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dipperdesperado · 1 year

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WRITING STORY COLLECTION CHAPTER 12 - Retooling

Sandra looks back from the driver's seat. Fuck. Is everyone okay?

Grohl takes a deep breath. "As good as I can be, given the situation."

Everyone is worse for wear. Riley and Zoe just give a small nod to her.

"We'll be out of the woods soon. Promise," Sandra says, flooring it.

As the tires start to skid on a turn, a couple more military patrol vehicles skirt around the bend.

Sandra looks through the rear view mirror. "Looks like we got company!"

The team looks back and sees the lights from two cars peering back at them.

"Shit! Do we have anything in here to fend them off?" Zoe says.

Her and Riley start frantically looking around in the back.

As the cars start to close the gap, someone leans out of the passenger window with a megaphone. "Pull over! We will not let you get away!"

Fucking hell. Sandra cranes her neck towards the back. "Did y'all find anything?"

"Nothing's in here!" Riley replies.

Grohl starts to climb towards the back. "Look for secret compartments or something. There has to be at least a couple of weapons here."

Holy shit. We're really about to have a shootout. "Has anyone here ever shot a gun before?"

The car is silent. Great.

"Okay, well, if you find one, I'll give you a crash cour-"

The car lurches forward as one of the pursuers ram it.

"They're on us!" Zoe yells.

"Yeah, we know!" Grohl replies. "The fuck are we gonna do?"

"I have an idea, but it could go horribly. If I explain it, you might try to talk me out of it. So, just let me do it."

Zoe looks up from trying to peel back floor panels. "That sounds dangerous and like it could backfire."

"Probably, but it's better than trying to have a shootout with the cops."

"Okay, do it," Riley says. Zoe and Grohl nod.

Sandra nods her head and takes a deep breath. She looks through the mirror and sees the two cars speeding up toward them. Her eyes dart back to the team. "Y'all might want to hold on." She breaks and swerves the vehicle to be perpendicular to the road. The pursuers, still barrelling ahead, try to break but slam into the side of the vehicle. Their cars crumple at the front, with one of the people, the guy who was hanging out, getting flung out. The crash rocks the vehicle, but since it's military-grade transport, it ends up mostly unscathed. The force shakes everyone up, disorienting them for a bit.

"Is everyone okay?" Sandra says, shaking off the dizziness.

Everyone stumbles up. They all give nonverbal cues to let Sandra know they're not dead.

"Great. Let's get outta here."

Sandra drives off as smoke and fire create a blockade on the road behind them.

The team arrives at the hideout from way back before they met the informant.

"We made it, folks!" Sandra says, climbing out of the vehicle.

Zoe jumps out of the back and stretches like she just woke up. "Oof! That was insane. I'm really glad we didn't have to really fight too much with those guys."

Riley and Grohl are right behind her, hoisting a bagged-and-tagged General.

Riley puts one hand on Zoe's shoulder. "Look, if we had to, it would've been fine," He gestures towards Sandra. "We have Lady Liberty on our side!"

"Shut up, and let's go inside."

Once inside, Grohl and Riley affix the General to a chair, and everyone rotates taking showers. Once Grohl, the last person, comes out of the bathroom, everyone else is sitting at a table, with freshly uncanned food. "Oh wow! I don't think I've ever been this excited to see canned beans!" he says, a sly smile on his face.

"Haha. Sorry I wasn't really able to stock up any farm-to-table options, hope this is to your liking," Sandra says, sliding him a can as he sits down.

"Seriously, thanks."

"Okay, so...what next? We definitely can't really pursue the story the same way," Zoe says, swallowing down some beans.

Sandra shifts in her seat. "Well...I was thinking about it...and it seems like...we're going to need some backup."

Grohl squints. "Back up? Like what?"

"We should go talk to the Blades."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Those guys are actual terrorists!" Riley says, standing up.

Sandra laughs. "Yeah, 'terrorists' who actually saved our lives the last time we were in a pinch... I mean, why were we so willing to take him," she says, gesturing to the General. "But a group that's fighting the system directly is too extreme?"

Zoe gestures at Riley to calm down. "I mean, we're probably already considered terrorists at this point."

Grohl groans.

Sandra's eyes light up. "Exactly! And this way-"

"Whoa whoa", Zoe says, stopping Sandra. "I still have my reservations. I mean, I barely remember them getting us out of that prison, but I still don't want to know if we should go in that deep!"

"What?! What I'm telling you is that we are already that deep. I mean, ask the guys we've beat up, the two cars that crashed into us."

Grohl chimes in. "It's one thing to escape. It's another thing to attack." Riley and Zoe nod.

"But if we don't attack, then we're going to get attacked!" Sandra says, now standing up herself.

"I hear ya, but I just figure there's another way to broach this." Riley says, shrugging.

"So all of y'all feel this way?"

Everyone nods.

Fine. "Okay. how about this. We go to the Blades, connect with them, and see if they can help us out. Even if we don't work with them directly, it's better for us to have them in our corner than to not. Is that cool?"

After a small huddle, the rest of the group gives their approval. Sandra smiles.

"I do have a question." Grohl says.

"This feels like it's going to be more of a statement, but go on."

"Why don't we just connect with Liberty? I'm sure they could help us out."

"Liberty's vibe is more subterfuge and self-defense. The Blades are more diverse in their tactics."

Zoe sighs. "That makes me worried again."

Sandra shrugs. "I feel like we'd rather need that energy and not have it than have it and not need it. Anyway, let's get some sleep... we'll head out in the morning to meet them."

"Good morning," a soft voice says, almost like a dream.

...huh? Sandra gets a tang of iron in her nostrils and jolts up. Sitting next to her bed is SLASH, in their full glory. Sandra reaches behind herself, to try and grab something from under the bed.

"Hey hey, there's no need for that. I just wanted to talk."

Sandra sights. I probably couldn't take them anyway. "What-how are you here?"

"I had a feeling that your crew would do something insane eventually, so I've kept tabs. You all went dark for a bit until you ended up somehow getting to that research facility."

"How'd you know where we were?"

"A story for another time. Either way, with all of the noise you all have made, I'm not so sure you can go back to your normal routine. With that in mind, I'm hoping we can work together, since our goals are more aligned than ever."

"The enemy of my enemy...Interesting."

"Well?"

"Good thing I just convinced the team to work with y'all. I had the same idea--let's work together!"

"Great. Really your people, and meet us outside in an hour. Grab whatever supplies you want or need--we're going to have to raze this site."

"Raze??"

"This place is compromised now...you've probably come back to this place too many times. You'll need to find another base."

"Fuck. Okay. And what do you mean, we?"

"Some of the other Blades are taking care of that transport vehicle... You left a trail... and so we're going to help clean it up."

"Thanks."

"Yeah. Meet us outside, in a few. And...take another look at that military guy you have locked up...he wasn't looking too good when I came in."

Sandra nods.

