#tech of chat box way back when

[artcalledoddities]

Everyone P-TSD Everyone Petroleum-Tised Simple Diseased In water throughout the air within a shovel deep of land Oil based insecticides to cfc’s Plastic covered colored beaches And all above the animals with humans and their dealings, for breeding on Earth Undomesticated Animal Kingdom Speaks upon and for Flora Veggie Fungi & Coral Send the domesticated animal to feed hungered children And stop global warming All taking place during the Well, you humans Don’t know of such meetings But know you know some things Take it for granted or granite Or don’t in stone Don’t ridicule such beings Here for way such longer than you ! Dinosaur bird reptile insect the fish ^human mammals frog & salamander and some species of slugs *now A I, but in all docs of technology the gov’t had knowledge 20 years before Who’s speech Who’s say so on TV It’s all a question ? Mark ? Everything? Who was speaking back then If made so easy for cheating students later! As America progressed Wait That’s Post Traumatic SiliconChip Decipher Talks now The above hundred years long The latter since 1980’s No further comments Not Available I still live today Fine, whatever yes, I was born in 1974 I’m now 50 It’s all for everybody born exactly on the day of this year 2024 a fifty years ago If born today in 75 well they are 49 If born today in 73 well they are 51 It’s really not grand mind clarity What’s your age for? You are not vintage wine! As in the Panda has been walled up And not really free to roam the Earth Metal Fire Water nor Woods But back when for railroads Smog and progress fills our lungs Today from the yesterday It’s all here to smell! Everyone Petroleum-Tised Simple Diseased Now this is Post Traumatic SiliconChip Decipher Who the (people) are you speaking for! Are you speaking for paths of Belted Weather! A rhythm helps keep the

My father to strike continuously

My mother to strike especially

And from the clouds

The arrays entering my mind

Lengths and waves in tooth’s

Nature in parts of the world has it’s teeth sunk in The blue is being added too

[orphicrose]

Are you still doing requests? Can I request Alastor x Wife reader who were married together alive an reunited in hell and while Alastor hates modern tech the reader grew on it and even started a life hack channel on voxtube of tricks from the 1920s and it becomes really popular and she gets sponsors and fan mail meanwhile Alastor needs Angel's help just to video chat her and one day she gets a 5 million subscriber mileage congratulations gift box (that all creators get bit hes still mad) from Vox himself

Old man and an Iphone

Requests are still open indeed.

I can definitely do my best! I’ve changed the dates around a little to better fit the technology advancements in the universe. This is set in the early 2000s

This is somewhat small, but i hope you like it.

----------------------

Years passed like turning pages since your husband had departed from you, in the cruelest ways that anyone could imagine. A fate that wasn’t even inevitable. That singular fragile piece of metal, shot from an unknown hunter, took him away from you.

You knew who he was, you knew what he was. Knowing that you’d end up in the same temple of horror one day that he has. His sins being your sins. That brought you some peace. Knowing you’d be reunited one day. Even if it was in the worst place imaginable. Hell. That day came sooner than you’d like to admit. Leaving behind your clueless grandchildren and your own hellish spawn.

The ground below you hit rather hard, not even knowing you were falling down the rabbit hole till the bottom came right to your face. You let off a grunt in response. Your body feeling light, all of a sudden. As if the age and wrinkles had just vanished, and you were young again. Legs feeling like they could run miles, and skin, well. Your new hellish form wasn’t much of an improvement from leather skin.

Knowing for years you’d end up here, it wasn’t too difficult to take in. Accepting your sins and your fate as a part of your journey. It wasn’t so bad. There was society, and structure down here. Immortality being the only true torture.

The other torture, you had no idea where your dearest Alastor had ended up. It had been almost 70 years since you’d seen him, god knows what he looks like now. Your reunion was sudden, after all, he was a well known overlord. Yet, it was still something out of a textbook romance novel.

Over the next decade or two, you two spent every second together. Refusing to be apart again. You sharing stories about your children, grandchildren. Melting Alastor's heart like he never thought you could. There was so much catching up to do. After time, you became infatuated with the media, creating your own channel. it was called "Hellish crafts", which started with a bunch of silly tips and tricks when it comes to house work. Alastor didn't understand, but it came with a hefty income.

After becoming tenants at the misguided daughters of hells hotel, you soon began helping with advertisements. Which grew the channel even more. From random life hacks, to advertisements, to smaller channels asking you for your help to grow theirs.

"Must you film me, dear?" his hand covers his face as the camera fizzes out of focus.

"Yes! Its for Charlie. Lighten up old man" You teased him, filming the hotel lobby. He smiled at your expression, resting a hand on the small of your back as you did your craft.

"Y/n! Y/n! Another letter for you!" Niffty ran over

Alastors hand dropped, snatching the letter from the little goblin.. Eyebrows furrowed. "This is the third letter in the passed three days, sweetheart"

"What can i say, my channel is a hit" One eye was closed as the other was pressed to the run down camera that Alastor insisted you used. Still walking slowly around the hotel, trying to get a good shot. Alastor stood in his place, reading the letter. "Another delusional fan" He mumbled.

"Don't worry! i wont let the fame go to my head" You swung around with the camera, getting him in frame. The static of his aura interfered with the lens and gave your brow a small electric shock. Jolting you backwards.

"I've warned you about that" He chuckled, hand returning to your waist and pulling you closer. His other hand with the letter, raising, and a fit of flames emitted. Turning the letter into ash on the floor, which nifty didn't wait to clean up.

Life was like this for a while, constant letters. Some weird, some genuine. But you never got to read most of them, as Alastor made it his duty to send them to another realm before you could. was he jealous? maybe, he'd never care to admit it though. That was until a rather glamorous piece of paper fell through the letter box on this particular day. Stamped with Vox's logo. You got to this letter first.

"What the fuck?" Your almost angry tone alerted Alastor, whose body materialized next to yours in seconds. "What's the matter, my dear?" his eyes briefly scanned over the letter before snatching it from you.

"What is a 5 million subscriber?"

"Its the amount of people who support my channel, i honestly didn't even know it was that big." you stared up at him, waiting for some sort of outburst on his face.

"That's... " he thought for a second "Wonderful dear! Absolutely wonderful!" his arms wrapped around you in an embrace, spinning you around. When you first started the channel, with his knowledge, it was more of a way to pass the time. So, for it to be as big as it is now was quite the accomplishment. What kind of husband would he be not to support his perfect wife, he thought. Whether she was practically paying vox or not. His quarrels weren't hers.

"I believe you have some type of reward, y/n" He spoke again, putting you down and giving the letter back. His sharp nail pointed at a fine print at the bottom. 'Visit the Vee headquarters to redeem your reward'.

You both looked at each other, brows raised and a concerned look in your eyes. "I'm sure it's not important. I don't need a reward"

He looked as if he was in deep thought. Contemplating everything for a second. "You should go" "But vox is your-"

"Hush, little woman" His finger covered your lips "This is important to you darling. I trust you"

The smile on your face made his bigger, making you deserving of the little peck he placed on your lips before adjusting his posture. "On the condition that my shadow follows your every move"

"Done"

A few hours had passed since your departure, Charlie offering razzle and dazzle to escort you to the large mansion on the other side of the pentagram. It was quite the journey, considering the traffic. And it wasn't long before Alastor began to miss you, wondering if you were okay.

"Ahem" static gave Angel a brief episode of tinnitus before he swung his body on the lobby sofa, met with the lanky deer.

"Waddya want, pimp?" his attention didn't last long, his phone having far more interesting contents than the demon lurking behind him.

"I need a favor" his smile made the question seem a lot more sadistic than intended. His body swiftly moved around the sofa, standing in front of the spider now.

"If you want my soul, I got bad news for ya."

"Your soul?" He was almost confused for a second "No, i need help with this" he lifted his hand, angels phone disappearing and reappearing in the deer's grip.

"Wh- hey! Give that back" Angel leapt to his feet, reaching up and snatching it back. "Why do you want help with a phone? Aren't you like, from the dark ages?"

It took Alastor a moment to be able to admit to it. "I'd like... to call my wife"

"Awww, is someone clingy" angels teasing didn't last long before radio dials appeared in the demons eyes, radio interference filling the air as quickly as it had disappeared earlier. "Okay, okay" Angels hands flew up in surrender, Alastor returning to normal instantly. "Splended!"

It took a moment for Angel to flick through the thousands of contacts he had, before he finally reached you. Pressing the call button and handing the phone to Al. Who held it like an old grampa looking at a meme. "What do i do now?" he squinted his eyes at the device in his hand. "Just hold it" Angels voice became frustrated as he readjusted the phone in Als hand.

You had picked up the call a minute ago now, on your way back to the hotel. Being greeted to the two boys bickering. "Helloooo?" you sung out, attempting to get their attention.

"Oh. Hello my dear!" Alastor noticed to and bared his teeth in an awkward smile. "I just wanted to see how my love was doing, is all"

"How sweet. I will be back soon." You had many questions to ask when you were back with the comfort of your person.

"Do hurry"

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Continuity Error 1

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: you are the resident tech and fly on the wall, until you're not. (short!reader)

Characters: Thor, this reader is known as Stormie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

Everything is neat and tidy and separate. Like everything in your life. The bento box divides rice from even slices of grilled chicken, another unit of edamame and some greens in a section of their own. Right on top of your desk with the pen cup of black pens only and the organizer with post-its sorted by colour and size, along with a tin of mint and a single notebook. Orderly.  

Unlike the rabble around you. The office is chaos. It’s noisy. It’s annoying. 

It’s not where you wanted to be in life but you never really figured out the alternative. You just try to get by. Wake up, go to work, do your job, go home, eat. Everything is precise and routine. You don’t miss a beat. Just keep going. 

That day is no different than the ones before. Fefe makes eyes at Mr. Odinson as he walks in with one of his clients. They’re all the same. Sometimes you suspect they aren’t there for business with the way they chat up the assistants. It’s not your concern; you only care when they open a spam link or forget to plug in their monitor. Work is simple. 

You mind business and people mind theirs. They don’t remember you’re there until they need help. They don’t make small talk. You don’t either. What good is that? Just wasting time when you can fix their problem in less than a minute. You learned your lesson when that guy in the glasses keep winking. 

You chew your chicken. You forgot lemon juice in your sauce. A rare oversight. 

You take small bites. A bite of chicken. Then rice. Then edamame. And finally greens. It’s a parade of flavours. You keep the order; chicken, rice, veg... 

When you finish, you get up with the lid and reusable cutlery, stacked on top of the container, and go to the break room to rinse it all out. You take your tip; washing each corner and crevice. You dry the pieces thoroughly and put it all back together. 

“That’s an interesting container,” a deep voice startles you from the doorway. 

You turn as you click the lid firmly into place. You put the container against your chest, hiding it. It’s him. The big burly blond that runs the floor. You wiggle your nose. A compulsion you have yet to unlearn. 

“Sir.” 

“May I see?” He asks. 

As he comes closer you tense up. You don’t like people touching your stuff. You’ll have to resanitize it all and your hands. 

“Unless you’d rather I not,” Mr. Odinson relents and stops a few feet from you, “I only came for a top up.” 

He doffs his mug. The stains of his early brew still around the brim. He goes to the sink and rinses it out. He doesn’t scrub or soap it before he wipes it dry quickly and puts it on the tray of the single-serve machine. That’s exactly why you don’t touch the coffee station. You bring a thermos with cinnamon tea; it keeps warm all day long. 

You nod and head for the door.  

“Are you the replacement?” He asks. “I recall you looking much different.” 

You stop and shake your head, “tech, sir.” 

“Ah, yes, I remember now. The one in the corner,” he says as he clucks and squints at the selection of boxes. “Would you a recommendation?” 

You waver. You just want to go to your desk. Your nose twitches again. 

“I don’t drink coffee.” 

“Tea? My brother is preferential to it as well.” 

You’ve dealt with his brother. Down a few floors. Not very pleasant but asks a lot less questions. 

You nod. He looks at you and brushes his fingertips along his golden beard. He’s a very large man but you suppose next to you, anyone is. 

“I should go back to my desk.” 

“And who says so? I am the boss, so far as I know,” he muses. 

You pause before you can flee. Your nose wiggles. His blue eyes catch on the movement. You stare back, unsure what to do. 

“Hm, this Colombian roast looks interesting,” he plucks out a pod. You stand there blankly. You don’t like this. He’s making you feel dumb. He’s getting in the way of your routine. “Are you available to have a look at my computer? It seems I’m having some error with the secure connection. That is, if you can make time for me?” 

As the machine grinds loudly to push your shoulders back. “It is my job, yes.” 

“Perfect, go ahead and wait for me in my office,” he says coolly, his focus on the spout. 

You retreat through the door and flit over to your desk. You open your drawer and shove the container in your bag. You turn and look over at his office door. You slowly make your way between the desks toward it.  

You pause across from the name placque on the door and glance over as Sierra watches you. You cross and push the handle down. You enter warily. You leave the door open and near his large desk. You go around and roll his chair aside. You hate touching other peoples’ things; you prefer to remote in. 

You stand as you wake up the computer. You step back and wait. It’s locked. That’s good. You shouldn’t leave your device accessible. 

Odinson enters with a waft of coffee. He smiles at you and your nose scrunches. “You will need to sign in and you can show me the problem.” You step back. 

He comes around the desk and sets the cup down carelessly. A splash overflows the brim and leaks onto the desk, the coaster forgotten by his mousepad. He pulls his chair closer and sits in it heavily, the wheels squeaking. 

It takes him several tries to login as his thick fingers are almost too big for the keys. When he’s in, he clicks around. You watch him bring up the server portal. He types again. 

