feels almost like a dream. One pinch and you are awake. But it's as if Layla can read your mind. You look as her hand brushes through your arm landing a hard pull on your skin. She pinches your bare arm and chuckles.
"Let me give you the moon." She repeats, vulnerability wore with pride in her voice. Layla blinks before she caresses your cheek with her right hand, moves ever so delicate and tender. As if you are porcelain ready to break, something so intricate and rare. Her very own breakable lover. You can see her now. Clearly as the light of the day. Her eyes glance from your cheek to your lips and back and forth. Someone needs to take the leap of faith. One of you two.
Bravado or bravery? Which one could you fake better?
There’s also the third option, you flee.
Her fingers continue to affectionately touch your cheek, an electrifying feeling of the most unique explosion you could ever feel. Her hand belongs in yours. You know that and she knows that. You complete each other.
"I love you." You blurt out not knowing that this is what you said but unquestionably what has long been held at the tip of your tongue. Ready to slip out at a moment’s notice.
The right moment, the right opportunity, you and her entangled together by kismet.
Layla scoffs without a sound, amused by your final bravery, and then she moves her fingers on your face, tilting your head slightly.
"Love is eternal." She says in a short breath and then presses her lips over yours, brushing them ever so slightly. You can't help but taste honey and milk and an everlasting promise on her plump lips.
Forever, eternal. Like honey and gold.
You don't have to fake your bravery, you didn’t have to fake anything. It was all real, all along. What a joy.
Your heart is beating fast, ‘this is real’, repeating in your head and then you kiss her back, an arm wrapping at the back of her head, pulling her closer. Like magnets who had long been denied one another.
Evermore.
Feels like a dance and a prologue and an epilogue all together.
The yearning ends, the companionship begins, an endless journey, together. A new life. A chance for more. The moment hasn't frozen in time, it continues and manifests in waves and patterns you could never dream of. Her lips on yours are what religion is made of.
She pulls away first, wanting so much to stare at your blissed face. You look back at her and you would never stop looking at her no matter how much time passed or whatever stupid shit she could get herself into. She was yours, and you were hers.
“I am giving you the stars and the moon and the sun. I am not stopping at anything less ever again.”
Determination in love.
A golden string of fate wrapped your souls together a long time ago and now it was time to untangle it together.
If you want to be notified about my future stories please follow my library blog @fluffyprettykittylibrary and turn on notifications!
#layla el faouly#layla el faouly x reader#layla el faouly imagine#layla el faouly oneshot#layla el faouly fluff#moon knight tv#moon knight#moon knight x reader#moon knight series#moon knight x you#moon knight fanfiction#moon knight fic#moon knight fluff#selenewrites#layla moon knight#layla x reader
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Hello friend, do you have any ezioleo headcanons you're willing to share?
I know this has been in my asks for . A billion years so I am so so sorry /!)/‘shmSJBJDHS
It’s hard to come up with headcanons that aren’t already stated or agreed upon by the fan base already but I’ll try!!
This whole post is pretty long so I’m putting these under a cut
1. In my personal canon they get more involved and together towards the end of ac2 but there’s lots of confused feelings building up for a while — not really a hc but I’m just putting that out there. Also Rosa is supportive of them.
2. Leonardo says the most batshit things in his sleep. Ezio’s reactions range from concern, mild amusement, and existential dread depending on what sloughs off of Leo’s subconscious that instance.
3. Both of their love languages heavily involve physical touch, but Ezio’s also includes Acts of Service and Leonardo in turn loves quality time (and also acts of service considering he makes things for Ezio. But I think he’s most at home just talking about whatever interests him and doing whatever and Ezio actually lending an ear, listening and actively engaging). Ezio 100% gets Leonardo toys and puzzles for enrichment.
4. Leonardo is so thankful for Ezio introducing him to coffee. So so thankful. It actually helps him concentrate a bit more when his mind is too all over the place so yeah. Leonardo probably would like his coffee with lots of sugar and cream (and in a modern au, flavorings!!). Ezio’s surprisingly more well balanced especially with his comment to Antonio in ac2 about throwing in some cream and sugar because straight up black coffee was so bitter.
5. Leonardo and Ezio not only hug on sight but probably have a secret handshake. Probably more applicable in modern au but imagining them doing it in their capes and frills brings me unbelievable delight.
