#and they cant even spare me a single thought before doing something and dismiss me when i get upset

[gifti3]

Im cursing [REDACTED] right NOW

[whoacanada]

Zimbits - Bartender!Jack + NHL!Bitty AU

Prompt: Retired NHL player Jack Zimmermann takes ownership of a sports bar in Pittsburgh and accidentally falls for the Penguins’ (closeted) new left winger.

A/N - just the start, I’d like to get around to more of this; the basic idea was an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia AU, but I couldn’t manage to make everyone that terrible so Jack owns and operates a gay sports bar and starts crushing on one of his patrons.

“Can’t believe you’ve owned this place since ’89.” Jack coughs, waving the dust away from his face. “Did you ever come back after we moved home?”

It’d be disingenuous to say Jack had been expecting anything other than cigars and whiskey when his father had invited him on a trip down to Pittsburgh to see Mario and glad-hand some Penguins sponsors. In fact, he’d kind of been looking forward to sulking and getting shit-faced, not limping around a condemned building dodging roaches and rats.

“It was an investment opportunity. That was the trend back then, famous athletes buying up restaurants and clubs — I had big plans for this building. Then your mother got pregnant and I realized I didn’t really give two shits about running a nightclub.”

“Realized you were pretty lazy, huh?”

As Bob laughs, Jack picks at the peeling, lacquered bartop, trying not to imagine how many decades of grime he’s just collecting under his nail, the situation made even more disgusting in such close proximity to the glittering gold championship ring his father had insisted he wear to their lunch meeting with the Penguins front-office suits. Jack flicks the gunk away as Bob levels him with a weighty look, hands braced in the air as if outlining a play and not offering a tour of a cobweb-filled dive.

“Here’s my thought,” Bob says. “The bar. It’s yours.”

Jack leans against the counter, taking some weight off his braced leg, and asks, “What’s mine?”

“This place,” Bob gestures around the room. “The whole building. It’s just sitting here, empty, the bar, the liquor license, there’s apartments and office space upstairs, we’d just need to do some renovations and —“

Jack can’t help himself. He barks a laugh and says, “I’m not moving to Pittsburgh.”

“How many times have you and I talked about opening a sports bar? I’d wanted to get this place fixed up so it’d be ready when you retired, but since the final — you could make it a gay bar, even, if you wanted!” Bob says quickly, offering another awkward olive branch. “A gay sports bar. I wouldn’t care.”

“A gay sports bar. In Pittsburgh,” Jack echoes, reaching for a chirp to defend himself, but he closes him mouth as he realizes a sports bar run by a Zimmermann might not be a terrible investment idea. “The building needs a ton of work,” Jack settles. “I just saw a rat.”

“That was a mouse,” Bob dismisses, not bothering to look at the rat still clearly in view. “Nothing that can’t be fixed. Got a dollar?”

Jack pats his pockets, finds a spare looney and hands it over. Bob doesn’t hesitate, pulling an envelope out of his back pocket to exchange for the coin.

“Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of,” Bob looks around helplessly. “I actually don’t know what they call this place now. A Bar?”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Jack swallows against the tightness in his throat, holding the deed carefully in his hands. “Thanks, Dad.”

Bob brings Jack in for a loose hug and they both ignore the soft squeaking coming from the backroom.

Five Years Later

There’s a man examining the announcement board in the vestibule, and Jack knows that posture: the forward hip cant, thick thighs, a small but definite bubble butt — guy’s a hockey player, and he has been for some time.

“Hey. Hi.”

Blondie spins around at Jack’s address. Not quite startled, but something close enough that Jack feels a twinge of guilt. “You interested in playing in our beer league? You look like you might know your way around a rink.”

The man quickly looks at his chest, as if expecting to find something displayed, but relaxes immediately. Jack fights a grin, he was once old hat at wandering into public spaces decked out in identifiable team merch.

“Bitty.” The man squares up to offer his hand; his accent is warm and distinctly southern, not at all what Jack was expecting. ��You can call me Bitty.”

“Oh, with a nickname like that, you have to play, now, no excuses,” Jack gives Bitty’s arm a firm shake, surprised at how complementary his grip is; not just an overcompensating bro who’s walked into the wrong club.

“If only I had the time,” Bitty placates wryly. “Is this place new?”

“Been here a few years, but not long. How about you? Are you ‘new’? In town, I mean.”

“Moved for work,” Bitty’s smile is timid, eyes darting around the room looking for other patrons, up at the memorabilia and the various pennants. “First year. Slowly learning the area.”

Jack doesn’t miss the way Bitty’s eyes linger on the Pride flag draped from the second floor railing, but Bitty doesn’t mention it, and Jack isn’t in the business of prying.

“Let me be the first to welcome you to The Bar.”

“I saw that outside, do you not have a name?”

“We weren’t creative. The owner didn’t realize he was filling in the wrong line on the business license so we are literally called ‘The Bar’.”

“That’s actually pretty solid,” Bitty laughs, the sound lifting Jack’s mood easily. “I’ll have to make sure I come back and patron your establishment at a reasonable hour.”

“What you aren’t interested at getting sloshed before noon?”

Bitty laughs, and Jack is enough of an adult to recognize he’s got a tiny bit of a crush.

______

True to form, Bitty slowly becomes a feature of Jack’s early afternoons. The first few weeks, he does little more than quietly purchase a single domestic beer before tucking himself away in a corner booth, hunched over his phone, ball cap pulled low for discretion. Jack gives him space, and aside from a few curious regulars, Bitty is little more than another closeted young man seeking quiet sanctuary.

That is, until, hockey kicks up and Mario hooks Jack up with season tickets beside the bench. It’d taken time for Jack to get comfortable with being in an arena again, especially without the ability to step onto the ice himself, but he’s acclimated and learned to appreciate his new lot in life. He can be happy for his success and mourn the end of his career with equal measure.

(Doesn’t hurt he still gets asked for autographs on the regular.)

Bittle, the new forward traded out of Columbus, spins to whip the puck between Lundqvist’s thighs and the score is 3-2 with a minute left in the third. Jack stands to cheer with the crowd as Bittle’s pulled into a celly with his line mates, and the new angle gives Jack a good look at the man’s sunny face, complete with a familiar, bright smile and missing canine. Jack’s heart leaps into his throat when he realizes Bittle is ‘Bitty’, and Jack can’t help but cheer louder.

