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cocrante · 1 year

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[HAIKAVEH WIP]

note: haikaveh, I wanted to publish this part of the fanfiction in its entirety, but I realized it was really long so I summarized it. I will publish the whole story as soon as I have all the pages ready. I'm currently working on it and I hope to have everything ready at least for december ahah

trigger warning: injuries, blood

for @mikopikopon who asked for more drama ahah i hope you may like it 💗

WHEN KAVEH LEFT THAT MORNING, he didn't imagine that he would be attacked by the desert raiders, let alone be kidnapped by them. It all started when he went out that day to study an ancient building in the desert, accompanied by his faithful robotic assistant who helped him scan the entire area. However, while he was hand-writing the building's details, he overheard some voices, talking to each other, organizing to desecrate a tomb. Kaveh realized he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had to leave before they noticed his presence. Unfortunately, he was caught just as he was about to leave. In the sudden confusion that ensued, he could only shout to Mehrak to seek help, then everything went dark.

When Kaveh woke up, he found himself slumped against a wall. His vision was blurred due to the blow he had received to his head as well as the blood that blurred his vision. He could taste blood in his mouth, and his lip throbbed and burned. He was in pain all over, probably had some broken bones as well. He couldn't quite make out where he was. The torchlight didn't illuminate the room well, but from the smell of incense and the structure of the walls, he had to assume he was underground. Most likely, he was inside the temple he had been studying, in a room that was low enough to be found but not so deep that it couldn't be reached. He didn't sense any noise around him, nor did he see anyone's presence. However, he couldn't stand up either; he had sharp pains in his chest and feared that in the commotion, he might have cracked a rib or worse, broken one. He ordered himself to stay calm, knowing that if he had been kidnapped, there was a reason for it, and they wouldn't abandon him. Just then, as if in response to his thoughts, a man stepped forward from the shadows. He was a burly and tall man, and Kaveh could clearly see that he was mocking him with a smile. In that moment, Kaveh had to do everything possible to remain calm and comply with any requests to gain time.

Meanwhile, in the sunlight, Mehrak was returning to the lodgings that both Kaveh and Al-Haitham had rented for their research. It was a fortune that his roommate had also gone with Kaveh that day, and when Mehrak returned to the small apartment, he found him at the desk transcribing his notes. For Al-Haitham, it was a surprise to see the little robot alone, a surprise that quickly turned into concern. The two were practically inseparable, and he was sure something had happened to Kaveh. "Where's Kaveh?" he asked, beginning to feel anxious at his absence. Mehrak started to explain everything in his indecipherable language, but all Al-Haitham could hear were incomprehensible sounds. "I don't understand" he said, growing more and more nervous. Why did Kaveh have to choose such an obscure language for his 'whatever it was'? He ran his hand through his hair, sighing to calm himself. "Can you show me where you were?" he thought that might work, and indeed, as requested, Mehrak projected the area Kaveh had been studying just a few hours ago, showing him a video of what had happened. Without further ado, he left, ordering the robot to go find Cyno and show him the video he had just seen. He knew he would need more help to save his roommate.

Finding Kaveh was no small feat, but with the help of the General and other men, he managed to find a way to access the underground tunnels without any obstacles. However, as he turned corners, he always made sure the corridors were clear. In most cases, they were, but other times he had to raise his sword and interrogate the mercenaries. He didn't want to hear any answers other than what he had asked for. The situation was putting him in a state of panic. He had no idea what state he would find Kaveh in, but from the video, he knew he wouldn't find him in good health. The mercenary told him where to go before losing consciousness, hoping they hadn't deceived him, which wouldn't have been convenient for them to do. Turning towards another corridor, he heard groans of pain. His heart suddenly became lighter, but he had to hold back his emotions. He quickly approached to that voice and found him lying along the wall, covered in fresh bruises and dried blood. “Kaveh" his voice trembled as he knelt down in front of him, feeling his legs give way. "I knew you would come" he managed to say, although speaking was really difficult for him at the moment and all that came out was a whisper. "Mehrak came to call me. I shouldn't have let you come here alone" he lowered himself towards him, trying to wipe his face clean of bloodstains. Seeing him in that semi-conscious state was excruciating. At that moment, Al-Haitham felt a lot of hatred and frustration towards himself. He knew where Kaveh would go that day. Kaveh even asked him if he wanted to come along, but he refused. It could have gone differently if it weren't for his stubbornness, and the idea that he could really lose him was tearing his heart apart. "Haitham, are you crying?" he smiled with an effort, reaching out his hand to his roommate's face, wiping his cheek. "I'm sorry" he said, placing his hand on top of his, holding it against his cheek. "I'm sorry" he repeated again, moving Kaveh's hand towards his lips, kissing the hand that he missed kissing so much, as he missed everything about him, but he was too proud to admit it. But now, seeing him like this, he didn't matter anymore. "It's okay" Kaveh replied, trying to reassure him. "Help me up, please" Al-Haitham nodded, wanting to believe he was okay even though the wound he saw on his forehead was unnerving, and the cut on his lip seemed to be getting worse due to infection. If that wasn't enough, as soon as he helped him to stand up, he heard him grunt in pain, and seeing him holding his chest, he suspected he might had a broken rib. He wasn't okay, and they had to get out of there as soon as possible. It was probably a reckless move, and seeing his current condition, it could only make things worse, but at the moment, he was alone and couldn't rely on anyone else but himself. So without waiting any longer, he lifted him on his shoulder, letting him complain about the pain, and together they left the tomb where Kaveh had been held captive.

Once outside, Al-Haitham tried to take the shortest route to the village. It was almost evening, and the sand dunes were tinted red by the rays of the sun. Soon it would be dark. For half the journey, it was a silent trip, interrupted only by Kaveh's heavy breathing when he experienced a sharp pain in his side. Then, halfway through, he spoke up. “Do you ever wonder if it could have worked between us?” he whispered, his energy fading. “Maybe it could have if you haven’t been so stupid” Al-Haitham replied, looking up at the sky, which was filled with stars. “Stupid” Kaveh repeated, coughing what must have been a laugh. “You have been irrational” he said, resting his forehead on his head. “But I shouldn't have to go away” a tear fell from his eye as he thought back to the past events, and again, they both fell silent for a while until it was Al-Haitham's turn to speak. “I've thought about you often over the years” he confessed, though he was embarrassed. “I didn't want it to end like that between us. I didn't want you to leave my life” he said, his voice breaking as he thought of what could have been avoided if he hadn't behaved the way he did. He knew Kaveh was rather sensitive, certainly more sensitive than he could ever be, yet he didn't think much before hurting the most important person in his life until he saw him leave, leaving behind only an empty space one morning. “I wish it could be like it was before between us” he whispered, his breath catching, receiving no reply in return.

When Al-Haitham arrived in the village, the moon was already high. Luckily, he found someone waiting for him, and with their help, they laid Kaveh on a cot. He had been unconscious for a few hours now, had lost a lot of blood and his breathing was irregular, but everything would be okay. Al-Haitham was offered a place to stay for the night, but the thought of being separated from Kaveh again made him decline. He would stay by his side all night, guarding him in case he woke up. For a while, he watched him, occasionally brushing his hair away from his eyes. The village doctors had bandaged his forehead and cleaned his wounds. A small scar would form on his lip that would go away in a few days. But he would have to rest for a long time, and the idea of having to tell him almost made him smile. Kaveh hated sitting idle. He would have to continue his work, but instead, he would be confined to bed. With this thought, Al-Haitham fell asleep on the chair, thinking about the scowling face Kaveh would have the next day.

