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[duckapus]

Had an idea for a couple possible ocs for your "washed up memories au"

This is Becky the Toad Siren and her best friend Cutlass the Blooper! Becky's actually a descendant of Ben (X's Toad roommate who got turned into a Mertoad by Boopkins in Seaside Stupidity). Actually, all living Mertoads, Toad Sirens, and other marine toad variants are descended from him, since there weren't any when he got transformed. There used to be, but they were all wiped out centuries before the series started. There's not many people who actually know who or what wiped them out, as even most immortals weren't present to witness or investigate it. Diana might know, but in this particular branch of the timeline she's obviously not available to ask about it.

Anyway, I don't really have much about the two of them as characters except that they're currently ordinary citizens of the Empire, and not really involved with the Rebels or Moria yet. Also that, unfortunately for everyone in earshot, Becky really likes singing and apparently Siren Magic does not get rid of Toad Voice.

Oooh!! I like them a lot!! The idea of there still being people who aren't really involved in either side is interesting to me, so they're very neat!

[duckapus]

(In order)

Valerie - The current leader of the Rebellion. The rebellion consists of mermaids, sirens, some humans/sentient creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom, and more. Mermaids and sirens of the newer generations have evolved fins on the sides of their face. Valerie is very caring towards the Rebellion, but also knows that Empress Moria is not one to be underestimated.

Bedelia - The second-in-command of the Rebellion. She's much older than she looks, due to the difference in aging for sea creatures compared to those on land. Despite this, she still gets nervous and hopes for, one day, a resolution to the tyrannical rule of Moria.

Gabriel - He's the current apprentice to the bodyguard of the prophet. He takes his job incredibly seriously and he will not hesitate to leap into action. War and violence is all he's ever known, and he hopes to end it one day.

Alessia - The current bodyguard of the prophet. Like Gabriel, she takes her job seriously, but she does tend to be very laid back whenever she can be. She hopes to teach Gabriel that life isn't all about war.

Nevia - The prophet. She sees past and future and knows exactly who Moria is, why she is the way she is, and the outcome of the Rebellion. She often hides herself away in her sanctum, unable to cope with what she knows. She even knows who started the rebellion in the first place. Diana and Juliano started it together until Juliano gave up once he realized what exactly Moria had done to Diana. Nevia hopes to eventually free Diana to give the rebellion some hope.

[duckapus]

Washed Up Memories AU

Empress Moria. The ruler of the Maristela Empire. If you ask anyone immortal or old enough, though, they'd say it used to be the Mushroom Kingdom. No one knows who she used to be. All they knew was that the seas began rising, thunderstorms happened every day, and the beings that called the sea their home took over with the titular Moria as their leader.

She carries a beautiful trident named the Storm Trident. When alone, she swears a simple dark green dress that shows off the patches of purple scales on her skin. However, when presenting herself to others, she wears a much more regal outfit. (Black Pearl Cookie's outfit, Sovereign of the Abyss).

Empress Moria searches the world for.. something. She doesn't remember what. All she knows is that she needs to find it. She knows of the rebellion that brews deep beneath the ground, people who dare to raise their swords against her.

But it's fine. She's a just and fair ruler. So long as they don't call her by that name, she'll give them a swift execution.

Cursed by the empress he sticks to, Juliano is hardly the same man anymore. Cursed so long ago to be immortal, his memory tends to fail him at what Empress Moria searches for. However, pictures and journals he keeps hidden in his room always help jog his memory.

Given a crystal to manipulate and control water, Juliano is her enforcer, her law, and her right-hand. Any who dare to challenge the empress must not only beat the beings Empress Moria has trapped away in paintings, but himself.

He doesn't know how many he's killed. Often times, he can still feel blood on his hands.

In each room, leading to the empress's throne room, a grand painting sits on a wall. In it, a being trapped and controlled by ancient magic the empress possesses. One of them, a giant siren, the last one to face before one confronts Juliano. Whispers say that she used to own the trident before Empress Moria.

.. he used to be a part of the rebellion, once upon a time, before he turned his back on it. He doesn't remember why.

Oftentimes, he'll apologize to the beings trapped in the paintings. He knows it doesn't matter, but Juliano still does, to lessen just a bit of the guilt that consumes him.

Juliano'll tell you the truth of Empress Moria if you manage to survive long enough. She used to be a young girl named Lily. But slowly, one by one, her family vanished. No one knew how, or why, or what happened, but she grew desperate. Lily clung to Juliano like a lifeline as she searched for any way to find her family.

She soon stumbled upon a book, hidden away in the ruins of the old castle. Magic that was dark and vile laid within, thinking her an easy target. But her grief and desire to find her family trumped the magic. She bent it to her will and took it into herself. But this.. wasn't the right choice.

The magic, sentient enough to know it was going to die, used its power to cast one final spell. Lily would forget what she was searching for. She would forget why there was such a hole in her chest, leaving her to search the world aimlessly.

The magic made her immortal, as did it with Juliano when she touched him after first absorbing the magic. He was forced to watch as Lily slowly became a shadow of her former self. After defeating her ancestor, Diana, and capturing her alongside others in paintings, she led the assault on the Mushroom Kingdom.

Empress Moria keeps several Stars in her castle in hopes that, maybe, they'll lead her to what she's searching for. For some odd reason, she knows that, deep down, one of the things she's looking for must still be alive in some capacity, because the world is still standing.

She doesn't know why she has that feeling, but she does. Like how she keeps that strange little castle protected and untouched. Moria doesn't know why, but she does.

[duckapus]

Had two Squid Memes ideas related to the Splatoon DLCs

First is that...well, Tartar's entire identity is built on the fact that humans are long extinct in Splatoon canon. But that's obviously not the case in SMG4 canon. And as a consequence, Tartar is one of the very few non-Mario characters to remember a world without memes. And the combination of dealing with two conflicting sets of memories, discovering that the version of humans he'd built up in his mind was completely wrong and they're really no different from inkfish in the ways he'd decided mattered (and decided were crimes worthy of mass execution), and suddenly being flooded with memes all at the same time absolutely broke him and he went from "bring back the superior species" to "fuck all y'all I'm blowing up this whole fucking planet have fun in hell!"

The other thing is that I'm having Western Spaghetti and the initial Side Order runs before they clear the first Palette and escape happen at the same time. If only so Andi, Crabcake, Deep Cut and the Squid Sisters can go "are we seriously the only ones who weren't trapped in simulations this month?"

[duckapus]

"If he says 'booyah' one more time.." Arun hisses as the adventuring party walls through the wounds.

"Calm yourself," Hilde giggles gently. "He is a Beyonder, so things are different for him. We can't expect all Beyonders to acclimate perfectly."

Arun rolls their eyes before stopping. They hold up a hand, and those around stop. Their eyes narrow. ".. someone's following us."

It's quick how the adventuring party moves, pulling out their weapons or magic, forming a circle to face the surrounding forest and protect their backs.

"I'm impressed!" A voice chuckles, followed by clapping. The sound of soft footsteps approach, two people.

"Who's there?!" Lyon demanded, drawing the string of his bow back slightly.

"Calm down, calm down," the voice assures him. Into the clearing, in front of the three Celestial Mages, stand two cloaked figures. One in a white cloak, the other in a green. "We mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" Xavier demands as the adventuring party moves. Instinctively, he stands in front of Root. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." The one in the green cloak shakes his head. "We just desire to give a warning about your journey ahead."

The group all lower their weapons. "Dawg, what?" Alexander deadpans.

"We already know the Celestial Mages' journeys are going to be tough," Lyon remarked, drawing his bow-string back once more. "We don't need someone like you to tell us."

"Yes, but you don't realize how tough." The green cloaked one sighs. "Particularly because of some certain.. people you bring with you."

The one in the white cloaks hums, almost teasingly. "There are people who'd do many things to get them back, you know."

"Whoever you are, you need to leave," Root says with narrow eyes, pointing her rapier at them. Depsite Xavier being in front of her, she still pointed the weapon at them.

The two cloaked figures look at each other, silently communicating. Tilting heads and soft hums, then a nod.

"Very well." The green cloaked figure sighs. "But do remember what we warned you of."

A simple blink, and then they were gone.

"Da fuck?"

Everyone looks around, confused. Xavier groans as the magic around his hands disapate. "Damn weirdos."

○●○

Plurality, who was watching the scene unfold on her laptop, slowly pauses the playthrough that was uploaded to the developer's channel.

