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plasticflwrs · 8 months

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★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ DISCOGRAPHY — Under the cut, you will find an IN DEPTH look into the career of South Korea's favorite idol band, Plastic Flowers. Beginning in 2016, they would rebrand after failing to make a profit in 2017 and find true success with TEETH in 2020, just a few months before their 16 month hiatus would begin. In 2022, they came back stronger than ever with I'M ALIVE and have consistently topped the music charts since. They are known for their promotional style which revolves around a spring and fall release each other, amounting to about 16 releases across singles, minis, their three full studio albums. Despite their constant stream of releases, the quality never suffers despite being completely self-produced since all five members are now involved in the writing process.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ TRIGGER WARNINGS — Death of a parent, descriptive mention of eating disorders + treatment ( 2021 section ). If this piece is too triggering, please DM and I can give you a summary of what happens!

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2016 !

Compared to their underground counterparts, idol bands have been relatively successful in the past as seen with FNC's trio of FT Island, CNBLUE, and N.Flying along with JYP's newest venture, Day6. However, Plastic Flowers would fall under the radar due to the influx of third generation groups debuting between 2014 and 2016 with all three of the major companies debuting at least one new group during that time. Plastic Flowers would debut as four members with SALEM, DAL, JIHUN, and GWYN on May 15, 2016 with the lead single SCARED from their single album LET ME GO. While the two songs were praised by music critics, it failed to reach the general public. Along with their other single album, it would sell 46 copies total within the year and has never been reprinted. Original copies of the album are priced very high on second-hand selling websites and no "real fans" currently own a copy. LET ME GO and MENTALISM were even taken off of all major streaming platforms until fans demanded for it's return in 2022.

MV VIEWS: 1.2 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

In their debut, Plastic Flowers explores themes of fear and insecurity through the song SCARED. The lyrics suggest hesitant to approach someone and an inability to express oneself freely, with most fans interpreting this to relate to Salem's original group THE BIG GLOOM, which she left the year prior. The phrase why are you scared? repeats throughout the song and highlights a sense of frustration with the fear and reluctance in their relationship, despite attempts to change. The narrator yearns for reassurance and validation, seeking comfort in the hope that their fears and uncertainties will fade away.

This line-up would release their second and final single album MENTALISM in November of 2016 with the title track MOUSE. This would be a continuation of their previous release, in terms of themes and inability to perform well on music charts. Though Mouse is beloved by fans now, it made no noise in 2016 and remains their worst performing single of all time, selling even worse than their debut single. Mentalism marked their first attempts at performing at small venues like bars and other restaurants, however, due to Oliver's age, they were often denied by the promotional teams. They would return to busking and posting covers in hopes of gaining more fans. At the end of 2016, it was announced by Superbloom Media would be placed on INDEFINITE HIATUS as they evaluated where to go forward. DAL and JIHUN would leave not long after, moving to larger companies and debuting in traditional idol groups instead.

MV VIEWS: 3.9 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0.

In 2024, MOUSE is often compared to their later b-side BRAND NEW CITY from their 2023 album OHIO IMPROMPTU. Both discuss the sense of dread from being in one's prime and dreading what comes later. Mouse is described as what happens after the narrator of Brand New City moves and realizes that they need to find a way to survive, that simply moving was not enough to change their feelings and create happiness. The narrator vows to "find love / and find a way to survive here", giving them a new sense of hope for the remaining time that they have and will move on from the silence.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2017 !

In September 2017, Plastic Flowers would return with an almost completely new lineup composed of SALEM, JUNYEONG, MINGHUI, SERIN, and OLIVER. Oliver would drop his initial stage name, Gwyn, during this rebrand for an unknown reason, though he still uses it to produce for other groups. They would release ROCKSTAR from the album SOCIAL REJECTS to limited success. They would sell 99 copies of their third single album, doubling the previous records set by LET ME GO and MENTALISM. Superbloom Media would also shift their promotional style in favor of the more traditional idol route, getting them performances on Music Bank and The Show for three weeks.

MV VIEWS: 3.4 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0.

ROCKSTAR moves away from their traditional melancholic sound for more critiques of the social landscape. Rockstar explores themes of frustration and defiance in the face of judgement and control from others. They are seen as a suspect, watched closely, and labeled as a hopeless murder by those around them. Similar to their other tracks, this is believed to have been written after the conflict with The Big Gloom and is Salem's take on it. Those around the narrator continuously reject and oppose them, leading to a growing sense of resentment with the world around them. The chorus emphasizes the narrator's resolve to stay true to themselves because they believe they are doing nothing wrong. This song would be revisited in 2024 and a re-recording with new pianist Oh Deurim would be included in their third studio album RUTHLESS ROCKSTARS as a b-side.

With a small but mighty fanbase under their belt, Plastic Flowers would return in December 2017 with their first mini-album NORTH STAR, which had five songs including the title track FREEDOM. This release would double their catalogue and allow for slow growth across the next few years. THE BIG GLOOM, composed of the four original members, would also release their newest album over Soundcloud that same day, leading to tensions amongst new and old fans as the debate of what Salem should have done returned. Rather than alienating the old fans, they went back to their old sound to prove that nothing has changed and Plastic Flowers will only be a better version of her previous band. NORTH STAR was promoted similarly to their previous single album with performances on all major South Korean music shows and even an appearance on The After School Club to connect with international fans.

MV VIEWS: 6.7 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

FREEDOM returns to their original sound with the themes of liberation and desire to break from societal constraints from ROCKSTAR still following them. Freedom opens with lyrics expressing uncertainty about what to sing about, overwhelmed by the abundance of refrain in the world and emphasizes their understanding of the path that they have chosen. The narrator proclaims that they have finally found their own way and the metaphor of cutting the moon and devouring the night suggests a rebellious mindset, choosing to defy expectations and live freely. Freedom encourages fans to let go of the norm and find their own path, breaking from societal expectations for their own happiness.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2018 !

2018 would cement Superbloom's promotional style for Plastic Flowers as they release an album in the spring and fall, the seasons in which they have found the band to be most popular in. The first release of 2018 was HIGHER & HIGHER, their second mini-album with the lead single LET'S GET LOST. This release continued their momentum forward and there was nothing out of the ordinary during this era. They were slowly being included in more variety shows, as seen by their joint appearance with Day6 on Weekly Idol and their first invitations to a major award show with the Golden Disc Awards and Seoul Music Awards. They were not nominated or even performed, but their photos from the red carpet got people talking about the unknown group.

MV VIEWS: 5.7 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

By now, Plastic Flowers had also shown what their lyrical concept would be as they created another song about escaping hardships of life and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. The narrator has a desire to let go of the past and leave behind anything that feels uncertain in LET'S GET LOST. The verses encourages themselves and their companions to leave behind their negative experiences as they "open the curtains" and lock the door behind them. Later lines capture the excitement of encountering new experiences and embracing the unknown, showing their growth away from the past that seemed to follow them and rising above.

LOVE ME? would be the last Plastic Flowers album fully written and produced solely by SALEM and Superbloom's in-house production team. All of the members were growing interested in producing their own music, especially the two youngest members—Serin and Oliver. They had submitted drafts to Superbloom for Love Me?, however they were not chosen. Interviews this era were a bit tense because of this and Salem wanting to keep her creative control over the group. Superbloom would also give Plastic Flowers their first reality show, FLOWER SHOWERS, which followed them around and tried to show fans the "real" members.

MV VIEWS: 6.3 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

TWENTY-ONE revolves around the themes of heartbreak, disappointment, and the realization that a once-special relationship has come to an end. The lyrics depict the emotions of someone who believed their relationship was unique and meaningful, only to discover that their partner does not feel the same. This is famously thought to be about former bandmate YING SHUHANG, more commonly known by his stage name IRUM. Throughout high school and much of their career together, they dated and broke up around the same time Salem left to join Superbloom Media. Through this song, she is coming to terms with the relationship being over after asking "why don't you adore me?" over and over again. She uses the concept of sleep and going to be bed to bury the past and move on from the relationship, showing that she would be ready to move on once she wakes up.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2019 !

Plastic Flowers would release HYPOCREEP in March 2019, right before OLIVER was set to appear on the new survival talent competition show SUPERBAND, produced by JTBC. Despite the sound change, Hypocreep was met with positive reaction from fans and is their first mini-album to sell over 1,000 copies in the first month. It is often seen as a turning point for the band as their releases following would follow a similar sound and is the first song to credit another band member besides Salem, that being OLIVER. This would be the first of a long partnership between the two that would eventually fizzle out during their 2022 hiatus. Hypocreep is also one of the most popular songs for other idols and bands to cover given the technical requirements of each instrument.

MV VIEWS: 7.4 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 0.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

HYPOCREEP expresses frustration towards people who are hypocritical and fake, particularly those who are thirsty for drama and attention on the internet. The singer identifies as a "hypocreep," which is a term they use to describe themselves as a different breed of person who is hyper and freaky. The singer acknowledges that they may be seen as strange or abnormal to others, but they do not care because those same people secretly wish they could be like the singer.

While Hypocreep opened the door for other members writing, THE CHAIN would be the first time another member would sing on a Plastic Flowers track. The Chain is a duet between Salem and Oliver and would mark the beginning for a lead singer change. It was under the direction of Kim Yuchan, a first generation soloist, and he advised the change since Oliver was well liked by the general public after Superband. THE CHAIN still remains a fan favorite song and would give the band their first award show nomination on Show! Music Core, much to the band's surprise. Most of the members recall this era as the first time they actually felt loved by the audience and could see people singing along.

MV VIEWS: 10.2 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 1.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

The main message of THE CHAIN is that relationships can be enduring, even if they have difficulties. The first verse describes the struggles of having a relationship and feeling powerless to their partner's actions. They discuss the idea that a love can endure even in these moments of darkness, as the lover is trying to tell the other that they would never break the chain that binds them together. There is a strong guitar and bass solo--played by SALEM and OLIVER--that represents the strong connection between them that won't be broken so easily. The end is a plea to stay together, to keep the chain together, and not run into the shadows away from each other.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2020 !

Fans of Plastic Flowers fall into two camps for their 2020 releases: either loving it or hating everything it stands for. Due to it's "inappropriate lyrics" FOR YOUR LOVE was banned by all the major South Korean music shows and would be promoted in a series of live concerts instead. They would instead promote READY TO FLY as their title track for this era, saving the performances of For Your Love for their smaller performances. Not long after the conclusion of For Your Love's promotions, Superbloom Media would confirm SALEM and OLIVER's relationhip, which had begun at the end of the year prior. This would be another reason why people did not like the song as it showed their relationship was taking away from making songs about important topics, not just each other.

MV VIEWS: 29.2 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. Banned.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. Banned.

FOR YOUR LOVE talks about the desire to please and satisfy someone in a romantic relationship. The lyrics in the verses describe the singer's intent to be the first thing on the person's mind and engage in sexual activity with them. The chorus reinforces the theme of doing anything for the person they love. The bridge highlights the singer's willingness to give everything they have to their partner and the importance of communication in the relationship. The outro repeats the sentiment that the singer is willing to do anything for their partner's love.

TEETH, and it's accompanying album LOVESICKNESS, continues with the themes from FOR YOUR LOVE. Unlike the previous song, it was actually allowed on music shows and was loved by their fanbase for the aesthetics that came with it. Due to the show going semi-viral on TWITTER thanks to a tweet by a poppy asking "what business Plastic Flowers had releasing" the song, LOVESICKNESS sold over 10,000 copies by the end of the year. This would also be the final time they were promote prior to their 16 month hiatus, making it special to their fans. Teeth would later become a sleeper hit by going viral once again and entering the top 10 on the Circle Chart after being used on an OST.

MV VIEWS: 229.6 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 3.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

The major themes of TEETH relate to toxic and tumultuous relationships, with the lyrics depicting the ups and downs of being someone that can be both loving and hurtful. Written completely by OLIVER, many fans have begun to debate the real meaning of the song as it relates to his former relationship with Salem. In TEETH, the protagonist realizes that the person they are with is full of contradictions as they compare their lover to a pair of teeth. The lover's heart is described as having teeth, meaning that while they may talk sweetly, they can also hurt and bite. The relationship is very complicated, in which both parties are hurting each other but can't let go with the narrator realizing that they are losing themself by the end of the song and maybe even the relationship.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2021 !

The GOODNIGHT era was spent dreading what would come next for Plastic Flowers. It was obvious that the members were losing steam as shown by their smaller performances and the constant cancellation of their performances at their bar, Cheeky's. The release of 403 only made that worse as they went back to the melancholic sound and promotions outside of music shows were cut short. In fear of losing the band, Poppies made sure that it sold well, achieving a record-breaking 14,000 copies in the first month alone and securing them more music show nominations. However, it seemed that nothing they were doing was enough as Plastic Flowers slowly slipped away from the public eye.

MV VIEWS: 122.9 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 3.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 0

403 focuses on liberation and moving forward from a difficult past. In the verses, detachment and release from pain and regret is encouraged alongside the image of taking off one's shoes and lying on the floor as an escape. The narrator wants the listener to forget about the past and focus on the possibilities of the future, becoming an active participant in their life rather than remaining passive. There is a reoccurring theme of breaking free as shown through the lyrics "get up in the morning" and "get out of deception", indicating the need to rise above negative situations and leave them behind. It suggests that nothing valuable can be obtained by staying where they are currently and encourages them to let go and move on.

Despite GOODNIGHT selling well, Plastic Flowers were put on an unofficial hiatus two months after it's initial release. Superbloom would be intentionally vague about the details behind the scenes to keep everything under wraps, however, sasaengs exposed the truth. Not only were they on hiatus to "fight burnout", but Oliver had returned to his hometown of Boston after the death of his father and Jiyeon had been checked into an eating disorder treatment by their manager, Cheon Garam. During this time, Salem and Oliver would also BREAK UP, creating a new tension within the band. The band's social media—both company owned and personal—would go completely dormant from March 2021 to April 2022, leaving many to believe that the group would never return and would be lost just before they achieved stardom.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2022 !

Just when most fans began to lose hope for Plastic Flowers to comeback, Superbloom did the unthinkable: dropping a new set of teasers for a full album called INTERNET BLUES. During this time, it was also revealed that MINGHUI had left the band and was replaced by Timefighter contestant OH DEURIM, who had failed to make it into the debut line-up by one place. According to Minghui, he left on good terms with the members but could no longer handle the idol life anymore. Despite how protective poppies are, they surprisingly welcomed Deurim with open arms and wanted to see what she could bring to the table. INTERNET BLUES would be released on May 5, 2022 with the title track I'M ALIVE, which secured them their FIRST WIN and first NOMINATION at a major award show after selling 100,000 copies.

MV VIEWS: 392.9 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 8.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 2.

I'M ALIVE is an uplifting song that talks about the feeling of overcoming challenges and persevering through tough times. They promise that even in the midst of uncertainty and darkness, the singer declares that they will keep themselves alive. The chorus serves as a mantra of sorts as the singer repeatedly affirms that they are alive and won't give up. The idea of "highlight" suggests that even in the bleakest moments of life, one can find something beautiful to hold onto. The bridge encourages listeners to keep searching, keep breathing, and keep alive. It's a call to action to hold onto life and never give up.

Plastic Flowers would return to their original promotional schedule with the release of PSYCHO, the title track for their first studio album, CALL ME CRAZY that November. The studio album was celebrated by all fans as it finally meant that Plastic Flowers were confirming that they were here to stay despite their earlier issues. The members looked so much more alive this era and they even held their first FAN SIGN, which went as well as expected. The members had fun with their fans, but hated the constant requests for cuteness or prying into their personal relationships. They would hold their own formal CONCERT, with over three thousand people in attendance.

MV VIEWS: 323.4 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 9.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 3.

PSYCHO explores themes of obsession and dependency in a relationship. The lyrics depict a protagonist who is deeply infatuated with someone to the point of being obsessed, as represented by the repeated phrase "I can't stop thinking about you." The protagonist seeks answers and validation from a doctor, indicating a desperation for a solution to their intense emotions. They recognize their own exaggerated behavior, acknowledging that they may appear crazy or "psycho" to others. The chorus reinforces the protagonist's obsession, stating that they cannot live a day without thinking about this person. It conveys a sense of dependency and the idea that the protagonist's life revolves entirely around the object of their affection.

★ ⠀⠀ ! ⠀⠀ THE YEAR IS ... 2023 !

Coming into 2023, Poppies were promised many exciting things from the band. In March, Oliver's solo BURNOUT SYNDROME with the lead single STARTING LINE would be released to overwhelming success, cementing his popularity with the general public and showing everyone that he was here to stay. Though fans were happy for him, the same could not be said for his bandmates as SALEM and JUNYEONG began a smear campaign that lasted throughout the entire promotional period. Oliver would ignore any questions about the situation and chose to move on from it instead, celebrating his own achievements rather than focusing on those around him. In June, the band would come back as five to release LOVE AND WAR with the lead single of the same name, which became their best selling record at that point at just under 1 million copies.

MV VIEWS: 748.3 million.

MUSIC SHOW NOMINATIONS. 10.

MUSIC SHOW WINS. 7.

WAR tells the story of a broken relationship, in which the narrator realizes there isn't much to save if they cannot stop fighting. They are beginning to realize there isn't much to save and they have lost their love for each other, leading towards a state of emptiness or insignificance. The song's title WAR comes from the lyric "war of attrition without benefit", highlight that this war between the lovers is doing nothing to help with their current problems. The narrator wants to call a ceasefire, but it seems that their relationship's end if inevitable. Written by Oliver, many fans believe that this song was written about the end of his relationship with Salem, which has never been confirmed or denied by Oliver or Superbloom Media.

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justafairytailofinnocence · 6 months

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Modern Thranduil x anxious reader

Caged birds with broken wings

Chapter 1:

A Dance with tardiness

Synopsis: An antisocial, anxious writer in her early 20s attends a ballet class under the teachings of a mysterious, reserved, austere dance instructor. They form an unlikely within their solace and past.

Warnings: mentions of blood

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

A/n: This fanfic doesn't follow along the lines of the hobbit but rather a loosely spin-off au that only uses some characters. I do not own the right to them as they are Tolkien's characters and I respect his creation. (even if the characters might be ooc). Feel free to comment, reblog and like. Let me know if you'd like a chapter 2.

I tended to daydream often, more so when I listened to the music. The tune and tone of the song that played one after the other sent me to the realms I immersed; typically, anyone would daydream into another realm far better than their own: a princess, pirate, elf, fae—anything. My imagination is my realm of comfort, a sealed bubble that I can freely roam however I wish. Unfortunately, within fantasy, we must face reality. Within my reality, I’m not much of an importance, at least not one to have a whole written memoir about. I’m more of one of those faces you’d pass by in the street or grocery store, not giving any second thought to. Though I’d prefer it that way, I’m not much of a talker but rather a writer; I’m more fluent in my words than my speaking. Every attempt I’ve made, I’ve stumbled or become still; my chest would rise heavily and lower deeply. I always asked how people can do it, how they can speak—talk—communicate like it’s a piece of cake. I’d rather shroud myself in my isolation than speak to another living being.

At my desk, in my somewhat clean apartment, I was planning my next latest story in a saga of 3 books. So far, I’ve managed to get in contact with a publishing company via email who were willing to get behind the idea of a feature-length young-adult romance novel, a romance novel about a pirate king and a fae queen. The first chapter was still relatively underdeveloped, yet I’m willing to spend an entire day finishing it. I had only five months to publish the entire chapters. I’ve been a fantasy fan ever since I was a child. To me, fantasy is what the word impossible turned into possible. For ten years, I’ve been writing, and never once has it stripped me of what I truly adore.

Whilst my fingers pressed against the keys on my keyboard, I received a text message on my phone from the side of my desk surrounded by papers. It was from my mom, who was wondering about my well-being. As always, I respond with the usual ‘everything’s going well—I’m pumping out new chapters for my new novel, ‘A Puncture in Time’, you know—the one with pirates and fantasy, new chapters soon to come ;)’. Even though she’s smart enough to see through my little façade, she writes back, ‘Hey listen, I know it’s hard right now, but I can assure you, things will get better; it just takes practice; I know you’ll meet someone you’ll find it easy to talk to’. I sighed heavily; within her words, I have faith, yet doubt. Should I choose to believe her, bite the bullet and try to speak up or wallow in a lie that can send her mind at ease? Before I wrote back, she sent a post with a link. I furrowed my brows as curiosity swelled my thoughts, my finger tapped the link. It was an ad. An ad for ballet classes. I thought it odd why she would send me something like this: I’m no dancer; I’m certainly no ballerina.

I replied with a question mark ‘?’.

A message bubble popped up: ‘…’ I awaited her reply.

As she was still typing, I took the liberty of glancing through the ad quickly. The tab loaded with a cursive font in bold ‘Les danseuses se réjouissent’. Scrolling past the stock images of ballet dancers, I came across a small section of different levels offered: beginner, Intermediate, and advanced. My mind raced with doubt; I had no experience in ballet, at least not since I was a young child. I wondered to myself, ‘Do I really want to take this? After all, I’m not exactly one for groups’. However, my mind was put at ease when my eyes came across an option for ‘one-on-one private lessons’. At least, I wouldn’t be with people who were far more experienced—let alone a group; the thought of many eyes staring at me—would have my heart sink. As I clicked the option, I was astounded; there were no reviews, pictures, or even a description of the instructor. I was sceptical. Surely, if you were to teach a class, you’d have at least a brief introduction of yourself. Even as an author, I have a concise introduction in my publications. I lightly sighed, weighing my options; on the one hand, it’ll please my mom, get me out of the apartment, and keep me fit; on the other hand, despite being private, I’m meeting someone I don’t know. Who knows what this person’s intention is, even if it’s for a class.

Finally, I heard a ‘ding’ as she replied, ‘Please try, at least for me; it’ll be good for your health, and you once mentioned you wanted to be a ballerina. I know the world isn’t always what we want it to be, but I know you can make it shine; I’ve seen it in your novels; give this a chance, give them a chance, to show them how you can shine, because I know you’ll be the brightest star there :).’

My eyes softened as I read every word; I couldn’t deny she had a way of getting through to me. She was always a caring woman, along with my dad. They were the only two people I could speak to without pressure or the weight in my chest.

I pressed back onto the tab with the private lessons. I clicked to see the booking dates—there’s an option to book for tomorrow, and the price is only $45 per lesson. For the price, it wasn’t too bad; yet still expensive. I filled in the details required to send the booking through, yet my finger hovered as I was about to press ‘confirm’. My mind came to a tussle of thoughts and hesitations; this would be the first time, in a long time, that I would speak face-to-face with an actual living being. However, I recalled Mom's words, ‘Because I know you’ll be the brightest star there’.

Breathing in—I pushed it, I pressed confirm.

I did it. I’m going to attend a ballet class. My head slowly lowers onto my desk, surrounded by papers. My hair dangled over my forehead. The adrenaline that reached the height of my mentality came crashing down. It’s like going on a rollercoaster you didn’t ask for, coming from the highest point of the rail down to the pit below. I start to feel light-headed. I want to sleep. I want to stay here. Perhaps I’ve made a mistake. What if this doesn’t work out?

I rose slowly from my desk chair, picked up my phone, and texted, ‘I’ve booked lessons for tomorrow…I hope you're right about this.’

I watched as once more, awaiting her response, ‘…’

‘Oh, I’m so happy, you’ll fit right in, I know it :)’ she texted.

I didn’t respond. She’s pleased, at least.

I decided to call it a night; I’ve had enough pressure for one day. I logged off, cleaned the papers on my desk, pushed them into a neat-ish pile and headed to the bathroom to shower. As I opened the door, I went inside to set down my pyjamas by the medium-small bathtub’s acrylic side rim. My bathroom isn’t big exactly, but neither is it small. It’s moderate for what it was: a bathtub, shower, toilet, sink, and a medium-sized mirror in the same room. It’s not precisely palace material, but it helps soothe my thoughts. I held my hand out as I turned on the shower, feeling the trickling water against my skin. The temperature quickly changed from cold to warm in just five seconds. Once I was satisfied, I stripped bare, sliding my long-sleeved green shirt off and sliding my darker tracksuit pants. I tossed my unmentionables inside the bathtub. I stepped inside the shower, allowing the warm water to run freely down my skin. I shut the shower enough to have a slit entrance still. I grabbed the soap, rubbing it over my skin, arms, legs, and body. I splashed water on my face as the water rinsed the suds away. I hovered my hands in my eyesight, glancing closer at my fingers. I could see the redness and patches from where I’d picked my skin; it’s a habit I developed since childhood. The habit would annoy Mom, often whispering or saying straight, “Stop picking”, even touching my hand to remind me. Unfortunately, this habit hasn’t subsided; I sometimes even look at my skin with little care, picking the cuticles or rough patches.

