Snake Eyes

your local harpist/secret agent/novelist

if he had a dollar for every death game he’s gone through he’d have two dollars which isn’t much but it’s strange it’s happened twice

loves his little sister

like seriously if you even so much as look at her wrong he will kill you

looks like a twink but can knock your socks off

help girl he’s gonna fall into the pit

seriously he’s blind? um? someone please help him out

also has a prosthetic arm! it’s very advanced and looks like a normal arm! takes it off when it’s convenient

Twitter Assigned Gay

seriously the creator of the series asked like, two weeks ago if people thought he was gay and the answer was “yes” by an overwhelming majority, making him the first character to ever be confirmed gay via a twitter poll

“Good answer,” she announces, nodding though she knows Light can’t see the gesture. “I could use another helping hand. This way!”

And so she leads the way, chainsaw in hand, stopping every now and again in an effort to figure out the path of least resistance. She thinks quickly and acts smart, figuratively and even semi-literally staying on her toes. Every so often, she seems like she’s about to go one way, but then the most vaguely suspicious bump in the night or even a simple sneaking suspicion makes her think better of it and she goes a different way instead. She doesn’t have the aid of the morphogenetic field to help her figure it out, but it’s because of that that now more than ever, it’s better to play it safe when she should and take risks only when she can.

Finally though, she manages to find and lead them both to an area that, at least for the time being, appears to be empty. Safe. She takes in a deep breath, and then lets out a deep sigh.

“If you have a plan that might get us out of here, I’m all ears,” Akane says quietly. “I’m a little out of sorts right now, so… trying to keep us out of danger is about the best I can manage until I can get my bearings a little better.”

It’s not entirely true, but it’s best to keep her cards held close to her chest regardless. She’s always had a tendency to act in this sort of way, but it’s even more important to do so, she thinks, in a situation such as this.

Though he doesn’t see her gesture, Light nods in return before following the sound of her footsteps through the many halls of the art gallery.

Akane leads them on a winding path, switching their course rather suddenly more than once. Light can’t blame her. The place is crawling with things out to kill them, so high amounts of cautious must be exercised. It’s simple to follow her footsteps even as she changes direction.

It’s some time before they finally come to a stop, and when they do, he takes a moment to catch his breath, straightening his jacket slightly.

“Hm, yes, I must say, this is quite the conundrum, isn’t it?” He crosses his arms over his chest, deep in thought. “This place is quite mazelike, as far as I can tell, and with those monsters chasing us, I imagine it will be difficult to successfully find an exit, if such a thing even exists in the first place.”

“I would be tempted to say our best bet is to find a secure place to hide and wait for help to arrive, but with the creatures running amok, I doubt any one place will be safe for long. It is very likely we will need to remain on the move while also defending ourselves to the best of our abilities.”

Oh, that was probably insensitive, wasn’t it? The guy can’t see, obviously, so how would he have known anyway? Being half blind Badou could have at least figured that….idiot. 

“Sorry,” he mutters, in spite of it all. “But the painting– art room would be good. That’ll work, they’ll have water for the paints, a sink. And if there’s anything that isn’t alive and trying to kill us, we can chuck it at them.”

With renewed vigor he picks up the pace, dragging Light along.

Light’s dealt with worse, and they are in a pretty high stress situation, so he doesn’t think much of the minor oversight. 

“No need to apologize. Simply lead the way.”

He lets himself be tugged along, doing his best to keep up with the increased pace. He sends a grateful thought to Alice for insisting he go through physical training as well when he and his sister joined the SOIS, as much as he’d cursed her at the time for it.

He lets out a small breath though as they round a corner.

Badou actually listens to Light’s suggestions, his theory, even as they run for their lives with the occasional sprinkle of gunfire. 

His logic…..is sound. Paint is diluted, washed away with water. Water’s actually pretty strong, isn’t it? To wash away most things. 

“There’s the ice room, but that’d be hard to melt…there’s that giant kitchen in the culinary area, should we try that? I don’t– wait, were there fountains in the garden area?” 

All of this horrible stuff going wrong, Badou’s wracking his brain to summon up his memory of the places, quickly and VERY quickly.

Light thinks for a moment, aware that he is slowly but surely running out of stamina. They’ll have to come up with a solution sooner than later, as it seems most likely that their assailants have plenty of energy to spare.

“I can’t say for certain if there were fountains or not, as I did not go to the gardens. I can’t say much about the specifics of any room, really.” Being blind, it’s hard to take in details, after all.

“Ah, but there surely must be a room where people could paint, yes? Perhaps there we can find tools to correct mistakes in paintings.”

“NOW IS NOT TO TIME, DUDE!!!”

