#the way he reacted when Pomni asked how to leave + him trying to make an exit but not finishing it becuz he supposedly didn’t know what-

[danzsoldier]

sometimes I think about how Caine is canonically oblivious to the suffering that the humans trapped in the circus go through. Makes me wonder if he even understand the suffering if someone explained it to him because he’s just an AI, a robot with no soul and no understanding of how complex being human can be

[thescarletnargacuga]

I AM SEEN

PART 5 OF THE UNSEEN SERIES: A HARLEQUIN AU FANFICTION

AU credit @iamespecter @tadc-harlequin-au

Shadowblade is my OC and NOT CANON

MOTSI by @paper-fowl

WARNING: some angst, swearing

~~~

"Welcome back." Caine smiled at the slowly waking Shadowblade. "And congratulations. I saw you break free."

Shadowblade lowly rumbled and leaned into his kind touch, still feeling the stressing fear of her dreamlike experience. For the first time, she noticed the warmth of his hand. It was so subtle, barely noticeable against her thick hide, but there. Comfort.

Caine was slid sideways from Shadowblade nuzzling against him. He steadied himself and gave her an empathetic look. "I'm sorry. For everything I ever said about your creators. I never realized... I should have been more thorough when we first brought you back, I was so wrapped up in how different you were that I didn't stop to ask why. Can you ever forgive me?" He looks directly into Shadowblade's bright gold eyes, seeing vines of black on the edges. A large dark spot formed a slitted pupil, the illusion of a real eye.

Shadowblade closed her eyes and nuzzled against Caine a little harder. He had no way of knowing who she was, she barely understood it now with all the memories swimming around in her head.

Caine laughed, trying to push back against the overpowering affection. "Okay, okay, thank you for being so underst-"

Shadowblade opened her maw and a large black tongue dragged up Caine's front, leaving a trail of strangely yellow saliva. She shook her head happily, flopping her tongue all over the place. There was a sense of taste again. Her own mouth tastes of metal and grime but it was nice to have the sensation back.

Caine stood stunned by the unexpected tongue attack. "Well, uh, I'm glad you're excited." He wiped his face.

Pomni stood watch outside with Jax, Gangle and their newest marionette addition: MOTSI, the snake-like bullet train. The train sat coiled around a smaller building across the street, waiting patiently for instructions on it's next destination. Pomni kept a vigilante eye out for hostile marionettes but the area was as quiet as ever. The charm on her right hand came to life with a soft glow, mixed feelings of fear and relief growing into happiness. "Shadowblade!" She gasped and rushed inside.

Pomni walked in on Caine being nearly slurped off his feet by Shadowblade. "Woah! Since when have you had one of those?" Pointing to the tongue lolling out the side of Shadowblade's maw. She barely had time to react as Shadowblade lunged at her. "Hey! No! Shadowblade! Down!" But it was too late, she got tongued. Her hair stuck out sideways from the thick saliva. "....thanks." She grumbled, but couldn't hold her sour face with Shadowblade nuzzling against her aggressively. "Good to see you too."

Shadowblade calmed and rumbled against Pomni, who leaned her forehead against Shadowblade's face in return.

Caine held out a handkerchief to Pomni. "I did what I could to get Shadowblade walking again, but there's nothing I can do for the wing until we get back to the manor."

Pomni accepted the handkerchief and wiped her face. "Good thing we have another mode of transportation waiting outside. The center cars of the MOTSI are quite large. I think we could make Shadowblade fit."

"I'm ready to get out of here if you are. This place gives me the creeps." Caine shuddered dramatically.

"And you didn't even see the basement."

"The what now?"

"It wasn't this warehouse, but we found the basement Shadowblade came from. We think. We were attacked before we could really make heads or tails of the place."

"Show me."

~

Shadowblade followed Caine and Pomni to the warehouse where the showdown with the silver beast began. The roof was completely collapsed, but Shadowblade made short work of the debris blocking the basement. Unhindered by confusing memories, she marched ahead of Caine and Pomni into the depths.

The wide spiralling stairs led down to a decrepit laboratory. Much of the equipment was destroyed beyond recognition. Shrapnel of multi colored crystals littered the floor. The dark, lonely basement was lit my Shadowblade's blazing eyes scanning the surroundings.

Caine whistles lowly. "The son did a number on this place."

"That's the second time you've mentions a son. What are you talking about?" Pomni asked.

"Back at the manor, I tapped into the void and found the soul responsible for all of this. He mentioned one other like Shadowblade. Called him the 'traitorous son'. I can only assume, but the Master- Don't give me that look. His words, not mine. Anyway, after the success of Shadowblade, the Master used his own son to create another, but somehow lost control."

"The silver beast."

"Yep."

"That thing was insane. Shots energy beams and everything."

"Energy beams? ....if the Master wasn't such a raging piece of shit, I'd say he was a man after my own heart."

"Don't get any ideas. Shadowblade needs time away from cutting tools and invasive procedures."

"I wasn't. Besides, I don't think there anything salvageable down here." Caine kicked a small piece of debris.

Shadowblade moved slowly through the lab. The place looked entirely different but it felt the same: claustrophobic, violating, painful. Towards the back, there were two excessively large rooms with thick metal doors. A name plate was on each: Silverwind and Warshroud.

The name Warshroud brought back the memories of the lab. Being trapped, torn apart, disoriented and isolated. The undeniable directive to obey.

Shadowblade bared her blades on her undamaged wing and lashed at the door. In a shower of sparks, a huge slash mark crossed out the name of Warshroud.

~

The MOTSI train slithered towards the City of Circuits at top speed. It's belly was nearly frictionless against the ground as energy surged with it's movements. Jax rode atop the train's head, thoroughly enjoying himself. Gangle preferred to stay in the control car, she could see the world zipping by just fine through the window.

