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rivetgoth · 6 years

Note

for the askmeme: odd numbers! (if it's too much you can skip some!)

OOH THANK YOU OMG it’s not too much I love never shutting up about music trust me

1: Favorite band?

Skinny Puppy of course lol. I don’t know who or where I’d be without that band and everything it means to me and everything it’s done for me. I know y’all all know I love it already but I can’t stress enough my love for this band and every single thing about it.

3: What's a band/artist you loved as a child but can barely listen to now?

HMMM My childhood relationship to music is weird. As a kid I didn’t listen to much music of my own accord and I thought that all music sounded like whatever you heard on a Christian rock radio station. The few bands I did get to hear that were actually good I still have warm feelings for (Elton John, Tom Petty, & Cat Stevens come to mind). That being said I apparently had a phase as a really little kid where I loved ABBA but I’m really not not a fan now lol.

5: Are you going to any gigs soon?

Oh HELL YES I HAVE VIP TICKETS TO COLD WAVES CHICAGO IN SEPTEMBER I’ll be seein ohGr, Cocksure, Lead Into Gold, Chemlab, Frontline Assembly, and more I’M SO EXCITED.

9: A song that gets you through shit?

Ggdhhdhdh I just realized there’s no 7 in this ask meme lol. ANYWAY the honest answer here would just be almost any ohGr song because nothing helps more than hearing my dad sing, but another big one that comes to mind in particular is “Witness,” which is a heartbreaking song to me that I frequently desperately need to hear.

11: A song you'd have sex to?

I wanna be fucked to some hardcore industrial hell music. How bout Revolting Cocks’ Stainless Steel Providers. Also Cuntboy by KMFDM, and Rash Reflection by Skinny Puppy? I’m sorry class.

13: A song for when you're lonely?

I love Boy George’s “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” for lonelier nights, it’s so upbeat and George sounds so happy in it, I feel like he’s there with me telling me to be happy.

15: A song to jam out to at 4AM?

SOMETHING DURAN DURAN. Or maybe Soft Cell.

17: A song that punches you in the gut every single time?

Hmm, Skinny Puppy’s Amnesia, the distorted part always really really gets to me for some reason, although I could write a whole thinkpiece on The Process and how painful that whole album is for me to listen to for so many reasons. On a different note, Psychic TV’s I Love You, I Know.

19: If you had to pick one song to represent what you're feeling right now, what would it be?

Uhhhh Nine Inch Nails Wish.

21: A song that makes you feel alive?

Impossible question, I only listen to music that makes me feel dead. But actually after some thinking prolly traGek by ohGr, the single version, since the ending/second half is just so lively and fun and exciting and it just makes me so happy for Ogre if that makes sense..?

23: What are some lyrics you love to pieces?

Oh god there’s so many I couldn’t ever list them all. Some of my favorite song lyrics of all time include Mutiny In Heaven by The Birthday Party, You and Me and Rainbows by Tear Garden, Kiss by London After Midnight, Promise by Violent Femmes, Everyday is Halloween by Ministry, Goneja and The Choke by Skinny Puppy, Cracker by ohGr, Genocide Peroxide by Boy George... Some of my all time favorite single lyrics include “Everything disastrous is pure” from ohGr’s Bellew and “We’re broken wings but still we’ll fly” from Tear Garden’s You and Me and Rainbows... But I seriously could never list them all. God.

25: What's a band/artist you'd addict your children to from an early age?

My hypothetical nonexistent kids WOULD know and love Skinny Puppy. Have em singing Deep Down Trauma Hounds in their diapers. Glass Houses as a lullaby every night. =}

27: Has a band/artist ever inspired you to do something?

I literally can’t even begin to go into detail with this one; not to sound edgy and stupid but my entire life has been shaped by my favorite musicians and I swear to god every decision I make somehow reflects them so like yes in the hugest possible way ever absolutely.

29: What was your favorite band/artist when you were 12?

OGGDHDHD FUTRET AND LAPFOX LMAO

31: What's your favorite genre?

Just. Take A Wild Guess.

33: Do you sing?

Can I? Yes. Should I? Prolly not.

37: Do you prefer buying physical copies of albums or do you download them on the internet?

Skipping 35 since I already answered it. Anyway, I do enjoy owning physical copies of things, but in general I tend to just download em, since I like listening to music on my phone and stuff anyway where a physical copy would be useless, and I’m a broke college student.

39: Do you play your music out loud or with headphones?

Headphones ggdhdhhd I don’t like disturbing others with my music and I like keeping to myself so I’m not gonna go around blasting my bullshit.

41: A song that gives you the chills?

Nine Inch Nails’ Starfuckers Inc. always gives me chills at the end lol. Also Everyday is Halloween by Ministry, I swear 2 god I almost had a breakdown the first time I heard it. Also Ogre’s shrieking in God’s Gift (Maggot)... I’m gayhhsgsgg

43: A band/artist with an amazing instrumental but really bad lyrics?

OKAY NO OFFENSE BUT I’M JUST GONNA SAY IT AL JOURGENSEN CAN’T WRITE LYRICS FOR SHIT AND I LOVE MINISTRY BUT LIKE THE LYRICS ARE SO BAD SOMETIMES. LIKE NOT ALWAYS BUT. NOT INFREQUENTLY.

45: A song you love to sing to yourself?

I love singing Lou Reed songs and I can play a lot of em on guitar so I’ll sing and play; my favorites are prolly off Transformer, like Andy’s Chest and Hangin’ Round!

47: A song that represents a deserted city at night?

O I love this question. It would depend on the mood. I think my first thought was something Joy Division or Velvet Underground. Or maybe something off of Skinny Puppy’s hanDover, like Ovirt.

49: An upbeat song with grim lyrics?

LMAO I think a lot of industrial could be categorized as this because so much of it is really dancy while the lyrics are a lot darker. Actually just a lot of the music I listen to in general is like this. An outlier from my usual taste that comes to mind is Elton John’s Crocodile Rock which I love, that song is so depressing but catchy and fun. Hmm thinking about it now a lot of 80s music does this too even if it’s not typical goth or industrial stuff. I love music I actually only listen to music that sounds fun but is actually depressing?

53: Do you listen to instrumental music?

Skipping 51 because I did it already. Anyway I do, but not as much as I like music with lyrics since the lyrics are one of my favorite parts of music. But I can’t listen to music with lyrics while studying or writing since I’m a bad multitasker so there is some instrumental music I adore (also. video game OSTs.)

55: A song about drugs?

Immediate thought was Skinny Puppy’s Spasmolytic or Velvet Underground’s Heroin.

57: A band/artist you're proud of?

Oh MANY, since I look up to my favorite artists and their stories so much. Two big ones are Nivek Ogre of course and then Marilyn as well. Ogre because of his entire story, how he started from so little with no experience or background and he’d lost so much and just wanted to do something he believed in and he struggled through so much and battled illness and injury and addiction and lost so much but still to this day continues to do what he does and work towards what he believes in and he’s kind and caring and so full of love. He’s just such a wonderful person and I wish I could be half as good as him. Marilyn (Peter Robinson) for similar reasons, he’s so willing to speak out for what he believes in and not let anyone control him or his identity, and he’s gone through so much and had to fight such a horrible bout of depression and I actually got into his music right before he started releasing his first new music in DECADES. And he just is so positive and seems like he’s doing so much better now and he worked to rid himself of his addictions and is so candid about his mental health struggle and I just admire that so much. He’s going through a rough time right now I hope he’s able to pull through it safely :(

59: A band/artist with a sick aesthetic?

SKINNY FREAKING PUPPY, but if I’m being honest any 80s goth bands are so good and all of them inspire me every single day with their aesthetics lol.

#SEND A MUSIC ASK!#THIS IS SO LONG HGGSHS SORRY YALL #long post /#flarebossmalva #ask #soft hooting

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agallimaufryofoddments · 7 years

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Anyway, so tell me about Keith (+Firo), Rachel (+Claire), and a character you hope someone asks you about!

This askmeme is so horrifically old and I’m sure you’ve forgotten about it by now. I’m sorry. i’ve got at least two more very old askmemes for this prompt in my drafts/inbox and am trying to get to them. Hghgh better late than…never…I guess…? Haha. Ha. Oh God.

KEITH GANDOR

1. My favorite thing about them:

Oh God, where do I start? Can I narrow this down? Okay, I’ll try to restrict this question as best I can, and then use #7 to elaborate on my feelings on him as a whole.

I love that he cares enormously for his family. I love that he commands so much respect despite his taciturn nature and that his role as a lesser prominent character means that fans may have a tendency to overlook him. If fans overlook him in favor of Luck the narrative certainly doesn’t, and I just love the gravitas that he has and the inherent worth that his spoken words have.

2. My least favorite thing about them:

He doesn’t get enough pagetime. Seriously, it’s hard for me to put down something that’s not a meta complaint here…although, one could argue that the reason he doesn’t get enough pagetime is because he seems pretty willing to let Luck take the limelight in his stead, a lot of time. The problem is that his tendency to stay in the background is what gives the times in which he speaks/takes an active role so much weight, which is why there’s not exactly a happy medium between Keith’s actions being limited versus Keith getting more active pagetime.

I guess the important thing to note is that while Keith allows Luck to take center stage when it comes to negotiations for which all three brothers are present, that’s not necessarily the same thing as Luck taking the lead. He’s sort of the mouthpiece for Keith, in a sense, because everything he decides is something that in tandem is or needs to be approved by Keith, and he always looks to (or defers to) Keith for the final say.

3. My favorite quote of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

Mm…I like what he says to Claire in LN#4. “Don’t scoff at how folks live. […] No different. They’re hoods…just like us.”

I do have more cemented favorite quotes about Keith, which are: Claire’s “He’s quiet, but what he does is bigger and louder than anybody else,” and Bartolo’s “Keith Gandor, hmm? He was a real resolute guy; quite eloquent.”

4. My favorite moment of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

I know that the moment in which Keith stops Melvi from devouring Luck is, like, everyone’s favorite Keith moment but goddamn is it a good scene. It’s not my only favorite moment, though; I really enjoy the scene from LN#4 in which Keith gets Claire motherfucking Stanfield to stand down to the point where Claire even apologizes to him. I also enjoy every single Keith moment from chapters 1-5 from the 2015 manga, but especially when he walks out of the blazing church unharmed just like San Gennaro.

Speaking of which, good Lord I am still thanking my fucking stars that Keith gets so much focus in the 1927 arc. Who saw that coming when the manga was first being published? Not me, that’s for damn sure. And he was so prominent, I cannot get over it, can I say “the entire 1927 arc” for this as well? Please?