________

After the game, Jack does his homework. Pulls up stats pages and articles on Eric Bittle. Looking to link the quiet hottie from his bar with the energetic man he saw tonight on the ice. If Jack wasn’t in love before, he absolutely is after watching highlights from Bittle’s time in Columbus.

The next time Jack finds Bitty slipping into the bar, probably between practice and a good nap, Jack makes his move; filling a pint glass, wedging an orange slice on the rim, and adjusting his shirt before striding to the corner booth as easily as one can with a titanium femur.

“On the house,” Jack says, setting down the glass gently. “Choice goal, Tuesday. Great bounce.”

Bitty’s grateful smile falters, turning into something guarded.

“What goal?” Bitty asks, voice steady, and Jack’s immediately alerted to his misstep. Jack casts a careful eye around the room and doesn’t find anyone watching, kicking himself for not thinking this through. He’s used to playing this game with guys who aren’t quite comfortable, who might be visiting with the wrong people, but he hasn’t had to do the closeted-pro-athlete dance in a while.

“You know, I must have been mistaken.”

“Happens all the time. Very sweet of you, though.” Bitty apologizes and pushes away the beer, but Jack waves him off. It’s the least Jack can do for calling the guy out.

“I should have known,” Jack tries to recover. “You’ve still got all your chiclets. But, between you and me, Bittle’s a spitfire, eh? Crazy soft hands. I’d like to meet him someday.”

Jack whistles low, rapping his knuckles on the table before turning back to the bar, moving slowly enough he catches the way Bitty’s cheeks flare pink at the compliment.

About thirty minutes later, Jack, half focused on counting down the till, nearly misses Bitty’s exit. He looks up to offer a parting wave, and Bitty returns the gesture, flashing a shy, incomplete smile; one canine missing on the left side.

________

“Anything new to report? Sales look good, think you might be able to take some time off and visit your poor parents?”

Jack slides open a window to let some air into his bedroom, not for the first time wishing he’d taken the chance to tear out a wall and convert a corner of the top floor into a balcony. There’s still time — his father never seems to wary of giving Jack renovation loans — but Jack loves his condo and hates the idea of relocating again, even temporarily.

“New distillery opened, cut a deal on some local gin. We’re working on drink specials, if you have any ideas for names I’m open,” Jack eases onto the windowsill and looks down at the line of people waiting to get into the bar. “And I met someone. Think he might be a hockey player.”

“No shit? Beer-league?”

“NHL.” Jack corrects, an edge of caution in his tone he knows his father won’t misinterpret. “Started coming around a few months ago, gave me a fake name. Went to a game last week, scored right in front of me.”

“Well, you going to tell me who or am I going to have to guess?”

“He’s keeping to himself,” Jack holds the curtain steady to catch sight of a particularly flashy person in a glittering teal gown, texting Holster to snag a photo for the bar’s Instagram. “Don’t go hunting.”

“Well, if he needs any help you let me know.”

“What could you do?”

“I don’t know. Talk to . . . someone. I guess.”

“I’ll keep that under advisement.” Jack placates, smiling at the saucy photo Ransom texts back immediately of Holster lifting their favorite Drag Race runner-up above his head like something out of Dirty Dancing.

“So.”

“Mmm?”

“Does this mean you’ve got a little boyfriend, again?”

Jack leans out over the railing and tries to see if the universe has blessed him with a sighting of his favorite new Left Winger. Sadly, it’s Saturday evening and the Penguins are in Dallas, so no Eric tonight. 

“Working on it.” Jack offers, rapping his knuckles lightly against the window sill and trying not to think about the way Bittle’s face lights up when he sees that Jack is working. “Think I might really have a shot at something.”

“Well, you know what Wayne always says.”

“I do,” Jack breathes, pressing his forehead against the cool glass, taking in his one-of-a-kind view of the city. “I’ll let you know how it goes. Once he gets back.”

“ — You know, I’ve got the game on right now. I bet you $1000 I can tell who you’ve got the hots for. You have a specific type — ”

“Papa.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

“But it’s the kid we just got from the Blue Jackets, isn’t it. Bittle? You always like the fast ones — ”

“Goodnight, Papa.”

[15001700tt]

Mix And Match

Jongin X Song Yong Sang (Alex)

werewolf! Prince! Kai x Human! Princess Yong Sang (You)

Part 1    Part 2   Part 3  Part 4   Part 5  Part 6

PART 1

The Pack and Humans have had a peace treaty that kept them hostile towards each other, to further this peace holding the Humans and The Pack decided to take step forward and meet up and hold a peace gathering between the two families.

The day came and Both Kings sat down at the dinner table in the werewolf territory for safety measures. They begin to discuss the measures they need to achieve to uphold the peace even longer as the war continues on. This started when a werewolf mated with a human, it started an uproar and New Age. People were furious but after a while they got over it, the New age started when two different beings mated, it messed with traditional values and biology. They created a new race, before the New Age a werewolf had never imprinted on a human before. The commotion caused the Royal families to take some precaution towards the new findings. Both kingdoms were not heartless, this was something that wasn’t taken light heartedly but also not sadistic, both races decided to not separate the mates from each other so they made a peace treaty that will last a long time.

A new threat rose when the Kims were in power of the Pack and the Songs were in power for the human race. The vampires, weren’t the most vicious out there in this world of supernaturals, because the Fae were the worst, but the races dealt with them long time ago and they don’t bother the species anymore. The Coven wasn’t the friendliest either, but they mostly minded their business.

But now they are out for blood for some reason that occured a long time ago. So to keep the peace with at least someone, the Kings of the Humans and the Pack met to discuss a marriage between their kids. The human Princess, Song Yong Sang and the Pack’s Prince, Kim Jong In. granted it is not the best position that she’s ever been in, but it wasnt the worst. Being a warrior princess and a stubborn daughter wasnt an easy thing that her parents agreed on. But they still love her which is why she’s still here today, she really wanted to fight them on this meeting but she couldn't really do anything about except whine about it. Which she did to her younger cousins Hyun Jin and Ji Mi, step sisters but inseparable since a young age.

“I just dont get why I have to go” she whined, to them the night before as they came to visit and ask her if she’s getting married.

“Its your chance to meet him and decide from there, you’re jumping to conclusions right now, he could be a very kind person, you know” Hyun Jin tried to reason with her.