Caine and Pomni rode in one of the cargo cars with Shadowblade. The dragonesque puppet was a tight fit, but they made it work.

"Jax says we could be back in the City of Circuits in as little as an hour. Man, we should've grabbed one of these snake trains sooner." Caine leaned against the wall, crossing his legs.

Pomni gave a non-committal hum to Caine's comment. She was focused on Shadowblade, reaching out through the connection. "What's your real name?"

Shadowblade didn't have an answer. She shook her head.

"Do you remember everything about your last life?"

Shadowblade titled their head side to side in an unsure gesture.

Caine added his own question. "So you want to remain a dragon? I'm quite the puppet builder. I could make you a new body."

Shadowblade looked down, eyes moving with thought. She shook.

"Really?" Caine said, somewhat surprised. "I mean, I respect your decision, but can I ask why?"

Shadowblade thought again, then shook.

Pomni smiled. "She says you're rude for asking."

"She did not." Caine huffed defensively. "It was a legitimate question. Communication is pretty limited like this."

"Seems to be working so far." Pomni shrugged. "Maybe you're not listening enough."

"Like you would know anything about that." Caine muttered under his breath.

"Oh, I listen. I just don't care."

"Dismissing what other people have to say is just as bad." Caine argued.

"Doing my own thing has gotten me this far. It'll keep getting me where I need to be." Pomni moved closer to Caine.

"I had hoped you'd understand the meaning of teamwork at this point. I'm sorry to say I'm sorely disappointed." Caine didn't budge, not letting the Harlequin intimidate him.

"I'm not here for your approval." Pomni would've turned away, but she stumbled right into Caine. Sharowblade had batted her from behind. Feelings of smug satisfaction came through the connection.

Caine caught Pomni as she fell into him. Their faces close, Caine smirks. "We really should stop meeting like this."

Pomni stood up straight with a flustered huff. "I'm going to check on Gangle." She slid open the door leading to the forward car and left.

"Thanks." Caine rubbed his neck. "Sometimes we get caught up in our own egos, but there's rarely any real malice behind it all."

Shadowblade sent a feeling through the connection with Pomni that could be summed up as "I know your secrets."

~

The MOTSI parked itself around the border wall of the manor. Their long body easily goes around the entire property, their head and tail almost touching near the gate. The train doors open to let out the passengers, but Shadowblade's struggles to get out as much as they did to get it.

She claws at the ground, metal grinding against metal as she slowly squeezes out. With a thunk, she flies forward and scorpions on the ground outside the train.

Caine walks out behind her, chuckling. "Smooth."

Shadowblade snorts at him as she gets up.

Jax slides off MOTSI's head. "This is your new station. Stay here." The snake powered down it's eyes, going into sleep mode until another trip was required.

Gangle gracefully exited the train, happy to be in safer territory again. "You simply must tell me how you learned to operate these, Sir Jax."

"Not like it hard." He shrugged. "Most of it's voice command. Say, why don't you come with me," He put an arm over her shoulders. "And I'll teach you."

"Just me?" Gangle asked shyly.

"Well, I'm not inviting Pomni. She doesn't take commands very well." He led her off towards the manor, but called out to Caine as they passed. "Hey, I'll be expecting my payment soon."

Caine rolled his eyes. He'd actually almost forgotten. Of course Jax wouldn't.

Pomni joined Caine with Shadowblade to the barn. He looked around, it wasn't a bad place but it wasn't befitting a person. "I'll talk to Z about getting this place upgraded. You may have to sleep in specialized quarters, but that doesn't mean you should be stuck with the dirt. Yet another thing I feel inclined to apologize for."

Pomni avoided eye contact with Shadowblade, but the emotion came through loud and clear in the connection. Guilt. She's treated Shadowblade like an animal at best, a tool at worst. Regret stabbed at the back of her mind.

Shadowblade looked from one to the other, and using a single claw, wrote in the dirt. "F-R-I-E-N-D"

"I'm glad you consider us friends, even after everything." Caine felt like he could breathe easier. "You've been through so much to get to this point. You know what that calls for? A celebration!"

"A party? Now?" Pomni and the others had been up for over twenty four hours. There was no way anyone was in the mood to party.

"No, no, tomorrow! It should be a whole day dedicated to celebrating the enlightenment of our newest member. Especially since we didn't even know it was possible."

"....you just want to drink all day."

"No! I-"

Shadowblade gave him the same look as Pomni.

Caine sighed, defeated. "I just want to drink. Can you blame me? I have some new guilt to suppress. And who knows, maybe Shadowblade can drink too. Worth a try, I'd say. Anyway, you should rest, Shadowblade. I'll be out to fix your wing later. Pomni, a word?"

Pomni gave Shadowblade's one last look before leaving with Caine. A feeling of calm resolve sent through. She followed Caine as he walked out of earshot of everyone, towards the edge of the woods filling the manor grounds.

"Pomni, are you alright? You mentioned encountering HIM."

"I'm fine... He didn't touch me." She remembered the oppressive force of the Patriarch's soul. The fear it instilled in her was unmatched and unnatural. She hated herself for being such a coward in his presence.

"I know, but he doesn't need to in order to affect you."

Pomni crossed her arms in an attempt to appear stoic, but the subconscious self soothing motion made it obvious she was uncomfortable. "He took the core of the silver beast and the journal of information connected to project Warshroud. He's planning something. Something big. We need to be more careful going forward."

Caine was shocked. "Be more careful? From you?"