That’s almost worse! Like he isn’t taking it seriously– or maybe, its more like he’s accepted the inevitable. Getting eaten alive by a bunch of dolls!

He’s TRYING to come up with a plan, Light, jeez! Don’t pressure him. 

“We run till we can find somewhere to hide, unless you got some kind of brilliant idea! Like how to destroy ‘em once and for all!”

Because as much as the bullets are helping, when he gets one down, three more rise back up. The paintings and sculptures are a blur as they keep running, always keep running.

Contrary to his actions, Light is taking the situation seriously. After all, it does appear that their lives are in danger. Even as he jests, he does his best to think of a plan, some way out of this situation.

“My apologies,” he says, figuring that the other cannot read his mind. “I reassure you, I am most serious.”

“Hm... Destroying them for good does seem to be our most permanent course of action,” he continues after a moment of thought. “After all, as much as we run and hide, it seems rather likely that we will be found regardless.”

He pauses a moment to think again. “...Your bullets clearly are only a temporary measure, but I’d wager there is a way to stop the creatures in their tracks. They came from within the paintings in this gallery, yes? So, then, I believe I can assume they are made of paint. Perhaps, then, we must deal with them as one would deal with a mess of paint. Do correct me if I am wrong about that.”

It’s a good thing he kind of remembers which way to go once they get out of here. He takes a deep breath. Opens fire on these horrible little things, and tugs Light out the door and to the left– the opposite way Badou had come rushing down the hall. There must be something on the other side waiting for him.

Either way, it seems clear, and all they have to worry about now are the really angry ones that follow. Like the one trying to gnaw on Badou’s foot– snarling, he shoots it, watching it flop back.

“Screw this, screw this, SCREW THIIIIIS THIS IS THE WORST! SO MANY DRINKS, DUDE!”

There’s the sound of gunshots, and then Light is being tugged out of the room, followed by the angry sounds of the monsters chasing after them. All he can really do is run and hope for the best.

It seems they’re going to have to run a bit faster though if they wish to out pace these things, if his rescuer’s frustrated shouting and the continued gunshots are anything to go by.

“Yes, yes, as many drinks as you’d like. If we get out of this alive, that is. And well, even if we don’t, I’ll be sure to buy you a drink in the afterlife.” It’s really not the time for jokes, but Light has never been the sort to panic, even in extreme situations like these.

“You owe me drinks later, dude,  that’s for sure. If we live through this,” Badou grits out, frowning. He doesn’t like the look of that thing. 

It’s not happy, but it’s recovering too quickly for Badou’s liking. 

“Here’s the plan. I’m gonna lay down another bit of fire…and then we’re gonna book it. Unless you have other ideas?”

Because other than irritating it, he has no other thoughts besides RUN for the time being. Buy them some time.

“Drinks I can most certainly do. Just let me know the when and the where.”

Buying drinks for the person who saved him is a simple price to pay, though Light himself isn’t much of a drinker. Though, he thinks that after this experience, he could use a cold one or two or three.

“‘Booking it” does seem to be our best option,” he replies in agreement, taking a step back towards where he believes the door to be. “On your word, then. Ah, and when we do run, please take the lead. I will follow behind you.”

How does he just walk into situations like this. That thing is big– some sort of gargoyle– and if these things are really made by the residents of this place WHO’S MAKING THESE THINGS out of their imagination?? Badou is about to track them down, sit them down and do something about it. 

Because now he has to do something about it! 

“Don’t rush me, keep your pants on,” he snaps at the other man, then opens fire on the beast. It writhes, it screams, but it doesn’t go down. So much for that! 

Badou should have known it’d be something like this.

“Get outta the way!” He screams, opening fire again. If it doesn’t hurt it, maybe this will distract it.

There’s a lot of sound. If Light wasn’t so used to discerning sounds, he might have been overwhelmed. Between the monster’s growls, the man shouting, and the gunshots, it is quite a lot to deal with. But when he’s told to dodge, he does so.

There’s the sound of gunshots nearby just moments after he throws himself out of the line of fire. He hears the monster’s cries, but has a feeling it isn’t going to be so easily stopped.

It does give him enough time to run around the creature and to the side of his rescuer, though, who he offers a small, polite nod.

“I would offer you my sincere thanks, but I think that will have to wait until we’re made our escape.”

Who is going to pay Badou for not one second believing this was just going to be a nice and educational time at the museum? WHO??? He is waiting for his dust, thank you, you can put it right in his account…..if they live through this.

Currently, Badou finds himself running for his life. Nothing new, but art work come to life certainly is! He likes movies but come on…he ducks into a room nearby, hoping it’ll provide some shelter, alone, but apparently not.

