#we have an uncle that we see like once MAYBE twice a year and he has done Nothing Wrong in his life EVER afaik.

[euclydya]

hmmmmm character bingo for Authority and Titus <3

- @mansplainmanipulatemalewife

VIRBATING OK OK O KO K OK OK. OK. UNDER THE CUT NGKFMGDMGKG

OS FIRST OFF:

^ ME WHEN AUTH. ME WH. ME WHEN

ok anyways

I TRIED TO STICK TO WHAT I THINK ABT SOURCE AUTHORITY AND NOT LET SYSTEM BIAS GET TO ME BUT I REALIZED. MY THOUGHTS ON AUTHORITY AND MY THOUGHTS ON PANSY ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR! SOOO. WIDJXMDNFNXMXJFJDFJ anywaYS!!!

* - everyone else EXCEPT YOU! is wrong abt Auth <3. JFNDJDF

** - THIS IS TRUE BUT ALSO i was like "I could edit this to say 'will somebody please fuck them jesus christ' that'd be so funny and true" but i was also like. Nvm that takes too muchEffort i do not have the spoons 4 that. but there's that thought anywaysJFMCMDFKKFD

BUT YEAH SO! I do not respect source Authority at all. If we met source Authority irl I would beat the shit outta that bastard. Or. Try to anyways <3. JFKDMSMF he is however Hilarious sometimes he has his moments. But also. I tHINK! SOMEBODY! SHOULD FUCKIGN KNOCK HIM DOWN A FEW PEGS! AND ALso. and . also. and also peANYWAYS ONTO TITUS!

Before I start: our synesthesia does not fucking like Titus's name I'm sorry for the weird pink. His name's shrimp coloured and weird and glitchy and shimmery I cannot replicate that shit on goddamn IbisPaint X™

SO WE BARELY KNOW SHIT ABT HIM YET but!!!!!!!!! He's fun and he's also Scary but in a good way like if u get on his good side He will literally kill & help fake murders 4 u. duh. But also hE SCARES ME! i care abt him. <3.

What we see from Harry's pov is that he Is An Asshole yes but like UNDERSTANDABLY SO!!! ofc he's an asshole to Harry & Kim thEY'RE COPS FUCK EM!

He gives off Funnyman vibes otherwise like. That character trope where Hte big scary looking dude is just v nice and funny around their friends? yeah. I imagine that's him IDK tbh <3 i will b honest we haven't played hte game In a couple months

OH I ALSOFORGOT TO ADD ANOTHER ASTERISK TO THE "if i met them irl i would beat them up" FOR HIM. IF WE MET HIM IRL HE COULD BEAT US UP fueJFDJSKDKC and "they fill me q incredibly violent urges" + "genuinely what the fuck" are also /positive & honorary. violence is our love language LMAO

The only reason we woild not like him irl is bc he is TALL [And Intimidating]. we are short and anyone way taller than us scares us. idk why <3. we have been like this our entire life. besides that tho he's cool 👍

-Electrochem

[woso-dreamzzz]

Play, Sleep, Repeat

Arsenal Women x Teen!Reader

Summary: You're Katie's cousin

Katie has never quite understood you.

You'd always been on the fringes of her awareness.

She has all her siblings. Her close family is big. Her extended family is even bigger.

You're her cousin, on her mother's side.

She'd never really kept up with your life. She'd see you at family reunions maybe once, twice a year and it would all be a quick conversation before she moved on.

She'd never been close enough to her uncle, your dad, to really know what was going on the two of your lives. All she really remembers was that his wife (your mother) had left him and he was a single dad.

It was surprising to see the Arsenal announcement photo with you smiling at the camera, a big Ireland flag draped over your shoulders.

It should have made her feel bad that you didn't drop a text to say you were signing but Katie didn't even know you played football until the announcement so she decided that she didn't really have room to have her feelings hurt over it.

She had hoped this would be the opportunity for you both to grow closer but, as she looks at you now, horsing down your lunch, she kind of thought that was a pipe dream.

You get up immediately after finishing, avoiding the table with the other younger players and heading back out onto the pitch.

It was like clockwork with you. You were either crashed out asleep in the break room, eating like you'd been starved or practicing for hours before or after training.

"What's up with your cousin, McCabe?" Leah asks, watching you leave as well," She never hangs around."

Katie shrugs. "I dunno. She's always been like that, I think."

"You think?"

"She's being raised by her Da. I guess she's never been around this many girls in her life."

"Surely she played on a girl's team before coming here."

Katie shrugs again.

"You don't know?"

"I've got a big family, Williamson. I hardly see her back home. Sue me for not stalking her every move."

Kim slides into the seat next to her. "I'm worried about her," She says," She's always here early and she stays late too. I've never seen her Dad pick her up."

"So what? She's a big girl."

Kim raises a brow. "I wasn't worried because she promised me that you've been dropping her off."

"What? She told me Kyra was doing that."

Kim sighs. "I got her address off Jonas. Do you and Caitlin mind popping by tonight? I'd do it myself but she might respond better to you."

Katie stands at your door a few hours after training has finished. She'd been waiting in her car for a while now, unable to believe her eyes when you'd stepped off the bus barely ten minutes ago still in your training kit.

Her hand hovers over the door, unmoving.

Caitlin nudges her to the side, pressing the doorbell.

"Hey," She says when you open it," Can we come in?"

Your eyes dart to the side. "Er..."

"Is your Da in? I need to talk to him."

"Da's busy," You say.

"That's okay. We can wait." Katie barges in and Caitlin follows her before you can stop them.

"How long will he be?" Caitlin asks and your eyes dart to the door.

"Well..."

"Have you had dinner yet?" Katie asks," 'Cause your fridge is bare."

"Stop it!" You say, pushing her out of your kitchen," Stop snooping!"

"Are these takeout boxes?"

"Katie, I mean it! Out!"

"Nah, where's your Da? Surely, he can't be letting you eat all this crap."

You mumble a response that Katie forces you to repeat. A response that gets regurgitated to every responsible adult on the team.

Your Da didn't come with you to England. In fact, your Da hadn't even be to one of your Arsenal matches.

"He'll come when I make it into the Ireland squad," You'd told Katie and Caitlin," He promised."

The team keeps a close eye on you. Your back prickles with awareness and every time you look behind you, someone is watching.

Things change as well, slowly but surely. It's enough to put you on edge.

It starts with Caitlin and Katie driving you to practice. You usually leave hours ahead of when training starts so you can get the bus and still have time to practice before it begins.

(Maybe if you have a bit extra training then Gleeson will have no choice but to call you up for the next international break).

You have no idea how long they've been camping in their car because you get up stupidly early.

They bundle you in with them. They grab breakfast at a quaint place in town before getting you to training on time.

Next comes Kim. She sits with you at lunch and talks to you enough that you finish the same time as everyone else.

Leah helps you with your kit.

Lia sits with you on the bus.

Lessi, Vic and Kyra splash you with water during the changeover at training.

Beth lets you nap against her and Viv makes sure you have a protein shake ready for you when you wake up.

Slowly but surely, you're folded into the team that is Arsenal. You existed on the fringes of life in London, focused on nothing but finally having your father support you in football.

Now though, you have the team to celebrate your goals with. You have Katie shaking you with joy when you score the last minute winner against Everton.

You also have the text from your Da nitpicking your every move in the match.

You feel lucky that he even kept the match on with how shit you were apparently making. A few months ago, you would have gone back to your own habits. A few months ago, you would have ran until your legs gave out.

But it's no longer a few months ago.

So, you just put your phone away and let Steph ruffle your hair on the way back to her seat.

You're actually part of the team now. A key part of the team if you go off how many times you've started a match.

A key part of the time if you go by how you seamlessly tackle Cuthbert and send the ball rolling straight to Caitlin to collect. You're about to stand up but Cuthbert can't stay on her feet and she stumbles, falling with a sickening crunch onto your ankle.

The scream you let out is guttural and you push her off you to grab at your ankle, as if touching it would suddenly make it feel better.

You slap the ground with your fist and scream again. Leah comes sliding in next to you, pinning your ankle to the ground with a firm hand.

"I know," She says," I know but we need to keep it still. Just stay still."

"Leah," You sob," It hurts!"

"I know," She repeats," The physios are coming straight on. Just keep it still."

Katie comes running to you next, tucking your face into her chest as you sob, shielding you from the fans.

Caitlin has taken her job at yelling at the ref, desperate to get some kind of compensation even if it was all a complete reaction.

"I...I..." You manage to get out through your tears," I don't think Gleeson's going to call me up for the break."

Lia, who had gently removed your cleat, laughs. "You don't need to focus on that right now." She peals your sock down. "But it's nice that you've still got your sense of humour."

You hiss as someone else touches your ankle.

"Hey!" Katie snaps," Careful with her!" She turns back to you. "Can you walk?"

"I don't even think I can stand up."

"You're going to be okay," She says as the stretcher is brought on," They'll fit you with a boot and you'll come back to mine."

You groan. "God, not your place."

"What's wrong with my mine?!"

"You can't cook! Can I go to Kim's instead?"

"I think I preferred it when we didn't talk."

You grin. "Didn't your Ma ever tell you lying's bad?"

[theorphicangel]

if there was one thing you hated, it was your roommate. Sukuna.

ever since you moved in it seemed that your roommate has had a vendetta against you. whether it was setting up the shower's temperature to be freezing cold when it was your turn or eating your leftovers or letting his dishes pile up in the sink or leave his laundry lying around, you knew one thing and one thing only.

you hated him.

so much so that you wouldn't even speak to him. whenever the two of you were in the kitchen for breakfast, the atmosphere would be dead silent. only the clinking of cutlery and the scraping of chairs could be heard, the two of you preferring to mindlessly scroll on social media rather than speak to each other.

you didn't really speak to sukuna unless necessary and it was the same vice versa.

until a random weekend came by and a little visitor came knocking on your door.

knock, knock.

'come in-'

your bedroom door is pushed open but hestantly at first almost as if the person outside is struggling.

expecting to see a figure, you're stunned when no one enters. you were sure to hear a knock and panic surges through your body at the idea of an intruder in your flat.

you're ready to hide until you glance down.

oh.

'sorry i thought this was the bathroom-'

a little boy, no older than what seems to be six years old is at your door. you've never seen him in his life but there's certain hints which help you figure out who he might be known to. that familiar pink hair and chubby cheeks help guide your guess that he's related to your one and only roommate.

'oh...' you lean back and swivel in your chair. you turn away from your open laptop and abandon your university work to give your full attention to the boy.

'sorry' the boy blushes, ready to head out. 'I'll leave-'

'are you sukuna's brother?' you interruption.

the boy shakes his head, his face getting redder by the second. 'he's my uncle.'

you nod silently. righttttt, that should make sense.

an awkward silence filled between the two of you. you're hesitant on what to say as the boy stands nervously in your room.

' he doesn't like you very much' he announces aloud.

you bite back a choke.

'how come?' you bite back any spite in your voice. it's not his fault, i mean, it doesn't take a genius to work out that you're not Sukuna's favourite person.

'my uncle says you stink and don't clean up after yourself.'

'maybe your uncle should have thought twice before putting up an advert for a roommate, he doesn't seem to get along with anyone.'

'he doesn't. he argues with my dad a lot.' the boy agrees.

'i bet.' you reply 'and he is the one that stinks not me. Have you smelt him after he goes to the gym, ugh' you fan a hand from your nose, implying a nasty smell.

Yuji laughs, dimples appearing on each corner of his cheek. It's hard to believe that the two were related. How could anything that shares Sukuna's blood be so sweet and cute.

'yuji!' a voice calls out. a voice you are all too familiar with.

ah, so that was his name.

'what did I tell you about going into other people's rooms without ask-' sukuna's voice comes to a halt once he realises you're also present.

'oh. you're home.'

'i am.'

Sukuna clears his throat at the low tone you address towards him. he introduces the little boy. 'this is yuji, my nephew.'

'nice to meet you, yuji' you smile. the boy smiles back with a light blush coming across his cheeks adding a shy wave.

soon enough an awkward silence appears between the three of you. sukuna and yuji stood awkwardly. it's not long before yuji decides to break the silence.

'wanna play uno with me?'

you and sukuna answer at the same time.

'no she doesn't'

'of course.'

Sukuna scowls, 'I'm making dinner for you, you brat so you can't play.'

'we can play whilst you cook for us.' you chime in.

Sukuna throws a glare straight at you. now you've gotten yuji's hopes up as his face lights up with excitement. 'us? there is no us? you little-'

'let's go Yuji,' you outstretch your hand as you stand. 'we can't let uncle sukuna play because he cheats and hides the cards in his bum'

'I do no-'

'do too!' you exclaim as yuji giggles loudly. you wink as you walk past grabbing Yuji's little hand.

you - 1

sukuna - nil

[valeovalairs]

Smiles, here’s a Legend of the Riptide Pirate AU character lore dump (slash info about them just compiled into one place)

Chip

The “Riptide Pirate”

Uses his bandana to appear alive and eternally 19, despite being undead and being an actual skeleton at this point.

You know that meme, how do you do fellow kids? That’s how I envision Chip in this AU. He desperately wants to still appear young and cool once he meets the girls and warms up to them but he is an old man in a modern world. My guy is struggling.

He is very sad.

He kept the Albatross busy and alive with people for a very long time, at least a good hundred years, until it became too painful and he stopped letting people on. That’s when he became more of a legend, when he retreated into the shadows.

He still hangs out in Zero. He tries to spend most of his time there because he wants to enjoy what time he has left with Ollie, but sometimes he’ll get restless and go off on the Albatross.

He has grey streaks in hair- because when he realized Jay and Gil had both started greying and looking older and he still looked 19, they all got really sad and he gave himself grey streaks and said, “look, we match now.” There were tears.

Ollie

He’s alive!

He is a very very old man though. Like maybe even 200ish probably (half-elf’s can exceed 180 which is probably for them what 70 is for humans).

He did travel a lot with the Riptide Pirates in his adulthood, but eventually settled in Zero.

Chip still comes to visit him and his family, who know him as “Uncle Chip”. A lot of them also traveled with the Riptide Pirates at one point or another while he still had a crew.

He has dementia:( Sometimes he’ll see Chip and ask where Gill and Ms. Jay are and it hurts Chip every single time.

Jay

Guys she’s dead, I’m sorry.

She traveled on the Albatross for decades before retiring/settling (with who, idk, but I do really like clockwork/birdbolt wives, so with Ensa maybe?)

I don’t know if she had kids (definitely not bio kids but maybe she like raised some kiddos at some point idk)

She still would join Chip and Gil occasionally on the Albatross until she physically could not anymore, and then Chip would visit her.

She died of old age.

Gillion

He’d dead, but I don’t know what happened to him.

I mean it’s Gillion Tidestrider do we really think this guy is going to live his entire possible 200 year lifespan? No. Because it’s Gillion Tidestrider. He’s going to die heroically in some way. Maybe it’s before Jay, maybe it’s after, idk. But he was too slow. That’s what happened he’s gotten older and one day he was too slow. 

Fnc? Im more leaning towards this au being one sided fnc on chips side but there is for sure a whole other kind of angst potential for fnc being an established thing in this au.

Phoebe

The Ferin!

A descendant of one of Jay Ferin’s cousins. (The Ferin’s feel like a big family too me, one with lots of cousins and twice removeds and stuff like that)

One of her parents, the not Ferin, was never too fond of the Ferins practices and so they tried to keep Phoebe distanced from them. (This included the name thing but they caved and allowed her to be called Phoebe May Ferin) And her Ferin parent agreed, despite having been in the Navy themself, that their family was a bit intense.

The family has pushed her to the point of joining the Navy academy, and her family wasn’t given much of a choice, so she was sent off.

She’s heard about the Riptide Pirate, through stories- but her favorite part is that one of his earliest companions was also a Ferin. She hears rumors that he’s still around, being spotted at various docks and Zero.

She decides to risk it and run away, looking for the Riptide Pirate. She escapes the evening the Champion is in the city as all attention will be on that. She panics when she realizes that the champion is also trying to run away.

She knows how to sail (small crafts) I feel like she’d canoe and paddle and know how to man like one of those tiny sail boats.

She has reddish hair but it’s a lot more mute than Jay’s. She also has darker eyes and a stockier build.

Class wise, she’s a fighter, I think. I’m not one hundred percent sure.

Edyn

Edyn is also still alive!

She’s “The Champion’s” grandmother

I think she never returned to the undersea, and ended up settling somewhere on the surface. She ended having kids. The Undersea found out about this, and at someone point sent some people up for them, and offered the kid (now an adult) money, status, community, as long as they returned to the undersea. All they want is for them to sire a child to be “the chosen one”, someone from the same lineage as the original. They like seed some distrust in their head and it turns into a whole argument with Edyn and they never speak again.

