cradleproject | WEEK 14 - I have been — and always shall be

the pygmalion. . .

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CAPTAIN'S LOG:
WEEK (14)

monday

(41) survivors

You stand with your friends, your family, and your enemies, shoulder to shoulder. The deceased and the living are the same, now, and you've been reunited with the person trapped on the opposite ship.

You have four choices.

Four options laid before you - five, if you're smart about it. You have the option of staying on the Nuwa, a ship pre-programmed to land somewhere safe, soon, and then it's your's for the taking. You have the option of entering the Nuwa's virtual reality and crafting your own perfect world, but knowing it was a perfect world created by your own hand. Your third option is one of the Cradles, a machine created to bring you bliss, and permit you the dream you've always wanted, without the knowledge it's a virtual reality. Your fourth option lays in front of you, on the bridge of the Nuwa, and it's a tear in the fabric of reality, but you can see your home waiting for you. It looks idyllic, perfect, just the way you'd want it to be. Your fifth option lies in another tear - the tear of a friend. Perhaps their heart is kind enough to take in a stray.

The choice is your's to make, and whatever you choose, know that, for the first time in fourteen weeks, it's your choice.

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[ It's not really a surprise to him that Yuno has taken this kind of liking to him, because it had been obvious. Hell, he'd even selfishly encouraged it, because even if they were warped sometimes beyond recognition, Jack had strong paternal instincts. He'd always seen himself as a dad, so for any young girl, he couldn't help but to express that. It's not something he could ever fully pull away from, he thinks.

Though it's really only now that he thinks about it at all, because when Yuno speaks of wishing that he had been her father, it strikes him for the first time that this might be wrong, somehow. It hadn't occurred to him when he'd found out about Angel's death, because he hadn't taken any of the blame then. But now? Now, he could look at the kind of father he was to her through a different lens.

In truth, it's more for himself than for Yuno, but though his grip had relaxed for a moment, he suddenly holds her again. His hug is tight this time, almost desperate, though it's partially to keep her from pulling back and seeing the expression on his face. There's clear conflict on his features that's almost pained, because this isn't easy. On one hand, his heart aches for her in a genuine way. It's why his hug even tightens slightly when she says they're the same, because he does understand. It's the worst thing for family to betray you, because in that, there's really no escape. But on the other—

He knows.

He knows that even though he thought he had been doing everything possible to not become his grandmother, he had. In the end, he hadn't been able to be the kind of father he'd so desperately wanted to be. It may not have been the same as her saw, but Angel was dead because of him. His love had trapped her in a different way. ]

Hey, Yuno, it's—

[ When he starts to speak, his grip at least lessens, because he's starting to think through this more. He can't simply stand here and let the guilt stab into his heart without responding, so, he figures that as he always does, he has to just try and push that away. He draws back further, though his hands stand on her shoulders. ]

Listen- Look, you don't have to do anything for her. You don't have to go back, right? You've got all kinds of possibilities here, so- [ He gives her shoulders a little squeeze ] Parents can try their best, but I guess sometimes? We're just assholes. So... You don't have to stay, kiddo. You've got a chance to go wherever you want. That's, uh, that's why I went to Hyperion. It's okay to just... go.

[ It's hard for him to admit on two levels there, but he manages as he tries to pull on his own empathy more than the guilt. It's been a long time since he's pulled on that part of himself, since it's something he's very intentionally tried to bury. After all, that fatherly part of him immediately wonders if he's doing something wrong here giving that kind of advice. He's telling someone's kid to run, and to run without ever looking back. Maybe it's the guilt that's allowing him to overcome that thought, though.

Because there's the other half here. There's that implication that Yuno wants to come with him, and it's a dangerous thing. He knows that. He's very, very well aware of it, but there's a temptation scratching in his mind.

What if? ]

And Pandora— Look, I'm not kidding when I say it's the worst place in the universe. It's a shithole of a planet that really doesn't have anything going for it other than the fact my girlfriend lives there. Otherwise? It's just bandits, psychos, cannibals, you name it, Pandora's got it in droves. It's not some kinda happy family thing, since-- Hell, I don't even have Helios anymore. So. I can't, kiddo. I can't just tell you you should come with me, like, for a lot of reasons? But Pandora being pretty much the worst is definitely one of them. You've got plenty of other way better places to go than that.

[ He draws his hands back with a sigh, and they're set on his hips. Part of him really would like to say that she should come with them, and she could be a part of some weird, fucked up family that Jack has scrounged from the ashes of his reign. But knowing what he does now, he can't be that selfish without having to look at a very ugly part of himself. And yet, he finally adds: ]

But. That said? Since, y'know, you've got crazy bullshit world jumping powers because you're friggin' god. You're always welcome to visit. Can at least tell ya that.

WEEK 14 - I have been — and always shall be — your friend.

this cr was a mistake i am dying