Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Totally not because I have no consistent formula.
Oh, almost definitely, Taylor is due for a social trait upgrade.
Herrscher(Worm/Honkai) | Herrscher!Taylor
- Thread starter Xasure Higeki
- Start date
- Crossover
Totally not because I have no consistent formula.
Oh, almost definitely, Taylor is due for a social trait upgrade.
[X]Accept
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They
[X]Accept
Let the chaos ensue.
Let the chaos ensue.
Also, a Worm story where Taylor is becoming more sociable. What kind of madness is this?
[X]Accept
Make a kid happy time
Make a kid happy time
YATTA! Time to have some fun!
I'm bored. Thanks for the readily available prompt.
Hope you guys enjoy.
Non-canon Omake: YATTA! Time to have some fun!
---XxX---
While her power may be focused upon the creation of dream worlds and illusion, Hua could readily admit after a while that she was really lacking when it came to actual stories she can tell or make use of. It was a bit ironic considering that she had more than 50,000 years of memories to fall back upon, and some of those were really amazing, or weird, or just straight out "what" material. However they weren't hers! They were Fu Hua's, and though they may have came to some agreement to share the body - because to be honest she really did not want a repeat of what Sirin and Kiana went through and that would be a hassle! - the Herrscher of Sentience had discovered rather quickly that while it was there for her to view, there were just things she shouldn't touch.
That Old Timer can and did gave her some mental ass kicking. It sucked. There won't be another.
{I don't want a repeat either.}
That was why Hua had all but "yeet" herself into the Quantum Sea and drifted, letting the current take her where it would. And the worlds it took her to!
Hmm? What about the others left behind? They were fine with the idea. Besides if what Fu Hua said was true they were building this locomotive that would let them travel the stars! Well they can have that! Hua would go Quantum Diving! What was that? How did she avoid the Sealing? Well that had to do with the Old Timer's 50,000 years of experience and the time Kiana dragged Fu Hua out of the seal. If she can break in, then Hua can break out! ...Though there was that tiny chance that Kiana left a bit of a back door specifically for them.
Whatever the case, It would also save her the hassle of needing to keep reassuring people that yes, she was a Herrscher, but no she wasn't going to go apocalyptic on them. That tiny Principal was enough Apocalyptic for anyone when angered thank you very much!
{Really? That was bad, and that's coming from me...}
...Oh don't give her that look Old Timer! It was an honest attempt at a joke! ...Oh fine. It kind of sucked. Hua needed to work on her humor improv more.
Now where was Hua?
Having "yeet" herself into the vast and limitless Quantum Sea, the two-in-one got to experienced quite a lot of interesting things. Some of those Fu Hua took the reign. Other Hua had the reign. Sometimes they came together to solve some weird situation. Occasionally they tag teamed some potential world-ending threat that tried to eat them. They were actually eaten once. Needless to say they gave that Thing a mighty indigestion before bursting out of its-
{Ahem. No need to dig that memory up.}
Right. Long story short the two had been going places for a while now. It was a bit difficult to keep track of time, especially when it worked all wonky in the Quantum Sea, but the duo-in-one had been going for potentially decades now. Maybe even centuries! If there was one thing working for Fu Hua's body, it was that it really was physically immortal. Took a bullet to the head? They'll get better! The memories might be scrambled for a while, but now that they were working together it took no time to piece it back together!
...Now if only she had more curve up there.
{...They just get in the way. Now focus.}
Whatever you say! But seriously, girl was Confident with her figure. Her tight ass... mmm!
Back on track. They have been wondering the Quantum Sea for potentially centuries. During all that time the Honkai Will, that constant Presence in the back of Hua's mind that occasionally lean on them was oddly lenient. It wouldn't do "too much" on the chance the duo-in-one messed up its plans. It wouldn't do anything when they accidentally helped it destroy this one bubble universe - though in hindsight those assholes deserved to die a horrible, horrible death. The Honkai Will wouldn't do anything when they probed it just to see if they could learn a little more about it. It definitely didn't do anything when they tried and succeeded in grabbing a tiny, near infinitesimal chunk of itself and, very deliberately making sure its attention was on them, ate it. If anything it was rather amused.
Thus imagine their surprise when it suddenly went hyper focus on this one direction inside the Quantum Sea. It was really hard to ignore that! Naturally Fu Hua and Hua immediately came to the agreement to investigate. It didn't take long to find just what it was that had the Will's attention for however long it was in Wonky Quantum Time.
It was also kind of A Mess.
There was no other way to describe parasitic space whales munching on the local multi-verse. A quick investigation found that it was rather contained, but if they leave it be them parasites would eventually cause the bubble universe to implode. It would be no sweat off the Tree's barks, but it would leave a nasty wound that may fester. The last time a wound festered the duo-in-one got eaten. They got out and killed the Thing sure, but it was decidedly Not Fun.
{Stupid Docter MEI. I'm honestly glad mine wasn't like that... Ugh. She got Otto begging for help! OTTO!}
A-N-Y-W-A-Y! Since it was in a contained bubble universe they need to seek out the "center" so to speak, but of course it ended up on a version of Earth. That dingy planet was oddly often the center of everything. Maybe because it was so easy to replicate... Either way!
