A bit of angst that kept rolling around in my brain. Gordon doesn't hold his tongue by accident. Scott is being Scott. The Mechanic unassumingly saves the day. It never came up there was only one pilot to man Zero-X... Emotions run a bit thin and raw the closer it gets to Zero-XL launch.
ONE FOR ALL
There were things they didn't say to Scott. Not even in jest or in the heat of the argument. Not even at the peak of exasperation. But Gordon was not mad. Gordon was happy - all of his dearest dreams were coming to pass almost at once. Penny (pretty definitely) liked him back and they were going to get Dad. He hadn't felt this giddy since the Olympic pedestal. So he slipped.
Scott was a man possessed these past weeks, once the T-drive was firmly underway, courtesy of the Mechanic, running them rugged with drills and contingency upon contingency scenarios. Grandma tutted, but kept to herself. John and Eos designed elaborate simulations to take the brunt off some. Alan asked Virgil quietly if that was how Dad had been. Gordon didn't remember very well himself, but judging from Virgil's sigh it was exactly how Dad was way back when. Gordon didn't mind at first. Or at all, really. He got it. In space everything was out to get you, and they were all going beyond the event horizon with potentially lethal experimental equipment and no back up available for light years around. Who knew what they'd find there, besides Dad. Actually, the carefully sidestepped elephant in every room they ever stayed together these days was just that - what they would or wouldn't find there, among the stars. Gordon didn't mind as well because he wanted to be sure his top form was back after the crash. Not just run of the mill aquatic resques ready, but deep space mission of a lifetime ready. But it was a long day, and a long drill, and Scott was wound up for another go, while Gordon had a call scheduled with Penny. Because they did this now - holocalled and chatted about everything and nothing, working around commitments and time zones. And so Gordon let an innocuous enough "Gee, bro, calling five! Some of us DO have a life, you know!" roll off his tongue, before it was too late. It wasn't too late to dress it as a joke, though, which it WAS. No harm, no foul. Except he noticed Scott freeze for a second, eyes dark and jaw set. But more importantly it was hard to miss Virgil's wide-eyed panic glare, directed his way.
Gordon would have chalked it up to Virgil overreacting, because Virgil always overreacted around anything that could potentially, finally, shatter Scott. Would have, were they not assembled in the lounge the next day, Scott making a disturbingly compelling case why they shouldn't ALL be risking the trip to Oort Cloud and how it was not prudent to remove ALL Thunderbirds at once from the solar system. Big brother had clearly given it some considerable thought, which should have quietened the sickening guilt that took up residence in Gordon's stomach overnight, but somehow didn't.
Scott was calm and completely rational - it scared Gordon even more than what big brother was saying: Zero-XL, like Zero-X, was designed to be manned by one pilot, if need be. Dad did so and it worked. The T-drive frame could be propelled by Three. No need to haul all other birds (brothers, all other brothers plus Kayo and Brains!) across the galaxy and remove Five from orbit. It was, essentially, a scout mission, like they did a thousand times with One. It would only need a first responder pilot - Scott, obviously. If things went south in Oort Cloud - Scott would send Zero-XL back to Earth with a message, so the brothers would know to go get him, or not. In any event they would have Three back.
Gordon was perceptive enough to read between the lines what the abject horror in Virgil's gaze was already spelling in pooled up tears - a) Scott decided, unilaterally, he was to go alone because, unlike everyone else, he had nothing to loose, and b) Scott was not going back if Dad were not there, alive. If there was a (c) there, it got lost in the utter chaos that erupted.
Alan cried bloody betrayal through already abundant angry tears. John threw his tablet across the lounge into the wall with such force it shattered. Brains was so astonished he actually began reciting the variables of it being a viable plan, when Grandma put a firm hand on his shoulder, making him stutter to a stop. Virgil was calling Scott's name under his breath, in a nonsensical plea that always, as far back as Gordon could remember, came down to the mantra "please don't, don't go where I can't follow".
Scott was composed and quiet, as he sat back down on the couch, a serene smile landing on Virgil, then Alan. A glimmer in his eyes, though, belied a fever to fight for his decision. Taking advantage of the general frenzy, Gordon slid off the seat and crouched before Scott, practically kneeling, making sure the big brother had his attention. He wasn't vain enough to think his off-handed comment singlehandedly triggered this... whatever brand of martyrdom Scott was up to this time. But he wasn't taking any chances either. Okay, so maybe Gordon wasn't a Sam to Scott's Frodo. That was Virgil. Scott carried the Burden and Virgil dragged Scott away from the haunted murky depths. But Gordon certainly could be a Merry. He could do something stupid and brave. So he spoke in a rushed, heated wisper:
- Hey, big brother! You DARE go alone, I promise I will stow away on board - you'll never find me. You couldn't find me at Gran Roca, and you wouldn't now. And I WILL pour sugar into Centurium deposit if Brains says it's too risky for you to go. You hear me?!
