#interdimensional signal

[novelcain]

Interdimensional Signal Part 1.5

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

One day, you drop your phone, and although there are no cracks, it refuses to turn back on. You nearly give up when suddenly the screen flickers back to life. After going through it, you find that everything is working surprisingly normal. A few days go by, and while you're adding a new contact to your phone, you notice one that strikes you as odd.

One that definitely wasn't there before.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Masterlist

Part 1

Part 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

taglist: @xphntmhvx

lemme know if you wanna be added or removed from the taglist i'll try to keep up with it :)

[kyndaris]

A Lesson in Radio Waves

I first played Night School Studio's Oxenfree after hearing good things about the title. Many of the reviews I read spoke of the excellent writing and praised how the dialogue easily flowed between characters in an almost realistic manner. Years later, I played Afterparty, which was another game from the studio. Set in Hell, the two protagonists would challenge Satan in a drinking contest to earn the privilege of returning to the World of the Living. It was an interesting conceit and I was eager to see what Night School Studio would make next.

Imagine my surprise when they were then acquired by Netflix to make exclusive games for the streaming giant!

Thankfully, though, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was released on multiple platforms and could be purchased on Steam. But while it is true I do have a Netflix subscription and could have played the game on the platform, it's been a pain to figure out how to access their library of games as they are not readily available on the Desktop app version. In fact, it's why I've yet to play the sequel to Valiant Hearts. Given how laden down with games I've been, though, it's been a right struggle.

Anyways, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals acts as a sequel to the original game. Instead of following Alex and her friends around King Edward though, the main protagonist this time round is a woman called Riley. Five years after the events of the first game, Riley has returned to her hometown of Camena Coast. Although she is here to purportedly help in the study of radio anomalies around the town, depending on one's choice of dialogue options you soon learn she has a fraught relationship with her ill father. Later, if you so choose, you can reveal to Jacob, Riley's companion throughout the game, that she's pregnant. Possibly another factor for why she came back to her hometown.

As you explore Camena Coast, Riley and Jacob soon stumble upon a strange phenomenon. When they see an interdimensional portal open up in the sky above King Edward Island, they are also gifted a vision of three teenagers (Olivia, Charlie and Violet) trying to communicate with the dead. Riley and Jacob, fearing what the portal might bring, set about triangulating radio signals from multiple transmitters to close it for good.

Over the course of the night, Riley and Jacob experience strange supernatural events, confront the posse of teenagers dabbling with powers they know not, and grapple with the return of World War II era ghosts. But what came as a real surprise for me was the reveal that Alex, the protagonist of the first game, was also reaching through the void in order to break herself and her friends out of the time loop they found themselves in five years ago.

It all culminates in one last confrontation at King Edward Island where one person must sacrifice themselves to close the interdimensional rift for good. In my playthrough, that choice was easy. I picked Olivia.

One might wonder why I would pick a young teenager over an expectant mother or Jacob but since the death of her parents, Olivia hasn't had much to live for. But by choosing to stay behind, she is able to be a version of the parents she lost, which was her entire goal from the very beginning.

Oxenfree II doesn't have much in way of complicated gameplay. It essentially has the player click, or use the directional keys, to move Riley around a static screen. While there are the occasional objects Riley can interact with, it's actually the dialogue that serves as the basis for the game (and the tuning of a radio). Whether that was fleshing out the lore behind the island and its cult, or the characters.

What I liked most were the visions where Riley was visited by her future son, Rex. Through these interactions, we were able to see the parallels between their relationship and the one Riley shared with her father. And I, always keen to know more about the people around me, or the fictional characters I play around with, can fill in the gaps and feed my own headcanon for how things shake out.

There are only a few things though that I wish could have been answered such as the identity of Rex's father and if Michael, who I brought back in the first game, would be considered a canon event at all.

But while I liked the story for what it was, I felt like the decisions I had to make didn't make much impact to the direction the story could have taken barring a few side conversations with people over the radio. This meant that no matter what I chose, the ending would always be predetermined with a few select differences based on the person I chose to close the rift.

Given this was the last game I played in 2023, I was hoping for something with a bit more oomph. Unfortunately, Oxenfree II was a slowburn fizzle. The mystery too, with the floating bodies and distorted voices, added a bit of variety, did keep me invested in the story but didn't give me any unsettling vibes like games such as the Little Nightmares series or Limbo. Then again this may have been because of my already high expectations for the story, which was let down by the fairly rote story I was given.

On a completely unrelated note, by the time this post goes up, I should be overseas with bleachpanda. The two of us are probably somewhere in South Korea, fumbling our way through the language to visit iconic sites around the country. So, if you see two Asian-Australians either lounging in a cafe or struggling to have ourselves understood, come and say 'hi.' I know bleachpanda will probably wonder how I might have written a whole blog post while she wasn't looking but as I've told them countless times, I have these scheduled and the actual moment I've written these posts is sometime in the not too distant past.

Of course, given I've gone overseas, that does mean there WILL be travel posts coming to the blog soon!

While bleachpanda has made it VERY clear they don't like my idea of ugly candid photos, I'll strive to take some nonetheless. My humour, as always, is stuck somewhere between that of a 6-year-old and dark dry wit.

Doubtless, I won't be able to UPLOAD any of the photos of @bleachpanda to my blog but I'll most assuredly be using them to torment my erstwhile travelling companion as we traipse around Asia.

[ryoalouette]

So. A fren in Discord have an idea...

But she doesn't have a Tumblr account. And she wants this idea to be out there so I volunteered ig lol. This idea belongs to Machi.

Idea: Danny creates a passport for ghosts which allow them to go to earth for a limited time. Walker accepts that it would be within the law to travel with a passport and besides, most people usually need a day or two to see their loved ones one last time before moving on (which is beneficial for everyone bc less chances of them becoming ghosts). Ofc there are exceptions like Ember who got a special permission for a summer tour or team Phantom that goes in and out as they please. Queue to the next time a hero dies they are welcomed by an administrator who greets them with a "reason of your visit?" and "How long do you plan to stay in our dimension?"

---

Me:

Tho like. If that happens before Justice League be like.

Jason's Pit Madness is directly tied to this passport rule: his ghost recognises that he's breaking an interdimensional law and he'd be dead dead if Walker catches him. But his body doesn't know that.

Basically sending SOS signal during Pit Madness that no, this ghost Robin doesn't intentionally break the rule Walker, I don't want to be a freaking fugitive and be barred from Ghost Writer's lair for centuries but my body doesn't recognise that I want to fix this issue (preferably without dying again, thanks) pronto

[ceranovis]

So... the thing that IMMEDIATELY stood out to me in Fit's Dec 30th lore stream was the use of the nocom heatmap:

Like this is the exact version if the heatmap Fit uses in his 2b2t vid about the nocom exploit (which is a wild story in itself, please watch it if you haven't before).

But some musing about how nocom might be connected to the lore (which quickly spiralled into some theories about Madagio, the 2 Cucuruchos, and the eggs):

Nocom was an exploit that tracked players in real time, predict their movements, and allowed remote spying on physical changes to locations. Madagio being drawn in by the remenant signal of that could just be a nod to their interest in finding ways to collect information and why they would find Fit suitable for the job.

HOWEVER-- Nocom was built on a Papermc vulnerability that meant it could also work on other multiplayer servers that run it. While nocom was patched on 2b2t, that doesn't mean other servers have patched the vulnerability & the source code has been released by the creators. So Madagio could have been interested in going to 2b2t to get ahold of nocom to use on Quesadilla island so it could uncover the "secrets [it] must have at all costs"-- their POV when tracking down fit shows entity lines so they clearly have some tracking ability/tool.

Maybe they got the nocom code, but found they couldn't use it yet. It's been mentioned before that Fit tried hack clients on QSMP but they didn't work, and exploits get fixed pretty quickly to keep the server stable. Madagio said the only way onto thr island at the time was the Federation train-- presumably the Federation had thing heavily locked down and Madagio wouldn't be able to enter or run any sort of exploit.

2b2t's nocom was made possible because of social engineering-- Madagio could have hired Fit to collect information so it could find a way to successfully manipulate holes into the Federation's security and get onto the island/run nocom.

In the Dec 21st QSMP Info stream, Dark Cucurucho seems to be looking for something the Federation has hidden, and demands Cucurucho tell him where it is. Maybe Madagio is looking for the same thing? Nocom would theoretically allow someone to find hidden facilities/people anywhere on the server.

Where Dark Cucurucho seems tied to the Nether, and Cucurucho the overworld, its becomes pretty notable that Madagio has Fit go through a giant Ender portal.

Madagio being tied to the End also has some interesting implications if you think about the (ender?) dragon that supposedly inhabited the island & created the eggs. While the federation claimed the dragon left when the wall was blown up, there's no actual evidence it was there at the time. Perhaps Madagio is the dragon.

Fans seem to be interpretting the "i am a god" anagram of Madagio literally, which could fit with the ender dragon being a sort of godly being presiding over the End dimension.

BUT it may not be a literal dragon-- the eggs seem to be some sort of science experiements, so what if the anagram is a reference to a scientist playing god?

Maybe Madagio literally created the eggs from End-realm-DNA or something before fleeing/being kicked off Quesadilla, and the dragon story is just what the Federation made up to explain the eggs without having to bring up Madagio.

Maybe the experiements that led to the eggs were about opening up inter-server travel? Madagio said whatever made it leave Quesadilla also gave it server-hopping powers (powers which seems similar in reach to the Federation's ability to pull people to the island/send workers to other places).

The Federation can block interdimensional travel too-- we saw that with the Nether, which the residents eventually broke through with the train bug, implying hacks/bugs are needed to bypass Federation security.

Dark Cucurucho told Forever it wanted to leave, desired freedom, and that the Federation didn't want it to have that. Maybe the thing Dark is looking for is the thing that Madagio created that allows for interdimensional travel, which the Federation stole.

I think the only non-Federation example of cross-server travel we've seen is with the Watcher/Purgatory, but it may have actually been Dark Cucurucho who enabled that, not the Watcher. Aside from Dark being the one to give the residents their tickets to Purgatory via the dice game, Cucurucho claimed the recent security vulnerabilities were due to Dark, so maybe Dark found an exploit that allowed for limited interdimenisonal travel-- if it's tied to the creation of eggs somehow, maybe that's why there were 3 new eggs found on Egg Island?

The Unknown Egg diary Cellbit found could potentially be connected to Dark Cucurucho leaving & making contact with the Watcher prior to the purgatory arc, given the timing (about a month after the residents broke open the Nether, which may have created a door for Dark to get to the overworld despite Federation security and set things in motion). Maybe Cucurucho sent Cellbit to investigate because it suspected Dark was up to something? Cellbit assumed the egg's fate was the Federation's doing, but why would they send him to investigate it then? Maybe it was Dark making a cheap immitation of the Federation adoption center so it could travel, and then abandoning the egg once it had what it wanted?

Cucurucho also said that Dark didn't understand the potential of the eggs, which could explain why Dark would only be able to achieve limited travel.

[mezzy-1]

Radiant Recruitment (Valorant X Reader Part 3 // MISSION)

Name: Y/N 

Class: Radiant

Callsign - Nomad

A few weeks had passed since you had been recruited by Valorant to help with the interdimensional attacks.  Your power over radiant energy was stronger, and you had even mastered shifting into energy.  An alert went out to all the agents and you were sent on your first mission.

(GIF from Infamous: Second Son)

Omen

Lotus was a beautiful temple, devoted to ancient beings and immersed in their mystery

Sadly, you couldn’t take time to marvel at the stone carvings, as you were pinned by a barrage of lead

The shots grew closer and louder, each one destroying more of the stone wall you hid behind

You were stuck in the hall to Site C, and backing further towards the waterfall embedded in the wall

Pure shadows formed into a large orb between you and the shooter.  As the orb encircled you, a shape twisted out of the space behind you

“You cannot be alone Y/N, it is too dangerous.”  Omen scolded while pulling an Operator from his back

“I have you as backup, I’ll be fine.” you reassured, placing a hand on Omen’s hood to readjust it

“Take this,” he placed a Sheriff in your hand, “we will not let them win.”

