universe-friday

[universe-friday]

‼️NEW UNIVERSE FRIDAY PODCAST EPISODE OUT NOW‼️

Investigation time!! Boy, I should hope nothing bad happens from this!

Go listen on Spotify!

(And also on YouTube)

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #88:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

Old sport… I really can’t talk for long.

I’ve just been super busy, I hope you can understand.

I’m almost through all of Solus’ documents… That is, until I remembered I hadn’t yet looked in their desk drawers. If you must know, there are about 10 more stacks of papers in there alone… And to make things even better, these ones aren’t even in alphabetical order! So, I ought to do that myself also.

[Sighs] It’s hard to think that anything of what I’m doing right now is actually helping… That it’s actually fundamental to the current state of affairs in the City.

I know that I humble myself more than anyone else, old sport.

But who else is around anymore to do it for me?

At the same time… I suppose… Who else is around anymore to do this work…?

The agency has taken… So much away from me.

The City has always been hard, but…

I never did feel lonely. Not like this, anyway.

I guess I really never knew how easy it was back then. When I had contacts available to me… When I didn’t have to fight a whole… War. All by myself.

If you told me… Old sport… Not so long ago… That Solus… Of all people, they would…

I’d assume I must be a goner with them, too.

There was no world I could imagine where I lived, and Solus didn’t… Except this one, apparently.

And yet, I still cannot believe it. I still… A paper will slide from my hands to the floor, and yet I will look at the nearest door expectantly. Thinking it was another letter sent from Solus, directly delivered to me.

But instead, the paper rests at my own feet. Still in Solus’ writing… But it is never an invite… Or a mocking phrase or word.

Just some info. Some data on the City.

Just what they died to protect.

[…]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #87:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[…]

There’s a lot to do in preparation for a fight, old sport.

Even more in preparation for a war.

But even more in preparation to take over Solus’ old job.

You would not believe the amount of time I had put into reading as many of solus’ documents as possible.

So many are on such trivial, small things… So many things I’ve never even thought about in the city.

I’ve been doing too much thinking recently, old sport.

All I want to do is have a break from my own brain. Step back and let someone else do the driving.

And while I don’t exactly have the ability to do that… I know exactly what will allow me to relax… Even just for a moment.

[…]

I’ve wondered a lot recently, February, why I seem to miss you more at night.

Beyond the city’s late night horrors… Beyond your starry appearance… There is something about the moonlight which makes your absence sparkle. It shines bright into my eyes until I am unable to see anything but you. You flood my mind with memories of your touch. I can’t help but cry.

It is only recently that I figured out this mystery. Only while I was flooded with another memory did the realisation replace it.

The clock that sat in your room. It would tick, tick, tick, one second after the other as I began to feel safe once again in your arms.

I remembered, February.

I would sit and listen. Tick, tick, tick.

Until it became slower.

[Tick…]

Until I knew I was cherishing every second with you.

[Tick…]

Allowing myself to feel the seconds,

[Tick…]

Every moment lasted longer with you, February.

[Tick…]

I would struggle to keep myself awake.

[Tick…]

Knowing that if I fell asleep, I would lose those precious seconds.

[Tick…]

But I was comfortable. Oh, I was always so comfortable with you, February.

[Tick…]

And that… [Yawns] Was always my downfall…

[Tick…]

[Tick…]

[Tick, tick, tick…]

<- prev excerpt / next excerpt ->

[universe-friday]

‼️‼️NEW UNIVERSE FRIDAY PODCAST EP OUT NOW‼️‼️

It's time for The Change... I'm sure nothing wrong will happen because of this!!! I'm so sure!!!

Listen now on Spotify!

(Also on YouTube)

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #86:

Old sport, I hope you’re listening… I really hope you are.

It’s… The “human cyborgs”… It’s every person ever captured by the agency.

At least… I think.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Solus managed to document all of them.

There’s so much on… Location… Old sport, would you believe it? All this time, I’ve been searching for where the agency is based and… It’s all right here.

K’s capture… All in here. Of course, Solus didn’t know K’s name, not even as ‘Nightcrawler’. But who else would be notably dressed in black head to toe?

