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maiko-san · 5 months

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TADC x Robotic Jester! Reader (Part 4)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

A/n : Sorry for the late update, I've been busy with work at the supermarket especially when Christmas is around the corner.

ft. Zooble and Pomni

IHA - In House Adventure

(Y/o/n) - Your other name

The next day, you wake up and go through your routine like usual. Having breakfast with the others before Caine decided to go for IHA. Caine comes up with IHAs at a random time.

Today's IHA was insect hunting which is a favourite activity for Kinger. The man was giddy like a child and begin to blurt out all kinds of insects he wants to find.

"I wonder what insects we could find today, maybe we can catch the elusive blue morpho peleides? Oh, maybe *gasps* a dynastes hercules!" Kinger said, you smile at how childish he looks and it's kinda cute.

Everyone is in their adventure outfit and equipped with nets and a small cage. "Alright everyone! Let's head out and catch some bugs!" Caine declares, "Each bugs have their points! The rarer they are the higher their points! The team with the highest points will get free tickets to the theme park for a week!" Caine said.

Everyone is separated into two teams, you are in a team with Gangle and Ragatha. While the other team is Kinger, Ragatha and Kaufmo. "Don't think ya can win cuz you have Kinger in your team! We're gonna beat your @s£!" you said.

"Those ticket will be ours!" you said, smirking.

Aftermath

Everyone is exhausted after getting chased by a swarm of angry hornets. Those devils have lots of points and yeah, you guys tried to catch one in their little nest and thought it would be easy—

But no, Caine didn't tell anybody that the bugs were huge!

Poor Kaufmo got stung by those hell spawns and Caine were able to fix him, but the poor clown was traumatized. You on the other hand got stung too in order to save your partner.

"You're okay there, bud?" you turn to Kaufmo who is rocking back and forth, he was horrified. You rub his back to soothe him down but he is still shaking uncontrollably. "Since the hornets are gone, LET'S CONTINUE WITH THE ADVENTURE!" Caine said making everyone (except Kinger) groans.

You stand up and help Kaufmo back to his feet, "Hey, Kauf. You can sit back if you want, don't force yourself. I can take you back to your room" you said with a slight smile. "Y-yeah, I think I'm sitting back on this o-one. I'm going back to my r-room.... alone. Don't worry, I'll be f-fine" Kaufmo said. "T-thanks (Y/o/n)" he said.

You watch worriedly as Kaufmo walks back to his room, you hope that he recovers from the whole ordeal.

"Hey, looney! We got points to catch. I ain't letting that Hoo-Ha winnin' " Jax said, crossing his arms over his chest, tapping his feet impatiently while Gangle standing next to him. You roll your eyes and walk over to them, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever Mr impatient" you said.

The IHAs went as normal, everyone catches smaller bugs and avoids the larger ones. The day went by and results were a draw. How surprising. Caine decides that everyone gets free tickets but for now, everyone wants to go back to their room and rest.

You walk by Kaufmo's room with two tickets in your hand. "Hey, Kauf! I got the ticket, we can go for rides tomorrow!" you said, knocking on his door only to receive no reply.

"Kaufmo? Are you asleep?" you said, trying to turn the knob. Kaufmo doesn't mind you entering his room, sadly the door was locked. "Kaufmo? Are you alright? Say something!" you said as you start to feel slightly uneasy. As you jiggle the knob, you hear a click and the door opens slightly.

You let out a sigh of relief. "Hehe, y-you got me worried there, Kauf" you said, tugging on your collar. "S-sorry I was sleeping" Kaufmo apologized, "Well. Caine gave all of us the tickets" you said, holding out one ticket to the clown.

"Let's have some fun tomorrow. Just the two of us, how about that?" you smiles. "Thanks (Y/o/n) but I think I won't go tomorrow, too much happening today" Kaufmo sighed. "Hey, I won't force ya! We can go once you're ready anyways this ticket doesn't have an expiration date anyways!" you said.

After that, you leave Kaufmo and go to your room. The very next day.....

A new human came to town.

Zooble

They are unique and consist of various shapes like those blocks.

Zooble was the name given to them.

Zooble is like one of those moody teenagers who is grouchy and easily gets irritated over something.

"F- off" was the first word that they gave to you when you tried to approach them.

Being a good person you are, you didn't push them and let them adjust to their new body and their new environment.

Zooble appreciates that you give them some space unlike coughCainecoughJax.

Zooble doesn't really understand how you are so fine with everything? Like, you enjoy living in this place.

"Why are you so happy being in this place? What's so good about it anyways?" they questioned, crossing their arms over their chest. You stare at her for a moment before smiling, "Hakuna Matata~!" you said in a sing along voice. "Which means 'No worries!' " you chirped. "I don't have to worry about everything anymore!" you said.

Zooble only raises an eyebrow at your statement. What did you mean by that?

Zooble has a hunch that you're keeping something....

But after some time, Zooble finds that you are really a genuine person. They start to get used to you.

Unlike the others, you're one of those good listeners.

Zooble always complains about everything especially in this stupid body that can fall apart easily, anyone would just either leaves, zone out or straight up ignore them but you didn't.

You listen to them and their pointless rambling.

You help Zooble cope with this new place and their new bodies, giving suggestions to keep spare parts just in case those nasty gloinks or Jax gets their hands on their body parts.

Zooble gladly accepts you as their close friend who they can vent their emotions to.

"Ugh, f@&#ing again!" groaned Zooble, their body parts got carried away by one of the gloinks. You manage to snatch Zooble's head and arm, "Geez, those nasty f@£kers are getting fast" you said. "Aaaaaand also sneakier" you glare at one of the gloinks taking away your tricycle and also your other stuffs.

"I swear if I get my hands on those m%@#fckers, I'll throw them into the void!" Zooble said, getting frustrated that their body parts always get taken away for the unknown times. "Well, if we did. There's going to be more of em" you said.

"Well! Let's get your body parts back!" you smile, tucking Zooble in your left arm and skip your way towards the gloinks.

After retrieving Zooble's body parts, you decided to go back to your room. You slow down and stare at Kaufmo's door, he has spent his time more and more in his room. Whenever he comes out ( via force by Caine if there's a IHAs ), he would mutter the word 'exit' over and over again.

It got you worried....

As you were about to knock on the door, "Hey, (Y/o/n)!" it was Ragatha and the others. "Oh, hey guys! Where are you guys heading?" you asked. Ragatha rubs the back of her neck, "Well, Caine wants to have a rehearsal with the theme song!" she said. "Oh, I see" Caine has been working on a theme song for quite a while now.

"I'll get Kaufmo, you guys can go ahead" you said, Kinger turns his attention to the door. "Kaufmo has been in his room for quite some time now..." he said. "The last time I saw him, he was finding the exit" he continues.

"I wonder if he's alright...." Gangle said. "Psssh! Haha! The clown has been like that ever since he came here! Don't twist yourself worrying about that crazy loser, looney" Jax said, pointing his finger at his head and making a twirling motion, laughing before walking away. You glare at Jax as Zooble did the same, "Geez, what's his problem?" they said.

"I'm sure Kaufmo is fine, (Y/o/n)!.....Let's give him some time, alright..." Ragatha assures you, "Y-yeah, you're right" you said as Ragatha takes your hand and takes you to the stage for rehearsal.

During rehearsal

Caine has started up the theme song and the music begins to play, Caine did the first greeting since he was the ringleader, "—and Welcome to the Amazing Digital Circus!" Caine shouted as the music kicked it and everyone's name was called out.

Gangle and Zooble and Kinger, too! Ragatha, Jax, and there's Kaufmo and (Y/o/n) , woo-hoo! 🎶

Day after— day after— day after, day after we fly! Past the sun and the moon and we don't know why! 🎶

Then, a new person joins in the theme song.

Pomni

When she first appeared was during the theme song, knocking everyone down on the stage.

You were unlucky to be the one who got toppled by the others ( Jax, Kinger and Gangle ).

"Guys, please get off" you muffled, face planted on the floor. "Sorry, (Y/o/n)!" cried Gangle as she slipped herself off the pile. "Ah, never knew that you'd be a great couch to sit on, looney~" grins Jax as he makes himself heavier on purpose.

"Really sorry about this" Kinger apologies to you, "Mff... it's fine" you said as you pulled your face off the floor. Your tail wraps itself tightly around Jax's body, squeezing the air out of him and tossing him aside.

Now, about the newcomer.

Much like Kaufmo, the newcomer didn't take everything too well and it was much more worst.

Pomni, that is her name now. Given by Caine.

The AI had decided to have another IHA to celebrate Pomni's arrival which is "Gather the Gloinks!" and causes Zooble to groan loudly at it.

Then, Caine left everyone to have their fun. Typical Caine.

You could see that she's panicking and having a hard time calming herself down. Ragatha did try to calm her down but it didn't go well and Jax makes everything much worse.

Anxiety? Panic attack? No, both. You feel bad for her, so you decide to step in.

You approach the small jester, "Okay, guys! Give Pomni some space, let her breathe and give her time to calm down" you said. Pomni is holding her head as she tries to process everything. "Hey" you said in a soft tone as Pomni looks up at you. She flinched back slightly, "I want you to follow my lead and take a deep breath. Breathe in, and out" you said. Pomni's quick breathing begins to slow down as she follows your guide.

"That's it, you did a great job there" you said with a grin.

Everything was too much for Pomni and she was glad that someone steps in and calms her down.

Or else she would die from having a panic attack (if it is possible in this world).

Since Caine has given out an IHA and honestly everyone doesn't want to do the adventure until Zooble gets disassembled by the gloinks.

After retrieving Zooble from the gloinks. Things escalated quickly like...

Kaufmo abstracted.

Caine deals with the problem and sends the abstracted Kaufmo down into the cellar.

Afterwards the AI confessed that there was an exit but he didn't know how to make it or knows how it works. But he tried his best to build one.

You watch your partner being sent down into the dark cellar and everyone acts like nothing has happened. Abstraction can happen to anyone at any time, it seems Kaufmo has reached his breaking point and you weren't there for him which makes you feel...guilty.

