#nebulas notes

Hello there! I'm Parker/Nebula (any pronouns!) and this is my blog where I do whatever the fuck. Who knows what goes on here,,,, mostly shenanigans :]

Feel free to hang out or send an ask in, I'm always down to chat with people!!

Directory below the cut!

i am now confused as to what I should do...

YES OF COURSE! Fair warning this is a long boy post so be warned SLDFKJ

ok so basically the Force Quit AU is a generation loss au that is a bit self indulgent so bear with me here :D! The self indulgent bit is the addition of another character, Marvin! They are an ex stage hand and set designer for Showfall that was able to escape the company's mind control. They now work from inside the company to help others escape, including Ranboo and his friends. I've taken this little detail for myself and labelled it as Marvin's doing. So basically hes a little helper

ANYWAYS! Force Quit follows canon pretty closely until around the end of The Choice. I have two ways this could go and I havent really decided on which i like better so I'll cover both!

Option 1 is that Marvin sneaks into the control room/heart of the facility as the voting is occurring. Before Hetch makes the call and pulls the metaphorical trigger to box Ranboo, Marvin comes up from behind Hetch and knocks him clean out with a length of pipe. Marvin then gets Ranboo down from where he is stuck and they both run like fucking hell. Both make it out of the facility.

Option 2 involves a little bit of context on some of the ideas I have about Showfall and the Security monsters specifically. So personally I call the Security monsters Taskmanagers! I think its fitting to name it after the computer program.

Additionally, you know Hetch's line where he describes the motionless Showfall employees? He says this: "My best guess is they were once people, and then something moved in and kinda repurposed them to be.. yknow, whatever the company needed."

So I took this and RAN. I came up with a concept that there is a stage before the Taskmanagers we see in Genloss. I haven't come up with a name for them yet. They arent really a "larval form" but more of a base form. Showfall either made a deal with some entity or experimented enough to create these creatures made out of wire and a tar-like substance. They use analog technology as "shells", sort of like hermit crabs. In addition they feed off of electrical signals.

I don't think that they're actively malicious, the company just uses them in an awful way. Anyways the employees will start out as normal people working their jobs. The masks have some filtering and control capabilities but no where as strong as Ranboo's mask since it's not directly connected to the body.

This can change though if the employee discovers something they shouldn't have or if Showfall just wants to do it. An employee can go through a process called "rewiring." There are several degrees to it ranging from a mild degree which involves the process of physically wiring the employee to the mask. This continues until the highest and final degree which is a full rewiring. A full rewiring is when an employee is offered to one of these little wire creatures. The creature, when prompted, will take the employee and inhabit their body. They will feed off of the brain's electrical signals and give Showfall direct control over the host's actions. There is usually no going back from this. This is also inspired by the scene in The Choice where Ranboo stabs an employee and wires come out instead of blood!

For Taskmanagers specifically I think they are originally the result of a botched Full Rewiring process. The host and wire creature did not react well and in turn created the Taskmanagers who are dangerous and actively hostile. Showfall, after accessing damages, realized they could purposefully trigger this botched creation and use them to their advantage, thus creating security.

SO, after that long explaination, onto Option 2! Sorry there's no easier way to explain this, trust me, I've tried.

So Option 2 involves Marvin somehow befriending a "defective" wire creature. Or, alternatively, befriending a defective Taskmanager. I really need to work on a name for the tiny ones gees- Anyways Ranboo is rescued here more by.. uh. Brute force rather than stealth. Here, before Hetch can pull the trigger, Marvin and the wire creature bust through a door or wall koolaid-man style and rescue Ranboo. Admittedly this option makes less sense but I'm still including it because I had the visual of the box beginning to close on Ranboo but two GIANT wire-y hands catch the two sides and WRENCHING it back open. I dont know thats just so cool to me I love big monsters!

Regardless of how the rescue goes, Ranboo escapes and is outside the facility. Marvin in hesitant to join him because of their ongoing mission to save as many people as possible. And Ranboo upon hearing this explains that Sneeg and Charlie are still trapped in there. Marvin is hesitant to believe either of them are alive but Ranboo begs them to at least check. Marvin agrees and returns inside the facility, leaving Ranboo with an address for a place he can spend the night in as well as a small two-way communicator.