"What. The. Fuck." She whispers softly, eyes wide.

[duckapus]

(TW: Blood, vomit)

○●○

Buffer stands in front of the doors leading to the space of the infamous code chemist. The dark magenta doors had chains over them, strung tight with a lock over them.

The Admin approaches and gently touches the lock. Closing her eyes, she digs back through fuzzy memory banks and remembers the code.

She flicks the small latches, and the lock falls to the ground and disintegrates. The chains fall and swing, and they, too, vanish. The doors creak as they slowly swing inwards, and Buffer steels herself.

She walks in, and the doors slam behind her. A familiar layer of pink mist covers the foyer of the castle-like space. Grandiose and imposing, with the ceiling arching into a dome. Various symbols and patterns were etched into the walls, a language only those well versed could know.

This was Pink's domain of the space that she and her group owned. It was far more empty than she remembered.

Buffer drags her fingers over the pillars as she walks, the pink mist gently swirling around her ankles. Her hair bounces with each step, similar to the Admin she helped all those years ago.

Years she couldn't remember all too well, but it wasn't like it mattered. She needed to get that formula.

“I know you're here, Pink,” Buffer calls out as she pulls away from the pillar. She comes to stand in between two staircases that lead up to the second floor. “And I know that you know I'm here and why I'm here.”

She starts to ascend the staircase, holding out her hand. “Why? Why would you do this?” She frowns, clenching her hands as she looks up at the ceiling. “So many Programs are sick because of what you released! So many of my friends are sick! What compelled you to do this?"

Silence is her answer.

She reaches the top of the stairs and looks around. It was eerily quiet. She couldn't even hear Pink's Moderators.

Buffer takes a few more steps before she hears footsteps behind her. She whips around, eyes wide, to spot-

“Green,” she speaks, voice soft. Green was Pink's lover and a fellow Admin. Somehow, he was capable of conjuring the things Pink would need to make her substances.

Green stares at her, his body lax. He approaches, his footsteps louder than her own.

“G-Green?” Buffer stutters, backing away.

In a few short moments, Green was directly in front of her, towering over the young Admin. She flinches, looking up at his unreadable expression. His face is blank. Different from the past.

At least, she thinks so. Memories regarding him tend to be fuzzier than most, third only to her memories to Pink, which was second to her.. memories of her time here in general.

He reaches out a hand, and Buffer flinches. Is he going to hit me? What is he-?

Green's hand gently grabs a moderate strand of her hair, slowly running his fingers through it before stopping at the ends. The ends were a soft pink. (A pink Buffer never really remembers changing them to.) His brows were furrowed now, eyes narrow. He almost seems to be.. studying her.

He moves his hand away, letting her hair drop back into place. He mutters something under his breath. She only catches the “... you” part, though.

“Green?” Buffer blinks, utterly confused.

The Admin merely turns on his heel and walks off, heading towards the darkness that consumed the opposite end of the hall.

“Wait, Green!” Buffer calls, rushing after him. Despite the distance between them not being that large, Buffer couldn't catch him. Green was just barely out of reach, and soon, he walked into the darkness.

The younger Admin stops just at the edge, staring, confused. She couldn't even hear his footsteps anymore. Her logical processors were telling her none of this made sense and that she should just turn around, head to the laboratory, and grab the cure that she knew was there.

And yet, her curiosity nags her on. She wants to know what happened. What happened to Pink and her Moderators? Why was Green acting like this?

She inhales deeply and heads into the darkness. She feels on edge, but that's to be expected. There was something deeply wrong here. Green, as quiet as he could be, always answered her whenever she had questions, even if they were short or bullshit answers.

Steeling her nerves, she walks deeper and deeper into the darkness. It clings to the walls like moss-

Moss? Why did she make that comparison? Why would she-

Splash!

She flinches, stiffening. She slowly looks down, lifting her foot. She feels sick to her stomach to see blood mixed with moss swirling at her feet.

For a moment, her processor considered it to be Green's blood before it hit her. This was orange blood. Her heart drops.

Did.. did Orange get hurt? She thinks, slowly setting her foot back down and cringing at the small splash it makes. Why is there even moss here? I remember Pink hating that stuff..

She continues onward, her shoes splashing in the orange blood. She shudders at the noise, and a feeling of dread pools deep inside of her. This blood wasn't fresh at all, and yet it hadn't congealed or dried.

Her eyes flick to the bits and pieces of moss floating in the blood. Could it have something to do with that?

Buffer stops in front of a door. Looking down toward the bottom, she winces. “That's where the blood must be coming from,” she whispers, seeing the blood at a greater quantity there.

Reaching out, she grabs the door knob and twists it, swinging the door inward. “What is Green doing, heading into a place like this?” She murmurs, walking inside.

She jumps as the door slams shut behind her. She looks down and pales.

There was no blood. But an abundance of moss, that was all shades of green. Specks of orange littered the moss that coated the floor. (She couldn't help but notice how the specks of blood were the same shade as her own, and not Orange's. Orange's blood was a tad darker.)

Swallowing thickly with a now trembling body, Buffer continues forward, heading deeper into the room. A room she remembers well. While it was devoid of life, she saw the familiar work benches, large test tubes, and vials scattered about.

She walks over to one work desk and glances upward.

There was the balcony where Pink would watch Buffer work whenever the Admin had a test.

Looking back down, Buffer falters, seeing several text boxes. If she remembered right, Pink never took notes. The Admin merely committed everything to memory. Buffer was the one who took notes due to her poor memory. (But it was odd since she never needed to take notes in the Adminspace.)

She grabs one text box and reads.

Log #3

Another failure! I've failed again! This damned moss, where did it even come from?! Green can't figure it out either! We're all stumped!

It took her from me.. her smile.. her laugh.. the only one who truly knew and understood what we did here.. I can't lose her. I need to know what this moss did to her.

Buffer quickly clambers onto the table, staring at the moss on the floor. Though her eyes soon narrow, seeing how the moss was nowhere near the tables.

Odd.

She swipes through the textbox, seeing a second page.

Log #7

We got somewhere today. Red went to a world - Minecraft, I believed it was called. Yellow went with her, and they discovered… Fledging spores, so to speak. Apparently, the code they held nearly matched the code of moss that appeared here!

They won't be able to bring any here, but.. I couldn't care less. I'm going there myself. I'll fix her. Make her better. She'll wake up.

A swipe to the third page.

Log #10

Failures, failures, failures. I don't care what they say, I don't care that I'm being stubborn. They back off once I say it's so we don't have an infection of some sort spread. But I need to know, I need to figure this out. I will go insane if I don't.

This is nothing compared to what I have mastered.

This was definitely Pink’s writing. The Admin was always a bit intense whenever she had to write.

She set one down and picked up another.

Log #17

Red, such a hypocrite. Telling me to put down my work - as if she isn't working as much! No, no. I can't get upset. We're all hurting. None of my tests have yielded results.

But soon they will. I know they will.

Buffer slowly sits down on the table, swiping to the next page. “Hm..”

Log #24

I finally got something - it's less of a moss and more of a fungus. Green has been a tremendous help figuring this all out. Despite how many times I tell him, I know that he's blaming himself. None of us could have known she would.. deactivate. None of us knew she would bleed out.

None of us knew that she was mixing things she shouldn't be.

Who was Pink talking about? Did this happen sometime after Buffer left? It had to, considering that she couldn't find any memories relating to something even remotely like this.

Log #29

I managed to preserve a sample of her code. There was still code just a bit lingering. I grabbed it as soon as I saw it and put it into one of the test chambers.

I don't care how many times it takes. I'll fix her. Bring her back. She's not dead. That code still holds life. I'm sure of it.

Flicking through more of the pages, she frowns deeply as reads. It was more of the same. Pink declaring that she'd bring someone back, more notes about failures, and other sorts of things.

One apparent thing, though, was that Pink’s sanity and mental health had taken a hit by whatever had happened. Someone had deactivated a while after Buffer left, and Pink was trying to bring them back.

She left itches her shoulder, feeling a tingle there before grabbing the third text box.

Log #50

I can't forget the state of her when we first saw her that day. We were gone for just a few hours, and the lab was overrun by this damn fungus. And she was just. sitting there. Slumped over the table.

Her left arm was completely taken over by whatever the hell this thing is. So was her face. Her right ankle and left upper thigh.

We don't know how it got there. Got to her. All we know is that it's a fledging in only the Minecraft universe.

