#and now that I hope the down B equivalent + wall jump + dash

[blupengu]

Okay I got over my tantrum Hollow Knight is fun again LOL

Y’all is Hollow Knight hard or do I just suck because oh my god??

[touhou-gensoudairantou]

Can I get a fuckin uhhhhhh CommanderVideo moveset

(Dear Anon who requested this, I’m sorry I ignored this for so long, you really threw me a curveball and I struggled for so long on how I would even go about a fighter like this since I never really gave his games much thought before. However, upon doing research, I came to respect what these games have done for the Indie scene by being so bold with its aesthetic sense, and gaining so much attention with so much simple gameplay. I hope that my interpretation of what CV would be like in Smash does him justice. ...I swear to God, if CV is announced for real in Smash at E3 this year, I’m gonna shit an entire house. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this if you haven’t given up. -With love, Tsuki-Sennin.)

BIT.TRIP Presents... Gensou Dairantou Smash Bros.! Now Featuring CommanderVideo! (The Mysterious Voxel Hero Beyond Time)

(His appearance in this game would likely be a combination of his looks in BIT.TRIP Runner and Super Meat Boy.) Overview: The mysterious, psychedelic hero known as CommanderVideo. His appearance is simple, reminiscent of a long past and especially primitive era of games played on wooded consoles with only one joystick and button per controller. His past, on the other hand, is quite complicated. Enduring a journey of hardship and growth stretching from his youth in the brilliantly inventive BIT.TRIP BEAT all the way to his passing on in BIT.TRIP FLUX, CV took the Indie world by storm with challenging Atari-inspired rhythm and high-speed running games recognized by the Big N themselves, to the point where he was immortalized as a trophy in Smash 4! His hobbies likely include racquetball, jogging, and music. Much like Mr. Game and Watch, he’s a wafer-thin sprite acting in a three-dimensional space, which makes for a fascinating opponent to watch in battle. Get all those unfunny Among Us memes out of you at the door, then strap in for a... challenging, to say the least, concept fighter. As the battle goes on, he can accumulate lightning speeds and incredible attacking power from his MODEs, but be careful. Even a small misstep can cost you dearly with a hitbox as big as he is. He is only a man, but he is not alone. He is ready. Don’t lose your beat!

Intro Animation: CV popping out of the ground and running forward like he does in Runner, before slowing down.

Gimmick: MODEs are the mark of how well you’re doing in any given BIT.TRIP title, and as such it’d be carried over here. Landing multiple special attacks without getting hit will cause CV to MODE-Up from HYPER to MEGA, represented by him getting a Pink Core just above his fighter icon at the bottom of the screen and him gaining his signature technicolor trail behind him as he runs. That means the power of his attacks, and his movement speed will increase with each mode increase. Getting hit too many times will cause you to MODE-Down, which’ll naturally bring you back to normal. Screwing up too many times, however, will cause you to fall to NETHER MODE, and your attacks will do pitiful damage and slow your movement and non-special attacks to a snail’s pace until you get yourself together. However, you do gain a slight boost to your knockback resistance and overall damage is reduced, so you won’t get so severely punished for relatively minor damage. Fans of the Pokémon Archeops such as myself are no doubt jealous. If you can chain together massive combos however, you will be delighted by the speed and intensity of your attacks... but don’t run off the stage now, will you? If you get hit once in EXTRA or above, you’ll MODE-Down.

To put it simply, if NETHER’s speed is equal to Robin, then EXTRA and above are among the highest speed in the game. Got all that? Good, here’s an easy chart. NETHER <- (HYPER) -> MEGA -> SUPER -> ULTRA -> EXTRA -> GIGA -> META

Whew... Now let’s talk Specials. I uh... can’t really think about what kind of standard attacks or tilts our good Commander would have aside from some fairly standard stuff like uh... kicks, maybe reflecting beats into the opponents. His aerials would likely just be more of the same too.

His Dash Attack lets him run into the opponent with the Paddle acting as a shield like it does in Runner. And he’s got a fairly standard but strong slide attack for his Down Tilt!

However, his Smash attacks allow him to fire high-powered lasers. Just like the kind he uses in FATE. And they come with cameos too!

Up Smash: Junior Melchkin Shot. Fires thin lasers into the air only slightly stronger than CV’s Beat anti-air Up Tilt. However, the signal from his antenna also doubles as an attack, so you have two hitboxes to work with! Probably the attack you’ll get the least use out of, but hey!

Side Smash: Mr. Robotube Shot. Fires two streams of bullets in a sine wavelike pattern. It’s super strong and easily pierces through walls and opponents with ease.

Down Smash: CommandgirlVideo Shot. A pair of conical triple spread shots, each facing away from each other. This is a sweeping move that can easily knock a lightweight opponent off their feet. You can tell she’s a girl because she’s pink-ish... and in some games, happens to have boobies. Refreshingly, she’s not a love interest, so I appreciate that at least.

Neutral B: The Red Core. Unlike the Paddle, which is purely for defensive counters, the Red Core allows CV to destroy projectiles and attack with lasers! The Red Core’s lasers can nullify lesser projectiles, and it also has a lot of extra power.

Side B: The Paddle. A nameless icon from the ancient 8-bit era of gaming, the Paddle was a stalwart object of protection for the developing CV in his debut to the world, even guiding him to the afterlife in FLUX. It’s mostly for reflecting Beats, but in Smash it can reflect damn near any projectile that comes its way. It can also be maneuvered up and down by distance equivalent to CV’s height. However, it can be slashed or punched right through, so be careful.

