> create, geneticist.

tyzias is smart enough * to not get cornered in an alleyway * like an idiot * also who the fuck is gorsef? * you mean gorjek? * i’m not surprised that guy latched himself onto her *|

[You probably shouldn’t be smarmy with this guy until you know his place on the hemospectrum, but considering it was you who just saved him, you could probably just kick him off the building and back into the swarm of he tried anything.]

[While he plays with chairs, you move to heft up the ladder on the fire escape with a grunt, the rusty metal scraping against itself loudly as you strain against it. Once its away from the hoard, you turn and begin walking across the roof to assess how close the buildings were next to each other.]

tch *|

[You weren’t sure he could make the jump. You move to the other building.]

and i could ask you the same thing * but the reality is * something is out here that’s an expert * in hunting trolls especially * i don’t know if you’ve noticed * but every ass who sent out those stupid boats * definitely got to see their loved ones again *|

[You move to a nearby scrap pile, must have been where they recycled. Snapping off a large piece of wood, you bring it over to bridge the gaps between the two roofs, stepping out carefully to test your weight.]

my lusus * is an expert hunter * it kind of falls into my lap * to make sure she doesn’t get too far * while also not getting killed *|

[You jump slightly, the wood doesn’t crack or squeal. You hold out your hand to the other troll.]

the next roof is quieter * we can rest there *|

–「 You follow her, your nerves not quite easing up, but the fact she hasn’t left you behind is a good sign you think. It could have been so easy for her to just say fuck this, but for whatever reason, she didn’t. And you’re thankful. Because all things considered, you’re not a fighter. 

She mentions the boats, and indeed, part of you feels foolish. You didn’t notice anyone out there you knew, in the water, but you can only fucking imagine how horrified it must be to have someone you care about shambling around. Rotting. Then she says she’s out here to make sure her lusus doesn’t kill anyone.」

「 You pause, you take her hand, and you’re speechless for a few moments. She shouldn’t have to do this. No one should have to do that. You sit down, and just... exist for a few seconds.」

“...” –「 The screams over the horizon pollute the moment of calm.」

“LET ME STICK AROUND FOR IT. I CAN’T FIGHT WORTH A FUCK, BUT I’M A DECENT DISTRACTION IF NOTHING ELSE. AND I’M NOT-” 

「 That’s a lie. You’re afraid to die. You’re afraid of being found out. But she shouldn’t have to do this alone. You don’t look at her directly.」

TO: karkat FROM: tyzias

[txt] mmmm, yeah [txt] did you timmmme howwww long it took you to type that, because it mmmmight be the real source of any dummmmbass assessemmmment [txt] also [txt] least i can burn sommmmeone in under ten wwwwords

{You take a nice sip of your water and stab another zombie, losing your random object weapon in the process. It takes you less than a minute to find a replacement.}

[txt] i’mmmm heading towwwwards fib [txt] i told stelsa to stay in her hive [txt] gorsef’s wwwwith mmmme [txt] i don’t knowwww if anyone’s dead yet [txt] i’ll try mmmmy best to stay alive [txt] you do the sammmme

–「 You don’t text for quite some time, because, it was around this point in the conversation that you realize your stupidity might begin to have a body count. Enough time has passed that, you are once again worried.」

TXT @ TYZIAS 

[He is now just texting. He’s taking so fucking long, you slide back down the fire escape and kick one away from him that was trying to grab him, holding onto the ladder next to him with one arm and one leg, stained wooden knife in your hand.]

are you * writing a fucking novel? * get up there before *|

[You interrupt yourself by stabbing one of these fucks and kicking him off the ladder.]

before i just decide * to act in my own best interests * and leave your dumb ass here to die *|

–「 Oh, shit. Okay you actually need to pay attention, or someone is going to get hurt. Namely Polypa. You pocket your phone, and scale the ladder as quickly as possible, keeping your sleeves up. Once you reach the top you look for the nearest thing to fight with if you need to.

