M I L K E V O L I

independent Luna from Virtue's Last Reward. sideblog to notevenjupiter.

[xmoonlitxdreamx]

Posting these before bed bc I’ll probably forget to post them if I don’t;; Tried drawing Luna? also sorta cleaned up that sigma & luna doodle I posted earlier.

No idea what’s going on with luna’s hair tbh………..

[twinbluebirds-archive]

〔ΦΔ〕 ic 003: unlikely encounter.

[threelaws]

twinbluebirds‌:

THERE WAS A long, long pause, a space of silence filled not even with the sounds of breathing, as the twins processed what had just happened.

In that sincere, completely serious voice of hers, that voice softer than a feather and gentler than an autumn breeze, Luna had said ‘fuck’.

To the twins’ thirteen-year-old minds, that was possibly the funniest thing humanly conceivable. Phi was the one to begin their inevitable collective fit of laughter, snickering and covering her mouth in a futile attempt to avoid cracking up, but the instant Delta’s smile broke into a grin and his chest started to tremble with poorly suppressed giggles, she lost control. He took about a second to follow suit.

Φ — “Y… yeah, that was… that one was… one of them,”

Phi managed to say with what little breath she could still freely maneuver through her lungs. She was having a bit of trouble holding it together.

Luna tilted her head to the right, much like a confused pug. She couldn’t figure out just what was so funny. Her hands were folded in her lab, thumbs twiddling against each other in nervousness.

“Is... something wrong? I thought fuck was a perfectly ordinary word...”

[twinbluebirds-archive]

〔ΦΔ〕 ic 003: unlikely encounter.

[threelaws]

twinbluebirds‌:

THE TWINS QUIETLY breathed a collective sigh of relief, and Phi’s smile widened a bit.

Φ — “Trust me, you’re not missing out. Guy’s an asshole. So, hey… speaking of Ms. Kurashiki… what’s she like? You know, as… an older person. Delta and I know her at the same age as our parents, more or less. We just call her Akane, though.” 

Δ — “Mhm. She orchestrated our rescue. The, er… other me wasn’t alive to stop her, so she and a small team from her organization managed to locate us based upon the memories she eventually regained.”

Φ — “She has a brother, too! He’s cool, I guess, but Mom gets nervous when he comes to visit. Probably because he’s the one who taught us all those swear words…”

“Oh, Ms. Kurashiki?” She looked off to the side, wistfully. “Most of the time, she was very kind, very understanding. Until her arrival, there was quite a dark cloud over the lunar base, but... she did her best to make everyone smile, and make everything slightly easy to bear. Unfortunately... in the days leading up to the experiment, she turned cold. My orders were given, and any deviation from the orders would result in my immediate termination. She made that quite clear. I hope I don’t scare you by saying this, but... she might be the most cruel individual I’ve ever met. Although, I don’t know too many people.”

She blinked, a sign of several gears turning.

“If you don’t mind me asking, which swear words were they? Fuck was one of them, I assume? I’ve heard it’s rather popular.”

[twinbluebirds-archive]

〔ΦΔ〕 ic 003: unlikely encounter.

[threelaws]

twinbluebirds‌:

PHI DIDN’T QUITE know what to say to that, but Luna’s warmth disarmed her, made her feel strangely secure. Slightly embarrassed by the GAULEM’s gratitude, she smiled and looked off to the side.

Φ — “Thanks… I guess. But that wasn’t really me. I mean, not to say I wouldn’t do the same thing, but I’m not the same Phi. Just like Delta’s not the same Delta.” 

Δ — “And thank goodness I’m not.”

He raised the crook of his index finger to his lips, biting down on it gently.

Δ — “You never met… that instance of me, did you, Luna? I ask because I can’t access your memories the way I’d normally be able to. It’s honestly a bit refreshing. Quieter than usual.”

Luna folded her hands in her lap. In her virtual mind, this was the same Phi. Different circumstances, a different history, a different life, but the same heart, the same compassion - she could tell it existed. But, such a distinction wasn’t worth fighting over.

