#solver on a string

[peanut-butter-fox]

hold worm gentle like sub sandwich

...this has been sitting in my drafts since the 14th- woops

what better time to finally post it than national golden retriever day?

which is also my birthday *cough*

[shadowx16]

Random Doodles I made out of boredom

(These took longer than I want to admit 😔)

I love how deranged I made reeve look here, prohibinus is concerned for the mental stability of that boy.

Also the ice cream Kai doodle is based on this:

I deadass waited for those damn kiwis to get out of the invisible blocks for 10 MINUTES and they DID NOT cooperate so I had to restart the level

[maiiuelle]

˚❀˚

rafe can’t handle it when you cry. he’s a problem solver at heart, and if something is bothering you, in his eyes it’s his responsibility to fix it. he was on a business call when you burst through the front doors of tannyhill, cheeks already stained with tears as your kitten heels click through the house. “rafe?” you call, sniffling and desperate to find him.

he hears you, attention shifting from his meeting to you. rafe is used to your dramatics, but something about your tone sets off alarm bells in his head. he gets up from his desk, cutting off the investor on the other line. “hey — hey man, i hate to do this to you, but could you just give me one second? somethin’ just came up.” he puts the call on hold and shoves his phone in his pocket before they can protest, and just in time for you to walk through his office doors. you’re a mess, shivering with mascara running wildly down your flushed cheeks. rafe’s forehead creases in concern, rushing around his desk to meet you where you’re standing so you can throw yourself into his arms.

“woah — woah, baby. breathe for me, alright?” rafe’s voice is soft but demanding, and he pulls away when you don’t respond, placing his warm hands on your upper arms to steady you. “hey — tell me what’s goin’ on.”

you suck in a few shaky breaths, whining and pawing at your eyes. you’re already so upset, and trying to condense your frustration into any sort of coherent answer has you even more overwhelmed. you just shake your head, more tears welling up in your eyes. “i don’t know! everything is going wrong.”

“okay, listen to me. you have to breathe.” he leans down to your level, commanding more of your attention as he brings one hand to wipe your tears. rafe knows you’re a sensitive girl, sweet and delicate — it’s one of the things he likes the most about you. as much as he hates seeing you upset, he does love being your knight in shining armor. “what do you mean going wrong? what’s going wrong, princess?”

you finally take a deep breath, wet eyelashes fluttering. it really is everything. you offered to plan a surprise birthday party for one of your friends at the country club, but now that you also have to start organizing your plans for midsummers, you don’t know when you’re going to organize it — and soon enough, tourist season is going to make work at the golf club impossible. the icing on top is that rafe has been busy all day, barely even texting you between meetings, and you really missed him.

all of it comes out in a jumbled string of sobs until you finish with a deep sigh, lip still wobbling as your watery puppy-dog eyes bore into his. “alright.” rafe starts, letting go of you now that you’ve settled a little. “tell you what, i’ll help you out with the shit for midsummers. we can head out to the mainland tomorrow and get you a nice dress, yeah?” he pauses to make sure you’re following, and you nod with a sniffle — already feeling a little better with a promised shopping trip. “and, baby — i know you can handle a little party planning. n’if you need me to, i got no problem pulling a few strings to get you a nice reservation, okay, but for now — you’ve gotta relax. go take a nice bath and wait for me, alright? i have to take this.” rafe pulls his phone from his pocket again, the screen lighting up with the call still on hold. he brings his free hand up to wipe your remaining tears, followed by a gentle kiss pressed to your forehead. “you’re alright, princess — i’ll be right there.”

the whole ordeal has your head spinning, one second you’re flying off the handle with anxiety and now you feel light as a feather. but that’s why you came to tannyhill in the first place, knowing rafe would know just what to do to fix your terrible mood.

˚❀˚

[iloveboysinred]

cw; spanking, fingering, implied satosugu x fem reader, consensual filming (not explicitly stated), reader has female gentials, minimal editing, MDNI

“tape 3, discipline."

Suguru's large palms roughly grabbed your hips, positioning you right over his thigh, your ass facing the camera with nothing but a flimsy black thong just barely concealing your drooling pussy.

Suguru reached over, adjusting the camera's focus. "Listen closely Saturo," his hand came to roughly knead the flesh of your ass, making you tuck your face into the crook of your elbow, concealing your breathy moans.

"If and when she starts to act up, you're going to do what I do. Bend her over your knee, ass up and--" thwack! you gasped, flinching as he delivered a stinging smack to your ass, warmth blooming over the hand mark slowly developing on your smooth skin.

Suguru was leaving on a two-week mission in the country side starting next week. You had been nagging him all week about taking you with him, about how you’ll miss him and how only he could make you cum.

Suguru, ever the problem solver, decided to entrust your mutual good friend Saturo Gojo with your needs until he returned. In the past week he’s made 2 different video tapes detailing a step by step on how to bring you to your peak the same way he does, saving the valuable footage for Saturo to take notes on and use for when he wasn’t around.

He was going to leave it at 2, he really was. But two days before his mission you decided to push the right buttons, leading Suguru to film an extra tape documenting how exactly he gets you to act right should you give Saturo the same trouble.

"e-eighteen!" smack! "nineteen-" smack! "twenty!" Suguru hummed in approval, tenderly rubbing the sore flesh of your ass, a blooming red handprint appearing over the soft skin.

"Very good." Suguru hummed. He looked up at the camera, a small smile on his face. "See how good she can be when she listens?” And you almost wanted to kick him, and you would’ve— if he didnt have three fingers stuffed into your pussy knuckle deep.

He thrusted his thick fingers in and out of your sodden pussy at a steady pace. His finger tips prodded at the spongy surface of your g-spot, curling up and stroking your walls with sweet precision. Torturously, he dragged every obscene squelch out of your quivering pussy, purposely ghosting over your clit with the rough palm of his hand—giving you just enough to string you high, but never once giving you the satisfaction you needed.

“Such a pretty pussy,” Suguru praised, taking a quick glance at the camera. “Open so nicely for the camera to see.” You shut your eyes tight, warmth creeping up your spine at the idea of being filmed for your own best friend to see you fall apart in Suguru’s hands. You clenched your thighs together, clamped tight around his wrist at the thought.

“Ahh, you’re enjoying this,” he hummed, landing another swat to your ass, making you jolt. “Pussy getting so tight at the idea of Saturo watching us, hm?” And you shook your head, choking back a moan as his fingers sped up inside of you, his other hand coming down to rub and tease at your clit. “Tch, don’t lie to me, baby.” He sat you up, pulling his hands away from you to ease you onto your hands and knees.

“Since you like it so much, let’s give him a show.”

Masterlist

[s-wave-entertainment]

Okay so like. A little while back, MD theory YouTuber "LoreDrone" made a video theorizing that the "X" over the visor of a disassembly drone (or any drone for that matter) means that some core string of theirs has been turned off. I'm glad he did, because upon viewing and properly considering the tape from episode 5, I realize he is completely right. Now, we'll never know exactly what strings are inside any drones, but your honor, I'm pretty sure that for N he literally turns off his ability to feel guilt/shame while hunting. And I think this can be supported, seeing as this is a canon thing:

So to contextualize an earlier rant, when I see this:

It makes me think N literally turns off a part of his mind when he enters "hunting mode." It's likely something the Solver programmed into him, seeing as it also admit to allowing them to keep their personalities, but notice how it's kind of off and then turns fully off - something we've only seen one other time in the series, in the very beginning where he was apologizing to Uzi for what he had to do despite having had fun with her - when he actually goes through with the action? When he cuts off the head of someone he thinks he loves?

Yeah so anyway. The dog may have teeth, but that doesn't mean he wants to bite.

Please get this man hugs and therapy and chocolate milk and a goddamn cookie-

[audiart]

So have N and V given any thought to having their full Solver abilities unlocked now that Uzi's their Admin? They already suffer from (most of) the downsides, so it'd just be a flat-out upgrade for them.

An active Solver string seems a lot more detrimental to a Drone's systems than someone who just carries the AS program— I can't see N or V wanting that! Plus, they're already super OP on their own so adding the configuration on top might be overkill lol, Uzi continues to block for all the DDs Nori and Cyn already have prior Solver String access; Nori purposefully triggered the transformation to a combat form in her new body to get her wings again! Increased need for oil be damned, she misses flying too much. Cyn's is unblocked as it does help with her mobility issues, but keeps up with her oil intake well enough And Porter? They're unsure if she even has it since she's so young, so no use worrying now!

[linatheweirdooo]

But when I try to stand, it's like Im buried in the sand

envuzi hurt/comfort fic originally posted on ao3 but my last fic on here did well so here

If you recognise the song in the title youre skibidi

Original link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59257672

~~

"Do your job, and I'll leave you and N alone"

"right, V?"

V backed into the corner, but there was nowhere to run, no place to hide. Tears stung her eyes as she watched her best friend get ripped apart by the monster wearing Tessa's skin. There was nothing she could do but watch.

She failed N. She failed N and Uzi, how could she let this happen? She sacrificed herself to protect them, but of course she was too selfish to kill herself. Of course she backed out. Now there she was, facing the consiquences.

Why did everything always end this way? Why is it that every attempt to help them end in more suffering?

How do they not hate her?

Thoughts retreated to the back of V's mind as she was forced to see it come closer and closer to her, approaching V with mutilated corpses of her friends, the ones she failed, forced to watch, paralysed in fear. She wanted to scream, cry, anything, but nothing came out. This was her life, wasn't it?

~~

V sprung up with a sharp gasp, breaking the silence that had previously enveloped the room.

Room?

V turned to her right to see Uzi, her girlfriend sleeping next to her, and N's arms wrapping around her from her left grounded V, snapping her back to reality.

It was a dream.

She could try to sleep it off. Her internal clock told her it was 2:20 AM. But she was still shaken up by the nightmare.

It was hot. Too hot. She should get something to drink.

V carefully took N's arms and put them down away from her. He was always very cuddly, and she liked it, but now was just not the time.

Uzi was a light sleeper, so V still had to take extra care in getting out of their bed without waking her up either. But eventually, she landed her cone-shaped legs onto the ground, and made her way to the kitchen to get some oil. Uzi and N had both been experimenting with human food, making versions they can eat. V always thought it was a bit useless, she knew all she needed was oil.

Pouring the contents of the bottle into a mug, V stared at her reflection through the black liquid.

How did she get this way?

It's been a few weeks since the solver was defeated, and everyone's still pretty shaken up by it. Uzi has it worst, constantly haunted by the past. Such a powerful being constricted by her own body, and they've yet to see the effects it has in the long term.

So why was V so uneasy? Her own partners can't catch a break, she shouldn't feel like this.

No, it's too late for these thoughts. She survived this long bottling everything up with only a few breakdowns, she doesn't need to stop now. She had more important things to do. There were people she needs to protect and care for now.

V downed the oil in one gulp, eager to get this over with and go back to her partners, but something stopped her at the bathroom mirror.

Something told her to stare. Stare at herself, her body. The hands that can turn into a thousand weapons. The hair she was forced to keep short in order to be successful in combat. The vial of yellow liquid, a weapon of mass destruction. It can so easily melt and tear through flesh.

The piercing yellow eyes that were forced to stare back at her. They weren't always yellow. The solver changed them. Everything she hates about herself was because of the solver.

It didn't even think of her as a person, just a vessel to carry out its deeds. She was never her own person. Who even was she?

Her eyes trailed down to her upper left arm.

The armband.

It had a skull printed on it, a constant reminder of the job she has to do. It had a barcode on it, too. But V eyed something else on it, a string of letters and numbers: her name. Her real name. Serial designation V-X00100000. Next to it, her model type.

CYN-MYKX

Cyn. The poor host of the solver, V's enslaver. The reason she's like this. It only saw her as a tool, didn't it? She wasn't a drone capable of emotion, just a weapon.

She was never her own person. She wasn't her own person as long as she has that armband.

She needs to take it off.

Hands swapped out into claws. Another reminder of what she was made for. Bladed fingers approached the yellow fabric, tugging on it. But she couldn't bring herself to rip it off.

What was the problem? She's trying to but her body just won't let her. V wants this thing off her but can't bring herself to do it.

When did these tears find their way onto her face?

