#jaeger academy

[foxglovecove]

More moments from the Jaeger Pilot AU - scenes from their jaeger academy days

-Newt and Hermann get called to the “principle’s” office

-Hermann studying hard

-Tendo discovers Newt has a crush on Hermann oooOoOoOo

[prismatica-the-strange]

Out of this selection of my familial F/Os...

[houltsworld]

Nick at the Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala today 🖤

[coveholdenmyluv]

Mean Girls - Eren Jaeger

synopsis. Eren's the new kid at Trost Academy and being fresh meat in his senior year isn't easy. Especially so when the only friends he's made yet have managed to convince him to help them mess with "The Plastics". The problem?

He's got the biggest crush on their queen bee, Y/N.

series masterlist.

chapter warnings. Foul language, rich ppl, mentions of vomit, mentions of shitting your pants (what even are these warnings LMAO), laxatives, mentions of giving a character laxatives, hitch is a bitch (I love her I’m sorry I made her like this), drama drama drama, a lot of menstrual product talk (these characters are very comfortable talking abt these things!)

chapter synopsis. From a brawl at the supermarket to a meeting with the Queen bee’s arch nemesis, our trio’s plan preparations seem to be coming together! Though, will learning some lore regarding our resident plastics impede on Eren’s drive? Perhaps the future isn’t looking so bright for our revenge seekers…

chapter 2. Fuck with the Plastics: start

"Bag secured, over." Mikasa spoke in her usual monotone voice.

"And... you're completely sure that this will only make her a bit gassy, right 'kasa?" Armin spoke next, the shake in his voice painfully obvious even through the speaker of Eren's phone. With no answer, he tries again, "Guys? Hello?"

Silence.

"You're supposed to say 'over', Armin!"

"Oh! Over."

"Alright, mine is secured too... over?" Eren announced as he slipped his arm through the plastic bag, doing his best to be inconspicuous, though the hood over his head isn't helping his case. His attire was mostly to calm his troubled conscience.

The three way call had one purpose and a very important one at that.

Phase one of 'Fuck with The Plastics'.

"Good boy," Mikasa purred and Eren swore he could hear the mischievous grin his reply had caused to form on her face. "Now Armin, relax. All this is gonna do is make her tummy a bit upset, a little gas here and there never hurt anyone. She'll get the humiliation she made Eren bear... only much much worse because of her status, plus ruin her chances of winning this highly anticipated game and possibly her entire athletic career. Over."

"Please, stop repeating what could go wrong. I'm getting nauseous again..." Eren groans into the speaker.

"Mikasa, you say that now but, what if she's allergic to it or something? Ohmylanta, what if she dies?!" Armin screeches and Eren fears he may begin to wail soon. "I don't wanna go to jail guys! I can't go back!"

"Geez Louise, Armin." Eren winces as he pulls the phone away from his ear. "My ears are bleeding."

"Oh wait Eren, now that you reminded me, can you get me some pads from the store? My cycle is pretty heavy today." Mikasa asks.

"Uh, T-M-I Mikasa..." Armin mutters as he glances around the student aid center. His portion of contribution to the trio's master plan is arguably the least interesting, though the boy didn't seem to mind. All he was put in charge of was attaining their tickets for the game, which they receive free of charge with their student ID's.

"Mikasa, I'm literally already walking out of the store." Eren says exasperatedly, though his pace has already begun to falter in preparation for his U-turn.

"Well then, go back? If I bleed out all over the bleachers, it's your jacket I'm using to wipe it clean. The ball is in your court."

"Oh my gosh, fine!" Eren relents. "What size?"

"XXL."

Silence reigns over the three, and Eren swears everyone in the supermarket had audibly halted all movements along with them.

"Mikasa, you know damn well..." Armin begins.

"Armin! Shut the hell up, the length helps with my leakage so mind your own business!"

"Zayum, okay geez."

"Wings or no wings?" Eren asks, already having made his way back into the multiple isles freshly restocked.

"Wings, please. I want to be ready for anything." The girl answers ominously.

"I don't even want to know what that means. I'll head back to the academy after I'm done with this, where do you guys want to meet?"

"The restrooms near the cafeteria are right beside the doors that lead to a path straight to the stadium. We can meet there." Armin suggests, already beginning to make his way towards the meeting spot.

"Okay. Actually, since I'm here, do you guys want any snacks for the game?" Eren asks while he grabs a box of fruit roll ups and a bag of hot Cheetos for himself. "How long does a soccer game last?"

"A little under an hour and thirty minutes, and that's if they don't go into over time which they probably will, considering who they're playing against." Mikasa answers, "Oh, and I'll take an oat meal crème pie and a red Gatorade. But! The one with the twistable cap that you can suck on."

"We'll see how long this one will last with what we have planned, though." Armin mutters into the speaker anxiously, "Anyway, I'll take some Skittles, baby Gerber puffs, Teddy Grahams, Hubba Bubba, strawberry Hello Pandas, Scooby-Doo snacks, Gushers, Pirate's Booty-"

Eren hangs up before the other boy could finish, deciding it wasn't worth his weekly allowance.

He had already arrived at the feminine hygiene products aisle by the time Armin had sent him the remaining 27 items on his wishlist for tonight, which Eren promptly ignored. The wall that held most of the menstrual supplies was expanse and slightly intimidating to the teenage boy's eyes, though that was not to say he was taken off guard. Having a close relationship with your mother desensitizes you to a large amount of aspects of womanhood that most immature boys his age would either cringe at or ridicule.

He knows the brand his mother uses is best for absorbing, but they're not the best at being discreet. He wonders which Mikasa would prefer, though he decides that coverage and preventing leakage must have been her priority considering her earlier words. Deciding upon the trustworthy brand he had always picked up on late night pad runs with his mom, he notices how it seems to be the only brand that has yet to be restocked. The one in his hand being the very last one in XXL.

As he turns to leave the isle, a high pitched voice, practically whining curse words, catches his attention. Before he instinctively turns his head towards the sound, he internally prays for there to be no reenactment of his first encounter with Armin, knowing he couldn't bear to handle another stereotypical bully, much less work up the courage to stand up to them once more. 

"They don't have that one today, I swear I've looked everywhere!" The, now visible, person speaks into the cell phone clutched to his ear. "I don't know? Does everyone suddenly use the biggest size available? I know you do not need double X."

It seems to be a young boy, perhaps only a few years younger than Eren himself, with messily styled H/C hair and a few piercings adorning his delicate face.

"The one with the purple flowers on the box or the navy blue one with the stars?" The young boy asks, his impatience slowly making its way into his features.

Wait, purple flowers?

Eren's gaze moves back toward the box in his hands and his eyes trace those exact purple flowers printed and plastered smack dab in the center. Though, he knows there are tons of other brands that use matching floral patterns, perhaps this boy was looking for the one with the green background instead of the pink one Eren held.

"The one with the pink box, right?" The boy asks.

Well, perhaps he was searching for the 7 hour wear edition instead of the 8 hour one Eren got for Mikasa. Surely that was the case-

"8 hour version? Do you need to charge it or something, why is there a time limit?"

Certainly he couldn't be looking for the same size, not many people would be as paranoid as Mikasa due to leakage-

"Mm, XXL? Oh, cause of leakage, got it."

Run, that's what Eren needs to do. He knows how far passionate boyfriends would go for their lovers, especially ones as young as the boy he is sharing the aisle with. Kids his age will either pay romantic relationships no heed or take them far too seriously.

Though, before he could pivot in the other direction, the boy ends the call and turns to presumably search for the pink floral box in the size XXL. Coincidentally, the exact box Eren plans to buy.

The last box.

Green meets E/C.

His heart drops to his ass and his arm hastily shields the prized object behind his back as visible sweat forms on his forehead. Though, truly his efforts were all for naught.

Silence follows as the two teenagers hold eye contact, one accompanied with worry creases near his brows and the other with an unamused pout to his lips.

"Those are the last double X they have in stock, aren't they?"

"...Perchance..."

The H/C boy sighs and holds his hands up in surrender. "Look, dude. I come in peace, it's fine. What do I look like to you? Someone who would go batshit over menstrual products?" Eren shakes his head hastily, to which the younger boy agrees. Of course, what was Eren thinking? Incriminating a person who looked to be no older than the age of 15 was not cool on his part.

"You're right, My bad."

Letting any past thoughts flee his mind, Eren resumes his standstill with the stranger, neither seemingly knowing what to do next...

...before the stranger juts a finger behind Eren and exclaims, "Hey, look over there, it's TSwift!"

"What?! Where?!"

Eren was tackled to the ground and landed with a coherent 'oof', the assailant clambering on top of his chest and tugging at his arms to loosen the tight grip on the box that remains in his hands.

"That was a low blow, you psycho! I haven't seen her since I was in fifth grade!" Eren whines as he tries to free himself. Deciding that his actions were amounting to nothing, he thrusts the box away from his body and above his head, the cardboard sliding across the tiled floor of the supermarket.

"Morality is non-existent when it comes to the last box of pads, pretty boy!" The younger boy grits as he abandons Eren's body in favor of stumbling to his feet to reach the box.

As the boy steps over his head, Eren grabs onto one of his leather boots, causing him to plummet with his fingers outstretched only inches away from the prize. Eren flips himself onto his stomach and scrambles over the other boy, laying a palm atop his face to thwart his vision. In retaliation, though not after a sharp squawk, the boy chomps on the fingers overlaid his mouth, causing the brunet to cry out in pain.

"Give up!" The boy demands, "I don't care if I have to bite every one of your fingers off, I'll be leaving with that box!" He declares and delivers a torturous blow to Eren's crotch, causing him to wheeze and topple over in pain. "Aha!" The boy proclaims as he nears his victory, emitting a cry of premature success.

Though, before his slender fingers are able to reach the jackpot, his worst fear is born into existence.

"My Prada boots!" He squeals in agony and fear as Eren holds the cherished shoe above his head triumphantly and a pained smirk creases onto his face. "Don't you dare you monster, they're monolith!"

"You rich people are all the same," Eren scoffs as he throws the boot aways behind him, not sparing a glance in the direction as the boy abandons the box in favor of running over to his beloved shoe. Eren limps over to the pink box and swipes it up with an exhausted sigh escaping his lips. "I win." He states in a cocky tone, taking pride over the brawl he emerged victorious from, already preening at the amount of bragging rights he had just earned himself. "Mikasa, you owe me big time- ack!"

Not without a war cry, the unrelenting stranger rams a shopping cart into Eren's body, forcing the brunet back onto the ground and causing the box to slip out of his grasp and slide onto the floor once again.

"Never mess with my Prada boots again," He heaves and delicately steps over to the abandoned box, taking it into his hold and placing a kiss atop the the printed flowers. "Auggie, you're awesome." He then turns to face Eren and boldly upturns his pierced nose at the sight of the older boy sprawled on the floor. "You put up a good fight, unfortunately for you I reign superio-"

"I didn't hear a bell!" Eren shouts as he springs up and tackles the shorter boy, resulting in the two wrestling on the ground once again, just as they had originally started. Scratching, kicking, and biting their way across the floor, though noticeably making zero progress towards the box they both sought out.

An awkward cough acts as the bucket of cold water that halts their movements, both boys craning their heads in the direction of the sound alike deers in headlights.

An employee that hauled a cart filled to the brim with pink cardboard boxes and printed purple flowers decorating their surfaces stood before their tangled ball of limbs, gifting them a critical stare. Leisurely, and hesitatingly so, she tucks the prized boxes where they belong, before scurrying away with her haul of products stacked into her squeaky cart.

An air of silence follows the departure of the poor retail worker, both boys remaining stunned by the sudden appearance. Though, after realizing what a compromising position they had been caught in, the unraveling of their limbs went unspoken as they stood simultaneously.

Another awkward cough, though this one originating from the brunet, filled the vacant space between the two. Eren grabs ahold of one of the boxes that was recently stocked, his head hanging low in embarrassment. "So..." He utters hesitatingly.

The younger boy clears his throat, "M sry." He mutters.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry! ...I know that Tswift joke was wrong of me."

Eren sighs in resignation, now realizing how idiotic his actions were, especially considering the fact that he seemed to be the older of the two. "It's fine. I guess we were both signed up for errand boy today, huh?"

The stranger shook his head, "Yeah but, to be honest, this is my first time going on a pad run for my sister. I wasn't 'old enough' a few years ago, and even then we don't usually do our own shopping. Our butler handles all of that."

"Oh..." It was stupid of Eren to forget that most people in his city were lathered in riches, but he did. His recent encounter with this new boy only furthered his forgetfulness, because what sort of opulent teenage boy was willing to engage in a full out brawl for a box of pads? "Well, either way. I'm guessing these aren't for you?"

"Nah, they're for my sister's friends. But, she can get pretty impatient real quickly and I'm not in the mood to deal with teenage Godzilla. She'd probably run me over with her convertible."

The mental image of Godzilla driving a convertible, only to then run over an edgy teen made Eren chuckle, "I get it, this size seems to be in high demand."

"My sister says that it's because of leakage, whatever the hell that means. I don't even think I want to know."

Eren smiled sympathetically, little brother ignorance was something he knew about all too well. "So, why are you here instead of your butler? I think I would have stood a better chance against him if I'm being honest."

The boy shrugs nonchalantly, "She says it's an emergency. Those girls can get pretty scary when in a state of panic. For being older than me, you'd think they'd be better at dealing with stress."

"I understand completely." Eren huffed in exhaustion, "My friends and I are dealing with these real popular kids at our school, we've got an ulterior motive of course, but we've seen a fair share of their antics and I can tell we'll have our hands full. At least the pay off will be worth it. We have a whole plan and everything."

The boy cackled a laugh that shook his whole body and clapped a palm onto the older boy's shoulder, "You don't say? What's such a good prize worth dealing with what seems to be a bunch of rich maggots eating away at your soul?" He asked.

"Well, it has to do with this girl..." Eren begun to attempt to elucidate the entire situation to this stranger but in the end only arrived with stutters, before he decided that the effort of reliving his trauma was not worth it. He sighed, "It's a long story."

Unexpectedly, a highly pitched rendition of 'I'm Just a Kid' began to chime in the stranger's pants, causing him to wince and groan in annoyance. "A story that I can't stay for, unfortunately." He muttered before slipping the device out of his pocket. "It's Godzilla." He confirmed his suspicions but made no moves to accept the call. Instead, he offered a jeweled hand towards the brunet.

This hand wasn't like the one that was offered to him earlier today. Instead of diamonds and gold, silver and various colored stones wrapped around this boy's digits, crowning them with luxury and status.

"My name's Augustine, but you can call me August." He paired with a friendly grin, bringing attention to the silver lip ring hung on his bottom lip.

For some reason, this boy struck something within Eren. He didn't know what it was, but there was a sense of reminiscence flooding his senses when he stared at his smile. The reminiscence that creeps up on you when you look at your sibling and recognize that the shirt they have on is in fact not theirs but yours.

He can't put his finger on it... but August reminded him of someone.

Nonetheless, he excepted his dressed hand with his own bare one. "Eren, it's just Eren."

"Alright, just Eren. I have to go, but hopefully I'll see you around!" August called out as he scampered down the aisle before Eren could have gotten another word of parting out.

What a nice guy, Eren hopes to see him again.

After grabbing the snacks that his newest friends had ordered, promptly ignoring 25 items on Armin's list, he pays the nice woman working the register and makes his departure. By the time he steps back on the pavement, the sun has begun its decent, painting the concrete buildings and vibrant trees in a golden hue.

Trost truly is a beautiful district — the architecture alone places it on a superior level when compared to many other extravagant districts out there.

Eren himself has never lived the kind of life that his new friends or acquaintances were born into. Although having a successful doctor for a dad, it was never an aspect that had ever brought upon wealth for the Jeager family. His mom rapidly rising in her fashion designer career is what has brought him to such a district as this one. Mrs. Jaeger is well on her way to being known for her individuality, and he couldn't be filled with more pride.

Having to leave his old school was pretty easy for him, he had never had many friends there anyway. Sure there were the few he could greet in the hallways, but none that had ever willingly stricken a genuine conversation with him, much less an interesting one. Though, that's not to say the experience of moving out of the blue in your senior year was something he was excited about either, that wouldn't be a nice time for anyone.

It was just his luck that he'd already made a fool out of himself on his very first day. In front of his crush to boot.

Y/N Ackerman.

He wouldn't lie to himself and proclaim that he has no feelings towards the girl. He quite literally puked on her because the amount of emotions she made him feel at a single glance proved to be overbearing to his body. Though, a portion of himself finds itself conflicted. Actually, scratch that - multiple portions of himself find themselves conflicted. As if the little people in his head are arguing against each other, and he isn't sure which side he should be on.

On one hand, the purple person that he decides to name Armeen is arguing that he should hate the girl. Mikasa said that Y/N had surely made it her goal to embarrass Eren in an attempt to solidify her superiority against him and that she was a vicious person with the ugliest soul she had ever seen. 

On another, the red person, Mika Mika, proclaimed that he already hates her. Armin and Mikasa have informed him of her vile friends, the people she willingly surrounds herself with. She condones their actions by mere association. Not to mention the absolute joke she had made of him, which was sure to have cost him a year's worth of ill-repute. Hell, probably even the rest of his soon to be miserable life.

But then, as if he had grown a sudden third hand, there appeared a pink person. This one unnamed, whispered details the other two would surely never approve of. How could she be a vicious person, when she had went out of her own way to not only invite him, but his only friends, to her highly anticipated game AND her own home, knowing that everyone in their grade had heard the abrupt invitation? She was willingly attempting to help him fix his image. How could the person those little people in his head describe as ruthless and callous, ever make his insides light on fire, as if he was a skewered rotisserie chicken on a white Sunday morning? How could the devil herself bring upon him feelings only talked about in movies?

Manipulation.

Gaslighting someone to their wits' end by batting her fluffy lashes. It's an old tactic really, but one that would never die out, nor could it. Eren isn't stupid, he knows the truth of the situation. How dire a messy set up like this could have affected her reputation as well, he gets it. Understands that measures need to be taken to prevail through such a trying time. When you're at the top, tiptoeing a razors edge, everyone at the bottom has a clear shot to shoot you down. Those mean comments and accusations of prejudice are just the paint strokes crafting a precise target onto her back.

But, to bring him and his friends into her little scheme?

To escape that threat, you need to move, and to move, you need stepping stones. Eren won't let himself or his friends be used as stepping stones.

That's exactly the reason why the three of them have developed a plan to knock her off of her prodigious throne. No longer will they allow the Queen Bee of Trost Academy to continue her reign of exploitation.

Instead, she will... shit her pants?

Well, that's the best they could come up with, so it'll have to do.

It was simple in nature really, Eren simply needed to buy her a drink, one that Mikasa claims has always been her favorite pick to drink before a game, though Eren still questions how she even had that information, and then he will offer that said drink to her as a peace offering.

A seemingly innocent gesture, except it's not. Mikasa was in charge of acquiring laxatives which they would infuse into the refreshment, which Y/N would drink and whatever happened next would be left up to fate. Though, Armin had elucidated three paths that which this plan could take.

Probability 1: She'd harbor a stomach ache, forcing her to be benched due to her poor performance, effectively eliminating the captain of Trost's varsity soccer team. Ruining her image, their chances of winning their vital game of the year, and her life.

Probability 2: She'd fart up a storm, or worse, ruining her image of the ideal senior of the year, their chances of winning their vital game of the year, and her life.

Probability 3: She'd pull an Eren and projectile vomit all over her teammates and opponents. Ruining her stellar image, their chances of winning their vital game of the year, and her life.

The third was preferred for their goal of seeking revenge, but they wouldn't complain if either of the other two played out perfectly.

"Finally, Eren! You took so long, we started to wonder if you had gotten lost on the way here." Armin says as the boy approaches their meeting spot.

"I did, three times. There is no need for this school to be so damn huge."

"Well, you're here now so..." Mikasa surreptitiously looks over her shoulder and then Eren's, "You got the goods?" She asks.

"Stop acting shifty Mikasa, you're making me nervy." Eren rebukes, eyes glancing from side to side in paranoia.

"Do you have it or not." She exasperatedly asks. He timidly ushers the plastic bag her way, his back moving to obstruct the exchange from any prying eyes. "Good boy, keep me covered and I'll crush these bad boys and then pour them in."

"Hurry 'Kasa, I don't wanna go to jail!" Armin's nerves get the best of him, and just as Mikasa began to pour the laxatives into the energy drink, his trembling palms latch onto her shoulders and begin to shake her back and forth. Unfortunately, the forcible motions cause her hand to slip and pour more than what was necessary for what they had planned. "Oops..." He breathes.

Eren's jaw drops at the amount, "Holy shit, are you- are you sure that's okay?" A dramatic gasp forcibly rasps his throat, "She's not actually gonna die, right?!"

"Uhm... no... I don't think so."

"What do you mean, you don't think so?!" He screeches.

"Ohmygosh,we'regoingtojailI'mnotbuiltforthatimgonnadie-"

"Armin, chill." Mikasa grits, before twisting the cap of the bottle and giving it a good shake. "She'll be fine, we're not going to jail. All that'll change is the addition of one more possibility, which is shitting her pants for real."

"I thought we were only joking about that? You mean she'll actually shart herself?" Eren asks.

"Yeah," Mikasa declares with no amount of remorse in her irises, simply tilting her head to face him head on, smirk standing proud on her lips. "Even better than we planned, right? Give the bitch the humiliation she deserves."

After a moment of maintaining arduous eye contact with the ravenette, Eren relents, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling instead and interlocking both hands in his shaggy hair. "You're crazy. Like deadass, you belong in a mental hospital."

"Okay but, wait. The bottle is already open, no one who has a right mind would accept an already opened drink from someone she met yesterday." Armin points out, ever the observer.

"Well, she's gonna have to in order for this plan to work..." Mikasa mumbles, lips pursing in thought. "Oh, Eren! Why don't you be a doll and offer to open it for her, that way she wouldn't even notice it has already been open." She announces with a proud nod, clearly impressed with her solution.

Eren however, isn't as impressed. If anything, the pit in his stomach twists and turns even tighter, bringing forth creases onto the surface of his skin as his face lightly scrunches in disgust. Playing a direct hand in the demise of anyone's athletic career can be catastrophic to the psyche, though he doubts Mikasa's is being affected much if at all.

"Fine."

"Good boy-"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Anyway, we should get going now. Or else, we'd be late. The game starts in 20 minutes, and the walk there is about five, give or take. Though, the introductions take up a good 10 to 15." She ignores the boy.

"Plus, we still need to find seats. Hopefully we won't have to sit on the opposing team's side, or else we'd be royally fucked." Armin adds as they exit the school building.

The pathway that leads them directly towards the stadium is beautiful and cleanly. The school itself is exceptionally cared for, with vibrant green bushes that looked as if they were clipped with the utmost precision. Marbled vases for various other plants and polished benches littered across the lawn oozed a luxurious aura.

"Who are they playing against?" Eren asks.

"I think it's Stohess Prep." Armin answers.

"Oh, that means drama~" Mikasa adds, "10 bucks Levi chokes out Coach Nile?"

"Mm, nah. 20 bucks it's Ymir and Hitch." Armin replies, pointer finger prodding at the fat of his cheek in thought.

"Oh, I forgot about those two. 30 Y/N is forced to step in either way."

"40 bucks she joins."

"50 that they recreate that one Euphoria scene from season 2."

"60 someone yells plus ultra."

"70 bucks Y/N gets hit by a bus and dies."

"..."

"..."

"Okay, you need an exorcist." Armin quips.

"I've been wondering, why do you hate her so much? There's gotta be history you're not telling me." Eren asks the girl.

It was true, he can feel the animosity she seemingly reigns in 24/7 and he wonders if it was at all reciprocated. Though, he has the feeling that it's heavily one sided.

"Mikasa and Y/N-"

"Armin, shut it." The girl grits before her friend could have thought to utter the remainder of his statement.

Eren groans, "Armin, don't shut it. Open it. Open it wide."

"Don't word it like that, Eren..."

"I just don't see the point," Mikasa admits, though her face was telling to how difficult the situation seems to be for her, "What's in the past should be left there, why open up that can of worms?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it's pretty damn obvious that those worms have been out for a while now. You don't think I've noticed how personal this seems to be for you?" Eren rebuts.

"Oh, and I'm not supposed to notice how personal this is for you? As in, more than just some revenge brought upon by petty high school humiliation?" She challenges, and her piercing gaze bore into Eren's own. "You've made your little crush pretty obvious, the addition of this information might change more than you think it would, Eren."

"Who I have a crush on is none of your business. Besides, yeah, I'll admit I'm not blind, I can tell Y/N is an attractive girl. You can't blame me for admitting so, but a silly little school crush is just a silly little school crush at the end of the day. I don't get how your past with her had anything to do with something as minuscule as that."

Mikasa's arms crossed before her chest in frustration, and she kept her head forward, not relenting at unsealing her lips. Though, Armin, being placed in the middle of both teens, hates being a quiet middleman.

"Y/N and Mikasa are cousins." He blurts.

Eren's jaw drops, "What?!" His fingers thread through his hair once again, this time gripping at the roots because what the actual fuck. "You're fucking with me, right?"

Armin shakes his head vehemently, "Deadass. They even have the same last name! You'd have never guessed, right?"

"Well, not really. Like, at all."

"Trust me, I wish it wasn't true either." Mikasa sighs.

Eren's arms flail before him defensively, "No! It's not that I wish it weren't true, it's just that it's hard to believe considering how you guys are like polar opposites. I mean she's so... y'know-" He awkwardly shrugs his shoulders, expecting the action to speak the words he couldn't find in himself to utter out loud. "And you're... y'know..."

Armin coughs, "Emo."

"I'm not emo! As a matter of fact, I'm not even a goth, contrary to popular belief. I'm just edgy, how hard is it to look up, people?!"

"...what's the difference?"

"Oh, shut up, Armin! That's why your balls haven't dropped!"

"You promised you wouldn't bring that up anymore!"

"Armin, your balls haven't dropped?"

"Oh, look! We're here!"

As Eren looked before them, he was met with the front of an impressive industrialized soccer stadium. The words 'Home of the Scouts' were engraved above the entrance in proud bold letters. He notices that they are currently standing in the middle of the massive parking lot, containing multiple first class busses bearing the titles 'Stohess Stallions'.

Guessing that those belong to the opposing team, and that team was no where to be found, Eren concludes that both teams must be inside already. Which begs the question, how late is this trio?

"You're in the way."

Eren nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden stern voice, and the freight was not limited to himself. Armin squeaks and hides behind his two friends, using them as human shields, though Mikasa simply whips around with a nasty scowl at her face because, who would have the audacity?

Oh, that's who.

"Hitch." She grits.

Coming face to face with a group of girls clad in forest green shorts and jersey's, though their matching team jackets obscured the latter, was intimidating, to say the least. The one standing with the most pride, right at the front and center, wore a smug smirk on her face that her short and wavy dirty blonde hair framed beautifully.

"Well, well, well, would you look at who we have here." She drawls with a laugh. "This is such an interesting trio you guys have going on."

"Mikasa who is this, and why did she come up to us like an anime villain?" Eren whispers towards the ravenette.

"Just our luck." The girl mutters under her breath, not at all a just answer in Eren's eyes, but he was not about to voice his thoughts.

The stranger eyeballs Eren in a way that a certain Ackerman did just a few hours earlier in the day, though this time it did not have him weak in the knees, instead an eerie shiver ran down the length of his spine and caused him to gulp down a yelp.

"Come lookin' for a barf bag, new kid?" She decides to single him out directly, "You know, it's almost funny. I always have the same reaction you did when I see Ackerman as well! I don't blame you, hell, I'd even praise you if it wasn't so disgustingly embarrassing." She jests. "You are new aren't ya? Man, the balls you must have to pull that stunt on your very first day. Oh, the look on her face was enough to have me in tears, I've got to tell you."

"It wasn't on purpose." He mumbles with an eye roll.

"Oh, be careful Hitch. You'll make him mad and we just had our jerseys dry cleaned." Comes a voice from beside her, one of her teammates presumably. This draws out many more chuckles from the group of girls, causing Eren's cheeks to heat up from the jab at his poor stomach.

That voice, low but smooth, causes both Armin and Mikasa to stiffen, as if they had recognized it.

"No way..." Armin mutters, his eyes widening in surprise as the owner of the voice made herself visible.

Another blonde, though this one a paler tone, with glacial blue eyes and a sloped nose emerged from the group, a large bag slung over her shoulders and purple cleats hanging from her fingers.

She had an aura about her, one familiar to Eren. One that wrapped itself around every throat and forced the people around her to pay her heed.

"You're right, Annie. Coach would bench us if we happened to sully them and he can't afford to bench his star players." Hitch agrees, though her eyes are not on her apparent teammate. Instead, they seemed to be inspecting Armin and Mikasa's faces, clearly amused by their starstruck expressions.

"Kasa, do something..." Armin whispers.

"What do you want me to do, hex her?"

"Mikasa, long time no see." Annie continues. It seems that the two know each other, perhaps they are old friends? What a heartwarming reunion. "How's it feel living in your cousins shadow?"

Or, perhaps not.

Mikasa's eyes darken and she begins to fumble in her bag for a pair of scissors, "I quite like the shadows, it gives me a place to properly plan your downfall. Maybe even your murder."

Hitch gasps and feigns a frightened expression, "Oh shiver me timbers, small emos are so scary."

"I'll show you scary cunt-"

"Hey hey hey! What's going on here?" Connie unexpectedly appears from behind the trio, his arms making their way around their shoulders. "You guys will be late if you keep loitering around."

"You could never be Bokuto." One of the girls murmur.

"Oh, Connie, I'm so glad you're here. Bend down a little will you? I feel like I have something stuck in my teeth." Hitch jests as she rubs a finger across her pearly whites.

"Aha, funny." Connie grits, "Hey, how's Marlowe by the way? I imagine he's better since he left you for, who was it again?" He asks with a false pensive look.