Once I finished scrubbing my body with soap, I turned off the water and opened the shower door to step onto the bathmat. I grabbed a towel from the single towel rack located beside the shower. I dried my body, running the towel over my skin. As I wrapped the towel around my body, I glanced at my face in the mirror above the sink. They say eyes are the most expressive in emotion. My narrowed, pinkish lips thinned.

I snapped out of my gaze, continuing to slip on my long blue pants decorated in owl prints, then, the next, a long-sleeve top with the basic purple on them topped with a giant owl embroidered in the front area. Owls have always resonated with me, whether it's their symbolism or captivating beauty. I placed the towel on the side of the bathtub’s rim. I picked up my previous clothes and took it into my bedroom. My bedroom was also medium sized, having a queen-sized bed and an oaken cupboard with a mirrored wardrobe. My room was decorated with tiny figurines I’d collect overtime, albeit from movies I’ve fancied or books. I placed the clothes in my hamper basket behind my door. My body relaxed when my eyes lingered toward my bed, the messy, deep blue sheets draped to the left side. I dismissed the thought of tucking them in for the time being, only plonking myself onto the mattress and wrapping myself within the single cotton sheets and doona drifting off.

Dreaming is the easy part, letting what visions came to my mind run wild. Sometimes, it’s suitable for inspiration, but other times, it's nightmares. The imagination is still enchanting, although, this time, it was peculiar. I was in a birdcage decorated with gold; the entrance was bolted shut; my hands gripped the golden rods holding the cage together. I tried to scream but to no avail. I tried to shake the cage, yet I was too small to provoke movement. My body lowered, feeling the coldness of the metal plate below. I had nothing but rosy ribbon pointe shoes. I suddenly felt myself, in no control, rise as though my limbs were attached to strings. I started to dance, my arms and legs stretching to fit the perfect movements. Eventually, I stopped mid-movement, standing on one leg while extending the other behind. I couldn’t move; I was frozen in place. I could do nothing but shut my eyes.

Suddenly, I woke up; my eyes fluttered open from the confusion I had just endured. Rising from the bed, I pondered for a few seconds. ‘What on earth did I dream about?’. My hands pressed against my face, trying to comprehend my dream and reality. I pulled the sheets off me and got up for the morning. A typical morning for me results in the usual routine: dressing, brushing my teeth and hair, and then looking forward to what the day offers me. Until I remembered that I had booked that class. I typically picked out green tracksuit pants with a white singlet, hoping that would suffice. I picked up my purse and headed out the door to my car. I entered inside, placing my purse in the front seat as I turned on the white car. I noticed outside that it started to snow. Snow is beautiful, especially the little snowflakes that fall into your hand and dissolve upon touch.

As the car started, I prepared to drive to wherever it was that awaited me. The location was further from where I lived; it must’ve been at least twenty-eight minutes. The drive wasn’t particularly bothersome for me; when you live in New York, you get used to the traffic.

As I drove, the snowflakes emerged in more significant numbers. Eventually, I found parking just next to the side of a café. I wasn’t aware if it was for the staff or guests. However, it seemed empty with only a few cars, so—if I get called out on it, I’ll move my car. No one seemed to notice, so I assumed I was okay. I grabbed my black parker from the back and zipped it up. Exiting the car, I stopped to admire the snow falling for a few seconds. It was January 4th, so the snow season was still here. My hands shoved in my pockets, beginning to wander toward where I needed to be. According to the ad, it was building ‘52’; it was vague, I know, but it was the details given. I trudged through the snow, seeing building after building, until I came across something with the number ‘52’, where I needed to be. My hand gripped the gold-looking handle attached to the glass door. As I entered, I came upon a staircase; I took one step after the other. I quickly glanced at the ad to see what floor it was on, yet to no avail. Was it the ‘4th floor? Oh god, oh god, please don’t resort to me asking someone. My fingers started to twitch; I raised one of my fingertips to my lips, feeling the rough patches. My thumb started scraping off the first layer, and small blood trickles formed. I ran my fingers over my lips again as I trailed up the stairs. I could feel my chest becoming heavier, my mind swell with thoughts of self-doubt. Suddenly, the anxiety soon started to subside as my eyes saw the sight of a door. My fingers hesitantly wrapped around the door handle; I took one breath in, trying to be brave. I pushed it open—only for my worst nightmare to come to life.

My breathing became heavier, my heart sank, my eyelids widened, and I could feel myself hyperventilating. There was a group of ballerinas staring directly at me. There must’ve been at least four? Five? Looking my way! Their ages varied, going into their late 20s.

The one brunette asked in French “es-tu perdu, cherches quelqu’un”.

I couldn’t concentrate; my mind dwelled with clouded thoughts of judgment. I pressed my finger against my lip, trying to feel the rough patches.

Another asked in English, “My friend asked if you’re searching for someone”.

Quickly, my eyes diverted to the ground, avoiding their gaze. “I-I-, pr-viate, less-on”. I stumbled over my words.

“Lessons? Private lessons?” the girl spoke once more.

I nodded, avoiding eye contact.

As I quickly glanced, a middle-aged woman in her mid-forties stepped closer; I assumed she was the dance teacher. “Are you referring to the private dance lessons advertised? the one taught by Mr. Oropherion?”.

I paused for a moment, trying to gather my words. Mr Oropherion? Is he the teacher I’m with?

“I-Is. This. Right. Floor.” I tried to sound out the right words, but it was impossible. Perhaps my conscience was right; perhaps this was a terrible idea.

The middle-aged woman, confused, pointed toward the direction I needed to go. “you’ll need to head up one more level, then head to your right” Her voice was calm with a hint of soprano.

Still avoiding eye contact, I left, not even saying thank you, focusing on wanting to escape. I closed the door in front and let out a heavy breath. My head lowered to touch the tip of my hands. I wanted to melt in that moment; I wanted nothing more than to return home. However, I reminded myself that I was doing this for Mom. I breathed in once more, looking up at the door; my hands quickly released, and I began to walk quickly, edging further up the stairs. My mind came crashing down, feeling the dreariness wash over me. Feeling tired, I finally, at last, came across the door I needed to be. It was blank, the painted white withering away around the edges. My hand reached the doorknob, feeling the roundness, turning it slightly. I could feel the adrenaline kick in. I was hesitant, but my nerves started to build.

I started to whisper to myself, “Just a general hello, that’s all it takes—

You're doing this for Mom—

Give them a chance to show them how I can shine; give them a chance to see who I am because I’ll be the brightest star there”.

I breathed in, closing my eyes and opening the door. As I tried to force my eyes open, I was confused. There was no one here. It was an empty space surrounded by mirrors with bar beams attached to them. My eyes scanned the room, yet no one was there. I suppose I should be relieved, maybe the teacher had caught a sickness and decided to ditch the whole class. I wandered further inside; I might as well take a quick peek. I unzipped my black parker with a furry hood, tossed it on the coat hanger and took off my shoes, leaving my white socks on. I stood in the middle of the dance room, embracing the quiet ambience. I looked in the mirrors, reflecting my figure. Was this even what ballerinas wear? Who even is Mr. Oropherion? If he doesn’t show up in the next 15 minutes, I’m heading off and not returning.

Perhaps Aelwynn, the fae queen in my novel, would’ve also been able to dance freely and eloquently in movement. I still wonder what would entrance the pirate king Sarek Salazar. I never pictured him to be devilishly handsome, though. I suppose Aelwynn would be a beauty, but there must be more to it—beauty can only go so far in their bond; what would their obstacles or hardships be? Perhaps the fae queen is somewhat intertwined with difference, the opposite of a fairytale. Aelwynn is fair, kind, beautiful and strong; she meets all the criteria for something otherworldly, yet what if Sarek is her opposite, a beast? No—What if he was average, a gross-looking thing? Pirates are anyway; what if he wasn’t powerful, just an average man with greed—and the dynamic changes, challenging Sarek to choose between the love of his life or treasure?

Or he would choose—

Suddenly, I heard a male voice emit behind me: “You best have a thorough explanation, girl. Do not even think about squandering my precious time.”

My breathing became heavier as I realized someone was speaking to me. I did not turn around; I was afraid to. Instead, I avoided eye contact, too paralysed to move. My head stooped low, and my hands stood to the side. He spoke again, “Clearly, you are here for a reason, are you not? I’ll admit your intrusion is rather fatuous.”

I didn’t glance up; I couldn’t look; I needed time to gather the words to explain. What should I say? Hey, sir, some ballerinas told me to come here, and I fear speaking to people.

“I see you have a mouth; that means you must have a tongue. Go on, speak.” His voice was deep and tranquil, composed yet icy.

I took a deep breath in, slowly turning around. As my legs moved, I slowly gathered the courage to look into the man’s eyes, even if I muttered a ‘hello’. It would be enough. As my head glanced up to meet his, I noticed his appearance.

He—was like—something out of a fairytale. His face was lean and chiselled; his eyes were like ice; his blueish-greyish irises complemented his cold gaze. His hair tressed down like water reaching his chest, light like snow. Whilst his skin was pale in comparison, a fair tone in colour. His attire seemed far more affluent than mine, donning a black trench coat with white underneath. His trousers complimented the darkness of his coat, and his black loafers were polished. I glanced at his right finger, an oval-shaped ring with a diamond glass stone crafted in sterling silver.

“Did you hear me not the first-time girl?” his tone turned stern.

My mouth moved, finally finding the words to speak. “H-hello, I’m Y/n”.

“y/n?” he muttered.

My eyes glanced downward once more as I slowly nodded.

“So, you have a voice after all, pray, tell. Why are you lingering in my domain?” he said shortly.

I muttered “private lessons”, though my voice sounded like a whisper.

“Ah, so you’ve seen the ad; I suppose you haven’t wasted our time after all, although you are five minutes late; I expect punctuality, to be exactly on time at the hour.” His voice sounded stern once more.

Well gee, it’s not like it’s my first time here, and gotten lost. My eyes still avoided his; I couldn’t look up, so I nodded.

He didn't react when I avoided his gaze, dismissing it. However, he commented on something else: “Your posture is lamentable. Stand up straighter like so.” The tip of his finger lightly touched my chin, lifting it to meet his gaze. I didn’t turn away precisely, yet I still flinched. My breathing slowed down as I once more met his gaze. His eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned.

“You stand there like a bird, wounded by the natures of evil, ignorant of the world’s knowledge, caged and sheltered from the shadows that lurk within the realm. Tell me, little bird, care to spread your wings?” I glanced at myself in the mirror, standing straighter. I could feel the flush in my cheeks, but I didn’t say anything, only breathing slowly.

His finger pulled away, and he turned his back to me, walking away.

“I expect to see you here tomorrow at exactly the seventh hour of the night”.

“Do not make me regret my decision, or you shall return to the cage from where you came, little bird”, He muttered.

With that, he walked out of the room, distancing himself further and further away. At that moment, I stood in disbelief for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened. However, once my thoughts were collected, I gathered my things and scurried out of there, wanting nothing more than to enter my car. Once I exited the building, I was hit with the coldness in temperature as it touched my face.

I opened the car door, tossing my things in the back, turning the engine on. I looked back, trying to see the building to the left. As I drove, my thoughts were plagued with astonishment. I didn’t look away; I maintained eye contact for longer than three seconds, and—I managed to speak my name without stumbling over my words. My emotions displayed were as if I’d seen a ghost. Yet—his face—his appearance—it reminded me of snow; I always loved snow; even when I was a child, it was the happiest of my memories. I recall when my parents took me to the park; I was fascinated by the sight of the winter wonderland, my face lighting up with delight and laughing with joy. I always find that snow rekindles the fond memories I have.

Perhaps Mom was right after all; this might be the start of something I’ve never been able to do. Talk.

#thranduil au #thranduil x you #thranduil #thranduil oropherion #the hobbit au #the hobbit #thranduil fanfic #lord of the rings #thranduil ballet au #thranduil headcanon #thranduil fanfiction #thranduil x reader #thranduil oropherion x reader

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marquisegallery · 7 months

Text

This took me. So long. To finish. I had hoped to finish it sometime in February, but now here we are. :u

Anyways! Much like the Devil Theory headcanons post I did a long while ago, this is a headcanons post for DOT EXE! All frickin' 8 of them!! Suffice to say this is going to be incredibly long, so keep that in mind before you jump into the Read More. You have been warned!! :P

(Also much like with Devil Theory, some of this might be based on stuff in the game, but a lot of it will just be "I personally think this would be neat!!")

There are going to be very many sections here, so I'm splitting them up to keep things organized and easier to follow. :u

The Overall Crew:

First and foremost, names! Plus heights, because I finally decided on heights for the individual members now :P

2 = Twoson (172 cm / 5’ 8")

4 = Fourside (173 cm / 5’ 8")

5 = Cinco (186 cm / 6’ 1")

8 = 8-ball (192 cm / 6’ 4")

9 = Neun (182 cm / 6’)

10 = Jūrō (178 cm / 5’ 10")

14 = Quatorze (196 cm / 6’ 5")

And then the cue ball member is just… Cueball, lol. He is 190 cm / 6’ 3". I was originally going to make him more-or-less the median height of the crew, but changed my mind later.

I know the 10 and 14 members found in the code aren't "official" members, especially since they seem to be just extra palettes for a potential playable 8-ball. But you know what, I made characters out of them anyways!! :P

Starting off with DOT EXE in general:

As mentioned in the game, they’re a group of full-cyber writers and breakdancers!! They also have a bit of a reputation as hackers, though truthfully it’s only some of them, specifically 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco. They’re the ones who came up with the name too, they just wanted something computer-y. It was originally just the three of them, and the others joined over time. In order, Quatorze and Jūrō were asked by 8-ball to join, then Twoson and Fourside asked to join after they went full-cyber, and then Cueball was the last to join.

Their writer aliases/street names are of course based on the billiard number shown on their screen faces. Which person gets which number was originally based on the actual number of letters in their real given name, but that doesn’t apply to Cueball, Twoson, or Fourside.

They have a reputation of being pretentious and stuck-up assholes (though at least not violent assholes like Devil Theory). They basically look down on most other crews as noobs, about the only writers they respect are DJ Cyber, Felix, and eventually BRC in general after the end of the game.

Of the current big crews in New Amsterdam, they’ve been operating the longest (with varying number of members of course), for about 2 decades at this point! However, them being an actual “big name” crew has only really happened in the past couple of years. They mostly stick to their own territory in Millennium Mall.

On that note! They literally own the mall. All of it. They collect rent from the various stores and companies operating in the mall. They keep the rent super low for local businesses so they can afford to compete with the big brands (especially huge international ones) that set up shop here. Meanwhile, said big brands are charged like five times more in rent. Of course, they’re never actually told that’s the case! Those companies even assume it must be the same for everyone else in the mall. The way DOT EXE spin it to them is along the lines of, “C’mon, don’t you want the prestige of having a store in the one and only Millennium Mall?!” Basically I imagine the Millennium Mall is a huge deal in that way, hence why the big companies don’t suspect anything’s off. :P

So yeah, DOT EXE make money that way. Even after taking out whatever has to be used for proper maintenance of the mall itself, for the most part they end up with a lot more than any of them need (especially since, being full-cyber, they don’t have to worry about food and stuff, just electricity and occasional maintenance/repairs). A lot of the money is saved for emergencies and fun stuff (like hobbies), and then they donate the rest to local charities.

The local businesses are aware of DOT EXE being the owners of the mall, and honestly don’t mind them being writers either! DOT EXE are also more reliable than the police when it comes to asking for help with a problem. In the case of shoplifters in particular, DOT EXE don’t even really punish the thieves, they’ll pay for whatever was stolen and ask if they need additional help (like if they only stole because they didn’t have a job and need help, etc).

The crew hate that the police can intervene at the mall, especially with the helicopters and walking tanks, not to mention the police tube things. They’ve tried to complain to the local government about it, but have been shot down every time. Now they will at the least sabotage the tubes and turrets whenever they can.

The mall is so big that there’s basically a huge solar panel farm on top. Whatever electricity doesn’t get used up by the mall ends up redirected to other parts of New Amsterdam that need it.

There’s also a whole community greenhouse up there! A rather illegal one actually, with New Amsterdam (currently) having some very strict regulations on larger-scale gardens and such (given there’s only one tree in the actual game, and it’s been dug up from Old Amsterdam). DOT EXE do not give a fuck about that clearly, and keep it operational. Especially since it’s a great source of food for a lot of people! DOT EXE managed to hack the local government offices to give the mall’s greenhouse an “official exception”, so the police have to (very begrudgingly) leave it be. Half the crew like the greenhouse since it’s such a great benefit for others, and the other half like it because they know it annoys the cops.

Their hideout is a small part of the mall that’s been sort of sectioned off just for them. Basically behind some pulled-down grates, a bunch of the stores behind said grates have been converted into rooms for them, and is collectively their hideout! There is an actual part of the mall in the game that looks like this, see below:

The rooms of the hideout are as follows: a main meeting/living room area (which also has a disused kitchen, since they don’t need to eat), a main rec area with a ton of custom arcade cabinets and hacked game consoles, a storage room, and then 4 personal rooms for the members, shared between a few of them. One for Cinco and Neun, another for Twoson and Fourside, another for Jūrō and Quatorze, and the last for 8-ball and Cueball. Though since 8-ball was killed, it’s been Cueball’s room by himself.

So yeah, they all live there, whereas pretty much every other crew has their hideout but then individual members (usually) live elsewhere.

They actually aren’t all the same age as the Oldheads, it’s just a cover so people don’t try and figure out any personal info about them. Specific ages/age ranges will be mentioned in individual sections, but really only 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco are around the Oldheads’ ages. Quatorze and Jūrō are actually a good chunk older than them, while Cueball, Twoson, and Fourside are all much younger.

Cueball in particular will always hide his real age, since part of it is related to how he went full-cyber. He will lie to most people and saying he's around the same age as 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco. He hates the pity he gets from people otherwise (more on this later!!).

Twoson and Foruside don't lie about their ages when asked, but would just say they were inspired by 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco to go full-cyber to keep being good dancers and writers. Meanwhile, Quatorze and Jūrō are pretty honest about why they actually did it (again, more on this later!!).

Their voice, outfits, and billiard screens are also covers for their identities!

For the voice, the idea is that there's a "default" voice all the DOT EXE folks use in public, but they still have their own voices based on how they sound from before going full-cyber (Twoson and Fourside are technically exceptions to this, but yeah, more on that later). Their actual voices are only used when they’re going around as “civilians” rather than writers, or otherwise in private at their hideout.

The tracksuits are basically just their costumes, similar to the costumes the other crews wear. So they do wear clothes besides the tracksuits. Sure, they don't really need to, but they like to! Especially when they're not out doing writer stuff, makes it easier for the cops to not suspect something. Each of them has their own personal style, which will be noted in the individual sections!

The screen face can be changed to different images. When they're out and about as "civilians", they tend to change their screens to sort of robotic faces, kinda similar to what non-screen cyberheads have. Those specific faces will be shown in the individual characters’ sections, with their "DOT EXE face" on the left and their individual faces on the right.

Combined with the difference in clothing and voices, it does a good job of actually hiding who they are from the cops!

Note that Cueball is an exception on the voice and screen thing, but I’ll get into that more in his section!

They are all gamers to some degree, otherwise why else would they have a rec room with so many games? They each have their own favorite genres, but overall play a wide variety of them. They’ll play by themselves or with each other depending on the game. The whole crew can get pretty competitive about high scores too, especially on the arcade cabinets!

They also each have their own hobbies outside of gaming, but again, another thing to mention in their own sections.

They all have the capability to communicate wirelessly like computers and phones, i.e. send messages directly to one another instead of to their phones. However, they don’t do that anymore. Mainly because the one time they tried to use it more often, Twoson, Fourside, and Cueball spammed so many memes to Neun that it caused him to crash. Hence why they still rely on text and calls like full-flesh writers, though some of them still do direct wireless messages to one another sometimes. Basically equivalent to whispering to someone so other people don’t hear them.

As full-cyber people, they all have sensors all over their bodies which can act the same as nerves. Detecting damage/pain, temperature, pressure/being touched, and even textures to a degree. The only difference is that these can be turned on or off, or even set to varying “levels” of sensing in between. Usually they turn down the pain/temperature detecting part of the sensors while they’re out (especially while doing writer stuff; basically just detecting damage/temperature without causing actual pain to them). They only turn them fully back on once they’re safe at their hideout.

🎱5️⃣9️⃣

8-ball, Cinco, and Neun in general:

They are basically the only ones that went full-cyber to be able to dance better for the most part, though they also did it to be able to get better as writers. None of them were particularly good at either of those before then, though they all clearly wanted to improve at it.

All three of them met and became friends via a transhumanism forum online, hence them going full-cyber together. The actual process is finished up around their 30s or 40s, and they're in their 60s by the time of the game.

Cinco is from Honduras and Neun is from Germany (or so he claims...). Meanwhile 8-ball was born and raised in New Amsterdam, though his father (who he shares with Cueball) had long since moved away to somewhere in the United States.

Both Neun and Cinco did writer stuff in their respective home cities, but 8-ball talked to them a lot about the writer scene in New Amsterdam, especially a lot of the big name writers at the time. That influenced all of them to want to get better at being writers, no matter what.

Once Neun and Cinco moved to New Amsterdam, 8-ball and them formed DOT EXE! They were all full-cyber by then, and practiced together to improve their skills, eventually becoming fairly big names like the other crews.

All three of them act (or acted in 8-ball’s case) as the IT people for the whole mall.

Them getting into hacking and computer stuff mostly started after they all went full-cyber, especially since all their augmentations made it a hell of a lot easier to do.

All three of them love rhythm games, but also have other genres they particularly like. They had rhythm game competitions between the three of them, and even with 8-ball gone, Neun and Cinco still do that from time to time.

On that note, yeah, in my ideas/AU/whatever you want to call it, 8-ball’s death is very much permanent. See this post with some further details on why that is, in particular how, just because his mind’s been digitized, doesn’t mean it’d be any easier to recover.

8-ball specifically:

8-ball refers to Cueball as his bro in the game, and I like to think they’re actual brothers and not just brothers-in-a-friend-way. For my headcanons, they’re actually half-brothers, but refer to each other as brothers anyways. 8-ball is the older of the two!

He’s a bit egotistical. Just a bit.

Kind of a daredevil too, compared to the others. He was like that before going full-cyber, but then after the conversion, being “effectively” invincible just made him more reckless. Dangerous stunts! Tagging more and more high up heaven spots! Getting heat up just to be able to fight the police! So on and so forth.

He is the one who designed the team’s graffiti in-universe, hence why their small tag is more related to him that the team overall. Like I said, bit of an ego on this guy!

He is the one who managed to get ownership of the whole mall, and then just splits the management and collected rent with the others. He actually managed to win ownership of the mall in a (very) risky game of poker. And he didn’t just made that up to sound cool, Cinco and Neun were actually there to witness it!

For his normal fashion style as a civilian, basically he just focuses on looking “cool”, in particular with cool jackets. This usually means jean jackets or leather biker jackets. Also tends to wear jean pants, and shirts with cool designs on them. Which is often stuff like sharks, wolves, dragons, volcanoes, lighting bolts, tornadoes, etc. Also cool shoes of course!

For his personal favorite video game genre, he likes playing shooters, but moreso arcade style shooters and SHMUPs instead of FPSs. Still kinda ironic, given what happened to him…

Real name Frederik Visser. He mainly got into transhumanism just because he thought it was cool, and eventually took it seriously and ended up on the forum where he met Neun and Cinco.

Cinco specifically:

From Cueball’s point of view, he’s the fun uncle!

Fluent in Spanish, speaks it with a Honduran accent. Sometimes uses Spanish words when talking casually, usually terms of endearment for others. Or insults/swears, because he finds it more satisfying to do so in Spanish, lol

Knows a ton of jokes, including puns, in several languages.

A charming guy, very outgoing and friendly with just about everyone!

Also a “he has your back when you need it” kind of pal to DOT EXE in general, but especially 8-ball and Neun. After 8-ball died, he got a bit more protective of Cueball too.

For his fashion style, he likes wearing patterned button-down shirts and sports shorts. For the shirts, of course that includes what’s called Hawaiian shirts, but really anything that has some sort of fancy/detailed patterned will catch his eye. Also tends to wear sandals/flipflops, or crocs.

He really likes racing games, also sports games in general!

Cinco was a bit of a jock type before going full-cyber on that note, playing a lot of sports back then too. He tried to get into various professional sports but never got very far. He’s good at whatever he plays, but evidently just not one of the best for it. Also doesn’t help that he never tried focusing on one particular sport at a time, to the point where he stretched himself thin after a while.