Knees shaky, V fell into the floor, desperately clawing at her arms with razor sharp talons. Who cares if they got damaged, it wasn't even her body anyway. Oil dripped onto the floor as she took in a shaky breath and choked out a sob that was building inside her, but still attempting to shush herself. The last thing she wanted was to be seen like this by the most important people in her life.

~~~

Uzi was always a light sleeper. Hearing a faint, muffled sob from inside her house was enough to wake her up.

Bleary purple eyes blinked awake. It took a few seconds for Uzi to focus on the environment around her, but when she did she noticed something. V wasn't there, despite the fact she was sleeping in the middle that night. At least, that's what she thinks she remembers.

She tierdly lifted herself off the pillow she rested her head on, to check if V may be somewhere else on the bed, only to be met with the sight of a sleeping disassembly drone. But it wasn't V, it was N, her boyfriend. There was still some warmth in between them, though.

Uzi put two and two together to come to the conclusion that V got out of bed recently, for whatever reason.

This can't be good. She had to tell N of their girlfriend's disappearance. Shuffling closer to him, Uzi rested a hand on his shoulder and softly shook it in an attempt to wake him up, but quickly stopped herself.

He looked so peaceful. Only a few weeks ago she would only see this sight in her dreams. So much has happened, but he can finally rest now.

Her hand released its grip on N. She shouldn't wake him up. She can check on V herself. V was strong and brave, she probably isn't hurt and Uzi's just overthinking. It's not worth waking N up too.

With her mind made up, Uzi followed the faint sobs that woke her up in the first place, and worries clouded her head again.

It was when she saw the bathroom door cracked open that she stopped in her tracks. She heard faint sobs that were clearly not intended to be heard, and hyperventilating that got worse the closer she got to the bathroom.

"V? Is that you?" The worker quietly asked through the gap, not walking inside to give her girlfriend some space. But when the only sound that came back was a hushed sob, Uzi was left paralyzed. Whatever's happening, is she qualified to help out with it?

She shook the thoughts away. Her girlfriend was having a moment, she should at least try to help. The door slowly opened, complimented with a soft creak, and Uzi poked her head inside to a sight she wished she didn't get to witness.

~~

N didn't know what it was, but something felt off. His optics struggled to make out his surroundings at first, but he quickly realized the arm he was previously hugging wasn't there. V wasn't there.

V always shuffled around in her sleep a lot, he wasn't surprised she wriggled her arm out of his grasp somehow. But, there was also a lack of warmth on the bed too.

"Uzi? Is V-" his optics had fully adjusted to the dark when he cut himself off. Uzi wasn't there either.

Reluctantly, N got out of the bed. It was late and he was tired, but he definetly can't just fall back asleep knowing neither of them were there. What if they got hurt? They're still pretty shaken up about what happened a few weeks ago (and admittedly, he was too).

But he was more worried about V. Unlike Uzi, who has learned to open up to both her partners, V was clearly trying to hide the way she truly feels. She always hid her true emotions. N just wished she could be more open to him and Uzi, so they can help her. So she doesn't break at the seams again.

Walking down the mostly empty hallway (they had still just moved into their house, there isn't any furniture or decoration yet) N's "eyes" took note of the slightly illuminated wall. It didn't take a genius to figure out a door was open with the light on.

Upon getting closer to the source of the light, he heard quiet sobs.

Once he reached the door, N peeked inside. There was oil everywhere. On the floor, on clothes, even caked onto the faces of two drones. One purple, one yellow.

Uzi and V.

They were on the floor, V had her claws out and was evidently the source of the sobs. She was still wearing the same old jacket she's worn for ages, but evidence of all the abuse it has gone through littered the fabric in the form of rips, tears, scratches and oil stains. But some of them were new.

~~

V bit back some more sobs as she noticed her other partner has found her. N must've not realised he was staring, but to V it was just another pair of eyes watching her, judging her, degrading her for comitting the crime of existing. She wanted to disappear from the face of Copper-9. So much has gone down.

She was sitting on the floor, her knees to her chest, hyperventilating. So defenseless. So weak. No wonder the solver chose her as its victim. It promised she'll be free, but even in its death, she hasn't broken free of its shackles. When it's not controlling or manipulating V, it was watching her in her nightmares, in the empty spaces in her new house, in the mirrors she looked at herself through.

"V, please. Stop hurting yourself" spoke a voice too comforting for her to deserve it. V couldn't even register who said it.

"V?"

Her vents quieted.

"Can you look at me?"

Hesitantly, golden tear-filled eyes met purple ovals. She bit back another sob.

N sat on the floor next to Uzi, with his hand hovering over one of the wounds V's claws were still in the middle of branding her casing with.

He didn't speak, but demonstrated to V what he wanted to her do when he switched over his hands for claws, then back to normal again. He wanted her to switch them back.

V just stared into his eyes and slowly shook her head, digging her claws deeper and drawing more oil.

"V, please." Uzi made eye contact with V again, but this time V removed her claws from the oil stained plastic forearms she was digging them into, but still hovered them over her wounds.

"Can you switch your hands back to normal for me?" The worker asked oh so tenderly; absolutely not the tone V deserved to be spoken to in.

Newly built up tears made their way onto V's screen. She can't. She still hasn't been able to remove the arm band. She still hasn't punished herself enough for the things she did. She's still alive. The solver will be haunting her as long as that remains a fact.

She can't take it anymore. It's like something snapped inside her, but all the tears came back stronger. She didn't want to cry, and an effort was clearly made, but it was too much. She lodged herself inbetween N and Uzi, wrapping her arms around both of them and sobbed hopelessly into the gap between them.

V's sobs were strained, she clearly didn't want them to escape her mouth. But she just couldn't hold them back. It's like every time she blinked back tears in her life all came back to her, stronger than ever. She shook and trembled, as a seemingly endless stream of tears burned her screen.

N was taken aback by the sudden hug, but then wrapped his arms around V's frame, with Uzi following suit.

Uzi didn't care her clothes were soaking up her own girlfriend's oil. It was about time that old hoodie was put out if its misery anyway.

V's sobs eventually died down, getting replaced with awkward yet comforting silence. As she hugged her partners, clawing on the fabric of their clothes. She needs to make sure they're actually here and this wasn't another cruel trick.

Eventually, she broke the silence with two words.

"I'm sorry"

N pulled his head away from V's to look at her, but still stayed in the embrace.

"Don't apologize. But, are you able to tell us what happened?" N's voice was slightly scratchy considering he still had just woken up, but V could still hear the concern in his voice. Robo god she didn't deserve either of them.

"It's stupid" she reluctantly replied. She isnt used to being vulnerable, to saying how she felt. It was a habit she wants to break but it was so hard after years and years of bottling everything up.

"Don't say that. I don't blame you for breaking" Uzi eyed the ground, trying to find the correct words to say.

"These last few weeks have been so hard, and yet you were there for us when we needed someone to talk to"

"I think you deserve that outlet, too"

V's eyes locked with Uzi's when she said those last few words. Uzi has seen first hand the things V has done, how could she deserve it? Uzi and N are good people, she had to comfort them. She loved them. But she didn't deserve that same treatment.

"I don't think I deserve it"

"V..."

"I hurt so many people, Uzi... I hurt you and N... I don't deserve to have the two of you helping or comforting me"

Uzi frowned upon hearing V's response.

"V, N and I met by trying to kill eachother, I killed so many of my classmates at camp. OH, and let's not forget the time I tried to kill you later that day, too."

"Uzi, that's different-"

"No! Because at the end of the day, all three of us have done some messed up shit. But if N and I deserve love anyway, you do, too, V"

Silence fell over the polycule after Uzi's little speech. V tried to argue back, but couldn't find any sufficient arguments.

Uzi was right.

V let out a sigh, and breifly interlaced her fingers with both her partners'... and then found her face heating up. A beat passed before she threw a friendly punch at the purple drone.

"You dork! You don't get to make me feel sappy!" V playfully scolded her girlfriend. Uzi couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in V's demeanor.

But as Uzi's giggles died down, the light-hearted atmosphere did, too.

"But, seriously though. You should open up a bit more. We're here to help you, we love you, why else do you think I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and N?"

V's grin faded slightly as she came back to the reality that she still did scare her partners at the middle of the night.

"What happened, V?" Uzi finally asked her. Damn it. She wished she didn't have to say anything about the events that led up to her breakdown.

"If you're comfortable with talking about it, that is" N added.

V's sorrowful gaze reached her upper left arm. Specifically, the damned yellow tag that branded her.

"I want to take it off. I feel trapped as long as I have it" she finally admitted.

V's mind wandered, anticipating any response from them. "ALL of this trouble was caused by a piece of fabric?!". It was a pretty silly reason, she kind of expected them to get mad at her for it. But they didn't.

N let out a surprised "oh" as he remembered the meltdown he had when he tried to take it off.

Uzi cupped V's cheek and her thumb tenderly traced the surface of it. "Let's take it off, then" her soothing voice comforted.

N positioned himself on V's left, and with a precise slice of his claw, the yellow symbol of control fell into the floor.

V looked at her arm. Her arm, which was a part of her body, no longer belonging to anyone else.

She was free.

V hugged N, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Thank you"

N reciprocated the action, his arms wrapped around V as her hair fully obscured his face. He then planted a gentle kiss on it as his fingers ran through her silver locks.

Eventually, they parted before V wiped a singular tear off her screen. One day, she'll tell them about the problems plaguing her. The nightmares, the thoughts, the urge. But for now, she savored the feeling of being at peace (or at least, the closest feeling to peace since what happened three weeks ago).

"I think it's time we head back to bed" V finally said. She hated to admit it, but the lack of sleep did take a toll on her.

Standing up from the floor, V stretched and picked up Uzi bridal style.

"HEY!"

"Can't let you forget how I usually act just because you saw me cry, toaster"

Uzi childishly pouted before wrapping her arms around V's neck.

"Bite me"

N held back a few giggles as he watched the most important drones in his life still bickering like they don't live in the same house together.

~~

After the three of them flopped on their bed, V felt two pairs of arms wrap around her waist and head.

"I'm NOT letting you leave this bed alone again" Uzi mumbled into her girlfriend's chest.

V could've gotten mad, but she found herself chuckling instead. Maybe this night wasn't that bad in the end.

Soft rumbles radiated from V as she purred in content in sync with the taller disassembly drone nuzzling her.

"I love you" were the last words V spoke that night. Though it was half muttered, both the drones it was directed at heard it, increasing their grip in their hugs.

Eventually, V's purring was replaced with soft snores as she drifted off the sleep, surrounded by the people she loved in a quiet moment of tranquillity.

[shurikensgang]

[Hmm...coding it is then]

Other_solver= foreign non-interactive object

While other_solver= true

Other_solver.split

Suddenly, Jyx's solver was splitting apart from the inside. Nothing it could do would stop it

This was code. Within the very fabric of a robot or Ai.

Jyx appears in Shuriken’s room.

His body is battered, clothes ripped. The right side of his eye is covered in flesh-like tendrils. Half of his body is covered with flesh-like tendrils. They also protrude through his back, waving around. Horrible, yellow eyes cover the red tendrils, looking everywhere all at once.

“Hey, uh… you think you could give me a hand?”

He blinked. "What the fuck happened to you?"

[featherwingbrushes]

Hi Hii! I see you have requests open, and I wanted to make a request for a fic! :)

Murder trio try to go hunting only to get outsmarted and fall into a giggle bug (fluffy version of the robo bugs) nest and get the daylights tickled out of em

or smth with tickle critters.

Very tired from being a writer most of the time (and thanks to school), just need a lil break from it yk?

Thanks and have a nice day! :)

Comin’ right up! Sorry it took a bit, school and all as well 😮‍💨

Anyway straight onto the fic! I always loved ur fics and u were probably my biggest inspiration to start writing for the fandom :3

Infamous giggle bug time >:D

I used some script from ur Uzi fic tho when the message pops up from the bug so it’s more accurate

Mission Derailed by the Cleaner Crew

A trio fic abt the Disassembly Drones squad! Decided that this is after the events of the season so they’re on slightly better terms and N isn’t being as abused

Lee!J, Lee!V, Lee!N & Ler!GiggleBugs

Onto the story!

“Keep up, you slowpokes. We don’t have all night, and at this rate the sun will be up by the time you both crawl out of your stupid hole of a bunker.”

“Oh shut up, J. You’re not our squad leader anymore. Haven’t you learned by now that your authority means zilch?” V scoffed in response, brushing past the silver pigtailed-drone with an agitated flick of her wire tail. “And you’re not much better than N and I, just clinging to the busted-up space ship instead of taking shelter with us.”

J just gave her an offended glare, but rolled her digital eyes and decided to keep walking, managing to be a step in front of V again.

The trio was out on a mission, and J had finally rejoined V and N after a tense period of months being isolated in the ship within the corpse spire. Rather reluctantly, she might add, although the tiniest part of her maybe felt an old sense of normalcy and contentment with just the three of them as a squad again. Out like they used to be, with rather similar bickering. Just not as heavy topics to reference unlike the present.

“Wait— Wait guys, wait up!” N blurted out, scrambling to catch up after her had taken a bit too long chatting and saying goodbye to Uzi.

He quickly fell in step with the other two, though J insistently tried to keep ahead. “Well I prefer not to fully exist alongside the barely sentient toasters you call ‘friends’ instead of JUST food, which is what they should be.”

“Y’know, if you ever actually tried to get to know one of those ‘toasters’, you’d see they’re not that different from us. Well, maybe just different from you, since not all of them are such prejudiced, corporate-brainwashed asshats.”

“Hey, I object to that statement! I stopped following Cyn, thank you very much. I just know the difference in quality between myself and… others.”

“Oh, are you fucking implying—”

“OHO—KAY, guys, calm down, we’re not here to rip each other’s throats out.” N swiftly intervened, moving to stand between the two with a nervous smile, glancing at the both of them.