There wasn’t anything in the alley but dank garbage, but the roof is better supplied. Whoever this beach chair belonged to is probably dead already, and if they’re not, they probably won’t be surprised one of their chairs went missing in an apocalypse. That’s like one of the first things to go.」

“SORRY. I WAS JUST CHECKING TO MAKE SURE TYZIAS WAS FINE. IN CASE YOU WONDERING, SHE’S ALIVE. AND SO IS GORSEF. THEY’RE HEADING TO STELSA’S HIVE.” –「 You raise the chair up, and follow along with her.」

{Your phone bzzzts while you’re carefully making your way to Fibonacci, dragging Tagora’s sorry ass with you. Polypa went her separate way a little while ago to better handle her lusus so you’re on your own now. You’re worried about her, especially having to fight her own lusus, but after seeing her fight you know she can handle herself. 

You swing the random object you found at another zombie to shove them out of your space and look at your phone, expecting it to be more worried texts from Stelsa.}

{It’s not.}

TO: karkat FROM: tyzias

[txt] i’mmmm alive, mmmmostly [txt] as for your very specific question [txt] i’d say about 2/10, probably unlikely to cull [txt] i wwwwould recommmmmmmmend talking to her [txt] she is mmmmost of the reason i’mmmm still alive

–「 You open up your phone, in the middle of a zombie infestation. It’s fine.」

TXT @  TYZIAS  CG: SO HEY OUT OF CURIOUSITY. CG: ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, ONE BEING LEAST, AND TEN BEING MOST. HOW LIKELY DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR POLYPA TO CULL A MUTANT. ON THAT SAME SCALE, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU RECCOMEND A MUTANT WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE CURRENTLY BLEEDING TO TALK TO POLYPA. 

CG: THESE ARE OF COURSE COMPLETELY RANDOM QUESTIONS, AND NOT ALL RELATED TO ANYONE YOU KNOW SPECIFICALLY. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY JUST A QUESTION TO TITILLATE THE MIND, A QUERY BETWEEN FRIENDS.

@creatageneticist

[You saw Tyzias’ friend as you ran along the fire escape, jumping over and pulling the ladder down with you into the alleyway, directly into the oncoming monster and knocking him down. Giving one stomp for good measure, you reach out to the other troll.]

what are you doing on the ground? * get your ass up here * there’s less going on * although * she can find us here * come on anyway * you look like you’re about to pass out *|

–「 You have a mini panic attack, maybe because of the zombie, mostly because you are actually bleeding. It’s in a place where your sweater is covering, and not a lot, but you are. There are a lot of things flying through your head, mostly the fact, if all of the pieces land right you’ll not only put yourself at risk. But maybe thirteen other people. 

That is, if Alternia’s bullshit ever follows through here. It might. Who knows what kind of trolls are here. And you don’t know Polypa. You’d like to believe she’s good, but assuming anything is a mistake.」

Marshall Lee’s spots little droplets of clear-crimson pooling at the tear ducts of this strange man. Odd. Did he really do that much to upset him? He feels an unfamiliar twinge of guilt in his chest—like the feeling when Fionna fell for his dying prank. He didn’t mean to make the guy cry.

“Woah woah! No need to go all Bizonkers like that! I didn’t mean to make you all teary eyed and sappy cries. I was just curious is all.” Marshall studies the stranger’s face subtly. He’s definitely weird and junk. Weird horns and gray skin and yellow eyes. But no bite marks, so there’s no way he’s a vampire. “What the snack are you even? I’ve seen red blood before; that’s nothing new. But Glob yours is redder than most.”

“I’m no rainbow drinker. I only eat red. And yeah, I could eat. Haven’t had a good taste in quite some time—not since I pranked the stuff out of Gumball by sipping the pink outta his facemeat. He was so embarrassed, but he couldn’t blush cuz I sipped those cheeks.”

