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androidcharles · 2 years

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So, remember when I promised some writing? Well, I managed to pull together the first chapter and HOPEFULLY it makes a little sense. I hope that you guys enjoy it, it's under the read more! I'll have an AO3 alternate link up soon, so for now, let me attempt to tell this story XD

Chapter Directory First (you are here) | Next ->

Six months ago, team Triple Threat managed to take down the Toppat Clan, the most nefarious criminal group in the world. Ever since then, they’ve been having fun on missions together, taking down criminal syndicates and mafia clans all across the country.

With Henry running his private investigation business from his home with Ellie’s help, they were able to sustain a healthy income, from working missions for the government to helping out in the neighborhood with some more fun deals.

Henry was pretty much the heart of the operation, with his clever observational skills and strange resourcefulness, he was able to pretty much pull solutions out of a hat (sometimes quite literally) as he often went through the front lines with the most strange and bizarre weapons yet. His inability to be contained, combined with an abnormal power that his friends have dubbed as “the sight”, he was practically unstoppable.

Ellie was Henry’s second in command and practically the wild card. She had keen observation skills as well, as well as some freaky trick to tell a liar from a truth teller. She was more calm and collected than Henry was, and while she wasn’t as resourceful, with her force powers and her fiery passion, she was almost as dangerous as Henry was. She was capable of coming up with more sound plans when Henry couldn’t come up with anything (or he was tied up with something).

Charles was the third member of the group, mostly responsible for transportation, but sometimes did some field work with the two. While Henry and Ellie were mostly know for their luck and passion, Charles was more of a ray of sunshine among the group, keeping optimistic as his friends often pummeled bad guys into submission, all while expertly piloting his helicopter (which was equipped with it’s own array of gadgets). He was also an android as well, not built by the government, but by someone else entirely.

In the six months that the group got together, they’ve been through thick and thin, through arguments and through peril and sometimes even narrowly avoiding deadly situations. Despite their ups and downs however, things were starting to heat up once again, just as it was as the frost from late winter was starting to thaw the ice around town.

It all started when Charles and Ellie were watching TV, Charles mindlessly eating crayons while sitting at the low table while Ellie laid on the couch, flipped through the channels, not really paying attention to what was on.

“Charles, what are you up to?” Ellie said as she set down the remote, finally settling on watching some mindless cartoon.

“Hm?” Charles turned around to look at Ellie, two crayons stuck between his lips as Ellie suddenly giggled.

“Look at you. Mind if I have some?” she joked.

“Only if you want. I have to warn you though, the yellow ones aren’t as good,” Charles said as Ellie chuckled, standing up and stretching

“I’ll just head to the kitchen and get some chips.”

“I want some too!”

“Alright.” Charles kept munching on his crayons as he pondered his circumstances. He was quite happy with his life; it’s not like he could complain. He had good friends who understood what he was and he was happy, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel this longing, like something in his gut was trying to tell him something.

Ellie emerged from the corner, rattling a nearly empty bag of chips.

“We’re pretty much almost out,” Ellie said, “Your chips are gone too, you know.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot I ate them all… even the bag,” Charles said as he stood up and stretched before stopping himself. He wasn’t sure why he picked up the habit of doing it, but it kind of made him feel more human.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“I’m going to get some more. I don’t mind.”

“Uh, OK. Just be careful out there. Don’t stay out too long. And don’t get me any cheese flavor either!” Ellie shouted.

“Alright, I’m off than!” Pulling on his signature jacket, he raced out of the apartment.

Ellie smiled as she continued to watch TV. The light outside of their apartment grew dim as Henry walked into the living room, tipping his head to the side as Ellie lay back on the couch watching TV.

WHERE IS CHARLES? Henry signed at Ellie as she looked up from the TV.

“He went on a chip run… He’s been gone a while, so maybe he’s getting a few groceries or taking a detour” Ellie said, suddenly sitting up, “Whoa, wait a minute, has he been gone for… three hours now?”

“WHAT!?” Henry shouted as he suddenly bolted towards the door. Slamming it open, he scanned the environment for any sign of him coming up the street as Ellie joined him.

“Look, I didn’t notice, I got all caught up I’m sorry!” Ellie shouted.

DOESN’T MATTER. WHERE DID HE GO? Henry asked.

“Any store nearby sells the chips that we like. Maybe you can go look for clues?!” Henry grabbed his sling backpack and hoisted it on before sprinting off into the early evening air, leaving Ellie with a sick feeling in her stomach as she walked towards the TV, changing the channel to get her mind off of her friend being missing.

“And in other news, the mysterious robber with a top hat on is still at large as police reports show that the robber is a young girl with curly hair and piercing blue eyes. She seems to carry an arsenal of weapons on her person which makes her seem as big of a threat as a certain criminal that had been hitting the scene not too long ago. We also have eye witness reports confirm that she may be a member of the now defunct Toppat Clan, who was arrested by said criminal and his companions about six months ago.”

“Toppat Clan?” Ellie muttered, turning up the TV.

“In our other top story today, an assortment of computer parts and other technology has gone missing from several computer stores and labs across the area. Government officials have been assigned to the case, however, every trail and lead they follow comes up cold. All clues seem to be red herrings and many investigators are wondering if this should be considered a cold case. Many have suspected that this is work of crypto terrorists, but it is very unlikely, considering last years ban of crypto mining across the area. Now for the weather for the next few days, we turn to-”

Ellie turned off the TV at that moment, wondering in the back of her mind what this all meant. Maybe the whole computer store robberies were connected to Charles? After all, he was an android, so he had to have some sort of advanced technology within him. Just what exactly was keeping him alive, anyway?

But than there was this Toppat girl. Hadn’t they arrested all the Toppats? Was there a loose string that they hadn’t worried about until now connecting back to them? Maybe a secret group that was planning on bringing them back or something? Ellie felt like she needed to organize her thoughts. She got out a notebook, her phone, and dug up a map of Stickburg from their office, along with some string and some pins so she could start doing some research.

About thirty minutes later, she was no closer to finding out the truth. She had managed to stick a pin in every place that had been robbed and there didn’t seem to be much of a connection. Every major news story (and most minor) had pretty much gone on to explain how either the girl with the top hat had gotten away with much of a trace or there were no clues connecting them to whoever was doing the electronic robberies. And any clues that seemed to exist were just dead ends.

“Why weren’t we given this case I wonder? Maybe it’s because it wasn’t serious enough?” Ellie muttered as she wrote a couple more things down, “But over two million dollars of computer were stolen in the last two weeks… that has to qualify as something, right?” She did some hacking to access the security footage from these places, maybe they could lead to some clues, but apparently, most of the footage seem to have been tampered with. So even that was a cold trail.

“What are you doing?” She jumped as Henry stared down at her hunched over the low table, his eyes worried as she sighed.

“I’m just trying to figure this out…” Ellie said softly, “I was watching the news and I guess our government friends didn’t think that telling us about how a bunch of computer stores were getting robbed was worth talking about.”

I SAW. MAYBE THEY DIDN’T THINK IT WAS WORTH THE TROUBLE, Henry said, BUT IF CHARLES WERE HERE HE COULD PROBABLY FIGURE IT OUT. Ellie suddenly felt bad for letting Charles leave by himself. Especially with all the tech robberies happening. But that wasn’t important right now.

“Any leads on that front?” Ellie asked cautiously. Henry shook his head.

CHECKED THREE STORES THAT CARRY OUR FAVORITES. TWO SAID THEY HAVEN’T SEEN HIM AND ONE SAID THAT HE LEFT THE STORE TWO HOURS AGO. VERY SUSPICIOUS.

“Earlier today, I did kinda make fun of him… you don’t think he ran away because of me do you?” Ellie placed her heads in her hands, trying not to cry as Henry wrapped his arm around her shoulder reassuringly.

“No no no…” Henry said softly. Ellie sighed as she looked up at him.

HE TENDS TO LET THINGS KINDA ROLL OFF HIS BACK. I THINK HE WAS KIDNAPPED… NOT THE CONCLUSION I WANT TO DRAW BUT… Henry had a sort of worried look on his face as Ellie felt even worse. Maybe she should have gone with him. Maybe she could have protected him from whatever had kidnapped him or hurt him.

“With all the tech robberies happening in the area, he might have been kidnapped. Though, he tends to blend in pretty well, so if someone noticed he was an android, they’d have to spend a lot of time with him. Remember when we didn’t know he was android?” Ellie and Henry chuckled, remembering how nervous as he told them, worried that they wouldn’t treat him the same way.

YEAH... CHARLES IS REALLY SWEET AND THE IDEA OF SOMEONE HURTING HIM… Henry grabbed a pencil and snapped it in half, his eyes filled with an indescribable rage.

“Calm down! Geez… I like him a lot too, but if we act irrationally than we’re gonna end up getting hurt,” Ellie said, “Let’s start by retracing his steps. We need to go back to the store he was last seen at and see if there are any clues that might lead to our kidnapper…”

After a quick wardrobe change and clean up, the two of them set off into the night, hoping they could find something, anything to save their friend.

- - - - -

“This is interesting…”

In an underground lair, about fifty feet under the surface, there was a group of people gathered around a now restricted Charles, who was gagged with duct tape as he tried to access his weapons (or anything that could harm them really). Unfortunately, he had been put into something his dad had installed a long time ago, back when he was still being repaired and researched; a thing called Safe Mode, which was essentially like a block that would prevent him from accessing his weapons. Normally this would be activated under extreme circumstances, but the fact they knew about it only concerned him.

“Very interesting indeed. Project SAI knew what they were doing, hm?” A tall man with average looking hair and very nerdy spectacles perched over his face giggled as he turned towards Charles, who only flinched.

This bastard is super lucky I can’t access my weapons right now… or hack… or do anything useful… Charles began to wonder if he was ever going to find a way out of here. It was so strange, one minute he was heading towards his apartment in the hopes that Ellie wouldn’t mind baked barbecue chips and the next he was being grabbed and dragged into alleyway before his mind suddenly went blank.

He must have been turned off, but how? Only he could really turn himself off and reboot himself.

“Sir, don’t you think we should more concerned about whether or not the government figures out he’s missing? After all, he could have sent out a distress signal before he was put into force shut down,” one of the nearby henchmen spoke up.

“I wouldn’t worry so much Theodore. His logs indicate that he was only a state of panic before he even so much could send a signal,” the boss said, towering over Charles as he shook, looking down shamefully.

Why didn’t I think of that? Charles thought as the boss turned towards his henchmen, who were all hunched over tables playing some kind of game of sorts. Most of them were playing different games of varying nerdiness, but most of them were just talking amongst themselves, working on different projects.

The duct tape was suddenly ripped off of his mouth as he cringed, narrowing his eyes at this new enemy.

“Alright, now that I can finally talk… who are you?” Charles asked.

“I am Wendell Carrier. I’m the technological genius behind the smart tech used for Carrier Tech, a company that prides itself on it’s doorbells… at least I was until it was found out I was selling information to criminals…”

“Wendell… you’ve been our lists forever! What the heck is wrong with you, why did you kidnap me?!” Charles shouted.

“Because as far as things are concerned, there’s only two working Project SAI androids in this area and you’re the next best thing. After all, that second one is a bit slippery… Than again most Toppats are,” Wendell said.

“Wait, Toppat? All the Toppats were arrested a long time ago. They were sent to the Wall…” Charles muttered, “And they’re an android? What are the Toppats doing with an android!?”

“You ask a lot of questions for a super computer,” Wendell muttered as he started to type on his own computer.

“Super computer? I’m just an average android, I’m not built to-”

“And you have more pirated games than a poor college student.”

“Uh, those aren’t mine, I don’t pirate things, that’s illegal.”