V just rolled her eyes and turned her head away, whereas J shot him an even sharper glare. He shrunk away from it on instinct, but took a breath and straightened a little back up, trying to remember what Uzi had told him. Right. Don’t just bend over backwards for J. She’s… scary, but she’s not the same anymore. She’ll bark, but won’t bite… as hard.

V gave him a slight look of pride for silently holding his own against J, although she’d never admit to it. Can’t give him too much credit so easily.

J just scoffed wordlessly and pushed the pilot aside, reinserting herself between him and V out of sheer stubbornness. She didn’t like giving up her leading position, as thin of strings as she could grasp in her situation.

N took that as his cue to just keep going, smile back on his face as he successfully got past another tense interaction with J. “Okie-dokie then. Now remember, we’re on two missions tonight. One is just to scout for any remains of the Solver. The other is just… hunting, at J’s insistence.”

“That’s what we’re meant to DO, you dolt. Of course I insist we hunt.” J huffed, earning another nasty look from V.

“ANYWAY. J, you get this incredibly rare chance to take us on a hunt, but don’t expect it to be common. Uzi let us go because we don’t have enough donors right now and we’re far enough away so that we don’t hunt down anyone from her Colony. Just stragglers.” V reaffirmed N’s statements, being more specific to dissuade her old squad mate from forming a belief that this would be a normal thing again.

J didn’t bother to stifle a hiss at that, her tail giving an angry lash. “Oh Uzi said this, Uzi said that— I don’t care what that angst-filled microwave has to say. I’m only going along with this whole weird new life of yours because there’s nothing better to do without a corporate overshadowing our duties.”

“Well you better start caring. That drone is the bane of my existence but she’s our admin now, and by extension, your admin.” V retorted, reaching over to harshly jab at one of the five nanite-filled LED lights in J’s headband, causing the other drone to let out a sharper agitated hiss.

V wouldn’t really verbally admit that she listened to Uzi somewhat because she viewed her as a friend, just as N did, but that was for another time. This was just for the sake of snapping back at J.

“Agh. Only on paper.”

“Well, not on paper, more like—”

“Okay, not again.” N sighed, deciding to not loudly interject in this developing argument this time. Might as well let them air it all out for now.

The three kept walking, figuring it wasn’t an immediate concern to hunt down anything yet, so they went on foot. They traversed far enough away from the bunker to be sure there was no accidental consumption of a known Worker from the Colony, as per Uzi’s begrudging request.

Right now the trio was trekking through a ruined city, debris and rubble scattered everywhere from the initial invasion of Copper-9 by the Disassembly Drones and Solver itself. The buildings were corroded and crumbling, car wrecks littered along the roads, frozen skeletons were dotted here and there. But at least the stars were twinkling above despite the dystopian environment.

There was just a little bit of breeze, the occasional little creak of a settling ruin and such breaking the soundless atmosphere, but otherwise it was silent.

Well, besides the continued heated yapping between V and J, that is. Which N was subjected to during the entire trip. Not that he was much of a complainer, happy to be “doing anything”, but even he would rather not listen to the hostile words being catapulted back at one another.

He absently kicked a little pile of rubble as they continued trudging along, hands in his coat pockets as he heaved a small weary sigh. He’d forgotten how often the two female drones clashed even back when they hunted together, as rare as it was for them to go as a trio all at once. But it seemed worse now.

Looking for a potential target, or really just anything to distract him, his gaze wandered around the devastated city. Completely dirty and strewn with the wreckage, never to be— Oh. His thoughts were interrupted.

“What was that?” He piped up, not too loud, but enough to accidentally draw J and V’s attention.

“What was what, moron-bot?”

“What is it, idiot?”

Not even picking up on the usual insults from the both of them, N listened for another scurrying sound before he simply pointed to something he spotted a few feet away. “That.”

It was a little mechanical cricket-roach, only a few inches tall and wide, sitting atop a ruined car. A surprisingly clean car, the metal practically buffed to perfection to boot. Odd. The rest of the cars in the vicinity were the same, apparently. They hadn’t noticed that when they first arrived.

The critter was a little keybug of sorts, with a few modifications. The most prominent thing about it was that it was glowing a striking pink, instead of the usual orangey-red or green like StringBean (Hehe reference :3).

The trio drew a little closer out of curiosity, though J and V were more wary of the little bug than N, who took a few steps closer.

The bug’s little pink lights flashed every so often, maybe a glitch, perhaps? The oddest thing about it was it had fluffy pink… fur? More specifically, little pink puff balls as the ends of their antennae, and little puffs on their front-most appendages as well. Pink buffer pads? He also had stumpy little legs rather than sharp angular ones.

“Aw, look at him! He’s such a cute little guy. Like a lil cheerleader!” N beamed at the critter, reaching out to wave a finger at it, wanting to play with the creature before J and V inevitably tried to squash the innocent thing or something.

“Yeah, pompoms and pink seems to be a thing among cheerleaders too.” V side-eyed the bug warily as she now stood beside N, though briefly thinking back to Lizzy at the mention.

J, on the other hand, was more actively scrutinizing the tiny pink-lit roach, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t like how it was just… sitting there. Flashing lights. Almost like it was… trying to draw them in. “…N, V. Get back over here. I don’t like this thing. It’s untrustworthy.”

“Oh it’s probably, fine, J. Now you’re worried about a bug, of all things? It’s just a little pink pest. Ooooh, so scary~!” V half-taunted in return, slight smirk gracing her lips with the last part before turning her attention back to the bug.

“Relax, J. He’s just a silly little cheerleader. Probably was a pet or something before the whole takeover thing. C’mere lil’ guy!” N cast J a smile before looking back to the mechanical roach, gently scooping it up in his hands from the car’s shiny clean surface.

It slowly crawled around the palm of his hand for a moment, antennae twitching with whatever it was perceiving.

“Awh, I don’t have any hex nuts for ya, buddy. Sorry.” The pilot smiled apologetically to the curious bug, figuring it was just peckish and searching for something to consume.

Then the bug stilled for a moment, pupil-less neon pink eyes seemingly flitting over the three drones in the vicinity before suddenly emitting loud squeaks, nearly piercing the air itself from the abruptness. The trio yelped and N nearly dropped the robotic insect, J and V instantly deploying their guns aimed at the tiny creature out of defensive habit after jumping back. They exchanged glances, both somewhat embarrassed over the slight overreaction, now playing it off with the same casual expressions as they avoided each others’ gaze, retracting weapons.

N meanwhile was trying to gently hush the bug, apologizing to it as best as he could. “H-Hey, hey, I’m sorry little buddy, I just don’t have any hex nuts! I’m sure you can just scavenge for food, yeah? Yeah.” And he set it back down on the hood of the car, expecting it to just scurry off into the crumbling buildings.

But the squeaks grow sharper, louder, more frantic. The call rang out across the dystopianly ruined city, reverberating against the buildings, practically turning the city street into a resounding echo chamber.

“Why won’t that thing shut up?? N, what did you do to it??”

“I— I didn’t do anything, V! I promise! I just don’t have food to give it!”

“You mentioned food to it in the first place?? WHY??”

“Well why not? Can they understand us?? I thought only Uzi’s keybug could do that!”

“Well I don’t know, but it sure as hell seems—”

“HEY. You two idiots pay attention! Look!” J cut V off, smacking V’s tail with her own wire as she motioned to the building crumbling behind the clean car. A few more blinking pink lights had appeared, the number slowly growing, pairs and pairs flashing into existence within the shadows.

All three drones tensed up, ready to bolt the moment anything jumped out at them.

And sure enough, something did.

A horde of the neon-lit fluffy roaches sprung out from the debris, scurrying at lightning speed towards the drones. The three immediately deployed their wings and tried to launch off, but were already swarmed by the bugs by the time their blades were spread. The three only lasted a few seconds before topping over, dropping to the ground and covered in those little bugs.

“What— WHAT’S GOING ON?? V?? J??”

“FUCK, I THINK THAT BUGGER WAS BAIT!”

“OH I TOLD YOU SO, YOU— AH!”

J was cut off, biting down on her lip on instinct when she felt the little roaches skitter within her uniform dress, underneath the fabric and roaming along the bare metal. Against her will, she found giggles bubbling up in her throat, and they were the first to escape out of the three. She couldn’t help it, not when they began scurrying around her stomach. “STAHAHAP IHIHIT THIHIS IHIHINSTAHAHNT!”

V and N were shocked to hear the surprisingly prominent giggles of their stoic ex-squad leader teammate, but didn’t have much time to process before overcome with the mechanical pests themselves.

V felt them skittering all over her exposed torso, definitely not helped by the fact that her standard regulation D.D. jacket was cropped. Crawling quickly up and down her sides, their little pitter-pattering on her ribs, she was reduced to a fit of giggles alongside J in a matter of seconds. “G-Get— Gehehet OHOHOFF mehehee yohou— y-yohohou pehehests!!”

“PLEHEHEHEASE?? We— W-We’ll leheheave yohohohou ahahall alohohohone!” N wasn’t faring much better, with the little bugs crawling all over him as well. They slipped under his coat no-problem, skittering their repeated paths up and down his sides as well, over his stomach. Even down to his shoe-like feet.

They were all being swarmed, no signs of stopping. This went on for at least another minute, with the Disassembly Drones wriggling around on the snowy asbestos-powdered ground, covered with the pink-puffed bugs from head to toe. Their insults (V and J) and pleas falling on deaf, nonexistent ears.

Then all the sudden, everything stopped, and the drones quickly fell silent beyond panting for artificial breath. The three of them exchanged glances, J and V more embarrassed over their reactions than their resident golden retriever. Then they peered down at the bugs just resting on top of them.

“Wh-What— What wahas that? Why— Why’d they do that??” N piped up, a little breathless as he stared down at a few of the bugs.

“I— I don’t know. I’ve never seen these stupid fluff balls before.” V hissed at the little roaches, but they didn’t budge off her even when she raised a hand to lightly smack at them.

J sighed, shakily propping herself up. “I think I’ve heard of— of these things. They’re like cleaner bots. We had them around the Manor occasionally. Sometimes drones were sent to them if they were too dirty to the Elliots’ liking. I thought they were wiped out.”

“Cleaner bots? Giggle bugs is more like it.” N chuckled a little nervously, gaze flickering back down to the pink-lit insects. “They tickle really bad.”

”Yeah, unfortunate side effect.” She mumbled, a slight cringe to her expression. She hated these things.

One of the bugs skittered a little closer, on top of N’s chest. The movement drew the three’s attention, gazes cautious.

“Scanning complete, 35%, 45%, and 60% of Disassembly Drone metal has dulled! Initiating buffing sequence in 5 seconds!" 

“Do not worry! This will not hurt one bit! :]”

”J. J, what the fuck does that mean.”

“J, can you tell us— HEHEHEHEEHEY!!”

N’s questioning was cut off by a loud peal of laughter, dissolving into bubbly giggles again as the little critters suddenly sprung to life once more, this time using their little pink buffer pads to brush them all over any bit of metal they could get their pompoms on.

V and J erupted into cackles again as well, the little puffs buffing every spot in their reach. Be it underneath their uniforms, their harder to reach little points like the crooks of their necks and the small hollows of their underarms, to the blades of their wings— which J was especially losing it from, trying her best to fling off the mischievous giggle bugs. Shooting them proved useless, since they were on her and she shouldn’t even bother trying.

So the trio laid there in hysterics, laughter and profanity and pleas ringing out in the city instead of those squeaky calls. Not a single drone would arrive to save them, not after they traveled so far from the Colony. So this wore on for a good few minutes.

Fifteen or so minutes later, the fluffy buffers finally ceased, scattering off the worn-out Disassembly Drones and leaving them there in an exhausted giggly heap.

V was the first to recover enough to shakily prop herself up with an arm behind her, other arm weakly clutching at her waist, trying to rub away the lingering tingles from the pink fluffy pompoms.

“Sequence completed! Drones restored to premium condition. :]”

Alittle pop-up read from the closest cleaner.

V was quick to switch out her hand for a gun, firing a warning shot near the little critter, the loud boom startling the entire horde, sending them scrambling off to where they came form. Probably some nest in the area.

Then she flopped back down beside the others, taking an extra minute to breathe. A few minutes later the silence was broken, and the trio got up from the snowy street.

“Ugh… We’re never going near this area again.”

“For once, I’ll agree with you.” J sighed, tiredly dusting herself off. Not that there was any dust, which the three soon realized.

“Hey! Look, we’re all shiny!” N gleefully pointed out, gesturing to the way his white metal gleamed, just as the others did. “Guess those cleaners work well! As uh, tickly as they are.”

“Yeah, but not worth that torture.” V just scoffed, beginning to walk away. “Let’s get out of here. We can hunt somewhere else or check if there’s enough donors back at the bunker now.”

“I’m so done with this wasteland of a planet. And we are NEVER speaking of this again.” J grumbled under her breath, but begrudgingly fell in step beside V.

“Well it wasn’t THAT bad.” N quickly followed, but not before a quick glance back over at that shiny car, where the little giggle bug had stationed itself again.

It gave a little wave with its pompom, and he gave it a small smile and wave back.

———

Ok so that was it! Tell me if yall liked it! I hope u enjoyed it Floof :3

finished in school lol

.

[peanut-butter-fox]

whenever I post stuff here I always have the mentality of "I'm just gonna throw this out into the void even if nobody sees it- and if someone does, ✨great✨"

so I will admit, it always catches me off guard whenever something gets a bunch of attention

and I never post about it because I don't wanna sound like I'm bragging, but on the other hand-

this is the biggest activity spike I've seen since the freakiNG BOOP EVENTS???

HELLO??

WHAT IS HAPPENING

WHERE DID Y'ALL COME FROM

WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE IT'S BREACHING CONTAINMENT- /silly

also there are a couple comments I wanted to respond to but I'm honestly scared to interact with the post now- I'm not trying to ignore anyone I just have anxiety

[bluginkgo]

She's mine

A really crazy need surfaced for me to draw a feral N. That kinda evolved a little bit into a small idea. So here ya go 😅

