Side Story Shorts

What goes around, Comes around (short side story)

5/5/26

When out patrolling, Dicer and A.C.E. look down an ally way and see that it is being blocked by a giant rubber duck. (Bigger than even Dicer)

A.C.E. looks at Dicer, who has sparkles in his eyes, and looks between him and the duck in a mild panic.

He takes Dicers’ hands and says he knows that he doesn’t express himself well enough very often, but that he loves Dicer, but he is not allowed to take that duck home (where would he even put it?)

Dicer is about to pout, when they are interrupted by the duck speaking into their minds and asking if they can help get him unstuck and take him to the coast as his shipping tag seems to have gotten damaged.

A.C.E. and Dicer help get him unstuck and they take him to the Sea Glass Shelf. He is placed in the water; he thanks them and swims away as Dicer waves him off.

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Later, it seems like the duck’s business has been wrapped up as it floats along aimlessly in the ocean. It drifts pass Raiko’s light house. She sees it and finds humor in the site as it is not something she sees every day. She then remembers she knows someone who likes rubber ducks and would love it.

We flash forward to a scene of A.C.E. in bed rather resigned as Dicer sleeps next to him on top of the Duck. (it would seem it was a gift from Raiko to Dicer, and they are now obligated to keep it)

End

Fair Prizes (side story)

5/5/26

A.C.E., Dicer, and T.O.M.O. are out walking around a carnival fair. They see the game section and pass a ring toss with a bunch of stuffed animals as prizes. T.O.M.O. looks over at it and says these games are always rigged but Dicer should try it anyway. Dicer says that he doesn’t think that that is a good idea because his mom said that because of their families’ abilities, it would not be fair to other people if they were to win at things like that all the time. T.O.M.O. calls him a killjoy and says that he probably wouldn’t win it anyway (on account of it being rigged).  Dicer is a bit annoyed at that, and turns to A.C.E., But A.C.E.’s attention seems to be on the grand prize of the booth.

Seeing that A.C.E. would like the stuffed animal, Dicer is filled with determination to win it for him. He pays for the game and takes the rings as the vendor laughs to himself about baiting another sucker into playing his game and how the chances of landing all the rings are so low that no one has ever won the grand prize.

Everyone watches as Dicer readies himself. He throws a ring and it bounces off the bottle tops, and the same thing happens to the next two. He seems disappointed because he would have had to land all the rings to get the prize A.C.E. wanted. A.C.E. does not seem upset at all, but Dicer still wants to get it for him, so he grips the rings and tries to summon his luck. He throws the remaining rings together and they all miraculously land on the bottles and the impact of that causes the rings that fell though the first few throws, to bounce back up and land on the bottles as well. A buzzer rings and an announcer (from somewhere) says congratulations, (what luck was that?!) and that Dicer can step forward to receive the top prize.

After that, in the background the Vendor is seen as a white husk of himself, seemingly still in shock as T.O.M.O. tells him his business license expired. Meanwhile, Dicer and A.C.E. are walking away from the booth with A.C.E. holding the stuffed animal Dicer won for him. Both with a smile on their face.

End

Danger Zone (short)

5/5/26

A.C.E. has brough Dicer to the Armory in the Citadel to choose something that he feels he could be good at using in case of an emergency.

A.C.E. talks in the foreground about options while Dicer is seen in the background, not listening, but testing an array of different, dangerous weapons (hairspray and a flame thrower, a bazooka, a flaming sword. Etc.)

Dicer asks, “what about this?” and holds up a chainsaw on the end of a chain. (something that shouldn’t even be here) as A.C.E. turns around and looks at him.

A.C.E. thinks that that is a monumentally terrible idea, but the interest that someone might be able to wield it without hurting themselves is too good to pass up not to see it in action at least once. 

Somewhere else, T.O.M.O. sneezes and says he feels a disturbance in the air.

The scene ends with a chibi portrait of Dicer swinging the chainsaw by the chain next to a new sign that says “A chainsaw is NOT an acceptable weapon – Legal”

End