#so they have to pull some strings to keep her enrolled after she basically falls off the map

[ow1et]

one day i'll finish my hour by hour account of the first two days that athene is in the labyrinth (which are a continuous 48 hours btw) because i want to elaborate on just how warped her perception of reality is afterward and the lasting effects it's had on her mentally and physically.

[bluezey]

Little Sister - Conception

I decided to work on the birth of Judy fanfic as my first fanfic in google docs, even though it’s gonna be a multi chapter one.  I posted the first chapter in case I lose it cause I don’t know how saving works on this yet.  So, hate to be a jerk, but the next two chapters are going to be released together.  You’re just going to have to sit on the first chapter.  At least it’s got plenty of feels to hold you over.

“Mom, I’m home,” Ian announced as he entered the home.  He placed his staff by the front door and stopped just short of the stairs.  He looked ahead into the kitchen across the way through the living room, spying a small pile of cards and presents building up for his graduation party next week.  It made him smile and feel more relieved that he just survived his last day of high school.  He walked upstairs and into his bedroom, he took two steps and flopped his backpack down by his desk.  He sighed and relaxed, feeling like a big load was mentally lifted from his shoulders, as well as physically.

Ian slumped down into his desk chair, with enough force that it rolled back a few inches.  He looked up after a moment or two to spy a note written on a sealed envelope mailed to him.  Ian could make out the sloppy, bold writing from here, Barley’s writing declaring that something awesome arrived in the mail for him.  Ian picked it up to see the letter was already opened… and it was addressed from the enrollment offices at Willowdale College.  Ian immediately tore the letter out of the envelope and read it, reading it over and over as his chocolate brown eyes grew wider and wider.

The old boom box immediately slammed atop his desk, and Ian had to try once or twice to get the old cassette tape inserted into the tape deck.  Just as he pressed play, the voice of Ian’s dad began to echo from the old speakers.

“Hello?  Hello?”

“Dad!” Ian basically shouted, then tried to control his volume.  “It’s me, Ian.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah!” Ian replied to the recording as he looked up at the pictures of his dad Wilden pinned to the wall above his desk.  “How ya been?”

“Well, I’m trying to.”

Ian chuckled to himself.  “Well, today was the last day of high school, and I’m gonna graduate next week.  I wish you were there to see it… I know, I can keep a picture of you in my pocket under my graduation robe.”

The voice on the tape laughed to himself.

“Yeah, well… remember that college you went to?  Willowdale College?”

“I know.”

Ian grew so excited he was trembling.  “Yeah, well, I got a letter of enrollment today.”  Ian showed the acceptance letter to the photos.  “I’m in!  I start this fall!  I plan to spend a few years there, and transfer to a college to take my classes in astrophysics!”  After finally revealing the information to his dad, Ian’s face and energy fell when all he heard was the white noise of the tape recording.  “Wow… I hope I get the same college experience as you did.”

“Well, let’s find out.”

Ian couldn’t think of anything else to say, but there was something he wished he could do.  Making do, he unpinned a picture of his dad off the wall and hugged it tight against his chest.  Tears of bittersweetness rolled down his glowing blue cheeks.

“Okay, bye.” The tape ended.

Ian’s face folded into a melancholy frown.  “Yeah… bye.”  He sat down, still clutching the picture to his chest in his makeshift hug.

The long string of silence was broken by Ian’s bedroom door flying open.  “Hey Ian, I- oh.”  Barley stopped mid sentence when he saw the boom box on the desk and the dried tears on Ian’s face.  “I, uh…”

“It’s okay,” Ian replied, sitting up and wiping the tear from his face while placing the picture of dad on his desk.  “Come in.”

Barley stepped into the room.  “I got off the phone with mom and- hey, you got the letter!” he interrupted himself again, seeing the acceptance letter under the picture of dad.

“Yeah.”  Ian looked curious as he remembered the writing Barley added to the open envelope.  “Did you… open it?”

“How else could I have read it?” Barley asked back.

“Barley,” Ian softly scolded with a big smile.