Headcanon that will probably be debunked pretty soon (REALLY excited for the MD news :3), but oh well: N can't stand to lose Uzi, so the absolute solver string within his programming whispers to him. Says that it can protect her in ways he can't. So he gives in and immediately regrets it. After a small scuffle between Uzi and Tessa, N pounces, disarms, and injures Tessa in the process. The Solver speaks directly to Tessa as a way to gloat (that Uzi will become the next Cyn/absolute solver host), while N's consciousness desperately calls out for Uzi to run. That the thing that is "protecting" her is no longer him.

[alphashley14]

One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

<Prev

Chapter 29

Yeah

Back at a certain haunted house about twenty or so minutes before Arthur and Lewis’ intense reunion, seven mystery solvers stood in stunned silence, having just watched a ghost disappear and a kitsune throw himself out the fucking window.

For a few beats of stunned silence, the only sound was Ricky’s own harsh breathing and the soft rumble of thunder overhead. Then right as the first raindrops were starting to fall from the dark sky above, Ricky shakily turned around. To Vivi, still sobbing on the floor. And to the others: Cassidy, Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby. All staring out the broken window with the same question written on their faces: what do we do now?

Come on, Ricky. Calm down. Be the adult. What’s next? Forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths, Ricky started looking at each person in the room, organizing his swirling thoughts as he looked at each one. 

No one looked physically hurt. That was the important thing. Almost everyone was just as shell-shocked as Ricky was, and Cassidy looked to be in the same boat as him: gathering her wits and trying to figure out what to do next.

Vivi caught his attention next because she was still bawling. And now that he had the presence of mind to think about it, the sight yanked on his heartstrings. “Vivi,” Ricky said. And in a few strides he was at her side and dropping to his knees beside her. 

“Vivi- Sweetie, you need to calm down,” he said, as he began gently patting her back. He felt ridiculous. Nothing he could think of to say felt right, because what could he even say? Vivi had been so strong about all of this from the moment Arthur had been replaced with Shaggy. She’d kept her head and had been nothing but kind and generous to every single stranger under her roof. But now here she was, having witnessed something so terrible, without a single one of her family beside her. “I know. I know. And I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling. Just- listen. Uh- breathe. In… out… you’re okay. It’s- it’s okay.”

And yes, Ricky knew he wasn’t very good at this and he wasn’t the person she needed right now. And yes, Ricky knew it was not, in fact, ‘okay.’ But that’s what you’re supposed to say, isn’t it?

“N-no. No! It’s- it’s not- I-I-I-!” But Vivi couldn’t get two words out without sobbing so hard she coughed. 

Then Cassidy dropped to the floor beside him. “Breathe, baby. Breathe…”

Ricky flashed Cassidy a grateful look. How had he ever gotten by without her? 

“I can’t- oh Artie! An- And-” And then Vivi was reaching for him. 

Ricky should really be more used to it by now, but he still froze when she hugged him. Then she started breathing, like Cassidy had told her to, and when she finally whimpered, “I’m sorry… *sniff* I’m so sorry that happened to you. We didn’t- *hic* I mean we’d never- *hic* *gasp* The house just- *choke* I-*gasp* I- *gasp* I- *gasp* And Arthur- *sob* Arthur!” But the longer she spoke the more Vivi lost control over her words until it was just babbles of relevant words between her sobs that she just couldn’t string together in a sentence. It teleported Ricky, very suddenly back to earlier today. She’s in the same state I was with Cassidy, he realized.

But Ricky could have the person his tears were for in his arms again. 

Vivi didn’t. Couldn’t. (And maybe she never will, his anxiety said not helpfully, but Ricky didn’t even want to entertain a thought so awful.) 

Unless… then Ricky had an idea.

“Shaggy, come here,” he said. 

Shaggy looked surprised and confused, pointing at himself as if to say ‘who me?’ 

To which Ricky gave him a perhaps undeserved ugly look and beckoned him over more aggressively. ‘Yes, you!’ 

Shaggy quickly came over, and as soon as he knelt next to them, Ricky was gently detangling the limbs thrown around him and turning Vivi over into his arms. 

He wasn’t Arthur. But the body Shaggy was in was the only part of Arthur they could give her right now. And maybe - just maybe - the feeling of him could be enough to calm her down. 

And it seemed to work. Vivi latched onto Shaggy immediately, her face buried in his shirt as she sobbed, with Cassidy rubbing her back and saying sweet things to her. Shaggy’s arms came around her, having caught on to what Ricky had in mind. But all the same he gave Ricky an awkward, pleading look as if to say, ‘Why meeeee?’ 

Ricky winced and mouthed ‘sorry,’ at him. He’d feel horribly awkward if he was in Shaggy’s shoes too. 

“Girls,” Cassidy said, beckoning Velma and Daphne over, “can you two take Vivi to her room while the others and I clean up down here?” 

Her words snapped the two out of their shocked stupor, and at once they nodded and took over, and Cassidy and Ricky scooted away to let them. But it didn’t look like Vivi was ready to let go of Shaggy just yet, and poor Shaggy didn’t seem to have the foggiest idea what to do about it. 

“Shaggy,” Cassidy said, and to her credit - only a hint of her ‘are-you-stupid?’ voice leaked through. “Go with them.” 

Shaggy nodded, and the three of them gradually got a shaking, sputtering Vivi to stand before they began leading her out of the room, the sounds of her cries echoing through the corridors long after they were gone. 

Cassidy, Fred, Scooby, and Ricky watched them go. Scooby looked torn between following Shaggy or staying with them, until he finally looked at the others. “What do we do now?” The dog whimpered. 

“And before that,” Fred said, “What just… happened?”

“I- don’t know,” Ricky sighed. 

“But before we do anything else something needs to be done about the window,” Cassidy said. 

“She’s right,” Ricky said. “There’s about to be a thunderstorm right on top of us and this room is going to be destroyed if we don’t cover it with a tarp or something.”

“I bet there’d be one in the conservatory,” Fred said thoughtfully. “And if not there, then I saw a shed in the garden. I’ll run and look. Scoob, you coming with?” 

“Ruh-huh,” Scooby nodded. 

“Thank you,” Ricky said. “I guess… the glass needs to be swept up too. The window broke outward but some of it still landed in here. Angel, would you help me?” 

“Course’, baby.” 

Fred and Scooby ran off towards the back of the house, and Ricky and Cassidy hurried off to look for brooms and dustpans. They found a set in the kitchen and a set in a closet near the stairs, and within five minutes they were back in the art gallery and starting to sweep. 

They completed the task in silence, and were sweeping the shards into a small trash can by the door when Cassidy finally spoke. “So… I know I haven’t said the obvious yet but… are you okay?” 

‘I’m fine,’ was the obvious answer. The automatic answer, drilled into most people by a lifetime of counterproductive ‘politeness.’ But that wasn’t what Cassidy was looking for. 

“I… don’t know,” he finally replied. “Just- today has… sucked. The only good thing that’s happened to me today has been-” Ricky suddenly realized what he was about to say, and all the blood rushed to his face with embarrassment. But the sentence was so far out of his mouth he had to finish it. “... You. Er- finding out you were alive, I mean. A-and getting to spend time with you, without any of my shitty behavior screwing it up for once. But now…”

He shouldn’t be thinking about this. There were other things that needed done. And Arthur was dealing with a lot worse than hurt feelings right now. He should really be shelving this for later. But Cassidy wasn’t letting him. 

He was more than a little shaken, same as the rest of them. But once he stopped and thought about it, he also felt… hurt. 

The Mystery Skulls had seen it. Ricky had said he wasn’t ready for them to, but they had anyway. And it had been everywhere. Ricky’s heart was breaking for Arthur and the guilt was making his skin crawl. But even more than that, Ricky was so fucking embarassed that if he thought on it too long it made him want to fall straight through the floor and die. Those horrible, horrible sounds and images of him- of Arthur were gone now and the paintings had gone back to their original states. But how had that even happened to begin with? And why? Had it been an accident? Some supernatural fluke? 

Or…

Betrayal was a familiar sting. His old friends’ most recent one had split his heart open all over again, and the scarred, worn old thing was still bleeding. But somehow, he still had some hope left. Hope that people existed who cared about him and how he felt - people who were good and honorable enough that when they promised to honor his wishes, keep his feelings in mind, they kept that word. 

And yet.

Absent-mindedly, Ricky started biting the nail on his thumb. It was a nasty habit, one he’d dropped from his youth as he’d gotten older. He didn’t even know why he found himself doing it again now. What he did know was that scared, mistrustful part of him was scolding him for getting comfortable. For being stupid enough to hope. For trusting the Mystery Skulls.

But then he remembered everything Mystery, Vivi, and Lewis had done for him so far, and there it was again: Hope.

So many parts saying such different things. It left the whole of him not knowing what to think… and hurt, no matter how much he dared wish for a kinder truth.

The thunder was getting closer when Ricky looked away from the window, back at her. “Cassidy…”

She was staring at him, expectant. Leaning against her broom. Not pitying.  Listening. 

“They- wouldn’t have done that to me… right?” 

He didn’t need to elaborate, understanding passing over her face at once. But she didn’t answer him immediately. Rather, she looked to the raindrops falling into the black, twisted trees in greater numbers, her brows furrowed in thought. 

“... No,” she finally said. “No, I don’t think they would.” 

But that raised the question of the hour all over again. “... Then what happened back there?” 

And try as she might, not even Cassidy had an answer for that. 

Once the rain decided to come down, the heavens opened up fast. Fred and Scooby were unfortunate enough to have been in the shed in search of a tarp when the rain really started coming down, and by the time they made it back to Ricky and Cassidy, blue tarp in hand, they were both drenched and a sizable puddle was forming on the floor by the broken window. 

With the aid of Fred’s expertise in trap setting, getting the tarp secured over the hole was no trouble, which left them with the task of locating appropriate towels and drying the floor. (After they dried off Fred and Scooby of course.) It didn’t take long. Especially after Shaggy came back down, having been kicked out by the girls. The whole process took about twenty minutes, and by the end of it poor Fred’s teeth were chattering and even Scooby was shivering a little. 

Angel suggested the two go up to their rooms for a hot shower, but Fred refused, claiming that they had a potentially messy job later in the day, and there was no point in showering twice. 

Begrudgingly, Cassidy let them win that round. But she still dragged them all to a nearby fireplace to warm them up. She took them to yet another lounge room in the mansion, and once again Ricky found himself surprised. 

At least one of the Mystery Skulls, apparently, was a gamer. And a huge horror fan. And if the large deep blue sofa was anything to go by, Ricky had an inkling that it was Vivi. The walls were painted a deep maroon that reminded him rather unsettlingly of the Sitting Room, but not much of them could be seen with the sheer number of display cabinets, posters, prints, and framed artwork that were lining the walls. And while none of these pictures moved, they were all from various horror films and games. On either side of the wide blue sofa there were two large blood red bean bag chairs for extra seating. The coffee table was black and shaped like a coffin, and on either side of the fireplace were a set of cabinets that, after Shaggy and Scooby couldn’t help themselves and snooped, contained a wide and veritable collection of scary movies and games. 

Between the two cabinets above the fireplace was a large flatscreen TV with a gaming setup that even Ricky could tell was impressive, given how little he knew about video games these days. And on another wall, there was a large display case with an extremely expensive-looking collection of horror figurines and dioramas. Most of which, according to Shaggy, were zombies from two particular games called  ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Silent Hill.’ 

A lot of people wouldn’t exactly find this room ‘relaxing,’ with the sheer amount of gore in some of the art. But for them, fake monsters were such a common occurrence that it somehow felt homey. Shaggy and Scooby were delighted to find that the Mystery Skulls had all of the Vincent Van Ghoul movies and quite a number of the video game adaptations. Ricky couldn’t help but chuckle when they pressed their faces against the glass cabinets to look at the few Van Ghoul figures and dioramas in the collection. 

“Like, Look Scoob! They’ve got one of the pig beast!” Shaggy said excitedly. 

Scooby’s tail was wagging so hard Ricky half-expected it to go flying off. 

Ricky caaasually stood behind them, hands in his pockets, to sneak a peek at the dioramas himself. 

“Don’t think I don’t see you,” Cassidy teased behind him. 

Busted. “I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about,” Ricky said innocently. 

“Like, do you like Vincent Van Ghoul movies too?!” Shaggy whirled around. 

“Well- I’ve seen them but-” 

“It’s miniatures he likes,” Cassidy said over his shoulder, “Ricky had a whole shelf of ones he made from kits or from scratch in his room when we were younger. He even hung a few of the planes from the ceiling.” 

“Ranes?” Scooby said with a tilt of his head. 

“I’ve- always liked things that fly,” Ricky sighed. “But uh- it’s not like I ever did anything- that detailed,” he said, getting distracted by the dioramas again. They were so tiny, but just look at the way the rust had been painted on the walls. And the texture on those intestines… 

“He’s not giving himself nearly enough credit. They were incredible.” 

“Cassidy-!” 

“Just look at the pretty toys you dork,” Cassidy laughed, giving him a little push closer to the display case. With a sigh, Ricky admitted defeat and gave in.

Eventually, Shaggy and Scooby walked back over to the fire with Fred, leaving Cassidy and Ricky to look at the dioramas a bit longer. 

They sat there for a time, looking at the ones on the bottom shelves, an uneasy silence between them, before Ricky decided to be the brave one. 

“You know… By any chance, is this why you led us into this room in particular, Angel?” Ricky asked. And he hoped the nonchalant way he said it didn’t give away how much her answer mattered. 

“Maybe,” Cassidy shrugged innocently. “Maybe I saw this room when I stayed here back in Arizona. Maybe I remember thinking that you’d like these. And maaaybe I thought seeing them might cheer you up.”

The butterflies in his stomach began to flutter, and Ricky had to tighten his mouth to keep from smiling. “-Thank you,” he said, rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants before he could say something stupid. “-And I do. Like them, I mean. You know I can’t actually remember the last time I did this. Just- looked. And enjoyed something like this. Always- so busy. Or maybe- just not spending time on simple things that made me happy. I can’t remember the last time I made one of these. Or even looked at one that wasn't related to my company.” 

“We had a few back at the old apartment, didn’t we?” Cassidy said, smiling fondly. 

Ricky had to think about it for a moment. But then, he remembered. And he smiled. “Huh… we did, didn’t we?” 