#storytelling #writing collection project #writing #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writers #writerscommunity #writers of color #writers and poets #creative #storytellers #naruto #far cry #adventure #imprisoned

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opens-up-4-nobody · 11 months

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:-P

#how long ago did i watch pacific rim? i feel like it might have been last year but i finally drew this lmao #sometimes it just takes a while. newt specifically gets under my skin tho bc i think his research interests r kinda similar to mine #at least in a broad sense. but im dealing with cyanobacteria which is less exciting to most ppl lol but any fanfic i read thats like: newt #has 6 phds im like fucking what? what r they in? they have to be literature based right?! when would u have time to independently design.#carry out. write and defend for 6 independent projects in different topics by his age?#what as waste of time. i say as a person who would happily fuck around and collect degrees without ever having to get a real job #idk characters i relate to make me a little unhinged bc i do not like to relate to characters lol #pacific rim #herman gottlieb #newt geiszler #newton geiszler #tw blood #tw gore #also i agree with herman abt the numbers quote. physics is like literally understanding the fabric of the universe so like yeah #also i cant draw hermann and i cant see his face without thinking of owen from torchwood who i hated lol #pacrim

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sourscratched · 3 months

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got caught in one of the back wheels of the bandwagon, extended corniverse headcanons be upon ye

my bryce and clark are based on the lovely lovely designs for them made by @gaybearwedding !! (well they at least were initially. things may have gotten away from me)

additional dumb doodling under the cut

(and one for my little team illinois + nebraska ocs ⬇️)

notes, headcanons, etc:

- the Wicked shirt and the blue button down (from the group pic in the first photoset) are both shirts i’ve owned for a long time and are still in my closet right now

- the team illinois and team nebraska captains are named dani (daniela) and miya and pretty much exactly what happened between bryce and clark also happened with them. they also spent a summer road-tripping together; prime grounds for homosexual thoughts to happen

- for anybody who’s watched the off book episode The Kids Are At Night with Mary Sohn (10/10 episode highly recommended), i imagine that most nights after clark gets done helping his sisters* with their homework he’s probably looking up online editions of Boy Boy Magazine. gotta get connected to the culture

* = my headcanon is that he has two sisters, one older one younger

- the Away Team is from the same country as Princess Emily but they’re diehard Nothing Everything Children Glass fans (is there an actual name for the group who made it?? tag with your headcanon for the band name) and there is a rivalry between the two factions

that’s all ive got for now thanks for reading all my weird little ideas!! 💖💖

#my art #play it by ear #im extremely late to the party #anyway!!!!#these were really fun to make #*slaps the cornhole in one characters* you can project so many queer young adult life experiences onto these bad boys #i haven’t been super active recently but ive quietly been keeping up on the content everyone’s been making and it’s so good and cute #it makes me super happy that more and more people are jumping in and making stuff for the series #💐🌸🌹🌼💝 <- for the pibe fans make sure to take one with you #anyway. my hobby is connecting elevator pitch to as many parts of the improvised musical universe as possible #i have more thoughts but im not collected enough to write them out.. maybe later #i feel like ive been so in my head with the hcs for this universe that there’s a lot of stuff in this post that must be ??? to everyone #but hopefully it’s like. mildly intelligible at least

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qcomicsy · 14 days

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Lately I've only been wishing to grab a comic about my favorite character and just have a genuinely good time reading it.

#I can't remember the last time I took a Deadpool comic and genuinely had a good time about it #I hate the direction they took with his character and it's so disrespectful that I don't even talk about I don't even think *any* Deadpool #fan genuinely talk about it because were so tired of his kids characterization we all just collectively decided to ignore whatever hell #marvel through at him #but rant aside #it's just–#I am not sure if comic books are fun anymore I don't even know who I am making content for half of the people on my notes haven't touched #comic book and aren't pretending to do so #people who read the comics tend to be so mean or bitter about it that even if you follow most will be angry about something #comic or fan related and I don't know if I can blame them but following that is draining #and as much as I was trying to be a good sport about it you make a post about comic book characters and #and the overwhelming response is 'I don't read the comics but'– following up by a take about them that doesn't even recognize any core #aspect of their personality that you can't even grasp you can't even recognize them #you can't recognize them on tue cannon you can't recognize them on the fannon #and no matter how engaging you try to make content about the fandom people just–*refuse* to read it. And then– they *refuse* to tag fannon #content as fannon #and *refuse* to leave either #Yes we are all having fun but how can a character tag be so so filled with people who have no idea of who they are #how can a character can be properly loved and take care of and have content that respect them if no one makes any attempt to *know them*#and it's disheartening because *comics* are supposed to be fun *fannon are supposed to be fun*#but for aome reason it's really *really* hard to have fun here anymore #I created this page to share my love for the characters I care about and see more content of people who care about them too #but I can't even *find* people who care about them any more and when I do they're all so angry and upset– And I *cant even blame them*#I just... I don't know why I am doing this anymore or for who I am doing this anymore #sorry to vent but it's been a while since I haven't been had a genuinely good time™ enjoying comics #I don't think even people who write those comics enjoy those comics or care about those characters #Sometimes feels like everyone is projecting on those characters rather than *writing about them*. And I can't find them anymore #fanfics used to be about love petters to characters who you love #nowadays seems like a competition to see who makes more funny words with tropes pre-written since 2007 #vent

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yellow-yarrow · 2 months

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I tried collecting all the direct Kras Mazov quotes I could find from fayde just for fun. so here is some mazovian theory for you:

'Man is the mirror of the world' 'To find victory in the cultural war we must first scout the battlefield' 'Those committed to the rights of property are those most apt to violate them' "laugh at the monster that hides behind false hopes and pieties." "it's the arrogance of capital that will be its ultimate undoing. It does not believe it can fail, which is why it must fail." 'The freeman of the future will be he who awakens in perfect ignorance of Capital' 'religion is pyrholidon for the masses' 'Du cristal à la fumée.'

#kras mazov #im just tired of how the de wiki has the bare minimum information and doesn't have stuff like this #its like fine then i'll collect the information #fine then i'll write a wiki for myself #last time i checked the new wiki project was stuck because of the hosting site had some problems with the domain or something (?)#if it continues i can link some posts and we don't have to go searching for them again

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anonymocha · 2 months

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[ ⚠️ SUGGESTIVE FR | Full under cut ]

Literally just medpoc wearing a strap-on and carabiner, as requested by @fruitgummibean hope ur happy luv

The ask + pose inspo and lyrics

#Medicine Pocket #Kaalaa Baunaa #implied :3 #you can make interpretations on who is writing #im not tagging this as reverse 1999 bc it will may leave my target audience #medpoc girlkissing collection #mochadoodles #implied but will be tagged as #KaalaaPocket #MediBaunaa #nblw #king princess the artist you are #TU TU TU TU TU TU TU TU TU TU TU TU #cw suggestive #i am fr NOT escaping the allegations this time #REMINDER THAT ALL MY LESBIAN MEDPOC BS IS NOT A HEADCANON BUT A PERSONAL PROJECTION FOR THE FUNSIES TYSM #pinup #meDYKEcine pocket

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misspoetree · 11 months

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So the lovely @haahka and I were talking about Tay and how it's a bit sad that the fandom only ever seems to send him on shopping tours or focus on his fashion (you guys know that I'm obsessed with the KinnPorsche Fashion myself, but it's just a little...unadventurous, you know).

And then I got waaay to deep into headcanons with the equally lovely @tumsa (I'm not even sorry for the spam 😌❤).

