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#where they're like stop being an Art Kid and get your numbers up. murder is a numbers game sis. get with it
all-pacas · 3 months
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back in the "i can't write for shit and everyone hates me" coal mines. anyway here's something i wrote and DO like, but it isn't fitting with the other part of this story i wrote, so will i use it? will i not?
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Enyo Atavian has always preferred to be organized. Whether it was in service wrangling the Cult of Bhaal, or simply figuring out into whose pack the extra healing potions had gone, she takes a certain pleasure in knowing where things were and what to do next.
It had made her an excellent co-creator of the Absolute. It had made her the natural quartermaster of the party, not to mention the only one who tended to remember their convoluted list of tasks and promises.
Shadowheart had teased her now and again, that someone who had once introduced herself as the Dark Urge would be so fond of lists, but Enyo had never seen a contradiction: Despite what her sister believed, her task was to kill every living soul on Toril. Not to spend weeks planning beautiful tableaus made of a single corpse. How better than to plan ahead?
When it becomes clear to her she only has days left to live, Enyo finds her penchant for lists has yet another purpose.
In the ledger she’d once used to try and sort her fragments of memory, Enyo writes the names of her new friends, and sorts what must be done to make sure they will be taken care of after she is gone.
It’s a daunting, but straight-forward, list. Gale still has the inactive Orb lodged between his ribs, but so long as they appease his god he should be alright. The Sharrans will need to be taken care of for Shadowheart, and Lae’zel is desperate to rescue Prince Orpheus. Halsin has been talking about rebuilding Rethwin; gold might be all he needs. Minsc will be fine no matter what, and Jaheira is fairly self-sufficient.
Karlach is a harder case. Enyo really has no idea how to save her life, but perhaps the Gondian gnomes can do something. Wyll’s father is in Gortash’s grasp. She will lean on their old alliance to find out where the duke is, and they will free him without Mizora’s assistance. And come to think of it, Gortash might even be able to work some of his artificer talents on his old bodyguard — if she can persuade him to help, and Karlach to trust him.
Astarion… on the surface, what she must do for him is utterly straight-forward: kill Cazador Szarr.
But that’s only half the problem.
Enyo picks at and mangles her pen instead of her fingers and skin as she thinks. It is evening, and they are spread about the Elfsong’s common room in groups of twos and threes. Talking, reading, cleaning armor, playing cards. Somewhere along the way, they’d all gone from strangers who barely tolerated one another to… friends. And as trite as the realization was…
Putting her affairs in order was breaking her heart.
But Enyo would soon be dead, soul annihilated and blood returned to her Father. What she felt no longer mattered. Ensuring the futures of her loved ones did.
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urban-witch101 · 3 years
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(Byakuya Togami x Reader? That's how this idea started.) - Danganronpa 1 Ghost AU - "They Failed."
Oh it's as funky as it sounds. Just trust me on this one. Also, big fat Trigger Warning for assault, s3xual assault, murder, and angst.
Hope's Peak Academy is reportedly the most haunted high school in Japan. After the Most Tragic Incident the world had ever seen, the class of 78 was forced into a recorded killing game run by their fellow classmates Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba and failed to survive. The Future Foundation, after eventually beating Despair and restoring peace to the world, established the high school as a National Monument to the pain and suffering of the students and turned it into a museum recording the history.
There are too many stories of the passed students to count, some from construction workers and some from ghost hunters. These are their sightings.
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Yasuhiro Hagakure is reportedly the most active ghost, which makes sense as the Ultimate Clairvoyant.
He tends to greet visitors at the entrance.
If you drop your hat or gloves and don't notice, you'll find them by the coat rack later for you to find.
Children tend to see him the most, or they hear a whispered joke in their ear if they're particularly upset at any of the Despair history.
He doesn't tend to interact with adults a lot, but he's known to follow the descendants of all their relatives or friends to make sure they're okay.
10/10 ghost, very friendly and a chill dude. Makes sure kids are okay.
Toko Fukawa is rarely seen or heard, but if she's there you know.
She hangs out in the bathrooms with the most common sightings being in the mirrors.
She's often found playing with her braids or grimacing at guests if there are a lot of people.
The friendliest sighting was when a child got lost and found their way to the women's bathroom.
When the panicked mother finally found them, their child was calm and content while playing with a stuffed toy they know they didn't bring.
When the child was guided to leave, they turned and waved goodbye to the mirror.
8/10, antisocial but harmless.
Genocider Syo is extremely active.
She likes pulling pranks on tall, skinny men, like throwing their wallets across the room and pinching their elbows.
If said men are blonde with blue eyes, they will tend to feel watched whenever the enter the building and will continue to think so until they leave.
Children tend to be scared of her, but if she sees a scared child she'll tend to leave the room so they're more comfortable.
She likes knocking over stuff, books and coffee mugs in particular.
However, if the staff scold her she'll knock it off.
She never knocks over artifacts, but people have seen her scissors rattle in their case.
8/10, harmless prankster.
Leon Kuwata can be found in the First-Floor Dorms.
People report hearing guitar strings playing in the boys bathrooms.
If someone mentions baseball around his dorm, mirrors and glass will crack or straight up shatter.
Paranormal investigators once spent the night in his old room, but they "forgot" to take off their shoes and slept above the covers.
They woke up with a blanket that hadn't been in the room covering them and their shoes neatly placed by the side of the door.
That same investigator used a Spirit Box to try and talk to him about what happened in the school.