She hears about the Champion coming to All Port as part of some diplomacy delegation, several months before, and she really wants to see her granddaughter, get to meet her, so she ends up getting a job for the place they’re staying at as like a maid or an attendant or smth under a different name, and no one suspects anything of a sweet old lady. And they end up promoting her to serve the Champions room because a) sweet old lady b) shes a triton and a triton who has never been too the surface will probably be more comfortable around another triton.

Edyn gets to speak to Calypso and reveals first of all that she is her grandmother, and second of all that she is not actually the chosen one.

Calypso

The “Champion”!

The “Chosen One” who is not actually the chosen one! Just a person meant to replace Gillion as a religious figurehead after his “failure” she and most other people do not know this (they pushed Gillion under the rug and waited for people to forget about him before trying again)

She is a Tidestrider

Her thing is mostly the Elders trying to remain relevant in an increasing secular world.

Her training is less strict and started at a much earlier age than Gillion’s, and it followed a lot less combat and fighting and more religious and magical 

She’s literally just for ceremonially purposes, they keep harping about the prophecy and destiny but the elders all know it won’t come to pass for her. She does not.

She goes as part of a diplomacy thing to All Port and there meets Edyn. She had already been discontent with the undersea and uncertain of her place and she had thought about the possibility of leaving but Edyn finally sows the final seeds of distrust and she leaves- Edyn helping by creating a distraction and letting her slip out the window.

She realizes she has no idea of where she is going until she meets Phoebe. They put the dots together and once Phoebe understands she offers to bring Cal along with her, to join the Riptide Pirate. She follows.

She has a crown of coral that looks a lot like Gillion’s but it’s a crown that she can take on and off. It’s not real.

She has lighter hair than Gil and she has a more willowy build (she is also taller than he was)

Class wise, I thought about her being a paladin, but with there being less focus on combat and being a holy warrior, I think she’s a cleric (my heart is telling me she’s a cleric)

[beautifulmadnesss]

"Maybe I'm Better Off Dead" Velaryon!Reader x Aemond Targaryen

Summary: After the death of Lucerys, Aemond takes Visenya, the surviving sister of Lucerys, back with him to Kings Landing. Warning: if its in HoTD it's in here

I stood in the hall of Storms End, waiting for what seemed like hours, my hand never moving from the hilt of my sword. Luke knew Aemond wouldn't give up, so he flew off first and I was to follow after a while.

"My Lord thank you for your time as a gracious host. I will return home now." I gave a small curtsey to Lord Baratheon and turned to leave just as the doors opened.

I knew immediately by the look on his face that something was horribly wrong. All the earlier arrogance and even the anger he had directed at my brother was gone from his face. He looked shocked and even, perhaps, a little afraid.

"Uncle, I was just-" He cut me off without even glancing at me.

"My Lord, I ask that you would detain the Lady Visenya until I bring her with me to Kings Landing." He had regained some of his composure, enough that Lord Baratheon paused.

"I cannot get involved with this war in such a treasonous manner."

"I'm afraid Rhaenyra Targaryen will be angered with you regardless after the death of her son just above your home." I charged at him so quickly that he was the only one to react in time to stop me.

"You killed my brother!" I screamed at him, attempting to strike him with my sword, but he simply overpowered me and pulled it from my grasp. It clattered along the floor as he tossed it aside. I continued to try and fight against him, but he was twice my size and it was useless.

"I already told you boy, I will not have bloodshed in my home. You will take the girl to Kings Landing at once and your brother will provide me the protection you promised." Lord Baratheon commanded.

"Let me go!" I screamed, fighting as he dragged me along with him, out into the courtyard where my dragon screeched and fought against her chains. I heard a much louder roar and turned to see Aemond's dragon, Vhagar. I saw the unmistakable crimson around her jaws and my heart clenched. "You monster!" I sobbed, feeling helpless and entirely alone. He didn't respond, but kept pulling me toward the beast that had murdered my brother and his dragon. My fighting did nothing to detour him as he lifted me onto Vhagar above him, pushing me up as he climbed until we were both sat in the saddle. He pulled out some rope from one of the bags on the saddle and bound my hands in front of me, securing them to the saddle, so I had no escape. "I hate you and I swear to you that you will die screaming." I growled at him, mustering every ounce of hatred I could, despite knowing he could feel my body trembling.

"Sōvēs." He said, ignoring my threat, and commanding his dragon to take me to the home of my enemies.

"Vhagar killed Luke and Arrax. Now you're taking me to you mother and grandsire to have them kill me. I suppose that makes you a coward." I taunted him as he carefully helped me off Vhagar with surprisingly gentle hands.

"They're not going to kill you." He said, still not looking me in the eye.

"I wish they would." I muttered, finally drawing his gaze. His eyes softened slightly as he took in my tear soaked face.

"I'm truly sorry about Luke, I didn't intend-"

"Then you're stupid. You chased a child and a young dragon with a hundred year old dragon that was one of three dragons that burned half the country during the Conquest. You don't control her. You're simply too arrogant to see that and now my brother is dead." My hands were still bound and the top of my head barely reached his sternum, but I could tell, I struck a nerve. His jaw tensed and his eyes rapidly searched my face as he considered a response.

Eventually he said, "he took my eye."

"Now you took his life. I hope your revenge was worth it." I tried to use my shoulder to wipe away the tears that had fallen. I would not cry before the King and his advisors.

That is exactly where Aemond took me. It was just before dawn as he marched me into the council room. Aegon wore the crown of his namesake as he sat in the chair directly in front of me. On his right sat his grandsire and his hand Otto Hightower, Ser Criston Cole who was presumably his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, my uncle, Lord Larys Strong, and a Lord Jasper Wyld. To his left was his mother, though she had no true seat on the council. Next to her was Grand Maester Orwyle, and finally Ser Tyland Lannistor, who had once competed for my mothers affections. I glared at each of the traitors before me with all the wrath of my birthright as a Princess.

"Uncle." I said with no move to curtsey.

"You will address your King with respect, bastard." Cole commanded.

"It's alright, she's had a difficult night I hear. Her elder brother and his dragon lay in pieces at the bottom of Shipbreaker Bay." Aegon taunted and I felt my heart twist painfully at the brutality of his words, but I steeled myself to give no reaction. "Shall we have her executed?" He suggested and I hated that I shrunk back against Aemond. Perhaps I imagined it, but I thought I felt his hand tighten against my arm.

"No. We will not kill her. There has already been enough bloodshed." Alicent spoke for the first time. "Rhaenyra will see reason and bend the knee."

"She will not and you know it. You betrayed her when you stole her throne and now you have allowed the murder of her son." I decided that if I was going to be executed then I may as well speak my mind.

"Your grace, if it pleases you, perhaps it is best to keep the girl as a prisoner, to persuade Rhaenyra to bend the knee." Otto Hightower added in support of his daughter.

"What of her dragon?" Tyland Lannister inquired.

"I shall arrange for the beast to be killed." Ser Criston replied, glancing at Aegon for approval to which he nodded.

"No!" I tried to shoot forward, but Aemond was expecting it and held me even tighter against his chest.

"We will keep her dragon chained in the dragon pit, as they already have more dragons and we could use the addition. As for Visenya, I will take her as my wife and either her mother will bend the knee and I will reside on Dragonstone with my wife or she will refuse and Visenya will remain here with me." Aemond spoke with all his usual confidence and I realized in his silence on the way over here, he was made this plan.

"I will not-"

"You will obey your King or I swear it that you will suffer the consequences. Mother, you will prepare the plans for the wedding and it will be held in two days." Aegon commanded with only the fraction of the authority he believed that he possessed.

"Your grace, are you sure that it is wise to bind your brother to a bastard?" Otto questioned.

"The hand does as the King commands and you will not question me again." Aegon spat. "Aemond, you shall keep her in your chambers. Ser Criston, double your men outside and have them to seal the windows. Dear niece, I will have the ladies prepare a dress fit for a Princess." I glared at him, though it had no effect. He held all the power here and I was simply a prisoner at his mercy.

Aemond pulled my arm and led me out of the room. We made our way through the halls without either of us saying a word until we reached his chambers. He removed his sword and left it by the door before opening the door for me to enter.

Once it shut behind us and I heard a latch snap, he turned to me. "I'm going to remove these. Don't do anything stupid, please." I didn't respond, but I also didn't try to resist as he undid the ropes around my wrists. "Tomorrow, I presume my mother will have more clothes for you, but for tonight-" He tossed me what I presumed was his small clothes. He didn't wait for my response as he went behind the screen to change his own clothes. I had only taken a small step forward to search for a weapon or an escape when he spoke again, "I would be disappointed if you didn't try, but I assure you, there is no escape and the guards have removed any weapons." I huffed in frustration, but he was right, I would not be giving up. "Are you decent or are you still searching for a plan?" He asked after a few moments.

"Just a moment," I replied. I was in fact searching for a plan and had made no moves to change. Though he seemed to be remaining on the other side of the screen, I hid around the corner as I removed my soaked dress and small clothes, only now realizing how cold I was. His small clothes fit as I expected they would, the sleeves down far past the tips of my fingers and the hem pooling in excess around my feet. "Alright." I said, poking around the corner.

He erupted into laughter the moment he saw me. I scowled in response, folding my arms, uncomfortably around my stomach while also gathering as much of the fabric as I could to cover myself. I also ensured as much distance between us as the room would allow. I had never been alone with a man, not even Daemon or my father, it was always to preserve my maidenhood for my husband. My mother had explained it to me some, as her only daughter, but she ensured me that she would share more with me before my wedding. She promised to marry me to a gentle and kind man, a man I loved. Aemond was none of those things and while he may have spared my life tonight, he also took the life of my brother.

His laughter quieted as he took in my face. "I will not harm you." He said raising his hands. "I know that you have no reason to believe that and I know that you hate me, but I swear to you that I will not force you into anything. I only suggested us to be wed so that my brother would not kill you or worse."

I bit my lip as tears fell once again, "You killed Luke and took me prisoner, why should I trust anything you have to say?"

He glanced at the door and took a few steps closer to me. I immediately gasped and shot backward, only running into the wall. He noticed and retreated quickly. His voice dropped to a whisper, "No one will believe you if you repeat this. I truly mean it, I am deeply sorry and I never meant to kill Lucerys. I will regret my actions until my very last day." I watched his adams apple bob as he swallowed. "The only thing I can do is to try to make it right with you. I know that you could not be allowed to return to Dragonstone; however, I knew that by offering up a marriage, my brother would spare your life."

I shook my head. He did tell them not to kill me, but I still couldn't trust him. I was completely alone here and if I was going to survive here, I couldn't let Aemond or anyone else trick me.

"I'm going to sleep over there, okay?" He pointed sofa between us. "You can take the bed." When I didn't respond he took a small step forward and when I didn't react, he continued forward. He was approaching the sofa from the right, so I moved to the left and continued to face him as I stepped toward the bed. Only when he was settled on the sofa did I climb onto the bed. The warmth immediately surrounded me as I cozied up under the blankets and settled back against the pillows. The relief was short-lived as I was once again confronted with how entirely alone I was. I wanted nothing more than to be comforted by my best friend, but the only offering I had was the emptiness he had left behind. He was dead and would never again be of any comfort to me or anyone else. I turned to my side and pulled one of the pillows against my chest, quickly burying my face into it to muffle the sobs that escaped. I completely broke down as I thought of the rest of my family. Had someone told my mother and brothers? Would Uncle Daemon come looking for me? Would they accept the demands of Aegon or would I be doomed to suffer alone, married to Aemond for the rest of my life? The sobs continued until I had exhausted myself into a restless sleep.

"I will go and lead Aemond away, it is me he wants. Stay here until you are sure more than enough time has passed, then depart for Dragonstone. I will meet you there." He shouted against the rain and thunder.

"Luke, no. We go together!" I begged, already knowing he was never going to listen.

"I am your brother, it is my duty to protect you. I was the one who took his eye and now I will pay for it." He placed his hands on either side of my head. "I will return home, I swear it." He gathered me into a tight hug. "Now, hurry and hide before Aemond comes." He shoved me gently away from him. We both climbed onto our dragons and with one last look took off in opposite directions. I flew just above the castle and back down to the opposite side before quickly climbing off of my dragon and returning to the hall where Lord Baratheon waited.

"Clever girl. Leave the fighting to the men and we shall see which of them survives." He looked as though the idea brought him joy while my entire body was vibrating with terror and adrenaline.

I shut my eyes and was immediately met with the picture of Luke and Arrax soaring through the pouring rain. The sky lit up with flashes of lightning and I watched as Luke frantically searched the skies around him. After another bright flash, I saw Vhagar looming over him. He quickly veered to the right before shooting upwards at a speed that only the small and nimble Arrax could achieve, perhaps the only advantage over the much larger and battle-wise, Vhagar. I could nearly feel his tempered relief as he scanned the clear skies above the storm. He visibly relaxed before devolving into a scream as Vhagar erupted from a cloud with jaws expanded wide enough to easily devour both Luke and Arrax. I watched in horror as the explosion of crimson dispersed to reveal the chunks of flesh that were all that remained of my brother and his beloved dragon. A scream ripped from my throat and I thrashed to escape as the massive beast turned to consume me next. My arms were pinned to my sides and my legs pressed against my dragon as Vhagar descended upon me.

"Visneya!"" I jolted upward, narrowly missing a shape looming above me. I scrambled backwards until I collided with the headboard, though I wasn't sure what exactly I was escaping from. "It's alright. You're alright." Aemond came into focus as I realized it was his hands on my arms, not the jaws of his dragon. and my legs were tangled up in the sheets of his bed, not the straps of my saddle.

"Get away from me!" I screamed, still panting and slightly disoriented from the nightmare. He jumped back as though I had slapped him and it was only then that I took in the genuine concern displayed through his furrowed brows and tight lips. His sapphire eye glinted against the candlelight, free from the patch he normally wore.

"I'm sorry. You were screaming and I-"

"Why didn't you let them kill me? I do not wish to live like this." I begged him. "Truly, if you are sorry, you will set me free either by my dragon or by your sword."

"I can't." He said, his voice cracking.

"Then do not pretend that you care." I spat. "You are just as much of a monster as that beast that you ride."

"Very well." He inclined his head and returned to his spot on the opposite side of the room. Though I could tell he was still watching me carefully.

As I laid back down in the bed, it was not lost on me that despite my screams, no one came to my aid. I was to be left alone with no one, but the monster who had taken the life of my brother over a childhood thirst for revenge.

Part 2

a/n: part 2? other requests?

[acalamity]

author's note

first time using tumblr, this account has been untouched for a while. I'm sorry for any mistakes (typos or anything else) and hello!! :D

this idea was supposed to be for a fic (vibrant ribbons weave astral reverie) but I scrapped it since it was too much, so this is a snippet. here's part two

lookism! jake kim x reader as seperated childhood friends. reader is an aspiring tailor.

more under the wubbaboo!!

Jake Kim wondered what else changed in the time you were apart. He used to be your partner, your ride and die. Now, after so many years of seperation, you are different.

Of course you are, you've matured and gone through puberty. You've graduated high school while he dropped out, and chased your ambitions while he was rooted in Big Deal. The two of you lived very different lives, and somehow— no matter how close he is to you physically, the gaping distance is always there. In his heart, he is always a step away from you.

"Jake."

Maybe you'll have to part ways again one day. Criminal life is very dangerous, and he would rather not have you involved in any fights.

"Jake?"

Or maybe you'll grow too big for his little and humble street. He's sure you'll reach great heights and he looks forward to the day you'll stand on a grand stage. A stage grander than he can imagine.

"Jake!"

"Ow!"

He winced, face crinkling as his hand unwittingly travelled up to his face. From beside him, he could see you staring at him with your arms crossed over your chest, very much unamused. Instantly, the leader pieced together that you had probably pinched his cheek to snap him out of his stupor, "What was that for?"

"I've been calling your name for a while." You sighed, "What we're you thinking about?"

"Oh, you know. . ." Jake trailed off, he's not sure how to tell you about the thoughts rampant in his mind, so he settled for a question instead, "[Name], since when did you pick up archery?"

Oh, you realised, bringing up your bandaged fingers and palms, glancing over your hands swiftly, he was concerned.

The words that fall out of your lips are slow— and Jake realised you were unravelling an old, old, hidden wound, ". . . Out of my own frustration, I ran away from my mentors once."

"I was alone and young so a few people came up to me. Although I managed to escape in the end, I promised hat I would never let something like that happen to myself again." You huffed through your nose, "I had to start somewhere and my mentor just so happen to have a bow."

". . . I'm sorry." If he was there, a part of your life instead of living in bloodshed and chasing dirty money that did nothing to save his own predecessor, he would have ran away with you. Yet he was not there, and he can't take the wounds on your hands or your invisible battles away, "Sorry."

"Hm? What are you apologizing for now? Did you accidentally ruin my mannequins again?" Even you didn't know how he did it that one time, but he did.

