#fallout february

[falloutfandomeventhub]

Upcoming

Instead of a Fallout February 2024 gift exchange, Squirrel has decided to revive "Celebradiation" in honor of the TV series debut in Spring. Call to interest should hopefully be released at the end of February, so be on the look out!

[kyngsnake]

happy Fallout February @the-laridian! I was happy to have an excuse to draw Beckett.

[gearbroth]

More Repairs...

[eemamminy-art]

I understand the reason why you're sentimental 'cause so am I

[pavooko]

The Coyote's a survivor

Reckon he's got to be

[dogstomp]

Dogstomp #2972 - February 19th Patreon / Discord Server / Itaku / Bluesky

The legs are better for holding onto the monitor because they're curved.

[thaliagrayce]

Tactical Improvisation

Link: ao3 Pairing: Jason Grace/Nico di Angelo Fandom: Percy Jackson & the Olympians Tags: Canon Divergence - Cupid Scene AU, Humor

Word Count: 3,057

Summary:

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nico interrupted, stance and voice defiant. He held his sword at the ready as dust and wind whipped around him. Jason tried to vault over a column that had collapsed in between the two of them, but a fresh clump of rubble was hurled his way by the invisible god when he got too close to it. YES YOU DO, SON OF— “Jason already knows I’m gay.”

(or; Nico and Jason follow the rules of improv and "yes, and—" their way into a different outcome in Split.)

“Enough games!” Nico shouted at the invisible god, anger and pain writ plain across his face. “Show yourself!”

Jason kept his eyes open, desperate for any hint of where Cupid might be hiding in these ruins. As it had every time, the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. How were they supposed to get Diocletian’s Scepter from this guy if he didn’t ever show his face?

POOR NICO DI ANGELO. The god’s voice was tinged with disappointment. YOU LIE TO EVEN YOURSELF. HOW DO YOU EXPECT—

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nico interrupted, stance and voice defiant. He held his sword at the ready as dust and wind whipped around him. Jason tried to vault over a column that had collapsed in between the two of them, but a fresh clump of rubble was hurled his way by the invisible god when he got too close to it.

YES YOU DO, SON OF—

“Jason already knows I’m gay.”

Several emotions washed over Jason in succession, too quickly for him to place any of them. They left behind a lingering sense of panic. What? He wanted to look over at Nico, but that would give away the ruse. If they were to avoid angering the god further, Jason had to appear as if none of this was new to him. He kept his face straight as he tried (and failed) to ignore the confused and confusing squirming in his gut. This is no big deal, he tried to tell himself.

But was it? Nico probably wasn’t the first gay person Jason had met, was he? Nobody else came to mind, but that really wasn’t saying a lot. Nothing came to mind for the first fifteen and a half years of Jason’s life. He’d probably met another person—gods nonwithstanding—who liked the same sex, so this nervous excitement was completely irrational.

WHAT.

Oh, right. The quest. A god had just been lied to, and Jason needed to help sell the lie if the two of them wanted to get out of here unscathed. He wasn’t the world’s best liar, but Cupid was being real pushy. The first thing Jason had ever known for certain about himself after waking up on that bus was that he hated bullies.

“He told me.” Jason dodged a falling piece of rubble that had been teetering on top of a nearby pillar. Other than that, the battlefield had mostly calmed down. “I already knew.” Jason was sweaty. He didn’t know if it was the normal amount of mid-battle sweatiness.

YOU WHAT?

If Cupid stayed confused and kept talking, Jason and Nico could probably pinpoint where he was and get close to him without having to dodge monster arrows and rocks the size of kitchen appliances. Jason just had to keep him talking.

“Why are you being so weird about this? I never thought you would be a homophobe.”

The ground shuddered, and for a second, Jason thought that what he said had upset Nico. He’d seen the crack outside the dining pavilion at Camp Half Blood that Nico made when he got too upset, so he knew that Nico was more than capable of causing tremors. When Jason looked over, though, his questing partner looked almost exactly like he always did—serious expression, ready stance, black eyes alert and scanning the surroundings. The only hint that he might be under any sort of duress was that his face was paler than usual.

The weird squirming in Jason’s stomach came back. It made sense that Nico was gay, actually. He really was very pretty. It wasn’t a thought Jason had ever had before, but it was no less true for its novelty. His face wasn’t the type that you would see on polished magazines or blockbuster movies, but it had character. A unique sort of draw that made it hard to look away. Gay guys were supposed to be pretty, right?

The ground shook even harder, and both Jason and Nico stumbled.

HOMOPHOBE?!

Right. Jason tore his eyes away from Nico and fruitlessly tried to search for the now-probably-angry god.

“Yeah. You’re the only one making a big deal of this.” Nico’s voice had a bit of a waver to it that made Jason want to be over there to support him—like any good quest mate would—but he had to focus on other things right now. He could check up on Nico when they got back to the ship. Maybe they could actually have a conversation, get to know each other a bit. They were teammates now, after all.

The thought set off the squirming again.

