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mutable-manifestation · 2 years ago

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Family at the Core

So I decided to continue the rogues-as-family-with-Danny once they realize he's a baby & flee to the DC universe/Gotham fic.

Parts 1 & 2

Info: AU where you gotta fight ecto with ecto - it’s the only thing that has any effect on them, and it’s part of the reason why the ghosts love Amity so much - aside from the whole “thinking danny was old ghost pretending at being human and openly challenging pretty much everyone by claiming a Living Realm haunt and then opening a stable portal in it” (from their perspective pre-’holy shit he’s baby’ realization) - Danny? Sam & Tucker with ecto weapons? Humans who can and will put up a challenge but won’t try to seriously harm them ala bastards like Pariah & the Guys In White? It’s practically the ideal ghostly vacation spot.

The Fenton fam are the first to discover how to fight ghosts in their dimension, but DC didn’t have blood blossoms and made the deal w/Pariah before they figured out the ecto v ecto option

This is pre-ID reveals among the JL because it’s funnier.

Disclaimer: idk how the police work I’m just rolling with what sounds probably like it’d be right.

***

Kitty and Johnny disappear before they can discuss a time for the police sweep, but Kitty <i>had</i> asked for Bruce’s number earlier in the conversation - “To set up that playdate once we’re more settled in” - after Bruce had mentioned the benefits of peer contact for children.

(The complete and utter disconnect from information about humans certainly lent credence to their claim of being ghosts - or at least not humans)

She’d promised to give him a call once they got their phones set up. Hopefully that would be soon - they really needed to talk about the Lazarus Pit in the building before the kid fell in and died - assuming they truly weren’t aware of it prior to selecting the location.

Perhaps Bruce could convince them to block it off? If they truly weren’t after the pit, he could ask about setting them up with a better place; make up some excuse about wanting the building for the company.

He makes contact with them and is left with more questions than answers; at least they know where they are now, despite the in-costume team's inability to track them as they left.

Constantine and Deadman arrive together <i>less</i> than an hour later, managing to arrive at the Batcave at the same time as Bruce’s group.

Constantine twirls an unlit cigarette between his fingers as the footage of the Joker incident plays.

It stops twirling when the lunch lady appears on the screen.

His lips form a grim line as he watches.

“Anyone ever told you you’re the unluckiest bastard this side ‘a the pond?” Constantine asks, turning to Batman once the first video concludes.

“No.” Is Batman’s humorless reply.

“Don’t leave us in suspense here, Conny,” Nightwing slides closer to lightly elbow him in the side. “Is Damian Wayne’s doppelganger the most haunted kid in America or what?”

Robin, for his part, crossed his arms and continued sulking - as he had been since Batman had read them in on the existence of JL Dark and verified that ghosts were indeed real.

“Most haunted kid this damn dimension, Bird boy,” Constantine answered, stowing his cigarette. “Those-” he gestures to the now-blank screen “-are Infinite Realms Ghosts. They aren’t like Deadman here, they’re about a million times worse.”

“Hey!” Deadman protests.

“They come from a place they call ‘The Infinite Realms’ - big shock there. Their kind haven’t been seen in this dimension for tens of thousands of years now; most people just think they’re myths by this point. I only even know about it because my thrice-damned house wouldn’t stop throwing a book on the subject at me until I read it a few years back.”

He puts the cigarette away in favor of crossing his arms.

“The Realms are said to be connected to every dimension there is, and legend has it that way back when we got a lot of visitors from their side. Had a lot of names - the era of chaos, the age of disaster, whatever you wanna call it. They treated this dimension like a plaything, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.

Nothing worked - salt, holy symbols, the magics of the time, etc. Supposedly, someone even tried summoning a demon and watched the thing get hunted. Realms ghosts were leagues more powerful than any of the other known beings at the time and no one could find a way to fight them. The only reason they left was because some group made a deal with their king - no details on what the deal involved other than getting them to get lost.”

“So we are simply supposed to hope that their king isn’t too busy dealing with the infinitely many other dimensions they are apparently hooked up to to come get a few strays out of ours?” Robin questions icily.

“It means you’re simply supposed to give me a chance to do some more research - I only skimmed the one book to get the house off my back. What I read wasn’t promising, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more useful information buried somewhere.” Constantine replies with an eyeroll. “For now, if they want to play house with some poor bastard? Wayne’s got enough kids to know how to give good enough advice they don’t accidentally kill him in the meantime. Infiltrate their playdates if you’re that worried. And look on the bright side! They took care of your clown problem. Now, you said you had two videos?”

“Yes,” Batman answers tightly, bringing up said second video. “We managed to get footage of their meeting with the Waynes.”

The second watching was far less eventful.

Until the very end, when Kitty and Bruce shake hands and Constantine lets loose a stream of curses.

“What? What’s wrong?” Red Robin demands.

“What’s wrong is that Brucie Wayne is dumber than a sack of damn bricks.”

The batclan members make various coughing/strangled noises at this, save for Batman, who remains stoic.

“Who the fuck meets a self-declared non-human entity and shakes on a deal.” Constantine drags an exasperated hand down his face. “Make sure Wayne knows his ass needs to buy them that building asap or Ghost Girl gets to make him dance to whatever tune she wants; break a deal with a dealmaker and they get controlling shares in your soul.”

“I see,” Batman says, “We’ll get in touch with him again after this; we need to discuss the police sweep of the Yuyan building anyway. If direct observation will help, he should be willing to bring you along as a civilian friend.”

Constantine looked at him like he had three heads.

“Not a chance in hell, Bats.”

He backs away from the table toward the cave’s Zeta tube.

“Oh! Oh, me! Pick me! I wanna meet the new ghosts!” Deadman shook his arms wildly, doing loops in the air.

“The visibility spell won’t last that long and we don’t know if their kind of ghost can see you without it. Also, we were in the middle of something. We already detoured. Let’s finish the job and then we can come back and play ghost party 2: yet another pain in my ass edition, yeah?”

“Awwwwww,” Deadman slouched sadly before zipping into the tube with him.

“Great. Have fun, try to get along with the new neighbors, don’t shake any hands, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, yadda yadda, aaaaaand bye.”

And with that, they were gone.

“Well that’s not ideal,” Nightwing mutters.

The meeting had at least answered one question.

Now for the other two dozen.

---------------------

Kitty wants to get this cop sweep over with as soon as possible.

The others are hesitant at first - or territorial, in Walker’s case - but a little fast-talking has him all for the idea.

The chronic rule-follower had only taken to making his own rules because of the zone’s inherent chaos and lack of real, broader government. In Gotham there are rules pre-made to follow, to enforce. He eats it up.

He’ll be obsessed with being law-abiding once he’s done studying up, but Kitty had been headed towards a future in law before her own death. She was well aware that it would take him - even with the aid of an eidetic memory - a minimum of months to read enough to actually start enforcing anything.

And until he’d read it all? Kitty was free to make him paranoid about missing a later subsection to create her own Walker-loopholes.

Once he’s on-side, he practically carries the argument for her. She only pipes up again to mention how “the baby would probably be a lot more comfortable with a stable, uncontested home.”

Walker does his own sweep of the building, opening cabinets and hidden passages and drawing attention to weapons and other hints of crimes-past and Kitty hovers over Technus’ shoulder as they hash out the details of how best to lure in the police.

The Box Ghost leads the others - except Ember, who ‘s on baby-watch at the pool - in packaging up everything they want to keep to be phased into the ground under the building.

Arguing took most of the time and it’s only the work of another two hours to have the entire building ready for the cops to peruse.

In the end, they decide setting off a small bomb by the entrance is the easiest way to draw police attention - they’ll come investigate, when no one responds they’ll have to check it out, they’ll find the weapons and cult-like documents and murder records Walker had located sitting out in the open, et voila: wanted owners and building up for grabs.

They, of course, will be invisibly watching the whole thing.

Danny hasn’t left the pool since their arrival and they don’t want him to, so he stays there with Johnny on watch to make them both invisible if and when anyone enters that room.

It goes off without a hitch, and by 11 o’clock Kitty is flying to a nearby roof to call Bruce and remind him of his end of the bargain.

***

@yjfk @fisticuffsatapplebees @little-pondhead @avery-isastupid-name @queenofdiscord @samgirl98 @inkyunicorn @mimilikey @aconitewolfsbane @miraculousandmore @someonebored0100 @wildbacon-blog @fleshybeing @vala-dreams @ironicvixen @blurblurbblurrrr @ectoplasmic-knife

#dpxdc #finding family with the rogues that fought you #dp recovery vacation in Gotham #Bruce slowly loosing his mind #Constantine calls Bruce a dumbass to his face (unaware)#ex-pre-law Kitty #Danny in the background #*is traumatized*#Constantine hates everything that is happening in Gotham #Constantine *hopes the King will show up to get them b4 he has to deal with this bullshit #*#King Baby: *Floating in an ecto-pool under the Yuyan Building & being Part Of John's Headache*

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verdantcrimson · 3 months ago

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Heaven and Earth / Discernment of Heaven and Earth - 8

(Unproofread)

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[A week later. At the shooting location of the prototype for ‘(Tentatively named) Rumbling Heaven and Earth R’]

Keito: Alright. Everyone is good to go.

Keito: Souma. You look beautiful today too. The sight of you well-dressed makes me feel refreshed.

Souma: Yes- …….Pardon?

Keito: Kuro. You designed and tailored these outfits, correct?

Keito: They’re made with the level of workmanship you’d expect. The costumes you make suit us more than any top designer’s ever could.

Kuro: Don’t start callin’ us by our first names outta the blue.

Kuro: There’s probably a reason, but don’t do it outta nowhere. We’re more stubborn than most other ‘young folk’, so we can’t even react in time.

Kuro: Also, if I’m bein’ honest, it’s disturbin’.

Souma: I- Indeed. I do not fully comprehend, but t’was horrifying.

Keito: Was it that bad? I tried to imitate the behavior of Hideyoshi-sensei, since he’s a people person—

Keito: For instance, he’ll act like he’s practically related to, or been friends with someone for decades, even though they aren’t that close. He’ll use their first name or nickname, casually sling his arm around their shoulder, and shower them in compliments.

Keito: By continuously behaving like this, he confuses the brain of the other person, and before they know it, they start to actually think he’s like a close friend or family to them.

Keito: If you keep repeating a lie, it can become the truth.

Kuro: Personally, I don’t think that’s somethin’ ya gotta imitate.

Kuro: You’re perfect just the way you are, Hasumi danna.

Souma: Yes. We love the usual Hasumi-dono. There is no need for you to unnaturally praise, to flatter, or force a smile.

Souma: Well, I do suppose we may have been influenced unknowingly in a myriad of ways through our interaction with the ‘Three Sages.’

Souma: I, as well, have begun to pay closer attention to my hair and clothes each morning due to the influence of Nobunaga-sensei, for she would consistently critique my appearance each encounter.

Souma: Earlier, Hasumi-dono praised me for being ‘well-dressed.’

Souma: However, recently I have become concerned with earning Nobunaga-sensei’s praise, that is to say, I have become concerned with adhering to what may be in fashion.

Souma: It is most certainly not being well-dressed. It is mere frivolity.

Kuro: Haha, ain’t that a good thing? You’re real uptight, Kanzaki.

Kuro: I reckon it’d be fine to be a little more flexible, for the sake of becomin’ an idol beloved by all, don’tcha think?

Keito: Agreed. Though Kanzaki is surprisingly self-conceited. No matter how much I lectured him, he never stopped wearing that sword or shed his old-fashioned way of speaking.

Keito: Though with that being said, I think having character is a good thing, because that’s what makes an idol. You truly are a good kid, like a moon that hasn’t waned, Souma. ♪

Souma: As expressed earlier, I truly wish for you to cease complimenting me without reason and addressing me by first name. It sends a shudder down my spine.

Kuro: Yeah, feels like danna’s been possessed or somethin’.

Keito: Hideyoshi-sensei is a talkative person. Whenever I was with him, he was always going on about his pet theories and opinions, and I tended to be brainwashed by the contents of his theories.

Keito: So naturally, I suppose I ended up unconsciously trying to play a character that matched Hideyoshi-sensei’s ideal—

Kuro: Haha, but I thought that you were ‘self-conceited’, was it? Thought ya were the type that’d never ever compromise or change.

Keito: I am aware of that quality to some extent.

Keito: In fact, I tried my hardest to be that way.

Keito: To not change, no matter what happened. I clung to the character of ‘Keito Hasumi’ as much as I could.

Keito: Growing up, I was surrounded by people who had a strong influence on those around them. And so, while we mingled amongst each other like colors on a palette, I tried my best to avoid being dyed the same shade of red.

Keito: That was mine, AKATSUKI’s, and perhaps even ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’s greatest fault.

