#rnd next ^_^ maybe.

[starrytapes]

[starscream-is-my-wife]

Humans told them about Orion the hunter, what a coincidence

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader Pt. 5

AN: I cannot believe my silly lil MBC ramblings have turned into this. This is a combination of that one request mentioning the "I may be an idiot, but I'm your idiot" and another requesting Witch! Reader! I kind of took some creative liberties because this idea just like...hit me and I was like. If i dont write this rn im gonna crash out. Again, don't look too hard into the logic of this, it's a toon world :)

-> Part one

-> Part Two

-> Part Three

-> Part Four

☁ Sprout knew, intimately so, at this point that you, his loving, darling, amazing partner, could be so, so dumb it was alarming you've lasted this long.

☁ He loves you. He does. So much it hurts. But you literally are the embodiment of every chaotic impulsive thought he's sure they've all had. The only difference is that you do it.

☁ Which. Come on. Like, there has to be a learning moment. Where you turn over a new stone or rock or however that saying goes and you don't toe the line of twisted RnD's boundary, keeping them awake just to tease the twisted since they couldn't reach you. There had to be.

☁ He should've known it was too good to be true, at the beginning of the relationship, when things went too smoothly for him. Too good to be true.

☁ Truthfully, you're all little demons. He knew you were all hiding it, but to see it in person? He's getting gray leaves.

☁ Astro likes to play this game where he follows whoever's distracting, most times you, to see how close he can get to the twisted without them noticing. It drives Sprout, and even Cosmo, nuts watching it even if they know he's practically invisible to the twisteds.

☁ That does not stop him from being seen every once in a while when he gets too cocky, but he's quick to evacuate the area while you get the twisteds attention once more.

☁ Every lecture seems to go in one ear and out the other though as the very next run, unless it's a blackout, he's doing it again. (So maybe I play like this what of it-).

☁ Cosmo is normally pretty clever about how he does runs and is often the least of his worries. Unless there's a call for a bandage.

☁ From there it's like a race between him and Cosmo. Cosmo immediately drops whatever he's doing and takes off towards the source of the call. Sprout as well has to take off because sure enough, Cosmo doesn't take into account it's in the area you're distracting in, and Sprout can only watch as you realize he's in the area, panic to figure out an alternative route, get smacked by a twisted Teagan as Cosmo nearly gets bit by the Twisted Boxten.

☁ All of that for a bandage. For Cosmo who was at full health.

☁ Sprout has to step in, calling the Twisted's attention with a spare airhorn he found, giving you the chance to recover as Cosmo passes you a treat and a frantic apology, quickly leaving the area as he slaps said bandage on.

☁ The twisteds are returned to you as Sprout ducks behind a wall, trying to ease the rapid pounding of his heart. He cannot keep having the same conversations.

☁ Cosmo is unlike Astro as he shows actual remorse, immediately apologizing and saying that he wasn't thinking he just didn't want anyone else to take it, turning on the waterworks as he burrows into Sprout's scarf.

☁ You're already saying they're crocodile tears (They are) with Astro snickering at the action, but Sprout is a weak man. He falls for it every time, immediately breaking and cooing that it was just an accident and these things happen, Cosmo just needs to be more careful.

☁ And then there's a call for a med-kit the next floor and it happens ALL OVER AGAIN.

☁ So, yeah, you're all demonic gremlins and Sprout is the unfortunate victim of it. He's just as bad outside of runs though, don't worry.

☁ But you. Oh you. Are by far. The worst for his heart.

☁ He already doesn't like the fact that as a distractor, you're constantly in danger, but you know what he doesn't like more? The fact that you don't seem to take it as serious as you should.

☁ He's lost count of how many times you've run past him, shouting some sort of argument with Goob who was also distracting. How you've paused to emphasize a point and Goob's had to snatch you to save you from getting hit.

☁ Or how many times you've climbed onto a table, out of the twisted's reach but close enough to keep their attention, hands on your hips as you go on about some theory you heard about.

☁ He won't admit it, but his favorite thus far is that Dandy's actually bald and the petals are all fakes.

☁ Or the one where you claim Twisted Toodles has rabies, while Twisted Toodles snaps and snarls at your feet, clawing at the table.

☁ And when you're back in the elevator, and he's got you corner, going on and on about how idiotic of a move that was and why would you even think of doing that? You give him a grin and a cheeky smile.

☁ "I may be an idiot, but remember. I'm your idiot. FOREVER." You'd preen, cackling as he debates between throttling you or kissing you enough you're too dazed to think about running and he has to drag you behind him the next floor.

☁ Little did Sprout know that a turning point would come.

☁ He knew Dandy and you had your differences, as you were managing to get the research needed and reclaiming the other toons back to the good side while spending the minimal amount of tapes. (Not that it helped when a certain survivalist toon was on the run, but he digresses.)

☁ This time however, you were adamantly refusing to hand over any tapes and Dandy was close to crashing out. His eye was twitching as he glowered at you, you're own sneer rivaling his. "Why should I give you the tapes if I can give them to Sprout?" You'd snarl, making Dandy slam his hands on the desk.

☁ "Fine! Be that way then!" He snapped, yanking on the lever to bring him back down.

☁ "Was that really our best move?" Vee raised a brow at the closed hatch, nudging it with her foot.

☁ "Maybe we could've spared some for a stopwatch or something." Gigi added, reaching into her head to pull out a can of pop. "I don't know if his twisted form is something I'm all too excited to deal with."

☁ While Sprout agreed, he also didn't want Dandy to win. But still, Dandy's twisted form was lethal and he didn't fancy seeing your twisted form. Not after Astro had told him how even you, yourself, had feared it and what it was capable of.

☁(Guys not to spoil anything, but you'll never guess what else is in the works from that line alone lol)

☁ They hadn't seen any clones of your twisted form yet, but weren't eager to.

☁ You gave a wave of your hand dismissively. "Nah, it looks big but it really isn't that bad."

☁ None of them looked convinced.

☁ You groaned, rolling your eyes. "Fine! if he shows up. I'll make sure to stick to an area Astro and a healer can remain nearby." You pout, though between him and the other two, Sprout can tell you're a little hurt.

☁ No matter what you do, or how you distract, you're number one priority is their safety. If there's a serious twisted, you're immediately doing a one-eighty, distracting like a pro. You only goof off when their twisteds you know inside and out. To have them doubt for even a second you wouldn't give up your own sanity for them, probably stings.

☁ Frowning, he sets a hand on your shoulder, tilting your chin up with his other hand. "You got this, bud. We know you do. We just wanna be a little cautious when it comes to Dandy."

☁ And he knows you know that, making you frown a bit more before huffing. "I know."

☁ Cosmo is quick to wrap his arms around you, giving you a bright smile. "Besides, you know how much we love watching you distract anyway."

☁ Which too a degree was true. They loved seeing you in your element, thriving and shining like a shooting star.

☁ By the time Sprout is looking back, you're smothered between Astro and Cosmo, pushing away their murmurs of praise with bundles of laughter bursting from you. It makes him grin.

☁ But then the elevator stills and opens, only there's no footsteps. There's no signs of any twisteds at all actually. No commons, no passives, no mains. Just...empty. It's unsettling.

☁ With a look to each other, you and Goob are the first to step out, remaining cautious of the room around you. When you both make it into the center area, the rest slowly step out.

☁ "Is this a free floor?" Finn asks, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

☁ "Even free floors have twisteds." Vee answers, bringing her mic in front of her and tapping it. "Is this thing working?"

☁ Nothing is highlighted save for a small, wrapped up bundle near the broken elevator.

☁ Since you're faster than Goob, you slowly step forward, you're entire body tense as you spot said bundle.

☁ Astro and Sprout remain close enough they can target you if needed with Goob on standby in case the worst happens. None of them have ever seen anything like this before and have no idea what it even is.

☁ Vee, Finn and Gigi move on to finish three of the machines with the fourth primed right next to elevator, all giving the signal to go.

☁ So you do. You walk up to it and begin by kicking it slightly. It doesn't move and you move to poking it. When nothing happens, you pick it up, examining it before slowly moving to open it. By the time the beige paper wrapped around it is pulled away, you're left with a small glass bottle. It looks like a smoke bomb.

☁ Rolling your eyes, you're already whining about how a smoke bomb got you all so riled up, dropping it front of you and watching it erupt into purple smoke around your figure.

☁ In hindsight, that should've been a sign. The final machine is finished and the elevator re appears, a few scattered giggles ringing out at the fluke floor.

☁ But you aren't laughing like normal.

☁ Sprout notices immediately, glancing at Astro and Cosmo, who are already looking at him. They've noticed it too.

☁ Just as they're about to say something, the cards plop down, and you immediately vote on the Penny pincher one, turning to them with a soft, almost strained smile.

☁ "Are you...feeling okay, bud?" Sprout asks, watching as Astro rests the back of his hand on your forehead. His grimace does little reassure them.

☁ "Do you need a heal?" Cosmo pipes up next, placing a hand on Sprout's shoulder as he does. "Or a pop? Maybe you have low blood sugar."

☁ You shake your head, which seems like a bad move as you sway, Astro having to catch you as you stumbled.

☁ "Okay, I'm calling it-" Sprout's declaring as he steps towards the lever to return to the lobby before you're stopping him with a call of his name.

☁ "Sprout! No, I'm fine, just a little dizzy! It'll pass. We need the shelly research!" You had been positively adamant on getting shelly back since getting Vee, knowing she was the last main. They were sure it's because you knew Shelly and Astro were good friends and that was probably influencing your need to get it done as fast as possible.

☁ "Starlight, I'm sure it can wait." Astro adds, holding you much closer as you continue to sway. "You can barely stand upright and you have a fever. How long have you been feeling unwell?"

