#not that dillinger

[the-haunted-office]

( @not-that-dillinger - Continued from here!)

Doom isn't used to doing much cooking - not that she can't, it's just that she doesn't particularly care for it. She doesn't quite have the patience for it, for one. For another, she oftentimes misunderstands some of the instructions, making her feel like an idiot. And a lot of the cooking techniques, she fucks up, ruining the results. More often than not, her luck with cooking food has amounted to burning things or creating disasters, and so, it's much easier for her to just spawn food in and be done with the whole ordeal.

Watching other people cook, however... is far more enticing. So walking into the employee lounge and finding Ed there, doing things with food, grabs her attention, and she just has to go over and see what exactly it is he's doing with the food.

"Pot roast, eh? Nice, nice. That'll get the attention of the whole building, ehehehe." Pot roast actually makes her think of her mother. She used to make it all the time and it was one of her favorite things back in the day.

The offering of the little tiny potatoes gets her to tilt her head to the side a bit in query, though. "Eh? What is it?" She takes one and inspects it. She's never seen these before.

[riinzler]

(continued from here) @spaceparanoids-highestscore @not-that-dillinger

The Users seemed to be under the impression that he’d be returning empty handed, something that was very much not the case. Rinzler would drag Kevin_Flynn back through the portal kicking and screaming if it was the very last thing he ever did. Doing so would be his only hope at redemption in Clu’s eyes, he could not fail, not after the events that had led him here.

He grabbed Kevin_Flynn’s face, pulled it down to his eye level, and all but hissed out,

“I am not leaving here without you. You are coming with me.” It was the most words most of them had ever heard from him. Had it come from anyone else under any other circumstance it would’ve been almost cute, but it was impossible to mistake the words for anything other than what they were: A threat, a promise. No matter what he had to do he would achieve his mission success, would see it completed and no one, not even this group of Users would stand in his way. With that done he pulled the User towards the laser aperture, fully prepared to force their hands, until the second User, Dillinger, stepped closer. The grip he had on Kevin_Flynn tightened enough to crack his shell, a harsh growl tearing out of his throat. What was he trying to do?

“Back up” He’d been somewhat torateable for a User, but that didn’t mean Rinzler wouldn’t derez him.

[nytehavyn-circle]

/* for the vampires or Zephyr, or whoever you want to throw at Ed --@not-that-dillinger */

The only reason Ed ever visited bars was when he wasn't in a safe headspace to go home and Encom's walls felt more oppressive and confining than they did safe. That was exactly the reason why he was at this one.

Meetings with his boss, with casually veiled insinuations of corporate espionage or sabotage, in an office space that had once been his father's nearly three decades ago, and used to contain a unique touchscreen computer with a particular malicious AI that gave him nightmares as a kid, had a tendency to do that.

He sat in a dimly lit back corner of the bar with HeliOS booted on his computer and a grapefruit seltzer next to him. Code, he found, was always a good for distracting from unwanted trains of thought. Though he wasn't foolish enough to work on any of his projects for Encom in such a public place. What he was currently working on was debugging Talos, a program that was part assistive AI, and part system security.

He looked up from his screen, suddenly feeling the unease that someone was watching him. Ed closed out of what he was working on, and scanned the room over the top of his screen.

It was probably nothing, but with the restraining order fresh in his mind after his meeting with his boss, and considering that the legal protection it granted was about sturdy as the paper it was printed on when his father--CEO of the Encom's biggest competitor--could very easily bribe his way out of any repercussions or hire someone to carry out his threat of abduction, it never hurt to be cautious.

Zephyr watched this Ed person from a corner of the bar. Apparently, he was a big shot in the tech world. Was the son or grandson of a man who had created a giant virtual reality game. Zephyr didn't need to know the details. All he needed to know was a name, a place of business, or place of residence, and he did the rest.

Ed seemed paranoid. He was constantly looking over his shoulder. both figuratively and literally. Zephyr continued to watch him through his computer, having tapped into the security cameras on the bar, and having tapped into the guy's laptop camera. And no, Ed would not be alerted because Zephyr was just that good. He made a living doing this. And he would have been a shitty PI and a shitty hacker if his subjects knew they were being watched.

