Goblin Queen [Worm/Exalted][CrossPost]

Yeah... But I used Rose long long ago and am sticking to it. ^_^;

 

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/posts/4835126/

 

- - -
Tanuki are typing. Please wait warmly.
- - -​

Ash and grit.

That was all I could taste.

It wasn't that Dad didn't know how to cook, his specialty being more barbecue then anything, but what he did know how to make... he made very well.

The eggs were the fluffiest scrambled eggs, golden yellow and fluffy like air in perfection.

The bacon were succulent with soft chewy fat that was just seared on the surface.

Dad was good at cooking breakfast, he was actually exceptional at it when he wanted to. He just hadn't had cause to do so for... the longest time. I refused to contemplate the reasoning behind this morning's breakfast, there are limits to even how far I would be know. In certain cases, it was better to never see or know, for what has been seen can not be unseen.

No, the reason that my meal wasn't enjoyable, that I could only taste ash and grit despite the fluffy scrambled eggs, the succulent bacon cooked to perfection, the crispy and slightly oily fried bread, that was paired with the sliced cucumber and tomatoes on the side... was that I was being lectured by mom.

There were many things I missed about her. This... was not one of them, I hadn't had the pleasure of being lectured or given disapproving looks by mother. At least, before everything changed.

I would, every now and then, attempt an interjection... which was where the cunning nature of my parents manifested, for they worked as a team, and dad would cough as I opened my mouth to speak before looking at my plate and providing me more food as if to imply that I should be eating and not talking.

With him running interference, I simply had no choice but to sit there and take the lecture without a single word back. It was become extremely clear to me that dad was very good at working with mom in shutting people down, and that mom was willing to play the bad cop... as it were.

Still, it was clear that mother did not approve of what I was doing, or at least the perception of what I was doing. Namely, that I was a playgirl, a female Casanova who toyed with the hearts of girls and boys alike. And that was something that was not acceptable, even if she hadn't been around for the last five years to raise me properly.

"And one more thing..."

I could only whimper as it seemed that she wouldn't ever stop.

"Why were you out all night?"

Or... it could get worse as she simply looked at me as if expecting an answer. It was clear that she had taken after Gram when she disapproved of something. I could still remember those disapproving looks she gave dad, and worse... the harsh words that were said in that polite tone of voice when Gram and my parents thought I wasn't there to hear.

I could only swallow dryly as I looked back and forth between mom and dad. They wanted an answer, and yet... I found myself unable to give them one. Pride, shame, and a heady mix of emotions swirled within my heart.

I had gone in too deep, kept too many secrets... and yet even now, in the face of mom's disapproving look, I discovered that I didn't want to tell her what I had been doing, that I didn't want to be beholden to her or Dad. That I wanted to do what I wanted because I wanted, nothing more, nothing less.

In a sense, I had gotten too comfortable with the status quo, too used to the way things happened. And things had changed. Worse, mom was now here and taking an active hand.

I... had never know what it was like to have a mom on one's case like most of my classmates had at one time or another. That said, the experience was not one that I enjoyed. True, I had imagined things like 'what would mom say if I did this', that I suspect was normal, along with 'what should I do to make mom happy'. To the contrary of my expectations, I found myself resenting her intrusion into my life now that she was back and taking a hand in things.

"It... I...."

I was put in mind something that had happened some time ago from before. I was ten, at best, mom couldn't find a babysitter to look after me while dad was at work. So, she took me to the university class that she taught.

The me of that time had been precocious, proud as only a child could be when she knew with absolute certainty that she was part-taking in something that she shouldn't have been; namely the fact that I was sitting among teenagers and twenty-somethings and I understood what my mom was saying. Her lecture was about a book that we had read together, over the prior few weeks, and the material and concepts within it.

Even now, I still recalled that novel with fondness. Oranges are not the Only Fruit was a künstlerroman, or rather an artist's novel. That was to say the novel had a coming of age narrative that depicted the conflicts of a sensitive youth against the values of a middle and upper class society of his or her time. Or in this case, a lesbian and her experience as she clashed with the expectations of her mother and the social mores of christians in the eighties. Exorcisms were involved, even if they were not very successful in their goals.

As I sat in mom's class and listened, an older man had entered the class before sitting down next to me, in the back row. He had struck up a conversation with me, and mentioned about how my mother was an excellent professor. Which got me confident enough to eventually raise my hand to answer one of her questions. He had smiled and complimented me before getting up and leaving. Despite all the pride I had in myself and mother, the thing that had stuck out to me back then hadn't been the lecture in and of itself, rather, the thing that had gotten my attention back then had been the man’s hair. The ridiculous comb-over.

After the class, while mother was taking me home, I had mentioned the older man who she identified as the head of her department, her boss. I could not help myself, being a child and all, but I mentioned rather tactlessly the comb-over and just how bad it looked.

"Look at it from his perspective." To which mother had an explanation. "Maybe, a long time ago, he started to lose a little hair, but he could brush it to one side in a way that made it not show so much. And with the passing of every year, he would brush his hair over a bit more. Gradually, this was something that he got used to, something that he saw and sees in the mirror every morning and night. Small increments, little steps that eventually adds up."

The me of then had followed up with another question. One that was asked with some disbelief and a fair amount of curiosity. "And no one told him about it?"

She shook her head as she drove. "He doesn’t have anyone to point it out for him. More than that, anyone who knows him well wouldn't want to hurt his feelings, even if it might be better in the long run."

I had thought about this further as I looked out the window of the car as the buildings drifted by while people walked on the sidewalks under the blue sky. Eventually, I turned to look at mother. "You could."

There had been a hnnnn from mother at my statement before the rest of the trip home was made in silence.

A few days later, mom did exactly that. She had ripped off the band-aid for the head of the English department. He got a haircut and then thanked her for what she had said at a later date. That event and what my mom had done afterward had stayed in my memory.

Was my situation the same as the old man's? Had I let myself gradually slip into a bad spot, because of my lack of perspective beyond what was going on inside my own head?

