I got married and then got really stressed for a bit so I stopped hosting/fronting at all really but Im back!
Ive also found an amazing dronification server and met a excellent handler in it. This unit is being very well trained ^w^. Gonna start looking at getting some more dronification gear tomorrow, but for today have a picture of this unit!
CONTENT WARNING: implied death, very minor injury detail, guns
Page 51 - Descent into Chaos - Battle: Part Three
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TIMELINE - what happens and when
The battle with a greatly-weakened Gaia comes to a close as Ted aims his final bullet straight into her mouth to finish her off... but Ted has one last battle: with the military general - telling Buzz Grunt what just happened, and what he expects from him going forward.
I couldn't keep this scene going on too long since there's little change between the start of the battle and the end, which is why it only crosses 2 chapters-worth of pics.
The 'you cannot kill me in a way that matters' is from this Tumblr post about mushrooms, chosen because of the teru'lis's association with fungi.
Transcript:
Image 1
Jess's thoughts: (It's down to me, George and Ted now… George and Ted are exhausted, and George seems to be dazed from the spores….Gaia's getting weak, but I don't know how much more any of us have left in ourselves - not to mention I don't know how many more bullets it'll take before she'll go down…)
Image 2
Jess: Are you alright, Ted?!
Ted: Fine. I only got one bullet left - better make it count…
Image 3
Sound description: *THWACK*
Image 4
Ted: You missed.
Image 6
Sound description: *shrill screeching*
Image 7
Gaia's glitch-text screaming: YOU CANNOT KILL ME IN A WAY THAT MATTERS (repeated)
Image 9
Gaia talking to Ted and Jess: (All I wanted to do was survive here...And you denied me that right. It is not my fault that my nature is detrimental to others' survival. Yours, on the other hand… your existence being detrimental to every other being unlucky enough to share a planet with you…is entirely your fault…)
Image 10
Ted: *heavily breathing* I think…I think she's gone. I can't hear her voice anymore.
George: So…we saved the town?
Jess: Not just yet. We still have to deal with all of the infected…but at least with Gaia dead, their infections shouldn't progress any further.
Image 12
Ted: After all this time… now we can finally try and recover from all this.
Jess: Yeah, there's just one problem - how are you gonna explain this to the general?
Ted: Let me handle that.
Image 13
OUTSIDE THE LAB…
George: Would ya look at that… The cloud's gone.
Jess: It's the first time I've seen proper sunlight in days. And the air is so fresh… *breathes in deeply*
Ted: The plants look smaller, don't they? Without their momma, they'll be gone in no time, I bet-
Image 14
General Buzz: Explain yourself.
Image 15
Ted: Gaia's dead - as are three of your soldiers. And unless you wanna admit to everyone that three of your own soldiers willingly took a bribe, I suggest you keep your mouth shut about the rest.
Image 16
General Buzz: You…what?!
Ted: Gaia was tougher than we suspected, but now you can look at keeping the majority of your workforce now the infection will hopefully grind to a halt. Besides, what's the point in investing in a weapon with no living soldiers, hm?
Image 17
Ted: I'm sorry you lost three good soldiers, but we couldn't leave Gaia alive. Our partnership in this is over. With any luck, the infection will begin to subside soon - and with a little more luck, you'll take your soldiers and leave New Sixam.
Image 18
General Buzz: Do you have ANY idea how much money we've wasted?!
Ted: Do you have any idea how many lives we've saved?
General Buzz: Lives? Saved? You got three of my soldiers killed!
Image 19
Ted: My bad, General. Forgot getting your soldiers killed was your job. Didn't mean to take that from ya.
General Buzz: Fine. Have it your way - but without the military here, there's nothing keeping New Sixam on the map except for the dark tourism that'll arise from all this mess!
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CHAPTER INDEX - links to every story page
TIMELINE - what happens and when
This happens at 4 PM on the same day as last chapter. I omitted the time / place header for the sake of story flow.
The bribed military members, Ted, George, and Jess fight Gaia, and things don't go too great... You might notice some of the people have different guns here to the last post - I had loads of guns and no poses to go with them, or the poses were lookbook only, so I re-downloaded a bunch, wrote down the names and listed what CC they need. The overlay of Gaia's speech over the text box and Jess's speech in the Ted pic is intentional - she is very much trying to take over.
The next part of the battle will take place at a hospital fairly far outside of New Sixam - the worst cases who are fighting for their lives, and the doctors and medical researchers fighting to save them.