5. What I think of their personality:

Keith boils down to a somewhat old-fashioned mafioso who can be noble and ruthless and always silent except where it counts. Considering the other dons in the series – Placido, upfront and loud with his opinions and emotions; Bartolo with his poise and dignity and advantage of age; Molsa who is affable but doesn’t let his affableness take precedence over his responsibilities and serious actions as a criminal leader – I think Keith fills in a good niche here, personality-wise, and I think it’s significant that Bartolo respects him.

What I like most is that Keith has such sheer presence and weight to him despite his taciturn nature. You know enough about him to have a good grasp of who he is as a person and as a mafia don, even though he barely speaks for a lot of his screentime.

6. What I think of their actions:

Keith’s actions speak just as loud as his words, and I think he’s very aware of where the line is between “letting Luck do the talking and fronting for the organization” and “okay, now it’s time for me to step in.” When he goes to the President of the Daily Days in person in LN#4 and later arranges a deal with Bartolo (off-screen), when he acts to protect Luck as Melvi (fitting that LN#4 describes Keith’s role as that of ‘protection’), when he stops Claire from mocking Alkins only to stomp on Alkins when he tries to attack Claire later on…he knows when not to intervene, and when to intervene.

Also, it’s a very small thing, but every time he ends up taking off his coat-that-he-just-put-on and hanging it up every time a development has occurred in LN#4 just speaks a lot to me. I think the first time he was about to go home to Kate, and just the image of him taking off the coat he had just put on, hanging it up, that tacit acceptance that “no there’s work to be done, can’t go home” just really hits home.

7. How I feel about them in general with reasons why:

I love him. He’s one of my favorite Baccano! characters, which really says something given the amount of prominence vs non-prominence he’s given. I love that so many of his scenes, if not the majority of them, have so much impact - which not many characters can boast with their own scenes. Every hint of emotion he shows gets me that more invested in him. I wonder if Keith sees himself as much of a protector as others seem to think he is. I think he does. He goes off to investigate Donatello and the murders in 1927 on his own, he protects Luck…

…If I’ve got him right, he basically acts on his own without ever expecting recognition or praise for his actions. He just acts because it’s the best way to get what needs to be done, done. There’s no pomp and circumstance with him. He doesn’t show off like Claire, he isn’t loud and up front like Berga, he doesn’t talk all the time like Luck - he just quietly acts when it’s necessary and speaks when it’s necessary. I like that a lot about him. It doesn’t matter to him if people think Luck’s the leader, or if he’s ignored in favor of something louder and noisier. That resolve is really great.

8. What I’d like to see them do:

I know that his moment of “nearly killing Melvi” is probably going to be his high point of the 1935 arc, but I hope he has something to do in 1935-E. More specifically, I’d like to hear more of his internal thoughts. We don’t get that a lot with him, which is a shame.

The selfish part of me wants to see him act on his own again like he did in 1927, putting himself at risk for the sake of what he protects. He is explicitly referred to as “protection/protector,” and I absolutely LOVE seeing him act in that capacity.

9. What comes to mind when I think of them:

A shield. A card pack consisting of 52 jokers. Warmth.

10. A character I’d like to see them interact with that they haven’t already:

Well, we already know that Keith has had a direct influence on Charon - so this is more “I want to see them actually interact on page” versus “I want to see Keith interact with Charon for the first time.” Same goes for Keith and Bartolo.

As for someone that Keith has to our knowledge never interacted with…hm. At first I said “Gustav,” but then my mind turned to Victor and I grew more and more interested in such a meeting. Victor would certainly be antagonistic towards a criminal like Keith, and I wonder how Keith would react to Victor’s noisy bluster and aggressive lecturing. The juxtaposition of Keith’s quiet nature and extreme conservation with words versus Victor’s lengthy sermons and loud disposition would be neat as well, if done right. A few well-placed words from Keith just might be able to unseat Victor, even though Victor certainly believes in the inherent righteousness of the law over the words of scummy criminals.

+ Firo

Well first of goshdang all I just love Keith’s one-on-one scene with Firo from 1927. How delightful! There’s not much of KeithFiro one on one action in the novels, so that scene was a delight to behold. In that scene specifically the fact that Keith speaks and asks Firo if he is ‘okay’ is alone to make me go !!!! because he really does care, he cares about Firo and cares enough about his feelings and turmoil to probe. That he can tell something’s ‘off’ or at least a little wrong with FIro at all is so nice. He’s so observant - he’s always one of the few characters who ‘notices’ something in a scene that other characters don’t. Like the Poet, for example. That’s something else I enjoy a lot about him.

So he knows the right questions to ask, he knows just how much is necessary for him to speak and then falls silent to let Firo/the other character talk and he listens, he always listens, we never see him not paying the interlocuter their due attention.

Simultaneously I love how Firo clearly cares for Keith too, even though we don’t see them interact all that much. That he’s willing to risk his relationship with Yaguruma in order to go search for Keith in 1927 says a lot about how much he cares about Keith, considering how die-hard loyal he is to the Martillos.

RACHEL

1. My favorite thing about them:

She’s just…very even-headed, a lot of the time, except when she’s not - like when she’s internally screaming at herself not to save the Beriams in 1931 but does it anyway. Actually, I like the fact that she was conflicted at all, then. The anime doesn’t emphasize as much the hesitation she felt before and during that scene, and that she goes to save them anyway even though her mind is hollering at her nonstop as to why that’s a terrible idea is a testament to her character.

There are a lot of flashy, brash, and outspoken characters in Baccano!, and Rachel is not one of them. What shines instead is her quiet but strong passion for the railroads, her bravery and heroism despite her internal conflict, her ability to adapt to the extraordinary while remaining relatively intact.

Also, the fact that she crawls around trains with no problems.

Oh, who am I kidding. My favorite thing about her has to be the fact that she keeps at least one fingernail serrated in case it comes in handy. Oh my God.

2. My least favorite thing about them:

My main meta complaint is that she sort of drops off the face of the Earth after her involvement on the FPF and her report to the President in 1932 + her interacting with Claire and Czes. Sure, she appears in some of the future DD scenes, but that’s basically it. Which frustrates me to no end.

Also, I hate that we d o n ‘ t know her last name. Please Narita deliver me from this hell.

By the way, I really wish that the anime had depicted her covered in soot like she’s described as being in the novels during the FPF incident. It doesn’t make sense that her clothes remain so spotless in the anime.

3. My favorite quote of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

Er…maybe, “And so, so, so, so! Don’t sully it! Don’t sully the pride of the people who built this train, or the pride of the train! Don’t stain this train, or the rails, or the people, with anyone else’s blood!”

4. My favorite moment of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

Again, her saving the Beriams despite all her internal screaming is just….the best. Also her using her serrated nail to free herself and Nick and Nice is just superb. Amazing. Give this woman a medal.

5. What I think of their personality:

She’s got so much passion and warmth in her - passion for the rails, sympathy for Czes and others, rage on her father’s behalf against Turner and against the system that betrayed her, and you wouldn’t know it just by talking with her. Rachel isn’t a milquetoast, but she’s not going to wear her heart on her sleeve like other characters cough Ladd cough and she can come across as subdued but damn if she doesn’t get stuff done. The moments where her emotions do surface always leave an impression, like when she screams for Claire to devour her before she can be killed by Turner.

Honestly the contrast between that passion and warmth and bravery and kindness versus her subdued, more reserved way of talking and emoting remind me a little of Huey from time to time, though of course their circumstances and reasons are quite different. With Huey his calm, moderate outward appearance is borne more out of necessity and deliberate actions, while Rachel is more naturally even and measured outwardly.

6. What I think of their actions:

So badass though? I mean, she serrates her nails just in case she gets captured. Wow. She’s fairly practical when it comes to work - wearing fatigues/coveralls, those nails - not to mention she doesn’t spend ALL of Manfred’s hush money on tickets (thank God), she uses some of it to pay for her medical fees. Very practical. That she had the wherewithal to be practical like that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

I can’t say I totally endorse her whole ‘stowing away on trains to get revenge on the train company’ because…let’s be real, one stowaway really isn’t putting a dent in their profits. I do get the principle of the thing/her logic behind it, and I get that she probably felt like there was no way for her to enact real change against the company - which, to be fair, there probably wasn’t.

7. How I feel about them in general with reasons why:

She’s a cool gal, is what she is.

8. What I’d like to see them do:

Honestly, just about anything at this point. After the events of 1931/32 she pops up briefly for two scenes - one in 1933 (#7) and one in 1935-D (#22), and that’s it. At this point I’m pretty resigned to the probability that if she shows up in 1935-E it’ll only be for another Daily Days summary/exposition scene. She has a lot of prominence in people’s minds as a ‘main part of the cast’ thanks to the anime, but she’s honestly in the series a lot less than you’d think…

…Anyway, I’m still fond of a little daydreaming I once did in which I envisioned Rachel meeting with Mary again. I really like the idea of Rachel exerting a positive influence on Mary, and - actually, it would be pretty cool to see the Beriam women use their influence to support Rachel’s budding career as an information dealer. There’s an excellent fic that does actually include a reunion between them, which is delightful and everyone should read it.

9. What comes to mind when I think of them:

No matter how many times the official translation uses the word ‘coveralls’ to describe her clothing, I still think of fatigues when I think of her.

Also, serrated nails. I wish the anime had included that tidbit, but alas.

10. A character I’d like to see them interact with that they haven’t already:

Hmm…I dunno. I think it’d be nice to see her talk with Carol - who I assume she’s met off-page, but we haven’t seen them interact, and I think it’d be cool to see what Carol thinks of her. I like to think that Carol would look up to her as a role model, as Mary does.

Oh, you know, I’ve never thought about this interaction before, but I think it would be neat if she met Pamela. I feel like they could get along. Be pals. Chums. Buddies. Buckaroos. Friendaroos.

+Claire

Man, I love their dining scene in the aftermath of the FPF incident. I really like how Claire acknowledges that he might have fallen for her if it hadn’t been for Chané, and that one line is what leads me to sincerely want to see them hang out regularly, just, eating at places and growing close as friends. I want to see Claire confiding in Rachel and Rachel becoming more and more at ease with him. As for what we’ve seen of them actually interacting, it’s absolutely great how she’s not afraid to call him out on his bullshit insensitivity and obliviousness. That one scene with them dining gives a real natural feel of camaraderie or at least ability to get along, and the way their conversation progresses is so satisfying.