Occasionally plays basketball with the Franks, he’s actually good pals with them because of it!

Likes sports and muscle cars, though mostly driving them and not the maintenance part. He may or may not participate in drag races using stolen cars. Not that it’s hard to steal a car in New Amsterdam, there’s a lot of rich people with “smart” cars who don’t change the default passwords…

Real name César Hugo Raúl Garcia-Flores. On both sides of his family there’s histories of genetic illnesses, and after a certain point he was starting to show some early signs of them. This of course started affecting his health, and with his focus on sports and also wanting to get better as a writer/dancer, he ended up on the transhumanism forum to hopefully find a way to handle all that.

He genuinely didn’t intended to go full-cyber, just wanted to look into “less intensive” cybernetics. However, becoming friends with 8-ball and Neun and going over what they were planning themselves basically led Cinco to decide, “You know what? Might as well go all the way with this myself!”

A note on his full name, if people ask about it: he’ll say his parents couldn’t decide between the two middle names, and just gave him both. Meanwhile, neither parent was backing down about giving him one family name or the other, so they decided to just hyphenate it. But then they had an argument over the order (Garcia-Flores or Flores-Garcia), so they flipped a coin on it… that all being said, Cinco always says this like it’s another joke, so no one’s entirely sure if it’s the real story or not.

He had a boyfriend before going full-cyber. They broke up because of him hiding the fact he was planning to go full-cyber at all. Then again, them breaking up over that was inevitable anyways, because said boyfriend was the type of person to see cybernetics (especially full-cyber stuff) as something unnatural and disgusting. By the time of the game, Cinco has long since gotten over it (for the most part).

May or may not end up dating Escher, hee hee

Neun specifically:

From Cueball’s point of view, he’s basically the stern uncle lol

Has a bit of a “neutral” accent when speaking in his actual voice. It’s clear he’s hiding whatever his “real” accent is supposed to be, but no one knows what he naturally sounds like, not even 8-ball and Cinco. His voice gets shockingly deep when he’s angry, which is very rare.

Fluent in German and Spanish, having grown up speaking both languages. Claims to be from Germany. Though, he’s only ever spoken Spanish with Cinco in private “for some reason”...

… The reason being that he’s actually Argentinian (of German descent, hence him learning that language) and very much has the accent when speaking Spanish. Cinco clocked him as such when listening to him speak Spanish one time. Neun doesn’t want people to know that about him, so he’s sworn Cinco to never speak of it to anyone, even 8-ball. More on why later...

When in public, he basically puts up a front and acts the same kind of “dudebro” kind of way the rest of the members act. Outside of that, overall he’s a very serious and kinda cold guy, but he does genuinely care about his friends (and eventually the rest of the crew, though it took him a while to get there).

Between him, 8-ball, and Cinco, Neun is basically the “friend in charge of the one collective brain cell” kind of guy. It’s also why he’s second-in-command of DOT EXE, becoming the leader once 8-ball is killed.

Also the crew’s accountant, mostly in charge of sorting out collecting rent from the businesses in the mall. He gives a lot of leeway for local businesses if they’re late on rent, but gives no such mercy to the bigger brands in the mall.

Likes to stay organized. He will pick up after the others if they leave a mess, but will also complain and berate them while doing so.

Not exactly a fan of jokes or pranks. He dislikes puns in particular and finds them genuinely annoying (not in a “Damn it, I wish I thought of that myself!!” kind of way). He makes an exception for Cinco’s jokes, but mostly out of politeness as a friend. And even then it’s not like Neun will laugh, he’ll just politely stay quiet and shake his head.

For his normal fashion outside of the tracksuits, well, Neun can be described as looking like a stereotypical nerd. This means collar shirts and khaki pants, lol

Neun likes playing RPGs and strategy games, though he’s very old school and picky about what he plays. If it doesn’t have some sort of hard mode, at the very least a hard mode that can be modded in, he won’t bother with it. Just as an example, he likes playing Pokemon games but only with modded super hard modes and with Smogon-style strategies and team builds.

Claims his real name is Sebastian Jäger. He was originally just on the transhumanism forum out of curiosity, not really taking it seriously. However, at one point he had a mid-life crisis related to mortality, especially after having to deal with a string of family deaths around the same time. With him wanting to be a better writer and breakdancer, at that point he felt like he had limited time to even live at all, let alone enough time to improve at either of those.

Hence why he started being more active on the forum and looking into full-cyber conversion in particular, and that eventually led to him becoming friends with 8-ball and Cinco. He’ll never admit to this though.

He’ll also never admit that he accidentally crossed the wrong people on his journey to both go full-cyber and move to New Amsterdam. He’s convinced they’re still looking for him, even if the chances are incredibly slim. Thus why he’s hiding at least part of his origins...

His actual real name is Sebastián Montero, but again, he’s basically in hiding right now. "Jäger" was apparently the family name of an ancestor of his.

(1️⃣4️⃣) 🔟

Quatorze and Jūrō in general:

Quatorze is French, and Jūrō is of Japanese descent, both born and raised in France. Both can of course speak French, with their real speaking voices having a Parisian French accent. Jūrō is also fluent in Japanese.

They were both big time writers in their youth, with stories about them being what inspired 8-ball to become a writer in the first place! Then him talking about them to Cinco and Neun is what collectively pushed all three of them to want to get better at being writers.

They are a married couple and still consider themselves married as wife and husband, even after going full-cyber together (technically they are considered legally dead and thus no longer married, but screw the laws man).

On that note, surprise, Quatorze is actually a woman! Thanks to the default voice for the crew and the tracksuits, everyone just assumes she’s a man without hearing her real voice. That’s intentional, I’ll get into it a bit more in her specific section.

They are very, very loving to each other. Think Gomez and Morticia Addams, just without a morbid humor angle. Jūrō basically praises and is encouraging of everything Quatorze does, and Quatorze love to compliment him for anything he does too. Though sometimes it does get on her nerves, and he apologizes when she asks him to dial it back a bit. But also they have the mushiest pet names for each other.

They are both willing to kill and be killed for the sake of their spouse, but of course each of them would prefer that the other not going that far.

They see 8-ball, Cinco, and Neun as their peers. Meanwhile, both of them dote on Cueball, Twoson, and Fourside like their actual kids/grandkids. Cueball finds it annoying but secretly likes it, meanwhile Twoson and Fourside outright call them Granny and Granpy respectively.

Real names Marie-Madeleine Lucille Perrault, and Maximilien Théodore Perrault, respectively. Their backstory of how they went full-cyber is connected, so I’ll just go over it here: Tragically, in their 70s, Quatorze got cancer at some point, a kind that was unfortunately very hard to treat. She had the option to go full-cyber instead of continuing risky treatment just to potentially die due to being weakened by said treatment. And her husband Jūrō also went full-cyber to be able to stay with her!

Unfortunately, their kids were not happy with that. For some of them, there was confusion about how inheritance would work (eventually finding out that Quatorze and Jūrō would be considered legally dead anyways, so it was “fine”). For others, it’s moreso that they had already accepted that their mom will die, only for her to choose to keep living in the most “selfish” and “unnatural” way possible.

Suffice to say, Quatorze and Jūrō have not spoken to their kids since then, and they haven’t seen their grandkids since then either. They’re more torn up about not seeing their grandkids (they weren’t exactly happy with their kids fighting over inheritance and criticizing their parents’ decision on how to keep living). For the most part they’ve come to accept they’ll never see them again, but Jūrō is secretly holding onto hope they might see their grandkids again someday…

After the two of them went full-cyber, sometime later 8-ball reached out to them, having heard about what happened to them. He was basically like, "Hey you guys were big inspirations to us as writers! Wanna join our new full-cyber crew??" (at that point it was just him, Cinco, and Neun). They responded, "Well, we're not sure how to spend our retirement now, so sure! :)" So by the time of the game’s events, they’re in their 80s.

Quatorze specifically:

She’s basically the team mom! Very caring towards everyone in the crew, but also more than willing to put her foot down to get them to behave when needed.

Before going full-cyber, she was an actress. Her pretending to be a man when out and about as a writer is mainly to hide her identity. She was fairly famous at her peak, so even with her being “legally” dead, she doesn’t want people to find and bother her, especially not any overzealous fans. She does look back on her past work with fondness though, some of her favorite roles was getting to play as hammy, over-the-top villains in cartoons, animated movies, and live action movies.

Though as an actress, her pretending to be a man while in public as DOT EXE (including using the default voice the same as the others) is also just another role for her. She finds it a lot of fun!

She knits, as well as crocheting, weaving, and other crafts involving threads and such. She will knit you a sweater/scarf/hat if you ask politely!

For her civilian fashion, she likes wearing sweaters and long skirts. Sometimes she wears sundresses with a nice sunhat during the summer months, even if it’s not really necessary as a full-cyber person. She has fancier dresses she wears for date nights with Jūrō.

Her favorite kinds of video games are puzzle games and ‘slow’ platformers, mainly things along the lines of Klonoa, Kirby, Mario, and Banjo-Kazooie.

Jūrō specifically:

He’s basically the team dad! Very supportive of his crew mates. He leaves being the “stern parent” to Quatorze though, especially since Jūrō tends to be too soft on someone if they messed up or started issues with the rest of the crew. It was the same when they were full-flesh with their kids and grandkids, he’s mainly just afraid of seeming too “mean”.

Unfortunately he can’t do dad jokes, but at least Cinco has that covered, lol

He worked as an accountant, but didn’t like the work very much. He was able to be a stay-at-home dad once Quartorze’s acting career really took off!

He likes to garden, and he’s the one that works the most on the mall’s greenhouse.

For his civilian fashion, usually wears nice pants (like the kind for suits) + long button-down shirts. Also wears sweater vests that his wife makes for him! He has full suits and waistcoats for date nights with Quatorze.

His favorite kinds of video games are life sim games, such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley (“If only growing plants were this easy in real life!”). He also likes idle games, especially ones that don’t demand his attention too much.

2️⃣4️⃣

Twoson and Fourside in general:

Yes, their names are references to the Earthbound towns of the same name. They picked out their own billiard numbers to specifically make that reference, lol

Twoson is agender (they/he) and Fourside is nonbinary (also they/he). Note that they were like this long before going full-cyber, since some people may assume it happened because of the transition.

For their voices, they actually only use their real voices when they’re alone together in private, and no one else knows what they “really” sound like. When out as civilians or in private with their crewmates, they use different synthesized voices from the one used for DOT EXE. Their specific synthesized voices will be noted in their individual sections.

For their civilian screen faces, these two will actually change them to express certain emotions, usually with very anime-esque stuff (eye shines, exaggerated evil grins, etc). Other members will just keep their faces static and express themselves through their voice and hand/body movement.

They are both pranksters, they love to cause mischief and mayhem! Not even their own crewmates are safe.

They get along with Cueball in a sort of sibling way. Sometimes getting along great, other times being at each others’ throats (i.e. Cueball vs. Twoson and Fourside, the two of them are deep friends and have never really fought each other).

Jūrō has taught both of them Japanese. He insisted on it after hearing them talk (or rather, trying to talk) in Japanese once, they were really horrible at it before his lessons. They both also know a bit of Spanish from Cinco.

Between the two of them, they have a huge anime and manga collection! I will mention some of their individual favorite genres for that in their respective sections.

They make video games! Just as a hobby, so all the games they make are free. Said games are mostly in the form of super hard ROM Hacks, or weird/eccentric/trippy games (think along the lines of Yume Nikki, OFF, Hylics, Space Funeral, Goblet Grotto, LSD Dream Emulator, etc.). Neither of them can code very well, so they usually convince/force Cueball into helping them with their various projects. What they provide for said projects themselves is mostly the ideas (both of them), music (Twoson specifically), and art assets (Fourside specifically).

Suffice to say, the games they make are not ones that any of the other DOT EXE members normally play. Neun has played some of the ROM hacks they’ve made for RPGs though, mostly because of the ridiculous challenges they put in.

They both have similar tastes in music, usually stuff that is fairly “eccentric” compared to mainstream music. Basically along the lines of Caravan Palace, Will Wood, Lemon Demon, Jack Stauber, GHOST and Pals, Vane, and R.I.P.. Also enjoy a lot of Vocaloid and Synthysizer V songs, especially the more creepy and macabre stuff.

On that note, they’ve definitely hijacked the mall’s sound systems to play their favorite songs as pranks on people more than once.

They both really like horror games. With poorly made ones, they only play them to riff on them and make fun of their game design. They may or may not have a YouTube channel dedicated to this. They may or may not also do streams as vTubers on that note…

Honestly they like horror content in general. Movies, novels, games, anime, manga, comics, TV shows, art… they’d probably get along great with Daishō!

Real names are Beau Driessen and Robin Zaal respectively. Like with Quatorze and Jūrō, Twoson and Fourside’s backstories are connected. Twoson was severely injured in what was ruled an “accident”, to the point of only having two options: go full-cyber, or just stay bedridden for the rest of their life. Meanwhile, Fourside went full-cyber in order to bury their old identity, after having taken care of the people who caused the “accident”. Both of them going full-cyber happened in their late 20s, they're both about 35 now.

They were both writers before going full-cyber, and the “accident” was caused by some rivals they had to deal with. After the conversion, they heard about DOT EXE as a full-cyber crew, and decided to join up with them.

They are very protective of one another. Fourside in particular will get very vicious against anyone who tries to hurt Twoson, even if it’s another DOT EXE member.

They’re also the type to use insults to show affection to each other, “You nerd!”, “You’re such a dork!”, etc. Towards anyone else, it’s genuine insults.

Twoson specifically:

The voice they use when going around as a civilian is an androgynous synthesized voice that’s a bit on the higher side.

Twoson is the nicer of the two, for what it’s worth, but still tends to be obnoxious at times. They also like to be fakely sweet sometimes, especially when trying to get a favor out of someone else.

For fashion, Twoson likes wearing a jean vest covered in a ton of buttons. They also like to wear skirts over cargo capris, tie-dye shirts, chokers/collars, and headbands which have been modified to fit over their head.

They like to do craft stuff sometimes, like origami, needle felting, papercraft, and clay sculptures. They also make the buttons and tie-dye shirts that both themself and Fourside wear.

They make music! The best way to describe it is very weird and also sometimes creepy. Basically ranging from quirky digital/midi music, to dreamy but still unnerving drones and tones, to Silent Hill 1 industrial scary noises.

Besides horror video games, they really like dating sims and visual novels. They have a whole menagerie of what they call their fictional spouses.

Twoson likes the magical girl genre in particular for anime and manga. They actually really hate shows like Puella Magi Madoka Magica that try to subvert the genre or otherwise do an intentionally “edgy” take on it. A lot of magical girl series already have dark themes anyways!

Fourside specifically:

The voice they use when going around as a civilian is an androgynous synthesized voice that’s a bit on the lower side.

Fourside is the meaner of the two, for what it’s worth. They’re more quick to genuinely insult people and use a lot of sarcasm. However, they will be respectful when it counts, usually only for other DOT EXE members.

For fashion, Fourside also likes wearing a jean vest with tons of buttons and tie-dye shirts, like Twoson does. They also wear a skirt over skinny jeans, lots of bracelets, and beanies that Quatorze has made for them.

On that note, Quatorze made some of the thread/string bracelets that Fourside wears, and she showed them how to make bracelets on their own too. So the rest are the ones Fourside made! You can tell which ones were from when they first started out, and which ones are more recent and thus better quality. They’ve also made some of the collars/chokers that Twoson wears.

Fourside does digital art in the form of 3D models and complex MS Paint stuff. They mainly do this just to make weird stuff and put it out their for people to enjoy. A lot of it is very abstract and weird, with a sort of “old-school Internet” vibe a la ENA/Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou/Disillusion ST/Hylics/etc.

Besides horror video games, they really love beat ‘em ups and fighting games! Do not challenge them to some of the big ones (Street Fighter, Tekken, Smash Bros, etc.) unless you want to lose.

Fourside has no particular favorite genre for anime/manga, but tends to like series that end up categorized as shōnen. Also really enjoys superhero tokusatsu shows and movies (i.e. stuff like Super Sentai/Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, etc).

Cueball

He’s the lovable goofball basically. Lots of joking around and teasing people, especially his friends! That’s basically how he shows affection a lot of the time.

Though he’s also fiercely loyal to his friends and crew. Mostly because despite being friendly and outgoing, he doesn’t exactly have a lot of friends outside of DOT EXE. Eventually that changes once he joins BRC, but he still cares about and hangs out with his old crewmates.

He’s from the United States, and 8-ball helped him with moving to New Amsterdam.

He loves cats! Before he went full-cyber, he was very allergic to cats and wasn’t allowed to have any because of that. After going full-cyber, he eventually realized he didn’t have to worry about allergies anymore. And so he set out to adopt ALL the cats, lol. It got bad enough to be a hoarding situation, and the rest of DOT EXE at the time (8-ball, Cinco, and Neun, this being before any of the other and Cueball himself joining) had to step in for an intervention. They got the cats rehomed or put in adoption centers/cat shelters, and Cueball decided to just volunteer at those shelters to help out. A much better situation for everyone involved, especially the cats!

Cueball owns a ton of blankets and pillows, and likes to make his own pillow forts and stuff in his room for Extra Comfort. Also sometimes throws them in a clothes dryer to make them warm. With the thing about body sensors for full-cyber people I mentioned earlier, Cueball is of course the one that takes full advantage of the sensors whenever he can!

Quatorze has made whole blankets for Cueball. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he does appreciate those blankets, they’re very comfy.

His favorite kinds of video games are action, action-adventure, and search action (a.k.a “Metroidvania”).

Cueball hates his real voice for the most part, and he’s the only one who will keep using the default DOT EXE voice even when alone with the rest of the crew. They do know what he sounded like before he used that default voice (he only started using it all the time after he joined DOT EXE), but it’s been so long that most of them have forgotten it by now.

When it comes to fashion, Cueball’s “style” is more about comfort than anything else. Hoodies! Sweatpants! Sweaters! Oversized t-shirts! Comfy socks! Super comfy sneakers! Sometimes various winter hats if he can find any that will fit over his head lol. He has a ton of stuff that Quartoze has made for him, though he feels embarrassed to actually wear them outside of the hideout.

As mentioned previously, he doesn’t bother changing his screen face to a different one from his billiards face. Though he will change the red triangle in the middle to different emojis or reaction images/gifs for expressions. Or otherwise to mess with people.

So Cueball is the only one who doesn't bother with the voice changing nor face changing. The only thing different is his clothes. If a cop suspects he's the same Cueball from DOT EXE, he basically goes, "Oh? You think I look like a criminal just because I'm full-cyber too? Prejudice much?!" and that actually gets them to back down most of the time lol

He used to do programming and other computer related tasks (including messing with servers and hardware) as a job after going full-cyber and before eventually joining DOT EXE. He’s still good at those things too! But at least now he keeps up with those more as a hobby, which he honestly prefers. He thus tends to refuse to help with the IT stuff for the mall, he’s sick of doing that kind of thing for work.

He wanted in on the crew mostly because he was sick of feeling “left behind” by everyone else whenever they’d go out to do writer stuff. By the time he joined, Quatorze, Jūrō, Twoson, and Fourside had already become part of the crew.

He’s the only DOT EXE member with no prior experience as a writer (especially before going full-cyber), and so he’s had to put in a lot of practice with the rest of the crew. Due to his lack of skills, he was only really allowed to join because his older brother 8-ball let him join, and even then only after Cueball begged him about it a lot.

On that note, and as mentioned in 8-ball’s section, Cueball and 8-ball are specifically half-brothers. They cared about each other, and 8-ball very much tried to help out his little brother whenever he could. Back when the two of them were still full-flesh, they weren’t too close, but at least kept in touch via email and sometimes actual postcards despite the age difference between them. Mostly 8-ball wanted to be sure Cueball had another adult he could turn to if he was in trouble, because he knows how their dad is.

After moving to New Amsterdam, they did get a little closer as brothers. Cueball has a lot of admiration for his older brother because of his writer activities, though sometimes Cueball would be annoyed or even hate 8-ball for (in his eyes) “babying” him when 8-ball was just trying to keep him safe. Eventually, sometime after 8-ball died, Cueball mostly just regrets not really knowing 8-ball that well in the end.

Cueball starts trying to get into rhythm games after 8-ball’s death, and he even tries to join in on the rhythm game competitions with Cinco and Neun. He’s getting pretty good at it!

He does a lot of pranks with Twoson and Fourside. Also prank wars between the three of them! Neun makes a point to have plans outside of New Amsterdam for the weeks surrounding April Fools Day, while the rest of the crew just roll with it.

Besides Twoson and Fourside, Cueball gets along fairly well with Cinco, Jūrō, and Quatorze. For the last one, he has accidentally called her mom once, and he had her swear to never tell anyone else what happened.

He’s dating Bō! Cueball is really big on physical touch as a show of affection. He is thus incredibly cuddly and big on handholding and hugs! He also cuts back on the jokes and teasing just for Bō (for the most part).

He used to do a lot of cooking and baking before he went full-cyber. Once he started dating Bō, he actually go back into cooking to be able to cook stuff for his boyfriend! He still remembers all of the recipes he tried out, plus reads up on new ones to try. Unfortunately, due to of course having no sense of taste now, he has to either use recipes that don’t need tasting in between steps, stick with recipes that he already knows Bō likes, or otherwise make sure Bō is around for taste-testing.

Bō is the only one who knows what Cueball’s real voice sounds like, and even then Cueball only uses it when they’re alone together in private.

Real name Ernesto Alberto Visser. Cueball got Covid when he was about 15. The resulting long Covid was bad enough that, in his early 20s, he decided to just go full-cyber instead of continuing to suffer. His older brother 8-ball helped him out with that. At first it was just helping him move to New Amsterdam to get better medical treatment (and to get away from their dad and Cueball’s mom for that matter) once Cueball turned 18. Eventually that lead to helping Cueball with going full-cyber once the treatments proved ineffective. He did so sometime after 8-ball, Neun, and Cinco went full-cyber themselves. Cueball is about 43 during the time of the game.

Cueball originally had plans to become a chef or at least a baker, but when he got sick, part of the problems from his Covid infection was that his sense of taste got completely messed up. He was originally going to do programming as a hobby thing. But once he went full-cyber, he did programming as a full time job since he didn’t have anything else going for him, until eventually joining DOT EXE many years later.

Because of why he went full-cyber, he is distrustful of doctors (due to both the quack doctors his parents forced him to see to pretend that his Covid symptoms “weren’t that bad”, and the actual doctors later on who knew how serious his condition was but couldn’t do much for him anyways). He insists on accompanying his full-flesh friends to their doctor appointments to make sure they’re safe!!

#bomb rush cyberfunk #bomb rush cyberfunk headcanons #brc headcanons #brc dot exe #dot exe OCs #they might as well be OCs at this rate yeesh!!#kinda like what happened with Devil Theory :u #fan art

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luxraydyne · 1 month

Text

Reconstructing Renju, or Luxraydyne's Renju Receipts

so uh. there were a couple art pieces i wanted to make about 50 years ago that i decided necessitated sifting every line of text in ai the somnium files (2019) to compile every Renju Crumb i could find. anyway i don't have any art. but what i do have is a nifty huge document with every renju mention in the game, including some silly annotations, which i can offer to artists writers and renju enjoyers for their perusal

turns out there's no neat way to organise this stuff to be more searchable since chronological order doesn't really work, so i have tried to create a sort of iceberg-ish format with the most surface-level info at the top and the esoteric interpretative junk at the bottom; in the reblogs i'm gonna add another version i like that's more fun to use but less comprehensive

(disclaimer: no aini in here, sorry, for one million dollars i will deal with the ramifications of my personal sleep paralysis demon, i simply could not be dealing with the migraine)

Sections for Navigation

Level One: File (literally just the stuff in the menu) Level Two: The Carousel Horse's Mouth (flashbacks) Level Three: Hearsay Evidence (direct-ish quotations) Level Four: Known Relationships (with subheadings) Level Five: Bittersweet Reminiscence (subjective memories) Level Six: Finding-Character-Through-What-Is-Out-of-Character Level Seven A: Renju's Experience of Dying (the mind) Level Seven B: Renju's Death Observed (the body) Level Eight: Renju As Ghost/Encryption/Abstraction Level Nine: Scraps, Symbols, YMMV

Level One: File

Age: 37 Birthday: April 13 Profession: Entertainment Company and Maid Cafe Manager Likes: Unusual things Dislikes: Ordinary things Hobbies: Work Skills: Enjoys songwriting Overview: Renju manages the entertainment office Lemniscate and [maid] cafe Sunfish Pocket. He is the ex-husband of Shoko Nadami and Mizuki’s father. He has been Date’s close friend for five years.

