Third Floor Common Room, Tuesday Evening

[dollpocalypse]

Topher wandered into the common room and flopped down to eat some popcorn.

Huh. The TV was on. And muted.

So he unmuted it.

Oh, hey! It was that song he liked. In commercial form. Awesome!

Until it had played eleven times in a row and wouldn't mute or turn off no matter how much he fiddled with the machine. Then it was less awesome.

After thirty minutes of tinkering with wires, Topher thought he understood why Ramona had punched him for playing this song that time. It... wasn't very good.

After an hour? He wanted this woman gone from the Earth.

[[Open! This post is a special gift for annieadderall and iwishiwasbig. YOU'RE WELCOME!]]

Comments

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"What are you doing?" TONY WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO THIS. WHY WAS TOPHER?

[dollpocalypse]

"Plotting this woman's murder," Topher answered darkly, just as the commercial started its hundred and seventh cycle.

THIS COMMERCIAL HAD EATEN HIS SOOOOOOOOUL.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

JUST WALK AWAY, TOPHER. JUST WALK AWAY.

"I don't think bad music is a reasonable excuse for murder," Tony informed him sadly.

[dollpocalypse]

"It's not bad music! She's just making it bad!"

No.

"Come help me with this?" he pleaded.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Tony listened to Dazzler, so he really shouldn't judge, but... there he was. Judging.

"The televisions here sometimes keep playing horrible things even when you remove all the parts. It's insidious," Tony said, peering over anyway.

[dollpocalypse]

"I know! Like that time with that stupid SyFy movie!" Topher kept track of Fandom tech failures. It was a hobby. "But this! This is worse!"

Of course, he could always just leave and subject the third floor to the lovely music. But that would mean admitting defeat to a television. Which... no.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"Maybe if we disconnect the speakers?" Oh, Tony. That would probably just make it louder.

[dollpocalypse]

"Go for it," Topher invited him with a wave of his hand.

He feared the moddable results. Oh, yes.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Tony cleared his throat. "I promised I wouldn't damage school property."

YES, THIS WAS THE END OF THE WORLD FOR HIM.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher boggled.

"Do you hear the music?!"

THIS WAS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, TONY. GOD. PRIORITIES.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

DAMN IT. FOR THE GOOD OF THE DORMS...

"Don't tell Mr. Rogers about this," he said, digging into the TV to yank out some of the wires.

Was it supposed to get louder?

[dollpocalypse]

Topher started to protest that he (unfortunately) hadn't even met Mr. Rogers yet, but then the music got louder and he was too busy fixing Tony with a look of sheer, sheer betrayal.

"You did that!"

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"This shouldn't be happening!" HE UNPLUGGED IT, DAMN IT!

[dollpocalypse]

"I thought you were supposed to be smarter than me!" THE ILLUSION WAS SHATTERED.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"I am!" Tony. "This doesn't follow any logic!"

[dollpocalypse]

Tony. Really.

"Clearly you're not!" Topher objected, pointing to the TV. "I never made it louder!"

Sigh.

"Move over," he huffed, giving Tony an unceremonious shove and replacing the wires that Tony had just yanked out.

Wait, had it just gotten even more autotuned? WHY?

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

IT HAD. DAMN IT, TOPHER.

"See?" Tony snapped, wondering if a repulsor blast to the screen would work.

[dollpocalypse]

"Can you get your suit in here?" Topher asked hopefully. "Maybe smashing it would work."

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"It's nowhere near finished enough." A beat. "Maybe the stealth one..."

TONY. NO.

[dollpocalypse]

"That sounds promising!"

ENABLER.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

HE WAS.

"But I could just stay in the lab and not hear this." And work. So... heaven.

[dollpocalypse]

"But that would mean letting it win!"

Topher was the kind of mature, well-adjusted guy who got into fights with TVs. And the occasional AI. For fun, you know.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"I don't think being a hero means stopping bad music."

[dollpocalypse]

"Shouldn't it, though?"

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

"...no."