“No, I haven’t.”

She looked down into her lap. She knew Delta meant what he said as a compliment, that he enjoyed her presence, but... wasn’t it just another reminder that she wasn’t human? That no matter how hard she tried to fit in, or how real her artificial skin looked, that she’d never, ever be the real thing?

“I’ve learned about him, though. Ms. Kurashiki told me all about him, and his plans for the world, and why it was so necessary for those plans to be stopped at all costs. But... you’re the first Delta I’ve met. You’re the first and only Delta I can recall ever meeting.”

[threelaws]

placidity. [closed]

[threelaws]

isaaccecilbryant‌:

Isaac ran a hand through his hair. “‘Voluntarily’ can be debated here.” He moved to sit next to Luna, surprised by the nice garden on the moon. Well, at least they had somewhere nice to talk.

“That’s okay, I’m being sent to speak with a variety of people regarding everything that’s happened. There’s a lot I have to piece together. For now, I’ll start with something relatively simple compared to everything else. Do you know who you were modeled after?” This was one question Isaac new the answer to already. One look at Diana’s and Luna’s pictures made it obvious.

“Yes. I know.”

Her hands moved to grasp the caged bluebird around her neck. It wasn’t a subconscious motion - after all, every action of hers was likely dictated by extensive lines of code fully available to someone, somewhere - but she might not have realized herself just how tightly she was gripping it.

“Diana. The one true love in Dr. Klim’s life. His love for her was so deep, so unremitting, that decades after her passing, he created me in her image. And not only do we have a similar appearance, and a similar name... but he gave me the exact same blue bird necklace she used to wear.”

Her hands opened, and she held it for Isaac to see.

“Have you heard of Maeterlinck’s play, The Blue Bird?”

[threelaws]

placidity. [closed]

@isaaccecilbryant​

“I’m not quite sure why anyone would want to come here voluntarily...”

Luna sat on the bench in the B. Garden., looking curiously at her new blue-haired companion. Just what was he doing here, at this stage?

Almost forty-eight hours had passed since the completion of the AB Project, with its intended targets having successfully completed their necessary journey to the past. Based on the artificial day/night cycle, it would be close to three in the morning, now.  Everyone else was asleep, save for Zero Sr., gripped by insomnia, walking aimlessly around the upper floor.

On this lower level, only two people were awake in the shelter: its newest inhabitant, Isaac, and one of its oldest, Luna. GTF-DM-L-016.

“Well, I’m sure you have a great many questions. And I’ll try to answer them as best I can. I don’t know everything, I just know what I know.”

[twinbluebirds-archive]

〔ΦΔ〕 ic 003: unlikely encounter.

[threelaws]

twinbluebirds‌:

THE TWINS EACH scooted closer to the center of the bench, their hands now touching and arms pressed up against one another’s. Blue eyes darted to meet purple halfway, and Phi slowly reached up to adjust her glasses as Delta wrapped the golden chain of his necklace around his index finger. Neither child was sure of what to say to Luna. Technically, she was their half-sister, but she looked so much like their mom, like Diana. And just like Diana, she had been through so much. She had borne witness to tragedy the likes of which the twins could only imagine or visualize through secondhand memories. Living in a morphic wind tunnel like their house with Sigma had made both twins acutely aware of that fact.

They turned to look at Luna again and had a quick, silent exchange as the uncertainty in the air surrounded them, communicating through transmitted thoughts and finger-taps in Morse code.

Φ — <What’s she thinking about, Delta?>

Δ — <I can’t tell. AI are separate from the morphogenetic field.>

AI… right! Luna wasn’t human, was she? Phi considered this for a moment, awed slightly by the reality of it. Her father really was capable of amazing things, even if it was uncanny how perfect a reproduction Luna was. She’d be lying if she said robotics didn’t fascinate her just a little.

Φ — <Must be nice not having your head flooded for once.>

Δ — <You have no idea.>

The silence couldn’t last much longer. Neither of the twins could stand it. Courageously, Phi bit the bullet and spoke.

