#it's in my head as kind of this reluctant-allies dynamic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

horrorfilmlesbian · 9 months

Text

fuck it rambling about my DnD character (from the Eldritch Horror themed campaign I'm playing), Evil Grandma wizard turned extremely reluctant warlock, under the cut. It's my blog so I get to make the emotional posts and I have Feelings.

So read on if you've ever wondered what I meant when I tag something 'olsasahcore'.

ANYWAY. Olsasah is an older yuan-ti woman, who used to work as a government spy 20 years ago and quit because she witnessed a God-caused apocalypse and had a midlife crisis about it.

She hates Gods and all things Divine, so after getting an offer of mentorship from an old informant, Caven, she spends two whole decades learning and doing freelance spy work on the side. It's absurdly tricky because she's not doing any short cuts and doesn't want to accidentally align herself with anything Divine.

It's especially a potent desire because not only does she have Existential Feelings about how the Gods have too much power, but also grief. You see, Olsasah had an extremely secret wife and right before the apocalypse they became estranged (Olsasah's fault). Despite Olsasah's vague ideas of an eventual reunion, that kind of went out the window when she figured out Imetia was probably at ground zero of the now apocalypsed city.

(as an aside the relationship between Olsasah and Imetia is everything to me. She's a government spy and extremely jaded, but her lover is The Socialite in the city who may seem quite sheltered due to her optimism but is tougher than you think).

So. There's a lot going on in her head. Mostly Revenge and arcane secrets.

But, nevertheless she persists and in the modern day eventually gets into Adventuring with a ragtag group of companions.

It all works out fine, she's gaining Powers and secrets until she comes face to face with a shadow of the God she's sworn to kill attempting to do something extremely Horrifying (merge with another entity to reform into an ancient god it turns out they were both halves of) her old mentor Caven shows up and offers some help which she accepts in the heat of the moment.

Turns out help translates to a warlock pact and that truly is a Bad Idea because it's the antithesis of anything she's wanted for herself. Oh and guess who the warlock pact is actually with? Vecna, God of Secrets. (Do you see what my DM did there with the anagram)

Unfortunately, it's not an entirely useless transaction and despite her better judgement, she accepts this role and stews. She wants out, but there are benefits to what she's been given. And maybe she.....likes that? Horrifying.

Which. Can I just say it's SO much fun to play this dynamic of an extremely bitter and traumatised old woman who's been forced to align herself with a God despite her better judgement?

She absolutely loathes this bargain but as she gains more power, she does learn Secrets. I won't go into them here bc a) the party could read this and b) it's complex campaign lore.

But ultimately I'm all about The Narrative and creating Situations which my DM delightfully encourages. Like, I as the player didn't know a warlock pact could be on the table but it's actually so fun to roleplay.

Olsasah just fully Does Not want this but it's unfortunately useful and at this point she's realising maybe any edge she can get will justify the end result of killing Tharizdun.

As an evil aligned character (at this point in her life a neutral evil vs the lawful evil she was prior to the apocalypse), she's certainly willing to do whatever must be done and she very secretly cares a lot about her allies so she thinks if she deals with Vecna it'll protect them because she's taking the focus.

Also by this point in the campaign she's finally reunited with her wife who turns out isn't dead just living with her adopter daughter in a Olsasah had been avoiding (the port town built near the ruins of the apocalypsed city) for twenty years. But that's a whole thing.

I do have. So many thousands of words of prose I've written about key moments in her backstory because it's so fun to really crack that open and figure out exactly who she was before the campaign since that's so interesting to me.

She's also just on an arc of self improvement and learning to open up and trust that even with the Horrors of the universe, she's still got people who care about her. Still wants so bad f

Anyway truly DnD is sometimes a power fantasy but also sometimes creating an evil old woman to play with like a chew toy.

#lifeblogging #dungeons and dragons #dnd character #dnd oc #olsasahcore #she is THE blorbo the rotten devil herself whom I simply cannot get enough of

1 note · View note

plan-d-to-i · 3 years

Note

1-people forget that in the universe MXTX created it is stated that YZY's situation is not normal, it is a patriarcal society so wives don't keept their names nor do whatever the fuck they want and they certainly don't humiliate their husband without even being told off, she's uniquely horrible and JFM is uniquely spineless. i always think JFM did love and worried about WWX but that last interaction he threw him under the bus to appease JC so his last memory would cement that he did love him

2- bc he didn't have more time to keep trying to make him understand and i always wonder how things with JC could have been fixed, easiest would be having had the balls to get rid off YZY early but if he divorced her (or got her killed lol) would JC have been different? or would he resent him even more for not protecting his mother? idk i feel like JFM was cursed from the moment he accepted to marry her and i can't help feeling bad for him

LOVE THIS. So I agree w like 99.9999% only my feelings over JFM change every five minutes. I never hate him but I vacillate wildly between i feel like he could've done more and ig he was himself a trapped in that situation so it's unfair to hold him fully accountable.

Madam Yu is an undeniably violently abusive woman who has married a kind, non-confrontational man. Most of JFM's flaws are only seen as 'flaws' instead of qualities because they framed as ineffective against someone as rank as her. I wouldn't even say he's spineless, because he does cancel YanLi's engagement for fear that it will make her as unhappy as his own marriage made him & effectively stands against his wife's demand on top of also passing on a very beneficial alliance w Jin Clan. (In fact Jin GuangShan is way more reluctant at the thought of taking this news to Madam Jin.)

Abusive relationships have their own dynamics so it's hard watching from the outside how JFM's resignation to his circumstances and avoidance are ineffective against, someone like YZY who materializes like a storm cloud to rain her venom down on everyone, especially WWX. Because WWX is not only bearing the scars piled on his back from YZY's whippings/'discipline' but he's trapped in a perpetual balancing act between JFM, YZY, jc and to an extent Yanli. He has to make JFM proud/see the value in keeping him around & at least in the beginning of his stay with the Jiangs we know he always tries to eat/take less than he needs, but he can't be so good & talented that jc feels threatened or set Madam Yu off. At the same time Yanli rewards him with soup and affection when he takes the fall for jc his first day there. This definitely establishes a pattern wherein WWX sees his usefulness within the Jiang sect in diverting punishment for the failings of those around him, especially jc, to himself. She also repeatedly asks him to just accept jc’s shifty behavior as a representative of his affection... bc she's a huge fucking enabler, which probably doesn’t bode well for how she’s come to interpret affection.

As for YZY she's the only one who paints herself a victim, when it's clear she's the instigator of the conflicts!!!! She’s literally the bad guy, boss, fly in the ointment etc. There's a lot of gaslighting in her interactions with JFM so I'm confused as to why people think that of everyone she's the reliable narrator or some poor sad victim of an uninterested husband??? She clearly does as she pleases in Lotus Pier, yells at JFM in front of Servants, accuses him of fathering a child with his friend's wife, she whips the head disciple for imagined infractions with a spiritual weapon! and pretty much just chills w her ladies when she isn't busy spewing venom wherever she goes. WITH NO REPRECUSSIONS. If JFM had been a woman and YZY the man I'm sure all her cringe stans would be frothing at the mouth to drag her(yzy) to hell by the balls.

People love to accuse JFM of favoritism towards WWX or showing him more affection. To me it's clear that for JMF, WWX is simply an extension of his father/friend & ultimately a subordinate in the Jiang household. JFM clearly cares about jc, it's not his fault that jc doesn't get it, and it's not his fault that YZY is always poisoning their relationship. JFM for his part is still trying to guide jc towards how he's meant to occupy his future position as Clan leader, quite gently too considering jiang cheng was berating WWX for saving their allies... I’m sure if anything JFM hoped WWX’s morality and sense of right and wrong would rub off a bit on jc & why wouldn't you want someone immensely talented and loyal and devoted to the well being of your son and family around?? JFM did a nice thing getting WWX off the streets but that doesn’t mean he also didn’t think WWX could be a good friend to jc who when WWX is first brought to Lotus Pier has ZERO friends, and was likely to remain with zero friends considering his personality. Only someone like WWX who is forced by circumstances, & his kind nature & gratitude to the Jiangs would be in a position to befriend him. So I think it's laughable to say JFM favors WWS when WWX was the sacrificial lamb friend/pet JFM gifted his son. Not to mention that the only person who says JFM doesn't properly value jc is again YZY. Ofc jc takes to like a duck to water because he's cut from the same cloth as his rancid mother and it's much easier to blame WWX for all his failings and misfortunes than to take a good hard look at himself or ever take responsibility for anything. jc doesn't do self reflection. There isn't any scenario where jc would have been a good person. He's lacking basic human empathy. His view of the world has him as its center. He can only relate to things as they concern and affect him and he doesn't even possess a modicum of honor that might keep such selfish impulses at bay.

To conclude, I totally agree. JFM cursed himself the moment he let himself be coerced by YZY and her Clan into marrying a person whose character and values he knew ran so deeply counter to his and his Clan's own. Sure enough under the control of jiang cheng, the original spirit in which Jiang clan was established is gone. It's a place devoid of warmth that people are scared to visit lest they be confronted w the screams of people being flayed alive.

#mdzs #jiang cheng #jiang family #yu ziyuan #madam yu #jiang yanli #the jiangs suck #WHY DID I MAKE THIS SO LONG FFFFF #I tried to edit it down 138431 times #this was edited 2000 times #I obviously consider YZY to be the shittiest shit to ever be shit on the face of the earth #and I think this is v JFM favorable at least it's meant to be but as always I cast a lot of shade all the way around

126 notes · View notes

theheightofdishonor · 3 years

Text

Teen Wolf triads are something that can be so personal, so here’s a list of my faves

Scott/Stiles/Allison

The OG trio. The gang that dies together might not stay together, but they’re still iconic.

Scott/Stiles/Lydia

Any Scott/Stiles/X dynamic is brilliant, but few more than this one. These three have been there since the beginning and they’ve gone through so much together. There’s no Teen Wolf without them.

