004 ↯ audio

[feathery]

Who: Davesprite and whoever.
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Indoors, moonside.
When: Now sounds good.

[Someone is done to death with masks and getting accosted by randos on the street. Thus, Davesprite has taken refuge indoors, since that's as good as it gets short of returning to the ships. He'd normally opt for text, but he honestly just wants to talk for a while. Even if his voice is equal parts bored and sullen.]

Sportball ambushes on the street are great and all, [it probably isn't possible for him to sound more sarcastic] but I got to ponder the selection happening in this contaminated stain on the face of space. Like, sure, there are "strategy games" [yes, those are actual, audible air quotes], but where my real battles at. You know, the wordplay variety, where you drop a witticism to a sick beat and slant it to rhyme. Twist that shit into ill verse and cause some deadly delirium not even the most decorated doctor could cure. Dude could be veteran to World War Disease and still find himself stymied by this nasty flow that makes even the gutsiest guerilla fold. Ain't a medic around who can mend my rap battle burns.

[A beat.]

So, yeah, maybe I'm only pissed about moon pollution central 'cause all these hostile idiots keep hailing me out of the blue and yet: not a single fuckin' rap battle. [This is definitely not the only reason he's pissed about moon pollution central, but priorities.] What's a guy got to do, besides deck himself out in a shitty respirator and biohazard costume. A live performance? God, this is stupid.

Comments

[feathery]

Yeah, it's kind of memorable when you dimension-hop on the same date on two separate occasions. [His canon really loves its arc numbers.] A firefight sounds pretty intense, though.

And I guess. But it's not like anyone could have stopped them from kidnapping people from their own planet, or any others. So what have we got that they don't.

[forsometimenow]

Jeez. I don't know which one I'd prefer, honestly.

[Jennifer nodded.]

I tried to ask Diamond once- I asked about myself specifically. She basically told me that the audience thinks my lack of self-confidence is cute. Surely there are enough people similar to me they could have picked instead?

[feathery]

Whichever one results in the better outcome, I guess.

[Aka FEWER PEOPLE DYING.

But that explanation kind of makes him ????????? Enough that he passes over the question part.]

That's...uh. I know her and the other guy are all about condescension, but that's taking it to a new level.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah. She also added in that the audience just loves my friendship with Beverly. It was a little... weird to hear myself examined in that way, like I'm nothing more than a fictional character for people to obsess over.

[feathery]

Yeah, it's fucked up. I mean it's one thing to sort of know that shit from speculation—like let's be real, the only reason I ended up captain instead of someone actually qualified is because Atroma thought it'd be funny—but. I dunno. It's another thing to hear it confirmed we're being kept in a big ol' fishbowl and Atroma likes to tap on the glass.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah. It's easier to ignore the whole "we're watching you" thing when it's come nebulous concept... and haven't they talked about broadcasting our pasts to the audience, too? Talk about Big Brother.

[feathery]

Dude, like. How did they even get that shit, assuming they're telling the truth. It's already past skeevy they always know what's going down, even when we can't see any cameras. Do I walk past an invisible fucking camera crew on my way to the bathroom each morning? Do they follow me into the bathroom. What the fuck.

[forsometimenow]

I'd like to know that, too, because if they CAN even watch us at home, well, it goes back to the whole question of why they just pick and choose rather than bringing in the groups of people who can cause optimal drama. And how far their reach is, if they can look into our home universes that thoroughly. You're right, though, we have to guess whether or not they're telling the truth. The many layers are enough to make your head spin.

I just pretend they don't follow me into the bathroom, for the sake of my sanity.

[feathery]

Yeah. Probably easier not to think about it at all.

[Which obviously hasn't stopped him and has actually kind of exacerbated his preexisting problems. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Thanks, Obama Atroma!]

I bet they'd like that, us making their job easier. Not that they exactly put themselves into a position where we can get to them anyway, but come on, they can't air all the negative press we give them. Trash talking the supposed audience has to be bad for ratings.

[forsometimenow]

Yeah, so I'm sure they use editing to their advantage. Which makes me think they can't be filming us ALL the time- considering how large the Fleet is, constantly monitoring us would be a hell of an editing job. So they just... choose when to turn the cameras on. Like when there's action or drama or moments with our friends happening, and when we start to complain about the conditions, poof! Nothing.

[feathery]

Welp. Guess this means it's time to step my shit up. I'm going to complain about everything for fucking ever. Need to drop some heavy emotional trauma? I'll bust out my official Bitching About Atroma handbook and the audience can have at.

[forsometimenow]

I can't see a downside to that, honestly. Either they'll get sick of it and kick you off, or you'll just not feature heavily in the weekly shows.