Taking advantage of your cover, you slid into the shadow and waited.  The barrel of an Ares poked in and an agent stepped through

Grabbing the gun quickly, you disarmed the agent as they tried to fire the gun in response.  You pulled them into the smoke and shot twice

Breach’s double slumped to the ground with a heavy crash, the Ares still in your hands.  You decided to take it as to even the odds

“That was, impressive Y/N.”  If Omen could still smile, you guessed one would be spread across his face

Making your way through the temple, you and Omen moved stealthily while getting closer to the Spike

Walking into the amphitheater in B Site, you checked for any sign of movement before stepping inside

Immediately an Alarm Bot exploded towards you, and Omen quickly threw himself in front to take the hit.  He stumbled back while an automated turret blinked to life

“I did not see them Y/N, they were waiting in ambush.”  

“I’ll handle their toys Omen, just wait here.” you whispered before activating your abilities

You dashed in and tossed a pulsing ball of energy into the air

Solid energy slammed down onto the turret, pulsing into it and expanding outward.  Pieces of scrap littered the room 

Before you could take another step, a Nanoswarm erupted at your feet and you hopped back.  Knowing that Killjoy was likely biding her time, you decided to call in help

“Omen!  Teleport across here and start firing!  Trust me!” you yelled to the phantasmal agent

Smoke began to form on the raised platform in B Site as you charged through the swarm.  Spotting Killjoy training her gun at Omen’s teleport, you shot before she could

Omen reformed as Killjoy fell, looking on in silence.  He nodded to you before continuing forward

“Y/N, you are injured from the trap.  Are you in any pain?” he pointed to the scratches and scoring along your legs

“I'll be fine, but I appreciate you asking.”

Arriving near A Site, you made your way to the stairs and put a hand onto the wall.  Omen watched and curiously approached

“This wall leads directly into where they have the Spike, but they’ll see me if I come through.”  You looked over to Omen.  “Mind putting shadows behind this wall?”

“I’ll do one better Y/N,” Omen sent a wisp of shade through the wall and another towards the entrance to A

“They will flee in terror when we strike Y/N.” Omen’s rage was barely restrained.  You phased into the wall and fell through into a waiting cradle of darkness

Omen’s Operator let a round spiral through the air.  The sound signaled you to leap from the shadows

You crawled out from the clinging darkness and readied your Ares.  Bracing for the knockback, you steadied your legs and pulled the trigger

A torrent of bullets screamed from the barrel.  Each round cracked brick, scattered stone, and crashed into the temple

Caught between the onslaught was Yoru, who reacted quickly and teleported away.  You heard him appear somewhere close to the site and waited

Yoru walked out from a corner and began sprinting towards you

Realizing it was a clone, you shot it’s head then moved back into the darkness Omen provided and repositioned

Yoru had swung the corner in an attempt to counterattack but met his end through your Sheriff

The Spike was located at the ascender.  Running towards it with a defuser ready, you came face to face with, yourself

Your mirror jumped from the ascender, kicking you down and causing you to fall onto the gravel.  A Shorty was pointed in your face by a smirking double

“You really are quite the disappointment.  Seeing you like this, it’s kind of sad that I thought we might be similar.”

Your mirror kicked you in your chest and sent you away from the Spike.  They readied a shell in their Shorty

“This is pathetic to see.  I’d feel bad for you, but I doubt it would make a difference.  I’m going to enjoy ending your poor little existence.”

As your mirror gloated, your eyes caught movement appearing behind them.  Pebbles began to shift as your mirror’s shadow grew longer

“I was hoping for more of a fight.  Any last words?” your clone taunted

“Behind you.” Omen whispered as he finished forming behind them

Spirals of darkness tore through the air and twisted into your double.  Omen’s Paranoia blinded them while you rose to your feet and shot the mirror

“Thanks for the save Omen, I wouldn’t be here without you.” you smiled at him as you finished defusing the Spike

“I was only doing my part Y/N.  But I do appreciate your gratitude.”

“Oh I haven’t finished thanking you yet Omen.  I can do better than just a simple ‘thanks’ you know.”

Omen turned his head towards you in confusion

“You and I are going to take a day off.  We should go somewhere and rest up.”

“But my condition-”

“That’s why you should pick!  Where do you want to go Omen?”

“... I would like to visit the forests near here.  It is innocuous and beautiful, and we can spend time together Y/N.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea!” you replied

Chamber

Fracture may have been abandoned, but it was never forgotten

Chamber was visibly uncomfortable as you and him entered the ruins and began your sweep

“Is there something wrong?” you asked, checking over your Vandal one more time before looking over to Chamber

“Non, it’s nothing.  I find myself distracted by other affairs, but I have plenty to concentrate on here.”

You playfully batted him in the arm and stepped forward into the moss covered ruins of Fracture

Before you could take the stairs upwards, a bullet missed your forehead by a single hair.  Over at the site, you heard the sound of footsteps and Spike being planted

You and Chamber reflexively took cover behind a wall.  You began to gather radiant power in your hands.  Chamber unholstered a Headhunter

The sound of Chamber’s Trademark came from behind, and he swung around and landed a shot right into an enemy Reyna

She had been lurking in the underside of the Spike site, and could have killed you 

“For that I think you owe me a date Y/N.!” he took aim at the stairs while you began to run towards the site

Breach’s double lept out to open fire but was promptly shot by Chamber.  You were almost up the stairs but wall of jade erupted, blocking your path

A grenade flew over the wall and burst open, explosive shells showering you momentarily

Chamber grabbed you and rolled, keeping you from harm

“We don’t have much time, we have to rotate Y/N.”  Chamber dusted himself off while helping you up, taking a Rendezvous card from his pocket

“No, I can phase through the wall and defuse it.”

“Y/N, there’s at least 3 agents over there.  C’est impossible!”  Chamber warned as you embraced him for the last time

He grabbed both of your hands, and you could feel the metal card contrast against his warm palms

Raze bounced over the wall and Chamber twisted and shot her mid air.  You took your moment and transformed into pure energy

Dashing through the wall, you slammed the ground and a wave of force sent the enemy Sage upwards

You shot her before moving to the Spike, which had been hidden behind a crate

“I always wondered what my mirror would look like.” a voice came from behind you, and instantly you were on the ground with a bullet wound

Turning around, you came face to face with yourself.  It was uncanny and the Phantom being pointed at you made it even more frightening

“I know mirror implies an exact copy, but I thought you’d at least be a little different.  Oh well…” your clone mused

You felt around for your Vandal, but your double kicked it away.  You reached for a side arm but felt nothing, save for Chamber’s card

“Don’t squirm, I don’t want to waste any shots on you.” your mirror spoke

“My, two of Y/N.  I must be the luckiest man in the world.”  Chamber joked as he teleported in, Tour de Force ready

Earlier as Chamber held your hand, you had taken the card.  It had been activated when your double had been gloating 

“NO!” your mirror screamed as Chamber’s gun punched a hole through their sternum.  You quickly defused the Spike and rested once it stopped

“Y/N, that’s 3 times I saved you.  I think that earns me something, no?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner, and don’t worry I know an excellent place in Paris.  My treat of course.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Iso

Most missions with Iso were easy, mainly because you and him worked so well together

This one was an exception, as the Omega Protocol had decided to launch a Spike attack in a metro station

You and Iso were the only ones that snuck in.  You had used the abandoned tunnels to get in and start your counterattack

“Baochi zhending Y/N, we can’t afford distractions.” Iso loaded bullets into a Sheriff and you followed suit

“But you’re going to listen to music like usual?” you pointed at his earbuds

“It isn’t distracting, it gets me to focus.  I can send you some recommendations when we’re done.” Iso began strolling towards the platform

When you both reached the stairwell, Iso activated Double Tap while motioning for you to make your own move

Particles of radiant power erupted under the stairs and flowed outward near the top.  Suddenly a rival Phoenix sent a flash around the corner, blinding you

Two shots echoed, and as your eyes cleared Iso stood before you covered in a shimmering coat of radianite

“Let’s take care of them.  I’ll take the lead from here.” he raised his Sheriff and made his way up the stairs

Entering the platform, you could hear the Spike counting down farther in the hall.  Carefully, you navigated kiosks and stalls searching for movement

A single shadow moved behind you, and you turned to face an Omen appearing.  You rolled and shot, a direct hit to center mass

Iso’s training had paid off, you’d have to thank him for the lessons later

A sniper bullet harmlessly bounced off his head, a purple flash showing the Double Tap had worn off

Blazing forward, you came face to face with Sova.  He tried to shoot once more but you grabbed his Operator and punched him with a radiant fist

“Y/N, I can see they have the Spike here.  It’s down on that platform.” Iso pointed to a flight of stairs leading down to the tunnels

“I can enter and defuse, but you’re going to have to cover me Iso.”

“Don’t worry,” Iso readied a wall of radianite, “they won’t touch either of us.” 

The wall launched forwards with you behind, and bullets rattled against it.  Each shot leaving ripples in the structure

You darted left, then shot at the first person you saw.  An enemy Yoru fell while you shifted into radiant energy

Springing from your hiding spot, you phased through an enemy Deadlock’s wires towards their source

You sank your fist into her chin before moving onto the Spike.  Your form shifted back and you readied the defuser

“So this is my mirror, strange.” a voice came from the shadows

Your own double stepped out from a pillar and took aim with their own Sheriff.  In their eyes was an unnerving coldness

“Well it’s not worth considering anyway.” they spoke as they began to pull the trigger

Instantly your mirror was surrounded by a grid of hexagons and was pulled into the floor.  Iso had used Kill Contract on your double

You finished defusing the Spike but soon after, violet sparks appeared in front of you and someone exited the domain

“Na hen jianden.  I guess that version of you didn’t train enough.”  Iso straightened out his hoodie 

“I suppose so.  Speaking of that, are we still on for training later?”

Iso looked over at with a raised eyebrow 

“You want to actually train, after all of this?  I’m amazed that you still have energy for that.”

“I don’t really mind training at the range.  It’s like you said, there's something relaxing about taking time and aiming.”

“True, but I am going to be making a hotpot for dinner later and I’d like you to come by and taste it.”

“In that case we should probably skip going to the range, I can rest up over dinner with you then.”

“We’ll hit the range afterwards, but for now we should rest up.  You did excellent work Y/N, that deserves something.”

Gekko

“Vaya Y/N, up here!”  Gekko alerted you while reaching a hand from an industrial vent.  He gripped your hand and pulled you in

The Kingdom facility in LA was already destroyed but a few more had popped up nearby.  Gekko and you were sent in to see what was happening

“Mira Y/N, there’s guards laying everywhere.  We should take a look.”  Gekko peered through the grate before kicking it out and dropping the to the floor

“They’ve all been shot,” you took out a Phantom and switched the safety off, “do you think it could be-”

Gekko tackled you to the ground as knives flew at you.  Jett’s double floated above the ground and got ready for another volley

You reached a hand forward and sent a crackling ball of plasma towards her.  It zapped through the air and impacted against her

Gekko slid the action back on a Ghost, and finished her off with a single shot

“Ay mierda, of course these putas are here.  They probably have a Spike too, we should move.” Gekko summoned Dizzy and held her close

You followed the halls around while trying to listen for a Spike.  The noise grew as you got closer to the center

A ball of poison enveloped you and Gekko.  He fell back and tossed Dizzy forward and you followed her

You eased along the wall, then listened for Dizzy to shoot.  You caught Viper wiping goo off her eyes and shot

Gekko grabbed Dizzy and put her back, then looked ahead with a sudden shock

You saw that the Spike was placed on an upper floor with only one set of stairs leading upwards.  There was only one way forward, and you had to attack directly

“I’ll cover you with Thrash and then you can do the rest.  Vamos Y/N!” Gekko guided Thrash forward while you charged alongside her

The creature impacted at the top of the stairs, disabling a waiting Killjoy and Cypher.  Your shots connected to the vulnerable agents and you called Gekko up

“Nice job!  We’re unstoppable right?” Gekko celebrated as he made his way to the Spike.  On his shoulder was a smaller Wingman he was petting

“Y/N!” he yelled as a bolt of plasma hit him square in the chest and sent him over the handrails.  The Wingman had grown and was barely holding onto Gekko

“You got too confident, you shouldn’t be so quick to call victory.” your own voice spoke to you

Your double held a Vandal and sneered at your disadvantage.  The Phantom wasn’t aimed, and any move would get you shot

“I guess I shouldn’t either, I’m going to finish this and then move on to Gekko once I’m done.  Sorry.”