His reply was instant, eyes wide and dumbfounded, "No!"

"You broke my belongings when we were children too. Then you'd come to me apologizing with that wide-eyed, kicked puppy look on your face." You stared at this face, holding back a laugh with a sigh, "Exactly like that face you're making now. Some things never change."

Jake blinked, once, twice— and just like that he was smiling along with you, "Do you still like the cookies I gave you?"

Gave you after everytime he kicked you in his sleep, kept you up with his snores and unintentionally roughhoused your items, he meant. Of course, like a good elder (of one year) and role model, he'd give Jerry some too.

"Those peanut cookies you received from Uncle Jinyoung and gave Jerry and I as an apology?" There was a nervous chuckle, "Yes, why bring it up?"

"I wanted to know." The beaming gleam in his eyes gave his simple answer away, "That's all."

And two days later, Jerry handed you a bunch of deformed peanut cookies, "Boss Jake wanted to give this to you personally, but he's stuck in his office."

"Well, drag him out." You took the package, and walked pass the second-hand. From what you could tell the cookies were homemade, with plenty of effort and struggle and not much success— though it probably wouldn't taste good, it makes your heart feel warm even in the chilly wind. With a huff, you turned to your friend, "Jerry, let's bother him for old times' sake."

"Please go ahead, Boss Jake is in his office now." And though Jerry is very much against bothering his boss, he can't find it in him to stop you, especially when he knows you'll never actually be a bother his boss. True to his thoughts, Jake's face lit up when he sees you.

"There you go again. Were you waiting for me to come?" So perhaps Jake was hoping you would barge into his office, like you barged into his life many years ago. You sat down next to Jake, placing the pouch of cookies down, "I received the goods—"

"You make it sound like I'm dealing drugs."

"— thank you."

A light remark, perhaps a bit teasing, "Can I have some?"

A pointed look without heat, "After you finish your paperwork."

"[Name]." He called out to you after moments of silence, "Hm? What is it?"

His expression was warm, tainted by overflowing affection, and whisper gentle, like a muted memory of a lullaby, "Thanks for coming."

The person in front of you is no longer the not-so-little bratty menace with chubby cheeks, he has grown beyond your expectations. In the future, the both of you surely continue to change, for good or bad, no one knows. But you (the no-nonsense peanut cookie muncher) are still the same person crafted by your childhood together, and he will surely have many more moments together with you. And those too, will be just as precious as the old stories that shine in his memories.

In the little office, so that he may witness the rest of your life, Jake weaved your name into his heart.

[guardian-of-fandoms]

His head felt... clouded.

A low drone rang throughout the dark void, everything seeming Hazy and warped.

A dull roar nagged at his ears, something calling to him through the haze, until that sluggish cloud started to wane, and things suddenly snapped to a clearer focus. His eyes cracked open, a hiss escaping him over the assault of florescent lights.

"Hey."

He groaned, trying to adjust his eyes, feeling a dull ringing in his head, wincing at pain from varying places.

As his vision cleared, he tilted his head, seeing Kade to his side.

".... Hey...."

Cody scanned the area, realizing he was once again in the hospital.

He tried sitting up, hissing from pain.

"Hey, easy there, Hotshot."

"Ugh... feel like Optimus stepped on me... Twice... Maybe Three times..."

Kade carefully helped maneuver him, trying to avoid pulling on his bandages.

"How's the pain? Do i need to call Doctor McSwain?"

"No, no, it's fine. just... ugh..."

Cody met Kade's eyes, growing serious.

"What happened to Morocco?"

"You got him. Once you blasted him through the fence, the EMP Zone completely shut him down. We're going to take him apart and bury him there. He's never going to hurt anyone again."

"... It's... really over...."

Kade pulled away, and Cody took a moment to fully assess himself.

His clothing had been swapped out for a hospital gown, bandages covering his skin.

His left arm had various bruising and scratches, and a quick touch to his face revealed several bandages around the area. He could feel some tightly wrapped around his torso as well.

He cautiously glanced to his right shoulder.

The area had the heaviest bandaging of all, and a quick prod sent painful tingles spreading through the area.

He recoiled, and Kade sighed.

"I'm sorry, about that. The... uh... The cybernetics were too damaged to salvage, they had to completely remove the implant. But, your Frankie said they could build you a new one."

"Seems about right, i was due for an upgrade anyway, Doc and Frankie have to replace it every few years."

He suddenly glanced around, frowning.

"Hey, where is Frankie, anyway?"

"Doc took her to the lab to get some rest, she was wiped out. We promised to keep an eye on you until she got back. We were taking shifts, right now it's mine."

Cody digested the information, his eyes drifting down as his hand grasped the blankets on the bed.

"... Was... she worried?"

Kade absently nodded.

"Yeah, big time."

Cody went quiet, Kade spying the anxiety etched on his face.

"... We... hadn't talked in a while, before all this. Like, a while."

Kade frowned, trying to figure out a proper response.

".... Uh... did... something happen?"

Cody barked out a bitter laugh, his left hand absently rubbing his shoulder.

"You could say... more like a lot of somethings, really."

The room went quiet again, before Kade sighed, rubbing his neck.

"Look... i'm not... the best, with stuff like this, but... if.. you wanna... talk about it, or something... I'm here."

Cody looked up to meet his eyes, and sighed.

"... I... i don't really know when it started. But... After... After... I lost... Them... it was like there was this... This Hole, in my chest. This deep, dark hole. Because something was... missing. And i knew I'd never get it back."

His hand drifted down, balling the blanket up in his fist.

Kade's knee started bouncing, his foot absently tapping the floor.

"What... Happened after? Did... The Greenes take you in?"

"Kinda."

Cody unclenched the blanket, his hand brushing over the material.

"Uncle Woodrow took Custody. It wasn't easy, after all, he was mourning too. Doc and Frankie were basically over every day, whenever they could."

"Heatwave? You mentioned him earlier."

"Yeah... Heatwave was the only bot who survived. He.... took it... hard. Really hard. He was hurt, too. The blast messed up his leg. Ratchet did what he could, but the damage was permanent."

"Ratchet?"

"Team Prime's Medic. Optimus stopped by, after. Not often, haven't seen him in years. But sometimes he'd come by, check on Heatwave, and pay his respects."

Cody looked up, something hollow haunting his eyes.

"The... The town... built a memorial to you all, in town square. Near the Horace Burns statue."

Kade reflected a moment, clutching his hands together.

"... I'm... So sorry.... I'm so sorry...."

Cody leaned back, a shudder escaping him.

"... It hurt... So much... It still hurts, and I know it always will. That Hole? It just... kept growing. It hurt so badly... And after a while, it... changed. It was like a.... poison... A poison that seeped out, and started hurting the only people i had left."

He squeezed his eyes shut, his hand clutching his chest.

"I tried numbing it. I thought i could cope by shoving all the pain way down inside, stuffing it into this little box. And... That was what I did, for a while."

A deep breath escaped him, his eyes opening.

"I think that's when things started.... turning."

He met Kade's eyes, and Kade watched a darkness creep into them, reminiscent of when they'd first met.

"I don't really know where i got the idea, but... When i was 14... i started acting as this sort of.... Vigilante, around the island."

Kade was reminded of the Rescue Boy Incident, his brow creasing.

"Vigilante?"

"Yeah..."

He sighed, and that darkness started to wane, now looking... fragile.

"I have this Codename of sorts, Responder. I didn't really have a plan. Doc said I was just... looking for trouble, as a distraction or something. And i definitely found it."

"How bad?"

"Bad. I was.... aimless. Angry. Looking for something to.... do, i guess."

He clutched his head, his jaw clenching.

"I... wasn't alone at first. Frankie... Frankie was with me, for a while. She was helping me. I can't tell if she was doing it because she wanted to help protect the island, or because she wanted to keep me out of trouble."

A deep hiss escaped him.

"I... feel guilty, that she just wanted to help me... and I... pushed her away... I pushed them all away..."

They lapsed into silence once again, when Kade pointed over at a small bag on the floor.

"Oh, your gear is in here."

"Oh, thanks."

Kade hesitated a moment, before nervously asking,

"Hey... can you.... Show me that picture? In the Comn? I wanna check something."

"uh... sure..."

Kade handed over the Bag, and Cody dug through it, a leg from the pants and sleeve of the jacket spilling out, before he held up the old Comn.

"Here, careful."

He clicked it open, and gingerly handed Kade the old, tattered Photo.

Kade stared down at it, before reaching into his pocket.

"This reminded me of something, I went back to the firehouse to check. Our first mission with the bots, we took a similar Photo."

He handed it over to the Alternate, who softly gasped.

"Primus... It's... almost identical..."

Kade held the other side by side, and the two compared both images.

The posing and expressions of both families were essentially a perfect match, but Kade started to notice small differences.

The Alternate Dani had orange streaks in her hair, Graham had a different Tie, the alternate version of his dad had more white in his hair.

But what really jumped out to him, was the clothing.

Rather than his typical yellow, the Other Kade's uniform was a pale grey, the grey of the pants broken by the silver reflective streak towards the ankles.

Identical to the ones worn by this Cody.

Cody paused, realizing what Kade had figured out, and slowly nodded.

Kade carefully pulled the pants from he bag, checking the left leg.

Sure enough, he found what he was searching for.

Sewn into the bottom of the leg was a small cloth square, brandishing two initials.

K.B

Cody silently pulled the olive green jacket from the bag, pointing out a similar patch towards the interior of the neck.

D.B

"... I... I guess-"

"I think I get it."

Kade clutched his good shoulder, his expression soft.

"You... Couldn't let go, could you?"

"... I was afraid to... I... held onto everything i could. I felt like... i needed to, to remember them. To still feel connected, somehow."

Kade handed the photo back, and Cody tenderly folded it back up, closing the Comn once again.

"Did... You ever think about what was next? After you got Morocco?"

Cody paused, clutching the comn.

"I...."

He faltered, and as Kade studied his expression, he saw that Darkness return once again, but something was... different, this time.

There was almost a different layer of Darkness.

Not that hollow, numbing rage, No...

This was...

Broken.

Something empty, and sad.

An emptiness only filled by one solid mission.

Something clicked inside Kade, something Bitter and sad.

".... There wasn't supposed to be an "After", was there?"

Cody's silence said it all.

Kade didn't pry, and after a moment, Cody bowed his head, setting down the comn to rub his eyes.

".... At some point, i knew Morocco had to die for what he did. And... I guess... i thought I did too. After all... I helped him..."

His breath grew tighter.

"It didn't take long for the truth to come out. Everyone knew.... Everyone on the entire fragging island knew what I did."

"You were MIND CONTROLLED, it wasn't-"

"It was."

He met Kade's eyes again, that broken, hollow pain now filling him.

"If i hadn't gone after him alone, they wouldn't have died. That's my burden to bear for the rest of my life. I Can't change that. But.... I guess... I can figure out what to do now. Now that I have a "next."."

"You want my advice?"

Kade grabbed his collar, staring deep into his eyes.

"I know it's scary, but... You have to let go of them. They.... Well, I know I can't totally speak for your family.... But... I know I would've forgiven you. We would've wanted you to move on."

"... I'm scared... I... It feels like... I'd forget them... That i'd lose them again. Or like... I'm betraying them...."

He shuddered, and that broken fragility swelled up, dampness bubbling in his eyes.

"... I spent my entire life feeling like i was supposed to follow in their footsteps... My entire life, "The Burns Family Of Heroes", that hung over me. I felt like... If I wasn't continuing that legacy... Then.... Why was I even here? If I wasn't upholding that legacy, following in everyone's footsteps.... Then what's the point?"

That was like a punch to the gut for Kade, the raw emotion in the confession giving him a painful reminder to his own Cody's insecurities.

Insecurities that he himself had contributed to.

He gently squeezed Cody's good shoulder, saying softly, yet sternly,

"Hey. Legacy be damned. You haven't been letting yourself live, because you've felt like you don't deserve a life, but you do. Make your own legacy, your own path. Talk to Frankie, remake that connection."

"... I'm scared.... What if... I lose everything again.... or Hurt them again..."

"Other Bro. Listen to me."

Kade gently pulled away, taking his seat.

"Heh... Being a Bonehead runs in the family... Which means i know where you got it from. But listen to me, man. This stuff... sucks. it really does. It's hard to take that first step. I know i'm afraid of reaching out. It makes me feel... weak. And i'm guessing you got that from your Kade, huh? Just like how i'm probably passing it to my Cody."

Cody breathed, a loud, wet breath, some mix between a shudder and a laugh.

"It really does run in the family, huh?"

"Seems like it."

Cody grabbed the old Comn, staring at it contemplatively.

"... You really think I have a chance? That I can start over?"

Kade gave him a soft smile.

"I know you can. I know it's hard, but you've been through hell and back already, I don't think it's possible for this world to throw anything worse at you."

"Gee, how supportive."

The two shared a bitter laugh, before Kade glanced over, gripping his hands together.

"Hey... Uh... can I.. ask you something?"

"Sure?"

Kade sighed, rubbing his neck.

"On the topic of changing things... Uh... Well, I figure you'd know, y'know? I just-"

"Kade, spit it out."

".... Can you... Give me some advice? About... My Cody?"

Cody's eyes widened.

"... Advice? What do you mean?"

"I just..."

Kade groaned, burying his head in his hands.

"... Is there.... Anything I need to know, about him? Our dimension are different, it's not like you're clones of each other or anything, but... You would know, right?"

Cody thought for a moment, then gave a slow, sad smile.

"... He looks up to you, Kade, he really does. He admires you, he just wants you to be proud of him."

"... I'm always proud of him..."

"Then tell him that."

Cody held up the Comn.

"Family is fragile, Kade. My last words to my brother were ones i'll always regret. We never got a chance to really repair our relationship, but you? You have time. You want my advice? Just be gentle with him. Give him time to figure things out. Nudge him in the right direction, but let him make mistakes he'll learn and grow from. But most of all... watch his back, and I promise he'll always watch yours."

Kade smiled, nodding.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Suddenly, the door opened, and the Alternate Frankie charged in, followed by the rest of the team.

"You're awake!"

"Frankie! Yeah, i'm okay, mostly."

Frankie rushed to the other end of the bed, sighing with relief.

"Are you sure you're okay? I'm sorry about your Cybernetic, but Dad and I were working on a better model anyway, better accommodating to your Bio-Electricity. And we can improve the Neural link, and-"

"Frankie. It's okay, really, i'll be fine."

Frankie looked relived, grabbing his hand gently.

"Good.... Because when we get back to our Dimension... I'M GOING TO KILL YOU."

Everyone jumped at the abrupt switch in Frankie's tone, and the anger in her eyes.

Cody flinched, but shook his head.

"You know what? I deserve that."

"YES. YES YOU DO."

Frankie pulled away, groaning as she rubbed her forehead.

"Out of all the reckless and stupid things you've done... WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! TACKLING MOROCCO THROUGH A RANDOM PORTAL?!?! YOU COULD'VE DIED, YOU IDIOT!!"

"I know, I know, i'm sure i'm in for one hell of a lecture when we get back."

"Might wanna clear the next few days, it'll be a LONG one."

"I'll bet..."

He met Frankie's face, sighing.

"... We... need to talk, really talk, don't we?"

Frankie looked surprised, and Cody continued.

"I... Owe everyone some serious apologies. You, Doc, Heatwave, Uncle Woodrow... We need to talk."

Across the room, Charlie gasped at the sound of Woodrow's name, exchanging a look with Dani and Graham.

Fankie sighed, shaking her head.

"You realize you're really going to have earn our trust back? After everything you pulled-"

"I promise."

Cody reached out, leaning over the bed's railing to grab Frankie's hand.

"I... Want to be better. You... You were there for me. You were all there for me. You are the reason i'm alive, and you make me want to be a version of myself that's worthy of the love you've given me."

Frankie was speechless, her anger slowly melting away.

"I know i've messed up, but I promise you, I want to-"

Cody was cut off, as Frankie practically tackled him, wrapping her arms around him.

Both were quiet for a moment, as Frankie slowly whispered,

"... I missed you... I missed my best friend..."

Cody used his arm to hold her close, take taking a moment to enjoy the embrace.

"... I missed you too..."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, when a sudden cough came from the doorway.

Doctor Mcswain stood in the doorway, eyeing everyone with suspicion.

"So... Anyone here care to explain why Mister John Doe here happens to have a DNA Match for Cody Burns?"

Dead silence rang throughout the room, before the doctor shook her head, cracking a smirk.

"Y'know, Doctor Patient Confidentiality doesn't usually include Alternate Dimensions. But I guess I can adjust the clause in the paperwork. After all, this is Griffin Rock."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the doctor held up her folder.

"Just about got his discharge papers sorted, then it's out of my hands."

Charlie flushed, obviously nervous.

"Right, uh, thank you, Doctor Mcswain. I trust you'll keep this little misadventure off the record?"

Doctor Mcswain only winked.