Solus has bullet point after bullet point… Retelling the story of K’s capture. They were watching him on his usual patrol rooftop, scanning back and forth… One moment they were there, and the next…! Smuggled off the roof with ease.

I can’t lie, old sport. I don’t care for Nightcrawler at all. But the thought made me feel ill.

Of all people… If K couldn’t have sensed his capture, escape the agency, then… I…

[Clears throat]

There’s nothing on Thalia. Which isn’t surprising… If you remember when I met Solus, old sport, they didn’t even know that Thalia had been captured until I told them.

I know why now.

Not because of any kind of petty aftermath after their break up, no… Solus was in the agency when Thalia was captured.

They retell the true lack of contact to the outside world within the agency’s HQ… Solus had no idea what was going on in the City. It’s not hard to see the gap that occurs in their data.

But Solus realised they had an opportunity to escape… When a new person is brought in.

They noted that people seemed to be captured on a bi-weekly basis… Without seemingly ever missing that schedule.

All focus would be on the new recruit, with key agency workers all focused on decontamination and “training”.

Solus realised that’s when they must make their escape.

It just so happened… With how the timelines worked out… Thalia’s capture was the thing that set Solus free.

I need to let you know that that wasn’t written in the document, old sport. But Solus knew. The information to work it out was all there… They just didn’t want to write it down. They didn’t want it to be true.

[...]

But of course, Solus had to be discreet about having this information… The agency would have ‘recruited’ Solus in the first place because of all their data… Never mind their piles of documents being useful to them… They knew that Solus had known about them before their own recruitment. They knew that Solus had the power to shut them down.

And when Solus eventually did escape… To which I’ve still to figure out how… Even if they didn’t know where they lived… The agency could still eventually get their hands on Solus’ work… All of these documents… All of the data.

It would only make them more powerful. Knowing all of these things about the City… They’re the ones with an intelligent enough platform in the City to put Solus’ work to use in a much larger scale.

So large, I… It would allow them to overthrow the government and take over the City themselves.

Their ultimate goal. Fulfilled.

Now… I know what I need to do.

I need to take over for Solus.

Better yet…

I need to fight back.

[...]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #85:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[…]

Unbelievable… Solus…! They’re unbelievable!

Thalia’s file said she had been caught by cyborgs.

I know that’s not true. You know that’s not true, old sport… Unless this file really was abandoned after they broke up, and this is referring to something else…

But surely… Surely, Thalia would have shared that with me… Being caught by cyborgs? That’s a story she would have told me ten times over had she come out alive from it!

I digress. The file said cyborgs, so I had to find the file for the cyborgs.

And… Old sport… My God, you wouldn’t believe the size of it.

The cyborg document is essentially its own pile.

The last document in the ‘C’ area.

I could lie to you, old sport, and say it hasn’t taken me much time at all to go through it, but…

Well, other than the vow I made to you oh so long ago to be honest… It’s the furthest thing from the truth. I couldn’t lie about it if I tried.

I’m still at Solus’ place… Still reading through this absolute monster.

Once you get past the hundreds of front pages detailing each individual cyborg Solus has come in contact with, you then get onto the many… Many more pages of cyborg acts Solus has witnessed.

Of course, a lot of the time this includes Solus realising a lot of them are retreating to a similar place… That’s how they knew where their HQ was when we confronted them concerning the sinkholes.

Sometimes it’s random stories of cyborgs putting up campaign posters or trampling residents.

There was even a story of a cyborg following a rat into Solus’ place. Luckily for me, I had already heard of “Cyborg#1105” and their run-in with Solus from the first section.

[Sigh, a page turns]

It’s just… [page turns] Surely, if Thalia was ‘caught by cyborgs’, [page turns] you’d have something about that interaction here.

[Page turns]

It’s just getting tiring reading… Oh? Finally, a new section… Huh? “Human Cyborgs”...?

What does this even mean…? [Page turns]

Oh… My God.

[...]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #84:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[...]

Still in Solus’ place, old sport. You cannot imagine the number of files and documents Solus kept in the place. I promise, whatever you can imagine, double it… Triple it!

I found a whole other room. Multiple, even. The only documents in Solus’ main room were the ones they frequented, the ones that were in progress. It was all mostly sinkhole stuff, unsurprisingly.

