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imafangirlofeverything · 25 days ago

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On the heels of his first one, Courier's second oprec is another absolutely incredible addition to the Kjerag lore compendium. I would rank it as one of the top Kjerag oprecs, once again lending a great amount of characterization and development not only to Weiss but to Enciodes as well. Let's jump in!

The oprec, "Run Like The Wind," builds on the first one, "Shadow of Silverash," but goes in a completely different direction: not a flashback to ten years in the past, this is present day, and rather than exploring Weiss's role as Enciodes's most loyal lieutenant, it explores Weiss establishing his own independence and his own company, formally leaving Enciodes's service and employ.

Funny enough, I'd like to think this was actually foreshadowed in Harold's oprec, which takes place shortly after RS:

Indeed, Weiss is struggling with his own issues: what it will mean for him to leave Enciodes's side when he's been beside him and supported him for so many years--not merely in his business affairs, but in a personal sense, too, as this oprec also at last details more of their long-hinted-at bond.

I've said it before, but I truly appreciate how with each new piece of Kjerag lore, Enciodes's character gets further developed by his relationships to those around him, and his launch image is further shattered. Not only do we get to witness him panting and huffing at the tender age of 32 as a constant routine of paperwork has utterly ruined his stamina (and his dignity), but we also see multiple new facets of him expanded upon in this oprec alone!

For instance, despite the fact that Enciodes is struggling to climb a hill, he sticks through his decision to see with his own eyes "the importance of logistics," and doesn't complain, and plays along with Weiss's scheme, pretending not to be the important personage he is as he meets with Weiss's contacts; the way he listens so attentively to Weiss's feelings and thoughts about himself, his past, and his job and passion for logistics; to the way Enciodes so freely and honestly offers his own feelings and estimation of his own actions in the past; even the way he says he took after his mother Elizabeth (I presume not just her bravery, but also her Victorian background)—all of it fleshes him out beautifully. I absolutely adore how far Enciodes's character has come from his launch image, how completely and thoroughly it's been changed, nigh shattered. I went into this already in "The Faithful Gambler" so I won't repeat myself, but I love how we see not only that his stoic facade is being upheld less and less, but we see what's behind it, how behind his great and ruthless intellect is also a great heart that he continually stomps on to achieve his goals, and how he's kind of a dork and little bit pathetic in a charming way.

The bond between Enciodes and Weiss is also shown off beautifully. From the way Enciodes is quick to stop Weiss from shredding his proposal (and I love that it's Tenzin who saves the papers) and bids Weiss to show him whether he can actually pull his proposal off, to the way Weiss offers his hand when Enciodes is wheezing up the mountain (it's also quite adorable how freely and unabashedly Weiss ribs him and rubs it in, and how Enciodes doesn't really get offended by it; he can't even pretend he's not struggling), to the way Weiss wants Enciodes to feel for himself the importance of logistics (including lugging a heavy parcel all the way from Turicum), and to the way Weiss, despite being someone who, by Enciodes's words, "watches everything and keeps it to himself," so freely and earnestly shares his feelings about his own job as messenger and how it shaped his life.

We also see at last how Weiss became part of the Silverash family, and I really love how Enciodes admits his own childish and selfish motives of wanting to show Weiss off by assigning him tasks, and the way Weiss has no hard feelings about it whatsoever. They're truly more similar than first glance would indicate, as Degenbrecher observes in "Shadow of Silverash"; quite naturally, though, as they grew up together!

And of course, the heart of the story, the two of them reminiscing over their childhood escapade to the very village that they visit for the second time to convince the village headman to accept their proposal. It's more of Enciodes being the wild, trouble-making child that his father laments in Gnosis's oprec, yearning to see what the outside of Kjerag was like and sneaking onto a downhill transport cart and bringing a terrified Weiss with him. Enciodes, in typical Enciodes fashion, refused to listen and reasoned that they would get into trouble regardless, so they might as well go a little bit further. It's so very Enciodes, the recklessness, the curiosity, the gamble, all of it. I love this so much, it adds so much to both of them.

It's difficult to say whether this anecdote took place before or after Gnosis's oprec and the kidnapping incident, but I suggest it was likely before, due to the fact that there is no mention of Gnosis, Enciodes wanting a male companion, and the way he says "Weiss's situation is a little special" to Gnosis. In fact, I would go far as to postulate that Enciodes perhaps even targeted Gnosis to be his companion and his equal on account of deciding to no longer involve Weiss on such dangerous expeditions, but that is a subject for another post and mostly speculation on my part.

The clear way Enciodes encourages Weiss to make his own choice and his own decision rather than always putting Enciodes ahead of himself is so wonderful. I'd almost speculate this is a form of apology for dragging Weiss against his will and assigning him tasks as a child. It's a small detail, but I love too once again how Enciodes chooses his most loyal people--or his most loyal people happen to be--people who share his ideals. "We happen to be of similar minds."

