#project apple scientists

[reasonsforhope]

"A 9th grader from Snellville, Georgia, has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, after inventing a handheld device designed to detect pesticide residues on produce.

Sirish Subash set himself apart with his AI-based sensor to win the grand prize of $25,000 cash and the prestigious title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

Like most inventors, Sirish was intrigued with curiosity and a simple question. His mother always insisted that he wash the fruit before eating it, and the boy wondered if the preventative action actually did any good.

He learned that 70% of produce items contain pesticide residues that are linked to possible health problems like cancer and Alzheimer’s—and washing only removes part of the contamination.

“If we could detect them, we could avoid consuming them, and reduce the risk of those health issues.”

His device, called PestiSCAND, employs spectrophotometry, which involves measuring the light that is reflected off the surface of fruits and vegetables. In his experiments he tested over 12,000 samples of apples, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes. Different materials reflect and absorb different wavelengths of light, and PestiSCAND can look for the specific wavelengths related to the pesticide residues.

After scanning the food, PestiSCAND uses an AI machine learning model to analyze the lightwaves to determine the presence of pesticides. With its sensor and processor, the prototype achieved a detection accuracy rate of greater than 85%, meeting the project’s objectives for effectiveness and speed.

Sirish plans to continue working on the prototype with a price-point goal of just $20 per device, and hopes to get it to market by the time he starts college." [Note: That's in 4 years.]

-via Good News Network, October 27, 2024

[kxsagi]

Hewoo againn (*￣∇￣)ノ

I see that your requests are open today, although I don't know if you'll be able to answer if it's already bombarded (oof)

Butt... Hear me out: Reader trying out new lipstick shades and using their bllk boyfriend's face/skin 👀 as a canvas cause y'know, they wanna see what color looks great against their skin 🤭

Kindly requesting the itoshi brothers, shidou, kaiser, ness kunigami, karasu, gagamaru, and barou (as well as any other boys you'd wanna add <3)

Also, I was the one that sent the request for mmafighter!reader x bllk boys and I loved it! Your writing honestly makes my day and mwah! ( ^-^)ノ∠※。.:*:・'°☆💋

I suppose imma just refer to myself as your anonymous 💜 requester (?) (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

“𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬”

a/n: literally just saved a cute pinterest pin of this (it was a sign)

also thank you so so so much! i ADORE your ideas, the mma fighter! reader was so much fun to write mwah mwah mwah 😚💋

also #2: if anyone has lip gloss recs or lip combo recs, PLEASE GIVE IT TO ME 

ft. itoshi rin, itoshi sae, shidou ryusei, kaiser michael, ness alexis, kunigami rensuke, karasu tabito, gagamaru gin, barou shoei, isagi yoichi, nagi seishiro

itoshi rin

“why don’t you use your own arm?” 

“because you’re my favorite canvas,” you reply sweetly, already uncapping the first lipstick. 

sits like he’s being punished, arms crossed, refusing to meet your eyes as you start swatching a peachy nude on his cheekbone. 

“stop smiling at me like that.” 

“like what?” you grin, swatching a bright coral on his jaw next. 

turns redder than the lipstick. 

eventually sighs and mutters, “just finish your weird little art project.” 

doesn't say a word when you give him a kiss on the nose with hot pink. 

hours later, you find a selfie on his phone titled: coral test results - looks better on her 🫤. 

itoshi sae

“princesa, that looks expensive. should you be testing it on a civilian?” says that while laying back on the couch like he’s on a spa retreat. 

you straddle his lap with a whole row of lipstick tubes in hand like a scientist in her lab. 

“seriously, i’m not sure your skin’s the right tone to match mine –” 

“oh? and what tone is mine?” he teases. “hot? hotter?” 

lets you swatch shades on his chest, his collarbones, even his lips, but insists on giving feedback like a beauty guru: “this one’s too tragic. this one screams tax season. this one? this one’s me in lipstick form.” 

you: “you’re so full of it.” 

him, with three lip marks on his abs: “full of style.” 

shidou ryusei

“ohh, are we playing makeup? finally.” 

no. he does not follow instructions. 

you’re trying to test out neutral tones and he’s over here demanding you use “something demonic.” 

“make it black. wait. black with glitter. give me devil lips.” 

keeps sticking his tongue out so you accidentally swipe it. 

“oops ~ guess you gotta kiss it better.” 

ends up with full lips, two-tone cheeks, glitter on his neck, and not one regret. 

takes mirror selfies while you’re still testing. sends them to his group chat. caption: my girl turned me into a fineass crayon box. 

doesn’t wipe anything off. goes out to the store like that. 

kaiser michael

you don’t even finish asking. “can i –” 

“yes. of course. i have excellent bone structure for makeup swatches.” 

poses like it’s vogue. tilts his face. offers his abs. 

“this is the most efficient way to test high-pigment color on perfect skin.” 

you: “whose perfect skin?” 

“mine, schatz.” 

makes dramatic gasps for every new shade like, “this one is bold, it screams money,” and “this shade is called kaiser’s girlfriend’s privilege.” 

you try to do a neat row of swatches, but he keeps flexing and distracting you. 

ends up looking like a lipstick picasso. loves it. 

ness alexis

so cooperative it’s suspicious. 

sits on the floor cross-legged while you perch above him on the couch like royalty. 

“mmm, maybe the berry tone next? or the cinnamon glaze one?” 

keeps his eyes wide and still while you apply it, like he’s in a professional makeup studio. 

rates each one like a food critic: “this one feels luxurious. this one? cozy date night in fall.” 

gently reminds you to blot if you forget. offers his arm for leftover swatches. 

tells you which one makes your skin glow the most. 

you end up cuddling with his neck covered in different kiss marks. he’s still smiling like it’s the best day of his life. 

kunigami rensuke

“uh, are you sure this is okay?” 

he looks so concerned, poor guy. 

“yes,” you say, already smearing a nude tone along his jawline. 

he sits like he’s at the dentist – rigid, confused, but obedient. 

“don’t you have, like, swatch paper or something?” 

“shhh. your face is way cuter.” 

blushes so hard he starts sweating. 

you kiss his forehead with a deep red and say, “final test.” 

he almost passes out. 

refuses to wipe it off and goes to the gym with a lipstick heart on his bicep like a love badge. 

karasu tabito

“oh hell yeah. paint me like one of your fancy girls.” 

reclines back dramatically with a throw pillow under his head. 

lets you draw full swatches, then starts naming them stupid things: “this is ‘sexy betrayal.’ this one’s ‘tax evasion.’ this one? ‘midnight scandal’.” 

you: “karasu, these are just pinks.” 

him: “emotional pinks.” 

halfway through he tries to kiss you with four different colors still on him. now you look like a disaster. 

both of you look insane. both of you are in love. 

gagamaru gin

doesn’t move a muscle. sits like a very obedient golden retriever. 

“just tell me where.” 

offers you his neck, shoulders, collarbone, whatever you need. 

every time you say “wow, that shade pops,” he perks up like a puppy being praised. 

tries to help by flexing when you do chest swatches. accidentally makes the lipstick smear. 

“sorry.” 

you giggle and kiss his nose. he doesn’t wipe it off for hours. 

barou shoei

“you’re not touching me with that garbage.” 

okay so you have to coax him into it. 

eventually caves but makes you promise “nothing fruity.” 

you swatch ONE dusty rose on his cheek and he’s like “too fruity. wipe it off.” 

ends up letting you do a whole gradient on his arm instead. 

glares at it the whole time like it offended his bloodline. 

secretly keeps your kiss mark on his jaw and glares at anyone who looks at it too long. 

isagi yoichi

“uhhh i’ve never been used as a color test before, but sure???” 

kind of nervous but excited to help. 

watches every swatch you put on him like it’s a math equation. 

“this one’s warmer… oh, but that one’s more vibrant. maybe good for nighttime lighting?” 

sweetly says “do the thing” and puckers up so you can test one directly with a kiss. 

giggles when you say he looks like a valentine card. 

takes a picture of your arm next to his cheek to compare tones. “science!” 

keeps the one he likes best on until bedtime. 

nagi seishiro

“ugh, do i have to move?” 

lays there like a cat being groomed. 

opens one eye to say “do the purple one” then goes back to half-napping. 

doesn’t react to any of the swatches except to occasionally go “eh. that’s fine.” 

you kiss his collarbone with a bold crimson and he finally reacts: “that one. wear that one forever.” 

goes back to sleep with ten swatches and glitter on his chin. 

you leave a sticky note on his forehead: best canvas award goes to you. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[sophiamarieispinkbunny-chan]

Addition, I didn't remember they were with Bond too in Chapter 90! Bond is also a subject of Project Apple! Okay that just sealed this theory more to me.

THEORY: Sigmund Authen, Anya Forger, Yor Briar and Yuri Briar are all connected to Project Apple.

How is Sigmund connected? He was one of the scientists that worked on Project Apple way before or when it just started

First of all, his appearance is giving Albert Einstein to me, a famous scientist and as well his expression of Eureka-an expression popularized by a mathematician/scientist. He also used to teach in universities.

There are a lot of other abilities being developed in project Apple. We have seen someone who has an unusual sense of smell in the cruise arc (I really think he was a product of some experiment). But I think Sigmund is a scientist that focuses on the mind's abilities. Why?

His name was probably derived from the famous neurologist Sigmund Freud. What does a neurologist do?  A neurologist is a medical doctor who's an expert in diagnosing and treating diseases and conditions of your brain, spinal cord and nerves. Sigmund is also the founder of psychoanalysis-which also studies the mind. Always connected to the brain. So he must be also the one who first conducted experiments in mind manipulation and mind reading.

Does this mean that Sigmund knows that Anya is a subject of that experiment? No, because he had probably already quit project Apple before Anya was brought in as subject 007 or before she even existed. It won’t fit the timeline if he was one of the scientists that experimented on Anya. (I also think that Anya’s number does not indicate the number of people that have been experimented on but the number of subjects that became successful, still just a speculation)

However, it seems like he doesn’t remember much about the experiment, (he doesn’t even remember the right way home). When he quit, maybe he cut all ties he had with the project, realizing how mean and cruel it was. He forgot about it like he was never part of it in the first place.

And then right after this chapter, Endo gave us that jaw dropping and mind-boggling four page short chapter that started to plague our minds since, indicating we were about to tackle Anya’s past. So I may have to agree that Sigmund could be Anya’s trigger to remember the past.

But how did Yor and Yuri got involved in Project Apple?

Yor and Yuri were once subjects of project Apple, the first successful ones. Where do we think Yor’s incredible strength came from? How about Yuri’s intelligence and resilience even though hit by a car or lost a lot of blood? I know, as the major genre is comedy, some of the scenes are exaggerated. But when it comes to Yor and Yuri, the difference they possess regarding their abilities was always highlighted.

Like also, let’s think about it. The name of the experiment is Project Apple. What is Yor’s favorite flavor or food? Apple. What was the name of the assassin team she belongs to? Garden (Which is tied to Eden and of the forbidden Apple fruit but Eden’s connection with Garden and Project Apple will be dealt in another time)

How about Yuri? Well, the SS is the one monitoring him. He was the youngest among the SS. The reason they hired him, Oh he was cute right? Said the man who recruited him. Yeah cute alright. They just knew how invincible he was physically because of the experiment.

Ostania, through Garden and SS  is making sure that the Briar siblings remain at their fingertips, doing their purpose, using the skills the project had given them for Ostania’s advantage.

Maybe that’s the reason why their parents got killed. They died in an attempt to protect and hide them. I noticed that their house seems to be far from modern civilization, more like a small province not like a city that is crowded, compared to Loid’s town in Luwen.

In addition, maybe that is why Endo made Yor and Anya to be the one who met Sigmund in Chapter 90. Because the three of them are bound by the same thing-Project Apple.

[crabsaccharine]

Been seeing posts about the latest SxF chapter, about Anya's birth mother, about the relationship between Yor and Anya, about Yor's mental image of Anya's mother, and it got me thinking, what if Yor was the first person to discover Anya's powers? People usually focus on Twilight discovering her powers, because he would have the most feelings™ about it, but let's be honest, Twilight just isn't in the headspace to handle that information yet. But Yor, while she'd obviously be freaked out, her love of Anya comes before all else, so I think she'd be able to adapt to her new reality without it hurting her relationship with Anya.

Consider: Thorn Princess gets sent to kill some people who worked on project apple, and she knocks over some files and sees a picture of little baby Anya. And there's a file on Anya's mother too, but it's all so heavily redacted that she can't work out anything other than the fact that they were test subjects, and she can't ask the project apple guys cause she just killed them all. So now Yor, who has no intelligence gathering skills whatsoever, has to investigate this all on her own without tipping off Loid or Garden.

Maybe Yor's mind cooks up a story about Dr. Loid Forger, a scientist working on project apple, falling in love with a test subject and having a child with her, and that woman sacrificing herself so their daughter could have a normal, happy childhood. And this all just further lionizes Loid and Anya's mother in Yor's mind, making her feel more inadequate.

Maybe Yor learns everything, and ends up knowing more about Anya's mother than Loid or even Anya herself does. And Anya's powers become a special little secret shared between mother and daughter, the way Anya and Loid have shared the secret of Anya's adoption all this time. (I have this image of Yor purposefully thinking of silly things to amuse Anya, and Loid from the outside ruminating on how the two have grown so close that Yor can make Anya laugh with just a smile.)

It would also test Yor's relationship with Loid. So far, Yor has more or less trusted Loid completely, barring some concerns about her place in the family. She's never had any reason to suspect that Loid wasn't who he says he is, but no matter what, she's not going to find any link between Dr. Forger and project apple, because Dr. Forger didn't exist until recently. And whatever story Anya feeds her to fill in the gaps will have to be vague enough to avoid revealing anything about agent Twilight or the mission, make papa look as good as possible so mama doesn't want to kill him, and also make clear that Loid doesn't know about Anya's past or powers so that Yor doesn't end up revealing the truth to him accidentally. Yor would have to grapple with the fact that Loid has been lying to her from the start, and she doesn't know what his real motivations are, and she just has to trust him anyways, because Anya trusts him, and she'd know better than anyone who to trust, right?

[stellas-and-tonitruses]

Everything we know about Project Apple (and, by extension, Anya's past) thus far

thought i'd compile all of that now while endo's on break Just In Case the next chapter happens to start anya's backstory (i don't Think it will but endo likes surprising us LSDFKLFS)

important disclaimer that project apple and the organization in charge of anya's experiments have not been confirmed to be related! there's evidence that they have things in common, in particular employees, but that's our only real connection between the two thus far. still! worth looking into

more under the cut!

so, starting very strongly with the very first mention of anything related to the project: anya's introduction in chapter 1

despite her being a main character, we know very little about her past at the moment, and this little blurb at the beginning makes up a very big portion of what we know.

things to note here:

as an experiment, her name was "Test Subject 007". important to note that the notation differs between her and bond: she was Test Subject 007, bond was Subject 8, no zeroes in there;

she had been made thus by accident, the phrasing itself implying quite heavily that she was just a normal child before said accident (but this is the translation! i don't know japanese so i can't cross-reference with the raws to clarify if the phrasing changes anything, but the fanbook uses the word "gained" to describe her powers too);

because her mind-reading is an unintended consequence, that means the scientists were presumably not, at least initially, trying to achieve cognitive enhancements in humans, and were instead trying to achieve something else, whatever that might've been;

she escaped from the facility and then moved from institution to institution, looking for a family.

so, crucially, through this little introduction we learn that there is an organization, government-funded or otherwise, that is or was conducting human experiments for unknown purposes. we also learn that whatever family anya had prior to being involved in the experiments is more than likely unreachable, at least as far as she knows, and so she has settled for finding a new family to take care of her instead.

in terms of the facility itself, here we see they clearly drilled it into her that she can't ever reveal her secret (and the darn plush is there too -- in the anime it's even more emphasized, as you can see in the gif i made)

through her reminiscing though, we get our very first look at the scientists that were in charge of her! they're in the gif above but here they are in the manga too. it's so interesting that the anime actually shows their eyes behind the glasses though, fascinating choice.

the insistence on world peace is important, as it explains her own personal obsession with it and shows that it's not just because of twilight's own focus on preserving the peace. i also don't think twilight ever really talks about "world peace," only about "preserving the current peace between westalis and ostania" -- anya seems to be the only one talking about WORLD peace (even in the very first scene where either of them mention it in proximity to each other in ch 1, loid says "understanding the other party is the first step towards peace" and anya's interpretation is "understanding me makes world peace?") but take this with a grain of salt because i might be wrong! going through every single mention of peace in the story just to fact check this one little trivia fact is a bit much i think so i'm not doing it JSDFKLSD

but yes

remember mr hair strand and baldy, we'll see them again. not her though, ig she wasn't in charge of bond

now, fast-forwarding to chapter 19, we finally get a name and a premise for the experiments:

"but oana," you might say, "this is talking about animals only! how do we know it's the same project as anya's, which involved human experimentation?"

i don't think it is, is the thing! i think it's related to the experiments anya was a part of, which is evidenced by the same scientists being featured in project apple too, but there's more going on that we don't know about. there wouldn't be such adamancy on keeping the two separate in every official mention of them if they were just the same thing, imo!

back to the evidence, we learn that the project, conducted and funded by the previous ostanian regime (meaning donovan's related to it one way or another, since he was prime minister), was marked by franticness and desperation -- a prime place for accidents like anya's telepathy and bond's future vision.

we also learn that the project was sacked by the new administration and that the former test subjects ended up on the black market.

