#ALSO LIKE. I FORGOT TO SAY THIS BEFORE BUT THIS IS ALL SPECIFICALLY KEEPING RICK'S SHIPPING QUEST IN MIND

[wheatley-imagine-scenarios]

School

Since school is coming up and I’m not looking forward to it, I thought I’d do something fun about school to distract myself from the fact that I’m actually going to have to go into the building. And have gym. And do ‘social interaction’... Also, I think the cores in school would be entertaining and fun to write. Uh, this turned out a lot longer than expected, so, prepare for a long read.

Wheatley

He asks a lot of questions

It makes people think he’s stupid, but he actually is just curious and wants to make sure he’s doing everything right.

Presentations make him a bit nervous, but he ends up being the most entertaining one of them all

Mostly because he goes off-script and rambles about the topic or the project itself

If anything goes wrong in it, he talks about that too

“I forgot to add a period there, that’s- that’s just a run-on sentence now, so that’s not,, good. Just, uh, just pretend there’s always been a period there. You probably didn’t even notice it, actually, so just pretend I never said anything-”

For essays, he struggles more. When he’s talking, his rambling kind of carries him without thinking, but when it’s on paper, he has to focus on every single word he writes.

He has a hard time making that type of writing flow, with all the transition words and stuff. 

But when he gets to write a poem (mostly freeform) or a story with his own imagination, amazing things happen

He loves to create his own little world inside the paper, of which he’s in control

So, despite the essays and persuasive papers, english is one of his better, and favorite subjects

Not great at math

Chell tries to help, and tutors him outside of class to keep his grades up

Those two are partners whenever possible

If not, Wheatley pairs up with Rick

Gym class fucking sucks (agree with him there)

Even though he’s physically strong, he’s not very athletic since he’s still super clumsy and doesn’t have great coordination

Confident when it comes to tests, not too nervous about it

Probably didn’t study much, unless Chell forced him to

Bullied

Mostly verbally and from afar though, since,, he’s very strong and the students know this

One time Rick walked right up to him and called him a moron

Wheatley proceeded to clock him in the jaw

No one ever made the same mistake again

He apologized profusely though, insisting he didn’t know what came over him

This happened at the beginning of the year, before Rick knew him

Specifically, before he knew how fucking strong Wheatley is

So since then, Rick’s tried to get on his good side, despite, most likely not being genuine about it

Besides incidents like that, Wheatley’s not a fan of school fights, and doesn’t get why everyone gets so excited that two people are attacking one another

Like ?? Are they okay???

Getting school supplies is fun

School is not

GLaDOS

I mean, I guess she’d be called Caroline in this scenario

She’s the popular kid, I mean what else do you expect?

At least, unlike the stereotype, she’s actually smart instead of just hot and intimidating

She’s both of those things too, but-

Do people actually like her or are they just scared of her?

The world may never know

Calls Wheatley a moron on a regular basis, sometimes just to mess with him, but isn’t stupid enough to do it within arms reach of him

Even if she did, Wheatley’s reputation would be in more danger than her own physical well being

Science is her favorite subject

Did you really have to question that one?

She’s also really good at math, and would be a good tutor if she wasn’t such a bitch

I call her that lovingly, of course, but you can’t deny the fact she’s a bitch-

Probably the smartest one in school

Although Nathan would claim the title for himself

But she probably has more street smarts

Rick

Is the one who makes comments about how hot the teacher is and no one can tell if he’s serious

Rick: “I’d hit that” Nathan: “That is very illegal.” Rick: Hey, I’m just kidding,, kinda” Nathan: “I will not hesitate to report your sorry ass if you think about making a move” Rick: “Fine, damn, I’ll shut my trap”

Rick, motioning to Wheatley: “Hey, look who’s here. Bet you he trips and falls in 3, 2″ Wheatley: *falls over before making it to his desk* Rick: “And down he goes.”

He has been to the principal’s office more times than anyone else in the group

Whether it be for walking out of class without permission, being an overall asshole, or for trying to sneak into staff only areas

Which he has done before

Nathan is the only student who has witnessed this and its unknown whether he has ratted him out or if the teachers just saw him

Isn’t great in school, grades-wise, but convinced Nathan to tutor him once in a while to keep him from failing

Definitely has fucked a girl in the broom closet before

Doesn’t like school, but gym isn’t bad

Usually partnered up with Wheatley in gym class because he likes having strength on his side

Probably pushes too hard when writing, so any mechanical pencil breaks within seconds unless he’s concentrated on not,, doing that

One of the only students to prefer normal pencils for this reason

Nathan

An actual tutor

He has generalized knowledge of a lot of things, so he’s great both in school and with trivia

Has the top grades in class

Best and favorite subject is math

He can and will read a full length novel in the span of two days

Makes sure he has more than enough of each supply at the beginning of the year, just in case

Actually keeps track of his supplies so he’s not left with a single pencil he found on the floor by the end of trimester 1

He does give/borrow some to students who lost their own pencils, though

He likes school, but the teachers don’t usually appreciate his insights and interruptions in class (often to add on or to correct something the teacher is saying)

Pluto

Doesn’t like school, but the social aspect of it is fun

He’s also really good at independent projects, especially if it’s about something he’s interested in

You know. Like space, for instance

The day his teacher asked the students in class to build a model of the solar system was one of the more significant moments in his life /hj

His was the most accurate, much to the disdain of Nathan

Favorite subject is also science

Virgil

I wasn’t gonna add him, but his favorite subject is history

I can’t give you a real reason why, it just is

That’s it, that’s the only reason he’s here

#i cant explain why glados has less info than rick #i guess my hatred for him made me think about him more #i only hate canon and musical rick btw #fan ricks can be cool :) #and even canon/musical rick is funny #i can admit that #wheatley #human wheatley #glados #human glados #rick the adventure core #nathan the fact core #fact core #space core #virgil core

[sergeant-donny-donowitz]

The Confession: Cliff Booth x Fem!Reader

Requested by @lababy2727

TW: abusive ex

@tealaquinn @frozenhuntress67 @juxt4p0siti0n @kwyloz

@what-the--curtains @taikawho

*Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist! :)))

******************** "Well, shit Cliff..." Rick chuckled, leaning against the car door as they drove down the highway after a long day on set. Cliff grunted, though, he couldn't hide a smirk. "You're a damn lucky man, partner."  He couldn't forget you. It was your first big role in a Hollywood film. You walked on set, absolutely star struck, though you kept your cool. You wore a bright yellow dress, and a kind smile. You were an actress working on a movie with Rick, and Cliff. You and Rick had to kiss in one scene,  and of course you were both professional about it. "It's only acting," Rick laughed a little. It had only been a few days since filming began, but the three of you had hit it off. More specifically, you and Cliff hit it off... And Rick was having a lot of fun pointing out every single chance he got.

Cliff rolled his eyes behind his shades, as he pulled into the driveway. The two made their way into Rick's place to watch Bounty Law, and drink a couple of beers.

"How'd you know?" "Kn-know? Know what?" RIck smirked, knowing damn well what he knew. Cliff grumbled, "Forget it." Rick chuckled, "Whenever Y/n gets you goin', you run off." "I don't run off." "Today sh-she made you laugh too m-much, and you t-told her you had to go b-back to your trailer." "So?" "Cliff, you don't h-have a trailer." "..." Rick went on, "Y/n's a smart kid. She sure as hell knows that." Cliff sighed, "Well shit...She don't know that." "N-no she knows." "Well shit." Cliff shrugged, pretending not to care...but he absolutely did. "Sh-she knows why you said t-that." Rick smirked, though Cliff shook his head, "Y/N's just sweet. That's all."

"Sure. That's all. That's why y-you mentioned her out of the b-blue, huh?" Rick laughed as he popped the cap off another beer. "She might just be worth mentioning," Cliff smirked a little as he opened a beer, and put his feet up. There was a knock on the door, and Rick got up. "Glad you feel that way." Cliff narrowed his eyes, knowing Rick never mentioned anyone else joining them. He opened the door, "Y/n!" Rick greeted you with a bear hug and led you into the livingroom. "Glad you could make it! I was just about to make some margaritas. Y-You want one?" You giggled, not because of your slightly-intoxicated friend, but because you caught a glimpse of Cliff scrambling ot his feet. "Sure thing, Rick." "Alright, you g-go on n' get y-yourself a seat, kid." He winked, noting your reaction at seeing Cliff. You bit your lip, and glanced down as you stammered a little, "C'mon, now Rick." He lit a cigarette with a laugh, "Margaritas' gon' ta-take a while, make yourselves comfortable."  He disappeared into the kitchen, and you called out, "Nothing's gonna-" You bumped into Cliff. "Y/n!" "Cliff!" You laughed nervously, but sincerely. You didn't expect him to be there, but you weren't complaining. It was a fun night, with  just the three of you... Well...Rick kept coming up with excuses to leave the room, and you didn't quite realize why. Looking back on it...it wasn't much of a mystery. So, a couple nights a week, you'd join Cliff and Rick to watch Bounty Law. Sometimes you'd hang out other days and watch other show. Maybe the Saint, or the Time Tunnel. Whatever was on. Margaritas, Bloody Mary's, beer and cigarettes  became a familair sight. Cliff became less standoffish. He stopped running off to his imaginary trailer. You made him laugh and smile like he hadn't done in as long as he could remember. Eventually, you started seeing each other (without Rick around...and he might have been the happiest person in the world when he heard that). Some nights you and Cliff met at Musso & Frank's. Some nights you went by the Santa Monica Pier. Some nights, even if you'd planned to go out on the town, you'd both just stay at your place, make dinner together, or hang around. Months passed, and you were with Cliff and Rick, watching another episode of Bounty Law, when you saw a trailer for your new movie. Clinking margaritas and bloody mary's you celebrated that night. Still, it meant your time working together was coming to an end. Rick sighed with a shrug, "That's Hollywood. Meet nice people, move around, a-and meet more nice p-people." You nodded, though you were just starting your career out, you quickly learned that. You mentioned in passing that you'd landed a part in another movie. You'd start filming in Hawaii in a few days. It'd be a while before you could find the time to watch Bounty Law with them...or do anything with Cliff. Rick asked, "B-but you'll be at th-the wrap up party, tomorrow night, won't you?" You sighed, thinking about it. You really wanted to go, having met so many wonderful people on set....specifically Cliff and Rick. But it was the night you were flying to Hawaii. Still... "Maybe for an hour or two. Don't get your hopes up, boys." You smiled, glancing at Cliff, as you stood by the door. "Bye, darlin'." Rick hugged you, just in case you couldn't go. "Bye, Rick." He chuckled, then glanced between you and Cliff, finding an excuse to leave you alone again. "Y/n..." "Yeah, Cliff?" You waited with a soft smile, and it made him blush...which was not an easy thing to do. Yet you did it so effortlessly. Before he could say anything, you both heard a loud crash somewhere in the house, followed by Rick cursing. Cliff sighed, knowing he'd have to fix whatever it was eventually. He laughed a little, resting his hand against your face, "Good luck out there, kid." You smirked, "I'll bring you back a Hawaiian shirt or two." He laughed again, and his glance lingered on you. "If you can't go tomorrow...I mean..." "Aw, Cliff..." You flung your arms around him, "I'm gonna miss you." He hugged you back, resting his chin on the top of your head, "I'm gon' miss you too..." You left, though you knew there was more on his mind. You also knew that with Cliff, you couldn't push him to say things when he wasn't ready to. He stood by the doorway, as you pulled out of the driveway and drove down the hill lined with houses. He jumped a little when he heard a voice behind him. "You love her." He shut the door, and turned to Rick, who had  a smug grin on his face. "She's young, Rick. Big up and coming star. She don't need me." "You're too old for this 'i-if you love her l-let her go' shit, man." "Forget it, man." Cliff shook his head, put his shades on, and his denim jacket, and grabbed his keys. Brandy was definitely hungry, after all. Rick muttered, "Goddamn it." having worked so hard to bring you and Cliff together, and it ended just like that... The next night, you drove down the highway. You sighed with a soft smile, seeing as you had an hour or two to spare. You pulled up to the big mansion, hearing blaring music, and seeing bright colorful lights from the street.  You left your luggage in the trunk. You'd only be around for an hour or two, then make your way to the airport. It wasn't long before you spotted Cliff, wearing a bright yellow Hawaiian shirt. "Cliff!" He picked your voice out among the crowd, quickly turning around, with the widest grin you'd seen in your life, as he practically rushed toward you with open arms,  "Y/n!" You were only beginning to talk, swaying with the music together, loosely, making each other laugh. "Y/N." You both heard a loud, agressive, drunken voice stagger through the crowd. You muttered, "For fuck's sake." His name was Mike. He was your ex. And he was not happy. He pulled you away from Cliff, gripping you by your forearm. "What the fuck did I tell you about-" Cliff stepped in immediately between you and Mike, with a warning and low voice, "Hey man. Leave her alone." He barely looked at Cliff, "Stay out of this, pal," then looked back at you with glaring, fuming eyes. "We're through, Mike. We've been through for months. Get that through your fat fucking head." He scowled, and  lunged at you, but Cliff gragged him by his shirt, slamming him onto the concrete, as people gathered around. Some beginning to pull Cliff away, while others dragged Mike out of the property. As soon as he was out, everyone let Cliff go. He could have broken every bone in Mike's body, but he didn't want to scare you, he didn't want blood on his favorite shirt, and frankly... a drunken asshole of a  stuntman like Mike wasn't worth a night in jail. The crowd slowly dissipated, moving toward the bar, the pool, and the music. "Cliff..." He looked at you with a soft expression. You picked his shades up from the ground, though they were broken. You ran into his arms, and he said, "I'm sorry, Y/n. I didn't think-" "No, no you-" He looked at you. Your eyes... He couldn't keep lying to you. So he said what he'd wanted to say from the moment he met you on set. Even if you went on to be a big star, if you moved on, if you forgot about him, he'd never forgive himself for not letting you know this one thing. "I love you." You looked up at him, knowing it was almost time for you to go. You hadn't even left yet, and you missed him already. "I love you, too." He smiled, "You know where to find me." "Friday night, at Rick's." It may take a few months till filming wrapped up, but you'd be there. "I'll bring some beer," you laughed, as he walked with you to your car. He ended up driving you to the airport himself, just for a half hour more with you. You kissed goodbye, and you remarked, "Save one of those margarita's for me?"

He winked with a grin, "You got it, baby."

#Cliff Booth #cliff booth x reader #rick dalton #Once Upon A Time In Hollywood #OUATIH #ouatih imagine #cliff booth imagine

[antialiasis]

Worldbuilding June (Pokémon edition), Days 8-12

Whoops forgot to post these for a couple of days, too busy with a load of Things as always.

8. Who rules in your world?

TQftL never brings up government, but each region has its own human government, generally just standard representative democracies similar to what we have in the modern world. Ouen has an elected parliament and president. It's a fairly utopian world with little scarcity and politics play kind of a background role - they keep things running, they have some different parties, but there's low polarization and usually they work pretty smoothly together and have little conflict. The situation in other regions is similar - movement is very free and conflict between them is rare and minor in the grand scheme of things.

QftLverse Pokémon, once again, have their own societies and are not subject to human rule except in a limited way while they're with a trainer, as per the Agreement, an all-encompassing contract dictating how the relationship between humans and Pokémon should work. Different Pokémon species govern themselves differently, but their societies are generally based on smaller self-governing groups. The Scyther society has a single leader, who is meant to be the simply strongest in the swarm, and anyone can challenge them to a duel to the death to take their place at any time.

The Morphicverse is once again close to Earth, with different countries having different modes of government. The Poké-USA's politicical climate resembles the actual USA's political climate in ~2007, but if I ever wrote references to the current president I wouldn't make him an outright Bush expy or anything, beyond being from the conservative one of the two highly polarized parties.

9. What religions and myths/legends exist in your world?

The QftLverse's human society is basically post-religious. Legendary Pokémon are revered, but not worshipped - people don't pray to them, ascribe natural phenomena to them, expect them to watch over them personally, perform symbolic rituals associated with them, etc. That said, humans do have myths concerning them - not always accurate ones. The story describes the human myth behind one set of legendaries early on before the reality much later turns out to have been fairly different, for instance.

QftLverse Pokémon have their own myths, legends, religions and beliefs. The Scyther society explored in the spin-offs has a bit of a vague mythology going on explaining the sun, moon, stars and clouds, but it's not very important to them, more of a just-so story. Meanwhile, they live by a system of ethics known as the Code that they consider sacred and all-important, though it doesn't have a godly figure behind it as the source of it, only a philosophy. Other Pokémon might variously have straight-up religion (whether worshipping legendary Pokémon or something else), be entirely areligious, or something in between; most will have myths and legends in some form, though.

The Morphicverse has a form of Christianity, which is functionally a lot like ours; this also means they had a version of Judaism. Other specific religions don't come up, but they'd at the very least be as varied as real-world religions. Like in real life, there are many sects and variants, and as many individual interpretations of faiths as there are people. The villain cult in particular has fringe views that in no way resemble the mainstream. And like in real life, many people nominally believe but don't really practice their religion, and many are agnostic or atheist.

Legendary Pokémon in the Morphicverse are cryptids - there are myths and legends about them, and people think they're neat, write fiction and make movies about them all the time, but in the modern day, actually-for-real believing that they exist out there ranges from mildly eccentric to entirely unthinkable. Worship of legendary Pokémon exists, but in the way that modern neo-Paganism does. It's not remotely mainstream, generally seen as a weird hippie thing, and the notion of Arceus appearing in the flesh one day and declaring he created the universe is about as fantastical to most people as the notion of the Norse pantheon doing the same in our world.

10. What traditions are observed in your world?

QftLverse human traditions are mostly just secular holidays - commemorations of important days in the region's history, etc. It's tradition for most children to go out on a Pokémon journey the spring after they turn ten years old, and participate in a First-Timers' League in the autumn if they manage to stick it out for the whole journey and collect all the badges - there are kids who don't, but it's rare for them to not want to, and other kids may see them as no fun.

Every year in Green Town, there is a Pokémon Festival originally built around the legendary Pokémon Chaletwo's yearly brief visit to the outskirts of the city (which may or may not be ditched in the next revision); it hosts a number of Pokémon-themed events over several days. One of them is a starter Pokémon giveaway, where most kids go to get official starter Pokémon, who have specifically volunteered and been trained to work with beginning trainers - though many kids have had Pokémon as pets/partners since they were young and journey with them instead, or their parents otherwise get them a Pokémon who's up for a beginning trainer. (Many Pokémon kind of like the idea of journeying with a beginning trainer, in the way that many people like the idea of getting a kitten rather than an adult cat - just something special about having been with them from the start. Though getting a starter who's actually been trained to deal with kids is recommended over just finding any random enthusiastic Pokémon.)

Pokémon have all kinds of different traditions. The Scyther society as explored in the spin-offs has a number of traditions and rituals, including a sort of blood baptism of new hatchlings, the leader of the swarm teaching all the adolescent Scyther about the Code, and First Prey, where each of the adolescents is sent out to hunt prey on their own for the first time, with a male and female witness following, so they can prove their ability to kill and to feed themselves. Afterwards, they're expected to publicly offer a symbolic piece of the meat of their first prey to some members of the swarm, and doing so signals respect; you don't technically have to, but in practice everyone always offers it to the leader and not doing so would be taken as outright disrespect.

The Morphicverse is once again culturally similar to the real world and has mostly similar sorts of traditions. Pokémon training is less culturally ingrained there, but still a very common hobby for kids.