I'll eradicate it if I have to.

Buffer slowly clenches her hand. She rolls her right shoulder and tucks her left ankle under her right thigh.

This isn't about you. She tries to reason, to stop her worried thoughts. You would remember this.

Log #55

A breakthrough. A breakthrough. I got a breakthrough. Her code is still there, and I can remake it. She was never dead. Death never took her from me.

You'll be back. I'll bring you back.

Buffer's thumb trembles over the final word being covered. Slowly, she moves it.

I promise.

She exhales softly.

Log #60

I love Yellow. I care for them, and I cherish them, but if they don't get off my back about this.. who cares if this goes against all moral codes! I want her back! My Moderator, my apprentice, my heir - my DAUGHTER! I want her back! She's the perfection of what I do, the pinnacle of my teachings!

GIVE HER BACK!

Buffer, shakily, sets down that text box. “No more reading for a minute,” she mutters to herself. She felt shaky and sick, knowing that if she read more, she'd waste more time. She hops off the table, cringing at the soft squelch that comes from one of her feet landing in the moss.

She steps away and hurries over to another one of the tables, keen eyes spotting a box.

A box that had not been there before.

Throat feeling dry, she moves forward and clicks open the box.

Inside were the vials. Vials she knew contained the cure, because it was a cure she made as a test. It was how she knew. How she knew that Pink was behind this.

Buffer stares and stares and stares. She could take these and leave. She could take these and go back to the Adminspace, and try to forget what she saw today. She could ignore Green and Pink's behavior.

She could ignore it all and go home.

But she wouldn't. Because-

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Pink spoke, placing a hand on Buffer's head, “but satisfaction brought it back.”

Shaking her head, Buffer pulls herself from the memory and brings up a log box. From memory, she put down how to use and make more of the cure, something she knew Vitality and Kelsie would do just fine at replicating.

Opening a small portal command, she puts the box and log box through. Once she pulls her hands back out, it closes, and she's left in the darkness of the room.

Someone was watching her.

Her head snaps up to look at the balcony once more.

..

No one was there.

Buffer shudders. She glances around for any sign of vibrant pink, but finds none. She clenches a shaking hand over her chest, before her curiosity makes her look back at the text boxes. She makes her way over, hops back on, and shuffles through them.

Her eyes skim over the texts before something catches her attention. It was a number for.. something. Unlike the logs, it was something else that was numbered.

She lifts the text box and pales.

Clone.

It was a text box labeled ‘Attempts’. Swallowing down her fear, she opens it up.

59 entries. About clones.

The text box falls to the ground with a clatter when she sees the name. She feels bile rush up her through and she rushes as quickly as she can to a corner and retches.

“Ah, you're here!” The airy voice of Pink fills the room, and Buffer jolts. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she stumbles away and looks toward the balcony.

Pink stands there, hands clasped behind her back as Green stands behind her, looming over her shoulder.

“I've missed you dearly, Buffer.” Pink closes her eyes as she smiles. “I almost thought you were intentionally not visiting me!”

“That- That can't be true,” Buffer stammers, pointing to the text box. “Pink, tell me it isn't true - I'm begging you, tell me that isn't true!”

“What do you- Ooh.” Pink pauses before giggling. “Dear, it's as true as the sky is blue.”

Buffer felt like her whole world was crashing down.

Pink continues to smile down at her, and Green manages to, somehow, continue looking down at Buffer.

“You're a clone, Buffer. The best one yet, I must add.” The older Admin smiles. Buffer's knees buckle under her, nearly giving out.

Buffer can hardly think. Whatever Pink is saying doesn't register. Her hands grasp at the air as a portal opens behind her. And she runs through it, stumbling out to her office on the other side. She collapses onto the floor, body and voice shuddering with each breath.

She hears a gentle, “I'll see you soon,” before the portal behind her closes.

(happy birthday @local-angst-dispenser <3)

[duckapus]

Just finished rewatching SMG4 What-if? and now im having feelings

aka Fuzzy Meggy au based on that fucked up Fuzzy Desti au @duckapus made where Mr. Grizz found Desti's body in the ocean and decided to do the trial runs for the fuzzy ooze which brought her back to life but fucked her up BIG TIME but like its Meggy instead (here)

(Long post ahead)

a few things before I start explaining away

Since Meggy's death each member of the gang have started wearing an article of orange in they're usually outfits (Saiko's twin tail ribbons are orange, Tari has an orange arm band on her hoodie, Mario has an orange Inkling patch stitched onto his overalls etc.) as a way to commemorate her

The three pieces of Meggy's head gear went to Luigi (beanie), Mario (headphones) and Tari (goggles) all three of them guard these pieces with they're lives

So many people blame themselves for Meggy's death that it can give someone chronic depression (read: me) but here's a few people of note

Axol: Despite the reassurances of the gang (including that of Desti's) Axol deeply blames himself for not knowing that Francis had made another Sephiroth and being able to erase it before it went and killed someone

Paige: Since their older sisters death they have double down on being the NSS's Captain and have worked harder than ever before much to the other agent's worry and concern, they have sever survivor's guilt an a guilt complex and as much as the other agents and cuttle fish try to help they either outright refuse or avoid them however that may change soon during the NSS's exploration of the ancient human settlement known as Altera

Tari: having lost her best friend and in the throws of grief she decided to learn to be stronger earlier than in canon with the help of Saiko surprisingly out of everyone she seems to have gotten a control over her grief, she still deeply wishes Meggy were still here with them but she knows that's not possible however she's been having strange dreams lately of her late friend but surely those are just that, dreams... Or are they?

Luigi: Since Meggy's death he has learned to not be as much of a scaredy cat and to pull his weight around in the team he still deeply misses her but he also acts as a rock for whenever the grief of the others gets too much for them, Especially for Mario however he like the others misses her greatly and often tries to 'think like Meggy' as he puts it when stuck in a pickle

Mario: Out of everyone he has the most grief over the lost of his best friend and sister, because of this it was like a switch was flipped and now he acts more subdued and not as chaotic (think of him as a mix between his memey self and pre-smg4 self) (which deeply disturbs everyone, even Peach surprisingly enough) however he is still the Avatar of the universe so he still gets dragged into insane adventures because of it only with a more subdued attitude and more responsible and smart (again deeply disturbs everyone) he often wonders that if he didn't instigate the anime challenge would none of this have happened? Luigi tries to assist him in processing the grief and guilt and help with his depression but it doesn't seem to be quite working

Desti: she is currently on the hunt for Sephiroths head and to get revenge so she has too much anger right now to process her guilt and grief which can rival even Mario's if not surpass it

Peach: since the fiasco of the anime arc Peach has become more thoughtful to others and careful in her decisions regarding Mario's antics and feels responsible for this mess having happened (she WAS the one responsible placing the ban in the first place) she acts much like her canon self here, everyone has mixed feelings over her however, Saiko especially who personally blames Peach for what she sees as causing the death of her friend Saiko hasn't really expressed this as not to aggravate the others but Peach sorta knows with how often Saiko shoots the Stink Eye at her

And that's about it now onto the au itself

During Splatoon 3's story mode (or at least this universe's version of it) the NSS find themselves stalked by a cat-like creature covered in scars and brown fur

(honestly they wouldn't really have noticed if not for Captain 3 halting everyone from moving pointing out that they were being watched by something and ironically enough the thing showed itself) shockingly though it began to smother Captain 3 with affection and purring like crazy much to Paige's annoyance and confusion and Callie and Marie's amusement

Callie: hehehe, it looks like it likes you captain

Paige being smothered with affection furiously by a purring cat creature: I am aware of that agent 1- HEY NO LICKING!!