“Than how come they’re in a folder that says ‘Pirated Video Games?’”

“Because I got them from pirates! And also the internet,” Charles said, winking at Wendell as he made a sort of agitated face at him.

“Maybe he has some kind of mental suppressor on him. Like Wheatley from Portal,” Theodore said as he and a few other people crowded next to Wendell to observe the screen.

“Oh, you did not just compare me to that idiot…” Charles muttered, as he tapped his fingers on the arm rests and suddenly looked down to notice that there were several wires coming out of his fingers.

“What the hell… OK, what the heck are you planning?!” Charles shouted.

“No mental suppressors… I guess he’s just a moron,” Wendell said, “Well, I’m not happy that you asked, because it’s a bit complicated and you might get lost considering your mental capacity.” “Try me nerd.”

“Fine. Using as simple terms as I can, we’ve been robbing several tech stores and laboratories in the area to procure their technology just so we can create the ultimate super computer! With it, we’ll be able to hack any database in America, nay, the world and get more much needed cash for our more… hostile projects…”

“And we’ll also be able to get infinite ethereum! It’ll be great!” one of the nerds piped up as the others cheered.

“Uh, news flash, but crypto mining is illegal in this state!” Charles shouted.

“Not for long. After all, they say that buying politicians is much more efficient than killing them…” Wendell said.

“OK, so whatever, you managed steal millions of dollars worth of processors, hard drives, and power cores in order to power your super computer of death or whatever. I don’t care. Because I don’t understand where I come in in all this.”

“You’re the key component. We’ve been trying for the past few months to try to contact the old Project SAI scientists in the small hopes that we can get their secrets. But since they don’t seem to be out there, the next best thing we can do is kidnap one of the androids and use their parts to make our super computer completely and utterly perfect!” Charles felt sort of queasy (or at least he thought it was queasy) as he started to try to fight the restraints.

“Wait, you’re just gonna take me apart!?” Charles shouted.

“And, of course, wipe your memories.”

“WHAT!? YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT!!” Charles screamed, struggling to get out of the restraints.

“I can and I will… No one will be able to stop us after all,” Wendell said.

“I have two friends who will be happy to rip off your stupid glasses, give you the wedgie of a lifetime, and shove you into the smallest locker possible you stupid NERD!” Charles shouted.

“Ah, such harsh words! But words and nothing more. I mean seriously, you can’t send a distress signal, you can’t communicate, you can’t even access your weapons. Do you really think that they’ll be able to save you?” Wendell said.

“They could probably hear me screaming if I shouted loud enough!”

“Good point. Gag him again. I don’t need to here him whine anymore.” Theodore pulled out a roll of duct tape as Charles whimpered, hoping that Ellie and Henry would burst through the door any minute now to save him.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Ellie and Henry were walking down alleyways, searching for any signs of Charles, the kidnappers, or anything that could lead them to him. But so far, there was nothing that could be found.

“Any luck?” Ellie asked. Henry shook his head as he leaned against a street lamp, looking up at the sky.

“Geez, this is ridiculous. What kind of criminals are able to clear their tracks so quickly? We could do a full town sweep, but who knows how long that would take. He could be hurt or dead by the time we find him,” Ellie said.

“NO!” Ellie jumped as Henry grabbed Ellie’s shoulder, a fearful look in his eyes as he shook his head.

“We’re gonna find him OK? Us finding him dead is only a worst case scenario…” Ellie looked down the alleyway again and suddenly noticed something.

“Hey, what’s this?” Ellie said, “I must have missed this when I was checking the alleyway… It’s a business card for an office building on Tenth Street in downtown… Maybe it could be a lead?”

YOU SAID THAT ALL LEADS HAVE BEEN SHADY UP TO THIS POINT. ARE YOU SURE? Henry said.

“We’re just gonna have to take the risk. Let’s jet.”

It was at times like this they really took Charles for granted. Having to get to downtown on foot was really starting to take a toll and Charles was the only one with a valid drivers license (considering how many counts of DUIs and attempted vehicular manslaughter Henry had on his record and of course Ellie’s fear of operating cars itself).

About an hour later, they finally managed to make it to the address in question, only to find a locked office building.

“We’re gonna have to break in. This is our territory now. How should we get in?” Ellie asked Henry.

How should we get in? Henry’s eyes lit up as he considered the options. He could use a laser to cut a hole in the glass door and they could slide in…

But apparently, his sight was telling him otherwise as the laser became unwieldy, cutting him and Ellie in half.

Well that’s not gonna work… an explosion maybe? A compact explosion device attached to one of the walls… that would cause the entire wall to crumble down on top of them. Not good.

Maybe you should have backed up a little!

Quiet you, Henry thought to himself as he thought of his other options. A grappling hook could work. Sneak in from the top. So far nothing in his sight had told him this was a horrible idea. It was either that or use the teleporter… and he didn’t even need his sight to know that was a terrible idea.

He quickly pulled two grappling hooks from his backpack and handed one off to Ellie as he launched his towards the top of the building. They scaled to the top of the building, ascending to the top as they scanned the rooftop for any openings.

“Henry, there’s a vent over here!” Ellie shouted, “C’mon let’s go!” Henry followed Ellie as he carefully climbed down the vents with her before she kicked down a grate, landing them both in an ordinary office, with a cubicle and everything.

“Charles!?” Ellie shouted.

“Ellie!” Henry shout whispered.

“Oh right…” Ellie said.

LET’S HEAD DOWNSTAIRS, Henry signed at Ellie, MAYBE WE CAN FIND SOMETHING DOWN THERE.

After taking the nearest elevator to the bottom floor, they entered the lobby, looking around to see if there was anything suspicious around.

“Hello?” they heard someone say. They jumped and turned to see a person with a mop bucket staring intently at them.

“Are you guys robbing the place?”

“No, we’re here to see if we can find our friend…” Ellie said.

“Oh, well there some dudes way downstairs doing some stuff. They were carrying a guy towards the elevator before they went down there…”

“WAIT, how did they get down there?!” Ellie shouted.

“I don’t know, I just work here. You think I know everything?” the janitor muttered as he went into another room.

“The elevator… we’ve gotta find a way to get down there!” Ellie shouted, “But how…”

“Hmm…” Henry now had to consider their options again.

Explosives… no, we can’t have a repeat of last time. The elevator will come down and warn whoever is down there of their presence.

The Opacticitator Mk III… odd that it’s three, but apparently, it’s supposed to make everything between them pass through… unfortunately the whole buidling comes down with them. What the heck is wrong with Gadget Gabe?

Maybe that’ll be fixed with the Mk IV…

I sure hope so. What else can I do? Crowbar… seems a bit simple, but maybe the elevator had gone up by now. He pulled a crowbar out of his pockets and with Ellie’s help was able to pry the door open. Ellie pulled out the grappling hook and shot at the top of the elevator shaft before grasping Henry tightly and descending down into the shaft. They began to hear voices as they went lower and lower before Ellie stopped, their feet hitting solid ground. They were on top of the elevator.

Using the crowbar, Henry pulled open the maintenance door and slipped inside with Ellie, who followed him diligently as they pried the elevator doors open.

“Wha… INTRUDERS!”

“Shit!” Ellie muttered under her breath, “We’ve got company!”

And what can we do about that… Henry had another choice and so did Ellie. Maybe Ellie could use some tranquilizer while he used a boomerang!

The boomerang would bounce towards their adversaries and towards Ellie… tranquilizing him in the process.

Yeah that’s not gonna work. I’ll use the crowbar from earlier and Ellie uses a grenade. Ellie would throw the grenade as he… charges at them and explodes with them…

Watch where you’re going!

I’m trying to!

Maybe the crowbar from earlier while Ellie tranquilizes them. He could intimidate them while Ellie fires the tranquilizer at them. It had to work. Henry grabbed the crowbar and made a scary face while Ellie aimed the tranquilizer gun at the two now frightened nerds. Ellie charged forward and gave them a good kick while high-fiving Henry in the process.

They headed down the hall towards another room where they saw Charles tied up, obviously struggling against his bonds.

“There’s an intruder!” one of them shouted.

“Ugh, it smells like a Smash Brothers convention in here…” Ellie said.

“WHERE’S CHARLES!?” Henry shouted.

“Oh boy, this again…”

Wendell stepped out of the shadows, a sort of annoyed look on his face as Ellie and Henry jumped down to the floor, Ellie landing perfectly on her feet and Henry landing flat on his face. He got up just in time to see the obvious nerd towering over them.

“Who are you?!” Ellie shouted.

“I already explained everything to the android. Maybe he could fill you in. Oh, he couldn’t… because his memories are getting erased in about… I’d say twenty minutes,” Wendell said.

“YOU’RE GONNA WHAT?! Oh now you’re just asking for it...” Ellie said, cracking her knuckles. Henry was already reaching into his sling backpack and pulling out a couple of things that could hurt them as Wendell started to laugh.

“As if your intellect is anything compared to ours. Yes sure you may have brawn, but when it comes to fighting, brains are where it’s at. His memories will be gone before you can even-”

“SHUT UP NERD BEFORE I GIVE YOU A WEDGIE!” Ellie forced pushed Wendell into a group of nerds before force picking him up again as he begged for mercy. Using her force powers, she gave him an atomic wedgie, causing him to shriek as he fell to the ground. Charles giggled from his position as the other nerds started to charge towards them.

“Henry take care of these losers, I’m gonna help Charles out!” Ellie shouted. Henry gave the thumbs up as he charged towards the group, his eyes glowing as he pulled an Ore Club out of his back pack and charged a super tornado towards the group, causing them to fall back even more as Henry looked to Ellie, who was calming Charles down.

“Charlie, it’s gonna be OK. We’re gonna detach you from all this and you’ll be fine…” Ellie said softly as she removed the duct tape from his mouth.

“Ellie, I need you to turn off Safe Mode,” Charles said.

“What? You have that? Why?”

“Just turn it off. On the computer over there. Once I’m no longer in Safe Mode, I can take care of the rest. I can override the memory erasing and maybe even teach these idiots a lesson as well,” Charles said.

“Uh, OK, hold on…” Ellie said, running towards the computer and typing away as Henry stood over the group. Henry ran towards the two, getting ready to protect them while fighting off a couple of other goons, standing in position and getting ready to attack.

“DO SOMETHING!!” Wendell shouted as a couple of nerds rose up and charged at him. Henry flipped one over while taking the other and spinning him around before flinging him against the wall. Silently thanking Ellie for pressuring him into learning how to really fight, he put his fists up for the next opponent.

“WELL!?”

“He’s too scary!”

“And strong!”

“I DON’T CARE! Just go stop that girl than!” Wendell shouted.

“You’re too late! I’ve already got it! Charles you should be able to-”

“Already taking care of it…” Charles said as he undid the clasps on his hands before aborting the memory erasing process. He pulled the wires from his fingers as he finally sat up.

“Are you OK?” Ellie said as Charles ran towards her.

“Never better…”

“Freeze!” Wendell shouted. He was holding a laser gun in his hands, rage and fury on his face as Charles put himself in front of Ellie to protect her.

“What the hell do you want?!” Charles shouted, “You’ve already lost, so you’d better get out of here before the place blows.”

“WHAT?!” Ellie and Henry shouted.

“Uh, yeah, I activated the self destruct sequence while you were busy with Henry,” Charles said.

“Charles, that’s not a smart idea!” Ellie screamed at him.

“Oh… shoot well… I thought it was a good idea… I can’t undo it now GAH!!” Charles suddenly collasped, clutching his stomach as Wendell and the others ran out of the building, clear panic in their voices as Wendell turned towards the three.

“Mark my words, you bullies, we’ll be back! Along with that nefarious group the Toppat Clan as well!” Wendell cried out.