“But I dont wanna meet him, I am fine being single” she huffed

“You’re being immature, have you ever thought that maybe your parents arent going to marry you off in a jiffy, they’ll probably agree to let him court you first” Ji Mi rolled her eyes at her tactics.

“I am sorry, who’s older here? Cuz its seems to not be the oldest” Hyun Jin teased. Yong Sang rolled my eyes smiling at her.

“Give him a chance you might actually like him, i mean have you ever seen his face? Its angelic, I am sure he’s very kind” Hyun Jin added after a moment with a sigh, again my eyes were completing a circle but this time Ji Mi joined me.

“Is that all you care about?” she grunted kicking her softly. She grinned at us before continuing, “Dont be like that! You know he’s very hot, especially his Nobles? I cant even believe that such fine human beings could exist” she sighed dreamily and very dramatically.

“That’s because they arent, they’re werewolves” Ji Mi deadpanned

“So this is what you guys do on your spare time when I am not around” she mused at them, Hyun Jin and Ji Mi’s cheeks flared red.

“No” Ji Mi denied

“Liar! You admitted that Kyungsoo is hot yesterday!” Hyun Jin accused. The princess burst in laughter when Ji Mi covered her face in embarrassment.

“You guys are tempting me to take you with me tomorrow just to see you guys get all squirmy and shy” she joked. They shook their heads ferociously at her, she smirked.

The next day was spent getting ready for the dinner, she wore a beautiful blue dress with a white shawl, she loves this dress, she sighs in annoyance, ‘such a waste on something so...annoying.’

Her parents complimented her and told her how the night was going to go.

“So once we get there we’re going to have small talk first then once we move to dinner and after we eat, you and him will leave so we can talk about the proposal” the King listed off, while her mother added after him.

“Please be on your best behavior, and try to get along with him because if this ends well you’ll be courted by him for at least two months” her eyes narrowed at the thought but she tried to think positively and instead put a smile on her face. He might be nice.

she kept on repeating that in her head all the way to his front gates. This was her first time seeing their home and it was magnificent. The green was everywhere it reached the lowest ground to the tallest towers. The towers were a royal blue that was appealing to the eyes, it was her favorite color, hence her dress. She mentally groaned, great he’s gonna think she did this on purpose.

Funny, her heart was beating at a crazy speed. She tried to calm it down by taking slow breaths but it didn't help. They reached the front door and were greeted by the King and Queen themselves.They gave off an aura of power and knowledge, it was intimidating. They greeted her parents before turning to the young girl with twinkling kind eyes, they didn't seem that scary anymore.

“Oh my! you are so beautiful” the Queen complimented her causing her to shuffle her feet before forcing herself to stop because ‘princesses dont shuffle their feet when nervous’ her annoying Lady in Waiting’s voice rang in her head, she bowed in respect and thanked her.

“Thank you, your highness”

“Oh no, no formalities please! Were going ot be family just Mrs. Kim is fine.” she waved off her formal greeting.

“Yes i agree with my dear wife Mr. Kim is fine” the king added as i bowed respectively to him too. We made our way inside as the king quickly added, “i apologize for my son’s absence, he got caught up with a meeting concerning our positions in the battle, i am sure he’ll be here within a few moments.” i shook my head and smiled at his apology, at least i dont have to deal with him for now.

Like my father had prepared me, they had a small talk before we moved on to dinner, their son still not showing up. I honestly think this meeting might go faster if he never shows up because then i wont really have talk to him.

Unfortunately my prayers werent answered because midway in dinner the doors opened and came in a strutting tall figure that had an apologetic smile on his face. I Know its him because Hyun Jin shoved a picture in my face last night. My heart decided that beating at an abnormal speed is what it should do when we made eye contact, then tingles spread through my body. It seems that all conversation stopped when he stepped in the room, as we continued to make eye contact my parents cleared their throats, snapping my attention towards them. Noticing how the Prince’s parents were smiling with mirth swimming in their eyes. His eyes turning a quick red before disappearing as if it never happened, i elected to ignore it.

“I apologize sincerely for my absence, i had to deal with a few minor issues regarding the war” he stated with a sweet smile on his face that won my parents over, making them shake their heads in dismissal of his rude action. I mentally rolled my eyes, they probably think hes going to be a great husband. I was fooled except he hasnt done anything bad except be late so i cant really make him a villain, yet.

“Come, come! This is princess Yong Sang from the Song family” the Queen introduced us. I bowed while he took my hand, igniting tingles in my arm and kissed it lightly. My heart fluttered as i scowled at it in my head. I am supposed to not like him. What is this? Is he playing mind tricks on me? As he straightened up again he smiled a very attractive smile at me that made me shoot him a small one back. I swear what my cousins said last night is messing with my brain because now i am considering giving him a chance.

Dinner wasnt uneventual, unlike many others i have been through, he was seated right across from me and he kept on shooting me heart stopping smiles. My heart couldn't take it and i was very relieved when they announced dinner was over but the dread settled when i heard the Queen suggest for the Prince to show me around the castle while they talked. I was not surprised when he agreed and offered his arm for me to take. Making the same feeling tingle up my arm again. I swear i am not going to survive tonight if e keeps doing this to me. As the door shut closed behind us, he turned to me and asked,

“What would you like to see first?”

“What would you suggest?” i asked back curiously, i am going to try to push back all the negative and tingling thoughts and try to enjoy my time here, because at least my parents picked it a beautiful man for me to marry.

“In my opinion the weaponry and the library are the best.” he said after a long pause.

“I would like to see the weaponry then” i confirmed, causing his eyes to widen in shock. I guess i understood his surprise i was in a very restricting dress and i didn't appear to have that kind of likes. I nodded in confirmation when he raised an eyebrow.

“Please, lead the way” i said with a small smile. This boy doesnt even know what hes about to get into.

“Alright, my lady. Would you like to hear about war stories then?” he joked.

“Yes please that would be wonderful”i wanted to add ‘i am curious at what is your choice of weapon’ but i am going to ask later.

So as we walked, he told me stories of the wars he participated in, when we arrived, i was shaking my head laughing.

“Really? How did you think telling a warlord to “shut the fuck up” wouldn’t have consequences?”

” If it makes it any better, I meant it.” he refuted my remark. As we went in, i was already comfortable around. The thought scared me because i just met him, but it feels like ive known him for years. As we walked around i noticed that there was a part of the room he avoids. As i looked closer i understood why, it was silver, i remember that his kind cannot stand silver. It physically burns them.