Keito: There may be great things that remain unchanging. However, in order to survive, change is necessary.

Keito: The law of this world is survival of the fittest. Likewise, we need to adapt accordingly to a world upheaved by the establishment of ES.

Kuro: Well, I learnt that one the hard way.

Kuro: We’ve gotta change too, yeah?

Keito: Yes. I hope that the sequence of events surrounding ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ is a sign of what’s to come.

Kuro: Of course. But don’t go changin’ everythin’ all at once, danna.

Souma: Truly. When the ever dauntless and sophisticated Hasumi-dono, abruptly dons a sycophantic smile and draws close, ‘tis as if he has become a different person, which strikes fear into one’s heart in turn.

Kuro: Nito got mad and said somethin’ similar to me too.

Kuro: When we change, it’s gotta be in a way that doesn’t cause a disturbance in the surroundin’s. Slow and steady…… Right?

Keito: Yes, like the constantly waxing and waning moon.

Keito: Not just ‘like’, we will become it.

Keito: We’ll become beloved by all, from ancient past to present day, just as that ethereal moon is.

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#Heaven and Earth #Keito Hasumi #Kuro Kiryu #Souma Kanzaki

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cdyssey · 2 years ago

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Thoughts on Abbott women and their relationships to the cameras:

AUSHSHS, OKAY. One of my favorite things to think about how is how the Abbott characters are super aware of the cameras and how they have different relationships to the fact that they’re being filmed all the time. Here are some thoughts/headcanons for women esp.

Janine: Janine is the most honest with the cameras, treating them like friends, and thus shares a lot of her life with them: her triumphs, her plans, her sadnesses, her insecurities. Hell, I think it’d be fair to say that she even overshares, allowing the cameras unfettered access into her home and car and life beyond the workday. I especially thought this during “Sick Day.” This poor girl was literally, like, letting herself be filmed running to her bathroom!!! Like, girl, set some boundaries. You have a right to some privacy!!!!! But, of course, this is the crux of Janine’s central character arc. So lonely, once a clearly neglected child, our protagonist has a hard time with boundaries in general, and that extends to how she interacts with the cameras. They have become her closest companions and her dearest diary, her safe place for unapologetically being herself. We’re always getting Janine unfiltered, and it’s an incredibly humbling experience for an attentive viewer. She’s fully let us into our lives, and we feel for her deeply. My God, we just want her to be happy.

Barbara: Of the cast, Barbara is one of the most vigilant of the fact that she is being constantly surveilled and has to perpetually maintain her perfect facade because of this crucial fact. It’s her almost doll-like smile into the camera when she says that she doesn’t have a weird thing about her. It’s how she’s always emphasizing how proper and moral and Christian she is in her talking heads. One of my favorite recent examples is from the tattoo episode when she initially says her favorite “b” word is Barbara, but then her first correction is to the more upstanding and characteristic answer of “Bible.” But, as some of my favorite Work Wives gifsets have shown, Barbara occasionally forgets that the cameras are there—usually when she’s drawn into the intimacies of a moment, allowing herself to feel her own emotions without disciplining or regulating them. And it has to be with someone she emphatically trusts, such as Melissa. But any slippages, which are few and far-between, are quickly and efficiently amended. She studiously remembers herself. She slips the mask back on and smiles directly at the cameras and dares them to question what they saw in the place. She is Barbara Howard, married woman of God. She’s always perfect, don’t you know?

Ava: OKAY, OKAY, so I genuinely think that out of everyone, Ava is the most aware of the cameras being on her at all times. TikTok queen and social media extraordinaire, how can she not be? Like Barbara, and honestly even more proficiently than our favorite repressed lesbian lady, she touts an expert facade to the cameras, hyping up her natural charisma and her extrovertism and coolness—sometimes to the point of excess. She’s always catering to a targeted audience. She knows her way around an algorithm, a trend, a hashtag, perpetually attuned to what the people like and want to consume. Of course, she, too, has her rare moments of vulnerability, but the cameras have to be super quick and sneaky to find them. Avanine enjoyers, I think one of my favorite shots is when the cameras initially locate Ava and Janine talking about Ava’s grandmother during the step episode. The framing is faraway at first because the cameras are at the distance—clearly intruding and zooming on this quiet moment—and that’s pretty much the only way they ever catch our Ava Coleman slipping. I am sooooo invested in the fact that we can probably count the times that we’ve seen Ava unmasked on one hand!!!!!!

Melissa: Melissa has a fascinatingly contradictory relationship with the cameras, perhaps to match the oxymoron between her own well-chosen facade and her personality. She presents herself as tough and unflappable, likes to maintain an air of “dark mystery” to others as she once famously smirked in a talking head, but simultaneously—behind Janine—she’s probably been the most candid of the cast with the cameras. She actually let them stay in her house! Oh, yes, she absolutely insults the cameras from time to time—clearly distrusts them, stops herself when she thinks she’s saying too much, fears that they’re snitches—but she’s also told them some pretty damn intimate things too, like showing them pictures of Kristen Marie and literally crying. I really love LAW’s headcanon that there’s one camera person that she thinks is cute and so confides in more because I think that tracks with our general conception of Mel as someone who only relaxes around people she trusts. Some cameras are cops to her—they invite suspicion and paranoia, alerting her fight-or-fight response. Others have seen her at more unguarded moments and teased a lovely softness out of her.

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prrism · 2 years ago

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Tiny Tot

(I know, not the most creative title but I’m trying here)

Summary: While you’ve slowly grown used to this strange phenomenon of people around the SMP being brought to you as child versions of themselves and being left in your care, there are times it surprises you…

Characters: Wilbur x Reader (feat. Quackity and Slimecicle)

Relationship: platonic

Pronouns: unspecified/kept neutral

You hum a soft tune to yourself as you till at the ground, prepping it for the fresh crop seeds you just obtained. You hear someone whistle for your attention and freeze for a second when you see Quackity looking completely unimpressed while his slimy friend was waving you over. You place your tools into your inventory as you approach the two of them.

“Ummm… hi. Fancy seeing you here.” You say once your close enough.

“Hello (y/n), from the meadow (I decided the reader lives in a sorta meadow biome) I hope you do not mind our intrusion.” Quackity’s slimy friend greets, still smiling and waving.

“No, you’re fine. Also, I don’t believe we’ve met before, how do you know my name?” You ask him.

“Never mind that!” Quackity quickly jumps in before his friend can answer. “Here, just take him off my hands.” Quackity near throws the thing, or rather person, he’s holding towards you. You’re thankful for your fast reflexes as you catch the very obvious child version of Wilbur, who’s laughing up a storm from the “game” of catch. You stare down at him for a few seconds before looking up at Quackity again.

“Do I want to know?” You ask hesitantly.

“Probably not.” He says curtly.

“Why not go to Phil? He is Wilbur’s dad after all.” You point out only to be given the dirtiest look from the casino owner.

“I don’t think Quackity, from Las Nevadas is fond of the location.” His friend pipes in again.

“Oh right! I sorta forgot about… that…” You trail off awkwardly, trying not to stare at his scar. “I can take it from here.” You quickly add.

“Good. Come on, Slime, let’s go.” With that Quackity turns to leave, his friend following close behind.

“But Quackity, from Las Nevadas I am not slime. I’m made of meat and bones like you…” Their conversation fades as they get father and farther away until you’re just left with a now squirming child in your arms.

“Alrighty Mr. Squirmy, let’s get you home to your dad.” You say.

“No!” He shouts, squirming more. This came as a small shock to you as so far anyone who was affected by this condition, yourself included, couldn’t really form words to talk resorting to making various sounds to convey feelings.

“I… okay, cool. I’ll take any form of easier communication… I guess.” You say still a little shocked. “Well… care to help me finish up in the fields?” You ask.

“Yeah!” He cheers in joy.

“Alright,” you chuckle, “now come on, you can plant the seeds while I till the ground.” You suggest, carrying Wilbur back to your previous place in the field, placing him down and passing him the pouch of seeds from your inventory. It was almost humorous seeing Wilbur waddling around, you being so used to seeing him as tall and lanky rather then short and stubby. It was going well at first you’d prep a spot and watch Wilbur pluck a few seeds out of the pouch to drop into the ground before burying it with a nice pat to the soil, however things took a quick turn when he discovered where you grow your sugarcane. Now it was a constant dash to stop him from either falling into the river or scooping handfuls of sand into his mouth, sometimes both at the same time. He whined when you finally decided enough was enough and carried him back inside.

“Nooooo!” He flails his arms around as if it’d help free him from your grasp, you sigh and place him down on the floor where he proceeds to flop onto his side in a grumpy huff.

“My goodness, how did Phil manage to raise you.” You playfully tease, silence being your only response. “What don’t feel like talking now?” More silence. Slightly amused but not exactly wanting him to stay grumpy you walk over to the shelf of music boxes, reminiscing on how you obtained each of them before finding the one you knew would perk up Wilbur’s mood… or at least you hoped it would.

“This is one of the first music boxes I ever got.” You say fondly, catching Wilbur sit up and slightly peek over his shoulder from the corner of your eye. “I know you don’t remember this right now but… you actually gave this one to me. It plays a plays a special song, wanna hear it?” You ask now properly looking at him. He gives a small, curious nod, you smile as you wind it up and let the melody play.

“I heard there was a secret chord~ That David played and it pleased the Lord~ But you don’t really care for music, do ya?~ Well it goes like this the forth, the fifth~ The minor fall and the major lift~ The baffled king composing hallelujah~ Hallelujah~ Hallelujah~ Hallelujah~ Hallelu-ujah…~” You pause a moment to see Wilbur completely enthralled by the music, inwardly you held in a small laugh, outwardly a soft expression rests on your face when you start the next part. “Well I heard there was a special place~ Where men could go and emancipate~ The brutality and tyranny of their ruler~ Well this place is real, we needn’t fret~ With Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, f- and all the rest~ It’s a very big and not blown up L’Manberg~ My L’Manberg~ My L’Manberg~ My L’Manberg~ My L’Ma-anberg~” You finish, having to scramble part way for more cleaner lyrics, Wilbur may technically be a grown adult, but even still there was no way you’d swear in front of a child. Regardless of that he did seem to really enjoy the song, having brightened up a lot more and attempting to sing along to the repeating melody himself.

You sit back on the couch to relax a little while Wilbur kept himself distracted, you were by no means dozing off, just taking a moment to stare into space and reminisce again on the past while the melody still played. You were happy to see Wilbur acting all happy and carefree again, rather then acting cynical and more or less careless, it’s been a long time since he looked like he was genuinely enjoying something.

“I can’t believe you actually kept this old thing.” The voice takes you off guard for a second, but then the scent of cigarettes hits your nose, making you scrunch up on instinct. Just how long were you staring at the ceiling for?

“It’s a nice memento, and it still plays really well. Why would I get rid of it?” You look back at Wilbur who shrugs as he turns the music box over in his hands.

“Because the past can find a way to haunt you if you’re not careful.” He sighs, his voice barely audible to you, as if the comment wasn’t meant for you to hear. “Well, it’s been lovely but I still have a business to run and a rival to compete with.” He quickly jumps back into his more casual tone, setting the music box down and strutting over to the door.

“Yeah, nice catching up with you too, I guess.” You roll your eyes and get up to leave yourself, seeing as you still had a few errands to do and you promised you’d meet up with Niki and Puffy later. You stop at the sudden hand placed on your shoulder, turning slightly to stare at Wilbur as he avoided your eye contact.

“I…” His grip tightening slightly and his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something but words failing to work, almost ironic how now was when he lost his ability to speak properly. “I’ll… see you around.” He manages to say before finally leaving. You weren’t sure what that was about but there was now a feeling of melancholy as you watched him disappear into the distance.

You shake yourself off and refocus, quickly checking the time before sending both Niki and Puffy a message that you might meet up with them a bit later then expected.

Hope you guys enjoy. Let me know who you’d like to see next, either through my inbox or a comment 😁

#dream smp #dream smp x reader #dream smp x platonic reader #dsmp x reader #dsmp x platonic reader #wilbur soot #wilbur x reader

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corpse-a-diem · 1 year ago

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We See Dead People || Lil & Erin

TIMING: Two Weeks Ago (before Jonas' hospital incident) PARTIES:��Lil (@the-lil-exorcist) & Erin (@corpse-a-diem LOCATION: A Latte to Love SUMMARY: Erin runs into her first medium and bombards a very gracious Lil. CONTENT WARNINGS: none

If there was one good thing about going out in public anymore, it was that if there was a ghost meandering along sidewalks or businesses, it was hard to tell–sometimes, anyway. They blended with the regular populous and if Erin had her blinders secured, she’d be able to ignore mostly everything else. But it’d been a while since she’d had a well-brewed cup of coffee, and despite the corny name, A Latte to Love had some of the best in town. The day had been long and the pile of paperwork on her desk promised an even longer evening. She didn’t know how her dad had done this side of the job for decades and she missed the days where she could hole up down in the mortuary and work to her heart’s content. Alone. Just her and the dead people that didn’t talk back.