It was very much possible. And yet, I found myself not wanting to let go. Perhaps, it was a clear cut case of sunken cost fallacy or it could be a rampant case of teenage hormones and emotions coming to a heady bubbly boil and thus affecting my thoughts and behavior. I rather hoped it was the first and not the second, for there was no hope for me if I had contracted a case of teenaged drama llama-itis from Madison, Marianna, or worse... Emma. Such things tended to be incurable except by the unacceptable act of growing old.

Still, I was fairly certain that mother would understand, even if dad might not. There wouldn't be any harm in telling them the truth. Those were the very thoughts I had as I sat with an empty plate before me, and yet, a certain part of me decried the notion of telling them this. That this would be a bad idea. That I could not help myself but somehow make the situation because my words while right would only incite them because they were parents, specifically my parents.

Eventually, under the expectant looks directed at me by both mom and dad, I caved... social mores made me yield. It wasn't as if I had wanted to do this... well, part of me did, but there were other parts that said I should be more defiant, that teenage rebellion was something expected of me. Really.

"Fine..." I could only sulk under the unyielding gaze of my parents as I spoke. They were monstrous, my parents with their gimlet eyes. "I got an invitation yesterday from Lung... he wanted to play a bit."

The looks on their faces now darkened... worryingly.

"Since I didn't see any harm in doing so, I kind of snuck out last night and went to where he was staying. It was very exciting and invigorating." I said with a sigh and a nod. "He even asked me to be his."

There was a twitch from dad now, righteous indignation. And it was delicious.

"I mean... I can understand it, reading between the lines of what he said." I didn't quite smile at the reaction from dad. That calm tranquility had boiled from the all consuming heat of his rage, true, he wasn't showing any sign of it... but I could tell that he was on a rising boil, one that boiled the calmness in him, evaporating his serenity. Mother, on the other hand, simply radiated smug amusement as if she knew that the reality of the situation did not match what I implied.

She was dangerous perceptive. Very much so.

And yet, their emotions overflowed from their bodies, like radiant light and burning blood-like mud that spilled from the golden grail of their souls. The surfeit of emotions that poured out to fill the air, I drank deeply for I found myself hungering for the nourishment of my soul. One does not live by bread of the material world alone, but by essence harvested from the very world. Such sustenance enriched and empowered one's soul.

"So, basically, Lung is looking for a Tinker to serve him?" The gentle pat from mother's hand and, more importantly, her words calmed down dad even as I supped upon the excess emotion that ran riot in him. "And he attempted to recruit you?"

I could only sigh and admit defeat in the here and now. "Something like that?"

- - -
Goblin Queen | One More Time, My Dear
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Writer's Notes : My apologies for how long it took for me to write this.

 

- - -
Tanuki are typing. Please wait warmly.
- - -​

Escaping mother proved to be of greater difficulty than I had expected. Despite the years that she had been away, she proved that her mind was still as keen as they had been before as she saw past the deceptive truths I laid before her and dad.

Father, ah.... father. It was easy to rouse father's wrath and to stroke his paranoia about this and that. Mother, however, was more canny and terrifyingly skilled at ferreting out what I desired concealed.

And yet, for all of her skill, she did not wrestle from me the things I truly desired unspoken.

Perhaps, she sensed instinctively that some things were best left unspoken in the light of day, or perhaps reality was twisted in such manner that certain thoughts could not, would not be ever considered nor certain avenue of questions be asked.

Whatever the cause, she didn't go down certain paths and everything was better that way. Much safer for everyone involved, even.

And thus, I was allowed to escape mother's incessant questions and disapproval with me begging to head off to bed due to being tired and somewhat sleep due being up all night and too much food.

Food coma. That was a rare experience for me, as it required that I gorge myself...

With the grace of a doe, I escaped mother and darted up the stairs to the bathroom for a quick shower that washed away the scent of smoke and sweat from body with sinfully warm water.

It was a sad fact of life that one of my earliest use of my shaping technique was to make my bed extra soft and fluffy. And yet, this was something I would never regret.

o/~ If I could make days last forever.
If words could make wishes come true.
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you. o/~

As I snuggled my pillow, I relaxed the hold I had on my/our senses and beheld everything that surrounded myself and my home...

With haste, absolute haste, I disabled up my connection to my insect selves and hugged my pillow harder. It was all to provide a measure of privacy to my parents and not because I did not need to know my parents did that kind of things.

And in the dinning room at that.

I, did not, whimper into my pillow with mortification as my traitorous memory replayed what I had borne witness to once more. From multiple angles as my/our spider bodies wove my/our/their webs, and cocooned my/our terrified fly bodies as I/we struggled to escape futilely.

o/~ But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them. o/~

Mother giggled at the smile from dad as he dipped low in a bow before kissing her hand. His rise back up was smooth and steady, as his fingers trailed up her forearms to caress her palms gently before tangling with her fingers.

o/~ I've looked around enough to know,
That you're the one I want to go,
Through time with. o/~

My traitorous [perfect] memory continued its perfect playback in high fidelity of what my insect bodies had bore witness to; the bodies of my parents leaning against the other's as they swayed to the music playing over the radio.

The tee-shirt that mother wore shifting about with her movement, I knew that it was one of dad's favorites given the way he liked to wear it at home, scrunching about to reveal her underwear.

There were things that parents should never do where their children could witness them doing said things. Deeds and actions that implied further intimate activities.

I shuddered against the softness of my pillow and bed as I allowed the needs of my body to overcome me. Sleep was the goal and I was weary. More, I did not resist, rather I welcomed it.

And thus, I fell asleep, snuggling my soft fluffy pillow.

- - -
Tanuki are typing. Please wait warmly.
- - -​

I slipped and fell an infinite distance of inches into a bed of soft immaculate white lily blossoms that spoke of purity.

Blinking lazily, I could see that I was in a long slender rowboat that was closer to a kayak or canoe with a distinct lack of platforms to sit upon. Admittedly, there was a bed of flowers to rest on.

A swipe at the detritus in my eyelids, and I found myself frowning at a pastel hued sky, brilliant with countless stars. Some larger or perhaps closer than others, and yet each and every one of then were star-shaped panes of glass that glowed and glimmered in every possible hue.