“I wonder why the Pack’s weaponry has a section with silver laced weapons?” i said outloud pointedly looked at the Prince. He chuckled and turned around.

“Because sometimes even your own kind cant turn against you.”

“Well then how did you use them?” i questioned.

“When we needed those weapons we had a seer enchant them.” he explained vaguely.for now i am going accept this answer.

“So which weapon do you prefer best?” he asked, beating me in asking the question ive been itching to ask.

“I prefer small daggers” i answered, “what aboout you?”

“I am good with swords” i nodded. I have to admit he proved me wrong, i thought he was going to be unpleasant.

“Library next?” i asked. He neared me and nodded his head before tilting his head in a cute puppy kinda way.

“I would like to show you something. But you have to hold onto me” he proposed. I was curious so i gave him an okay sign and held onto his arm. He wrapped his hand on mine and smiled at me mischievously before the world was whirling around me and landed in the ground.

My head was spinning still not understanding what he just did before my eyes sharply looked into his.

“You teleport” he shook his head with a grin on his face. I was still not stable and i was swayed a little too far before he caught me.

“Are you alright?” he questioned, the mirth quickly disappearing from his eyes and worry replacing it.

“I am alright, just still dizzy from that” i gave him a small smile in reassurance. After i steadied myself we made our way inside the awaiting open doors of the huge library. I looked at the books around and quickly turned.

“Ou do know that my parents are here so we could get married, right?”, i totally forgot that werewolves have mates until i remembered when i looked at one of the book’s title.

“Yes i did, originally i had a problem with it” he paused before looking at my eyes deeply, making my stomach churn. “But then i saw how beautiful you are” he added with a slight smirk.

“Oh my god stop, this is serious what about your mate?” i rolled my eyes smiling before turning serious.

“I dont think she’ll mind.” he shrugged. My head didn't comprehend what he just said.

“Excuse me?”  he repeated the sentence again, and i looked at him like he was crazy, which honestly i think he is. He doesnt look like he’s kidding.

“Explain” i deadpanned.

“Shes kinda standing in front of me right now.” he stated with a big smile on his face, it seems my brain is slow today because it took me a full minute to realize hes talking about me.

“I need to sit down” i backed up into a chair, and plopped down.

After a few minutes i spoke again, “so i am your mate, and this is going to work out” i stated, confusing him.

“Look, i wasnt keen on the idea of marrying you, because i was okay being single, and now this whole thing with the mates, i mean ok, so this worked out for both our favors, because you didnt turn out be a complete asshole and i dont actually mind you but like please dont expect me to fall in love with you like...today” i ranted, as he listened, i could tell he wanted to object over a few things that i said but then he just accepted that i am not budging.

“Of course, i didn't expect you to.” i felt like he was going to say more but then the butler interrupted saying that they needed us back.

“I guess i’ll see you later” i said to him as he walked me back to my parents.

“Yeah, i look forward to it.” he smiled at me. And my heart felt like it could burst but i held my breath until we were out of sight. I took a deep breath, this wasnt what i had in mind.

[lowbudgettraveling]

Where I Began

I grew up in a small town in Indiana, its always been a very small farming community. Growing up, we never really had a lot of money and we didn't travel a lot even though my mom really wanted to. I had never really given much thought to travel when I was younger but as I got older I got curious about the other places in the world. That small spark of curiosity smoldered in my mind for many years, but it never actually turned to fire until I was about 15 years old on a summer day when my sisters mother in law came to visit from England a year after my sister wedded an Englishman. I had no job at the time, not even a summer one and one day she asked me if I would like to go to England. of course I did have a strong desire to travel, but I imagined that most people who were able to go such a far distance like that were only wealthy people who could afford plane tickets and passports to Europe. I told her that I did indeed want to go, but I would never be able to save the money for such a big journey, but she told me that was all nonsense and I already had everything I needed. she told me “you just worry about buying your passport and plane ticket now, and I’ll make sure you're well fed and you have a place to sleep”. The offer, of course, was a very generous one I would hate to dismiss, but I had to because I still didn't believe that I could ever do it, but she told me that I could find some sort of work even though I was only 15 at the time, that way I could get the money to go to England.

Now you may find this very odd, but the next day, I was supposed to be auctioning a goat in the livestock auction at the 4-H fairgrounds. I started by writing down the predicted amount of money I would get that night and then, that would become the money I would spend to get my passport. I also wrote down a summary of money I would need to go to England. I, of course, shared all of these ideas with my sisters mother in law and she liked the way I was thinking. I was saddened that night because I got less than half of the money I had hoped for, and I had lost all hope of this adventure ever succeeding.

Fortune had come to me that Autumn when I got my very first job at a pumpkin farm. It was a very tough season, as it rained almost everyday it seemed. My job was to help a group of people move a lot of pumpkins in a field while it was raining. It had also rained many nights before and the fields were flooded, the water was so high that it reached halfway up to my knees. I had been saving every dollar I could get and I spared nothing for anything else since the summer I spoke to my brother in laws mother. One thing that still impresses me to this day is that I desperately needed a new pair of leather boots to work in, but I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to afford my trip to England if I got new ones. I do a lot of farm work, so leather boots have always been a priority for me. these boots were so worn that the bottoms were smooth and the upholstery on the leather had torn, leaving huge holes in my boots. I just remember that cold, rainy day when I stepped into the flooded pumpkin patch and the freezing cold water and mud instantly flooded the inside of my shoes and I had to work all day like that. as you may imagine, I was cold and exhausted for the remainder of the day and some days I had to go back to work with a cold from working in the rain on several occasions. my mind was absolutely set on this grand adventure and if I bought anything extra like clothes or new boots for working, that could have been money for a meal or tickets for something fun to do in London, so I would do anything then to save a few dollars. 

Later on that same month of working at the farm, I was able to pay for and order my first passport. At the end of the month, I was able to pay for my plane ticket and save some money for food and extra spending in England. For a small while, I worked in a small shop in town for store credit so I would be able to get a suitcase for my travels. in April of 2017, I found myself saying goodbye to my family at the Chicago airport and walking into the security line with my passport and boarding pass in my hand. When I turned around in line, my family was gone and I had realized that for the very first time in my life, I was alone and had nobody here to help me. I managed to find my way through the airport and I asked questions, lots of questions, even if I thought they were dumb ones. I boarded an American Airline flight and sat down next to a sweet lady who had flown many times before, but this was my very first time on a plane and I was nervous. She comforted me and assured me that flying wasn't all that bad. she even offered to hold my hand during the takeoff. 