Of course their older generations saw what happened live, but they never spoke of it.
"Do you have anything you need to say?"
"I'm so sorry."
6/10, ow.
Hifumi Yamada can be found in the kiln room in the Art Studio.
People hear camera clicks, as if he's still taking pictures.
Pencils will roll when the floor is completely flat.
He likes messing with the kiln and knocking off the hammers.
He loves playing the flashlight game.
If anyone mentions Celestia Ludenburg, people swear the room falls into a heavy and tense silence.
When everyone leaves the kiln, they feel his conflicting pain.
Anger? Sadness? They don't know. He's still grieving.
6/10, more ow.
Kiyotaka Ishimaru is silent unless he needs to talk.
He only talks if you do something wrong.
He doesn't play any of the games.
If you run in the museum, people swear they hear a loud voice telling them to stop.
If the staff breaks the rules at all, they straight up get smacked in the shoulder.
Groups of friends, particularly men, feel very welcome in his dorm room.
They all leave after a friendly, invisible squeeze is given to them on the arm.
6/10, he'll never change.
Mondo Owada has one reported sighting.
When construction to restore the building was going on, there was an incident between a worker and a girl on the street one afternoon.
He took her behind the building and attempted to hurt her.
A man in a Crazy Diamond gang jacket, which it should be noted that it doesn't exist anyore, pulled him off and hit him with a pick axe.
After the assaulter was unconscious, her savior didn't say a word; he looked at the girl up and down, presumably checking her for injuries, and passed her a card with a phone number before nodding to her and walking off.
It was the local s3xual assault line, which had been established only two years prior.
After she called the number, she was never able to find the card again.
She didn't even put two and two together until she visited the finished museum and saw Mondo's picture.
No one has ever seen him since.
10/10, badass.
Sayaka Maizono is in one of the boy's bathrooms in the dorms.
Visitors report feeling unnerved or even scared when they enter the bathroom.
She will not interact with you.
She doesn't like playing any of the games. Do not turn on the spirit box in her bathroom, the shower glass will crack.
One investigator decided to spend the night in the bedroom and turned on the shower in the morning.
When they got out, there was a message written in the fog on the mirror.
"LEON."
1/10, no fucking thank you.
Aoi Asahina hangs around the pool room.
She's reportedly like Hiro.
She's been seen walking the halls everywhere.
Children love visiting the pool room. They tend to feel excited and safe.
At night you can hear the pool splashing when no one is inside.
She has one recorded incident.
A child brought a small bag of donut holes to snack on.
Said child began to complain that "the air" kept pulling the donut holes out of his hands.
So they ran an experiment.
They dropped one on purpose and watched it roll away towards the pool room. After that, they didn't feel anymore pulls.
Now it's a tradition to leave a donut for her on Obon by the pool room or her dorm room.
Staff report donuts pulling themselves apart to share. If staff take a half that is offered, the treats are always gone by the next morning.
9/10, a whole mood.
Chihiro Fujisaki is relatively quiet.
They can be found in the boy's locker rooms by the pool.
People will smell a slight perfume over the chlorine.
Muscular men in particular will feel an odd sense of guilt when entering.
There was a guest, who was a muscular man, who took out their phone to record the room and listened back to it to find bits and pieces of the audio were gone.
They took it to a friend who deciphered it into a message in Morse code.
"I forgive you."
9/10, holy ow.
Celestia Ludenburg is only active in the kitchen.
Investigators have put on a full pot of tea water with no heat on the stove.
If they leave and come back, they'll find the pot whistling with the heat still off. The water is always the perfect temperature.
She is never active at night.
She'll only use the spirit box on Obon, but you have to make her a cup of milk tea first.
She's very picky about it.
There was one who got it right on the first try.
"Well finally," the box picked up. "Have some."
She will share details only she would know.
"I don't want to be rude, but do you have any regrets?"
A moment of silence. The cup on the table left for her shakes for just a moment.
"I have too many."
6/10, talkative but be careful.
Kyoko Kirigiri has never talked, but you'll hear her.
Staff will hear her heels clicking in the halls at night.
She likes writing in people's notebooks.
Random strangers will enter with an empty pocketbook and leave with a full one.
She loves to write.
She tells her side of the story.
If the mirrors ever fog up, she's there scratching out letters and numbers.
She also turns on the coffee pot in the kitchen.
Intuitive teenagers tend to know when she's there because they feel safer in rooms that people normally aren't comfortable in.
She writes clues to all the murders that she was never able to solve.
She's not done yet. She's made it very clear that she is not at peace.
9/10, talkative and informative.
Sakura Ogami is said to be hanging around in the recreational room where she committed suicide.
Children feel safe in there, but they never play with the old equipment.
There is an unspoken rule among them that they all know and have never discussed as soon as they walk in.
Some thrill-seekers sit in her chair.
They report feeling their head throbbing and intense nausea, some even passing out from the pain.
They also report intense guilt.
One child sat in the seat without thinking about it and they reported being fine but feeling a little sad.
She plays the flashlight game with investigators, but only if they're nice.
One turned on a spirit box and gave her a cup of tea on Obon.
"Thank you."
8/10, don't sit in her fucking chair you dumbass.
Mukuro Ikusaba is heard rarely.
Like Mondo, she has one reported calling.
In the gym, late at night, you can hear a quiet sobbing.
Children will hear a crying girl in their head:
"I didn't want this."
3/10, how is this even more ow.
Junko Enoshima is heard in the execution room.