"Her mom." Armin declares with a proud grin.

The girl clenches her jaw and scowls, "Fuck you, Connie. Isn't yours chilling upside down on a roof?"

"Wrong AU, hitch."

"At least my hair doesn't make me look like I call corporate." Connie retorts.

"Yeah, well at least-"

"Hitch, we don't have time for this." Annie interrupts, holding her wrist out and allowing her teammate to glance at her watch... is that a Rolex? "We still need to warmup."

Eren doesn't think he has ever seen Connie's eyes darken as much as they did then, shooting daggers at the blonde on par with the ones Mikasa fires at her cousin. "You finally decide to talk, Annie?" He calls the girl out.

Without even sparing him a glance, she states a monotone, "I have nothing to say to you." And walks away from the group in pursuit for the entrance.

Following her departure, Hitch scowls at the fact that she too should follow. "Whatever, I'll save my energy for your little friends on the field. You better watch your captain, it'd be a shame if she forgets her place and mysteriously finds herself on her knees where she belongs."

"Don't dish out what you can't take." Connie asserts.

The girl simply rolls her eyes, "Let's go." She says and takes her leave, taking her army of followers along with her.

"Saweetie did it better!" Armin yells after her, to which Mikasa agrees and waves her hand daintily at the group.

"Man, you are having the worst of luck today, aren't you, Eren?" Connie says with a guffaw.

Eren groans and holds his head in his hands. "Trust me, I know."

"I'm surprised you held your own, Connie. Considering that was literally Annie... and she's with Stohess." Mikasa says.

The boy sighs, "Yeah, I know. Fortunately, Reiner found out yesterday, so we weren't as blind sided. Though, we still haven't told the team, and that's been a topic of discourse amongst a couple of our friends." He answers, and the pained expression on his face almost forces Eren to feel sorry for him.

Almost.

Shaking his head lightly to disperse his frown, he instead returns his attention towards the brunet once again. "Anyway, don't worry about Hitch. She's always like that. It's petty school rivalry shit that we used to have with Marley till they shut that school down. Now Stohess thinks they need to step up and claim the spot as our rivals." He explains, though Eren laughs at the ridiculousness of his joke.

They're in high school, clearly it wouldn't actually be that serious, right?

Why is Eren the only one laughing?

"No literally, look." Connie says and juts a finger towards the busses they had spotted earlier. Eren hadn't spotted it before, but right under the school name seemed to be the words, 'Trost Academy rivals! Fuck Marley and Fuck Trost!'

"Oh..." Eren utters breathily, "We're too old for this shit."

"Anyway, we should really get going or else we won't find good seats." Armin ushers his friends with his hands.

"Oh!" Connie exclaims with a newfound grin, one that Eren thinks fits him better than his previous frown. "Don't worry about your seats, you can come chill with us. We've already saved some for you guys."

Armin gasps dramatically and his eyes nearly bulge out of his skull. "Y-you mean, your VIP section? We get to sit in VIP?!" He screeches. Even Mikasa seems taken aback, her jaw slack and her brows hiding behind her bangs, though she didn't dare voice it.

"Yup! Though I had no idea it was called that, Sasha is gonna freak when I tell her!" The teen buzzes with anticipation. "I'll lead the way, come on."

As they begin to follow him, Eren leans into Armin's ear to ask, "Why are they called the VIP seats?"

Armin sputters, "Why else, Eren? They're the best seats in the stadium. The plastics are the only ones to ever use the space, but today we're making history."

"We haven't even told you about the rest of their clique." Mikasa adds.

"The rest? There're more than the eight we've talked about?"

"Oh Eren... there are levels to this shit, okay? Not to mention, lore." Armin says whilst his fingers wiggle before Eren's face to build suspense.

"For instance, remember Annie from earlier? The blondie with blue eyes and a tongue as sharp as a dagger?" Mikasa asks.

"Yeah?"

"Well, she might not act like it, but she's a retired plastic."

"What? You mean she attended Trost at one point? Also, you can retire? Why would she retire?"

"She didn't just attend Trost, she was a founding member of the plastics. A true OG. She helped run our halls. In fact, I'd go as far to say that she was once closer to Y/N than Jean has ever been." Armin said.

"Then, what would make her willingly give that up?"

"Something so simple and obvious, yet achingly torturous that you wouldn't help but sympathize with her. Especially someone like you, wearing your heart on your sleeve like that." Mikasa lightly jabs at her friend.

"Just tell me, 'kasa. I'm not as soft hearted as you think I am." Eren grumbles.

"Unrequited love."

Eren's breath catches in his throat at her words, for he couldn't believe what she was implying. "W-what? You're telling me..."

"Yup," Armin decides to finish his sentence, "We're not sure which way it went or how exactly it went down, but...

One of those girls loved the other far deeper than just mere friendship."

Taglist: @idreamitski @str4wberrylover @jesus-son-of-god @hoejosblindfold @caycaysblogg @simpingmyassoff @youatemylollipop @enouche @longestline [comment to be added, dm to be removed!]

A/N: im sorry this took so long, its shorter than the last but twice as long as my first draft 😟

[absenthearted]

FIC: BEFORE THE ENDING, A DANCE the quarry | travis/laura | work-in-progress | pacific rim AU

The day after the kaiju attack on Anchorage, Laura Kearney has her first drift compatibility trial with her partner. It doesn’t go well.

Seven years after the apocalypse begins, Laura Kearney enlists in the Jaeger Academy on Kodiak Island. There, she meets Travis Hackett, her instructor and a retired Jaeger ranger. To achieve her dream of piloting a Jaeger, Laura must find a drift-compatible partner. It's just not as easy as she thinks.

[foursaints]

the pacific rim wolfstar AU would break this website i fear... what if a dirty coastal-wall engineer who grew up in the bone slums & the jaeger academy's most carefully nepotized and highest-profile cadet were drift compatible. and what if they could only pilot a giant robot by peeling back each layer of their psyche and painstakingly inviting the other to share their brain, their neural pathways, reliving each second of the other's history. together as one. and what if they were strangers forced to do this. and punched gigantic radioactive sea monsters about it....

[oranjeleeuw]

hows the pacific rim au going ???? its such a neat idea and i need ppl to draw concept art for it

DO I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU MY FRIEND

First of all, life happened and happened for good, I couldn't write much before but Now. NOW is the time.

I planned and plotted a lot during the whole year I first came up with the idea and I have a kind of strong base for the AU. I also have a brilliant beta by my side, my dear friend Frog (@faramircaptainofgender), so hopefully during this summer this idea will be shared with you all outside our little friend group.

I'll take this opportunity and shamelessly turn my answer into a main post for the AU.

 ╔════════════════╗

the title:

Human within the Machine

[brief synopsis]

The Nations of the world developed a simulation where future Jaeger pilots can practice for in-action cases. Max Verstappen outshines every other contestants in the history of drifting, there's only one problem - he's no team player.

Charles Leclerc is determined to stop the Kaijus and end their reign, once and for all. He lost his parents due to kaiju attacks, now he feels responsible not only to avenge their deaths, but to bring a brighter future to his brothers.

Jaeger engineering is living its golden age, there is money in it and many enthusiastic contestants who are not entirely aware of the horror that awaits them out at the ocean.

[disclaimer]

There’s no main plot (as in: I am not planning on detailed world-building neither to save the world from kaijus, I am smaller than that), the endgame is to get Max into an active combat where he drifts with Charles and they’re in the Il Predestinato (the legendary Jaeger that has been out of service for a decade, waiting for the right co-pilots). Everything before and in between are just themes I desire to explore within the possibilities of this AU.

 ╔════════════════╗

I have a playlist that helps me to stay inspired, songs are not in order yet though, but as I said earlier, chapters are meant to be kind-of standalone scenes, existing in their own moods and settings.

Each chapter will have its own chosen background music linked to them. I also added many symphonic songs just to get in the mood for some combat scenes.

 ╔════════════════╗

[good to know]

Roles: In the case of HwtM we have active and passive characters in this story. Due to the fact that many scenes are set in drift-memories, where not everything is factual and we are in the mix of memories and feelings, some characters will only appear and speak through these moments. Therefore they fall into the passive category - they are the legends. I will talk about them in their own post but the gist of it is what I wrote above, they cannot speak for themselves so we will only see them through tilted lenses: idolised, villanised, or the mix of both.

Which also means another thing - everyone is an unreliable narrator.

Teams and Jaegers: Since this is the golden age of Jaeger engineering, we will have many-many Jaegers. So far I named only a few, but to stay true to the source material, I'm trying to make them just as cheesy yet compelling as the ones were in the movies. The constructor teams from real life are not so different from what they represent in HwtM, but I altered some of their names to fit more into the world (older names or older sounding names of some teams since the future that Pacific Rim has is basically our present. I was aiming for some retro-vibe).

Here, they are different detachments under the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, in the Jaeger Academy division. I’m planning on working with Merc, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and of course Redbull.

Mercedes is called Benz

Ferrari is called Alfa Romeo

Red Bull is Toro Rosso

The other two stay under the same name.

Ships to look out for: it is a Lestappen-centered story (if I am really honest with you, it’s Max-centered first of all) but on the side-lines we will look into some depths of Carlando, Galex and Maxiel in…some way. Please-please keep in mind, that these won’t be fully developed romantic relationships in the fic, I’m reporting from the minds and souls of these boys, objectively perceived scenes between them will be rare and much more comrade-like.

 ╔════════════════╗

That is all I planned to share for starters. Feel free to ask about the process or anything really, that is related to this project, it’s my beloved child and can’t wait to share it all with others!

[dat-town]

fight the hurricane

Characters: Sunwoo & female reader

Setting & genre: Pacific Rim au, action, angsty with hopeful ending

Summary: In the middle of a war against alien monsters, there was a war going on inside your mind and heart too, guilt and memories eating you away. Then comes a boy who doesn’t need to Drift with you to understand you completely.

Warnings: canon-typical violence, grief, survivor’s guilt, deceased parents, past minor character death, bleeding

Words: 10.1k

Author’s note: title is from Pacific Rim; “There are things you can't fight, acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly, you can fight the hurricane. You can win.” if i had a nickel for every time i made Sunwoo the prodigy new guy in town i would have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it happened twice.

happy name day @lily-blue <3

By your early twenties, you had been well accustomed with the feelings of loss, grief and guilt. But again, most people were in the world you lived in.

You had been 12 when the first monster came from the sea. You had seen it all over the tv and as a kid, it had seemed exciting like a Hollywood movie and you hadn’t taken it seriously. Even your parents had been doubtful it wasn’t just the media trick.

But more and more monsters had come from the depth of the Pacific Ocean, destroyed beach towns and killed its people. They had been named Kaiju (which meant ‘strange beast’ in Japanese as your father had explained), then the Pan Pacific Defence Corps had gotten established and the Jaeger program (meaning ‘hunter’ in German) had started. It had gotten too real too quick.

You had been 14 when you had first seen a Kaiju in real life. A single one was enough to pulp your hometown into the ground. You had been shivering the whole time you had seen it march through the island. Your first thought had been that it looked like a mix of a dinosaur and an alien and the second had been that you were going to die.

You hadn’t died that day but your parents had. It had been too late when their bodies had been found under the collapsed building of your home.

A month later you had moved into the Busan Jaeger Academy and a year later Jiwon had joined too. Back then you had no idea that she would be your other half. Best friends was too mundane of a word to describe your bond.

You had been 20 when she had died… no, not just died; when she had been killed. Died was such a passive word as if she wasn’t fighting until the last moment with the Category IV Kaiju by your side in Virtual Angel, your Jaeger. The truth was that you hadn’t just lost her. You had lost yourself too. You had trained together for five years and had been active Rangers for almost two years. Something like that cannot be erased merely by death, especially not with the neural link connection you had. You had shared memories, feelings and perspectives. Sometimes you still heard her voice in your head.

After you had gotten out of the hospital, you had been declared ‘mentally unable to return to piloting’ and been transferred from the Rangers to the LOCCENT. Maybe it had indeed been for the better. You weren’t sure you could have survived losing somebody close to you again.

“Category IV Kaiju alert! I repeat: Category IV Kaiju alert,” the intercom blared through the Busan Shatterdome just like it had done simultaneously in every other Shatterdome in the world when the PPDC issued a warning. “Goddess Mercy, report to standby. I repeat…”

The voice blurred in your mind as you hurried to put on your uniform and run to the Local Command Center. Research found that Kaiju arrivals were in a certain pattern, so your scientists always predicted the next attack’s time even if they were eventually hours off. It was better to be prepared for something than to not expect it at all or always be frenzy about it.

“Reporting to duty, sir,” you saluted when you arrived at the mission control unit. Marshall Lee Sangyeon nodded at you but kept his eyes on the big screen where the Kaiju tracking was displayed. You could see the vast red spot moving fast in the blueness of the ocean, heading towards Taiwan. You swore as you took your seat next to Changmin who was on standby duty all night in case something like this happened.

“What’s the strategy?” You asked as you pulled up the necessary maps and the information on the Kaiju that the PPDC sensors could tell such as size, toxicity, speed and such when they passed through the Breach, an interdimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. It was useful to know what you were up against as well as for the headquarters to decide how many Jaegers they would send to neutralize the threat in the ocean before it could reach and attack land.

“Juyeon and Hyunjae are getting ready. Canada sends the Snow Leopard with Jacob and Kevin and Japan reported to dispatch Rogue Kitsune too,” Changmin told you as he checked on the engineering process on your side.

“It will be Fumiya’s first battle with his new co-pilot, right?” You hummed, briefly contemplating that it could be you as well if you were strong enough to go back after losing Jiwon. Before Changmin could have confirmed, your focus shifted to the LOCCENT’s huge window because on the other side, the giant metal mecha of Goddess Mercy was gearing up for battle.

“Ranger Lee is standing by,” you heard Hyunjae’s voice in your headset, echoed by Juyeon’s and you could see on the camera on your computer screen that both of them were already in their drivesuits, heading towards the Conn Pod, the currently detached cockpit of their Jaeger. Under them dozens of J-Tech engineers worked to make sure the Jaeger was in great condition to be exported and to fight.

In the meantime technicians helped the two pilots to get fully into gear and attached the spinal clamp needed for the neural transmission.

“Their life functions and vitals are okay,” you announced after scanning the results on your screen.

“Rangers, ready?” The Marshall asked which got immediate responses:

“Yes, sir!”

“Ready to kick some Kaiju ass,” Hyunjae grinned his signature smile.

“Neural handshake initiated,” Gahyeon stated a few seconds later and you could immediately see the spike in both Juyeon’s and Hyunjae’s heart rate as well as their brain receptors’ activity. They were a well synced pair, so by the time the Conn Pod was attached to the Jaeger’s mechanical brain, the technician also announced that the drift was successful.

“Goddess Mercy is ready to launch,” Juyeon said and the Jaeger moved its right hand as a proof. Soon eight V-50 Jumphawks airlifted the monstrous size of mecha and flew it towards the ocean to drop them near the vicinity of the Kaiju.

It might have been just the two of them out there putting their lives on the line along with the other Rangers, but every Kaiju battle was teamwork. Everybody in the Shatterdome watched the huge monitor displays and followed their movements over the map via GPS signs and drones sent with them. Your team in the control room was responsible for keeping an eye on the pilots’ health, the stability of their neural connection, the Jaeger’s condition, the Kaiju’s whereabouts and the battle’s surroundings. Admittedly you had only started to appreciate this side of the work after getting disqualified as a Ranger yourself and you didn’t mind that it was only the pilots and their Jaegers that were celebrated as heroes because every win was a victory for humanity no matter who took credit or not.

“Drop happening in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… release!” Changmin counted down and you saw the transporting aircrafts release the harnesses holding Goddess Mercy in air and the metal giant landed in the water with a big splash but safely.

“Kaiju incoming from northeast, estimated arrival in 56 seconds,” you recited the information based on the map and simulation calculations into the microphone. “Snow Leopard is already on the radar too. Rogue Kitsune just left the Tokyo base.”

“It’s going to be eas–” Hyunjae’s words got cut off when something moved in the dark waters around them and the next moment they were dragged underwater.

This Kaiju was not only big in size but it had 8 long snake-like tentacles curling around Goddess Mercy’s legs. The pilots were clearly taken aback by the unexpectedly quiet attack but they managed to overthrow the slippery looking monster, engaging in hands-on combat.

Due to the toxicity and radiation level of Kaijus, it was important to make sure they bleed the least because their blue fluids could make waters poisonous and kill wildlife, flora as well as people in contact. Old solutions such as dropping nuclear missiles on them had been deemed terrible choices too due to the destruction it caused nearby. Jaegers were people’s best hope.

Hyunjae and Juyeon were fighting the monster the best they could but with its many arms, they were mostly forced to protect themselves especially because the Kaiju seemed to attack their power cell on purpose. Unfortunately the K-scientists also predicted the growth of intelligence level in higher category Kaijus. They seemed to learn during their visits and they kept evolving.

It was a relief when Snow Leopard arrived and lured the alien giant away from Goddess Mercy. This way the two of them could charge at the Kaiju at once.

“Rangers, report! Are you okay?” Marshall Lee called out for your pilots and everybody waited for their answer with their breath held back. Based on their health measurements on your screen, their adrenaline levels went frenzy but they were otherwise okay. It was the Jaeger that had some red areas in their right shoulder on the heatmap.

“We are good. Mercy’s right arm has gone limp though,” came the answer and Hyunjae’s grunting about not underestimating these bastards again could be heard.

They tried to hit and punch the Kaiju for a while, circling around it but since its tentacles were longer than the Jaeger arms, it seemed like it was just playing with them. Then Goddess Mercy released its built-in sword from its operating arm and cut off one tentacle of the Kaiju. It seemed to simultaneously weaken and piss it off, so after the blade cut off another limb, the Kaiju pushed Snow Leopard away just enough to pay more attention to Goddess Mercy as it jumped upon its chest, making the mecha lose its footing and before they could push it off or the other Jaeger could pull it off, two of its remaining tentacles pierced through the Conn Pod’s glass windows, the Jaeger’s ‘eyes’ and two others attacked the energy center in its chest, the two weakest point of the metal monstrum. Then with a snapping sound, the Kaiju ripped the Conn Pod out of the Jaeger and sent the pilots flying.

You spoke up at the same time as Gahyeon, alarmed.

“Life functions are dropping low.”

“Connection from Rangers to Jaeger is lost.”

“Send an emergency team! Get them out of there!” The Marshall shouted while the Canadian Jaeger and the just arriving Japanese one successfully neutralized the Kaiju after cutting off all its extra limbs.

Still, with the victory celebrated, your breathing was still shaky as your memories of the emergency staff pulling you out of your drivesuit was too vivid. Jiwon’s fear before your connection was cut off was too much.

You didn’t even notice that you were trembling, just when Changmin put a warm hand over your back.

“It’s over,” he whispered and you forced yourself to nod.

It’s over. For now. Your gaze glided to the huge counter on the dome’s main hall showing the time since the last Kaiju arrival: 0 days, 0 hours, 47 minutes.

At this rate, who knows when the next one will come? When will it end?

With Juyeon and Hyunjae recovering in the hospital from both physical injuries and the mental stress of sudden neural link detachment, the Busan Shatterdome and its area was defenseless and depended on the help of others. The PPDC headquarters in Seoul decided that Jeju should send their cadets to Busan to test drift compatibility between the two Shatterdomes’ residents. Busan needed new co-pilots but the more, the merrier, so the decision was applauded on all fronts except the new dorm assignments among cadets. You didn’t mind sharing a room with two more girls, especially because this was a temporary situation until the eleven Jeju cadets stayed over. Other than the housing issues though, their arrival brought excitement too. It was rare when the Shatterdome got new cadets other than following the Jaeger Academy graduation, so everybody was gossiping about the new residents. They were welcomed with an informal dinner but the next day they were in the combat rooms for training already.

“Aren’t you coming? Eric will miss you,” Changmin teased when you were leaving the canteen but you just rolled your eyes at the mention of the other boy.

“He will survive,” you shrugged. “I have a night shift tonight, so I’m going to ditch that for a nap.”

Trainings at the dome were open to anybody either to watch or participate. Sometimes you joined in for old times sake and to get in your exercise amount for the day but without Jiwon it wasn’t the same. Sometimes you went to watch though, mostly to annoy Eric with your unasked advice. He wasn’t a bad fighter, just a bit reckless and impatient.

That day you were sure the combat room would be full of people because everybody would be curious to see if there were promising matches between two cadets that show innate synchronization, the kind that was needed so two minds could pilot the same Jaeger at the same time. However with Busan’s six cadets in training and the ones coming from Jeju, the number of combinations were high, so it would take days, especially if retired ex-Rangers would like to try again too. It wasn’t unheard of that a Ranger who had once lost their partner would find another to match with but you weren’t planning on going back to the field. Not necessary out of fear, more of guilt. It had been years and you still didn’t forgive yourself for what happened to Jiwon.

Changmin promised to inform you if anything interesting happened but then you parted ways, his leading towards the training halls and yours to the dorms. Right after Kaiju attacks, you slept better knowing that you should be safe for a while but when the next predicted date was nearing you always had trouble sleeping properly, so you wanted to make the most out of these chances not only for the night shift but also for your sake as well.

By the time you woke up and got ready for work, you had like a dozen of texts from Changmin including a picture of Eric wincing at the bruises he received thanks to a girl from Jeju. Served him right though. He always went easier on girls, which might have been gentlemanly on his part but it was just stupid in your opinion, maybe that’s why you never synced either.

When you got to the LOCCENT room, Younghoon was already there.

“Hey, is there anything?”

“Nothing luckily,” he turned towards you with a greeting nod which you reciprocated.

You glanced at the giant counter that showed that it had been almost 6 days since the last attack. The K-scientists predicted at least 12-14 more before the next one based on the recent pattern but you could never know, that’s why shifts and keeping an eye out on the sensors and tectonic movements was important.

“How are Hyunjae and Juyeon?” you asked as you took a seat and signed in to your computer. Younghoon was close with the two boys since they had all grown up together but he hadn’t had a shift when his friends had gotten injured, so it must have felt terrible to just watch it from the sidelines. Not that he could have done anything from the control room. Ranger life was unpredictable like this.

“They are getting better. It will take a while for Juyeon’s broken arm to heal and both of them are still experiencing migraines because of the neural disconnection. It could have been a lot worse,” the boy noted and you knew that he was right. Some Rangers had permanent brain damage after something went wrong during Drift. That’s also why two pilots were needed to control a Jaeger, it would have been too much on one single individual.

“That’s good,” you let a small, reassuring smile paint your lips because their health mattered more than anything. But you couldn’t help but ask, your past self’s guilt towards Jiwon, the Shatterdome, the purpose of the program, sweeping into your bones. “Did they say anything about staying as Rangers?”

Younghoon looked at you with knowing eyes, like he knew exactly why you were asking. He was already at LOCCENT when you were assigned this new job after being discharged from the hospital.

“No. Maybe they are waiting for the official evaluation,” he said and you nodded. Honestly, it was hard to imagine Busan’s best duo as anything other than Rangers but then again, once you couldn’t imagine your life differently either. You had thought you would either spend your life fighting with Kaijus until humanity won or die in a Jaeger. Surviving alone had never been an option. Until it was.

On quiet nights like this when there was a low chance for a Kaiju attack, your work wasn’t particularly interesting. You recorded some info about the Pacific Ocean, the sensors’ data and created a report to submit but otherwise you were mostly reading or talking with Younghoon about Shatterdome and PPDC gossip. By the time the next shift arrived at 6AM to take over you got to know all the exciting details of the training day with the Jeju cadets.

You liked early mornings like this because everything was quiet and calm. In a few hours J-technicians would be busy running around fixing up Jaegers and building new ones, K-scientists would yell about the newest discoveries and Ranger-to-bes would compete over who could get to the combat room or the canteen the fastest. No need to get you wrong, you loved the lively atmosphere of the Shatterdome, you loved feeling the purpose that bound all of you together, the comradeship but there was something in the serenity at dawn that could finally placate your messy mind.

You walked up on the metal stairs over the hangar, right until the catwalk that led over to the other side of the building. You loved this one the most, not only because it was the highest point somebody could get without being in a mecha’s cockpit but if you sat down in the middle of it, you could face the patched up version of Virtual Angel. Your former Jaeger.

You had gained the habit of coming out here to face the elegant metal body of the weapon that once had been partly yours after what had happened with your co-pilot. The three of you, the Jaeger, Jiwon and you had shared something special. You had neutralized enough Kaijus to make any parent proud but not enough, never enough, and while you could have never made yourself pilot Virtual Angel again, she deserved to be in the spotlight again, to fight more. You hoped she would have the chance.

So early in the morning the place was always empty but not this time. You faltered when you saw a stranger sitting in your usual place, staring ahead, at the lined up Jaegers in the hangar as if he was pondering about something. He must have been deep in thought because he didn’t seem to notice your approach until you were only a few steps away from him. When he did though, he looked up at you with eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s my place,” you told him without greeting. The boy your age looked confused for a moment as he looked at the metal structure holding both of your weight about 75 meters over the ground.

“I didn’t see your name here,” he looked back at you with a tilt of his plush lips and you raised a brow, watching him do the same, his brown hair falling into his likewise dark eyes in soft waves. He wore the Jeju cadets’ uniform, same as your formal one but with a different symbol over the heart. But it was too early for even the cadets to be up.

“You don’t even know my name,” you retorted, which made the boy tilt his head in a mischievous way.

“Are you sure about that?” He questioned because he added. “Or maybe it’s my way of asking.”

“Funny, aren’t you?” You let out a little huff of laughter at that and then slid down onto the catwork and sat down next to the boy, a good arm length away, hanging your legs down, leaning against the railing. After spending years looking down from this height through the Conn Pod of Virtual Angel, you weren’t afraid of heights anymore nor the idea of falling scared you. You couldn’t be sure about the side of your unexpected companion though.

“Can’t sleep?” You found yourself asking but you didn’t look at the boy. You kept your eyes on the silver and baby blue paint over the copper Jaeger.

The cadet hummed, confirming but not elaborating. You didn’t expect it, you were strangers after all even if you were fighting the same war. You just sat down quietly for a while, not in awkward but more of a comforting silence, just the type you particularly liked on mornings like this.

“She’s beautiful,” the guy spoke up a bit later when the Sun was already up over the horizon, painting orange hues over the glass dome above your head, casting bright light over the three mechas. At first, you were confused who was the she he talked about but then you saw that he was looking at Virtual Angel too and you couldn’t help an albeit small but genuine smile.

“She really is, huh?” You agreed, feeling warmth in your chest like when somebody complimented something you could be proud of.

“I’m Sunwoo by the way.”

You turned your head to face the guy, wondering what kind of stories he could hide behind that smile of his, what kind of dreams or fears could drive him here, 75 meters high at the crack of dawn.

“I’m Y/N,” you reciprocated the introduction, forgetting about his previously mentioned intentions.

“I know,” Sunwoo nodded with a secretive smile but then he bobbed his head towards Virtual Angel. “She’s yours.”

Ah, so he really knew who you were. You weren’t sure how to feel about that.

“She was,” you corrected him, which was followed by a beat of silence.

“Aren’t you going back out there?” He asked and it seemed more genuinely curious than blaming. Some people in his shoes would have called you a coward or weak, some people would have done anything to find a partner to pilot a Jaeger together and fight but you weren’t even trying anymore.

“No, I’m not,” you confirmed, picking your nails and you weren’t sure what you expected in response. Pity? Anger? You certainly didn’t expect the boy to get playful.

“Then if I manage to sync up with somebody, can I take her out for a ride?” He raised an eyebrow and the way he phrased it made you flabbergasted.

“Are you asking for my permission?” You chuckled because it was ridiculous. PPDC owned the Jaeger, they had every right to give it to anybody who was suitable. She wasn’t really yours to begin with. But Sunwoo didn’t seem to relent. “Okay, fine. If you are cleared to pilot, kill some more Kaijus with her.”

“It would be an honor,” the guy grinned, a gummy smile showing and you weren’t sure what it was about him and his cockiness but you found yourself rooting for this random stranger to get the green light. Scientifically there was a chance of 1 to 25 that somebody would complete a successful drift without extensive training together but maybe he would be the lucky one.

Speaking of training, Sunwoo’s smartwatch pinged with a notification and he looked apologetic as he stood up.

“Gotta go for my morning run,” he excused himself and you just nodded, planning to head towards the canteen for breakfast soon anyways. You waved him off, ignoring his sly smile. You turned back to Virtual Angel, mentally warning her not to get her hopes up as if the giant mecha could have feelings on its own. It was all just in your mind.

The rest of the day passed in a blur like it often did when you had a night shift. You ate breakfast with a few early birds then went to sleep off your tiredness. At lunch you were sitting with Haknyeon from J-Tech and Chanhee from the K-science Lab when Eric slid to your table. He already wore his clothes for training, a tight fitting tee and shorts, his blonde hair flopping onto his forehead, his smile contagious.

“Are you free this afternoon?” He asked, looking at you intently.

“Hello to you too,” Chanhee muttered from the excited boy’s side, continuing to eat his dumplings the same as before, unfazed by Eric’s one track mind.

“Depends. Why?” You asked but just to be difficult, just to hear him ask you. It was just harmless teasing. You knew exactly what he wanted. You had been friends since the Jaeger Academy. If it wasn’t for Jiwon, he probably would have counted as your best friend. Even if you both had changed since then.

“We’re doing the second rounds of trainings with the new kids. I got assigned with the dude who beat everybody yesterday. Apparently he was also on the top of his classes back in Jeju too,” he chattered which made Haknyeon next to you snort.

“What kind of flowers would you like at your funeral then?” He joked which earned him a scowl but you knew Eric didn’t take it seriously either, not with that pout he looked at you.

“Please, I need you as emotional support,” he said then quietly added: “And your expertise.”