“Sir,” you say. “The two-factor authentication requires you to confirm on a secondary device. You need to type in sms and it will send a passcode to your phone or whatever else you’ve set up with the system.” 

“Ah!” He snaps his fingers. “I knew it would be obvious. Clever rabbit.” He pops his index up. 

“Problem solved,” you say and check your watch. Lunch is over. 

“Thank you,” he beams. 

You leave him without another word. You find it hard to believe he was locked out when the security protocol has been in place for well over a year. He needs it every day so why is it suddenly an issue? You shrug. 

Like you said, problem solved. You can go back to your corner. 

[angel-kyo]

Pay it no mind

Part II

In which reader confesses their feelings to Gojo, but it seems these are not returned (maybe?).

Warnings: reader is on the receiving end of rejection (kinda), and the fact that I'm obsessed with unrequited love is a warning itself. There is also a mention of Shoko sometimes skipping meals out of habit.

Previous: Part I

----------------

"So where is the menace?" Shoko asked, sitting across from you while you ate your noodles.

You were in the cafeteria of Jujutsu Tech and Shoko was just pushing around the veggies left on her plate.

You gulped down the last of your meal. "Satoru?" She gave you a light nod, "I think Ijichi called him for a meeting or something."

Shoko nodded. "He must be busy... You have been eating lunch with me every day."

She sounded thoughtful rather than bothered, so you smirked. "Sick of me already?" You looked at the food remaining on her plate.

Ieiri was not the type to eat too much during lunch, skipping meals here and there sometimes for work, an unhealthy habit you had scolded her for in multiple occasions, but concern was not the only reason why you had been dragging her around or intruding into her office at lunch time almost every day for the last three weeks, and she could sense it.

"Not just yet." She hummed, finally pushing her plate away and directing her soft gaze your way. "But is everything okay between you two?"

Her question sounded almost disinterested. After all, it was a common occurrence for you to drop by the infirmary to remind her to eat, or even persuade her to join you and Gojo in the cafeteria, but she had picked up on something these days.

It first caught her attention that day the three of you had been eating together. She announced she had to return to the infirmary sooner than expected, and you got up immediately after her, saying you had to go too, despite having barely touched your food, leaving Gojo to have lunch alone. Your excuse had been poor, and she saw you sitting in front of the empty training fields not so long after that. That was the first day she noticed; it was as if you did not want to be left alone with Gojo. Not that she could not understand it; one needed the patience of a saint to endure that man's antics, but you had never seemed too bothered by him.

Probably a secondary effect of knowing him for so long, she mused.

Truth was you did want to spend time with Gojo, just as much as usual. You thought things should not be particularly weird after your confession, but the slightly tense smile he kept throwing your way during lunch that same day after you had confessed made you think he might feel a bit uncomfortable after all.

I might be seeing something that is not really there, you thought, but I don't want to push him much.

"Everything is fine." You smiled. "I guess he is just busy."

Shoko returned your smile, and you moved on conversing about the latest weirdest things she had read while doing medical research. It was only when you were walking with her back to the infirmary that she said "You know? For a second, I thought you and that idiot were breaking up."

If she noticed the way your gaze dropped, she did not say.

"I know, I know, you are not a couple and all that chit chat... I believe you, but you know what I mean." Your nod was imperceptible, but you understood what she meant.

Through the years, people had sometimes gotten the impression you and Gojo were an item. Both of you had always denied it and just acted cool about it, though. You wondered if you would continue being able to do that.

Shoko, you are spot on...

"But you have always been close, haven't you?", she continued, "So I can't see that happening. He is a pain that arrives to stay, all right." Shoko muttered that last part, but it still made you smile.

You liked Ieiri a lot; her presence and her words were often comforting.

***

Satoru felt a tinge of guilt holding half-a-full box of sweets over the trashcan at his place. It was the one you had given him almost three weeks ago and that had been stalling in his fridge until they had finally gone bad. He had tried to eat them, really, but...

"I like you too, you are the nicest one around here."

"I see."

Every bite reminded him of his stupidity and that hurt look on your face. Sweet turning bitter in his mouth.

He was not sure of why he had said it like that. It had just been... sudden. So much that not even he, the user of the six eyes, had seen it coming.

If asked, Gojo would say he had not felt uncomfortable. Actually, he could not remember a time when he had ever felt uncomfortable around you. Since you met as kids, you had become friends easily, as if it was only natural, like you were meant to be part of each other. That may be why, when you told him you liked him that way, it felt as if his own hand had moved without his commanding and slapped him.

Not that it bothered me, but when did it happen?

He let the sweets fall into the bin.

That day, he thought he had messed up for real. Nevertheless, you had been surprisingly casual about it and even joined him for lunch as if nothing had happened. The days that followed, you would still walk beside him and banter with him at any time, but he could not help feeling as if some new kind of barrier was appearing between the two of you. Whether you had gotten over him as soon as you had handed him that box or if you were actually just concealing your real feelings from him, he found both possibilities unsettling.

He thought he knew you pretty well in all but one department: romantic love. To be honest, neither of you had much dating experience, and he could only recall a season of your youth when you had been infatuated with some guy back in your high school days. Not something he really wanted to remember, though.

Right... Back then too, his own feelings around you had been a knot he could not untie.

***

What's the difference between these two?

You had been browsing the store for the last twenty minutes trying to find your usual brand of shampoo with no luck, so you were finally giving in into buying a different kind, but the options you were looking at were not all that convincing.

They look the same to me except for the price... Changing brands is a pain. Maybe I should check one more store, they could still have it there.

You returned both bottles to the shelf.

"[Last name]?" You looked at the stranger that had called you, meeting with a pair of pretty hazel eyes that were, in fact, not that unfamiliar to you.

"Ikeda?" Your lips were already curving upwards.

He returned your smile. "It's been a while."

----------

Note: This is where I thought this would become longer than I had expected, because if we have part 2, we might as well just go for part 3, right? Anyways...

Thank you for reading!

Next: Part III

[outofmydepthatapublicbeach]

on the balcony- Julien Baker x fem!reader

summary: After a long leg on tour, you and Julien are talking at a small get-together with the band and all the crew. You find yourselves alone on a balcony, and something gets confessed.

jj chats: hiii everyone!! this is my first kind of real fic!! i really hope you all enjoy it!! my requests box is opened and i would love to get some of y'alls ideas!!! see you later by gorgeous gorgeous people!!! <333

word count: 800ish

warnings: RPF, kissing, they're both v awkward, i think that is it!!!

feedback is encouraged and i'd love to get some just please be kind!!!

The party was starting to get stuffy, the air was humid from the heat emitted from the bodies of your friends and co-workers. They were celebrating the end of a successful American leg of the up-and-coming band; boygenius. The lead singers and band were somewhere in the middle of everything, everyone talking their ears off. You held a water bottle in your hand, taking a swig from it in an attempt to cool down. 

In the crowd, you spied your favorite ⅓ of boygenius: Julien Baker. You two had grown a close bond throughout the tour. In the beginning, she was quite opposed to the service you offered: make-up. But when one of the first shows in the scorching heat of summer left Julien’s pretty face completely sunburned, she figured you might know how to prevent that. 

You bonded over tinted sunscreen and the lip gloss. You thought that was it at first. But after the first show she had implemented your advice she had come up to you, generously thanking you for their help.

“It’s probably not! Just doing my job!” You blushed, nervous about the tattooed woman in front of you.

To your surprise Julien looked almost as nervous as you felt, she spoke “Hey, could I have your number? In case I need any more help with skincare or makeup or something!” a dry laugh left her lips.

You practically ripped your phone out of your pocket, handing it to her. She entered her number and smiled before walking away. 

Later that night, on your way to your hotel you got a text: Hey! It’s JB! Want to meet up for breakfast tomorrow? We don’t have rehearsals until the afternoon.

Your heart practically jumped out of your chest and that’s when you knew you couldn’t just be her friend.

At about the same time you saw Julien in the crowd, she saw you. In a not-so-graceful way, she excused herself and made her way over to you, almost tripping on a bunched-up rug on her way.

“Hey you,” Julien smiled, her hands empty, one finding their way into the pockets of her Carhart zip-up. “What’re you doing all by yourself?” 

You sighed, pointing to your fellow makeup artist, who was currently wrapped in a guitar tech's arms, swaying to the music that sounded like a whisper at this moment. “Got ditched. But it's okay. I was about to leave anyway, parties aren’t really my thing.” 

“Yeah I’m not a big fan of parties either, do you want to go somewhere quieter?” She asked, looking at you with big brown eyes that reflected purple due to the LED lights that lined the room you were currently in. 

“I’d love that, let's go.” Out of habit with other friends, you went to grab her hand. Julien tensed for a split second, before wrapping her fingers around your hand as you led her out of the room and into a hallway, maneuvering between couples pressed against walls and friends laughing until you eventually made it to a balcony that overlooked the city. The breeze was cool, which left you chilly, but the warmth from the woman next to you and the giddiness that heated your heart was enough to make you forget all about the cold. You turned to face Julien again, taking in all the features of her face.

She was staring out into the city, a slight smile forming on her face as she watched the skyline twinkle like stars do in the sky. You don’t think you’ve ever seen someone as beautiful. You turned back to the city, your eyes focusing on a particular car that was zooming down the streets.

“Beautiful.” You heard Julien whisper next to you. 

“Yeah the city is so pretty at night.” you giggle.

“No-” a pause, “No I mean you. You’re beautiful.” Julien said, her voice raising itself an octave.

 You turned to Julien to see her face flushing. “I think you’re beautiful too J,” You smile, as your face heats up. 

The moment freezes, and suddenly all that is real in the world is the woman standing in front of you, before you know it you’re both leaning forward, gentle lips pressing together. Her hand that is encased with yours tightens, while the other moves to cup your face, pulling you into her. Your chest flushed against each other, lips now crashing together, less gentle, more need. 

Suddenly Julien pulls away, then breathlessly says “I like you, like really like you, and I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I met you.” 

You can feel your heart swell a lot before saying “I like you too.” The two of you stand there giggling like teenagers for a while before you decide to rejoin the party. But for the rest of the night, your hand never leaves Julien’s.

[seijorhi]

SHUDDER

Kozume Kenma x female reader

a Valentine’s Day Collab

tw: heavy dubcon, nsfw, voyeurism, murder, yandere themes, this one's a doozy y'all we're goin' out with a bang :))

The red light on the camera atop his computer blinks steadily.

Kenma’s not some sappy romantic, he doesn’t really do Valentine’s Day. This stream wasn’t even his idea to begin with. It just so happened that he was frustrated and pissed off, venting in the chat when one of the users made a comment that got him thinking.

(He’s not an asshole, either – he did remember to bring you a box of heart shaped chocolates.) 

He was gonna do this one way or the other, the timing just sort of worked out, and he supposes he can see the romantic side of it all. Girls are supposed to like this sort of thing, aren’t they – grand declarations of love and all that. 

“You remember the rules, don’t you?” he asks. 

Your cheeks shining with stricken tears, your lower lip wobbling, you nod minutely, eyes downcast.

Kenma frowns a little, and draws your chin upwards, forcing you to meet his eye. “I need you to say it. Out loud.”

You swallow audibly, risking a glance over towards the bed, the bound figure thrashing about, yelling desperately through his gag. Kenma’s fingers tighten, and you let out a startled squeak, quickly returning your attention back to him. “You– you’re gonna–” your voice hitches, “I h-have to–”

“Aw, c’mon Kenma, don’t be mean to the poor thing,” Kuroo snickers, driving his elbow into the gut of your soon-to-be ex boyfriend for good measure when he gets a bit too rowdy for his liking. 

Irritation spikes, and Kenma barely – barely – refrains from rolling his eyes and huffing. Truthfully, he’s not so sure he could’ve pulled this whole thing off without his friend’s help, he’d just appreciate it if that help were a little more silent. 

“Say it,” he repeats, the hand keeping you perched on his lap slipping down between your thighs to your bare cunt, the wet slick from your earlier efforts coating his fingertips as they rub possessively along your slit.

Kenma’s eyes drift back to the camera, tilting your face along with his, “Tell them what you’re gonna do.”

You look miserable, terrified, and so fucking pretty as you hiccup another sob, “I-I’m going to fuck you, a-and if I want… if I want him–”

“If you wanna win, you have to make me cum before he runs out of air.”

He’s already had you cum for everyone watching, made you play with your cute little pussy with the toys he’d bought for you. A part of him hates that others got to see it, but it was his choice to livestream this. Just for tonight – and then you’re for his eyes only.

… And maybe Kuroo’s. He does sort of owe him for this. 

Kenma doesn’t bother asking if you’re ready to start, he just spreads his legs a little wider, looks to Kuroo and bobs his chin. The plastic bag and duct tape thing isn’t exactly high tech or all that elegant – it’ll do the job, though, he knows that much. 

“I dunno how long it’ll take,” he tells you quietly, Kuroo grinning widely as he begins sliding the bag over your boyfriend’s head. “A minute or so to lose consciousness, I guess, after that…” he shrugs, looking almost bored at the prospect.

You, though – it lights a panic in your eyes, your whole body trembling as you lurch to your feet. Duct tape rips, your boyfriend’s choked and muffled noises growing more and more frantic as he yells your name and thrashes about. Kenma ignores him – there’s a part of him that kind of wishes he wasn’t here to begin with, but he s’poses he does have some value – as you reach for his boxers and pull out his aching, twitching cock and stroke it.

He looses a shuddering breath, fingers sinking into the armrest of his gaming chair.