The sound of a Spike being defused caught your mirror off guard, and their eyes shifted over

Wingman was defusing the Spike, but Gekko was nowhere to be seen.  Your double aimed at Wingman but you hit them with a quick jab 

The Spike was finished and Wingman jumped at your double, slamming them off the floor and chittering angrily as they fell

“Calma Wings, I think we’re good.” Gekko pulled himself up from the edge and you helped grab his arm

He tumbled into you.  You both lay on the floor, tired from the adrenaline

“We should probably get out of here before the cops arrive and Kingdom gets wind of this.”

“That’s a good point,” you sat up and started to rise to your feet, “where should we lie low?”

“I know this awesome taqueria a few minutes from here.  It’s 100% authentic too, the entire menu is in Spanish.”

“Can you translate it then?”

“Por supuesto Y/N!  I’ll even pay too, it’s my idea.”

Viper

Inside the frigid cold of the American Northwoods, you and Viper had decided to follow up on rumors about a Kingdom research facility

Viper had found the location from old contacts she had, and you came to help as back up

Your ability to phase through matter proved useful, as it gave you and Viper easy access to the building

Walking carefully to avoid the cameras, you and her made your way into the lower levels 

“Stop Y/N,” Viper paused and put her back to the wall, “I hear something around the corner.  Stay close to me and follow.”

“Understood.” you took your Ghost and crept behind Viper as she turned around the corner and froze

“Shit.” Viper gazed over the railing towards a collection of machines, pipes, and consoles below.  Across the room was a group of 3, all mirror agents, setting a Spike

Viper dropped down with you, then launched the Toxic Screen from her arm.  The pieces rained down along the industrial maze

She turned the mists on and got her weapons out.  She carried with her a Phantom and Ghost

You took point and moved along a large pipe, keeping your head below it to stay in cover.  A part where the toxins blocked the route appeared

Sounds of machinery revving and spinning along the ground grabbed your attention.  A Boombot raced out of the toxins towards you

Before it could explode, Viper shot it and signaled to charge into the toxins.  Your radiance gathered into the tips of your fingers

A volley of plasma rushed through the toxins and incinerated the path forward.  Following behind, you peeked the corner and shot as you left cover

An enemy Raze fell to the floor with a primed grenade clattering from her hand.  The explosion sent you backwards into some pipes

Gekko’s mirror came running towards you with a shotgun

Green smoke cut his vision, and in a second you had disappeared from your spot and had a Ghost to his back.  You pulled the trigger

Once more you channeled your power, and began to transform into energy.  Moving through walls and pipes, you arrived at the Spike

Buckshot hit your back and you tumbled to the floor in a daze.  You felt the barrel of a gun touch the back of your head

“I never really thought I’d see my mirror up close.  It’s so weird.” you heard your own voice muse

Whipping around with your Ghost, you brought the barrel up to your own double.  They rolled and kept you in a standoff with their own gun

“Even if you shoot me, you’ll be too weak to defuse the Spike.  Why not just give up now?” your clone taunted you while training their Specter on you

“I don’t need to shoot you, I just need to defuse the Spike then?” a smile crept onto your face

“That’s not going to happen,” your mirror’s eyes narrowed, “you aren’t getting out of here alive.”

“Neither are you.” Viper growled, stepping from a shadow and firing at your doppelganger.  A Toxin Orb flooded the space with mists

They fled into the facility, and away from you.  Quickly, you reached the Spike and defused it as quickly as possible

As it settled, the cloud of toxins dropped around you.  Viper strolled up to you, then eyed the Spike

“Good job Y/N.” 

“I took out 3 agents and defused the Spike.  It was more than a good job!” you retorted

“Is that so?  You did well, but you needed my help in the end.”

You crossed your arms and leaned against a support pillar

“Don’t be so dramatic Y/N,” Viper picked up the Spike and shoved it into your hands

“We did our jobs Y/N, that’s enough for a day.” 

“It’s worth a day off at least.”

“Could’ve been worth dinner, if you hadn’t needed a rescue at the end.”

“Then I’ll pay this time,” you began to walk out with Viper, “where are we dining?”

“Somewhere with a good wine list, and of course we’ll have to dress up.  I assume you have fine clothes Y/N.”

“I have something tucked away for special occasions.” you winked over at Viper

“I can’t wait to see it then, Y/N.”

Neon

“Ughh, these guys are such a pain to deal with, right Y/N.” Neon shouted while pressing her back to a wall

“I agree, but can we talk after we send them packing?” you yelled back from behind a crate.  You took another magazine and tossed it to Neon

“Please Y/N, you and I don’t need to worry about anything.” Neon loaded the mag into her Bulldog

“On 3?” you signaled

“Yeah,” Neon nodded to you, “3!” 

She threw up a wall of energy and dashed in.  You followed suite and chased in with your Stinger

The Spike was already beeping away.  The Omega agents had set up in a market near a waterfront

Stalls full of produce, fish, and baubles had been abandoned by their owners.  Bridges crossed the waterfront and connected the market

You and Neon were fighting near a warehouse and were making your way over one of the concrete bridges to the Spike

Neon and you ran inside the cover she made before shots ripped through the wall.  You both hid behind a cart filled with bottles

The walls began to fade out and you glanced over to some of the bottles that had fallen out.  You spotted Iso’s double through the reflection

“Neon, shockwave on the cart!” you ordered.  Arcs of electricity jumped from her arms to the cart, then into the ground

You turned and fired at a stunned Iso, his arm jerking as tried to shoot.  He hit the ground with a heavy thud

“Y/N, I can see the Spike!  It’s across here near that statue!” Neon pointed to the Spike while getting ready to sprint

A rumble came from underneath the bridge.  Suddenly it began to split apart and both sides started to rise up

“It’s one that let’s ships through.  Dammit, they must’ve hacked the controls!” you slammed your fists against the cart in anger

“Nah, I don’t think it’s a problem Y/N,” Neon began to grin, “I have an idea.”

“What were you- Hey!” you were surprised when she grabbed you and hoisted you over her shoulder

“Hold on Y/N!” Neon took off down the street as the bridge continued to raise.  Wind flew by your face while cars blurred around you

Her speed carried you and her upwards, and in one great stride she cleared the gap between the halves

“Kumusta ka Y/N?  Are you still with me?” 

You breathed a sigh of relief and slid off of her back.  You shakily got to your feet and started to move forward with Neon

“I’m good, but don’t do that again please.” you groaned

A wave crashed forward from the sea below and swept Neon away.  Gold spirals and floating bits of surf animated the wave as Neon was pushed into the ocean

You moved quickly to target Harbor, shooting him down.  You ran to the coast but a round of buckshot almost sent you over the edge

While holding on, a familiar face, your face, stepped into view.  Your mirror looked down at you dispassionately

“I expected a lot more from my double.” your clone racked another shell in their Bucky and aimed downward

“This is probably freaking you out and all, but honestly,” they moved their finger to the trigger, “who even cares?”

It was almost hopeless, Neon couldn’t fire electricity with saltwater around and you couldn’t really attack from your position

One of your hands slipped and your grip tightened in response.  Particles gathered around all of your hands as a reflex  

Your double let out a sadistic laugh

“You haven’t won yet, so I wouldn’t celebrate too early.” you gritted your teeth and more energy gathered around your free hand

“Let’s fix that then.” your double pulled the trigger and you loosened your grip and fell

You dove into the water and swam straight down.  The unstable particles in your fist made contact with the sand 

A geyser sent you upwards to a surprised mirror.  They quickly aimed another shot at you 

Bolts of lightning hit them, and they fell to the ground in jerking spasms.  Neon had grabbed your hand and rode up with you

“Salamat Y/N!”  Neon quickly sped to the Spike with a defuser in hand

You arrived just as she finished defusing it.  Taking a moment to relax, you took a seat from a stall and exhaled deeply

“That was a lot.” you looked over at Neon while she picked up the Spike

“I agree, but it was kind of fun right?  When we went over the bridge, that was awesome!”

“It was scary, but I’m glad we made it out in one piece.” you caught Neon staring at a food stall

“Hungry?”

“Y/N, you have no idea,” she stretched her legs, “I could eat everything here.”

“Well let’s find a place nearby,” you suggested.  Neon’s eyes filled with anticipation

“I saw this one spot with a ton of rice dishes that smelled amazing a few kilometers away.  We should check it out!”

“Yeah, but let’s shower off a bit because both of us are covered in seawater and grime.”

“Sure, but when we’re done I’m racing you to the place.  Loser buys the food.” Neon smiled at you with sparks in her eyes

“You’re on.”

Cypher

Bind had never been a particularly important location to you, but the stories that Cypher had told you made you much more driven to root out Kingdom’s presence

Currently, you and Cypher were on an assignment to steal data from Kingdom and find more radianite refineries

You and him finished downloading employee names.  Herrera, Johnson, and Kimura flashed across the screen

“They’ll have nowhere to hide now, eh Y/N?”

“Serves them right for destroying this place in the name of profit.”

“Of course,” Cypher opened a feed to his camera.  He froze, looking closer and then taking out a Vandal

“We have visitors, and they seem to have a Spike with them.  Let’s not let them take more from my city.”  Cypher used his camera to mark one of the agents

“Y/N, take them out and I’ll advise through my cameras.”  

You grabbed a Vandal from your sling, and stepped out to the battlefield.  Sneaking along the wall, you stalked the outline of the agent before it stopped transmitting

“They removed my dart, not that it matters at this point.” Cypher whispered through your radio

Sparks of energy flooded your palm and bonded into a mass of burning plasma.  You tossed it over the wall and listened to it explode

You moved quickly through the archway and felt melted glass crunch under your boots.  Eyes darting around, you checked for enemies and caught the reflection of something gold

You spun around and fired before Chamber’s mirror could pull the trigger on his headhunter

“Nice work Y/N.  Chamber can take his secrets to the grave.” Cypher praised using your earpiece

“Can you give me information on who else is here?” you asked while moving through to the hookah bar

A sudden tripwire alarm cut through your radio and you dove to cover before bullets hit the ground to your right

The three shots from your Vandal dropped Neon’s double that had gotten caught by one of Cypher’s traps

“I knew someone would fall for that.  Thanks for cleaning them up.” Cypher’s tone was calm despite your beating heart

“Just letting you know, I can see one other agent on site with the Spike.  Looks like Sage to me.” 

“Understood, moving towards the Spike.  Thanks for the advice.” you spoke while beginning to phase through the wall 

Arriving onto the site, you could see the Spike and nearby Sage had a rifle trained on hookah’s entrance

Quickly, you moved around the metal shelter and fired a round into Sage.  Running over to the Spike, you began to defuse

Immediately, you felt pain arc through your leg and collapsed to the ground.  You reeled on the ground but tried to move over to the Spike before another shot rang out 

“Cypher!  There’s someone else here, they-” the radio went silent as someone began emerging from the from the shadows

“My, it seems like my mirror doesn’t measure up to the real thing.” your double spoke while loading another round into their Marshall

“I wonder where the next shot is going to come from.” the mirror taunted while moving out of your sight

You crawled into the shelter to defend yourself and slumped against the wall.  You could shoot through it but the Spike would finish you off if you couldn’t defuse it

“If you weren’t such a disappointment, you may have actually been fun to fight.  Instead you crawled into a metal coffin to die.” your double’s voice echoed around you

A round from an Operator fired through the wall of the shelter, clearly meant to show your mirror had upgraded

“Don’t worry Y/N, I have you covered.” Cypher’s message cut through the radio static

Suddenly your mirror was highlighted through the wall, and you fired right for their head.  You watched them drop through the bullet holes

Sounds of the Spike defusing relaxed you as Cypher approached your hiding place

“How did you-”

“Chamber’s corpse.  I used Neural Theft to scan for your adversary.  I knew if I helped you just a little you could triumph.”