However, after another half hour of watching the paranoid man, Zephyr figured it was time to approach him on Terran's behalf. And if this Ed didn't know who Terran was, he was either living under a rock, or really didn't pay attention to news outlets or magazines.

Zephyr had a feeling that was not the case.

He opened up a dialogue box and typed- Hello, Mr. Dillinger, Jr. Look, I work for a Mr. Terran Nytefyer. I'm sure you know who he is?Billionaire, philanthropist, humanitarian... and no, he doesn't take after Mr. Stark. He's been around quite a lot longer than him. I am going to let you in on a little secret that might convince you to talk with me before I set up a meeting with Mr. Nytefyer.

What he's told the press, and the paparazzi, and several interviewers of countless magazines about being a Living Vampire... is the truth. Of course, no one but a handful of people believes it, chalking it up as a persona brought on by eccentricities that billionaires are apparently afforded.

Along with his public work, he also runs a rather secret information network. He has tasked me with finding you because he believed you'd be an asset.

If you're willing to talk, I'm sitting in the back corner of the bar. I am currently drinking a red citrus drink. The glass is rather tall, and the drink in said glass is carbonated and red, as I said before. It is sitting on the edge of the table.

When you approach me, just sit down. I promise not to bring attention to you. Especially since you look like someone who's being followed by someone other than me. And don't worry, I've tapped into the security cameras, I'll keep a watch on you.

If you choose not to approach me, I will return to Terran and tell him it's a no-go. After that, if he decides to approach you, he will do so himself. I'm just a precaution.

Zephyr hit 'Send', and then sat and waited, staring at the camera boxes on his screen.

@not-that-dillinger

[starstruckxstray]

💀

Send 💀 for my muses biggest fear regarding your muse

"The what-ifs." The words left her so easily, but they would be the only ones to do so. The canine spirit gave him a twisted smile, yet it didn't reach her pale eyes. "What if I didn't give it all up, ya know?. Like..."

She paused, her pupils sharpening into strange diamonds; turning her mind back to clouded memories, ones she earnestly buried with numbing vices. Having to verbalize them reopened those wounds, and shame bled over once again.

"What if I hadn't given up goin' ta school, what if I hadn't given up on applyin' ta better jobs. What if I hadn't wanted ta die--"

Her hand restlessly shot up to rub at her bent ear, but it offered little comfort. "What if I hadn't tried ta drug myself ta ignore the cold, on my last night...What if I woke up before burnin' alive?"

Her dust colored paws began to pace, making her look more like a frantic, trapped wolf. Her tail lashed and head hung low in a aimless prowl. "Would I have a place o' my own, somethin' better than that cheap apartment, or a nicer job? Would I have been able ta give back after all the shit I gave ta my family? Would I be worth somethin'?"

Her head turned towards Ed, the smile had long melted into a pained grimace. "I could'a been a somebody, someone wit' a future! Jus' like ya! If I jus' hung on longer, I could'a done good things, important things, like ya..."

[wanderxdusk]

Her eyes widened at the delicate and beautiful wreath in Ed's hands. "Wow, what's that for--" Her question froze into a quiet gasp once he placed it on top of her tousled hair. Her gaze dazzled with delight and her face took on a warm, rosy glow. "Gaaaaw-lly!" Shikoba turned her head away bashfully, yet a smile grew across her face. "Thank ya, this is so--Wow!"

@not-that-dillinger @spaceandthedigitalfrontier

[smellslikejail]

Komet felt like he was going to throw up, and maybe even pass out. The world around him was spinning and he pressed his hands against his eyes, hoping it would stop. They both sat there for a while, trying to catch their breath.

It was Komet that spoke first. "Where are we?" He mumbled, hands still pressed against his face. Apparently this was the User world, but where exactly, he didn't know.

It was dark and musty. Almost like the Outlands. After a moment, he peeled his hands off his face and took a look around. His Gridsuit was missing and in it's place where what he assumed were User clothes. This is what he was wearing...before...before...

He winced and reached up to rub at his temples. "My head is killing me."