When I had finally arrived in London after the 8 hour flight, I met my sister who was waiting for me with her husband in the arrivals. I was soon in their car and driving through London. I must admit, I cant remember the first 2 days of my trip since the flight was so exhausting and I was extremely jet lagged from crossing over 5 time zones in one day. Soon, I met my brother in laws mom once again, this time it was in her home and she welcomed me with open arms. We spent a lot of time together and we took the miniature steam train to a very unique place in England called Dungeness where we went to the only pub in sight to share some drinks and food. Dungeness lies on the edge of southern England and meets with the English channel that divides England from France. Before we went into the pub, I walked down to the beach alone to look at the water and the shingles that cover the beach. There was not a single person in sight and I was once again all alone looking out at what seemed to be endless water. I wanted to share this moment with someone, but for the time being I could not. But I do remember feeling, not frightened, but peace. I had struggled for a very long time and worked extremely hard to do what I had just done. I had never been so far away from home in my life. I was away from all the stress back at home. in that moment, I knew that this is what I want, I want to be a traveler and I want to go on adventures like this. I was proud of myself, I had achieved a lifelong dream that I thought was entirely impossible. 

[abundantchewtoys]

HS Epi, Meat p6 reaction

I gotta say, snatching people from the Game Over timeline was a good way to invest us back into these characters. Plus, unlike the post-canon selves, they don't have 'certain victory' all written over them - by which I mean that I think it's unlikely they would be killed outside Universe C, since its existence and their ability to live in it was their Ultimate Reward. Admittedly, the planet they've inherited is less than ideal, but that was never stipulated in the rules.

Meanwhile, John himself with his retcon powers remains more earthed in the plot, also because this was the timeline he originated from in the first place. Still unsure how the fact there's 1 John but 2 versions of his selves will get resolved though.

I kind of doubt the New Game Plus versions (Cosmic Reset? still unsure on what to call them) are going to be joining their adult selves in Universe C, though the idea of the post-canon selves serving as guardians amuses me. I also doubt the NGP's are going to create their own timeline in Universe C to inhabit, with John joining them after 7 years. They would be deprived of 7 years of John, and even though he mostly kept to himself in the post-canon timeline, that would kind of suck, and not even Dirk creating an Autoresponder for John could bridge the time difference adequately. So, I figure they might just pick up one of the spare teen Johns (or rather, export one from the timeline, just like how John is now duplicating the Game Over selves). Maybe the one (John) that John sent to LOWAS when he went back to consult Terezi.

... Hmm, after seeing Blaperile checking out the Load Game & Save Game links on Homestuck, I think I've decided to call this new timeline the Reload timeline!! :D

Anyway, I suppose we're in for a perspective switch back to John now, and indeed like I said previously, I think LOLAR is the most likely candidate. It wouldn't feel entirely right for John to leave Rose hanging for now in favour of, say, fetching Dirk first.

---

"The sky is really blue. But it’s a different kind of blue than Earth C’s sky; it’s less, somehow, like someone took a photo of the sky and turned the contrast down a little, just enough to make the clouds blend into the horizon." ... This is Andrew Hussie criticizing his own art, isn't it? Hahah! This must be LOLAR, so I guess it's back to John now, since we're in Command Prompt Land again.

"That is to say, it isn’t the kind of sky promised by a paradise planet. Just an ordinary one." Oh sure, that's the in-story explanation: it lacks promise.

"You realize suddenly how much you’ve missed the ordinary, as opposed to the supposedly perfect." Oooh, heheh, guess John got bored by the idyllic parts of Earth C.

"You’ve been away from home almost as many years as you lived there. It’s not just the sky. Everything else is exactly and nothing like you remembered it: the scent of damp grass, the quality of the air, the solitude." Wait what? John went back to Earth?? What plot point could he mess up there without messing up the events leading up to the Reload timeline? ... Has he travelled back to his own atmospheric page? Since he says he's "home", it isn't the exile's future or Dirk and Roxy's. Guess it'll be either John's actual home or Jane's, but... What could he do here that wouldn't mess up the timeline?? ... Steal Jane's Dad just before she Enters? No, wait, she tried to follow him around on LOCAH...

Yeah, Blaperile's correct in that if he sees his Dad, he'll be very sad.

"A woodpecker raps away incessantly at the tree with the tire swing outside your old bedroom window." XDSFSFSF, so it's really his home, in the past! ... I would rather like him to visit his Dad's past, but I doubt we'll ever see his childhood. Still, what could Rose have sent him here to retrieve?

"You couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, so you and your little army are sitting in a circle in your old backyard exactly one week before the meteors hit." Hopy shit, he didn't zap them to blankspace???? Hah, I guess John's at school and Dad's at work. And the neighbours... Well, the suburb might be deserted during office hours, actually. Would be funny if in the background, an elder crazy cat lady is seen ogling them from behind her curtains, or something.

Wow, okay, so, in case he's already went and fetched... everyone of the B1 and B2 kids, and his "little army" is complete, this must be a time skip! That must've been an awkward meeting altogether! Welp, so much for the conversation with Terezi, and seeing Karkat & Kanaya's response (in case he fetched Jane right about the time she was on LOFAF).

"It’s you, Rose, Dave, Jade, and all four of your teenage progenitors, each dressed in god tier garb. No trolls. No one who can die" Yep... Guess, like some of the platform conversations, as well as the LOMAX ones, we'll just have to imagine all the fluff. It's the Meat path for a reason, after all. We're jumping straight to the Meat of the rest of the "meat-up". :mspa:

"No one who can die from anything less than a heroic sacrifice. At least, this is what you assume to be the reasoning for Rose’s instructions to assemble your party this way." Well, Rose might have had a Light vision showing only they went to confront Caliborn, so then this is just self-fullfilling prophecy. Guess we're left with the idea that, in the abandoned session, everything might still have gone to shit, if no-one of these kids came back. We know how the confrontation between Aranea and )(IC went, and how the trolls fared against them all. Eeesh, I hope that's not the fate in store for these versions of Terezi, Kanaya and Karkat. One Game Over death for them was enough.

