Broken Adventure
- Thread starter theaceoffire
- Start date
- Crossover
- Status
Kalibrius
God of reflection
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
Well
If one were to refer to that one kingdom hearts fanfic that had naruto be sora yin yang opposite
This alice may be the yin to primary Alice's yang
A dark reflection that balances out the scales, a princess of darkness
Prime Alice is a princess of light so it would make sense that kh universe may create a counterpart to keeping the light in check if the light went bonkers, no one wants a repeat of hollow knight on a multiverse scale
Though arguably unlike other princesses the Alice's have a deep connection to the dreaming realm overall
And oh dear that wasn't good, Ofadam suffering what his predecessors are suffering Identity decay, He needs a vessel of some kind and soon lest Ofadam become something far worse than a mere pure blood heartless, adam as he is now is likely to be on the level of the union leaders of yore, a pure blood heartless of that threat level
Master of masters may not be able to take care of ofadam gone wild, which is both impressive and terrifying, I hope that alive forges some sort of vessel and soon or london may wind up sinking into the darkness permanently
If one were to refer to that one kingdom hearts fanfic that had naruto be sora yin yang opposite
This alice may be the yin to primary Alice's yang
A dark reflection that balances out the scales, a princess of darkness
Prime Alice is a princess of light so it would make sense that kh universe may create a counterpart to keeping the light in check if the light went bonkers, no one wants a repeat of hollow knight on a multiverse scale
Though arguably unlike other princesses the Alice's have a deep connection to the dreaming realm overall
And oh dear that wasn't good, Ofadam suffering what his predecessors are suffering Identity decay, He needs a vessel of some kind and soon lest Ofadam become something far worse than a mere pure blood heartless, adam as he is now is likely to be on the level of the union leaders of yore, a pure blood heartless of that threat level
Master of masters may not be able to take care of ofadam gone wild, which is both impressive and terrifying, I hope that alive forges some sort of vessel and soon or london may wind up sinking into the darkness permanently
- Pronouns
- Anything’s fine
You know, I've been wondering, how is Ofadam supposed to be read? Is it literally "of-Adam" or do we read it "oh-fah-damn" like an actual name?
I suppose eventually he might end up getting it as O'Adam. Since I'm pretty sure those similar names were that kind of meaning. And has the added benefit of being easier to parse/pronounce.
Not really sure where he'd go to end up with that modification to end up sticking. Though I suppose it might if he ends up not quite getting his voice working.
Kind of curious if the upstream Adams are getting the data from this yet or not. Given that this is yet another layer of that specifically mentioned strangeness that made everything go wonky, who knows. That, and there's the fact that if I recall correctly they weren't all able to process the information. Thought that might partially be not having enough time to go over it yet. Still probably a bit early to get a glimpse back at them though. More something I realized that they'd also be a bit upset at the people Ofadam is going after. The ones that couldn't be saved at least.
Thinking on it now, I wonder how soon the Shadows will realize that evidence they're giving just keeps disappearing, and 'helpfully' spreads it to more people. After all, they must be so clumsy, other people having copies will help them keep track of everything.
Not really sure where he'd go to end up with that modification to end up sticking. Though I suppose it might if he ends up not quite getting his voice working.
Kind of curious if the upstream Adams are getting the data from this yet or not. Given that this is yet another layer of that specifically mentioned strangeness that made everything go wonky, who knows. That, and there's the fact that if I recall correctly they weren't all able to process the information. Thought that might partially be not having enough time to go over it yet. Still probably a bit early to get a glimpse back at them though. More something I realized that they'd also be a bit upset at the people Ofadam is going after. The ones that couldn't be saved at least.
Thinking on it now, I wonder how soon the Shadows will realize that evidence they're giving just keeps disappearing, and 'helpfully' spreads it to more people. After all, they must be so clumsy, other people having copies will help them keep track of everything.
I keep thinking that she will wake up to get a wider view, and we will find that it's Fallen London. Gothan, before Adam visited, seemed a nicer place than Alice's London.
I keep getting the idea of Sherlock Holmes being hired to look into all the missing people.
I keep getting the idea of Sherlock Holmes being hired to look into all the missing people.
I think if it was Fallen London, it'd look a lot different. And there'd be mention of the fact that there isn't really a 'sky'. 'Cause if I remember correctly it's all 'underground'. I mean, there's certainly some similarities what with it being 'Victorian Era England' inspired. And I think there are some more noticeable strangeness/oddities that would be commented on. I mean, wasn't one of the factions in Fallen London literally Hell?
It's just American McGee's version of Alice in Wonderland is dark. Whereas Gotham as a setting was somewhat constrained in what kinds of crimes it could show, and thus, a universe based on it wouldn't be that dark. I mean, there's still DC 'verses that are bleak, but the specific kinds of things that are canon to Madness Returns aren't quite topics that are in Batman series. Or if they are, not as a prominent/prevalent fixture; certainly not either of the two jumps that made up that verse.
I'm sure that one of the Shadows could end up fitting in right there into Fallen London and finding things to do there. I'm just not too sure on the lore as to what exactly would occur there. And exactly how any of the Shadows would end up making it over there. Certainly wouldn't be whatever caused London to be moved over, per FL backstory, applying to this Alice's London.
It's just American McGee's version of Alice in Wonderland is dark. Whereas Gotham as a setting was somewhat constrained in what kinds of crimes it could show, and thus, a universe based on it wouldn't be that dark. I mean, there's still DC 'verses that are bleak, but the specific kinds of things that are canon to Madness Returns aren't quite topics that are in Batman series. Or if they are, not as a prominent/prevalent fixture; certainly not either of the two jumps that made up that verse.
I'm sure that one of the Shadows could end up fitting in right there into Fallen London and finding things to do there. I'm just not too sure on the lore as to what exactly would occur there. And exactly how any of the Shadows would end up making it over there. Certainly wouldn't be whatever caused London to be moved over, per FL backstory, applying to this Alice's London.
I mean, theoretically there's the option of something like the Otherlands quasi-canon(?) sequel to Madness Returns, which allows her to traverse to the mental worlds/Wonderland equivalents of other people. But I'm not sure if that would even happen the same way, given that I haven't actually seen the relevant media to know the exact connections, and I haven't read that plot outline I mentioned earlier up in the thread of the proposed third game that if I'm understanding things right is a 'instead of' version of events. A branching timeline possibility. No idea if any of the Otherlands ideas made it over to that 100+ page document.
Plus, we've got Ofadam hanging around and changing things. Already Alice was brought back into Wonderland earlier than MR canon had it happen. Knock on effects from there. Along with the fact that Ofadam ended up... softening up who Alice has to confront.
There's also the bit where Alice is apparently traversing Darkness Corridors on her own, which could be a similar mechanism to the Otherlands thing. So that changes things up. Even if it's something that's close enough to be mistaken for as such, actually. Like a parallel route that is just off to the side. Since I think you need specific defenses to traverse the Darkness Corridors yourself. Unless you're a Heartless. At least I think that was the specific limitation. Certainly Alice isn't wearing one of those cloaks, or some similar styled protective gear.