Barley laughed proudly as he hugged his brother tight, lifting him up out of the chair.  “I’m sorry, I had to.  I was bringing in the mail after work and I saw the letter.”  Barley finally let Ian go, Ian tried to keep his balance as they stood together, eye to eye.  “Well, congratulations, college man.”

Ian tried to hold back more tears of joy.  “Yeah, thanks.”  Trying to break the tension, Ian suggested, “Maybe you’ll be next.  Perhaps a nice community college?”

Barley scoffed in a playful laugh.  “Nay.  I’m making waves at my part time jobs.  Weekdays stocking at Valiant Taels, weekends at Manticore’s Tavern, renaissance faire in the fall, the occasional engine work out of the garage…”

“Jobs at a comic and RPG shop and a tavern isn’t gonna pay a lot, Barley,” Ian commented.

“No,” Barley shrugged, “but they’ll pay enough, for now.”

Ian chuckled before thinking aloud to himself, “Wow, Willowdale.  I can’t wait to tell mom.  Have you told her?”

“Nah, you can do that tonight.”  Just as Barley said that, the boys could hear the front door open downstairs.

“Boys, we’re home,” Laurel called from downstairs.  “Boys?”

“Up here, mom!” Barley shouted back, loud enough that Ian had to cover his long ears.

“Come down boys,” Laurel replied.  “We need to tell you something.”

“Us too!” Ian replied excitedly.  He grabbed his letter and stuffed it in the back pocket of his jeans as he raced after Barley down the stairs.

“Woah, hold your horses,” Colt laughed as Barley nearly tripped on the last step.

Ian made his way down the stairs, slowing as he saw Barley take his seat on the couch, and Laurel in a chair, with Colt standing beside Laurel.  Curiouser, Ian sat down next to Barley on the couch.  “What’s going on?” Ian asked, realizing that Colt and Laurel are smiling with excitement, but he hasn’t told them yet.

“Boys,” Laurel said, holding Colt’s hand in hers.  “I have big news.”

“Oh, so do I,” Ian said, getting ready to grab the letter from his pocket, but pausing when he heard mom’s words.

“We’re pregnant.”

Barley and Ian, almost in unison, looked at each other then to Laurel and Colt.  “What?”

“Remember how I’ve been sick for the past few days?” Laurel continued, her smiled growing brighter.  “It’s morning sickness.”

“We just came back from the doctor,” Colt continued, happily holding Laurel’s hand.  “It’s positive.”

“Positive?” Ian asked.

“Positive,” Laurel replied.

“You’re positive?” Barley asked.

“Positive!” Laurel almost shouted, hugging Colt and giving him a big kiss.

When it finally sank in, Barley was up on his feet and hugging them as well.  “A little brother?  This is amazing!  Yeah-ha!”

It sank in for Ian, but felt more like it was weighing him down.  He silently let go of the letter in his pocket and just sat there, looking down at the ground.

Laurel finally noticed and asked, “Ian?  Did you say you had news too?”

“... yeah, nevermind.”  Ian stood from his seat and walked back upstairs.

“Ian?” Laurel called out.

“Ian?” Barley called out as well, Colt also concerned.

Ian knew to be excited, he knew not to be selfish.  But the timing… he was going to graduate, he’s going to college, Willowdale College.  And now, there’s a baby.  For the first time since dad, mom is pregnant with Colt, uhm, Ian’s step dad.  Ian’s still getting used to calling Colt dad since he and Laurel got married, guess a part of him is still holding onto his dad, his first dad.  Things were getting complicated, Ian thought graduating and getting the college he wanted would fix things.  But it’s only getting worse.

“I got this, Barley.  Ian?” Laurel opened the bedroom door to see Ian lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  He looked downtrodden, maybe even empty, like he wanted to get the thoughts racing in his head to cease just once.  Laurel sat down on the foot of the bed.  “Ian?  You had some news?”

“No, it’s okay,” Ian replied, trying not to look at her.

“Honey,” Laurel brushed a curl out of Ian’s face.  “I still want to know.  Please, tell me.”

That sweet, comforting tone helped Ian break out of his funk.  He sat up and pulled the letter from his pocket.  Instead of reading it to his mom like he planned, he just handed it to her.