YOU’RE LYING. YOU STILL HAVEN’T ACCEPTED YOURSELF, NICO DI ANGELO.

“I’m trying!” Nico snapped. The grass around his feet started to wilt and shrivel as his lip curled into a snarl. “Clearly! Isn’t this what you wanted? I told Jason. I’m making an effort.”

YOU CHOSE TO TELL THE ONLY PERSON ON THE SHIP LESS IN TOUCH WITH HIS EMOTIONS THAN YOURSELF.

Jason was momentarily blindsided by the sudden conversational pivot. For just a second, he was offended enough to forget he was speaking to a god.

“Wha— Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

PERFECT LITTLE SOLDIER, ALWAYS LIVING UP TO EVERYONE’S EXPECTATIONS. DO YOU KNOW YOUR OWN DESIRES, CHAMPION OF JUNO? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? MY BELOVED PSYCHE RISKED EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF LOVE. IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO ATONE FOR HER LACK OF FAITH. AND YOU—WHAT HAVE YOU RISKED IN MY NAME?

“That’s not fair, I had my mind wiped.” The question shook him. Did he know what he wanted? He’d been going on autopilot basically since he woke up at the Grand Canyon, always thinking about the next step of the quest or what his friends needed. It had never seemed important to look inward. Other people came first, both in safety and in happiness. That was just how good leaders thought.

Wasn’t it?

“Lay off him,” Nico called out. “Weren’t you focused on me?”

YOU APPARENTLY DON’T NEED MY HELP, WHY SHOULD I FOCUS ON YOU?

“You call this help?”

SOMETIMES WE NEED TO CONFRONT OUT FAULTS IN ORDER TO KNOW OUR DESIRES.

“I’m fine, actually, sir.” Jason adjusted his grip on his sword. His hands were sweating. “I appreciate the offer, but there’s no need.”

SO YOU WILL STAY IN A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON LIES AND TRY TO CONVINCE YOURSELF INTO LOVE?

Cupid was being a jerk, but he had a point. Jason had never really felt at ease in his relationship with Piper. He’d chalked it up to butterflies, but maybe he was wrong. Were butterflies supposed to make you feel anxious?

“I have no truth to act as counterpoint. If you know of anything I could do to get my memories back, maybe—”

Jason was interrupted by wave after wave of visions. No, memories. He never saw himself, but he knew instinctively that they were his. They felt right, they slotted into place in a way that some of the stories he’d heard about his past exploits as Praetor never did.

*

He was sitting on top of a wardrobe and hugging his knees to his chest in a room lined with empty beds—the barracks in Camp Jupiter, he knew in a flash. He was alone in the room until the door creaked open and a boy—young man, maybe—stepped in, clearly looking for something. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen and had dark brown wavy hair and medium brown skin. When he finally spotted Jason’s hiding place, his dark eyes softened in a gentle sort of smile.

Jason remembered this. He remembered this. He’d been up there because it was nearing Halloween and some of the older legionaries had taken over the barracks commons to watch a scary movie. They’d goaded him into staying with them for most of it, but he got up partway through with the excuse that he had to use the bathroom and just… stayed away. This young man was a legacy of Ceres named Hadi. He was a cool older kid, well-respected among his peers and widely admired by the younger legionnaires. And here he was, holding his hand out to eleven-year-old Jason Grace, who got scared by some dumb movie and hid on top of a wardrobe.

“Hey, Jason. Come on down from there, I need some help making scones.” He’d held Jason’s hand for stability when Jason flew down and squeezed it once before letting go. It had made Jason feel special to be singled out like this, even though he knew that Hadi was just doing it to make him feel better after the movie. He didn’t really need help with the scones, either—Hadi was probably the best baker in all of New Rome—but having something to do in a brightly-lit kitchen kept Jason’s mind off of the gory movie. He’d gotten batter on his cheek at some point and Hadi laughed when he pointed it out, his eyes all scrunched up and his smile radiant and—

Ba-thump, went Jason’s heart.

*

He was on the Field of Mars. The name came back to him the instant that he saw it sprawling before him, well-packed dirt and sporadic grass and a looming fortress that Jason somehow knew had been built just that morning. They were getting ready to play Siege, and Centurion Jason was instructing his troops on strategy for the game, but he kept stuttering and messing up.

Names of legionnaires came flooding back to Jason as he looked across the soldiers in his memory, but one stuck out in particular. Michael Kahale was a brand new recruit for the First Cohort and he was clearly paying attention when his commanding officer spoke, because Jason had never been more aware of someone’s eyes on him in his life. He accidentally looked Michael’s way again—dark eyes trained on him, dark hair just long enough to ruffle in the wind—and stumbled over his sentence. Some of the older legionnaires were starting to look concerned. This was incredibly out-of-character for Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, nearly longest-standing member of the legion.

Finally, Jason’s co-Centurion—Gwendolyn, her name was Gwendolyn—took mercy on him and took over the rest of the briefing. After it was done, she’d turned to him with concern.

“Are you feeling okay, Jason?”