The rooms are filled to the brim with pile after pile of papers and folders containing written data about the City and its residents. Coinveniently, they were alphabetised!

So tell me why, old sport, can I still not find anything about the agency!

Solus was captured by them, escaped from them. And I’m supposed to believe that they wrote nothing from that experience down?

I’ve checked all of the documents under ‘A’. Twice. I even checked the documents under T, just in case Solus was one of those… Odd people who would’ve sorted THE agency under T.

I’ll admit, old sport, I have found some interesting files in my search. Don’t worry, I’ll share some of the most peculiar.

Like… Ah, there’s a whole document on how many telephone boxes there are and which ones are haunted!

Oh, and weirdly enough, there’s this document called ‘A Previous Life?’ which lists random words… Apparently, these are some kinds of concepts and ideas that they seem to remember and can bring to mind, but have never seen in the City before…? Things like um… ‘squ-i-rels’ and… `floh-ers’? I’m not sure.

Oh-! You would find this funny, old sport, there’s a whole document about K’s various locations and set-up… How funny is that? And K called himself ‘Nightcrawler’, hah! He thought he was so sly… Believe it or not, since Solus never came into contact with him, he was just documented under ‘All Black Clothing - Locations.’ I was laughing for so long after I found it… I knew it was him immediately!

[Sighs] Nevertheless, still no sign of anything talking about the agency.

I know what you’re thinking, old sport… Yes, of course I looked at my own file. Not much in it, honestly! Mostly just notes about my calls before I actually met them. After that, they must’ve been too caught up in all the sinkhole business to really expand my file… I would’ve loved to have known what would’ve been said about me…

Oh… And, of course… I found Thalia’s file among the Ts… Believe it or not, it’s thinner than mine is…!

Must’ve not been the easiest break up…!

I actually… Didn’t read it… Not until now… Thought we could delve into it together, old sport! It’s not much of a long read after all…

[Paper rustles, page is turned over]

[Mumbling] Thalia… Age: unknown, well, yes… That goes for all of us… Appearance… Location… Status… Hold on. Status: caught by…? What?

[...]

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[universe-friday]

‼️NEW UNIVERSE FRIDAY PODCAST EP OUT NOW‼️

Time to receive some letters under the door while contemplating life's sudden lack of sinkholes.

Listen on Spotify now!

(Also on YouTube)

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #83:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening…

Phew, sorry about that last call, old sport.

Must’ve dozed off at some point… That’s embarrassing.

Oh! Sorry, yes, I don’t know how much you actually heard.

But I suppose I should give an update nevertheless.

I woke up to some pretty heavy footsteps approaching from behind me.

I sprang up and looked across the street to see the same scene as before… But, instead, the baseball bat had vanished.

I didn’t even need to look behind me.

I grabbed the bat and ripped it out of the attacker’s hands before spinning around, ready to give them a lesson.

I swung the bat back… And then… Nothing.

Because standing before me wasn’t just one of the agency’s goons.

Shielding her face with her hands… Not even screaming, or telling me to wait…

Thalia...

She exhaled, taking her hands from her face to the bat, grabbing it out of my hands while I stayed motionless, staring.

She immediately started to usher me out the door. Telling me I couldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be here, and how she told me this and told me that.

I listened to her, old sport, trust me, I did.

But not without asking her how she was here.

But all she said was that she wasn’t…

I asked her what she meant… Over and over, I asked her.

She told me, once again, not to look for her. To not come here again. They’re dangerous, they’re suspicious about me… They’re coming.

Then, she told me to wake up.

And I listened to her, old sport.

I woke up.

Sitting across from the shattered light, across from the baseball bat, the call still running.

I immediately started to pack up my things.

I don’t know how… And I don’t know why I trusted it… But I knew that wasn’t just another dream.

As soon as my set-up was packed up… A door, only a few meters away from the light, slammed open. I ducked under the short walls encasing the building’s roof. My heart was beating out of my chest.

I knew they knew I was here.

Thalia told me so.

But they didn’t know exactly where.

All because I packed up in time.

Phew… I think you’re all caught up now, old sport.