Level Two: The Carousel Horse’s Mouth

Renju: “It was my misunderstanding.” Date: “What do you mean?” Renju: “I thought that mothers love their children unconditionally. But some mothers just can’t do that. Well, no, maybe she does love her. But she has a hard time of it. Shoko was never hugged by her mother. Not because her mother wasn’t around. She was raised to never develop a sensitivity to affection. No hugs, no piggyback rides, nothing. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t know how to love Mizuki. When an animal raised in captivity gives birth, sometimes it just doesn’t know how to raise its young. It’s just like that.” Date: “I do feel bad about Shoko… But that doesn’t mean she’s blameless in all this. Someone has to put a stop to it.” Renju: “If I could have, I would have done it a long time ago.” Date: “What about counselling?”Renju: “I did recommend that. She told me, ‘I’m not sick, why should I go see a doctor? Mizuki is the problem, Mizuki is the sick one…’” Date: “Maybe it’s best if Mizuki and Shoko are separated.” Renju: “No, Mizuki would never leave Shoko. She wouldn’t hear of it. Mizuki and Shoko are practically attached at the hip.” Date: “Even with all the hitting?” Renju: “Yes. Even if she’s abused on a daily basis, even if she’s treated like garbage… Maybe… Mizuki is hungry for love. She craves praise and attention and physical affection. She wants it from her mother. That’s why she’s so attached.” Date: “Couldn’t you step in and take over the parenting?” Renju: “I have a company now.” Date: “Lemniscate.” Renju: “And we’re at a crucial stage of development. I can’t take even a single second out of my day to deal with a kid.” Date: “Hey, that’s your daughter you’re talking about. Maybe because you two can’t cooperate on raising a child, Shoko is having trouble coping.” Renju: “That might be it. Maybe this is partially my fault.” Date: … Mama: … Date: “Okay, I’m sorry, but I’m just gonna say it. You two are both awful parents.” - Tuesday (seisAI), Marble (flashback)

Renju: “Hey, Date. Have you ever seen a dead body?” Date: I remember Renju saying that to me, after he and I went through a bottle. Renju: “You’re a policeman. I don’t know what department, but I assume you aren’t handing out traffic tickets. So how about it?” Date: I didn’t answer. I turned the question around on him. Date: “What about you?” Renju: “Me? Well, yeah. Not just one. Countless bodies.” Date: … Renju: “When I was in high school, I had a pretty crazy job. You know the Kumakura gang? I was hooked up to one of their phone fraud scams. I just had to go collect the money from drop points and give it to the Kumakuras. It was an easy job. Eventually, I became friends with the higher-ups. They started taking me with them on jobs.” Date: “What jobs?” Renju: “The target was always an elderly person from the country with no family. Elderly folk who owned a lot of land, you know? They live every day in loneliness and desperation. You just have to be nice to them. That’s all it takes. Guys would get to know the old people, and they would set up and adoption process. After that… You just have to get them really drunk, throw them in the tub full of hot water… And they pass. Just like that. Heart attack, brain hemorrhage, or they simply go to sleep and drown. The police almost never investigate it. It always looked natural, like they died of old age. So the adopted gang members would inherit the land. Then we sell it and make massive profits.” Date: … Renju: “I watched a lot of people get killed like that. And I’ve seen journalists get killed for getting too close to the truth. So, I… I…” Date: … Renju: “Why am I telling you all this?” Date: … Renju: “Hm. Are you going to arrest me?” Date: I took a sip from my glass. I didn’t say anything for a while. Date: “You didn’t do it yourself, right?” Renju: “No, I was always the lookout. But still… Date, I…” Date: Tears fell to the counter, unending. We didn’t say another word until the ice in the glass had melted to nothing. - Monday (syuurAI), Marble (flashback)

Date cuts bluntly through Renju’s false brazenness and euphemism to the heart of this long rambling confession, that Renju was groomed by the Kumakura gang when he was in high school and now, being complicit in gruesome, cruel criminal activity, now has no way to expunge the trauma of what he remembers from himself, much like the trauma of digging up Manaka’s body, another double-meaning sitting beneath in all this

Renju: “Wait, you’re going to see So?” Manaka: “Yes. I want to talk to him in person.” Renju: “No, you can’t!” Manaka: “Why not?” Renju: … Hitomi: … Manaka: “Are you worried about my body? You don’t have to worry about that. I’m totally fine.” Hitomi: “But your stomach is still…” Manaka: “Oh, my doctor told me that’s normal. Your stomach doesn’t go down right away after giving birth.” Renju: “I’m not worried about your body! Ah, I don’t know how to explain it… So doesn’t care about you! And especially not your child!” Manaka: “I haven’t told him about giving birth… He contacted me for the first time in a while…” Renju: “So that’s why…” Hitomi: “He wants to know about the baby…” Renju: “He must be panicking. If anyone ever finds out his mistress had his baby, his political career would be over.” Manaka: “It’s not like it was an affair…” Hitomi: “His wife passed away after giving birth to his son, right?” Renju: “It would still be a big scandal. He impregnated a girl who just graduated high school. Don’t you see how that looks? He knew how the public would take it… That’s why he gave you the money to…deal with it.” Hitomi: … Manaka: … Renju: “There’s no way he’ll accept that child.” Manaka: “It’s okay. I told him I won’t cause any trouble.” Hitomi: … Renju: … Manaka: “But, could you take care of the baby? Just for a little bit? I’ll be right back.” Renju: … Hitomi: … Renju: “Fine. But take this with you, just in case. It’s a GPS transmitter. Just to be extra safe.” Manaka: … Hitomi: … Manaka: “I really don’t think I’ll need it… But okay. If it’ll make you feel better.” - (18 years ago) Sagan Residence

Renju may well have been an overly pessimistic, hypervigilant, somewhat neurotic personality already, in fact it's likely he was already traumatised given the Kumakuras had their teeth in him well and good in his teenage years, but I have an inkling Manaka's last words to him and Hitomi were a trauma that has remained raw with ever since and affected all the close relationships he had thereafter, especially with his own child

Renju: “Those are Kumakura men…” Hitomi (present): “We didn’t dare move. We couldn’t speak. We were barely breathing. We could only watch as it all unfolded. I knew what that hole was for. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I remember my heart beating so fast… Before long…” Initiate: “We good here?” Street Boss: “Yeah. Cover her.” Rohan: “Just a minute. Beautiful…” Hitomi: *gasp* Hitomi (present): “The Kumakura people covered Manka’s body, then left. Renju and I ran over…and dug up the grave with a tree branch… What we saw…” Hitomi: *sob* Hitomi: “Manaka… Manaka…” Hitomi: *sob* Hitomi: “We need to… We need to call the police…” Renju: “No, we can’t. Not yet.” Hitomi: “Why not?” Renju: “You don’t know who those guys are. They would do anything to keep this hidden. I’ve seen it happen myself. I know what they’re capable of. Anyway, think about it. Why would they do this? They thought Manaka and her baby were going to be trouble. Manaka’s stomach was still pretty big… I don’t think they know that she gave birth already. What do you think they’d do if they found out? They would take her and kill her too. And then…they’d come for us. They’d make it look like we disappeared. All of us would be…gone.” Hitomi (present): “Renju convinced me. He knew more about the dirty underbelly of society than anyone. He knew when something couldn’t be handled by the police. He said that they would do anything to kill the child. And I believed him. We had to protect Manaka’s baby… We had to, no matter what!” Hitomi: “Okay, I understand…” Hitomi (present): “I decided to trust him. We couldn’t leave Manaka’s body in the forest… We cleaned her up…and took her to the cold storage warehouse.” - (18 years ago) Mountains

Renju: “This warehouse is owned by Okiura Fishery. My father runs it. But it’s not in use right now. They’re moving operations to a better area. They’re actually looking for buyers right now.” Hitomi: … Renju: “But don’t worry. I’ll take over the warehouse.” Hitomi: “Are you sure?” Renju: “Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll keep everyone out. Everyone but you, of course.” Hitomi: … Renju: “I’ll give you a key. You can come visit any time you want to see Manaka.” Hitomi: “Manaka… Don’t worry about the baby. I’ll protect her. No matter what. And don’t worry about them, either. The people who did this to you… I will never forgive them. I’m sorry, Manaka… Sorry… I’m sorry… Manaka…” - (18 years ago) Cold Storage Warehouse

Renju helping the people he loves in the best way he seems to understand – keeping people the fuck away and doing More Work All The Time

Hitomi: “Did you get the birth certificate?” Renju: “The mob doctor took care of everything. I have the birth certificate, and I even picked up a mother and baby book. It wasn’t cheap…but you don’t have to worry about it. Just submit the birth certificate and everything will be taken care of.” Hitomi: … Renju: “You look worried.” Hitomi: “I feel like…I’m somehow betraying Manaka. She was the one who gave birth…” Renju: “Soon, you won’t even be able to think about that. Because a war is about to begin.” Hitomi: “A war?” Renju: “Between you and the baby. You won’t get a good night’s sleep for a long time. You might even start to resent Manaka for all this.” Hitomi: “Really…?” Renju: “Anyway, as soon as you submit the certificate, you will officially be her mother. Be sure to raise her responsibly. I’ll help. Occasionally.” Hitomi: “Occasionally, huh?” - (18 years ago) Sagan Residence

These two taking a different approach to their role in this game of House

Hitomi: “What should we name her? I was thinking about her name. How about ‘Iris’?” Renju: “Iris?” Hitomi: “The goddess of rainbows in Greek mythology. And the colored part of your eye.” Renju: “And the flower, too.” Hitomi: “Right.” Renju: “I thought it might have something to do with your name, Hitomi.” Hitomi: “Hm, not only that. It’s also from Manaka’s name. The kanji for Manaka uses the character for ‘love.’ And ‘Manaka’ reminds me of ‘manako,’ Japanese for ‘eye.’” Renju: “So both names have something to do with the eye.” Hitomi: “And ‘ai,’ which means love, will always be a part of ‘Iris.’” Renju: “So that’s how you came up with the name?” Hitomi: “Don’t you think it’s nice?” Renju: “Iris. Iris. Yeah. I really like it.” - (18 years ago) Sagan Residence

"We", already falling quite neatly into the role of mother and father in the absence of both; Renju and Hitomi grow into almost idealised doubles of So Sejima and Manaka in Iris's life

Hitomi: “About Manaka’s killer…” Renju: “I don’t really want to discuss this, but… There’s something you need to know.” Hitomi: … Renju: “After talking to the Kumakura gang… I found out who killed Manaka.” Hitomi: … Renju: “So’s son. Saito Sejima.” Hitomi: “How…? Saito is only…” Renju: “12 years old.” Hitomi: “Why? Why would a little boy do that?” Renju: “I don’t know the motive, but I know it’s true. So used his connections with the Kumakuras to cover up for his son. And all of the evidence of this scandal, of course.” Hitomi: “I’ll never forgive them. So, his son, or the Kumakuras!” Renju: “I feel the same way. But you can’t think about revenge now. You and the baby can’t lead a life like that.” Hitomi: “Ah…” Renju: “Just bear with it for now. The opportunity will come. So wait until the right moment. Okay?” - (18 years ago) Sagan Residence

Getting to hear Renju speak in his own (sober) voice is fascinating; he can be inappropriately terse, blunt, sometimes stilted and morbid, but compared to what we could infer about him from conversations in the present day with Mizuki and Iris, he is actually surprisingly compassionate and selfless as well as intelligent; we finally see for ourselves why Hitomi described him as kind above all else, when that seemed contradictory to what we knew. Renju seems to have a strange sort of charisma, brusque in a way that might come across as emotionally insensitive, but able to explain his reasoning in such a way that he is very persuasive; we have seen firsthand how his tendency suppress emotional feelings has done unintended harm to others, but in these flashbacks, at a mere 19 years of age Renju's ability to set any immediate feelings aside and assess a situation more practically and “objectively” may have saved his, Hitomi’s, and baby Iris’s lives several times over; in the absence of both her parents, Renju and Hitomi immediately form a ragtag partnership and their dual personalities work fortuitously, she needed them both in her life at that very moment. I add “set aside” in part because of the last flashback where Hitomi has an angry outburst and Renju senses her desire for revenge, and tells her gently to put that to one side “for now” so as to focus on caring for the baby; but as a caveat, he promises that their revenge can come later, he’s just waiting for a suitable opportunity.

Level Three: Hearsay Evidence

Date: “You’ve always got something smart to say, huh? You’re just like Renju.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Driving with Mizuki

Aiba: “In fact, the conversation about you taking care of Mizuki took place here, at Marble.” Date: “Really?” Aiba: “The topic was brought up several times afterward, but the first time was here. Four years ago, after drinking enough ‘liquid courage,’ Renju asked you to take care of Mizuki. At the time, Renju was recently divorced, buried in work at Lemniscate, and mentally unstable.” Date: … Aiba: “It was a display of excellent judgment. It was a good thing that he managed to swallow his pride.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Aiba here practically doing my job for me.

Moma: “I’ve never even gotten into an argument with the guy.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Kumakura Offices

Date: “What kind of person was your grandpa?” Mizuki: “I never met him. He died before I was born. But Daddy did tell me stories.” Date: “What kind of stories?” Mizuki: “Back when Grandpa was in Great Grandma’s tummy… She was on a passenger ship that got shipwrecked in a storm. She had to have the baby out on the ocean.” Date: “On the ocean?” Mizuki: “Yup. And then, Grandpa was raised by dolphins.” Date: “Hm?” Mizuki: “By the time he was 10, he was catching fish with his bare hands.” Date: … Mizuki: “And then Grandpa got up on land and learned language and culture and stuff. And then he decided to start up Okiura Fishery.” Date: … Aiba: … Date: “Sounds like a tall tale.” Mizuki: “Yeah, Grandpa was a legend. All the fishermen and sailors respected him.” Date: That can’t be true. But there’s a part of me that’s thinking…maybe. After all, Mizuki herself seems superhuman. I’d believe her grandpa was an incredible man. - Monday (youdAI), Date Residence

What a lovely thing to create for a young child. In one conversation with Mizuki we can suddenly understand what it was about Renju that was so loved, despite everything else.

Date: “Do you have any memories of Renju here?” Mizuki: “Sometimes we would talk when I came over to hang out.” Date: “What kind of things did you talk about?” Mizuki: “Nothing special, the usual.” Date: “‘The usual’?” Mizuki: “‘Are you doing well? Have you been eating right?’…” Date: “Ah, so that’s the usual.” - Tuesday (seisAI), Lemniscate

Mizuki: “But there’s more to it than that. There are other reasons. Daddy was totally taken in by her talent.” Date: “Her talent?” Mizuki: “Dancing, really. Her dancing is what got her into Lemniscate. He knew ever since she was young that she would be talented. He didn’t want any other agencies to have her.” Iris: “I didn’t know that…” Mizuki: “Daddy’s not the type to give compliments…” Iris: “Haha, this is kind of embarrassing… I didn’t know he thought of me that way.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “About the shooting on Monday…” Saito: “Just mercenaries I hired. After I woke up Monday, I arranged the hit. They were expensive, but I had access to Renju’s bank account. I paid them with his money.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Level Four: Known Relationships

Shoko Nadami

Aiba: “Nadami, Shoko. 36 years old. Female. Residence: Meguro District. Met Date, Kaname five years ago through her husband, Okiura, Renju. Date and Renju were so-called “old drinking buddies.” Renju and Shoko had one child together. A daughter named Mizuki, the prime suspect of this case. Four years ago, they were divorced. Shoko returned to using her maiden name, Nadami.” - Saturday (saikAI), Boss’s Office

Renju and Shoko divorced when Mizuki was about 8. We know that Renju and Shoko married young, though no mention of her in flashbacks to 19-year-old Renju, meaning they were most likely in their early twenties when they were married and divorced after approximately a decade.

Date: Mizuki Okiura… The girl we found in the merry-go-round. She’s 12 years old, in the 6th grade. - Saturday (saikAI), Boss’s Office

They had Mizuki when Renju was 25 and Shoko was 22.

Date: “Do you know Renju’s ex-wife?” Hitomi: “Yes, I do… But I only met her twice. Once at Renju’s wedding, and then again just a few months ago. Why do you ask?” Date:“No reason.” - Saturday (saikAI), Sagan Residence

Date: “Why did you kill Shoko?” Mayumi: “Renju’s ex-wife, right? I did it…to get to him.” Date: “But the two divorced four years ago.” Mayumi: “Th-That doesn’t matter! The bonds of matrimony are eternal!” Date: “In your opinion. I don’t think Renju felt the same way.” - Tuesday (zugAI), Interrogation Room with Mayumi

Saito: “Like you guessed, my personality was in Shoko, Renju’s ex-wife. That made calling Renju easy. ‘I need to talk to you about something.’ He came over without question. I think it was around 4:00pm? I had him meet me at the chemical plant. I made Renju go to sleep… Psynced, switched personalities… And then stabbed Shoko’s discarded body with an ice pick.” - Tuesday (jinnAI), Interrogation Room with “Boss”

Kaname Date

Date: “Have you picked up Renju yet?” Boss: “He’s at a police station nearby, being interviewed. He’s not a suspect yet, just standard procedure stuff.” Date: Renju is Shoko’s ex-husband and Mizuki’s father. Not to mention, an old friend of mine… Date: “I wonder what Renju was doing last night… I did call him a few times. He didn’t answer.” Boss: “He didn’t?” Date: “No…” - Saturday (saikAI), Boss’s Office

Date: “Look, I don’t want to believe it either. I’ve known him for more than five years now. He’s like family to me.” Date: I’d never want to put cuffs on him. I would never want Mizuki to see that… - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Boss: “You look awful. Have you been sleeping any?” Date: “My best friend was murdered, Boss. I don’t have it in me to sleep right now.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Boss’s Office

Mama: “You used to come all the time. You and Ren, grumbling over your glasses of bourbon. Laughing, drowning each other’s sorrows… Sometimes getting into arguments… One time, it even became a real fight. You remember that?” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Marble

Date: Why did Renju come here Friday night? Was it to place Shoko’s body here…? Or did he have another reason? Renju is my friend. I want to believe him, but I don’t [know] how long I can keep defending him. Where is he? What is he doing? I’ve thought it over a thousand times. My head is heavy with it. - Tuesday (dakkAI), Bloom Park

Date: Hit him. Aiba: “This is for neglecting your responsibility to Mizuki, you coward! No use. I can’t hit him.” Date: “This Renju is still a teenager. He wouldn’t know Mizuki yet…” - PSYNCIN’ IN THE MOUNTaiN

It seems part of Renju, like Hitomi, stayed that scared teenager until the day he died, stuck in that one night quite literally frozen in time

Mama/Marble

Mama: “That’s right. And I won’t charge you this time. Just promise to get the bastards who did this to Ren for me.” Date: Right. This is for Renju. Date: “I promise.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Aiba: “This is a painting of Saint Sebastian. Saint Sebastian was a faithful Christian who lived under Roman emperor Diocletian. On January 20th, 288 A.D., he was martyred. This painting depicts his execution.”

Slaps St Sebastian's head. "This intertextuality can fit so much mileage in it."

Mama: “Something wrong, Date? You’re staring awful hard.” Date: “Nothing, just caught my eye.” Mama: “Why now, of all times? That’s been hanging there for a while.” Date: “Really?” Mama: “Yeah, it was a gift from Ren a while back. I’ve always had it there.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

So one assumes Date hadn't noticed or enquired about the picture until just now, even though it's been "hanging there" in the back for some considerable time. See what I mean about that mileage, baby?

This dialogue occurs on Sunday on both sides of the flowchart; on the right side, the exchange occurs with Mizuki present.

Iris Sagan

Iris: “Well, at first, all I did was stream from home. And then, not to sound cocky, but…I started getting pretty big. I started getting offers from agencies.” Date: “And one of them was Lemniscate?” Iris: “Well, not exactly.” Date: “Huh?” Iris: “My mom’s actually an old friend of the president of the agency.” Date: “A friend of Renju’s?” Iris: “Yeah. So, I asked him for advice one day. You know, you have to be careful. Even a place that looks legitimate, with an office and everything, can be sketchy. And my mom and I didn’t know anything about the industry at all… Anyway, one day, Mr. Okiura said to come see him at his office, and he hooked me up.” - Saturday (saikAI), Driving with Iris

Iris: “Marble. It’s a bar in Golden Yokocho.” Date: “You know about that place?” Iris: “Yeah, Mr. Okiura took me before…” - Sunday (gumAI), Driving with Iris

Iris: “Mr. Okiura helped me when I was just starting out. You know how my mom is single? He really supported her. He even changed my diaper when I was a little baby. I got hired by Lemniscate all because of him.” Mizuki: “Iris used to stream all her own content. Like singing and dancing and gaming and stuff. But before we knew it, she went viral.” Date: “Right, I heard about that. That’s how she started getting offers, right? But because Iris’s mom knows Renju, she decided to go with Lemniscate.” Mizuki: “But there’s more to it than that. There are other reasons. Daddy was totally taken in by her talent.” Date: “Her talent?” Mizuki: “Dancing, really. Her dancing is what got her into Lemniscate. He knew ever since she was young that she would be talented. He didn’t want any other agencies to have her.” Iris: “I didn’t know that…” Mizuki: “Daddy’s not the type to give compliments…” Iris: “Haha, this is kind of embarrassing… I didn’t know he thought of me that way.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Iris: “About three months ago, Mr. Okiura told me something… He said that I can’t dance.” Date: “Why?” Iris: “I dunno… He said something about being ‘over-reliant on dancing and neglecting my singing.’ ‘You should stop dancing for now and practice singing.’” Date: “But during your livestream…” Aiba: “She was dancing.” Iris: “Because I was…sad. After I stopped dancing, I lost so many fans… They said terrible things to me. Like that I’m worthless if I can’t dance.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Bloom Park

Doesn’t sound entirely out of character for Renju, counter-intuitive self-preservation instincts that cause him to neglect the feelings behind the actions of others; however, in this case we can be fairly sure there is some other motive behind this, we have it from Mizuki that Renju greatly admired Iris’s talent for dance and encouraged herself to build a fanbase/market around that. Hitomi recounted a couple of occasions where Iris accidentally hurt herself in her enthusiasm for dancing; one possibility is that Iris’ neurological condition, worsening over the past few months with her tumour and increasingly unpredictably hampering her motor function, and Renju became sufficiently uneasy about the possibility of Iris injuring herself again while dancing that he told her directly to stop (Iris says Renju told her that "I can’t dance", not that she "shouldn’t" and we know for sure that Iris has the ability to dance, suggesting something greater prohibiting her from doing so—rather how someone with a broken leg would say, "I can’t walk"), which is causing Iris emotional distress instead (and failing to really protect her from the physical risks, given she is continuing to dance on stream anyway to self soothe and placate her fanbase); this fits into a pattern of behaviour of taking drastic measures to protect those close to him from perceived danger and causing more emotional hurt in so doing

Iris: “Guess I’ll tell you now. Sunday, at 2:00am, I was visited by…” Date: … Aiba: … Iris: “Renju Okiura.” Date: “What?!” Iris: “He seemed really sick… Probably because of his injury. At the time, I had no idea what had happened to him. He was sweating buckets, and he came up to me with this begging look in his eyes… He said, ‘Come with me.’ He seemed really desperate. I couldn’t say no. So I got into his rental car… We went somewhere, I dunno where. Some deserted building. Mr. Okiura got out of the car, then grabbed my hand. He tried to pull me inside. I got scared… I pulled my hand away and ran.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Ikume Shrine

Good lord that’s twice someone just "couldn’t say no" the pretty please energy on this man must be insane Saito got mad lucky (that line is clearly subtext code for "adores and trusts Renju to the point of doing irrational things to try and help him even when he’s acting weird and OOC", though Iris’s self-preservation instinct ultimately prevails and changes her mind where Pewter never does)

Date: “Why didn’t you tell me this?” Iris: “Mr. Okiura has done so much for me. He took care of me as a kid. He helped me at Lemniscate… I wanted to trust him. No matter what happens, I can’t think of him as a bad person. I mean, he never did anything bad to me… He came to my house at two in the morning and tried to take me to an abandoned building, but… You never know. Maybe he wanted to show me some flowers, or…something that he found. Or it was like, a prank he was filming for the internet or something… That’s what I thought at the time. That’s…what I kept telling myself. But after hearing everything you’ve told me, I can’t see Mr. Okiura the same way. Maybe he’s a part of Naix. Maybe he’s trying to…” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Ikume Shrine