Back at school and even later at Ranger training like this you were the best strategist of your class. You might not have been the strongest but you were smart and hardworking. While the goal of these training sessions was to learn about combat skills and how to move and work together well, eventually when it came to fights, there was rarely not a winner. But even with hits and kicks delivered it was always obvious when two people just balanced each other out. It was something either innate or integrated over years, you couldn’t help Eric with that. What you could help though was analyzing this other guy’s fighting skill with other people to advise Eric about how to counterattack.

“I heard that he’s getting desperate. He hasn’t matched with anybody since he was sixteen,” Chanhee spoke up and while he himself sounded disinterested every head turned towards him at his claim.

“How do you even know that?”

“Just because I don’t talk a lot, it doesn’t mean I’m not listening to what’s going on around me,” the scientist assistant rolled his eyes at all the surprise his claim received.

You hummed, not promising Eric anything, just shoved a dumpling into his mouth, but you were certainly intrigued. You were curious how would somebody like that fight in the ring, whether he was calm because he had been doing this a thousand times already or would he be on edge, trying to prove himself every time he set a foot on the tatami. You were actually curious about it now.

So without much more pestering, you found yourself in the Kwoon combat room with Changmin and Chaewon by your side. The pairs and the match order was randomized but Eric told you that the guy would be in the third round with Beomgyu and their own match would be the seventh. Matches could last from a few minutes up to an hour maximum (stopped by the referee) and while it often ended in about fifteen to twenty minutes, the best balanced pairs could go on and on for long with close scores.  You and Jiwon preferred Muay Thai, with her it felt like a dance you both knew the steps to.

The first two pairs weren’t really interesting, they were very off-balanced too, ending in less than five minutes but you could tell everybody was excited to see the infamous new guy who apparently hadn’t lost yesterday because whispers started the moment your Navy soldier-turned-trainer announced the next match.

You knew Beomgyu, so your gaze immediately cut to the other side of the painted square, breath hitching when you saw the guy from dawn. His name echoed off the walls now that you recognized him. Unlike the morning where he was in his proper uniform, now he wore gray joggers and a black tank top, loose over his frame, his sun kissed skin glinting under the yellow light of the room.

You cleared your throat and forced yourself to focus on the match in a professional manner, since that was why you were there after all. To help Eric like a good friend would, not to drool over a guy’s biceps after a single encounter. But honestly, Sunwoo’s good looks were soon forgotten because the moment the fight started, you could tell why he made a name for himself. He moved like a predator inside that square and Beomgyu didn’t stand a chance.

“So? What do you think?” Eric nudged your shoulder, excitement and nervousness mixing in his hushed voice.

“His fighting style is similar to yours,” you responded without thinking, craning your neck to lean closer, to see better as Sunwoo cornered Beomgyu, his stick stopping just below the other’s chin, earning him another point.

“What? No! He is so… aggressive,” Eric laughed but the sound was off, a bit worried as if he was wondering if he looked aggressive too then. You shook your head.

“No, he’s just confident and being a bit cocky about it,” you corrected him because actually Sunwoo’s movements were rather elegant and calculating, he was just fast like a cheetah when he needed to attack. He acted all aloof and cool while they circled around each other and then striked in the right moment, when the enemy’s attention momentarily wavered to find a spot on him. “He knows he’s better. He knew it from the moment Beomgyu waited for him to attack first and he was obvious about it. You’re the same but not in the same way. You get bored easily when you think you could win easily, that’s why you are gentler with girls, which is still annoying by the way, and get playful with the guys, which must be equally annoying too because you take something half-assedly that they have to work so much for.”

“Okay, that’s uhm… interesting. But then how do I win?” Eric still seemed taken aback by your analysis but he seemed focused on showing his true colors now that he was up against somebody on his level. You gave it a thought because you could easily see the two of them provoke each other endlessly as well as always gaining points during counterattack, so there was really only one option.

“You have to attack first and get the first point,” you told him straightforwardly and Eric took it as a challenge.

Beomgyu lost and the next few matches didn’t last too long either. Minjeong and Mia seemed promising enough for the referee to sign them up for a test Drift which earned them a cheer but it wasn’t something to get anybody’s hopes up.

“Break a leg,” Changmin patted Eric’s back when his name was called and at the younger guy’s grin, you frowned.

“Please, don’t,” you sighed and watched him make his way towards the ring just for your eyes to meet Sunwoo’s. There was a hint of mischievousness in his as he saluted towards you but then he schooled his expressions when they were finally face-to-face with the blonde boy.

They bowed towards each other and then it started. They just stared each other off for a long enough moment for you to start wondering whether Eric wouldn’t take your advice but then he charged at the other so suddenly that even though Sunwoo could duck away from his first hit, the second got him on the side. Shocked gasps and loud cheers erupted in the room. After all, Eric was the local boy and he just took the first hit on the undefeated Jeju cadet.

In that moment, you saw Sunwoo’s entire posture change, his eyes getting darker and more focused, his grip on the stick firmer. Within three steps and a combination of hits, he managed to level out. You were right: they were similar. In their own way they approached the fight the same way and others started to notice it too. Excited whispers and claps for every hit echoed in the room the more it went on. Their points were neck-to-neck just like you guessed it would be and it was thrilling really to see this kind of balance between strangers. It felt like witnessing something special.

And you weren’t the only one who thought that.

“Cadet Sohn and Cadet Kim, please follow me to my office,” the Marshall spoke up and the entire room full of people turned towards him standing in the door with the usually stern look on his face. The sweaty and panting boys exchanged a glance before handing the sticks back to the ex-Navy soldier and broke through the crowd around them, accepting the congratulatory pats on the shoulder as if they felt it too. Their connection.

They had to be Drift compatible. They were your best hope now.

Eric was buzzing with excitement later that night. They were going to have an official test Drift the next day which was a big thing, so you made sure to congratulate him before going to the hangar instead of the female dorms. Having slept in the morning you weren’t sleepy yet. So you did what you usually did when that happened, not too surprised that you found Sunwoo swinging his legs from 75 meters high this time too.

“Trying to get on her good side already?” You teased, referring to Virtual Angel which managed to make the guy let out a raspy laughter.

“I told you I would steal her from you,” he grinned and patted the floor next to him like he owned the place. It made you scoff out loud but you sat down anyways.

Both of you were quiet for a while but then he asked you about the Drift, about how it was to pilot a Jaeger, how it was out on the field. Sure, he had done countless simulations, keeping the highest score back in the Jeju Shatterdome but it wasn’t the real thing, you both knew. So you decided to tell him the truth about how vulnerable the Drift felt, revealing so many parts of you for another person, sharing so much but it was mutual and when you get to know the other person, it was like having a soulmate. Before your voice could have cracked though from talking about Jiwon, you changed topic and recited what you remembered from your first Kaiju battle. You had rather told him about the highs of Virtual Angel’s Jaeger duties than the time when it had been reduced to a mess of metal and you couldn’t make yourself look at it.

In exchange you asked Sunwoo about how he felt about the Drift, whether he was nervous but you didn’t really expect him to admit it. But as it turned out he’d had two unsuccessful neural linking already. Those times he had been hopeful, so now he didn’t want to get his hopes up. Not after spending years working on getting better and better only to not be good enough. No high score or Academy result would mean anything to him if he couldn’t make it to the frontline of the war.

You told him that he would make it and the next day you were there assisting with their Drift compatibility test which resulted in 92%. From that day they were officially Rangers on duty.

The next Kaiju attack was predicted to be in about 10 days, so Sunwoo and Eric had gotten themselves into intensive training before their first battle. Not only did they have long hours of combat practice everyday, they were quizzed on Kaiju weaknesses constantly and were assigned as roommates to bond. It must have been working because whenever you had a meal with them in the canteen, they seemed as if they had been friends for ages.

You still hung out with Sunwoo on the hangar’s catwalks, talking about how your lives had been before and what would you do if humanity wasn’t constantly threatened to get wiped out by an alien race. Sometimes when he looked at you with eyes dark and curious you could tell he wanted to ask something else too but he never did and you didn’t push, he must have had his reasons and you didn’t particularly want to talk about how it felt to lose your co-pilot which you guessed as one of those unasked questions. Sometimes you helped him train too and while you got rusty so he was clearly better, it was fun and it had been a while since you found anything about being a Ranger fun. Him not going easy on you and smiling like the Sun on its brightest days helped too.

After Sunwoo put in his official request to be assigned for Virtual Angel out of the unused Jaegers, Eric came to you asking if you were alright with that. You told him that you were more than okay with it because the Jaeger deserved one more chance and gave him tips about controlling it. He listened attentively but his mind must have been elsewhere because right after he blurted out:

“What’s up with you and Sunwoo? You spend a lot of time together,” he hummed, looking at you with half worry and half something else you couldn’t name.

“Shouldn’t you know the answer to that?” You asked challengingly because Drifting with somebody meant opening your mind to them and even unintentionally you could catch a glimpse of the other’s some recent or most significant memories.

“I would prefer it if you told me. We are old friends, aren’t we?”

Well, he wasn’t wrong but you weren’t sure what to tell him, so you shrugged.

“There’s nothing going on. He just… makes me feel normal again,” you admitted and you could see that Eric wanted to protest but bit his lip. It wasn’t you faulting him or your other friends because they had seen you at your worst, so not bringing up Jiwon or how it was to be a Ranger but not anymore was their way of being considerate. You knew it wasn’t out of pity but still, they treated you differently from before and it made you feel broken. Sunwoo hadn’t been there, hadn’t known you before, so it must have been why but he didn’t tiptoe around you like the others did and yeah, that felt good. It felt like you were finally more than the ghost of your past self. Next to him, you felt alive, not just surviving.

You weren’t on call when the Category III Kaiju came from the Breach a week later. You wished you were because this way you could only watch through the huge TV screens in the dorm as Virtual Angel ascended from its place after the neural link connection was successfully established between the mecha and its new pilots. Everybody was watching the broadcasted event with their breaths held back. People were invested usually too but it was even more apparent when it was with new Rangers. Hong Kong sent veterans, Yangyang and Renjun who had been in the business for years but if you didn’t know any better, Sunwoo and Eric could have fooled you that they had done this together before too and not just in simulations.

Later Changmin told you that they were a bit worried at first because shortly after the connection was made it seemed like Sunwoo would ‘chase a rabbit’ which was a phrase used for the event of a pilot getting lost in a memory, either their own or the other’s, too much and lost touch with reality followed by a Random Access Brain Impulse Trigger (aka R.A.B.I.T). It sometimes happened with new pilots, especially under stressful situations, but it was a good thing that Sunwoo managed to handle it before it could have gotten in the way of the battle. Yet, it made you wonder what kind of memory did he latch onto enough to hesitate. Once you had gotten stuck in there, in your mind, you had been 14 again and helpless, you had just wanted to see your parents’ face one more time. The Neural Handshake had failed then and you had recurring nightmares after that. You hoped it wasn’t like that for the boy.

When the newly celebrated heroes made it back to the base after neutralizing the Kaiju, the first thing Eric did was to envelop you in a bone-crushing hug. You closed your eyes, chuckled and congratulated him. Over his shoulder you saw Sunwoo who eyed the two of you a bit hesitantly and while you didn’t expect him to be as affectionate as the blond guy, you thought he would at least high five you but instead he just walked past you as if you were strangers.

It was the first time it happened but it wasn’t the last.

It got weird quickly. You didn’t even notice how much you got used to Sunwoo’s presence and your in dim light talks in the hangar so quickly but the difference was now striking. You never accidentally bumped into him, he was too busy to train with you and always ate together with others. You never got the chance to ask what you had done that made him avoid you.

“Are you listening?” Haknyeon waved his hand in front of your face but before he could have followed your gaze to Sunwoo with that girl from Jeju who also stayed to train with one of your own in case they could be more compatible later, you snapped your focus back on him.

“Yeah. You were saying something about a remote access Conn Pod?” You furrowed your brows, trying to make it seem like you weren’t distracted.

“Exactly. This would mean Jaegers could be piloted from here instead of risking the pilots’ life more than necessary out there. We will start testing it soon,” the J-technician guy said excitedly and any other time it would have made you more invested because if this technology had existed when Jiwon… You shook your head to not think about her and the what ifs.

“That’s cool,” you muttered, shoving the rest of the breakfast into your mouth, tearing your gaze off Sunwoo.

You couldn’t help feeling confused and maybe a bit angry too because you didn’t do anything that could have warranted the boy to act so distant. If you didn’t know better you would have thought that he acted that way because suddenly they were in the center of attention with Eric and suddenly he was too busy and popular to hang out with you but it wasn’t the kind of behavior you would have associated with him. You could have asked Eric but you would have moved to a different country sooner than giving him the chance to tease you about your ‘boy problems’.

Despite Sunwoo’s best efforts to avoid you, you saw him constantly. The Shatterdome was not that big, but maybe it was even worse because this way you saw his gaze linger on you just for a moment before snapping his gaze away, acting like he didn’t see you.  Eventually it was Eric who came to you asking if you rejected Sunwoo or something and that was why he always opted out of meals together. You snorted. At least then you would know why he was like this.

Well into a week of this weird thing going on, you bumped into Sunwoo just after he seemingly finished training. You were on your way to the canteen, passing by the Kwoon combat room when he stepped out, his hair slightly damp and sweat glistening on his bare arms. He slowed down in his steps, your presence clearly taking him aback. Then he quickly ducked his head and passed by you, heading towards the changing rooms. It boiled your blood more than you cared to admit and you couldn’t take it anymore, so you decided to bite the bullet.

“Why are you avoiding me?” You span around your axis, turning after the guy’s leaving figure, successfully halting him on the way.

“I’m not–” Sunwoo’s protest died on the tip of his tongue when he saw your cutting gaze. He averted his eyes and gulped, nervousness showing. You didn’t understand anything, but when Sunwoo spoke up, his answer didn’t make any sense either.

“I don’t want to make things awkward between you and Eric,” he said and you furrowed your brows in confusion. Why would it have changed anything?

“What does it have to do with Eric?” You asked, frustrated because this was the most ridiculous explanation ever. Sure, they might have been co-pilots and you and Eric were friends but…

It hadn’t always been like that.

Under Sunwoo’s meaningful stare, you felt the need to slap yourself but you just ended up laughing. Oh god, you couldn’t believe that you were wondering about why he hated you when it was probably the opposite. The relief was instant.

“Oh please, are you jealous?” You teased, thinking back on the way Eric had hugged you all friendly and before Sunwoo could have protested, you needed ro clarify. “I don’t know what you saw in Eric’s memories but we dated for like two weeks when we were sixteen and that’s it. We’re better off as friends.”

“Oh,” the boy mumbled and you raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, oh. So? Are we good?”

His reaction was enough confirmation that he saw something in Eric’s mind about you. Whether it was something like your first chaste kiss or just the boy asking you out, he might have misunderstood it, both how old the memory was or the feeling revolving around it. You knew from experience that it wasn’t easy to not get swept up in memories during the Drift especially if you didn’t know the other very well already. It could be a disorienting and confusing experience, so you didn’t blame Sunwoo for misunderstanding and wanting to be a good bro or whatever. You were a bit pissed at him only for not talking about it with you. You weren’t petty enough to whine about it though.

“Yeah, we… it’s good,” Sunwoo mumbled, embarrassment coloring his cheeks a brighter color which would have been kinda cute if he wasn’t so stupid.

“Good,” you muttered and turned your back on him, continuing your walk to the canteen. Fifteen minutes later Sunwoo showed up too, sitting down at your table, earning a gawking eye from Eric. You pushed a corndog into his mouth to shut him up.

Sunwoo’s and Eric’s next drop in a battle went smoothly as well. Hyunjae started to joke that they finally had some healthy competition at the dome which might have been true as he and Juyeon started the rehabilitation to go back out there. Virtual Angel shone thanks to the guys just like in her best days and it was a nice thing to see. Of course, you were worried about both boys because you knew better than anyone how fast and drastically things could go wrong but you also remembered the proud feeling that came with fighting for people’s lives and you would have never taken that away from them, especially not since you knew how long both of them had been waiting for this.

When it came to Sunwoo and you, things were back on the old track. You didn’t bring up the jealousy or whatever thing and he didn’t explain it either. A part of you thought, maybe even hoped that he would but you didn’t want to be pushy. He had a lot on his plate with the new Ranger responsibilities and getting used to living in the Busan Shatterdome after spending half his life in the Jeju one. You were content with just having him back as somebody you could talk through dawns over the catwalks.

It was one of those days, the quiet, anticipating ones. You were swinging your legs slowly, leaning against the handrails, chin over your arms, watching Sunwoo’s side profile and the way his fringe hung over his eyes.

“You know,” the boy spoke up slowly, his raspy voice vibrating in the air. “Sometimes it feels like she remembers you.”

He pointed at the Jaeger wistfully and you couldn’t help a small smile. The mecha was nothing but wires and metal, technically it didn’t have any feelings or memories. Still, you didn’t make a joke out of Sunwoo’s sentimentality.

“Yeah? How so?” You raised a brow instead, curious.

“I don’t know. It’s just… it feels like I have known you for so long,” he said and while it echoed how you felt, so you doubted it was the Jaeger’s doing, you couldn’t help but tease.

“That might be because of Eric,” you snorted, teasing and Sunwoo let out an exasperated sigh.

“You won’t let that go, will you?”

“Nope, not a chance,” you chuckled, watching a hint of crimson make its way onto the boy’s cheeks. He was usually so self-assured, dropping teasing smiles and comments that could have made you flustered if you weren’t expecting it, so it was rare to see him this shy.

“Will you tell me? What you saw when you almost went chasing that rabbit?” You asked, quieter, curious. It might not have been you, it might have been one of his own memories that had made him hesitate but with the way his attitude took a 180 degrees turn after that, you ought to think it was something involving you and seeing Sunwoo’s reaction you must have been right. He scratched the back of his neck and hummed.

“I saw you in the hospital after… your accident,” he answered slowly and you could only guess what exactly he could have seen: you on a hospital bed on machines with three broken ribs and internal bleeding. You had been passed out for a long time but according to Changmin, Eric had been by your side whenever he could be. “I was… khm, I mean, Eric was worried about you. It hurt seeing you like that. And then when we came back and I saw him hugging you first thing, I knew that you shared something special. I also wasn’t sure whether I was confusing Eric’s feelings with mine after sharing a neural connection with him so often lately.”

You knew that it could be confusing. Drifts had after-effects, some part of the other always stayed with you even after getting disconnected. Jiwon was still scolding you in your head when you ate too much instant ramen.

“And? Are you sure now?” You tilted your head.

Sunwoo grinned and leaned closer, balancing his weight over an arm sliding next to your hip.

“Ever since you called me out on my bullshit,” he confirmed and you let out a chuckle, ready to tease him about being jealous again but he was too close, you could see the light of the sunrise reflect in his orbs and the way his gaze dropped to you agape mouth, on point but patient.

You closed your eyes and smiled, meeting him in the middle when an alarm blared across the Shatterdome.

“Category IV Kaiju alert! I repeat: Category IV Kaiju alert,” Younghoon’s tense voice echoed in the wide space and you were on your feet before he could have continued. “Virtual Angel, report to standby.”

Sunwoo got up lightning fast too and there was a split moment of realization that you were about to go your separate ways, him to the Conn Pod and you to the LOCCENT as part of your on-call duty.

“See you later,” you said, promised, before turning your back on him and rushing down the corridor towards the control center.

You joined the others, setting up your computer while Jeongeun was debriefing you. The Kaiju was big and had spikes on its back, heading towards Osaka. You planted its current coordinates and possible routes into the system, watching as Sunwoo and Eric left the Drivesuit room and took their places in the Conn Pod. Spinal clamps attached, both Rangers nodding towards the LOCCENT, it was time to initiate neural interface Drift.

“Vitals are okay,” you reported and waited impatiently for the neural handshake to happen. But for some reason it took a longer time than usual.

“Pilot to Jaeger connection complete,” Younghoon finally said with a relieved sigh.

While you were waiting for the transport aircrafts to drop Virtual Angel in the middle of the ocean, you checked in with other Shatterdomes. Sydney was sending a duo but it would take them some more time to get there while Tokyo wasn’t answering.  Thinking of the guys going against a Category IV Kaiju alone sent unpleasant shivers down your spine, so you prayed that it was just a communication issue with the Japanese HQ and they were already on their way.

“It’s moving faster than we predicted. At this rate, it will reach the Osaka Wall in ten minutes,” you said out loud after seeing the new calculations on your screen.

“How much longer is it for Virtual Angel?” Marshall Lee asked, concerned as well.

“At least twenty minutes, sir.”

The Marshall nodded and dialed PPDC’s evacuation team with the news of the dangers regarding Osaka Bay.

It was nerve wracking to say the least. By the time the drop happened, the Kaiju was already tearing off the Anti-Kaiju Wall that was pulled up in recent years. So close to the shore, Sunwoo and Eric couldn’t even use the built-in kinetic weapons in fear of making the wall collapse. Neutralizing the monster right there would have poisoned the beaches for weeks too but there didn’t seem to be any other choice. The Kaiju was stubborn and didn’t try to follow the mecha no matter how Eric tried to gain its attention.

You watched as they approached the Kaiju, ready to strike, to punch, the first hit seemed to piss it off and the two huge beings, one alien and one human-made, wrestled in the shallow water near the bay, trying to get a grip on each other.

“Where the hell are the others?” the Marshall stood behind you to check on the communication.

“It’s at least 30 more minutes for Summer Storm and still no news from Tokyo,” Jeungeun said with a strain in her voice too.

“Damnit,” Marshall Lee cursed under his nose and you could wholeheartedly agree.

Your fingers trembled over your keyboard, a hiss unintentionally leaving your mouth when Virtual Angel got thrown on its back. They managed to roll away before the Kaiju could have trampled upon them and they even managed to wound it  across its right leg but they struggled to gain momentum.

It felt like hours, how long the battle was going on and you were too numb by the time Jeungeun gasped in shock when one of the Kaiju’s spikes pierced through the mecha and pushed it up against the Wall. The red alert appeared on your screen at the same time you heard Sunwoo’s panicked voice in your headset.

“Eric!?”

Neural link incomplete. Drift unstable.

You saw it bright and clear and you knew what it meant. Eric lost consciousness and disconnected from the Jaeger but Sunwoo was still there, still controlling this giant metal weapon, still in danger of getting sliced through by the Kaiju. It was crazy, he could die. Simply by piloting alone because that can overload one single person’s mind. There was a reason why at least two people could or should have piloted.

“Ranger Kim, report. What are your conditions?”

“Eric fainted, sir. He got hit on the side and he’s bleeding but still breathing,” the guy answered and in a way it was a relief that Eric wasn’t already dead but with the Kaiju tossing Virtual Angel around, there was no time to be relieved.

“And you?”

“I… I’m fine, sir. But I can’t feel the left side of the Jaeger, it’s like deadweight,” he said but his bodily functions were going haywire. His brain was definitely getting too much stimuli.

“Stop trying to control it, you will kill yourself,” you found yourself scolding him despite knowing that in his place you would have tried too. Because…

“A lot more people will die if I don’t try,” Sunwoo said, serious, and with the Sydney team still away, Shanghai just dispatching a Jaeger, you knew what he meant. He just needed to hold the Kaiju back until the others arrived, until he could.

You didn’t even think. You stood up abruptly and looked at Marshall Lee.

“Is the remote access Conn Pod under testing?” You asked, your conversation with Haknyeon ringing in your ears.

The superior in front of you looked confused only for a moment but then he seemed to understand what you wanted.

“Yes but it hasn’t been tested with an already connected Jaeger before, definitely not from miles away. You could die if something goes wrong,” he said and you could hear the others’ whispers, not understanding a bit.

“And if we don’t do something they both might die,” you pointed at the screen, the Kaiju trying to tear off the mecha’s arm and Sunwoo’s vitals going crazy. “I don’t want to see anyone else dying if I can do something about it and I know their Jaeger. She was mine once. I can do it.”

Lee Sangyeon looked you in the eye for a long moment and you remembered how his gaze softened when he had told you he was glad you survived. That had made you cry even harder because in that moment you hadn’t been glad that you had made it out alive. He had seen you going through it, he had seen you avoiding the hangar, detaching yourself from Ranger activities one by one. And now you were asking to go back, to Drift, to fight in an unfair battle. He knew what it must have taken you.

“Cleared. We need people from J-Tech and prepare for a new Drift,” the Marshall told Younghoon and the others but you were already running to the tech labs.

Haknyeon was muttering under his nose about you being insane as he helped you put on the drivesuit and accompanied you to the remote access Conn Pod, somebody else already hooking up Virtual Angel’s coordinates and data. There was no time to waste. 

“Neural handshake initiated,” you heard somebody say and you could feel the familiar cold feeling along your spine and the start of a throbbing migraine.

“Come on, Angel. You know me. We have done this dozen times before,” you mumbled under your nose, closing your eyes and clearing your mind.

Memories flashed in front of you. Your hometown in ruins. Jiwon’s last smile at you. Blood on your hands. Sunwoo over the catwalk. Sunwoo’s smirk on the tatami. Sunwoo’s eyelashes up close.

The headache stopped.

“You are crazy,” you heard Sunwoo’s voice in your head as clear as if he was standing right next to you. You opened your eyes and you weren’t in the laboratory anymore. You weren’t even in the Shatterdome. You saw the ocean through the eyes of Virtual Angel and when you turned to your right, you saw Sunwoo looking at you in disbelief. Realistically speaking you knew that you weren’t physically there, just in your minds and yet, it felt so real. “I thought you said you won’t be doing this again.”

“I thought so too,” you admitted, giddy that it worked against all odds.

“Drift successful,” you heard somebody exclaim and you felt yourself (the Jaeger) stumble which brought you back to reality.

“I guess we are compatible,” Sunwoo said with a smirk playing on the unfair tilt of his mouth and together, you managed to make the mecha stand up and avoid the Kaiju’s next hit.

“You talk too much. Let’s kill this ugliness first,” you said but there was a hint of a smile in the corner of your mouth too.

Despite everything, it felt good to be back. It felt like something Jiwon and Virtual Angel both would have wanted you to do. You could also almost hear Eric’s chatter in your ears, complaining about missing your big comeback but he will remember, he will get the memories from his co-pilot anyways. And Sunwoo, he was right there beside you. It felt right. It felt just like a Hong Kongese Ranger once said: like you could fight the hurricane and win.

[vrieseasees]

One Piece Pacific Rim AU.... anyone?

looottsss of ideas below the cut...

Luffy - Completely disregarded his grandfather's wish for him to join the marines and flew right through jaeger academy like he was meant to punch kaiju. Has this ability to win most peoples hearts, which helps with the fact that plenty of pilots can drift well with him.

Zoro - Struggled for a while to match with a pilot and almost lost his chance to become a ranger when his projected partner dropped out suddenly. Zoro doesnt drift well with most pilots but despite this Luffy insta-clocked him as his true co-pilot when they met (and he was right and theyve been inseparable since).

Nami - the chief LOCCENT officer who oversees jaeger missions from the Shatterdome. One time, her troubled past came back to bite her but Luffy and Zoro helped her out of it. Shes been protective of them since and does everything in her power to ensure they get home safe.

Usopp - a jaeger tech weapons specialist who did his best doing jaeger engineer work for good ol' Merry as well. Always has ideas for improving the j-tech they use and implement. Incredibly grateful he can do his part, but nice and safe in the shatterdome.

Franky - came on board towards the end of Going Merry's life. He's the jaeger engineer responsible for the Thousand Sunny and does well with its upkeep and upgrades. (Allowing Usopp to focus on being a weapons specialist).

Chopper - doctor for their medical team as well as a kaiju science enthusiast and frequently visits the k-science lab when he's free. He has been working and researching kaiju biology and how humans, minks, and fishmen may benefit from the kaiju remains.

Brook - a retired jaeger pilot who went on to teach at the jaeger academy as a kwoon fightmaster. He's quite adept at playing ranger match-maker and was the one to ensure one of their best, Zoro, could match with someone. Has moved up in ranks since.

Jinbe - Hails from and is also a retired jaeger pilot from Fishman nation. He does a lot of work with fishmen-human relations, which has gotten a bit easier after a common enemy invaded their world. Due to all his leadership and his prominent role in the war on kaiju, he was promoted to marshal to lead their shatterdome.

Robin - a private investigator and information dealer of sorts who slipped into a consultant role for their shatterdome. She has many connections and is well versed in the kaiju black market world as well--which is how Chopper found her.

Sanji - the ranger who matched but dropped out last second on Zoro. He fled due to his biological family finding him and trying to bring him home. He went full-time as sous chef at the Baratie with his adoptive father Zeff. The Baratie is still a restaurant that goes out to sea, but has to dock more frequently since kaiju became a problem.

[foxglovecove]

More Jaeger Pilot AU doots. Tendo has a concern about Newt’s sleeping habits and Newt and Hermann get tested for drift compatibility, amongst a couple other things

I don’t think I posted these already but if I did…oops

[monsterblogging]

Another thing I've determined while comparing Pacific Rim texts - it's highly unlikely Newt and Tendo were ever meant to have attended the Jaeger academy together, as Pacific Rim: Man, Machines, & Monsters has led many people to think.

So, PR:MMM is actually a pretty unreliable text. It's full of typos and gets a number of character names wrong. And PR:MMM is the only text that suggests anything like this. I do strongly emphasize "suggest" here, because it doesn't actually say that they went to the Kodiak Island Jaeger Academy. Instead, each character featured in this book has certain details placed into info boxes, which all use the exact same template, which includes a box titled "RANGER ACADEMY CLASS." The same template makes it sound as if Herc Hansen, the Kaidanovskys, and Hermann Gottlieb all attended the Jaeger academy in 2015. And this strongly suggests that something is very wrong here, because it's extremely unlikely given the timeline.