"Yeah....well, he could've killed me or taken Shadowblade or both, but he didn't. Maybe he thought that would be too easy. Look, I've met death a lot over in my time with you, and I've never feared it, but being around the Patriarch...makes me afraid. I don't know what he's capable of, but something tells me I wouldn't even see the void if he ended me."

Caine gently took Pomni's hands, uncrossing them from her chest. His thumbs caressed her knuckles soothingly. "That won't happen."

Pomni didn't have the energy to argue or pull away, not that she wanted to. Not this time. She quietly reveled in his comfort. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I won't let him take you away from me."

"You're such a sap." Pomni tried to sound harsh but her voice carried no such tone.

"You have no idea." He said quietly. "No plans for tomorrow aside from getting drunk. Rest as much as you need."

"You really care, don't you?" Her gaze softened.

"I do." His hands gently squeezed hers.

"Simp."

Caine snorted and bust out laughing, Pomni with him.

~

Shadowblade sat in the barn entrance, gazing at the stars. Their wings in one piece, freshly mended by Caine, she flexed them while taking in the night sky. The memories were still a lot to take in. Coming to the forefront of her mind in bursts. Sometimes she was a child. Sometimes an adult. Sometimes joyous. Sometimes afraid. Sometimes full of sorrow. A lifetime condensed into one D.I.E. How did it ever hold it all?

Lights from the manor gradually dimmed as the residents went to bed. Even Kingr retreated to his single quarters next to the barn for the night. The only one that remained was Z. They never slept.

Shadowblade wasn't tired in the slightest. In fact, she had energy. She wanted to go somewhere. She stepped fully out of the barn and stretched her wings. The night was young, the air was fresh and the wind was calm. Perfect conditions. She jumped up into the air and beat her wings for a vertical launch. The oversized manor below became small as she gained more and more altitude quickly, reaching for the stars themselves.

She grazed the underside of a thin cloud before changing to an outward glide. She flew high over the City of Circuits. The dark city is illuminated by only the moonlight. The rush of the wind washed away all that plagued her below. Up here, she was truly free. No Masters. No cages. No saddles.

Shadowblade roared with elation. The buildings below echo back the joyous noise. She flew higher. Tucking her wings in as she punched through the clouds, coming face to face with the moon. She reached out, as though to touch it, and fell back first through the clouds again. She turned to nose dive at the ground. Air rushing past faster, and faster. The City beckoned to her, but she denied it. She opens her wings and swooped over the highest building by mere feet. She weaved between and around the taller structures, and under a wide bridge. She couldn't be stopped. She was free!

She flew all the way out of the city limits, to the rocky formations that lay in the lands between cities. Shadowblade landed gracefully on the highest point, only slipping a little as she settled. Her systems vented hard from the flight as she surveyed her surroundings. The world was still beautiful in its own way. Quiet. Peaceful.

Her mind wandered to the plethora of unprocessed memories. A repeated word came to her in many of them.

Badorman.

Miss Badorman.

People with faces she did not know said that name over and over, until the woman she met in her dream came to mind. Mother did not call her Badorman. In memories of simple joy and harshest sorrow, she heard "Scarlet."

"My beautiful Scarlet."

Shadowblade whimpered. A tear of black fluid escaped her mechanical eye.

"I wish we had more time."

Shadowblade tried to speak, but her unfamiliar tongue lulled weirdly in her inhuman mouth. All that came out was mechanical whirring and screeching from the shredder in the back of her throat. She stomped, quaking the rock she sat upon and growled.

"Scarlet...be good for me."

Shadowblade kept hearing the voice of her mother. Memories playing in her head like a broken film. She was in a room that smelled of medicine and flowers, holding mother's hand. Mother was in bed. She was frail, but not from age. Disease had ravaged her body.

"I wish there was more I could leave you, but the war has taken everything...at least you found yourself a good station. I will rest well knowing my daughter is not on the street."

Shadowblade whined and screeched, more black tears fell.

"I love you."

Shadowblade went still. Mother's hand went limp; gone silently into that good night. The last person to love her was gone. Black tears stained the stone below.

The following memories rushed by in a blur. Servitude. Forced obedience. War. The blood of hundreds. Silence. Left in the dark. Suspended alone. Eternal. Then a break in the stone that held. A voice that demanded battle.

"Take THAT! Some creature of legend you were! I've had worse fights with Bubble!" The woman's voice taunted.

Shadowblade looked in the direction of the manor, seeing a few pin prick lights still lit.

"You can't just give up!" "Get up! I know there's more in you than that!!" "Come on!"

Pomni the combat harlequin spoke truth, even to her enemies. There was more in Shadowblade, and Pomni saw it from the beginning. She broke the bonds. She opened the cage. Shadowblade just had to be brave enough to step through. No, not Shadowblade.

Scarlet Badorman. Born a servant, remade a weapon, reborn a puppet. More powerful than she's ever been.

Scarlet raised her wings high, gold energy surging through the blades. She roared triumphant to the sky, gold energy mixing with streaks of dark mist in her maw. The ball of energy released like a firework high into the sky and exploded with the percussive force of a large bomb. Gold sparks rained down and disappeared into the night.

Scarlet felt more connected to herself than ever before. She knew who she was. She could accept what she became. No matter what name the world tried to put on her, she was Scarlet.

She took off into the night, taking a few more laps around the city to the manor. She landed as quietly as she could outside the walls, entering the gated property by Z's post.

"Have a nice flight?" Z asked, with light interest edging their voice.