Saito: “I was still in Renju’s body. My next target was Iris. If I asked her to come to the abandoned factory, I knew she would be skeptical. So I called her to Sunfish Pocket. I even video called her. But for some reason, she said no. This was around 5:00pm. I was still Renju, the president of Lemniscate. I didn’t think I would have any trouble getting her to trust me, but…” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Hitomi Sagan

Hitomi: “Renju was my classmate at Eitoku High. We’ve known each other for 20 years now.” - Saturday (saikAI), Sagan Residence

Mizuki: “I saw So on my way home from the police station. Aiba: “Where?” Mizuki: “I was getting dropped off at home.” Date: “Was he alone?” Mizuki: “No, someone was walking next to him. My homeroom teacher…” Aiba: “Homeroom teacher?” Mizuki: “She’s also my mom’s best friend. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later…” - Wednesday (sanpAI), Ikume Shrine

Either Shoko considers Hitomi to be her "best friend", having only met her twice, which is horribly depressing, or this is a translation bug and Mizuki should’ve said "dad’s best friend"

Hitomi: “I may have told you this already. I met Renju’s wife Shoko twice before. The first time at the wedding… The second time a month ago… That second time…was in the waiting room of the prison.” - Monday (jukkAI), Sagan Residence

Date: “You said you and Renju knew each other from high school, right?” Hitomi: “Yes, at Eitoku High.” Date: “And you work at the public school here?” Hitomi: “That’s right. A district elementary school.” Date: “Is that a coincidence? You becoming the teacher of your friend’s kid?” Hitomi: “Well, I hadn’t always planned on being a teacher, but… It wasn’t a coincidence that Mizuki ended up in my class. Renju seemed really intent on sending Mizuki to a school where I was teaching. They even moved to get into my school district. That was about five years ago, in spring.” Date: “Before the divorce?” Hitomi: “Yes… But I heard that Shoko didn’t have a problem with the move.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Date Residence

Date: “How is Mizuki at school?” Hitomi: “She’s a little quiet, but she’s a very clever girl. And more than anything, she is kind.” Date: “Kind?” Hitomi: “When I’m carrying heavy bags, she’ll come and help me without asking. When I’m troubled, she’ll sometimes pick flowers to give to me. Not that she has a perfect disciplinary record…but she’s a good girl.” Date: “What’s on her record?” Hitomi: “There are a few incidents. Once, she let out all the frogs that were going to be used for science class. Another time, she punched a bully so hard that he chipped a tooth.” Date: “Sounds like more than just ‘incidents’…” Hitomi: “But I like that about her… She’s a little clumsy… And just like Renju.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Date Residence

Hitomi: “Then, I heard footsteps. And then a bunch of men yelling. They were looking for him. When the voices and footsteps faded, he let me go. ‘Don’t call an ambulance, and don’t call the cops.’ I knew he had to be a criminal. So I took him to an underground clinic I knew.” Date: “You took him to a mob doctor?” Hitomi: “Renju’s friend. I only met him once.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sagan Residence

This meeting would've been when Renju and Hitomi left newborn Iris in his care before leaving to search for Manka's GPS signal

Date: “Where is Renju?” Hitomi: “Did something happen to him…? Did something happen to him…?” Date: There’s no point hiding it. I told her about Renju’s disappearance. Hitomi: “Right from the hospital…? I’m sorry… I have no idea.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sagan Residence

Date: “What about your parents?” Hitomi: “They died when I was 17. I was an orphan, and my relatives lived far away. Then might have taken me in, but I was already in my second-to-last year of high school. It wasn’t a good idea for me to move that late. So I decided to stay here, by myself.” Date: “And take care of Iris.” Hitomi: “Yes, all alone. But Renju would help sometimes.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sagan Residence

Date: “Her name is Manaka Iwai. She was killed when she was 19. She went to the same high school as you, and she was your best friend. Isn’t that right?” Hitomi: … Date: “Nothing to say for yourself? Hiding something?” Hitomi: … Date: “Maybe you killed her with Renju.” Hitomi: “That’s ridiculous!” Date: “Oh, now you’re talking. But we know Renju committed a crime. Illegally disposing of a body. And we can prove it.”- Tuesday (kenzAI), Interrogation Room with Hitomi

Aiba: “A flower bud. I cannot identify what variety.” Date: Worship it. Aiba: “‘Worship’ it?” Date: “Yeah.” Aiba: “I will pray to it as thought I am mourning the dead.” - PSYNCIN’ IN THE MOUNTaiN

Hitomi and Renju’s “God” is grief

Aiba: “This is… A picture of Hitomi, Renju, and Manaka.” Date: “Everyone is so young… Hold on to that.” - PSYNCIN’ IN THE MOUNTaiN

Mizuki Okiura

Date: “Renju is Mizuki’s legal guardian. Did you get permission from him?” Boss: “I couldn’t get in touch with him.” - Saturday (saikAI), Psync Room with Mizuki

May not be possible to say for sure, since Shoko is dead and everyone is obviously talking about her in the past tense and like she no longer exists, even if she was also a legal guardian of Mizuki, but from context clues it does seem likely that Mizuki was left in Renju’s sole care as part of divorce proceedings

Aiba: “When she is in a mood, it’s impossible to get her to talk. That’s the kind of girl she is.” Date: “Heh, sometimes I think you know her better than I do.” Aiba: “How long do you think I’ve been observing her?” Date: “It’s been four years now…” - Saturday (meikAI), Psync Room with Mizuki

Renju surrendered Mizuki into Date’s care four years ago, around the time of the divorce, when Mizuki was eight and seemingly very soon after Renju was seemingly given sole legal custody of her

Date: “Mizuki. Renju sent you that NILE message, didn’t he?” Mizuki: “What…?” Date: “I got this buddy of mine. Real bad personality, but real good with technology. I got some help from them.” Aiba: “‘Bad personality’?” Date: “There was a message sent at 8:05 last night. Does this sound familiar? ‘Mizuki, Daddy got caught up in something serious. Please come to Bloom Park’s merry-go-round right away. Daddy needs your help. Please, do as I say.’” Mizuki: “Yeah, that was it… It was from Daddy’s phone… But I didn’t want to say anything, because that would make Daddy a suspect, so…” Date: “So you kept quiet.” Mizuki: “Yeah… My dad’s never said anything like that to me, ever. That he was counting on me. I had to go.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

This dialogue occurs on both sides of the flowchart; on the right side, the exchange happens on Sunday at the Date Residence, with Hitomi present.

Mizuki: “I’m Renju’s daughter. Maybe I’ll notice something you don’t. Something only his daughter would know.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Driving with Mizuki

Turns out, asked the question, Mizuki can’t come up with anything. She does have something to add about Shoko though.

These "usual" exchanges are something Mizuki says she craves in a father-figure, yet something about this with Renju doesn't sit right for her.

Mizuki: “That’s why maybe me and Mom and Daddy weren’t able to be a family. Our whole lives, we never could be ordinary. Even if I tried my hardest to be normal, it would just be awkward… Eventually, I got tired of trying.” Date: … Mizuki: “I killed them.” Date: “What?” Mizuki: “I…killed…Mom and Daddy.” - Tuesday (seisAI), Bloom Park

Date: “You’re her teacher?” Hitomi: “Yes, elementary school.” Date: “I didn’t know you taught at Mizuki’s school.” Hitomi: “I didn’t know Mizuki was living with you. I knew about her…circumstances with Renju, but… He described you as a relative. But I suppose not. Mizuki explained the situation to me.” Date: Mizuki lives here with me. But I’m not her legal guardian. That’s why I’ve never been to school with her or anything like that. That was all left to Renju. He might not be any good at raising her, but he is her father. He takes care of all the official stuff. That was one of the conditions for me taking in Mizuki. - Sunday (gyoukAI), Date Residence

Date: “Where is Renju?” Mizuki: “I don’t know where he is…” Date: “Can you think of anywhere he might go?” Mizuki: “No, not really… I don’t know where Daddy goes…” Date: “Did he visit you when you were in the hospital?” Mizuki: “No… But I didn’t expect him to. He’s always busy. He doesn’t care about me…” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Date Residence

Mermaid: “Mizuki comes here a lot. She’s really friendly with everyone.” Mizuki: “I like it here. Everyone treats me nice.” Date: “Is it because you’re the daughter of the owner?” Mizuki: “No, it’s not like that.” Mermaid: “We’re BFFs!” Aiba: “She wields extraordinary power with that trident.” Date: “The Okiura family is really something else.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

The mermaids seem to have given Mizuki an orichalcum trident, the highest "rank" of customer, for free

Date: “Do you know where your father is?” Mizuki: “If you’re asking me… He’s involved in all this, isn’t he?” Date: … Mizuki: “Is he the culprit?” Date: … Mizuki: “Did he really kill Mom?” Date: … Mizuki: “Well… I guess it’s understandable that he’d be a suspect. After Mom got killed, he didn’t even call. And he called me out to Bloom Park for some reason… I thought it was suspicious. But… But… I pretended not to notice. I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I wanted to believe in Daddy…” Date: … - Tuesday (dakkAI), Matsushita Diner

Very noticeable how much more readily pretty much everyone is able to "give up" (not quite an accurate term, Mizuki thinks her father murdered her mother based on pretty much the same little evidence available as Date who’s been otherwise occupied) on Renju in the route where he is assumed to still be alive for the duration, with less evidence than stacks up rapidly on left side of the flowchart when Mizuki and Date and even Boss are still giving him the benefit of the doubt until Saito literally spells out the truth (contrast Mizuki implying here that part of her always knew her father was the most likely candidate for Shoko’s killer, to her repeated assertions on the left side that he must be somehow innocent, which get "confirmed" when he is found strung up in Sunfish Pocket); it is as though Renju can only be vindicated in death – it is when his putrefying battered corpse is found on right side that everyone seems to collectively realise his innocence

Date: “Why didn’t you call the police?” Mizuki: “What was I supposed to do?! Daddy would have been in trouble!” Date: “So you kept quiet this whole time?” Mizuki: “Yeah…” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Ikume Shrine

Iris: “Uncle wants to know why you’re here.” Mizuki: … Iris: “‘No particular reason. Am I not allowed to be here? I inherited Daddy’s stock at Lemniscate. This is my company now, isn’t it natural that I’d be here?’ That’s what she said.” - Three months later (kassAI), Lemniscate

Pewter

Date: “You seem troubled, Pewter.” Pewter: “Two murders, one right after the other… How could I not be?” - Sunday (syokubAI), Boss’s Office

Date: “Why are you here, anyway?” Pewter: “Am I not allowed to be here?” Date: “No, I didn’t mean it like that..” Pewter: “I was here first. I was just talking to the Boss about Renju’s murder.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Boss’s Office

Date: “Any thoughts on the culprit?” Pewter: “Renju had his left eyeball removed.” Date: “Right, Shoko too.” Pewter: “So perhaps, Mr. Date, you are the killer. You’re missing your left eye. So you steal them from others. Date: … Aiba: … Pewter: “I’m kidding! Only a joke.” Date: “I’m too tired for your jokes right now, Pewter.” Pewter: “Actually… You lost your eye six years ago, correct?” - Sunday (syokubAI), Boss’s Office

Sometimes foreshadowing is relatively obvious. This is like, the second time minimum that Pewter has made an inappropriate "joke" about this exact subject, so starting to think that last line is more than merely a hint for us, the player.

Date: “This is… This is the wristwatch Renju always wore. No doubt about it. But how did this get here?” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Mama: “Well, there was the ‘watch incident’… I’m sure you remember that one.” Date: “Watch incident?” Mama: “You don’t remember? Your drunk ass spilled your beer on Ren’s watch. Ren was furious, yelling about how ‘this watch is more important than my life!’ Or whatever… He blew up on you. That was the only time I’ve ever seen Ren that mad. That’s why I remember it so well.” Date: “Was it this watch?” Date: I pulled out the watch I had in my pocket. It was the one I found in the oil drum at Sunfish Pocket. Mama: “Yeah, that’s it! Why do you have it?” Date: … Mama: “Was it…at the scene?” Date: … Mama: “Ren was given that watch by his lover. It was an anniversary gift, I think…” Mizuki: “Lover?” Mama: “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot Mizuki was here…” Mizuki: “No, it’s fine.” Mama: “But of course, it wasn’t an affair. This was all after he was divorced.” Mizuki: “Daddy…had a new lover…” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Date: Pewter took the cigarette butt from me. Boss: “If the DNA on that cigarette butt…matches the bloodstain in the warehouse…” Pewter: “There would be no doubt that So Sejima is our mysterious polar bear.” Boss: “How long will it take to analyze?” Pewter: “If I had six hours…” Boss: “You’ve got three.” Pewter: “That’s totally unreasonable… But, I suppose. I will do my best to have this analyzed in three hours.” Date: “You folded pretty easily on that one.” Pewter: “I want to catch the criminal as soon as possible. That’s all.” Date: … Boss: … Pewter: “Now, because time is of the essence… Excuse me.” - Tuesday (seisAI)

For completeness, he does it in exactly two hours, 41 minutes.

Date: “Pewter, is it true? The results are in?!” Pewter: “Yes. The DNA I collected from the cigarette but is a positive match to the bloodstain from the warehouse.” Date: “Really…? It was So all along? He was the polar bear! He carved out Iris’s eye and stabbed Ota! And probably killed Renju and Shoko…” Aiba: “Making So Sejima the New Cyclops Killer…” Date: “Thank you, Pewter.” Pewter: “Don’t thank me yet. Hurry up and get So.” - Tuesday (seisAI)

Date: When I left the warehouse, I saw Pewter. What is he doing here? He walked up to me while I was trying to work it out. Pewter: “Date, I have to talk to you about something.” Date: “Huh…?” Pewter: About the Original Cyclops Serial Killings.” Date: … Aiba: … Date: “Why this, all of a sudden?” Pewter: “Because I want you to solve this case, Mr. Date. I want you to find who did this and bring them to justice. So if I can help you, even a little…” Date: “Why didn’t you say anything at ABIS?” Pewter: “The Boss was there. I couldn’t speak openly in front of her.” - Monday (jukkAI), Warehouse District

Date: Pewter looks grimly serious. - Monday (jukkAI), Warehouse District

Date: “Why are you so cooperative?” Pewter: “Because I know that the Boss is my enemy. I got the video from Aiba. I processed it and found that it showed no sign of tampering or editing. Which means there can be no mistake. The Boss shot and killed So Sejima. After pulling out his left eye. That makes the odds of her being the culprit behind the other murders very high. Or maybe she had accomplices. Either way, she’s a criminal. That’s why I am cooperating with you, Special Agent Date. I want it as bad as you do. The truth.” - Tuesday (jinnAI), Psync Room

Mama: “Yeah, his favourite watch. He got it from his new lover… An anniversary gift. Oh, this was of course after the divorce. Ren was so happy, he showed it off to me. He’s had that watch on him ever since.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Marble

Mama: “Can you come back again tonight? There’s a regular here who was good friends with Ren. They should be here tonight. If you ask him, he might have some information for you.” - Monday (syuurAI), Marble

Date: “Mama, I wanna ask you something.” Mama: “What is it?” Date: “Those gunmen were waiting for us. Did you tell anyone we were coming?” Aiba: “That’s right. You did tell Mama that you were coming. And that you were bringing Iris.” Mama: “Hm, well… I did tell one person…” Date: “Who?” Mama: “The person I was gonna have you meet, of course. Same guy who gave Ren his watch.” Date: “What’s his name?” Mama: “Futa, I think. Futa Amanoma.” Date: ! Aiba: ! Date: “What?!” Aiba: … Date: … Aiba: “That’s…Pewter…” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Marble

Date: “You told those men that Iris and I were going to Golden Yokocho, didn’t you?” Pewter: “Yes. I did. Renju hired them.” Date: “Renju did?” Iris: “Which means Mr. Okiura is in with Naix…” Pewter: “Naix?” Date: “Don’t play dumb. I know you’re with them.” Pewter: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just helping Renju.” Iris: “Did you help #89 get away?” Pewter: “How much does she know?” Date: “Just answer the question.” Pewter: … Iris: … Pewter: “Yes, I did.” Date: “It’s been bothering me… How was #89 able to escape from Metro so easily? And you were the one being held hostage. If you were helping him the whole time, it all makes sense.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Psync Control Room

Date: “Is it true that you were the one who gave Renju his watch?” Pewter: … Date: … Pewter: “Yes, that’s true.” Date: There was no need to ask anything else. Why did Pewter help Renju? His last answer was all I needed to hear. - Tuesday (dakkAI), Psync Control Room

Date: “Why did Renju escape with #89?” Pewter: “I don’t know. I-It’s true, please, believe me! Renju said that he needed him. That’s all I know.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Psync Control Room

Pewter: “Two days ago, Renju escaped from the hospital. Renju asked me on the phone to report everything about Shoko’s murder case. That’s what he wanted. Yesterday… The Boss told me that #89 was coming. Then, Renju asked… ‘Is there any way we can let #89 escape?’ I was conflicted. I thought hard about it… But it was Renju asking. Someone I love. And he sounded like he was on death’s doorstep. He was begging for help. I couldn’t say no. With my intelligence, I was quickly able to come up with a plan. You know what the results were.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Psync Control Room

Date: “I see. So where is Renju?” Pewter: “Even if I knew, why would I tell you?” Date: “Because you don’t want more holes in your body than you already have.” Pewter: “You can’t.” Date: “Why not?” Pewter: “Date, I didn’t tell you all this because you were threatening me. I genuinely wanted you to know. To understand. The truth, Date.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Psync Control Room

Moma: “That jackoff who took Tesa, Pewter, right? What’s his deal?” Date: “I think Renju asked him to do all of this.” Moma: “Renju?” Date: I told Moma about Renju and Pewter’s relationship. Moma: “Oh, that’s right… Renju was lookin’ for Tesa.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Warehouse District

Saito: “By Monday, Renju’s body was almost completely dead. And of course, my consciousness as well. That’s when I got a call. From a Mr. Amanoma… The man you call ‘Pewter.’” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Receptionist

Date: “Things have been pretty serious around here lately. Receptionist: “Yeah, totally. You never think about, like, my boss getting murdered, y’know? Like, what are even the chances? That’s like, the odds of hitting the lotto.” Date: … Receptionist: “But it was kinda lucky in a weird way? Some of my old friends hit me up, asking about it, y’know? Feels like we’re old alumni or something.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Lemniscate

Date: “Who hired this woman?” Mizuki: … Aiba: “The most likely scenario is that the final decision was made by the head of the company.” Date: “Renju.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Lemniscate

Kumakura Gang

Moma: “I’ve been looking after that guy since high school. It was the usual stuff. I had him help me with a lot of work.” Date: … Moma: “But now, it’s kind of the opposite, y’know? We’re getting work from him. Well, we were. Now that he’s dead though…” Date: “What ‘work’ did he have you do?” Moma: “Eh, the usual. If talent at his office was causing trouble or something…” Date: “You ever get into any disputes with Renju doing this ‘work’?” Moma: “No way, he paid good money. I’ve never even gotten into an argument with the guy.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Kumakura Offices

Mama: “You know about Renju and the Kumakura gang, right?” Date: “Yeah, I know. I heard it from his own mouth right here.” Mama: “Do they have anything to do with the talent scandal at Lemniscate?” Date: “Maybe now they do, since Renju is the president of Lemniscate. But even before that…Renju and the Kumakuras go way back. All the way back to high school.” - Monday (syuurAI), Marble

Bit sad that Date can remember when Renju drunkenly told him about the trauma of being present at multiple murders under coercion, but not about Renju getting uncharacteristically angry at him out of love; makes sense from a plot and characterisation standpoint, but still.

Date: “Who told you this?” Hitomi: “Renju told me.” Date: “But you said he wasn’t there.” Hitomi: “He heard some of this from the Kumakuras. Renju had connections with them…” - Tuesday (kokkAI), Psync Room with Hitomi

Hitomi: “Again, neither Renju or I saw this. We were just waiting at my house for Manaka to return. But she never came back. We tried to call her cell, but it didn’t connect. But then…we saw movement on the GPS.” Date: “The GPS Renju gave to Manaka?” Hitomi: “Yes. At first, we thought she was on her way home. But we saw the GPS getting further and further away from the city… Renju and I got nervous and decided to follow it.” Date: “What about the baby?” Hitomi: “We couldn’t take a baby with us, so… Renju gave the baby to the mob doctor he trusted.” - Tuesday (kokkAI), Psync Room with Hitomi

The ol’ Kumakura special. (Moma does exactly the same thing for Iris in Iris End, gives her a tiny GPS tracker to conceal on her person in case she goes missing, which she also does)

Manaka Iwai

Date: “It was covered by a cloth.” Aiba: “What is unnatural about that?” Date: “Isn’t it strange? The culprit hid the body because they didn’t want it to be found. But then they cover it with a cloth? That implies they thought that someone would eventually find it.” Aiba: “I explained earlier. The body may not have been hidden by the culprit. And even if they were responsible… It is not uncommon that murderers feel a sudden urge of remorse or pity for their victim.” Date: “So the cloth was a sign of pity?” Aiba: “That is a possibility.” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Warehouse District

Mizuki: “Okay. I’ll tell you about ‘Alice.’ It was about a month ago… I saw my daddy crying in the President’s office at Lemniscate… I was peeking through a crack in the door, so he didn’t see me. Daddy got up, then got into his car and drove away. I had never seen him like that before… I was curious, so I followed him in a taxi. That led me to the cold storage warehouse… He got out of his car and went inside. I followed right behind him, quietly. Daddy was standing next to the forklift in the back. I hid behind a shelf. I watched Daddy open the hood of the forklift. And then, after a little bit, he left. I wanted to know what he was looking at. I went over to the forklift and I looked under the hood myself. And then…” Date: “You saw Alice’s dead body.” Mizuki: “But at the time…I thought it was Iris…” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Ikume Shrine

Mizuki: “I asked around some, and… I found out that Daddy was managing the warehouse before I was born. After my grandpa died, Daddy took over. In exchange for managing the warehouse, he gave ownership of the company to someone else. I guess he didn’t want to let this place go. Or maybe he couldn’t let it go. That’s more accurate, I think… But I understand why. Inside that warehouse was…” Date: “Alice.” Mizuki: “On paper, Daddy has nothing to do with Okiura Fishery. Daddy was still managing the warehouse… And he was the only one allowed in there too. That was part of the agreement when he gave up the company. And the whole thing had to be a secret. He really stressed that point…” Date: “Hey, Mizuki. How long was he managing the warehouse?” Mizuki: … Date: … Mizuki: “For 18 years. That’s what the man told me.” Date: “18 years?! From that long ago?!” Mizuki: “Yes…” Date: … Mizuki: … - Tuesday (kenzAI), Ikume Shrine

Date: “Hitomi… I think I know what happened 18 years ago. You three were close. You, Manaka, and Renju. Manaka was murdered. You and Renju found the body in the mountains. And you brought it back to the cold storage warehouse.” Hitomi: … Date: “And my guess is So Sejima killed Manaka.” - Tuesday (kokkAI), Psync Room with Hitomi

Level Five: Bittersweet Reminiscence

Ota: “So, anyway, Mizuki reads my novels. I get notes and advice from her.” Date: “From a sixth grader?” Ota: “She’s surprisingly insightful. She has the talent to be an editor, for sure.”