So here they were, standing on a qi platform quite a distance above a city and watching a familiar-yet-not girl "sparring" against someone who can teleport and make dust clones. The girl was fresh, but she had plenty of power to make up for it. She was also apparently a quick learner with some pretty neat instincts and reflexes. It was also very easy to tell just what sort of Herrscher she was.
The Void made sure to make herself very memorable. It was also very hard to ignore it when it was THEIR Void in that girl. How did they know? Not sure, but the duo-in-one was very certain that the Gem inside that girl was THEIR Void. The Honkai Will was up to something here if it plucked Kiana out of the moon AND reconstructed Sirin just for this place.
Hua would be damned if she missed out. Fu Hua would be damned if she couldn't lend a hand if it was ever needed. The two-in-one would be damned if they let the girl down there bumble around too much. Never underestimate the destructive potential of a confused Herrscher that really didn't know what they were doing. They were honestly worse than Herrschers that were purposefully malicious somehow!
"Still, how are we going to do this? It's not like we can just drop in and say hi! ...Well, we could, but i rather not. That would be boring!" Hua said out loud as she crossed her arms. If it wasn't obvious up to now, it was her turn in the driver's seat. "Besides that girl don't know us, Kiana or no Kiana. I also rather not deal with Sirin's drama for the moment."
{Not to mention you rather not depend on her charity.} Her partner teased with a gentle poke at her pride. Hua allow herself a small pout before shrugging at the truth. They can put away food thanked to all the things they do, and while they could they rather enjoy Good Food. Those costed money, and it was never a good idea to go munching off anyone if they can help it. {It does bring up the question of how. I have no doubt we can probably claim one of those abandoned building and fix it up and do what we usually do, but it does not appear teaching martial arts will do much here.}
"It probably won't. Not if there are people like that teleporter." It wouldn't be the first place where super-human feats were performed for sure, but it usually meant that "self defense" tend to not be very popular. "...Maybe we can tell stories?"
{Stories? As in writing books?}
"Sure. We have plenty of things to use for material. There is also that saying that Truth is stranger than Fictions, and some of what we went through definitely counts. I wouldn't be surprised if we can make a... game..." It was like a lightbulb came on. "We tried writing books, and sometimes they do sell well. But we never told stories through games. It would certainly be new."
{...We never tried that. It always seemed to be (a) Bronya's idea.}
That was an approval if there ever was one. But first... "Oi, Boss-Thing out there, you mind us running around here?"
The Honkai Will shifted its attention to them for a moment. Then they got a feeling that vaguely translated to "go ahead." It also felt somewhat amused. That meant the Will won't actively try to screw with them like that one time after they accidentally ruined its plans. They got over it, but like with that festered wound it was Not Fun.
Still, with her partner sharing the same general ideas and the Boss-Thing in agreement, Hua grinned nearly maniacally and throw her arms up in the air and proclaimed, "YATTA! Time to have some fun!"
If they know what to look for, the duo-in-one would have seen a certain angelic figure in space cringe and wrap herself tighter into a cocoon, as if it would ward her against some outside forces. It drove those keeping an eye on the Endbringers into a bit of a panic and brought out all sorts of conspiracy nuts. Nothing would ever came of it beyond stress ulcers sadly.
---Some undefined time later---
Taylor wasn't sure what to feel about the newest gaming app to appear on the market. the concept of a "gacha game" wasn't new, especially when the Japanese populated those capsule figurines, but the name and the cover...
"Honkai Impact 3rd... Really?" Taylor asked herself as she blinked at the front art cover. It featured a very familiar face. She hear her voice often in her mind. {Think this is a coincidence?}
{Nope! Someone in-the-know is here. I suspect it's a version of Bronya. Games are usually her thing.}
{True. Think we should seek them out to see what they're up to?}
{I'm not sure. It likely won't be the one we know, but any Bronya capable of running around the Quantum Sea is likely powerful, and i'm not sure Taylor is up to fighting that.}
{What?! You have no faith in me? I know you two trained me well!}
{Not against Bronya. That little tick can be very painful. Girl can blast a city down to a crater herself if she wanted to.} The rebuttal of Taylor's attempt joke told the girl just how serious this Bronya could potentially be. That was some serious fire power... {Well, some of them can, and those tend to be Herrscher or candidates. Most tend to be just a tier or two above baseline humans.}
Well, that wasn't going to help her stress level now was it.
{Oh don't worry. That girl usually tends to be pretty docile. You should be fine!}
That was somewhat reassuring... Now if only the other half would stop smirking! {Please stop smirking Sirin. You're really not helping...}
Inside Uber and Leet's new start-up company, Hua suddenly had the urge to explode into laughters. She managed to hold it in since it was the final testing phase before they release the game, and she really did not want to miss bugs after all the hoops and loops and tunnels they and their new partner-in-crimes needed to crawl through. Stupid laws against parahuman employments... Wonder how long it'll take them assholes to figure out they shot themselves in the foot with cancer.
{Wait, over there, third line down...}
...Damn, how they missed that?
