#I couldn't think of a family member then I remembered the grandma that was mentioned like once haha

[besiegedhunter]

Hey I read your analysis about Red Project and they are extremely interesting! And I wanted to hear your opinion about her possible connection with Lappland, if it's okay?

I mean everyone noticed Texas name in her profile and voiceline, but she also has a lot of mentions of Red?

Like she's an only Lupa in whose file mentioned Red, and it's stated that her reaction on Red not only stronger, but also differ in very unexpected way.

Also in her voicelines, she has that description of Red, and you know her voice actresses greatly differed in intensity of her well, madness , but this voiceline sounds absolutely unhinged in every version.

She also has a second line about Red!

And in contrast Lappland is the only one of originally Lupo whom Red doesn't mention?

ALSO with this OPERATOR page where Lappland stole Pozyomka's coat because "It's red and belongs to Lupo, so she couldn't help" it seems like she actively searching for Red, in contrast with her own words to us?

So do you have any thoughts about those two?

Hi! I'm super happy to hear you enjoyed my analyses and am more than happy to delve into your question! Which likely will turn into an analysis of it's own because truth be told there does appear like there are connections being drawn between the two which I would like to explore.

So I'll put it under the cut.

Starting off I don't think that they have any established connection or at least it wouldn't be one that either of them are aware of, though there's a slim chance of it.

To begin, there's nothing that implies that they have met before but also looking at their lives prior to Rhodes, it likely couldn't have happened.

To understand Red's part and because it's relevant later on, it's important to know what a Signore dei Lupi is and I believe this is the easiest way of explaining them:

So the Signore dei Lupi, as Sovereign of Beasts are intrinsically connected to the wilderness and as such they train their chosen Fangs isolated from civilization, within their territory. This is no different for Red who is Grandma's Fang and further more, her Trust 1 (Family? I do not have a family. I have always been alone.) Suggests that she's been a Fang for as long as she can remember, likely from a very young age.

Additionally when she finally left the wild we know from her module that Grandma didn't teach her how to survive civilization and she struggled until she met Kal'tsit and very likely joined Rhodes Island:

This makes it very difficult on Red's end but it's not much better on Lappland's, seeing how she was the heir to the Saluzzo family. This means being trained to to hold such a position and occasionally leading the Saluzzo's mafiosi such as the Texas family purge. These reasons likely meaning that she didn't leave the Saluzzo's family territory.

There is a specific period of time that they could've met, being 1092-1094 as the former is when the Texas family purge happened and Lappland was exiled from the Saluzzo family and the latter is when Rhodes Island was founded which Red likely joined early on, being raised by Kal'tsit and a founding member of S.W.E.E.P.

During this period of time Lappland was a lone wolf, hunting down gangs and possibly at this point doing tasks for Signore Sicily and Red was probably at this point might've been hunting and not yet met Kal'tsit. (Though we don't know much of the specifics.)

There's also an implication that because Red met Kal'tsit specifically that maybe Red needed medical attention and might've been injured. But again, because neither Red nor Lappland recognize the other, Red being the stealthier one got hurt and there being no reason they'd fight, it's unlikely it was Lappland.

But! We don't know what Red's past prior to becoming a Fang is, just that she likely was by herself for Grandma to take. Maybe it's possible that the Saluzzo's orphaned her? Which is an unsubstantiated claim but nothing says it couldn't happen.

Either way Red nor Lappland probably have a connection as of the launch of the game. So why does Lappland react the way she does?

Well truth be told I'm not confident in character analysis but Lappland's reaction to Red is likely a much more concentrated and unrestrained reaction to fear and danger. As created because of her abusive childhood at the hands of Alberto.

I feel that the entire event does a good job of painting how uncaring Alberto was towards Lappland's wellbeing, only caring about her reaching his expectations and how Lappland reacted to this through rebelling, something that because of Alberto punching her and saying that he'll discipline her as a threat, happened a lot.

But we know that Lappland grit her teeth and kept doing it. She also met his expectations and became "the perfect Siracusan." and it was only seeing Texas leave her family and Lappland being exiled from her family for failing to kill her, that Lappland escaped.

Before then though he'd get her a pet as a gift and kill it, likely because of her acting out. She probably also was caged within the Saluzzo territory as everyone around her would report on her to Alberto.

There's this one moment in her Azione Solo where there's a photo of her as a child, she's not smiling and is actually stoic and her eyes aren't looking at the camera but next to it, at her Dad.

This hatred and likely fear fueled her rebellion and it got her nothing but beatings, acts of cruelty and much more. But she kept doing it and judging by this moment:

She came to feel excitement from it. The adrenaline she felt from fear, anger and anxiety turning into that.

And so the fear she feels from Red gives her the same rush of adrenaline, as it does Provence or Crownslayer but it's so overwhelmingly strong that she can't think rationally and while she can restrain herself around her Dad (cover up the anger and fear) she can't with Red.

I also think it's interesting that Lappland aspires to spite and destroy authoritative figures in her life (her Dad, Signore Sicily and Siracusa. Maybe even Zaaro.) And from what we see in IS-10 of Zaaro inducing the same fear as Red does, it's described like this:

An almost authoritative power that demands a Lupo to bow down and surrender. It's poetic that if this is the same feeling Red causes that Lappland would rebel against it as well.

But that's my thoughts on that. I don't know what legs it has but there is something else I want to delve into and it's how Il Siracusano aligns Lappland with Red on the side of the "wilderness."

A big theme of Il Siracusano is of "wilderness" and "civilization". With Siracusa struggling to throw off the wilderness to become more civilized because of the mafias. All the while the embodiment of the Wilderness: the Signore dei Lupi's game has been dragged into Volsinii. The ability to enforce laws on the mafia, to have a city without them and to create a new city in the first place, is all to push Siracusa further into being a proper civilization.

And various things in the event put Lappland firmly in the box of the wilderness. Whether it be how she describes and is described as the perfect Siracusan for her violence (her wildness). Or when she crashes into the courtroom, a symbol of Signora Sicily's attempt to make Siracusa more civilized, in open defiance of her and Ben has this to say:

Ben who is very interesting to me and who constantly talks about the wilderness and civilization and who I don't know whether of those he's more aligned with but in this event he mostly deals with the people who're more tied to the wilderness and violence.

Think Danbrown, Lappland and Lunacub who he spends his entire Azione Solo with and who is of course a Fang just like Red.

Of course, the end is the most significant part as she fights Zaaro for three months straight and at the end he decides to stick with her.

Which I don't think is her becoming a Fang like Red and Lunacub but it is her joining their world in part which right now we don't know the significance of. Just that Lappland has a Signore dei Lupi alongside her and is consistently connected to the wilderness.

But the fact that this is the story that they gave Lappland, involving her with the Signore dei Lupi really does serve to push her closer to Red and her situation. The both of them now being intrinsically tied with the Signore dei Lupi and the wilderness of Siracusa.

It makes me wonder whether they do have something planned for the both of them, maybe dating back to the launch of the game. I mean, Red is in Siracusa and has officially left Rhodes Island and I believe it can be assumed that Lappland also hasn't left yet either.

If a statement is made about the wilderness for either of them it'd be the same for the other as it would Lunacub. Also Lappland would know of the Signore dei Lupi's plans through Zaaro or if Red wins the Signore dei Lupi's game as she's set up to and it means all of them need to meet then Lappland very likely would have to go with. Or anything we learn through Lappland about the Signore dei Lupi we also learn more about Red.