11. What are some ways people communicate with pokémon in your world, or pokémon with each other?

In the QftLverse, humans learn to understand Pokémon speech as a mandatory subject at school. Pokémon inherently understand human speech, but they speak anime-style, usually in syllables of their species' name (which is what the species are named after). They share one language, which is not based on exactly what the syllables are but the tone and the way they're combined, hence why it works regardless of the species.

In the current version of the fic, this is pure handwave worldbuilding: it's established that it happens at school at the beginning, and then we just move on to the story, where every human simply understands what Pokémon are saying at all times. In the next revision I'd give a bit more proper worldbuilding attention to it - let the language barrier be a little more present, humans vary in exactly how good they are at it (luckily it's already the main character's best subject at school), and otherwise treat it less like it's just an excuse to act like Pokémon speak English.

In the Morphicverse, Pokémon do communicate but they don't do complex communication - instead, it's closer to the sort of communication most animals do in the real world. They can express how they're feeling, draw attention to something interesting, sound the alarm about something scary, ask another Pokémon to follow, and can do this in a somewhat more efficient and intelligent way than most animals generally do. But one way or another, they don't communicate complicated abstract ideas, neither to humans nor to one another. Pokémon don't automatically understand human speech here, though they're very quick learners when it comes to commands, and they can pick up a fair amount just by being around humans, allowing them to get the gist of basic statements and requests without being explicitly taught them, though anything abstract would still be entirely lost on them. You could tell a Pokémon you've lived with for years "I lost my hat, can you help me find it" and they'll go look for your hat, but they'd be lost if you tried to ask them for anything much more complicated than that.

12. What is the gym circuit or adventuring organization like in your world?

In the QftLverse, gyms are meant to be taken on in a specific order and gym leaders are accordingly expected to keep their Pokémon below a certain level. To be officially sanctioned by the League, a gym needs to have a theme - usually a type, although Rick got away with a legendary theme because he gets away with everything because he is hypnotizing League officials with his Mewtwo super-clone I was twelve years old. Every year there's a First-Timers' League in the autumn in each region, where new trainers who have collected all eight badges of their region face off (except for the bit where I somehow made a guy who'd been training for years be part of it without thinking about it properly). There's also a global Old-Timers' League for more experienced trainers, which crowns a world champion; this doesn't involve badges and is just a tournament. Trainers are advised to stick to official routes, while Pokémon who want a trainer seek out the routes and others avoid them; going off-route has the potential to lead to run-ins with Pokémon who are more hostile to humans. It's not forbidden but it's drilled into kids' heads that you're not supposed to.

The Morphicverse's gym circuit is not too dissimilar to that, but gym leaders are expected to carry a variety of Pokémon teams to take on challengers of different skill levels, who can take on the gyms of their circuit in any order. Kid trainers are strictly meant to travel only along official routes, which are thoroughly monitored to be safe, and often take public trainer transportation; when they're eighteen they can get an adult trainer license with which they can take their Pokémon anywhere they like, at their own risk. Mostly kids do it as a hobby, and many young children dream of being professional trainers, but only a fraction are actually good enough to make money off it, so most either quit it after a few summers on realizing it's not for them (they might release their Pokémon or keep them as pets, depending on how high-maintenance they are), or continue to do it as a side hobby. There exist college-level training schools for those who really want to dedicate their lives to it, but by that point in time most people will have dropped their pro trainer dreams.

#tqftl #morphic #worldbuilding june #pokemon

[tosikoarts]

SFW Alphabet | Tsukishima Hajime

Here he comes, my favorite boy. You can check tosikowrites tag for more. Warning: there’s a lot under the cut.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Showing affection is something Tsukishima forgot how to do. It is almost foreign to him after what happened with Igogusa, after years of war and service under the leadership of Tsurumi. He knows exactly how easily happiness can be acquired and how easily it can be taken away, by unknown forces and by someone close to him.

An obvious sign of interest would be gratuitous help that Tsukishima offers to the person. When everything falls out of hand, he is right there to catch. Tsukishima does little errands in between taking care of Koito’s whims and bigger ones he saves for later to look at them closer. He genuinely enjoys helping them and seeing how grateful smile lights up their face.

Another one would be small gestures like walking them home after dark or bringing unpretentious little thingies that made Tsukishima think of them. If he goes to the market and notices their favorite candy, he will surely buy it. At times, it gets more serious. For example, if they wanted nice new shoes, Tsukishima will save money up from his sergeant's salary to afford the best pair in the shop.

Letters. So many letters. A soldier's life presents a gift in the form of partings, and in order to somehow compensate frequent  goodbyes and innumerable kilometers between them, Tsukishima puts his heart and soul into letters. They may not be that frequent, and he keeps crossing out words that seem too sweet, but it is the very intimate way to maintain the precious bond.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Local mom-friend that takes care of you when you are suffering the worst hangover and saves your ass from last night’s consequences. Tsukishima puts all the effort to shield his best friend from problems, and if they are inevitable, he has a clear plan of actions how to fix unfixable and repair unrepairable.

Responsibility is another of his distinctive features. When it comes to school or work, he is second to none: Tsukishima is up to help with difficult tasks or take on the role of mentor. He is amazingly good teacher, albeit strict at times, that has the ability to explain the most confusing concepts better than that Indian guy on YouTube.

Is it worth mentioning that he is a devoted friend? It doesn’t matter what happened between him and his friend in the past, Tsukishima always comes back to them. No distance, no time, no other people are able to make him turn around and leave a friend to the mercy of fate.

Probably the friend you think you know well but suddenly it turns out he has more dark secrets than the most deranged madlad from your fried group. Also, you can’t judge him. Only accept. You know if Tsukishima had to do somthing, he had his reasons you are not allowed to question.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Yeah, of course, but he hasn’t cuddled anyone in years (young whining Koito that craves reassurance and family warmth doesn’t count) so it may be awkward. It is very likely that he will simply move over, apologize, and wait for the next time when he is more comfortable with all of love dumped on him. Tsukishima doesn’t care about positions and will adapt to the partner’s desires whether they want to spoon him or be kept on his lap. Cuddles are combined with back rubs, massages, head pats, even hair brushing and braiding if they are not afraid of tangles.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Both wants to and is afraid of settling down by himself, left alone with his loved one. Over the years spent in the army, he lost the sense of life’s fullness, and now Tsukishima drifts freely without a specific direction. Military is where he belongs to, it gives him purpose and reason to exist, and as time passed, he forgot how to live outside the barracks. Gentle persuasion would be the best option to assure Tsukishima in his ability of living normal life. Maybe, owning a small house overlooking rocky shore and sparkling ocean isn’t a bad idea, he just isn’t ready to accept it. Both great in cooking and cleaning, prefers to do the latter.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He is visibly uncomfortable when confronted about working late and postponing previously such long-awaited dates. Tsukishima is lost for words since he can find none that could describe how sorry he is. Inner guilt forced him to defer this moment until the last minute: breaking-up right before another trip (the further the better) will make it impossible to crawl back to them when loneliness overtakes him again. Overthinks a lot. Nevertheless, Tsukishima finally speaks out in an even calm voice, as if he is reporting to his superiors, apologizes, and bows low. So low that chances of meeting their surprised gaze drop to zero. He quickly retreats without giving them the opportunity to say anything in return. Drinks more than usual during the trip, makes Koito nervous with unfriendly passive-aggressive aura he carries for weeks.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

This is the part where Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up starts playing because this is the man who fits all of the chorus lines perfectly. Tsukishima grows attached to the loved one fast and after this he is physically unable to think romantically of anyone else. Igogusa’s memory is another proof of his deep, borderline painful commitment. One year or year and a half is enough time for Tsukishima to start looking at municipal government office with certain interest. He takes marriage very seriously though, he dates for it, not for entertainment.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He is what a soldier is trained to be (so not so gentle in physical plane) but you don’t have to dig deep to see Tsukishima’s hidden soft core. In everyday life, he's an absolute sweetheart. All he really wants in a relationship is to love and be loved, that’s all. Tsukishima doesn't even have a lurking desire, intrusive thoughts of messing with the feelings unlike some individuals. Soft, soft, soft, and he doesn’t deny it.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

It feels like a child’s hug: tight and unhesitant, with his hands wrapped around person’s waist and face buried in their neck. Light blush covers Tsukishima’s cheeks and he can’t stop smiling. If his partner is smaller than he is, Tsukishima will pick them up, and if they are taller he will try to hug them as if to almost hide in their arms. Picking him up will result in embarrassed exclamations but Tsukishima actually enjoys their attention.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

One year is the limit. Less time than 6 months feels a little bit rushed to him and more than one year seems like an unnecessary delay. Tsukishima is expectedly sincere in his confession; he doesn’t hold back and wriggle because of how confident he is in his feelings. It is not a long rehearsed monologue but a stream of consciousness, full of confessions how he likes their shining eyes, how their clumsiness makes his day a little brighter, how their whole character amazes him from day to day. The only thing that can possibly overwhelm Tsukishima is the overthinking of their possible negative reaction. One of his biggest fears is to appear too persistent with the confession and scare them away so he puts a lot of thought in choosing the right time and the right place.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Obviously expects his partner to reject any cheeky suitor since he understands that their natural beauty is hard to resist. If they choose to accept stranger’s attentions, Tsukishima feels insulted and betrayed. Trust is a key factor in the relationship so such irresponsible attitude towards the loyalty huts him deeply and rises suspicion of oncoming break-up. Also, being in limbo and asking himself whether they want to be with him or not takes a toll on Tsukishima’s psyche. He becomes more withdrawn and taciturn and spends more time busy at work with trying to distract himself from intrusive thoughts.

If his partner decides to go around and flirt, Tsukishima will be overtaken with anger. He is furious. The glass in his hand sonorously cracks under the pressure while he watches them ungodly teasing unsuspecting men. He doesn’t start a fight or scream at his loved one and keeps everything inside. It is enough for him to witness such behavior two times to leave them without long explanations and quarrels.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

A bit inept and greedy. Tsukishima tends to defer the kiss until his partner is ready to nicely ask him for one but after that he is completely in for a ride. The last time he kissed anyone is unknown-how-many-years-ago so it is natural for Tsukishima to be a little bit sloppy and eager. Lip kisses are golden classic and fits his character perfectly. It takes a good push to shift things in more intimate direction though. The most efficient way to do it is to play on Tsukishima's weaknesses: the back of his neck as well as earlobes and straight line down the spine. A few gentle touches and hardened composed soldier melts down like an ice on the sun.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

If you want to calm down a crying baby just give it to Tsukishima. It seems like kids feel sympathy when looking at his tired face and try to cause little trouble so as not to disappoint him even more. Smart children clearly amuse him, and Tsukishima strongly encourages their desire for knowledge, their curiosity and ambitions. Every now and then sudden thoughts about starting his own family pop up in his head but Tsukishima is kind of indecisive. Right now he is not ready to take on such responsibility, but in the future, dream of starting a big family could become a reality.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

It is impossible to catch Tsukishima in the morning during work week and it still isn’t that easy on the weekend. Insomnia keeps him up at nights so his day can start a long before his partner opens their eyes. On such nights, he goes for a lonely walk around the block and, on his return, prepares a light breakfast for two. There are also rare moments when Tsukishima falls asleep right before first sunbeam reaches earth. Those are the days when he sleeps in and refuses to get up from the bed, trapping his loved one in tight cuddle. Nuzzling into their neck, Tsukishima mutters that he needs five more minutes and he will definitely let go but five minutes turn into half of hour, then hour, and he never fulfills the promise.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

A great lover of a quiet pastime he is, Tsukishima likes to spend evenings playing intellectual games like shogi and reading whatever comes to hand. One of his favorite activities is resting his head on the partner’s knees and listening to them reading aloud haikus or other classic Japanese works. On warm summer nights, Tsukishima likes to go to the river or lake for skinny dipping since most onsens are separated by gender. Even if there is one that is not, he would still prefer more secluded place where there is no reason to worry about onlookers. If his partner wants to something more active and social, they will have to choose something not too overwhelming. Small friend gatherings are okay but huge parties drain the rest of the life from him.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Here is the thing: to pull personal information out of Tsukishima you have to know what to ask. You can’t say “Tell me how you got into army” and expect a little frank story, no. It would take a whole “It seems you and Lieutenant Tsurumi share some story” or something even more shifty to make him open up about this topic. It doesn’t mean that he is trying to hide something on purpose, but it definitely means he never had anyone to trust. Any claims that he is too secretive offend Tsukishima too.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Utter unshakable calmness in the middle of 7th Division craziness, either way because he has seen too much shit already or because he has no active neurons to react to it (insomnia, your know?). As a person who puts up with brain-juice leaking leader, spoiled naive brat in the dawn of youthful maximalism, mentally unstable fan boy, and mutilated lack-all on the verge of breakdown, he won’t even pay attention to small inconveniences. In quarrels, Tsukishima always appeals to rationality and perfectly avoids any escalation of the conflict. You have to ruin his life for him to snap, and when he does, someone’s neck will snap too.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Pays attention to them whenever around but forgets most of the stuff easily. Tsukishima only remembers one or two specific details that he can use practically in the future, like what their allergies are or what they want for the birthday. For the rest he has a small personal page in the notebook where he writes down little things that definitely will not stay in his memory for a long time. His writing comes in the code of abbreviations and numbers to make sure nobody pries into his personal life.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Used to be the one responsible in the group, he would probably remember moments where he was the one that had to be cared for. For once Tsukishima came down with a high fever and unbearable weakness, and it was a moment when his loved one jumped into merciless care-mode. He was put into bed with three pillows, teacup waiting for him on the nightstand, and even the most determined statements that he needed to finish some things have been met with indisputable refusal. They spun around him bringing medicine, food, and water whole day so Tsukishima couldn’t stop blaming himself for the helplessness. At the same time, his feelings of gratitude and love intensified with every thoughtful gesture so by the end of unfortunate leave Tsukishima almost regretted returning to his usual hectic life.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Previous experiences with both romantic relationship and role of sergeant-nanny taught Tsukishima one thing: danger is always there, even if it is not visible to the naked eye. A passerby can hide a loaded gun under his clothes, so there is not point to talk about hired killers, invisible diseases, natural disasters etc. Based on the above it is natural for Tsukishima be on the alert. He wants to know where his partner is going and with whom, warns them about his gut feeling if he has one, and, of course, intervenes at the sight of real danger without any second thought. Like this man would give up his life for a person who deserves it. Not at any point in time, Tsukishima expects his partner to protect him but if it happens, he will be extremely mad at them and himself too.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Tsukishima has a low social battery for the most of the time so he has to manage energy according to importance of the affairs. There is always a little bit more saved for his loved one, but you can’t really tell that he puts all of the effort into relationship. If work affairs did not suck the remnants of happiness from him, Tsukishima may stop and get a nice box of sweets or fruits. For special dates like their Birthday or anniversary, he saves money for a worthwhile present: for a female lover he would probably go for a beautiful silk tenga obi with celebratory motives or handmade jewelry box, and for male lover he would choose chopsticks with personalized engraving or exquisite lacquerware. Performs household chores well, although sometimes he has to be reminded about their existence.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Although Tsukishima is a stronghold of common sense, - he always keeps everything to himself, puts on a poker face, - once person gets on his nerves, they will see the worst side of him. Thanks to the famous reliability, Tsukishima learns where person’s weak spots are fast and he can easily hit them where it hurts with bold spiteful words.

Puts work over relationships. Setting to serve the homeland faithfully and unquestioningly rooted deep in his mind and now it is impossible to re-educate this shabby sergeant. Even in serious relationship, Tsukishima remembers about his duty as a soldier and as a son of Japan so he takes a lot of additional paperwork home.

As someone who used to be ordered around, Tsukishima still needs a guidance in the relationship. It takes a lot of thinking and weighing the pros and cons for him to make a decision but the partner’s opinion will be crucial nevertheless. In critical situations, he is perfectly oriented, but in a steady life? Not so much.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Cares enough to wash, dry, and iron his own uniform and brush up muddy toecaps of own boots. Tsukishima tries to blend in with surrounding, not to pop up, so he keeps his style in muted neutral colors (that applies to both clothes and shoes) and prefers strict uniform to anything else. In his view, moderation is the sister of style so the only thing that can make him pull off fancy apparel would be direct order from the First Lieutenant Tsurumi. Indifferent to how people perceive his physical appearance as well.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

If his partner decides it is a time to part the ways, he acts maturely, thanks them for the great moments that they shared and everything they achieved together. Even though Tsukishima is hurting, he keeps bitter reproaches to himself, knowing that lashing out won’t do anything good. It is not his style anyway. Few weeks need to pass by before the hurricane of emotions settles down and their image ceases to be associated with a romantic relationship. Instead, Tsukishima faces them again with a proposal to start everything from scratch. Leave everything behind and become friends. Just friends. No hard feelings. Honestly, being close to them is everything he asks for. If they decline, Tsukishima won’t bother them again, but if they agree, he won’t ever leave their side.

Their death is a punch to the gut. It is like Igogusa’s disappearing all over again, but more painful, more deliberate, more distinct. To say that he is heartbroken is to say nothing at all: division soldiers notice how gloomy their sergeant has become, they feel uneasy under his sharp look. It feels like one wrong word and he will snap. Now Tsukishima’s nihilism turns into total indifference to existence: he puts himself in danger just to see how long he can last.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Another one who has a great singing voice. He never ever sings in barracks or anywhere near his comrades but Tsukishima’s voice is charming: he has a sweet soothing bass-baritone that sounds the best in lullabies or ballads. Even though his partner may never hear a proper serenade, they may catch him quietly singing to their child instead of reading old fairytales.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Tsukishima can tolerate A LOT and turns blind eye to person’s bad habits for the sake of avoiding unnecessary stress. Therefore, there isn’t much that irritates him and even less that can drive him on the walls.

Grubbiness is one of the habits that Tsukishima cannot ignore. Clothes scattered around the room, unwashed dishes, and heaps of unnecessary junk get on his nerves but he keeps composure and never complains.

Loud noises, including chewing, smacking, munching, are annoying too but Koito’s constant monkey screeching desensitized him to the degree when Tsukishima takes a deep breath, prays to gods not to go apeshit, and goes on with his day.

Oh, he also hates summer. Hot temperatures force Tsukishima to soak in the bath three times more often than in winter or any other season.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Those bags under his eyes are Gucci Yoshida. Well, okay, Yoshida was established a little bit later but this is not so important. Tsukishima suffers from insomnia for who knows how long, and no doctor can help him. On sleepless nights, he just sits by the window and reads in the faint candlelight, still cherishing the hope of falling asleep in the morning. After moving in with his loved one, nothing really changed beside Tsukishima changing his habitual reading spot from armchair by the window to a more secluded place in another room. He doesn’t want to wake them up by accident.

In general, Tsukishima sleeps around 3-5 hours per day with occasional awakenings during the night. His sleep is shallow and filled with disturbing dreams in which shapeless shadows haunt him, driving him south of Mukden, where many of the Japanese brethren found eternal peace.

#golden kamuy #golden kamuy headcanon #golden kamuy imagine #hajime tsukishima #tsukishima hajime #tosikowrites

[starrrmann]

LET'S TALK ABOUT CALEO

this is long srry

Okay so I know Caleo is quite contreversial in this fandom and I get why. On pjo percabeth was developed for 4 books before they even kissed. It was so satisfying to read. Even in HoO Frazel and Jiper are not together for one book. So I get why Caleo feels so rushed, they basically fall in love within a week or so. BUT here is why I think they work and are actually a really good fit.