(this makes it very important, imo, to learn when anya escaped the facility vs. when the project was sacked. it's clearly no longer in function, but while we've heard nothing from them thus far, i'm willing to bet the shady dealings around the desmond group are NOT related to the war, as W.I.S.E. has been led to believe, but rather to reignite project apple. that is speculation however so i'm going to refrain from theorising much on why the desmond group is focused on acquiring pharmaceutical companies!!)

ok speculation tangent over, back on track

so, that's already a decent amount of info! but moving to chapter 22, when bond is finally home, and we finally see some familiar faces

behold! baldy and mr hair strand!

and 2 other guys we don't know but will see again in another bond flashback!

that's 2 out of the 3 scientists we've seen thus far from anya's own time as subject 007, confirming that there IS a connection between anya and bond's experiments, regardless of whatever the project anya was a part of might've been named.

this is also the chapter in which we learn that bond himself was subject 8 (or, if we take it from the fanbook, subject #8. still, diff notation from anya!)

in chapter 31, we learn an interesting tiny piece of trivia. we don't get any further info on it, but it IS mentioned as something that is known by W.I.S.E.:

ostania is rumoured to have done human experimentation! and W.I.S.E., and by extension loid, are aware of that.

do i know how them knowing may be important later? not really!

the next droplet of info we get is in chapter 40. we see that project apple had collaborators that are still functioning unhindered.

of course, born industries is only rumoured to have been involved with project apple, but regardless of whether or not they actually were, the rumour itself implies that the project likely pulled scientists from various other companies' R&D departments.

(this makes the desmond group's acquisition of glooman pharmaceuticals shadier, but anyway)

as a side note, twilight is emoting so much at just his wrong assumption that bond is seeking revenge against the scientists. imagine how he's going to react when he finds out about anya JKSDFKLFSD

and now aaaaall the way in chapter 58, we see the bald guy who anya also knows, the two scientists from bond's previous flashback, and one whole new guy!

and thus ends our current knowledge of it all!

the only other thing worth discussing is anya's knowledge of classical language

but plenty people have already discussed these scenes, especially recently, so here are some links: 1 | 2 | 3

the only thing i can add is that i'm fairly certain that classical language is a lot more likely to be latin than old english, because it's a very common language to learn in school (in europe at least, and ostania is based on east germany so it makes sense to me. i learned mandatory latin in school for a few good years too, even if i wasn't that good at it lol) and because one of the most common modern usages of latin are in medicine and science, it would make sense that she'd be better at it due to exposure.

a possibility is also that the scientists would think in latin to conceal their thoughts from her, and that's how she ended up learning so much. she's not fluent in latin, she's just well acquainted and that cicumstance would explain the how.

BUT THAT'S SPECULATIONNN

also i don't think "ANIA" is an acronym, nor do i think anya's been misspelling her own name out of lack of knowledge. "ania" is a polish diminutive of anna and an alternate transcription of Аня, so i think it's far more likely that anya isn't ostanian or westalian than it is that her name comes from an acronym.

now,

TL;DR!

what we know about project apple (and the "mysterious organization"):

project apple was funded and conducted by what appears to have been donovan's regime and, from what W.I.S.E. knows, aimed to create highly intelligent animals for military purposes;

W.I.S.E. is aware that ostania is at the very least rumoured to have dabbled in human experimentation;

the project is presumably no longer on-going, though it is likely there are efforts behind the scenes to revive it;

it is rumoured but not confirmed that project apple had collaborating companies that are still functioning perfectly fine;

the same scientists who were in charge of bond were also in charge of anya, signalling that there is a very significant connection between project apple and the "mysterious organization;"

based on what they were telling anya, they were/are very focused on "world peace";

their experimentation methods include but likely aren't limited to electrocution.

and what we (vaguely) know about anya that relates to this:

she is at the youngest, 4 years old, and at the oldest, 5 nearing 6. we don't know her real age, all we know is she definitely lied about being 6;

she is very fixated on specifically world peace while twilight is focused on peace between ostania and westalis. the scientists are the very first we see talking about this, so it's likely their fault;

she is unreasonably well acquainted with classical language;

she has escaped the facility at LEAST 1 year ago;

and, one tidbit from the fanbook (page 29): "Anya has been reading minds for as long as she can remember," implying that her memory of a life before the lab is muddy at best and absent at worst.

that's all we know that i know of!!

if you got this far, thank you for reading :D hope any of this was interesting or sparked any theories >:] have a good day!

[whateversawesome]

Some Theories about Anya's Name

Who would have thought a short chapter would bring so much information and discussion? But then again, we're talking about Anya, agent of chaos (according to her papa).

After that chapter, there's plenty of theories flying around, so I decided to make this post to compile, explain and expand these theories 😉

Ready?

Anya is an acronym: This one is pretty clear has been a popular general theory. It means that the letters of her name stand for something else. What exactly? We don't know yet, but it probably has to do with Project Apple and the infamous lab Anya was created.

Anya...Ania...OstANIA: If you live near small children, you probably know that when they are learning how to talk, they do it by picking up words adults say and many times they say those words wrong. While discussing with some friends, I imagined those scientists constantly saying the word Ostania in front of that little girl. Maybe baby Anya thought that was her name because she heard the word OstANIA all the time, but she couldn't say it right.

Anya, the foreign princess: This one is very simple. It means that her name was spelled differently in her country of origin. This theory is vague, but I do believe a third country could be involved in all this mess. Also, it would make sense for Anya to be hiding in Ostania, if she was born and kept captive in a different country.

Anya...A N/A: This one is one of the most interesting theories! A N/A would mean something like "Non-applicable". You probably think this doesn't say much, but it really does. In the first few chapters of the story we learned that Anya was adopted and returned 4 times. Instead of a child, she was returned as if she was a piece of clothing. Even though it's been barely mentioned, we've also learned that people that participated in Project Apple didn't treat the subjects nicely (see how they treated Bond). Those people called Anya "subject 007". They didn't even give her a name. If we think about it, Anya is very "non-applicable". She was created in a lab, she has a strange power, so she's not like the other kids, she's been adopted and returned 4 times...

The A N/A and Anya being treated like an object instead of a human being fits the Spy x Family premise of the story, which is: Humans like Twilight, Yor, and Anya are used as weapons instead of being treated like humans. The story is about them regaining their humanity through love and family.

So even if A N/A says nothing about Anya, it says a lot about the story.

Look at this little girl. This illustration was heartbreaking. Do you know when it takes place? It's right before he meets Twilight. We see that it's the same filthy orphanage Twilight visited on chapter 1 and this is not Anya's first orphanage, so that means this illustration happened after she was returned again. The way she's facing the door, her body language, the way she holds Mr. Chimera by the hand is so sad. Here she is, once again, in a place she doesn't want to be, where nobody will take care of her...alone 😭

Enough of that or we'll end up crying...🤧

Some other things to take into consideration about her name:

Mr. Chimera: Since this is a visual story, that panel of Mr. Chimera tells us that this plushie is involved in Anya's name. If you've read certain fic, you know where I stand on that. In this case, I think that yes, the person who helped Anya escape gave Mr. Chimera to her. However, I don't think it was exactly that character (you know who). It probably was someone else, maybe even a new character we don't know yet. It could also be a scientist who took pity on Anya or disagreed with the use of children as lab rats, and helped her escape. We don't know yet.

Twilight: One of the most beautiful panels on that short chapter was seeing Anya's eyes lit up when her papa told her the correct spelling of her name. Did you see it? Those were the eyes of someone who had just learned something new about herself and by doing this, Twilight made her even more human.

One more thing...I've seen speculations about the next arc of the manga being about Anya's past because of this short mission. In my opinion...I don't think it'll happen yet. Why? If it was the case, this would have been a longer chapter and the actual beginning of the arc.

I believe Anya's past will be one of the last things we learn, because there's plenty of things to resolve and a lot of information we don't have. Stories are like puzzles; this chapter was an important piece, but we're not working on that part yet.

[mirisss]

Web of Frost

Spiderman! Jungwon x female! reader

Wordcount ≈ 15.7k

Warnings: Fighting, a lot of angst, Jungwon being injured, Sunghoon being a villain, kind of a sad ending, (Y/n) being a little apathetic, I think that sums it up, let me know if I’ve missed anything

Summary: Yang Jungwon, a normal teenager, or as normal as your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man can be. Park (Y/n), normal teenager and girlfriend to one Spider-Man, though she doesn’t know about that. Enter Park Sunghoon, (Y/n) brother, also known as the city's worst enemy. What happens when all three worlds are woven together and secrets are revealed? 

Thank you for the request! I hope you like it, it feels a little messy but I did my best! 

Please reblog!

~~~ Haneul City High, Tuesday ~~~

The school bell rang, echoing through the halls of Haneul City High, a sound that meant chaos for some and relief for others.

In Room 2B, at the center desk, Yang Jungwon adjusted his glasses and neatly slid his notes into his folder. Across from him, Sim Jake leaned back in his chair, balancing a pencil on his upper lip. “Dude,” Jake said, the pencil falling as he spoke, “if you get one more perfect score, they’re going to make you teach the class.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Jungwon said with a small grin, glancing toward the door, where Park (Y/n) leaned against the frame, waiting. “Of course not,” Nishimura Riki, Niki, chimed in, stuffing his half-crumpled math homework into his backpack. “You live for this nerd stuff.” “Better than living for barely-passing stuff,” Jungwon replied, raising a brow.

Jake gave Niki a dramatic pat on the back. “It’s okay, buddy. Not all of us can be top ten students and superhero fans.” (Y/n) rolled her eyes but smiled as Jungwon joined her at the door. He brushed a bit of chalk dust off his sleeve before speaking. “Ready for lunch?” “Only if you don’t make me sit through another lecture about the trajectory of falling apples,” she teased, linking her arm with his. “I already suffer enough in Physics.” “You wound me,” he said, mock-offended.

In the cafeteria, they claimed their usual spot near the window. From across the room, students looked but rarely approached. The group wasn’t unpopular, nor were they popular, sure, there were students who sometimes bullied them, mostly Jungwon and Jake for being part of the mathletes, but most people just left them alone. 

(Y/n) unwrapped her sandwich. “Did you guys hear? Spider-Man stopped that bank robbery near downtown last night.” Jungwon froze for half a second. Jake coughed into his juice box. Niki stared too intently at his pudding. “Really?” Jungwon said, voice steady. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Nope. The cops said he captured everyone before things blew up. Again.” She smiled, half in awe. “I don’t care what people say, he’s kind of amazing.” Jungwon looked at her, the corners of his mouth twitching with something unreadable. “Yeah, kind of.”

~~~ ZEUS Corp Tuesday ~~~

The hum of machinery filled the air as Park Sunghoon walked the pristine corridor of ZEUS Corp, white coat crisp, face unreadable. The lab’s chill didn’t faze him. It never did, not anymore.  He passed scientists chatting about new calibrations, nodding at interns who looked at him like a minor celebrity.  Inside his private lab, he pulled the door closed. Alone.

He moved to the back of the room, typing in a code. A hidden panel opened, revealing a locked briefcase. Inside: a sliver of shattered synthetic crystal, what remained of the Biofusion Core. A project long since banned. 

He stared at it. The blue glow pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. His reflection in the glass caught his attention, calm, composed. His eyes reflected the blue glow, going from brown to an icy blue. “Soon,” he murmured to no one.

~~~ Haneul City Bank, 10:13 PM Monday ~~~

Alarms wailed. Glass shattered. Civilians screamed. A man in a ski mask pointed a shaking gun at the bank teller as two others smashed open the vault behind him. “You’ve got one minute before we paint the walls red!” the leader barked. And then, suddenly-

THWIP!

The gun vanished from his hands, webbed to the ceiling. “You know,” a voice echoed from above, “you really should work on your customer service.” All three heads whipped up. Perched upside-down from a light fixture, Spider-Man grinned behind his mask.

“Also, painting walls red? A little cliché. Let’s try originality next time, yeah?” “Shoot him!” Bullets flew. Spider-Man flipped, webbed one of the guns midair, ricocheted off a pillar, and slammed a robber with a textbook-perfect kick. In seconds, he’d webbed two to the wall and disarmed the third, dangling him from the ceiling by his ankle.

“Thanks for banking with us,” he said, voice modulated through his suit’s filter. “Come again, actually, no, don’t.” Police sirens screamed in the distance. Spider-Man looked back at the bystanders, who were staring wide-eyed. He gave a mock salute. “Try the muffins at the café next door. They’re safer.” With a flick of his wrist, he shot a web and vanished into the night.

~~~ 11:04 PM Monday ~~~

The window slid open silently. Spider-Man landed inside with practiced ease, pulling off his mask to reveal a sweaty, slightly bruised Yang Jungwon. His hair clung to his forehead, and a thin cut ran along his cheek.

He barely got two steps in before…

“DUDE!”

Jake popped up from the bed, wide-eyed. “You kicked a guy through the air vent!” Jungwon blinked. “You were watching the livestream again, weren’t you?” “I was studying… and then the livestream accidentally opened in five tabs,” Jake said innocently.

From Jungwon’s desk chair, Niki spun around, holding a bag of chips. “You went full ninja tonight. I give that a 9.5 out of 10,” he said, tossing a chip in his mouth. “Would’ve been a 10 if you’d let me help.” “Again with the sidekick thing?” Jungwon groaned, tugging off his gloves.

“I’d make a great sidekick. Look at me. I’m agile. I’m charming. I have excellent hair.” “You have a 76 in Biology,” Jungwon muttered. “Exactly. I’ve got nothing to lose!” Jake laughed, falling back onto the bed. “You were awesome, man,” he said. “That one move off the counter? Straight out of a video game.”

Jungwon gave a tired smile as he peeled off the rest of the suit. “It wasn’t clean. I slipped on a coin tray.” “Amazing,” Niki said with mock drama. “The mighty Spider-Man, brought low by loose change.” Jungwon rolled his eyes but chuckled, the sound soft and real. For a moment, everything was still. Quiet. He looked out the window, city lights blinking back at him like stars. For now, Haneul was safe.

~~~ Haneul City High, Tuesday ~~~

Lunchtime was almost over. Chatter buzzed through the cafeteria, forks scraped against trays, and someone in the corner was trying (badly) to rap over a beat playing from a cracked phone speaker. Jungwon was only half-listening to Niki talk about a new action movie trailer when his spider sense prickled, not a sharp jolt, but a slow, crawling unease across the back of his neck.

Then, he noticed it. The air had shifted. “Is it just me,” Jake said, rubbing his arms, “or is it freezing in here?” It was cold, suddenly, unnaturally cold. The buzz of noise around them started to die down as students glanced around, confused. Breaths misting in the air. Jungwon’s fingers clenched under the table. Frost began creeping along the floor tiles, slow and deliberate, like it was alive. It bloomed across the walls next, coating lockers and window frames in thin sheets of ice.

(Y/n) shivered, pulling her jacket tighter. “What the hell…?” That was all Jungwon needed. His eyes snapped to Jake and Niki. One look. That’s all it took. Jake stood up casually. “Hey, (Y/n), wanna help us go find some heat in the science wing? Their vents never shut off.” “What? But lunch is-” “C’mon,” Niki said quickly, already tugging her away from the freezing table. “You’re literally turning blue.” (Y/n) frowned but let herself be pulled. “Seriously, what’s going on?” Jake glanced back once, just in time to see Jungwon slip through the side doors, head down, hood up.

Jungwon used his strength to pry open the door to an empty classroom, his breath already fogging. His fingers moved fast, peeling off his jacket, pulling the suit from his backpack. The chill was creeping faster. By the time he yanked the mask over his head, the lights in the hallway outside flickered. Somewhere down the corridor, ice cracked and groaned as it spread.

“Not here,” he muttered to himself. “Not at school.” He threw open the window, launching himself out and up onto the nearest rooftop with a thwip. From above, the streets of Haneul looked like they were holding their breath. People were staring up, pointing. The air shimmered with frost.

And walking casually down the center of the street, boots crunching on newly formed ice, was a man in a black and steel-blue suit, long coat flowing behind him like smoke. His breath came out in plumes. Electricity flickered along his fingertips.

Stormchill.

He wasn’t attacking. Not yet. He seemed to be testing something. Watching how far the cold could go. But Jungwon didn’t wait to find out. He launched himself from the rooftop, flipping once before landing cleanly in front of him. “Taking a stroll, Stormchill?” Spider-Man said, voice distorted through his filter. “Kind of a health code violation, freezing schools and cities, you know.” 

Stormchill looked up slowly. His eyes glowed faintly blue beneath his mask. “Spider-Man,” he said, almost bored. “Didn’t expect you to show up for a preview.” “I don’t let villains preview anything. Step away from the school.” Stormchill tilted his head, smirking faintly behind the mask. “So quick to assume I’m here for destruction. Maybe I just like the cold.”

“You’re not just passing through,” Spider-Man replied. “This is a warning, isn’t it?” A pulse of cold swept out from Stormchill’s body a sudden blast of freezing wind that sent snow swirling down the street. Power lines above sparked dangerously. He turned slightly, not attacking, but not retreating either.

“Tell them this was mercy,” he said softly. “Next time, I won’t walk away.” Then, in a crackle of blue lightning and a gust of frost, he was gone. Vanished. Jungwon stood alone in the street, breath ragged behind the mask. Stormchill had arrived. And this time, he wasn’t hiding.

Jungwon leapt across rooftops, the wind slicing past him as he searched, desperate for any sign of Stormchill. A flicker of blue light. A trace of cold air. A distorted reflection in a window. But there was nothing. Stormchill was gone. Just like that. And that was the part that scared Jungwon most. This wasn’t like the other times. Stormchill had never come this close. Never so deliberately close to civilians. To a school. To them.

Jungwon landed hard on the edge of a rooftop, crouched in silence, the wind tugging at the edges of his mask. This wasn’t just a warning. It was a declaration. Stormchill was done hiding. And if he didn’t stop him, if he didn’t figure out how to beat someone with the power to freeze an entire block in seconds, this city wouldn’t survive. He stayed there for another breath, heart thudding. Then, he turned, shot a web, and headed back to school.

By the time Jungwon slipped back inside, suit tucked away in his backpack, the ice was gone. What had been a frozen tundra was now a waterlogged mess. Custodians muttered under their breath as they tossed towels and shoved wet caution signs into place. Students wandered the halls in confusion, whispering theories. “Maybe it was a gas leak?” “No, I’m telling you, it was him, Stormchill.”

“They said Spider-Man was seen nearby. He was trying to stop it.” Jungwon pushed past them all, eyes scanning, until he saw them, Jake, Niki, and (Y/n), walking over toward him, they had managed to get to the science wing, they were safe; however, their soaked shoes squeaked against the floor.

The second (Y/n) saw him, her eyes widened. “Jungwon!” she called, rushing over. “Where did you go?!” “I-” he started, breath catching as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly, burying his face briefly in her shoulder. Just feeling her there, warm, safe, it helped quiet the storm in his mind. “I got locked in the cafeteria when the doors iced over,” he said softly, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. “Tried to call for someone but my phone froze, you guys managed to get out right before that happened,”

She frowned, worry written all over her face. “That was insane. I thought, I mean, what if something happened to you?” He swallowed. “I’m okay. You’re okay. That’s what matters.” Behind her, Jake gave him a subtle nod. Niki tilted his head slightly, reading him like a book. But Jungwon didn’t say anything more. He just looked at (Y/n), and for the first time, the words pressed hard against the inside of his throat.

She deserved to know. Everything in him screamed it. But not here. Not now. Not yet. He pulled her close again, quieter this time. “I promise… I’ll tell you everything. Soon.” (Y/n) looked up, puzzled. “Tell me what?” Jungwon forced a small smile. “Later.”