So whether or not there's plans for their stories to overlapp they are intrinsically tied right now in their situations and a lot of things regarding one will reflect on the other. And also their stories could be the opposite.

Lappland is a part of civilization but leaves to join the wilderness with a Signore dei Lupi. Red is a part of the wilderness with a Signore dei Lupi but her story points in the direction that she'll rejoin civilization and separate herself from Grandma.

Also another thing I find interesting about it is that they were similar even before Il Siracusano because of them being lone wolfs who're outstanding fighters and without families. Now they're in the same boat.

We'll see where it goes but I hope that this is a good enough answer and as an analysis was fine!

[certified-bi]

Okay so one thing I've never gotten in atla that always read as men not thinking and writing up some bullshit is Kanna getting back with Pakku. And some of this is fueled by my inherent dislike of the white Lotus but like come the fuck on.

Like I'm not saying I don't think she doesn't still care about him or their past relationship. She did in fact keep his necklace. But she left him behind because he supported the sexism in the NWT. She didn't just leave the tribe she's implied to specifically have left because of the upcoming marriage given the necklace was carved already.

Not only that, while she saw her new home tribe oppressed and destroyed by the fire nation, watched her friend, the last southern waterbender, carted away in chains, watched as her daughter in law sacrificed herself to save her child the sole waterbender born after the raids and left alive, he hid behind a wall and upheld the society she left because of how it harmed her. Her son left to fight in this war when no one would have blamed him for staying behind to protect what was left of their family, but Pakku only fights after the CHILD avatar comes back. And the whole point of the White Lotus is to train and support the avatar which don't even get me started on that and how the White Lotus has a member in the NWT but Hakoda isn't dealt in as an active participant in the war efforts. Because this organization could have actively resisted the FN before Aang returns but given one of their big members is the guy who literally was know for being such a dangerous general who tore down one of Ba Sing Se's walls not 10 years earlier, I doubt they were given they just let Iroh get super high up and we're never actually shown them doing anything outside of helping Aang train and showing up after hes done all the resistance, instead choosing to just idle about with one notable exception in the fucking role playing game. And if you want to argue they were doing more that should have been shown. But all we get are some winks that old men talk to eachother, iroh gets some passports, and the day of sozins comet.... anyways back to Pakku.

So given all that context around him plus! The fact he doesn't even initially train Katara(the only southern waterbender whose trying to reclaim her culture by any means) until he realizes his ex gf is her grandma.... like he doesn't reflect that maybe he needs to change until he realizes she doesn't even care enough to mention him and he's been pining and upholding patriarchy while she moved on.

But fine he accepts Katara and her work ethic and she's his star pupil so it's resolved right? NO BECAUSE HES A FUCKING ASS TO SOKKA!? Like he wants to get back with this woman, and begrudgingly accepts her prodigy waterbending granddaughter but actively rejects her nonbending grandson who is a key figure in ending the war. The grandson who reflects her son and most likely her first husband. The one she actually wanted to be with.

And you could argue that Pakku is just being played as the straight man against Sokka, which is fine but we never see him show any kind of fondness for him unless I'm mis remembering their interactions and a whole scene.i also think it's weird to pull the "and she gets back with him before the day of the comet" because what?

Honestly tldr Kanna could do so much better. This woman raised three of the key players in ending the war, is a badass midwife, a respected elder, and is portrayed as taking no shit. And yet she ends up with mister "has no game, barely respects women, and waited for children to step in to end the war"? There's no way she couldn't pull a ton of suitors from all over the world, I just don't think it's realistic she would settle after already leaving his ass once.

[turtlemagnum]

today was the day my grandpa retired. he came into work, sat in the break room and talked to everybody who wanted to say goodbye at work all day. he got to see this one regular shopper who always brought her dog, he got to pet her (and so did i, eventually). me and my grandma got there at about 2:30 or so, and stayed until about 4, which is when he got clapped out. i swear, every fucking employee in the company was there, and we all clapped as he passed by. it's weird to say about my goddamn grandpa, but i felt proud of him in that moment. then we went to the bar that they planned his retirement party at. turned out to be a gay bar, which they didn't know when they planned it, but they didn't have a problem with it either. was nice to have a bar i could feel comfortable wearing my pride pins at.

the party felt a bit rough on my end, at the start. shit got crowded quick, and for the first little while they kept sending me out to the car to get one little thing they forgot. but, i got some food in me (which was mostly pretty damn good), and then i started talking to my mom, which led to talking to family members i either hadn't seen for a while or hadn't met at all, which turned out nice. i played darts with someone who turned out to be my little cousin, little gremlin thing was only 14. i had to stop her from getting tetanus, apparently earlier in the month she decided to grab a motherfucking snapping turtle, frankly amazed she's still in one piece. her grandfather was the man who took me to shoot for the first time, so goddamn many years ago. my mom asked him about something gun related and his response gave me the bittersweet revelation that in terms of technical information, i've surpassed him in the intervening years. i can guarantee he's still a better shot than me though, given just a relative lack of experience on my end.

at first i only drank water because the only non-alcoholic drinks the barkeep said she had were non-alcoholic beer and coke products, and given the current boycott i'm trying my best to steer clear from coke products. then my little cousin mentioned she wanted a daiquiri, and apparently they had them available so i got one too (or first, rather, just by sheer luck of the draw). virgin, of course, just like i used to get when i was a little kid. one of the many things that felt nostalgic tonight. karaoke had started, and i saw my grandparents dancing together to a love song, and i felt like crying. it was through a window, but i saw a very special moment. a part of me was envious, for what they have. i'd never tell them that, though.

eventually, the crowd that came for the party started clearing out, and there were a few unrelated people who just came for the karaoke. one was a beautiful woman with an even more beautiful singing voice. my mom really hit it off with her after she sang, though i couldn't hear a word they said due to how loud the music was. the same could be said of my grandparents talking right next to me. i was resting my arm on my grandma's chair, and i felt it wobble from being a bit uneven. i decided to wiggle the chair a bit, which got a smile out of her. something else i remember from earlier was that i talked to my uncle. a bit about him:

he's my grandma's adopted little brother. i mention that he's adopted because he's native. don't know what tribe or anything, he's never mentioned it and frankly, given how he taught us kids words in "indian" i'm not entirely sure he knew either. again, adopted. in terms of raising him my great grandparents did about as good a job as white people living in the 1970s coulda done, frankly. because of that bleeding over into how my grandparents and how my mother raised me, i'd like to think i have a fairly healthy amount of respect and interest in indigenous cultures the world over; especially for somebody whiter than a cracker. so because of him, i don't think i'd be as good a person as i am today without his impact in a somewhat roundabout way, given how we were never the closest or anything. maybe when i was a lot younger, but the years have definitely gone on. and my only regret is that i feel like i can't really communicate how him and his son have impacted who i am as a person.

