atkdonn

there's more information on his artfight page that i'm too tired to write here so just. look there. uuuuh anyway, art improvement is INSANE looking at the new neather reference of him. oh my god!

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THE STORAGE ROOM — Your body is crushed beneath the weight of the ceiling. The crates under you break from the pressure, preventing you from being trapped between metal and wood, but not without splinters sticking themselves into your skin. Relics formerly kept within the boxes press against you. It tastes and smells like iron. The dust down here is unbearable.

HEALTH DAMAGED -5

HEALTH CRITICAL!

GUTS [Trivial: Success] — We need to get out of here. Now. Crawl out from this wooden coffin and finish the job.

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY [Godly: Failure] — How? Your pulse slams against the shards of your ribcage, screaming. You can hardly even breathe, let alone move. The only thing keeping you conscious at this moment is the pure adrenaline flowing through your blood. 

Keep the flow of oxygen. In two three, pause, out two three, repeat.

DISGUST — Oh this is actually just awful. This is how you die. Oh my god. Can you at LEAST make it so that you’re not breathing in particles of whatever that is in the air?

REFLEX [Easy: Success] — Already did. Your hoodie is instinctively over your nose, pinched down by the glasses that are miraculously still on your face. Though this doesn’t prevent it from getting on your clothes.

DAYDREAMER — And after we spent all this time making sure everything matched… How rude.

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY — In two three, pause, out two three, repeat.

PACING [Legendary: Failure] — She CRUSHED us with a VENT. WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT OUR CLOTHES???

DAYDREAMER — Somebody has to.

DISGUST — The second you get home you are immediately taking a long shower and throwing everything deep into the nearest laundry bin.

SHAME — People will stare on the way back.

RETREAT — AAAAAA PEOPLE WILL STARE AT YOU ON THE WAY BACK NOOOOOOO YOU NEED TO WASH YOURSELF NOWWWW

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY — In two three, pause, out two three, repeat.

RATIONALIZATION — In the dark? Even then, the only place to do that would be the one of the Museum’s bathrooms.

SHAME — WELL… then on second thought…

DISGUST — Nope, nope, you’re doing it in your own bathroom. I don’t care if people look at us, you’re not stepping a single foot into a public bathroom.

RATIONALIZATION — Works for me. So it’s finishing the stuff here, get home as quick as possible, get clean and changed, then..?

LONG NIGHTS [Medium: Success] — Then you’re going back to work. Amulet or not, you still have a paper to write.

PACING [Medium: Failure] — I have a feeling that’s not all we have to do but… eh. I don’t know.

RETREAT — NOOOOOOOOOO I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS PLANNNN WE NEED WATERRRR PLEASEEE

SHAME [Challenging: Failure] — I honestly cannot tell which option is worse. At this rate we are never finishing that paper. Never.

RATIONALIZATION [Easy: Failure] — Ugghhhhhh… After all this is over, do you think Mera would let you interview her to get her perspective on how Epithets can affect the body of the Inscribed?

A WARM SMILE [Trivial: Success] — No.

THE LULLABY [Formidable: Success] — Maybe?

ACHES [Heroic: Failure] — YES! DEFINITELY!

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY — In two three, pause, out two three, repeat.

RATIONALIZATION — Um… anyone else?

HINTS OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS; PSYCHOLOGY 101 — It would be good for both of you to discuss how her Epithet affects her either way. Regardless of the paper, she might benefit from it.

ACHES — It might also just be nice to talk… connect with someone… that wouldn’t be so bad.

SHAME [Heroic: Failure] — Oh my god you’re so pathetic. NO, she would hate hate hate talking to us, you should not invite her for an interview.

RETREAT — SHE WANTS US DEADDDDD

ACHES — So do a lot of other people, you take what you can get.

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY — In two three, pause, out two three, repeat.

RADIANCE [Trivial: Success] — You’re fine doing it alone.

SHAME — Always alone, you always do everything alone. People look at you and think “hah, what a loser!” when you keep spending all your time alone, alone, alone.

RADIANCE — You’d be complaining just the same if we were doing it with someone else.

SHAME — It’s because we are such a loser, they’re right, they’re right!

RADIANCE — How many times do I have to repeat this? You graduated with a PhD at one of the most prestigious universities with perfect grades in everything all at the age of fifteen. You are what so many people wish they could be and exactly what you wanted. It does not matter what others think of you, you know what you are. Start acting like it.

PACING [Trivial: Success] — I just realized we’re still trapped beneath the vent.

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY [Godly: Failure] — In two three— Crack. Your breath flutters. You cannot tell if it came from you or the boxes around you.

GUTS — EVERYBODY SHUT UP RIGHT NOW.