“How do you know that!?” Ellie shouted.

“Statistics! Farewell!” Wendell shouted as the two of them ran towards Henry.

“Henry, we have two minutes before the place goes! We need a plan now!” Charles shouted.

I’m not losing my friend in an explosion again… Henry thought as he considered their options. Going up the elevator seemed like a bad idea and using the escape hatch that those jerks were using seemed like a worse idea.

Suddenly a chunk of the ceiling came down, leaving a hole that led upwards a little.

“ELLIE!” Henry shouted, pointing up at the hole. She nodded her as she aimed the grappling hook up to the ceiling. Charles’ arm turned into a grappling hook, doing the same as Ellie grabbed onto Henry and pulled them up through the ceiling. There were several computer parts sparking and popping as they ran through the room before finding a maintenance shaft that looked to lead up to the surface.

“Charles you go first!” Henry shouted.

“Maybe I should-” Charles started before Ellie pushed him. “Don’t argue with him!” Ellie shouted before heading up the ladder herself. Henry managed to pull himself up about halfway up the ladder before he heard a loud explosion and was suddenly rocketed up into the air. He had about five seconds to figure something out…

He pulled out a bottle of Insta-Gelatin and squirted it towards the ground before falling face first into it, gradually swimming through it before he face planted onto the concrete, letting out a sigh of relief. He was safe… but more importantly his friends were safe.

“Henry, is it OK if I eat this stuff?” Charles suddenly asked as Henry pulled himself up.

“Charles, you don’t know… wait… never mind, go ahead do whatever you want,” Ellie muttered as another explosion rocked the ground, “But maybe you should take some to go so we can get out of here…”

“Well, my pockets are empty… HEY MY POCKET PANCAKES ARE GONE! What the heck!?” Charles shouted.

“Yeah, we should get out of here…” Henry muttered as he took their hands and ran towards an alley as they heard sirens in the distance.

- - - - -

“In a strange top story tonight, last nights explosion in downtown Stickburg was the result of the new criminal organization know as the N.E.R.Ds. The Nefarious Evildoers in Robotics and Destruction had made their base in an office building in the downtown area before it was destroyed by an unknown force. Investigators are hoping they can trace where these criminals have gone as the search continues.” Ellie muted the TV as Charles looked down innocently.

“That’s why it was a bad idea to self destruct the base,” Ellie said.

“Sorry Ellie, I should have asked you before I blew the whole place up. I figured if I could destroy their super computer, they wouldn’t be able to do much. But something tells me they’re probably gonna build another one anyway. Hopefully without my parts this time…” Charles muttered.

“You know, something about what the leader of that group said is bothering me… The Toppat Clan is going to make a return?” Ellie said.

THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE. I REDIRECTED THE ROCKET TO LAND IN THE WALL. NO TOPPAT COULD HAVE ESCAPED FROM THAT IN TIME.

“Yeah, but there have been sightings of a girl in a Toppat top hat with an impossible arsenal of weapons was robbing banks in the area… who are they I wonder?”

“Are there any clear pictures of her online? It could be Carol Cross or the Witch or Matilda Ivy…” Charles said, his eyes scanning a UI that only he could see.

“Hmm… there are a couple of pictures. This is the clearest one so far…” Ellie said as she placed her phone on the low table. The other two sat down on either side of her to look at the photo.

“Curly dark black hair, blue eyes… she’s wearing a top hat too…” Charles said, “What are those things on her head?”

“Communication devices from the looks of things…” Ellie said, “But she works alone… who is she contacting?”

MAYBE SOME REMAINING MEMBERS? Henry guessed.

“Maybe we should keep an eye on her just in case…” Charles said.

“Good point. We’ll start following the cases right away,” Ellie said,

“Yeah, definitely. So, are you sure that none of the Toppats escaped?” Charles said.

“We’ll have to take Henry’s word for it,” Ellie said.

“Well, there’s escape pods on the rocket right? Maybe some of them used one of those…” Charles said.

“Escape pods don’t work if they’re not in space, Charles,” Ellie said.

“I’m pretty sure it would work.” Henry’s head suddenly perked up as Ellie rolled her eyes at Charles.

“I’m pretty sure escape pods only work in space, Charles.”

“That’s not how it works Ellie! You can use an escape pod anytime you want!”

“GUYS!” Henry shouted as Charles and Ellie paused their argument.

THE LAND LINE IS RINGING.

“Another government call. It’s gonna be another busy night. Shall we?” Ellie asked.

“Alright, let’s go!” Charles shouted as they headed into the office.

- - - - -

Across town, a girl walked into an abandoned building, looking around suspiciously as her eyes wandered towards Wendell, who was busy messing with a portable touch screen monitor.

“Hello again, Amelia…” Wendell said, “We’re holding up our end of the deal… but you didn’t seem to hold up yours. We know that you’re the one who led those investigators to our hiding place…”

“You have no proof of that…” Amelia said.

“Oh come on, it’s obvious. You wouldn’t let us use your technology and we noticed that that other android had the same specs as you,” Wendell said, “It’s only fair.”

“I didn’t know there was another android in Stickburg, much less the same android I’ve convinced myself is dead all these years…” Amelia said, “But the fact that you were willing to kill him and try to strip him for parts was sickening…”

“You do realize that if you cut this deal, we won’t be able to help your comrades escape from the Wall, correct? You need us. Just like we need you. After all, if it wasn’t for your tech-y friend, we wouldn’t have found this new hiding place.”

“Just stay away from him. I’m pretty sure you can build a working super computer without his parts,” Amelia said.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Wendell said as Amelia threw a big cardboard box onto the ground.

“That is every known document, every single detail about Project SAI, how their androids were made and of course, every single thing you need to know to build the things that they were capable of making,” Amelia said, “Don’t go too crazy. We don’t need another Project SAI on our hands.”

“Well, don’t mind if I-” Wendell suddenly flinched as Amelia put her foot over the box.

“Ah ah ah… first you have to swear that you will not hurt the other android,” Amelia said.

“He’s a government dog, why do you care?” Wendell said.

“Why do you?” Wendell pursed his lips as he looked at the box, than back to Amelia before letting out a sigh.

“No promises… especially if he tries to attack us,” Wendell said.

“Fine. I’ll agree to those terms,” Amelia said, “I have to go. My… tech friend needs me.”

“Whatever. Thanks for the information!” Wendell said as Amelia closed the door behind her. She walked down the alleyways before coming to a stop at an apartment building, scanning the environment around her before hiding out. She watched as Ellie, Henry, and Charles ran out, talking excitedly among each other as they headed towards the garage. She watched Charles carefully as she gripped one of the branches tightly.

“Charles… no… Unit CC… I’ve finally found you.”

#the henry stickmin collection #henry stickmin #charles calvin #ellie rose #stickmin oc #fanfic #fanfiction #the narrators stories #katie's stick drawings #the N.E.R.D arc starts now :3c

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magicianheroesau2023 · 1 year

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Here's a story to start the Sickly Toxin Arc cuz i can :3 (Also this contains swearing words)

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With Trixie (Or Trixelia).

Trixie: *Extremely angry about the situation* AGHHH!!!!! This is JUST great! Now i have to deal up with 9 fucking magician heroes! I should've kill the damn thorn when i had the FUCKING CHANCE!

Demon slave: My queen?

Trixie: Agh, what is it?! Can't you see I'm in the middle of a "letting all my anger out" moment!?

Demon slave: Ah yes my queen, i understand that you are extremely upset about the situation with the magician heroes, but... The scientists wants a word with you.

Trixie: The scientists? Welp, tell them to come, but it better be important!!

Demon slave: Yes my queen. *Leaves the room*

Trixie: ... (💭Even tho i act rude and mean to my creations, i still love them because they're like my children...)

Two demon scientists enter the room, one of them was holding something that was like a liquid, but a very toxic one.

Demon scientist #1: My queen we have good news and bad news.

Trixie: I don't usually trust in good news but... Care to tell me the good news?

Demon scientist #2: immediately my Queen. *Shows the liquid* You see this liquid my Queen?

Trixie: Yeah? And?

Demon scientist #2: Well this is not an ordinary liquid, it's an virus!

Trixie: Really?

Demon scientist #1: Yeah! Plus this virus was created only for the magician heroes.

Trixie: What does THAT mean exactly?

Demon scientist #2: Well I'm glad you ask my Queen! If this virus is injected in any magician hero, it will quickly spread into it's body, damaging all it's body systems except for the digestive one.

Demon scientist #1: And when he said "damaging" it means that the victims entire body will become super tired and extremely weak! Unable to fight back or move! What do you think my Queen?

Trixie: Well... I think it's BRILLIANT! You two are some fucking geniuses! With that virus i can easily debilitate all the magician heroes! Right?

Demon scientist #2: W-well... That's the bad new my Queen...

Trixie: Huh?

Demon scientist #1: You see... The virus's formula was not very easy to make... And we only manage to make enough for injected into one magician hero...

Trixie: Only one? Seriously?

Demon scientist #1: Y-yeah... We're very sorry if you don't like it...

Trixie: What? No! I DO like it! This is perfect for the magician heroes! And i know who exactly eject the virus into, prepare my axes, I'll go by myself, also, but the virus in one of my arrows, I'll set up a trap for those damn magician heroes, and once they're all concentrated in the fight, I'll shot the virus into... Henry Stickmin.

Demon scientist #2: The leader of the Magician Heroes?? That's genius my Queen!

Trixie: Yeah, i am, now get to work! I'll get myself ready.

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With Henry and the others.

Henry: Everything alright Caissy?

Caissy: Y-yeah all good... I'm just scared of suddenly becoming the new head of the CCC...

Binta: Hey don't worry Cai-Cai, i know everything will be fine, we'll avenge Mr. Bullet and the General, their deaths won't be in vain!

Charles: Yeah, she's right!

Kendall: Plus, we all have each other, we'll do this together.

Dave: H-he's right.

Ellie: Yeah!

Rupert: I won't let the general to be forgotten like that, his memory will lie with us.

Heidi: I agree!

Caissy: *Sniffs* Thanks guys...

CCC employer: Miss Caissy!! Magician heroes!! Trixelia is attacking us!!

Heidi: Really?? Man i forgot the last time when she attacked!

Kendall: Me too.

Henry: That doesn't matter! We have to stop her!

Everyone: Yeah!

Caissy: *Looks at Rupert* Rupert, Darling, are you ready to be in one of these battles?

Rupert: And let you all have the fun without me? I'm ready to do this!

Henry: Great! Magician heroes! Transform!

They all grabbed their magical collars and transform into their magician heroes forms.

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(Just pretend they're transforming by this video sequence)

youtube

Also Incase you forgot about the magician heroes form, here they are + Rupert's magician hero form:

Henry:

Binta (Oc):

Charles:

Dave:

Ellie:

Heidi:

Kendall:

Caissy:

Rupert:

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Henry: Great! Now let's go!

Everyone: Yeah!!

All the magician heroes went out side the building to comfort Trixelia, who was waiting for them with a trap.

Trixie: Well~ Well~ Long time no see Magician Heroes~ And i see you have a new member~ Pathetic.

Henry: Quit it Trixelia! Your days of terrorizing Stick City are over!

Dave: Yeah! You are going down!

Ellie: We the magician heroes are gonna beat you to death!

Binta: She's right!

Trixie: Ugh whatever, is not like I'm going down THAT easy, and i also heard that the old man and the bald guy are no longer with ya! Ha ha! They were pathetic humans anyway.

Charles: Don't. Talk. Shit. Of the general like that!!

Caissy: Yeah!! And don't talk shit about Mr Bullet either!!

Trixie: Oh please, is not like they were like a parental picture for you guys.