You failed as a friend.

You sat at the dinner table, staring down at your plate. You don't feel like eating after the whole ordeal, your (e/c) eyes look up to see Pomni looking at you. Her gaze turns away when you meet her eyes.

"You're not going to eat that, Looney?" Jax leans in on your side while pointing to your food. You push the plate to him, "Here... I'm not hungry anyways" you sighed with a frown on your face and leaves.

"....Poor (Y/o/n)" sobbed Gangle. "They and Kaufmo are really close...." she said. Ragatha puts down her spoon, "Y-yeah...." she trailed. It's a rare sight to see you this way and it feels so wrong.

They (except Jax) know that you and Kaufmo were pretty close since the two of you were an acting pair. "We should check on them" Ragatha said but Kinger interjects "It is best to leave them be for a while" Kinger said.

After the feast, Pomni is walking around the tent until she sees you on the stage, throwing knives at a target board.

She watches you throw the knives so precisely in the middle. The last knife throw makes the board split in half and causes Pomni to squeak in fear. "I don't have time for your s@#ts Jax—" you turn your head to see Pomni, "O-oh, it's you" you said.

Pomni fiddles with her fingers before speaking up, "I'm sorry...." she apologized which causes you to raise an eyebrow. "What are you apologising for?" you questioned her. "Well—a-about Kaufmo... everyone said that you're very close to him and I feel sorry for what had happened" she said.

"Oh..." you trailed, "Thanks for your concern but you don't apologise" you said. "It's normal for someone to get abstract, everyone has their breaking point" you rub the back on your head.

"Say, wanna take a tour around the tent? I can show you places you can and can't go. I am an expert at it!" you chirped, giving her a grin.

"U-uh, um sure!" Pomni agrees.

A/n : This is a very long chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it :D. Btw, Jax calling Reader Looney is because they are a loony which means 'crazy/silly/strange/weirdo/lunatic'

Kinda sad that Kaufmo abstracted and hopefully we'll get to see him in flashbacks. I really wish he and Pomni were besties and become the exit duo.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #gangle x reader #jax x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus gangle #caine x reader #the amazing digital circus caine #the amazing digital circus ragatha #the amazing digital circus pomni #the amazing digital circus jax #the amazing digital circus zooble #various tadc x reader #kaufmo x reader #tadc kaufmo

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estro-gem · 6 months

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Jax x Gangle (Situation-ship): Raptors and Reptiles

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's note: Thank you all who showed your support for my previous fanfic! I didn't expect people to actually enjoy it, but I'm not complaining at all. You all made me blush like crazy! I'm really flattered.

Welcome to the Gangle-centred fic! These events happens after those of the previous oneshot, but you don't really need context for it to still make sense.

This story is a little less of a series of events and a little more of a descriptive narrative - definitely not everyone's cup of tea - but at least you get to see unhinged Gangle, I guess... And a little bunnydoll is sprinkled in there too....Maybe a speck of Zooble x Gangle to wrap it all in a nice little bow.

Ths fanfic is very much a situation-ship, instead of a romantic ship. I love the concept of Jax x Ragatha too much to break it in this AU. We are all free to ship whoever; we are all here to have fun!

I hope didn't make too many distracting mistakes in the grammar.

Warnings: Angst, easy on the fluff. All characters and the story of The Amazing Digital Circus belong to Gooseworx!

SUMMARY:

Gangle meets Jax in the hallway right after his long visit to Ragatha. It's been a hard day with a new face arriving so suddenly and Jax looks a little worse for wear.

One look at Gangle's face was enough to have him on edge again.

Please enjoy!

RAPTORS AND REPTILES

In the desert, there is a bird that, despite their wings and the ability to hunt mid-flight, nests beneath the very ground.

The burrowing owl.

It’s small, it’s quick, and it’s silent. The Amazing Digital Circus was a desert, inhabited by characters who banded together to form their own paradise. It was far from flawless, but together, they made a desolate hell into an inhabitable home.

The owl was fleeing back to its burrow after stalking the delicious fresh meat that graced them with their arrival earlier that day. The new arrival was known as Pomni and she had unfortunately proven to be a nuisance to their beloved Ragatha. Minutes prior to the raptor’s flight to her burrow, she spotted the jester loudly blubbering from the hall while standing just outside the ragdoll’s door. She can only imagine Ragatha’s face upon hearing Pomnni’s voice frantically try to apologize.

Of course, Ragatha wouldn’t let the jester in so soon; just as the owl suspected. Pomni had a lot to learn and a lot to prove before she was going to be accepted. The soft sobs that the burrowing owl had heard from Pomni’s mouth, before walking through her new room's door, gave enough of a clue for the raptor to find that the jester seemed to realize that.

But that was enough spying – she had a burrow waiting for her.

“We really need to get you a bell.”

Gangle halted at the sound of Jax’s voice. She was almost startled by it since she just passed his door without hearing it open next right to her. His voice came from further down the hall. Based on the today’s event’s, the petite character could easily deduce that the male paid a nice, long visit to Ragatha. She had the suspicion that he would, but it was nice to receive confirmation.

When Gangle turned around, she almost missed how he stiffened in alarm.

Jax’s smug expression was fixed, and he seemed to be the personification of ‘unbothered,’ but she knew better. When it came to one’s headspace or emotion, she always knew better – call it a blessing from being born with 2 faces.

Jax was deeply disturbed, but he wouldn’t show it. It was understandable, she thought to herself. Today was a rough day and they had fresh meat to worry about. The ribbonoid girl suffered greatly under the brutal bullying of Jax, with tears practically staining cheeks by the end of it all. She should’ve been broken down and crying. Jax was prepared to see her sulk until the following morning, but he wasn’t prepared for her to present as she had in her current state.

Jax wasn’t prepared to be faced with Gangle’s bright smile.

“Someone has a pep in their step.” He quipped sarcastically, “One wouldn’t be able to say that you spend the entirety of the day with tears streaming down your face.”

It didn’t matter how easily Jax was able to fool everyone. Sure, it wasn’t all a simple façade; he really did enjoy being the menace that would ruin anyone’s day, but to call him incapable of caring would be a crime. The snake struck because it was his role – his nature – and the snake was arguably the most dedicated to his role in the oasis.

She saw the rabbit shift into a wider stance as he suddenly took extreme interest in one of his now torn gloves. Gangle didn’t notice that little detail before – something must’ve gotten his skin. Him reacting the way he did, meant that he was immeasurably uncomfortable.

Something within her shifted. If anything, the sight of his torn gloves and the fact that he just left Ragatha’s room, prompted the burrowing owl to come out of its shelter.

She suddenly craved the meat of a reptile.

“I was crying all day…” Gangle slowly took a step forward. She wanted to see him squirm a bit more before she struck her talons into him, “No thanks to you, of course…”

“What can I say? My theatrics tend to bring people to tears.” Jax kept up his aloof demeanor. He didn’t seem to quite catch on to what had her ribbons in such a twist. All he could do in the meantime, was suppress the shudder that crawled up his back while witnessing Gangle’s positively, unsettling smile.

It’s one of the only ways she could express anger, after all. It was bone-chilling.

“Judging by the state of you gloves and your previous whereabouts,” the girl used her head to motion to the door behind Jax, as he did his best to block her view of it, “I’m assuming that you were responsible for tears other than mine, yes?”

THUMP

Now that did it.

Jax was so adorable when he lost his temper. Being the only ‘animal’ in the circus, Jax tended to revert to his feral instincts when he was overcome with emotion. Gangle always found it so queer.

“Cut the crap.” Jax spat, averting his gaze in embarrassment, before glaring back sternly, “I didn’t do anything to her. I wouldn’t!”

“Your outburst doesn’t support your case, Bunny~” her voice chimed smoothly as Gangle’s smile stretched inhumanly wide in response. She knew just how to drive into her personalized predatory charms. As a burrowing owl, it’s impossible to believe that Gangle was above anything. She spent most of her time stalking underground, below their feet. Unnoticed, until she revealed herself.

And reveal herself she did.

“You know that only I do what I have to do – nothing more!” Jax’s grin widened in kind, like a snake baring his fangs as he poised to strike. He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, “Our little dolly needed some special attention. Since you were M.I.A. I bit the bullet. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Gangle’s eyes narrowed to slits, “I dealt with Caine to get my mask fixed. He drew it out more than necessary. I was about to pay Ragatha a visit before I saw you slip into her room.”

“And you figured that 2 is compony and 3 is a crowd, right?” His sarcasm never let up, even when he was rattled by her unwavering gaze.

“We both know that you just loved every minute you had with our sweet Ragatha…” Gangle leaned in closer, until she was too close for comfort. She intended to bait Jax into losing himself. If he did, she could take it… until she could wrap her ribbons around him as restraints. She would scream for someone to help; to check on Ragatha. Until then, she needed him to give her reason to do so, “Want me to believe that it's a chore for you to manhandle your doll?”

“Want me to wipe that smile off your face, Ribbons?”

Silence.

Tension.

Feral looks that could kill.

All, but no violence. No claws or teeth. Jax was perfectly composed, despite being as disheveled as he was. Yes, the rabbit was on edge and oozing with anger and frustration, but I kept his hands to himself, and his claws retracted. He only displayed his wide, feral smile – inches away from Gangle’s face. The snake’s threat display.

That was all Gangle needed to calm her racing mind.

Jax was still sane and merely acting within his role. Nobody got hurt, despite Jax having felt the need to bare his claws at some point this evening. A wave of relief washed over her as she allowed herself to pull back and deflate her stance.

No need for talons to sink into snakes tonight.

Jax drew back as well, mirroring her stance. Gangle could see his eyes soften slowly, upon realization that she was just fulfilling her role as his was fulfilling his. Unbeknownst to the ribbinoid, Jax heart swelled as the moment lingered. He felt the urge to display his appreciation to Gangle for wanting to protect their Ragatha.

Their precious water spring.