Anyways now the NSS has this weird ass cat thing that's very clingy to their captain (the amount of black mail Andi has now is insane) and seems to have grown a liking to Andi as well ironically enough and ends up helping in the space battle quite a lot

Meanwhile as this is happening harbor and 8 end up helping Desti who was on the back ropes to defeat Sephiroth (much to her reluctance and stubbornness) and ends up taking her back to homebase cause 1. Cuttlefish were worried sick about her and 2. They ain't letting her disappear for several months again and it's here where they find out about the giant cat monster thing that the NSS have came to call Fuzzball instead of Subject 001 (which was the codename Mr. Grizz gave her) who takes an extreme liking to Desti MUCH to her confusion

Desti being cuddled to death by Fuzzball: what the fu-

Paige covered in orangey brown fur: you get used to it

Anyways something something the NSS and the smg4 crew have they're monthly meet up with a giant fuzzy cat thing in tow and because of E. Gadd shenanigans they find out that Fuzzball is actually Meggy *insert moment of disbelief and tear it filled moment here along with a bunch of reactions*

So anyways thanks to a combination of E. Gadd, the NSS, some help from Marina's memeverse and memery fuckery cause why tf not, they are able to find a cure for fuzzification for both the affected octarians and Meggy

But because of how long she's been trapped in Grizzco. and how long she's been experimented they weren't able to cure her all the way so now she's a cat bear squid human thing but that's just fine by the gang because they'll always love Meggy no matter what and BOY did they miss her

Bonus Megdesti:

[duckapus]

During Splatoon 3's hero mode

Mr. Grizz to Captain 3/Paige: Wait what gender are you? Callie: HEY! THEIR PRONOUNS ARE THEY/THEM!!! Mr. Grizz: but... what's in your pants? Captain 3: Captain 3: *takes out hero shot* a gun

[duckapus]

Bestie I am cooking up something painful so be afraid - superluigiglitchy

I am both concerned and intrigued.

[duckapus]

I think harbor should take everyone to visit his family (who are shockingly nearby the warehouse) for some comfort from granny current's sea shepherd's pies post-western spaghetti cause god do they all need it especially Meggy - superluigiglitchy

Oh I love this

Though given where exactly I have Harbor's family living the fact that they're close enough for that makes things a little funny, because it means they did, in fact, technically manage to reach the actual real Wild West, since that's where Harbor's hometown is. So despite the fact that the town of Western Spaghetti doesn't physically exist, it really is located in the place it was advertised to be.

[duckapus]

Perhaps Meta Runner Tari could be a good candidate for your Multiverse au. Post canon of course. Hell maybe Theo could join in too!

They definitely won't be slouches when it comes to combat.

The problem with that is that Rune and Hex only have jurisdiction of SMG4-related universes, and while the main SMG4 timeline is part of the Meta Runner Multiverse thanks to having its own Tari and Belle, the main Meta Runner timeline isn't part of the SMG4 Multiverse due to not having any SMG4 characters besides Tari and Belle. In order to grab Meta Runner Tari they'd have to get permission from whichever extradimensional being is in charge of the Meta Runner Multiverse, and while it probably wouldn't be a problem with how much they overlap it's still simpler to just grab one of their own Taris.

[duckapus]

This? This is Kerri. She's a Beyonder, like Swag and Root, but she's somehow retained a stupid amount of her memories. But, since she's in the developers' copy, it's a struggle to remember them all. She wears a cloak that can transform to bird wings, but she usually keeps it closed around her for mystery's sake.

In the universe of Equinox's Journey, she's known as the World's Prophet because she can from a world where future seeing abilities were relatively common, and comming to EJ increased her power tenfold.

She's fully aware of the other servers where she exists, but since she's in the developers copy, she doesn't really care all that much.

You see, Kerri is one of the final villains of the game. Despite the fact that, understandably, Swag and Root would want to go home despite not remembering it.. Kerri doesn't. Kerri really and honestly thinks that life is better here and that other Beyonders have experienced enough of the world to understand. So her end goal is to capture any Beyonders who don't see her world view, get them to see it through certain means, and then bring more Beyonders to the world so that everyone can live peacefully.

Of course, Kerri hasn't been introduced yet, so no one really knows that she's a final villain. Hell, Kerri doesn't even know. She just thinks those other versions of her are from alternate universes, and hers is just unique.

[duckapus]

Super Multiverse Guardians AU

Had the idea for alternate versions of SMG3 & 4 that are extradimensional beings called Super Multiverse Guardians meant to keep watch over the SMG4 multiverse (so the canon timeline and all the various AUs people have made), and some kind of major threat comes that requires them to put together their own version of the Crew made up of different versions of them each from a separate universe. I've only got the two of them and the Mario Bros figured out though.

The SMGs go by nicknames to differentiate themselves from their counterparts. SMG4 goes by "Rune" while SMG3 goes by "Hax." They were both originally from their own normal AUs that got destroyed somehow, and were saved and brought up to their current status by the previous Super Meme Guardians. Rune is from an urban fantasy setting and was a mage, while Hax is a Reploid and former Maverick Hacker because his universe was based on the Megaman X series instead of the Super Mario franchise.

The Mario they find is from a Bad End version of "It's Gotta be Perfect" where they didn't manage to save 4, the Creep no-selled Swag's bombs thanks to the keyboard not getting destroyed and then started spreading beyond the castle, and a few years later the whole planet's overtaken and Mario's one of the few survivors, with all but a few stubborn pockets of civilization either dead or Changed into one of 4's seemingly endless "Redesigns." In Mario's case, he wanders the wastes of the world, searching for a way to either save SMG4...or kill him. He's also caring for an Inkling egg (not related to Meggy. She is very much gone) he found on his travels, which is just about the only reason he hasn't given up hope and mercy-killed the universe yet (and yes that implies exactly what you think it does).

In Luigi's case...well...technically he's not Luigi. At least not at the moment. See, in his universe the SMG4 Crew went through a... mostly faithful adaptation of Super Paper Mario as one of their arcs. I say mostly because of the obvious Memes and extra characters, but also because in this version, Dimentio sending Mr. L to the Underwhere didn't turn him back into Luigi, and the Floro Sprout shenanigans and Super Dimentio thing at the end of the game scrambled his already washed brain so badly that Nastasia couldn't undo her spell. So now they're stuck with Mr. L until they somehow find a way to get him back to normal. Thankfully like the rest of Bleck's minions he's not really evil anymore but he's still... himself, unfortunately.

...Yeah I'm kind of having Rune and Hex grab Bargain Bin versions of the Crew if you couldn't tell so expect more angsty backstories, morally dubious teammates, and clashing personalities down the line.

[duckapus]

sweet vanilla bean

[duckapus]

By the time she's re-introduced Minion's mostly made peace with the fact that spaghetti is meant to be eaten. She's still uncomfortable with actually seeing people eat it, but she's at least stopped trying to start the Spaghetti Revolution.

....Well, aside from over at the Fresh Tubbie Spaghetti Factory where she tries frequently, because while she's accepted that spaghetti is food, she won't accept the way that hack Tubbie Wonka is desecrating it with that disgusting sludge Teletubbies are so obsessed with.

[duckapus]

Taking Flight, An SMG4 Fanfic: Volume 4

Another volume in the bag, along with some announcements.

While the main flick will still be called Taking Flight, I have officially decided to give this AU an actual name: Nexus. A bit basic, I know, but also surprisingly fitting considering all the different characters from different shows I'm cramming into this. There's also a "lore reason" but....... we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'd also like to thank those who actually take the time out of their day to read my stuff. It really means a lot to me.

Anywho, enjoy.

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Chapter 16: Dirty Jobs

The cool midnight air lies still, and the sky is alight with the Full Moon. The perfect night for a hunt. We see Ragatha and Saturday dashing through the trees below while Tari flies up top. The shrieks are getting louder with every meter they cover.

Saturday: So how do you expect this "friend" of yours to be of any help?

Ragatha: It wouldn't hurt to have a little support. She'll be fine so long as she sticks with us.

Saturday: And you trust her to actually do something useful?

Ragatha: Depends, can I trust you to NOT try and kill her?

Saturday: I make no promises.

Another gutteral shriek echoes through the forest. The trio stop in a nearby clearing. The source of the shrieking lurks behind the trees, getting closer by the second. Tari is horrified by what's making its way into the clearing.

Tari: What.......is that thing?

Ragatha: That would be an Abstraction.

Standing in the moonlight is a shifting black mass dotted with fractalescent spines, creeping along on six prismatic spindly legs sprouting from its back. A pair of whip-like tails thrash around behind it, splitting tree trunks as if they were Styrofoam.

She draws her cleavers as Saturday readies her lance.

Ragatha: Stay close, and follow my lead.

Saturday: Watch and learn, little bird.

Saturday charges forward, drawing the beast's attention. It lashes out with its front legs, but Saturday expertly maneuvers over the sweeping claws and lands several jabs on its head with her lance. Ragatha flanks from the sides and riddles the beast's legs with sewing needles. One of its tails swipes at her and she swiftly slices it to bits with her cleavers. Once all the legs have been riddled with needles, she takes a few steps back and gives a mighty yank. Transparent threads tangle the beast's legs, immobilizing it.