Scarlet nodded and held out her front paw. Between her toes she held a smooth rock she found on the cliff she sat on to do her thinking. She wanted to give it to Z, as they were always one to sit back and think about life.

"Uh..?" Z said as they took the smooth stone.

Scarlet scratched into the earth next to Z. G-I-F-T. She sat up proudly and rumbled.

"I see. Thanks." Z held the stone in one of their smaller hands, saving it for display in their home later, and rolling with the fact that "Shadowblade" was communicating like a coherent person.

Scarlet scratched another message: J-O-I-N-?

"Yeah, sure. You can stay out here if you want. I can't tell you what to do."

Scarlet shuffled her feet excitedly and settled next to Z. They sat in silence, listening to the night.

~

Morning rolled in slowly. The crisp late autumn air left a light layer of frost on the grass. Scarlet and Z's large cores kept them warm, their metal frames steaming lightly. Kingr was first up to jovially wish the night insects a good rest.

"Good morning, you two." Kingr pat Scarlet on the head.

Scarlet accepted the pat. Even if he knew she was human, she would still appreciate the affection.

"Anything to report?" Kinger asked.

"Nope. Another quiet night." Z drolled.

"Probably because you had this one standing guard with you. No one would want to mess with a duo like you two. Well, I'm off to study my strategies. Do let me know if I'm needed." Kingr slid away towards the woods.

A few hours later, Caine came out with Bubble. The butler blimp set up chairs in the garden as Caine laid out small crates of bottles full of what could only be assumed at liquor. Scarlet came over, careful not to step on any of the delicate plant life and greeted him with a chuff.

"Morning! Hope last night wasn't too cold for you."

Scarlet gestured towards the barn.

"I'll talk to Z about renovations today and get the ball rolling, don't worry-"

Scarlet gripped his sleeve with her maw and pulled him along gently.

"Oh-! You want to show me something?"

In the packed dirt of the barn Scarlet scratched: S-C-A-R-L-E-T B-A-D-O-R-M-A-N

Caine's eyes widened. "SB...You remember?"

Scarlet nodded.

"Incredible....and somewhat tragic. Reliving everything. How do you feel about being called Shadowblade?"

N-I-C-K-N-A-M-E

"That's a pretty badass nickname, but I'd understand if you wouldn't be comfortable with Pomni continuing to be your rider."

F-U-N

"Heh, depends on your definition of fun. I'll have to see if I can come up with a new way of communication for you. Because of your unique construction, I'm not sure where I'd even install a voice box." Caine tapped his chin.

Scarlet shrugged. She was still getting used to the very concept of regaining her humanity, and it was already overwhelming. So many emotions and sensations and memories to process.

"But we don't have to worry about all that today. Today, is about you being fully introduced to everyone as a puppet. Not just some stray marionette."

Scarlet bumped her maw against Caine's arm. Grateful that he was so supportive.

Caine rested a hand on her face the way he always did. "You're awfully affectionate. That's a refreshing change of pace. Many puppets are adverse to touch when they first start enlightening. The new sensations are quite scary and overstimulating. Maybe your size works in your favor here. Kingr's probably the only one that could give you a proper hug."

Scarlet snuggled against him, scooping him up and sliding him down her neck to her unsaddled back.

"Woah! Haha! Playful too. Looking back on your behavior patterns, It's a wonder I didn't see this sooner."

~

Everyone else eventually made their way outside to enjoy the nice weather and join Caine for his announcement. He filled everyone in on who Shadowblade really was, including her real name. He raised a taste for her and immediately got to drinking. Scarlet tried to join, awkwardly picking up a bottle and pouring it over her new flesh. The earthy bitterness of the liquor made her cringe. Her whole body shuddered and some black mist involuntarily puffed out of her vents.

Ragatha was the closest she's ever been to Scarlet. She's always been too nervous of the beastial puppet. Even with everything she knew now, it was still hard for her to not be intimidated. "Hello, I'm Ragatha. Nice to meet you, properly." She moved away as Scarlet tried to interact. "Sorry, I-"

Scarlet backed off. Trying not to make things awkward. It was too late.

Gangle saved the moment by bringing out the charm formerly used to control Scarlet. "Caine had to remake it for a ritual, but it's useless now. You deserve the honor of breaking it permanently, Miss Scarlet."

Scarlet looked closely at the cursed charm. A familiar energy radiated from it, making her spikes raise defensively. She opened her mouth and her tongue grabbed the charm. With an unceremonious crack, the stone was destroyed by her shredder. Then she washed down the dusty taste with more earthy liquor.

"Do you want to destroy this one too?" Pomni held up the connection charm attached to her right hand.

Scarlet could feel Pomni's trepidation to even ask. She didn't want the connection to be lost. Neither did Scarlet. Scarlet shook her head before affectionately rubbing against Pomni's face.

Pomni pushed away the large maw. "Yeah, yeah, not in front of everyone." She grumbled.

Scarlet narrowed her eyes mischievously and brought her whole open maw down on Pomni. The harlequin fit inside up to her knees without getting too close to the inactive shredder. She picked up Pomni, holding the small puppet in her mouth smugly.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? LET GO! PUT ME DOWN!" Pomni struggled, unable to unsheathe her sword.

Scarlet's antics got a few laughs, which was enough for her. She was about to put Pomni down gently when the sound of a charging gun came from inside.

"Put. Me. Down." Pomni had transformed her mechanical arm and had it aimed down Scarlet's throat. "Or you're about to have the worst case of indigestion."

Scarlet released Pomni immediately from her sitting height, roughly twelve feet, back into her chair.

Pomni was visibly annoyed, but she always sort of looked like that.

"You okay?" Ragatha tries to hold in a laugh, failing miserably.

"I'm fine. This bitch needs a reminder who she's messing with, apparently." Pomni transformed her hand back.