Up B: Spring. CV bounces up on a spring straight out of Runner, going for a pretty high distance. Unlike Sonic’s Spring Jump, CV’s Spring remains in place no matter where on the screen he uses, but causes almost double the damage.

Down B: The Void. The namesake of VOID, in which you absorb black Beats while knocking away white ones. Here in Smash, it functions identically to Ness and Lucas’s PSI Magnet, although the recovery rate only half and the range is somewhat wider. It also does rather small damage.

Bomb: Beat-Clearing Bomb. This is a feature in CORE that allows you to remove Beats from the screen.

Final Smash: BIT.TRIP. CV calls upon the Paddle to slam down on up to three opponents, doing large starting damage

The opponents are taken through a montage of CV’s life, amping up from HYPER in BEAT all the way to META in FLUX as they are pelted by an onslaught of Beats doing chip damage from the games’ various playable entities, and guest attacks from fan-favorite characters like Mr. Robotube and CommandgirlVideo, before finally being reflected by an enormous version of the Paddle in FLUX, doing major knockback.

Victory Screens:

-CV and CommandgirlVideo grilling up a pair of sausages.

-CV posing alongside his Trophy from Smash 4 before jumping over it and looping around the screen.

-CV suddenly transforms into his 3D incarnation from Runner3, then runs around on screen.

Naturally, CV comes with all of his series’ absolute BANGER of an OST, so no need to worry about that.

Uhh... some of my favorites are Descent from BEAT, Exploration from CORE, Super-Ego from VOID, and Triumph from RUNNER.

Enjoy these tracks in the meantime, because I gotta get ready for E3 and plan this silly project of mine accordingly. Thank you for your time!

[colonel-insomniac]

Symphony (The Other Planet)

do i hear a spinoff? Yes, i sure do. Anyways, @pawsomelybuggy and @my-blood-is-maple-syrup surprise :). check out “I hear a symphony” by Cody Fry!!

enjoy

“I used to hear a simple song…” 

Ezra and Pon had just lost Kai. The trio was split to a duo, and neither Ezra nor Pon knew what to do next or how to retrieve their friend, if they even could. All of what Kai meant to Ezra threatened to spill over; but he felt that he had to hold himself together for Pon’s sake, who had sat in the same position, staring off into space for about an hour at this point. He wasn’t sure what to do about that, so he elected to let Pon grieve, or mourn, or do whatever it is that he needs to do to be as okay as possible. Until they can find a way to save him, that is.  

It’s so hard, though, when it feels that the light and soul of the universe is gone. Who knows what could be happening to Kai at this very moment? He could be in pain, or….

No. It absolutely could not be the alternative. Ezra doesn’t know what would happen if Kai was… gone, other than that he would completely fall apart. He’s scared to think what’d happen to Pon if that scenario came true.  

“That was until you came along…” 

With everything that’s happened so far, Ezra’s honestly surprised he’s even still here. He’s survived those days on the battlefied, he’s survived fleeing an alien government, and he’s survived being captured. So of course, his luck would turn on him now, of all times; but instead of it being him that got hurt of affected by his sudden lack of good fortune, it had to be Kai. Kai with the big green eyes, and even bigger heart, Kai who didn’t deserve to be hurt. 

Ezra glanced away from the inky black night and towards Pon inside the cave they sought shelter in. As he blinked to adjust his eyes to the dim light the fire that had been created provided, he saw Pon staring at the rock wall opposite from him. His eyes were haunted, so filled with crushing sorrow that Ezra would go as far as to say that they had nearly reached a point of being devoid of any emotion. He watched as a tear slowly slid its way down Pon’s cheek, the silence between the two palpable. 

Ezra carefully sat down, trying hard to not disturb the silence for Pon, and watched the flickering fire as it quietly crackled. Somehow, it resembled Kai in that moment, ever burning spirit and unwilling to be bested. Selfishly needed, but not appreciated until taken away. 

“Now in its place is somethin' new…”

Pon sniffed, and broke his staring contest with the wall. “How do we get him back?” His voice cracked, desperate to bring his best friend back to the safety of their group, matching the rampant emotions filling Ezra’s head. 

He takes a moment to think over the inquisition. “Well, let’s think for a moment. If you were going to take someone and hide them, wouldn’t you take them somewhere no one would expect?” Pon nodded, seemingly understanding the gibberish flowing from Ezra. 

“Well, where would be the one place where it would seem annoyingly obvious to take Kai?” Saying his name feels like admitting a dark truth that Ezra hopes is not true in any way. But now is not the time for sorrow, and tears, and fear. He swallows and blinks hard, trying and failing to dispel some of the emotions building up. 

After a few moments to ponder over the question, Pon’s eyes light up, sparking with the slightest hope, and he mutters “the abandoned building.” Ezra nods, standing up and offering Pon his hand.

Ezra gathers his will and wipes any trace of emotion off his face as Pon quells the fire. Ezra sighs, thinking how they are going to pull off breaking into what is now a governmentally protected building. 

“I hear it when I look at you…” 

The snow is somehow colder than it was when they had been walking the opposite way, as though the world knew what was happening and was so in shock that it could no longer function. Ezra knew how that felt; much like how the exterior of his body felt numb from the biting cold, he felt numb internally. As though nothing but the next worst outcome could shatter him into ever lasting motion. 

