WELCOME TO DREAMWIDTH, HERO...

It looks like we've got another batch of new people coming in, huh? I used to pay attention whenever that was happening, to see if someone from my world was going to show up, but now...I don't know. It doesn't seem important. Not sure I'd wish this place on anyone else anyway.

What about you guys? There's someone you probably want to see again, or someone you really hope doesn't show up. Especially with so many superheroes here. [A pause.] It still feels really silly to actually use that word and be completely serious.

Either way, I'm not trying to make anyone sad or uncomfortable here. I'm just curious, and really bored. That's what the network is here to help with, right?

[The comm feed is unsteady, giving brief glimpses of the person holding it- Shinji, or at least something that looks like him, with yellow eyes - and the building he's standing in front of, some kind of massive metal pyramid.]

I'm not going to waste my breath on you people and give a long speech explaining what I want. You don't deserve that. [He spits every word, teeth grinding together in between them.] You're failures, all of you. You can't even save a bunch of kids, and even if you could get your act together and try, you don't get that it doesn't matter. Not a damn bit of it does.

The only thing that matters is how much you can get out of everyone before you have to hurt them. Push them away, kill them, whatever. Life is all about hurting. It's the only constant. Hurt and get hurt until you can't any more.

[He starts walking towards the pyramid, thumb sliding over the screen. A thumb covered in blood.]

So come on,. heroes. or whoever the Hell. I'll show you how little you mean before I crush the life out of you. Or before you do the same to me.

It's all any of us are good for.

[The first few seconds of this post are completely silent.]

...I never know how to start these.

[At least that's honest.]

I've just been thinking lately, and I guess you can only go so long talking to yourself before you need to just. Hear other people. Anyway, It's almost that day. December 13th. The first time I arrived in the City, two years ago. It's not really important or worth celebrating or anything like that.

It's just...things were so different back then.  Coming to this city, in this time, meeting all these weird people. It was even my first winter. It was new and exciting and, I don't know, it made me happy. But now it just feels..like how things were back home, which - ]Okay he's not explaining all of that] isn't good.

Whatever was special is gone. I don't know if it's just, time or stuff like what happened with everyone [Is that a crack in his voice? Nah.] but it's not the same. Is this how it's supposed to be? Finding something special just to see it fade away?

[Silence again.]

Yeah, I don't know what I'm talking about either.

[And it's over.]

Five months...

I was expecting to be sent home before now, but maybe I won't go back. Not for a while, anyway. I don't know if that's better or worse.

The longer I'm here the more I hate not knowing if I'm going to be gone in the next second or the next week or whenever. That's kind of like being afraid of dying, isn't it? You never really know, and the thought stays with you even when you're trying not to think about it.

[Wow, morbid Shinji. He lets out a quiet sigh.]

It's especially weird to think that if I go home, I'm going to have to wait to be fifteen again. Time isn't supposed to work that way. And if I leave and come back, will it not count here any more?

[And that's the closest he'll get to talk about his birthday.]

Everything about this place is such a bother sometimes.

[It's a video post! From Shinji! And he's smiling. Terrifying. He's got his comm held up and angled down so that it's clear that someone is standing next to him, and that they are, in fact, holding hands.] I don't usually admit when I'm wrong, but in this case I gotta say, the speed dating thing was the greatest time of my life. I'm glad I got talked into it, so that I could finally find the person who makes me feel complete. [And the comm is angled to the right to reveal that the girl next to Shinji is...]

[feferi!!!! w h a t. she beams, positively radiant, and offers the camera a little wave.] Whoever came up with this is a genius! Thank you so much. I never would have discovered this without it! [she pops shinji a little kiss on the cheek for good measure.]

[Shinji's smile gets big enough to cross into "obnoxiously happy" and goddamnit is he blushing too? This is the worst.] Feferi! [Shinji chuckles. Giggles? It's like both at once.] Anyway, we just wanted to say thanks and we hope it worked out just as well for everyone else! [He turns back to Feferi, ignoring the comm like it isn't still on.] Hey, let's go get ice cream!

[she grins even wider, if that is even possible] I love ice cream! How did you know? [she flicks his nose, jokingly, and laughs herself. god, he is such a dork!]

[Shinji leans towards her aaaand fortunately for the sake of everyone's sanity, that's the end of the video feed.]