Φ — “You, um… we met before, huh? That’s… nice.” 

Luna sat and watched, unblinking. She didn’t mind waiting for them to figure things out - for them to figure her out. It didn’t seem like this Phi had the memories of the Phi that she knew, but it was perfectly all right. If anything, it was a gift to see her with orange hair; it suited her face so perfectly. And she and her brother were close, and from what Sigma told her, they seemed happy. Sigma wouldn’t lie to her, would he? Not again?

“Nice... well, it wasn’t quite so nice when it was happening.” She closed her eyes, smiling. “The whole situation, it was rather horrid. We were all puzzle pieces in a grand master plan, each of us with a dedicated role, and everything in its right place. When not faced with the immediate threat of termination, it was enough to make one question the concept of free will in the first place.”

She re-opened her eyes, turning to Phi with a kind, motherly expression. 

“I’m fully aware that you wouldn’t recall this, not with how many degrees of separation we have from that terrible timeline. But I remember very vividly that you, Phi, you had 9 BP. You could have escaped the facility, ventured off into the great unknown, and left all of us behind. Your hand was on the lever, but somehow... you found it in you to stay, and place your trust in us. And for that... I’m eternally grateful. I will always be in your debt.”

[threelaws]

cataleyatakahashi‌:

✖

Well, that answers her question. It seems that Luna is quite good-natured.

“I think I got one…” she muses, crossing her arms. “Physalis peruviana is almost entirely poisonous. Only the fruit is edible, and it’s pretty good. Sort of bittersweet and looks like a little yellow tomato. It can be used to make things like ice cream and jam. It’s also known by a lot of different names, like goldenberry and pichuberry, but it’s called poha in Hawaii.”

Sadly, it’s medicinal uses are still limited, so Cataleya doesn’t know as much about that. And, considering it’s aforementioned toxicity, she probably can’t do much with the rest of the plant if she were to grow or even forage the fruit.

✖

Luna listened with interest, nodding at various parts of Cat’s description, before perking up at its list of common names.

“Oh! I believe I’ve heard of poha before, yes. I must have seen it on a menu somewhere. But I had no idea that it, too, came from such a poisonous species. I’m sure one could make an entire breakfast menu out of all the fruits we were never meant to eat...”

She paused, eyes looking past Cat and out onto the water.

“Do you believe we were meant to find all of these miracles? The reason these plants have such high levels of toxin are to discourage predators, and yet humanity, the ultimate predator, has found a way to cultivate, isolate, and subjugate everything we come across. No matter what mechanisms a species may have gained through many thousands of years of evolution, it takes us such little time, cosmically speaking, to bypass all of its defenses and extract what we find most useful...” She shook her head. “I don’t mean this to be a bad thing - I have, after all, devoted more than half my life to the study of medicine. But it’s a question I think about very regularly.”

[zerocorrectquotes]

[threelaws]

cataleyatakahashi‌:

✖

As the woman explains the medical uses of foxglove, Cataleya can’t help but be intrigued by the way she speaks. Some may call it rambling but her words are calm yet passionate. Her brother is like that when discussing nature, too.

“You a doctor?” she asks, only to worry that the question came across as rude. “Sorry… Just didn’t expect to meet someone like you here is all.”

There’s usually only sightseers who think of the garden as simply pretty.

Shaking her head at her own misstep, she says, “Let me start over… I’m Cataleya. It’s nice to meet you. And thanks for teaching me all this, too. I’ve never grown foxglove because I’m worried my pets might eat it.”

✖

“Well... I’m not a medical doctor, but I’ve got a Ph.D in Biology, and I do work for a hospital. It’s such a formal title... you can simply call me Luna.” 

There was an intense calmness in her voice, almost eerily so - like she was simultaneously happy and fully neutral at the same time.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Cataleya. Please don’t worry about anything - I’m happy to talk more about the foxglove, if my memory holds up. I don’t think I’ve really had to use any of this since my GRE Biology test, and that was far longer ago than I’d care to admit. Or... perhaps you could teach me something in return? I’m sure there’s at least one species here where your knowledge exceeds mine.”

