#and then two seconds later Apollo references that it’s the first time they’ve shared the bench since his first trial

[probablygayattorneys]

My brother in Christ….. need I remind you…

[subfunctions]

i’ve been thinking about “modern” AUs with aloy and some of the npcs as the teen squad, and elisabet, gaia, the alphas, and some older npcs as the adult squad, but i realized that i’m just bored with normal settings no matter what.

so i wanted to spice it up with another AU, and then i thought.................. jurassic park. with robot dinos.

ted decides that he can make more money and some good pr by making a show out of his cool military robots and some “greener” designs that he allegedly stole from miriam tech. in an attempt to smooth over some lawsuits, he invites elisabet and gaia (human in this AU), their team, and their families/invitees of choice to the island amusement park for it’s pre-opening, as a kind of good faith gesture, while showing it off to investors and other business and scientist folk.

and of course...... life finds a way. even artificial life.

scattered thoughts:

let’s call the island....... osiris park, maybe. ostensibly for the reference to cycles and resurrection and the father of horus, but mostly for the irony.

i’m thinking that there would be some kind of renewed environmental efforts, maybe with some extreme environmental damage and climate change rearing its head again due to, you know, constant robotic warfare and corporate greed still going at it. and maybe FAS is taking the brunt of the blame for claw-back efforts of previous decades being undone.

so it’s elisabet and gaia putting their heads together for the same basic outcome (environmental restoration, except on a smaller scale), and that’s why a team from all over the world (alphas, betas, gammas) has been gathered under a project spearheaded by miriam tech.

but now miriam technologies and faro automated solutions are reluctantly working together, along with other corporations, governments, etc., for the purposes of renewed environmental efforts. hence why ted is trying to get back into elisabet’s good graces - dropping lawsuits, offering to settle on the stolen ideas thing - as she and gaia are the people making waves where green robotics are concerned. this would be a few years before when the faro plague would occur. insert timeline tweaking where necessary.

so the miriam robots are the GAIA machines we know and love (like grazers), and ted’s stolen designs, on the island, are modified versions of unused miriam ideas and are the HEPHAESTUS robots we know and love (like sawtooths). a specific line of war machines, the chariot robots, are being showcased for the first time on the island as well.

the alphas would serve the same basic functions, with some tweaks, and their individual divisions would have the same names (HEPHAESTUS, etc.). for clarification: patrick is there for the purposes of preserving endangered species (plant and animal) until certain habitats are restored. samina works with the team as chief cultural consultant, since there’s a lot of cross-national work going on, and the APOLLO division is in charge of navigating that web and making sure that their efforts reflect cultural preservation and don’t step on toes. ayomide (the MINERVA alpha) is a retired military captain turned security programmer for the project. travis is there as another lead programmer, and the HADES division is dedicated to correcting errors in the project. and the rest are pretty self-explanatory.

there’s always a bunch of young people running around miriam, people’s kids/relatives/interns/etc., and the alphas have sort of taken them all under their respective wings.

so, family/friend stuff, and what kind of nerds everyone would be. it’s going to align with the first gen -> second gen alpha set-up i have in my fic because i’m attached to that now:

elisabet and gaia are roboticists/engineers and aloy’s moms, and maybe rost is elisabet’s adoptive brother or step-brother? and elisabet and gaia are super busy, of course, so rost often takes care of aloy, and aloy basically has a dad-uncle along with two moms. (and i’m gonna imitate a basic idea from the wonderful @project-another-dawn and say that rost is a caretaker/ranger for the now-closed yellowstone national park. also, teersa is aloy’s great-aunt through rost.)

in this, the second generation are all in their mid-to-late teens.

aloy takes after her moms in a variety of interests, but she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life yet. she’s leaning towards engineering.

sona has known elisabet and gaia for a long time and is an engineer who originally did military work until she became disillusioned with it. she specializes in aerospace engineering, and she currently works for miriam under the AETHER division. varl and vala are aloy’s best friends. varl has an interest in genetics and hangs out with patrick a lot. vala is interested in climatology so she spends a lot of time with the AETHER alpha. (still haven’t thought of a name for him, guerrilla games please give me details). haven’t thought of a last name for sona’s family either, but i’ll get there.

they’re all invited to go with the sobeck fam, and varl and vala tag along. sona and rost don’t go, but they catch wind of what’s happening on the island and haul ass to get there later in the story.

