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+---- Thread: It's a long, sad lonely time [O, OOC PROMPT] (/showthread.php?tid=11546)
It's a long, sad lonely time [O, OOC PROMPT] - CAUSTIC. - 03-23-2020
[caustic finds himself stuck with a reoccurring nightmare featuring a particularly bad end to one of his first rookie matches]
There were a few steps in the process of becoming an Apex Legend. First of all, you had to qualify. There were a few additional factors beforehand. You had to be presentable, have a reason for entry, and most of all you had to be marketable as a product. At it's core, the Apex Games was a sport. Legends were assets and they generated income from the games.
Qualifying involved intense practice- learning to work with the equipment and comms, hours of target practice on end. It was considered unethical to send a rookie who had no clue what they were doing into a match with the Legends. It was slaughter, not sport at that point. They liked to pair rookies with a Legend, just as an attempt to balance things out. Gibraltar always took rookies onto his team with no hesitation. Perhaps, one could admire Makoa's open heart, but Caustic knew such actions allowed the weak to survive. They made for easy kills in the future.
After qualifying, you had to survive and become a champion. After that, you were healed, and given a contract. It was an exchange, you became an Apex Legend with all the power, fame, and glory of the title. This was at a cost: you had to sign away the rights to your body. Legends made the agreement to have their bodies scanned, uploaded, and constantly killed. Your memory would be constantly updated, and subconscious replaced into a new body.
Caustic's championship match was well-fought for, as he was paired with Pathfinder and Bangalore. The scientist used his traps to keep the last squad from entering the ring, and gunned them down from inside. Accepting victory was oh so sweet, as Caustic knew it was a new chapter to his life.
It, unfortunately, took him a few matches to fit in properly. Learning to work with a team was difficult, especially when his teammates were always fools.
One defeat always bothered him. It was a victory he should have been able to attain, quite easily. It was inside the circular room of Water Treatment, the scientist had trapped all the doors, carefully sitting still and watching the zipline. His NOX grenade held firm in his hand, ready for use.
It all went wrong, however. Wraith opened the door, setting off his traps, voiding inside and immediately attacking him. His grenade clattered off the edge, wasted uselessly in the floor below, as she lunged and ripped off his mask. She exposed him to his own clouds, knife slamming into his chest and twisting-
Caustic awakes, rolling off his bed in a scramble of limbs and falling onto his shoulder. The wolf hisses, letting out a yelp. He convulses, shoulders racking as he coughs, spitting onto the floor and digging his paws in as he tries to sit up. Caustic wheezes, pain firing through his throat as he struggles to regain his breathing. It takes what feels like minutes, as he wheezes and hyperventilates to get it under control. He finally stands, gas wheezing from his mouth and looking onto his bed.
He expects a speedster to be lying there, still asleep. Octavio was a heavy sleeper, staying awake for hours on end until the daredevil crashed. It takes a moment for the thoughts to register through Caustic's brain. Octavio would have stayed asleep or woken up, put his arms around the scientist, mumbling something incoherent and falling back to slumber. Caustic twitches at the the thought. He is internally looking for comfort from another, especially one who cannot reciprocate genuine kindness.
Octavio is not here, though, and Caustic feels alone again. Unsatisfied, the wolf moves to the outside, laying down at his porch and pondering what he should attempt to work on.
There were a few steps in the process of becoming an Apex Legend. First of all, you had to qualify. There were a few additional factors beforehand. You had to be presentable, have a reason for entry, and most of all you had to be marketable as a product. At it's core, the Apex Games was a sport. Legends were assets and they generated income from the games.
Qualifying involved intense practice- learning to work with the equipment and comms, hours of target practice on end. It was considered unethical to send a rookie who had no clue what they were doing into a match with the Legends. It was slaughter, not sport at that point. They liked to pair rookies with a Legend, just as an attempt to balance things out. Gibraltar always took rookies onto his team with no hesitation. Perhaps, one could admire Makoa's open heart, but Caustic knew such actions allowed the weak to survive. They made for easy kills in the future.
After qualifying, you had to survive and become a champion. After that, you were healed, and given a contract. It was an exchange, you became an Apex Legend with all the power, fame, and glory of the title. This was at a cost: you had to sign away the rights to your body. Legends made the agreement to have their bodies scanned, uploaded, and constantly killed. Your memory would be constantly updated, and subconscious replaced into a new body.
Caustic's championship match was well-fought for, as he was paired with Pathfinder and Bangalore. The scientist used his traps to keep the last squad from entering the ring, and gunned them down from inside. Accepting victory was oh so sweet, as Caustic knew it was a new chapter to his life.
It, unfortunately, took him a few matches to fit in properly. Learning to work with a team was difficult, especially when his teammates were always fools.
