As Jak, Daxter, and Shining played together one autumn day, a question that had been bothering Daxter pushed to the fore of his mind. "Say Shining," he spoke up, "you talk to Samos more than just about anyone else, right?"
"Well, yeah," Shining replied. "It's these dreams I keep having...I want to learn enough to properly interpret them, if only to make them go away."
"Well, there's something about the way he acts that's been bugging me," Daxter pointed out. "You know how recently - ever since Gol and Maia left town - there's been a huge boom of interest in machines? Both the old Precursor stuff and anything new that can be developed?"
"We all noticed that," Jak pointed out, taking a seat nearby. "What's your point?"
"Well..." Daxter lay back in the grass, his eyes on the sky, gathering his thoughts. "Anytime just about anyone in town talks about putting more time or resources towards studying either Precursor tech or to developing new technology to harness Eco, Samos comes down on them like a ton of bricks, shouting about how those 'devilish machines' will tear the world apart, and that to do such things is disrespectful to the world the Precursors gave us, or something else like that...and the other Sages are in agreement with them."
"But?" Shining asked.
"The only exception is Keira," Daxter continued, "who, from what I can tell, Samos actively encourages to study and build new Eco machines, and to take apart any defunct Precursor tech she can find to learn how it works. The complete opposite of the stance he takes with everyone else...even though he grumbles about her interest in public." He shrugged. "Seems a bit strange, don'tcha think? It's the only time ever that Samos contradicts himself in anything."
"Well, the other Sages have talked about how Samos is the only one gifted with even the slightest touch of future sight," Shining pointed out. "It could well be that he knows that general use of such machines will prove dangerous...but Keira's knowledge of it will prove necessary."
"That's not why I think he does it," Jak pointed out with a smirk.
"Alright, leader boy," Daxter teased, poking fun at how Jak always took the lead in anything they did together. "If you're so smart, why is Samos encouraging Keira's interest in machines?"
"Hadn't you noticed?" Jak asked teasingly. "Ever since she started tinkering, she stopped cooking."
The entire group burst into laughter at that statement.
"I heard that!" Keira shouted out, her latest attempt at a combat walker sputtering and creaking under her as she marched towards them, leveling a paint launcher, the only type of weapon Samos would let her tinker with when she wasn't yet ten years old. "You're going to pay for that, Jak!" The launcher chugged for a time before launching numerous blasts of paint and water towards the three boys.
"Run!" Daxter shouted as the three took to their heels.
Once the trio had managed to escape Keira's rampage - rather easy since all three of them could run faster than the walker and Keira had to stop several times to get it working again - the trio collapsed to the ground, laughing together.
"Yeesh!" Daxter spat out once he caught his breath. "What got up her butt?"
"I dunno," Jak admitted. "I mean, she knows her cooking was terrible."
"Maybe it was you saying it that bugged her so much, bro," Shining offered. "Pretty sure she's sweet on you."
"Pssh!" Jak countered. "As if! You've seen how she snaps at me over things."
"You're the only one she snaps at over things," Daxter pointed out, smirking at the new tease game.
"Guys, stop making something out of it that isn't there!" Jak countered. "She's not even ten yet!"
"Samos was just telling me that girls mature faster than boys," Shining added thoughtfully.
"Shut up!" Jak countered, his face a little flushed.
"Oh!" Daxter laughed. "I think our fearless leader might be sweet on the little lady too!"
"As if!" Jak countered, pushing Daxter over and onto his back. As usual, this immediately spawned a three way wrestling match, ending with Shining on top of the other two as his bulkier small frame was harder to get a grip on and move for the other two. "Can we drop it now?" Jak asked finally.
Shining and Daxter looked at each other for a time, then grinned widely. "Nope!" they said together before running off.
"You guys!" Jak shouted, chasing after them.
Daxter and Shining had run in different directions, and Jak had chased after Daxter, since he could always get back at Shining once they were both inside for the night. Once he realized he wasn't being chased, he decided to go check on Keira.
Finding her having put her combat walker back in her garage and working on something else, he decided to approach her. "Hey Kei!" he called out, using his nickname for her.
"Hey, Shine!" Keira called back. "What brings you here?"
"Jak decided it was more important to chase Daxter than me," Shining replied. "Then again, he can always corner me at home."
Keira chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I've got something for you to try." Walking up, she presented strangely configured hoofshoes. "I noticed you have trouble with leaping through trees or up higher platforms, so I made these for you."
Confused, Shining strapped them on, feeling a tingle as they tapped his energy. "That felt weird," he commented.
"It's working!" Keira cheered. "Okay, now jump, then visualize jumping again in midair."
Shrugging, Shining did as he was instructed. Much to his surprise, the shoes responded to his thoughts, generating a burst of Blue Eco propelled him upward in a somersault. "Whoa!" he shouted, landing flat on his face. "What was that?"