"Wind slices down the street, between the neat rows of bungalows. It’s chilly, carrying air from the mountaintops with it. Even that feels different. The wind moves through you now, under your skin and right into your bones, skimming their hollows the same way it does the homes of your salamander neighbors, or the open mailbox in front of your childhood house." The wind still skims the void, but the boy is part of the wind now. Hey, I didn't know of the mountains near John's home. Are they in the direction of Pipe lake?

"The smell of a cake baking wafts from the open window and the sick stench of browning sugar fills the yard. You used to hate that too, but now it makes you want to—" ... PFffff, so Dad IS home. Unless he put a cake in the oven and put a timer on, we know he owns a timer. Now I picture Dad seeing a bunch of people in coloured pyjamas in his yard and immediately putting a cake on. Those poor, homeless clowns deserve some real food after all. :mspa:

"> Dude, don’t cry in front of all the cool teen versions of your friends.

You hold back your tears with a big, ugly snort." Aww... I actually thought he wanted to just run in and hug his Dad, actually. But this...

"Jake is sort of ruining the mood anyway by bouncing away on your old Green Slime pogo. Doesn’t he realize how dangerous that thing is? Of course not. The fool." Jake, stop, what are you doing. Behave yourself, man! It's like he's a goddamned empty-headed consort.

"Dave fractures the silence by broaching a subject that’s on everyone’s mind but yours, apparently." Why he's an adult now?

"DAVE: so whats gonna happen to everyone we left in the wrecked time line" ... How thoughtful, actually. I mean, John can't just dismiss them as irrelevant. No matter the actual state of the timeline and their relevance to the ending, Kanaya's Rose's girlfriend, Terezi is Dave's ex, Karkat is still John's buddy and the mayor is the mayor! The other dudes, PM and the villains, as well as the sprites though, are less relevant to this party. Hope John doesn't say the timeline has vanished into the void by now, like Alt Future Dave's.

"JOHN: uh, well. JOHN: i don’t know actually. i’ve been to that time line four times now and it always pretty much goes to shit." It also happens to be your timeline. So, what does he count as his separate appearances in the timeline, then? He appeared in Dave's room, out in LOHAC, on LOFAF, on Derse, went back to LOHAC, appeared after Game Over, zapped back to meet with Terezi, and now he's zapped back to retrieve everyone! Maybe he's taking some of those appearances as a single one. Like the original Game Over is one, Reload is two, and then some other times?

"DAVE: oh ROSE: This has been bothering me as well. Is Kanaya going to be ok? ROSE: And by Kanaya, I guess I mean... everyone?" I knew it. ... Can Kanaya be a euphemism for everyone from now on? :mspa:

"DAVE: yeah what about karkat DAVE: and terezi DAVE: and the MAYOR?? JADE: oh my god!!!!! DAVE: what JADE: actually dave, i hate to say it but... JADE: i think john might have actually saved the mayor by bringing us all here?" Okay, Jade is indeed fine again. Hey, yeah, she was about to threaten the mayor to get Dave to cooperate, wasn't she? Ooooh, this marks it, this is the first time every B1 kid was featured in the same conversation. What a unique accomplishment!

"DAVE: jade that is seriously uncool JADE: i KNOW! JADE: i was gonna kick him right into the lava! DAVE: that is fucked up on so many levels i dont even know where to begin DAVE: its like an escher staircase of cartoon villainy" Yes, Grimbark Jade wasn't all bark! But her idea of villainy was childish on some levels still, because that's just what she's like!

"DAVE: i got nothing DAVE: its so DAVE: so... JADE: grimbark? :B woof woof DAVE: jesus no jade its stone cold evil DAVE: i cant believe you just said that shit and then woofed at me DAVE: i cant DAVE: i cant even look at you right now" Yes, Dave was really attached to the mayor in this timeline, even more so than in the final timeline leading to Universe C. But uh, welp, I hope this doesn't cause any fractures! We got to remember, they aren't in the best place here, emotionally. All of them still have all these unresolved psychological issues, more so than the post-canon selves.

"JOHN: uh, everyone, can we...

Everyone turns to look at you immediately, like you’re an authority. Which you kind of are." Yes, John, you can't bring a group of teenagers together as an adult without knowing something about handling emotional outbursts. Face it... You're a dad now. :P Or at least a big brother.

"You are struck with the sudden and uncomfortable realization that you are the only adult in the yard. You’ve never felt like an adult until this moment. Eighteen came and went and nothing really changed except that you’re pretty certain you could grow a bitchin’ mustache now if you wanted." That's just how it is, you feel like the same vaguely irresponsible person until you are trust back into a group of people where the age difference is felt the hardest. And heheh, now I'm reminded of Davesprite's note impersonating Dad, chiding John about growing facial hair in his absence. :P

"And you might even have one by now, if you didn’t feel a sense of duty to uphold the sacred Egbert family tradition of shaving at least once per day, even if it isn’t really necessary. You owe at least that much to the memory of your departed father." Aww.

"JOHN: let’s chill out for a minute. i’m sure this is all very confusing to all of you. JOHN: about the time line you’re leaving behind... yeah, i get it. it’s weird. JOHN: i’ve already left one major time line behind. well, two if you count the one i just came from, where we’re all adults. JOHN: the truth is, i have no idea what happens to these time lines and all the people living in them, when i just... zap out of them, to use my retcon powers to change stuff?" For doomed timelines it's simple: you either die and become a ghost, you go back to change the timeline, or you get erased when someone does the second thing. But for John's retconned timelines, yeah, it's not as clear. If it doesn't work like with doomed timelines, there's already a bunch of duplicate timelines out there with associated ghosts in the dreambubbles. Meaning a lot of new confused human ghosts, which we haven't seen anything of until now. I wonder, dead or alive, if any of these duplicates will be brought up again. Well, besides a John like I've already theorized.

"JOHN: they might stop existing completely. i don’t know. JOHN: the thing is, we can’t really think about it. JOHN: it’s tough, but if we’re all acting like heroes here, and trying to do the right thing, then we have to put it all behind us. JOHN: it’s a sacrifice we’re making. JOHN: i mean, we’re risking our lives by fighting a powerful monster, sure." This would be a rousing speech if you weren't the one to have kidnapped them. And, seeing as you're an adult and they're teens, kidnap is still the right word here. Can't wait to hear input from the B2 kids about this, actually. Dirk could blow all John's arguments of the table in a heartbeat, actually. Heheh. HEARTbeat.