"You've got your job, i've got mine."

The doctor took her leave, and everyone glanced around.

Charlie held up a backpack, approaching the bed.

"We brought you a change of clothes. Nothing special, just some hand-me-downs, but I hope-"

"It's fine, thank you."

Frankie pulled away, and Charlie kneeled down, tenderly facing the alternate.

"Are you okay?"

".... I'm... not really sure. But..."

He glanced to his sides, first to Kade, then to Frankie.

"I think... I'm on the right track now."

-

The mood was somber, as everyone loitered outside the lab.

Yet, Frankie was unable to contain her giggle, as Doc giddily scrolled through the new data uploaded to his tablet.

"Creations from a parallel reality, Fascinating!!! You're really sure this is alright?"

Frankie laughed, nodding.

"Please, my dad would want you to have it, he'd probably say something like, "Who better to share my research with than myself?"."

Doc could only laugh.

"He sounds like my kind of person!"

The two laughed, before Doc set down the tablet.

"Now, you're sure you're alright?"

"I'm alright, I promise."

Doc could only beam proudly, his hand trailing to her shoulder.

"My dear, you've become a wonderful, brilliant young woman. Please, take care of yourself."

Frankie could only smile, leaning into his touch.

"I will, dad."

Some distance away, Charlie was nervous.

"You're sure you're comfortable?"

"I am, I promise."

Charlie sighed, absently adjusting the right sleeve of the jacket.

The gifted clothing had consisted of jeans, a brown tee shirt, and a soft yellow hoodie, slightly too large for Cody.

Charlie had rolled up the right sleeve, pinning it up, and was in the process of adjusting a backpack around him, balanced with a duffel bag containing his gear.

"You really didn't need to make me a care package, i'm just going home."

"I know, but... Just in case."

Charlie took a moment to really study the boy, staring deep into his eyes.

When they're first met, he's been unable to contain his his shock.

This boy, so different than the son he knew, with his broken, darkened eyes, scarred body, pain etched into his soul, he was almost unrecognizable.

Almost.

Now, as Charlie studied him, he was taken back by the change.

The light in his eyes had returned, something hopeful and new.

A new light that persisted despite the bandages around his face, and the old scaring and fresh bruising peeking out from beneath.

Charlie gently cupped his face, worry nagging at him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Cody sighed, leaning into his touch.

"... Only one way to find out, right?"

"Hey, Hotshot."

Kade walked over, his face tense from nerves.

"You... take care of yourself, alright?"

Cody only smirked.

"Right back at you."

He extended his hand, and Kade took it, smiling softly.

Dani and Graham walked up, Dani lightly elbowing the alternate.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Graham nodded, nervously asking,

"Will we... Ever see you again?"

Cody shugged.

"Who's to say? If I've learned anything, It's that I can't predict where things go. But... I think I'd like that, if we ever meet again."

Cody pulled away, turning to face the Bots.

"Sorry again, about before."

Chase shook his head.

"While your previous actions cannot be condoned, I suppose it can be understood that they stem from a sensitive mindset."

Blades nodded, adding,

"Yeah, please don't do that again."

"I promise, Blades."

Blades nodded again, satisfied, as Boulder leaned in.

"I'm sorry, if it... Hurt, to see us."

Cody paused, sighing a moment.

"... A bit. But.. in a way.. It also feels good. At least i know you're all still alive somehow, even if it's not my reality."

Finally, he turned to Heatwave, his smile dimming, but an aura of sincerity settled over him.

"Thanks for watching my back, Heatwave."

Heatwave nodded, rigid, but somehow soft.

"I always will, kid, I always will."

"Hey, you ready?"

Frankie had pulled out a large duffel bag, and upon opening it, revealed the shattered purple gem of Morocco's power source.

She studied it carefully, before pulling out a small shard, and handing it to Doc.

"Keep this, just in case."

He nodded, and Frankie held out the rest, before pulling out a small, remote like device.

"Let's hope this works...."

Frankie held up the device, explaining,

"Breaching Dimensions wasn't exactly easy, it was a lot of trial and error to send me here. We had to piece things together from what we could find of Morocco's notes, combined with general experimentation. We were counting on Morocco's power source serving as a beacon of sorts, which it did, leading me right to you. Hopefully, this Beacon will work the same way, helping Dad to re-open the portal from their end."

Frankie held the Beacon close to the bag containing the purple crystals, and pressed down on the button.

The assembled team waited, a moment passing with bated breath as everyone watched in anticipation.

Then.

The power source began sparking, from the shards in the bag to the one held by Doc.

The purple energy began glowing, before a large, crackling, pulsating purple vortex opened up in the clearing.

Everyone stared, before Frankie checked the beacon, which lit up with an affirmative green glow.

"That's our ride."

The two alternates slowly approached the portal, before Cody turned around, gazing at the rescue team.

"I'm glad I could see you all again, and I hope we meet again someday."

Charlie nodded to him, his expression somber, but caring.

"If you ever need us, you know which dimension to find us."

Cody smiled, softly saying,

"Take care of each other. And... Thank you, for helping me find myself."

With that, he turned to Frankie, holding out his hand.

She clutched it, and with that, the two stepped through the portal, which closed behind them.

Everyone watched as the vortex faded away, the purple energy dispersing.

A melancholic feeling settled over the group, and everyone was left to reflect.

-

"I'm home!!!"

The firehouse door was eagerly thrown open as Cody burst in, the young boy clearly bubbling with energy and enthusiasm.

"The camping trip was crazy, but the weirdest-"

"HE'S HOME!!!!"

"AH!"

Cody was suddenly caught off guard as he was pulled into the air, dropping his backpack.

Blades held him up, twirling him in the air as he danced about.

"HE'S REALLY HOME!!!"

"BLADES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!"

Before Blades could answer, Cody suddenly found himself pulled out of Blades's hands and Into Boulder's, with Chase looming over the other side.

"Oh, we're so happy to see you!!"

"Your return is most relieving."

"Guys, what's going on?!"

"Guys, calm down."

Heatwave sighed, coming into veiw.

"Sorry, Cody, things got a bit... weird."

Heatwave gently reached over, rubbing Cody's hair, before nudging Boulder.

"Alright, put him down, let him breath."

Cody laughed as Boulder placed him down, but clearly confused.

"Guys, I missed you too, but I was only gone for two days! It was just a field trip!"

Cody barely had time to get his bearings before the pounding of footsteps caught his attention.

"HE'S HOME!!"

Cody yelped as he was practically tackled by his siblings, finding himself crushed in a triple hug as Kade yelled,

"NEVER SCARE US LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!"

"WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT'D I DO?!?!"

Behind them, Charlie rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Alright, alright, everyone just give him some space, you're scaring him."

Reluctantly, Kade, Dani and Graham pulled away, leaving Cody even more confused, and slightly squished.

"What's going on?! Did something happen while I was gone?"

Everyone glanced between each other, and Kade cleared his throat.

"Nope, nothing... noteworthy, it was... boring."

Dani nodded.

"Super boring."

"Incredibly boring." Chimed in Graham.

Charlie chuckled to himself, kneeling as he met Cody's suspicious eyes.

"You... Could say we did some reflecting. We're just... happy to see you."

He pulled Cody into a hug, and Cody embraced him, despite the nagging feeling that he'd missed something.

"Are you SURE nothing happened? Oh, what about Cole?"

"Right, uh... Cole..."

Charlie pulled away, and Dani glanced at her brothers.

"He... Uh... His friend took him home."

"Is he okay?"

Charlie pulled himself up, taking a second to contemplate the question.

".... He will be. It was like you said, he was just... a bit mixed up. But.. I think he's headed in the right direction now."

"Actually, he left this for you."

Kade walked over, pulling a small piece of paper from his pocket.

"He asked me to give this to you before he left."

Cody took the note, reading over the message.

"Thanks for the help. Take care, Kid. - C.B."

Cody frowned, staring at the initials.

"C.B.... hmm... weird, He has the same initials as me."

The team's awkward silence was broken by Graham, quickly stammering,

"Uh... we... forgot to ask his last name..."

Cody shrugged, carefully pocketing the note.

"I'm glad you guys helped him, I was worried."

A light bulb suddenly went off in Kade's mind, and he motioned over to Heatwave.

"Oh, by the way, we..... found this."

Heatwave reached into his Cab, gingerly pulling out the Comn Tab, causing Cody to light up.

"Oh!! Whew! I was worried, i thought I lost it! Oh, the weirdest thing happened on the camping trip! Frankie and I went looking for her Frisbee, and I guess we got lost. but it was weird... Everyone said we were gone for about an hour, but it only felt like a few minutes."

Everyone froze at the story, and Charlie awkwardly took the Comn Tab from Heatwave, handing it to Cody.

"... Well... You know the legends about the forest, maybe the Fairies played a trick on you..."

Cody shrugged, tucking the Comn Tab in his jacket.

"Who knows... Eh, i'm sure it wasn't anything crazy."

The team could only stare blankly.

-

In Another Reality:

-

It was quiet, as the group made their way to town square.

Daylight blazed with it's dying hues of orange and red, and a cool, chiil breeze drifted through the air, urging Frankie to tug her jacket tighter.

The group came to a stop, and Frankie paused, taking in the scene.

"I'm surprised you asked us to meet here."

Cody sat on the ground, his posture limp as he stared ahead, gazing at two large stone fixtures, tarnished metal plates on each inscribed with a memorial.

He stood up, and slowly touched the first, his flesh hand trailing over the engraved leters.

Burns Family of Heroes. Charlie Burns Kade Burns Graham Burns Dani Burns Beloved Protectors of our Community Rest in Peace.

He moved to the second, much identical to the first, save for an Autobot Insignia engraved into the stone.

Rescue Force Sigma 17 Blades Boulder Chase Valued Friends and Family "Till All Are One."

A soft shudder escaped Cody, as he turned to face the assembled group.

"You know I wouldn't lie here."

Leading the rear of the group, Heatwave stared down at Cody, trying to ignore the ache from his limp.

"Cody, what is this?"

Beside Doc, Woodrow nodded.

"Yeah, what's going on?

Cody gazed at them, sighing.

"A promise. And... an apology."

Frankie's eyes widened, and the group took in Cody's appearance.

His new Cybernetic peeked out from the sleeves of a large bomber jacket, the Bronze color of the metal almost blending in with the deep brown of the jacket.

His long hair was pulled into a ponytail, his bangs loose and blanketing some of the bandages around his face.

Cody met their gaze, something soft and vulnerable within his eyes.

"I'm.... Sorry... I'm so sorry.... for everything... I know, that i'll have to work to earn forgiveness. To earn your trust again. But... This ordeal... It made me realize. I was afraid. I wanted you to turn your backs on me. To abandon me. Because I thought it was better to be alone by choice than risk losing everything again."

His cybernetic drifted to chest, pressing over his heart.

"The Pain was like a poison in my chest. It festered, and it seeped out onto you. I want to end this. I don't want this poison to spread any more."

It was then, that Frankie noticed a small hole in the ground, dug by the two memorials.

Cody held up a black case, and after cracking it open, they could see his Vigilante equipment nestled inside.

Doc couldn't contain his confusion, asking,

"Cody, what is this?"

Cody held up the old Comn, housing the photo he'd kept by his side for so many years.

"A funeral."

Cody gingerly placed the Comn inside the case, and closed it up.

The group watched as he knelt down, and lowered the case into the hole, and started to bury it.

"Responder is dead."

He smoothed the dirt over the hole, until the case was firmly buried.

He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants, as he stepped closer to the group.

"I want to change the way i've been going about this. I still want to protect Griffin Rock, but not out of Vengeance. I want to protect Griffin Rock to honor my family's memory. And... I can't do it alone."

He slowly approached the group, both hands extended.

"Can I earn another chance?"

Frankie was the first to grasp his hand, nodding as she stared deep into his eyes.

Woodrow and Doc were next, and Heatwave leaned over, extending a hand.

"We're with you, kid."

Doc cocked his head, asking,

"So, do you have a plan, for going about this change?"

"I might have an idea..."

-

Primary Reality:

-

Heatwave leaned against the firehouse wall, observing absently as he watched the humans of the team laughing amongst themselves as they threw a basketball around.

Kade suddenly noticed him, pulling away from the game.

"You good?"

"Yeah. Just... thinking."

"I get it."

Kade rested against the wall next to him, taking a breather.

"Still processing, huh?"

"I guess."

"It was a lot to take in."

Heatwave stared out at the game, watching Cody dart around the court, beaming as he ducked around Dani to throw the ball to Graham.

"Do you.... Think he'll be okay?"

Kade snorted.

"Which one?"

"Either, I guess."

Kade stared at the game, and shrugged.

"Who's to say? But... As long as we're around, we'll watch his back. As for the other... I think.... He's in good hands. It's not gonna be easy, and it'll take some time, but... I think he's gonna be okay."

That felt satisfying to Heatwave.

The uncertainty of the situation still nagged at him, but... He could accept that.

"Think we'll ever see him again?"

"Who's to say... But... like Dad said. If he ever needs our help, he knows which dimension to turn to."

-

In Another Reality:

-

Darkness blanketed the island, as two men moved through the shadows.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Relax, would'ja? I'm telling ya, this job couldn't be easier."

The first man opened the trunk to their van, rooting around.

"Weak security, no witnesses, pricey goods. This kinda tech is gonna make us bank on the mainland."

He handed the second man a pair of Boltcutters, who took them with clear reluctance.

"But what about.... Him?"

The first man only scoffed.

"Nobody's seen him around in some time. Rumor has it, somebody finally got him. They're saying the last time anyone saw him was fighting that old crazy guy."

"You really think he's dead?"

"We would've seen him around if he wasn't, right?"

He threw a bag around his shoulders, and closed the trunk. The two scoped the area, then began their mission.

They crept around the side of the warehouse, staying in the shadows, until they reached the back door.

The first man got to work, cutting the chain anchoring the doors closed.

The second man wasted no time, roughly throwing the doors open, seeming unconcerned as the chain loudly clattered to the ground.

"Jeez, at least be careful!"

"Oh, calm down, will you?"

The two made their way through the building, blanketed in shadows and silent darkness.

"Here!"

The second man smirked as he came to a large crate.

"Hand over those cutters, the prototype engines in here are gonna earn us a fortune!"

Just as he moved to comply, a loud crash caught their attention, the men whipping around to see the door slam shut.

"Ah, jeeze!"

"Calm down! Was probably just the wind."

But just as he said that, a low, distored voice rang out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that...."

The first man dropped the cutters, whirling around in a circle.

"WHO WAS THAT?!"

The second man stood up, glancing around.

"Awww crap..."

"Screw the job, i'm out!"

The first man rushed to the door, but imnidently panicked, and started pounding away on it.

"IT'S LOCKED!!!!"

"CALM DOWN, MAN!!!"

The Two glanced around the room, before the second suddenly pointed towards one of the walls.

"WHAT THE-"

The two watched in terror as a figure with a blue, glowing aura, suddenly passed clear through the wall.

"I TOLD YOU THIS ISLAND WAS HAUNTED!!!! I TOLD YOU!!!"

The second man slapped the first, clearly agitated.

"SHUT UP, MAN! GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF. Just.. Just calm down."

The second man scanned the area, calling out,

"SHOW YOURSELF, YOU FREAK!"

The first man was trembling, fear clawing at him.

"Oh no no no...... This is bad, man..."

"For the last time, just-"

A low, deep laugh suddenly caught the men's attention.

The two slowly stared at each other, before turning to face the wall behind them.

The laughter grew louder, and louder, until suddenly,

A figure was thrust through the wall, the men greeted by a glowing blue figure.

It had black and blue armour, but the worst, was a helmet with a skull face, it's souless eyes seeming to bore into the men.

"Boo."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH"

The two screamed, tearing off to the other end of the building.

"I TOLD YOU-"

"SHUT UP!!! JUST RUN!!!"

The two ran as fast as they could, the second grabbing the discarded cutters from the floor, and hurling them at a window, smashing it.

"GO GO GO!!!!"

The two practically threw themselves through the window, snagging themselves on the glass shards, but not caring.

They practically fell on top of one another as they scrambled out the window, bursting into the night outside.

They instantly charged around the building, sprinting towards the van.

Suddenly, a golden flash caught their attention, the two barely having time to look up as a figure burst into view from above, landing atop the car.

"Going somewhere, gents?"

The figure was clad in Bronze Armour, sparking gold electricity flickering around him, illuminating a strange visor, curved down in such a way to look like a Beak. Boots with metal Talons dug into the roof of the van, and the men could see similar claws on his hands.

But the most eye-catching detail, were the two enormous metal wings sprouting from his back, sparking and crackling with golden power.

The Second man stammered, recognizing the figure's voice.

"Responder?!"

The figure chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

"Call me Gryphon."

The men attempted to run the other way, only to freeze in their tracks at the sight of the terrifying figure from before.