☁ "I was fine!" Your face scrunches as you fight for balance. "I promise. I don't know what happened!"

☁ The voting ends and everyone is immediately rewarded with the tapes. Most are handed right over to Sprout, who pockets them in case of an emergency, but there's a disturbance. He can't feel the energy of the tapes as well as Dandy, or even Pebble for that matter, but he can tell the magic within them is wavering somewhere. Looking over, he can tell where.

☁ "Bud?" He prods once more, and your head shakes again, this time taking our your legs as punishment for the movement. Astro once more catches you as Sprout demands the run be finished, Vee already at the lever, while Cosmo leaves his side to check you over.

☁ By all accounts, on the surface, you're fine. But Sprout can tell. He can feel it in the wave the magic of the tapes seems to cling to you. Looking at Astro, he can tell too.

☁ Maybe bringing you away from the tapes until...whatever this is passes is for the best, despite your refusals.

☁ The elevator is brought up and Astro scoops your form into his arms and against his chest, carrying you out and in the direction of your room.

☁ "You guys are as stubborn as mules!" You scoff out, struggling against the hold your in. "I'm fine. It was a dizzy spell! It-" You pause as you groan, curling into yourself and making Astro freeze. Sprout and Cosmo are right there, hands already buzzing with energy, yet, it's not needed.

☁ With the close proximity, he can feel the magic in the tapes get yanked, pulled into a physical manifestation. Then there's a scream. Looking over, they watch Finn scramble to get away as a donkey manifests itself in front of him. It's made out of tree bark and sticks with leaves for a mane, standing there and giving a bored bleat.

☁ You look over at it from Astro's shoulder, blinking at it and everyone's gaping face before wilting. "Okay, maybe it wasn't just a smoke bomb."

☁ There's a flurry of motion as Toodles runs towards her newly proclaimed pony, naming it Oakley of all things. Rodger is rushing, trying to pry her away while the others are trying to figure out just where Oakley came from.

☁ None of you stick around, the boys quickly bringing you to the bedroom and setting you on the bed. You look marginally better, leaning against Astro, who strokes your fur back, even as he watches Sprout pace in front of the bed. Cosmo is fiddling with his hands, standing to the side and bouncing in place as he opens his mouth over and over again, trying to find the words.

☁ Finally, the cake roll settles on, "What was that?"

☁ This stalls Sprout as he pauses, whirling on his heel to face you. "You used tape magic. How'd you do it?"

☁ You raise a brow at this, silently asking him to continue. He does so. "The only non-main who can use tape magic is Teagan. But she can't extend that to anyone or anything but herself. That's exclusive to mains. So how-" He pauses, brows furrowing. "The thing- the thing on the floor on that last floor!"

☁ It's like an epiphany. " But that-" He stalls, swallowing before shaking his head. He'd look into it further. "What are you feeling now? Better at all?"

☁ You hum for second, rolling your head as you take inventory. "A little better. Sore, but...better." You answer. "I didn't know I could do that."

☁ "Could it really be a side effect from...whatever that was?" Cosmo asks.

☁ "Hard to say. Like Sprout said, using Tape magic to influence anything but yourself is exclusive to mains." Astro frowns, taking in the information. "Which brings up an assortment of questions about your history and that object. Perhaps it's turned you into a momentary main."

☁ "I don't feel different though!" You exclaim, Sprout catching one of the hands you flung up. He pokes at your palms and fingers, finding soft pads of flesh. You yank it back. "I've always had those!" You defend.

☁ "Easy, bud, I was making sure they weren't injured." He soothes and you reluctantly let him look at them again.

☁ "Can you do it again?" Cosmo asks. "Like... It happened because you were thinking of an animal right? And that animal showed up? Can you do it again?"

☁ "I don't know if we should be testing this. We're unaware of what it needs or what it entails-" Astro quickly cuts in, but it's too late as you immediately shout out "Cat!" and like magic, a cat plops into Astro's lap.

☁ All of you stare at the thing, which is made up of whipped cream and cake, strawberries making up it's flickering ears and a blueberry for a nose. When it mews, Sprout stumbles back, tripping over himself as Cosmo screeches, poor Astro caught between being trapped by the thing and staying with you.

☁ You immediately coo at it, picking it up, and snuggling into it as it gives you a happy purr, licking your face. When you pull it away, you give your best puppy dog eyes, staring at your gaping boyfriends. "Can we keep them?"

☁ "Where did that come from?!" Sprout exclaims, hands coming up to yank at his leaves while Astro's mouth hands open, hands hovering as if unsure what to do at this point. If this was the stress he brought to Sprout's life, he owed the berry so many apologies because what.

☁ Cosmo was the first to recover before slowly crawling onto the bed, making you turn to face him with the creature. It continued purring happily, sniffing at the offered hand before nuzzling into it, prompting Cosmo to pet it. "I mean...It doesn't look dangerous."

☁ "It literally came out of nowhere." Astro gaped, watching as you transferred the cat from your arms to Cosmo's, who let it lick at his face. "That's a cat. There's a cat."

☁ Digging through his wallet, Sprout's eyes nearly bulge out of his head. "The tapes. You used my tapes-" He's not upset, not at all, but that kind of reach was really unheard of.

☁ "There's a cat." Astro repeats once more, standing as he runs two of hands through his fur. "Oh my stars, there's a cat. In our room."

☁ "Do you not like cats?" Cosmo asks, tilting his head as the...creature crawls onto his shoulder if only to jump to his head, giving soft licks to the icing on top. It makes the cake roll laugh, which you're echoing before turning to Astro. "I'm sorry. If I had known I would've chosen a different animal. We don't have to keep it I promise."

☁ Astro blinks, as if stunned by that's what you two were hung up on. "What? No. No, I don't mind cats, but starlight. My star, my sun, my galaxy," Astro takes a breath as his hands fall, save for one that rubs between his eyes. "You made a cat appear out of literal thin air. That's a...That's impossible in actuality."

☁ "Super impossible." Sprout agrees, watching the thing strut from Cosmo's head to jump onto yours. You go cross-eyed trying to look up at it, grinning as it meows at you with one paw landing on your cheek so it can lick at your head. You giggle at it before grabbing it, holding it against you as it seems to burrow into your chest. He's man enough to admit that he's jealous of the cat, sneering at it.

☁ "Well, evidently not." Cosmo snickers, using his fingers to poke at the cat's paws. Their paw pads are made of jelly beans and Sprout has to admit it's a little cute. Running a hand down his face, he groans, only to glare at Astro as he gentle runs a hand down the cat's head, getting a thankful lick in return. "Astro!"

☁ The celestial looks startled at being caught, looking at Sprout before shrugging. "You gotta admit. It's a cute little thing."

☁ "It's a she!" You add, almost unhelpfully. "You know, if you think about it, it's kind of like our child!"

☁ You make it an Olympic sport to see how fast you can get all three of them varying degrees of flustered, Sprout swears on it. He's left stammering, looking for help from Astro-who's blue screened, blinking blankly at the cat who paws at his still hand- and Cosmo- who's too busy hiding his face in a pillow.

☁ cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. This was fine. Taking a breath, Sprout urges himself to push whatever feelings that were bubbling in him at the action down, taking a soothing breath. "Bud, that's a cat." And because he couldn't help himself, he added, "Plus, we know our kid would look much cuter."

☁ You flush, just as he expected you too, hiding your face in the cat. The only thing you can come up with is, "Dandy got a dog. Why can't I have a cat?"

☁ "Because it won't stop at a cat." Sprout has to explain, thinking back to Oakley in the living room. "What if the next time it's- I don't know- a dinosaur?!"

☁ "It won't be a dinosaur." You argue back. "Maybe a friend for Custard."

☁ "We are not naming her Custard!" Sprout hisses only to groan as he realized you caught him in your trap, hearing your "a-hah!' proclaiming victory.

☁ "So we can keep her!" You cheer, even if Sprout is debating suffocating you in your sleep later. "No! We can't! Because then it's one, then two! Then we're crazy cat people!"

☁ "We would not-"

☁ "If that were the case, wouldn't we already have a dog, dinosaur and like at least two more cats?" Cosmo suddenly pops up, his cheeks still very rosy.

☁ "True, we got...her, simply by Y/N mentioning a cat and Oakley by them saying the word Mule. It hasn't happened again and I still have all of my tapes." Astro adds on, smoothing out his fur and hair, readjusting his cap. "Maybe it's worn off."

☁ "Quick, before it's too late try for a cat again!" Cosmo eagerly demands, despite both Sprout and Astro shouting 'No!' at the prospect.

☁ You ignore them, shouting out cat once more. The only reaction you get is the cat in your arms pawing at you. You slump, frowning at losing the aspect. "Dang." You sigh. "Well, at least we got you out of it."

☁ "We can't get rid of her!" Cosmo pleads, handing off your shoulder to look up at Astro and Sprout, who cast a glance at each other. "I promise I'll be more careful on runs if we keep her!" He adds quickly.

☁ "Oh! Me too!" You add, joining Cosmo in giving them the puppy dog eyes.

☁ With a heavy groan, Sprout looks at Astro, who's smiling softly at the two of you. When the celestial looks over, Sprout knows he's lost him. "...It's just one cat."

☁ Sprout groans again, looking up to the roof as if there's some being up there seeing the same bullshit he's seeing. They're probably laughing at him.

☁ "Fine! But we're not naming it Custard! And I expect you to keep your promises or I swear I'm going for that favorite Uncle award and giving Toodles a new pet." He finally relents, extending a finger to the cat, who licks it before jumping into his arms as you and Cosmo cheer. For what it was worth, that cat was pretty cute.