Sure, he was offended that she would think him capable of even thinking of harming the ragdoll, but it was the sentiment that won him over. Gangle was the raptor with the bird’s eye view, after all.

She poked and prodded; she searched and tracked for anything and any sign of Jax falling out of line. The masked girl’s mind was racing and calculating, as she was assigned to; with a brilliant mind such as her own. A certain gleam in Jax gaze had Gangle deduce that his mind was called back to a fond memory of them, operating in sync.

Maybe back to when Gangle first arrived in the circus…

Since no one could remember anything before entering The Amazing Digital Circus, Gangle considered her memories to be precious. She was prone to cling to as many as she could.

Her memory was actually brilliant. The mess of ribbons she was, with nothing more than a mask for a head, would leave one thinking that Gangle’s mind was as empty as the space behind her mask was, but her memory was practically photographic. Every shift, every twitch, every mannerism and every micro-expression along with the extensive description of what it all meant – enabled Gangle to easily read and understand her peers.

She could practically read their minds with a single glance.

She’d recall almost anything to the finest detail, but no one needed to know that. It didn’t concern them… and being frail and weak in stature, means that her mental ability was her greatest strength.

Her only strength.

She could still precisely recall her arrival in this forsaken hellscape.

When she first arrived in the digital realm, she ripped off her comedy mask – thinking that it was her headset that she put on moments before.

However, instead of escaping the new virtual reality that she ungracefully stumbled into, she was just overwhelmed with an undeniable sense of dread and sorrow. The negative emotions brought her to her knees as she scrambled to maintain her grip on the smiling mask. Back then, she didn’t know that it was just because of her tragedy mask fronting. It wasn’t until she saw herself in the mirror, when she could fully comprehend her masks’ ties to her emotions.

Ragatha remained by her side throughout her first day, gently providing a safe space for Gangle to breathe. She did her best to shoo away the chaos that always possessed the tent, whether it be the NPC's the Caine cooked up for them or the other's curious, prying eyes. Gangle couldn't voice it then, but the doll was her saving grace.

They all thought that the ribbinoid wouldn’t last a week.

It felt like hours as Gangle sat in front of that mirror, wearing and removing the respective masks… growing used to the internal waves of emotions that ebbed and flowed from joy to sorrow. It was uncanny how she could feel an indescribable, undeniable joy in the most unfortunate circumstances.

A part of her wanted to believe that she had already lost her mind... but she could never experience the full range of emotions all at once. Maybe, for that reason, Gangle held out for so long.

Maybe she couldn’t abstract, no matter how hard she tried to.

Can one experience a mental breakdown if you already had 2 heads?

One mask would always nullify the other – and that, in itself, was Gangle’s own personal hell. As time progressed and days went by, she’d wear her comedy mask for the kick of it. A close friend abstracted? She’d pop that bad boy on and revel in the horrified faces of her fellow inhabitants as she laughs and smiles like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

That little trick had even brought Jax to unadulterated unease.

She was addicted to the control she had in her self-expression, as it was the only control she believed to have at the time. A smile amidst that tragedy. It drove everyone around her to the brink of insanity. She apparently left them to question the urgency and distress of the ones they lost by the day, but that only had her bursting with uncontrollable cackles.

Nothing mattered anyway.

Everything was so much funnier and lighter with her comedy mask – a high she couldn’t live without at the time. Upon having it broken by Jax for the first time, forced a tsunami of the pent-up negativity to crash into her being. The bunny presumably couldn't stand another minute of living with the girls cold, chilling smile.

This was when Gangle realized that any of her emotions were banked until she wore the relevant mask to let them out.

It was a never-ending dive from the previous high.

Once she recovered after days of crying, screaming, and wailing in fear, agony and sorrow, she accepted and welcomed the bitter melancholy of her existential crises. For the first time since she woke up in the digital world, Gangle found comfort in sadness.

And she realized her need for Jax.

He was the panic button she needed but didn’t always want. He was happy to bask in her tears. She knew that he would be on the prowl to hunt her down, desperate to still the ever-growing hunger he had; to be the greater evil. Gangle would always welcome him with open arms, because in the end, she couldn’t trust herself anymore. She needed her friends.

Because without them, she would turn to that undeniable happiness once again – and she would lose herself in it. This was the very beginning of Jax’s new role of ‘snake’ and her new role of ‘owl.’

Jax and his charming, fiendish stunts operated the groundwork by biting everyone in an attempt to be the occupational hazard. Gangle and her bird’s eye view could oversee it all and silently direct or divert Jax to and from suitable victims. She was the only one who could unnerve the bunny into having him take someone seriously. She was the only one whose eyes and mind he could trust when reading into their behavior. The owl snatched the snake who carelessly parades his antics.

On the other hand, Jax was the only one that could read her state of managing her… ‘addiction.’ He was the only one who would dare bash into her shield – her comedy mask - because the snake strikes the owl weighing heavy with neglect of self-reflection.

Two predators with each other as prey.

Gangle blinked to find Jax searching for something in her expression. Even though their dispute was quietly resolved, Jax still seemed to be bothered by something. The girl made quick work to figure out what it could be – starting with today’s events.

He took such good care of her, Zooble and Kinger today.

This day was stressful and disorienting with Pomni’s arrival. Gangle felt the phantom urge to reach for her comedy mask; her smiling shield of denial. By some devine intervention, her mask was broken due to unfortunate circumstances and without her consent or control. At least, when Jax broke it, it was because it was her choice to plead for his intervention with her eyes – desperate not to fall into old, destructive habits again.

Today, her mask broke, because of her clumsiness.

Her mistakes.

Luckily, Jax was quick to fix that! He purposefully stepped onto it, effectively rubbing salt into the fresh wound. Suddenly, it was him that was the problem! Yes, he didn’t need to do that - that was just evil!

The greater evil – the menace.

Throughout the day, Jax kept them under his heel and stomped on them for good measure. The day’s stress and uncertainty regarding the arrival of Pomni and some fake exit door was gradually drowned by Jax’s antics, and they all fell into routine once again. It was a crying shame that Ragatha had to suffer alone. If only they could’ve done something more…

Something clicked.

Gangle paid attention to Jax’s face again. He looked so tired, but desperate all the same. The masked girl blinked again and suddenly she knew exactly what he needed. What he yearned for.

He needed to see that he’d done enough.

...

With slow movements, Gangle reached for the edges of her comedy mask and removed it from her face. Jax fixed his gaze on her current, sad expression and found no suddenly overflow of tears, no uncontrollable sobbing and no screaming. It was just Gangle’s calm, sad, yet content expression staring back at him. There was no repressed emotion for her to show.

“You asked me if I want you to wipe the smile off of my face...” Gangle spoke, voice wobbly due to her sad expression, “It’s not necessary, I don’t need to be smiling to be ok.”

Jax eyes widened by a fraction, but that was all she needed to understand that he was truly surprised, as if he didn’t expect her to really be content and coping.

She gave a bitter smile; the friendliest one she could muster on her tragedy mask, “You won’t see me crying, though. You’ve already done enough of that today.”

You’ve already done enough.

To an outsider, Gangle's words would sound bitter and petty, but with the way she looked at him, she wanted Jax to feel nothing but reassurance.

You've done enough.

Gangle wasn’t surprised to see Jax stare at her in disbelief, but she was surprised to see sudden, spontaneous tears sprout from his eyes. She almost missed it with how quickly he ripped away his gaze. She couldn’t say or do anything fast enough, before Jax swung around and ripped Ragatha’s door open, entered, then throw it shut just as fast. The ribbinoid stood awestruck in the silent hallway.

She wasn’t upset; she felt honored.

She’d savor this moment until the day she’d abstract, like so many of them had before her. Brief worry flashed in her mind, but it dissipated upon looking at Ragatha’s face on the door. Jax was where he needed to be at this very moment. Although she couldn’t hear Jax sobbing into his arms as he sat against the door with his knees brought to his chest, she was sure that his doll sat right next to him.

Even though Ragatha would be tired and drained after today’s events, she would always make room for someone in need to wash away their sorrow in her clean water.

Knowing the doll, Gangle could only guess that Ragatha ended up eavesdropping on their whole encounter - biding time before splashing into action once things got too heated.

Gangle loved Ragatha for that.

She turned slowly, still dumbstruck and touched by what she had witnessed from Jax and then walked down the hall without a worry in the world. Maybe she will pay her beloved Zooble a visit before retiring for the night. She'd love to let her guard down.

She'd love for something to wrap around.

Gangle looked down at her comedy mask, smiling at her. It felt like a warm, welcoming smile... and she couldn’t help but feel content.

She didn’t feel like wearing a smile anyway.

Oasis: TADC AU list

Masterlist

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kaalypsoooo · 6 months

Text

A second fic??? Absolutely! Enjoy ur food! 🎩✨❤️

(All fluff, so lovey-dovey, catch Caine being corny as hell 😂)

A sudden snap sound echoed into the room, heads turning to face an enthusiastic caine, gleeful as always, he gave the cast a greeting.

"Hello everyone! i've prepared an adventure for you all!"

Jax just grumbled and rolled his eyes, ragatha and pomni giving caine a smile.

"What's on the agenda for today, caine?" ragatha asked, her head tilting in curiousity.

He gave her a grin, floating in close to the pair.

"Dont worry, its a very simple treasure hunt!" He exclaimed, before snapping his fingers again, pomni suddenly appearing in his arms with an audible "EEP!"

"I'm sure you wont even notice she's gone, so have fun my friends!" and with that, they disappeared, leaving the rest of the cast to begin their adventure.

"Why does she get special privileges?-" Jax started, ragatha cutting him off with hand over his mouth.

"I think its sweet that he's so infatuated with her, quit being such a sour-puss jax."

kinger, gangle, and zooble eventually joined the conversation, mentally readying themselves for this adventure.

....

Caine and pomni appeared in a grassy area, a large lake with a waterslide surrounding the grassy land. He snapped his fingers and suddenly a picnic blanket, basket, and two wine glasses and a bottle were lying on the grass.

