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sceptilemasterr · 5 years

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“Not Just Dreams,” an Endless Summer fanfic

Title: “Not Just Dreams”

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairing: Quinn x Taylor (gender not stated)

Other Pairings: Vague hints toward Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Romance? Idk really, is “Vaanu Ending Override” a genre?

Warnings: Brief swearing

Summary: Ever since the island and the sacrifice to Vaanu, Quinn has been dreaming about Taylor. Then one night, Michelle notices something...

Note: Hope all you Quinn stans enjoy! Just an interesting idea I’ve had kicking around for a while, and a nice change of pace from my usual stuff.

Most people hate being abruptly yanked from their dreams by the blaring of their alarm.

Quinn, though, had more reason than most to hate it.

It should have been impossible. It still didn’t make any sense. But somehow, whenever she fell asleep, she was able to talk to Taylor. At first, she’d assumed it was just that: a dream. But the longer they went on, the more and more she wanted to believe that it was real, they were really there, somehow, talking with her. But it wasn’t until she spent a night at Michelle’s place that she and the others understood what was really happening.

“Quinn! Quinn, are you okay!?” Michelle shouted.

The dream connection vanished as Quinn was roused from sleep. She blinked open her eyes to see Michelle standing over her, grasping Quinn’s shoulders and staring at her with concern and fear. “Wha… Michelle?” asked Quinn groggily. “Something wrong?”

Michelle’s eyes were wide with shock. “Quinn. Is that you in there?”

“What?” asked the redhead nervously. “Uh...of course it’s me. Who else would I be?”

Michelle glanced furtively back and forth, as if unsure what to say. Finally she took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. “Quinn...you were glowing. Glowing green.”

Silence followed this statement for several moments as the meaning of her words sunk in. “Green. Like…?”

“Vaanu green.”

Quinn’s mouth dropped open as she felt the puzzle pieces click into place. “They’re not dreams…” she muttered to herself. “They’re not dreams!” Ecstatic, she jumped out of bed and pulled Michelle into a tight hug. “Michelle, do you know what this means!?”

“That you’re...crushing me…?”

Embarrassed, Quinn let Michelle go. “Er, right, sorry.” She sat back down and turned to face the other girl. “I’ve told everyone before about my dreams, remember? After the island?”

Michelle nodded. “Your dreams about Taylor.”

“I was talking to Taylor again in my dreams just now. Before you woke me up. But if you’re telling me I’m glowing like Vaanu in my sleep….”

Now it was Michelle’s turn to be surprised. “...Then you’re saying...you’re actually talking with Taylor?”

“Vaanu’s still with me, somehow. Which finally explains the mystery of me being cured after returning from La Huerta.”

“I had been wondering about that…”

“So maybe, if Vaanu’s still somewhere inside me, that’s why I’m able to talk with Taylor! I have to tell them that tonight!”

Michelle nodded. “This is...I really hope you’re right. God, I miss Taylor. I miss them so much. We all do.” Getting a sudden idea, she pulled out her phone and started a group text. “I’m gonna let the others know. This is huge.”

Quinn smiled at her gratefully. “Go ahead. I’m gonna figure out a way to stay distracted until tonight, or this is going to be a long day for me….”

Quinn tossed and turned, back in her own bed that night, frustrated as she wondered why trying to go to sleep always seemed to make it more difficult. She’d tried just about everything she could think of: counting backwards from 1000, reciting poems in her head, meditating, counting her breaths…. She had even put on a recorded lecture from her absolute most boring professor, only to inexplicably stay awake for the whole thing for what was probably the first time in her life. She kept glancing at her phone’s lock screen to check the time. 2:57 AM … 3:35 AM … 4:12 AM …

“Quinn?” asked dream-Taylor suddenly, and she realized she’d finally, finally, fallen asleep. “Hey, there you are.”

“Taylor! Oh God, finally. You’re not a dream!”

There was a long pause. “...Yeah, Quinn, I’ve told you that before.”

“Well, only a dream would say they’re not a dream.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Quinn laughed. “I’m...still connected with Vaanu, aren’t I? That’s how I can hear you?”

“Probably. I’m not quite sure. I...it’s like I’m the one dreaming, but all the time. I don’t know where I am. Inside Vaanu? Part of Vaanu? It’s complicated.”

“That’s not important. What matters is that I can talk to you, for real, and you’re not just in my own head anymore. You’re somewhere.”

Quinn pictured Taylor smiling that familiar, infectious smile, even though she couldn’t actually see them through the dream-connection. “Well, yeah, that’s what I’ve been saying. I have to be somewhere, don’t I? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be anywhere.”

“...What?”

“I don’t know, either. Time doesn’t really...make sense the same way to me, anymore.” She felt she could almost hear Taylor shrugging. “I’m part of Vaanu, but also...not. I’m somewhere, though. I get flashes of a place sometimes.”

“What does it look like? We’ll find you.”

“Purple.”

Quinn paused, unsure if their ‘connection’ was somehow ‘faulty.’ “Did you say ‘purple?’” she asked.

“Yep. All purple and...crystal-y. I, uh… can’t get much more than that.”

“I’ll tell the others. We’ll find you. I promise.” Quinn felt her dream-avatar start crying. “You’re real. I’m really talking to you. I so badly wanted to believe it...but…”

“Shh,” came Taylor’s familiar, reassuring voice. “I’m real, Quinn. I’ve always been real.”

“I...I wish I could kiss you.”

Taylor’s smile was audible. “Me too, Quinn. Me too.”

“I love you, Taylor. I miss you. Come home.”

“If I knew how to, I would.”

“Then I’ll find you. However long it--”

*CRASH!*

Quinn was abruptly awakened from her dream-talk with Taylor. She looked around for the source of the disturbance, and saw her door hanging off its hinges, with Diego and Varyyn standing just outside. “Varyyn, I told you, you can’t just slam through a locked door!” whispered Diego.

“I am sorry, Diego. Was the door not intentionally sealed shut as a test of strength?”

“What!? No! Look, next time, just let me lead.” Then he noticed Quinn for the first time. “Oh! Our bad, I am so, so sorry. I didn’t realize you were still sleeping!”

Quinn sighed and brushed a stray lock out of her face. “It’s fine. It’s so nice to see you two again! What time is it, anyway?”

“Uh...almost noon.”

“Right...wow. Okay. Just let me get dressed and I’ll be right out!”

Diego’s face went beet red. Varryn’s face turned green, which was maybe the Vaanti version of blushing, she still wasn’t really sure. “Yeah. Of course. Sorry! Uh...what do you want me to do about the door?”

Quinn laughed. “No worries, I can get it repaired. Just keep it closed for now.” How in the world I’ll explain THAT to the school maintenance service, I have no idea, she thought to herself.

Some time later, she met Diego and Varyyn in the student lounge, along with Michelle, Raj, Craig, Zahra, and Sean. Everyone looked at her expectantly. “...Right. Michelle, what did you tell them?” she asked.

Michelle shrugged. “Just the basics. You still glow green like Vaanu sometimes, and you can talk to Taylor.”

Quinn looks at the others. “Well...yeah, that’s about it,” she said. “I thought I was just dreaming about Taylor all this time. But now, I think I’m really talking to them each night.”

Everyone started talking at once, until finally Zahra stood up on a chair and shouted, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Silence. “Go ahead, Quinn.”

Quinn smiled gratefully at Zahra. “Thanks. Listen, I still don’t really know what all this means, but I do know one thing. Taylor’s still out there, somewhere. Someplace…‘purple and crystal-y.’ At least that’s all they were able to tell me before I got woken up.” Diego scratches his neck sheepishly. “And if they’re still...alive somehow, then we need to find them, and bring them home. I know out of our group I’m not the smartest...or the strongest...or the bravest…but if I have to, I’ll do it alone.” An awkward silence followed this statement. “Uh...thank you.” Quinn bowed awkwardly and took a seat on the couch beside Michelle.

Everyone looked at each other. Then Diego started clapping. Then Varyyn joined in. Then Zahra, then Sean, then Michelle and Raj. And finally, with a sigh of “What the hell…”, Craig joined in. “I always wanted to do that!” exclaimed Diego excitedly. “Nice speech, Quinn!”

“And you won’t have to do it alone,” added Sean, standing up. “I’m with you.”

“We all are,” put in Michelle. “Right?” A chorus of affirmatives greeted this statement.

For the first time since Taylor’s sacrifice, joy filled Quinn’s heart again. “Taylor…” she said softly, looking up toward the ceiling, picturing their smiling face in her mind, “...I’m on my way.”

@mysteli @brightpinkpeppercorn @blightarts

#esapw #choices endless summer #endless summer fanfic #quinn x mc #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #sean gayle #craig hsiao #zahra namazi #diego soto #varyyn #diego x varyyn #raj bhandarkar #vaanu #vaanu ending override

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princediavolos · 3 years

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every clue in endless summer, explained

technically the title is kinda misleading because some clues simply have no explanation, they just are. still, there’s a lot of pieces to be put together over the three books, and there are clues found in the first book that aren’t explained till the last one. (if you’re confused about the clues, here’s the fandom wiki for book 1, book 2 & book 3.)

before i dive in, here’s some clarifications:

i’ve used mc’s default name, taylor, and neutral pronouns wherever i’ve referred to them. the endless is also referred to by neutral pronouns.

acts 1, 2 & 3 fall under book 1

acts 4, 5 & 6 fall under book 2

acts 7 & 8 fall under book 3

each act has one bonus scene, so if i’m referring to bonus scene 5, it implies to the scene shown after act 5.

ok so unnecessarily long exposition under the cut!

ACT 1

i. tranquilizer dart: found by taylor and diego upon landing on the airstrip. presumably used on the sabretooth, t'kal, to keep it docile. likely done by rourke or his henchmen, but it is also highly possible the endless tranquilized t'kal in order to keep it from killing everyone.

ii. strange creature: a colourful flying seahorse, found by quinn and taylor along the beach in a premium scene. as shown in bonus scene 1, rourke knows of the creature, as he examines it with interest through his binoculars.

iii. weird lights: lights resembling the auroras displayed at the control tower, found by taylor and jake. it is later explained in book 2 chapter 10 by grace, that the lights are caused by the doppler effect, due to the dilation and contraction of time around la huerta. the vaanti call it the lights of vaanu, said to bring them good luck.

iv. vintage wine: if taylor goes to the ballroom with zahra, quinn notes that every bottle in the room predates 1924. as revealed in book 3 chapter 7, the wedding in the ballroom was that of flora and arthur, and group arrived there due to the time anomalies of the island.

v. sharp tooth: found by grace by the pool, near the fence. according to her, the bars were all twisted. presumably belongs to t'kal the sabretooth.

vi. old note: a note found by taylor and diego in one of the upgraded honeymoon/rainforest suites. it was written by flora sullivan to eugene rosencraft, before her wedding to arthur barnaby. it also references neptune cove, where the second half of the island's heart is found in book 3.

vii. pirate coin/wolf symbol: can be obtained either by going to the waterfall with quinn, or by hiking the cliff with jake. the doubloon is probably a remnant of malatesta and yvonne's loot, while the wolf symbol could have been left behind by the endless. the symbol also matches the stamp on jake's dossier.

viii. shoe prints: a set of muddy shoeprints were found by the celestial's shelter. no solid explanation or implication towards who these belong to.

ix. gas mask: found by taylor underwater in the cavern. it looks very old, and as noted by diego, probably from the world war times. it would have probably belonged to kele, a world war ii soldier who paddled his way into la huerta while escaping from the germans.

x. padlock: the unbroken padlock to the burning hangar, which implies that the hangar was unlocked and jake's plane sabotaged. in one of the memories taylor receives from the endless, lila is shown to deliberately sabotage the plane in order to keep everyone on the island, implying she may have done it in this timeline, too.

ACT 2

i. cufflink: lila is discovered pocketing the cufflink in rourke's office, which she probably did to discover his whereabouts later on. in bonus scene 2, rourke is shown to remove all his clothing, including his cufflinks, before he steps into the containment pod. the cufflink can also be used in book 1 chapter 10, where rourke's dna on it reveals a footage video of him complaining about strange occurrences on the island.

ii. dossiers: files containing data on sean, grace, raj and estela are found in the paper shredder, intact. each of them is stamped with symbols of the constellations aquila, cygnus, centaurus and draco respectively. the symbols are left behind by the endless.

iii. whiskey notes: a note discarded by rourke in the vip lounge, referencing the satellite uplink at the la huerta observatory. this is also shown in bonus scene 2.

iv. frying pan: a frying pan embossed with the centaurus symbol on it, which raj says he feels very drawn to. this was also left behind by the endless. he also uses this pan to deflect a sedative dart aimed at taylor in book 1 chapter 16.

v. arrowhead: an amber arrowhead is found lodged inside the king crab's shell, as found by taylor and estela. as the vaanti have been shown to use amber weaponry (as well as in other ways, such as the catalyst idols), it is implied that one of them may have attacked the guardian with an arrow.

vi. dossiers: files containing data on jake, zahra and diego found in the room inside the observatory. they are stamped with the symbols of the constellations lupus, corvus and canis. symbols left behind by the endless.

vii. strange gun: a futuristic gun found by either estela or jake. in book 1 chapter 16, it is revealed to be a tachyon accelerator, used to move objects forward in time. in bonus scene 5, lila refers to the gun as a temporal perforator.

viii. star map: a holographic display of constellations, as seen by taylor and sean as they go up the pod. sean points out that the stars in the sky over la huerta don't have the usual constellations, and that the stars have not looked like this for a million years. this is confirmed in the book 1 epilogue, when aleister notes that atropo's eruption has caused la huerta to go back to the hadean eon.

ACT 3

i. dossiers: files containing data on quinn, michelle and craig found by taylor and diego by the marina. they are stamped with the symbols of the constellations delphinus, pavo and ursa. symbols left behind by the endless.

ii. rourke's ship: if taylor and lila venture into a familiar-looking boat, they will discover it is rourke's ship, the daedalus. he was seen on the ship in bonus scene 1, and he presumably destroyed it along with the other boats on the marina immediately afterwards.

iii. plastic explosive: the semtex explosive is found by taylor in the back of the boat. it's what was used to blow up the other ships in the marina, but this one malfunctioned.

iv. strange shell: a blue-purple coloured shell that repeats the speaker's words over and over. in one of the memories taylor receives from the endless, varyyn is seen tearfully listening to the shell echoing diego's voice, saying 'i'll always love you, varyyn' over and over again as it gradually fades away.

v. telepathic vision: varyyn telepathically communicates with taylor, showing them what would happen if the catalysts didn't go with the vaanti. it is later revealed to be a depiction of atropo erupting, setting the whole world on fire and destroying it.

vi. numbers: in the wine cellar, 1908 refers to a lever to the underground tunnel, disguised as a vintage wine bottle, as well as the cheat code to rourke's arcade game, most wanted 2. rourke also uses an override program on iris called the directive 1908, explained in book 3 chapter 9, which makes iris prioritise the goal she was created for -- to utilise imogen rourke's knowledge on cloning to provide an heir to rourke. another program, directive 8091, forces estela into the omega mech cockpit in book 3 chapter 10, as she is rourke's 'true' heir.

vii. dossiers: files on taylor and aleister are found inside the security centre, both stamped by the endless with symbols of constellations andromeda and serpens. aleister's dossier is newer, printed recently by iris upon discovering that he was aboard the plane to la huerta.

viii. healing plant: leaves of the plant, when wrapped around aleister's bleeding palm, heal it with unnatural speed without a trace. grace and aleister theorize this may be due to some cellular reconstructive properties the leaves may contain.

ix. necklace: worn by varyyn in book 1, the necklace is seen to have time travelling properties, as it brings back jake/estela/sean/quinn/diego back from the dead. it is unknown if the endless facilitated its use or it is associated with rourke.

x. pirate cutlass: the cutlass was forged by malatesta and was stolen from him by admiral higgenbotham, who was presumably killed alongside malatesta's crew in the flashback taylor experiences, by the vaanti. yvonne then stole the cutlass from higgenbotham's corpse, naming it chouchou. it is unclear as to how the cutlass ended up on a display case at the celestial.

ACT 4

i. hydra caduceus: a staff found in rourke's library, which when placed in the statue's hand in the atrium, turns it into a sundial. iris says that the caduceus is the only item in the library she cannot find the origin of.

ii. crimson glove: a futuristic, yet battered metal glove put on display in rourke's underground museum; taylor realises that the person's arm was probably cut off. the glove belongs to the endless, who tells taylor that they learnt very soon that 'the laws of time can be very unforgiving' with reference to their loss of limb.

iii. shotgun shell: michelle and taylor find the 12-gauge armor-piercing shell casing, as identified by jake, during the time loop. he notes that whoever shot this meant business. the shell probably came from one of the arachnids who were on the island searching for jake.

iv. snowy hills: taylor, with either jake or estela, finds snow on the hills and by the lake on a hot and sunny day, indicating time is in disarray throughout different parts of the island, much like the northern and southern parts of the island.

v. wedding ring: a wedding ring is found on the hand of a statue of a masked bride, in the valley of tombs by jake and taylor. the statue is of flora sullivan, and the ring was given to her by eugene rosencraft which she had turned down. it was after this she wrote him the note found in act 1.

vi. tattoo: uqzhaal has a back tattoo of the legend of the threshold. it is the place where yvonne finds the endless in bonus scene 5, and where yvonne, taylor and uqzhaal meet the endless after collecting all the catalyst idols and solving the puzzle.

vii. words on the wind: the voices at the singing cliffs tell taylor that something is coming across the sea, destroying everything in its path. this could either be an immediate reference to yvonne's arrival the next morning, or a vague prediction about the omega mech used by rourke in book 3.

viii. musket ball: yvonne concedes the gold musket ball at sharktooth isle in exchange for their services to find her 'treasure.'

ix. antique compass: yvonne's said treasure turns out to be an antique compass which she tries to conceal; malatesta made her walk the plank for stealing this compass, which she did in order to find the fountain of youth. the compass also leads her to the threshold in bonus scene 5.

x: oath blade: seraxa's gift to taylor for saving taari, saying that debts must be repaid in accordance with vaanti culture. she is shown to threaten the catalysts with this blade in book 2 chapter 4.

ACT 5

i. silver sap: the sap that drips from elyy'stel's tree aids the catalysts to walk in between dimensions. it is the consumption of this sap by eugene and flora that gradually turned them feral and eventually into the vaanti.

ii. deep fissure: if taylor keeps rewinding until they can't go any further, right up to the ancient sea, the catalysts witness the forming of a fissure in the ocean bed. this fissure was caused by vaanu crash-landing on the earth, and it eventually becomes mount atropo, and forms the bubble surrounding la huerta.

iii. the island's heart: one half of the island's heart, which was formed right in the crux of the volcano, found by the catalysts in the base of elyy'stel's tree.

iv. the mask maker: the masks worn by the vaanti bear the name of their maker, rosencraft & sons, 1921. this explains the masks worn by guests at flora and arthur's wedding, which also took place in the rosencraft manor. the rosencrafts were said to be bankrupt, and that the estate belonged to the banks.

v. burning shard: a burning crystal shard that glows green and reacts the same way that quinn did while possessed by the island's heart. it is one of many crystal shards scattered across the island, originating from the crux of the volcano.

vi. mansingh crater: a crater found near the chasm bears the name of mansingh transglobal tech, the company run by grace's mother, blaire hall. it is suspicious to both taylor and grace, as it implies blaire hall was somehow involved with rourke. no further explanation has been made about the crater.

vii. newspaper clipping: a scrap of an article is found by taylor in the elysian lodge, detailing the deaths of arjun and subhanu sethi due to a car accident, also killing their son and putting their daughter in a critical condition. this daughter is lila, and this article implies that rourke (or someone else) was doing a background research on lila.

viii. rourke's note: an old note written by rourke to look into the new junior researcher, as they look familiar. this is most likely a reference to olivia montoya, although it is not known where he recognises her from.

ACT 6

i. rourke's plan: out of agitation, lila blurts out rourke's plan to save the world through a machine at the masada facility. this machine turns out to be the omega mech, and rourke's plan happens to be controlling the world and its people's existence on his whims.

ii. tracking device: a tracking device is found by taylor, attached to the yeti's fur. this was placed there by the arachnid. this tracking device relays location details back to them, as seen in the military humvee by michelle, jake and taylor, where the code name for the yeti is arktos.

iii. garbled message: a distorted voice reveals the date and coordinates of jake's location, received by the arachnid through an anonymous transmission, which is how they came upon la huerta in the first place. this voice belongs to jake himself, who did so using a 'time-phone' in order to merge realities and help them escape through a helicopter from the masada facility.

iv. crashed satellite: varyyn, while talking about shooting stars, says a satellite once crashed to the ground from the skies. it is probably a stray satellite that got caught in the la huerta time bubble, or it belonged to rourke.

v. omega mech: olivia montoya demonstrates rourke's plans for the omega specimen, aka the endless, through a vr headset. she urges the viewer to understand the destruction the specimen, and rourke, are capable of.

vi. missing guests: rourke claimed that the guests at the celestial were evacuated in time at the beginning of the book, but it is shown that he had them put in containment pods. as seen in bonus scene 4, lundgren and the other arachnids were a part of these guests, but were released by rourke upon striking a deal with him to capture jake.

vii. charred skeletons: skeletons of people are found in the flames and ashes at hartfeld, proving that people did not escape the eruption.

viii. havana cigar: lundgren's cigar at the masada facility implies that he was snooping around where he shouldn't, and that he didn't trust rourke. this distrust is confirmed in bonus scene 6.

ACT 7

i. temple/ancient map: if taylor, yvonne and uqzhaal find the endless, they will give the whereabouts of no'ox naj temple to yvonne, where the fountain of youth exists. if they don't find the endless, taylor and yvonne find a carving of the la huerta map on the walls at the threshold, also hinting towards the temple. the whole group meets the endless for the first time in this temple in book 3 chapter 4.

ii. scout: a mechanical spider with a spy camera is found by taylor while they go windsurfing to win malatesta's bet. like the tracker on the yeti, this was also placed by the arachnid to track down their locations.

iii. padlock: a weathered padlock bearing the inscription, 'no land, no sea, no one will keep us apart. flora & eugene, 1920,' found by taylor in a coral reef. after turning down eugene's proposal (the ring clue, book 2), she tried to make it up to him with this padlock and by asking him to show up at neptune cove (the note clue, book 1). when he failed to show up, flora gave up on him and somehow ended up in a forced marriage to arthur barnaby a year later.

iv. pen: a tarnished silver pen bearing grace's name is found in the shrine at no'ox naj temple. it is implausible that she was at the temple, as she was under rourke's custody the whole time. it is also the same pen seen in grace's catalyst idol, returned to her by aleister and ultimately found near professor diaz's car which she had smashed up.

v. silver sap: one of the drinks served at the anachronists' party at quarr'tel is the silver sap from elyys'tel's tree. the creation of the vaanti myth, which is said to have started at a masquerade theme wedding, is that of flora and arthur's, where the former gets shot after confessing her love for eugene at the wedding. in an attempt to save her, eugene gives her some of this sap. this consumption eventually turns them into the feral vaanti.

vi. spirit's identity: the anachronist, clockmaker, refers to the faceless spirit as vaanu. in reality, vaanu is simply an alien being from another planet (the prism dimension) who crash landed on earth when its planet was destroyed. upon communing with vaanu, taylor discovers they are vaanu's creation, made for the purpose of returning la huerta to its normal state, allowing vaanu's departure.

vii. aleister's note: aleister writes a note to grace, apologising to her, and how he feels genuine remorse over his betrayal. he mentions that he hopes to redeem himself in her eyes.

ACT 8:

i. painting: at the rosencraft manor, there's a painting titled 'depiction of the divine' portraying rourke writing the ten commandments dressed in roman attire. the attire probably matches the statue of himself in the atrium, which opens up the sundial to his museum.

ii. communicator: the anachronists provide sean, raj and michelle with antique communicators which lets them coordinate the attack on cetus.

iii. path to the core: vaanu shows quinn the way to the core of the volcano, where the island's heart belongs. this core is the place where vaanu landed on earth.

iv. molten crystals: a crystal orb with claw markings in it, made by the oryctoraptor that dwells inside the volcano. referred to by varyyn as the deep guardian, it is the most reclusive of the four. it is also responsible for the orb found in the cavern in book 1 chapter 5, and possibly the orb that causes the time loop in book 2 chapter 2.

v. the endless' musings: zahra finds a diary belonging to the endless at the base of the volcano, in which they speak of how the sentience of the crystals probably drew the four guardians (cetus, king crab, yeti, oryctoraptor) to establish order on the island, but they were driven mad. the endless also believes it is possible the crystal created the creatures. this is possible, as it would explain the existence of the colourful seahorse, t'kal and furball (although they have not been affected like the guardians have.)

vi. closing words: the closing words spoken by seraxa during the handfasting ceremony, which is customary as 'it was for the first bride and her beloved.' they are the same words that were engraved in the padlock that flora made for eugene.

#if any of you have ANY doubts or you think i'm wrong anywhere please hmu!!#anw i know a lot of this is paywalled content but there are worse paywalls ://#at least we having fun here paying diamonds and watching our friends die 😁#endless summer #playchoices #*

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sceptilemasterr · 5 years

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Vaanu Ending: A “Post-Credits Scene”

(Note: I’m using two MCs here, Alyssa (F!MC, x Jake) and Ian (M!MC, x Estela). Credit to @blightarts for the inspiration.)

***SEVEN MONTHS LATER***

JAKE sits on a couch, alone in his apartment. An empty whiskey bottle sits on the table next to him. On the wall behind the couch, a large diagram hangs, with a list of leads toward finding ALYSSA and her brother IAN covering its surface. All of them are angrily crossed out in red marker. At the bottom, three words are written: “PRINCESS, COME HOME!”

The phone rings. It’s ESTELA. JAKE looks at it, then shuts it off, shaking his head despairingly. This happens twice more, along with a text from DIEGO, reading: “CH 7. YOU BETTER SEE THIS.” JAKE ignores this text as well.

ESTELA (from other side of apartment door): Jake, I know you’re in there. Don’t make me break this door down!

JAKE: Go ‘way, Estela. I’m not in the mood.

ESTELA: You know I’ll do it.

JAKE: What the hell...fine.

JAKE stands up unsteadily, obviously drunk, and crosses to the door and opens it. ESTELA enters, rushing to the couch and grabbing the remote with near-manic energy.

JAKE: Shit, Estela, lose the threats next time. I’m fine--

ESTELA: Jake. Watch. Now.

JAKE reluctantly follows ESTELA’s gaze to the news broadcast. The broadcast alternates between a newscaster on the scene of a devastated city, and shaky footage of a dark-skinned woman flying in the air, doing battle with some sort of demonic-looking man, sparks of a familiar crystalline appearance surrounding the scene. JAKE’s expression becomes one of dawning realization as the newscaster speaks.

NEWSCASTER: ...At present, this ‘Prism Gateway’ is under heavy security and investigation. Preliminary analysis from lead Prism researcher Dax Darcisse indicates that in addition to being the source of the unusual abilities granted to some citizens of Northbridge, it may also serve as a sort of “dimensional rift” enabling travel between our world...and something else--

JAKE shuts off the television. He and ESTELA share an expression neither of them have felt since La Huerta: hope.

JAKE: I’d know those crystal things anywhere.

ESTELA: We’re going to Northbridge. ...Unless you’d still prefer to drink yourself into a coma, that is.

JAKE stands up, all traces of his previous inebriation gone. He nods at ESTELA with a look of stoic resolve.

JAKE: I’m in.

***Ian and Alyssa will return.***

(Surprise crossover! My Hero MC is Sasha (F!MC, x Eva). Consider this a preview for my upcoming Choices rewrite/AU/idk-what-to-call-it!)

@mysteli @brightpinkpeppercorn

#esapw #choices endless summer #ciu project #choices hero #jake x mc #estela x mc #jake mckenzie #estela montoya #diego soto #eva x mc #crossover #choices fanfiction #endless summer fanfiction #vaanu ending override

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sceptilemasterr · 5 years

Text

“Reunion,” an Endless Summer fanfic

Title: “Reunion”

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairing: Sean x Taylor (gender not stated)

Other Pairings: Grace x Aleister, Craig x Zahra, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Romance, Vaanu Ending Override (this is a genre now because I said so!)

Warnings: Mild swearing

Summary: “If you love someone, let them go. For if they return, they were always yours.” During a group reunion party on La Huerta a year later, the old memories come rushing back. Sean and the others are invited to Elyys’tel for a Vaanti ceremony...

Note: A gift for the Sean Gayle fans out there! Yes, I know I’m 3 days late for the ESAPW Sean day, but I’m writing it anyway. It has some Grace x Aleister (”Graleister?”) moments too, so...it counts? Kinda? Either way, enjoy!

Sean re-read the letter twice before he rolled it up and stuck it into his back pocket. He’d spent the entire flight in composing the perfect letter to Taylor; whether they’d actually be able to somehow read it or not, Sean had wanted to do something meaningful. He was still debating whether he’d set the letter adrift at sea in a bottle, or burn it and let the embers escape into the sky. Maybe Quinn would have an idea. She understood that sort of thing a lot better than he did.

Stepping off the Rourke-Hall International plane onto the familiar dirt runway, Sean was suddenly hit by an intense flood of memories. Behind him, Grace and Aleister descended as well, hand-in-hand. “Sean, are you alright?” asked Grace.

Sean shook his head to clear it and looked back at her. “Thanks, Grace, but I’m okay. Just memories.”

“Such is to be expected,” said Aleister. “Nevertheless, memories can be good or bad, depending on one’s outlook.”

“Bit of both, I guess,” said Sean, shrugging. “Come on, let’s head up to The Celestial. Hopefully it won’t be abandoned this ti--”

The roaring of an engine overhead cut him off, and the three of them turned to see a small private jet, wobbling unsteadily through the air, coming straight toward them! “Whoa! Watch out!” shouted Sean, grabbing Grace and Aleister by the arms and yanking them off of the runway. They watched as the plane did a barrel roll, overshot the runway, then swooped down low, skimming the tops of the jungle trees before flying back into the air. It did a full loop around The Celestial before coming in on a vector right toward the runway. It narrowly missed clipping the RHI plane before bouncing twice on its landing gear, finally coming to a stop a few feet away from the control tower. Somehow, impossibly, without a single scratch.

Sean, Grace, and Aleister looked at each other for a moment, and then Aleister said, “Ah. It appears Jacob has arrived.”

At that, the three of them couldn’t help but break down into laughter.

“Bro, I think I’ll fly with you on the way back, thanks,” Craig was saying to Aleister some time later. The whole group had all trickled in on this plane or that plane, until now all eleven of them were seated around a large table in The Celestial for brunch. Furball sat curled up in Quinn’s lap, licking the frosting off of a cupcake she was feeding him. “I felt like I was gonna puke!”

Jake laughed. “What’s the matter, can’t handle a few basic maneuvers? I’ll have you know that was all on purpose.”

“Pfft. ‘Maneuvers,’ my ass,” muttered Zahra. “And Craig, you did puke. On the window. It was disgusting.”

“How was I supposed to know the windows didn’t open?”

“It’s a PLANE.”

“...So?”

Aleister put his face in his hands as Grace rubbed his back soothingly. “The ignorance. It burns...” he muttered.

Sean was only half focusing on the conversation. His eyes were constantly drawn toward the twelfth chair, the empty one they had all placed between himself and Diego. Diego noticed him looking at it and flashed a reassuring smile. “I know. ‘Eleven Catalysts’ doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?” he asked.

Sean nodded. “Yeah. They made the right call. I just wish... I just wish we’d had more time. To say goodbye.”

Diego leaned across the empty seat to pat Sean’s shoulder. “We all do, but probably you more than anyone. I guess...well, Varyyn told me about a tradition the Vaanti have. They climb to the highest branch of Elyys’tel, and toss leaves containing messages for their departed loved ones into the wind. They say if you listen closely, you can hear a reply on the breeze blowing through the boughs.”

Sean took in Diego’s words. “That’s....” He swallowed hard. “That’s beautiful. D’you think he’d let us do that?”

“Sean, of course he would! Why do you think I suggested we go to Elyys’tel tonight, anyway?”

Sean broke into a grin and pulled Diego into a tight hug. “You’re the best, Diego. Damn, I’ve missed you.” He stopped, and looked around at the others at the table, smiling at each and every one of them. “I’ve missed all of you.”

“What, even me, bro?” asked Craig.

Zahra punched Craig playfully. “He sees us every day, dumbass. You know what he meant.”

“Oh yeah. I knew that!”

“Mmmmrl!” squeaked Furball, leaping up onto the table and knocking over the stack of waffles on Estela’s plate. She glared at the blue fox for a few seconds before breaking down and smiling, unable to stay mad at the adorable creature for long.

Quinn giggled. “Furball says he missed everyone too! And I agree with him!” She smiled sweetly and added, “Let’s not wait another year to have a group reunion, huh?”

Michelle nodded. “Amen to that, girl!”

A sudden slam from the direction of the front doors made everyone look up. “What was that?!” demanded Estela, leaping to her feet and dropping into a combat stance, butter knife in one hand.

Diego sighed. “Not again. It’s just the Vaanti, Estela, calm down. How many times do I have to tell them...uh, be right back, guys.” He jumped out of his seat and sprinted into the lobby. Estela dropped the knife and sat back in her chair, relaxing a fraction.

The rest of the group stared after him in confusion. “Well, that’s a thing that happened,” said Raj. “Anybody want any more waffles?” Silence. “Just me then? Oooooookay, be right back.” He stood up and wandered over to the buffet line.

From the lobby, Diego’s voice drifted into the dining area. “I asked Varyyn to tell everyone, no need for battering rams! Just knock normally next time!”

“We apologize, Canis, Consort of the Elyyshar.” The doors opened and Diego entered, along with two Vaanti carrying a massive tree-trunk between them.

“Uh...what’s with the log?” asked Michelle.

Diego waved her question off, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. “Just...uh...a little confusion. Point is, finish your plates, because we’re heading to Elyys’tel!”

Raj was walking back to the table at that moment, a massive stack of waffles on his plate. Craig’s eyes widened at the sight and he jumped out of his chair, sprinting over to the buffet table. “Bet you 50 bucks I can eat more!” he shouted.

“Craig, no, c’mon--” Sean started to say.

“You’re on, dude!” Raj shouted back, taking a seat and drizzling his waffles with syrup.

Diego sighed and sat down. “On second thought, this brunch might take longer than I thought...” he said. “Uh... so, anyone seen any good movies, lately?

After about another hour of watching Craig and Raj wolf down waffles, and another couple of hours trekking through the jungle, the eleven Catalysts finally broke through the treeline and emerged at the base of Elyys’tel. Varyyn was standing at the entrance, flanked by Seraxa and three other Vaanti warriors. The elyyshar broke into a massive grin when he spotted the group. “My friends! Welcome! Diego had told me you were coming. This is a joyous occasion!” He waved the warriors and escorts away and raced forward, pulling Diego into a bear hug that lifted him straight off of the ground, spinning him around before setting him back down. He straightened and looked at the others, one by one. “I am delighted to see you all once again. Come!”

As the Catalysts followed Varyyn into the city proper, Sean noticed Seraxa following, looking him up and down appraisingly. “Aquila. It is a joy to see you again.”

Sean smiled. “You, too, Seraxa.” He looked around at their surroundings, admiring the extensions and additional levels and structures that had been added to the city since the last time he had been to the island. “I like what you’ve all done with the place.”

“We had a lot of help. The workers that Cygnus and Serpens provided to us have been most useful, especially since we lost so many warriors in battle with the Hydra.” It took Sean a few moments to realize she was referring to Grace and Aleister.

“Kee-la! Hi!” shouted a small voice. Sean bent down and scooped Taari up into his arms, laughing.

“Whoa! You’ve gotten bigger!” he observed as the Vaanti boy giggled.

“Yep! I’m gonna be a warrior soon! Rar!”

Sean set the boy down. “Wow, you sure are scary!” Then he glanced over at Seraxa. “Warrior? But there’s no one left here to fight...”

“Shh. Don’t tell him that,” replied the war chief.

Taari suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking around at the rest of the group. “Kee-la, where’s Dromma? Are they back from their trip yet? I wanna say hi!”

The entire group stopped in its tracks. Seraxa’s eyes widened suddenly. “Oh! Uh...Andromeda has gone a very far way away. They are still on their long journey, but the other Catalysts have come back in the meantime!”

“That’s not true! I saw Dromma yesterday!”

Seraxa laughed halfheartedly and patted Taari’s head. “I’m sure you did. Run along and play now, I want you at your best for the Wind Talking ceremony tonight!”

Taari pouted. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“Aww.... Oh well. Bye, Cat-a-lissus!” He waved at the others and scampered off across a bridge.

An awkward silence followed this exchange. Sean, finally, was the first one to break it. “...What did you tell him about Taylor?” he asked.

Seraxa shook her head, a faint dark green tinge visible on her cheeks. “I told him that Andromeda is on a long journey with Vaanu. I did not wish to burden him with sorrow at such a young age. I...neglected to mention this earlier. I apologize.”

“No need to worry, Seraxa. I get it. It was a little awkward, but I get it.” Sean pushed his thoughts of Taylor out of his mind and put on a smile. “So! Who’s up for some wind-disc later?”

“Diego and I accept your challenge!” Varyyn called out from the front of the group.

“Whoa, I never agreed--” stammered Diego.

“Fine, then I’m with my bro!” declared Craig. “Let’s do this!”

That night, the Catalysts prepared for the Wind Talking ceremony. Varyyn and Seraxa had provided each of them with formal Vaanti attire for the occasion, which Sean appreciated after spending all day in a t-shirt sticky with humidity. The eleven of them stood in a single file line along a massive branch at the top of Elyys’tel, a set of flimsy-looking wooden railings being all that separated them from a very long fall. “I... I don’t know about this,” stammered Grace nervously. “Have I mentioned I don’t like heights?”

“Fear not, Grace. When these weak structural barriers inevitably fail, I will keep you safe from falling,” Aleister reassured her. “It’s simple physics, given the discrepancies between our respective body mass and my impeccable sense of balance.”

“You’re right. Even if I were to fall, if you held me tightly by the hand, the vector force would be sufficient enough to overcome the pull of gravity--”

Sean turns his attention to the leafy “altar” at the tip of the branch, where Varyyn stands resplendent in his full regalia. The Vaanti leader holds up two of the massive leaves they had all been given earlier, each one significantly bigger than an ordinary sheet of paper. “Tonight, we commence the Ceremony of the Wind Talking. For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, we will each step forward to this place where I now stand. Face the wind, and read your words to your departed ones in a soft, clear voice. Allow the wind to carry the words, and when you are finished, release the leaf and pause. Let the rustling of the branches carry the departed one’s reply back to you.”

Varyyn then turned around, stepping to the very edge of the branch. He held up his first leaf, and began to read aloud, though too softly for Sean and the others to hear. They waited quietly, though Taari started to shuffle impatiently. When Varyyn was finished, he held the leaf aloft and released it, letting the wind catch it and carry it upwards and upwards until it was lost to the night sky. He paused for several moments, eyes closed and face raised to the sky, listening.

When this was done, Varyyn repeated the process with his second leaf. “Two leaves?” Sean heard Quinn whisper, curiosity in her voice.

“One for Taylor, one for Ximaedra, I bet,” Michelle whispered back.

When Varyyn was finished, he turned and walked silently back toward the group. He nodded to Diego, who took his own leaf in hand and stepped forward to the tip of the branch.

The rest of the Catalysts went in turn, as did Seraxa with Taari at one point. Grace and Aleister did their wind-talking together, but the rest went individually. Sean hung back, knowing his letter would take the longest to read, and letting himself go last for the others’ sake. Finally, it was Sean’s turn. Slowly, confidently, he strode to the edge of the branch, looking out along the La Huerta horizon to the point where the sky met the sea.

Opening his letter, Sean read it aloud:

Dear Taylor,

I don’t know where you are, or even if you’re still “you,” but I hope you’re happy and at peace. I wish we could have had more time together, but I, maybe more than anyone else in our group, understand making the hard call. The sacrifice play. I may not have liked it, I still resent that you were forced into the choice at all, but I’ve accepted it. I would’ve done the same thing in your place.

I’m on my way back to La Huerta now; it’s been a year and a day since I became your husband, and exactly a year since the day we left, and we’ve decided to celebrate with a reunion...where else but the place it all began. And no, I don’t mean suddenly breaking out into song on Jake’s plane, even if that was the moment I first fell in love with you.

Know this, Taylor, the love of my life: I may have moved on, I may have accepted our circumstances and tried to push my life forward in spite of this hole in my heart, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten you. I will cherish the memories of our time spent together for the rest of my life. Whenever I look up at the stars, I will think of you, wondering if you’re out there somewhere, with Vaanu, looking back down at me. And I know it’s impossible, but if I had one wish, it would be to hold you in my arms. One last time.

Love, forever and always,

Sean Gayle

He was barely able to finish the letter as the tears began to flow down his face. He stared at the horizon for several long minutes, letter clutched in his fist. He heard a commotion and some muttering from the group behind him, and he knew they were getting impatient, but he needed this. He needed this moment. He took a deep, shuddering breath, held the letter aloft, and released it.

Sean closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky. The breeze whipped through the boughs of the great tree, and he concentrated, hoping to hear some fragment of Taylor’s voice. If he strained, he could almost hear words...and if he really tried hard, he could even hear that familiar voice....

“Sean, I...I’m glad you didn’t rage against my choice, or try to stop me. I knew you’d understand. It was the toughest choice I ever had to make, you know. But I hope... I hope you haven’t moved on too much. I’d like to grant you your wish, and so much more. Because this time, I’m here to stay.”

Sean blinked and shook his head. His own wishful thoughts had definitely taken over toward the end there. He knew logically that it wasn’t really Taylor, it was just his own thoughts and mind interpreting the sound of wind on leaves as words, but for just a moment, he had wanted so badly to believe... part of him still half-expected to see Taylor there, smiling at him, when he turned back around. Don’t be ridiculous. C’mon, Sean Gayle, he told himself before preparing to rejoin the others at the base of the tree.

He turned around.... And he stopped. His mouth fell open. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes, then pinched himself, then pinched harder, because they HAD to be an illusion. There was just. No. Way. But it was: behind them, the others were watching, enraptured, and it was clear they could see the figure standing before him as clearly as they saw Sean himself.

“TOLD’JA I SAW DROMMA! TOLD’JA THEY CAME BACK FROM THEIR TRIP!”

“God dammit, Raj, how much do I owe you?”

“Five hundred bucks, dude! I told you, Raj is always right! Called it, a year and a day to the minute!”

“It’s just... utterly illogical! How...?”

“Al, logical or not, I’m happy to accept it.”

“Guys, let them have their moment.”

But Sean heard none of this. The whole rest of the world could have vanished right then and there, and he wouldn’t have noticed. All of his attention was fixated on the person standing there before him.

“Hi, Sean. Did you miss me?”

@mysteli @brightpinkpeppercorn (yes I know it’s three days late sorry!)

#esapw #choices endless summer #endless summer fanfic #choices stories you play #sean x mc #sean gayle #grace hall #aleister rourke #grace x aleister #zahra x craig #zahra namazi #craig hsiao #varyyn #seraxa #taari #vaanu ending override

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