RUE MOORE HAS IT: SEPTEMBER EDITION

[ruemoore]

Hel-lo, Metacuties~! Rue here. Did you miss me~?

So sorry about the unexpected hiatus! I was brought into another world during all that fuss last month - oh, darlings. I may just be a baseline human here, but I was living my best meta life in that world! You should have seen me, soaring through the skies~! [Rue sighs.] Ah, well. At least I know you’ve all been busy while I was gone.

[Here, Rue’s tone goes a little somber.]

I’ve heard about all the recent unrest in Excelsior. It’s sad to see such a friendly city turning on its own heroes and scientists. I know a lot has happened there, but I don’t blame any metas, no matter where they’re from, for what happened. As powerful as they are, they still can’t control everything, you know?

So don’t worry, everyone. I’m still your biggest fan - and your biggest gossip! So, let’s get to it, shall we?

[A musical sting - gossip time!]

Big news to start - a little birdie told me that Harry Osborn, classy modern man from Excelsior, doesn’t only have the brains to shine in business. He's also got the equipment to shine between the sheets! Reliable sources have commented on Harry's pet anaconda, if you catch my drift - yet this delightful bachelor remains single. Who out there could have the guts to tame this scaly beast?

It seems newcomer Billy Hargrove has also made quite the name for himself on social media, due to his huge success on OnlyStans. This retro-flavored bad boy is raking it in if his following count has anything to say, and rumour has it he’s branching out into exclusive video content and brand deals. Keep an eye out, cuties~!

On the romantic side, summer brought us such lovely warm weather that it has heated up the hearts of two handsome yet shy bachelors! Ripley and Eddie shared drinks during one of Little Love's many merry barbecues but there's a different kind of summer thirst they refuse to quench! Mayhap they need a little push in the right direction? Ripley should take a break from taking jobs and use his abilities to find the courage to ask Eddie out before his toothy guardian takes matters into his own gooey hands.

Finally, with the cutest meta I’ve ever seen - they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but the Confluence is here to remind you that even metapets can turn your world upside down! A new category of furry black void has taken over cat lovers' hearts by the storm - Sleeper is here to prove anything your kitty can do, they can do better!

[Rue will put this picture on the screen.]

I'm not kitten you - if you need to have some pawsitivity in your life, please don't hesitate to start your day with the purrfect cat meme!

[You can just feel the puns.]

Now, let’s get back to what our newest stars are doing for the community! Don't you love the lack of smell of kaiju blood in the air? The city of Atlantis is slowly coming back to its former glory thanks to the organized effort of metas. Guild members and unaligned strays alike have worked together with civilian charity groups to help the Atlanteans and clean the waters, proving once again all you need to be a hero is goodwill and one free afternoon!

It's back-to-school season and the children of Sunset Falls are blossoming thanks to their magic training! That said, at this age, the youngsters do still need to get better control of their enthusiastic, yet wild sparkles. Fortunately for them, the pulchritudinous Lady Yennefer has a soft spot for kids and has provided them with guidance in order to make Sunset Falls a safer place for everyone. Stressed parents can now finally sleep eight hours without the bed disappearing right under their noses!

Even in Excelsior, our metas are doing their part for everyone! I’ve heard that up-and-coming hero Doctor Octopus was seen fighting a brand new nemesis, the dashingly mustachioed Walrus, during the blackout. Are these two star-crossed enemies going to be the hottest new thing in Excelsior? When reached for comment, Doctor Octopus just said, "My name is not Doctor Octopus." Methinks the dilf protests too much~.

That’s all for today, sweeties! Be good to each other - and if you hear anything juicy, be good to me~.

Comments

[atypical_echo]

[See this look on his face? It says that trauma is trauma.]

Man, do you have to sound so much like Joanie? Listen, I get it's stupid, but it's still a weird thing for me. Spending years as a test subject means I get leery at some words.

[exasperation]

[ ripley winces. ]

I didn't mean to say it was stupid. I just meant like . . . your powers shouldn't be controlling your life.

[atypical_echo]

[Oh Ripley, Mark wished it was that simple.]

They've been controlling my life, more or less since I was in elementary school. And... Well, I've had to learn to live my life around them. In my world, it can be a problem to be like this. We're called Atypicals.

[exasperation]

Atypicals?

[atypical_echo]

Horrible name, right? Very othering there, worse than Meta even. There's a secret government bureau for monitoring us even.

[exasperation]

Definitely not great.

What did they want?

[atypical_echo]

[Oh boy, there is not enough chocolate for this.]

I could use a drink.

[Which he wouldn't do. He wasn't supposed to do that.]

To study and understand the origins of powers. I was particularly useful because people are only born with one. I could... I could blend powers together by a combination of copying and stealing. I was also slightly more tractable than other Atypicals, so I could be used to test abilities of those they couldn't trust to be conscious or near other people. And, of course, they apparently decided they could use me to create a serum to make one resistant to some powers. Yay human experimentation?

[exasperation]

[ ah. ]

Being useful to the government is the worse. I was lucky because they didn't think my powers were worth much.

[atypical_echo]

[Yeah, it really is. Mark sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.]

I would say I woke up from the coma they put me in with scars, but I didn't. Because there were of course a few Atypicals that could heal, so they would just stuff me in a room with them. Great, right?

[exasperation]

Not really the word I'd use.

[atypical_echo]

Yeah. It...

[Mark sighs once more. He's made of sighs tonight.]

It's harder to sue the government when you can't even show the marks they left.

[exasperation]

Yeah . . . I just. Uh. Ran.

[atypical_echo]

[That much he wished he could do.]

My sister staged not one, but two break out attempts to get me free. The first one failed. The second got me out, and introduced me to...

[Sam. Caleb. Adam. Chloe. Frank. Damien.]

A lot of my friends back home. It was a whole thing.

[exasperation]

Yeah, I didn't have anyone like that.

. . . I didn't have anyone.

[ except ford, and ford was the reason he left. ]

[atypical_echo]

Until they got me out, I didn't have anyone either. I thought my sister had abandoned me, I knew my parents would hate me, and it wasn't like any of my friends stuck around. They moved on with their lives.

[But hey, he can bring this back around to the topic at hand.]

But you have people now. You have me. And maybe you have Eddie too. If you just reach out and let yourself try.

[exasperation]

. . . Yeah. Maybe I should. Try harder.

[atypical_echo]

Maybe you don't need to try harder. Maybe you need to just learn to not do the thing that we both clearly do, which is run.

[Because Mark runs too.]

Maybe you start by learning to stay.

[exasperation]

I can . . . try.

[atypical_echo]

Maybe text him and ask him to lunch later this week? Lunch isn't screamingly date, but it's good to ease into it more. ANd it's you initiating.

[exasperation]

Wouldn't that be weird if I was. Y'know. Staying . . . with him.

[atypical_echo]

[Wait, what? Mark raises an eyebrow. Oh Ripley, he needs SO much more hot goss here. The TEA man, where is the tea?]

Then pitch it as a thank you. Take him out somewhere local as a thank you for everything.

[exasperation]

I can . . . probably manage that.

[atypical_echo]

And, worst comes to worst, if he says no to the whole thing, I'll make you hot chocolate for a month.

[He'd take Ripley to bars but... Well, he's trying to stay sober]

[exasperation]

You don't have to do that.

[atypical_echo]

Excuse me, I totally do. If you get rejected you're not going to want to binge back episodes of The Bachelor with me. So I've gotta cheer you up.