#OVERSEER-the string puller

[thebigshotman]

*…It’s nice, being able to sit back and just write when he’s like this.

(Her voice is almost jovial, thought it still sounds a little anxious and definitely tired. In addition to the usual typing there is also occasional the strokes of a pencil. She’s drawing off to the side. Badly, too.)

*It’s a shame about the whole “out of date” thing though…never mind what’s gonna happen when it’s time to turn back. But some of those customers have more power than even Mike or I do…

*I just hope he enjoys himself while it lasts.

[hunterontheedge]

Since you asked me about some lore about my persona, what can you tell me about your persona? Sorry I'm asking a lot of damn questions, I'm just that type of person that needs to know EVERYTHING about something lol

DON'T FRET AT ALL !!! Again I love receiving questions like these!

you know the drill when I'm asked to talk I talk. A lot. So!

When it comes to White/Whyte, she's me whilst also being an entirely separate character. White is a string puller, a creator and a destroyer. I have a sort of funny bit where White can remember the names and faces of everyone they meet but nobody really remembers her because she takes the form of a relatively unassuming realmian animal called a pikipaw.

As you can see, it's very... :3 . That's the best way to describe her. She loves to mess with people and be ominous without reason. Given that he's the creator- the primary overseer of Realmia- or if you want to put it as being 'godly'- White can manipulate the land and add/take from it as she so pleases. In all honesty, White doesn't interact with their creations up close because to her, it's like looking into a terrarium, watching everyone live their lives and explore what was set before them. It's why I prioritize worldbuilding over characters because you won't know how the character interacts with the world without the world!

Anyhow, it's common for White to stay up in the starzone because that's where all the ideas are.

This is an old illustration but it gets the point across- it's a vast nothing with a pretty sky and stars "falling" everywhere. Every star represents an idea/a character/a world, and they must be opened up in order for White to explore them properly... but of course, White can't do that without a disguise, so they'll shapeshift for the purpose of jumping into that world and taking everyone/everything out of it, ultimately destroying the place in its entirety. This process is referred to as rifting, and it requires a special blade to perform!

Enter: Elliot!

Familiar face, right? Yeah, he's basically a reworked Elizabeth that White left with by "total accident" and he's just as confused as everybody else. Real friendly guy, though! And his blade may be broken, but he's capable of harnessing minor elements to combat that issue. Not my point, though-- he has a special blade type that can allow White to tear open rifts and enter her riftoid form so they can work their stolen goods into the realms. The lore is absolutely wild I tell you

but I think that's it! At least, it's the basics. I've mentioned it before I think but Realmia is a worldbuilding project I'd worked on for like. 8 years? Maybe 9? Time flies and I've had a lot of retracting and rehashings but for the most part I think it's solid :3

[ajricci]

Activation || Amadeo & Noah

While Noah walks Haukea through the woods, he runs into AJ right before he is attacked. Then things get really weird. 

AJ finally had the information he needed, the next step was figuring out what he was going to do with the information. He could try to find the families of the victims or the witnesses that he now had access to, but he couldn’t be sure that any of those people would be interested in talking to the son of the man accused of murdering their daughters. So that was out until he could think of a better plan. He also needed to get medical records from the hospital of the victims, but without access and with Blanche a little busy avoiding death by poltergeist he figured that would have to wait for a while too. Far down his list were revisiting crime scenes looking for anything that the police might have missed from the original murders. It had never been a priority because two years later the chances of finding anything were almost slim to none. But he had nothing better to do today, so that was how he found himself out in the middle of the woods just a few miles from the university wondering just what he thought he was going to find at this long forgotten murder setting.

Hooking Haukea’s leash onto her harness Noah closed his truck door smiling down at his happy puppy. In all his days at the barn this was probably the thing he missed most, Haukea’s little face doing one of those Labrador smiles up at him. Ruffling her fur a bit Noah picked his water up from off the side of his truck bed and they were off walking across the parking lot towards the trail. He didn’t really know which one they were going to take yet, but something was pulling him towards…. The left one. Yea they were going to start on the left one and then work their way back, or around, or whatever. He wasn’t to fussed about where they went as long as he was with his dog. And that’s how he found himself walking through the forest with his pupper on her lead in front him not a care in the world.

Not surprising to AJ in the slightest, there was nothing at this crime scene to find. Besides a short string of crime scene tape weighed down by a fallen branch, AJ would have been unable to tell that the place had once been the scene of a murder at all. There had just been too much time between now and then for anything noteworthy to be left over. There was always the possibility that the police had done their jobs efficiently and found everything that had been noteworthy. He kept his cool and made sure not to lose his temper. This was just the first crime scene after all. The first step in a long investigation and he knew that not turn he took could lead to the end of the rainbow. A twig cracking in the distance made him spin and pull his pocket knife free from his back pocket. Maybe he should start bringing his dad’s gun with him. But the guy walking his dog through the woods barely looked like they intended on hurting Noah. “Hey” AJ said, folding the knife back up and stuffing it away, “How’s it going?”

Looking down at Haukea as she barked a small warning Noah held her leash tighter as the boy approached. Normally Noah wouldn’t have given him a second thought, no normally he would have just given a nod and walked past. But it was late afternoon and the kid was folding up a knife and stuffing it in his pocket, a movement that wasn’t exactly alarming but not exactly something that gave him a happy rainbow feeling. “Hey” Noah replied with a small little wave as Haukea tugged at her leash a little. She wasn’t usually a puller, but she was quite the happy-go-lucky pup, always trying to put her nose in potential danger. “Kea heel” He commanded making his dog swing her body tighter towards him as he slowed his pace down before the boy. “And it’s going good, you know out for a walk and everything, how’s it going for you?” Noah asked hoping his face wasn’t as full of suspicion as his chest was.

AJ knew that he must look crazy roaming through the woods and pulling his knife on the first person that happened to walk by. So he tried to diffuse the situation by letting a smile to slip across his face and laughing nervously. He brought his arm up and scratched at his neck. “Sorry I’m a little jumpy. Never know who you’re going to run into out in the woods after all.” He was making sure to sound extra friendly and extra awkward. Awkward was always the best way to make others less suspicious. “Cute dog.” He pointed out, hoping the dude would welcome the misdirection in conversation.