If we go to the novelization and look at Hermann's dossier, we can find more details on when he joined up. According to the dossier in the novelization (which is based on information provided by Legendary Pictures), Hermann's active service began on May 28, 2015. This is barely a month after Dr. Lightcap and Lieutenant D'Onofrio kicked Karloff's ass in newly-completed prototype Jaeger, Brawler Yukon. The Mark-1s are still in development. It's highly unlikely that the academy even exists at this point. At most, it's under construction. The same dossier also tells us that Hermann wrote code for the Mark-1s, and Beacham seems to agree. So basically, there's no way Hermann could have attended the academy in 2015.

Furthermore, when a Tumblr user asked Travis Beacham whether technicians/mechanics go to Kodiak Island, Beacham answered, It's another program entirely, but the pilot program can feed into it if the cut candidates elect to pursue that track.

So, it appears that the data in the RANGER ACADEMY CLASS boxes actually list when characters joined the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps. In the case of the Beckets, they actually did start by entering the academy. But unless Newt and Tendo had some harebrained scheme to become rangers and washed out partway through (which, to be clear, could make an epically funny comedy story), it's unlikely they were ever originally intended to have gone to the Kodiak Island Jaeger Academy.

[shaolinrouge]

Pacific Rim Timeline

First post ever and it’s just going to be a huge info-dump.

Alright, I tried to put this together as close to the actual timeline as possible, but there are a lot of inconsistencies in the Pacific Rim lore, as well as conflicts between the movie, novels, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and Travis Beacham himself. I did my best to root out these inconsistencies and did some flat-out guessing on some parts. 

There are some events that are classified as timelines. In these instances I will list them as the earliest possible date they could have occurred and italicize and bold them so they are more easily identifiable. For example, if a battle occurred somewhere between 2015 and 2017, I will list it as the following: 2015-2017: [Name of Event]

A lot of the Jaegers have undetermined destruction dates, but keep in mind that humans were mostly winning the Kaiju War until the Knifehead fight in 2020, so when there are long periods of time involved, the destruction of a Jaeger is likely post-Knifehead.

Please keep in mind I included quite literally every date I could get my hands on, so there will be some events in this timeline that seemingly have nothing to do with the movie itself and only slightly tie into one of the characters. 

Now, with that out of the way, let’s jump into it. 

201,300,000 - 251,900,000 Years Before: The Precursors Attempt to Invade Earth

During what we refer to as the Triassic period, the Precursors attempt to invade Earth for the first time; however, the atmosphere isn’t suitable for them, and thus, the attempt fails.

November 10, 1980: Hercules “Herc” Hansen is Born

Herc is born in Sydney, Australia. At some point, he meets and marries his wife, Angela. They have a son, Charles “Chuck” Hansen, together in 2003. When the Scissure attack happens in 2014, Herc is in the air force. He chooses to save Chuck instead of Angela during the onslaught and his wife is either killed by her office collapsing or by the nuclear bomb that kills Scissure. Soon after, he joins the first generation of Rangers in the Jaeger Academy alongside his brother Scott. He is a fearless fighter and is willing to put himself in the path of danger to protect innocents. 

September 5, 1984: Caitlin Lightcap is Born

Caitlin is an inquisitive and driven woman. She is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a father who is a Methodist priest and a mother who is a librarian. She attends Carnegie Mellon for college, where she meets and becomes enamored with Professor Jasper Schoenfeld. The Professor’s wife eventually finds out about the relationship and divorces him. After graduating, Lightcap is accepted into D.A.R.P.A. where she works on thought-based pilot interfacing, foreshadowing her involvement in the Jaeger Program. Eventually, when her OCD and depression become too much for her, she takes a leave of absence. Eventually, she rejoins Jasper Schoenfeld after the Kaiju War begins and develops her Pons Machine.

December 30, 1985: Stacker Pentecost is Born

Stacker is born to parents Obadel and Viviane Pentecost. He has a sister, Luna, as well, who he eventually joins the Royal Air Force alongside. When Trespasser attacks, Stacker learns Luna is in America, planning to help in the assault against the creature. Unfortunately, Luna dies in Trespasser’s assault, and Stacker dedicates himself to destroying the Kaiju as a result, since she was his only remaining family. Stacker is a level-headed and intelligent individual, and despite his stern demeanor, he can be extremely charismatic and motivational when necessary. 

September 15, 1986: Bruce and Trevin Gage are Born

The twins are born in the city of Monterey, California. Little is known about their background.

January 31, 1989: Aleksis Kaidonovsky is Born

Aleksis is an abrasive and unpredictable individual who supposedly has aggression issues. Before joining the Jaeger program in 2015, he worked as a guard at an undisclosed prison, alongside Sasha Kaidonovsky.

June 9, 1989: Hermann Gottlieb is Born

Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Hermann is the third of three children. He is a lonely child, often bullied for his oddities. It becomes quickly apparent that Hermann has an aptitude for math, especially abstract mathematics. He goes on to get a degree in engineering and applied science studies. When Trespasser attacks, Hermann is twenty-four. He begins exchanging letters with Newton Geiszler about Kaiju and other topics, and the two continue communicating for the next three years. Eventually, Hermann joins the Jaeger Academy. 

January 19, 1990: Newton Geiszler is Born

Roughly ten years before Newton’s birth, his parents begin an affair despite both having partners at the time. Jacob Geiszler, a piano tuner, is his father, and Maria Schwartz, an opera singer, is his mother. Maria leaves Jacob to raise Newton with the help of his [Newton’s] uncle, Illia. His uncle is a musical engineer, and he later teaches Newton the basics of electronics. As a child, Newton is a huge fan of monster movies and manga, and tis interest carries over into the subject of science. Trespasser attacks when Newton is twenty-three and afterward he begins writing to Hermann Gottlieb. The two communicate for at least three years before meeting and then going separate ways. Eventually, Newton joins the Jaeger program.

February 9, 1991: Sasha Kaidonovsky is Born

Besides her birth in Moscow, Russia, we don’t know much about Sasha. She is a woman “not to be messed with”, and before Trespasser’s attack, she worked as a prison guard alongside Aleksis Kaidonovsky. 

May 17, 1992: Tendo Choi is Born

Tendo is born in Beijing, China, but was raised in San Francisco. There, he works as a ferryman until Trespasser’s attack. Eventually, he joins the Jaeger Academy.

November 7, 1995: Yancy Becket is Born

He is born in Anchorage, Alaska, to parents Dominique and Richard. His father is a hydraulic engineer. The Becket family lives a relatively comfortable life, traveling the world often. Yancy is considered naturally talented and tends to excel at many things he tries. He’s also generally very level-headed. 

December 11, 1998: Raleigh Becket is Born

Raleigh and Yancy are very close as children; however, they have very different personalities. Compared to Yancy’s “calm”, Raleigh is the “storm”. He is very self-assured, although he generally has to work harder than Yancy to excel at certain skills. He is intuitive, but also unpredictable, a trait which is considered a liability by many. While the two get along for the most part, friction sometimes builds between them as it is wont to do between siblings. The brothers are aged fifteen and seventeen when Trespasser attacks, and the pair watch the broadcast live on television. Eventually, the join the Jaeger Academy.

December 24, 1998: The Wei Tang Brothers are Born

Born in Shanghai, China, the Wei Tang triplets earn reputations as street fighters when the Kaiju first invade. At some point during the early attacks, they also become known as local heroes, although the catalyst for this change is unknown. Eventually, they join the Jaeger Academy.

April 23, 2003: Mako Mori is Born

Born in Tanegashima, Japan, Mako’s parents are Sumako and Masao Mori. Her father is a swordsmith, and Mako spends much of her time as a child in his workshop, watching him forge weapons. At some point, he gifts her a hanbo staff. Mako is ten when Trespasser attacks, and she overhears the broadcast on the radio. 

August 14, 2003: Charles “Chuck” Hansen is Born

He is born to parents Angela Hansen and Hercules Hansen. His father is an air force pilot. When Chuck is nine, the Scissure attack takes place and his father has to make a choice between saving Chuck and Angela as he only has the time to reach one. Angela passes away and, shortly after, Hercules and his brother Scott join the Jaeger Academy. As a result, Chuck is essentially “raised in a cockpit” and spends a lot of his adolescence in a military atmosphere. 

August 10, 2013: The Breach Forms

The Breach is a portal to another world or dimension, called the Anteverse. The Precursors reside within it and create Kaiju there. 

August 10, 2013: The Kaiju War Begins

With the emergence of the first Kaiju, the period known as the Kaiju War officially begins.

August 10, 2013: Trespasser Emerges from the Breach

Trespasser is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads for San Francisco. It is the first Kaiju to attack humanity. Little actual information is known about Trespasser, but the Kaiju is taller than the Golden Gate Bridge and can withstand most conventional weaponry thanks to thick armor.

August 10, 2013 - August 15, 2013: Trespasser’s Rampage

Trespasser’s arrival is foreshadowed by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shortly before it rises from the water and completely destroys the Golden Gate Bridge. Over the next six days it cuts a path through San Francisco, Sacramento, and Oakland, leaving mass destruction in its wake. Forces deployed by the United States and the Royal Air Force have essentially no impact on the Kaiju. In one of their assaults, Luna Pentecost, sister of Stacker Pentecost, is killed. Eventually, the military resorts to using three nuclear missiles on the beast, killing it and decimating most of the Bay Area and Oakland in the process. In the aftermath, most of humanity considers this attack an anomaly. The Kaiju Blue and radiation left behind by this attack makes most of the Bay Area and Oakland essentially uninhabitable, and the SFEZ (San Francisco Exclusion Zone) is created. 

August 10, 2013 - August 15, 2013: Yeye Choi Dies from Exposure

During Trespasser’s rampage, Tendo Choi attempts to escape before realizing his grandfather is still at his home in Chinatown. He returns to the area and leads his grandfather from the building, but as they are attempting to get into a car, Kaiju Blue rains down onto Yeye Choi, unbeknownst to his grandson. The pair make it back to the docks and a ferry picks them up and takes them offshore, but Yeye Choi dies shortly after from exposure to Kaiju Blue.

February 5, 2014: Hundun Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Manila in the Philippines. It is the second Kaiju to attack humanity. Hundun has two eyes on each side of its head, along with two backwards facing prongs that appear like shovels, one on each side of the head. It has a crest on top of its head too. 

February 5, 2014: Hundun’s Rampage

The Kaiju approaches at night during a tropical storm, so the city isn’t prepared at all for its arrival. Upon making landfall in the Philippines, it heads straight toward Manila and begins destroying the metropolitan area. Eventually, when the Kaiju is just east of the city, officials drop a tactical nuke on it. In the aftermath, Manila is thoroughly contaminated by the Kaiju’s excrement.

February 8, 2014: The Kaiju Emergency Alert System is Established

To prevent widespread confusion and panic as was present in Hundun’s attack, the KEAS is established. The system allows civilians a period of time to escape the city if a Kaiju is due to make landfall.

June 1, 2014: Kaiceph Emerges from the Breach

Kaiceph is an uncategorized Kaiju and the third to attack humanity. It heads for Cabo San Lucas, in Mexico.

June 1, 2014: Kaiceph’s Rampage

The Kaiju makes landfall and begins destroying the city. Initially, military forces attempt to lure it to the edge of the city before detonating a tactical nuke, but Kaiceph doesn’t stray from its path. They are forced to detonate the bomb in the city, eliminating half of its inhabitable area. In the aftermath, Kaiceph’s remains are placed on an aircraft carrier. 

September 2, 2014: Scissure Emerges from the Breach

Scissure is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads for Sydney, Australia. It has four limbs and loose, scaly skin. Its jaw is long and its mouth is a bioluminescent blue like most Kaiju. It has large and elongated ears that differentiate it from other Kaiju, as well as clawed fingers and wings stemming from its arms. 

September 2, 2014 - September 5, 2014: Scissure’s Rampage

Upon emerging, Scissure beelines for Sydney, Australia. While crossing an island, a nuke is dropped near the Kaiju, but it fails to kill Scissure. The Kaiju destroys a large part of Sydney before it is lured to Garigal National Park. Another nuke is dropped, and this one deals a killing blow, but half of Sydney is decimated as well. Hercules Hansen’s wife and Chuck Hansen’s mother, Angela Hansen, is killed in the attack although her exact cause of death is undetermined. 

September 15, 2014: Jasper Schoenfeld Proposes his Idea to the United Nations

According to Jasper Schoenfeld, he came up with the idea for Jaegers after watching his son play with a toy robot. He presents his ideas to the United Nations some time after the Scissure attack.

September 15, 2014 - November 9, 2014: The Jaeger Program is Approved

The United Nations gives the go-ahead to Jasper Schoenfeld and Caitlin Lightcap. They begin designing a prototype Jaeger, Brawler Yukon.

September 15, 2014 - December 1, 2014: The Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) is Formed

Shortly after Jasper Schoenfeld proposes his ideas, the United Nations forms the PPDC to act as their beneficiary. They funded Jasper Schoenfeld and Caitlin Lightcap’s research to create the first prototype Jaegers.

November 9, 2014: Construction for Brawler Yukon Begins

As proposed, Caitlin Lightcap and Jasper Schoenfeld begin to design and improve their ideas for a prototype Jaeger named Brawler Yukon.

November 9, 2014: The Pons Machine is Conceptualized

Caitlin Lightcap comes up with the first prototype for a Pons Machine. She later tests it on Stacker Pentecost.

December 1, 2014: The PPDC Proving Ground is Established

The Proving Ground is a Jaeger testing and construction facility on Kodiak Island in Alaska. 

January 30, 2015: Brawler Yukon is Demoed for the First Time

Constructed on Kodiak Island, Alaska, Brawler Yukon is the prototype for the Mark-1 series Jaegers. USAF Captain Adam Casey attempts to complete a neural handshake with the completed Jaeger; however, he is only able to make one of the fingers twitch before suffering from neural overload. As a result, Brawler Yukon crashes to the ground and Adam Casey undergoes a series of seizures. When he is recovered, it becomes quickly apparent the man is dead, and they are unable to determine whether he died as a result of the 200 foot fall or the seizures. Caitlin Lightcap becomes hesitant to attempt a second demo.

February 18, 2015: Brawler Yukon is Demoed for the Second Time

Sergio D'onofrio, a Lieutenant, attempts a drift with Brawler Yukon and is able to make the Jaeger prototype take a few steps before he launches into a series of seizures just like Adam Casey. Acting quickly, Caitlin Lightcap is able to connect her mind to his through an early version of the Pons Machine, reducing the load on D’onofrio’s mind. Thanks to Caitlin’s actions, the demo ends up being a success and D’onofrio survives the incident. The basis for a dual piloting system is established and the two are assigned to pilot Brawler Yukon officially.

February 18, 2015: The PPDC Formally Approves the Mark-1s and Construction  Begins

Because Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio successfully entered the first Drift through the Pons Machine, the PPDC approves the Mark-1s and gives the go-ahead for several Jaegers to be designed by Caitlin Lightcap and her partner, Jasper Schoenfeld. Supposedly, Hermann Gottlieb writes the codes for these machines. 

April 23, 2015: Karloff Emerges from the Breach

Karloff is the fifth Kaiju to attack humanity. It makes landfall in Vancouver, BC. Karloff is a notably thin Kaiju as opposed to its more heavily muscled brethren. It has a large, long head, with two sets of double eyes. Its skin is gray and leathery, with brown and red markings on its shoulders, back, fingers, and chin.

April 23, 2015: Brawler Yukon vs. Karloff

On April 23, 2015, weeks before the first line of battle-ready Jaegers are prepared for deployment, the Kaiju Karloff is detected on its way to Vancouver, BC. The PPDC decides to field test Brawler Yukon and deploys Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio to engage the beast in their prototype machine. Brawler Yukon is able to kill Karloff, showing the world that humanity is ready to fight back against the Kaiju. Karloff is the first Kaiju to enter a fight with and be slain by a Jaeger. Caitlin Lightcap and Sergio D’onofrio are the first Rangers to successfully pilot a Jaeger, as well as engage and kill a Kaiju in one.

April 23, 2015 - June 21, 2016: Brawler Yukon vs. Kame-san (a.k.a Thunderhead)

At an undetermined time, Brawler Yukon is deployed to fight the Kaiju Kame-san, who emerged from the Breach near the coastline of an undisclosed city. During the fight, Brawler Yukon must distract Kame-san from a Japanese submersible containing Kaori Koyamada and a team of PPDC officers as well as a US Submarine containing Duc Jessop and commanding officer Chowder. Brawler Yukon is knocked into a bridge and the structure is destabilized as a result. Acting quickly, Kaori Koyamada, Duc Jessop, and Chowder use the PPDC submersible and its lifeboats to stabilize a particularly damaged section of the bridge. Brawler Yukon eventually defeats Kame-san.

July 24, 2015: The PPDC Begins Hiring Pilots and the Jaeger Academy is Established

In preparation for the release of the Mark-1s, the PPDC begins looking for pilots. To prepare pilots for the hardships of piloting a Jaeger, the Academy is established. Notable people who entered the Jaeger Academy in 2015 include:

Hercules Hansen

Scott Hansen

The Wei Tang Brothers

Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky

Hermann Gottlieb

November 5, 2015: The Hong Kong Shatterdome is Established

Before its conversion to a Shatterdome, the building is a wave-driven generator facility. Hong Kong’s Shatterdome is the first and largest of any that will be established. It is located on the Southern End of Tsing Yi Island overlooking Victoria Harbor. It goes on to harbor the Jaegers Horizon Brave, Shaolin Rouge, and Crimson Typhoon.

December 6, 2015: Tacit Ronin is Launched

The Mark-1 Japanese Jaeger is part of the first wave of machines constructed to combat the Kaiju. It is launched alongside Horizon Brave, Romeo Blue, and Coyote Tango. It is piloted by Duc Jessop and Kaori Koyamada (later Jessop). Tacit Ronin is designed for speed, agility, and evasive attacks. It has a Speed score of 8, a Strength score of 7, and an Armor score of 3. It stands at 244 feet (74.37 meters). It is equipped with fang-blades on each wrist, making it a close-combat Jaeger. There are various cannons on its torso, allowing Tacit Ronin to hit an enemy with immense firepower at a close range. On its back, Tacit Ronin has two propulsion jets that can be used to increase speed for a small amount of time. They likely operated similarly to the ones we see later on Gipsy Danger. Tacit Ronin is powered by a nuclear reactor.

December 15, 2015: Romeo Blue is Launched

Romeo Blue was constructed in Sitka, Alaska. It is the second Mark-1 American Jaeger after Brawler Yukon. Launched alongside Tacit Ronin, Horizon Brave, and Coyote Tango, Romeo Blue is piloted by the Gage twins, Bruce and Trevin.  Romeo Blue was designed for long range combat. It has a Speed score of 2, making it one of the slowest Jaegers ever produced. It has a Strength score of 7 and an Armor score of 6. Romeo Blue stands at 255 feet (77.72 meters). The Jaeger is equipped with a Gatling cannon, mounted in the chest. Also on the chest is a large fin that is designed to draw attacks away from and protect the Conn-Pod. Romeo Blue is powered by a nuclear reactor.

December 15, 2015 - December 30, 2015: Cherno Alpha is Launched

At an undetermined date in December of 2015, Cherno Alpha is launched. It is piloted by Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky. The Jaeger is designed to withstand and deal extremely heavy hits. It is also remarkably durable so the machine can withstand prolonged patrols. It has a Speed score of 3, a Strength score of 10, and an Armor score of 10. Cherno Alpha stands at an astounding 280 feet (85.34 meters), tying it for the title of Tallest Mark-1 Jaeger with Coyote Tango. The Jaeger’s armament includes a pair of Incinerator Turbines that can shoot fire a moderate distance away. Within Z14 fists there are Tesla cells, allowing Cherno Alpha to pack a punch containing up to 415kv of electricity. As a result, Cherno Alpha’s “taunting” move of smashing its fists together also allows a maximum current in both its fists, giving them maximum discharge. Finally, within the Jaeger’s arms are numerous cylinders that increase the power of its attacks, called the “Roll of Nickels”. When landing blows while using this move, the ground around Cherno Alpha is said to shake from the impact. Cherno Alpha is powered by a nuclear core that has an immense reserve of incendiary fuel. This core is, unlike most Jaegers, located in the heavily armored head as a decoy for Kaijus searching for the Conn-Pod; meanwhile, Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky reside in the safest part of their Jaeger: the immensely protected chest. There, the Conn-Pod takes almost no damage in most fights; however, there are no escape pods in Cherno Alpha because of the Conn-Pod’s placement, meaning Sasha and Aleksis must either fight and prevail or die trying.

December 15, 2015 - July 5, 2016: Victory Alpha is Launched

Victory Alpha is a Japanese Jaeger of either Mark-1 or Mark-2 classification. It is piloted by Kagiso and Itu. Victory Alpha is designed somewhat similarly to Tacit Ronin with a long and narrow frame. There are two ventilation ports on its shoulders. It has double-jointed arms with energy weapons underneath its wrists.

December 15, 2015 - August 22, 2018: Lucky Seven is Launched

Lucky Seven is an Australian Jaeger of unknown classification. It is piloted by Hercules and Scott Hansen.

December 22, 2015: Horizon Brave is Launched

Horizon Brave is a Mark-1 constructed on Kodiak Island in Australia, and it is the first Chinese Jaeger. It is piloted by Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po. It has a Speed score of 8, a Strength score of 4, and an Armor score of 6. Horizon Brave is 238 feet (72.54 meters) tall. Horizon Brave mostly trades strength for speed and relies heavily on its armaments to fight. Notably, the Jaeger possesses shoulder-mounted cryo cannons that give the pilots the ability to slow, immobilize, or freeze enemies. The Jaegers fights are largely centered on these cryo cannons as demonstrated by its two moves, “Sub-Zero Suckerpunch” and “Flash freeze”. Horizon Brave is powered by a nuclear core. 

December 30, 2015: Coyote Tango is Launched

Coyote Tango is a Mark-1 Japanese Jaeger. It is the final Mark-1 launched, bringing the era to an end right around the turn of the year. It is piloted by Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier. It has a Speed score of 5, a Strength score of 7, and an Armor score of 4. Coyote Tango stands at 280 feet (85.34 meters), the same as Cherno Alpha. Coyote Tango is a moderately speedy Jaeger that fights mainly with evasive maneuvers and long range weapons. It is armed with twin long-range ballistic mortar cannons that use arching shots to catch Kaijus off guard. The Jaeger is also armed with an early prototype of Gipsy Danger’s Plasmacaster, the EnergyCaster. It has five levels of modulation, allowing for different energy output. Coyote Tango is powered by a nuclear core but has poor shielding against the radiation. According to its blueprints, Coyote Tango is able to be piloted solo; however, this doesn’t appear to be canon. On the other hand, this may have contributed to Stacker Pentecost’s later feats. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Tendo Choi and Newton Geiszler Enter the Jaeger Academy

Newton Geiszler seeks to become a scientist working in the Jaeger Program, while Tendo Choi aims to become a J-Tech.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Eden Assassin is Launched

Eden Assassin is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Russian Jaeger. Its abilities, appearance, and the identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Diablo Intercept is Launched

Diablo Intercept is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is the first of the Mark-2 Jaegers to launch after the Mark-1 era ended in 2015. Diablo Intercept is a Chilean Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. The Jaeger is fairly stout, and its Conn-Pod is painted a crimson color meant to represent strength. One of its weapons is flamethrowers on each of its arms that are effective over impressive distances. Diablo Intercept is also armed with devices called Hellbolts, explosive rounds that use a napalm-like substance that catches fire. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Puma Real is Launched

Puma Real is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Panamanian Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. Puma Real is a lithely designed Jaeger that follows a set design template for Mark-2s. It is armed with missile launchers that could fire eight projectiles, an early version of the Anti-Kaiju missiles that would later be used by Striker Eureka. It also has retractable arms and two retractable claws, as well as a waist that can rotate three-hundred sixty degrees. 

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Solar Prophet is Launched

Solar Prophet is launched at an undetermined time in the year of 2016. It is a Mark-2 Peruvian Jaeger. Solar Prophet is the second Mark-2 released after Diablo Intercept. The identities of its pilots are unknown. According to Pacific Rim: Breach Wars, Solar Prophet is a slim Jaeger. Its armor is mainly black, however, a yellow glow emits from many of the Jaeger’s joints. It can seemingly wield a melee weapon like a club, staff, or javelin. The weapon’s color scheme is black and yellow, just like the Jaeger.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Reckoner Emerges from the Breach

Reckoner is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and attacks Hong Kong at an undetermined time in 2016.

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016: Cherno Alpha and Horizon Brave vs. Reckoner

Reckoner begins its attack on a power plant by the waterfront in Hong Kong. During the battle, Reckoner incapacitates Cherno Alpha, leaving Horizon Brave to fight alone. Eventually, Horizon Brave manages to finish the Kaiju off by throwing it into a nearby power plant. This fight becomes known as "The Blackout Knockout". After this battle, Reckoner's remains will become the Hong Kong bone slums in which Hannibal Chau operates.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Ceptid Emerges from the Breach

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, an uncategorized Kaiju named Ceptid emerges from the Breach and heads toward Guayaquil, Ecuador. 

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Romeo Blue, Diablo Intercept, and Puma Real vs. Ceptid

The three Jaegers are deployed to the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, before Ceptid is able to make landfall. Diablo Intercept is positioned to attack the Kaiju from the North, Puma Real is positioned to attack in the South, and Romeo Blue is stationed offshore as a last line of defense before Ceptid reaches Guayaquil. Despite the efforts of all three teams, Ceptid slips past them into the city and kills itself. A toxic gas escapes its corpse and the civilians quickly discover that the gas is deadly. Twenty-thousand people are killed because of direct exposure, and an additional fifteen-thousand are doomed to a long and slow death due to long term effects. 

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Diablo Intercept’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Diablo Intercept enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Puma Real’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Puma Real enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown.

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Solar Prophet’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Solar Prophet enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown. 

May 15, 2016: Onibaba Emerges from the Breach

Onibaba is a Category II Kaiju. It is shorter than other Kaiju but larger in terms of width. This Kaiju possesses four large legs along with two thick claws said to able to crush over 50,000 pounds per square inch. Two arm-like appendages reside in the Kaiju's thorax. Onibaba also possesses a high crest above its head that can withstand heavy damage. Onibaba is rather passive and actively avoids combat with an enemy unless provoked.

May 15, 2016: Coyote Tango vs. Onibaba

Coyote Tango, piloted by Tamsin Sevier and Stacker Pentecost, is deployed to fight Onibaba in Tokyo, Japan, alongside the military. Early on in the battle, Tamsin passes out, leaving Stacker to pilot the Jaeger alone for more than three hours. Eventually, he defeats Onibaba, unintentionally saving a young Mako Mori.

May 15, 2016: Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier are Removed from Active Duty

Because Mark-1s lack the necessary radiation shielding, both Tamsin Sevier and Stacker Pentecost suffer from radiation exposure, leading to a cancer diagnosis. They are removed from active duty.

May 15, 2016: Coyote Tango is Removed from Active Duty

To prevent later pilots from suffering the same fate as Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier, Coyote Tango is removed from duty. Technicians and engineers work to strengthen the radiation shielding and make general improvements. Additionally, Coyote Tango is immensely damaged during the Onibaba fight, so it also undergoes general repairs. 

May 15, 2016 - June 21, 2016: Stacker Pentecost Adopts Mako Mori

The two encounter each other again at some point after the battle, and Stacker Pentecost decides to adopt her as he feels some sort of kinship with her. 

May 17, 2016: The PPDC Reaches an Agreement for the Construction of a Shatterdome in Lima, Peru

The Lima Shatterdome would be the first to open in both the Western and Southern Hemisphere. 

June 21, 2016: Itak Emerges from the Breach

Itak is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Tokyo Bay. It has six arms, four of which have curved blades. There are three eyes on each side of its face. Its body is broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. Itak emits a bioluminescent glow from its mouth, the muscles of its neck, and inside the cavity within its chest. Its upper body is a skeletal frame and its skin is black. On its head is a single narrow horn that is spear-like and curves upward.  

June 21, 2016: Tacit Ronin and Coyote Tango vs. Itak

Tacit Ronin is deployed in response to Itak entering Tokyo Bay, but Itak attacks it upon landing. The Kaiju manages to damage Tacit Ronin’s nuclear reactor as well as the shielding protecting the Conn-Pod and, by extension, the pilots within. The pilots, Duc and Kaori Koyamada, manage to fight Itak off momentarily, but it returns and rams the Jaeger once again, rendering both pilots unconscious. Luckily, Itak hesitates just long enough that Kaori and Duc recover their senses and use one of Tacit Ronin’s fang-blades to slice through the Kaiju’s chest, driving it back; however, the victory is short-lived as Itak grabs and destroys Tacit Ronin���s right arm. Then, while the pilots are still reeling, the Kaiju damages the frontal armor with its claws and begins tearing the armor apart. Itak attempts to drown the Jaeger, and Duc and Kaori respond by slicing the beast’s chest open while being overwhelmed by the radiation leaking into their Conn-Pod. Enraged, Itak attempts to deal a killing blow as both of Tacit Ronin’s pilots black out, but it is interrupted by the arrival of Coyote Tango, which is under the command of unnamed pilots and retains damage from its previous battle. Coyote Tango manages to draw Itak’s attention for some time but the Jaeger is inevitably thrown aside. Fortunately, they bought Tacit Ronin enough time to charge the Kaiju and deal a killing blow by cutting the monster clean in half. 

June 21, 2016: Kaori and Duc Jessop are Retired from Active Duty

Following the Itak fight, Kaori and Duc Jessop are hospitalized with serious injuries. Upon waking up some time later, the pair are informed the neural damage they sustained in the fight was too much and they will never be able to pilot a Jaeger again without suffering from neural overload and dying. 

June 21, 2016: Coyote Tango is Rendered Inoperable

According to Mako Mori, the Pons System in the Mark-1 is fried beyond salvation in the fight with Itak, putting it firmly out of commission for at least a few weeks. 

