After again many months I have finally finished and updated the next chapter for Challenging Destiny! The procrastination was real, but I triumphed over it!
Summary: The reveal of magic continues to spread across the world with mixed results. And, with help from Colonel Kubritz, live interviews are set up for a select number of team Trollhunters on a world news channel, to give the world some much needed answers after the defeat of Gunmar broadcast.
An: :) I love Alien Stage. I’m making a round seven version. Aka Ivan vs Luka 🗣️
A world where Ivan won round six.
Of course he didn’t mean to. He’d never directly or indirectly hurt Till.
But as his voice dimmed through the stadium, making way for Till to take over and tilt the tables,
The stage stilled with silence.
Ivan quickly turned to Till to see what was wrong-why wasn’t he trying!?
Yet he saw it-Till’s dull eyes moving to the floor as he slowly let go of the microphone. Till looked so tired-so done, so hopeless. The eyebags under his eyes had only gotten worse, now staining his perfect face.
It was horrifying. All the fight drained from him along with Mizi’s disappearance.
90%
91%
92%
Their song was almost done-and Ivan was winning.
Till would die.
No. That was unacceptable.
Ivan ran towards the desolate boy, hoping that violence would impact his own score enough to let Till win.
Till could live without him. He’d never would live without Till.
96%
97%
98%
99%
Ivan was too late.
As the words IVAN WIN flashed on the screen behind him, he felt his blood run cold.
Ivan didn’t stop running, tackling Till into a hug. He wished he could use his own body as a shield. He wished he could protect the boy in his arms from everything-the aliens, the sound of the gun being loaded behind them, himself,
He felt Till bury his head into Ivan’s shoulder, the other’s tears soaking his shirt.
“Till…!” He whispered. Or maybe he cried. Ivan’s own tears mixing in with Till’s was deafening.
Oh, if only this was how eternity would span. Embracing Till in his arms, his own body a shield or a cloth for Till’s wims.
“Out of the way.” He heard before a hand attempted to rip him away from the love of his life.
He didn’t let go. He’d never. Both of then tumbled aside, Ivan stubbornly, desperately clinging on to the limp form in his arms.
“Why…?” The almost lifeless whisper coming from the mouth of the most lively person Ivan knew felt wrong.
If the great Anakt was ever so merciful all Ivan wished was for Till to live as he did. Careless, roudy, beautiful.
”What do you mean w-“ Ivan attempted to reply, but was cut off by a sharp pain in his back. The alien was back, now with a taser to Ivan’s neck and a gun to Till’s.
Ivan couldn’t move his body anymore. Jolts of electric pain shot through him. He couldn’t even scream.
Maybe it was supposed to hurt even more. Ivan would even welcome that a thousand times rather than the sight of Till’s blood splattering his face.
How cruel the world was.
He couldn’t even move his mouth to mourn.
Tears welled in his eyes as Ivan struggled to move his hand to Till’s bleeding neck. He couldn’t save him.
A weak yet bright smile graces Till’s dying face. It was almost assuring. As if Till was whispering he would be content wherever Mizi was.
…
Of course. As it always was. He was where Mizi was.
Ivan couldn’t help the bitter, pained smile that cracked across his face.
currently can't stop thinking about your vampire lords au (as usual) and am obsessing over the idea of Vio overworking himself trying to find a cure, and collapsing into Shadow's arms. The whumo. the DRAMA. THEM. I'm so normal about them can you tell
- Zeldathusiast
I love vampires. That's all
---
Shadow doesn't realize how awful Vio really looks until his steps begin to stagger. Vio's eyes struggle to remain open, and Shadow runs forward. He somehow manages to catch Vio before he hits the ground, Vio's cool weight falling into his arms and leaning on his chest. He sinks them both down to the kitchen floor.
"How long have you been awake?" Shadow asks, pushing down his worry.
"Not long enough," Vio whispers. He puts a hand to his face. "I need to figure this out. Before anyone gets hurt."