"JOHN: but the sacrifice i’m talking about... is saying goodbye to the life we thought we belonged to, and all the people in it. JOHN: probably forever. JOHN: it sucks, and i’m sorry i had to ask this of you all. JOHN: but there’s no other way. JOHN: everyone who has ever existed, and will ever exist, is counting on us... i think? JOHN: so... JOHN: yeah.

> Shrug." So on the one hand, John acknowledges he might have left Earth C forgood, but on the other hand he saw it as a goodbye, not a farewell. Still, he's right to address the threat Lord English poses to Paradox Space as well as the continued existence of the universes inside Genesis Frogs. I mean, the continued existence without threat of annihilation by a time travelling mobster.

"It’s all you can think to do to punctuate your speech of lukewarm inspirational value. Judging from the confused looks from the others, all of them may share your assessment of your own oratorical skills, except for one person. She’s perked up at your spiel, regarding you with alert and admiring eyes." Boyfriend material, isn't he, Roxy? :P Yeah, how's John going to take this rehash of their first meeting. It's one thing to long back to a moment, but to revisit it, him an adult and she a teen? Awwwwkwwwwaaaard.

"ROXY: that was a fine ass speech and idk if i speak for the rest of my peeps here but im fuckin psyched ROXY: lets do this shit" Well yeah, Roxy did have her shit together the best out of everyone. She overcame her character flaw (the drinking) on her own.

"She *wonks* at you." Her typos transcend media.

" JOHN: uh.

You weren’t prepared to get passively hit on by the Definitely Not Legal version of a girl you used to have a crush on at the age she was when you first met her, only a few hours after you watched the Actually Legal version of her engage in passionate hand-holding with her possibly aromantic skeleton alien monster girlfriend. You start to sweat, and again the unwelcome odor of undercooked meat emanating from your body makes itself known to your nose." Of course Roxy is more okay to hit on him, see her Dad crush. Meanwhile, John has all this *history* he's thinking about. Also, he might actually don't want to interfere with the "whatever" that is Roxy/Calliope! That would be sportive of him, if it were true. Lastly, how many times is the meat-odored sweat going to remind John which path he's in, hahah. ... Is it the same in the Candy path, some sickening sweet smell sticking to him? Crumbs of sugar in his hair?

"You quickly distance your mind from any additional discomfiting thoughts about your old and semi-ex flame, and propel yourself into a wildly unrehearsed tactical planning session. You review each of your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and then cobble together a reasonably sound approach to besieging a young and bratty version of Lord English by way of surprise attack. The planning is mostly disorganized and structureless, although some common themes that often recur involve you and your original three friends leading the charge, since you are the oldest and wisest, and therefore the strongest, with the exception of Jade, whose gaudy array of powers make her the most formidable of the group, bar none. Aside from that, it appears the consensus is that the melee will likely devolve into an absolute free-for-all—at least going by the general patterns of incoherent banter, shit-talking, and points of pedantic tactical disagreement plaguing the jam session. You overhear someone making mention of... a huge, gay hope bubble? That can’t be right, but you didn’t catch who said it. A flamboyant pink spell? Yeah, this conversation is off the rails now." Yeah, these guys were never good at the finesses of planning things out. Partially due to their teen problems, but in the final timeline before Collide, they weren't really planning anything either beyond deciding how to split up. ... How and where did the Hope and Heart powers of Jake and Dirk become known to the B2 kids, though? Did John whisk them away at a later point in their timeline, after Brain Ghost Dirk had already manifested and Jake was killed once by Aranea? Oh, and only by rereading do I understand John designated himself as the oldest and wisest and strongest barring Jade, I thought he meant all four B1 kids, that couldn't be right.

"At the precise moment you believe the meeting has outlasted its usefulness, Jake does you the favor of effectively pounding the gavel for adjournment by rocking back a bit too far on your lawn pogo and launching himself over the top of the ride on the next bounce. He face-plants right into the dirt." Still the cosmic butt monkey then. Gotta love the juxtaposition with his more 'mature' version on the previous page. Also, maybe Blaperile is right and the Hope & Heart powers were speculated on, not actually witnessed. Unless Rose had a Light epiphany.

"Dirk goes to help your yard clean the Jake off its dirt." ... Yes. That is definitely a thing that can be really happening.

"Jade follows, to help out. It seems she wants to chat with Jake, considering it’s the first time they’ve met, from her perspective. Some eruptions of chatter can be heard from other members of the group." Aww, okay, it's time for a platform conversation parallel. Who'll approach John then, Roxy? But Rose would want to talk to her at some point, too.

"It’s easy to forget, since the reunion between your friends and all your young relatives happened so long ago from your point of view, but this is all quite novel to everyone here. They’ve hardly had a moment to process it, since your plan to drag them all off to fight Lord English has understandably stolen the thunder of an otherwise poignant homecoming. Poor kids, you think." Wow, this alienation is really something. It must be jarring to experience some shit for the semi-second time, seeing people with baggage that, from your perspective, they've already cast aside.

"You decide to give the teens some space to work through their shit before you take off to save the universe." Off screen reunion time! But where will John head to?

"You end up wandering all the way around to the other side of your house," Is he going to meet Dad by accident? Or at least watch him from a distance? I figured he couldn't do much in the yard without being noticed if Dad was home, but maybe I was wrong. I like Blaperile's idea that John will leave him a note. He could forge one, making it look like Nanna wrote it, actually. ... Or maybe he will write something his teen self wouldn't know how to put into words, yet...

"Your dad’s sitting right there, smoking his pipe and operating his professional-looking, boring, gray PDA. He’s got the kitchen timer set up on his desk, and you can hear the notes of his favorite fatherly jazz album filtering out through the window, which is open only an inch." Oh, so Dad is home!! Guess he was to engrossed in his interests to notice anything amiss, and John was ignorant of his Dad's actions that day, apparently. ... No mention of the Crosbytop, but then that might have been too silly for this emotional moment. Poor John. He won't be able to contact him without messing up the timeline, and anything less than direct contact (a note, PDA message) might ring hollow in his ears too. It's sad to think, but there's no saving his Dad, not without creating another timeline, and that might have unforeseen consequences. But John might still have thought about it, or start thinking about it. Unless he feels that doing so would rob the event of importance, plus that he would start feeling obligated to save everyone's loved ones once he started. His Dad raised him better than to be so self-centered!