Keira applauded. "The jump boots work!" she shouted happily. "I noticed your body generates an energy type that isn't Eco, and I was thinking about how I could make use of that...and I found an old bit of Precursor tech called an Eco Converter, which was supposed to change one type of Eco into another. It never worked, but I was able to tweak it so it could turn your energy into a specific type of Eco. I've been able to build more, but you only generate so much of that energy, so I designed the jump boots to use your energy to generate Blue Eco to let you jump again in midair!" She examined the boots for a bit. "I'll need to make some tweaks, though. You weren't supposed to face plant."
Shining couldn't help but laugh at that. "Alright," he said, standing back up to let her work. For a brief moment, he could have sworn she was lavender. Shaking his head, the brief flash passed, and he looked over the girl he was just a tad too protective of. "Say Keira..." he asked casually. "What do you think of Jak?"
"I think he's rather cute, and would probably make a nice boyfriend if he took his head out of his butt long enough to think about girls," she replied absent-mindedly.
Shining stared at that blunt response, trying to organize his thoughts. "Uhh..."
"Don't tell him I said so," she scolded. "Otherwise I'll rewire the next invention I hook you up to to make you sing falsetto."
"Duly noted!" Shining squeaked, crossing his hind legs.
I know less about Jak & Daxter than I do Ratchet & Clank, so I have no ideas to offer. However, I would like to see this Shining meet up with that Twilight after their stories are over.
use
My suggestion would be doing something stupid that they weren't supposed to, like going into the forest around the forbidden temple, playing chicken at the fire canon, or tipping yakcows. Another good aproach would be taking a trip to geyser Rock for some training based hi-jinx, remembering that Jak was fully combat proficient by the beginning of the first game.
Just some ideas
maybe the three of them getting a talking to from Samos about the Dark Eco on the island near them which turns into the whole wanting to explore it in the first game or IDK
I'm thinking.... the dangers of swimming in deep water and one of them almost getting bit by a Lurker Shark? Or exploring Sentinel Beach and experiencing Eco for the first time?
6448722 Seconded. Could even have it be with Jak or Daxter getting into serious trouble but Shining manages to make a shield by instinct just in time for them to get away.
This sounds very familiar....but I can't place it.
For another "young" chapter. Takes place in the winter or the snow area (forget the name), do a snowball fight. Kiera modifies her cannon, jak can roll, dodge, jump, etc, Shining creates his first shield and Daxter does something stupid yet funny. Keep up the great work.
P.S misspelled paint (point) about Kieras paint cannon
Definitely do more about them getting in trouble involving Eco. Also, throw a bit of Precursor tech in there as a way for Samos to yell at them about following rules. I'm sure you could get a couple of chapters out of that.
I'd like to see more instances of Shiny using his shield. Also, throw something in there about his first time finding out that he can levitate objects. Unless of course they already know, or if your saving it for the game chapters.
Something involving chasing seagulls.
6449063
As far as your headcanon, I have no idea what you're talking about, as I've never played the game.
I would like to see a training montage showing how the boys are combat ready for the first game. Show how they progress from inept with all the humor to fully fight capable but with the humor.
Well, for pure shennaingans I know nothing of the story... but I would suggest at least once Shining gets dunked in pink hair dye on accident and has to spend a week getting his coat white again, with pictures taken for blackmail.
Obviously, the reason Jak is mute for the first game is going to be an interesting chapter.
The terrible trio coming up with motions for when Jak gets a Power-Sphere could be hilarious.
How Jak "supposedly" has an "uncle" that lives in Sandover in the first game, but is never mentioned there after.
A name for their little trio.
How Jak "instinctively knew" how to pilot Kira's jet-cycle. (I can't remember the actual name for the hover bike thingy you have to use to get through the lava "racetracks")
Shining befriending a Lurker could be interesting.
Three words
naked horse puberty
6449447 Please no.
You were using "pointed out" a good deal before the first line break. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to be a habit you're stuck in.
Some of those you could've replaced with "replied", and it was mostly Jak. "That's not why I think she does it." Could've used "rebutted" rather than pointed out, since he's simply arguing a point rather than making an observational statement, as one example.
I know I've talked about it before, but I figured I'd, heheh, "point out" the pointed out fixation you seem to have.
6449998
Thanks for the advice.
My vocabulary used to be bigger...
6449447 Yes please. Tatsurous other stories don't really handle this at all. Exception being Fortresshy and the Chrysalis one. Even fortresshy addressed it rather briefly.
6449699 Why not.
6449371 It's probably something along the lines of not knowing how his new vocal cords/mouth structure work. Other than trauma (or just plain not wanting to), this is really the only reason I can think of for why he doesn't talk at first but then starts talking later.
They are wondering around and find a weird item (precursor orb) and take it bake to ask Samos what it is. He then begins ranting at how they shouldn't be treating ancient relics so casually. "How dare you-*blah blah*-No respect-*fiddle diddle dee dee*-When I was your age-*blather blather*-both ways in the snow!"