Michael Kahale was still looking their way. Jason could feel the heat rise on his face and his heart trip in his chest. He managed some sort of response—the memory was murky—and took off flying to scout the enemy lines. Nobody could look at him up here, concerned colleagues or beautiful boys.

*

He woke up on a bus holding the hand of an objectively pretty girl and the biggest emotion he felt was confusion. He let go of her hand almost immediately, and evaded when she tried to take it back. The entire morning was confusing and he barely knew his own name and these two people that he’d never met before were claiming to be his best friends and all he knew for certain was that he didn’t belong here.

There was a boy along with them on the trip that rubbed Jason the wrong way instantly. He caught and held Jason’s attention. Later, Jason would put it down to battle senses and his instinct knowing a monster before he remembered that monsters existed, but for now…

Dylan was an arrogant jerk with a perfect smile and brilliant teeth. His hair was dark and curly and meticulously styled. He had a lean, athletic build that he wore in a way that made it clear he knew how to use the muscle he had—maybe part of some sports team or another, or maybe just active. Jason probably glared at him for longer than he needed to.

He didn’t care for Dylan a single bit, but still had one standout thought when the monster revealed his true form as a ventus: If angels could be evil, they would look exactly like this. The thought hadn’t struck Jason as strange at the time. He was starting to re-think that.

*

He was on a ship, surrounded by nothing but waves on either side. He faced the crow’s nest, where a boy stood by himself, looking out over the sea. His dark hair and too-big black shirt billowed around him in the wind. The boy was new here, and he was almost always alone. He intrigued Jason; why was he up there? Why had he gone on his quest alone? What motivated him to do something so dangerous? How did he survive?

Jason took a step into the air, and Nico di Angelo turned to look at him. Deep brown eyes flashed in the sunlight and Jason felt some sort of jolt in his gut, something he had written off as nerves about being so close to the son of Hades. The look on his face was guarded, like he expected the worst from Jason’s approach.

And that was the most novel part. Jason didn’t remember much, but he got the feeling he wasn’t used to having to work for someone’s attention and trust. Whether he liked it or not, a son of Jupiter drew the spotlight and the crowd. And yet, here was Nico. Alone. Guarded. Mistrustful.

Jason didn’t quite trust him yet, either, but he wanted to. Loneliness wasn’t unfamiliar to Jason, despite how frequently he was surrounded by people. He could see that same loneliness in Nico. He wanted to break through his guard, to be trusted. He wanted it with a ferocity he wasn’t used to.

It must have been something he was familiar with before his mind wipe, he’d thought at the time. Probably, he just liked making sure everyone on the team felt welcome. He dismissed any strange feelings and thoughts and kept moving, determined to actually hold a conversation this time.

*

“Okay!” Jason fought through the fog of memory, panic constricting his throat and making him too loud. “We’re caught up! I remember these memories now, Lord Cupid.”

LOVE DEMANDS HONESTY, BOY. HONESTY DEMANDS CLARITY. HAVE THESE MEMORIES GIVEN YOU CLARITY?

Jason glanced over at Nico, who turned out to be staring directly at him. His mouth was hanging open just a little bit. Jason snapped his eyes forward once again and had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t the only one who had seen that embarrassing movie reel of memories. It was great to know more about himself and his past, but Jason was starting to feel a little too known.

Oh gods, Nico had seen that last one.

Nothing to be done about it now but keep moving. Jason cleared his throat.

“Yes, Lord Cupid. I think I understand what you’re telling me.”

AND HOW WILL YOU EMBRACE THIS HONESTY?

Jason tried not to wince. “I… should probably break up with Piper, shouldn’t I?”

Cupid appeared right in front of him. He was beautiful—maybe not send his wife through harrowing trials because she dared to look upon his face beautiful, but strikingly pretty nonetheless—in a way that felt familiar. He had wavy black hair that reminded Jason of Hadi, and Michael Kahale’s attentive dark eyes, and a build that looked remarkably similar to Evil Dylan’s. Jason couldn’t manage to look at him for very long, and it had nothing to do with Cupid’s godly nature.

“That would be a good start, son of Jupiter.” He held out the scepter for Jason to take.

Nico picked his way toward them as the handoff took place, and Cupid turned his attention to him.

“Don’t think I believe your ruse, son of Hades. I let you off easy this time.”

The look Nico gave him wasn’t a glare, but it walked a razor wire to becoming one. “Your restraint is noted, Lord Cupid. May we go?”

Cupid snorted, obviously dissatisfied with that answer, but let it slide. “Yes, you may go. Remember my lessons, boys.” And in a puff of wind, he was gone. Jason was left alone in the ruins of a Roman palace with Nico di Angelo, who took a few steps closer to him.

That squirming in his gut was back.

Jason stared down at the scepter in his hands. It was longer than he had expected, about three feet of ivory with carvings so worn Jason couldn’t quite make out what they were originally intended to be. Three gold eagles held up a polished black orb that showed a distorted reflection of its surroundings. Jason studied the distended columns and his own warped face in favor of having to look anywhere else.