You go to sit down on his cock – facing him, like lovers do – and Kenma barely has the presence of mind to stop you. “No,” he gasps, shaking his head and swallowing dryly. “Show them.”

You’re clumsy as you turn, flinching, half-sobbing with every distressed noise that fills the room. If Kenma were particularly vindictive, he’d tell you to hurry it up, because at this rate your stupid boyfriend will be brain dead before he’s even inside you. 

He’s far too invested in the way you settle your thighs either side of his and grip his cock – flushed pink to the tip, weeping with pre that you diligently swirl over the sensitive head – in a trembling hand, guiding it to where it needs to be as you lower your hips down to meet his. 

And the feel of your pussy, that warm, slick velvet that sucks him in has him moaning, every thought eddying from his head. Holy fuck, it feels incredible. Uncoordinated and sloppy as your movements are, you’re heaven and your pussy is a thousand times better than the fantasies he’d gotten off to before. He promised himself he wouldn’t do anything to help you along while you fucked him, but Kenma can’t help the hand that reaches for your breast, needily groping at the soft, pillowy flesh. 

Seated to the hilt inside of you, every sensation is heightened. Every hitch in your breath, the fluttering of your pussy, squeezing and pulsing around him, the shudders that wrack your body as Kenma’s other hand tightens around your hip. “Move,” he pants. “Fuck– please–”

You do, raising your hips until only the very tip of his cock remains inside and sinking down once more. Your chest bounces for the camera as you set the pace, your tears and sniffles lost to the sound of comments pinging, donations pouring in. Kenma can’t stop touching you – everywhere, every inch of soft skin he can reach, squeezing and pinching and groping. “Don’t look at him,” he growls when your head starts to turn towards the bed. “Watch.”

Your boyfriend’s hacking and gagging, the noises growing louder and louder, warring with Kenma’s moans and your sobs, the slick sound of his cock sliding in and out of your cunt as you pleasure yourself on his dick. When the noises start to die down, and your boyfriend’s flailing turns into an unsettling, unnatural jerking and then not even that, you clench so tightly around his cock that Kenma’s vision goes white. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck–” he chants, clutching you closer with a rabid desperation. 

You’re wailing, scrambling in vain to get off of him and with a mind of its own his hips buck up inside of you, once, twice – and Kenma cums harder than he ever has before.

[frenchie-sottises]

Back at it With the Punch Out Headcanons.

It's been a long while since I've done any Punch Out Headcanons, and combined with the fact that I looked through my old posts and may or may not have cringed a little, I'm gonna add some more headcanons and update some current ones. (Mostly cause they were made out of little information I had at the time.)

Also, just throwing up a warning real quick as some of these headcanons do mention some heavier topics like familial abuse and childhood neglect for some of these boxers. However, they don't go into detail.

Glass Joe:

I called him a cinnamon roll last time, and that still holds true, but I didn't realize how sassy this man was. Telling you you're bad for his health, making it clear he's coming for you by pointing at you like you just committed a crime, this mfer has some spunk for having a hundred losses to a single victory. He's still extremely chill, but he's not above throwing hands if necessary.. even if he might lose.

100% the type of person to make baked goods for someone if they're down or it's their birthday. Part of the reason why he likes taking his friends to lunch.

Even though the WVBA doesn't seem to have an age limit, especially apparent with boxers like Gabby and Hoy, he's still not looking forward to the day he must retire. He enjoys boxing, it's why he's still kicking despite losing so much, and he hates the idea he won't be in the ring anymore.

Tumblr has broken his humor.

Von Kaiser:

Was exposed to so much propaganda as a kid that he makes a point to learn all sides of the story purely out of spite.

His dad was in the military, so respect was almost literally beaten into this man's head as he grew up. However, despite the trauma, he doesn't believe in his father's tactics, so he chose to turn his boxing career into a place where he can teach other kids the proper way to become respectable adults without the trauma he was put through.

Has a difficult time expressing his feelings, but will eventually give in if it's someone he's close to or with enough coaxing. However, the quickest way to gain his trust and help him open up is to respect his space. His expressions make it pretty clear what he wants.

Kinda has to be dragged to make any sort of online presence. He only has a Facebook and a Tumblr. It would've been strictly Facebook had Joe not encourage him to make a Tumblr. (The site has also broken his humor.)

Disco Kid:

Has 100% wore your typical 80s disco fashion. There's a reason why he's called "Disco Kid." His grandparents were big disco dancers, which eventually got passed down to him. Rollerskating's pretty much paired up with that, so he breaks it down.

Is quite an oddball when it comes to being a boxer. With his history, you'd think he'd just stick with being a dancer, but he's never liked the idea of his passion being his profession. He likes the freedom in his dancing, so it's staying as a hobby. Of course, you need money for hobbies, you saw his car, so he took up boxing when he saw a poster for a WVBA match. He may not be the best, but he loves boxing enough to want to incorporate it with his dancing.

Has made it a mission to learn every instrument there is! He loves his disco stuff, but he has a general love for music. Old, new, fancy, simple, it doesn't matter. If it exists, he wants to learn it.

Is one of the more tech savvy boxers of the group. There's a chat in the Discord server that is solely for memes cause he wouldn't stop posting them in general. ("I've been kicked for posting memes in general. Help-") May or may not be part of the reason Joe's and Von's humors are broken.

King Hippo:

He may be royalty, but he's one of the most humbled beings you'll ever meet. He's definitely an acts of service kind of guy, so he's holding doors open for people, giving people food, using his money to help the citizens on his island, his mother raised him well.

Has personally fought and chased Airbnb off of his island after they tried their greedy bullshit. They already cause people in other places problems, he'd be damned if they're welcomed on his island! (It was televised too, so his appearance alone made even Sandman shake in his boots.)

You're not gonna believe this, but.. Hippo can speak English. He can speak it really well, actually. His iconic way of speaking originally started for show, but became his main way of talking, but English was his first language, so, on the few occasions where he needs to actually talk, he surprises everyone in the room with it.

Has experience in architecture. Safe to say it's one of his biggest passions, and he uses it often to help his citizens because why be a king if you just sit on your ass all day when you can help your people instead? He sneers at most kings he's heard about.

Piston Hondo:

He's such a snarky lil shit in the ring, it's almost comical. He does it on purpose just to cause problems. He's fine outside the ring, but the boxers can tell when he's out to cause problems when his moves his eyebrows more than he normally should.

Second to Tiger when it comes to being a clean freak. He sneezes at the littlest things, so he has air filters and humidifiers all over his home. It's helped quite a bit! If he's in a room where it's dirty, he immediately goes into cleaning mode, outfit and all.

His love for drawing and art still holds true. He gets easily inspired, so he always has a sketchbook on him. He eventually picked up digital drawing, feeling unsure at first, but his determination led him to discover how much he loved it! He now makes a point to learn different forms of art, having made a room in his home dedicated to all things art.

Sneaks up on people too easily. He doesn't even do it on purpose most of the time, he's just very light on his feet. Not even the lightest sleeper can hear him moving around when it's three in the morning. 100% mastered this to raid the fridge, there's no way you're this quiet without picking it up somewhere.

Bear Hugger:

Got his knowledge and love for nature from his dad. He fully understands and accepts nature in all her beauty and ugliness. This also means that anything you'd want to know about nature, he's your go-to. He isn't one to sugarcoat things, so any information you wish to know is to be done at your own discretion. (Is also one of Casual Geographic's biggest fans as he keeps it straightforward while also having master word play.)

May or may not have his DNA altered via a were..bear bite. Yeah, who knew his sparring partner was a mythical being? He paid no mind till he started noticing the typical changes found in such a transformation. His speed and strength led to him breaking his tools by accident fairly often, and his sharpened senses overwhelmed him a few times, but he's adjusted to this and uses these abilities to his advantage, especially in hunting. He's thought about possibly climbing the ranks while he still has the time, but is still unsure as he doesn't mind where he currently sits.

Will fight and has fought people who litter without a second thought. The forest he lives in used to be covered in trash, which he spent weeks cleaning, so he takes massive offense to those who don't bother to throw away their trash. If the person purposely does it after being warned? Only God can save you, cause he's thrown people's whole selves into trashcans. (His werebear abilities make this easier to do.)

Was originally gonna be a massage therapist before attending one of his mother's boxing matches. He has always been good with his hands, so he went all the way and gained his license for it. Of course, he prefers boxing, but he hasn't let his license expire, so he still holds the therapist title!

Great Tiger:

Number one clean freak out of everyone in the WVBA. No one knows where he got it. He doesn't even have health issues that require it like Hondo does, but he feels the need to keep his house clean. This also, by extension, means he keeps himself extremely clean. It's not to insufferable levels like with Don, but he always has a light scent of lavender on him. If he was in a dirty room, or a dirty home, you're gonna see about thirty clones all dressed up and cleaning the place.

If the light shines on him just right, his eyes almost look like they're made of liquid gold. He gets a lot of compliments on his eyes, it's ridiculous. It's either the eyes, or the mustache, which, he won't deny, his mustache is pretty fabulous. He loves the compliments, but he does get a bit overwhelmed if they get too much.

Has a deep love for mythology. It doesn't matter where it's from, he reads and learns all he can about it. He's one of the few boxers who suspects Bear Hugger might've had something happen to him due to the subtle changes he's picked up. He's also dressed up as a vampire on a few occasions just for funsies.

He doesn't want to admit it, but whenever he wears a sash belt, the extra bit behaves like a cat's tail. He tries to control it, but it's apparent when he's irritated, it flicks around just like that of a cat. The only thing it doesn't do is lift straight up, which is something that happens when a cat is happy to see you, but it does curl at the end.

Don Flamenco:

For being as cocky as he is, if he feels like he's in the wrong in any way, he's apologizing FAST. He can't imagine ever hurting someone, even if it's unintentional. He also struggles to not cry as he admits he was wrong, but, dammit, he can't help it.

Absolutely adores games that encourage creativity like Sims and Minecraft. He's always looking forward to designing houses and gardens in these games, using any and all tricks he knows to bring extra pizazz to them. It's even better when Carmen's around to join in. His favorite of the bunch is probably Sims 4. Animal Crossing is a close second. (And you know, damn well, that they got the fanciest, gothic houses in the games.)

Don't ever assume Don performs actual bullfighting, cause this man will not let you hear the end of why he's against it. He's one of cultural heritage, but bullfighting is a disgrace in his eyes and looks forward to the day it's illegal across the country. He'd rather fight the bull with his bare hands in a test of strength than ever bring out a weapon.

Doesn't realize how much his perfume bothers people. He loves the smell of perfume, especially anything floral because of course this dude loves his flowers. He gets fussed at a lot for it, so it's a miracle Mac wasn't fazed by it.

Aran Ryan:

His parents are both terrible. The father pretty much drank his life away while the mother ran away. Because of this, Aran was forced to grow up and fend for not only himself, but also for his little sister, Arabella. It's mostly the explanation for his unhinged and masochist-like behavior. Most people don't fuck with crazy.

Despite his rough background, he was able to get help from neighbors, who all silently agreed to take turns watching the two cause American foster systems tend to not fair much better. He worked at several jobs once he was sixteen. He's worked anything from cashier work to yard work and even some automotive work. He wasn't able to finish school, he dropped out as soon as he started working, but eventually got his GED once he took up boxing and got a steady income to help keep Arabella in school.

Does not give a fuck about what people say about him, but will be on the verge of wailing on someone if they dare trash talk his sister. Soda's had to hold him back a few times cause he'll halt the match to fight whoever said some bs, he doesn't play. Luckily, for everyone involved, anyone with a sane enough mind will not dare cross that line.

Thanks to the WVBA and the neighbors, this is the craziest he'll ever get. Outside the ring, he's pretty much one of the most chilled boxers you'll meet. The most he does is pranks, which all go for annoying the people he targets. You can take the Irish man out of the chaos, but you'll never take the chaos out of the Irish man.

Soda Popinski:

Number one cat magnet. He can't explain it, nor is he trying, but cats love him. He can literally just sit on a bench in a random spot, and it wouldn't even take two minutes before a cat comes out of the wild for some pets. He was even once bombarded with a whole bundle of kittens when he saw one on the side of the road one day. He took them all home, named them, and takes great care of them. Tiger seethes with jealousy.

His calm nature is the Yin to Aran's chaotic Yang. He was one of the first boxers to greet Aran when he first joined, and lent an ear to all the stuff Aran was going through and had to get off his chest. After that, the two pretty much became best friends. He's even helped babysit Arabella a few times if no one else was around to help. It's a bromance at this point. Only Soda can calm Aran down if something, or someone, severely pisses the Irish man off.

Has an immune system of steel. Not even diseases like Covid can faze this man. People suspect it's the soda, but it actually lies in the fact that Soda's technically a genetic experiment gone undetected. Someone messed up the shots and his mother got the shot the Russian government was using to make super soldiers. No one knows about it.

No one has successfully hid from this man, his sixth sense for sniffing out bullshit is insane. Don was sent to get drinks, but came back claiming the store was closed, but Soda pointed out the shirt he left with had tiny flowers, but the one he was wearing currently is only dots. Then Disco came in late for his training sessions, claiming he caught the train, but Soda told him that there's a road that avoids it altogether and questioned why he didn't just take that route. It's almost annoying for the other boxers how quickly he puts them on the spot.

Bald Bull:

Mother died when he was only ten, so the rest of his childhood was handled by his shitty father. Despite being the oldest of three, his father gave his younger brother the ranch due to his disapproval of Bull taking up boxing. He kept what his mother said in mind: to follow his dreams, so he did. He's tried to keep contact with his siblings, but they cut contact with him despite knowing their father is in the wrong. He's understandably bitter about it.