~~~ Zeus Corp ~~~

The lights in the corridor flickered once. Twice. Then, with a low crack of static, a cold gust swept through the air vents, unnatural, almost electric. The reinforced steel door to the private office clicked, then opened with a hiss. Stormchill stepped through.

Frost clung to the edges of his coat. Pale blue lightning shimmered faintly in the fabric like veins. The ice spread only slightly. Controlled. Focused. He stood perfectly still in the center of the room. Then, as if releasing a breath, he lifted a hand and pulled off his mask.

The glow in his eyes dimmed, flickering from cold, piercing ice-blue back to Sunghoon’s familiar warm brown. But the warmth was only color-deep. His expression remained cold. A small smile curved at the edges of his lips, not smug, not triumphant. Sinister. Calculated.

He walked to the wide glass panel overlooking the city, fingers leaving light frost-trails on the railing as he passed. Below, the city shimmered in the dying sunlight, warm, alive, fragile. He stared at it in silence.

“They felt it today,” he murmured to no one. His voice was low, calm. “The first whisper of what’s coming.” His gloved hand reached toward the glass, and the pane slowly frosted over under his touch. “This city is rotting from the inside,” he said quietly. “And they keep clinging to false hope. Masks and heroes. Webs and lies.”

He turned, slowly, walking back toward the center of the room. His mask lay in his hand, sleek, menacing. “I’m not hiding anymore,” he whispered. And with a hum of energy, he vanished in a flash of blue light, leaving only a faint shimmer of frost where he had stood.

~~~ (Y/n)’s home ~~~

The warmth of (Y/n)’s home always caught Jungwon off guard. It was filled with little things, framed family photos lining the hallway, the smell of something sweet lingering from the kitchen, and a fuzzy rug by the front door. It reminded him of the life he barely had time to live anymore.

“Jungwon! So good to see you again,” (Y/n)’s mom beamed as she opened the door. Her dad waved from the kitchen with a grin. “We’ve missed you around here.” “Missed me?” Jungwon laughed politely. “You saw me two days ago.” “That’s two days too long,” her mom teased, already heading toward the kitchen. “You staying for dinner?” “Can’t tonight,” he said with a soft smile. “Just some homework and hanging out, if that’s okay.” “Always.”

(Y/n) led him up to her room, the door clicking softly shut behind them. Jungwon glanced around again, the photos. Same as always. Her parents, younger versions of herself, and that one tall, smiling figure that came up often. Sunghoon. The older brother, Jungwon, had yet to meet.

Three months of dating, and he’d never once been home when Jungwon visited. He worked a lot, apparently, late hours, overnight shifts at a big company, Zeus Corp. No social media presence. A ghost with a familiar smile in photos. Jungwon had asked once. (Y/n) had just shrugged. “He’s busy. He used to be around more, but lately, it’s like he lives at work.” Still, the guy was everywhere, his presence woven into the fabric of the house. It made Jungwon curious. But tonight wasn’t about that.

They sat on her bed, side by side, textbooks open, laptops glowing. Her knee bumped his from time to time, and each time she looked up to ask a question, he smiled softly and leaned in to help. “Wait,” she mumbled, pencil between her teeth. “Why is this derivative so weird?” “Because math is mean,” he said with mock seriousness, leaning closer. “But look, you just factor this out, and-” She nodded slowly, his voice easing her into understanding. Their hands brushed briefly, and she didn’t move hers away.

It was normal. Peaceful. For once, he wasn’t Spider-Man. Just Jungwon. Just her boyfriend. He almost didn’t want the evening to end. But eventually, it did.

Outside her door, she walked him down the hall, hands still linked with his. At the front door, he kissed her softly, nothing dramatic. Just a gentle moment, shared in golden hallway light. “Text me when you get home,” she said, forehead resting against his. “I always do.”

Then he was gone, the cool evening wrapping around him like a reminder. Back to the city. Back to the other side of his life.

~~~ Jake’s family home, Friday ~~~ 

The glow of the TV reflected in Jungwon’s eyes as he sat cross-legged on the floor, a controller in hand, laughter bubbling between him, Jake, and Niki. “Dude, you didn’t even dodge, how are you this bad?” Jake teased, nudging Niki with his foot. “It’s lag, I swear,” Niki protested, wildly mashing buttons.

Jungwon grinned, genuinely relaxed, the chaos of Monday’s robbery, the frozen cafeteria on Tuesday, it all felt distant now. Almost manageable. He wasn’t just Spider-Man here. He was still a kid, still someone who could laugh. And then the world screamed.

It started with a low rumble. Then the lights flickered. A sudden pulse of energy blasted through the city, visible even from the apartment window, bright blue arcs of lightning snapping through the skyline.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Screams followed. The temperature dropped instantly. Frost began to crawl across the glass from the inside. Jungwon stood up sharply, every sense on fire. “Stormchill,” he breathed. Jake and Niki were already moving. Jake tossed Jungwon his bag. Niki locked the door, making sure no one could walk in.  “No jokes this time,” Niki muttered, voice tight with fear. “Just be careful, man.” Jungwon nodded, mask in hand. “If this goes bad, keep (Y/n) safe.” And with a thwip, he was gone, out the window, into the storm.

Stormchill stood in the middle of the chaos, surrounded by floating cars, shattered glass, and torn-up asphalt. Lightning coiled around his arms like serpents, crackling with unnatural fury. Waves of cold swept out in every direction, sidewalks cracked, buildings frosted over, entire traffic lights froze mid-swing.

People ran. Screamed. Fell. And Stormchill laughed, the sound sharp and twisted, echoing through the frozen air. “Where is your savior now?” he roared, arms outstretched as a surge of electricity blasted through a nearby transformer. It exploded in a shower of sparks. And then Spider-Man dropped from the sky.

He landed in a crouch, skidding across ice, eyes narrowing behind the lenses of his mask. “You again,” Stormchill sneered. “Yeah,” Spider-Man said, breathing hard. “Me again.” He charged. Webs shot forward, but they were instantly frozen mid-air, shattered before they could reach their target.

He flipped, dodged a blast of lightning, landed hard, rolled, leapt up again, only to be hit in the chest with a pulse of static that sent him flying into a parked car, the impact warping the metal. Still, he got up. Again. And again. But it wasn’t enough.

Stormchill was too fast. Too precise. He froze entire buildings with a wave. He sent power surging through every grounded surface, keeping Spider-Man from ever gaining a foothold. For an hour, they danced, blows exchanged, near-hits, desperate dodges, but slowly, steadily, Jungwon’s stamina gave out. His suit tore at the shoulder. One lens cracked. Stormchill grabbed him mid-air, electricity coursing through his gloves, and slammed him into the ground with a sickening crack.

The city fell silent. Stormchill stood over him, victorious, laughing darkly. “Your hero has failed you!” he shouted to the stunned citizens peeking from windows and behind wreckage. “Remember this moment. The age of ice is coming.” And then, once again, he was gone, disappearing in a burst of static-laced snow.

Jungwon barely made it home. Limping. Bruised. Suit torn. One arm cradled against his ribs. The mask hung from his hand. He sat on the edge of the rooftop outside his bedroom window, staring at the city. His city. The frost was melting slowly, but the damage was done.

The media would be brutal. The city was terrified. And he’d lost. The phone in his pocket buzzed, (Y/n) calling. He let it ring. Another buzz, Jake this time. Then Niki. He didn’t answer. He just sat there, blood on his lip, head bowed, feeling the weight of something heavier than any fight. 

Doubt.

~~~ Friday night to Sunday ~~~

The days blurred together in a flurry of sirens, shattered glass, and headlines that stabbed deeper than any wound. “Spider-Man Loses City’s Trust After Stormchill Attack.” “Frozen Fear: Where Was Our Hero?” “Rising Chaos in Spider-Man’s Wake.”

The city was falling apart, not because Spider-Man wasn’t trying, but because he was no longer seen as enough. Jungwon stopped three robberies, pulled two kids from a fire, and webbed up a group of looters outside a frozen electronics store. Still, when he left them tied up for the cops, someone shouted after him.  “Where were you when Stormchill froze my apartment?!” The words hit harder than any punch.

~~~

“You want food?” Jake asked, tossing a bag of chips toward the couch. It landed untouched. Jungwon sat slumped against the armrest, eyes on the muted TV, where the news scrolled another headline about Spider-Man’s apparent failure. The glow cast shadows across his face, ones that hadn’t been there before.

“Dude, come on,” Niki muttered from the floor, tossing a stress ball into the air. “You saved, like, fifty people this week alone.” “Doesn’t matter.” Jungwon’s voice was low, cracked. “Stormchill still wrecked half the city. I couldn’t even land a hit on him.” Jake frowned. “You fought for an hour. Against a guy throwing lightning and freezing buildings. You’re not a god.” “I’m supposed to be their hero,” Jungwon muttered. “But they all hate me now.”

A silence stretched too long. “You know who doesn’t hate you?” Niki finally said. “(Y/n).” That name made Jungwon flinch. He hadn’t seen her since Friday. They’d texted briefly, sure, but every time he tried to open the chat, his hands froze. What if she said she lost faith? What if she said she didn’t believe in Spider-Man anymore?

Jake reached over and nudged him. “You should talk to her. I know you’re scared of what she might think. But you’re not Spider-Man to her. You’re you.” Jungwon didn’t answer; he stayed silent, focused on his internal battle. 

~~~ At Jungwon’s home later that night ~~~

He sat on the edge of his bed, half-suited down in his Spider-Man gear, mask in hand. He stared at it. The weight of it. The symbol it was supposed to be. The responsibility. He had tried. He had given everything. And still, people looked up and said, “You failed us.”

His phone buzzed.

(Y/n): I miss you. Are you okay? You kinda vanished this weekend…

He stared at the message for a long time.

He wanted to say: I’m sorry. I’m not okay. I’m Spider-Man, and I think I lost.

But instead, he typed:

Jungwon: I miss you too. I’ll see you tomorrow.

~~~ Haneul High, Monday ~~~

Jungwon walked slower than usual. His backpack slung over one shoulder, the familiar stretch of fabric tugging at sore ribs beneath his hoodie. The bruises were nearly gone, super-healing had its perks, but the pain lingered. Sharp, constant, a reminder of how close he came to breaking.

Students streamed around him, buzzing about the cold snap, the lingering fear, and of course, Spider-Man. “I heard Stormchill fried an entire bus.” “Did you see how bad Spider-Man got beat?” “He’s not even trying anymore. What’s the point?”

Jungwon lowered his head and tried not to let the words stick. But they did. They always did. Then he saw her. (Y/n), standing by her locker, her arms crossed, eyebrows drawn into a stormcloud of disappointment. She looked straight at him. And didn’t smile.

Jungwon’s heart dropped. “Hey,” he said, voice soft, careful. “You look really pretty today.” She didn’t answer. He reached her, trying to read her expression. “Okay, ouch. Ice cold. Literally colder than Stormchill.” Still nothing. “(Y/n)…” he said, stepping closer.

Her arms uncrossed, but her eyes stayed sharp. “You ignored me all weekend, Jungwon. No replies, one text, no calls. What happened?” “I-” he started, already crumbling. “I’m sorry.” She just raised a brow. Jungwon sighed, and after a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, he leaned in and gently kissed her cheek… then the tip of her nose.

“Don’t do that,” she mumbled, turning her head away, though the faintest smile threatened to form. He grinned slightly, hopeful. “Do what?” “Be cute when I’m mad at you,” she muttered. “It’s cheating.” “I’m seriously sorry,” Jungwon said. “You deserve an explanation. And I promise… after school, I’ll tell you everything I can. Just please don’t stay mad.”