Coffee in hand, she turned towards a free spot in the corner. Tucked neatly away from the busy atmosphere and surprisingly with a good view of the street. People walking to and from work, walking their dogs, but she was surprised to see the street quieter than usual. Must have been the cold Her eyes moved to a woman speaking with her hands to an older woman, more discreetly and off to the side. Erin wouldn’t have paid them any more than a second thought until the bicyclist zoomed through the alley. She stood back up quickly, like she’d be able to save the other person from getting run down from all the way over here. But the older woman turned, looked at the bicyclist–and let him run right through her. Literally through her. A ghost? But–the younger person moved. The bicyclist even acknowledged her, apologizing for cutting too close.

Erin’s feet moved, darting to the pair before she even realized what she was doing.

Lil didn’t normally get to talk to ghosts. The side effect of her hearing meant that most communication was her looking at their lips and guessing what they were saying. Still, just like in life there were ghosts that did speak ASL - and if she had a soft spot for any it was for them. So, when Lydia - the kind old ghost lady who was near A Latte to Love started speaking with her hands a few months ago, Lil had always paused to talk to her.

So when the bike came through she just moved back a little still taking to the older woman about her knitting journey and how she had a few more things to make before Christmas time. “Hey man - be careful about not hitting me.” She said knowing that he wouldn’t have seen the ghostly woman - a shame as she was pretty nice. She also was trying to move on, and Lil would give her a little of grace to do so.

Lil turned a little as another person started walking down the way preparing to tell Lydia to move a little so she could still see her hands, unbothered by being perceived odd by other people. After all, she’d gotten used to it over the years. Can you move over a little - So yeah I was thinking of a plaid pattern but I wasn’t quite sure -.

Erin realized perhaps a little too late that she was very possibly intruding. And as she stood there between the two, dead and not dead, that she had absolutely no idea what to say here. She was also painfully aware that anything she said now, as she glanced at both women, was going to come off as either awkward or rude. The former wasn’t the worst option, she supposed. Though her eyes lingered on the dead woman, she forced herself to meet the other woman’s. “I’m sorry,” she started off immediately, clutching her coffee anxiously in front of her. She stood there for another moment before she realized she had to say something else instead of gawking like a freak on the sidewalk at this poor woman.

“Do you–can you see… her?” The question came out clunky and unsophisticated–and probably rude if she knew better. It was at that moment she also realized the way the women had been speaking to one another. Regrettably, she had never learned ASL but did her best to communicate what she had just spoken, emphasizing the fact that Erin could also see the ghost that she was currently talking to. This was real, right? Another person who could see what she saw? Who had experiences like hers? All she could do was pray the swell of hope in her stomach wasn’t about to destroy her in front of this stranger.

Lil didn’t expect the other to stop in front of her, her eyes turning to the other as she realized that maybe her private conversation wasn’t so private. Usually people just found Lil odd and left her with whatever ghost she was with and just glared at her. This person didn’t seem too, and honestly that was more surprising than anything else. “Uh hey - I’m not in your way or anything am I?” Lil said, tilting her head wondering. The other seemed pretty professional looking, but not like an authority figure. Surely she was allowed to sign to herself in the alleyway.

At the question Lil blinked and too stunned to say anything else she said, “You mean Lydia? Yeah. - Oh you are a - oh gotcha.” Lil figuring out what was happening quickly and turning to the ghost she signed New Medium it looks like. She probably is going to need help. I know but what can you do. Sorry we can talk about knitting tomorrow yeah?

“You see ghosts right? Guessing this is something you didn’t know other people could do?” Lil said waiting for the other to respond, “Oh that was a little rude. Hi I’m Lil, and I also see ghosts.”

At the other woman’s hesitation, Erin was positive she was about to be dismissed, or even worse, she’d somehow gotten this situation egregiously incorrect. But the moment the stranger’s realization snapped into place, there was a profound sense of relief deflating the tightness in Erin’s chest. “Right. Lydia,” she repeated, nodding, glancing at the ghost who’s conversation she clearly interrupted. She added an apologetic nod and small wave but immediately turned back to the woman who had introduced herself as Lil. Lil, who could also see ghosts. Who, she clocked by her attitude, was much more comfortable with this than Erin could have dreamed to be.

“No! No, you’re not rude. I’m rude. I’m sorry. I just saw you out here and the biker just went right through your friend and I had to–” she didn’t know where she was going with this but immediately realized she was rambling and cut herself off. I also see ghosts. It was such a simple and simply stated sentence but it was all Erin could hear repeating in her head. She took a breath and started again, a small smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Hi, Lil. I’m Erin. And no, I didn’t know other people could see, uh–you know.” The g-word was stuck in her throat, like years of pretending they weren’t there had made it an unspeakable admittance. A bad word. “Ghosts. Yeah. I can–I can see ghosts.”

She shifted uncomfortably, that open vulnerability of that admission making her skin itch. That, and the eyes of the pedestrians she could feel on her back as they passed by on the sidewalk near them. “Are you busy? I don’t mean to bombard you or anything, and you can absolutely say no but, you’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s, you know–like me. And I have… so many questions.”

Lil gave the other a smile waving to Lydia who had started to wander away. She didn’t seem to mind, just giving a small nod. After all, the other seemed excitedly wanting to talk to Lil. “No you’re fine. I know that if you’ve never met another one of us, you’d want to talk.”

At her name she extended her own hand, chipped black nail polish and all to Erin and said, “Gotcha. Hello Erin. It’s nice to meet you. You’re fine.” Lil continued seeing the panic and nervousness of the other.

It was the only thing she hated about meeting mediums that weren’t raised and it wasn’t their fault. Normally they thought that there was something wrong with them or that seeing ghosts was a curse. While everything else being even, Lil may have wanted to not be a medium - she wouldn’t have trained to be an exorcist- she didn’t think that seeing ghosts in of itself was bad.

“Sure,” Lil said gently with a nod. In Spite of it all, she wanted this to be a good first meeting. While Jonas would have been better at it, she would at least try. “I’ve got some time anyway, I’m not going to disappear either. Also what you are if I’m right is a Medium. Hey, why don’t we grab a coffee and we can talk, yeah?”

Erin had to wonder if Lil had been through this before. There was a sense of experience there that guided her words and movements that Erin was, frankly, envious of, but glad for at the same time. She shook her hand, watching the ghost named Lydia start to wander off. “Sorry, Lydia!” She called out as she disappeared from view. Though if she was being honest, she wasn’t all that sorry.

Lil was calming and receptive to her intrusiveness, which was more than she could’ve hoped for, even if she couldn’t properly verbalize her appreciation at that moment. Her brain was buzzing like TV static. A medium. She was sure Lil could see everything she was saying to Erin being processed right in front of her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you,” she nodded, a brighter smile reaching her lips as she turned to head back towards the coffee shop she’d just dashed from. Her things were still at the table she’d sat before, and she could only barely wait until Lil had ordered her own coffee before diving right in.

“So… a medium? Is that what you are too?” Her voice was a little hushed despite the hum of the coffee shop. “And you said there are others?”

Lil tried to hide the chuckle her hand going over her mouth as she went into the coffee shop getting her coffee quickly. It wasn’t exactly what she had planned for the day, but it was one of the bits of when she was in the ghostbusters she hadn’t minded. She wondered what hunters did - if they saw each other in the wild and one didn’t know. She supposed it might be easier to just not know.

Certainly wasn’t the case for a medium. Sitting down across from the table she waited for the questions, which were fairly standard for her to start off with. At least Erin seemed to believe her outright that she should know. She knew after all she didn’t look like a typical medium, her punk clothing probably fitting better as a hunter than anything.

“Yup, we are both mediums,” Lil said, deciding saying she had trained to become an exorcist was probably a bit more than Erin was going to understand at the moment. She also elected to believe Erin had a pulse, if only because she couldn’t remember what undead could see ghost. She was pretty sure it was zombies. Regardless, she decided the other would know more if she was one. “Also a yes. There’s not a ton of us, but maybe a few thousand in the world? There’s not really a census on it, but no you're not alone. It’s just pretty rare. There’s more here in town too. We’re a pretty big hot-spot for ghosts and mediums it seems. It’s something you were born with - even if you don’t remember it. I’m guessing something changed recently?” Lil asked, mostly to lead the questions to what might be most helpful. After all, it didn’t seem like the other had ghosts hanging around her like they did for Winter. She could only hope she didn’t accidentally bind a ghost to herself.

Erin hung onto every word and had zero interest in pretending like she hadn’t waited her entire life to meet someone like Lil, even if she hadn’t realized it until just now. And boy, had she. A few thousand? With a few more even just in town? This whole time, right in front of her, and she had no idea. The irony was almost cruel, in the Alanis Morrissette kind of way. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that. Given that Wicked’s Rest is Wicked’s Rest. It’s always been a little off.”

Erin shook her head. “Not really. I mean–I don’t remember much from when I was little, but I’ve always seen things. People. My parents, and even I thought there was something wrong with me. I saw so many doctors and therapists and tried to just… ignore it? They–the ghosts–started to go away, sort of. For a while. But they’d eventually, always come back.” The confession spilled from her, old truths she hadn’t shared with absolutely anyone. But Lil believed her and she couldn’t help but trust this stranger who could see her more clearly than anyone in her life. “But then my dad died. And it was his ghost that told me that what I was seeing was real.” She scoffed, glancing down at the coffee in front of her, a bitter bite to her words. “Which sounds… pretty fucked up when you lay it all out like that, huh?”

She paused for a moment before eyeing Lil once more, more questions fighting for attention in the back of her mind. “Have you always known?”

Lil blinked a chuckle on her mouth, “ Yes I think there’s something in the water personally, but it’s probably ghost capital. At least as far as I can tell. I used to be on the road but I could probably spend the rest of my days here and see more ghosts than most mediums ever do.”

Lil listened quietly, letting her tell her story a sympathetic ping in her heart as she heard the little tragedy of not knowing. “I’m sorry to hear that. It's not uncommon when you don’t know another medium to think that way - but no you were always seeing ghosts.” She paused for a moment and nodded at the question and said, “Yeah. It does. It must have been rough and I’m sorry that it took that for your dad to believe you - but if you deny that you see ghosts for long enough it gets easier to ignore them for a while. They’ll end up coming back though. I’m assuming no one else in your family is a Medium?”

It wasn’t unheard of, although Lil never understood what made someone a medium to begin with. Some people were like here, one of dozens in a line. Hell, part of her felt like her parents had married because both of them were strong mediums.

At the question Lil raised her eyebrows, surprised a little at the question being directed at herself. “Yes. My family is full of mediums. I’ve always known about ghosts.” She knew more than that - a lot of things that bumped in the night, but well she would much rather Erin still believe her at the moment. “It’s not uncommon though, if you don’t have a Medium family member to not know.”

God, this was so bizarre. Not that Erin was out here just confessing lifelong secrets to a stranger but the wildest part was that this stranger believed her. Whole-heartedly. She sympathized and understood her. The validation was overwhelming. A wet warmth prickled at the corner of her eyes and she grit her teeth to hold it together. She wasn’t about to start crying in front of this poor woman she was holding hostage in the coffee shop on top of everything too now. “Thank you. Took a while but I got there. But, still, thank you.” She cleared her throat, narrowing her eyes in thought. Most of her extended family had passed already, outside of a few aunts and uncles that lived out of town now. If anyone else was like her, she would know. Right? “No. Just me, I’m pretty sure,” she answered, though it wasn’t a question she ever had reason to consider.

“Your whole family? Really?” To say she was surprised was an understatement, though she was starting to understand the question about her own family. “It’s genetic, then?”

Erin paused again, straightening in her seat as the sound of the cafe came back to her. “I’m sorry, I know I’m asking a lot of you. I know you said you understand, we were raised very differently and I just–thank you for even giving me the time of day. I don’t think you know how much this means or how much it helps. But it does. So much.”

Lil wasn’t sure how to help with the tears in the corners of Erin’s eyes - something she should have known could come but always surprised her. Still, the other medium seemed to want it to be ignored so she let it. “Hey, it’s hard thinking you’re the only one dealing with this. I’m just glad you found someone.” She wanted to say something like it wasn’t her fault, but well she didn’t know the other at all. She might not like that tidbit even if it was true. Mediumship wasn’t a curse as much as it was just a fact of some people’s life - for better or worse.

