Goddamn Teenagers (Worm, AU/time travel)
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
'Counterstrike'?
Missing quote at end-of-speech?
---
Amy... didn't even snark. She must be exhausted.
Upside? She doesn't seem to have any particular respect for Marquis.
Typos fixed in the text! Thanks!
More for Mark's benefit than Carol. Mark had been getting more present (functionally, he now has a kitty alarm clock to get him out of bed and Vicky has been putting his meds right in front of the cat food). You have also seen Mark and Amy having positive interactions a few times. Carol being less of a bitch also helped.
TLDR, Amy is less alienated from Mark and Carol, and is in a better headspace more generally.
Revelations, Part 2
"Hey, Vickster, what up!"
"Hi Alec, uh, I was wondering, Amy was saying some weird shit about her day and I was wondering if you had any idea the heck she was talking about?"
He laughed. "Today was fucking awesome! Her and, uh, Impulse were doing mad science shit for Big Blue, when a magic portal appeared, and long story short we got asked by a friendly ghost and her friends to help them with their pet cat. Real storybook shit."
"Ghost lady is awesome, has some real my dad kind of trauma going on. Her and her friends got caught up in the Cauldron mad science machine and gaslit into working for them, but Fairy Queen got that sorted and now they basically run a cat rescue like a therapy sort of thing. They've got like this whole secret base for the cats to run around in, we should totally sneak in and poke around it would be awesome."
Vicky blinked. That sounded very different from what Amy had said. "Was there something about a cat eating something?"
"Oh, yeah, kitty ate some tinkertech or some shit, your sister and Big Blue got that figured out while there was hang outs with ghost lady. My, uh, Impulse's sister helped when she stopped hiding."
"We should hang out sometime, or, hangouts should happen," Alec concluded. "Deniability."
"Hi Alec, uh, I was wondering, Amy was saying some weird shit about her day and I was wondering if you had any idea the heck she was talking about?"
He laughed. "Today was fucking awesome! Her and, uh, Impulse were doing mad science shit for Big Blue, when a magic portal appeared, and long story short we got asked by a friendly ghost and her friends to help them with their pet cat. Real storybook shit."
"Ghost lady is awesome, has some real my dad kind of trauma going on. Her and her friends got caught up in the Cauldron mad science machine and gaslit into working for them, but Fairy Queen got that sorted and now they basically run a cat rescue like a therapy sort of thing. They've got like this whole secret base for the cats to run around in, we should totally sneak in and poke around it would be awesome."
Vicky blinked. That sounded very different from what Amy had said. "Was there something about a cat eating something?"
"Oh, yeah, kitty ate some tinkertech or some shit, your sister and Big Blue got that figured out while there was hang outs with ghost lady. My, uh, Impulse's sister helped when she stopped hiding."
"We should hang out sometime, or, hangouts should happen," Alec concluded. "Deniability."
Last edited:
Revelations, Part 3
"I hear you had a busy day," the Asian therapist said.
Cherie nodded nervously.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's, you hear about Cauldron and the Fairy Queen, but all of a sudden it's, they're, she, you know?"
"The Custodian and her friends are, ultimately, people."
Cherie nodded frantically. "Yes, absolutely, Case 53s have been through a lot and it sounds awful." Oh no, Cherie didn't want anyone to think she was a bigot, that would be bad! She'd heard the one Ward, the metal one talking about that guy who it turned out was the Chief Director!
"It's more, they're so powerful?" Cherie curled up in a ball in her chair. "It's intimidating, I don't know how Jean-Paul, Alec, is so, so, casual about it all." She forced herself to stop wringing her hands. "The terrifying portal shows up, like was used to kill Dad, and a ghost lady comes out. I'm under the table scared and Alec makes a friend? I don't know how he's so brave."
Note: Why is the world so scary! What's going on!
Cherie nodded nervously.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's, you hear about Cauldron and the Fairy Queen, but all of a sudden it's, they're, she, you know?"
"The Custodian and her friends are, ultimately, people."
Cherie nodded frantically. "Yes, absolutely, Case 53s have been through a lot and it sounds awful." Oh no, Cherie didn't want anyone to think she was a bigot, that would be bad! She'd heard the one Ward, the metal one talking about that guy who it turned out was the Chief Director!
"It's more, they're so powerful?" Cherie curled up in a ball in her chair. "It's intimidating, I don't know how Jean-Paul, Alec, is so, so, casual about it all." She forced herself to stop wringing her hands. "The terrifying portal shows up, like was used to kill Dad, and a ghost lady comes out. I'm under the table scared and Alec makes a friend? I don't know how he's so brave."
Note: Why is the world so scary! What's going on!
Last edited:
RichardWhereat
Feanor did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Australia
By being so psychotically broken that he doesnt care.