What possessed Ed to pick the lock on the arcade, to shoot himself with a high powered laser, he wasn't really sure. He wasn't even sure what drew him to the arcade in the first place. Perhaps it was that the board meeting was particularly rough, and the temptation to snap at his boss was near overwhelming that made him a bit more reckless and in need of a walk. Perhaps it was the old file he'd found buried deep in the server that contained rambling notes from a long lost CEO that fit into place with the angry rants his father used to have while he was growing up.

Perhaps it was the intrigue of a twenty-year-old mystery that Ed may have just stumbled on the key to solving.

Everything after that had been a whirlwind. He found the secret basement lab with the laser, and then the Grid. He solved the mystery. Flynn--Kevin Flynn was dead. And what became of Kevin Flynn's son--

The sense of vertigo that accompanied the flash of light as the Grid faded out of existence around Ed was all too familiar, though he wasn't sure if it was a side effect of being re-materialized in the... (not the real world, the Grid had been just as real, but...) on the the user side of the screen, or it it was his body choosing to give out on him after the mad rush to survive and then escape, Ed didn't know, but it was years of practice and stubborn determination not to collapse in Encom's labyrinthine halls that kept him on his feet when he found himself back in old Flynn's dusty lab.

His companion was not so lucky.

"Whoa, easy there," he murmured, keeping his voice as quiet as possible. Even for Ed, after spending only a relatively short period of time on the Grid, this side felt loud, and bright, and disorienting. He could only imagine the feeling was amplified a thousand times for Komet, who hadn't been on this side in a very long time. He stepped toward Komet to catch him, and guided him toward the dusty couch.

"Let's take a minute, catch your breath, re-orient yourself," he said, settling on the other end of the couch and staring at the ceiling until it stopped spinning. "When you're ready, if you're up for it, we can try to figure out the what-next, alright?"

[undergroundrockpress]

Anita Pallenberg, 1969.

[tacccalb]

boops ur favs

live cher reaction under the cut

[still-alive-mp3]

BE MORE CHILL FANDOM PLEASE SEE THIS

So a while back I had made Broadway BMC Youtooz plushie designs and Youtooz said that if enough people wanted them there was a chance they could be made

It would be super coolio if a ton of people asked Youtooz for them because I NEED Be More Chill plushies 🙏🙏

Here are the designs btw :3

[the-twiggles]

[the-haunted-office]

As they talk, Doom is sort of quietly observing Ed and his behaviors and actions. It's a subconscious habit of hers, built on many past experiences with people and new folks in the Office, to observe them and make note of their behaviors to get a better idea of who they are and what they might be up to. Too many folks have passed through here before, playing one innocent card or another, and ended up causing harm either to her or her Officemates, and now, especially with Thursday gone... she's not going to allow that. Not that she's getting any bad vibes from Ed, but it's still a force of habit to quietly absorb information from the people in the Office.

Right now she can't help but find it extremely interesting how well Ed is taking all of this in stride. Not only does he seem relatively relaxed with finding himself in an Office not his own, in a place not his own, in a room full of pancakes, but he's... helping her pick up the pancakes. The mess that she made. He's just... gone and started helping out. From out of nowhere. Without any prompting. It's nice, but very strange. People don't do that. Not from her experience. People usually just stand off awkwardly to the side and look at the mess she's made while she shrugs and walks off and leaves it there. Maybe it's the fact that she was cleaning it up this time? Hmm...

Her brain has made a quiet note of all this and tucks it all away to be pored over later.

"Oh yes, it's all very real. I've been all throughout the multiverse. I could even show it to you, if you like," she says, grinning over at him.

Her eyes catch sight of Colossus getting at the pancakes and she can't help but laugh. There aren't any pets in the Office - not that they don't want any, it's just that they fear it might be too dangerous for them - and so the presence of the dog a welcome one. "Oh, now, he is working. Guy's gotta keep up his appetite, eh? Gonna deny him a snack? Tough boss," she teases lightly, moving onto the next pancake.