Still at the idea she was alone nodded and said, “Yeah that would be really rough. Like I said it’s not unheard of. There’s others that are in your shoes.” It must be terrifying if Lil was being honest. No wonder it felt like such a relief that she had met someone like herself. Sipping at her coffee carefully she nodded.

“I mean in my immediate family. I have cousins and stuff that aren’t. I don’t actually know. I think it can be? At least to some extent, but it’s also not uncommon for it to skip around families or suddenly show up in one.”

At Erin seeming to realize their surroundings Lil replied, “Not at all. What you're asking isn’t something that is particularly much or anything hard for me.” After all, people who weren’t even mediums asked a lot of the same things of Lil all the time without being even a little grateful. While Lil’s dark circles were related to all of this world, it was hardly because of Erin. Besides, even if she had been kicked out of the Ghostbusters, building and helping others wasn’t something she was ever angry about.

If Erin needed someone to tell her she was perfectly fine, then Lil would do it. No strings attached. Just like she had done with Winter, and to some extent Jamie. With a gentle smile Lil said, “Like I said outside, I’ll answer anything you need help with. I’ll even give you my number if you want to answer anything you forget to ask. Funnily enough you picked a family of people who do this kind of thing a lot. You’ve got to have some luck. ”

Erin didn’t know how or if she could repay Lil’s kindness and graciousness. She seemed to have the right thing to say for every turn she went down or a solid enough answer for every question Erin had. It was funny how for decades of her life, her mind had been filled with question after question. She knew she had more in her. She could feel them drifting around like feathers she couldn’t catch in her brain. But the noise seemed… satiated. The most important one had been given light–she wasn’t alone. This wasn’t some unique neurological flaw. There were other people out there that understood her and experienced the same things as she did, as Lil explained.

Her eyes turned to the coffee in front of her and she did her best to quell the swirl of emotions that had taken over the logical side of her. A small smile turned the corner of her lips upward. “You know it’s funny, I thought I had a thousand more questions but I can’t really remember any of them right now so I don’t want to take up too much of your time right now.” A long sigh slipped from her. Relief in its truest form. She actually felt lighter. “That would–that would be really good, actually.” She pulled her phone out and handed it to Lil. She paused for a moment, watching the younger woman, who held herself and spoke about this whole thing so easily. “I don’t know. I don’t know much about luck if it took me nearly forty years to find someone else going through this. But I’ll take it all the same.”

Erin started to stand, anxious energy still fluttering through her limbs. She needed to walk. To think. To absorb what had just occurred. But before she did that, she paused in front of Lil once more. “Is it–I mean, I don’t usually ask this and if it’s weird, I get that, but–can I give you a hug?”

Lil wasn’t exactly used to this, normally she was telling people bad news, but it seemed like Erin felt more relief than pain. She could understand that. Being seen and known was something Lil had wanted badly when she was younger, to be seen as her own person and not as an extension of her family. It was something that made her reach out to other still, even when the sting of being pushed away hurt.

So, when the other laughed Lil gave a small smile, something very true and gentle. “That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere around here, and I’ll make sure to put you in touch with some others too if you want.” It was bittersweet knowing that Erin did meet other mediums, she would probably be disgusted by Lil - but well she was owed a community even if it was without her. Putting in her number, she made sure to send herself a text so she would know it was Erin if she got messaged. At the idea she shrugged and said, “Better now than never right?”

Thinking that her questions were done for the day Lil stood up gathering her own stuff and new coffee she’d be taking with her to the haunting she probably had to get too she paused a little surprised by the question. “Oh - Yeah sure. I don’t mind at all. ” Lil said, opening her arms for the other thinking that while an odd gesture, it might mean something.

Better now than never was right. Now that Erin had finally had this moment, she couldn’t imagine going through the rest of her life feeling as alone and confused as she had been. Sure, she would have managed, she had this far (sort of), but this felt like something she didn’t want to come back from. This community Lil spoke of was still only a distant concept but it was tangible, a goal to work towards, instead of her continued meandering through the dark.

Erin smiled brightly at Lil’s consent, wrapping her arms tightly but briefly (she knew she was already making this weird enough) around her. She hadn’t realized how badly she even needed this, if she was being completely honest. But before she could let the torrent of emotions build up and spill out, she stepped away, though the little but so sincere smile on her face was still stuck there. “Thank you so much, Lil. And I promise I won’t spam you with questions but I will be keeping in touch. I’m going to be thanking you a lot too. Just forewarning you for my infinite gratitude.” She took a few steps back, slipping back into the anonymity of the coffee shop crowd, feeling lighter than she had when she entered.

#para #para: lil #wickedswriting #para: we see dead people

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twilightmalachite · 1 year ago

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Machina - Epilogue 2

Author: Kino Seitaro (with Akira)

Characters: Mika, Shu, Makoto, Sora

Translator: Mika Enstars

"I’ve been cheated~! It was a mistake to admire ya, Oshi-san!"

Season: Winter

Location: Machina Stage

Shu: The curtain for our stage is about to rise.

Mika: Mhm. In these moments before the performance… I’m always so tense, or rather, excited. My head is strangely clear, but my body’s achin’. ♪

Shu: That’s good tension. Keep it going for the performance.

Kagehira. The digital art you created wasn’t bad as it seemed.

For Machina, I asked you to take an active part in the stage design so as to not put your creative motivation to waste…

But I didn’t expect to end up bringing in something as old-fashioned as CRT TVs.

If these giant monitors are considered state-of-the-art technology, then this is reminiscent of scrap art. Was that contrast intentional?

Mika: Ehehe, are ya praisin’ me, Oshi-san?

I am real glad ya didn’t yell at me, though. I really like this stage turned out, y’know.

When I heard that we could use video in our production, it all jus’ clicked.

Waaay back, when I’d go to the garbage dump, at times there’d be lots of illegally dumped TVs and such like this.

It cost money to properly dispose of that sorta stuff, right? Some of them would be fully intact, to me it looked like a treasure trove.

I didn’t use ‘em ‘cuz I felt that my work in the Test World looked like worthless garbage to ya, Oshi-san.

Though a world like that might appear worthless to some people. But it was fun t’be able to relax and create a work of art while rememberin’ how I felt back then…♪

I found myself thinkin’ “Ahh, I really do admire Oshi-san” again.

Shu: Hmph. The moment I go soft on you, you get carried away… No matter the means, rubbish is still rubbish.

I allowed it this time because it happened to fit the theme, but I cannot allow you to pick things up from the dumpster.

Mika: Nnah, I-I thought we’ve been over this!

We decided in the end to not meddle with each other’s personal items! Are ya gonna insist that I’m wrong again?

Mika: I’ve been cheated~! It was a mistake to admire ya, Oshi-san!

Shu: Non! I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant for you is—

Makoto: (whispering) It’s about to begin, both of you!

Sora: (whispering) Get into position!

Shu: …Ahem. We’ll talk about this later. For now, let’s focus on the performance.

Mika: …Right. It’d be rude t’the audience if we were arguin’ on stage!

Shall we then, Oshi-san?

We’ve gotta deliver our songs to those waitin’ for our work, right?

Mika: There are those that like us, of course, but there’s also those who hold grudges and those who are skeptical of us.

Especially to those who flamed Oshi-san’s SNS and those who got caught up in the Test World fiasco, we probably don’t look good to ‘em.

Even so, if they try to listenin’ to our songs, even fer a little bit, we’ll do our best to reach their hearts with our song! ♪

“♪~♪~”

Shu: …Hehe.

You’ve improved once again, Kagehira. What a well-tuned singing voice.

You may be clumsy, but I recognize your passion for art.

The electronic world may be built of the binary variables zero and one, but only humans hold the variable of emotion. And the one who makes it shine the brightest right now is you. I hope you will continue to improve.

There is so much in this world—many different principles, ideologies, financial standings, races, and genders.

And there is no small number of those whom I find to be the most distasteful human beings. And alive.

However, art exists to provoke questions of its viewer, putting aside such notions.

Nothing in this world is convenient. It is frustrating, but it by no means is a dead end. In this labyrinth, we can still progress, even whilst asking ourselves the same questions.

Shu: Even if the created world comes to its end conveniently at the hand of a god upon a machine. Reality has us lose our way, sometimes we stray down the wrong path, but we continue on regardless.

Through this miserable reality… I hope we can walk together for a long time.

With you, an existence so different from mine.

“♪~ ♪~”

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#machina #event #translation #mika kagehira #shu itsuki #makoto yuuki #sora harukawa

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recoveringdreamer · 1 year ago

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TIMING: current PARTIES: @rn-zane & @recoveringdreamer LOCATION: the grit pit SUMMARY: zane looks into the grit pit and meets one of the fighters there. they aren't what he expects. CONTENT WARNINGS: domestic abuse, emotional abuse

It’d been a rough night. The weekend ones always were. Fighting against beasts and creatures that were mostly mindless was one thing, even if Felix still felt guilty about it after the fact each time. But fighting against people like him? Other shifters, or the undead, or even fae? People who he knew probably didn’t want to be there any more than they did, people who hadn’t asked for the hand they’d been dealt? That was so much harder. Felix always felt like shit after.

Tonight was no different. They’d done a real number on the lamia they’d been up against. She hadn’t gotten up off the mat at the end of the fight, though they’d made sure they could still hear her heart beating before they’d been shoved out of the ring. Knowing she’d survived the fight did little to help the guilt that was eating away at them, and the congratulatory slap on the back Leo had delivered as they’d shuffled down the hall only made things worse. Felix felt sick as they changed in the locker room, hoping to get out as soon as possible, to go home where they could just relax until the next fight.

Pulling their shirt over their head, Felix carefully shifted each part of themself back into something more human. No more walking outside with their tail still swinging behind them or their ears still twitching on their head — not after what had happened with that warden. When they were satisfied, they ducked out of the locker room… nearly running directly into someone. “Sorry,” they mumbled, still staring at their feet. “Uh… ‘scuse me.”

—

A name like The Grit Pit felt fitting considering how the place had been described to Zane but somehow, also too rhyme-y and humorous for somewhere people could get hurt as badly as the vampire he’d met. It had been a chance conversation, brought on by the nurse unceremoniously staring at another customer at Masque, taking in their still healing wounds and scars. The other vampire had snapped at first but softened upon realizing that Zane was indeed also undead, coupled with him staring out of medical curiosity and empathy. Their talk hadn’t been long, cut short by the vampire’s anxious energy to ‘get back’, but it had been enlightening all the same.

Arriving here alone felt like a stupid idea, as if showing up wasn’t dumb enough to begin with, but if one badly wounded vampire had stepped out of this place then more were sure to follow. As far as disguises went, a dark hoodie and cap, coupled with the reading glasses he rarely used, wasn’t exactly top tier but in this array of people, Zane didn’t stick out. Once inside and witnessing the fighting? That’s where he distanced himself from the crowd, horror-struck by the display of violence and even more so, the people cheering and betting on the results.

Most of the creatures inside were unfamiliar to him, some mostly humans and others definitely not. The two inside the designated fighting area looked human enough to twist Zane’s stomach with unease, hands clenched by his side the whole way through. It seemed to go on forever, slashing and biting and blood until suddenly, one of them didn’t get back up. As soon as the fighting came to its abrupt stop, Zane snapped from the horrified trance. He shouldn’t be here. He was out of his depth and surrounded by violence and blood and which way was the exit?

Stumbling past people and keeping his head down, panic rising with every person that bumped into him, Zane fumbled blindly for what he hoped was the exit until someone… apologized? Finally daring to look up, he stared at the slightly familiar face until recognition hit him. “Oh! Uh, no, I’m sorry.” It was much quieter here but he was definitely nowhere near the exit. “Are you… okay? I saw the, uh…” Trailing off, head jerking vaguely towards the loud cheering, Zane instantly regretted asking the question.

–

He saw the match. Felix realized how the sentence was going to end, even if the stranger never actually ended it. It took everything they had not to wince at the insinuation. Confusion flooded them as the rest of the stranger’s statement seemed to settle. He was asking if they were all right? They were the one who’d practically torn a lamia apart, left her unable to get up off the floor. Why would anyone be worried about Felix right now?

Unless… Was it kindness driving the question, or was this man trying to figure out how to make his next bet? Trying to determine if the prize fighter had taken any hits that might prevent them from snatching their next victory? Trying to decide how much money he should put down on the following night’s match?

Chancing a glance up, Felix looked at the stranger for a moment. All at once, that suspicion died in the balam’s chest, shriveling and dissolving. The stranger had kind eyes. The look he was giving Felix was one of genuine concern. There was no predatory survey, no analytical gaze.