Oh, I’m in Solus’ place right now.

Weird choice… I know…

But considering it’s the only place I knew outside of the rooftops… I didn’t have much choice.

Solus didn’t tell me much about their time at the agency before… Well…

Fortunately for me, Solus always had data. And lots of it.

I’ll hop back on the frequency in a bit, old sport… I’ve got some reading to do.

[…]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #82:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[...]

[Yawns] Sorry, old sport. It’s been a little while since I got any beauty sleep… Hah…

Haven’t exactly been getting my eight hours a night recently… Well, if I’m honest, I haven’t gotten any hours for a few days.

It’s just… [Yawns]... I’ve been… Looking for whoever did that to the light… You know, Thalia and I's light…

That sounds like some kind of metaphor… I should write that down… Maybe…

What was I saying? [Yawns]... Right…

There’s no one here, Febru- Old sport.

There can’t be, they… If they were watching me, they would’ve already got me. Why… [Yawns]... Haven’t they gotten me?

Why am I still… [Yawns]... Here?

…

[Yawns]...

I just want… To go home…

But that’s… [Yawns]... Not where you are… February…

I’ll look to the stars for you… [Yawns]... 

Who am I… [Yawns]... Looking for again…?

I just… [Yawns]... Need to… [Yawns]

…

[Heavy breathing slowly turns into soft snores]

…

[Distant footsteps]

[...]

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[universe-friday]

‼️NEW EP OF UNIVERSE FRIDAY PODCAST OUT NOW‼️

The end of the sinkhole saga... Or at least, so Radio thinks...

Listen now on Spotify!

(And also YouTube!)

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #81:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[…]

I don’t know what to expect next for me, old sport. Well, I suppose I never have.

I wish to resume my mission to get out of the City, but… I’ve been left with no one…

Everyone… All of my contacts… They’re either dead or… Taken by the agency.

[Sighs] The agency…

I need to be honest with you, old sport.

I’m not currently at my usual set-up.

I… I know what Thalia told me when she left… I know she told me not to worry, not to look, not to fight… But, hell, you know what she was like when I last saw her… The look in her eyes, she… It’s as if she wanted me to help her, but… She couldn’t say it.

I’ll be honest, old sport, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

I thought… Well, if she couldn’t speak to me about the agency, then maybe… Maybe she had decided to use a different tactic… That light.

I’m currently at that old building across from it, the light Thalia used to convey messages to me from within the agency via Morse code.

I haven’t returned in months. The last I saw of this place was Thalia’s last message flashing over and over, “I will be okay,” “I will be okay,” “I will be okay.”

When I arrived, the light was the first thing I cared to know about. Was Thalia’s message still repeating itself, over and over?

It was hard not to notice immediately how dark it was.

The light was out.

It was then no surprise that it took me longer to notice the glass on the floor.

The bin sitting only just a meter away from the shattered light held a single, old-fashioned baseball bat.

There’s no other evidence left of this crime.

Which is why I’m still here tonight, old sport.

It must have been a member of the agency who did this, I’m sure of it.

Thalia’s only connection to me had been discovered and cut off. While, sure, we weren’t using it, it explains why Thalia was so unkempt at Solus’ burial…

They didn’t know it was no longer in use. They were punishing her for it… No wonder she couldn’t stay long. It’s a wonder she managed to leave at all.

No doubt that with knowing where the light is, they’ll be looking for the receiver of the messages.

This is why I’m here now: to make sure I catch them first.

[…]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #80:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[...]

I suppose I never truly said goodbye to Solus before they died… It’s a song I seem to be more and more familiar with these days.

But it feels far from appropriate to hold such a service for you, February.

After all, we may just see each other again.

I must tell you about this story I heard… One said to be of unrequited love and betrayal.

They say she seduced and betrayed her lover for self-gain. Called her greedy. Avaricious.

But it isn’t true.

There are always two people in this story. The woman and her lover.

Why must he be framed as the victim?

After all, he fell for her tricks; he knew exactly of what she was capable.

And when he wanted to prove his love, he was betrayed.

I would not say you have betrayed me, February. Far from it.

I know your tricks. I know of what you are capable.

Because they were never for me.