Date: “Do you remember anything?” Mizuki: “Yeah, I do. I went to this amusement park when I was little… I was four. I remember it so clearly. This is where…I saw my mom and dad smile. I had so many happy memories here. The only happy memories I really have are from here. Memories of my family are…so bright and colorful. But now… This is where Mom…” - Saturday (meikAI), Bloom Park with Mizuki

Date: “You’ve always got something smart to say, huh? You’re just like Renju.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Driving with Mizuki

Aiba: “At the time, Renju was recently divorced, buried in work at Lemniscate, and mentally unstable.” Date: … Aiba: “It was a display of excellent judgment. It was a good thing that he managed to swallow his pride.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Date: “Is this your first time at a place like this?” Mizuki: “Yeah. I mean, at Sunfish Pocket they served alcohol, but…I’ve never been to a bar like this.” Date: “I would hope not, you’re in elementary school.” Mizuki: “Well, Daddy invited me along sometimes, but I was too shy to go…” Date: “Good call.” Mizuki: “I was planning on going one day. When I was old enough to drink. I wanted to go to a bar with Daddy…” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Date: “Was Renju a regular here?” Mama: “I haven’t seen him for a while. I thought I was going to shrivel up and die of boredom without you boys around.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Mizuki: “I remember telling you before… That Bloom Park is an important park of my memories. Before it shut down, I came here a lot with Daddy and Mom. They fought a lot, but sometimes they got along. Whenever we were here, it was one of those ‘sometimes’ days. I remember it clearly. I was just a little girl, but it was so rare to see them laughing together… That’s why I remember it so well. I remember…riding the merry-go-round like this… Mom was standing right next to me… She was holding me so I wouldn’t fall.” Date: “Where was Renju when you were on the horse?” Mizuki: “He was on the other side of the fence, with an old camera. Every time we passed in front of him, Mom and I would wave our hands. Heh, we sound like a happy family, huh?” Date: “He must have gotten good pictures.” Mizuki: “No, actually. We tried developing them at the park, but they came out all blurry and out of focus. But Mom wasn’t mad or upset or anything. She just started laughing. That might have been the first and last time the three of us laughed out loud together…” - Tuesday (seisAI), Bloom Park

Level Six: Finding-Character-Through-What-Is-Out-of-Character

Date: “I wonder what Renju was doing last night… I did call him a few times. He didn’t answer.” Boss: “He didn’t?” Date: “No…” Boss: “The local police tried his phone too, but they got the same result. No one was able to get a hold of him until this morning. We explained the situation to him, had him verify Shoko’s corpse… And naturally, started asking him questions.” - Saturday (saikAI), Boss’s Office

This is currently Saito occupying Renju’s body, hence the strangely evasive behaviour. The real Renju, as in his consciousness, is already dead, but Date and Boss don’t know that, so believe they are discussing the Renju as they know him.

Date: “Renju is Mizuki’s legal guardian. Did you get permission from him?” Boss: “I couldn’t get in touch with him.” Date: “What? I thought he was being questioned by a local unit.” Boss: “His questioning ended around noon. He hasn’t been heard from since.” Date: “Why would he…?” Boss: “I don’t know.”- Saturday (saikAI), Psync Room with Mizuki

Date: “You look like you want to say something.” Mizuki: “I don’t wanna say anything. I don’t wanna talk to you. I don’t wanna talk to anyone who thinks my daddy is a killer.” Date: “Look, I don’t want to believe it either. I’ve known him for more than five years now. He’s like family to me.” Date: I’d never want to put cuffs on him. I would never want Mizuki to see that… Anyway, Renju just isn’t the kind of guy who would commit a crime like this… - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Date: “When was the last time you saw your dad?” Mizuki: “I think about a week ago. When I went to hang out at Lemniscate.” Date: “Did you notice anything different about him?” Mizuki: “Nothing really… He was the same as usual.” Date: “And he didn’t come to see you in the hospital, did he?” Mizuki: “No…” Date: “Not even for his own daughter…” Aiba: “That is very unusual.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Mizuki: “Yeah… My dad’s never said anything like that to me, ever. That he was counting on me. I had to go.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

This dialogue occurs on both sides of the flowchart; on the right side, the exchange happens on Sunday at the Date Residence, with Hitomi present.

Mama: “Stupid Ren… What was he thinking, leaving his little girl like this.”- Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Iris: “I didn’t know that…” Mizuki: “Daddy’s not the type to give compliments…” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Mama: “You don’t remember? Your drunk ass spilled your beer on Ren’s watch. Ren was furious, yelling about how ‘this watch is more important than my life!’ Or whatever… He blew up on you. That was the only time I’ve ever seen Ren that mad. That’s why I remember it so well.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Level Seven A: Renju’s Experience of Death (Mind)

Aiba: “Multiple puncture wounds to the front of the torso. Cause of death: blood loss from these wounds. Body temperature and rigor mortis indicate the time of death was approximately six hours ago. That would place the crime occurring around 5:00pm.” - Friday (sigAI), Bloom Park

The true circumstances of Renju’s death occupying Shoko Nadami’s body, having swapped with Saito Sejima.

Date: Saito explained what he did on Friday. At 4:00am, Saito began his plan against Shoko. He called Renju to this abandoned factory and switched bodies with him. After taking Renju’s body, Saito killed Shoko, then brought the body to Bloom Park. But as he explained it to me, I somehow felt that I already knew. - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Level Seven B: Renju’s Death Observed (Body)

Date: “My best friend was murdered, Boss. I don’t have it in me to sleep right now.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Boss’s Office

Date: Renju’s corpse was hung up by three wires. The wires were tied to three kegs. - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “The corpse was strung up near this counter.”

Aiba: “The autopsy report indicates that the contents of the victim’s intestines were excreted upon death. But no traces of that have been found in the area nor on the corpse itself. This evidence makes it highly likely that Renju was killed somewhere else.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

The "nor on the corpse itself" here is weird, either something blended in by translation, or else the implication seems to be that Saito undressed and redressed Renju before transporting and setting up his corpse; it’s simply impossible for that shit (literally) not to end up on his clothes.

Speaking of contents of intestines, we learn later that Saito has been disposing of loose eyeballs after body-swaps by swallowing them, meaning Renju’s body was nicked, effectively force-fed his estranged ex-wife’s eyeball, then killed, which is pretty fucking fucked.

Aiba: “The body was hanged from the ceiling, similar to how a fish would be. A thick hook was embedded in the upper jaw, and the wires connecting to the hook were strung up on one of the ceiling beams. There was also a hook on the other end of each wire. The three beer kegs were attached to these hooks.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Conspicuous use of the conjugation "hanged" there, Aiba.

Also being strung up with rope and penetrated, evident albeit warped parallel to St Sebastian imagery.

Takes some considerable digging into subtext, but it seems implied by conversations with Date and Mama that Renju was dependent on alcohol to some degree, so the irony of his dead body being weighed down (or weighed up, as the case may be) by beer kegs is fucking fucked too, made more terrible by the knowledge that Date makes sure to emphasise repeatedly that Renju was drugged almost catatonic by Saito to make it possible/easier to strangle him to death.

Date: There are deep impressions left on his neck. Date: “Strangulation?” Aiba: “Correct.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Aiba: “The autopsy report discovered the presence of benzodiazepine. It is a common sedative. The dosage found in the victim’s bloodstream was extremely high. It can be assumed that Renju’s cognitive functions were heavily impaired before his death.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: He was barely conscious before he was killed. - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “A heavy concentration of sedatives were discovered in Renju’s body. Renju was practically in a coma before he died. He wouldn’t have struggled.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Interrogation Room with Iris

Radio: “In other news… At 6:10pm today, on the outer circle of the capital city highway in Minato District, Tokyo… A traffic collision occurred, involving five cars and at least one truck. As a result of the pile-up, one man was sent to the hospital unconscious, in critical condition. Six other individuals were treated for minor injuries. MPD has arrested the driver of the truck suspected to be the cause of the accident for negligence. The investigation is ongoing.” - Saturday (keitAI), Driving

The lone man in hospital in critical condition is Saito, in Renju’s body; this pile up was bad, involving “at least one” heavy vehicle and five cars, and the state of Renju’s body is really, really bad.

Date: “Anything else to report?” Boss: “About Renju…” Date: “Renju?” Boss: “Yesterday, I told you he vanished after he was questioned. Well, we found him.” Date: “Where?” Boss: “Central Hospital. He was brought there from a traffic accident. He’s unconscious and it’s not looking good.” Date: “Could it be…?” Aiba: “Capital Highway?” Boss: “Oh, you heard about it?” Aiba: “We heard the report on the radio last night.” Date: “I can’t believe it was about Renju…” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Boss’s Office

Ironically, they still haven’t found him, since guy’s about to disappear again and they still don’t have an inkling that it ain’t Renju in there, lol another victory for Renju the Vanisher.

Date: “Anything else you can tell me about Renju?” Mermaid: “Anything else? Well, he did seem really sick. He was pale and sweating a lot…” Date: “Must have been because of the accident.” Aiba: “Perhaps.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “You’re… Saito Sejima…” Saito: “Oh, so you figured it out.” Date: “Renju’s body on the ground… Without his left eye…” Saito: … Date: “You were inside Renju, weren’t you? Until just now? You used the machine to exchange minds, then got rid of his body.” Saito: “Close, but you’re a little off. I didn’t ‘get rid’ of the body. He died of natural causes.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Date: Renju… I don’t believe it… - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Saito: “I decided to pick her up in Renju’s car. I thought that if she saw me in person, she would trust me. However…”

Date: “You got in a car accident around 6:10pm and lost consciousness.”

Saito: “So unlucky… My plans were ruined.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Saito: “After the accident, my body was taken to Central Hospital. I regained consciousness just past 12:00am Sunday. The surgery was a success, but Renju’s organs were in a horrible state. But I had somewhere to be.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Saito: “I was planning to put her to sleep in the car, but I didn’t have my drugs on me. The sleeping pills were inside Renju’s crushed car. I was pushing my luck. My plan and my body were both in shambles. I’m sure the painkillers were affecting me as well. My mind was scrambled, and I couldn’t think straight.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

The absolute ringer Renju’s body is put through in Reso route can really be read two ways; either the literal scrambling of his insides and slowly putrefying like a shambling corpse and externally dressed in his own filth is a further indignity layered atop the cruelty of having his body stolen and used to systemically destroy the lives of those in proximity to him while the tiny percentage of his consciousness still lingering in his brain smothered by Saito is made to watch helplessly (being forced to spectate as a serial killer methodically carries out a scheme to deceive and gruesomely murder who committed the crime of being a convenient target – sounds very familiar); the alternative marginally less shitty reading is that, in death, though his mind is gone, Renju’s physical body enacts his revenge by scuppering Saito’s intricately laid plans and eventually allowing him to be caught (not saying Renju literally caused his car to crash somehow, it’s more like a small poetic justice; Saito shoves Renju out of his own body and steals his autonomy away from him, so Renju’s formerly pristine body starts turning to mush and falling apart at the seams, yeeting Saito out of there too – Saito says himself, he had no hand or say in Renju’s body’s death, it died on its own); it may have taken the rest of his life away but gotdamn did Renju get his promised revenge, talk about seeing the right opportunity and taking it. The irony of Saito being impaired by painkillers given to Renju's body, when Saito used sedatives to force Renju's body into compliance on the left side of the flowchart is also sweet.

Saito: “I couldn’t chase after her. I needed to sleep… I managed to make it back here and collapsed on the ground. Next thing I knew, it was the next day. I woke up around noon on Monday. Renju’s body was about to expire.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Saito: “Not to sound like a broken record, but Renju’s body was almost done. It was completely useless at this point. So I put Rohan to sleep and began the Psync. As a result… This happened.” Date: “Renju…” Saito: “It’s just like I told you. He died of natural causes.” - Wednesday (sousAI), Abandoned Chemical Plant

Level Eight: Renju As Ghost/Encryption/Abstraction (Nobody Can Decide Where or Who Renju Is and Looks Constantly To The Next Person Hoping They Might Know Him Better Until Everyone Is Contradicting Each Other and Themselves and Nobody Knows Anything Anymore)

Boss: “No one was able to get a hold of him until this morning. We explained the situation to him, had him verify Shoko’s corpse… And naturally, started asking him questions.” - Saturday (saikAI), Boss’s Office

Renju has an uncanny ability to keep slipping through literally everyone’s fingers constantly, the player will pick up on pretty quickly.

Mizuki: “So let me get this straight… You think that Daddy drove his car on the tracks through the tunnel… Stopped at the closed-down station, and carried Mom’s body to the park?”

Carrying his wife through an inverted doorway, almost like a wedding.

Date: “I can’t prove it was Renju. There’s a chance someone else was driving the car.” Mizuki: “Yeah… Yeah!” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Mizuki: “Daddy didn’t do it!” Aiba: “I am not so certain.” Date: “Either way, I have to talk to Renju. And you can help me find him.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Date: “Hey, Mizuki. Tell me again. That person you saw at the merry-go-round.” Mizuki: “No, it wasn’t Daddy! I know it wasn’t!” Date: “You’re sure?” Mizuki: “Well, I… I dunno…” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Date: “When was the last time you spoke with your dad?” Mizuki: “I don’t remember, it was a while ago… What about you?” Date: “What about me?” Mizuki: “You try calling him.” Date: “I did. I called earlier, and I tried a few times last night.” Mizuki: “And he didn’t pick up?” Date: “No…” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Mizuki: “The killer did it, not Daddy…” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Boss: “He didn’t give us any new information. He didn’t have much to say at all, really.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Boss: “Shoko’s time of death was estimated to be about 5:00pm yesterday. Renju claims that he was at home alone at the time. But that means no one can back up his story.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Date: “Any idea where Renju is?” Boss: “No, I told you, he vanished.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Date: “Where the hell did Renju go…?” Mizuki: “Uh, sun poke?” Date: “What?” Mizuki: “Um, sun poke or something…” Date: “Oh, Sunfish Pocket! Renju was telling me about that place… It’s a maid cafe that he runs.” - Saturday (meikAI), Driving with Mizuki

Mizuki: “I’m Renju’s daughter. Maybe I’ll notice something you don’t. Something only his daughter would know.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Driving with Mizuki

Policeman: “And this is…?” Date: “Have you looked through the case file yet?” Mizuki: … Policeman: “Oh… Oh, I am so sorry… She’s the victim’s…” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: Mizuki is looking at the spot where we found Renju. Date: “Hey. Are you doing okay?” Mizuki: “Oh, sorry. Just staring.” Date: “If you’re having a hard time, you can tell me…” Mizuki: “I’m fine. It’s not like the body is lying here.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “Do you remember what you saw last night?” Mizuki: “How could I forget? I’ll never be able to get that image out of my head. Not until the day I die.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “Any places you can think of that I don’t know about?” Mizuki: “Well, there is one place… Have you heard of ‘Golden Yokocho’? In the entertainment district? Daddy used to go to a place called ‘Marble’ a lot. Maybe they know something about him…” - Sunday (syokubAI), Sunfish Pocket

Mizuki: “Hey, Date. What did you and Daddy use to talk about when you were here?” Date: “Hm… I don’t remember a lot of it. I was usually drinking pretty hard.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

So: “The president of Lemniscate? We aren’t friends, but I did meet him a few times through work.” Date: “What work were you doing to meet up with the head of an entertainment company?” So: “It was just some party hosted by some company or other. It’s not unusual. Events with those uptight, stuffed shirts can be rather dull. So they have some young women from an entertainment office attend. Anyway, we only saw each other few times. I don’t even remember what we spoke about.”- Sunday (syokubAI), Kumakura Office

Date: “He must have gotten good pictures.” Mizuki: “No, actually. We tried developing them at the park, but they came out all blurry and out of focus.” - Tuesday (seisAI), Bloom Park

Date: “Have you come here before with friends?” Mizuki: “Other than last Friday? Nope, I haven’t. This place has been off limits for almost a decade. Even if it wasn’t, I don’t think I would want to come back here.” Date: “Why is that?” Mizuki: “How can I explain it…? I guess I just wanted to keep that memory beautiful. I didn’t want to ruin it or replace it with another. But in the end…it was replaced by the worst memory possible.” - Tuesday (seisAI), Bloom Park

Date: “There’s no one here…” Aiba: “Indeed, the bed is empty.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Central Hospital

Date: “Where are we?” Nurse: “Mr. Okiura’s room. I’m certain of it…” Date: “Where is he?” Nurse: “He’s not here. As you can see.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Central Hospital

Nurse: “He snuck out at night.” Date: “‘Snuck out’?” Nurse: “Mr. Okiura arrived with internal injuries. The surgery was successful, but he was in no condition to move. He would have opened up his wounds, and then he would be in real trouble…” Date: “Real trouble, huh?” Nurse: “Yes. I can’t believe it… Where could he have gone?” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Central Hospital

Receptionist: “Hellooo, this is Lemniscate Entertainment Offices! Lemme hear your message! Thank youuu!” Date: What kind of employee training do they have there…? Anyway, I gave them my name and told them about Renju. Date: “Do you have any idea where he might be?” Receptionist: “Sorry, no clue! I’m trying to get in touch with him too. So far, nothing! I’m getting worried… He must be a mess right now.” Date: … Aiba: … Receptionist: “Oh, wait… Maybe he’s at the maid cafe…” Date: “Maid cafe? Do you mean…Sunfish Pocket?” Receptionist: “Yeah! That’s the one! Like, out of nowhere, Renju was like, ‘I’m gonna rent out Sunfish Pocket.’ I guess he was gonna throw like a secret party or something? But with the accident and all… Still, he might be there.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Central Hospital

Date: “Is Renju here?” Mermaid: “No, he never showed up.” Date: “When was the last time he came here?” Mermaid: “Hm, lemme think… He’s just the owner, not the manager, so… He comes sometimes, but not all that often.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “Where is Renju?” Mizuki: “I don’t know where he is…” Date: “Can you think of anywhere he might go?” Mizuki: “No, not really… I don’t know where Daddy goes…” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Date Residence

Date: “Where could Renju be?” Aiba: “I also wonder where he could have gone.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Driving with Aiba

Aiba: “Mizuki went to Bloom Park three nights ago. She was prompted by a NILE message from Renju. ‘Mizuki, Daddy got caught up in something serious. Please come to Bloom Park’s merry-go-round right away.’ There are three possibilities. One: Renju killed Shoko, or was an accessory to the murder. Two: Renju was threatened or blackmailed into luring Mizuki to the scene. Three: the culprit used Renju’s phone to send the NILE message. In any case, the motive is still unknown. We need to talk to Renju.”

Date: “Renju…where did you go?” - Monday (syuurAI), Driving with Aiba

Mama: “You need more info on Ren? I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t have anything for you.” - Monday (syuurAI), Marble

Date: There’s no point hiding it. I told her about Renju’s disappearance. Hitomi: “Right from the hospital…? I’m sorry… I have no idea.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sagan Residence

Date: “Where’s Renju?” Iris: “What about him?” Date: I don’t need to hide it. I told her about Renju’s disappearance. Iris: “A traffic accident? I’m worried…” Date: “Any idea where he could have gone?” Iris: “I’m sorry, no.” - Monday (syuurAI), Lemniscate

Aiba: “Date, I know you are already aware of this, but there are security cameras all over this compound. I checked all of them. #89 fled in a car that was waiting for him.” Date: “So he had an accomplice.” Aiba: “Yes.” Date: “Did you see who was driving?” Aiba: “I did.” Date: “Who was it?” Aiba: “You and I know him well.” Date: “Renju?!” Date: I told Boss and Pewter about what Aiba revealed to me. Boss: “Renju?!” Pewter: “Wh-Why…?” Date: … Aiba: “Date, Moma is calling.” Date: “Moma? From the Kumakuras?” Aiba: “I’ll connect him.” Moma: “Hey, Date. I just got the word. Renju’s been seen.” - Monday (syuurAI), Boss’s Office

Iris: “What happened to Mr. Okiura? I heard he escaped the hospital.” Moma: “So did I. But I don’t know anything more than that.” Iris: “Please tell me?” - Monday (syuurAI), Kumakura Office

Iris: “But why would Mr. Okiura do that?” Date: “I don’t know. He could be a hostage or an accomplice.” Moma: “Hm…” Date: “Either way, I need to find him.” - Monday (syuurAI), Kumakura Office

Ota: “You’re still looking for him? Well, like I told you before, I don’t know.” - Monday (syuurAI), Matsushita Diner

Date: “I’ve heard that Renju was sighted here.” Mermaid: “When do you mean?” Date: “When? I got the info a few minutes ago, but I don’t know when he was seen…” Mermaid: “Oh.” Date: “Ringing any bells?” Mermaid: “Well, he hasn’t come by today. But yesterday…” Date: “Yesterday?! But I was here yesterday.” Mermaid: “It was after that. After you and Ota left.” Date: “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” Mermaid: “You didn’t ask… And I didn’t have any way to contact you.” Date: “Damn it.” Aiba: “We just missed him.” Date: “What was he doing here?” Mermaid: “He was looking for Iris. He was asking everyone where she was.” Iris: “Looking for me?” Mermaid: “Yeah.” Date: “Did he give a reason?” Mermaid: “No, not in particular.” Date: “Iris, can you think of why he would be looking for you” Iris: “No, not at all.” Date: “Mizuki?” Mizuki: “I don’t know either.” Date: “Anything else you can tell me about Renju?” Mermaid: “Anything else? Well, he did seem really sick. He was pale and sweating a lot…” Date: “Must have been because of the accident.” Aiba: “Perhaps.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Mizuki: “The police asked me a bunch of questions… But I don’t know where he is.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Date: “About the Okiura Fishery warehouse…” Mizuki: “Why are you asking me about that?” Date: “I was just curious.” Mizuki: “That company was made by my grandpa. But Daddy has nothing to do with it. I don’t know anything about the warehouse.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Iris: “Mr. Okiura isn’t here. I mean, of course he isn’t. It’s not like we came here right away.” Date: “He’s already taken off.” Iris: “Too bad.” Aiba: “It looks like there are no further clues here. It appears we’ve wasted our time.” - Monday (syuurAI), Sunfish Pocket

Iris: “When you found my corpse in the parallel world, you found it in an Okiura warehouse. Whoever killed me in that world was probably affiliated with Naix. That makes me think the Okiuras and Naix are connected. Maybe Naix ordered Mr. Okiura to help #89 escape. And #89 is an assassin… If he wanted to get rid of me, Mr. Okiura must have…” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Kumakura Office

Iris: “There’s nothing here…” Date: “Guess not.” Date: Why did Renju come here Friday night? Was it to place Shoko’s body here…? Or did he have another reason? Renju is my friend. I want to believe him, but I don’t [know] how long I can keep defending him. Where is he? What is he doing? I’ve thought it over a thousand times. My head is heavy with it. - Tuesday (dakkAI), Bloom Park

Date: “What happened to Renju?” Iris: “I dunno. I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Ikume Shrine

Date: “What did you do after you ran away?” Iris: “Well, I didn’t go home. I thought he might come back. I just walked around and went into a bunch of stores. Restaurants, coffee shops, net cafes… I was afraid that he would try to call me, so I turned off my phone too.” - Tuesday (dakkAI), Ikume Shrine

Aiba: “Date, the person in Iris’s letter. The one she trusts most. Who do you think that is? Date: “Renju?” Aiba: “I think so too. Remember what Iris said?” Iris: “I look up to him. He’s done so much for me. I know I can rely on him more than anyone else.” Aiba: “According to the mermaid at Sunfish Pocket…” Mermaid: “He was looking for Iris.” Aiba: “I think Renju called Iris.” Date: “And Iris went looking for him.” Aiba: “Exactly.” Date: “Then what can I do? We’ve been looking for Renju. Everyone at HQ is looking for him too. Not to mention, he’s on the run with #89. And even with all of that, we haven’t found him. We don’t even have any leads.” Aiba: “If we only had some clues to work with…” Date: “Then we wouldn’t be in this mess…” Aiba: “Are you giving up?! Iris might be with #89 at this very moment! We need to find her immediately!” Date: … Aiba: “Now think, Date! Where would Renju go?!” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Driving with Aiba

Date: “Where is Renju Okiura?! You know where he is, don’t you? You were at an Okiura Fishery warehouse for a reason! There’s definitely a connection between you two. And that’s not all. #89 called your secretary! The same #89 that Renju escaped with! Now tell me! Where is Renju?!” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Sejima Residence

Date: “I think Iris is with Renju.” Mizuki: “With Daddy?” Date: “Yeah. Her note mentioned her ‘most trusted’ person. That’s probably Renju.” Mizuki: “Yeah… I remember that mermaid girl saying something like that.” Mermaid: “He was looking for Iris.” Mizuki: “Does that mean that Daddy is the one who called for Iris?” Date: “It could be. So I need to know where he is.” Mizuki: “But… I haven’t been able to get a hold of him.” - Tuesday (kenzAI), Ikume Shrine

Loud incorrect buzzer sound.