–「 He starts firing off like he’s the reason you’re crying, and you have to roll your eyes at that. If he even knew half of the shit you’ve been tossing and turning over for the past two sweeps, he’d have angina almost instantly.  Then he comments on your blood, and you have to snort. Something you’ve been tossing and turning over for even longer; eight sweeps maybe? You’ve lost track. 」

「 Wait.  He saw your blood? When- your heart races, and you look at your palms. Sure enough, you have a papercut from some of the note folding. Bright cherry, as usual. You yank your sleeves down past your hands, mostly out of habit.」

“FIRST OF ALL. YOU’RE NOT THE REASON I’M CRYING, DUNKASS. WE ARE LITERALLY AT A FUNERAL, AND I’VE BEEN MULLING OVER THINGS UNRELATED TO YOU. IF I CRIED EVERY TIME SOMEONE SMELLED ME AND SAID 'OOH CH3RRY’ I WOULD HAVE DIED A LONG TIME AGO.” 

–「 You blow a stray hair out of your eyes, giving him a hard look. You don’t like the idea of him biting your face, and part of you isn’t counting that out of the picture. You cross your arms.」

“AND IF YOU’RE HUNGRY ENOUGH TO GO SNIFFING DOWN THE BOARDWALK IN AN IDIOT TRANCE, I’D SAY IT’S PROBABLY BEEN AT LEAST A HOT FUCKING SECOND. SERIOUSLY. DID YOU JUST THINK I WOULDN’T NOTICE??? 

mugjustice‌:

wwwwowwww

that’s a wwwweird wwwway of saying “commmmpletely insufferable to even be in the sammmme roommmm wwwwith”

{You throw a teasing snrk in Tagora’s direction. You know, with plenty of experience, what working with him on anything can be like. It’s either completely awful or incredibly smooth and efficient. You’re glad Karkat seems to have had closer to the latter experience.}

polypa

{You respond to Karkat’s comment about your “other buff friend.” You turn to the girl in question and thank her for putting up with the rest of them. Honestly, being stuck in a room with Karkat, Tagora, and Stelsa sounds like it could be utter hell for anyone not used to their shenanigans.}

you knowwww mmmme

and mmmmy crazy destructive habits

i’ll try to restrain mmmmyself

{You start to gather some of the food on a plate while Stelsa and Karkat shout business at each other. You’re glad they’re getting along.}

You pull a small notebook from seemingly nowhere, and note down the details Karkat has given you. You don’t know when they’ll be useful, but you are beyond certain that they will be. 

You giggle a little at the ‘above average speaker’. It’s true: your volume is less a dial and more a switch. It’s either on or it’s off, which you have found usually overwhelms people rather quickly. 

I WILL TRY MY BEST TO TAKE YOUR ADVICE TO HEART I CAN BE RATHER EXCITABLE WHICH DOSENT HELP MUCH IN THE VOLUME DEPARTMENT 

You smile as you pile some food onto a plate, not too much though, it’s well after your bed time and you know that eating too much this late will prove a mistake tomorrow. 

TYZIAS PLEASE TRY TO HOLD IT TOGETHER YOU CANT GO AROUND WREAKING HAVOC WHEN SOMEONE WORKED VERY HARD TO MAKE YOU A NICE PARTY I KNOW IT WILL BE HARD I BELIEVE IN YOU 

You can’t help but plant a playful smooch on her cheek and flash a bright smile.

DO YOU PLAN MANY PARTIES KARKAT YOU SEEM QUITE ADEPT AT DOING SO IS THAT WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK IF NOT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IT IVE NEVER SEEN SO WELL EQUIPPED A BUFFET

You’ve added more to your plate than you intended but it all looks so good.

–「 You’ve dealt with eleven assholes, and tried to corral them into playing a game together to save the world. Of course you’re not going to say that, but you have in fact, dealt with worse than Tagora.

Tyzias rolls with the punches, however, and goes along with the joke on her ‘rambunctious’ nature. She’s fucking wild. Out of control. Then Stelsa starts joining in and... this is warm. Nice even. There’s a smooch, and you divert your eyes, but don’t blush. You’ve gotten alright at not blushing, for survival purposes.」

“NOT REALLY. AND LIKE I SAID, TAGORA DID MOST OF THE ACTUAL MAKING THE PARTY A PARTY BITS. I DID THE CATERING THOUGH, SO YOU’RE WELCOME.”