When he has himself a me day, he dresses up in his biker gear and drives his saddlebag bike with the ape hangers. (Ape hangers are high sitting handlebars that encourage upright posture.) His helmet conceals his identity, so no one knows it's him driving around and having fun. He became a rebel/biker as a way to break free from his father's control, so it's forever a part of him. He's also outrun the cops on several occasions. They still haven't caught him!

When it's a good day, he's got that extra bit of shithead energy about him. Doesn't even care if he gets his ass beat by Sandman, when he feels good, he's taunting EVERYBODY. His favorite method of taunting is taking the heaviest dumbbell available and lifting it while cocking an eyebrow and grin while the person is down. Heaviest he's done is 260lbs. He's aiming for higher.

His love for Turkish delights came from his mother making them every weekend after dinner. They hold a special place in his heart, using the same recipe his mother wrote for him, along with several other of her recipes, to keep ever since he took up cooking classes. Will burn someone's house down if something ever happens to that little booklet.

Super Macho Man:

Pissing off people is his specialty. Even when he's not really trying, he'll say something extremely dumb that encourages one of the other World Circuit boxers, usually Sandman, sometimes Bull, to come and beat his ass. He's either oblivious, or he's secretly a masochist, cause this happens a lot.

Takes the BIGGEST offense when someone doesn't recognize him. He thinks he's super famous, and there's some truth in that, but you'll always have people who don't keep up with celebrity drama, so his dramatic self gets salty when the person claims to not recognize him. "Well, I thought I was more popular than that!"

Despite being a dick most of the time, he has his silly moments. People compare him to Randy Savage, they're being generous, so he'll go out of his way to quote him with the voice and everything. He's nothing like the guy other than name, but he does find it endearing and will happily give his fans free meme material. He even quotes memes made of Randy, even the breathing one. He almost passed out.

Loves musicals. He was a huge theatre kid, so he's really good at playing assigned parts and has an extremely good singing voice. (Disco may or may not be slightly jealous.) Absolutely got hooked on musicals like Hamilton, The Count of Monte Cristo, and even the Heathers! Doesn't care he's a buff dude, let him wear the costumes and play those leading roles!

Mr. Sandman:

BIG momma's boy. His mother basically raised him on her own, making sure her boy never lost his way once he got out there. He's grateful for having such a loving mother, and he often gifts her a good chunk of his paycheck so she can treat herself nicely. Not much is known about what happened to the father, but he was a former boxer.

Had dreadlocks at one point in time. Took amazing care of them, even sometimes decorating them with golden braid clips. When they fully matured, they made him look like a lion. He was super proud of them and was upset that they got in the way when he decided to take up boxing. He tried to tie them up in a ponytail, but some of the matches he had got heated, and it led to some of his locks getting ripped out. He plans to regrow them once he enters retirement.

Quietly thanks Mac for taking the belt from him that day. He aimed to be the best, not because of his insecurities, but because he wanted to ensure he could provide for his mom. He thought claiming the belt was it, so when Mac took it, he got the much needed kick in the ass to realize that he doesn't need to be perfect to help out. He's already top dog, so he's already reached that goal.

He tries hard to be stoic, but he can't help but chuckle at some of the shenanigans that occur with the other boxers. Aran smacking Bull's head really hard and getting decked for it? He snickered. Soda constantly putting people on the spot? He smirks at it. Macho almost passing out from doing that one Randy meme? That took some self control, especially when all he heard was Macho falling on his back with a loud "THUD" when he had his head turned.

Extra:

Carmen:

At first glance, she seems incredibly tame, but she's feisty! If someone angers her enough, she'll straight up rip a nearby door off its hinges and beating them with it. Hell, when she's really happy about something, there's a chance she'll kick the door on the wrong side and rip it off the hinges. She's had to replace the doors around the house a few times due to this, and Don finds it hilarious.

Pastel goth type. She was a pink hater for a long while, but the color grew on her. She's also incorporated other pastel colors into her wardrobe. May or may not also have Monster High stuff that she wears as well.

Works as a hairdresser. She colors and styles her hair often, and it's done so well that her girlfriends got her to do their hair. Some of them eventually suggested to her to pick up hairdressing as a profession, which she decided to give a shot and winded up loving it. She's even helped Don with coloring his hair a few times cause he tends to make a mess when he does it.

Cannot sing to save her own life. She was long ashamed of it too, but Don truly doesn't care whether or not she can sing. Due to this, she slowly regained the confidence to sing her heart out again. Anyone who judges or dares to wish for her to shut up will be met with a very angry Don.

Arabella:

She can do no wrong. No, seriously, she's far too sweet to even attempt the kind of bs Aran pulls on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this also means she's gotten bullied a few times as other kids think she's an easy target, especially considering she's chunky and is likely on the spectrum. When Aran had to try and teach her to defend herself, she questioned why she couldn't be friends with them instead.

People make jokes Joe is the baby of the WVBA, because, y'know, his record, but it's really Arabella. Literally everyone has adopted her. If she ever needs help with anything, there's always someone around to help her. Homework? Hondo, Soda, and even Macho can all help. Friendship advice? Disco is literally the extrovert. If she gets bullied? Well, God help the school board cause everybody's showing up. It's hard to not spoil her cause she's such a good kid.

There's a good chance she could be an engineer when she grows up. She comes up with the most creative, and sometimes simple, ways to solve an issue. Her and Aran had to use bunk beds for a while, but nobody really told them how to properly bunk the beds, so Arabella dug into the closet and grabbed a couple of hangers that they could break and use. Surprisingly, they worked really well. Aran's pride shows when he tells this story.

She loves to color in her free time. She has a whole drawer's worth of coloring books and coloring supplies. When she's done, she often gifts the boxers her work, which is also often themed based on what she thinks fits them. They cherish her work, often framing it and hanging it around their apartments. Some of her work is even on display around the gym they train at. She mostly uses crayons and coloring pencils, but she's been learning to use markers as well. She loves the alcohol markers.

[collapsedsquid]

A few months ago, I bought a $60 toaster on Amazon that just would not heat up enough to toast bread. I wanted my money back. But repackaging the toaster and dropping it off at a post office seemed like too much of a hassle. So I did something slightly nefarious: I logged on to Amazon, opened the customer-service chat window, and told the outsourced worker on the other end that my toaster had never arrived. The agent apologized, asked zero follow-up questions, and immediately refunded me $60. I had committed a common, low-grade version of a type of fraud that has proliferated in recent years as massive online retailers flood the world with packages and offer customers frictionless returns. Often referred to simply as refunding, it involves finding ways to get money back for products people have not actually returned. A lot of refunding is perpetrated by sophisticated cybercriminals who trick retailers and shipping companies at scale, obtaining high-value products in bulk and reselling them online to customers who want watches, computers, or other expensive items for cheap. According to a December 2023 report from the National Retail Federation, retailers lost $101 billion from return fraud last year. Refunding first emerged alongside the early-2010s explosion in online retail and typically involved simple methods like buying items and claiming they never arrived (like my toaster). But as companies caught on, tactics evolved. In 2019, a fraudster who went by Bob published Bob’s Refunding eBook, which collected a number of methods that had been circulating on hacker forums and other underworld sites. (Nowadays, such tips circulate mostly on Telegram, the anonymous chat app on which much contemporary fraud is coordinated. The community is crass, like 4chan refitted for the zoomer mind: Refunding chat rooms with thousands of members host a flood of racist memes, slurs, cat GIFs, and extreme porn mixed in with advice on fraud methods.) Bob is credited in fraud circles with popularizing FTID — Fake Tracking ID, wherein the scammer returns an empty box to a retailer but edits the shipping label provided by the company to an address that is slightly different from the warehouse where returns are meant to go. The package gets scanned by, say, UPS when it’s picked up, allowing the customer to claim a refund, but it will never arrive at its destination.

New SBF just dropped

[britt-kageryuu]

Donnie is still setting up the stream even though it's already going, and the audience is watching his model move around what little of the studio that was within the cameras view.

Some kept pointing out how weird it was that Donnies model had on only small black shorts with his tail hanging out, battle shell, purple wrist bands, his bandana and goggles, and a pair of purple tabi. Some were clearly simping for the nearly naked model.

"Alright everyone, I believe everything is set up properly. Now to announce what I am doing for this stream. Shelldon, River, Drumroll Please!" As his droid children pop in to play the sound effect, Donnie rolls in a stand on wheels with a purple cloth covering a box shape on top.

Donnie pulls the cloth off with a flourish at the last beat of the drumroll into some fanfare. Revealing a set of purple framed lightly tinted glasses. Which gained a large amount of confusion.

"Introducing, the prototype Genius Built AR Glasses! That I have been given permission to test out on stream." Donnie picks up the glasses, and puts them on. The lenses flash for a second before looking like regular tinted glasses. "Now give me a second to find out why the AR effects from the glasses are not showing up on the stream." Donnie moves his hands around in the air while looking around himself.

After a couple minutes a bunch of holo screens pop up around Donnie, one of them is showing the stream apparently, one with what looks to be the settings, and another with a graphic of the stream deck.

"There we go, I hadn't fully synced the glasses to my system in one minor way, and it didn't like that." Donnie adjusts how the glasses are sitting on his face, "Now I can't guarantee this will be very entertaining, but I'm sure there are some in the audience who will very very very much enjoy this test run of the Prototype Genius Built AR Glasses. Also want to know when they plan to release them to the public and how much... so stay tuned and find out!!"

Donnie continues on with the test and demonstrating what difference there was between the Genius Built AR Glasses and the other brands that he could find. In example he brought up various videos of people showing off other AR Glasses.

"The company didn't want to actually buy any of the competitors stuff, partially because of how expensive some of them are, and mainly to not have accusations of just ripping off their tech, by just taking it apart or something." Donnie brings up a small screen with the known prices of the other brands, along with pictures of the products.

"Besides, many of the techs really liked the challenge. If the rumors are true there was a bet between some of them to build the first working prototype then make it slimmed down. Amused Chuckle." He looks directly at the camera with a grin, "I heard the prize was quite a big want for all of them. They won't actually tell me what the prize is, but it's a big deal for them. Shrug"

Donnie brings up the environment simulator, turning the area around him into a concert stage with instruments sitting around with out a band to play, or any humans actually. Donnie moves around the environment a little, checking for any possible problems.

"Well this appears to be working well enough, let's try thi-" In the middle of him talking his model is suddenly missing his battle-shell, and is in black/purple thigh high boots, a black super cropped jacket, his goggles are replaced with cat eared headphones with a mic, and has a purple dragon on his plastron.

Chat is going nuts over this sudden change, with one notable message of, "HOW ARE THEY HOTTER WITH MORE CLOTHES ON!!!!"

Donnie looks at his model with mild annoyance, "While this isn't a bad look, I could do without the dragon. Well everyone, if you excuse me, I must quickly make a call to question the other techs about this. As this is not one of the presets for my outfits that I cued up for this demonstration. Be right back."

With a wave of his hand the screen changes over to and animation of a much bigger Raph sleeping while floating in water with his now smaller brothers taking turns climbing and jumping of his back, and swim around.

--------------

Masterpost

With some companies working on AR I figured Donnie would make his on.

[tmntxthings]

Hey! idk if youre taking requests but i love your writing!

I was wondering how about some angst where the reader likes to make things like donnie does, she talks about it but donnie keeps talking about how he can make something better than that or add improvements and one day she comes in with something she made to show them but before she can show the whole group donnie just goes “thats it? i could make that in a hour, heck 2 hours to make it better than that” and it kinda just diminishes the reader and she leaves

you can add more! Ive just been thinking about this for a bit c: I hope you have a wonderful day!!

I Can Do It Better

author’s note: awww tysm c: i love this idea though i didn’t know whether to keep it just angsty or throw in the comfort at the end so I just went for it!! i hope you enjoy~~~~ <3

warnings: angst, slight cursing, fluff

————————————————————————

This time. This time for sure, you felt confident in your creation. “The bros are gonna loveee this,” you laughed to yourself as you fiddled with a controller. You had made tiny color coded racing drones. One for each turtle and then yours, they were small enough to all fit in your backpack as you carefully placed them inside, also stacking the controllers in as well.

Of course your miniature drones were nothing like Shelldon, and that was the first response you were expecting from Donnie, but maybe he’d be a little impressed by the mechanics and how mini sized everything was, you basically had to make everything yourself, propellers and engines not really coming in such a small size. But you thought it would be a fun way to hang out with the turtles, they all loved a good competition you had come to realize. Whether it was video games or DDR in the arcade, lately even pizza box stacking! The record being a total of 50 boxes on Mikey’s head.

As you locked your apartment door, sending a text to the group chat that you were heading to the lair. Raph had been the first to acknowledge so you deemed it fine to continue your journey. It took about 20 minutes by foot to get to the turtle’s manhole cover. Which left you with plenty of time to mull over how nervous you were becoming. It all stemmed back to when Donnie had first shown you his lab.

“Wow! This is incredible!” You said turning around in a circle taking in the entire place. Donnie held a smug expression on his face, “built entirely by yours truly,” he bowed dramatically and you continued to stroke his ego, gasping at that fact alone. “How long did it take you?” You asked curiously and Donnie waltzed over to his swivel chair, pushing a spare one towards you. The conversation had been you asking questions, him answering arrogantly and you praising his achievements. To someone like you, Donnie’s mind was just phenomenal, he was your very own genius you could badger with a billion questions trying to get a glimpse of his ingenuity. And Donnie didn’t mind all the questions he was used to his brothers not being interested so this was like a complete 180.