“That guy was an asshole,” Nico broke the tense silence. The derisive tone of voice and the words themselves were sudden and unexpected enough to startle a laugh out of Jason.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “he really was.” Jason looked at Nico’s reflection in the polished sphere on top of the scepter.

Dark, wavy hair. Big dark eyes. Lean but athletic build. He was shorter than Jason, which most of the other boys in the memory blast hadn’t been, but Jason thought he might actually like that better. And there was something more there, something about his bearing or the way he carried himself—Jason saw him standing alone on deck and he’d felt something resonate inside.

Not the line of thought to go down. He shook his head.

“Thank you for telling me. About yourself, I mean,” Jason clarified when Nico’s reflection in the scepter cocked its head. “That took a lot of courage, and I’m honored you trusted me enough to do it.”

“Yeah, well.” Nico shoved the toe of his boot into the gravel. “Sorry he took away your choice.”

Jason shrugged. “At least I know now.”

“Still,” Nico said.

“Still.” Jason finally looked up. Nico’s dark eyes were on him, as he knew they would be, but they looked almost… considering. Jason felt his face heat. “Back to the ship?” he suggested, holding out his hand.

Nico took it and grinned. His teeth were a little crooked and one of his canines stuck out, sharper than most people’s. The heat on Jason’s face spread to his ears.

“We’re going my way this time.” 

[wynco]

Fink

[card-of-the-day]

Today's Card Is: Goris

[unrepentantweirdo]

I’m going to be attempting the February prompt challenge by @creativepromptsforwriting, mostly if not completely in Fallout 4. This is a little late but better late than never!

Side note: I wrote the majority of this in the early hours of the morning, so it isn’t my best work. I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Pairing: RJ MacCready/F!Sole Survivor (Andi Miller) (not canonical to the big story I’m working on)

TW: a little swearing, that’s all.

February Prompt, Day 1: Love Letter

RJ,

Robert,

Don’t worry. Even though I’m calling you by your actual first name, you’re not in trouble. Honestly, it’s the opposite. It’s been a month since you left for the Capital Wasteland, and I miss having the best sniper in the Commonwealth at my side. Hopefully you’ve made it there safely by now, and have Duncan in your arms. God, I hope the medicine works. Please let me know.

It’s been quieter here without you. It feels like it was yesterday when I met you in the VIP room of the Third Rail, not the year it’s actually been. When I first met you, I originally thought you were a bit of an ass with how you greeted me. In your defense, it was Goodneighbor and you were the first mercenary I’d ever met. Your shooting saved my ass more times than I could count in those early days together. You helped me get better at it, and we became a damn good team. I’d been wanting to pay you back for it, so when you told me about the Gunners, I figured that would be a good opportunity. We tore through them, and I still say I had one more than you on my tally. I think that was the day we became friends, though I already considered you my friend sooner than that. You gave me back the caps I hired you with and told us we were even, that you didn’t like owing debts. But I would have done it for free.

We were in Diamond City and I had just haggled with Moe about a pay increase for the baseball stuff he wanted when you asked to talk to me. I guided us to Takahashi’s and we talked over bowls of noodles. You opened up to me for the first time there and told me about Little Lamplight. How you were the mayor of a cave of children (I would have loved to be a bloatfly on the wall to see the stuff you would have gotten into), and left at sixteen. Just another thing we share, although I was kicked out by my parents. I think that was the day I started to see you as something more.

When we stopped in Goodneighbor to get more information about the runaway Cabot daughter, we called it a night and lounged in the VIP room I’d hired you in months ago. It was there over a glass of whiskey that you told me about your family. Your wife Lucy, and your little boy Duncan. How Duncan was so sick, with a disease from the Old World. I’d only heard about it from my brother when he was researching it, and how Med-Tek was working on the cure for it. That cure was exactly what you needed. At first, I was disappointed to learn you were married. Confused the hell out of me at first. But, I was also happy for you because of the way you looked when you talked about her. Love like that was hard to find before the bombs dropped, probably even more so now. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be with you?

That’s why I made it my mission to get that medicine, no matter what happened to me. You both deserved to have your son healthy, have a chance at a family. I barely remember anything from when we took that place on, mostly because I’d ended up injecting myself with enough Psycho to take down a yao guai by the end of it. We were covered in blood and bits, and I’d screwed up my left arm by the time we got to the sublevel. One of the ferals had started working on your other duster sleeve, thankfully it didn’t break skin. But everything we went through was worth it when I placed that cure in your hands. I’ll never forget that expression as long as I live, the sheer relief and happiness on your face. Then you hugged me. For the first time I could remember since I had gotten out of the vault, I felt safe. I felt like I was home.

It took a couple of weeks for the caravan to get to Goodneighbor, and we spent it doing odd jobs. The last big job we did was taking back the Castle. I thought we weren’t going to make it a couple of times, the damn overgrown lobster wouldn’t stop dousing us with acid. But the tide turned when I dragged out the rocket launcher that was half buried in one of the rooms. You looked like you were having the time of your life shooting it once it was on its last leg, any fear you’d felt gone. In the aftermath those ocean blue eyes of yours sparkled when you talked about how that was going to be one of the best stories for Duncan yet. That night after the mirelurk boil, you brought me to the top of the fort and we sat there under the stars. You gave me the figure that Lucy carved for you, and told me about her.