Scott reached out to pull him up by his shoulders, miraculously unperturbed, and equally not mad. If Gordon had been worried before, he was now Virgil levels of petrified.
The salvation came from the least likely source, not for the first time in so many months - the Mechanic. Summoned to the lounge earlier with all the other inhabitants of the villa, he was hanging on the perifery through Scott's speech. If they figured the Mechanic to be anything through their rocky "collaboration", it was to not be one to sugarcoat things. So he didn't that time either. He would pull apart the T-drive, destroy the specs, and surrender back to GDF custody before he agreed to the "neurotic maniac" (direct quote) to go anywhere near it unsupervised. And he wouldn't subscribe to the T-drive being tested in action without an engineer on board "he could actually trust". That settled the argument right where it started. And if things nearly came to blows, there were enough hands on deck available to haul Scott away. Up and all the way into the movie room away.
If Grandma mouthed an inaudible "thank you", the Mechanic just shrugged. If John was intercepted, leaning his forehead on the hatch of the space elevator and punching it methodically - Gordon didn't comment. He got it. John was mad at Scott. Gordon was mad at himself. They both were mad at the set of circumstances that lead their biggest brother to believe in earnest he was dispensible. They all were mad Scott was the first one to beat them to the suggestion of giving only one brother up for the mission. First responder, as ever. Big brother, as ever. They all needed Dad to be found for it all to veer into any semblance of healing. In the meantime, they all clung to each other through a mirthless movie night with almost paranoid vigilance.
Gordon mused, idly, he would still need to bum detailed Zero-XL specs off of Brains, to go over potential stow away nooks.
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So I've been thinking about those posts that have gone around protesting the fandom inclination to not like villain redemption arcs because of the puritanical values that go along with believing people don't deserve the "rewards" that come with redemption arcs, usually: love, acceptance, understanding, etc. and the idea that no person deserves to be denied the basic things every human being should be granted.
And, of course, applying that to Anakin.
Because as someone who does not truly LIKE Anakin, I'm usually the first person to not be inclined to forgive Anakin post-child murder, post-genocide, post-betrayal. I'm generally the first one to believe Anakin can't get better once he's chosen to do his worst. I've called him a rabid bear that just needs to be put down for his own sake and everyone else's. There isn't a cure at this point, he can't be saved or redeemed.
Even Luke doesn't really REDEEM Anakin, Anakin's still only doing what he does to save someone he likes. Great, he throws down a regime to save a family member, where have we seen him do that before? Oh right, when he threw down democracy to save his wife and instigated the beginning of the Empire. He didn't destroy the Empire because he wanted to make amends. He didn't kill Palpatine to save the galaxy he'd helped destroy. He didn't do any of it because it was just generally the right thing to do or because he recognized just how much pain he'd caused and was seeking to do better as a person overall. He does it to save ONE PERSON, and we can pretty solidly say, he wouldn't have done it for ANYONE ELSE, probably up to and including Leia.
Which makes me believe that had Anakin miraculously survived killing Palpatine, he wouldn't necessarily be a better person. He wouldn't truly work to make any kind of amends to the galaxy he'd brought so much pain to.
And what kind of amends could he even DO at this point that would make any kind of difference? He's committed like 167 genocides at this point, oppressed an entire galaxy, killed billions of children on a whim, destroyed whole planets. What can he POSSIBLY do to make any real amends for that? What could possibly make up for that in any meaningful way? He can't undo the Jedi genocide and quite honestly no one should ever let him near a Force sensitive person, especially a child, again. He can't undo the three decades of oppression, he can't undo the fact that the Republic that existed has been basically burnt to ash and needs to be rebuilt from scratch and, again, quite honestly, no one should ever let him near politics ever again.
The best thing Anakin Skywalker can do for the galaxy at this point if he manages to survive is just disappear from it. Whether he dies or just walks away and spends the rest of his life meditating on everything he's done wrong and leaving the galaxy he's brought so much pain to well enough alone, I don't care. Luke can go visit him if he wants to, I guess, but no one else should have to deal with him.