With nowhere to go and having to build their whole lives virtually from the ground up, Ricky and Cassidy had eventually moved to San Francisco after they left Crystal Cove. It took three years, but they were finally living in a half decent apartment and had gotten to the point where they didn’t have to skip meals to make rent. Money was coming in, they weren’t living paycheck to paycheck, and their lives were finally reaching some semblance of stability. Ricky remembered now. He’d come home from his second job to find that Cassidy had splurged from her own savings on a model airplane kit to surprise him - just as nice as the ones he’d used to have back home in Crystal Cove. 

That had been a good night. A great night. Ricky had gone to some dark, dark places mentally back then. But that was one of the greatest moments of pure, spontaneous joy he could remember from those times. He’d been so excited to put it together he’d almost gotten ahead of himself. Then how thoughtful the gift had been had hit him full force, and he’d swept his Angel right off her feet. 

How could he ever have forgotten? He could still hear the way she’d shrieked with laughter so clearly. The kissing had been awkward at first because neither of them could stop giggling - quick pecks that started to linger, then deepen. Then they’d wound up against the wall, and silly giggles became the loveliest little moans and sighs. His Angel’s arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, his hands under her thighs, his body pressing hers against the wall, and their lips gliding over one another with the most perfect, practiced ease. She was so much smaller than him. Even as a young man, skinny as he was, Ricky had always been strong. Holding her up and against him had felt so right, and she’d fit so well against him. Then she’d slid her fingers into his hair and tugged, and his last bit of sense had just disappeared. 

They never did make it to the bedroom that night. But that creaky old sofa they’d nicked off the freeway had served their purposes just fine. 

… Dear god, how could he have forgotten that night?

It had happened similarly a few times after that. Cassidy would surprise him with a model, and he’d show her exactly how much he liked it. (And he liked them a lot.) Then usually the next evening they’d put on a movie and they’d sit in the living room together, him building the set while Cassidy sat curled on that very same sofa offering emotional support with a glass of wine. 

Then. About five years after they disappeared, he came home to find she’d done it again, and instead of being excited or feeling touched it made him… angry. 

Why had it made him angry? Something about money? Oh god- he’d said such awful things… 

Cassidy never bought him another model after that. 

“... I remember now,” he said. “You bought them for me…” 

“Of course I did,” she said. “I knew what you liked. And I loved how happy they made you.”

Should he say it? He should. He could see it in her eyes that she was already thinking about it. 

“... Remember the last one?” 

A pause. “... I remember.” 

Of course she did. She was the one who’d gotten unfairly shouted at until she cried. Fuck - I was such an asshole! 

“You know, I still have it,” He said sheepishly. 

Her head snapped around. “Nuh-uh.” 

“I do.”

“You do not!”

“I do!” He laughed. “Honest to god! I mean I never- ya know- built it. But it’s… in the back of one of my dressers back at Destroido as we speak. Unopened.” 

Now she looked confused. And a glimmer of that old hurt was in her eyes. “But… I thought you hated it.” 

“I didn’t- don’t. I mean-” Ricky sighed deeply and rubbed his hands over his face. “Listen- that night… the way I acted-” 

“Don’t.” She was blatantly looking away from him now, and there was a tension in her shoulders that he wanted nothing more than to soothe away, but he didn’t know how. “It was a long time ago. So what does it matter?”

“It matters to me,” Ricky said. “And that’s-” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Look - I know you don’t get it. And maybe you never will, and that’s not your fault. But you’re right: It didn’t matter. Not to me. Not for the longest time. And maybe in a real sense, it still doesn’t. I mean- it was fifteen years ago. But it didn’t matter when it should have and now…” 

Having been inadvertently overhearing the conversation progress into something personal, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby gave each other an awkward look and subtly snuck out of the room, but by this point neither Cassidy nor Ricky even remembered they were there, much less noticed them go. 

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Ricky sighed, finding his words again. “It’s- as if I was asleep, and now that I’m awake I have to live with the consequences of what I did while I was dreaming. Even all the way back when we were still speaking, working together, I had so many regrets in regards to you. So many things I wanted to apologize for. But I just- never did. Then… You died, Cassidy. And I can’t even begin to describe…” 

Here, and here only, Ricky held his tongue. Because what good would it do, telling her how he’d really felt? That hearing Professor Pericles say those words had hurt more than any torture ever could? That he’d thought about dying? That sometimes he’d wanted to?

But he wasn’t going to put that on her. For once in his life, he wasn’t going to be a selfish piece of shit. With a sigh, he began again. “The point I’m trying to make is… it didn’t matter. Not when it should have. But now it does, and that’s… important. At least to me it is. But- you’re right. It was a long time ago. And if you don’t want to hear it, then I’m not gonna dredge up old shit just to check a box and make myself feel better. So- Sorry. Forget I said anything.”

They didn’t say anything for several moments. Then Cassidy looked up at the ceiling with a deep sigh. “Fuck it. The box is already open.” Then she asked, “Why did you keep it? I mean- I have hardly anything of that old apartment, myself. But of all the things to not throw out…” 

Ricky’s mouth moved before he could think about it. 

“How could I ever throw it away?” He asked. “You gave it to me.” 

He shut his mouth extremely quickly, but the words were already out. 

Now she was outright staring at him, mouth agape. 

No going back now. “I loved it when you surprised me with those models, okay?” He said quickly. “And that night... I’m sorry - You deserve an explanation with this apology. But I can’t give you one, because I don’t know. I don’t know what came over me that night, Cassidy. I don’t even remember what I was so angry about. -Money? I think? I don’t even know. What I do know is that you made me… so happy. We were- so happy… And you did something nice for me, and I was an asshole. And I don’t care what it was about. You were my best friend. My ride-or-die. My partner. I- loved you. And I never should have spoken to you that way. So I know it’s fifteen years too late. But I’m sorry, Cassidy. I’m sorry for taking the bullshit in my head out on the one person who made it all bearable.”

There were another long couple of seconds where Cassidy didn’t speak. Then finally, she sighed and said, “You’re making it really hard to be angry with you, you know that?”

It was well deserved. And not wholly unexpected. But hearing her outright all but say she was still angry hurt all the same.

“Do you want to be angry with me?” Ricky asked slowly. “Cuz it’s… okay. If you are. In fact you probably should be but- I actually am- ya know- sorry. I was- I haven’t liked myself for the longest time… But I don’t want to be that way anymore. And that means facing the music. So if you’re angry with me… then be angry with me.” 

“I am angry with you,” Cassidy said simply - without any bite or venom in it at all. But then she kept talking, and the more she spoke the more all those old feelings started leaking through. “I’ve been angry with you for a long time. Since even before we broke up. I was angry at you for shutting me out. I was angry at you for breaking my heart. I was angry at you when you showed up at my door and asked me to uproot my entire life to come back with you. I was angry at you for continuing to shut me out, for sending a fake assassin after the kids without asking for my opinion, for not apologizing or listening to me, and finally for teaming up with Pericles! Or- I don’t know! I’m sure if you gave me enough time I’d think of something else. But somehow, most of all…” She buried her head in her hands with a groan of frustration. “I’m mad at you for- this.” And with a sweeping arm motion, she gestured to him. 

“For…” 

“You!” Her head snapped up, and she gestured to his whole body again. “Where were you?!” She demanded. And- oh fuck, her eyes were wet. “Where were you? This Ricky, the guy I always knew you really were, when I needed you more than anything?” 

Oh. 

That, he understood. 

His mind flashed back to the other him, back in the Sitting Room. There was her answer. He’d already told Cassidy all about his better half while they were waiting for the others to return. But… no. That wasn’t an excuse. Cassidy’s better half hadn’t wound up in the Sitting Room. Curse or no curse, it all came down to him. His choices - and his consequences.

“... But now that I know what I know, I feel like I can’t be angry with you,” Cassidy sighed, and suddenly she was sitting beside him - so close that their crossed legs were touching at the thigh.

The butterflies in his stomach jittered, but Cassidy looked unbothered by the contact so Ricky said nothing. He just swallowed the nerves down and stared at her expectantly. There. Present. Listening. Finally, finally listening. 

“You- told me about your better half in the Sitting Room. And I just- can’t get it out of my head,” she said. “He’s so- young. Which means that’s how young you were when- and all that time we were living together- right from the start, you were already… ” She broke when her voice cracked, blinking the wetness from her eyes. He understood what she was trying to say, but the words were stuck in her throat. 

“Losing Pericles. And Dad. And home,” Ricky said, “I think we always knew I took it harder than anyone else. And I always- look, don’t reassure me about this because we’re talking about you right now, but I always felt like it was my fault. You n’ Judy and Brad… you lost everything. Then Brad and Judy lost their baby- lost Fred to the Freak. All because Pericles was mine. Or- probably more like I was his. But I didn’t know that back then because I didn’t see the red flags for what they were. If anyone should have seen it coming, it should’ve been me… and I didn’t.” 

“I remember you saying something like that back then,” she said. “But I think I brushed you off. Or just told you not to be ridiculous. We- never really talked about it. Not properly. And now that I think about it… you got a lot worse after that- horrible night, when Judy called us in a panic. So maybe- you’re not the only one who wasn’t really listening.”

“No. Don’t apologize. Don’t make excuses for me,” Ricky said, and without even thinking about it his hand came to rest on her knee. “You were there for me and putting up with my bullshit when no one else was, and for a lot longer than most people would have.”

“I know that. But remember how you told me the better halves of Brad, Judy, and Fred Sr. were all adults? It just- bothers me, okay?” She hugged herself, “I knew you were hurting back then. I was, too. And I knew it hit you harder than it did me. But I still don’t think I realized just how badly. I mean bad enough to split you in two.” She let out a nervous laugh, shaking her head. “I always thought it seemed like you’d left some part of yourself behind in Crystal Cove. I just- wish I’d realized why sooner… maybe I could’ve helped you.” 

“Please don’t put that on yourself,” Ricky groaned. “You were barely seventeen and suddenly homeless, out in the world all alone without any support. You were my girlfriend, not my therapist.”

Cassidy pursed her lips, then her hand came to cover his and she sort of sagged against him, her head on his shoulder. “I wasn’t alone. And I wasn’t completely without support,” Cassidy reminded him gently. “I had you.”

“And I had you,” Ricky said, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. “-And I’m sorry that wasn’t enough. Because it should have been.” 

They fell into a tense silence, but not so tense as it had been. A weight had been lifted between them - a single boulder off the top of a mountain, but progress all the same. 

There came a knock, and when they looked up Velma was standing in the doorway, hip cocked to one side. “If you two are done canoodling, we have things to do today,” she said dryly. 

Simultaneously, they suddenly realized what position they were in and how they must look, and immediately they were scooting apart, flushed and flustered. 

“Velma! Cassidy and I were just-” 

“Talking!”

“Yep! Talking! About- stuff.”

“‘Stuff’... Uh-huh… ” Velma said with no small amount of disbelief or judgment whatsoever. “Well whatever you were doing, the gang and I are heading out, but Shaggy can’t come because he’s… Arthur. And Cassidy, you can’t because you’re not supposed to be alive. So. Ricky, we’re not going to make you come with us, but the invitation is open.”

Ricky spared Cassidy an awkward glance. “-Yeah, I’ll come. Where are we going?” 

“To help Fred set a trap ready as part of Arthur’s escape plan. Lewis gave us the instructions from Arthur while you two were in dreamland earlier. We’ll explain the details on the way. But before that, go change back into Shaggy’s clothes. If Pericles or the others happen to see you in those stripes, you’d might as well be wearing a giant neon sign that says ‘I’M RICKY.’” 

“Gotcha,” he nodded. “And um… Cassidy-” 

“It’s okay,” she gave him a tired smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Go on. I- we- both have a lot to think about anyway, right?”

“Yeah- yeah. And uh… thank you. Again.” 

“Any time… baby.”  

Ricky’s heart skipped a beat. Am I reading too much into that or did she just… no way. She says that to everybody right? Right??? “Oh. Uh… bye-” 

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Velma cried! And without another word she grabbed Ricky by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out before the atmosphere got any more romantic. 

Cassidy snorted as she watched Ricky flail awkwardly after her, but once they were gone her smile turned sad. She plopped down onto the couch, then looked back to the figurines. Damn you, Ricky Owens. Damn you. 

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“Look Velma,” Ricky said once they were well out of earshot of Cassidy, “We really weren’t-” 

“Yeah, yeah. Just save the kissing part of the making up for when you’re not in my friend’s body!” She scolded, finally letting go of him.

“There was no kissing! And there probably never will be!” Ricky insisted as he smoothed out his clothing. 

“As if,” Velma scoffed. “You might not have said it, but these past two days you haven’t exactly been subtle about the fact you were and are still in love with her. Hell, even Fred sees it, and he’s the most oblivious of all of us when it comes to these things!” 

“I’m not- Look, Velma. I care about her. But- nothing’s going to happen between us. She’s my oldest friend. And what we went through together… she’s the only one who gets it. All I want is for us- her, at the end of this, is for her to be free. And I’m not going to deprive her of that by chasing after her like the shitty ex who came crawling back begging for another chance. It’s bad enough as it is that I dragged her back into this mess in the first place, much less everything else I did. And worse still that we’re stuck working together now. Do I want to make amends? Yeah. But only because I know I hurt her, and she deserves to be able to move on from that. But once this shit show is over, I’m back in my own body, the curse is broken, and Pericles isn’t trying to kill us anymore? The sooner and the further she gets from me, the better.”

“Wait- really?” Velma stopped right in the middle of the hall, genuinely surprised. “You’re not even going to try?” 

“Hell no,” Ricky scoffed. “And believe you me: if someone you loved treated you the way I treated her… you wouldn’t want them chasing after you with flowers and a changed heart either.”