Basically I want them to at least be best bros. And despite me not being a shipper, a very very tiny part of me occasionally thinks about what a ClairexRachel romance would have been like. But as it stands, please at least have them become best bros. I will believe until my dying day that Claire just regularly flags her down for sharing a meal together.

NILE (Person of choice)

1. My favorite thing about them:

Can I answer this with “the fact that he plays with animals in his free time?” No? Well, aside from that, I love how he’s one of the most ‘human’ immortals we have in the series, so to speak. I love how he’s one of the immortals who is most in-tune with and concerned by the concept of mortality and how he was scared he would forget the weight of it. Hell, he might be the immortal who’s most in-tune with it in the entire series.

At the very least, he’s one of the ones who is most troubled by it, and views the concept of mortality as important enough to actively try and preserve it as having weight and importance. Combined with that is his righteous fury over injustices and the idea that wrongly mistreated people should be fought for and protected and have justice done for them, and bam he’s one of the more complex and struggling characters in the series.

Also, the fact that he’s multilingual is so cool.

2. My least favorite thing about them:

Well, his short temper can be a problem. Damn it, Nile, you can be so quick to turn to violence. (That being said, he does exhibit a surprising degree of patience in certain circumstances, such as when Feldt is fucking slamming him to the ground over and over, so he clearly does have restraint to some degree). Still, the fact that his hot-headedness leads him to being excluded from Denkurō’s and Zank’s trip to Lotto Valentino in 1705 means that it can be a definite problem.

Actually, it occurs to me that occasionally people have to ‘restrain’ him when he’s brimming with violence. I’m not too fond of those scenes.

3. My favorite quote of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

His entire speech about injustice to Fil in 2001 is pretty damn great.

Also, “Yet…there was one thing that had changed. My face. I cried out at my own helplessness.”

4. My favorite moment of theirs (anime and/or light novels):

I mean, again, his speech to Fil about injustice is some good shit. Also every time he plays with animals I will never get enough of him playing with animals. It’s delightful. It’s so human. It’s so simple and understated in the narrative yet so effective as a bit of characterization.

WAIT WAIT I nearly forgot the moment in which the Italian boy thanks Nile for protecting him and his mother in 1711 and Nile is so embarrassed and consequently SO AWKWARD when he tells the boy “You’re welcome.” So my favorite moment is both: Nile acting to protect the boy and his mother, and, Nile being so embarrassed he just very awkwardly acknowledges the boy’s thanks. That’s a good scene right there. I love him.

5. What I think of their personality:

Er, I feel like I may have accidentally answered this in the first question, but - boy if he doesn’t come across as one of the more complex characters in the show. He has a short and poker-hot temper but that doesn’t necessarily translate to immediate violence all the time. I feel like he’s sort of like at the point where Shizuo is after some character development, in which Shizuo no longer flies off the handle the second he is aggravated and instead will talk for a couple minutes or demand an explanation. Like when Nile tells the villagers to bow before him in 2001, or when he warns Elmer in advance that he is only going to endure the smashing for so long before he takes out Feldt.

See, it would be easy to think of him as proto-Shizuo, Shizuo who used to go straight from neutral to slamming vending machines to people, zero to 100. But he isn’t. He is more often than not about to do some grievous bodily harm, but doesn’t always immediately rush to carry it out. Which is very important.

But…after all that fear about forgetting the reality of mortality and trying so hard to keep the reality of it close to him, voluntarily fighting in war after war because he believed it would keep death alive and fresh and sobering for him…only to end up growing inured to death and even then becoming horrified at that realization is - God, it’s awful and real and he’s so human. In realizing that he’d become inured to death and mortality he could have reacted equally as numbly, as equally unaffected, but he is affected. It burns him up from the inside that the deaths of his comrades no longer physically upsets him, that he does not recoil or flinch in the face of it, and it terrifies him.

So he’s lived his life since then with that horror and loathing and fear and despite having become inured to things like death he still becomes so passionate when witnessing others experience injustices, he still experiences so many emotions like irritation and anger and God I love him so much.

6. What I think of their actions:

Like I said before, I think that Nile’s hot-headed straight-to-violence mode can be somewhat detrimental…but on the other hand, I think that ofttimes that hot-headedness is coming from a good place. His angry speech to Fil is born out of anger on her behalf, anger at the abuse and injustices done to her. But then again, his immediate hot-headed reaction to the villagers when he emerges from his trunk is a little heavy-handed.

7. How I feel about them in general with reasons why:

Hhhhhh where to start. A lot of my feelings about him are expressed in other questions.

…We’ve got a vast spectrum of immortals in Baccano!, you know? A lot of them. There’s Denkurō, honorable and old-fashioned and overly respectful/polite. There’s Victor, so idealistic and brash and hard-headed. And Begg, designing his drugs with the desire of making people happy, so kind to Czes while crossing the line of scientific ethics for the sake of his drugs. And Elmer, who is so broken and so fixated on others’ smiles and happiness.

When you first watch the anime, Nile is only in one episode and he may not even register as a character to you. He cleaves Szilard’s arm, and Szilard’s torso in the anime, but he’s not solid in your mind. And then you read the novels, and here’s this immortal and he’s so human. He’s so wrapped up in the qualities that makes one human, of mortality, and he puts real value in it where so many characters in Baccano! don’t, and that basic decency and awareness of something greater than himself really, really sticks out.

He could have been just hot-headed. He could have been defined only by his short temper, by his fury and volatile nature. But he’s not, and I appreciate Narita so much for that. For making Nile more than his anger but still explaining that anger rather than expecting readers to take it for granted. Nile’s fury and anger is so much a part of him, but so is his humaneness and that he was so deeply shaken by what he perceived as him losing part of that humanity, or rather, a quality that he considered morally right and by necessity inherent speaks as to how good he is. Nile’s so good. I love him. I love him a lot.

8. What I’d like to see them do:

I doubt this will happen in 2003, but I’d really like to see him someday be comfortable enough to remove his mask and walk about with his face exposed. Maybe a little part of that is because I want more Enami illustrations of him unmasked, but for the most part it’s because God his feelings about his lack of expression and his morals and humanity and empathy are so poignant and human and I so desperately want him to not feel like he has to hide his own face from himself. It hurts my soul.

9. What comes to mind when I think of them:

Justice. Anger and Fury. Too good and we don’t deserve him.

10. A character I’d like to see them interact with that they haven’t already:

Well I’d really like Narita to write out that fight Nile has had with Shizuo, but to actually answer the question… I have a headcanon that Nile actually fought in Verdun, and as you’ll recall Fred was working as as a military doctor for the Germans in Verdun. I like to think that they interacted at some point during those months, but even if they didn’t, it would still be neat for Nile to meet Fred at some point. They’ve both experienced the horror of war and known what it was like to have comrades dying around them.

I do have a fic in mind that involves Nile and Fred meeting at Verdun. It’s a headcanon that has yet to leave me.

PLEASE LET ME SEE HIM AND MAJEEDAH INTERACT I AM BEGGING YOU

+ Denkurō and Zank (and maybe possibly Victor)

I think their friendship is swell. I like how Denkurō and Zank know Nile and his personality very well, and are fond of that personality. I like how Nile values his friendship with them. I also think that despite Victor and Nile’s willingness to brawl with each other, there’s probably-definitely some mutual respect in there because both of them care deeply about justices and injustices.

Consider how isolated Victor is in the 1930s when it comes to immortals he can talk with and count on - there aren’t any. Maiza is a criminal, much to Victor’s outrage and upset, and Begg is a criminal, and Czes was never exactly close to him in the first place. Zank and Denkurō aren’t around, and he doesn’t reunite with Nile until the Cold War. Fermet certainly isn’t around, nor is Elmer. Huey is driving him up the wall. Sylvie isn’t in the picture. He doesn’t know Lucrezia is alive, and even if he had been close with Dalton, Renee, or Archangelo (which he definitely wasn’t) it’s not like he was in contact with them.

I am 99% certain that Victor was relieved when Nile came back into his life in 2002. I think Nile is probably one of the only immortals with whom Victor shares the same passion towards what is right and what is wrong, and after all these years it would probably be beneficial for both of them if they capitalized on that and bonded over it. Not that the drinking scene with Victor, Nile, and Denkurō in 2003 doesn’t already convey a sense of casual familiarity and comfortableness, but I just can’t forget how isolated Victor is from his other immortals in the 1930s. The ones for whom he cares (even if he is driven up the fucking wall by them) and searches for. Victor and Nile really are some of the more morally driven characters in the series, so…let them support each other.

#toushindai #Baccano!#Keith Gandor #Firo Prochainezo #Rachel (Baccano!)#Claire Stanfield #Nile (Baccano!)#Nile #Baccanalysis #askmeme #this is at least a year late if not two and I apologize?#honestly so much time has passed that this doesn't even feel real

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nosakkayuuma · 6 years

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for the fic ask, 1 6 7 18 19

1. Well… that depends on the definition of what a WIP is… if we are counting something that has more than a few sentences it is… 9!! That’s only if you count Renegade EXTRA 1 and Renegade EXTRA 2 as 2 separate things though lol… They are basically 2 one-shots that focus on continuing different sideplots of Renegade. Gosh, they have been WIPs for more than 2 years, OTL.

6. The last thing I read that made me laugh is probably screenshots from Yakuza 0. And then before that was Initial D. I know they are more strictly described as watched OTL. I haven’t read a lot of humour fics lately which is kind of sad!! I don’t know if it’s my taste or the general fandom atmosphere, but I feel like crackfics and ridiculous fics are a lot less common nowadays. I should search some up c: Actually now that I think about it the last crackfic I read was ndrv3, but sadly contains spoilers.

7. It was probably an ndrv3 fic, the one I never shut up about, which I will recommend to you once you finish the game!!!!!!!!! I didn’t exactly cry while reading it, but I don’t cry a lot to written words… this definitely twinged my Emotions though.

18. My fic reading routine is… for fics I subscribe to, I read them as soon as I can after I get the email notifying me there’s an update, and if I don’t read it I leave it unread. (Thank you Gmail for having the separate inboxes’ Unreads not count to the main one because… I have a lot of unread emails now, lol ;; ) Otherwise, I might browse the tag of whatever I’m into at the moment either before sleeping or right after waking up on a weekend. Mostly I check the Persona 5 and NDRV3 tags, but increasingly sporadically :’) I make a point to keep updated with the Inazuma Eleven tag though. Incidentally I only read on AO3 nowadays.