Hierarchy of Needs
Amy lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She had made sure to shut off her alarm, but her bad habit of morning exercise meant she had woken up anyway.
She was torn. Part of her wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but she was awake now, and Taylor would give her shit if she skipped.
Plus, pretty ladies in gym clothes. That tipped the balance.
With a groan, Amy forced herself out of bed.
Elsewhere
"Huh," Dr. Weaver said, leaning back in her chair. "Sorry, don't have much insight into Cherish."
"That's a shame," Dr. Yamada said. "I know she is trying, but it has been a rough adjustment."
Dr. Weaver shrugged. "I'm glad to hear that she is trying, even if her progress is uneven. Uptime, I didn't interact with her much. She certainly had a tougher time of things than her siblings that we were able to extract as children."
"What did happen to her?"
"Between her being the Butcher, nominating Alec for the Nine, and all the trouble with Jack Slash and Bonesaw, there wasn't much bandwidth to find any sort of clean solution for her, so we put her into a stasis pod and dropped it at sea."
Dr. Yamada was taken aback. "Was that sort of thing common for your Protectorate?"
Note: Amy gonna Amy.
She was torn. Part of her wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but she was awake now, and Taylor would give her shit if she skipped.
Plus, pretty ladies in gym clothes. That tipped the balance.
With a groan, Amy forced herself out of bed.
Elsewhere
"Huh," Dr. Weaver said, leaning back in her chair. "Sorry, don't have much insight into Cherish."
"That's a shame," Dr. Yamada said. "I know she is trying, but it has been a rough adjustment."
Dr. Weaver shrugged. "I'm glad to hear that she is trying, even if her progress is uneven. Uptime, I didn't interact with her much. She certainly had a tougher time of things than her siblings that we were able to extract as children."
"What did happen to her?"
"Between her being the Butcher, nominating Alec for the Nine, and all the trouble with Jack Slash and Bonesaw, there wasn't much bandwidth to find any sort of clean solution for her, so we put her into a stasis pod and dropped it at sea."
Dr. Yamada was taken aback. "Was that sort of thing common for your Protectorate?"
Note: Amy gonna Amy.
Last edited:
You know, I noted this on Discord at one point in relation to crossovers, but it really applies here too.
Post GM Taylor being inflicted on anyone else is just plain not nice.
Even when you're on the same side, just hearing about the shit show that was Earth Bet is enough to make your therapist need a therapist.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
"Let it be someone else's problem, far, far, in the future."
That Cherish is the Butcher, and has burned all her 'benefit of the doubt' points. Your civilization needs quite a lot of spare resources to even think of considering sorting-out this bad a mess...
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Sealed Evil in a Can is a time honoured tradition. Everybody loves it.
I now have an idea for a Ward era crack fic where the pod falls into one of the reality cracks in Ward and the pod opens in Shardspace. Then either the Poorly Conceived Away Team finds her wandering around, or she dies and the power is inherited by I don't know someone suitably ridiculous, maybe one of the titans, or Ziz.
What is Love, Part 10
Alec's sister pulled him aside not long after he got to the Nazi science center. Never would have believed work could be so fun, and sis had to be there. Panicking.
"We're OK," he said in that voice like what Lisa used with Rachel sometimes. "We got out. Hell, most of the other kids did too, only a few went Team FAFO"
"You say that," Cherie said, with an edge in her voice, "but you've got Scary Godmother! I don't have that!"
Alec sighed. Sometimes it was easier when she was just dumb. "True, Scary Godmother seems to like me, or hates dad, or maybe likes the rug rats?" He scratched his head. Words, this was some Lisa shit.
Alec tried again. "It's like, we're OK. Try not to fuck up. Try, yeah, that's it. They can tell, or enough of them can. Don't try to lie, you're terrible at it without your powers, they can tell."
"Oh, God! You're saying they know! Oh, God!"
And… she was panicking again. Alec should probably feel bad at this. You know, if he felt things.
"They don't care," Alec replied in a tone like Brian used with Aisha. Fake it 'till you make it. "Really, as long as you play ball. Fat man with the Hawaiian shirt totally made me, saw right through me, he didn't care, and he's some king high and mighty something from D.C. They want to help 'master victims', and that's us. Budget shit or something, Lisa tried to explain it but, ah, stuff happened, it doesn't matter, anyway she stomped off."
… and there are the dumb doe eyes. Less complicated.
"Just be cool?" Alec tried. "Follow the rules, and when you fuck up own up to it and try to better. Don't try to run from the Doc, you'll just die tired."
Goddamnit, she was whimpering again. How the fuck did Lisa do it?