☁ The cat ends up being names Blueberry cake (get it get it-), Blu for short. She's a happy-go-lucky kitty who purrs and licks everyone when one of you is in the room, only to throw an absolute hissy fit when you leave. If Blue is left alone with anyone without having you, Cosmo, Sprout or Astro in sight, she refuses to let anyone touch her, hissing and swatting at anyone brave enough. The second one of you return though, she's all purrs and happy mews.

☁ She sleeps on pebble who sleeps on your bed, sorry I don't make the rules.

☁ Oakley is still around too, but stays outside where he prefers it. You obviously earned worlds greatest aunt/uncle/nibling for that, even if Rodger curses your name for it. Toodles loves it and thats the most important part.

☁ Blu also comes on runs sometimes! The first time it happens, it was an accident, but one that Sprout begrudgingly appreciates as she has an uncanny ability to sniff out tapes no matter how hidden they are.

☁ And before you ask, yes. Sprout absolutely is the dad that said he didn't want a pet and would now literally kill a man for Blu.

☁ As you said after all, she's pretty much your child :)

[lovelyflora21]

Strangers

Summary: She was still herself, he was still him. In the same place. Yet, isn't it strange how people can change?

Pairing: Leon S Kennedy x Fem!Reader

Tags: Angst, hurt, no happy endings (?) 

A/n: A rather lengthy continuation to my previous fic, inspired by Celeste - Strange. Would recommend listening to the song whilst reading this to really get the feel of it ;)

Wc: 1,8k

P.s. Let me know if anyone wants to be added to the tag list! <3

Tag list: @lysa1201 @lysol1201

I tried for you. 

What Leon said that night, the way he looked at her with complete utter disdain; mixed with a cacophony of heavy breathing and slurred speech of spiteful, venomous words spewed her way–safe to say, it was enough to turn that tiny little voice inside her head louder. Ten times louder than the conscience, the soft spot she’s always held for him. 

That maybe everything she did for him was, in fact, all in vain. That it was a complete waste. She was wasting her precious, precious time and energy; her life, on a drunkard. An asshole of an alcoholic, once applauded for his bravery and prowess as an agent–akin to that of America’s very own zombie-killing, man-made Superman. 

God, mama was right! I should’ve dumped him. What was I thinking?!

Were what had crossed her mind as she skipped down the stairs of his apartment’s fifth floor’s stairwell. She clung onto her bag and pride, more on her pride (what was left of it anyways) than her bag really, as she rummaged through the tote bag for her car keys. She had tears welling up in her eyes, her throat burning and constricting in a measly effort of holding herself together. From sobbing her poor heart out. From breaking down on the stairs and pitying herself.

Tried to see through all the smoke and dirt. It wouldn't move.

Everything else was a blur then. The drive back home. The whole thought process on deciding to finally and completely vanishing from his life. All that in a span of minutes. Most would criticize her for being too overboard with her impulsivity, for making a big deal out of nothing! 

Oh spare me the theatrics! She could still hear Leon’s voice; nagging in the back of her mind, it would have been his reaction, if he had known of what she was about to do to him or saw an ounce more of her true reaction in response to his cruelty. 

But as she drove through the traffic and streets of DC’s avenues, her heavy-with-tears eyes dropped to see his name popping up on her phone; his number texting and calling her numerous times–his picture flashing, showing off his stupid fucking cocky grin–it silenced the other voices that were doubting her decision. And suddenly what she was about to do was justified and she saw nothing wrong with it. 

So when it turned red, she reached for her phone; looked at his number and picture one last time before she blocked it–blocked him, and shoved the phone back inside the bag. 

The first night, she couldn’t cry at all. She tossed and turned in bed then eventually fell asleep. But the next few days? Oh they were torture. Hardly sleeping, hardly eating; the blunt of the impact finally hitting her head on. Her feelings, emotions and sound mind were colliding against one another. Everything was everywhere all at once. Anger, disappointment, hurt, sadness, grief and shame. Surging all at once then fading away just as quick into numbness and denial. Then she’d crash out again, and again, and again. Rinse and repeat. 

So she did what Leon S Kennedy would’ve done. Drown herself in work, overtime after overtime. Back to back meetings, projects, RnDs. Anything to get her mind off of him and that night. One thing for sure though, she was done. 

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Before she knew it, she earned herself a promotion, alongside an offer to relocate somewhere else; she was given the liberty to pick the spot. To pick which branch of her office she would be relocating to. 

Without doubt and further, deeper questioning; she said yes. Again, some would have considered her impulsivity a major flaw but to be fair, this was the opportunity she had been looking for. Especially after that night and after Leon. 

Albeit the suffering and grief it brought upon her; that night brought her an epiphany. A revelation, that her whole life had revolved around him and him alone. She was never the center of her own universe, no–it had been Leon. 

It was a mistake. 

So now, with Leon gone and out of the picture; she had nothing to revolve around. There was nothing left for her here anyways…

She was never one for spirituality but it got her thinking– that the opportunity presented itself just in time. It was perfectly aligned with her, as if the universe had given her its blessings to move forward. Even without him.

As if it was a way for the universe to tell her.

He’s very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are.

So when it was all said and done, when everything’s packed into the back of a moving truck and she’d bid farewell to friends and colleagues; she moved. Out of DC and to Francisco. 

And things were okay again. Late nights weren’t so heavy and she wasn’t so burdened with all-consuming thoughts of him. Mornings came by easier for her. She began liking the way coffee smelt, the way the flowers bloomed and the plants flourish, she began liking the taste of sourdough bread with runny eggs on top.

Casual dates were a thing for her now. Enjoying herself and her time as an individual rather than a thing attached to him. 

And before she knew it, a year had passed. 

Life was great. She was flourishing, bright and blooming. 

The sun was high above, her locks cascaded like waters down her neck. She wore a white dress, the patterns were small flowers in the color of muted salem. She had the day off, needed to pick up on groceries and flowers for her vase in the living room and kitchen island. She’d grown to fall for flowers ever since she’d moved to Francisco. 

As she was looking at the arrangement of fruits set before her, smiling at the older lady; she couldn’t help but to notice a man staring at her then approaching her. 

Hey there.

So when her eyes found him, clad in blue instead of black; they widened for a second. Taking in the phantom of what once was the man she’d loved and devoted herself to. 

They stood there, just…staring…

Then there was silence. 

Say, isn't it strange? I am still me You are still you.

—

So they sat there, across one another. This was their second meeting. In a cafe, her favorite. She’d suggested the place. They opted for the outdoor seating instead, feeling as though the walls around them were too overwhelming for her. Too suffocating, especially when she would be near him. 

Her white shirt was slightly crumpled, tucked inside her blue denim jeans that clung to her perfectly. Her bag was set by her ankle, under the table.

She crossed one leg over the other, her eyes never leaving Leon’s. Who had his own ocean blue eyes on her.

Leon had begged her for this chance. Said he wanted to talk to her, needed to talk to her. And she gave him the same grace she would’ve wanted people to give him. Less of a second chance and more towards the urge for a proper closure, really. 

Leon Scott Kennedy was never one to be curious. He’d learnt from his line of work that curiosity can and will kill the cat. And yet when it came to her, he was as curious as ever. So many things he wanted to say, to ask, to question, to find out, to know and last but never should be the least; to understand. Why did she disappear on him like that? Where has she been?Why San Francisco? How did she end up here? Is she with someone else? Is that why she was here now? Was she now a happily-married woman living the white picket fence dream?

But only one thing came out of his now slightly chapped-lips and dry mouth.

I am so sorry. 

Back to our roots What did we lose? What did we lose?

He began, stammering as he leant forward across the table that barred him from feeling her warmth. From feeling her kindness, her love, her tenderness and the familiarity of her.

It’s in the past.

Her voice was…soft. But it lacked the love and gentleness she once held for him. Her eyes were distant…as if staring at a far away dream instead of him.

I shouldn’t have said what I said, I was an alcoholic and an asshole and I didn’t deserve you.

You really didn’t. 

Then there was silence again. Leon’s breath caught as he heard her utter those simple words with such indifference it sent shivers down his spine. 

There was no malice, no anger, no bitterness lacing her words yet all the same it wounded him so. In ways he never thought nor imagined possible. 

Isn’t it strange? How people can change. 

Give me one more chance, let me make things right. 

His pleading was met with silence. Then there was a soft tapping noise against the table, Leon’s blue orbs flitted to her manicured nails for a second before coming back to her face. They were painted beige.

If I could, I’d pull your strings for one more dance.

I…I’ve changed. I’m not drinking anymore and I’ve been going to therapy and I’m not missing out on them anymore. I swear.

It was pitiful how he dragged on and on about how he was a changed man. But seeing she was not budging at all, made Leon’s stomach twist and turn. 

I can’t.

Tell me what I need to do to make this work, to make things right.

She simply shook her head, a defeated and reserved smile graced her lips. God, those same lips Leon had missed so much. How he wished he hadn’t taken her for granted. 

It’s for the best.

And with that, she gathered her bag and herself. She mustered up enough courage and willpower to heave herself up to her feet. Even outside with the wind breezing past them and the world still revolving around them, she felt just as suffocated and as still as ever. She refused to look him in the eyes, refused to study the way his face fell and his eyes glazed with tears. 

I look at you, with nothing to say.

Leaning down for one last kiss, she placed a chaste and small peck on his cheek. Feeling the stubble caress her skin and mouth. She dared not bid him farewell, nor did he. Neither lovers dared to lift their faces to meet one another’s gaze, afraid it might shatter whatever defense they had left.

Isn’t it strange? How people can change From strangers to friends Friends into lovers

So she walked away, never looking back. 

And strangers again.

