#✨ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ? . . . queue

[jumpinagain-a]

SOMETIMES THE WAY OUT OF THE NURSERY is different. star watches all the pathways shift and change through the bars of his crib. it's supposed to be naptime, but he's busy thinking. daddy closed the door behind him, but now it's open. and it's going to another place, a place star has only been a few times — daddy's office.

clambering over the edge of his crib is something he's done tons of times by now. he's good at making it happen quick, putting his feet in the right places, and landing with a soft thump with his spacebear to break the fall. he starts out crawling, and pushes himself to a teetering stand, toddling across to the door.

daddy's not in here right now. that doesn't at all deter the starchild, who wanders inside and makes a beeline straight for the desk. loose papers are grabbed in chubby hands, ending up in his mouth and on the floor. pens are scattered. star's having the best time!

on the highest shelf he can see something’s really shiny. they look like balls. he tips back to see them and plops on his bottom. huff! why are they so high up?

want ball. where's daddy when star needs him?

@the-actor-himself

[jumpinagain-a]

The recently paroled, former jailbird himself is currently walking around the nursery. Holding the little star while he chewed away on a teething toy. Yancy had insisted that Mark take a nap while he kept an eye on the little guy as he could probably use one. He had been so hesitant, scared even, to hold such a tiny babbling bundle. Now, he found he didn’t want to put them down anytime soon.

“Lookit you, little man! Youse growin’ so fast already.” He wanders to the crib, looking at the mobile hanging above. ”Youse gonna be destined for great things, and uncle Yan has a good sense about this stuff. Especially with papa Mark and all the people that care ‘bout you in youse corner.”

He bounces the child a little, gently patting his back. And there was no baby talk from him either, he was talking to a little man after all. ”Youse got the best possible papa around, little guy. He’d do anythin’ ta make sure youse taken care of and safe. He’s gonna do right by you. I know it.”

YANCY’S CHEST IS COZY AND WARM. star is happily burrowed against him, both fists curled around an orange star-shaped toy. he’s quietly gumming away, occasionally muttering something. gafafa. mmmba. daddy is the best but uncle yan has good snuggles. his voice makes his chest buzz, and his heartbeat pounds nearby, steady and reassuring. star thinks uncle yan must have the only heartbeat in the world. all the other ones are just copying. like how star copies sounds and noise. bmbmbm.

bounce bounce bounce! all the tummy ache from lunchtime goes away when he gets his back patted. all the wiggly bubbles go away and he’s sleepy. he lays his head down under uncle yan’s chin and yawns. an ka ya. uncle yan? kiki bees. kisses please. he feels a soft touch of lips to the top of his head. in return he lays still as his eyes droop slowly. he’s fast asleep in uncle yan’s arms in seconds.

[jumpinagain-a]

"Hello, little prince. I'm going out into the gardens, would you like to come with me?"

star is already way ahead of uncle asterius! he’s toddling as fast as his little legs can carry him right on out the door! better catch him before he goes too far!

[jumpinagain-a]

@alwayshorrible liked for a starter from GIN! ♥️

IT’S A FUNNY LITTLE UNFINISHED STORY. gin hasn’t seen too many of these. they’re unique! interesting to push to their limits, although kind of … boxy. small. he pokes his head in first, before squeezing into the tiny space and taking on a somewhat human appearance. it was probably just going to be a quick stop. maybe he’d find something worth his time, but probably not. it wouldn’t be an entire wash, he can still harness whatever trickle of energy its got for better purposes, but still. he’s bored.

it’s a town, mostly. there’s some characters scattered in it, the white noise of a backdrop without much to it, spinning like a music box dancer. gin watches it run through its mechanics for a few minutes. it’s nice enough. bland, but with a STRONGER CURRENT than it looks like it should have.

his waiting pays off when he sees the main character — it’s definitely the main character. he’s got red eyes behind dark shades, and a maroon and black suit to match. he’s walking with a purpose, like a man with a plan.

gin doesn’t bother trying to take on any particular role — no one cares about this universe anymore. no one will be looking in.

he drops out of the sky with his engineering jumpsuit on, and runs to catch up with the red guy. “hi,” he says once he’s gotten in front of the man, walking backwards to match his pace. “i’m gin. whatcha doin’?”