The next morning he woke up early, feeling very tired and having slept in an uncomfortable position. However, when he woke up, he saw Kaveh already awake and working, with his assistant Mehrak by his side who was surely telling him about yesterday's events and how he had heroically gone to warn his roommate and then Cyno. Kaveh smiled at every sound emitted, and seeing him well was the most beautiful thing he could have hoped for that morning. Then Kaveh noticed that Al-Haitham had woken up, he lowered his face to the drawing he was making feeling a little embarassed. It didn't take him long to understand that he was portraying him, it wasn't the first time, but it had been years since he had probably portrayed him. "Thank you for coming yesterday" he said. "Mehrak told me that you were worried" he smiled, probably thinking about how he had lost his composure and how he would have loved to see him agitated and lose his calm. "You would have done the same" he replied, intertwining his hands. "It's true, but you're not so reckless as to need to be saved" he lowered his gaze to the notebook. "I should have managed it myself, I didn't want to worry you" his eyes filled with tears again, that situation was all wrong. "Kaveh" he took his hand in his. "I still want to worry about you" he looked him in the eyes, gently caressing his hand. After what had happened, he had realized that despite everything, Kaveh had never left his life. He had tried to forget and move on, but the idea of losing him had destroyed him more than he wanted to admit. However, Kaveh took his hand back. It had been several years since they had broken up, and he had taken a long time to try to feel better and move on. Even though he was back in his life now, he felt the things would never be the same again. Not that he had never thought of giving him another chance if he had asked for it, but now he had to think about it. He didn't want being hurt by him anymore, nor did he want to cry for him. "Haitham" he sighed heavily, trying to sustain his gaze. "Right now you're not lucid, and neither am I. We'll talk about it as soon as they discharge me, I promise" That was the only right thing to say at that moment. They both needed to think about it. It wasn't like the Akademiya days anymore. They weren't two teenagers in love making eternal promises, now things were different, and they both had become adults and needed to talk like adults. "Okay" he agreed to that request. Kaveh had always been more mature in these matters, and the fact that he wanted to talk about it hinted that there would be things to discuss. Al-Haitham would wait. "I'm going to talk to the doctor" saying that, he got up and putting on his selham he left the room where they had taken him the night before, leaving Kaveh alone with his thoughts.

#📌 : wip #🖇️ : fanfiction #tw: injury #tw: blood #tw: violence #kavetham #haikaveh #kaveh #alhaitham #sumeru men #genshin impact

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jacobfiel · 1 year

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Class #6

We started off the day by recapping some things we've done in the previous lesson and then went over the plan for todays session. Which is learning details around smart objects and how to work on files and switch between both Illustrator (AI) and Photoshop (PS).

We quickly started by recapping path selection. we talked about drawing with curves and handles and how to break and make points using tools such as, holding down option and or holding down command when placing points and or dragging handles.

We then pulled up and image of a guy jumping in the air. We tried using the object selection tool but for an object as detailed as our guy the tool was unable to select him. We then moved onto the pen tool to start a detailed cut out of our jumping friend. Once I made the outer cut out I then started cutting out all the little gaps that the background till showed through, such as in between the fingers or shoelaces. Still using the pen tool adding points and curves and then turning them into selections and cutting these pieces out. Some trouble I ran into was when I was cutting out these little bits where the background shone through I found for one cut out that as I connected the rest or the selection to the last point it had a big curve but I needed that line to be straight. To fix this I just connected he point as it was pulling a small handle out the end. I then held down command and clicked on that first point I had made (and was trying to reconnect to) and I then moved the handle that I had created on that point to line up and make my curve straight creating a perfect selection.

I then moved onto fixing up his crazy hair. I clicked on the layer mask that was created and started to switch between black and white using 'x' to take away and or add to my image and clean up areas using the brush tool. I also thought his elbow looked weird so used this same process to slowly add his elbow back to a more normal shape. While I did the elbow I also moved around the opacity sliders on my brush tool to somewhat seamlessly blend into the background with out showing the old backdrop image.

I then started working with the blur tool which we learnt about last session to again make the image have that soft and seem less edge and help give the effect its not cut off another image. When doing this I also had a coloured background which stood out compared to my image so that I could see what the blur tool was doing as I worked.

When then opened our saved out Photoshop file in illustrator, and created a thick stroke 'S' type shape which we where going to try wrap around his body. I originally has straight edges on the end of my stroke but wanted to created a curved end to fit in with the nice squiggly shape I had created. To do so I selected my path I had drawn withe the big stroke then opened up the stroke panel and changed the 'cap' from a 'butt cap' to a 'round cap'.

We then saved out of Illustrator with just the squiggle visible. We opened photoshop and went to the 'file' tab and clicked 'place linked' to add our Ai file of the squiggle we just saved. we clicked place to 'media box' so that it's linked into our PS file with little chains on them (showing the links). We then duplicated the squiggle layer and put on above his body and kept the other below. We then drew a cut out and created a layer mask on the top squiggle, just around the part of the body we wanted the squiggle top overlap.

I then saved my photoshop file with the overlapping squiggle as a psd, then opened that psd in Ai. When II opened it I didn't click flatten this time meaning all of my layers were separated and worked as they did on photoshop. I then downloaded an image of a road from the internet and put it behind my squiggles and guy and this became my background. I then drew some birds and a sun using curves and handles in Ai. I then saved out and opened this file in Ps to start adding imagery such as him holding a beer, moustache and a T-rex.

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aero-sense · 1 year

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So, it took me an unusually long time to get this post out. Personal life got in the way and there were technical difficulties with the game. Right when I got to the last part before facing the boss, an enemy wouldn't drop a key item and then my save files got corrupted, so I had to replay the entire level again...

...

(¶⁋ ▾ ¶⁋)

Luckily it didn't take as long as I thought because i finished running around getting every single information. So here we go!

This is not meant to be a critical review or a detailed walkthrough. All I will do is point out little details I notice or like. I'm doing this for my own fun, not to be accurate.

Port village:

Something cool I didn't mention before is that the game screen uses large gears and elements (ie. water, fire) when you select things.

An issue with the game is how unlit the models are, especially during the cut scenes for this level.

The soundtrack of the game is really immersive. The music fades out with atmospheric sounds like whispering in the village, fog horns from ships, and birds calling. It's relaxing and one of the best parts of the game.

The location of the port village is in the Earth Kingdom, on a peninsula very close to the fire nation. The village went under FN occupation several years ago (according to the PSP version).

This level really goes in depth with the effects of colonization and what happens to a village under FN occupation. The villagers are taxed heavily and are expected to feed fire nation soldiers. Supplies like food and medicine are confiscated or outright stolen. Sentimental objects like family heirlooms are taken to demoralize villagers. They are confined to the village, under constant supervision and threat of imprisonment. A woman has to use tax money to afford food and is afraid the captain will find her.

One of the quests you have to help an old widow being harassed by tax collectors. Those outside of the village are taxed more. Her husband was an EK hero until he died and left her only a house. The soldiers are threatening to evict her from her house if she can't pay her taxes ( don't worry we kill them :)).

Despite losing most of their supplies, villagers will regret that they can't offer food to us. The FN did not kill their generous spirit.

Most of the overheard sound lines you get from FN soldiers are jokes and sympathy. What they're having for lunch, how they hate this place, and a lot of jokes about their military life. There are fire benders that object to the treatment of the village and Katara (currently imprisoned). The game portrays most soldiers would be happy to leave the military and get along with other nations.

Villagers will gossip about Katara in prison, FN soldiers will object to it, but no one mentions Zuko. No one cares... (Did you hear they captured prince zuko and that poor, POOR, water bender girl??? How could they be so CRUEL).

To sneak around, we end up taking stealing uniforms from small soldiers, suggesting that the Fire Nation take children into their infantry, what a surprise. They also hate talking to children, always responding with "ugh, good riddance" or "stay away" (those soldiers and us disguised). Maybe Zhao didn't have a vendetta against Zuko, maybe the FN is just like that, lol.

Momo's theme song is the same track when sneaking around. They add the same blur effect and people making momo sounds from the show when you play as him. He has an idle animation where he flips his ears around and does a cute little somersault in the air when he finds something what a cutie i love you Momo.

Have this glitched screenshot of Momo t-posing in the shop.

Certain characters can open chests and the location indicates who, such as being near water for Katara, or simple mechanisms for Sokka. This level decided some flowers and butterflies fit Aang. Cute.

So it makes sense that the FN attack you when you unlock chests, but they don't when you use bending to reveal them. This suggests the FN soldiers could care less if you're a water bender in disguise, but God forbid if you take their stuff.

You can help a random FN servant from being pelted by fruits from EK villagers. It's suggested that he's from the commoner and isn't a formal soldier (what his exact status is unclear). After telling him about soldiers stealing supplies, he expresses shame for his nation and wants you to tell his master, a good captain. The captain appreciates you helping his servant, condemns the corrupt captain, and promises to end the stealing.

You can help free other prisoners when you come for Katara. There is one Fire Nation soldier, who was locked up as a test subject for the FN war machines. The FN does human experimentation :)

[DS]

I like how Sokka tries to take charge and Aang reminds him he's over 100 years old, then Sokka backtracks and asserts his authority as the youngest in the group.

So overall, the humor pretty off base in the game, you especially see it more as the story progresses. However, in this version, the humor is way better and more refreshing. I think it helps with the expressive sprites and lack of voice acting.

There's a kid that sings Iroh's song, cute!

At the docks, a sailor says goods are disappearing off ships. The FN are deliberately targeting foreign looking merchant ships like his.