Charles and Caissy: THEY DID WERE LIKE A PARENTAL PICTURE FOR US!!!!???

Trixie: Ugh whatever, it's a lot better having no one around except for your beloved creations who are very loyal to you.

Henry: Is that really so? Staying alone with your damn creations than being surrounded by friends??

Trixie: Well yeah! Friends are nothing more than a waste of time! You don't get to nothing with them!

Ellie: I prefer more dying with my friends than dying alone like you!

Trixie: Well then. *Summons an army of demons* Let's see if you guys can defeat my army of demons. Get them my creations!!

Demon army: YES OUR QUEEN!!!

Henry: Magician Heroes! Let's do this!!

The others: Yeah!!!

Trixie: (💭Now i have to wait for the perfect moment~).

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The battle was going very rough, but Henry and his friends were winning because they already killed a huge part of the army of demons (there were only 5 demons left), but what everyone was not expecting was an plan that Trixelia had planned.

Trixie: *Notices that all the magician heroes are completely focus on the battle* (💭Heh heh, now's the perfect time to do this).

Trixelia grabbed her bow with an arrow that had the syringe containg the virus and got herself ready to shot it to it's victim.

Trixie: *Pointing to Henry with the bow* (💭Stay still you fucking ex-criminal light guy!) *Notices that Henry is still fighting the demons but he's not looking at her* (💭Perfect! Now's my chance!)

Trixelia shot the arrow with the syringe containg the virus and this one hit Henry, causing the syringe to inject the virus immediately into his body.

Trixie: (💭Yes!!)

Henry: OW!

Ellie: Henry are you okay??

Henry: Y-yeah I'm good, i just got shoot in the head. *Rubs his head*

Charles: That's good bro..

Trixie: Well he won't be good for a while fellas~

Ellie: Why on earth are you asking that??

Henry: *Feels dizzy* G-guys? W-why is the world spinning?

Henry after saying he transform back into his normal self and then he immediately collapse but Ellie and Charles grab him before he hit himself on the floor.

Charles and Ellie: HENRY!!!

Ellie: A-are you alright Henry?? Please answer!!

Charles: Guys Henry collapse!!

Binta: He's What!!??

Dave: N-no way!!

Caissy: What!??

Heidi: Oh no!!

Kendall: Shit!

Rupert: W-what!?? How!!??

Charles: We don't know! Trixelia shot him with an arrow and he started to feel dizzy!

Caissy: *Sees the arrow with the syringe in Henry's head* Oh no... It was not only an arrow... It was with an syringe with some kind of poison liquid!

Everyone: WHAT!!???

Trixie: That's right~ With the genius of my minions i manage to poison your friend with a virus~ He won't be able to fight back or move~

Ellie: Grrrr!! You little bitch!!!

Trixie: Anyway~ This battle was really fun but i got other things to do~ Bye! *Flies away*

Rupert: Get back here you girl of a bitch!! We have to go after her!

Caissy: We don't know where she's hiding yet Rupert! But what truly matters right now is that we have to help Henry! He has been poisoned with an virus!

Rupert: ... Alright, let's go!

Ellie carried Henry up in bridal style and they all immediately went inside the CCC building and the called a doctor.

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Ok now asking for this Arc is available, feel free to ask at anytime.

#Youtube #henry stickmin collection #the henry stickmin collection #thsc au #thsc magician heroes au #henry stickmin au #magician heroes ask blog #sicky toxin arc #henry stickmin oc #oc #stickmin oc #thsc oc #thsc #ellie rose #charles calvin #rupert price #henry stickmin #dave panpa

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lovelygirlnicole15 · 1 year

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Abigail: I don’t know, but Henry said he was here

Russell:woof!

MNC!Charles: Well at least we're safe.

MNC!Henry: Yeah, it's true.

MNC!Ellie: Well i'm hungry!

#the henry stickmin collection #henry stickmin collection #henry stickmin pardoned pals au #henry stickmin au #au #midnight ninja clan ask blog #henry stickmin #ellie rose #charles calvin #demonical timeline arc

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welivetodream · 5 months

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Camilla Macaulay: the twist villain that never was.

(ps: this is just a headcanon and personal opinion, nothing serious!)

Out of all the characters in TSH, Camilla to me seemed the most enigmatic, more than even Henry Winter. There's something about her that I cannot understand. I couldn't trust her when I was reading TSH for the first time, I thought she was going to be the mastermind behind it all.

Why? Isn't Camilla the nicest of all of them? So was Charles, and look at what happened to him. The twins gave me the ick a lot of the times, especially during re-reads where I could see the early hints of the incest reveal and the abuse. It could have been completely believable, if Camilla, behind the scenes was the one causing the drama all along.

1. Richard's rose coloured lens: since the story is told from his point of view, it's understandable if he decided to leave some details, changed the story or was oblivious to some things he didn't want to remember or think about. He had the most bias for Camilla, she was his crush. And we often look at our crushes with rose tinted glasses and often hide their flaws and mistakes. Richard shows bias towards the Greek class even before he was in it and his infatuation with Camilla could be the reason why we don't get any bad details about her throughout the story.

2. Motives: while Bunny did get murdered for blackmailing and trying to betray the Greek class. Only Camilla had other motives to cause distress among the others. Particularly, Charles. We know he was extremely possessive with her and has caused her emotional and physical abuse (there's background info we get at times about the twins having broken objects in the house and other times where Charles is possessive of Camilla). I don't think she truly loves Henry, it's more that being with him gives her the protection and safety she needs. She has shown some kind of liking to Francis, they seem good friends and have kissed two times (I call it gay solidarity). She plays with Richard's heart a lot, kissing him when no one is looking and making him think he has a chance when he clearly doesn't. Camilla is overshadowed by the guys in her friend group; getting the "only girl treatment". Bunny is always trying to get under her nerves and is misogynistic towards her. Charles is controlling and abusive (her own brother). Henry is cold and sociopathic, as well as someone you can't trust ("I call it redistribution of matter"). Richard is a simp. Francis is there.

3. What could have happened: Camilla, tired of the way her life is tied to Charles, Henry and Richard and their feelings towards her forcing her into a corner with no choice of her own. As well as, mentally scared from the murder of the farmer, decides to end all of the misfortunes in her life. Instead of Henry making the plans, it's Camilla in this version of the story that decides to kill Bunny both to get rid of him from her life as well as to hide the first murder. But she does this from the shadows. And the person that discovers her plan is Francis, since they have a relatively good relationship, it's possible he wouldn't spill her plans and stay quiet. She gaslights Henry into believing he ended up killing Bunny (let's say he went through with the poisonous mushrooms but instead Camilla gave Bunny actual posion)

When Charles goes into his villain arc, Camilla uses Henry as a shield to keep him away. And in the final scene, instead of Henry shooting himself, Charles ends up shooting him and Camilla shoots Charles as an act of revenge. She then threatens Richard that if he says a word about this (both Bunny and Charles's murder) then he would die too, she does that to seal her secret; she knows Richard has a big mouth and might betray her and spares Francis, since he already knew and is trustable. Camilla cleans her fingerprints from the gun and puts it in Charles's hand in order to frame it as a murder-suicide. Camilla attends their funerals and gives an alibi in front of the police that her, Richard and Francis were in the country house during the murder-suicide and then testified that Charles and Henry were the ones who were involved in the two murders and were holding them hostage with that information, clearing the three of them from the murders. Then she finally leaves for a better life. (Maybe the epilogue would be about Francis telling Richard about Camilla's behind-the-scenes story, showcasing the aftermath and what they are doing in the present)

4. Character arc: making Camilla crucial to the plot and a twist villain would give so much to her character. Her mysterious nature, absence from the main plot and lack of impact at the start of the story could be explained by her secretly planning their downfalls and her escape. Instead of her being the object of affection for the three guys and being the typical "girl that ruins the friendships between guy friends", she is the hidden mastermind with her own motives, personality and story. She was the only one who didn't change in the second part. But in this version of the story, she is the one who drives it's entire narrative.

Let her be manipulative, a liar, a gaslighter. Let her show the wrath of female rage.

When the twins were introduced in white clothing, looking like angels. Maybe they were wolves in sheep's clothing. Both of the twins. Not just Charles but Camilla too. They were creepy, eerie, and strange. They hid their true personalities behind southern hospitality and beautiful features.

"Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it"

After all, the best characters are the grey ones.

#dark academia #the secret history #chaotic academia #donna tartt #tsh #henry winter #richard papen #charles macaulay #camilla macaulay #francis abernathy #bunny concoran

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fatherfigurefusion · 3 months

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AU where I give the DRDT cast original talents (plus my reasons for these talents)

Teruko Tawaki, the Ultimate Police Officer

(NGL: In addition to my theory of Wolfgang Akire getting a Teruko arc and my mental association between Teruko and Tsurugi Kinjo, the other reason I made Teruko a police officer was because of a Paw Patrol DRDT AU that had Chase as Teruko.)

Xander Matthews, the Ultimate Graphic Novelist

(He'd honestly write some pretty awesome graphic novels, probably centering around awesome adventures of rebellion and vigilantism.)

Eden Tobisa, the Ultimate Petsitter

(I only really gave her this talent due to that one remark she made in the prologue: "Do you think I walk dogs, silly?")

Hu Jing, the Ultimate Kickboxer

(I just love the mental image of a buff yet still chubby Hu who can and will beat someone up.)

J Moreno, the Ultimate Chess Grandmaster

(Just have the Rosales be a high-grade military family with J being groomed to be their best military strategist, only for her to just want to chill and play chess.)

Veronika Grebenshikova, the Ultimate Dollmaker

(She just has "dollmaker"/Jane Doe from "Ride the Cyclone" vibes.)

David Chiem, the Ultimate Part-Time Worker

(Customer service voice. Can also swap the XanVid dynamic by having David be a massive fan of Xander's graphic novels.)

Arturo Giles, the Ultimate Caterer

(Spending his whole life catering to and being surrounded by celebrities? That is Arturo's dream. Would cook the most elaborate and expensive dishes ever.)

Levi Fontana, the Ultimate Undertaker

(Maybe the indifference that comes from years of dealing with dead bodies could tie into both Levi's struggles with being seen as "heartless", despite wanting to be helpful, and Levi's friendship with the talentswapped Ace.)

Ace Markey, the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator

(A cowardly yet competent paranormal investigator is a character prompt that's too much comic gold to pass up. Also, see Levi's prompt above.)

Min Jeung, the Ultimate Archer

(I decided to swap Min's academic talent for an athletic talent, and found that archery would fit the focused and stoic Min. Also, Mafuyu Asahina.)

Whit Young, the Ultimate Model

(It's the Adrien Agreste energy. Also based around my theory that Kai and Diana would act like Whit figures for Damon, and decided to give Whit a talent that combines both Kai and Diana's talents.)

Charles Cuevas, the Ultimate Debater

(It's the Damon Maitsu energy.)

Arei Nageishi, the Ultimate News Reporter

(What better way to ruin people's lives then to dig up dirt on them and then put them on blast, on national television?)

Nico Hakobyan, the Ultimate Robotics Engineer

(Just swap out their love and understanding for animals with a love and understanding towards machines. Possible Entrapta kin.)

Rose Lacroix, the Ultimate Street Performer

(She would most likely take up busking, in order to support her family. I could easily picture her pulling multiple party tricks out of nowhere, wowing everybody around her.)

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venus-is-thinking · 10 months

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Deciphering the DRDT Character Playlist

Hello DRDT community! @accirax and I took a look at the official character song playlist [remade version bc it got deleted or privated] and decided to take our own shot at figuring out whose is whose and what it means. It's pretty late, but we have at least some sort of a guess with reasoning for every song!