Plus, we've got Ofadam hanging around and changing things. Already Alice was brought back into Wonderland earlier than MR canon had it happen. Knock on effects from there. Along with the fact that Ofadam ended up... softening up who Alice has to confront.
There's also the bit where Alice is apparently traversing Darkness Corridors on her own, which could be a similar mechanism to the Otherlands thing. So that changes things up. Even if it's something that's close enough to be mistaken for as such, actually. Like a parallel route that is just off to the side. Since I think you need specific defenses to traverse the Darkness Corridors yourself. Unless you're a Heartless. At least I think that was the specific limitation. Certainly Alice isn't wearing one of those cloaks, or some similar styled protective gear.
she may not need a cloak due to Shadow Ofadam being Physically/visibly in wonderland and not wanting to eat her, and with him being Darkness, the essential BBEG of the franchise, because Shadow ate him, so she can cross the dark corridors safely due to all of those reasons.
- Location
- Planet Earth
This is GOLD~!
"At least tell me where we are going now!"
The nearest Shadow nodded rapidly… And they all began to dance harder!
Oh for goodness sake!
Now I can't help but imagine Shadow of Adam in some Zombie Apocalypse world, or Horror World, pulling a Thriller. Walking Dead, Resident Evil, Bloodborne, Hellsing, Addams Family, Hotel Transylvania, etc...
"At least tell me where we are going now!"
The nearest Shadow nodded rapidly… And they all began to dance harder!
Oh for goodness sake!
Now I can't help but imagine Shadow of Adam in some Zombie Apocalypse world, or Horror World, pulling a Thriller. Walking Dead, Resident Evil, Bloodborne, Hellsing, Addams Family, Hotel Transylvania, etc...
- Location
- Somewhere, Out There
Hotel Transylvania sounds hilarious wont lie lol. Im interested in the story visiting any of these places tho, so much potential, so little time.
I want to let you know that we appreciate all the effort you put into writing! It takes a lot of research and things to write a good story, much less crossovers like this one which has been going on for so long. Im happy to have been here every step of the way <3.
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Seriously, when I first was inspired to try writing my own crossover, I realized that all the settings I'm really familiar with are utterly lethal to visitors without plot armor. I couldn't send my characters without them getting killed, or accomplishing nothing.
Ended up working on my own setting, just so my transplants could survive the experience.
- Location
- Philippines
God-fucking-damnit. How would you even turn a grimdark world like that into a fluffy haven?
Fuck, I want a fully powered Adam appearing in Terra and telling the Emperor that everything's gonna be alright. Then rescuing the Lamenters.
This is how you know Adam is pretty much a Deus ex Machina, because there's pretty much fucking nothing that can save those poor heroes. I swear, nothing gets as screwed over in 40k as those guys, but pretty much nobody is worthy of being heroes except for those guys...
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Then finding their nasty habits and telling his employer someone or something did not appreciate such habits.
Red_Faux
私を終わらせる
- Location
- 'Straya M8
When half your reality is tainted by an ancient war larger, longer lasting, and more horrific than you can imagine, 'warped' into realm of intrinsic malice, legitimately trying to do good and being a hero is a nice way to piss off causality.
It's a reality circling the drain. There are no goodguys, everybody's just fighting to go out on their own terms.
Arc 3 has been fully backed up to the other site!
- Location
- Here
Woo! Now I don't have to do it again!
Broken Adventure: Arc 3: Jumpchain is a go!
Finished! Caput! Never this annoyance again! No more moving stuff! Woo!
...Uh. Not until I get more done with Arc 4.
Ah well.
At least my profile now has THREE completed stories on it. Even if making each Arc a story might be considered cheating.
Broken Adventure: Arc 3: Jumpchain is a go!
Finished! Caput! Never this annoyance again! No more moving stuff! Woo!
...Uh. Not until I get more done with Arc 4.
Ah well.
At least my profile now has THREE completed stories on it. Even if making each Arc a story might be considered cheating.
- Location
- From the moon
Translation note: "It's not."-Everyone else who writes.
Considering that it's more like they're separate books in the same series, I'd say they count. Heck, by word count it's possible to say they're several books long each.
the sheer amount of content and the difference in the settings coupled with the clean breaks from one arc to the next, i grantee that although the MC is the same (ish) the "different work" tag also apply
- Location
- Sol;Terra;EU;D;NRW
Let's all cheer for ace doing a bang up job putting the story arc up over there!
... yay. 💛
🐎
... yay. 💛
🐎
Arc 4: That Forbidden List of Consumption.
- Location
- Here
Alice didn't know what to say. "This is my most formidable foe? An infection within Wonderland, threatening to tear everyone and everything apart? The mastermind behind the creeping Ruin and the architect of our decay?"
The massive monstrosity was ugly enough.
Massive nails and stitches and puppet strings and black ooze everywhere, desk drawers embedded into his torso, nearly disconnected hands with bloody doll faces merged with weeping flesh, zombie-like extra limbs stitched together above his shoulder blades, the gaping wounds where his eyes should be.
It should be domineering and oppressive, a mountain of a man who tore himself into a monstrosity of pain and abuse and power.
The Cheshire Cat sighed. "Yes. That is him. The Dollmaker."
They both looked down at the huge thing, curled up and whimpering, flinching at anything that moved… Flinching at anything in general.
She almost felt bad for it. "What happened to it?"
Both of their attention got pulled towards the nearest Shadow, which was trying to whistle innocently.
It was pretty impressive, considering the tiny thing didn't have lips. Or a mouth at the moment.
The Cat sighed. "I suppose a good friend could help fight ones inner demons with them." He glared at the Heartless. "Or, in certain extreme cases, gnaw on their bodies despite knowing certain targets were ON THE LIST."
Several tiny bodys flinched with guilt.
Oh dear. "Don't be too hard on him, I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad by it."
The Cat huffed. "It was like herding a crowd of me getting him to keep anything alive long enough for you to face the issues yourself. I had assumed the mountains of issues and traumas and fears would have satisfied the Darkness but NO! NO, DROP IT!"
She blinked and… A massive muscular jaw filled with sharp pink fangs froze mid chomp around the squealing Dollmaker… before slowly vanished into shadows.
The furious feline was suddenly over THERE and glaring at a fidgeting Shadow. "NOT while he is on the list. You KNOW this! Alice needs to…"
She watched the tiny entity that she could feel traces of EVERYWHERE now that she was looking for him as it gave guilty nods and accepted the ongoing rant about accountability and proper table manners and waiting until all the guests were seated and how the Host should be allowed to eat her inner demons first, or at least have a taste and…
Alice tried to hold in a giggle as she saw pink spikes start to rise up near the Dollmaker again.
That innocent and absent minded rebellion felt so familiar. So much like her younger days, before the pain. The guilt. The fire. The… The…
Her mind caught something black and oozing.