I think that's where my biggest grievance lies in any kind of "Vader Lives" AUs, or "Vader changes sides inexplicably post-genocide" AUs. Because generally, now EVERYONE ELSE IN THE GALAXY has to deal with him like he HASN'T committed genocide. Like he HASN'T murdered mountains of children for the sake of selfishness. As if he isn't someone who would happily do so again if it came down to it as we see in ROTJ when he happily brings down another government to save one person. If saving Luke in that moment had required another genocide instead of just killing Palpatine, we all know he'd have done it. He absolutely would've murdered any number of children to save HIS child. Because he hasn't truly changed and his motivations for saving Luke are almost exactly the same as the motivations he had for saving Padme, it's just that the requirements shifted and the galaxy got very lucky that saving Luke ALSO meant taking out the Emperor and Anakin himself.
Why should the galaxy at large be obligated to share it with someone who would have happily killed them all not so long ago, just because Anakin MIGHT one day learn to be a better person? Why are they obligated to just live the rest of their lives hoping he doesn't decide to go ahead and commit his 168th genocide if Luke stubs his toe on the wrong planet? Why is their fear acceptable in favor of Anakin getting a chance to be good?
Once he's decided double genocide is acceptable? Once he spends DECADES oppressing everyone he can find because misery loves company? I don't really see a way out for him that isn't vastly unfair for everyone else.
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to any americans who feel "paralyzed" and "dont know what to do" to help with gaza:
reading a fucking book. i beg of you.
in a time of knowledge suppression is it your duty to arm yourself with knowledge.
read about americas occupations in the middle east.
read about 9/11 from outside of america and see how they inflicted senseless harm and violence to countless amounts of people and have been suppressing your rights for the past 2 fucking decades.
read about any of the countless wars from the past 30 years. especially from a civilian's. and the victims and survivors' perspective. listen to the horror stories and do not plug your fucking ears as to what your country is doing.
and read about fucking gaza and palestine and keep up with what is happening no matter how "sad" or "uncountable" you might get.
dont look away from this.
you dont have the right to be comfortable during countless active genocides.
if you're knowledgeable, you're powerful, and our current state doesnt fucking want that.
you have the power to change things if you open your eyes and scream to the world.
wake the fuck up.
Edit: please check the reblogs there are readings and ways to help
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going through the hades 2 stuff and im sorry but i just have to ramble a second because look at Hephaestus
he's not just a wheelchair user but also an amputee. an above knee amputee. wheelchair users are already next to nonexistant in video games but amputees exist in this really...disheartening? spot where they're pretty much just reduced to "person with a cybernetic limb" - it's always just somewhere from "just a cool visual design" to flat out "superpower". I can't think of a video game amputee that is actually disabled by their limb differences - I'm all for futuristic worlds where prosthetics and other disability aids are far advanced from what they are now, but that's not really what's implied by these designs. They're just... Cool designs that in no way reflect on the real-world experience of being an amputee.
Look at Hephaestus, though. Look at that prosthetic. Whilst stylised it very much looks like it functions like common mechanical knees - knee bends when thigh is lifted, knee straightens when thigh is lowered. He's a wheelchair user as well as a prosthetic user - every prosthetic user I know is also a wheelchair user as a prosthetic is not usable in every occasion and also cause exhaustion and pain if used constantly.
Whilst we can't see much of his wheelchair the position he's sat in and the wheels very much evoke active wheelchair to me - this carries on to very specifically the thickness of his arms. Whilst a lot of Hades designs are muscular Hephaestus has very noticeably thick arms - which makes sense, as active wheelchairs require a lot of arm strength.
Just overall this design is making me want to cry - he's not just an actual wheelchair user in a video game, he's a realistic depiction of an amputee, a disability usually brushed over in order to give a character a fun design quirk and nothing else. He's fat and he's hot and he's a realistic depiction of an above knee amputee. Oh my god. Oh my god?
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roaring twenties tumblr simulator pt. 2
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men be like "i would never succumb to homosexuality" and then hold a mans face tenderly as he lights his cigarette with his own. okayy pansy we see you
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art deco more like art dicko! aaaand post
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attended a petting party last saturday and there were no animals not even at all :(
#WHY WOULD THEY CALL IT THAT
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i lov my mother and father so nuch forever i cannot wait to attend my new job at the dubious factory where there have never been any machinery incidents evr before
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Submitted by anonymous.
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thebeesknees Follow reblogged 🔁 jazzcat Follow
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The cocaine in coca-cola just doesnt hit the same anymore....
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OP they took out the cocaine
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY TOOK OUT THE COCAINE
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tumblr heritage post
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Hes so puppycoded
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moonshiningitup Follow reblogged 🔁 moonshiningitup Follow
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The eroticism of the machinery incidents at the dubious factory
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Easy website
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There is a gang war in Chicago. The first gang to get to 100 kills, gets to take over that part of the city. You NEED to be careful, Babe Ruth. You could be at high risk because of your high status. PLEASE be safe, everyone in or around Chicago, and please reblog this to get it to the celebrities in Chicago
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