Looking from him to his hand Noah just let his face do the talking, lips pursed in a small line “Yea” He nodded not knowing exactly what else to say to that. Because if you wanted to set someone at ease that was probably not the way to go about it. But then again if this wasn’t like some sort of ambush the Boy was probably a lot smarter than Noah with his knife. Although Noah guessed having brute werewolf strength could be comparable. Noticing the other boy change the subject to something better Noah though calmed down a little. Ok woodland serial killers didn’t usually call dogs cute after all. Right? “She is,” Noah agreed looking down at his dog and smiling softly “Name’s haukea,” He continued as Haukea’s wagging tail made him feel better about the situation. “It means snow white in Hawaiian” He didn’t exactly know why he was offering that information up to the boy but you know, why not. It was friendly information about a safe subject after all.

“That’s adorable.” AJ wasn’t sure how much longer this small talk was going to go on. He didn’t have a lot of experience talking to random strangers in the woods. He hated small talk, he found it useless and time consuming. But the last thing he needed was some concerned civilian calling the police about some suspicious character in the woods. The police department and the media would have a field day if they got the opportunity to tote a Ricci into the station. “You must be a Disney fan? Or a Grimm’s fairy tales fan.” Maybe quoting those ridiculously dark horror stories wasn’t the lightest of conversation. “Uh AJ” He offered his name up, closing the gap between them to hold out a hand in introduction.

“Yea, I was pretty proud of myself for that one” Noah quipped back with a small smile. He was happy this was going better, but then again how could things not go better when they were on the subject of dogs? It was Noah’s favorite. Standing there shifting his weight from foot to foot, Noah gave Kea a sit command, seeing the ‘I want to jump all over this stranger and lick him to death’ action in her yes. “And it was more of a I wanted a princess name for my little princess, and that was the one that seems to stick” He could feel the blush start to rise in his checks but he fought it hard. Men can want to name their dogs’ sweet things, and know about princesses, and put dogs in sweater when it’s cold too ok. It’s not like. A thing or anything you know. Shaking it off though Noah was grateful when the kid decided to introduce himself “Noah,” he replied to the boy before gesturing to the excited dog struggling to stay still and sitting while there was a new person to greet just inches “Oh and she knows how to shake too if you wanted to be really formal about it”

 AJ didn’t want to shake the dog’s hand. He had nothing against dogs or cats or really any pets in general, but he also had no desire for one either. His parents had never had a pet, said that they travelled too much for it to make sense. AJ vaguely remembers asking them for one when he was younger but as the years went on he enjoyed the freedoms no pets allowed him. Plus, he wasn’t an overly sentimental enough guy to really get attached to a pet. “Uh shake” AJ did as was suggested though, because that was how polite small talk went. Surprisingly, the dog listened and soon AJ was holding her paw and shaking before letting go and giving the dog a good pat on the head. “She’s well behaved” AJ complimented, impressed by her skills. Another reason his dad had never wanted a pet, didn’t want to take the time to actually train one. “I never had any pets growing up.”

Watching Kea get to show off her hard work with a lovely shake had Noah practically melting in his tennis shoes. And even more so when AJ remarked on her being well behaved. It had been and still was a lot of work keeping up with her training, but Noah knew in the long run it was all worth it to have the best behaved dog around. “Thanks” Noah nodded at the boy before putting his own hand on his dog’s head to silently praise her for being good. “It was a struggle at first but she’s learning, aren’t you girl” She wagged her tail on up at him. Looking over toward AJ though Noah’s smile fell slightly when he told him he didn’t have any pets “Wow, that sounds rough. I mean my dad was a Vet so we always had animals around.”

AJ shrugged, “It wasn’t too bad I guess. My family and I travelled a lot so we never really had time for one. Wouldn’t be much of a pet if he was locked in his cage all day.” Another bonus of never owning a pet was the lack of fur floating around his home. He still found cat hair on the clothes he had worn to Blanche’s that night. He would have to be careful to make sure to never wear black to her or the Parrish household again. Cats were the devil. He heard the crunching of leaves and glanced behind him but was met with an empty forest. He had been careful to not pull his knife this time around. It had probably just been a deer or an oversized squirrel. This was the forest after all. “You two seem close though.”

“Yea I feel real guilty about putting her in her crate while I go to like an hour class so I can understand that.” Noah commented with a slight wrinkle of his nose, looking down at his puppy for a moment. But then without warning she stood, tail straight out body ridged. It maybe only took a split second before he felt it too, the little prickle on the back of his neck that made him feel uneasy, and the sound of crunching leaves. Looking around Noah squinted into the forest along with the kid, wishing that for once he’d actually had werewolf powers so his low light vision was better. But he didn’t. And if he was being honest it was probably some brave forest animal anyway, coming over to see what all this ruckus was about. Placing a hand on the back of his Neck, Noah gripped Haukea’s leash a little tighter the feeling still lingering on. “Yea, she’s helped me a lot like emotionally with things” He shrugged out hoping that whatever it was would pass quickly so he could stop feeling like he was on edge and ready to rip someone’s throat out with his teeth.

Emotions was a conversation that AJ did not touch. He wasn’t comfortable with people talking about their feelings to him and he definitely wasn’t comfortable talking about his feelings to others. Before he fell down that rabbit hole AJ decided that it was time to cut the conversation off and get out of the woods. He hadn’t learned anything from the crime scene but AJ was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to find anything out either. It was too old, too weathered to hold anything useful. “Well I should start heading back towards the campus I was just looking for some good running trails.” AJ still faced Noah but began taking a few steps backwards and pointed back in the direction of the college. “It was nice meeting you though. And your little dog too.” He laughed politely to try to maintain the friendliness.

Still feeling on a little on edge Noah just nodded at the boy when he said he was going to head back toward campus. Noah should probably head back to the parking lot too, but he’d wait until the teen was at least out of eye shot before doing that. Didn’t want to be a creeper after all. Especially in these creepy woods. Laughing slightly at the wizard of Oz reference though the older boy waved at the teen “Nice to meet you too knife boy, and be careful with that ok, wouldn’t want to scare anymore hikers” He quipped back feeling like an old grandpa, but a you know like a caring old grandpa. Not a weird one.