My heart broke for you when you told me how she died, and how some days you wished you’d died with her. I understood that feeling more than anything, but it was important that you knew that I was glad you were still here. It ended up coming out as it counted for something that you saved your son. When you told me that I helped you like Lucy did, I wanted to tell you how I felt. How I still feel. But you were going to leave the next day, and it didn’t feel right. That, and I’m a bit of a coward sometimes. But now, I have to go somewhere I may not come back from. And I have to go alone. It may be selfish, but I need you to know this before I go.

I love you, Robert.

I love all of you, even the parts of yourself that you hate. You are honorable, kind, and strong. I can already hear you fighting me on the first two, and it’s not going to work. Because it’s the truth. You changed from who you were, you’re no longer that person. And it’s been an amazing thing to watch.

A part of me will always love Nate, just as I imagine a part of you will always love Lucy. But I know that Nate wouldn’t want me to spend the rest of my life mourning, and he’d want me to be happy. He said as much before he was sent to Anchorage. I’m ready to move on. If you aren’t, or you don’t feel the same towards me, that’s okay. Just know that no matter what, you’ll always be my best friend.

Hopefully this letter makes its way into your hands. By the time you get it, what I’m going into will be over, for good or bad. I hope to hear from you soon, and that I’ll be here to read it.

Yours always,

Cassandra Miller (Yes, I’m using my first name.)

MacCready had read the letter three times now over the course of the journey, and was starting on a fourth when a man’s voice brought him out of the focus he was in.

“Coming up on Goodneighbor now, just letting ya know.”

Giving the caravan leader man a nod of acknowledgment, he carefully folded the slightly worn letter back up before placing it in the inner pocket of his duster. What was she thinking, going somewhere so damn dangerous by herself. It had been six weeks since MacCready had gotten that letter, and he’d been slowly going insane ever since. Lone told him to go, and he only agreed when she told him that they would all follow after they finished packing. He’d planned on moving to the Commonwealth for some time, it was a lot better than the Wasteland. More stable, and safer. He was just waiting until Duncan got enough strength back to travel. Safety, and the woman he’d come to love was there too.

MacCready didn’t know when he’d fallen in love with Andi, but he had. It scared the hell out of him at first, because he didn’t think he could love anyone after Lucy. He also feared losing another person he loved and cared for. But there was one major difference between her and Lucy: she knew how to fight. Lucy could fire a handgun pretty well, but that was it. He’d had to teach her how to shoot, but it hadn’t saved her that rainy night. But Andi? Good god, she could fight. He could picture her in his mind, leaping into the fray with her combat shotgun and nailing anything that got in her way. When she was disarmed, she was able to hold her own pretty well in hand to hand. And after he taught her how to snipe, it became her preferred method. He could still see the look of joy on her face when she hit the center of her first long range target, how her auburn hair looked like fire with the sunrise hitting it. She wasn’t perfect at combat, but she was far from defenseless. The caravan coming to a halt right outside Goodneighbor’s gate pulled him out of the memory. Grabbing his rucksack, he gave the leader some extra caps as thanks before starting towards the door.

MacCready hadn’t wanted to leave her, he wanted to help her find Shaun. But he had to make sure that the medicine got to Duncan, and she had agreed. He didn’t trust anyone else to put it in the right person’s hands. Well, one other person, and it was the woman who wrote him that letter. He wanted to tell her how he felt after Med-Tek, but it wouldn’t have been fair to tell her and then leave. But if he knew she was going somewhere dangerous, he would have stayed. Put the vial with Daisy for safekeeping, then continued traveling the wasteland at her side. He would have told her exactly how he felt about her, just how much he loves her. Damn it, why didn’t she say anything to him? The thought of her no longer being here made him feel numb. But there was no way she was gone, he refused to believe it. She was too stubborn and strong to go down, not without one hell of a fight. Those were part of the many things he loved about her.

He needed to give her a reply, and in person was the only way he would do it. As he heard Daisy greet him when he walked through the gate, he just hoped that she was still here to hear it.

[elistilldoodles]

even now that I'm deep into art block @vaultgirl2077 makes me wanna draw more (〃▽〃)

BUT I am indeed into art block so for today we only get kisses, even if its babies' birthday (ಥωಥ) and let's be real kisses are probably all they want for their birthday anyway lmao

[jazzyinspace]

It's moving day once again for Jeff and Brian 📦 Today, they said goodbye to The Sunken Sloop 💚 // 🎥: The Sunken Sloop

[someplace-that-is-else]