My fic writing routine… god I wish I had a fic writing routine. At this moment it’s literally open document, write a few sentences, get distracted, tell myself I can’t get distracted, stay distracted anyway, repeat. NaNoWriMo was really good for building up a routine but I think there’s a balance to be had there lol. Oh, I obsess over finding the right soundtrack though (which may not necessary fit the mood of the fic; sometimes I just need familiar noise to keep me grounded).

19. My absolutely number 1 favourite character headcanon (I am assuming this question is asking for one I hold) is that Fudou’s dad is still with the family and actually that makes it worse because the negative energy in the family can never truly dissipate. I mean it can with constructive communication but that isn’t exactly happening in that family.

Otherwise my pick of favourite friends’ headcanons is 1) Sakuma has an older brother who is a cat named Ichirou (because ‘Jirou’ means second son) 2) Kazemaru has… very experimental college/J-League years, like early to late twenties basically 3) Inazuma Japan hosts regular nomikai reunions (basically reserving a private room at a bar and eating and drinking till late, catching up) and we do not speak of what dirt is dug up during those gatherings.

Link to askmeme here: http://nosakkayuuma.tumblr.com/post/168870970830/katchyalater-fanfic-asks-1-if-youre-an-author

#ask #oiyama #askmeme #writing meme

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inkuisitivskins · 7 years

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❝ he’s a gold digger. he’ll screw anyone & marry them as long as they have money. ❞ with LivMiles, pretty please :D

Thank you so much for this ask bb!! I’m so sorry it took so long;; and because of how long it’s been, I seem to have misplaced the post where this askmeme came from :’) oops

Still, I really hope you enjoy this one. It took a while to write and honestly, even longer to plan out. I wanted to do another AU but ,,, i wasn’t sure what verse to do x’D

So have a royalty!au! I hope everyone’s in character enough :’3

Title: The Gold Digger

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

Characters: Olivier Mira Armstrong, Miles, Philip Gargantos Armstrong, Catherine Elle Armstrong

Rating: Teen & Up [Racism Mention]

Category: F/M

Relationships: Olivier Mira Armstrong/Miles

Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Eventual Romance, Racism towards Ishvalans, Family Drama, Secret Relationship

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 6,991

[Royalty!AU] As the young princess next in line to become Queen of Amestris, Olivier wishes for many things. Due to the disrespect she's encountered from all of those around her, she yearns for the chance to prove herself; to earn something not by virtue of her blood, but by her own skill. It is only when she meets someone whose path was never supposed to cross hers that she not only finds a true friend, but also true love-- and the break from the duty that has been forced on her from birth.

She tied the cloak loosely around her, hoisting the bag she had packed full of her belongings over her shoulder with some effort. She spared one final look around her room, blue eyes taking in everything that she would be leaving behind. This would possibly be the last time she ever set sights on the things that were most familiar to her.

As the moonlight gently flooded through her window and illuminated one corner of her large and luxurious room, she first noticed the dress and the note she had laid out neatly on her bed for the servants to find the coming morning. The royal clothing, typically a deep blue, was a sparkling gray as it bathed in the light of the stars; as beautiful and glorious as it was truly meant to be from the moment it had been hand-stitched, just for her. All around it, the drapes that framed her large canopy bed glistened in tandem, seemingly untouched, as she wanted to leave everything neat to serve somewhat as a final, polite farewell. In the other corner of her room sat her vanity, and her desk where she worked on her studies with her servant-mentor. Her bookshelf on the opposite end, however, had many empty spaces in between books, and its slightly dishevelled appearance was seemingly the only imperfection in the entirety of her room– many of the books, namely her favorites, had been stuffed inside her bag. Finally, she glanced at the wall, directly to the large painting that had been commissioned of herself and the rest of her family. Luckily, she had a smaller painting she was able to take with her; for while she was leaving them, she never wished to forget them.

She ignored the other paintings on the wall, which were of her ancestors. She knew they would be casting eternal judgment on her for what she was about to do, wherever in the afterlife they may be.

She padded over to her door, trying to be light on her feet as she gingerly set a hand on the handle, opening it as slowly and quietly as possible. Upon a quick peek around the doorway down either end of the long corridor, she crept out of her room and made her way down the hall and to the stairs. As she rounded the corner and the stairs were in sight, she heard the heavy footsteps and soft metallic clanging of armor. Thinking fast, she ducked behind one of the ornate pillars that seemingly held up the tall ceiling, while in reality, supports were not needed in the halls, so they were simply decorative. Peering around it, she hid as two royal guards silently went about their patrol. She watched them follow their path until they disappeared down the next hallway, seizing her chance to flee down the stairs once they were out of sight.

Never before had the spiraling flights of stairs seemed so painstaking to traverse; she had ascended and descended them multiple times every day for nearly her entire life, yet now, they seemed unending. Finally, she reached the solid footing of the ground floor. However, she was too distracted by attempting to keep quiet, she didn’t notice the other young woman nearing the stairs, until she heard a soft gasp.

“Olivier, what are you doing up?” Catherine asked, perplexed as she looked he big sister up and down. Her thin, blonde eyebrows furrowed as she studied Olivier’s rather colorless cloak and the lack of normal sleeping clothes like the younger Armstrong was wearing, “Why are you dressed like that?”

Olivier stood silent for a long moment, one foot still hovering above the floor in mid-step, until she finally sighed and accepted the fact that she had been caught, foot lowering, “I’m leaving, Catherine.”

Despite her vague answer, Olivier was surprised that Catherine seemed to immediately understand judging by how her shoulders sagged, crestfallen, “Leaving? Why..?”

The older sister shook her head, “I can’t tell you. Just don’t tell Mother or Father, got it? The whole kingdom will know soon enough–”

“Tell me why,” Catherine interrupted her, “or I’ll scream for them right now.” She drew in a deep breath, her chest expanding dramatically as she did so.

Olivier stumbled over to her, waving her arms wildly, her voice a hissed whisper, “Oh my god, fine! You’re such a pest!”

The youngest Armstrong smiled innocently, the eldest’s face souring as she neared the door with a huff, “Come with me into the courtyard.”

“It’s cold out there,” Catherine pouted.

“Then stay behind. I can probably outrun the guards if I go fast enough.”

This elicited a groan from Catherine as her sister opened the large doors, yet she still willingly followed the next queen of Amestris out of the castle and into the night.

“Wait here,” the king turned to his daughter, fully aware of her her curiosity and her tendency to roam, if given the chance. “Do not set foot outside of this carriage, you hear? We have very important matters to attend to, and we can’t waste time having the guards search for you if you wander off.”

“Yes, Father,” Olivier replied halfheartedly, propping her head up on the back of her wrist as she gazed out the window of their carriage. She didn’t turn to watch him go, but she felt her father leave the seat beside her, as well as the closing of his door as he exited. He rounded the carriage to the side Olivier sat, so she was able to see him speak lowly to the guards who had taken their place at the doors on either side. While he was inaudible, she was sure that he was ordering them not to let her out.

It was a rare treat for her to be able to leave the castle, and an even rarer occurrence when she was able to actually be let off the leash to go see the world on her own, as she would prefer it. On trips like these, which were still uncommon in themselves, she would always be confined to where the watchful eye of the royal guard would be able to follow dutifully; and considering how quickly she moved, that wasn’t near a far enough distance for her liking. The last time King Philip Gargantos Armstrong III allowed his twenty-year-old daughter five minutes free time to herself, with no guards trailing behind her, she had managed to wander off in two minutes, and it had taken a small search party two hours to find her, making the royal family very late to their assembly with the ministers of a foreign land.

Thankfully, the foreign relations did not suffer the mishap– though Olivier’s freedom surely did.

Her little adventure had not been embarked upon out of rebellion; she was just so distracted by the colorful sights and sounds and people– the culture was seemingly so different to her own, despite it being just outside of her door, just out of reach. She was just curious, but to her dismay, her little stunt had rendered her even more sheltered than before. And she hadn’t thought that was in the realm of possibility.

She was looking out the window, counting the scuffs on one of the iron helmets of the guards, when she heard a commotion out on the opposite side of the carriage. Immediately drawn to the excitement, no matter what it was over, Olivier scrambled into the seat beside her so she could closely look out of the other window.

She hated to admit it, but she had never seen an Ishvalan outside of their (or any of the regional lords’) castle. She was never told why they were a race not often found in this part of Amestris unless they were servants or serfs, and she quickly picked up on the fact that her studies (for which the curriculum was hand-picked by her father, of course) skipped over everything about Ishvalan history. Her parents and other royal figures wanted her to not even be aware of the fact that their culture had a history at all, and a rich one, she was sure– but they neglected to think of the possibility that one of their Ishvalan servants fifteen years ago, Anaya, had a daughter who had made quick friends with Olivier.

The royalty had tried to blind the soon-to-be queen, all whilst making her believe there was nothing to be blind to. Yet, Olivier had soon found out that the disparity in social class was very real, and the deeply-rooted racism, even more so.

Thinking back on it, now that she was older, Olivier knew that in her youth, Anaya was not trying to turn her against her parents in any way– she simply answered Olivier’s innocent questions truthfully when asked. These questions were typically in the same vein as why did Anaya look different than her and Mother and Father, and why was she working as a servant when her singing was so beautiful, why wasn’t she a singer instead, and so on.

Still, her parents did not like that in the slightest, and they got rid of Anaya and her daughter as soon as they caught wind of the fact that Olivier was learning things they did not approve of. She never knew what happened to them. She could only hope they were safe, all these years later.

Yet now, here, in this moment, an Ishvalan caught her attention. He was at the center of the ruckus, yet he took no part in it.

A small child was sobbing loudly, frantically padding back and forth, in search of something. No one around him in the busy market street seemed to be paying any attention, so Olivier guessed he was alone, or he had somehow been separated from his guardian.

She had noticed the Ishvalan prior to seeing the child– he was quite hard to miss– but she really started focusing on him as he made his way to the source of the noise. He kneeled, though even as he took a knee, he was much taller, so the child had to look up to make eye contact.

Olivier was too far away to hear what was said over the bustle of the market around the carriage, but she noticed the child’s tears stop once the man began speaking to him.

The Armstrong knew what handsome was supposed to look like. She had seen its supposed face on many of the suitors neighboring regions and nations had brought in to court her, not for her wellbeing and happiness, but for the strengthened relations that would arise between royalties once a marriage was underway.