1. the PARALLELS of their life

Calypso is imprisoned in an island and cursed to fall in love with a boy who can never love her back. She is cursed to fall in love with a boy who is already in love with someone else. Calypso specifically says to Percy in Battle of the labyrinth "there's always a Penelope or Anabeth". There is always some other girl the hero she falls in love with has to go back to. She is never the first choice.

Leo has spent his life not only always being rejected by girls (Hazel and Echo or even Thalia and Khione) but even his friends constantly treat him as the annoying one, wish he weren't there at times, he is constantly the third wheel or SEVENTH WHEEL. Piper says something like Leo knows to keep his distance so Jason and I can be together. His friends love him. I'm not blaming anyone but He is never the first choice.

DO YOU SEE THE PARALLELS. two people who in their entire life have never been someone first choice find each other.

Because of this they can be what they need most. They will only have eyes for eachother and Gods know it's what they need most. We read about Leo being desperate for affection to the point where he says he constantly cuddles with his pillow or even the Nike statue on the argo. Calypso basically never had anyone love her and was literally alone. The love two people who have been denied it their entire life will give eachother is more than anyone could give them.

1.1. the PARALLELS of their life 2

Calypso is forgoten about by every hero that comes to her island. You probably forgot about Calypso's existence till she and Leo met. I know I kinda did. She's never mentioned since TLO and even there it's twice in the entire book. Even Percy forgot about her until he rememberes in Tartarus how the God's didn't keep their promise from TLO.

Leo is also constantly forgotten in the argo II. His friends love him ik but They do forget he's even there sometimes cuz he works all day. Even at Camp he didn't play Capture the flag with everyone but stayed in bunker 9 (yes it's his fault, but it just goes to show there was not someone who REALLY wanted him around enough to get him out of the bunker sometimes)

2. The timing and development- we all kinda hate

Was their relationship a little rushed? yeah kinda. But they WERE alone in an island for around a week I think. irl if there's chemistry that would make you like someone.

Plus let's not forget that Calypso is CURSED to love anyone that lands on her island. So OF COURSE SHE FELL FOR LEO.

And leo is LEO. If anyone would fall fast it would be him. It is totally in character. yall had no problem shipping him with Echo when they talked for like an hour.

However I will say their relationship has like 0 development. They hate eachother, like eachother, get together and that's it. (I still hav not read the last two Trials of Apollo so maybe they develop there so sorry if I'm wrong about that)

3. I have seen people say Leo likes Calypso for her looks?! THEY HATE EACHOTHER ON FIRST SIGHT and fall later.

4. They were also together with Festus roaming around for a long time. idk maybe they bonded ot whatever.

IN CONCLUSION- Caleo doesn't hold a candle to the majority of the ships in HoO and could definitely have been written better BUT i think Rick made a really good choice with getting them together BUT maybe that should have happened latter in ToA. add and correct me :)

#pjo/hoo #caleo #leo valdez #Calypso #calypso #heroes of olympus #hoo #rick riordan #riordan universe #read riordan #becky riordan #pjo rant #hazel levesque #percy jackson #percabeth #frazel

[sapphicambitions]

I started writing a post that said “The reason the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is better than Heroes of Olympus is because it understood simplicity and character development” and then accidentally wrote like 10 paragraphs. 

The reason the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is better than Heroes of Olympus is because it understood simplicity and character development.

The PJO series was so effective was because of the simplicity of it. It was a well written and interwoven story that took place over the course of many years, but it was never too complicated. Each book was a quest and each quest had a prophecy and each book built up to the final battle in the Last Olympian. You never felt lost, you were completely engaged. Plot points and characters were set up a book and a half in advance. It was an incredibly well developed world and I will never get over how excellent the payoff was in The Last Olympian. The Annabeth & Luke stuff is to this day one of the best payoffs I’ve ever witnessed in a series. The way everyone came together in the final battle, everyone that we’d met over the course of four books? Impeccable. The Hestia plot line was set up from Percy’s first moment at Camp Half-Blood.The character arcs were stunning and realistic and truly a coming of age story. 

The way the series itself developed from the happy go lucky cross country road trip in the Lightning Thief to the first death of the war with Bianca we witnessed in the Titan’s Curse to the serious tone and action picking up in the Battle of the Labyrinth to the fact that 75% of the Last Olympian was just the Battle of Manhattan and it worked. It payed off. Ten years after the final book was released and to this day I say it is one of the best written series ever and I will love it for the rest of my life.

And Heroes of Olympus kind of... fell flat. For me it was just too complicated. It had so many characters and plot lines that it was hard for me to keep track of it all. Specifically House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, every time we switched to a new perspective, I struggled to remember what had happened when last we left off. Things were kind of  set up a couple books in advance but there was so much going on that they’d mention a character or an object and I’d be like “Wait, what’s that again?” ESPECIALLY with all the giants and their names that I couldn’t remember. Blood of Olympus had no payoff for me. Like, where was Percy’s sacrifice that was so heavily hyped up? How did the characters grow and develop? Rick was trying to do a lot over the course of the series with all the different perspectives and introducing new characters and I kind of think he lost sight of what made the original series good. Yeah there was a big plot and war or whatever but the original series was about the characters. 

PJO was getting to watch Percy go from an idiot twelve year old to leading an army to save his home. Seeing Annabeth go from a stubborn little kid trying to prove herself to the Architect of Olympus. Grover went from a total dorky mess to the Lord of the Wild. Clarisse went from a bully to a drakon slaying hero. We got to see Luke’s whole journey in all of it’s ups and downs and understand his character better. PJO was always about the characters, no matter how cool the plot and action was. It was always about getting to grow up alongside them. Now one could make the argument that Heroes of Olympus wasn’t trying to be a coming of age story, it was trying to be a cool action adventure series, which is fair. But I think the characters suffered because of it.

Percy and Annabeth didn’t really change over the course of five books, they just got more trauma. Hazel and Piper got like, good at fighting and using their powers, which was kind of badass. Jason figured out his career, I guess. I refuse to acknowledge Leo’s arc because it’s dumb that it was tied to a girl and falling for her and not realizing how loved and valued by his friends. Frank got promoted and like, I don’t know, found his courage, which was nice. I really liked Reyna but we never properly got to know her. I know absolutely nothing about Octavian. The only character who got an ACTUAL arc and is, to be honest, the MAIN reason I’m glad this series was written at all was Nico. Nico got an ARC. Nico’s story of feeling like a hated outcast to a welcomed member of the family with a home and people who love and accept him is the BEST damn thing about Heroes of Olympus and you can quote me on that. 

I really enjoyed Mark of Athena (because it plays directly into my found family lives together in a personalized home doing adventures and eating meals together niche interest thank u 2012) and there were good parts sprinkled throughout the series and I do like the new characters. I did! I thought they were neat. I just felt like they weren’t given proper justice. We didn’t see anyone long enough to actually get to know them. I missed the side characters of the original series. Like, where was Grover the whole fucking time? Clarisse? Rachel? The Stoll Brothers? Why didn’t we get to see more of Thalia? Honestly I didn’t really care about the Romans as much, where were the characters I grew up with? 

I’m also not going to get into the whole “so many things that happened in the original series were swept aside for the sake of interesting plot development like the minor gods being important or whatever” because like we know and I don’t have the energy to be upset about that right now lmao.

Further, Percy Jackson and the Olympians was all building up to one moment specifically: Percy giving Pandora’s Jar to Hestia and the line “Hope survives best at the hearth.” It is the thesis of the series. I’ve posted about it at length before because it is what ties all the books together. The idea that we should place our hope in our loved ones, our friends and our family, and if we do that, we won’t be tempted to give up hope again. I’m crying just thinking about it! Literally! That one simple line is what made the series so powerful and it truly felt like every single line, every single moment was just building up to that specific moment and I will literally never get over it. I am not joking when I say I want that line tattooed on me. It’s iconic and i think about it daily.

Heroes of Olympus had uhhhhhhhh..... It had..... ummmm........

I shit you not, I finished reading the book for the second time less than 24 hours ago and I couldn’t tell you. What was that series about? What was the thesis? Did it have any iconic lines?What was it all building up to? A battle? Like, cool I guess? But how did the characters grow and develop? You know what even if they did, I’m not sure I kept up with it because there was so much going on all the time! and I got lost in it! I read the series when it first came out and then completely forgot everything that happened in it! It was too much!

The spirit of the original books was never in the action and the monsters and the gods. It was in the characters, and how they grew up. How they changed and developed and became better people. How they all loved each other. It was about the promise of family and of hope. And that’s why the original series will always be exponentially better and hold a special place in my heart.

#lesbianlaynie #participating in pjo discourse at 23 #pjo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #laynies pjo essays

[idontcare4030]

Hunter!Nico Au

the background of Supernatural basically matches the Rickrordanverse. Rick has the background of if you believe it, it's true while supernatural has the background of Everything Is Real even if it's not if you believe enough and it will be. I believe that this could be interpreted as they all happened in the same verse.

When Nico was first joining The hunting business he was simply doing jobs for his dad and as I said before during the "fighting analysis," he slowly started finding jobs for himself. This one can be simplified to, he became a hunter. He quickly became a very famous Hunter both for his young age, he wouldn't be that much older than 12 at this time, and that he has no problem hunting down monsters. While he wasn't the best at killing them at first, he quickly became very good at it. He became a source, kind of like Bobby was, where hunters would contact him about questions or getting resources.

He got the ability over time to hide objects in the shadows so if a person came to him asking for a weapon to kill such and such he would simply grab something out of the shadows and give it to them, of course he would go into a different room first so that no one knew that he was literally getting them out of thin air, but he was getting the weapons from a storage that only he and his sister could access. the knowledge from his own little library of information, books, and lots of experience made it so that people would often call him, ask him a question about a case that they are in (sometimes in the middle of a fight) and he would respond without questioning give them an answer and any advice he had before hanging up on them and going back to what he was doing.

This made it so that not only does he have more connections than a person can dream, but he also is very powerful in many circles that he shouldn't even be a part of. An example of this is how well he is at finding old cursed objects, especially ones that were lost for a long time. Because of this and the fact that after he would kill monsters that we're living a double life he would make it so that all the properties, money, and items would belong to him he would  Have a very large, very confusing, and very unnecessary collection of many many things.

 In his later years (AKA whenever he actually settled down and stop doing all this) he would give some property, some money, Etc to half-bloods who are trying to live a normal life. He wouldn't lie to them he would tell exactly what happened on the property or what happened to the objects but normally it would be enough for them to start a life. At this time though he would normally just let the objects sit and collect dust. he rents out a few of the properties and houses to people who need a place to stay for very low rent and he does use some of the places.

One of the places that he uses is a very cluttered old house that he refers to as simply the cursed place. This place is very full of cursed items and he uses it to contain all of them, he has a Enchanted table of sorts that he uses to bring in cursed objects and take them away from Everyday People therefore stopping problems before they start. He doesn't often stay there but it's full of possessed objects as well so he has plenty of reasons to be the one to keep all of them. Whenever a person wants a cursed object or a possessed object they have to fully explain why and what they're going to do with it to Nico before he even considers giving them the Items. A lot of the time people would come in and be very confused by the extremely cluttered house and would be asked questions in the living room before they go to the specific place where the object is. Here he gives directions such as don't touch it with bare skin, don't be left alone with it etcetera. But if you don't return the item when you say you will without a proper reason he will hunt you down and forcibly take it from you though everyone knows not to disobey his rules after what's happened to the last ones.

Because of this he gets calls in the middle of meetings or when he's talking with people that sound frantic to people in the room with him but Nico is very passive and calm during the whole thing because he's used to it by now. As they start to spend more time with him they become more wary of this and end up asking him straight forward what all this means and why he keeps getting these calls to which he explains without even hesitating the whole situation. I forgot to state that "they" are the 7 +

Whenever it comes to connections this makes it so no matter where they are or what mission they are doing Nico and the 7 plus very likely to run into one of his friends who call him a different name every single time which has started to become a betting game between the 7 plus to see who can and guess what the next name is going to be.

No Hunters at all know that Nico is a Half-Blood or that half-bloods even exist, this means that they often get in confusing situations when they're hunting with Nico. Well they expect that he isn't fully human they have no clue that he is truly that powerful and he could tell what their intentions were the second he gave them a drink the first time you met them and accidentally grazed their hands. By this I mean he learned to take a peek into their past to see how they got into haunting since it is most often a death or a family business as this happens he also looks to see how they have responded to the grief if they were were the type that got into it by losing a loved one to monsters. Surprisingly this can tell a lot about a person's reasoning behind what they do. If he has more time, if he's shaking their hands there's more time than if he accidentally grazes the person's hand he will look into past cases to see more about the person. At first he felt bad doing this but over time he learned how important it was to know a person's true intentions before agreeing to work with them

This is one of the many many many reasons he doesn't like touching people because there is a chance that he will accidentally look into they're past and he doesn't feel comfortable doing that unless necessary. 

As he met more people he gained more and more information that he shouldn't know at such a young age such as how to dismantle a gun how to clean one and how to tell the difference between them using bullet holes. He also gained a lot of knowledge on how to be on the Run though he who has been too smart to make it traceable so as he is 15 it's only just being placed together that there is a possibility that these cases are attached, it takes 4 plus years to say for certain that they are connected and they never find the true culprit both this very very large serial killer. He does learn and embrace the not so legal ways of making money that Hunters are famed for being perfect at. He does take a different route then credit card theft though. For the most part the most illegal part of how he makes money is that hes way under the legal age for getting jobs, let alone at places like casinos which is where he mainly worked. His shadow traveling made it so he was a master at sleight of hand making it so he was a never losing card player though he barely had to cheat as he was simply very good at the card games themselves anyway. He learned very quickly how to find tells and how to use the fact that he was in fact a tiny to his advantage by making it so he was underestimated by people in the casino. He was also very good at picking out the people who are the most addicted to gambling but the ones that are also very high up in scales so they would have enough money to lose and they always lost. It was not the most legal Casino which is how he ended up getting a job there simply because there was so much crime going on already what was a little bit more and he was also a very promising worker considering that he already knew exactly how to play the most famous games that they had there.

He was very often treated as a Cryptid even by hunters and as a person that you only contact under very dire circumstances and its said he will keep up his end of the bargain as long as you keep up yours and if you don't then things will go bad very quickly. But whenever he started going back to school things became a little weirder. When he first started going back to the school that he might as well have been kidnapped from, people were excited to see him but could tell that he change. Before and he had left him and his sister basically ran the entire School. It wasn't as much of a dictatorship and more like a they have the power here you do what they say and follow their rules. Their rules were more along the lines of if we see you bullying someone else then you will disappear and if you are pushing someone that is too weak to fight back then Nico will fight you. It was never really questioned that much after the first couple weeks of it since it wasn't a very sudden thing. As all this went down it wasn't surprising that they were shown the most respected people in all of the school. This was at a point where the principal who had been slowly getting worse and worse to the students over time suddenly disappeared they didn't question it and simply turned towards the siblings. By the time Nico started going to school again the school had gone downhill without any of the enforcers there. Almost immediately when he returned those who had been there the same time as he did started to immediately get back into what they were doing before but not that many of those people were left after so many years. As he slowly forced people back into the way they were before they had to readjust to him, this time they stop treating him as a normal person and treated him as if he was a Cryptid, just not in the same way as the hunters. Their way was leaving small objects, getting out of his way when he walked around campus, and coming to make “deals” with him. The deals were often simple things such as tell me what blah blah blah is saying behind my back and in return they would give him small valuable items such as jewelry or other items that are valuable in different ways such as vintage books and important items on a Sentimental level. The more expensive ones would be the ones where he specifically had to jump in instead of Simply listening into some things going on. This could be talking to a specific person or standing up against a person who was being rude to the buyer. These things would often be paid for in more expensive items or more important stuff then the smaller jobs. There is only one case of a person giving him fake items, and let's just say there is a reason no one even tries to do that anymore. If he understands where you're coming from, respects it, but is unable to do it he will return the thing you paid him with and speak (which is a very rare thing from him) and explain the situation. He lives in the same dorm he did back then but now there is a mailbox nailed into his door that he empties out every day to find small objects like I said before. These can be scraps of cloth, bones, jewelry, food, money, or any such items. When Will transfers to this school he is immediately caught off guard by how Nico was treated but as he explained to him what goes on to be treated this way, will understands. If he sees bullying he responds the same way he did as a child and the person either will not be seen, will not be seen for a short amount of time before returning, or he will simply fight them then and there and they always lose. To school over time becomes a kind of sanctuary for Half-Blood kids as he makes it sure that the teachers are very trauma-informed and know how to treat kids with ADHD Etc. He also makes it so that it's very obvious to tell what is an accident and what was on purpose considering how even the teachers know what's going on with Nico and his Cryptidness. I know that this seems like a long shot, the school part of this au-ish thing, but I think it's a very interesting thing to imagine And a not very common a way you can make a character be treated and still stay in character.

Thats all thank you for reading!

#nico di angelo #au

[alextriestowritestuff]

Mark of Athena Re-read

Hey guys! If you’ve been keeping up with my last couple of posts, you’ll know I’ve been re-reading the Heroes of Olympus (HoO) series by Rick Riordan, starting with the Son of Neptune. If you want to my thoughts on it (spoilers included) and my background with the series, click here. I made a little bit of rant post about my feelings about the HoO series overall so far and you can find that here! This post will be about the Mark of Athena (MoA) and as always, spoilers abound.

Soooo y’all...I think this book is worse than the Lost Hero. I feel so bad for saying that bc I hated tLH (Like I’d give that book 2 stars) but god, this was so bad. No wonder I forgot what happened when I originally read it. Before I get into it, I will say I’m usually not negative in my ‘reviews’-I’ll give credit where it’s due (I did that in tSoN with Hazel and Frank who weren’t really my fav characters to start with) but this book has very little redeemable aspects imo. So I’ll start with the thing I was most irritated about: Piper.

Piper...Piper...Piper. Gods, none of her chapters ever passed the Bechdel test. I DESPISE her and I hated every single one of her chapters. With characters like Frank, I admitted that sometimes his chapters were a bit boring but I never hated the guy’s narration. Piper, however, is an insecure hypocrite. Let me show you.

So at one point, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel meet up with Aphrodite. The POV is Annabeth’s and while Aphrodite is talking to them, it seems like Piper is just embarrassed to have her around. 

“Mother!” Piper said. “You’re embarrassing me.” “Well, I don’t see why,” the goddess said. “Just because you don’t appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn’t mean the others won’t. I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—” “Mother!” 

And a few lines later she says again “ ‘Mother, Piper said, “is there a reason you’re here?’” (30). 

Okay so someone tell me why this girl says 10 pages later “But also, Piper was secretly hurt not to have her mother to herself. Aphrodite had barely looked at her. She hadn’t said a word about Jason. She hadn’t bothered explaining her conversation with Reyna at all. It was almost as if Aphrodite no longer found Piper interesting. Piper had gotten her guy. Now it was up to her to make things work, and Aphrodite had moved on to newer gossip as easily as she might toss out an old copy of a tabloid magazine” (40). LIKE GIRL MAKE UP YOUR MIND. Do you want your mom’s attention or not? But I’m highkey interested in what Aphrodite said to Reyna tho.

Let’s talk about Reyna for a second. First off, I feel so bad for her?? Percy turned her down-fine, he has a gf. Then I thought Jason had feelings for her but he says this in MoA, page 19: “It’s just…I never felt that way toward Reyna,” Jason said, “so I didn’t think about its making you uncomfortable. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Pipes”. Like damn can Reyna get any love?? I get that he doesn’t like her anymore since he met Piper but to have never liked her? That’s rough. And notice how this quote is from page 19, but again on p. 40, Piper is still so insecure in their relationship. I don’t she’s listened to a word he said at all. Then towards the end of the book, she says oh I love you but she literally didn’t know the man’s age prior to that. Like what?? Did they even kiss this book? I think like once lmao. Also speaking of the birthday thing, Piper says this while she waits for Jason to blow out his birthday candles.