“I wasn’t the one who ended up on the floor,” Felix replied, averting their eyes again as they shrugged. Guilt clung to the words, hung around them like a shroud. They didn’t deserve the concern the man was showing them; they weren’t the victim here, they were the perpetrator. “You should probably be asking that question to… somebody else.” He didn’t even know her name, the woman he’d beaten tonight. Probably never would, now. Losing a match that badly tended to void a contract, or at least earn a disgraced fighter lower ranked matches in the future. The lamia, if she stayed with the Pit, would probably be reduced to fighting spawns and ghouls on weeknights now.

—

This looked nothing like the half-human, half-big cat Zane had seen just moments ago, all claws and teeth and fury. This person looked so wary, eyes completely devoid of trust the second they shifted up to finally meet his own. His completely unnecessary breathing hitched at the look - too many people had looked at him this way, or worse, the last few weeks. Distrust, fear, emotions the vampire wasn’t used to seeing pointed his way. Sure, a patient or two might panic when he walked in with the IV cannulas but that was fear of the role he played, not him specifically.

Suspicion melted away as quickly as it had appeared, the stranger’s meek attitude returning in its place. Zane ached for them - this wasn’t someone who wanted to fight. Did anyone in here? Through the aching boiled anger, whether at the person behind all this or the people out there, completely devoid of empathy, drinking and making bets and keeping this whole operation going. “Yeah, well, I’m asking you.” His voice was soft, a tone he hadn’t used in a while since his extended break from the hospital. The kind of tone that implied his question wasn’t purely directed at physical pain.

A new roar of gleeful shouting reminded Zane where he was, still inside this wretched place, with nothing stopping him from leaving, per say. “I… sorry, this is gonna come across as super weird and forward but do you wanna… go somewhere quiet to talk?” Definitely weird, definitely creepy. “It’s just, I met someone who came from here and I have… questions, I guess. Which you probably have no interest in answering, now that I think about it. Sorry.”

—

He was asking them. And he had this look in his eye, the kind that said he wasn’t asking so he could figure out where to hedge his bets, the kind that said he might be asking because he actually cared about the answer. Felix looked down at their feet as if their shoes might hold all the answers of the universe, too-long laces sweeping the floor. Did they deserve to be asked about how they were doing, after that fight? They’d nearly killed a woman tonight, would probably nearly kill someone else tomorrow. It was silly, someone being worried about their well-being.

Carefully, Felix shrugged a shoulder, lifting it up and dropping it back down in a listless sort of way. Like a puppet with someone standing above it pulling its strings with unskilled hands. The metaphor was kind of funny, in an awful sort of way. They felt a bit like a puppet sometimes, like the contract they’d signed had tied them up in string and given someone else all the control. But no one was forcing them to fight with such brutality in the ring. The people Felix hurt, that was on them. They could have taken a few more blows instead of dishing them out. They knew that.

Looking up again, Felix met the stranger’s eyes briefly before dropping their gaze. “I don’t know how much I can tell you, man.” Parts of what they did here were blocked off from conversation, tied up in the fine print of that contract. They’d found quiet ways around it, because they were good at that. But they were already in the midst of their latest punishment — they weren’t sure how much more they could take. “But we can go somewhere quiet, if you want. I, uh…” They winced as another muffled cheer rose up from the crowd out in the stands, trying not to think about what might make them so excited. “I’d like quiet right now, I think. Come on. I know a place.”

—

Zane was pretty sure he was pushing it. The person in front of him looked so dejected, feelings that felt eerily familiar to the vampire visible in the creases of their face. Guilt, shame… or maybe Zane was just projecting and this stranger just wanted to be left alone, felt awkward being accosted by someone he didn’t know. These presumed feelings looked even more visible in the fighter’s eyes, despite how briefly he looked up. And then Zane had his answer.

“Of course, my bad for asking, I-” he’d already started to ramble, to apologize, but the shifter continued. Zane hadn’t overstepped and despite everything else, it seemed he still had his knack for knowing when someone needed support. Even if it was from a complete stranger. Relieved that the horrifying trip here might not turn out to be a complete waste, he nodded at the suggestion to go somewhere else, not caring whether he got any answers at this point. He’d come here to see if there was anyway to help those that couldn’t exactly get help elsewhere, right? Maybe it didn’t just need to be fixing up physical cuts and scrapes.

With yet another nod, afraid that he might say the wrong thing and destroy this sliver of trust that had somehow managed to form between the two of them, Zane followed. Away from the crowd, he allowed himself to pull off the silly cap and glasses, stuffing them away, the curls that were now in desperate need of a trim popping up. “My name is Zane, by the way. You don’t… you don’t have to tell me yours if you don’t want to.��

—

Immediately, they felt guilty. For not answering the questions, for not being able to provide details, for… being here at all. The feeling swirled in their chest like murky water, filling their lungs and threatening to drown them. The stranger didn’t mean to elicit this response — Felix could tell. He seemed kind, and his concern seemed genuine. And still, Felix felt guilty. And then, somehow, felt guilty for feeling guilty, as if their own private emotions were some hidden manipulation.

“No,” they said, maybe a little too quickly, “it’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry or anything. Just, um, you know, I have a — a nondisclosure thing. In my contract.” Which was a lot more binding than a normal contract, though Felix made no mention of that. It was easier to let it seem as though his silence was due to fear of legal consequences rather than… supernatural consequences. Easier for most people to understand, to believe, to wrap their heads around. And… less of a problem, too. Everyone had their own issues, after all; Felix didn’t want to add to those of a stranger with their own problems, especially considering they’d gotten themself into this mess from the start.

They led the stranger — Zane, evidently — away from the muffled shouts of the crowd, down a hall. “There used to be offices back here, I think,” they rambled absently. “Nobody uses them anymore, though. There’s a boiler room right… here.” They opened the door, ducking inside and letting the walls block off the noise from outside. In here, you could barely hear the excitement of the fights at all. Felix relaxed a little away from the noise, sighing. “Felix,” they said quietly. “My name is Felix. Um, I’m sorry. For… I know I’m… It’s weird, right? Sorry.”

—

It was still a bit unclear if Zane’s presence was making the fighter so uncomfortable or if he was just an anxious type in general. He didn’t feel that he was being too pushy, didn’t feel like he was intimidating except maybe for his build but that couldn’t very well be controlled. Guilty about causing this situation, as much as the other tried to make it seem like it was okay, Zane tried to remember the point of it. He was here in some vain attempt to help - whether it be the anxious tiger person or someone else.

With the atmosphere instantly calmer the second the ruckus died down, Zane got a brief respite from the guilt ridden thoughts. He wasn’t doing anything wrong being here, wasn’t hurting anyone by just talking. The fighter wouldn’t need to say anything that might break this contract. Letting the other ramble on, a feeling of kinship growing because the vampire also didn’t like silence, constantly trying to fill it even when he knew the quiet was sometimes a good thing.

Inside the boiler room, Zane’s body language mirrored the other’s, tension melting away in the calm room. It was funny, feeling so much calmer alone somewhere with a person he’d seen viciously tearing someone else apart just moments before. Maybe that was him being too trusting, again, and he quickly quieted down a warning that sounded eerily like Emilio, reminding him that he was bound to get himself hurt again.

A small chuckle escaped him at Felix’s apology and Zane’s eyebrows raised. “You’re weird? I came here dressed like a bad undercover narc, started bombarding you with questions and then asked if we could go somewhere quiet. I’m surprised you didn’t pepperspray me or something.” Smiling, genuinely for the first time this evening, Zane gave the room a quick once over before settling on lowering himself down to the floor. Feet crossing, the smile turning a bit more comforting, he nodded towards the floor as if Felix needed an invitation to join him. Honestly, they probably did, looking about ready to crawl out of their skin at any moment.

“I don’t want you to do anything that gets you in trouble, just so we’re clear. I just… You seemed a bit more approachable than everyone else in here and I guess I’m just trying to… understand this all? If that’s even possible.”

—

It was easier to hear themself think in the quiet of the boiler room. The shouts of the crowd were still present — Felix’s ears were always sharper after a fight, when the shift hadn’t yet left them completely — but they seemed so much farther away now. Like they were happening someplace else, like it wasn’t something Felix had to worry about quite as much anymore. It was a ridiculous notion, of course; the crowd was something they would always have to worry about. They’d always be a slave to those cheers the same way they were a slave to their contract. Whether or not the crowd liked you, in the Grit Pit, could be a question of life or death.

But it wasn’t the only dangerous thing hanging overhead.

Zane spoke again, mentioning that he was dressed like a narc and bombarding the balam with questions and asking to go someplace quiet, and all the tension that had melted away from the fighter’s shoulders upon entering the boiler room returned in full force. Had they made a mistake in engaging with Zane? Did he mean them harm now?

“I — I can fight,” they warned, eyeing Zane warily now. “If you were thinking of trying something. You should know I can fight. You — You saw.” But Zane didn’t seem like a threat now any more than he had in the hallway outside. They’d thought Zane looked kind before, and that hadn’t changed. He wasn’t scary, wasn’t giving off bad vibes. Even the jaguar seemed at ease.

But questions could be dangerous, too. Felix shifted their weight between their feet, looking down. “I don’t know how to explain it,” they admitted. “I’m — There’s a contract. I can’t talk about it much.” He hoped the emphasis might help get the point across, but Zane would have to have… previous knowledge in order for that to work. He’d have to know a thing or two about fae, for starters, and Felix had no idea if he did. But it was something, at least. A hint. It was the best they could really offer.

—

For all his supposed people skills inside the hospital, Zane clearly wasn’t handling this situation very well. A joke had been the farthest thing from a good idea right now, making Felix bristle suddenly and eye the vampire like a threat once more. It didn’t feel any less like a gut punch the second time around and he shrunk in on himself, guilt settling its roots deeper. “I… I know you can fight and I definitely don’t want that!” he said quickly, voice earnest and tinged with desperation. “Sorry, bad joke. And I can’t fight for shit if that makes you feel any better.”

A morsel of information was provided and Zane’s brows furrowed, the weight of that one word hanging around. Can’t. Not ‘won’t’ or ‘shouldn’t’, but as if there was something holding them back. Or threatening them. Considering just how much madness took place here, the fact that the person in front of him could turn into a giant cat and Zane only needed blood for sustenance, the odds of this ‘something’ behind Felix’s emphasis being of the regular variety were… slim. “I see,” he finally said, voice soft yet contemplative. “Someone like you, someone this strong, you wouldn’t be afraid of someone hurting you…” he mused out loud, trying to gather his limited knowledge of everything odd and strange to come to a conclusion.

Before any sort of progress could be made, slow as it was, the sound of someone calling Felix’s carried through the door. Zane looked to the fighter, scrambling quickly to his feet. Would they get in trouble for talking to him? No, that was insane. They were just… old friends, catching up in an empty boiler room as friends did.

—

A joke. You’re too jumpy, Fe. You’re embarrassing yourself. The old whispers crawled into their head, making a home between their ears as they swallowed. Right. Of course Zane was only joking — he’d done nothing to make himself out to be a threat at all so far, and Felix didn’t see that changing. He was just… trying to talk. And Felix was jumpy and suspicious and a million other things that Zane hadn’t earned. “Sorry,” they mumbled, rubbing sheepishly at the back of their neck.

He seemed to pick up on the implication behind the phrasing, and that was good, wasn’t it? That meant he knew that Felix wasn’t just being uncooperative. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, because no one could, but maybe he could warn the next person. They watched as Zane seemed to attempt to puzzle out the situation, wondering if there was any hope of a correct guess. If he didn’t know much about fae, the answer would certainly be no. How could you guess something you knew nothing about? It was hopeless, but it could be worse.

As if to offer proof of that, Leo’s voice sounded outside the boiler room, and Felix tensed. Any openness that had been on their features before was gone now, shut down and replaced with an aching sort of fear. There was a knock on the door. Leo knew Felix came here sometimes, because Leo still knew Felix far better than they’d like to admit.

“Fe? You in there? Come out. Now.” The doorknob began to turn, and Felix straightened, squaring their shoulders like they were preparing for war.

They stiffened as the door swung open. “I’m — That was my last fight of the night,” they said quickly. “I was just going to go home. I’ll pick up my check tomorrow.”

“Who the fuck is this?” Leo didn’t acknowledge anything Felix said at all, eyes locked onto Zane with a stormy expression.

“Nobody! He got lost, I was — I was gonna show him the exit. Right?”

—

The worried panic Zane felt was mirrored and amplified tenfold in Felix, who looked just about ready to fight for their life. If he’d felt tense just seconds before, the vampire now felt every muscle tighten, jaw setting at the fear displayed on the fighter’s face. They’d mentioned just a few minutes ago that they could fight and Zane could vouch for that fact so… what on Earth would make them this petrified? The answer came in the form of a demand ringing through the door and his eyes narrowed, discomfort crawling down his spine. Zane didn’t like the sound of that at all.

