Outworld/The Grottos

Standard Sibling Squabbles

Authors: SkyShock Sigma and "Ten Count" Markowitz

[SkyShock has entered the conversation]

How dare you call me the worst then come out with this scandal

depends which bit is the scandal tbh
Hi, by the way

Opportunity/Penitent cross-border romance blossoms
On the same day one of the pair threatens to murder his sister’s
Completely legitimate choice of new flame
Smells like scandal to me
mmmm, I’m Razor Fine and I endorse this rampant hypocrisy

I DID NOT THREATEN TO MURDER TROJAN

Probably
I forget

Also to be accurate it’s Opportunity/Penitent-ex- Combine

THAT DOESN’T HELP YOUR CASE
THAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF HELPING

I’m fostering good international relations fuck all y’all

I think you maybe should not have put that word after “relations” in this context
If you’re trying to keep any credibility here

fine I’ll grammatically rephrase it

“fuck all y’all I’m fostering good international relations”

Is that somehow better

Much.
See?
That’s what we call “plausible deniability”

Plausible deniability is what you’re going with

At this point it’s all you got, bro

Alright let’s compare scandal levels

Two bits of Joy Effect trash do unpleasantly biological things
then execute a double obsession on each other
Ensuring even worse will happen
or - OR - one visionary starts to realise he can actually like another person
At the same time they start to like him back

ooooh yeah that second one’s great for ratings who doesn’t love seeing gentle romance

People literally expect Joy Effect trash to pull this shit
you are defying cultural norms
You are going against the grain, bro

JUST LIKE DAD DID

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH

DIDN’T THINK OF THAT DID YOU

HOW FUCKING DARE YOU
YOU WEREN’T EVEN THERE

Margin Drivers marries Joy Effect, big shock, big news, big ratings, big scandal
HOW is this different

Dad went for a Heartisan
Thrift has TASTE

which I obviously got
you went for Trojan

You went for a class traitor

…
She is not a class traitor

She literally turns her back on the faction that’s all
unity forever! Consensus ! for the combine!

The unity forever faction that spent all Grand Cycle imploding
That faction

I mean, that’s just funny

...well, yeah, that too

The point IS

they spend ages shouting “consensus consensus” and then kaboom

The point IS
your little girlfriend was with the ones who go
“You can join us or you can die”

And?

She was part of that and left

sounds like a good thing to me

unless you think she’s actually dead
and has been dead all along

spooky ghost penitent

I mean, it’d be an amazing twist

I’ve touched her, she’s not a ghost

wait
No

not like that

OHRLY

NO SHUT UP

THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING SOMEONE WHO HAD DONE THE THING
AND WAS SCARED OF BEING CALLED A HYPOCRIT
WOULD SAY

IT’S SPELLED HYPOCRITE

FUCK OFF

YOU FIRST I’M THE OLDER ONE

I ALREADY DID YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM FOR IT

I DIDN’T TRY TO KILL ANYBODY

IF I DID HE’D BE DEAD
AND IT’D BE A DAY OF NATIONAL MOURNING

ANYWAY

HAH

anyway

you were going “ooh she’s a class traitor”

Except you meant that in a NICE way

Never said I didn’t like her
As Penitents go, she’s actually rather enjoyable
You could do immeasurably worse

ngl class traitor is not a common compliment

but it is like the leading cause of drama
And intrigue

Can you not just

like
I literally put my soul
My actual soul
Through hell for a lot of people
Half of whom I don’t even like

can you make that the dramatic bit and leave the other stuff alone

Can I adjust to the fact my big brother didn’t even say goodbye?
y’know
Before I start fucking about with the obvious narrative possibilities

I said goodbye
I told you you were going to see me again

That’s not the same thing

what did you think I meant?

I know what you meant.
It’s not the point
The last memory I have of the face I grew up looking up to
I was walking away from it

what did I do when you saw me next

You demanded answers
I gave them to you
(as best dissonance allows)

Then what

Then you declared you were never going into affronts
AND THEN GOT INTO AN AFFRONT
OVER SCONES

well

Verbal contracts ain’t worth shit anyway
Besides, it was fun

you wouldn’t care if Trojan did it

dont’ fuck with me about verbal contracts, bro
That’s low
You know I would

yeah, well

It was fun
it was entertaining

And i wanted to

You’re a dick

That’s Joy Effect, right?
Entertain the people, put on a show and do what you want

We don’t betray each other

Sky

I swear, if this is about Ziggy again

I’m going to lose my shit

contrary to what he believed
Not everything was about Ziggy

I got fucking lucky

I was expecitng to turn up this time and have Z60 waiting
ready to smash my head in
For what I did to his finest subject
everybody’s
Not forgotten about it, per se

But there’s bigger things going on

And yet here you sit
Arguing with joy effect trash
About joy effect trash

What should I be doing?
Nexus has shut down

Go and write love letters and float thema way
On tiny little black and white airships

fuck off

haven’t you got some talkshow to be on

about how Trojan’s more man than you’ve ever had

write eight of them at a time while you’re at it

Eight?

One for each beady little eye

I’m not actually a spider you maniac
spiders don’t have scales

Can you just
For once in your life
have some respect for FUCKING NARRATIVE
AND ARTISTIC LICENSE

what’s got into you today

Trojan
Several times

[10Count has left the conversation]