"Like it, darling?"

"What's all of this for?" She asked, he just took her hands and led her down to the ground, sitting her down on the picnic blanket. "Why, its all for you of course!.. Is it too much?"

"N-Nono! It's...really sweet of you, thanks.."

"Anything for you, darling!"

He took a seat beside her, his hand moving to caress her cheek, pomni gently leaning into his touch.

"So, while we're out here, what would you like to do?" He wasn't quite caught up on human customs, and knew next to nothing about being romantic or planning dates, but she seemed happy, so in turn he was happy.

Before she could respond, he jumped up and snapped his fingers, a cute duck themeed boat plopping down in the lake next to them.

"Does a boat ride sound like fun?" she nodded hesitantly, and he pulled her up into his arms, guiding her into the boat with him.

She took a glance around before her gaze landed back on him, his goofy face making her heart melt.

"So caine..."

"Yes, dear?"

"...Why do you like me so much?"

He paused, scanning her curious face.

"I...I know I may seem like this goofy AI that doesn't have feelings, but i do, and you don't know how badly they burn for you."

"You're like the fuel to my fire, the engine that keeps me running, sweetie, you make me feel emotions i've never felt before, it's like fireworks are going off in my heart everytime you look at me."

She wasn't sure how to respond, her face a pretty shade of pink as he poured out his feelings to her.

"Pff...Do you even hear how corny that sounds?" She finally said, laughing happily as he pulled her in close.

"But you looove my corniness! being corny is who i am!" He laughed too, taking her face in his hands and leaning his teeth against her cheek, as if to kiss it.

"Don't ever stop being you, okay? I love you."

He gave her a lovey-dovey look before howling out for all the world to hear. "I LOVE YOU TOO!!!"

They both burst out laughing, holding each other tight as they sailed across the water, this would be a day to remember, for both of them.

(Bonus!)

The gang finished up their treasure hunt, the prize being a well earned two day long break for everyone. They all sighed in relief upon hearing this, their heads turning to glace at pomni and caine, who had just finished up their little date, smiles on both of their faces.

Jax began to call out to them, ragatha giving him a side glare as if warning him to not say anthing dumb.

"I see the two lovebirds are back, say pomni, how does it feel to be Caine's favorite?"

Caine simply bonked him on the head with his cane, a menacing look growing on his face.

pomni suddenly answered, catching both caine and jax off-guard.

"You know what? it feels great. What, are you jealous?"

Jax looked shocked, his ears lowering, while both caine and ragatha were grinning and laughing a bit at the situation unfolding.

"I- Oh, shut up." And with that, he grumbled and stormed off, leaving the rest of the cast to laugh and giggle about it. Pomni looked very proud of herself, and caine applauded her for finally talking back to jax.

#showtime #caine x pomni #pomni x caine #caine #pomni #tadc #the amazing digital circus #my obsession grows every day 😋

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harpypom · 3 months

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///Heyyy guys the weird creature creator here!

THIS IS JUST A POST EXPLAINING WHAT MY AU IS ABOUT!!

The harpy pomni au is where pomni is well a harpy really obvious, but there’s also a lot of changes to characters! (Except jax I guess)

POMNI: pomni is a run away jester bird from the mythical circus, she knows that the ringmaster has probably hired people to come find them so they are keeping low on ground hiding in the bushes not knowing what to do, she doesn’t know how long she’s been running for but knows it’s been days

RAGATHA: is a bounty hunter, the greatest hunter in the town, is the one hunting down pomni and has annoying hunter with her

JAX: The so called annoying Hunter, he is annoying when he wants to be (which is all the time) only tagged along because he’s never seen a harpy and wanted to push ragatha’s buttons, the most laziest bounty hunter.(Still the same but human)

ZOOBLE: Is a chimera, still at the circus and wants to leave but is not really strong enough against the ringmaster.

GANGLE: is a small dragon. Is in the same boat as zooble

KINGER: Is the tamer. Works for the ringmaster and feels bad for zooble, gangle, and pomni and tried to help them but only managed to get pomni out.

CAINE: The good old “friendly” ringmaster! Is mad at kinger for letting out one of his best performers, and hired ragatha to get the jester back

You guys already saw what pomni, jax, and ragatha looks like! And I’m just working on the rest of the gang’s designs!!

And if you guys have any questions just ask!! My Names snake if you ever have a question!!

I will make a post about the rules but not now maybe tomorrow! (but you guys should know the basic rules maybe)

(Also I do ship ragatha and pomni and it will be in this au if your curious to know):3

(And keep a look out in backgrounds might see me in there sometimes!^^)

WELL HAVE FUN TORMENTING THE TRIO YOU SILLY GOOFS AND DONT TRAUMATIZED THEM TO MUCH I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS PLANNED FOR THEM!!

#tadc au #tadc #Harpy pomni au #the amazing digital circus #tadc jax #tadc ragatha #tadc caine #tadc zooble #tadc gangle #tadc kinger #ooc

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ask-gorgon-ragatha · 3 months

Note

How did everyone meet each other?

Kinger:

*He smiles warmly*Oh well, everyone came to the Temple at different times, Ragatha was the first, when it was just me and... Queenie *his smile falls a bit*

Ragatha:

*She comes up to Kinger and gives him a hug* They both took me in when I had nowhere else to go I was too young to be on my own, helps when you're a creature already made of wood *she chuckles a little as looks at Kinger as his smile returns*

Gangle:

*She floats down next to them, mask carving into a smile, voice muffled by her mask* Next was me, Ragatha found me wondering around the woods wailing aimlessly as she was hunting for her food! *giggles* she was worried she was gonna turn me to stone and I was worried I would scare her off, but once we figured out she couldn't and she wasn't even remotely scared of me, she immediately brought me to the Temple and both Kinger and Queenie welcomed me with open arms

Kinger:

*He sighs a heavy sigh* Next was our first "sacrifice" if you will, Kaufmo... his family didn't want him and heard of the temple that has monsters, his family thought it would be a great idea to abandon him here, he quickly found a loving family here instead *everyone except Zooble and Pomni go quiet at the mention of their friend*

Jax:

*He sidles up next to Ragatha, clearing his throat* My entrance into this place wasn't the most happy if that's what you want to call it *his ears lower*... I had been exiled from my battalion... I ended up wondering the woods for days, Queenie found me, and she brought me here... I was so bitter for a while. I definitely wasn't fun to be around... it wasn't until Nibbles *elbows Ragatha fondly* here showed me what family and loyalty truly meant that it started to turn around for me here *his smile returns fully*

Ragatha:

*She gets a mischievous look in her eye* Awww, you do care about me~

Jax:

*He jokingly slaps a hand onto her face, playfully shoving her away* Yea, yea, don't get use to it, Nibbles! *he laughs*

Zooble:

*They scratch their face thoughtfully* I was one of the sacrifices made to the Temple... uh... it was just one of the many wrong place wrong time situations I seem to have gotten into, I would get into trouble a lot before I came here, the only one really bent outta shape about my being a sacrifice was my sister, I haven't heard from her in awhile *their expression becomes a little hard to read* Caine hasn't brought a letter in some time, but I'm really happy here at the Temple, they make me feel welcome... like I belong *they smile in gratitude at Kinger, to which Kinger nods in understanding*

Pomni:

*She starts figeting with her fingers* And that leaves me, my village wanted to get rid of me the moment I became an orphan, so when I became "of age" as my village called it they basically kidnapped me out of my home, chained me up and got a couple of guards to walk me... *her teeth and claws start to show, giving away her emotions* they didn't like how slow I was walking, so they figured that the monsters wouldn't mind a bit of "damaged goods"... it's not my fault that I didn't want to trip on my way here! *Ragatha comes up behind her, gently placing a clawed hand on her shoulder. In turn, Pomni turns around and buries her face into Ragatha's chest*

Ragatha:

*She gently starts stroking her head, snakes snuggling into the sides of Pomni's face* Jax and I stopped them before they could do anything, we noticed them as we were out hunting, just left the Temple I'm glad we did... *smiles gently at her*

Pomni:

*she lets out a watery sigh* Me too...

Jax and Zooble:

*jokingly* Get a room!

*Everyone laughs*

#[ asks ]#tadc ragatha #tadc pomni #tadc jax #tadc kinger #tadc gangle #tadc zooble #pomni x ragatha #buttonblossom

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toastedjeans · 5 months

Text

I can finally properly introduce my AU (hopefully tumblr doesn't mess up the formatting)

Amazing Digital Cryptids!!

In this AU, the human world is inhabited by cryptids, and humans are determined to hunt them down for profit or publicity. But since these creatures are so elusive, they have to find a way to locate them first. And that's where our first character comes in.

More info below

Caine

Caine is a creature specifically bred by humans to help them seek out other cryptids. His bowtie has a hidden camera so they can follow him around and capture footage. But Caine isn't aware of any of this at all. Some cryptids (like Kaufmo and Queenie) notice how human attacks get more frequent after Caine came around, and figure out he's basically a spy. So they start to bury underground and get extremely hostile towards anything and everything (this is this AUs version of abstraction). But Caine just likes to get to know other creatures, and fly around and cuddle Kinger

Kinger

Kinger is a giant centipede-like creature, and he is very friendly, gentle and curious. Most other cryptids are intimidated by him at first, but only because of his sheer size. He enjoys crawling through the woods and watching all the different critters. The fluff around his neck and on his back is incredibly soft, and the other cryptids like cuddling into it. Kinger doesn't mind, and even enjoys it, but sometimes he forgets when others are laying on him and gets startled. It was originally his and Caine's idea to stick together, and over time, other creatures start to join their little group.

Zooble

Zooble is basically a shape shifting creature, but they're cursed to never have matching limbs or wings. Because of their appearance, they're avoided by other creatures, so they're a loner and don't care about anyone. But they soon open up when they join the group.

Gangle

Gangle is a shy snake cat thing. She becomes closest and most comfortable with Zooble, but also often hides in Kinger's fluff, mostly from Jax. She can coil up like a snake and often loafs like a cat. She's suspicious of any creature that joins their group at first, but comes around to them eventually. Even if Jax keeps bullying her.