I love the way they understand each other, how Weiss understands that Enciodes, in his roundabout way, is trying to tell him that no matter his decision, their emotional bonds remain.

I also really love their final exchange:

It's so lovely how Enciodes asks whether this new company will be Karlan Trade's ally or enemy, and how Weiss answers with something Enciodes taught him, an answer which no doubt makes Enciodes proud. I also appreciate how Weiss's new company may not be directly related to Karlan Trade, but the important thing is that it will be an ally of Kjerag. Because just because one leaves Kjerag doesn't mean one stops being of Kjerag or stops carrying Kjerag in their hearts.

This oprec is also notable for being chronologically the latest oprec, taking place after everything else, so I feel compelled to comment on the foreshadowing and implications therein. This very clearly takes place after RS, and I can't help but feel there might be a hint concealed in here somewhere for Kjerag 3. Perhaps this part, where Weiss mentions a nomadic city potentially taking shape along Kjerag's outskirts--

--or simply the new knowledge of this "Terra Nullius", or "no-man's-land" which surrounds Kjerag. It's interesting how Weiss points out that Karlan Trade developing this land is unacceptable, indicating that it would cause geopolitical and international tensions were they to step out from beyond Kjerag's official borders. We know from RS that Karlan Trade (and Enciodes by extension) is playing a very delicate balancing act by forging ties with Terra's superpowers to avoid being conquered by any of them and retain their independence, and I so appreciate the little details like this which demonstrate how tricky an endeavor it is. The nomadic city also perhaps is a nod to "Project One", AKA the battleship "Walnut" which is currently being concealed beneath Lake Silberneherze; it's possible that Enciodes and Gnosis may attempt to conceal this battleship by having it pose as a nomadic city, but I won't speculate too much as Gnosis's second module (titled "Project No.1 Model") will likely reveal more details about the ship.

In addition, not to repeat myself, but Weiss officially leaving Enciodes represents an interesting shake-up in the Kjerag cast. This was arguably foreshadowed in RS with the release of Degenbrecher, and how the way she replaced Weiss was emphasized not just in her file but in Weiss's first oprec. There's also a very clear marketing push with the recent content towards Karlan Trio—Enciodes, Gnosis, and Degenbrecher—moving away from the previous unit of Enciodes, Matterhorn, and Courier. In Matterhorn's oprec, which takes place shortly after BI, Enciodes dismisses him from his post to look after Ensia, but we see by RS and Ensia's second oprec that Matterhorn is not shadowing her but back in Kjerag. Perhaps he has made his choice to do the opposite of Weiss and remain by Enciodes's side, as his very nature is that of a caretaker. I'd be curious to know more about it; perhaps that will be expanded upon in the future. I don't have any complaints about this because I love the Karlan Trio dynamic and I hope HG keeps developing it.

Also, while there have been whisperings or desires on CN about SilverAsh Alter, this is not a theory I ascribe to for two reasons: one, narratively he does not need it, and two... well, look at him.

He can barely climb a hill without getting out of breath at this point, nor carry a heavy suitcase. Work has clearly gotten the best of the poor cat, and being trapped behind a desk most of the time has turned him from a closet nerd into a fully-fledged nerd. Tut-tut, Degenbrecher will need to whip him into shape if he wants to be able to merely traverse Kjerag, much less face active combat... This is clearly one of the "many things" he's been "neglecting" that he mentions in RS, as he was able to handle the Holy Hunt hike in BI but has clearly fallen out of shape three years later. (I also can't help but laugh at the idea that Enciodes might theoretically be in worse shape than Gnosis, who at least is stated to undertake expeditions for materials or resources personally but always appeared to be the weakest link physically of the trio.)

I'd much, much rather have Courier Alter, something I've always been in favor of since I started playing, and I believe there's much more potential there. Courier has always been hinted to have more to think than first impression, and I'm simply ecstatic to see him blossoming like this.

Truly, the Kjerag writing continues to be some of the best in the game.

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imafangirlofeverything · 2 months ago

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Hii ! How are you ?? I wanted to make a request for Tasm Peter Parker, I imagine Peter passing by the street where the reader is walking and picking her up and starting to swing from building to building on the web with her, like that scene from the second movie, when Peter wrote "I love you" on the bridge and then he picked up Gwen while swinging on the web, I imagine the reader hearing screams about Spider-Man, and then, she is meters above the ground

₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊ tasm!peter parker x reader ₊‧°𐐪♡𐑂°‧₊

peter takes you for a swing

1k words

a/n: i'm good and hope you are too! thank you for requesting babe this was so fun! (i changed it just a bit, hope thats okay) ʚ♡ɞ

Walking down the sidewalk, through the hustle of Queens at lunchtime, you can practically taste the spring rolls that will be in your hands soon. You and Peter’s favorite Chinese restaurant, Pearl’s Garden, is a ten minute walk from your shared apartment. They can make your food in less time than that. The owner, a nice old man, knows you both by name.