I like how Sokka and Aang look in their disguises and while walking, their sprites look just enough like the other guards while remaining them.

At the prison, Aang apologizes for coming up with a plan first and calls Sokka captain. He uses that nickname twice, and I wonder if it's influenced from the time they "ice dodged" together.

About voice acting, you do hear some during important cutscenes, right after you fight the boss for instance. Personally, I prefer if they just cut it out, it's very jarring to hear after playing mostly without it.

[PSP]

The game emphasizes that Aang is a lot more adventurous and risk-taking while Sokka pretends to be brave.

More expansion of the prison. The town used to have many young men until the FN locked them all up over false accusations or concerns of rebellion. The town is now dwindling without its able workers. This gets even worse, considering this establishes the FN uses slavery throughout their colonies.

Something I appreciate is how diverse a lot of the designs are for this version. This guy had no reason to look like this.

This game adds a lot of nuance towards how EK feel about the FN. Some villagers in the town are having a vivid conversation. One says that one day they'll wipe the town clean of FN (fair). The other says how not all are bad, some disagree with their nation's actions like down by the port (referenced below).

Evidence of the FN not being in unison towards the war. When you talk to a FN soldier (outside of disguise), he talks how a lot of people are questioning the FN's actions, how they recently captured a woman and put her into forced labor, and that he's getting doubts about being a soldier now.

After rescuing Katara, she insists on saving the woman mentioned above, Lian, a captured mechanic. In the other versions Sokka objects, upset that she "works" for the FN, having already fought her machine. However, in this version, Sokka uses logic and doesn't blame her for her circumstances! Can't tell you how refreshing this was.

Lian is so ominously anime in this artstyle...

If the DS version has better humor, the PSP version has a much better script. The conversations flow much better, the characters act more naturally instead of just following plot beats, and their dynamics are more positive like in the show.

#hopefully i wont take as long for the next level #but no promises....(Ｔ▽Ｔ)#this was probably the most interesting content wise level so far #atla the game (2006)#atla #aang #sokka #game sense

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tolkien-feels · 2 years

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I'll be honest with you, I've never connected with the Valar, and like half of them just blur together for me because in my mind so many of them have the same personality. But I saw your outfit choices and suddenly it clicked?? I actually like them now? I'd love it if you could go into detail about how you picked each outfit because they're WORKING for me like no art has ever done. You have my eternal gratitude!!!!

Oh thank you so much! I'm biased because I love the Valar, so I'm thrilled to spark some interest! A couple of disclaimers, though.

1) I have a folder where I just... save pictures I think have the Correct Vibe for each Vala. So there's no logic behind this, no internal consistency whatsoever. I can explain why I love each picture but not my reasoning, exactly

2) Tumblr won't let me add 16 images so I've made quick google photos collages. But this means the pictures get cropped, so to see details please refer to the original post.

Manwe & Varda

Aule & Yavanna

My basic idea for them was "If you couldn't pick them as king and queen in a crowd I'm doing it wrong." I also really wanted to have a white/gold-black/silver theme going on to reflect the idea of daylight and nightsky.

Manwe needed imperial vibes but of the civilian rather than military kind - I wanted an outfit that projected an idea of a wise governor of a prosperous realm.

Varda needed as much jewelry as a person can possibly use because she should look starry, but I didn't want her to look too haughty either.

Otherwise, I just... like these pictures for no logical reason.

Vana & Orome

I really wanted them to contrast while complimenting each other. Manmade vs natural: the colors of metal being worked for Aule, and the colors of a field ready for harvesting for Yavanna.

Aule had to have belt ornaments, I don't know why, but I can't imagine him otherwise.

For Yavanna, I wanted to make her seem mature and refined but also one of the most companionable-looking Valier, which is why I have very few Yavanna picks in my folder :/

Mandos & Vaire

Vana had to look extremely youthful and gentle - my headcanon is that if Yavanna is fall, Vana is spring. So I just want to deck her in flowers and soft colors. She's easy to find outfits for.

Orome? A nightmare. In my mind, he is basically this tiktok. I often flirt with having Orome wear extremely casual styles of hanfu, but the problem is that when you put him next the others he seems more like a Maia than one of the Aratar! So these days my solution tends to be stuff that makes me think "this looks extremely unpractical for your lifestryle, Orome, are you sure this is a good idea?" while looking too simple for the other Valar. An extremely scientific method, I know.

Este & Lorien

I wanted them both to look somewhat stern.

Mandos also needed to have a very clean design, since I tend to picture him vanishing in the background unless he's speaking. Traditionally, it's white rather than black that is the color of mourning in Chinese culture, but I didn't want Mandos to appear like he's mourning - that's Nienna.

For Vaire, I always want beautiful textiles, and a certain harshness in form, while keeping things very sophisticatedly feminine.

Tulkas & Nessa

Pastel gradients my beloved. They both must have a dreamlike quality. Like Mandos, I like my Lorien understated - I enjoy imagining him walking silently among resting people never disturbing them. For Este I tend to go for the opposite of Vaire in every way. All soft, flowing lines, something that looks comfortable.

Ulmo & Nienna

Ah yes the couple most likely to be the patron Valar of gyms.

I don't think I've ever looked at an outfit with broad sleeves and thought "Tulkas!" - he needs to look like he's ready to fight someone at all times. But Tulkas is also fun-loving, so I often go with red and gold, the most stereotypical festive colors I can think of.

For Nessa, I tend to picture her dancing as Dunhuang dance so her clothes tend to look very different from those of the other Valier, though I don't go all out on the Dunhuang aesthetic so she won't look completely different from all the other Valar. I also picture her as a bit of a tomboy, so I tend to look durable-looking fabrics for her, and not that much jewelry.

Ulmo and Orome are tied for hardest Valar to dress (Yavanna wins for the Valier, undisputed.) Tbqh I'm not sure I even love this one for him. He has to dress in watery colors, of course. Then, I want to add some gravitas to him. The problem is that he also needs to have something of the flow of water. What kind of fabric can portray both heavy authority and the lightness of liquid?? I don't know. So far my favorite is this one because while the fabric is very watery, the cut is rather formal, reminiscent of Aule's.

I love the idea of weimao (veiled hats) for Nienna. I can imagine her weeping behind her veil, her face always shadowed by the brim of her hat. At the same time, it makes her look delicate, which I love for her. I'm always tempted to make Nienna dress in white (the color of mourning) but my favorites for her usually mix some color in - I don't know why but I've noticed that trend.

Pre-Darkening!Melkor & Doriath!Melian

The vibes I look for when thinking Melkor are "Aule but pretentious." Fire-like colors, but head-to-toe silk and gauze and gold thread and elegant accessories. Objectively pretty but you get the impression he's trying a little too hard to appear friendly in his light fabrics and gentle lines.

For Melian, I like birdlike colors, if that makes sense? Rich shades you can find in birds - cardinals and bluebirds for this one. She lives with elves, so I also enjoy the idea of her wearing plenty of jewelry, but in a down-to-earth way as opposed to the fantastical-looking jewelry of Varda. As a general rule, I try to make her look less ethereal than the Valier, with heavier-looking colors, fabric, jewelry, makeup. She's part of the physical world in a way the Valier in Aman just aren't. Also, I extra love this one because this woman is Tang Shiyi, a dancer who has an incredibly Luthien-looking video I love. So like, family resemblance, you know?

#lightly edited for clarity

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static-fanatic-1 · 3 years

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Before We Begin

-| Stuck at a StandStill |-

StandStill: Prologue

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Mentions of blood and broken bones, Bullying, Anxiety attacks, Creepy behavior.

A girl covered in blood and dirt howled, scrapping at the concrete slab that had fallen on her leg with cracked nails. Fat tears streamed down her rosy cheeks when it seemed as if no one was coming for her, her once silvery eyes now blood shot from crying. "Papa!" The little girl hyperventilated when she was given no reply, hand shaking as blood pooled underneath the fallen debris, is this how she dies? Barely even ten and crushed by debris caused by a villain? "Momma! Daddy!"

Thousands of questions ran inside her head, shaking her body to the core with the unrelenting fear of death. The small girl croaked out a long cry, tears and snot making her look all the more pathetic as she flutily clawed at the concrete. "Papa! Papa-!" Loud shifting resonated from above, the fallen walls of the large building she was in moving aside to make way for a hulking figure. Whoever it was was framed in an ethereal, golden glow from the setting sun, like an angel sent from heaven to save the ten-year-old.