Laurel silently read for a moment, but then she was bursting with excitement.  “Accepted?  You’re accepted!  My little college man!” Laurel squealed, practically throwing herself onto Ian as she gave him a big hug.

Ian finally smiled as he hugged right back.  He let those saddened tears fall, but he was happy once more.

“This is so great,” Laurel told Ian. “We’re going to go through so much.”

Ian looked confused again.  “We?”

“Yes.”  Laurel looked at Ian and explained, “You’re going to college, we’re going to have a kid.”

“We?”

“Yes,” Laurel smiled.  “It’s my child, but it’s your sibling.”

Ian looked like a deer in headlights.  “I’m… going to have a little brother?”

“Laurel!  Ian!  Dinner!” Colt called from downstairs.

“Oh!  We’ll talk later.  Race you downstairs,” Laurel announced as she ran out the door.

Ian didn’t move an inch, still staring at where Laurel’s eyesight once was.

He’s graduating.  He’s going to college.

And he’s getting a sibling

[oofchris]

⌠ MADISON BAILEY, 19, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, CHRISTINA ' CHRIS ' ANDERSON! according to their records, they’re a FIRST year, specializing in MACGYVER SURVIVAL SKILLS & NAVIGATION + PROTECTION & ENFORCEMENT; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of ( speckles of dried paint on fingers, cruising round on a longboard, joints tucked behind ears wrapped in colourful papers ). when it’s the ( sagittarius )’s birthday on 12/27/2001, they always request their PHO from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ mochi, 24, she/her, gmt ⍀

@gallagherintro​

hi uwu, here is a new baby who is not very baby but still a lil baby

 . . . it got quite long so tldr; she’s a stubborn art hoe from california who’s dad died so she’s come to gallagher bc her mom is a professor in the p+e major <3 

parallels

wyldstyle  — the lego movie: 85%

mulan — mulan: 84%

nymphadora tonks — harry potter: 83%

princess fiona — shrek: 83%

robin buckley — stranger things: 82%

here is a full list

HISTORY

potential triggers — car accident, parental death, divorce

so she’s grown up on on the west coast p much ??? her whole life. her mom worked as a bodyguard for sum famous peeps, dad was doctor but occasionally also a medic in the field — they didn’t always see eye to eye and divorced when chris was around nine. it was mostly to do with chris’ future like whether she’d go to spy prep school and follow in their footsteps and her dad didn’t want that for her so they disagreed, and she lived with him instead, living a more or less normal life. her mom then moved away when the opportunity to become a professor at gallagher presented itself, so they’ve really not been close at all since then

lived fairly comfortably, either way her dad had money and her mom sent support too. her father definitely earns less from no longer being in the spy world but he vowed to leave that behind when he divorced his wife and other than a few people from his past popping up unannounced, he kept that vow. they moved around a couple times in order to keep chris safe, and especially when someone did find them ( even if it was friendly ) but mostly grew up in california, and a lot of it is to do with the fact chris loves it there so much

but chris knows about the spy world, what her mom does and the type of school she works at, but it never interested her enough to try and reach out or fight her dad on it as she enjoyed her life 

she remembers her mom as someone stubborn, argumentative, volatile which is the opposite of her dad who was patient, loving and endearing — so it’s a no brainer for her, she loves her dad a lot and he gave up a lot for her while her mom gave chris up for that world, her job, etc aka nada

BUT her dad died in a car accident recently that she was also in but was only a bit beaten up at most ( has some cuts / new scars, learn more below ) leaving her mother to swiftly pick her up and enrol her into gallagher, more to keep an eye on her than anything. 

her mom chose her majors and some of her classes for her, which chris is mad about, but mainly bc looking at what ones were offered she’d def pick macgyver anyway, and her mom argued p+e was a step into the physical and combat side of thing without being too heavy on it ( tho it’s the major she teaches so she’s biased and chris just thinks she wants to be closer ) but tbh ? chris just doesn’t want her mom to be right whatsoever or have the satisfaction of thinking she knows her daughter in anyway at all but she knows if she went undecided she’d probably pick those up again in her second year so she’s just ‘ going with it ‘ begrudgingly as if she has no choice

