twenty-five. video. backdated to late last night.

[goryteller]

[The feed is filled with the sound of heavy breathing. Then choked laughter. Then the video snaps on.]

I'm so fucking bored today, City. What should I do?

[Something has snapped quite palpably in the man who was playing with shadow puppets only days before. The feed is focused on his face, on his manic eyes and disheveled hair. He's rocking on a chair that isn't meant to rock.]

I know. I know what I'll do. I'll kill someone!

[He stops rocking. Drums his fingers on the bottom of the seat.]

Maybe I'll blow up a hospital, show that off. Maybe I'll kidnap a bunch of other fucking imports, tie them to chairs, torture them, and broadcast their sorry, knife-ridden bodies to the network. Maybe I'll shoot a child in cold blood, you little bastard. [He affects, quite accurately, Ladd's accent.] Torture with spells. Slash throats. Decapitate. Trick people into solving madlibs and then beat them to death with sticks. Kidnap people weaker than me and cut into their heads ahah-ha--

[His breaths dissolve into something like the beginning of tears hitch hitch hitch and then spits into laughter instead. He drags his hands over his face. His voice is a frail whisper:]

Oh my God. You monsters.

Comments

1/?

[wrong_sometimes]

2/

[wrong_sometimes]

[Way to not look suspicious or, you know, CRAZY.]

voice;

[nottheanswers]

Well, you sound cheery.

voice;

[goryteller]

Fuck off.

Video

[im_a_shaaaaaaaaark]

You might wanna' drink something with a little less caffeine.

Video

[goryteller]

Oh. All right.

Why don't you drink something with a little less go to hell.

text.

[alldeduction]

[He stares at the post for a while before answering.]

The face of the world, Katurian. Or the dark side of it.

The City only makes the underbelly more visible.

How else would I find work.

voice;

[goryteller]

[Raspy. Thin.]

I know about the dark sides.

voice;

[enigmaestro]

[Eddie spent this morning dealing with this travesty of a publicity incident. A dead man's corpse strewn over City Hall's steps, a cadaver wearing a ripped catsuit with Riddle me tits carved into his chest.

Worst. Morning. Ever.]

Wow. Calm down.

voice;

[goryteller]

[Laughing:]

You don't have the right to tell me to calm down.

[amoray]

oh people die all the fuckin time pretty much evverywwhere you go
its not a big deal
sure its more gruesome around here but you get used to it

[enigmaestro]

Oh Eridan, I'm glad to catch you. I'm afraid I won't be coming home this evening. Trouble at the office, you know.

We'll do that thing I promised for you birthday some day following, is that suitable?

video

[indentcision]

[ wtf!! ] Uh, do I know you?

video

[goryteller]

I d-don't always look on the Network but I try to keep an eye out, you know, I try to keep an eye out for people who make trouble. I sure as fuck know you.

permavoice

[maskurbates]

You seem upset.

voice;

[goryteller]

[There's a noticeable pause on his line, a punch of shock and fear and burning, burning anger. He sucks in a breath.]

Way to state the fucking obvious, psycho.

voice;

[doubleoohbaby]

Then perhaps you'll be able to enlighten me on just what- [Voice raising oh-so notably.]- the fuck is going on!

voice;

[goryteller]

I don't see any reason to address you. You're just a-- you're just a fucking voyeur, did you know that? You're just a fucking voyeur. You show up at the edge of chaos and peer inside and snicker because none of this sticks for you, somehow. None of it matters.

video, private;

[christlike]

There's― [ beat. ]

[ carefully, and vaguely: ] Your sanity.

video, private;

[goryteller]

Speak of the devil! [He laughs far, far too hard at his own joke.] Mr. Decapitation! What else have you done to the people in this city, Michael?

permavideo permacrypted

[seeress]

[ she's just watching him in some room, knitting needles on her lap. ]

Katurian.

permavideo permacrypted

[goryteller]

[He swallows hard.]

Rose.

video;

[phobic]

Delightful.

And I say this as a man who's had the singular privilege of witnessing numerous breakdowns.

video; encrypted

[maskurbates]

Isn't it? I'd forgotten he and Bernard were so close.

voicecrypted

[viced]

[ Oh shit, this is bad, but what does he say. ]

Hey. I saw--

Well, I'd say it's obvious I saw it. Are you-- That's a fucking stupid question. Do you need anything?

voicecrypted

[goryteller]

No.

[A dizzying pause.]

No, I don't need anything.

voice

[screwmeister]

[so much dead air. like, ten seconds worth before he speaks. and when he does it would basically be impossible for him to say it more carelessly or with less inflection.]

Oh look. Our naive little Katurian is growing up.

voice

[goryteller]

[A deadened laugh.]

"Naive little Katurian."

voice

[osreborn]

Well, this is embarrassing. Whatever happened to a person keeping their psychological meltdowns private?

voice

[goryteller]

Y-Yeah, because you did a great job at that, right?

[pilfered]

you're making a scene.

[goryteller]

And by the way, why can't you leave me alone?! It's been six months!

NO COMMENT, JUST POPCORN

[fingerbang]

GROSS

[goryteller]

video

[solar_absorber]

This is new. Usually the psychos don't warn people before they go on murdering rampages. You've just made my job a lot easier. Thanks.

video

[goryteller]

[He spends several seconds just staring at the screen. Then low, raspy:]

Are you fucking kidding me.

video.

[curses]

Now, this is just rude.

video.

[goryteller]

Rude. Rude? Like torturing someone on camera rude?

[culver]

katurian what happened

[goryteller]

Nill, this is a horrible city and maybe you should leave.

[thesoundofsilence]

[Is this Desire again? Eddie had said the Endless did some terrible things--and Trowa liked Katurian, for some reason, maybe just because Katurian was nervous and Trowa didn't feel so out of place talking with him.]

[Tentatively:]

Mr. Katurian...?

[goryteller]

N-N-No. No, not-- not you, not right--

[A high-pitched laugh, then silence.]

What is it?

[voice]

[meowminx]

You two were friends?

[voice]

[goryteller]

You saw?

Video; More rapping as promised

[caprihorn]

Bro, you've got to be knowing what you're all showing doesn't look motherfuckin' good. _{And you should care about what motherfuckers are thinkin' when they think you could be seen as another stinkin' motherfucker what's lost the grip he had has on thinkpan.}

You don't want to take a trip where you're thought like we're thought of, man.

Video;

[goryteller]

Y-You aren't excluded from criticism here! You tried to kill me once!

[Pause.]

Even though you're getting better. Even though you're getting better.

private; audio;

[dragony]

Katurian.

private; audio;

[goryteller]

R-Ruka, I--

Ruka, I'm sorry. You s-shouldn't see me like this.

video;

[sanguinosi]

Well, now that is impressive! Have you ever considered being an impersonator or something? I hear they get good pay.

video;

[goryteller]

Yeah, and who's going to pay me to impersonate you, huh? Who wants to spend any time with someone who acts like you?