Ragatha: Tari, now!

That's when tari swoops in, summoning a barrier before ramming into the beast and toppling it onto its back. Ragatha hops up and severs the beast's legs. Saturday hurls a fan of sharpened candy canes into the beast's underside, and with a snap of her fingers they shatter and further perforate their target. The beast writhes in pain, it's furious roars echoing through the forest before falling still. The color fades from its eyes as the body withers away, leaving a black oily stain upon the grass. Tari lands next to Ragatha as she offers a high five to Saturday, who callously declines as she walks up to Tari.

Tari: So........ are we cool now? I mean, you did a good job with thaAAAAH!

Saturday sweeps Tari's leg and sends her tumbling to the ground, raising her lance to Tari's chest.

Saturday: If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead before you even saw me. Remember that the next time you decide to go on a midnight flight.

She stays her weapon and takes her leave. Ragatha helps Tari back onto her feet.

Clench: Well....... she sure seems fun.

Tari is quiet as she and Ragatha enter the Guest House. Looks like the others have all retired to their rooms for the night..... except for Aybel who was waiting in the lounge.

Aybel: Miss Ragatha. It's good to see you and Miss Tari back home safe and sound.

Ragatha: It's good to see you too, Aybel.

Aybel: I heard you had quite the adventure.

Tari: Yep..... just prancing about on a midnight stroll.....and.....nothing else, heh.

Can you tell that Tari isn't that good at lying?

Ragatha: The Showgrounds are secure, sir. Me and Saturday took care of the Abstraction, with a little help.

She glances at Tari with a smile.

Aybel: Is that so?

He hovers over to Tari and places a hand on her shoulder.

Aybel: Thank you for the assistance, Miss Tari.

Tari: Oh, um...... you're welcome. A good hostess always helps their guests.

Aybel: You should get some rest, Miss Ragatha. My brother will be arriving tomorrow, and I'm certain he'll have a new adventure planned.

She nods and heads upstairs, leaving Tari and Aybel alone in the lounge.

Aybel: So........

He ushers Tari to take a seat.

Aybel: You have some questions, I'm sure.

Tari nods.

Aybel: Well, first I must ask if you've told anyone else about what happened tonight.

Tari: No sir.

Aybel: Good. Ragatha prefers to keep that a private manner. She doesn't want the others to get involved. She has always been "protective" of this little troop of ours and doesn't want to put them at risk.

Tari: Does this have to do witn the monster we saw in the woods?

Aybel: Abstractions. Tragic things. They were once lost souls like us.

Tari: Then....... what happened to turn them into...... that?

Aybel: It has to do with resonance, the soul's ability to form connections with just about anything, whether it be an item, a person, a place, or a memory. Since the line between mind and body doesn't apply to us, we must rely on this resonance to maintain our form. Resonance is what anchors our mind and body. So, when a lost soul loses that resonance, they lose what makes us who we are. As a result, they abstract. They become husks of their former selves, shapeless, mindless amalgamations of chaos and despair. They hunt other souls to consume them, draining them of their resonance to try and replace theirs.

Tari: Wow.........that's..........that's terrible.

Aybel: Indeed. There was....... an incident involving an Abstraction at one of our facilities a month ago. The troop you see here are some of the survivors. Ragatha and her team were able to contain the threat...........

Though he didn't have any physical eyes, Tari could still sense a deep sadness within his soul.

Aybel:.........but not without losing one of their own.

Tari is taken aback by all this. She didn't expect all their new guests to have suffered so much.

Tari: Is...... is there any way to help them?To bring them back?

Aybel: I've tried, Miss Tari. We all have. But once you've passed a certain threshold...... there will be nothing left to save. The only way we can feasibly help them is to....... set their souls free.

Tari takes a moment to process all this. The idea of your friends turning into a monster is bad enough, but to be forced to put them down for their sake and the sake of others.......... she's only really seen it once before.......... and it crushed her. It crushed everyone. And to think that Ragatha has likely gone through this so many times before........

Tari: I......... I can't imagine.......

Aybel: This Circus has become like a family to us. That's why I've taken it upon myself to ensure that these Abstractions, and any other threats to the Circus, are held at bay by any means necessary. It's by no means an easy job......... but it's a job that must be done regardless.

Tari: You know..........

She can't help but think back to the incident with One Shot Wren. How he tortured Meggy, how he turned all her friends to puppets......... and how she did everything in her power to save them and set them free.

Tari: The Crew is everything to me. They've always been there for me, to help me when I couldn't help myself........ and I want to return that favor. And if that means I can protect others as well.........

She places a hand on Aybel's shoulder.

Tari: Then I have no regrets.

Aybel is taken back by Tari's resolve, the glow of passion and determination burned bright in those lilac eyes. He remembered seeing that same kind of resolve in his brave little doll........ and smiled.

Aybel: You truly are a brave little bird, aren't you?

Chapter 17: SHOWTIME!

It's a beautiful morning out in the skies as Ragatha chills out in the Crow's Nest of SMG3's ship. Apparently Aybel's brother, the "ringleader" of the Circus, has enlisted SMG3's help with the adventure planned for today.

Tari: Me and Saturday just finished scouting the area.

Ragatha: So, everything good?

Tari: Yep. Me and Saturday have covered the designated area and set up a perimeter. Stable terrain, minimal hazards, plenty of hiding spots, and ZERO Abstractions. How about you?

Ragatha: Going well so far. We're all set up for the adventure.

They both look down and see the rest of the Troop gathered aboard the top deck. Aybel is currently giving them the standard safety guidelines, jesturing to the circle of woodlands. Several beams of light are visible from the ship.

Aybel: The area within this circle of beacons is our designated "adventure zone" in which there are minimal hazards. To ensure your safety, you are to remain within this perimeter for the duration of the adventure. Is that clear?

Everyone nods in agreement.

Aybel: Very well..... We're ready, brother!

From the helm emerges SMG3 and a figure similar to Aybel, except he's in a red coat with various golden embroidery and wears a silk lined cape held with a polkadotted bowtie. His head is a floating orb much like his brother, but with only a pair of eyes. His hat is much larger, with little white "teeth" hanging around the rim. In his hands he holds his own little scepter baton thingie.

SMG3: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and that colorful rainbow in between, allow me to introduce the ringleader of the Circus.....CAINE!

Caine: Oh it is GOOD to be back! Thank you very much, SMG3. I trust that you are all DYING to go on today's adventure?

Kinger: I miss my wife.

Caine: That's the spirit! Now where is...... AHA!

He flies up to the Crow's Nest at a breakneck pace.

Caine: RAGATHA! Good to see you being aggressively protective as always.

Ragatha: You know it.

Caine: And YOU must be SMG4's friend from the Showgrounds! Tari, was it?

Tari: Yep, that's me. Heheh.

Caine aggressively shakes Tari's hand, nearly dislocating her shoulder as he introduces himself.

Caine: Pleasure to meet you! My name is Caine, and I am glad to have you here on today's SPINE TINGLING, HEART STOPPING, MIND TWISTING ADVENTURE.

Clench: Jesus. Kinger wasn't kidding about the eccentric part, was he?

Tari checks her arm to make sure nothing is broken.

Tari: Um, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Caine.

Ragatha: Be easy on her, she's kinda new to this.

Ragatha hops down to the lower deck. Tari flies down and joins SMG3 as Caine flies over to the top of the bridge.

Caine: Now, I know it's been a while since we've had a good adventure, considering some........unfortunate circumstances......... SO, we are gonna start off with something simple to get us back into the flow of things. My good friend (and todays sponsor) SMG3 shall lay down the premise for today's adventure, FIND THE FISHY!

SMG3: Thank you Caine. You see, my friend Fishy Boopkins is currently hiding somewhere in this circle of woodland, and YOU have to find him!

Tari: Wait.......You just dumped him in the middle of the woods?

SMG3: Relax. I had him microchipped beforehand.

He pulls out a PDA with a map of the area. A little green dot shows Boopkins' real time location.

SMG3: He'll be fine. He just needs to hide until sundown or somebody finds him.

Caine: And since this is a sponsored adventure, the first to find him gets 10 coupons for free coffee at 3's Coffee & Bombs, as well as their own limited edition 3's Coffee & Bombs hoodie!

What? You think Three would pass up the chance to sponsor his business? Anyways, SMG3 goes over to one of the Grav Cannons and expands the barrels as much as possible.