regardless, i talked with him for a bit. he asked what i was doing with my life, and i mentioned that i've been planning on getting my CDL and becoming a truck driver. he was also a truck driver before he somewhat recently retired, so he gave me a lot of advice, what to expect, what to look for, so on. he mentioned that the biggest downside to trucking is that it gets real lonely, and i said that was fine by me because i'm already a lonely person. he responded saying that it'd be the perfect job for me, then, and empathized with me when i mentioned how shitty that grocery job was. the conversation trailed off after his son, my cousin, came back after paying their bill. he was there with his girlfriend, who started talking about how she wanted to punch the owner dude for how he treated the barkeep lady. i just sorta slinked off from there

a few highlights and notable occurrences of today include: me and my grandma going to the car to be there for my grandpa while it was pouring goddamn buckets, like seriously just a little bit earlier the weather got bad enough that we thought somebody tried to bust open the door at first. being up at the bar with my mom and some guy mentioning that i looked like some guy from the smashing pumpkins(?), with both him and my mom being amazed that i didn't know who they were. he got especially amazed when i mentioned that she was my mom, he just sorta thought we were friends. he pulled up a picture of the guy on his phone and i did see the resemblance in the sense that he was a bald guy with a wide facial structure. one of my relatives i hadn't met before (at least, to my own recollection) wanted to see my eyes, because she wanted to see if i got them from my grandpa. his are blue, mine are hazel. regardless, she said i had beautiful eyes and an even more beautiful smile. really lit up my night, especially after my grandpa mentioned that i usually have beautiful hair too. also led to me having a conversation with the gun grandpa relative guy about how when i was a lot younger, i had my hair a bit longer once and then an old lady i held open a door for called me a "nice young lady" and i immediately shaved it, which he mentioned how he used to be a hippie dude which then went into a whole thing about him struggling with alcoholism and such. after the whole conversation topic had essentially run its course, i mentioned how growing up with my mom i heard a lot about the shit that addiction had done to our family, so i've made sure to never start anything, and i couldn't quite get a read on it but he seemed a bit proud.

at one point my mom was doing karaoke, this was later on in the night. she was doing green day, and she was just bad. had no sense for the flow of the words, no real tune to it, just god awful, it was great. she gestured for me to come up and sing with her, which i denied vehemently, mostly because i knew the song wasn't suited to my voice at all. which, to be fair, it wasn't suited for hers, either, but i actually cared about sounding good. i remembered how many years ago, she told me how much i sucked at singing, and it really hurt my little kid ego. then, a few years back now, back when i had a friend group they all agreed that i had a pretty good singing voice. so when i went up for karaoke, i felt pretty confident in sounding at least decent, albeit anxiety ridden as all hell.

here's the thing about my singing voice. it's not really suited for most of the music i'm really into, much less shit like modern-ish pop or rock or anything like that. i think it's unequivocally best suited for oldies, especially shit like sinatra. so, that's what i went with, and put in blue moon. i had songs from new vegas on the mind, since earlier the guy running the karaoke equipment sang why don't you do right from it presumably to fill the gaps between actual customers wanting to sing. and god dammit, when i got up and grabbed the microphone i was fucking shaking, especially my legs. i was anxious, because i wasn't sure if i was gonna turn out well, and to my relief i did. something i think was one of my better points was my rhythm/timing, i can't say i know the words by heart but i do know the way they're sung deep in my bones. i kept my eyes glued to the lyric screen until the first break in the song, and then i looked at the "crowd" (which, wasn't very many people but still). they all seemed to be genuinely enjoying it, and not at my expense either. something else i'm particularly proud of is how i'd occasionally misspeak (missing?) e.g. saying "flew moon" instead of "blue moon", but i managed to stay almost perfectly in sync with how the song's supposed to go without stopping and going "ah shit", y'know. i definitely know it's an important skill in live performances to be able to just keep on going even if you fuck up, so i'm definitely pretty happy about that.

afterwards i got applause. and like, i had been there for the night, i could definitely tell the polite applause from the "oh shit that was good" applause y'know. i didn't get as much hype as the lady who was an actually good singer, but i could tell that i did a pretty good job. my mom said that i did really good too, and both her and my grandpa congratulated me on having the balls to actually get up there and sing because they know how i am. afterwards my grandpa said he was genuinely impressed, and i know for a fact he'd let it be known that i did a shitty job if i did a shitty job, so that meant a lot. it was, in fact, my first time ever singing karaoke, so despite not being The Best tonight we're all definitely happy with how it turned out. that felt really nice.

it's bittersweet, seeing that he's finally done with this fucking job. he literally had number 1 seniority in the entire company, and this isn't a small company. it's mostly local, but it's big enough that there are a few stores in places like chicago. all of the people he worked with clearly loved him, and i'm glad that i have a grandpa worth being considered "the best boss i've ever had" by so many goddamn people. we had people who he hadn't even worked with in years, who moved to other jobs or other stores, they all came just to show how much they loved him. i'm glad he's so loved, i love him too. i just hope he doesn't go fucking insane from being home so damn much. tonight was a good night

[drawnaghht]

I saw your tags in my post!!!! AND I'M SO SURE YUI PARENTS ARE DEAD!!! But they died when he was still really young so he doesn't really remember them. I'm so curious on what other people think about his childhood. In my mind he was a chaotic child who performed tricks for his Aunty.

Oh! I'm glad to hear that bc I had a similar thought over the series ^^

The way Auntie says it in the first episode, it really does sound like... she promised his parents a long time ago, and it is something much-mentioned between the two.

I actually have a theory based on Auntie's appearances and what she says, that she decided to make a kind of larger white lie about herself to Usagi, and that she is actually his grandma and for some reason has asked to be called auntie. So many if us assume that she is literally, his aunt, but the way I understand it as a non-native speaker, auntie in english can mean an elderly woman as well, regardless of actual familial connection.

there's also how the japanese dub has translated her as obaa-chan, grandma, which can be used for any older grandma-age lady too. then also how Stan Sakai calls her Usagi's grandma in interviews.

so where I'm getting to with this is that maybe it's a painful topic for her, whether it was her sibling or her own child who died, but it seems she's gone through a lot and maybe omits details about what happened to Yuichi's parents. In any case, she had made a promise to Usagi's parents and we don't know much beyond that. If we go more into headcanon than theory territory, we could expand on what's implied in the show. What if besides looking after the boy, they also asked her to promise to look after him as her own? And so she became Auntie, instead of only Grandma.

Or it could even just be a personal preference! I have an aunt thru marriage who right-off-the-bat requested to be called by name instead of "aunt" or "auntie" because those monikers felt old to her.

Perhaps for Usagi's auntie, it was similar and she felt that because he couldn't experience having parents, at least he could experience having an auntie, and that's what she asked for him to call. Not an older grandma, but an experienced auntie. Altho that's not what those words have to mean, it is just speculation from me based on how she's written. Also, because she seems to be a war veteran (the prosthetics and experienced skill despite her old age), she might have things to hide. so perhaps she prefers something familial and close what a family member would call her, but not her full or real name, as perhaps the boy's parenrs would have called her.

Just some thoughts!

My theories on what actually happened to his parents range depending on what I take as a jumping-off point for the theory. Easiest and most extreme example; Perhaps the wars were recent and they died there? Maybe they even had more kids before Usagi? Because Usagi's name also includes Yuichi tho, with the meaning of "first-born brave son", perhaps not. Another theory I had earlier in s1, is that they went to the city, related to their farm, perhaps they needed investors or were doing business of some kind. What happens next branches off - it could have been a simple mugging or other crime that left them vulnerable or hurt enough that they couldn't get help anymore.

One of the theories I have is that it is related to some gang wars that took place over 10 years before the events of the series and Usagi's 16th birthday in ep 1. I'm going to use this one in my Neo Edo Idol fanstory because it seems to fit the best there ^^ It's implied by how the three main gangs in the series basically exist in a corrupt way where they can both tell the Shogun what to so, but are also sequestered off into their of territories, that probably things weren't so great before, but under the semi-corrupt Lord Kogane, they exist in a standstill. So maybe Usagi's parents found their ends in whatever went on with the gangs 10+ years ago.