[jumpinagain-a]

Yancy is outside, his favorite explorer stellina held securely on top of his shoulders. They roamed around the manor grounds, looking for signs of wildlife and touching all manner of branches and leaves they could find. It was such a nice day, sunny and warm with a gentle breeze.

Yancy would freely admit that it was as much for his benefit as it was for his little buddy. Being limited to a prison yard with a handful of trees for several years made him miss scenic views like this.

As they play and explore, he sings a song. It's simple enough with a nursery rhyme-esqe tune, just a little something he's mulled over briefly:

Child of the stars

Soarin' high, travelin' far!

All his friends love him so

And watch in awe as he grows!

Papa Mark will guide the way

As you learn, and laugh and play!

And when your path you start to pave…

…don't forget, Uncle Yan's your fave!

star’s not quite old enough to hold a tune, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. he claps his hands and giggles as he babbles along. he grabs for every branch they pass, stripping leaves and flowers and sticks off as they go. some of them end up on uncle yan’s head. he doesn’t seem to mind too much. star’s song is good too. uncle yan space a man! papa mark baba tree bark!

[jumpinagain-a]

*gently boops the starchild* BOOP! You've been booped little baby!

THE CHILD BLINKS AT YOU! he giggles and waves a chubby fist, working hard to roll over and push up with both hands. he manages to sit back on his bottom — hard work! he waits for you to come in close enough and then ba! his hand baps your nose in return! mababa! you got booped!

[jumpinagain-a]

"Your father wouldn't let me give you the appropriate amount of real cows, so here, I made you a tiny fake one! Just like a little prince."

THE CHILD TAKES HOLD OF THE SOFT STUFFIE. while it’s tiny in your own hooves, it’s bigger to star. he’s very quiet, staring up at you as the cow goes straight into his mouth. observant eyes watch your every move. after a long moment he reaches suddenly up. mmma. demanding you come closer! once you do he buries both hands in soft fur, babbling away. cow stuffie and very cozy friend. it’s a good day.

[jumpinagain-a]

The crewmate walked in before almost gasping softly at the sight of the adorable child. The twenty five year old soon crouching down to their height as his smiles went wide. “Hello Starshine..” Ethan cooed, soon holding a little gift behind his back. “You look so precious.” He muttered, soon letting out the tiniest of giggles. “We heard you’re growing and being so so good for your daddy, so the crew thought we would make you an honorary earth ambassador..” he cooed, though he knew the child probably didn’t understand some of the bigger words. He pulled out a smaller version of their uniform beret and carefully put it on the child’s head, along with a little set of plushies resembling a few stars soon being sat next to them. “Enjoy little one, we’re all rooting for you.” He whispered, soon pressing a little kiss on his forehead before sneaking out the room.

star squeals when he sees a new friend. hi ethan! hi! hi! grabby fists are met with laughter and plushies. he complains when a beret is squished onto his head. he picks at it, but ultimately leaves it on and lopsided in favor of picking up each of the star plushies in turn. he’s too distracted to notice ethan leave, but he whimpers when he realizes he’s gone again. plushies are tossed to the side in favor of crawling after him! where did he go?

[jumpinagain-a]

The young musician slowly approaches the starchild’s crib, their guitar settled in their hands as they pluck a gentle tune.

Hello there, little one! I-I’ve got something for your teething! I know it’s not exactly a planet, but it’s something I think my father gave me while I was your age. Don’t worry- I washed it off! They reach out their hand and show off the small sun teething toy that was nearly ice cold in their hand. As gently as could be, they set the sun in the infant’s grasp and watch over the child as they start to quietly hum a soothing melody.