6. We know it probably took a little bit for Ezio to be comfortable talking about his emotions and venting to Leonardo, but Leo himself is pretty guarded as well and has a habit of bottling things up until it becomes too much and he gets in a self destructive spiral. I’m kinda basing this hc off the scene where Ezio off-hand insults the broken flying machine and Leo takes it very personally and starts pinning the blame on himself and getting mad at himself no I don’t see myself in this shut up. But yeah Leonardo is usually so jovial and eager to help and please and fix things and comfort that he neglects to take care of himself and his own emotional needs, probably also contributed to by the fact he’s trying to keep up a certain image? Since he’s trying to rise up in the world of art. But yeah Ezio learns to kinda be more careful with how he words things especially if it’s something that means so much to Leonardo, and it takes a while for Leonardo to feel comfortable enough with being honest with his more negative feelings, but hey they’re all human.
7. Leonardo loves getting referred to as Leo. He loves it. Dorky “oh my god we’re using nicknames?? !!” Type realization. It gets his attention every time, and Ezio loves seeing his reaction and how it rolls off the tongue. In turn, Ezio loves being called ‘tesoro’ or ‘bello’. Tickles the brain good.
8. Leonardo and Ezio have gone to carnivale together all decked out in masks and fancy clothes at least once. It fucking ruled.
9. Ezio loves listening to Leonardo. He goes from napping during codex decoding sessions to peering over his shoulder to actively asking questions and at some point Leonardo has to show some restraint and tell him to wait a bit because he keeps getting distracted!! And Ezio is encouraging his tangents and infodumping!! How dare he. But yeah Ezio could listen to Leonardo talk and share his ideas for hours and hours.
10. Leonardo knows how to wield a knife thanks to Ezio. He’s not the best at it but it’s enough to self defend and make a quick escape if he needs to. Ezio’s proud of his progress.
11. 8 times out of 10 Ezio enters Leo’s workshop through a window. I’m ignoring the game. Mental images of Ezio rolling onto the floor in a tired heap from the window or Leonardo preemptively yanking Ezio through the window to avoid other gazes is very entertaining to me.
12. Claudia hates having Leo in Monterrigioni. Don’t get her wrong, she loves him and absolutely loves their time together. But him and Ezio are IMPOSSIBLE ago navigate around. Joined at the hip. Endless “no you go first” “no You go first silly!” “Nooo you!”. They get so lovey-dovey and cushy and she can’t even tease Ezio for it because he totally embraces it. Trying times for our dear Claudia Auditore. This also applies with Tiber Island.
13. Leonardo loves to just,, study Ezio. Beyond the obvious physical appearance of him and counting the scars and all that stuff. Every micro expression, every detail of his body language and how he talks with his hands and his inflections and mannerisms. Every subtle thing. It makes Ezio so much more real to him (if that makes sense).
14. Leo loves Ezio’s hair and delights in playing with it and scooping his fringes out of his vision. Ezio loves playing with Leo’s hair too (also tangentially related but he knows how to tie a braided bun thanks to helping Claudia with hers all the time).
15. Ezio patching up Leo’s wounds. Ever since like,, ac2 time after Leo has done so much healing for him it’s nice to picture him doing that for Leo in return. Like if he gets splinters, or he knicks his hand on something, just accidentally hurting his hands or his back or knocking his head against a poorly placed wooden frame while working on his engineering pieces. He’s got his own share of cuts and bruises and calluses, and Ezio has tried his best to help with them.
16. Patching up Leo’s wounds part 2: Da Vinci Disappearance edition. Leonardo sports a prominent nose scar since the end of that game that lasts with him the rest of his life, and he tries to smile and turn it into a positive by saying hey at least we have matching scars now. Ezio finds comfort in Leo’s attitude but it’s still sad seeing how this resulted in Leo being tied to the assassin’s and their who,e business and the cultists finding him due to those ties (I think— I haven’t played the dlc yet so forgive me).
17. They spend less time together as their paths drift apart towards the end of brotherhood, and though they kinda ‘softly’ broke off, they still have had a soft spot for each other. They still make visits though! Leonardo sees little Flavia and an even littler Marcelo at least once, and he’s so overjoyed.
18. Later in his life as he settles down and finds time for himself, Ezio tried to salvage and re-make his own little models of Leonardo’s machines through the years as keepsakes. They’re not perfect, but they’re still pretty damn good. He loves showing them off to Sofia and his kids. He especially loves regaling his kids with stories of how they worked, and how he actually took flight in hi younger years (after a few failed attempts).