If we tie it with the fact that a big criminal was alao going around the city causing problems, mentioned in Gen and Toshiko's flashbacks about their mom's praxis, we can get another interesting connection. Maybe Usagi's parents were victims of this black wolf. There's even the theory that maybe... this could be related to Jei, known from the comics and that this character is a nod to him. Whether a descendant or a random black wolf possessed by Jei, it is an interesting nod. So 2 things could have happened. Or any number of things really! Mainly I am thinking, maybe Usagi's parents got hurt by Okami, and died then and there; Possibly, they could have been hurt by either Okami or anyone or anything else, but then couldn't get help because the city's only working hospital was closed because of him. It's interesting to think about! I hope someone else makes these connections in their Usagi Chronicles fanstories as well :)

Anyway, this became a whole big tangent answrr lol ^^; but thanks for talking about this! lolol I love talking about this sjow and Usagi's parents and what happened to them, any details about them... they are like one of the biggest unknown mysteries to me haha and it would be really cool to get something like a FAQ or some companion piece/comic where we get more fleshed-out lore for them too ^^

Of course, since the series was made inspired by Senso and Space Usagi, it's likely we'll never find out, but it's fun to think that maybe the writers, storyboarders and showrunners all hax some small ideas about his parents, and that these ideas simply weren't used for time reasons...

Thanks and feel free to ask/talk more!

[originaltyphoonkryptonite]

Chapter 20: Time To Talk About Granny Melinda And Her Family

Zella pov

The entire Wayne family, plus Gus, Cippia, Aileen, and me were in the study room either in pjs or sweats. Though I guess the four of us now count as members of the family. Well, I should say the five of us, have to count the baby. It was after the reception which ended after dinner. Aileen was sitting next to Gus on one couch and Cippia was curled up with Damian. Dick and I were curled together on a sofa. Everyone else on chairs or couches.

"So," Gus started to say. "I am guess everyone is here to talk about me having powers and about the girls' grandma."

"No kidding.", Jason snorts.

"Well like I said, Melinda was from a long line of shadow users and each one would get a mark. The mark proved the person had the power."

"You said that is the only difference about her and Zella's power.", Tim says.

"Well I wasn't exactly truthful. Because each shadow user could be put into categories which helped when training for a specific type of job. And each mark was slightly different to represent that type. But they all could bend the shadows to their wills in to objects like weapons or tools. That was consider the basic all must master before discovering their unique abilities."

"What are the categories?", Bruce asked.

"There is Zella's type, which is more or less one with shadows, hence the shadow form, wisps of shadows reacting to the user's will, and traveling through shadows. That was called The Shadow's Shades."

"I see."

"Another type was called Living Shadows. They could make life with shadows. But it wasn't as powerful as you would think. They could only make up to two creatures that are like Cippia but instead are intertwined into their master's shadow and they had to be small creatures. The critters get to a certain size but it was only about 5 ft long as the maximal limit. That was Melinda's powers."

"Really?", I asked curious.

"Yup. They had mind of their own but couldn't get too far from their person before fading away. I believe the limit was 2 miles. The critters also couldn't change shape like Cippia."

"Then why can Cippia?", Damian asked.

"I believe it is most likely that Cippia might have been the test subject that scientist mentioned to Luthor before we rescued Zella.", Bruce said with a thoughtful look on his face. "He may be a mix of the Living Shadow and the same type of Zella to such a point he can change his very body because he is basically in a permanent shadow form."

"That makes sense.", I said after thinking about it myself.

"So what creatures did Grandma make?", Aileen asked.

"Snakes.", Gus says simply.

"Snakes?"

"Snakes. Two in fact. One dark as shadows with red eyes and the other was more of a smoky shadowy with purple eyes. Their body constantly flowing and wavering due to their shadow bodies instead of Cippia's solid one. Kinda like the parts of Cippia that flow at the edge of his fur when he is in his large form."

"Did she name them?", Jason asked as we all looked at him. "What? I am curious."

"Rumplesnakeskin for the red eyed one and Excalibur for the other......She loved fairy tales."

"Was there any other types?", Dick asked.

"If I am remembering what Melinda told me there is two more. The Healers are what the name suggest. They could heal with shadows. The other one, they.....they had a nasty ability...they could kill with shadows.."

"But couldn't anyone with the basics could kill?", Steph asked.

"That may be true but the way they could do it was very nasty. They could kill by absorbing a victim's shadow. Hence the nickname, Shadow Reapers. They could also control people by taking over their shadows."

"That....that sounds horrible."

"Believe or not, they weren't as menacing as their name implies. Their job were to protect the family from people that try to harm the family. So they only acted like that when on duty. Otherwise some of them were the sweetest person you could ever meet, excluding Cinderzella of course.", he finishes while winking at me.

"Gus!", I said as I hid my face into Dick's shoulder as the rest of the family laughs at my blush.

"So they were the rare ones?", Tim asked.

"Nope. Zella's type was the rarest. In fact it was so rare that one was born every few generations."

"So how come Zell doesn't have a mark?", Dick inquired.

"Simple. If one with a mark marries another with powers, any descendant that get powers won't get a mark. Don't ask me why, not even the family knew why. But they could tell they were part of the family by the 'feel of the shadows'. Again, don't ask me, the family just knew. Even if the person had a completely different power, the family just felt that person's shadow with theirs and they would know."

"So is it possible to have a kid with powers if one of the parents doesn't?"

"Well if both parents have very strong genes, then it is guaranteed. If one was strong then it was a 50% chance."

Judging by the look by the way Dick nuzzled the top of my head, he was happy. When I looked up from hiding I did see the smile and he whispered, "Even if the little guy didn't have powers, I'd still love him."

"And how do you know it is a boy I'm carrying?", I whispered back.

"I know."

"So what did the marks look like?", I asked with a blush once again when I realized everyone was staring at us.

"The Healers' looked like a infinity symbol on its side with a staff in going from end to end. The Shadow Reapers exactly the same but with a sword coming through the symbol while it it is on its side instead. Melinda's where her two snakes intertwined. Those with her powers tend to have their mark be of the one or both critters. Shadow Shade's are Zella's superhero costume symbol."

"Had to throw in some family pride?", Alfred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. Zella should be proud of her powers."

"Was it possible for one to have more then one ability?", Jason asked.

"More like with enough training, they could learn a bit of another skill set. So for example, with healing one could learn enough to close wounds but couldn't fix broken bones, injured organs, or save someone by feeding their shadow with shadows until they could get proper medical help. Or just heal them themselves. I am not fully sure how they do the healing.", Gus said with a shrug.

"So now that is out of the way, why didn't you use your powers for healing me when I got back from patrol?" Dick whines.

"Because you didn't know about them and it would look weird if I did."

We all laugh at Dick's pout. We then spent the rest of the time talking about little mishaps that happened during a mission. Like Tim getting caught on a giant hook when he jumped down from a rafter to take out some henchmen when he was Robin.

[farfromsugafanfic]

Sutures - Chapter 12: Cardioplegia

Genre: Soulmates AU, Idiots to Lovers, slight Enemies to Lovers

Pairing: Yoongi/Named Reader

Warnings (chapter specific): mentions of family member death, medical procedures, ANGST, hospitalization, references to memory loss

Synopsis: “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” –Jean de la Fontaine

There was only one thing you and Min Yoongi had in common that night. You were both brokenhearted. You only intended to be together for one night, but when you both end up in the hospital the next day you discover that you are soulmates. It could kill you to be apart. As you and Yoongi attempt to sever the bond between you, will another be formed?

Note: Before y’all demand my head on a stick for this ending, please note that there is an epilogue and bonus part still to come.