We used a combination of Genius lyrics, the vocaloid lyrics wiki, and google translation of Japanese lyrics in the YouTube description to get a decently functional interpretation of every song. Our theory goes through the songs in the order they show up on the playlist (we're pretty positive it isn't kill order), which means our confidence varies heavily from song to song. With that being said, let's go!

Diamond is Unbreakable by Yunno Kago: Ace Markey

This song does not have many lyrics, so a lot of our guess is based on vibes (though it gives much more than some other songs). The rock instrumental with more yell-based vocals feels like it suits Ace though, and I feel safe to say that Ace has had a breakdown (and may have many more in the future).

Sing Along by Sturgill Simpson: Teruko Tawaki

This song fits Teruko quite well. It has an edgier sound to it, but it isn't completely uncaring if you look at the lyrics.

I can't go on living alone now that you're gone You done me wrong, so here's your song

It reminds me of the scene where she plays with the cacti. She clearly misses Xander (and possibly others in her past), but that obviously doesn't stop her from feeling betrayed by them either.

There are a lot of lyrics about bitterness too (ex. "words can stab as deep as night," "bitter air and the winds of spite"), which reflect how Teruko has been treating the rest of the cast in Chapter 2. It's a duality of caring too much and acknowledging the harshness of the world, which encapsulates Teruko's character quite well.

RUNAWAY by half alive: Hu Jing

Not gonna lie, we were struggling on this one. This song is pretty much entirely predictive of a character arc that Hu might have later on. We're predicting this based on Hu's secret quote, which is basically the only reason we gave this song to her: "I want to pay for what I've done. But even then, I still want to live."

This implies that she has not paid for "what [she's] done," which probably relates to her secret. I know a lot of people think she might be the hopeless child, but I'm far more partial to the theory that Hu is the one who poisoned her competition. If she hasn't paid for it, it's possible she feels like she ran away, from the situation which could open the door for her handling those feelings later on.

cartoons by Louie Zong: Rose Lacroix

This entire song is about drawing and thought processes, which both relate to Rose's character pretty strongly. The recurring lyric of "it's all just cartoons in [her] head" makes me think of her photographic memory, which takes real life and permanently stores it in her mind.

There are also lyrics like "feeling every day the same" and "trying to make that old deadline" that strongly relate to her background with the Spurling Foundation. She feels like she's just watching the rest of her life go by as a corporate slave, and those feelings are wrapped up in a light and airy song, matching Rose's demeanor.

asymptotic by Louie Zong: Charles Cuevas

This is a silly little nerd love song. As a CharWhit shipper, I definitely think that there's a strong chance that this relates to Charles' feelings about Whit, calling him a "cutie face in x-y space" and other such things. It's pretty simple, but it's true that, romantic or not, a lot of Charles' character arc thus far has revolved around his relationship with Whit and realizing that he does enjoy spending time with his classmates.

However, notably, there's also the lyric "I'll forget," which made me start thinking about Charles' past he forgot about.

Asymptotic, obliquely Here's the point of this speech As close as we could ever get, you'll be just out of reach

This reads to me as being about Charles' memories or the older brother he doesn't remember losing. As close as he can get to remembering or understanding what happened through things like the secrets motive, it won't be the same as actually returning to that past or remembering it in full. Maybe that's reading into things a little too hard, but I think the interpretation is there to be read.

A Mistaken Belief of Love by Niru Kajitsu: Eden Tobisa

I'll be direct: this relates to our theories about how Eden is the Chapter 2 killer. I'm a particular proponent of the interpretation that Eden didn't believe Arei when she said she wanted to be friends and decided she wanted to escape back to her old life, to the girl she kissed. I'm not going to go into that Eden theory now, but @/1moreff-creator and @/thebadjoe have a great thread going back and forth which goes over a lot of what I personally believe to be true.

If you assume that Eden is the killer and wanted to be Arei's friend but gave up on the possibility when Arei snapped at her, the lyrics start to make sense. "Then I'll kill you at our rendezvous" would clearly relate to Eden summoning Arei to the playground just to kill her. "I just wanted to mistakenly believe that you loved me" relates to Eden's feelings towards Arei and the rest of the class, but that "mistaken belief" was shattered, causing her to kill.

Shunran by John/TOOBOE: Arei Nageishi

This song chronicles Arei's entire character arc, from prologue to death. It starts out much more aggressive and unfriendly, saying things like "I won't pay attention to small fry" and "I become angry easily." However, there's a recurring lyric that shows how she actually feels.

They say that praying to be loved is a sin. It has such a sweet scent.

Arei desperately wants to be loved, for people to be nice to her, but she's learned over the course of her life that she couldn't have that. Still, she can't help but want to be loved, so even when she knows that David is a manipulator, she still listens to his words. Even when she knows she's been awful to Eden, she swears she'll do anything to prove to Eden that she's serious, that she really does want to be her friend.

I pledged a ceasefire. My personality peeled off and fell because I have the courage to accept disappointment

As the song progresses, that desperate desire to be loved creeps its way into the actions the singer takes as well. Arei was willing to put aside her meanness she learned as a defense and try to stop the fighting, try to become friends, because she's strong enough to try even if she might fail. Through it all, all she wants is to be loved.

Yesman by Niru Kajitsu and Hachiya Nanashi: Nico Hakobyan

This song has a lot of lyrics relating to how the singer expresses scorn or insults. We know that this is a focal point of Nico's struggles with communication: they don't know what comes across as hostile or helpful.

However, as the song progresses, it gets more purposefully aggressive. There's a particular set of lines that seem to relate to how Nico interacts with Ace. They can tell Ace that they hate him, directly, and no one even blames them.

You could say that and you're still just a kid. How amazing!

This, in my mind, relates to Nico saying that they'll kill Ace (and clearly meaning it), but Hu still babies them. They can get away with all kinds of things.

There's no reason for me to turn back now, huh? I was caught in my own trap

Nico then, realizing that they can get away with a lot, goes after Ace, trying to literally kill him. They were caught, though, explaining the second lyric here.

The song also has a prominent lyric: "I'm an introvert, just waiting." There are variations on this, but I think it gets across the core idea: Nico is quiet, but they're still a part of the story the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to get their way.

Undead Enemy by Suzumu and Giga P: David Chiem

This song hinges around David's false persona of smiles and motivation and his true self who hates everything and everyone.

For whatever reason, he put on a mask symbolizing The leading role he had yearned for in the past.

Here, David is choosing to put on that motivational speaker persona.

And, from the next day onward, The unhappy boy's smile did not falter, He was even loved by someone

David then keeps up that happy and inspirational self, without fail, so that the world will love and accept him as the Ultimate they expect him to be.

However, the lyrics are filled with more hateful lines that sound more like him in Episode 11.

Slander and criticize, and then, I won't need anyone else. Just leave me alone

I act spitefully in disgust and force a smile

While he pretends to be happy and good, he knows himself to be much worse. This song focuses on those true colors.

Drawing Pins by Nothing but Thieves: Levi Fontana

Levi is a very pensive character. The main line of the song is "tell me what you did it for, 'cause I can't figure it out." That could relate to Levi's apparent struggles to understand others and what the "correct" thing to do in social situations is, like when he asks others how to handle the situation with Ace. I also like the interpretation that he could be talking to himself, wondering why he did what he did in the past. (Whatever mysterious past Levi has, it's clear that he did some things he's not thrilled about, and he seems to have a lot of feelings surrounding it.)

What do I have to do To be loved, loved by you

I'm personally not an AceVi shipper, but this line would definitely relate to Ace. Levi messed up in the first trial, threatening Ace, but in Chapter 2, he's trying to make up for it. Nothing he seems to do works, though, so he's at a loss as to what he could possibly do to make it up to him.

Hi-Fi Evolution Theory by Keu Studio: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Disclaimer, we had to put this song through google translate, so our lyrics might not be entirely correct.

Given that, though, I'm pretty confident this song must be Veronika's. There are a lot of lyrics that indicate her, but the most important ones surround what we've most recently learned about her: she can't stand boredom and will do just about anything for fun.

But is it selfish to have fun?

The one who laughs last is the winner

Even though Veronika knows that enjoying the killing game or possibly even working against the group's best interests in it is stupid at best and evil at worst, she'll still do it as long as it keeps her entertained. If she's selfish, she's selfish; she'll do it either way.

tip toes by half alive: Min Jeung

This song heavily ties into Min's outlook which she explains in her bonus episode. The lyrics mention a "need to be known," or a "pride" that's "screaming." She internalized a core need to become an Ultimate to keep her going forward and to preserve her hope.

She does want to change her behavior, though.

My future will listen to me, Listen to me, listen to me

Min is trying desperately to find a life for herself now that she's become an Ultimate. She wants to learn how to live after she's achieved the goal that her entire life has centered around. This song is her searching for the life that she wants to live in spite of her previous experience.

The song also sounds sort of desperate with its repetition of "listen to me" and the overall vibe of the instrumental. This fits in with Min's increasing desperation as she realizes, at the end of the first trial, that she won't have a future to figure out anymore.

Polygonal by fallstay (ふぁるすてぃ): Xander Matthews

This one was also put through google translate, so apologies for any mistranslations!

This song makes sense for Xander if you consider his clear survivor's guilt, visible through both his bonus episode and his secret quote, which is, in the most literal way possible, the dictionary definition of survivor's guilt. It mentions a "life full of mistakes" and describes other similar thoughts.

I'm dizzy and it hurts so much that I feel like throwing up

The urge to scream and someone's loud sobbing

That's my pain

These all feel like ways Xander interprets his past, which is his pain. We already know that Teruko accidentally running into him and hitting his eye hurt so badly he passed out, which is a step beyond "dizzy." Someone could be sobbing about his past; maybe it's even him. The things in his past that haunt him are what shape who he is and his actions, and that's what this song is about.

Spitfire (05 Version) by The Prodigy: J Rosales

This one has like one lyric. The vibes fit J though, and I don't really know who else's it would be or what other song would be hers, so it stays.

desk rotation by RQ laji-2: Arturo Giles

I'm not gonna lie. This is an instrumental. We have no idea what it means. This was process of elimination. I don't know what other song Arturo's would be so he gets this one.

(In all seriousness, you COULD give this one to Hu because it's music and she's a musician, give Arei the more hopeful RUNAWAY and give Arturo Shunran. The beginning of Shunran fits him decently, but I think the interpretation sort of falls apart in the middle of the song, at least given what I know about his character, and I think it fits Arei much better.

After we read some other theories, too, we think there's a viable shuffle that goes like this:

desk rotation: Hu (musical connection) tip toes: Arturo (generally prideful, future emphasis contrasting with his secret forcing him to think about the past) asymptotic: Min (abstracted to apply to the life she wants to seek out, math works as Ultimate Student) RUNAWAY: Charles (relating to him "running" from his past memories, positive growth arc)

While I still like our initial interpretations for Charles asymptotic and Min tip toes, I like the handling of RUNAWAY and desk rotation better with this one.)

For whatever it's worth, I also think there's a slight possibility that desk rotation is a placeholder song. It's a complete instrumental (all other songs have at least SOME lyrics), so it wouldn't be too insane to me if they had a song that they decided was just too spoiler-y to be released to the public. In that case, I think it's possible desk rotation will one day be replaced with a different song. Realistically, though, it's probably just here and we have to figure out what the hell it means.

Good Grief by Bastille: Whit Young

Whit obviously lost his mother at some point, who he clearly idolizes. You can see the glowing way he talks about her in the laundry room with Teruko and Charles, and his secret quote is literally "We tend to idolize the dead." He loves his mother, but given his secret, it's clear that she is dead.