“I PRETTY MUCH RUN THIS TOWN, IN TERMS OF EATING A STUPID AMOUNT OF FOOD, AND WRITING ARTICLES ON IT. CRITIC IS THE WORD, I THINK. ANYWAY. A PARTY ISN’T A PARTY WITHOUT A WELL EQUIPPED BUFFET AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TYZIAS, CAN YOU PLEASE SETTLE DOWN? WE’RE BEGGING YOU.” 

「 You continue the gag, chiding Tyzias mid food grab. The only destruction she’s causing is some mad death to some fine dining. You set your own plate down, forgetting that there was a burger king crown you saved to put on her head somewhere. 」

Alright, Marshall. He clears his throat and leans back a little, still awkwardly bearing his teeth. His sharp, vampiric teeth. That he could totally use to rip this guy’s throat out. Hmmm……….. No, not that. Fi and Gumball would kill him if he used murder to fix every awkward situation he runs into. He looks to the left, then to the right, then back at this guy who is now turning pink in the face.

“I, uh… listen. It wasn’t— it wasn’t for a weird reason or anything, I swear to Glob.”

He wants to just float into the air and continue to do so until he reaches space. Or he wants to turn into a bat and fly away immediately. But neither of those things are viable solutions, because for some reason his powers aren’t chunking working.

“I totally skronked up. I was here minding my own business when I smelled this super strong red smell. I didn’t mean to be all weird on you or anything. But I’m pretty sure it’s you.”

–「 You are going to start having flashbacks if this keeps up. A chunk of your pusher actually aches, because of it. So much nostalgia in one night. But, that’s part of your resolution. Stop being nostalgic for the things you can’t change, and start making new memories with the people who are still around. 

There are some texts in your drafts that are overdue, but for now, you have this asshole to deal with. You roll your eyes as if to say ‘whatever’, eyes stinging at even at the good times you’re remembering. 」

“YEAH WELL. I’D ACTUALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU DIDN’T SAY THAT TOO LOUD, OR EVER AGAIN, PERIOD. I USUALLY DON’T MAKE A HABIT OF CRYING OUT HERE IN THE OPEN, AND THAT ‘STRONG RED SMELL’ YOU’RE WHIFFING COULD BE A BIG PROBLEM IF THE INFORMATION GOT OUT SO LET’S JUST. 

LET BYGONES BE GONE, OR WHATEVER.”

「 You uncross your arms, rolling your sleeves down past your fingers.」

“... NEPETA? I. IS THIS A FEVER DREAM? IS THAT REALLY YOU? TELL ME THIS ISN’T A FEVER DREAM. NO. I TOLD MYSELF I’D STOP TALKING TO THE FUCKING HALLUCINATIONS IN THE CORNER OF MY EYE.” –「 But what if it is her?」“OKAY, OKAY. IF YOU’RE THE REAL NEPETA, THEN... UH. TELL ME YOUR UH? MOST UNLIKELY SHIP? SOMETHING I COULDN’T DREAM OF BY MYSELF.” 

「 You clear your throat.」

–「 You look up from the couch as Feferi files through. It’s been at least a few days since you’ve seen her, and you were considering sending a text because of such, just to make sure everything was okay. The draft was written up in your phone, all 354 words of it. But you failed to hit send. Bad habits are such tricky things, aren’t they? You try to approach the situation with an air of normalcy...」

“WELL LOOK WHO FINALLY DECIDED TO-”

「 ... but seeing her makes you stop dead.」

“... WOAH. HEY, UH. I’M NOT TRYING TO BE AN ASSHOLE, BUT YOU LOOK LIKE YOU WERE JUST DRAGGED BY YOUR FEET THROUGH TRAFFIC. WHAT HAPPENED?”

Marshall Lee isn’t big on mourning and sadness and all that junk. He’d much rather repress any semblance of sad thoughts under a layer of rebellion and bad-patoot rock and roll. But when he saw the lantern boats and how simple it seemed, he decided to write a simple note mourning those he lost during his battle with the vampires. Then for good measure, he jots down a note for the vampires themselves. Evil though they may be, the dead deserve some sort of respect, he guesses. 