Scott/Stiles/Derek

They were the driving force in S1&2 and had some absolutely iconic moments together. Hate that there wasn’t more of them after that.

Scott/Derek/Isaac

Mostly based on S2/3. I was very invested in Isaac’s struggle to pick between these two.

Scott/Stiles/Isaac

This triad’s dynamic completely changes between S2 and 3. In Season 2, Isaac, as part of Derek’s pack is a slightly antagonistic figure and it’s very much Scott&Stiles vs Isaac but in S3, Scott and Isaac grow closer while Isaac and Stiles erm, don’t. It’s very fun to watch.

Scott/Isaac/Allison

My ot3 and the only trio on this list that I 100% ship.

Isaac/Erica/Boyd

Ayy, it’s the OG Hale Pack aka 3 teens bonding over being thrown headfirst into something they weren’t prepared for and Derek’s horrible leadership. Isaac should’ve ran away with Erica and Boyd for solidarity’s sake.

Chris/Allison/Isaac

Chris’s struggle between hating Isaac for dating his daughter and wanting to adopt him is hilarious. One of my favourites.

Scott/Melissa/Isaac

Who didn’t completely melt at Isaac joining the McCall fam? The scene where they’re ‘guarding’ Melissa was so cute. As a bonus, it made Stiles’s animosity towards Isaac that much stronger. Will forever hate that this trio was more or less non-existent in 3b even though I love Chris/Allison/Isaac.

Derek/Cora/Peter

The non-dead Hales. Why oh why did Cora have to leave? Their family dynamic was great.

Allison/Lydia/Cora

I know they only had a couple scenes as a triad, but there was so potential. We love antagonism with underlying sexual tension. And ofc, the only thing better than 1 terrifying badass that can secretly be super sweet is 3 terrifying badasses.

Derek/Isaac/Boyd

At one point, the only non-dead members of the Hale Pack (TW quickly amended that). I always think of the S3a Loft scene where Boyd and Isaac skip school to protect Derek. Despite how awful of an alpha Derek’s been, they still care about him and he cares about them (as actual people and not just betas that he needs for power like he did originally)

Derek/Allison/Lydia.

Yes it’s my 5th s3 based trio in a row, but can you blame me? This is 100% based off the classroom scene in 3x02.

Allison/Lydia/Jackson

Although Lydia and Jackson were both awful in S1, their friendship with Allison and their immediately taking her under their wing was beyond precious. Additionally, it combines both the asshole-who’s-soft-towards-1-person- dynamic (jydia w/ allison) and assholes-who-secretly-care-about-each-other (jydia) And ofc, the underlying tension due to Jydia’s disdain towards Scott and later, Jackson and Allison’s experiences/knowledge of the supernatural.

Malia/Kira/Lydia

Comedy gold. Their scenes speak for themselves and we needed more.

Liam/Mason/Corey

Their S6a dynamic is sooo underrated and should’ve been given more screen time. I loved watching Liam and Corey struggle to get along for Mason’s sake because they want him to be happy. It was all very wholesome and one of the few things that made 6a worth watching.

Stiles/Scott/Liam

Aka the best part of S4.Their dynamic is so fun and well-balanced and infinitely better because they’re a triad. You’ve got Scott and Liam figuring out their mentor/mentee relationship with Stiles co-parenting and preventing the Scott/Liam dynamic from turning unhealthy. (Liam and Scott’s S6 dynamic veered way too close to parent/child for my taste. They need Stiles to balance it out) It’s also hilarious how quickly Liam accepts being aggressively adopted by two idiots who are barely older than him. And Stiles takes so easily to playing older brother/co-parent. It’s adorable. They’re adorable.

Erica/Allison/Lydia

Very similar dynamic to Allison/Lydia/Cora due to Cora and Erica’s similar personalities but also not, which has a lot to do with Allison and Lydia’s reactions to Erica’s weaponized feminity. Also, there’s a lot more history between these girls and I want to know everything about what Erica thinks of Lydia after going to school with her for years.

Sherriff/Melissa/Chris

Of the top of my head, I can only remember that time where they were trapped under the Nemeton and that’s simply unacceptable.

Sheriff/Noshiko/Melissa.

It’s a crime that this triad never got scenes. Especially after the Sheriff tried to arrest Kira. I know Melissa bitch slapped him but I wanted to watch these two badasses gang up on the Sheriff together. ( the Noshiko/Melissa dynamic would be so iconic.)

Victoria/Noshiko/Melissa

Another triad that never shared scenes (obviously because Vic is dead) but their power would’ve been off the charts. I want to make a joke about milfs, but I’ll refrain.

The Yukimura fam

Seemed appropriate since my last two also included. Noshiko.I love family dynamics and the Yukimuras are no exception. The attraction of this triad, for me, is mostly the dynamic between Kira and Noshiko and how Ken navigates between them. They’re also a trio that we didn’t see nearly enough of in S4 and 5. Like seriously, where were they? Noshiko’s on the dead pool, but she’s barely mentioned. (on a mostly unrelated note, how is the 900 yr old Kitsune worth less than a girl that just found about her kitsune powers?)

Derek/Allison/Scott

I don’t need to explain this one. The angst, the drama, Derek projecting Kate onto Allison and Allison trying to murder Derek and their evolution to reluctant allies with a good dash of Scallison and Scott navigating his own difficult relationship with Derek. Aka the complicated, tension fraught trio we all loved/should love. ( ok, I kind of explained it)

Derek/Scott/Liam

And here we have a two for one deal; two mentor/mentee dynamics in 1 triad. People much smarter than me have written about this trio in extensive detail, so all I’m saying is that Derek’s that one uncle who occasionally comes around and gives somewhat helpful advice.

Braeden/Malia/Scott

Braeden and Scott were great in S4. Braeden and Malia were great in S5. Scott and Malia are pretty great when they’re not in a relationship. Combine, and you get what had to be a kick-ass triad that’s sadly never canonly shown together (I think)

Melissa/Chris/Isaac

Not actually featured in the show, but Isaac deserves all the parental figures and I want to witness the surely epic custody battle between Chris and Melissa.

Malia/Scott/Peter

That this trio is on here is actually pretty funny because I hate both Scalia and the forced Peter/Malia bonding in S6. But I loved the scene where Peter warned Malia not to fall in love with Scott because a) he has absolutely 0 right to advise her on anything and b) because of the history between Scott and Peter. In a way, a relationship with Malia is just another thing tying Scott to someone that’s repeatedly caused harm to him and his friends and was the initial cause for all the pain he’s suffered in the last couple years. I just find this dynamic worth exploring.

Malia/Derek/Peter

The Hales 2.0. Derek and Malia deserve to bond over unwillingly being related to Peter, that scumbag.

Malia/Stiles/Peter

Stiles and Peter are so fun together and Stalia is my jam. Throw in an antagonistic Malia and Peter relationship and they’re entertaining as hell. Much more lighthearted than Malia/Scott/Peter.

Stiles/Malia/Lydia

To clarify, this has nothing to do with a love triangle and everything to do with how their personalities play off each other. It’s one of those trios where together, they’re either terrifying or absolute morons.

Stiles/Cora/Derek

Admittedly, my version of this is very Sterek+Cora and the hilarity of Stiles and his attraction to Hales but it’s also 3x snark and you really can’t go wrong.

Scott/Stiles/Melissa

It’s Melissa and her boys 1.0. This woman is by far the best parent on this show, and I love the specific dynamic among these three. Melissa might not always like Stiles, but she cares about him and there’s the mutual understanding that they both adore Scott and would do anything for him. Also, Mel being exasperated by the dumbass duo is always funny.

Kate/Allison/Chris

Lowkey another custody battle because Kate and Chris do fight to be the bigger influence on Allison This is such a tragic trio to me, and the lesson here is basically that sometimes love isn’t enough. Chris and Kate both genuinely love Allison and she loves them too but can’t have both and at some point, she has neither. Kate and Chris care about each other, but that’s not enough either. In the end, they all lose each other. There’s no happy ending for them, at least not with each other.

Derek/Stiles/Peter

Stiles just has chemistry (not necessarily romantic) with all Hales and this trio really shines through in 3x01 and in S3 in general. “Chess is Stiles’s game” asgdhfjgh. I wanted more of that very specific dynamic.

That was a hell lot longer than I thought it would be, but what can you do. Feel free to tell me your own opinions in the tags/comments.

52 notes · View notes

scarlet--wiccan · 3 years

Note

I'm making up Avengers formations on my mind and other than the realization that there are TOO MANY AMERICAN, NEW YORK BASED HEROES in Marvel Comics, I also realized that... I forgot what I was going to say, it took me ages to come back to this ask (I left the phone). Anyways, I started to think about the Adventures universe where Storm, instead of Thor, and Giant-Girl (Janet) are on the main team and I was left thinking: what kind of relationship / dynamic would Storm, who was briefly associated with the team on the main universe through her relationship with T'Challa, have with Janet and Wanda if they were ever to be on the same team? And then I started to think, which other non-Americans and characters of color would you want to hang out with Wanda. Like, now that Echo bonded with the Phoenix Force, I think: what kind of dynamic would they have? And then there's Moon Knight, Blade, T'Challa, Shang-Chi. So many other characters, so much potential for interesting dynamics.

You don't really have to rush to answer this ask or answer at all. Just wanted to share a bit of positivity on your askbox. :D

I thought I could come up with an interesting answer by making a list of every character of color that has ever been a member of the Avengers. Unfortunately, after weeding out mutants, dead people, and anyone that's depowered or otherwise occupied, the list ended up being pretty small-- and some of those characters were people that I just don't have any particular interest in playing off of Wanda. So that wasn't helpful! I think the shortlist was about thirteen characters, and most of them were American.

I'm not very familiar with Moon Knight, but I understand that he's pretty mystical and is tied to mythological settings, ancient gods, and all that. I love seeing Wanda operate in that space, and I think they'd click on certain things-- like having an overbearing, somewhat sinister god breathing down your neck, or bouts of offensively written mental health disorders.