The trek was quiet. Neither knew what to say to the other, how to comfort the other. Pon sighed every so often, a sound so crushed and devoid of everything but the tiniest sliver of hope, and Ezra moved silently, his gaze emptily trained in front of them. 

He’d be lying if he said he doesn’t have nightmares-- and the daytime equivalent-- of his time on that dreadful field watered with the blood of humans and Azurellians. Blood mixed symbolically, as though none of this really even matters. Not that that thought is shocking to Ezra even in the slightest. 

Really, though, his nightmares varied. Sometimes, he was the one who got mutilated, other times, people he has come to care about, or his parents. Thankfully that last one only happened once. And when it was just him who was getting hurt, it was different than when it was someone else who was getting hurt. On his own, he could just wake up, check his body until he was sure what happened wasn’t reality. But when it was Kai, or Pon, he sat in a state of worry until he could check on them to make sure they were alright too. And while he may not have had many friends back on Earth, there was nothing he could do to see if they’d been hurt or not. All he could do was tell himself they hadn’t been taken here as far as he was aware. 

“With simple songs I wanted more…” 

A twig snapped under his foot, and both boys jumped, startled out of their respective thoughts. Pon cast a wide-eyed look at Ezra, who attempted to convey that stepping on the twig was completely an accident. Ezra glanced down at the snow, figuring it was better to train his eyes on that, in order to keep the illusion of invisibility. 

The building drew near, lights on and with an air of life to it that had not been there when they had originally sought it out with Kai. Pon grabbed Ezra by the arm and steered him away from the building, something urgent in his steps. Once they were approximately five minutes east of the building, Pon let go of Ezra and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “When we get in there and get him, you absolutely cannot try to sacrifice yourself. No matter what happens, you are our ticket off this place. You do not jeopardize that if you want Kai to survive.” Ezra nodded, frightened that Pon had somehow known exactly what he was planning to do. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he questioned why Pon had only mentioned Kai getting off this planet. Surely Pon knew that Ezra cared for his well-being as well, right? 

Pon had started walking again, so Ezra had to dash to catch up, silently noting the tense posture the boy in front of him had taken. “Pon, you do know I care about your well-being too, right?” Ezra isn’t totally sure if he should be offended by the look of shock on Pon’s face at that statement, regardless of how quick he was to cover it. 

Pon nods, and swallows uncomfortably. “Well, I guess I do now. And same to you, in case I haven’t made that clear.” Ezra nods, biting back all the things he wishes he could say in that moment. They’re too close to the building for him to be able to do that, though. 

Suddenly, Ezra has an overwhelming urge to smack himself in the face. They got all this way, and neither of them discussed how they would even enter the building. Or at least Ezra hasn’t, Pon starts heading towards the back of the building. When they don’t find an open window, Ezra’s already picking up a rock, feeling its weight in his hands. “You aren’t thinking of breaking that window, are you?” Pon whispers, surprise etched onto his face. 

Ezra nods, features grim but determined. “We need a way in, and unless we have some way to disguise ourselves and sneak in, this is the only other option.” Pon hesitates before nodding, stepping back so that Ezra can get to work. 

“I don’t know that there’s a quiet way to break glass, but…” he mutters, trailing off. Suddenly, Ezra stands a bit straighter, shrugging his coat off quickly and removing his black t-shirt underneath. The rock gets wrapped in the shirt before sailing through a window on the first floor. While the shirt muffled the sound of breaking glass, it still was loud, and the duo quickly clambered through the window to avoid the guards, dashing up a set of stairs outside the room. Hearts racing, they slide into the attached bathroom, unkempt and dirty from the years of not being used. Pon locks the door behind him, huddling in a corner with Ezra. The lights are off, and Ezra can barely see, but he doesn’t hear any footsteps. 

“Perfection is so quick to bore, you are my beautiful, by far…”

Kai felt as though this timeline was endless. His hands were tied behind his back, his legs to the legs of the chair. If Pon and Ezra didn’t come back for him, well he could hardly blame them. His head throbbed and he ached basically all over, cuts and bruises littering his body from the authorities attempts to get him to give them any information. He refused, of course, and faced the repercussions. 

He craved to succumb to the endless, inky black of unsconsciousness, for a moment’s peace, but it seemed as though he would never really know peace. Kai numbly glanced around the bare white walls, into the window that allowed him to view the hallway. Something inside of him was filled with a crushing dread that he wouldn’t make it out of here. 

Kai dropped his head, so his chin touched his chest, and closed his eyes as he started humming a quiet tune. Some pretty ideation of his mind, somewhere better,, and brighter, where he could just be. That’s all he wants to do, is to live. Or well, wanted. He just wants to close his eyes...so bad. 

His eyes are on their journey to being closed when a loud bang makes him jump. Kai’s body feels shocked, before the pain from moving sets in, and he groans, barely holding back a sob. 

“Our flaws are who we really are…”

The next time he opens his eyes, Kai wishes he could rub at them because he swears he sees Pon standing in front of him, glancing at the door. Kai has a feeling Ezra is on the other side of that doorway, taking care of the guards that had been ensuring that he’d be kept within the room. Pon finally looks at Kai, and his eyes well with tears of guilt, and Kai knows Pon felt guilty about Kai being the one who had been taken and not Pon. 