Something familiar.
One hand shifted. "Shadow, hold him."
A forest of black tentacle eels surged from the shade and G̖͉͔̳̻͎̰̫R̼͍̯͓͙̠̣͓I̦P̖̪̥̯̬̝̯̪P̫̹͉͔̦̥̥ͅE̖̜̥̱D̺͕̠̘ the screaming beast!
Cheshire Cat was next to her and watching silently as she shifted her touch and the Darkness eagerly followed each movement. "I can feel it clearly now. When I am this close, here in Wonderland, next to you and your influence."
Don't think about it. Don't worry about it. It was probably her fault anyway. She shouldn't worry about it. It was too much to think about. It was too heavy to obsess over. It was too distracting from recovering. Stop considering it. Stop asking. Stop. Stop. STOP.
Her eyes shimmered as a soft fog of Hysteria.
Skin and dress draining to porcelain white, her sharp knife, the Vorpal Blade, suddenly in her right hand…
Both blade and arm already soaked in blood. Forgotten blood. Important blood.
Her vision blurred slightly as blood escaped her eyes and lips.
Memory after memory, unlocked but unordered, began to rapidly slot into place. Tugged and twisted and carefully moved by limbs of Darkness, her will supported and strengthened by the Shadow himself.
Around the neck of the Dollmaker, was a very familiar key.
A key that had been used in her recovery sessions with Dr. Bumby.
Used each time to bring her deep within her own mind, taunting her with forgotten thoughts.
A key that went to a door that her sister had died behind.
Alice pulsed with rage as she rapidly followed the white rabbit of memories and logic and… "I had a role in my family's demise, but I did not start the fire."
Her childish claims of centaurs, the one that invaded the home before it all came down.. Before the flames…"Centaurs don't live in Oxford, but a certain Doctor did. I saw him, a preening undergraduate. Now I remember him!"
The invader who came in, the one who… The one who…
The blood mist rose higher. "Th̯͍̲́a̳t͎̬̜̯ ̥̳͓̥̼̪̩ke͖̹ý̖̮ ̤͙̲b͙̬̣̩͇͕e̥ĺ̺̯̬̳̱͙͕o͔̲̮̗̱͕̙n̳̻̹̩͉̮̟g̘̯s ̺̖͜t̴o̙͕̪̩͇̳͚ ̴͉Ḻ͈̩̱̣̀i̭̟͡z̹̤͉̠̰̥͈z̖͖̤͔ͅͅi͈̼̤̖e͙͍̠ͅ's̢ ̻̻̦͚̯r̸͖̰͕̭͈o̟̯̱̩͕͜o͚̟̗̞m̝͙͉̘!"
Pink fangs bit deeper into the Dollmaker with a screaming C̘̻̙̪̕rù̺̗͍͓n̜̭̜̺͈̦ͅc͔̪͙͝h̯̟!
Another memory, or a… A something. Something broke free.
Clues and hints and memories and… "Children wearing their names around their necks, as if they're breeding livestock!"
Somehow the Dollmaker managed to gasp and wheeze a plee! "I provide a service, in the great and awful metropolis, appetites of all sorts must be gratified! They must!"
So many connected thoughts.
Her head… And her heart hurt. "Am I not the most wretched and selfish of fortune's fools? Oblivious, I live in a training ground for prostitutes; my mentor is an abuser and purveyor."
How had she missed the signs, she knew the Darkness, had been trapped there for so long…
Do not think, do not care, do not move, do not worry, forget, forget, forget.
The Dollmaker made another attempt. "You were almost there, Alice! Almost free from what you fear. You could have been cured. You could have forgotten! Freed!"
The Vorpal Blade snickersnacked and the mutilated limb the Dollmaker that reached toward her flew away. Sliced off with a fountain of blood and viscera and gore. She was too small, and it was too large, and such an injury was impossible from this angle.
It was done anyway.
Alice burned. "I've been complicit with my sister's murderer, and the killer of my family, as he corrupted my mind! I sought relief from my pain and you turned me away from the truth!"
The limb was consumed, another memory fragment unlocked.
Elsewhere, the half dead whispers of the Queen of Hearts murmured. "Madness and destruction Alice. You shouldn't ask questions you know the answer to, it's not polite... And that noise that night wasn't Lizzie talking in her sleep. Not at all."
A memory of Dr. Bumby softly smiling while swinging the key to her sister's room, the one who was gone… The one who was taken before death. "The worst is over, and over, and over. Forget it, Alice. Forget it."
Alice felt the information merge.
Hysteria grew in power, her limb twitching, impossible scars and slices etching into the screaming Dollmaker. "NO! You… You should have been insane by now! Or a doll! Not… How!?"
Older sister Lizzie, reading to her in the flowers. "Alice! Will you kindly pay attention to your history lesson?"
She should have, sister. She should have.
Guilt was a sharp blade indeed, and Alice turned it on the symbol of the one who had torn her heart asunder with it.
Dollmaker twisted! "NO! NO! N…"
S̖̗̻̪̯̤nͅi̱͚̖̳̭̹͈c̡̫͇͉̩̠̟k̤̺̥̕e͎̘̞̦̰r͇̟̳̹̭-̟̫͟S̳̯n̡̜͙̙̩̱a͔̳̖̟c̛̣̙̰̳̫ͅk͓͕͓͙̥!
He gurgled, bleeding black sludge.
It wasn't enough.
Hadn't Cheshire Cat said something about… "Shadow. He's no longer on the list."
The Darkness paused.
Wonderland paused.
Shadow sm̷̖̱̳̦͓͈i͕̲̦le̤͈̖̝͕d̳̣̲̘ͅ.͉̯́
The Dollmaker tried to twist, to pull free of the jaws, to…
C̡̨̢̰̫̺̙͖͉̭R̴̢̡̨̡̘̼̗͔̙̝̲̹̱͇U̴̺͖̯̪͓̬̳̻͍̞̜͈̫̟̜̪̩̣̮͘͞N͙̩̦͖̼̮͕͕̯͕͍̭̗͢͝C͚͍̯͍̹̲̗̱̰͕̦̥͙̦͟H̶̵̞̩͕͉̻͉͚̹̙̳͍͡ͅ.
.
Mother. Father. Lizzy.
Her bleeding tears stared at the pit filled with pink fangs and the distant sound of crunching.
Wonderland cried blood with her.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Dr. Bumby shivered for some reason. "I'm sorry, I just haven't heard anything these days."
The shifty customer checked the shadows again for some reason. "All my… Associates have either taken off somewhere without me again or have suddenly started massive charity works. I think they are building up an alibi, that someone might be trying to either break into our markets or push some sort of deal into place."
He glared at the doctor. "Something is coming, and I want my bed warmer with me when I go. When all the old guards go on holiday together, I am not going to miss the hint."
Dr. Bumby sighed. "You know my dolls have to be of the finest pedigree... That one hasn't been fully trained. You brought the product far too recently. He is unable to display the needed standards yet!"