They were the tricks that fueled the flame. Your capabilities now charred by the fire.

You have left, February, oh so long ago… But you have not betrayed me.

I remain… Asleep on the floor, no men awaiting to capture me in your betrayal.

Yet, I feel your absence from beneath me, your breaths no longer fighting the silence.

I remain.

While you have not led me to my demise, February, I have proven my love many times, and yet I still await your call.

Waiting, I remain.

You have not betrayed me, no.

But you have left me in this empty room…

No one hidden, ready for my capture…

At least, perhaps, the company would have been nice…

But here I remain, alone, knowing that you did not run for greed, February.

You ran because you had to.

And that shall never be a betrayal to me.

[...]

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[universe-friday]

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. 　　　.   　　˚　　 do i dare disturb the universe? 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　　　.　　.　　 　✦

[universe-friday]

‼️NEW EPISODE OF UNIVERSE FRIDAY OUT NOW‼️

Fun, short, and very confusing episode of the Universe Friday podcast is out now!! Go listen and be confused!! Who doesn't like listening to dots and dashes over and over???

Listen on Spotify:

And YouTube!

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #79:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

She was there, old sport.

Me, Solus, in that sickening tank… and Thalia.

She… Her hair was just…

It was sitting past her shoulders, unlike what I had seen before.

Her usual chin-length bob was overgrown by the agency’s firm grasp on her.

Her hair still had several colours of faded dyes, mostly pink, but her natural roots were taking over from neglect. It was brown, until her ears.

The dark colour brought out that of her eyes too. Not only of her irises, but the circles underneath.

She looked miserable.

I wanted to ask her so many questions. Was this the agency’s doing? What had they done to her? Do they know she’s here? Do they know I’m here? …Do you still listen?

Instead, I kept my head low. Looking down into the six-foot deep hole I had just struggled to dig. It would only just about fit the tank. It still felt dishonourable to Solus.

I asked her one thing.

“Is there anything you would like to say?”

And in response, she said nothing. I just watched as a single tear dropped from her eyes. It’s then that she makes eye contact with me for the first time since she left months ago.

I saw it all in that moment. Her hair, her eyes, the exhaustion, the grief.

From a pocket, or perhaps simply she had it all this time, she holds a flower.

A black iris.

It pains me to see it be placed on top of the tank that has now become Solus’ casket, knowing now what the flower means.

Power. Strength. Rebellion.

And yet, it is buried with them.

Thalia gives me one final look. All-encompassing. Mysterious. Like a black iris.

One that almost begs for help. Yet also says I’m sorry.

And just as quickly as I saw her, she was gone.

And just as quickly as I saw them, they, too, were gone.

[...]

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[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #78:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[...]

Oh, and one other thing.

Unsurprisingly, the government has forbidden anyone from going to the crash site where Solus still resides.

Fortunately for us, old sport… That singular warning was all of the effort they decided to put into reinforcing those wishes.

I’ve visited… Every day since… Well, I’ll admit, old sport, I’ve been there every moment I’m away from this radio.

I haven’t had much sleep anyway. Why try to sleep away from the site when I could be there…?

Meanwhile, Solus just… Floats… Tauntingly… Even in death, I know they’re boasting about getting out of the City before me… As they wilt away endlessly with that peaceful smirk drawn across their face.

Each passing day, that smirk fades… And while they remain as peaceful as the day I first saw them in that tank, their face drops more and more with every passing look.

It’s a dishonesty. A disgrace. It’s an awful way to remember Solus for who they were.

I’m performing a burial.

The crash site has to be fixed anyway, and of course I would end up doing that anyway… What better an excuse to give Solus a respectful send off?

Not only is this a true funeral and celebration for Solus, it is an open invitation.

I keep thinking… Maybe there are others like Solus. Maybe there are people listening. Maybe you are not just an imaginary audience.

I want you to prove it.

If you are a Universe City citizen, and are currently listening - which you are, considering you are currently hearing my voice - I encourage you to come. Join me. I do not mean you any harm.

I just wish for solidarity in this cruel city.

We all need allies. Even Solus’ solitude failed to save them.

If you know what is good for you… Well…

I hope to see you there, old sport.

[...]

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