As the door swung open, Zane took a step forward, making himself the closest target as the newcomer appeared. Eyes, filled with distrust, squared up this man just as he did the same to the vampire, Felix’s frantic explanations in the background forcing Zane to hold back from balling up his hands. It didn’t seem like this guy, whatever his relation to Felix, needed any reason to swing at him, judging by the anger in his eyes.

Felix’s lie was weak. He knew it and the person making Felix so nervous knew it, too. Zane also knew from tragic experience and shared stories that this man would let the shifter go through with the lie, if only to get this outsider away as quickly as possible. He’d stood up to these kinds of people before, ones that came rushing into the ER, demanded that the patient Zane was patching up leave with them immediately. They all had the same angry, possessive look in their eyes. Sometimes his patients left without a word, eyes defeated as they let themselves get dragged back into the thing that had put them in the ER to begin with. Other times, they said no and nothing gave Zane more purpose than being able to ask security to escort the awful excuses for a partner out of the hospital.

It felt like Felix deserved that chance, too.

“You really shouldn’t speak to them like that, you know. To anyone, for that matter.” Zane refused to be the first to break this staring contest, for the first time this evening thankful that his build made him a little bit intimidating. “But yeah, Felix was going to show me to the exit. You got a problem with that?” Heavily implied by his posture, the way he’d positioned himself to step between Felix and this asshole if needed, suggested to the man that it would be better for everyone if he didn’t have a problem with it.

—

Leo’s gaze burned a hole through Felix’s eyes, and they couldn’t hold the eye contact for more than a heartbeat before looking down at their feet. It hadn’t always been like this. That was what they told themself, at least. Maybe Leo had always been possessive — insisting that Felix move in with him and cut off all contact with their family, discouraging them from making friends due to their ‘quirks,’ that other people might find odd, telling them they didn’t need a job up until the moment he’d tricked them into signing up with the Grit Pit — but Felix told themself that, at least in the beginning, it came from a place of love. Their father’s house had been a bad environment for them, and they hadn’t been happy there. And they probably wouldn’t have made many friends back then, either. They’d still been relearning how to be a person. And — And they would have been bad at a job for the same reasons. Wouldn’t they?

They’d spent years clinging to those excuses, and it was hard not to fall back on them now. They couldn’t pretend that there was no part of them that wanted Leo to be a good man, because what did it say about them if he wasn’t? Weren’t people defined by the ones they loved? And hadn’t Felix loved Leo with everything they’d had? Didn’t part of them love him still, even after everything? The thought made them a little sick, and they shifted their weight uncertainly.

To their surprise, Zane spoke back to Leo. He stood up for them in a way people so rarely did, and it should have felt good but it made their throat go dry. Being on Leo’s radar wasn’t a good thing, and Zane had just planted himself there pretty firmly. Felix glanced up nervously to see their ex’s attention on the other man now, expression stormy.

“They’re my employee,” he said tightly, eyes flickering back over to Felix at the word. Felix looked away again quickly. “I can talk to them however I like. It’s not like they care. Right, Fe?”

Felix lifted their shoulder and dropped it listlessly, still looking at the ground. “It’s okay,” they said to Zane, trying to… diffuse the situation. It had always been the role they fell into, both with their father and with Leo. Ever the mediator, Felix would set themself aside to stop arguments from rising up between everyone else.

Leo continued glaring at Zane, but the threat of a fight was enough to make him relent. He’d never been much of a fighter, despite his profession placing him in charge of a few of them. Tilting his chin up, he turned his attention back to Felix. “Fine,” he said, waving a hand. “Show your friend the door. But you’re in early tomorrow. Four o’clock.”

Felix only nodded. Leo remained a moment longer before stalking off, and Felix slumped. “Sorry,” he muttered to Zane. “I’m sorry about him. I just — Sorry.”

—

With every averted gaze from the shifter, every haughty look from the employee, Zane’s anger grew. He wanted to talk to this man the way he was talking to Felix, wanted to shove him up against the wall and demand an apology for thinking they could treat someone this way. It wouldn’t make anything better, though. Felix already looked stressed enough that Zane had escalated the situation and honestly, it was the only thing holding him back at the moment. A slightly terrifying thought for someone who’d never thought himself to really be violent but the way the nickname was sneered…

Zane allowed himself to deflate at Felix’s words, even as his own burned his tongue. It didn’t stop him from glaring at the man who thought his influence would have any effect on the vampire, neither did it make Zane move from the protective stance lodged between the two. So the poor excuse for a man finally relented, throwing out one last command in some pathetic attempt to prove that he’d won this discussion, as if conversations were something to be won.

As soon as the threatening presence was gone, Zane switched gears immediately, the softness from before returning with renewed vigor. No wonder Felix had been so hesitant to talk, so quick to jump to conclusions that Zane’s intentions were anything but pure, albeit dumb. “You have nothing to be sorry about,” he insisted, huffing out a breath when he realized the anger at the other man was still lacing his words. “He’s the one that should be sorry. You’re… I’m sorry. That you have to deal with him. Come on, let’s get out of here before he thinks of more ways to be a dick.”

It was a relief to finally see the exit but Zane couldn’t leave quite yet. “I… I’m not trying to be pushy or weird or anything but… If you ever need someone to talk to. About stuff not related to the stuff you can’t talk about, just anything really then… I’m a decent listener. Totally get it if sharing with strangers isn’t your thing, though.” He wanted to offer to walk Felix home, wanted to try and offer some semblance of security to this person who clearly hadn’t felt safe in a long time but it was bound to cause more problems than it solved. “Just… seems like you could use a friend.”

—

Leo skulked off, and Zane’s whole demeanor changed right along with Felix’s. While Felix deflated, Zane seemed to soften, turning to Felix with an expression of empathy and righteous anger. But not anger towards Felix, they realized. Zane’s rage was reserved entirely for Leo, on behalf of Felix. And that felt nice, even if they were still a little disoriented from the confrontation. There were only a few people who knew about Leo’s existence and his relationship with Felix at all, fewer still who took Felix’s side on the matter. That was what happened when you found yourself in a relationship with someone who surrounded you with their friends and their coworkers while distancing you from your own — you had no allies when things went south. It did a good job of making Felix think that they were the one in the wrong, somehow, that they were to blame for all the things that had happened when their relationship blew up and all the ways Leo made them feel in the aftermath.

But then came people like Zane, who had no real skin in the game but reacted like this anyway. Like Leo was wrong, like Felix was right. It made them feel warm, even if it was a little terrifying. Even if they still couldn’t look Zane in the eye as he spoke to them with an anger not directed towards them at all, with a protectiveness they weren’t entirely sure they’d earned. Their gaze remained locked on the ground the way it had since the moment Leo entered the conversation, their arms crossed over their chest and their shoulders hunched as if they thought they could make themself disappear if they only made themself smaller.

Leaving sounded like a really good idea, though, so Felix nodded. “Yeah,” they agreed. “You — You don’t have to be sorry, though. Thank you. For, uh… Talking to him.” Felix could count on one hand the number of times they’d confronted Leo themself, and none had ended particularly well for them. Every time, when it was over and Felix was suffering the consequences, Leo would say the same thing: I don’t know why you do this to yourself. The words lived in their head like an echo, even now. But… Zane stepping in for them helped make them fade a little. They felt farther away now, and Felix was glad for it.

The exit sign looked like an angelic presence glowing in the hall, and more of the tension Leo’s presence had left in its wake slipped from the balam’s shoulders at the sight of it. Their back straightened a little, their arms loosened. It was good to have a way out. “You’re not,” they said, looking to Zane. “Being pushy, I mean. It’s — I appreciate it. You, uh… Caring. You’re right, I… I really could use a friend. But I don’t — I mean, I don’t want to drag you into my… my bullshit, you know? A lot of it is just, it’s my own fault anyway, you know? And you’re probably busy, and you’ve got your own things going on, and you shouldn’t… You shouldn’t have to deal with it. Deal with me. I’m kind of a lot.”

—

It was no surprise that Felix continued excusing themselves, even being grateful for the small effort of simply putting that asshole in his place. It made Zane assured in his decision to step up - even if it caused problems for him down the road, it was worth it. If it caused trouble for Felix down the road however… Well, at the moment there seemed to be a sliver of light within the fighter and Zane took it as the tiny win it was.

Zane was glad that he wasn’t pushing his luck, barrelling down boundaries and making everyone uncomfortable. Less pleasing was the implied meaning behind Felix’s words, that they didn’t deserve a friend. It hung there, unspoken, between the excuses being spoken. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t have a problem of… too many friends. So I can deal with a lot, although I doubt you are.” Smiling, hoping that the small tidbit of depression information made Felix feel at all better about their own situation, Zane pushed at the door.

“If you don’t feel like checking in, that’s totally fine. But I’d… like to hear from you. At least to make sure that stepping up to that idiot back there didn’t cause you too much trouble.” He hesitated, wanting to say more but knowing he’d said all there was to say. Until Felix hopefully contacted him again. With another smile and a small wave, Zane let the door close behind him.

—

Zane was kind. People usually weren’t, within the walls of the Grit Pit. Occasionally, someone would walk in who was an exception to the rule — Gael watched the fights from time to time, after all — but for the most part, Felix considered the patrons of the Pit almost as bad as the people running it. They might not have known the details behind the fights, but there was something at least a little fucked up about finding entertainment in the bloodshed of strangers. But Zane was kind, and Felix felt both lucky and undeserving of that kindness.

“Yeah,” they said quietly, “me either.” But that didn’t really need saying, did it? Of course Felix wasn’t someone who had a lot of friends; one look at them could probably confirm as much. They were nervous, they were uncertain, they were bad at conversation. But Zane wanted to deal with them anyway. There’d been a time when they were sure no one would, when they’d thought they were lucky that even Leo wanted them around. They were starting to break free from that line of thinking, but… it was a process. The ‘slow and painful’ kind.

Sucking their teeth for a moment, Felix nodded. “Okay,” they agreed. “Yeah, no, I — I’d like that. I’ll reach out. And you — You stay safe, okay?” They could only hope that this whole thing wouldn’t wind up causing more problems for Zane or themself. They weren’t sure how they’d cope with it if Zane paid for his kindness somehow. “I, uh… I’ll see you around, Zane. And thanks. For everything.”

#zane: non disclosure claws #rn zane #wickedswriting #domestic abuse tw #emotional abuse tw

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daxtoncity · 2 years ago

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Friends

So besides the incredibly vague title alone, this post is gonna explain something, a little bit different. As the sole creator of Daxton’s storyline, the underlaying basis of just, Daxton’s foundation in general, what I say, simply, GOES AND I THINK THAT’S INCREDIBLY FAIR RIGHT IM NOT CRAZY-

That being said, the characters that I’m gonna briefly mention here with my own summaries, they all have one thing in common: I didn’t make them.

My friends did, and the friends that did go out of their way to create something that I have been workshopping for such an incredibly long amount of time, it’s been in hiatus after hiatus as I got older, but when I met these people through this HELLSITE, they pushed me to keep going, and this is easily the longest and most effort that I have outputted into Daxton’s development, I mean I have names for locations AND EVEN THEN AT LIKE 13 AND STUFF, I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE LAST NAMES FOR SOME OF THESE CHARACTERS AND THE FACT ALONE THAT I AM ENVISIONING PLACES NOW, THAT MIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT BUT TO ME THAT’S MONUMENTAL

So the best way that I can even begin to repay these friends of mine, is, simply this: These characters, are, absolutely canon. They started out as OCs for my dumb little universe created by these wonderful people, and now as the creator and owner of Daxton, I’m making them canon.

Without further ado, It’d be my honor to introduce these one of kind creations.