“Knife boy. Nice” AJ laughed before giving a slight wave and then turning around and starting his hike back towards where his truck was parked on the campus. It wasn’t too long of a walk, though without the path students would usually follow the hike would take a little longer, but AJ had been hiking his entire life so this would present no real challenge to him. He had only just barely crossed over the long forgotten string of caution tape still on the ground when someone crashed into him from the side and slammed him into the dirt. He was rolled onto his back and his throat pinned by a hand that connected to a woman in her mid to late twenties. Her skin was fair but her hair was pitch black and although the face seemed familiar he knew he had never seen this woman before. Thewo man had crawled on top of AJ, pinning both hands above AJ’s head and using her knees to pin AJ’s legs to the ground. “How fucking dare you come here after what your father did?” Great. Another fan of his father. What the hell was she doing out here then? AJ tried to speak, to say anything, but he couldn’t talk with the hand pressing down against his throat. Instead, AJ focused his entire attention on getting free, choosing to squirm against the woman’s weight crushing down on him and trying to get anything, an arm or leg or something free. “Your father kills my sister. I guess I’ll return the favor.” She freed her hand from AJ’s neck and AJ took the opportunity to take a much needed breath. The relief was short lived however, when the woman held the hand up and AJ watched as her nails began elongating to the point that they were longer than the knife currently unreachable in his back pocket. That’s when AJ truly began struggling.

Something was not right, Noah could sense it the second that AJ disappeared along the trail. It was as if the air was charged with uneasiness more so than when he first felt it. Standing there though Noah didn’t know what to, If he was a real werewolf he probably could sniff, or track, or just figure it out himself. But he wasn’t. He was just a man with way above average strength and olfactory senses for his body, a man with doubts. Luckily for everyone though Haukea had no doubts, and while Noah stood motionless his loyal dog used her instincts to charge off after AJ, a sharp growl dissipating in the air after her. “Haukea!!” Noah shouted sprinting after her only able to watch for now as his dog sunk her teeth into some woman holding AJ by the throat.

The dog had been quick and in all honestly had probably saved AJ’s life, but she hadn’t been quick enough. AJ couldn’t begin to describe the pain he felt as the man pressed his elongated nails against the surface of AJ’s stomach and then slowly began forcing them into his skin. The move had been deliberately slow, a show of power. He wanted to take his time with AJ. The pain became only more intense as the nails sunk deeper into his gut. AJ was careful not to scream, he ground his teeth together but forced his mouth to remain closed. He shut his eyes so tight he felt he would pop a blood vessel. Then he heard the man scream. Peaking an eye open he sound the dog- Haukea- biting at the man’s arm and as the man readjusted to get free of the dog’s teeth AJ finally felt his opportunity. In as swift of a motion as he could in the pain that he was in he used one leg to kick one of the man’s knees out then levelled his other against the man’s chest and kicked. AJ was expecting to have enough time to scramble away from the man, instead he watched as the man flew across the air and cracked against a tree at least fifteen feet in the air. The fall from the tree to the ground seemed to move in slow motion and as AJ and the man both looked bewildered from what had just happened, it was short lived as the man found his footing and took back off the way he had come.

Still running towards the situation Noah tried not to let the acrid smell of blood wafting off of the younger boy dissuade him from his goal. Which you know was save his dog and AJ. But apparently the kid had it all covered, as the woman flew backward, Noah’s tennis shoes skidding to a halt near AJ’s head. Ok that was. Well. That was interesting to say the least, this whole unexplained superhuman strength thing. But he couldn’t overthink it now, not when it could just be a fluke of human ability. Listening to Haukea bark the intruder away Noah stood ready above AJ till she came back toward him muzzle covered in blood but tail wagging. Yea she really was a good girl. Crouching over the boy Noah let the adrenaline take him eyes assessing the situation quickly and efficiently “Hey we’ve got you now, just breath alright” Noah ground out as he swiftly pulled his own shirt over his head bunching up the fabric and pressing it into the gash on the boy’s stomach.

The next thing AJ knew another figure loomed over him and then pain shot through his body as he realized pressure was getting put on his stomach. His arms flailed out in defense and caught against skin. His vision was blurry, but he wiped at his eyes and finally focused in enough to see Noah kneeling beside him, shirtless. Why the hell was he shirtless? Further investigation revealed the shirt Noah had been wearing balled up and being shoved against AJ’s still bleeding stomach. He mumbled his protests and knew exactly what a gut wound meant. It meant that he was in deep shit right now, depending on how deep the wound went. It had sure felt deep in the moment. “You’re ruining your shirt” Was the first coherent thing that he got out of his mouth.

Mind running a mile a minute as he tried to go over all of the first aid protocol he knew, Noah looked down at the shirt in his hands the edges already tinged red. His shirt was not going to last long, and he knew time was crucial. But luckily for the pair AJ was coherent and talking so that gave them a little extra time. “It was either this or my pants. So you’re welcome” Noah retorted hoping that would keep the kid talking a little bit as he racked his brain for what he could do, but there was really only one thing they could do right now. “Alright so based on what I know about gut wounds we are going to need to get you to the hospital ASAP ok.” Noah said calmly looking down at the boy and hoping he wasn’t in the mood to complain. I mean Noah could probably keep him contained long enough to get him to his truck…. But then again there was that fluke of strength thing. Yea it was probably best if the kid came along quietly “So if you can hold this close to your stomach, I can carry you to my truck. Sound good?”

As a kid, AJ’s father used to take him hunting. AJ had never been a fan of the sport personally. Found it unnecessary in a world where they could buy meat at a grocery store minutes away. He liked to leave the killing of animals to those that were actually stranded in the wilderness. But he remembered they used to sit up in the trees and talk about his father’s cases. One particular case talked about a wife who shot her cheating husband in the gut and left him in their house alone for hours. It was his father’s final words on the subject that stuck with AJ. “It’s just like a deer if you shoot it in the gut. The best cure is a headshot.” That sentence kept ringing in his ears as Noah was giving him instructions. He definitely didn’t like the idea of being carried though. “Nobody is carrying me anywhere” He grumbled and swatted at his hand still pushing against the wound. AJ put pressure against it himself and then held his hand out to Noah, “I got the wound just help me up.” Maybe refusing help from someone offering was dumb, but his dad had always taught him to put pride first. AJ knew it was bad advice but still had always seemed to follow it.