The men realized they were trapped, and just as the panic set in, something hit them from behind, the men falling over as cables wrapped around them and restrained them.

Gryphon hopped down from the van, his wings carrying him down near the ghostly figure.

He tapped the side of his visor, smirking.

"Hey, Barney, we have a present for you. Yeah, that warehouse on Welker and Cullen."

He faced the two men, smirking as he pointed to his companion.

"Gentlemen, i'd like you to meet my associate, Ghost."

Ghost teasingly waved, and the first man only groaned.

"I knew we shouldn't have come to this island..."

"Shut up..."

-

"So?"

"So what?"

Cody pulled up his visor, smirking.

"Did you have fun?"

"What part?"

"Any of it! Going out there, doing this again, the bit."

Frankie deactivated her helmet with a small chuckle.

"I'll admit, the bit was fun."

"See, what have I been saying?"

"You also got your wings stuck in the door before we left, and I had to Phase you out, so my expectations were low."

"Hey!"

Cody put his hand to his chest in mock offense, and Frankie couldn't hold back a laugh.

He joined in, and the two approached the lab, seeing Doc, Woodrow, and Heatwave waiting for them.

"How was it?"

The duo exchanged a look, and Frankie smiled, nodding.

"I think this is going to work out."

"Excellent."

Doc motioned to the equipment before him, and the mass of purple crystals.

"Are you certain about this?"

The duo nodded, and Doc glanced to Woodrow and Heatwave, who both nodded as well.

"Very well, then. Let's see if this works."

Doc held up a small, remote like device. He carefully pried it open, and inserted one of the purple crystal shards, before screwing it closed.

Cody held out his cybernetic, flexing his wrist to retract the claws protruding from each finger.

Doc carefully affixed the device to the cybernetic, backing away slowly.

"Now, be careful, you don't want to overuse your Bio-Electricity."

Cody nodded, and concentrated, taking a deep breath as he focused his power, and fed it into the attachment.

The attachment started flickering with the purple energy, and as Cody pointed the cybernetic outward, His golden power combined with the purple of the attachment, opening a spiraling gold and purple vortex.

The team gazed in awe, as Cody could only gape.

"It actually worked..."

Doc nodded, observing the readings from his tablet.

"Energy signature confirms it, This is a successful dimensional portal. But to where it leads, is the question."

"The Multiverse is Infinite, right?"

"In theory, yes. The vastness of branching and interwoven realities is too great to fully comprehend. Anything could be awaiting through that portal."

"Anything, huh?"

Cody glanced over at Frankie, smiling as he extended his flesh hand.

"Together?"

She smiled, gripping his hand tight.

"Together."

Heatwave watched them, and could only smile.

"Be careful, kid."

"I will."

Frankie lightly elbowed him, smirking.

"I'll keep him in check."

Cody only shook his head.

"Don't you always?"

"When you let me."

The two chuckled, then stared into the swirling vortex, before charging in.

It was a large, strange universe out there.

But as the two dove into whatever awaited them, they felt secure, knowing they had each other's backs.

Whatever awaited them, they would face it together.

-

Huge, Huge thanks to everyone who's been following along with this story! This is a huge passion project of mine, as i've actually had the ideas for this story in mind for a very long time. It has changed considerably, originally my idea was Time Travel, but the multiverse turned out to be FAR better in the end. My biggest thanks go to: @gelu-the-babosa-multiversal , who's been very supportive and following this story from the beginning, thank you so much for helping nudge me to follow though on this idea.

@misss-americanaa , who has actually become a very dear friend directly because of this story, and major story elements and character development WOULD NOT have happened without her, thank you so much for basically co-writing this with me!

Tabby, one of my dearest weirdos of many years, thanks for indulging in my madness and encouraging me along XD, i've been tormenting her with my fanfic since 2021 XDDD

Huge thanks to everyone who's been following along with my madness XD, and if you really liked this story,

maybe

just maybe

I already have have plans for a sequel... or two....

>:)

it's been a wild road, and one i've been so happy to see through. My writing Playlist:

Hayloft ii- Mother Mother Eye For An Eye- Rina Sawayama All Eyes On You- Smash Into Pieces Scars- The Crane Wives Little Lion Man- Mumford & Sons Useless- Updog Class Clown- Silent Child & Aviva Epoch- The Living Tombstones Enemy- Imagine Dragons Bones- Imagine Dragons Pork Soda- Glass Animals

[songmingisthighs]

Maudit

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. xxii - peter

cursed!jongho × reader

genre : mythology!au, smau

rating : mature; crude jokes and filthy language

tw : jokes about illegal substances (cannabis), jongho being sentimental, talks about natural death

wc : 2 k

buy me coffee ?

so long i've been here, so long are the stories i've written. of what i gathered and lost, loneliness becomes me and pain refuse to depart from me. i've embraced that which ate me away so when you came along, i had no part of me left to give.

Never in a million years would you have imagined to be in this spot. Seeing your boss, the same guy who not four weeks ago had blatantly told you to keep your personal and professional apart just because you were texting your grand uncle about his stiff joints, in your house with takeout. Well, your grand uncle's house, but still, it was your quarters and he was acting so casual with you. This was not the only casual thing, as he showed up in a big, fluffy hoodie and dark sweatpants, completely taking you off guard. It wasn't like you were expecting him to be wearing suits or business-casual outfits so late, it was just that you had never seen him so comfortable.

"I hope you don't mind Chinese food. I've been craving it, especially noodles for some reason," Jongho said as he slowly pulled containers of food out of the plastic bag. The smell was mouth-watering but it didn't deter you enough to skip over the main issue. "How long have you been craving Chinese food, Jongho? 200 years?" your eyes dart along the five side dish containers on top of the two noodle containers before you.

Sheepishly, Jongho chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "Well, I didn't know what you like so..." "You got a whole page of the menu?" you finished for him, still looking incredulous. Jongho simply shrugged, "If we don't finish this, we can split the remaining food and keep them as leftovers. Easy." Though he made a point, you still couldn't believe that he had bought so much on his first time stepping into your house. "Even the leftovers would be too much," you grumbled despite looking over the food and thinking about which one to pick first. "If you can't finish this, you can always share with your uncle," Jongho suggested as he dropped himself on the other end of the couch with his noodles, his feet tucked under his thighs as he sat cris-crossed. You settled into a mirroring position, also with your own noodles before you pressed play on your paused movie, Captain America: The First Avenger. "First of all, it's grand uncle, and no I can't share with him because he's old and the doctor is limiting his sodium intake severely so I'm just gonna put this in my fridge," you explained.

Although you lived with your grand uncle, he was nice enough to realize that once you became an adult, you wanted your own space and due to his mobility issue, he decided to give the whole second floor to yourself while he stayed on the first floor. He had assured that you had your own little apartment on the second floor what with your own bedroom, your own kitchen, your own living room and your own bathroom. He had allowed you to transform his entire second floor and all he asked of you was to just not bother him because he needed his rest. So you usually see him maybe four times a week because your schedules tend to make you very occupied outside, but with the help of the caretaker, you were able to be sure that he was doing just fine. When he wasn't cranky.

"I think I saw him earlier while we were going up. It sucks he can't eat this but that just means there's more for you," Jongho said between bites, "Let me tell you, once MSG was introduced, it was just like what happened with cannabis." The way he said the word cocaine so casually made you almost choke your food, but you managed to only cough twice before swallowing and talking, "What the hell do you mean cannabis??" you asked, both scandalized and surprised. "Well," Jongho paused to swallow a mouthful of tangsuyuk he had dipped in sauce, "We used to cook with cannabis leaves because back then we didn't know it was narcotics because there weren't any classifications back then, we just considered it edible weed so we make dishes out of them and where I'm from, cannabis leaves were everywhere." You were still amazed at the newfound revelation when Jongho suddenly chuckled to himself, grinning fondly, "I remember when I was... twelve or something, my younger brother and I just came back from school, we were hungry and he was particularly emotional because he had gotten in trouble from fighting with some kid. We got back home and our mom made these amazing steamed cabbage rolls with ground beef and what I later found out was cannabis leaves. It was one of the fondest memories I had of home. Just being a kid, trying to be a policeman. I usually make that dish from time to time out of homesickness but then it all stopped after 1976 because cannabis was made illegal so I haven't had it in quite some time."

There was an aura shrouding Jongho, something that felt more like nostalgia and longing with a hint of hurt. But you didn't dare to point that out as you were afraid of poking him on a sore spot. So you decided to go another direction, "So is that what you want, cheech? You want to smoke some MJ?" you teased. Jongho immediately turned to look at you with an exasperated look before sighing, "Of course not, I'm being sentimental here! Besides, the drug use now was nothing compared to how it was back then. There were no prohibition or anything so it was somewhat fine as long as it was controlled, but when I first got my police training, I did see some cases of people tripping in restaurants or getting into fights due to hallucinations in the street, they were a handful," he snickered, remembering a particular memory of a guy who was tripping and he was thinking that a witch poisoned his tea when in fact his wife had spiked it to get him to confess to adultery.

"Do you miss your life before? Your... original life, I mean," you couldn't help but ask after seeing Jongho being so... Enthused from talking about his life. Jongho paused mid-bite, surprised that you would ask that. To be honest, Jongho never thought about that particular question before. Sure, he thought about his past life rather often but it was never about if he missed his old life or not. He reminisced because he had been through a lot for quite some time, but he wasn't sure if he particularly missed it.

"Well... I miss my mom... And my dad... And my little brother... I don't miss the way people usually die after forty or fifty or from the common cold and I don't miss the way we have to walk for two weeks to get to a whole different city because we had to walk everywhere," Jongho stated, giving you a bit of an understanding. Then you pursed your lips, "I've never asked you this... But what did your parents do? How was your little brother like?" "My parents had an apothecary. My dad had connection to China where he import special herbs and medicine so he was able to get under the king's radar and so it simplified my application to the police academy. My little brother, that little copycat, seeing me working decided that he wanted to become a policeman too. He thought, and I quote, 'if you out of all stubborn people could do it, I can do it better,' which is absolutely infuriating," he chuckled.

As his chuckle died, you saw his face relax and his smile faltered as his gaze dropped to the coffee table in front of you, "I never got to see him graduating from the academy. Last I heard, he was given a prestigious honour and my parents were so proud that they held a celebration for him. The same way they did when I also graduated and got a recognition honour from the palace itself," he said, this time with a tone that conveyed his sadness.

Truly, at that moment all you wanted was to reach over and pull him into your arms, comforting him. But you knew you couldn't, you knew you shouldn't because you weren't sure how he was going to react. So instead, you straightened up and scooted closer to him to the point that your knees were touching. Realizing your attempt to comfort him, Jongho cracked a grin and shook his head in slight embarrassment, "Sorry, didn't mean to make the mood sour. I just... I never got to talk about this to anyone who might understand, you know?" You furrowed your eyebrows slightly, "Don't you talk to your friends about this?" to which he scoffed, "The fabled creatures? Sure. They don't grow up, they were created to be that way. Even the guardians, were once human but upon their tragic and unfair death, they were given the choice to become guardians and when they agreed their memories and feelings over their mortal lives were wiped out. Sure, Seonghwa hyung allows them to read their Book, but since their feelings were wiped, they don't really feel attachment. So when I talk about my past life, when I talk about how I miss certain things, they're all up on me talking about how I should be glad that I get to feel the modern age, they try to push me to focus on the silver lining which is more beneficial, yes, but-" "Sometimes you need to weep and wallow," you finished, surprising Jongho.

Now, there was a sad smile on your face as you nodded in understanding. "I know, I get it," you simply said, reaching forward to pat him on the knee. You wanted to tell him how sometimes you also just hole yourself up in your room and cry about your parents. You tried talking to Mingi about this but he couldn't understand, he kept telling you about how knowing your parents wasn't always a good thing since he barely knew his dad. So you tried talking to Liz and Wonyoung but of course, coming from a functional family, they can't understand your need to cry yourself out sometimes and instead, they kept telling you to be happy. Taehyun and Hyunjin... Well, they were simply out of the question. But This, knowing that someone you least expected was sharing your perspective, was surprising but also comforting. You couldn't help but see Jongho in a different light and no, it wasn't just because your lightbulb gave Jongho this soft, almost boyish glow with his glimmering eyes filled with contentment and cheeks a rosy hue from baring his feelings.

As to not turn the moment depressing, you cleared your throat and nodded towards the TV. "Not gonna lie, it's kind of intriguing that both you and I can open a grief support group with Captain America there," you pointed out. Jongho raised an eyebrow, unsure as to what you meant, "The guy in spandex holding a trash lid? How so?" You gasped loudly and smacked your thigh, "Trash lid?? That's his shield! That thing is made out of vibranium and he's just so super strong- Okay, no, we need to get to the bottom of this, oh my God, I will not shut up until you completely understand," you positioned yourself so you were sitting facing Jongho as he groaned and dropped his head back, "Do I want to know what a vibranium is?" "Yes, of course!" you exclaimed excitedly while Jongho pretended to sob.

You two ended up watching The Avengers after that while you gave your commentary and explained things so Jongho would understand. Jongho, despite not really wanting to know, found himself rather intrigued with the band of superheroes and even asking questions, engaging actively whilst paying attention, even commenting how Hawkeye should've been dead at least 20 times because a real arrow and a real archer would not have been able to do a repeat shooting and in exchange, he explained how archery works to you.

It was a dramatic shift in conversation but that night, you two got to know each other and after a long time, Jongho finally let a new person into his life, genuinely in and not just because he had something he needed. And he couldn't be more glad to have his stoic stance proven wrong by you out of all people.

network :

@cultofdionysus @sandsofire @kflixnet @pirateeznet

taglist :

@dinossaurz @redzie02 @stayatinykatsy @tinyelfperson @allisonleannn @yukichan67 @phenomenalgirl9 @dawn-iscozy @aestheticsluut @krustycangrejo @teenyfinds @kirbrary @thedistractedwriter @gxlden-bxbyy @huachengsbestie01 @charreddonuts @that-irrelevant-ricecakeaddict @velvetskize @do-you-remember-summer-127 @borahae-reads @domfikeluva @hwalighters @akunoeyebrows

@roronoas-wife

[autumnmobile12]

Ambush Simulation: Shipping

There's not really any ships in The Summer Camp Ambush Simulation, mostly because the premise doesn't require it. I mean, there's Deku and Uraraka, but that's mostly the canon infatuation that goes on between those two and there's no other ships, conflicting or otherwise, so I see no reason to write them OOC.

There's Shimura and Spinner, but it's not gonna have too much focus.

Surprisingly, (to me, anyway) I think Toga’s canon infatuation with Deku may be the most explored since she is a more central character in the fic, but it’s definitely in the realm of ‘teens figuring life out’ and not in the 'romantic endgame' way. Toga’s whole character development in Ambush Simulation revolves around her figuring life out: the situation with her family, what she’s planning for after high school, how to live freely while remaining mindful of other people’s lives, boundaries, and expectations. A lot more 'coming of age' themes than I was originally expecting for this fic.

I can see this convo happening though:

Toga: *to Shimura and Dabi* Why did you two never get together? Aren't you childhood friends or something?

Shimura: ...okay, first of all, childhood friends don't always get together. Secondly, we weren't so much childhood friends as we were weird cousins who saw each other maybe once or twice a year. His dad's one-sided rivalry with my uncle didn't exactly encourage association.

Dabi: Plus I met Shimura when I nine and he was five, so he was an annoying little kid at that point.

Shimura: You thought I was annoying? Aww...

Toga: So how did you two meet?

Shimura: I think we were introduced at... *to Dabi* Was it one of the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate's charity events?

Dabi: *shaking his head* Nah, the Safety Commission's annual Christmas party.

Shimura: Oh, right! You still had red in your hair. I thought you and Fuyumi were twins.

Dabi: You're not the only one. We got bored with all the adults talking, so we went into the restroom and swapped clothes. Not even our father noticed, which is a little sad in retrospect.

Toga: What did you do about your different hairstyles?

Dabi: Nothing. Some brat had stuck gum in Yumi's hair a few days earlier and Mom had to cut it, so she looked vaguely like me for about a month.

Edit: When I say no ships in The Summer Camp Ambush Simulation, I'm referring to this singular fic, not the AU as a whole.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, 3x9, A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving, Part IV

I just realized the winter carnival episode is next and tbh I'm pretty stoked about that one.

Ugh, someone left Gilmores on my front porch. Fetch me my broom. Shoo! Shoo! At Thanksgiving number one, we find out Lane is spinning yet another tangled web of lies to ensnare Soggy Rygalski (my new pet name for him, don't ask). Mrs Kim thinks Soggy is actually in a Christian band that Lane discovered through church and not a sinful rock band. Mrs Kim serves Tofurky and I feel as if our little vegetarian diner rat would have enjoyed that.

Welcome back, Soggy.