Scarlet huffed challengingly. Feeling the playful edge to Pomni's words.

"Oh, you want round two? I cracked you open like a walnut the first time we met, have you forgotten that?"

Scarlet took a playful stance, snapping her maw at Pomni, but not too close.

Pomni downed her drink and unsheathed her sword. "LETS GO!" She charged Scarlet, who ran out onto the lawn where they had plenty of open space to spare.

Jax went to bother Caine again about his payment, but a small item flew at his face before he said anything. He caught it, finding it to be a skeleton key of some kind. "What's this?"

"That is a Universal Key. It's a specialized lock pick that should work on just about anything, EXCEPT my workshop door. Don't even try."

"You're no fun, but thanks anyway. I can make use of this." Jax spun the key around a few times before pocketing it.

~

As the day went on; spares where matched, drinks were had, questions were answered. Gangle was especially helpful, being able to see into Scarlet's core and have more visual reference to the limited yes or no answers. Scarlet was surrounded by those who would accept her as she was. Friends. Or frenemies, in Jax's case. Regardless, she felt...happy.

It was almost too much. Black tears teasing the edges of her eyes. She tried to wipe them away but only smacked herself in the face with her paw.

"Ha! Have too much to drink? Bit of a lightweight for your size." Jax teased.

Scarlet snorted at him. She had felt the slightest tingle from the crate of alcohol she consumed, she was nowhere near intoxicated. Not like Caine and Pomni, who couldn't even stand straight anymore.

"Hey! Scarlet-blade!" Pomni slurred out. "Slack jaw over here thinks you can't do a backflip! Prove him wronged!" She tried to push Caine to the side, but he grabbed her arm and they both stumbled over each other. Caine held on to a small tree to steady them both.

"I only said I've never sheen them do it!" Caine giggled back, still holding on to Pomni. "Sheeeee's capabitable, I'm sure."

Scarlet had never thought about it. Maybe she's done one once, but couldn't really recall. Willing to try, she stepped away from the others for space and crouched. She adjusted her stance and pushed hard off the ground. She rotated backwards, landing on her front paws again, but she didn't have enough momentum and he heavy tail dragged her back to the ground. She flopped down on her back with a thud that shook the grounds, earning a chorus of laughter from everyone.

Pomni laughed so hard, she forgot who she was against and held to Caine's chest with uproarious glee.

Scarlet rolled over to right herself, wanting to try again. Zooble stopped her. "You'll have to try that elsewhere or you'll shake the structural integrity out of every building on the property."

Scarlet huffed indignantly, but didn't try again. A strange feeling came through the connection as Scarlet shook the dirt from her body. Desire. She looked over to Pomni, seeing her face to face with Caine. Scarlet didn't want to interrupt their moment, but also didn't know how to shut out the connection and this felt...private.

Scarlet tried to push her embarrassment through and get Pomni's attention, but the alcohol seemed to have done its job and numbed the harlequin to the world around her. The others seemed preoccupied with conversation, paying to mind Caine and Pomni. Ruining the moment it was.

Scarlet went to the fountain in front of the manor and scooped up a mouthful of water. She stomped over to Pomni and dumped the load on both her and Caine. The force of the water knocked them both off their feet.

Pomni unleashed a string of angry, incoherent curses at Scarlet. Caine stayed down, still glowing at the very idea of Pomni being that willingly close to him. Scarlet was relieved the connection felt normal again.

"Seems a bit much." Ragatha commented.

Scarlet nodded. It was much, but MUCH was what was often needed when dealing with Pomni.

With the early setting sun bringing colder air again, the soaked duo retreated inside. They were followed gradually by the others. Kingr wished Scarlet a goodnight and went on his humble abode. Z went to their typical sentry post.

Scarlet nodded a goodnight to Z and went to her barn. With the door closed, she felt cozy and safe. Caine may have felt bad about leaving her in the dirt, but she found it rather comfortable. A few digging scratches to upturn it a bit, few circled paces and she's curled up in a tight ball. Comfy.

While her face wasn't quite capable of smiling, she was certainly smiling on the inside. To be found by this rag tag group of puppets and welcomed by them made her feel so very lucky. Pomni broke her bonds, Caine gave her wings, Kingr showed her there's beauty in all things, Ragatha helped her discover her past, Jax saved her life at great risk to his own, Gangle told her story, and Zooble showed her subtle respect in silence.

One more tear was shed that night. This one she let flow. She has not just found friends...but family.

~

Far away, deep in the heart of the City of Power, machines hummed and hiss. The active factory thrummed with red energy, powered by the one rolling a large D.I.E in his fingers. A crystal was being shaped before him, cut to his specifications.

The Patriarch flipped through the journal pages idly. The cypher was far too easy to crack. Humans were never as clever as they made themselves out to be. Especially those as arrogant as this self proclaimed "Master". How laughable.

He snapped the journal shut as the crystal cutter completed. The bright red crystal stood nine in feet in height and nearly as around. It was ready for implantation. He held the D.I.E against the crystal and surged his energy into it. Flames billowed from his hand, melting the crystal as he forced the D.I.E inside.

He could feel the soul in his hand crying out in agony. Good. Pain was necessary for this to work. He pushed the D.I.E into the center, liquified crystal burning his arm and suit. Once it was in place, the Patriarch pulled his arm free quickly. The imbued energy resolidified the crystal, sealing the D.I.E inside.

The Patriarch shook his hand lightly, shards of crystal rained down from his ruined sleeve. He turned to the mostly constructed, gargantuan beast hanging from thick chains. "Almost ready."