SMG3: Who's first?

First one up is Jax who cheers and does some summersaults, Zooble is next as they try to keep themselves together, Gangle and Pomni both scream and hold each other as they're flying, and Kinger silently flies forward like a torpedo. Ragatha gives a wink at Tari before hopping off the ship and down into the forest below.

Caine: Good luck!

Aybel: And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Tari then spreads her wings and flies off in the direction of the others. Switching over to Pomni and Gangle, they managed to make a relatively safe landing in a nearby pond with quite the splash. Gangle floats up and out of the water. Pomni breaches the surface and coughs up a hermit crab.

Pomni: Ugh...... Why is it always a cannon?

In another spot in the forest we see Jax landing in a bush next to Zooble, who has just finish piecing themselves back together.

Jax: WOO! Haha.........Howdy.

In another different spot we see Kinger having landed on a beaver's dam, much to the current residents' dismay. Tari swoops in to help Kinger back to his feet.

Kinger: What are we doing again?

Tari: You're supposed to be looking for Boopkins.

Kinger: Oh, right! Of course.

Ragatha arrives on the scene.

Ragatha: You alright, Kinger?

Kinger: ........... GAH! Oh, hi Ragatha.

Tari: I think he hit his head on the way down.

Ragatha: Nah, he's always like that.

Kinger: You guys didn't happen to see a gameshow around here, have you?

A few meters out we see Boopkins still looking for a hiding spot as the Troop begins their search.

Boopkins: Maybe I can hide in a pond? No, I'm a fish so they'd likely check the water first. Oh, Maybe I can hide in the trees! They'd never expect a fish to climb trees!

And for good reason. Try as he might, Boopkins can't even get an inch off the ground before falling on his ass.

Boopkins: Oh man......... Oh!

That's when he spots a nearby cave. He carefully peeks around the corner before waddling inside.

Boopkins: This looks like a good spot! Surely they would never expect me to hide in such a deep, dark, quiet............... lonely.......... scary........... depressing cave..........

He rigorously shakes his head as he presses forward.

Boopkins: FOCUS! You're a brave boy. You've faced purging teletubbies, bloodthirsty pirates, and even eldrich monsters! Besides, you only have to be here until sundown. All you have to do is stay calm and-

A random spider lands on his face, looking him dead in the eyes.

Spider: Hello there.

Aaaaand there he goes, screaming like a little girl as he runs deeper and deeper into the cave. Suddenly, he drops into what appears to be some kind of chamber. His screams can be heard all the way at the cave's entrance, where Gangle and Pomni have just arrived.

Boopkins: distant I WANT MY DAAAAAAAD!!!!!

Gangle: He really isn't good with this whole "hiding" thing is he.

They enter the cave and make their way to the chamber, where they see Boopkins running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Gangle manages to hold him still with her prehensile ribbons.

Boopkins: GET IT OFF! GET IT OF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF ! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!

Pomni manages to smack the Spider off of Boopkins' face. It takes a moment for him to calm down.

Pomni: You good?

Boopkins: Yeah....... Where are we?

Pomni snaps her fingers, summoning a glowing prism of light that illuminates the chamber. It definitely doesn't look like a natural cave formation, given the ancient architecture and dome-like shape. At the center of the room is a large orrery hanging from the ceiling.

Pomni: I think this is some kind of observatory.

Gangle: But why would you have an observatory that's underground?

Pomni carefully surveys the room, finding an opening in the floor. The trio gather around and see some stairs that lead deeper into the darkness.

Pomni: I guess there's only one way to find out.

Chapter 18: Hidden Wonders

It's almost pitch black in the depths of the ruins. Pomni leads the way, lighting their path with a glowing prism as Gangle and Boopkins follow close behind. A mural decorates the walls of the spiral staircase they are descending, with various depictions of planetary systems and constellations. Gangle and Boopkins are both nervous as the trio descends the stairs.

Gangle: I don't thing we should be here, guys.

Boopkins: Yeah. There could be monsters and stuff.

Pomni: If there were any monsters here, Ragatha would've dealt with them before we even came here. Besides, I don't think anything has touched this place since the ten commandments were a rough draft.

They reach the bottom of the stairs and find a hub room with a single pillar at the center. Gangle and Boopkins take a look around while Pomni examines the pillar, wiping away centuries of dust from the crystaline surface. She can see faint lights inside.

Pomni: Hm.........

She taps the surface, and suddenly the pillar lights up with a vibrant tapestry of glyphs and symbols as the entire room begins to glow. Back on the surface we see Kinger, Ragatha, and Tari walking through the woods when Tari suddenly feels something. She is stopped in her tracks, and Ragatha takes notice.

Ragatha: Hey, are you alright?

Tari looks down at her arm to see that it too is reacting to something. Whatever it is, she can feel it emanating from somewhere. Back in the ruins, the trio are awestruck by the vibrant lights that now flood the room.

Pomni: This must be some kind of control console.

She fiddles with the pillar some more and manages to open a door on the far side of the room. They take a look inside and find rows upon rows of shelves holding various tools and devices. There's also some skeletal remains laying on the ground.

Gangle: I don't like this.

Back on the surface, we see Zooble and Jax scouring the area looking for Boopkins and the others. Or at least Zooble is. Jax is just strolling around and yelling Boopkins' name. Zooble shifts their arms into blades to slice through the dense shrubs.

Jax: COME ON OUT LITTLE GREEN, IT'S PAST YOUR BEDTIME.

Zooble: Y'know, this would go by a lot faster if you actually helped.

Jax: What? I'm keeping an ear out. If I hear the little squirt, you'll be the first to know.

Zooble just sighs as they continue to search the area, hacking through the foliage until they end up hitting something solid.

Zooble: What the......?

They clear away the foliage to reveal something made of metal that resembles a large leg. They hack through the surrounding foliage to reveal a torso, followed by a head.

Zooble: Uh...... Jax?

Jax: You found em?

Zooble: I found.......something.

The two are dumbfounded by the sight of a nine foot construct laying in the brush. Intricate imprintations of feather-like patterns and flowing water decorated an aerodynamic frame covering a ball jointed skeleton. Both its arms and legs were tipped with tarnished metal claws, and a sterling crest adorned its helmet and chest.

Jax: Wow.......... Boopkins really gained some weight.

Zooble directs an unamused glare at Jax. They get the joke. They just don't find it funny.

Jax: What?

A few meters away, Tari arrives at the mouth of the cave with Kinger and Ragatha in tow?

Ragatha: So, why this place?

Tari could feel it, a familiar energy hanging in the air.

Tari: Call it a hunch.

In the ruins, Pomni is finicking with the pillar again. She wants to see if there's anything more to this place, but the interface isn't cooperating anymore. It's like she's locked out. Tari's group discovers the observatory and make their way inside, seeing the inner dome now alight with a simulated night sky. She investigates the Orrery as Ragatha hops down. Kinger waits outside while the girls investigate the observatory.

Tari: These ruins......... I've seen ruins like these before.

Ragatha: I'm surprised we didn't find this on our sweep. Wanna come down, Kinger?

Kinger does come down....... flat on his face. Don't worry, he's fine. Near the orrery, Tari finds something on the ground. It's a set of sheaths. Tari goes down to touch it, but the moment she lays a finger on it, a flash of light engulfs the room. Pomni's group notices the flash upstairs. They go op to investigate and see Tari who now has three swords floating in front of her. She waves her hand and the three blades dance around in the air before disappearing. Tari looks down at her hand before noticing Pomni's group.

Boopkins: Woah......

Tari: Boopkins!

She goes over and hugs him as Pomni goes to hug Ragatha.

Ragatha: So this is where you've been hiding out, huh?

Tari: How did you even find this place?

Boopkins: I found it while I was looking for a hiding spot. We think it's some kind of observatory.

Kinger looks up at the simulated night sky above them.

Kinger: Why build one underground, though?

Their chat is interrupted by the sound of explosions from the surface.

Gangles: Uh....... has anybody seen Jax and Zooble?

Yeah. Remember that big robot Jax and Zooble found in the shrubs? It's awake now, and it clearly isn't happy as we see it's now trying to kill the two. Zooble is holding their ground the best they can while Jax just leans on a nearby tree and gives emotional support.

Jax: You're doing great, Zuzu! Give em' what for!

Zooble: OH GEE, THANKS! THAT'S..... REALLY HELPING RIGHT NOW!

Jax: Hey, what are friends for?