Kai blinks, and promptly screams when he manages to drag his eyes open again. Where Pon had once stood, he now lies, red liquid spilling out from inside him. Kai tugs against the ropes restraining him from tending to his friend, desperately trying to break free. His heart feels like it has both stopped beating, and is beating too much, and in the back of his mind, he’s aware he needs to slow his breathing. But all he can think of is Pon, the bright eyed boy who had willingly been his friend all these years. 

The red makes its way to staining the ends of Pon’s hair, and Kai can do nothing besides frantically attempt to escape his restraints. Ezra darts inside, but halts at the sight of Pon collapsed on the floor. Dropping down next to him, Ezra places two fingers against Pon’s neck, watching his chest for a couple seconds. “He’s breathing but we need to hurry.” He pulls out a shard of glass from his back pocket, and Kai doesn’t want to even begin to think where that came from. Not that he can, anyways. 

“I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along…” 

It takes a moment for Ezra to slice through the ropes that bind Kai, but once he’s free, Kai immediately drops down beside Pon, hissing at the lightning rod pain that electrocutes his body. Kai places a shaky hand against his best friends cheek, whispering his name as he tries not to cry. Ezra glances between the two friends and the door, and quickly scoops Pon in his arms, turning to Kai. “Are you able to walk?” The taller boy’s gaze is filled with sorrow, pain, and concern, but Kai painstakingly struggles to his feet, pausing to regain his breath, biting down on the inside of his cheek before nodding. 

It’s apparent that he can barely walk, and he winds up with Ezra wrapping and arm underneath Kai’s to provide enough support to where the shorter boy could walk. Luckily, they don’t manage to run into any guards, though it had been a very narrow escape, as Kai could hear the rushing footsteps above him. 

They don’t make it back to their original cave, but they do find an abandoned underground bunker, where Ezra lays Pon down on the bed gingerly, helping Kai to sit next to his friend, before exiting the room to give the two privacy while he pokes around the bunker. 

Ezra had ripped off a part of his jacket to tie around Pon, and luckily it hadn’t soaked through yet, but Pon’s short and raggedy breaths worried Kai to no extent, “I‘m not gonna make it.” Pon whispers in the thick silence. 

“You took my broken melody, and now I hear a symphony…”

Kai shakes his head as best as he can, not wanting to believe a word of it. “No, you can’t leave me alone.” As much as it hurt, Kai let the tears roll down his cheeks. 

“Not alone, you have Ezra.” 

“Pon, I can’t do this without you, I need you to be okay.” Kai gingerly placed his head on Pon’s shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“I’ll try.” Pon whispers, his breath evening out. 

Ezra returned with bandages and rubbing alcohol in hand, stopping abruptly at the sight of the two sleeping. His heart seized as the thought of them both being gone flitted through his head before he focused in on the steady rise and fall of Kai’s chest, and the slightly less stable breathing from Pon. 

Though he felt bad about rousing either of the boys, he decided to allow Kai some rest, and gingerly nudged Pon awake. 

“And now, I hear…”

“Ezra, I’ve been thinking,” Pon whispers, glancing at Kai’s sleeping form before training his gaze to the ground. “If I don’t make it, please don’t let Kai feel guilty. He has to know I—we —would never have left him there.” 

Ezra swallows. What do you say to someone who knows they’re basically dead? “No, you won’t die?” 

He settles for a grim nod, briefly explaining that hopefully cleaning the wound would prevent it from getting infected and increase his likelihood of survival. He hands Pon a clean white strip from his coat’s inner lining to bite down on as he uncaps the bottle of rubbing alcohol. 

Lifting Pon’s clothing out of the way of the wound is harder than he’d thought. It was a mix of trying not to get frustrated, and trying to remain gentle. At long last, the skin is finally separated from the cloth, and Ezra glances at Pon before giving Pon his free hand when Pon extends his.

With a nod from Pon, Ezra pours the clear liquid over the wound. Pon lets out a muffled groan, shifting in pain, clutching Ezra’s hand. When the other boy pulls the liquid away, Pon is left gasping for air, barely noticing when Ezra wraps gauze bandaging around the wound. 

“Do we have to do this to Kai?” Pon is instantly protective, not wanting to impose any pain on his friend. Ezra glances at Kai, whose eyebrows are scrunched together. 

Ezra knows he should say yes, because they really ought to, but he too cannot bring himself to allow more pain to come to Kai. He mutters all of this to Pon, who nods, relieved. After helping Pon lie back down, Ezra waits until Pon sleeps before sitting just in front of the bed, resting his head in his hands. 

Pon never wakes up again, his body cooling by the time Kai wakes. The short boy feels instantly numb, but later breaks down sobbing in the bathroom, where Ezra finds him seated in the tub, clothed as water cascades down around him. 

They wind up bringing Pon to Earth with them, neither wanting to leave him on Azurelle, both facing a desire to allow him to rest somewhere he truly wants to be. 

“A symphony…” 

Kai visits Pon as often as he can, plays him all the music he’d discovered since the last time he’d been to the sunny field. Kai talks, telling Pon how much he still misses his best friend, still expecting to see Pon walk through a doorway, like nothing ever happened. Kai cries, wishing Pon was there to cry with him, or comfort him. 

One day, Kai is laying curled in his bed, too sad to move. On days like these, Ezra makes sure to ask Kai what he would like. Today, Kai wants to not be alone in his silence. Ezra holds Kai silently, not on his phone or watching television, and Kai’s reminded of how much the other boy cares for him. 