Now, there are two things I want to do: first, I'd love to hear more Tay headcanons - feel free to throw them at me (as an ask, in the tags, added to this post, whatever you prefer). Because I'm really curious. 👀

And second, I'm going to share a few of mine:

Tay is way more capable than anyone thinks. (But no one needs to know that.)

People treat Tay like a princess within the show - I mean, he isn't even allowed to help in the kitchen at Porsche's. But I don't think Tay IS a princess. I think it's a protective façade. Because letting oneself be underestimated is a (survival) strategy in a world of money and constant power struggle, and a smart one at that. Yes, Tay is really good at reading people in general, but I also feel like people tend to let their guard down around him. Because he's kind, and understanding, and compassionate - and he seems harmless, a bit spoiled even. His 'softness' puts people at ease, makes them talk, makes them more honest than they probably should be. He's not a threat after all. I bet he knows a lot of things he shouldn't. I bet he's smart enough to use that knowledge (to help other people, to help himself, if needed). And I bet Tay could be fucking dangerous if he ever chose to (and wouldn't that be exciting 👀).

I also like to think that Tay has a strong survival instinct that goes beyond 'pretending to be incapable'. He and Kinn have been friends for ages, their families know each other, he basically grew up surrounded by mafia. He probably witnessed Tankhun's kidnapping back in the day. The horror and trauma of it. Tay's family is rich. He's close to the Theerapanyakuls. To the future head of the family. But he DOESN'T have an army of bodyguards following him around. And the downside of 'being harmless' is looking like an easy victim. Tay is too smart to be unprepared. So in my headcanon he knows how to handle a crisis, knows how to deal with danger, knows how to survive. Knows how to get out of the country quickly, how to get money without leaving a trail, how to get an unregistered gun. How to land a mean punch even though he hates it, how to apply (good) first aid EVEN THOUGH HE HATES IT. (I do think that he really isn't a fan of physical stuff, so the princess image is not completely off. Or, well, he lets it work in his favour.)

Tay's reaction to being hurt, being really hurt, is to shut his emotions down completely.

I don't enjoy how Tay's often written as dramatic and over-emotional in his confrontations with Time after what happened at Hum Bar. He isn't sober when he catches his boyfriend shoving his tongue down another man's throat, and well, his boyfriend is shoving his tongue down another man's throat. So of course he's fucking angry. And emotional. Right then and there. But the thing is, Tay had time to think, time to cool off in those other confrontations. And that's just the way to describe Tay's demeanor then: cool, cold, like ice. I like to think that he just freezes over. Turns into a statue of neutral disinterest. Just imagine: someone like Tay, always so kind and compassionate, staring you down with an expressionless face, not reacting to anything you say, looking close to fucking bored. Imagine what that would do to Time, always so full of himself, always so used to getting reactions out of Tay. Walking straight into a wall of ice. Completely out of his element. Really forced to put the work in for once. And it truly is hard work to break through to Tay once he closes his feelings off from you. A little bit of grovelling might be necessary. (That said, dealing with his emotions like that isn't good for Tay either. Of course not.)

There's...'something' between Tay and Vegas, some kind of understanding

I never got over TAY asking after Vegas in the final episode. Or the way Tay watches Vegas as he passes him during the auction. So I'm having a lot of fun wondering about the 'relationship' between Tay and Vegas, or how potential interactions could have gone down.

I mean, Tay 'belongs' to Kinn. We know that Vegas wants everything that belongs to Kinn (I bet he thinks Kinn must have fucked a pretty boy like that at least once. Even though it's not his usual type. Why else would he stick around?). Tay's caring and understanding. We know how Vegas can react...to something like that. (Not him falling in love after one free therapy session or something like that.) Tay is really good at reading people, he is really good at reading Kinn. And we know Vegas is not so different from Kinn (in some ways), even though he would murder anyone suggesting something like that to his face. Or maybe that's exactly what Tay does. Telling that to his face. As Vegas tries to seduce him, in the earlier days. But Tay doesn't try to wound him with that, to be cruel or mean, it's just an observation, spoken in that calm and understanding tone of his. And a younger Vegas is so shocked by that statement that he just...stops? And stares at Tay who just keeps going with that warm look in his eyes and those observations that hit a little too close to home until he can't take it anymore and turns on his heel to...definitely NOT run away like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Vegas keeps his distance after that. That princess isn't worth the effort, he tells himself. Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe he stops trying to seduce Tay, yes. But they end up talking again. And again. Because Vegas desperately needs to know what Tay meant with those things he said. And there's just... something about their conversations that keeps Vegas coming back. Until (stealing some thoughts from @tumsa here <3) Tay tries to convince Vegas that the competition between him and Kinn is dumb. Vegas does keep his distance, then.

And Tay gives up trying to help, trying to make him see how futile all of this is because it's clear Vegas won't listen to anyone but his father. But he still cares about Vegas, and seeing all the things Vegas does to himself without realising, seeing that ever-growing self-destructive obsession with Kinn sits like a leaden ball in Tay's stomach. The knowledge that he can't do anything to help is a bit like its own form of torture.

Anyways, (stealing again from @tumsa) Tay definitely ends up going to the hospital to visit Vegas. In secret, of course. And seeing Vegas and Pete together, seeing Vegas being changed by love, seeing him try to be a better person for Pete, putting all this effort in to make it work - maybe all of this forces Tay to reflect on his own love life for once. To reflect on the things he wants. The things he deserves, after all.

Nearly everyone had a crush on Tay, one time or another

You guys know the thing we do with Vegas? Like how VegasPete is the holy grail of endgame ships but it's so much fucking fun to ship Vegas with everyone and to imagine all his possible encounters and escapades? Because he's manipulation, seduction and psychological issues stacked on top of each other and wrapped in a velvet shirt?

Well. I like to do the same thing with Tay. For more or less opposite reasons. Because he's understanding and warm and compassionate and smart (and really pretty). In a world full of violence and trauma and repressed emotions, only sharp edges. I mean, who wouldn't crave the warmth, who wouldn't want to bathe in the sunlight for a while? I'm pretty sure people are falling en masse for Tay. And I think Tay doesn't always know how to handle it. Or genuinely doesn't realise what kind of effect he has on those poor bastards for doing nothing more than showing them a bit of kindness. Or maybe he's simply choosing to ignore it because he only has eyes for one person and one person alone.

Anyways, a lot of fun directions to go with this last headcanon for now. (And I'm keeping it intentionally vague and without examples because otherwise, this would turn into a multichapter fanfic I don't have time to write just now. 🤡)

#it's a bad idea to post this when there's so many other things I should be doing #and I have to go back to work tomorrow #but that hasn't stopped me before has it 🤡#and I had way too much fun writing and thinking about this ngl #(was there infj projection involved in this? maybe. MAYBE IT WAS)#anyways - I'd love to hear and collect some more Tay headcanons <3 #and I leave it to @haahka to share that one headcanon with you that started all of this 😂❤#kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche headcanon #kinnporsche tay #vegas theerapanyakul #timetay #because the kinnporsche brain rot is still real

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whoopseydaisy · 2 months

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On Witches, Wizards, and Wild Ones: A Conspiracy Board from the Walls of the Witch of the Wondering Path

Ahoohoo and crackle crackle!