Dang. When Rory sees how people like her mother and Luke and Mrs Kim treat their employees, it's no wonder she doesn't want to get a job! Bad dum tssssh. Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night.

Why did I remember that scene as being a lot longer than it was? It lasted less than three minutes. Weird!

Onward, from Soggy to Sookie.

"According to the National Fire Protection Association: deep fryer fires cause an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage each year. Deep-frying turkeys has become increasingly popular, but the new tradition is a recipe for holiday tragedy."

Men, eh? One minute they're lying about turkey preparation and the next they're lying about having a vasectomy.

Rory looking gravely concerned or lost in thought as usual. Thinking deep thoughts about frying. Asked Sookie not once but twice "What do you use the oil for"?

Granny creakily rising from her lawn chair to join the hordes of Jackson's screaming white trash relatives has to be one of my favorite bits in this episode (maybe the season?) so far.

Gather round, white trash young and old. Your king has arrived.

THE FACES!

This whole scene is top notch. I tip my hat to you, Miss AmyShermanPalladino. After departing the white trash jubilee, it's time to circle back to Lukes. I know small business owners are hard working people who don't always have the luxury of shutting down and taking a break, but do you think he ever closes the diner? For anything? Christmas Day? Yeah, I'm sure ya'll can name a few times on the show where he closes up shop (would actually be interested to hear what they were). It wouldn't matter. He'd try to close on Christmas Day and the Gilmores would show up anyway and demand to be served instead of drinking eggnog in their own home. For Christmas, Lorelai should buy Luke a massage. (A LEGITIMATE MASSAGE. You filthy readers).

Mommy Daddy please stop fighting

*smashes Jess and Rory together like I'm 9 years old forcing two Barbie dolls to make out*

Alarming to see Lorelai treat Jess this nicely because I worry she may be ill. Or possibly delirious from hunger (she didn't eat at Sookie's or Lane's, she threw out Mrs Kim's tofurky and just gawked at Sookie's house). It looks like Luke was nice enough to give Jess the day off, but Walmart (and its Hunger Games-style Black Friday festivities) may still be calling. Is this the first real, hot, home made, lovingly prepared holiday meal anyone had ever served him in his entire life? (I'll give partial credit to The Bracebridge Dinner). No street wieners for Jess Mariano this Thanksgiving! Jess says he's starving, but Luke told him not to eat until the Gilmores arrived first. That's some grade a bullshit.

All he wants this Thanksgiving is for his fellow white people to Check Their Privilege. Good luck with that, Lucas.

Serving lewks. Luke has just served the table four heaping plates of hot food and upon hearing that the Gilmores will be trotting off to the McMansion next, presumably to eat way fancier, he says they can just throw everything the fuck out and drink soda if they want. Kay... Jess: Please, Uncle Lucas, don't take away my hot meal. I'm ever so hungry.

A screen shot of Milo eating makes a great gift or any holiday or special occasion.

How DARE you Lucas. You are not going to make my poor tired boy serve coffee to the Gilmores on Thanksgiving Day! Lorelai's your ball and chain, you do it.

Yeah, what a pity that not everyone can kiss like Dean.

"You and Jess are a couple of chickens pecking each other." Yooo, it's about time you pick a lane, Lorelai. You're confusing the poor girl. The last time an adult got wind that Jess and Rory were about to peck like chickens The Incredible HulkLuke smashed down the door and put those two chickens out to pasture. Rory: Mind your own business. Lorelai:???????? I assure you she does not know the meaning of the phrase. R: I'm not good with public displays. L: You didn't have that problem with Dean Me: Trying fruitlessly to remember any scene where Dean and Rory passionately made out in public or showed any sort of affection with each other anywhere that Lorelai could see it R: I don't know how this first second boyfriend thing is supposed to go. L: Well he's your first second boyfriend so give it time. R: The whole town got used to me with Dean. L: It'll get easier, you'll have hundreds of men. Well maybe not hundreds. A couple. Three more. Dean again, Logan, then Logan again. L:They'll adjust to seeing with you Jess! R: What do I do about Dean? L: Well he'll move on too. All this sensible advice coming from Lorelai? It is truly the Thanksgiving of Miracles.

God bless you, Babette. God bless you.

The next scene, a Friday (Thursday) Night Gilmores Showdown at the McMansion goes on for around 8 minutes which is going to feel like more than an hour in Salty Time. I'm going to wilt.

[casualsnickers]

Month of Emmet Quick Write #8

Prompt #8: Cozy

It's been an entire year since Ingo returned from Hisui and Emmet wants to celebrate. Dawn too. And even though things haven't gone back to the way they once were (and they never will), maybe that's okay. So long as everybody's together again.

Read the whole thing below the cut.

“I am Emmet. Remind me again what we are looking for.”

“Twice-spiced radishes, sootfoot roots, muffin mix, some raw honey- oh! And potatoes! Lots and lots of potatoes!” Dawn led Emmet along by the arm, her eyes shining as they came across more and more stalls peddling out-of-season vegetables and once-in-a-lifetime cooking supplies. She swung her arms as she went, chattering about this and that as she led the much taller man through the open market.

               Emmet wasn’t exactly comfortable with his brother’s newest charge. My brother’s awfully young, very excitable, somewhat weird charge. He had been introduced to Dawn in the past back when Ingo had first returned from Hisui. It had taken Ingo some time to remember a young girl he knew. Somebody named ‘Akari’. Funny, Emmet chuckled inwardly. It had taken Ingo an entire month to remember the familiar stops and schedules of their shared lives in Unova; it had taken Ingo only a single day to remember Akari- ‘Dawn’ as she was properly named in the present.

“What dish are those ingredients for?” Emmet asked innocently.

“Lots of things!” Dawn replied cheerily, sweeping an errant lock of hair out of her face. “We gotta get authentic ingredients if we really want to surprise Uncle Ingo! And I think he’d really like two particular dishes- he liked them a lot back in Hisui.” Dawn paused, frowning. “Actually, I think he liked them too much… Did he actually ever eat anything else?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Potato mochi and tundra stew.” At the mention of the latter, Dawn’s face shrunk in on itself as if having tasted something sour. “Still have no idea why he likes the stew so much. Eugh. You wouldn’t like it. It tastes bitter and horrible like gnawing on beetroots.”

“What’s in the stew?”

“Usual stuff. Cut-up potatoes, wild grains, sometimes rice, snow radishes and-“ Dawn’s scowl suddenly deepened. “Urm… Maybe I should just… get that particular ingredient on my own. It’s nothing bad!” she squawked, rushing to explain herself as she fumbled with the hem of her dress, not quite meeting Emmet’s eyes. “It’s just… gross. I think it’s gross! Some people like it! I just think it’s nasty.”

               The two spent another hour or two gathering ingredients from the open markets of Driftveil  before eventually finding a small ferry to get them back across the waters to the western ports of Nimbasa City before noon had broken. From there, Emmet helped wave down a tram for the two of them to make their way back home.

               Emmet unlocked the door, blinking. Ingo’s still gone. “Strange,” he murmured, stepping to the side and allowing Dawn to pass him. Today made a year’s anniversary of Ingo and Dawn’s return back from Hisui. Dawn hadn’t planned anything for herself and had preemptively decided to spend the day hanging out with Ingo after getting her mother’s permission. Emmet was more than fine with the opportunity. If Ingo was happy, he was happy too. Of course, despite Ingo being back home for so long, Emmet had noticed that Ingo hadn’t fully settled.

There were a few things here and there. Ingo probably didn’t know it but Emmet had begun picking up on cues that his twin was hiding things; bad things. The body scars were the easiest to see. Tearing scars along his arms on hot summer days. A snippet of a criss-crossing scar across his back after stepping out of the bathroom for something or another. Electrical burn marks hidden well by his work gloves. Uncle Drayden had noticed Ingo favoring his right knee over his left during bad storms. Iris had noticed Ingo’s tendency to hoard food and to that extent, old clothes. Elesa had noticed that Ingo flinched when the subway trains would roll into the platform too fast. Emmet had noticed that Ingo was quieter, never quite reaching the same levels of volume that he easily met and surpassed in the past. Emmet never asked. Ingo never spoke about them, almost as though he were either ashamed of doing so or that in doing so, he would stir up bad memories.

Ingo had his days. Some days, he would wake up and barely speak, still performing his job but with no life as though a ghost had possessed him. Some days, he wouldn’t eat. He would pick at his breakfast and work straight through his lunch, going straight to bed after a grueling shift at the station without so much as washing his face or brushing his teeth. Some nights, Ingo would go for walks. Long walks. Long walks at night, specifically with the pokémon he had befriended in Hisui. The pokémon that Ingo confided his troubles in when Emmet couldn’t overhear anything and the ones that often escorted him home in the dizzying hours of the early morning.

Both Emmet and Elesa had agreed to not smother Ingo and let him adapt slowly. And Ingo had been returning back to his old tracks gradually the more and more his family watched over him and ensured that he was seeking the proper physical and mental help that he needed after experiencing such a thing as amnesia-backed, time and space displacement. That they would support Ingo in his slow but steady recovery. And though Ingo was reluctant to speak about his experiences in Hisui, Dawn had come up with reintroducing the better parts of their joint-kidnapping by reminding him of the memories they both shared along each other: the food from Hisui.

“How are the muffins looking?” Dawn called, carefully checking the consistency of the stew that she had quickly assembled while Emmet hadn’t been paying attention.

               Emmet peered into the oven, nodding. “They’re almost done. Are you making some kind of glaze or topping for them? Wait. I thought you said we were making mochi and… stew?”

“The muffins are the appetizer,” Dawn laughed. She put the lid back on the stew and went to clean her hands. “My old friend Rei- he taught me how to make them so that I could eat while travelling to complete the pokédex. I got real good at it and eventually taught Uncle Ingo how to make them. We often shared them whenever we ran into each other which was a lot- way more than you think! He had a… specific way of making his. Something to do with pecha berries.”

               Emmet snorted. “Pecha berries? Yyyup. My brother has a sweet tooth.” He carefully skimmed over the directions for the recipe he was about to prepare. “I don’t doubt he would use pecha berries for muffins. Which are already sweet.”

“The raw honey is gonna be the glaze and that’s already kinda too sweet, even for me. He’ll love these, I’m sure of it. Ooh! And I think they’re done!”

               The front door clicked and opened, Elesa’s boisterous voice and Ingo’s tired but slightly amused grumbles filtering into the house. Dawn immediately dried off her hands and flung herself out of the kitchen, nearly carrying Ingo off of his feet as she threw her arms around him.

“Uncle Ingo! You’re back!”

“Ah, Ak- Ahem. Dawn.”

               Emmet only listened in, dropping the potato mochi into the pan to cook them exactly as the recipe ordered. And as he cooked, he could hear several more voices join in. Ah. There’s Uncle Drayden. And Iris, too. He dropped the thoroughly cooked pieces of mochi onto a covered plate at his side, humming as he dropped in another piece. I can hear Cilan very slightly. Cameron sounds like he’s here too.

               He let his gaze travel over toward the packed party sitting in the living room, watching as Ingo and Dawn bickered over something small. And then Emmet saw exactly what he had been hoping for.

Ingo was talking. He was smiling, using his old over-exaggerated hand gestures as he spoke animatedly to Drayden and Iris who were staring at Ingo with amusement. Ingo’s voice carried clearly into the kitchen.

He’s… happy. Emmet supposed that if Ingo was happy, he was too. Ingo was safe and sound and happy, surrounded by people who loved him. And that eased Emmet just enough into carefully preparing a plate of muffins to take out to the living room.

[variousqueerthings]

something i havent seen (im sure it's out there i just havent seen it) is that while a part of louis and claudia's relationship is of course very much framed by how claudia is constantly made to be in second place to louis' romantic partners (who are also not good to her or to louis) is the way that they're family, and it's complicated, but ultimately - i think - a positive family for one another, rather than the kind of family you leave and never speak to again if you can help it (that would be lestat...)

whether louis is father/mother/uncle/brother, he's not really "friend," (and vice versa, claudia as child/niece/sister) and so there's always going to be a specific dynamic that is complicated in the way the family you grow up with is complicated, and is even more complicated because using any of those words is technically incorrect and they fully had lives before they met, but for the sake of this particular read i think this fits closest. caretaker, perhaps

the point is - and it's not something i can make particularly coherently at the moment - related to how i feel about my siblings (esp my younger siblings) vs how i feel about other people in my life. my siblings simply are, whether or not we get on all the time, whether i feel sad or not that our lives have grown apart since adulthood, whether or not other people in their and my life take precedence during particular times (which can take many different forms -- for them more romantic, for me more community related, the language for where we're going in life just looks different than it did when we were kids)

when louis lets claudia down, but at the same time promises "you and me/me and you" those two things aren't paradoxical to one another, because there is a certain "taking for granted" that can happen -- claudia is always going to be there, just like louis assumes he will also simply be there, while at the same time having that jealousy and expectation that comes with his being older than her that she'll always depend on him to an extent (and she does, but he maybe doesn't take into account how much he depends on her, because being older/feeling like he has "the responsibility" while also suffering serious mental health issues... lotta mess he puts on her shoulders, as we can see)

when claudia joins the coven that takes away louis' feeling of being of use anymore, he doesn't define himself outside of claudia ("if there was no me...") -- and also outside of lestat/his romantic relationships but that's a different post -- and claudia is moving on, but look, armand is there, claudia's got what she wants, louis got something, and they're both still there (am also reminded of how when claudia comes back in s1, it's explicitly once she sees louis sobbing over his grave when his sister declares him dead)

the idea of claudia not being there terrifies louis, he experienced that loss twice in new orleans, once when she left and didn't come back for years, and once when lestat forced her back immediately, and then again the idea of it when she joins the coven (but then he pulls himself back from the edge of letting armand kill him when he fears for her life) and then in a big way when she goes with madeleine, and he knows they're better together than he could ever be for her, but she's still his in that sibling/parent/caretaker feeling kind of way, and this is a loss even though it's important, and also, with being a vampire, she possibly could have still eventually circled back every 100 years or so -- such is the nature of family. they're still there, even if you don't see them for a very long time

and now, finally, forever. claudia is no longer there

im just. yes, louis let her down. but he let her down like you let your family down, by assuming that no matter what, they were a given. claudia can't simply... not be there anymore... she's his family. you argue and you make up and you fuck up and you forgive and you're still there, no matter how messed up you feel or how much you grow apart

she's so right in asking that question: who is louis outside of her? but not just because louis has had the worst luck in life (human and vampire) and been unable to form himself specifically because of *waves hands at everything,* but also because when you see yourself as a caretaker (whether or not you're doing a good job of it), who are you when that person wants to move on from you, doesn't need you in the way you want to be needed, when that person perhaps leaves your life for good?

[teaberrii]

Chapter 12: Eyes Everywhere

After ending a five-year relationship, you pour all your energy into work. Your latest assignment? Staying at a popular bed-and-breakfast to gather information. It should be a piece of cake... If only the owner isn't the man you scolded on the street.

Jing Yuan/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

You’re spending the rest of the afternoon doing research in the city. You manage to score an interview with some businessmen, and the responses of one of them have you see a silver lining.

“There are a lot of great business opportunities here besides hospitality. I mean… it truly is a great place if people here can get it up and running. It may be small, but they should take advantage of the island's natural resources. That can seriously boost its economy! I already know people who want to get factories up and running… but they’ve been and still are facing a lot of obstacles.

"Take this off the record, but I think the people here are too protective of themselves. Maybe it’s because of what happened to that owner that everyone sees outside influences as a threat.”

“Owner?” you ask.

“Yeah. Caelus… I think that was his name. He owned a boutique hotel”—the man points somewhere in the distance—” somewhere in that area on the next street over. I kind of knew his old man as my wife and I stayed there when it was just getting off the ground. It’s quite a shame. Their ideas were very unique, and I heard they were doing well before the awful news…”

“Have they said anything about their business running into some sort of trouble?”

“God, it was so long ago… but I remember a fight. Don’t know the man who was arguing with them but my wife was a local here. She’d never seen him before either, so it might’ve been an irritated customer since it was pretty clear he wanted to make a scene.”

You show him a picture of Caelus’s uncle. “Was this him?”

“Yeah! Pretty sure.”

So, that meant Caelus’s uncle mainly or had always stayed in the city. Was he already trying to sabotage the hotel before the Star Rails project with Jing Yuan's ex? Did the resentment go that far?

You thank the man for his time. Then, as he walks away, you quickly turn around. Perhaps you’re paranoid, but you swear you sense someone looking at you. But all you see are people and tourists walking around. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Well, well, if it isn’t everyone’s favourite mother.”

You recognize that voice anywhere. You turn around, and your guess is right. “Didn’t think I’d see our athlete superstar walking the streets alone.”

“Yeah, well, not everyone gets the special opportunity to spend time with the one and only,” Dan Feng says with an amused grin. “You’re lucky.” You give him a deadpan look but start walking with him nonetheless. “So, how was the date? Did Jing Yuan treat you like the queen you are?”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, son.”