I bet that Wanda and Maya would get along well. Wanda has some interesting experience with the Phoenix, and even though I found the order-vs.-chaos concept from AvX to be kind of forced, you could probably do something cool with the idea that Wanda's magic can counter the Phoenix Force. As an ally, she could help Maya safely practice and explore her new power. We've also seen in Star, and even Jean Grey, that Wanda sees her own struggles reflected in people who have had great and terrible power thrust upon them, and she's strongly motivated to help those people whenever possible. I think she would be one to support and advocate for Maya, all the way.

Wanda's got some cool magic friends, like Elizabeth Twoyoungmen and Alice Gulliver. There are also some interesting characters from Doctor Strange (2016) such as Xandra Xu and Médico Místico. Obviously, her boyfriend Jericho is top of the list. There's also, you know, Doom. They have a lot of baggage and animosity, but I also think they'd work really well as reluctant allies. Victor, Wanda, and Pietro actually have very similar backgrounds, even among Marvel's Roma characters, so I think that the correct writer could mine a lot of great character work out of putting those three in a room again.

I really love seeing Wanda and Monica as friends. They don't have a whole lot in common, in terms of life experiences, but I do think they would have gravitated towards each other during their earlier days in the Avengers. There have been times where they were the only the only women of color in the room, and they also have a common tongue-- they both speak French! I really, really like the image of Wanda, Pietro, Monica and Jericho holding a full conversation in French. Anyhow, I want more Mon/Wanda friendship always.

I would like to see Wanda team up with Mantis again. You could probably find cool ways to use Mantis's psychic abilities, particularly the astral projection, in conjunction with magic. They have some very interesting shared history -- they had a double wedding together, had children around the same time, suffered very similar losses and heartbreak, and now they both have kids who are space royalty. As far as I'm aware, they haven't spent any time together in decades, but if there's ever another Celestial Madonna-related story like Empyre, I want to see them reunite and be cool tough-mom duo.

Oh, and I'd also be very interested in seeing Wanda meet America. I know that America's whole backstory is in flux right now-- and I'm very frustrated by this, so I'm choosing to ignore it for now. I'd be curious to know what role Wanda plays in the mythology of the Utopian Parallel.

Those are just some ideas that popped into my head. If you're looking for a team roster, I would throw Wanda, Pietro, Mon, and Jer together with Maya, Miguel Santos, and Adam Brashear. These characters are mostly in the same age range and have some amount of established history, with varied, but overlapping abilities. Throw America in as a wild card and call it a day. Oh, and Blade. Witches and vampires, you know?

#i feel like I barely represented any Asian characters but that's bc most of my favorite Asian characters are either mutants or Kamala

17 notes · View notes

star-killer-md · 4 years

Text

My Foolish Heart

Requests:

@worm800 : babe, let's get some kylo fluff in here. KING of minimal and accidental kindness lmao. there's an option at the bottom of fluff prompts that says "writer's choice," so consider this a wildcard. some /suggestions/ i have are from the kiss prompts 7, 26, 25, 44. <3 <3 <3

@obsessionprofessional : I don’t know if you’re still taking requests (thanks, shitty tumblr functions) but may I request Kylo being sweet with the reader after you’ve had a bad day? Thank you!!!! Also please disregard this if your requests aren’t open!

Thank you both so much for requesting and waiting for me to actually write things. I hope you enjoy 💖

Summary: A little companion piece set before the events of DALDOM, one of RC’s very first dreams of Kylo after her promotion.

Warnings: the set up is angsty cause it’s me, but there’s some fluff at the end, you don’t really need to have read my longer fic to understand, but it might be helpful

Word Count: 1.5k

It was the yelling that did it.

That set you reeling and made your heart pound in your ears and your hands shake and your breath rattle in your lungs and—

And you wanted to put your fist through the top of your desk to relieve some of the pent up adrenaline, but that would mean admitting it got to you. Either way you came out wounded. At this point it was just a matter of what’s more important: your hand or your pride.

Hux’s voice still bounced around in your skull, bruising neural pathways with the way it echoed. Logically, you understood that sometimes situations were simply irreparable. That there were occasions in your line of work when egos had been too badly damaged or high ranking individuals too personally insulted for you to do any sort of patch job. To be fair, you were most certainly not the one who had shot down multiple allied space crafts during the invasion of a resource rich, outer rim planet killing the son of one very important ambassador in the process, but somehow it ended up on your desk nonetheless.

And there were not enough credits at your disposal to make up for a dead son.

You suspected there may not be enough credits in the whole of the galaxy to negate that loss.

Not that you would know—holodramas can only get you so far in understanding conventional family dynamics—but it seemed a cheap move even as the offer of compensation left your mouth.

Turns out, you were right.

The negotiations ended with a severing of ties from the Order and your ass in Hux’s line of fire. Of course it was you on the receiving end of his verbal arsenal seeing as Commander Trigger Happy Ren was conveniently predisposed in the medbay.

How fortunate for him.

You’d escaped to your office just in time, closed the door and sat and wished you had a pillow so you could scream into it. Because if you screamed, the stinging in your eyes might go away and take the growing knot in your throat with it.

You weren’t bad at your job, in fact you had just been promoted.

You thrived in fast paced environments, you could think on your feet and Hux must not believe you’re a complete moron—he did hire you—but you just…

There was nothing you could have done to salvage that meeting. Nothing you could have said or offered, but it felt like there must have been something you missed.

You wanted to be impressive, needed to be impressive. To whom you weren’t sure, maybe everyone. The look of disgust and disapproval on the General’s face was burned into your eyelids. You simply couldn’t stand the thought of failing.

This was the only thing you were ever actually good at.

And you needed to be good at it, because you didn’t have anything else.

Something wet and shameful dripped from your chin and onto the cold, metal desk. The stream continued until there was a veritable puddle forming, threatening to spill over the edge and soak your uniform trousers. What was it Hux had called you?

Pathetic.

Damn if you weren’t just proving him right.

You thought sourly of Kylo Ren. He’d surely be surrounded by medical droids and basking in the light of his victory, completely unbothered by its consequences. He stood on a pedestal—the hero of the First Order, its strongest weapon, a god in his own right leading you on the path to glory—while you were swallowed up in the shadow he cast.

Trapped in the dark trail left behind, you carried the weight of massacred planets and dead sons on your shoulders.

And how dare you falter.

How dare you be anything but grateful.

That’s what all your coworkers said when you got this position. What an honor, they said.

What an honor.

What an honor it was to work so closely with such powerful men.

And, gods, you had actually believed that.

What an honor?

What a load of shit.

You sniffed, wiping your face and nose on your jacket sleeve. This wouldn’t be the first time you’d been screwed over, and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last. The least you could do was finish the report quickly. That way it could be sent off to rest in the graveyard of all the Order’s other failed alliances and you could forget it had ever happened.

Which would give you more time to stew, more time to focus on who was truly at fault here.

You’d known very little about Commander Ren coming into this position—and while a reluctant part of you was enamored by his strength—the more you learned, the more he enraged you. In fact, you didn’t even know what he looked like behind that ridiculous mask he insisted on wearing at all times, but that mattered very little.

Your anger did not need a face.

Swiftly, you typed the report, forwarded it to the appropriate recipients and went directly to your quarters. The shifts would be changing soon and you wanted to escape into sleep for a while. The cafeterias would be open when you woke up anyway.

Something felt strange as you stripped and slid into your bunk, the hard mattress pressing into your spine. The blankets were thin and scratched painfully at your skin in the low light. Your eyes fell closed somewhat against your will, like it wasn’t quite sleep that pulled you hard into a dark unconsciousness, devoid of thought. But you didn’t have the power to resist it regardless. In seconds the room faded out into a drowsy haze and you surrendered into the comforting oblivion.

***

It felt like waking.

A sort of gradual coming into existence starting from your toes and working up until you could just barely peel your eyes open.

Your head was spinning in the way it often did when you woke up at your desk expecting to be in bed. That same, strange disorientation flitted about your brain as it registered whatever was laying underneath you was much softer and warmer than your mattress. It rose up and sunk every so often like it was breathing. Maybe it was. Certainly felt that way, considering the cool prickle of moving air on your neck.

Everything was still black, so you concentrated on the placement of your limbs in space. You were face down. There was something large and solid squeezed between your thighs, what felt like bone under muscle pressing in when you shifted. It felt very much like a body, with arms crushing you to a massive chest, and your head tucked into the crook of his neck. That explained the warmth then. You burrowed deeper into him, breathing in the scent of mint that fanned across your face.

After a few moments of settling, the body shifted. He dropped his head, grazing the softest, plushest, pair of lips over the shell of your ear. You shivered and his arms tightened around you, eclipsing your body in his. The lips wandered lower, ghosting across your neck and licking a wet stripe down until they reached the joining at your shoulder and nibbled at the skin.

Like he was tasting you, drinking the tension in your bones. With every press of his lips to your flesh, you went limp and melted into the body below you.

Long locks of hair brushed your nose as he moved, descending on the other side to suck and bite at the skin. Teeth dug in, stinging as they printed marks across your chest.

It was so…

Familiar.

A quiet hum escaped you and was muffled by the broad expanse of torso. That made him still, made him pause, and tilt your head back by the hair. His hand cupped the whole of your skull in his palm.

So big, so firm.

So all encompassing.

You couldn’t see, but you felt eyes on you—searching, though not finding.

There was breath on your lips, and it wasn’t your own. It was sharp and clean and so close you could taste the warmth of it. The burning inside your chest and eyes was laid to rest under his scrutiny. A hand, with calloused, thick fingers ran along the curve of your jaw, clenching every now and again as though they were accustomed to such a soft touch. Used to more force. A tighter grip, a more violent purpose.

But not here, and not now.

You inhaled deeply, stealing some of him and hoarding it deep inside yourself. It felt warm, like his hulking body below you.

It felt good.

It felt right.

It felt safe.

It felt like a beginning.