“Well?” she urged. “Blow out the candles.”

Jason did. Piper wondered if he’d made a wish—hopefully that he and Piper would survive this quest and stay together forever. She decided not to ask him. She didn’t want to jinx that wish, and she definitely didn’t want to find out that he’d wished for something different. 

Me @ Jason: This your girl? Come get her. Because Imma hurt her feelings. What do you mean you want him to wish to stay together forever? He should wish for Gaea to you know die so everyone can be safe. If I ever met Piper in person, I’d fight her. ON SIGHT. 

In a related note, I’ve got nothing to say about Jason. He was fine. He passed out alot during this book, didn’t do much for how hyped his powers are supposed to be. I will say when he and Percy were possessed and they fought each other, Percy totally won that fight. He knocked Jason the hell out and was about to end his whole career until Piper got Blackjack to knock him out. But overall, I think Jason’s rather bland and him and Piper have NO chemistry. But I don’t think he deserves insecure Piper as a girlfriend. She’s a whole ass child of Aphrodite and she’s worried about her relationship...let me move on.

My main issue with the book lies in the structure and plot. The previous two books had 3 narrators and each set of trio had a specific prophecy assigned to them-i.e: Percy, Hazel and Frank had to free death, retrieve the eagle. The prophecies are a catalyst to get them to go on the quest. And then obviously, we have the overarching prophecy of the seven that will come to fruition in small chunks until the last book of the series. That’s fine. So the issue with MoA is that now Rick is handling seven characters + Coach Hedge (like why was he necessary??). He has 4 POVs which threw me the hell off bc we had 3 in the previous two books and honestly, I think we could’ve gone without one of them (Percy’s actually). As a writer, it’s hard to balance multiple characters in the same setting constantly. If they have a conversation, one or two of them will have less lines because other characters have already said them. Therefore to give everyone adequate ‘screen time’, Rick had to separate them by keeping groups of three or two on their own side quest. As a result, however, reading the book felt like I was being brake checked constantly. Ex-We follow Percy, Frank, and Hedge to an Aquarium then we follow Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper to meet Aphrodite, then they encounter the Romans, then Piper and Jason meet Hercules and get the horn and so on. Like they’re constantly shifting and doing stuff but not going as a group so it feels like I’m constantly trying to catch up. There’s too many pit stops for my liking. And I deadass have no idea what most of it had to with the MoA prophecy. 

This disjointed-ness is what makes me rate it lower than tLH. Because while I didn’t like Piper or Jason in that book, it was still cohesive. There was a plot and it was followed. Another reason I might feel this way toward MoA is because Rick has a formula and it’s starting to be predictable. Think about the original Greek myths-there’s one main demigod like Hercules, there’s a quest, there’s godly interference so it makes sense the the PJO/HoO characters have the same thing. But all this talking to gods (esp gods we’ve already met like Aphrodite) is taking up so much space and slowing the plot. It also didn’t help that the minor villians in this book are all unlikeable?? All they did was talk. Otis and Ephialtes. Porchy and Keto. Arachane. All they did was talk. Here’s how to defeat a PJO/HoO villain: con them to help you/let you go or fight them. That’s it. 

This book is where I started to really regret reading the series. Like I was just over it. The plot was somehow slow and all over the place at the same time. The last couple of chapters were good because I was like finally, something relevant to the prophecy is happening. 

Let me leave you guys with some positives about this book though:

1. Annabeth’s POV. What a gal. When she faces Arachane, Annabeth mentions that she doesn’t have an active power like the other Seven but she has her intelligence. And I’m like yes girl, you are brave and everything I want to be. I would read the PJO series from her POV over this series.

2. Percabeth. They kept promising to come back to each other and my heart melted. Percy was so worried about letting her go follow the Mark but he knew it’s what she had to do and he let her go. And ugh, them falling got me all over again. And like just their chemistry is off the charts. Piper and Jason could never. 

3.  Percy’s comments about Luke. Percy realizes that he’s around Luke’s age when Luke went all ‘Gods are bad, their children are pawns’ and like I get chills from reading that passage because you can tell Percy’s tired. He can’t have a life because of these quests, he’s constantly moments away from dying. He never really got a chance to be a teenager. And I get he wants to help people and keep the world from being taken over by bad guys but he’s also human. He’s seen demigods die...he’s traumatized. Like Percy, I really understand Luke better now (right idea, wrong execution) and l see how tired Percy is. 

4. The Leo/Hazel/Frank disaster of a love triangle. Like I’ve mentioned before, I want Hazel, a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD child, to be left the hell alone when it comes to romance. But because Uncle Rick insists on pairing up everyone, I have to oblige. So here I am. The amount of times I cackled at Frank and Leo’s digs at each other is astronomical. Like shots were fired, no one held back. I was like is this even MG/lower end of YA anymore with all this salt?? Over the years I’ve been spoiled about the series so I know that Leo somehow ends up with Calypso so I know nothing will come out of the love triangle (and it seems to be wrapping up bc Leo and Frank complimented each other’s abilities toward the end there) but passive aggressive-ness was peak. 

5. Every single conversation between Reyna and Annabeth. Like two powerhouses talking about wanting to save their camps and the world. I loved it. Hands down. I hope they can be friends when this is all over. 

6. And lastly, the reunion of Percabeth. The Judo flip. The fact that Percy talked about having a future with her. 

Thanks for reading if you made it down here and I’ll see you guys in a couple of days with my House of Hades update. This book and the one after it I’m reading for the first time ever so I’m going in semi blind (like I said, I know some spoilers). I’m currently on chapter 2 or 3 of that and ermm, it was a weak intro but I’ll keep going :) rooting for Percabeth to make it through. 

#Mark of Athena #Percy Jackson #Percabeth #HoO #Read with me #alextriestowritestuff #writeblr #not writing #reyna ramirez arellano

[roswelldetails]

RNM 2x10 - American Woman

EPISODE SUMMARY:

SECRETS OF THE PAST — After uncovering a cryptic message from the past, Alex (Tyler Blackburn), Isobel (Lily Cowles), Max (Nathan Dean), Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Maria (Heather Hemmens) set out in search of answers at the reservation where Alex’s mother grew up. Meanwhile, Cameron (guest star Riley Voelkel) encourages Liz (Jeanine Mason) to reach out to someone from her past after Auturo (guest star Carlos Compean) gets detained. Marcus Stokes directed the episode written by Rick Montano & Vincent Ingaro & Jason Gavin (#210). Original airdate 5/18/2020. 

DETAILS:

Tripp brings Louise to the Reservation in a body bag where the Navajo doctors are able to save her life.

"Your message said that you were gonna bring two women that would be no trouble.  This looks like a lot of trouble."

"I must have gotten the codes wrong."

"No, don't give me that Manes man nonsense. Not here in my own home."

"Her name is Louise. I promised her friend Nora I'd protect them. My brother triggered an ambush before I could get them here. And Nora…"

"Wait, what does the Air Force want them for?"

"They're not from around here. They're from...up north."

"Yìiyáh. No. She can't stay here… What if your brother comes here and finds a fugitive.  I can't put my people at risk for a white woman."

"Please. You're the only person I trust. If she doesn't make it, it was all for nothing."

"I'll have you remember that I was the one that saved your ass in Okinawa. I don't owe you anything. I'm only doing this because you're my family. And because I'm a damn fool."

A few notes on this scene:

--I don't know why Tripp pretends he got the codes wrong.  Unless he's spiraling and talking about the timing of the attack.  But it seems like he means the message that he was bringing them to the reservation.  Clearly things didn't go according to plan.  Though, it is always possible that we're still missing bits of the story.

--OG Easter Egg.  "They're not from around here.  They're from up north." For anyone who didn't watch OG, this is almost exactly how the exchange went when Max told Liz he was an alien in the 1999 pilot.

--Yìiyáh - I found nothing on this word.  I'm assuming that it's a curse word or general exclamation of negativity, but literally got zero results on google. It's possible, of course, that it's misspelled in the captions.  There were a lot of errors in the captions in this opening scene.

--While there really isn't any overt statement that Alex is half Navajo and this town is part of Navajo Nation (which has been in the news a lot lately and therefore is a good place in this country to be aware of), there's lots of clues or subtle enough statements that I feel like it can be accepted as fact, since: Harrison is a codetalker, the necklace is Navajo, tsela is a Navajo word. So I did a little peeking and it could work.  The closest Navajo town is about a 4 hour drive from Roswell.

Navajo Nation: 

(side note - Navajo Nation has extreme poverty but also is utterly gorgeous. And the Tribe gets income from tourism. Just a few places there that I'm dying to go? Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Shiprock.  Check it out.)

Liz comments on Max's irregular heartbeat, with literally no acknowledgment of the fact that she's straddling him and has a history of causing his heart to race...and other forms of lack of control (think 1x03).

"I'm excited about this though. You know Alex dug up all that info on our bio Mom. You sure you can't come?"

"Got to take my dad in for his blood tests. I want to check on Jenna too.  Cannot believe she's back in the hospital again."

"She's been in pain for weeks. I have no leads on the mysterious hunting van, and Charlie hasn't made contact."

"Hmm. To be fair, I do hear that phone service is a little spotty in flying saucers."

"Okay, I get that. You think my alien abduction theory is bogus."

"I know you're worried that this has something to do with you, but I don't think this is an alien thing."

"Cam and I had fractal burns on our necks. We had no memory of what happened. That's alien stuff. I just want clarity on something."

--Note that it's past time to abandon all hope of anything resembling a defined timeline for this show...once again we have weeks passing between episodes. This is the second time this season that the time passing has only been generically described as "weeks".  It's been at least a year since Liz came back to Roswell (per her conversation with Diego), but a year would be summer (late May or early June, specifically), and in this episode Isobel mentions that it's winter (which would be a year and a half).

Maria's pitch:

"In conclusion, esteemed members of the Roswell Tourism Board, while the Pony is normally a sanctuary for locals during CrashCon, I think that my plan to turn it into the Contact Cantina Pop-Up Bar will be a hit with alien fans."

"We're talking more money than we first speculated, aren't we now?"

"You know, Mayor Bernhardt, I forgot to tell you about our new morning cocktail… It's coffee, vanilla cream, and our best bourbon. Let me get you a double."

Note: so this is the famous Mayor Bernhardt. Funded by the Long family. Doesn't like immigrants. Had a racist relative who wouldn't give first prize to the black man.

Maria's vision…

Herself, younger, sitting at the Pony bar. 

"You have to let me go! You're just crazy! And I'm trapped!"

And then she runs from the bar crying.

She's not wearing the necklace.

Describing it to Michael:

"I had a vision, but it was more like a memory. Of a fight I had with my mom when I was younger."

Isobel interrupts Michael and Maria to pick them up for the road trip. Just a few relevant excepts from this scene:

"Pack your bags. We're going on a family road trip."

"Is this why Max wanted the day off?"

"In the photo of Max and Isobel's bio Mom, there was a water tower. Alex recognized that water tower from the town where his mom grew up. You should come with us."

Alex and Forrest talk in the Crashdown:

"Hope that limp isn't from a paintball injury."

"Nope. Those bruises have mostly healed. I just got a new prosthetic. Takes a minute to get used to. You working on your book?"

"I write my book on my computer.  However, I write my angsty emo poetry in an angsty emo journal."

"I'm actually working on some poetry myself. Well, song lyrics, technically. It's a lot harder than it was in high school."

"Yeah, writing was easier for me when I was a kid too. Feelings...we bury 'em now. You just got to find that thing inside of you that doesn't have a voice. Lend it yours. You know? Listen, I have like, zero musical talent, but if you need help with the worst part, we could, uh…"

"Actually I'm leaving tomorrow for a few days to go talk to some recruits."

Michael interruptus, and the conversation goes casual.

--What happened to "angsty nerd isn't really my type." Or...was it FORESHADOWING!!!?! 😂

--Oh hi there clear shot of Forrest's clearly Deep Sky logoed ring…

Cam has been having debilitating migraines that have been keeping her bedridden since the abduction.

Nurse Kate is a badass. she tries to keep ICE from getting into a patient's room. Liz hears her and hurries to the waiting room, where there's more ICE activity. Liz panics and tries to get Arturo out of the hospital, but she caught the attention of the ICE officers. However, Liz knows her rights.

"He has applied for his green card. I'm his sponsor, okay? This is his G-1145 right here."

"You can show that to the court."

"It's okay. Call the lawyer."

"No. He is a diabetic. It is illegal to detain a patient."

"Exigent circumstances. Move."

"No. Hey, this is an unconstitutional arrest and the ACLU will be all over you."

"Elizabeth, we respect the law in this family. If you're in trouble, who will take care of the mouse?"

--G-1145 is a request for confirmation that your green card application has been accepted:

--The timing of this all. Liz has been prepared for this moment all her life and would fight it to the point of getting arrested herself, if not for Rosa. Rosa's safety is the only thing that convinces Liz to step aside.

--As an only semi related note, this is a really interesting contrast to how they wrote Jeanine's character out on Grey's Anatomy.  

--Also feel like it would be remiss of me to not point out Liz's reactiveness and fightinf mentality is mirroring how Liz initially reacted to Max pulling her over in the pilot.

"Okay. So the Deputy on call says there's one detention center in the county. Here's the info."

"He doesn't have anything left in Mexico. No one. Nowhere to go."

"You can't think like that right now."

"I think like this always. Rosa and I used to recite our escape plan for if our parents got deported and we got separated in foster care. I begged my parents not to tell Santa where we lived because I was afraid he'd ask for papers. My whole life was built on a fear of this day coming, and it's here. If I'd have kept better track of his health, he wouldn't need these tests. I should have made him move to California. I thought we were safe being outside the hundred-mile zone, but after this election I should have known better. And I should have made him wear a sweater this morning because it's freezing out there. And what if he…?"

"...okay think. Is there someone we can call?"

"Kyle's at a conference, but I can have him call his mom."

"Do you know anyone with some real power? You know, Federal muscle?"

Cam gets dressed to take Liz to the Detention Center and Liz calls Diego for help.

The road trip group arrive at the reservation and meet Gregory Manes.  He says he remembers them all from high school.  He takes Max, Michael, and Isobel to learn about Louise while Alex and Maria go jewelry shopping.

Meanwhile Gregory is taking the Pod Squad to Louise's grave, but pauses for some flirting:

"You're still the Isobel Evans who convinced the basketball captain to pull four different fire alarms to get out of AP Gov, right? Yeah, legend. Here she is."

"Oh my God, it's covered in flowers.  It's winter."

"Rumor is they grow year-round unattended. She was a healer. I'm told she helped with trauma, addiction, that sort of thing. All without speaking."

"This another grave?"

"She was pregnant."

"Louise arrived gravely injured. And the baby didn't survive.

--Louise died the same day the Pod Squad came out of the pods, confirming that she is probably the old woman on the reservation that was described in 1x09.

--Michael found the mysterious purple flowers growing on Louise's grave.

Alex and Maria at the trading post.

"Are you okay? Seem a little off."

"I had a vision during a meeting this morning. It almost cost me a deal that could save the bar. Maybe I should just wear the necklace. Go back to being a social media guru. Slash barkeep. Slash magical trope in our redneck mayor's fantasy."

"So why did you really come today? Your ideal day off isn't fighting for the radio silence with Isobel Evans, so…"

"This is the back of my necklace. The word stamped in the silver says Tsela. The necklace is Navajo, so I thought maybe that was the jeweler, but no one I've asked here seems to know who made it. I just want answers."

"Well, there's a ton of silver jewelry for sale here. So why don't we just keep looking for something with the same stamp?"

Pod Squad sharing a bottle of acetone by Louise's grave.

"Noah said our planet was war-torn. But the hell they found here can't have been worth it."

"Do you think that Louise's baby died from her injuries or do you think maybe it was never going to survive?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I was pregnant. When you died. Obviously I'm not anymore. I just can't help wondering if that was my last chance. Assuming that humans and aliens can't procreate because they're different species. Maybe that little baby wasn't viable."

"You almost died during the abortion, didn't you? I could feel it. Noah almost killed you again, huh? Oh, I need a minute."

After Max leaves Michael offers to be a sperm donor for Isobel if she ever wants to have a kid.

Liz at the Detainment Center

"It's Ortecho. Arturo Ortecho. He's my dad. And he needs gliclazide and beta-blockers. I brought both."

"We can't take contraband here, but there is an infirmary on-site, if he's here."

"You know, out of curiosity, did Nebane Abienwi visit an infirmary before he died of a brain bleed in your custody? What about Johana Medina León? She was 25 years old, okay? People walk through those doors and they die...Who's your supervisor? You need prior approval before conducting enforcement in a hospital. There was a compliance memo."

"Right, a memo, which is just like a law only not. Unless you calm down, I'm gonna arrest you for obstruction."

"Okay, Liz, maybe sit down.  Sir, I'm Deputy Jenna Cameron, and we appreciate your interpretation of your guidelines, but we have an urgent health concern about an inmate here, if you just wouldn't mind checking the system."

Jenna goes with the agent…when she returns...

"Do you have a court case next week for a vandalism charge?"

"What? Yes, but I didn't do it. I'm just gonna plead guilty and pay the fine. It's nothing."

"They denied your dad's green card application because of a misdemeanor on your record. You can't be his sponsor."

Jenna's headaches overtake her. Meanwhile, the ICE agent comes back with news:

"Here just came up. Ortecho is being transferred to El Paso for his deportation hearing. You can see him there around Tuesday."

--Liz's misdemeanor is taking the fall for Rosa's vandalism from when she was arrested by Sheriff Valenti in 2x02.

Gregory takes the Pod Squad to see Harrison who is on his death bed.  Manes boys are always welcome here, the woman tells them. Harrison is the only one Louise ever spoke to on the reservation.

"He met my great uncle Tripp Manes fighting in WWII.  Harry was a code talker."

Michael gets Gregory to leave with him so that Max and Isobel can go inside of Harrison's head. Their conversation:

"You look like her."

"Harrison.  You look different."

"That was a lesson I learned from Louise. How to take your mind to a better time when you're in pain. Come on. I haven't seen the sky in a while. I'll tell you about her...I taught Tripp the codes in the Pacific. That's how we set up the rescue. He was supposed to snuggle Louise and Nora here, but the plan fell apart."

In the past between Harrison and Tripp:

"You've changed. The man I met on that ship obeyed orders."

"Guess I saw what happens when good men fall in line with bad orders. I'm a Christian, Harry. When evil itself tells me to kill a woman with child, I disobey. Even if the evil looks just like my brother."

A nurse rolls Louise into the room in a wheelchair.

"Did you find a family for her?"

"There should be music where you take her. I think she's a dancer."

"You can give her a house full of music, Louise. Nora wanted me to protect you so that you could protect the child."

"No. He's coming for me and I can't even move. No. When the devil comes, I won't be able to fight for her. Please. It is hard to be a woman on your planet.  It's only gonna be harder still for her. Roy Bronson believed in meeting hatred with compassion. And I want her to be like him. A light in the darkness. A little star on the ground. I want that for both my girls."

"Where did he take the baby?"

"Can't say."

"No. Tell us where our sister went."