She paused, finally looking him in the eye. “You’re lucky I missed you.” He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for hours. “So… we’re okay?” “We will be,” she said, linking her pinky with his. “But if you ditch me again like that, I’ll punch you. Right in your weirdly perfect jaw.” Jungwon laughed quietly, and even though his ribs flared in pain, he felt a little lighter. But as they walked to class, hand in hand, a weight still pressed against his chest. He still didn’t know if he had the courage to tell her the truth.

~~~ Later that afternoon at Jungwon’s place ~~~ 

(Y/n) sat in the desk chair, arms crossed, legs tucked under her as she faced Jungwon, who sat stiffly on the edge of his bed. He looked nervous, more nervous than she’d ever seen him. She was trying not to jump to conclusions, but the look in his eyes, it wasn’t just guilt. It was fear.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, uh… this is going to sound completely insane.” (Y/n) didn’t blink. “Jungwon. Start talking.” He swallowed hard. “Okay. Um. I’m, uh Spider-Man.”

Dead silence.

(Y/n) tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “You’re what now?” “I’m Spider-Man,” he said again, a little more rushed. “The guy. The webs. Swinging around the city. That’s me.” “Jungwon,” she said slowly. “If this is some weird joke, it’s not funny.” “I’m not joking,” he said, standing up. “Hang on. I’ll prove it.”

Before she could ask how, Jungwon placed one hand on his bedroom wall and then walked straight up it like gravity didn’t exist. He crouched on the ceiling, upside down, looking at her with wide eyes. (Y/n) stood up, her chair screeching back.

“What the?!? How, Jungwon?!?” He flipped down gracefully, landing on his feet, and went straight to his closet. A few seconds of digging later, he held out the iconic red-and-blue suit. “Still got soot on it,” he said quietly. She stared at it. At him. At the wall. At the suit.

“No way,” she breathed. “This, this can’t, You’re… You’re Spider-Man?” He nodded. Her voice cracked, raw and real. “You fought Stormchill. You got hurt. I saw the footage, he threw you into a building, Jungwon!” “I’m okay,” he said quickly, stepping toward her. “I promise. I’m okay now.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” “I wanted to,” he said. “So many times. But I didn’t know how. I was scared.”

“Of what? That I’d be mad?” “No,” he said, eyes locked on hers. “That you’d be scared for me. That you’d be in danger just knowing. I didn’t want to drag you into this.” Her arms fell to her sides as she stared at him. “But I was already in danger, Jungwon. The cafeteria? You think I didn’t notice how fast Jake pulled me out when the frost started spreading? Like you told him to?”

He froze. (Y/n)’s brows knit together. “Wait did he know? Did Jake know?” Jungwon looked down. “…That’s not important right now.” “It is to me.” He winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. Or lie. I just… I didn’t know what else to do.” A beat passed.

Then, slowly, (Y/n) stepped toward him. “I’m still mad,” she said softly. “But not because you’re Spider-Man.” He looked up. “I’m mad because you’ve been carrying all of this alone,” she continued. “Because you got hurt and didn’t tell me. Because I love you and you didn’t trust me with the truth.” His breath caught. “I do trust you.”

“Then show me,” she said. “Let me be part of this now. No more lies.” He nodded, eyes shimmering. “Okay.” (Y/n) wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in tight despite the ache in his ribs. He held her back just as tightly, the tension finally beginning to melt away. “You’re still an idiot,” she muttered into his shoulder. “Yeah,” he whispered back, “but I’m your idiot.”

(Y/n) sat back down beside Jungwon on the bed, still processing the weight of everything he had just told her. Her fingers toyed gently with a frayed edge of his comforter, the silence between them no longer tense, just thoughtful.

“…So,” she finally said, her voice softer now, “Jake knows too, doesn’t he?” Jungwon gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah. He was actually the first one to find out.” (Y/n) turned her head to look at him. “How?”

He took a deep breath, thinking back to those early, chaotic nights. “It was not long after I first became Spider-Man. I was still figuring things out, how to swing, how to fight, how not to crash into walls every other minute.” She couldn’t help but let out a quiet, amused breath at that.

“One night,” Jungwon continued, “Jake and I were walking home from a late study session. He took a shortcut through this alley, and I stayed to continue on my own way. when a group of guys, low-level thugs, jumped him. I saw it happen just as they started dragging him up the fire escape.” (Y/n)’s eyes widened. “Oh my god.”

“They were trying to use him as bait,” Jungwon said bitterly. “To get Spider-Man to show up. Which… obviously worked. I suited up and took them on, but things got messy. During the fight, Jake was thrown off the edge of the roof.” (Y/n) gasped.

“I caught him,” Jungwon said quickly. “But in the panic, I shouted his name. I didn’t even realize I did it until afterward. I got him to safety, and when I checked on him, he looked right at me and said, ‘Jungwon?’” He gave a small, nostalgic laugh. “Guess my voice wasn’t as masked as I thought.”

“That’s why you use that voice distortion thing now?” (Y/n) asked. “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “It’s not perfect, but it helps. Jake’s been helping me ever since, covering for me at school, making excuses when I vanish, even helping upgrade my gear. He’s honestly been amazing.” (Y/n) let that sink in for a moment, then gave him a knowing smile. “So that’s why he always seemed to know where you were.” “Busted,” Jungwon chuckled.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, more at ease now. “You’re lucky to have a friend like Jake,” “I know,” he said softly. “And now, I have you too.” (Y/n) smiled, hugging his arm. “You’ve always had me.”

(Y/n) was quiet for a moment, still curled gently against Jungwon’s side before she tilted her head and asked, “What about Niki? Does he know too?” Jungwon let out a short sigh through his nose, a sheepish grin forming. “Yeah… he does. Found out about a year ago.” “Another accident?” He nodded. “A different kind, though. That night was a mess.” (Y/n) leaned back a little to look at him, curiosity piqued.

“It was really late. I’d just finished stopping this guy who thought he was the city’s next big villain, news flash, he wasn’t,” Jungwon added quickly. “But I was exhausted. I climbed through my bedroom window like usual, pulled my mask off and right then I heard the most ungodly scream I’ve ever heard in my life.” (Y/n) covered her mouth with a gasp. “Niki?”

“Niki,” Jungwon confirmed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Turns out, he’d had this massive fight with his parents. He left their house in the middle of the night and came to mine. He has a spare key, so he let himself in, however, I didn’t remember that I gave it too him like five years ago. But I guess I was out longer than usual, so he thought maybe I was staying at Jake’s.”

“And then he woke up to see Spider-Man taking off his mask in front of him,” (Y/n) finished for him, eyes wide. “Yup.” Jungwon groaned a little at the memory. “He screamed so loud I almost fell out the window. I had to tackle him onto the bed and clamp his mouth shut before he alerted my whole building.” (Y/n) laughed, the image too vivid not to picture.

“He thought it was the coolest thing ever, though,” Jungwon added, rolling his eyes fondly. “Still does. He kept asking if he could be my sidekick. Tried to come up with names and everything.” “What’d you say?” she asked with a smirk. “I told him he’d get himself killed within ten minutes because he doesn’t have any powers.” (Y/n) giggled. “Sounds like him.”

“Yeah. He was mad for, like, a week. But he still helps out however he can. I trust him.” She smiled, watching Jungwon as he talked about the people he kept close, the ones he trusted with his life. Then her expression turned a little more serious again. “I’m glad they know. I’m glad I know now, too.” Jungwon took her hand gently. “I wanted to tell you sooner. I just didn’t want you to get hurt.” “I get it,” she said. “But next time, trust me to decide that for myself.” “I will.” He squeezed her hand. “From now on, no more secrets.”

~~~ Later at (Y/n)’s house ~~~

When (Y/n) stepped through the front door that evening, she expected the usual: silence, maybe a note from her parents saying they’d be home late. Instead, the warm scent of brewed tea and the sound of movement in the kitchen made her pause in surprise. “Sunghoon?” she called.

A moment later, her older brother stepped into view, still dressed in his Zeus Corp uniform, blazer off, sleeves rolled up. He looked tired, but he smiled at the sight of her. “Hey, stranger,” he said. “Sunghoon!” she lit up, rushing over to hug him. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” “Work’s been a nightmare,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her.

Then, he froze. Just for a second. Barely noticeable. But enough. There it was. That faint, strange scent, crackling energy laced with chill. Not just cold. His cold. His frost. There was a residual trace of something deeply familiar, something from that night. The fight. The strike that hit Spider-Man square in the chest, a flash of ice laced with electricity that would have clung to his suit, his skin, maybe even his clothes underneath.

And now that same signature, weak but undeniable, was on (Y/n). The smile never left Sunghoon’s face, but a darkness began creeping in behind his eyes. He pulled back, letting the hug end naturally, but his thoughts raced. Not her. But someone close to her. Someone who touched her recently. Hugged her. Close contact.

His mind sharpened. His instincts as Stormchill whispered possibilities. He smoothed a hand over her shoulder gently. “You’ve been out?” “Yeah,” she said casually, completely unaware. “Spent the afternoon at Jungwon’s. We were doing homework.” Sunghoon’s expression didn’t shift. Not yet. “How’s he doing?” “He’s good. A little stressed from school stuff.” She smiled. “But he always helps me out when I get stuck.”

“Mm,” Sunghoon murmured. “That’s nice.” He turned back toward the kitchen. “I made dinner if you’re hungry.” “Starving,” she said, hanging up her bag and skipping in after him. Behind her, Sunghoon’s smile faded just a little. Someone near his sister was Spider-Man. He didn’t know who yet, but he would. And when he finds them, He would crush them. Maybe it was Jungwon, maybe Jake, he’s around often, maybe that Niki kid, maybe someone else. 

~~~

The morning sun hadn’t fully risen yet, casting long blue shadows across the quiet street. From an alley beside their home, Sunghoon stood silently, his jacket replaced with a dark hoodie, hands in his pockets, face half-covered by a shadowed cap. His car was parked blocks away, appearances maintained, routines followed, as far as anyone knew, he’d already gone to work.

But today, he had different priorities. He waited patiently, watching through the narrow slats between the fence posts until the front door creaked open and (Y/n) stepped out, school bag over her shoulder and earbuds in. She locked the door behind her and walked off with her usual bounce.

He followed. At a distance. Silent, untraceable. He wasn’t used to doing this, tailing someone without freezing an entire street block, but stealth had its merits. Especially when the target had no idea she was being watched.

(Y/n) reached the school gates just as three familiar boys came into view. Jungwon was the first to greet her, a bright smile on his face as he immediately pulled her into a warm hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Jake gave her a hug, casual and friendly. Niki offered his usual half-hug, half-handshake, lazy but sincere.

Sunghoon narrowed his eyes from across the street. Three possibilities. His gaze flicked between them, cold and clinical. He analyzed posture, height, build, even warmth in their greetings.

Niki: tall, a little too lanky. Didn’t seem to fit the same physic. Not enough contact to transfer the residue. Probably not him.

Jake: close. But didn’t fit exactly what Sunghoon remembered. He’d fought Spider-Man up close. Jake’s movements felt too loose, untrained, but he could be different when wearing the suit, even Sunghoon was different with his. 

Jungwon: Shorter. More compact. Physically fit, but deceptively so. The hug he gave (Y/n) was too natural, too close. Too perfect. Definitely a top contender. 

Was it him? A cruel grin ghosted across Sunghoon’s lips. Time to test. He reached into his coat, fingers curling around a small shard of frost-tipped metal, an ice prick no bigger than a pen cap, supercharged with a faint static pulse. It wouldn’t kill. It wouldn’t even leave a permanent wound. But it would move fast, fast enough to force a reaction out of someone with heightened reflexes.

Just one flick. One shot toward the pavement near them. But then he stopped. His fingers tightened. (Y/n). She was standing too close. If none of those boys were Spider-Man, she could be the one hit. He couldn’t guarantee the prick wouldn’t go astray. 

He swallowed the impulse. Not yet. Sunghoon stepped back into the shadows, slipping the weapon away. He would find another moment. One when she wasn’t near them. One when he could push the limits without risking her. He might be a monster for what he wants to do, but he would never intentionally hurt his little sister. Never. 

~~~

Three days. That’s how long Sunghoon waited. Three days of watching, calculating, stalking the outskirts of his sister’s world. Three days of trying to identify the spider hiding behind a teenage face. And after three days, he was done. If Spider-Man didn’t show himself, then he’d force him out. Or break him trying.

The freeze began slowly. A shudder in the water lines. A groan in the metal beneath the streets. Then silence. Everywhere. The people of the city didn’t notice at first, not until someone turned on a faucet and nothing came out. Not even a drop. Outside, frost curled over car windows like fingers. Ice crept up stop signs. Breath crystallized in midair. And then came the blackout. The city’s lights died. The air buzzed, and then there was nothing but dark.

Jungwon felt it before he saw it, his spider-sense going wild, buzzing in the back of his head like a drill. He didn’t hesitate. He ran. He suited up, hands shaking only slightly as he pulled his mask down. His ribs still ached from the last fight, but he couldn’t stop. Not now. The city needed him. Even if he lost. Even if it broke him.

People gathered in the streets, wrapped in blankets and all their winter clothes, watching as lightning danced through the sky, not golden, but a strange cold-blue, laced with glittering frost. The clouds above churned like a storm about to snap. And there he stood. Stormchill. Tall. Smiling. Crackling with ice and static.

Across from him was Spider-Man. And the crowd watched. Again. He lunged. He flew. He flipped and dodged and kicked. He spun webs that froze in midair or were snapped by volts. He kept standing. He kept trying. And they murmured. “He should stop,” “He can’t win against that thing,” “but he’s still fighting.” “he’s not giving up.” Some rolled their eyes. Some held their breath. 

Some, like (Y/n), Jake, and Niki, sat in Jungwon’s bedroom, staring at the powerless TV, listening to the faint echo of sirens, hearts in their throats. (Y/n) held her phone tight, her thumb pressed to her lips. She whispered, “Please, please come back to me.”

~~~

Stormchill laughed as he vanished into mist and light, leaving behind a city locked in ice and shadows. It took two days for the water to thaw. Two days for power to return. Two days of fear, cold, and quiet. 

And when Spider-Man returned home, limping, bleeding, and exhausted. He collapsed into (Y/n)’s arms, his mask barely off before he passed out. She held him tightly, shaking, brushing the hair from his face. Jake and Niki stood by, quietly covering the windows, making sure no one could see inside. 

And that night, (Y/n) sat with them in the flickering candlelight, voice steady as she whispered, “We need to make him something better. A suit that’s stronger, faster. Something that can fight this monster. If the city won’t believe in him, we will,”  Jake nodded. “Let’s give Spider-Man a fighting chance.” Niki grinned. “Operation Upgrade is on.”

Jungwon now lay asleep in his bed, bruised and worn down, but alive. Just barely. Out in the dining room, the air buzzed with tension and candlelight, scattered tools and notebooks covering the table. (Y/n) rolled her pencil between her fingers. “Okay, so let’s start with the basics, he needs protection. Especially against electricity. What can block or absorb electric shocks?”

Jake rubbed his temples, already flipping through one of his physics books. “Rubber insulates, sure, but it’s too stiff and bulky to move in. We need something flexible and conductive and heat-resistant.” “What about lead?” Niki offered, clearly trying. “That’s in, like, x-ray vests and stuff.” Jake shook his head. “Way too heavy. He’ll be slower than a freezing snail.”

(Y/n) frowned, tapping her sketchbook. “Okay, what about graphene? Didn’t we talk about that in class a while ago?” Jake perked up. “Yes. Graphene is light, flexible, and it conducts electricity insanely well. If we can use it in thin layers as a mesh, we can redirect electricity throughout the suit without letting it shock him directly.”

Niki leaned back. “Cool, but what if the mesh overloads? Like Stormchill’s electricity isn’t regular static, it’s amped-up, crazy villain lightning. That could melt the whole suit.” (Y/n) scribbled a note. “So we need a breaker circuit, something that automatically shuts down the flow if the current gets too strong.”

Jake nodded. “And we can use a cooling gel layer under the mesh, one that keeps his body temp regulated no matter how cold it gets outside.” “Wait, wait,” Niki jumped in, flipping back a sketch. “What about heated pads under the chest plate and boots? Like the ones they use in winter sports. If we wire them with the suit’s power supply, they can keep his joints warm and his webs fluid.”

“I like that,” (Y/n) said, already sketching out the web shooters. “But maybe we ditch the standard web fluid altogether. It freezes too fast. What if we rework it into a thermal-based web formula? Something with chemical heat that activates on contact.” She looked over to Jake, hoping he’d say it was possible. 

“That’s brilliant,” Jake muttered. “Thermogenic reaction. It’d prevent Stormchill from freezing the webs mid-flight.” “Okay, but no capes,” Niki said seriously, wagging a finger. “We are not pulling an Incredibles here.” (Y/n) giggled softly. “Agreed. Sleek, no excess. And no visible wires or ports, it all has to be internal.”

“What about a shield?” Jake suggested. “Like a compact one, wrist-mounted?” “No,” (Y/n) said, thinking. “He needs full movement. Anything bulky slows him down. We keep it close to his body. Agility’s his strength, that’s how he’s survived this long.” Niki nodded slowly. “Right. We’re not turning him into Iron Man. He’s still Spider-Man. Just… stronger. Smarter.” They went silent for a beat, looking at the half-drawn suit in front of them now darker, sleeker, smarter. Reimagined not just for battle, but for survival.

She looked toward the closed door where Jungwon slept. “We’re gonna help him win,” she whispered. Jake and Niki exchanged a solemn, united nod. This wasn’t just a plan. This was a promise.

~~~

The morning light crept through the curtains in soft golden beams, casting a warm glow across Jungwon’s face as he slowly stirred awake. He blinked, his body still sore, but his heart eased as he turned his head and saw (Y/n) beside him, her hand wrapped gently around his.

She was still asleep, her brow furrowed just slightly, like she hadn’t stopped worrying even in her dreams. He smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. For a moment, he just lay there, listening to her breathing and the soft sounds of the city slowly coming back to life.

When she finally stirred, her eyes met his, and she gave him a sleepy smile. “Hey,” she whispered. “Hey,” he whispered back, voice raspy. “You scared me.” “I know. I’m sorry.” “You better not do that again.” “I’ll try.” Down the hall, the unmistakable sound of Jake and Niki arguing quietly over cereal broke the silence, followed by the clatter of a spoon and Niki muttering, “Bro, that was vintage Spider-Man cereal. You wasted it.”

(Y/n) chuckled softly, sitting up and stretching before helping Jungwon do the same, careful with his ribs. “Come on, the geniuses want to show you something.” They shuffled into the living room, where papers, notebooks, and a whiteboard had taken over half the space. Jake was pushing his glasses up his nose while Niki was pointing at a page with dramatic flair.

“Ta-da,” Niki said, grinning proudly. “Project Rebirth.” Jake held up the detailed sketch of the new suit, streamlined but sturdy, with reinforced areas for temperature and shock resistance, and sleek gauntlets where the new thermal web shooters would go. Flexible, yet armored. Light, yet insulated.

Jungwon’s eyes widened as he took it all in. “You guys really did all this, for me?” “Well, technically, with (Y/n),” Jake said. “She’s the one who got us all focused.” “And I’m the one who said no capes,” Niki added with a grin. “So, you’re welcome.” Jungwon shook his head in disbelief, a smile growing on his lips. “It’s amazing. Seriously. Maybe with this, I won’t lose again.” “We’re counting on that,” Jake said softly.