TIME was required, and these old fools bloody knew it!
No. Stay professional.
Too much was shifting right now to risk proper training sessions. To the point where the missing Alice wasn't even high enough on his list of concerns to look into just yet.
It shouldn't matter anyway. The old Alice and her Wonderland retreat were demolished. She couldn't even recognize what happened, and was powerless to change it or move against him.
He had made certain of that!
Her family was nothing but problems to begin with, even before they all met their 'unfortunate' ends. Alice's sister, such was a tease! Pretended to despise him!
She got what she wanted... in the end.
As would Alice, when he collected her back into his doll making workshop.
He focused on the wealthy customer who didn't appreciate true art. "You must wait until the doll can be properly manufactured, you know this." A raised eyebrow. "Or would you be eager for shoddy craftsmanship? A waste of funds?"
The larger man lost steam. "No, not at the costs involved. And his hands looked so soft…" The customer's eyes flickered towards the other rooms. "Still… A contract is a contract. Perhaps a discount? Or a lower cost to rent product until my warmer is properly modified?"
Dr. Bumby frowned.
It was poor professionalism to cave to such demands, despite the emergency goods he had trained for moments when unexpected parties might have been arranged. He had standards, after all.
But times have been hard these days.
Collectors of new goods were vanishing, due to inner workplace conflict, not properly doing their work, or getting caught by surprisingly diligent authorities. And his own paranoia had drastically delayed his training schedule… He hadn't even risked testing his own product this time!
Some allowances could be made. "Very well. Another male this time?"
A lustful nod! "A redhead, if you got 'em. They cry louder."
No they don't, not unless they were instructed properly.
Thankfully Dr. Bumby only produced the highest quality products. "Very well. Follow me."
Best go with the cover story of apprenticeship this time, as this doll wouldn't be owned long enough for the 'adoption' tale. And he would make sure to add a firm fine for 'unexpected retirement', body disposal was cheap enough but even at these high costs it was EXPENSIVE to craft replacement dolls!
The two men left the office towards supposedly unprotected children, but no one exited the other door.
The hallway was, after a moment, no longer full of Darkness.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadow maliciously chewed the Snack, and… Well, it was satisfying on several layers. Pure deliciousness aside, the taste of Karma was strong here, along with a hint of Vengeance and a touch of Justice.
Gem was carefully sending warm hugs of heat to Alice who was… Well, Cheshire Cat was with her and when he tried to see if she was alright she had pulled one of his tiny forms into a tight hug and they were stuck there now.
Which was fine.
He had plenty to do while the others rested.
While a large number of people were suddenly short a few toes, a good chunk of London was at least turning out to not be horrific. Not to the same degree, at least.
And only a few dozen new people 'vanished' into the Darkness recently too!
If that rate kept up, Shadow would actually have to focus on the mountain of snacks over here in Wonderland rather than capturing vile sinners and abusive slavers in one of the largest most 'civilized' cities on Earth!
Or at least, the memories claimed such. Then again, the type of people who thought themselves the best of the best and far above all others wouldn't exactly think their home city was low on the totem pole.
Shadow blinked as, among the slow trickle of collected appetizers from london, a pair came in with one smelling F̙̮͓̮͡a̩̭̫͍m̭͉ị̩̖̫̲̝l̡̖i̲̥̱̻̝͇͚a̢r͙̗̕.
He couldn't help but feel anticipation.
Was… Was he about to be gifted with the chance to eat the same delicious Snack TWICE!?
Pink eyes flickered around the struggling, screaming man in very nice clothing. He didn't physically look like the mutilated monster Alice had recently helped butcher up for lunch, but there was a certain flavor here… A familiar one!
Carefully Shadow separated the frantically struggling morsel from the others being moved to Darkness Tentacle Juggle Mountain. Shifted him over to this area.
This was a rare treat!
Was there like, a professional method to consume Snacks like this?
Like, from the memories (A lot of these people were frum upper upper upper class societies, go figure) when you drank wine you had to use proper glasses and serve at specific temperatures and smell the bouquet and sip it with air and…
But others just chugged the stuff straight from the bottle. Different bottles, different drinks, and mostly the 'lower class' honestly, but still.
Shadow carefully twisted the screaming treat back and forth, ensuring none of the eager fanged eels got too close or bit too firmly.
Once you popped, you just can't stop anymore.
He paused, blinking. Huh, the Darkness place with Jackie was at an later time period than this one. Pringles didn't exist yet. Go figure.
The person, apparently a doctor, got twisted upside down so his army of eyes could get a better look.
For someone with such rich layers of Sin, he certainly didn't look that interesting. Not this small, meat form of him anyway. The symbolic representation of the man in Wonderland at least had cool scars and stitching and those handy chest with drawers.
Shadow should have drawers in HIS chest! He could make a fluffy soft cushion in one and Gem could sleep like a queen in his torso!
He blinked as he felt her give a warm hug to Alice.
Ah, they were busy.
Also, at some point Gem had been pulled out of Darkness and was being physically hugged by Alice, which was fine since they both seemed to feel better from the process.
So crystal Hearts could be solid in this place. Neat!
Something else to study while enjoying the never ending buffet of this Land.
But… They seemed busy.
And it would probably be bad form to interrupt them right now… Yet Shadow shouldn't just eat someone who was probably on the list but not and may be list worthy or not… At least, not until Cat or Alice gave the go ahead first.
Right?
Right.
To eat or not to eat?
Carefully, the odd doctor was lowered into a pit of Darkness that only had itty bitty pink fangs in them. Only small ones though, like sandpaper.
A compromise!
The taste of corruption and sin soothed the jaws of Shadow even as Gem was busy being an emotional support crystal.
Shadow grinned from many, many mouths.
Just treat the good doctor as a jawbreaker! More a continuous nibbling process than a more satisfying B̨i̬̪t͖̳͔ͅe̘̳̻̭͠, but this way he gets both a tasty treat AND something left to hand over!
Brilliant!
His attention almost drifted, the tube of sharp fangs sliding a bit too…
Whoops!
Almost finished the dude!
Right, uh… This might be a bit more tricky than initially suspected.
But Shadow was up to the challenge!
Operation: Don't bite the lollipop was a GO!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
The Cheshire Cat blinked as he was elsewhere and back. "Oh dear."
So many 'visitors'... But based on their current location, perhaps not by choice.
Cat checked that the softly crying Alice was safe enough clutching that odd crystal Heart and the tiny squishy Shadow (Currently a squeeze toy), and then was elsewhere.
He grinned at the screaming multitude being bounced and juggled by sharp pink teeth and endless black limbs. "And what is all this then?"
A Shadow popped up and pointed several places before doing some hip thrusts.
His frown grew harsher. Cold. "To little ones, you say? Other little Alices?"
The tiny one did some shuffling and pointed to the moon.
Understood. "Keep the future numbers down, the screaming may wake things better left slumbering."