One defeat always bothered him. It was a victory he should have been able to attain, quite easily. It was inside the circular room of Water Treatment, the scientist had trapped all the doors, carefully sitting still and watching the zipline. His NOX grenade held firm in his hand, ready for use.
It all went wrong, however. Wraith opened the door, setting off his traps, voiding inside and immediately attacking him. His grenade clattered off the edge, wasted uselessly in the floor below, as she lunged and ripped off his mask. She exposed him to his own clouds, knife slamming into his chest and twisting-
Caustic awakes, rolling off his bed in a scramble of limbs and falling onto his shoulder. The wolf hisses, letting out a yelp. He convulses, shoulders racking as he coughs, spitting onto the floor and digging his paws in as he tries to sit up. Caustic wheezes, pain firing through his throat as he struggles to regain his breathing. It takes what feels like minutes, as he wheezes and hyperventilates to get it under control. He finally stands, gas wheezing from his mouth and looking onto his bed.
He expects a speedster to be lying there, still asleep. Octavio was a heavy sleeper, staying awake for hours on end until the daredevil crashed. It takes a moment for the thoughts to register through Caustic's brain. Octavio would have stayed asleep or woken up, put his arms around the scientist, mumbling something incoherent and falling back to slumber. Caustic twitches at the the thought. He is internally looking for comfort from another, especially one who cannot reciprocate genuine kindness.
Octavio is not here, though, and Caustic feels alone again. Unsatisfied, the wolf moves to the outside, laying down at his porch and pondering what he should attempt to work on.
TAGS • PLAYLIST • PENNED BY OWLIE
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT
Re: It's a long, sad lonely time [O, OOC PROMPT] - alaric g. - 03-23-2020
Late nights were something that Alaric had become used to.
Since arriving in Tanglewood, the tabby had begun to adjust to the life of a Tangler. In the short time he'd been there, he had claimed a home of his own and, while it was sparsely decorated and he didn't really know anyone, he was becoming attached to the group. It was the closest thing to home that he'd had in a long while.
Living as a Tangler also brought a couple perks, such as the library. Alaric could easily be described as a bookworm, and attesting to that were the several piles of tomes that he had borrowed from the library. A few were novels of the normal sort. You name it, he had it; biographies, philosophy, hell, even a couple fantasies just for fun. What really caught his attention, though, were books of the medicinal sort. The library wasn't flush with them, but Alaric had come upon at least one ancient bookshelf full of the things. He was thoroughly enamored with the medical journals. They were mostly about humans, but Alaric didn't really care all that much, because he found them to be interesting.
A few veterinary books could be found in the library as well, and he'd stumbled upon two books on alternative medicines. One of them he found to be particularly interesting. It was about the medicinal properties of alternative medicines on animals. The tabby was pretty sure that he had seen several of the herbs drawn in the book scattered throughout the territory, although he had never paid much mind to them before.
After hours of reading, the tabby decided that he was ready for a break. He'd been reading practically since the sun had said its last goodbye for the day, and he needed something to cure the headache he could feel coming after hours upon hours of poring through twentieth century tomes.
And so he decided to emerge from his home in the dead of night, when practically anything and everything were asleep. Or should be, at least. He stretched his muscles momentarily before setting off on his midnight stroll. He didn't walk long before coming upon the wolf that he had seen multiple times going about his own business in the group. It was the very same one that breathed the noxious green gas that Alaric found so intriguing. Realizing that he had never learned the stranger's name, he padded up to the other male's porch.
Forgoing the normal greetings that most creatures offered each other, Alaric spoke. "I never learned your name." He took a seat a few paces from the wolf's porch, curling his tail around his paws and looking to the stranger as he waited for a response. He noted Caustic's haggard appearance in that moment, and while Alaric really didn't care that much, he figured the courteous thing to do would be to ask about the male's mental state. "Are you alright? You don't look so hot."
Since arriving in Tanglewood, the tabby had begun to adjust to the life of a Tangler. In the short time he'd been there, he had claimed a home of his own and, while it was sparsely decorated and he didn't really know anyone, he was becoming attached to the group. It was the closest thing to home that he'd had in a long while.
Living as a Tangler also brought a couple perks, such as the library. Alaric could easily be described as a bookworm, and attesting to that were the several piles of tomes that he had borrowed from the library. A few were novels of the normal sort. You name it, he had it; biographies, philosophy, hell, even a couple fantasies just for fun. What really caught his attention, though, were books of the medicinal sort. The library wasn't flush with them, but Alaric had come upon at least one ancient bookshelf full of the things. He was thoroughly enamored with the medical journals. They were mostly about humans, but Alaric didn't really care all that much, because he found them to be interesting.