Zooble: OH JUST HIT IT YOU MOTHERF-

Just then, Zooble takes an uppercut straight to the jaw and is sent flying. She is caught by Tari who arrives on the scene with Ragatha.

Tari: You okay?

Zooble: Yeah, I'm good. But this thing is built like a tank.

Ragatha: Then ignore the shell and focus on the joints.

The others are watching at a safe distance from the bushes. The robot fires a lazer from its eyes and Tari deflects with a well timed barrier.

Kinger: Whats that guy's problem?

Gangle: It looks like a robot soldier.

Kinger:...............AAA-

Ragatha comes in with a well placed kick to the robot's head before readying her cleavers. Zooble morphs her body into a more durable armored form, creating a mace and a shield from her arms.

Ragatha: Jax!

Jax: On it. Hey Tin Man!

Jax proceeds to inflate his body, his muscles expanding up to three times their size. He then proceeds to shoulder check the robot into Zooble, who follows up with a series of mace strikes.

Zooble: About time!

Tari is up next. She hops off of Zooble's shield and draws her glaive. Right as the robot brings down his arm on her, she plunges the glaive into its elbow and fires off a shot. The robot staggers back as it's arm is blown clean off. Ragatha charges in, slashing at its ankles and severing its other arm. The robot turns to her and readies another lazer blast, but Jax grabs its head and pulls it back. The beam fires into the sky, which can be seen across the forest. Tari comes in and thrusts the tip of her glaive into the robot's neck. She fires off another blast, severing the machine's head clean from its shoulders. The light from its eyes fade as its hulking frame collapses to the ground. Jax deflates and Zooble assumes her original form.

Zooble: YEAH! F*** YOU, YOU PIECE OF JUNK!

Pomni, Kinger, Gangle, and Boopkins rush over to the rest of the group.

Pomni: Are you guys okay?

Jax: A little winded, but I'm alright.

Zooble: Oh f*** off.

Ragatha rolls her eyes while Tari examines the destroyed machine's remains. She recognizes the patterns on the armor as the same ones on her glaive.

Clench: Well would you look at that. Might wanna keep a tab on this place.

Boopkins: Tari, is it safe now.

She looks over to Boopkins with a reassuring smile.

Tari: Yes Boopkins, it's safe.

Back on the ship, we see Caine and Aybel watching the situation on Caine's wacky watch.

Caine: Now THAT was quite the wallop if I've ever seen one!

Aybel: Indeed. Though, I think it's best if I pick the location next time.

Caine: Though I am rather curious about those ruins. I mean, what kind of idiot would build an observatory UNDERGROUND?

Aybel focuses in on Tari, who's still analyzing the robot.

Aybel: Yes........ curious.

Chapter 19: As The Day Goes By

Things have been busy in the Showgrounds as of late. Meggy is getting back into her exercise routine now that she's recovered, SMG4 is back to making memes on the computer, and the Anti Crew is tending to the ship while SMG3 tends to the Café. Tari has also been practicing on some dummies with her new swords, of which I have officially christened "blink blades" for reasons you will see in a moment.

Tari: Alright, second verse same as the first.

With a blade in each hand, she charges towards the first dummy and lands a double cross slice combo. She then throws both blades at another dummy, followed by a third blade in the dummy's head. With a flick of her wrist, the blink blades come flying back and levitate around her wrist as she eyes a third dummy. She sends out all three blades and positions them around her target.

Tari: Now for the money shot.

With a snap of her fingers, she blinks to each of the blades so fast........ that she doesn't have time to actually strike the dummy. She instead stumbles out of the last blink and falls flat on her ass, her head spinning as if she had just stepped off a Tilt-A-Whirl. Yeah, you can see why she still needs to practice.

Tari: Ugh.....

She shakes out of her daze to see Pomni rolling by with a wheelbarrow full of miscellaneous sacks and other items. On its side is a sign saying "Pomni's Products."

Tari: Oh, hi Pomni!

Pomni: Hey Tari. What's up?

Tari: Oh, I'm just getting some practice in. I'm still breaking in the new gear.

She flicks her wrist and the blink blades disappear.

Tari: What you got there?

Pomni: Oh, just some things I picked up during adventures. Bob said he was getting a marketplace set up, so I figured I'd take a look and see if I could set up shop.

Tari: A marketplace?

In the next scene we see Bob setting up a bunch of empty stands, one of which being labeled "Bob's Bargains." The area looks like a farmer's market as Pomni soon arrives with a curious Tari in tow.

Bob: Oh hey guys!

Tari: Hey, um....... what exactly are you doing with.........all this?

Bob: I'm glad you asked! Ever since we opened up that guest house, we've been getting more visitors. We are secure in neutral territory, so the law can't get us. It's nice and private, completely off the radar. So, SMG3 and I have a plan that could set us for life if we play our cards right. I'm setting up a marketplace to attract some merchants to do business and get a good economy, which we can also cash in our treasures. You see, when you're the seller, you conrol the supply. You control the supply, you can make the demands. And so long as we got treasure, we got trade. It's a whole ecosystem of perfectly legal commerce at your fingertips.

TLDR, him and SMG3 are now business partner, putting their business knowledge, bargaining skills, and lack of morals to good use in what basically equates to a semi-legally neutral farmer's market.

Bob: So let's see what kind of demands they're making. What are your demands, Pomni?

Pomni: let's talk supply first. See what catches your fancy.

Pomni goes off to set up shop as Tari is still processing all that dubious business crap. She does NOT know how to respond to all of that.

Clench: Economics is weird.

Over in Bricktown we see Kaizo, X , and Melony waiting by the front desk in the MKPD building. FM and Hal Monitor meet up with them to share any info they've gleaned.

FM: They saw him hitting a few spots last night, mostly pawn shops and antique stores.

Melony: Any word from the shop owners on what was stolen?

Hal: They all describe him only taking specific artifacts, all of which sharing the same characteristics you listed earlier.

Kaizo: What's so special about a bunch of antiques anyways?

X: We know it has to do with that Xelor you encountered on that Ketch. He's specifically looking for these kinds of artifacts, which are the same kind Wario and Waluigi tried to steal last week while powered up by those Xelor signets.

Melony: These artifacts are tied to whatever that Xelor has planned.

Hal: I'm not sure what you have planned, but you better handle this LEGALLY.

Melony: We'll do it as legally as possible, Mr. Monitor.

FM: I'll let you know if I find anything else.

The trio walk out of the building where an anxious Wario is waiting.

Wario: My brother....... is he.......?

X: They ran into him last night several times, but they were unable to apprehend him. He's still at large.

He's relieved to hear that Waluigi is at least still alive. That means there's still a chance of getting his brother back. Wario has been searching for Waluigi ever since last week's incident. Melony places a hand on Wario's shoulder, trying to comfort him with a reassuring smile. She can't help but feel bad for Wario, even if he is an asshole. The Wario Bros may be con artists, but they're still.......bros.

Melony: We'll get him back Wario. I promise.

He releases an exhausted "WAA" before pulling out a gun.

Wario: Alright. I'm-a gonna go steal something.

Over in Omnia we see SMG1 and SMG2 having a discussion with Saiko and Aybel about Tari's orb.

Aybel: It can control Meta, you say?

SMG1: We've done the tests. This artifact can take Meme energy and refine it into its purest form.

Saiko: I thought only you "guardian" guys could do stuff with Memes.

SMG1: We harness and control RAW Meme energy. Meta energy is more refined.

SMG2: Since this universe is made up of Meme energy, it's basically everywhere, and there are actually various methods of accessing ambient meme energy from the world around around us.

Aybel: You can utilize this ambient energy if you draw it from the environment, a donor of higher power, or your own spirit by concentrating it into Meta via Conduction, Divination, and Meditation respectively.

SMG1: You're surprisingly knowledgeable on this.

Aybel: My line of work requires me to know how the world around you works, whether it be the mundane or the fantastical.

SMG1: You said she "sensed" some more ruins, correct?

Saiko: Yeah. It was some kind of observatory.

SMG2: And this is also where she found her new weapons?

Saiko nods. The two SMGs look at each other for a moment.

Saiko: So...... what does this have to do with Tari?

SMG1: Well....... her connection with the Ancient Metarunners is apparent. Me and two will need to examine these ruins for ourselves. In the meantime.......

He picks up the orb and hands it to Saiko.

SMG1: I feel like she'll need this more than we will.