~ 🌺

(I was suggested to come here, so I hope I’m not intruding.)

THE CHILD TAKES THE SUN WITH BOTH HANDS. it goes right into star’s mouth without even a hint of hesitation. most everything does! he wants to touch your guitar, big wooden thing that sings. he pushes up and crawls over to you, pulling up on the side of his crib to a stand. bees! please! his sticky hand is stretching as far as he can reach!

the sun falls out of the crib. star stops long enough to search for it, letting out a bright screech when he sees it down below. he waits for you to give it back — one fist balanced on the side of the crib as the other quickly stuffs in back in his mouth, but not before you can catch a glimpse of a few baby teeth on their way in. he’s growing fast!

[jumpinagain-a]

@splittinghares liked for a starter from GIN! ♥️

HE REALLY HADN'T THOUGHT THE CAPTAIN would ever show up. seeing the little universe he'd escaped in motion again has him startling and coming closer. there is no way he is touching that thing, not now and not ever. but he can see the captain wandering from room to empty room, looking for someone. probably him. the engineer was supposed to do something when the captain got there.

first there was an engineer and no captain, now there is a captain and no engineer. they're only a few sǝıɹnʇuǝɔ late! no biggie!

maybe there's a poetic justice in the idea of them getting caught in the same trap their absence created, but gin isn't keen on the idea of his universe moving on without him. that's his crew. his people.

AND THAT IS HIS CAPTAIN!

descending into the world isn't an option. he's half-afraid he'd be sucked back in. or else the whole thing would just go kaput, and he'd be left with a pile of dust in his cupped hands. not ideal! but maybe —

maybe he can reach in, and ｓｃｏｏｐ them out. he's big enough now, he thinks. it's delicate work, but if he just does it ｃａｒｅｆｕｌｌｙ... he can set them down in another universe and meet them there. if they remember it, they probably won't like that, but eh. gin didn't like reliving the same nightmare over and over for an eternity in hell either, but no one gets everything they want.

he holds his breath when he pokes out a testing finger. the little marble world doesn't shatter, and that's really all he needs to know.

the captain fights him a little, but he sets them down in a dense island jungle, far enough away from other characters that NO ONE IS GOING TO BOTHER THEM. he follows them in, popping into existence only seconds later. they're expecting him in uniform and hat, so a uniform and hat he has, along with fresh pink human skin.

and the captain. they're real. and that's a little overwhelming by itself.

gin snaps a cocky salute. "hiya, cap'n. ship's off limits, pending repairs." he squints one pale eye. "well. actually, it's off limits indefinitely, but whatever. — where the hell have you been?" he demands.

[jumpinagain-a]

CONTINUED FROM HERE. | @alwayshorrible

INTERNALLY MARK COULD FEEL HIS stomach churning, his heart fluttering. It wasn’t Murdock he was afraid of — over time, even the knowledge that he was a serial killer dulled to a low thrum of awareness in the back of his mind. (He wasn’t a threat to them. Usually. So it was fine.) It was more the prospect of trying it out himself that was scary. It was murder. That was a thing he was agreeing to. But after so long of looping and dying and looping and dying — did it even matter? None of it seemed real anymore. Hell, if he knew the victim Murdock had picked out it would be that much easier, even, after seeing them in a hundred scenarios until they faded to background static.

Murdock’s bar haunt was a familiar place too. Mark knew he could get away with it, so he grabbed a glass off someone else’s table and chugged it. The burn helped settle his stomach just a little. “Cool. Where are we going?” he asked, absently leaving the glass on the hall table by the door as they exited. After the sweaty, close air, the nighttime breeze was wonderful. Couldn’t see the stars in the city, which was to be expected, but it always left Mark feeling off-balance.

He wasn’t supposed to be here, after all.