They spun and pinwheeled slowly and freely in the heavens.

The soft swaying motion from the immaculately white boat as I shifted about told me that it was on a fluid surface.

I could feel my connection to the insects and assorted creepy crawlies gaping wide open and yet... there was a distinct lack of creatures to connect and merge with.

Solitude.

The sensation of being truly alone without trying to connect to my guests and boon companion, [____] or [Queen Administrator], was alien and most unwelcomed for me.

I had forgotten how much smaller I had been before [Queen Administrator]'s connections to me.

How... blind.

A frown slowly formed on my face as I continued to look up, I could still feel my essence roiling within my body.

It was possible that there was simply nothing within range for me to commander.

Absolutely nothing.

That was what connection read back to me. As I looked up at the brilliant night sky, I found myself unable to deny what my senses were telling me.

I was in a dream.

This was not the desert of the Real, rather, it was the sea of Dreams.

It might not have been my dream, but it was a dream, which neatly explained the lack of insects and other arthropods.

Still, I couldn't recall any famous cape with the ability to slip into dreams or seize people while asleep. Such a master would be famous or well... infamous.

At least, they would be if they actively used their power... I suspect they would be given a simple name that understated their power, like Dream, Sandman, Morpheus, or perhaps... The Sleeper.

My mind shied away from that last name, and I truly hoped that this wasn't the case.

I remembered watching an old documentary in history class when they covered the end of the Cold War in the nineties as parahuman activity started to bloom across the world. Specifically, what had happened in the Sosnovy Bor incident.

For if it was the Sleeper, then not only was I already doomed, but everyone in Brockton Bay would have been consumed alongside me by the Sleeper's power.

Thus til facts proved me wrong, I would deny the involvement of the Sleeper. Vigorously.

With my heart and emotions calmed, I continued my considerations. I was not in my dream nor was I in the domain of my guest, [____]. Someone or something had spirited me away to their dream or something akin to such.

I was able to freely shape, which ruled out one of the Raksha clad with narration, and wearing a mask of Shape. That or what I had shaped thus far was not unacceptable to my erstwhile host.

The elements that my host hewed to were those of everchanging water or liquid and the eternal sky.

[Shall we play a game?]

The words uttered were done so softly that they were almost unheard, slipping in past my ears and sounding almost like one of my thoughts. And yet, it was obvious to me, for I would never speak to myself thus. Especially if I was doing my internal narration and it showed up out of the blue and disrupted said narration.

While the voice might have been soft and almost sublime in its tone, the words might be taken as a challenge. Thus, I twisted and sat up to look at the speaker.

My first impression of the speaker was immaculate white feathers. Wings of immaculate white feathers that spiral out from a central core. And yet, as I looked closer, it was clear to me that the feathers were themselves smaller wings formed of yet finer and smaller wings in an unending and infinitely complex recursive pattern.

One might even consider all of the wings to be fractals, each and everyone flowing with a different pattern. And yet, they originated from a central point, an empty void that indicated a connecting point to something that wasn't here.

[Shall we play a game?]

I frowned as the question was repeated once more. This time, there was a hint of patience that came from a being or entity that took a truly long term view because it existed on a scale beyond humanity.

"You have my attention. What do you want?" I replied as I gazed about the endless sea that surrounded the boat I sat in. An endless flat surface of water with ripples that moved outwards from my white boat as my host settled upon its prow.

My question was replied to with that same question once more as my host preen itself, giving itself shape and form; that of a dove formed entirely of wings.

[Shall we play a game?]

Only now, that question held a smug tone to it. A satisfied smugness that reminded me of Lisa in her Tattletale persona as she proved that, once more, she was the smartest person in the room.

In the distance beyond the horizon, an off-white moon rose with stars trailing behind it.

- - -
Goblin Queen 143 | One Is The Loneliest Number
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Writer's Notes: My apologies for how long it took for me to write this.

 

A wild Teaser~ shows up!​

Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, Scarlet Blade (Verified Cape)
You are viewing:
* Mobile Friendly Format
* Threads you have replied to
* AND Threads that have new replies
* OR private message conversations with new replies
* Thread OP is displayed.
* Ten posts per page
* Last ten messages in private message history.
* Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
You have one infraction and five warnings.

O O O​

Topic: The Stone and the Shadow
In: Boards ► Creative Writing
God Empress Rose (Original Poster) (Member) (Awesomest Write-tan)
Posted on May 25, 2011:

Guess what, I've been doing some thinking and I know that I haven't had much of a chance to branch out into new story genre. So, I've decided to try a new genre. Romance! ^_^

I call this one, the stone and the shadow. And no, it's not a Rose Taylor fic... even if some of the characters are familiar. ^_-

 

It's a beautiful friendship that is going to end in blood and tears.

 

​

Previously on Goblin Queen... I was tormented by my parents. It was veritably child abuse as they exposed me to knowledge no teenager should ever discover, let alone witness!

My traitorous [perfect] memory continued its perfect playback in high fidelity of what my insect bodies had bore witness to; the bodies of my parents leaning against the other's as they swayed to the music playing over the radio.

The tee-shirt that mother wore shifting about with her movement, I knew that it was one of dad's favorites given the way he liked to wear it at home, scrunching about to reveal her underwear.

There were things that parents should never do where their children could witness them doing said things. Deeds and actions that implied further intimate activities.

Also I encountered a strange bird while in my dream...

"You have my attention. What do you want?" I replied as I gazed about the endless sea that surrounded the boat I sat in. An endless flat surface of water with ripples that moved outwards from my white boat as my host settled upon its prow.

[Shall we play a game?]

And now...

- - -​

I gazed up and looked at the distant moon rising with the stars trailing behind it. It had been an uncountable eon, as I played game after game with the mysterious being-

[No.] There was a crossed tone in the voice of my host as it... denied the shaping of reality by me in an attempt to bypass playing a game with it.

It had denied me, not with a shaping technique of its own, rather it had done so using nothing more than the sheer brute force of its will, as it clawed away at my truth.