GOOD AFTERNOON, LIKERS!!! How has the #fullmoon madness been treating you? Or do I even need to mention #tacos? ;) Well...it's that time again. And by time I mean February. Ahhhh #February...I loathe it just as much as I disliked December. Thankfully, no one has been tripped yet. :D Goodness knows people have already been extra. So...more reason for me to continue to focus on myself. And with that in mind...let's see what I will be up to this week. Aka EDITING, TYPING, and WRITING. EDITING. What is that I see? Is that a #light at the end of the tunnel? Hahahaha. I think that summed up how I was feeling about editing. What could have me thinking about editing outside of a #blog? Teasers. More soon... TYPING. Well, the typing has been light. But I expect to get some more typing time in on the side project. And #thankfully I now have another 90 + pages to type up. Very excited to get to it. WRITING. Oooooo...burn. Which means that Eugene's fundraiser went well. It had its ups and downs, but it had been written. And now I have a little bit of the #fallout left. After that...a break. A brief one, but one all the same. I was going to work on my side project a little bit. And then...it's back to finish writing HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. I can't believe that I'm so close to getting it done. I can tell working on Eugene's fundraiser had worn me out a bit so I need time to recharge for the end. A bonus? I saw it on the horizon. It? By it I meant, yesterday I was trying to figure out my writer schedule for this week since I was going to be busy on other professional fronts and realized. I saw DARKENED SOUL: THE BREAKING OF CIRCLES. I had not thought about it in a looong while. And yet...I could see it enough that I was starting to think of time in my head to get back to returning to researching time periods. Mind blown. I had been so productive last month and keeping to myself. That BOOM. I was seeing things getting done. I could see #output again. It really had been a minute. And I felt ready. So...progress...

[noirrelite]

Here's an idea for a fanmade frame that I may or may not work on further; based off a discussion me and a friend had about what kind of frame we would be based on how we play games in general! I'm the type who usually tries to sneak around, get a feel of the map and pick off enemies at a distance if metal gear/fallout/immersive sim games are anything to go by, so I went for a stealthy, sniper-focused warframe that supports their squad by scouting and eliminating high priority targets; not 100% on the design but I'm happy with what I got for the moment ^^ Here's my idea for their kit so far (this was actually started before Dante was released and finished on February, before the armor scaling changes happened xD): Name(tentative): Tempest Passive: bonus damage added the more shots travel before hitting their mark (past 15m-20m)

Flying dash/grouping ability that envelops hit enemies in darkness, blinding them and slowing them down for a certain time. allies caught in the trajectory get a modest speed boost.

High range sonar-like ability that marks high priority targets (like demos/eximi), inflicting a damage amplification debuff on them and giving buffs to squadmates that kill them (buff depends on how they're killed, squadmates who assisted in the kill also get the buff)

Conditional invis/evasion buff (probably works like ivara's?), while buff is active, headshot/weakpoint damage inflicted with a sniper rifle is spread/distributed to nearby enemies

Ult (?) hover/wall latch over the ground for a certain period of time (what I had in mind was something similar to Jade's flight in her ult originally, but maybe changed to be less mobile) evasion and fire rate/reload is increased with kills. while discount sonar (ability 2) is active, aiming down sights highlights weakpoints of enemies in sights for everyone; hits to weakpoints ignore a percentage of armor at base strength.

May or may not have an exalted sniper when using their 4.

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 3, Episode 1

Season 3 picks up a short while after the jubilee speech by Wilhelm. Both Wilhelm and Sara have been absent from school for a noticeable amount of time, so maybe a week or two later? The show isn't very diligent in ensuring a perfect timeline, but this would put us in early March perhaps? Anyway, we're off to the castle for a meeting to deal with the fallout of Wilhelm's speech and Sara reporting the video to the police.

Subtext: The Queen is so pissed she's not even looking at her son, a reversal from the opening to season 2, when Wilhelm was pretty pissed at his mom.

Subtext: This is probably the first time that Wilhelm gets a hint that the Queen is seriously ill.

Cinematography: Same procedure as last season! Every season opens with a fourth wall break where Wilhelm stares in to the camera during the opening titles, defiant as ever.

Culture: For practical reasons the end of season 2 was filmed in April 2022, while the beginning of season 3 was filmed in February 2023. That said, the spring in Sweden can be pretty fickle, and it's not uncommon to have surprise snowfall as late as April. If you want a cinematographic interpretation of this scene, it's supposed to show how cold and unwelcome Simon feels arriving at the royal palace.

Cinematography: In reality, the monarch would be the last one entering a meeting after everyone else has arrived, but having Simon arrive like this makes it look more like he's entering a court of justice or some kind of disciplinary meeting. It's of course not a coincidence that the royal family represented by Jan-Olof is all on one side of the table, while everyone who has been causing them problems is on the other side.

Subtext: Jan-Olof is trying to minimize the video, by using "so-called", and by calling it an intimate video and not a porn video. However, for something to fall under the definition of "revenge porn", it's enough to depict people in an intimate situation, it doesn't have to meet the much higher threshold for when it's considered actual pornography, so he's at least admitting that it was an illegal video.

Culture: Nordiska Motståndsrörelsen is unfortunately a real organization of actual neo-nazi white supremacists in Sweden, with offshoots in neighbouring countries.

