#reddons

Starr watch parties are common, and both sides of team Public Appearances get lots of invites from people hoping to brag about having previous contestants at their party. 

Attending those parties is Reddons favorite part, free booze, and plenty of chances to swindle jerks who enjoy cheering while people are dying, what's not to enjoy? (Plus with so many people it's easy to get away with not staring at the screen. Easy to distract from the way his heart beats to fast at the familiar calls of monsters)

Acho hates being a public figure. Everyone is watching again and always asking him questions, and he can’t even look Kyle for support since he’s alone. Well not alone and he leans heavily on Magic and Guts to talk for him. He keeps his part of questioning short and he tells everyone he's fervently against the show since it ruined him and Kyle's relationship and he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Publicly the Outsiders have had a massive falling out and the tabloids eat up whatever scraps of information they can get about said fight since the last the world saw of them they were all close as family.

Bekyamon doesn’t tell the others but she relishes in the attention she receives for her new found status. She can’t help but take center stage talking enough to cover for when the others fumble. She's the loudest when it comes to arguing with the other Outsiders about their different opinions. She becomes the media’s favorite and a selfish part of her really likes that.

They get asked to sign merch all the time. Some of the favorites include: mugs that say All Hail Moosus, Off Brand Sussies, a Hoodie saying Should've listened to Gracie, and a plush of Krow that Bekyamon tried really hard to take with her.

Least Favorites are a hyper attentive recreation of Owen's Bow from his time in the maze, posters that map out the whole Maze area and mark notable things that happened, and their missing person posters. It's takes everything in Guts not to rip up the poster the first time someone shows it too them.

Magic knows she’ll have to deal with her father when she takes on her role. She also knows it won’t be in the shadows anymore and he won’t be able to just push her around. She takes this chance to rip people apart over every little detail of the show. She takes special joy in lamenting how the people running this show clearly don't know what they're doing and that they're clearly idiots, knowing he can’t strike her.

It takes a lot of self control for Reddons to shake hands with Magic's father and not break his wrist. It doesn't help that he laments how his daughter couldn't see things the way he did.

Rasbi couldn’t go back into the maze. She wishes she could have because it would probably be less painful than smiling for the cameras and chatting with the elite but she just couldn’t. Hoping to avoid dealing with the crowd she focuses her time, less on shmoozing and more on watching the people. She notes who's friends with who and what everyone knows about the new contestants. She starts to keep an intensive list on people personal relationships for future use.

The groups gets invited to the official Starr premiere party. Magic suspects it’s her fathers way of trying to put her on the spot but it’s a good opportunity to make a scene nonetheless on a very important night. They dress up in there best and make grand appearances to be plastered on every tabloid. They make a point to glare at each other for the photos and loudly trash talk each other. Even as their hearts pound and their hands shake when the show starts to play.

Inside the system, Owen's military training helps him blend in with the other guards, and he begins to keep a log on all the others habits and the routine of the guards. He's not well liked as he's known as a hard ass and a no nonsense guy. A reputation he keeps up so no one will bother him and he can focus instead on preparing for the worst case scenarios. It’s a little lonely and reminds him a little too much of his days as a General but he pushes the feeling down, this isn’t about him. It’s about protecting other people from suffering the way they have.

Due to scheduling it's pretty rare for the four outsiders to end up on the same shift without any of the guards so they don't actually get a lot of time to talk without guarding their words. As such they develop a secret language entirely made up of body movements and words slipped into normal conversations.

Oeca agreed to work as a guard because he knew he couldn’t be trusted hiding in the walls or having to deal with haughty taught jerks all day. Even though he hasn't had an episode for a long time, but being stuck surrounded by people he hates in a high stress environment, he finds himself struggling to hold himself together. It gets so bad that the others sometimes have to drag him out if view of everyone just to keep him calm.

When they start getting ready for this plan Alina and Aldoro insist on helping. Ayngel was very firm in her no, not wanting either of her siblings to suffer. They wouldn’t back down though.