Both get startled when they hear a knock on the front door of their tiny apartment, followed by a voice that sounds eerily similar to Pon. Kai can’t find the will to move, fearing he’ll be disappointed, as though this is a trick of his minds innermost desires. 

[perspective-series]

Exposed Perspective (9)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, and feelings of helplessness.

THIS IS THE THIRD STORY IN A TRILOGY. READ “A Third Perspective” AND “Switched Perspectives” FOR THIS TO MAKE SENSE!

(Check the reblog for the links to the previous chapters and the TWO prequels!)

———————————————————————————————

“Isn’t there some sort of borrower protocol to prevent this?” Roman asked, looking down at his borrower friends.

 The borrowers glanced at each other before they both shook their heads. “No. If we’re found, that’s it. End of story. It’s just, before all of this, we’ve been… ‘lucky’ enough that the few humans that have found borrowers never revealed it to anyone else.” Virgil explained. Their kinds luck was really something. But it looked as if it had finally run out.

“But- it can’t possibly be just luck.” Roman insisted. “This is the twenty-first century, there are cameras everywhere. This cannot be the first time a borrower was caught on tape.”

 The two borrowers blinked and looked at each other once again, a silent conversation happening. “You...do make a good point,” Patton admitted, suddenly confused.

 “But borrowers have never been revealed, before now.” Virgil winced at that. “It...has to be some sort of luck or something, right?” Now Virgil was starting to doubt. But if not luck, what else could it be?

“Maybe it’s never become big news?” Roman offered. “Thomas, can you try and find any articles about borrowers?”

“I’m trying,” Thomas answered, already on it.

“Or perhaps borrowers have been revealed, but then disappeared and were taken for a myth,” Logan suggested. “Many folk tales are inhabited by tiny humanoid figures.”

 Both borrowers were shocked at that. “Wait, there are?” Patton asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Of course!” Roman nodded. “Fairies, brownies, gnomes, elves...well, the tiny elves anyways. They tend to change size.” 

“It’s possible those mystical creatures are based off a rather un-mystical discovery.” Logan reasoned, pulling into the apartment complex.

 Virgil hummed in thought. Could those myths be based on his kind? He could never be for sure but it wasn’t a very comforting thought. “So, what? You think this will blow over into some myth or something?” Virgil highly doubted that would happen in this case.

“Oh, no.” Logan’s bluntness instantly dashed all their hopes. “No, this is far more severe than a mere sighting or a bit of film. You have to remember this footage was already distributed to over a dozen scientifically-minded individuals, all with at least a master's degree under their belt, and the original video still belongs to a psychopath who wants to ruin our lives.”

“...great,” Roman said once he was able to stop gaping at Logan’s lack of tact. “Thanks for the rousing speech, Albert Ein-stink.” He hopped out of the car, rolling his eyes.

“What did I say?” Logan’s brow furrowed, hopping out as well.

 The borrowers could only sit there in silence, leaning against each other as support. Everything was gonna change now. Borrowers would be caught and discovered...and it would be all their fault.

“What did you say?” Roman half-laughed, glad they were the only ones in the lobby as they began to make their way upstairs to the apartments. “You just crushed all their hopes and dreams in one fell blow! Thanks for ruining the mood, dr. gloom.”

“I was trying to be reasonable!” Logan argued, taking the stairs two at a time to get ahead and unlock the door.

“No, you were trying to be smart.” Roman sneered, walking past Logan and into the living room. “As usual.”

 “Roman, don’t,” Patton said quietly. “Please, don’t fight. Not now.” 

 Virgil nodded. Their humans fighting was the last thing they needed.

Roman glanced down at the borrowers, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “...sorry.” He apologized, setting them down on the coffee table. 

 “Thank you,” Patton said, giving Roman a small smile. Virgil sighed, looking up to find Thomas as he entered the room.

 “Have you found anything yet, Thomas?” Virgil asked, impatient and worried.

“No, nothing yet.” Thomas shook his head, still glued to his phone. “I think I’m gonna head downstairs, see if I get any more success on my laptop.”

“We’ll be here,” Roman said with a shrug, watching Thomas walk right back out the door. 

 Virgil watched Thomas leave and then sighed as he collapsed on the table and then laid down on his back. “...Our whole kind is screwed.”

 Patton couldn’t help but agree with Virgil.

“Well, maybe there is something to that whole myth theory.” Roman hypothesized. “Maybe this will all blow over? Certainly, if nobody finds anything it’ll die out eventually, right?”

“Do you know of any borrowers in the immediate area?” Logan asked, closing the door and kneeling next to Roman.

 “No,” Patton answered, seeing as how Virgil was still lying on the table. “Not that we know of. But, then again, we haven’t left this building in about two years. Or have checked the other buildings...there’s really no way for us to know.”

“Is there any way for us to check around?” Roman offered. “We could help you guys scout, maybe warn anybody else.”

 “That’s a terrible idea,” Virgil spoke up before Patton could. Virgil sat up so he was sitting. “No one would listen or believe us if we showed up with a pair of humans. Besides, there’s no way we would be able to reach enough of them…”

“I suppose all we can do is hope that their borrower instincts protect them,” Logan admitted. “Though humans may be looking for them, the only true consequence is if they are caught. After all...according to the tape, only the existence of two borrowers can be proven.” Logan gazed thoughtfully down at said two borrowers.

 “Unless they try and gas them out,” Virgil said, causing Patton to gasp. “Or tear down the walls to find them.” Virgil’s mind was working overtime at this point. “And if the government were to get involved, with all their technology and things? We’d be screwed for sure.”