[smooti]

a jumble of metal and plastic that pretends to be real.

[threelaws]

cataleyatakahashi‌:

✖

“I get what you mean, yeah…” the girl says, a thoughtful response.

Cataleya never has to worry about paying the entry fee for the botanical garden. Her dad gets her a membership for her birthday every year. That won’t always be the case, but she’s thankful for the gift in the meantime. It’s important to her.

“It’s one of the few places other than the beach that helps clear my head. I should look into what they have here more, though. I tend to focus on how plants are used in cooking and herbal medicine…” When she gets to the last part, she quickly clarifies something before it’s taken the wrong way. “Uh. Not that plants alone can replace proper medicine…”

Herbology is something she studies as part of her practice as a witch. It’s all really fascinating, but she’s never claim that any of it can do the same thing as what a real, actual doctor can prescribe. That would just be misleading.

Also, she has no idea that she’s talking with a licensed nurse right now.

✖

Luna listened with interest. She’d initially assumed that her fellow admirer of plants was just another patron, someone who had a day job far removed from anything out in nature. Someone with an interest in herbal medicine, though? It could be an extra-fruitful conversation.

“Plants alone may not be able to replace medicine, but that doesn’t mean we can just dismiss their uses. If you’re familiar with plants, I’m sure you’ve heard of the foxglove, correct? It took many to figure out just what to do with it, as it’s very toxic if prepared incorrectly, but there’s been medicinal uses dating back several hundred years, I believe. In the past century, we’ve been able to isolate a compound known as digoxin, and it’s become one of the most important tools in treating an irregular heartbeat. All of this, from a plant many people keep in their garden, unaware of the power it has...”

She paused, realizing the sudden tangent she’d gone on, and a light blush came to her cheeks. A lecture on plants seemed like the opposite of relaxation, didn’t it?

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry if I’ve been talking too much. It’s just something I've learned over the course of my career.”

[thenihilistofthevoid]

The Nonary Game

[threelaws]

thenihilistofthevoid‌:

He quickly climbed onto the roof of the elevator, being surprisingly strong for his small stature. Looking at the other people there, Saburo leapt off the top of the elevator and landed quite gracefully on his feet, touching the ground with his hand before standing up to his full height, not that his height was impressive. he was perhaps 2 centimeters taller than the white-haired girl but that was it. “Anyone have any ideas about where the hell we are and why?” Saburo asked, walking over to the group. “No, what about you?” Tenmyouji asked. “I remember a man in a gas mask and lots of white smoke, but apart from that… Nothing. Everything else is a blur.” The virologist admitted. “Then it seems we were all abducted the same way. I suppose we should introduce ourselves.” Alice explained, looking to the group who nodded. “I’m Tenmyouji and this is Quark.” The old man stated, gesturing to the small boy. “Nice to meet you Mister.” The boy nodded. The fact that anyone would involve a child in this was sick and evil, it made Saburo feel cold inside. “I’m Alice.” The woman with the Egyptian-Themed clothing stated. “I’m Dio, I woke up with Quark.” The top-hat wearing man stated, smiling a little. “I’m Saburo.” The virologist stated. “Can I have a look at your bracelet real quick?” Tenmyouji asked, Saburo nodding. He was apparently a blue pair, whatever the hell that meant. “What does Pair mean?” The small man asked. “I haven’t got the foggiest.” Tenmyouji admitted. “I want to now what the 3 means, is it the time?” Quark suggested, trying to think about it. “I doubt it, where’s the minutes?” The virologist replied when another elevator opened. Staring at the elevator hatch, Saburo stepped back as someone in a suit of armor leapt out at them, carrying an unconscious girl with pink hair. “Clover!” Alice cried out, going over to them as the armored man set her down. “What did you do to her?!” She snapped, cradling this Clover’s unconscious body.