She learned early that none of them truly cared about her; a trend she often saw with many of the people who worked alongside the royalty of Amestris. The king was not well-liked in the slightest, and that disdain was eventually spread to her just by virtue of blood, even though Olivier had personally done no wrongs. She did not enforce any unjust laws, or call for any innocent citizens to get beheaded. She just knew that all that her potential suitors cared about was the elevation of their own status; and thus, her heart had grown cold to the idea of someday finding love.

Yet, watching this exchange between the child and the Ishvalan, her heart thudded against her ribcage. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but she felt drawn to him in a way that she had never felt before. His dark skin and unfamiliar clothing, the Ishvalan sash around one of his shoulders, was so very out-of-place in this setting– however, he felt like no stranger to Olivier as she watched his warm, gentle smile as he spoke to the child. The child in question, as a matter of fact, had now completely stopped crying, and was now paying full attention to the stranger, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his wrist.

Just as quickly as the commotion had died down, it revived as a small group of men strode over to them. Once again, Olivier could not hear what was said, though she could tell that one was speaking loudly– his voice audible enough above the crowds, yet just muddled enough that she couldn’t make out specific words.

It wasn’t nice things, by the way the Ishvalan’s smile melted into such a sudden blank look, and the child’s afraid expression before being spoken to by the stranger returned upon witnessing whatever hostility the men were emanating. The Ishvalan straightened again, and upon seeing that he was taller than them, a few of the men faltered slightly while the remainder of the group continued in their harassment.

They were drawing a crowd now, people stopping in their shopping trips to watch the inevitable fight unfold from afar, unable to look away in fear that they would miss something exciting. One of the men shoved the foreigner in the shoulder, and while he stumbled slightly, his balance was not lost.

Olivier didn’t even notice herself shoving open the carriage door, startling and nearly barrelling over the guard that had been standing directly on the other side.

“Princess!” He choked out, utterly shocked, not expecting an attack from behind him.

Realizing what she had done, Olivier replied rapidly, “Sorry, Owen, but I have to go help!”

“Wait, wait, help what?” Owen questioned quickly, trying to block her path out of the carriage. “Your father will have my head if I let you go anywhere!”

“That man over there,” Olivier pointed a finger towards the fight waiting to break out. “I can stop them, they wouldn’t dare fight in the presence of the Princess of Amestris!”

Owen glanced back briefly before turning back to her. He mentally debated with himself for a moment before replying, “If I go break it up, will you stay in the carriage?”

“Just don’t hurt the Ishvalan,” the blonde replied sternly.

“Whatever you ask of me, Princess,” he replied dutifully, closing the carriage door back. He called over to his partner on the opposite side of the carriage, telling him what he was doing, before he set a gauntlet-clad arm on the hilt of his sheathed sword, making his way over. The moment the Ishvalan and the other men saw the knight nearing them, they all paled, and while the men fled, the Ishvalan stayed put and stood firm.

Owen said something to him, to which Olivier saw his broad shoulders visibly relax. The guard then gestured back to the carriage, and the moment the red-eyed gaze hit her, she was overcome with a childlike embarrassment that caused her stomach to sink. She quickly moved out of the way of the window, aware that she could still be seen, but only if an effort was made.

She let a few moments pass before shifting in her seat and sitting back up, peeking up out of the window once again. Owen was maneuvering his way back to the carriage, though her eyes were not on him– rather, they remained on the Ishvalan as he momentarily spoke to the child again before guiding him over to a merchant’s stall. A small gesture from the child let the Ishvalan know what sort of food item he wanted.

The merchant had been wearing a sour face from the moment he noticed the Ishvalan, which only worsened when the latter came and asked to purchase from him. The dark-skinned man had taken some coins from his pocket, though the merchant would not accept them.

Why he didn’t, Olivier did not know. She was too distracted by the scene to realize her father opening the carriage door and sitting heavily inside.

“I apologize for the wait,” he spoke up, voice low and gruff. “I trust there were no issues, Daughter?”

The blonde glanced back at her father before stealing one last glance at the Ishvalan. She, naturally, would say nothing, knowing that her father would, more likely than not, make a racist comment. She knew Owen would say nothing either, and she was silently grateful for that.

“We’ll continue on to Creta, then. We still have enough time to make our diplomatic appearance at their autumn festival,” the king huffed as he settled into his seat. At his word, the carriage began rolling again, the horses outside whinnying as their hooves clacked against the stone road.

With a worried and broken heart, she watched the stranger as she was whisked away by the age-old duty of her and her kin, already pining for this man she had never once spoken to.

His image did not leave her mind for the next three days. Constantly, she found herself thinking about how handsome he was, and how kind he seemed to her. The warmth and benevolence in his face as he calmed and helped the child was a snapshot; a painting in Olivier’s mind, always on her thoughts. She found herself wondering actually how tall he was if they were to stand side-by-side, and how his voice sounded– but, most of all, she wondered about his story. Was he a serf or a servant of one of the nobles in their area? Did he have any family?

That was how her feet found their way to the castle gates one afternoon. The garden was more bare than usual– typically, it was maintained with an intense perfection; all of the flowers and decorative plants framing the entrance to the white and gold castle that lay nestled within the wide, circular garden. Now, with the cold season encroaching, however, only those evolutionarily fit to survive the winter were present, the rest having gone dormant to bide their time until spring.

It was rare for her to wear big, showy dresses when not specifically performing any of her royal duties, so now, Olivier stood behind the closed gates, in a comfortable, yet elegant and expensive dress. A shawl sat upon her shoulders, hopefully to shield her neck and arms from the sharp bite of the chilled wind.

She glanced to her right, then her left, then behind her, to make sure none of the guards were nearby to see her exist the castle grounds. Upon confirmation that she was alone and out of sight, she put her weight into one of the sides of the gate, the ornate, heavy metal bars creaking open quietly. She opened it just enough for her small body to slip through, and for her to easily close it back afterwards, leaving no trace of her exit.

The market was not a long walk from the castle in the slightest; it took her around ten minutes for her to start smelling the fresh foods being sold as well as the slight iron scent of vendor’s jewelry. The crowds had thickened as well, and once she noticed this, she lifted the shawl to loosely lay over her golden hair; hopefully no one would recognize her amongst the hustle and hurry of daily life.

She, however, had nothing she had to rush for, so she took her time looking around. While her main quest was to find the Ishvalan, if it was even possible, she also looked at some merchant stalls while she was at it. Seeing nothing of deep interest to her, she continued her search for him.

About an hour later, her heart was beginning to sink. For whatever reason, she had started her journey hopeful and optimistic, though the chances of her finding him had always been slim. Slowly, she tore herself away from the busy marketplace, and she began to trudge home, crestfallen.

She had been staring down at her feet, so she didn’t see any of the faces of the people passing by her, yet the low hum of a tune caught her attention, causing her to look up.

In front of her, walking the opposite way of her, was the Ishvalan. He seemed to be just as distracted as she was, since his red eyes were trained on a small, torn paper in his hand. Deeply, and seemingly unaware that he was doing so, he hummed to himself. What, Olivier did not recognize. But that didn’t matter at the moment.

She hurried to him, “Excuse me!”

He paused, confused for a moment, until he turned to her calmly. After mentally connecting the dots, his eyes widened, and his demeanor turned worrisome and hesitant seemingly at the flip of a switch, “P.. Princess Armstrong?”

He started to kneel, as was protocol when meeting royalty, yet her hands caught his biceps in an attempt to stop him from doing so. At once, the contact sent heat to her cheeks, as she felt the muscle twitch, hidden beneath the cloth of his sleeves.

“Please, none of that,” she said, mustering up as friendly a tone as possible. “What is your name?”

He swallowed, very obviously nervous in her presence. Perhaps the law had finally come for him, for whatever reason, “Miles, Princess.”

“Miles,” she spoke, testing the name on her tongue. “I saw what you did for that child a few days ago. Was he okay?”

More perplexed now than anything, the Ishvalan blinked, alerting Olivier to the fact that his eyelashes matched the white of his hair, “Ah, yes… He was separated from his mother and, in looking for her, he had found himself lost. I simply helped him get to her again.”

“Those men didn’t give you any more trouble?”

“It really was you who sent that guard over…? I didn’t believe it was true,” Miles breathed, then stuttered– “I apologize for answering your question with one of my own, ma’am, I just–”

“You don’t have to be nervous,” Olivier insisted, offering him a slight smile.

She was sure he was apprehensive due to the long-lived rumor that her temper was extremely short. In a way, it was– but only to stupidity. Olivier experienced a lot of it, no matter how short the amount of time she had been on this earth, especially in the form of people who thought they were better than her for whatever reason. She often enjoyed sneaking away to the Knights’ Hall, where she would watch the men train and bellow about old war stories. They all, surprisingly, were rather welcoming of her, but only after she beat one of their own at fencing without any prior training did she earn their respect. Many others not in their order, however, looked down upon their interactions, saying a lady had no place amongst the rough and tumble of the Royal Guard.

That was when her short temper showed itself, yet only a few isolated incidents of her rage were enough fuel to fire a longstanding image of her in the minds of the people of Amestris– an image the king wholeheartedly hoped would soon dissipate once she settled down and had a few perfect children with a perfect, pure-blooded high-society man.

“What did that merchant say to you?”

“Merchant, Princess…?”

“I saw him refuse your money, I believe,” Olivier responded, her inflection a question. At this, Miles seemed to understand, giving her a slight nod.

“The child was hungry, and I was going to buy him food, but the merchant hiked up the price once he saw what I was.”

His words didn’t sound painful, but Olivier knew they must have been. She couldn’t imagine what a life different than hers was like– the disparity in where each of them sat on the hierarchical food chain was astounding, and to her, very upsetting.

“How much was it?”

The Ishvalan shrugged gently, his gaze flickering to the stone street below him for a brief, sheepish moment, “Maybe four gold pieces, I don’t remember. It wasn’t a lot, but he made me pay eight.” He smiled slightly crookedly, awkwardly, “That was all the money I had. I’m glad he didn’t make it go any higher.”

She knew he wasn’t fishing for anything, yet she took out her own coin purse, made of woven silk, with gold accents. At just the sight of it, Olivier thought Miles was going to have a heart attack by the way he eyed the accessory in awe, as if he had never seen anything like it in his life.

“You and your kindness deserve more than what life has given you. I’m sorry,” the princess spoke, counting out fifteen gold pieces. After a moment, she gave up and handed him the whole pouch. There was more where that came from; she was not having to go without if she gave him what gold she had on her. The amount was insignificant to her.

“I-I can’t take this, Princess,” Miles stammered, immediately trying to give it back to her.