Staff used to think there were multiple ghosts in there, but it turns out it's just her.
She laughs, cries, and shrieks.
The story is that she killed herself with her own executions after succeeding in the killing game.
At night investigators play the flashlight game with her.
Every visitor is always unnerved by her.
There is an unspoken bitterness towards her.
She doesn't deserve her success.
0/10, scary bitch.
Makoto Naegi is seen everywhere.
The Ultimate Lucky Student loves telling his story.
He's seen in windows and mirrors with his hoodie and a warm smile.
He's always kind and welcoming.
People leave him popular snacks at his dorm room on Obon.
He never speaks, he just likes watching everyone learn about them.
If children ever get lost he leads them back to their parents.
They'll always tell their family about the "nice boy with brown hair" who takes their hand gently and leads them to safety.
He feels a duty to protect the staff. They never feel alone at night. He's always there to keep them safe.
The descendant of Komaru Naegi, who happened to be a paranormal investigator, once spent the night in his old dorm room.
She reported hearing quiet crying and sniffling that morning before she opened her eyes and was flooded with a sense of relief.
Oh thank god, she was okay.
10/10, heart of gold.
Byakuya Togami is seen in one room and one room only.
He is the only one that people regularly see in the flesh as a full figure.
He's sitting in the library, reading a murder mystery novel.
He has never acknowledged any of the guests, except for one.
A small child, a descendant of Togami's old butler, gently knocked on the table to get his attention and waved politely. They thought he was a staff member.
He looked up at them, gave a little wave back, and went back to his book.
When they turned away and looked back, he was gone.
Staff will see him walking back to his room when the museum is closing up.
He's snobby, sure, but he has his manners. He won't purposefully get in the way of the staff.
9/10, super chill.
???
There is an unknown ghost that has one known/recorded interaction.
One night a paranormal investigator spent the night exploring the building.
They walked in the library to see Togami with a book and a lamp on that was previously off.
They nodded at him politely and went to the bookshelves to "find a book". They turned on a spirit box and stayed quiet.
The library door opened and closed.
They hear a passing conversation.
"Hello love."
A kiss, presumably on the knuckles.
"How was today?"
"Tiring", says a voice. "Lot of cleaning. Did you get any visitors?"
A chuckle. "Too many. I think they can see me."
"Probably."
A pause.
"Togami?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think they'll ever figure out what really happened here?"
Hesitance. "For their sake, I hope not."
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Feedback would be lovely. Thank you for your time!
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roswelldetails · 4 years
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RNM 2x08 - Say It Ain't So
EPISODE SUMMARY:
JAMIE CLAYTON GUEST STARS — Despite promising Liz (Jeanine Mason) that he’ll take things easy with his new heart, Max (Nathan Dean) sets out to find Cameron after learning that she’s gone missing. Michael (Michael Vlamis) grows concerned about Maria (Heather Hemmens) after a surprising discovery about her family history leaves her vulnerable. Elsewhere, ready to move on, Alex (Tyler Blackburn) goes on a date with Forrest (guest star Christian Antidormi), and Rosa (Amber Midthunder) makes a decision about her future. Rachel Raimist directed the episode written by Eva McKenna & Christopher Hollier (#208). Original airdate 5/4/2020. 
DETAILS:
Rosa's secret identity:
"...Cousin Rosalinda from Arizona. My mom married a minor league baseball player, but when he got relocated to a team in Florida…"
"Okay, you know what, let's just go with, they're dead."
This is a Twilight reference.
Rosa about the Mean Girl's art in the cave:
"That reminds me of Stephen Powers before he sold out."
Stephen Powers is a former street artist who went commercial. Some examples of his older work here:
Other examples of his newer, more commercial work here:
By the way, speaking of the cave:
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And this is some fabulous visual storytelling right here:
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Max is working at the Wild Pony. Temporarily, of course.
"Turns out debt collectors don't care if you've been half dead in a glowing pod for a few months."
So much for the headcanon that Max "I've been driving the same car since high school and am a homeowner before 30" Evans is good with his money. 😆 Debt collectors don't show up that fast… not that I know from experience or anything.  😳 *backs slowly away*
Iris refers to the cave as the go to hang spot for all the artsy weirdos. So it isn't like it was specifically Rosa's cave/hidden spot.
It's the first time we've seen this particular cave other than in 2008 flashbacks.
Iris Sanchez & Rosa Ortecho. Flower, Mexican family name. 😭 The hint is there!
Also 👀 from:
The iris earned its name from the ancient Greek Goddess Iris, a messenger to the gods who was thought to use the rainbow as a bridge between heaven and earth...these flowers were named to honor the Rainbow Goddess and bring favor upon the earth.
Mimi made Maria take back the necklace.
"She said that it was too late for her and that I needed it more."
Michael has seen the necklace before, but he didn't know what the flower was when he fixed the clasp and returned it to her in 1x10.  It was 1x11 when they learned of the existence of the anti alien pollen. Michael reminds us:
"I know this flower.  Its pollen has a paralytic effect on alien abilities."
Once Maria takes it off, she can name every card Michael pulls from the deck.
Maria lists off a bunch of necklace facts from past episodes that fandom has previously noted...
Her powers were heightened when Michael had the necklace in 1x10. 
She wasn't wearing it when Noah invaded her at the gala.
And she wasn't wearing it at Woman As Warrior in 2x02 when she sensed that Isobel was pregnant.
"Kyle said you aren't an alien."