He carries the two boats to the shore, nonchalantly setting them into the water and kicking them forward with a converse-clad foot. As he turns back, he catches a whiff of something… red. Now Marshall is no stranger to red. Blood is red—obviously—and many of the residents of Ooo have red blood. But this was stronger. A bright, candy apple scent that almost hurt his teeth with the sweetness. He turns around for another smell—

And is immediately faced with a very awkward situation. He is slammed into a complete stranger, and now must explain why he was just smelling him.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hey. Whaaaaaat’s up?”

–「 You are in no fucking mood for this. You weren’t even done crying yet. You swallow the lump in your protein chute, and wipe your lookstubs again before shoving both hands in your pocket, examining the noodle shaped road block in your way. He’s leaned forward- and suddenly, this feels ridiculously familiar.」

“... ... WERE YOU JUST? OH MY GOD. WERE YOU *SNIFFING* ME? WHAT IN THE HIGH HOLY FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” 

「 You cross your arms, and contemplate throwing hands. Or walking away. But honestly, you’re kind of feeling like an asshole, and you want to see what this guy has to say for himself.」

Over the years, you’ve let yourself cry less and less. Especially now. But your eyes sting as you watch the tiny lantern float off. You know it’s just shitty paper that’s going to wind up in the shitty ocean, but it feels so. Final. 」

「 You’re never going to be able to go back to when things were okay, or normal. The thought sticks with you as you turn, numb, and smack into someone. And hard. Amazingly, you remain solid, and wipe at your face as quickly as possible.」

「 The pieces of paper are small, so you write as tiny as you can.」

> Karkat: Grieve. 

mugjustice‌:

{You follow the shouting, Stelsa trailing right behind, and you’re right in the middle of yawning when the lights pop on and balloons start raining down on you. You only half choke at the shock.}

wwwwhat the globes–

{Wriggling day?}

{Stelsa hugs you tightly but releases you before you can even respond. She’s just as shocked as you are, though, so she wasn’t in on it.}

{Karkat and Stelsa shout at each other in this library for a few seconds while you stand there like a antler beast in scuttlebuggy illumination bulbs. You’re able to discern that Karkat and Tagora co-conspirated this, and besides theirs, you see a few familiar faces. That other teal (Terezi?), a very uncomfortable looking Polypa, and you’re pretty sure you catch a glimpse of a clown figure? but that one could just be your imagination.}

it’s fine

i’ve spent too mmmmuch timmmme sleeping this wwwweek anywwwways

{You’ve actually been going to bed since Stelsa’s there. You hear Tagora mutter something, probably about your dreadful sleeping habits.}

{You offer your classic grimace-shaped-smile to the pair in cahoots.}

thanks

you didn’t have to go through all the trouble

{But it’s nice and comfortable, so you can’t complain too much. You casually slip your hand around Stelsa’s to walk together to join everyone else around the food table.}

Looking up at the ceiling your still pretty impressed at the level of innovation such a device must have taken. 

THERES NOTHING TO BE SORRY FOR FREE FOOD AND A WELL DECORATED PARTY ARE PERFECTLY GOOD THINGS TO BE ROUSED FOR THANK YOU FOR HOSTING

You flash a bright smile, still giddy that you lucked out in accidentally attending this party. You squeeze Tyzias’ hand and go to peruse the food selection, making note of the handful of other trolls here, especially the so-called-mastermind Tagora. Turning back to Karkat, smile still wide, you decide to make conversation. 

HOW DID YOU GET THE BOOKHIVE FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A BIT OF WORK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW FOR REFERENCE IN CASE I NEED TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR FOR AN EVENT WAS THERE A MINIMUM DAY NOTICE OR A DOWN PAYMENT OF ANY KIND 

You really need to find something other than work to talk about. 