June 21, 2016: Raleigh and Yancy Becket Enlist in the Jaeger Academy

The brothers enter together in hopes of piloting together. 

June 21, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Brawler Yukon’s Destruction

At an undetermined point during the Kaiju War, Brawler Yukon enters battle with an uncategorized and unnamed Kaiju and is destroyed. Caitlin Lightcap survives the battle and goes on to continue researching the effects of the Drift on Rangers. Sergio D’onofrio’s fate is unknown, but he likely survives the encounter as well. 

July 5, 2016: Ragnarok Emerges from the Breach

Ragnarok is a towering Kaiju with dull beige skin, and a lean figure composed largely of muscle and no fat. Its arms are long and club-like, and it has the apparent ability to grow extra limbs in addition to its original four. Ragnarok's face is gaunt and skeletal-esque, its jaw long and narrow and only has two sets of frontal teeth. Atop its head are four hair-like tentacles with no apparent special ability, and within its mouth is an orange, bioluminescent glow that extends to its eyes.

July 5, 2016: Tacit Ronin and Victory Alpha vs. Ragnarok

Ragnarok’s appearance is foreshadowed by a serious earthquake that can be felt throughout much of Tokyo. Because Coyote Tango is inoperable and Tacit Ronin is still being repaired, Marshal Hikai deploys the Shatterdome’s third and final Jaeger, Victory Alpha. Upon being dropped, Ragnarok ambushes Victory Alpha, but the Jaeger manages to push the Kaiju away and attack it with one of their energy weapons. Victory Alpha manages to grapple Ragnarok from behind briefly, but the Kaiju breaks free and launches itself on top of the Jaeger, forcing it underwater. In preparation to deal the finishing blow, Ragnarok sprouts an additional two arms before bringing them down on the submerged Victory Alpha. The Jaeger’s pilots, Kagiso and Itu, eject into the water, but the Jaeger is utterly destroyed. Because Coyote Tango is inoperable, Kaori and Duc Jessop volunteer to fight Ragnarok off while Marshal Hikai requests immediate backup from other Shatterdomes. The couple are deployed in Tacit Ronin, which is still damaged. Kaori and Duc manage to land a slash on Ragnarok before being beaten backward in a quick assault, which they end with a second slash to Ragnarok’s back. The Kaiju forces Tacit Ronin underwater in an attempt to end it, but the Jaeger uses a fang-blade to impale Ragnarok and surfacing again. Finally, they stab it a second time and drag the blade upward, splitting the Kaiju in half. 

July 5, 2016: Kaori and Duc Jessop Die

As they were warned by the doctors before entering battle, the neural handshake while in a Jaeger proves to be too much for the couple, and they die of neural overload shortly after facing Ragnarok. Afterward, a team of unidentified pilots takes Kaori and Duc’s places in Tacit Ronin. 

July 5, 2016: Victory Alpha’s Destruction

In the battle against Ragnarok, Victory Alpha is ripped to pieces. While its pilots, Kagiso and Itu survive, the Jaeger is unsalvageable.

July 5, 2016 - January 1, 2025: Tacit Ronin’s Destruction

At an undetermined time after Kaori and Duc Jessop’s Death, Tacit Ronin is repaired and remains active in the Kaiju War. Later on in the war, the Jaeger and its pilots enter battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Tacit Ronin is cut in half in the course of the battle and its pilots are likely killed. The Jaeger’s remains are transported to Oblivion Bay.

August 9, 2016: The Lima Shatterdome is Established

It goes on to house the Jaegers Diablo Intercept, Solar Prophet, and Matador Fury.

November 23, 2016: The Anchorage Shatterdome is Established

It is later nicknamed “The Icebox”. It goes on to house the Jaegers Brawler Yukon, Chrome Brutus, and Gipsy Danger. 

December 4, 2106: The Vladivostok Shatterdome is Established

It is located in the Southern tip of Golden Horn Bay where the Russian Pacific Fleet was once based. It works closely with Tokyo’s Strike Group to contain and defend the Russian sector. It goes on to house the Jaegers Cherno Alpha, Eden Assassin, and Nova Hyperion. 

December 15, 2016: The Tokyo Shatterdome is Established

The Tokyo Shatterdome acts as the first point of contact for Kaiju that are westbound from the Breach since it covers the coast of Honshu and Hokkaido. It works closely with the Vladivostok Strike Group. It goes on to house the Jaegers Coyote Tango, Tacit Ronin, and Echo Saber. 

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler Meet

They do not like each other.

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Shaolin Rouge is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Shaolin Rouge is a Mark-3 Chinese Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. Shaolin Rouge is designed to excel in underwater travel and combat compared to its fellow Jaegers. It has Hydrorepulsers on its back, as well as the ability to travel both horizontally and vertically in water for versatility. The Conn-Pod has a large reserve of oxygen that allows pilots to survive underwater for much longer periods of time. Additionally, the Jaeger can perform electrolysis with the surrounding seawater to slow the loss of oxygen or provide an emergency supply if necessary. To maintain orientation underwater, Shaolin Rouge has a ballast system and gas cells. As for armaments, the Jaeger mainly fights with the assistance of the Meteor Chain, a one-hundred sixty foot chain made of titanium alloy that rests on its right arm. This chain can function both above and underwater, so Shaolin Rouge can still fight reasonably well on land. There is an enhanced sonar system in the Jaeger as well, allowing pilots to track Kaiju in deep ocean conditions where other Mark-2s may fail. This sonar system can track up to two-hundred feet deep. In its left arm, Shaolin Rouge has a carbide lance that is strong enough to pierce a Kaiju’s armor and hide. Finally, the Jaeger has two magnesium laced warheads named “Shooting Stars”. In necessary situations, Shaolin Rouge can also use explosive bolts in its arm to detach damage and compromised limbs to reduce weight.

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Vulcan Specter is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Vulcan Specter is a Mark-3 Australian Jaeger. It is piloted by Joshua Griffin and Tyler Zachary. Vulcan Specter is designed for and excels in close combat. On its arm rests a mounted fuel propulsed drill capable of destroying a Kaiju’s armor and skin as well as inflicting immense damage. Also on its arm is a powerful cannon, allowing Vulcan Specter to continue its assault from medium-to-long distances. There is a stronger cannon in the Jaeger’s chest. 

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017: Chrome Brutus is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2017, Chrome Brutus is a Mark-3 Canadian Jaeger. It is piloted by cousins Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok, both of Inuit descent.

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Chrome Brutus is Destroyed

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Chrome Brutus enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The pilots likely died during or shortly after the battle.

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Death of Ilisapie Flint and Zeke Amarok

Their exact cause of death is unknown, but the pair likely falls in battle with their Jaeger; however, they are confirmed dead by January 1, 2025, according to Stacker Pentecost. 

May 1, 2017 - May 31, 2017: Coyote Tango Returns to Active Duty

After around a year of repairs, Coyote Tango likely returns to active duty in May. Since Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier can no longer pilot, the Jaeger is assigned a new team. The Tunari brothers, Gunnar and Vic, are assigned to Coyote Tango.

May 25, 2017: The Sydney Shatterdome is Established

Sydney’s Shatterdome is constructed in a relatively isolated location, but it also has the widest deployment radius in the PPDC. It goes on to house the Jaegers Vulcan Specter, Echo Saber, and Striker Eureka. 

July 10, 2017: Gipsy Danger is Launched

Launched on July 10, 2017, Gipsy Danger is a Mark-3 American Jaeger. It is piloted by the Becket brothers, Yancy and Raleigh. Gipsy Danger is largely designed for close combat since its fighting style generally mimics that of a street fighter or a brawler. It has a Speed score of 7, a Strength score of 8, and an Armor score of 6. It stands at 260 feet (79.25 meters) tall. Gipsy is a dark blue Jaeger meant to mimic the appearance of World War II fighter jets. There are large flaps on the back of its head and the base of its neck where the Jaeger’s head connects to the body that are meant to defend the Conn-Pod. Gipsy Danger has a wide array of features. The insides are maintained by a circulatory coolant system and various seawater channels that maintain temperature. It has Hyper-Torque Drives that enable it increased locomotion compared to some of its fellow Jaegers. Gipsy Danger also possesses a Nuclear Vortex Turbine that periodically runs health checks and radio chemical readings; the Nuclear Vortex Turbine also doubles as a weapon, since it can release extremely powerful blasts of fire at close range. If Gipsy Danger is within immediate distance of a Kaiju when the Nuclear Vortex Turbine is activated, the fire can burn completely through the hide of a Kaiju. On the soles of its feet, the Jaeger is equipped with Gyro-Stabilizers that equalize motion and allow for smoother bipedal motion. Additionally, the Gyro-Stabilizers provide a significant amount of grip so that Gipsy Danger doesn’t slide backwards when in aggressive motion against a Kaiju or an outside force. If it needs a quick burst of movement, the Jaeger can use its two rear jets for increased movement speed in the required direction. These jets allow Gipsy Danger to leap with enhanced height and launch itself at enemies. As for its armaments, Gipsy Danger possesses an I-19 Plasmacaster on each hand. This weapon is a particle dispersal cannon that fires plasma with the aid of a charged carrier rail, and it can simultaneously wound and cauterize Kaiju anatomy, preventing the spread of Kaiju Blue. Coolant can be released from the system in a concentrated blast to freeze or immobilize enemies momentarily. On its right elbow, Gipsy Danger also possesses an elbow rocket used to increase the speed and power behind a punch. Like all Jaegers up to and in the Mark-3 series, Gipsy Danger is powered by a nuclear reactor in the center of its chest. While this isn’t the intended purpose, a nuclear reactor coincidentally makes Gipsy Danger immune to EMP attacks. In the novelization, Gipsy Danger also possesses a gauntlet-fixed S-11 Pulse Launcher that releases an orb of dark matter when activated. These orbs can disrupt the molecular structure of Kaiju biology when they make contact. Finally, Gipsy Danger possesses the ability to self-destruct as a last resort against strong opponents. 

July 11, 2017: The Los Angeles Shatterdome is Established

The Los Angeles Shatterdome covers the enormous gap between Canada and Central America. It is located directly outside the city, near the Naval Base Ventura County. This Shatterdome is integral to the construction of the Anti-Kaiju Wall in Long Beach in later years. It goes on to house the Jaegers Romeo Blue and Mammoth Apostle.

September 14, 2017: Matador Fury is Launched

A Mark-3 Mexican Jaeger piloted by an unidentified male team. They are both convicts, but not criminals.

September 14, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Matador Fury’s Destruction

At an undetermined time during the Kaiju War, Matador Fury is destroyed while fighting an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Its remains are moved to Oblivion Bay.

September 14, 2017 - January 1, 2025: Death of Matador Fury’s Pilots

There is no known date or cause of death for Matador Fury’s pilots, but they likely fall in battle with their Jaeger. They are confirmed dead by January 1, 2025, according to Stacker Pentecost.

October 17, 2017: Yamarashi Emerges from the Breach

Yamarashi, a Category III Kaiju, emerges from the Breach and heads toward Los Angeles, California. At the time of its appearance, Yamarashi is the largest Category III Kaiju ever recorded. It is a flat nosed Kaiju with a wide mouth and jagged rows of teeth akin to that of a shark. Situated behind its head is a crest of spiky bones that resemble lotus petals.

October 17, 2017: Gipsy Danger and Unknown Jaeger vs. Yamarashi

Yamarashi makes landfall on the Long Beach Waterfront and destroys a luxury cruise liner. It proceeds along Long Beach before making its way into the city and smashing through the Queenways Bridge. Then, it heads for Terminal Island. Gipsy Danger and another Jaeger of unknown identity are deployed into the mouth of the Los Angeles River to stop Yamarashi’s rampage through the city. The unknown Jaeger attempts a missile barrage, but the Kaiju’s hide is too thick and the missiles bounce off Yamarashi as a result. Gipsy Danger moves in as a response once Yancy and Raleigh Becket realize the fight has shifted into their hands. The brothers manage to drive the Kaiju back through the port of Long Beach toward the Harbor Freeway. Eventually, Gipsy Danger gains the upper hand and grabs the wire off a cargo crane before using it to behead Yamarashi. Kaiju Blue spills from Yamarashi’s corpse onto Gipsy Danger and nearly dissolves the Conn-Pod before Yancy and Raleigh Becket make it to the bay and wash it off. After the battle, bulldozers gradually remove the corpse from the city by dumping it into the channels, but the Kaiju’s head goes on to be used by a cult of Kaiju worshippers. 

November 19, 2017: The Panama City Shatterdome is Established

The Panama City Shatterdome is essential to the global shipping hub that is the Panama Canal. It goes on to house the Jaegers Puma Real and Hydra Corinthian.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Hydra Corinthian is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Hydra Corinthian is a Mark-4 American Jaeger. It is piloted by Kennedy LaRue and Stephanie Lanphier.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Mammoth Apostle is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Mammoth Apostle is a Mark-4 American Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Nova Hyperion is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Mammoth Apostle is a Mark-4 Korean Jaeger. It is piloted by Pang So-Yi and An Yuna.

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018: Echo Saber is Launched

Launched at an undetermined time during the year of 2018, Echo Saber is a Mark-4 Australian Jaeger. The identities of its pilots are unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2025: Nova Hyperion’s Destruction

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Nova Hyperion enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots, Pang So-Yi and An Yuna, is unknown. 

January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2025: Echo Saber’s Destruction

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Echo Saber enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots is unknown. 

May 20, 2018: PSJ-18 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Puerto San Jose.

May 20, 2018: Gipsy Danger vs. PSJ-18

Gipsy Dangers intercepts and kills PSJ-18.

August 22, 2018: Crimson Typhoon is Launched

A Mark-4 Chinese Jaeger, Crimson Typhoon is an extremely unique machine. Unlike other Jaegers, piloted by two people, Crimson Typhoon is run by Cheung Wei, Jin Wei, and Hu Wei, identical triplets. It has a Speed score of 9, a Strength score of 8, and an Armor score of 6. The Jaeger stands at 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall. Crimson Typhoon has a specially designed Conn-Pod for its three pilots, designed and produced with the aid of Caitlin Lightcap. It expands the normal dual neural handshake to allow the inclusion of a third individual. Two pilots act as the basic movement and the third acts as a gunner. The Jaeger itself has a full titanium core and fifty diesel engines per muscle strand. Its shoulders are broad and work as shields to protect the rest of the body. Like several other Jaegers, Crimson Typhoon has rear jets that allow for quick bursts of movement during battle that can operate independently from one another and allow the pilots to close the distance for melee attacks. The Jaeger is equipped with shock absorbers that allow it to adapt to numerous terrains. It's also extremely flexible in areas like the neck, which isn’t the case for many of the Jaegers. Crimson Typhoon’s torso and legs can rotate a full one-hundred eighty degrees and it can perform high kicks and flips. The Conn-Pod itself acts as a telescope, increasing visibility in battle. As for its armament, Crimson Typhoon wields a Plasmacaster similar to Gipsy Danger’s and its hands can turn into incredibly sharp saw blades that are devastating to Kaiju’s skin. 

November 26, 2018: Raythe Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju that emerges in the area of the Okhotsk Sea.

November 26, 2018: Cherno Alpha vs. Raythe

Raythe emerges from the Breach in the Okhotsk Sea area and heads for one of the five significant sea ports nearby, but Cherno Alpha intercepts and kills it before it makes landfall.

April 12, 2019: OS-19 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Osaka, Japan.

April 12, 2019: Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon vs. OS-19

The two jaegers presumably respond before OS-19 makes landfall in Osaka, Japan, killing it.

August 14, 2019: Chuck Hansen Enrolls in the Jaeger Academy

Upon turning sixteen, Chuck Hansen enrolls in the six-month Jaeger Academy program. 

September 22, 2019: Clawhook Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward San Diego.

September 22, 2019: Gipsy Danger vs. Clawhook

After Clawhook makes landfall and begins a rampage, Gipsy Danger is deployed. Gipsy wins the battle with relative ease, killing Clawhook.

November 2, 2019: Striker Eureka is Launched

Launched in 2019, the Australian Mark-5 is the first and last of its kind. While it will later be piloted by Chuck and Hercules Hansen, the latter is still assigned to Lucky Seven when Striker Eureka is released, making the identities of its pilots upon launch unknown. Supposedly, the PPDC sunk at least $100 billion into Striker Eureka’s production. It has a Strength score of 10, a Speed score of 10, and an Armor score of 9, making it the strongest and most well-rounded of any of the Jaegers. It stands at 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall. Striker Eureka has a fighting style not unlike Gipsy Danger’s, based off of a brawler or a boxer; however, most of this style seems to carry over because of its pilots, Chuck and Herc. Its uncanny speed and agility make it a speedy killer, and Striker Eureka often ends it fights quickly. On the back of Striker Eureka, a pair of T-16 Angel Wings allow quick movement while maintaining balance. Striker Eureka possesses one of, if not the, largest armaments of any Jaeger. On each of its fingers, a temperature-resistant brass-steel compound is molded around the joints to form its 4.211 “Brass Knuckles”. Behind these knuckles are retractable Assault Mount 3.25 “Sting-Blades” that are laced with carbon nanotubes capable of channeling thermal energy at temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit. These blades can both wound a Kaiju and cauterize it, preventing an unnecessary spread of Kaiju Blue. In Striker Eureka’s chest is a six-barreled WMB2x90 Anti-Kaiju Missile launcher as well as eighteen K-Stunner warheads that are easily capable of killing a Kaiju, thanks to Newton Geiszler’s research into Kaiju biology. There is a TY escape pod in the back of its Conn-Pod, giving its pilots the chance to eject, and there is an escape hatch on the top of its head. Striker Eureka’s visor is equipped with advanced photochromic displays, giving them several plans of situational awareness in any given battle.

December 16, 2019: MN-19 Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Manila. It uses its sharp, barbed tail to deal heavy damage.

December 16, 2019: Horizon Brave, Gipsy Danger, and Lucky Seven vs. MN-19

MN-19 heads directly for Manila upon emerging, necessitating a three-Jaeger drop. Horizon Brave, Gipsy Danger, and an unknown Australian Jaeger (presumably Lucky Seven) are deployed. During the fight, Horizon Brave is overpowered by MN-19′s barbed tail and the other two Jaegers are forced to intervene. Gipsy Danger deals the killing blow.

December 16, 2019 - February 14, 2020: Scott Hansen is Dismissed from the PPDC

At an undetermined time, Hercules Hansen and Scott Hansen enter battle in Lucky Seven; however, while in the Drift, Hercules sees something incriminating that nearly throws the brothers out of alignment. After the fight he presents his findings to his higher-ups and Scott Hansen is dishonorably discharged from the PPDC.

February 14, 2020: Chuck Hansen Graduates from the Jaeger Academy

After spending six months in attendance, he is assigned to Striker Eureka immediately after graduation alongside his father.

February 14, 2020: Hercules Hansen is Assigned to Striker Eureka Alongside Chuck Hansen

Following Scott Hansen’s dismissal from the program, the PPDC sees it fit to reassign Hercules to Striker Eureka alongside his son Chuck, who has just graduated from the Jaeger Academy.

December 16, 2019 - January 1, 2025: Horizon Brave’s Destruction and Death of Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po

At an undetermined date during the Kaiju War, Horizon Brave is destroyed while fighting an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju in Lima, Peru. Pilots Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po are killed in the battle. Soon after, the remains of Horizon Brave are shipped off to Oblivion Bay.

January 1, 2021 - February 29, 2020: Tendo Choi Meets Alison

At an unknown date, Tendo Choi meets and becomes infatuated with Alison, who works in munitions at the Anchorage Shatterdome. Later, when asked about Alison by Yancy and Raleigh Becket, Tendo reveals the two went on a date, much to the displeasure of Alison’s significant other. Eventually, they get married and have a child.

January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020: The Anti-Kaiju Wall is Conceptualized and Construction Begins

At some point in the year 2020, the idea of the Anti-Kaiju Wall is born. Construction begins quickly after it is approved by the United Nations. Some of the funding is redirected from the Jaeger Program.

January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020: Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler are Assigned to the Hong Kong Shatterdome

The two are tasked with investigating the Kaiju and their weaknesses, as well as the way they operate. 

February 29, 2020: Knifehead Emerges from the Breach

A Category III Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Anchorage, Alaska. At the time, Knifehead breaks the record for the largest Category III, beating Yamarashi. The Kaiju somewhat resembles a goblin shark. It has shell-like armor and is heavily built. Its head is broad at the base and narrow at the tip and resembles a knife, as the name suggests. Knifehead has four arms, two large and two small, as well as incredibly long and sharp claws. It also has a tail. There are bright yellow lines on its dark gray body. Knifehead also has blue bioluminescent qualities like most of its brethren.

February 29, 2020: Romeo Blue vs. Knifehead

Romeo Blue is deployed to hold the ten-mile line off of Anchorage and attempt to intercept the Kaiju Knifehead; however, Knifehead manages to slip past Romeo Blue and continue toward the city of Anchorage.

February 29, 2020: Gipsy Danger vs. Knifehead

Gipsy Danger is deployed to protect the Miracle Mile of Anchorage, Alaska. Stacker Pentecost orders Raleigh and Yancy to hold the line, but they disobey him in order to save a civilian vessel, the Saltchuck. Knifehead approaches the fishing vessel, and Raleigh and Yancy arrive just in time to save the ship. Gipsy moves the Saltchuck out of Knifehead’s path just in time, since Knifehead attempts to claw both Gipsy Danger and the Saltchuck down. Instead of landing a critical blow, the Kaiju’s claws only glance off the armor on Gipsy Danger’s back. Raleigh and Yancy set the Saltchuck down in the ocean and then turn to face Knifehead again. This movement is just in time, since the Kaiju lunges again, and Gipsy Danger’s right arm manages to intercept the attack. The brothers throw a follow-up punch and then slam the Kaiju’s head into the ocean with both fists. Knifehead claws Gipsy’s left arm, and Raleigh holds the Kaiju in place as Yancy fires up the Plasmacaster. They shoot the Kaiju three times in the chest, sending it flying backward into the ocean. Assuming the Kaiju is dead, Yancy and Raleigh contact LOCCENT and are drawn into a brief conversation with Marshall Stacker Pentecost; however, soon after Tendo Choi notices there is still a heavy Kaiju signature and LOCCENT warns the Becket brothers that Knifehead is still alive. The Kaiju emerges from the water and Gipsy Danger barely reacts in time to prevent Knifehead from biting its head off. Raleigh attempts to activate the Plasmacaster, but Knifehead swats Gipsy Danger’s left arm away and impales the Jaeger’s chest with its nose. Gipsy Danger’s arm is destroyed and it falls into the ocean. The Kaiju claws Gipsy Danger’s head, breaching the Conn-Pod. When Yancy attempts to say something to Raleigh, the rest of Knifehead’s claw breaches the Conn-Pod and Yancy Becket is killed. Raleigh is shocked by the Jaeger as it attempts to reroute the neural connection to account for the loss of the right hemisphere. Still shaken, he has no time to react when Knifehead lunges again, this time impaling Gipsy Danger’s chest and severely damaging it. Raleigh activates the right arm’s Plasmacaster as Knifehead rips the Jaeger’s armor away. He aims straight for Knifehead’s chest, dealing a killing blow. In the aftermath, Raleigh pilots Gipsy Danger back to the shore alone. 

February 29, 2020 - April 29, 2020: Raleigh Becket Departs from the PPDC

Shortly after the death of his brother and the loss of his Jaeger, Raleigh Becket resigns from his position as a Ranger. He goes on to live out of sight for the next five years, until Stacker Pentecost finds him working on the Anti-Kaiju Wall. Presumably, he spends the majority of these five years doing construction. 

February 29, 2020 - January 1, 2025: Romeo Blue’s Destruction and Death of Bruce and Trevin Gage

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, a Kaiju makes landfall and heads toward Seattle. Romeo Blue is deployed to kill it and prevent further destruction of the city. During the fight, the Kaiju tears off one of Romeo Blue’s arms and smashes through the Conn-Pod, killing Bruce and Trevin Gage. After the battle, the remains of Romeo Blue are transported to the PPDC Scrapyard (novelization)/Oblivion Bay (movie).

May 25, 2020: HC-20 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

May 25, 2020: Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Striker Eureka vs. HC-20

The three Jaegers respond to the uncategorized Kaiju on its way to Ho Chi Minh and kill it.

November 10, 2020: Atticon Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Seoul, South Korea.

November 10, 2020: Cherno Alpha vs. Atticon

Atticon makes landfall in Seoul, South Korea, the same day it emerges from the Breach. There, Cherno Alpha kills it.

January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021: Mako Mori Enlists in the Jaeger Academy

Seeking to become a pilot in order to get revenge for her family, Mako Mori enlists in the Jaeger Academy.

January 10, 2021: Hidoi Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Bangkok, Thailand. 

January 10, 2021: Crimson Typhoon vs. Hidoi

Crimson Typhoon intercepts Hidoi in Bangkok, Thailand, and kills it.

October 9, 2021: Ceramander Emerges from the Breach

Ceramander is an uncategorized Kaiju that attacked Hawaii on October 9, 2021.

October 9, 2021: Striker Eureka and Coyote Tango vs. Ceramander

After Ceramander emerges from the Breach, Striker Eureka and Coyote Tango are deployed. As Ceramander is attacking Hawaii, the two Jaegers arrive and quickly kill the Kaiju.

December 12, 2021: FauxFace Emerges from the Breach

The uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and attacks the city of Santiago, Chile.

December 12, 2021: Vulcan Specter Emerges from the Breach

After FauxFace attacks Santiago, Chile, Vulcan Specter is deployed to prevent further damage. They kill the Kaiju.

January 31, 2022: Spinejackal Emerges from the Breach

Spinejackal is a Category IV. It is a tall, gray-skinned Kaiju with bioluminescent traces emitting from its mouth and eyes. On the back of its head and back are multiple barbed protrusions running down toward its tail. It possesses a jaw with mandibles and walks upright. It possesses panoramic vision from the abundance of eyes around the head enabling it to see front, sides, and back all at once.

January 31, 2022: Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter vs. Spinejackal

Some parts of canon say Striker Eureka completed a solo kill on Spinejackal before it made landfall in Melbourne. Others say Spinejackal attacks the Sydney Opera House and evades several of Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter's attacks before Striker Eureka manages to cut its head in half with a windmill blade.

July 24, 2022: Taurax Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Mindanao, an island in the Philippines. 

July 24, 2022: Striker Eureka vs. Taurax

Striker Eureka is deployed to intercept Taurax. Before the Kaiju can make landfall on Mindanao, Striker Eureka drops into the ocean and kills it. 

September 7, 2022: Tentalus Emerges from the Breach

Tentalus emerges from the Breach and moves through the China Sea (unspecified if this is in reference to the South China Sea or the East China Sea).

September 7, 2022: Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rouge vs. Crimson Typhoon

According to some sources, Shaolin Rouge was present in this fight; however, others accredit this fight only to Crimson Typhoon. Tentalus is in the middle of crossing the China Sea when one or both Jaegers intercept it, killing it before it can make landfall.

September 7, 2022 - January 1, 2024: Death of Shaolin Rouge’s Pilots

At an undetermined time after Shaolin Rouge's encounter with Tentalus, its first team of pilots is murdered in their apartment. Supposedly, this crime is committed by Kaiju cultists and worshippers, but the perpetrators are never apprehended. Shortly after, Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin are brought in to replace them as Shaolin Rouge's second team of pilots.

November 6, 2022: Coyote Tango’s Destruction and Death of Gunner and Vic Tunari

An unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju gains the upper-hand on Coyote Tango during a battle on St. Lawrence Island. As a result, Coyote Tango is destroyed and Gunnar and Vic Tunari are killed in action.

January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024: Vermin Emerges from the Breach

At an undetermined time, the uncategorized Kaiju Vermin emerges from the Breach and attacks the city of Medellin, Columbia. Seemingly, antagonistic parasitic life forms live inside Vermin's body and are released upon the Kaiju's death.

January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024: Vulcan Specter and Striker Eureka vs. Vermin

Since Medellin is evacuated before the Kaiju attack, the Jaeger teams don't have to worry about the populace. They manage to stop Vermin's progress before Vulcan Specter lands a killing blow. Parasitic life forms emerge from the Kajiu's corpse, but Striker Eureka and Vulcan Specter manage to contain them.

January 2, 2024: Huo Da Emerges from the Breach

Huo Da is a Category Three Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and makes its way through the Yellow Sea toward Shanghai. It has gangly legs and a frog-like tongue.

January 2, 2024: Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rouge vs. Huo Da

Shaolin Rouge is deployed eight-hundred miles into the Yellow Sea to battle Huo Da underwater and prevent it from making landfall. Shaolin's torso armor is damaged and its left arm is destroyed before Crimson Typhoon appears. They inflict enough damage that Huo Da begins to bleed out; however, it suddenly sprouts wings and carries Shaolin Rouge away despite attempts to escape. Shaolin Rouge is shoved into a building, crushing one pilot's legs. Crimson Typhoon eventually kills Huo Da.

January 2, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Shaolin Rouge’s Destruction and Death of Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin

At an undetermined point in the final stretch of the Kaiju War, Shaolin Rouge is defeated in battle against an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju. Pilots Ou-Yang Min-Hau and Ou-Yang Suyin likely died during or soon after the battle.

April 7, 2024: Vodyanoi Emerges from the Breach

Vodyanoi is an uncategorized Kaiju. Its physical appearance is likened to that of a "puffed-up toad", large, and seemingly overweight. Vodyanoi has acidic saliva that can eat through the alloy of a Jaeger.

April 7, 2024: Cherno Alpha and Eden Assassin vs. Vodyanoi

Vodyanoi attacks the East coast of Sakhalin Island. Eden Assassin and Cherno Alpha are deployed to stop a rampage. During the battle, Vodyanoi uses its corrosive saliva to incapacitate Eden Assassin and kill its pilots. Cherno Alpha retaliates by grabbing a drifting iceberg and using it to beat Vodyanoi, killing it.