PERSONALITY

extremely stubborn, which she gets from her mom, would rather ruin her life than go back on something or admit she was wrong, if she apologises for something she'll find a way to do it where she's not actually ever saying the words ' im sorry ' or ' i was wrong ' and would rather start another argument than do that — but obviously she loves other people apologising to her

she is generally nice ??? i just think she can be irritated easy ?????? like a bit of a hot head tho she'd argue she's chill, she is mostly chill but likes to debate, be right, and can be very my way or the high way at times — i’ll figure her out more as i play her bc i can’t tell if she’s mean or not but i don’t think so, just a bit tougher than she needs to be 

in my head she’s like a seb/luc hybrid so . . . take that as you will 

doesn’t dislike gallagher ( mostly ) but thinks all the legacies — even tho she technically is one, she doesn’t identify as one — are entitled spoiled brats and should get their heads out of their ass, doesn't like that being a legacy is even a thing though a lot of it definitely comes from her bitter resentment towards her mom and how she'd have rather leave her and her dad than leave the spy life hbsjhbsjhb also i think bc of her mom she has level 5 clearance which . . . she’s not complaining about but definitely complaining that clearance levels are even a thing, she’s gonna contradict herself a lot, i feel it

MISC

i THINK she’s only arrived, like, at the start of spring semester tbh, she wasn’t here for fall so she is new new

halfway through her first year at stanford studying art alongside film and media as a minor before her mom brought her to gallagher — which she's kind of not happy about like she understands her dad didn't want it for her, she also wanted to just stay in california but the only family she has now is on her mom's side.

she's still enrolled at stanford, though dropped her minor, and is studying online for her major as she's made it clear to her mom she doesn't want to be a spy so she pulled a few strings with the stanford admission board to allow her studying to continue ( idek if this is allowed i'm just pretending her mom is powerful enough to do it ) — it was a big reason chris agreed to come to gallagher, not that she had much of a choice, bc she wants her ‘ normal ‘ life and her ‘ normal ‘ degree regardless of being at a spy school

only her mom calls her christina and she actually hates it so pls dont unless you are trying to get on her bad side — also she probs avoids her mom like the plague so don’t bring that up either

often covered in little cuts and bruises from her skating but she’s got two fresh / soon to be scars on the left side of her face on the top of her cheek bone and on her jaw from a shards of glass when she was in the car accident — she is the type to pick her scabs until they bleed again, too, so i picture her with loads of little scars especially on her hands, elbows and knees

she did learn self defense from her dad growing up and she has studied jiujitsu and akido since she was around thirteen, she also boxes but it's more casual like for stress and stuff rather than something she takes overly seriously

she likes surfing, diving, enjoys the kind of world that exists underwater where it's just peaceful and calm so she will be around the lake a lot / at the pool if you need to find her

she’s 5’3 and never wears heels

pansexual and while it might change i wanna say she's not overly sexual, like wouldn't have hookups for no reason ?? but potentially some one night stands or drunken mistakes or whatever. doesn't look down on sluts but i think she doesn't have the most confidence in that area, or in self esteem in general, so she'll ??? only really have a frequent thing if she feels Hella comfortable

the type to have crushes tho, but not act on them at all bc again self esteem issues 

bit of a tomboy, skater, stoner — though she wouldn't identify as one — really loves movies and can be a proper filmophile, probably has more film soundtracks on her spotify unwrapped than she does actual artists and don't get her started on Women— in film bc she won't stop 

very active, sporty, probs trying to parkour around campus

enjoys painting, sketching, simply creating things — often is filming, riding a longboard, working on some kind of little project she'll take too seriously but won't show people until it's perfect

is a little pretentious at times ??? doesn't necessarily mean to be but if it's a debate on a topic she's passionate about ( such as art, film, etc ) then she will try to ensure you know just how knowledgeable she is on it, she's not afraid to flex but she wouldn't outwardly flex for no reason if that makes sense 

she also . . . feels p dumb at gallagher tbh, a lot of her strengths lie in her creativity and art and now she’s very ??? wtf am i doing ?? but she will continue to act like she knows !