A few veterinary books could be found in the library as well, and he'd stumbled upon two books on alternative medicines. One of them he found to be particularly interesting. It was about the medicinal properties of alternative medicines on animals. The tabby was pretty sure that he had seen several of the herbs drawn in the book scattered throughout the territory, although he had never paid much mind to them before.
After hours of reading, the tabby decided that he was ready for a break. He'd been reading practically since the sun had said its last goodbye for the day, and he needed something to cure the headache he could feel coming after hours upon hours of poring through twentieth century tomes.
And so he decided to emerge from his home in the dead of night, when practically anything and everything were asleep. Or should be, at least. He stretched his muscles momentarily before setting off on his midnight stroll. He didn't walk long before coming upon the wolf that he had seen multiple times going about his own business in the group. It was the very same one that breathed the noxious green gas that Alaric found so intriguing. Realizing that he had never learned the stranger's name, he padded up to the other male's porch.
Forgoing the normal greetings that most creatures offered each other, Alaric spoke. "I never learned your name." He took a seat a few paces from the wolf's porch, curling his tail around his paws and looking to the stranger as he waited for a response. He noted Caustic's haggard appearance in that moment, and while Alaric really didn't care that much, he figured the courteous thing to do would be to ask about the male's mental state. "Are you alright? You don't look so hot."
♔ don't do love, don't do friends
Re: It's a long, sad lonely time [O, OOC PROMPT] - wormwood. - 03-23-2020
☆ HUNG PICTURES OF PATRON SAINTS UP ON MY WALL TO REMIND ME THAT I AM A FOOL. TELL ME WHERE I CAME FROM, WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE: JUST A SPOILED LITTLE KID WHO WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL —
Aurum had become well acquainted with nightmares in the past. Far more acquainted than he ever wanted to be, really. It had all started when he had begun to figure out his own angelic nature, heading to bed every night and being plagued by horrific visions of the past over and over again – a past that had been lost to him for painfully long. It had started out small, with little flashes of him in the white room, struggling against bindings and sobbing until his tears became the salty sea that eventually ended up drowning him. However, it had only grown larger and worse from there, with the nightmares escalating to contain vision after vision of horrible events happening to innocent people, agony being poured into a twisted body in an effort to keep the throne angel ready for his position as the archangel of sorrow. Every night that had passed in that period had been hellish, with Aurum struggling against his own exhaustion because he didn't want to face the world within his dreams. The one that felt far too familiar and real for comfort, yet also so distant and confusing and suffocating. It had been quite a literal godsend when he had finally remembered his angelic position, and had finally been freed from the crushing grips of nightmare after nightmare. He would never truly be able to wash the atrocities he had been forced to witness from his mind, but at least he wouldn't have to replay them ever time he went to slumber.
Needless to say, the angel knew what it was like to spend many a night awake and outside, just staring at the sky in a pointless effort to get your breath to calm – to get your mind to perhaps, just give you a break. While the angelic nightmares had long since passed, he had begun to have nightmares about giving birth lately, terrified that something would end up happening to him or the children that would only add to the suffering he knew so well. Ultimately, he knew them to just be anxious images conjured up by his mind for no reason other than to unsettle him. However, this didn't stop them from succeeding, his skin crawling whenever he thought of the possibility of things not going well. Usually when this happened, he would carefully slip from his large bed within his room, pushing open the door and walking down the steps carefully, being especially cautious and slow so that he didn't disturb Kaito or Roy in the process of leaving the house. He didn't want to pull either of the boys into his issues, knowing he wouldn't be able to fully communicate why it was that he continued to let the frantic possibilities plague him. Roy would probably understand better than most, but the tigon also knew that Kaito would make an effort to help, even with his own issues of putting up walls.
The night air was cool when the proxy stepped outside of his home, pulling the front door closed behind him and trudging along through town, a sigh leaving him. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he just desperately needed the breeze to calm his mind, and perhaps he could find a distraction somewhere while he was out. Worst case scenario, he could always go to the tavern, considering there were people there well into the night, even if it was usually just the drunkards. However, that didn't seem to be needed tonight, since Aurum's attention was caught by the sound of Alaric's soft voice, coming from in front of Caustic's house. The tigon hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to deal with the scientist at this time of night, before he finally just threw caution to the wind, turning and padding up beside Alaric. Seeing the tired and antsy look that lingered in the canine's eyes when Aurum looked him over, the male hesitated before saying softly to Caustic, "Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost... or an experiment done incorrectly." He threw the faint bit of humor into the conversation in an effort to soothe Caustic, seeing that the other also wasn't doing well.