April 7, 2024: Death of Eden Assassin’s Pilots

In a battle against the uncategorized Kaiju Vodyanoi, Eden Assassin is incapacitated and its pilots are killed as a result. The fate of the Jaeger Eden Assassin after this battle is unknown.

April 7, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Eden Assassin’s Destruction

After the battle involving Vodyanoi, Eden Assassin is destroyed in battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju.

July 5, 2024: Insurrector Emerges from the Breach

Insurrector is an uncategorized Kaiju that emerges from the Breach and heads toward Santa Monica, California. It is a Kaiju with cracked gray skin and four eyes on the left and right sides of its face. The bioluminescent glow visible in most Kaiju emits from its mouth and the cracks of its skin. On its back are multiple spiky protrusions, and on its head two horns nearest to the rear of its head. Its snout is flat, broad and jagged. Insurrector's limbs appear to be fused together, creating a space in the center of the lower half of the arm, and has three digits on each of its hands. Very few of its teeth on either the bottom or top row of its jaw are visible when it opens its mouth.

July 5, 2024: Striker Eureka and Hydra Corinthian vs. Insurrector

Upon making landfall in Santa Monica, Insurrector cuts through the Santa Monica Pier, causing many casualties, including Amara Namani’s family. Initially, Striker Eureka and Hydra Corinthian keep Insurrector contained at the Pier, but the battle eventually makes its way down the beach and into the city. Almost halfway through Santa Monica, Striker Eureka manages to deal a killing blow with a missile barrage.

July 5, 2024 - January 1, 2025: Hydra Corinthian’s Destruction

At an undetermined time in the Kaiju War, Hydra Corinthian enters battle with an unnamed and uncategorized Kaiju and is destroyed. The fate of its pilots, Kennedy LaRue and Stephanie Lanphier, is unknown. 

July 30, 2024: Bonesquid Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. 

July 30, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Bonesquid

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Bonesquid from reaching Port Moresby. It drops into the ocean and kills Bonesquid before the Kaiju can make landfall. 

August 13, 2024: Biantal Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Taipei, Taiwan.

August 13, 2024: Crimson Typhoon vs. Biantal

Crimson Typhoon is deployed to Taipei and it defeats Biantal there.

August 28, 2024: Hound Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Auckland, New Zealand. 

August 28, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Hound

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Hound from reaching Auckland, New Zealand. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it.

September 9, 2024: Gipsy Danger Undergoes Repairs and Refurbishment at the Anchorage Shatterdome

With most of the active Jaegers destroyed, Stacker Pentecost has no choice but to pull Gipsy Danger from Oblivion Bay and begin repairing it. 

September 9, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Tendo Choi

Since Stacker Pentecost is in Hawaii on business, Tendo Choi fills in for the interview. 

September 14, 2024: Taranais Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Queen Charlotte Sound.

September 14, 2024: Cherno Alpha vs. Taranais

Taranais attacks Queen Charlotte Sound (unspecified whether this is in reference to Canada or New Zealand) and Cherno Alpha is deployed. Taranais is killed.

September 25, 2024: Rachnid Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads for Brisbane, Australia. 

September 25, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Rachnid

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Rachnid from reaching Brisbane, Australia. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it. 

October 4, 2024: KC-24 Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Kuching Malaysia. 

October 4, 2024: Striker Eureka and Mammoth Apostle vs. KC-24 and Mammoth Apostle’s Destruction

Striker Eureka and Mammoth Apostle are deployed to intercept the Kaiju KC-24. Mammoth Apostle is destroyed before Striker Eureka can land the killing blow. The fate of Mammoth Apostle’s pilots is unknown, but they were likely killed in battle. After Striker Eureka kills KC-24, helicopters attempt to locate and recover the remains of Mammoth Apostle.

October 12, 2024: The Anchorage Shatterdome is Shut Down

Shortly after its closure, the Shatterdome and the Jaeger Academy were sold to a private buyer. Gipsy Danger is relocated to the Hong Kong Shatterdome to continue undergoing repairs. 

October 18, 2024: The Lima Shatterdome is Shut Down

After its closure, the Shatterdome is sold to the Peruvian government. 

October 19, 2024: The Tokyo Shatterdome is Shut Down

After the Shatterdome’s closure, it is sold to a private buyer. 

October 31, 2024: Fiend Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Acapulco, Mexico.

October 31, 2024: Striker Eureka vs. Fiend

Striker Eureka is deployed to stop Fiend from reaching Acapulco, Mexico. Before the Kaiju can make landfall, Striker Eureka kills it.

November 9, 2024: The Panama City Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome is unknown.

November 15, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Jasper Schoenfeld

Jasper recounts the story of how he was inspired to create the Jaegers. 

November 19, 2024: Tailspitter Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward Sapporo, Japan.

November 19, 2024: Crimson Typhoon vs. Tailspitter

Crimson Typhoon kills Tailspitter in Sapporo, Japan.

November 28, 2024: Naomi Sokolov Interviews Stacker Pentecost

She and Stacker discuss why he pilots and why believes the Jaeger Program should continue. By the end of the interview, Naomi is convinced to write an article asking the PPDC why they’re giving up the fight and funding a wall instead. 

November 30, 2024: Kojiyama Emerges from the Breach

An uncategorized Kaiju emerges from the Breach and heads toward the Bohai Sea.

November 30, 2024: Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka vs. Kojiyama

After Kojiyama attacks the Bohai Sea, Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka are deployed to handle it. Kojiyama is killed.

December 11, 2024: The Vladivostok Shatterdome is Shut Down

After its closure, the Vladivostok Shatterdome is given to the Russian government in exchange for airspace, refueling, and landing rights.  

December 20, 2024: The Los Angeles Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome after its closure is unknown.

December 29, 2024: The Sydney Shatterdome is Shut Down

The fate of the Shatterdome after its closure is unknown. 

December 31, 2024: Striker Eureka is Decommissioned

Because the final four Jaegers are being moved to the Hong Kong Shatterdome for Operation Pitfall, Striker Eureka is decommissioned and removed from active service in Australia. Hercules and Chuck Hansen are decommissioned alongside their Jaeger and instructed to relocate to Hong Kong, where they will carry a nuclear warhead for the upcoming Operation Pitfall.

December 31, 2024: The United Nations and PPDC Stop Funding the Jaeger Program

Several representatives from the United Nations contact Stacker Pentecost to inform him that all funding is being directed toward the Anti-Kaiju Wall, leaving the Jaeger Program with eight months worth of money. 

January 1, 2025: Mutavore Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Sydney, Australia. Mutavore has a hooked, sharp curve above on its plated and bony structure around its head and curving down from its chin in a crescent shape. Near the top of Mutavore's bladed crest is its mouth. Mutavore has three eyes on both sides of its head. In addition, the creature exhibits a bipedal structure containing two large arms ending in large claws, and two very small, almost insect-like appendages on its chest. Similar to its bladed head, Mutavore has huge, ax-shaped structures protruding from its back.

January 1, 2025: Striker Eureka vs. Mutavore

Mutavore breaks through the Anti-Kaiju Wall around Sydney in an hour. Luckily, Striker Eureka was decommissioned only a day before and responds quickly to the attack. They deal a series of punches to the Kaiju before unleashing a volley of Anti-Kaiju Missiles, killing Mutavore. 

January 1, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Locates Raleigh Becket

Upon arriving at the “Wall of Life”, Stacker Pentecost attempts to convince Raleigh to return to the PPDC. Raleigh assumes he isn’t Stacker Pentecost’s first choice, but the Marshal informs him that all the other Mark-3 pilots are dead, making Raleigh the automatic first (and only) choice. Initially, Raleigh turns him down on the basis that he cannot have anyone inside his head again. Pentecost tells him the world is ending and asks if he would rather die on the Anti-Kaiju Wall or in a Jaeger. Raleigh agrees to return. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh Arrives at the Hong Kong Shatterdome

Upon arriving, Raleigh is introduced to Mako Mori. He is also introduced to the K-Science team, Hermann Gottlieb and Newton Geiszler. Stacker Pentecost shows him around the Shatterdome, introducing him to the remaining Jaegers, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Striker Eureka. Herc Hansen welcomes Raleigh. When Raleigh asks Stacker what the plan is for Operation Pitfall, Stacker brushes him off and tells him to “be ready”. Mako shows him to the new and improved Gipsy Danger before taking Raleigh to his room. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh is Introduced to Co-Pilot Candidates 

In the Kwoon, Raleigh faces off against the list of candidates Mako put together; however, none of them seem to click. Eventually, he ends up sparring against Mako instead and the two discover they are drift compatible.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Talks with the K-Science Team

Hermann determines that, based on his exponential growth equations, the PPDC should expect a double event soon, and then a triple or quadruple event soon after that. He is unable to provide them with an absolutely certain timeline for when they should drop into the Breach, and Newton cuts in to insist Drifting with a Kaiju brain is a viable option. Stacker dismisses Newton and requests Hermann’s info.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger’s Trial Run

Stacker Pentecost reluctantly allows Mako Mori to try a trial run with Raleigh. At first, their neural handshake holds steady, but Raleigh accidentally projects the memory of his brother’s death over Mako, causing her to chase the R.A.B.I.T. and relive the Onibaba attack. While stuck in the memory, Mako accidentally activates the left arm’s Plasmacaster and nearly destroys a large portion of the Shatterdome; however, Chuck Hansen, Tendo Choi, and Herc Hansen manage to send the Jaeger offline before any damage can be done. 

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Drifts with the Kaiju’s Secondary Brain

In what is likely the bravest and dumbest decision of the movie, Newton builds a Pons Machine from scratch and enters the Drift with the Kaiju brain. He succeeds and is pulled from a state of shock by Hermann, who fetches Stacker Pentecost. Newton tells them that the Kaiju are under orders and that they’re being created to exterminate humanity; however, he missed out on some information. Stacker Pentecost instructs him to drift again and refers him to Hannibal Chau, a black-market dealer of Kaiju parts who operates in the Hong Kong Bone Slums.

January 1, 2025 - January 8, 2025: Raleigh and Chuck Fight, Mako is Grounded

After Mako and Raleigh’s failed drift, Stacker, Herc, and Chuck convene in Stacker’s office to discuss what happened; however, Herc throws Chuck out when het gets too fired up. He turns his attention to Mako and Raleigh, who are waiting in the hall. After insulting Raleigh, he turns his attention to Mako briefly, prompting Raleigh to throw a punch. The encounter quickly turns into a fistfight, and the two only stop when Herc emerges from the office and pulls them apart. Then, Raleigh and Mako are called into Pentecost’s office, where he grounds Mako. When she asks to be dismissed, Raleigh reveals that he saw Mako’s childhood and knows why Pentecost refuses to let her in a Jaeger. He insists the Marshal is holding her back, but Pentecost reprimands Raleigh and then ends the conversation. 

 January 8, 2025: Otachi Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Hong Kong, China. Otachi is one of the largest and heaviest Category IVs to ever make landfall. It walks on all fours. It has two short legs, two long, and four digit hands. It fights largely with its barbed tail, which possesses enough strength to pierce through the Conn-Pod of a moderately armored Jaeger. It also has a jaw that is capable of splitting open in order for Otachi to spit acid onto the Jaeger it is facing. This is possible because of a sac underneath its neck that produces the highly corrosive liquid. Later, it also revealed that Otachi has wings capable of carrying it into the atmosphere, as well as the capacity to give birth. 

January 8, 2025: Leatherback Emerges from the Breach

The Category IV emerges from the Breach and heads toward Hong Kong, China. Leatherback is a large and armored Kaiju that resembles a gorilla. It has high intelligence, and when injured it resorts to hit and run tactics if necessary. Leatherback also has a tendency to pounce on enemies when they are distracted, using its weight to its advantage. The heavy plating all over its body allows it to take heavy hits and deal them in return, thanks to mace-like fists. While it isn’t quite as intelligent as Otachi, Leatherback possesses a more powerful weapon in its EMP organ, which allows it to scramble electronic devices in a large radius, including digitized Jaegers. 

January 8, 2025: Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, and Striker Eureka vs. Otachi and Leatherback

Since Gipsy Danger is out of the question following their failed trial run, only the other three Jaegers are deployed when the Double Event occurs. Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha are tasked with taking on the two Kaiju directly while Striker Eureka holds the Miracle Mile. Otachi emerges from the water first, targeting Crimson Typhoon. Initially, it gains the upper hand; however, the triplets recover quickly and enter the Thundercloud Formation, transforming the Jaeger’s hands into saw blades. They slice Otachi’s head and chest before the Kaiju grabs and immobilizes two of their arms. Crimson Typhoon engages the jets on its back and flips completely over Otachi before tossing the Kaiju in Cherno Alpha’s direction. The Russian team immediately goes in for a hit, bashing Otachi’s face several times with Cherno Alpha’s fists. Striker Eureka almost moves in to help, but Stacker Pentecost orders them to remain in position. Otachi sweeps Cherno Alpha off its feet, and when Crimson Typhoon moves in to attack too quickly, the Kaiju uses its tail to rip the triplets’ Conn-Pod out, killing the three of them. The Kaidonovskys recover and jump back into the fight with renewed enthusiasm, looking to avenge Crimson Typhoon, but Otachi surprises them once again by unveiling the sac on the bottom of its mouth that can produce a highly corrosive acid and spitting it directly onto the Jaeger’s head. Striker Eureka fully mobilizes, hoping to save Cherno Alpha, but before they make it, Leatherback finally emerges from the water and jumps onto Cherno Alpha’s back. Otachi rips one of Cherno Alpha’s arms off and then moves to intercept Striker Eureka while Leatherback forces Cherno Alpha underwater. Soon after, it crushes the Conn-Pod, killing the Kaidonovskys in an underwater explosion and decimating the Jaeger. Meanwhile, Striker Eureka gains the upper hand against Otachi and opens the cavity on the Jaeger’s chest, preparing to launch Anti-Kaiju missiles at Otachi; unfortunately, they are stopped only seconds before launch by Leatherback’s EMP organ, which electrocutes Herc and Chuck Hansen and completely Striker Eureka down. Herc disengages from his harness at the same time Leatherback deals a light blow to Striker Eureka, sending him flying across the Conn-Pod. It becomes quickly apparent that his arm is broken. 

January 8, 2025: Crimson Typhoon’s Destruction, Death of the Wei Triplets

During the battle against Otachi, Crimson Typhoon’s Conn-Pod is crushed by the Kaiju, killing all three pilots. Crimson Typhoon’s body collapses into Victoria Harbor.

January 8, 2025: Cherno Alpha’s Destruction, Death of Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky

During the battle against Otachi and Leatherback, Cherno Alpha’s Conn’Pod is dissolved and the Jaeger is forced underwater, where Leatherback detonates it. Cherno Alpha is destroyed in the blast and the Kaidonovskys are killed.

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger is Deployed

Upon realizing they no longer have any other options, Stacker Pentecost's orders Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket into the final Jaeger. Because Gipsy Danger is analog, it is unaffected by Leatherback’s EMP organ. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Meets with Hannibal Chau

The two discuss Newton’s reasons for needing a Kaiju brain, at which point Hannibal Chau calls him an idiot. When the Kaiju alerts begin to go off, Newton is forced to leave at gunpoint and take shelter in a public shelter. 

January 8, 2025: Otachi Enters Hong Kong to Look for Newton Geiszler

It heads through the city without causing much destruction, choosing to focus on locating Newton. 

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger vs. Leatherback

Chuck and Herc Hansen, in a last ditch attempt to prevent the destruction of Hong Kong until Gipsy Danger arrives, decide to distract Leatherback. Using the escape hatch, the pair climb onto the top of Striker Eureka and fire flares off into the Kaiju’s face. One of the flares makes contact with and damages Leatherback’s eye. It raises its arms to kill them, but Gipsy Danger arrives on the scene at just the right time, stealing the Kaiju’s attention. Gipsy Danger drops into the water and Leatherback charges at it, but Mako and Raleigh sidestep and immediately rip the EMP organ from Leatherback’s spine. Enraged, the Kaiju grabs Gipsy Danger in a bear hug and throws it onto the docs a large distance away, effectively shifting the battle out of the water. When Leatherback climbs onto the docks, it charges Gipsy Danger. In response, Mako and Raleigh engage the jets on Gipsy Danger’s back and deal a flying strike to Leatherback’s face, which they follow up with two more quick hits. They engage Gipsy Danger’s elbow rocket and deal a fourth punch, further disorienting the Kaiju. It grabs a nearby crane and uses it to knock the Jaeger backwards although they take little damage. In response, Raleigh and Mako grab several shipping containers from the docks and use them like brass knuckles and slams them on either side of Leatherback’s head. Acting quickly, Gipsy Danger manages to grab the Kaiju while it is disoriented and they toss it across the docks. When Leatherback gets back to its feet, it once again attempts to charge Gipsy, but the Jaeger manages to free its right arm and Raleigh activates the Plasmacaster. They unleash the entire clip into Leatherback’s chest, blowing its arm off. The blows are enough to kill the Kaiju, but Mako and Raleigh decimate its corpse to make sure before turning their attention to Otachi. 

January 8, 2025: Otachi Locates Newton Geiszler

General panic begins to rise in the shelter as the Kaiju grows closer, and Newton reveals the monsters are after him. As a response, the people around him force him into the middle of the shelter alone. Otachi bursts through the ceiling of the Anti-Kaiju shelter and uses its tongue, which seemingly has some kind of sensory organ, to identify Newton. However, it retreats from the shelters without doing anything to him. 

January 8, 2025: Gipsy Danger vs. Otachi

The Jaeger treks through the city, following the path of destruction that Otachi left behind, before locating the Kaiju in the process of breaking into one of the Anti-Kaiju shelters. Otachi shifts its attention away from Newton and charges Gipsy Danger. Mako and Raleigh use a tanker they dragged from the docks like a bat and deal a blow across Otachi’s jaw. It uses its tail to grab the tanker and throw it down a nearby street before retreating into the cover of the city, disappearing for view. Raleigh attempts to contact the sighting teams but receives no response before Otachi crashes out of a nearby skyscraper, catching them by surprise. It drags them through a building and shoves them into another before attempting to unleash its acid attack; however, Mako and Raleigh are able to dodge it, sending the acid flying into an office building instead. Gipsy Dangers shoves it right hand into Otachi’s throat, causing Otachi to try and impale them with her tail. Mako and Raleigh vent the coolant in Gipsy Danger’s systems to freeze its tail and shatter it completely before ripping the acid sac from the Kaiju’s body. As a final resort, Otachi shoves the Jaeger to the ground and unfurls a pair of wings. It grabs Gipsy Danger and flies high into the sky, where the Jaeger’s interior oxygen levels begin dropping. Mako unleashes a weapon that was added after Gipsy Danger’s refurbishment: a Chain Sword capable of being used as either a whip or sword. They slice diagonally through the Kaiju’s body and fly through the Earth from around 50,000 feet in the air. The duo survive by slowing their fall with a measured blast at Stacker Pentecost’s suggestion. 

January 8, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Reveals his Cancer to Raleigh Becket

After returning from the battle, Stacker Pentecost gives a speech, during which blood begins to drip from his nose. Privately, he informs Raleigh of his condition, explaining the effects of Coyote Tango’s lack of radiation shielding. Finally, Stacker reveals that he chose Raleigh for the mission because of his ability to pilot solo, an incredible feat that only the two of them had ever accomplished. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler Returns to Hannibal Chau

After nearly being devoured by Otachi, Newton returns to Hannibal’s base of operations and demands the Kaiju brain he had asked for. Hannibal Chau relents, and he  and his team travel to the site where Otachi was killed. The team enters the Kaiju, but realize the secondary brain has been damaged. As they prepare to exit the corpse, the team and Newton realize the Kaiju is pregnant.

January 8, 2025: The Baby Kaiju Emerges

The Baby Kaiju has an appearance similar to that of Otachi, although significantly less mature. It bursts out of Otachi and heads straight for Newton as the crews around them flee. He trips, but before the Baby Kaiju can devour him, it gets tangled up in its own umbilical cord and dies. Hannibal Chau emerges from wherever he was hiding to claim he knew the Baby Kaiju would die. He begins to say something, but the Baby Kaiju is briefly resuscitated and eats him before he can finish the sentence. After swallowing him, it actually dies. 

January 8, 2025: Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb Drift with the Newborn Kaiju’s Brain

In an attempt to gain the full extent of information possible without putting Newton into further dangers, Hermann offers to bear some of the neural load as pilots do. They enter the Drift together and realize that the final plan of action will not work because of the Breach’s ability to read DNA like a barcode.

January 12, 2025: Stacker Pentecost Begins Operation Pitfall Early

Despite initially being funded for eight more months of operation in the Jaeger Program, Stacker Pentecost realizes their chance of surviving the incoming Triple Event is low, and therefore decides to jumpstart Operation Pitfall early. Gipsy Danger is going to run defense, piloted by Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket, but Herc Hansen is no longer able to pilot Striker Eureka because of his broken arm. As a result, Stacker Pentecost decides to sacrifice himself and take Herc’s place alongside Chuck Hansen. Before entering Striker Eureka, Stacker asks Mako for her protection and Chuck and Herc say goodbye, both likely under the impression Chuck isn’t going to survive the mission. 

January 12, 2025: Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka are Deployed

As planned, Striker Eureka carries the nuclear payload. The two Jaegers are dropped nearly six-hundred meters from the Breach and make the rest of the trek on foot. 

January 12, 2025: Scunner Emerges from the Breach

Scunner emerges from the Breach and hovers around the Jaegers, but does not initially attack. It has two curved horns like that of a bull’s, designed to act as battering rams. It also has four arms, designed to help it move faster underwater. Unlike previous Kaiju, Scunner has the ability to work well with its brethren.

January 12, 2025: Raiju Emerges from the Breach

Raiju emerges from the Breach and hovers around the Jaegers, but does not attack initially. It has bent feet that increase its speed. Upon first emerging and circling Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger, Tendo Choi dubs it “the fastest Kaiju ever recorded”. It has heavy armor and broad shoulders, and its overall appearance mimics that of a Galapagos iguana and a crocodile. 

January 12, 2025: Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb Reveal the Intricacies of the Breach

Right before taking the leap into the Breach with the nuclear payload, Herc Hansen relays to the pilots that the Kaiju stopped. Sensing something is wrong, Stacker stops as well, refusing to take the leap. Suddenly, Hermann and Newton enter, commandeering the communication device, and explaining that only something with Kaiju DNA can enter the Breach or else it will deflect. 

January 12, 2025: Slattern Emerges from the Breach

The first ever Category V, Slattern emerges from the Breach just as Hermann and Newton finish explaining the Breach’s requirements to pass. Because it is the first Category V, Slattern is the most lethal of any of its kind. It has intelligence, strength, speed, armor, and toxicity levels far above its brethren. Slattern has thick, leathery skin and three triple-crowned tails that can be used for long-distance attacks or piercing the armor of a Jaeger. Its tails have enough power to rapidly spin and lash out, even with a heavy amount of underwater pressure working against them. Slattern has a spike-like protrusion on its chest, which can extend forward and inflict blunt damage on a Jaeger. The sound of the Kaiju's roar can emit sound waves powerful enough to cause visible damage to its surrounding environment. Slattern's body is also extremely resilient against a multitude of attacks, nuclear or otherwise. Slattern's height is estimated at 596 feet and its weight is estimated at 6,750 tons. 

January 12, 2025: Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka vs. Scunner, Raiju, and Slattern

When Slattern first emerges from the Breach in front of Striker Eureka, Gipsy Danger attempts to move in and provide aid, but Scunner charges at them. Eventually, Gipsy Danger is able to mostly subdue Scunner by burning its head with a hydrothermal vent, but before they can finish Scunner off, Raiju rushes in and bites Gipsy’s Chain Sword and the entirety of their right arm off. Meanwhile, Slattern attacks Striker Eureka with its various tails, throwing it into a hydrothermal vent. As a result, the Jaeger’s Anti-Kaiju missile launchers are damaged. Slattern continues to attack using the surrounding environment, but Chuck and Stacker put up a good fight considering the size difference. They manage to nearly amputate two of Slattern’s arms with their Stingblades before the Kaiju backs off somewhat. Raiju prepares to charge Gipsy Danger again, but LOCCENT warns Mako and Raleigh of its approach, allowing them to form a Chain Sword on the remaining left arm and bisect Raiju, using its own speed against it. Slattern roars for aid, and Scunner abandons Gipsy Danger to help destroy Striker Eureka. Realizing what needs to be done, Chuck and Stacker say their goodbyes before detonating the payload, vaporizing Scunner. Gipsy Danger, heavily crippled, begins to drag itself toward the Breach. Along the way, they grab Raiju’s remains in order to try and pass the Breach’s DNA reading. However, right as they reach the final stretch, Slattern blocks their path. It is severely damaged but alive. Raleigh instructs Mako to engage the rear thrusters, and they fly toward Slattern, hooking themselves directly onto the Kaiju with their Chain Sword and tumbling forward into the Breach. Since Slattern is with them, they pass the scan. Then, Raleigh and Mako activate the reactor’s burning attack, finishing Slattern, and leaving the pair drifting in the Anteverse. 

January 12, 2015: Striker Eureka’s Destruction, Death of Stacker Pentecost and Chuck Hansen

During Operation Pitfall, Stacker and Chuck voluntarily detonate the payload  on Striker Eureka’s back. The ensuing blast destroys Striker Eureka and kills the pair.

January 12, 2015: The Breach’s Destruction

Raleigh gives Mako his oxygen and ensures she is released in an escape pod as he continues into the Anteverse. Within, he passes an area where the Kaiju are made, and eventually reaches the center of the Anteverse, where the background is a burning yellow planet. Raleigh finds that there is a problem with the system and he has to activate manual override before escaping with almost no time left. Beneath him, Gipsy Danger detonates right in the center of the dimension, and his escape pod is blown upward with the force and out of the Breach as the Kaiju world collapses around him. 

January 12, 2015: Gipsy Danger’s Destruction

Gipsy Danger is decimated as a result of its self-destruction. It brings the Anteverse down with it. 

January 12, 2015: The Kaiju War Ends

The Kaiju War draws to a close. In the Hong Kong Shatterdome, Herc Hansen announces the Breach’s destruction and everyone erupts into celebration. 

January 12, 2015: Mako Mori and Raleigh are Rescued

When Raleigh’s escape pod first surfaces, Mako cannot feel a pulse or find any signal he is alive; however, Raleigh regains consciousness not long after and they embrace. Choppers fly over their head, presumably to pick the pair up. The two press their foreheads together.  

Additional Notes:

There is a lot of conflicting information about the December 2019 Manila drop. Most sources say Hercules Hansen and Scott Hansen dropped together in the Jaeger Lucky Seven, but other sources claim Hercules was in Striker Eureka with his son, Chuck. Often, it is implied Scott Hansen was dismissed from the PPDC before Striker Eureka even launched (November 2019). I chose to go the “Herc dropped in Lucky Seven” route, since Hercules clearly recognizes Raleigh in the movie but introduces Chuck as if they [Raleigh and Chuck] have never dropped together. This does, however, bring into question who was piloting Striker Eureka in November of 2019, when it first came onto active duty, if Herc was still assigned to Lucky Seven. I generally followed a mixture of the movie and novel canons, but some of the movie pages on the Pacific Rim wiki contradicted each other, so it’s quite difficult to tell.

Some sources claim Mutavore actually attacked December 27, 2024, and that two other Jaegers were involved. Echo Saber, Vulcan Specter, and Striker Eureka would have been involved in this version of events, in which both Echo Saber and Vulcan Specter are ripped to shreds by Mutavore before Striker Eureka is deployed and kills Mutavore. However, Travis Beacham has stated that Striker Eureka was the only Jaeger involved in the attack.

Several of the fights listed in this timeline are not canon in the movie version, as well as some of the Kaiju. As far as I can recall, at least half of Striker Eureka’s encounters on here are only mentioned in the novelization (Striker Eureka’s listed drops on the movie version of the wiki only include Pitfall and Mutavore), as well as at least one of Crimson Typhoon’s. 

Kaiju named something like “MN-19″ or “PSJ-18″ are actually unnamed Kaiju. The letters in these names come from the city they attacked (i.e., Manila and San Jose in the examples in the first sentence) and then year they occurred in (2019 and 2018, respectively). 

Lucky Seven has no canon classification or launch date, but we know it was involved in an attack on Hong Kong. After Crimson Typhoon was launched in 2018, all of Hong Kong’s Kaiju attacks were either resolved by Crimson Typhoon alone or by Crimson Typhoon and a Jaeger team (none of which contained Lucky Seven); therefore, I ended Lucky Seven’s possible launch timeline at the date of Crimson Typhoon’s launch. Its start date is marked alongside Romeo Blue and because Romeo Blue and Tacit Ronin were definitively the second and first Mark-1s released respectively. Lucky Seven could have been a Mark-1, but it could not have been a Mark-1 released before Romeo Blue or Tacit Ronin.

Cherno Alpha was launched in 2015, but it has no specific date. Because Coyote Tango was the last of the Mark-1s and Tacit Ronin and Romeo Blue were first and second respectively, Cherno had to have fallen somewhere between Romeo Blue and Coyote Tango.

Travis Beacham has stated that there is a Shatterdome in Nagasaki at some point, but I couldn’t find opening or closing dates for it, nor could I find any Jaeger assignments, so I didn’t include it.

I admit I’m a little confused about how it took four days for Newton and Hermann to relay the information from their drift from the Baby Kaiju considering they only had to make it back from Hong Kong to...the Hong Kong Shatterdome? In the movies it mostly appears that Operation Pitfall actually happens the day after the Double Event, but every source I found explicitly says there is a four day gap in between. 