The following two were created by my friend @alicethecoffeeaddict, Andromeda and Vergil, a pair of demonic siblings, Andromeda, a confident, no shit taking, proud of her sexuality succubus, and Vergil, a friendly, albeit introverted compared to his sister, incubus who works a side life as a nurse. That’s all I’m gonna say about them at the moment, you read this and wanna know about them more?? GO TO ALICE AND YELL AT HER TO MAKE MORE CONTENT OF THEM--

This one, ohohohoh, this one, is a, PERSONAL, favorite of mine. Created by one of my absolute bestest buds in the entire world, @sutasaido, Heartbeat is the city’s most beloved entertained, donning a helmet with a heart shaped electronic screen visualizing a rhythmic heartbeat tempo on the front, he’s a talented musician that has not a single struggle in the world to put all of Daxton’s hands up, rest of the world must have missed his hype tho-GO YELL AT ELI TO GET MORE HEARTBEAT CONTENT

The second to the couple of last ones, sadly, I can’t tag on here because he doesn’t use Tumblr anymore, but if you scroll by and read this and wonder who this is, my buddy John aka MossyPebble, you’ve MOST DEF HAVE SEEN THAT NAME IF YOU’RE AROUND THESE PARTS, but he created probably one of the most INTRICATELY DESIGNED AND FUCKIN BADASS CHARACTERS, the evangelical automaton created by man to protect them from every and all threats in the city, and even the world at such a scale, named Gehenna. However, reduced time shared along with humans thanks to ungrateful creators locking him away into the depths of their compounds poisoned his advanced thinking and labeled humans as their own greatest danger. Now, like I said, JOHN ISN’T ON HERE ANYMORE BUT I WILL SAY THAT IF HE DOES MAKE MORE ABOUT GEHENNA I WILL LET Y’ALL KNOW

Now, the very last ones, for now anyone, have been crafted by someone who is, easily, my greatest friend and my overall empowering form of inspiration with just how incredibly creative she is, it is, very easy, to label as most definitely my biggest supporter, @flowerthornsart, without her I don’t think some entire sections of Daxton to this day would have been getting coats of polish slathered on with how much she encourages me to keep going with this, so of course-

Mantis is the first hero I wanna talk about, plagued by floating remnants of her villainous and monstrous mother’s reigning terror, Mantis is determined to take that once ruined verbal imagery of someone so murderous and fraught with danger, and replace it with the shining, welcoming sight of a sweetened heart and comforting aura belonging to one who knows what it means to be a hero, that not allowing anyone to hinder your actions and the determination that backs up one’s selflessness, is all that it takes. And last but not least, Iris, an abandoned science project given form, the spunky and gremlin like slime cryptid lovingly lingers in Daxton’s Undercity, reclaiming once lost subway systems as her own housing, she’s later discovered by the band of heroes following Blade, and the crew gained yet another irreplaceable fragment to weld with the grander picture of it all. AND FINALLY, GO YELL AT TERESA IF YOU WANT MORE-

Much like before, THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE FOR YOU AS OF NOW, THE VILLAINS ARE ARRIVING SOON BUT I WANTED TO GET THIS OUT AND ABOUT AND HAVE A FRESH AIR AROUND IT ALL ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY THIS CAST CONSISTS OF YOU GUYS WHO I TAGGED I LOVE Y’ALL DEARLY AND I WILL FOREVER BE INDEBTED TO THE KINDNESS YOU GUYS GIVE ME <3

#text #text post #daxton #daxton city #andromeda #vergil #heartbeat #gehenna #mantis #iris #character introduction #friends characters #I DO #WANNA STRESS #THAT ANYWHERE ELSE I WILL PROBABLY STILL CALL THEM OCS OUT OF JUST STRAIGHT UP #ROUTINE #BUT TO ME THESE CHARACTERS ARE INDEED CANON TO THE DAXTON STORY #AND IF ANY FRIEND DOESN'T WANT THEM TO BE CANON I CAN ABSOLUTELY RECIND IT AND JUST FIX IT UP S'ALL GOOD :DDDDD #ALSOY'ALLIHOPEIDIDY'ALLSCHARACTERSJUSTICETHISISHOWISEETHEMANDWHATY'ALLHAVETOLDME

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aeoki · 2 years ago

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High and Low: The Centre of the Earth - Chapter 8

Location: ES II Lobby Characters: Hajime & Midori

Season: Autumn Writer: Akira

TL Note:

Tokusatsu / 特撮 (lit. special effects) refers to Japanese films and dramas that make use of practical special effects. Examples of these kinds of works include Godzilla, Ultraman and the Power Rangers.

Midori: My ears kinda hurt… It’s only natural, though. Only those who put in the effort win in the end.

If anything, it’d be even weirder for someone like me, who isn’t motivated and doesn’t put the effort in, to win.

Hajime: Ah, I didn’t mean to criticise you or anything, Takamine-kun.

I’m sorry. I know I should get my act together but I might still be feeling a bit insecure. So that’s why I’m probably not very considerate right now.

I’m getting a little scared. It feels as if I’ve been dreaming this whole time. It doesn’t feel real.

The first idols I saw when I was younger were the kind of performers who sang and danced on TV.

But the social status of that mere artist grew bigger bit by bit and they’re attempting to take over the entire world now.

It sounds crazy, doesn’t it…? It sounds like something straight from a fantasy novel.

But the world we live in is most definitely gradually being repainted the way ES wishes.

A world of idols, by idols, for idols… It’s the perfect place for us who are idols.

But it seems somewhat scary.

I think it would make a lovely storybook, though.

But I’m not suited in becoming one of the characters in that story.

It feels as if I’m adding on to something bad, something that mustn’t exist, and that scares me.

Midori: It scares you, huh. I kinda get what you mean.

What you said was pretty outspoken but there’s no point in us thinking about big stuff like that, right?

We’re powerless… We’re just kids who, surprisingly, can’t do anything.

Someone out there is writing a story and making idols the protagonist.

They’re probably someone you’re close to like a bigwig from StarPro or CosPro – Someone who has the power to change the world.

We’re powerless within that “big wave” those people have created. No matter how much we kick and struggle, it’s no use.

Even if we frantically fight against them, we’ll just end up like how “Crazy:B” was in summer: squished like a grape and put an end to right there and then.

Hajime: They looked like they were defeated but they were oddly still full of life, though.

Midori: But, in the end, nothing changed even after all that ruckus they made. They did manage to slightly change ES and their idols’ way of thinking, including us.

But “Crazy:B’s” buzzing wasn’t enough to reach very far.

That hasn’t affected anything overseas like this “ES II”. ES is still working to achieve their initial goal to “create a utopia for idols”.

No one can stop them now… At the very least, it’s impossible for us.

The world isn’t so conveniently built just for us and I’ve got no reason to stop them, anyway.

The career path and the line of work I just happened to choose, in order words, idols will just continue to grow and expand. To be honest, that’s a convenient turn of events for me.

That’s why I don’t feel the urge to stop that “big wave”.

Hajime: I-It’s not as though I’m dissatisfied with how ES does things.

But it feels somewhat obscure and scary.

The world I once knew is changing bit by bit… That’s something very, very scary.

Midori: Yeah… I know what you mean. If only time could stop while we’re content and happy with our ordinary everyday lives.

I’d be surrounded by mascot characters in my bed back home and sleeping without a care in the world.

Every morning, Morisawa-senpai would come and wake me up.

I’d complain while we head to school together, talk about trivial stuff with my friends Tetora-kun and Shinobu-kun in the classroom…

After school, we’d meet up with our upperclassmen and Shinkai-senpai would kindly teach us how to do stuff while Morisawa-senpai shows us some weird tokusatsu[*] video…

I’d go home exhausted, have a delicious meal with my family and fall asleep without dreaming.

If only those days could go on forever and ever.

Hajime: …………

Midori: Our upperclassmen graduated and they started working towards their goals to resolve their personal issues or to chase after their dreams.

Shinkai-senpai went to settle his issues back home while Morisawa-senpai became the hero he always wanted to be.

They left “RYUUSEITAI” to us, Tetora-kun became the new leader and we started our new activities together. We messed up a lot, had a million problems and were just fumbling in the dark.

We still managed to adapt to our surroundings and change a little bit while desperately moving forward.

But the path we were walking on wasn’t connected to anything.

We ended up at a wall and unable to climb over, we just kept stomping in place.

It’s no one’s fault. That was the path we all wanted and chose of our own accord.

But that was a dead end… Tetora-kun and Morisawa-senpai would say it was their fault we got lost and apologise.

They would slam their bodies against the wall with all their might, try and find other paths and push aside bushes full of thorns until they ended up drenched in blood.

I’m just watching the people I care about hurt themselves.

Tokusatsu shows aren’t real. We’re just normal people with no special powers. We can’t pass through time and space.

We can’t go back to how things were. Even if we turn back, it’s just a void; there’s no way to go back.

We’re standing still at a dead end, slowly crumbling down.

I don’t want that to happen but there’s nothing we can do… We’re being washed away by the “big wave” and we’ve reached an inescapable abyss.

← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂ Next Chapter →

#high and low

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thmgau · 2 years ago

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CHAPTER 7 - SORREL'S BACK IN TOWN [wattpad link]

---

A day had passed since the incident at Banana Man’s Banana Land. What Pim had said was still echoing in the back of Nora’s mind.

“I’ll have my revenge on you, just you wait & see!!”

Nora highly doubted it, & yet the thought kept lingering in her mind.

She shook the thought out of her head as she pulled up to the airport parking lot. Her sibling, Sorrel, was coming back from college in California. Nora had offered them to stay in her apartment for the time being, since she knew Mom & Dad probably wouldn’t let them stay at home.

The only issue she would have is figuring out how to tell Sorrel she was a magical hero now. Maybe she just wouldn’t tell them at all, & have them find out on their own. She certainly wasn’t going to tell them in the middle of the airport.

Nora decided it’d be best to tell Sorrel when she’s ready.

Entering the airport, Nora started looking around for Sorrel. Airports are pretty busy most of the time, so Nora suspected she would have a hard time locating her sibling.

Her suspicion was wrong, though, because she had spotted Sorrel almost instantly. It was kind of hard not to spot Sorrel, honestly. Who else would be wearing an orange tank top in the middle of January?

“Sorrel!” Nora waved. “Over here!!”

Sorrel looked over at Nora. “Nora!” they smiled, running up to Nora & embracing her. “Oh, it’s been so long! How’s my favorite little sister doing?” “I’m your only little sister,” Nora chuckled. “That’s why you’re my favorite! How’ve you been?” “Oh, y’know.. fine. Cincinnati’s been as normal as ever.” “& that’s to say.. not normal?” Sorrel raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Some guy was trying to take over capitalism yesterday.” Nora said, purposefully omitting the part about how the guy trying to take over capitalism is a banana, & that Nora & her friends had to become magical heroes to defeat him. “You can’t take over capitalism!” Sorrel laughed. “That’s what Cherry was saying!”

As the two of them talked, they walked back to Nora’s car & hopped inside.

“I’m sure that flight wore you out, huh?” “It was only 4 hours, Nora. I’ll live.”

Sorrel’s stomach growled.

“..I could use some food, though.” “How about I call up the others & we all meet up at that Subway you like?” “Ooh! Hell yeah!”

“Welcome to Subway! How may I help you today?”

Nora, Sorrel, & everyone else was at Subway, ordering their sandwiches. Cherry ordered the Meatball Marinara, Nora ordered the Steak & Cheese, Leslie ordered the Italian B.M.T, both Juniper & Kalani ordered the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, & Sorrel got a Roast Beef. Kalani paid for everyone’s sandwiches as they all went to sit down at a booth.

“Feels great to be back in ol’ Cincinnati,” Sorrel said, taking a bite out of their Roast Beef. “Well, you haven’t missed much.” Cherry said. “Just been the same as always.” “Nora did tell me there was some guy who tried to ‘take over capitalism’ yesterday-”

Everyone looked at Nora.

“-which I presume is the outlier here in how uninteresting Cincinnati has been lately.” “Yup! That’s the only weird thing that has happened here. Nothing out of the ordinary.. besides that.” “Well, that’s good to know. Enough about the city, though. How have you five been since I left?” “Uh..”

It appears there’s a mutual agreement to not tell Sorrel about the, uh.. magic stuff.

“We’ve been.. normal.” “That’s good to hear,” Sorrel nodded, taking the last bite out of their sandwich. “I’ve.. actually gotta go use the bathroom real quick. Be right back!”

Sorrel got up from their seat & went over to the bathroom, leaving the group alone. Everyone turned to look at Nora.

“You told them about the banana guy?!” “I didn’t TELL them about the banana guy! I off-handedly mentioned that there was a guy who tried to take over capitalism! Bananas & magic were not topics that were brought up at all.” “Listen, Nora. Do you know what’ll happen if people find out about the.. magic thing?” “Uh.. best case scenario, they don’t believe us?” “Yea, it’s not like we’re famous or anything. If we were, say, a semi-famous rock band, then it’d be more of a big deal.” “Ok, whatever, but still. We should still try to keep our lips zipped about the magic stuff.” “Wuzzat about magic?”

The group jumped (not literally), turning to see who was there, because it didn’t sound like Sorrel. There was a person, around 6 feet tall, & they wore a purple tophat along with a purple suit. Their skin was a light blue, & their eyes were pure white, which the group just assumed was face-paint & contacts respectively.

“AH! Who are you?” “I am known as The A-” “Why do you look like The Onceler?” “Wha-” “Yea, you’re just the Onceler, but purple.” “I don’t-” “Yeah, I can kind of see it-” “WILL YOU LET ME FINISH?!”