"Look, I know that things have been tense lately, but is it really worth—"
Vio interrupts, sitting up. "Green almost burst into flames. Blue's stuck in his room and can barely speak. Red put himself in the dungeon, Shadow, the least I can do is try."
Shadow stands to pour a glass of blood from the pitcher he'd brought. He offers it out. "Drink some of this, just for now. Tell me what you need from the greenhouse, and it'll be ready for you when you wake up. Just a short nap, okay?"
It takes some arguing and some very good points on Shadow's side to bully Vio into curling up on the parlor sofa for an hour or two, during which time, Shadow personally delivers dinner to the other three. Though he doesn't want to, he agrees with Vio—they need to solve this. Quickly.
Upsetting realization that Sasha Waybright is unintentionally a Char Clone. Color palette, mentally unstable blondes, betrayal, the homosexually tense rivalry with their series’ protagonists who have brown rounded hair and are associated with the color blue. Conflicted with their own morals and so do good later on despite their past deeds. They obviously differ with their final outcomes, char going to newtype heaven with his obviously not boyfriend amuro and obviously not girlfriend lalah. While Sasha is very much alive to see her totally not girlfriends Anne and Marcy.
Between the first and second scene of Chapter 1 there is a time jump—May 13th to August 10th. These screenshots are from a section of that scene where Z is writing a journal entry (cause they need some way to make sure they remember everything in the future) and as you read along, you can make changes to and update the entry as you "write" it. There are three big decisions made in this section which you can read below.
(btw, this is a first draft, changes will likely be made before the chapter 1 release)
Image #1 Transcription
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH TOMMY?
This choice will affect your relationship with Tommy in addition to impacting his personality and skills. It will also have lasting affects on the events of the game.
You've been training with Tommy, teaching him to fight
You've helped Tommy improve his wit and charisma
You've met with Tommy occasionally to come up with ideas on how to make him cool
You've schemed some with Tommy but intentionally given him bad advice
You've been cruel and antagonistic towards Tommy whenever you happen to run into him
You've avoided Tommy completely and haven't seen him in months
[buttons "CONFIRM" and "EXPLANATION"]
Image #2 Transcription
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING MONEY?
This choice will determine your current job and how much money you made this summer. Your job may change your alignment and unlock items, choices, and preexisting relationships with characters. Some characters will approve or disapprove of your job so this choice can impact people's opinions or first impressions of you.
You've been working as a tutor for kids in summer school
You've been working as a nanny for a five-year-old kid named Kevin
You've been walking dogs and taking care of people's pets when they go on vacation
You've been working as a thief, stealing things and selling them at a pawn shop a few towns over
You've been working as a musician, playing gigs and busking with the guitar you purchased
You've been working as a musician, playing gigs and busking with the violin you purchased
[buttons "CONFIRM" and "EXPLANATION"]
Image #3 Transcription
HOW HAVE YOU SPENT YOUR FREE TIME?
This choice determines how you've been spending most of your free time these past few months and what experiences, connections, items, or knowledge you've gained as a result. Your decision here may change your alignment. In addition, some characters will approve or disapprove of your choice thus impacting their opinion or first impression of you.
You've spent a lot of time gambling, playing cards, and hustling people you meet in local bars
You've been studying pop culture and technology, becoming more comfortable with the modern world
You've been getting creative—sketching, painting, writing, and otherwise expressing yourself through art
You're so filled with rage that you've been picking fights with random people to release some of your anger
You've fallen into a deep, numbing sadness and find yourself getting into fights with strangers, often just to feel something
[buttons "CONFIRM" and "EXPLANATION"]
Explanations for Tommy Choices
Teaching Tommy to fight will make him more chill and badass. He will become physically stronger and develop basic non-magical combat skills. Tommy will also feel closer to you.