[xxxnightcorequeenxxxv3]

AU Batboys as Cyberlife Androids

I have 100% a bit more than I can chew with this. As I mostly know these fandoms from fanfiction. And I haven't even played the game. But that doesn't stop me from going of the deep end and make a AU in my head featuring the bat boys as cyberlife androids. And of course, Bruce is the but of the jokes too. So how does this work? Let me tell you what I came up with at work doing busy work that requires low brain power, and I pretty much autopilot and AU craft. So the idea is that Dick, Jay, Tim, and Dami have all ended up deviating. And due to damage taken, has either managed to cram themselves altogether in child model Android (or some sort of USB system storage). Anyway, that's how we get Robin, who managed to sneak away using a circus as a cover, and they end up in Gotham. (I think Dick might have been a police android before the transfer to the Robin collective, and Jay maybe was modified by the past owner for crime, no idea about Tim and Dami yet, though.) So, even if they are at risk of getting hurt, they still try to do good in the world. They some how run into Batman. With a lot of back and forth, Bruce managed to convince Robin to come with him. What they don't tell Bruce at first is that there are more of them. So, after some time, Robin asks Bruce if he could get an adult frame, please. Brucie managed to convince the public that he got the child boot secondhand. And there has been a lot of speculation as to why of the not-so-savory variety. So when Bruce requests a blank model with no programming to be sent to Wayne Tech for the transfer. The only reason Cyberlife agrees to it is that someone in Wayne tech RND convinces them Wayne is probably just gonna .... the bot. and yeah, that's how Dick gets the cake. As the others were like no, you've been in charge of Robin for so long now, you go first. So Dick agrees to transfer to the new custom model, which can change to Mr. Wayne's preference. To Bruce's surprise, Robin is operational, just different as Jay is in charge of the collective now as the next experienced model in the line. This is where Dick and the others come clear that Robin is more of a Matryoshka situation. It takes some time for Bruce to get to terms with that situation. But after some time has gone by, they come up with a plan to get another clean slate android body. Brucie is now gonna be in to role play, for his second android. He manages to get one of them beefy security bots. So yeah, he leaves Wayne RND with the forwarding request for a new blank bot from Cyberlife. And some techs are thoroughly amused by the goings on that the requests go through. And That's how we get a big beefy boy for Jay to jump to. Making it Tim's turn to be in primary control of Robin for a time. Bruce asks Robin just how many there are in there now, as it seems like the supply is never-ending. Tim calms Bruce down by saying that if they get one more android body, they'll have one each. more time elapse. And Brucie has to make yet another request, this time for a android secretary. Lucky for Bruce, the same guys as the last time are still changing and approving his request again, sending what they laughingly call "an Androgynous Twink for Mr Wayne" this time. And That's how we get Tim and Dami separated again.

And that's what I got so far, as I have no clue what more to do than possibly draw stuff. ---- So I posted on Discord to and the oh so wonderful @bucketorandomness

Added this; yes, I asked if it was okay to do the edit with credit

Option for more after-market additions for the boys:

Damian was originally a security model who was changed into an assassin by unsavory folks

Timothy was still a Drake, purchased as a kind of “test run for a real child” which they think is going great when it really wasn’t. Extra learning modules and some advanced reasoning in his base programming were mandatory for purchase

Cassandra, like Dami, was repurposed into a stealth-based assassin from a dancer base. Language programming was removed to make more room for the modifications. She follows one of the others home after recognizing a fellow android

Duke gets adopted into the Robin Collective temporarily while they drag his model back to Bruce and demand he fix it

Stephanie isn’t an android, but she did jokingly offer to join the Robin Collective once science figures out how to download a consciousness. Whether or not that already exists is up for debate.

Barbara can be a secretary model for the GPD or she can be another human like Steph if you want. If she is an android, I suggest Jim Gordon notices her deviancy and decides to adopt this new person and teach her how to people like a daughter. Also maybe self-installed body mods. I feel like she’d get a tattoo without supervision so why not upgrade her own RAM and other abilities?

[laurelnose]

@heartoferebor OOF okay so I technically started with PawPaw Studio’s pattern because it nails the square little face, but it doesn’t include any ventral fins and the body shaping is weird, so ... well, the pattern definitely inspired me, we’ll leave it at that. I didn’t anticipate ever wanting to replicate my own hubris so I uhhhh didn’t take notes. fortunately (?) for you I finished a lot of the details Yesterday so I have written up my mods from memory. I think what’s under the cut is everything I changed. Maybe. Good luck?

I used a super bulky chenille and an 8mm hook. Use whatever you need to get an appropriate stuffie gauge. I did everything FLO except working into the sl st stripes which I also did BLO.

Worked the mouth insert about 15-20 rounds longer, with final round being blue/white before starting increases (this is not structurally critical, make yours however deep you want)

I approximately doubled the number of rounds in the head section. Just keep adding rows of dots until you feel the head is sufficiently long.

Work two sections after the head straight w/o decreasing, then work eleven following sections with decreases. For decrease rows work [sc1 blue, dec, work to last 3 blue scs, dec, sc1], rep in white for belly. The second and sixth rounds of each section (sl st rounds not counted) are decrease rounds (dec by 8 sts total each section).

Work the fourteenth section with decrease rows on the second, fourth, and sixth rows.

Final section: Work no spots. Work two dec rows immediately after sl sts. Work two rows dec’ing every st around, then close up hole.

Sections 10-12 I worked flat (cutting yarn and restarting from right side every row to preserve in-the-round texture) and rejoined to work in round on the following sl st round; this let me install an invisible zipper so when he’s five years old and his stuffing’s gone flat he can be restuffed. This also helped make final stuffing easier.

I offset the 2×2 spots from section to section rather than lining them up. The repeat is [4 blue, 2 white], so on the next section it’d be [1 blue, 2 white, 3 blue].

Work all fins with joined rounds, NOT spiral rounds. At this scale the row offset produced by spiral rounds is almost half an inch and 100% matters.

Upper caudal fin lobe: Rounds 25-26 should be worked including spots following established pattern; work 8 additional rounds after r26 increasing as established: three solid, two spot, three solid.

Lower caudal fin lobe: Rounds 20-21 should be worked with spots; work 3 solid rnds after this, increasing as established.

Anal fin is exactly like second dorsal fin but all in white.

Pelvic fins:

MR 6

[Inc, sc 2] x2 (8 sts)

Inc 8 times (16)

Sc 6, inc 4, sc 6 (20)

Sc around

Do not cut working yarn. Sk 7 sts, join new length of yarn w/ sl st in next sc, inc 2, sl st, f/o new length of yarn.

Continuing with original working yarn and working over top of added sts in r6, inc, sc 8, inc 2, sc 8, inc (36)

Sc 11, inc 2, sc 11 (38)

Inc, sc 11, inc 2, sc 11, inc (42)

Sl st 6, sc 8, inc 2, sc 9, sk remaining scs and join to first sc of this row

Sl st 3, sc 15, sl st. F/O

Fold the fin in half and seam the lower section of the fin together. Leave rows 10-11 unseamed. Stuff gently.

Claspers (optional):

Make fsc row with a smaller hook if necessary to avoid flaring.

Fsc 14.

Sc 14.

Sc 14.

Make turning chain, sk first sc, sc 9, turn.

Sc 8, sl st. F/O.

Fold short part of claspers over and seam into a tube, stitching final row to base of fsc and closing the tip. Jam the ends inside the tube but leave unstuffed otherwise.

Anal fin should be attached to belly directly underneath second dorsal fin. Posterior tips of the pelvic fins should be level with or slightly past the end of the first dorsal fin. Seam only the open parts of the pelvic fins to the body, leaving the tips free. Once pelvic fins are attached, take the claspers and flatten the single-layered portion against the base of the pelvic fins, towards the center of the belly. The opening to the folded part of the claspers should be up against rws 10-11 of the pelvic fins. Seam the single-layered portion to the pelvic fins as flatly as possible so it blends in, closing up the opening of the tube as you go.

[aspiringcoder]

Day 03: When Sleep Wins Over the Gym

hello to my non existent audience... I guess humans are weird creatures after all. Anyways not that much movement today I was sleepy the entire day...I don't know what lullaby my professor sang in the last lecture she was unbearable though she explains well. That's why I slept in local train I slept when I reached home I slept almost the whole evening and it was too late for gym. I even missed the annual function of my sister's school she was telling me to come but I was way too tired and out of my mind for that . I could have missed the gym for a way better and fun cause but well sometimes you gotta listen to your body and rest now at 2 in the night I am writing this diary entry .. I did progress in studies though ... I solved 16 pattern questions out of 22 in my tuf+ course. Well pattern questions aren't asked in interview still I practiced to get a practice of loops. I guess my impression in front my DC(Distributed Computing) teacher is not good. What happened is today in the lab we were to perform a basic client server application which uses protoc for communication. without getting much into details ...this protoc needed a plugin for java and I couldn't find it on internet how was I supposed to find it. So I asked her for help and this was her statement - "Code bhi chatgpt se loge sab chatgpt se loge toh rnd kya hoga" but its not like I didn't try I couldn't Well can't do anything she thinks I used chatgpt for everything and didn't understood the experiment but it was not like that although I am not denying the use of chatgpt but it was not all I understood each and everything. I will try to perform better next lab I hope I am just overthinking and she doesn't think of me as bad as I am thinking maybe she was just encouraging me to solve the problem on my own or just didn't wanna help with installation or dependencies I have noticed this about most developers they don't like to solve installation errors or setup things ...including me hehe.. Ok so remember about the mouse I talked about yesterday It is alive and its in my house ....oh my god one problem goes just for another to enter I hope somehow it went away we kept the door open for quite a while so that he could go... but I am scared to even go to bathroom now without the lights Well that's it for today ... nothing new stayed consistent with the course.. gym had a streak break but that's fine will cover up. overall a semi productive day Stay safe and healthy gn and take care

[heroesofchroma]

Ch.4 - Rampart

(PREV / ALL \ NEXT)

Every time Gwen stood in front of Chroma, it never seemed to get less imposing. The trio of towers, arranged in a triangular pattern, the tallest facing her, connected across each other by glass bridges and massive concrete halls, seemed like an impossibility of engineering. Yet, here it stood. Reminding the city who was protecting them. A single beacon out of four in the country, trying to assure the people they were safe. The pit in Gwen’s stomach was less fear that she might be working for the bad guys, and far more that she might screw up working with the good guys.