The bulky figure swiftly tossed away the fallen wall and jumped down into the cavern, flinging the concrete slab like it was a leaf and wrapping the child in his large arms. His muscles tensed at the loud booms above, the villain clearly ruining more of the city, but that did nothing to deter the figure's bright smile when he looked down. "What's your name, kid?" His voice will be forever engrained in her memory as an enthusiastic theatrical of hope.

"Aiko." The little girl meekly replied, curling into his muscular arms for some form of comfort.

"Well Aiko Shonen, everything will be fine. Why? Because I am here, All Might!" The bunny like hairs on his head waved as his smile only grew. Aiko only ever felt so safe around her papa, and this All Might figure made her feel just as safe as she would feel in her papa's arms.

A deep rumble echoed through the cavern, the hero's smile faltering the slightest bit, but quickly returned when he crouched down and jumped out of the cavern. Wind rushed through her long white drapes, her doe like eyes glowing from the immense strength the blond possessed. An old man dressed in hero's wear sped past All Might, the little girl following the yellow blur to what was happening behind her.

That was a mistake.

A deep feeling of dread washed over the entirety of Aiko small frame and made her feel utterly sick. A man clad in a crisp black suit loomed above all else. Red lightning like sparks shooting through the sky as his bulky frame floated above the toppled buildings and skyscrapers. Just how many bodies were under those buildings? And that mask, that terrifying, black, skull-like mask would forever be burned into her memory like a horribly large scar. Under his pristine black shoes were villains and heroes alike, bloodied and broken and dying.

A large hand turned her facing the sunset, a beautiful display of deep purples and bloody reds littered with fluffy stained clouds. "Don't worry, Aiko Shonen... you are safe now." All Might's bright, toothy grin brought her only more discomfort, it felt strained and off, as if he didn't believe his own words.

A certain yellow blur knocked Aiko and All Might out of the sky and into the debris of a near by building, a loud boom and an intense vacuum of air brushing past. The larger than life blond shielded her from the fall, sliding down and holding her close to his heaving chest. "Toshinori, watch out! Don't look away for one second or you'll give him the advantage!" Scolded the older man, not realizing All Might was carrying a small child in his arms.

"Perfect timing Gran Torino, take Aiko Shonen and get her out of here!" He handed her off to the elder, leaving nothing but dust in his wake as he jumped back into the fight. "Have Nighteye take her somewhere safer!"

Gran Torino swiftly pulled her into his arms and dashed away from the villain. The two made it safely out of the danger zone, a new, slim figure running to Torino. "Take her, T-All Might needs my help against All For One." His gruff voice reverberated off the fallen walls of what used to be a wealthy district. Once again, she was thrust into the hold of another hero, wincing at her broken leg.

Sir. Nighteye dashed across the debris ridden streets, blood and bodies littering them like trash. Aiko whimpered and curled in on herself, each and every detail of the villain attack being engraved into her brain. Not even a moment later she was given to a random citizen, probably a nurse or doctor from a nearby hospital. The citizen took her somewhere safer, away from the villains and heroes.

Aiko looked back one more time, All For One and All Might clashing against each other like titans or gods fighting for the mortal realm. Maybe that's what the fight is about, two titans fighting for power over the weak. That's what it looked like at least, wind pressure from their attacks brought more walls toppling down. She bit her bottom lip, being carried away from the carnage of the clashing gods.

~~~

White hair rushed through the small bedroom, scrambling to find her favorite pencil she must have dropped last night. She ducked under her bedframe, no not there, what about under her desk? Not there either. "Come on!" She whined, shuffling through sketchbooks and notebooks for the fifth time just to find her favorite mechanical pencil. "Oh, thank god!" She exclaimed, grabbing the old pencil, and stuffing it into her bag.

Quickly she collected the rest of her things and rushers out of her room. "Aiko! Hurry up you're going to be late!" Yelled her mother, a woman with a thin yet pear shaped frame and deep bags under her dull violet eyes. A messy bun made of curly turquoise hair rest upon her head. Her shrill voice echoed through the halls and into her room, drenching the little girl with a new sense of urgency.

"I'm leaving!" She reaffirmed. She dashed through the house to the front door. Slipping off her house shoes she quickly put on her outside shoes before opening the door.

"Oi! Aiko, where's my goodbye kiss?" Snarled a new figure, large and muscular with deep brown hair and yellow eyes. He tapped a thick finger against his cheek as he leaned closer to his adopted daughter's form.

Quickly she slipped off her outside shoes, she had quickly learned to never wear them on the floor, and leaned to kiss the man on the cheek. She returned to the front and waved a goodbye as she scurried out of the small house.

The young girl brushed her white hair out of her face, her roller blades now clipped onto the bottom of her shoes. Slinging her backpack securely on her back, she dipped out of the front yard and skated her way to public school.

Wind rushed through long locks of hair, her curly bangs framing her face as she sped through the busy sidewalks. Wide, hopeful, doe-like eyes watched the trees blur past. People and faces smudged by her speed, a grumpy pedestrian yelling at her to slow down. "Sorry sir!" She yelled back.

Aiko sighed at the sight of pink Sakura trees in the distance, indicating how close she was to her school. Skating past the iron gates and into the school, she threw her shoes into her locker and rushed into her homeroom class with only a few seconds to spare.

The skinny teacher glared at her. "You were almost late, again." His hands fell to his hips in a relaxed pose, eyes boring into the much smaller figure. If you moved his impossibly long blond bangs you would be able to see the orange, slitted eyes he had.

"Sorry Hagake Sensei, I woke up late again." She scratched the back of her neck and waved an apology.

"You can't be late if you want to be a hero, Aiko." He scolded, the thin tail and small cat ears waving disapprovingly. "Anyway, everyone here wants to be a hero so I'll go ahead and give you all the course selections." The cat-quirk teacher stalked through the desks, handing out papers that would change everyone's lives.

"Komori, you were going for UA right? Aiko, you too?" She sheepishly nodded when the orange eyes glanced into her own, taking thick strands of her hair and covering her mouth and cheeks with it. A habit she had developed after the incident. Her ice blue eyes looked over to the other name called, a young yet surprisingly fit boy with an impressive quirk.

Komori, a young man with a bat quirk and the physic to make it powerful. He was tall for his age, with a slim yet strong build, the only thing that wasn't conventionally attractive were the thick glasses on his button nose. But even then he made them look good. He had large ears, long fangs, a thin tail and huge wings draped behind his back. Pale, almost grey skin, with sharp purplish-red eyes complimented his short, yet messy, black hair.

————————————————

Name: Komori Suzuki

Quirk: Bat Mix

Quirk Details: Komori's quirk is pretty self-explanatory, he is a bat. Wings, tail, ears and fangs, he has both White-Winged Flying Fox (Mother—Kistune Suzuki) and Common Vampire Bat (Father—Kyūkestuki Suzuki). He has the best of both bats at his disposal.

————————————————

He cackled. "Ha! Really? That coward can't become a hero! Look at her, and her quirk is useless for hero work. The only thing she's good at is being a housewife!" Waving his leathery wings and kicking his feet up on the desk he continued to laugh at her flustered expression.

Komori could only be described as a misogynistic bastard. Aiko and him used to be friends, but when he was young he started all misogynistic towards her, typically using the housewife card against her. Still, throughout the years the two of them stuck around each other. Maybe it was a sense of familiarity between the two of them?

The girl shrunk into her chair, pulling her hair closer to her face. "I can be a hero...." Her soft tone drifted off until nothing but a pen dropping could be heard.

"Eh? What was that? You want to be a hero to avenge your old man?" He jumped on the desk and leaned down, the pearly fangs flashing dangerously. "There's no way you'd be able to do that, you can't to anything for yourself! You're just a damn damsel in distress, so give up."

The teacher glared at him and smacked a clawed hand on the back of his neck. "Shut it Komori! You'll never be a hero with that attitude!" Sensei growled and handed the both of you your papers. "It won't hurt to try, Aiko." He reassured with a pat on the girl's shoulder.

"R-right." Komori got up from the floor and glared at the teacher comforting the smaller girl. He scoffed and returned to his desk, there was no reason for him to be so mean to her, but he did anyway. Maybe he took a sadistic pleasure in messing with her.

"Anyway, this is due tomorrow," waved the teacher as he sauntered back up to the front of the rowdy class. "I forgot to give it to you guys on Monday so don't forget. If you guys don't turn it in tomorrow you won't be going to a hero school." He waited for an answer, his eye twitching when he didn't get one. "Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" Yelled the class.