can speak english, french, german and spanish all pretty fluently, italian well enough to get by, knows a bit of japanese bc she’s . . . a weeb sometimes but also bc of her martial arts

CONNECTIONS

FAMILY / CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ( SPY ) — so this would more than likely be before her parents divorce, but she’s not against keeping in contact a little if she liked you, it could have also been a family who reached out to her dad afterwards because while he’d move away / hide his location promptly after, he would still help them if they needed it ( 1 / ? )

FAMILY / CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ( NON SPY ) — same thing, but would have probably been after the divorce, just normal families that her and her dad knew, neighbours, work colleagues, school friends, would more than likely have also needed to be west coast sorta area but if your muse was there briefly, they could have kept in contact once they’d left ( 0 / ? )

LEGACIES — she potentially . . . won’t like you if you’re a legacy and you are egotistical / assholey even a tiny bit, bc that basically proves her argument that they’re ALL like that jshbjsbjs but i wud like her to have legacies that she . . . hates that she likes as well, i think she’ll realise p quickly most are fine lmao

ART HOES — whether they’re into painting as well and they do it together or they let her paint them !

SMOKE / SKATE BUDS — one or the other, both, whatever !! 

A HOOK UP THAT’S EITHER ALREADY HAPPENED OR GOING TO — in my head she’s a bit ??? w sex tbh so maybe plot this out a bit more but can be a ?? positive relationship or a negative one idm

CRUSHES !!!!!!!!! — she’s not even been at the school long but im certain she probs has some already

i’m not good w wanted connections so pls just hmu if u have ideas and as usual like dis for plots / jus message me, i’ll be on discord !! if you don’t have/use discord just message me first on tumblr bc otherwise i wont realise jhbsjhbjhbsj

[fictionerd]

Good to see you, friends!

Hot damn this show is like crack to me. I really love how every string feeds into the next through encounters with a character in the previous string, and each one introduces new or recurring elements to the supernatural mix. I’ll touch a bit more on that in the “Thoughts” section. For now let’s get on with the show.

Synopsis: We open with the Knight in shining armor from the end of last episode who Jin told to scamper with the girl. Things get backed up for us a bit and we’re told the full story of Masaki, as Sir Knight is properly called. Seems he lived and studied abroad and returned to Japan in order to graduate middle school and attend high-school there. Another little detail I didn’t realize is that he’s also the step brother of Kirima Nagi looping himself back even further in the strings. The girl he was sticking up for is an odd duck by the name of Orihata Aya.

See Masaki being a last-minute transfer didn’t sit well with certain people in his class so they all got together to lure him into an alley and beat him down because his skill and attractiveness had bruised their egos. Aya just happened to be there and called them out asking why they hated this kid so much. They claimed it was because he was a womanizer and, well...

Yeah, she calls their bluff. Further making the situation weird by proclaiming that if that was the case then the hoodlums could take that frustration out on her and freaking RIPS HER T-SHIRT DOWN THE FRONT TO FLASH THEM! 

I did mention Aya’s an odd duck, right? 

One of the sleazeballs takes the plunge and says he’ll take her up on the offer and that’s when Masaki steps in. Which brings us nicely to the end of last episode. We all know what happens there. Jin shows up, tells the good kids to run along and then gets with the murder-stabbing.

This is where Masaki and to a lesser extent Aya stop having plot significance this episode. We see them go on a date or two, but we’ll get the low down on those with the next character’s string.

Introducing Anou Shinjirou. He’s super gay in a time and place that doesn’t approve of that sort of attitude. So when he develops a crush on our boy Masaki he doesn’t know how to process those feelings and this leads to frustration which he inflicts on Masaki. Anou gets caught up in the group of guys who planned the beat-down, but doesn’t actually show up to join their gang. Instead he hangs back and looks on. He basically stalks Masaki all through his growing relationship with Aya. Seeing him on a date at the aquarium. He receives word from a friend that rumor has it Aya will sleep with anyone who asks her. 