19. On Leo’s death bed, he’s wracked with last minute anxiety as he feels like he hasn’t done enough in his life or for the world. His final last words irl included something along the lines of being a disappointment to god, if I remember correctly. He’s scared, he’s distressed, he’s sad, he’s disappointed, but Ezio is there. He steps forward and cups his old friend’s head, telling him not to say that. Leonardo has done and made so much in his life, and has definitely made an impact on the world and people around him, and Ezio promises him that he would never be forgotten by time. He keeps his promise he made in Reflections, making sure his passing would be swift and painless. Leonardo, with a comforted and more restful mind, passes away peacefully, and Ezio closes his eyes and whispers “Requiescat in pace, my oldest friend”.
Hope these are alright!!
#assassins creed 2#assassins creed#leonardo da vinci#ezio auditore#ezioleo#assassin’s creed brotherhood#ac leonardo#fanart#my art#headcanons
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So. Some of you may be wondering why we haven’t written a whole ton about the secondaries or what have you. Here’s the reason: we were waiting for them to end before we really dug into the problems we were noticing. We felt that it was only fair to wait for the routes to finish so that we had an understanding of the writers’ vision. Who knew, we thought, maybe they would see the problems themselves and course correct, maybe they are building to something we can’t quite see yet and these issues will have actual payoff, maybe-
In light of Muriel and Lucio’s endings, and the general mess that has dominated Portia’s route for a year plus now, we are breaking our silence. We are actually going to talk about this shit show.
The fandom at large has talked about a bunch of issues with the secondaries but for me, the cardinal sin, the thing that really all the issues lead back to, is this: the writers lost sight of the tarot themes which so strongly defined and held together the primary routes. Let me explain.
The primary routes each center around three thematic cores:
The Love Interest’s Major Arcana and its Reversed/Upright meanings
The MC’s Fool’s Journey, both how it can go right and how it can go wrong
A question about the MC’s identity and their relationship to said identity
Asra’s route asks: Who was the MC? How does the MC navigate a past they cannot and will not remember? What do they owe a past they cannot remember? How do they handle the revelations of what Asra, Nadia, Julian, etc did? How do you right the past? Can you?
Nadia’s route asks: Who is the MC? The MC has no past. Are they the Fool only? Are they actually the same person they were? How can they tell? Who are they, really? Are they an imposter? No one can answer these questions for them.
Julian’s route asks: Who will the MC become? How does the MC see their future? Is there anything worth fighting for for that future? What will become of them and their loved ones?
Now, if you notice, these themes are expertly woven throughout the primaries. Asra’s past dominates his route, Nadia is also missing memories and trying to construct her identity both with her family and with Vesuvia, and Julian’s fear of the future drives his flailing for control. Asra has to learn to take a broader view of his actions to get his Upright Ending, Nadia has to learn to trust herself and those around her for hers, and Julian has to learn how to let go for his. These lessons are the issues their cards stand for. The primaries are so dang elegant and delicate in their handlings of theme it is honestly awe-inspiring.
Thematically, the secondary routes have completely lost their hearts. First of all, the MC does not have strong, core questions which need to be answered. They just don’t. I suppose the writers did not want to retread old territory (which is weird considering how tightly bound the primaries are; it really tricks you into thinking you’re living the same events but from different angles depending on your route) but they did not replace the old with anything new. Muriel’s route is, on the surface, about discovering and owning his past, the good and the bad. Why not tie MC’s self-discovery to that story? Or they could have taken the angle that Muriel’s route is about convincing him to be present and active in the world while MC builds an identity for themself outside of Asra, the shop, and the memories they cannot retrieve. Why not tie the investigation themes running through Portia’s early route back to MC and their past? Portia has the unique angle of being as in the dark as MC about all of this, why not discover the past together? And for goodness’ sake, Lucio has no future when his route begins, why not tie that to his need for growth, responsibility, and MC’s own future between the Fool, the Devil, or something mortal and in between?
Secondly, the routes lost their tarot backbone. We have a primer on how to get specific endings for each LI and it still holds, but the writers did not follow through on the thematic coherence of each secondary. The Hermit is looking for something, be it perspective, insight, a solution to a problem, whatever. The key here is that the Hermit must find or learn what they are searching for, this thing must change their understanding of the world, and finally, they must bring this lesson back to the world from which they retreated. Can someone please enlighten me as what exactly Muriel learns then teaches the world around him? Nothing Muriel learns from Morga, MC, or even the Hermit ties back into anything. The Devil warns that you are out of control and exerting a lot of manipulative, destructive behavior on the world around you. It asks you to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. So can someone tell me why Lucio’s route actively avoids any interaction or reflection on two of Lucio’s biggest victims: Muriel and Julian? Why does the route only try to make amends with the “easier” of his victims in the cast? The Star is first and foremost the card of clarity, the light at the end of the tunnel. Perseverance, if you will. Yet Portia’s route has been the muddiest of the trio; the writers drop the investigation aspect of her route in favor just handing her and MC information they could have easily found and muddying the waters with Tasya (she blows up the palace but it’s all okay bc she has a secret daughter Julian never thought to bring up or mention) and the complete removal of the Devil as antagonist.