Marvin enters back into the facility and discovers that both Charlie and Sneeg are alive. Charlie, however, being wounded by a Taskmanager, has some electronic bits placed into his abdomen. I am working on a design for him at the moment but here's what I'm using for inspiration:

A green liquid-cooled PC. Please have fun drawing your own conclusions while I work on his design LSKDJF

Sneeg, while attacked by security, was not wounded enough to require any replacement parts. He just has a couple of large scars on his torso. The real damage was done during The Warehouse where he was "reset." When Sneeg was reset, he gained awareness of everything Showfall was doing. He could see the cameras and he knew none of this was real. But this comes at a detriment because while he now has an immense amount of "behind the scenes" knowledge about Showfall, Showfall has the ability to completely control him. I'm unsure if this denotes a full rewire or if Showfall is using some experimental remote technology.

Anyways when he was revived after being attacked by the Taskmanager in The Choice, the revival process messed with what the reset did to his mind. The connection between him and Showfall is a little glitchy now. He still has insider information but sometimes he can accidentally trigger a meltdown where he believes he is once again on stage in Showfall. This either manifests itself as that panicked state we saw him in during The Warehouse where he was given the wrong hat OR how apathetic he was immediately after being reset. His perception of reality is distorted as well. Sometimes he can almost predict something before it happens, almost like a sixth sense.

Ok so where was I?? Sorry I took a hard left into infodumping territory. I mean I already am infodumping but i did EVEN MORE! LSKJDFLSKDF

Anyways the AU from here, in short, is saving each member of the cast! Charlie and Sneeg stick with Ranboo and form their little trio. I'm not sure where Niki, Austin, Vinny, and Ethan fall in the AU yet but I do want them to be rescued as well. I just don't know if they will be in the main group after or not!

Jellie was missing.

Well, that’s what they said.

If you asked Jellie, she was having a lovely afternoon outing, thank you very much.

The crew was currently docked in an open air market on the planet Lush. While everyone scattered about taking care of their tasks, Jellie decided to get a bit of a stretch in. Thankfully everyone was too busy to notice the little cat sneaking out of the open hanger door.

As always on Lush, the weather was sublime. It was warm out but not sweltering. The kind of sunlight that made one want to flop down and take a nap. A pleasant breeze ruffled her fur, temporarily alleviating her of any drowsy feelings. A perfect mix, not too hot, not too cold. Though Jellie supposed taking a nap a little later couldn't hurt.

But not now, now was a time for adventure!

-☪-

in which Jellie has a day out in the market! read the full thing here!

(fuck it we ball. monster hunter au.)

---

It was becoming increasingly clear that Xisuma was not a clever man.

He was a smart man, of course. But he was not clever. There was a difference, you know. And that divide was never clearer than on that one fateful day.

Looking back he rightfully admits he was a bit of a derp. I mean, who salvages weirdly sinister armor from an obviously blocked off cave? Someone who was not very clever, that's who.

Xisuma recalls that it was particularly sunny that day.

You know what, maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe, just maybe, he should have listened to someone for once! Maybe! Just maybe! He shouldn't have done the OBVIOUSLY STUPID CRIME OF STEALING A DRAGON EGG.

Not that he would ever admit it was stupid.

He was caught pretty quickly all things concerned. Did you know dragons have surprisingly dexterous tails? Grian didn't know. Even if he did know he was sure he'd end up in the same position. His wings were awfully cramped at the moment. He thought about how annoying preening would be later as he was jostled about like a salt shaker.

But as Grian lamented his end via dragon fire (never a pleasant way to go, even after respawning it was still... itchy) a shriek of an eagle pierced the end.

He had an upside-down view of the scene as it unfolded. His savior, False (maybe dying by dragon fire would be preferable to the telling-off he was about to get) leapt from the back of a juvenile Great Hawk. And with a battle-cry somewhere between brash determination and petrified screaming, False leapt into battle.

Not that Grian really saw any of it. Hard to do that when you're being whipped about like an avian maraca.