Mizuki: “I actually met with one of the higher-ups at Daddy’s company last night. Before I went to Matsushita Diner.” Date: “Why?” Mizuki: “Because you asked about the cold storage. I was curious. I asked around some, and… I found out that Daddy was managing the warehouse before I was born. After my grandpa died, Daddy took over. In exchange for managing the warehouse, he gave ownership of the company to someone else. I guess he didn’t want to let this place go. Or maybe he couldn’t let it go. That’s more accurate, I think… But I understand why. Inside that warehouse was…” Date: “Alice.” Mizuki: “On paper, Daddy has nothing to do with Okiura Fishery. Daddy was still managing the warehouse… And he was the only one allowed in there too. That was part of the agreement when he gave up the company. And the whole thing had to be a secret. He really stressed that point…” Date: “Hey, Mizuki. How long was he managing the warehouse?” Mizuki: … Date: … Mizuki: “For 18 years. That’s what the man told me.” Date: “18 years?! From that long ago?!” Mizuki: “Yes…” Date: … Mizuki: … - Tuesday (kenzAI), Ikume Shrine

Aiba: “Renju Okiura…” Date: Talk to him. Aiba: “Renju, what are you doing in a place like this?” Date: “He won’t answer.” Aiba: “Not in a place like this, at least.” - PSYNCIN’ IN THE MOUNTaiN

Renju: “What do you think they’d do if they found out? They would take her and kill her too. And then…they’d come for us. They’d make it look like we disappeared. All of us would be…gone.” - (18 years ago) Mountains

Hitomi: “I don’t know who it was. They were using a voice modulator.” Date: “What did they say?” Hitomi: “‘I have your daughter. Don’t call the police or she dies.’ That’s why I didn’t ell you earlier…” Date: “Renju!” Aiba: “We don’t know that for certain. It could be #89.” Date: “Either way!” - Tuesday (kokkAI), Psync Room with Hitomi

Mama: “I can’t say much. The public thinks our Ren killed Shoko. And then #89 busted outta jail and killed Ren. And then he goes and commits suicide by blowing up his own head. That’s what all the news reports have been saying. I know there’s more to it than that, but…” - Three months later (kassAI), Marble

Man really died on Friday night stuck in Shoko’s body on the carousel horse, his body appears to have continued living but in reality everything on record and in the public consciousness is a lie; even Mama who knows better doesn’t actually know the truth, only that the reality being sold is false. Well, suppose it’s fitting that this is revealed with the Sebastian painting looming in the background; a sacrificial lamb in every way in every ending; Saito kills him and hijacks his body and identity, and then the authorities responsible for finding justice for his murder instead use him and his death to conceal the truth of their own colossal string of fuck ups. Old news: everyone in Reso sucks except Iris because it is pretty much her ending chapter, the end, take away the dancing and it’s an absolute sleeper tragedy (though has now left some outstanding conflicts that could be developed in a sequel…if I had one…)

Level Nine: Somnium Scraps, Symbols, YMMV (everything is up to interpretation, but this is ultra up to interpretation)

Mayumi: “That boy… He’s been hanging out at this…office building lately.” Date: “What kind of office?” Mayumi: “Hm, uh, what was it…? It’s a place where…irresponsible young men hang out. Nonconformists and the like.” - Saturday (saikAI), Matsushita Diner

We meet Renju’s building several times over before setting eyes on the man himself even in a flashback, so one starts to build a sense of his character instead through the prism of Lemniscate.

Aiba: “A black SUV.” - Saturday (meikAI), Bloom Park with Mizuki

SUV=sport utility vehicle, big, four-wheel drive, think Range Rover, stereotypical elite-person-in-big-so-incognito-it’s-not-incognito-black-car. Renju is the registered owner.

Date: “Hey, about Renju… Do you have anything to tell me? Anything at all that might help?” Mizuki: “Well, it’s not about Daddy, but… I heard from Daddy that Mom had a secret.” Date: “Shoko had a secret?” Mizuki: “Did you know that Mom was the representative of an investment company?” Date: “Yeah, I did.” Mizuki: “That whole company was a big scam.” Date: “A scam?” Mizuki: “Well, I dunno the details… They start up a company to get people to invest in it, then shut it down on purpose and keep the money. She got really rich like that…” - Sunday (syokubAI), Driving with Mizuki

Much like her marriage *COUGH* who can say farce nuclear family built on a foundation of compulsory heterosexuality?

Mizuki: “Is this it?” Date: “Yeah.” Mizuki: “You know about this place?” Date: “Yeah. This is where I met Renju for the first time.” Mizuki: “Interesting… Didn’t think this was your kind of spot.” Date: “This place is special. You can find all sorts of shady characters here. It’s the best place for gathering information about a case. So that’s why.” Aiba: “That is only a partial truth.” Date: “Shut up.” Mizuki: “Huh…?” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

Aiba: “I know what you are.”

Date: A picture on the wall. It’s a little…odd. - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

This dialogue occurs on Sunday on both sides of the flowchart; on the right side, the exchange occurs with Mizuki present.

Mama: “People who come in here tend to have very specific interests. I help accommodate.” Mizuki: “Oh. Okay…” Date: “Mama’s like, uh, an informant.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Marble

After throwing the knife into the “bird” TV, the room changes and the next puzzle calls for shooting a pistol at the “cat” TV, but the gun is empty and the only other new object is an oil barrel like that found at Sunfish Pocket, with the bullet needed seemingly inside. – PSYNCIN’ IN THE VaiN, “Smack TV” route

Where Renju was stuffed into the oil barrel to transport his body to Sunfish Pocket to be displayed, and Saito neglected to notice Renju’s wristwatch, a gift from Pewter he apparently never took off, had come off his wrist and was left behind in the barrel for Date to discover, allowing him to piece together how Saito, in Iris’s smaller body, could have possibly manufactured the crime scene. Now in Somnium, when Aiba peers into the cracked open barrel, the void inside—where Renju’s corpse and his stray wristwatch, Date’s "silver bullet" was—is obscured by a pixelated censor bar, concealing Renju, masking the crime, hiding Saito’s mistake. Aiba feels a shock and the television feed is scrambled, returning to the barrel tipped over, spilling a jet black puddle onto the floor.

Date: “Any fingerprints?” Aiba: “Nothing. No fingerprints have been found at the scene at all. This entire warehouse is clean.” - Monday (youdAI), Cold Storage Warehouse

Mayumi: “Isn’t Renju Okiura the president of that awful company where the witch works? He’s just as responsible. Using her to steal time and money from vulnerable kids… And I’m sure he was…debaucherous and degenerate. That man…is the root of all evil. That’s why I killed him.” - Tuesday (zugAI), Interrogation Room with Mayumi

Date: “What’s with that spear?” Ota: “It’s not a ‘spear.’ It belongs to Poseidon, god of the sea? You know, a trident?” Date: “Why do you have that?” Mermaid: “We treat our customers like lords of the sea. We give them these tridents. It’s like a little ranking system we do!” Ota: “The color changes depending on your rank. There’s bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and at the very top, orichalcum!” Date: “So it basically measures how much money you’ve spent on these girls.” Mermaid: “Well that doesn’t sound very nice. It’s more like…a way to exploit their vanity. To separate our customers from their money as much as possible.” Date: “That sounds even worse.” - Sunday (gyoukAI), Sunfish Pocket

Pewter: “The subject of the Psync remembers certain persons or objects that appear in Somnium. But they might not have a clear form. Our dreams are sometimes vague or unclear, after all. Even the subject of the dream themselves. I told you earlier that the Psyncer experiences the dream from the perspective of an observer. That is why the person creating the dream can appear within it. But perhaps they do not have an objective view of themselves. Like a mirror or picture. Perhaps he’s never watched himself on television. Rare for a politician. But not unheard of. He lacks that objective picture of himself. He remains stoic and unattached despite his position of power. I find that quite powerful. To be able to put your ego aside and see yourself as God sees you…is an ability many charismatic people share.” - Sunday (kyuusAI), Psync Room with So

Okay this one is a bare reach, but the way the game’s conception of dreams intersects interestingly with how it builds the character of Renju; his presence is somewhat dream-like by the standard that Pewter describes, vague and amorphous, but in some specific ways the opposite; we do have an ‘objective’ image of Renju, the one that Aiba has saved in her memory that she is able to ‘replay’ to Date, since he had forgotten; perhaps the difference is between the inhuman omniscient, objective memory of Wadjet, versus the inevitable fallibility of humans and their inability to perceive others objectively; or perhaps it is the difference between a dream and a haunting.

Date: There’s an abstract painting hung up. Date: “What is that supposed to be?” Aiba: “I do not know.” Date: There’s an abstract, incomprehensible painting hung up. - Saturday (saikAI), Lemniscate

Date: There’s an abstract painting displayed on the wall. Mizuki: “This painting is called ‘Hawaiian Dishes and Dark Demons.’” Date: “Which part is supposed to be a dish and which part is a supposed to be a demon…?” - Sunday (syokubAI), Lemniscate

Sums up the conundrum of Renju’s character as it is reconstructed piecemeal through snippets of dialogue and environmental cues, told secondhand by those who have fragmentary, oftentimes incompatible or outright contradictory memories, culminating in, rather than a single cohesive whole, a cryptic, unstable amalgamate of unreliable memories, half-conversations, contextless (often misattributed) behaviour, and cryptic symbology, which one can either conclude is a poignant impression of an endlessly ambiguous, multi-faceted man who lived a complex, tragically short life, frayed at every edge by layers of trauma, or an unreliable, incomprehensible, almost abstract ghostly after image of someone who was once present but has now been distorted into near-erasure by the fact that, unintentionally, no one can agree on who he actually was and how they remember him; like the painting itself, called by a slighty different name by everyone that knows it in a poorly managed game of telephone, the chaotic, fragmented, oxymoronic narrative we are slowly fed may, depending on the beholder, be rendered expansive and enlightening in its endless twists, or thought-teminating and meaningless in its lack of a cohesive message.

Date: An abstract painting is on display. Ota: “That one is called, ‘Lying, Wishing, Marking Demons’.” - Sunday (syokubAI), Lemniscate (again)

Taxi Driver: “Oh, have you taken note of the painting? It is titled, ‘Lions Fishing, Carpe Diem.’” - Tuesday (zugAI), Lemniscate

Receptionist: “Oh, I asked someone about that earlier. It’s like, ‘Lionfish in Shag Carpet’ or something?” - Tuesday (seisAI), Lemniscate

Date: There’s an abstract painting hung up. Receptionist: “Like it? It’s called ‘Fisherman Shagging a Common Dandy.’” - Monday (syuurAI), Lemniscate

Receptionist recommends ‘to see yourself how god sees you’ by luxraydyne lmao excuse me

Date: There’s an abstract painting hung up. Looking carefully, I see some letters at the bottom. “Fisherman with Cormorant and Dandelion”… Date: … Date: “Which part is the dandelion and which part is the cormorant?!” - Three months later (kassAI), Lemniscate

#woe. reap the fruits of my obsessive personality and literature degrees #aitsf #ai:tsf #ai the somnium files #ai: the somnium files #aitsf spoilers #renju okiura #long post #cannot stress enough how long a post

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thefiresontheheight · 11 months

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I had an incredibly detailed multipart dream so bare with me here.

At some point in the near future, like 2060s a woman’s twin sons both are in a car wreck and end up in vegetative states. She, just a janitor, out of her mind with grief when a super shady business approaches her and says they can possible save her sons if she agrees to their experimental procedure. She does and one of them not only miraculously recovers fully but his brain grows new connections and he becomes a super genius. But the other, mentioned to love ttrpgs, mysteriously vanishes. In the background an increased effort to reach Mars is mentioned on a news broadcast.

Jump forward several decades into the future. The Procedure as it’s called is still mostly only used sparingly and in emergency situations. It’s understood that sometimes it creates super genius brains and sometimes it’s known make people bodily vanish for no understood reason. The company behind it has revealed the got the Procedure from a crashed alien probe from Mars and that is behind the increased interest. In fact right at the start of the section a dozen scientists who have all survived the Procedure are landing on Mars.

As they do they do land they discover to their shock that not only does Mars have the plant life in the form of small, fungal growths but it also has a thin but breathable atmosphere. Satellites in orbit still show it as uninhabitable and they theorize that it’s some sort of hologram that makes it look far less alive than it is. Then they look up into the thin clouds and see huge orrery like machines made of marble, floating above, covered in statues of Greco-Roman gods.

The scientific expedition struggles in vain to understand these impossible machines. Nothing about it makes sense and they cannot discovered how they work until one scientist in a fit of desperation undergoes the Procedure a second time. He does not vanish but rather, on an expedition to the cloud machines activates one of them. As the rest of the expedition watches in awe from the surface and begins sending a message back to Earth one of them notices that the marble machine seems to be expanding.

We jump forward several decades again to a society of scientists that the company has set up on Mars. The marble machines have grown, and continue to grow, now crowding the surface. The company keeps sending people to interact with them, all fueled by the Procedure. The Procedure seems less and less effective, now disappearing around five out of six people who undergo it, with debates around if they are dead or not. But the entire civilization seems obsessed with solving the inexplicable mysteries of how the machines function and who made them.

But one scientist growing afraid of the increasingly claustrophobic corridors between the machines huge, moving, marble barriers decides to ask his friend, a janitor living on Mars who has never undergone the Procedure even once. He has no ideas but tells a story of the time his wife died and he felt mad with grief. He describes this grief as a labyrinth, and that the more he tried to find a way out the more lost he became. The only way to escape a labyrinth, he says, referencing a small RPG group he DMs, is to stop trying to solve it.

The scientist thinks about this as the walls of marble draw closer. Another six scientist undergo the Procedure again, the third or fourth time for all of them. And this time they all disappear.

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obscurecharactershowdown · 1 year

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Before I reveal the contestants, I want to shout out some characters that didn't end up getting in, for one reason or another, but stood out to me

Prince Peasley (Superstar Saga): I mentioned him as a character I really enjoyed learning about, but since he won the Luigi ship competition, I'm unsure of his obscurity status and he may overpower the other characters. I'm sorry your highness, please know I love you

Francis York Morgan (Deadly Premonition): I was stunned to see not one, but 2 people submit this character. I'm endlessly entertained by his weird ass game. He would've been a shoe in had he not been submitted twice. Sorry buddy. Also if he was I would've put in my own propaganda, consisting only of this image

and a video of the squirrels that make monkey noises

Crow T. Robot (Mystery Science Theater 3000): the only reason he's not in is because another MST3K I consider comparatively more obscure was submitted, but I am going to post part of the propaganda for him now because I really loved it and it would be a shame if I was the only one who got to read it:

i have to take a chance on crow, for he is my #1 blorbo and my favorite mst3k character since forever. i charted out a whole TIMELINE for him and there's like. 4-6 of him just existing in various locations. he's shaped like a friend. he can be folded into a torpedo. he has legs and i constantly forget this until he has them on-screen and i'm like OH SHIT this guy is mostly leg (he's around 5'4"). he managed to kill mike (the human guy he lives with in space) TWICE on accident and neither time stuck. all of his presentations are insane and completely factually inaccurate. he claimed women were myths like bigfoot in a short-film style black and white presentation. he's friendly/friends? with pearl, one of the main antagonists (and a woman, who he just claimed didn't exist). he can play the trombone. he just kinda bounces up and down sometimes and is so shaped. he spent 500 years alone because he got bored of being pure energy at the edge of the universe after five minutes. he wrote patrick swayze christmas, the only christmas song ever. he's constantly doing t-rex arms. he keeps falling from extreme heights. to a few ancient romans he's a spider-duck god. he's a bit of a pyromaniac. he went to thanksgiving in deep 13 and walked away unharmed (everyone else got poisoned). he causes an illusion in the theater where it looks like he's staring at you instead of the movie. he's an absolute menace. he contains so much gender yet none at all. he's different! he wants to decide who lives and who dies, and i think he should. he is simply so guy. ty for reading my crow rant sorry for the wall of text

Thank you for this. I love Crow and MST3K too, you are in good company

Mister Qi (Stardew Valley): In the propaganda section, the submitter wrote: "He sucks and I hate him. It'd be really funny if he lost." and it made me laugh

Chuck Cunningham (Happy Days): The submitter's dad told them to submit him and that was also funny to me

Vincenzo (kdrama of the same name): Submitter's dad has a crush on Vincenzo <3

Pioneer 9 (17776): This was the most submitted character, with a total of.....4 submissions! Wow!

Husky (+Anima): This is the second most submitted character, with 3 submissions! I'm sorry to you both but this means you are automatically excluded from being picked for the competition.

Less specifically, shout out to the many characters who were just barely well known enough to drop out of priority. And the major characters/protagonists of major series. A couple were clearly jokes, but several were not.

And all of the characters from albums, commercials, various Real Life Things, myths, some OCs, etc: I have a plan for you. It's not the main bracket, but you are not being left out here. More information on that when the time is right.

Thank you for all your submissions! The list of contestants and their matchups are coming soon!

#obscurecharactershowdown

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8bitsupervillain · 1 month

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Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 7 Minagoroshi pt. 9

I'm sure they went with calling the chapters chapters because it sounds better than episodes. Or at least that's what I'll be convincing myself is the case, but it is somewhat annoying to me that they also call the chapters within the chapters chapters. It makes more sense to call them that instead of sections or parts or whatever word you might choose, but it just is silly to me. I admit that maybe I'm the only one this bugs, but I don't really care. I'm allowed my petty annoyances.

During their lesson about learning the cheating method in mahjong an unexpected character makes their return.

In this chapter's version of the timeline this version of Akasaka made it back to Tokyo in time to stop his wife from dying by falling down the stairs. Him and the missus are on a vacation near Hinamizawa, and Akasaka mentions that he'll be in town on the day of Watanagashi, and that he'll be there to help Rika come hell or high water. In case she needs it. Akasaka then promptly leaves the story and hasn't been seen or mentioned again since his reintroduction here in chapter four. Not to reveal too much info, but I'm near the end of chapter ten (I presume it's near the end anyway, Watanagashi is just about to happen) and Akasaka basically just amounted to an extremely brief cameo. Also I can't really justify why, but he just looks a little weird in the console art. This is going to sound like a really weird pull, but have you ever seen the screenshots of that one gacha game where the girl falls in love with the horse? He reminds me of that anime horse boy.

The remake and original arts for comparisons sake.

Despite his extremely brief appearance Rika takes Akasaka's appearance in this timeline as an extremely good sign that things are indeed turning around for her. It's all coming up Rika, ain't nothing gonna break this good luck streak of hers!

I'm sure this is nothing. Looks like things aren't turning up well for Rina however. Her scheme to fleece Rena's dad out of his fortune up in smoke she seems to have got herself caught up in some very bad circumstances.

This all sounds extremely familiar.

Realizing instantly something bad has happened to Satoko, Rika swings by Satoko's house which has stood abandoned for the last year after Satoshi hypothetically killed their aunt. There he finds Teppei's come back and has taken Satoko to live with him.

Given how the rest of the chapter up until this point had more or less been speedrunning the previous chapters I thought it was going to do the same things with the new version of events from Tatarigoroshi. I was very much mistaken. What I thought was going to be a relatively brief compression of events winds up taking five chapters and nearly fourteen hours worth of time. It becomes the majority of the chapters running time and I feel it just grinds the overall story to a halt.

Rika, finding that Teppei Houjou has come back, she decides to go to Irie and Takano in an effort to have them help her deal with the Teppei situation.

And so Rika Furude uses her doctor and military contacts to enact a plan to assassinate Teppei Houjou. It is, in my opinion a pretty funny turn of events that this small child was able to brow beat two grown adults into swift action.

Funny thing about this brief discussion of Satoko's medication is that it actually gets forgotten and becomes an important plot point after a while. A short while later Takano comes back to inform Irie and Rika what her and Okonogi discussed. Before moving on I just have to wonder briefly if this Okonogi is the same Okonogi who shows up in the future timeline of Ange Ushiromiya in Umineko. I know that this guy was mentioned briefly in Tsumihoroboshi, or at least there was a "lawn maintenance" company with that name before Rena took the school hostage. So it makes me wonder if there actually was something to Rena's extreme paranoia about her getting followed during that chapter.

What kind of military hit squad is this that it takes more than half a year to kill just some random dork ass? Earlier statements from Irie claimed that these guys were basically the best at what they do, but they still need six months to a year to just put two in some random yakuza thugs skull?

I wonder if this is part of some ploy on Takano's part? We only have her word for it that she talked to this Okonogi guy and they determined they could only do it around Christmas time ("Merry Christmas Satoko! Here's your present, a freshly assassinated uncle Teppei!" "Yaaaaayyy!"). I don't know what possible reason she could have to screw over Rika and Satoko like this, but I can't help but feel that might be what's going on here. That for whatever reason Takano is unwilling to actually use the Mountain Dogs for this job. Maybe it's a subtle foreshadowing that despite ostensibly being in charge of Takano, the Mountain Dogs, the whole thing, Irie is actually being undermined and slowly disregarded. Again, for what reason I don't know, maybe Takano is somehow, someway plotting to kill Irie and take over his research?

Rika takes the news poorly.

#higurashi #higurashi when they cry #higurashi no naku koro ni #higurashi playthrough

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panda-writes-kpop · 1 year

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Platonic! Handong ~ The University Experience

A/N: My pearls, this story is based on my own experience. I'll let you guess who I am in this story. ;) Also, this is for @sanccharine because they requested this from me a long while ago, and who am I not to deliver (at a much later date)?

TW: Alcohol mentions, college antics, bad language from multiple parties, Reader is NOT a model student.

Summary: Handong goes to her Chem lecture, expecting much of the same boring content, until she overhears the conversation from you, Ryujin, and Yunjin about Dongie's oddly shaped pencil pouch.

♡ Masterlist ♡

Handong quietly sketches a figure in her Chemistry notebook as she waits for the lecture to start.

University had been an… interesting transition for her, especially since she was going to be so far away from her old school friends and her family. Handong had moved away from her family to go to primary school, but she had made a group of friends that became her new family. Primary school, unfortunately, had come and gone, and her friends had moved on to greater pursuits in many different places.

Luck had been on her side for a little bit, as she went to college with one of her old friends: SuA, and SuA was in her Chemistry lecture and recitation. Handong’s luck ran out because the two were in different majors, but it was nice to see a friendly face a few times a week.

Handong mostly stayed on her own throughout university, and she didn’t really mind it. The best company was her own, after all. Studying and eating in peace was nice, but she did miss the chatter of friends talking over one another and sharing incredible stories of their ridiculous shenanigans.

Then, of course, you had come crashing into her life with the grace of a rhinoceros stomping through a feeding ground.

Handong got herself ready for the lecture as time ticked down, and you came walking in about two minutes before class had started. You sat a row back from her, and you lazily threw your backpack to the side before checking your phone.

“Are you always this disorganized?” A voice to Handong’s left asks.

Shin Ryujin.

With her glasses slightly askew, Ryujin types on her computer without hesitation.

You scoff before rolling your eyes.

“You shouldn’t visit my dorm, then.”

“I’ve heard from Jisu about the mess that you’ve made of that poor room. And your drinking habits, by the way, aren’t exactly… how should I put it?”

“Ryujin!” You scold before setting your phone aside. “Don’t bring that up. I only vomited once, and it was Yunjin’s fault!”

You grab your tablet and open your computer as Handong continues to listen in on your conversation.

“Where is the she-devil, by the way?”

You scoff as you roll your eyes.

“First off, that’s not a very nice thing to say to someone, and secondly, you know how she is: she’s either 5 minutes early, walks in when the professor starts lecturing, or she skips because she’s hungover or overslept.”

“Whatever.” Ryujin sighs as you flick a pencil over to her, and it smacks her in the back of the head. “Seriously? How old are you, five?”

“I’m six, actually.” You stick your tongue out at her as the door in the front of the lecture hall opens. “There she is! The woman of the hour in the flesh and blood.”

The professor starts lecturing as Yunjin sits down and leaves a seat between the two of you. You give her a high-five as you lower your voice to speak with her.

“How was your nap?” You quietly mutter.

“I was getting food at the dining hall, actually.” Yunjin matter-of-factly tells you, “And I did some Calculus while I was eating.”

“Did Lisa have to help you?” You jokingly say as Yunjin reaches over and punches your shoulder.

“I did two of the problems by myself, thanks for asking.” She hisses as you rub your shoulder in pain. “What section of Chem are we on, by the way?”

“You’d know if you did the notes.” You say.

“Did you do the notes, genius?”

“Fuck no!” You exclaim before immediately hushing your voice. “I have better things to do.”

“This is why neither of you have an A in this class.” Ryujin rolls her eyes as you tap your tablet’s pencil against your chin.

“Okay, smart-ass, we get it.” Yunjin shoots back at Ryujin before taking out a notebook. “Seriously, what chapter are we on?”

Ryujin chuckles to herself before turning back to her computer.

Handong finds herself enthralled in the conversation, and she’s managed to keep up with the notes along with the conversation.

“We’re on Chapter Four, the one with electrolytes and titrations.” Handong quietly says as three sets of eyes travel to her.

“Thank you, ah…” Yunjin trails off as Handong quickly answers.

“Handong. My name’s Handong.”

“Huh Yunjin.” She cheekily smiles before looking over at you.

You stick your tongue out at Yunjin before saying your name.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Handong.” You add on as you nod at Ryujin. “Are you going to say anything, or are you just going to be all mysterious over there?”

“Fuck you.” Ryujin spits out before glancing at Handong. “Shin Ryujin is my name.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Handong says while continuing to take notes.