His hand tensed, and tucked you back into him like his ribs might crack open and swallow you whole. By degrees, your awareness faded out. Your limbs lost their physical presence and everything faded into this odd, in between space. This time it was sleep that called. So, calm, content, and willing you followed its call.

-----------------------------

#kylo ren x reader #daldom #kylo ren imagine #kylo ren drabble #kylo ren fluff #angst and fluff #prologue piece #dream cuddling

54 notes · View notes

rataltouille · 3 years

Note

you can't except me to see "pocket lesbians" and not ask about it. there's just... so many different interpretations

that’s very valid of you! [note: the working title for this wip is now “recurvial”]

[this is my original work, do not use / repurpose / plagiarise in any form]

so this wip started as this soft scene between two girls that kept replaying in my head, until they got fleshed out, got named, got a world and a vague plot assigned to them! this was around two years ago? which was a time i’d not heard of litfic and had mainly specfic ideas. this one was meant to be a high fantasy trilogy with three important plot progressions in each. the reason behind the title was because these two were my comfort characters and my comfort story, always “in my pocket” to “indulge in”. if you were expecting them to be pocket sized people i am very sorry to disappoint

currently, the story is changing a lot, and while most of it is up in the air, here are some tangible elements:

the two mcs, gabrielle and janet [their names will most likely change] are enemies to reluctant allies to lovers which is fun!

there will be four main characters and one of them will die [oops]. kinda hoping to add another character to invigorate the group dynamic

it’ll remain as speculative fiction because i’m excited to worldbuild intensely, though i’m considering changing it to either soft science fiction, or let it remain fantasy but with a softer magic system. might even combine both! this story kind of has ya vibes too which would be fun to sink back into

the main cast is a found family ofc... except they’re all going to be morally grey / kind of the “bad guys”? i’m thinking anti-heroes, which i’ve wanted to write and would be super interesting to explore in a setting like this one’s!

the main reason the old version was a trilogy was because i had this one scene in the middle of the story i insisted on having as the ending to the second book, but i don't think i will enjoy writing a trilogy of any kind, and the story doesn't need three books to be told. so if i do end up writing this, it will be a standalone.

i’ve actually written multiple chapters for this but they’re so old,,, i don't feel like sharing any of it lol. it doesn't even sound like my own writing tbh 🥴 that being said this wip is pretty sexy and all the characters are a hot mess and i love that for them <3

ask me about my wips!

#don’t reblog but feel free to comment / dm!#you have no idea how long the draft of my answer to your ask was...#i had to cut so much of my rambling lmaooo #ask game #recurvial

11 notes · View notes

coaldustcanary · 4 years

Note

9, 12 for the Man from UNCLE ot3

9. Favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics?

Oof, there are so many. I think tops has to be that the action of the film literally takes place over like 3 days and they go from adversaries who try to kill each other, then reluctant allies who can barely tolerate one another, to intense and immediate self-sacrificing camaraderie for one another because they're idiots who live in absolute terror of having an Authentic Emotional Connection ™️ and they're totally in denial about how they've fallen hard.

"He repeatedly tried to shoot me in the head like 48 hours ago but he's drowning, better save him."

"We've been made by the fascists, I should probably check in with my handler...nah I'm gonna go bust into the Nazi torture basement to save him first."

"She double-crossed me on her handler's orders and got me tortured a few hours ago, better save her."

Like. "For the mission" my ass, y'all are supposed to be professional spies, you're ridiculous. And they are all so clearly *sad* at the end of the movie when they think they're going to go back to being at odds! (Even with the very "oh no" reaction they have to realizing they're working together again...)

That's just my jam.

12. If you had to take them and plunk them into another fandom, what fandom would that be? Why?

Ugh, this is hard because I would really want them in their own canon era and roles. Marvel, maybe? I'm not a huge MCU fan but in terms of crossover potential UNCLE and SHIELD working together or the three of them directly working for Peggy Carter is kind of appealing, ngl.

#tmfu #tmfu ot3 #asked and answered

16 notes · View notes

tekkai · 4 years

Note

Tell us more about your relationship with Furry husband!!! What is the dynamic like????

Oh no don’t get me started. No but seriously thank you so much! I love him so much and this is an essay of my love to the leopard furry that is my husband

It really just boils down to the fact that I thrive for the opposites attract troupe and the idea of grouchy blood-thristy leopard man Rob Lucci with me, the human equivalent of a labrador, sends my heart aflutter.

Long post beneath the cut

I don’t believe people can change quickly or easily but I’m in love with the idea of two people helping each other grow and complementing the other’s strengths.

I’m soft and sensitive while he’s cold and stoic.

He’s my emotional rock, grounding me when I get over-whelmed. At the same time I’m very in touch with not only my own emotions but those of other peoples. I’m very sensitive and can read him quite easily. He trusts me enough that he’s starting to open up a little and I’m more than happy to help him explore the depths of his emotions.

In exchange while I tend to get lost in the big picture, he’s able to focus and break down problems into smaller pieces. When I’m feeling overwhelmed he helps refocus my attention and has an almost mystical ability to turn monstrous tasks into more manageable small projects. I’m still a chaotic mess but he’s done wonders to help me organize different aspects of my life.

Every time he’s appeared in canon since the time skip my husband has looked so stressed and I’ve made it my mission to help anyway I can. Like I said, I’m a lab trapped in a human body. I just love people and am always making jokes or trying to make my people smile. He appreciates my enthusiasm for life and optimistic world view.

I just am so in love with the idea of him being his usual grouch around his subordinates that obviously wants to bite someones head off but the moment he comes home he softens and is able to relax around his happy-go-lucky wife.

Lucci is almost arrogantly confident while I second guess everything. Being around me he’s become ever so slightly less abrasive towards other people and in turn he’s helping me work on my own self confidence.

He’s very supportive of my work and casually brags about me??? I’m not used that kind of support and get turn into a flustered stuttering mess every single time he complements me in front of someone else.

He knows I’m a little insecure and makes such an effort to make sure I feel beautiful and important. His complements are so specific and sincere I want to cry. He’s not big on public displays of affection but sometimes when we’re out together he’ll lean down and whisper such genuinely sweet praise/loving words to me that my brain just short circuits and I need a minute to reboot my system.

We’re definitely an unconventional power couple.

Lucci is known for his abilities within his organisation and is feared both by his enemies and his allies.

In this world I’ve carved out my own little niche and am passionate about my work. While I’m not the best scientist I’m well known in my own right for my research into the living dinosaurs and their relationship to the birds in the One Piece world. I’m happly married to my furry husband and get to play with dinosaurs what more can I ask for in a s/i.

Although we’re very different we can recognize and respect each others strengths. We’re equally powerful in different ways and are very supportive of each other’s ambitions.

The strong protect the weak troupe.

In terms of strength he exceeds the definition of super human in this world. He’s stupidly powerful compared to the average person and is an absolute sadist in battle, literally turning into a leopard-human hybrid and toying with his prey until they either succumb or he gets bored.

Alternatively, I’m a baby. Even in a world of ridiculous power levels my self insert is a lover not a fighter. I can hurt people in other ways but I’m significantly weaker than the average person and mostly rely on my own wit to avoid injury.

Lucci is so protective and careful around fragile little me. The only thing he hates more than insults being hurled at himself is a harsh comment aimed at his wife. With enough pleading I can usually talk him down from out-right mauling the critic and his intense glare is usually more than enough to send them scurrying.

My family is often my biggest critic and although they mean well they tend to come off a little strong. He knows he can’t tear them apart but as soon as I start to get uncomfortable he’s quick to either physically remove me from the person in question or redirect their attention and change the topic.

Extrovert/Introvert Dynamic

I’m the extrovert, albeit an awkward one, and the human cat is my introverted husband.

I’m very social and he humors my attempts at reaching out to others. Unfortunately most couples I’ve tried to befriend have been scared off but you can’t fault a girl for trying.

Very slowly I’m getting him to dip his toes into my world of outdoor festivals and late night dinner parties.

At the same time my introvert husband is helping me slow down and appreciate the time we have together. For the first time in my life I’m enjoying silent cuddles and the inherent peacefulness of just existing in the same space. Usually silence makes me anxious but I feel so safe around him I can just relax and savor the moment.

Of course I still get stir crazy but we’ve definitely had an effect on each other.

I tend to talk… a lot. Especially when I get passionate about something. Lucci doesn’t mind holding a conversation but he definitely appreciates when I can lead the conversation. He’ll let me ramble on, watching as accentuate my points with elaborate hand gestures while he watches me with the softest smile. He finds my passion endearing and I’m more than happy to hold an audience. If I start to lose momentum he’ll interject with a question and I’m always happy to start rambling on again.

We’re both monsters and I love the angst

We both have the ability to become human monsters. In the beginning there was a lot of hesitance from both of us for how the other would react to this revelation. Spoiler alert: We are both more than okay with this information about the other.

He not only can become a giant leopard human hybrid but has a horrible reputation. For the longest time he hesitated to even touch me because he hated the thought of staining me with what he perceived as blood soaked hands.

On my part, my S/I is more or less the devil. I don’t want to hurt anyone but I carry a lot of guilt over what I’d done in the past. I also carry a lot of baggage from people using me for abilities in the past and I’m reluctant to talk about what I can do.

Trust was built slowly between us as we each worked through our own issues and gained faith in each other. Patience was a huge theme while we’re dating, and continues to be into our marriage. We’re very observant people and if the other needs more time to work through an aspect of relationship/get comfortable with a new concept or mile stone we’re both happy to let the other set the pace.

The responsible adult and the child at heart dynamic

In reference to that post about the sled dogs.

Lucci has his life in order and is an extremely responsible adult ™. While he’s calling to get our taxes in order I would have absolutely been plotting to adopt a dozen puppies to raise as sled dogs.

I tend to be a dreamer at heart and my ambition tends overestimate my reality.

Lucci is very much the responsible one in this relationship. Although he is not at all a dog person, if it means making me happy, he would suggest instead of starting with 12 puppies he would recommend adopting one first and then considering more.