Not all of Wonderland were innocent and bright miracles, after all. Not anymore.
Shadow puffed out his chest and thumped it.
Cat rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you can handle anything that comes up, but it isn't good manners to invite such unwelcome guests, even for such a short stay."
He glanced at the men and few women that thrived on devouring society. "Let this be… A special case."
A quiet midnight tea party with no guests going home, as it were.
The Heartless paused… And then made some very quiet hand gestures. Practically whispering.
Oh? Now THAT sounded interesting. "Lead me to this confectionary wonder."
A taste that smelled like the Dollmaker?
Something that should be quickly investigated indeed!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadows of London were surprisingly busy.
He was skittering about all sorts of places right now, and it was a hectic affair to be sure!
Young ones being moved to new locations, ones retroactively marked as orphanages and homes for 'wayward youths'. New employees being hired through letter and post in odd manners, hidden funds being unhidden and put to good use. Middle managers being sourced and employed and sent and given tasks and strange but 'legal' sources of funding and political backing.
And of course, at the same time, a very large group of people going on holiday.
Important people. People with bright social stances and impeccable character and… Perhaps a shady whisper or two about certain habits that may or may not be true.
Still, it was a bit odd. A little strange, how quietly all this change was being accepted and ignored.
One would think all sorts of alarms would be sounding at such odd behavior…
But these individuals were odd to begin with.
Sure, to outsiders, this was all in character. After all, these people had a history of 'charity' and 'helping the poor dears' and 'bringing another lost lamb in from the cold' and all other such stories and lies and so on and so forth.
But the deeper into the pit you moved, the stranger the atmosphere became.
In the dark behind the scenes, Agents moved frantically on unusual orders. Not to acquire more product, but to make more innocent purchases and deals and send certain whispers and such. Not the usual, not at all!
But they were highly sought after, not for their talents or their dark skills or their connections...
They were sought due to their endless silence.
Confidentiality.
As for the ones who most opposed these changes, who fought against helping the 'cattle' being raised for harvest and tasting, they seemed to also go on a lovely trip somewhere.
Shortly thereafter, those missing people too began sending messages by notes, short lines in their own handwriting, such as it were. Assuring everyone that this was all preplanned and above board and stop asking questions and do what we pay you to do!
Some, the most clever, caught the pattern.
They shut up and followed orders, watching for something they didn't understand.
Most of the others were chosen because they never caught anything for any reason, and were dumb muscle and blind watchdogs and silent alertists.
They did as instructed, as they always did, as they always would.
So change came and hit like a whisper in a crowded room, mostly unremarked.
In opulent rooms and brightly lit parties, the elite would hum with disapproval at such philanthropists, at such wasted funds being directed towards whores and orphans and street rats and so on and so forth. What a scandal!
Helping others was all nice and good they argued, but what about the profit? About capitalism! There would surely be a swift reprisal of some sort now that they were moving resources of a more significant measure, especially for such a cause as those quaint little hobbies of attempting to assist the poor and young imps!
They looked at these hidden saints giving generously to the poor and scoffed at such naivety! At the sheer pointlessness of it all! Surely those poor and the orphans would do better in the workhouses or poorhouses or prisons or elsewhere, anywhere out of sight really.
Not brought up and mentioned in polite society! The unmitigated gall!
They understood that life required a bit of a firm hand, none of that soft stuff like those weak willed sods. And they donated to the church (occasionally) and sometimes tossed a coin to a beggar or two, so their Soul was just as clean WITHOUT giving away good money for poor investment!
None of these pompous and self righteous fellows noticed how odd it was for all these 'intellectually deficient and emotionally overwhelmed' tycoons to all go off on holiday so suddenly.
At the same time.
Or to stay away for so long.
But it was probably out of shame! They had lost so much supporting such grime!
Yes, that was likely it. No reason to look into it further. They weren't worth the effort or time.
Not like those smarter, equally kind and morally upright people. Not like us.
So the influential and wealthy turned their eyes away, as they often did.
As for the middle class, they were happy for the surprisingly generous wages offered by these untouchable and (now) unmeetable giants of the social world.
New jobs opened up!
Cleaning a number of orphanages, acquiring food from markets, making meals, ensuring proper medical care, the tasks seemed endless and the hours were shockingly reasonable!
Not to mention that the pay was stupendously high. Even enough to feed the whole family it was! Plus, the work didn't harm the Soul or keep them up at night lamenting a lack of ability. Just help a few people and get rewarded for it, a good upstanding job it was!
No late hours for grabby men, no secret tasks that risked life and limb if one ever talked. No silent suffering under harsh task givers with sharp emotional and physical stings at any displeasure.
None of that!
Just take care of a number of people, and consistent and prompt payment would come from confused managers who don't quite know how these wealthy people kept depositing funds into safes that were never accessed by others, how funds seemed to always be topped off when required.
The middle class muddled through.
And… As for the poor and those further below that…
Well, no one cared for what they may say. No one ever did.
And though it was odd for these worthless people to be offered shelter and food and even basic education from these odd social programs that were being talked about through letters and long distance communication, it didn't matter much.
Not to the important people, and not to the 'normal' people.
The wealthy were strange to begin with, just do what they say and accept the coin and go home for the day.
But the bottom most rung sounded like a chime in the Darkness.
Blank eyes looked upwards, some for the very first time.
Small forms were in warm rooms, hungry tummies uncomfortably full, clothing unnaturally clean and lacking holes and…
They weren't sure how to feel about this.
It was unclear how much time would have to pass before they even could gather an opinion.
But the Shadows watched, and they helped in small ways, and for now… That was enough.
That said, Alice or the Cheshire Cat should really ask Shadow about all the magic Gem has been releasing into Wonderland at some point.
Especially since Wonderland's Darkness was infesting most of London now. And starting to spread further and further into England in general. And infusing into all these children that were so carefully being tended to at the moment.
Oh well, it would probably come up in conversation at some point.
The massive monstrosity was ugly enough.
Massive nails and stitches and puppet strings and black ooze everywhere, desk drawers embedded into his torso, nearly disconnected hands with bloody doll faces merged with weeping flesh, zombie-like extra limbs stitched together above his shoulder blades, the gaping wounds where his eyes should be.
It should be domineering and oppressive, a mountain of a man who tore himself into a monstrosity of pain and abuse and power.
The Cheshire Cat sighed. "Yes. That is him. The Dollmaker."
They both looked down at the huge thing, curled up and whimpering, flinching at anything that moved… Flinching at anything in general.
She almost felt bad for it. "What happened to it?"
Both of their attention got pulled towards the nearest Shadow, which was trying to whistle innocently.
It was pretty impressive, considering the tiny thing didn't have lips. Or a mouth at the moment.
The Cat sighed. "I suppose a good friend could help fight ones inner demons with them." He glared at the Heartless. "Or, in certain extreme cases, gnaw on their bodies despite knowing certain targets were ON THE LIST."
Several tiny bodys flinched with guilt.