And actually, Velma knew exactly what he meant and how that felt. She’d turned Shaggy down flat when he tried rekindling things again after they broke up. And the history between Ricky and Cassidy was much longer than theirs, and a lot nastier at parts too.

But Cassidy and Ricky were not Velma and Shaggy.

“But. I thought you-” 

“It doesn’t matter how I feel or what I want,” Ricky started walking again, avoiding Velma’s eyes, and she followed after him. “I’ve been selfish for long enough. Once all this is over my work will have just begun. Now that I’ve got my head out of my ass it’s high time I started worrying about what everyone else wants and needs. And what she wants… it’s not me. Not like that, anyway.” 

Beside him, Velma crossed her arms and flexed her jaw, thinking as they walked in silence. How to proceed from here? Because he was wrong, and she knew it. The whole gang did. Angel still loved him, wanted him, and she regretted not fighting harder for it when she could. She’d all but confessed as much right before she thought she was going to die. But, on the other hand… whatever happened or didn’t happen between Ricky and Cassidy wasn’t really any of their business -  Velma’s business. Or her place, for that matter. And also there was the complicated business of Ricky being in Shaggy’s body, everything going on, and all of that complicated history, most of which was a mystery to them and - again - none of their business. And yeah: if Velma was totally honest with herself, she still had grudges of her own with Mr. E, and she wasn’t about to start playing wingwoman for him this soon into rebuilding bridges. 

Then again… trusting people had always been a weakness with her.

“You know… that’s not how it looked back there,” she pointed out. 

“Yeah? Well that’s how it was,” Ricky said dismissively, but from their time working together Velma had plenty of experience by now with Mr. E trying to shut her down before she could say what she really wanted, and frankly she was sick of it. 

“Just saying,” she pressed forward, then baited a hook. “You sure were doing a lot of snuggling for a guy who thinks it’s best to keep it platonic.”

“And you need thicker glasses. I wasn’t holding her! I was- look, she leaned on me and I leaned back… and we held hands. And that’s it!” 

He’d taken the bait.

“So what you’re saying. Is that she was snuggling you?”

“That’s not- I- she…” 

Velma just smiled smugly while she watched him get more and more flustered. She asked herself, Should I, A: throw him a lifeline here? Or B: watch him struggle a little more? 

“The heart wants what the heart wants,” Velma shrugged, nonchalantly examining her fingernails. 

“Seriously? And here I thought Daphne was the romantic,” Ricky grumbled. 

“Oh. I’m not the one who said it,” Velma said, flashing him a knowing and suggestive smile. 

Ricky stopped in his tracks, even as Velma kept walking. “Wait- what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, wide eyed. “Who said it???” And with those damn puppy dog eyes, Velma aaaaalmost felt bad for what she was about to do. 

“Oh, look. We’re here.” And she quickened her stride towards the foyer before he could stop her. 

“Wait- Velma! Velmaaaa!” 

But Velma just pressed her lips together to keep a diabolical cackle from slipping out. 

She had chosen option C: toss him a rope, and leave him hanging.

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Ricky never did get to properly ask what Velma had meant by that. Not that he thought she’d tell him even if he did. Fine timing for her to be in a cheeky mood! When Ricky caught up to her in the foyer, he found her talking to the gang smirking at him as if to say ‘Ha ha, I win,’ and social obligation forced Ricky to accept defeat and head upstairs to his room to change clothes. 

Velma - 1. Ricky - 0. 

He would get her back for that. All there was to do was wait for the opportunity. 

  Ricky changed out of his striped shirt back into Shaggy’s green one, but after a moment’s thought he decided to keep the jacket. The weather sucked and it was different enough from the one he usually wore back at Destroido that he doubted anyone would blink if they saw “Shaggy” wearing it. Besides, he was going to be wearing a poncho over his clothes anyway to defend against the rain. 

Changed, he left his room and was walking back to the foyer to meet the others when he saw something ahead that made him pause. 

Vivi was sitting at the top of the stairs. 

Probably waiting for him. 

Shit.

Ricky took a deep breath, and walked closer. She was sitting on the top step hugging herself around the shoulders, a stuffed turtle tucked into the crook of her arm. She looked awful. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she’d washed off all her makeup - ruined from all the crying. 

She looked up with a sniff when she heard him coming and stood up, still anxiously holding that stuffed turtle close. “Ricky. I uh-” Her voice was hoarse, and she had to push her glasses up and rub her eyes with her sleeve before she could keep talking. “I’m so sorry… I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to see me right now. I just- I needed you to know that- back there- it was an accident. The footage in all those paintings. We didn’t- we never would’ve looked at that stuff without your permission. B-but I know you still- *sniff* didn’t want us to see it, and I can’t imagine how upset you must be. I just- couldn’t let you leave thinking we did it on purpose… please don’t be mad…”

“Vivi… I’m not mad,” Ricky sighed, and he pulled her in for another hug. “I’m- glad you told me. I didn’t think you would’ve done that, but I’m not exactly a stranger to being stabbed in the back by people I trusted. So yeah, I’m not happy you saw it, but I’m glad to hear it was an accident. Can you tell me what did happen though?” He asked as they broke apart. “I just- that was freaky, Vivi. And embarrassing. Horrifying, frankly. I didn’t know that footage of Arthur was on those tapes, and that’s not how I wanted to find out.”

“Yeah. What did happen earlier?” Ricky heard Daphne ask, and when he glanced over, he found Mystery Incorporated and Cassidy all standing about halfway up the stairs. 

Vivi sniffed and wiped her eyes again, nodding. “It was the house,” she croaked. And she swallowed to clear her voice before she continued. “This mansion is a supernatural structure that Lewis created and has dominion over, but it’s not all him. There’s a complicated network of energies woven through it by all of the lesser spirits, blessings, and magic, and together they create a sort of consciousness that’s independent of Lewis.”

“So… what you’re saying is it’s a bunch of different programs intersecting to form a system that can, in a way, think? So it’s like an AI?” Velma asked.

Vivi nodded. “Exactly like an AI, just not exactly an advanced one. It has its moments where it does something so smart it’s almost scary, but for the most part its intelligence is very two-dimensional. About as smart as a toddler, tops. Complete with tantrums if something happens to destabilize the energies.” 

“So… that’s what happened back there?” Ricky asked. 

“Not exactly,” Vivi explained. “The house’s- I guess you could say ‘programming’ or ‘algorithm’ if we’re comparing it to Artificial Intelligence, responds to the energies of its inhabitants, especially the living ones. It knows its purpose is to serve and protect the people Lewis allows to be here, and to defend itself and its inhabitants from perceived threats. But unlike in a computer it’s not an exact science and there are “holes” in the code. So while the house’s supernatural defenses at any given time are mostly airtight, its ability to respond to complex or non-specific orders and new stimuli is… limited. So it doesn’t always do as good a job at looking after us as it thinks. Following along so far?” 

Everyone nodded.

“A being’s mental, physical, and emotional state has a direct impact on how our energy presents itself,” Vivi continued, “and the house communicates through energy fluctuations. Basically, it uses our auras and the way our energies interact with other people and objects to guess what we want or what we need. Which brings us to what happened earlier.

“You seven were all really upset about the same thing. Which means all of you were inadvertently focusing your energy towards the same object and idea: the flashdrive and its contents. Meanwhile Lewis, Mystery, and I were all also thinking about it, even if we hadn’t seen the footage. And… we all kind of wanted to. Not that we were going to! It’s just we were all worried about Arthur and worried about Ricky, and we saw how much it upset Mystery Incorporated which meant it had to have been really bad, which was just making us even more worried and curious. Aaaand the mansion saw that and thought…” 

“It thought it was being helpful by giving you what it thought you wanted,” Ricky said. 

“Exactly,” Vivi groaned. “Then once we saw the footage… everything went to shit. I’m so sorry, Ricky. We could’ve told the house to turn it off or looked away, but we didn’t. At first because we didn’t realize what was happening, but then by the time we did we got carried away and sort of… froze. Then we saw Arthur collapse and he started screaming and…” Vivi hugged herself tighter, then took a deep breath to compose herself. When she opened her eyes again all of the emotion had drained right out of them, and what she said next was so controlled it could have come straight out of a textbook. “Our sudden and intense negative emotional reaction triggered an equivalent response.”

“A ‘tantrum,’” Ricky surmised. 

“So the tantrum was when the Dead Beats went nuts and everything started shaking with the freaky music?” Cassidy asked.

Vivi nodded. “The tantrum part wasn’t the images themselves. The tantrum was caused by our response to it,” she explained. “Just- imagine what we were feeling, then just imagine those feelings infecting everything they touch but with no real place to go. It’s no wonder the house and the Dead Beats had such a strong response. It’s been what? Two hours? And it still hasn’t completely restabilized. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if it took a couple of days for the mansion to be completely back to its old self.”

“You’re right,” Fred said. “Everything’s almost… too quiet.”

“Jeepers! Freddy’s right!” Daphne cried. 

“Like yeah!” Shaggy said. “Like, it’s been a while now and there hasn’t been any weirdly accurate music playing at a suspiciously appropriate moment!”

“Yeeeeeeeah-o!”

Everyone jumped and looked around when, as if on cue, music began to play from unknown corners of the house. 

“Yeeeeeeeah-o!”

“Well Shag, I guess it took offense to that,” Fred laughed, hands on his hips. 

“Because the world  expects so much of me,”

“Am- am I crazy, or is it judging us?” Velma said, flabbergasted.

“And all I really want is to be Just happy.”

Ricky barked a laugh. “My God! It is!” 

“I did not come all this way to get sassed by a house!” Cassidy exclaimed, hands on her hips.

“I’m just glad its personality is still intact,” Vivi chuckled, shaking her head fondly at the ceiling. 

A few more notes played, but apparently the mansion had said everything it wanted to say, because then the music abruptly cut off. Everyone looked around, tense, for another couple moments waiting for something else to happen, the conversation only resumed once everyone was sure nothing was going to.

“Also. Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but the Dead Beats are gone,” Velma pointed out.

“Somehow I didn’t even notice, but she’s right,” Ricky said. “I haven’t seen a single one since the incident.”

“Lewis would have taken a few with him, but the rest would have gone to the basement to go dormant for a bit,” Vivi explained. “Like how sleeping is the brain’s reset button. Some of them should start reappearing again by the time you guys get back, but like I said some of them could be asleep for days.”

“Not doubting you, but you don’t exactly sound confident,” Cassidy said thoughtfully. 

“Well… to be honest, an ‘incident’ of this scale has ever happened before. I’m having to hypothesize based on my experiences with other supernatural ‘hives’ like this one and how smaller scale ‘tantrums’ have gone in the past. Mystery and Lewis might have other ideas once they get back, but that’s all I can say for sure with the knowledge I have.”

“And we thank you for it, but I’d still like to hear what Lewis and Mystery have to say about the subject when they get back,” Ricky said. 

“Reah…” Scooby whimpered. “And uh… where’d they go, anyway?”

“Scoob’s right,” Velma sighed. “I hate to say it, but shouldn’t we be, ya know, worried? About the enraged fox spirit that just all but unleashed himself on the town?”

“We don’t know he went into town!” Ricky was quick to interject. His mind was still struggling to connect the gentle giant he’d come to know with the beast that had towered over them back in the art gallery.

“I wouldn’t worry about Mystery too much,” Vivi said. “He tends to go off by himself when his own emotions get the better of him. It’s just the way he is. And he’s got a lot of wisdom to go with all those years of his, so I don’t see him doing anything rash. But still. He is a nogitsune, so he is technically an ‘evil’ spirit. And the way Mystery lets off steam usually involves- well. Violence. But like I said, he’s no fool. Knowing him he’ll keep to the forests and countryside and go on a run, probably eat a deer or a cow - whichever’s unlucky enough to cross his path first - then he’ll be home around dinnertime, probably not hungry but in need of a bath.”

“It’ll- probably be a deer then,” Velma said, unsettled. “There aren’t any farmers in miles and miles of Crystal Cove. Between the Horrible Herd and the Gluten Demon, our agriculture industry took a hit that’s probably going to take years to recover. We import basically all our food now and the only reason people haven’t starved is because of Mayor Nettles - she’s the most competent government official Crystal Cove has had in decades.”

“Poor little deer…” Daphne said sadly. 

“If it makes you feel any better, if Mystery’s hungry or angry enough there’s always a chance he’ll get it out of his system tearing a cadaver apart before he ever runs across a living thing. Pick a freeway, there’s plenty of those to be found. At least that’s what I tell myself so I don’t have to think about it,” Vivi shrugged.

Shaggy and Scooby both went a little green at the thought. Raw roadkill? Even they had higher standards than that!

Then Vivi turned serious. “But I won’t lie to you all. The one we need to worry about isn’t Mystery… it’s Lewis.”

“That’s right. Lewis left too. Where’d he go?” Daphne asked. 

“Where do you think?” Ricky asked, dread creeping over him.

“No way. He couldn't possibly be that stupid!” Velma cried. 

“Lewis is smart, brave, confident, competent, loyal to a fault, and I love my boyfriend,” Vivi said. “But the way a ghost manifests is strongly impacted by the way they die, or the way they were immediately before and after death. And to make a long story short… Lewis came back mad.”

“That why his temper’s so short?” Cassidy asked. 

Vivi nodded. “He’s the most hot headed and rash of all of us once that damn temper gets him. And he’ll have gone to see Arthur. LUCKILY, before anyone says anything else, it’s Arthur he’s gone to see. And believe you me, if anyone can get Lewis to calm down and see sense before he does something rash, it’s Artie. Lewis’ rage makes him impulsive and sometimes violent, but when it comes to us, Arthur especially, his restraint is excellent.”

Shaggy didn’t look convinced. “I mean… and that’s all well and good. But shouldn’t we like…”

“Do rumthing?” Scooby asked. 

“Honestly? There’s no point even worrying about it,” Vivi sighed. “By now he’ll have arrived at Destroido long ago. It’s too late to stop him now, and we couldn’t have caught him even if we’d chased after him right out the gate. So if Lewis was going to do something stupid, then by now he’s already done it. Just keep the radio on while you’re driving and keep an eye on your devices. If nothing shows up in the news about Destroido being on fire, then we’re in the clear.”

“So what you’re saying is… there’s an angry ghost - a real one - potentially terrorizing my employees and destroying my life’s work as we speak?” Ricky asked, suddenly feeling rather faint.