This is an attempt of untangling some threads, stretching out their red yarn and connecting one thing to another or maybe to nothing at all. A series of notes and questions on what we know, what we may know so far, or at the very least what we have been told. The purpose is mostly to try and determine who might be behind the assassination attempt of the station of the Witch of the World’s Heart, before the Coven of Elders convenes, but also some other stuff, because these sorts of things balloon out quite quickly when one is combing through transcripts for clues. And also a dragon??

I shall analyze and speculate from what we have been told, knowing some inconsistencies may be characters concealing truths, interpreting them differently, or that some inconsistencies will be born of this beautiful improvisational medium. I will also do so knowing that Brennan is playing a long game, setting up characters and plot threads for a future he does not entirely know yet.

Settle in with your warm drinks and campfire blankets everyone, this is 12 page paper.

THE CURSE(S)

There are several appearances of curses in both the Children’s Adventure and the first arc, often characterized by an exhalation of dark smoke.

In the Children’s Adventure: While not confirmed as a curse, when Grandmother Wren leaves (to a meeting with friends that the wizards don’t know about, to see where the missing Eoighorain might be) to what is presumably a meeting with the Coven of Elders, she returns with a bandage tied around her forearm. But it does not look too horrifying and it is not soaked with blood. She describes the trip as eventful and necessary. (Possibly at the castle of Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars, as the conclave will be the second meeting there in a century.)

In episode 8, 2 days before Steel arrives to bring Suvi home, Grandmother Wren returns to the cottage after leaving to try and figure out why Soft and Stone have not come yet. She went to a place that they had told her was safe, and someone was there waiting to hurt her. Grandmother Wren tells Suvi “They’re gone now.”

Grandmother Wren looks ill; her hair is white and her hand is described as black and red and withered, burnt and cracking with blood streaming down from a wound that can’t set. Her breath is ragged, weak, and quick. The curse is described to Eursulon as not strong, but clever. He also learns that the curse uses her pain to keep the itself in place; that it gets stronger the more she tries to feel and deal with the pain.

After the children work together to trap the curse and heal Grandmother Wren, Suvi recognizes the mist of wizardly teleportation magic outside. The girls just barely see Grandmother Wren’s footprints outside the door, but do not see anyone else’s, nor any other signs of entry. Suvi is able to tell that the magic is not Grandmother Wren’s.

After investigating this caught curse, which Grandmother Wren at first believed was the work of the wizard, she determines the curse was expecting a wizard, and did not believe its origins were of this realm. She also says it should have killed her, but it didn’t, because they were expecting someone else.

I was surprised re-listening that Grandmother Wren believed this portion of the curse expected a wizard. I think this curse may have been on an item capable of teleportation magic (no second set of footprints) perhaps meant for Soft and Stone, but when its target became Grandmother Wren, a contingent effect was triggered, or this is another curse altogether perhaps mingling with the larger curse on both her and Ame. Grandmother Wren thought Soft and Stone were spending the summer trying to find out who their true friends were - perhaps the Coven of Elders were also testing who they could trust. While “They’re gone now. Do you understand?” implies Grandma Wren whooping their ass 6 ft under the ground, she hadn’t figured out who cast it yet at that point, which leads me to believe that they were not present. The origin not being of this realm makes me think the origin of the curse is The Stranger.

In Ep 01:

Here we discover the larger curse on both Grandmother Wren and Ame, when they realize a curse has robbed Ame of her memories and knowledge, of her station and of who she could trust and prevents Grandmother Wren from telling her about the Coven of Elders or calling herself the Witch of the World’s Heart. Grandmother Wren breaks through the curse (but not breaking it proper) as it tries to “stop the coronation” by willing the house, and all that is hers to Ame.

After, Brennan tells us “Grandmother Wren can no longer speak as she concentrates on magic, she has not fought off this curse”

Taro addresses the Granddaughters of Wren and tells them “The curse is powerful, but the secrets that Wren shared still live. You have been cursed too” and then, speaking of Wavebreaker, “But there is a key, a key to find where they are being kept, and a key to cut them free when found. There is a source with the power to disenchant and scry”

GrandaughterS of Wren - is Suvi afflicted by any part of the curse, or was Taro’s “you” only addressing Ame? Taro also says Wavebreaker has the power to find where the secrets are being kept, and the power to scry but this is not currently reflected in the statblock…but more on that later when we talk about the Stranger’s possible connection to Wavebreaker.

We also learn in Episode 15, once Ame recovers her memories, that the Stranger had attacked Grandmother Wren at the Grove of the Well— a place sacred to the Coven of Elders, a month prior to her bed rest. She also tells Ame “For some time now, since you were a very little girl, in fact, he has been moving upon our world in a way that I cannot quite see.

Is part of the curse helping to obscure The Pilgrim Under the Stars, The Man in Black, The King of Night, The Stranger from Grandmother Wren? Did he start moving in such a way shortly after she took in Ame as her apprentice (which she was “cutting a bit close”) and the succession of her station was in the process of being secured, not going the way of either Scalvi, the Witch of the Watching Fire or Oruna, the Witch of the Wide Blue Sea?

In Ep 14:

In episode 14 when Eursulon breaks the curse on Ame we are told “Whatever entity placed this curse on Grandmother Wren and Ame put a spell so nasty that it was standing in front of successive contingent effects. That there’s like, a nested series of spells within Ame, and you’re excising all of them. But the big one that Ame was aware of was hiding some others”

The curse afflicting Grandmother Wren at the end of summer, seems to be the larger curse affected both her and Ame. The children only excised and trapped one part of many of the curse.

The curse is described as something sliding and clicking, liquid poison filled with a puzzle, turning from the inside, made of shadow. something that twists and rotates and expands and pierces. The curse is also holding onto something as it leaves - Ame is able to grab and safekeep the knowledge the curse attempts to steal from her on a Nat 20 wisdom save, and then collapses to the ground and expectorates black bile that smells of iron and blood, like Eoighorain, with a 9 on her constitution save. Her breathing remains strong, not ragged (unlike Grandmother Wren). We are told, through Suvi’s identify spell, that the bile is not the curse itself, but was behind the curse - something hidden there, meant to kill Ame if the curse were to be broken

Does the bile smell of Eoighorain because its a contribution he made to the curse (he is a known entity to the Coven of Elders), or a signifier of a power both he and Ame are affected by? We learn later, in Episode 16 when Steel discusses Eoighorain with Suvi, that this smell is not common amongst shapeshifter’s, but a scent she has only ever smelled from him.

When Steel arrives she says that the longer Ame remains in her unconscious state, the more whoever created this spell would be able to track her.

More on this in the next section- but is that why Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars was able to send a message to Ame in the Citadel so easily?

THE COVEN OF ELDERS

In Episode 23, Mr. Soup tells us that Grandmother Wren was at odds with the Coven for many years— there was a plan she did not want to go along with, and had been searching for a long time to find a way to convince her sisters to do something else. We also see glimpses of this in Episode 15 in Grandmother Wren’s conversation with Mirara, the Witch of the Waning Moon. It’s a safe guess that this disagreement has to do with Wizards and the Citadel.