"She isn't your sister. Louise rarely spoke, but when she did, she spoke of two daughters. Two stars on the ground. She had no sons. You aren't hers. You came from something else...She lived for decades longer than she should have, trapped inside of a body that could no longer dance, waiting for a sign that you would be all right. She loved you."

Jenna wakes up back at the hospital.

"I asked them to run a new test. Your headaches are spinal headaches. Because there was a hole torn into your spinal cord."

"I'm sorry, what? My kidnappers gave me a spinal tap?"

"Do you mind signing off so I can look at your tox screen?"

"Yeah, of course, but, Liz, you don't have to do this, okay? Your dad, and…"

"I need a distraction. I can't leave for El Paso until tomorrow, and they're not letting him have visitors other than his lawyer until Tuesday, so...thank you for being here. You used your privilege to help me. I'm furious that I needed it, but I needed it."

--Reposado is a type of tequila

--Spinal Headaches:

Isobel and Max on what they learned from Harrison:

"You've always been different than me and Michael, okay? Always. You were the leader. From the start. I mean, you're the special one. You're the healer."

"I was. Now I can't even sneeze without my heart skipping a beat. All my life, no matter how weird things got, I never felt alone. Because I was your twin. Maybe I'm different. Maybe I'm a freak...I can't stop thinking about being chained up when I was a kid. It didn't feel like someone bad chained me up. It felt like I was the someone bad."

"Max, you're not dangerous."

"Saving people destroys me. But killing Noah? That felt good. I was high. And whenever I think about what he did to you, I want to chase that high. I wish I could kill him a thousand times. Louise mentioned the devil. Maybe something evil was chasing them. And maybe that something was me."

"Okay. I want to show you something. You see this hand on her shoulder there? See, Michael thought it was just someone who got cropped out of the photo, but no. Any female would recognize that body language. She does not want that hand on her. Louise said the devil would come. I think something evil was after them, but it wasn't you. I want to find out who it was."

Alex and Gregory:

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you before we go. I also feel like I should congratulate you on getting out."

"Of the Navy?"

"Of the family. Getting out from under Dad."

"You got to break free of him, man."

"Do you feel free?"

"I don't think I get to be free until you are, Alex. You know, you're my brother. I wish that I would've stood up for you more."

"You know, I think he's actually getting a little bit better. It's like the stroke melted away the psycho in his brain or something." 

"If you can forgive him you should. Cast off the stone. Let me hate him for you. I owe you that much."

Back at the trading post with the whole road trip group.

"We scoured the store for jewelry that said Tsela on it, but nada. Although I did manage to spend an entire week's worth of tips anyway."

"Tsela?"

"Yeah it was printed on the back of my grandmother's necklace. I thought I might find some answers here."

"Well, apparently, it is Navajo for star on the ground. So, you guys ready to go?"

"Star on the ground.  Maria? What year was your grandmother born?"

"Uh, '48, I think?"

"Was she adopted?"

"Yeah. Oh my God."

"Your grandmother was my sister."

Note: The direct translation of Tsela is stars lying down. Interestingly, it's often a name in Navajo. When I googled it, the top results were names for Navajo boys.

Diego and Liz's conversation:

"Diego, I never would have reached out if it weren't an emergency. Thank your mom for me."

"The Senator was more than happy to call in a favor. She's always liked you."

"I like her too. We need more people like her."

"Look, we got lucky your dad got out at all, much less without an ankle monitor. And you pissed a few people off back there, so it's not likely that this is the end for you. Who's your lawyer? Or should I make some calls?"

"No, you've done enough. After what I did, I can't even believe you listened to my voicemail...How did you get here so fast?"

"I was at the airport in Phoenix when you called. Just had to reroute real fast."

"And how have you been?"

"Well, my fiancée left me. I'm kidding. No, I'm seeing someone.  It's getting pretty serious, so…"

"Good. Me too."

"Good. We can be friends...And don't take this the wrong way. Please tell me you're not wasting that incredible brain of yours writing alien hamburger puns."

"I am working on a few projects. Nothing I can talk about, but, I'm not wasting anything."

"Well, all the coolest studies make you sign NDAs anyway, so…"

"You know what? There actually is something...Do you know what butyricol is?  Worth a shot. It's this chemical I found in my friend's tox screen. I had never heard of it."

"Maybe you're slacking, Ortecho."

"I am sorry, it has only been a year. Did you literally forget everything about me?"

Note: I'm very pleased to say that when I googled butyricol, half of the top results were RNM related.  Definitely not a real drug.

Malex fight in the bunker:

"We're closed!"

"Hey, that alien console piece that Jim Valenti left me...You still have it?"

"No. I sold it on eBay."

"You didn't attach it to your console."

"I tried. Doesn't fit."

"So, Tripp left this for my dad before he died. My dad thought it was a code, but this is a reference sketch of this exact piece. My dad's been looking for this thing for 30 years and Jim Valenti had it all along...I'm gonna give it to him. I want to see what he does with it once he's got it. Look, if it didn't fit in your console, then it fits somewhere else. My dad could lead us there.""Your dad hunts aliens, Alex. He'll lead my family right off a cliff."

"I've protected you so far. That's not changing. Besides, he's different these days...I don't trust him, Guerin. I just…I'm asking you to trust me.""When we were kids, you believed people were good, despite humanity doing everything to prove you otherwise. And, God, I loved you for it. But what was charming when we were 17, it's just stupid now. How do you not see that? You believe there's some good in your father?"

"Yeah. Yeah I do. God forbid I have faith in people who don't give me a good reason to."

"That's not fair."

"No? Why is your hand covered? You miss your injury because you want to hurt. Your anger made you feel safe. I will always hate my father for what he did to you, but I don't want to live in that toolshed for the rest of my life. I don't want to walk around thinking that people don't change, that one day everyone's just gonna let me down, 'cause I am not building a damn rocket ship in a hidden lair. There's one way for me off this planet. And I need to believe in a reason to stay. I promise I'll keep you safe."

"Can't let you leave with that."

"What are you gonna do? Fight me for it?"

And then Alex leaves and is kidnapped. Hit over the head by an unknown assailant. The note from Tripp blows away.

Max and Liz are talking back at Max's house while Max drinks a lot of bourbon.

"You know, you never told me why your parents immigrated here in the first place."

"My dad wanted a family, but not in Juárez. There was no opportunity, no money. Women were disappearing there all the time. He didn't want my mom to be one of them. So he fled. You're wondering why your family came here."

"If I even had a family. I know so little about my own story. And the parts I thought I understood are just unraveling."

"Max. Family is the one area where I am certain that biology does not matter. Look, when I found out that Rosa was only my half sister that didn't change anything."

"This is different...There are only three of us on this planet, as far as we know. I mean, feeling disconnected from them makes me feel completely alone."

"Completely alone? I'm right here."

"When you needed a rescue today your Mensa society, old money son of a senator ex was there to answer your prayers. I couldn't even answer a call. You didn't need me."

"Oh my God. Okay, so would you prefer that I did need you? Would you prefer to come home to find me crying into my dad's windbreaker so that you can swoop me up and drive me to El Paso for his deportation hearing in the morning?"

"That's not fair. You wanted me to talk about today."

"Yes, okay. I'm sorry. I want you to feel better."

"Well, you think maybe you could go back in time and not meet someone as handsome as Diego? Seriously. He's like if someone mixed a cologne ad with a Kennedy. It's ridiculous. I will never feel adequate again."

"You're wrong. Max, let me be clear. You are objectively better in bed...And I never woke up on a Sunday morning to him singing Hank Williams in the shower...He never snuck unreasonable tips into my dad's checks. Or quoted Henry the Fourth. Coming home to you at the end of my worst days and my best days is the only rescue I need."

I actually found this background on the Ortechos to be fascinating.  In case you don't know Juárez is a pretty big city directly opposite the border from El Paso. It does have some huge crime issues. But it also is one of those border cities where the border is a little thinner. Like San Diego and Tijuana.  People live in Juárez and work in El Paso and vice versa.

If you want to see a really dark & gritty portrayal of Juárez, I'd highly recommend you to check out the American version of the show The Bridge.  Which literally deals with an investigation related to disappearing women.

Isobel and Maria at the Pony:

"She looks so determined."

"Yeah, neither of us would be here if she hadn't been. You know she was paralyzed 50 years and she still managed to use her powers to help ease troubled minds. You know how hard that is? To take on someone else's suffering? I mean, it doesn't just disappear. She would have been carrying all of that."

"She suffered so much loss."

"I don't know how to be worth it."

Michael on the bracelet.

"The beads are made with pollen from the alien flower. I found another plant growing at Louise's grave. Okay my working theory is that they grow from alien remains. There's this UFO lore about that Libyan desert where the flowers have been discovered before. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. I know better than to think I can save Maria DeLuca. I hope you decide you can save yourself."

Max is still drinking after Liz went to bed.  At 4:04am Diego calls and wakes her up. 

"I made a call, about that toxin in your friend's system. Butyricol. It's a drug. It's a memory eraser. It was developed by a private organization and purchased by the military for weaponization. There's no approved application outside of violent combat."

Liz tries to call Alex, but he's too busy being unconscious in the back of his SUV.  So his kidnapper pockets his phone.

Max has a memory flash. There's fighting, weapons clashing, a woman's voice...all while he's chained down in the cave. Louise appears and kneels down to touch his shoulder.  He looks afraid, but she's trying to comfort him (even though she has blood splattered all over her white clothes). She smiles and nods and then cuts Max free of the chains with her alien weapon. She offers him her hand, but before he can take it a figure in white appears and he and Louise fight. Max cries out and hides his face.

Present day Max is visibly shook by the flash.

MUSIC:

1.  Shelly Fairchild "Worry No More"

2.  Powerslide "Just You And I"

3.  Will Fox "Against The Tide"

4.  Tommee Profitt feat. Sam Tinnesz "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"

#roswell new mexico #details #rnm season 2 #episode details #long post #rnm 210 #american woman

[ohnohetaliasues]

Stones to Abbigale {Ch.6}

(Kat)

We’ve established that I suck at intros, so let’s just get right into it.

Quite a few days passed. Everything felt like it was falling into place with Abbi. She had become the center of my world and I felt like I was finally really finally enjoying my life.

I’m done saying you’ve known each other for less than a week but okay.

One morning my nose woke me up, there was an unfamiliar but pleasant smell filling my bedroom. For the first time in a long while breakfast was ready for my sister and me. My mom had made eggs and waffles. To my surprise Rick was, again, sitting at our table. Him being there completely explained why my mom was making breakfast.

Uh. Great.

I approached everyone already sitting and said good morning. Rick seemed a little nervous and again my mom asked that we all have a talk. I sat down not so sure of what to expect.

Rick spoke “Listen, I don’t want to tiptoe around this topic. Your mother and I want to move in together.”

You’ve been dating a few months, that is not an awesome idea.

My sister’s arm went limp as she was attempting to eat making her fork smack against her plate as she dropped her jaw simultaneously.

That was described so weirdly I can’t.

While she was normally overdramatic about most everything, her reaction pretty much summed up how I too was feeling this time.

‘Most everything’ is going to make me have an aneurysm.

My mom tried to soften the blow by saying “And yes, this is going to be a pretty big transition for all of us but we’ll make it through.”

It began to hit me harder as I thought things through; there was no way Rick was moving in with us, our little condo was already overcrowded. Rick was the one with the higher-paying job, which meant most everything

Fuck you.

I knew was at risk to change. I began to feel panicked, “You... Mom I have Abbi.”

No you don’t. You’re not even dating her.

I said.

My mom looked concerned and Rick blurted out “Listen, we’re not going to break up your relationship for the sake of ours, we’ll figure something out ok?”

I felt like I was going to pass out; I kept thinking about the horrible timing, that I finally I had someone I bonded with more than anyone else and they were going to make it far more difficult for me to be with them, because of what? Rick had said it would work out but I barely knew him. I had learned some time before to trust people on what you know them to be, not what you hope them to be. Rick hadn't been around long enough for me to see him in a significantly positive or negative light and in that, I realized hope was all I had.

I have no words to express how annoyed I am here.

I stood up and said, “I’m sorry, I’m not hungry. I’m going to go wait for the bus.”

Everyone silently sat at the table awkwardly pushing around their food as I gathered my things. As I was brushing my teeth I could hear my sister crying and ranting dramatically in the background. Once again, she reacted externally how I felt inside.

Crying isn’t bad, James.

Davis could see my upset posture out his window as the bus pulled up so as I walked up the steps this time he screamed, “I love you so much! I wish you were my boyfriend!”

That is not how friends talk to each other, Onion.

I hated myself for giving in yet again, but laughter escaped me. My life was turning completely upside down and Davis was there to make me experience a fragment of happiness.

As I sat down, Davis grabbed me and hugged me.

Someone sitting a few seats ahead screamed “Eeew homos!” which made Davis yell back, “I love him! This is love!”

I want to shove my head through the wall.

He jumped onto the seat with his little body and pressed our faces side-by-side “Look at our love!” I patted his arm that had been wrapped around me sarcastically and he released me to sit down. Immediately he asked “So what’s up buddy? How can I turn that frown upside poopy poo poop?”

On what planet is that something that is allowed to say?

He could see I was still a bit upset and didn’t really want to talk so he did his classic “Well, I’m always here!” It was nice having Davis to keep me afloat.

Since I began my Teacher’s Assistant work with Mr. Hanson

Wait since when did you accept that job?

I felt buried in needless information about his job. He was constantly ranting about the low pay, working conditions and hours.

I’m sorry, but being a teacher isn’t like working in a sweatshop, or so I’ve heard since I’m 17 and am not a teacher myself, but you get the picture.

Despite all this he would still remind me about how happy it made him to see some students overcome the horrible condition of our school and succeed regardless.

Why is your school not shut down for cleaning? This violates health codes. Schools can not be literally falling apart while students still attend, it just isn’t what happens.

Ms. Robertson would stop in from time to time while I graded papers. Whenever she visited she and Mr. Hanson would bombard me with questions. They would ask me how I liked being a TA, random questions about the state of the school and discuss academic politics. I kind of felt sorry for Ms. Robertson, we never had normal conversations, it was almost always about her job, almost as if that was all she knew.

I hate this so much.

While she was visiting that day, Ms. Robertson could tell I was upset about something so she asked and I confessed I was pretty bummed out. I wasn’t specific because I wanted Abbi to be the first person to know what was going on between my Mom and Rick.

Ms. Robertson replied “Well, this better have nothing to do with you know who.”

Shut your mouth, you nosy bitch. That is actually none of your fucking business.

I found the fact she was still butting into my relationship with Abbi to be incredibly annoying.

More like strange acquaintanceship.

I said nothing in response hoping ignoring her bringing up Abbi would give Ms. Robertson the hint I didn’t want her talking about Abbi.

Something about this sentence is just... weird?

Finally it was time for PE and Abbi greeted me as happily as she ever did. I didn’t want to ruin her day so I asked her to call me later that night to talk without hinting too much regarding what it was.

Despite my efforts she could see it in my eyes, she said “If you have something on your mind, I really want you to tell me.”

I came back from reviewing a Hetalia OC because I needed a break and I forgot what was happening, so that’s fun.

I tried to think of the best way to say it but couldn't, so I just told her that I had to tell her later.

She replied “After school?” and I agreed.

I hate how dialogue is written in this goddamn book.

Throughout gym class her behavior changed completely. She picked up so well on my concerns that it consumed how she interacted with almost every person and thing around her.

The mere worry of some bad news caused her to appear significantly depressed, almost as bad as before we began talking.

Abbi was waiting by my bus as I walked out of school. I had been thinking about the best way I could tell her all day. “You have to tell me,” she said before I even finished walking.

I didn’t delay my response as she had waited long enough, “My mom’s boyfriend is talking about having my mom move in with him, he said he’d make things work with you and me despite the change.”

Abbi kept looking back and forth at me, then to the side, speechless.

I continued, “I can’t leave you behind.”

She interrupted as tears already began forming in her eyes “I can go with you.”

For fuck’s sake you’ve--

Oh, never mind, I give up.

I paused in disbelief; in a single moment she expressed as much desperation for me as I had been feeling the last few days. It was as if every action she took repeatedly proved her perfect alignment with my intentions.

We were becoming like gears turning in sync, unable to be slowed or broken by any obstructions. She waited for a response, looking at me nervously.

I smiled and said, “Actually, I was thinking I might be able to stay here alone. My mom owns the condo and I’m 17, so I donno.”

I am also 17. My mother would never let me stay alone in a condo with my boyfriend or girlfriend, neither of which I have.

Abbi’s nervous expression faded slightly and she said “Have you talked to your mom about that?”

I replied with “No, but I won’t let us get split up, and...”

Oh my god I hate both of you.

I paused still in disbelief that she was willing to come with me if I left. Abbi started to smile, feeling more certain I wouldn’t leave her behind.

I continued, “I’m glad you... said what you did. I know now either way it should work out.” She giggled excitedly and immediately jumped on me while simultaneously wrapping her legs around me happily kissing every part of my face but my lips.

I said “Whoa” laughing and thinking in the back of my mind about how surprisingly easy she was to carry.

I am not invested in this romance at all since I was given no time to get attached to these characters, so this is just kind of nauseating.

Later that night, I spoke to my mom about potentially staying home and continuing to go to the same school considering I was graduating the next full school year. She seemed hopeful but said she had to talk to Rick who had returned to his home past the mountains to work.

You’re fucking kidding me.

His mom is actually considering it?

When we spoke on the phone Abbi and I mostly stayed away from talking about the move. We focused on topics like colonizing the moon, strange creatures we have yet to discover in the ocean and if robots will become so much like humans one day that they’ll begin to have the same legal rights as us. Some topics were pretty silly but we didn’t really care, it was just fun to hear what we could come up with talking about things we barely imagined till then.

Onion really wants this to be a John Green novel, doesn’t he?

At some point in the night Abbi brought up a more serious topic. “I noticed something about you, when we’re in gym class.” she said, I replied asking her to elaborate.

She said “It wasn’t just in class, once I saw it I began noticing it everywhere. You barely pay attention to any other girls, even when they talk to you. You rarely even look at them most the time.”

I laughed and replied “I do that intentionally you know?” she asked why and I continued “Because I don’t want to risk you thinking for a second you’re not the most important person to me.”

This is alarming.

She replied in an amused tone “Even when I’m not around?”

You two aren’t even dating!

I added, “When you’re not around, I like to pretend you still are. So in a way, there’s no such thing as being without you.” She warmly laughed and we quickly went back to much lighter topics.

I actually crave death.

Abbi wound up falling asleep on the phone with me. Listening to her rest, how peaceful she sounded.

Okay, so that last bit is an incomplete sentence.

Despite knowing it wasn’t true, I couldn’t help but feel like everything was still perfect.

Okay, whatever. You guys are still annoying.

This is the opposite way you want your readers to feel about your characters. Because I only feel annoyance regarding them.

I’ll see you later.

~Kat

#stones to abbigale #onision #onision cannot write #Mod Kat reviews stuff #Mod Kat reviews things #mod kat #help me #cringe #bad books #abbi needs help #I like literally none of these garbage characters #burn this #kill it with fire #kill me with fire #mary sue #gary stu #boring characters

[the-mystical-aquatic-gay]

At some point before whenever I end up posting this thing, I posted a redesign of Queen Bee for an ML Rewrite my friend @flags-and-fanfiction at I have been working on.

In that post I mentioned our version of Black Cat!Felix who we’ve named Night Prince; this post is about his design and probably some facts about our version of Felix in general. So lets jump right into his design!

Okay so there’s his design! Sorry if the picture is just kinda stuck off to one side or something, I’m not sure why it’s doing that. Might even just be a weird thing on my side of things only? Whatever, anyways if you want more information I’ve got all kinds of fun things under the cut for you!

