#as besides Kana it seems like he doesn't have any close family

[braininatankwithalaptop]

Has anyone talked about how envious Zach is of Zorian's life?

Zach is the classic fantasy protagonist/d&d character. He's an orphan with a tragic backstory and given a mission by the angels to save the world. But he doesn't know he's a character. He doesn't have parents, siblings, or even extended family.

Do you think that he used to deeply trust and rely on Tesen no matter how cold or dismissive he was? I wonder if there was a house servant that Zach clung to as his closest thing to a family and he could do or say nothing when they were fired, convinced that it was in the name of rebuilding his house. Based on his reputation and how people react to his success in the time loop I don't think he had many close friends at school either. Can you imagine how lost he was as a 15 boy being given two impossible missions (rebuilding his house and stopping the invasion) and then finding out how Tesen betrayed him and his family?

In the time loop he was alone for years without being able to make deep relationships with his newfound maturity and got blindsided by betrayal (again) by Red Robe.

Now can you imagine Zach comparing all of this to Zorian? Zorian was only in the time loop for about a decade. Zorian had a sister, two brothers, parents, and a friend he was decently close to before the time loop? When Zach reunites with Zorian he finds out he was able to convince Xvim, Kael, and Taiven of the time loop. If I were him I'd be wondering what I did wrong (or what was wrong with me) that I couldn't get as many people to believe me.

Now Zorian's life wasn't a cakewalk, and his time in the timeloop was much more stressful compared to Zach's due to the ticking clock and threats, but to Zach, Zorian was in a much healthier situation. His antisocialness could partly (not wholly) be attributed to not being aware of his empathy, but once he gets a handle on it (by becoming allies/friends with the aranea who can jury rig awareness of the time loop and retain memories) he flourishes. Zorian becomes much closer with his little sister and reconciles with his older brother, two connections Zach doesn't have an equivalent for.

I hope after the time loop Zach is able to get the life he's been hoping for.

#zach noveda #mother of learning #mol #zorian kazinski #I bet Kael is also a little jealous #as besides Kana it seems like he doesn't have any close family #and being a single parent raising your daughter you kind of need those strong bonds

[persorene]

I love modern Dwyer and I love the idea of him lying about his family because he doesn't want people to know he's a rich kid and also because they're all insane. Can I get modern Dwyer "Well, this is where I live."

This ended up way longer than I intended but I always go overboard for my sleepy son.

Dwyer grumbled under his breath as he drove wordlessly. He hadn’t ever planned on bringing anyone back to his home and yet, his car was full- Velouria sat beside him, Asugi sat in the back, keeping Kana entertained with a story he’d made up off the top of his head about a statue they’d passed during their drive.