“I’m also interested in making tech,” you added shyly, it was your first non question. Donnie blinked, “well I doubt it’ll ever be better than anything I’ve ever created, but cool!” And then he turned to his work table and got busy, asking if you wanted to watch his skills at work. That had lessened the sting as you pushed your chair to roll closer, watching his steady hands.

That hadn’t been the last of Donnie knocking you down. The things you had brought to him, he’d recalibrate or completely dismantle saying, “Don’t worry I can fix this and it’ll be wayyy better,” Even though you hadn’t asked him to do it. At first you were just happy to have sort of collaborated but you soon fell out of the whole idolization.

“Don’t focus on Donnie just focus on Mikey, or Raph, maybe even Leo if it comes down to it!” You chanted to yourself as you descended into the sewers. You had started to visit Donnie less because you realized his words really hurt your feelings. You had yet to build up the courage to tell him that too. So you hadn’t seen him in a while, you doubted he even noticed, he was a busy turtle. “Knock knock,” you called out as you entered the abandoned subway that was transformed into a home. “Y/n!” Mikey hollered and ran over to pull you into a hug. Raph doing the same hugging the both of you, “It’s been a while!” Raph noted as he set the two of you down.

“Sorry about that! Nothing personal in fact, I was building something for you guys!” Raph and Mikey smiled at you,

“Ohhh really??” “What did you make??”

“I’ll show you!” And just as you were grabbing your backpack, opening up the zipper, Leo and Donnie walked in. “Lookie here! Just who we were-“ Leo had started but Donnie elbowed his brother in the plastron effectively making him double over. “OW!” Leo said after regaining his composure. You turned back to your backpack, shaking your head with a smile, they were always fooling around. With your back turned Donnie pointed at Leo, then dragged a finger across his neck. Meaning, ‘you’re dead if you keep talking.’

Leo rolled his eyes, “Guess what guys! Y/n made us something,” Mikey beamed and that had the twins coming to stand in front of you. “Well all of you,” you clarified and Leo rubbed his hands together excited to see what you would pull out. You decided to take yours out, along with the controller. “I made everyone tiny racing drones!” And you quickly went on, not looking at anyone’s face (for fear of seeing any disappointment). Placing the drone on the floor and flipping a switch on the controller, the drone powered to life and it raised slowly according to your controls.

“I thought it would be fun since you guys like to compete, and-“

“That’s it?” Your heart sank as you turned to Donnie, the turtle you had told yourself you would ignore. For some reason that was impossible for you to do. “It’s so tiny, you know Shelldon was a racing drone once, I could totally make-“

You sighed, “yeah never mind.” You surprised yourself and Donnie by cutting him off. Embarrassed you let the drone drop into your backpack, flinching at the clacking sound, but to prove your point you threw the controller in there as well. “I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea,” you said grabbing your bag quickly and heading for the exit. “Y/n!” Mikey called out worriedly. Raph was glaring at Donnie who had his mouth open, watching you leave. “You might want to apologize for putting Y/n down like that, I mean really Don??” Raph reprimanded his purple brother.

Leo took out a sword, and started swirling, making a portal underneath Donnie’s feet. “Try speaking your actual mind,” his brother winked as Donnie fell through eyes wide with surprise since he had been looking at you and not at his feet. “wait!!” He hollered and reappeared in the alleyway, you stopped thinking that had been meant for you.

“Uh Y/n, what I meant to say was…” he fell short not knowing what to say at all. You turned your head, you hadn’t been expecting anyone to follow you, maybe Mikey if any of the turtles. But Donnie?! “You meant what you said.” You grumbled as you turned back to face the street. “Well yeah but not as bad as it sounded,” he said quickly and you decided to turn completely and face him. “How exactly am I supposed to take your criticism that comes with every single thing I show you, you never say anything positive and-“

You were so upset that you threw your backpack at him. He fumbled catching it as it hit him in the plastron. Then he noticed you rubbing your eyes, his own softened. “Y/n..”

“No!” You cried, hiccuping, “y-you hate all of my stuff, that’s fine but, I was just trying to show your brothers, not you.” Donnie chewed the inside of his cheek, “I don’t hate them,” he gently placed the bag on the ground. “I like that you’re into tech and building your own creations,” he was mumbling. “Sure, just throw it all away, it’s junk.” Donnie grabbed your arm before you turned away again, “I’m sorry, I’m not the best at apologizing and I know I messed up big time,” he sighed letting his grip loosen as his hand slipped to hold onto yours. You blinked and he continued, “I know you’ve been ignoring me, I don’t know why I keep putting you down, it’s like a very bad filter turning my real thoughts into egomaniac bullshit,”

He paused looking into your eyes, “What are your real thoughts?” you said softly. “Just how much I miss hanging out with you, because you’re really cool and actually like the same things I do,” Donnie squeezed your hand before letting go. “Come back, I wanna race with your drones,” he said and you blew out a breath, “fine but don’t cry when I beat your ass,” you said going for the bag. But he beat you to it, tugging it over one shoulder as he uncovered the manhole, “Scoff! We’ll see,” he said with a playful smirk and you stuck out your tongue going down the ladder again.

You won the first match, to which everyone called for a rematch saying they were getting used to the controller or mechanics. “AH HA!” Leo said as his tiny blue drone won the second race. Donnie groaned wondering how he could lose to Leo of all people in a drone race. Mikey had placed all kinds of cute orange stickers on his drone. You went over to him as Leo and Donnie bantered back and forth. “I’m glad you came back,” Mikey said smiling up to you from where he was sitting, the drone in his lap. “Me too.. sorry for the outburst,” you said as you sat next to him. “It’s okay, did he apologize properly?” You drew your knees up and rested the side of your head there as you talked to Mikey though you wondered if he was being Dr. Feelings right now. “Yeah, we’re good,” you smiled softly thinking of how he had grabbed your hand.

“Donnie has always had that kind of trouble, he doesn’t really say how he feels,” Mikey glanced over at his older brothers, Raph trying to break up the twin feud. You closed your eyes, “he kind of said that actually,” you spoke and you felt a hand pat your head. You peeked your eyes open and saw that Mikey had leaned in closer, “you know what I think?” He whispered, and you waited for him to continued, eyes confused. “I think Dee likes you more than he lets on,”

As if to prove his point you felt his hand suddenly leave your head. “Mikey keep your hands to yourself,” Donnie’s voice was suddenly close. Mikey gave you a wink as you turned your head to the other side to see Donnie was now sitting next to you. “I was just telling Y/n how much I appreciate my baby drone!” Mikey quipped as he got up to go ask Leo to race him.

“He’s so bad at lying,” Donnie shook his head as he looked ahead, “what was he really talking about?” He asked still not facing you. “You,” you said honestly and that made him look down, “what about me?” He seemed wary to even ask. “something along the lines of what you said in the alleyway,” it was the truth but you kept the other statement to yourself. “Oh!” Donnie nodded, relaxing as he took out his phone. You watched him, wondering how much more Mikey meant, like a really good friend… or?

You blushed and when you blinked clearing away your thoughts Donnie wasn’t looking at his phone anymore but at you. “What’re you pondering?” You shook your head giggling, “can’t say,” and that only piqued Donnie’s interest. “Oh c’mon we’re rekindling remember?” His phone all but forgotten as he tried to guess your thoughts. “Don I’ve always considered you a friend even though you were being a big meanie,” you teased trying to change the topic. “Not gonna work,” he smiled smugly knowing the tactic you were using very well. “Ugh,” you groaned turning your head straight into your knees as you closed your eyes. You felt him poke your cheek, “penny for your thoughts?”

“They’re worth more than that!” You sputtered keeping your eyes closed despite wanting to see him now. This was the second time he had touched you today. Then you felt his body move closer until he was brushing against your side. “How much are they gonna cost me?” He joked and you couldn’t resist turning your face back towards him eyes opened. He was still looking at you, eyes crinkled in a teasing smile. “A few compliments,” you replied and his eyes widened slightly before his facial expression went back to teasing, “that’s easy!” He said and you rolled your eyes thinking he had never done so the entire time the two of you knew each other. Other than today!

“You’re brain is above average,” he started and you snorted. “Wow thanks,” you said sarcastically, enjoying how he got flustered. “Mmm your style is next level,” he noted and that meant more to you as you let go of your knees, sitting normally, looking down at your outfit. “And you’re really pretty,” he said so quickly you almost did a double take. Your face heating up as he turned away and you could only see one side of his face turning a darker green. “I was pondering.. the idea of us being more than friends,” you said quietly, giving him the answer he ‘paid’ for.

“And that made you blush?” Donnie asked and you replied, “the same shade as you when you called me pretty,” both of you turned away too embarrassed to keep up the teasing. “I’d like that..” Donnie said his hand inched towards yours where it rested on the ground. “Me too,” your hand moving, meeting Donnie’s fingers shyly. Both of you whipped your heads back around, both blushing furiously. “Then it’s official?” Donnie whispered and you nodded. Mikey and Leo’s drones flew past the two of you and Mikey was jumping up and down in victory as Leo crumpled to the floor in defeat. Raph cheering his little brother on happily. But despite that you couldn’t seem to think of anything other than Donnie’s hand in yours, and the way his eyes were showing you so much emotion, how you affected him greatly and he utterly adored you.

[twilightknight17]

Today on P3R

LOOK AT HIM

LOOK AT HIS BOXING GLOVES, OMG, I DIDN’T REALIZE THEY’D BE LITERAL JACKS.

Also we take exams I guess.

Turns out Ikutsuki is not going to help me study alone, he’s going to wrangle everyone into one big study group. Dunno how effective the studying is when he and Junpei get into a pun-off, but whatever. It’s nice to have everyone together and not fighting.

...This is on my exam? For real? This school, man…

Once exams are over, we make plans to go do something fun. While Yukari leaves to get Fuuka, Junpei and I have a little chat.

I love that you can play Minato as a completely oblivious airhead. But I do not.

On our way outside, Ikutsuki introduces us to our new dorm-mate, Ken, who will be staying with us over the summer. He has potential, so he might be a good candidate for joining SEES!

...Ikutsuki, recruiting teenagers with attitude is one thing, but you’re crossing the line towards “child soldiers”, my guy. I know Wild Cards have awakened at age 7, but they didn’t actually have to do stuff til they were 16 or 17!

He’s gonna be staying in the dorm, so we’re not allowed to mention shadows or fighting or whatever in front of him. Even though Ikutsuki just mentioned “the potential” in front of him. Akihiko also looked really uncomfortable around him, and it’s clear he knows Ken somehow, so… Yeah.

Ikutsuki sends me off to the antique shop that’s now open, because the antique shop can help me. The same way the police officer helps, apparently.

This lady runs the weapon fusion menu, and also where I can exchange all my gemstones I’ve been getting. She knows Officer Kurosawa, and ALSO explicitly knows about shadows?? What has Ikutsuki told you, ma’am? Were you involved ten years ago? Do you know about Tarta--

Oh I want that megidolaon skill card so bad. God. Don’t show me that when I know I won’t be able to afford it for ages.

Anyway, we are off to Yakushima, and Mitsuru’s vacation home is enormous. I wish we got to actually run around in it, but what we do see is pretty nice.

(Wait, wasn’t Ken moving in? Did we just leave him at the dorm alone??)

Mitsuru I didn’t realize your dad was Big Bos-- *shot*

Junpei wants to go to the beach right away, so we put our stuff in our rooms and book it down there. It’s gorgeous.

...

...Akihiko, uh…

Thank you, Junpei.

Akihiko doesn’t get it. He just wore them because they’re “better” for swimming. Because of course he’s gonna train on vacation. *sigh*

Why is Mitsuru so pretty I’m gonna die

Yakushima really is beautiful and I’m kinda sad I couldn’t cut off the UI for a minute.

Elizabeth asked me to bring her back something from the beach. I found a pretty shell, some driftwood, a piece of weird seaweed, and…

...she will LOVE this crab. I have to.

Mitsuru talks to her dad, and I have made an exciting discovery: A living, onscreen parent who does not suck!

He wants her to open up to others more and work together, because…

That’s a pretty good motto, actually. It would help if people playing this game knew what the Nanjo Group was. And despite being in green, meaning it has a definition in the glossary, the glossary just explains the motto again. X’D

The Nanjo Group is where the Kirijo Group got all it’s psience tech from, because they bought out SEBEC after Kandori tried to become god back in 1996. SEBEC had the original prototypes for anti-shadow suppression weapons, and PROBABLY also the teleporter technology from the DEVA System. I think I mentioned before that I think that’s what the teleporters in Tartarus are based on.

Plus, the Nanjo family is all about being Number One, so “two in harmony” is a pretty good shot at them. And that’s definitely lost if you don’t know anything about them. X’’’D

Mr. Kirijo gathers everyone together, because he’s going to tell us the truth. And the truth is, his father was trying to create a time manipulation machine. So it makes sense that their research fucked up time so badly that there’s an extra hour of the day now. But apparently, that attempt to create time manipulation warped into something worse over the course of the project, and Yukari’s dad caused the explosion to stop him.

Yukari is completely freaked out by this realization, because she’d always maintained that the accident wasn’t her dad’s fault. So hearing that he caused it on purpose sends her reeling, and she runs off. Minato follows her to the beach to talk, and it’s a good conversation, actually.

Thanks, it’s the trauma. ^_^

Thank you, P3R, for actually letting me hug people when they’re upset. Looking at you, P5, as Futaba and Sumi just cry in front of me and I can’t do anything.

The next day, the girls are on an awkward nature hike (because Mitsuru and Yukari aren’t speaking), when they get a call from Ikutsuki.