"The sun is hitting the glass in such a way that you can’t see his face." Oh, he's facing the window? I thought he was sitting behind the desk, but apparently he was somewhere else, near the grammophone, perhaps. Also, featureless guardian, that never stopped being a thing!

"> This is probably the last time you’ll ever have the chance to talk to him...

The urge is overwhelming. But you can’t, and not just because your feet won’t move and your throat is closing up. It’s just that... it would be a really bad idea to bother him. It would totally freak him out, to have an adult version of his son show up out of the blue and knock on his window like a creep. He probably wouldn’t even recognize you."

:/ True enough.

But John didn't think about rewriting the timeline to save him so much as how his immediate action would be responded to in the moment.

"> Fair enough. It’s time to go, John." The narrative prompts are a lot more lenient and respectful than in Homestuck proper.

"You return to the backyard. Your teen friends have split off into genetically segmented groups: Roxy and Rose sitting in the grass, Jade and your shared ecto-parents laughing together by the Green Slime pogo, and the Striders leaning against the farthest fence, with a tense foot and a half of space between them. It’s heartwarming." I think the Strider conversation is going about as good as on LOPAK. Hopefully even smoother, because the original took a while to get going.

Though it must be a tad painful for John to watch all this unfold, seeing as he can't have the reunion he so desires.

"But something doesn’t feel right about it to you, possibly for selfish reasons. It’s the selfishness of your own perspective, of wanting the memories you had of the reunion between all these people to be the most notable and legitimate manifestation of this event. To see the moment echo, or play out all over again, to overhear the heartfelt confessions repeat themselves... It feels cheap. To you, that is. To the man who lived through it all before and selfishly doesn’t want to have the memory tarnished with a tawdry reprisal" Yeah, John was hoping that lending them legitimacy through the retcon would improve on the conversations being had. And his memory of the event he experienced was already so gilded, his expectations were sky-high in this regard. ... I feel like the narration might be acknowledging the grown-up fans in this.

"You wonder. Do you see these teen versions of your friends as “real”? Are you treating them, at Rose’s behest, as simple puppets? Doing your part to insist they fill friend-shaped recesses in an essential plan to stabilize all else that can be considered important, a distinction no longer applying to them? Do you care at all about whatever fate it may be that you are sentencing these children to? Are you becoming as complicit in the fatalistic evils of Paradox Space as Lord English himself? Are you becoming a monster, John Egbert?" These are good questions for John to have. Because for him to not have qualms, he would be the monster he fears to become. John has to open his heart to them. Blaperile has a good point though, John might have felt this alienated from the post-canon versions of his friends too, whether he realizes it or not. That could explain him losing touch with them. But yeah. He's here now, adult or not. He's got to make due, and see if he can't reconnect with either version of his friends. He'll become a better friend for it.

John never had a problem with meeting another version of himself like the other kids had, but maybe it was all along because that kind of existential crisis is only caused in him through meeting people he should love but feels alienated from: Dad, these versions of his friends, all the ghosts in the dreambubbles...

"JOHN: uh, hey kids... ROSE: Please, Adult John, don’t do that." Oh hell yes. Better nip that denominator in the bud, Rose. (Heh, Rosebud.)

"It’s obvious that she’s trying very hard to hide her apprehension. ROSE: Is it time to go? JOHN: yeah. JOHN: i mean... JOHN: no, if you want to be technical. i can zap us in wherever, whenever. we have all the time in the universe if we want it. ROSE: But if we don’t leave now, you’re afraid we never will? JOHN: heh."

I love how in-tune Rose and John are, no matter how much time and space has separated them.

"JOHN: i guess it’s true that people don’t really change. they just grow up?

Rose gives Roxy a strange look, appearing to silently acknowledge an entire conversation that has been taking place, using a great volume of words that aren’t being spoken." Heh, Rose and Roxy's conversation on the platform was about their moms and how different or not the other was to that person. I take it their conversation went in the same direction this time around. I think John's response is just more proof to the veracity of the claim. Also, more proof on the pile of the ultimate self, on the side, actually. The idea being kind of like, they're the same person but different due to the circumstance.

" ROSE: I guess.

She smiles." Also, for Rose it must be nice to see the boy she knew still lives inside the man she doesn't know yet.

"> Get the show on the road. JOHN: okay everyone... i’ve never zapped this many people before so let’s all just... JOHN: uh, hold hands, maybe? in a circle, i mean. that should work. DAVE: god this is so lame JADE: its not lame its perfect!!! DAVE: nah JOHN: shh! JOHN: alright. is everyone ready, then?" Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya. :P Dirk, Jake and Jane didn't get any lines yet, that'll be something for a later page. ... Hah, Blaperile has a good point. John zapped a planet away, twice! Why would this bother him now? :P

... Is the Masterpiece really up next, wow. (After a scene change to Universe C.)

"Only Jade says yes enthusiastically." God, I really missed simply happy Jade. We might still see her on Universe C, but it's with the knowledge she spent three years without any real sapient friends but Jaspersprite & Nannasprite.

"The last thing you hear before zapping away is your dad’s kitchen timer going off in his study." Time's up! Appropriate, if they're really going to confront Jake now.

I got to say, it would be very nice seeing the Masterpiece how it really happened, and not what Caliborn told us. I wonder what he lied about, if anything. It would seem noteworthy to mention John was an adult, but then again, humans might all look alike to cherubs. It's true that Arquiusprite wasn't mentioned on the character list, but I blaim it on Equius being Voided out, it's been a theme before. It's his aspect, the Expatriate's sign hid the cue ball from Doc Scratch' sight, Gamzee used Equius blood to erase himself from the tomb, and so on.

I also think there are odds that characters without dialogue are not mentioned on the character list, like WV. Though it would be weird for Equius/Arquiusprite to be the only troll without dialogue. Davepeta represents the Collide timeline's Nepeta, so that explains her absence from the list.

Still, it would need to be explained how Arquiusprite got there and from what timeline. My money is on him uploading himself through Lil' Seb.

... I thought of something. If we start from the assumption Caliborn's Earth is Earth C in the far future, and not put their by say Condy after Game Over, then logically Lil' Seb, Arquiusprite and Gamzee are all from the Collide timeline.