“But now comes the tricky part,” (Y/n) added, her expression turning thoughtful. “We’ve got most of the small components. Between school and what Jake’s hoarding in his garage, we can manage a lot.” “But,” Niki said, leaning in. “Some of the key materials, like the cooling gel compound and that advanced mesh we talked about? Not exactly stocked at your local science lab.”

Jake nodded. “Zeus Corp has both. They use the mesh in one of their weather drones and the compound in their cryo-energy experiments.” They all fell silent for a beat. “I could try to get it,” (Y/n) said suddenly, lifting her chin. “I’ll go visit Sunghoon at work. Say I just wanted to see him and maybe ask about his research out of curiosity. I know how to talk to him. If I’m careful, I might be able to get what we need.” Jungwon instantly looked concerned. “Are you sure? It’s risky.” (Y/n) nodded, resolve settling into her voice. “For you? I’m sure.”

~~~

Later that afternoon, after Jungwon had rested and the group had gone over every detail of the suit sketch one last time, the plan was in motion. Jake’s garage had been officially declared their base of operations. With its scattered tools, half-functioning fan, and shelves of spare parts and old projects, it was the perfect workspace. The boys wasted no time.

“Alright,” Jake said, pushing up his sleeves and snapping on a pair of goggles. “We’re gonna start with the suit’s internal wiring which I’ve been hoarding lab-grade poly-fiber cables for three years, so we can use those,” 

“You hoard science gear,” Niki muttered. “You’re like a squirrel. A nerd squirrel.” Jungwon, watching them pull apart devices and solder wires, couldn’t help but smile. His ribs still ached, but something about seeing his friends diving into this with him, no hesitation, no complaints, gave him more strength than he expected. “We’ve got your back, man,” Niki said, as if reading his thoughts. “Stormchill’s not gonna know what hit him.”

Meanwhile, across town, (Y/n) was slipping her shoes off along with her jacket as she came home. Her hands fidgeted slightly, not from nerves, but from the weight of what she was about to do.

She found Sunghoon sitting in the kitchen, a coffee mug in one hand and his tablet in the other, deep in some report. “Hey,” she said, walking over casually. He looked up with a rare, warm smile. “Hey. You just coming home?” “Yeah, um, but I was actually wondering something.” Sunghoon set the tablet down. “Shoot.” “I’ve been thinking about internships,” she said, careful to sound relaxed. “I know it’s early, but I thought I could start visiting places I might want to apply to next year.”

His eyebrows rose, clearly intrigued. “I mean, you work at one of the biggest tech companies in the city,” she continued, letting her voice soften just a bit. “And I figured, maybe I could come by? Just look around? I’d feel more comfortable starting somewhere close to someone I trust.” Sunghoon’s smile grew genuine, touched. 

“You want to intern at Zeus Corp?” “I want to see if I want to,” she said with a small laugh. “But yeah, I thought I’d start there.” Sunghoon leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased. “You can come by tomorrow. I’ll clear some time in the afternoon and show you around.” “Thanks, Hoon,” she said, walking over to hug him. He returned it without hesitation.

~~~ The next day ~~~

The second the school bell rang, (Y/n) was out the door.

As promised, a sleek black car from Zeus Corp was parked outside the gates. She slipped into the back seat, her backpack sitting heavily in her lap. Only a pencil case and a small note lay inside it, Jungwon had taken the rest of her things, for now, all to fit more supplies in it, hopefully. 

The ride to Zeus felt longer than it was. Her fingers drummed nervously against the zipper of her bag as she stared out at the city, her city, the one she was now helping protect in secret. When she stepped into the massive, mirrored lobby of Zeus Corp, the nerves tried to catch up with her, but were quickly quieted by the sight of her brother waiting just past security, smiling warmly as he waved her over.

“You made it,” Sunghoon said, pulling her into a quick hug. “Wouldn’t miss it,” she replied, returning the smile. He started the tour immediately, polished hallways, state-of-the-art labs, long windows showing off the company’s solar-powered tech and hydro-cooling infrastructure. It was genuinely impressive. But all (Y/n) could think about was the small supply list tucked inside her bag, carefully copied from the boys’ sketches.

“Most of our advanced materials come through this wing,” Sunghoon explained as they reached a large steel door marked Resources & Inventory. “I can only show you the main storage, the R&D wing’s off-limits without clearance, but there’s still a lot in here, if you become an intern, a main job will be running in here and getting supplies or returning them, I speak from experience,” 

He scanned his ID, and the doors slid open with a faint hiss. The supply room was larger than she expected, stacked with labeled bins, drawers, and shelves of components. Some crates were marked with current project tags, others labeled extra or obsolete. And then there was the bin in the corner: DISPOSAL / SCRAP.

Fate smiled on her. Just as Sunghoon opened his mouth to explain something else, his phone buzzed. “Sorry, give me one second,” he muttered, glancing at the screen. His expression shifted slightly, something urgent. “I have to take this. Just look around, I’ll be right back.” The moment he disappeared around the corner, (Y/n) sprang into action.

She moved quickly but carefully, pulling open drawers, lifting small containers, conductive thread coils, thermal-dampening foam, flex-fiber mesh, cooling gel caps, micro-insulation pads. She recognized almost everything thanks to Jake’s obsessive labeling system and Niki’s doodles on the sketch sheet. She tucked item after item into her bag, even kneeling by the trash can labeled “SCRAP” and finding a half-damaged coil they could probably salvage. She paused only once to listen for footsteps, none.

Finally, she zipped up her bag, fixed it neatly on her shoulder, and slid the drawer she’d opened back into place. Just as she turned around, Sunghoon reappeared, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry,” he said. “Some production delay in the outer lab.” “No worries,” (Y/n) replied smoothly, her heart racing but her smile calm. “This place is amazing.” Sunghoon chuckled, motioning for her to follow. “Come on. I’ll show you the observation deck. Best view in the city.” As they walked off, he threw an arm casually around her shoulders. She leaned into it, just enough. 

After the tour, Sunghoon had to head back into the core labs to handle a call from the executive team. He gave (Y/n) a fond smile and ruffled her hair before walking off, completely unaware of what she’d slipped out of his supply room.

“See you at home,” he called. (Y/n) didn’t linger. The moment she stepped outside, she picked up the pace. She ducked into the first subway entrance she could find, ignoring the ache in her shoulder from the overstuffed backpack. Every step closer to Jake’s place was one closer to making the plan a reality. A new suit. A real shot at winning.

The second she reached the Sim family garage, she banged on the side door and let herself in. Jake looked up from where he and Niki were sorting wires on the table, his eyebrows shooting up. “You’re back early!” Jungwon was sitting on a stool nearby, his ribs still a bit stiff, but his face lit up when he saw her. “Hey! How’d it go?”

(Y/n) didn’t answer right away. Instead, with a dramatic flair, she dropped her backpack onto the worktable and unzipped it. The boys leaned in as she slowly pulled out the supplies one by one. “Thermal dampening gel caps,” Jake murmured, eyes wide. “Conductive flex mesh?” Jungwon said, holding up a silver-lined patch.

Niki whistled, grinning. “Yo, you got the heat-resistant polymer sheets, too?” “Wait, is this… this is aerogel-fused thread?!” Jake suddenly held it up like it was sacred. “Do you know how expensive this stuff is? How did you even?” (Y/n) smirked. “Let’s just say Zeus Corp is more generous than they realize.”

The garage filled with noise, laughter, cheers, metal parts clinking as Jake and Jungwon geeked out over the components, laying them out on the big central table, while Niki paced in excited circles. “This is more than enough,” Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief. “We can actually make this work now. The thermal shielding, the electricity diffusers, this is real superhero-grade tech.”

“I told you I had it handled,” (Y/n) said, leaning back against the counter, arms crossed with a proud grin. Jungwon walked over and wrapped her in a soft, thankful hug. “You’re kind of amazing, you know that?” She hugged him back, careful not to press too hard against his ribs. “Well, someone’s got to make sure you don’t die next time.” They all laughed, but underneath it was the truth. This suit wasn’t just for show. It was for survival. “Alright!” Niki clapped his hands together. “Let’s build a suit that’ll make that frozen lawn gnome cry.”

~~~

Two weeks. That’s how long it had taken to finish the new suit. And in that time, the city had been, quiet. Too quiet. Stormchill hadn’t reappeared. No attacks. No taunting messages. No sign of movement. It was like he had vanished, or worse, like he was waiting for something. And Jungwon could feel it. In the pit of his stomach, in the cold wind that blew too sharply at night. Something was coming. And it wouldn’t be small.

It was 2:37 AM. The city slept, unaware of the battle brewing in the shadows. On a rooftop in the industrial district, Jungwon stood tall in his new suit, the moonlight catching the sleek material, making the lines of embedded mesh and reinforced plates glint softly.

He tugged his mask down and took a slow breath. The fabric was thicker than his old one, warmer too. They’d built in insulation, thermal dampeners, and even a way to ground electricity. Jake had called it “low-key genius,” and honestly, Jungwon couldn’t disagree. But, it didn’t quiet the voice in his head. We’re just kids.

He fired a web and swung forward, letting the wind tear past him as he soared between buildings. The suit moved well, better than expected. No drag. No stiffness. He landed on the side of a tower, stuck fast, then launched again. Swing, twist, land. It worked.

But still, What if it’s not enough? What if next time, Stormchill didn’t retreat? What if the villain didn’t hold back?

He landed on a billboard, crouching, the city spread out below him in shadows and faint glows from backup generators still kicking around the districts that hadn’t fully recovered from the last blackout. This wasn’t just about one man in a mask anymore. It was bigger. Deeper. We built a suit. That’s good. But is it enough to protect everyone I love?

His fingers twitched at the edge of his web shooters, a nervous habit. He thought about (Y/n), about the look on her face when he stumbled home bloody and half-conscious. About Jake and Niki, working tirelessly to fix things neither of them was trained to fix. They had stepped up without question. And he felt that weight every day.

Jungwon jumped off the billboard and swung through the air again, faster this time, pushing the suit to its limits. It held. Every move sharper, more controlled. When he finally returned home, heart pounding, suit humming with the last bit of heat it absorbed, he peeled off the mask and sat on his windowsill, looking out. He still didn’t know if it would be enough. But he knew they were ready to try.

~~~ A few days later ~~~

The city never truly slept, even now, long after midnight, the hum of generators echoed faintly through the streets. Jungwon moved silently across rooftops, getting a feel for the upgraded suit. It clung to his form like a second skin, warmer, smoother, more responsive. But still, his mind wasn’t fully on the tech. Something in his chest felt unsettled. Like a thread being pulled.

He landed on the edge of a low rooftop, scanning the alleyways below. That’s when he saw it. A shimmer of static. A faint glow of electric-blue frost trailing over cracked pavement. Stormchill.

Jungwon flattened himself to the ledge, eyes narrowing behind the lenses of his mask. Stormchill was alone, deep in the shadows of a narrow alleyway between two crumbling buildings. He appeared to be adjusting something in a case, tubes of pressurized energy, wires, and vials of pulsing, icy serum. Too distracted to notice he was being watched.

Spider-Man stayed still. Quiet. Observing. He wasn’t here for a fight, not unless he had to. After a minute, Stormchill stepped back from the case, sighing. Then, he reached up and pulled off his mask. Jungwon’s breath caught in his throat. The man turned, just slightly, just enough for the pale moonlight to catch the sharp lines of his face. Sunghoon.

It was Sunghoon. (Y/n)’s brother. Her kind, responsible, fiercely protective older brother. No. It couldn’t be. His brain rebelled, trying to deny it, but his eyes knew better. The warm brown eyes that glowed icy blue for a second before dimming. Jungwon jerked back as if stung. His heart thundered in his chest. He launched upward, grappling to the nearest rooftop and vanishing into the night like a breath of wind, not daring to look back.

By the time he got home, his mask was off, his suit half-unzipped. He paced the length of his room in silence, fingers buried in his hair. “Sunghoon… Stormchill…” he whispered, the name tasting like rust on his tongue. It didn’t make sense. But it did. Too much of it suddenly did. The cold. The power. The connections.  And the worst part? (Y/n). Did she know? Could she know?

He collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, jaw clenched so hard it hurt. The thought of fighting Sunghoon twisted something deep in his stomach. Not just because of what he could do, but because of what it would mean.

What if I have to hurt him? What if I have to stop him for good? What happens to her then?

She’d lose her brother. And she might never forgive him. Jungwon curled into himself slightly, guilt and confusion clawing at him like vines. He had no answers. Not yet. But one thing was clear. The next time they met, it would be war. And Jungwon wasn’t sure whose heart would break first.

Jungwon hadn’t slept. Not really. He lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the city fighting to return to normal. His mind spiraled endlessly, caught between what he knew and what he wished he didn’t.

Sunghoon was Stormchill. The villain terrorizing the city, freezing entire neighborhoods, shorting out power grids, laughing as he left Spider-Man broken in the snow. Every time Jungwon closed his eyes, he saw (Y/n)’s face. Smiling. Laughing. Kissing his cheek. And right behind that, Sunghoon’s twisted grin, that moment when the mask came off, and everything fell apart.

He wanted to talk to someone. Jake? Niki? Even (Y/n)? But what would he say? What if she knew? What if she had been helping her brother all this time? Jungwon sat up suddenly, breath catching in his throat at the thought. No. No way. That wasn’t possible. If she had been helping Stormchill, Jungwon would already be dead. Sunghoon would’ve struck the moment he found out.