Frowning slightly as the kid professed his slightly morbid ideology Noah looked for something to tie the shirt onto AJ. But there wasn’t anything really, unless he tied Haukea’s leash around the boy, “Well it’s a good thing that I believe in modern medicine then and neither of us have a gun” He replied back with a wink, un-hooking his amazingly patient dog from her tether. He wouldn’t tie it around the boy yet but he’d keep it handy just in case the kid couldn’t keep it together. Especially when he was insisting on walking himself. “You walking by yourself is not going to help your chances any, trust me on that one” Noah said taking the boys arm with one hand while also scooping his other against the kids back. “On three ok, one, two three” Gently Noah pulled the boy up letting him decide on how upright he really wanted to be.

AJ had to hold back the groan as Noah lifted him up off of the ground. He had been lucky the guy with him had been plenty strong in his own right and could basically lift AJ up with little help from AJ himself. He wasn’t sure how easily he could pull himself up off of the ground at the moment. He had been injured plenty of times throughout his life. Multiple injured ankles plus a broken bone from hiking accidents. Open wounds from self-defense training taken too far. Getting jumped by the kids at school. None of those injuries had hurt this badly. “I can walk.” AJ argued, dragging his feet across the dirt mostly supported by Noah, but still convinced that he needed to do this on his own. The weirdest part was that as he dragged his feet across the dirt worrying that the hike was taking too long and he was going to bleed out, he could tell that walking was starting to become easier. He felt his feet actually catching the surface and soon he was supporting himself. “I bet this isn’t how you planned on spending your day. Certainly not how I planned on spending mine.”

Supporting the kid as they walked Noah looking back to make sure Haukea was following, giving her an easy ‘follow me’ command while he was at it. If he was being honest she probably didn’t really need a command, as never strayed to far from his side normally. But the last thing he wanted was to get AJ to his truck and suddenly have his dog be nowhere to be found. Focusing his attention back on AJ Noah gripped a little tighter as AJ tried to argue “And I can definitely carry you, but I don’t think either of us are going to get our wish.” Noah retorted wishing the kid wasn’t as stubborn, help was a good thing after all, especially if you are at a risk of bleeding out over the carpet. Loosening his grip a little as he felt the kid get the hang of walking like this (although Noah did get a little tingle of strangeness about AJ’s sudden and new found walking abilities) Noah just scoffed playfully at the boy. “Nope. But Thank god you cleared that up for me, because I was getting a little concerned that getting attacked by a strange woman with creepy nails was some sort of kink of yours” He joked hoping that would keep the boy talking.

As AJ continued to walk he could tell that something was not right. Or rather, maybe something was too right. While walking put most of its stressers on leg muscles, the stomach was definitely being exercised too which meant that with a wound like his he should be in searing pain to the point of passing out or at least needing to be carried by Noah. There was no logical explanation as to why he was up walking. The wound still hurt and blood was still leaking from it, but the pain was bearable and red was not pouring from his stomach like it had before. “Well she completely ignored my safe word, so that was fucked.” Chances were she had recognized AJ from the news and saw the opportunity, but what the hell had she been doing there in the first place? And most importantly, what the hell was she? Not human, that was for sure. “Thanks. By the way. Your dog too.”

Snorting slightly at AJ, Noah felt the edges of his lips turn upwards. Yea this kid was going to be just fine. “Hope you used a good one for that,” Noah retorted as they walked “My go to is monkey slut” He grinned at the other boy now, anything to keep him talking and coherent, though it was starting to seem easier as time went on. Though there was the thank you that made Noah have to turn away a little bit. “Well I wasn’t going to stand by and watch you die.” He pointed out trying not to make a big deal out of it. Because It wasn’t like he did it for the thanks or anything, he did it because. Yea. He wasn’t going to watch another person die on him without being able to do anything. He wasn’t going to have that blood on his hands too. “So you know no need to thank me, or her, she already gets enough treats. But um are you ok?” Noah asked changing the subject as he looked down at the rag Aj was still holding to his stomach. He was leaning less on Noah now, which was not some sort of adrenaline fluke that should be happening. If anything Noah should be carrying the boy by now, with him screaming in pain, or like passed out, or something that wasn’t practically walking by himself.

“Monkey Slut? That’s a new one.” AJ sincerely hoped that that was a reference to some modern production that AJ he was unfamiliar with and not just some random thing that Noah had come up with on the spot. Or worse, his actual safe word he used for BDSM. Personally he cared little about what people were into sexually, he just felt bad for anybody that Noah may sleep with that had to actually hear the phrase Monkey Slut used during intercourse. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” The better his stomach was feeling the more he realized that this was not normal just as the strength he used to kick that woman off of him wasn’t normal. The same way that the woman that had attacked him wasn’t normal. The strength could hypothetically be explained by adrenaline; the same way that the woman who lifted the car off of her baby had. The healing didn’t make sense though. It either had to be AJ’s or something that the woman did, and AJ wasn’t guessing healing was not the girl’s endgame. Either way, his wound wasn’t normal which meant that a hospital would be of no use to him. But he had an idea who might be able to help. “I can’t go to the hospital.” AJ said suddenly, happy to be get over the awkward conversation that entailed thanking others. “I need to get back to my truck.”

“Yea, helps as a password too. You know if you think all your friends are clones or something” Noah replied knowing that AJ probably wouldn’t get the reference. But that was ok. Anything to keep him talking, especially since this was starting to get weirder and weirder as they kept walking. Stopping Noah looked straight at AJ as he mentioned not being able to go to the ER. “Like I can’t got to the hospital because my parents will find out, or like I can’t go to the hospital?” Noah questioned with a raised eyebrow the signs all starting to make sense. Weird people after him, super strength that seemed to come from nowhere, high pain tolerance, probably super healing ability. This kid was not a normal kid, and instantly Noah felt himself become even more protective of AJ.