“Okay, well, I seriously doubt the government is going to get involved with a simple pest problem.” Roman rolled his eyes. “But glad to know you think so highly of yourself.”

“Look, let’s think about this logically,” Logan advised. “Borrowers often take up residence in human houses, yes? Not places of business?”

 “W-Well, usually but there are some instances where-” Patton started but Virgil cut him off, glaring at Roman.

 “I’m sorry, did you just call us pests. What the hell, Roman?”

Roman’s eyes widened, quickly backpedaling. “No! I mean, well, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just... oh come on, what else would you call it? You’re talking as though people are gonna call an exterminator.”

 “And they might! But that doesn’t mean you say it like that!” Virgil huffed, calming down a little. “Humans are going to see us in so many different ways. Pests, pets, science experiments. Why wouldn’t the government get involved in the ‘find of the century’.”

“That’s just it, though.” Logan jumped in, stopping Roman from apologizing further. “Borrowers have to actually be found. While it is true that humans could go to drastic measures, the individuals who currently possess the footage do not have the authority to search through every household. They would need to gain permission from every individual homeowner, who would, in turn, have to pay the costs of said extraction methods. It’s highly unlikely that a person would be willing to put so many resources towards a chance discovery. It is equivalent to putting your life’s savings into lottery tickets: foolhardy and uncommon in real life.”

 Virgil huffed, looking down. “I don’t doubt that humans will find ways. After all, it didn’t take much for the two of you to find us.” 

 Patton nodded slowly, agreeing with Virgil. “We’ve both seen humans do...a lot to get what they want.”

“That...does lead to my other realization,” Logan admitted. “The only way anyone of those individuals has a sure chance of discovering borrowers is to get their hands on one of you. It’s the only guaranteed source of information and the only way to determine the validity of the tape. At the very least Dee knows our identities, and I would not be surprised if our faces made an appearance in the tape itself.”

 Patton felt himself pale. “You think there will be humans coming after us?” Patton asked, not liking the sound of that.

“Most definitely.” Logan nodded gravely.

“Well, what the heck are we supposed to do with that molotov cocktail?” Roman frowned, looking over at Logan quizzically for answers.

 Virgil frowned, looking down and fidgeting with his poncho. “Maybe the two of us should...leave. Go off on our own, that way if they come looking here or with you guys, they won’t find us.”

 Patton’s eyes widened. “B-But…” Patton started, trailing off.

“Indeed.” Logan sighed. “My thoughts exactly.”

“But you can’t just leave!” Roman’s eyes widened, looking down at his friends. He didn’t want them to leave so soon after meeting them.

 “Me neither!” Patton cried. He ran over to be closer to Roman.

 “I don’t either,” Virgil admitted, glancing over at Logan. The two of them had just become friends, after all. “But it might be the safest for us.”

“...we could all move.” Roman murmured, almost so quiet that Logan didn’t hear him.

“Roman, don’t be preposterous.” Logan chided.

“I’m not being preposterous!” Roman exclaimed. “Think about it- you can’t stay here anyways. You’ve managed to anger like every head of your department and they’ll all know of your involvement soon enough.”

“That doesn’t mean I should just leave town,” Logan argued.

“If they have to move, we should move.” Roman insisted. “It’s only fair.”

 “Yeah! And then we can all be together still!” Patton exclaimed. Virgil bit his lip, looking at Logan.

 “Isn’t moving kind of...expensive for humans?” Virgil asked. Not quite knowing how it worked but knowing it did involve money.

“It...can be,” Logan admitted. “Although cost isn’t necessarily a deciding factor here.”

“We can certainly find creative ways to make ends meet.” Roman smiled, clearly indicating his acting talents. “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”

 “But would moving cities really work?” Virgil asked, still worried about all this. He did want to stay with his friends but he also feared getting caught by other humans as well.

“It would certainly lower our chance of random encounters, and I doubt many individuals would be so dedicated as to stalk us in the next town over…” Logan began to seriously mull over the possibility.

“Oh my goodness, we could get a house together!” Roman gasped, eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. 

 Patton gasped as well. “That would be awesome!” That means they would all be able to hang out together, all the time!

 Virgil bit his lip. “...I really do want this to work. I don’t want to leave you guys either.” Virgil said this, mostly directed at Logan.

Logan met Virgil’s gaze, feeling his heart swell slightly.

“I suppose we’re moving then,” Logan said with a slight smile.

“Yes!” Roman pumped the air victoriously with his fist. “Can we get a garden? And a wraparound porch? And one of those porch swings, you know?”

“We’re going for practicality here, Roman.” Logan reminded him gently.

 “Yay! This is gonna be great!” Patton exclaimed, right along with Roman. Virgil smiled softly.

 “We’re gonna be okay?” Virgil said it in a way that it was almost hard to hear that is was actually a question.

“We’re gonna be okay.” Roman nodded. 

“Now, if this is going to work, we will need to get started on preparations right away.” Logan clasped his hands together.

 “Is there anything we can do to help?” Patton asked.

“You two should begin packing all of your belongings,” Logan explained. “If there is anything particularly heavy or cumbersome you wish to bring, Roman and I can prepare a box.”

 Virgil nodded. “Sounds good. Pat? Wanna get started on that?” Virgil personally didn’t have a lot of stuff he was gonna take but he knew Patton would probably need that box.