Gwen walked through the main lobby up to the main desk. She flashed her ID and said, “In for RnD and turning in an application.”

The receptionist, a kindly looking middle-aged woman smiled. “Another recruit from Sister herself, alright…” she muttered, taking the ID for a moment before nodding and quickly handing Gwen the card back along with a Contractor-level security badge. “First elevator, fourteenth floor for your Research escort. I’ll take the application and get it to the proper channels.”

Gwen nodded and handed over the application. “Tell ‘em to call me if anything needs clarifying. He doesn’t have a phone right now.”

Without skipping another beat, she followed the instructions to the letter, finding the elevator, flashing her badge to unlock it, and meeting with the escort on the fourteenth floor. She followed the security officer through stark, sterile halls until they reached a lab that… Was considerably grungier. Concrete and tread steel made up the majority of the room, testing chambers of glass and a multitude of miscellaneous wires decorated the room, thankfully devoid of dust. At least, as clean as it can be despite the weapons testing.

Greeting Gwen was a man built like a pickup truck, sporting the mechanic jumpsuit to match. He dressed sensibly, though his nature was betrayed by the harness of electrically motorized arms  hanging from his back. He smiled bright at the entrance of the prodigy. “Well, hello there! Took your sweet time getting in!” he exclaimed, his deep, husky voice rattling her bones, his Indian cheeks flushing with an amount of pride and joy in equal measure from behind a short beard.

“It isn’t my fault I still gotta go through bureaucracy just to get in,” Gwen joked, extending her hand for a shake. “What’s on the agenda, Ishaan?”

Ishaan nodded. “Business, right. I’ve managed to integrate your tech into the armor, but it’s bulky…” he explains, leading Gwen to the main project in the room, at least for the moment. He taps the bolted on vents on either shoulder blade. “The issue becomes I’m not sure how to really get them wired in such a way that they’ll both give enough output to be useful AND give reasonable flexibility to the pilot.”

Taking in the armor, Gwen looked over the oversized mass of cobalt and steel colored plating. It was obvious half-complete, only having a full skeleton while much of the suit remained uninstalled. “Boot her up, let’s see what we’re working with in practice so far.”

“She’s not quite attached to any mechanisms at the moment, I’m still in the assembly phase. I don’t even have a basic wire setup as every one I seem to come up with has some kind of pinch threat that’d block the particle throw in practice,” Ishaan explains. “The best I have come with is…”

Ishaan pulls up a touchpad and taps a command into it. Over the armor shines a hologram projected from overhead lamps. Microtubing from the vent structures on either side of the armor show in bright green contrast to the darker blues and greys of the main plating.

Gwen thinks for a moment. She gauntlets didn’t have this issue, the vents only needing to travel from the forearm to the palms. But they also gathered fewer particles for fewer throwable projectiles. The scale-up of the collectors didn’t really allow them to be placed anywhere else reasonably… Unless…

“Maybe instead of trying to wire them from the back…” Gwen moves closer to Ishaan, motioning her explanation. “There’s some way to get them situated on the shoulders?”

Ishaan nods along. “I thought so as well, but the issue becomes weight.”

“Is there no way to augment the frame to carry it for the pilot?” Gwen asks.

Ishaan thinks along for a moment. He taps away at the pad, one of this motor arms handing his normal one a stylus as he quickly draws up an idea. The hologram overlay shits, adding in one of the condensers onto the shoulder, shifting the design and frame of the power armor to accommodate. “I… Suppose it’s possible? I’m not sure how well it will all still function… The particle output may still not be enough.”

Gwen nods, thinking along. “Maybe instead of moving condensers, then… Maybe we make them tanks.”

Ishaan tilts his head. “Tanks? You mean some kind of particle battery system?”

Gwen shrugged. “We’re two genius idiots, I’m sure we can figure something out. Something like an auto-filling magazine to hold ammo while not firing. That way, while in travel, the armor can generate shots and give the armor more consistent fire-time.”

Ishaan thought hard about the suggestion. His face contorted over and over again, mulling over ideas on how to make it happen moreso than other solutions. “I… Hmm… I think that could work, yes.”

Gwen nodded. “Then I’ll get started figuring that out, you can work out the tubing from there, yeah?”

Ishaan nodded firmly. “I’ll meet you at the bench when I’ve got it!” he assured with a hearty thumbs up.

The two worked diligently for about an hour before a presence in the lab interrupted them. A clear, smooth voice echoed against the concrete walls. “What’s the news, doc.” The voice had no ideas of nonsense or hesitation in the simple words.

Attached to the voice, a tightly-suited form walked in, a helmet masking their face. The coloration of their suit mimicked the armor the scientists were working on, the curved T-visor showing a faint orange tint to it. The suit was simple, and came with anchor points that locked into the armor.

“Rampart! Good to see you, we’re working on modifying the armor a bit still, we aren’t quite in a functioning state just yet,” Ishaan explained. Starting, he moved next to Gwen. “Ah, this is Gwen. She is the one who is going to make ballistics irrelevant in your new armor!”

Gwen chuckled a little nervously. “Dang, Ishaan, you’re really setting a high bar for me, here,” she joked, reaching out a hand. “It’s good to meet the pilot, though.”

“Rampart. Ram is acceptable,” the soldier replied, clasping Gwen’s hand in a firm shake. “What exactly do you two plan on strapping me with, then, if ballistics are out of the question?”

Gwen took over the conversation, heading towards the workbench she’d been on. “The easy answer is the closest thing to a laser blaster that we can make practical. You’ll be gathering particles from the atmosphere, condensing them with a dense electromagnetic array,” Gwen pauses, looking to Rampart almost expecting to get cut off. Taking the hand of the armor and showing off the palm, or where the palm of the armor WILL be when it’s installed properly, at least, she continues, “As they run through the tubing, they’ll be condensed and heated further. From there, it’s a matter of building the launcher that’ll fire them, which, Ishaan?”

Passing the conversation, Ishaan takes over with enthusiasm. “The launcher, for now, will act more or less like your average air-gun,” Ishaan heads over to a so-far untended workbench and picks up a gauntlet that looks large enough to fit onto the bulking frame centerpieced in the lab. Showing it off, he starts with the undercarriage of the gauntlet. “You’ll have one on each hand, and here is where your propulsion of the projectile comes from. I still need to calibrate it so you aren’t using too much weight behind each shot to be fired properly, but the weapon will be nonlethal as long as you are avoiding headshots-”

Rampart finally seemed to have something to see. “NON-lethal or LESS THAN lethal?” they asked, emphasizing the need for clarification.

Ishaan stammered a bit. “W-Well, the projectiles would likely be classed as ‘less than’ no matter what I do, but I already have a calibration setting that SHOULD keep the only threat of being a lethal shot to a particularly bad headshot. The only damage we’re aiming for is akin to, as I mentioned before, what would be called an airsoft gun.”

Rampart nodded, folding their arms and thinking things over. “When’s a field test likely going to happen?” they asked, skepticism still thick in their voice.

“As soon as we confirm the calibrations I’ve set the gauntlets to are correct,” Ishaan assured with a bright, beaming smile. “We’re expecting full installation of all systems within just 3 days.”

Rampart nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “And what are the other systems going into this thing?”

Gwen chimed in with an answer of, “Total of 3 weapons systems, including the new particle launchers. A small-battery rocket system, standard issue for non-lethal crowd control, low impact, as well as your emergency option; A set of kinetic knuckles. You’ll have 3 settings, off, low, and high, low being your standard knock-back, and high able to crack any low-grade wall you come across.”

Rampart kept nodding along, putting their fingers to the chin of their helmet, almost like it were a second skin to them. “And I take it normal operating systems?”

Ishaan nodded. “For travel, you’ll be equipped with standard motor-boots for the time being. Otherwise, all Chroma standard systems. Don’t want to overload with too many experimentals, after all!” he assured again, seemingly trying to make Rampart more comfortable.

The enigmatic pilot nodded again, turning to leave for now it seemed. “Keep me up to date,” they said before turning. “Oh, and… Gwen? Right? We gotta talk more about those particle launchers. Sound fascinating.”

Gwen seemed to perk up a little at that, beaming a little with pride at the interest. Once the pilot was gone, she turned back to Ishaan. “Well? Let’s get this done.”

Rampart marched down the halls towards the hangar bay, intent on taking a patrol flight, mostly to clear their nerves. This was cut off when they heard on the intercom chime a short tune overhead, saying, “Pilot ER-37, callsign Rampart. Please report to Conference Room 7. Rampart, please report to conference 7.”

Once the intercom chimed to sign off, Rampart sighed, catching their helmet fog for a moment. Without hesitation, they diverted their course towards the nearest elevator, hitting the 2nd floor button and heading down.

It took them only about 5 minutes to reach the conference room, expecting to see their immediate superior… And instead seeing a doctor, a distressed looking man, and one of the magi. “Well this is an interesting line-up,” they commented from the doorway before entering. “I’m starting to wonder why I got brought in.”

The doctor spoke up first, his older tone serious. “Rampart, this is Mr. Kierson. He’s in a bit of a bind, as he’s only in-country for another couple of days. His daughter, however, has to stay for medical reasons.”

Rampart nodded to Mr. Kierson, offering a hand to shake which the father took tentatively. “And I’m guessing there’s somewhere I fit into this plan of helping him out, right?”

“Please, miss, I-” Mr. Kierson began before Rampart cut them off.