While Lucci brings a level headed maturity to the table I try to keep things fun. I know most of my ideas are far-fetched but thats not the point of my thought experiments.

Progress has been slow but not only has he come to indulge in my hypothetical outlandish dreams he’s started to contribute to my fantasies.

“Angel, if you adopted a team of sled dogs we’d have to move somewhere cold. Then I’d have to find a new tailor…” It’s not much in terms of elaborate couples fantasies but he’s humoring me and my gods do I appreciate it and run with it. I’ll spend the next few days trying to find a tailor in the arctic before chasing a different idea.

We have a running joke where I’ll overwhelm myself and exclaim “I need an adult” before soliciting affection from my emotional-support leopard.

#nougatships #Ah I ended up writing way too much #But tbh I'm sure I'm forgetting important stuff #Lucci is currently my longest self ship and our relationship has grown so much since then #I apologize for the inevitable typos this is less of an essay and more of an unbridled gush #Furry Husband #But thank you again #I just love him so much #;-;

6 notes · View notes

theladyragnell · 5 years

Note

Favorite examples of that specific enemies to lovers genre? Transformative or original media, it just sounds fabulous :)

Caveat first! This is one that I see mentioned around a lot and ... don’t actually run across in the wild that often? Maybe because it requires SUCH a slow burn, and maybe because I don’t tend to read fic for fandoms that would logically have it (do I suspect there’s probably Loki/Thor and Loki/other Avengers fic to this tune? For sure. Do I want to read it? Not really). So I am making this list, but if people have recommendations, PLEASE lay them on me.

1. So, the reason I said I was calling myself out in the tags is because this is kind of the dynamic that one of our main D&D ships ended up falling into in our, uh ... post-canon reinterpretation of some minor DM incompetence, shall we say? So, Valira/Haoti, if you’re into reading the D&D fic I have put on the AO3? Though I haven’t written anything precisely to the dynamic, it’s just how they work in my head.

2. Spike and Spike/Buffy gave me this and HOW for a while, before things became, you know. What they were, come s6ish (though I still like some s6 moments for them). The era of Spike being tied up in a bathtub resenting everyone and acquiring a life-ruining crush on Buffy was kind of an amazing one, for me.

3. Meliara/Vidanric from Sherwood Smith’s Crown Duel has elements of this! And it is one of my formative book ships. They do go from “straight up enemies” to “reluctant allies” to “I guess we have a few things in common” and then, of course, much further, at least from Mel’s perspective. Shevraeth’s is ... a bit less this trope. Oh, unreliable narrators.

4. I’m going to mention a couple in one number here because they’re both really low stakes versions of this: Eric/Jack in Check, Please! and the main romance in Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me. In one case it’s “you’re a dick to me on the hockey team but you grudgingly help me and we’re friends with all the same people and we’re baking together and whoops” and in the other it’s “we are extremely incompatible but our friends are dating and we have mutual interests so we may as well take care of them and whoops,” and both of them are great for me.

5. Jaime/Brienne also gives this and GOOD during their whole road trip.

#anonymous #answered asks

10 notes · View notes

irnwoman · 5 years

Text

AVENGERS ENDGAME --- DUAL TIMELINE*

Under the cut contains my two diverging timelines for Post Endgame, beware that there are spoilers below for Avengers Endgame, so please read at your own risk if you haven’t seen it yet and wish to remain surprised. These are my default timelines; and as always, points are flexible for specific plots and preferences.

DO NOT REBLOG / PERSONALS DO NOT INTERACT !

This section is divided into two categories; Tony Lives and Tony Dies. My default will vary depending on the muse, but I might typically lean more into Tony Living since that seems to be the general consensus I’ve seen on the dash. There will be parts that carry over into both, those details will be highlighted.

BEFORE DIVERGENCE

I’ve covered Pepper during the time span of Infinity War to the final battle here; so please refer here for more information prior to this split.

Tony didn’t know yet, Pepper had only found out moments prior and had zero time to fully process it. FRIDAY scanning all ID’d inhabitants of their home the moment an emergency protocol kicked in --- a moment Pepper learned later to be the Second Snap. FRIDAY quickly scanned her, Morgan, and Happy --- detecting that she was indeed a a couple weeks pregnant and that signs of this were set to start showing soon.

Of course, she had hardly a moment to even begin comprehending this before a Priority Alert came through. Everyone who had vanished was back; devastation at Avengers Compound. Ally ID signatures all diverging to the point.

That was when it was fully activated; Morgan ran into the room showing her that “Mommy’s suit turned on”. She’d never worn the Rescue armor; but she had played around in Tony’s suits. FRIDAY gave her the rundown on it’s hyper intuitive design. Meant for a beginner, but as strong as any of the others. Calls began flooding the systems; fragments of what was happening --- what was going on. Pepper felt overwhelmed.

Until she looks at the suit in her five year old’s hands --- this is it. She can tell; she can feel it in her very being. This is the final fight and it’s not just for the day --- it’s for everything, and Tony is out there facing it. Fighting for them along side the Avengers and they’re gonna need as much help as they can get.

Pepper suits up and joins the battle, Happy keeps Morgan safe and locked in the house while she does.

TONY LIVES

Pepper stays by Tony’s side as he recovers; she momentarily forgets her own ‘delicate’ condition until she starts feeling morning sickness.

While Tony is in recovery, she and Morgan stay somewhere near the hospital until he’s ready to come back home again.

Pepper is forced to prepare her daughter for the very real possibility that Tony might not make it; and it’s one of the hardest moments in her life.

Of course she tells Tony eventually that she’s pregnant again --- after the three months mark / when he’s stable enough to be in a less drugged state and can properly understand her ( whichever happens first ).

Pepper doesn’t know how long Tony will be in hospital, so she has a contingency plan. She has a labour plan for wherever they are staying; plans for Morgan to start school once they are up and running. This is the kind of stuff she’s good at. It’s what she spent a good portion of her life doing before any of this superhero stuff began.

Pepper officially steps down as CEO once businesses like Stark International are running again. She spearheads a lot of charity work; serves on a few boards of organizations that she believes in. She speaks at universities, and earns a recurring column in both Vogue and Teen Vogue for a period of time before fully settling down completely.

The Rescue Armor comes out on occasion; in emergency circumstances but she by no means takes on a superhero mantle. That part of their life is over --- her, Tony and their family deserve a soft epilogue and that’s what they get

TONY DIES

Tony never got to know about their second child; she couldn’t do that to him. Pepper couldn’t make him feel bad about leaving in his last moments. For him, she is brave. For him she holds it together --- eases him gently into his death as much as possible. It’s only after Tony is gone that she allows herself to cry.

Telling Morgan, who is so young and doesn’t truly understand, is one of the hardest things she’s ever done. For days --- weeks, Morgan keeps asking when Tony is coming home and she has to try to explain it all over again. She spends many nights curled up in her bed in attempts to help her sleep.

Pepper’s feelings towards everyone involved are confused; she can’t help but feel anywhere from pettiness to outright anger at times that those who lived survived and that her husband --- someone they knew they needed had to go. It’s not always rational, but she can’t help it. She had spent years watching Tony almost die, sacrifice himself for everyone --- it feels unfair and sometimes she just lets calls go to voicemail; or pretends not to be home. Not always, but sometimes.

Pepper’s pregnancy feels harder than the last time. This time, she’s on her own. Truly on her own. Her emotional state doesn’t make things any easier. Her brother, Sean, takes Pepper and Morgan in once she’s put on early bedrest. Her brother and sister-in-law helping her as much as possible.

Once again, Pepper falls into Postpartum. She tries to hide it for Morgan’s sake; the girl has already dealt with so much. This time, Pepper takes her longest standing advice for Tony, and concedes into Therapy. Pepper misses the farm, but it’s so big and secluded. She’s afraid to go back there for a time --- not doing so until around the time her second child is five years old.

She’s been off work, but not fully retired as CEO this whole time. Someone at the company whom she trusts and keeps her up to date has been Acting CEO while she takes this time. Pepper is more reluctant to let go, feeling as if letting go will let Tony down. He entrusted it to her.

Ultimately, she stays with the Company for a few more years --- but makes sure that she’s able to be a mom too. She’s very much a public figure head and holds power, but she doesn’t manage the day to day things anymore. Slowly phasing out until Pepper officially steps down from Stark Industries.

She always misses and loves Tony, but slowly she learns to move on. Not necessarily in a romantic sense, but she lives her life again.

The Rescue Armour remains locked away, saved only for when the protocols initiate it functions by default once more.

Pepper eventually occupies her time with charity work; things that matter to her but also things she knew mattered to Tony.She begins advocating for more supports for single mothers and expectant mothers; more supports for families and individuals suffering from ptsd and loss. She begins working to achieve goals that will spare others from the hardships she and Tony both had to endure.

She doesn’t hold resentments forever, it’s too toxic to herself and she recognises how unfair she’s being. It’s not easy at times, but she lets herself move on and save friendships and form new ones.

SHARED DETAILS IN BOTH

Pepper lives until her late-nineties --- they cannot prove it, but she suspects her longer and healthier life than average is a lingering side effect of Extremis. She spends a few years enjoying herself in the social circles of Manhattan for company after her children have grown and husband has passed --- before eventually retiring by the sea along the West Coast shoreline that had always felt more like home where she passes away peacefully

Pepper and her brother Sean reform their super close relationship; Morgan gets to meet her cousins and they have a happy dynamic together

Pepper and Gina find a type of peace; they only really see each other on occasion --- but she’s learned that resentment is corrosive and she deserves better.

Pepper eventually pens both a trio of children’s picture books lightly inspired by some of the crazy things ( and people ) in her life as well as a autobiographical bestseller.

She has at least one more child, but she doesn’t carry this one herself; after her second child is born --- she gets her tubes tied to prevent any further health risks.

Pepper remembers Natasha; she makes sure that her contributions were known. She makes sure she is as memorialised as Tony is. Natasha was her friend, she works with Clint to ensure whatever is done is as Natasha would have wanted it.