ersa and erend are travis’s niece and nephew, and he often declares random days as ‘bring your niblings to work day,’ so they’ve become close friends with aloy and the other teens. he brings them on the island trip. i guess their last name could be tate too, so i don’t have to come up with a modern surname for them. both of them are interested in engineering. erend leans towards agricultural engineering, so he and naoto (last name watanabe, i’ve decided) get along well, and ersa is interested in hydraulics engineering, so she hangs out with the POSEIDON alpha a lot. (guerrilla games, please).

petra (the oldest of the second generation, in her early 20s) has a robotics internship with miriam and is very close with margo, her supervisor, who invites her to the island. haven’t thought of a last name for petra either, r.i.p.

ayomide is vanasha’s mom, and vanasha is fast following in her programming footsteps, so she ends up hanging around miriam with the other teens as well. vanasha okilo! a last name!

charles and tom are talanah’s adoptive dads after her father and brother died in an accident that may or may not have been FAS’s fault. (another lawsuit that ted wants to smooth over.) talanah shares charles’s interest in the natural world, though she leans more towards wanting to study zoology.

jiran is a military investor who works closely with FAS, and nasadi and itamen are avad’s step-mother and half-brother, while older brother kadaman died in a mysterious accident. (i don’t want jiran to be dead in this AU because i want him to get eaten by a machine at some point.) nasadi and samina are cousins, and samina has been mentoring avad, who has an interest in cultural preservation, so samina offers a standing invitation for them to visit miriam whenever. nasadi does so often to get the kids away from their father. (everyone loves itamen, especially vanasha.) no last name on the avad fam front yet, either.

sylens is there at the island’s pre-opening as a preeminent figure in his field; i’m thinking programming. but he’s maybe actually there for shady thievery reasons. he hates corporate science (tm) a lot because seeing pure science twisted to serve money really grinds his gears, so he’s lowkey enjoying watching the mess that FAS gets itself into on their robot dino island.

and the premise, of course, is that life finds a way, and the artificial life on the island goes bonkers while everyone tries desperately contain it to the island and shut it down before it spreads, while also trying to stay alive.

the general idea is that the machines evolved on their own because the complexity of their programming is almost indistinguishable from the complexity of natural life and starts mimicking it. like, it’s because their programming is highkey illegal to begin with (and i think something similar went down in canon, as in someone said fuck the turing act, as part of a plot to sell military bots to various entities and then seize control of them from their owners, and then, well.... Regret), but the machines going rogue is an unintentional side-effect and is simply life finding a way.

but there’s a subplot about security being tampered with, and the island being cut off from the rest of the world, and private black ops showing up, and it turns out that it’s the people who illegally programmed the machines to begin with (far zenith a.k.a. ted’s buddies) trying to cut their losses and cover their tracks the second they know it’s irreversibly gone to shit, because there are a bunch of geniuses on the island who are going to figure it all out real soon.

there absolutely has to be a scene where ted tries to be hip (tm) and in with the teens, and none of them are having it. it’s all [knife emojis] in the group chat.

i’m not going to do anything with this soon because i don’t have time and i have other things to write, but i’ve been thinking about it a lot, and i wanted to get all of this down.

this would also be my general set-up for any “modern” AU where everyone is a big nerd family. i’m not saying that someone should steal this whole thing, but.... i would love.... to read anything with said set-up.

[devittprinces]

slow burn

/sləʊ bəːn/

US, informal

1. Used especially to define works of fiction, it refers to stories featuring events or relationships that develop naturally and gradually, requiring an extensive amount of time to get to a conclusion. The emphasis is usually on the slow evolution of the relationship or the event rather than a quick conflagration into sudden resolution.

What is a slow burn? Specifically, what is a slow burn when applied to a story? The answer is right at the beginning but each story has its own path and each story is different. And yet, analyzing the evolution of what Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor started to create since the first time they crossed paths in the ring, it seems like the best definition to describe their journey.

What happened on Raw two Mondays ago, and the ramifications that the event entailed, truly felt like a cosmic intervention that once again pulled these two together.

Thanks to also the incredible dedication Seth and Finn bring on the table when telling a story, we witnessed yet another chapter in one of the slowest burns in WWE history.

Granted that usually a quick resolution is what the audience prefers, sometimes a certain story requires this type of narrative. And this one, with its stops and ups and downs, is a perfect example.