Echo Saber has technically been in both the Sydney and Tokyo Shatterdomes, according to the novels. According to the novels, Echo Saber is still active and functional after the Tokyo Shatterdome shuts down in 2024, and it is moved to the Sydney Shatterdome with Striker Eureka. However, the novels also say Echo Saber is involved in the Mutavore attack and destroyed shortly after, which isn’t the case in the movie, so I listed it twice but chose to keep its destruction date broad.

Anyways, that’s all.

[chalkstardust]

Day 10: K-Day / Why we fight / Survivor’s guilt for @lastdaysofwar

They lost two teams.

Five people, all because Striker is "too important" to risk. Herc understands that they're needed for the mission, but he didn't sign up just to sit on the sidelines, and neither did his son. Every time they go out there, they know there's a possibility they won't return, no matter how good they are. And they're two of the best, no need to be modest about it. They can handle themselves. If they'd only joined the fight earlier, if they'd been faster... maybe there would've been fewer casualties, or none at all. He should count himself lucky that he's only got a broken arm, though it's still taken him out of the fight, and at the last damn minute.

Everyone else seems to keep dying, but him? Nah, he keeps on coming back.

Herc doesn't want to die, but isn't afraid to, and he's tired of losing people. Between the Air Force and PPDC, he's been a solider for a good chunk of his life, has watched missions go south fast; it never gets any easier. No matter how prepared or how skilled you are, sometimes your luck just runs out. Seems like that's not in the cards for him, though, at least not yet.

He'd actually been toying with retirement from the RAAF, not long before the first kaiju attacked. On K-Day, they'd watched the news together at the kitchen table, stunned, as Trespasser tore through the Golden Gate Bridge. Nobody could believe what was happening, or that it could happen again. Even after the kaiju kept coming, his family never thought it would happen to them. He never thought he'd be in a position where he'd have to choose between his wife and his son, only able to save one of them. 

There was never really a choice to be made at all, and he knows Angela would have done the same, but the decision still haunts him. Every morning that he'd rolled over to find he was alone in bed, the other side of the mattress forever cold. Each time something happened during his day that he couldn't wait to tell her about, only to remember when he was halfway to dialling her number. All the times Chuck woke up from a nightmare, inconsolable and crying for his mother. Enlisting in the Jaeger Academy had been a no-brainer after that. 

He went from fighting so that his son would live in a better world, to fighting so he'd have a world to live in at all.

Herc wishes it had been him that day, and not Angie. Chuck would've been fine without him, if he'd had his mum around instead. Probably would have been happier, too, or less angry at least. And probably not about to march right up to death's door and bust through it with a bomb.

He'll never forgive himself for not being able to save her. Chuck doesn't, and he's right not to. It's why Herc's always let him get away with so much, he doesn't know how else to make it up to him. There is no way to make it up to him. Herc can't do anything but live with the consequences of his actions, for better or worse.

Looking down at the sling, he feels completely useless—it wasn't supposed to be this way.

It should have been him, then. It should be him, now. Instead, he has to stay behind and watch his kid go without him, on what's likely to be a suicide mission. Herc could've handled it, if they were together and went down swinging. But this... is there a worse feeling? He prays he doesn't find out.

He hoped they'd have more time, that if they both survived this war, maybe there would be a chance to reconcile someday. To move on from the past once and for all. 

Seems like that's not in the cards for him, either.

[jamiesfootball]

Okay I have treats I should be answering, but since I typed it all out anyways-

*rips open trench coat*

Here's the list of Jamie AUs I have puttering around in the brain:

-Jamie-is-Zava AU! In which Jamie never gets traded to Richmond. Instead he ends up at a different club, one that's meaner AND within driving distance of Manchester. Because this is Jamie, he never stops battling, and within three years he is an angry shell of the person but also an absolute killer as a striker. His relationship with his dad is also the worst its ever been. So the entire league is stunned - stunned! - when one Leslie Higgins runs into him in the bathroom during a match and jokingly says, "I don't supposed you'd ever want to play for a team like Richmond" and Jamie Tartt agrees! (Men really do be giving each other jobs in bathrooms)

-hockey Jamie! (this is based on nothing I just like hockey jerseys and ice skating)

-figure skater!girl!Jamie (based off someone’s previous post about a girl jamie getting pushed into it by her dad) Again, ice skates. outfits. but now also with music. Also Jamie being stuck in another high-control environment. Ough.

-bartender Jamie! He got injured in the academy and, well, bars are really the only other place his dad ever dragged him, so it was easy enough to get a job, wasn't it? And it's not like he doesn't get tipped well. He's a handsome lad and great at charming people (makes him uncomfortable sometimes when it's the older women flirting with him, but he doesn't like to think about that much)

-bartender Jamie again! This time with an accompanying Roy Kent who is also a bartender because neither of them 'made it out.' Roy is a tired, overworked line cook who has had it up to HERE with this new guy who works the front of house. Makes him want to spit in the guy's shift meal, but he'd never do that to the food (which he at least respects). And well, sometimes the guy looks a little desperate about the shift meal. Roy's been there - was there the whole time he was helping his sister with Phoebe while she was getting her nursing degree. Didn't mean he signed up to teach him to cook. But they did just lose another line cook. Fuck.

-lawyer jamie! He wants to make sure people like his dad don’t happen to other people. He brings a very Boston Legal energy to Roy's The Practice energy. Keeley is a paralegal. Rebecca owns the firm now. Ted is HR.

-criminal profiler Jamie! Going full Criminal Minds here people! Heavy on the themes, and the whole 'using your trauma to profile the unsub' thing, and the 'we don't profile each other (except for when we do)

-CSI Jamie! But it’s the fake CSI where they are borderline detectives and he keeps getting threatened/kidnapped. He is basically the Nick Stokes of the crew

-Rockstar Jamie! He got famous because of his face but he actually IS talented! But they won’t let him play any ‘real’ music and he has loads of anger he’d like to scream about thanks. He's always wanted to work with Roy Kent, but Roy's old band notoriously broke up in the messiest fucking manner and Roy's been working in a limited, behind the scenes fashion ever since (and fucking loathes the sort of music Jamie makes).

-Movie star Jamie! He’s a palatable actor, but what he secretly really wants to do is direct. Meanwhile former indie-darling director Roy who had a string of failures got low-balled into directing this run-of-the-mill drama. When the first actor dropped out without warning, Keeley called in a favor to get her somewhat-famous ex-boyfriend to star in it instead and he will not. stop. giving. Roy. notes.

-Bonus AU mentions:

-Jaeger pilot Jamie (Pacific Rim au)

-Hitter turned hacker Jamie (Leverage au - I have a whole tag for it)

-Dead Jamie (The Good Place au) - he is fairly sure he is not supposed to be in The Good Place and is white knuckling it so he doesn't get caught. Ted is Michael. Chaos ensues.

[coveholdenmyluv]

Mean Girls - E. Jaeger

synopsis. Eren's the new kid at Trost Academy and being fresh meat in his senior year isn't easy. Especially so when the only friends he's made yet have managed to convince him to help them mess with "The Plastics". The problem?

He's got the biggest crush on their queen bee, Y/N.

series masterlist.

chapter warnings. Foul language, suggestive content, rich ppl, vomit, comedy, simping (eren almost creams his pants multiple times wtf man), second hand embarrassment, revenge revenge revenge

chapter synopsis. Eren’s first day at Trost goes horribly wrong but, hey! There’s sloppy joes? Armin and Mikasa won’t let Eren’s injustice go so easily…

chapter 1. Trost Academy

Trost district.

A paradise where sports cars, shopping centers, and marbled water fountains lined the streets from north to south and east to west.

And smack dab in the center of the bustling city stood an enormous pristine building lined with white bricks and polished blue tinted windows. Its entire essence oozed ideal perfection. Trost Academy, the city's pride and joy.

A fortifying standing contradiction to the boy currently planted at the front gate.

Beads of sweat could be seen sliding down the crevices of Eren's face, whether from exhaustion or nerves he couldn't yet tell. As if being the new kid in his senior year of high school that was in an entirely different city wasn't bad enough, the dumbass forgot to change the time his alarm went off. It had slipped his mind the night before that a new school meant a differing schedule, hence himself still operating on Shiganshina High's delayed timetable.

Luckily for him, mommy Carla wasn't so stupid, so when she noticed that Eren hadn't descended down the stairs for breakfast yet, you best believe she went in there and whooped some Jeager ass. It was because of Carla's thoughtfulness that he was only running behind a full ten minutes, though Eren doesn't take much time to get ready.

So here he was, taking in the glory of what was to be his brand new alma mater. He leisurely made his way to the front gate and displayed his temporary ID to the security guard who in turn allowed him to finally step foot inside his latest ecosystem. Which is actually a very humorous way to describe the academy since usually when a person pictures an ecosystem, one would see animals, trees, water, or any natural aspects that came from wild life.

The academy is the exact opposite of that idea; as opposing as black and white. Not a single weed out of place or bird shit staining any of the bricks - it's clear that someone takes exceptional care of the place.

It is currently 7:15 am and Eren had just acquired his schedule as well as his locker number from the front office, he is now waiting patiently for his student body president to show him around the halls as well as to grab his permanent ID from whatever room they were being made in — he has already forgotten the exact number.

Just as he was falling asleep in the very comfortable chairs of the front office, that almost caused him to froth at the mouth when he realized they were indeed massage chairs, an enthusiastic voice introduced themselves.

"Hey there! You're Eren, right?"

Right before his eyes stood a tall, tan, and freckled god. His dark hair was parted in the middle, with some of it ghosting the top of his face, and the freckles that decorated the apples of his cheeks only enhanced the bright smile he directed towards Eren. His clothes were impeccable, without a wrinkle in sight, and a very obviously expensive diamond studded watch was wrapped around his wrist, putting Eren's own withering one to shame; he'd gotten it on his twelfth birthday as a present from an aunt that he can't remember the name of.

Never in his 18 years of life has Eren ever met someone so blindingly bright, he was almost forced to use his hand as a shield for his eyes at the light that protruded from the boy before him.

"Uh, yeah. Eren Jaeger. I'm guessing you're the one that's gonna show me around this... palace?"

A pellucid laugh fell from the freckled boy at Eren's joke, though he's not sure if he would consider it as such since it's not at all a stretch of the truth, as he placed a hand on his chest to steady his vibrations.

"Yup! Marco Bodt, your new student body president. Welcome, I will do the honors of showing you around campus, to your locker, and attaining your student ID. Class starts at 8:00 so we should get going, Eren." He instructed as he held the door open for the latter. "Can I call you that by the way? I know in Shiganshina it's customary to go by last names, but here we're encouraged to refer to each other by first names because it apparently 'boosts our camaraderie', which is a weird way to think about it since it's not like we're soldiers or anything." He chuckles. "Anyway, if that bothers you then it's totally fine! I can refer to you however you prefer."

"Eren's just fine," He reassures the boy, "Can I call you Marco?"

"Marco is perfect! Well then, let's get going, Eren." Marco says as they finally begin the tour.

As they begin to cruise the halls, Marco begins to offer Eren peculiar information about the places they walk past, as if they are on some safari adventure with teenagers replacing the animals and yellow "Caution! Wet floor!" signs replacing the trees.

Although, usually tour guides speak about history or interesting facts and not... whatever the hell Marco was saying.

"And this is the janitor's closet! You can usually spot at least two people in here making out, just try to not get caught by our janitor, he's small but very scary. I also advise that if you plan on taking more than two people in here, maybe you should reconsider and instead take it to the stairwell just down the hall. Based on my past experiences, it can get pretty cramped in here." The student body president explained with a laugh that threw his head back.

Eren blinked in perplexity at the load of information thrown at him just now, though it's not like he'd be of any need for it. Eren gets no bitches.

"This window right here is where one of my best friends had their first kiss!" He exclaims as he points at the window overlooking the front garden, before he excitedly shifts his attention towards the boy's bathroom on the other side of the hall. "Oh! And just down that way is the restroom where one of my other best friend's got their first blowjob... although, I don't know if it counts since the girl threw it all back up, hmm." He ponders deeply.

That was traumatizing for two reasons: for Marco's best friend experiencing the matter and for Eren since he had NO NEED FOR THAT INFORMATION.

"Wow, you guys sure have a lot of history here." Eren offers unsurely.

Marco agrees with a nod, "That's right we do, we've been here since freshman year so these halls have seen many of our milestones." He explains with a fond expression. "By the way, right down there is the common room that we use to chill on our free periods. Feel free to join my friends and I if you ever see us hanging around here during lunch or just need some company."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Though, Eren doesn't think he'd be able to look Marco's best friend in the eyes after what he's heard.

"Great, now let's head to-" Marco begins before his sentence is interrupted by a high pitched voice.

"Jean, just leave me alone for once, please."

Marco halts his movements and turns to the cause of the disturbance which in turn causes Eren to do the same.

It looked to be a short boy with shoulder length blonde hair and azure eyes that remained obstructed by chunky rectangular glasses. He was being cornered by a taller boy with light brown hair that was slicked and parted, with a heavy amount of gel, and matching colored eyes. The taller boy had his arm perched up against the wall, effectively caging the blonde and thwarting any attempts at escape.

"Eh? Armin, y'know I can't do that. Why don't you yell a little louder so that goth friend of yours can come to your rescue yet again, yeah?" Says the one that Eren guesses is named Jean.

"How about you grow some balls and ask her out instead? Not that she'd say yes, anyway." Armin had mumbled the last part but Jean had heard it loud and clear.

"You don't know what you're talking about Armin, shut the hell up!" Jean says, (yells) whilst he throws his hands up defensively.

The blonde rolls his eyes in irritation and with many cracks to his voice present in his statement, he says, "Why should I? It's not like the whole world doesn't already know about how much of a try hard you are when she's around! Why don't you try licking her boots next time you see her, huh?"

"Oh yeah? Keep talking shit, let's see where that gets you."

"Woah, calm down Jamal. Don't pull out the nine."

"Why I oughta-" Jean begins as he raises his fist, only to be stopped mid swing.

"Is this... fun for you?" Eren asks with a furrow in his brows. His right hand grips Jean's left arm which effectively stops his fist from hitting Armin's frail face.

"Who the hell are you?" Jean asks, irritated.

"Does it even matter? Why bother the kid when he obviously hasn't done jack shit to you?"

"And how do you know he hasn't done jack shit to me? Maybe you should mind your own."

"I heard your conversation. Besides..." Eren looks to Armin and sizes him up before he turns back to Jean with the most deadpan expression one could muster. His point was spoken without words. What could he do to a guy like Jean?

"Hey!" Armin squeals in offense.

Jean nodded in agreement, "Okay, you've got a point, but still, I mean he could've fucked my girl and you wouldn't even know that you're defending a shit person."

"You've gotta get a girlfriend first, Jean. Then we'll see what I do about that." Armin mutters bitterly.

"You better shut your ass up, runt. Before I fuck your nose up more than it already is." Jean grits.

Armin gapes in offense, "WHAT- okay... new insecurity unlocked."

Jean then turns his attention back to Eren. "Anyway, this was an A & B conversation, so C your way out of it." He says oh so maturely.

"How about you make me?" Eren narrows his eyes.

"Okay! Let's all calm down, alright?" Marco finally intrudes as he places himself between the two boys. "Jean, come on man, don't make me tell Y/N about this. She should be finishing up morning practice soon anyway, you should go meet her at her locker like you always do!" He offers, effectively having an effect on the light haired boy. His shoulders relaxed from their tense position at his friend's reassurance.

"Fine." He relents. "Walk with me though, and don't you dare say a word about this to Y/N or else I'll piss in your backpack later." Jean threatens as he pulls himself away from the situation.

Marco giggles nervously as one of his hands rises to rub at the back of his neck, "Sorry about him you two. He didn't mean any of it!" He laughs off the conflict.

"Yes I fucking did!" Jean affirms from down the hall.

"Anyways, so sorry Eren. I'll be right back, I've gotta walk Jean back to his caretaker for the morning." Marco whispers with a palm shielding his lips. "I'll be back in just a sec!" He exclaims and hops off into Jean's direction.

"Why do you always take his side, Marc? I literally almost cried on the spot right now." Jean could be heard whining as both boys rounded the corner and walked out of sight.

A beat of silence occurs where the latter pair were left, before Armin exclaims.

"Uhh, oh!" He turns his body to face a trash can before whispering into the opening, "Mikasa, you can come out now."

Eren lifts a brow as he watches the cover of the trash can lift itself from the inside, and out stepped a girl dressed head to toe in black attire with two dark pigtails and bangs that frame her pale face. She held a black book in her manicured hands. Black nail polish, black lipstick, black fishnets, silver skull rings, and a black choker were more than enough of a hint to Eren for him to realize that this was the goth friend Jean had mentioned earlier.

The sight of a girl stepping out of an empty trash can should have caused him to gape in surprise, but at this point he was ready to expect anything more from his first day at Trost Academy.

"Thank you so much! Uhm, Eren was it? You looked as cool as the guys from 21 Jump Street!" Armin exclaimed and it was only then that the boy held the DVD case in his hands. Who the hell uses DVDs anymore?

"No," The girl declares as she lifts her book to her face, "You must be the dark knight called forth by my curse, here to fight off that man."

"What? Uh- no, I'm just Eren. It was no big deal." Eren deflects as he places his hands into his pockets.

To tell you the honest truth, Eren was shitting himself on the inside during the encounter with the jerk from earlier. He didn't know where he gained the courage to actually stand his ground, much less for someone else.

"You'd think a school as nice as this one would have no tolerance for bullying, though."

"Well, money talks, I guess." Armin says as he attempts to locate his lenses that had fallen during the ruckus.

"I've been trying to hex him since freshman year, but it won't work for some reason. It's like there's a force protecting him from me..." The girl says as she picks up the discarded glasses and hands them to her blonde friend. "Perhaps the Marco rumors are true. It'd make sense if he were an actual angel sent from above-" She continues.

"Wait, what? Who the hell made that up?" Eren asks.

"Beats me, though if I had to guess: I'd say Sasha or Connie." She answers.

"Who are they?"

"They're only two of the plastics." Armin pipes up.

"Plastics? As in, like, a mannequin?"

"What?! No, the plastics are..." Armin began only for his voice to die off as his eyes drifted behind Eren.

"Sorry about that again, Eren!" Marco apologizes as he reappears suddenly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. We really should get going though, we still need to stop at a couple more places and then grab your ID. Oh! Good morning, Mikasa." He looks a bit out of breath, as if he had run the whole way back. The girl being addressed only waved daintily and then shielded herself with her book, probably due to how scintillatingly bright Marco's entrance was.

"That's okay. Yeah, we should." Eren replies.

"Bye Eren! Oh, you should sit with us at lunch later!" Armin bids the boy goodbye.

Eren nods in agreement as he follows after his designated guide, off to somewhere he would probably have to listen to bizarre stories about. It seemed as though Marco could never run out of those, some even filled with normal teen acts and others that cause him to question their sanity.

"Hey Marco, Armin mentioned something earlier today..." He spoke up.

"What's that?" Marco asks as he provides him his full and undivided attention.

"What are 'The Plastics'?"

Marco is visibly stunned by his question for a moment, only for his eyes to give a flicker of boredom before the corners crease in their usual upbeat manner.

"Oh, uhm... I'm not quite sure what you mean." He answers with a gritted smile. "Sorry, I don't think I can help you there."

Eren notices Marco's hesitation, though the only movement he offers is an unsure nod of his head.

A brief moment of silence ensues over the pair of boys, before it's gently shattered by the freckled boy.

"Hey, Eren?"

"...Yeah?"

"A little word of advice from someone you, hopefully, trust to guide you in the right direction?" He suggests hesitantly and Eren finds himself subconsciously holding his breath. "You shouldn't believe everything people say around here, 'kay?" Marco says with a gentle grin.

Well, gentle is what Eren guesses it's supposed to be, though the edges are too frigid for it to be considered so. He couldn't help but sense some sort of hidden lingering emotion layered into Marco's chocolate eyes. Perhaps there was also disappointment?

But, if so, directed at who?

"Yeah, thanks... I'll uhm, keep that in mind." Eren replies. He couldn't help but feel as though he was the one who had created that disappointment, and for a reason he couldn't tell you, Eren didn't like the idea.

He hadn't noticed that they made their way to a hallway filled to the brim with lockers lining the walls and students idly loitering around. Checking his wrist watch, he realized they only had 20 minutes until their first class of the day had to begin. As Eren was inspecting his watch, he failed to notice that Marco had halted his pace to peer in the direction they had just entered from.

It was as if the next few seconds moved in decelerated speed. Eren bumped into Marco's chest which in turn forced the boy to look up at the taller boy, only to notice the smile and excited flutter of his hand directed to someone currently behind him, effectively making his own head turn to face the stranger.

In walked a girl that wore a cute blue top with lace adorning the neckline, paired with a matching skirt and sneakers. She had gold, diamonds, and pearls furnishing every inch of her body — from her headband, to her ears, neck, wrists, and even a single ankle. She trotted down the freshly mopped hallway with poise and what Eren noticed to be very toned legs that could have only been worn by someone that took great care of them. Her entire presence demanded the attention of everyone blessed to be in her vicinity.

And so, that's what she got.

He didn't even need to look around to be able to tell that everyone had paused their activities to look at the elegance that was her. How could they when it had seemed as though she had just descended from the heavens above?

...Or, was that simply Eren thinking that part? Maybe that was just a him thing...

"Hey Y/N, good morning sugar! Did you just come from practice?" Marco asks with a noticeably brighter smile than all the ones Eren has seen today; the only grin he could think to rival this one was the one he offered Jean earlier.

The girl noticed Marco as well and her once weary gaze perked up at his presence.

Eren didn't notice it before, because of his ogling, but she was noticeably out of breath and her hair was wet. Did she just step out of the shower? He couldn't fathom how anyone could look so attractive freshly out of a bath... He usually resembled a wet dog.

"Morning Marc', I'm surprised you aren't with your steed right now. Did mom and dad get into a fight again?" She says with a playful lilt to her voice — that Eren could have sworn had visible italics, for some unknown reason. Her voice was so fluid and velvety that his knees almost buckled on the spot.

"Not yet," Marco grimaces with a chuckle. "I'll join you guys in a bit! I'm showing the new kid around right now. Student Prez business, you know the works." He explains with a thumb jutted towards the aforementioned student.

Eren made a mental note to bow down and kiss Marco's feet later to display his gratitude for the brisk switch of attention, for it caused the embodiment of perfection to direct her stare onto his spellbound face. She raised a brow at him before she dropped her gaze to his feet and leisurely dragged it up his entire frame.

Eren almost moaned.

"Morning, new kid." She greeted, though her tone was noticeably far less light when addressing Eren than it was when she spoke to her friend, and then turned her attention back to Marco

It seems she has deemed Eren irrelevant.

"Hurry it up, Marco, 'less you want to tarnish your perfect attendance. I'll be with the diva, I can sense he's in one of his daily moods. I can tame him, but I'll need your help soon." She teases with a roll of her eyes.

A boisterous laugh fell from Marco's lips, "Yeah, I'll join you guys in a bit. Save me a spot-" He halts mid sentence upon noticing Eren's vibrant flush.

The shorter brunet had acted nonchalant throughout the entire duration of his tour, so it baffled Marco just how quickly he altered his tune.

The Student President looks to his friend, poor Y/N who has just gotten out of morning practice and now has to deal with Jean's morning fit. Her legs probably ache and he knows how much she hates the feeling of her wet hair dampening her back, she deserves a small break this once, right?

So, he looks to Eren once again, and then to Y/N, and then repeats the process about five more times.

"What are you doing? Your head's gonna fall off-"

"OW- ooh..." Marco suddenly grips his stomach in agony and hisses through his teeth. "LORD HAVE MERTHY, I'M ABOUT TO BUST!" He yells and dramatically slams himself against the lockers behind him.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Asks Y/N, concern and shock etched into her features.

With a matching look on his face, Eren reaches a hand out in an attempt to help stable the boy. "Marco, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine! I just need to drop a deuce real quick." Marco reassures, which causes both of their brows to rise, though he pays them no heed. "Y/N, you wouldn't mind showing Eren to Dr. Hange's room, would you? He's still gotta get his permanent ID and I don't want to leave him alone. He's just a baby." He says while mustering up the best puppy dog eyes he has ever used.

She's always been a sucker for doe eyes.

"Sure? Are you totally sure you're okay though? That was super sudden-"

"Yup! All fine and dandy, I gotta go. Have fun!" Marco exclaims and runs off to someplace god only knows with how his legs are clenching together.

"He's so fruity sometimes..." Y/N mumbles as she watches him leave, before she shakes her head and extends a jeweled hand towards the boy beside her. "Anyway, sorry about that. Was it Evan?" She asks unsurely.

"E-eren." He says with an audible voice crack, which in turn causes him to clear his throat and deepen his voice dramatically. "It's- I'm just Eren." He says and accepts her offering.

He has to make a lasting impression.

As soon as he takes hold of her soft and manicured hand, he swears he feels some sort of electrical current running through from his head to his toes. Golden sparks flew around her frame and blew some of her hair away from her cheeks... or perhaps that was the effect of Eren's heavy ass breathing fanning across her skin. She noticeably grimaces at the feeling and flinches away before she steadies herself once more.

"Well then, 'just Eren'. The name's Y/N, and sorry about Marco by the way. He's usually really composed so I have no idea what got into him just now. Wow, your hand is super sweaty..." She adds as she pulls her own away from his.

Eren pays the comment no mind and instead murmurs in an hypnotic state, "Y/N, wow that's actually really pretty."

"Oh? Why do you look so surprised?" She asks with a teasing tilt to her lips, her sultry tone of voice was an obvious attempt to loosen them both from the tight restraints their first meeting held them in. Though, she failed to notice how her continuation had gravely affected the boy. "Do I look like I would have an ugly ass name or something?"

"No! That's not what I meant at all." Eren vehemently stated. "I mean, why would anyone say that? You're really pretty, like prettier than your name- prettier than me!" He nervously chuckles.

"Oh, and that's such a valid standard because you're a pretty princess, aren't you? You think highly of yourself, don't you?" She continues her teasing, though Eren still doesn't take the hint.

Shit, he's already messing up. That's okay, he still has time to fix this.

"What?! N-no, that's not what I meant either! You're just like the prettiest person I've ever met, I don't want to cause you any insecurities!"

"Oh trust me, you won't. I know I'm-"

"I over lick my lips when I'm nervous! Sometimes it causes them to get chapped so I have to carry chapsticks with me everywhere." Eren also overshares personal, (embarrassing), information as a nervous habit. Word vomit, if you will.

A trait he is unfortunately exhibiting right now.

"Uh, okay?"

"When I was younger I used to eat the wax from my ears because I used to think it was the same as bees wax, therefore I convinced myself it tasted like honey comb."

Her jaw drops and the teasing grin is gone, clearly being caught off guard by his disturbing words. "Ew..."

"Anyway, you're way prettier than your name! I swear! I could prove it to you?! What do you want me to do? I'll do it, just say the word!" Eren hastily deflects as he flails his arms around and word vomits onto the glistening marbled floors. It's a pathetic sight, really. His insides feel like they're burning an inferno that he can't contain. His stomach begins to churn and suddenly he feels what he imagines Marco had felt earlier.

Does he seriously have to take a deuce right now? Perhaps he should have gone with Marco instead...

"Hey, dude... are you okay? You're looking really pale-" Begins the girl, though her attempt at showing concern was halted by Eren's loud and body convulsing gag.

Oh no... He can feel it, not word vomit, actual vomit pounding its way up his throat, climbing and begging to be released. Sharp talons cleave the walls of his esophagus so heavily that he feels as if he can't breathe. He has never in his 18 years of life felt like this and before he can even attempt to force himself to stop... it overflows.

Spewing out of his lips and onto the girl right before him was his double quarter pounder with cheese, large fries dipped in his Oreo McFlurry, and sprite from last night. All over the most beautiful girl he has ever laid his eyes on, the girl of his dreams.

And it's only then that Eren realizes they weren't alone.

Every single pair of eyes within the vicinity were glued onto their forms. The way Eren hurled and bent forward right onto Y/N's chest.

"What the actual hell?!" The girl shrieks as pure shock and disgust pours into her features. Eren feels hot tears gather on his waterline from the sheer force his body was using to dump out their contents. "What is wrong with you?!" She asks but garners no response as his mouth was preoccupied.

He tries to speak but every time he makes an attempt, his body curls inwards and begins to retch once again, "Shit, I'm so-" He begins, but to no avail. Not unless soiling a pretty girl's outfit counts as any benefit, at least.

"Are you fucking serious right now?! This is fresh Prada! Ugh, you indigent bum, I hope you know this costs more than your damn miserable life!"

It's safe to say that Eren has made his lasting impression.

About 30 minutes after his projectile vomiting incident, Eren and Y/N are walking the same hallway they had met in, on their way to Dr. Hange's room for a stupid ID that he doesn't even care about anymore. Not when he can feel the wrathful glare from the short janitor stabbing at the side of his head. Eren grimaced as he walks past and murmurs a soft apology for creating the mess he was required to scrub until the floor glistened once again.

How did he already get on the janitor's shit list?

The girl beside him wasn't a fresh breeze on a sunny Sunday morning either. Rightfully so, considering she was forced to go shower again, though at least she was smart enough to store an extra pair of clothes in her locker. Here she was sporting yet another skirt, only this one was a vintage green finished with a mermaid hem. Her top was matching in color with some sort of floral pattern that Eren decided suited the way she smelled, and a small cardigan laid right on top. Her head was adorned with a white headband that matched her sneakers.

This chick seriously can't look anything less than perfection, can she?

Eren himself hadn't gotten any of last nights dinner on his own clothes, thankfully since he was not smart enough to do the same as the irritated girl. He better be extra thankful because of course he chose to wear a white button up today and there is no way he would have gotten the stain out, much less the smell.

They walked in silence, side by side, as the girl gripped the strap of her handbag... is that Balenciaga? Either way, Eren struggled to match her pace. She was absolutely pissed, that much he could tell.