This song is about grief. Whit represses a lot of his emotions, so I expect he hasn't yet felt his grief in full and hasn't processed it. He has, however, made it very clear that he struggles with loneliness, and that has a lot to do with his loss. I think that, over the course of the story, he's going to have to actually process grief and experience sadness. While it's possible that'll just be due to the feelings he has surrounding his mother, given that he's in a killing game, I think that he'll have to confront personal loss again to have this arc.

Regrettably, I think that that'll probably come in the form of Charles dying, likely as a Chapter 3 victim. Others have theorized on that, but suffice it to say that, narratively and based on hints they've dropped, I think it's probably true ( :( ). Whit, as he clearly cares about Charles, would then be confronted with grief again. He'd have to endure it and learn to deal with the loss.

On the plus side, I'd expect he'd be likely to survive afterwards.

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kaitropoli · 6 months

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"Entrée de Jeanne d'Arc à Orléans"

by Jean-Jacques Scherrer

Oil Painting, 1887.

Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans.

HISTORY

Joan of Arc (one of the many spellings of her name) is one of France's patron saints and was honored for her role in the Siege of Orléans (1428-1429) during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).

She grew up as a peasant, her father being a farmer, but she had divine visions that she was visited and guided by archangel Micheal, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine. After having these sights, Joan acted accordingly, joining forces with the French by gaining respect for her piety and firmness, swaying Captain Robert de Baudricourt into her favor.

Long story short (definitely watch a video or read about her history instead of going off of my quick knowledge, in case you're interested and I miss certain facts... soz): Joan of Arc promised Dauphin Charles that he would be coronated at Reims if he allowed her to fight the English. Yeah... they were skeptical—mainly due to Joan being a 16-17-year-old woman at the time—so Charles had sacerdotal authorities interrogate her. After review, and considering the devastating turnout of Orléans (which has been under British siege), the clergy decided it'd be best for Charles to use the young woman as she's asking to be involved.

Assigned to join in taking back Orléans, Joan arrives with supplies on the 19th of April, 1429, alongside Commander Étienne de Vignolles (or *thank God for nicknames* La Hire). May 4th was when things started to pick up, the French launching an attack, which the saint almost missed due to napping (hey, I get it), and in the meantime, Joan sent out letters to the British, basically telling them to fuck off her land before a sword gets shoved up a not so divine place. On the 7th, Joan was WIA, but that didn't stop her from continuing her duty, and by the 8th, the British surrendered.

Joan of Arc is widely remembered as a woman who faced perseverance when it was uncommon for a woman combatant to exist, especially one who instantly rose to the top, fighting as a leader amongst male French commanders. Even burned at the stake by the English around the age of 19, Joan kept her faith, the same that got her onto the battlefield and was depicted proudly on the flag she waved. In 1920, she was finally recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and canonized by Pope Benedict XV as a patron saint for her home country. She's respected as a martyr and seen as a symbol of freedom, not only in a patriotic context but as a feminist (as she is hailed as one of the earliest feminists in middle-age history).

Again, I beg of you, if you are interested in learning more about the Siege of Orléans and/or Saint Joan of Arc, check out a video or pick up a book on the topic. I'm terrible at regurgitating historical information, especially when I haven't gotten any sleep. I'm not a historian, just a 19-year-old girl who likes to post art (ಠ_ಠ).

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joltning · 29 days

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cause I saw some people talking about it

rwby and rvb characters who have the same voice actor! utc bc spoilers obviously lol

*this post does not include all and does not mention characters w/o names. ex if they are credited as “Scared Soldier” I won’t put them, even if they have a prominent role in the other show.

Ruby Rose / Vanessa Kimball - Lindsay Jones

Blake Belladonna / Emily Grey - Arryn Zech

Yang Xiao Long / Katie Jensen - Barbara Dunkelman

Jaune Arc / Isaac “Felix” Gates (& Cronut) - Miles Luna

Pyrrha Nikos / Agent Carolina - Jen Brown

Nora Valkyrie / Agent Connecticut - Samantha Ireland

Professor Ozpin / Agent Washington - Shannon McCormick

Roman Torchwick / Samuel “Locus” Ortez & Donald Doyle - Grey Haddock

Glynda Goodwitch / Agent Texas - Kathleen Zuelch

Neptune Vasilias / Charles Palomo (and also my two niche favs but no one gaf but me) - Kerry Shawcross

Professor Oobleck / Micheal J. Caboose (previously) - Joel Heyman

Winter Schnee / Agent Ohio - Elizabeth Maxwell

Leonardo Lionheart / Diesel (Zero) - Daman Mills (sorry you’re only allocated to mid characters sir)

#I can add campcamp chatacters too if you want Eyes flutter #feel free to mention any notable ones I missed #funniest one I cut from this was cinders va being the same as volleyball #images pulled from respective wikis #..mostly #ACCIDENTALLY BEHEADED ALL THE RWBY CCHATACTERS #rvb #red vs blue #rwby #txt #untagged characters

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black-arcana · 2 months

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POWERWOLF To Release New Studio Album, 'Wake Up The Wicked', In July

POWERWOLF will release a new studio album, "Wake Up The Wicked", on July 26, 2024 via Napalm Records.

"Wake Up The Wicked" — the highly anticipated follow-up to the extremely successful "Call Of The Wild" (2021) — will arrive just in time for the award-winning band's first-ever full North American tour, starting in August 2024, followed by their biggest European headline tour to date, the "Wolfsnächte 2024".

"Wake Up The Wicked" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and marks a new benchmark and undisputed career highlight for the band. The new album is hard, surprising and full of variety. While staying true to their established, loved sound, POWERWOLF go one step further and showcase a different facet of their deft musical and technical skills. This is evident, for example, on the outstanding single "1589", which is based on a true story from the 16th century.

20 years after their formation in 2004, POWERWOLF are expanding their repertoire with the highest quality and adding many future live hits to their extraordinary discography. "Wake Up The Wicked" is yet another statement cementing the status of the band as a leading force in the world of heavy metal

"Wake Up The Wicked" track listing:

01. Bless 'Em With The Blade 02. Sinners Of The Seven Seas 03. Kyrie Klitorem 04. Heretic Hunters 05. 1589 06. Viva Vulgata 07. Wake Up The Wicked 08. Joan Of Arc 09. Thunderpriest 10. We Don't Wanna Be No Saints 11. Vargamor

POWERWOLF are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple No. 1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold-out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In less than 20 years of band history, POWERWOLF has made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.

POWERWOLF has conquered countless stages at the world's biggest summer festivals, and their last "Wolfsnächte" headline tours (2019, 2022),as well as their aforementioned North American debut in early 2023, were almost completely sold out — resulting in a massive triumph. They have performed headlining sets at Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze, as well as held premium slots at genre festival giants such as Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting, Masters Of Rock and many more, captivating enormous audiences. No other German metal band has been able to write a success story even remotely comparable in recent years.

Following their onslaught of North America, POWERWOLF will embark on their most impressive European tour yet in celebration of their highly anticipated 2024 studio album. Amid 16 shows in total, the tour will visit colossal venues in Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Hamburg and Antwerp. POWERWOLF will be accompanied by Swedish heavy metal legends HAMMERFALL as special guests, with support from viral rising stars, dwarven metallers WIND ROSE.

The story of the frontrunners of today's German metal scene, POWERWOLF, began in 2004 and only knows one direction: ever upwards. Their trajectory may seem like something out of a fairytale, but it is the result of the band embodying the highest quality of heavy metal in the universe. Outstanding album production, bombastic live shows and a tireless drive for perfection on and behind the stage are what this exceptional band is known for around the world.

Over the course of their career, the band has not only fascinated metal fans, but has also won over international press and critics. Countless cover stories in the most important magazines, critics' awards such as the Metal Hammer Award, and effusive album and concert reviews underpin POWERWOLF's outstanding international status.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - vocals Falk Maria Schlegel - organ Charles Greywolf - guitar Matthew Greywolf - guitar Roel van Helden - drums

Photo credit: VDPictures

#powerwolf #wake up the wicked

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brokentrafficknight · 2 months

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They're one off from beating Mama Arc's record now!

Introducing Perrault Rose-Arc (the blond boy with red highlights by Ruby), named after Charles Perrault. The oldest child, firstborn son and the only child who didn't want to be a huntsman. The love of the neighborhood moms, he's the only Rose-Arc attending a normal college.

Summer Arc-Rose (dirty blonde to the farthest left), based on @evenmorefatallyobsessed's OC

and to the farthest right is the youngest son, Charles Rose-Arc, also named after Charles Perrault. With the same wide eyed want for a romantic life as his mom and the desire to live up his parent's legacies like his dad, he's going to end up the second student with an early enrollment in Beacon's history.

#rwby #rwby shitpost #jaune arc #ruby rose #lancaster #rwbabies #perrault rose arc #summer arc rose #Charles rose arc #penelope arc rose #clementine rose arc #dahlia rose arc #aurorae arc rose #william arc rose

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levana-stark · 1 year

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Ria's Masterlist:

Football (La Scaloneta)

The "So you tried to lift up Leo & succeeded" - GC series (in progress)

Summary:

Every player who lifted up Leo Messi during a goal celebration is added to a group chat. A chat where they all simp about Leo, and debate which lift was the best. Kun, the ever present best friend, even created an elaborate spreadsheet to figure that out.

How the idea was born

Part 1: The Day Sergio Ramos joined the Chat

Part 2: "Dad-Mode activated" or The Day a newbie joined the Chat (now Canon Divergence)

Part 2.5: Bonus: How newbies at the Scaloneta find out about the Chat

Part 3: As he falls in love with the object in the world that his heart most desired

Part 4: How to become one of Leo's boys

Part 5: The Day the World found out about the Chat

Part 6: Miami Summer Vibes

(Leo Messi/Everyone and I mean almost literally everyone; almost exclusively fluff)

Derrite mi Corazón Derretido (finished; maybe Part II in the future)

Summary:

Leo Messi had always been an awkward person, but he had learned that being good at something would help you make friends. Even if they only cared about his football skills.

But what happens, when he gets injured during an important tournament and loses everything he had worked so hard for?

(Rodrigo de Paul/Leo Messi; Angst with happy ending)

Lionel - Andrés - Goat (finished)

Summary:

Lionel Messi is the host of their little system.

Andrés is their protector.

Goat is just cute, and good at football.

And in the end they just want to be happy.

(mostly fluff; hints of Antonela/Leo; loads of creative freedom on Systems)

Leo Messi Birthday Week 2023 series (finished)

Day 1: Omegaverse AU (Scaloneta/Leo Messi, fluff, the team worships Leo)

Day 2: Mafia AU (Leo gets kidnapped by Kylian, but there is a plot twist, BAMF!Leo)

Day 3: AU where Leo didn't get his hormone treatment (PSG are assholes, tiny!Leo, protective Scaloneta)

Day 4: Adidas Ad (Freaky Friday, Scaloneta/Leo, Fluff)

Day 5: Kidnapped AU (warning: violence, Leo gets hurt, BAMF!Leo, protective team)

Day 6: Soulmate AU (Leo is special, Everyone/Leo, fluff)

Day 7: Time Travel AU (Pep/Leo, A/B/O, courting, second chances)

Formula 1

It's like this (it could be better) (finished)

Summary:

Charles struggles at Ferrari, Max is breaking records.

Both of them have their own problems.

Somehow they find each other, while Charles learns what it means to stand up for himself and Max learns to love.

(and maybe they break a few curses while doing so)

(54.6k; Fluff and Angst; Lestappen; 2024 Season like we all need it; Charles is done with Ferrari and does something about it)

I rose up from the dead (I do it all the time) (finished)

Summary:

He touched down in England two days after Brazil, hidden by the cold and foggy weather of a November night. There were no people at the airport, bar the security guard who ushered him from the VIP exit and the man holding a sign with his name, standing next to a nondescript car.