 Patton nodded. “Yep! Let’s go!” Patton looked at the humans expectantly.

Roman put his hand down, eager to give his friend a ride. 

“Roman, you should begin packing as well,” Logan instructed.

“I got it, don’t worry.” Roman waved him off.

 Patton climbed onto Roman’s hand with a smile while Virgil instead went closer to Logan. His home was here, in Logan’s apartment, after all. It wouldn’t do well for him to go with Roman and Patton.

 “Be back later!” Roman smiled, departing with Patton to go home. 

“Care for a ride as well?” Logan raised an eyebrow, offering a hand as Virgil got closer.

 “That’d be great,” Virgil said, stepping on. As he settled down, he let out a small chuckle. “Kind of funny all this happened after we made up, huh?”

“Indeed.” Logan agreed as he stood up, walking Virgil back towards the hall. “It seems there’s never going to be a dull moment when the two of us are together.”

 “Yeah.” Virgil agreed. Though hopefully, the moments would be more fun once they got away from all this stuff.

“I’ll get to work on house hunting,” Logan said, setting his hand down in the still open hole that was Virgil’s room. “Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I’ll have made some progress.”

 “See you tomorrow then,” Virgil said as he hopped down into his home.

Logan nodded in acknowledgment before heading to his bedroom. There was a lot of work to be done. 

***

“Thank you all for coming in on such short notice.” Emile Picani said, gazing out on a sea of familiar faces. Every recipient of the email sat before him. Dee sat in the back, a proud smirk almost permanently plastered to his face. Picani frowned at him. “Now, before we begin, has anyone forwarded the email?”

“Only to my son.” One man answered, gesturing to the teen sat behind him.

“‘Sup.” Remy waved a hand in greeting.

“Yes, I am aware of Remy’s involvement.” Picani sighed. 

“I don’t understand why I’m here.” Remy pointed out. “You already reported my video or whatever.”

“I did not report your video.” Picani shook his head.

“Fine, someone did.” Remy rolled his eyes, going back to his phone. “I get it, whatever, someone’s pissed that I keep trying to put it on the internet.”

“In the future, perhaps it would be best not to share faculty emails with your children.” Picani’s tone was tired, clearly strained from this whole scenario. “Now, has anyone else shared the email?” There was a chorus of head shaking and Picani breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

“Was that video...real?” Remy asked, engaging again briefly.

“...well…” Picani seemed a bit unsure for a moment as many eyes looked back at him expectantly.

“Oh yes,” Dee answered for him, eyes turning to the back of the room. Dee gave them a grin. “That’s why I acquired your assistance in the first place, boy.”

“Wait a moment.” The man from earlier turned around, frowning at Remy. “You’re involved in all this?”

“Well….” Remy pushed his sunglasses further up his face, curling in on himself and looking as though he wanted the chair to swallow him whole. “You see dad-”

Before Remy could blubber his way through an explanation, the door at the front of the room opened and two individuals in suits stepped inside.

“Oh good, we’re right on time.” The one in the beanie said, grinning. 

“I’m sorry, this is a private meeting,” Picani explained, furrowing his brows. “Who exactly are you?”

“The name’s Joan, Special Victims Unit Officer.” Joan smiled, shaking Picani’s outstretched hand enthusiastically. “Heard you guys had a run-in with some borrowers!”

“Ah, well, yes, but-” Picani’s eyes widened as a few more suit-clad individuals walked in. The shorter individual with colorful hair that had arrived with Joan was now right in front of him, holding what looked to be a bright white light attached to a rod.

“Alright, sleepy time.” The Agent explained. With a flash of light, Picani blinked, wondering why he was here only briefly before his eyelids fluttered closed.

“Woah, I gotcha.” Joan caught Picani, laying him on the floor. Across the room other agents were doing the same, Remy only putting up a brief fight as his sunglasses had to be removed for the process to work.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dee hissed, standing up so fast that his chair was flung backwards. Instantly two broad-shouldered Agents restrained him on either side.

“Oh, just your run of the mill memory wipe.” Joan sauntered over to Dee, their partner following. “So, you must be Dee.”

“What, you think you can pick on borrowers just because they’re tiny?” The short individual got up in Dee’s face, looking pissed.

“Easy there, Talyn.” Joan put their arm out to halt Talyn before turning back to Dee. “Heard you’ve been causing a lot of trouble out here. Didn’t anyone tell you the borrower rules? It’s an awfully big secret to keep. But not only did you fail to keep it, you’ve also violated a whole slew of ethics laws as well.”

“I demand to know what’s going on!” Dee roared.

“You’re coming with us because you were a jerk to tinies.” Talyn deadpanned. “Put him in the paddywagon, boys.” The buff Agents gave a nod, dragging a screaming Dee out the door. Talyn noticed that along the way Dee seemed to have dropped his phone. They picked it up, scrolling through the files. 

“Alright, got it.” They confirmed, deleting the file. Looking around the room, other agents had just finished doing the same on the other faculty’s devices.

“Man, what a mess.” Joan groaned. “Why can’t people just mind their own business and leave tiny peeps alone?”

“I mean, we would be out of a job.” Talyn shrugged.

“That’s true.” Joan stretched their arms above their head. “Alright, almost done. Ready to go to the source?”

“Yup.” Talyn nodded, already pulling up the address on their phone as the two headed out to their car.

