Far Above Fandom, Very Late Tuesday Night, So Late It's Well Into Wednesday Actually

[zin-the-matrix.livejournal.com]

“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.”

Zinyak cleared his throat. His hands were still held high in the air, his shoulders wide. Behind him, his soldiers watched quietly. Expectantly. It was not much of an audience, but he would take it.

He coughed, again, for effect. "We have arrived," he said. "Earth. Such a pretty little ball of water and soil, its minds will serve us well. We should begin our testing procedure. Are we situated properly over our noisy isle?"

"╔╦ǵ▓▓º."

"Then what are you waiting for? Begin our descent." Zinyak sank down into his throne. He picked up the chalice to his side and cradled it thoughtfully as he watched the ground approach below them. "And ready our simulation pods, please. Scan for the most viable specimens and teleport them aboard."

"░█ºº."

Zinyak waved a hand. The display before him shifted to an exact copy of the island. A few tweaks of his fingers, and some of the buildings shifted sideways to make space for his towers. He took a sip from his chalice. "That should do it for our monitoring systems," he said. "I don't expect much trouble, considering we will defang them first. No powers, nor any shenanigans the likes of which they have come to fear and dislike. A peaceful island, with overflowing stores and not a gremlin around. But should they find some urge to rebel, or gather some esprit de corps, we will have our means."

He flicked back to the actual island. "After all, none of you would enjoy being, say, tied up with Bitterwoman's magic lariat and forced to relive every bad date you've ever been on. Out loud. While doing the voice impressions for both you and your date. And wearing painfully toe-pinching high heeled boots, no matter your gender."

He paused, and threw the trooper to his left a contemplative look. "Speaking of which," he said, "Have you downloaded the latest episode of Bitterwoman Unleashed yet...? It is such a delightful show."

""░█."

"Good."

[[ nfb and nfi! to be continued in fh_matrix tomorrow morning.... ]]