“I insist,” Olivier said, not accepting the return of her gift. “If you don’t want to take it for free, then maybe…”

Miles was silent, aware that she trailed off, yet politely and quietly waiting for her to gather her thoughts and continue.

“We can just talk, if that’s okay? I’d like to learn more about you and your culture.”

He seemed surprised at her offer, initially. His eyes glowed with the subtle hint of suspicion, for why would the next queen of Amestris ask such a thing of him, of all people? However, as their conversation continued on, Olivier could very obviously tell that he was growing more comfortable with her.

She followed him into the market, where he first told her about his life thus far, as he got food for himself (and her, if she wanted, though she politely turned down his offer, having just eaten at the castle before she had slipped away) with his newly-gifted gold.

She was surprised to learn the reason he was not a servant, rather, why he was not for the moment. He was only a quarter Ishvalan, and most nobles wanted nothing to do with one of ‘tainted bloodlines’, as he described to her revulsion. She never liked the nobles in the area; they were all much too posh for her tastes, and this fact just solidified her negative opinions of them, if they hadn’t been set in stone already. Miles continued on, claiming that, yet, since he still looked full-blooded, he could not find work anywhere. The few small towns Ishvalans usually lived in did not take too kindly to him either, also because of his genes. He was too Amestrian for them, yet too Ishvalan for the Amestrians.

Once his shopping was done, they began the walk back to the castle, upon Miles offering to walk her home. His genuine kindness and politeness blossomed something within her, a gratitude, but also an attraction. Yes, he saw her as a princess at first glance, but after they had spoken for a good amount of time, she could feel the informality fading, left behind in the marketplace. She had half a mind to sneak him inside the castle– she seemed to finally have herself an actual friend for the first time in her life, and she didn’t want to lose that. He did not want to be acquainted with her because of her money or status, he seemed to genuinely enjoy talking to her.

They stopped far enough away from the castle road so that Miles would not get caught alone with the princess (no one was allowed that, much less an Ishvalan) by the guards. As they said their farewells, Olivier asked him the fated question, so comfortable with him somehow, she didn’t even need to muster any form of courage– could she see him again?

With a friendly smile and a warm voice, he told her he would be more than happy to.

Days melted into weeks, and weeks into months. The princess would sneak out, just as she had done the first time, to meet the Ishvalan. She hadn’t been caught for the first three months of their friendship, having made multiple elaborate excuses to conceal why she was often absent at the same time nearly every other day. One day, however, a knight caught her outside the gates upon her return from one of their meetings. While he did ask her what she had been doing out without a guide, he did not press the matter upon her refusal to answer. As protocol required, he informed the king of his daughter’s little trip, and, as expected, Philip Gargantos Armstrong III forbade her from leaving the castle, no longer allowing her in the courtyard or gardens. He even went as far as to hire a guard to follow her even when inside the castle, to Olivier’s horror.

With not a semblance of respect for what rules had been set for her, in typical Olivier fashion, she simply found a way around this new development. Owen had miraculously been placed as her personal guard, so some quick convincing on the princess’s part rendered her free from her warden. As a result, she simply changed the time she usually left, from the afternoon to dusk. Now under the cover of the night sky, she was even more difficult to spot, and she wondered why she even left during the day in the first place. This was all so much easier.

Friendship quickly blossomed between the two strangers as time drew on, their cultures and stories exchanged at length, over traditional Ishvalan food that Miles was more than happy to prepare for the Amestrian. Olivier especially was ecstatic to finally have someone she could call her best friend, yet all the while, as their relationship grew, she couldn’t help but develop certain feelings, which had not a semblance of platonicity.

Unbeknownst to her, the Ishvalan felt the same way, yet there was a fear. He couldn’t bring it up; even though Olivier saw no difference between them, he knew no one else would approve. He did not want her quality of life to suffer if they were found out.

Miles had been off for their past few meeting, and the Amestrian had definitely noticed. She eyed him worriedly as he prepared the meal they would be sharing, his eyes trained downwards, in seemingly deep focus.

“Miles,” She spoke up softly, gathering his attention. Bright blue eyes met the deep red, and Olivier suddenly felt heat in her cheeks.

He hummed an affirmation to her.

“Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing,” he responded with a small smile. “Just had a hard day.”

“I’m sorry,” Olivier looked down at her lap as she sat. She wasn’t sure how she could help, and while she had debated on telling him her feelings for a good while, she was afraid he did not reciprocate. If he did not feel the same way, there’s was no telling if he would react positively or not. She would be okay without having the feelings mutual, but she didn’t want it to negatively affect their friendship if that was the case.

She was silent for a good, long moment, before she finally spoke up, “I watched the knights train again today.”

“That’s nice,” Miles spoke, twisting his wrist slightly as he held the pan he was making their meal in. It smelled incredible, and he had told her what it was prior to meal preparation, but she had already forgotten what the word was. “Did you have fun?”

She nodded before remembering that he was not looking over at her, so she replied audibly, “Mhmm. I wish I could join them.”

“There’s so much you wish you could do,” the Ishvalan said, turning his head slightly. She saw him look over at her out of the corner of his eye, “If you could, what would you make of your life?”

Olivier blinked, not having expected such a loaded question, “I… I’ve only ever thought of small things, not the whole picture of what my life would be. But I suppose… If I had it my way, I would like to be free and independent. I can do things myself, but just because I’m the princess, they assume I want everything to be done for me. If I was a prince, I’m sure their tune would change.”

Miles nodded gently, “Unfortunately, you’re probably right…”

“I’d like to be captain of the Royal Guard,” Olivier continued after a small nod of agreement. “Then, I would be viewed as strong and powerful, but not as my birthright. It would be a status I earned for myself, and then, people wouldn’t even have the chance to think of me as lazy, or fragile, or weak. The populace believes those things because I’m never given the opportunity to prove them as false.”

“So, captain of the Royal Guard,” Miles said, his tone mirthful. “What else?”

“I would rise the ranks to royalty as something I worked for and achieved with my prowess and leadership, rather than my bloodline. I would create a nation on the foundations of acceptance, taking all those who were cast away and ostracized for things out of their control.”

“That’s very admirable,” The Ishvalan plated their now-complete food. He smiled lightheartedly, “I know quite a few people that would enjoy that.”

“Exactly. I would need someone by my side, though,” she mused, eyes lowering. Miles neared her, setting her plate down in front of her.

“You’re strong enough on your own. You don’t need anyone else.”

“I don’t need someone else,” the Amestrian continued, her gaze rising to meet his. “But having someone to reign me in would be nice. I can be sort of hotheaded, and I need someone rational to stand with me. Someone different than I am, so the two of us could lead together. Having one dominating viewpoint in a leadership is dangerous.”

His blood-red eyes searched hers in silence.

“I would need someone like you.”

“Father,” Olivier spoke up. The king was in his large study, a book presumably detailing the history of Amestris in his hand as he sat in his large and ornate chair. He turned up to glance at her, his face just reeking of unenthusiasm.

“Yes, Daughter?”

“I need to speak with you, if you can spare a moment. It’s very important.”

He sighed, placing a bookmark delicately into the spine of his book before shutting it, setting it on the small table that stood beside his chair. He sat silently, waiting for her to continue, the air around him heavy and pressing.

“I know who I would wish to be courted by.”

King Armstrong’s flesh seemed to jump as she spoke. He immediately sat taller in his seat, placing his palms upon the fabric arms of the chair, leaning forward expectantly, “You have? By god, Olivier, this is enormous! Why didn’t you say anything before, my dear? We must plan for the courtship immediately–”

She knew for a fact that his tone would change soon enough.

“He’s an Ishvalan.”

She thought her father had turned to stone, or perhaps he died the moment she spoke, for he was motionless and silent. Not even the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed was visible.

Until he spoke again.

“This must be a joke, Olivier,” his voice was low and grim.

“I love him, Father.”

“You cannot love one of those heathens!” He suddenly stood, and while he was but an inch taller than her, a moment of fear struck her. “So, this is what you’d been sneaking out for! To get seduced by–”

“Father!” She suddenly raised her voice, stepping forward. Surprised at such sudden hostility from his own daughter, the king faltered for a moment. “You said I had the power to choose who I would wed. This falls under that decree! It is of my own volition!”

“Not an Ishvalan!” He yelled back. “They don’t have rights!”

“They’re just like us! I have always known that, no matter how much you’ve tried to hide it!” She heard her voice break, and she didn’t even notice the sting of her nails in her palms as she made a fist, her jaw clenching in tandem. “He’s kind, and gentle–”

“He’s a gold digger, Olivier, he’ll screw anyone and marry them as long as they have money. That’s how they all are,” the king spat, venom in his words. “You naive fool.”

The princess took a moment to calm herself, her tight shoulders slowly falling, the pounding in her temples subsiding slightly. In a small intake of breath, her tone lowered barely above a whisper, “Fine. I’ll lock myself in my room and never come out, if you really wish for me to be unhappy forever.”

“Maybe while you’re there, you’ll grow a brain,” he huffed, sitting heavily back down in his chair. “You’ll come out eventually, once you’ve broken yourself. Once you have enough sense in you, you’ll be welcomed back into the family.”

With that, he roughly flipped open his book, ending the conversation.

Olivier spun on her heels and stormed off, yet she could not shake the feeling that the air around her had cleared. If he truly thought she was going to stay in her room and brood, she doubted he would place guards to watch her. He would assign Owen to her, at least, and he was no threat due to his understanding of the princess– if anything, he was her only ally in this. It seemed as if there were no loose ends yet to be tied.

She would leave tomorrow tonight.

Catherine followed her sister through the courtyard, her steps light and high as she tried to avoid stepping on the cold, stone pathway that led to the gates. She drew her arms close to her chest, fists balled right beneath her chin, in an attempt to avoid the frigid sting of the nightly breeze on her bare arms.

“That night, I had Owen send Miles a message, telling him I would be leaving tonight. He’s waiting outside the gates for me,” her older sister spoke, full of resolve.

“What will you two do?” Catherine asked, more worried than anything now. After Olivier told her the story, the youngest Armstrong understood her reasons for fleeing. However, now Catherine had her sister’s safety to fear for.

“No doubt, Father will send the guards on a wild search for me come morning. If we were to stay here, we would be found, and I don’t doubt that Miles would be executed.”

Catherine’s fingertips met her lips fearfully. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like; finally falling in love with someone and thinking you were safe with them, yet only to be torn away– and worse, the one you loved murdered in front of your own eyes.

“Miles has no attachments here, so he suggested we flee the country. We’ll go north, to the mountain range, far enough from the reach of the empire. I’m not sure what we’ll do once we’re there, but he knows of an Ishvalan refugee camp we can stay in for a little bit while we gather our thoughts.”