“Vehicle”????

There’s a lab on this island?

Sir you have one job how are you so bad at it??

The boys, meanwhile, are once again at the beach for Operation Ba--

Oh. Are we not calling it Operation Babe Watch? Okay.

It’s playing the Tartarus music. I’m trying to lead my team into the ocean and it’s not working.

We manage nothing but failure all the way across the beach. We’ve got girls who aren’t interested, girls who are pissy that high-schoolers are at the island resort (who then get even more pissy when they find out we’re at a friend’s summer home, because THEY had to save up to come here), girls who humor us for like ten minutes before revealing they have boyfriends…

And then one last lady, who has been observing, and reads us all to absolute filth about how our tactics are all wrong.

She might be interested, though. And she wants us to help put on sunscreen!

...300K yen-a-bottle sunscreen.

To protect from artificial sun rays…

Because…

Time for a tactical retreat. Thank god the last girl on the beach is so pretty.

She doesn’t want to talk to anyone, though. Except Minato. And runs off when the others approach. They seem to think she ran away because I said something to her, and want me to follow her and apologize. Which, guys, I don’t think chasing girls you don’t know into the woods is the right answer here, but okay. Here we go.

There’s a waterfall up here and I can’t go near it. :(

...believe me, Yukari, I have no idea what’s happening either.

Apparently this is the “vehicle” Ikutsuki lost.

I’m okay with bringing her home with us. XD

Speaking of home, back at home, Shinji is trading information with those three weirdo assassins in exchange for some kind of pills, which can’t be a good sign because he looks like he’s in actual pain. Weirdo Squad is angry that we want to destroy the Dark Hour because they like having special powers.

They also call Tartarus the “Tower of Demise”, though, so like obviously they realize this is a bad thing.

After we get back from Yakushima, Aigis tries to stay in my room, including waking me up five minutes before my alarm. Which. No. You cannot stay in here. Oh god. My new robot has separation anxiety.

My social links may not be deals for things that can help in battle, but they do make me feel warm and fuzzy.

I go out with Akihiko again because he still owes me food for last time, and we get accosted by the punks from before, who have returned with an even bigger group, because apparently the best way to win is by fighting a guy eight-on-one. Are you proud of yourself, dude? Does that make you feel cool?

We didn’t actually fight because we distracted them long enough to get out of there, so no police this time. But I did learn that Akihiko does have parents! He has foster parents that love him and send him enough expensive snacks to share with the whole dorm. It’s nice. ^_^

My online friend in my MMO is definitely a teacher at my school, based on her complaining about "Mr. E". Which, you and me both lady. Dude thinks he's a wizard or something.

Speaking of Mr. Edogawa, he mentioned Carl Jung in class! While talking about alchemists, because school is still insane. Literally we’re going on summer break tomorrow, give it a rest.

Which I guess is why Ken hadn’t moved in yet, but… Did we miss like a week of school while we were in Yakushima? Hot damn.

Ken is officially moved in now, though, and despite not being able to discuss shadows or the Dark Hour around him, he apparently knows Aigis is a robot. So… Uh… How secretive are we supposed to be being?

And it FINALLY let me go back to Tartarus and check out the new area, which is very industrial. It’s cool. Very different vibe from the big faces. I actually like it.

New portal doors that lead to Grand Clocks now have a chance to show up, so I can boost teammates’ levels to match Minato’s? Which is interesting. And more importantly, new “Monad” doors are appearing that lead to stronger fights.

Calling it Monad makes me a little weirded out, but hey, it's not a mandala and there’s good treasure in here. So we’re probably going in headfirst every time they show up. XDD

Saved back at the Tartarus entrance, so next time is probably just going to be some more fighting. We’ll see. ^_^

[project-do-over]

Bookwyrm1982 has logged in

Bookwyrm1982: Hi :)

Violet_M00n: Hello again 💜

Bookwyrm1982: what's that?

Violet_M00n: huh?

Bookwyrm1982: after your message there's like an empty box, what does that mean?

Violet_M00n: Oh, sorry, that's an emoji. It's like a little picture you can send, like an emoticon.

Violet_M00n: I think they technically exist already but they're really only in Japan.

Bookwyrm1982: oic

Violet_M00n: so... Did you have any questions for me?

Bookwyrm1982: yeah, lots. Is it okay if I ask them now?

Violet_M00n: of course, fire away!

Bookwyrm1982: OK, well, first of all, how does time work for you?

Violet_M00n: :')

Violet_M00n: I tell you we're a girl now and that's your first question?

Bookwyrm1982: Is that OK?

Violet_M00n: yeah of course, and I really shouldn't have been surprised, but lol!

Violet_M00n: The short answer is, I'm not entirely sure. I just downloaded this app that promised to let you talk to your past self, the actual mechanics are proprietary.

Violet_M00n: To be honest, I just assumed it was going to be an AI I would talk to.

Violet_M00n: But you seem to know things that no AI could know. So I guess I actually am talking to my past self?

Violet_M00n: From what I can gather by googling, it looks like the company was set up in 1985 and has been working on this tech ever since.

It involves quantum entangled particles, and the reason you can only go back as far as 1985 or so is because that's when the "reference block" was first set up.

Bookwyrm1982: oic. I really meant more, is an hour for me an hour for you?

Violet_M00n: Pretty much, except I think the chat client can skip forward when chat is idle.

Violet_M00n: so like, if I log in it will jump ahead to the next time you log on too, even if it's days or even years after the last one, without me having to wait.

Violet_M00n: I think it works the other way around too.

Bookwyrm1982: interesting. The app I'm using is ICQ, is that the same for you?

Violet_M00n: actually it's just one program that links into MSN and AIM and a bunch of other apps too. I just picked ICQ mostly for nostalgia's sake. And because I still remembered my ICQ number heh.

Bookwyrm1982: oic. Interesting.

Violet_M00n: Do you have any other questions? Maybe something about *gestures vaguely at me being a woman now*

Bookwyrm1982: I mean, I do, but... I'm not quite ready yet.

Violet_M00n: that's okay, I understand. It's a lot to take in all at once. We can talk about something else if you want. What do you want to know about the future?

Bookwyrm1982: Do we have flying cars?

Violet_M00n: lol no! You can't trust most drivers in a two dimensional plane, you really want to add altitude to that? Haha!

Violet_M00n: We do have self-driving cars though, at least they're being developed.

Violet_M00n: We live in the Bay Area now so we sometimes see them on test drives, but you can't buy them or anything.

Bookwyrm1982: We live in San Francisco!?

Violet_M00n: Well, South Bay, but yes. We moved here four years ago. Just before the pandemic.

Bookwyrm1982:... There was a pandemic? The future sounds awful.

Violet_M00n: yeah, it could be better. But some things are better. For one, LGBTQ+ people are less discriminated against. Though the fight is still ongoing.

Bookwyrm1982: What's that, like a club?

Violet_M00n: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, etc.

Violet_M00n: What we are, basically.

Bookwyrm1982: I don't think I'm gay...

Violet_M00n: You learn a lot of things about yourself. But most importantly, you learn being gay is okay actually. I fsct, it's pretty dang awesome. You should really think about it.

Violet_M00n: Although by "gay" you'd technically be saying you're into women, which you already know.

Violet_M00n: But men can actually be okay too, you really should give them a try.

Bookwyrm1982: Thanks, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. And besides, I can't even ask a girl out, could you imagine trying to ask out a guy?

Violet_M00n:... I'm picturing it now. It's adorable.

Bookwyrm1982: *blush*

Bookwyrm1982: Sorry, dinner time again. Can we talk later?

Violet_M00n: I'll be here. Literally any time you want.

Bookwyrm1982: Thanks. Cya!

Violet_M00n: toodles!

[burningfieldof-clover]

Box of Bones; Chapter Two

chapter warnings: canon typical violence

notes: still trying to lay down the foundations for the plot. thanks for bearing with me through this.

wc: about 3400

The team met up on the Marauder after breakfast. Hunter wanted to go over a few things they could do while waiting for El to unlock the hangar to get to the parts he brought back from the city.

Hunter took the time to look at everyone one by one. “As far as we know, the Empire should believe we’re dead.”

Tech spoke up.”Official reports are marking us as killed in a cataclysmic storm that wiped out Tipoca City.”

“A storm? It wasn’t a storm that destroyed Kamino!” Omega interjected with rage.

Echo huffed. “So that’s what the Empire is gonna be like? Lies to the entire galaxy?”

Wrecker punched a fist into his hand. “But we’re alive! We are right here!”

Hunter shook his head. “This is a good thing. They won’t be looking for us. We can lay low until something changes.”

Omega visibly relaxed, but that said nothing for her inner emotional state.

“So what are we going to do for now? Get the ship fixed up and head back to Ord Mantell?” Echo motioned to the Marauder as a whole.

Hunter turned away from the team in thought. One thing crossed his mind, and it almost broke his heart just thinking about it.

“We can’t just discard our armor, but we need to change it up. We have to retire the red and black.”

Wrecker looked at Hunter like he was just told something terrible happened to Lula. “But…”

Tech agreed. “It would make us less noticeable.” 

Omega’s hand pulled at the hem at the bottom of her red tunic. “Do I have to get another shirt…? Echo picked this one out for me.”

Hunter’s serious expression fell into one of care, regret for upsetting someone he loved. “No, Omega. Your shirt is perfect.” He sighed. “I’ll ask Silas if he has anything we can use.”

After Silas shared what paint he had with everyone, they all got to work in a shared room upstairs. Wrecker complained the whole time citing his ability to paint was not in his repertoire. Omega helped him, though. 

They were silent. The Bad Batch prided themselves on their black and red theme. It helped them stand out from any other battalion. This felt like they were erasing their identity, their legacy. They only painted their armor in small sessions, the action was too heavy on each of them in their own way. 

Wrecker gave up after a short twenty minutes, leaving the room. Omega chased after him, not wanting her strongest brother to feel despair alone.

Going downstairs, he noticed that a lot of the townsfolk were in the common area. Silas and Hazel were chatting quietly with each other. Hazel perked up when she saw Wrecker.

Silas beamed a large smile at Wrecker. “Ah, there’s the big guy!”

Wrecker returned the friendly gesture, fully convincing the elderly that he was in perfect spirits. “I take it there’s a job waiting for me?”

Hazel nodded. “I was hoping we could ask you to help El in the orchard this morning.”

Wrecker nodded enthusiastically. “Anything I can do to help.”

From the top of the stairs, hidden in the shadows, Hunter listened in. While Hunter wanted to ask about El so badly, he left it. The enigmatic presence of El and the way the town seems to rely on him sits suspiciously with him. 

Hunter poked his head into the room. “Echo, go with Wrecker and Omega.”

Echo looked up from painting his chestplate and nodded.

—--------------

The orchard wasn’t far since everything in the town was intentionally built to be so close and easy to access for anyone to reach comfortably. 

Silas let them know that they would probably be asked to transport back fruits to which Wrecker happily agreed with doing. Anything to show off his incredible strength was a plus to him. Echo, however, didn’t know how much help he would be. 

“Do we know what El looks like?” Omega inquired as they started into the orchard. There were a lot of people already picking fruits from trees. 

Wrecker took a large breath and cupped his hands around his mouth, then let his voice boom out with a shout: “HEY EL! ARE YOU OUT HERE?”

A few people jumped in shock. One of them did point further into the trees. “El’s back there, around the apple trees.”

Echo thanked the person with a nod of his head and a small wave.

Omega awed at the trees as she saw many different fruits and leaves she’d never laid eyes on before. There were always examples in holos and research on the holonet, but never would those images compare to the real thing. Omega approached a tree and laid her hands on the bark of the trunk. Her fingers filled in the ridges and dips as they ran along the surface.

“Fruit trees feel different than pine trees. Different from oak trees.”

Wrecker joined her and touched the tree as well. “I’ve never really thought about it,” he added. “I thought all trees were the same.”

Echo looked beyond them to see if he could spot El. He noticed the apple trees, and even saw baskets full of apples sitting in the aisle. He headed to the baskets to check out the area. 

There were various people tending to the trees. They were examining the apples for ripeness and imperfections. If they looked good, they tossed them into baskets either on their arms or on their backs. Echo approached the closest person. 

“Excuse me, can you perhaps point me in the direction of El?”

The woman nodded. “Yeah, she’s right there. Hey El?”

Omega and Wrecker caught up to Echo. Echo’s face turned to surprise after hearing the word she. El is a girl…?

Ahead, a woman in a maintenance suit with a basket on her arm looked around to see where the summoning came from. When she turned around to face the people trying to catch her attention, her long black hair twirled around to mimic the sway in the sleeves of the suit that were loose at her sides. El looked at her friend that called for her, then looked at the visitors. 

The basket of apples fell to the ground. El stumbled and probably would have fallen too if she didn’t brace herself on the tree. 

Omega took a few steps forward. She had a confused look on her face, one like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Omega tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. 

El was frozen to the spot she stood. She watched Omega come closer, unable to move, unable to speak.

Omega stopped her advance and studied El’s face for just a little while longer.

“... Clover?”

Wrecker and Echo exchanged glances causing them to miss the way that El took off running. Omega chased after her, exclamations of asking El to wait. Well, not El. Clover?

Echo noticed that the people around were also confused by the name Clover. Wrecker tailed after Omega. Echo exchanged glances with the person next to him, then started hunting after Omega as well.  

“Clover! Wait!” Omega shouted. 

Echo caught up with Omega. “Omega, who is she?”

“She’s my friend!”

“I’m on it, little one!” Wrecker stomped ahead and gained on El.