Luna contorted her features into a look of concern. The man in the suit of armor... he was playing this game as well? She knew him, of course she knew him - up until very, very recently, he had been her entire purpose. How was she supposed to pretend that they didn’t know each other? Did he have similar instructions to what she had?

It became quickly apparent, though, that he had generalized amnesia. Not only did he not know any of the participants, he didn’t know how he got the suit of armor on, or why Zero would lock him in the suit for the first place. For now, things were safe. And Luna could merely pretend that her eased expression was due to Clover waking up.

Clover, however, didn’t seem happy to be awake. Aside from a burst of “No... that can’t...”, nothing she said was audible, especially not after Alice began consoling her. Everyone else had surrounded “K,” peppering him with questions, which he seemed to answer affably enough. And, aside from Dio, everyone seemed on board with allowing him to play the game as everyone else did. He did have a bracelet on his wrist, after all.

Conversation quickly turned to the colored doors, each of with had a bright red LOCK affixed to them. Red graffiti adorned one of the walls, and Luna availed herself of the opportunity to speak up.

“Two milkmen go comedy... I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.”

Both Tenmyouji and Phi seemed to have figured it out, though. With the tip of her boot, Phi spelled out two sentences on the floor.

“It’s an anagram. Two milkmen go comedy. Welcome to my kingdom. Pretty rude to invite someone over without offering them a drink, but... that’s assuming Zero isn’t one of us.”

As the other participants looked at Phi in shock, a strange, distressing laughter came over the loudspeakers...

[thenihilistofthevoid]

The Nonary Game

[threelaws]

thenihilistofthevoid‌:

“A gas mask…” Saburo repeated, a flash of memory bursting through his head like lightning out of a storm cloud. He was typing alone in his room, working on his new report about a cure for rabies once the symptoms showed, only 6 people in the world had survived once the symptoms exhibitied. He heard a hissing noise and soon the room was filled with white smoke, he tried to get to the door but it was locked, turning around he saw a man in a gas mask as his vision swam.

“Yes, they did.” Saburo replied, now standing successfully as he looked over at Luna. “My name is Saburo.” He explained, dusting his jumper down. The screen blinked into existence and Saburo looked at the rabbit-esque creature on screen, calling himself Zero III. He said they were in a game. “The Nonary Game! Ambidex Edition!” The small white lagomorph stated, before telling Luna and Saburo that the elevator they were in would fall if they didn’t escape in time. Saburo quickly began the puzzle, his brain overclocking due to stress, with Luna’s help they solved it as he tried to reach for the hatch. “A little help here?” He asked, kneeling down. “Just climb onto my shoulders, you should be able to reach it.” Saburo explained.

Luna had to remember to hold herself back. The answer to these elevator riddles, at least to her brain, seemed incredibly obvious. But, to go too quickly in solving the puzzle, and she’d draw attention to herself. It was the last thing she, or anyone else in the project, would have wanted.

Thankfully, she could fidget around, pretend to worry about the elevator falling, offering meek little guidelines to Saburo as they went. It was a good act. And if there were any tiny flaws in it, the frail young man was probably still under the effects of the anesthetic, and more concerned about not falling to his death.

With the puzzles solved and the hatch opened, she climbed onto the roof of the elevator, extending her hand below to help Saburo up. He felt nearly weightless in her arms, and she wondered - did he truly have enough physical strength, let alone mental fortitude to make it through this horrible project alive?

But they could worry later. Several other participants were already out of their rooms: a short, white-haired girl with a white dress and teal coat; a young boy, likely not much older than ten; a scantily-clad woman, with an Egyptian-themed outfit leaving little to the imagination; an old man, who seemed much the same age as the Doctor, and yet attired much differently; and, lastly a blonde-haired man who looked oddly like Taylor Swift (not that Luna would know who Taylor Swift was).

All had been brought here to play the Nonary Game, Ambidex Edition. Beyond that, not even Luna knew how or why any of them were chosen.

[threelaws]

What is your Muse’s Arcana?