Ragatha

Ragatha acts as the moral support of the group, trying to keep everyone together. She's friendly, and is always there to comfort others. The scars and stitches all around her body are from attacks from other creatures, or even human traps. I like to believe Kinger and Caine found her injured and healed her up, and she stuck around since then. The snakes on her head are very curious and affectionate, they don't bite and they're not venomous. I feel like she used to be afraid of Kinger at first (seeing that he's a centipede), but became used to him quickly.

Jax

Oh boy, Jax. I couldn't think of much for him so he's basically a Jackalope / Wolpertinger. Just that his limbs are really long, and i gave him a seemingly endless pouch where he stores various things and food. Basically cartoon character logic. He likes bullying and scaring others for fun, especially Gangle and Kinger because of their reactions. I accidentally made him more horror AU looking, but oh well.

Pomni

Pomni is a human who recently got turned into a cryptid, hence why she's still wearing clothes. She is understandably confused, and wants to return to her life and humanity, but she can't. Some creatures see her as a threat, and humans would hunt her down, and she doesn't know what to do. And that's when she comes across the group, who take her in. She becomes most comfortable with Ragatha, who keeps her spirits up during this strange and confusing time.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc au #amazing digital cryptids #tadc caine #tadc kinger #tadc zooble #tadc gangle #tadc ragatha #tadc jax #tadc pomni #i know nobody cares but here you go! cryptids!#i for one love them actually #there will be hints of kingleader and ragapom #because it's me and I'm predictable #toasted art

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fizzyellouw · 4 months

Text

--------------------

Mischievous Bunny

-------------------

It was a long day at the circus, the new adventure was hunting for Zooble's pieces, Jax seemed like he had a lot of fun, on the other hand, Zooble didn't like the adventure at all and wanted to curse Caine with all the bad words possible, but there was no way. , because of the censorship and its annoying noises

Everyone went to their rooms to rest, but Ragatha wakes up because she heard something outside, she carefully opens the door to her room so as not to wake the others, the noise was from the room next to her, Jax

The door was almost open, it sounds a little, but even so she opens the door carefully, Jax was not in her bed or anywhere in her room, Ragatha starts to get worried, she feels something behind her, she turns and

"Ahh!" Jax was behind her with his wide smile

"Gotcha!" Jax said laughing at Ragatha's face

"Dumbass..."

"What are you doing here, lady?" Said Jax, still with his smile but raising his eyebrows.

"I heard something and it came from your...room"

"Ah, I just tripped, relax" said Jax, lightly slapping Ragatha on the head

"Oh... good then"

Ragatha was relieved that nothing bad happened, but she was still irritated because Jax scared her, and she doesn't like things like that, Jax knew that, but what mattered to her was that nothing serious happened to Jax

It's a little inspired by a Bunnydoll story I saw on Wattpad but I don't remember which one 😢

#lalabuu_#tadc #the amazing digital circus #ragatha #ragatha tadc #tadc characters #jax #jax tadc #tadc art #bunnydoll fanfic #Bunnydoll #bunnydoll tadc #ragatha x jax #jax x ragatha

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shadowlorddemon · 2 months

Note

What games do the abstracted play? Hide and Seek, Scavenger Hunt, Tag, Catch, or what?

Are they sentient enough to play board games like Checkers, Chess, Tic-Tac-Toe, and such?

Oh, hmm…

Well, I did stated that they did play-fighting/wrestling for fun. And they did find some objects around to play with.

So I would say they often did physical activities/games, at least the simple ones. Like Hide & Seek, Tag, Catch The Object, Tug Of War, Wrestling(obviously) and some other simple/childish physical activities games I haven’t played nor know about.

However, when it comes to mental activities/games (or games that require logic thinking/common sense), most abstracted ones are very lacking in that area. Tic Tac Toe game is probably the only game that they could play.

Caine, Pomni and Ragatha are only ones that are sentient enough to able to play these board games.

Pomni and Ragatha does like play Chess & Checker together. They just used the big pieces, given with their sizes.

#drawing #the amazing digital circus #the abstracted digital circus #pomni #ragatha #abstracted pomni #abstracted ragatha #pomni x ragatha #buttonblossom

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sanvirtheobserver · 7 days

Text

Taking Flight, An SMG4 Fanfic: Volume 4

Another volume in the bag, along with some announcements.

While the main flick will still be called Taking Flight, I have officially decided to give this AU an actual name: Nexus. A bit basic, I know, but also surprisingly fitting considering all the different characters from different shows I'm cramming into this. There's also a "lore reason" but....... we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'd also like to thank those who actually take the time out of their day to read my stuff. It really means a lot to me.

Anywho, enjoy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 16: Dirty Jobs

The cool midnight air lies still, and the sky is alight with the Full Moon. The perfect night for a hunt. We see Ragatha and Saturday dashing through the trees below while Tari flies up top. The shrieks are getting louder with every meter they cover.

Saturday: So how do you expect this "friend" of yours to be of any help?

Ragatha: It wouldn't hurt to have a little support. She'll be fine so long as she sticks with us.

Saturday: And you trust her to actually do something useful?

Ragatha: Depends, can I trust you to NOT try and kill her?

Saturday: I make no promises.

Another gutteral shriek echoes through the forest. The trio stop in a nearby clearing. The source of the shrieking lurks behind the trees, getting closer by the second. Tari is horrified by what's making its way into the clearing.

Tari: What.......is that thing?

Ragatha: That would be an Abstraction.

Standing in the moonlight is a shifting black mass dotted with fractalescent spines, creeping along on six prismatic spindly legs sprouting from its back. A pair of whip-like tails thrash around behind it, splitting tree trunks as if they were Styrofoam.

She draws her cleavers as Saturday readies her lance.

Ragatha: Stay close, and follow my lead.

Saturday: Watch and learn, little bird.

Saturday charges forward, drawing the beast's attention. It lashes out with its front legs, but Saturday expertly maneuvers over the sweeping claws and lands several jabs on its head with her lance. Ragatha flanks from the sides and riddles the beast's legs with sewing needles. One of its tails swipes at her and she swiftly slices it to bits with her cleavers. Once all the legs have been riddled with needles, she takes a few steps back and gives a mighty yank. Transparent threads tangle the beast's legs, immobilizing it.

Ragatha: Tari, now!

That's when tari swoops in, summoning a barrier before ramming into the beast and toppling it onto its back. Ragatha hops up and severs the beast's legs. Saturday hurls a fan of sharpened candy canes into the beast's underside, and with a snap of her fingers they shatter and further perforate their target. The beast writhes in pain, it's furious roars echoing through the forest before falling still. The color fades from its eyes as the body withers away, leaving a black oily stain upon the grass. Tari lands next to Ragatha as she offers a high five to Saturday, who callously declines as she walks up to Tari.

Tari: So........ are we cool now? I mean, you did a good job with thaAAAAH!

Saturday sweeps Tari's leg and sends her tumbling to the ground, raising her lance to Tari's chest.

Saturday: If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead before you even saw me. Remember that the next time you decide to go on a midnight flight.

She stays her weapon and takes her leave. Ragatha helps Tari back onto her feet.

Clench: Well....... she sure seems fun.

Tari is quiet as she and Ragatha enter the Guest House. Looks like the others have all retired to their rooms for the night..... except for Aybel who was waiting in the lounge.

Aybel: Miss Ragatha. It's good to see you and Miss Tari back home safe and sound.

Ragatha: It's good to see you too, Aybel.

Aybel: I heard you had quite the adventure.

Tari: Yep..... just prancing about on a midnight stroll.....and.....nothing else, heh.

Can you tell that Tari isn't that good at lying?

Ragatha: The Showgrounds are secure, sir. Me and Saturday took care of the Abstraction, with a little help.

She glances at Tari with a smile.

Aybel: Is that so?

He hovers over to Tari and places a hand on her shoulder.

Aybel: Thank you for the assistance, Miss Tari.

Tari: Oh, um...... you're welcome. A good hostess always helps their guests.

Aybel: You should get some rest, Miss Ragatha. My brother will be arriving tomorrow, and I'm certain he'll have a new adventure planned.

She nods and heads upstairs, leaving Tari and Aybel alone in the lounge.

Aybel: So........

He ushers Tari to take a seat.

Aybel: You have some questions, I'm sure.

Tari nods.

Aybel: Well, first I must ask if you've told anyone else about what happened tonight.

Tari: No sir.

Aybel: Good. Ragatha prefers to keep that a private manner. She doesn't want the others to get involved. She has always been "protective" of this little troop of ours and doesn't want to put them at risk.

Tari: Does this have to do witn the monster we saw in the woods?

Aybel: Abstractions. Tragic things. They were once lost souls like us.

Tari: Then....... what happened to turn them into...... that?

Aybel: It has to do with resonance, the soul's ability to form connections with just about anything, whether it be an item, a person, a place, or a memory. Since the line between mind and body doesn't apply to us, we must rely on this resonance to maintain our form. Resonance is what anchors our mind and body. So, when a lost soul loses that resonance, they lose what makes us who we are. As a result, they abstract. They become husks of their former selves, shapeless, mindless amalgamations of chaos and despair. They hunt other souls to consume them, draining them of their resonance to try and replace theirs.

Tari: Wow.........that's..........that's terrible.

Aybel: Indeed. There was....... an incident involving an Abstraction at one of our facilities a month ago. The troop you see here are some of the survivors. Ragatha and her team were able to contain the threat...........

Though he didn't have any physical eyes, Tari could still sense a deep sadness within his soul.

Aybel:.........but not without losing one of their own.

Tari is taken aback by all this. She didn't expect all their new guests to have suffered so much.

Tari: Is...... is there any way to help them?To bring them back?

Aybel: I've tried, Miss Tari. We all have. But once you've passed a certain threshold...... there will be nothing left to save. The only way we can feasibly help them is to....... set their souls free.