~~~

To be continued...

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hello! Merry Chirtmas ! İ just love your blog and can't stop thinking about it ! So, how would tadc react to a female kid reader ? That little girl is cheerful elegant little lady and wear nice Pink dress with bows! She comforted Gangle by saying "don't be sad ! İ love you !" And put some sticker on her mask ! Oh and saying i love you to them before leaving. When Jax is doing something bad she says "Don't be mean! you silly rabbit!"

Caine, Gangle, Zooble, Pomni w/ sweet!kid!reader (platonic)

doing these characters since the wheel chose it (ominously) not sure how much i'll write today but i got a little more in the inbox compared to these past few days so i plan on working that down

CAINE:

basically treats you like his own kid but hes never been a dad before so hes still learning; torn between him being over protective of you or thinking you're indestructible (which... technically you are as long as youre in the digital world). i think he finds your sweetness adorable, though if theres someone in the circus being mean to you (surprisingly i dont think jax would be too mean. a little bit of a butt? yeah but its not much different than an older brother picking on their younger sibling) i think he would pipe up and not shut up until you get an apology. starts watching IHAs more now that you're here, both to see how youre doing but also to make sure its not too crazy for you.. cant help but let the big scary monster/trial pass when you run up to it being nice. literally just snaps the thing out of existence/away/wherever. loves seeing the look of triumph on your face afterwards

POMNI:

nice towards you and probably over time keeps a closer eye on you but in the beginning i think its more like. you following her like a duckling since shes busy trying to find an exit. honestly i think pomni would have a hard time when it sinks in that theres a little kid here in the circus. how did you get here? when did you get here? i think thats what would prompt her in trying to connect with you, thus you gain another guardian figure! sticking true my idea of pomni being uneasy around kids because they can be gross and have no filter and be unpredictable i think at first she would be a little... tense around you, but overtime becomes more comfortable when she realizes youre not like that. definitely going to take a while, though.. shrugs

GANGLE:

definitely finds you sweet, lets you hang around in her room and mess with her art supplies. probably cries harder when you try to make her feel better after jax does something, usually something that leaves her with a broken comedy mask. i dont think she would let you confront jax about it, though... she appreciates the sentiment but shes not about to make it look like she sent a little kid to defend her, thats only going to give jax even more ammo even if you stood up for her on your own. sometimes lets you put stickers on her mask or glitter... ponders.. i think she reads stories to you too, every night

ZOOBLE:

i think ive already said this before but zooble gives off such older sibling energy, and i cant really explain it other than its just the personality and looks... but i guess that doesnt explain much. shrugs. sweet younger sibling, cool but indifferent older sibling. or at least you think theyre cool. and you tell them every chance you guy. i think they would just give a weird "thaaanks.." the first few times before fully leaning into the older sibling role. dont get me wrong like before they wouldnt just leave you wandering around alone during an IHA, hell i dont think they would there wasnt one going on.. but they wouldnt go out of their way to hang out with you.. but eventually they just kind of keep a closer eye on you. check in on you. ask what youre up to. theyre not attached to you by the hip but theyre definitely present in your life as a role model. tries to make you be less nice, gives you the talk that not everyone is nice and sometimes some people fake being nice in order to get what they want. but in kid terms, obviously... well not little kid terms i still think zooble would be blunt but they wouldnt be harsh

[theamazingdigitalraceway]

Yo, sorry for being on anon for this. I had a sensitive ask. Would you be comfortable with an s/h question? “How would the crew react to seeing Y/N’s self h*rm scars”?