But he hadn’t. Instead, Stormchill had gone quiet. Which meant one thing: He was planning something. Something big. And Jungwon knew he had to be ready. Whether the city turned on him again or not. Whether the new suit held up or not. Whether he was fighting a stranger or someone closer. He clenched his fists. The silence was agony, but the truth would hurt more if it wasn’t timed right. He had to keep it inside, at least for now.

~~~ Thursday ~~~

At first, it was just the lights. A flicker. A low, dying hum. Then everything went black. The school seemed to exhale as the electricity died, heaters, lights, even the soft hum of vending machines gone in an instant. The silence lasted only seconds before the screaming began, followed closely by something worse.

The cold. It wasn’t natural, it didn’t creep in like a winter breeze slipping through a window. No, this cold slammed into them like a tidal wave, sharp and unforgiving. Students cried out as the floor beneath them cracked, the linoleum frosting over with thick, creeping ice that spread fast, crawling up the legs of tables and chairs, making everything slick and brittle.

Jungwon’s breath caught in his throat, not from fear, but from instinct. His spider-sense exploded like a siren in his skull. It was happening. He turned to his friends, Jake, Niki, and (Y/n), urgency in his eyes. “Go,” he said, firm and sharp, already turning to run. “You know the plan!”

He was gone before they could even answer, weaving through students who were either frozen in place or running in panic. He pulled his coat tighter as he rounded a corner, sprinting toward the hidden space they had designated for quick changes.

Behind him, Jake, Niki, and (Y/n) bolted into the hallway, heading straight for their lockers where thick winter coats were stashed in preparation. The lights remained off, no emergency power, no flickers, just total darkness broken only by the blueish glow of ice climbing the walls.

Jake was the first to speak, zipping up his coat with trembling hands. “This is it, isn’t it?” he asked, voice tight with adrenaline and fear. Niki’s eyes were cold but focused. “Yeah,” he said, watching as snow began to fall indoors through a crack in the ceiling. “He’s here.” (Y/n) didn’t say anything.

She stood at her locker with the coat half-zipped, her eyes locked on the door Jungwon had vanished through. Her heart was pounding so hard it echoed in her ears. It wasn’t just cold, it was suffocating. This wasn’t like before. It wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t chaos. It was war. Stormchill had made his move.

Outside the school, the city was falling apart. The temperature had dropped dangerously low in minutes. Cars skidded to a halt and were sealed to the ground by thick layers of fast-forming ice. Trees cracked and shattered. Entire buildings were frozen over as if the city had been placed in a snow globe and shaken violently.

And at the center of it all, somewhere in that storm, was Jungwon, her Jungwon, dressed in a new suit built with every ounce of hope they had left. “Please,” (Y/n) whispered, more to herself than anyone else, her voice shaking with both cold and dread, “please let it be enough.” Because if this suit didn’t work, if this time didn’t end differently, then the city wasn’t the only thing that would be lost.

From the icy sidelines, Jake, Niki, and (Y/n) stood frozen, not just from the biting cold, but from the weight of helplessness crushing down on them. Watching Jungwon barely move after that last blast was torture. Every instinct in them screamed to run forward, to help, to do something, anything, to stop what looked like the end.

They glanced at each other. They were just kids. No powers. No weapons. Just shivering bodies and pounding hearts. But that didn’t matter anymore. “We can’t let him die,” Jake said, voice shaking. “I’m not watching our best friend die like this.” “I’ll take a lightning bolt to the face if I have to,” Niki added, crouching down, hands scrambling over the frozen ground for anything they could use.

(Y/n) didn’t speak, she just nodded, her eyes fixed on Jungwon’s limp form. Then, she moved. They all did. Desperately, they grabbed whatever they could find, a loose chunk of frozen brick, a snapped-off metal pipe, an old traffic cone nearly encased in ice. Their hands burned from the cold, but they didn’t stop. With a sharp cry, they hurled everything they had at the monster at the center of it all.

Stormchill turned just in time to deflect a chunk of brick with his forearm, glaring toward the source of the attack. “What is this?” A metal pipe struck his shoulder, cracking against his armor and making him stagger. Not much. Barely a distraction. But enough. Because as he turned toward the new threat, Jungwon’s fingers twitched. Then came another impact. Then another.

More civilians, emboldened by the sight of the teens throwing anything they could find, began emerging from the icy shadows. A woman flung a snow-covered trash bin. A man hurled a tire. Even a child tossed a rock. They were all cold, all afraid, but not powerless. Not anymore.

Stormchill roared in anger, blasting out an arc of electricity that struck two lampposts, sending sparks scattering through the blizzard. Several people were knocked back, screams cutting through the storm.

(Y/n) cried out, running to help someone who had fallen, but even then, she never took her eyes off Jungwon. Because that’s when it happened. He moved. Slowly at first. A wince. A cough. Then he stood. Wobbling, battered, the glowing accents of his new suit flickering in the cold, but standing. The noise around him dulled, the wind faded to a distant howl, as Jungwon felt it, like a fire in his chest.

Hope. He could feel them. The city. The people. His friends. They weren’t just watching anymore. They were fighting. For him. And suddenly, the weight of guilt, of fear, of doubt, it didn’t disappear, but it shifted. Became something else. Something he could carry.

His voice was hoarse, but strong. “I won’t let you hurt them.” Stormchill whipped around, lightning curling from his fingers, eyes narrowing behind his mask. “You should’ve stayed down,” he hissed.

Jungwon’s stance tightened. He shook out his arms, web-shooters ready. The heating core in the new suit warmed his bones just enough to fight the numbness spreading through him. His eyes locked with Stormchill’s mask, and behind it, Sunghoon. He didn’t want to fight him. Didn’t want to break (Y/n)’s heart. But he would. Because this wasn’t about him anymore. This was about everyone.

The battle was shifting. Every rock thrown, every shout from the crowd, it added fuel to the fire in Spider-Man’s chest. His movements were sharper now, more focused. The new suit held strong under pressure, its insulated layers shielding him from the cold and dampening Stormchill’s electricity just enough to keep him moving. Each web shot landed with precision, each dodge cut closer. Stormchill was faltering.

Jungwon’s muscles burned, lungs ached, but he pushed on. This time was different. He could feel it. The weight of the city wasn’t crushing him, it was lifting him. Behind him, he could hear people cheering. He caught a glimpse of (Y/n) in the crowd, her eyes wide with hope, her lips trembling but curved into the smallest smile. He could win this. 

Then Stormchill looked away. His gaze locked onto something in the crowd. A flicker of confusion passed through the villain’s icy features. He paused. Tilted his head. He saw them. Jake, throwing a piece of broken metal. Niki, guiding people out of the crossfire. (Y/n), bandaging someone’s hand, calling orders. Too familiar. Too obvious. And Jungwon wasn’t with them.

Stormchill’s laugh was hollow. Slow. A shiver passed through the street, and not from the cold. He turned back to the boy in the dark red and blue suit. Spider-Man raised his fist to strike, one final hit. He hoped at least.  But Stormchill didn’t move. Instead, he stared straight into his masked face and spoke with eerie calm. “Tell me, Jungwon, Do you really think a mere kid can stop a storm like mine?”

Jungwon froze mid-swing. His heart stuttered. His breath hitched. His name. He said his name. No. No, how? His mind raced. Had (Y/n) betrayed him? No. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. But if she hadn’t, then how? He hesitated. And that was all it took. A crack of thunder split the air.

Stormchill thrust out his arm and fired a bolt of lightning more powerful than anything Jungwon had ever felt. It slammed into his chest like a wrecking ball, sending searing heat and energy through the suit. Systems sparked. Pain exploded across his body. He screamed. Then the world flipped sideways. His body hit the pavement hard, skidding across ice and snow, crashing into a parked car. And everything went still.

Stormchill raised his hand again, the crackle of electricity surging through his fingertips, ice creeping along the ground in jagged veins as the air thickened with static. He took a slow step forward, the storm building behind him, a monstrous force ready to be unleashed. This was it. One final strike to wipe the spider off the map.

(Y/n) saw it. She saw the glow in Stormchill’s hand, saw the sparks dancing across his palm, saw Jungwon’s body lying crumpled in the snow. Not moving. Not even groaning. Her heart stopped.

“No! no no no,” she whispered, stumbling forward before she even realized her feet were moving. She broke from the crowd, Jake’s voice yelling her name somewhere behind her, but she didn’t hear it. She couldn’t. She only saw him. Jungwon. Her Jungwon.

His mask was slightly ripped, chest rising and falling shallowly. She dropped to her knees in the snow, her arms wrapping around him, shielding him with her body, her warmth. Her tears dropped onto his suit, freezing as soon as they touched the fabric.

“Please,” she whispered into his ear. “Please, you can’t leave me.” Stormchill froze. Just a few steps away, his lightning fizzled mid-air. He stared at the girl holding the hero. His storm calmed for just a moment, still fierce, still dangerous, but, quiet. Then his voice rang out, cold and sharp. “Move.”

(Y/n) looked up at him. Her arms only tightened around Jungwon’s body. “No.” He clenched his fist. “I said move, now.” “No!” she shouted this time, her voice cracking, her body trembling. “You’ll have to go through me.”

And then, he said it. Her name. No, not her name. A name only one person in the world used for her. A soft, childish nickname born from laughter and late-night stories and sibling secrets. “Yinnie.” She flinched. Her eyes went wide. No. It couldn’t be. Couldn’t.

She stared up at the masked villain. At the cold, electric fury behind that armor. She stared harder at the stance, thinking of the voice. No, no. “Sunghoon?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. And the storm stilled. For just one breath.

Jungwon’s eyes cracked open to a world of chaos and cold. The air was thick with frost, every breath slicing through his lungs like shards of glass. His body screamed in protest as he forced himself upright, vision still blurry, until it wasn’t.

He saw her. (Y/n). She was on her knees beside him, her arms wrapped around his limp body, her head bowed as she cried, not from fear, but heartbreak. And then she looked up. The figure before them, half-hidden in a storm of his own making, stilled. Slowly, with a deliberate calm that felt more dangerous than any lightning or ice, he reached up and pulled the cracked, half-broken mask from his face.

And there he was. Sunghoon. Her brother. No longer the warm, overprotective sibling she’d known, but the villain who’d nearly killed her boyfriend, who had frozen a city to its bones, who had turned himself into a storm. “No…” she whispered, stumbling backward, voice thin, breaking. “No, it can’t be you…” Sunghoon didn’t flinch. He didn’t deny it.

“I didn’t want it to be like this,” he said. His voice was steady, but there was something fractured beneath it, something brittle, like ice under too much weight. “You weren’t supposed to know. You weren’t supposed to see.” “See what?” she shouted, tears mixing with the frost that clung to her lashes. “The monster you’ve become?”

His jaw tightened. “You don’t understand.” “Then help me understand! Why are you doing this?!” “I’m fixing the world,” he said, stepping closer, his presence making the air colder still. “I’m saving it from people who keep letting it fall apart. No one listens. No one changes. I have the power to do what no one else can.”

“At what cost?” Her voice cracked. “You nearly killed people. You’re hurting innocent people. You froze a city, Sunghoon!” He sighed. Then, as if realizing that he couldn’t reason with her, not like this, he raised a hand. The air around (Y/n) shifted, grew heavy. And before she could move, a wall of jagged, glassy ice erupted around her, forming a dome, clear but unbreakable. She screamed as she was lifted off the ground, shoved to the side, imprisoned like a fragile memory he couldn’t bear to lose.

“No, no! Don’t do this!” she cried, pounding her fists on the walls. “Let me out!” “You’ll be safe in there,” he said, looking away from her. “I can’t let you get hurt.” “I’m already hurt, Sunghoon! You’re hurting me!” Inside the cage, her voice echoed and cracked, and every hit she landed on the ice seemed to hit Sunghoon too. He winced, but didn’t undo it.

Jungwon, still groggy, watched all of it unfold. And slowly, with every painful breath, with every trembling limb, he pushed himself off the frozen ground. His eyes didn’t leave hers, not once. She turned to him as he stood. She didn’t speak, but he could see everything in her eyes: grief, fear, hope, desperation. He couldn’t let her down. He wouldn’t. Sunghoon turned back to Jungwon, his fists crackling with electricity again. “You should’ve stayed down,” he said. Jungwon wiped a line of blood from the corner of his mouth. “You don’t get to decide that.”

They collided again, lightning and webbing, ice and fists. The city around them trembled as the storm intensified. But this time, something was different. Jungwon didn’t fight with anger or vengeance. He fought with heart. For her. For the people still huddled in the cold, waiting. For the friends who believed in him. “You think you’re saving the world,” Jungwon shouted as he dodged a blast of lightning, “but you’re just breaking it more!” Sunghoon snarled, ice spearing out from the ground beneath Jungwon’s feet. Jungwon flipped high into the air, landing with precision and lashing a web across the villain’s chest.

“She’s crying because of you,” he continued, striking hard, “because the most important family she has became the very thing she’s afraid of!” Another blow. Sunghoon staggered. “You locked her in a cage, and called it love.” Sunghoon faltered. The ice crawling up his arms stuttered. The storm around them flickered. Jungwon narrowed his eyes, his voice lowering. “She looked up to you. She believed in you. And you broke her.”

A crack in the mask that wasn’t on his face. Sunghoon stumbled back, gaze flicking toward the icy cage where his sister had gone quiet, crouched in the middle, hands pressed to the walls, tears streaming down her cheeks. For a moment, just a moment, Jungwon saw him hesitate. His powers dimmed. The frost slowed. It was working.

Blow after blow, Jungwon fought for the people shivering in their homes, for the friends who stood beside him with nothing but hope in their hands, and most of all, for her. Every strike Jungwon landed echoed with the weight of her tears. And Sunghoon, Sunghoon wasn’t fighting back the same anymore. His mind was somewhere else.

Through the haze of pain and frost, his gaze wandered, toward the cage of ice he’d built out of desperation, out of fear. And through the transparent walls, he saw her: (Y/n), curled in on herself, tears glistening like diamonds on her cheeks, breath fogging up the space in front of her. Her lips trembled as she silently mouthed his name again. Not Stormchill. Sunghoon.

He staggered. For a moment, he didn’t see the battlefield. He didn’t feel the cold wind biting at his skin or the weight of the city on his shoulders. He saw a memory. A little girl no more than five years old, in footie pajamas, hair mussed from sleep, eyes wide with the aftermath of a nightmare. She clutched a stuffed bunny and stood in the doorway of his room.

“Can I sleep here? The thunder’s too loud.” And he had smiled. A real smile. “Always.” She’d crawled into bed beside him and tucked herself under his arm like a puzzle piece. He was her safe place. Her shield. Her brother. Now, he was her fear. Her cage. The monster.

That realization split something in him, deeper than any punch could land. His fingers twitched. The frost trailing his arms began to grow erratic. The storm above flickered wildly, as if uncertain. A tremor ran through the ice under his feet. Jungwon paused, panting, watching carefully. Something was happening.

The air shifted. The winds fell still. The city seemed to take a collective breath. And then, the ice began to move. Not outward. Not toward the streets or the people or Jungwon. It moved inward, toward Sunghoon. “No” he breathed, eyes wide as he stumbled back. A thin sheet of frost crept up his boots. He tried to summon a burst of electricity to stop it, to force it back, but nothing came. His hands sparked weakly, then fizzled.

The cold was no longer his to command. It was reclaiming him. The snow on the ground lifted gently, drawn toward him in shimmering tendrils. The jagged spears of ice embedded in buildings and cars cracked and broke free, sliding slowly across the ground like iron filings pulled by a magnet, all converging on him.

Sunghoon fell to his knees. “No” he whispered, breath fogging thick as smoke. “Not like this,” But it was too late. The ice climbed him like vines, wrapping around his arms, curling over his shoulders, spreading across his back. He turned his face one last time toward (Y/n), whose sobs had quieted to a stunned silence, her hand still pressed to the wall of her cage.

And in that last moment, her eyes locked with his. He wanted to speak. To say I’m sorry, or I love you, or Please remember who I was, but the words never came. Instead, all she heard was the soft crackle of ice forming over skin. His expression, open, vulnerable, broken, froze in place as the final layer of crystalline frost sealed over him, encasing him fully. Stormchill, Sunghoon, became still.

A statue of ice. One that wouldn’t melt. Not under any sun. Not under any storm. The ice cage around (Y/n) cracked and fell away, disappearing like dust. Jungwon caught her just before she fell forward. She didn’t cry again, not yet. She just stared at the shape of her brother, frozen mid-kneel, hands half-open, face locked in quiet agony. The storm had ended. But the damage it left behind was just beginning.

(Y/n) sat in Jungwon’s arms like a ghost of herself, her breathing shallow and ragged. The bitter cold still lingered in the air, but it was nothing compared to the frost that had settled over her heart.

Jake and Niki ran toward them, their footsteps crunching softly against the snow. Niki skidded to a stop beside them, eyes wide and stunned. Jake crouched on the other side, hesitating for only a second before placing a steadying hand on (Y/n)’s back, though he didn’t say a word, no one did.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn’t sob. They spilled quietly, endlessly, like a river she couldn’t turn off. Her eyes never left him. Sunghoon. Frozen mid-motion, his expression still gentle, almost human, as if the monster had melted away in that final second, leaving only her brother behind.

Her brother. The one who used to braid her hair with more focus than he gave to his homework. The one who sang to her when she was sick, voice off-key and cracking but always full of heart. The one who painted her nails every Friday night just because she liked having someone to do it with.

Gone. He was right there and gone all at once. A statue. A warning. A memory. (Y/n)’s voice broke in a whisper, her body trembling. “He used to wake me up early just to see the sunrise, said it reminded him of me.” No one responded. How could they? She drew her knees tighter to her chest, curling further into Jungwon’s arms. “He wasn’t this. Not always. He wasn’t a villain,”

Her voice cracked around the word like it physically hurt to say. Jungwon pulled her closer, resting his chin gently atop her head, his own eyes damp. He knew she needed this silence, the space to mourn, to remember, to shatter and maybe someday begin to rebuild. But not today. Today she could be broken. Today, the world could wait.

Behind them, the city began to stir, civilians carefully emerging from buildings, the winds calm now, the snow already softening. Emergency sirens echoed faintly in the distance, but here, in this small frozen corner of a street, time stood still. None of them looked away from the ice statue.

Jake finally broke the silence, his voice hoarse. “We should get out of here soon. The authorities-” “No,” (Y/n) said quietly, cutting him off without malice. Her eyes locked once more on her brother. “I’m not leaving him. Not yet.” Jungwon’s grip on her tightened just slightly.

They stayed like that a little longer, a boy holding a girl whose world had cracked in two, two friends keeping watch over the shattered remains of something they couldn’t fully understand, over the fallen storm they had survived. The villain was gone. But so was far more than just that. 

~~~ 

The day of the battle, after everything had calmed down, Jungwon had gently convinced her to leave. They slipped away right before the authorities arrived, before the flashing lights and questions and headlines could swallow them whole. The city might have been saved, but she was still lost.

The police contacted her parents, and the truth shattered their world too, their son, their pride, the boy they’d raised, had become the very thing they never saw coming. Their grief mirrored (Y/n)’s, but she couldn’t face it, couldn’t go home and look at the photos of him smiling in picture frames, couldn’t sit at the dinner table where he used to make them laugh. So she stayed at Jungwon’s.

Seven days passed in a blur of silence and quiet meals. She rarely spoke. She didn’t cry anymore, her tears had run dry. She simply sat, or lay curled in a blanket, lost in the echo of memories she couldn’t push away. And through it all, Jungwon never left her side. He made tea she didn’t drink. He held her through the nightmares. He kissed her temple in the mornings and told her he was proud of her for waking up. He tried, oh, how he tried, even when it hurt him too.

And then, on the seventh day, she finally spoke. It was just after sunset, the sky painted in soft streaks of orange and lavender. They sat on the porch wrapped in one of his old blankets, the air still cold but not biting anymore. “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice hoarse from disuse. Jungwon turned to her, heart aching. “For what?” “For saving the city,” she said. “For stopping him.”

He didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry,” he whispered after a moment, eyes cast downward. “I’m sorry I had to hurt him. That I hurt you.” But she shook her head slowly. “You don’t need to apologize. Even if it hurts, even if it always will, he had to be stopped. Someone had to do it.” She drew in a breath, shaky but steady. “And maybe this, maybe this was the better ending. Bitter, yes. But peaceful. For all of us. Maybe, maybe even for him.”