The younger princess nodded, “Why did you have to tell Father in the first place? You could’ve kept seeing him in private.”

“I’m not going to live my life secretly if I don’t have to. Besides, what if Father ended up marrying me off to a foreign lord? I would be taken away from here.”

“But when you become queen–”

“Nothing will change,” Olivier turned back to her sister, Catherine noticing how much her eyes shone like the cold frozen lakes that lay north of their kingdom. “The public wouldn’t approve of our union, even if I changed the laws. I wouldn’t want him to be put in danger.”

Catherine was silent for a moment before giving her sister a small nod. “I hope you two will be happier this way.”

“It will give us both a chance to live beyond what our blood has destined us for. I have faith that we will.”

They reached the gates, and Catherine watched as her sister leaned into one of them; it opening with a shrill creak. Beyond the castle grounds, she saw a shape emerge from the bushes, laden with a large bag and cloak similar to what her sister had donned.

Instantly, she could feel Olivier’s mood brighten as she looked up and spotted the Ishvalan. She did not even wait until the gate was fully open before she squeezed through, hurrying to him.

They met in an embrace, the stranger lifting her sister off of the ground and swinging her in a gentle circle around him. They were too far for Catherine to see their faces in the darkness of the moonless night, yet she saw Olivier bury her face in Miles’s chest as he drew her closer to him.

She lifted her hand, setting it on the bar of the gate, the cold sending a slight shock up her arm. Feeling a small smile grow on her face, she watched as her sister and the man she loved part their embrace, her hands in his. Without a word, she wrapped delicate fingers around metal, gripping the bar of the gate. With some effort, she closed it in front of her.

Hearing the creaking of the closing gate, both figures turned to Catherine; a pair of blue eyes not unlike her own, and another pair the stark opposite watching her from afar. The smaller lifting a hand in a final farewell.

After seeing Catherine return the gesture, Olivier turned up to the Ishvalan and spoke something inaudible to him, before the pair turned their backs to the castle, fleeing into the night.

“Goodbye, Sister,” Catherine breathed softly to herself, unable to shake her smile. Never before had she seen her sister so joyful, and she was sure, in the darkness of the winter-chilled night, their love thawed the ice of a once frozen-over heart.

//////

I honestly struggled with the idea behind this one for quite a while. I’ve been doing a lot of AUs with these askmemes, so I wanted to try another, but I couldn’t think of a good enough verse for some reason x’D I finally settled on royalty, obviously. I just hope I handled the whole racism-against-Ishvalans thing correctly.I recognize that the plot is kind of very Disney’s Aladdin-esque, with the princess sneaking out and meeting the poor man she eventually falls in love with. I’m sure Aladdin wasn’t the first story to use that plot device but :‘3 that’s the first that comes to mind. I hope that’s okay and I also very much hope that Olivier is in-character enough. It’s sort of difficult with verses like this to keep her personality canon dfgvhgb. Like if she was already queen it would be easier, though in this, it’s once again young!Olivier, and we don’t know what her personality was like when she was was around this age.

also cfvgbhjk the “i need someone like you” comment was meant to be a reference to when Olivier told Miles she needed someone with his eyes to help her lead when he was trying to leave Briggs :’)

thanks for reading, and thank you Illy for sending this one in!

#my writing #fanfic #fanfiction #fma fanfic #fmab fanfic #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood fanfic #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fullmetal alchemist fanfiction #fullmetal alchemist fanfic #olivier armstrong #fma olivier armstrong #olivier mira armstrong #fma olivier #fma olivier mira armstrong #fma major miles #fma miles #major miles #livmiles

19 notes · View notes

felassan · 7 years

Note

7, 26, and 31 for Roo?

compiling some character askmeme asks into one post to reduce dash clutter. this first one refers to this meme. the answers are under a cut for length (there are asks from other people below the cut).

7. How do they feel at night, in silence, all alone?

Roo has trouble sleeping owing to significant insomnia-type issues. sometimes she takes something to put herself out. other times she doesn’t. those times, she has to do something in order to keep her mind occupied. taking tech apart and putting it back together again, or just taking it apart. drinking. working out. watching crappy movies. pacing. making food and not eating it. she does a lot of ‘not eating it’. sometimes shooting the shit with anyone else who happens to be up at the same godawful hour (she’ll talk any kinda crap at those times, as long as it’s shallow and surface level). anything to avoid looking inwards basically. she occupies this strange space where she prefers her own company and is a fairly solitary sort, but has a chronic need for external stimulation in order to distract herself from herself and avoid anything approaching introspection. she’s restless and leaves a lot of projects unfinished. the mess come morning is probably the cause of several irritated notes left on the Tempest crew dorm noticeboard.

26. How do they cope with sorrow

short answer: she doesn’t. an enneagram 7, Roo is essentially in flight from herself - consequently she ends up in flight from any pain she’s supposedly-experiencing and doesn’t identify her feelings or process things in a healthy way. instead she numbly seeks sensations, which is a bad feedback loop. she tries to avoid both responsibility and emotions. I guess that makes her an escapist?

31. Tell me about their aesthetic

mm.. a lil bit punky, a lil bit grungy, ‘Omega chic’. wears a lot of black. some images and posts that sorta ‘spoke’ Roo’s aesthetic to me are collected in my Andromeda inspo tag. sarah manning, lisbeth salander and jessica jones were definitely influences. she’d look at home in any cyberpunk-esque ‘illegal underground’ type settings, or in the Belt in the Expanse.

kestrelsansjesses said: questions 1 and 2 for your Ryder :)

universepepperland said: 8 12 19 for Roo! :O

noctmore said: 8, 12, 13, and 14.

These other asks refer to this meme.

1. The basics! Whats their full name, gender, and sexuality? Describe their general appearance and/or include a picture. Is there anything you canon beyond what the game allows?

Ruairidh Ryder, “Roo” for short. She’s nb afab, bi/whatever (since I’m apparently incapable of creating anything else). This is her current appearance. she shares hazel eyes and a matching tattoo with her twin brother (it was her idea, they were very drunk) - his is on the other side of his neck though. her hair is naturally dark - the silver/gray is a genemod. the scarring is from a barfight she doesn’t remember. the game CC doesn’t allow for her unhealthy pallor, long nose, the dark circles under her eyes or her general overly-lean and wiry appearance/frame.

2. Can’t always wear Initiative whites and blues, Whats their dress style like? Do they prefer casual wear, or being in armor? Is it the same as it was in the Milky Way? How, if applicable, has it changed since arriving in Helius?

dress style is pretty much covered up there under 31 I think. prefers casual wear (the tank and the jacket) due to her tendency to wish to do as she pleases. her preferences in armor tend towards techy, experimental, custom/modded pieces (some illegal and obtained via underhanded means). its not uncommon to find her wearing armor pieces from different sets cobbled together to suit her preferences. not much has changed since arriving in Heleus - except that outside of the uniformed rigidity of the Alliance, she has more room and ability to do.. whatever the fuck she wants.

8. Its all in the family. Explain their relationship with Alec, Ellen, and their sibling. If you changed anyone’s names or added a different sibling in your canon, explain why.

Roo and her mother were (are) pretty estranged - if you ask Roo, she was something of a workaholic. Roo loves her twin brother, but doesn’t know how to relate to him or how to connect with him. on some level she feels like she should be responsible for him, but knows she’s like the most irresponsible person ever. they don’t communicate as often as she knows they should. when they do talk, she feels like she’s reading from cue-cards, playing out a script of how a sister should act towards her brother. with her brother she does a lot of sorta “saying the thing she’s probably expected??? by the world??? to say??? in this situation???” she feels like a bad sibling. she ignores that feeling most of the time though.

Roo and her father’s relationship was strained and sometimes tumultuous, especially when she was a teenager. Alec was away on duty a lot. after he dies, she’s pretty mad at him for leaving again, for dragging her and her brother and humanity’s recruits along to Andromeda and pooping on the family name with his AI bullshit back in the MW in the first place, for Andromeda being a bust, for what he did with her mom, for all his lies and secrets ever, for burdening her with all this responsibility and shit that she never wanted to even be a million light years away from, for landing her in a shitheap crazytown situation and kicking the bucket. thanks dad.

when the twins were really young, though, Alec shared his love of new frontiers and exploring by taking the little Ryders on trips to wild places.. they grew up on bedside stories about his adventures in the Sierra Nevadas, through the Charon Relay, in the First Contact War. she remembers that stuff fondly.

12. Explain the way they feel about their squadmates, both initially and over the course of the story.

oof, quite the question. mmm here are some unstructured brief ‘snapshots’ from different points, in a rough note format, of my thoughts on the relationships between them and Roo (these arent descriptions of their relationships in their totality, mind) -

Liam - his easy manner and early-on ‘normalness’ relative to all the crazy shit happening around her like Alec’s death, the new galaxy being a bust, being made the Pathfinder were.. not quite a reassurance or a stabilizing/grounding force, she’s was too guarded and disconnected from her feelings for that, but definitely they were a helpful dose of normality; the beer was a good call on his part; they had an impulsive Moment when they were both raw and reeling; later on, they clash some over the way he speaks to Vetra at points, over their shared recklessness/impulsiveness and mutual hypocrisies, over his (in her eyes) idealism/naivete, and over their differing ideas (values really) about crime and drugs in Andromeda. (I love Liam though)

Vetra - from the very outset Roo taps the turian as 1) someone who can hook her up with things she and the Pathfinder crew need - ‘now here is someone established who knows people, the market, and can source what I ask for’ - as a jack of all trades procurer and 2) someone from ‘her’ side of the track. Roo’s plenty experienced in accessing that sort of stuff for herself, but Vetra’s been moving in Andromeda for over a year before Roo arrives. shes established. a lot of their first interactions center around and began from this. naturally, because of this and her keen observational skills, Vetra is the first person on the Tempest to recognize the full extent of Roo’s problems. a friendship develops out of this early association and out of the chequered backgrounds they have in common - they’re quite similar people in that regard. later on, Vetra becomes Roo’s closest and most valued friend. Roo comes to rely on Vetra’s calm manner and resourcefulness, and appreciates her dry sense of humor. I think Vetra is probably the only one from the Tempest crew Roo genuinely and completely trusts, and probably Roo’s first real friend ever (prior to the game all of her ‘friendships’ had been loose-bonding, shallow surface-level associations). Roo dotes on Sid.