[jumpinagain-a]

⚠

“HEY, WHOA, HEY! WATCH THE MERCHANDISE!” Mark was being held up like a kitten, his arms crossed and a huff! pushing between pouting lips. “What gives?!” He doesn’t approve of being plucked up without permission! He’s the Head Engineer, dammit!

[jumpinagain-a]

“ You know how you’re in a dream and you’re trying to run, but you can’t get anywhere, and you feel like you’re not making any progress? Kind of feel like that right about now. ”

“WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?” Mark demanded, his lips quirking into an unhappy expression, hands on his hips. "Look, I get that I'm not as good as your other partners or whatever, but you're not exactly hot at this either." Huff! What kind of an adventurer didn't know how to run basic safety protocols? "It's easy. Don't do stupid shit and you won't get me killed. You still need my admin permissions to get anywhere on this ship."

He didn't like being trapped on the bridge either but it clearly wasn't his fault that the thing behind the door wasn't budging. "You can't open the door. Protocol clearly states that if we know it's a monster, we can't open the goddamn door for it. You might survive, but what about me?!"

[jumpinagain-a]

"... I want to know more about you, if that's okay?"

MARK HOPPED UP ONTO THE TERMINAL, swinging his legs. The bridge terminal was pretty steady — not the kind of place where he'd fall off. He hoped so anyway. He had this weird urge to impress this other him. Falling off the terminal because he gestured too widely wouldn't do that for him. "Of course that's okay! I love talking about myself," Mark assured the other with perfect earnesty.

"I'm the head engineer, but you already knew that. My dog's named Chica — she's a working dog, you see," he said seriously. "I, uh, like —" He paused for a second to think. "— Calculus?" That didn't seem like much of a fun fact. "But what I really like is ... um ...." He racked his brain for a second, before waving it off. "Eh. I like probably the same things you do. Probably have the same basic lifestory, now that I think about it." He paused. "Well, aside from the obvious. The whole, thing you do." He spun a finger — or was it done to the other? The guy seemed more along for the ride than actively driving, so Mark guessed that was the case.

"I've been the head engineer of the Invincible II since its inception," he bragged, popping his collar with a smirk. "I built her myself. Isn't she a beauty?" He added quickly, "You don't have to touch a thing. I know you're technically supposed to have my job but — I kind of like my job honestly, and I'd rather you didn't touch anything. Actually." Pinched expression at the idea of the other Mark messing something up — followed by a hasty, "No offense!"

[jumpinagain-a]

054. Does your character want power or authority of any kind?

100 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS. | accepting.

FUNNY THAT YOU SAY THAT, because I was just chatting with Jay today about what would happen if he broke out of the loop and somehow got the ability to control the stories for himself. Long story short, yes. He wants power and agency in his life. You can see it in small ways — he loves to take charge on his ship, and can definitely be a bit of a control freak. He doesn't mean to be stern or cruel, he just needs things done a certain way. But if he was given the ability to change the way things turned out, he wouldn't even hesitate. He'd jump right in. Over and over again.

That's what got him into this mess, right?

[jumpinagain-a]

@rosetintedgunman liked for a starter from GIN! ♥️

“THIS IS STUPID,” THE ENGINEER COMPLAINS. they’ve got a wormhole on either side of them, a tiny closed loop that wilford summoned at will, pink and glowing. It’s a demonstration. wilford’s walked from one to the other so many times now it’s making them dizzy. “if i could make wormholes, i feel like i would have done that before now. i’m telling you, i didn’t need a wormhole to leave the story. i just left.”

they’re not used to this weird, bodiless form quite yet. they’re a man-shaped blob of cosmic energy, dark matter and stars for eyes. touching things makes them disappear half the time and they’re not sure where they go, or how to stop doing that. it’s a little annoying. wilford seems more or less immune, FOR NOW AT LEAST.

gin can’t make wormholes. they’re almost certain of it. but wilford’s right — they’re different now. harnessing that is going to take practice. hopefully not patience, because they don’t have a lot of that anymore. waiting around in an endless loop for the end to come does that to a guy.