---End---
Alright. I'm not entirely happy with the end, but then it just sort of deflated. Why did i use that color for Fu Hua? I was originally thinking Red because she is Phoenix, but then some would have issues reading them, so the light orange it is instead!
Also just think of Hua in her default playable Herrscher outfit. It's honestly too short to come up with a whole new wardrobe for her. My idea with that is that she'll also switch color theme depending on who's in the driver seat. They would have a "mix theme" if the two are tag teaming, but i didn't come up with one. Someone else can do that.
I might go over it again later to edit some minor stuff, but other than that i think i'll let it be.
A somewhat related question though: did people move most discussion onto the Discord? I haven't leap in yet.
Last edited:
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Sorry for the late threadmark, laughed with both of them. Take your tokens!
As for the question, Mostly ideal chatter, nothing groundbreaking beyond one or two suggestions.
Interlude : Rune
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Tammi frowned as Krieg continued his rant about her failure. He took offense to the ease with which she had been defeated, ignoring that she hit Flower with a literally god damn ton of concrete and that said Flower just managed to beat Oni fucking Lee.
Rolling her eyes,she listened in on the other conversations that happened in the room, interested in how they would perceive her interaction with her heroine.
The,Stupid Brain, the heroine.
Hookwolf and Cricket could not begin to care. Rune could appreciate that. Them and her had a tentative understanding, all things considered.They both knew that she wasn't in the Empire because she believed. Neither of them was either. Both of them were in it for essentially convenience, for survival.
She was strangely conflicted about if she wanted him to meet Flower, although only if she brought her A game. Both them seemed to enjoy the thrill of combat, and Flower was actually fun to fight.
Menja and Fenja…were boring as usual. Tammi wasn´t even sure if they had brains between their ears, but they were Kaiser´s bitches in the most literal sense. She paused, deciding to take a small private test. She, for the first time, tried to see the appeal of the twins. They had a figure rivalling that of Flower, but… nothing. They were downright boring in comparison. Sure, they looked like warrior maids, but Flower had something about her, the air of a great predator willing to play ball.
Indeed, it was perhaps that which made Flower so… interesting. Her presence was radiant. Not only because she was great as a person, but she acted in a way that had so much more momentum and drive behind it. While she would be hesitant to compare the girl to a force of nature, she couldn´t deny that the sheer presence the girl carried was intoxicating in it's own way. Not even starting on her honesty.
Rune blinked and felt the blush on her cheeks. How did she come to praise the Girl in her mind again? She briefly considered if the Girl was a Master, but knew that she was only searching for ways to justify her… crush. She was mature enough to admit the existence of one, if only a slight one.
Letting her eyes move around, she rested them on Victor and Othala. They were perhaps the closest thing she had to support, if only due to them being family. However, Victor was vastly more invested in the E88 than his wife was.
So, as much as she hates to admit it, even that pillar of support was hazardous at best. Victor was a great cold reader and likely suspected her desire to leave.
Crusader was still a bastard. Actually, scratch that. He was perhaps the single vilest individual of those present. Most others had reasons to be part of the Empire, and eventually adopted parts of the beliefs as per convenience. Justin on the other hand triggered while trying to kill his own god damn sister. Admittedly, Rune could somewhat understand, given what happened to him for the sake of the girl, but the girl was barely aware of what happened. He could have offed his parents for all she cared, but he wasn´t man enough for that apparently.
He shared the trait of being an absolute bastard with Alabaster, who was his perhaps only rival in terms of how vile of a person he was.
Their most recent recruit seemed to be absent as usual. While it was never outright stated, Rune was sure that the Minion Master was basically kept as a pet mook maker rather than an actual soldier.
Kaiser made a noise, causing the room to focus on him. Rune tuned him out, instead focusing on the things she had hidden beneath her robe. While it was not a good costume, something she chose because she did enjoy fantasy novels quite a bit, it was spacious. That was perhaps the single biggest advantage.
Musing briefly, she had to admit that if she went full force against AF, the fight might have gone differently. Capes do not aim for lethal force for a lot of reasons in most cases, but that doesn´t mean they couldn´t be nasty. In her case, her using large objects was mostly that. If she really were to go down the lethal route, she had two small knives in her sleeves.
If her ton heavy projectiles were fast for the average person, the knives would be like gunshots.Enough force to levitate multiple tons pushed into one small object.
Though, she had to admit, it was AF that gave her the idea in the first place. The way she used her telekinesis to force her to faceplant, while fucking painful, she was sure her nose should have been busted, had sparked something inside her. She knew she could affect smaller objects, bandages for example, but before, she always believed in the "Go big or go home." Approach.
"Rune!"
She snapped to awareness, looking at Kaiser slightly startled. "Yes? Sorry, might have a small concussion." It amused her how good she became with excuses.
Sadly, it wasn´t Kaiser who decided to speak up. Justin snorted with an annoyed tone. " Or perhaps your head is in the gutter ?" Rune rolled her eyes, before she paused.
Why did she take his bullshit ? They were of the same rank, and she was more powerful than him. The only thing he had on her was age, and that even only a handful of years..
Truthfully, she did not know where that spark of defiance comes from, but it burned hot enough that her usual apathy to it all seemed mute in comparison.