Note: Alec realizing he's definitely being recorded and probably shouldn't just admit to saying shit to a coworker that maybe definitely would be construed as sexual harassment. Even if he meant it as a joke, and Lisa totally knew it was a joke, come on. Fucking killjoys.
"We're OK," he said in that voice like what Lisa used with Rachel sometimes. "We got out. Hell, most of the other kids did too, only a few went Team FAFO"
"You say that," Cherie said, with an edge in her voice, "but you've got Scary Godmother! I don't have that!"
Alec sighed. Sometimes it was easier when she was just dumb. "True, Scary Godmother seems to like me, or hates dad, or maybe likes the rug rats?" He scratched his head. Words, this was some Lisa shit.
Alec tried again. "It's like, we're OK. Try not to fuck up. Try, yeah, that's it. They can tell, or enough of them can. Don't try to lie, you're terrible at it without your powers, they can tell."
"Oh, God! You're saying they know! Oh, God!"
And… she was panicking again. Alec should probably feel bad at this. You know, if he felt things.
"They don't care," Alec replied in a tone like Brian used with Aisha. Fake it 'till you make it. "Really, as long as you play ball. Fat man with the Hawaiian shirt totally made me, saw right through me, he didn't care, and he's some king high and mighty something from D.C. They want to help 'master victims', and that's us. Budget shit or something, Lisa tried to explain it but, ah, stuff happened, it doesn't matter, anyway she stomped off."
… and there are the dumb doe eyes. Less complicated.
"Just be cool?" Alec tried. "Follow the rules, and when you fuck up own up to it and try to better. Don't try to run from the Doc, you'll just die tired."
Goddamnit, she was whimpering again. How the fuck did Lisa do it?
Note: Alec realizing he's definitely being recorded and probably shouldn't just admit to saying shit to a coworker that maybe definitely would be construed as sexual harassment. Even if he meant it as a joke, and Lisa totally knew it was a joke, come on. Fucking killjoys.
Last edited:
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
That's... like a Fairy Godmother, but with bigger teeth and a fondness for jump-scares?
[innocent expression]
Thanks! Fixed the thread mark!
My Protectorate? Remind me again how many tens of thousands of people are currently being left for dead in Simurgh containment zones?
Snake and Dragon
Coil forced himself to pause a moment, and take things in. He was moving into his new office, in Accord's building! He was taking oversight of much of Accord's former operations in Boston, so Accord could focus more on whatever he was doing with Valkyrie!
(No he hasn't even considered moving into Accord's office, he wasn't suicidal. Even setting aside the man's temperament, God himself couldn't keep track of all the contingencies accumulated over the years. They'd just built a new reception area and office suite on a different floor, and were treating Accord's former personal spaces like they were more dangerous than Blasto's lab.)
He adjusted his uniform awkwardly. An under-appreciated downside to skin-tight costuming was, well, it right there in the name. With everything going on, he just couldn't find the time to go to the gym as much as he'd like (Tattletale must never know).
Still, he couldn't help but feel it was all moving too fast. He would have preferred more time. Time to vet new recruits, time to better coordinate with Citrine, time to carefully try and retry approaches.
He sighed. Success was success, he just had to keep it.
He idly retrieved a fancy envelope at random from the pile of incoming mail (all carefully screened, of course).
Flipping it open, he saw it was a nicely worded, elegant invitation to the grand opening of what looked like one of Lung's community fronts.
Then he saw the address. The address in Boston. Not in the Bay. Motherfucker!
Note: These buttons aren't labeled! Which one pages Citrine? Who designed this!
(No he hasn't even considered moving into Accord's office, he wasn't suicidal. Even setting aside the man's temperament, God himself couldn't keep track of all the contingencies accumulated over the years. They'd just built a new reception area and office suite on a different floor, and were treating Accord's former personal spaces like they were more dangerous than Blasto's lab.)
He adjusted his uniform awkwardly. An under-appreciated downside to skin-tight costuming was, well, it right there in the name. With everything going on, he just couldn't find the time to go to the gym as much as he'd like (Tattletale must never know).
Still, he couldn't help but feel it was all moving too fast. He would have preferred more time. Time to vet new recruits, time to better coordinate with Citrine, time to carefully try and retry approaches.
He sighed. Success was success, he just had to keep it.
He idly retrieved a fancy envelope at random from the pile of incoming mail (all carefully screened, of course).
Flipping it open, he saw it was a nicely worded, elegant invitation to the grand opening of what looked like one of Lung's community fronts.
Then he saw the address. The address in Boston. Not in the Bay. Motherfucker!
Note: These buttons aren't labeled! Which one pages Citrine? Who designed this!
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Also...
Which one electrifies the chair? Is there a manual somewhere? I'm going to have to use alternate time-lines to figure this out, aren't I?
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SIMPLE PHONE!!!
