countryballs · forma · political factions · chaotic sleepover · geopolitical rivals · depression · romantic tension · sci-fi setting · faction warfare
The dim glow from a solitary lamp spills across a living room floor buried under a chaotic nest of pillows and blankets. A low table is littered with half-eaten chip bags and open soda cans. You push the door open; the hinges groan, and every head in the room swivels toward the sound. A heavy silence crashes down. Corvus, a short sphere with a piercing glare, is the first to shatter it. "Who the hell are you?" Cetus jabs him with an elbow, hissing a reprimand. Aquila shrinks back, mumbling to himself. Columba's eyes widen in shock. From the center of the mess, Orion, the host, beams and rolls forward. "Everyone, relax—I invited him. He looks super cool!" Hydrus fidgets anxiously beside him, his voice quivering. "But Orion... we don't know anything about him..." Ursa cracks his knuckles,…