Tari takes a moment to process all this. The idea of your friends turning into a monster is bad enough, but to be forced to put them down for their sake and the sake of others.......... she's only really seen it once before.......... and it crushed her. It crushed everyone. And to think that Ragatha has likely gone through this so many times before........

Tari: I......... I can't imagine.......

Aybel: This Circus has become like a family to us. That's why I've taken it upon myself to ensure that these Abstractions, and any other threats to the Circus, are held at bay by any means necessary. It's by no means an easy job......... but it's a job that must be done regardless.

Tari: You know..........

She can't help but think back to the incident with One Shot Wren. How he tortured Meggy, how he turned all her friends to puppets......... and how she did everything in her power to save them and set them free.

Tari: The Crew is everything to me. They've always been there for me, to help me when I couldn't help myself........ and I want to return that favor. And if that means I can protect others as well.........

She places a hand on Aybel's shoulder.

Tari: Then I have no regrets.

Aybel is taken back by Tari's resolve, the glow of passion and determination burned bright in those lilac eyes. He remembered seeing that same kind of resolve in his brave little doll........ and smiled.

Aybel: You truly are a brave little bird, aren't you?

Chapter 17: SHOWTIME!

It's a beautiful morning out in the skies as Ragatha chills out in the Crow's Nest of SMG3's ship. Apparently Aybel's brother, the "ringleader" of the Circus, has enlisted SMG3's help with the adventure planned for today.

Tari: Me and Saturday just finished scouting the area.

Ragatha: So, everything good?

Tari: Yep. Me and Saturday have covered the designated area and set up a perimeter. Stable terrain, minimal hazards, plenty of hiding spots, and ZERO Abstractions. How about you?

Ragatha: Going well so far. We're all set up for the adventure.

They both look down and see the rest of the Troop gathered aboard the top deck. Aybel is currently giving them the standard safety guidelines, jesturing to the circle of woodlands. Several beams of light are visible from the ship.

Aybel: The area within this circle of beacons is our designated "adventure zone" in which there are minimal hazards. To ensure your safety, you are to remain within this perimeter for the duration of the adventure. Is that clear?

Everyone nods in agreement.

Aybel: Very well..... We're ready, brother!

From the helm emerges SMG3 and a figure similar to Aybel, except he's in a red coat with various golden embroidery and wears a silk lined cape held with a polkadotted bowtie. His head is a floating orb much like his brother, but with only a pair of eyes. His hat is much larger, with little white "teeth" hanging around the rim. In his hands he holds his own little scepter baton thingie.

SMG3: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and that colorful rainbow in between, allow me to introduce the ringleader of the Circus.....CAINE!

Caine: Oh it is GOOD to be back! Thank you very much, SMG3. I trust that you are all DYING to go on today's adventure?

Kinger: I miss my wife.

Caine: That's the spirit! Now where is...... AHA!

He flies up to the Crow's Nest at a breakneck pace.

Caine: RAGATHA! Good to see you being aggressively protective as always.

Ragatha: You know it.

Caine: And YOU must be SMG4's friend from the Showgrounds! Tari, was it?

Tari: Yep, that's me. Heheh.

Caine aggressively shakes Tari's hand, nearly dislocating her shoulder as he introduces himself.

Caine: Pleasure to meet you! My name is Caine, and I am glad to have you here on today's SPINE TINGLING, HEART STOPPING, MIND TWISTING ADVENTURE.

Clench: Jesus. Kinger wasn't kidding about the eccentric part, was he?

Tari checks her arm to make sure nothing is broken.

Tari: Um, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Caine.

Ragatha: Be easy on her, she's kinda new to this.

Ragatha hops down to the lower deck. Tari flies down and joins SMG3 as Caine flies over to the top of the bridge.

Caine: Now, I know it's been a while since we've had a good adventure, considering some........unfortunate circumstances......... SO, we are gonna start off with something simple to get us back into the flow of things. My good friend (and todays sponsor) SMG3 shall lay down the premise for today's adventure, FIND THE FISHY!

SMG3: Thank you Caine. You see, my friend Fishy Boopkins is currently hiding somewhere in this circle of woodland, and YOU have to find him!

Tari: Wait.......You just dumped him in the middle of the woods?

SMG3: Relax. I had him microchipped beforehand.

He pulls out a PDA with a map of the area. A little green dot shows Boopkins' real time location.

SMG3: He'll be fine. He just needs to hide until sundown or somebody finds him.

Caine: And since this is a sponsored adventure, the first to find him gets 10 coupons for free coffee at 3's Coffee & Bombs, as well as their own limited edition 3's Coffee & Bombs hoodie!

What? You think Three would pass up the chance to sponsor his business? Anyways, SMG3 goes over to one of the Grav Cannons and expands the barrels as much as possible.

SMG3: Who's first?

First one up is Jax who cheers and does some summersaults, Zooble is next as they try to keep themselves together, Gangle and Pomni both scream and hold each other as they're flying, and Kinger silently flies forward like a torpedo. Ragatha gives a wink at Tari before hopping off the ship and down into the forest below.

Caine: Good luck!

Aybel: And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Tari then spreads her wings and flies off in the direction of the others. Switching over to Pomni and Gangle, they managed to make a relatively safe landing in a nearby pond with quite the splash. Gangle floats up and out of the water. Pomni breaches the surface and coughs up a hermit crab.

Pomni: Ugh...... Why is it always a cannon?

In another spot in the forest we see Jax landing in a bush next to Zooble, who has just finish piecing themselves back together.

Jax: WOO! Haha.........Howdy.

In another different spot we see Kinger having landed on a beaver's dam, much to the current residents' dismay. Tari swoops in to help Kinger back to his feet.

Kinger: What are we doing again?

Tari: You're supposed to be looking for Boopkins.

Kinger: Oh, right! Of course.

Ragatha arrives on the scene.

Ragatha: You alright, Kinger?

Kinger: ........... GAH! Oh, hi Ragatha.

Tari: I think he hit his head on the way down.

Ragatha: Nah, he's always like that.

Kinger: You guys didn't happen to see a gameshow around here, have you?

A few meters out we see Boopkins still looking for a hiding spot as the Troop begins their search.

Boopkins: Maybe I can hide in a pond? No, I'm a fish so they'd likely check the water first. Oh, Maybe I can hide in the trees! They'd never expect a fish to climb trees!

And for good reason. Try as he might, Boopkins can't even get an inch off the ground before falling on his ass.

Boopkins: Oh man......... Oh!

That's when he spots a nearby cave. He carefully peeks around the corner before waddling inside.

Boopkins: This looks like a good spot! Surely they would never expect me to hide in such a deep, dark, quiet............... lonely.......... scary........... depressing cave..........

He rigorously shakes his head as he presses forward.

Boopkins: FOCUS! You're a brave boy. You've faced purging teletubbies, bloodthirsty pirates, and even eldrich monsters! Besides, you only have to be here until sundown. All you have to do is stay calm and-

A random spider lands on his face, looking him dead in the eyes.

Spider: Hello there.

Aaaaand there he goes, screaming like a little girl as he runs deeper and deeper into the cave. Suddenly, he drops into what appears to be some kind of chamber. His screams can be heard all the way at the cave's entrance, where Gangle and Pomni have just arrived.

Boopkins: distant I WANT MY DAAAAAAAD!!!!!

Gangle: He really isn't good with this whole "hiding" thing is he.

They enter the cave and make their way to the chamber, where they see Boopkins running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Gangle manages to hold him still with her prehensile ribbons.

Boopkins: GET IT OFF! GET IT OF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF ! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!

Pomni manages to smack the Spider off of Boopkins' face. It takes a moment for him to calm down.

Pomni: You good?

Boopkins: Yeah....... Where are we?

Pomni snaps her fingers, summoning a glowing prism of light that illuminates the chamber. It definitely doesn't look like a natural cave formation, given the ancient architecture and dome-like shape. At the center of the room is a large orrery hanging from the ceiling.

Pomni: I think this is some kind of observatory.

Gangle: But why would you have an observatory that's underground?

Pomni carefully surveys the room, finding an opening in the floor. The trio gather around and see some stairs that lead deeper into the darkness.

Pomni: I guess there's only one way to find out.

Chapter 18: Hidden Wonders

It's almost pitch black in the depths of the ruins. Pomni leads the way, lighting their path with a glowing prism as Gangle and Boopkins follow close behind. A mural decorates the walls of the spiral staircase they are descending, with various depictions of planetary systems and constellations. Gangle and Boopkins are both nervous as the trio descends the stairs.

Gangle: I don't thing we should be here, guys.

Boopkins: Yeah. There could be monsters and stuff.

Pomni: If there were any monsters here, Ragatha would've dealt with them before we even came here. Besides, I don't think anything has touched this place since the ten commandments were a rough draft.

They reach the bottom of the stairs and find a hub room with a single pillar at the center. Gangle and Boopkins take a look around while Pomni examines the pillar, wiping away centuries of dust from the crystaline surface. She can see faint lights inside.

Pomni: Hm.........

She taps the surface, and suddenly the pillar lights up with a vibrant tapestry of glyphs and symbols as the entire room begins to glow. Back on the surface we see Kinger, Ragatha, and Tari walking through the woods when Tari suddenly feels something. She is stopped in her tracks, and Ragatha takes notice.

Ragatha: Hey, are you alright?

Tari looks down at her arm to see that it too is reacting to something. Whatever it is, she can feel it emanating from somewhere. Back in the ruins, the trio are awestruck by the vibrant lights that now flood the room.

Pomni: This must be some kind of control console.

She fiddles with the pillar some more and manages to open a door on the far side of the room. They take a look inside and find rows upon rows of shelves holding various tools and devices. There's also some skeletal remains laying on the ground.

Gangle: I don't like this.

Back on the surface, we see Zooble and Jax scouring the area looking for Boopkins and the others. Or at least Zooble is. Jax is just strolling around and yelling Boopkins' name. Zooble shifts their arms into blades to slice through the dense shrubs.