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

"Min Yoongi? Jang Sumi?" the doctor asked, carrying a clipboard in his hand. "So, I hear you have some concerns you need to discuss with me?" 

You recognized the doctor from when you'd ended up in the hospital after the night you met Yoongi. He seemed to be the only soulmate bonding specialist in the whole city and your stomach turned. You wanted your needles.

"Yes," Yoongi said. "You see, an urgent family matter has come up for Sumi and she has to fly to the US as soon as possible." The doctor nodded. "The issue is that due to my schedule, I can't go with her. I know you said there were exemptions for work, do you think this would cover that?" 

"It's hard to know," the doctor said. "It's possible you would have no problems as the conflict involves your work. But, for Sumi, there's nothing obligating her beyond the love for her family. I fear it would be risky. We wouldn't know until Sumi is on the plane and if you both have a reaction, it's likely Sumi wouldn't be able to get to a hospital in time." 

"Then, no," Yoongi said. "What are the other options?"

"Wait," you said, touching Yoongi's bicep lightly. "What are the chances I have a reaction on the plane?" 

"I'd say a 70% chance you react, 30% you don't. If it'd been over a year since you'd met, it would probably be 50/50. As the years go by, reactions become less likely. At least in the limited experience and research, we have from soulmate couples. Every couple is different."

"I'm willing to take the chance. Maybe we could hire a doctor to fly with me--" 

Yoongi's hand shot to grip your thigh cutting off your words as your jeans rubbed against your skin where his fingertips touched. Even with the fabric between his skin and yours, it still felt like sitting too close to a fire. The sparks flying just over your head. 

The doctor arched his eyebrow. "There aren't a ton of options. We are researching drugs right now to help curb reactions in situations like this, but since the reactions are individualized in some ways, it makes it hard to develop one drug that will work for all."

"I can come with you," Yoongi said, "It's the only option." You saw in the way his lips were in a slight frown that his thoughts were racing. His voice quieted. "And you'll need me."

"Yoongi, I-I don't know how long I'm going stay. You can't stay forever and I might."

Yoongi's eyebrows rose as his lips fell into a frown. "You want to stay?" 

You felt the atmosphere lose color. The vibrant scene slowly turning black and white. Yoongi's hand still rested on your leg like it belonged there. 

"I could teach Korean. Do translation work. I don't know. But, I miss my family and knowing things can happen so quickly and I could lose them, I just..." Unlike all the other times, there were no tears. You couldn't cry over this. You wanted to cry, grab the closest objects and fling them at the wall until they dented it, or at least chipped the paint. You wanted to grab Yoongi and kiss him, tear off his shirt, pull on his hair. But you couldn't. The only thing you could do was sit and listen to the doctor say you had to choose.

"Can we talk about this privately?"

"Before you make any decisions," the doctor said. "I should inform you that we have been working on an experimental cure. We haven't tested it on any human subjects yet, but we could use you if you consent. We can't guarantee it will work, but if it does, it would solve your problems. We don't know what side effects would be, but we would keep you for 24 hours for monitoring." 

"Is it safe?"

"We believe it is. We've done animal trials and while they don't have soulmate connections like you do, they have not shown any side effects that we're concerned about." The doctor stood up to leave. "I'll give you some time. I know this isn't an easy decision, so take your time." 

Once the door closed, you and Yoongi turned towards each other, your knees knocking together. His hands found yours, but you felt his gaze on your face which was angled downward, your eyes focusing on the way his thumb moved slowly over your knuckles.

"Yoongi, I don't know what to do. I need to see my grandma. I wish this wasn't so complicated and I'm scared cause what if the cure doesn't work or it gives us weird side effects. I mean, technically we could die. Yoongi, what do I do? I'm gonna lose my grandma. I-I don't want to lose you too."

"Hey, hey," he said, letting go of your heads and pulling you into his chest. You heard his heart beating against your ear and how his fingers shook slightly as he ran them over your hair. "It's going to be okay. Let's just think about this." 

He was silent for a few moments. You didn't even hear the doctors and nurses rushing past the room or the beat of your hearts. 

"We were working to sever this anyway. We won't lose each other. I'll still be here for you. You can still call or visit. I'm just concerned if something bad happens with the cure. Are you willing to risk everything for your grandmother?" 

"Yes, of course." 

“Then, we'll try it. I want you to be happy, Sumi. I want you to be able to see your grandmother, okay?" 

You nodded. "Are you sure this is what you want?" 

"If it's what you want, then I'm sure." 

"Yoongi, I'm sorry. I know you--" 

"Shh," he said, smoothing down your hair and bunching it up and curling it around his fingers. "Let's just enjoy this last moment, yeah?" 

You burrowed into Yoongi's chest. You would truly miss his warmth, the way his heart beat in time with yours, how he noticed when you were anxious, and handed you your needles. You weren't sure someone like him would ever walk into your life again. And here you were, allowing him to walk out.

---

"Thanks for coming," the doctor said, nodding towards Namjoon and Eunji who stood off to the side, sharing furrowed brows and concerned glances between you and Yoongi. "Since we don't exactly know what state they'll be in after this we want to make sure they have someone to look after them after."

While the doctor continued explaining worrisome symptoms and aftercare protocol, Yoongi turned towards you and grabbed your hand, slipping a folded piece of paper into it. You flashed him an odd look before pulling your hand away and unfolding the paper, finding a plane ticket to Los Angeles. 

"I've made the arrangements. If you miss that flight, I'll get you on the next."

"Yoongi, you didn't--" 

"Yeah, I did. Now, you don't have to worry, okay?

The doctor finished talking to Namjoon and Eunji and turned towards you. "Are you ready? We need to induce a reaction for this to work, so I've made arrangements for one of you to receive the treatment at another hospital nearby. Which one--" 

"I'll go." Yoongi got off the bed and met your eyes. You'd already said goodbye, but it didn't feel like enough. There was a chance one or both of you could die. That it wouldn't work at all. There was an even greater chance that it would work and all the things you felt for the man in front of you would dissipate like fog in the afternoon. 

You'd miss the way you longed to run your hands through his hair. How your stomach flipped when he smiled at you or the way you felt his touch linger long after he pulled away. The way he could calm you with just a look or how he allowed you to fiddle with his fingers when you didn't have your needles. 

"Bye, Sumi. Call me whenever you need to, okay?"

You nodded and clasped your hands together tightly. He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to your forehead and left the room before he could look back. 

Namjoon met your eyes and offered a sad smile. "Take care, Sumi." 

"You too, Namjoon." 

Namjoon followed after Yoongi and it was just you, Eunji, and the doctor. "Once her symptoms begin, we'll administer the cure. We'll then just monitor her for any reaction and go from there." 

Ten minutes later, it started. You felt the tightness in your chest, sweat pricking at your hairline, and your legs were restless, wanting to move wherever Yoongi was. 

"Eunji, hold her hands, help keep her still." 

Eunji was hesitant, but she walked over and held your arms flat against the bed. "It's gonna be okay, Sumi. Just breathe, okay? Just keep breathing." 

You flinched as you felt the needle in your arm and fluid spilling into your bloodstream. It was hot--not hot enough to burn--but almost. Your heart slowed, but your breathing didn't catch up. 

"Sumi, how are you feeling? Are you okay?" the doctor asked. You could vaguely make out the two figures hovering over you. Your vision went black around the edges and your legs went numb. You felt yourself falling and the two figures became smaller and smaller.

---

You woke up. White sheets surrounded you and the room was dark except for the light peeking in from the hallway outside. You heard Eunji in the hallway. It sounded like she was talking on the phone as you didn't hear another voice. 