RADIANCE — Agreed. Don’t talk unless prompted. Focus on the situation ahead. We cannot afford to get caught up in our own thoughts right now.

LASER FOCUS (HEARING) [Godly: Failure] — Right. Something is happening on the other side of the vent. You can’t make out any words, but Mera’s still talking. There’s the sound of another voice in response. Your ears are ringing. Who is she talking to?

SHAME — You’re a hypocrite, you know that?

RADIANCE — What did I just say.

SHAME — Fine! Ignore how I’m always relevant. I’ll shut up, see where that gets you.

GUTS — Oh my god— CRAWL OUT FROM THIS WOODEN COFFIN AND FINISH THE DAMN JOB!

LASER FOCUS — [Challenging 12] Look for a way out. {-3 Everything hurts, -2 Mera beat you, +3 You need to finish the job}

RETREAT — [Trivial 6] Stay there and wallow. {-3 You need to finish the job, -3 This is how you die}

LASER FOCUS - [Challenging: Success] — There. An opening between that plank and the several golden strands spilling out of the box over there. It’s tight, but it’s the only one big enough to possibly fit a person.

DISGUST — Ew ew ew it is also filled to the brim with webs and even more dust gross do not go through there.

RADIANCE — You’re stronger than this.

DISGUST — And smart enough to know that it’s a bad idea!

GUTS — Would you rather stay here and die? Move!

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY — [Godly 16] Squeeze through the crack. {-3 Everything hurts, -2 Mera beat you, +3 You need to finish the job}

RETREAT — [Trivial 6] Stay there and wallow. {-3 You need to finish the job, -3 This is how you die}

THE MIRACULOUS HUMAN BODY - [Godly: Success] — By some miracle, you manage to puppet your broken body over to the gap and slide your frame through. Your whole body feels numb, but you get through to the other side.

RADIANCE — Of course you did. You haven’t lost yet, you’re just that good.

HEALED MORALE +2

LASER FOCUS (SIGHT) — You look back. Mera stands on top of the vent, cornering Molly on the other side. She steps closer and closer. The Arsene Amulet around her chest glows an acrid green, painting you all in a sickening light.

THE MASK [Impossible: Failure] — A single tear forms in your eye and drops before you can swallow the feeling down. Your heart aches.

MOLLY BLYNDEFF — Her eyes, widened with pure terror, are the same vibrant green as the Amulet’s gemstone. For a moment, you can appreciate the beauty of the macabre composition. A little girl trapped with fear, unable to prevent the ego death creeping towards her in the brilliant form of a woman. It wouldn’t kill her, but it’s a death sentence all the same.

YOU’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE [Impossible: Success] — This will irreparably change the current person behind those eyes. You know, deep down within the muscle you don’t have. Molly will never be the same.

But you’re on the other side of the fence this time, on the outside looking in. You can change the outcome. You can interfere. You’ve become what you wanted, and you wanted somebody to look you dead in the eyes and recognize that you needed help. 

Isn’t that right, Ashling? Isn’t it?

Will you act like what you are?

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] Oh. Don’t be so dramatic, you got through everything just fine.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] What you went through wasn’t bad. It was simply a show of your character, a show of your growth.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] “Needed help.” Look at you, you’re not just fine, you’re great.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] It helped you grow, it helped you thrive.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] It helped you become who you are today. You didn’t “need” anything.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] And aren’t you brilliant? Aren’t you shining?

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] She’ll be fine too.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] It’ll help her.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] She’ll become better, stronger.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] Just like you did.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] All you need to do is let it happen. 

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] Leave her.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] Leave her.

RADIANCE — [Trivial 6] Leave her.

THE BATTERED BODY OF A KID WHO TRIED — [Impossible 20] Pick yourself up and finish the job. {-3 Everything hurts, -2 Mera beat you, -1 Your vision is spinning, -3 This is how you die, +3 Finish the job, +10 Because Molly needs you, and you’d never be able to forgive yourself if you did nothing to help}

THE BATTERED BODY OF A KID WHO TRIED — Beneath the stand-offish attitude, beneath the cold bravado, beneath the thousands of intricate masks made to protect who you used to be there is a child who was murdered by the expectations they were raised on. You lived on in their honor, but neither of you will ever be mourned. And so, it is with one coffin full and another prepared in your heart that you move forward to make things right this time.

MERA SALAMIN — She pauses. It takes her a moment to register your hand gripped around her ankle, but the second she turns around you know exactly what happens next.

YOU — “Don’t… touch her.”

THE BATTERED BODY OF A KID WHO TRIED - [Impossible: Success] — And that is all it took.

HEALED MORALE +1

DAMAGED MORALE -5