#a4 spoilers #endgame spoilers #ARC 007 / ENDGAME*#WHO'S THE HOT MESS NOW? ( headcanons* )#DO NOT REBLOG*

20 notes · View notes

delusion1ncarnate · 5 years

Note

Octavia Blake and Charmaine Diyoza? 😊

Thank you so much for sending me these

Octavia Blake:

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: her ability to adapt herself to all kinds of different situations and to almost reinvent herself over and over again, her belief in doing the right thing even if it´s difficultworst quality: her inability to let go of the past, I think. It´s absolutely understandable why she can´t, but it´s pretty harmful to herself and sometimes to the people around her.ship them with: Lincoln and Niylahbrotp them with: Roan, Raven, Clarke(although that´s more of a headcanon), Jasper needs to stay away from: Bellamy, not because he is a bad influence on her or anything, but because I think Bellamy and Octavia are still pretty much stuck in their relationship dynamic of “Prisioner/Sister and Keeper/Brother” and I think as long as their relationship revolves around that dynamic it will always be harmful to both of them. So I think they need to figure out, who they are, if they aren´t defined by that dynamic and that past and then they can finally learn how to be just brother and sister.misc. thoughts: I just love Octavia so much. Her character arc and change is so entertaining to watch and I am really curious to see where she is headed next. She has been through so much at this point and my heart breaks, when I think about the way she ended S4 and what the five years underground turned her into. I just really hope in S6 the whole cannibalism thing is properly talked about and people get the chance to kind of understand what she did and why she did it. And i hope she gets to come to terms with the decisions she made, both those she still stands behind and those she regrets.

Charmaine Diyoza:

1 note · View note

desperauxtilling · 6 years

Text

Rentrée (Jason/Nico)

History repeats itself: Jason hates his family, has good intentions going rogue, and Nico is collateral damage.

Happy Jasico Saturday, here’s some canon divergence angst.

“Can you tell me about my sister?”

Nico sits with his legs swinging over the crow’s nest, leaning into Jason, who stands with arms folded over the guard railing. He focuses somewhere beyond the rouge spattered sky. Nico thinks he looks good bathed in the red light. It tints his hair to a soft, strawberry blond he wishes he could run his fingers through.

“Thalia is… headstrong,” he starts. “I met her around the same time I met Percy. We became reluctant allies. She was better friends with Bianca than me.” He takes a shuddering breath.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up--”

“No. It’s okay.” Nico pats his knee, smirking when he jumps. “You know about the quest with our sisters, right?”

Jason nods. Some distant storm fills his eyes. There’s a tension in his shoulders Nico wishes to unknot, understand. “Annabeth told me when I asked about her gray hair.” He raps his knuckles against the rail. “My sister changed her fate by becoming a hunter. She refused the prophecy.”

Nico nods. The opposite happened to Bianca. If she stayed, she would have survived. It haunts Nico that he’s the reason she was so eager to get away from camp. The Hades figurine she tried to get him sealed her fate.

“Thanks for talking with me,” he says after a long silence takes over them. Nico’s hardly talked but he gives the slightest twitch of his lips. Jason traces a lock of Nico’s hair that fell in his face, casting it behind his ear. When he turns red, the son of Jupiter smiles. Then he leaves.

“What do you know about Reyna?” he asks Nico. Hazel and Frank are there, too, relaxing beside him. Jason is determined to be friends with Nico after the Split incident, forging something real out of the crash that Cupid crafted.

“Strong leader. Self assured. Driven.” He scratches his neck. “She led the assault on Mount Othrys with you. Well, she led the army while you took on Krios.”

“She had faith in me, even when she knew my rocky ancestry,” Frank says. “She could have refused me from camp… but she didn’t.”

“You two seemed close,” Hazel said. “Whenever I saw you both together, I got the sense you had been friends for a long time. You always covered each other’s backs.”

Jason’s fingers tap nervously against the deck. He’s fidgeting. He’s doing that more lately, Nico has noticed. It’s unlike him. An impulse strikes him and he places his hand over Jason’s. Jason is surprised, cheeks tinging pink, but he grins. Thanks Nico again and leaves.

This continues. Jason unintentionally inspires Nico to open by inquiring about the past. Thalia, Percy and Annabeth’s quests, Kronos’ rise from the side of the Greeks. He gets to know Nico, too. Wants to get to know him. It makes him feel good to have someone like that there for him.

“Is it okay that I’m mad at Thalia?”

Nico’s head lolls against Jason’s shoulder. “I was mad at Bianca.”

“I’m just angry at her because she’s lucky. Dad cares about her. She was able to escape the prophecy. She has the gods’ favor.”

“The gods’ favor doesn’t mean everything, Jason,” he points out.

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

His voice turns to gravel and Nico looks up in surprise. Jason’s face is contorted with anger. Sparks dance along his knuckles. He’s heard angry curses from Annabeth when Percy was missing, but nothing so outright opposed to the gods from anyone but… since... “Hey…” Nico hesitates to reach for his hand. “Jason. Are you all right?”

He flexes his fingers and, with steam, the electricity dissipates. “Sorry. Frustrated, that’s all.” His words grow small. “Wish that I could remember.”

“Percy remembers. Hera hasn’t…?” Nico asks sadly, trailing off when Jason shakes his head.

“Guess she still needs me.” Jason rubs the back of his head. Firms his hand on Nico’s shoulder then stands. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

Jason turns to grant Nico a small smile. “I can tell when people are lying. You never lie to me.”

Percy and Annabeth are plucked from Tartarus and he’s getting ready to leave with Reyna and the statue. There’s something about it that’s changed Jason. Seeing Annabeth and Percy sets off something in his blue eyes. His jaw clenches. His shoulders tense. When Leo and Piper try getting close, he pushes them away. “Annabeth sure is lucky,” he says one day. Nico stands beside him at the helm, trying not to look too giddy as he mans the wheel (maybe he’s finally getting to live out all those pirate adventures he read about).

Nico, stepping on pinpricks, asks, “Why?”

“She has Percy.”

Nico snorts. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“She got to grow up with Thalia.” His blue eyes are cold, his tone cross. “I wish I’d had that.” Nico lays a hand on his shoulder and Jason takes it, smiling softly. But Nico can feel a storm trembling under his skin. Jason is itching to leave, itching to spread his wings. Dangerous. Jagged. Nico pushes those familiar thoughts away.

Jason’s getting worse.

He sees him speaking quietly with Reyna by the statue while he’s securing the ropes to himself. And, to his dread and delight, Jason claps him on the shoulder and turns him around. “You be careful, okay, Nico?”

“You know me. Nothing but careful.” His taunt makes Jason laugh and the sound lift Nico’s heart. It’s just the two of them, now. Nico can’t say he’ll miss the ship but he already misses Jason.

“You know you can trust me, right?” Jason asks. He claps his hand to Nico’s face, traces his thumb against his soft cheek. Nico feels very small suddenly. “You can come to me for anything.” Jason takes a step forward.

“Yes,” Nico breathes. He hates the way his voice catches on his high breath, but. It’s hard to stay coherent with Jason this warm and this close and this intense.

“I can trust you.” Not quite a question. The statement carries a finality that scares him back to reality. Jason is so cold and serious, now. The hand, once charcoal, turns to lead against his cheek. Dragging him into the earth.

“Yes,” Nico says again. He trusts Jason and wants Jason to trust him too so he burrows that fear away from his heart.

Jason pats his cheek. Kisses his brow. Then he leaves.

Reyna and Nico and Hedge have a good dynamic. He understands why Reyna and Jason were close and sees some of those same comfortable qualities in her that drew him to Jason. But she’s harder and colder, closer to Nico. Their relationship grows. He sees the same want to protect him that he once saw in Bianca. And he doesn’t feel like he’s being bossed around, either. They’re equals. Friends. They care for each other.

That’s why he screams when Bryce’s ghostly hands wrap around her neck and she vanishes into the earth. Hedge is yelling something, swinging his bat, only to get flung back into the hard rock of the Athena Parthenos. A finger on the statue cracks. His head bleeds.

“Reyna--” he gasps out. Sword hangs heavy at his side. The earth starts to swallow him, too. The jar. Tartarus. Gaea’s soft hands creeping up his ankles. “No, no, no--” They’re supposed to be safe here. With each other.

Bryce leers over him. Grips Nico’s chin in hand. Something thunks against his head. Blood. He tastes it in his mouth, spilling over his cut lip onto Bryce’s thumb. The Roman laughs. That sound bounces around Nico’s head for hours, echoing, echoing in the tunnels of the underground.

Nico catches one last glimpse of the sky and for a moment, he thinks of Jason’s eyes.

Then nothing.

Warm, soft dirt. Spilling into him. Filling the space around him. Tempting and suffocating. Reyna’s here, somewhere, but when he tries to reach for her it’s like wading through clay. Slow. Slippery. Mud filling up his mouth and nose. Blood spilling from his mouth and nose. The earth binds him and raises him up, presenting a prize to the middle of the acropolis. Giants loom in the distance, footsteps shaking stone pillars. The sun is high and hot. Reyna’s back rests against his. That’s all the comfort he has.

Footsteps. Racing up the stone stairs. He tries to make out a voice, but it’s a garbled mess of syllables he can’t pronounce. His sister’s voice slips in there somewhere and he tries to raise his head but he’s so weak and it hits the tile again with a groan.

“Hazel, no! It could be a trap.” A beat. “Let me go in. I can fly in and out of there.”

“Careful, Jason.” Sick and barely conscious, Nico still recognizes Percy’s voice. Welcomes it.

There’s a cool gust of air and he welcomes it with a weak sigh. Careful footsteps toward him. Someone kneels down, casts a friendly shadow over himself and Reyna. “Nico.” Jason’s hands are warm on his face, rousing his consciousness. Brush some of his bangs off his forehead. “Nico, it’s me. You’re okay.”