There sure are a lot of them on the floor, aren't there? How many of these did she fuck up, exactly? Embarrassing. But also kind of funny, when she looks at it and sees just how many there are. The stack on the plate is beginning to look more like a tower now. How many more can they fit on this one plate before it falls over and they all end up back on the floor?

Doomsday laughs. One of her more mischievous laughs, teasing laughs. But she doesn't address Ed - she addresses Colossus: "Ehehehehe. Well, now, Colossus, you really were lying down on the job, weren't you? You let your boss run into the wall like that? Tsk tsk. Ehehehehe." She then puts her focus back on Ed, eyes sparkling with mischief. It seems this conversation is bringing some of her old self back out. "Why walls, though? Are those dimensional portals where you come from? It's mirrors, here. Reflective surfaces. But only if you're dead, and only when the gates are open."

Ed's stomach twists with guilt when Doomsday glanced down at her hand, at having still managed to slight her. He had no idea how to apologize for it, and he wasn't about to bring up his health problems with someone he just met.

He stepped back into the room, and glanced at the nearest pancake. He already needed to wash his hands; he might as well have a slightly more normal reason to. He set his mug down on the counter, then stooped down and picked up the nearest pancake, and set it on top of Doomsday's stack, listening intently as she talked.

He raised an eyebrow. "A whole other timeline?" he asked, adding yet another pancake. "The time travel and the multiverse are real? Fascinating."

It took a moment for his brain to process the rest of what she said, and he froze mid-bend to pick up another pancake. Dead? he nearly asked. That brought up a whole slew of other questions, though Ed had no idea if it was rude to ask or where to even start even if that was an okay topic to bring up.

Colossus took the opportunity to snap up the pancake Ed was had frozen over, nearly causing him to lose his balance. "Sir, you're supposed to be working," he admonished the dog. "You're supposed to help me with balance, not..." Ed sighed. "Oh, never mind. Sit."

Colossus sat, far more enthusiastically than one would expect for someone who had just been caught misbehaving.

Ed moved and scooped up the next pancake, turning his attention back to Doomsday once he was certain Colossus wasn't going to be moving from his spot.

This time it was Ed's turn to shrug. "Eh, you may be warping the mirror a bit more, so to speak, but it's already practically tied in a knot," Ed admitted. His perception of a lot of things was fucked. His perception of what a healthy parental relationship, or what abuse looked like, for one. His perception of his own self worth.

And then there was the whole thing with the former CEO of the company he now worked that disappeared when Ed was a kid. Kevin Flynn used to rave about a world inside a computer. Everyone thought it had been metaphorical, but when put into context with Ed's own father's angry rants about the digitization laser project (a top secret military project back in the day that Ed neither had nor wanted the security clearance for) and the Encom server auto-banned any username with 'dillinger' in it, despite the fact that it most definitely wasn't a rule in the server's code (Ed had checked) among it's other odd quirks... Well. Ed had his suspicions that what Flynn had talked about wasn't as metaphorical as everyone thought. Not that Ed was crazy or suicidal enough to test said suspicions.

He grinned, his eyes practically sparkling in amusement at his own joke as he plopped another pancake onto the stack. "You'd think I'd have given myself irrecoverable brain damage from the number of times I've walked into walls in my own home, though I only have my own hubris to blame." Whether he meant that literally or metaphorically was anyone's guess.

[golden-geeks-art]

ITS FROM JAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

[starstruckxstray]

Impromptu Bed (Ed --@not-that-dillinger)

"S'cuse me." The spirit murmured, the mattress creaked against her knee pressing into it. She climbed on and crawled over, much more carefully now that she hovered over the man. Kerosene eyed his face, ready to pull back the instant he showed discomfort. She never wanted to cross any lines, especially with the mortal she felt she was supposed to protect.

She settled on top of him, chin atop of crossed arms to see his expression. Kerosene wanted to assure Ed felt comfortable with this before closing her eyes.

[soupy-sez]

Dr. Dre – Lil' Ghetto Boy ft. Snoop Dogg & Daz Dillinger (1992)

[mountain-dew-tickledpink]

idk what this is

[atomic-chronoscaph]

art by Mort Künstler (1960s)