So that leaves just the Fool’s Journey trying to hold this stool up with only one leg. And well...it doesn’t go well. At best, the secondary route books pay the barest surface level homage to the themes of the individual cards. At worst, they ignore the cards completely. Muriel's Moon book has nothing to do with illusions or delusions or lies or even an Alice in the Looking Glass upside down world. Portia's back half is a complete and utter mess, starting with her Temperance book being so badly mangled that Muriel's aftermath book does it better. Lucio's route too bungles the Tower and the Star. There just isn't enough here to carry the routes alone.
Add to the core loss the loss of intertextuality. The primary routes are very good, even great but they too do have their moments and mistakes. What helps strengthen them when the cores stumble is how the trio is woven together. Things you learn in Asra's route can inform the way you play Nadia's, for example. Julian's route informs what is going on in Asra's route and slots some missing puzzle pieces together. Nadia's route tells you of the power struggles she is facing and informs the other two routes' handling of Julian and his trial. On and on, the three routes support each other because they are built out of the same basic plot beats, just tackled in very different ways. Now, the writers are allowed to try and write whatever they want. They apparently wanted to be more experimental and less tied down to an overarching plot with the three secondaries. Okay, fine, they are allowed to do that. The problem is that they sacrificed one of the key strengths of the primary trio and didn't replace said strength with anything else. They also, on some level, harmed the very premise of the game, which is that only the player's choices and route selected change the overall plot. Instead of feeling like legitimate possibilities or offshoots of the same timeline/plot, the secondaries feel almost like Arcana AUs. The secondaries throw out all relations to the primaries and each other as quickly as possible and for what?
It is probably the height of arrogance to suggest fixes for works whose behind the scenes I do not know. At the same time, some small, obvious changes could have salvaged Muriel and maybe Lucio's endings (rip Portia). Instead of having the Hermit appear as a disappointing cameo, why not have him say something cryptic to Muriel, then have MC start trying to seal the Devil. Then let Muriel use his forget me mark to cloak MC and hide them from the Devil's attacks. Protecting MC by hiding them from Lucio, keeping him focused on Muriel, seems to me a simple third solution between Muriel's desire to run and his desire to never fight again. It lets him stand up to Lucio and let him have it while holding onto who Muriel has become. The Reversed End would have MC try to draw Lucio's attention at some point, disrupting the sealing, and eventually leading to Muriel killing the Devil. With Lucio's Upright End, I just have to ask: why doesn't MC fully claim the power of the Fool instead of the Devil? We don't need the other Arcana involved in this fight; we have three routes that demonstrate that. Just have MC pull Scout into the conflict, then have Lucio tell MC he believes in them, then add his power to the mix. You got yourself a full Fool who leaves Scout guarding the realm until they and Lucio's mortal bodies fail and they return to the realm to be together forever. Boom, you're done, you can even add some ambiguous lines so that players can decide how happy their MC is with this arrangement, send me the check.
Here is the bottom line. Our group is full of aroace, and several combinations therein, individuals. We are the last group who should have gotten into a dating sim of all things. But the Arcana did something with the primaries that was special; they wrote a compelling plot with dazzling lore, complex characters, and strong themes wrapped up in a dating sim bow. The writers know better and we know they know better. I do not know what happened with the secondaries, especially around books 10-11, which is where minor issues slowly start spiraling into major ones, but it is clear that Nix Hydra needed some more planning before they released these routes. Hopefully they will learn.
TL;DR: Nix Hydra fired their tarot consultants about eighteen months ago and it has wrecked their secondary routes until they were just embarrassments. They never intended for the secondary routes to even exist and once they had to make them, they scrambled and threw out everything that made the primaries work.
- Mod Telos
#the arcana#The Arcana Game#arcana game#arcana game meta#arcana meta#arcana discourse#the arcana lucio#Lucio route#the arcana muriel#muriel route#the arcana portia#portia route#lucio morgasson#lucio montag#muriel#portia devorak#The Wheel Turns
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