~~~

Aiko leaned on her tippy toes to grab her outside shoes and clip-on roller blades, jumping when a clawed hand slammed beside her locker. She squealed and whipped around, coming face to face with collared shirt. "Wh-What do you want, Komori?"

Glazed over plum eyes glared through thick lenses. "Why do you even want to be a hero? It's not like you'll be able to fix what the villain did so you should just give up." His throat rumbled a growl. "Seriously, you should just leave it to me, I'll get the job done unlike you." The violent eyes hardened slightly at her scared expression. "Seriously, Sweetheart, you'll get your weak-ass self hurt."

The white haired girl glanced up and shriveled into the locker. "I-I'm still going to try... Sensei said I should."

Komori opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but was interrupted by a few other delinquents. He scoffed when she dipped past his arms and wings and ran out of the school, struggling to run and clip on her skates. "When are you gonna kiss her Komori? Seriously you've been closing in on her from the beginning." Chattered one friend.

"Oh fuck off, she's just going to get herself killed." The aspiring bat hero puffed his chest and flared his wings. "And what type of hero would I be if I didn't try to save a lady-in-waiting, huh?"

Aiko stumbled past the school gates, recommendation paper in hand. Once she made it far enough she dipped into a dark alleyway and curled onto the ground. Fat yet silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she did her best to calm her anxiety. The girl tightly gripped her hair and shoved it in her face trying to calm herself. "Breathe... breathe... breathe...." She chanted.

Slowly but surely her anxiety levels died down with her calming strategy. She wiped away her tears and sipped on the last of her left over water. "Brrreeeeaaaaatttthhhhheeee...." She tensed at the buzz in her pocket, pulling out her small flip phone to see who texted her.

[Mr. Takahashi] 'Get some Tokoyaki on the way home.'

[Aiko] 'Yes Sir.'

She bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows, waiting for a reply, luckily there was none so she relaxed. Taking her leave out of the alleyway, the small girl made her way over to the best Tokoyaki shop nearby.

A loud boom erupted out of the same street the shop was on, Aiko worriedly rushing over to the sound. Smoke covered the skies as more explosions went off. A chattery crowd formed at the street entrance, but Aiko wasn't worried about what was happening. She quickly pulled out her phone and started texting.

[Aiko] 'I'm sorry, I'm going to be late. The shopping district is under attack by a villain.'

She worriedly waited for a reply, doing her best to shuffle through the crowd to get a good look at the commotion. A blond, skeleton of a man coughed his way next to you, leaning on a lamppost and looking above the crowd. "Sir? What-what is going on?"

The blond slightly jumped in surprise at the delicate voice, looking down and taking in the little girl standing before him. Something about her seemed familiar, though he couldn't exactly place it. "A villain, nothing to worry about the heroes will take care of it." In all honesty, he couldn't exactly see everything that was going on. Between the explosions and smoke, all he could see was the sludge villain he failed to detain.

His deep, sultry voice calmed her, but the intense expression he wore had the opposite effect. Biting her bottom lip, she shuffled her way to the front of the crowd. Pedestrians around her worriedly talking to themselves, every time another explosion went off they would flinch. She would too.

Finally squeezing to the front of the crowd she saw what was happening. An ash-blond, about her age, writhed inside the sludge monster, gasping every time he could get some air. He screamed when his mouth was free, a violent cry for help that no hero seemed to be answering.

Aiko took a step closer, the water hero yelling at her to stay back. "He-He needs help! He'll die if no one helps him!" She screamed back, staring at the hero with a pleading expression. "You guys need to save him!"

"We can't, no one here can stop that villain. We are holding off until someone more prepared saves him!"

'He can't wait that long', she thought, looking at the frustrated features of the blond middle schooler. But she waited, too afraid to mess up and make things worse. Her quirk would only make things worse.

Anxiously she held her hair to her face, waiting for someone more adapt to the villain to save whoever was trapped. People happily cheered a new hero, Mt. Lady running to the scene. She stopped however, obviously she wouldn't be able to help with her quirk.

The small female was pushed to the side, another middle schooler, this time with fluffy dark green hair, stared at the scene in front of him. His freckles face contorted to a look of pure horror, a strained voice quietly calling out a name. "Kacchan!"

She watched as his feet controlled his body, taking him into the smoke ridden streets to the sludge monster. She gasped and lunged forward to grab him but missed, the small boy slipping through her fingers.

"Kacchan!" He yelled, tossing his backpack into the villain's face.

Aiko watched with admiration for the obviously weaker boy who ran in like a true hero. The ash blond also thrashing with strength and aggression she would never have. Unlike Aiko, they looked like they would be fine heroes.

She is a coward, too afraid to even try in fear of ruining everything. It reminded her of what happened six years ago, how helpless she was when all hell broke loose, how she was saved by All Might before loosing everything. She was frustrated, small tears dripping down her face at her pathetic display of bravery.

Wind smacked her long hair in her face, bringing her back to the present. It was him, All Might! The best hero to ever exist rushing to stop the bad guy and save the kids.

With a single punch, her hero saved the day. The once blue skies turning a dark grey and drenching the debris covered streets. Her tears replaced by cold rain as the crowd waited for All Might to make a move.

He raised his fist high, stumbling only Aiko seemed to notice, but remained victorious none the less. The once silent crowd burst into cheers, praises and hallelujahs for the savior of the two middle schoolers.

A ping from her pocket took her away from the heroic sight. With a heavy hand the little girl looked at the messages flooding her texts.

[Mr. Takahashi] 'Hurry up.'

Quickly she replied back.

[Aiko] 'Yes Sir.'

