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cerise-on-top · 3 months

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Haiii! I love your work :D

Could you possibly do a gaz x reader? When him and reader are celebrating their anniversary:), that would be really cute :’))

Hello! Thank you, I hope this is enjoyable as well! I went with a more fluffy route this time, I just wanna see Gaz happy and healthy and as far aways from any and all danger as possible! This request was really cute, I love Gaz! I'm glad there are several of us who do! Though I think I went a bit overboard with this, but how could I not when people are requesting best boi!

Celebrating Your Anniversary with Gaz

For the sake of this request, we’re gonna go with the idea that Gaz was able to be with you during your anniversary and didn’t end up being somewhere in the world, having to fight tooth and nail for his survival. We’re gonna go the fluffy route with this!

His memory is really good, Gaz would never forget something as important as your anniversary. Doesn’t matter if you’re together, doesn’t matter if you’re married. He has it memorized, he wrote it down on his phone, he noted it on several loose papers lying around just about anywhere. Trust me when I say he’s the last person to ever forget something like this. Although he would appreciate it if you remembered as well, he’d probably love it even more if, just once, you forgot about your anniversary, that way he could properly surprise and absolutely spoil you rotten. He wants to make your anniversaries days you can remember, so he will tailor them to your liking. You like going to arcades or amusement parks? A bookshop date? You just wanna go to McDonald’s? It’s all yours, and don’t you dare even think about paying, your wallet will not be strained on such a holy and sublime day.

The day would start off simple. You’d sleep in, if you can, cuddling for as long as possible, until one of you needs to get up for whatever reason. He’ll nuzzle into you, holding you as close to him as possible. He wants you to feel his warmth, how alive you make him feel, he wants you to feel how his heart beats for you and only you. Gaz has a beautiful voice, it’s fairly low and very calming to listen to. He’d hum your favorite tune that’s a bit calmer. He wants you to be as relaxed for him as possible, maybe even fall asleep in his arms again, even if he definitely wouldn’t mind you staying up to chat a bit with him as well. He’s gonna be all over you, making sure to touch you wherever he can so you feel secure with him. And when you’re drifting off to sleep again, that’s when his plan begins.

Gaz will plant a kiss on your neck or your forehead, whatever he can reach as he excuses himself to the bathroom. However, this sly dog will actually head for the kitchen to make you some breakfast. He’s a good cook, so whatever it is you like, he’ll make it. French toast? Scrambled eggs? Eggs and bacon? Your wish is his command, even if you never uttered a single order. He just hopes you won’t wake up or, even if you do, will at the very least stay in bed. This breakfast isn’t for you to enjoy in the kitchen or the living room, you’re to eat it in your bed. He even got you a nice tray so he can carry it to you without making a mess. Orange juice and all. You will be spoiled.

It’s then that he’ll wake you with another soft kiss to your temple, maybe shaking you awake a bit, so you can enjoy your breakfast together. Might even feed you a bit, just to be embarrassingly cute while he’s at it. The more content you look, the better. Afterwards, he’ll leave for the kitchen again, putting the tray away and decorating the living room a bit. There will be the most gorgeous roses you’ve ever seen in a vase, alongside several other flowers, each of which tells of a different kind of adoration. And when you finally follow suit and spot the flowers, he’ll just smile and claim that they looked very pretty. If you understand flower language, then you can tell he just really wanted to say he loved you in as many different ways as he could.

It’s then that he’ll ask you to get ready for the day, to brush your teeth and hair, and put on some clothes. You don’t need to look particularly fancy, he wants you to be as comfortable as you could possibly be. This is when he’ll take you to a place you like which, as mentioned before, could be just about anything. Waterpark, roller skate rink or just a lovely walk in the park, he’s open for everything. You will be accommodated accordingly. Those places are where you’ll be spending the majority of your day, grabbing something simple to eat for the time being, such as some fries or maybe some toast at a good cafe or pub.

When day meets night, he’ll take your hand in his, taking you to a fancy restaurant you’ve been to a few times. Preferably one where the both of you can look down at the city and see all the beautiful lights it has to offer. You’ll spend another two hours or so there. At the very least, you’ll be there until it gets dark, eating good food, having a good drink, maybe some wine as well. It doesn’t matter what you choose, all Gaz wants is to see the twinkling city lights dance in your eyes afterwards. When the evening is starting to roll over into night, he’ll take you to a ferris wheel. A big one where you can see the entire city from.

He’ll watch you as you excitedly look everywhere, taking in as many sights as you can, hoping that the ferris wheel stops at just the right time. Ideally, that would be right at the top. But he won’t be too picky if it’s somewhat to the side as well. As long as he gets to see your mouth agape at all the pretty lights, he’s content. While the ferris wheel stops, he’ll shoot his shot. If you’ve been together for a few years but aren’t married yet, he’ll propose to you. If you’re already married, he’ll still get down on one knee, take your hand in his and kiss its back tenderly, like a knight in shining armor. It’s embarrassingly sweet, but he knows no one but you is going to see it, so he does it anyway. You’re royalty in his eyes, you’re his to protect and care for, and he needs to show his loyalty however he can. Once he’s done kissing your hand, he’ll get up, holding your hand still and pulling you up with him, just so he can hold you close once again. Another tender kiss to your lips, and then he’ll get out a small box. Either the proposal ring or, if you’re married already, he’ll gift you a lovely little necklace made of pure silver. Something you can wear that will always remind you of him.

Once you’re down on the ground again, he’ll take your hand in his and lead you home, conversing with you about how much he loves you, how happy he is to have you in his life and how he hopes he gets to spend many, many more years like that with you.

If it’s not too late yet, you might watch a movie and cuddle on the couch. But you’ll likely both be tuckered out after today and just snuggle up in bed, ready for the next day.

And this is how Gaz’ ideal anniversary would go.

#cod #cod x reader #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick x reader #gaz x reader #I wish I could gift Gaz a small music box that plays “You Are My Sunshine” I think that would be a cute gift #I have a music box that plays “Over The Rainbow” which I think is also very sweet #I think I might wanna start collecting music boxes they're just so very lovely #now that's a hobby I can also get behind! a lovely little tune that could calm down just about anyone!#maybe even put someone to sleep as well #I still remember one of the first things I ever wrote and posted here. The Batter and the Music Box #I wish I had the time to write something like that for my favorite lads and lasses as well #whew this is almost 1.300 words long which is surprising since I wanted to go for 800-ish #but I read Gaz and my brain short circuited he was my favorite when watching the campaign #I did start watching the mw reboot for him and Valeria but I stayed for him and Valeria #mw1 was the best one out of the three in my opinion. and now I'm watching the og mw when I can :-)#og Soap and Ghost are a funny little duo. I love the little hackerman Ghost so much! though I wanna know where the joke of him breaking #so many laptops came from! it's cute but I always thought he was good with technology :o either way I like to imagine talking about IT #stuff with everyone and being good at it and helping them! IT is fun I like it a lot :-)#either way thank you for the request! this one was also an absolute delight to write! love me some good natured fluff and Gaz :D

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magnus-rhymes-with-swagness · 10 months

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Thinking thoughts about Ambrosius’s decision to try to kill Nimona… while this choice is certainly not a good one, it does make a sad sort of sense. He doesn’t know Nimona, not really. He’s faced off with her, sure, but his main impression of her is of a terrifying monster intent on killing. He doesn’t know her as a person, has never even properly met her. (Nobody truly knows her, but Ballister knows her best, at least, and seems to be one of the only people in the kingdom who understands that she’s more than a mindless weapon.) From Ambrosius’s perspective, though, there seems to be every reason to kill her.

This choice is doubly reinforced by his sense of loyalty and the desire to prove himself. Loyalty is an important theme in the story, and Ambrosius’s loyalties lie chiefly with Ballister, the person he seems to care about most, and the director, the closest he ever had to a parental figure. He also has an intense desire to prove himself to both of them - to prove that he really does care about Ballister and wants to protect him, and to prove that he’s capable of being a good knight and defending his kingdom.

Ambrosius is… rather insecure. He has very low self-esteem, and has always seen himself as lesser compared to Ballister, not as worthy as him or as good at jousting, even going so far as to bitterly tell Ballister he was always “better, without hardly even seeming to try.” And it’s possible that Ambrosius feels indebted to the director - who knows what might have happened to him if he hadn’t been taken in by the institution, and he owes his status as king’s champion to her. (Not that that’s a good thing, of course, but even so - she did still skyrocket him to victory and fame.)