Oh dear. "Don't be too hard on him, I'm sure he didn't mean anything bad by it."
The Cat huffed. "It was like herding a crowd of me getting him to keep anything alive long enough for you to face the issues yourself. I had assumed the mountains of issues and traumas and fears would have satisfied the Darkness but NO! NO, DROP IT!"
She blinked and… A massive muscular jaw filled with sharp pink fangs froze mid chomp around the squealing Dollmaker… before slowly vanished into shadows.
The furious feline was suddenly over THERE and glaring at a fidgeting Shadow. "NOT while he is on the list. You KNOW this! Alice needs to…"
She watched the tiny entity that she could feel traces of EVERYWHERE now that she was looking for him as it gave guilty nods and accepted the ongoing rant about accountability and proper table manners and waiting until all the guests were seated and how the Host should be allowed to eat her inner demons first, or at least have a taste and…
Alice tried to hold in a giggle as she saw pink spikes start to rise up near the Dollmaker again.
That innocent and absent minded rebellion felt so familiar. So much like her younger days, before the pain. The guilt. The fire. The… The…
Her mind caught something black and oozing.
Something familiar.
One hand shifted. "Shadow, hold him."
A forest of black tentacle eels surged from the shade and G̖͉͔̳̻͎̰̫R̼͍̯͓͙̠̣͓I̦P̖̪̥̯̬̝̯̪P̫̹͉͔̦̥̥ͅE̖̜̥̱D̺͕̠̘ the screaming beast!
Cheshire Cat was next to her and watching silently as she shifted her touch and the Darkness eagerly followed each movement. "I can feel it clearly now. When I am this close, here in Wonderland, next to you and your influence."
Don't think about it. Don't worry about it. It was probably her fault anyway. She shouldn't worry about it. It was too much to think about. It was too heavy to obsess over. It was too distracting from recovering. Stop considering it. Stop asking. Stop. Stop. STOP.
Her eyes shimmered as a soft fog of Hysteria.
Skin and dress draining to porcelain white, her sharp knife, the Vorpal Blade, suddenly in her right hand…
Both blade and arm already soaked in blood. Forgotten blood. Important blood.
Her vision blurred slightly as blood escaped her eyes and lips.
Memory after memory, unlocked but unordered, began to rapidly slot into place. Tugged and twisted and carefully moved by limbs of Darkness, her will supported and strengthened by the Shadow himself.
Around the neck of the Dollmaker, was a very familiar key.
A key that had been used in her recovery sessions with Dr. Bumby.
Used each time to bring her deep within her own mind, taunting her with forgotten thoughts.
A key that went to a door that her sister had died behind.
Alice pulsed with rage as she rapidly followed the white rabbit of memories and logic and… "I had a role in my family's demise, but I did not start the fire."
Her childish claims of centaurs, the one that invaded the home before it all came down.. Before the flames…"Centaurs don't live in Oxford, but a certain Doctor did. I saw him, a preening undergraduate. Now I remember him!"
The invader who came in, the one who… The one who…
The blood mist rose higher. "Th̯͍̲́a̳t͎̬̜̯ ̥̳͓̥̼̪̩ke͖̹ý̖̮ ̤͙̲b͙̬̣̩͇͕e̥ĺ̺̯̬̳̱͙͕o͔̲̮̗̱͕̙n̳̻̹̩͉̮̟g̘̯s ̺̖͜t̴o̙͕̪̩͇̳͚ ̴͉Ḻ͈̩̱̣̀i̭̟͡z̹̤͉̠̰̥͈z̖͖̤͔ͅͅi͈̼̤̖e͙͍̠ͅ's̢ ̻̻̦͚̯r̸͖̰͕̭͈o̟̯̱̩͕͜o͚̟̗̞m̝͙͉̘!"
Pink fangs bit deeper into the Dollmaker with a screaming C̘̻̙̪̕rù̺̗͍͓n̜̭̜̺͈̦ͅc͔̪͙͝h̯̟!
Another memory, or a… A something. Something broke free.
Clues and hints and memories and… "Children wearing their names around their necks, as if they're breeding livestock!"
Somehow the Dollmaker managed to gasp and wheeze a plee! "I provide a service, in the great and awful metropolis, appetites of all sorts must be gratified! They must!"
So many connected thoughts.
Her head… And her heart hurt. "Am I not the most wretched and selfish of fortune's fools? Oblivious, I live in a training ground for prostitutes; my mentor is an abuser and purveyor."
How had she missed the signs, she knew the Darkness, had been trapped there for so long…
Do not think, do not care, do not move, do not worry, forget, forget, forget.
The Dollmaker made another attempt. "You were almost there, Alice! Almost free from what you fear. You could have been cured. You could have forgotten! Freed!"
The Vorpal Blade snickersnacked and the mutilated limb the Dollmaker that reached toward her flew away. Sliced off with a fountain of blood and viscera and gore. She was too small, and it was too large, and such an injury was impossible from this angle.
It was done anyway.
Alice burned. "I've been complicit with my sister's murderer, and the killer of my family, as he corrupted my mind! I sought relief from my pain and you turned me away from the truth!"
The limb was consumed, another memory fragment unlocked.
Elsewhere, the half dead whispers of the Queen of Hearts murmured. "Madness and destruction Alice. You shouldn't ask questions you know the answer to, it's not polite... And that noise that night wasn't Lizzie talking in her sleep. Not at all."
A memory of Dr. Bumby softly smiling while swinging the key to her sister's room, the one who was gone… The one who was taken before death. "The worst is over, and over, and over. Forget it, Alice. Forget it."
Alice felt the information merge.
Hysteria grew in power, her limb twitching, impossible scars and slices etching into the screaming Dollmaker. "NO! You… You should have been insane by now! Or a doll! Not… How!?"
Older sister Lizzie, reading to her in the flowers. "Alice! Will you kindly pay attention to your history lesson?"
She should have, sister. She should have.
Guilt was a sharp blade indeed, and Alice turned it on the symbol of the one who had torn her heart asunder with it.
Dollmaker twisted! "NO! NO! N…"
S̖̗̻̪̯̤nͅi̱͚̖̳̭̹͈c̡̫͇͉̩̠̟k̤̺̥̕e͎̘̞̦̰r͇̟̳̹̭-̟̫͟S̳̯n̡̜͙̙̩̱a͔̳̖̟c̛̣̙̰̳̫ͅk͓͕͓͙̥!
He gurgled, bleeding black sludge.
It wasn't enough.
Hadn't Cheshire Cat said something about… "Shadow. He's no longer on the list."
The Darkness paused.
Wonderland paused.
Shadow sm̷̖̱̳̦͓͈i͕̲̦le̤͈̖̝͕d̳̣̲̘ͅ.͉̯́
The Dollmaker tried to twist, to pull free of the jaws, to…
C̡̨̢̰̫̺̙͖͉̭R̴̢̡̨̡̘̼̗͔̙̝̲̹̱͇U̴̺͖̯̪͓̬̳̻͍̞̜͈̫̟̜̪̩̣̮͘͞N͙̩̦͖̼̮͕͕̯͕͍̭̗͢͝C͚͍̯͍̹̲̗̱̰͕̦̥͙̦͟H̶̵̞̩͕͉̻͉͚̹̙̳͍͡ͅ.