“Sir, please. And if I can help, I’m going to,” they explained comfortingly.

Mr. Kierson nodded, falling silent for the moment.

The magi spoke up next, her fingers drumming the table. “It will be temporary arrangements, but we noticed you were currently labeled as living alone. Is this true?” she asked in a thick Bostonian accent.

Rampart nodded. “Not exactly, but I do have spare space regardless. I take it I’ll essentially be a sponsor until better living’s available?”

The magi nodded. “That will be the long and short of it. Though, there is one thing you should know, which is why I am involved.” Extending her hand, the magi explained, “My name is Scholar Elise Lecroux, mystic division, 3rd class, ambassador to the Astral Light organization. The Astral Light has agreed to take on the job of getting the young Ms. Kierson free of a curse plaguing her. The important part is that the curse is possession, which we’ve managed to stave off with a counter-possession.”

Rampart blinked under their helmet. “So… There’s essentially three mouths I’d be feeding? That’s… A little more than my budget can handle…” they mused, suddenly a little more tentative about shaking any more hands.

Elise shook her head. “Not quite the situation. There are three souls you’re takin’ in, but you only need to concern yourself with Ms. Kierson’s needs. The two possessions won’t need any support beyond what the Astral Light is giving.”

Rampart nodded, clearly not fully understanding and being out of their depth massively, but the hand running up and down her own bicep gave away that their heart bled for this kid they just now learned existed. After a moment of silent contemplation, the only question left on their mind was, “Anything else I should prepare for?”

Elise shook her head. “Not unless there is some special need Mr. Kierson hasn’t told us.”

“N-No, m- Sir! Sir… No, sir. Nothing else,” Mr. Kierson stammered out, a thick Swedish accent making him need to enunciate more than usual, it seemed. He smiled and offered his hand again. “Thank you so much for taking care of my little girl. I know it was a difficult choice…”

Rampart took off their helmet and smiled, taking the father’s hand firmly and giving it a good shake. “No need to worry, Mr. Kierson. If I couldn’t have, we’d have found someone able to take care of your daughter. And you have my total assurance I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of.”

The doctor smiled. “In that case, let’s get information all settled in before we let you go and get you introduced, shall we?” He slid a paper across the table for Rampart to fill out, along with the pen to do so.

It wasn’t until dinner that Gwen managed to break away from the project. In fairness, it was an impressively productive day at least, but she was starving by the time she climbed into the seat with Batu.

“You okay?” he brother asked.

Gwen rubbed her slightly-pulsing headache. “Yeah… Kinda… Not really. I think I worked too hard… But at least we’re already almost done. We’ll probably be ready for a first test pilot by mid-week.”

Batu smiled as he turned on some soft music for his sister. “That’s good, at least. Here,” he said, handing her a water bottle. Not his first rodeo with his sister’s work life.

Gwen took the bottle and drank long and hard as Batu began heading towards the usual seafood restaurant. “I already called the order in, at least…” she growled out through her relieved throat. “You were going with your usual, I hope.”

“I was,” Batu admitted casually. “Haven’t been home, either, so I admit I dunno if the place burned down.”

Gwen shrugged. “It’s probably fine… Doc’s orders were for the big guy to keep it cool, and I doubt the normal tennants did anything terrible.”

Batu shrugged in kind. “Guess we’ll see.”

The rest of the ride was mostly quiet, aside from the music. They picked up food, collected the groceries Batu bought on his way to pick up Gwen, and made it home in one piece…

And almost on queue, as they walked inside, one of their tenants was rushing downstairs. The middle-aged woman who lived right above on the first floor.

“What’s going on, Lettie?” Batu asked, casual but concerned.

“I dunno, I just heard a thud and came to check,” she said. “Sounded REAL heavy which is why I’m worried about the new guy, kinda.”

Gwen and Batu shared a look before they split up, dumping the bags in their hands on the front desk without a second thought. Batu made way for their room, while Gwen ducked into the basement.

Gwen found him first. “Travis!” she screamed as she saw him trying to roll onto his back at the bottom of the basement stairs. “Lettie, call 911!”

(PREV / ALL \ NEXT)

[sheep-lover]

Never in my life i thought i should see a multi fandom fic that included slender man x zalgo anyway chat have u ever played style savvy? Its like so good. And the switch one sucks like its just a sandbox basically and like i thought oh maybe if i recreate all the clothes of style savvy into fashion dreamer it should be super fun cuz like it should be the same but better! But the system is so confusing and theres so many elements like why the fuck is there a bingo machine? Why is there a gacha? At least the characters are cute like the customization and like those npcs that stay next to the mirror are like so pretty and my fave my girl Talulah but the man are god awful ugly theres like five exceptions

Anyway i wonder if oh father will return cuz the author of the fic has heart problems and the author of the source is a pedo so i guess i am left to eat old food and god knows i will devour. I have to stop referring to god so much its annoying good thing theres no one here to annoy i just entertain myself mom wants me to have friends but i think its too late for me

Its ok ok wow letters i remenber when i wrote letters to god bit he never replied so i stopped sending some of them ieven have blood sacrifice non im not kidding i was bored ok jesus ikm so hungry why did i not make an ommelette so hungry belly hurts ok i tried putting acrylic nails yestenderb bit i took them off like after half an jour cuz i felt ridiculous why can i be pretty or handsome why do i have to be weird and. Awkward my plushie pait brush is not selling and the price whent down and i cant findhrhhrhryrhrvrhrhrhrhrhrbrbrhrhr the petpet rock and treinging is so confusing i dont understand nothing im so dimb adn astupid im tuured of all tpf of this waaaa waaaa waaaaaaa easaaaa wwaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaááá waaaáaaáaaáaaaáaaáaaaaaaaáaaaaáaaaáaaaáaaaaaaaáaaabaaaaaabaaaaabaabbabbaabaaaaáaaaaaaaaaásssajfhfbfnfhrjfnrbrhrjrbrbrhrjrbrhrhrhrhrhrjrhrghrnrrhrjrnrgrurrgrrnrgrrbrdndhf me rhdjrbfhrnrhdjrhr6rbrrbr him rjuf um dnrjhzhzdndhdhjshzdndbdbdbbshsbsbzdbbzbs hj um rnd um jr um jrrjd um jr in jdrurdjrhrrduddyrr7rrhurjryrrryurrhrjryrnsjhudorahhejejejegrhrhrhrururururururrururudjhfhfbdhdjdhhdr think high ehr junk jrrrrrrr buying jrrrrrrrrr4rrrrfrjrrrrr hinting rhrrrr Johndoeassaasssßsssßssssssgsssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabáabáaabaabaáaabaaabaáaaabáaahahsaãgvh ok ok

[danpuff-ao3]

Where do I start joining the fandom? I've been a HP lurker for a while now (I read fics daily and check a few pro-Snape blogs bec I love him) and I really want to join the fandom, discord servers, meet new people, and even join writing events like the blackcestfest you recently did. Any suggestions?

Hey, anon! I'm so glad you reached out!!

Being more active in fandom can be such a good experience! seeing as the HP fandom is so large, though, properly getting your foot in can seem a bit daunting. There is so much out there! Where to start??

Do you comment on fic? Do you follow creators' social medias? Do you interact with them there? Are you a creator? Do you share your creations here or on Twitter or anywhere else? Do you listen to fandom podcasts? Do those podcasts or creators have their own Discord servers, or servers they promote? Do you have areas of interest? Snape, I presume. Any specific ships?

Putting yourself out there any way you can is a great step!

The best place to get started, in my opinion, would be the Magical Shippers RnD server. It has everything. Spaces to chat about all sorts of characters, ships, tropes, kinks, etc. There are spaces to chat about writing, and they're always sharing new writing events going on. There is even a channel with links to other Discord servers, so you can hopefully find more specific spaces to your liking, too. It's a really open-minded space with plenty of friendly, helpful people. You have to be 18+ and if you are and that sounds good to you, you can click here for the invite link!

And you are of course welcome to DM me here or on Discord (danpuff#4958) and if you tell me what all you like and are looking for I can maybe direct you to more specific spaces, too!

As for writing events, you can follow @hpfests. They promote all sorts of writing events that you can peruse and see what you're interested in. @hp-flowers is starting next month and that's one event I'm really excited about! Oh, and several fests have their own Discord servers, so that's another option for you!

Really, once you get started you'll find more and more cool people and spaces, so keep an eye out and take the opportunities that come your way!

I hope that was a little bit helpful! I more or less stumbled around until I found my groove! And now I'm more or less all over the place LOL!

Hope to see you around, anon!!

[following-the-drum]

How to Make Your Very Own Plush Strahd!

A Multi-part Pattern by Following-the-Drum

Difficulty: (Not gonna lie there will be blood and tears it's Strahd we are talking about) Medium to Advanced if only for the techniques involved.

Go Easy on me I have never made a pattern for Crochet in my life but I have crocheted for twenty plus years!!! If you have any questions feel free to send me an ask! Without Further ado:

Part One: The Head

Head Yarn: (I used the Red Heart Super Saver Acrylic Worsted Weight Yarn in the Color Aran)

Hair yarn: is same weight but from an old Black cotton Yarn I had lying around with a soft texture.

The Safety Eye size is 8mm

Yarn & sewing needles, black thread, fiberfill/polyfill, sewing pins, something for measuring, possibly caffine and patience are needed for this project. (Maybe a blood sacrifice???)

Hook: G size or 4.25mm hook

Pattern Stitch Shorthand:

sc = Single Crochet

inc = Increase

dec = Decrease

st = Stitches

Start!

For each row join stitches and make a chain...