The sun is setting as Saiko and Aybel arrive at the Showgrounds. Pomni has just set up her shop over at the Marketplace, and Tari is retiring to the Castle. She heads over to the game room and plops down on the couch beside Meggy, who already has a six pack of soda at the ready.

Meggy: Busy day?

Tari: Of sorts, yeah.

Meggy tosses her a can.

Tari: So, you're finally back on your routine, huh?

Meggy: Yep! I'm still on the One-Ups, but the doctors finally gave me the all clear. How about you? You still being a good host over at the Guest House?

Tari: Yeah! A lot more......"exciting" than I thought, but things are going great.

Meggy: Good to hear. Have you been practicing? I know I haven't been here much with all the doctor's appointments.

Tari: It's coming along nicely, actually. Ragatha makes for a great sparring partner.

Meggy: Oh really?

Tari: Yeah! We've been.....um....... that's more of a private matter, actually.

Meggy: Is that so......

She smirks and gives Tari the bombastic side eye.

Tari: Not THAT kind of private! It's just........ she has this hobby of hers that she'd rather keep private.........

Clench: TLDR, it's not drugs and it's not sex.

Tari: Right. Either way, it's not my place to talk about what others do in their free time without their permission.

Meggy: Hmmmm.......

Oh look, Saiko just came in! And she has the orb.

Saiko: Meggy, don't pester her. If it's private, it's private.

Meggy: Alright, alright. So, what did One and Two have to say?

Saiko: Well, they're pretty much done with this thing.

She tosses the orb to Tari.

Saiko: They're gonna go check out those ruins you found the other day, see if they can find anything there.

Tari stares at the orb. The patterns were alight with opalescent energy. Taking a look outside, we see a bus drive up on the road in front of the Showgrounds. Off the bus steps a teenager wearing a black skull hoodie, cargo pants, and beanie. She has pale skin, purple hair and lilac eyes. She pops in her headphones and plays "As Above, So Below" on her phone, hauling her dufflebag over her shoulder.

Driver: Stay safe.

???: Bite me.

Taking Flight: Chapter 20: One Step At A Time

It's about 9pm as Tari lies awake on a couch in Saiko's apartment, examining the orb they had found on that fateful day in the woods.

Saiko: Hey there.......

Saiko chimes in from the bedroom.

Saiko: You good?

Tari doesn't respond right away. She just kept staring at the orb. Saiko can tell there's a lot on Tari's mind. She comes over and takes a seat next to her.

Saiko: More dreams?

Tari: No, just........thinking.

Saiko: About what?

Tari sits up. She looks like she just came back from the dead.

Tari: Do you remember the party? The one where Mario tried to take over the world in the name of Pizza. On that day I thought it was just the same random mayhem we're used to. Then I ended up plowing Pizzaface through the rafters and.......

She pauses, looking down at the scars crawling up her arm and chest.

Tari: It's so weird to think that's when it all started. The day I finally decided to stand on my own. And now here I am, soaring through the sky, fighting bad guys and slaying monsters just like the rest of you......... but now there's just so much happening, so many things that remind me just how little control I have. Even with all this power I'm still not........ good enough.

Saiko scoots over and places her arm around Tari.

Saiko: Tari, we still still need to know our flaws and limits to rectify them and better make use of our strengths. That's what makes us human. It also takes a lot of strength to acknowledge those weaknesses.

Tari: Really?

Saiko: Yeah! Even when you were afraid, you always went out of your way to show kindness and empathize with others. You shouldn't have to be a doormat, and it pays to toughen up when you need to, but that doesn't make your kindness a weakness. You just neec to do right by yourself as much as you do right by others. That sounds "good enough" to me.

Tari looks up to Saiko and smiles. She rests her head on her shoulder as they put on the TV.

Over on SMG3's ship, we see Melony practicing her swordsmanship on the top deck. She lays to waste a mannequin that's wrapped in bandages and wearing a clockwork mask. Kaizo watches as she brings out an identical mannequin - the fifth one judging by the bits scattered everywhere - and resumes her onslaught. Memories flash back to the Ketch, when they first encountered that Xelor. With every mannequin she fells, she hears those exact same words......

Rhode: Well done, my puppet.

Melony's eyes turn black, and the seeds on her cheels turn into red markings. With a mighty yell she unleashes a powered sword strike, reducing another mannequin to smoldering pieces. She goes over to the detached head and crushes it under her foot, panting like a beast as she goes for another mannequin. That's when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She aggressively turns and holds her blade up to Kaizo's throat, but he is unfazed. She lowers her blade, her eyes and marks reverting back to normal.

Melony: Sorry. I'm just....... I got carried away and.......

Kaizo: I know. I wanna see that Clocksucker's head on a pike too. Just take it easy until then, alright.

Melony: Alright........ I didn't hurt you, did I?

Kaizo: Well, one more inch and you would've taken my head off but...... I'm alright.

Their conversation is interrupted by some odd sounds coming from the fields. They both scan the area and notice someone else on the grounds doing some practicing of their own. They both come over to see Pomni standing in front of several targets. She summons a slender prismatic spike, lines up a shot, and hurls the spike into the first target. She then creates three more spikes and launches them into the second target one after another, each one landing within the central circle. Lastly, she conjures a large spike and hurls it like a javelin into the last target, splitting it in half.

Melony: Woah.

Kaizo: Not bad.

Pomni: GAH!

Kaizo's compliment catches Pomni by surprise.

Pomni: Uh...... hi.

Melony: That was SO COOL!

Kaizo: I gotta say, jester. I didn't know you had that kind of fight in you.

Pomni: Oh, well, I wouldn't really say I'm a fighter, but it does pay to be prepared.

Melony: Oh! We should set up a sparring session. We can have Tari and Ragatha join us too! It'll be great!

Pomni: Yeah, I don't think Ragatha would approve of me getting into fighting just yet.

Melony: Why not?

Pomni: Well....... She receives special training from Aybel. I don't know what that entails or what it's for, but she's always been insistent that we don't need that kind of training. She's always been a bit "overprotective" of us.......... even before we lost Kaufmo.

Kaizo: Kaufmo?

Pomni: Yeah. I've only been in the Circus for about a year or two, so I didn't know him TOO well, but he was a great guy. He actually helped me discover my prism powers. Then about a month ago there was an incident and........

She pauses. Melony can see a potent sadness in her eyes.

Pomni: he didn't make it.

Melony: Oh....... I'm sorry to hear that.

Pomni: Yeah...... now Ragatha is insistent on us leaving the more dangerous stuff to her and Saturday. And now every time I ask if I can help her take down whatever "boss" Caine has lined up for us, she just plops me down on the sidelines........

She clenches her fist and takes a deep breath.

Pomni: .......But the Circus is my home too, and the other Carnies are my family. I wanna be able to defend them too. You get what I'm saying, right?

Melony kneels down and places a hand on Pomni's shoulder.

Melony: I understand perfectly. We lost an old friend of ours too about three years ago. It was that loss that drove me to master my powers so I could better protect my own friends and live the life I wanted to live.

Kaizo: You're tougher tan you look, kid. There's no need to hide it.

Melony: Maybe Ragatha will change her mind if she sees how capable you are. You could start practicing with me and Meggy.

Pomni: You'd really help me with that?

Melony: Yeah! I think it's worth a shot.

Pomni gives a warm smile.

Pomni: sigh....... Alright. I guess we can give it a shot.

Melony: YAAAAAY!!!!! We'll start first thing in the morning!

A few meters out we find the mysterious teen has set up a spot in one of the tents. Y'know, the ones that were used as decoration for the Showgrounds. One of them is Red and Blue, and the other is Purple and Yellow. You'd think the crew would at least take them down, but nope! They're just there. Anyways, she has a pretty generic "angsty teen" setup with a mattress, some BIONICLE figures, posters for Cryoshell and Demon Hunter, and an old X-Box One hooked up to a TV. She lays down on her bed, occasionally looking over at a stool with an old monkey wrench sitting on top. She can almost hear her father's parting words before she left.

????: It's a bit of a "good luck charm" of mine and I want to pass some of that luck onto you. Because black magic or not, you are still my daughter. I'll keep your room nice and tidy for whenever you come back from this whole "self imposed exile" of yours.

She smiles. Even after everything she did, everything that's wrong with her, she still had that idiot of a dad that cared for her.

Uzi: I love you, dad......

The smile slowly fades from her lips as she roles over and goes to turn off the light.

Uzi: .....But I can't go back.