Fact. Kyle did say that.  It doesn't mean that it's a fact that Maria doesn't have alien DNA in her though.
Kyle determined that her blood doesn't carry the alien protein that's in the Pod Squad and Rosa. He is making an assumption that the protein is tied to being an alien.
He said he ran other tests, but the results would take longer to come in. 
Also, just a personal theory, what else do Rosa and the Pod Squad (and Noah) all have in common? They all spent significant time marinating in a pod full of goo. Rosa (10 years), Pod Squad (at least 50 years), Noah (60 years). Kyle has not studied any samples of alien biology from an alien who didn't spend time in pod goo. It's possible the protein is related to the pod goo, moreso than the alien biology. Again, just speculation on my part.
Maria confirms that her mom started getting sick when she was 18, just after she passed the necklace on to Maria.
"If this prevents you from having more episodes, it probably stops the neurodegeneration process too. It's not kryptonite, Maria. This is preventative medicine. Keep it on."
In 2x06 it was established that in addition to Sanders' place being a junkyard and a mechanic/auto shop, they also do tow truck service.  Now that comes into play again as Michael was hired to bring Cam's car back to Roswell for the investigation into her disappearance.  He brought it to the junk yard first though to give Max and Liz an hour to check the car for clues before the sheriff's department comes to collect it.
Max is smart too, in his own way. He quickly identified that "Agent Powell" was driving a rental car and that her gun wasn't government issue. 
However, it's only when he sees her tattoo (which Cam told him about in 1x07) that he confirms that she's actually Charlie Cameron!
(10 points to fandom!)
Max & Liz's conversation with Charlie is mostly just reminding us what we know about Charlie and Jenna's relationship. 
Liz indicates that Jenna had been looking for Charlie for months.  Charlie responds that she didn't want to be found (both things we learned in 2x04 through Cam's discussion with Jesse Manes.
Max indicates that Jenna thought that Charlie hated her, a call back to us first learning about Charlie and the matching tattoos in 1x07.
"I worked on a controversial project a while back. A lot of dangerous people want to know what I know."
(Again, stuff we learned in 2x04).
They learn through Cam's text history that she was looking for Jesse Manes (which we already knew, because...2x04).
"I'm just a guy standing in front of a tourist trap asking a history buff to shoot him with high velocity paint."
Tongue-in-cheek reference to the movie Notting Hill.
"So, you're cool playing war? Doesn't bring anything up?"
"Oh, yeah, my PTSD triggers are a little more complicated. Suffice to say, this war zone is the only place that my family actually got along when I was a kid."
"Yeah, some of my old platoon buddies actually play in leagues."
"I didn't know that you served."
"Yeah I wouldn't go bragging about it to a guy with a Purple Heart. I might have googled you."
New information… both that Forrest served, that he looked into Alex (which could be innocent OR sketchy…).
And of course this is the first open discussion about Alex's PTSD issues.
Cowboys versus aliens paintball… Alex is the cowboy, so Forrest must be the alien.
The call that interrupted Forrest's attempt to kiss Alex was from the hospital. Hence why Alex goes there to see Jesse.
"Look, if I had a little lucky charm that could stop people like Noah from messing with me, I would have that surgically implanted into my décolletage."
Have to admit, I wasn't sure what décolletage meant, so in case anyone else isn't familiar: 
"These abilities are a part of me. I'm not gonna just throw away the chance to learn about who I am. That make sense to you?"
"Yeah, actually, it does."
"You've gotten stronger this year, right?  Can you teach me to train? Learn how to control it all?"
"Look, it took a lot of practice before I could do anything without puking and guzzling acetone to kill the pain.  And you can't practice, because according to Kyle, every time you do it eats your brain."
"Look, I'll stop before it goes that far, okay? I know the signs. Besides, if you help me, maybe I can help you. There must be something that you want to know about your future."
"What about my past?"
Max meeting with Jesse at the Crashdown. This is super interesting because it's the first time Max has sat down, face to face, with a hostile human who knows he's an alien. 
"My uncle used to bring me here. That was back when it catered to a more civil clientele. People who actually respected the history of this town."
This is likely foreshadowing what's to come next week, based on the promo pics released.
Again, similar to the scene with Charlie at the junkyard, much of this exchange between Max and Jesse is just reminding us of stuff we learned in 1x04.
"The last time I saw her she came to me with questions about her sister.  And I told her that the people most interested in Charlie's device were a black ops group based out of Los Alamos. They're called Deep Sky. This is their logo. Paramilitary. And I told Jenna that what she was getting into was gonna be dangerous. But apparently she didn't listen.
Note: in case any of you are unaware, in Los Alamos there's a US DOE lab that has a long, sketchy history of weapons development.  Makes perfect since that it's where a paramilitary organization interested in Charlie's research would be based there.
The Deep Sky Logo
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I compared this to a number of screenshots of alien symbols (like the ones we saw in Jim Valenti's letters in 1x12) and there were no matches.
However, fandom has already noted that the logo matches Trevor's ring in 2x06 (see that episode's details post for the photo).
"Charlie Cameron's mind is a unique specimen. Kind of like you. And there's always someone in the shadows waiting to crack those open."
"What did you do to Jenna?"
"I told her the truth. Which is more than you ever did. You're kind of a wolf in sheep's clothing, aren't you?"
"And what are you? Do you feel like a hero? All those people you tortured, all those people you killed. Turns out none of them were an enemy.  They were refugees. So you're not just a murderer, you're a failure."