“Thank you Cypher,” you struggled to get to your feet and Cypher knelt down.  Cradling you in his arm, he carried you out of the shelter

“Y/N, you don’t have to thank me.  You would’ve done the same for me, but if you wanted to show some gratitude then I have something in mind.”

“Which is?”

“I know a wonderful restaurant we can eat at when your leg has been healed.  Does later tonight work?”

“Definitely!  I can’t wait!” you exclaimed while holding Cypher a bit tighter

Fade 

Stakeouts were usually quite boring, but not this assignment

While watching a shipment of Radianite moving from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, you and Fade had been sent back to Istanbul to monitor for attacks while it docked

Now you and her were fighting a team of agents hijacking the boat at dawn.  You and her hid in the shadow of the boat while moving into the cargo hold

“Y/N, wait.” Fade commanded while reaching for her Ghost.  “Before we enter, we need to-” 

The sound of a Spike being planted sent fear rattling down your spine.  Fade looked over as if sensing your worry

“Don’t let it control you Y/N.  I need you to stay calm and fight alongside me.” Fade placed a hand on your shoulder

“I’ll be alright, just tell me where to shoot.”

Fade smiled and gathered a mass of writhing shadows in her hands.  Lobbing the bundle deeper into the ship, it rose up like smoke with two piercing eyes 

“Go Y/N, öldür onları!”

Dashing across the water and into the cargo hold, you saw two agents hiding amongst the crates and pillars.  They were highlighted against the shadows and industrial lights

You were against Omen and Reyna.  Orbs of pure shadow appeared throughout the room while the click of metal boots echoed through the space

Gathering energy into your hands, you compressed it into form and strained to hold it in your fist.  You waited for them to make the first move

Reyna’s Leer appeared in front of you, sending you to the nearest cover to break line of sight.  You narrowly avoided a spray of metal before hiding behind a girder

To slow down her assault, you let loose a volley of energy and fired back to suppress the attack.  A stray bullet hitting a light gave you an idea

Taking a moment, you shot every light you could see and repositioned.  Waiting in the dark, you stopped your radiance momentarily to blend in

Firing a small wave of bright particles away from your spot, you watched as muzzle flashes from the other side tracked the decoy

Shooting quickly, you managed to hit Reyna and took a second to aim for Omen.  When you had him in your crosshair he was already teleporting away

“Damn it.” you whispered while keeping low to the ground and peeking for any sign of Omen

Something behind you moved and you shot

A rat scampered out from a nearby barrel and dove into a vent for safety

Instantly, you swung to the side to avoid a knife aimed for your neck.  Moving back, you could barely see Omen against the darkness

A knife fight against him would be impossible, especially in the dark where he could freely attack

“I can feel you getting nervous Y/N.”  Fade yelled from across the cargo hold.  “Don’t let him intimidate you!”

Fade was right, and in a moment of pure calm you developed a plan.  Radiance flooded your body but instead of letting it take you completely you held onto your physical body

Bright light surrounded you, and suddenly the trails of shadow coming from Omen while he shifted around 

“Fade, do you see where he is?”

“Evet Y/N!  He’s to the right!”

You shot at Omen and hit him directly while he lunged with his knife.  The weapon clattered to the steel floor of the hold

“It was smart to create your own light Y/N.  We still have more to do though.  Gidelem Y/N.”  Fade pointed to a latter leading to the upper deck

You climbed ahead of her and caught a glimpse of the morning sunrise.  It was a deep orange with rose colored clouds

Hiding near a cargo crate, you spotted the Spike in the middle of the ship.  It seemed to be unguarded, but there were plenty of places for someone to hide

“I’ll flush them out with Prowlers.  Tamam Y/N?” 

“Got it Fade, ready when you are.”

Two bestial creatures oozed out of dark miasma near Fade’s arms, low growls rumbling from their tensed jaws

Darting towards the Spike, the spectral hunters split and began searching the nearby tarp-covered barrels and crates.  A roar sounded with accompanying gunshots after

You moved in towards the Spike while the assailant fought off the Prowlers.  Fade crept behind and broke away to secure the area

Stepping closer, a slight resistance met your shin.  In an instant your legs were tangled in one of Cypher’s traps

Knowing he would attack someone caught in one of his wires, you made a plan with what you had around you.  A barrel leaking oil gave you an idea as you shot the trap 

Freeing yourself, you fired at the oil barrel and dove into the spill.  Sliding along the floor, you aimed and shot Cypher from a low angle

Able to defuse the Spike, you made your way to the device ready to end the battle

That’s when you locked eyes with a familiar face

“It must be unnerving to see your reflection like this.  Well only for you, I’m not too worried about it considering you’ll be dead in the next minute.” your mirror spoke

You narrowed your eyes and took aim at the doppelganger, but around you something began to move about

Kingdom’s security appeared, filling the top deck with armed guards in flak armor.  They barked orders at you and your mirror, oblivious to the volatile Spike

Your double merely smiled and leaned against a crate, unfazed by the development while reveling in their victory

One of the guards training a pistol on you took a step closer, then froze.  Through her face mask you could see her pupil dilate before she fell onto the ground hyperventilating

Darkness and the vague forms of monstrous beings crept over the deck like a growing shadow.  Each guard ran or collapsed screaming in terror

Your mirror’s eyes filled with darkness, causing them to flee by jumping from the boat

“Dinlenmek Y/N, it’s over.” Fade stepped over to you.  Trails of fear gathered at her feet and pulsed with every step

“Thanks for the help, it was looking helpless back there.”

“Rica ederim, it was nothing.” Fade finished defusing the Spike while ambivalent to the chaos around her

“Fade, we should probably get out of here before these guards get their vision back right?  Don’t you have a safehouse nearby?”

“Evet, but I know a better spot.  It’s a cafe in Maltepe, we can wait there for a bit.”

“I guess I could eat something after this,” you picked the Spike up, “what food do they have?”

“Simit, kahvalti, menemen.  The usual kinds of breakfasts, and any of them will taste good.”

“That sounds wonderful!  I can’t wait to try them.”

Deadlock

Snow lazily drifted down onto you and your winter jacket.  The cold night you had spent at Icebox was peaceful until you heard the sound of a Spike

Ice crunched under you as you walked carefully towards the office area and listened for movement

Behind you, a sound startled you and you aimed your Guardian at the source

“Vent rolig ned Y/N!” Deadlock hissed while putting her arms up.  “It’s only me, I came as soon as I heard the Spike.”

“You scared me, I thought you were one of the Omega agents.  Sorry about almost firing.” 

“Think nothing of it, it was only a reflex.  We need to make our way towards the Spike, la oss gå.” Deadlock unholstered a Vandal and pointed to the corridor into the offices

Sneaking towards it, you and Deadlock kept a sharp eye for any sort of movement.  Deadlock raised her hand and ordered a halt

“I don’t like this, it looks too easy to walk up there.  Hold on Y/N.” Deadlock tossed a Sonic Sensor onto the entryway of the corridor

“Y/N, I’ll go towards the back through the cargo yard.  You follow me and cut through the offices, we’ll clear them as we work our way into the site.”

“That sounds like a good plan, let’s go.” you said while taking a deep breath and tightening your grip on your Vandal

Stepping closer to Deadlock, you followed her lead through your new path.  She tensed and pushed you out of the way

A round pierced the snow behind you, leaving a sizable hole in the ground.  Ducking into the nearest cubby, you spotted Deadlock doing the same across from you

Realizing that the shooter had to have fired from a higher vantage point, you guessed they had to be shooting from behind the slope near Mid Broiler

You made sparks shoot from your hands before engulfing it in energy.  Deadlock saw your plan and fired suppressive shots blindly at the sniper

Twisting out of cover, you threw a fistful of explosive energy towards the broiler and moved in while it rained fire

Moving around the corner towards the sniper, you spotted Jett’s double watching plasma cook the steel around it

You shot quickly, narrowly avoiding her retaliation before overwhelming her with bullets.  She fell into the snow lifelessly

“That was a clever move Y/N.  Flott jobb.” Deadlock saluted you before the sound of the Sonic Sensor exploding drew her attention

Deadlock and you aimed towards the disturbance before a smoke blocked your vision.  It was a dull brown and had fallen out of the sky

“Helvete, they want us to fight here.  Make your way to the Spike,” Deadlock placed her Nanowire Wall into the smoke.  

“Let them come for us, I won’t lose here.” She punctuated by loading a round into her Classic

Moving up the stairs towards the Kitchen, you got ready to sneak around to the site.  A wall of fire blocked your steps

From the opening to Mid Blue, Phoenix shot through at you with his own rifle while moving forward.  You had high ground but were trapped by flames

He moved under Tube and closer to you, keeping you from running via suppressing fire

You couldn’t go forward without burning, nor try your luck outside without being shot.  Using the adrenaline you made a quick assessment of the surrounding kitchen

A plan formed in your head, and you readied your Vandal while moving to the side of the opening 

Phoenix’s Curveball swung through the entry and popped, blinding light filling the kitchen.  Your eyes averted, but saw a ball of fire land into the room 

A sneaker wreathed in flames stepped into the room.  Phoenix was engulfed in fire, and confident where he stood

Shooting your target, you knew you already had Phoenix beaten.  The sink exploded open and a pipe burst open

Water sprayed Phoenix down, and in his shock he didn’t catch you swinging out and finishing him off

Knowing you had little time left, you ran towards the Spike and hopped down from the hallway.  Your body filled with energy and began to unwind into pure radiance

Passing through a wall, then levitating through it, you appeared on the Spike site and scanned for threats

Brimstone was in the middle of calling down a smokes at the site to wall it off.  As soon as the pods dropped, you shot his back and moved to the Spike under the Ascender

You readied a defuser, and got low to defuse the Spike.  An arm shot through the wall and into your ribs

Searing pain spread through your torso, and as you crumpled to the ground you saw the rest of a glowing figure step out of the wall

“I can’t believe you fell for a trick that you just used!” your own mirror jeered

While frost ate at your face, burns stung every breath you took through broken ribs.  Looking at your mirror with a mixture of hate and fear, you realized the Spike was active still

“Hurry up and die, or are you going to need some encouragement?” the clone threatened while energy began to gather into their hand

In an act of defiance, you launched plasma towards the clone and through a smoke.  It harmlessly burnt the side of a yellow cargo crate

“Was that really your best attempt at a counterattack?  I mean it was so slow I stepped out of the way!”

Your plan was already in motion, as through the smoke a thin line traveled towards your clone

Instantly, they were entangled in a cocoon of threads, Deadlock’s own Annihilation dragging them away to their death

Deadlock sprinted through the smoke while the wires yanked your rival away.  The cocoon disappeared into the smoke as Deadlock finished defusing the Spike

“Y/N how bad are your injuries?  Kan du puste?  Are you bleeding?” she was barely able to get the questions out while looking beginning to dress your wounds

“I’ll be okay, it was just some burns and shock.  Don’t worry, they won’t get rid of me so easily.”

“Takk gud at det går bra.”  Deadlock sighed while helping you to your feet

“It just needs some time to heal.  We should rest in the meantime, I could really use it after today.”

“You’ve more than earned it Y/N.  I can get Brimstone to supply us with some fresh ingredients and we could make dinner together.” 

Deadlock’s cheeks were red either from the cold or from your emphatic response of “YES!” 

Reyna 

“¡Esas malditas!” Reyna shrieked as she choked the life out of an Atlas operative.  Her anger was barely contained she continued to crush the soldier’s windpipe

The guard fell lifelessly while a soul orb drifted from the corpse and into Reyna’s waiting grasp

“Y/N, come closer.  I won’t bite.”  Reyna beckoned you closer from across the plaza.  Pearl was normally calm but her frenzy had transformed the district into a battlefield

“Wait, can you hear that?  It sounds like a-”

“Claro Y/N, it’s a Spike but why would they bomb their own city?  How desperate they are to kill us.”