Just like with our lovely Queen’s redesign, I’m gonna start off with things that are actually a part of the costume and then go into other things afterwards. I think I’ll start from the top this time and then work down:

Okay so first we’ve got his black vest/over shirt thing (I’m sure there’s a proper word for it so if anyone wants to tell me feel free). Anyways, as you probably figured out already from his name being Night Prince, Felix’s costume is largely inspired by classic princely attire.

I wasn’t sure when I originally finished what you see up there, but I think now we’re probably gonna leave it pretty basic? Cause even in canon Felix isn’t really the type of character to go for some fancy, over the top, attention grabbing outfit when its completely his choice what to wear.

For the undershirt, the sleeves aren’t that big because I was trying to make him buff or anything, I just wanted puffy sleeves on his outfit

Also that bit at the top of his undershirt around his neck is supposed to be a collar; like on his regular civilian outfit, but I wanted it to have the top button undone. Just as a little nod to him being more open and free when he’s Night Prince

He has black gloves, and this is also where the only golden accent on the costume is. Because lets be real, Felix wouldn’t wan that bell on his costume. And I know that’s its not some sort of requirement of for the wielders’ costumes, because I checked the wiki page for the Ancient Chinese Black Cat Miraculous Holder (Hēi Māo) and he’s got no bell. But I still liked the little bit of gold on the costume, so that’s why hes got the golden knuckles. Also they’re good for punching if needed, and these would probably be on the knuckles you can see too; or at least the second set of knuckles

At his hips he has these dark green rope things? Again I don’t know names for things but I’m pretty I’ve seen stuff like that on prince outfits before, so its here

Next up we see some dark grey leggings. Obviously because magic jewelry, its not gonna like rip or anything regardless, but its still not quite like normal legging material, its a bit more... heavy duty I think would be the right word? Like its still fabric, but its not that super thin stuff you’d see in tights or a leotard or anything. I forgot to say it before but that goes for all of the costume, it’s all thicker than you’d probably first guess even without the miraculous magic boost

Finally, we have the shoes. On a guess most, if not all of you recognize these as being for ballet, but more specifically they’re pointe shoes. This is because in our AU, one of Felix’s activities as a civilian is ballet. To some extent his whole costume is inspired by ballet costumes

Quick side note before I finish up on the actual costume things, the reason he decided to go into ballet is because we’re saying that Emilie was a ballerina, probably not professional or anything; but she was in ballet and so Felix went into it for a connection to his mom.

Also Emilie disappeared when they were way younger, probably like five to eight or something instead of a year before canon starts up

Okay so I think that’s everything I’ve got for notes on the actual drawing. Feel free to ask questions or give suggestions or whatever if you have any. Anyways, now its time for powers, design elements that aren’t seen in the drawing, and any other cool details I can think of:

So we decided Felix would look good with long hair, its darker blond than Chloé or Adrien have but not like a super dark blonde or anything. It’s only long when he’s transformed, and he usually just keeps it in a low ponytail. But at some point, maybe its a really slow patrol day or they’re just chillin together or something, Ladybug (yes its still our lady Marinette) decides that he should experiment with his hair and decides to try out some styles on him and see what he likes

I mentioned before that he’s in ballet, but much like in for Adrien in canon, ballet is far from his only activity. Another activity of his, and one that he shares with Adrien both in canon and in our AU, is fencing; because of this we decided to make his weapon be a rapier

I didn’t draw one, but realistically there’s gotta be some sort of belt or something to store his rapier on. I don’t know what exactly that’d look like, but it’d probably have a spot for the rapier on both hips and some pockets

Okay so we don’t have a ton planned for his powers, but we are gonna have more then just Cataclysm for his powers

Also I think we’ll have Cataclysm work through his actual weapon not his claws like in the show

He will still have claws though, they’ll probably be golden tooHe’s also gonna have some sort of shadow travel type of thing, partly to help him keep up with Ladybug (since she can literally fly and still has her yoyo) but also partly. For anyone who doesn’t know, shadow travel is basically teleportation, but from one shadow to another; we’d have a different name for it though because shadow travel is the name Rick Riordan used for this in his books

His final design might have epaulets, those shoulder pad ish lookin things you see on prince outfits, but I couldn’t draw those so they’re not on here at least

We haven’t talked much about his mask, but I did find this is a google search while writing this post:

Now obviously white and gold with only little black accents isn’t really his color scheme, but something like this with different colors is definitely an idea we like for our Prince’s mask. Can’t guarantee it cause this idea is something we just thought of, but I think it’ll stay because I’m now loving the idea of Night Prince with a mask like this one

I think that’s everything we’ve got relating to Felix’s superhero persona for now. It’s probably gonna be a while before I do another post all about one of the heroes because I don’t have any other designs done. Maybe I’ll do just kinda a general info dump post about the AU as a whole? Not sure yet. But if I do make another superhero post soon then on a guess it’ll probably be on either Rusé Rouge (our Fox!Nathaniel) or Sailor Turtle (Turtle!Adrien).

Anyways, feel free to let me know your thoughts. If you have any suggestions for this design or Queen Bee’s design then feel free to comment them here, dm me, send me an ask, whatever you want. Same goes for if you have any questions about anything else for this AU, I love this AU so much and would love to share our ideas with this fandom.

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculousladybug #miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir #miraculous fanfic #MLB #ml thoughts #ml au #ml fanfic #ml felix #ml Plagg #ml black cat #kwami #america explain #mlb plagg #ml rena rouge #ml redesign #ml rewrite #ml rewrite au #black cat!felix #night prince

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 10x05: What It Always Is - Details

Okay, how did everyone like the episode? Let’s dive in.

***As always, spoilers abound below for episode 10x05. Don’t read until you’ve watched!!!***

Opening sequence:

This was the part with Kelly. There were quite a few Beth symbols here. It starts out with her hearing lots of birds chirping. 

There’s the dragonfly (think The Deer and the Bug Theory), the banner which had red, blue, green, and yellow on it, 

and of course the yellow and black pig, which she kills. 

The pigs pretty much always die. It’s also kind of a callback to 4x01 when Clara (Creepy Walker Chick) wanted to eat the dead pig Rick found in the woods.

I started thinking about the pigs and trying to define them, much as I did the bus. Here’s what I came up with. In 4a, Rick literally kills the piglets to lead the walkers away from the walls, so they can fix the fences and keep the people at the prison safe. So I think the pigs represent a “sacrifice” to keep the living safe. And it often involves a walker horde. You could say the same of the pigs in S7. Ezekiel was giving them to Negan so Negan wouldn’t attack the Kingdom. So by fulfilling the deal, he was sacrificing the pigs to keep the Kingdom safe. Here, Kelly allowed the walkers to have the pig to save herself. Just some thoughts I had on the pig theme.

When Kelly falls down, sitting by the rock, it reminded me of the dead guy Daryl saw by the deer in Them. She’s just sitting exactly the same way.

Here’s the thing about Kelly in this sequence. I felt like she was a representation of Beth, but it was hard for me, at first, to put my finger on why. As always, hashing things out with my fellow theorists helped. The best we can say right now is that she was, for a short time, a missing girl. And eventually, she was found. It even focused on her forehead injury. (Opposite side as Beth’s, but still.)

Even more interesting, she was found by her sister and, um…Daryl. Well, if Kelly = Beth, Beth’s sister and Beth’s Daryl are alive and well in this world, aren’t they? Just saying. There are more symbols that play into this (such as the colored flags we saw) but I’ll talk about them in more detail later in the week.

Negan and Brandon:

I definitely saw some Bethyl callbacks around Negan this episode. When they’re near the barbed wire—which apparently marks some of the Whisperers’ boundaries—a walker attacks him. He manages to kill it, but only after quite a fight. Brandon doesn’t lift a finger to help him. Once Negan puts the walker down, he says, “Thanks for the help.” That’s exactly what Beth said to Daryl in the golf club in Still. He also fights like both Beth and Daryl did, by using his heel to smash the walker’s face.

When Brandon gives him his coat and “new Lucille,” he asks if Negan likes them. Negan answers, “does pig shit stink?” So, another pig reference.

At one point, Brandon and Negan are rating walkers for “hotness,” which was kind of funny. But the numbers they mentioned were important. Brandon said one was a 7. Negan then says she’s clearly a 3. I was happy to hear both those numbers. Just recently, Emily posted the tarot card with the 7 stars on it, and of course there’s the rule of threes.

Amelia said she and Milo used to have a camp, but it got scattered and now it was just her and her son. That’s actually a lot like what happened in S4 with the prison. And when Brandon wants to follow Amelia and take her stuff, Negan says, “It’s best I go on alone and you go home.” That stood out to me because it has “Alone” and also the “home” theme in it.

Brandon also says, “I get it.”

Later when Negan talks to Milo, the kid is playing with an airplane. That’s super-significant. It’s been a much bigger symbol on FTWD than TWD, but I immediately thought of the plane crash on this past season of FTWD. 

I said that I thought the plane crash represented some major disaster, and maybe was even symbolic of Beth getting shot. Here, Milo is playing with the plane and Negan even says, “oh no, we’re gonna crash.” So, I think this could have foreshadowed Milo’s death later in the episode. Which would just back up my theory about what it meant in FTWD.

Negan planned to take Milo and Amelia to Hilltop, but of course Brandon killed them. So, Negan killed him with a rock. (Ew. Seriously gnarly. *shudders*) Which, again, I think represents Negan killing his former self or his former way of life. This is him rejecting that and choosing a different path.

And then Negan goes to seek out the Whisperers. Which is pretty much what happens in the CBs. But I am glad to see this happening because I still think we’re right on track for what they’ve foreshadowed and this chain of events, no matter how long it goes, will lead to running into Beth.

When he crosses the barbed wire border, he’s wearing his Negan coat and carrying Lucille. He also calls himself the Big Bad Wolf again and says his “little pig, little pig” line. So he seems to be his old, Negan self, but I think it’s all an act to get the Whisperers to trust him. I also can’t help but wonder about that “little pig” reference. Yes, I know it’s something Negan says in the CBs, so it’s not specific to the show. But we’ve looked at it as part of the pig symbolism since Negan first appeared, which was one reason—of many—we thought Beth might show up with him. She obviously didn’t, but now this symbolism is back and I think this sequence will lead to her. Kind of interesting.

Alpha and Gamma:

I don’t have a lot to add here to what I already said yesterday. One thing I did notice was Alpha’s line to the male whisperer who was skinning the face off the walker. She said ears were the trickiest part. I’m not going to explain why that’s significant right now, as I’ll do a post about it later in the week. But just remember it for now. Also, there was a big emphasis on Kelly’s hearing loss in this episode, so it was kind of a theme.

Also, they said on TTD that the walker they were skinning in this scene was one Kelly killed in the opening sequence. That’s interesting to me. Not only did they make sure we caught it via TTD (I for one wouldn’t have otherwise) but think about that. If Kelly was a proxy for Beth, a walker she fought with ended up with the Whisperers. I just feel like it’s another hint at the tie between Beth’s arc and the Whisperers.

In terms of Aaron, I wanted to add that I’m seeing a callback to Them. When Gamma hurts her hand, he shows up with supplies to help her and introduces himself. That’s what he did in Them when TF was in need of water and a home. And of course, that’s when the music box woke up.

Ezekiel:

One thing I forgot to discuss yesterday is, assuming Zeke survives his cancer—which I think he will—how much of a parallel this is to Beth. Obviously, it’s cancer rather than being shot in the head, but the situation is similar. How often do non-believers tell us that because it’s the apocalypse, Grady wouldn’t be able to save her from her wound? Even being near a hospital, they still don’t have the resources they used to have and so won’t be able to save her. This is kind of similar. It’s something that would have been fine in the old world, but given how little they have in the way of medical treatment, they SHOULDN’T be able to save him. Especially if he goes to Grady or somewhere a lot like it for treatment, that will be a huge parallel.

At one point, Siddiq said that Zeke’s lump looked bad. Zeke answered, “No. It’s just the slings and arrows.” That’s a line from Hamlet’s famous “to be or not to be” speech. He talks about the “slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune.” I’m reading this about three different ways.

1.       Hamlet’s speech, at its core, is about suicide, and why the majority of people are too cowardly to commit suicide. And while A) that may be in line with Zeke contemplating suicide last episode, it also B) ties him more heavily to Beth and realizing that, overall, he wants to live.

2.       Everyone who dies at the end of Hamlet dies because of poison. So, I think this links Zeke to the poison (and possibly by extension, the radiation) arc.

3.       There’s the “outrageous misfortune” line. In terms of the tarot cards, that wheel we keep seeing is the Wheel of Fortune. It represents life cycles, good and bad fortune, and fate. I might do more detail on this at a later point, but I think for Zeke, this foreshadows his death fake out. His happiness with Carol is over for the time being. And unfortunately, things are about to get worse for him. He’s about to have “outrageous misfortune.”

Near the end, he almost tells Carol over the radio, but doesn’t. Probably a mistake. Maybe to foreshadow that they don’t speak again (or say goodbye) before everything goes really bad?

During this part, Siddiq talks to Dante on the radio. We learn that Rosita is sick. Not sure what’s up with that, but they went out of their way to tell us that. 

Also, apparently Gabriel isn’t at Alexandria. He left for some unknown reason and hasn’t returned. Thanks to @wdway​ for catching that. Why is it important?

Because Gabriel is the embodiment of the Sirius symbolism. And right now, they’re literally waiting for him to return.

Then Siddiq says, “I’m still here.” (Beth line.) And Dante has an interesting line where he says, “The universe is on pause until God returns.” He’s saying that not much is going on there medically and he’s referring to Siddiq as “god.” But it’s still an interesting line about God returning, no?

Connie, Magna, and Daryl:

Of course there’s the fact that they’re looking for the missing girl with all the Beth symbolism around her. Lt’s talk about Daryl’s story about Merle. Obviously it’s a callback to Still, where he talked to Beth about Merle and told a story about him. Beer is mentioned. And it all takes place on a lake. So, a body of water. Also, when he did the motion to tell how he’d hauled Merle alone, he put her arm around his neck. It looked exactly like the way he helped Beth in Alone, after she hurt her ankle.

I don’t have a whole lot more detail than that, other than what I’ve already said. Daryl does say, “I get it,” in that final scene when he’s talking to Connie.

I did notice one other random theme, here. It was a magic theme, of all things. First, Ezekiel, talking about the old world, said it had been a time of sorcery and witchcraft. (In other words, they could do awesome things to fight cancer.) Later, when Negan was talking to Milo, he used the term “voodoo magic” to describe flying. I just thought it was a weird theme. No idea what it means.

Emily’s song:

So I wrote yesterday’s post long before TTD aired, and I totally didn’t catch that they used Emily’s song in the show. By then, I didn’t want to add it to my post. But it’s AWESOME!

So there’s what @angelthefirst1​ said: in 5x10 the music box awoke, an din 10x5, Emily’s song was used. Coincidence? No. Really not, my friends. Plus, just a few days before this episode aired, Emily shared some Bethyl artwork in her story. And a few days before that, she posted the tarot card picture. Yeah, I feel like she’s super close.

I have more to say about the song and how I’m interpreting the symbols in it, but that will be a post all its own later in the week. Overall, I think this is an awesome win for us. It’s music, it’s happening in this episode. It’s played over the scene when Yumiko mentions to Magna that the supplies are missing. That became part of Daryl and Connie’s arc when they were searching for a lost girl. I don’t think any of that is a coincidence, y’all. And I’m super excited to see it.

Also, Magna is reading a book called The Promised Land in this scene. I need to look into it more, as there are many books with that title. Most of them are about Israel or things related to the Old Testament. Given all the Moses symbolism around Beth, that’s not a coincidence either. One in particular was about the Exodus. So I’m wondering if that is a foreshadow about something to do with Magna or, better yet, something to do with Beth. 😉

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[jq37]

Ok, a few Unsleeping City asks: 1-Thoughts on new ep? 2-CAMBRIDGE SANTALYTICA 3-The gang tries to meet up for drinks

**spoilers for mutant santa melee**

(I’ll respond to the other two parts of the ask in another post!)

We are back with our first battle episode of the season and our first chance to see the NY Crew really show their skills.

Ricky trying to keep Sophie's reckless ass safe because he has big golden retriever energy is great.

I can't decide if everyone taking this first fight more seriously than the first fight in FH is because they remember how badly they got womped last time and didn't want a repeat or because they were just playing older, more experienced characters.

I hate everything about these mutant Santas and I want it on the record. I mean, they're great from a game design perspective but I hate them.

"Mr. March, I'm gonna save you!"/"My name is Rick, by the way."

I thought it was funny that Ricky and Sophie both happened to hit the exact wrong type of Santa for their skillset for their first attack, back to back.  

Fig's Bardic Inspiration move was to do flirty winks at everyone. Misty's is to give big, theatrical compliments. I love it.  

Ricky dropping gun safety warnings mid MUTANT SANTA FIGHT.

"Fucking come out of your stupid cocoon! I know you're not a butterfly!"

I love it when rolls are happening at the table and Lou is loudly like, "This is terrible. I hate this." He did it all through the family rescue rolls in FH too.

"It's fine. It's fucking new York. What do you expect?"/"The NY that I live in and the NY that you live in are very different my friend." That's the real NY experience.

Sophie going, "F the minions, I'm going for the obvious boss Monster, I'll take the attacks," is such a good character defining moment. Also, the action-y music abruptly cutting off as the door shut was hilarious.

So Pete is hearing mysterious whispers and Sophie is hearing mysterious whispers and I'm Concerned, especially since it's the two newbies and it's not necessarily significant but it could be so I'm just mentioning it and tabling it until I have more info to speculate.

Misty turning to Kingston and saying, "Just like old times!" makes me want to know every single detail of their history together before the new kids showed up.

"Santa's my friend and he's fucking dead."

I like the homebrew rule for Pete's wild magic surge which makes the odds of one increase every time it doesn't happen because it ups the chaos factor and makes it inevitable rather than just a possibility which I bet has the potential to create some real tension in a long, drawn out fight.

The way Brennan kept describing Pete's arm as peeling like a banana when he used his magic grossed me out so much so, if that was the goal, you did it. Thanks, I hate it.

The, "Guess I'll just die," meme but it's Pete going, "Guess I'll just use this evil magic."

"Darling I love to be naughty. It's my favorite thing!" (Misty's chaos potential increases with every line she says).

"SANTA GETYCHO ASS UP." (Flawless bedside manner)

I forgot how fragile lower level characters can be! I'm glad so many of the party members have at least some healing spells (I think everyone but Pete and Sophie) as opposed to FH when it was basically just Kristen I think.

"He just gives us a PS4 and that's it."

Sophie monkey bars up Giant Eldritch Horror Santa's exposed ribcage and upercut-kick him because stripping Emily of her magic doesn't strip her of her creativity or flair.

"Darling, with me every day is a show. My life is a show!"

Sophie, upon being complimented by Misty: Oh my God. My new friends are awesome.

The idea of a dirty rat man summoning a unicorn is hilarious to me.

Pete's first Wild Magic surge just restores his sorcery points, which is great as a player but, as a viewer, I really hope we get to see some bombastic nonsense soon. Also, Brennan had the wild magic surge, in story, be the result of Pete's magic reacting to Kingston's, which I thought was a cool way to justify game mechanics.

"You're the opposite of Santa!"

Smites are GOOD you guys.

Sophie catches Santa and and Ricky (who has just killed the boss Santa) takes a selfie with them. Bless. Also, Sophie refuses to put down Santa for the rest of the fight.