Standing up, she looked Crusader in the eyes. She hated how fake she would need to behave, but she also craved to whip that fucking smile of his face. She could already imagine how her knife buried itself in his crotch.
She paused. That would draw attention. Attention she did not need. "Why don´t you see how you fare against her? Or too afraid she will take you apart faster than she did Oni Lee ?" She hissed with venom, genuine venom at the situation she was in.
Sitting down, she nonetheless felt better.
She had felt better since the conversation with AF, she admitted.
The effect a single ray of hope, even absurd as this one, does have…
Rolling her eyes,she listened in on the other conversations that happened in the room, interested in how they would perceive her interaction with her heroine.
The,Stupid Brain, the heroine.
Hookwolf and Cricket could not begin to care. Rune could appreciate that. Them and her had a tentative understanding, all things considered.They both knew that she wasn't in the Empire because she believed. Neither of them was either. Both of them were in it for essentially convenience, for survival.
She was strangely conflicted about if she wanted him to meet Flower, although only if she brought her A game. Both them seemed to enjoy the thrill of combat, and Flower was actually fun to fight.
Menja and Fenja…were boring as usual. Tammi wasn´t even sure if they had brains between their ears, but they were Kaiser´s bitches in the most literal sense. She paused, deciding to take a small private test. She, for the first time, tried to see the appeal of the twins. They had a figure rivalling that of Flower, but… nothing. They were downright boring in comparison. Sure, they looked like warrior maids, but Flower had something about her, the air of a great predator willing to play ball.
Indeed, it was perhaps that which made Flower so… interesting. Her presence was radiant. Not only because she was great as a person, but she acted in a way that had so much more momentum and drive behind it. While she would be hesitant to compare the girl to a force of nature, she couldn´t deny that the sheer presence the girl carried was intoxicating in it's own way. Not even starting on her honesty.
Rune blinked and felt the blush on her cheeks. How did she come to praise the Girl in her mind again? She briefly considered if the Girl was a Master, but knew that she was only searching for ways to justify her… crush. She was mature enough to admit the existence of one, if only a slight one.
Letting her eyes move around, she rested them on Victor and Othala. They were perhaps the closest thing she had to support, if only due to them being family. However, Victor was vastly more invested in the E88 than his wife was.
So, as much as she hates to admit it, even that pillar of support was hazardous at best. Victor was a great cold reader and likely suspected her desire to leave.
Crusader was still a bastard. Actually, scratch that. He was perhaps the single vilest individual of those present. Most others had reasons to be part of the Empire, and eventually adopted parts of the beliefs as per convenience. Justin on the other hand triggered while trying to kill his own god damn sister. Admittedly, Rune could somewhat understand, given what happened to him for the sake of the girl, but the girl was barely aware of what happened. He could have offed his parents for all she cared, but he wasn´t man enough for that apparently.
He shared the trait of being an absolute bastard with Alabaster, who was his perhaps only rival in terms of how vile of a person he was.
Their most recent recruit seemed to be absent as usual. While it was never outright stated, Rune was sure that the Minion Master was basically kept as a pet mook maker rather than an actual soldier.
Kaiser made a noise, causing the room to focus on him. Rune tuned him out, instead focusing on the things she had hidden beneath her robe. While it was not a good costume, something she chose because she did enjoy fantasy novels quite a bit, it was spacious. That was perhaps the single biggest advantage.
Musing briefly, she had to admit that if she went full force against AF, the fight might have gone differently. Capes do not aim for lethal force for a lot of reasons in most cases, but that doesn´t mean they couldn´t be nasty. In her case, her using large objects was mostly that. If she really were to go down the lethal route, she had two small knives in her sleeves.
If her ton heavy projectiles were fast for the average person, the knives would be like gunshots.Enough force to levitate multiple tons pushed into one small object.
Though, she had to admit, it was AF that gave her the idea in the first place. The way she used her telekinesis to force her to faceplant, while fucking painful, she was sure her nose should have been busted, had sparked something inside her. She knew she could affect smaller objects, bandages for example, but before, she always believed in the "Go big or go home." Approach.
"Rune!"
She snapped to awareness, looking at Kaiser slightly startled. "Yes? Sorry, might have a small concussion." It amused her how good she became with excuses.
Sadly, it wasn´t Kaiser who decided to speak up. Justin snorted with an annoyed tone. " Or perhaps your head is in the gutter ?" Rune rolled her eyes, before she paused.
Why did she take his bullshit ? They were of the same rank, and she was more powerful than him. The only thing he had on her was age, and that even only a handful of years..
Truthfully, she did not know where that spark of defiance comes from, but it burned hot enough that her usual apathy to it all seemed mute in comparison.
Standing up, she looked Crusader in the eyes. She hated how fake she would need to behave, but she also craved to whip that fucking smile of his face. She could already imagine how her knife buried itself in his crotch.
She paused. That would draw attention. Attention she did not need. "Why don´t you see how you fare against her? Or too afraid she will take you apart faster than she did Oni Lee ?" She hissed with venom, genuine venom at the situation she was in.
Sitting down, she nonetheless felt better.
She had felt better since the conversation with AF, she admitted.