Working on Tommy's charisma will make him more suave and daring. He will speak with people more easily and has started collecting an arsenal of cool phrases and searing insults. Tommy will also feel closer to you.
Plotting with Tommy and giving him good advice will make him feel much more confident and daring. He'll also be a bit more assertive and embrace some of what makes him unique. Tommy will also feel closer to you.
Plotting with Tommy and giving him bad advice will sabotage him—making him somehow even less suave—though he'll feel much more confident. He'll be a bit more daring and embrace some of what makes him unique. Tommy will also feel closer to you since he doesn't realizing you're playing him.
Being mean and aggressive towards Tommy will make him feel less confident and assertive. He'll feel even worse about the things which make him unique and try to be more like others. Tommy will start to model some of your behaviors though, becoming a bit more mean and suave as he learns new insults (from you hurling them at him). He understands why you're upset too, so being mean to him will make him feel bad for you and result in a slight approval increase.
Avoiding Tommy causes no change in him or your relationship with him.
Explanations for Job Choices (with alignment and approval spoilers removed):
{ if your alias is a tutor: Working as a tutor will make your identity as ALIAS more credible. } It will also set your available cash at $1000. You'll gain connections to students and teachers at Northview (Tommy's High School) and you'll get better at completing schoolwork quickly and accurately.
Working as a nanny will set your available cash at $700. You've developed a relationship with Kevin, a five-year-old boy, and his mother Sally, a waitress at the local diner. You've developed an aura that younger humans are drawn to—whether you like it or not—and you are good at interacting with children. You have connections at the diner and the local gossips will happily share everything they know with you.
Working as a dog walker will set your available cash at $1250. You're acquainted with many of the dogs around town and animals are far less likely to react aggressively to your presence. In fact, you can exert a degree of control and influence over many domestic and wild animals. You've been given access to many homes across town and know when these people are away and for how long.
Working as a thief will set your available cash at $2000. You've acquired a few interesting, rare items and have an established relationship with a local fence. You're more experienced at lock-picking, infiltration, and investigation. Your actions have drawn the attention of local authorities and law enforcement has begun looking into you, though they don't have much to go off of at this point.
Working as a musician will set your available cash at $900 and you've purchased either an acoustic guitar or a violin. You have a couple of connections to local businesses and people may recognize you from busking on the street. You've developed an even more charming and enthralling aura. In general, you're able to influence and convince people to do things more easily and the people you meet may be interested in playing music with you.
Explanations for Free Time Choices (with alignment and approval spoilers removed):
If you've spent time gambling and hustling people then you've earned another $400 and own a set of trick cards and weighted dice. You're a more convincing liar and can better manipulate people into doing and believing what you want. You've also gotten into a fist fight with someone so you're somewhat used to how this body moves in combat. You have left a string of disgruntled people behind you—but hopefully you won't run into any of them.
If you've spent time studying media and technology then you've watched movies and shows, read books, tried playing games, and gotten somewhat used to modern machines. You can make pop culture references, use basic technology, and attempt to blend in as a "normal" human (however, your understanding of these things isn't always perfect). You will have a better—if somewhat exaggerated—understanding of how high school works. This option in particular unlocks a lot of choices and conditional dialogs.
If you've been creating art then you've made $150 by selling some of your pieces and have in your inventory: art supplies, paintings, sketchbooks, { if a musician: a handful of original songs, } and a separate journal filled with unfinished poems, monologues, and short stories. You've been introduced to this town's creative community and have established connections to local artists.
If you've been fighting angrily then you've gotten very used to how this body moves in combat. When fighting you can tap into that well of rage to unleash a powerful attack or withstand things that might down others. You have earned several enemies, but hopefully you won't run into any of them.
If you've been fighting apathetically then you've gotten very used to how this body moves in combat. You don't feel pain like others do and can endure anything. Only the most severe injuries can make you flinch and you can keep fighting when others' bodies would command them to stop. There are quite a few people you've come across who really don't like you, but you don't really care.