Because slow burns can work both as a main or as a subplot. They can happen in the background at first, playing up details and small moments since they are heavily character oriented.

Seth and Finn began their journey a few weeks before Summerslam 2016. Their feud was quick paced and all played on a game of smoke and mirrors where both guys taunted each other without realizing how similar they were.

Their Summerslam match, albeit the crowd, was incredible and proved what an amazing chemistry they both had in the ring. Proved how they reach another state completely when squaring off.

And then, the injury. A brutal stop. A stunt in their story. A pause.

Between Summerslam and Finn’s comeback, things changed. This story faded to the background, aside a few comments in some of Seth’s promos and a reference or two from commentary. This story became a subplot.

Seth turned face in the meanwhile, had his feud with Triple H and told ESPN that part of the reason why he turned face was because of what happened with Finn.

A detail, there, to remember everyone that the story is still happening.

Now, from a writing perspective, for a slow burn to actually work you have to create enough chemistry between two characters for them to fall naturally in place within the events you wanna tell. Things can’t go too slow or too fast or else you’ll lose your audience.

And that’s why, when Finn comes back from his injury, his great return is in a tag team match. With Seth.

The actual event is amazing, Finn shines on his own, and him and Seth fall back into the natural chemistry they always had. Only, this time, it’s put in a different angle. They work together, they aren’t rivals anymore but not exactly best friends either and yet they are in sync to the point that for a second or two you truly believe they’ve done this for a lot longer.

From this point on, they start to tag team both at house shows and during Raw and tentatively building up a relation. Finn’s documentary comes out a while later, and the audience is made aware that the reason why Seth and Finn are now working together is because something happened during their rehab. They spent 20 days at the rehab center together, bonding, working out their issues - both physical and emotional ones - learning to rely on each other and falling in a routine that saw them together for most of the time.

Slow burn is achieved through realism; two character need a certain type of chemistry for everything to work out and in order to do so you must create a balance. The characters at play must be compatible but not flat, they can’t only have traits that fit well together, but they also can’t have traits that constantly conflict with each other.

So when the opportunity to challenge for the Universal Title comes again, of course both Seth and Finn - highly competitive individuals - jump on the train and banter with each other about their accomplishments, cutting promos about that infamous Summerslam night and proving that yes, they are friends, but that doesn’t stop them from feuding for what they ultimately want to achieve.

They both like a challenge, and usually in real life this tends to be true too. Having someone who constantly agrees can flatten out a relation but having someone who constantly argues can also become a problem.

So having both Seth and Finn ready to fight each other - during the awesome triple threat between them and the Miz or during the fatal 5-way at Extreme Rules - as much as they are ready to fight together was the perfect way to develop another part of their shared story.

Then, another stop. They part ways again following their own stories, Seth trying to mend his past with the Shield and Finn navigating life in the main roster, finding his way back to the Club after several feuds.

Their story is not happening in the moment, but it’s still there.

And of course it couldn’t be in any other way. A slow burn, in fact, doesn’t just happen. There are details and events that happened at the start, things that will have an impact on what is developing currently.

Seth and Finn’ storyline have those too, which is why it is perfect when they both collide again, now with a renewed drive given by the events that shaped them while they were apart.

Finn has the Club now, Seth has part of the Shield and Jason. And when these two forces collide on a 3 on 3 match, it’s Seth and Finn yet again for the most part of it. They haven’t fought in so long - 6 months - and yet the magic is still there. They counter each other moves with ease, losing themselves in a dance of mirrors. Slingblades, jumps, old indie moves coming back. They fall back into their natural rhythm.

The ending is messy but Finn gets the win, pinning Seth. This leads to another match. This time it’s just the two of them, in the ring, no others. At it again like two years prior. Finn mentions it, in the promo before the match. Seth does it too. It’s the first time and it’s huge.

It doesn’t take long for them to fall into that mind space where nothing counts but the other. They aren’t fighting for the crowd but for themselves. To prove to the other who’s better. They bring the best out of each other and it’s visible. The crowd feels it.

Seth brings back the curb stomp, just with Finn. Just for Finn. It’s unexpected and Finn sells it like death. Seth is surprised too. Their bodies tell a story here, their facial expressions too. The camera lingers on both their faces and there’s a moment where Seth almost looks regretful, and Finn looks like something happened inside him.

Jason is involved too but it’s in the peripheral vision because this is about them.