How absolutely inelegant... and yet, one couldn't deny that it was effective.

I narrowed my eyes at the bird before replying with a shrug. "I had to try. But fine... what game did you want to play?"

[God or Devil.] The pleased smugness returned once more to its voice and I could sense it smiling, almost smirking even, despite the lack of a body part such as soft pink lips to do so with. I was starting to dislike the very smugness it had at 'winning'.

"What?" I blinked at my host before abbreviating the name of the game it had offered me. I couldn't resist, what sort of person could resist such a thing? "I can't say the god game is familiar to me."

[It's very simple.] It spread its wings, spiraling outwards, the void at its core spreading and moving away from me... across the placid surface of the sea of dreams. [Come. Follow.]

Gazing after the center point of the figure of wings, I could see slowly a stone pathway forming for me to walk upon.

This was less an actual shaping of reality such as what I was accustomed to and more manipulating of the dream itself. I could feel the essence inherent in what was being done here, forcing the fabric of the dream to confirm to the needs of my host. Much like the way it had denied my dream, it was absolutely inelegant, and yet... it held sufficient power that one could not simply gainsay what was done. Certainly, I wouldn't be able to resist without using essence myself to force the issue.

My shaping wouldn't be as convenient here as it usually was. But that was acceptable, after all, I could use essence to contest the issue if need be. More than that, while I was alone... that didn't mean that [____] and [Queen Administrator] wouldn't be looking for me. We three would be reunited again. Soon.

The boat, that I had 'awakened' in, shifted with my body's motion as I stood up and knelt. It bobbed deeper into the sea as I pushed against to launch myself upwards and away from it towards the first stepping stone.

My tee-shirt and shorts fluttered in the wind, unweaving and reweaving themselves. When I landed upon the slippery wet marble, the hem of my white dress flared widely around my knees, giving me the semblance of a white blossom. Around me, I could see the ripples spread outwards from the boat, their perfection broken by the path left thoughtfully by my host.

With an exhalation, I moved... each step closer to a leap that saw me spring forward light as if gravity held no hold upon me, and it didn't... for this was a dream and as such, I wasn't held captive by the laws of physics. Here thought and will held sway if one didn't have to factor in essence usage.

And thus, I drifted with each step, my dress flaring as I landed on one feet like a pixie before launching forwards again to land on the other... moving ever forwards. Ever behind my host.

An island of marble, with a table and two seats. I settled on one, while on the other, my host reformed herself. A figure of crystal wings that shimmered with all the hues of the pastel sky, refracting the brilliance of the star-shaped panes of glass that glowed and glimmered in every possible color. The core of her body was opaque from its thickness.

It was... obvious who she was, even if it was surprising to find out that she could use essence.

I sighed and looked at where she gestured at the table, engraved in its rough hewed stone surface was a single image. An image that my mind insisted was a word, and at the same time... insisted that it was nothing more than a many armed spiral that twisted and turned the longer I looked at it.

More than the image on the surface of the stone table, I could see what was needed to play this game. All I had to do was reach out and declare that [I AM] my will upon the board, the world, the potentia and it would be so.

My host preened at the look I directed at her, the single raised eyebrow saying more than I could with words. The breath that I hadn't been truly aware that I had been holding was exhaled via my mouth.

[I AM.] And my will was imposed upon the fabric of reality.

I desired that the game be started and breathed. With my breath, essence filled the board. By my will, there would be light and thus... there was light, heat, magnetism, gravity...and all the fundamental energies of the universe as time spun upon the board, round and round a blue green marble.

[That Is.] My companion declared, and so it was as the tiny speck grew in size... swallowing the board and in turn becoming it.

I advocated growth, change over time. Organic chaos. [Evolution.]

[Stability.] My counterpart shook her head and declared that objects at rest would stay at rest. That an orderly descend into entrophy would be the mainstay. Thus were we on the opposing ends of the spectrum.

The basic rules were laid out and called physics by those who dwelled upon the playing field.

Little creatures, simple minded and so very blind... vainglorious things with empty hearts and heads that blossomed like pink flowers for all to see. Like weeds, they sprouted up upon the board.

They marched to our will... an endless field of pastel pinks and yellows. They existed because we allowed it, and they would end because we demanded it. Such was where we sat above the pieces as they moved to our will, build cities of our design.

Looking to the Heavens, they found us. Looking into their hearts, they worshiped us.

Those who followed me, I gifted with mutations. Powers beyond their comprehension.

Those who followed her, their bodies changed not. Technology was her gift to them.

They build cities, raised fortresses and walls to protect their people. Armed their soldiers, to be sent out to fight those who were not them. They fought at our command, to the rolls of our die. They died for our stratagems. Heroes and champions dueling to die without honor or humanity in the rude earth that once was dust before blood and ichor made mud of it.

Life and death at the roll of a die, the flip of a coin, in the thin margin between our respective sides. We both played to win, the only cost lay in the lives of our pieces. It was challenging to stay ahead, against her, I had no narrative strength... which made it a battle of skill, wits and chance.

I found myself smiling at my opponent even as my pieces died as did hers. Their blood splashing to the thirsty earth.

This was... fun.

- - -
Goblin Queen 144 | One More Story
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, Scarlet Blade (Verified Cape)
You are viewing:
* Mobile Friendly Format
* Threads you have replied to
* AND Threads that have new replies
* OR private message conversations with new replies
* Thread OP is displayed.
* Ten posts per page
* Last ten messages in private message history.
* Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
You have one infraction and five warnings.

O O O​

Topic: The Stone and the Shadow
In: Boards ► Creative Writing
God Empress Rose (Original Poster) (Member) (Awesomest Write-tan)
Posted on May 25, 2011:

Guess what, I've been doing some thinking and I know that I haven't had much of a chance to branch out into new story genre. So, I've decided to try a new genre. Romance! ^_^

I call this one, the stone and the shadow. And no, it's not a Rose Taylor fic... even if some of the characters are familiar. ^_-

- - -

Once upon a time, in far away city of DeeBee Bay, there lived a girl by the name of Monique, but she was called Ems by all of her friends.