“Oof. You got me.”

“But, since you asked... I had a lot of fun. It was wonderful."

“Wonderful? Really? You’re too young to be sounding so old, Mom.” You raise a fist, and Dan Feng quickly raises the bag of groceries he’s holding to protect himself. “Just kidding!” You face forward just as he asks, “So, are you two official?”

You don’t know what to tell him. The less people know, the better. However, Jing Yuan already messaged you about Yanqing's mistake. And there’s also the project. You may be digging up dirt on Star Rails, but you’re still partly responsible for this project's success. Perhaps it’s best to wait until this is all over to announce the news.

“All right, I get it,” Dan Feng says. “I think I know why you want to keep it hush-hush for now.” He winks at you. “I’ll keep your secret, Mom. Don’t worry. But… Did you know his ex is back?”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“No one. I saw her myself. If I were to take an educated guess, she was going to pick up Yanqing.”

“Have you met her before?”

“Twice. Once when she and Jing Yuan were dating. The next was on their wedding day.”

“...Ah.”

Dan Feng gently nudges you. “Hey, don’t be getting jealous. They’re done for.”

You want to say you’re not jealous. It doesn’t bother you at all. And, maybe you’d really feel that way if you’d never seen her. But now that you’ve seen and met her in person… it feels more real.

You clear your throat. “Where’s your brother?”

“He’s been worried about Jingliu, so they’re out on a little date. I wanted to go, but he insisted on going alone.”

“Someone sure sounds disappointed.”

“Just between you and me, I think he has a thing for her.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“Me?” Dan Feng scoffs. “Oh, please. It’s Jingliu. It’d take someone really special to sweep her off her feet.”

“You don’t think Dan Heng meets those standards?”

“Do you think he does?”

“Sir, why are you asking me?”

“Well, you and Jingliu are kind of alike… You’re both women.”

“Very well spotted, thanks.”

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a man or woman who exists that can match Jingliu. She’s unmatched.”

You and Dan Feng are almost at the bed and breakfast when the conversation turns to his training for the Global Games next year.

“It’ll probably be my last competition.”

“...Are you thinking about retiring?”

Dan Feng smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah. I don’t think I have much of a choice.”

There’s more to the story, but you don’t get to ask when you reach the stone villa. You see March and Welt sitting on the couch inside, and Pom is anxiously looking upstairs. Knowing exactly where it leads, you glance up. You hear faint conversation but not enough to know what’s going on, but you’re sure that the voices belong to Jing Yuan and his ex.

“What’s going on?” Dan Feng asks, pushing open the door. “Why are you all just sitting here?”

March sighs. “Because there’s a war going on upstairs.”

“Where’s Yanqing?” you ask.

“Upstairs with Jing Yuan and… his ex,” Welt says.

Pom puts some glasses on the table. “Let’s calm down, everyone.”

You take out your phone and see the last text from Jing Yuan.

She found out through Yanqing.

You’re sitting next to Welt when Pom puts a glass of water in front of you. “Everything will be okay,” he reassures.

“Why is Yanqing up there?” Dan Feng asks. “Why are they up there, anyway?”

“She wanted a place ‘to talk’,” Pom says. “Neither of them wanted to go to his place."

“Wait. How do you know this?”

“I… sorta overheard a little bit of their conversation when they got back. They came in, and Jing Yuan said they’ll be using the balcony upstairs.”

March leans back. “God, why’d she have to show up?”

You don’t know if you’ll get a response, but you text Jing Yuan anyway.

I’m downstairs. Is everything okay?

Just then, everyone hears footsteps, and the first person to appear is Jing Yuan. He’s carrying Yanqing who's resting his head on Jing Yuan’s shoulder. The poor kid looks exhausted. Behind Jing Yuan is his ex.

When Yanqing sees you, he lifts his head, and Jing Yuan puts him down. You stand and meet them halfway. Yanqing hugs your knees, and you affectionately pat his head.

“Is he okay?” you ask Jing Yuan.

There's a tired but stern look in Jing Yuan’s eyes. “He’s fine."

Then, his ex walks up to you, ignoring the stares of the others. “Let’s have dinner together.” She crosses her arms. “I have the information that you want, and I’ll give it to you on one condition.” Where is she getting this confidence from? “So, since we’re both here, let’s use the time to get to know each other. Just the two—”

“Enough.” Jing Yuan’s interruption makes the room go completely silent. Then, he shoots his ex a cold look. “Yanqing gave you his answer.”

“This is between me and her.”

“No, it’s not. You’re using other ways to try to get what you want without any consideration for your son.”

“Stop.” Yanqing’s muffled voice sounds desperate. “Stop fighting… Please…”

His ex turns to you, looking a little rattled. “So, we’ll have dinner tonight. Just me and you.”

You clench your fists, but you hold your tongue for Yanqing’s sake. As soon as she walks out the door, March lets out a breath. You still have a comforting hand around Yanqing’s head when she walks over.

“Geezus, what happened up—”

Dan Feng’s nudge makes her stop. He nods at Yanqing who’s still hugging your legs.

“I wanna go home,” Yanqing says, his voice still muffled.

You crouch and put your hands on his cheeks. “Then, let’s go home.”

The car ride back to Jing Yuan’s house is a quiet one. Before you get there, Jing Yuan reaches over and gives your hand a little squeeze. You turn to him, and you can see it in his eyes. He’ll tell you what happened but not with Yanqing in the car.

A short while later, Jing Yuan is making Yanqing a snack in the kitchen. You and Yanqing are in the living room, playing a game of chess, but you can tell from the tired and sad look in his eyes that he’s focused on something else.

“...I made a mistake.” At first, you think he’s talking about the game. “When Dad was driving me to school, he told me beforehand that I shouldn’t call you Mom while she’s here. I forgot, and…”

“Hey…” You sit next to him. “Don’t tell me you’re blaming yourself.”

“Maybe if I didn’t make that mistake, they wouldn’t have fought and…”

Jing Yuan puts a plate of healthy, homemade snacks on the table, and you and Yanqing look up at him. Then, Jing Yuan crouches and puts a hand around his son’s head. “It’s not your fault, Yanqing.”

“But… She got so mad.”

Jing Yuan glances at you. “Do you think calling her Mom is something you shouldn’t do?”

Yanqing looks at you. “Well, if she doesn’t mind…”

You kiss his head. “Of course I don’t.”

Jing Yuan affectionately ruffles his son's hair. "That means it's okay, and you didn't do anything wrong." Yanqing manages a small smile and Jing Yuan affectionately ruffles his hair. “Why don’t you take your snacks and watch some TV while Mom and I have a little talk?”

Yanqing looks from Jing Yuan to you and back to Jing Yuan. Then, he picks up his plate and walks over to the couch. You and Jing Yuan end up in the kitchen where he also prepared you a little something. But food is the last thing on your mind.

“I’ve never seen him so quiet,” you say. “What in the world happened?”

Jing Yuan sighs. “She wants you to leave Yanqing alone. If you do, she'll tell you what you want to know."

It takes a moment for his words to sink in.

“Yanqing never said you were seeing anyone,” his ex said, glaring at Jing Yuan.

"It's not something he should have to tell you."

“I don’t care what kind of relationship she has with you, but she’s not taking Yanqing away from me.” Then, she crouched and put her hand on Yanqing's shoulders. He was sitting on the couch, trying to disassociate from all of this negativity. Jing Yuan never wanted him here, but his ex refused to let him leave as she also wanted to set things straight with him. “Yanqing, Mom will give you a much better life in the city. We recently moved into a bigger house, and a new private school just opened—”

“...I don’t want to go.”

“Why? You can still see your dad, and—”

“It’s not just because of Dad,” Yanqing interrupted quietly. “I like it here, and it’s not like Dad isn't letting me see you. I still visit, but I don’t want to stay there… forever.”

“Yanqing, you’re still too young to understand, but—”

“You say he’s too young," Jing Yuan interrupted, "but at least he knows what he wants." She stood upright, and Yanqing ran over to Jing Yuan. "That might change when he gets older, but stop pressuring him into doing something he doesn’t want.”

“Pressuring him? I’m not! I’m reasoning with him.” His ex scoffed and crossed her arms. “It’s also because of her, isn’t it?”

"Stop saying it's because of her." Jing Yuan glared at her. "Because it's not. You're not respecting him."

She walked up until she was close enough to lower her voice so Yanqing couldn't hear. "I know she's looking for some information. She wouldn't come to me if it was easy to get." She returned his glare with one of her down. "I want her out of Yanqing's life."

“I’m not going to let Yanqing see her anymore." Jing Yuan puts his hands on the counter behind him. "Not alone, at least.”

You scoff. “I’m also not going to give her what she wants.”

A short silence passes where both of you are mulling over your thoughts about what to do with this crazy woman until…

“...But I'll still have dinner with her.” Jing Yuan looks up and sees you leaning against the wall. “She knows that you’ll definitely tell me what happened on the balcony. And, knowing that, I’m not going to run away.”

“If you made up your mind, I have an idea.”

“I’m all ears, General.”

◆◆◆

Jing Yuan drops you off at a nearby restaurant later that evening. As soon as you enter, you see his ex already at a table near the window. Taking a small breath, you walk over. You know she sees you but she’s still looking out the window. You slip off your coat and drape it over the back of the chair. Then, you casually put your phone face down on the table. When you sit down, she finally acknowledges you.

“How long have you been seeing Jing Yuan?”

“I thought we were here to talk about your deal, not my relationship with Jing Yuan.”

She pours herself some wine. “It’s related.”

“What’s your condition?”

She scoffs. “I feel like I’m looking into a mirror.”

You force a smile. "Let's not waste time.”

“Didn’t Jing Yuan tell you? I want you out of Yanqing’s life.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Then, no deal.”

You cross one leg over the other. “Regardless of who Jing Yuan dates, that person will be part of Yanqing’s life. Are you going to refuse whoever comes into their lives? Or, is it because it’s me, someone who happens to work at Star Rails?” A pause as you pour yourself some wine. “I also have other ways of getting what I need.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Of course not. What would I gain from doing that?” You calmly look her in the eyes. “I’m giving you a chance to clear your name. Everyone thinks Star Rails has something to do with Caelus’s death. You were part of that project. It’s natural that people suspect you.”

“A chance to clear my name? Don’t make me laugh. I don’t have anything to hide.”

“Caelus’s uncle was a stakeholder in that project. You handled everything. It’s impossible not to have met him at least once. That time, you and Jing Yuan were still together and you knew that Caelus was his friend.”

“...What are you getting at?”

"Caelus and his uncle didn't have a good relationship. He even caused a scene at his hotel before meeting you. He must have known long before that Caelus wouldn't accept the offer from Star Rails. So, to succeed, you tried convincing Jing Yuan to convince Caelus to go through with the project. But, that failed. And somehow Caelus ends up dead."

“I didn’t have anything to do with that!” The sudden outburst turns a few heads. Then, she exhales sharply. “Why would his uncle want him to partner with Star Rails in the first place?”

Do you have the right answer? You have no idea. But the one you can think of is the only one that makes the most sense.

“Money. Caelus’s uncle wasn’t happy that his brother left Caelus with everything, including the hotel. Partnering with Star Rails is one way for him to get some kind of control over the hotel. There’d also be potential money under the table.”

“And what would I gain from that, hm? Yes, I wanted the project to succeed, but why would I help him?”

“He knew a guy.”

“I was talking to one of my business partners today, and… he mentioned Caelus’s uncle,” Jing Yuan said. “Not knowing that I know him.”

“What did they say?”

“He was recommending him as a potential partner as he’s supposedly a great businessman and friend. And he also has connections.”

“Wait a minute… Don’t tell me…”

Jing Yuan nodded. “He said Caelus’s uncle has been on good terms with senior management at Star Rails for a long time.”

“Senior management, huh?”

“He could put in a good word for you and help you climb the ranks,” you say.

“That doesn't guarantee I'll get anything. You’re going to have to try harder than that, Honey.”

"Then, why didn't you file the project reports? There wasn't anything suspicious about it other than Caelus's uncle being listed as a stakeholder. If you really don't have anything to hide, why don't you give a clear explanation?"

She’s looking off to the side when she says, “I just forgot.”

You almost scoff, but you don’t hide the disappointment on your face. You thought she would’ve come up with a better excuse than that.

“I have proof that you didn’t just forget.”

You think she’d ask for it, but instead, there's a pause before she says, “...He approached me first.”

Jing Yuan’s ex walked into a restaurant that evening. A stakeholder had invited her to a business dinner, and she'd thought others involved in the project would attend. But when she arrived, there was only one person. He was still dressed in the same outfit from the meeting earlier today.

“Ah, you’re here.”

She sat across from him, thinking whether she should stay or make an excuse to leave. “I thought there would be others joining us.”

He filled his glass and then hers with wine. “Let’s get right to it, shall we?” He picked up his glass and gestured for her to pick up hers. She reluctantly did so.

Clink!

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about your performance," he said, "and this project is apparently a make or break for a big promotion.”

“...Um, yes. That’s right. Does this have anything to do with—”

“My nephew is the owner of the boutique hotel.”

It took a moment for those words to sink in. She shouldn’t be so surprised as they have the same last name, but it was so common that she didn’t think twice.

“Let me tell you now that you won’t have any luck trying to convince him. This project is just an idea… a vision of what could happen. But, it’s not going to work.”

“If you have such strong concerns about it, why didn’t you raise them during the meeting?”

He extends his arms to the side. “Because if I did, the project wouldn’t be a success.”

“What… What are you saying?”

“My nephew won’t partner with Star Rails because our vision doesn’t align with his. Regardless of what happens, he wants to remain independent, and he won’t change his mind. Unless…”

“Are we ready to order?”

You almost frown when you hear the young waiter interrupt Jing Yuan’s ex. When you look at him, his innocent smile almost makes you sigh. After the waiter leaves, you turn back and see Jing Yuan’s ex calmly sipping her wine.

“...You were saying?” you ask.

She puts her wine glass on the table. “There’s nothing else to say.”

There is. You can feel it.

“...Did he have something to do with Caelus’s death?”

“You’re asking the wrong person.”

Are you, really?

“But, I had nothing to do with it."

After a brief silence, you say, “...You asked how long I was seeing Jing Yuan. What about you and your fiancé? How did you two meet?”

She slightly narrows her eyes. “Why are you asking?”

“He told me today that I had no idea what you went through. It just made me curious is all.”

“...Why would he tell you that?”

You look her in the eyes. “You tell me. It sounded like it had something to do with Caelus.”

“Let’s not get off topic. I told you what you wanted to know. Now, it’s my turn. Stay away from Yanqing.”

“This isn’t about me. Have you considered what he wants?”

“He’s too young to understand.”

“About what? You say he’s too young, but even I don’t understand why you want him to stay away from me."

"I don't need another person to be a bad influence on him. I'm already trying to get him out of this godforsaken town." She gives you a cold look. "Convincing Jing Yuan is hard enough. I don't need another person in my way."

"Godforsaken town? Why do you hate this place so much?"

She scoffs. "You haven't noticed? They aren't exactly the friendliest people to outsiders who want to do business here. They're too narrow-minded. I only want what's best for my son."

“Having me stay away from him isn’t going to help your case. It’s a short-term solution to a long-term problem. He may be young, but you should at least respect him.”

“Sorry for the wait!”

You don’t bother looking at the waiter as he sets your food in front of you. You give a nod of thanks just before he leaves. When you turn back, Jing Yuan’s ex is looking at you with a composed expression unlike before.

She looks as if she has something to say, but her phone goes off. After a glance, she says, “So, I take you aren’t going to do it.”

Perhaps you're paranoid, but you turn around. You sense you're being watched. But nothing seems out of the ordinary.

When you turn back, Jing Yuan's ex is already standing and putting on her coat. "Then, we have nothing else to discuss." She calls the waiter over, and there's confusion on his face but he does as he's told. He walks over, glances at you, and packs away her food.

You watch as they walk away. When you glance out the window, you see her cross the street and get into a car. You pick up your phone and turn off the recording that's been going on ever since you sat down. After texting Jing Yuan and knowing he’s on his way, you go to pay for your food. You step out into the cold, scrolling through your phone as you think about what you’ve learned.

You're sure Caelus's uncle has something to do with Caelus's death, and you also have a hunch that Jing Yuan's ex knows something about it if her fiancé's words are anything to go by. Was it the guilt of knowing and not doing anything? Or was it guilt—

Your eyes widen when a hand swiftly covers your nose and mouth. Your phone drops to the ground. Your hands are in a bind behind you. Despite your struggles, your attacker drags you into an alleyway, leaving your phone with an incoming call from Jing Yuan on the cold cement.