“Jason.” He licks his lips. Tries to let the name settle on his tongue again. “What are you… why… here.” He tries to open his eyes and everything is bright, so white, he can’t focus. Jason rides the tremor out with him until he can see the rest of the seven, blurry in the distance. “I’m here to help you, Nico,” he whispers. “You were in danger.”

He remembers Bryce’s laugh ringing in his ears, slipping into the warm earth, and a horrible, familiar darkness. “Jasonngh... Where’s—Reyna is...” Unconscious beside him, groaning as she starts to stir.

“You’re both in kind of rough shape.” Jason jostles Nico into his arms, gentle, examining his wounded head. There’s something off about his blue eyes. Something that screams danger. His hair is mussed, the bags under his eyes are heavy, the scar on his lip seems so much more jagged. So unlike Jason. The reality he’s been unwilling to accept until now hits him full force. “But I’ve got you. You’re both going to be okay.” And so much like Luke.

“Jason, get out of there,” Frank advises quietly. He takes a step forward and Jason holds out his hand. Suddenly, a spark of electricity flies forth, crafting a field around the trio. Nico jumps but he doesn’t leave Jason’s arms, how warm and safe it feels. He’s scared. But he can’t leave.

The rest of their group stares at him. Nico blinks. “Jason?” he asks quietly. Tugs his shirt collar. “What’s…” He looks to Hazel, her eyes wide and full of fright. And now he knows he is in great danger. Something presses sharp and hard into his side and he winces.

“Jason, l want to see my brother,” Hazel says. Her voice shakes. “Let me see him.” Nico’s head lolls to the side to catch her worried eye. “Haze—“ Jason’s hand comes to cup his jaw and pull Nico’s face against his chest. “I can’t do that, Hazel. I’m sorry.” Jason’s tone is laden with finality and remorse. Nico is panicked now but. His lids are so heavy. His limbs are so heavy. Movement isn't an option. And Jason is still soft and temperate. Reyna props herself up on her elbow, wheezing. “Nico,” she grits out, her eyes shut tight. “Nico, where—“ Jason places a forceful hand on her shoulder. “Rest, Reyna. I’ve got you.” Her eyes remain closed. His voice registers slowly and she releases a shuddering sigh. “Jason. What are you doing?”

Percy strides forward, pulling riptide. Ready to defend. Ready to save them. There’s an understanding in his eyes. He’s watched Jason deteriorate in Nico’s absence, something he loathes to have missed. Could he have stopped this? Done anything? Could any of them have?

And still, can they?

Nico looks whatever’s digging into his ribs--a sharp golden dagger hanging on Jason’s belt. As soon as it registers as a knife, Jason’s pulled the weapon and pressed it to Nico’s throat. It’s only light pressure but he struggles to breathe. “Don’t come any closer, Percy,” Jason warns, crouching, forcing Nico onto his knees to avoid the sharp cut of a knife. “If you care about Nico at all... you’ll stay right where you are.” “Jason, you have no idea what you’re doing.” Percy’s weapon is clenched tight in his hand. His desperate eyes meet Nico’s. “I’ve seen this before. I know what’ll happen. You can’t honestly believe Gaea is more trustworthy than the gods. Than our family.” He gestures to the stars, to the disheartened crew. It's so hollow. It didn't help then and it won't now. Somewhere, Nico hears, Family. You promised. “Please don’t do this. Let Nico and Reyna go.” Reyna’s hand reaches for Jason’s upper arm. His wielding hand drops the smallest distance from Nico’s throat. “Don’t. He’s... don’t hurt him, Jason.” Her voice still sounds so strong, even when it’s that quiet. “Come home. Don’t do this.”

“Percy... this is the only way I can protect them. Protect all of you.” He doesn’t waver, though he pauses to suck in a breath. “I’ve been following the gods for so long... they’ve done nothing but hurt me. Hurt us. Hurt my sister. They hurt you, too. I can see it. I know how angry you are. They took you from Annabeth, they let you fall into Tartarus... But now I have a chance to stop that from happening again. They won’t be able to hurt us anymore.”

"This is only going to make things worse," Leo whispers. He looks so cold. "You know this isn't right."

"I don't care about what's right. I care about justice." The blade rests cool, taut against Nico’s throat and he gasps.

"Where's the justice in this?" Hazel demands. "I know you're hurt, I know you're scared--but you're just hurting the only people you're trying to protect." Her eyes meet Nico's and he almost whimpers. He wants to struggle but that knife is so tight against him he can't move. "Gaea's just using you. Don't let her."

"Don't tell me that. I know, and I--I am sick of your camp telling me what to do." Jason's blue eyes turn dark and stormy and his hand pulses low with electricity. "Your name is soldier first. War is burned into you before you can even ask what it is. You're a machine, you're a weapon, you're a means to an end. The first thing they did to you, Hazel, was burn that mark onto your arm. You're hardly a teenager. And I was--five? I don't know. I don't know anymore." Reyna's head bows low and Jason draws in a shaky breath. And despite everything, Nico just wants to unwind him, to hold him, to calm him down. All he can do is grip the hand with the blade tighter, try to soothe Jason by tracing his thumb over the back of his hand. "I've been there since I was a kid. And I took every order, every word... I was perfect. And for what?" The traces of tears in his eyes turn to ice. "If I'm going to be used, from now on, I'm having some kind of say in it."

“Jason, I know...” Piper whispers. "But this isn't the way. Just put down the knife. Let us talk to you. Let us help you." Her melodious voice carries over and stills them both. Mechanical, the blade starts to fall from its position. Jason's eyes glaze over. That gives Reyna the opportunity to pull his hand away from Nico’s throat. He falls to the floor as soon as he’s released.

Jason looks between Piper and Reyna in disbelief, then settles on the former with a scathing look. "Stop trying to control me!" Nico tries to breathe again, dizzy. The sky and the stones spin around his head.

Piper panics. Grips her choppy bangs. "No, no I wasn't--please, just listen--"

"I'm done listening." Through his struggling consciousness, he watches Reyna grapple for the knife. Jason pin her down. Jason cutting her arm. Not too deep, but he knows just where to cut to get blood to flow. She grits her teeth and groans against the stones of Athens. Her wide eyes meet Nico’s. Run.

He tries but he can hardly stand. Hazel starts running toward him, too, despite the electric field between them. "Help--" He doesn't know who to ask for help anymore. He reaches, staggers— Jason pulls him back in.

“This’ll hurt, but not for long.” Jason pulls Nico’s back to his chest, forcing his hand out. He presses the dagger tight into his palm, a threat, a promise. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, Nico.” “You’re hurting me.” He chokes. “Jason, it hurts—“ The blade is cool when it slides across his palm. He gasps, soft, and the blade clatters to the ground. Jason grasps his bleeding hand. Forces his palm open. His chin rests on Nico’s shoulder, blue eyes narrowed in focus and cold as steel. He can hear the crew screaming. Hazel trying to find a way around the field, shaking the ground. Percy swinging his sword at it even though horrible shocks course through him. Annabeth standing there frozen in wide eyed shock. “They won’t hurt you ever again,” Jason promises. He isn’t sure if Jason means the gods or their friends. Then his blood spatters the ancient rock of Athens, joining Reyna’s, and the earth splits in two.

“This can’t be happening,” Nico whispers, hoping the words are enough to wake him from this nightmare. He’s not part of the prophecy. He’s not one of the seven. He’s not supposed to be here. But he is. He’s bleeding. He’s waking the earth mother.

Reyna launches herself on Jason with a cry, reaching for his blade again. His arm tightens around Nico’s throat. “--Rey--Ru--ngh--” He tries to throw off Jason and Reyna. Don’t save me, he wants to beg.

“Jason, you idiot--!” She’s yelling, arm bleeding all over his camp shirt. Jason elbows her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground again. He has the audacity to look ashamed. Nico still can’t breathe. Claws at Jason’s arm. The ground shakes and the seven are scattered. But Reyna’s distraction works. The electricity dies down.

Leo and Hazel run forward. Jason blows Leo back with a gust of wind but Hazel grounds herself in the faulty stone and raises it up around them, crafting a prison. “You don’t want to fight me, Jason,” she growls. Cursed gemstones rise from the ground and the mist warbles around her fingertips. She radiates darkness and magic. “Not when my brother is on the line.”

And then the giants come in.

Footsteps shake the entire acropolis. Nico remembers the jar. Walls start closing in around him. He’s shaking. Jason’s hand over his mouth is gentle, fingers tracing his cheeks, pulling the breath from his lips through gesture. He can’t breathe. Reyna is yelling. He’s getting dizzy. Hazel is crying. He’s so tired. Percy’s green eyes meet his through cracks of stone. Darkness.

He falls slack in Jason’s arms.

#jasico #pjo #hoo #nico di angelo #jason grace #thalia grace #luke castellan #:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))#jasico saturday #jasico discord tag

28 notes · View notes

sleepymarmot · 6 years

Text

COUNTER/Weight liveblog, part 2

Episodes 23-40

Keith hasn't listened to the previous episode and Austin & Ali are cackling like “You got a big storm coming” lmao

…Look I understand the idea of making Tea an ally after the players and audience got to know her in the Kingdom game but the excuse is really thin

“A gift for his little brother” You guys are really bad at this gender neutrality thing huh

AuDy talking to Orth makes my head spin a bit now

Oh so Addax is the leader of the Angels? The person who has been watching the Chime from the shadows = the group that has been spying on them? Okay, I now feel dumb for not putting this together myself.

Wait I lost track again. Who were Jacq & Jill working for initially that gave them access to those immortality tanks? Iirc it was Odamas who had that technology and then gave Horizon access to it while imposing strict rules on them during the merge? So why does Jacqui get less fun assignments now if she was a part of the winning faction, not the losing one?

Oh cool, so Jamil wanted to hand over the virus to the Angels because they're both just from the Rapid Evening?