Monique or rather Ems was a very special girl. For in her world, there were people with power and people without.... kind of like people who were strong and people who were weak.

She once considered herself weak, who needed to be saved from vile villains. But she was strong now because her blood had ignited and she had powers now. Ems was now a superhuman. More than that, her blood was pure and it burned with raw power.

She was no longer the weakest of her friends. She was no longer weaker than her former friend who had gained an Unspeakable and Unholy power. She no longer chased after the back of that former friend.

But it was more than just power, being one of those with power meant that she could fight alongside her girlfriend, Sophita.

No more would she need to fret behind the back of Sophita's back, scared that her girlfriend would abandon her. She was strong now, Ems knew with certainty.

And yet, even so... Sophita no longer fought villains like she had in the past. She had grown mature and had bigger things to do.

- - -

To Be Continued

(Showing Page 2 of 2)

► Stalking Tanuki
Replied on May 26, 2011:
Auuuuuu! You're branching out into romance now? How lewd!

[Prev] [1] [2] [Next] [Last] [Unread]

O O O​

♦ Private Messages from Tin_Mother [Moderator]:
Tin_Mother: Your badge has now been assigned.

O O O​

Essence fills one's body. Excellence guides one's mind and soul and from there, everything is possible. Even the performance of defenses against unexpected vectors of attack.

The girl blinked and looked at her fist as if seeing it for the first time. It wasn't, not really... what was surprising to her was the fact that said fist was currently in the middle of the computer monitor she was seated in front.

There had been something. She frowned. Yes, she had been browsing the PHO board. There had been something she was reading. Something which had filled her with rage.

The shattered monitor cracked further as a shard of glass fell off to land on the desk.

She had reflexively punched the screen, and she couldn't recall where. All she had done was open a thread to read... that much she remembered.

Her mind shied from what she had read. Not the words. Nor the intent. Rather... the patterns. Something behind the words. There was a hint of familiar smile with a wide mouth, filled with a terrible glee and delight. She could only nod to herself as she looked at the shattered screen. "I... yes, it was dangerous."

The words, harmless in tone, were not harmless for they were bloated with essence. This, she knew with a certainty even if she wasn't aware of what the charm that the... story propagated did. And yet, who would believe her? That magic was real. If she spoke of such, she would be mocked like Myrridin or those other parahumans who claimed their powers were magic. And that was the one thing that Emma Barnes refused to have happen to her... to be mocked.

She stood up and carefully plucked the glass shards out of her hand, watching as the scratches and cuts on her hand seal themselves bloodlessly. She would need to explain how the monitor had been broken.

- - -
Writer's notes : I do apologize for the slowness with this update... but here is the update. I'm not really happy with it despite the numerous rewrites. But I'll have to deal with it. I will try to update quicker.

 

It ish soh!

 

A tanuki is seen spraying its mouth with silver food coloring and goes "Witness me! Auuuuuuuu!"

 

Well.... It is just a wild tanuki.... :3

 

Emma "I have the best mental defense. It's called FIST!"

 

​

There is a room in the base, deep in the lower levels. One that was closer to a rather secure bank vault if one were to judge by its tinkerfab vault door, along with the rather thick steel walls, and the fact that there were men stationed by the door. Armed with true tinker-tech equipment and weaponry and not mere tinker-fab gear such as what the others in the base used.

If one had the desire and approval to inspect said room, said person would find that it to be empty save for a table that was padded around the sides. On said table was a bottle of wine, a single and quite immaculate two dollar bill, and a small plastic ziploc bag filled with glittering white powder.

No one had ever entered said room after the items were placed on the table.

The vault door opened, and the soft blue light from within the room changed to a warmer florescent light with an almost physical chunk.

He entered the room by himself after giving explicit instructions to his guards.

Behind him, the vault door sealed itself once more.

After being placed there on the table, they had not been touched.

The man pulled open the seal that kept his costume locked over his head and face. The fabric of the mask stretched as he tugged it upwards to expose his lower jaw before his face was fully revealed.

A face that was thin, harsh strict lines that said he seldom smiled

The bottle of wine was opened first and he savored its fragrance. The heady bouquet held a complexity beyond what he had experienced to date, layers of aroma drifted and blended in a way that no terrestrial wine could or ever would.

After all, one of the methods of defense and perhaps preservation was time itself. Within that vault, the passage of time was slowed. A pebble in the river of time had been one of the selling points of the tinker-tech stasis lock that he had spend a small fortune on.

With care and delicacy that would surprise some, the ziploc baggy was opened and its contents poured out upon the matte black surface of the table in a single line.

Elsewhere, Thomas Calvert rested on a bed in an ordinary, slightly rundown home in the southwest end of the city. If there was a voyeur peering in on him, one might even believe that he was sleeping. A fact that came from how even his breathing was, along with his closed eyes.

With consideration, the man clad in black rolled up the two dollar bill... carefully and tightly. Leaving but a small hollow at the center. With fastidious grace, he examined the rolled up two dollar bill before placing it against his nose and leaned down to the table.

The reflection of his face on the reflective black table surface was simply ignored. After all, it wasn't as if he hadn't done such and worse in the past. Instead, he breathed in as he moved the rolled up bill from one end of the line of white powder to the other.

It burned as the white powder was sucked in... a heat that was sharp and clean that burned from his nose and down his throat.

The world was as it always was. Thomas Calvert continued to rest upon the bed, his breathing controlled, the movements of his pupils beneath his eyelids rapid as he didn't quite dream, or gave the impression of such.

It sat before him on the table, legs crossed as if in meditation. A creature that had the face of Thomas Calvert, slender with frown lines. Long delicate fingers tapped away at the surface of the table.

He knew those fingers. Those were the hands that had climbed that ladder all those many years ago, those were the fingers that pulled the trigger on his captain for being too slow.

It was a perfect recreation of him in every way... save one. The eyes were mirrors, immaculate polished silver, that reflected everything.

He nodded at the being seated before him, even as a pair of slender arms slipped over his shoulders. The hug was possessive, the soft breath far too familiar. The chin that rested on his shoulder was clean shaven.

