#ralphbug

[wreckingduty]

Open RP - Bugging Out (A Role-Swap AU)

((This is a role-swap AU where Ralph was always programmed to be a Cy-Bug and the Queen was a Space Marine.))

The programmers had taken quite a few shortcuts when programming Hero's Duty, and Ralph, one of the bosses, was no exception. He had been something of a last minute addition and the result of several characters and concepts smashed together.

His backstory was that he had been part of a previous wave of Space Marines sent to the planet and the Cy-Bugs had made him one of their own. He was a boss right before the Queen of the Cy-Bugs.

Ralph's position was somewhat awkward, he was stuck somewhere between human and Cy-Bug. He didn't personally know any of the Marines that were currently in the game, nor was he human enough for them to want to spend time with him. And, he wasn't Cy-Bug enough to really fit in with the other bugs. He was too big, bulky, and heavy to easily go anywhere, and he couldn't fly. So, he was trapped on a floor close to the top of the Tower.

When the game first started up, he had tried to make friends with Marines on patrol and miscellaneous Cy-Bugs, but his efforts got him nowhere. He had become very lonely very quickly.

After hours, he usually watched the Marines with interest, but they completely ignored him. Until, one day, someone new was sent to his area.

She went by the nickname 'Queen' and it didn't take her long to realize that, despite his best efforts to be stealthy, Ralph had been watching her with curiosity.

Curious herself, she had observed him in turn, he wasn't acting like the other Cy-Bugs, instead, it felt more like he was some kind of lost dog.

After some time, once she had finished her duties, she had approached him.

Not expecting that, Ralph immediately panicked. It took some time for her to talk him down and gain some trust.

They both proceeded with caution, each not completely trusting the other, and a careful friendship started to grow.

After that night, if she was assigned to patrol his floor, she would talk to him. Early on, she had asked him why he didn't try to sneak out, or at least, get out of this room. He had responded that he couldn't. If he left, it'd do a lot of damage to the building and he was so high up, he'd have to climb down and back up. There was no way he could move around without causing attention to himself or being seen.

It was after that that she had decided to become his eyes to the world.

She told him about her memories and the games beyond Hero's Duty. She told him of her off days and the things she did, and sometimes would bring something from the other games to show him. Occasionally, she'd bring him a snack.

In turn, he'd tell her of what he remembered of his backstory and what it was like to be part Cy-Bug. His side of the conversations wasn't quite as interesting, simply due to his limited worldview. But, he tried his best. She helped him by asking his thoughts on things she had told him about or brought him.

All in all, it was a warm friendship that meant everything to Ralph, for once, he wasn't completely alone. He did what he could to repay his dear friend, and if she made it to his floor in gameplay, he did his best to try and not hurt her during his boss battle.

[wreckingduty]

(( @tempusfelis ))

Ralph sits up straight when he hears Icarus call out for him, “Hey, I’m over here.” He waves a hand to show where he’s at.

[wreckingduty]

(( blackwaterkelpie ))

LOTS of Cy-Bugs is right, down in this section of the cave, there’s two very large bugs, 18 much-smaller ones, and one egg.

One of the larger ones picks up on the scraping and scratching noises. Concerned, Ralph heads out into the caves to find the source.

There’s lots of colorful rock candy clusters spread about the caves and tunnels and caverns, though, some areas are definitely darker than others.

[wreckingduty]

Open RP - A Year Gone By

Today, Ralph wakes up early, makes sure someone's keeping an eye on Junior, then heads off through the rock candy mines.

This isn't a good day by any means, even though it's just started.

He winds his way through the tunnels and caves, finally stopping when he reaches one that's covered in rock candies that glow all different shades of blue. It's rather calming and almost has the feeling of being underwater.

With a sigh, he walks into the cave. Once he reaches the middle, he sits down and then transforms into his Cy-Bug self.

Ralph lies down, resting his head on the ground and closing his eyes.

On this day, one year ago, his Queen had died. She had disappeared for months beforehand, but her signal had faded completely on this day, permanently severing their link.

On this day, two years ago, he had become a Cy-Bug. He had asked his Queen to bug him, so that if the worst should happen, they'd both be able to fight at their best.

On this day, both his Queen and his humanity had perished.

It was a cruel twist of ironic fate that that both occurred on the same date. Ralph and his Cy-Bug couldn't believe it when that fact had been discovered. But, the records and data didn't lie.