“What friends?” AJ asked, the pain still pulsing at his stomach making him seem more serious than he had actually meant to be. AJ hadn’t kept the company of friendship in almost two years. The closest thing he had to friends now were a few people he had driven home from Prom night when they got wasted off of some mysteriously tasteless spiked punch. Sure, he had learned some pretty crazy things about each of them over the summer, but the fact remained the same that the only times he had seen them had been in situations when one of them needed the other’s help. That sounded more like a partnership than a friendship to AJ and that was exactly the way he preferred it. Friendship was messy and only opened him up to letting his guard down and being stabbed in the back. “You can pick whichever reason you want, but I can’t go to the hospital.” He fidgeted and pushed himself free from Noah’s support. AJ swayed for a second but by some miracle managed to stay upright. “I appreciate your help. But my truck is that way.” He pointed off in a different direction.

“You talking to me on that one punk?” Noah questioned with another raised eyebrow, not knowing if the kid was trying to make a joke orrrrr what? Or maybe this kid didn’t actually have any friends, there was that. Pushing it out of his mind though Noah tried not to hold AJ too tight as he squirmed away from him, but part of him didn’t want to let go, even as he was finally forced to. Standing there as Haukea whined at the both of them Noah didn’t exactly know what to do. Because he wanted to make sure he got to where he needed to go, that he didn’t die or something, that he had, well a Pack if he needed it. But of course admitting that could prove to be the thing that pushwd the kid away, and he knew that, which is why he found himself backing away slightly, holding up his hands in a non threatening way. “Look I don’t know why you don’t want to go but if it’s for the reason I think it is I just want you to know I’m not going to hurt you.” He stated calmly “Like I honestly just want to help. And I know people who can help if you let me” He continued already pulling up Eliza’s possible schedule in his mind.

AJ stared at Noah as if he were insane. “Punk? What are you, forty? You’re like three years older than me.” AJ didn’t have the time to deal with Noah right now. He didn’t seem like a bad dude. He was understandably concerned about letting a boy who had just been stabbed in the gut wander off by himself without going to a hospital. If the situation had been reversed AJ would probably be doing the same thing. As little as AJ cared about the personal lives of others he had less interest in watching them bleed out to death while he did nothing to help. He could be an asshole, but he wasn’t heartless. “I don’t have any friends.” He decided to clarify, not understanding why he would think some random kid in the forest would be making fun of him while still leaning against him for support. “I get that you want to help and that’s real White Knight of you and all, but I don’t fucking know you. And I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” AJ was began up slowly while still facing Noah. If Noah refused to let him go off on his own AJ couldn’t outrun him, not with his stomach in the shape it was. “I am going to figure it out myself.”

Ignoring AJ’s qualms about calling him a punk (because he didn’t know punk was an old man word now?) Noah stood his ground next to Haukea the dog still whining her displeasure at the both of them fighting. “Friends or no I’m sure as hell not going to just let you go off by yourself” He crossed his arms across his bare chest. Because yea, no sir Noah was not leaving his side until he had to, friends or not. And especially not. Feeling himself get more frustrated by the minute Noah took a breath knowing that time as precious here. But of course that was when Aj decided to make a comment about him “white knighting” the situation and it all went downhill from there. “This isn’t me white knighting, this is me trying to make sure a young man like yourself doesn’t end up dead in the woods.” He snapped wondering if the thought of dying was just absolutely a foreign concept to the boy. And that when Noah felt it in his chest, the sudden realization that no this kid probably didn’t know just how fragile life was at time. He didn’t know that he was being helped by a person who had been through not one but two horrible near death experiences, one of which left him an orphan and a werewolf. Gathering himself though Noah tried not to project these feeling onto AJ, knowing he was growing too invested into this to be of any good assistance. He needed to stay sharp and focused after all, not emotional. “Your strength, your healing. I know where that might come from, and I know people who might be able to help. No hospitals involved.” He said quietly, hoping that would convince the boy. But they just sort of stood there at a stalemate for a few breaths and Noah couldn’t take it anymore. “Please. Please just let me help you to your truck. Or like. Drive you somewhere. I don’t want to wake up next week to your obituary knowing I could have done something” he whispered looking up at AJ a desperate pleading in his eyes.

Jesus, what the fuck had happened to this dude to make him so fucking dead set on helping a random stranger in the woods? One that clearly had no interest in being helped. “Aren’t you White Knighting? I don’t even want your help and you’re still trying to gallop in and sweep me off my feet.” Quite literally, considering he had planned on carrying AJ through the woods less than twenty minutes ago. It was obvious this was becoming personal. Yet AJ had no clue why the hell he seemed to know about strength and healing. AJ was curious about it himself. Almost curious enough to follow along with him. But once again the knowledge that AJ knew next to nothing about Noah, didn’t even know if that was his real name. For all AJ knew Noah could have been working with that freaky chick to get AJ on his side. Noah clearly knew something AJ didn’t about this apparent strength. There was no way that an injured AJ was going to trust him with little to know knowledge on the guy. “I don’t have any fucking clue what you’re talking about. But if you’re so sure about this shit then you shouldn’t need to worry about me dying anyways.” He needed to go, but couldn’t without some sort of head start. The dog wouldn’t be too happy about this, but AJ started forward back towards Noah. He didn’t hate the guy, not from what he knew of him. But that was very little and AJ wasn’t willing to risk it. Once close, AJ tried to summon the same rage and fear that existed in him when that bitch was on top of him and shoved Noah to the ground. The dog went wild, and the sudden strength forced his stomach to sting and his ears to begin ringing. But AJ ignored all of that and turned on his heels and took off into the forest hoping that his adrenaline would kick in quickly and take the pain away.

Opening his mouth to respond, Noah closed it getting the feeling that there was nothing he could do to change the kid’s mind. Though that wouldn’t stop Noah from following him to make sure he was ok. Surely the kid couldn’t object to that right? Right? But before Noah could even say anything more on the subject AJ was launching forward at him, hands coming at him. And if he had been ready he could have withstood most of it, he could have dug his heels in the ground and refused to be budge like he did in football. But the cruel fact of the matter was he hadn’t been ready. He hadn’t been standing his ground like in football so he went over landing on his ass and skidding slightly against the dirt, the force of AJ’s pushing feeling like. Well feeling like exactly the way his uncle would have pushed him, only confirming Noah’s fears. There was something supernatural about that boy and there was nothing he could do about it.