The effect a single ray of hope, even absurd as this one, does have…
Interlude : Sophia
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
"Why?"
Why was such an interesting question. Essentially the core question, really. But in this case it was no philosophical conundrum that caused this question, but a simple act.
Taylor had stood up to her, and won. Without throwing hands, but that wasn't important, not really, just because it was her preferred way didn't mean that she didn't acknowledge other kinds of power. Emma had been the perfect example of someone who knew how to use the sheeple.
She bounced a bouncy ball at her wall, catching it lazily. A lopsided grin formed on her face.
She was sure that the idea that she could ever admit that throwing fists isn't all there is would confuse more than a few people.
No, she fully understood that brute force worked best on a personal basis, while social fu was more suited to turning the masses.
It made a weird, fucked up kind of sense, Sophia thought, after all, Emma used their attacks on Taylor to find comfort, asserting, assuring herself that that was how the world was supposed to work.
The ball went back and forth, back and forth, back-
She caught it, squeezing it.
No more. She wouldn't run from her own thoughts anymore.
It was weird, but ever since that day, she had felt a monster roaring in her ear, no, not a monster, an abyss, licking at her heels, crying for her to return to it's all consuming sludge.
That was the issue, wasn't it ? She was still so afraid of losing. That was why she had been so angry. Every time she stopped to think, it was there, waiting for her.
But right now, she wasn't angry. For the first time in 3 years, she felt … relaxed.
Indeed, she had been tempted to call M/S on herself, because that feeling, that feeling of being not angry had been so weirdly fucked up.
But then she slept. The first good sleep since that event. It was as if she stepped into a new world, her perception so much clearer and thoughts so much more powerful that everything in the past seemed to be dunked into a haze.
While she may have never taken drugs beyond trying it out once,just to see if it could help her with the Abyss, she was fairly sure that has been the closest she had been to a high her entire life.
Her abrupt change in demeanor was actually enough to cause Jordon the punk to order a drug test on her during her visit to the Police station. Fuckers couldn´t even coordinate that the suspect and victim of a crime went in for seperate times.
Focus, Sophia, focus. You can think about Taylor and the whole fucked situation later. Stop getting distracted.
Distraction. That is what it boiled down to. That, and impact. To see the ripple of an object hitting flesh, to witness the reactions caused by her actions.
Sophia had no problem admitting that she had been afraid, was still afraid. Her actions were always based on that, on fighting back, doing the one thing that kept her mind from the abyss.
But, if she wanted to use that opportunity, this chance, she would need to find out what this Abyss was, and the best way to do so was to confront it. And she would do it, if only out of spite. She was not going to let Taylor get absolute victory from this.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia recalled the first rule of meditation. One of the Wards´s shrinks had tried to teach her, and it was a useful skill. The trick was not to not think, but to think about a repeating process. She never managed it, but maybe now…
A deep breath in, feel the air rolling down the airways, spread into the lung, and then exhale, in and out, in and out.
As the abyss crept closer, she shied not away from it.
It had all started when she was twelve. She had been somewhat of a wild child to be entirely fair, growing up in BB, especially in the lesser neighborhoods, forced you to either become hardcore enough to survive or plain enough to be overseen. It was different for the teenagers, much more complicated, but for younger ones, it was simple enough. There were only two sides to it all.
It caused her mother some headaches, but she tried to keep it limited. They fought, yes, but she was still her mother. Family matters, it should matter a lot. She was her Ma after all, the one who was always there for her, even if she fucked up.
Introducing Steven. Steven was…well, he appeared nice, for once. He still does. Perfectly polite, of good standing, of good money.
She would lie if she said she had been happy for her mother, but she was also not against them as a pair. She cared not too much, if she was going to be honest. Her mother had lovers and partners, neither stayed for long. She was pretty much done with the concept of a new father, if she can´t have her own back.
It was a surprise that he was invested in getting involved with her as well, most others did not care for her and even preferred to ignore her, which she was just happy with.
She found it absurd, but once he argued that it would mean much to her mother if they got along, she gave in, figuring that she owed it to her mother to at least try.
Worst mistake of her life.
At first it was small things.Things like posture, how she held a fork, her articulation of specific words, things most wouldn´t care to point out or to correct, but he did so with an honest expression of eagerness. One that matched Kid Win´s when gets into one of his tinker highs or whatever they were called.
It was also were the Pattern emerged. He would convince her that it would make her mother happy, proud, or something along the lines, and he would tell Ma that it was for her own good, that a punk wouldn´t prosper in the Bay.
Manipulative Jackass.
It soon escalated, she recalled. How she dresses, her interests, her actual choice of words, all was criticized and changed to fit the image he wanted to see in her. The image he wanted Ma to see in her, the image she wanted to become for her ma.
She had noticed that something was wrong, early on even, but she did not say anything. How could she justify destroying the happiness of her mother only because she felt a bit uncomfortable ? And he had only good intentions, he told them so. Suffering a bit for a better life was only reasonable.
She wasn´t sure if it was some kind of fucked up version of the Sunken-Cost Fallacy, but in the end, she couldn´t even blame her kid self because she had no concept of someone being manipulative in that way.