“What– if I was an enemy you’d bring ‘em right to you, dude.” 

Get a load of this guy. 

Okay but he had tried to sound cool, he’ll give him a tiny bit of credit.

If not for the fact that Light is currently trapped in a corner by a bloodthirsty paint beast, he’d laugh at the stranger’s bewildered comment. But, unfortunately, that’s the situation he’s in, and currently he’s a bit more concerned about getting out of it than having idle conversation.

“Hm, well, I suppose you are right. Then, since I can assume you are a friend and not a foe, I would ask that you provide me some assistance.”

Light takes a moment to gauge the situation. There is the monster in front of him and the stranger by the door. He’ll need plenty of time and space if he wants to avoid the creature while also avoiding injury.

Hrrbrrbrrbrrbrrbrrbrrbrr…

Tap. Tap. Tap.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

The threatening rumble of a chainsaw echoes mildly through the room Akane makes her way into. For a moment, it growls out a warning, then quickly calms and dies down. “You can work that out later.” she calls out, figuring that even now, the sound of her voice would be familiar to this man. “For now, you can call me—I don’t know—Schrödinger’s ally or something for all I care. Just get moving!”

Staring down the grotesque artistic vision come to life, she hopes that with a chainsaw in her hands and her little Junpei voodoo doll—crafted with the utmost love, care, and consideration—adopting a threatening posture atop her shoulder, the monster before them will think twice for just long enough to give her and Light a chance to make a run for it. Maybe. If they’re lucky. But Akane’s no stranger to taking huge gambles like this. Even lacking her usual ability to SHIFT if things get a little too dicey, she’s willing to take this risk the same way she has time and time again.

The situation is far from ideal though… Surely Light resents her (and her brother too) for endangering his life not so long ago, and exponentially more so for having put his beloved little sister in that kind of danger too… But now’s not the time to be hung-up on such details! She’s there to help him, after all, regardless of their past. No trickery. No temporal paradoxes involved or time loops to complete. Only a genuine offer of assistance, no strings attached.

… Still. As soon as they have some breathing room, she’s pretty sure the awkwardness of this whole thing is going to hit like a falling pile of cinderblocks—bricks somehow just don’t feel adequate for the metaphor in Akane’s head.

There are a few things Light notices. First and most prominent is the blaring rumble of what he assumes is a chainsaw. Its growl fills the room, and Light hears the monster falter. For that, he is grateful. Perhaps this is just the distraction he needs in order to get out of this situation.

Second, but not less important, is the sound of the voice that calls out to him. He recognizes it in an instant, even though it has been well over a year since they’d last met. 

How can he forget her voice, after all that happened?

His feelings towards Akane, as they are with Light, are mixed, complicated, and not something he can sum up in such a short amount of time. After all, he sympathizes greatly with their plight. Had he been in a similar situation, he would have done the same to help Clover. But they did expose himself and his sister to great danger, and that is something unforgiveable.

But, that is in the past, and currently the present demands his entire attention.

“Schrödinger’s ally, is it? Well, whether you decide to be friend or foe is up to you. But for now, I will consider you an ally and do as you suggest.”

Things could most certainly going better than they were at the moment.

When they were locked in, Light had heard the sound of something attempting to pursue him, and with nothing to defend himself with, had ran in what he hoped was a safe direction. It was unfortunately he did not know the layout of the building better, but he had done his best to avoid the sounds of scuffles and anything else that seemed like it might be dangerous.

Of course, there was only so much he could do.

Currently, Light found himself backed against a wall. A motion with his foot indicated that he was, in fact, trapped in a corner, with something he couldn’t identify by sound alone slowly but surely approaching. It was, in fact, quite the predicament.

So he thought it quite lucky when he heard other footsteps enter the room.

While Toph’s parents had attempted to give her some formal education when she was younger, it was largely kept to how to maintain her social graces as a girl of high status- more academically-focused pursuits were thought to be unnecessary for her.  While she wasn’t interested in things like puzzles and school to begin with, she couldn’t help but imagine part of their decision was owed to thinking she couldn’t handle it.

Well, whatever.  She didn’t like taking time to figure things out anyway- there was nothing she had to trouble herself with that her earthbending couldn’t solve.

It was that firm belief that led her to selecting this particular quest- the only trouble with a maze was finding the right path to the end, and she’d be able to figure that out from the moment she set foot in there.  This was no challenge at all for the greatest earthbender in the world!

She’s taken off-guard to find someone else at the start with her, though.  From the vibrations she picks up, he was certainly taller than her, and the voice was that of a young man.  A scowl crosses her face at the joke he made, but her expression relaxes by the time he’s done talking.