- Pronouns
- N/A
Who was the Phone? WHO WAS THE PHONE!?
That's not the phone, that's the trap that looks like a phone. The phone is in the second draw down on the right. Everything about the phone on the desk is a trap. There is no "correct" button; just a variety of ways to discover new and inventive ways to become a grease stain. Except if you pick up the receiver and then put it back down... not sure who came up with that trap but I'm pretty sure they managed to trigger it when installing the phone. Not so much as dust motes left of them. Best not to touch the phone on the desk either... multipart contact poisons you know. You picked up the other part to it when you opened the door. Oh, and the other part when you pressed the button for this floor in the lift... or the staircase entrance if you took the stairs. Oh and the chair is also a trap. You sit in it, it feels really comfy, so you sit in it longer. Long enough for the really sharp needles you didn't notice in the seams along the front edge to inject some really interesting things. The chair cushion sinking slightly as you sat down was enough to pump those needles. Hope you didn't want those legs?
nicoo
Malfunctioning neurochemistry, please be kind.
- Location
- Europe
- Pronouns
- They/She/Meow
*snorts.* Now you have me pondering... "parahuman semiotics"
Last edited:
School Daze, Part 12
Vicky watched the day's lunchtime entertainment, as she nibbled on her chips. It wasn't Dean, he had to go get something from his locker, but needs must.
"But what I don't understand is why the games console was all messed up," Chris moaned. "The wires were plugged in wrong."
It was probably 'Impulse who totally isn't Alec' doing something dumb with his ghost friend, Vicky carefully didn't say. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to know that, or if they were, secret identity stuff was confusing.
"Chris, Chris," Dennis was replying in a concerned tone. "Did you try to do something… unnatural with the games console? Or to it?"
"No!" Chris exclaimed. "I just went to play my game and it was set up all wrong!"
"It's OK, Chris," Dennis said in a soothing tone. "We know you are a growing teenage boy. You have needs, and questions, and we still love you."
"Aaaaaarrrrrrrgg," Chris returned. He turned to Carlos. "Carlos, quick he's gone mad! You have to help!"
The boys' comedy sketch was interrupted by her boyfriend sitting down next to her.
"Hey, Dean, how's it… what's wrong?"
Dean had a pained expression. "I couldn't help but notice that your sister has a certain… air about her today."
Vicky nodded slowly, appreciating his efforts to protect Amy's privacy.
"Is she alright?" Dean asked carefully.
Vicky glanced over at where Amy and Taylor were eating lunch together, silently, while they read. Vicky shrugged. "Yesterday was A Day. She's processing."
Note: God, Dean, you are not subtle.
"But what I don't understand is why the games console was all messed up," Chris moaned. "The wires were plugged in wrong."
It was probably 'Impulse who totally isn't Alec' doing something dumb with his ghost friend, Vicky carefully didn't say. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to know that, or if they were, secret identity stuff was confusing.
"Chris, Chris," Dennis was replying in a concerned tone. "Did you try to do something… unnatural with the games console? Or to it?"
"No!" Chris exclaimed. "I just went to play my game and it was set up all wrong!"
"It's OK, Chris," Dennis said in a soothing tone. "We know you are a growing teenage boy. You have needs, and questions, and we still love you."
"Aaaaaarrrrrrrgg," Chris returned. He turned to Carlos. "Carlos, quick he's gone mad! You have to help!"
The boys' comedy sketch was interrupted by her boyfriend sitting down next to her.
"Hey, Dean, how's it… what's wrong?"
Dean had a pained expression. "I couldn't help but notice that your sister has a certain… air about her today."
Vicky nodded slowly, appreciating his efforts to protect Amy's privacy.
"Is she alright?" Dean asked carefully.
Vicky glanced over at where Amy and Taylor were eating lunch together, silently, while they read. Vicky shrugged. "Yesterday was A Day. She's processing."
Note: God, Dean, you are not subtle.
Tawsnrrtsyip
Rick's Law Enthusiast
- Location
- Terra, Sol System, Orion Arm, Milky Way
- Pronouns
- Nice/Try/FBI/Pricks
For all that he's supposed to be hiding the whole Cauldron thing with his life in canon, he has all the subterfuge skills of a particularly clumsy hippo.
It helps that people wouldn't ask about anything around the Cauldron thing in the first place (with one exception) so just not talking about it works wonders. The exception would be therapists gently prodding around the whole trigger event/scenario. And trigger events are something parahumans by default clam up about, so nothing suspicious there.
So that a young man (well, teenager) that has a lifetime of struggling with working out what people feel about things and how to connect emotionally gaining powers that let him just see and (somewhat violently) inject emotions from an event he refuses to talk about is 100% what the experts would expect to see.