However, it were not the changes that were the issue, no, it was solely the feeling of it all. Piece by piece, she felt less like herself. She felt awkward in her own body, doing things she would have never have done if she was not told to act that way. It was like a performance, only in that she was unable to feel comfortable as her character, so instead she muted herself.
If her self could not be changed, then it needed to be smothered, put down again and again until it either fit or it quitened down.
Naturally, it was not that kind of decision, it was a progress, an unwilling one. Each time she set a border, told herself, "This is how far I go", she broke it, and did it anyway. Each attempt at resistance was broken.
In the end, she felt inhumane, uncomfortable in her own skin, drowning in a mud that tried to make her one with it. A cog in the system that Steven has built for himself.
The only reason she came back from the brink was the shock as she heard him whisper into her ear that she was his perfect daughter, knowingly doing it all to her. She did not break then, no, but she felt as if her skin was ripped open, every fiber burning, her breath rapid enough that her heart felt ready to tear apart.
Like any scared twelve year old would do, she ran to her mother, making a stuttering, shamed confession. She expected her to help.
Perhaps it was simply an unlucky moment, but her mother took the side of Steven, telling her with such disappointment in her voice that she thought Sophia had grown up a bit and shoved her into her room.
That was the moment she broke. The moment that her mother pushed her away instead of protecting her, both physically and whatever else.. She didn´t say that she approved of what Steven did, but she made clear that whenever Sophia acted out that she disapproved.
And Sophia acted out a lot after this event,having gotten her power, a means of escape in many ways. But she also got the anger, the hatred fueling her mind and action. She pushed and pushed, went out with a crossbow, but while her mother often disapproved, she never did anything about it.
But that is not the only reason why she acted out. Where Emma acted to confirm the worldview, Sophia acted, indulged in the rage, because if she didn´t,the mud would come once more, she would be a perfect daughter again, and she would not allow it, even if she had to sacrifice parts of her, she would still be Sophia at the end of it all. She would not lose to him.
Now, however, that rage was gone. The hatred still burnt strong, but she had lived with it for the last years. Now that it was gone, she couldn´t escape her thoughts and her imagination. The what ifs of her situation. What if she had spoken up earlier, what if she had tried talking to her mother again, what if Steven was not some evil mastermind, but perhaps just someone who was sick?
What if, instead of being right, she was sick ?
Why was such an interesting question. Essentially the core question, really. But in this case it was no philosophical conundrum that caused this question, but a simple act.
Taylor had stood up to her, and won. Without throwing hands, but that wasn't important, not really, just because it was her preferred way didn't mean that she didn't acknowledge other kinds of power. Emma had been the perfect example of someone who knew how to use the sheeple.
She bounced a bouncy ball at her wall, catching it lazily. A lopsided grin formed on her face.
She was sure that the idea that she could ever admit that throwing fists isn't all there is would confuse more than a few people.
No, she fully understood that brute force worked best on a personal basis, while social fu was more suited to turning the masses.
It made a weird, fucked up kind of sense, Sophia thought, after all, Emma used their attacks on Taylor to find comfort, asserting, assuring herself that that was how the world was supposed to work.
The ball went back and forth, back and forth, back-
She caught it, squeezing it.
No more. She wouldn't run from her own thoughts anymore.
It was weird, but ever since that day, she had felt a monster roaring in her ear, no, not a monster, an abyss, licking at her heels, crying for her to return to it's all consuming sludge.
That was the issue, wasn't it ? She was still so afraid of losing. That was why she had been so angry. Every time she stopped to think, it was there, waiting for her.
But right now, she wasn't angry. For the first time in 3 years, she felt … relaxed.
Indeed, she had been tempted to call M/S on herself, because that feeling, that feeling of being not angry had been so weirdly fucked up.
But then she slept. The first good sleep since that event. It was as if she stepped into a new world, her perception so much clearer and thoughts so much more powerful that everything in the past seemed to be dunked into a haze.
While she may have never taken drugs beyond trying it out once,just to see if it could help her with the Abyss, she was fairly sure that has been the closest she had been to a high her entire life.
Her abrupt change in demeanor was actually enough to cause Jordon the punk to order a drug test on her during her visit to the Police station. Fuckers couldn´t even coordinate that the suspect and victim of a crime went in for seperate times.
Focus, Sophia, focus. You can think about Taylor and the whole fucked situation later. Stop getting distracted.
Distraction. That is what it boiled down to. That, and impact. To see the ripple of an object hitting flesh, to witness the reactions caused by her actions.
Sophia had no problem admitting that she had been afraid, was still afraid. Her actions were always based on that, on fighting back, doing the one thing that kept her mind from the abyss.
But, if she wanted to use that opportunity, this chance, she would need to find out what this Abyss was, and the best way to do so was to confront it. And she would do it, if only out of spite. She was not going to let Taylor get absolute victory from this.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia recalled the first rule of meditation. One of the Wards´s shrinks had tried to teach her, and it was a useful skill. The trick was not to not think, but to think about a repeating process. She never managed it, but maybe now…
A deep breath in, feel the air rolling down the airways, spread into the lung, and then exhale, in and out, in and out.
As the abyss crept closer, she shied not away from it.