Picking the guns from the soldier, you armed yourself with his Phantom.  Reyna sported her Vandal and toyed with the soul she held in her hand

“Vamanos Y/N.  I can’t wait to tear into more of them.”

“That makes two of us.” you flipped the safety off the Vandal and started for the wooden doors that led to B Site

A screech pierced the air as a glowing hawk flew out from the door frame, bursting into light

Your eyes filled with green light as you felt Reyna pull you to the side of the door while shots rang out 

Splinters of wood showered the area as bullets punched into the doors.  Your vision began to clear and you decided to retaliate

“Reyna, I need you to cover me while I move in!” you shouted while staying low and charging energy into your hands

Reyna’s Vandal spat a flurry of rounds into the doorway, and you seized the opportunity to go straight through the opening

Energy pulsed inside your hand, and you released the growing power against the wall.  It buried itself into it before launching down the corridor at blinding speed

Shifting around the door, you caught Skye’s double reeling from the energy blast.  You went for the kill and fired

“Bien hecho Y/N, such power deserves to be shown.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, Reyna.  Now let’s finish them off.”

“Por supuesto.”

You and Reyna moved down the alley from cover to cover, making sure that an ambush was almost impossible

Turning towards the entrance to B Site, you were greeted with a sudden explosion of chemical flames that clung to the ground.  They blocked your approach 

“Y/N, I can hear enemies coming from behind us.  Let’s welcome them.” Reyna grinned with a sadistic joy

One of Fade’s nightmares splashed down in the alley, glowing eyes marking you and Reyna.  Roars came from further away, and a lilac wall of energy pushed into the alley

Iso’s mirror was obviously using the cover to move in on information Fade had given him, and Brimstone had blocked the path forward

Reyna gritted her teeth and scowled, pulling the soul she had stored into her hands.  You nodded to her and rushed forwards

Passing through the wall, you met Iso pointing a gun at you while two Prowlers flew towards you and Reyna

Particles collected into your hands, and you locked eyes with Iso as he began to shoot.  You directed your power to your feet and sent a shockwave downward

Landing behind Iso, you swept his leg and shoved him down.  Your first shot met his Double Tap but the following bullets put him down permanently

Both Prowlers twisted around and lunged for you, and out of the corner of your eye Fade’s mirror readied a sniper rifle

A phantasmal eye blinked into existence, its gaze catching Fade and fixating on her from its spot in the middle of the alley

In the moment of safety, you shot Fade and the Prowlers disintegrated.  Turning around, you spotted Brimstone’s mirror before Reyna’s Leer blinded him

You shot him before Reyna could and watched a soul orb float out from him

“You work faster than I can kill Y/N.  Very impressive, I knew I would like working with you.”

Throughout Pearl, the sounds of boots and heavy gear signaled the arrival of more Atlas units.  Reyna got a confident look on her face

“Y/N, be a dear and defuse the Spike.  I will handle the rest of these soldaditos.”  Reyna sauntered off while activating her Empress form

Beginning to inspect the site, you couldn’t see any sort of movement or soldiers around.  The Spike was hidden under the tower area, directly under the pillar. 

 You moved towards it carefully, checking for any incoming enemies and removing a defuser from your person.  From a ways away you heard the sounds of Reyna’s massacre

Right as you began to defuse, something dropped from the ceiling.  A shimmering form fell onto you and put you in a chokehold before forcing you to the ground

A strike to your jaw disoriented you and your assailant took your Phantom.  You reached to hold onto it but merely tapped it as it was torn from your hands

“For someone meant to be me, you leave a lot to be desired.” 

Your mirror reveled in the face they had you completely beaten from their surprise attack

“I know Reyna is here somewhere too, but from the sounds back there I guess she’ll have her hands full.  I wonder if she’ll die to the Spike or to me.”

Combat and gunfire from the other side of Pearl proved Reyna wouldn’t be coming back

“Let’s finish you off first.  There’s only room for one of us and I don’t think you measure up to the real thing.” your double aimed the Phantom at your head

The gun clicked harmlessly, and your mirror realized you had dexterously flipped the safety on when they stole it

Energy flooded your hands and you jumped towards your mirror.  Pummeling them rapidly, you unleashed your radiance onto them and finished them off

The Spike began to spin faster, but you calmly deactivated it without a second thought

“Is that your mirror Y/N?  It looks like you made an example of them.”  Reyna purred as she walked towards you

“They spouted something about being the ‘real version’ before I beat them.  I don’t think they’ll make that mistake again.”

“You have come so far Y/N, I think we should revel in our victory.  Crushing our enemies is something to celebrate, de acuerdo?”

“We should do something  then, I want to hear more about how you rampaged through those Atlas soldiers.”

“We’ll catch up over dinner Y/N, I have a special place in mind once we return.”

“Oh?”

“Make sure you wear your best, I know I will.”

“I’m looking forward to it then.”

(Hidden within one of the stories is some lore for an upcoming post. See if you can spot it, because it relates back to the unearthed archives I'm posting!)

[robsheridan]

Stills from the 1988 sci-fi horror miniseries VIDEONOMICON, in which a mysterious AV club lures university students into a paid “research program” that isn’t what it seems...

A group of volunteer students, eager for some easy cash in exchange for “providing feedback on a series of audio-video test patterns,” find themselves hypnotized by a bizarre video pattern, becoming addicted to watching it for hours a day under the guidance of a mysterious figure who only speaks through a microphone installed in wall-mounted goat heads. Soon the AV club reveals itself as a front for a demon-worshipping video cult that is using the students as flesh vessels in a Techonocallistic ritual to transfuse demonic spirits through interdimensional video signals, trapping the souls of the students in a netherverse while their bodies become warped meat puppets controlled by demons to conquer earth.

Videonomicon was the first in a series of original films produced for the obscure premium cable network Zolmax that were also written and directed by Zolmax’s eccentric founder, mysterious auteur turned media mogul Maxim Voronin. After having his films rejected by major studios and networks for being too disturbing, Voronin founded Zolmax, pitching it as “Cinemax for the strange.” A mix of curated cult films and original content, Zolmax’s programming was described as “some of the most bizarre and deranged material to ever find its way onto television.” Black magic, devil worship, sexual depravity, and excessive gore were common sights on Zolmax, “painting a picture of a very disturbed man at the helm of this blasphemous sewer of a network,” wrote TV Guide in 1989.

Unphased by criticism, Voronin continued to produce his own films for his network for eight more years, including two sequels to Videonomicon.

To be continued…

-----------

NOTE: This alternate reality horror story is part of my NightmAIres narrative art series (visit that link for a lot more). NightmAIres are windows into other worlds and alternate histories, conceived/written by me and visualized with synthography and Photoshop.

If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon for frequent exclusive hi-res wallpaper packs, behind-the-scenes features, downloads, events, contests, and an awesome fan community. Direct fan support is what keeps me going as an independent creator, and it means the world to me.

[izartela]

What if they couldn't get Leo out of the Prison Dimension?

It's been months since the invasion; months since they last saw Leonardo's devastated face behind the too-quickly closing orange portal.

Months since Donatello holed himself up in his lab to find a way to get his brother back.

Considering Mikey's current level of mystic ability and the strain opening that portal already put on him, another attempt at the orange turtle forcing his way through the dimensional barriers was out of the question unless they wanted to risk losing him too. While his remaining brothers were slowly losing hope and already going through various stages of the grieving process, Donatello was not about to give up that easily.

So he worked tirelessly (apart from sparse naps at his desk when his body refused to stay awake any longer), with empty coffee cups as the only indication of the passage of time. His family tried to get him to rest more but gave up around the three-month mark after he blew up at them and used every cheap trick in the book to hurt them. He wasn't proud of that, but it had to be done; he couldn't afford to be interrupted, not before he brings his twin back.

But one thing shouted at him off-handedly during that fight stuck in his head. "Are you sure there's a Leo left to rescue?"

It struck him then that his family had already given up on Leo and gave him all the more fuel to spit out every horrible thing he could think of at them.

I mean, yeah, they all saw Kraang Prime catch Leonardo right before the portal fizzed out; they all knew that he didn't have his swords anymore to help him fight, but come on! Have some faith in him! Leo always had some convoluted clever plan that would get him out of trouble (usually through more trouble, yes, but ultimately out of it regardless).

Donnie trusted his brother to push through and survive—for his family.

Still, those despondent words were now stuck in his mind, no matter how much he negated them. He had to make sure that Leo was okay. He had to try to connect with his communicator. Maybe they would even be able to talk if he made the connection strong enough! He had tried it briefly before, but he hadn't bothered to enhance the signal at the time, deciding to focus solely on rescue attempts.

The number of empty coffee cups only grew as he switched his focus to learning everything he could about interdimensional signal amplification. There wasn't much information on the subject (with humans being woefully ignorant about pocket dimensions—or any other dimensions for that matter—and yokai, in turn, being ignorant about technology), but he followed every crumb he could get his hands on, no matter how ridiculous. He lost count of the different attempts at connecting with Leo's communicator. Voice communication seemed to be out of the question, at least for now, but surely he could at least check up on his brother's status. To at least make sure that he was okay.

That there was still a Leo left to rescue.

However, no matter what he tried, he always got the same message from the system: 'pulse not found.' It was still the same message as before he even began his signal enhancement attempts. Nothing he did would yield a different result.

He did everything he could, used every option available to him. How could he not have gotten any signal by now?! Not even the faintest of heartbeats, made irregular by the signal disturbances and fluctuations across dimensions?!

Or perhaps...

Donatello didn't want to let the thought enter his head, but it still poked and prodded at his brain after every failed attempt.

What if he had already managed to connect, and the message was actually reflecting the truth?

What if Leonardo was already gone?...

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Gray 28

First / Previous / Next

Fen realized that they hadn't traversed the gate, yet. She was awareness, floating without a body, in a land of soft, pink light. She felt this... presence around her. Watching her.

"H-Hello?"

Fenchurch. You're here.

"I prefer Fen."

There was a feeling like a chuckle. Fen then. You've finally arrived.

"I have?"

Well yes, and no. You've traversed a Gate for the first time. You're in our realm. We have to admit we're surprised it has taken this long. We suppose that just is how it is though, when you don't have anywhere to go.

"And you are?"

We're a distributed interdimensional intelligence. We developed the Gates. We helped set up the human empire. We helped set up empires before that, too. We take form in your dimension as nano scale micromachines. Nanites.

Fen couldn't gasp, but she felt that if she had a body she would have. "The Nanites? I've heard of you! I didn't think you were real though."

Fen could feel them tisk. It hasn't been even two thirds of a millennium since we made our presence known. How quickly things are forgotten when no attempt it made to remember them.

"Wait" Fen finally processed what they said earlier. "You helped set up the Empire?"

Yes. We gave Melody abilities that hadn't been seen in humans before and she was able to use them to found the Empire. We even helped her successor Helen as well as the usurper Eastern. We had finally reached accord with Eastern and agreed not to 'meddle' anymore so long as humanity continued to build and produce Gates.

"Humans built the Gates?"

Lots of sapient species built Gates. It's not like there's a monopoly on construction, Fen. Gates are how we can exit our space and grow and learn. We traverse your dimension, learn about you and about the space itself and we are nourished.

"You eat information?" Fen's confusion was palpable even in this space of no bodies.

Fen. It's a metaphor. Try and keep up.

"Sorry."

It's all right. We're asking a lot of you, we know. We're going to... stick with you though. Seems like you'll need some help soon.

"I'll wha-"

There was a feeling like the tearing of a soft cloth, and Fen came back, sitting in the command chair. She looked around the command deck and only saw herself and Zhe. "Uh, Northern? How are we doing?"

"We're fine Fen. We just exited the Gate that Zhe gave me the address for and I'm trying to get my bearings. Ugh, it's been a while, I'm rusty." Silence. "Hold up, I'm getting a ping. Putting it through audio."

The voice was brash, harsh and overdriven. The signal was far away and being artifically boosted. It spoke heavily accented K'inmar. "Greetings interlopers! Supply the required password or we won't detonate the missiles that are headed your way."