Rnd 1: Make a Magic Ring with 6 sc (6)

Rnd 2: Make an Inc in the 6 st (12)

Rnd 3: sc in the next st, then inc in the next st 6x around (18)

Rnd 4: sc in the next two st, then inc in the next st 6x around (24)

Rnd 5: sc in the next three st, then inc in the next st 6x around (30)

Rnd 6: sc in the next four st, inc in the next st 6x around (42)

Rnd 7: sc in the next five st, inc in the next st 6x around (48)

Rnd 9-13: sc in the stitches around (48)

Rnd 14: sc in next twenty-four st (Put a marker in the twenty-fourth st this is the center of the face) sc in the next twenty-four. (48)

Rnd 15: sc in the next ten st, inc in the next, sc in the next five st, inc in next st, sc in the next two st, inc in next st, sc in next three st, inc in the next st, sc in the next three st, inc in the next st, sc in the next two st, inc in next st, sc in next five st, inc in next st, sc in next ten, inc in next st (56)

Rnd 16-18: sc in all fifty-six st (56)

Place the safety eyes between rounds fourteen and fifteen, with eight stitches between, four on either side of the stitch marker.

Rnd 19: sc in next five st, dec, (sc in next four st, dec) 3x, sc in next six st, dec, (sc in next four st, dec) 3x, sc in the next five st (48)

Rnd 20: sc in the fourty-eight st (48)

Rnd 21: (sc in next six st, dec) 6x (42)

Rnd 22: (sc in next five st, dec) 6x (36)

Rnd 23: (sc in next four st, dec) 6x (30)

Begin stuffing the head at this point with the fiberfill and continue filling as you go.

Rnd 24: (sc in next three st, dec) 6x (24)

Rnd 25: (sc in next two st, dec) 6x (18)

Rnd 26: (sc in next st, dec) 6x (12)

Rnd 27: dec six times, fasten off leaving a tail use a needle to weave in the front loops of the stitches and pull tight to be close. Sew a nose width of two stitches, between rounds fifteen and sixteen.

Ears x2:

For each row join stitches and chain one

(Same yarn same hook as the head)

Rnd 1: make a magic ring with six st (6)

Rnd 2: (sc in next two and inc in the next st) 2x (8)

Rnd 3: (sc in next three and inc in the next st) 2x (10)

Rnd 4: (sc in the next four and inc in the next st) 2x (12)

Fasten off with a long tail for sewing into head.

Assemble your Strahd-mallow looking head:

Attach the ears using two pins on each side to hold in place while sewing. Count eight stitches from the bottom of the eye to the side and pin in place. on each side.

Now make him angy! Or make him smirk! Whatever eyebrow placement you choose is up to you he is your Barovian Darklord of the Dread Plush planes!!!

Hair: (this is a complicated process so lots of pictures to follow)

Each length of hair is going to vary depending on where on the head it will go, the longest ones being twenty five inches or sixty-three point five inches this is going to get folded in half to become half in length.

Take the Hook and insert it into the front loop three rows above the middle between the eyebrows. Pull the loop made from the length cut of black yarn through and loop the ends through it making a knot repeat once more to form the bottom of the widows peak.

Take a sewing needle and black thread and sew the knots together on the loop so they are bound and stationary. This is important as it helps keep the shape of his notorious widows peak. Add two more knots in the loop behind and two knots to each side sewing each down and in place add a knot to each loop of the rows above and across at varying points till you have the shape of his forehead mapped out.

The highest point being four rows above and six loops out before descending into the sideburns. If it is feeling sparse add an additional knot on a loop and sew in place. Once you have completed both sides begin outlining the edge of his hair around his head to form the space to fill in by looping each strand. The bottom outline should be the same level as his lower ear. Keep adding hair strands across and up till you have reached two rows above the top of his ear. Leave the top of his head bald. Add four strands behind his widows peak and four on either side of the widows peak atop.

Using black thread sew the hair strands down to the tops of the knots concealing them. I found it easier to sew through the middle of a few strands at the point where they meet the knots then sew them down as a clump. Continue across till his top of his head is covered.

Adjust length of hair as you make your way to the lower points starting from the middle of the widows peak which is twenty-one inches folded in half, the rest of the widows peak and framing should be twenty inches, with the sides and back at seventeen. You want to have some variety because once it is cut it will look natural when you give him a trim. We will trim the hair up once we have the head attached to the rest of the body. I personally found adding the rest of the hair after finishing the outline easier once the head was secure to the body.

Once you have completed the hair congratulations you are one step closer to a plush Strahdy boi!

[hoardcloneheadcanons]

Rhack Story P 4- Nisha and Spite

That was the part that Rhys was desperately trying to leave out when talking to Moxxie. Hitting on Jack may have been one of the dumbest things that Rhys did out of pure unbridled spite. 

 When Rhys first started working for Handsome Jack, he’d had hope. Yes, Jack’s P. A. was a disposable list job, but it was given to idiots, people who were nearly fired anyway. Rhys was only there on a fluke. He could make something out of the position. It was still working with the CEO. If he did his job right, he could still get power, and then rub sweet irony in Vasquez’s face.

 All he had to do was do his job correctly, and then pick up jobs as they came along until he was too useful to kill. For the first three weeks he let himself believe this delusion. At the time his job consisted of: 

 1. Cleaning up the remains of the earlier P.A. from the spike pit of Jack’s office. Rhys still remembered the smell.

2. Filling out order forms for new shipments of weapon parts. 

3.Taking notes during board meetings. 

4. Making fancy presentations for the board meetings using the notes on new developments Jack gave him. 

5. Picking up Jack from a bar one time when Jack didn’t feel like getting a shuttle service or teleporting 

6. Talking to the freaks in RnD for Jack so that Jack didn’t have to get near them. He was mostly avoiding a scientist named Nakayama who, to be fair, was unsettling, and obsessive when it came to Jack. 

7. Looking over code Jack had written to find where Jack had missed a bracket. 

 All of which Rhys had done to the best of his ability, and the best of his ability was pretty damn good. His robotic enhancements helped him look through code and record meetings.  Rhys made sure to be on time and attentive for every random task he was called for. He didn’t even bother Jack with the fact that Nakayama had (pathetically and unsuccessfully) tried to kill Rhys.

 But then three weeks passed, and Rhys got to meet Nisha. 

 It was a hunting trip. A date. Jack and Nisha wanted to go to a hunting reservation on Eden-5 and kill drifters with some high-tech slag rocket launchers. Rhys was brought to take pictures and carry equipment. 

Nisha was curvy, had muscles, and could shoot a rocket launcher with frightening precision. Rhys had heard of Jack's outlaw, vault-hunting girlfriend before, but reality was more frightening than concept. She was different then Jack. Jack killed people, put he was also a wise-cracking, nerd with a cheese puffs addiction. Up close, you could forget his aggression, but Nisha wore hers like a high-fashion cloak.

Despite all that, it went well-ish. Jack and Nisha killed three drifters with relative ease and had a good time. 

Mid-way through the day their luck ran out and the area seemed to be empty of creatures. So, after consulting with Nisha a bit, Jack sent him to go find a drifter's egg and bring it back to camp to attract more monsters. After all, Rhys hadn’t been hunting. He still had energy, and none of the creatures would be scared of Rhys and hide their nests from him. 

The order sounded stupid when it was given.  But he couldn’t say that to Jack. Not when he was so desperate to prove he was useful and competent. 

 So Rhys did it. 

He had to bribe a local with a third of his week’s paycheck to get a location of an egg, and then wit another third to tell him how to hide from a drifter. He’d climbed into a cave in the center of a mountain, scratching his body and tearing his clothes. The bugs around had smelled his blood and bit at him. Then, with a tiny flashlight, he’d found drifter’s nest in the darkest corner of the cave and picked up a bowling-ball sized egg.

He heard an adult drifter scream from somewhere in the dark when he touched the egg. He’d run out the cave with it and dove into a mud-pit. The local he’d bribed told him that drifters sensed prey through smell and motion. Staying still in the muck was the only way to hide.  So he lay still hours watching the giant spider-looking creature hunt for him, memorizing every detail of its form as he hugged its egg to his chest.

But then the drifter meandered away, lost, and Rhys went back to the car he’d parked at the foot of the mountain, drifter’s egg under his arm.

When Rhys got back to the camp he found Jack and Nisha napping together under a tree with disheveled clothes and hair.

When they realized he’d come back they laughed with shock and amazement.

They hadn’t expected him to come back at all. They didn’t even hide it.

Nisha had said something about  Jack’s current stooge being more rugged than the last one.

They spent the next 15 minutes poking at his bug-bites and asking about the drifter’s reaction as he’d stolen the egg. He described it half heartedly as his eyes drifted over to where the rocket launchers were completely put away.

He remembered thinking, “They aren’t even going to continue the hunt, are they? I did all of that for nothing.”

And sure enough, before he could even finish his story, Jack started loading the equipment into the transporter dock for them to go. Jack briefly considered turning the egg into an omelet before deciding it would be gross and throwing it into the air for Nisha to shoot.

And Rhys’s hope shattered with the egg.

He’d done everything right, and  he was still as disposable as he ever was. They would have thrown his life away for a joke. They’d wanted to have a romp in the grass together, and instead of sending him away like a normal person, they sent him on a death-near-guaranteed task because they thought it was funnier.

He hated them both for it, but he always associated that revelation with the meeting of Nisha.

_______________________________________________________________

It didn’t get better between them after that.

Nisha sometimes came up to the Hyperion offices to visit Jack and it did not make Rhys like her more.

For one, she ordered him around as much as Jack did, but wasn’t paying him, which got under his skin.

For two, she just didn’t remember his name. She didn’t pretend to forget to belittle him, she actively did not know. To her, Rhys was another Hyperion cog indistinct from all the rest and wasn’t worth remembering. She barely looked at him. It was worse.

Then there was the little issue of the intercom.