“Don’t hurt her!”

El glanced over her shoulder to assess the situation. Wrecker was closing in fast, too fast. She needed to figure out something soon or else they’d catch her. She wasn’t ready for that.

El braced her hand on a fencepost and kicked her legs over, still maintaining her speed. She was approaching exhaustion fast. She dodged other workers, hopped over a basket, tried switching between the rows of trees to lose her pursuers. Wrecker was relentless in his course. El could hear Omega calling her name, begging her to stop running. 

Well, she did have one idea… 

Up ahead was a low hanging branch on one of the apple trees. With the muscles in her legs already screaming for mercy, she pushed harder and launched herself as hard as she could to grab ahold of the branch. It was strong enough to hold her weight. She started to lift herself up but was ripped away from the branch by Wrecker’s arms wrapping around her waist and pulling.

“Put me down!” she demanded, kicking and thrashing about.

Omega approached the two of them with her hands raised. “Clover! Clover please, it’s me, it’s Omega!”

“I know who you are! And I know why you’re here! Just let me go. Please just let me go! I’ll leave Lothal, but please just let me go!”

Echo used his hand to push Omega behind him gently, to protect her.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down lady!” Wrecker was wrestling with her, trying to get El to settle down so he didn’t accidentally hurt her.

Echo didn’t advert his gaze from El, but addressed Omega. “Who is she?”

Omega didn’t say anything, still trying to get close to El to hopefully diffuse the situation with words. “Clover, why–”

“That’s not my name!” El yelled in response. There were tears in her eyes and she looked absolutely angry, yet so incredibly frightened. 

“Okay, okay,” Omega lowered her arms and looked to the ground for a moment, trying to figure out a new approach. “El. El, can you tell me what’s going on?”

El started slowing her frantic movements. Her legs stopped kicking, so Wrecker put her feet on the ground but didn’t let her shoulders go. El tried to roll her shoulders out of his hold but he didn’t relent. He was much too strong for her.

“El…?”

El sniffled, attempted to break free again but gave up fully. “You being here could only mean one thing. You’re here to take me back, aren’t you?”

Echo and Wrecker exchanged glances then turned attention back to Omega and El. 

“No, Clover,” Omega tried again. “There… there is no more Kamino.”

El looked like someone punched her in the gut with the amount of surprise she showed. “What do you mean there is no more Kamino?”

Echo took this chance to interject. He donned his ARC Trooper voice of command. “What she’s saying is that the Empire just destroyed Kamino. Not even a few days ago.”

El looked to Echo. “Are you… are you a clone?” She raised her hand to reach out for him, but out of apprehension she brought her hands back. “I’m sorry…”

“What you got against clones, huh lady?” Wrecker grunted.

Omega took El’s hand. “Wrecker, let her go. She has nothing against clones.”

“Then what does she have to do with Kamino?” asked Echo.

Wrecker removed his hands but still hovered over El’s shoulders as a safety measure. 

Omega turned to Echo. “Clover helped raise me, Echo.”

—----------

Omega asked her brothers to not press El for anything. She would share her story on her own terms. However, she did tell them to finish their mission; help El. They helped move around the full baskets of fruit into the main paths so a hauler could load them up and take them into the village. 

Echo observed Omega and Wrecker shake a tree vigorously to knock loose the peaches. Omega giggled as she shielded herself from the falling fruit and Wrecker laughed heartily. Behind them, Echo noticed a small smile on El’s face. It confused him. From what he could gather, El would love nothing more than for him and the crew to get off of Lothal. 

El noticed Echo staring, so she pivoted back to her task quickly.

Seriously, what was her deal? Why did Omega have to close that conversation off? Was Omega going to explain it later?

Echo was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see that El had approached him. 

“I’m going back to town to work on your ship,” she explained, then headed off. 

He waited until she was out of earshot, then pressed his fingers to his headset to signal Hunter. After a moment, Hunter answered.

“What’s going on, Echo?”

“El is heading back to town to work on the ship. Keep an eye on her. She’s connected with Kamino somehow.”

“Her? Suddenly having flashbacks to misidentifying Muchi.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Keep Omega close.”

———————

Tech was exiting the Marauder when he saw an individual in a maintenance suit and protective headgear approaching.  

“Ah, you must be El. Please provide the parts you’ve acquired so I can get to work.”

El put a hand on her hip and raised her visor on her headgear. “How many more of you are there?”

Tech blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Clones. How many more are you hiding?”

Tech tilted his head. Just as he was about to reply, Hunter chimed Tech’s comm. Tech retreated back into the ship. 

El shook her head. She went to the hanger she stored the parts in last night to bring them to the Marauder. The quicker she gets this done, the quicker they can leave. Then sooner she can try to find peace again.

When she returned, her helmet was hooked to her belt and she was pushing a hover loader. Tech was standing by the ship. It was obvious he was waiting for her.

“It appears you know Omega. I request that you explain this.”

El pursed her lips. She had half a thought to shove the hover loader into the clone in front of her. “That’s not your business.” 

Tech latched his datapad to its usual place on his back. “I’m afraid it is. If you expect me to trust you to touch my ship–”

“Look–” El rounded the loader and poked her finger to Tech’s chest “--I’m just here to work on your damn ship and if you can’t even appreciate the work I will be doing for free then I don’t owe you shit.”

Tech glared at El with enough menace in his eyes to make any normal person shy away in fear for their life. However, El was doing the same and didn’t flinch. 

Suddenly Tech grabbed her wrist and twisted just right to get El’s arm pinned behind her back. Her body doubled over one of the crates on the loader. 

El yelped. “Let go of me!”

“Tech!” Omega shouted. Her feet slapped against the duracrete as she ran to her brother. She shoved him with the strength she had to pull him apart from El. “Stop trying to hurt her!”

Tech was finding confusion for another time today, far too often for his own comfort. He released El and stumbled away from Omega’s display of force.

Echo and Wrecker were close behind Omega, and Hunter was joining as well. His hearing could pick up the tension from the house. 

El backed away from everyone to get some room, to create a comfortable space from the clones. Omega kept closing in on El, though. Hunter had his hand on his knife. Echo nor Wrecker had any weapons, but Tech had both of his blasters within a small distance from his hands.

Wrecker grumbled. “What’s the deal, lady?”

Echo crossed his arms and pointed a glare at El.

El looked down at Omega who was trying to take her hand. 

Omega’s eyes pleaded with El. “It’s okay. You can trust us. You trust me, right?” Omega squeezed El’s hand, mostly for reassurance but also to help El’s shaking hand calm down.

Hunter’s knife was partially unsheathed now. 

El groaned through a sigh. “Omega, I left that part of my life behind. Just let it go.”

“I won’t!” she replied instantly. “There aren’t many of us left. I don’t know what happened to everyone else. I thought I lost you! You left without saying goodbye and now you just can’t wait to get rid of me. Is that why you left? Was it because of me?”

Through tears, El stared at Omega longingly. “I… I left because I wanted to. I was done working for the Kaminoans. If I could have stayed, I would.”

The click of Hunter’s knife returning to its holster was almost echoing in the area. 

“You didn’t choose to leave, did you? You could have stayed. You could have stayed and taken care of me.”

A small, choked sob came from El’s throat. She tried to mask it as a clearing of the throat.  “I’m sorry I let you down. I can’t say anything else.” 

After a beat of silence, Hunter spoke up. “She’s telling the truth.”

“How can–” El started but was unable to finish her sentence. 

Tech and Hunter exchanged glances. They were holding tense shoulders but replaced them with relaxed stances.

El took her hand away from Omega and crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact. “Are you going to let me fix your ship or not?”

Hunter gave a glance to each member of his crew then nodded his head to the side. They followed him to a spot away from the Marauder on the landing pad. It was close to the now opened hangar. Omega tried to hold El’s gaze as long as she could before following her brothers.

El turned away and back to the crates. She started prying them open to get to the parts inside.

“This is certainly an unexpected turn of events,” Tech muttered. 

Hunter locked eyes with Tech. “What happened over there, Tech?” 

Tech shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly fond of her attitude.” Tech then addressed Omega. “Was she like this when you knew her?”

Omega shook her head. “No. Clover was kind to me.” Hunter muttered the name ‘Clover?’ then let Omega continue. “She was the closest thing I had to a mom. At least, what I thought moms were. Maybe a sister?”

“How long did you know her?” 

“My whole life,” she told Echo. 

Tech started tapping away on his datapad. No doubt looking into Clover. “What exactly is Clover’s name? I cannot find anything about a ‘Clover’ or ‘El.’”

Omega thought. “I only knew her as Clover. It’s what all of the clones called her.”

“If we didn’t know Omega existed, it makes sense that we didn’t know about Clover, right?” Wrecker asked. 

“That makes sense,” Echo started, “but if some of the clones knew her, how did we miss that? How did I miss that?”

“Clover worked with the younger clones.”

Hunter pinched his nose and sighed. “Look, let’s get the ship fixed and get out of here. Obviously she doesn’t want us here.”

“Do you think Silas would know her name?” Even though Tech asked his brothers, he started walking toward the house. 

Omega sighed. “Please don’t do anything to upset her more. I want to figure out for myself why she left. It… wasn’t easy.”

Echo was looking around the area instead of trying to find something to say. “Hey… isn’t that a Mandalorian ship?”

Hunter, Wrecker and Omega looked over at what Echo was seeing. Inside the hangar that they stood before was a Mandalorian Gauntlet starfighter, but it was in pieces and stripped down for parts all over.

“Think the village is scavenging it?” Wrecker asked. 

“How did it even get here?” Echo responded.

—------

Tech entered Silas’ home. He made a beeline straight for the man. “I request your assistance with something. What is El’s full name?”

Silas sat his coffee down that he was sipping. “What’s going on?”

“Omega knows who El is, but does not know her real name.”

Silas pursed his lips. “I don’t know if that information is mine to share, my friend.”

“A last name would do. Certainly she has one of those.”

Silas and Tech shared a stare for a moment. “El Eris is the name she has given us. It’s all that she’s gone by all this time.”

Tech turned around to leave.

“Don’t do this,” Silas called. Tech turned to look at him. “She’s helped us build this village up to what it is today. She’s important to us.”

Tech appeared to be in thought for a moment, but left without another word. 

dividers by @saradika

taglist: @l-lend @arctrooper69 @nekotaetae @wholesuhmsstuff @agenteliix @cw80831 @hugmekenobi

[titlemewickedwonderland]

The Manager (Ghost Fic) Chapter 4

Summary: The Ministry announces an outsider coming to be part of the congregation to help with the Ghost project as a tour manager; little did the Ghoul know; she is nothing like they pictured her or how she'd affect them all.

Check out My Other Work!

Chapter 3

She checked her phone for the tenth time in half an hour as she waited for the others to drag their asses out of their rooms. Piles of luggage surrounded her as a few siblings went about putting in the compartments on the tour bus. Ari had woken up hours earlier to make sure she had everything she needed in the bags she'd packed the night before and taken a shower before checking the schedule for today's trip. It was mostly driving time with a few well-placed stopping points to stretch legs and maybe grab something to eat if needed. But because she was the first to get up to make sure everything was set she found herself in charge of making sure everybody else got up to; starting with Copia.

That man was a hard one to get out of bed - not because she walked in on him with a sister naked in bed or anything (which she had that morning and swore she needed bleach for her eyeballs now) but because he was just so stubborn. He was certainly not the easiest to wake up. The sister had scurried from the room without much prompting making Ari assume this wasn't the first time Copia had been walked in on; at least Ari didn't walk in on them in the act.

But if she wanted to get them out on time and do her job properly as she was being paid for she had to get her ass into gear and that meant tugging the blankets off the bed and throwing a robe at the man to cover himself and shield her own eyes from his naked ass; even if he did have a nice ass.

When she knew he was officially awake she grabbed the luggage to place with the rest of them by the bus he would be taking with the ghoulettes. They didn't have a bus made big enough for everybody to be piled into so they had two buses for the band. The male ghouls shared one that she would be riding in and Copia took the bus with the rest of the band. The band's helpers would help set up the equipment when they got to the venue and the tech hands were driving separately and would meet them at their destination later on.

"It's too early in the morning to be this chipper." Ari turned around to find Dewdrop dragging his personal bag over his shoulder as he sulked toward her.

A wide-awake Swiss and Phantom chatted to each other right behind him with their own personal belongings. Ari smiled in sympathy as she patted Dewdrop's shoulder and gave it a squeeze when he passed her.

"Don't worry, you have plenty of time to sleep when we hit the road." she told him in reassurance as he trudged his way into the bus.

"Morning darlin!" Phantom rested his arm on her shoulder as he looked at the assembly. "We got everything packed up yet?" he asked scanning the boxes.

Ari wrapped an arm around his waist to give him a sideways hug in greeting; having gotten used to the touchy affection that he and Swiss were known for by now. "Almost, I think they have a few more boxes to back in the back. We're just waiting for everybody else to get here. I think all we are missing is Mountain and Rain. Have you seen them?" she asked.

"Rain's just getting out of the shower. Mountain's packing the last of his things." Swiss replied coming up beside them to stare at the workers.

"Well, let's not dwaddle. We have a long journey ahead of us. We're going to be on the road for 8 hours today so why don't you guys go ahead and unload your bags into your bunks. I'm going to go check in with the others and make sure Copia has everything he needs before we hit the road." she said slipping from beneath the other two and headed in the direction of the other bus.

She climbed the stairs inside to peer into the little living area. "Copia? You here?"

There was a sound of shuffling from the back before Cirrus popped her head out of a bunk.