Strength

Your courage and strong will is unmatched, you embody the idea of strength. 

The Strength Arcana represents the power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force.

tagged by: @panickypeachboy tagging: @softestmood @tesseracs @ikiruwill @prodigiousvisions @timidplum @edgyearring @cataleyatakahashi @chronoalogical and anyone else interested!

[threelaws]

cataleyatakahashi‌:

✖

Cataleya is in need of a break, too. She may work from the comfort of home, but holing herself up in her room to make sure videos are done on time and games are streamed on schedule isn’t healthy. That’s why she’s here today.

This botanical garden is one of her favorites. Her parents and brother first brought her to see the flowers and ponds and other things when she was a child and she’s come back every so often ever since. It takes her back to a time when she and her mother walked hand-in-hand down the stone paths.

One blossom that catches her attention is the rooted water hyacinth. Laelia always had a soft spot for flowers with purple petals. They were her favorite color. And though she prefers blue, she can’t deny that purple’s lovely, too.

Lost in thought, she doesn’t notice the other woman’s approach until she speaks up. It seems she knows quite a bit about this flower in particular.

“Don’t worry about it. I know a lot about plants in some ways but not so much in others, so it’s nice to learn new things. You come here often?”

✖

Luna shook her head. “My first visit was only a few months ago. I’m no predictor of the future, but I believe it’s far from my last time here, either.”

She’d taken her current position only three months previously, and the reasons were more for financial and career goals than anything else. The tropical botanical garden, however, might have become her biggest reason for staying. No matter how much she wanted to underplay it, she’d bought a membership within twenty minutes of her first visit two months ago, and had made sure to clear several weekends for the sole purpose of coming here. This was, in fact, visit number four.

“It’s impossible for me to be able to remember every single species of plant here, but... I’ve taken a particular interest in Lily Lake. Everything just feels so alive, so calm, so peaceful - it’s like the outside world temporarily ceases to exist, if even for a moment. Do you feel the same way?”

[thenihilistofthevoid]

The Nonary Game

[threelaws]

thenihilistofthevoid‌:

He struggled to move, the man couldn’t get his thoughts in order. He felt someone shaking him urgently and he felt very sick. Saburo… That was his name, wasn’t it? Saburo, yes. His head was pounding, the lights above dazzled him like an infinite amount of stars, too much information at once. The man struggled to his knees, movements slow, shaky and uncertain as hazelnut eyes scanned his surroundings, the fog clearing. There was a woman standing above him. A few inches taller than he was, coral hair and cornflower blue eyes, Caucasian. Her clothing was unorthodox, but quite pretty in it’s own way, with a geometric pattern on her skirt and a necklace with a bluebird pendant, a bluebird in a cage. The virologist himself was wearing a cream jumper with a gold locket around his neck, a charcoal grey pea coat and black chinos and black chelsea boots. “Where are we? What’s your name…” Saburo asked, trying to stand to no avail, the anesthetic still affecting him badly due to his small stature and the amount needed to put him out.

Once the frail young man seemed to be coming to, the woman ceased shaking him, standing up and folding her hands together. “Um... my name’s Luna...” came the faintest of voices. “But... I’ve got no idea where we are...”

-

Saburo had only been awake for a matter of seconds. For the illusion of her naiveté, Zero III had only ‘awakened’ her a few minutes prior to him. This wasn’t her first time seeing the interior of this room; much was restricted from her, yet she knew this facility like the back of her hand. But for now, her orders were clear - participate in the Nonary Game as if she were just another one of the nine participants, pretending to know nothing more than anyone else.

Even if someone had already died. And even if she knew exactly who, where, and how.

-

“I only woke up about a minute ago,” she continued, trying to check on his condition as she talked. He looked worryingly gaunt, possibly even underweight, and his difficulty in standing wasn’t making her concerns any better. Was he prepared for what lay ahead? Was she?

“Did they, um...” She paused, trying to figure out her words. “Did they take you, too? The person in the gas mask...”