This naturally throws Anou into a rage. Why would his crush like a loose floozy like this Aya girl. So he shifts gears to stalking her in order to get answers. That’s when he’s attacked by THIS DUDE

This is Spooky E. He is a synthetic human created by the Towa Organization (You know the people who captured Echoes and created Manticore) and can mind wipe/control people through electricity manipulation. He turns Anou into a meat-puppet purged of all his worldly desires and commands him to become enrolled in Shinyo Academy (The highschool from the beginning of the series) and await instructions. This is where some threads start meeting again. See, Anou’s social standing is actually improved by his becoming a determined workaholic to the point where he receives a love letter (I believe this takes place after he gets accepted to Shinyo, but I’m unsure because of the wonky nature of the show’s timescale). He’s commanded by SpookE here to forget about the letter. He goes about his daily routine of barely existing until he spots the painting “Snow falling in April” By our favorite serial killer in-training Jin Asukai. 

Asukai corners Anou and tells him he can’t be saved since he was already snapped up by the Towa Organization. Something about their encounter breaks their control over him to some extent and he finds a fake love letter in his bag. There’s a girl with braided pigtails waiting for him and when he says he found the letter in his bag rather than the shoe locker She tackles him to the ground in time for Spooks McGee to show up. He’s naturally puzzled how he lost control of Anou’s mind, but before he can wipe the kid again who should show up but our old pal Boogiepop. See she was on the hunt for Imaginator, but seeing as a victim of the Towa’s synthetic human is right there she makes an exception and gets to fighting. Spooky gets spooked, Anou is assured that he’s fully free of their control and given the real letter. Some one wants to ask him out on a date (Presumably Pigtail girl) and now it’s on him to decide whether he goes or not.

We’re not done yet, though. We cut back to Masaki getting told by Aya that she got into Shinyo Academy. He asks her to meet him at the usual park so they can celebrate, but while she’s waiting for him Spooky E shows up and asks her what she’s doing there, and he calls her Camille!

[Cue: Dun dun DUuuuuuuun]

Thoughts: It’s hard to do a jumbled-up timescale well in storytelling. You’re taking the idea of a linear story and trying to break it up into these recursive loops that all tie back in together so that when you’re done the story still has a through-line. It’s best done when you’re working with a large number of characters and/or groups. Baccano did it, and I can see now why Boogiepop was stated as an inspiration for Baccano. Baccan WISHES it was this good at spinning looped story threads. Part of me wants to try and walk down the tangled paths of connection, but really I think I ought to save that for a massive retrospective post or video after the series is over to see if I can’t pull a full-on conspiracy theorist corkboard out of this stuff. I probably already could, but honestly it’d probably be better to hold off until I have (more or less) the full picture.

Until next post keep talking fiction, friends! I’ll see you soon.

[darkwarriorproject]

Hillo there! I read your blog about "character analysis" and I'm curious on more backstory about Erol. There really isn't alot about him besides the fact he is a commander and he is a champion racer. But how did he get the position of commander and did he learn to race by himself or did his father/other teach him? And i notice in the game at the Underground hide out there is a poster of him in the back. Were him and Torn originally friends perhaps?

Erol was born in Kras (which was still a colony of Haven at the time) and lived there with his single mother until around age 7. While they generally had enough money to cover essentials like rent and food, there was very little to spare for leisure; a lot of their clothes came second-hand and Erol had very few toys or other possessions, and he was often left to amuse himself during his mum's long work hours.

Like many of his peers, young Erol loved watching the races and dreamed of becoming a champion when he was older, but he never really connected with other kids and didn't have any real friends (he was small for his age and was often bullied; none of the ‘cool kids’ wanted anything to do with him, and he didn't get on with the other bullied kids because he considered himself better than them). Erol's trouble connecting with others in a meaningful and positive way would remain a problem throughout his life, though he definitely got better at faking it as he grew older.

Erol's mum came from a once-wealthy family whose business enterprises had failed in her youth, draining all the family savings; Erol never met any of them, as his mother was completely estranged from her surviving relatives by the time of his birth (largely due to values dissonance, as they didn't approve of her having a child while unmarried). She'd had a brief affair with Baron Praxis around the time of his wife's death, though she was generally circumspect with this information and never told Erol anything about his father. Erol keenly felt the absence of any sort of father figure throughout his early childhood, and when his mother told him he would be shipped off to Haven to live with his father he was absolutely thrilled at the prospect. This was in the early years after Praxis's coup but before the dust had settled; Erol's mother threatened to expose the affair if Praxis didn't comply with her demands (taking care of Erol and paying her). However, Kras was completely cut off from Haven shortly after this, and Erol never saw or heard from his mother again.