“Damaging your life’s work, if that makes you feel better,” Vivi corrected apologetically. “His beef is with Pericles, Brad, and Judy, not Destroido. If Destroido just happens to be where they are when Lewis starts tossing fireballs, then that’s just bad luck.”

“I’m- just going to tell myself that Lewis isn’t that stupid,” Ricky said resolutely. 

“That’s probably wise.”

Surprise chapter! No Warning! Ta-da! And Chapter 29 is a WRAP! I don't really have much to say about this chapter. It's comparatively uneventful compared to the previous few, but after everything our dear heroes have been through I figured they needed a little break before they could pick up the sword again, so to speak. There were so many parts of this chapter I loved writing! I'm sorry you all had to wait so long for it. I've been enjoying school, but it's kept me super duper busy this semester. Not a lot of time for writing, but I'm determined to keep moving forward! 💪 Also, on a whim, I went ahead and have already posted Chapter 29 to ao3! So be sure to head on over and visit me there!

Finally, here's the tag list for all my beloved readers who wanted to be notified when each chapter is up. If you want to be added or removed from this list, then feel free to DM and let me know!

@void-lioness @nikicherry1234 @angorwhosebabyisthis @lunasummers04 @orithereticent @mysteryskullsblog @the-moogle-of-your-nightmares @sfcabanasstarcgs

Chapters 1-29 of 'One of Us' are presently posted on Archive of Our Own!

[erinartemis]

OMGOMGOMGKFMSGSKB IM FREAKING OUT IT'S HERE!!! MURDER DRONES EPISODE 7 TEASER!! EEEEEE!!! I went frame by frame and picked out some cool scenes I wanted to scream about, so get ready for a bunch of crazed ramblings and some theories !! (Long post ahead, folks)

Okay first of all- just- the lighting in these shots ✨ simply gorgeous... Also that "poster" thing in the background of the first image is very interesting.. obviously it says HELP (though that looks scrawled-on afterward with probably blood), and it looks like there could be possibly eyes? EDIT: it's not eyes it's two drones standing !!!

Also can we appreciate how creepy cool that hole in the ground is :00

THEIR ROOMS! THE SILLIES' ROOMS!!! WHAT SECRETS DO THEY HOLD?? I hope we find out

EDIT: THEY'RE LOCKERS NOT ROOMS OOPSIES

Good to see we've still got a bit of that classic md humor: "not to be overdramatic but core collapse" xd

N oh no N IS HE OKAY?? what am I talking about ofc he's not (I'm going to cry at this episode)

OKAY NEXT-

This thing. What is this thing. Probably part of the Solver, as it's all organic and eldritch-y, and it has veins. It looks lit from behind, almost like we're looking out from the inside of something? I think it's possible somebody gets dragged into one of those physical manifestations of the Solver, and this could be their perspective from inside it! Oooor we're looking at it from the outside, and there's something glowing inside the mass.

Next up, these guys??? So many possibilities here... They look like humans, but they aren't necessarily so, just like the "Tessa Isn't Human" theory. And from what little you can see in the teaser, they are moving in an odd way- suspicious. I originally thought they could be manifestation of the Solver or something, created to confuse, but after considering it for a bit, I realized it's more likely this scene is a flashback to when the core collapsed.

SOLVERUZISOLVERUZISOLVER- OHHHH BOY SOLVER UZI

Okay. This shot is a bit confusing; can't really make out what's going on- To me, it looks like something is possibly exploding? And the red string things are lasers or something? Also the blobs in the foreground definitely look like Solver hands, but- that's all I've got for this one

Tessa. Tessatessatessa tessa are you pulling a sword on Uzi? oh no, you are, aren't you, ohh no

WHAT DID UZI SEE. ON THAT TV SCREEN. HELP SHE LOOKS SO TRAUMATIZED- Also also wanted to point out the "freaking ninja star" on the ground.. little callback there :,)

the crucifix will be important, oo religious imageryyy eee

DOG.

Small thing, this is clearly the same scene from the GLITCHx 7/8 teaser, but it's the shot from a little bit before the clip in that teaser plays. I wonder how much control Uzi has over herself at this point... These robots are going to so much pain someone help them

norinorinori nori I'M SO READY FOR THE LORE AND FLASHBACKS EEEE

OMGOMGOGMOGMOMG YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HYPED I WAS WHEN I SAW THIS- WE'RE GETTING MURDER N YALL!!! FIRST TIME SINCE THE PILOT EEEE!!! Oh my gosh I just KNOW it's going to be an emotional response to something horrible happening- something to do with Uzi getting fully possessed, or almost dying, or N THINKING she's dead, or just all the stress of EVERYTHING, along with V's (hopefully not actually) death, and it just pushes him to his breaking point OH AND all the repressing he's been doing this whole time WILL NOT BE HELPING WITH THAT !!! I'm SO EXCITED TO FIND OUT AAAA-

Oh it could also be that N gets factory-reset, causing him to actually lose his memories or something, which is AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PILE OF ANGST, but personally I hope/think it'll be closer to the first one... It seems very likely to me that all of the stuff N's been going through (and how he's just been pretending everything's fine) would catch up to him, and it would lead to an "outburst" of everything he's been bottling up. PLUS do y'all remember that merch ad?? I know it was just a promo, but merch stuff has been shown to be kind of relevant to the plot in the past soo... yeah I'm feeling very good about this theory-

Okay so this is the same guy from the earlier image with all the humans- That feels notable, like they're going to be important. And is it just me and my poor video quality or does the Sentinel hand look glitchy?? Could it have turned on the humans like the one that turned on "Tessa" in Cabin Fever??

Oh dear, that's oil (or blood; they whole thing's too red to tell) coming from Uzi's eye... Feeling like the same thing that happened to Doll happens to Uzi... agh the ANGST hdfbsjsb

DOOOOOLL DOLL DOLL !!! SHE'S THERE !! I THINK SHE HAS BUTCHER KNIVES AGAIN !! I wonder who she's fighting... (I mean it could be a sentinel, but it looks like she's talking, so I'm guessing it's one of the group) ee I'm excited to see where Doll's character goes from here !!

ALLLLRIGHTY!! This has been a breakdown of my personal thoughts on the teaser! I am SOOO excited; these next two weeks need to go by FAST but ik they won't- Anyways... thanks for reading ! :D

[jackiequick]

X-Men Evolution — OC 🎸

~ Is this just to fuel my desire for more X-men content? Yes, yes it is. Plus I adore the cartoon I wish it got more traffic because it’s pretty good!

Full name: Hailey Meredith Rose Wright

Nicknames: Hail, Mere, Rosy

Sign: Virgo

Birthday: August 29th

Age: 17-25

Height: 5’5

Parents: Kisa Wright (mom), Charles Xavier (father), Erik Lehnsherr (father-figure)

————

Personality: Hailey is a deep thinker, modest, rather picky, analytical, clumsy on occasion, and pretty supportive. However she has a pretty gentle demeanor, kind, very inpatient and soft spoken. She’s often very quiet compared to others, however she doesn’t need to say anything because her behavior and facial expressions say it all.

—Quirks

Fidgets with Objects: Hailey often plays with small metallic objects, like paperclips or coins, subconsciously bending and reshaping them when deep in thought or nervous.

Facial Expressions: She communicates a lot through her expressions, often making her thoughts and feelings known without saying a word.

——————-

Powers: Magnetism. Or as Hailey likes to put it, “It’s like telekinesis but with metallic objects.”

In other words, she can push/pull metallic and magnetic material (ex: attracting a smartphone or repelling metallic robots).

Another instance is bending and manipulating magnetic materials (ex: bending a string of paperclips then reshaping them into tiny hearts or crushing a handful of computers into striking pieces).

Sensing Metal: Over time, she has developed the ability to sense the presence of metal in her surroundings, giving her an edge in unfamiliar environments.

—Personal Skills

Problem-Solving: Hailey's analytical skills make her a natural problem-solver, whether it's figuring out a complex situation or coming up with innovative uses for her powers.

Listening: Her supportive nature and ability to listen make her a trusted confidante among her peers, often helping others work through their issues.

———————

Appearance and Style

—Clothing Style

Casual Wear: Hailey prefers comfortable, practical clothing nothing too tight or fancy use to her sensitive skin. Think fitted jeans, simple graphic t-shirts, tank-tops and leather jackets. She often incorporates subtle accessories like a big hoop earring or bracelets.

Accessories: She wears a locket that belonged to her mother, made of golden marble, so she can always keep it close using her abilities. She has a handful of earrings and rings in a box, often changing up her appearance with multi-hoop earrings or multiple stylized rings.

—Distinctive Features

Tattoo: Hailey has a small, discreet tattoo of a lightings bolts.

Scars: She has a few minor scars from training and past missions, but none are particularly prominent.

Jewelry: She often wears a small sliver nose ring

—Signature Color Combination

Primary Color: Maroon.

Accent Color: Bronze/Brown.

————————

—Background and History 🖼️

Years ago, during a visit to California for a conference on genetic diversity, Charles Xavier met a woman named Kisa Wright. Kisa, an associate director for the media, was working at the conference, providing information, filming, and reporting back to the editor for the magazine she worked at. She lived in North Carolina but had flown to California a few months in advance to prepare for the conference. Kisa had tan skin, short brown hair, and a darling smile. Charles found her attractive, kind, and intelligent, often watching her work behind the camera.

During the conference, their eyes met several times, sparking a mutual interest. Once the conference ended, Charles invited Kisa for a cup of coffee. She accepted, and they talked for hours at a nearby coffee shop. Over the week, they continued meeting for lunch, their encounters feeling like dates. Charles flirted, and Kisa smiled at his compliments, though he kept some distance regarding his private life. Kisa respected his boundaries, understanding his busy life.

As the week concluded, they returned to their daily routines. A few weeks later, Kisa discovered she was pregnant. Not wanting to burden Charles, whom she assumed wouldn’t want children, she decided not to inform him. Despite attempting to write to him, the letters never reached Charles for various reasons. Nine months later, Kisa gave birth to Hailey Rose.

Hailey grew up in North Carolina, loving baseball, photography, and fashion. She often accompanied her mother to the studio, watching the behind-the-scenes action of filming, interviewing, and high-quality photography. Life was good until her mother’s career demanded more travel, leaving Hailey often staying at a friend’s house.

When Hailey was 16, tragedy struck. One afternoon, while at a friend’s house, police arrived with devastating news: there had been a bus crash, and multiple people were injured or killed, including Kisa Wright. Hailey, in shock and disbelief, struggled to accept the news, despite her friend’s mother’s comforting words. Just moments earlier, her mother had called, promising to see her soon. Now, she was gone.

———————

—Aftermath and Discovery 🔬

Grief and Struggle

Emotional Turmoil: Grief took over Hailey as she struggled with the loss of her mother. A part of her felt responsible, believing that her encouragement of her mother’s career might have led to the tragedy. Her mother’s career had inspired Hailey to consider becoming a photographer, but after such a shocking experience, she refused to entertain that idea for herself.

Coping Mechanisms: Hailey often cried herself to sleep and found solace in her mother's belongings, frequently wearing an old-fashioned jacket that had belonged to Kisa. These items provided a comforting connection to her lost mother.

Support System: Hailey’s friends’ family, being close family friends, took her in and supported her through this difficult time, knowing that Kisa would have appreciated their care for her daughter.

— Discovery of Powers 💎

One afternoon in mid-June, Hailey was visiting an old house near a lake, under the care of her mother’s best friend, Ophelia. The location was serene and a welcome escape from the city’s noise. Ophelia, noticing Hailey’s continued struggle with her emotions, suggested she take a moment to stand in the lake and confront her bottled-up feelings. Though hesitant, Hailey agreed.

Emotional Release: Hailey brought her pens, papers, a blanket, and other personal items to the lake. She removed her shoes and waded into the water until it reached her knees. There, she stood, speaking to herself, crying, and eventually letting out a deep breath before screaming at the top of her lungs. Her scream was filled with confusion, pain, anger, and frustration over the past few months.

Manifestation of Powers: As she screamed, her hands open and heart pounding, Hailey felt a sudden burst of energy and a strange sensation between her fingers. When she looked, she realized her necklace, which had been on the blanket behind her, was now in her palm.

To say the girl was shocked and scared would be an insult to her own words.

“What the..?” She mumbled under her breath.

She couldn’t understand how the necklace had moved to her hand without her touching it…

The next few days, Hailey stayed indoors, trying to forget what happened and not speak about it to her Aunt Ophelia in fear she might want her to experience or explore this newfound discovery. Hailey that she was seeing things, as she tried to stay calm and away from the lake, in confusion and frustration of could possibly have caused that.

She knew that the ocean was full of unknown objects and creatures, but she knew that wasn’t it. She thought she was seeing things. As calm as she tried to stay, it seemed like it wasn’t working, as small items next to her start to wiggle around a bit.

She thought she was going nuts when she pointed to her headset that lay on the couch, screaming for the headphones to stop shaking, but it only made it move even more as she flicked her hands, resulting in her headset to go flying backwards hitting the wall instead. To her relief, it didn’t break.

Ophelia heard the noise and went to check on her, as Hailey hurried to pick it up and quickly pulled herself together, telling her that her headphones accidentally fell. Ophelia just nodded and went back, to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes.

Hailey knew she needed to get out of the house, clear her thoughts and grab something to eat, as she grabbed the extra pair of keys and ran.

—————

Meanwhile at Xavier’s Institute, Cerebro picked up movement of a possible mutant wondering the streets of Upstate New York. Cerebo slowly turned to its analysis on this mutant’s behavior. Xavier assumed it to be Erik, as he knew the man was one to travel, as well as the only other mutant with whom can control metal without their knowledge. That he knows of, that is.

However Cerebo picked it up to be a young female, around 17 years old, who decided to make a run for her after discovering that something different was happening to them. Intrigued and concerned, Charles went Jean Gray to get meet the girl and possibly bring her to the mansion before she can cause any damage to herself or her surroundings.

Jean went and picked up on the girls location, finding her near an empty parking lot, sitting at the curbside picking at her nails listening to music, trying to figure out what to do next. But when Jean tried to carefully confront the girl, she just tried to ignore her and leave, as Jean did her best to avoid any wondering eyes trying to showcase that Hailey wasn’t alone.

Hailey refused to believe her, think Jean was just crazy and stumbled away from her, as Jean tried following her. Hailey found herself in the middle of the parking lot surrounded by objects such as trash, street signs, loose change on the ground and etc.