Jax: COME ON OUT LITTLE GREEN, IT'S PAST YOUR BEDTIME.

Zooble: Y'know, this would go by a lot faster if you actually helped.

Jax: What? I'm keeping an ear out. If I hear the little squirt, you'll be the first to know.

Zooble just sighs as they continue to search the area, hacking through the foliage until they end up hitting something solid.

Zooble: What the......?

They clear away the foliage to reveal something made of metal that resembles a large leg. They hack through the surrounding foliage to reveal a torso, followed by a head.

Zooble: Uh...... Jax?

Jax: You found em?

Zooble: I found.......something.

The two are dumbfounded by the sight of a nine foot construct laying in the brush. Intricate imprintations of feather-like patterns and flowing water decorated an aerodynamic frame covering a ball jointed skeleton. Both its arms and legs were tipped with tarnished metal claws, and a sterling crest adorned its helmet and chest.

Jax: Wow.......... Boopkins really gained some weight.

Zooble directs an unamused glare at Jax. They get the joke. They just don't find it funny.

Jax: What?

A few meters away, Tari arrives at the mouth of the cave with Kinger and Ragatha in tow?

Ragatha: So, why this place?

Tari could feel it, a familiar energy hanging in the air.

Tari: Call it a hunch.

In the ruins, Pomni is finicking with the pillar again. She wants to see if there's anything more to this place, but the interface isn't cooperating anymore. It's like she's locked out. Tari's group discovers the observatory and make their way inside, seeing the inner dome now alight with a simulated night sky. She investigates the Orrery as Ragatha hops down. Kinger waits outside while the girls investigate the observatory.

Tari: These ruins......... I've seen ruins like these before.

Ragatha: I'm surprised we didn't find this on our sweep. Wanna come down, Kinger?

Kinger does come down....... flat on his face. Don't worry, he's fine. Near the orrery, Tari finds something on the ground. It's a set of sheaths. Tari goes down to touch it, but the moment she lays a finger on it, a flash of light engulfs the room. Pomni's group notices the flash upstairs. They go op to investigate and see Tari who now has three swords floating in front of her. She waves her hand and the three blades dance around in the air before disappearing. Tari looks down at her hand before noticing Pomni's group.

Boopkins: Woah......

Tari: Boopkins!

She goes over and hugs him as Pomni goes to hug Ragatha.

Ragatha: So this is where you've been hiding out, huh?

Tari: How did you even find this place?

Boopkins: I found it while I was looking for a hiding spot. We think it's some kind of observatory.

Kinger looks up at the simulated night sky above them.

Kinger: Why build one underground, though?

Their chat is interrupted by the sound of explosions from the surface.

Gangles: Uh....... has anybody seen Jax and Zooble?

Yeah. Remember that big robot Jax and Zooble found in the shrubs? It's awake now, and it clearly isn't happy as we see it's now trying to kill the two. Zooble is holding their ground the best they can while Jax just leans on a nearby tree and gives emotional support.

Jax: You're doing great, Zuzu! Give em' what for!

Zooble: OH GEE, THANKS! THAT'S..... REALLY HELPING RIGHT NOW!

Jax: Hey, what are friends for?

Zooble: OH JUST HIT IT YOU MOTHERF-

Just then, Zooble takes an uppercut straight to the jaw and is sent flying. She is caught by Tari who arrives on the scene with Ragatha.

Tari: You okay?

Zooble: Yeah, I'm good. But this thing is built like a tank.

Ragatha: Then ignore the shell and focus on the joints.

The others are watching at a safe distance from the bushes. The robot fires a lazer from its eyes and Tari deflects with a well timed barrier.

Kinger: Whats that guy's problem?

Gangle: It looks like a robot soldier.

Kinger:...............AAA-

Ragatha comes in with a well placed kick to the robot's head before readying her cleavers. Zooble morphs her body into a more durable armored form, creating a mace and a shield from her arms.

Ragatha: Jax!

Jax: On it. Hey Tin Man!

Jax proceeds to inflate his body, his muscles expanding up to three times their size. He then proceeds to shoulder check the robot into Zooble, who follows up with a series of mace strikes.

Zooble: About time!

Tari is up next. She hops off of Zooble's shield and draws her glaive. Right as the robot brings down his arm on her, she plunges the glaive into its elbow and fires off a shot. The robot staggers back as it's arm is blown clean off. Ragatha charges in, slashing at its ankles and severing its other arm. The robot turns to her and readies another lazer blast, but Jax grabs its head and pulls it back. The beam fires into the sky, which can be seen across the forest. Tari comes in and thrusts the tip of her glaive into the robot's neck. She fires off another blast, severing the machine's head clean from its shoulders. The light from its eyes fade as its hulking frame collapses to the ground. Jax deflates and Zooble assumes her original form.

Zooble: YEAH! F*** YOU, YOU PIECE OF JUNK!

Pomni, Kinger, Gangle, and Boopkins rush over to the rest of the group.

Pomni: Are you guys okay?

Jax: A little winded, but I'm alright.

Zooble: Oh f*** off.

Ragatha rolls her eyes while Tari examines the destroyed machine's remains. She recognizes the patterns on the armor as the same ones on her glaive.

Clench: Well would you look at that. Might wanna keep a tab on this place.

Boopkins: Tari, is it safe now.

She looks over to Boopkins with a reassuring smile.

Tari: Yes Boopkins, it's safe.

Back on the ship, we see Caine and Aybel watching the situation on Caine's wacky watch.

Caine: Now THAT was quite the wallop if I've ever seen one!

Aybel: Indeed. Though, I think it's best if I pick the location next time.

Caine: Though I am rather curious about those ruins. I mean, what kind of idiot would build an observatory UNDERGROUND?

Aybel focuses in on Tari, who's still analyzing the robot.

Aybel: Yes........ curious.

Chapter 19: As The Day Goes By

Things have been busy in the Showgrounds as of late. Meggy is getting back into her exercise routine now that she's recovered, SMG4 is back to making memes on the computer, and the Anti Crew is tending to the ship while SMG3 tends to the Café. Tari has also been practicing on some dummies with her new swords, of which I have officially christened "blink blades" for reasons you will see in a moment.

Tari: Alright, second verse same as the first.

With a blade in each hand, she charges towards the first dummy and lands a double cross slice combo. She then throws both blades at another dummy, followed by a third blade in the dummy's head. With a flick of her wrist, the blink blades come flying back and levitate around her wrist as she eyes a third dummy. She sends out all three blades and positions them around her target.

Tari: Now for the money shot.

With a snap of her fingers, she blinks to each of the blades so fast........ that she doesn't have time to actually strike the dummy. She instead stumbles out of the last blink and falls flat on her ass, her head spinning as if she had just stepped off a Tilt-A-Whirl. Yeah, you can see why she still needs to practice.

Tari: Ugh.....

She shakes out of her daze to see Pomni rolling by with a wheelbarrow full of miscellaneous sacks and other items. On its side is a sign saying "Pomni's Products."

Tari: Oh, hi Pomni!

Pomni: Hey Tari. What's up?

Tari: Oh, I'm just getting some practice in. I'm still breaking in the new gear.

She flicks her wrist and the blink blades disappear.

Tari: What you got there?

Pomni: Oh, just some things I picked up during adventures. Bob said he was getting a marketplace set up, so I figured I'd take a look and see if I could set up shop.

Tari: A marketplace?

In the next scene we see Bob setting up a bunch of empty stands, one of which being labeled "Bob's Bargains." The area looks like a farmer's market as Pomni soon arrives with a curious Tari in tow.

Bob: Oh hey guys!

Tari: Hey, um....... what exactly are you doing with.........all this?

Bob: I'm glad you asked! Ever since we opened up that guest house, we've been getting more visitors. We are secure in neutral territory, so the law can't get us. It's nice and private, completely off the radar. So, SMG3 and I have a plan that could set us for life if we play our cards right. I'm setting up a marketplace to attract some merchants to do business and get a good economy, which we can also cash in our treasures. You see, when you're the seller, you conrol the supply. You control the supply, you can make the demands. And so long as we got treasure, we got trade. It's a whole ecosystem of perfectly legal commerce at your fingertips.

TLDR, him and SMG3 are now business partner, putting their business knowledge, bargaining skills, and lack of morals to good use in what basically equates to a semi-legally neutral farmer's market.

Bob: So let's see what kind of demands they're making. What are your demands, Pomni?

Pomni: let's talk supply first. See what catches your fancy.

Pomni goes off to set up shop as Tari is still processing all that dubious business crap. She does NOT know how to respond to all of that.

Clench: Economics is weird.

Over in Bricktown we see Kaizo, X , and Melony waiting by the front desk in the MKPD building. FM and Hal Monitor meet up with them to share any info they've gleaned.

FM: They saw him hitting a few spots last night, mostly pawn shops and antique stores.

Melony: Any word from the shop owners on what was stolen?

Hal: They all describe him only taking specific artifacts, all of which sharing the same characteristics you listed earlier.

Kaizo: What's so special about a bunch of antiques anyways?

X: We know it has to do with that Xelor you encountered on that Ketch. He's specifically looking for these kinds of artifacts, which are the same kind Wario and Waluigi tried to steal last week while powered up by those Xelor signets.

Melony: These artifacts are tied to whatever that Xelor has planned.

Hal: I'm not sure what you have planned, but you better handle this LEGALLY.

Melony: We'll do it as legally as possible, Mr. Monitor.

FM: I'll let you know if I find anything else.

The trio walk out of the building where an anxious Wario is waiting.

Wario: My brother....... is he.......?

X: They ran into him last night several times, but they were unable to apprehend him. He's still at large.

He's relieved to hear that Waluigi is at least still alive. That means there's still a chance of getting his brother back. Wario has been searching for Waluigi ever since last week's incident. Melony places a hand on Wario's shoulder, trying to comfort him with a reassuring smile. She can't help but feel bad for Wario, even if he is an asshole. The Wario Bros may be con artists, but they're still.......bros.

Melony: We'll get him back Wario. I promise.