@hawaiianhalfwolf

[thebigshotman]

Quick before I head back out to work from lunch, music I think that all of the people on this blog would listen to in universe (with examples!)-

Spamton/Spaul: 20s jazz and 50s rock, with a dash of music from the 90s every now and then

Coral: Woman-driven 80s pop and rock; anywhere from Blondie to Kate Bush to the Waitresses

Saffron: Music that he thinks would put his clients at ease; not necessarily “relaxing” music but music with a certain vibe. Borders on retail music occasionally, lol he is an Addison

Navy: The heavier side of the 80s, stuff like AC/DC and hair metal

Clem: Woman-driven punk all the way! Anything from Joan Jett to No Doubt to the Beaches to Wet Leg

Cordelia: Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, idk it feels very very right lol

Tenna: Showtunes and the You Bet Your Life game show theme

Stringpuller is basically me so she has my tastes and Gaster doesn’t care for music 😂

[thebigshotman]

*…I hope Eileen made it home okay. That she was able to calm Spamton down and make him stop.

*…I hope so too, Navy.

This fleeting moment of hope amongst the four Addisons was interrupted by whirring and clanking in the very near vicinity. Thump. Thump. Thump. Clem ran out to investigate, and when she turned her head back inside the shop to the others, her expression was one of complete panic.

*Guys? Eileen’s okay, but…I don’t think Spam is.

The rest of the group quickly moved to look outside and see what was happening. And what they saw chilled them, just as much as it had chilled Clem.

Spaul, still in his NEO body, was looking over them. Eileen perched in his open palms. He spared a glance down to see them, registering them…but not leaping at them in rage like before.

*Spaul?! What are you doing with Eileen?!

*Spaul, for the love of Queen, you need to stop this! Let Eileen go! What you want is literally the thing that will hurt you most, don’t you see that?!

*Spaul! Please…listen to us.

…Did the light that flooded at them from his eyes seem…deader, than before?

His wingspan rose to shield all of them from the street lights. His voice fluctuating between a delicate whisper and ear piercing distortion.

*…ST0P TRY1NG TO [[stop! please!]] ME. I’VE MADE MY [[choice]]…4ND IT WAS THE WRONG ONE. [[I’m so stupid…]]

*Oh, Spaul…

*BUT I….I-I-I-I-I—C4N’T STOP. I can’t. NOT 4FTER ALL THE [[$&@!]] I’VE DONE. FOR [Hazelnut]’S $AKE…[I’ll do anything.] TO PR0TECT HER. TO…TO [[ ]] HER.

He gently set her down on one of the trash heaps that was close to his shop. Smiling at her with a dead, forced on smile before he brought his face as close down to his Addisons as he could. Sending a clear message.

*YOU CAN’T [[stop.]] M3. YOUR [[ring ring~]]S C4N’T [[stop…]] ME EITHER-EITHER. SO DON’T TRY. G3T OUT OF HERE. BEFORE I MAKE YOU.

*Spamton…we-

*[[Get o-]] G 3 T 0 U T!!!!

The four Addisons had little choice if they wanted to survive. With pained looks, the four of them took off in the other direction, back towards their apartment. Or at least somewhere they could look at him safely. That done, Spaul stood back up, wings going back down. He walked gently over to Eileen, before sitting down next to her.

*…This is all I can do now. [[Commit crimes]] TO THE TH1NGS I’VE D0NE [[for you ❤️]]. I…

But he cut himself off. Nothing else he could say would even come close to defeating what he was doing. But he knew he was doing what he believed was the right thing. If he couldn’t kill anymore, he had to keep her by his side, no matter what. And this was the best place to do just that.

He looked up into the night sky. The self-loathing and shame grew stronger with each passing minute.

-aul? Spaul! Stop it! Stop this!! God, what have I done…?

Asks for Spaul NEO, the Addisons, and the String Puller are now back open! But [[only for a limited time!]], as this final phase is going to be short (hopefully lol). Ask away if you so desire!

[thebigshotman]

I'll be damned, the spirits in this world can hear us. Who are you? || for ???

*Just great…the audience can hear me too. This is gonna be hard to explain…how do I say this without-

*JU$T G1VE US THE [[fast facts]] YOU LITTLE [slime…]!!! I C4N TAKE IT!!! THEY [[can do it, too]]!!!

*Huff…ok, fine. I…guess I can tell you who I am.

*I’m [[Redacted]]-Heh, figures. Call me The String Puller then. I, uh…write this guy’s story. Not necessarily control him, that’s [[Redacted]] thing! I just…make sure he’s not hurting himself or not actively dying while I write. WHICH HE IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO DO.

*I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of this from a certain someone, but…Spaul. You can’t do this. This is way too dangerous. Calm down and-

*[[Pulls the strings and makes them ring]]??? TH4T’S YOU????

*…Yeah.

*….

*I knew this would happen.

[thebigshotman]

* Ah, master string puller. Good to see you're still here. Hard to believe you have the power still to shut him down at a whim, do tell us what you've been up to lately?

*God-

*I can’t just shut him down whenever I want! Mike only gave me the privileges to do it whenever he’s about to seriously hurt himself. Granted it’s more so “his precious puppet doesn’t get killed” than out of actually caring about him but…I care. And that’s why I used it.

*…

*How much must he have been worked up about something that wasn’t even there that the failsafe kicked in? How much were you all pushing him?! Or…was he pushing himself…?

*…I don’t want to know what’s going to happen when they actually do meet up again.

*All I can say is, Eileen makes my job a lot less stressful. A Lightner and Darkner forming a bond like that is a miracle, and yet here that are, still together. It’s hard not to feel happy for them.

*But I’m still worried about what he might do.

*Did he cause this…?

[thebigshotman]

Tell me every terrible thing you every did , and let me love you anyway .

The soul of KINDNESS . More broken than it let's on .