Young Erol showed up in Haven and Praxis suddenly found himself saddled with an illegitimate son and a potential scandal he really couldn't afford (there were still plenty of dissenters who wouldn't hesitate to use something like that against him). But even after Kras was cut off, Praxis quickly found that keeping Erol suited his own needs; Erol was desperate to please his newfound father and Praxis realised he could turn this to his advantage, grooming Erol into the perfect subordinate.

Praxis pulled some strings and got Erol enrolled in Haven's private academy, placing him among students from the oldest nobility and wealthiest civillian families in Haven, and overall Erol's quality of life improved drastically from what he'd known back in Kras. However, he still didn't get what he truly wanted; Praxis kept him at arm's length emotionally, and of course Ashelin was still Praxis's only legitimate child and heir– Erol coveted Ashelin's position and began to see her as a rival, feelings that were only compounded by the fact that she barely noticed him (she was a few years older and busy with her own lessons and training). Once again, Erol found that he didn't particularly care for any of his peers; he was thoroughly devoted to pleasing Praxis and felt no desire to make friends his own age.

After a couple years in Haven, Erol started competing in the NYFE Youth Division, entering his first tournament at the youngest age allowed. Of course he had received some basic lessons in zoomer handling (as this was one of the requirements for entry) but racing came easily to him, and he quickly gained public notice after he took first place in his debut tournament. He became a posterchild for both the NYFE and the KG Cadets program, beginning his lifelong career as the KG-sponsored racing champion. Praxis encouraged him to cultivate his newfound popularity among the masses, and Erol became almost addicted to the validation he received from the public. Once official trade resumed between Haven and Kras, Erol began to travel there occasionally as an ambassador of sorts; Kras had changed a lot during the decade of isolation but their obsession with racing had remained consistent, and Erol's skill as a champion earned him a degree of respect few other visiting Havenites received.

Erol met Torn a handful of times during Torn's command of the KG, but their encounters were only ever in an official capacity; Torn was 5-6 years Erol's senior and too busy running the KG to have time for socialising with a teenager, and the two had very little in common (Torn had come from an impoverished family and climbed the ranks by pure merit, while Erol had received the very best education and social opportunities available in Haven). After the fall of Haven's Old Town district Torn was labelled a traitor, and Erol took over as commander of the KG; by this point Erol thoroughly resented Torn, both for his supposed ‘treachery’ and for the comparisons that were inevitably made between the two (Erol was better liked due to his near-celebrity status, but Torn had been well respected as a capable leader and combat veteran while Erol had almost no practical military experience). At first Erol was determined to be the one to bring Torn in, but as time passed it became clear that Torn's effectiveness in the resistance was hampered by poor resources and lack of manpower, and Erol began to focus more on other things– the DWP was under way, and Erol's obsession with Jak rapidly overtook the lingering resentment he felt for Torn.

((you can find more context for all of these events in the Haven timeline masterpost))

We also received an ask about Erol's relationships; I think I touched on this pretty well throughout this post but to summarise: Erol struggles to form positive relationships with other people, and instead his interactions with others tend to be grounded in rivalry and competition. Almost from the moment he arrived in Haven, Erol felt like he was competing with Ashelin for Praxis's attention and he was compelled to prove he was a better commander than Torn, and during his visits to Kras he developed a rivaly with Razer that at times turned sexual. And then, his abusive treatment of Jak was largely rooted in a need to project his own insecurities onto an external target so he could make himself feel better. Erol's budding romance with Keira was probably the closest he ever came to a healthy relationship, as they at least shared common interests, but it was still grounded in manipulative behaviour and power plays (Keira must have talked about Jak at some point and there's no way Erol didn't make the connection).

Erol spent his whole life as a pawn in other people's games, and when he attempted to replicate the abuse cycle he ended up spiralling into self-destruction instead.