"What do you mean, Namjoon?" Her voice sounded distressed. Worried. 

You glanced down at the IV in your arm. Your head hurt and you couldn't remember why you were here or how you got there. How long had you been here?

"He-he's okay, though? I mean, other than--"

Eunji's voice was now hushed. You strained to hear, but the machines connected to you began to beep. Eunji rushed back into the room, flipping on the light.

"Sumi!" Before you could blink she had her head pressed to your chest and was hugging you the best she could without disturbing all the needles and cords attached to your body. "When you passed out I thought you were going to die and I didn't know what was going to do without my best friend."

"Eunji--what--what happened? Who's Namjoon?" 

Eunji's face fell. "Oh, uh, that's not important. Let me get the doctor."

---

The doctor examined you. His eyes caught yours, a sad look crossing over them momentarily before he pulled away. 

“You seem perfectly healthy," he said. "I'm going to discharge you, but if you start having odd symptoms of any kind get to an emergency room. Okay?"

You nodded, not fully understanding. "Wait, how long has it been? How long have I been here?"

"It's only been a few hours, why?" 

"My grandma," you said. "I need to get to the airport and get a ticket and--"

Eunji reached into her purse and pulled out a slip of paper. "You have a ticket. The flight's in a few hours. If you hurry you can make it. I'll send your stuff along later." 

"You didn't buy this, did you?" 

"No, Yoo--you really don't remember?" 

"Eunji, what aren't you telling me?"

Your friend glanced over at the doctor who mouthed something you couldn't make out. 

"It's not important right now," Eunji said. "Come on, you need to get to the airport if you want to get to the airport on time."

---

"I'll miss you," you said, pulling Eunji in for a hug. "I'll call you when I can."

"Take it easy, okay? You just got out of the hospital." 

"I still don't remember what happened, Eunji. Why can't just tell me? Was it an accident? I must've hit my head." 

"The doctor thinks it'd be too stressful on you right now. Maybe I'll tell you someday, okay? Just go be with your grandma." 

You nodded, even though you overflowed with questions, something made you feel at peace as you stepped onto the plane and into your window seat. Normally, this is when you'd begin feeling sick. You settled into your seat and pulled your flannel closer around you. You didn't remember owning a flannel with the sleeves cut off. It must be one of Minki's old ones that you'd stolen, but for some reason, it kept you calm as the plane rocketed off the runway and into the air.

THE END 

[willow-salix]

Day 2 of Isolation on Tracy Island 2.0 (Fluffember prompt : sky)

Day 2 of Isolation 2.0 on Tracy Island and...well I'll be honest, it's not been too bad yet. Everyone seems a lot more civilised than they were the first time, maybe because it's not as bad globally as it was back in… March was it? What year is this, do I still have my youth or have they sucked it out of me? 

Anyway, yes, they are better behaved than the first time, I guess because the shock's over with and it's been so long in a kind of half limbo that we're pretty used to it now. They spent the night trying to convince me that they had dragged me from my little witch cave for my benefit rather than theirs, they lie. 

Either way, they are slightly less rowdy, according to Jeff, slightly tidier, according to Grandma but still not at all self sufficient, according to John. 

I'd decided that, as I had little choice in the matter, I'd make the best of it. I strolled into the empty lounge, dropped my three bags on the floor, raised my arms and yelled at the top of my voice, "Honey, I'm home!" 

I don't know what I expected, maybe to be greeted enthusiastically, to have various family members run in from all directions, so happy and grateful to see me, I mean, I was pretty open to any display of affection, truth be told. 

But no, not one of them bothered to come and say hello. 

"I might as well go back home," I grumbled to Scott who had finished the post flight checks of One and ambled in after me. "I even brought snacks and I'm being ignored." 

"Snacks?" his hand was in the bag I indicated by kicking it with my toe before I'd even finished speaking. 

"Well, now I know why I was wanted," I sniffed. "Let me guess, food standards have slipped now that you've all eaten through the meals I left in the freezers last time I was here?" 

"That has nothing to do with why we wanted you," he assured me, flopping down on one of the couches with his pilfered bounty bar. He unwrapped the chocolate and bit into it, humming happily. "You always bring the best chocolate with you."

"Well, I don't like that American stuff you get," I dropped down beside him and stole the other half of the bar. 

"There's nothing wrong with American things," he argued. "Quality products from there."

My eyes slid sideways to look at him. "Dude, are you counting yourself as a quality product?" 

"Maybe," he didn't bother denying it. 

There wasn't much I could say to that really so I shifted the conversation. 

"Where are the other idiots?" 

He shrugged. 

"That's helpful, thanks." I sighed, resting my head back against the sofa. It was weird but this time really did feel so different, almost like it had been inevitable, we were just waiting for it to come.

"I'm not doing all the work this time," I warned him, "like, you guys are gonna have to step up, I refuse to be your maid and run around after you all like I did last time. New lockdown, new rules."

"We don't need a maid," he argued. "Is it so hard to believe that we just want you here so we're all together?" 

I shrugged, still feeling a bit like I'd been both blindsided and guilt tripped into it, not to mention feeling rather damp and itchy from the decontamination chamber Brains has forced me into. I told him that I'd been extra careful, that I'd been following the social distancing, yet he hadn't listened and still insisted that I needed to be blasted. 

"Here's the thing," he poked me to make sure I was listening. "Last time you were here to help us get through it. We were all feeling a bit helpless and frustrated and without you here distracting us and bossing us around, things would have been a lot worse. This time is different, this time it would be you stuck at home, we're still able to go out and do our jobs now, even though we're still getting fewer calls than normal and some countries aren't allowing entry, but because of that, as soon as your lockdown came in you would have been alone for a month."

"I think I could have handled that."

"Do you though, do you really?" 

I glanced at him, not detecting the teasing tone I had been expecting. Could I have handled it? So many people were stuck alone, unable to see their loved ones, their friends and family or to even go to work again. All the little things that make life more bearable and they had been taken away again. I like peace and quiet, but I knew he was right, being locked away, on my own for another month, maybe longer, it wouldn't actually be good for me.

"Admit it, you love us, you'd miss us."

"I admit nothing," but he was right, I would. I hadn't really thought about it, I guess that's what everyone is doing, trying not to think about it all too much but, while the thought of having a month at home, in peace and quiet sounded like a dream, I wouldn't actually want it. 

"You're back!" Alan yelled, cannonballing onto the sofa from parts unknown. 

"I guess so," I conceded, trying not to melt when he squished up beside me and stole the chocolate I'd been eating. 

"Do you mind?" I asked, purely because I felt I had to, not for any real need to tell him off. 

"Nope," he grinned, popping the bounty in his mouth. 

"Wait, that's…coconut," I trailed off as he gagged, looking for somewhere to spit it out. I handed him a tissue from my bag and he gratefully emptied his mouth. 

"This is going to be hell, isn't it?" I asked no one in particular. 

"Probably," Scott agreed, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "But at least we'll all be together."

"Joy," I muttered but I did hug him back. 

"Are you going to keep a diary this time, too?" Alan asked, having recovered a bit. 

"I might," I hedged, not telling him that I'd started yesterday. "But I'm not doing it alone this time, you're all going to help me. Deal?" 

"Deal," he agreed. 

Gradually a few more wandered in, mostly to pick through my luggage like the vulture that they are, knowing that this time I had been wise enough to bring the contents of my fridge and half my cupboards with me. 