It had all started when she was twelve. She had been somewhat of a wild child to be entirely fair, growing up in BB, especially in the lesser neighborhoods, forced you to either become hardcore enough to survive or plain enough to be overseen. It was different for the teenagers, much more complicated, but for younger ones, it was simple enough. There were only two sides to it all.
It caused her mother some headaches, but she tried to keep it limited. They fought, yes, but she was still her mother. Family matters, it should matter a lot. She was her Ma after all, the one who was always there for her, even if she fucked up.
Introducing Steven. Steven was…well, he appeared nice, for once. He still does. Perfectly polite, of good standing, of good money.
She would lie if she said she had been happy for her mother, but she was also not against them as a pair. She cared not too much, if she was going to be honest. Her mother had lovers and partners, neither stayed for long. She was pretty much done with the concept of a new father, if she can´t have her own back.
It was a surprise that he was invested in getting involved with her as well, most others did not care for her and even preferred to ignore her, which she was just happy with.
She found it absurd, but once he argued that it would mean much to her mother if they got along, she gave in, figuring that she owed it to her mother to at least try.
Worst mistake of her life.
At first it was small things.Things like posture, how she held a fork, her articulation of specific words, things most wouldn´t care to point out or to correct, but he did so with an honest expression of eagerness. One that matched Kid Win´s when gets into one of his tinker highs or whatever they were called.
It was also were the Pattern emerged. He would convince her that it would make her mother happy, proud, or something along the lines, and he would tell Ma that it was for her own good, that a punk wouldn´t prosper in the Bay.
Manipulative Jackass.
It soon escalated, she recalled. How she dresses, her interests, her actual choice of words, all was criticized and changed to fit the image he wanted to see in her. The image he wanted Ma to see in her, the image she wanted to become for her ma.
She had noticed that something was wrong, early on even, but she did not say anything. How could she justify destroying the happiness of her mother only because she felt a bit uncomfortable ? And he had only good intentions, he told them so. Suffering a bit for a better life was only reasonable.
She wasn´t sure if it was some kind of fucked up version of the Sunken-Cost Fallacy, but in the end, she couldn´t even blame her kid self because she had no concept of someone being manipulative in that way.
However, it were not the changes that were the issue, no, it was solely the feeling of it all. Piece by piece, she felt less like herself. She felt awkward in her own body, doing things she would have never have done if she was not told to act that way. It was like a performance, only in that she was unable to feel comfortable as her character, so instead she muted herself.
If her self could not be changed, then it needed to be smothered, put down again and again until it either fit or it quitened down.
Naturally, it was not that kind of decision, it was a progress, an unwilling one. Each time she set a border, told herself, "This is how far I go", she broke it, and did it anyway. Each attempt at resistance was broken.
In the end, she felt inhumane, uncomfortable in her own skin, drowning in a mud that tried to make her one with it. A cog in the system that Steven has built for himself.
The only reason she came back from the brink was the shock as she heard him whisper into her ear that she was his perfect daughter, knowingly doing it all to her. She did not break then, no, but she felt as if her skin was ripped open, every fiber burning, her breath rapid enough that her heart felt ready to tear apart.
Like any scared twelve year old would do, she ran to her mother, making a stuttering, shamed confession. She expected her to help.
Perhaps it was simply an unlucky moment, but her mother took the side of Steven, telling her with such disappointment in her voice that she thought Sophia had grown up a bit and shoved her into her room.
That was the moment she broke. The moment that her mother pushed her away instead of protecting her, both physically and whatever else.. She didn´t say that she approved of what Steven did, but she made clear that whenever Sophia acted out that she disapproved.
And Sophia acted out a lot after this event,having gotten her power, a means of escape in many ways. But she also got the anger, the hatred fueling her mind and action. She pushed and pushed, went out with a crossbow, but while her mother often disapproved, she never did anything about it.
But that is not the only reason why she acted out. Where Emma acted to confirm the worldview, Sophia acted, indulged in the rage, because if she didn´t,the mud would come once more, she would be a perfect daughter again, and she would not allow it, even if she had to sacrifice parts of her, she would still be Sophia at the end of it all. She would not lose to him.
Now, however, that rage was gone. The hatred still burnt strong, but she had lived with it for the last years. Now that it was gone, she couldn´t escape her thoughts and her imagination. The what ifs of her situation. What if she had spoken up earlier, what if she had tried talking to her mother again, what if Steven was not some evil mastermind, but perhaps just someone who was sick?
What if, instead of being right, she was sick ?
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Fun pieces. I'm a little weirded out, but you'll see why in a bit.
I don't have much to say about Rune's part except that it's some interesting insight into her head. It gives us a little on how she viewed her "team" and a bit of how things worked from her perspective. It will also make Kiana very happy should it ever somehow get known to her. Also an interesting idea with those knives. I hope she never have to use them, though chances are she will.
Now Sophia's... You made her more than the usual 2D hate sink a lot of authors kept her as. I almost thought you were going to have a Herrscher slowly cultivate in the back of her mind, but apparently it's something else. It's an "old" issue that had slowly build and build until it eventually made Sophia what she is now. And she is philosophical! I don't think i ever saw a philosophical Sophia! I'm tempted to chef kiss the idea, but it's Sophia, so please forgive me for not. I'm trying not to weird myself out more than i already am in finding that i might actually like your Sophia... It's all personal bias that's built from the fandom, but it's there.