 Dwyer hadn’t said a word since their teacher had assigned the group project and his friends both declined doing it at their own homes. Velouria’s house was being fumigated after her father had brought home yet another bed bug infested old piece of furniture that he’d just had to have- Asugi’s parents were out of town for an over the top, ninja themed fitness event that they went to every year. Last year they’d grounded Asugi for months after he’d thrown a party while they were away and was no longer permitted to bring anyone over unless they were also home. That left Dwyer, the sullen boy had never brought anyone over before. He had been painfully careful about hiding his identity and his life at home from his friends. His stomach was in knots as he drove.“Any particular reason you’re going ten under the speed limit, grandma?” Asugi asked, leaning forward and placing his hands on either side of Dwyer’s seat “Or why you’re driving out of town limits and into the woods?”Dwyer shrugged.“Dude what is wrong with you?” Asugi grumbled, he turned to Kana “I think your brother is going to murder us. Probably why he never brought us over before.”“No he never brought you over before because he’s embarrassed.” Kana chirped as he thumbed through a comic book he’d borrowed from the school library.“You’re embarrassed?” Velouria asked incredulously “We can’t go to my house because it’s being fumigated. Because my dad brought home another bug infested trinket. From a pile of furniture he found next to a dumpster. Behind a thrift store. Again.”“Key word: again.” Asugi joked, Velouria spun in her seat, glaring at him.“Oh shut up, we all had to watch your mom and dad run through their home made obstacle course because they HAD to know who was better.”He grinned “It was me, I was better than both of them.”“You’re so annoying.” She rolled her eyes “Anyway, Dwy, you don’t need to be embarrassed. We love you no matter what. I’m sure your house is fine.”He shrugged again “Doesn’t matter now, we’re nearly there.”Outside the car, the landscape had begun to change. The thick, dense forests they’d been driving through gave way to sculpted shrubberies and immaculately maintained landscapes. The road thinned as they went around one final turn, the land was now encompassed by a seemingly endless black, iron fence. A massive gate stood before them, the road continuing on behind it before disappearing at the top of a hill.Dwyer slowed the car to a roll as he reached the gate. He pressed a button on a small remote he always kept on his keys and the gate began to swing open. He picked up speed again,ignoring Velouria’s stares as he went quickly over the first hill and then the second.The home was now in view, huge and obscenely opulent, the home had been built to resemble an English manor house. It stood tall and elegant amongst a garden of pale flowers, a creek flowing just before the home with a small stone bridge above it. A matching, equally overwhelming garage sat off to the side, not impeding the view of the palatial grounds. Dwyer pulled into the drive, stopping in front of one of the many garage doors as he put the old car into park. As soon as the car was in park, Kana had leapt out and taken off running toward the home, his high pitched voice excitedly calling to his mother to announce that Dwyer had finally brought friends home.Dwyer sat still, hands still gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles had paled “Well. This is where I live.”His friends said nothing, seemingly shocked into a stupor. He sighed and got out of the car, waiting as they slowly clambered out.“Holy shit.” Asugi whispered as he spun in place, taking in the grounds. “Dude, why did you hide this?”“Can we not talk about it?” Dwyer grumbled “Let’s… just go inside.” He walked slowly toward the house, his shoulder length hair fluttered around his face as he paced through the flower beds and up to the door. He pushed the heavy oaken door in and stepped through into a foyer that nearly surpassed the grandiose of the outside of the home. The room was long, each side had multiple open doors leading to more exquisitely decorate spaces. The walls were lined with countless photos and paintings, a table stood in the center of the room, set in an overly perfect, made for TV way. A chandelier hung above an ornate rug that led from the front door to the massive sweeping staircase that led up to a landing lined with intricate metal work. From the landing, two more sets of stairs led up in opposing directions.A tall, thin man stood atop the catwalk, watching intently as the trio drifted forward. His long hair was so blonde it nearly looked white and tied back in a ponytail. “Darling.” He called, his English accent immediately catching his son’s friends attention “Dwyer really did bring some friends over. Come quickly before he hides them from us!” He walked down the stairs, followed shortly after by a small woman, her hair was long and hung in waves nearly down to the small of her back. She looked welcoming and elegant all at once, her thin frame clothed in rose coloured jeans and a gauzy black blouse, her feet were bare, making her look far less imposing than she could have been. She stopped beside her husband who looked far more formal than she did, he was dressed in a well starched shirt, buttoned to the neck, the sleeves rolled up his elbows, a freshly pressed pair of slacks and a pair of black leather loafers.“Hello! I’m Corrin, Dwyer’s mom.” The woman chimed.“I’m Jakob, I’m Dwyer’s father but you’d probably already pieced that together.” Jakob said quickly, smirking as the teens gaped at him. His height, appearance and accent had always managed to draw attention “Who might you two be?”“I’m Asugi.”“And I’m Velouria.” The girl muttered, pulling her hands from her hoodie pocket to shake Dwyer’s parents’ hands.