Doing an MC overview for my Buttons from @mindblindbard‘s AMAZING in-progress interactive fiction Mind Blind! Seriously, I love this thing and am so excited!
Mason Wiseman - Cheerful | Sweet | Terrified
Confident - Accepting - Insightful - Ethical
Nicky Mouse - best relationship | Dad: great | Mom: terrified of her
Strategy: Who’s on First | Eats mind-over-batters
RO: Grayson Black | Save Name/Ship Name: MayGray
(face claim: Miles McMillan)
“I can handle anything as long as I have you, Nicky Mouse.”
Devilishly smart and clever, Mason scored a 280 on his ASE by virtue of his intelligence. A lover of books and reading, he has battled an intense feeling of loneliness due to his mind blindness. He loves Nick dearly, and has accepted the fact that his love for Grayson Black is not going away, although he desperately hopes one day Gray might hug him close. Best friends with Sally, but his confidence and overall cheer masks his fear-ridden insides. He’s terrified of losing Nick, Gray, or Sally, the only people he trusts, and he’s absolutely terrified of his mother after the Incident, and though he loves his father, he still feels like he was abandoned, only exacerbating his issues with loneliness.
Morbid - Resentful - Innovative - Expedient
Nick-Nack - okay relationship | Dad - trying | Mom - doesn’t want to see
Strategy: Terrible images | Eats Peanut Butter Pollards
RO: Kent Zarneki | Save Name/Ship Name: Mythtaken
(face claim: Giles Matthey)
“Antigone and Cassandra, huh? I’m more like Andromeda myself.”
Theo is obsessed with Greek Mythology. At first it helped him escape from his circumstances by letting him imagine a world of heroes... and then it comforted him that even in the epic legends, the best heroes could never get a break either. Morbid and broody, Theo cares more for animals than human company at the moment - at least animals either can’t read his mind or don’t comment on what they find there. He’s never been as attracted to anyone as he has Kent Zarneki, even if he’s still pissed at him. Passed the ASE due to his knowledge of fighting.
Ellis Wiseman - Resilient | Easygoing | Guilty
Humorous - Accepting - Interpersonal - Expedient
Nickerbocker - feels guilty | Dad - guilty | Mom - feels guilty
Strategy: Personal affirmation | Eats snickerdoodles
RO: “Glitch” Parker | Save Name/Ship Name: ComedyDuo
(face claim: Tyler Posey)
“Ah, no. Gotta be a level ten friend to access the Tragic Backstory, hon.”
The big ASE Caper has been the highlight of Ellis’ young life so far, in a life that has contained more than a fair bit of stinky things. However, he has developed the best kind of defense against bad thoughts - humor and a healthy case of denial. He has a deep-seated guilt that he was the one to tear apart his family, and carries a harsh self-deprecating wit with him. He finds it hard to trust people, because it seems like he ruins the lives of everyone who comes near. However, meeting with fellow funnyman Glitch may just provide Ellis with the help and understanding he needs to overcome his guilt and fully commit to training at Aeon. He also used to have a crush on Grayson, but all that flew out the window as soon as he saw Glitch.
Confident - Resentful - Insightful - Effort
Tick - resentful | John - resents | Hope - blames
Strategy: Terrible images | Eats chocolate chip cookies
RO: Ambrose Kim | Save Name/Ship Name: DaddyIssues
(face claim: Britt Robertson)
“Someday, I'm gonna show the world what I can do.”
Pen is angry. Angry at her father for abandoning her. Angry at her mother for the incident. And even angry at her brother for being so intrusive. Perhaps she’d be kinder if everyone would stay OUT of her head. But as of now, she’s eager to prove that even though she’s a zero and has all the disadvantages, she’ll break the scale when it comes to MIV training. If she can rein in her attraction to Ambrose Kim and control her temper. Despite her anger, she is true friends with Sally, especially due to the mind blindness thing.