.
Mother. Father. Lizzy.
Her bleeding tears stared at the pit filled with pink fangs and the distant sound of crunching.
Wonderland cried blood with her.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Dr. Bumby shivered for some reason. "I'm sorry, I just haven't heard anything these days."
The shifty customer checked the shadows again for some reason. "All my… Associates have either taken off somewhere without me again or have suddenly started massive charity works. I think they are building up an alibi, that someone might be trying to either break into our markets or push some sort of deal into place."
He glared at the doctor. "Something is coming, and I want my bed warmer with me when I go. When all the old guards go on holiday together, I am not going to miss the hint."
Dr. Bumby sighed. "You know my dolls have to be of the finest pedigree... That one hasn't been fully trained. You brought the product far too recently. He is unable to display the needed standards yet!"
TIME was required, and these old fools bloody knew it!
No. Stay professional.
Too much was shifting right now to risk proper training sessions. To the point where the missing Alice wasn't even high enough on his list of concerns to look into just yet.
It shouldn't matter anyway. The old Alice and her Wonderland retreat were demolished. She couldn't even recognize what happened, and was powerless to change it or move against him.
He had made certain of that!
Her family was nothing but problems to begin with, even before they all met their 'unfortunate' ends. Alice's sister, such was a tease! Pretended to despise him!
She got what she wanted... in the end.
As would Alice, when he collected her back into his doll making workshop.
He focused on the wealthy customer who didn't appreciate true art. "You must wait until the doll can be properly manufactured, you know this." A raised eyebrow. "Or would you be eager for shoddy craftsmanship? A waste of funds?"
The larger man lost steam. "No, not at the costs involved. And his hands looked so soft…" The customer's eyes flickered towards the other rooms. "Still… A contract is a contract. Perhaps a discount? Or a lower cost to rent product until my warmer is properly modified?"
Dr. Bumby frowned.
It was poor professionalism to cave to such demands, despite the emergency goods he had trained for moments when unexpected parties might have been arranged. He had standards, after all.
But times have been hard these days.
Collectors of new goods were vanishing, due to inner workplace conflict, not properly doing their work, or getting caught by surprisingly diligent authorities. And his own paranoia had drastically delayed his training schedule… He hadn't even risked testing his own product this time!
Some allowances could be made. "Very well. Another male this time?"
A lustful nod! "A redhead, if you got 'em. They cry louder."
No they don't, not unless they were instructed properly.
Thankfully Dr. Bumby only produced the highest quality products. "Very well. Follow me."
Best go with the cover story of apprenticeship this time, as this doll wouldn't be owned long enough for the 'adoption' tale. And he would make sure to add a firm fine for 'unexpected retirement', body disposal was cheap enough but even at these high costs it was EXPENSIVE to craft replacement dolls!
The two men left the office towards supposedly unprotected children, but no one exited the other door.
The hallway was, after a moment, no longer full of Darkness.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadow maliciously chewed the Snack, and… Well, it was satisfying on several layers. Pure deliciousness aside, the taste of Karma was strong here, along with a hint of Vengeance and a touch of Justice.
Gem was carefully sending warm hugs of heat to Alice who was… Well, Cheshire Cat was with her and when he tried to see if she was alright she had pulled one of his tiny forms into a tight hug and they were stuck there now.
Which was fine.
He had plenty to do while the others rested.
While a large number of people were suddenly short a few toes, a good chunk of London was at least turning out to not be horrific. Not to the same degree, at least.
And only a few dozen new people 'vanished' into the Darkness recently too!
If that rate kept up, Shadow would actually have to focus on the mountain of snacks over here in Wonderland rather than capturing vile sinners and abusive slavers in one of the largest most 'civilized' cities on Earth!
Or at least, the memories claimed such. Then again, the type of people who thought themselves the best of the best and far above all others wouldn't exactly think their home city was low on the totem pole.
Shadow blinked as, among the slow trickle of collected appetizers from london, a pair came in with one smelling F̙̮͓̮͡a̩̭̫͍m̭͉ị̩̖̫̲̝l̡̖i̲̥̱̻̝͇͚a̢r͙̗̕.
He couldn't help but feel anticipation.
Was… Was he about to be gifted with the chance to eat the same delicious Snack TWICE!?
Pink eyes flickered around the struggling, screaming man in very nice clothing. He didn't physically look like the mutilated monster Alice had recently helped butcher up for lunch, but there was a certain flavor here… A familiar one!
Carefully Shadow separated the frantically struggling morsel from the others being moved to Darkness Tentacle Juggle Mountain. Shifted him over to this area.
This was a rare treat!
Was there like, a professional method to consume Snacks like this?
Like, from the memories (A lot of these people were frum upper upper upper class societies, go figure) when you drank wine you had to use proper glasses and serve at specific temperatures and smell the bouquet and sip it with air and…
But others just chugged the stuff straight from the bottle. Different bottles, different drinks, and mostly the 'lower class' honestly, but still.
Shadow carefully twisted the screaming treat back and forth, ensuring none of the eager fanged eels got too close or bit too firmly.
Once you popped, you just can't stop anymore.
He paused, blinking. Huh, the Darkness place with Jackie was at an later time period than this one. Pringles didn't exist yet. Go figure.
The person, apparently a doctor, got twisted upside down so his army of eyes could get a better look.
For someone with such rich layers of Sin, he certainly didn't look that interesting. Not this small, meat form of him anyway. The symbolic representation of the man in Wonderland at least had cool scars and stitching and those handy chest with drawers.
Shadow should have drawers in HIS chest! He could make a fluffy soft cushion in one and Gem could sleep like a queen in his torso!
He blinked as he felt her give a warm hug to Alice.
Ah, they were busy.
Also, at some point Gem had been pulled out of Darkness and was being physically hugged by Alice, which was fine since they both seemed to feel better from the process.
So crystal Hearts could be solid in this place. Neat!
Something else to study while enjoying the never ending buffet of this Land.
But… They seemed busy.
And it would probably be bad form to interrupt them right now… Yet Shadow shouldn't just eat someone who was probably on the list but not and may be list worthy or not… At least, not until Cat or Alice gave the go ahead first.
Right?
Right.
To eat or not to eat?
Carefully, the odd doctor was lowered into a pit of Darkness that only had itty bitty pink fangs in them. Only small ones though, like sandpaper.
A compromise!
The taste of corruption and sin soothed the jaws of Shadow even as Gem was busy being an emotional support crystal.
Shadow grinned from many, many mouths.
Just treat the good doctor as a jawbreaker! More a continuous nibbling process than a more satisfying B̨i̬̪t͖̳͔ͅe̘̳̻̭͠, but this way he gets both a tasty treat AND something left to hand over!