*STOP-ST0P-$TOP-[[Stop!-Stop!-Stop!-]]

-10 HP

-10 HP

His hands are grinding into the desk now, leaving grooves from how hard he’s raking into it. If something could just take him out of it, he would be okay, he’d have to be okay…but all he has in here is that stupid song and that damned phone. The ringing sounds louder than it’s been in years; in fact, everything sounds louder than it’s been in years…

…Is this what Eileen is talking about? Are you and her really this alike?

…Eileen.

Tell me every terrible thing you’ve ever done, and let me love you anyway.

His eyes fly open.

No one’s there. Where did she go?

…Eileen?

-5 HP

*[[Hazel]]EILEEN 1T’S ME!!! I’M H3RE [[I’m not going anywhere~]]!!!! PLE4SE, I NEED YOU [It hurts, it hurts so much!! Help me, please!!]!!!!

-5 HP

*H3LP ME!!!! HELP-

A hair-raising burst of static bursts through his body and out of his mouth. He’s still begging, you can see his mouth moving, but you can’t hear him at all. His mouth texture eventually clips into the side of his face.

That’s when he suddenly goes completely limp, smile incredibly strained and marbles tiny and wavering. It’s like he’s been put on pause as he clips in a very aggressive manner through his own desk and comes out the other side almost deathly still, systems having finally been shut down. Hopefully now able to properly process everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

…Angels Above I don’t like having to do that. I wish there was a way I could erase all of that from his memory…I’ve never seen him like that before…

[thebigshotman]

You look like you've seen better days my guy, how you feeling now that you don't have any strings attached?

He knew it was only a matter of time before they would come back. The audience. But no longer did they appear to him in some physical form with a stage, an image caused by the power highs of that suit he had foolishly tried to return to. They were simply voices once again…though Spaul could still turn and face the direction they were coming from, they had no form. He could imagine they did, though!

He threw aside the broom he was using, choosing to hoist himself up onto his desk in a flurry of pixels. He could definitely stand to rest and entertain the voices for a while.

*…I R3MEMBER WHEN I TOLD [[#0047AB]] TH4T BEING A [really walks and talks!] WAS BETTER THAN NEO. 4T THE [[estimated time]] I WAS S4YING THAT TO GET THEM TO [[stop.]], BUT…

*1T’S TRUE. B3ING LIKE THIS IS…[[80% more effective than the competition!]]. SOM3HOW.

He slicked his hair back, as if worried he might get in trouble somehow for admitting this hell was better than that other hell called NEO.

*1’M STILL [[systems: 85% functionality]] BUT!!! I FEEL L1KE [[me?]] 4GAIN!!! N0W IF I COULD JUST [[buy]] A NEW ROOF…

He kicked his feet a little as he looked upwards, the glistening night sky of Castle Town overhead. It was dark, like usual…anything that could close out that sickening darkness…

By the way, I’m still here. Still writing and observing. Things have calmed down, though, obviously. Let me tell you, if I could come over there and hug Spafnir, I would.

[thebigshotman]

What do you plan to do about this, Stringpuller?

*…

*SORRY. TRULY, TRULY SORRY. BUT SPEAKING TO HER FOR PROLONGED PERIODS OF TIME WITHOUT SPAMTON NEARBY LIKE THAT IS…NOT PERMITTED, SHALL WE SAY.

*I SUPPOSE I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUERY FOR HER, HOWEVER. BACK THEN WAS ALL THAT SHE COULD DO. BEG YOU TO HELP IN HER STEAD. AND SO YOU DID.

*VERY, VERY INTERESTING. YOU ALL CARE FOR HIM DEEPLY, YET CONSTANTLY QUESTION HIM.

*PERHAPS ONE DAY WE WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO DWELL ON HIM. HOW MY ACTIONS AND YOURS HAVE SHAPED HIM. BUT THAT TIME IS NOT NOW.

*WE WILL SPEAK AGAIN SOON. FAREWELL, AUDIENCE.

*Spafnir…? Spafnir, you better w-

[[We’re sorry. This line has been disconnected.]]

[thebigshotman]

Stringpuller Stringerpuller, tell me what are your thoughts on the matter? How do you intend to reach your captive when he's aggressively ignoring you.

*God-He’s not my captive! Why would I be caring for him so deeply if he was? He’s my…associate. Just like [[Redacted]]-but that’s not important right now!

(Her voice is very anxious and panicky, the relentless noises of a keyboard that is constantly underneath her having stopped for the moment. Other noises, like her fingers running across a desk or papers ruffling, can be heard instead.)

*Everything that’s been happening has been a damn miracle…or a bad miracle, if that exists. My permission for him to use the suit actually working, him getting this far…the fact that this is happening to Eileen right now. There’s only so much I can do, and right now it’s not enough…

(A button is pressed, and there is dead silence for a moment before the *pop* of it popping back out to be pushed again is heard. She groans.)

*Dammit! That’s the button that I accidentally hit that day when he was with Spafnir! How hard must he be suppressing me?! God, why is nothing working…

*…Wait.

*You all can hear me. Even though Spaul can’t right now. Can you…help me? Please…find Spafnir and-

(The connection is severed in the middle of her reply. You’re not meant to speak to her this long without Spaul being aware of it, too.)

[thebigshotman]

The receiver jingles back onto the receptacle on top of the phone, resting soundly for only a few seconds before starting its steady pattern of rings again.

His smile back to its usual, happy form-although there’s something tainted about it-Spaul starts moving away from the receiver. While talking to the Voice that’s still clicking away somewhere in his head.

*S0…YOU [[did you hear?]]. [Hazelnut]s F1NE W1TH THIS. YOU [[-know what time it is!]].

*Spaul…n-no. No, you can’t do this! You didn’t give Eileen the full story, and besides it’s 3:30 AM! Do you expect ANYONE to give you a straight answer at that time? At least think about it and-

*N0!!!!! I 4M [sick and tired] OF [go on, go on!] T0 YOU!!!!

With the sound of someone screaming incoherently, he picks up the blunt edge of the Broken Sword from earlier. It’s fairly obvious what he intends to do with it.