6449063 Plausible, makes sense logically. Too bad we can't experiment in the game, huh?
6449371 Its called an A-Grav Zoomer And I wouldn't call his understanding instinctive, its just something he probably learned to do over his years with living with Keira, still that could make a fun few chapters, learning how to use it that is, much crashing and hilarity
6436080 Yeah, I'm guessing that they look different to what we see in the game, as neither Jak nor Daxter recognise them in the first cut-scene.
Tatsurou, I'd like to thank you for this story, as it has made me pull out my old playstation 2 and Boot up Jak and Daxter. Which I think is still my favourite of the series, it had a lot more personality and identity than the next two instalments. They were still good games, but they lacked the kooky aesthetic, and more silly undertones of the first one.
6451248 Good idea, but it would probably be better with a power cell, as Precursor Orbs are as common as muck, and are used as currency.
6452175
You're quite welcome.
6452183 True
6449063
Actually, the reason why dragons can draw out their for longer is because, unlike the Dragonborn, who has a separate metre for their shouts, dragons use magicka. If you use shock spells against dragons to deplete their magicka, then they can't shout.
6454326
Like I said, if you use shock spells or shock-enchanted arrows against dragons, which drains target's magicka, then they can't shout.
6455045
Dragons using magicka for their shouts probably has something to do with the way magic flows through their bodies, which is different for the Dragonborn, who has the body of a mortal. Using Dragon Aspect basically lets a Dragonborn become a smaller dragon, with hard scales, crushing blows, and more powerful shouts, so maybe it could also use breath attacks more like dragons as well.
6457434
What I said about how magicka flows through the bodies of mortals nor dragons was just my own theory about the in-game reason, so that part was just speculation.
Dragon Aspect is Miraak's shout from the Dragonborn DLC. Two are found during the storyline, and the third is found in the mine underneath Raven Rock.
6455045 I agree with it.
That last line...
6449063
On the Skyrim issue: The answer is in the name: Fire/Ice Breath. Dragons have bigger lungs than the Dragonborn. Magica may be what powers their Shouts, but they are still Shouts. The difference must be physiological.
rainbowlaugh: That last part
6449063 It's all about breath control and lung capacity. A dragon has bigger lungs than a human, and is therefore logically able to drag out a syllable longer.
In other words: it makes perfect sense, since that's what they actually do lorewise.
6457433 I actually read a lovely in-game book on that. In Skyrim, mages work in a similar way to unicorns. Magicka is an ever-present force, and is manipulated into a perceivable action by a mage. The mage uses their body as a conduit for the magicka around them, and then uses their knowledge of a spell to mould the magicka into a force, element, etc.
The book actually had the aim of making mages out as hardcore athletes, since channelling a fundamental force of the universe and doing what is basically complex math at the same time is really hard work XD
I think I'd like to combine the two headcanons. Dragons have bigger lungs and so can drag out the syllable, and they also have a greater experience with shouts, being able to channel magicka into their shouts. Mortals who learn shouts, or even the Dragonborn with a Dragon soul, have no knowledge beyond the incantation of how to infuse it with magicka as a mage does their spells. They're two entirely separate schools of learning, and while connected, are likely to go unexplored in the region of crossing them over for some time.
Now how on the green earth did an MLP:FiM crossover with Jak and Daxter lead me to discuss the nature of Dragon shouts?
6452175 Mate! Get the whole trilogy on one PS3 disc, with an HD retexture on all of them to boot! Possibly the best PS3 purchase I ever made
>"Hadn't you noticed?" Jak asked teasingly. "Ever since she started tinkering, she stopped cooking."
As much as I derive enjoyment from the 'terrible cook' cliche, I just keep coming back to the fact that if someone didn't keep trying to cook, they'd never get any better at it.
>"I heard that!" Keira shouted out, her latest attempt at a combat walker sputtering and creaking under her as she marched towards them, leveling a paint launcher, the only type of weapon Samos would let her tinker with when she wasn't yet ten years old.
So... if Jak is five years older than her, he's about 14 years old at this point. Just seems weird that Jak would still be clueless at this point. Girls usually start maturing sexually anywhere from as early as EIGHT years old, whereas boys usually start around twelve... So his not 'noticing' her attention still at this point has to be heavily focused on the fact that he's embroiled in a group of two other guys. Unconsiously doesn't want to appear weak,so he doesn't focus on girls.
Sh: "Hey Kei, if you could have one impossible thing; what would it be?"
Kei: "That's a hard one. Either a library in a HUGE tree or big purple wings! ...Shiny? Shiny, are you alright?"
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Had I read this story when it was posted, I'd have suggested a chapter exploring the use of power cells and orbs, maybe the boys' first collection quest for Kiera.
XD Keira you are too adorable