Jungwon didn’t respond with words. He simply pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair as he held her tighter. They sat there as the sky dimmed, wrapped in warmth and grief, in the quiet understanding that the world they once knew would never be the same, but that they would move forward, step by step, heart by heart. And as the first stars began to peek through the sky, Jungwon kissed her forehead gently, silently vowing to help her carry the weight of what had been lost. Together.

~~~ 

It was a month after Stormchill had been stopped when (Y/n) and her family finally got some answers.

The authorities had gone through everything, his storage units, his old journals, and finally, his private office at Zeus Corp. That’s where they found it. A locked drawer tucked beneath layers of fake documents, old prototypes, and broken tech. Inside was a black folder, neatly sealed. And within it were three envelopes, one addressed to their mother, one to their father, and one to (Y/n), written in her brother’s careful, familiar handwriting.

The letters didn’t erase the grief, but they gave the family something they had desperately needed: closure. A glimpse into the man he used to be, and the choices that led him down the path he took.

Later that evening, (Y/n) sat in Jungwon’s room, the folded paper trembling slightly in her hands. Jake and Niki were there too, all of them pausing their usual late-night research and hero strategy sessions. It had been quiet for a while, they still worked to keep Spider-Man in the city’s good graces, but without any big threats, the world had taken a breath. And now, so had she.

“I want you to hear it,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “You were there through all of it. You deserve to know, too.” She unfolded the letter and began to read:

“Dear (Y/n),

If you’re reading this, it means I didn’t come back. And I’m sorry, for everything. I don’t know what you saw, what I did, or how far I went, but please believe that I never meant for it to end this way.”

“I never told anyone, not even you, but a year ago, there was an accident at Zeus Corp. A storm containment prototype malfunctioned during a private trial I was running. It was supposed to harness atmospheric energy, a limitless source of clean power. But it wasn’t stable. I got caught in the core during the overload. The energy surged through my body. At first, I thought I’d die.”

“But I didn’t. Instead… I changed.”

“I could feel the air shifting around me. I could draw cold from nothing, summon electricity with a thought. At first, it was terrifying. Then, it felt like a gift. Like power I was meant to use.”

“I started small. I helped stop minor crimes. You remember the night the museum thief was found frozen? That was me. But the more I used it, the more it used me. The cold got inside, (Y/n). Not just in my veins, but in my head. It numbed me. The world started to feel, wrong. Corrupt. I thought maybe I could fix it, freeze it, rebuild it clean.”

“But that’s not how heroes think, is it? I told myself I was doing good, but deep down, I knew I was lying. I was angry. I felt like no one listened, not the board at Zeus, not the people in charge. So I decided to force them to listen.”

“I became what I thought the world needed. And in doing that, I lost who I was.”

“You were the last thing that kept me warm. The last piece of me that still felt like Sunghoon. I hope, if nothing else,  you remember me as I was before. Not the storm. Just your brother.”

Love,

Sunghoon.”

The room was still. Jake swallowed hard, brushing at his eyes. Niki didn’t say anything, just stared at the floor, fists clenched. And Jungwon, he moved closer, pulling (Y/n) gently into his arms. “He was trying to do the right thing,” she whispered. “He just, got lost.”

“Yeah,” Jungwon murmured, his voice soft. “But you didn’t. You helped stop him, (Y/n). You brought him back, even if it was just for a moment.” They stayed like that for a while, four kids in a quiet room, holding onto each other, still bearing the weight of a city, of a fallen brother, of everything they’d lost.

But they also held onto something else: Hope. Hope that maybe, in sharing the truth, they could help others too. And maybe that’s what Sunghoon had wanted all along.

[beanjang-draws]

Plague Ponies - At the Barn

CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore

Masterpost | Previous | Next

Summary:

Twilight has decided to check on Apple Bloom’s new project! The innovative young filly has combined her lessons from Twilight and Zecora to make something new: a potion of duplication.

While they discuss Apple Bloom’s ingenuity, they’re interrupted by a strange sound and the sudden appearance of Big Macintosh. Big Mac should be in bed, but it looks like he has something urgent to discuss in private with Twilight. How out of character….

Transcript below:

Twilight: I’ll come along for a quick peek.

Apple Bloom: You won’t regret it! It’ll be super amazing!~

Apple Bloom: You know that potion of fruitfulness you showed me last time? I thought it was awfully similar to something Zecora taught me, so…

Twilight Sparkle: …You’ve been experimenting with pony and zebra magic! This is so exciting, Apple Bloom! This could be brand new magic!

Twilight Sparkle and Apple Bloom enter the Apple family barn, where Apple Bloom presents Twilight with a jam jar full of a strange liquid sitting on a stool, along with an apple.

Apple Bloom: Ta-da! I call it the Super-Duper Duplication Potion! It’s a bit of a mouthful, so SDDP works too.

Twilight Sparkle, smiling: I think that initialism will definitely be helpful.

Twilight Sparkle: How does it work?

Apple Bloom: If you just sprinkle a little bit on…

Apple Bloom tips the jar until a single drop of potion lands on the apple, which then begins to glow with a bright light.

Apple Bloom: Oh please work please work please work please work please—

The Apple begins to smoke, becoming obscured in white. With a sizzle and a pop, the smoke clears to reveal the duplicated apples. Twilight turns to look at Apple Bloom with awe in her eyes.

Twilight Sparkle: Two perfectly identical apples….Apple Bloom…

Apple Bloom: What? What is it?—

Apple Bloom lets out an excited gasp.

Apple Bloom: Oh oh oh is it my cutie mark?

Twilight Sparkle: I’m sorry, sweetie.

Apple Bloom: If…if even creating new potions ain’t enough, what if I never—

Twilight Sparkle stops Apple Bloom, raising her chin with her wing.

Twilight Sparkle: Apple Bloom, even if your cutie mark isn’t in potions, you are an incredible scientist. I hope you’ll continue your studies. I certainly look forward to what you’ll develop next.

Apple Bloom: Thanks, Twilight. I really do like studying with you and Zecora even if it ain’t my special talent.

Apple Bloom: I’m just glad I haven’t disappointed you, Twilight.

Twilight: Of course not!—

A strange groan suddenly interrupts their conversation, startling Twilight and Apple Bloom. Twilight, particularly jumpy ever since the Changeling attack at the royal wedding, screams and instinctively readies an offensive spell. Apple Bloom screams because Twilight is screaming. Big Macintosh reveals himself, looking awful.

Apple Bloom: Big Mac! What happened? You should be in bed! Is everything alright?

Big Mac: Nope.

Big Mac: Apple Bloom, leave out the side door and head straight to the house.

Apple Bloom: Wha—

Big Mac: Straight. To. The. House.

Apple Bloom: …Alright…

Big Mac: Good. And Twilight, a word? P-please.

Twilight Sparkle: Of course. See you later, Apple Bloom!

Apple Bloom: See ya, Twilight!

Out of sight for Twilight and Apple Bloom, beyond the barn door lies the crumpled body of a strange pony. Their face is disfigured. The skin of the face is torn and bleeding, and their jaw is broken. Their tongue lolls out limp, broken teeth and saliva mixed blood. Big Mac’s hind legs are bloody, and he stands favoring one leg, which appears to be wounded.

End of transcript.

[gingerteafairy]

𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

Favorite hero? The Flash—no doubt. He sees him as a role model: optimistic, charismatic, and stupidly smart. Todd totally thinks he could be that cool someday.

His favorite Spider-Man is Tobey Maguire’s. Broke, awkward, and kinda dumb-funny. (Sound familiar? Yeah, Todd might be projecting a little.)

Has a ridiculously good GPA. But he’d rather die than admit it. If someone found out, he’d just mumble, “Nah, I just got lucky,” while dying inside.

He definitely planned a Superman and Batman duo costume with Dave for Halloween… until Marty found out and threatened to send pics to the whole school. Instant cancellation.

He really wanted to try smoking because it looks badass… but the moment he read about lung cancer, he was like, “Nope, I’d rather live.”

Listens to Radiohead, The Strokes, Gorillaz and Blur (huge Damon Albarn fan, he messes with Marty for being an Oasis guy.)

He also listens to cheesy artists like Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake or even Lana del Rey (mostly unreleased songs, they're the best for fantasizing.)

Constantly trying to learn japanese for drawing tutorials purposes, he wants to make his own comics one day

Doesn't believe in horoscopes and law of attraction, but he never wants to mess with luck. That's shit is strong.

french fries obsession

Allergies? Oh yeah. Raging hay fever. One whiff of pollen, and he’s sneezing like it’s an Olympic event.

Android or iPhone? Android, no question. He likes having actual customization instead of selling his soul to Apple.

Type: “Uh… alive. And maybe into me? (Optional.)” But let’s be real—he has a massive soft spot for nerds, especially ones with glasses.

Career goals? Get a job at Atomic Comics, make bank, and finally afford every single comic book he’s ever wanted. That’s the dream.

Favorite school subject? Biology. Something about learning how the universe works just clicks for him. But, plot twist—he’s also a lowkey math genius and a chemistry hater (it's messy)

Dream job: Scientist. if the Flash can be smart, then dammit, so can he.

[cresneta]

「103」

Our poor hobbyless spy really doesn't know how to relax. Here's hoping that he continues letting Yor teach him how to relax.

Also, it's going to be interesting to see how Anya reacts if Twilight decides to turn investigating Project Apple into his "hobby." Given that at least one, possibly two now that I'm looking at these older panels again, of the scientists that experimented on Bond was also involved in the lab that experimented on Anya, and thus investigating them could lead to Twilight learning about Anya being able to read minds. Perhaps she'll get Yor to unwittingly help her keep Loid from investigating Project Apple, which would net us some more Twiyor moments. I'm allowed to dream, right?

I'll also say that I find it peculiar that Twilight isn't very busy at the moment, given that Nightfall is almost certainly still out of commission and thus WISE should be extra short staffed at the moment. I can't help but wonder if there's something big going on that WISE is just unaware of, and perhaps the government is using news of the seal to distract everyone from what's really going on? I do wonder if we're about to get a Yor-centric arc where she and Garden have to deal with the issue that WISE etc seem to be missing...

[lavatichellborn]

[GRIFFIN ROCK ADVANCED RESEARCH ARCHIVES - DECLASSIFIED FILE]

FILE NO. 01939-BB

CLASS: LEVEL ALPHA

STATUS: TERMINATED

PROJECT TITLE: Project Blackbird

DATE OF ORIGIN: February 2, 1934

DATE OF INITIAL COMPLETION: March 21, 1939

INITIAL DEACTIVATION: April 1, 1939

FOUNDING SCIENTISTS:

Dr. Thaddeus Morocco ██

Dr. Elma Hendrickson

(4 other researchers on the board)

INITIAL PURPOSE:

Temporal Displacement Study

Multidimensional Stabilization

(Layman’s terms: Time Travel Machine)

Overview: Initial Production (1934-1939)

Project Blackbird was initiated under the supervision of Dr. Thaddeus Morocco and Dr. Elma Hendrickson, focusing on chronometric field manipulation and temporal anchoring using the geothermal vents beneath the island. Utilizing the resources within the caverns below Mount Griffin, a prototype was produced and transferred to an underground laboratory under Mount Magma (FILE NO. 32891-MM).

The project was sought to create a long-term goal of traversable time displacement. Like several other projects this was kept out of the public view due to its sheer size and possible complications. Only the scientific board of Griffin Rock, headed by Dr. Morocco, and the Mayor of the time were the only ones to know about its existence.

Audio Log Fragments (1939)

[Log #34 - Dr. Hendrikson]

"The calculations hold, but the gravitational stabilization and ground flux index leave the bridge unable to anchor into reality. The pulse continues to choke each time we active it. We've already had one injured personnel member due to an iltrux burst that sent them crashing into a console."

[Log #46 - Dr. Morocco]

"We managed to stabilize the energy core and anchor the machine. The location we were in before was not ideal for the amount of vacuum that was produced. One of our fellow professors had to be hospitalized after the vacuum sent an entire box of screws into their back. He's alive but now the mayor is wondering if funding should continue due to all the setbacks. We can not, and will not let this project die, not on my watch."

[Log #58 - Dr. Morocco]

"IT'S DONE, IT'S OVER!! HE PULLED THE DAMN FUNDING! SHUT IT DOWN, SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN!"

[Log #59 - Dr. Hendrikson]

"...After several incidents involving injuries and unexplained localized amnesia to personnel. Including a major blowout that caused a destabilization of the laboratory, and a minor earthquake in the surrounding area, thank god no one died. ...our funding has been pulled. We are unable to continue with this project henceforth, and it shall be placed in an indefinite suspension."

REACTIVATION

DATE: February 18, 2000

AUTHORIZED BY:

Dr. Ezra Greene

█████████████████

Overview: Reignition

Project Blackbird was reinstated when Dr. Greene and ████████ found old black site files of Griffin Rock during its Shadow Age, and with the authorization from Mayor Luskey, the project was back online. The experiment would involve refining the aperture stability and explore micro-temporal displacement. Initial tests proved to be successful as they were able to send an apple back in time by one minute, creating a minor vortex loop. With this, they continued on into greater testing.

INCIDENT REPORT

April 3, 2000 - CORE OVERLOAD

Registered Time: 16:42

Results:

Sudden atmospheric pressure drop

Energy spike recorded 500% predicted maximum

Security footage corrupted to the point of complete system shutdown

Internal lab clocks unsynchronized by 43 minutes

Injury Report:

Dr. Greene - Class III traumatic amputation (left arm)

█████████████████████████

Additional Personnel on staff - minor injuries

Post Event:

All personnel and the civilian population within a 3-mile radius report partial memory loss spanning 6-12 hours. Photographic evidence and data logs contain missing metadata. Personnel entries indicate that entire lab access records, voice recognition logs, and internal project files had been wiped from the system.

Blueprints and diagrams originally within the network now no longer have listed credentials or biometric data. Despite evidence that the project was authorized and reinstated by two high-class scientists with Alpha-level access, only Dr. Greene has that authority; no other scientist on Griffin Rock and the communication lines were able to clear it.

Project Status:

Terminated. Facility sealed under ordinance GR-42. Lab permanently locked down, with trespassers to be punished for entering.

Official records indicate Project Blackbird was operated solely by Dr. Greene during its reactivation window.

Final Entry:

"There's a space in the photo. As if someone is supposed to be there. I was holding onto something when the overload happened. Something I held on so tightly that it resulted in losing my arm. I wish I could remember what that was."

-Dr. Ezra Greene, private notes (unpublished)

[kit-screams-into-the-future]

kit reads a comic: untold tales and alternate timelines, issue 1 (part 1)

due to popular demand (like 5 guys and some likes on the post) i have decided that on top of all the other stuff i have going on, i should add reading a bunch of comics and yapping about them to the list. now, i'm not exactly the most articulate of guys, so there's probably not going to be anything particularly insightful throughout this whole thing (the closest we'll get to that is probably going to be screaming and several emoticons) but! what i lack in brain power i make up with bingo! that's right i'm also going to be playing bingo as i read HAHA

to kick off the series of comic readings and subsequent yap fests and bingo checking, we have issue 1 of the IDW comics! the titles of the stories in this one are "when marty met emmett" and "looking for a few good scientists", so i guess the first one's going to be the comic's version of marty breaking into doc's garage! the second one i'm not as sure about, mayyybe it's doc being recruited into the manhattan project? bc i know the comics touch on that

i've never read these before so my following comments will be in real time, more or less, but. i will say. i know about and already have Opinions on the comic's version of how marty meets doc.

pre-conceived opinions and more under the cut!

so the comic begins with doc working on the time train before clara and the boys walk in. we get this exchange:

he wants to say the title of the franchise he's in sooo bad. also i love the little model on the side

he goes on to explain a condensed version of his life story to his sons, which includes his house burning down. i've only ever heard of it being an accident or his own doing for insurance money, but interestingly he suggests arson as a reason for it burning to the ground! thinking about this a little more, this still lines up with doc doing it himself bc that is still arson, and that probably was the intention with the line? but now i'm thinking if someone else besides doc himself burned his house down? never thought of that before idk why. someone could do something interesting with that i think

HE CALLS HIS GARAGE AN AUXILIARY STRUCTURE LMAO. anyways doc's starting on his "how he met marty" story now

marty.... my boy.... he really loves his red tshirt and jeans combo huh

needles comes in and demands his interocitor tube for guitar reasons, they scuffle, it breaks, he needs to get one back or else needles is going to beat the crap out of him, all that jazz. oh and also needles confiscates his guitar. just to be even more of an asshole

also this blonde chick needles hangs out with reminds me of spike from griff’s gang in 2015. mcflys are always getting harassed by blonde bullies it seems. get your mitts off him girl!! also also the third cronie’s face in this panel is so funny to me. dawg is thinking about getting taco bell or something his ass is NOT present in the conversation

on his quest to get another tube we spot red the bum. hi red

turns out doc bought all the tubes so now marty has to go to his garage to get them. marty cracks the password riddle to doc's fence (after getting electrocuted by it gbkgbjkg), to which he responds "kid's stuff." which is really funny to me for some reason. what a dork. marty i've got terrible news for what you are (a kid)

NEURON ACTIVATION

do the walls just keep closing in? will he know if he’ll ever win?

he's a very polite trespasser. no broken property from this boy! marty finds a key and worms his way into the window, where he comments that it's a good thing he's not as big as needles. being 2 apples tall does have its uses after all

HE GOT RUBE GOLDBERGED </3

oh the iconic "auugh". "aiigh" edition. my man’s in air jail </3