Gordon yoinked my pringles, Alan took my milkshake, Virgil helped himself to my chocolate chip cookies. 

"Hi," the normally beloved voice said behind me. 

I didn't turn around. "I blame you for the fact that I'm here again, you know that, right?" 

"Yep," John dropped down beside me on the couch, lifting his arm for me to snuggle under. 

"Cuddles will not make up for this betrayal," I warned him, not that it stopped me from taking advantage of it. Any Tracy in a storm and all that, plus this one might be the best, though I am slightly biased. 

"We appreciate your sacrifice," he told me solemnly. "And to show our appreciation, we organised a little something."

"You did?" Did I sound sceptical? I believe I did. 

"We did!" Alan joined in. "We did some research and found that it's traditional to eat baked potatoes and chilli tonight."

"It is?" I frowned, wracking my brains as to what the heck he was talking about. I was also slightly worried about who had done the cooking. 

"Yes," John got up, dragging me to my feet and propelled me towards the windows. He nodded to Virgil, who messaged Brains, saying something I couldn't hear. 

As one, all the other idiots surrounded us, all looking up, heads tipped back expectantly, like baby birds awaiting food. 

"What are we doing?" I asked, completely confused. 

"It's November 5th," Scott answered. "Remember, remember the 5th of November." 

Oooooh. I didn't have time to answer as the first rocket shot up into the air, exploding in a burst of colour and sound, lighting up the dark night sky... 

[natey-night]

So I talked to my mom for the first time in a year

I had originally cut her off because I believed she was toxic and it was best to cut ties.

After a year of dealing with my narcissistic father, his gf and his fucked up divorce, debt hitting me in the face, and my depression hitting me at full force leading me to have suicidal urges I texted her.

My mom is known for changing her number every few months so I figured the number would be out of service or someone else would have it. So I texted:

"Is this [My mom's name]? This is her child [my name]."

I was kinda terrified because my final texts to her before had weren't nice. They were mean and rude and I remember the reason why was I was tired of having her ask me and my grandparents (her ex-husband's parents) for money. My older sister had stories about her faking being in a coma and my mom stealing my sister's identity to buy her bf a car when my sister was 16. These are true.

But it's my mom. And I missed her. And no matter what, I love her.

And a couple minutes later she texts back.

"Hi baby! It's momma"

She still answers no matter what time of the day it is.

So I call and I cry. And she cries.

And I apologize. She says what for. She said I did what I felt I needed to do.

And she acts like it's been a couple days instead of a year.

We chat for a couple hours. I notice it quickly

She's speaking slower. Her voice is slurred. But she's still excited

I think she's on drugs or something but say nothing.

Later on, she mentions that she had two strokes.

She has trouble remembering things.

This time I know she's not faking it.

She tells me she loves me. That she kept her number the same because she hoped one day I would call her again.

I say I'm sorry it took me so long.

We talk like there was never an issue.

I have to remind her of things but it's okay. I'm glad to have one family member who will love me unconditionally.

I always hear stories about people cutting off toxic people or ending toxic relationships but I feel like it's okay to reexamine them years later.

My mother is not a bad person. My dad drove her to drink and do drugs and spiral her life out of control. He did the same to his next wife

My mom never recovered.

I hear a lot from my sister about what kind of person my mom was before my dad. I hear about how she was in college and top of her class. I hear about how she was always there for my sister and had a stable job. I hear about a woman who I will never meet.

My mom lived with someone who dealt drugs to other people while I was in the room. My mom asks me for money. My mom asked for my birth certificate to get housing. My mom lives on SSI and believes she a renowned publicist. I once had to call my grandma (who was in a different state) to come to pick me up because my mom slept most of the day and I was covered in fleas and I couldn't stay another week.

My mom used to work really hard to make sure I had something. I didn't live with her but she sent me money to do what I wanted. She saved up money to take me to Disney. She let me eat shellfish even tho she was allergic. She texted me every day telling me she loved me. Something I found out later I couldn't live without.

I love her and I'm so sorry. I can't hate her because she's done her best and what she does isn't out of maliciousness.

I look forward to calling her tomorrow and chatting. Maybe one day I'll get to see her in person again. It's been 8 years.

[thecarpenterclan]

Alfie feels a hot flush wash over him, a heat over his whole body, not visible to the naked eye and knows why. He feels like he's done something he shouldn't have. Like he's betrayed his memory, and his family. He swore it wasn't how he remembered it when he thought of it to tell her but the words just left his mouth like he knew what he was saying and had no control. He wishes it had been different but it hadn't. Maybe even though he hadn't realised it before, there was so many different types of happy and the relief and sense of pride were what actually made the memory happy, were what had stuck out in his head and made him think of that memory. Maybe it was because it was king of the beginning of something new for them all. He shrugged as he looked at her. "Maybe someday I'll explain. Just not today." he tried to keep the words light and simple. He didn't want her to think she couldn't know him or know about this particular event because that was not the case "honestly..." he added in explanation, pausing with a sigh "I just don't want to completely ruin the mood, and some things... Like that, definitely would." he smiled at her then, properly once again. A genuine smile. He found it endearing that she wanted to listen and wanted to help. He loved that about her. When she began talking about her memory he leaned forward to pay attention, his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. He listened intently. Could see the joy in her words, in her expression. His smile widened at the thought of a little 8 year old Nana and how cute she must have been. It sure sounded like she was happy which was nice. When she got to the part about the kimono and her grandma he honestly had the thought, like she said she had at the time, that she was going to be angry and felt a sense of relief when she revealed she wasn't, almost letting out a sigh. He listened to her descriptions of this festival and it sounded incredible. When she asked about Jim going he sat up, his eyes wide. She had taken him by surprise. In an extremely good way. "Really? You want me to come to the Hanami?" he feared he had pronounced it wrong as he replied, he was uncertain with these sorts of things but the thought was fleeting. Excitement overtook his slight worry. "I would love to come. I'd especially love to meet your Grandma." he smiled wide again, like before, the smile stretching his features. "It sounds like she means a great deal to you. That family does in general, like with me." he nodded as he spoke, and he wondered if maybe her grandma was one of her family members that meant the most to her, a bit like him and his sister, but he didn't want to ask in case he insulted her in some way. "When is it, the festival?" he added the festival part to clear up exactly what he was talking about just in case it wasn't clear. He was suddenly thinking about going and how amazing and fun it would be. He had so many more questions about the festival and such but he didn't want to bombard her and to cause her to disinvite him because now she'd mentioned it he needed to go. He held his hands out to her, his smile wide. "I can't wait." he grinned. "Now come on. What's your next question?"

thecarpenterclan:

Alfie was distracted to say the least when she stole his smoke. It wasn’t like smoking was exactly considered sexy but when she took a drag and exhaled he’d have argued with anyone that it most definitely was. It gave her so far kind of sweet look a bad girl edge and boy did he like that. He was almost having to pick his jaw up at the sight of her. Clearing his throat to bring himself back to reality he thought for a minute on which memory to tell. He didn’t want to have to go into too much family history right now, feeling like it would probably kill the mood but his story linked with it, he’d just have to explain later. “My favorite memory…” he paused. “Is with my siblings.” The day was almost clear like he was back there and he began to tell her about it. “Kyle, my eldest brother was driving. Noah, he’s the second oldest was in the front in the passenger seat. Me and Chiles were in the back of the car. ” he kept the reason why they were there held back, it wasn’t important to how he remembered what he was about to tell. “It was a hot day, early summer, we were supposed to be in school. We had the windows down and the breeze felt glorious.” he left out the fact that Kyle wasn’t legally supposed to drive. “We were all really happy, it was that kind of happy where you don’t know if you should be, but you just are.” he took a deep breath. “My siblings are really important to me and in that time, Chiles was really important to all three of us.” he shook his head, he didn’t want to go into the gory details. “Maybe because she’s the girl of the group.” he chuckled trying to lighten the mood he’d almost gone into. “Anyway.” he ran a hand through his hair. “There isn’t much else to the memory other than us being siblings, finally free of something.” he swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn’t supposed to have said that much but she made him so comfortable. Like he could talk to her about anything, even all the stuff he’d kept away for years. “Like I said we were just happy.” he smiled at her. “Just all of us together, us boys singing along to the radio, spending quality time as a family. Siblings and best friends.” He pressed his lips together tight. Maybe he didn’t remember it as nicely as he thought but it was still his best memory because it was when they were first free of something they’d often thought they wouldn’t be. Stuck in the memory a little in his head he actually also remembered the panic, and the tense atmosphere. The glances between the boys, charged with energy and anger. But also the looks when they looked at their sister, who spent most of the time asleep and the relief they felt knowing what could have been. He remembered the whispered chats and exchanging of would have beens and could have beens, whilst ensuring she didn’t wake up and hear them. It was a little bad but it was mostly good and he remembers a sense of pride at having rescued themselves, together. He looked at Nana. Knowing the memory hadn’t come across how he’d first wanted it to. Thinking she’d probably have questions. He nodded his head and took a drag of the cigarette he’d taken back from her with a slight smirk. “Anyway. How about you. What’s your happiest memory?” he asked. Wanting the heat off of himself now.

Nana noticed how Alfie looked at her while she took a drag on his cigarette and she really loved it. It made her a little more confident in herself. Hearing him clear his throat, however, she placed all her focus on him, curious to hear whatever memory he wanted to share with her. At the mention of his siblings, she smiled wide. She knew by now how much his twin sister meant to him, just by the way he’d spoken about her earlier, but she wanted to know more about the rest of his family, which clearly was also important to him. The way he described it, she could almost see the scene in her mind, as if she was watching a movie, despite never having actually seen his siblings. It seemed like those glorified roadtrips from the movies, and she could almost feel the breeze and hear the songs coming out from the radio. It seemed like a beautiful memory and she just smiled as he spoke. And when he mentioned how important his siblings were to him, especially Chiles, she couldn’t help but admire him even more. Nana also loved her sister and placed a huge importante on her family, so she just felt happy they seemed to share the same values. “I do think you’re an amazing brother and your sister is lucky to have you.” She commented, speaking softly and caressing his hand with hers. But then Alfie spoke about them being free of something, and Nana couldn’t help but wonder what it could possibly be. He tried to finish in a positive tone, but Nana found it rather bittersweet, noticing his expression seemed somewhat tense. She’d love to hear more about this, help in any way she could, even if just by listening, but she didn’t want to sound nosy or to make him feel forced to talk about things he’d rather not to. Still, she tried to offer some support. “You know… you can tell me anything. When and if you want to talk more about this, or any other thing, I’ll be here for you, and I’ll listen.” She told him with a smile, meaning every word, and reached up to kiss his cheek. She loved this side of him just as much as she loved the funnier one, because she already cared a lot about him. The way he took back his cigarette from her lightened up the mood and made her chuckle a little. “My happiest memory…” She repeated, squinting her eyes a little as she searched her memory. She had quite a few and felt lucky as she realized that. “Well, I remember being little… I should be around 8, and we all still lived in Tokyo with my grandma. Mom and dad worked long hours, so my little sister Anna and me spent a lot of time with our grandma. There’s this festival, the Hanami… where people gather at the city park to view the sakura, I mean, the cherry blossoms. It’s just so beautiful, and we’d always go with grandma!” Nana smiled wide as she spoke, a warm feeling inside her heart. “I remember that year, I was in the attic and found some of grandma’s old kimonos… they were beautiful, especially a mint green one with pink lotus flowers and golden embroidery… I tried to put it on but failed miserably.” Nana stopped and giggled before she continued. “Then grandma found me and I thought she’d be mad, but she actually helped me and let me go to the Hanami wearing it, I felt so proud! Even if it was adjusted with safety pins because it was too big for me at the time.” She giggled a little more. “I love my grandma so much, and I try to visit her every year around the Hanami season. This year I’d be so happy if… I could take my husband with me.” She looked up at him with a hopeful look in her eyes and a wide smile. She genuinely meant it, it was her happy place and she’d be delighted to share it with him. 

[vertiny-main]

Alright so, @drakewalkerwhipped, I don't know if anyone else has thought of this but I was talking with the ever wonderful @brightpinkpeppercorn about the new chapters that came out on Wed/Thurs and I started thinking about ILB's Lake Monster -

I don't think the Lake Monster is MC's mum. I only say that because; and I'm making assumptions here remember, that you'd have to be in the area of where the monster geographically is; given the fact that the mentioned deaths caused by the Lake Monster have only happened in Pine Springs, and while MC's mum did live there, she ultimately moved to another part of the world and died somewhere that wasn't Pine Springs or anywhere close to it.

So it could be Grandma, but I don't know... Anyway -

It's safe to say that the monster was around during the events of ILITW/came to life after because of the end bonus scene, and that Astrid or Vincent mention that the Lake Monster comes from one of their "Society" members that got a taste of the power and wanted more/dabbled in things they didn't understand, so it's fair to assume that the adults/people within the town were here before the Lake Monster even emerged.

Bear with me, it's a thought.

What if it's like Mr. Red?! When someone dies playing with Mr. Red; at least the "Are You Scared?" game, they become Mr. Red! Just like Jane did, and then Noah/MC!

What if it's like that for the Lake Monster? They posses and kill someone, and that someone takes their place!

The only person we've seen killed/taken by the Lake Monster, is Kyle!

The only reason the Lake Monster looked at us with recognition is because of the small amount of bonding we do at the party with him!

(I know that Ned's "dead", but because he was killed by the cultists and not the lake monster, it doesn't count. He couldn't take over, so to speak. And while we're on the topic of Ned, why would he call Kelly of all people?? He had a blatant hate/distaste for the Police Chief, and I highly doubt he'd want his possible final call while alive to be to Police Chief Kelly. If anything, you'd call the hospital?)

It was at this point that Mar responded with (I write a lot in my messages, I know, I'm sorry) - "Ooh the lake monster COULD be Kyle, you're right. But who sacrificed him?"

A very good point, my dear! Well, that's the thing, at the moment, the only time a sacrifice really needs to be made to the lake is when you're hoping for powers and it's up to the lake if it accepts or rejects you; and even then, it's just a drop or so of your blood.

So, for all we know, whoever the monster possess to walk into the lake and drown, then takes over the body? Like, Mr. Red didn't need a sacrifice, so to speak, from memory. It was just who died became the new Mr. Red and because of prior events, it couldn't happen unless "All of us play, or none of us play." (I could be wrong, please do let me know.)

And if the newest victim doesn't take over the body entirely, perhaps their memories kinda stick in the body? Kinda like how Jane's/MC's/Noah's memories were/are in Mr. Red?

So if Kyle is in there at any capacity, that could be the reason why the Lake Monster recognizes MC? If it's not a family member, that is.

I had a thought about ILB and how the last chapter says that the Lake Monster looks at you with recognition! It's probably not even remotely true, but still, it'd be a cool thing. Wanna hear it?? (Sorry if I sound like you have to, it's just ahhh)

Yes!!!