At this point in time Ambrosius is still the director’s puppet. From an outside perspective it’s obvious that her intentions are nefarious, but when you’ve been manipulated by someone for most of your life, maybe even as long as you can remember, you… don’t necessarily know that. Ambrosius is still deeply under her influence, to the point that he still desperately craves her validation and approval even when she deliberately hurts him. She’s explicitly ordered him to kill Nimona, so that’s what he has to do so he doesn’t fail in her eyes.

There’s a sad irony in the parallels between Ambrosius and Nimona and the cycle they unintentionally perpetuate - two people raised as weapons in cruel institutions, used against their will to hurt people they cared about, now trying to kill one another. He might not know her backstory, but he can certainly see how she’s being used as a weapon now. And in the moment when he lifts his sword and attempts the killing blow, he too is a weapon. Does he see himself in her, perhaps? Does he subconsciously recognize that they’re the same in that regard? Is his firm belief that she’s dangerous born from the way he sees himself?

When he tries to kill her, is he trying to kill part of himself?

#nimona #nimona comic #ambrosius goldenloin #ballister blackheart #nd stevenson #back with more ambrosius thoughts!#still avoiding tumblr until i have the chance to watch the movie but i wrote this today and nimona is trending so no time like the present #sponsored by the song 'one by one’ by against me! as i've decided it fits the characters #god the way he tries to kill her without even knowing he’s ALSO being used as a weapon….#they’re so similar and don’t even know it :(#i wonder a lot about the director too #was she brainwashed by the institution in the same way ambrosius was? was she also a naive young knight who was manipulated?#i’ve always wished we had more information about her and her backstory #bc one of the main focuses of the story is how heroes and villains aren't what you think they are #my words #meta

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sfsolstice · 13 days

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there's one musician whose work from 2011-2014 holds such a tender place in my heart. it's all so raw and rough around the edges and his lyrics just read like a bleeding heart. and i don't understand quite a few of the metaphors in his lyrics and some of the stylistic choices in his arrangements, but it feels human. and there's a light to be found in that.

#solstice shares #his music from back then gives me the same feeling of admiration i get from reading tumblr poetry #or really it's the other way around lol #GOD i wanna pick his brain so badly #i wish i could #i'd ask about every single lyric what thoughts ran through his head when he wrote them what each of them meant to him #he's grown a lot since but every now and then i recognize his older style in his newer music and my heart just lights up

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bookmauls · 1 year

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Hey Maulblr! I want to monologue at you about something I miss from the better old EU.

In the restraint short story (but also present, albeit less so in The Wrath of Darth Maul.) It's implied that something sexual/romantic* in nature between him, Kilindi and Daleen is promised as a reward for him surviving his Gora (rite of passage.) At Orisis.

I found this part of wrath/restraint to be sweet, amusing, surprisingly realistic, and earthy for a Star Wars piece. I know a lot of people get their underthings in a twist about young people fooling around with each other, but it's something a lot of us did. I was seventeen when wrath was published, and it felt like something I'd have wanted to be doing. It's something current texts miss in the Disney canon. The messy, groundedness of people bumping into each other. It doesn't need to be overt. It can be interpreted differently, but attraction and implicit sexuality (think Rincewind and his weird thing for potatoes) made Maul feel like more of a person. Sexuality being addressed and discussed is a good thing. Glossing over it to appear as family-friendly as possible is like removing a bandwidth of light from the colour spectrum because some people find red objectionable. I also made other works feel more organic, especially his interactions with Komari Vosa bitter-sweet and more amusing in their awkwardness.

I think Wrath and Restraint handled the budding sexuality and chemistry quite well while leaving much to interpretation. Addressing sexuality, or even lack of attraction (ace rights), as a fun aside, is a great way to flesh out a character.

Much of Star Wars, especially Villains and PARTUCULARLY post-buyout has become dry and lifeless in a rather sad and saleable way that doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities.

*(Let's be real, maul and romance in canon text go together like chalk and cheese-based bicycles.)

#maul #darth maul #maulblr #maul meta #kilindi matako #daleen #komari vosa #writing thoughts #old eu is best eu #I wish english had better ways and more words to describe feelings of attraction and sexuality tbh #star wars eu #neural diarrhoea #writing attraction #sorry for the crap writing and grammar #i have autocorrect on and i wrote this on my phone

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teamconductors · 2 years

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Lost Tracks of Time, Chapter 26

Summary: Ingo wakes up in a strange realm of light.

Author’s Note: Something that I mentioned in a tumblr ask from a while ago is that Ingo’s inclusion in Legends Arceus felt detached from the game’s narrative and served to only create retrospective angst. And that part of the purpose of this fic was to give purpose to Ingo’s presence in the game. Well… this chapter shows what I mean.

CW: Gore, Body Horror. The relevant section will be denoted with five asterisks instead of my normal three. If this sounds familiar, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. (For the non-AO3 people, this chapter’s title is “Ingo’s Path of Solitude”.)

Thank you @furiouskettle!

(Shippers DNI)

At the Galaxy Expedition Team’s training grounds were two strange humans. One was a young girl, and the other was an old-appearing man. Both wore clothes torn up from countless pokemon battles. Both bore numerous scars – the girl’s from calming frenzied Nobles, the man’s from a near-deadly attack he didn’t recall. And both were skilled in catching, training, and battling with pokemon.

Akari and Ingo stood in front of each other at the center of the training field. Zisu and other security corps gathered to watch the battles. They started their battles at midday, and the sky turned orange for their last one.

“This is our final stop. Let Gallade’s Path of Solitude begin!” Ingo said.

Akari nodded with determination. She and Ingo turned on their feet and took position on opposite sides of the court.

Ingo took out a pokeball. “Gardevoir, get ready for departure!” He turned and threw the pokeball to let out his Gardevoir. Ingo took his natural battle stance, holding onto the brim of his signature cap while pointing forward. He wasn’t sure why he liked doing it, but he did.

Akari also took a battle stance – her feet wide apart for balance and arms ready for attacks – and took out her pokeball. “Go, Gallade!” She threw the ball and let out her pokemon. Gallade and Gardevoir bowed to each other.

“Gardevoir, use Calm Mind,” Ingo said.

“Gallade, use Sword Dance!” Akari said.

Both pokemon used their buffing moves, with Gallade seemingly dancing as his arm blades sharpened and Gardevoir closing her eyes and breathing careful breaths. Ingo noted that Gallade finished his move faster than Gardevoir did, though they started at the same time.

“All clear! Gardevoir, use Moonblast!” Ingo pointed to Gallade. His strategy for this path was simple, relying on a Gardevoir with strong defenses to attack with a supereffective fairy-type move.

Akari’s eyes widened. “Gallade, use Shadow Claw!”

Gallade’s arm draped itself in shadows. He ran forward as Gardevoir charged her attack. Gallade wound his arm back as Gardevoir unleashed the ball of pink and blue energy at her opponent. Gallade struck the orb, dispersing the energy that still struck his body, and he proceeded to strike Gardevoir as well.

Ingo noted that both pokemon took similar amounts of damage. With Gallade outspeeding Gardevoir, the battle would easily win in Akari’s favor if they kept going. He may want Akari to win, but he wouldn’t make it easy. “Gardevoir, clear the way and use Hypnosis!”

Gardevoir’s eyes glowed as she stared down Gallade. The opponent stiffened before relaxing his posture, the drowsiness taking effect.

“C’mon, Gallade! Shake off that sleep! Use Thunder Punch!” Akari said.

“Gardevoir, use Shadow Ball!” Ingo said.

Gallade’s arm charged up with electricity. He stared down Gardevoir with half-lidded eyes and ran straight at her, though with less speed than his previous attack. When he got close, Gallade’s drowsiness took over him and vaguely hit Gardevoir at her side. Gardevoir threw down her Shadow Ball on Gallade’s head. The shadows exploded like a burst water balloon on the grounded pokemon.

“C’mon, Gallade! I know you can beat them! One last Shadow Claw!” Akari shot her fist up to the sky.

“We are approaching our destination! Use Moonblast!” Ingo said.

Gardevoir prepared a Moonblast larger than half of her body. Gallade’s eyes opened, and he jumped back to attention. Gallade jumped and formed a Shaodw Claw while in the air. He dove to strike Gardevoir through the attack. Pink and blue energy collided with the shadows. The Moonblast exploded in Gallade’s face, but he struck Gardevoir in the chest. Gallade landed and slid past Gardevoir on his feet, forming a trail in the dirt.

Gallade panted but remained standing. Gardevoir collapsed and fainted. Zisu and the Galaxy Team members cheered for their survey corps member.

“Excellent! Bravo!” Ingo said as he pointed to Akari and the ground. He walked to his pokemon. “You performed well. You more than earned a rest.” Ingo recalled Gardevoir to her pokeball. He stood up again to face Akari. “Gallade has reached the destination called Victory! And with that, we reached our final stop in the Path of Solitude you wished to visit today. Allow me to stamp your pokedex.”

Akari smiled and presented her completed pokedex to Ingo. Ingo took out a stamp set from a bag hidden by his signature coat. The young survey corps member had 4 out of 6 pokemon complete their paths, so Ingo stamped the entries for Carnavine, Toxicroak, Raichu, and Gallade. He hoped to see if Eevee and Empoleon could complete their paths in the future as well.

“Do you actually have a path planned for every pokemon, or are you bluffing?” Akari asked.

“Of course I have schedules for each pokemon! Why would I lie about such a thing?” Ingo asked.

She raised a brow at Ingo. “So, you have an idea on how to challenge Dialga and Palkia? And Giratina? And Arceus?”

“I even have a route laid out for Arceus, yes,” Ingo said.

“You are… incredible,” Akari said, though Ingo thought she was going to say a different word at the end. “Okay, that’s enough battles for now. I’m gonna get some potato mochi!”

“That sounds delightful, Miss Akari. I hope you enjoy them.” Ingo thought of his route next. He was borrowing some of the Galaxy Team’s pastures for some of the pokemon he trained for the Paths of Solitude, so he needed to inspect them. After that, he needed to feed his team, and then he could feed himself.

Akari interrupted his thoughts. “Wanna join me, Ingo? I can get Beni to make you mochi!”

Ingo was taken aback from the pleasant surprise. “Hm… Very well. I think I can make an alteration to my schedule for you!”

Akari led Ingo to the Wallflower. She waved to Laventon and Rei, who met at their usual table, but she led Ingo to a different table off to the side of the restaurant. Trees and the building itself provided shade. Ingo hoped she just wanted to speak in private and didn’t want to sit separately for a more sinister reason.

“Is there a particular reason for this meeting, Miss Akari?” Ingo asked.

“Well… uh, yeah...” Akari briefly turned her gaze away from the man. “…Ingo, are you happy here?”

“Hm? Am I happy here at Jubilife Village? Because I am! Miss Zisu has been treating me well, even with us sharing the same battlefield.”

“No, I meant… I meant here in general. Hisui. This time period. All that stuff.”

“What brought this on? Is something wrong?”

“Well… I come from a different time, and so do you. I’ve been thinking about if there’s anything at “home” for me, so I’ve been wondering about you, too.”

“I appreciate your concern, Miss Akari. But… as I mentioned in the past, I don’t remember much before my arrival in Hisui. I… don’t even recall if I had a family, so I have little reference to compare this time to.”

Akari frowned. “That makes sense, I guess, but that doesn’t quite answer me. Ingo, Are you happy here?”

Ingo took a moment to think about how he’d respond. Even though he loved his position as a warden and battle conductor, there was something about the environment that prevented him from enjoying them fully.

Most of the Pearl Clan simply tolerated him; no one would say it directly, but it was a feeling he could not shake off. Pointing was considered rude, but Ingo did it out of instinct. His difficulty controlling the volume of his voice contributed to his unfavorable image. He especially received strange looks and condemnations, even from the typically affable Clan Leader Irida, when he began making and using pokeballs to carry his pokemon instead of letting them roam in the Space Almighty Palkia created for them. Even with how dangerous pokemon proved to be in this environment, he found himself more at ease around them than around humans at times. Several clan members warmed up to Ingo after a couple years, but he still heard remarks when others thought he couldn’t hear them.

And that was to say nothing about the permanent feeling that something was missing from his life. It wasn’t just about losing memories themselves. His pokemon, Lady Sneasler, former Warden Jove, the current Wardens, Clan Leader Irida, Miss Akari, Miss Zisu, all were great friends and allies. But there were holes in the railroad track of his life in need of spikes that he could not find.

But he couldn’t tell Akari that. “Simply put, I take pride in completing my duties. Caring for Lady Sneasler, representing the Pearl Clan, and conducting battles for you and others are all important to me. Because I can fulfill those duties and help you, I feel content.”

Akari gave Ingo a look of uncertainty. Ingo wondered if something in his mannerisms conflicted with the words he gave her.

“Here’s your potato mochi,” Beni said as he presented two plates, one for each time traveler. “Let me know if you want any more.” He left without another word.

“Thank you, Sir Beni!” Ingo said. “Oh, how much do I need to help pay for the meal?”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s on me,” Akari said. She picked up a mochi and bit into it. Though she clearly enjoyed the treat, Ingo could tell something was not all right with Akari.

“Are you feeling homesick, Miss Akari?” Ingo asked. He wanted to talk for a short time longer to let his food cool off. “You mentioned before that you remember your home from before you fell from the sky, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right. About remembering home, I mean. I’m… not homesick.” Akari gave a side glance that let Ingo know not to press the issue further. “But I was wondering… if you wanted to go home?”

Ingo hummed as he thought over Akari’s question. “I’m… I’m quite unsure. Though I am grateful for your concern, it is nothing to worry yourself over. All I ask is for you to enjoy our battles and that you reach greater heights on your journey!”

“…Right,” Akari said. She resumed eating her mochi, and Ingo began eating his.

***

Ingo found himself in a realm of light. He last remembered healing his pokemon but did not recall falling asleep at any point. He had to be dreaming. Though a mostly white space, strange tones of colors shifted between each other in a rainbow kaleidoscope. He stood upright despite the absence of a visible floor. He was not even certain if his sense of direction was correct, a strange sensation for him.

“Greetings, Human. Welcome to my realm. What is thy name?” A voice spoke from all directions and reverberated in Ingo’s head.

Though apprehensive about what this being of light needed from him, Ingo still had to maintain politeness. “Good day. I’m Warden Ingo.”

“Ingo, thou shalt soon find thyself in a world strange for thee. My mission for thou is…”

The rainbow lights collected in front of Ingo. Ingo shielded his eyes as it got brighter. Once the excessive light subsided, what was left was Arceus, the Almighty pokemon Akari caught.

“To live thine life at home in peace,” Arceus said. Their voice still manifested an echo in Ingo’s head.

Ingo stared at Arceus in disbelief. “What a peculiar mission! What brought this on?”

“Thou art aware that I am the one who sent you to Hisui?” Arceus asked.

“I… had suspicions, but I had no track to follow to decisively conclude that.” Akari mentioned in the past that her mission to Seek Out All Pokemon came from Arceus themself. Considering all that happened in the past few years, Ingo had little reason to doubt her. But he did not believe that he himself was sent by Arceus as well. Not until then.

“And thou art aware of Akari’s accomplishments? That is because she took over the role I had given thou.”

Ingo stared at Arceus. A sinking feeling took over him. “…Could I please ask to you elaborate?”

“Yes. Thou knoweth the story of Akari, her appearance into a strange land and purpose to “Seek Out All Pokemon”? That was thine original mission. That was my purpose in transporting thou into this time. That was thine purpose.”

“…In summary, you gave me a journey and destination to reach… and I failed?” Ingo asked after several seconds in piecing together his sudden grief. Ingo’s train of thought followed as Arceus laid down the tracks. He was supposed to have rescued Hisui from Volo and his inane plot to destroy the world? The sick feeling in him worsened by the second. It was not an image he ever expected for himself. But Arceus’ claim was a nightmare. His duties meant everything to him. He had a responsibility to every single passenger and guest who came across his path. Failing even one was not an option as a Warden.

“No. Thou hast succeeded but not in the way I intended.”

White light obscured and took over Ingo’s vision. He saw in a void of shifting days and nights Akari. Instead of her Survey Corps uniform, she wore a strange shirt and short pants. Above her was Ingo. Ingo noted that this version of him had an intact coat, white formal shirt, and blue tie, meaning this was him before he arrived in Hisui. He quickly realized he was watching himself and young Akari travel backwards in time.

And above both humans was a Deep Shadow. It dived toward Akari with glowing red eyes and an aura of lethal intent. Akari braced her impact, unable to do anything else.

“I WON’T ALLOW YOU TO HARM A PASSENGER!” The Ingo in the vision dove toward Akari.

The Deep Shadow tried to strike Akari. Ingo took the strike at his chest, shredding his white shirt. Akari gasped, as though she didn’t expect the man to appear. She watched in horror as the man fell far faster than she was and left behind a trail of blood orbs. As Ingo disappeared, the Deep Shadow turned to try and attack Akari. Then the Deep Shadow disappeared in a blink of light that outshined the surroundings.

“Do not worry. I sent the attacker back to their original time. As thou saw, not only did thou receive a lethal strike and lost thine memories as a result, but thou was also sent back years earlier than I intended,” Arceus said. “And this allowed Akari to enter the time period without issue.”

Ingo’s vision returned to the world of light. “So that’s the cause of my injury…” He brushed a hand across his torso, feeling the tunic’s cloth but also the scar underneath. “I am glad that I helped Akari even back then.”

“Yes, but that is not all. I used Future Sight to gain a vision of alternate timelines in which thou arrived at the intended time. The first Warden for Sneasler would perish a year prior to thine arrival, resulting in a great obstacle in thine duty to Seek Out All Pokemon.”

“Jove was supposed to die?” Ingo asked. His thoughts answered his own question, as he recalled an avalanche the two avoided. If Jove was by himself that day, he might not have noticed the signs and gotten away in time…

“The same problem would have occurred if I only sent Akari. While thou was sent to an unintended location, it allowed Akari a smoother path on her mission.”

“If I may ask, why are you telling me all of this? And how does this relate to “living my life at home”?”

“Thy hast fulfilled thine duty and more. Therefore, if thou wishes it, I can return thee to thine original time.”

“Almighty Arceus, while I sincerely appreciate your generosity, I have a duty in Hisui as a Warden. I do not feel comfortable departing from this station when no replacement is left to carry my duties, including maintaining Sneasler’s condition, taking care over my pokemon, and conducting battles.”

“If thou dost not wish to stay in thine realm permanently, thou can return here as well. What if I returned thou to the same time as thou hast left? For thine allies, it will be as though you never left.”

Ingo hummed. “That would ease my mind slightly, but…” He recalled Akari’s musings about her home. “Is there anything left for me in that station in my original time?”

“There is thine brother.”

Ingo’s heart skipped a beat. “…I had a brother?”

“That is correct.”

“I had a family…” Ingo’s heart made up for the skipped beats by picking up speed. “…If I am able to return to my station in Hisui without any schedule changes, then I would like to see my origin station then.”

“Noted. Allow me to bestow upon thou a gift.”

Ingo felt something on his right wrist. The Sneasler bracelet was gone, replaced by a white, unnaturally smooth bracelet. He felt a weight on the back of his wrist. A small square of black was surrounded by white and gold detailing.

“This is a watch,” Arceus said. “Use it to tell me when ready to return.”

Ingo found himself pulled off the ground. He floated up toward Arceus as the lights around him intensified. Ingo crawled into a ball to escape the lights’ painful effects. And then he vanished in a blink of light and colorful sparks.

*****

Ingo fell up through the time tunnel. The strobing light and darkness dotted by glittering stars brought a strange sense of familiarity and dread within him. Though Arceus’ words already encouraged him to escape his duties for a moment, he mulled them over again to make sure he made the right decision. Akari was correct in her assessment that Ingo was not completely satisfied with his life, but he questioned if he will be able to return to Hisui without a single change in schedule.

More pressingly, was there really someone waiting for him at the end of the route? Was it a reward for succeeding in saving the world, or was this a complicated ruse to get rid of him? Only certain people in the Pearl Clan and Galaxy Team tolerated him and his strange mannerisms that not even he could explain. Then again, it would be strange to employ an Almighty pokemon like Arceus to do such a thing. But the thought would not depart from his mind. Not matter how much he tried to help others, not even Arceus would think it was enough. Or was Ingo doomed to always be missing something in his life?

But he heard a voice that stopped his destructive thoughts in its tracks.

“Ingo! Ingo!”

Ingo looked up to see who called his name. His eyes widened. It was a blip of white that came from among the dark. For some reason, nothing about the man’s appearance surprised him. Tears tried to break out from his eyes. It was the fellow that he shared a face with. It was the man who liked winning more than anything else. Arceus was right. Ingo had a family.

“Emmet?” Ingo said without thinking.

Emmet reached out to Ingo. “Ingo! I am Emmet! I found you! I finally found you!” Ingo did the same.

Ingo’s joy left the station when he saw a familiar Deep Shadow above Emmet.

The next moments occurred in fragments. An extremely sharp pain radiated from Ingo’s neck. Warm red liquid oozed onto his hands. Red liquid flew from the back of Emmet’s head. Emmet wasn’t moving. Ingo tried to scream for help, but nothing resembling his voice came out.

Ingo reached out one hand toward Emmet. Ingo’s fingers fused together, and the skin hardened, forming two claws. The same thing happened to Emmet. Emmet’s skin turned teal. The blood stopped trailing from Emmet’s head. Ingo saw something red poke out from Emmet’s ear. Emmet’s eyes closed, and he seemed to shrink and disappear into his coat.

Ingo feared the worst. Ingo found himself able to scream again. He didn’t recognize his own voice or the sounds he made. Something itched under the skin of his left ear. Pain collected in the middle of his forehead and over his heart. Ingo’s hat obscured his vision, as did his coat that flapped in the tunnel’s wind.

Ingo’s consciousness began to fade as prickling, stabbing pain overtook his nerves. It reminded him of a Sneasel’s poison, a sensation he grew accustomed to from working with Lady Sneasler but manifested hundreds-fold in strength. He finally got relief over the missing segments of his mind. Ingo finally reunited with his family, but it lasted for no longer than a minute before complete derailing.

“Warden Ingo, thou hast professed thine unsatisfactory feelings.” Arceus’ voice rang in Ingo’s head as his vision went white. “Consider this thine second chance, this time with thine sibling as an apology for separating thee. Ingo, rescue the Deep Shadow and prove thyself!”

*****

In the present, Ingo opened his eyes. He wasn’t certain of what he expected to find when he woke up, but the bed he laid on was soft and comfortable, tempting him to stay asleep. But Ingo had places to be, so he refused and sat up.

Ingo realized he was in the Pearl Guild’s infirmary. His coat, cap, and bag all hanged on a clothes stand nearby. A wet towel was tied over his head, which he concluded was for his gem. Based on his dreams, he quickly concluded that he somehow regained his memories from before he became a pokemon.

He heard snoring and saw Sneasler sleeping next to him. She sat in a chair and laid her head on Ingo’s bed. Next to her was the trains history book Emmet got from Laventon.

“Hey, Ingo!” Gaeric said. “You finally woke up! Wow, you were really tired, but makes sense. Rest is important for getting strong.”

“”Finally” woke up?” Ingo asked. “How long was I unconscious for?”

“You were out for about a week,” Gaeric said.

“A week?!” Ingo’s yell shook some of Gaeric’s jars of medicinal herbs and berries.

Sneasler snapped out of her nap. The fur on her face was matted and had a flat spot from Sneasler laying her head. “Huh? What? …Oh, hey, Ingo.”

“Good day, Sneasler!” Ingo said. “I’m surprised Emmet isn’t here.”

“He and the other two are doing missions today,” Sneasler said as she stretched.

Ingo’s ears stood up. “Emmet is performing rescues without me? That is excellent! His anxiety has been terrible. I need to congratulate him once he returns!”

“Cool. Let me just make sure you’re all good before you leave,” Gaeric said. “Let me see your forehead.”

“Ah, of course. I should note that I am not experiencing any dizziness like my previous injury,” Ingo said. He untied the towel from his head. Though Ingo’s gem still possessed the cracks from his old injury, it showed no signs of further propagation or desire to turn to dust.

“That… is a lot better than I expected,” Sneasler said.

“That is a relief. I suspect this resulted from taking a slower train to regain my memories,” Ingo said. “I feel bad for Emmet, though. His express train resulted in numerous issues for him…”

“Well, I put on the salve before any damage happened, but whatever you say. Let me just finish my stuff,” Gaeric said.

After Nurse Gaeric finished checking Ingo’s vitals, he was satisfied with the results and allowed Ingo to leave the infirmary. He and Sneasler walked out and went towards the twins’ tent. Sneasler grabbed the book she borrowed and placed it in her basket.

“Sneasler, I noticed that you were reading Emmet’s book,” Ingo said as he put back on his coat and cap. “Are you interested in trains, too?”

“No…” Sneasler said. “I was just bored and grabbed the closest book I found…”

“You can admit that trains are fascinating! I remember more things about them now, so if you wish, we can talk about them together.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m not as nerdy as you two.”

“But you have said “all aboard” with Emmet and I back at Mt. Coronet! In fact, I recall you saying it with us multiple times!”

“Y-You’re imagining things.” Sneasler had to admit that her tone was not convincing.

“While I am thinking of it, I am unsure if Emmet has mentioned this, but Emmet and I barely kept ourselves on the tracks while we were inside Giratina’s mind. The Red Chain was affecting us, and… Emmet and I nearly lost ourselves. But then we heard your boarding call.” Ingo smiled. “Sneasler, you saved us from derailing and crashing. I can never thank you enough! Thank you for rescuing us, Sneasler!”

Sneasler’s cheeks warmed. She felt a hand up in front of her mouth and turned her gaze away. “Well… Yeah, it’d suck if you made all the way here and lost to some idiots like Team Wish. You don’t need me to tell you that.”

“We did. We absolutely did.”

Ingo and Sneasler made it to the tent. Ingo plopped onto his haybed and gazed up at the theory board he and Emmet made. It appeared that they wouldn’t need it anymore.

“So, do you actually have all your memories back?” Sneasler sat down next to Ingo.

“That is a good question, but it might be a better idea to explore once Emmet, Chandelure, and Eelektross return. For now, I want to see how much I remember about trains!” Ingo said.

“…Oh no,” Sneasler said.

“Where to begin?” Ingo grabbed the brim of his hat. “Perhaps with a simple definition? No, perhaps not, since you already know what a train is. How about different types?”

***

Emmet held onto Chandelure’s thin metallic arms for dear life as the ghost pokemon flew, their flames lapping at Emmet’s cap and ear feather.

“How can you even tell he’s awake from this far…?” Eelektross asked as he followed his partners. His question was in response to Chandelure’s reason for their extreme speed.

Palina, taking sentry duty as normal, noticed her gaze drawn toward blue flames in the distance. The outpost’s binoculars confirmed her suspicions. “The guests are Emmet, Chandelure, and Eelektross! And my goodness, they are coming this way hot! Open the gate, Lian!”

“I’m workin’ on it!” Lian tried to open the gate as fast as he could with stubby arms. He got the gate halfway up when Chandelure and Emmet squeezed through the opening. He paused and heard the excited pokemon zoom through the main halls to a destination Lian had a feeling he knew. Eelektross followed them with apologies that faded as he chased after them. Lian kept forgetting how long Eelektross’ body was and was reminded as the pokemon took 5 seconds to fully pass through the gate.

“…Now, the Normal and Super lines are similar in structure and share personnel, but Emmet and I personally ensure that each trainer’s team is appropriate for the line they are set to work in!” Ingo said to Sneasler, who nodded along.

“I AM EMMET! I AM HERE!” Emmet was literally thrown through the tent’s entrance. Sneasler jumped into action to catch him and prevent the tent’s collapse from the Sneasel projectile.

“Emmet! What a surprise! You arrived ahead of the schedule,” Ingo said.

“Oh, thank Ar- actually, no, I’m not gonna thank that bastard. Emmet! Ingo has been talking about trains for an hour!” Sneasler said.

“Is that so? My apologies, Sneasler. I did not expect my infodump to last that long!” Ingo said.

“You didn’t stop him?” Emmet asked Sneasler.

“You. I don’t need your logic,” Sneasler said. “Also, why did you fly in here??”

To answer her question, Chandelure also flew into the tent and straight into Ingo’s arms.

“Good day, my Chandelure,” Ingo said as he petted his pokemon’s head. “I apologize for worrying everyone. But several memories have returned to me during my rest.”

“Yep. The Arc Watch told us,” Emmet said.

“Do you… remember everything now?” Eelektross asked as he poked his head into the tent.

“Hm, a good question for certain. I doubt that an average person with no memory issues would remember all the details of their life at once,” Ingo said.

“I want to test it,” Emmet said. “Are you ready to start our journey, Ingo?” He pointed at Ingo and the ground.

“Journey?” Sneasler asked.

“Yes, I am prepared! All aboard!” Ingo pointed at Emmet and the ground.

“This is our first stop: Can you name all the pokemon we had before we came here?” Emmet asked.

“Let me think.” Ingo hummed. “Well, there’s Chandelure and Eelektross, of course. Then there’s Excadrill, the twin Haxoruses, Crustle, the twin Klinklangs, Garbodor, Durant, Galvantula, your many, many Joltiks…”

Chandelure and Eelektross followed along and nodded as Ingo listed off pokemon.

“There is also Archeops, Escavalier, Accelgor, Gliscor, Machamp-“

“Please break,” Emmet said. “I do not recognize those last two pokemon.”

“Yeah, neither do I…” Eelektross said.

Ingo sported a confused stare into the distance. “…Oh! I appear to be confusing our teams in Unova with my team from Hisui!”

“What are the other pokemon?” Emmet asked, curious to what pokemon Ingo raised on his own.

“Well, I mentioned Gliscor and Machamp. There is also Tangrowth, Alakazam, Magnezone, and Probopass. But that was only my main team. I trained several more pokemon for the sake of helping trainers through battles. I altered my team and trained numerous pokemon to craft the perfect opponents for each trainer that boards!”

Emmet’s ears perked up. “That’s like the Battle Subway.”

“Well, I was the only person running the battles instead of employing other trainers to fight first and there were no trains, but yes!” Ingo said.

“Here is our next stop: how did we meet Eelektross and Chandelure?” Emmet asked.

Ingo grabbed the brim of his cap. “…They were our first pokemon, though at the time, they were Tynamo and Litwick. When we turned 10, our parents gave us pokemon to start our journeys. Tynamo was given to you because you liked the strategic advantage of an electric-type pokemon with the ability Levitate.

“But Litwick was not supposed to be my first pokemon. A Litwick followed me around for days before our tenth birthday. Our parents were worried, but I wasn’t. When Emmet and I exchanged birthday gifts to the other, he gave me a pokeball to catch Litwick.” Ingo cracked a smile. “And Litwick became my pokemon with no delay.”

“Is that right?” Sneasler asked Eelektross and Chandelure.

“That’s… correct,” Eelektross said. He was the only witness to Chandelure’s gushing over Ingo being a cute kid. Eelektross noted how quickly Chandelure shrugged off the implication of Ingo’s family not liking them.

“Alright, now I see the course you’re taking!” Sneasler said. “Yo, Ingo. How did you meet my ancestor from Hisui?” Though Sneasler’s memories of Hisui were still spotty, she recalled her ancestor’s meeting of the strange warden well.

Ingo hummed as he thought. “That is a bit more unclear, probably due to my state of mind.”

***

Ingo woke up shivering. The landscape and sky were white. Red liquid pooled around him. Sharp pain radiated across his entire chest. He faded in and out of consciousness, as the pain both tried to make him faint and keep him awake. He couldn’t stop groaning, but his noises of pain were drowned out by a snowstorm raging.

“Someone! P-Please help me!” Ingo said. His groaning turned to crying. His body wanted to quit on him.

But he saw a light at the end of the tunnel, which took the shape of a tall humanoid figure with long claws and a basket on her back.

Ingo found himself getting picked up. The figure held him in her arms and began running. The pain did not let up once, but even though blood continued to pour from his wounds, he found warm safety in the tall stranger’s arms.

“Who is that?!” another figure said. It was a human. “Don’t worry, Sir. Please hold on, and we will help you.”

Ingo’s consciousness finally faded as the human began wrapping something around his torso.

When he woke up again, Ingo noticed something wrapped around his torso. He no longer shivered, as he was in a cave with a campfire nearby. Dried leaves and branches littered the cave. The only notable feature of the cave was an altar. He could see in the corner of his vision a mortar and pestle, shears, and berries and strange leaves next to his body.

Sitting next to Ingo was an elderly man. His violet hair was kept up in two ovular buns and had a moustache to match. He wore a pink tunic with a strange symbol, fluffy pants stuffed into white boots, and a long scarf. Next to the human was a long pokemon with violet and pink claws. The pokemon stood over both men, keeping her eye on the injured stranger.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” the man said. “Don’t try to stand or sit up yet. Your wounds are still healing. I’ll get you to a better healer once the storm clears.”

Ingo tried to sit up before remembering the man’s order. “Thank you for assisting me!” He saw the man and the pokemon jump when he spoke, indicating that he spoke too loudly. The cave echoing his words likely made it worse.

“Don’t thank me,” said the man as he recovered from the loud noise. “Thank Lady Sneasler. She was the one who saw your dark coat and smelled your blood in the storm.” He gestured to the pokemon.

The pokemon brought her hand up to her mouth and snickered in pride.

“Then thank you, Lady Sneasler! Thank you for guiding me to a safe station,” Ingo said.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what in the world attacked you? I’ve been a Warden for a long time, and I’ve never seen gashes like that, not even from an alpha,” the man asked. “There was no poison, no burns, nothing but a strange injury. What happened?”

“I… I have no clue.” Ingo hummed. His stare dozed off to the distance as he tried to backtrack events in his head. “I can’t recall what happened. I… do not even know my location. What station are we at?”

“The Coronet Highlands, specifically Lady Sneasler’s Seat. And let me ask, who are you? You’re not in the Diamond Clan or Ginkgo Guild, are you?”

“Who am I? Who I am is something I’m not certain about. I remember nothing from before you found me…”

“Do you have a name?”

“My name? My name… My name is… Ingo. My name is Ingo!”

“Ingo, huh? I’m Warden Jove from the Pearl Clan. Lady Sneasler here is my ward.”

“Thank you, Lady Sneasler and Warden Jove!” Ingo didn’t smile, but he was sure his gratitude came across.

Lady Sneasler walked to stand behind Ingo. She dropped and sat down, dragging the injured human’s head onto her lap.

Jove’s default fettered demeanor gave way to confusion. “Lady Sneasler? What are you doing?”

Lady Sneasler licked Ingo’s hair. She even picked at his hair, trying to clean him and make him look good.

“Is there something wrong with my head?” Ingo asked.

“Other than the amnesia, no, there isn’t… Lady Sneasler, is now really the time for grooming?” Jove stared at the Noble pokemon.

Lady Sneasler rose her free hand and shooed off Jove’s question. She loved Jove’s confused expressions.

“Well, I’m glad that Lady Sneasler took a shining to you. I guess we’ll figure out what to do with you once you’re better,” Jove said.

“Very well then! I hope to return to proper operating condition soon.” Ingo wasn’t completely sure where his words came from, but it made his thoughts easier to explain. Lady Sneasler’s grooming and the strange sensation it created took Ingo’s mind off his dire wounds, even as Jove’s anesthetics wore off. Ingo felt a little less afraid.

***

“It now occurs to me that it was Chained Giratina that gave me those near-fatal injuries,” Ingo said. “I fear for what would have happened had Lady Sneasler not notice me in the cold. To returned to our main route: instead of perishing, I spent a couple years in the Pearl Clan and displaying my talent with taming pokemon. With Lady Sneasler’s and Clan Leader Irida’s approval, Warden Jove trained me to become a Warden – Lady Sneasler’s new Warden. Does that line up with your knowledge, Sneasler?”

Sneasler felt stuck something in her throat. “Y-Yeah, you got it. Did you have to mention the cleaning part, though?!”

“Of course! It was part of the circumstances of our meeting!” Ingo said.

“Ugh…” Sneasler didn’t want to admit that Ingo had a point. Recalling her ancestor’s perspective of the meeting reminded her of how much the old lady “took a shine” to the amnesiac, depressed Ingo. It was almost embarrassing to recall.

“We approach our final stop.” Emmet pointed again at Ingo. “How did we become friends with Elesa?”

Ingo paused to think. “…It was while Battle Subway was being constructed, am I correct? Elesa acted as both model and gym leader in Nimbasa City, and she wanted to test us. To be truthful, her aura intimidated me, but we both ended up battling her! I faced her in a singles line, and you faced her on the doubles line. I lost my battle, but you won yours, Emmet.”

Emmet shook his head. “I did not win. And I thought you did?”

“Shit, you have faulty memories?” Sneasler asked.

“…No, wait, didn’t both of you lose? I do remember underestimating her team…” Eelektross said. He looked over and saw Chandelure’s confused expression. “… And you remember winning. Of course, you do.”

“Perhaps our poor collective memories of the event mean that who won or lost doesn’t matter,” Ingo said. “I remember enjoying our battle! She was fun to adapt my strategy against!”

“Mm-hm! I had fun, too!” Emmet said. His smiled quivered. “…I miss Elesa.”

Ingo nodded in agreement. “I think it’s fair to conclude that my memories have returned…” His stare drifted to the distance.

“What’s on your mind, Ingo?” Sneasler asked.

“It… appears that Emmet and I are in a strange situation with no possible resolution. I now remember my duties as a Subway Boss, which is to guide others to their destinations and goals. Similarly, my duties as a Warden are to not only take care of Lady Sneasler but also to help others with matters about pokemon. But here I am, unable to fulfill either purpose.” Ingo began fidgeting with his sleeves. “But my duties here as a pokemon rescuer are just as important! All three roles are important! I cannot stay here, but staying in any one location would leave the other two locations empty.”

Emmet nodded. “I want to return to our origin. I want to see Elesa. I want to see my other pokemon. I want to have fun battles again as a trainer. …But I agree that I don’t want to leave you behind.” He pointed at Eelektross, Chandelure, and Sneasler when he said that.

Sneasler sighed. “You guys are talking about time travel. I mean, it’s obviously possible, but we’d need to meet with Celebi or Dialga, which is… easier said than done.”

“What a predicament you are in,” a familiar voice said. Ingo, Emmet, and Sneasler jumped from surprise.

“Giratina?” Ingo asked. “Are you present?”

“They’re right here,” Emmet said. He pointed to a large pot of water. In the pot, instead of seeing a normal reflection, the water showed the image of Giratina in the Distortion World. He and Ingo surrounded the pot.

“What are you doing in their water??” Sneasler asked, looking over the shoulders of the Sneasels.

“I can observe your world through reflections,” Giratina said. “Let me see if I got this right: you two wanna return to your old times for stuff while also coming back here when you want?”

“That is well put, yes,” Ingo said.

“What, you plan on talking to Dialga or Celebi or something?” Sneasler asked. “Because what they want is more time travel shit, and they’re the ones who can do that, right?”

“No. You won’t need those fools to help you.” Giratina smiled. “After all, you have me. I owe you my life. I know exactly how I can help you.”

#pmd lost tracks of time #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon legends arceus spoilers #pokemon ingo #pokemon emmet #pmd au #submas #gore cw #body horror cw #so uh... the way i wrote/am writing this series is that i have a general outline in my head and then i write one chapter at a time #and i think this chapter shows it bc of a new character introduced that i wish i couldve foreshadowed earlier #oh well!#i also have some more thoughts about what this chapter reveals that i dont say in the story #not directly anyway #and you can probably tell ive gotten influenced by the pla and submas fandoms lol

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hoperays-song · 1 year

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Character Deep Dive: Klaus, Ryan and the Dance Troupe

Finally, it is done! I hope y’all enjoy this deep dive!! Just please read the trigger warnings first. Seriously, read the trigger warnings first. Cannot stress that enough. Also shout out to my beta readers, y’all are amazing!!!

- <3 Gooseless

Character Deep Dive: Klaus, Ryan and the Dance Troupe

*TW: This deep dive will mention abuse, grooming, misuse of power, and manipulation. All the events and actions mentioned are based on real world events told to me by friends in the dance industry and my personal experience and research into the industry as well. However, this is just a theory based on my analysis and the analysis done by others. No hate to the people who actually like this character. Again, just a theory. Also, there were two attempted murders on screen as well as implying other murders had taken place in the second movie, so I feel like this theory (while very dark) isn’t the darkest the series could go and is therefore not that out of place. DO NOT READ IF SENSITIVE TO ANYTHING PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. Also, no, this is not Klaus friendly. What about anything I’ve ever posted would make you think it is? That man gave me multiple panic attacks and made me go back to therapy for a bit because it reminded me of stuff, so nope, not going to be friendly. *

As someone who was in dance my entire childhood and was raised by someone who was a dancer for 14 years, I always enjoy watching the representation of the dance world in media. I’m constantly looking for small details that allude to the real-world dance culture and I was ecstatic to note that in Sing 2 we got to see some of those cultural aspects as well as a wide range of diversity within the dance class itself. However, less than forty seconds in, I noticed what would become my main issue with the movie itself, the character Klaus.

Klaus’s actions were shown to be antagonistic and cruel, yes, but the fact that they were brushed off at the end of the movie to allow him to continue to work with a student he was shown on screen to physically, verbally, and emotionally abuse for the simple reason of “he now knows what he’s capable of and won’t underestimate him again after that performance”. The thing with Klaus is that the major issue wasn’t his underestimating of Johnny’s abilities, it was the very blatant abuse and belittlement that was a constant part of his class. It was bad enough to cause Johnny to have at least one panic attack, and that’s Johnny. A kid who was raised in an extremely high stress situation and is used to being dragged through Buster’s bad and typically very dangerous ideas. Within the course of the first movie, we saw him chased by cops, trapped in a flooding building, and face down a group of potentially dangerous gang members. And while he seemed more than slightly worried and a good bit scared in some of those scenes, it was never enough to cause him to have a panic attack (at least not onscreen).

Yet, when you put him in Klaus’s class for two weeks and he ends up having panic attacks and is clearly extremely burnt out to the point other characters start to notice. You have to ask, what is going on there? Well, after analyzing (probably way too much) everything about Klaus and the dancers I could and doing a ton of research, this is the conclusion I’ve drawn.

Analysis and Allegations

The actions we see from the character Klaus are far from just concerning. Not only do we see Klaus verbally berate and belittle his students, but we also see him physically hit them. No matter what modern media tells you, these are not normal in the dance world. That’s just blatant verbal, emotional, and physical abuse> It should not be tolerated or seen as normal under any circumstances. And, what’s worse is Johnny’s almost definitely not the youngest in that room. One of them, yes, but most likely not the absolute youngest. Most professional dancers report their first official contract at the age of 18. However, troupes are known to have members as young as 15 years old. And since Klaus was hired as choreographer and was able to produce a troupe on such short notice (literally canonically overnight), those are probably all his current students, meaning those kids could be as young as 12 (the age when most professional dancers report starting to circle the professional sphere, however dance classes can start as young as 2 years old). That is further backed up by the fact that every student stayed.

Now I understand that that statement itself might seem weird, however, contrary to popular opinion, dancers are some of the most terrifying people I have ever had the genuine pleasure of meeting. It’s a cut-throat industry and dancers are a lot of times forced to learn to stand up for themselves against abusive choreographers and directors that don’t actually value them. Most dancers I know would have just walked out the moment they saw how Klaus was treating the others, let alone if he started treating them that way. It’s very much an industry based on self-worth to survive. So, the fact that everyone in that class stayed told me that not only were they used to Klaus’s abuse, but they were also more than likely conditioned to take it.

Like I said, most dancers tend to be extremely good at sticking up for themselves. Sadly however, as in the majority of athletics industries, grooming is a huge problem in dance. As I previously mentioned, dance classes can start as young as 2 years old with most professional dancers reporting to have started seriously training at the 4–6-year-old range. That means that young children, I can’t emphasize that enough that these are children, are being exposed to Klaus’s abuse on a daily basis (Choreographers typically are also teachers at a dance school and since anyone with common sense would fire him to avoid a lawsuit, I would believe that Klaus owns the school). And as anyone who has interacted with a child before can attest, they are incredibly trusting. So, if they were told by an authority figure that they’ve been told they can trust, like say a teacher, that something is normal and not a big deal and they’re lucky enough to have a nice teacher as others are worse, they’re going to believe it.

Even if as they get older and realize that they were lied to and are in fact being mistreated, a lot of times they feel trapped or have no support systems outside of the people involved in the bad situation. Especially if you have been going to a specialized school where everyone around you has been going through the same thing and your contact with people outside it is extremely limited. This can be made worse by the power held by higher ups in the dance industry (choreographers, casting directors, etc.). Those higher ups completely control the lifeline of everything in the industry. One bad word from one can seriously be a career ender. Not only that, but those people tend to be more successful, more in the public eye, and therefore can sway public opinion against whoever might have spoken up with ease as well as making court cases where poor dancers are going up against vastly successful higher ups a literal nightmare for the dancers. A lot of times they cannot afford a good attorney and will end up losing the case or being hushed by settlements that they desperately need due to a lack of work.

Therefore, I believe that even if Klaus’s abuse of his students has been brought to light before, it more than likely was swept under the rug. And I believe his abuse of Johnny was evidence proving that theory. Why? Well, Johnny is different than every other student in that room. Not just because he’s never danced before, but because he is not a permeant member of Klaus’s Troupe. He’s only there for the run of the show. And if you are struggling to see why that might be important, let me explain. Johnny has no stake in Klaus’s success. He will not be affected if Klaus’s name is dragged through the mud. He will not be out of a job if Klaus is fired. What Johnny is, as Klaus and every member of that Troupe must know, is a close, personal friend of the director and absolutely can affect their employment status if he wants. He can have them fired and replaced with a different group the next day if he really wanted to beg Buster for a new teacher. Klaus knew this and still chose to target and abuse Johnny. He knew how risky that was and he still did it. That shows to me that he’s gotten away with that kind of thing before. He’s more than likely done this to several other rookies and not faced consequences. And if he’s willing to do it to them, people with no reliance on his success, he definitely is willing to do it to his students, who are relying on him for essentially everything. If Klaus’s reputation is ruined, so is theirs and their resume will probably not get them as far. If Klaus goes under, they suddenly are out of jobs in a city known for its competitive performing job market. If they speak up, they’ll be fired, and Klaus’s reputation will absolutely carry him through any court case they may try. They are very likely end up homeless and hungry if they lose their jobs with him. Klaus has all the power. And he knows it.

Those are the primary reasons I believe that not only did Klaus physically, verbally, emotionally, and mentally abuse his students, he more than likely is guilty of several much more sinister crimes like grooming and misuse of power.

Ryan, The Primary Victim

This part of my theory is where it gets a little more intricate. In dance, there’s a role in most organizations known as the Principal Dancer. The Principal Dancer is the top dancer in that company and frequently are given not only solos but starring roles in shows the company is hired to perform. Starting to sound familiar? That’s because that’s exactly what we see happen to Ryan. Ryan is given the role of being Johnny’s dance partner in the duet, one of the starring roles in the scene of a show being put on by a head of the entertainment industry. However, when we look at the students during this announcement, none of them look surprised. Ryan seems to have been the choice that everyone was expecting. On top of that, Ryan is the only one of Klaus’s students to publicly receive praise in front of the others, something that again doesn’t seem to surprise anyone. Klaus wasn’t doing that just to make Johnny feel bad (he would have pointed out how other students were doing better than him too), he clearly has praised Ryan before. Ryan is Klaus’s Principal Dancer. And upon realizing that, I immediately started to worry for him.

Principal Dancers are often used as the example for all other students to follow. They stand at the head of the barre during warmups and help other students during practice. They can even help the teacher/choreographer with the choreography and the class overall. Essentially, they can tend to take on the role of a teaching assistant. And rather unsurprisingly at this point, we see Ryan doing just that during the practice scenes. While we never see them doing group warmups on barre, we do see Ryan seemingly helping another student correct their pose when Johnny shows up late for class. In fact, he’s the only student not doing those poses and is instead walking between the others as if checking what they’re doing. He also then proceeds to do the fight scene choreography perfectly. And while we might be meant to brush that off as “oh, he’s a talented dancer, of course he can do the choreo perfectly”, I’m here to tell you that essentially no one can do choreo absolutely perfectly on their first full run through. And that’s what it’s hinted at being, especially for Ryan. Johnny might have learned bits and pieces of the fight scene choreo before that point, however, Ryan’s role was announced in that very scene, and he was still able to do the choreography perfectly. That means that Ryan had practiced that choreo before, more than likely numerous times till he was able to do it flawlessly. And that means, he was more than likely practicing alone, or at least without Johnny (a neutral third party who would note and potentially protest any abuse), with Klaus.

We know that Klaus has hit his students before, hell we see him do it multiple times in the movie itself, and we know that he also verbally and emotionally berates his students on the regular. We can see by how his students react to this, how scared they look, that they too are targets. And statistically, the person closest to the abuser is typically their primary victim. In this instance, we know the person closest to Klaus within the troupe is Ryan.

What’s more, the behaviors of Ryan and Klaus within the movie hint to this fact as well (this is probably where I go into over analysis but I’m too far deep in this rabbit hole now so). For starters, let’s look at the scene where Johnny, Buster, and Gunter enter the training room. The first thought that blared through my mind was their shoes. If you didn’t know, street shoes are not allowed on practice room floors, like ever. It can wear down the flooring and therefore make it extremely dangerous for the dancers. So, the fact that the dancers didn’t say anything in of itself was odd, but then again, the Principal Dancer might have been the one expected to speak up in that instance since it involved the show’s director. Speaking of the Principal Dancer, Ryan is the one dancer we do not see in that opening scene. He’s nowhere to be found and neither is Klaus. Now, Klaus being gone on the first day of a show isn’t that surprising. Choreographers have a lot of people they have to talk to such as the director, the publicity manager, the wardrobe department, etc. but Ryan being missing is odd. For one, he would technically be, at least honorarily judging by the troupe’s dynamic, in charge while Klaus is gone, and two, there’s no way they didn’t know they would be getting their new dancer (Johnny) that morning. Having no one there to formally met him or tell him the expectations would spell disaster to a cohesive first practice. And yet Ryan is missing. He could have just stepped out for a moment, true, or been helping Klaus with something, but we never see him being treated as an assistant choreographer so that seems a bit far-fetched to me. Therefore, I have chosen to believe theory three: he wasn’t allowed to be there.

Now some of you might realize where this theory is headed, but still, let’s keep going. Why wouldn’t a Principal Dancer, the top performer in the company, be allowed to be there when the new student was introduced for the first time? I don’t think it was due to the new student, it was due to who would be there with him. Johnny didn’t walk into that practice studio alone, he walked in with the director and the screen writer, two people of power on set. What’s more is that those two are currently being backed by one of the heads of the biggest entertainment industries in what’s hinted at being the world. They have power and they can use it. If Ryan would have said something to them, perhaps warning them of what Klaus is like or asking for help, they would immediately have them removed from the show and done anything in their power to help Ryan. Therefore, Klaus kept Ryan close or might have even sent him out to do something to avoid him saying anything that could hurt his image. And what’s more, I think Ryan would have. Let’s look at Ryan’s behaviors throughout the movie now, shall we?

First off, I will admit Ryan is a character with one to two lines and a surprisingly limited amount of screen time for actually being decently important to the plot (though he might have more/close to the same amount screen time than Alfonso if I remember correctly. I’ll have to check.). The first time we actually see Ryan, it’s at Crystal’s Auditions. However, he’s not auditioning. From what I can see (and common fan theories) he’s there to support someone, maybe a friend, maybe a child of a sponsor of the dance company. And he’s also more than likely supposed to be networking for the company as well, getting these potential rich sponsors to like him enough to support Klaus’s company. That is a job assigned to Principal Dancers at certain companies after all. In the scene where we see Ryan, we actually notice him mostly paying attention to Johnny (yes, I do ship them, no, that is not where this is going, nice try). In fact, we see him look him up and down and watch him the entire time he’s in the room. Why is that important for non-shipping reasons? Because there is no way Ryan did not recognize Johnny the next day when he showed up in Klaus’s class. He saw him as a janitor and the next time he sees him apparently his director is friends with Clay Calloway, and they can put on an award-winning show with only three weeks of prep? Yeah, there’s no way Ryan didn’t know that wasn’t a lie. He knew they snuck in. And he didn’t say anything. Klaus would have absolutely used that as ammo against Johnny if he knew and we don’t know enough about the other troupe members to know if they would have told him if Ryan had mentioned it, so it’s a decently safe assumption that he didn’t say a word. He was willing to protect them and their secrets, no questions asked.

Now, onto where we actually see a fair bit of Ryan, the dance classes. This is where we finally see Ryan being acknowledged as the Principal Dancer as well as a surprising amount of his personality. For starters, we can tell he’s extremely patient and dedicated. He never seems annoyed or upset that Johnny’s struggling so much to the point they have to go long. He is just calm and steady, doing the choreo over and over again the exact same way so Johnny can get used to the same movements. He also has clearly been dancing since he was a kid to reach the rank of Principal Dancer when he’s as young as he is (I always though he and Johnny were close in age, 18-19 years old). So, what do we now know about Ryan? That he’s trustworthy, patient, and very dedicated.

Now on to why this personality we see hints to Ryan actually being a threat to Klaus’s reputation. Ryan doesn’t act like Klaus. And why does that mean Ryan doesn’t agree with Klaus’s views? Well, a lot of times when people of similar ideologies and behaviors are together, they amplify those traits in each other (think about things like political rallies or groups of friends). Or think of how couples who have been together a long time develop the same habits or how kids mimic their caretakers (and since Ryan is Klaus’s Principal Dancer and probably been training with him for years that probably the closest fit). However, Ryan’s mannerisms and personality seem to be the exact opposites of his teacher’s. He’s even willing to sneak into Crystal Theatre to help them put on the show apparently behind Klaus’s back, seeming to lead the other students there. He doesn’t align himself with his teacher’s ideology towards Johnny at all. In fact, we see him being extremely supportive of the other boy during the show and practices. At this point, it’s pretty clear to me that Ryan has definitely grown disillusioned with whatever Klaus probably told him as a young student and in fact seems to rebel against his teacher’s wishes constantly. He wouldn’t have held back if he had been alone with Buster and Gunter that day. He would have warned them.

You might be asking “So if this is the case, why hasn’t Klaus fired him then?” Well, simple, sponsors. Remember how I said earlier that Principal Dancers are commonly used for networking between different troupes? Well, as we can observe, Ryan seems to be a very friendly and outgoing guy. He seems like the kind of person who can make friends quickly and easily. And while that is great for making those networking connections, it also means those connections are more than likely fonder of Ryan, a cheerful and friendly young adult, then Klaus, who is shown to be a perfectionist and egotistical. If Klaus was to fire Ryan (especially since I don’t think Ryan would sign an NDA), Ryan would more than likely go to those sponsors and ask for help. He likely could financially cripple the troupe if he wanted to. Klaus is kinda stuck with him at this point.

And that being stuck with him, especially since Ryan is almost definitely under contract, spells worse news for Ryan. If he leaves and breaks contract, he can be sued, and that lawsuit would probably destroy his future in the dance industry. And if he stays, Klaus more than likely is going to target him even more to try to eliminate the chances of Ryan saying anything (gaslighting, scarily common these days). Ryan is trapped between abuse and essentially financial desolation for the foreseeable future.

That wraps up by deep dive into the theory that sprung to life after watching the interactions and behaviors of the dance troupe and Klaus in Sing 2. And in the case of a TL:DR scenario, I believe that Klaus has committed much worse crimes than what we’re shown on screen and I believe that Ryan is his primary victim.

#sing 2 #sing ryan #sing the dance troupe #i am not tagging klaus #why? because of literally everything i wrote about #again no hate to people who like his character #just please acknowledge how he treats his students onscreen is not healthy or normal #just because it's like that on dance moms doesn't mean its good #and by the way this isn''t even the worst of what could be happening #I avoided writing about that here due to personal triggers #but if you are curious and have a strong stomach google abuse and dance and scroll past the videos to the articles #it's fucking horrifying #all events above are based on real world occurences #my thoughts and sympathies to those victims who went through things like this #I wish the worst on your abuser #for all dancers who potentially are reading this after seeing their own classes reflected in klaus's #there are resources to help you #please please please reach out to someone #that is not normal or ok #i will go a bit more in detail about this in my fic of course #but for now this is everything

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