He releases an exhausted "WAA" before pulling out a gun.

Wario: Alright. I'm-a gonna go steal something.

Over in Omnia we see SMG1 and SMG2 having a discussion with Saiko and Aybel about Tari's orb.

Aybel: It can control Meta, you say?

SMG1: We've done the tests. This artifact can take Meme energy and refine it into its purest form.

Saiko: I thought only you "guardian" guys could do stuff with Memes.

SMG1: We harness and control RAW Meme energy. Meta energy is more refined.

SMG2: Since this universe is made up of Meme energy, it's basically everywhere, and there are actually various methods of accessing ambient meme energy from the world around around us.

Aybel: You can utilize this ambient energy if you draw it from the environment, a donor of higher power, or your own spirit by concentrating it into Meta via Conduction, Divination, and Meditation respectively.

SMG1: You're surprisingly knowledgeable on this.

Aybel: My line of work requires me to know how the world around you works, whether it be the mundane or the fantastical.

SMG1: You said she "sensed" some more ruins, correct?

Saiko: Yeah. It was some kind of observatory.

SMG2: And this is also where she found her new weapons?

Saiko nods. The two SMGs look at each other for a moment.

Saiko: So...... what does this have to do with Tari?

SMG1: Well....... her connection with the Ancient Metarunners is apparent. Me and two will need to examine these ruins for ourselves. In the meantime.......

He picks up the orb and hands it to Saiko.

SMG1: I feel like she'll need this more than we will.

The sun is setting as Saiko and Aybel arrive at the Showgrounds. Pomni has just set up her shop over at the Marketplace, and Tari is retiring to the Castle. She heads over to the game room and plops down on the couch beside Meggy, who already has a six pack of soda at the ready.

Meggy: Busy day?

Tari: Of sorts, yeah.

Meggy tosses her a can.

Tari: So, you're finally back on your routine, huh?

Meggy: Yep! I'm still on the One-Ups, but the doctors finally gave me the all clear. How about you? You still being a good host over at the Guest House?

Tari: Yeah! A lot more......"exciting" than I thought, but things are going great.

Meggy: Good to hear. Have you been practicing? I know I haven't been here much with all the doctor's appointments.

Tari: It's coming along nicely, actually. Ragatha makes for a great sparring partner.

Meggy: Oh really?

Tari: Yeah! We've been.....um....... that's more of a private matter, actually.

Meggy: Is that so......

She smirks and gives Tari the bombastic side eye.

Tari: Not THAT kind of private! It's just........ she has this hobby of hers that she'd rather keep private.........

Clench: TLDR, it's not drugs and it's not sex.

Tari: Right. Either way, it's not my place to talk about what others do in their free time without their permission.

Meggy: Hmmmm.......

Oh look, Saiko just came in! And she has the orb.

Saiko: Meggy, don't pester her. If it's private, it's private.

Meggy: Alright, alright. So, what did One and Two have to say?

Saiko: Well, they're pretty much done with this thing.

She tosses the orb to Tari.

Saiko: They're gonna go check out those ruins you found the other day, see if they can find anything there.

Tari stares at the orb. The patterns were alight with opalescent energy. Taking a look outside, we see a bus drive up on the road in front of the Showgrounds. Off the bus steps a teenager wearing a black skull hoodie, cargo pants, and beanie. She has pale skin, purple hair and lilac eyes. She pops in her headphones and plays "As Above, So Below" on her phone, hauling her dufflebag over her shoulder.

Driver: Stay safe.

???: Bite me.

Taking Flight: Chapter 20: One Step At A Time

It's about 9pm as Tari lies awake on a couch in Saiko's apartment, examining the orb they had found on that fateful day in the woods.

Saiko: Hey there.......

Saiko chimes in from the bedroom.

Saiko: You good?

Tari doesn't respond right away. She just kept staring at the orb. Saiko can tell there's a lot on Tari's mind. She comes over and takes a seat next to her.

Saiko: More dreams?

Tari: No, just........thinking.

Saiko: About what?

Tari sits up. She looks like she just came back from the dead.

Tari: Do you remember the party? The one where Mario tried to take over the world in the name of Pizza. On that day I thought it was just the same random mayhem we're used to. Then I ended up plowing Pizzaface through the rafters and.......

She pauses, looking down at the scars crawling up her arm and chest.

Tari: It's so weird to think that's when it all started. The day I finally decided to stand on my own. And now here I am, soaring through the sky, fighting bad guys and slaying monsters just like the rest of you......... but now there's just so much happening, so many things that remind me just how little control I have. Even with all this power I'm still not........ good enough.

Saiko scoots over and places her arm around Tari.

Saiko: Tari, we still still need to know our flaws and limits to rectify them and better make use of our strengths. That's what makes us human. It also takes a lot of strength to acknowledge those weaknesses.

Tari: Really?

Saiko: Yeah! Even when you were afraid, you always went out of your way to show kindness and empathize with others. You shouldn't have to be a doormat, and it pays to toughen up when you need to, but that doesn't make your kindness a weakness. You just neec to do right by yourself as much as you do right by others. That sounds "good enough" to me.

Tari looks up to Saiko and smiles. She rests her head on her shoulder as they put on the TV.

Over on SMG3's ship, we see Melony practicing her swordsmanship on the top deck. She lays to waste a mannequin that's wrapped in bandages and wearing a clockwork mask. Kaizo watches as she brings out an identical mannequin - the fifth one judging by the bits scattered everywhere - and resumes her onslaught. Memories flash back to the Ketch, when they first encountered that Xelor. With every mannequin she fells, she hears those exact same words......

Rhode: Well done, my puppet.

Melony's eyes turn black, and the seeds on her cheels turn into red markings. With a mighty yell she unleashes a powered sword strike, reducing another mannequin to smoldering pieces. She goes over to the detached head and crushes it under her foot, panting like a beast as she goes for another mannequin. That's when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She aggressively turns and holds her blade up to Kaizo's throat, but he is unfazed. She lowers her blade, her eyes and marks reverting back to normal.

Melony: Sorry. I'm just....... I got carried away and.......

Kaizo: I know. I wanna see that Clocksucker's head on a pike too. Just take it easy until then, alright.

Melony: Alright........ I didn't hurt you, did I?

Kaizo: Well, one more inch and you would've taken my head off but...... I'm alright.

Their conversation is interrupted by some odd sounds coming from the fields. They both scan the area and notice someone else on the grounds doing some practicing of their own. They both come over to see Pomni standing in front of several targets. She summons a slender prismatic spike, lines up a shot, and hurls the spike into the first target. She then creates three more spikes and launches them into the second target one after another, each one landing within the central circle. Lastly, she conjures a large spike and hurls it like a javelin into the last target, splitting it in half.

Melony: Woah.

Kaizo: Not bad.

Pomni: GAH!

Kaizo's compliment catches Pomni by surprise.

Pomni: Uh...... hi.

Melony: That was SO COOL!

Kaizo: I gotta say, jester. I didn't know you had that kind of fight in you.

Pomni: Oh, well, I wouldn't really say I'm a fighter, but it does pay to be prepared.

Melony: Oh! We should set up a sparring session. We can have Tari and Ragatha join us too! It'll be great!

Pomni: Yeah, I don't think Ragatha would approve of me getting into fighting just yet.

Melony: Why not?

Pomni: Well....... She receives special training from Aybel. I don't know what that entails or what it's for, but she's always been insistent that we don't need that kind of training. She's always been a bit "overprotective" of us.......... even before we lost Kaufmo.

Kaizo: Kaufmo?

Pomni: Yeah. I've only been in the Circus for about a year or two, so I didn't know him TOO well, but he was a great guy. He actually helped me discover my prism powers. Then about a month ago there was an incident and........

She pauses. Melony can see a potent sadness in her eyes.

Pomni: he didn't make it.

Melony: Oh....... I'm sorry to hear that.

Pomni: Yeah...... now Ragatha is insistent on us leaving the more dangerous stuff to her and Saturday. And now every time I ask if I can help her take down whatever "boss" Caine has lined up for us, she just plops me down on the sidelines........

She clenches her fist and takes a deep breath.

Pomni: .......But the Circus is my home too, and the other Carnies are my family. I wanna be able to defend them too. You get what I'm saying, right?

Melony kneels down and places a hand on Pomni's shoulder.

Melony: I understand perfectly. We lost an old friend of ours too about three years ago. It was that loss that drove me to master my powers so I could better protect my own friends and live the life I wanted to live.

Kaizo: You're tougher tan you look, kid. There's no need to hide it.

Melony: Maybe Ragatha will change her mind if she sees how capable you are. You could start practicing with me and Meggy.

Pomni: You'd really help me with that?

Melony: Yeah! I think it's worth a shot.

Pomni gives a warm smile.

Pomni: sigh....... Alright. I guess we can give it a shot.

Melony: YAAAAAY!!!!! We'll start first thing in the morning!

A few meters out we find the mysterious teen has set up a spot in one of the tents. Y'know, the ones that were used as decoration for the Showgrounds. One of them is Red and Blue, and the other is Purple and Yellow. You'd think the crew would at least take them down, but nope! They're just there. Anyways, she has a pretty generic "angsty teen" setup with a mattress, some BIONICLE figures, posters for Cryoshell and Demon Hunter, and an old X-Box One hooked up to a TV. She lays down on her bed, occasionally looking over at a stool with an old monkey wrench sitting on top. She can almost hear her father's parting words before she left.

????: It's a bit of a "good luck charm" of mine and I want to pass some of that luck onto you. Because black magic or not, you are still my daughter. I'll keep your room nice and tidy for whenever you come back from this whole "self imposed exile" of yours.

She smiles. Even after everything she did, everything that's wrong with her, she still had that idiot of a dad that cared for her.

Uzi: I love you, dad......

The smile slowly fades from her lips as she roles over and goes to turn off the light.

Uzi: .....But I can't go back.

#Nexus!AU #SMG4 #smg4 tari #smg4 au #smg4 fanfic #tadc #murder drones

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