Lost in translation: The subtitles are struggling here, it's "piss person" in one, and "shitty person" in the other. The former is literally what they're saying in Swedish, but the latter is probably the better expression in English.

Also, we've been told that August's stepdad, Rickard, is one of Sweden's best lawyers. What that means is that he is probably a well-known criminal defence lawyer, and has probably been handling the defence in high-profile cases, and if you're defending obviously guilty criminals, you tend to get a lot of shit from the media and people in general, even though what you're doing is necessary for a fair justice system. This sounds like his way of dealing with that.

Culture: It's a pet peeve of mine that no-one seems to know that the name of the Swedish currency in English is kronor, not crowns. Simon is getting 1.2 million kronor, which amounts to about 105,000€ or $115,000.

Subtext: Linda isn't wrong, they're being strong-armed here. They have some sort of legal counsel, and they wouldn't have to pay any trial costs even if they don't win, but they can't afford to match the resources that August's stepdad can bring, and might get nothing in the end.

Culture: We don't know what Årnäs looks like or how large the estate is, but a quick check shows that you can buy a typical manor house and some farmland in Sweden for tens of millions of kronor. However, the amount of land that some of the other guys were boasting about at the Society party in season 1 would be worth several hundreds of millions of kronor, so it's unlikely that Årnäs is as large as that, because August would have a lot more options if his total net worth was in that ballpark.

Culture: Realistically, Simon isn't wrong. Even if August was convicted on all points, he wouldn't be sentenced harshly because of his age, because he's a first-time offender, and because it's a non-violent crime. He would most likely just be fined a large amount of money and ordered to pay damages, so settling isn't that bad.

Cinematography: The low winter sun creates some lovely golden light, so we know we're in for some sweet love between the boys. Another detail is the difference in how they're dressed and how they're carrying themselves. Wilhelm is tall and proud, he's at home, he's in a suit, he's sure of himself, while Simon is the guest, the intruder, and is almost shrinking away in his oversized purple shirt and jeans. Yes, yes, colour theory, I know.

Subtext: A nice little flashback to season 1 when Wilhelm said the same thing when he visited Simon's place.

Lost in translation: Simon is actually saying "Var det såhär i din dröm?" - "Was it like this in your dream?", which is a reference to the rather steamy dream Wilhelm had at the start of season 2, when he was lying in this exact bed.

Subtext: Absolutely no-one is fooled, everyone knows our two idiot boys were sucking each other's face a minute ago.

Subtext: Both Linda and the Queen are hearing about their sons' awful behaviour for the first time at this meeting. Linda had no idea Simon had been dealing drugs, and Kristina had no idea Wilhelm threatened August with a gun.

Culture: I have no idea here. There's no real-world example for this in Sweden, you can't put someone into the line of succession by giving them a title. The show is just hand-waving this. Alright. Ok. Fine.

Culture: All adults in the line of succession can be called upon to be acting Head of State, if the monarch is indisposed or on vacation or something. This means that once Wilhelm is 18, he would occasionally have to step in and do the job, even though he's not king yet. If there are no royals available for this, the duty falls to the speaker of the house, Riksdagens Talman.

Cinematography: We're returning to Hillerska after the episode intro at the royal palace, so we're treated to a little montage of what those gosh darn rich kids have been up to in the meanwhile, so here's a horse to remind us that some of them are still riding! This is the only horse we'll be seeing this season, because the show really isn't about Rousseau after all.

Subtext: Madison is doing Tarot, and she's got Three of Wands reversed and Four of Wands reversed. The first one represents obstacles and lack of progress, and the second one represents home conflict, instability, and lack of support. A bit on the nose, don't you think?

Subtext: It's true, but the show is also calling out itself for the somewhat inconsistent weather we've been seeing due to actual shooting schedules.

Culture: Graduating gymnasiet in Sweden has a bunch of elements that are the same pretty much across the country, and then there are regional differences and individual school differences. I recognize only a few of the things Fredrika rattles off, but it makes sense that a place like Hillerska has a ton of traditions.

Subtext: All the girls have noticed that Felice isn't doing too great, but Madison appears to be the only one that actually cares. Fredrika still hasn't stopped talking about all the crap the third-years are gonna do, because that's apparently more exciting. However, the trucks she's talking about are pretty common, this is what we in Sweden call a Studentflak.

@hanna-kin wrote a long post on Swedish graduation traditions, and I reblogged and added some stuff here: https://www.tumblr.com/skamenglishsubs/684659770007961600/its-that-time-of-the-year-again-and-if-season-2

Culture: It seems Minou isn't the head of PR for the royal court anymore, this is Farima, and we've actually seen her all the way back in season 1 when she was instructing Wilhelm to smile more in the photographs. Either way, it seems like she's got a promotion, and she's probably not wrong in her assessment. A bunch of old farts would balk at the idea of the monarch being in a same-sex relationship, but a lot of others would see it is proof that the monarchy can change with the times. There were quite a lot of fans in Team Monarchy after all. 👑🌈

Lost in translation: Linda actually says "Du har utegångsförbud", which means curfew. Grounding kids isn't really a thing in Sweden, to us it's some kind of weird thing that only happens in American teen shows, along with detention. What the fuck even is that?