Cora - Roo really struggles with Cora. Cora is disciplined, successful and a good soldier. that’s everything Roo should be, but isn’t. Cora was close to Alec and trusted him and his vision - Roo wasn’t and didn’t. Roo struggles with some jealousy and feeling like Cora was sort of like the ideal daughter Alec wanted but didn’t end up with. she resents their close relationship/mentorship. she resents that Cora initially struggles with her own feelings of jealousy/resentment over not being made Pathfinder - Roo feels like, I sure af didn’t want any of this, this isn’t my fault or choice. she’d much rather Cora was the Pathfinder and then she could just go and do her own thing elsewhere with no responsibility. it’s a shame and kind of ironic because in a way they’re both lost biotic outcast outsider kids that don’t fit in and have troubles with parental figures. Roo thinks all the asari stuff is really stupid and doesn’t have any time or patience for any kind of philosophy shit. she also struggles with the feeling that she’s trying to grieve and come to terms with her father’s death and sort out her messed up feelings and thoughts on the whole thing, meanwhile Cora (in Roo’s eyes) makes Alec’s death all about herself for a while. Cora’s workaholic tendencies and focus on order don’t gel well with Roo’s lazyness and scattered approach to life. they have a love of hydroponics as some common ground.

Jaal - ah Jaal. Jaal and Roo struggle for a long time to find a bare modicum of trust and common ground for a working comrade-relationship.. they both lack close ties and have no real sense of purpose and come from famous families and have issues relating to this, but they’re super opposites as people. Jaal is so loud, emotional, heart-on-his-sleeve, talk-about-our-feelings, effusive. it unnerves Roo and makes her feel intensely uncomfortable, he’s far too open, she’s intensely private about personal things and not at all introspective or prone to considering her feelings or discussing feelings in the least. she finds it really strange and alien (pun not intended). it’s far too much for her, almost overwhelming. also she can’t comprehend his spirituality or the emphasis on family. I think she found dealing with Jaal easier when he was still cagey, guarded and withdrawn (shortly after joining the crew). meanwhile, Jaal finds Roo inauthentic and disconnected, both from herself and her inner world and others (and it’s true), and unable to take anything seriously. to an angara she’s so closed off that she seems almost broken and possibly duplicitous (because what are you hiding? from us? from yourself?). she doesn’t let people in and also has a tendency to lie. it’s a bad combo for trying to engage with angara. Roo is Kadara personified; Jaal hates Kadara and what it represents.

Peebee - its not entirely plain sailing for Peebee and Roo, they have a couple fights, but they have more in common than they do that’s different, and they have more in common than Roo and the rest of the squad, Vetra notwithstanding. they’re both lone wolfy, external-stimulation-seeking, casual approach to things, keep people at arms’ length, reckless/impulsive, lacking in social graces because they dont care, tell lies, a chronic need to be in search of fun and adventure, etc. some contrasts - Roo is quieter, less completely-irreverent, less energetic & impish & cheerful, more secure, less interested in the academic. Roo also doesn’t experience the same growth Peebs does (her teamwork arc). still, they get on reasonably well. for a time they even engage in a casual fwb setup, it ended amicably. as far as friendships go, Roo appreciates that Peebs knows how to have fun and that they can kill time together doing whatever, while not going too far beyond the ‘surface’ level or pushing Roo to talk about herself, her feelings, or anything personal. Peebs Gets It.

Drack - I’d venture to say that after Vetra Drack is the squadmate Roo is closest to. she starts out chafing under the “kid” stuff, thinking its condescending. they eventually reach an understanding, Roo realizes its affectionate in nature, gains +1 father/grandpa figure (which I think is something she sorely needs [see stuff about Alec above]). drack came to Andromeda because his clan came, she came because her family came, they both came to see new stuff and find new stuff to shoot. they have a love of a good fight in common, which naturally goes a long way to cement a friendship. Drack is also surprisingly insightful when it comes to Roo’s feelings - I think he identifies them much better and a lot quicker than she does, if she even does at all. she appreciates how cool and laidback Drack is and thinks he’s hilarious, a real riot. Chosen Family trope applies. she’s also super interested in his cybernetics. he cooks for her quite a lot I think - Roo’s idea of cooking is boiling water for instant meals. I think at one point Vetra expresses a wish that Drack raised her. I don’t think Roo’s feelings about him are much different.

13. Explain the way they feel about the rest of the Tempest crew?

Gil - they’re pretty fast friends. which is great for them both, because until then Gil only had Jill and Roo had no friendships with actual depth or substance (or only had Vetra, time-point depending). they settle into an easy friendship quite early on as they share a mutual understanding (neither of them want to discuss their pasts or their personal lives), similar interests (both a dab hand with tech and with cards), similar values (adaptability over sentimentality) and some unifying traits - both are sort of purposeless kids, they both impulsively do risky things without thinking them through. I think they recognize the kindred spiritness in each other. Roo loves Gil’s sense of humor. they drink and play poker together a lot. Roo hates Jill and thinks she’s weird and creepy and abusive and invasive. Roo wishes she could relate/connect to her brother the way she relates and connects to Gil.

Suvi - Roo likes Suvi fine enough I think, even enjoys her company somewhat. she’s smart and nice, helpful and useful, non-judgemental, and doesn’t push Roo’s boundaries about emotions or privacy etc. they do have verrry little in common. Roo appreciates her brilliance but Suvi’s religious views just don’t compute; Roo disagrees pretty strongly with her views on religion+science (Roo doesn’t believe in anything except herself really and sees nothing divine or intelligent about the way things are; nothing is mystical, everything is ‘flat’). but it’s not really a problem between them. Roo has no real interest in or head for philosophical discussions or that type of debates, however conversely she’s often looking for distraction, so there’s that. I think they sometimes sit up during the night cycle and watch the stars go by together on the bridge. sometimes in companionable quiet, and sometimes Suvi tells her all sorts of things she doesn’t know about space and science. Roo is happy to listen.

Lexi - Roo values her skill, approves of her objectivity and appreciates her aloofness. on the flipside, she finds the medical attention and questions invasive, unwanted and unwelcome. she does know Lexi is just doing her job and also trying to look out for her as a crewmate, but Roo doesn’t want to hear any advice, concerns or judgements about her lifestyle or habits. she routinely skips her medical exams, ignores her medical advice and lies to her about what she’s been doing (and not doing). I think they run into each other drinking in the bar more than they would like. I think Roo frustrates and stresses Lexi out a lot.

Kallo - they’re friendlyish. he’s sharp, he’s witty. sometimes they talk about random crap. I think he sometimes gives her a lowkey headache though and she wishes he’d loosen up. she struggles to relate to him somewhat because of his unique memory setup and his personal feelings about / being mired in the past. she’s not sentimental and takes risks, believes in adapting on the fly. they eventually become something close to friends once they reach an understanding. reckon they enjoy shit-talking the rest of the crew together, lol.

SAM - the technological advances, increases to her abilities and implications on a cybernetic/transhumanism front excite her, but mostly Roo tries really hard not to think about SAM and their connection. she misses being alone in her own head and hates & resents the impact on her privacy / general invasiveness of the setup. she blames her father for this though, not SAM. it’s not SAM’s fault.

14. How about Nexus leadership and the people on the Nexus in general?

briefly:

she thinks Kesh is cool

Addison is irrelevant to her

likes Tiran

“fuck Tann” (even though they’re both wildly out of their comfort zones and have been thrown off the deep end into something they’re not prepared for)

she feels disconnected to the people on the Nexus in general. yknow, she’s disconnected from most things. tbh she doesnt really care about most of them. she knows she doesn’t want to be responsible for their safety or survival. she knows she would have rather gotten to Andromeda and vanished into the crowd. the Nexus is a faceless mass she struggles to conceive of in any personal or meaningful way. she feels more at home on Kadara. the people in Kadara Port are more like her. Kadara Port is her favorite place.

19. How do they feel being in command of the Tempest? Whats their favorite part of the ship? Least favorite?

being in command of the Tempest is a mixed bag, at once freeing and caging. on one hand she’s psyched to have control of such an amazing hightech ship, lets get this baby dirty and fly away, lets go do crazy shit, go where she wants, do what she wants, see what she wants, the only person she’s beholden to is herself. fuck the rules and regimentation of the Alliance and everyone else, this is freedom now, and in a wild lawless place too. on the other, shes beholden to Nexus leadership and all these random people, she has a huge responsibility and burden that she DID NOT DID NOT want, and this was supposed to be her father’s ship and her father’s command. she’s not a hero or a reliable person and just wants to fuck off and do her own thing. I think she let Alec drag her to Andromeda so she could still be in the same galaxy and timepoint as her father and brother at least, and because ‘fuck it’/she lacks direction and drive/she had no ties in the MW/the things she likes are probably all the same no matter what galaxy you’re in/recklessly seeing new stuff/other ill-advised half-baked not-thought-out reasons - I think she was hiding from her father and brother that she planned on quitting the “Pathfinder team” once they arrived in Andromeda, kept up the lie so she could at least have passage and get there, yknow. on arrival she was gonna leave the Pathfinding whatever to her father and his team and fuck off to the Nexus underbelly to keep on pleasing herself and doing her own thing and generally being the same Roo she always was, just in a different galaxy. yeah that went well.

her favorite part of the ship was the tech lab. I suppose it still is, it’s just that she she doesn’t go there as much as she used to. with her interest in tech and need to keep herself/her mind busy, the tech lab was for a time a sanctuary where she hid out to avoid unwanted social contact and took tech apart and put it back together, modded things, experimented. unfortunately for Roo, Jaal opted to take up residence there when he joined the crew. that was a source of some frustration/irritation on her part for a while, and even a bit of tension between them over the use and sharing of the space. she ends up going there a lot less due to the aforementioned discomfort with Jaal’s expressive/effusiveness. she’d spend more time in the bio lab (she likes hydroponics) if it weren’t for Cora/her struggles with Cora. she likes the bridge when it’s unattended/autopiloted in the night cycle and the ship is travelling through space - she sits with a cup of coffee and her legs dangling over the ‘edge’, and watches space go by. I think she spends the most time in Vetra’s room, either alone or in companionable silence with Vetra as they each do their own thing, like their own datapads/terminals or respective tinkering projects, etc. she’s comfortable around Vetra and the space is out the way, with no thoroughfare.

her least favorite part of the ship, ironically, is the Pathfinder’s Quarters. this space isn’t hers. it was not meant for her. it’s her father’s. and she hates that - what it means she’s lost, what it means she’s responsible for, what it means she was never meant to be doing.

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