Misty has an umbrella with a KNIFE inside of it which I LOVE.

The fight ends a little anticlimactically because, once you bum rush the boss, all that's left to do is clean up the minions.

Misty mentioned having Shoes of Titania and I wanna know if that's an actual item with a mechanical effect and what its stats are if so.

Ally realizing they only some of the Santas explode on impact basically at the end of the fight was classic DnD.

Santa sending people into his bag was giving me big Naddpod vibes.

"What the fuck happened?" --Santa, 2019

I don't like the implication of the gestating tadpoles with the Santa hats. Like, is Santa's hat organic? Is it just a part of his body? No thank you.

Pete just lying to Santa's face for absolutely no reason. Incredible.

Santa and Misty talking shop, just because, was such a fun 30 seconds of RP. I love RP that exists just to exist (and, sidenote, I also love when it comes back around and becomes relevant like in Naddpod (14 seconds of absolute silence...chicken)).  

"Santa, don't give this boy an egg."

"A very fancy egg for a very not fancy boy. But a good boy nonetheless."

Ricky on Santa: It would be crazy if you weren't real because you're such a good person. (Zac struggling to get through that was his second best moment of the ep).

Pete gives Santa a bag of coke and tries to dip when she sees cops because, magic or not, that's Who He Is As A Person.

Santa: Pete, your soul is in jeopardy. (lol, Santa knew his name on sight which, of course he did. It's Santa. Duh.)

CENTAUR HORSE COP. I love that as much as I hate the mutant Santas.

Ricky, horrified: Am I on the bad list?/Santa, who is still processing that Ricky never stopped believing in Santa:Ricky, no. (That was my fave Ricky line of the ep, in case you were wondering)

So, in this world, Christian (Catholic specifically) figures explicitly exist, which is good to know. Also, in last episode and this one, the grey faced child mentioned Lazarus which I thought was just a stylistic name choice but that's a name w/ specific Biblical connotations (that's the dude Jesus brought back from the dead for those not up on your New Testament) and it still might be irrelevant, but it's one more thing for me to tack up on my conspiracy board.  

"Santa, are you Cambrdige Analytica?"

Anyway, Heaven and Hell use the naughty and nice list to figure out who goes where so they're not being redundant which is wild because that means Santa essentially gets to decide morality for the rest of the world and, as of now, Pete is super going to hell based on the look Santa gave him when they were talking about who's on the naughty list.

Santa's list has been stolen which is, como se dice, Bad. The specifics aren't clear, but it's super not good. Also, Santa lets the group know that they might wanna figure out what's going on with Pete before he chucks deuces and goes home. So it seems like we'll be seeing him again.

I wonder what the timeline for this season is gonna be. Like, Christmas seems like an obvious time for a big, climactic setpiece, but it'll have to be a really compressed timeline if that's what they're aiming for. Compressed compared to Fantasy High at least.

Sophie, illegally cracking a Mike's Hard in Central Park in front of a cop: Um, we're magic. (She gets a ticket immediately)

That's it for this week! Next week the mob (the pixie mob maybe?) and Siobahn has awesome hair!

#dimension 20 #the unsleeping city #asks #anon #I may be slow on the next post bc I'm on vacation next week and I won't have my main laptop #but we'll see what happens #also does anyone know if you can download content in the dropout app? #bc if you can I can watch the RTX ep on the plane tmrw #Anonymous

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#140: The Ditch (9x04)

So in Rick’s final storyline before his final episode (cuz imo his final episode transcended story, it was an experience lol 💯) all I can say is my man is betrayed. 😑 😪 Like there’s no other way to put it.

The first time we see Rick, he’s looking at the bridge and the river rushing under it and isn’t happy that it’s going to pretty much put a halt on continuing the bridge. And for him, this feels like symbolically putting a halt on bridging the gaps between the communities like he’s been so determined to do, mainly to honor Carl’s memory. 

So Rick has his final exchange with Eugene which was actually pretty sweet and then we get an emotional final moment between Rick and Carol and this is all just sad. 😭 

In show context it’s sad, cuz Rick has to see pretty much everybody go and walk away from this project that he put so much hope in, but out of show context it’s sad cuz these are some day one season one characters and actors having their last on screen interaction.

Rick acknowledging that Carol figured out who she wants to be and Carol reminding him they all did was a nice way to comment on the arcs they’ve both had. It’s been quite the journey for the two of them. 

And it’s extra sweet when Rick tells Carol, “If anyone gives me hope for how things can turn out it’s you.”  At one point Homeboy kicked Carol out of the community for burning people and now she stands before him as this woman with a son and a kingly husband so she’s definitely shown you can come a long way. 

Carol is one of the few people who didn’t try Rick and Michonne too much this season so I’m glad she voices to Rick that she is one of the people who really did want this to work out like he did. And it’s a heartfelt moment when he smiles and tells her he knows. ☺️

Jerry informs Rick that Maggie is on her way to Alexandria so Rick quickly gets on his walkie to let people know that if Maggie Rhee shows up to Alexandria don’t let her in without an escort and “alert Michonne right away”. Partners. Who handle things together. 🧲 Here for it.

But y’all… who’s sitting/lurking in the background like a snake waiting to attack his prey??🤨 (Disclaimer: I love Daryl and he’ll always be part of the family. But you gotta call out the siblings when it’s right👌🏽).

And you gotta admit, they legit filmed this like a snake preying in the background, as Daryl watches Rick give these orders. 

Then Daryl stands up and “casually” asks, “Hey. What’s going on?” even tho he knows good and well what’s going on. 

Rick explains that Maggie is headed to Alexandria to potentially do something she’ll regret. So Daryl tells him to hop on his bike cuz he’ll take him since it’ll be faster. The deceit is just so calculated. 😒 I think that’s the part that just doesn’t sit well. It’d be bad enough if Daryl just asked him to stick around to help with something and “distract” him, but for him to straight up say I’ll take you there knowing he had no intention of doing that...it’s a breach of trust that is pretty tough to swallow.

And of course Rick agrees to this because that’s his brother…why would he lie. So he hops on the back of Daryl’s motorcycle and they ride off for Rick’s betrayal.  

When they cut back to Rick and Daryl, Daryl revs up once they get to the crossroad where they should’ve turned, because he has no intent of getting Rick home. And y’all, I felt tried because it’s already bad that he’s ditching the turn they’re supposed to take...but then Daryl gotta be extra with it and pop a wheelie or something to really make a statement. 😟😂 I was like...

Rick tries to tell him that they passed the way back home but when Daryl doesn’t listen Rick seamlessly transitions to cop mode and tells Daryl to pull over. After yelling it a second time, Daryl finally stops and Rick quickly gets off the bike. They face each other and Rick knows something shady is up.

Rick asks him what this is and Daryl points at Rick and says, “You know exactly what this is” and I do too; betrayal. 🙃 Rick informs Daryl he already called it in so Maggie’s not making it through those gates. And I know that part of why Rick feels so confident about that is because he’s confident Michonne will handle it.

But Daryl reveals that he and Maggie’s plan was real planned out cuz that call didn’t go through. Rick realizes they messed with the relay so he’s about to get on the walkie again but Daryl knocks it out of his hand. And as it so often goes with these two brothers, they end up in a scuffle that has them tumbling into a deep ditch. I mean when Rick said you’re my brother in season four he wasn’t kidding because these two truly do get into it like siblings. 💯

What always hurt the most about paving Rick’s exit this way, is knowing that he wanted to go home. 😭

He was headed home to Alexandria and would’ve got home if he had taken his horse. But Maggie and Daryl’s scheme kept him from getting back home and getting back to Michonne which is a special kind of frustrating. It be your own day one friends. 😒

In the ditch, Rick jumps up to try and grab a root but it doesn’t work and he asks Daryl if he set up the root falling too. 😂 Petty Rick had to make a final appearance lol. 😋 

Rick tells Daryl, “You know what keeping Negan alive means to us.” And it’s interesting that he says “us”. In my Richonne brain I feel like at least part of that means him and Michonne specifically, because what keeping Negan alive means to the two of them is honoring their son’s memory and what Carl wanted for them.

Rick says he’s not blind as to why Maggie would want to kill Negan, and Daryl says he’s been acting blind. And then Daryl gets personal by telling Rick that he wouldn’t even be alive without Glenn. And it’s true but um…Glenn wouldn’t even be dead without Daryl so let’s not go there. 🙃 

Then Daryl just wants to keep pouring salt on the wound by telling Rick that without Glenn he wouldn’t have found Lori (😑) and Carl or any of them and he asks Rick if he’s forgot what Glenn did for him. 

I wasn’t feeling Daryl throwing that in Rick’s face like Rick doesn’t know or appreciate what Glenn did for him. Especially cuz we know from 7x12 how much Rick remembers and carried the guilt of all Glenn did to save him, so it was a low blow to accuse him of forgetting that. 

I get Daryl’s hurt, he has a right to be, but not like this. Not where he hurts the man closest to him. 😣

When he has the nerve to ask if Rick’s forgot how instrumental Glenn was, the petty in me wanted to ask Daryl if he forgot when Negan said, in the clearing, if anyone steps out of line again he’ll kill somebody. 😑

Rick reminds him that he of course remembers and even thinks about it every day.The parallel to Rick and Michonne both saying they think about what they lost everyday is tough cuz it shows they carry it with them. But it also speaks to their resilience to be able to constantly think about those they lost but still focus on the family they still have too. R&M have been able to move forward and heal cuz they don’t run from the grief anymore. 👌🏽

So then Rick and Daryl proceed to argue about what keeping Negan alive is really symbolizing to people; is it hope that things can be different or hope that one day things will go back to the same. 

It’s sweet that Rick says, “Michonne talked to her. She came to camp. She was coming around.” I think for Rick, it’s already been established that he believes Michonne can do anything and so he was probably like if Michonne took care of it and spoke to Maggie then it’s settled. He’s probably thinking why wouldn’t someone change their ways after a Michonne conversation, since Michonne-talks is all it takes for this wonderfully whipped man to change. But Michonne knew in 9x03 that Maggie wasn’t as resolved with everything as she appeared. 

So as they talk, Rick tells Daryl that if Maggie kills Negan then everything was for nothing and then the most emotional part is Rick saying that if Negan dies then, “Carl died for nothing”. 

It’s heartbreaking to hear Rick say this and to know that more than anything what has fueled Rick’s drive to keep Negan alive was his want for Carl’s death to mean something. 

Carl’s death was so unrelated to the Saviors so I’m personally a bit confused as to why he’d have died for nothing if Negan dies. I guess it’s saying that Carl was so adamant to prove that there are good people left who need their help since the Negan war had everyone against each other, which is what had Carl out there with Siddiq hoping to prove a point. 

Regardless of the exact meaning of Carl dying for nothing, it’s a true statement because Carl did not have to die. Period. So he did seem to die for nothing. The only truer statement Rick could have said would have been, “Carl died for shock value.” 😅 

Daryl tells Rick what about us, and how Rick hasn’t been having enough faith in them and what they can handle. Rick tells him that’s not true because I think for Rick, having faith in his people is a huge part of him.

Daryl says he would’ve died for Rick and for Carl.  And then he lets Rick know, “But you gotta hear me. You’re chasing after something that ain’t meant to be.”

Daryl tells Rick, “You just gotta let him go. Let him go” and I felt it was very interesting for him to tell Rick this when Daryl refused to even let the death of his acquaintance Denise go. 🙃 Like my pal Daryl is kinda the master of not letting things go so I was just like... 

But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and guess that this is more Daryl speaking from lessons he’s had to learn himself, cuz letting go was not his strong point, which makes it hard to then ask Rick to do the same when it comes to letting go of a much closer relationship; the one with his son.

I do like the line when Rick tells Daryl, “I never asked anyone to follow me.” Cuz leadership is something that found Rick, not something he demanded. He’s expressed this sentiment many times before of how it’s not like he was itching to be the leader of everyone. 

Even during the Ricktatorship era, he initially gave people the option to leave (and send him a postcard lol) and didn’t force anyone to follow him. But because he’s a real one, he has stepped up to the plate and led, and because he’s human it’s not like that leadership has always been perfect. It’s like Danai described; he’s a man burdened with leadership but taking it on out of his love for his people. 

And I like Daryl saying, “Maybe you should’ve” cuz don’t get me wrong as much as I’m on Rick and Michonne’s side always, I also agree that Rick should’ve asked them what they felt was best and made a joint decision that everyone could feel good with when it came to Negan.

So then the brothers work together to get out of the hole even despite the walkers that tumble in and it’s this whole little action sequence. The most meaningful part comes from when Rick gets out first and then Daryl’s struggling to get up so Rick steadies him by saying, “Brother, take my hand.” 

Rick really is a real one for being so forgiving and putting all that serpentry aside to help his brother and to let Daryl know all is forgiven. This moment also connects to something Merle told Daryl in season two. 

When Daryl had to climb a similar cliff in search of Sofia he was badly injured and hallucinating Merle. Merle taunted him to take his friend Rick’s hand. And it’s just cool that, throughout all these seasons, Rick really has proven to be a true brother to Daryl. The brother he needed.

So Rick pulls him out and they leave the area and then the fakest friend of all shows up; that white horse. 😒 That white horse is the ultimate traitor lol.

Rick sees that the herds of walkers have merged and so he tells Daryl he’s going to lead the herd away, which will clearly lead to a not so happy ending. Daryl tries to convince Rick not to go the way of that herd but Rick refuses to give up and let this herd ruin the bridge. 

Y’all, I’ll be honest in this moment I was looking at Daryl like, you better go with him then Mr. I’d Die For You. 😑 Like I get Daryl wanted to get back to the camp and check on everybody but Rick, while very capable, is about to go into a huge herd alone. It could’ve been a two-person job and Rick wouldn’t have been alone to meet his fate. 

But at the end of the day things went the way they went, cuz Rick had to be written out one way or another. So Daryl and Rick’s final dialogue ends with Daryl saying, “Be safe.” And Rick saying, “You too.”

As Rick leads the herd away, this fake friend horse gets spooked and bucks Rick off of him like season one. Except here he lands alone in the middle of rocks and gets gruesomely impaled. 😖 

And as he lay there, we pan away with herds forming on both sides of him and we’re set up for Rick’s final episode, of which he endures like only Rick Grimes can. 👌🏽💯👑

gifs source: @michonnegrimes @coffeeandmusic82 @hilariesjeffrey

#richonne #s9 #9.04 #fight like brothers #love like brothers

[zrtranscripts]

Radio Abel, Season Six

Part 5 of 6

Parts 5 and 6 take place after S6M24, “Mother’s Little Helper”

JODY MARSH: All right, I think I've got it. Glastonbury. That's what I'd do.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Glastonbury Festival! Oh, that's good.

ZOE CRICK: Hm, I suppose. If you like music.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: We run a radio show.

ZOE CRICK: Yeah, but what about the whole washing under a tap, pooing in a box and sleeping in mud thing? Don't you think we get enough of that sort of thing post-apocalypse?

JODY MARSH: Yeah, but I mean, it's totally different when you know it's a choice, isn't it? It's like the difference between going on a detox and not having enough to eat. Not that I'd go on a detox obviously, because it's ridiculous.

ZOE CRICK: Mm, I guess. Personally, I'd spend my day sipping champagne cocktails in the Maldives.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Sipping cocktails in the Maldives with Amelia, you mean.

ZOE CRICK: Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I'm sorry. I know, I promised not to talk about it. But you know that's not a promise I was ever going to keep.

JODY MARSH: Yeah, come on, Zo. You are basically dating my mortal enemy. You can't expect us not to mention it.

ZOE CRICK: I'm not dating her.

JODY MARSH: So it's just sex? I'm not sure if that's better or worse.

ZOE CRICK: It's... I don't know what it is.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: A [?] inexplicable mistake?

ZOE CRICK: Like Jody's decision to spend her one pre-apocalypse day at Glastonbury.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. You're changing the subject.

ZOE CRICK: Yes. Yes, I am. To the fact I'd like to spend my day sipping cocktails on a beach and Jody would very weirdly like to spend it at Glastonbury.

JODY MARSH: In a way, we're talking about the same thing, though.

ZOE CRICK: You've got a very strange idea of what Glastonbury was like. I went every year. It was less sipping champagne cocktails on a sun-kissed beach and more necking cider in a rubbish-strewn field.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: You make it sound so glamorous! All right, citizens. More of your questions for Jody Marsh right after this.

JODY MARSH: No, but see, I never went to Glastonbury.

ZOE CRICK: Clearly.

JODY MARSH: I always meant to, but I just never got around to it. And now I never will.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, you might. Things are getting better, aren't they? I mean, apart from the whole Sigrid running half the country thing. There might be a Glastonbury Festival again one day.

JODY MARSH: But it wouldn't be the same.

ZOE CRICK: True. Three quarters of the acts would be zombies. Although to be fair, zombie Coldplay might be an improvement.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: And zombie Morrissey would probably be a lot more cheerful.

JODY MARSH: But it's not about the bands! It's about the people. Glastonbury used to be so carefree.

ZOE CRICK: Yeah, as long as you didn't care about where you'd be weeing.

JODY MARSH: What I'm saying is, if they held Glastonbury now, it would be full of people who'd lived through the apocalypse. I'd like to spend just one day in a crowd full of people who didn't know the end of the world was coming. I'd like to remember what that felt like.

ZOE CRICK: So, quick-fire questions: favorite color?

JODY MARSH: Bangladesh green.

ZOE CRICK: Weirdly specific, but okay.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Dogs or cats?

JODY MARSH: Dogs.

ZOE CRICK: Oh dear. Well, there goes our friendship.

JODY MARSH: Don't get me wrong. I like cats, but dogs are just better.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, you're just digging that hole deeper.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Dogs are better. They're actually, you know, loyal.

ZOE CRICK: Et tu, Cheeseman?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: This is a good one. If you wrote your autobiography, what would the title be?

JODY MARSH: Oh, that's hard. Can I have a think about that one?

ZOE CRICK: Yes. And while you're at it, why don't you have a long hard think about your wrongness on the subject of cats?

ZOE CRICK: Okay, here's another tough one for you, Jody.

JODY MARSH: Go for it.

ZOE CRICK: A listener from Walthamstow Commune wants to know, "How can you expect us to side with you when Sigrid can give us the cure and you can't?"

JODY MARSH: That's easy. We don't expect you to. It's not an easy decision to make, and if you've got a loved one who's been bitten, of course you'll go to whoever can help them. That's only human nature, and we won't judge you for that.

ZOE CRICK: Um... is that it? Don't we sort of want people not to go over to Sigrid just because she's got the cure?

JODY MARSH: Of course. And we're working as hard as we can on a cure of our own. But I'm not going tell people what they should do. I'm not going to judge them for making hard choices. That's the way Sigrid behaves. Just remember, like I said, Sigrid doesn't give anything for free, and the price of getting the cure from her may be much, much higher than you realize.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Also, if you go over to Sigrid, she'll probably make you stop listening to our show. So um, there's-there's that to consider.

ZOE CRICK: Yeah. Not sure that's quite the threat you think it is. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back.

JODY MARSH: Actually, you do get points for trying.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: For trying what?

JODY MARSH: No, that would be the title of my autobiography.

ZOE CRICK: Hm, I like that. Not sure it's true, but I like it.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Who's giving out the points, though?

JODY MARSH: Well... me, I suppose. Or whatever that little voice is inside me that's always got an opinion on what I've been up to.

ZOE CRICK: I hate that voice. It's so judgey.