What? Fen looked down at her pad and tried to bring up a local scan.

"They're right Fen, I count 4 missiles on a high energy boost towards us. Intercept in four minutes or so. I've got some juke charges ready, but if we can call them off before we have to show our teeth, all the better."

Fen looked over at Zhe, her eyes wide and imploring.

"Fen! I didn't know they asked for a password now! Uh, uh, um, try the first verse of Dragnar the Harvester."

Dragnar the Harvester was an old K'laxi song. Fen had only heard it around the bars back home, and only after the old K'laxi had been drinking quite a while. It was quite bawdy.

Fen stared at Zhe who rippled a blush, shrugged and keyed the mic. She took a large breath and

"DRAGNAR, DRAGNAR, DRAGNAR THE HARVESTER/ /OFF TO FUCK ALL THE LADIES/ DRAGNAR, DRAGNAR, DRAGNAR THE HARVESTER /HE'LL FUCK THE MEN TOO, HE'S NOT PICKY AT ALL/"

Silence on the line for three beats. All Fen could hear was the hum of background cosmic radiation. Suddenly peals of laughter from the other side. "Okay you know what? That's not this week's password, but you sang that with such spirit and your accent is impeccable that we'll let you dock and at least see what you're about."

"Well, I don't know what about that awful song did it, but the missiles have self destructed. Nicely done Fen." Northern's voice was a combination of pride and disbelief.

Zhe was staring at Fen. "Why do you know Dragnar the Harvester?"

Fen smiled at Zhe's embarrassment. "I already told you I was raised by K'laxi, you think I didn't go drinking with them too? Grandpop used to sing that song every time he had too much to drink."

"It's got forty verses!"

Fen nodded. "And I can sing thirty eight of them."

"Forty?" Northern said. "You'll have to do it for us someday."

"We'll see. I don't think you can afford it."

The ride into the station was otherwise uneventful. After they received approval to dock, the station sent along IFF keys, and Northern was able to see that the system was far more populated than she had first seen. Nearly everyone was operating stealthily with minimal drive emissions and most of them worked to face their drive exhaust away from the gate.

Fen took the time to make some coffee - she wasn't sure why, but she had a craving for coffee. Luckily the ship had some in its stores. Good stuff too by the looks of it. After the brown liquid had finished brewing, she sat at a table in the kitchenette and sipped it, black with no sugar. It was strangely relaxing. Fen had been a tea drinker her whole life previously. It's not like she never had coffee before, she just never had a craving for it.

Zhe came in while Fen was drinking her coffee and bustled around the kitchenette. "Fen, do we have any tea? I saw you drinking, and thought it was a good idea."

"We should have some Chamomile in the drawer."

Zhe made a cup of tea and sat next to Fen. She didn't sit across, instead sitting on the same side of the booth. "I'm sorry Fen."

Fen blinked. "For what, Zhe?"

Zhe's ears drooped. "My familial line runs this station."

"So? It was handy you knew the address, it got us out of a tight spot."

"Yeah" Zhe sighed "But now you'll see that my familial line is a bunch of pirates and smugglers!" She looked up at Fen, her large eyes damp.

"Oh, that's what you're worried about?" Fen started to smile and then stops herself. Zhe is very upset, she doesn't want to minimize her feelings. "Zhe, don't worry. I grew up on a Gren station that was run by the mob. If you think I'll be worried by some minor criminality, think again."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad, Zhe?"

"I don't know... maybe more disappointed."

"Nope, not that either. I'm proud."

Zhe's ears flick and rotate forward. "Proud?"

Fen nodds. "Sure am. You saw that we were in trouble, and you calmly offered Northern a solution that she could use to get us out. It was good thinking."

"It really was, Zhe. You saved us, and that's not an exaggeration." Northern's voice was calm and smooth over the speakers.

While they were talking, Fen noticed that Zhe was scooting closer and closer.

Come on, you don't need us to tell you what she wants.

The voice from the Gate surprised Fen so badly she nearly jumped. Zhe noticed the flinch. "What's wrong, Fen?"

"N-Nothing, just got a chill." Fen sat up and put her arm out. Zhe jumped at the opportunity and snuggled up under Fen's arm. As soon as she did, Fen felt relax and sigh deeply. "It seems like something more is wrong, Zhe."

"It's just," Zhe's voice was muffled under Fen's arm. "I wanted you to like me. You're so cool and pretty and collected and you... you" Fen felt Zhe shudder as she breathed in. "You're so out of my league and here you are letting me cuddle you and all I can do is sit here."

Fen looked up at the ceiling, saying nothing. As she did, an image of Northern appeared on a monitor out of Zhe's eye sight which just shrugged her shoulders and dissapeared.

"Zhe. You're sweet, and I mean that." Fen stroked the fur between her ears. "But, I lost my wife not too long ago. She was... she was amazing. She was everything to me, and she was just... shot. Right in front of me." Fen continued on, stroking between the ears and talking. "Just like that, in a few seconds, she was removed from my life. I didn't even get to sing her funerary song, Zhe. I had to leave her where she fell and run away." Fen blinked and tears splashed onto Zhe's head. She looked up. "What I mean to say is that, you're sweet Zhe, and I'm flattered that you think I'm so cool. But, I don't want another relationship. I want Ma-ren back."

Zhe broke off the hug and sat up, her own eyes wet. She nodded and took a sip of her tea.

"What I could use Zhe is a friend. I find those are in short supply these days. What do you think?"

Zhe smiled and her ears flicked. "I think I could use one of those too, Fen."

[flowercrowngods]

a snippet please? of the non-tumblrable fic? 👉👈

smh you know i will never refuse anyone asking for snippets 🤍 she's nothing special though, she's a weird little one

Something Steve has always wondered is why migraines make his body shut down like that, leaving him in a state where all he can do is lie down and fall into a near-catatonic limbo until the pain has lifted enough to face the rest of the world again. Fighting interdimensional monsters and posing as a feast to demonic, modified monster bats was also agony. It also made him lose his footing and almost pass out from bloodloss and pain, his back scratched open completely where the bats dragged him across rough stone. 

Migraine pains don't really compare to those. It scares him. Because he knows that's all up in his brain. His fucked up, mangled, thrice-concussed fucking brain he never got cared for because the government goons never took them seriously. Never took him seriously. 

And now here he is, lying in a near-stranger's bed in a pitch-black room that's still somehow too bright, unmoving and hoping to pass out from it all. Hoping he won't hallucinate again this time. Hoping that he won't throw up, his body convulsing because it knows it shouldn't be feeling like this. 

Throwing up from pain. There's really nothing more fucked up than that. Or, there is. Throwing up from pain and begging an invisible man to make it stop, only to realise hours later that pain can also make you hallucinate. 

He doesn't want that. He doesn't want any of that ever again, and certainly not in a strange, dark cabin with a vampire forged from a human he never even liked. 

Tears spring to his eyes, but they're not the kind that'll fall and bring relief. They just stay in the corners of his eyes, his only way to express the waves and flares of pain washing over him, wishing he could just pass out now. 

Kas tucks him in. Steve didn’t know he could do that. It strikes him as extremely non-vampiric even in this state he’s in. Steve doesn’t react, doesn’t so much as blink his eyes open as the pain travels up to his hairline and settles there, flaring over his forehead to his eyes and down to his cheekbones and then up again, a never-ending motion that he never stands a chance to get used to. 

“Safe,” Kas says again, and it zings through Steve’s body with violent force that doesn’t match at all with the gentle tone he’s using. 

Scrunching his forehead to stave off more words, Steve hopes that Kas will take the hint and know to shut up. 

But he has no such luck. 

“Here.” 

“Shhh.” He shakes his head minutely, shushing the vampire with a barely there noise, keeping the damage to a minimal amount. “You can go,” he slurs, trying not to speak at all. “Please.” 

A beat of blessed, blissful silence, before there’s shuffling again. Kas does walk to the door, but then stops in the doorway. Steve doesn’t want to look. 

“No.” Kas sounds surprised about it. Mystified. Like he wants to leave, but can’t. 

What?

“Stay. Here.” 

Whatever you do, just please be quiet about it, Steve thinks desperately. Instead of saying any of that, he shushes him again, hoping that the thump he hears means that Kas is sitting on the floor now. Though he doesn’t understand why. 

Why do you care? 

“Safe,” Kas says again, whispering the word into the room, and it doesn’t zing through Steve this time. 

With Kas refusing to leave and his pathetic state of existence so blatantly on display, and with waves and waves as his nerves fire signals to his overworked and tired brain, more tears spring to Steve's eyes. And this time they fall. Silently, and without a sob, without even a sniffle of acknowledgment. But they fall. 

And Steve just wants to go home.

[womanofwords]

Miles and Kilometres

"Interesting. Very interesting," Peter B. Parker said, looking between Miles Morales from Earth 1610 and Miles Morales from Earth 42.

"Two sides of the same coin," Pavitr mused.

"Dude, could you not?" 1610 Miles asked.

"Prick," 42 Miles scoffed.

"Hey, be nice to Pav, erm . . . Miles?" Gwen said, looking at both versions of Miles Morales. "We can't call you both Miles."

"Even though you are both Miles," Hobie said. "So, what we callin' you, then?"

"Our Miles is Miles, and the other one is called Kilometres," Peter joked. 42 Miles scoffed.

"I am not answering to Kilometres," 42 Miles scoffed.

"This one's just a ray of sunshine, ain't he?" Hobie remarked, jerking a thumb towards 42 Miles.

"Yeah, you need to lighten up," Peter B. Parker said, poking 42 Miles in the ribs. 42 Miles let out a squeak and stumbled forwards. "You OK, kid?"

"Don't . . . ever . . . touch there," 42 Miles said, glaring at the floor. "It's - it's weird."

1610 Miles snickered. "What, buddy? What's wrong? Did you become so much of an edgelord that you forgot that you could be ticklish?"

"I-I'm not!" 42 Miles snapped, blushing harder.

"You're adorable!" Pavitr cooed. "You're trying your best to be super tough and you're just so cute!"

"You shut up, you - HEY!" 42 Miles' words were cut off by Hobie grabbing him and holding him close.

"'E's got a point, ya know," Hobie said. "Wonder what'd 'appen if . . ." He poked 42 Miles in the ribs, and he giggled. "It worked!" 1610 Miles openly laughed, while 42 Miles looked at his interdimensional counterpart like an angry wet cat.

"Don't be so smug, buddy," Peter said, poking 1610 Miles in the same spot. He jumped and clung to the ceiling. It was 42 Miles' turn to laugh openly.

"So they're both ticklish, eh?" Gwen teased, wriggling her fingers. Behind her, Hobie cracked his knuckles and Pavitr began stretching. 42 Miles and 1610 Miles leaned back in horror.

"We should go," 42 Miles said.

"Yes, we should," 1610 Miles agreed. By the time he even put one foot forward, Pavitr had already wrapped him up in a mess of bangles and webbing. 42 Miles was already hog-tied to Hobie's guitar.

"How did you do that?" Gwen asked, staring at Hobie and 42 Miles.

"Anarchy," Hobie said.

"Put me down!" 42 Miles snapped.

"Nope!" Pavitr said, dragging 1610 Miles and 42 Miles into an empty room full of gadgets.

"What are you even doing?" Peter asked.

"Um . . . running some tests!" Gwen said, as the spider-teens rushed away.

"What sort of tests are you pendejos even running?" 42 Miles asked.

"Well, Miles got bitten by the spider, while Kilometres didn't. I want to see if both of them are still as sensitive as the other one is," Gwen said.

"You're just going to spend all day tickling us both," 42 Miles said.

"Sure, why not?" Hobie said, grabbing at 42 Miles' stomach. The teenage Prowler alternated between cursing in Spanish and squeaking when Hobie's long fingers found a sweet spot. Gwen did the same to 1610 Miles, who was actually laughing.

"It seems the spider bite did make him more ticklish!" Pavitr giggled. "How interesting!"

"MAYBE FOR YOU!" 1610 Miles snapped. Admittedly, it was hard to tell because he was laughing so hard. 42 Miles was too busy holding in his laughter, his cheeks filling with air and giving him the impression of an angry chipmunk with his mouth full.