Nisha sometimes visited Jack in his office for… conjugal visits. Rhys was all for this. It distracted Jack so that Rhys had free time. It’s just that there was an intercom between Jack’s desk and Rhys’s that Jack used to quickly give his P.A. orders. It turned on and off on Jack’s side, there was a button he’d hold down while speaking, but it couldn’t be controlled from Rhys’s side.

Sometimes when they were together it would accidentally get pushed.

He remembered politely telling Nisha that it would be great if she could just avoid the little green button with INT on it.

Every successive time after he asked the button was constantly on whenever Nisha and Jack were visiting. She must have been sitting on it. She couldn’t remember his name but she could remember his pet peeves.

_______________________________________________________________

So maybe, just maybe, Jack’s attraction to Rhys, wasn’t completely caused by Rhys torturing people. Maybe, Rhys had actively hit on Jack after Jack started showing interest because he’d wanted Nisha to feel every bit as replaceable and disposable as he always did.

He should have been afraid when Jack had started paying attention to him. People who had Jack’s attention died.

But all he could think about was that he’d taken something from Nisha and how after it all was over, Jack would be the one suffering the fall-out from having replaced her with a no-name Hyperion cog.

Rhys would be dead. But he was going to die anyway, so he was going to go out petty.

[aces-to-apples]

how about...Flirting Under Fire with Rex and Cody

[and] married to the job 

For the Fanfiction Trope Mash-Up ask meme

Flirting Under Fire [69] and Married To The Job [84], Rex/Cody in the war stories ‘verse

-

[Image: Commander Cody, of the 212th Attack Battalion, and Captain Rex, of the 501st Legion, crouched together in a foxhole, their helmets tilted towards each other in clear discussion.]

Caption: h8 it wn they gt lyk ths, u no sm sht s bout 2 go dwn

-

[Image: Captain Rex in the middle of smacking Commander Cody upside the helmet.]

Caption: o sht o sht we r FUKKED

-

[Image: camera in selfie-mode to show ARC Trooper Fives tracing a tear down one cheek.]

Caption: they sed we gon chrge th enmy nd hopflly not die, gr8 pln lads

-

[The camera shakes almost imperceptibly as it zooms in on Commander Cody and Captain Rex, now standing upright in a dirt field surrounded by battle detritus and both with several more scorch marks on their armor than before. Their body language is loose even though they appear to be shouting at each other in a mix of Galactic Basic, Mando’a, and Shyriiwook that [CT-7560, “Lingo”] refuses to translate so stop asking.]

Caption: we srvivd no thx 2 ths mfmlkrs

-

“—attle was going pretty well until your lot showed up, Commander.”

“Well, ol’ boy, maybe next time I should just leave your lot to it, then, if you’re not going to be properly grateful for the save.”

“Oh, I think I can show plenty of gratitude when we get back to the Resolute. Sir.”

Caption: pls sirs ur trng ths rmy aprt

-

“—f you don’t take that back within the next four seconds, Captain, I am going to—”

[A crackle of static interrupts the heated(?) conversation.]

“This is Obi-Wan Kenobi aboard Republic flagship Negotiator, please respond?”

[Both captain and commander immediately straighten to parade rest as Commander Cody begins to report.]

Caption: uhoh spaghettio thr hsbnd shwd p nd rnd thr fn :(((((( hw sd

-

My AO3

[aroace413]

Aspec Initiative RnD and Policy Request

Many battle tactics have been lost to the wreckage of the decimation. I suggest that we create new standard procedures, such as the equipping battle kits that are separate from the armoury filled with a few emergency tools.

To start it off, I suggest we make cake pops as handy power boosters that can be accessed easily. One small ball is enough for a quick boost in a tough spot.

Recently, we had a case of shadow attack where an agent was trapped without escape. In a situation where multiple agents are available for rescue, a standard team procedure might be beneficial. For example. Agents would meet up prior to entering the danger zone and have a relay ready to report in case they go missing so that the next team doesn’t go in blind.

Development of the signal jammer tech is currently underway at aspec initiative headquarters. I reccomend the next step (once stabilised) be portable jammers which can help mask rescue groups, as large groups may draw attention faster.

For unprompted attacks on Safe Houses, having an encrypted signal sent between the safe house and initiative centre much like those for the Cold War nuclear weapons might help give earlier warning to the centre when agents are unable to request help due to tampering or ambush. Of course, the security of the centre should not be compromised; maybe a separate monitoring station?

@aspecinitiativecenter I’ll put these ideas up to you for review. Hopefully we can implement some soon.

[thelostsmiles]

Gosh I hope B puts weight back on soon. I know everyone is fawning over the rednoses pix but its obv there's a reason all the pix are just the shoulders up. Going by how defined his collar bone is now I'm sure u can probably see his ribs.I know he said he'd be healthy about it but it's still a bit concerning. Of course its great to be committed to a role and to jump in freezing water for charity but Ive seen noone really mentioning concern about him possibly getting sick. Am I over thinking it?

Dear Anon. The fact that you are considering this suggests you care - which is, of course, a good thing. I am not in any way a health expert, nutritionist, or Dr. This is all my own opinion. I wouldn’t want to encourage anything that would promote being underweight and unhealthily thin. Having said that, I don’t think these recent pics show us that at all.

I think we’re all just use to seeing him at a different weight and body type. Since STiD and then on to DS, he’s been thicker. Now we see him back closer to his Sherlock s1 years and this throws people off with a visceral reaction. Maybe because he’s older.We can see his lean and toned clavicles as well as the shoulder muscles. But a lean body does not equate a damaging one. We haven’t seen a full body pic from RND and this is also a good thing. It’s unnecessary. It’s possible we’ll see an emaciated Wynne in Ironbark but we shouldn’t let movie magic fool us either.

Something people need to remember is that this is for a role. He is an actor and he’s brilliant at it. He gives 100% and more of himself to really inhabit each role. Things like his hair color/length and weight will fluctuate. Going by his past artistic choices, I highly doubt he could be forced into anything. He is not the first nor will he be the last actor to do this. The reason I mention this is because it means that celebrities are important people to the business execs. and they protect their investment. (That’s ultimately what they are to them  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). Therefore, he has professionals guiding him. He’s also not an idiot. We all wish him good health always. Keep caring and loving, anon. Giving him some credit is nice too :)

During The Grinch promo, he was asked specifically about Ironbark and how hard it was for him experiencing the extreme changes. He said he deals with it “very, very carefully”. He also bulked up for the first part of it so the difference would be greater without having to lose too much. 

** Besides, this is going to be as short as his mustache days. He will likely gain weight for Rio and definitely more for DS next year ;)

[rndyounghowze]

9 Truths And A Lie: An Analysis of One Easy Lie by Martin Dockery

@martindockery is one tricky SOG.

By RnD

Cincy Fringe

Review 257

If you had told me two years ago that one of the biggest revolutions in live theatre was that you could watch it without pants on your couch I would have thought you were joking. A year ago if you had told me that there would be a chance to evolve past that and use the platform to make it even weirder I would also not believe you. I found this little truth out by watching a storyteller I had been watching all year openly confess to cheating on his wife, hiding evidence from the police, and killing a man. Oh wait, that was a lie. No,I really saw it, what I mean was that this one thrilling performance of “One Easy Lie” by Martin Dockery at Cincinnati Fringe was the one time among all the other times he’s performed this month that he was creating an absolute piece of fiction. The revolution comes from the different textures of stories digital theatre makers can create when the truth is online forever and the lie gone the minute the show is over.

Dockery’s staging is significant mainly because of the lack of it. On the surface it seems he is sitting in his Montauk basement in a place where he can’t be overheard by his wife. However there also isn’t much to look at. In the entirety of the piece Dockery will not move and there will be nothing for you to look at other than his face. That is in itself a very strong artistic choice because in storytelling the show isn’t going on on the stage. The real show is going on in your head.

More than ever while listening to Martin Dockery’s performance I was watching this vivid movie that was playing on the back of my eyelids. I could see the deer laying there, I could see this strange affair playing out, I could even see this bag of money in his arms. Dockery chose each word as a single stroke of a brush painting a vivid picture of this story. There was an understanding that we didn’t have to look at him. Actually I believe if you had told him that you didn’t see anything when he spoke he would be insulted. The words are the precious currency of a storytelling piece. This piece could have been coming to us over the radio for all we cared and it would have been just as powerful.

However this little yarn that Dockery was spinning is a next evolution to digital storytelling. For a year Dockery has been chronicling his family’s life in Montauk, NY as they left the city during the pandemic. Monthly he has been telling the real life ups and downs of being a displaced artist and raising his daughter. They are there forever on YouTube. Then there is this live-streamed performance where he builds on all of this backstory and weaves a fictional account of a trauma, a deceit, an affair, and a flat out murder. What is astonishing is not the thrilling nature of the story but how absolutely believable it is based on this year-long backstory he has created. For those of us who have been watching for a year it is a freaky gift. Dana and I were looking at each other and saying “I hope his wife doesn’t find out” or “why would you confess this live on the air to a Cincy audience?” Then we had to remind ourselves that this was the one time where he was lying to us. I can only wonder what it looks like to see this show first and then find Right Now on YouTube. I’m sure Dockery has and is laughing like hell.

Using a technique like this digital theatre makers can create textures to their narratives just by choosing what is up online forever and what only people can see by tuning in. Maybe you can use competing lies, alternative storylines. Maybe the public can only find the lies online and have to tune in to get the truth. What can this mean for your storytelling? What possibilities can this have for the future. Where do we go from here? That's up for you to decide.

Check Them Out Here

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https://rndyounghowze.tumblr.com/post/650323979652956160/right-now-year-two-review-creates-an-ever-growing

https://rndyounghowze.tumblr.com/post/620660303914467328/forbidden-city-by-martin-dockery-at-cincy-fringe

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