The 'Thomas Calvert' that rested against his back was the same being that sat on the table. Multiple bodies coordinated with a single will.

The full body mirror on the wall twisted, folding outwards like a flower slowly blooming, as another 'Thomas Calvert' pulled itself out of it. This one had its gender reversed, and yet her silver mirror eyes betrayed her identity.

"Hello. Interface Hardware. Host|Thomas|Coil." Countless voices spoke as one, echoing and shifting. The tones of their voices removing all emotion and inflection from the words uttered.

Coil, or rather Thomas Calvert, inclined his head ever so slightly at the first body seated before him. "Salutations. Transposition Runtime Module. Let us continue where we left off."

It stood up on the table. Its posture and stance languid, at ease, before its arm whipped out at an unseen opponent's eyes. Its hand paused while reached out, index and middle fingers hooked like claws or a snake's fangs to gouge the flesh of its target. "Serpent's Bared Fangs. The essence flow comes from the heart, not the mind. Use it to fuel your twitch reflexes."

The sun set in the west before Thomas Calvert woke up, his eyes blinking as he reached upward with a hand to clutch at the ceiling. He sighed as he sat up from his bed and stretched, feeling and hearing his joints cracking and popping with his body's motion.

There is an underground base inside the city, beneath a construction site. Deep within it, there is a room on the lower levels. It was a room that was closer to a rather secure bank vault if one were to judge by its entrance, and its security measures. Men armed with tinker-tech weaponry stood guard.

If one had the desire and approval to inspect said room, said person would find that it to be empty save for a table that was padded around the sides. On said table was a bottle of wine, a single and quite immaculate two dollar bill, and a small plastic ziploc bag filled with glittering white powder.

No one had ever entered said room after the items were placed on the table.

- - -
Goblin Queen | King of What If
Worm / Exalted
- - -

The road before me split.
They were equally laid.
And once walked, could not be retracted.
I walked down all of them, having split with it.
I am what could have been.
And what will never be.
I live on both sides of the fence.
My grass is always green.
And thus I declare...
I am the King of What Ifs and Never Weres.​

 

Coiled Serpent Style
It is said that the practice of martial arts came wholly from exalts transforming the motions of their bodies into an art of war. And from there, each and every possible motion of a human body, of animals, and far more exotic elements of Creation studied, codified.

Once, there was an exalt who meditated upon that of snakes and serpents. Cold blooded, calculating, and yet... when one rouses them from their slumber, their motion is swift as they react.

He pondered on the way the coiled serpent could simply move without thinking, with nothing but instinct to guide them before their minds could grasp what had happened.

Coiled Serpent techniques are all about fast reaction and even swifter strikes. The span between one's heartbeats is more than enough for multiple attacks.

Weapons and Armor: Snake Swords and paired short swords are the signature weapons of this style, the pugilist who practices this style may wear light armor.

***

Snake Sword (Artifact 2, 3 for a pair)
Attune : 6 motes, 12 motes for a pair
Snake Swords are an artifact dating back to the First Age when an exalt desired a weapon that could change it's form and function. Specifically between a sword and a whip.

In its sword form, it resembles nothing more than an ornate reaper daiklave with a segmented blade. A simple flick of the handle releases internal lock and coiling system, transforming the segmented blade into a whip with multi-segmented blades. In addition to making ordinary attacks, Snake Swords in their whip form can be used to perform clinches and stunts involving grabbing onto, swinging from and pulling objects.

Mode
Sword - Speed 4, Accuracy +3, Damage +5L, Defense +1, Rate 3, Minimum Strength 2, Tags -
Whip Strike - Speed 5, Accuracy +1, Damage +5L, Defense -1, Rate 1, Minimum Strength 2, Tags Disarming, Martial Arts, Reach
Whip Clinch - Speed 6, Accuracy +2, Damage +5L, Defense NA, Rate 1, Minimum Strength 2, Tags Clinch, Disarming, Piercing, Martial Arts, Reach

***

Eyes Open Slumber
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1;
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
It is said that serpents sleep with their eyes open so that they are never taken unaware.

The martial artist invokes this charm in response to an unexpected attack. Roll (his Perception + Awareness) against the standard difficulty. On a success, this charm ensures the attack is no longer unexpected and the martial artist may defend against it as normal with his full dodge or parry value, and add (his essence) dice to the subsequent Join Battle action. Unblockable and undodgeable attacks still can not be defended against, that requires more potent charms.

Notes : Surprise negation, that's all this charm does. But then unexpected attacks basically mean that you can't defend at all... so, it's a very useful trick.


Viper's Reflex
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1;
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The viper does not give any warning, it simply strikes blindingly fast. One moment, it is coiled up... the next, it has alreay struck. The pugilist shifts from a comfortable stance into a memory-blurring strike in a startling instant.

This charm allows the martial artist to attack on tick 0 without needing to roll, those around her roll Join Battle as normal to see how fast their characters react to the attack. The martial artist is treated as if having rolled 1 success above the highest resulting roll.

Should someone else attack first, the martial artist may use this charm to add (her essence) dice to her Join Battle roll.

Notes : You're going to attack first... unless someone else does.


Patient Sidewinder
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1;
Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
One should be wary of a serpent that is not attacking, and is simply 'resting'. This charm allows the pugilist to treat his Guard action as if he had been using an Aim action, allowing him to simply slip from a guarded posture to strike a vulnerable area at the most opportune moment...

Notes : Straight forward charm again, moving from defending to attacking in an instant while gaining 3 bonus dice to the attack?


Twisting Reversal
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Eyes Open Slumber, Viper's Reflex
If one should step upon a snake, one should not be surprised at being bitten. Upon being successfully struck by an opponent, the martial artist may activate this charm as the attacker inflicts damage to her. She makes a counterattack at her full dice pool against her attacker. Additionally, her counterattack inflicts lethal damage. If she is using a weapon (or another charm) that allows her to strike with lethal damage, she adds an additional +3L to the raw damage.

Notes : This charm is a counter attack charm, allowing for an attack to be done in retaliation to a successful attack.