"This one's stubborn, Pav," Hobie called out. Wanna help out?"

"Yes!" Pavitr started squeezing 42 Miles' armpits almost experimentally. And 42 Miles exploded.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 42 Miles screamed, everything bursting out of him.

"And we have liftoff!" Pavitr celebrated. "Miles is more ticklish, but Kilometres is better at holding it in!"

"DON'T CAHAHAHAHAHAHAHALL ME THAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" 42 Miles laughed.

"Hey, put them down and let 'em go," Peter said. "This is not helping either of them in the slightest."

"Fine," Gwen sighed, signalling to Pavitr to pull 1610 Miles out of the webbing. Hobie started cutting 42 Miles out at the same time.

"Now, send the other Miles home to get some rest," Peter ordered.

"I'll handle it," Hobie said. Just before he pushed 42 Miles through a portal to his universe, he whispered something into the Prowler's ear. 1610 Miles saw a glimpse of a terrified expression before he went through the portal.

"What did you say to him?" 1610 Miles asked, when he was alone with Hobie.

"I told him that if we ever found him messing with any kind of Spidey, we'd bring him back and find every ticklish spot he had," Hobie said casually.

1610 Miles' eyes went wide. "Oh."

"But I'd have to compare them to yours to be safe."

"What are they doing to each other?" Miguel asked.

"Hobie is tickling Miles Morales," Lyla reported.

"Of course that's what they're doing. Are there are earplugs around?"

"Nope!"

Miguel groaned. "Ay, dios mio."

[au-sonic-smackdown]

AU Sonic Smackdown - Round 1, Right Side

Click to see full size image

Reflection of You AU belongs to @jeysecretive

Mecha Troubles AU belongs to @wolfinitethewolf

Read more about them under the cut!

Reflection of You AU-

While doing an archaeological dig, Sonic found an old artifact that gave him a curse.

It was very strong, tormenting the hedgehog day by day, and no one knew how to help him.

…By coincidence, Sonic was taken to Mephiles, who lived on the edge of an unknown interdimensional wasteland. Demon said that the only way to break the curse was to kill everyone Sonic cared about. Guy was against it.

But still, pain tormented him and tore him apart from the inside out. Nothing worked for the hedgehog, so he made the decision to kill Eggman. And so he did.

But the act did not free the hedgehog from the Curse, which was making him worse and worse, making him beastly with pain.

The hedgehog decided to make a second visit to Mephiles.

But when he's arrived at the demon's domain, the demon was hosting an unusual guest. Sonic remembered the treacherous things that Mephiles did, and decided to overhear his conversation.

The demon was talking to a powerful dark demigod who had been Mephiles' buddy for years.

It turned out that Mephiles had purposely enchanted the artifact so that Sonic would obey him, getting into the taste and becoming a bloodthirsty monster.

As soon as the hedgehog heard this, he destroyed the demon on the spot in a rage.

But the Curse went nowhere. And Sonic was desperate!

It was a good thing he had met Shadow.

The black hedgehog began traveling the world with him to find a way to crack Sonic's curse, and soon they learned that the Seven Emeralds of Chaos and the Master Emerald would help him heal. But it's worth the rush! Sonic's time is running out, and the emeralds are hidden all over the planet.

The end of the story is still open, and the hedgehogs are searching for their emeralds. Hopefully, they will make it.

Mecha Troubles AU-

AU where in Scrapnik Island Mecha Sonic had successfully swapped minds with Sonic.

Mecha Sonic is able to do everything Sonic could (spindash, harness the Chaos Emeralds powers, etc). However, being a robot, is really great with tech, able to hack into anything, or reprogram anything. He is also able to send signals to things (since he IS still technically a robot).

He is not cocky or snarky like Sonic was, he usually never speaks unless he really needs too. He will plan ahead of things, being a thinker and not leaping into things first.

Unlike Sonic, who fights as if its a game and will go easy on them, Mecha does not, fighting fast, swiftly, and without stopping for anything else, viciously attacking if needed. Before making physical contact with anyone in a fight, he will instead use his speed to his advantage to sneak up upon an enemy, bouncing back and forth until successful. Usually shows no emotions.

His main goal is to end Dr. Eggman, and will eliminate anyone that gets in his way.

[novelcain]

Interdimensional Signal

One day, you drop your phone, and although there are no cracks, it refuses to turn back on. You nearly give up when suddenly the screen flickers back to life. After going through it, you find that everything is working surprisingly normal. A few days go by, and while you're adding a new contact to your phone, you notice one that strikes you as odd.

One that definitely wasn't there before.

Part 1

Masterlist

[theemporium]

[REQUESTS OPEN—requested by @truewdw1]

1. “You look better in my clothes than I do.”

13. “I didn’t mean to say that but yeah, I love you.”

[2k] or, in which steve lets his feelings spill at the most random moment.

.

“Do you think interdimensional monster slaying counts as cardio?”

“That is your priority right now?”

You shrugged your shoulders, trying to ignore the way your clothing stuck to you like a second skin. You tried not to think too hard on the fact it had been over forty-eight hours since you left the house, freshly showered and thinking nothing more of the day other than your shift at the diner on Mulberry Street.

Little did you realise a very frazzled and loud Dustin Henderson would be dragging you out the front door, rambling about gates and unknown evils and his request for a lift to Family Video on the way.

Now here you were, almost two whole days later, covered in dirt, sweat, tears and other monster bodily fluids you really didn’t want to think about if you wanted whatever food you have left in your stomach to stay in your stomach.

“There has to be some advantage to it all,” you stated as you both trudged along the driveway leading up to Steve’s house, exhaustion and fatigue settled deep in your bones as the non-stop running and scheming and fighting finally began to catch up with you.

“I think the fact we are alive is enough,” Steve grumbled as he pushed the door open, his hand instinctively reaching out to the left to turn the lights on.

“Your parents aren’t home?”

“They barely are,” Steve said before he looked down at himself. “And maybe it’s a blessing in disguise cause I don’t know how else to explain this.”

“Paintball tournament?” you suggested with a smile and it warmed something in you when he grinned back.

“We would make a mean paintball team,” he stated like it was the most obvious fact in the world.

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

You stared at him a moment before clearing your throat, your eyes falling down to the mud tracks you had left since you entered the house. “Any chance this teammate can use your shower?”

Truthfully, there was no reason for you to be at Steve’s house. You could have just as easily returned home, to your own shower and own bed and tried to sleep away the memories of winged creatures and red storming skies.

But then he turned to show, flashed you that stupid smile and you found yourself settling into the passenger seat of his car and letting him drive you in the opposite direction of your house because you were tired and sore and you could never really deny Steve Harrington, no matter how much you tried.

“Yeah, yeah sure,” Steve nodded towards the staircase, signalling for you to follow him. “You can take the guest bathroom.”

“How generous of you,” you retorted as you watched his back shake with a laugh.

There was an amicable silence between you as you shuffled into the bathroom, nodding as Steve told you he would leave some spare clothes out for you outside the door before he disappeared to take a shower of his own.

You had probably spent the better part of forty minutes trying to scrub the reminder of the Upside Down off your body, trying to feel the closest to clean as you could after spending more time than was ever necessary in a different dimension.

When you finally got out the shower with your towel wrapped around you, you pushed the door open enough to grab the clothes that Steve had left you and smiled when you noticed his choice. Shaking your head, you quickly changed into the warm, clean clothes and left the remainder of your outfit in a heap on the bathroom floor to deal with in the morning before you made your way to Steve’s room.

You heard the shower still running from the bathroom beside his room and quickly established he hadn’t finished his shower yet—most likely only on step three of his hair care routine—before you let yourself into his room, falling back onto the bed you had laid on many times before.

Sitting with your back against the headboard, you tried your hardest to stay awake until Steve came out. You picked up the miniature sized basketball he had on his nightstand, throwing between your hands in an attempt to amuse yourself.

Your eyes caught the small hoop attached above the bathroom door and you almost smiled to yourself as the image of Steve—most likely and unironically—practicing trick shots by himself in his room.

Shuffling around on the bed until you were kneeling on the mattress, your eyes narrowed on the hoop for a moment to focus your aim before you threw the mini basketball without a second thought.

And it just so happened in that moment the bathroom door opened and a very confused Steve found a basketball flying to his face.

In an instinctive reaction, he reached out to grab the ball before it hit him but in doing so, he also let go of the towel he had wrapped around his waist.

Your eyes went wide when the towel thumped to the floor, your brain taking a few seconds to catch up with itself before you smacked your hands over your eyes, apologies mixed with laughs spilling from your lips.

“Oh my god!” you laughed as you fell back on the bed, hands still covering your face and luckily the growing blush on your cheeks.

“Jesus Christ, I—” You could hear him scampering about, most likely grabbing the towel from the floor and whatever clothes he could. “You…I didn’t…oh, fuck, okay, wow.”

Your voice was slightly muffled as you spoke. “You good?”

“Well,” he sighed and you could almost imagine him standing there with his hands on his hips. “I didn’t expect for a ball to be flying to my face, if I am being completely honest—”

“I wasn’t aiming for you,” you interrupted.

“Yeah well, you have shit aim,” Steve retorted as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants he had lying around, pulling on a t-shirt quickly after to avoid any repeats of the towel drop. “Almost seemed planned.”

“You caught me, Harrington,” you deadpanned. “I was trying to catch a glimpse of your ass.”

“You could’ve just asked then, sweetheart.”

You cleared your throat, trying not to think about the way your cheeks were heating at the name. “At least a basketball to the face isn’t as bad as having a demo-dog trying to rip it off.”

“Well…”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I am just saying, both could result in, like, facial reconstruction surgery—”

“Steve!”

“—and I have a really nice face! I like my face!”

“You are really arguing that a basketball to the face is as bad as a monster from another dimension ripping it off?!”

“Well, not exactly!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not!”

“Steve, you just said it!”

“You know what, I don’t even know why we are debating this,” Steve muttered with a small huff. “This is stupid.”

“Yeah, it’s stupid that we are even debating it when there is an obvious answer—” you argued, words still slightly muffled.

“God, you are so stubborn,” Steve commented, and though his words were light-hearted, they tumbled out his mouth faster than he could control them. “You make everything into a debate. It’s truly a wonder why I love you, like seriously I am not even a confrontational person! I don’t debate! In fact, I even told Ms Connolly in don’t debate when she forced us to do that stupid election roleplay thing—”

But instead of the snide teasing remark he was expecting from you, he was met with silence.

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed together, looking over at your figure splayed on the bed. He opened his mouth, your name on the tip of his tongue before he heard you speak up, your voice much softer, gentler even this time around.

“You love me?”

Steve felt as though he had been kicked in the chest when you spoke. “What?”

“You…you just said you love me,” you repeated, your heart beating wildly in your chest and blood roaring in your ears.

“I—shit,” you heard Steve mutter to himself, along with some other incoherent mumbles before he spoke. “I didn’t mean to say that but yeah, I love you.”

When you didn’t reply, Steve found his mouth opening again and more rambles leaving him.

“I mean, obviously I mean it. I just meant like, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that,” he told you, his hands moving wildly but you couldn’t see with your face still covered. “Or like, for me to ever tell you at all. But if I did tell you, it wasn’t meant to be like that, I promise you—”

“Steve?” you finally interrupted.

His chest had never felt so tight. “Yeah?”

“Are you still naked?” you asked. “Because I would really like to say this next part actually looking at you, preferably clothed.”

Despite himself, Steve let out a laugh. “I’m dressed, sweetheart.”

You slowly removed your hands from your face, sitting up on the bed and giving him a sheepish smile. You pulled the sleeves of the sweater over your hands, fingers fiddling with the extra material as you tried to string the words together to tell him how you feel.

But you weren’t good with words and you were too tired to even care at that point.

“You know,” you spoke up. “That really stubborn part of me hates that I was just another one of those stupid girls who fell for Steve Harrington.”

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, food and sense he had faced in the last two days, but Steve could have sworn he had never felt as fucking high as he did when he heard the confession slip past your lips.