But then again, the story is put on hold. Right before the Rumble.

It could’ve been a weird interruption, not following back in any way. And yet, it doesn’t. Because at the Rumble, the moment Seth steps in the ring, he goes for Finn. And Finn retaliates.

There are several guys in the match, and yet they focus on each other. Try to bring each other out but also work together to try and survive longer in the ring. Yet again it feels natural, like they are supposed to do this because there’s no other way. For them, and for us, the audience.

It’s a thin line between fight forever and please team up already.

And for how frustrating sometimes it might be, it is also perfect.

This is how a slow burn works, it makes you want things to get solved in the end, it makes you crave for a resolution and freak out over small details.

So when WWE decides to make Seth and Finn team up again at house shows, posting their pictures and hyping up this tag, it just feels right. It falls straight into the narrative quality of their story.

And then we get to the fatal 5-way. It’s a second chance. It’s the last chance actually, for both of them. Although on different routes both of them cross their destinies again. Both of them fluctuated on Raw without any real direction, both of them are frustrated with the constant overlooking and the bad booking and the unattainable possibility to get a shot at the title.

But it’s mania season now, and the Chamber is their last occasion to try and achieve that goal both of them are working towards. They both have to prove to their GM that he was wrong in managing them the way he did in the past year, that they are worthy of that shot. If that means taking each other, and any of the other valid opponents in the match, down so be it. It’s once again one versus the other. Like it’s been so many other times. The golden boys of NXT back at it in again.

When the match actually start they naturally gravitate to each other, like they are in their own magnetic field.

It’s hard not to compete, for them. It’s hard to not always get back into that plane of existence where it’s just them in the ring.

They put up one hell of a show for the entirety of the main event, showcasing their best moves and truly selling with their bodies and expressions just how vital is it for them to win.

And teaming up its as easy as it is squaring up. So when the occasion presents itself in the convenient form of a tower of doom, they both team up to bring down Bray and Apollo.

But immediately after, they switch on back on being solo competitors and they both are so blinded by their own drive that they do not notice the other pinning Bray too.

They go as far as celebrating by their own devices at the opposite of the ring mat, before realizing, in a moment high in pathos, that they both won. They both pinned Bray.

And the emotions showing up on their faces alone are worthy a thousand years of story. Seth’s shock that morphs into concern. Finn’s confusion and then realization.

It’s you again. It’s always been you.

This is such a pivotal moment in their story, a turning point in the never ending slow burn. They are on the same wave, they both won. They are again tied together in a game of mirrors that destiny likes to play with them particularly. If this was a book, it would probably be the end of part one. The last few lines of the final chapter that ends in a cliffhanger.

But this isn’t a book, this is wrestling, “a spectacle in tights” to quote Roland Barthes. And the spectacle must go on.

Which is why Kurt Angle announced, soon after Raw ended, that both of them would go into the Elimination Chamber in an historic 7 men match.

And even though they are rivals once again, WWE social media don’t play off their team ups at house shows either. Pointing out that yes, they are going to be opponents in the Chamber, but that doesn’t stop them trusting each other enough to work together.

So when the go home Raw before the PPV happens and Seth puts out an amazing performance during the gauntlet match, it’s no surprise seeing Finn applauding him, when they meet on the ramp.

Finn who knows Seth’s passion, Finn who’s been at the receiving hand of Seth’s fire. Finn, who has shared Seth’s pain in rehab.

There’s an exchange of looks between them, recognition, sportsmanship. Real recognizes real.

And it’s another beautiful little detail to add to the myriads of others in this story.

We’re hours away from Elimination Chamber now. Seth and Finn teamed up again two other times at house shows. WWE talked about “unanswered questions” about them, and Seth cut a promo yesterday saying that yes, him and Finn are going to be rivals tonight but when they team up they “burn the house down.”

Finn offered a too sweet, and Seth happily obliged.

We don’t know what is going to happen tonight. We don’t know what storylines are going to start and what the narrative will be.

If they will come off this Chamber tied together or on divergent paths. What I know for sure, is that there’s a story here. A long story that has started in 2016 and that hasn’t yet come to an end. A story made of details and glimpses and derailing paths and a fate that ties them so strongly it is impossible to not notice.

The options tonight are many, the variables even more so. And yet, there’s a meaning to all of this. We just have to wait.

Like in every good slow burn, the outcome is gonna be worth all this time.