-------

After a desasterous triple header Charles makes a decision. He would enter his Reputation Era, right now.

(3.9k; RB!Charles; Reputation Era arc, slight Ferrari bashing)

#the so you tried to lift up leo & succeeded - gc #leo messi #and all the men that love him #Maria trying their hand at fanfictions #ramessi #kunessi #rodressi #neymessi #& more #it's like this (it could be better)#Charles in his reputation era #charles leclerc #max verstappen #lestappen

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androidcharles · 4 months

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Adjusting to Circumstances

NO BETA WE DIE LIKE CHARLES ANYWAY IT'S TIME TO SET UP THE NEXT ARC, SO HERE'S THAT FIC!

Rupert is having a bit of trouble adjusting to the Toppat Clan. He feels out of place as he tries to go through the motions. Meanwhile, something else is brewing.

No major TWs as far as things are concerned, there might be some swearing. Other then that, enjoy!

Rupert opened his eyes, feeling a bit disoriented as he rose up, almost a little panicked as he suddenly remembered where he was. The dream he had was a little too real. He was back in the government forces, but the details seemed to escape him as he woke up a bit more. He sighed as he threw his legs over the bed, stretching as he started to get dressed.

He should be lucky that he had a room to himself for the time being, but he figured it would be like that for long. The Toppats didn’t seem to be interested in anymore new recruits. Aside from him, of course. He sighed as he opened the door, looking to see a few Toppats grouped up, talking amongst themselves about their days, about the government agents they’ve taken down and what they’ve stolen.

Rupert gently caressed the ring on his finger, one of his steals that he managed to get as he headed out the door, walking down the hall to get some breakfast.

He tried to pretend he didn’t notice the stares as he walked by, heading to the cafeteria upstairs as he spotted his cousin, Carol talking to some of the girl Toppats. She seemed to be in a good mood as Rupert ordered his food and took a seat at a random table.

It didn’t seem all that bad all things considered. It wasn’t any different from being a government agent, to be honest. He would go to training for a few hours and then he usually killed time either by doing something like helping fix up the house or he would be called to take care of a heist. Unfortunately, one of the heists he was called on involved the Triple Threat team and he almost felt guilty fighting Henry and Ellie as he protected some precious uncut emeralds he managed to snag.

He managed to get away with injuring them just enough that they wouldn’t chase, but he still felt bad. He slapped his face a few times as he winced, trying to keep himself from being to cut up about it. Again. It wasn’t the first time he had felt hesitant about hurting someone to get what he wanted.

He figured it would be easy. He would adjust to this just fine without much trouble, but so far he was having a hard time. He heard his name called as he picked up his food and headed back towards his table, getting ready to eat when he saw his mentor slide next to him, his own food on his tray.

“Uh… hello Five Eyes,” Rupert said. Five Eyes smiled at him as he patted his hand.

“You feeling alright, Rupert?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just… I guess I thought I’d be used to the whole fighting police officers and government agents thing, but I guess I was wrong,” Rupert said.

“Something else is bothering you, though. I can tell…” Five Eyes said. Rupert remembered that Five Eyes was magic just like him and one of his talents was reading minds.

“Well, I guess one other thing that’s bothering me is that… a lot people keep comparing me to my uncle and… well it’s kinda starting to get to me. I guess they expected more of me when I joined and I don’t know what to do,” Rupert said, “It’s like I’m trying to live up to an imaginary expectation and it just… it just sucks.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not uncommon for people to make those comparisons. You are his nephew after all,” Five Eyes said, “But I wouldn’t worry too much about what they’re saying. You’re your own person you know. You’re not Jaques or Carol or even The Witch. You’re just Rupert. And you fight the bad guys and do things your own way.”

“I know, I know, but it feels like I have to work fifteen times as hard to prove that!” Rupert said, “I don’t want to constantly be compared to my uncle forever and ever…”

“Like I said, you don’t need to worry about that,” Five Eyes said, “How about we focus on combat these next few weeks. I know that you’re already used to it, but something tells me that’s something you need to work on. Let’s meet up in about an hour after breakfast in the training area, OK?” Five Eyes said. Rupert nodded as he stood up to go meet with some other higher ups as Rupert glanced back at Carol’s table.

Maybe I should go sit with them… Rupert thought before pushing that thought away, eating the rest of his breakfast as quickly as possible before heading out of the cafeteria. The least he could do is talk to Amelia. She was the only other person besides his cousins that he felt comfortable talking to as he headed down the elevator to one of the lounges for all the rookies and new recruits. The grunts as they’re called as he opened the double doors to find that Amelia wasn’t there.

That’s strange, he thought, Shouldn’t she be here by now? He headed to her room to see if she was maybe sick or something (it was very often that she overworked herself to the point of giving herself viruses) only to see the Right Hand Man helping carry a cardboard box out of her room.

“Sir?” Rupert asked.

“Oh, hey Rupert. Maybe you can give me a hand with this. Amelia’s moving out of here after all. Gotta make sure it’s clean for the next person,” the Right Hand Man said.

“Moving out?” Rupert asked.

“Yeah, I’m no longer being punished! As much…” Amelia said.

“Reg, around the beginning of summer, punished this little brat along with some other higher up Toppats and I guess he figured they must have learned their lesson. So she, along with those Toppats are going to be moving up a rank,” the Right Hand Man explained.

“I’m gonna finally get my own room! I mean, I already had my own room to begin with, but now I’m not expected to share it with anyone!” Amelia said.

“Oh… so I guess you won’t be hanging out down here anymore, huh?” Rupert said, trying to hide how disappointed he was.

“No, we can still hang out! I just… won’t be down here as much anymore,” Amelia said, “But in all honesty, you should really get to know your fellow Toppats a little better! It might do you some good!”

“I agree,” the Right Hand Man said, “I know it’s tough, but from what I’ve heard, you barely talked to anyone these past few weeks you’ve been here.” Rupert sighed as he nodded his head. That’s why Carol was so hyped up earlier. She had endured the same punishment as she had told him and was now finally moving up in the ranks.

“Rupert, don’t just stand there, get that box upstairs! I’ll show you my new room!” Amelia said as she beckoned for Rupert to follow her. Rupert let out a small sigh as he followed her, hoping he would be done in time for training.

- - - - -

While he did get scolded a bit for being a few minutes late, Five Eyes didn’t seem to mind too much once he found out he was helping Amelia out.

His training went by as quickly as it could, with him learning a few moves that even he didn’t know and some magic tricks that would come in handy. He had a bit of trouble with one, though, so Five Eyes suggested that he borrow a book from the Witch so he could hone his abilities a bit more.

After he was dismissed, he went to get something to eat before stopping by the Witch’s room, which was as messy as it usually was.

“Hey, Rup,” the Witch said as she looked up from her desk, “Whatcha up too?”

“Um… Five Eyes asked me to borrow a book from you. Something about… magic focus?” Rupert said.

“Hmm… yeah I might have a copy of a book or two lying around somewhere. Lemme take a look and see…” the Witch said as she headed towards her messy bookshelf, “So, how are you adjusting?”

“To magic? Not well. Some spells come easily to me while others are a bit more… well… complicated,” Rupert said.

“Not magic you dumb dumb. I’m talking about being a Toppat,” the Witch said, “I imagine it must be pretty fun, right?” Rupert glanced down as the Witch tipped her head to the side, a book in her hand.

“That doesn’t look like the look of someone who’s having fun…” the Witch said, “Are you sure you wanted to join?”

“I am!” Rupert said, “I did want to join, but, I guess… everyone keeps comparing me to my uncle and… well, it’s kind of discouraging, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess I don’t blame them. But you’re not him at the very least. You’re your own person.”

“I know I’m my own person, but it feels like I have to try harder to impress you guys! Especially considering that I was a government agent,” Rupert said, “I’m not sure what to do…”

“Well, working yourself to death won’t help anything. Just keep trying and prove yourself in little ways. The clan will warm up to you eventually. Once you’ve gotten used to things, they’ll see value in you,” the Witch said, patting his head, “I promise.” Rupert rushed over to hug her as she smiled.

“Now, let’s see about finding that book for you,” the Witch said.

After he got the book from the Witch with the promise to return it, he wandered over to the elevator, before he suddenly realized that he was about one floor from the top floor…

He didn’t really have any reason to go, but it wasn’t like he was forbidden from going up there. In fact, some Toppats often went up there to look at the pictures or patrol the halls to protect the leaders. He pushed the button for the top floor and waited for the elevator to stop, walking out into the hall, noticing how quiet it was. He stepped through the hallway, gazing at all the leaders before he saw the portrait he was looking for.

He gazed at Jaques Kensington, getting a funny feeling from it as he walked towards the picture, letting out a small sigh.

“It’s so ridiculous…” Rupert said, “I bet when you were in the clan, you didn’t have to deal with all this. I bet you were a great Toppat. I mean you became the leader for crying out loud! So… what would I have to do to become a great Toppat like you?”

Rupert sighed as he leaned his head against the frame, feeling like bursting into tears as he glanced down the hall and saw a young kid. He regained his composure as he glanced at the kid, sneaking over to see what picture he was looking at, the portrait of Terrence Suave. He was grinning really wide, his hazel eyes almost golden with dusty brown hair that had a bit of gold flecks to it as well. He was holding up what looked to be a golden gun, something he had seen Reginald carry from time to time.

Rupert glanced at the kid, who was staring with this sort of fear in his eyes.

“Hey… you OK?” Rupert asked.

“Huh? Oh, hello,” he said. He actually looked like a spitting image of a younger version of Terrence, almost too much, right down to the gold flecks in his hazel eyes. He glanced at Rupert before he shrugged.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just uh… looking at this picture of my dad,” he said, “Sometimes I come up here whenever I’m feeling down. But… in the end it just makes me angrier looking at this PICTURE!” The kid punched the wall, causing the picture to shake slightly as Rupert jumped.

“Do you hate your dad?” Rupert asked, kind of understanding how he felt for a brief second.

“No, not really. My dad was a really great person… up until he became the leader. I don’t know what happened to him, how he changed or why he changed. It just makes me so angry though. Before he became leader, he was the kindest most amazing person in the world. Then we just started growing apart…” he said, “I remember when Uncle Reg told me that he killed himself.”

He let out a small sigh as he leaned his hand against the wall, staring down at the floor as if remembering that awful day.

“What are you doing up here?” he asked.

“I guess I was doing the same thing as you,” Rupert said, “Looking at my uncle's portrait. Although, it’s because I’m being constantly compared to him in regards to my… training.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re the new Toppat everyone’s been talking about. Rupert right?” the kid smiled at him, though it looked pretty forced.

“I’m Ace. Ace Williams,” he said.

“Yeah, Rupert Price,” Rupert said, “So, I guess we’re both in the same boat huh?”

“For different reasons. Jaques was a great leader from what I heard. A bit eccentric, but he was an amazing leader before he disappeared. My dad though, he was an awful leader. Apparently he pulled bunches of money from the budget on heists that didn’t make sense, he tried to hurt countless people in his raids when we don’t usually do that kind of stuff and worst of all, he was responsible for a lot of injuries. And when he was being overthrown, he hurt and killed a lot of people. Including someone that my Uncle Danny was close to…

“And it’s awful because when you think about all the people who had to live under his rule, they oftentimes would look at me and think that I’m the same. Like I’m gonna turn into an evil twisted version of my dad for some reason and… I don’t know what to do…” Ace muttered.

“That… that sounds awful,” Rupert muttered, being lucky that most of his comparisons had to do with his shortcomings. Having to be constantly compared to a relative that was completely awful must be much worse.