He doesn't mourn his humanity too much, he's gotten used to being a bug, though some things would be easier if he was a human. However, he still dearly misses his Queen. It's gotten a little easier over the past year, partially in thanks to people helping him through it, and partially because he had been locked up and tortured for a small part of it. Even though his time in Punk had been unpleasant and being trapped in Hero's Duty hadn't been the best, recovering from it had kept his mind off his Queen sometimes. Though, he had been taunted about his Queen in Punk and being in Hero's Duty without his Queen had been difficult.

Ralph doesn't have anything to remember his Queen by, save for being a Cy-Bug and her mark that she had placed on both his bug and human forms. Even the Christmas present she had made for him had been destroyed long before her death. He doesn't even have a picture of her, just memories. In some ways, his memories are fading, he can barely remember her scent, her smell has been long covered up by the sugar that permeates every inch of the game. He can barely remember her voice, sweet and loving towards him, fierce and commanding if there was danger.

Being in his Cy-Bug form was the only way he could be close to his Queen, though it came with pain and emptiness. It had been a delight being linked to her, able to feel her love shining through the Hivemind, but now there was only a broken connection full of loss. She had taught him so many things about being a Cy-Bug, the foundation of all his knowledge having been built by her.

With her death had come so many regrets. He had traded in his dream of being a Space Marine for the dream of marrying her. She had wished to have children with him, but in his fear of the Space Marines coming after them, he had denied the one single thing she had ever asked of him. In the end, neither of them had gotten what they wanted.

There are other, smaller regrets as well, though at least one of them has improved. He had regretted that becoming a Cy-Bug had driven him and the Cy-Bug Ralph apart, though, with time, it appears that this rift has healed. One regret that will never be changed is the fact that he hadn't given her a Christmas present in return. What he had made for her still sat in the corner of the cave, along with other regrets. He had never proposed to her properly, he had asked her to marry him and then to bug him. The ring from Sonic's game that he had modified for her was in the corner pile of regrets as well. There were other gifts, simple trinkets, that he had never been able to give her. She had reappeared after he had made them, but their reunions had always been cut too short for him to be able to shower her in gifts.

Grieving and full of loss, regret, and despair, Ralph remains in this cave for the entire day. It's hard to believe that a full year has passed since her passing.

[wreckingduty]

Ralph grins, "Good morning, yourself, Fuzzy."

[wreckingduty]

((According to the Queen's player, the Queen's name was a serial number: A001. She also said that the original Cy-Bugs would have been numbered up to Z999, which I think would accommodate 25,974 Cy-Bugs (including the Queen), if I did the math right.

She came up with Ralph's Cy-Bug serial number being AR001, since he is the first of his kind, and that any kids Ralph and the Queen had would be numbered AR002 and up.))

[wreckingduty]

Open RP - The Hardest Kind of Anniversary

Today Ralph woke up with an aching heart. Not only does today mark another month since the Queen's death, but it's also been a year since he last saw her. While she hadn't officially died on this date, she might as well have, as she disappeared and he hadn't heard anything from her until her death.

This was the day that all his hopes and dreams had been shattered.

Ralph sits there with his back up against the wall and his head bowed, feeling completely lost.

He sighs heavily and gets to his feet, moving away from the wall. Once he's a safe enough distance away, he closes his eyes and changes into his Cy-Bug form, filling the cave with light as he glitched and switched.

His Cy-Bug form was the only thing he had left from his Queen, she had laid the egg, changed the Cy-Bug's code in helpful ways, and placed her symbol on his abdomen. Her symbol was also on his human form, but his Cy-Bug form was more like her. He feels closest to his Queen as a Cy-Bug, even though he had fallen in love with her as a human.

With that, he lumbers over to the corner and curls up as best he can, resting his head on his arms.

Junior had been nuzzling him, trying to comfort his dad, but even he couldn't break through the dispair. For now, he nests in Ralph's hair, sending him happy thoughts every now and then, doing what he can to try and cheer him up.

His son's nice thoughts help a little, but not enough to keep the giant Cy-Bug from crying, a sob escaping from him every now and then as tears stream down his cheeks.

[wreckingduty]

Today, Ralph isn't feeling very sociable. He's spending his time lying near the underground waterfall, curled up as tight as he can get.

His inner clock has indicated that yet another month has gone by since the Queen's passing. He can always tell when it's getting close, a few days beforehand, he starts missing her more than ever.

There's nothing he can do about it, she's dead and he's trapped in Punk, all he's able to do is spend the day moping about it.