Transcript
Image 3
Gaia's glitched text screaming: YOU WILL ALL DIE HERE (repeated)
Jess: Jess: Don't let her distract you! Don't let her get into your head!
Image 12
Gaia's glitched text screaming: YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE
Jess: We can mourn later - for now, focus everything on Gaia! The quicker she dies, the more people that'll survive!
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CHAPTER INDEX - links to every story page
TIMELINE - what happens and when
Dare I say it, the good thing about Ollie being in hospital is I can shelf his plot and get back to everyone else's.
Jess calls her mother and attempts a heart-to-heart with her. Amara is not cruel or heartless. She raised Jess the way she did to protect her, because that's how her mother raised her - but there's always time for generational trauma to be worked through, even if it's tough. I quite often write either abusive parents or supportive parents with little nuance in between, and so I wanted to do something different with Jess's mother.
Ollie, Jess and Meredith's stories are all united by one thing: They all want to help others, they all serve the public in some way (giving people the truth, 'protecting' people, and preserving important culture and history) and never think of their own needs and that ends up being to the detriment of either others or themselves. The discussion of burying feelings harkens back to Ollie's discussion with Gaia on Page 26.
And so the battle with Gaia begins...
Transcript:
Image 1
SAN MYSHUNO CITY
3 PM
Amara: Haven't heard from you in a while. Is it true what's happening in New Sixam?
Jess: It's true. I have the infection, but we found the source - an alien plant. I'm gonna be one of the people who's going to take it down - then hopefully we can all find a way out of this mess. But I guess I'm kinda…nervous.
Amara: You're strong. You've gotten this far. You'll figure it out.
Image 2
Jess: Yeah, I…I'm not, Mom. I'm not strong at all.
Amara: What do you mean? You're in the military.
Jess: I've been honourably discharged - but I don't wanna go back.
Amara: Why not? You always wanted to help others.
Jess: Yeah, and I can't do that in the military. All we've done is screw over the Sixamians - I don't wanna be a part of that. And time and time again I've taken out my stress on Christie and Dylan because I've… I've never learned how to process emotions, I guess. I just bury them - the way you taught me. But it's not doing me any good - or you.
Image 3
Amara: What are you saying?! I raised you the way I did to protect you! The world wasn't easy for me, and it wasn't easy for your grandma - and it sure as Hell hasn't been easy for you! I knew it wouldn't be! Emotions aren't important, Jess - you have to survive about all else, and you are good at that.
Jess: Mom, Christie isn't me! She isn't you! We've both hurt people because we don't deal with things properly, okay?
Amara: Christie is going to be eaten alive if you don't teach her how to guard herself properly!
Jess: Mom, PLEASE, hear me out!
Image 4
Jess: Mom, I don't doubt that you've never cared about me. I know you do. If it weren't for you, I would have given in to Gaia. The plant speaks to you telepathically - tries to rope you in. I've only managed to hold her off - SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP! - Sorry, Mom - because you taught me to bury my feelings.
But I can't keep doing that - not anymore. I have a family and I'm not raising Christie to be like me. She has a big heart - I want her to nurture it. I'm not going back to the military - I'm not making the world a better place for my daughter as long as I'm there. I want my daughter to feel everything for as long as she can. I want her to live a full life - and you, too.
Gaia: I tried to get you in touch with your feelings, and you ignored me! I could have helped you and you held me at arm's length at every opportunity! And now you're begging for Mommy's support? What's she going to do? She's never cared about your feelings! She's the reason you're like this! She's the reason you're weak!
You aren't worth anyone's time. There won't be any difference between you now and you as a lifeless, emotionless husk writhing in the dirt until my children sprout from your worthless flesh!
Image 5
Amara: I have lived a full life, Jess. I have a strong daughter, I've done well in my job, just like you, and I have a nice apartment.
Jess: But you're not happy. Not emotionally.
Amara: Well-
Jess: Please, Mom, promise me you'll get therapy or something. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to feel joy. I know it hasn't been easy for you, but you have me, you have Dad, and you have the nice apartment and the job you're doing well in. Now you can do whatever you want. Burying our feelings hasn't protected either of us at all…
Amara: Jess, I… it's not that easy. But, I guess, if you want, I can try - for you.
Image 6
Well, that could've gone worse…
There's no more time to waste.
If I want to go home, if I want to fix myself, save my family, and mend my relationship with Mom…
…we have to hurry up and kill Gaia - before she kills everyone.