Serpent's Bared Fangs
Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Viper's Reflex, Patient Sidewinder
The fangs of a serpent is what it strikes with, one should always be wary of the serpent's fangs. Especially when one does not see the serpent or its fangs.

This charm ensures that the martial artist's unarmed attack does lethal damage. If the martial artist is using a signature weapon of Coiled Serpent Style, the charm allows the martial artist to strike deeper, reducing his opponent's soak by 2 for a single attack.

Notes : The charm is straight forward, do lethal damage with unarmed attacks and reduce the protection of an enemy if you are using a style weapon.


Coiled Serpent Form
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2;
Type: Simple (Speed 3, DV -2)
Keywords: Form-type
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Twisting Reversal, Serpent's fangs
The serpent coiled at rest once roused into action is a fearsome beast, it strikes swiftly and relentlessly.

The speed of all attacks by the martial artist is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 3, for the rest of the scene. Additionally, when attacking in a flurry, the martial artist reduces her multiple action penalties by 3, to a minimum of 0.

Notes : The form charm is basically a scene or an hour long charm that emphasis what the style is about. In this case, it is about attacking faster or recovering faster from attacks, more than that, it's about being able to hit multiple times in a turn without penalty.


Lightning Bite
Cost: 2m per attack + 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
Type: Extra Attack
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Coiled Serpent Form
In the blink of an eye, the serpent has struck not once, but several times. This charm allows the martial artist to transcend his physical limitations to strike multiple times in an instant. It is obvious to any who observes the attack that the pugilist is actually bending the laws of physics to reflect potential attacks into existence.

For every two motes spent, the martial artist makes an attack at her full attack dice pool. The attacks must be against the same target. The martial artist may not purchase more attacks than (his essence).

Notes : Striking multiple times in an instant. Tsubane Gaeshi is something usually found in Exalted combat.


Leaping Bite
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Coiled Serpent Form
If one were to recall the motion of a snake as it launches itself at its prey, one would find that even in one's memories, the motion is simply blurred.

The pugilist flashes toward his opponent, attacking as he blurs past her. The attack may not be dodged, only parried. Additionally, the post-soak damage is doubled. The character can move up to 20 yards in the turn he launches at his opponent.

Notes : The charm is very straight forward, move at opponent and hit hard.


Venomous Serpent Bite
Cost: 3m + 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3;
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Poison, Touch
Duration: (Essence) actions
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Bite, Leaping Bite
To be bitten by a serpent typically means agony and possibly death, after all... there are a surprising number of venomous serpents in the world.

It is obviously a bad idea to be struck by the pugilist's hands, or be kicked by them... this is only common sense. Doubly so, when the martial artist can cause the essence within his body to be venomous and, even worse, transmit said venom via a touch. The venom is treated as a supernatural poison with the following traits; Damage (Essence x 3)L / minute, Toxicity (Essence)L, Tolerance – / –, Penalty -2.

Notes : This charm basically allows for a VERY venomous touch that can even kill exalts in a matter of minutes if they're hit and they do not make their saves. Basically, it does 1 level of damage every minute for (Essence x 3) levels of damage. A surprising twist of an end to a style about moving and striking faster.

 

A little something to amuse people~

Electric Sheep Harvest
Cost: -; Mins: Cup 2, Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Native, Shaped-Only
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Banquet of Crumbs
It would surprise some that emotions can be transmitted on the ethereal realm of the internet, and yet despite this fact, few would ever consider that it becomes possible for a raksha to feed on said emotions transmitted via the internet. The taste is somewhat dull in comparison to properly feeding, but the upside is that it is easy to feed on human emotions on the internet, given the many ways they rage and find causes to champion.

The raksha must first be on a website where creation-born have invested some of their emotions such as a social-media forum, after which this charm's effect is involved and the raksha recovers essence from the emotional resonance that lingers from the site.

The player rolls a number of dice equal to the feeding grace and the raksha recovers one mote per success, up to a maximum of her essence. The raksha may only feed once per scene with this charm.

 

Arts by Master of Squirrel-fu of someone who shall go nameless as she plots her next story....

 

o/~ One more kiss, dear, one more sigh.
Only this dear, is goodbye.
For our love is such pain and such pleasure. o/~

As I came to... I found myself having to agree with the person who stated that there were no original stories.

o/~ I look at the world and I notice it's turning.
While my guitar gently weeps.
With every mistake we must surely be learning.
Still my guitar gently weeps. o/~

There were only retellings. Repetition.

Slowly, I tumbled... the world twisting before me. A concerto in silence.

Velvet darkness with glittering gems embedded within.

o/~ Like a song of love that clings to me.
How the thought of you does things to me. o/~

The pain that had burned within me on my awakening... that slowly subsided as I focused my will and clawed myself free of the agony that burned with golden flames.

Pain was a thing that I was sadly far too familiar with. Regeneration didn't mean painfree. On the contrary, being able to regenerate one's body simply meant one got to feel the edge of agony as one's nerves rebuild themselves from the basic building blocks of one's body.

Granted, this was something quite impossible to me at the moment... even if I might have wished otherwise.

My attention drifting away from brilliance of the clusters in the distance.

Those bubbles of ephemeral reality were too far away for me to be concerned. While they represented safety and opportunity, what had caught my attention were the things that swam in the darkness between nodes.

Streamlined for speed (the better to chase you down, my dear). Optimized for endurance (the better to tire you out, my sweetling). Everything that did not enable them to maul their prey stripped away (the better to catch you, my sweetmeat, and eat you all up).

Their narrative sang of hunger. Unyielding hunger. And they were hunting.

If my guest was a massive whale, they were sharks and killer whales. Smaller, swifter, and all the more deadlier.

I looked away as the pack I had seen in the distance brought low their prey after harrying it... changing its narrative over time to a fearful lumbering thing fit only for consumption.

o/~ I have no fear.
For fear is the little death that kills me over and over.
Without fear, I die but once. o/~

Still, the surprising amount of pain that I had experienced on awakening had me look down my body.

Really... I shouldn't have been surprised.