What Sly has divined regarding the upcoming Conclave (which we are told in glorious metatheatrical fashion in Episode 23 that “All things occurring as they have been seen. With perhaps one or two tricks, just to keep the story interesting.”)

That if Ame does not go to the North Pole in 3 days, the Coven will meet without her and that they will try to destroy her and in doing so the stations of Witch of the World’s Heart

One of them will make an argument that Ame’s existence threatens the nature of magic in Umora. The majority of times Ame wins that argument, it is because magically if they were to get rid of her station they would probably have to get rid of another.

If Suvi is not there as her advisor, Ame will die

We also know from Grandmother Wren that there is much the coven can do without full unanimity (but presumably would be far less powerful to do so), and the Coven is bound by laws of mutual respect and there will be tremendous repercussions if one insinuates that any of the other stations are not incredibly significant to the nature of magic itself.

But which of the members of the Coven of Elders might want the station of the Witch of the World’s Heart gone the most? WHO IS IN CAHOOTS? Is The Stranger involved? Is Eoighorain? Who has the most against wizards?

Marara, the Witch of the Waning Moon (Mirara? The transcripts use both spellings.)

The death of light, the end of might, the all consuming dread of night.

This is the obvious first suspect.

If that’s not a witch well on the pathway to wickedness, I don’t know what is.

The Witch subclass says of The Coven of the Wicked: “Members of this coven like to paint themselves as misunderstood victims, but it’s not tragedy that turns a witch’s heart to darkness—it’s the inability to let go of their suffering. A wicked witch might claim to be an enemy to all the world, but they always have one kind of person in particular—usually related to their past self, and what soured their magic—that they despise above all else. When you become wicked, choose a virtue that is anathema to you: courage, fairness, generosity, innocence, loyalty, kindness, optimism, prudence, selflessness, or being in love. Beings that display this virtue are especially tempting targets for your ire.”

Like…you can’t have a piece of such juicy and gorgeous and cool design like the Coven of Wicked (and the rehabilitation therein) and not have a wicked witch in your story!

Additionally, Marara’s domain is the Witch of the Waning Moon. The death of light, the end of might, the all consuming dread of night. The moon wanes as it goes from full to new. When Ame meets her on the road, to light her way to the cottage, the harbinger of her arrival is a candle on the verge of going out.

Mirara’s domain speaks to cycles, to the fall of the mighty and to the fear of the unknown. It is also of the night, possibly putting her in natural cahoots with The King of Night who also hates wizards. The conversation he has with Eursulon and the conversation Ame sees in the water between Marara and Grandmother Wren, both in Episode 23, certainly mirror each other.

She is also often accompanied by wind, which speaks to Indri’s domain, the Wind and Stars, another one of night.

Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars

Of frost and stone, of ice and throne, the ruler of the self alone.

Indri’s domain is the wind and stars, a domain that also overlaps with an appellation of the Pilgrim Under the Stars. In the letter to Ame she tells her she knew Ame has assumed her station from how the stars aligned. She has an apprentice we know little of. She also did the most to reach out to Ame to arrange a meeting.

Did she reach out to Ame so it was more likely she would attend the Conclave?

The ice fairies say when they find Ame and Suvi in the bathroom, “long lancing spells and vexing hexes of old were made to pierce and plunder through the guises and guile of wizards”

Were they able to reach her because Ame was easier to track when she was unconscious under Indri’s spellwork? Is it because she does not like wizards and is practiced at secretly penetrating their defences? The ice fairies were particularly silly, one being evidently foolish. Were they perhaps sent by Indri by way of her apprentice, who is lonely and excited to meet another Great Apprentice? “Hexes of old” does imply that Indri may be practiced at getting through Citadel defences.

Does Indri have any pull over celestial movements? When discussing that summer and Eoighorain with Suvi, Steel says “all of that changed as the celestial path shifted ever so slightly. And that slight slight shift meant that all of a sudden, you could teleport anywhere, pretty much unstoppable, very easily.” Grandma Wren also speaks of stars to Ame like they have personalities. Could Indri have eased the way for the eras of easy teleportation? Did she ever go on long and friendly flights among the stars with Grandma Wren? Is her witchcraft more divinatory? I think Indri falls on the side of wanting to stop wizards, but something in my gut says she does not want to see Ame dead.

Hacaea, the Witch of the Woodland Green

The holly branch, the towering oak, the limb and leaf an thorn her folk.

We know little of Hacaea so far, but I think she’s absolutely in cahoots mostly because she would have perhaps one of the greatest motives to hate wizards and want them gone, on account of the whole them turning a great forest into a huge snowy, mirror-y desert and a wizard tower who’s aerith depository is probably doing kind of fucked up stuff to the biome. We know she does not have an apprentice and I think Brennan singling her out as the one Ame could imagine hanging out with was in part was that it would hurt more when she’s in ASSASSINATION CAHOOTS. Might have sent Ame the letter on bark.

Grimoire, the Witch of the Wild Hunt

Where beasts have tread and monsters fed, the bloody fang and maw hath led.

We also do not know much about Grimoire. We know she has an apprentice, and has so far been characterised as much more feral and concerned with catching and eating things. She might have also sent Ame a letter on bark. I think there is more with her connection to monsters and possibly to Gaothmai, and Eoighorain?? Certainly there is more to her than meets the ear. Again I think Brennan could have been trying to be tricky in his comments about her, trying to make her seem less important early on than she will be.

THE STRANGER

Who has held his breath since the dawn of time, the Pilgrim Under Stars, the Man in Black, the King of Night. Who attacked Grandmother Wren at the Grove of the Well and who has been moving across the world in a way Grandmother Wren could not see since Ame was a very little girl, who came to the cottage the moment after Grandmother Wren passed when the station was at its most vulnerable and requested entry, and who does not like wizards.

The strings I am most interesting in detangling here, are his possible connection to Wavebreaker, and his connection to roads which we know are incredibly significant to Grandmother Wren’s wards.

In Episode 7 of Children’s Adventure after the cast each takes a turn describing a detail of Wavebreaker Brennan narrates “So you have this moment together in the hottest days of summer as this suit of armor hands you this thing”. The next scene, after taking a moment to roll some ability scores, is at night.

Suvi then rolls a 3 on a perception check, “So with a three in perception, you look and see that you were mistaken. You look deeper at the shadow and it's just a shadow. But it was a scary shape from one of the trees”

Ame investigates the spot the next day.

Taro had said back in Episode 01 “It will help you find whatever is keeping these secrets, and perhaps whoever took them.” What if that connection goes both ways for a powerful spirit with so many titles? One who has taken care to obscure himself from Grandmother Wren?

In Episode 23 once Eursulon entered the fire, eventually travelling from the Citadel to actual Gaothmai, the Stranger caught up to him enough to have a conversation real fast.

As evidenced above (if that figure of shadow is indeed The Stranger, but the point still stands anyways) he is also connected to the motif of roads.

The final line of Episode 01 (which as the last line from the first episode, carries extra emphasis):

From episode 21:

From episode 22:

But in speaking of roads we must remember,

The iron shoe of horses. 3 iron nails sprung out of a signpost. Could a connection to the Stranger cause Eoighorain’s blood to smell like iron?