If not, that is 100% okay. You don’t have to post this ask either, you can just post: “to answer anon’s question, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that” or just ignore this question. Both are totally fine. Also, thank you, I really love your writing. :)

A/N: no, no, I'm okay with this! It's okay to get some serious comfort from these typically goofy characters. I hope you're doing okay <3

RACEWAY AU REACTS TO Y/N SH SCARS

WARNING: discussions of self-h@rm, unhealthy advice

~~~

Y/N found a way to hurt and scar their avatar intentionally...

CAINE: He snaps their scars away every time he sees them. He doesn't understand how they keep appearing. Accidents happen, but scars shouldn't. Not here. "You're not experiencing glitches, are you?"

You may have to go into uncomfortable detail about what you're doing to yourself and why. Even with that kind of explanation, he may still fail to understand. He'll have to make some adjustments to your avatar. He may not understand why you're hurting yourself, but he can physically stop you. The consequences of this action are entirely up to you.

POMNI: "How..? Oh my god." She doesn't know what to say to you. She doesn't want to make whatever situation is making you do this to yourself worse, but she also doesn't just want to walk away. "Do you...need a friend?"

RAGATHA: She covers her mouth in shock. "Are you okay?" She will tell Caine about your scars to get him to heal them, Even if you tell her to keep it a secret. She believes she's helping.

JAX: He's uncharacteristically silent. No jokes. No quips. No sarcasm. He looks you over closely for signs of abstraction. Seeing none, he leaves, but he seems to be around you more often.

GANGLE: "Oh no! How haven't you healed??" She's horrified that you would do that to yourself. "How can I help? Please...don't hurt yourself."

ZOOBLE: She understands. She won't say much about it, but inexplicably seems to be around you more often. Keeping an eye on you.

KINGER: He shows off his insects more often, especially when you're sad. He's trying to be sneaky with his distractions.

GUMMIGOO: He has scars too. He shows you the teeth marks from Bubble on the back of his neck. They're not like his? Oh.

LOO: She lathers your scars in syrup and then wraps your scars in fruit roll up like bandages. "There. That should help." She may not handle you telling her the truth very well. Thank her and move on.

SETH: He blinks with surprise that you found a way to do that to yourself. He won't berate you or force you to talk about it. Just race. The competitiveness helps.

ABEL: "Why take it out on yourself when you can make others suffer? The pain makes you strong. Use it." His static will dance over your scars, making them sting.

[ms-awesome52]

I don't think Jax isn't as big of a jerk as he lets on

Spoilers for THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS! Pilot. It's on YouTube

I've watched Glitch's new pilot and find the character of Jax really interesting. He comes off as a major jerk, and he is, but I feel he cares a lot more and is kinder than he lets on. I'm going to go through his major moments and break down how many of them were kinder or more harmless than many assume.

1: Meeting/interacting with Pomni

When Pomni first joins the circus, it's obvious that she's confused and freaking out. Ragatha attempts to sugar-coat what's happening when Pomni asks about leaving. Jax rips the band-aid off and tells her that they can't leave. At that moment, Pomni is looking for answers, not comfort, and this may be my autism talking, but Jax's bluntness and ability to get straight to the point likely helped Pomni understand the situation and prosses her new reality much quicker than if they just let Ragatha tip-toe around the topic. Later when they're on their way to meet Kaufmo, Jax makes a joke about Pomni trying to pretend this was all a dream. Both of the previous times Pomni claimed it was a dream, he was the only one to react, and he did it in a way that made it obvious that he and the others knew it wasn't a dream, as to not give her false hope, while also not outright making fun of her. Another thing to point out is that Pomni never has a negative reaction to Jax. To a situation Jax pointed out? Yes. To Jax himself? No. While this isn't an indication of how Pomni feels about Jax, it does show that Jax's comments didn't hurt her.

2: His interactions with Zooble

Zooble and Jax seem to have the most similar mindset. When Jax says that they can't leave and stuff, they'll tell him to shut up and then confirm and/or agree with what he said. They're both sarcastic and don't want to bother with meaningless fluff, which is why they both avoid going on the Gloinks quest at first. They both know that the Gloinks aren't a threat and are just an inconvenience. I get major sibling energy from their dynamic.

3: His interactions with Kinger and Gangle

(These are some of the harder ones to explain but here we go) Kinger and Gangle are the least stable of the main cast as far as I can tell. Kinger is a anxious mess that has forgotten human social cues while Gangle's emotions are dictated by her masks, which are easy to break (Caine probably fixes them often since Gangle says that her comedy mask is broken again). Since he knows the Gloinks are harmless and that Zooble is in no real danger, he trusts the day's quest to them. When he learned that Kaufmo abstracted, he ran away to where they were. When there, he says that Kaufmo is fine (sarcastically, but they didn't pick up on that and I get the vide that he didn't expect them to) then he hears the abstracted Kaufmo and pushes them both into the Gloink hole and jumping in himself. He later confesses that he was only down there to avoid Kaufmo. I interpreted this as him being helpful because 1: he got both Kinger and Gangle to safety and 2: He did it without telling them because while Pomni needed his bluntness, they didn't and telling them straight up before it was truly necessary because they needed to finish the quest so Caine would be there to take care of Kaufmo. If they knew, they would have been to panicked to finish the quest and that would have been a much more dangerous situation.

4: His interactions with Ragatha

Ragatha is the character we see him mess with the most, but she and Zooble also are the characters that are able to handle his jabbing the best, which is likely why he focuses on them instead of those who would be more hurt by his words. When they learn that Kaufmo abstracted, he ran and left them behind, but I see no reason why he wouldn't assume they would run as well. I also get sibling vibes here.