Spidey finds the system exhausting. She initially wanted to sneak into set with the others, but they didn't want to risk any more than five people constantly being on the inside. Being separated from the others and having always struggled to make friends she finds herself extremely lonely. To try and fight that feeling off she'll sometimes leave notes for the others in hidden corners and less traveled passages, and every time she finds any messages left for her she keeps them in a box to reread till she can see the others again.

They each get their own rooms while working as guards, but they rarely use them as it feels too much like being in the Maze. Using the halls isn't much better, too tight spaces that are dark with winding twists and turns.

Kyle does a great job and making friends with the other guards. He keeps up on all the gossip and is the most personable of the group. He laughs along with the jokes that leave a bad taste in his mouth and participates in the bets. Because of that when he asks to be in the viewing room during episode releases, he gets his wish. He watches the screens hoping to catch any glimpse of Acho and it takes a lot not to wince when they play the clip of Acho talking about their friendship falling apart.

Even though they’re unable to make a public appearance they each choice a side to take in the public fight should the need arise. Owen, Soup, Apo, Kyle and Oeca being pro Starr and Squidney, Spidey, Mohwee, and Krow being anti Starr.

Soup was initially very against going into the walls. She thought she'd be for more useful on the outside, but when Mohwee points out she's the closest thing they have to a doctor she agrees. Making potions on the go is frustrating but she at least gets the occasion 'gift bag' from the others with ingredients so she doesn't have to grow her own. She will admit she appreciates being able to feel useful, it feels like she’s making amends.

Care packages dropped off by Gracie and Ayngel contain potion ingredients, medical supplies they can spare, and tabloids with relevant info. They also contain some of their favorite snacks, heartfelt notes form the people on the outside, and pictures of the outside world.

Apo feels like a runner again once he's in the walls. He falls back into mapping the area, hunting for secret passages, and making hidey holes in case of emergencies. He listens through the walls sometimes to try and hear his friends talking while on guard shifts. Sometimes he hides in those hidden areas to try and see Owen passing by, with his only slightly noticeable limp.

They rarely, if ever, remove their helmets in the presence of the others. Even with dyed hair and makeup to cover the scars, they don't want to risk being recognized.

Squidney is not thrilled to be back. She misses the freedom of the outside world but at she has Mohwee, and at some distance Spidey. She focuses her attention on the mechanisms running in the house. She sees just what the show runners are in charge off and how much control they have. What she can sabotage and control from the inside. Where they might be able to get out if need be. She needs to be ready to help her friends if things so south.

Ayngel’s siblings insist on learning to fight and defend themselves like all the other Outsiders. It scares Ayngel more than she wants to admit that they take the training very seriously and show a lot of skill.

Mohwee won’t lie he’s excited by the prospect of being back in the action. The time he’s spent on the outside world has been great but a part of him has missed the excitement, the joy of running where he doesn’t belong and insulting people in power who have it coming. His excitement is only tempered by the fact that everyone isn’t together in this, instead they’re separated and weakened because of it.

When going through initiation the new guards are Hazed by being walked through the monster holding cells and it almost sends Owen into a panic attack. Spidey pretends to be more scared than she is she she can hold his hand and calm him down.

Krow knew the moment they decided to go into the maze that it was going to be as close to the action as possible. It knows it can’t hold its temper as guard or public figure but sitting on the sidelines like Gracie or Ayngel would drive it crazy. It wonders if that makes it too much like it was before, that some part of him craves to return to the violence and adrenaline of his past. It chooses to focus instead on watching the new contestants and the new set built to torment them.

Gracie argued endlessly that she should be allowed to help more. She didn’t want to stay in their little hide away and just prepare things. She wants to actively help. Instead she spends her time gathering supplies and information as best she can and supports Ayngel as best she can. They’re stressed out and not having their friends around makes it agonizingly worse. They spend more time then ever watching tv screens and hoping for any signs from the others that they’re ok.

Ayngel is a mess every second leading up to the premier. She drowns herself in work, farming for hours and working on tools. She cleans the clearing and works till she collapses in exhaustion. She spends her time, building and preparing everything she can for the worst case scenario. The day the show premieres she sits next to Gracie and holds her hand hard enough to bruise her.