EOIGHORAIN

In my folders of screenshots, within the one labelled conspiracy, this one is named “the unexplained Eoighorain fragment.” As I mentioned before, Brennan is playing the long game- placing pieces on the board, but he could not yet know all the ways they could move. Eoighorain is placed like a question mark, with great manoeuvrability. He could go one way or another. Too many NPCs think him untrustworthy and it makes me wonder if he is the flashy distraction of a magic trick so we don’t see what the other hand is doing.

This one goes down a few rabbit holes.

We learn much about Eoighorain in episode 16 from Suvi and Steel’s conversation but also, from the diagrams (which are 150 years old, made in the first 50 years of the Citadel) of garrans, which are a creature of the world of spirit. We learn that Eoighorain’s name means “Of Garran” or “Son of Garran” and that iron was always at the forefront of his smell, with the party speculating that the iron is perhaps used to bind him.

In Episode 15 Grandmother Wren tells Ame she has doubts about how loyal Eoighorain ended up being. Steel tells Suvi in episode 16 that she discovered recently, in the weeks preceding the start of the campaign proper, that Eoighorain was alive, and this is why she sent the books including the diagrams made to smell like him to Grandmother Wren, in an act of admitting defeat and hoping she would be able to find him where she could not.

She says she saw him at Fort Keiran, doubts herself, and then sounds sure.

Why was Eoighorain at Fort Keiran? Because the revolutionary forces of Gaothmai are fighting the Citadel? Because he is working with the Cauntaranacht now and perhaps always was? A secret third thing? Was it even him after all? Was Steel about to say that exact same scent? Was their revolution successful and so their forces hold much more power in Gaothmai now? Is that one of the reasons the war is spinning up again?

We see Gaothmai ourselves only briefly, in Episode 23. Eursulon, after falling and landing in an unfamiliar deep forest, meets monsters caught somewhere between spirit and mortal, left to fester— simian feline monstrosities, somewhere between a baboon and a panther with diseased scaly and mottled hide. Brennan describes it like a yard with attack dogs in it, who attack because of his citadel badge and who eventually leads him to Kalaya.

(And sidebar I think he sees a dragon?? Is the war spinning up again because of a dragon? Was part of the Coven’s plan raising a dragon to raze the Citadel and everyone else? Was that how the world burned before? I just realized now that Eursulon saw a dragon and I am spinning up about it for sure.)

But back to Eoighorain, and Steel thinking that he caused the death of Soft and Stone, who Steels tells us were prolific double agents with connections in both Rhuv and Gaothmai that pay dividends to this day.

Grandmother Wren tells Ame in Episode 15 that Eoighorain was one of the outside members of the Citadel to alert the Acadator to the presence of agencies, jokingly referred to as the League of Whispers, which were dedicated to the downfall of the Citadel from within. She also says “When Steel came to collect Suvi at the end of that summer, the primary targets of their investigation were dead or missing.”

Additionally in the Children’s Adventure:

Steel tells us in Episode 16 that the mission Soft and Stone were on the summer that they died was searching for a dangerous sorceress named Nahani. This was the first time that instead of her and Eoighorain protecting Soft and Stone, he alone was charged with their safety. When Steel returned to collect Suvi she came back with scars on her face, and a new cloak.

Why was Steel left behind? Was she needed by the Citadel elsewhere? A matter of trust? Is she telling the truth? Did Soft and Stone leave Steel behind so she would not know they were possibly acting against the Citadel? Because they knew she would not betray it? Was she really not there, or is that a cover up? Is guilt one of the forces that pulled her to be mother to Suvi? I don’t really think she killed them but I am not discounting that possibility.

I think Steel believes this wholeheartedly, but I don’t for a second.

Stone is a very prolific abjurer, who also studied divination. Just saying.

Additionally,

This little nugget in Gaothmai perked my ears up the first time it was said. Ket, you say? Like Suvirin Kedberiket? Like Aman Kedberiket? THAT WAS A CHOICE BRENNAN. IN A WORLD WHERE NAMES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, IN A CULTURE WHERE NAMES ARE KEPT SECRET. IN A NATION SOFT WAS A DOUBLE AGENT FOR. WHO, 2 YEARS BEFORE SUVI WAS BORN, FREED A NUMBER OF SPIRITS, ONE OF WHOM WAS KALAYA, WHO THEN SETTLED DOWN IN GAOTHMAI. AND HE HAS A COLLEAGUE WHO IS THEORETICALLY A REVOLUTIONARY FROM THERE. A COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. Anyways I think Soft is from Gaothmai.

In conclusion: ?????????????????? I’m really excited for arc 3 because I really love witches and I don’t really know what up with Eoighorain, and I adore but do not trust Steel (but what else is new) and I do think there’s a dragon in Gaothmai apparently?? And I think The Stranger has a connection to Wavebreaker and I think Soft is from Gaothmai and I really don’t know if I can trust Indri or not but I hope we meet her apprentice and some more ice fairies.

#wbn #wbn spoilers #wbn pod #the wizard the witch and the wild one #worlds beyond number #wbn meta #wbn conspiracy board #im moving this over from my google doc in pieces and it is 12:25 on the monday (tuesday) night before the episode drops #the conclave arc #and I do have work in the morning and I still must turn my outline on the stranger and eoighorain whose name I can finally spell now #into the writing of the thing #this was lowkey and then high key my project within arcs and I did not think it would take as much time as it did and then was FOLLY #but ya start collecting screenshots from transcripts and then ur collecting them for everything #anyways I think I can push it another hour so lets hope I can get er done and hopefully someone will read it #and its not all immediately disproven in 6 hours #a crack theory that came to me in a fugue state I did not include is that Eoighorain is the Scalvi's apprentice who betrayed her #okay it took me to 3am and the episode technically beat me by 45 minutes but I will take it #long post

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dipperdesperado · 1 year

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Writing Story Collection Chapter 11 - Throw Away the Key

The team looks at each other, and Riley and Grohl charge forward, pushing him to the ground like football players. They keep going, and Zoe and Sandra follow suit. The general stumbles up and yells and starts to chase. They run around the wing, back and forth. The team rushes past some guards, who give them gobsmacked looks in return. The general comes up a few moments later. "Get them!" he yells, and the guards hop off their asses. The chase continues around the ring, with the team narrowly dodging and cutting in between the rows. They turn a corner and lose the guards for a second. Sandra looks up at the high shelves, and a lightbulb goes off in her head.

She starts climbing up the shelf. "Follow my lead, y'all!"

Everyone looks up and follows suit. They scale the shelves right as the guards and general turn the corner. The team looks down at the guards as they run right to where they were, looking in both directions in the hallway.

The general starts barking orders. "You three, go left! You four, go right! The rest of you, we'll go back." They split off and start going every which way.

"Fuuuck," Sandra says.

Grohl smiles at Sandra. "Good thinking, Sandy."

"Hey, don't do that," Zoe says, eyebrow raised.

Everyone looks at her, confusedly. "w-what?" Grohl says, a palpable uncertainty in his voice.

"Don't be all...nice and stuff. It's weird, and I can't handle anything wilder right now!"

Grohl has to stop himself from laughing. "Wow, you all have a very particular impression of me, huh?"