She would have to appreciate All Might and the middle schoolers online once she got back home. Swiftly Aiko squeezed past the crowd and skated over to the nearest Tokoyaki stall.

~~~

Unlocking the front door and balancing the packaged Tokoyaki drained the last of Aiko's energy. She took off her shoes and plopped the food onto the kitchen counter.

Mrs. Takahashi undid the wrapping, disregarding the younger girl and the paper in her hands. "Go do your homework, Aiko."

"You have to sign this. It's for the hero courses I want to sign up for." A small hand calmly pushed the paper in front of her adopted mother, a delicate smile upon her features.

"Fine, here." The azure haired woman signed the paper, the man of the household walking up behind the two.

"Hero courses huh? You better sign up for UA and get in, you'd be able to pay for our retirement!" The brown haired man bellowed, taking some of the food Aiko brought home and stuffing it into his mouth. "Seriously, you better get into UA." He scolded through chewing.

"Yes sir, I was planning on doing that." Thinking about All Might, the middle schoolers and all the reasons she want to be a hero to begin with, if she had the opportunity she would take it. This was her opportunity and no one would change her mind.

She took her food and went to her room, finishing up her homework and taking a shower. Now with her sleepwear on, all her homework finished, she plopped into her bed.

Aiko's light blue eyes glanced over to a treasured photo, the moonlight seeping from the closed blinds providing just enough light to illuminate the three of the six figures. She was very young when her family took the picture, her host mother and host father's smiles bringing a pang of joy through her heart. Her host mother had long, pink hair and a curvaceous body, while her host father was a muscular lean figure with pitch black skin and sharp teeth.

The fifteen year old decided to wear a yellow sundress that day, a big smile knowing her family was standing behind her. She wished they were still here and she wasn't with Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi... but that was too much to wish for.

She curled in on herself under the thick covers, letting the sweet memories of her past lull her into a dreamless slumber.

#my hero academia #my hero academia Oc #fanfiction #fan fiction #Aiko Takahashi #Komori Suzuki #mha #bnha #mha fan character #mha fanfiction #mha Oc #prolouge #StandStill #There’s actually plot #fluff is later #angst too #staticfanatic

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roswelldetails · 4 years

Text

RNM 2x12 - Crash Into Me

EPISODE SUMMARY:

WELCOME TO CRASHCON — As the town prepares for CrashCon, Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Max (Nathan Dean) attempt to piece together who may be behind a potentially deadly plan targeting the festival. Elsewhere, Maria (Heather Hemmens) and Isobel (Lily Cowles) take drastic measure to learn more about the night Mimi (guest star Sherri Saum) disappeared, while Michael (Michael Vlamis) is forced to do someone else’s bidding.

DETAILS:

Max is secretly practicing with his powers. Was Max's "light cardio" actually just him trying to strengthen his powers?

Max has a land line. Hee. Which Liz doesn't mind answering for him.

Liz is looking for a pen on his desk when she finds the empty vials of the antidote. Max plays them off as being leftover from when he had amnesia.

Liz mentions that the phone call was Max's bank calling to verify a deposit for him.

Max is choosing not to worry about Michael because he and Isobel can feel that he's not badly injured or in serious danger.

Liz called Dirk:

"He said before she left she was getting nonstop calls from a 575 number. The Sunset Mesa facility where Mimi DeLuca lives."

"Wait, Mimi was calling your mom before the abductions?...Mimi was always obsessed with alien movies. Maybe fiction and reality are blurring. Your mom is working with Flint Manes who spent years making an alien-killing weapon while at Caulfield. What if your mom found out Rosa was killed by an alien? She'd want revenge."

Note: Max and I apparently think alike, because this was my assumption going into the episode as well. For the sake of detailing and not making this confusing plotline any more confusing...Max and I were both wrong.

Also, I love that they mentioned cell service issues during Crash Con. That is extremely realistic and makes a ton of sense, speaking from experience at like, concerts and baseball playoff games and such.

Maria gets Liz's voicemail and immediately confronts Mimi.

"I just got a message from Liz. Mom...when you disappeared, it was Helena Ortecho that took you...You didn't have butyricol in your system when they found you. You know Liz's mom. You'd remember if you spent a month with her. Mom, are you covering for Helena?"

"Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm not fine. Alex and Michael are missing."

"Helena is a lot of things, but she won't hurt your friends. I'm sure… (Isobel walks in) You're the blonde. The one that Rosa was afraid of."

"Hi Mimi...I'm your cool Aunt Isobel. Hopefully we can get to know each other under better circumstances sometime. Sure about this DeLuca?"

"Desperate times call for desperate alien invasions."

Isobel's first trip into Mimi's mindscape:

"Show me what happened the night you disappeared, Mimi."

Mimi turns to see headlights approaching. It's the hunting van. Helena is driving it. After they greet each other they talk in the van.

"I saw her. I saw her in a vision.

"I didn't believe you. I had to see it with my own eyes."

"You saw her. You saw Rosa."

Flashback to Liz and Rosa arguing over Rosa's necklace in 2x01. Just as a note, Isobel is in Mimi's head, not Helena's, so she shouldn't really be able to see this flashback since Mimi wasn't there when Helena saw Rosa.

"This is a good thing, Helena. Your daughter is alive. She needs you."

"When Jim Valenti was dying, I came home to say goodbye. He kept saying Rosa could live again, that she was preserved."

"But you didn't believe him. No one ever believes us."

"If Rosa is alive, it means Jim was telling the truth. Which means everything else he said could be true, like aliens are real and Jesse Manes has a weapon that can kill them. It means I have to go to war, Mimi. First, you need some shoes."

Then Mimi somehow kicks Isobel out of her memories, which gives Isobel a nosebleed. But Mimi doesn't seem to know what happened. It's almost like she has a kind of subconscious protection on her own mind, somehow.

Note: the hunting van must not be Flint's, because Helena is driving it when she first considers teaming up with Flint, I assume based on the above. Maybe she was the suspicious figure in Flint's house when Max and Kyle were hiding in the closet? And what about the car that Rosa blew up? Did she have access to multiple vehicles? Am I overthinking this?? Haha.

Kyle's tip to Max:

"I found this at Flint's, but it's from a florist my dad used when he was in the doghouse with my mom. I finally guessed the password today. Rosa's birthday. The only thing on it is a note my dad wrote to Helena. It's a lot of romantic crap followed by details for a storage unit he had up near Haystack Mountain."

Haystack Mountain is an off-road vehicle recreation area about 30 miles northeast of Roswell.

Michael working on the "bomb". Charlie is working on the toxin nearby and Helena is keeping an eye on both of them.

"This entire process would be more efficient if I could attach the release chamber to the other side."

"Ay, mijo. Now is not the time to get creative. Time is running out. Follow the blueprints exactly."

"You don't look like an obedient soldier. Who'd she take to force you to do her bidding?"

"A friend. It's complicated. Why are you helping her? Jenna's free."

"Flint Manes has a sniper rifle on the roof pointed at her bedroom window. If I step out of line and something happens…"

"You'll never forgive yourself."

"I'll never forgive myself anyway. Helena has me formulating a pathogen that I invented when I was 17. It's a poison that dismantles specific DNA. If targeted your death is quick and ugly. A bleeding from every orifice kind of deal… I thought that I was saving people. Okay, imagine a weapon that you could drop into a populated city and the only people targeted would be al-Qaeda leaders and their direct descendants. Okay? In the right hands my weapon could prevent innocent civilian casualties and save our troops."

"I'm guessing these are not the right hands? Why am I building the bomb when the inventor is under Helena's thumb?"

"I do chemicals, not mechanics. And technically it's not a bomb. It's a catalytic toxin atomizer that was developed in a top secret operation involving weapons specialists from both the Army and the Air Force."

"Project Shepherd. One more question for you, Charlie. Whose DNA is that poison you're making gonna target?"

"Judging from conversations I've heard between Helena and Flint, it's alien DNA. Like, literal aliens."

This is actually the part of this story that's crystal clear to me. We've been getting tidbits on this dating back to 1x12, when Flint told Alex about his "smart bomb". Jesse told Jenna in 2x04 about Charlie's toxin that could pinpoint specific DNA, and even used a similar metaphor in explaining it as Charlie did in this episode. The part that doesn't make sense to me is, why did FLINT need Michael to build it, if he developed the blueprints?

Liz and Rosa in the lab discussing Max taking the antidote.

"He's only supposed to take a drop when he has amnesia. It's not vitamin C. In high doses it could cause surges of adrenaline that could be dangerous."

"No offense, but you sound like a mom. Like a real mom, the kind who actually give a duck. Oh I just figured out what autocorrect is. It's hilarious."

"Speaking of moms, ours hasn't reached out to any of your old dealers and she hasn't shown up at any of the churches in town, so you got any other ideas?"

"It's CrashCon. We usually find her wearing the loudest t-shirts and flirting with the richest nerds."

"Yeah, but Flint and Jesse Manes hate aliens. I mean it's literally their only hobby. If she's with them, I'm betting she's lost her affection for the simple charms of UFO novelty kitch."

"Wait, if you were going to get revenge on aliens, CrashCon is the perfect place. There's all kinds of conspiracy theorists and press. You know how mom loves attention."

"You think something's gonna happen tonight?"

"Papi is there by himself setting up. I think he should come home."

Note: my phone autocorrected duck to fuck. So I guess that tells you something about me. 😳

Also I just realized that for once ROSA and not Liz is the one who put the pieces together! Good for her. I wonder if that's purposeful since she's the daughter who is more like their mom? Like, she understands Helena's motivations better than Liz or something.