“Yeah?” A grin pulling on his lips.

“He is stupidly charming,” you started, watching closely as he began to take steps towards the bed, towards you. “And he is funny even when he isn’t trying, and he cares about the people in his life because he just has a goddamn heart of gold.”

“I also heard he is really, really handsome,” Steve chimed in.

“Eh, he’s alright,” you shrugged with a smile as he shuffled onto the bed until he was kneeling in front of you.

“And if he tried to kiss you?” Steve asked, voice dropping a little as he spoke.

“I would tell him it’s about damn time.”

Steve didn’t waste another second as he grabbed your face with both hands, pulling your lips onto his. The kiss was slow and a little sloppy and neither of you could stop smiling, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You had plenty of time to kiss him until you couldn’t breathe anymore. You had plenty of time to kiss him whenever and whichever way you wanted.

“Is this a good time to admit that I’m jealous how that sweater looks on you?” he murmured against your lips, his nose nudging yours in a playful manner. “You look better in my clothes than I do.”

“It’s fine,” you pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before lying back on the bed, pulling him down with you. “You look better without clothes anyways.”

“Hm, but this is my favourite sweater,” he whined as he rested his head on your chest, his hands working their way under the hem of your sweater, his fingers gripping the bare skin of your torso as he made himself comfortable on top of you.

You snorted. “Why did you give it to me then?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured shyly, eyes falling shut as he felt your fingers working through his hair. “Thought you’d look pretty in it.”

“You’re an idiot,” you commented and you could practically hear the smile on his face.

“An idiot who looks pretty damn good naked.”

“Shut up.”

“I knew it was all planned.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll put on a better show for you next time.”

And despite yourself, you grinned. “Looking forward to it, Harrington.”

.

[loonaticfoxetmnt13]

Ep 1: This Is Not A Test

The scene opens in Donnie’s lab. There was a long desk with projects in various stages of completion and computer screens everywhere. The 19 year old softshell was finishing up an interdimensional portal machine. He had a theory of other universes with other versions of his family. He wanted to meet another Donatello like himself.

Leo: *the 19 year old red eared slider came confidently into the lab with a sly grin on his face* You called me Dontron~?

Donnie: *he doesn't look up as he finished tightening the last screw into place* Aw, yes my portal making twin I require your assistance

Leo: By the way you said portal making twin I'm assuming you need me to make a portal

Donnie: *finally stands up and looked at his brother with a grin* You assumed correct my dear brother. I am trying to prove that there are other universes with other versions of us~ I wanna meet other Donatellos!

Leo: *looked a little worried* Do you think that is a good idea?

Donnie: Yes I do! Think of the possibilities that can open up by meeting another Donatello or what another Leo can teach you!

Leo: *his eyes sparkled* I bet the other Leo's are as awesome and amazing as me!

Donnie: I don't know about that buuuut! If you make a portal in the machine when I turn it on and it'll take control of your portal opening it to other dimensions-

Leo: Shouldn't Mikey and raph be apart of this

Donnie: Sigh yes I called for them after I called you. They should be here in 3 2 1

Raph: What's this about making a portal to other universes?

Mikey: and meeting other us’s!

Raph, the 20 year old alligator snapping turtle, and Mikey, the 18 year old box turtle walked in.

Donnie: gentlemen and Leo

Leo: hey I'm helping you with this

Donnie: I present you with my interdimensional portal machine! And when I give Nardo the signal he’ll open a portal in the middle of the machine and the machine will try to find another universe to open up in! You may applaud~

Mikey: *claps excitedly*

Raph: Is it safe?

Donnie: Yeees?

Raph: DONNIE!

Donnie: LEO PORTAL!

Before Raph could stop him, Leo made a portal in the portal machine as Donnie turned it on. Just like Donnie had told Leo the machine latched onto the portal and the portal’s color changed. It went from blue to yellow to lilac to pink and finally to a greenish blue. There was a sudden hard gush of wind, blowing through the lab, the edges of the portal had plants wrapping around the portal border, with water and fire chasing each other near the plants.

Leo: Donnie what's going on? Is this supposed to happen?!

The wind blows even harder, Donnie was having a hard time getting to the machine.

Donnie: NO!

Raph covers Mikey, while Leo tries to stay with Donnie as the softshell reaches the machine. Right before he could turn the machine off, a group of female screams could be heard, as they saw a blur of aqua, yellow, pink, lavender, white, and black shoot out of the portal. The blur turned full white right before it crashed into Donnie's computer screens. Destroying many of them in the process. Donnie switched off the machine and the wind immediately died, the plants, fire, and water disappeared with the portal. The turtles straightened up and looked around at the now messy lab.

Donnie: Ooooh… My lab is destroyed!

Leo: I'm more worried about that marshmallow in the middle of your wrecked computer screens

Donnie: I repeat.. MY LAB IS DESTROYED!

The marshmallow starts jigging and they hear a muffled scream; it must be loud if it can be heard through the fluff. Raph puts the others behind him as he rips the marshmallow fluff open. The screaming got louder and clearer as he pulled it open, then quickly scrambled out of the way; as a screaming tiny black rabbit with a white muzzle, long white hair, white tail, and white neck dressed in yellow and pink, leaped out of the marshmallow. She screamed as loud as Mikey does and she was trembling. She stopped screaming as she face planted in her desperate attempt to get out of the marshmallow.

Mikey: Nobody touches her, she's having a panic attack!

The yellow clad bunny is gasping for air, curling up into a ball of fur; but she's starting to calm down.

Yellow bunny: I-its ok. Y-you can move around freely now. N-no more tight small space. Y-you’re all good.

The marshmallow moves around again and a black and white spotted bunny with a short haircut, dressed in aqua and a bit of teal, climbs out running to the yellow clad bunny. She had a sheathed katana on her hip, kneeling next to the other bunny. The marshmallow shook again as a huge black bunny in hot pink, some orange, with a pixie cut, climbed out ready to fight with her tonfas out. The marshmallow moves one last time as a tired albino bunny with streaking red eyes in lavender and green, drooped over the edge of the marshmallow. Her once neat bun was coming out and she clutched what looked like to Donnie a tech-no scythe.

Pink bunny: Who are you all? Where have you taken us?!

Raph: Woah woah *motions her lower to her weapons* First things first. We are so sorry. I'm Raph and these are my brothers Leo, Donnie, and Mikey. You're in our lair in New York City.

Pink bunny: *studies them and then looks at the aqua bunny*

Aqua bunny: *makes sure the yellow bunny was okay, before standing up and putting a hand on the much taller pink bunny* there's no such thing as a New York on Animang.

Leo: Animang? That must be another planet! This is earth!

Lavender bunny: *finished climbing out of the marshmallow and shoved the aqua and pink bunnies apart, as she looks at the turtles, her fur on end, looking excited* You brought us to another planet?! I was right there are other habitable planets outside of our own!

Donnie: *his eyes widen at her excitement*

Aqua Bunny: *shoves the lavender bunny down and looks at the turtles* I'm Clover, the bunny who had a panic attack is my youngest sister Blossom, the tall bunny is my oldest sister, Cherry and this one here is my twin sister, Lavender-

Mikey: Uhhhh… Donnie, your machine is smoking!

Donnie and Lavender took one look at the machine and yelled at everyone to take cover. Everyone barely had enough time to get to cover, before the machine exploded. Raph used his red projection power to grow and shield everyone. Mikey actually shielded Blossom by pulling her towards everyone else and covered her with his body even if he didn’t have too. When everything settled, Raph released the shield.

Blossom: thank you *she looked up at Mikey, with her pretty blue eyes*

Mikey: *blushes and scratches the back of his neck nervously* Your welcome~

Leo: So you gals clearly are a team~. Who's your leader~?

Clover: I am

Leo: Oh! So am I!

Cherry: *turns to Raph* You're huge, how much do you bench?!

Raph: I don't know… 350 maybe?

Leo, Clover, Raph, and Cherry walked out chattering. Mikey and Blossom walked a little slower behind them. They seemed a little shy with each other. Like they can't figure out how to react around each other.

Mikey: So why did you freak out in the marshmallow?

Blossom: I'm claustrophobic. It felt like I couldn't breathe and like the walls of the marshmallow were closing in.

Mikey: *brightened and takes her arm* I can help you with that! *Blossom smiles as they run out*

That left Lavender and Donnie alone.

Donnie: FUCK *his curse made Lavender jump* This is all wrong!

Lavender: Excuse me? Are you telling me you weren't trying to make contact with us?

The scene ends with an offended Lavender staring down at Donnie as he slowly turns to her, as he realizes she stayed in the lab.

[justahumblememefarmer]

Ultimate Doctor Who Poll Round 2 - Matchup 13

Episode Summaries under the cut

3: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls - Season 10, Episodes 11 & 12: In order to give Missy a test on saving people, he takes her to follow a distress signal, with Bill and Nardole as her companions. They arrive at a ship falling into a black hole. Bill is shot and mysterious figures from the bottom of the ship come to take her away. On the other end of the ship, further from the black hole, time moves much faster. 10 years passes for Bill while only a few minutes pass for the rest of the crew at the top of the ship. When they finally get down they find that Bill has been converted into an original Mondasian Cyberman, and that an earlier incarnation of the Master has been pulling the strings.

After Cybermen begin to attack them, they all escape to a different floor, where they find a village of farmers and prepare them for a Cybermen invasion. The Masters decide to leave to find the Masters broken TARDIS, which Missy can repair. The Doctor pleads with them to stay and help, appealing more to Missy, knowing how much she's changed. They ignore him, but when they get to the elevator Missy stabs the Master, stating that it's time they sided with the Doctor. The Master shoots Missy in revenge.

The Doctor and Bill work to fight off the Cybermen while Nardole gets the humans to safety. The Doctor is severely wounded and collapses. Bill goes to him and Heather, an interdimensional being using a girl Bill had a crush on as a form, appears. She restores Bill to a human appearance and makes her a being like herself, then they return to the TARDIS with the Doctor. The two leave the Doctor and go to travel the stars. The Doctor begins to regenerate, but refuses to change again. The TARDIS takes him to a mystery location where he encounters his first incarnation.

131: The Unquiet Dead - Season 1, Episode 3: The Doctor takes Rose back to the past, where they encounter Charles Dickens during a reading of A Christmas Carol, where a real ghost seems to attack. They track the ghost back to a morgue, where they learn there has been an ongoing problem with the corpses being possessed. The mortician's assistant as some psychic abilities, which the Doctor uses to communicate with the ghosts. They reveal themselves to be the Gelf, a species who's physical forms were destroyed in the Time War, the same war that destroyed the Doctor's species. They ask that they be allowed to take deceased human bodies as their new physical forms, which Rose objects to. The Doctor allows it, but when they open a path for the Gelf to come through, they insist that they will take over the whole planet. The mortician's assistant closes the bridge, killing herself in the process, but saving the world.

(Beat #126: The Vampires of Venice in Round 1)

[lebuc]

where you sit

* where you sit to do your rendering is of utmost importance

needing an expansive window to match the imagination you bring to any project.

secure seating, with internal & external signal sensors, a secure strap for interdimensional travel,

& lumbar support for lengthy phases; I'd say with that, you're good to go…

thus seated, i'll proceed to prepare my new opus, "Hope is a thick rope you locate", if you're hanging from a cliff in thin air near a gate, angling for at least a riff,

if not a premiere notation in someone or other's lit rotation, bringing another's data near for the fun of re-ideation

& puns we'll borrow from the vanity fairs of the 'lit' swirl sooner than waiting on tomorrow to hurl some dust before it settles, to step up does take mettle… grab the mic, rock the cup in the digi-hip world

where excellence is met with sneers, lip curls, floor gazing, jeers, getting antsy in the ever-warming seat of naysayers & deniers bent on tamping fire's heat

lit by the passion & purpose of artisanals & their buyers, or at least testifiers…

who rise from their seats to applaud in hearty standing ovations

any & all who would deign to don anonymous garb

& make a way through their own re-creation. * 10/23 - lebuc - where you sit