5: His reactions/interactions with Caine and the world itself

Jax seems to be the human that understands how the Circus works the best. When Pomni shows up the first thing he mentions is that they're going to need to rework the theme song to work her in. He also understands the formula best, predicting a brand new adventure (implying that Caine reuses adventures sometimes, like replaying a level in a videogame). This is also the reason I think he knew to go finish the quest to bring Caine back. Another thing to consider is the fact that he has keys to everyone's room. How would he get his hands on those if he didn't understand the mechanics of the digital world? At the end he has a debate with Kinger about Kinger feeling the need to explain that they don't need to eat after Jax says that he's hungry.

TL:DR Jax is blunt when he needs to be, but also knows when to hide info, he only goes as far as he knows the others can handle and he understands the world enough to be able to get the others to a safe area if anything serious happens. (please note, I'm explaining, not excusing any of his behavior. There are many situations where I feel he does take it a bit to far)

[circusmania]

This is a bit dark but can I please ask for him but as a romantic yandere with kianna komori looks like he has feelings for her

But how would he react to having to marry one of them or she'll be extracted because she needs a groom since she's a bride

By the way she is an OC of mine you can find more information on my page here on Tumblr

I also have an alternate scenario where she's in the digital circus

But she's a pride

Romantic!Yandere!Jax x Kianna Komori (Oc)

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Notes: [ Kianna Komori is an original character that belongs to @nunezs-stuff ] Hi hi!! Hopefully, I portrayed your character the way you wanted :') Hope you enjoy!!

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It all started when a new character was introduced to the digital circus. Kianna Komori. She had lush brown hair, pale skin, and wore a white, long Victorian dress. Her headpiece had a veil covering most of her face and flowers adorned it. She also happened to have a bouquet of white flowers. She looked just like a bride. And she was. But where was her groom?

She didn't talk to any of the members of the circus, she was quiet and reserved. She moved just like a puppet on strings. She would stroll through the halls as if searching for something… or someone. Her plain but poignant makeup never faltered, no matter how much she cried behind her room's walls.

Ragatha had tried her best to make her feel welcome. She really did…but something felt off with the bride. It didn't help that Jax fed their bad thoughts on Kianna, making them not so keen on approaching her.

Jax, the sarcastic, irritating but charming rabbit. He had developed quite a crush on the princess. He had successfully managed to stir any competition (not like there were many (or any) to begin with) away.

He had started to accompany Kianna on her walks. At first, Kianna paid no mind to him, she seemed more lost in thought. But Jax persisted.

He had begged Caine for stuff like roses, biscuits and other stuff to coerce her. In return, he had promised Caine that he'd behave (not only did he bruise his ego by begging, but he also promised to behave! Caine couldn't believe his ears… if he even had any).

Jax presented each of his gifts to her as romantically as he could. Indeed, he wasn't very experienced, but he made due. And she gladly accepted them, and soon, she fell in love.

Her search abruptly stopped as she focused more on Jax as they hung around more and more. They'd take strolls, sit by each other at the table, and even visit each other's rooms.

Kianna opened up to Jax too, exposing her vulnerable side. She told him how she felt when her sister had passed, and how she had cried for months on end. She shared as well any of her nightmares or when she'd have a break-down, Jax would always be by her side.

Safe to say that they'd get along well. However, to any outsiders, it was a completely different story. No one was allowed to touch Kianna and believe me, no one could. Jax made sure of that.

Although Jax and Kianna were practically together, this didn't stop Jax from teasing others. This earned Pomni a couple nasty glares from Kianna.

Anyway, let us circle back to Kianna being a bride.

Recently, her search began again, only this time, more frantically. She'd toss pillows away, open and empty out drawers and search high and low. And no one knew for what.

“Kianna? What's the matter with you?” Jax would ask, worried.

He'd try to get her mind off things by being extra romantic with her, but nothing worked. Kianna was getting closer and closer to getting abstracted. And Jax knew… he knew the signs.

Jax was starting to think she was searching for an exit to leave this place… to leave him. This made him panic even more.

However, little did Jax know that Kianna had no intentions of leaving him.

One day, Jax had had enough and grabbed Kianna's hands to stop her from messing up her room even more.

“Sweetheart? What's going on?? Talk to me, please… I'm… I'm scared.” He admitted, swallowing down all his pride.

Jax stared into Kianna's glassy eyes.

“My… groom…” She gasped.

At first, Jax's worst nightmare broke out, thinking Kianna was already engaged. But then, she reached up to touch his face.

“Who am I… without my groom?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

She tightened her hands around Jax's.

Jax looked at her, confused. “Me? I'm…your groom?”

He blushed once Kianna slowly nodded. He let go of her hands and took a step back. Truth be told, he always thought that marriage was too big of a commitment for him. But, for Kianna, he'd be prepared to get abstracted if it meant he'd see her smile.

Naturally, he quickly agreed.

Hurriedly, they asked Caine to digitally create a wedding venue. Caine being Caine, agreed if he could be the best man.

And so, the wedding was put in place. Everyone attended (be it by force or not) and the remaining seats were occupied by the Gloinks. It was a nice change in scenery for everyone. Bubble was the priest and helped them recite their vows.

It was a beautiful moment, and Caine couldn't help but shed a tear.

And thus, the bride found her groom.

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