Steph and her father are going to CrashCon together. Kyle helps her with her makeup. Super sweet, but rather pointless since the scenes of Steph at CrashCon were cut. Mostly just including this here as a reminder that she's there in case it comes up in the finale.

Max and Cam, who got her job back!

"Thanks for the assist. I'm guessing that guard wouldn't let me through with bolt cutters unless I had an officer of the law present."

"Oh well, don't be jealous, Evans. Valenti has me on desk duty. So this little adventure is my lunch break."

"Valenti did the right thing, giving you your job back."

"Yeah well, you know, apparently some local bartender gave her reason to doubt the events the night of the gala were my fault. So I owe you."

"I've lost track of who owes who what at this point."

They break into the storage unit. It's empty except for an empty shelving unit, a locked chest, and a puddle of purple alien goo.

"What is that?"

"It looks like embryonic fluid. There must have been a pod in here."

Note: no, Max! Pod Goo evaporates upon contact with Earth's atmosphere/air. So it's not pod goo.

There isn't a super clear shot of inside the chest, but Max pulls out a love letter from Helena to Jim Valenti. I can transcribe it if you want me to. It's pretty easy to read and frankly, there's nothing important there. My heart is forever yours...it feels good to actually love and be loved in return...blah blah cheesy platitudes.

But seriously. Just send me an ask if you need me to transcribe it. But I'm gonna skip for now.

Isobel is chugging acetone straight from the bottle in the middle of the Pony.

Isobel's second trip into Mimi's mindscape:

"Mimi. I know you think you're doing the right thing, but Helena is holding people hostage. We have to understand her motive."

"You all think I'm losing my mind. But I just...slip out of my time and into a different one every once in a while. Sometimes Maria's. Or Mama's. Other women in our future or past. I saw you when you were a baby. The sky was red."

"What can you tell me about your time with Helena? She had you for a month."

"We were in a motel. We watched movies. We laughed and gossiped. She wanted to trigger my visions...gather information."

"What information? What did you tell her? What did you see?"

"What's important is Helena will take care of our girls. I'm not afraid. That's enough."

Mimi kicks her out again.

"I tried. She's fading."

"She's tired. It's harder when she's tired. Come on, Mom. I'm gonna take you back to Sunset Mesa."

"Maria, you just have to look for the signs in the water. You have to believe. Go on, you'd better hurry."

"Hurry where?"

"CrashCon closing night! You don't want to miss the fireworks. You always loved the fireworks."

Max and Cam going through the chest of letters back at Max's house:

"Okay, all these notes are from Helena to Jim Valenti. This is from the week Rosa died. I mean even 20 years after their affair she's still writing and he's still saving her letters."

"Pining after an Ortecho for years and years. It's so weird. Who does that. This is a receipt. It's a money transfer he made around the same time. He paid Daniel Fuller a thousand bucks."

"Fuller was the county coroner. Okay we still don't know how Noah got Rosa's body into the pod, right? But Jim had Project Shepherd connections to the morgue. So maybe if Noah knew about Jim and knew that he'd be grieving Rosa, he could have told him where to find the pod, right, and maybe he didn't even take the pod back until after Jim died."

"I mean, this is all a bunch of conjecture."

"Jim pulled me aside at high school graduation, he said I was the kind of guy the sheriff's department could use. Look, I mean maybe… I mean, he never let on, but maybe he knew I was an alien, right? Maybe he knew more than that."

"Okay, Evans? Breathe. You're looking a little clammy. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"No. See, something's going on, and you're gonna tell me or I'm out, I swear to God."

"Okay you can't tell anyone."

"You know I won't."

"Okay, I've been taking this antidote that Liz made. No...she doesn't know. But its rebuilding some of my memories from before the 1947 crash, right? I was just a little kid, but I had a destiny. I had responsibilities."

"Right, you're the savior."

"Yes! Well, maybe. But I was starting to remember these symbols from our old language, right? I remember what they mean, but it's like the meaning is just out of reach. And I'm out of the antidote. And you know, Liz is getting suspicious. So…"

"No."

"I didn't say anything."

"Really? Can you tell that to your face? I am not using my friendship with your girlfriend to steal alien steroids for you. Okay? Our partnership has limits."

Michael and Helena:

"It's done. So now what? You inject my spine with your mind-eraser?"

"We only used the butyricol on Jenna Cameron because there was still work to be done. And Flint was afraid she'd ruin it for us. You told Flint Charlie was creating a toxin that would kill aliens. But if you wanted aliens dead, you'd be testing it on me right now. 'Cause that's what I would do if I was a criminal mastermind."

"I needed Flint for the schematics and the muscle. Our agendas didn't need to align perfectly."

"You don't have to do this. If you kill anyone tonight, Liz and Rosa will never look at you the same."

"That ship has sailed. Besides, I'm not killing anyone. If disaster never strikes, justice won't be served. Do you want to see Alex or not?"

Liz tries to get Arturo to go back to the Crashdown. She tells him that the kitchen is backed up because it's so busy. The interesting part of this exchange from a character perspective though:

"Papi, please. I have a bad vibe, all right? A gut feeling I can't shake."

Diego walks up.

"Who are you? Elizabeth Ortecho doesn't do feelings. She believes in facts and evidence."

"No, I do feelings now. I've evolved."

Alex is chained up in the house. There's a takeout box and coffee cup next to him. He's humming a song under his breath. Michael walks in and they talk.

"Guerin, you were right. They used me to get to you. My dad hit me over the head and then he swiped the piece of the console. And then Flint showed up with a gun to my head."

"Did anyone hurt you?"

"Nothing I can't handle. Helena's been weirdly motherly. She's bringing me clothes and meals."

"Your leg."

"Yeah they took the prosthetic. I tried to bludgeon my brother with it. Come on, use your powers. Get me out of this."

"Helena dosed me with something. I'm basically human until it wears off."

"Okay then find something that'll break the cuff or my wrist. I don't care."

"Alex, tonight at CrashCon, your dad plans to release a toxin that kills anyone with alien DNA...Helena made Charlie and I build an identical device, but one that targets a different DNA. She somehow got her hands on your dad's cells. She knows your dad killed Kyle's dad. She wants revenge. But she wants him to take himself out. When he pulls the trigger on us tonight your dad's gonna die because of a device I built."

"No, that is not on you, okay? Now let me out of here."

"I can't. The atomizer will kill anyone in your dad's direct line. You are safer here."

"Are you serious?"

"And I gotta go. I'm gonna come back for you."

While Michael explains to Alex, we get a flashback to Helena in her totally fake blonde wig at the hospital in 2x02.

Helena disguises herself as Jesse's maid using her totally fake blonde wig and switches out the bombs while Jesse is in the shower.

The @ladiesofrnm have their first scene all together! (With Max...and eventually Michael…) reading through Helena's letters together. Michael makes quite an entrance. Afterwards:

"You're such an idiot! You don't comply with a kidnapper's ransom demands. Without telling me."

"Alex was in trouble. He had to go."

"Mikey, where are Alex and Charley?"

"They're safe. Your mom doesn't want to hurt them."

"Look I don't get it. Does she want to kill aliens?"

"No. She's avenging her murdered lover."

Back to the house where Helena talks to Charlie:

"This atomizer contains the poison that kills anyone with alien DNA. I need you to destroy it."

"Does Flint know that you have it?"

"Flint. Jesse really broke that boy. Some people were never meant to be parents. You can go when you're done. The door's unlocked. Flint's rifle shoots blanks."

"What's to stop me from leaving now?"

"The knowledge that that deadly device only exists because of you. You decide. I'm off to CrashCon. I hear there will be quite a show."

Note, when Helena says Flint's name she says a word in Spanish that I can't make out and isn't in the closed captions.

Max and Liz's conversation about racism and privilege:

"I want to help. Your mom's not the villain here. All right? She's going about this all wrong, yes. But Manes is already a murderer. I mean, if he'd succeeded today…"

"I know...I could have lost almost everyone I care about in a moment. I remember every day what it was like to lose you and Rosa. I don't think I could survive that again. She could've built a decoy bomb that wouldn't have hurt anyone."

"He'd just get angry and do it again."

"Yeah, but he's not the only one that this would hurt. I mean, the headlines if she gets caught? Illegal Mexican Immigrant Slaughters Decorated American Vet via Bioweapon. People will line up to lay bricks at the border wall. But hey, maybe the president will talk about my family at his rallies. That's gonna be fun."

"That's not gonna happen. This will get covered up like every other strange death in this town."

"In case you haven't noticed those cover-ups don't tend to protect the Mexicans. Even when…"

"Even when Rosa died. You can say it, Liz. It's okay. It's fair. Rosa got blamed. White people didn't. Okay? I get it."

"I know you're on my side, but you don't get this. And that's not your fault, that's just the reality of our experiences. If I mess up. If I so much as roll through a stop sign, it reflects badly on any Mexican who came before me. And it hurts any Mexican who comes after me. I used to think that nothing would ever change that, but lately I think...maybe if something extraordinary happened it could."

"Extraordinary? Like what you're doing in your lab?"

"I've discovered something that could be the key to curing people who have no hope otherwise. I can't walk away."

"So you're gonna turn my family's stem cells into the hottest commodity?"

"No, I won't. I...we'll find a way to synthesize it or replicate it."

"Is this about the people you're trying to save or about becoming the poster girl for immigrants everywhere? You want the president to talk about your family because of you. Because you saved the world."

"If those in power see what happens when people are given opportunity…"

"You want the glory."