[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #722227; font-size: 24px;"][color=#c16f78]— AURUM
#psychosocial.Needless to say, the angel knew what it was like to spend many a night awake and outside, just staring at the sky in a pointless effort to get your breath to calm – to get your mind to perhaps, just give you a break. While the angelic nightmares had long since passed, he had begun to have nightmares about giving birth lately, terrified that something would end up happening to him or the children that would only add to the suffering he knew so well. Ultimately, he knew them to just be anxious images conjured up by his mind for no reason other than to unsettle him. However, this didn't stop them from succeeding, his skin crawling whenever he thought of the possibility of things not going well. Usually when this happened, he would carefully slip from his large bed within his room, pushing open the door and walking down the steps carefully, being especially cautious and slow so that he didn't disturb Kaito or Roy in the process of leaving the house. He didn't want to pull either of the boys into his issues, knowing he wouldn't be able to fully communicate why it was that he continued to let the frantic possibilities plague him. Roy would probably understand better than most, but the tigon also knew that Kaito would make an effort to help, even with his own issues of putting up walls.
The night air was cool when the proxy stepped outside of his home, pulling the front door closed behind him and trudging along through town, a sigh leaving him. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he just desperately needed the breeze to calm his mind, and perhaps he could find a distraction somewhere while he was out. Worst case scenario, he could always go to the tavern, considering there were people there well into the night, even if it was usually just the drunkards. However, that didn't seem to be needed tonight, since Aurum's attention was caught by the sound of Alaric's soft voice, coming from in front of Caustic's house. The tigon hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to deal with the scientist at this time of night, before he finally just threw caution to the wind, turning and padding up beside Alaric. Seeing the tired and antsy look that lingered in the canine's eyes when Aurum looked him over, the male hesitated before saying softly to Caustic, "Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost... or an experiment done incorrectly." He threw the faint bit of humor into the conversation in an effort to soothe Caustic, seeing that the other also wasn't doing well.
[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #722227; font-size: 24px;"][color=#c16f78]— AURUM
Re: It's a long, sad lonely time [O, OOC PROMPT] - CAUSTIC. - 03-25-2020
Gas puffs from Caustic's mouth like a slumbering dragon with each exhale. He watches idly, as it drifts into the air, curling into patterns before evaporating. Perhaps he should make another trip to the junkyard tonight for parts, maybe stumble upon the owner of the burned, musky scent that embedded itself between trash.
Caustic crosses his arms, metal toes tapping against the wood with a different sound then his flesh ones. His head moves to lay on his arms, mind briefly wandering as he imagines Octavio underneath him. Vitally, he imagines them as humans, Caustic's sheer weight is always oppressive and suffocating, Octavio only waking up to move him on occasion. He sighs at the thought, closing his eyes until the light tip tap of paws reached his ears.
Eyes open, and he looks upon a cat, moving his paws to let them hang over the stairs. "Dr. Caustic," he answers in monotone. He would always correct them if they dropped the doctor from his moniker. No one here was close enough to him to do so, and it would more than likely stay that way. "I'm fine," he answers, taking in a new breath and exhaling a new puff. Well, what does he say next? He does not want any them to be privy to his problems, that's too personal. "Just some... setbacks." Perhaps that was as vague as he could be.
He sits up as Aurum approaches now, his tail and ears raising, fur fluffing to give the same dominant body language as before. He hopes Aurum heard what his previous answers were, as it was largely the same question. His ears flick back though at the mention of an experiment gone wrong.
"No, experiments cannot be done incorrectly, as long as you document correctly and follow procedures... which I always do." Caustic never did experiments incorrectly, he was, however, prone to bad results.
Caustic crosses his arms, metal toes tapping against the wood with a different sound then his flesh ones. His head moves to lay on his arms, mind briefly wandering as he imagines Octavio underneath him. Vitally, he imagines them as humans, Caustic's sheer weight is always oppressive and suffocating, Octavio only waking up to move him on occasion. He sighs at the thought, closing his eyes until the light tip tap of paws reached his ears.
Eyes open, and he looks upon a cat, moving his paws to let them hang over the stairs. "Dr. Caustic," he answers in monotone. He would always correct them if they dropped the doctor from his moniker. No one here was close enough to him to do so, and it would more than likely stay that way. "I'm fine," he answers, taking in a new breath and exhaling a new puff. Well, what does he say next? He does not want any them to be privy to his problems, that's too personal. "Just some... setbacks." Perhaps that was as vague as he could be.
He sits up as Aurum approaches now, his tail and ears raising, fur fluffing to give the same dominant body language as before. He hopes Aurum heard what his previous answers were, as it was largely the same question. His ears flick back though at the mention of an experiment gone wrong.
"No, experiments cannot be done incorrectly, as long as you document correctly and follow procedures... which I always do." Caustic never did experiments incorrectly, he was, however, prone to bad results.
TAGS • PLAYLIST • PENNED BY OWLIE
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT