Well, I'm back at last! Sorry for leaving you all waiting for so long, folks. I had to prioritize for a few weeks, school taking central stage. I'm back now though, and ready to continue writing. The next chapter of True Heroes is also nearing completion, so expect that to appear soon as well. Since an amazing new Overwatch event just went live however, 'soon' is probably relative... Nevertheless I'll try to get to work and push out some new chapters ASAP.
Before we move on to the reviews though, there's something else. I see the flamer's back as well. This is no surprise to me, flamers are always so predictable.
Listen, flamer. I think it's beyond adorable that you keep coming back for more, that tells me that there'll always be at least one person reading my stuff no matter what I post, so thank you for that. It's also so amusing to see you struggle like this, you're trying so hard but have no hope of defeating me whatsoever which is cute. We writers honestly laugh at the stupidity of your kind of people, so please keep going and give us all some good laughs. Plus, your insults only keep me more motivated to keep on writing. It's also funny how you keep trying to lower me while I'll always be better than you because I have the guts to get a real account and post my stories out there for the whole world to see and judge. You don't even have the stones to come at me with a real account, thus by trying to lower me you're only lowering yourself. In the words of Zenyatta: "You are your own worst enemy."
Only thing you've done so far is prove to the world that you're pathetic and have absolutely nothing better to do than insulting good people. Do everyone on this website a favor and get a hobby. In case you're gonna ask me the same – you're reading my hobby. My hobby is spending hours of my time trying to entertain others without requiring anything in return, what's yours? Spending hours of your time trying to offend good people with senseless and baseless arguing that can be denied with one press of a button? That's so sad that it's amusing. I actually feel sorry for you.
And as for 'truth hurts', what you're saying doesn't affect me at all because it's not true. A false truth doesn't hurt. Truth probably hurts for you though. Face it, flamer. Nobody on this website likes you. Heck, not even your own family gives a crap about you! If your parents would've cared about you they would've raised you properly! The truth is that you're a sad and pathetic little man with no life – now that's gotta hurt.
Because you're too weak I'll be the better man and simply straight up deny you from now on. As for you, since you clearly don't have anything better to do feel free to keep flaming and amuse me and my audience (which counts some of the greatest writers in this archive) and humiliate yourself even further.
But more to the point. Do you, tiny, puny, expendable little mortal, actually think you can convince me to leave?
Now that that swine has been sent back to the basement, let's get to the reviews, shall we? Thank you, reviewers, for your tact by the way, because damn, flamers have one poor set of parents.
Krulla Chief: "Well, couple things to say, mostly that I still enjoyed this chapter, and that this story is def worth watching. On the review reply thing, just a warning that if you get enough reviews to a chapter, you might not want to do the replies at the top, because it might annoy some readers. Also, on to flames. Flames are fucking hilarious. They try and sound mean, but since this is the internet, you shouldn't take much of anything seriously on it, like oh my god some of the things they say are hilarious, atleast from what I've read in other stories. On to the story itself, this was really fun, though only a little bit of an idea of where it's going, though I won't share it because it's more fun this way. First run through I didn't catch too many grammar or spelling errors, but next run through I might and I'll PM you them. Either way, keep up the good work."
I hear you there. A good friend of mine, RevenantReaper337, has stories getting so much love that he has switched to answering reviews at the end of the chapter. Perhaps I should do that too. If you find flames enjoyable to read, should I keep you up-to-date? Seeing that this guy going apesh*t on my stuff has no life at all he's bound to come back especially after that roast, and I'd love to keep you posted. Also, want some French fries? Because damn has this guy thrown some salt my way. Let me know if you find an error by the way, thanks! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.
bajy: "This chapter was nice and sweet
its doing well so far
what will happen next?
looking forward to reading more soon!"
Thank you! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.
Falcy: "Another well written chapter, TWG. Keep it up!
P.S. Whatever appeared to Kaden, I have a feeling things won't look well for Michael...
P.S.S. Even though the Switch has some problems, the games shown for it were pretty exciting, like Splatoon 2!(Although it's releasing in June...yet there's the global testfire to consider)
P.S.S.S. Y'know, I'm kinda curious; what made you inspired to write amazing stories such as the Epilogue series?"
Thank you! And I certainly will!
P.S. You'll have to wait and see.
P.S.S. Indeed, it has some pretty amazing games. Creators are certainly coming up with cool concepts for such an unusually-designed console.
P.S.S.S. I... I don't even know. I just came up with it, and came up with a lot of stuff on the go as well. Photon wasn't even planned for the storyline at first, but he turned out as a massive success! Thank you once again, and I hope this chapter will live up to your expectations.
TheLilyoftheValley: "Nice world-building chapter! Especially since we got some more information of Kaden's parents and Angela's grandma. As for what happened with Kaden... One of your OCs! A grey Lombax assassin! A specific Zoni creature that will remain unnamed just in case I am right in my guesses! (Now that would be awkward)
Also I'll probably check out that other story on Archieve of Our Own when I get the time. It sounds interesting and I'll see if I can give it some reviews.
Great chapter! I can't wait for the next one! :)"
Thank you! And you'll certainly be surprised when I reveal what happened there. I've noted your suggestions and will use them with lots of thanks. And I think you're enjoying the story on AOO! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.
Max Chronicle: "It's the Zoni!
Of this I'm SOOOOOOO sure!
But hey, they only mean well so I'm not going to freak out about it.
Sorry, I don't have any ideas for Kaden... but maybe one will come.
(Laughs) "The boys" as Michael so puts it. Hilarious and there should be more of them.
(Cheers) And let's not forget Amelia, we should have more of her too. In other words, more family, the better.
Max out."
Hmm... we'll see if you're right, in time (Pun definitely intended). Right now I plan for them to be a small coding team but it's a concept I can expand on further. I'm glad you like the fact that I added some family members for canon characters, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!
"You got everything?" Michael asked his wife as he grabbed the last bag.
"Yep, we're all set." Alexis said, who was standing by their ship. "Let's check one more time... spare diapers, food, medical supplies just in case... we're good. Let's go." she said, going inside to get Kaden before climbing into their ship, named 'Perihelion'.
Michael placed the last bag in the cargo area and closed it off. He then went back inside and checked that all electronic devices were turned off before leaving the house and locking the door, and climbing into the pilot's seat.
After closing the cockpit he entered the coordinates, and immediately Perihelion's engines flared to life.
Michael skillfully flew the ship off the ground and out of the dusty blue atmosphere of Fastoon.
It truly was a wonderful planet, Michael thought to himself as the blue began to fade into gold as they left the atmosphere, before making way for the deep blue hue of Polaris Galaxy.
"How's Kaden doing?" Michael asked as he began to enter the warp drive data.
"He's not troubled at all. Instead he seems fascinated by space." Alexis replied, watching as her son's emerald eyes darted across the stars, not knowing which one he liked the most.
She wondered if her son was even aware of what he was seeing – if he could already comprehend that he was looking at a distant object, not a disembodied light source.
As Michael finished entering the coordinates, Perihelion began to rumble as the warp drive began to build up energy, preparing to break the boundaries of physics.
Alexis watched as a frown formed on Kaden's tiny face before he began to cry. She laughed. "Oh, dear. Seems Kaden's no fan of warp drives."
"Can't blame him, how the ship growls and shudders like this – I found it scary at first too, it was like the ship was preparing to destroy itself."
They engaged the warp drive, the ship suddenly entering a green vortex. Alexis could see the bright green glow reflected in her son's eyes, who had calmed and was staring out the window with those big eyes of his.
They exited warp a minute later, and Perihelion was suddenly hovering over a bright blue planet. Entering the atmosphere of planet Mukow, Michael steered the ship to a specific island. Soon enough their destination came into view.
Built on a remote island was one of Polaris' largest zoos. Landing in the park's hangar, they disembarked their ship. Michael took his shoulder bag out of the cargo space before he locked their ship.
They walked through a short tunnel into the daylight. When they arrived at the entrance to the zoo, Alexis sat down on a bench while Michael went to purchase two tickets – it was free for infants.
Ten minutes later they walked into the park. For hours they walked around, making memories with Kaden while Michael made sure to put his camera to good use. One highlight of the day was when Kaden seemed to be holding a staring contest with a Grelbinian dolphin.
They had lunch at the park before going home. When they arrived back home however, Michael lay down on the couch and closed his eyes.
"You okay?"
"Hm." he groaned. "Headache."
"Oh, hang on." Alexis said, running upstairs and laying Kaden down on his bed, before rushing into the bathroom to get some painkillers.
"Here." She said, handing two tablets to Michael before walking into the kitchen.
"What kind of painkiller is this?"
"Paracetamol. That should do the trick." she said, walking over to him with a glass of water. "Here." she said, handing him the glass.
"Thank you." Michael said with a smile. "You're incredible."
"I know." she said with a smile, running a hand through his headfur. "Everything else feeling alright? I mean, you're not nauseous?"
"Nope. Just tired is all."
"You hungry?"
"Not really."
"Hm." she said. "Maybe you should just head to bed then."
"Alright then." he said, getting up and giving his wife a pat on the back. "Thanks, sweetheart."
"Anytime." she said before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, dear. I'll look after our son."
"Alright, at what time is Amelia coming over?" Alexis asked. She had been surprised at first when Michael had invited someone over without talking to her about it first, but when he told her who it was she was okay with it immediately. She hadn't seen Michael's old classmate in a while either, and she understood why he made the decision to invite her. Thus she was completely fine with it.
"Eleven." Michael said, who was vacuum cleaning the floor and furniture.
"So she should be here any second now?"
"Yep." Michael said, who turned off the vacuum cleaner. The doorbell rang three minutes later.
Michael opened the door, and immediately a pair of orange-furred arms wrapped around his neck. "Michael! It's so good to see you!" Amelia excitedly cried out.
"Great to see you too, Ames." he replied. "Please, come on in."
"Hello Amelia! Still as excited as always, huh?" Alexis said, who came walking over with a smile.
"You know it." Amelia said, giving Alexis a hug as well. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, girl!"
"Thanks!" Alexis replied. "You know, I wonder when you'll have a kid of your own."
Amelia shrugged. "Gotta find the one first. If I ever do."
"You will. Believe me, you will." Michael said, giving her a pat on the back. "Well, anything I can offer you? Coffee, tea?"
"Tea would be just fine, thank you." she replied, sitting down on the couch. While Michael made some tea, Alexis went upstairs to get Kaden.
"Here you go." Michael said, pouring his old friend a cup of tea.
"Thank you." she replied. "Sooo... did you two decide on having a kid after a long conversation, or...?"
"We did talk about it. Both of us wanted a child of our own, but we wanted to make sure we would both be ready. Remember Dustsqueaker?"
"That little pet of yours that you had at the academy? Of course I do, she was so cute! Where is she by the way?"
"In the backyard." Michael said with an emotionless expression.
"Oh..." Amelia said, ears lowering. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Hey." he said. "It's okay. She passed away three months ago, but by that time she was already pretty much ancient, for her species at least. Usually animals of her kind don't grow older than eight, but she grew to be seventeen years old. Point is, Dustsqueaker was my way of getting used to having to care for something. A pet is in no way comparable to a child, but still."
"I get what you mean." Amelia said. At that moment they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Oh, will you look at that!"
Alexis came walking over with a white bundle in her arms, with two golden ears sticking out. She sat down on the couch next to Amelia. "Please put your tea away for a moment."
"Oh, of course." Amelia said, putting it down on the coffee table.
The peeked into the bundle. "Yep, I definitely recognize those eyes. He's got your eyes and Michael's fur."
"Well spotted." Alexis said with a proud smile.
"Can... can I hold him for a moment?" Amelia shyly asked.
"Sure, just be careful with him." Alexis said, handing her Kaden.
Amelia stared at Kaden, and Kaden stared back. "Wow." she muttered. "So this is what it's like to hold an infant. I'm too afraid to make any kind of move out of fear that I'd hurt the child."
Alexis carefully took her son back. "Better?"
"Yeah" Amelia said with a sigh of relief. "It's so wonderful yet frightening to hold something so... fragile."
"Amelia, do you want to have kids of your own one day?" Michael asked out of the blue.
"Huh? Yeah, I'd love to have a daughter. Just have to find the right guy."
Michael nodded. "Hey, I'm sorry about all the bad luck you've been having. Although a conductor's outfit looks good on you, it's not what makes you happy."
He smiled before handing her a piece of paper. "Here. Head to the bank with this to turn it into bolts."
Amelia eyed the sum on the paper. "O-Oh my god..."
"That should be enough to get you through your education process."
"I... I... I can't possibly accept this."
"Michael and I both agree you should." Alexis said. "Fastoon could use an architect like you. You've got a good set of brains, Amelia. Time to give them a challenge, don't you think?"
"How come you two can even afford this?" Amelia asked, flabbergasted. "Alexis, you're off-work to spend time with Kaden, and Michael, the game you've been working on isn't even out yet!"
"Well, one night I wrote a soundtrack for the game that, when I uploaded it, went absolutely viral. I added a download with a price tag and boom, easy income. It didn't last long but it was quite a lot of financial and emotional support. We'd love to share some with a friend in need."
"I... I... thank you, thank you both so much!"
When Amelia left that afternoon however, she said something strange. She stared at Kaden for a moment before she left, saying "You'll do great things, Kaden. Very great things. I just know it."
"What was that about?" Michael wondered out loud after Amelia had left.
"I have no idea." Alexis replied.
The months after Amelia had visited went by in a blur. Michael made lots of progress with his part of the game, creating several high-quality skyboxes. From a nighttime skybox with billions of stars visible in a galaxy-like formation (which he had created using imagery of professional telescopes that he found online) to a cloudy, daytime sky.
One day, he was busy rendering a planet when Alexis came in, Kaden in her arms. "Hey." she said.
"Hey." he replied, taking off his headset.
"Just here to see how you're doing." she said.
"Everything's going a-okay here. Check it out - the final planet in the game. I still have to come up with a good name though."
Kaden stared at the planet on-screen.
"Ila-sie!"
Both parents' jaws dropped. "Did you say something, little one?" Michael asked, taking a good look at his son. "Ila-sie!" Kaden repeated.
"...Bloody brilliant." Michael whispered. "Illusion."
"But what does he mean by it?"
"I think he just likes the sound of it, or that's what he thought of when he saw this planet. Either way, brilliant name, kiddo!" he said with a laugh, stroking his son's left ear.
"And what's my name?" Alexis asked her son. If she had had a tail, it would be swaying excitedly.
"Ma-mi." Kaden said with that high-pitched baby voice of his.
Alexis just stared at him, before she began to laugh and hugged her son. Michael was quick to turn it into a group hug.
"Oh, I love you two." she mumbled.
It wasn't long until Kaden began to crawl, and would jump to solid-ish food. They were quick to discover that Kaden was not a fan of spinach, however.
"Come on, little buddy." Michael said to his son as Alexis held a spoon full of spinach in front of Kaden's mouth.
"Iz bad!"
"I know it may not be the best taste in the world, but it's good for you."
"Bah!"
Michael sighed and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "I wonder if I ever was as stubborn as this."
"We probably all were at some point." Alexis said before she had an idea. "Hey Kaden. You like spaceships, right?"
"Are gud!" Kaden said excitedly.
"Well, I got a spaceship right here that needs to land." Alexis said, nodding to the spoon in her hand.
"Hm..." Kaden moaned.
"It needs to land, Kaden. You know they can't fly forever."
"Hm-m."
Alexis began to move the spoon. "Oh, no, it's gonna crash!"
Kaden suddenly leaned forward, the spoon disappearing into his mouth. "Well done, Kaden!" Michael said.
"See? That wasn't so ba-" Alexis began before something happened.
"Bwleh!"
Kaden spat the spinach back out, unintentionally painting his mother green.
"Eugh!" Alexis said with disgust, ears lowering. She glared daggers at Michael. "Don't you dare to laugh."
"Hey, hey, relax! What happened to you gotta be disgusting as heck! I'm not gonna laugh."
"Thanks." she said. "I'm gonna take a shower and hope I don't smell like spinach afterwards. Will you please feed our little troublemaker here?"
"Aye aye, ma'am." Michael said as Alexis left, taking the spoon and scooping up some carrots. "These ones suit your taste better, eh?" he said to his son. "But in all seriousness, you can't go spraying spinach over your mother. You gotta eat it one day."
"I don wanna!"
"Kaden." Michael said with a sigh. "Listen. You're a Lombax, and do you know what they say about Lombaxes?"
"Ano."
"They never run." Michael said with a smile. "Lombaxes are very brave and strong, and so are you, kiddo."
Then Michael had an idea. He placed his hands over his face.
"Dada? Where go?"
"Boo!" Michael said, moving his hands away. Kaden tilted his head in confusion. "See? Most kids would jump but you don't."
Kaden seemed puzzled. Michael shrugged, it was enough. He picked up Kaden and put him down on the ground. "Go play, kiddo. I'll clean up here."
Michael sighed when Kaden crawled off. Lombaxes grow up too fast.
Alright, now that the rough school-weather is over I shall be increasing the chapter frequency as much as I can. The next chapter is already in development and True Heroes' next addition to the storyline shouldn't take long to finish either.
I hope to see you all in the next chapter. Until then, please leave a review, they help keeping me motivated and I really enjoy reading them. I even enjoy reading flames, jelousy is easy to take as flattery. Speaking of which, I'm signing off now as I still have to clean up the salt that last flamer left. Speaking of which, anyone want some fries?
-TWG