The person cleared their throat. “Apologies! As I was saying.. I am The Auctioneer!” “Uh-huh. Why are you talking to us?” “Well, I just so happened to be passing by, & saw you five! & I thought, ‘Oh, well these 5 people are absolutely exquisite! They simply must visit the Auction House!’” The Auctioneer grinned, pulling out some business cards & placing them on the table. “Howsabout you all come in someday? We have free refreshments!”

The group got a better look at the business cards. They were a lavender color, & it had purple text on it that read “The Auction House!: The Best Auction House In Cincinnati!” Below this text was smaller text that included an address to The Auction House & a phone number.

After looking at the card for a moment, the group looked back up at The Auctioneer.

“We’d love to visit, but.. we’re just college kids. We can’t use all our money to bid on things.” Nora said.

In response to this, The Auctioneer simply laughed. “Ohoho, that’s HILARIOUS! You’re funny, you know!”

It was silent for a few seconds.

“Oh, you’re.. serious?” The Auctioneer asked.

Nora nodded.

The Auctioneer paused & thought for a moment or two. “Well, alrighty then! That’s a-ok!”

He took a bow. “I do hope you all reconsider, but for now.. farewell!”

With that, The Auctioneer left the Subway as the group glanced at each other.

“What was that about?” “Hell if I know.”

The bathroom door swung open as Sorrel exited it, approaching the Subway booth again.

“Alright, I’m back! What’d I miss?” “Oh, some weird dude tried to get us to come to their auction house or whatever.” “Huh. Creepy.”

Sorrel stretched their arms. “Oh well. I’ve got some stuff to unpack at Nora’s place.” “You’re moving in with her?” “It’s temporary,” Nora said, taking a bite out of her sub. “Just until Sorrel finds a place.” “Do you know how long it takes to find somewhere to live?” “It’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Nobody responded to this, because there were too many “worst things” that could happen in this scenario.

“Well, we best be heading off now,” Sorrel nodded. “Take care, you four.”

#thmgau #sorrel's back in town

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tf2workbench · 2 years ago

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STV (Spy TV)

25 February 2023

One of the Spy’s funniest cosmetics is the Camera Beard, a delightful piece of spytech that makes me wonder if I should keep a GoPro in my beard. Sadly, it has no in-game effect. I want to try a more experimental idea.

Spy Camera Iteration 1 Spy secondary (*) Click to build a small camera on a surface. Right-click before placing to alter its orientation. You can build up to two cameras at once; if you build a new one, your oldest camera is destroyed. (*) While active: press your reload key to switch views, and press your action key to hold the display closer to your face.

I’ve talked before about how replacing the Sapper can cause some team play issues, so I’ll just leave that post there rather than go into too much detail. This post will be more focused on the impact of the camera itself rather than the thing it’s replacing.

Anyway, a good first question is how visible this camera is. If it’s too visible, enemies will easily be able to destroy it, but if it’s not visible enough (including if it’s very small), enemies may have a hard time getting rid of it. It’s hard to place in a location that it won’t be found - if the camera isn’t being seen, it also probably isn’t seeing very much. We want these to potentially go unnoticed for a while with clever placement, but that can be very difficult when there are folks who know every map by heart.

That is, however, a question of visual design, and as I’m not a modeler, I don’t have a concrete or presentable answer. What I can talk about, though, is this item’s influence on gameplay. I would say that a good way to let it go unnoticed is by letting Spies build them on ceilings and walls as well as the floor; people are often allergic to looking up, meaning that overhead views could be the best bet for covert surveillance.

Spies are already great at providing information to their team, especially with the Cloak and Dagger equipped. This item takes it a step further, but it does require tight team communication - probably through voice chat - to get the most of it. Some people aren’t able or willing to do that, which is a bit of an obstacle to this weapon. More concrete benefits (for example, somehow marking enemies for teammates to see) would help, but for now, let’s leave it as is and discuss something else.

One thing that I think is really great about this weapon is how much entertainment you can get from it. You’re practically playing the game in spectator mode, and for those who like seeing other people play the game, this can be really engaging. I know I love to watch competitive matches as a spectator, especially when I’m analyzing strategies and figuring out what people are going to do.

At the same time, being a spectator is rather passive. Although it’s important to go out and place the cameras, if you place them well enough, your best strategy might just be hiding in spawn looking at your monitor. Depending on how communicative you are, this might be quite the drain on your team, who will miss out on the services you’d provide otherwise. What I’m saying is: it’s hard to swap to and from this weapon; you’re either using it or you’re not.

There are definitely some issues with introducing this item. It can cause team friction and tunnel vision, and that’s not even considering all the difficulties with the camera models. But at the same time, it’s so interesting it’d practically be a game of its own. Imagine if Spies could place cameras, and their team could pull up a monitor to look through them at any given time! Perhaps that’s material for another game - but it’s certainly been fun to discuss.

#tf2workbench #tf2 #team fortress 2 #spy #secondary

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 2 years ago

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Want for Justice.

Thanks for contacting me so quickly.

Well, we didn’t really contact you. We gathered everyone here, told them the situation and then just...waited.

Yeah, we were ready for you this time.

Good, good. I take it that means you’ve had a look at my big contract then, huh?

...

By now everyone should be aware of the situation. So, I gotta ask...How we all feeling?

Honestly...?

REALLY CONFUSED! What is going on!?

Hahaha...Yep, that’s about the reaction I expected.

I just think it’s some freakish coincidence. Komaru, Toko and Akeru came to the states to meet Yodogawa in the first place...

It was to meet with him and discuss that we had taken custody of Akeru but...I never imagined it’d be like this.

Let me get this straight 404...Seishi Yodogawa. HE’S who you want to go after?

Believe me...If I had the choice, I’d love to do SO much more than that. Problem is, given the CEO’s circumstances, that’s more than a little difficult.

What do you mean?

Seishi Yodagawa and Emilia Feng share one thing in common. Neither have made a public appearance in many ages. Yodogawa’s last was 3 years ago.

Ever since his company developed that fancy-schmancy hologram tech, all of his public appearances have been made using it.

And obviously, I can’t attack a hologram. So I’ve been trying to track him down.

What do we know about Seishi Yodogawa so far?

Not an awful lot that really stands out. In Japan, he was born to a pretty wealthy family, and started his career as a Mystery Novel Author. He even attended Precepts Peak Academy because of his skill.

But then later on, he had a very drastic career change. He got more into modern technology, and eventually went on to found LegionTech.

Assuming that he is Akeru’s father, that interest in tech likely came from Shinitani Yozora, or some other source.

...

But I still don’t understand whatever this mission of yours is. Are you absolutely sure that this is the right guy?

I agree. You’re making some pretty major threats here 404.

He’s the CEO of a multimillion dollar company, so yes, he’s obviously got SOME things he would like to hide from the public...But what could he be hiding that would make him a target for ERR0RM3SS4GE?

The way I see it, Yodogawa’s a good guy. He’s even got a good sense of humor from the way Makoto described it.

Not to mention his inventions are changing the world. His innovations in AI, the hologram technology, the creation of Noxus...

Yeah, exactly. So? What terrible terrible thing could he have done? Is he dodging taxes? Funding fascists?

...

...404?

Let me put it this way...What you’ve said about Yodogawa is correct, and that he’s a nice guy but...Yodogawa isn’t really my true target.

Huh?

What?

What the hell are you talking about!? Why would you give Boss and co. tickets to see Yodogawa if he wasn’t the target?

Unfortunately, telling you the truth of the situation is a bad move for several reasons. I doubt you’d believe me, and even if you did, the truth would be far too overwhelming at this point.

Then what do you propose?

Hm...I think it’s better if I SHOW you.

Show us? Wait...how?

Remember how I said that I’d been trying to track Yodogawa down? I haven’t had much luck. LegionTech’s security is run on the same AI program that most of their tech is. Because of that, it analyses my movements and predicts my next action if I try to get into the mainframe, immediately coming up with a solution to stop me. It’s like I’m in a hacking battle against 10 other real people.

Is the AI really that advanced?

If only Chihiro were here. I imagine he’d be impressed. Then again, since Chihiro is the Ultimate Programmer, he could probably do it and better.

I’m sure he could. But the point is, even though I wasn’t able to locate my target himself, I found his home in Manhattan.

Ok? So...what’s the plan?

I’ll be blunt...I need you to break into Yodogawa’s home.

Huh!?

WHAT!? Break in!?

Don’t worry. The building itself doesn’t have the tightest security. There are no guards and really only a door alarm, which I easily disabled. All you’ll have to do is walk up to the gate, get over it and go inside. I’ve actually already done it myself.

And if Yodogawa catches us?

Didn’t you just hear him? 404 hasn’t been able to locate Yodogawa. If he’d been at home, he would have by now.

True. Yodogawa is never home. I’ve staked his house out for 168 hours straight and I got nothing.

So he doesn’t come home the entire week...I guess that’s reasonably good chances.

But why are we breaking into Seishi’s property in the first place?

...Because the things you’ll see in that hellhole...Oooh boy.

404? That sounds really ominous, wh-what are you talking about...?

I know how it sounds...Then how about this? I’ll give you a little bit of a motivation boost.

And what do you mean by THAT?

Let’s just say that if you do this, then you can discard this laptop or put it back where you found it. The next time we meet, it will be in person. With my REAL face.

*The screen goes black

...

He disconnected.

You really think he’s gonna go through with that?

Whether 404 keeps his promise on that front or not is the least of our worries.

Ok. So, are we doing this?

I’ll admit, my curiosity is piqued. Yodogawa certainly doesn’t seem dangerous, but 404 is set on thinking he is.

While I don’t really trust either party, it wouldn’t hurt us to at least check to see if he’s right.

So we’re breaking into Yodogawa’s house after all?

Looks like we’ll need your help again, Four and Maya.

Sure thing. But I think if this info is important, it’s best that at least some of you come with us.

Actually, I have something for this situation. We can connect it to the laptop while we still have it.

What is it?

*Four takes a box out of her pocket and shows it to the group.

It’s a special device that we were able to swipe from Fang Inc a short while ago after all their special tech started getting transferred out of the company. It’s a small camera you hang over your ear.

It processes a live feed to any monitor it’s connected to, so you can see and hear whatever’s going on.

Maya and I can bring up the rear, but it would be far more ideal if only one person were to head inside. That way, the rest of the group can run in for backup if something goes wrong.

Meanwhile, we can hang hear and watch the proceedings on the laptop. Good plan.

But that means we’ll need to assign someone the mission, right? Who’s gonna be our fall guy?

Not me pal. I’ve had enough Black Ops to last me a while. I’m much more suited to loud, explosive violence.

If things go badly, we’ll need an out. This could very quickly turn from a stealth mission to a rescue mission if we’re not careful. So we must be discreet. I suggest that I-

I’LL do it!

!!?

*Akeru’s sudden exclamation makes everyone widen their eyes at her.

You want discreet? You want stealth? Pick me! Let me handle it!

A-Are you sure...!?

Akeru, you can’t! This is dangerous!

I agree. You’d be all by yourself in enemy territory.

404 said there was little to no security, so why so nervous? Plus, it’s not like I can’t make my way around whatever comes my way.

And if something comes that you’re not prepared for? Like Mr Kuma for instance?

...I like those odds just fine.

Akeru!

I want you all to know this. This ISN’T a request!

Huh...!?

I WILL go...I MUST go...

You can’t-

BOSS!

!!?

I get that she’s your niece, but she KNOWS what she’s doing. Plus, you heard her. Her mind’s set.

It is.

Besides, it’s none of your business. You don’t tell her what to do; leave it to her PARENTS!

Akeru...

...

*She turns to Toko and Komaru.

Ground me, cut off my pocket money, do whatever it is you think is acceptable...But if you tell me I can’t do this, or that I should hold back, then I’m about to have a teenage rebellion!

...

Actually...I was going to tell you to think fast and kick ass and go do this thing.

...Oh...Really?

I’m not sure about this. Last time I asked you to steal something for me, you got captured.

But you rescued me. Not just from Osone, but from the past I was running from. And from the loneliness I felt after what Osone did.

I know...And I’ll do it as many times as I need to.

I won’t stop you Akeru, because I know exactly why you’re so serious about this. But I need to ask you this.

What will you do if you find out Yodogawa really is your father?

...

It depends.

Does it now?

If he’s not the man 404 thinks he is...Then I’ll do what we came here to do. I’ll reconcile with him and...explain how great my life is now that you two are my parents.

But if he’s the nasty criminal 404 makes him out to be, I’ll do what I have to...I’ll deal him SWIFT JUSTICE!

Atta girl.

*Komaru turns to Makoto and the others.

Let Akeru do it. There’s no better choice.

*sigh* After hearing that, I can barely argue.

In that case, we’re counting on you kid.

YESSS!

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