I don't have much to say about Rune's part except that it's some interesting insight into her head. It gives us a little on how she viewed her "team" and a bit of how things worked from her perspective. It will also make Kiana very happy should it ever somehow get known to her. Also an interesting idea with those knives. I hope she never have to use them, though chances are she will.
Now Sophia's... You made her more than the usual 2D hate sink a lot of authors kept her as. I almost thought you were going to have a Herrscher slowly cultivate in the back of her mind, but apparently it's something else. It's an "old" issue that had slowly build and build until it eventually made Sophia what she is now. And she is philosophical! I don't think i ever saw a philosophical Sophia! I'm tempted to chef kiss the idea, but it's Sophia, so please forgive me for not. I'm trying not to weird myself out more than i already am in finding that i might actually like your Sophia... It's all personal bias that's built from the fandom, but it's there.
Still, this means she might be going on a very different path. I still think you could potentially shove a Herrscher in her, but for now i'm just going to see what ideas you may have.
I almost thought the Sophia interlude was leading into a herrscher moment as well until i remembered that Honkai is on our side this time and that we haven't actually done all that much to even enable it to make another one.
Probably a good thing that it's prioritizing scion over humanity tho that birthday party is gonna hit really different if it didn't.
Probably a good thing that it's prioritizing scion over humanity tho that birthday party is gonna hit really different if it didn't.
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Well…. While this was an unintended fake out, Sophia is one of the strongest candidates for being chosen as a Herrscher, at least at the moment, might change in the future.
Depends on the grace of the dice and Votes~ More seriously, Sophia is perhaps the most well outlined map I have.
Thank you for your kind words!
You know after thinking about it, all the Herrschers except Bronya awaken through basically going through a Trigger Event, and even then Bronya was going through a pretty shitty situation regardless when she found the gem. That is also how the Honkai Will shoved the Void inside Taylor.
...I'm not sure what i'm trying to say exactly, but this is probably important in any new Herrschers showing up in the future... If the dice wills it anyway.
You've SEEN the dice we've had so far, right?
I'm almost expecting Scion to just trip and fall face first into a lego set with the luck we've had so far.
That's only if it's Taylor going up against Scion. Nothing else seems to have that insane luck. Only when it comes to Taylor's actions or something that'll affect her. Depending on why Taylor is there in the event of a new Herrscher waking up and what she is trying to do, it can either result in a "tamed" Herrscher or no Herrscher at all! The Power of Friendship can happen... through the will of the dice.
On the other hand, if Taylor isn't there when a Herrscher wakes up, there will just be a new crater or a ruined city.
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
To be fair, Honkai blocks looks a lot like Lego.
Those are dorm materials and dorm isn't canon...
Although now I can see Kiana making a chibi dorm in the mindscape as a means of dealing with boredom, resulting in a brand new tier of shananigans when some chibies eventually ran out of the dorm
huh this is interesting. instead of the usual strong/weak or predator mentality, Sophia is lashing out as a way to not lose herself. Which makes sense, especially when she was forced to join the wards and they tried to mold her into what they wanted and she refused and pushed back against all of that. If I understand correctly, she used the bullying of taylor as a distraction of her own problems and when Taylor pushed back against what she, Emma, and Madison did she felt peace for some reason?
Did Sophia being in proximity when Honkai made a connection with Taylor do something to that conflict drive Sophia has/had perhaps? I could see Sophia's shard encouraging/keeping up that rage she had, the abrupt cutout of the rage is more likely to be outside interference rather than her just waking up better okay-er one day, especially considering canon.
Xasure Higeki
Detektive der Dummheit
- Location
- Germany
Well... that is a question I both expected and not. It will be revealed in the next chapter in a fashion at least.
In a way. Her shard fed her Anger, and she indulged in it, using it to fuel her actions.
Don´t think, Act. Take the concept of a frenzy and tone it down a bit. EDIT: Since I feel the need to clarify this, having dealt with anger issus myself, it is extremly difficult to focus and think normally, even more so actually confronting trauma. It has been hinted at in the chapter, but Sophia had a panic attack during her Trigger, which only compounded the issues that were present and were going to be introduced by the shard. It is good to remind oneself that she was 12 during that point and has basically lived in a state of agigation and "on the fence" since then. And the most insidious thing about it is that one doesn´t feel that way during the anger, it feels clear and empowering.
If you can put it off, if you can statisfy the need to do something, to reassure you yourself, you will generally go for the fastest method, and that is an overly agressive method that focuses on actions and direct impact, not long term think.
It is why she appears a lot more bruttish than she needs to be.
She was the nearest Parahuman when the connection was made. While the conflict drive itself wasn´t affected persay, the shard was. It basically went "OHHH, Shiney!" and is trying to figure out Honkai, esssentially resetting the influence for the moment.
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Answer not clear, beginning to write mouse protector being seduced by Abyss flower and freaking out as its working and worrying about age