*GOING ON 4ND 0N ABOUT [[your safety is important to us.]] WH3N YOU D0N’T KNOW A DAMNED [interesting fact] 4BOUT ME!!!! YA KN0W WH0 DO3S???? E1LEEN!!!! I [[trusted you…]] A H3LL OF A LOT MORE TH4N YOU YA [loser]!!!!

*Spamton…

He shuffles over to the phone, raising the sword. Moving in half-frames. Eager, tired marbles appearing in his glasses.

*G1VE ME YOUR [Hyperlink Blocked]. [[Administrator Access]] T0 TH3 [[exercise tape]]. N0W!!!!

There’s a moment in his head where there’s completely and total silence, for the first time in 25 years. And during that time, he wonders if this is the right choice after all. His form glitching sporadically as he does. But then, in a burst of noise, everything returns. And he gets his answer.

*…Ok. Access has been granted. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.

*Just…be careful, Spaul. Whatever happens next, just—

She doesn’t get to finish her thought. With a mighty crash, the sword punctured straight through the rotary dial again and again, smashing the phone beyond repair. There is no more clicking or tapping now in his head. Just the garbage noise, static, and his own thoughts.

The sword falls out of his hands, and he raises them to look at them as he jitters and glitches. Finally noticing the thorns in them from before. He plucks them out without a second thought.

Finally…silence. He looks down at the remains of the phone.

*WH3N U [[gamers don’t die]]…1’VE G0T A [leave a message at the tone] TO LE4VE. D0N’T T4KE [[-lasts forever!]], OK?!?!

His grin returns to form as he walks away, busying himself by cleaning up the tattered remains all over the floor of his shop until the phone repairs itself.

Gifting Eileen a stone and tinfoil…what was he even thinking? This was going to be the greatest gift of them all.

[thebigshotman]

What if we don't want to talk him out of it, Ye-who-pulls-the-strings? It might be interesting to see this little guy lose his marbles for a change. Aren't you tired of being nice Spaul? Don't you just wanna go apeshit?

*Because if you don’t…!

*If you don’t, it’s going to be harder for me to keep him alive. I know you’re thinking, “[[Redacted]], the NEO body literally has strings!” And true, I can monitor him more closely but…that’s it. Last time, he went berserk. Almost killed people. Almost got killed. None of that was me.

*But go ahead, try us. I’m sure there’s enough nice people out there that Spaul-

*[$&@!] Y3AH TH1S GUY’S GOT THE [[good idea, bad idea]]!!!! P0WER, [IX-Strength], [Smooth Taste of]!!! 4LL OF IT IS F0R [[good]]!!! JU$T LET ME H4VE IT!!!!

*…You nice people are out there, right…?

[thebigshotman]

What are your intentions with Spaul? Who's to say you're not the voice that's been haunting him all these years, what makes him so important you have to intervene?

*I-I…I’m not. Hold on, give me a sec…

(Something is flipped, and suddenly it seems Spaul can no longer hear her. You, however, and the rest of the audience, can just fine.)

*I’m…associated with…Mike, I guess you could say. [[Redacted]]. But me and him have never seen each other! Seems to me he just abandoned Spaul after whatever happened between them fell through, so he…transformed him and left me in charge. With some instructions, sure, but…that was it.

*All that’s left of his influence are these failsafes that I just…can’t remove. I’ve tried! I swear on the Knight’s honor, I’ve tried!! But…they’re pretty tightly wound.

*I just…want him to be happy. To live and be as free as he can be with all of these wonderful new friends he’s made. But he’s not gonna trust me for one second if I tell him that. If-If he finds out I “work” for Mike-

**Huff*…just…there’s your answer. I’m not intentionally doing him harm. Not a word of this to Spaul, ok?!

(She sighs again. And with another flip of that something, Spaul can hear her again.)

[thebigshotman]

*…WH4T 1S TH1S [[Trade Offer:]]??? 1T BETT3R BE G00D.

(As he waits for the voice to respond, he is suddenly aware that there is perpetually the sound of hands typing at a keyboard under her voice. Perhaps there’s some sort of truth to her words…

*I’ll…shut up. Or, uh, try to…we’re still connected, after all. But please…try to calm down and genuinely let these people change your mind. I can guarantee you, no one wants you to sacrifice yourself like this.

*4ND 1F I’M [[if not completely satisfied,]]???

*I’ll…oh god I can’t believe I’m doing this…

*I’ll…allow you access to the NEO body. One last time. That’s how certain I am that this is the wrong choice. But if nothing shakes you…I will bend my strings and let you do as you want.

*But please, please please please…let their words actually sink in. You don’t want this, Spaul. Trust me.

*…F1NE.FINE-FIN3-[[there’s nothing wrong!]]. I ACCEPT TH3 [[deal]].

*It’s not a deal ya silly-Ugh, I guess I have to shut up now.

*Please, everyone out there…don’t screw this up.

(All that remains of her voice is the clicking of the keyboard. Still there, but forcing herself to be silent.)

(Questions to The String Puller are still available, but she won’t be as talkative during normal questions now. Ask away!)

[thebigshotman]

Aw, Spaul, it's okay to say you're not okay and need help. :( We're worried about you, you know?

*HEH…[[StarShapedNightlight]]. [Hello there~]. 1’M…[terribly sorry] YOU H4VE TO [[C]] M3 LIKE THIS…

(His eyes cast downwards. Almost feeling guilty he’s letting them see him like this. But only for a moment.)

*BUT I W0N’T BE TH1S [sad and pathetic] FOR MUCH L0NGER!!! I’M G0ING TO [[Becomed]] NEO AND [I’ve got you!] EVERY !!!!

*INCLUDING [[you, yes you!]].

*No, you’re not! Spaul, are you purposefully not remembering what happened to you the first time you did that? The memories, the pain, the delusions? Do you really want Eileen to see you like that?

*K33P H3R [-and it’s outta here!]!!!!!

*And then there’s what Spafnir and The Beast said. Do you think your other selves would lie to you? About how bad that form is for your well-being?

*$HUT UP!!! [[Cut the red wire]] 4ND [Leave Me Alone]!!!!

*Oh no…he’s getting worse…*sigh* I guess I have to change tactics. Unfortunately…

*Look, Spaul. I’ll…give you a ultimatum, alright?