Subtext: Unlike in season 1, Simon now consistently speaks Swedish at home to his mom, further showing us how distant he is from her, and from himself to some extent.

Lost in translation: Linda actually calls Sara a "hemmasittare", which is a Swedish term used for kids who simply refuse to attend school, typically for mental health reasons. What to do about the problem is a hotly debated political issue, and let's leave it at that.

Subtext: This is how the culture of secrecy and solidarity against outsiders work at schools like this. Everyone is abused, everyone participates in abusing younger students, and everyone is told to shut up about it. Every house guards their "secret" initiations to outsiders, to foster loyalty to each other, to your house, and to the school. It's cult behaviour 101.

Cinematography: The show does it's usual trick with the sound design where all outside noise disappears as Simon and Wilhelm retreat into their little bubble, but there are still people in the frame this time, even though we can't hear them, because this time they're snogging in public. Oh, and everyone needs to update their colour theory, new colours dropped, pink and orange, what does it all mean??!?

Blink and you miss it: The list of activities for the point hunt includes:

Tattoo "Hillerska 4-life" on your arm.

Take a selfie at the back of a police car.

Give someone a buzz cut.

Dance the balloon dance in public.

Sext a teacher.

Get a piercing somewhere.

Blink and you miss it: I love Vincent so much, he's just the worst. Oh, and it looks like he's wearing a $2000 Valentino sweater, but I'm not 100% certain.

Subtext: Neither Ayub nor Rosh agrees with Simon when he says he's gonna reply to idiots online, but unfortunately they're not telling him off, because that would lead to less drama in the season.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub and Rosh are talking about going on a hike to Talludden with their school, Marieberg, which is why we're gonna encounter them out in the woods in the next episode. Spoiler alert!

Subtext: Wilhelm puts up the first stanza of a poem by Karin Boye called The Shield Maiden. In English, the poem goes: I dreamed about swords last night. I dreamed about battle last night. I dreamed I fought by your side armoured and strong, last night.

Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm's desk has a ton of stuff, but he's also kept the broken frog prince snowglobe, and he's still got Erik's lighter and cigarette case from season 2.

Lost in translation: The comment in Swedish uses the word "bögar", which isn't quite as offensive as "fags". However, it's more offensive than "gays", so I understand why the subtitles went with this choice. It's one of those words that is offensive or not depending on context, and it's certainly offensive in this one.

Subtext: The soundtrack is on point as usual, highlighting the animosity between Wilhelm and August.

Blink and you miss it: Someone ordered a Horse Girl Desk™ from the props department, and they sure delivered all the horsey things! The book is the Swedish edition of Not on a White Horse by Nancy Springer:

From the day twelve-year-old Rhiannon spots a lost white Arabian gelding in the woods near her small Pennsylvania mining town, her life finds a focus as she learns to deal with family problems and decides the direction her life will take.

As you do.

Subtext: As a throwback to season 1, this time it's Sara's turn to make a surprise visit at their dad's. He is surprised and starts cleaning up his place, but he seems to be in better shape than when Simon originally turned up. His place is just messy, there are no signs of drinking and smoking unlike last time we saw him.

Culture: Who goes to New York to suntan? No-one sane, but sun-starved Scandinavians get a bit of cabin fever after a long dark winter.

Culture: Fake IDs aren't really a thing in Sweden, you're allowed to legally drink at 18, and underage kids are much more likely to have an older friend or sibling or alcoholic parent buy them some booze for a private party instead. Sure, they exist, but equipping your friend group with a bunch of fake IDs to go clubbing is not how it's done.

Subtext: Simon drew a heart on Wilhelm's hand and suggested he get that as a tattoo. Wilhelm objected because he's "not allowed to" as a royal, but here he is, redrawing it on himself, almost as if he's toying with the thought, defying the rules.

Subtext: Simon doesn't know anything about the initiations since he's a lowly external student, and even though they're boyfriends, Wilhelm automatically tries to play it down. He knows it's true though, he doesn't question that, he just doesn't want Simon to know about it because it's humiliating to talk about it.

Cinematography: A++ Main Villain Entry Walk.

Culture: The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is a very real government agency that has the very real power to shut down schools that are mismanaged in any way, either academically, or socially.

Culture: Just a quick reminder that every single third-year student is 18 or 19 years old at this point in time, and therefore they are legal adults, which means the school has less authority over them. However, since it's a boarding school, they can enact and enforce regulations for boarders, and kick them out from their houses if they disobey the rules, which effectively kicks them out of the school while technically not doing that.

Cinematography: I love the camera angle here where we just about see Vincent giving Wilhelm the evil eye for indirectly causing this.

As a closing note, this season felt a lot less subtexty to me, compared to previous seasons. On the other hand, a recurring theme now is the airing of secrets, of exposing the systems that create toxic environments like this, so in line with the theme, a lot of characters are voicing things that were left unsaid in previous seasons.