Jean was trying to ease Hailey and tell her that everything was gonna be alright, but Hailey was scared and uncertain about everything, shouting at Jean to leave her alone as the loose change such as coins went flying and hitting Jean Gray as she tried to block every single one of them.

She didn’t want to hurt anyone or cause an damage, she just wanted to make it stop and yes, Jean was doing everything in her best interest to help her calm down, she could tell that Hailey was impatient and terrified.

She accidentally pushed a coin straight at Jean Gray’s forehead, leaving a small brutal cut. Hailey hissed and winced at the sight, then puffed up her jacket running down the parking lot and into a corner, taking a breathe. However Jean caught up her and with one gentle sigh, she raised her hands in defense in a gesture to showcase she doesn’t want to fight her. Hailey’s hands balled into a tight flaring fist, looking at Jean and took another breath, deciding to give her a chance to hear the women out.

Soon enough, after a few moments, Hailey nodded at the redhead and decided to reluctantly follow her to the school.

There at the school, she was met with plenty of questions and different faces who past her. She saw teens and young adults using their abilities, some were blue, some had crawls and the list went on. Kids running around and others chatting with each other, meanwhile Hailey noticed there were a couple of teens were left to their own devices sitting alone doing an activity.

Jean guided her to entered a room that held a brunette with light eyes sitting down at his desk dressed in a causal suit, while speaking to a young brunette teenager who was wearing a set of deep red sunglasses to cover his eyes. The one with sunglasses stood up from the couch and gave her a kind smile, greeting her, calling himself Scott Summers. The man at the desk wasn’t far behind, genuinely curious and kindly welcomed Hailey, as he said his name was Professor Xavier.

They explained to her about mutants and how they are all different yet unique, that it’s hard however the powers they hold aren’t curses but gifts. Professor Xavier could tell that she was a little shy and trying to take it all in, however he gently encouraged her to try to showcase what she can do.

Hailey hated the several eyes on her, as she requested some space and just have one person in the room. In result, Jean and Scott left, leaving her and Charles to their own devices. Charles slowly turned around to give her his full attention to show him what she believed she can do. Hailey then looked around his desk and reached out her hand to move the small set of paper clips around a bit then pauses.

“Impressive, dear..” Charles said with a soft smile.

She shrugged, “It’s nothing, Professor…it’s uh, been a lot..”

“Ah, I understand. Our machines here picked up on the day your powers first began and sense how anxious you were. And that’s perfectly normal, because it’s a lot to handle. But I promise you, you will get a hang of it.”

“Thank you.”

“Cerebo picked up on what I assumed is your first name, but it didn’t get your full attention..may I asked, what is your name?”

Hailey told him her full name, and who she thought she was. Professor just smiled and nodded, trying to get a sense of the girl, especially due to her last name sounding oddly familiar to him.

——————

—Truths to be found 🗝️

Time went on, Hailey Rose Wright started to live at the mansion with other students, such as Kitty Pride, Rogue, Evan Daniels and others. She was even being treated well and taught to not be ashamed on her newfound skills. When she wasn’t going to classes and training, which often led to her and the others kids teasing Logan and Storm during lunchtime, she was hanging outside on the basketball court.

A few weeks later, a tall man named Erik Lehnsherr arrived at the school, greeting Raven and other students out front before entering the building. He was walking around, wearing a black turtleneck and dress pants, holding a pair of sunglasses. Hailey was sitting next to one of her friends, Ethan, on the stairs writing with her notebook as she noticed the man make an b-line.

“Who’s that?” She asked, gesturing to the man.

Ethan looked up from his notebook and shrugged, “My dad..don’t mind him.”

“The fu-“

“Long story.”

Charles and Erik were in the office, catching up on things, laughing at each other’s jokes, making suggestions to the staff members…among other things of course. When it came to the students, Charles was hesitant about talking about his latest student but Erik was able to sniff it out of him, having hear from Raven about a new student who shared a similar skill set to him. Charles eventually let it rip, telling him about he believes that Hailey Rose in his daughter, because he recalls meeting her mother once during a conference years back.

Erik almost chocked on his drink at the moment and scoffed, trying to hold back a little smirk. Charles didn’t seemed pleased with his response and Erik grunted, telling his oldest friend to take a moment to reflect and tell this young girl that he’s her father. Erik knows from experience how it is not to tell someone your their parents and how difficult parenting can be, but still he tries.

Two days later, Charles requested for Hailey to meet him in his office, for an important conversation. The brunette thought she was in deep trouble, ready to blame it on Bobby if things went south, as she wondered what was so important. But to her surprise, Charles led the conversation with nothing about school or her powers, but onto who she is. He asked if either of her parents are mutants, because the x-gene sometimes gets past on mainly from the father, as Hailey shook her head.

From what she knows, her mother and father were young, as it was a very short relationship that barely lasted a month. And her mother, Kisa, tried to make contact with her father once or twice by sending letters but they never arrived to her father. Charles nodded, surprised himself about everything he was supposedly hearing as he tried his best to explain things. Hailey questioned whether it was important to know this information, as Charles slowly ripped off the bandage and told her what he assumed was the truth.

That he was her father.

Hailey was in shock and disbelief, listening to Charle’s side of the story. He explained how he met her mother, how he cared for her and how brief their relationship was. He didn’t even know that he had a child in the first place and if he did, he would’ve went searching for her. Hell, Charles even told her how he never received any letters from her mother, assuming they got lost in the mail or something. He apologized for not telling her sooner but he would like to get to know her.

The two had a long conversation in that office regarding the situation at hand.

Hailey was skeptical, confused and vastly concerned about the new information given to her. She had no clue who her father was growing up and often asked her mother, as her mother would always say he was a kind teacher and very intelligent, but he was also a charmer who dazzled him that day. But her mother never said anything about who exactly he was.

Somehow a part of Hailey was pleased with the fact that what her mother said was true, and even though it hurt that they both found out now, she was oddly at ease. She got lucky that her father was an understanding individual, who tough a school for children like her and not some mutant-hating-asshole!

It took an awful long time for Hailey to get used to but due to Charles openness, patience and understanding, the two of them too it slow. And if Xavier had to be honest, he was pretty excited about having a chance to be a father to such a kind young girl.

——————

—A Family Of Mutants 💿

Over time, Hailey and Ethan became closer as friends, treating one another almost like siblings. The two were rather loner kids when they started out, rather hanging out by themselves and practicing their skills together. As neither one of them truly wanted to be there at first. Often times, you would find the two friends sitting by the courtyard chatting or binge watching Pixar movies together.

Logan would sometimes find the two sneaking off late nights to the kitchen for a midnight snack or to sit on the porch watching the stars. The two eventually did start interacting with other students such as Petra Summers, Rogue, Kitty Pride, Boom-Boom and the others.

However they often get roped into trouble, like when Bobby, Meira, Cole and Jubilee decided to steal The X-Van for a drive as Hailey and Ethan had to stop them.

It was not fun! Thankfully Kurt was able to lend a helping hand and get everyone to safety.

Even if it was wild, they were a family of friends!

Speaking of families, one afternoon Hailey got home from shopping with Amara and the others when she spotted Charles and Erik sat on the couch alone chatting. She knew her father and Erik were old friends, some may even associate themselves as old flames, especially with Erik staying over a lot more often because of help with the students. But this was actually charming to see. She ushered the group to quietly across the living room, having to hush Kurt and Tabitha’s giggles to do, making their way to the kitchen.

Weeks went on, as she noticed the two got closer every visit. Ethan and her found it oddly enough satisfying to see their parents rekindle their old relationship. Because that meant they would be spending more time together and less time telling the students to go study.

The two friends made a silent promise to act like nothing happened and everything was right in the world every single time their parents hung out together. Other days it was obvious Charles and Erik were pleased to see one another and some days it seemed that they were hiding it very well. But everyone knew if their Professor

“Good morning, my darlings.” Charles said, rolled in one morning into the kitchen to get himself some coffee and smiled.

Hailey sat next to Amara sharing slices of bacon and replied, “Hey, what’s on the agenda for today?”

Bobby exclaimed, “Please no training with Scott! Logan at least makes us play outside!”

Kurt joked, “My tail is itching to go play in the pool later!”

“You just want to be around Tabitha again…” Ethan muttered biting into his toast.

Charles smiled and hushed their voices, “Now, now, children. I know we all plan on different activities for today and we will get to do the. But first Mr. Lehnsherr is coming over to have a language lesson for you all to practice.”

“Why do we need to learn another—ow!” Bobby exclaimed but was cut off by Ethan who elbowed him in the chest.

“You will all need learn to pick up another language besides English, because you never know where your next assignment would take you.” Charles explained smiling before rolling away, “Enjoy your breakfast!”

Some of the students all shared a few giggles and looks watching the professor roll away to his office. It was gonna be a great day!

————

— Live Action vs Comic Look 📰

———-

Anyways let me know what you guys think 💭

Pls like, comment and share 🪄

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @topgun-imagines @gcthvile @letsgotothefantasyworlds-blog @t-nd-rfoot @djs8891 @missstrawbs2001 @hardballoonlove @hangmanbrainrot @theloveoftoms @cherrysft @starkleila @buckysteveloki-me @ximehs @parisparker269 @yetanotherwells s @daughter-of-melpomene @fototingobug @ocappreciation @blueboirick and etc

[jazzstarrlight]

🎵I have a theory, It's just little one...🎵

But something about N has me questioning a few things.

In episode 1 after J slaps N, we get this little "blink and you'll miss it" moment, showing how the absolute solver string in N is being blocked by Admin (aka Cyn).

We all know how N is basicly Cyn's favorite drone, but this ain't about that.

The absolute solver has abilities. Certain abilities that let drones like Uzi, Doll and Cyn use the force -I mean- control their spacial environment.

If the Admin were to be replaced and the solver unblocked somehow, it could be possible that the dissasembly drones can also use this ability.

Does this mean, if he's pushed to the breaking point (possibly in episodes 7 & 8), N could be able to use the solver too? I mean, if their enemies are getting stronger, then the whole team would be due for power upgrades. Including N.

But hey, that's just a theory, A MURDER DRONES THEORY! Bite me.

What do you guys think?

[cartoon-cass]

Absolute Solver's influence

Absolute Solver (AS from here on out) has the ability to possess, so I thought for clarity I'd list all the characters under AS influence, from possession to manipulation. This will be sticking closely to canon so wilder theories like solver Khan, Thad, etc will be left out but feel free to add if you like.

This turned out longer then I thought so it's going under a read more.

Unpatched AS

This would be Uzi, Nori, Cyn and any others that have the world altering powers. Cyn was patient 0 and it's unclear if there's anything left of her or she still has a mind of her own, at this point we can't tell. Uzi and Nori still have their own personalities but AS can over ride them in some cases. I should note Nori, and there for possibly Uzi, have the Patch 2.1.8 "in progress" what this entails is unclear but AS did think Nori was dead and did not try possessing her in episode 7 so take from that what you will.

The humans in Cabin fever labs transferred AS to other drones but most if not all are dead at this point.

Patch 2.1.8

Yeva had this version of AS, they can use the powers but presumably can't be possessed. It's never actually out right stated that that's what the patch does but it's implied. Yeva seemingly long dead unless she's like Nori. Doll likely had this patch too and that's why Tessa/Cyn ASMR mukbanged her core in episode 7.

The Cross patch was also destroyed so unless Nori copied the code while we were not looking this patch is not likely coming back.

Disassembly Drones, aka DDs

So the DD's are difficult but I'll try my best, this is more going into theories then canon but that's Murder Drones for you. We know from episode 5 that the DDs worked in the Elliott Manor before AS came along. During the gala J and V were possessed, and N was tied to a tree, presumably he got possessed too at some point but it's unclear.

Some time between the gala and now they changed to look like how they do today, the main question how and why? We can safely say at this point it's clear AS made the DDs possible using part of the very machines that were used to disassemble drones. We see in the Zombie Drone tapes the disassembly unit has what looks like a DDs arm with the distinct yellow and black stripes. We also see the DDs with there complete look go absolutely nuts on some humans in episode 7 which means they were being possessed then too, unless N secretly really likes eating humans / joking.

J also got possessed and went spooky snake crab in episode 2 after Uzi blew her up.

All this makes it seem that the DDs can be possessed too but then why do they bother manipulating in the show? Why lie and make up a whole story of the company sending them to kill worker drones? It could be that it takes a lot of energy and that was easier but I think were told why in episode 7, where AS pretends to be V to taunt N. "You know you're (N) one of the main reasons I wanted your team to retain your personalities, you always surprised me" their just playing with them, it's more entertaining for them not for any grand plan.

Right after they say that line they hug N making him flashback to what he did to the humans but then we see this

Access denied contact admin "darkXWolf17", which is Uzi! AS was trying to possess N here but couldn't that's why they drag N along until Nori saved him. That's why in episode 1 administration"Cyn" blocked the absolute solver string, they wanted to see what N would do.

This mean N and V can't be possessed as Uzi is there administrator but J and any other DDs out there can, and who was gearing up for a fight at the end of episode 7? J!

So in conclusion, Cyn is the main drone to be possessed. Uzi and Nori can be possessed but it can be limited. Yeva and Doll can't be possessed but are dead and the DDs including J can be possessed but after episode 5 V and N can't be possessed.