[starsrshiney]

Starsnapped 5

Part 4 -_-_-_- Chronological Order -_-_- Part 6

FINALLY got this hammered out. Bringing in Spectette still feels a little too self indulgent, but hey its my original series anyway. At least it gives Carmo some non-Stars motivation (that she uses as an excuse to bring Stars in anyway.)

Also had to write around the robe thing from last chapter, but eh.

‘If this is how my luck’s going, those kidnappers had better have left a mess when they kidnapped me.’ Stars growled mentally, looking at the scene below him.

He had stayed in the tree for a good while, letting the fruit digest enough for him not to be sick once he left the orchard. He was taking a final look around before leaving his hiding place when he noticed pollen flying around unnaturally. That was enough of a cue for him to lie on the branch and condense his aura as much as he could.

His observations had continued, noting that the pollen seemed to flit from tree to tree. His eyes widened when he got it- someone was magically pollenating the trees. It was an impressive display, at least until the person who was doing so showed herself.

Waving a crystal wand filled with wood energy- ‘thankfully too dark to be mine,’ and wearing something she should not be- ‘That’s MY robe!’ Carmo Medeiros strutted through the orchard with a servant in tow.

Which lead to now, with Stars keeping his aura as condensed as possible and hoping ‘no one ever looks up’ remains true.

“We can’t just let my darling be whisked away by his parents though.” She said, with a slight spring in her marching. “At least, not until he proves to be my hero again, saving my family from that awful phantom thief.”

‘Spectette targeted the Medeiros’? I’m more inclined to applaud her at that.’ Stars thought with a frown. ‘What happened in my life for me to think that wa- oh wait, C happened.’

Carmo continued to go on, talking about how she was sure Stars would help her as she walked circles in the center of the orchard. The servant never gave more than a ‘yes Miss Medeiros’ or other such comment, which made Stars wonder if he’s only there because he’s paid to be.

‘How much of their staff is like that?  And she mentioned my folks?’ It didn’t take long for Stars to figure out his team’s logic. ‘If there are employees here who only listen to the elder Medeiros’, they’ll probably keep me safe until I get picked up. I’ll call that plan B.’

Carmo’s spiel continued, something about a Pyrril wedding, when a new voice cut in. “If a quarter of the rumors I’ve pick up is true, you should give him up and start seeking therapy.”

Stars turned to see who his unexpected defender was. He then wished there was a nearby wall he could hit is head against. Leaning up against a tree, wearing a light purple shirt under a pink suit blazer and pants, holding a cane charged with wood energy, was Spectette herself.

“You!” Carmo snarled.

Spectette just nodded. “Me.”

Carmo pointed her wand at the thief, directing a cloud of pollen to go at her. Spectette responded by spinning her cane, creating a space around her that the pollen couldn’t enter.

‘Or any plant life, apparently.’ Stars thought as a tree branch near Spectette bent away, all the leaves, fruit, and flowers flying off.

“Help me!” Carmo growled at the servant, who nodded in response.  Pieces of the ground started shifting around Spectette, trying to keep her footing off. The soles in Spectette’s boots briefly pulsed light purple as she jumped away with a wind boost.

Stars watched as the game of cat and mouse between the light blue haired women continued. On one side, Carmo used her natural light and dark elements alongside the wood wand. Her servant continuing to help by ruining Spectette’s footing. Spectette, in true form, countered their four elements by using crystal tech of all ten. By most accounts, the fight was rather even as no side suffered more than a scrape or light punch equivalent.

Though Spectette was in the lead in Stars’ opinion, since her latest wind-boosted dash let her take the robe Carmo was wearing.

‘If C weren’t still here, I’d pick that up instantly.’ He thought as Spectette landed at the foot of the tree he was in.

“That,” Carmo snarled as she threw a bolt of light at the thief, “Isn’t YOURS!”

Spectette lifted the side of her jacket like a shield. The bead sized light element crystals sewn onto the panel glew as Carmo’s light hit, and the bolt was neutralized. “If I’m guessing correctly, it’s not yours either.”

“My darling would happily share his clothes with me,” Carmo waved the wood element wand, directing pollen once again. “Once we’re together!”

Stars’ eyes widened as Spectette took out the wood cane. “Oh no.” he whispered as the cane pulsed.

Just like before, the pollen, leaves, fruit, and even the nearby branches moved towards the radius defined in the cane’s glyphing. Unlike before, the three fighters were stopped by a scream. Looking up, they saw Stars with his arms and legs gripped around the freshly moved branch trying not to fall.

“Darling! There you are!” Carmo smiled and started running directly toward Stars.

In her tunnel vision, Carmo didn’t hear her servant’s warning as Spectette send a large gust of wind directly at her. She was sent flying right back into said servant, and the two went flying toward the edge of the orchard.

Stars opened his eyes at the sound of bodies hitting and let out a sigh of relief as he saw the two fly away.

“Need some help getting down, young Master Shiner?”

It was a teasing tone, but Stars could hear the slight worry behind it. He assumed part of it was legitimately for his safety, but knew that most of it was because she was afraid he’d see through her mask.

And, well, he could. But he decided to keep that fact in his metaphorical back pocket for now.

“Getting down, isn’t the problem.” He said, letting go and sitting up on the stripped branch. “Getting away is.” He gave a pointed look in the direction Carmo was sent flying.

“I’ll cover that.” Spectette declared, putting her wood cane inside her suit jacket, and pulling out what looked like earth and wind element canes. “Just get down and be ready to move.”