You continue to chatter with Yunjin throughout the lecture, and Ryujin joins in your banter every once in a while. Besides complaining about Chemistry itself, the conversation jumps to parties, Halloween, and the newest shows on Netflix and Disney.

Eventually, once the class is almost over, your discussion with Yunjin jumps to a more… irrelevant topic.

“Is that someone’s shoe on the table?” Yunjin asks, and you shake your head before sighing.

“You’re being ridiculous. Did you drink too much last night?” You joke, and Yunjin scrunches her nose before pointing at the spot next to Handong.

“Do you not see the shoe right fucking there?”

“Sure, it’s a shoe, but I don’t think it’s her shoe.” You stare at the brightly colored shoe as Yunjin looks at you like you’re an idiot.

“Of course it’s her shoe! Why else would someone have a shoe on the table?”

“Oh my god,” You smack your head against your hand, “it’s not a shoe, Yunjin!”

“It’s clearly a shoe! What else would it be?”

“It is a pencil pouch because it has a zipper, you dumbass!”

Ryujin laughs as Handong chuckles to herself.

This was going to be one interesting semester.

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volonox · 2 months

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closed starter for @dopplgaenger The group is smaller today than it usually is, the sunshine coaxing folks back outside for more summer appropriate activities. It's needed after all the rain they've had, and the tourists seem more drawn to street side vendors and ghost performers than the dim lights of the museum. Damon's on a ghost walk of his own, so to speak, led by a woman with a painfully familiar face. From the moment he recognized her his common sense screamed for him to run for the hills, but his ego is always louder. Call it morbid curiosity or masochism. Damon's a glutton for punishment. He doesn't remember what number tour this is, but he's sure if he'd been paying attention he could recite the entire thing word for word by now. She's good at this. Sweet, engaging, professional. Damon hangs on the outskirts of the crowd mostly, watching her intentionally not watch him back. It's a game of sorts, one he isn't sure he's winning. Surely she recognizes him? Or do all the patrons blend together? He's smug enough to believe he's not that forgettable. Maybe she's shy? Or maybe she remembers that he - but she couldn't. Right? Damon had compelled her, or at least he thinks he did. Every night these last couple months had been one bloody drunken blur, but snatching her from the crowd had jolted him to his senses. Well, not all of them, but at least one sense of restraint. It's not like she ran away screaming the other day, or any day since he's made himself a group regular. That has to count for something. The pamphlet he's picked up a good four or five times now has a Q&A section listed that he's never heard her even mention yet. It was at no detriment to the content of the tour, of course, but he was starting to get annoyed by how quickly she scurried off afterward. Avoiding him, maybe, or was that his ego again? Making it about himself? He doesn't make a habit of keeping it in check to begin with. The first day he lingered back a good fifteen minutes to wait for her, but she'd been long gone. The second day, ten minutes. And so forth. It's very Stefan of him to be so patient, he thinks, sucking himself into an endless obsessive turmoil. He isn't Stefan, though, and he certainly doesn't want to be, even if that seemed to be the key to most of his issues as of late. The thought's enough to shake him to switch tactics. This tour will be his last, he decides. Because today? Today will be different. It's mostly thanks to the trio of elderly people in his company that haven't shut up since the tour started. One can hardly hear, the other can barely see, and the third speaks with such a thick accent that makes every word borderline unintelligible. Somehow they have every question that could ever be asked loaded in the chamber, and have zero qualms about interrupting in the middle of her speech, no matter how innocuous. It slows the tour's pace to a painstaking degree, but she seems to be taking it in stride. Truth be told he's impressed, and a little amused at the poetic nature of it all. With only the five of them - Damon, Cami, and three wise monkeys standing between the two - she's much easier to corner. When they round the final corner of their walk he knows exactly where to situate himself to prevent her from slipping away so easily. The elder folks prattle on their goodbyes, and Damon keeps his eyes glued to the girl who won't look back. Not until she's forced to, because he's weaseled himself directly into her exit path. Like most of his plans, he hasn't thought much further ahead than where he is right in the moment. "You're avoiding me," he says bluntly, but there's no malice to his tone. Maybe a 'hello' would be a cleaner start, but he's been patient long enough. "And I want to know why."

#dopplgaenger

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thesmallmeggles · 1 year

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〰️ Lo-Wav Delay 〰️ (LWD for short)

Another Role Swap AU!? The idea initially sparked after seeing @gorochuva 's Vandelay Sibling swap and I wanted to push it further. I know @magmalaz also has a role swap au, but it'd be weird for me not to share mine when I mentioned it in my playlist post. So here we go. 🙃

What's This All About?

Roxanne and Kale lead Vandelay Technologies together, with Kale developing SPECTRA in secret. Unlike in canon, Roxanne discovers it early on and fires Kale on the spot.

The corporate culture at Vandelay is healthier than canon, but there's an undercurrent of unease. Misbehaving employees return from Human Resources listless, robotic. It has not escaped Kale's notice. He looks into it, discovering to his horror that Roxanne revived SPECTRA and that she plans to include it inside Project Armstrong applicants' prosthetics.

Kale and his team has a month to shut down SPECTRA before Project Armstrong launches. Assuming they can get their act together.

The Protagonists

Mimosa, Social Media Account Manager for Vandelay Tech and a former pop star. Assumes Chai's role. She joins the team after an interrupted HR referral. (Girl dodged a bullet.)

Kale Vandelay , disgraced former Vice President. The Peppermint to Mimosa's Chai and 1/2 of Mission control (shared with Roquefort). An important detail to note is that none of his teammates knows he created SPECTRA in the beginning.

Roquefort, retired economic advisor and Kale's business mentor. He hasn't been converted into a robo-werewolf so he is... fragile.

W01F-G4NG, Roquefort's robotic service dog (commissioned by Kale). 100% Certified Good Boy. Like 808, Wolfie acts as Roquefort's eyes and ears on the field in addition to being the squad telephone.

Zanzo, an eccentric engineer evading disciplinary measures by hiding in a storage area he converted into an office. He's in Macaron's role, but with Korsica's mechanics. Zanzo alternates between a walker and wheelchair because of his Cerebral Palsy (headcanon go brr). He doesn't have cybernetics as he can't afford them.

Rekka, a Production supervisor with a near flawless conduct and output records. The Korsica of the team (with similar mechanics to Macaron), as she needs further convincing to go against Vandelay.

Also a secret temporary teammate who I'm not going to name. 🤫

The Antagonists

Roxanne Vandelay, founder and CEO of Vandelay Technologies. Assumes Kale's role. Foils Mimosa in a similar way to Chai and Kale.

Chai, newly hired Brand Ambassador for the pending Project Armstrong. Works closely with the Head Of Marketing. Might still have musical and magnetism powers, only on purpose this time.

808, pretty much the same except she can turn into a panther mech.

Peppermint Vandelay, favored younger Vandelay sibling (according to Kale). Officially on record as a programmer, but her role in the company is closer to VP. Peppermint heads Vandelay Tech's "secret security force" which consists of her, 808, Chai, Macaron, CNMN, and Korsica.

Macaron, Head of Research and Development.

CNMN is considered the co head of R&D. He also helps out in Human Resources.

Korsica, heads Security after the previous head quit without notice. She's still getting used to her position six months on.

Also OC department heads for Production, Marketing, Finance, and Human Resources

The AU Name

Hi-Fi RUSH -> Lo-Wav Delay

Subtle reference to Ultra Low Frequency. Definition: Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) is a low frequency electromagnetic wave band that can penetrate the earth. It's used for communications in mines and might aid in predicting earthquakes in the future.

If LWD were a game, I see its gameplay as being more stealth and social engineering based. Also puzzles and Space Channel Five type rhythm sections (since Mimosa is the player character).

#hi-fi rush #hfr #hfr mimosa #hfr kale #hfr roquefort #hfr zanzo #hfr rekka #role swap au #lo-wav delay #i'm not going to tag all the characters I mentioned for brevity's sake

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ourlittleforever · 10 months

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Blue Moon

Boone/Courier

Rating: T

Words: 3351

Kinda-sorta pre-relationship fluff, for feelings that are a long way away from being fully explored.

Also on AO3!

Note - There are some sections of dialogue taken directly from the game, like when Boone is describing Carla's death, the Bitter Springs massacre, etc. I just felt like what was in the game was perfect and any attempt to rewrite it was gonna end with me screwing it up

Millie was one of the strangest people Boone had ever met.

When they came to Novac, they marched to the top of the dinosaur at midnight to introduce themselves to him. And like an idiot, he’d mentioned Carla. Millie offered their sympathies – and then, to his surprise, they offered their help. “I’ll look around,” they’d said, and the next night, they had proof Jeannie May Crawford had sold Carla off, and the old bitch was dead on the ground.

Millie had handed Boone his beret back with a soft look on their face. “So what’s next for you?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

The courier looked out across the stark desert with a slight smile. “I’m going to New Vegas. To find the man who shot me.”

He’d forgotten that Millie had been shot. They certainly didn’t behave like someone who’d taken two bullets to the brainpan, prancing about naively with a big grin and friendly disposition.

When he said nothing, Millie continued. “I heard Carla loved New Vegas. You should come with me.”

Boone pursed his lips. He had nothing left here in Novac – and if he was going to die on his own terms, it’d have to be out in the wasteland, not rotting here. “Fine by me.”

Millie grinned. “Awesome! We’ll leave tomorrow morning, ‘kay?”

Boone wondered if this was the last mistake he’d ever make.

—

Millie was easy company, for the most part. They couldn’t shoot worth a damn, usually oblivious to bugs and raiders until Boone took them out with his trusty rifle. How had they ever become a courier? Maybe they were more observant before the injury, he thought.

Still, Millie was cheerful and easy to get along with. They sometimes prodded at him for information, but when he didn’t budge, they knew better than the press further. He and the courier could travel in comfortable silence for hours, and when it was time to talk, they usually did all the talking.

They tried to dig at their own memories during these conversations. Millie admitted that they had amnesia (perhaps that was why they couldn’t remember how to use a pistol), and this frustrated them. “The only things I know are my name and my age, ‘cause those were on me, on my ID,” they explained. “Everything else was scratched out.”

“On your ID, or in general?”

“Both,” they replied with a sigh. “Millie d’Fleur; 23 years old.” They frowned, staring off into the distance, as if trying to form some image of their past.

“No way you’re 23. You look like a kid.”

“I get that a lot,” Millie laughed, scratching a scab on their cheek. “It’s just ‘cause I’m really short, huh?” They couldn’t be more than five feet tall.

“You act like a kid, too.”

“Then it’s good you’re here to look out for me, huh?” They nudged his arm. “I get the feeling that I always wanted a big brother.”

Boone stayed quiet. He wasn’t the kid’s brother; he wasn’t sure what he was to Millie. A friend? They thought of him as one, certainly.

“I think… I think I had a sibling. A brother or sister. Younger than me, though.” They looked up into the twinkling starlight. “And my grandmother. I remember her better. But she’s still… so vague.” They frowned. “I can’t remember her face. I wish I could. I know that I loved her.” Millie pulled their knees up to their chest. “Maybe after I find the checkered-suit-man, I can try and find out who I was – who I am. Someone’s got to know, right?”

“Right,” he grunted.

They laid down on their bedroll, staring up to the stars. “Thanks for talking with me, Craig. I appreciate it.”

Craig? No one had called him that in years. He didn’t even refer to himself by his first name anymore. It felt odd. Still, Boone didn’t correct them.

“Yeah,” he said, and he watched the desert until it was time for him to sleep.

—

Boone soon learned how Millie had managed to survive in the Mojave: charm.

He was starting to learn their behavior, how they could soothe even the gruffest old man or the most hysterical, wailing woman. A gentle touch on the shoulder, the slight tilt of their head, their lips curving into a slight, knowing smile as they spoke confidently and calmly: this was how Millie navigated the NCR, not with a blazing gun, but with a sharp, cunning charisma.

Not that they seemed to realize it, of course.

The two were standing in front of the King, some religious leader operating out of a “School of Impersonation.�� So prestigious, Boone grumbled to himself. Still, the King was respectful, especially as he asked Millie to solve yet another problem for him. Someone was kicking up trouble with the NCR at the soup kitchen, and the King couldn’t solve it his damn self.

“Of course,” they replied, that knowing smile playing out across their features. “I’ll head there right away.”

As soon as the duo were out of the building, Boone turned to them and asked, “Why are we doing this? Don’t you have someone to catch up to?”

Millie shrugged. “He needs help.”

“He could help himself.”

“He might lose his reputation,” Millie countered. “Who knows? The NCR might shoot him on sight if they see him walking up.”

“The NCR –” Boone paused. The NCR wouldn’t do that, he was going to say, but he knew that was dead wrong. “Fine.”

“You don’t have to come with me.”

I kind of do, Boone thought. If there really was a shoot out – if Millie couldn’t defuse the situation – they’d need his help. He said nothing.

As it would turn out, the King’s idiot friend had tried to take on the NCR alone.

Lucky for him, Millie was there, and they knew exactly what to say.

“I’m so sorry, Major Kieran. The King had no idea about this; he asked me to come and patch things up between y’all and the Freeside citizens,” Millie said, tilting to their head to right slightly, and Major Elizabeth Kieran was putty in their hands. “You see, there’s a lot of sickness and starvation in Freeside. He just wants his people fed. He didn’t intend to fight you.”

Major Kieran pursed her lips. “Our envoy…”

“He’s awful sorry about that.” A hand on the shoulder, and the major was done for. “Here, I can walk you over to the Kings, and you can talk it out. Maybe come to an agreement – pool your resources together so everyone gets fed.”

“We’ll see,” Major Kieran said, glancing at her fellow soldiers. She looked over at Boone with an expression that screamed What the hell, soldier? He simply shrugged.

Millie and Boone left. “That wasn’t so bad,” they commented cheerfully.

“You’re lucky they didn’t stick a gun in your face the minute you walked in, kid.”

“I am quite lucky,” they chirped with a grin.

They walked in silence for a bit, before Boone’s curiosity got the better of him. “Why did you insist on helping the King and Major Kieran?”

Millie sighed. “Look around, Craig. This place… it’s awful. People are starving, addicted to chems, wasting away… If I can make even a little bit of difference, make someone’s life just a little bit better, why shouldn’t I try?”

Gonna get yourself killed doing that, Boone thought. Still… It was a nice thought, wasn’t it? Even if it was foolish and naive – that someone could waltz in, fix a problem, make a couple people happy, and leave, knowing they made a “difference.”

Good thing they had him around to keep them safe, then, if that really was Millie’s goal.

—

“So what all did that robot have to say?” Boone asked as Millie stepped out of the hole in the wall. They brushed drywall from their short brown hair, shaking out their locks and frowning.

“Benny’s got the Platinum Chip, which is like… this super important upgrading device. Mr. House wants it, and Benny does, too. To take over New Vegas, the Hoover Damn. Or, in House’s case, I guess, enforce his, uh, presidency.” Millie rubbed their eyes. “Or… Yes Man said he could help me, if I took the chip.”

“If you took the chip? The robot suggested that?”

“He did. His programming is… well, Benny made him too friendly and open, it seems.”

“Where’d that bastard go, anyway?”

Millie swallowed hard. “He’s… he’s at the Fort.”

Boone’s heart was lead. Fortification Hill, the capitol of the Legion. Caesar’s palace.

“You don’t have to come,” Millie said, laying a hand on his bicep. “I know it’s…”

“You told me you were going to try and take down the Legion,” Boone replied, his voice graven. “Is that what you’re gonna do?”

Millie nodded.

“Then I’m going with you.”

There was a slight twinkle in the courier’s eye at that. “We’ll leave in the morning.”

—

Boone had been silent the entire battle through Cottonwood Cove. Swarms of Legionnaires had attacked, and he’d taken them out with deadly efficiency; for what it was worth, Millie’s aim had improved significantly, and they managed to score a few kills of their own. When all was said and done, he and Millie stood on the boat dock, and they beamed proudly at him.

“You saw that headshot I got, right?” they babbled excitedly, their hunting rifle slung haphazardly over their back. “It was so cool!”

Boone simply grunted.

Millie’s face fell, and he felt rather sorry. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

“You’re not,” the courier responded, tilting their head slightly. Don’t do that. Please. “You don’t have to tell me anything, Craig, but you know I’m here for you. Right?” They laid a hand on his shoulder, reaching up as far as they could, their arms almost too short. “You’re not alone.”

“This is where…” Boone looked away. He almost couldn’t stand their sympathy. He didn’t deserve it. “Carla. She... I tracked her down. Southeast, near the river. They were selling her. Saw it through my scope. Whole place swarming with Legion. Hundreds of them. Bidding for things no man has a right to. I just had my rifle with me. Just me, against all of them, so... I took the shot.”

Millie’s eyes were shiny with tears as Boone continued. “What they do to women... that's worse than death. There was no choice in what I did. It was more like... being forced to watch something you can't stop. All this was only ever going to play out one way. It still is. I don't have any say. All I can do is wait for it to be done with me.”

“You have a say now,” Millie said, their fingers curling in his dirty T-shirt.

“I should've never gotten close to her. I've got bad things coming to me. You'd better keep your distance, too.”

“You can still go back, if you want to. I know this is hard for you. I can deal with Caesar–”

“No,” he replied sharply. “He’d take you away, too.” Shit. He didn’t mean it to come out that way. “I mean – I… you would get hurt. If I’m there, then you stand a better chance.”

Millie studied him carefully, glistening tears rolling down their dirtied face. “Then we’ll do it. For Carla. For everyone.”

Boone couldn’t stop himself from almost smiling.

The two stepped onto the raft.

“This might be the last boat we ever take,” the sniper muttered.

“Then let’s make the most of it, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

—

Caesar was dead.

The bastard lay on the ground face-down, blood pooling around his body, turning the dirt crimson. Millie and Boone, along with Rex, were surrounded by dead Legionnaires, and he felt a deep sense of pride. Maybe he had things left to do in this life, after all.

“What next?” he asked, wiping the blood from his brow.

“I’ve gotta get into the Fort,” Millie replied, slinging their gun over their shoulder. “See about the Platinum Chip, what’s up with alla that. And then…”

It was eerily quiet in the camp. The courier turned, scanning the area, their eyes catching on a slave cage. A few women skittered from the bars, clutching each other in fear. “We free them,” Millie declared.

“And those boys?” Boone asked, a bitter taste in his throat. The little boys outside the camp – future legionnaires. It made him ill.

“We’ll take them to the Followers. Maybe that can set them on the right path. Clear out all the hate.” Millie was oddly stern yet serene. They examined the Platinum Chip in the low evening light. “I’ll go down into the bunker, if you’ll let the slaves free. Make sure they’re allowed into the food stores and stuff. Once we get back to Cottonwood Cove, we’ll radio the NCR, and they can clean up here, get everyone out, since we don’t have enough room on the raft. Or we can head back to Freeside, and I can call in that favor with the King…”

“You have an answer for everything.”

“I have to, right? People are counting on me.” They looked up at Boone, their face deadly serious. “I’ll be right back.” Millie knelt and petted Rex behind the ears. “Stay with Craig, buddy. Be good.”

—

When Millie returned from the bunker, Boone had managed to round up the slaves in the center of camp, passing out food and pure water to the women. A little girl had run off and gleefully found her torn-up teddy bear before returning for a meal.

There was a strange, distant look on Millie’s face as they sat by a fire far from the others, snacking on a few pinyon nuts. Rex whined at their feet, and they absentmindedly scratched under his chin.

Boone sat across from them, sharpening his machete. One ghost from his past had been put to rest – shouldn’t he feel better? But Bitter Springs hung heavy on his mind. He could kill all the legionnaires he wanted, but it wouldn’t change what had happened at Coyote Tail Ridge. His chest felt tight.

He glanced at Millie, who was still lost in thought. “What happened in the bunker that’s got you all shook up?”

“Oh!” Millie blinked, then shook their head, as if shaking their thoughts away. “It was Mr. House’s Securitron army. The one Yes Man wanted me to find. Well, and Mr. House, too. But…” They paused, took a deep breath, then continued. “I won’t give it to him. We’ll have to… take care of him, now that he knows I have the chip and the Securitrons.”

“So you have your own army now,” Boone mused. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Make the Mojave a better place.” At Boone’s bitter chuckle, Millie became defensive. “Listen – you saw all the pain and suffering in Freeside. People starving, alone, sick, while the rich gamble away their wealth in the Strip, and Mr. House keeps New Vegas and Freeside divided with violence. The NCR – and don’t be mad at me for saying this – the NCR hasn’t done anything. You really think they’ll shake up the status quo?”

Boone wanted to argue, but he knew better than most that Millie was right. He was living proof.

“We can make New Vegas better,” they insisted. “Take its wealth. Tear down the gates between the Strip and Freeside, spread the wealth to the people who need it. And once we’ve helped Freeside, we can start moving out and helping the rest of the Mojave. It’ll take time, but it can be done.” Millie spoke with such conviction, such pure, unadulterated faith, that Boone almost wanted to believe them.

How could they have seen all they’d seen – been shot in the head twice, been betrayed, been attacked and beaten down and chased and threatened – and still believe that there was goodness left in the Mojave? It was an admirable foolishness.

Perhaps it was Millie’s starry-eyed, dreamy, but complete and utter conviction in the world that made Boone mention Bitter Springs.

“There’s somewhere I need to go,” he said. “You know I was at Bitter Springs. Maybe… you could come with me.”

Millie’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Once we get everything settled here, we’ll go. Okay?”

“Okay.”

—

Bitter Springs was a refugee camp now, no thanks to the NCR, who patrolled the camp with bored indifference. Boone walked along, mindful of his long stride, deliberately slowing himself so Millie could easily follow. They said nothing as the two came to a stop at a graveyard, and Boone’s stomach was tied in knots. He had to tell them.

“What happened?” Millie asked quietly, turning to look up at him with their earnest, gray-green eyes.

“Main force got spotted too soon. We heard shooting. Then Khans started coming through Canyon 37 in bunches. It was all wrong, though. Women, kids, elderly. Wounded started coming through, too. We radioed to confirm our orders but command didn't get what we were seeing. They told us to shoot till we were out of ammo. So that's what we did.”

Millie’s face was soft, the compassion in their face intolerable to Boone. He didn’t deserve it. Not one bit. He didn’t deserve their kindness.

There was a shout from behind them, like someone being startled; then, a gunshot. Boone raced down the ridge, Millie in tow, and spotted them – legionnaires, looking for easy pickings. “There might be too many of them. I’ll stay, but if you want out –”

“I’m staying,” Millie said firmly, grabbing their rifle.

Eventually, the Legion’s numbers thinned, and Millie and Boone were left standing in an empty field of crimson. They’d done it. They’d managed to hold the legionnaires back.

The sniper sighed, letting the warm sun hit his face, and the sensation soothed him. “I thought I was going to die here.” He could feel Millie stepping closer, their arm brushing against his. “But I'm still here and nothing's changed.”

“You’ve changed,” Millie said gently. “You saved these people from the Legion just now.”

“Have I? A murderer who does good sometimes is still a murderer.”

Millie stepped in front of him, and he looked down at them. There was that conviction again, their eyes like steel. “You can't take back what you've done. But your regrets can set you on a better path,” they said. “You’ve got so much time left, Craig. And so much good left to do.”

“What can I do now, though?” he asked insistently, try to fight down his anger. Was it anger at Millie, for continuing to believe he was good, despite it all? Anger at them for trying to make him better? He couldn’t truly tell.

Millie tilted their head, smiled sweetly, and laid a hand on their shoulder. “Come with me,” they said, and their earnestness nearly broke his heart. “I’ve got a plan. We’ll make New Vegas – the whole Mojave – a better place. I’ve got the chip, and you’ve got the gun.”

Boone said nothing. This was far more than he deserved; but Millie truly, honestly believed in what they were saying, and he couldn’t help but feel moved by their words. “I can’t do this without you.”

The courier took his rough, large hands in their dainty, tiny ones and squeezed. Their eyes met his, their bright gaze disarming him entirely. “Are you coming with me?”

He’d seen their personality, how they treated others. How they lived by the values they espoused, of hope and compassion and goodness.

If anyone could save the Mojave…

“I’ve got your back,” he replied after a long moment.

Millie grinned, then, to his surprise, embraced him. He could feel their hot tears soaking through his shirt, and Boone was hugging them back before he realized what he was doing. “What’s–”

“I love you, Craig,” Millie blurted, hugging him even tighter. “Thanks for sticking around. I… I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

The sun was warm, Millie’s embrace was tight, and for the first time in years, Boone felt some semblance of peace.

“Yeah. Love you, too.”

#self ship #yes this is who i was talking about last night. rip millie #self insert #selfship #self ship community #f/o community #blue moon

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