Sandra interjects. "Is it an 'impression' if that's all we know of you?"

"Fair enough."

Riley pats Sandra's shoulder, prompting her to look at him. "Any thoughts on our next plan? Unless we start moving across the tops of these," he says, pointing out across the shelves, "we're gonna be stuck here for the foreseeable future."

Sandra purses her lips. "...yeah. I think...we probably hang up here for a little while until things cool down a tad, then go from there. Once we know they're not actively looking in the way they are now, we can go and-"

A loud, industrial whizzing sound starts coming from the floor.

"The fuck?" Sandra says, looking down.

Suddenly, the shelves start receding into the floor. As they lower, the group stumbles and has to hold onto the ledge.

Zoe cries out. "What are we gonna do?"

"You're going to come with us," the general yells, as his group of soldiers run over to them.

The team tries to escape but is surrounded by the rest of the guards. They're outnumbered 2:1. And some of the guards have guns.

The team looks ready to fight. Sandra looks around, weighing her options. *There's no spin to this. We're SOL.* She turns around to face her team, putting her hands up. "Stand down. We've been caught."

They give her a sad look, then reluctantly raise their hands in the air. She turns around, and the guards start cuffing and bagging them.

"Not this shit agai-" Zoe says, yelling through the commotion.

Everyone's voices fade as they're all dragged in different directions.

***

Riley is thrown into an empty room, constructed from concrete. The general follows as his soldiers close the door behind them. Riley scrambles up and runs toward the general. As he lunges at him, the general put his hands up, ready to fight. Riley wraps his arms around the general's waist and starts trying to lift him off of the ground. The general counters with an elbow between his shoulder blades, causing Riley to yelp as the general pushes him off of him. Riley backs up, stumbling into a defensive stance as the general slowly closes the gap.

The general stops a few feet away from Riley and fixes his hair. "Are you going to continue to be this difficult?"

Riley takes a swing at the general, who manages to dodge. Riley continues the assault by spitting blood in his face.

"Ick!" the general replies, wiping his eyes. He tries to retreat.

Riley comes in from the side, and the general turns to react, but Riley is able to land a clean shot to the face, putting the general on the floor. "Fuck you," he says, as he starts to make his way towards the door. As he gets to the wall, it looks blank. No seams, undulations, nothing. "What the fuck?"

The general put a hand on Riley's shoulder, causing Riley to flick at off and immediately turn around. The general jumps back and puts his hands up. "You didn't think it was going to be that simple, right," he asks, pointing towards the door. "I mean, why would we just let you waltz out of here? What sense does that make?"

Riley looks back, a storm of frustration brewing in his eyes.

The general starts to walk towards him. "Look, it's been fun dancing with you, hope you got that out of your system. We need to talk about you and your friends."

Riley avoids making eye contact, the anger still brewing inside him. "Ain't nothing to talk about. We just wanted information."

The general laughs. "Well, I figured as much, since you know, you broke into an information facility. What I don't understand is why go through all this trouble? What could be so important that you're willing to get involved with the government, again? I imagine all of this would be very...upsetting."

Riley scoffs.

The general smiles. "Ooh. Did I hit a nerve? Good." He stares intensely at Riley for a few moments and walks to the adjacent wall. he presses it, and a section of it rises up, making way for the door. He looks back at Riley. "Thanks for the chat and the dance. I'm feeling primed to talk to your friends. Wonder if they can fight as good as you?"

"You fuckin--get back here!" Riley exclaims, raggedly rushing behind him. He goes through doorway and runs into two guards.

"Would you kindly return to your cage?" one guard asks.

The other guard gut-punches him. "Move along." Both laugh as Riley hobbles back into the concrete cell.

The general passes a guard. They nod at each other. "He's eating right now. Wasn't very talkative to me, but maybe you'll have better luck."

The general presses the wall, and a similar sliding mechanism rises the wall. He walks in and sees Grohl sitting on the floor, dejectedly eating steamy ramen.

"How's the meal? We give our guests a special selection from our very own menu. You get the same stuff we get."

Grohl continues eating as if the general didn't even walk in.

"Hmm. All right then," the general says, walking towards him. The general sits down across from him. Grohl continues to stare at him. The general stares into Grohl's eyes, but Grohl is looking past the general. After a while, the general looks behind himself. "There's nothing over there...what are you looking at?"

Grohl stops chewing for a split second, then continues to chew.

"All right. Fine. You don't want to talk--I'll go hang out with your friend. The one that's left, anyway," the general says, standing up and heading towards the door.

Grohl doesn't respond.

The general keeps leaving the room and is about to reach the other side of the wall when Grohl yells through the doorway.

"Wait!"

The general looks at the guards standing outside, and chuckles. "I'm glad you've decided to be more cooperative. What is it--you want to hear about your little friends?"

Grohl stands up, knocking over his bowl and gripping his fork. "What did you do to them?"

The general walks up, getting in Grohl's space. "That's a great question, GG." He looks at the fork, then back into Grohl's eyes, almost daring him to try it. "Are you willing to cooperate?"

"Are they okay?" Grohl asks, giving him that same look Riley gave him.

"You tell me," the General says, locking eyes with Grohl.

Grohl yells and goes to stab the general. The general locks Grohl's arm, making him drop the fork. Grohl screams in pain, as the general throws him to the ground.

"You're no fighter, GG. Your friend, Riley though? Now he...he knew how to handle himself," the general says, wincing as he touches the discolored part of his jaw. "Now if he isn't the ringleader of this operation, and you're not, then... it must be the girl." The general turns and starts to rush out of the room.

"W-wait! Don-" Grohl pleads as the general leaves the room.

"I really hope you two are going to be more cooperative than your friends...I mean, those guys...they are really just so...fiesty!"

Zoe and Sandra just stare at the general, holding each other. They give him dagger eyes.

The general sighs. "Jeez. Quite the tough crowd today. I just want to know, which one of you is running this operation. That's it."

*What would he do with that information?*

"What if it's me?" Zoe asks, standing up.

"Zo-" Sandra says, her eyes wide. Zoe squeezes Sandra's hand, assuring her.

The general's ears perk up. "Oh? The progidal intern? That would sure be... a twist. But only someone who is supremely green would think to break into a military facility."

"Well, now you know," Zoe says, taking a step towards him. Sandra pulls her hand.

Zoe cups her hand, and lets's go. "Sandy, it's fine. I want to protect you and everyone else."

"God, finally, someone's being cooperative." The general sits down. "That's all you had to do." He taps the floor three times, and a couple of seconds later, guards come rushing in. "Take her."

The guards grab Zoe, who doesn't leave without kicking and screaming.

Sandra runs after them. "Zoe!" Two more guards come in from outside and restrain Sandra. She screams as Zoe is dragged out.

As the door shuts, the general kneels down in front of her, grabbing her face to make eye contact. "You done?"

"She-she's not the leader...I am! I am..." Sandra says, her voice raw.

"You did it. One of you finally told the truth. Good job!" the general says, giving a sinister smile. "All right, let's go."

Zoe's eyes widen as the guards lift her up, and follow the general out of the cell. "Go? Go where?"

Sandra thrashes against the guards, from the time she's taken from this cell until she is in another cell.

"What..you're going to put me in another cell? Why?" She says, looking up.