Chapter 13

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @immahuman @queencybow @nqctre @grimreapersscythe @winterpein @asakenajustexistshere

[bestworstcase]

@sailorb00 tags here

#i was also on the fence about the EA siblings and Theodore being related by looks alone (#... and the alice + dorothy comparison#mostly chalked it up to coincidence but now that they're conf. to be from Vacuo it's looking less like coincidence fsdf#then is the girl on the desk photograph Alyx before she and Lewis found the EA?#And Theodore juat inherited it? He grew up on his great-great grandfather/uncle/who know's stories about the EA being real?#Maybe in hopes that one day his sister would return and be welcomed by family? even if they're generations apart#if Lewis's pseudonym is Theodore Im gonna lose it#I mean we dont know his or the EA siblings' surnames.#IS THAT WHY THEODORE DOESNT GO BY HIS SURNAME#BC OF THE FAMILY LEGACY???#ok imma go sit down now before i hurt myself w/ speculation fsdf

YEAH SAME on the being like Doubt.jpg about a relation between theodore and lewis on the basis of… skin color, basically, but the minute i heard “i couldn’t believe they were from vacuo,” that’s a deliberate choice to link these kids to the setting for the next major story arc, and that’s happening in conjunction with several developments in the 9.11 animatic that suggest history is about to become very important (soaring popular support for the crown—probable mountain glenn history-repeating-itself theme with salem razing vale—oscar mentioning vacuo’s history of colonization—plus the great war having ended with ozma’s use of the sword in vacuo).

it’s very. raises eyebrow. alrighty then!

so whatever lewis did after coming home, other than writing tgwfttw, probably has some narrative relevance—might be as small as something jaune needs to find closure, or it might be bigger than that, who knows, but if it was a hundred and fifty years ago and it matters enough to be in the story, then the story needs a vehicle to deliver this information in a manner that feels naturalistic and non-arbitrary. (jaune-stumbles-across-loved-one’s-memorial-statue-by-chance once is a believable happenstance; twice, a cheap contrivance.)

the simplest way to do that is to introduce a vacuan character with some connection to lewis, and the obvious choice there is a descendent, because lewis lived a long enough time ago that family lineage is kind of the only plausible reason for a living character in the present to have a meaningful personal connection to lewis.

(and it can’t be oz, because oz had no idea the ever after existed.)

this descendent-character also ideally should be prominent enough in the story to matter for reasons unrelated to their relation to lewis, to avoid feeling shoehorned in. and they are probably human, given the apparent rarity of interracial human/faunus couples.

that pretty much narrows it down to theodore, or the asturias twins. NOW hysterical as it would be for jax and gillian to be descended from lewis, finn asturias is obsessed with “the old stories about [his] family” and yet doesn’t drop even a single hint about the ever after, so i think we can rule that out.

which leaves theodore. hmm.

that picture in his office:

She still remembered that her attention had been drawn to one photo in particular: a black-and-white picture of a young girl in pigtails and a checkered dress with a small black dog. She hadn’t mustered the courage to ask who she was to Theodore. A daughter? A sister? Whoever she was, Velvet could see the resemblance.

plainly evokes dorothy, and even bearing in mind that there may be discrepancies (theodore is described as blue-eyed in the book but has brown eyes in beyond, for example)… there’s nothing in this photo to suggest a resemblance to alyx beyond ‘young girl.’ alyx doesn’t wear her hair in pigtails, nor does she have checkered patterns anywhere in her design, nor does she have a little black dog. so i doubt it’s her.

but black-and-white does suggest it’s old. ‘sister’ seems a lot more plausible than ‘daughter’ for that reason, and ‘mother or aunt’ even more likely than either of those.

(the other thing about a young girl with a small black dog in This story, is.

it’s a symbol for the deaths of the ozlem girls and the inescapable grief that underlies the whole conflict between ozma and salem—there’s a reason she sends a giant monstrous hound to capture oz and then huddles in the shadows miserably looking at conjured images of her daughters until oscar wakes up; the black dog reappears as this terrifying monster in conjunction with the surfacing of all this pain.

so the question is to what extent this small black dog in the photograph is Just Toto, and whether the specific narrative symbolism is or isn’t in play here; Did This Girl Die? that would preclude her being theodore’s mother but she could well be an aunt or great-aunt.)

of course the point of drawing attention to this photograph might be as simple as hinting at theodore’s quote-unquote real ozian allusion; not dorothy but the silver shoes lost in the desert. which is an interesting angle to consider with regard to this possibility of lewis being his ancestor, because on the one hand there’s the silver shoes carrying dorothy home yet becoming irretrievably lost themselves in doing so, and on the other there’s alyx, the white rabbit, guiding people home yet never able to return home herself. see the rhyme?

in a sense jaune and team rwby bring alyx home with them, in that they know what happened to her and if there are descendants of lewis still living in vacuo then the question of why she never came home can finally be answered. and if the descendent is theodore, then the intertextual confluence between him and alyx is more resonant than the surface dorothy-and-alice comparison; the silver shoes are the home the white rabbit returns to, as a memory, a hundred and fifty-odd years late. and it matters.

but also i have a little hamster wheel churning at all times in the back of my mind and right now it’s churning around: sixty, seventy years before the great war began, vacuo was a colonial territory of mistral—before the great war, it had no formal government, it wasn’t a state, and oscar references the history of colonization in the 9.11 animatic. so that history and the history of the great war—which was for vacuo a war for independence—is narratively salient. lewis was a child who grew up in vacuo during the fractious decades preceding the great war; he gives a face to this period in history.

and jaune told lewis and alyx not only that he was from remnant but that he was from more than a century in their future; he and lewis “compared notes on remnant.” jaune couldn’t believe they were from vacuo, “back before the war, before huntsmen.”

they compared notes.

jaune’s grandfather fought in the great war.

so lewis went back home to colonial vacuo fifty, sixty, seventy years before the great war knowing that the great war was going to happen. knowing that within his lifetime vacuo would fight for its independence and win. knowing that there would be peace in the end. according to what blake says in 9.2, in the book, alyx “didn’t know [afteran] customs and started a war between the townsfolk” and that takes on a really different subtext now that we know the story’s author was a man who grew up in colonial vacuo knowing that the great war was coming.

either lewis and alyx were vacuan, or they were mistrali but born in vacuo; either way the tenor of the girl who fell through the world suggests that lewis’ sympathies lay with vacuo. both options stand to be compelling if he acted upon this knowledge more directly than writing anti-colonial themes into his children’s book. or books. there is also the boy who fell from the sky, mentioned in after the fall, and alice’s adventures in wonderland does have a somewhat lesser-known sequel.

i doubt lewis fought in the great war himself—he was probably in his seventies or older by then—but if he had children they would have been of an age to fight for vacuo, and if lewis had passed down to them the stories he knew of what remnant would be like after…

y’see how lewis could have ended up playing a really important role in vacuo’s side of the great war, if he’d decided not to leave matters in the hands of fate? jaune told him about what the world would be like after the great war, but lewis also figured out that jaune knew more than he let on, figured out that jaune remembered a story lewis hadn’t written down yet. he knew that knowledge of the future could shape the future, because if it hadn’t been for jaune and jaune’s foreknowledge of his book, he might not have written it the way he did, as a guide for how to get out of the ever after.

so he goes home, knowing the great war will happen and what the outcome will be—or else knowing that it might happen that way. who did he become with that knowledge? what did he choose to do with what he knew? the one thing we know is he became a storyteller, and “storytellers have great power” is a prominent narrative theme.

salem inspired the world to rebel against the brothers by telling the story of what they had done to her, and speaking of her vision of a time when humanity could be free.

lewis…?

[blablaganov]

Non is the one behind the mask and Jin is our living for now proof of that

So our homeboy just found out that no, Non didn’t ride off into the sunset with teacher Keng, but based on what we learned in episode 10 was handed over to Uncle Joe and vanished. And Jin’s initial reaction to this reveal isn’t horror at the thought that Non might already be dead, but anger at how the story of Non’s supposed escape with a teacher has affected his family?? Which is sweet, to care about them, but you just learned that your friend has really disappeared, so maybe focus on that first? But at least this reaction is consistent with what we’ve seen from him so far: Jin's response is emotional and explosive. It checks.

And then Tee drops the bomb - Non is dead. This should have been a huge shock for Jin, who was the only one to still hold on to the belief that Non was still out there, alive. Reactions of Tan and Phee is understandable; they have had years to accept that Non is most likely no longer alive, but Jin BELIEVED. So, I fully expected him to lash out, to start yelling at Tee, to start a fight. And what Jin gives me? Nothing.

Except for a murderous look, he does not react at all to the news about the death of someone he claims to care about and feel guilty towards.  The character who shown to be impulsive, to react without thinking, whose emotions can be explosive DOESN’T SHOW US ANY REACTION. Which, of cource, is a reaction on itself, so my question is: Jin, sweetie, do you maybe have something to share with class?

Speaking of murderous looks. We’ve already seen them twice:

in the first episode, when Phee puts the tape on

And everyone from the original group looks various degrees of uncomfortable, especially after asked about Non, but not Jin. He is too busy trying to murder everyone with the glare until the mention of the camera snaps him out of it.

in the second episode, when the gang discusses what to do next

And again, while everyone’s anxiety is almost palpable, Jin is just standing there, looking disgusted by everyone but not in the slightest bothered by the fact that someone got Por impaled?? Someone left marks on his arms! The conversation isn’t merely about the possibility of Non’s ghost; it’s about the real, tangible danger lurking in the woods. And yet, Jin doesn’t look scared or concerned in any way, too busy trying to once again commit murder with the glare.

Knife

The marks on Por’s arms are the main reason I’m convinced that Non is the one hiding behind the mask. It's possible that Tan somehow slipped out of the living room and lured Por into the trap, but what about the marks? We’ve seen several times that Tan is one to outsource his murder, not too eager to harm with his own hands. Even after Tee’s confession about Non’s death, Tan doesn’t attempt to snatch the gun and kill Tee himself. So why get personal with Por? To convince everyone that it wasn’t an accident? But cuts don’t look ghosty; if anything, it’s a proof that a real, leaving person is behind it. And who has all the reasons to get personal with Por? NON And it with the same knife he used three years ago – a knife that someone present at the scene after Non got dragged away had to pick up and keep until now.

I am also mildly convinced that the knife attack is the main reason why Jin lied to the police in the first place. If he had admitted that Non was with them that day, everyone else would have probably said, 'Oh yes, he was with us, and he attacked us with the knife. He was screaming about killing us all, poor Top even got a scar. Here are the security camera recordings as proof.' We've already established that Jin is not the best decision-maker, so I can see how, from his perspective, lying to the police seemed like a better option.

And isn’t it interesting how Jin was the one who first noticed the cuts and also the one who took the knife in his hand to compare it with the cuts?

Jin, dear, no one said anything about someone hiding in the house...

Uncle Dang

I'm unsure which one of the brothers is responsible for this death, but it is interesting how closely it mirrors one of the scenes in episode 7.

In the past, Por sends Non to get food on Uncle Dang's bike, while he himself starts shooting. In the present, Uncle Dang dies delivering food for the boys on the same bike, simultaneously extinguishing their last chance of escape.

In the past, everyone was so eager to exclude Non and shoot the movie he wrote without him. In the present, they are willing to do anything just to get out of this place, and Por, bleeding out on the couch, needs it more than anyone. Sorry, but it's too late; this time around, you'll have to play your part the way Non wants you to.

Episode 7 is also where this dialogue between Jin and Por happens.

I know that logically Phee and Tan were the ones who slipped in the cassette, but were they also the ones who created it? Or did they just find it when they came to the house for the first time to scout it out? Because the last scene with Jin running out of the house was shot after Non's disappearance. It wasn't merely an old version; Someone intentionally added Non's scene post-credits. And who was the one doing all the cutting? Right.

Hallucinations

Jin’s hallucinations were what sold me on the "Non is alive" theory. Everyone who thinks Non is already dead also sees some version of Non/masked murderer. Not Jin, of course; he convinced Non to be alive and well, somewhere far away with teacher Keng. Oh wait… How is it possible that he believes something terrible happened to teacher Keng, but not to Non? That the video he took is the cause of teacher Keng’s death, but not Non’s? Haven’t they supposedly run off together? Unless Jin knows that Non is alive. Unless Non told Jin that Mr. Keng was killed by the mafia.

It also would explain Jin’s reaction after Phee confession.

The person you have a lot of complicated feelings about

so many that you decide the best time to bring up your past situationship is while you both are trapped in a creepy temple. One also doesn’t try to bite off the dick of someone they are indifferent towards

just confessed to being Non's ex-boyfriend and getting close to you to get information about him, and your first reaction is not a "Was Everything Between Us a Lie?" rage but a sad puppy "So You Never Saw Us As Friends?" Once again, Jin, sweetie, we need to talk about your priorities; also about the fact that you not once looked surprised about the whole thing.

Fun fact: One of Jin's listed hobbies is camping, so hypothetically he should know his way around the woods, yet he doesn’t even attempt to help Phee while they are looking for the way out of the forest. The only thing he does is complain and cling to Phee in a very damsel-in-distress fashion. And still manages to be the one who points in the right direction in the end. I'm not even sure if Jin’s shoulder dislocation is genuine because if horror movies have taught me anything, it's to never trust a character who injures themselves while escaping a murderer, especially when they then very conveniently trip over the air at just the right moment for another character to drop their weapon.

To sum it up:

Did he now?

[doodlin-deer]

Okay, has anyone else tried connecting the dots between the Cooper Clan members? Because recently I just started and in doing so, by putting them on a timeline, I’ve noticed that many of them are probably direct relatives to each other

Now bear in mind, this is me operating under the understanding that all of these Coopers are directly descended from one another (because that’s what an ancestor is, not an uncle, an aunt, or a distant cousin once or twice removed), plus Sly himself has said more than once that he’s from a long LINE of thieves, so let’s just work with that in mind.

I’m also basing this off of all available information from all of the games, primarily Thieves in Time

Some examples:

Rioichi and Henriette

In Thieves in Time, we learn that Rioichi was alive and already well-established during the chapter “Turning Japanese” (roughly in his 30’s or 40’s at the time) in the year 1603.

Later in the game in the chapter “40 Thieves” Sly discovers treasure that would later be stolen by Henriette in the year 1616, thirteen years after Rioichi, making her more than likely his daughter. Though it does make me wonder why a Japanese guy would give his daughter a name like Henriette. But then again this is a family that has a thieving reputation dating back to the dawn of time and a centuries old book with seemingly unlimited pages to record it so let’s not think too hard here about logic.

Thaddeus and Tennessee

We also learn I n Thieves in Time, “Go West Young Raccoon” that “Tennessee Kid” Cooper was active in the year 1884, during the Wild West (which for any non-Americans was roughly around 1865 to the 1900s, though that’s a matter of debate for some). Let’s assume he’s somewhere in his late 20’s or early 30’s, putting his year of birth in either the 1860’s or 1850’s.

We also know, thanks to dialogue from Sly 3, that Thaddeus Winslow Cooper the III was active during Victorian London which lasted from 1837 to 1901. From here, things get tricky. In “Goodbye my Sweet” we get a look at Thaddeus’ section of the Thievius Raccoonus, which gives us two different contradicting dates to work with. His chapter is shown to have been penned in 1839, however, the included picture of Thaddeus is shown to have been made in 1893, roughly nine years after the Cooper Gang’s encounter with Tennessee.

Based off this, my preferred theory is that Thaddeus is Tennessee’s grandfather, or (and I can’t think of a single reason why Clockwerk would allow this fly) Thaddeus and Tennessee are cousins in some way.

And before someone brings up the Cooper Vault, and how Tennessee’s shrine comes before Thaddeus’, I’d like to point out that also in the vault, Sir Galleth’s shrine comes before Salim Al-Kupar, despite Salim having lived some 300 years before him.

Otto and Conner

And here is where the Cooper record comes to its blurriest. While we do have an idea of when Conner was born (with him having died in 1992, and his birth year suspected to be around the 1960s, maybe the late 50’s), we know next to nothing about Otto, besides that he was an ace pilot and skilled mechanic. It is generally accepted that he was active during WW1 or WW2.

If Otto was around for WW1, then at the very least he was born in the 1890’s, but there’s a small snag named Tennessee that says otherwise. If he was born in the 1890’s then he’d almost certainly be Kid Cooper’s son. Which raises the question of why Otto is presumably European (seeing as his surname is Van Cooper) while Tennessee is unashamedly American.

Now if Otto was around for WW2, it would put his year of birth around the 1910s, putting some room between him and Tennessee, while also closing the distance between him and Conner, at the latest, Conner would have likely been in his late 40’s if Conner was born in the 1950’s, maybe he was even in his 50’s. But what really cinches this for me is that Otto and Conner were both technologically savvy, with Otto and his planes, and Conner with computers. As for how Conner is (presumably) American and how Otto is European, well……. I got nothing. I guess Conner must’ve changed it for whatever reason

Thoughts or headcanons?