“A bard notices their enemy's heart isn't in the fight, so they stop fighting, fall in love” is such a specific thing. How the hell did it happen twice on the same show. Is this the new big gay trope now

Heeeey could you stop punching me in the stomach with intros

So, Jacqui was working for Horizon, which in turn was given this job by Petrichor? Still doesn't answer my question…

Do I have to mentally rewrite the entire holiday special so that in every scene on the Kingdom Come everyone is floating in zero gravity all the time?! I'm sorry but this makes no fucking sense!

The doppelganger thing started really creepy but now it just makes my head spin! Please stop it with the names, I'm too easily confused, especially with a show that has a record of passing characters back and forth between the GM and the players!

Re: that whole thing: aaaaAAAAA???

I don't understand what Austin and Jack are doing but it's pretty magical

God, the Aria/Jacqui scene is so… tender? Idk. Austin's gentle “PC's love interest” voice has murdered me again. I'm not sold on Jacqui by herself as a character but on the feelings between the two? Definitely. (Though I still wonder about Aria’s heroism vs Jacqui’s disregard for life. That’s a biiig value clash)

Okay, this was all very unsettling and I still understand so little

I really love that Sokrates' refusal to make that one nameless person take the fall, which seemed (at least to me) kinda stubborn and shortsighted, turned into a key moment, both because it demonstrates integrity, and now because that person becomes an actual NPC as an important asset in their faction

I love how the idea of moving Rigour to September comes up and everyone starts screaming and I do too! They sure love leaving horrifying surprises for the ground team to stumble upon lol

Is it too callous and unwise of me to react to Ibex overthrowing the Hands of Grace as “good riddance”?

Maryland's letter has strong Alyosha/Arrell vibes

I love the “reluctant alliance with an antagonist” trope and was hoping it'd happen with Ibex so I'm happy! Also in one of the early episodes Austin mentioned the Anders-Justice storyline and I'm glad to hear him finally deliver. (There was stuff about the pilot/Candidate->Divine influence with Order, but not about the other way around or fusion, like with Vengeance)

Okay thankfully things are clearer now (I'm reeeally glad I wasn't spoiled on this) but I still have so many questions. How were LD made in the first place? Why and how did they hide in/turn themselves into a simple robot? What are they – just software, like Righteousness, or is there some Divine hardware core inside the normal Automated Dynamics unit that nobody has noticed somehow, or is the hardware in a remote location they access through the mesh? Did Ibex know AuDy was LD the whole time – he didn't act very surprised? Why didn't Ibex rescue his brother, did he die really quickly? How will Mako be able to fog without Righteousness? Shouldn't AuDy be gamebreakingly powerful now? How and why do LD count as two Divines but have a single consciousness, are they like Garnet?

Lazer Ted feels like a fucking TAZ character lmao

The comic relief was welcome but at the same time I'm continuously like “What is AuDy thinking and feeling. Why are they acting like nothing happened. Where's the existential crisis. How do you realize you're a pair of ancient gods and just proceed with your life? Are they so impenetrable on purpose because they're a robot”. Like, it was chilling when they were suddenly chatting with Ibex like old friends, and now it's chilling that they're acting just in the early episodes.

I'm glad the robot incident made everyone realize it might be unwise to put the two charming extraverts in the same half of the party lol

Looks like they decided to permanently switch back to “he” for Cass… Probably for the best.

Jack keeps excitedly jumping at every opportunity for creepiness™. God, AuDy makes so much more sense as his character now after the Reveal

Is September just fucking Solaris now?

I think this is the first time I'm not excited to hear a faction game episode because I really didn't expect it at this point in the story. My reaction was “Wait what? Are you telling me everyone gets stuck on September waiting out that storm for a whole month?! I wanted to hear what that cliffhanger led to!” Idk, the September arc was generally kind of a let down after the intensity of the episodes leading up to it, and this further deflates the tension.

Speaking of tension and letdowns, I just have to complain… It's really disappointing when the show sets up really big dramatic hooks and then does practically nothing with them! I complained about Addax and Cass in the previous post and that point still stands. Case two: Mako and Righteousness/Voice. It's set up in a faction episode, and in the immediately following arc Mako indeed is in danger from something inside his own head, but it's a completely unrelated thing! At the end of the arc he finally finds out, but the threat immediately gets nullified with no consequences – no self-doubt or identity crisis, no diminished abilities in terms of game mechanics. Case three: Ibex himself. Out of the reasons the Kingdom game is what it is, the excuse for it happening in-universe was to give more details on Ibex, and at least half of it featured a collective effort to make him as central to the story and as threatening as possible. But as soon as that flashback ends, so, counterintuitively, does the role of Ibex as an active antagonist to the Chime -- the role which was literally just supposed to begin in earnest. So by this point I can barely recall why we were all so intimidated by this guy in the first place. I'm more like “This is a useful ally to have”. This is what I don't like about the world-ending threats like Rigor: all other interesting conflicts fade in their face.

Dang, I thought Isurus was a cooler name than Enhydra!

Sokrates, forced to shake Ibex's hand: *clenched fist meme*

Wait, I missed something, why is Rigor deep underground and has to dig itself out?

Okay, after the lore episode I'm also confused how Rigor ended up underground on Ionias after it was blown up 20000 years ago in a completely different place

I'm very distressed by the idea of Hieron as a future popular franchise!! No, it's supposed to be real when these people are talking about it!! Oh wait a fucking second, does this mean Jace's Panther was a deliberate reference in-universe?? Like you're fighting in a real serious terrible war and you model a giant war machine after, like, a thestral from the fucking Harry Potter and just call it “Thestral”??!

No, no, wait, do tell me who Cass and AuDy would cosplay!

Oh no, Rigour wants to talk to Voice(?), great

Hey Cass, your Hadrian is showing??

Speaking of Hadrian, I was caught off guard by description of Tower as a “hot young Hadrian”, for some reason Hadrian never struck me as a character who's supposed to be exceptionally attractive. But then again, I imagined him as very young until that letter to Hella, and then I imagined Cass as a young adult until I did the math, so I might just be bad at visualising Art's characters lol.

Austin is so generous and unsubtle about throwing hot gay NPCs right at the players. Too bad Mako doesn't sound as interested as Aria did.

I expected they'd find a room with one copy of everyone plugged into the mesh, that'd be even creepier. What's with the false memories though? This doesn't explain them.

So, how does this whole clone system work? How does time work? Why don't the real students like Tower or Maxine notice that there's a new guy who looks just like their friend, but doesn't know them – or, for that matter, why don't the other clones notice? Oh, maybe that's the purpose of the fake memory aura? So that Maritime-4 could continue right from where Maritime-3 left off?

When Cass saw Apokine's face I thought it meant that the humans had genetically engineered the Apostolosians and that's what “we made them look like us” meant, which would be two of my long-standing questions answering each other. And then it was just another giant mech.. :/

Wait, does Orth calling Cass “Apokine” mean that he pilots the mech now or that Sokrates died and Cass inherited his position?! I'm worried now…

I'm even more worried about Mako, because at first I of course reacted to the question about being in two places at once as “hah, Larry”, but it's probably the other thing, and on one hand that must mean that the rescue of clones was successful, but also that means that our Mako might be dead and the one in the intro is one of the clones… Considering that in the Winter post-mortem I caught Keith saying how emotional the C/w finale was for him before I started fast-forwarding in fear of spoilers, do I need to start mentally preparing to bury Mako already or what?

Speaking of spoilers… The farther I go, the less I understand the advice to skip Autumn. I thought that at least for C/w it wouldn't matter, given it's a whole different universe, but they keep referencing it, and then casually dropping major spoilers, and then referencing it again in a story-relevant way. (The Ordennan ships arrive on the screen as Rigor does, and the next episode is named “The Storm over September” and quotes Lem's poem in the description. That's really cool but I somehow feel vaguely irritated on behalf of my potential alternate self who skipped season 1.) I really hope they've grown more careful about this by now, because I'll probably not even begin Twilight Mirage by the time the next season starts, and I would really like to stay in the dark about the intense events they're all vague-tweeting about at the moment!

Why was AuDy alarmed by Voice's presence as “a” Divine accompanying Maxine? Shouldn't they be familiar with it already because of Mako? (And I don't want to even ask about the ontological difference/border between Righteousness and Voice. I'm tired and feel like a nitpicker. But just for the record, this still isn't clear.)

Well that's a sadder family reunion than I hoped for!

So AuDy does have a split personality to some degree?

Oh well. AuDy's got a fate worse than death: Liberty and Discovery, imprisoned indefinitely. Or devoured I guess, I didn't really get it. Great. Thanks. Fucking RIP I guess. Out of all ways I expected them to go, this wasn't one.

(By the way I still don't understand how the portal works. Where is this portal to? Why can't L&D fly out and take the slow way home, and why can't Rigor?)

There's still about ten minutes left in the episode and I don't understand how it isn't the finale. What's there to do for three more episodes now.

“With Rigor defeated so easily, so permanently, she thought” *Rigor screech*

Yeah, fuck Grace btw

Sounds like cultivating saplings is not a priority anymore for a certain someone… (Wait, btw, what happened to that patch/seed they left? Will it ever come back into play?)

“...Why they would put themselves into a body like yours? And I think, maybe, it's that they were curious about what it would be like for four years to feel like a long time” AAAAAA

Okay, things are better on September than it sounded initially, but still… Wtf's going to happen? Rigor repairs itself, takes over the survivors, takes off again? But what's the timeline on that? I genuinely have no idea wtf the finale is going to be about after this.

Oh, what happened to the clones btw? Did Larry manage to get them off the planet in time, despite the Minerva ships in orbit and, more importantly, Rigor? Or are they stuck on September, unable to continue reenacting the plot of Orphan Black?

From how it's been described in this episode, feels as if Liberty and Discovery are a candidate of AuDy… They didn't want a candidate but were curious to learn how it feels for the other side?

Paisley's dead-eyed, Tower's gone, and even Ibex, who is barely holding on himself, loses his ex… Everyone's love life takes a nosedive: the episode. At least Jacqui's okay… (And because of Jacqui, it was doubly sad and surprising to hear Aria still has feelings for Paisley…)

#friends at the table #blah blah blah

2 notes · View notes