–「 You kind of don’t know what to do with your arms for a few seconds, because the look of shock on Tyzias’ face has you concerned. While you don’t doubt the swiftness of her matesprit, you figure the more people to prevent a life alert situation, the better. But everything settles into this kind of warmness, and then, Tyzias is smiling. And that was exactly what you were hoping for.」

「 A successful surprise party! You give a short grin of your own to Tyzias. 」

“IT WASN’T ANY TROUBLE. TAGORA ISN’T THE WORST PERSON TO PLAN A PARTY WITH, AMAZINGLY. AND UH. YOUR OTHER BUFF FRIEND IS??? NICE. ANYWAY UH. THERE’S PRESENTS OVER ON THAT TABLE WHEN YOU’RE FULL, AND WE HAVE THE LIBRARY ALL NIGHT SO. GO NUTS, BUT DON’T WRECK THE PLACE.”

–「 You heap savory food onto your plate like it’s no one’s fucking business, eyebrows arching as Stelsa begins to fire off questions. You don’t know at what point she started to grow on you, but she so did. Maybe it’s the fact free food was the first thing she commented on because, god, fucking same. Well. Technically you paid for it but same. But being taken seriously with business things is? Nice. And... it feels right.」

“I HAD TO SIGN SOME RELEASE FORMS SAYING WE WOULDN’T STEAL, DAMAGE, OR DO ANYTHING DUBIOUS TO THE BOOKS OR THE BUILDING. LIKE. AN ABSOLUTELY STUPID AMOUNT OF FORMS. RENTING IT OUT HONESTLY WASN’T AN ISSUE, BUT IT WAS LUCKY THERE WASN’T ANOTHER EVENT HERE. APPARENTLY THIS PLACE HOSTS POETRY READINGS SOMETIMES, AND THERE’S LIKE, LOTS OF STUDY EVENTS AND STUFF AFTER HOURS THIS TIME OF YEAR. ALSO SOME PEOPLE NEEDED IT FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE WE SET UP. I GUESS BEING RANDOMLY NAKED IN A ROOM AND DRAWING IT IS A THING THAT PEOPLE DO HERE SOMETIMES.” 

–「 You caught a glimpse of a lot of similar drawings of some naked dude in a chair on your way in.」

Did I not just get in your pathetic excuse of a scuttlebuggy?!  Do you have half a thinkpan or something?  You’re as dense as you look.

[ He crossed his arms and looked out the car’s window.  Being his usual somewhat bratty self. ]

Wow, didn’t realize I’d get a sob story here, hope you brought tissues.  No, seriously.  I’m allergic to this sentimental banter. 

[ Tagora huffed, the somewhat aggressive response he just gave the unnamed stranger pacified him enough.  He’s been a bit moody lately, he’ll get over it. ]

Fine, I’ll party.  But I’m not talking to anyone.

*_________

–「 You pause for a moment, getting total fucking whiplash from this guy. It isn’t as if he went from zero to one hundred all at once, but you sure weren’t expecting revulsion on the menu so soon. You roll your eyes, but don’t give much of a response other than that for a second. Whether the outburst is just his personality, or the residue from Alternia’s ever present culture of posturing for the sake of it, you can’t be sure.」

「 Whatever his deal is, you’ll ride it out. It’s not like you weren’t a nookwhiff for your first few sweeps on the meteor. Also, you’re pretty sure you’d be in a great mood with the shape he’s in.」

“HEY, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO ASKED. I AM LITERALLY JUST GIVING YOU THE FACTS ON WHY I’M DOING THIS. I FIGURE SHE’S YOUR FRIEND TOO, SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW I’M NOT SOME AXE MURDERER LOOKING TO MAKE A FEW BOONS WITH A FUCKING MURDER PARTY.”

“AND IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE THAT’S FINE? I MEAN IT’S NOT LIKE THIS IS GOING TO BE IN A FUCKING RAVE HALL, AND LIKE? NO OFFENSE, BUT TYZIAS DOESN’T REALLY STRIKE ME AS THE KIND OF PERSON WAITING TO BUST A MOVE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. SO IF WE KEEP THE GUEST LIST DOWN TO LIKE, A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE IT’LL PROBABLY FEEL BETTER ANYWAY?” 

–「 You shrug.」