"Yeah, I know. I am. But I tell you, something shifted in my brain when I had the stroke.  All the hate's gone out of me. All the fight. Caulfield is over and my son Flint has been reassigned. Look at me. I can barely walk."
Liz and Charlie in the car:
"Waitressing's really got to blow when you've grown a fully functioning heart muscle in a lab.  Or are you not the same Elizabeth Ortecho who co-authored a 2013 paper on cellular reprogramming? Some people build model trains; I do my homework.  Your boyfriend seems more like the train type."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"We've discovered new worlds and changed the course of mankind from a microscope. Should I go Netflix and chill with my boyfriend or stay in the lab, architecting the future?"
"No offense, but if it's true that you've been in prison and in hiding, it does not seem like you've seen much of the inside of a lab either."
"I went too far.  I thought I was building something with real value. The thing is, anything that has the potential to create real change, it scares people. And anything that scares people is inherently dangerous no matter what your intention is."
"You could start over. Get a new identity, work at a research university."
"I've done extraordinary things. Everything ordinary is ruined now."
More exposition that we already know as Max catches Charlie and Liz up on what he learns from Jesse.
"He said Cam is headed to Los Alamos to investigate a group called Deep Sky. Does that mean anything to you?"
"No. Let me reach out to some of my military contacts, do some recon. Give me a day, we'll go from there."
Liz and Michael, in the lab, on The Science:
"I'm looking for the sample of yellow pollen."
"The stuff I swept off the floor after throwing it at Noah? I don't know. I didn't see it while we were packing up."
"Well it was here a few months back.  Did I miss an experiment where it grew legs and a fondness for the outdoors?"
"Could have been accidentally thrown away. Sample was too oxidized to be of much use, and I've been trying to get my hands on fresh flowers, but it's impossible. I think they might be extinct. Why are you freaking out?"
"Because I have a math problem. There's only one flower in Maria's necklace, but there are two DeLuca women and apparently the flower is the key to preventing their illness. This is everything from the Caulfield drives and the experiments done on Maria's grandmother. A lot of it was lost in a lab fire in the '80s, but…"
"I'll take a look."
(Aside… 👀 Lab fire in the '80s. I have a feeling that's more foreshadowing.)
"I just want you to see if anything done could be undone. I don't want you to, like, Dr. Frankenstein it. The experiments were very bad."
"My days as an alien scientist are officially over."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"'Cause it's hard not to think about the far-reaching implications of this kind of research. You don't get sick on this planet. If I could figure out why, I could eradicate all illness."
"But you can't. Because that would expose us."
"Which I would obviously never do. It's over."
Arturo's text to Liz:
Have you seen our little mouse?
"Rosalinda" is late for her first shift.
Isobel and Maria go to Michael's trailer and Isobel shows Maria the newspaper clip of Michael's mom to try to trigger a vision.
"It's not working. And I don't feel great going through this stuff without Michael knowing."
"Why not? One day this palace might all be yours."
"It's not working.  I have a business to run, and you need to go Instagram something."
"Says the social media revitalizer. Listen, word to the wise, every time Max saw Liz in a skirt and tried not to pop a bulb, he wound up setting off a fire alarm. Everytime I push myself too hard, I miss time, or wind up accidentally realizing that my mom still thinks about her ex-boyfriend Rocco, like, in vivid detail."
"Okay, where are you going with this?"
"Effort doesn't equal control. So if you want to do this you're gonna have to embrace your inner ice queen and let it go."
"I'm not great at letting things go."
"Yeah, I know.  That's hard…"
Maria's vision:
Triggered by a t-shirt hanging in the trailer.
Louise is hanging laundry
Walt runs up to her and gives her a little windmill with her name on it. (Initially I thought her name was pressed or punched into the metal, but on second viewing, it looks like it might be puff paint or something similar.)
Walt runs off to find Nora and Louise goes back to hanging laundry.
After the vision Maria's nose starts bleeding.
Max goes after Charlie to stop her from turning herself in.
I wonder if his tire screeching action guy driving is supposed to be emphasizing to the audience that he's not being as cautious as he should be? 
Deep Sky said that if Charlie "...wasn't at Sutter's grain depot by 11pm, that they would torture (Cam) to death."
Charlie heard on the call:
A train rolling by
A demonic laugh
And somehow that's enough for Max to magically know exactly where Cam is.
Alex and Jesse at the hospital:
"Hey, they said that you mixed whiskey with your medications.  That's not like you."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I mean, you're my father. I can't seem to shake you."
"Yeah. I failed."
"Yes. But in what way specifically?"
"Uncle Tripp. I let him down. I never could figure out what he needed of me. And tonight I went to the bunker.  And I keep trying to crack the code."
"Liz said that you spoke to Max Evans. She said that you were half decent to him. Is that what this is about?"
"One of them killed Tripp, you know."
"An alien? Yeah. Then he hunted them. He dragged them to a torture chamber. I'm not surprised one of them…" 
Jesse slams his cane.
"He was the best man I ever knew.
Jesse tries to stand and falls into Alex, then continues to walk away.
The location that Deep Sky is holding Cam looks like a rodeo or horse arena or racetrack with a big grandstand.
There are nearby train tracks, and a warehouse where a mechanic repairs old carnival rides.
As Max and Charlie are scoping out the area you can hear both sounds softly in the background.
The sniper was watching and shooting at them from the grandstand.
Charlie is shot in the leg.
"Let me go get her."