“Yeah, but I can’t exactly blame them,” Ace muttered, “I’m just scared that I might become like him. Sometimes I get this awful feeling in the back of my mind…”

“I can’t imagine someone as nice as you becoming like that,” Rupert said, “You seem way too nice to be like what you just described…” Ace’s eyes twinkled as he looked at Rupert.

“Thanks. That actually means a lot to me…” Ace said.

“You’re welcome. You know, if you’re ever feeling down, I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you,” Rupert said, “Unless that makes you uncomfortable!”

“No, no, I’m glad. I’m just glad that someone understands me, you know,” Ace said, “And don’t worry about the thing with your uncle. I’m pretty sure you’ll be just as great as him one day! You may even be the leader too!”

“Nah…” Rupert chuckled as he glanced down the hall and saw Amelia, Dave, and Charles walking down the hall, talking amongst themselves.

“Amelia, what are you doing up here?” Ace asked.

“Picking up Charles and Dave so we can start practicing,” Amelia said, “Charles wants to write another original song before the end of this month, so we’re meeting three times a week this time.”

“Don’t worry, I think we can manage!” Charles said, “I just wanna write something really good!” He glanced up, jumping for joy as he hugged Rupert tightly.

“And how are you adjusting, RooRoo?” Charles said, “Feeling alright?”

“I’m fine,” Rupert lied, but it was convincing enough to make Charles smiled.

“That’s good to hear! Henry thinks you’re doing just fine. Especially after that injury you gave him. He said he’d hasn’t seen you that serious since your time in the government forces!” Rupert’s eyes twinkled at this as Dave waved at Rupert.

“Say, Rupert, you wanna join us for practice? I know we’re gonna be in the room most of the time, but maybe you can listen in on us while we practice,” Dave asked.

“Can I come too? I’m so bored and I had a fight with Nicole earlier…” Ace said, “I’m kind of scared to go back to the teen’s lounge now because of it.”

“Yeah, totally! Maybe after we practice a bit we can put on an impromptu concert!” Charles said. Amelia giggled.

“Alright, follow me! We can’t keep Accordion and Violin waiting forever,” Amelia said. Rupert felt a bit less confident when he heard those names as he headed to the elevator, following the three to the music room.

- - - - -

Ace and Rupert sat in the chairs around the small stage in front of the music room as they listened to the faint sounds of rock and roll from the practice room. Rupert had to admit, they sounded pretty good, but on occasion Accordion or Violin would interrupt whenever possible to help lead them in the right direction.

“Geez, I knew they were tough, but they seem like a sports coach. Glad I’m not into music,” Ace muttered, absentmindedly playing with a guitar he decided to pull out of storage (with permission of course).

“I can already imagine that they’re used to this kind of thing,” Rupert muttered as he heard Charles talking loudly to Amelia and Dave.

He had taken the time to read the book he had borrowed while he was waiting for Charles and the others to go on break. He had to at least brush up on his magic studies while he waited.

Finally, after some time, the three of them walked out of the room, clearly exhausted as Charles lightly jogged towards Rupert, throwing himself over a the chairs as he sat next to him, hugging him.

“This is the best kind of break time because I get to spend it with you!” Charles said as Amelia and Dave sat next to each other, talking quietly, “Uh, dude, you’re holding that wrong.”

“You’re holding that wrong,” Ace said in a mocking tone as he held the guitar in an even more incorrect position.

“Ace, be nice. Charles knows a lot about music,” Amelia scolded as Dave giggled.

“So, I guess you guys aren’t doing the impromptu concert then?” Rupert asked, a little disappointed.

“Oh no, we still are! We’re just taking a small break before we set up. You’ll help Dave with his drums right?” Charles asked.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Rupert said, nuzzling Charles’ forehead.

“Yuck, love fest… do I have to help set up too?” Ace asked.

“You will if you want to listen in,” Violin piped up, causing the others to jump.

“Unless you wanna go back and face Nicole. Or apologize to her…” Amelia said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I’ll help, I’ll help! Just let me give this back to Mr. Clef first…” Ace muttered, putting the guitar back in it’s case.

The group began to help set up the stage with the amps, microphones, and of course, Dave’s drum set, which seemed like a bit much for him. Rupert commented that he really didn’t need this much as Dave blushed, saying that Amelia had gotten it for him and he didn’t want to turn it down.

Finally, the band was set up as Charles started to tune his guitar, Amelia working with her bass as Dave checked his drums. The doors were wide open, so anyone who happened to walk by could listen in, but Burt in his office noticed the commotion through the cameras and decided to finally test out the new system he had a couple of the tech Toppats set up. He flicked a couple of switches on his dashboard, causing a bit of screeching sound to play throughout the manor.

“Testing, testing… my that’s loud, isn’t it?” Charles said, not realizing what was going on. Amelia was suddenly steaming up a bit as Ace got up front and center, Violin trying to put some ear protection in his ears. Accordion sat next to his husband, almost looking up expectantly as Charles glanced at Amelia and then Dave.

“Let’s play ‘I’d Do Anything.’ I like singing that song,” Amelia said.

“OK, let’s start with that!” Charles said, “Ready?” Dave nodded his head as he counted them off, Charles already playing with vigor and feeling as Amelia began to sing the song. Rupert smiled, feeling sort of happy as he glanced up at his boyfriend playing on stage, singing that backup vocals as the song echoed through the Toppat manor.

A couple of Toppats passing by ended up growing curious, walking in to listen in on the song.

But while that was happening, the Toppats of the manor bobbing along to the music as they worked or talked amongst themselves, a shadow slipped through the halls, stepping carefully to make sure it wasn’t noticed.

It quietly flitted from wall to wall until it finally managed to reach the top floor of the manor, where the hall of leaders was. It stopped briefly in front of the portrait of Jaques as his form became a bit more corporeal.

He was wearing a pink top hat with a very loud feather in it, bright pink clothes that glittered and sparkled, his eyes hiding behind ladder shades as he listened to the song echoing through the halls.

“Not bad… but not what I’m here for…” he muttered quietly to himself as he clapped his hands in front of him, a magic symbol appearing below his feet as he concentrated. He saw a faint yellow glow from the painting and smiled, knowing exactly what was going on.

“C’mon Jaques, baby, we can make this work…” he muttered as he concentrated even more, feeling a splitting headache coming on. Maybe it was the music that was playing, or the pure determination in his heart, but finally, a hand popped out from the portrait. Not a ghostly hand, but a human one. The man grinned, but he knew he couldn’t stop there as he continued to concentrate as the hand grabbed the edge of the frame, as if Jaques was trying to pull himself out.

Finally, after a bit of struggle, he managed to surface his head, gasping as he looked to see who it was.

“Randy?” he whispered.

“Long time no see,” Randy said through gritted teeth.

“Grab my hand!” Jaques shouted. Randy grabbed one of Jaques’ hands as he pulled him, still concentrating on the spell as he successfully pulled him from the painting. Jaques suddenly shouted as the painting suddenly exploded, shaking the hall as Randy held onto Jaques tightly, feeling tears in his eyes.

It was just as the song ended too. Charles played the last bar and just as the Toppats in the room were about to cheer, the explosion occurred. Everyone was suddenly talking as Burt panicked, turning off the intercom system in the music room and scanning the security cameras. He had to admit, it was partially his fault this had happened.

Reginald and the Right Hand Man burst out of their office meanwhile as a couple of Toppats made their way upstairs to see Randy and Jaques, looking at each other as Jaques felt his magic strength regaining once again.

“Welcome back, Jaques,” Randy said softly as he nuzzled him.

“Randy?!” They jumped when the suddenly realized what was going on. They looked up to see Reginald, a look of malice in his eyes as he approached him.

“You dare show your face here again after everything you’ve done!?” Reginald shouted, “I can’t believe you!”

“Randy, what’s he-?” Jaques started as Randy grabbed Jaques’ hand a pulled him to the end of the hall.

“Forget that! Just teleport us out of here!”

“WHERE?!”

“ANYWHERE!?”

“You’re not going to escape!!” Reginald shouted as Jaques concentrated his magic and decided the safest bet was to teleport them at least 10 miles from their location. He clapped his hands and in a puff of red smoke, Randy and Jaques vanished.

“DAD!!” Amelia shouted as she ran down the hall, “Is everything OK?”

Reginald stared blankly at the empty spot where Randy and Jaques had been as he turned to the now growing crowd of Toppats.

“Amelia, tell Charles and Dave it’s time for them to go home. Everyone else, I need you to fan out and find those two! They can’t have gone far!” Reginald shouted.

“What!? But we haven’t-!” Charles started as Amelia started to push him and Dave towards the roof.

“No point arguing dude. He’s in one of his moods!” Amelia said as Charles tried to object and Dave meekly followed behind her.

Rupert finally managed to get to the top floor as Ace followed closely behind, clearly excited.

“What’s going on, what happened?!” Ace shouted.

“I’ll tell you what happened! Randy decided to show his ugly mug here again after everything he’s done!” Five Eyes shouted, “C’mon Rupert, we’ve gotta study the magic aura of the spell they used. Maybe it can help us figure out where they went!” Rupert nodded his head as he followed his mentor to the end of the hall.

“Hey, Jaques’ painting is gone!” Ace shouted. Rupert gasped as he glanced down the hall, running towards where the painting was and saw the frame completely destroyed, the canvas missing as a burned scorch mark was right in front of the place where his uncle’s portrait was.

“...Uncle Jaques?” Rupert whispered, feeling the magic aura in the air.

- - - - -

Jaques, meanwhile, was hiding in an alleyway in West Mesa, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as he clutched a cube with a glowing yellow aura. He clutched his other hand as he glanced back at Randy, who was laying back against the wall, seemingly exhausted as he looked up at Jaques.

“Jaques, baby… you have no idea how much I missed you…” Randy said softly.

“Of course, but what you did was dangerous! You should have just taken my painting and ran!” Jaques scolded as Randy sighed.

“I’m sorry. I guess I was in such a rush, I didn’t really think straight. I wanted to see you again so badly…” Randy said, “I hope they can forgive me for that much.”

“Speaking of which, they seemed to be pretty upset with you for another reason. What happened while I was gone?!” Jaques shouted. Randy winced as he glanced up at the sky, gulping as he looked down before shaking his head.

“I was just… so miserable. I thought… if I just partied my way through my troubles, it wouldn’t hurt as bad. Losing you, I mean. I know you were just trapped in the painting, but I couldn’t talk to you, I couldn’t communicate with you. I missed you so badly, you have no idea, I’m sorry, I was a disappointment to you in the clan and I was a disappointment to you as a right hand, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-” he was suddenly interrupted as Jaques locked his lips to Randy’s, feeling a wave of comfort and relief going through his body.

“I’m sorry. I wish I hadn’t gone after my sister, but the Masquerade… they wanted to hurt her,” Jaques said, “I feel awful for disappearing the way I did. I shouldn’t have left you behind… I’m sorry…”

“Jaques…”

“Randy…”

They held each other tightly, sobbing and crying as they felt warmer then before, almost safe and comfortable in the dark alley they were in. They stayed like that for a few minutes before they finally let go of each other.

“So, what should we do now?” Jaques asked.

“I have a hideout in Stickopolis we can crash at. However, I need to my magic strength back up. After all, you don’t know where it is,” Randy said.

“Well, I have my magic power. And thankfully, I can keep us hidden until you regain your strength,” Jaques said, already summoning forth his magic, “Concentrate on getting your strength back. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

As a small shield went over them, a pillow and some blankets being summon under and above Randy, he walked over to caress his cheek.

Randy smiled, feeling happier then he had ever been in the past twenty years.

#the henry stickmin collection #rupert price #stickmin oc #fan fic #fan fiction #the narrators stories

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