Brilliant!
His attention almost drifted, the tube of sharp fangs sliding a bit too…
Whoops!
Almost finished the dude!
Right, uh… This might be a bit more tricky than initially suspected.
But Shadow was up to the challenge!
Operation: Don't bite the lollipop was a GO!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
The Cheshire Cat blinked as he was elsewhere and back. "Oh dear."
So many 'visitors'... But based on their current location, perhaps not by choice.
Cat checked that the softly crying Alice was safe enough clutching that odd crystal Heart and the tiny squishy Shadow (Currently a squeeze toy), and then was elsewhere.
He grinned at the screaming multitude being bounced and juggled by sharp pink teeth and endless black limbs. "And what is all this then?"
A Shadow popped up and pointed several places before doing some hip thrusts.
His frown grew harsher. Cold. "To little ones, you say? Other little Alices?"
The tiny one did some shuffling and pointed to the moon.
Understood. "Keep the future numbers down, the screaming may wake things better left slumbering."
Not all of Wonderland were innocent and bright miracles, after all. Not anymore.
Shadow puffed out his chest and thumped it.
Cat rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you can handle anything that comes up, but it isn't good manners to invite such unwelcome guests, even for such a short stay."
He glanced at the men and few women that thrived on devouring society. "Let this be… A special case."
A quiet midnight tea party with no guests going home, as it were.
The Heartless paused… And then made some very quiet hand gestures. Practically whispering.
Oh? Now THAT sounded interesting. "Lead me to this confectionary wonder."
A taste that smelled like the Dollmaker?
Something that should be quickly investigated indeed!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadows of London were surprisingly busy.
He was skittering about all sorts of places right now, and it was a hectic affair to be sure!
Young ones being moved to new locations, ones retroactively marked as orphanages and homes for 'wayward youths'. New employees being hired through letter and post in odd manners, hidden funds being unhidden and put to good use. Middle managers being sourced and employed and sent and given tasks and strange but 'legal' sources of funding and political backing.
And of course, at the same time, a very large group of people going on holiday.
Important people. People with bright social stances and impeccable character and… Perhaps a shady whisper or two about certain habits that may or may not be true.
Still, it was a bit odd. A little strange, how quietly all this change was being accepted and ignored.
One would think all sorts of alarms would be sounding at such odd behavior…
But these individuals were odd to begin with.
Sure, to outsiders, this was all in character. After all, these people had a history of 'charity' and 'helping the poor dears' and 'bringing another lost lamb in from the cold' and all other such stories and lies and so on and so forth.
But the deeper into the pit you moved, the stranger the atmosphere became.
In the dark behind the scenes, Agents moved frantically on unusual orders. Not to acquire more product, but to make more innocent purchases and deals and send certain whispers and such. Not the usual, not at all!
But they were highly sought after, not for their talents or their dark skills or their connections...
They were sought due to their endless silence.
Confidentiality.
As for the ones who most opposed these changes, who fought against helping the 'cattle' being raised for harvest and tasting, they seemed to also go on a lovely trip somewhere.
Shortly thereafter, those missing people too began sending messages by notes, short lines in their own handwriting, such as it were. Assuring everyone that this was all preplanned and above board and stop asking questions and do what we pay you to do!
Some, the most clever, caught the pattern.
They shut up and followed orders, watching for something they didn't understand.
Most of the others were chosen because they never caught anything for any reason, and were dumb muscle and blind watchdogs and silent alertists.
They did as instructed, as they always did, as they always would.
So change came and hit like a whisper in a crowded room, mostly unremarked.
In opulent rooms and brightly lit parties, the elite would hum with disapproval at such philanthropists, at such wasted funds being directed towards whores and orphans and street rats and so on and so forth. What a scandal!
Helping others was all nice and good they argued, but what about the profit? About capitalism! There would surely be a swift reprisal of some sort now that they were moving resources of a more significant measure, especially for such a cause as those quaint little hobbies of attempting to assist the poor and young imps!
They looked at these hidden saints giving generously to the poor and scoffed at such naivety! At the sheer pointlessness of it all! Surely those poor and the orphans would do better in the workhouses or poorhouses or prisons or elsewhere, anywhere out of sight really.
Not brought up and mentioned in polite society! The unmitigated gall!
They understood that life required a bit of a firm hand, none of that soft stuff like those weak willed sods. And they donated to the church (occasionally) and sometimes tossed a coin to a beggar or two, so their Soul was just as clean WITHOUT giving away good money for poor investment!
None of these pompous and self righteous fellows noticed how odd it was for all these 'intellectually deficient and emotionally overwhelmed' tycoons to all go off on holiday so suddenly.
At the same time.
Or to stay away for so long.
But it was probably out of shame! They had lost so much supporting such grime!
Yes, that was likely it. No reason to look into it further. They weren't worth the effort or time.
Not like those smarter, equally kind and morally upright people. Not like us.
So the influential and wealthy turned their eyes away, as they often did.
As for the middle class, they were happy for the surprisingly generous wages offered by these untouchable and (now) unmeetable giants of the social world.
New jobs opened up!
Cleaning a number of orphanages, acquiring food from markets, making meals, ensuring proper medical care, the tasks seemed endless and the hours were shockingly reasonable!
Not to mention that the pay was stupendously high. Even enough to feed the whole family it was! Plus, the work didn't harm the Soul or keep them up at night lamenting a lack of ability. Just help a few people and get rewarded for it, a good upstanding job it was!
No late hours for grabby men, no secret tasks that risked life and limb if one ever talked. No silent suffering under harsh task givers with sharp emotional and physical stings at any displeasure.
None of that!
Just take care of a number of people, and consistent and prompt payment would come from confused managers who don't quite know how these wealthy people kept depositing funds into safes that were never accessed by others, how funds seemed to always be topped off when required.
The middle class muddled through.
And… As for the poor and those further below that…
Well, no one cared for what they may say. No one ever did.
And though it was odd for these worthless people to be offered shelter and food and even basic education from these odd social programs that were being talked about through letters and long distance communication, it didn't matter much.
Not to the important people, and not to the 'normal' people.
The wealthy were strange to begin with, just do what they say and accept the coin and go home for the day.
But the bottom most rung sounded like a chime in the Darkness.
Blank eyes looked upwards, some for the very first time.
Small forms were in warm rooms, hungry tummies uncomfortably full, clothing unnaturally clean and lacking holes and…
They weren't sure how to feel about this.
It was unclear how much time would have to pass before they even could gather an opinion.
But the Shadows watched, and they helped in small ways, and for now… That was enough.
That said, Alice or the Cheshire Cat should really ask Shadow about all the magic Gem has been releasing into Wonderland at some point.
Especially since Wonderland's Darkness was infesting most of London now. And starting to spread further and further into England in general. And infusing into all these children that were so carefully being tended to at the moment.
Oh well, it would probably come up in conversation at some point.
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