You eventually turn down a street that isn’t nearly as crowded, where people have turned into convenience stores or have gone down to the subway. Just as you see the sign for Pearl’s, a big, green rectangle, you hear a whoosh. An arm wraps around your waist, curling you up toward their body like you weigh 10 pounds. Before you can scream, you shoot up into the air.

“Peter!” You screech, turning in his arm to wrap your arms around his neck. There’s no need to worry about other people hearing his name since you’re already high up enough.

His spandex-clad hand tightens around your waist, holding a fist of your jacket just in case. You can’t see it, but you know he has that stupid smile.. “Hi babe!” he says cheerily, like this is a normal place to hold a conversation, flying between tall buildings. “Where were you going?”

You press your face into his shoulder; at some point, you must’ve wrapped your legs around his waist. You’d think you’d be used to this by now, the feeling of shooting up and leaving your stomach far, far behind. Still, you fight the urge to squeeze your eyes shut, but you know that will just make it worse.

“Were you following me?” You yell over the sound of air passing by your ears.

You feel the bump of his nose against your temple right before he glides you both around a shiny, windowed building. You think he laughs as your arms tighten around him. “I saw you from above and wanted to say hi. Totally normal boyfriend stuff.”

If you weren’t too scared to let go of him, you’d pinch his side. Still, you smile to yourself. “Can’t you just say hi like a normal person? I think my insides are dying.”

This time, you do hear him laugh... loudly. It buzzes against your ear, soft and scratchy, like he didn’t expect it to come out. He doesn’t respond as you peer over his shoulder hesitantly. You think you’re slowing down; it’s so hard to tell from up here. You watch as cars drive down below, before all you can see is a rooftop. He has landed on a flat roof, most likely some commercial building.

You unravel your legs from his waist. Just as they are about to hit the ground, Peter’s swinging arm joins the other and wraps around your back, his hand spreading on your side. “Let me go,” you whine, though you don’t let go of him either. He sways you back and forth, a mix between dancing and puppy-like energy.

“I missed you,” He says, his voice sounding clearer, like there's no mask covering his mouth. You lean back, and sure enough, you can see his handsome face now. His crooked smile was creeping in, but it was the way his eyes crinkled when they met yours, soft and golden and impossibly kind, that made your heart ache.

Your smile matches his. “I saw you a couple hours ago,” you say. Your hand creeps up the back of his neck to touch his hair, the thick, brown locks soft on your fingers.

He looks pained all of a sudden, as if a couple hours without your presence has physically wounded him. He tugs you back to him, squeezing your body as close to his as he can get without it becoming painful. “Where were you going?” His breath tickles the baby hairs growing from your temple.

“Pearl’s. I was hungry and wanted lunch. And we don’t have any food at home because somebody forgot my yogurt.” You say, not unkindly.

He pulls back enough to look at you again, squinting at you. “You told me you weren’t mad about that.”

You aren’t, not really. You just like messing with him. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Parker. And that I was craving an egg roll or two.”

Still, he is never easily mollified. His face falls into the crook of your neck, his nose brushing against your jaw. “I have failed you. As a boyfriend. As your grocery shopper. As a man.” You’re giggling now, which you expect was what he wanted in the first place. He presses a kiss to your jaw. “I’ll get you your yogurt on the way home. Pinky promise, babe.”

You smile into his hair, kissing the outer shell of his ear, simply because you can. “Are you busy with Spider Man stuff? Or can you take a break to have lunch with me?”

He removes his face from your jaw to give you a look, one that says what a stupid question and Oh My God I love you all in one. “Duh.” He punctuates it with a kiss on the tip of your nose.

You grin at him, heart beating in the way that only seems to happen when he’s this close. When you can see darker rim around his eyes, the blonder streaks of hair around his forehead that can only come from time in the sun. “Good. If you said no, I wouldn’t have gotten you anything for later.”

His jaw drops open dramatically, and before you can push him away, his arms tighten around you like he can read your thoughts. “Cruel,” he says against your cheek. “What have I ever done to you?”

You laugh as he gathers you in his arms again, getting ready to leave. “Forgotten my yogurt, apparently.”

As payback, he doesn’t give you a countdown for when he jumps off the building, heading back to Queens. Your scream gets swallowed up by the rushing air, cars honking, and his laugh against your ear.

criticism is welcome as long as it’s kind ✮⋆˙

i’m very new to writing ✮⋆˙

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