"He's checking in with Sister Imperator. He'll be here in a minute." she informed her.

"Oh, okay good. Do you guys need anything before we head out?" Ari asked

"Nope! We're all here. Aurora went to take a nap. She's not a morning person. Cumulus is..." Cirrus looked around the bunks before frowning. "I think she went to grab something from the rooms."

The sound of someone coming up behind Ari made her turn to find Copia and Cumulus right behind her. "We're here, we're here!" the curvy Ghoulette huffed as she threw a bag onto the floor and flopped onto the couch.

Ari smiled and turned to Copia. "All set?" she asked.

"Si si. Is everyone ready to go?" he asked clapping his hands.

"Got to go find Rain and Mountain but otherwise yes. Looks like the equipment has been loaded up just waiting on the stragglers." Ari peeked out the window as she spoke.

"Good good!" he nodded before heading past her with a pat on the back and went to his bunk at the back of the bus; naturally, the biggest space for a bed within the tour bus.

Ari smiled in amusement before heading outside. "I'll call you when we have everybody so we can head out!" she called over her shoulder as she stepped out.

She noticed Mountain and Rain heading towards their bus as she left Copia and the girls and sighed in relief at least she didn't have to go chasing the ghouls around. This wasn't their first rodeo unlike her so they had better time management. She smiled sympathetically when she saw how sleepy Mountain looked as she approached them.

"I packed a few different teas for you Mountain, they're in the cabinets above the sink if you'd like for me to grab you a cup?" she offered

"I'll make myself one, don't worry about it. Thank you for thinking of me." Mountain rumbled plopping a large hand on her head as he passed.

"Did you happen to bring coffee?" Rain's hopeful voice made Ari turn and give him a warm smile.

"Of course I did! I'll go make us a fresh pot once we hit the road." she promised; a warmth spreading in her chest at the look of delight on the water ghoul's face as he skipped into the bus.

She followed them inside and checked in with the driver letting him know they were good to go before dialing Copia and letting him know they were all set. Before long both buses were heading out of the Abbey to hit the road and Ari finally found time to breath as she headed into the kitchen to make a much-needed cup of coffee. She needed one just as much as Rain did.

"So, Ms. Manager. Are you excited about your first tour?" Swiss called cheekily from where he was lounging on the sofa.

Ari looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile. "Excited and nervous. I haven't seen you guys perform in person so I'm interested to see you guys up on stage." she smiled in return.

"It's really fun! Even if being shoved in a small bus with 6 guys isn't exactly my idea of a fun time." she narrowed her eyes playfully at him.

"Aye, we aren't that bad!" Phantom piped up from the opposite sofa across from Swiss. "Well, not all the time."

"Trust me, I know how things can get. Just, all I ask is that you guys think before you do something stupid okay? I don't want to lose my job because you guys sabatoge me with stupidity in the heat of the moment." Ari's words were serious even if her tone was light.

"We wouldn't do anything to get you fired Ari." Rain looked a bit hurt at the idea.

"Yeah, we don't want you to get fired. We like you." Swiss replied.

"Good." Ari replied with a small smile as she made herself a cup of coffee. "Rain honey how do you like your coffee? I have some creamer in the minifridge if you want me to add some to yours?" she asked changing the subject.

"ooh!" the water ghoul hopped up and headed over to grab the creamer.

Ari watched in stunned amusement at how much sugar and creamer that boy put into his coffee wondering if there was any coffee left in that nearly white concoction of his but he let out a happy sigh when he took a sip so she didn't say anything.

"Hey, Ari? Are these your bags right here?" Mountain asked looking down at a few black duffle bags sitting by the couch.

"oh shit! Yeah sorry, I uh...I didn't know which one was my bunk so I was just waiting for you guys to grab yours before I found an empty one." she replied suddenly worried that there weren't any bunks left and she'd be left sleeping on the couch for the next 2 months.

Dewdrop didn't say anything as he moved from the back of the bus and grabbed her things before just as quietly moving into the hallway that he had just come from all the way to the back.

"Hmm, looks like that answers your question. You'll be bunking with Dew." Swiss watched with a glint of what could only be amusement in his eyes.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ari asked as she took her seat beside Phantom

"Nah, he usually bunks alone in the back. It's a surprise though that he's willing to move you in with him. He likes his space." Phantom replied kicking one foot over the other as he got comfortable.

"Oh?" Ari mused sipping her coffee.

"Guess the spitfire is warming up to you." Rain smiled to himself as if he was in on some kind of inner circle joke.

Ari thought about the night she had a few days ago with Dewdrop when he sought her out and helped her take her mind off of her situation with her husband by teaching her how to play guitar and figured he really was starting to warm up to her. That made her happy so she didn't say anything further about bunking with the ghoul.

"Well, I'm tired from waking up so early so I'm going to go take a quick nap! Wake me up when we stop somewhere yeah?" Swiss yawned before heading to the bunks and slipping into one of the top ones.

Mountain grumbled something that sounded like an agreement before heading to his own as well. Which left Ari in the living room with Rain and Phantom. Rain was fiddling with his phone; scrolling through Instagram or something by the looks of it while Phantom stared out the window at the passing scenery.

"I think I'm going to go head to my bunk and unpack what I can. I'll be back." Ari informed the suddenly quiet room.

Phantom gave her a thumbs up but Rain didn't seem to hear her as she passed by them and headed to the back. The back room, unlike the other bunks, was not set up as such; there were two single beds on either side of the space with a built shelving system for their things in between and Dewdrop took one of the beds while the other was empty. When she entered he looked up from his phone and she gave a small smile before pointing to the free bed and he nodded silently.

She grabbed her bag and pulled out her blanket and pillow from it's roll before making her bed and grabbed her satchel to begin opening up her work stuff and plopped her ass on the mattress to look over her things.

"Is that all you ever do?" Dewdrop's voice spoke up startling her and making her look up.

"Hmm?" she asked in confusion.

"Stare at paperwork? That's all you ever seem to be doing or having an excuse to do." he replied glancing up from his phone.

"Oh...I mean...I just want to do my job right and make sure I'm not missing anything." Ari felt her skin flush in embarrassment. "It's part of the job isn't it?"

"We're on the road and I'm sure you've already mapped everything out beforehand. Just take a moment and relax for a bit for once. You always have your nose stuck in that journal and a pen in your mouth like your studying for a huge test." he grumbled and Ari blinked at him.

"Well...I mean..." she didn't have an excuse for that because he was right. She always did spend a lot of time mulling over her paperwork because it was what she was used to. She wasn't used to being stuck on a bus with men for a while she almost forgot how to socialize herself again.

But he was right so she closed her journal gently and set it aside before giving him her full attention. "Okay, you caught me." she smiled slightly. "Tell me about tours. I don't care what. Stories, places you've visited, what you guys do for fun! Tell me everything you want me to know." she leaned forward watching him and he stared at her a long while until she thought he wasn't going to say anything more.

But then he surprised her by reaching up and grabbing a hand-drawn picture off his side of the wall. "Well, when we were in Oregon for a tour, this one girl had gifted me this drawing at the end of a show...."

Ari smiled as she took it listening to his words as he began telling her the story and further stories from that particular tour and by the end of it their laughter could be heard from the front of the bus where Phantom and Rain were.

The quintessence ghoul looked over toward his packmate and grinned as he rested his chin on his palm. "Oh yeah, she'll fit right in." he grinned listening to the tour manager bonding with the fire ghoul in the back filling the bus with their infectious laughter.

~

Chapter 5

[shamelessrabbithole]

Any info on Noel & Cams double panel at con?

A few things I'd heard people report from the double panel:

Cam started out the event by suggesting he and Noel play a game of Shameless trivia. Whenever Noel would get something wrong, he encouraged the audience to boo him. 😆

When asked which Shameless character they would like to bring back if the show ever got a continuation, Noel said Kevin and Cameron said Svetlana.

Cameron said that when he and the other kids on the show were under age, and the crew was filming any kind of nudity, they would remove the kids during that scene. So even if it seemed like nudity was being shot in front of children, it wasn't.

Noel mentioned that he and Cam had been talking the night before about actors they admire. Cam joked that he'd want to work with Mr. Noel Fisher again, very, very, very far down the road.

They picked on each other about their heights. Someone asked what they'd change about each other and Noel said that he'd make Cam shorter. Cam responded by saying that Noel needed to stand on a bigger box. 🤭

Cam then continued that train of thought to say he wished Noel would leave the house more often and that he's surprised he made it to Germany. 🙃

When he was asked to come back to Shameless to film season 10, Cameron said he told his bosses to please not ask Noel back too. That he'd only bring a level of unprofessionalism to the set that would be unbearable. 🤪

Noel said if he were to produce a project, he'd make Cameron audition for it, then not give him the role. Then, Cameron joked that he's too expensive for him anyway.

Cam originally wanted to play Lip but was too young. Jeremy wanted to play Ian. Noel auditioned to play Lip.

When asked how Cam felt about Noel killing off his character every time he played the Jedi game, Cam said Noel doesn't actually have the tech. The last time he played a video game, it was on a Nintendo 64.

The energy was playful and they were teasing each other a lot. I haven't seen any video; I don't think recording was allowed, but this is what I gathered from people who attended and reported back in some way on social media and in group chats.

[ourhomealien]

Minecraft World Building

This is a really big post 😄

Need to add: Q'ing items and multiple item selection: pro/mana. Tech-magic. Explanation of admin training and becoming a for personal use (FPU) admin. Crafting. Magic. Non Minecraft specific items. End;

Player code: Head Canon equivalent of human genetics but with tech-magic differences.

Belts: every player spawns/joins with a belt around their waist but not everyone keeps it that way, some have it slung over their shoulders, Chest Symbol and Comm near their offhand's hip. While others have their Comms on their belts and Chest Symbol on a necklace. One thing common through it all is keeping their chest symbols near to their offhand to unlock it as efficiently as possible.

Home servers: home servers are servers that MCYT's either got popular from playing on them or servers fans have found they played on before getting popular, it varies. An example would be that Evo is Grian, Martyn, Netty, Jimmy, Bigb and Pearl's home server.

Main hub: main hub can sometimes be a secret word for earth;

An example of this would be: Mumbo was on holiday exploring far away places in the main hub.

Or it can mean a place were all of the servers, private worlds and creative places converge and looks like an overworld nether hud equivalent, some unfortunate players joining's happen here. And still other times it's a secret word for the Minecraft launcher.

Players: Every Player's Joining is random, some join the main hub, some join from private worlds and some have home servers, but every player spawns with two items and a belt; a communicator or Comm and a small symbolic chest the size of a ring box, an Inventory; they are always strapped to your belt when you respawn, always uniquely connected to your player code. Some Modded worlds have symbolic chests with near infinite space while in some other more vanilla worlds these ring boxes are locked or kept (this helps younger, less experienced players learn stress free or in death games like in LL and SL);

Comms: All players learn pretty quickly that your Comm lets you join worlds and servers from all over the world, connect to each worlds universal chat or to individual players (this depends on the server/worlds code, player preferences and main hub rules);

Inventory: (doesn't have an inbuilt mirror and crafting is done outside, it's purely storage) While the ring boxes take a little while longer to be proficient at using: They never open but you always remember whats inside them in the back of your mind; they only have room for 36 things, and yet somehow break that rule if your stuff matches but only for some things and when end magic is involved, shulker boxes again break that rule. Really good players are super efficient at using their inventories (the blue words are contact hands.) Most players are faster with using their Main hand mostly because there's a caveat with the Inventory. One rule, one handicap, the only way it works: one hand has to be in contact with the chest on your belt at all times while retrieving or storing, all the other hand has to do is be free for retrieving and full for storing.

Transfering items and sorting player inventory is all done through and with player code.

Key Binding:

Main hand contact and think F and Bam off hand shield, Bam off hand torches, Bam off hand totem.

Offhand contact and think 1 through 9 and their Main hand flits though tools, weapons, food, buckets of water or materials for building, things that are for a specific craft or coiled Redstone wires, circuits and small helpful machines.

Fact: Once the items are out of your inventory you have free rein over were you have them on you, juggling can be done without F, it's only use is for directly getting things out of your Inventory into your off hand, whichever hand that may be.

Rearranging/Sorting your inventory is done in a similar way, just make contact with your belt chest either with your Main hand or Offhand and rearrange your internal storage as much as you'd like.

Remember: It's kind of like being able to drive manually; Contact, thought and the ever present image of what you've got with you.

Offhand Contact: Most people use the 1 through 9 method, some don't you can easily recode it with your Comm after some personal use-admin training.

Both: You can rearrange your inventory with Off hand contact and Main hand contact (basically like pressing E).

Main Hand Contact: The most you can really do is retrieve things to your off hand.

Emptying and repacking your inventory to and from chests.

Chests are large strong boxes with secure convex lids and you cannot transfer items from them through player code.

Shulker boxes are boxes made with shulker shells, void crafting and end magic, the only way to use them is to transfer items through player code.

Most players use off hand contact to empty and pack their inventory.

Example: Grian's left hand unlocked his inventory and he started pulling out all the junk he didn't want cluttering his mind, packing the chest as fast as his brain and right hand could go. Grabbing his rocket box Unlocking it with his right hand he transferred two stacks of rockets through his code from his right hand to his left, from the shulker box to inventory.

How to fill a shulker box from a chest

One: Use Redstone it's OP.

Two: Open a chest grab something with one hand and transfer it though your player code to your other hand which is unlocking your shulker box.

Tip: Stuff transfers faster if you hold it like you would hold a rock you're about to skim and throw it as if into yourself for receival transfering, else just throw it into a chest as soon as it in your hand.