He didn't know what to do, he could barely bring himself to speak. He felt that if he attempted to, he might puke all over her designer clothes again and he doubts she would have a third outfit prepared.

She would, but that's not important.

He really really wants to apologize, perhaps he can pay her back? Maybe he can sell one of his kidneys on the black market? Would they even pay him enough for that? He could probably find a nice corner and advertise his virginity to cover the rest, he's 18 now so it should be legal, right? Or, perhaps he will forever stay in debt to a girl he met in high school that pranced around in designer clothing and handbags. No one would ever think to hire him for any respectable position in that case.

He's fucked.

"Uhm..." He starts.

She sighs in exasperation and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Listen, I'll do you a favor. Let's just forget all about this and look the other way. As long as we never interact again, this will fade sooner rather than later and I'll have received my package from UPS or FedEx or whoever the fuck, and gotten a replacement for that really cute top you just ruined. Capiche?"

Eren sputters at her solution, staggering at the thought of never interacting and going their separate ways. Though, he supposes this is better than resorting to the black market. Perhaps they truly could move past this hurdle and live as simply acquaintances — acquaintances that harbored very ill memories of each other.

"Okay-" He began, only to get interrupted by a ping in her hand.

She had barely even glanced at it, really it was not a salient thing on her mind. She would have left it at a single glance would it not have been for several more following in succession. Only then did she spare it a second glance and the horror painted on her face was a tale tell sign that whatever it was that she read was not ideal.

"Oh no... no no no no, shit!" She cursed and rapidly tapped her fingernails on her illuminated screen.

A video played on her phone, loud enough to reach Eren's own ears. There was retching sounds, a gag, and then a splash. 'Are you fucking serious right now?! This is fresh Prada! Ugh, you indigent bum, I hope you know this costs more than your damn miserable life!' Followed after from the same velvety voice that made him weak in the knees.

"Evan-" She called as she shoved the phone towards Eren's face and his worst fears were confirmed.

Someone had recorded the entire event.

It was posted to the schools Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. There were comments, hundreds of them, and memes were already being made of Eren's face in pure agony. His teary eyes and sweaty face were plastered on every social media. He doesn't know if he's lucky that everyone is in class at the moment so that no one could actively laugh at him or if he was doomed because he's alone in a hallway with his newfound crush as his retching sounds echoed from the phone in her dainty hand.

"This is so bad! No one is gonna let this shit go anytime soon." She states as she reads the hundreds of loathing comments. "Look, I overreacted back there-"

"Just save it, okay? Thanks for walking me but I think I've got it from here." He says and hurriedly runs with his tail between his legs as she stares at his retreating form. Her jeweled hand finds itself aching to reach out, but she forces it to stay glued to her side.

"Well... fuck."

Three.

That's how many classes Eren has had to sit through as people stare and gawk at him. Some are bold enough to point and laugh, though never to the extent where they would say anything to his face, while others resorted to mocking him behind his back, but the worst of them all?

The ones that look at him with pity.

Eren absolutely abhors being pitied.

He hates it — hates to be babied and hates to be coddled. He's a grown ass 18 year old man (boy) and has no need for people to feel sorrow for him when he's the one controlling all of his own actions.

He's a grown ass man (boy), alright. A grown ass man (boy) that just finished crying in that, surprisingly clean, bathroom stall because of the sheer humiliation that he felt. The ignominy that he had a moment of weakness caught on camera and shared with the entire school. The indignity of the fact that he ran and cried uncle from her.

If only she hadn't been there, then maybe he would have been spared the embarrassment. If only Marco hadn't needed to take a shit. If only Jean hadn't been messing with Armin this morning, then perhaps he wouldn't have had to intervene and therefore would have arrived at Dr. Hange's room on time and missed Y/N's entrance, she would have never made him weak in the knees and tongue tied. Nothing would have been spilt aside from his drool. None of this would have happened.

All of those thoughts ran rampant in Eren's head, so much so that he didn't even notice the lunch bell had rung until he felt someone continuously poke his shoulder.

"Wow you have tiny shoulders!" A tall girl with brown hair pulled into a pony exclaimed.

Swatting her hands away, Eren asks irritated, "What do you want?" Though, he knew it was pointless. She was probably there to ridicule and taunt him into crying some more, which he would totally give into.

"Uhh, the lunch bell rang already, so-"

"Oh, t-thanks." He answers.

She didn't recognize him? She isn't laughing at or deriding him, that's amazing! Maybe people have already begun to forget! That's what always happens after a major incident, so perhaps his life will be back to norm-

"Hey, wait! Aren't you the guy from that video? Oh, man! You puked all over Y/N, didn't you?" She asks, throwing her head back in a guffaw. "Dude, I've never seen her make that face before-"

"Sash! Are ya coming or not? They're leaving us behind!" Calls a boy with a silver buzz cut, his head and torso peeking into the emptying classroom buoyantly.

"Hey, Connie! Come look! It's the guy from the video, the one that squirted his juices all over Y/N!"

"I did not squirt my juices!"

"No fucking way! Man, you're famous!"

Just as the lively boy was making his way over to Eren's desk, Eren abruptly stands from his seat, the metal scraping at the floor harshly, and hastily grips his backpack.

"Listen, just leave me alone. I did not squirt my juices and I most definitely am not famous. But, you know what? Since you're both so insistent, why don't I give you an autograph?!" He erupts and then shoves two of his fingers down the back of his throat, gagging in the process.

"Woah! No need, we're fine..." Connie takes a step back and shields himself with his arms.

Eren glares sneeringly, "Apologies, I must have squirted all my juices for the day, I'm all out." He bites sarcastically and stomps his feet all the way out the door.

"What's wrong with him?" Connie asks his friend.

"He seems really upset, I don't know why, though." She answers obliviously.

"Beats me," Connie shakes his head dismissively and charges on with why he was originally even there. "Anyway, I was trying to tell you that we should go before they run out of sloppy Joes! You know Reiner doesn't give a damn about his bank account when they serve those, and if we don't go now... they'll all be devoured."

"Devoured?!" She screeched. "I'll kill the big oaf!"

"Then hurry your fat ass up, he's got a head start already!"

"What if we jump him in the lunch line? Oh! We could take his wallet too!"

"Girl, he's six foot four. The only things you'll be jumping are his man knockers, now get your ugly ass to the cafeteria."

"I mean, if that was the result of my actions, you would not catch me complaining-"

"Let's. Go."

"Eren! Over here!" Armin, the blonde from this morning, called out.

Eren had just arrived at the expanse cafeteria, and to say he's about to piss his pants would be the understatement of the century. He had hoped to simply grab a tray of those magnificent looking sloppy Joes and then retreat back into the safety of the biggest stall available in the men's restroom to finish his crying session. Though, before he could even grab a tray, he was eagerly waved over by the goth girl and scrawny boy from earlier. They didn't seem to be laughing at his expense, and he had to admit, the familiar faces brought him a comfort he desperately needed at the moment.

"Hey," Eren greets as he sits across from the duo who contrasted each other so much so, it was almost amusing to him. They were sat at a round table near the back that allowed them clear views of the others surrounding them.

"Hey, how have you been?" Mikasa asks softly. He can tell she is trying her best to be as consoling as possible, considering the obvious shit day he's had.

"As well as I can be," He answers with a sigh and then drags his hands down his face in exhaustion. "I assume you guys have seen the video?" He asks with a wince, already having accepted what answer he would receive but still afraid of it. He settles his backpack on his lap and wraps his arms around its waist — he still hadn't stashed it away in his locker in fear of walking down that familiar hallway once again. It was as if he had developed PTSD or something of the sort that had him feeling like he would reenact the entire fiasco a second time. Not to mention, the hallway would surely be filled to the brim with other students and he couldn't bear to have all eyes on him again. Simply walking into the cafeteria had a dozen holes being burned on the back of his head, he doesn't want to imagine what kind of attention he would garner then.

"Everyone and their mothers have, I'm so sorry this is happening to you, Eren." Armin says sympathetically.

"Oh no, not the milfs." Eren grumbles as he squishes his face into the top of his bag.

"It's the plastics, Eren. What can you expect?" Mikasa grits bitterly, her eyes scrutinizing a table not far from her own. "I bet Y/N planned this all out, some kind of sick scheme to assert her dominance over the fresh meat."

"Mikasa... even if that were true, she's the one that got her clothes ruined. What good would that have done for her?" Armin rebuts.

The girl looks appalled that her friend would even ask such a thing. "Armin, she's loaded. The cost of an outfit like that is pocket change in her eyes." She reminds him. "Trust me, that was a minuscule loss to her father's bank account."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't put it past them." He agrees.

"Uhm," Eren interjects with a raise of his had as if he were in the middle of a lecture. "What the hell are 'The Plastics'?" He asks with his fingers making air quotations. "Armin mentioned them earlier too, so I asked Marco about it but he said he didn't know what I was talking about."

"Of course he said that, he's a part of the problem!" Mikasa exclaims a bit too loud for Armin's taste.

"Calm down Mikasa, they'll hear you!" He ushers the girl, not noticing he too has reached her level of volume. "Okay, Eren. If you want to survive, cause you're not gonna thrive unless you're one of them, you'll need to know who the hell they even are." He tells him whilst jutting his fingers in the direction that the girl beside him was just glaring at.

At a table not too far from their own, that they held a near perfect view of, sat a group of 8 teens. Although they all looked drastically different from each other, not to mention how they act, one thing was certain in what they had in common.

The blistering amount of confidence that oozed from their pores.

There was no doubt about where they all stood in the social hierarchy, the energy they exuded wouldn't allow any shred to sprout. The auras around them were asphyxiating and wouldn't let them go unnoticed, it was as if those same auras had wrapped their tendrils around each person present in the room, forcing them to bend knee to their will.

"Those eight are who we call 'The Plastics'." Armin explains.

"Cause they're all fake conniving bitches." Mikasa grits. It was clear that the girl had it out for them personally, though the reason for that is still a mystery to Eren.

"Tone it down, 'Kasa. They'll hear you."

"Whatever."

"This seems very personal. What'd they do to you?" Eren asks as he leans his chin on his palm.

"What do you mean?" The girl asks.

"Well, you seem to really hate them. Like you have some kind of personal vendetta."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, why?"

Before she can answer, Armin interjects, "Funny thing, Y/N and Mikasa were actually really-"

"Armin!" She interrupts his explanation, to which the boy sputters at her exclamation.

"What?"

"Can you not, right now?" She grits at the blonde, before she directs her attention back to the brunet before her. "We should give you a bit of background first, so you're somewhat familiar with who they are."

Both teens make intense eye contact before nodding their heads in sync and announcing, "Here's the mother fucking tea."

"Sasha Braus and Connie Springer," Armin says while jesting to a pair of students sitting beside each other, both having just sat down and were unleashing their wrath onto the other members of their table. It seemed they had been served whatever was left of the sloppy Joes which meant that they had less meat than the rest. "AKA: thing one and thing two. The most dumbest people you will ever meet, much more walk the planet."

"Armin sat beside them in Film theory last year." Mikasa adds.

The boy in topic nods vehemently, "They genuinely didn't know that Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana were the same person."

"I honestly don't even know how they got in with that kind of crowd, maybe their looks?" Mikasa thinks aloud.

"Either way, be wary. Just because they're stupid, doesn't mean they aren't as vicious as the rest. They know everything about everyone and are almost always at the center of rumors and drama. Also both stupidly rich." Armin warns.

Eren's face grows distant as he looks their way, reminiscing on his own interaction with the two. "Those two laughed at me in class earlier. I nearly thought they hadn't recognized me, but of course that was too good to be true." He says.

"No surprise there," Mikasa scoffs, "One time, they were caught trying to kill a ferret. The devils almost suffocated the poor thing with their bags." She explains as her fists slam down on the table brutally.

Armin's shoulders jump at the sound of the impact and one of his hands fly towards his head to adjust the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "The worst of the worst." He agrees.

Pointing to the boy familiar to Eren's eyes, the galled teens continue, "Next, we have Marco Bodt - our student body president. The quote 'nicest person to ever grace these halls' end-quote... well I call bullshit."

"There's rumors that he's been sent by whatever god you believe in to watch over the plastics. To be completely honest, that was probably started by Connie or Sasha, which wouldn't surprise me."

"On the surface, he's a real nice guy... almost too nice." Armin adds as he squints his eyes in suspicion. "It makes you wonder if it's all a farce."

"Oh, it totally is. I've heard rumors of him snapping at others and then proceeding to bribe them to keep their mouths shut." Mikasa nods.

Eren begins to ponder all previous interactions he's had with the boy, almost saddened at the thought of Marco's extremely friendly demeanor being a farce. "I never thought of it like that, it sucks actually. I thought we could have been friends."

It's Mikasa's turn to warn the brunet this time, "Zon't zo it, girl. Zon't zo it."

"Now, Ymir..." Armin begins before his face scrunches up and his eyes shoot to the ceiling. "I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea what her last name is." He resolves.

"She's a part of the varsity girl's soccer team." Mikasa finishes as she juts her chin to a tall tanned girl sat beside Sasha. She donned dark brown hair tied into a low ponytail, and freckles littered her cheeks. She howled in laughter with her arm laid behind the seat of the blonde beside her. "She's a rude bitch and sarcastic to everyone except Historia, who she has a god obvious thing for. Well, obvious to everyone except Historia herself. Which brings us to-"

"Historia Reiss, she's your stereotypical popular girl — blonde, hot, and captain of the cheer squad." Armin interjects.

Next to Ymir was a small girl with vibrantly golden locks that could only be rivaled by Armin himself... not only that but they had nearly identical jeweled eyes. One could think they were somehow related, if not for their entirely opposing backgrounds. That one being Eren.

"Woah! Armin, is that your sister?!" Eren exclaims, staggering at their resemblance.

"What?! No!" The blonde exclaims, "Everyone always thinks that..." He grumbles with a roll of his eyes.

"I thought the same thing too." Mikasa snickers, "But, the more I've gotten to know Armin, the more contrary they get and now I can't even imagine them within an arms length of each other."

"Anyway! She's also crazy rich." Armin deflects.

"Uhm, isn't everyone in this school rich? I'm pretty positive I'm the only exception." Eren determines as he gestures to the rest of the tables littering the room.

Armin gapes like a fish out of water, "Well, yeah... but we mean Elon Musk rich! When we say rich at Trost, we don't mean normal rich, we mean buying an island rich. I have half the mind to seduce Reiner and get that bag, the big oaf won't know what hit him - I'd be set for life."

"How did you get in here, anyway? Are you like Einstein smart or what? What's your deal?" Mikasa bluntly asks.

"I wish." Eren answers, "In actuality, my dad's a doctor so we're doing well enough, though our net worth is nothing compared to everyone else here. I think I'd have to give the credit to my mom though, she recently got a new job in the fashion industry, which is why we had to move."

With a face that contradicts her words, Mikasa nods, "Interesting. Anyway, I heard Historia once made a girl cry in the restroom! Apparently, she cut the girl's hair because it looked better than her own." She informs them.

"That's downright cruel." Armin squeaks as he clutches the strands by his face.

"Next, we have... ugh, Jean." Mikasa groans and then faux vomits, which Eren finds to be insensitive, considering his experience with the action today.

"He's arrogant, cocky, and never leaves me alone." Armin grimaces.

"He's a wannabe delinquent and a whore for attention. Also, another addition to the stupidly rich club and best friends with Y/N. They're like Yin and Yang, but more alike than different." Mikasa glares at the fawn haired boy who is in the middle of flipping the bird to Ymir.

"Now, Reiner Braun. He's your stereotypical jock — blonde, hot, and captain of the men’s varsity lacrosse team."

"He's a weird one, sometimes leaning more towards a decent guy and then the next moment he's acting like... well, a jock. Pretty sure he has a thing for Y/N, too." Armin adds as the teen quite literally proves his point, feigning a yawn and laying his arm on the backrest of her chair. Though, the girl abruptly stands up and out of reach.

Weird.

"I think they've hooked up at least once. Of course, that's just what I've heard people whisper around them. No surprise, he's rich as hell as well." Armin finishes.

"And last but not least," Mikasa's once hard glare turns piercing and no longer exhibits a frosty aura. Instead, her irises project blazing infernos. "Y/N Ackerman. If the academy had a royal court, she'd be the one sat cozy on the throne. Queen bee, you could call her. She's also the captain of the girl's varsity soccer team. Don't be fooled, because she may seem like your typical selfish backstabbing slut faced hoe bag, but in reality she is so much more than that."

Eren can't help but feel as though those two have a personal history that can't be uncovered with a simple glance. Though, he notes how one sided it looks to be.

As he goes to glance at the girl they are currently gossiping about, he notices that her spot at the infamous table was vacant. The only people left were the rest of her friend group, all of which sporting dumbfounded faces.

Dumbfounded faces directed towards his own table.

Why are they looking his way?

"Hey, Evan, right?" Says that distinctly velvety voice that forces Eren to be grateful he's sat. His knees wouldn't have been able to handle his entire weight, not this time.

Mikasa gapes at the sight of the girl standing before their table, before she steels herself and returns to her signature glare. "It's Eren. Eren Jaeger." She reminds with gritted teeth.

Y/N noticeably winces at her slip up, "My bad, I'm terrible with names."

"It's fine! I'm just Eren." Eren hastily reassures as he stares up at her in a daze.

The girl chuckles softly, "Okay, just Eren." She corrects and then her eyes dart across the cafeteria to assure that all eyes were on her, as she intended. Her class did not disappoint. The oh so easily influenced senior class of Trost Academy granted her their fully undivided attention. Every breath turned stagnant, chewing halted, and conversations left on hold in hopes of finding out what the hell their most prestigious alumni wants with the social rejects.

She clears her throat and asks profoundly, "Why don't you come to my game today? We're playing home, and afterwards we're heading to my house to celebrate our inevitable win. There'll be pizza for dinner, on me." Her eyes dart to the other two across from him and her smile grows tight. "You can even bring your... friends." She says, though her words sound unsure and awfully forced.

Multiple beats of silence follow the offer, no one daring to move a muscle in fear of furthering their own confusion.

What? Why is this happening? What's her motive? Is she going to humiliate him again? Hadn't she had enough of that this morning? Eren wants to genuinely ask himself those questions, but in truth, he folds at her mere presence.

He's left with his jaw dropped and exchanges panicked glances with Mikasa and Armin.

Mikasa's expression of bewilderment fades into one of distaste and suspicion. "Now, why the hell would we do that? Princess."

"Because I'm inviting you? Obviously." The H/C girl retorts with the same bite in her tone. The room goes quiet once again, before she decides she has had enough and sighs in exasperation. "Look, I'm not about to grovel at your feet, I'd rather not crease my sneakers; they're Italian leather. You either come or you don't." She finishes and then leans Eren's way, causing him to catch a whiff of her floral perfume. "Think of this as a way for me to help you out a bit. You... didn't deserve that humiliation. Especially not on your first day." She whispers and juts her head to the eyes around them.

Oh, wow. It seems that she's attempting to make it look as if they are both on good terms, friends even. An attempt at fixing his reputation, which means she feels bad.

His heart is going to explode, and he's begging himself to keep whatever remains in his stomach where it should be.

His head nods buoyantly, "Yeah, I'm in love with yo-"

"Yes! We accept your invitation and will be cheering from the stands at 6 pm today. Don't worry your pretty little head, you'll see us there." Mikasa announces abruptly and fixes the girl a determined stare.

"Oh..." She breathes, almost as if she didn't expect the results she was given. "You're sure?"

"Yes, no take backsies." Mikasa says with a taunting smile.

"Okay then, cool. I'll- uh, see you guys later?" Her gaze moves to Eren for confirmation.

The boy nods dumbly, with pink dusting his cheeks. "Yeah, I'll love you lat- I mean! I'll see you later."

The corner of her lips rise slightly at his outburst and she tilts her head curiously, before she nods and retreats back to her seat beside Reiner, the seven sat around her giving her matching shocked expressions.

As everyone slowly snaps out of their dazes and begin to return to their own activities for the remaining of the time they had left, Y/N's friends aren't as willing to glide over what had just occurred.

"Y/N, what the hell was that? Since when do you do charity?" Asks Jean with a concerned expression.

"Don't tell me that's your way of atoning for the puking fiasco..." Ymir adds.

"We told you that it wasn't your fault, hon. It was the assholes that recorded everything and made it a bigger deal than it had to be." Historia reassures as she sits up from Ymir's hold.

"Are you beating yourself up about that, Y/N?" Connie asks sympathetically.

Reiner places his jacket onto the girl's shoulders and takes a hold of one of her palms comfortingly. "Do you want my last sandwich?" He offers.

"What? No, I mean sure I felt bad earlier but that's long since worn off. I'm trying to fix my own reputation here!" She answers boldly, "Have you seen the comments on the video? I'm being called a snobby uptight bitch. Yeah, no way am I gonna let that continue." She scoffs.

The entire table nods and murmurs their agreements, considering they probably would have done the same. It's not like she truly had harmful intentions, she just figured she could kill two birds with one stone.

"I'm not gonna lie though, can you really blame me for feeling just a tad bit bad for the guy? He already looks like a total loser. It's affecting him as much as it is me, so why not try to help the both of us out?" She explains, "Though, I didn't think they would actually agree. Especially Mikasa."

"So... no sandwich?" Reiner asks again.

"Rei, of course I want your sandwich." She answers and he happily slides his tray her way.

"To be honest, the kid's weird for projectile vomiting on his first day, but I can get behind your idea." He admits as he leans back in his chair.

"Well, you've surely seen better days." Marco comments sympathetically. "You sure you're fine?"

"Yeah," She answers, "Though, I barely got any sleep last night. Auggie had his band over because dad wasn't home, and he learned how to work the power box, so now I can't just turn it off whenever I want because the fucker will just turn it back on." She sighed as she bit into her sloppy Joe.

"Ooh! When are they gonna play for us again? They're improving so fast, I bet we could get them to play at Miche's Diner." Sasha suggests eagerly. "Speaking of, when the hell are we going back? It's been forever since I had that mouthwatering burger in my stomach!"

"Sasha, you're slobbering. Also, we literally went last weekend, what do you mean 'forever'?" Jean reminds the girl.

"I said what I meant and I meant what I said."

"Anyway, lighten up, Y/N. That loser is hardly important enough to let him get you down." Jean chuckles as he ruffles her hair, effectively tarnishing her picture perfect hairstyle.

The girl groans and jerks her head away, "I'd never let a man tell me what to do, now fix my hair you rat. I can't be seen like this." She finishes and points a manicured finger to her head, which the boy rolls his eyes at but accedes nonetheless.

"Oh, I know!" Marco exclaims with a nearly visible lightbulb above his head. "Why don't I bring Megan over to your house tonight after the game? That'd be nice, wouldn't it?" He suggests after having been brainstorming a way to lift her spirits.

"Oh wow! Yes, I miss Megan so much, please bring him over Marco!" Sasha says as she throws her torso on the table, cupping her hands together in a pleading motion.

"Yeah, I've been needing my weekly trauma dump, so that'd be nice for me too." Reiner agrees.

"I haven't been able to buy him snacks because I've been saving up for my club penguin membership." Connie whines dramatically.

"Connie, you're loaded. What are you talking about?" Jean deadpans.

The boy crosses his arms and glares at his freckled friend beside him, "Well, someone here said I couldn't use my parents' money on Megan anymore."

The boy in question simply rubs the back of his neck and chuckles, "Well, last time I let you, you ended up buying him way more than just food. Trust me, you've given him enough, get your club penguin membership."

"Look cueball, all you've gotta do is make a couple bets on who you think is gonna win tonight and then when we inevitably do, you'll have enough for Megan, your membership, and more. Donezo." Ymir says with a smirk, obviously very confident in her team's skills.

"And where the hell am I gonna find someone willing to bet against you guys?"

"Just go to the other side of the stands, Stohess is cocky as shit. Trust me, you'll find tons of betting twerps."

"Cool, good point."

"Now, let's just hope your new friends aren't bad luck charms, Captain." The brunette turns towards the girl in topic. "Last thing we want is this attempt at mending reputations to come bite us in the ass."

"Oh please, Ymir." Y/N scoffs sarcastically, "You make it seem like they're out to get us." She chuckles at the idea.

"Even if they were, what's the worst they could do?"

"Guys, what the hell just happened?" Eren asks with his mouth agape. Armin brings his hand up to close his jaw manually.

"I think we just got invited to a party? Is it even a party? Only the plastics ever get to celebrate with the captain after their wins, of course there are a few exceptions but I never thought we would ever be included in those exceptions!"

"I think I almost creamed my pants." Eren murmurs as he calms his heart rate from his latest interaction. "Wait," He redirects his attention to the ravenette, "Why the sudden change of heart, Mikasa? I could have sworn you were committing mental arson just now."

"Don't you guys see? This is our chance — we can finally get close to the plastics and ruin them from the inside out." She explains with a menacingly calculative expression on her face.

Both boys gawked at the girl and the sheer audacity she had to suggest such a thing, until Armin couldn't bear to contain his disbelief. "Are you crazy, Mikasa?! What are you on? How would we even pull that off?!"

"I don't want to do that, you sound psychotic. This is like some weird wannabe spin-off plot from some 2000's movie that we would never do justice and leave all the viewers complaining about how we should leave iconic films alone." Eren states adamantly. Her idea sounds cruel and he honestly doesn't know if they would deserve to be the pawns of some sort of revenge plot.

"Eren, she humiliated you. You might have your doubts of if she meant to ruin your first day at a school such as this one, but that's just how she works." Mikasa grits and her piercing stare somehow grows even fiercer than ever before. "She makes you think she cares and then when you need her the most? Bam! She drops you like a damn potato. She's the most backstabbing bitch to ever backstab!" She defends herself whilst her hands repeatedly make stabbing motions towards the boy's chest.

Eren's face contorts into a grimace, "This seems more like it's for your own vengeance than mine." He states as his arms cross over his chest.

"Yeah, Mikasa." Armin interjects, "Even though I don't like them very much, ruining their lives is a little too far; even for me."

The girl steadies her breath as she calms herself and reels in her resentment. "Alright, relax. I just worded it wrong." She reassures, though Eren doesn't know if he believes her. "What I meant is that we should take this opportunity to mess with them a bit. Maybe knock them down a peg, no biggie. We have nothing better to do and it's not like this invitation will actually spark some type of friendship with any of them. It would simply never work."

"...How would you know that?" Eren asks, though what he really means is, why? For what reason would no sort of relationship have the ability to form? Was the idea of being associated with people of their status so inconceivable?

"Eren, she couldn't even remember the name of the guy she completely humiliated just a couple of hours ago. Your name. She couldn't remember your name. Trust me, I know."

Ouch. That one cut deep, much to his surprise.

"Well... perhaps this would get Jean to leave me alone. At least for some time?" Armin mutters with his chin between his index and thumb.

"Exactly," Mikasa agrees. "Armin stops his bully, Eren gets his revenge, and I get the pleasure of partaking in and watching the collapse of the hierarchy."  

Armin giggles conspicuously, "I mean, as long as this is just a bit of horseplay... nothing different than playing chess, right? I'm in."

The pair then turn their heads to the remaining member of their newly formed trio, who seems to be in deep thought.

Is Mikasa right? Could this simply be a game to Y/N? One that she would have no problem turning and stabbing him in the back in order to win? Everything Mikasa and Armin have said makes perfect sense, they sound like an awful group of people. But if so, why the hell is Eren hesitating so much?

He resides to closing his eyes and takes a thoroughly deep breath, relaxing his mind for what he can tell is a monumental moment that will determine his experience at Trost Academy. If he accepts, who knows what could go down? Not to mention, he might end up on the IT girl's shitlist. Though, if he declines, Mikasa and Armin would ditch him and then he'd be all alone in this enormous school filled with people who ridicule him left and right.

He can hear them laughing from the distance, condescending laughs that grow distinct the longer he keeps his eyes shut. They were taunting, as if they were testing his will or patience...

No.

Eren does not want to experience humiliation any longer. He hates to feel inferior and for as long as they are still standing, that feeling won't disappear.

Knowingly declaring war, Eren announces his final decision. "Alright, what do you have in mind?"

Mikasa's eyes grew darker than they have ever been, and Eren could almost see the snake slithering around in the deep irises that made up Mikasa Ackerman's mercury eyes. "Thanks for asking, I've already got an idea. It's got to do with tonight's game. After all, what's a queen without her throne?"

And as the vindictive girl begins to elucidate her plan, Eren finds his gaze straying to the girl that stood above him moments ago. She's sat at her table at the center of the room, or was it truly the center of the room? Perhaps it simply felt that way. Eren was convinced that no matter where she stood, she would always be the center in his eyes.

He doesn't know if he likes that fact.

She laughs at the way Jean ruffles her hair for the fourth time, berates the boy, and then returns the favor. And Eren can feel his heart crack just the slightest bit as he thinks of what he agreed to partake in. He feels as though if his heart ruptures just a few more times, it'd bleed out. Though, perhaps it will already be too late then, and he wonders just whose will break first.

But, then again, Eren has always been a sore loser.

Tag list: @idreamitski @str4wberrylover @jesus-son-of-god @hoejosblindfold [dm or comment to be added or removed!]

A/N: Happy birthday Eren! My little war criminal ♥︎

[foursaints]

james and regulus would be drift compatible actually

mags i’m going to be so cringe about this i actually can’t help myself!! i think the black brothers would have been trained since childhood to copilot, born so closely together to increase drift compatibility… i think they would be very successful at the academy up until they lose the ability to be in each other’s heads at all…

james & regulus would be drift compatible and the most unlikely copilots of all time… their jaeger is called Ursa Major….. can you picture them bleeding into each other after enough time in the neural link??

james & regulus after piloting together for a bit too long, spilling out of a jaeger. regulus is beaming like “THAT WAS BRILLIANT :D” while james scowls like “nobody fucking touch me >:-/“ and it takes them a few minutes to shake out of it….