“Hey, if you wanna tag along, go ahead,” she answers with a shrug, head turned halfway in his direction.  “But I’ve got the maze thing down, so I don’t know that there’ll be a lot for you to do.”  The girl puts her right foot forward, waiting a moment before extending a finger, aimed at the T-junction that awaited them at the end of the first straight stretch.  “We’re gonna take a left up there- the right path just kinda zig-zags before curling back in on itself, and it branches off into another dead end at one point.”

Without so much as an explanation as to how she could possibly know this, Toph strides forward at a relaxed pace to allow her partner to follow.  The nonchalant tune she whistles carries a self-assured air, either uncaring or oblivious to the other challenges that await them in the maze…

The stranger speaks, and Light is able to identify the voice of a girl. She is shorter than him, and most certainly younger, though he is not the sort to try to make guesses at age based on voice alone. Her confident tone brings a small smile to his face, and he raises a brow at her quick and succinct explanation of their path.

“Hm, is that so? Well then, I will happily allow you to lead the way.”

The sound of her whistling makes it easy to follow her into the maze, though he would have had no trouble following the sound of her footsteps as well.

He walks quietly for only a moment before speaking.

For a man like Light, an art gallery would seem entirely useless. And while it was true that he could not view the art in the usual manner, he still found himself drawn to the museum regardless, not for the art, but the creation of art of his own.

It had been much too long since he’d played the harp. Since joining the SOIS with Clover, he had had less time to play, and since coming to this world, he’d lacked an instrument to play at all. But all types of tools were to be found in this studio, and simply by asking, Light had found his way to a harp.

Currently, he was playing, lithe fingers plucking a serene melody from the strings. As usual, his eyes remained close, but now a soft smile adorned his features. It was a song of his own making, one he’d yet to truly finish, but one he had missed playing nonetheless.

“I’m not sure…”

Light was staying…calm. It was almost a little unsettling, but how situations like this would be handled changed person to person. That was just…human variation. Something fascinating and unique - that each person was built off their experiences and their perspective on life varied based on experience. 

Well…at least that’s what Jakurai always had to remind him about, when he started to think of things too literally.

“It really starts to bring in the question of the nature of this place, I think. If…it’s something like a novel where time stops upon our departure and starts again when we return or…if it’s like we were just pulled out and everything is continuing on without us.” 

…it was a little unsettling to think about, honestly. Maybe a bit too deep, but it was a line of thought Yotsutsuji couldn’t ignore. That if they fell away - life continued on. He wondered if that was the case, if people were worried. His classmates, Jakurai, the other Dirty Dawg members…if they tried to look for him, surely they wouldn’t find anything.

He sighed and shook his head a little.

“Sorry, that’s probably not something we should worry about. What’s happened has already happened, after all.”

Perhaps it was a little strange that he was remaining so calm, but rather unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time that he’d woken up in a strange place. In fact, it wasn’t even the second time. In some way, he supposed he was just used to it by now.

What an amusing thing to be used to.

“You pose very good questions. Personally, I think it will all depend. Perhaps time does continue on. But perhaps, when or if we are returned to our worlds, we are still returned to the time we left. What of the world in which we did not return? How will it continue? With our arrival in this world, several new possibilities open up, new worlds created in which we return or do not return.”

“But, you are right. What has happened has happened. The world we are in now is the one important to us, or at least these versions of us. We must deal with the cards we have been dealt.”

Aoi took a long breath in through his nose, held it, and then let it out. Getting mad wasn’t going to fix anything. It’d make him feel better, maybe, but he’d already had his fair share of being angry to cope during his short stay here. He needed a plan.  And to make a plan, it’d sure help to have two heads rather than one. “I know you probably don’t trust me for shit, and that’s fuckin’ fair, but can we work together on this?” he asked. “I just wanna get back to Akane, and I’m sure you wanna get back to Clover. Can we truce or whatever? Collaborate?”  He held out his hand for a handshake before remembering Light was fucking blind and putting it back down at his side. Light was one of the smartest people he knew. He was glad if it was anyone, it was at least him that had gotten stuck here, too. 

Aoi was at least partially correct in his assumptions. Light did not fully trust him, and it would likely take some time for him to do so. After all, he was part of the mastermind behind the second games, after all. But, knowing his reasons, Light couldn’t hate him. Not entirely.

So, he nodded. “Well, it would be most efficient to work as a team rather than as enemies. And besides, I have no real reason to believe you’ll do anything malicious, at the very least, not in this world. So while my trust in you is yet to be decided, I think a truce is our best option for the time being.”

He heard the sound of Aoi raising then lowering his hand, and almost wanted to laugh, but settled for a small, almost knowing smile.