"No. Deep Sky wants me alive. Your brain is worth considerably less to them which means it'll be splattered all over the dirt."
(Oh the irony...confirming that Charlie doesn't know that Max is an alien.)
"If anything goes wrong, call Liz. No doctors."
Max does shoot the sniper!
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And then uses his powers to knock out the power (and instantly feeling it in his heart when he starts to use his powers!!!!!!) which, as @angsty-aliens very eloquently pointed out, is absurd because there was a big red lever that would have done the same thing. *facepalm*
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Cam on her kidnapping:
"The last thing I remember is this weird sound. It made the hairs on my arm stand up. And this bright light, and the pain in the back of my neck like you wouldn't believe."
Cam's burn is fractals.  Like Liz's burn from Max's powers in 1x03. Top is Liz's fresh burn in 1x03, bottom is Cam's not-so-fresh burn in 2x08. Keep in mind, we don't know how long Cam was missing for.
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Rosa and Iris at the "art show".
"So you said you're from Roswell?"
"Oh, I was from Roswell.  I got out and went to art school as soon as I graduated. I work for an artist now. I help her run her gallery. Yeah, I used to want to be a painter, but then I realized I loved curating art way more than I ever loved making it."
👀 I wonder what this says about Rosa's internal motivation. If Iris is the life she wishes that she had, does she not want to be a painter? Or is that her internal insecurity rearing its head.  Like, she can't even dream about that possibility because it's what she really wants above all else.  Which is why Iris then motivates her to paint and prove to her inner self that she is an artist? 
Speaking of which, here's Rosa's painting from the episode. Mucho gracias to @rosaortecho for giffing it for me since it wasn't cap-able in a single shot.
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Iris's assessment of Rosa's art:
"This piece is you outrunning your demons. This is amazing. That's what you have to do.  You have to capture them and rattle the cage.  This is art. This is what you're meant to do, Rosa!"
Rosa's hallucination starts to fall apart as they dance.  She starts coughing and having trouble breathing.
"Your star sign's just out of whack."
Play on lyrics from God of Wine by Third Eye Blind, which was heavily referenced in 1x02. 
The direct quote is "your star sign's out of whack" and the next lyric is "a fraudulent zodiac"
Which, of course, is what Rosa had written on her hand before she died in 2008 and is a reference to Ophiuchus, which was Noah's zodiac obsession.
And then Liz finds her overdosing in the cave. 
The coughing in Rosa's hallucination was from smoke inhalation.  Because while passed out she started a fire with her powers.
Feels like a good time to point out that it's the same cave that she died in back in 2008, and she would have died there again if Liz hadn't found her. 😭
At the hospital Rosa tells Liz that she wants to go to rehab, but she knows she can't since she can't control her powers. 
Liz gives her Maria's necklace to borrow since it will suppress her powers and allow her to go to rehab.
Alex and Forrest at the Wild Pony:
"I still have my dad's voice in my head telling me that being seen with a man in public is an embarrassment. To my name and my uniform."
"Well, there's nothing like a dad voice to mess up a perfectly good date."
"It's also just that...I mean, Roswell's so conservative. This bar is filled with cowboys. If you want to go someplace private…"
"Look, I like you. But I don't want to climb into somebody else's closet."
"I cannot tell you how badly I want to be done with this frickin' closet."
"But you're not. And that's okay. Really. Listen, if that voice in your head ever shuts up, give me a call. Because between you and me, making out with a hot guy in public is only made hotter when it pisses off all the bigots and homophobes."
Charlie took off and left a note for Jenna. According to Jenna it says she's gonna disappear again and not to look for her.
Arturo is taking Rosa to a rehab center that Kyle set her up with "a few hours away".
Max tells Liz "let's go home." So… did she move in with him??
Liz says no though.  She says she has to open the diner and cry alone.  But instead she goes to the secret lab.  
Both Max and Liz were evading the truth a little bit here.  Liz didn't tell Max that she wanted to go to the secret lab.  Max didn't tell Liz that his heart did wonk out after using his powers and he did overdo it going after Cam. Bad Echo!!
Liz goes back to packing the secret lab up initially, but then her eyes fall into the Caulfield folders, and she stops. 
She unpacks her stolen equipment (genetic sequencer?), puts on her lab coat, and sits down to start reading the file.
Isobel brings Michael beer as a peace offering, since she's coming to admit that she helped Maria trigger a vision.  She thinks Michael will be mad, but he isn't because he and Maria already worked it out.
So Isobel tells him about the vision and seeing Louise, and specifically about Walt giving Louise the windmill. 
Michael immediately reacts, goes to a shelf, and grabs a similar windmill.
Turns out Walt is Sanders.  He pulls up in his car and Michael immediately confronts Sanders.
"It was you. You're Walt. You're the little boy in the photo.  You knew my mother."
And Sanders nods.
10 more points to fandom.
Max goes to Charlie's hotel to confront her about turning herself in to Deep Sky.
The windmill in both scenes. Until I put this together I didn't think they were the same one (because Louise's name isn't on Michael's. But other details (like the word weight on one of the legs) are the same.
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"You think Deep Sky needs to have Jenna by the throat to kill her? Okay, the only way that I can protect her is from the inside."
Then the "abduction scene" happens.
It mirrors what happened to Jenna in 2x04, only to Max and Charlie.