After a fierce battle (the dragon was so put off by False's war cry that it dropped Grian and just Left) the victor waltzed over to claim their spoils. False lifted Grian up from where he faceplanted like a very pathetic looking kitten and simply glared at him.

"In my defense-"

"What defense? You have zero defense. You are so lucky this took less than fifteen minutes." False paused and dropped him to his feet. She squinted at him for a good few seconds, tapping the tip of her sword to the endstone.

"While we're here, why don't we do some endbusting?" She tossed her sword at Grian, who caught it with a stumble, "It's a fair exchange."

"But-"

"It's either that or you give me that little egg of yours."

"... Fine." Grian sighed and shook his wings out, wincing at the cramping in his joints. He knew it would only get worse with this excursion.

The Universe did not consider Herself to be a scientist. She liked to think of Herself more of an artist, really. Molding Her precious Guardians from starlight, weaving bits of Her soul into their own. But art uses the scientific method, does it not? Trial and error, a question asked, a result gathered. And science required curiosity, something Mother had an abundance of. This particular thread She followed led Her to quite an odd place.       She disliked interacting with the Collective. While She loved them like the light loves its shadows, they always singed Her when She tried to make contact. But it was in the way a fire cannot care for who it burns, because it cannot care. It was simply not in its nature. But pondering was not what She was here for. She was here to conduct an experiment. 

     You see, the Universe creates, the Collective destroys. They are two sides of the same coin. Her Guardians, Their Eldritch. It was so fascinating to Her, you see. She knows the Guardians can be corrupted, Her creations twisted and mottled into a mockery of their former selves. It always pained Her to see her masterpieces twisted so. Though it always raised a question. One She wanted to test. She had a hypothesis, if you will.     If a Guardian could be corrupted by the Collective, could the opposite happen? Could an Eldritch be corrupted to become a Guardian? 

     That was the very thing She came to test. Oh, it would be painful of course. For Herself and for Her little experiment. Thrusting your hands into fire is never a pleasant experience. And a fire being quenched is never complacent. Was fire the correct term? The Collective, its swirling entirety, was an absence of light entirely. Maybe it was more akin to the liquid erasure of a black hole being thrust into the dawn. Or perhaps antimatter that strains against the very idea of being contained. Or maybe She was just prolonging the inevitable.

     Mother mused at Herself. Oh, She was not scared, but simply taking Her time. Admiring the swirling mass of pure chaos, pure destruction, Her opposite. For a brief moment She was concerned. Would Her little experiment be dangerous? Cause harm to Her Guardians that She cared for oh so much? The Universe stilled for a moment. But this was an experiment, right? No experiment is perfect on its first trial. She was here to answer questions, gain knowledge. Create, She hoped, art. The Universe, now resolute, now confident, raised Her milky way hands.

     And plunged them into nothing. 

     It burned. Through Her agony She made a mental note that the fire comparison was, indeed, accurate. It burned in the way of fire, of blistering heat, of blight and of deathly cold, it burned in the way of razor sharp teeth and raking claws, the sting of a fresh wound dug deep into flesh She did not have. Though Mother did not scream. Instead She reached and reached further and further into the mass. Further past teeth and claws and hate and rage until Her hands grasped around something and She pulled. She pulled and pulled through blight and cold and fire until at last, it was free. Mother quenched down Her pain and the screaming betrayal of the Collective and looked down at the squirming thrashing thing in Her hands.

      It was ugly. Some fleshy, squishy, mulberry purple thing with too many limbs and teeth and eyes. All of those eyes, looking up at Her. All of those eyes, like stars piercing a blanket of night. They looked up at Her with an emotion She could not name. 

     And Mother fell in love instantly.

     With delicate, practiced hands She wove the little creature into a Guardian. She wove starlight into a soul, the galaxies embroidered as its eyes, and the cosmos stitched into its heart. This little one, She decided, would be perfect to guard her own. Her little Guardian would know the stars like its own soul for it was one, and one was it. One in the same, knowing the space between the stars where monsters lurked and knowing the blistering love of the core of a sun. Mother, now satisfied, stitched the final knot. 

     And the Eldritch, no, the Guardian, opened its eyes. 