I was missing all of my right arm, golden flames burned at the stump there. My legs were frayed... more things in the shape of limbs than actual limbs. I could feel things swimming in there, devouring the resources needed to heal my legs.

Breeding like worms.

Squirming.

It was an interesting sensation, I discovered I could still hate. I hadn't hated Emma nor Sophia. But this thing. This thing. This unspeakable HATEFUL thing. I hated it. I hated them. I hated their Maker.

Someone had made this thing. This thing that infested my body.

Someone had filleted my essence. Seared me. Their HATEFUL g̒̍̆͡o̶͈̫̞̯̹̳̅̆ͤ̓ͭ̐l̝d̝͔̗̩͗̾̓ͪ̕e͔̗͎͍̼͙ͨ̄͌ͩ̀͛ͅn̳͍ͭ̇̽̋̈́ͨ͆ ̤̹̗̿͆s͕̹̤̉ͪ̂ͧ̀̕p͇͉͈̗̩͕̒ͯ̍̆͐̌ͩi̛̮̮̼͇̥͋̏͆ͯr̨̼̩̳̱̮̘͛i͆̎̇̆́͡t͚̦̬͇̘̼̃̕ cutting into my body, mind, and soul. I could feel the gaps in my memories, in my mind, in my soul.

I could not remember who had done this. But someone had made me flee my home. My reality. My world.

All I remembered was a dream... of a game. And yet, was that dream real? Or was it mere fragments of a delusion? I could not tell.

My guests, my companions, they slumbered restlessly within my soul. Beyond the reach of that which had harmed my body and mind. Hopefully beyond the reach of that which had pierced my soul.

We were the three in one. A classical trinity. And yet, they had been harmed in protecting me.

This was unacceptable.

And while my limbs might have been ruined, I still had my greatest weapons. My will and my mind.

And so, I reached out and clawed at the fabric of reality... pulling myself towards the nearest bubble of reality... charting a course that kept me away from the predators.

My primary virtue unfurled, the internal filtering gills used by [Banquet of Crumbs] and [Electric Sheep Harvest] folded away, and I drank deeply the raw potentia that surrounded me.

I would not die here.

I would return home.

And woe befall those who had done this to me.

- - -
Goblin Queen | You Must [Not] Continue.
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

 

No Tanuki. Only QB.

 

Nope.

 

​

Anger.

Yes, it was true that anger drove me. Despite its purity, despite its burning heat... in the end, it had no sustaining power.

At least not for what I needed.

No, what I needed wasn't anger. Not the anger that burned hot, such as what father possessed. By all means, it blazed hot and furious like a fire in the night... but its fuel was devoured swiftly.

It was the cold rage, a passionless thing that was banked and simmered beneath the surface, waiting for a breath of air to give it life once more, that it could burned everything before it.

It endured.

As I had endured in the past.

I had forgotten how much I had suffered.

How I had held so much back in those days before my awakening, first in confusion, then in trying to be better... and then it simply became natural. And so, I burned coldly. I remembered my promise. I didn't know who it was to, but I would never forget it.

I would not die here.

I would return home.

And woe befall those who had done this to me.

Reaffirmation of goals always helped one's narrative.

With my motion controlled... I pulled myself forwards, each pull brought fresh potentia and essence into my body. Fuel I could use for my charms and even if I could not repair the damage done to my body without purging the invasive substances first, that didn't mean I was helpless.

I was, after all, Outside. In the deep end of the swimming pool, so to speak.

And this allowed me to do so much more. If I couldn't repair my body, then I simply had to build prosthetics for myself.

An intelligent mind used tools. And in the here and now, my tools were the very building blocks of reality. Potential unrealized, Infinity unrestrained.

I could build a power armor or perhaps a vehicle... but such things were too obvious and notable even out here. Worse, they were flimsy... I didn't have the time and resources needed to make them able to help me deal with the entities that dwelled here.

Which made what I needed to do so simple and obvious.

[Fantastic Grotesquerie Shell] provided me with the tools to shape the resources I needed. Namely my body.

Why be weak and soft, when I could possess a body more durable than stone. If one lacked limbs, get more limbs. If one was small... become large. If one was weak, acquire strength. Most importantly? Lasers were easy.

And yet, I needed to optimize and tune the resulting form that cocooned my mutilated body.

The result was a sleek angular sauroid form, armored, with muscled limbs meant to claw my way to victory if I needed to fight.

An eternity later...

I found myself swimming before the prismatic shimmering bubble. A wall that could not stop me... but what lay beyond was dreadful Banality.

What lady behind me... and approaching at worrying speeds were some of the native inhabitants of the darkness between worlds.

Really, the choice should be simple.

But fear of the unknown and alien... those were universal.

- - -
Goblin Queen | You May [Not] Run.
Worm / Exalted
- - -​

Scroll of Errata page 137
New Raksha Charm: Fantastic Grotesquerie Shell
Cost: -; Mins: Sword 1, Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Fair Folk are puzzled by the fearful tenacity with which humans cling to the shape in which they are born. Creation offers such a wide variety of morphological oddities—wings and claws and stingers, fur and scales and leaves in hundreds of interesting colors, and more besides. Why not indulge?

The raksha gains six points worth of mutations each time he purchases this Charm. A pox is worth one point, an affliction worth two, a blight four and an abomination six.

At any time the raksha may summon one of the mutations he has learned with this Charm and adorn his body with it. This costs one gossamer for a pox, two for an affliction, three for a blight and four for an abomination.

The raksha may dismiss these mutations at any time for no cost. These mutations automatically dismiss themselves if the raksha at any point finds himself without an active Assumption.

Addendum : Graceful Wicked Masques page 148-149
Whatever its origin, gossamer represents the raw potential of the Wyld in a solidified form capable of existing in Creation.

In other words, it is a real substance that is nevertheless susceptible to shaping effects.

Raksha Charms cannot affect anything in Creation or any Creation-born without gossamer being spent as part of the Charms’ cost. For the purposes of this limitation, freeholds, Bordermarches and uncapped demesnes count as being "outside Creation." Ignore the gossamer cost of Charms deployed in such places unless the Charm description specifically states otherwise.