MUSIC:
1.  Hole "Celebrity Skin"
2.  Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real "Die Alone"
3.  Shelly Fairchild "Worry No More"
4.  Marc Danzeisen "Some Things Last Forever"
5.  Joey Sykes "Sign Of The Times"
6.  I AM ORFA "Like That Look"
7.  Danny Ayer "Set Us Free"
8.  Hamish Anderson "Trouble"
9.  OMC "How Bizarre"
10.  Muscadine Bloodline "Movin' On"
11.  Little May "Hide"
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magicpens · 3 years
Text
RILEY
By Johnny Bacala
His body is drenched in sweat, and his fists grab the linens of his bed. His head went sideways till he abruptly opened his eyes and awoke from his slumber. Another nightmare, he reasoned. He glances at his wall clock, and it's just 3 a.m. He only went to sleep a minute ago, which is ironic... He lets out a sigh... He stood up and went to the restroom. He looked at his reflection in the sink of his mirrors. He's thinking hard, since every time he wakes up from his nightmare, he doesn't recall anything, not even a fragment of it... He shook his head, opened the faucet, and let the water run before washing his face.
He didn't go back to sleep that night since he didn't feel drowsy. Instead, he just made his breakfast before heading to work.
Riley Moore is completely alone in his life; he has no family remaining because his parents were murdered in a car accident when he was still a child, which he has no recollection of.
He was raised in a foster home in the country, and no one wants to adopt him because of his strange demeanor. Riley is not like the other youngsters his age. He's quiet, cautious, and doesn't say much. Until he reaches the age of adolescence. He left the foster home, saying goodbye to the nuns who tended to him...difficult, but he doesn't care since he hasn't felt anything since he was a child. He lives in seclusion. Because of his obsession with literature, he didn't even finish his education. He learnt a great deal on his own...
Riley works in a downtown library. His shift runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. He only makes enough money to live on.
"Oh? Riley, honey, you're early. Don't tell me you got a nightmare again" --- Rose said. 
Rose is the one lady who embraces him and assists him whenever he is plagued by his Demons... Riley is a shambles. Except for Rose, he doesn't let anyone into his life. Riley is also a gay man. It didn't disturb him, though. Instead, despite his daily struggles, he continued to live...
He simply nodded to Rose and returned to his station, where he swept the floor and cleaned all the books. Riley is a hardworking individual, which is why Rose is pleased with his assistance; he does not complain or react to his surroundings.
Riley is sitting tiredly on a chair, reading his favorite book after cleaning. The Art of Not Giving a Fuck. He's been reading this book since he was in his mid teens.
The bell rings, indicating that someone has entered. He got up and waited... Until he came upon a gorgeous guy standing in front of a shelf. He can't take his gaze away from him.
"Hey? Mr.? I'm gonna pay for this book." 
When a gentle hand brushed his face, he snapped out of his daze. He flinches slightly before refocusing. The guy removes his hand; it's barely a second that the cute man touches his face, but he immediately longs for the softness and warmth of his hands, and the cute man simply stares at him as if he's the oddest person he's ever encountered.
"Are you okay man?" 
"U-uhm y-yeah" the guy stop when he hears his voice
"Relax, Mr. Riley, I won't hurt you."
"H-how did you know me?" Riley asked the guy.
"Hmm nothing. I just know you." He smiled charmingly. 
Riley's heart skipped when Rose showed up eventually.
"Who are you talking to?" ---Rose asked him.
"Uhm?" He roamed his eyes around the store and he didn't find the guy anymore.
"N-nothing." He blushed. 
"Hmmm but your cheeks say otherwise." Rose teasingly smiles at him. 
After his shift Riley went home. While walking he felt the brush of the wind through his skin. 
"You're walking alone? I see.." he didn't respond, he just looked at the Guy walking beside him.
"Oh... You didn't even flinch..." He chuckled.
"What do you want?" Riley asked rudely.
"Nothing. I just want to join you..you're walking right?"
Riley ignored him and he just talked and talked and talked...and after that night ended he felt something... He looked in a mirror for himself and smiled for the first time because of that Guy… One week had gone and he was still expecting; every time the bell chimed, he anticipated to see the Guy, but then he was disappointed when he didn't.
Riley is cleaning one wonderful day. When the bell rang, he was unconcerned.
"Uh.." 
he suddenly stopped from what he was doing when he heard the voice. But he shook his head and continued.
"Mr. Riley, e-excuse me." 
He closed his eyes and his jaw tightened.
"What" he coldly asked.
"I just want to know what's the problem?"
Riley just rolled his eyes and shrugged, he walked into the storage room and kept all the cleaning materials he used. 
"M-mr. Riley!" The Guy shouted to his ear and he jumped off scared.
"What the hell is your problem!" He retorted back but the Guy just smiled at him. Cutely. 
"Hahaha! You're mad, I see." He even nodded his head.
Riley just massaged the side of his head, this Guy giving me a headache.
"Oh! Before anything else. I am Archie."
"Sorry.. I'm not...."
The Guy just laughs so hard until he catches his breath and even holds his stomach. Riley just frowned. 
"Tsk" was the only last word he said.
"W-wait!" The Guy said.
"Wait Riley! You got it wrong!" He grabs Rileys' hand so he stops. 
"Hahaha! I mean, my name is Archie." 
Riley just scratches his nape and feels himself blushing and being shamed.
"It's okay R-Riley, there is nothing to be ashamed of."
The Guy---Archie softly said. 
Oh no, he hates me already... he thought
They started hanging out when they got to know each other. They visit various locations, eat, play, and simply hang out. Riley, on the other hand, is disturbed every time they go out since everyone looks at them strangely... They act as though they don't have the right to go outside.