"I want recognition. I want to be the example I never had. And people who want glory, they're just in it for selfish reasons. People like Jesse Manes want the glory. He wants to be a big American hero. He wants the parades, he wants the medals. If he sets off his alien atomizer at CrashCon, a handful of twenty-something's will die of some mysterious ailment and it's barely gonna make the news. That's not what he wants. We're missing part of his plan."

"First, something violent. Large-scale that'll draw media attention. And then, once all eyes are in Roswell…"

"He'll blame the violence on the aliens. He only gets his parade if he makes people afraid and then he destroys the thing that they fear. If he makes people think that you're terrorists before he kills you."

Graham Green's reveal at CrashCon. Graham is announced and takes the stage as Max, Liz, and Rosa arrive to find Michael, Isobel, and Maria nearby.

"Hey, you guys shouldn't be here."

"I was held hostage, Max. I deserve to ride the Sizzler until I barf cotton candy, and maybe watch a bad man die."

"You guys, we think that…"

Graham Green starts his presentation.

"Hello loyal fans and devoted supporters! You patience is about to be rewarded. Today I am thrilled, nay, honored to show you the result of years or painstaking work. The moment we've all been waiting for. Irrefutable extraterrestrial proof! A bona fide alien artifact!"

Graham pulls the curtain and reveals what appears to be something similar to Michael's console, only it is complete and intact.

Flint brings Alex food and they discuss Flint's motives:

"If you're doing this to impress dad, it is never gonna work."

"I'm not trying to impress dad. His shutdown of Project Shepherd was an inform decision, but he's trained me my entire life to take it on.

Flint goes to leave but Alex stops him.

"Do you remember when mom used to drive us to the res, and you would sit at the loom with Granddad? Weaving stories. When was the last time you made something, Flint? Anything that wasn't built to destroy?"

"Around the time that mom decided that to leave dad, she had to leave us."

"She didn't know what he would do to us."

"He didn't do anything to us. Me and Clay are fine. He'll, even Gregory is coming to see dad today."

"...You are wrong. We are all dad's victims. Sure, he beat me up, but what he put the rest of you through was abuse too. He made you watch while he kicked my ass… He scared you into thinking that there was only one type of man that you could become."

Alex manages to knock Flint out, steal the key to his handcuffs, and free himself.

"You're so pathetic. You don't know me at all. This has nothing to do with dad and everything to do with our history. Aliens are a foreign threat. They're invaders."

Back to CrashCon, where the gang discuss the alien object:

"Alex's piece must have been the last one that Manes needed to finish building it. Where's he been keeping the rest of this?"

Sanders appears out of nowhere.

"Kid, I seen that thing before. Your mother built that back in the old barn. I don't know what it is, but it is definitely explosive. I always wondered what'd happened to the pieces."

"Maybe Harlan or Tripp Manes gathered them up. Rebuilt it."

"Yeah but if Manes is gonna use that to blow up CrashCon, it's gonna make Graham Green look like the bad guy. No one's gonna think an alien planted it."

"Unless they follow the money. I got an alert from my bank this morning. A $10,000 deposit had cleared."

"You think Manes set it up so that the investigation would lead to you?"

"If I become the world's first alien terrorist and he takes me out, the world cheers."

"Guys, you need to do whatever you can to get as many people out of here as possible, okay? Get help."

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Michael and I have studied this material before. It's part tech, but it's also part organic. And if it's part organic, that means it can be killed. I gotta get back to my lab."

Diego sees Max toss Liz his keys.

Max and Michael sneak backstage and convince Graham Green to let them have a moment with the alien ship thingie. Max takes photos of it with his phone.

"Do you think we can destroy it?"

"No. The pieces want to be together and now that it's complete if we break the bonds with brute force we risk a violent reaction."

Max hears voices whispering and reaches out to touch the alien tech. The alien symbol forms under his hand and he pressed it. There's a surge from the tech and it almost appears like Max is absorbing something from it. The voices get a little louder. When he breaks the connection it almost seems like it takes effort and he seems stunned.

"What the hell just happened to you?"

"Nothing. I think this is a remote. I think this controls a ship."

"It's a what?"

Gif by @maxortecho

Note, the way Max laughs when he says nothing is oddly similar to how he responded to Cam when she called him out on his weird behavior from the antidote. Like he's hiding something or brushing off the worry or something.

Sanders interrupts before Max can respond. Points out that the top of the stage is varnished which is highly flammable.

"Wait, if this is fresh varnish, this whole platform is set up like a tinderbox."

"There's gonna be fireworks tonight."

"One spark'll light a fire. I mean, this whole thing, the whole platform will go up."

"If this giant remote goes kaboom aliens will be framed as terrorists. You have to get out of here."

"What? No. I'm not going anywhere."

"Max you are all sorts of worked up right now. What happens when you're worked up?"

"Sparks fly. Right, okay. Yeah. I'll go."

Before Max leaves he spots something on one of the display boards that makes him pause. He grabs it before leaving.

Charlie is working on her chemicals in the makeshift lab when Flint sneaks up on her and puts a gun to her head, demanding that she gives him the atomizer.

Maria and Rosa hurry through CrashCon discussing each other's alien biology and Mimi's vision. They spot Gregory Manes and decide to try to get him to leave since the Manes bomb would kill him. He has 12 kids with them so they suggest that he take them to the Crashdown for free milkshakes. He recognizes Rosa, but they tell him she's Rosa's cousin.

Liz works in the lab while blasting Alanis Morissettte - great call back to last year when she told Michael that Alanis helped her channel Rosa's creativity. She says to herself:

"Destroy the organic cell membrane. Disable the nanotech."

She mixes some chemicals which react and explode her flask and start a fire. Really don't know if that's supposed to represent success or not.

Flint and Helena talk at CrashCon. She is surprised to see him. He tells her that he cleaned up the mess at the house.

We flash back to the house which is on fire. Charlie is chained up and trapped.

Liz hurries from the lab and doesn't realize that Diego followed her there. He sneaks his way into the building while Liz rushes for the car.

Speaking of cars...they're in the middle of nowhere. Where's Diego's car? I had the same thought last week when Max and Kyle were searching Flint's house and they almost got caught. Whoever pulled up in the hunting van should have seen their car!

Maria and Rosa are helping get the kids loaded onto a bus when Rosa points out Pisces to Maria. Call back to 1x03 when Maria tells Liz that she and Rosa used to compete to see which one of them could spot the constellation first. It gives Maria an epiphany. Pisces is "the water sign" which was one of Mimi's clues from her vision. Maria goes to follow the sign. She runs into Max who tries to get her to safety. They spot Flint Manes carrying the atomizer. Max tells Maria to get out of there and hurries after Flint. He tries to sneak up on Flint, but Flint is able to disarm him and beat him up. Flint sets the atomizer to go off in two minutes and then throws it like a Hail Mary into the crowd. Max chases after Flint while Maria goes after the atomizer. She pushes through the crowd and spots another clue from Mimi's vision - a poster of aliens asking "Do you believe?" The atomizer is sitting below it. Maria grabs the atomizer and takes off running with it. Cam spots Maria and follows.

Flint beats Max up again and then pulls a gun and threatens to shoot Max. Max disarms him and is holding the gun to Flint now. He laughs and asks Max if he's really going to shoot a soldier. Tells him that he already pulled the trigger to kill Max by setting off the atomizer. Max tosses the gun aside, and uses his powers instead to kill Flint,

Michael and Isobel are trying to keep the stage from catching fire, but then the fireworks start going off into the wind (which blows the embers towards the fair). The hay bales easily catch on fire. Isobel used her powers to hold back the flames. She can feel that something is wrong with Max and send Michael to find him.

Instead Michael finds Jesse and Alex. Their exchange:

"You know, I actually started to believe that you had changed."

"You never could tell friend from foe. I actually counted on it."

"Hey I know exactly who you are. You were gonna let all of these people die and you were gonna let the aliens take the blame."

"It's high time they got blamed for something, I think. I'm gonna drag them from the shadows."

"Yeah and then what? You're gonna use the atomizer to kill them all? Then you become some hero by destroying the enemy that you created?"

"American children are gonna read about the events of tonight in their history books... And don't worry about collateral damage, son. That's just an unfortunate aspect of war. You know that better than anyone, Alex."

"You're gonna become your own collateral damage if that thing goes off. Helena Ortecho switched the devices. That's not gonna kill aliens. That is set to destroy your DNA. If it goes off, you are going to die in a puddle of your own blood."

"What are you doing? Are you bluffing to protect the aliens?"

"What I'm doing is I'm trying to protect our family. Dad, if that goes off it kills all of your direct descendants. Flint and Greg are somewhere in here. And I don't care how much I disgust you, I am still your son!"

Greg runs up looking for help responding to the fire. He spots the atomizer and immediately recognizes it as a weapon. Alex tries to get him to leave. Michael runs up and Jesse pulls his gun on him. Greg steps between Michael and the gun to protect Michael for Alex.

Maria throws the atomizer off into the desert and immediately begins bleeding. Thankfully Cam is there to try to help.

Max kills Flint which in turn gives him another heart attack. Liz arrives as he's collapsing and starts CPR. Rosa runs up and tries to get Liz to let her step in to help Max so that Liz can stop the alien device from exploding… And cliffhanger.

MUSIC:

1. Valley Queen "Chasing The Muse"

2. The HawtThorns "Give Me A Sign"

3. Everclear "Everything To Everyone"

4. Alanis Morissette "All I Really Want"

5. Gary Numan "I Am Dust"

#roswell new mexico #rnm season 2 #episode details #long post #rnm 212 #crash into me

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