“Asugi and Velouria, what lovely names. I’ve heard Dwyer speak of you before but he’s never brought any friends home with him. We’re quite surprised, but pleased of course!” Corrin said, her smile radiant.“We had a school project and came here to do it.” Dwyer said.“What are you working on?” Corrin asked.“Not a lot, history and that sort of thing… mind if I use your study?”“Of course not, honey.” She paused “Do you all like tea and cookies? I can bring some up for you to eat while you’re working!”“I can do that for them, love.” Jakob interjected, “I’ll bring it up in a half hour or so.”“You really don’t have to, dad.”“Hey, speak for yourself, I’ll gladly take any sweet food they have.” Asugi said with a laugh “Thanks for offering.”Corrin laughed slightly “Well, have fun on your project kids. I’ll be helping Kana with his homework if you need me!”“K.” Dwyer said, already sprinting up the stairs, his friends following close behind. He led them down a long, well-lit and strikingly beautiful hall, the walls adorned in a stunning cream coloured damasque wall paper and more stunning art work. Another long, elegant rug led them deeper into the home. Dwyer stopped in front of one of several identical white doors, he opened it and led his friends in, closing the door back in place behind them. This room, like everything else they’d seen of the home, was breath taking. The walls were clothed in the same wallpaper as the halls but were lined with dark wooden bookshelves, housing countless volumes of books, some old and bound in leather of various colours, others still glistening from being freshly printed. The wooden floor was dark wood, pieced together in intricate shapes, the furniture looked old but inviting, hulking red velvet sofas and chairs filled the space, the tables looked heavy and just as antiquated. A chandelier hung from the beveled ceiling and massive windows peered out onto the gardens. A laptop lay on the old table, one of the few modern items in the room.Dwyer plopped down onto the sofa, looking remarkably out of place in faded black jeans, wrinkled flannel shirt and his shaggy hair hanging in a mess. Asugi stared alternately between his friend and the details of the room “You tellin’ me we coulda been studying and doing our work here this whole time?”“Shut up, Asugi.” Velouria snapped “I’d rather know why he lied about his entire life.”Dwyer sighed, shoulders drooping and his head falling backward lazily “I didn’t lie about my entire life.”“Uh, yeah, you did. You never invited us over, you never told us about your family or your house- this house is insane. You wear old clothes and drive a fifteen year old Honda Civic. You tried as hard as you could to keep this from us. Why?”“Because I didn’t want anyone to base their opinion on me on being a rich kid. No one really likes me, I didn’t want people to find out and suddenly pretend they do just to try to get money or fame or something stupid like that. I wanted people to know me for me. And you guys did and I didn’t want to change that.”“Do you honestly think we would have changed our minds about you because you’re loaded?” She growled.“No, but it seemed too late to just spring it on you guys and I was afraid people back at school would find out and then-““And then you wouldn’t be slacker Dwyer the weirdo, you’d be Cool Dwyer the kid everyone wants to pretend they love.” Asugi interrupted “I get it man, but we wouldn’t have told anyone.”“We still won’t, you’re our friend.” Velouria fell onto the sofa beside him “But this was a dumb thing to be embarrassed about. Your house incredible and your parents seem great.”“They seem great but they’re weird as hell.” Dwyer laughed.“You’re going to tell me about weird parents? Do I have to remind you AGAIN why we aren’t studying at my house.” The girl said sarcastically.“Yeah, yeah but your dad is like, WEIRD weird. My parents are just- well they’re them.”Asugi was fiddling with some trinket on a desk in the corner “Yeah, your dad’s weird. British. And what’s with that hair?”Dwyer laughed again “He likes it long, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it shorter than that.”“Okay but how did your parents meet? Like, where did your mom find a British dude?”“I thought we were working on a history project.” Dwyer said.“Yeah, we are. The History of our Friend Dwyer Who Is A Different Person Than We Thought He Was and Now We Need to Know More.” Asugi said as he took a seat in the sofa across from theirs “Another question: how did they get rich as hell?”Dwyer sighed and closed his computer “Okay well, mom’s always been rich. She’s part of the Nohr family, they adopted her when she was little.”“Like Nohr Industries Nohr? The famous ones?”“Yeah.” He sighed “Dad was her body guard when she was younger and they ended up falling in love. He basically worships her. It’s cool I guess, nice that they still love each other. They bought The Valla Corporation together and brought it up to this massive company out of basically nothing.”“Dude. No way.” Asugi shouted “I have one of their phones man, and you never bothered to tell me! That’s insane. Super cool but insane.”“So anyway, that’s why I never tell anyone about anything.” Dwyer sighed “It’s easier being the weird quiet kid than the rich kid with famous parents. I have my dad’s last name not my mom’s so it’s easier to hide who I am and no one ever got to know me enough to ask me more about my life so…”“Well hey, secret’s safe with us.” Velouria smiled “Pinky swear!” She looped her small finger around his and shook it firmly the way they always had since they’d first met three years before.Dwyer smirked his lazy half smile as he playfully wrestled her pinky under his own “Good. Now seriously, we need to work on our project. We can’t ask for another extension.”