The General smiles. "Heh. you'll see. Go on."

They open the door, throwing Sandra through. She looks up, and sees the team, all there, safe and (pretty) sound. She runs over to them, giving them a big hug. "You all are okay!?"

"I've been better, but yeah," Grohl says.

"I'm sorry, Sandy. I was really trying to keep you safe," Zoe says.

"Look, I appreciate it. But don't worry--we're in the shit so we can feel sorry for ourselves later."

The general obnoxiously clears his throat. "Enough of that. Time for your real questioning."

Sandra turns around towards him. "What makes you think getting us in a room alone with you was a good idea?"

"There's four of us, and one of you. That's some bad odds," Zoe says.

"Yeah. Grohl, Riley, you take the front. Zoe, you take the left flank, I got the right. Let's rush his ass."

Grohl and Riley start walking toward the general. Zoe and Sandra appear on each of their sides, a few steps behind.

"Oh. We're doing it like this? Fine. I'll play along." He grabs a chainmail glove and puts it on his hand.

Sandra's eyes widen. "Watch out for the glove!"

Grohl and Riley look at each other and nod, pressing forward.

As they get within striking distance, the general sighs, and puts his guard up. Riley winds up to swing when the door opens, drawing everyone's attention. A small woman, in an all-white hazmat suit, comes in. She has a box in her hands.

"General, I've come from the special interest section to deliver your request," she says, walking up to him, unfazed by the battle that nearly ensued.

"Perfect. Leave the box right there, and you're dismissed. Your team will be pinged when it's time to retrieve it." The general turns to the team. "Let's see what's in this box, huh?"

As the general reaches for the box, Riley stops him.

"tsk, tsk, tsk," Sandra says. "Let's take a look at that, first." She faces Grohl and Riley. "Keep an eye on him," she says, pointing at the general.

She inches towards the box crouches down and reaches for it. *Shit. I hope nothing crazy is in here. I'd rather not lose my fingers.* She takes a breath and swings the lid open. The vapor comes out, and inside there's a thick tome inside of a vacuum-sealed bag. Sandra pulls it out, and everyone looks at it, confused. "W-what is this?"

"What you came in here so brazenly looking for," the general replies.

Zoe chimes in. "So, you're just giving this to us?"

He laughs. "Not quite."

"You're not in a position to play games, buddy," Riley says, still hemming the general up.

"You really don't get it, huh? How do you have literally no control in this situation?" he asks.

"I feel like we're in a better situation than you. Just saying," Grohl says.

"Should we test your theory?" The general asks.

Sandra looks at the tome, then back at the general.

The general smiles, and taps the floor a few times. Suddenly, a mass of guards come rushing into the room, through the recently opened door.

"How's my position now, 'buddy'?" The general says, smiling and laughing. "How about I make a proposal? If you survive this, I'll let you read that whole little book. If you don't...well...who cares!"

*This-this is bad!*

"All right everyone, group up!" Sandra yells. Riley throws the general into one section of the crowd, and the team groups together, back to back, facing every direction.

"Anyone got any harebrained schemes?" Sandra asks.

"Um-try not to die?" Zoe asks.

"Great, we're fucked," Grohl sighs.

***

Guards rush into the room, surrounding the group.

Riley squeezes The General. "Tell them to back off," he says, his voice slightly shaky.

"Fine. You all are dismissed. Make sure to turn the recording off. I'll take it from here."

The soldiers leave the room just as quickly as they entered.

"The hell was that?" Sandra asks.

The General tenses up under Riley's grasp. "To prove a point. I don't want you all to act too hasty, and just end up in an even deeper hole."

Sandra looks at Riley. She walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, let him go. It's fine."

Everyone looks at Sandra like she has multiple heads.

"Are you kidding me?" Zoe says, grabbing her arm. "Are we really going to let this guy go?"

"I feel like it's hard to have a conversation if we have him all hemmed up. We haven't really had control of this situation, and fighting our way out doesn't seem super feasible."

Riley lets go, and The General drops to his knees, signing. "Thank you."

As he starts to stand up, Sandra puts her hand on his head, pushing him down. "Now, don't get ahead of yourself," she says.

He cranes his neck to make eye contact with her. "Wouldn't dream of it. I just want to know...what's so important in that book that you'd be willing to sneak into this place?"

Sandra ponders for a bit. "We found out that the national leader has been working towards ensuring his power...and for some reason, this book has been a big part of that campaign."

"This is the first I'm hearing of it," The General says.

"Exactly. There is some...weird stuff going down, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it," Sandra says, gesturing to the rest of her team. "Now, either we can take this book and go on our merry way, or we can take you hostage and make sure that we are able to get out on our own."

"And how would you do that," The General Asks, smiling.

"Yeah...how would we do that?" Riley says. Zoe and Grohl nod in agreement.

"We can either go out guns blazing, using this guy as a hostage or a meat shield."

Zoe interjects. "But...how will we be able to make it all the way out?"

Sandra ponders for an answer.

The General tries to stand up. Sandra forcefully points at him, and he gets back on his knees, his arms up in surrender.

"I could help with that..." He says, a look of mischief in his eye.

"What?" Grohl asks, kneeling down in front of him. "This isn't the time to fuck around."

"I know that. That's why I'm deadly serious."

"If you're fucking with us..." Sandra says,

"I'm not. I just want there to be a mutual understanding that we can approach. It sounds like we both want to know why things have become noisier as of late."

"And so, we're supposed to believe, that, after you fighting and chasing us all around, you're going to be our friend, abandoning your post?"

"I mean, to me, it doesn't sound like you have many more options."

"Give us a sec."

The group huddles in the far corner of the room.

Sandra lets out a dry chuckle. "This guy is absolutely full of it. No shot we're trusting him."

Zoe grabs Sandra's forearm. "I mean, if he can help us get out of the complex at least, we can totally discard him. We'd have the book, and not have to try and mow through an army of government agents."

Everyone's eyes light up.

"Good thinking, Zoe! I'm with her on this," Grohl says.

Riley nods.

"All right. Let's bite."

Sandra turns around to face him. He's still kneeling on the ground.

"We'll accept your offer."

"Great. Glad you could see reason."

Sandra walks over and helps him up.

The General dusts himself off and starts to head towards the door. "All right, now let's head out."

***

The General escorts the team out of the complex. They walk are allowed to go through all of the people in the complex, and end up leaving through the front door. They get outside.

"Before we go any further, I'd recommend against using this as a chance to betray me."

"W-what are you talking about," Sandra says, nervous.

"I mean, if you were able to pull it off, it'd probably be the most reasonable strategy at your disposal, no?"

"Ok...then why shouldn't we? If anything it'd allow you to go back in there."

"Oh, I'm planning to go back in there. I just feel like this connection would be more worth it if you didn't completely screw me over."

"How so?"

Grohl's eyes light up. "Wait, are you trying to be our double agent?"

"Someone's paying attention."

"Okay, but how will you convince them to let you back in after escorting us out? I mean, since you insisted on walking with us alone, it's going to be a little suspicious."

"That's for me to worry about. All I need from you all is to get into a position where the trick looks real."

The team consensually knocks The General out and drives off in a military transport vehicle.

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