marty frees himself from Air Jail and immediately gets tackled by einie. doc emerges from wherever and tells him congrats! he passed the test! doc says "it's about time" which implies that he's just kind of been waiting around for some guy to solve his puzzles? like that rube goldberg was primed for a While. he wakes up in the morning and goes man i hope i get someone with my rube goldberg today. does he have to navagate around that thing? he's got a dog loose in the garage auxiliary structure. has he accidentally rube goldberged his dog? has he accidentally rube goldberged himself? the active rube goldberg at any given moment is really funny to me.

oh he put up a job listing as an assistant that's why he set up the whole thing. i thought he just did that. for fun. wait i knew this already why am i surprised? anyways he thinks marty figured out his employment ARG and asks him when can he start.

by the way. not me going "how can i make this about him being transgender" quite predictably. but i don't think once marty's name has been said by anyone so far? it's just been "mcfly".

he starts with his last name which everyone calls him, then realizes this is probably as safe a space as you can get and gives him the name he picked out for himself! his name's not just mcfly, it's MARTY mcfly, emphasis on the marty. and doc immediately uses it!

also unrelated to this tangent look at einie. he sits so polite. marty's "uh." of confusion at einstein's name too GJBGJG

putting this entire bit here bc i have things to say about all of this:

1st panel: this is like the one thing i like about this version of this event. einstein likes him! he's an excellent judge of character! he smelled Friend and oh yeah that is a Friend alright. good boy

2nd panel: moment IMMEDIATELY ruined. do NOT try and tell me this is how doc got his nickname!!! i know in my heart of hearts marty 100% came up with the "doc" nickname himself naturally and completely randomly one day and you can pry this hc out of my cold, dead, over-used and under-stretched hands. i’ll be so fr this is the bit i have the most problem with out of this entire version of their meeting LMAO. sure whatever you can have the inexplicable rube goldberg. you can zap people who try to ring you up and hide a password in there. but you can’t have this!! i refuse to believe!!

the whimsy in doc's step is amusing though.

3rd panel: bro looks devastated...... he was here to rob him :( ? his employment ARG didn't work after all :pensive: marty petting einie and clarifying that he would've asked "very politely" is very cute though. like i said, most polite trespasser

they're relating their interests...... excellent. "i never discuss it!" is really funny to me for some reason. bro is so cheerful about his wretched Work which he cannot disclose for any reason. also einstein's food thing was just always Like That i guess. gross, doc

ok wait so doc Was actually just waiting around to see if he'd catch a guy in his rube goldberg. freakish behaviour tbh /aff. also marty seems genuinely upset that there's no job! he wanted to hang out with that old man so bad :(

(i’ll be so fr. i kind of laughed when that second panel came up. it’s so dramatic for no reason BDJDBDJ.)

ends up doc just wanted the box the tubes came in. im sure there must've been a better way of doing this, doc. also when asked about pay negotiations bc doc offered him the job anyway, marty says he's just "happy to be the guy who knows doctor emmett l. brown!" which i think is cute. his payment is friendship <3

anyways marty hands over the tube to needles and goes oh yeah i stole this from doctor brown. to which needles holds it like it's a bomb LMAO

also MANHATTAN PROJECT REFERENCE ??? ? ??

also they drew this pic!! so cute

verne fell asleep through the story </3 so sad. guess you'll have to start over doc

i don't like how convoluted they make the breaking and entering thing, i feel like doc would not really be all too concerned with rube goldberging someone breaking into his garage to be friends with after they solved his riddles two. i think he's fully committed himself to the recluse life at this point. after reading all that, this opinion has Not changed for me in the slightest, but it was still fun to read! i can dislike the story direction and still think it's cute. we accept all sorts of doc and marty first meetings in this household. if you want to know how i personally think it went though i have this ask i answered once

originally i was going to do the second story in this same post but i think that's enough comic for me today. here's how the bingo sheet is turning out so far:

no bingo alas. recently i figured out that the story needs time travel or at least the delorean in order to get a bingo (where i was playing it with something else and got literally every square except any of the time travel ones and had like four almost bingos) and im going to pretend i did that on purpose bc im pretty sure i didn't LMAO. master bingo maker right here

next on kit reads a comic: we search for a small amount of decently qualified scientists

[neopianbiologyproject]

A Comprehensive Look at Neopian Apples

[-> Part 1 <-] [ Part 2A ] [ Part 2B ] [ Part 3 - coming soon ]

The Neopian Biology Project has identified >90 items with the word "Apple" in the name that are worth considering as species candidates.

Previously, I tried to categorize these items in roughly alphabetical order, but this time I've tried a new approach. Essentially, I made a few "buckets" that a candidate could fall into, and hoped that by correlating candidates to buckets, the trickier determinations could be made easier.

Because there are 90+ "apple" candidates, I won't be posting every single apple's information. However I will be linking their Jellyneo pages, and you can always find information relevant to the project on our spreadsheet.

First up:

Part 1: Apples that aren't apples

These are candidates that may qualify as distinct species, but are only referred to as "apple" colloquially, and are not actually apples.

These are:

Blue Ice Apple - From space; alien.

Imposter Apple [sic] - "That's no apple!" Possibly a common orange.

Flat Apple Fruit - Neither apple nor Flatfruit

Grapple - Not to be confused for the Grapple Apple.

Pearapple - Species of pear.

Triapple

Arnapple

Blackapple - See below.

Dewy Apple

Pineapple

Pyrapple - Possibly a pineapple. See below.

Many of these species make reference to tasting like an apple, which in these cases I have chosen to take as unironic comparisons rather than some joking "it tastes like an apple because it is an apple!" These specimens also all have un-apple-like (unapfellich) features that make them easy to consider them non-apples, at least morphologically.

The two exceptions/uncertainties are the Pyrapple and Blackapple.

The Pyrapple is not an apple, for certain, but may be a Pineapple. We'll either explore it in another post about Neopian Pineapples, or in its own post, but not here.

The Blackapple requires a closer look:

I hope the inside is not as black as the outside.

There isn't much to go off of here. This specimen is from Apple Bobbing, but if you take all the Apple Bobbing specimens together, this isn't a good indicator of apfellichkeit ("apple-ness"). Both non-apple and apple species are mixed up in Apple Bobbing, and some of the apple species are qualifying candidates while some are variants of other apples (we'll discuss this more in the next part).

The description is also very typical of Apple Bobbing and specimens from the Haunted Woods in general — that specific brand of Neopets humor that hints at something that should concern you, but won't tell you the full extent of the problem or how it occurred. This kind of description has influenced me greatly as a writer and is also the bane of my existence as a scientist.

The deciding factor for me here is that the Blackapple isn't a Black Apple, or a Blackened Apple as we'll see some of later. Blackapple is a new word, akin to the made-up "Triapple," "Arnapple," and "Pineapple" above. Because of this, I have been swayed to consider the Blackapple a unique, non-apple species.

Next up:

Part 2A: Apple cultivars ->

[uousoupki]

i need to pick apart these 3 skins and the differences between them so im going to try now

pili five apples tall (/yellow kingdom skin) - these skins have the same cool blue shades instead of the more warmer, cream white that mocha had and has the crying eyes. whenever pili is using these skins he is basically just default pili almost - like he is the consistent character we have seen up until recent, claims he is the pili from halls smp & has no recollection of mocha. also has the echo-y voice changer

purple eyed mocha - literally mocha but with purple eyes, and at first I thought this was just a skin for ooc pili to fuck around on the realm whenever he needed to do smth ooc & we first saw it when he chased down lukey. if i wanted to analyse it more this skin specifically could be more of mocha bleeding into pili or an example of the personality changes mentioned in the burden book (like how I’ve mentioned before the skins represent personality changes)

mad scientist - we haven’t actually seen anything in lore using this skin for pili as whenever it’s used it’s been while pili is working on his project or acting ooc. but going from the playlist pili made for this pili, he will probably act more like mocha and could also represent the personality shifts

im so tired so i might edit this tmr or delete it and rewrite it but here’s my rlly messy thoughts ab it

[whateversawesome]

Spy x Family Headcanons

All right! Thanks to some mutuals' encouragement, I decided to write down some of my Spy x Family headcanons. Some are more theories than hc, but hey, it's all in good fun 😊

1.Yor will be the one who kisses (or tries to kiss) Twilight. It fits her character arc, there's been some crazy hints and she has a crush on her husband.

2.When Yor confesses to Twilight (or kisses him), he'll have the opportunity to set up a honey trap again. He'll think it's convenient for Operation Strix; he'll rationalize the same thing he did during the bar date and conclude a honey trap is the right thing to do for the mission. However, when he sees Yor's eyes and realizes she's totally in love with him, he's going to freak out and won't be able to go through with it. Which brings me to my next hc...

3.Twilight is going to reject Yor. It will be devastating for both of them. Yor will think she's not good enough for him to love her when it's exactly the opposite: he's in love with her and that's why he rejected her. He doesn't want her to be another honey trap. In fact, this will probably be how Twilight realizes he's in love with his wife.

4.Anya knows her parents are in love. She can read their mind! More on that here.

5.At some point, Twilight and Yor are going to share a bed. It will be very exciting because it will probably happen right when they're both in the middle of figuring out their feelings for each other.

6.Maybe I'm wrong about this one but I still think Martha is somehow involved with The Garden. That whole arc was about her, yet she wasn't in the cover of the volume. I'm thinking her story is not over; we still have to know how she ended up with the Blackbells.

7.The relationship between Damian and Donovan Desmond is a foil of the relationship between [Redacted] and his father. It will be a trigger and mess things up for Twilight, because he will see his own story with adult eyes now.

8.Twilight's dad is alive. And not only that; I suspect he's a double agent. In fact, there's a chance we won't know which side he really belongs until the very end.

9.Anya was an accident. I don't think Project Apple experiments with children, but Anya was just born there so they experimented on her. I'm not sure if she was an accident between two prisoners of war or between a prisoner of war and a scientist, but I think she's one of a kind.

10.There's a third country involved in all this. It has been casually mentioned a few times.

11.Yor will be the one who leaves the Forgers first. Here are some reasons/theories of why this could happen. This, of course, will throw everything out of balance. Which brings me to...

12.Without Yor, there's a chance that Twilight will do something really stupid. Whether it's for the sake of the Operation or even thinking he's protecting Anya. It will be the wrong choice.

13.Yuri is not a bad guy. He's just a kid who has been brainwashed with nationalism. I think he'll be the one who discovers Twilight's identity (he already suspects Loid). At some point, he'll probably have to choose between his family and his duty to his country. He'll choose his family, of course. (More on Yuri here).

And finally, my favorite hc/theory, the [Redacted Theory]:

14.Yor is not in love with Loid or Twilight. She's in love with [Redacted], which means Yor sees the real person behind the mask, that it's impossible for him to hide his true self from the person he loves and, of course, that she's in love with his true self. I love this headcanon so much I wrote a whole fic about it 😊

That's it!

[emmajh97-mumaji]

Dr. Takuto Maruki: The Embodiment of LIGHT

Been contemplating writing this for a while, but after posting my Colors Flying High theory I feel the need to finally get it out there.

You ever see a character and think "Every aspect of this character embodies [thing]?" (i.e. every aspect of Elsa from Frozen is icy, every aspect of Spider Punk from ATSV is rebellious)

Well--

I look at Doctor Takuto Maruki from Persona 5 Royal and think... every aspect of him is 'LIGHT'.

"Well no shit. His treasure is a torch and he literally says he wants to be the 'guiding light' for humanity."

OKAY BUT JUST HUMOR ME. Because this goes way deeper than you may think!!

First of all, let’s go over all the obvious light symbolism relating to Maruki...

His Tarot card, The Counselor, having an illustration of what appears to be a sun giving off light beams. 

The predominance of white in his color scheme. His white lab coat at school, his white sweater during third semester, his boss form’s white cape, and of course his pristine white suit in his palace. (Interestingly, his blue/white combo makes him a straight-up inversion of the Phantom Thieves’ red/black.)

Maruki's glasses reflecting light, whiting out his eyes in the classic anime-mad-scientist fashion.

The oppressive, blinding white light prominent throughout his Palace. (Pay attention to how Maruki’s lit in cutscenes; both times he confronts Joker/Crow he has bright light behind him.)

The rainbow lights and crystals in the Psientific Model of Eden-- literally the gimmick of the puzzles is combining light to make certain colors. The fact that the spiral stairs up the tree are made of clear glass to let the colored light through. 

The fact that his palace even has a model of Eden with bitten apples in it, hinting to Maruki having symbolic ties to the fallen angel Lucifer-- the morning star.

The bright chromatic aberration effect that happens when Maruki uses his Actualization power.

The prominence of cameras and surveillance (not just throughout his Palace/Mementos, but also in his final act of the Stay Ending being to take a group photo)-- devices designed to capture light.

The symbol on Maruki’s medallion (and plastered throughout his palace) being three mutated eyeballs/irises. Organic cameras.

Conversely the use of projections-- the projector he shows Sumire’s memory on, the CRTs we watch Maruki’s memories on, all the screens/monitors and hologram doors throughout the Palace.

Maruki’s final boss form being all gold -- the alchemical color of the sun, and very shiny (reflects light). Said form also wields a golden wand with a star/sun (light source) on the top of it.

His evolved persona being Adam Kadmon-- mythologically different from the original Adam because he was constructed not of earth, but of 'heavenly light'. (Even Azathoth/Adam Kadmon's shadowy tendrils have lines of blue/rainbow light coursing through them.)

Maruki's Treasure being a torch, because he desires to make the world a 'brighter' place and be their ‘guiding light’.

The iconic lines of "You are the guiding light of my research" and "Your eyes are as bright and honest as ever... so bright..."

And ALL OF THAT is just the surface level stuff!

Metaphorically speaking, the rabbit hole goes even deeper.

Think about when the player is first introduced to Maruki. You witness firsthand how the other students find him appealing, inviting. His outwardly friendly, clumsy, sometimes even goofy nature brings levity to a situation that was otherwise extremely heavy. It makes the aftermath of the Kamoshida incident lighter.

As a guidance counselor, Maruki’s aid brings enlightenment for his patients. He learns people's innermost secrets and brings their feelings to the light.

Throughout his palace, Maruki is constantly trying to get the Phantom thieves to come to an understanding-- to the point of begging them to see things his way. He doesn’t want the conflict to become serious, heavy. He wants it to be resolved amicably, lightly.

“That’s true, but--” I can hear you saying, “You’re ignoring the giant-tentacle-monster in the room... the fact that all of this is a facade.”

The darker corners, storage rooms, and research facilities of Maruki’s palace. The fact that he even HAS a Palace, filled with Shadows to fight. The fact that the final battle against Maruki takes place in the middle of the night. The grand deception and manipulation tactics Maruki uses against Sumire and Joker to get his way (even if done unintentionally, still shady).

While he may be gilded brightly-- in reality Takuto Maruki is made of darkness. Just like how his ultimate Persona Adam Kadmon’s guts are made of Azathoth’s dark tendrils.

“Maruki is not a avatar of light” you say, “He’s just masquerading as one. He’s the Ruler of Sorrow. An agent of despair in contrast to the hope represented by the Phantom Thieves.”.

Which is not wrong.

HOWEVER.

 HEAR ME OUT-- because this is where it gets really interesting-!!

What truly makes Takuto Maruki an embodiment of light isn’t a complete and total lack of darkness... it’s his overarching story of overcoming that darkness.

Remember that detail about how the Counselor Arcana card looks like it has a sun in it? Well, in a previous post, I’ve discussed how that’s not actually the Sun... but Mars. Mars being the planet associated with the Tarot card The Tower.

The Tower also has an element of light to it, but it is very different from the light of The Sun card. This isn’t a comforting warm light of goodness-- it’s a shocking bright revelatory light of destruction. A lightning bolt.

It is the light of the truth. Of change.

In the Tarot, the card sequentially before The Tower is The Devil-- representing the beautiful lies we chain ourselves to in order to blind ourselves to the painful reality of the world around us. Those vices are the bricks that make up the actual tower depicted in The Tower card. The tower that HAS to be destroyed before we can move on to the next card in the sequence... The Star.

The Star-- which represents rejuvenation. Finding the strength to be vulnerable and face the truth with no pretenses. After losing everything... finally finding true hope from within. Finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

Takuto Maruki may not have died falling off that ledge, but a part of him was killed that fateful night. His delusions of grandeur, his martyr complex, his despair... they all had to be destroyed. Struck down, along with his Palace.

Maruki did everything in his power to resist, but the Phantom Thieves would not let him. They were the lightning bolt that came in to strike down Maruki’s Devil tower and free his soul so he could finally move on to The Star. To show him that they’d rather live in a painful truth where Maruki gets to be someone, than a beautiful lie where Maruki’s life is forfeit. That he, like them, could overcome his hardships and grow.

The Phantom Thieves lifted the self-imposed weight Maruki had on his shoulders. Helping him become his true self.

Someone less hellbent, less hopeless... someone lighter.

“You can start over, like me.” 🌟🔆✨🤍