     It, no, she blinked. She yawned, wide, a row of freshly sharp teeth glinting in Mother’s light. Mulberry eyes that looked like stars piercing the veil of night looked around and eventually found the Universe’s own half-moon eyes. The little Guardian tilted her head, curious.

     Mother crooned and cupped the Guardian in Her hands, oh so gently lifting her up to be level with Her face. The force of the movement knocked the new life off of Her feet and onto her rear with a little yelp. The Universe giggled and smiled down at the little star. She knew She would never need to repeat this experiment. Oh, even though the pain was terrible, it was not for that. It was because Her little experiment was already as perfect as could be. And as the Guardian stared in wonder at the Universe it served, She remembered an important detail. While She was a scientist, She was also an artist. And artists must name their works. 

     So She smiled, looked the little one in the eyes, and said:

     “Hello, little star. I think I’ll call you…”     A moment of thought. The new guardian’s eyes reflected the Universe, and the Universe reflected her.     “... Cassiopeia. Yes, I think that’ll do wonderfully.”

     The Universe smiled.

     Cassiopeia smiled back.

     A clock ticked softly somewhere in the cabin. Mem scrunched his eyes closed and watched the dancing colors projected on the back of his eyelids. He’d been waiting for some time now. Five hours, ten minutes, and forty-five seconds. That's how long it had been since Mori left. Not unreasonable, both of them were often out of the house for long stretches of time. This was different though. Mem could feel it creeping up his back and digging in past his ribs, wrapping around his heart.

    Tonight, Mori had a date. 

    Which was great! Mem was happy for him, really! Mori had taken a fancy to the guardian of celebration, a man named Felix. He was a good guy, Mem had talked to him on multiple occasions. Can’t really avoid it with the whole ‘being alive for eons’ thing. He was charming, sweet, and knew exactly how to make any situation bright. No wonder Mori took a liking to him. 

    But despite all of that he couldn’t help but feel jealous. Why did he get to be the lucky one? Why did he get to love Mori like that and not him? 

    Mem sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He pushed himself up from where he’d been situated in the living room and walked to the closest mirror. There was one hanging in the hall, a full length one. Ornate and pretty old. Though it didn’t look the part. Mem couldn’t remember where he found it. Ironic. 

    The guardian took a moment to look at himself. Something he hadn’t done in quite some time apart from glances in fountain reflections or early in the morning to make sure his hair was mostly tame. Now looking at himself, he realized how awful he looked. Dark circles stained the underside of his dull gold eyes. They’d lost their shine gradually, or maybe all at once? For all he knew the spark went out the moment Mori told him he’d fallen in love. The baby pink sweater he wore, Mori’s sweater, was ridiculously oversized. He’d stolen it a while ago. It wasn’t uncommon for Mem to snatch some of his friend’s clothes. They were so comfy! Mem grimaced and took it off. He had a tank top underneath so it wasn’t like he was completely shirtless. But he’d been wearing the sweaters more and more as of late. He chucked it to the side and looked at himself one more time. All he felt was shame. 

    At that moment a fizzle sounded from the front hall. He perked up and scampered to the front hall, peaking around the corner. A petal pink portal swirled open, HQ’s courtyard was just visible past the ring of magic. Muffled laughter grew closer, some unintelligible words were exchanged, something soft and quiet, and Mori stepped through. Mem’s heart skipped a beat when he saw him, just like it had every day for the past century. But it plummeted to his gut when he saw the lipstick marks all over Mori’s cheek. 

     Bile curled at the back of his throat and he turned and ran down the hall. He didn’t hear Mori call after him, he just ran into the guest bedroom and slammed the door. 

     The guardian slid down against the door to sit on the hardwood floor. It wasn’t fair. Not to Mori that he was acting this way, upsetting him by not saying anything when he asked what was wrong. But that little voice said it wasn’t fair that he had to endure this, see someone else love Mori the way he so desperately wanted to. It was that ugly feeling that had Mem choking down a quiet sob. It was almost pitiful.

     The past few months had been this same song and dance. Over and over, again and again. Nothing was changing for Mem, he felt like a stuck gear. Desperately straining to move but to no avail. All of this, it wasn’t fair to anyone.