One day, Rose confronted Riley about his behavior.
"Riley, son. Do you have anything to say?" Rose asked.
Riley stops organizing the books and faces Rose..
"What do you mean?"
"Uh.. is there something bothering you lately?"
"Uh! Rose, direct to the point please?"
"I mean, don't be shocked but who are you talking to?"
"Ah... He--he is A-archie...h-he i-is my f-friend." Riley stuttered, shy and confused.
"Oh.. i-is he n-nice?" Rose aske teary eyed.
"Wh-what's the matter Rose?"
"N-nothing..." Rose left him with a soft smile.
Riley shrugged it off. He just thought that Rose was happy for him...
Rose, on the other hand, pulls out her phone and calls... She dialed the number for the Treatment Center... She went out to seek for Riley after receiving the call.
Riley is alone, laughing and chatting into thin air, and she is taken aback. Her tears started to pour as she covered her mouth... Riley is almost like a son to him. 
She had no relatives or children, so when Riley came into her life and she learned about his background, she was both sad and pleased because she thought fate had a hand in it. Riley was handled as if she were her own and now, she doesn't know what she's gonna do. 
Riley talk with Archie while hes cleaning the shelf, 
"Arch, they're all acting weird, don't you think?"
"I don't know...maybe they're not happy seeing you with me." Archie replied with a pout. 
"Nah! Nonsense!" Riley says playfully. "I think Rose will love you. She's like a mother to me, swear."
Archie just smiles and plays with the books.
Their bond lasts for months as Rose worries about how she will inform Riley that there is no Archie exists. Riley is the only one who is aware of what is going on. There is no such thing as Archie. They hung out every time they went outside. It's all Riley, all by himself... which is why people look at him as if he's insane...Talking alone, Hanging out alone, eating alone, but all Riley knew was he's with Archie..
The idea of Riley being out of himself doesn't sit well with Rose, so she seeks help.
"Ms. Rose McWorthy?" The nurse called...
She followed the nurse and got inside a room. She sitted and nervously waited. The Doctor suddenly comes and sits. 
"Ms. McWorthy." The doctor smiled.
"Uhh..." She hesitates because maybe Riley will get mad at her but she has to do this. She breathes deeply, closes her eyes for a second before opening it again with determination..
"T-this is not about me..." Then she started to tell everything... After an hour... Their time is already done.
"I believe you have to set a schedule for your son Ms. McWorthy...this is painful to hear but some people who have Schizophrenia commits suicide..."
Rose didn't take it well, tears are running down to her face. She cried and cried. Pity for Riley...
The next few months, Riley always talks with Archie, hangs out with the guy who he doesn't know if it's real. Rose didn't take anymore...
"Riley, can we talk?" Rose asks.
Riley looks at Archie sitting beside him... 
"Uhh..I'm having a conversation with my friend here." 
Rose shakes her head and pleads. Until Riley stands and excuses himself to Archie..
"What do you want to talk about?" Riley asks politely.
"I have a friend who can help you.."
"Help me with what?"
"With your condition..Uh...R-Riley. Listen to me carefully."
Confusion was evident on his face. Riley is baffled..
"Your friend isn't real... It's all in your mind.." Rose sighs.
"W-what d-do y-you---Archie? Isn't it real? Stop joking! He's just sitting with me a while ago... And you see it don't you?" Riley raises his voice... 
"No--no. I am not kidding Riley! He is not real! He is just a pigment of your imagination because of what happened to you in the past or what so." 
"No! I don't believe you, he's just sitting right there! Right now!" Riley said while pointing at the door as if Archie was really there.
Riley rushes outside and goes to Archie. 
"See? He's just sitti---" he was cut off when he saw in the mirror that there is no reflection of Archie sitting on a chair. 
He again looks at Archie but the guy is just smiling at him. He just turned to the mirror and it still didn't change. There is no Archie sitting. When he turned his head back to the guy he was gone..
Riley just cried and cried...
"N-no! N-no.. this ain't real." He tiredly seated and brushed his hair with his hands. Frustrated crying. Rose was crying too and tried to touch him but he evaded it and stood and ran outside.
"RILEY!" Rose shouted... 
Riley was at a loss about what to do when he arrived home. He is skeptical of everything he witnesses. He can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not... He wailed quietly, screamed, shouted, and threw anything he could get his hands on.
Everything transpired in his memory like a flashback of his life... He sobbed uncontrollably till he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was taken aback when he noticed Archie smiling at him.
"Everything is going to be okay...Everything's gonna be alright, just stay strong..."
Riley just stared at him and hugged him...
"Th-they say-said y-you're-not re-real!" He cried on his shoulder.
Archie just smiled at him. He let go of Riley... They sit together... Archie hummed a song to him. It's a song his mother sings to him when he's asleep.
Ili-ili tulog anay,
Wala diri imong nanay.
Kadto tienda bakal papay.
Ili-ili tulog anay.
ili ili tulog anay
wala diri imo nanay
kadto tienda bakal papay
Ili-ili tulog anay.
mata kana tabangan mo.
ikarga ang nakompra ko.
kay bug-at man sing putos ko.
tabangan mo ako anay..
kay bug-at man sing putos ko..
tabangan mo ako anay...
ili ili tulog anay
wala diri imo nanay
kadto tienda bakal papay
Ili-ili tulog anay...
***********
The next day, Riley was nowhere...
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