JODY MARSH: Yeah. Well, it used to be, but it's been getting better. I mean, I used to think if I didn't get what I was after, that was it. I was a failure. But these days, we've failed on a pretty global scale. We could just sit back and go well, right? That's us finished.

Or we could keep trying. And we might not get anywhere, but while I'm breathing, I'm going to keep trying. That's what Abel's all about, really. Looking at the way things are and going, okay, that's a bit rubbish, but maybe I can make it better, even if it's only a tiny bit.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: That's really lovely.

ZOE CRICK: And that's all we've got time for from Jody Marsh, former Commander in Chief of Abel Township. Thanks for your time, Jody.

JODY MARSH: My pleasure. And here's one last song from me. I always used to listen to it when I needed that extra bit of motivation.

BERNARD PRIOR: So, exciting news, worthy listeners. Coming up, old Bernard will be reviewing another jolly old motion picture. And I have invited none other than our glorious leader, Amelia Spens, to join me and give us her verdict. No doubt she will have her own opinions to impart, and they will be fascinating! Stay tuned, friends. Don't touch that dial!

BERNARD PRIOR: Greetings, everyone! The time is now! Welcome one and all to edition two of Bernard's Movie Thingummy Whatsit!

AMELIA SPENS: What? Is that the catchy name you've come up with for this? "Bernard's Movie Thingummy Whatsit"?

BERNARD PRIOR: Yes. Don't like it?

AMELIA SPENS: [sighs] Give me strength. Play another song. We're going to do that again.

AMELIA SPENS: Hello, and welcome to The Guide, your one-stop shop for all the best entertainment in Fort Canton. Today, Bernard and I will be reviewing another of the movies that you can rent for a modest fee from our sponsor, Fort Canton General Stores, where you can also pick up a range of groceries, homewares, and personal products, including soap. Bernard?

BERNARD PRIOR: What?

AMELIA SPENS: Uh, introduce the movie.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh. I see. Sorry. I think I was in a mild state of shock for a second. [clears throat] Fair listeners, stay tuned please for our review of that great classic, Casablanca!

BERNARD PRIOR: Ah yes, Casablanca. What a story! Sweeping romance, tear-jerking sacrifice for the greater good. I confess, listeners, I did shed a single tear when the perfect soulmates, Rick and Ilsa, bravely put the war effort before their own happiness. They'll always have Paris! Oh, goodness me. I'm still a little choked up.

AMELIA SPENS: Yeah, I didn't get that bit.

BERNARD PRIOR: What do you mean?

AMELIA SPENS: I don't get why, if Ilsa liked Rick so much, why didn't she stay with him? Or failing that, go back to the bar. A much better option. The bar looked quite fun.

BERNARD PRIOR: Because she'd regret it! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow -

AMELIA SPENS: Yes, so Rick told her. Probably he just wants her to go so that he can go back to the bar and hang out with his real friends.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh, you wouldn't understand romance, Millie. There was a war on!

AMELIA SPENS: Okay, no need to get precious. I expect you saw this when it first came out.

BERNARD PRIOR: The cheek, Millie

AMELIA SPENS: Tell me more about the war, grandad.

BERNARD PRIOR: You are trying my patience, now.

AMELIA SPENS: You love it.

BERNARD PRIOR: Oh, shush.

BERNARD PRIOR: So, we almost forgot, there. Casablanca: five stars! Run, don't walk, to Fort Canton General Stores to put your name down on the list to borrow the VHS tape.

ZOE CRICK: Sorry, listeners. Just me, tonight. Phil's off on a date. Yes, you heard that right. An actual date with an actual living human. [laughs] Well, that's what he told me, anyway. It's possible he was lying. Hopefully he's not going to mess it up.

I gave him a bottle of very nice wine I've been saving for a rainy day, and Jamie, I mean King Jamie, offered to cook them fish curry. It's not every date that gets catered by the King of England. Though don't tell Jamie I said this, but he really needs to go a bit easier on the coconut cream.

Anyway, conditions are favorable. Obviously, Phil will find a way to mess it up because this is Phil we're talking about. But he's going to have to get creative about it. Phil and Raisa, if you're listening, this one's for you.

BERNARD PRIOR: Okay. Okay. [beatboxes and raps] And Bernie was a radio host. He was bestest, he was the most. He had the listeners begging for more. He wasn't actually born until after the Second World War. Oh yeah! [regular speaking voice] See? I'm a man of many surprises. That was for you, Margot. Life will find a way!

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Hello, ci-ti-zens! We've got a packed program lined up for you today. It's the first episode of our new cookery show, Recipes on the Run. There's the latest news reports coming from around the country. And yes, the moment has finally come – we'll be announcing the winner of the vote on our new name. Can't wait!

ZOE CRICK: Is that it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yes. No! We'll also be telling you all about Late Night Review with Phil and Zoe.

ZOE CRICK: [sighs] That's not what I'm talking about. I don't care about any of that.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: "Any of that" is literally our job.

ZOE CRICK: I'm talking about last night.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What about last night?

ZOE CRICK: Oh my God, you're doing it deliberately, aren't you?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Zoe, I've got no idea what you're talking about. Don't go away, citizens! We'll be sharing our best post-apocalyptic recipes right after this.

ZOE CRICK: But I - [sighs]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Quite an appropriate song there, because our very first recipe on the run is baked beans à la mode -

ZOE CRICK: No. No, absolutely not.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Well, that definitely is our first recipe. Look, Sam wrote it out by hand. I wish he did his J's clearer. I can't tell if that's supposed to be jam or ham.

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] If Sam's been eating ham roly-poly for dessert, we need to have words. But it doesn't matter, because food's definitely not what we're talking about right now.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: It literally is.

ZOE CRICK: Well, we're stopping and talking about your date instead.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No, we're not, unless you want to talk about your date with Amelia. Your date with Amelia Spens, the most awful woman in Britain.

ZOE CRICK: Oh, me and Amelia's old news. [laughs] Our listeners are much more interested in you.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No, they're not.

ZOE CRICK: They definitely are. Anyway, did you or did you not promise to fill me in on all the gory details?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I definitely didn't.

ZOE CRICK: Okay, but when you said, "Don't be ridiculous, it's none of your bloody business," I took that to mean, "I will spill the beans, I'll just need a little cajoling."

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Why am I friends with you, again?

[ZOE CRICK laughs]

ZOE CRICK: But I promised our listeners you'd tell them all about your date.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I know, I heard.

ZOE CRICK: You're listening to the radio during your romantic dinner?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I'm not answering that.

ZOE CRICK: Okay. Fine. But are you going to be seeing her again?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No.

ZOE CRICK: Right. It was a disaster. What did you do? Spend all evening telling her about why you think the Brady Bunch and the X-Files are in the same fictional universe?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No, although they clearly are. It was fine! There's just no...

ZOE CRICK: Spark?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Actual date.

ZOE CRICK: What? She stood you up?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No, no. I mean, yes. But no. Her ex decided she wanted to get back together with her. Which I totally understand. So I said of course she could cancel the date, and I gave her that nice bottle of wine to celebrate.

ZOE CRICK: All right. You obviously can't be trusted to organize your own dates. Next one I'm running for you, in person if necessary.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: You're literally the last one who should be giving anyone else dating advice. Your idea of an appropriate person to date is Amelia bloody Spens, who is, in case I haven't mentioned it before, the worst human being in the world.

ZOE CRICK: Be fair. Amelia's not as bad as Sigrid.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Not as bad as Sigrid isn't the benchmark anyone should be using for dating!

[ZOE CRICK sighs]

ZOE CRICK: It's just... not all of us can have the big romance like you, Phil.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I haven't got a big romance. In case you haven't noticed, I'm totally failing to have a big romance.

ZOE CRICK: Yeah, but you will. You're just that kind of person. I'm not.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, don't be silly.

ZOE CRICK: No, I'm really not. I'm too cynical. I'm always second-guessing myself. Do I really like them? Am I just flattered that they like me? What horrible secret are they hiding that I'll only find out about when I'm in too deep? That's what's great about Amelia. I'm not always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm already intimately familiar with the other shoe in all its horrible detail, so it can't come as a nasty surprise.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: But that's a terrible reason to date someone!

ZOE CRICK: Also, the sex is amazing. Amelia's surprisingly giving in bed for a person who's so entirely selfish.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Stop telling me things like that.

ZOE CRICK: You asked.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I take it back. I don't want to know.

ZOE CRICK: That's what I thought. [laughs] So no more questions about Amelia?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Never asking anything about her ever again.

ZOE CRICK: My work here is done.

BERNARD PRIOR: So, those travel papers they had in Casablanca...

AMELIA SPENS: I've told you, B, it was a movie.

BERNARD PRIOR: Yes, I do know that. But travel papers do exist.

AMELIA SPENS: Is this Chalk Valley again?

BERNARD PRIOR: And if it was?

AMELIA SPENS: It would be very difficult.

BERNARD PRIOR: But not impossible?

AMELIA SPENS: ... not impossible, no.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Hello, ci-ti-zens. Finally, it's the moment you've all been waiting for.

ZOE CRICK: The end of the zombie plague and the restoration of civilization as we know it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: The new name for our radio show!

ZOE CRICK: Hm, that would have been my second guess.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: The votes are in, they've all been counted, and there's a very clear winner. So without further ado, here's a rundown of the top five. Zoe?

ZOE CRICK: A new entry at number five -

PHIL CHEESEMAN: They're all new entries.

ZOE CRICK: Cute and concise, it's Radio Dork. I'm going to assume you're talking about Phil there and not me.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: At number four, an old favorite, we've got Radio Cabel!

ZOE CRICK: Number three, it's Radio Treachery. And Phil and I would both like to thank you for keeping it clean on the insult front. It's appreciated.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: At number two, turns out Zoe was almost right. It's Radio Station McRadiostationface!

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] And for the new name of the Station Formerly Known As Free Abel, stay tuned. We'll be announcing the winner right after this.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: So... should we tell them?

ZOE CRICK: No. I think we should keep them in suspense a bit longer.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Oh, but that's really irritating.

ZOE CRICK: And yet people like it. People are odd that way.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: They've been waiting a long time for this.

ZOE CRICK: They can wait a bit longer.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: It's Radio New Hope!

ZOE CRICK: What happened to keeping them in suspense?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Sorry! I was just excited! It's a really good name.

ZOE CRICK: Yeah, it actually is. [laughs] Both uplifting and geeky, which seems appropriate.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Although I think it might actually have just been Sam voting a million times.

ZOE CRICK: [laughs] It's true. The person who first suggested that name on Rofflenet was CurlyWurlyLover.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Doesn't matter. It's a great name. So hello, citizens. And welcome to Radio New Hope.

BERNARD PRIOR: And ahoy-hoy, sweet listeners! It's Bernie Prior! Don't touch that dial, don't click that mouse. Do not, whatever you jolly well do, do not swipe left, because this is Fort Canton Today, the show with all you need and more! So that includes things you don't need. Sorry about that. Plus me, your most humble servant and host, Bernard Prior. Oh yes. Jolly what. Are you ready for a Bernie bonanza? A Bernie beanfeast? A Bernie-ucopia? Perhaps that was a bit too far, listeners. Please accept my humblest apologies for any distress caused by my raucous wordplay. Sometimes I simply don't know my own strength.

BERNARD PRIOR: Now listeners, what a jolly tune. And as that fades out, I have a rather personal letter about a rather personal topic. How rum. I suppose you want to get up close and personal with me and feel the Bern! What what? [laughs] Oh heavens, what has gotten into old B? But listeners, enough revelry. The letter.

"Dear Bernard, could you tell us more about your first love, Margot? How did you meet? Why did you break up?" What a question. You're asking about one of the most tragic and bittersweet love stories of our time. Let me try and recall.

BERNARD PRIOR: Exciting news for those of you who tune into this show for our thrilling entertainment guide! Keeper of the keys, Miss Spens, has informed me that there will be more film reviews coming up, whether I like it or not, to quote her verbatim. So if that's your thing – and who am I to judge? - you are rather lucky! Your wish is my command.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ah yes, where was I? The old gray matter does wander from time to time.

I met sweet, fair Margot at university. The same university where young Bernard was to learn much of the gripping political science that has been judged too hot for broadcast by our glorious censor. Margot was, in the vernacular, my best friend's girl. So I was, naturally, far too chivalrous to make a move. I loved her from afar, like a courtly knight of old, chaste and pure in my affections. Perhaps she guessed, perhaps she did not. It was not for me to make my feelings clear.

After university, my friend and I drifted apart, and though I was invited to their wedding, my heart was shattered to smithereens at the thought and I stayed away. Truly, I never thought we'd cross paths again. But I also didn't expect a bally load of zombies to start munching on all and sundry either, so... expect the unexpected should perhaps be Bernard's new motto. And now a tune.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ah, talking of expecting the unexpected, how are you, my dear Miss Spens?

AMELIA SPENS: Oh, fine, fine. Well, not fine. Not at all fine! I don't like to complain, but you would not believe what people will complain about.

BERNARD PRIOR: I probably wouldn't.

AMELIA SPENS: Jigsaw shortage. I ask you, peoples' ability to waste my time trying to waste their own time. It's a picture of a sunset, for example. You can spend all afternoon assembling it, or you can spend that same time doing nothing whatsoever, and then see pretty much the same thing, and have achieved the same amount, i.e., nothing!

BERNARD PRIOR: People like a sense of accomplishment.

AMELIA SPENS: I have raiding parties they can join for that. I ask you, if they riot over this... wait, is this thing on? If you riot over this -

[glass shatters, crowd shouts]

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Perhaps a tune! A calming tune. How about this, honorable listeners? Sit back, relax. Pop the kettle on, or whatever you're using for a kettle, and try not to think about the rioters outside. And if you are rioting yourself, do keep hydrated!

BERNARD PRIOR: They're getting close. I believe I hear the distant sound of folk crying on the wind, "We want jigsaws!" Could they have discovered your whereabouts? You have been broadcasting it, quite literally.

AMELIA SPENS: I don't care. They are idiots.

BERNARD PRIOR: Perhaps, but they are rather voracious idiots. The demands are quite simple. I read a placard. Could we not consider manufacturing some jigsaws? I mean, we have the capabilities these days, surely.

AMELIA SPENS: No! How could you even suggest such a thing? I need my carpenters for actually making actual things, not cutting actual things into small pieces so other people can reassemble them for a misguided sense of achievement! No, Bernie, I will never give in to this.

BERNARD PRIOR: Sorry, listeners. While your host takes prudent cover under the shelter of this table, do listen to... this.

BERNARD PRIOR: So hang on a moment, Millie. You're not just hiding out in here? You actually want to talk about the film we watched?

AMELIA SPENS: Yes. The fact this studio has no windows and is reasonably secure is just a coincidence. To work, Bernie.

BERNARD PRIOR: I see. I suppose we can just gloss over the way your presence here endangers me. [clears throat] Delicate listeners, honest travelers. Coming up, Amelia Spens and I will be, I dearly hope, calm and contained enough to furnish you with our personal musings on the delightful motion picture Legally Blonde right after this.

BERNARD PRIOR: And we're just going ahead, despite all that? Okay, fine. Fine. Never mind professional standards, never mind them. What ho.

Ahoy-hoy. Oh, dear listeners, the visual treat that was Legally Blonde. What a story! A noble hero against the odds. A fight for love or glory. There's even a dog. I do love a plucky hound. Listeners, I am beaming as I think of it. Amelia, I don't suppose you agree.

AMELIA SPENS: I do, actually.

BERNARD PRIOR: You do? You like Legally Blonde? A story where a good-hearted ingénue wins through?

AMELIA SPENS: Yes. She's a hero of mine, actually. A heroine. I have on occasion modeled myself on her.

BERNARD PRIOR: Elle Woods? Really? But she's so... nice.

AMELIA SPENS: I've got nothing against being nice, Bernie. Sometimes being nice is an excellent plan when it suits one's needs. You catch more flies with honey, B. Oh! [laughs] Honey bee. Anyway, being nice, when combined of course with being smart, is very effective, as in the compelling case presented in Legally Blonde.

BERNARD PRIOR: Jolly good. Well, I suppose wonders truly do never cease.

AMELIA SPENS: You could say that. So off you pop, listeners, and reserve your copy at Fort Canton General Stores! As soon as it is safe to leave your dwellings.

AMELIA SPENS: I've had a message to say it's safe for me to leave the studio. Jigsaw riots are over.

BERNARD PRIOR: Really? But you didn't do anything. Surely a riot like that didn't just burn out.

AMELIA SPENS: Didn't have to do anything. It seems the riot destroyed most of Fort Canton General Stores' ceramics overflow storage next door to the studio. The jigsaw enthusiasts are now happily piecing everything back together!

BERNARD PRIOR: Really? Miss Spens, you sheltered here and encouraged a riot to pursue you so that in their destructive rage, they'd create their own puzzles?

AMELIA SPENS: Well, we did have a surplus of novelty mugs no one was using. Win-win-win. Now, isn't it time you played a record? Entertain your listeners, Bern! They don't need this waffle.

ZOE CRICK: I always think of that one as the zombie anthem.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Yeah, I know what you mean.

ZOE CRICK: You ever wonder what it would be like as a zom?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Not really.

ZOE CRICK: I do. It's just... don't you sometimes think how much easier it would be if you were a zombie?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Of course not.

ZOE CRICK: Really? I think about that a lot.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: But... the whole point of being alive right now is trying not to be a zombie. It's every single person in the world's current life goal.

ZOE CRICK: Well, yes. We all try not to be zombies, but that's just peer pressure, isn't it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: No.

ZOE CRICK: You're weird.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I'm weird? [sighs] I tell you what, let's ask a few people around Abel what they think, see who's out of step with mainstream opinion. Back in a moment, citizens.

ZOE CRICK: Okay, so maybe most people don't want to be zombies.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Literally no one except you wants to be a zombie.

ZOE CRICK: It's not that I want to, it's just I think it would be very peaceful.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: What, being brain-dead?

ZOE CRICK: Yes. Not having to worry about anything, not having to answer to anyone. All you need to do is shamble around groaning. It's a very undemanding job.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: There is the whole killing people thing.

ZOE CRICK: Yes, but on the plus side, you never need to worry about where your next meal's coming from.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I can't believe you just said that.

ZOE CRICK: It's true, isn't it?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I suppose. Except zombies don't worry about food. They don't worry about anything... I don't think.

ZOE CRICK: Thinking's overrated. It always gets me into trouble.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: I thought it was not thinking that did that. Like that time you picked up a stray cat without thinking because it looked sad, and then it gave you ringworm. And then you gave me ringworm.

ZOE CRICK: And then you didn't speak to me for a week. See? Ringworm's another thing zombies don't have to worry about.

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Right. This conversation's over.

ZOE CRICK: Why?

PHIL CHEESEMAN: Because you're freaking me out. We'll be talking about something less disturbing than Zoe's brain right after this.

BERNARD PRIOR: Ah, listeners, I have to apologize. Your usual fun-loving host is rather lackluster today. But I do have a letter to share with you, the contents of which are in part responsible for my delicate state. [clears throat]

"Dearest Bernard, I do wish you had told me back then that you loved me. I never loved John. I just felt like marriage to someone like him was what was expected of me. I hoped you'd come to the wedding. I even – and I know this is ridiculous, but in some crazy dream – imagined that maybe you would rush in and stop proceedings. But it didn't happen, and now, sadly, I am stuck behind the Chalk Valley barricades. I've tried to reason with the governing council, but apparently, no one can leave without papers. Yours always, Margot.

#zombies run #zrs6 #s6 radio #s6 radio part 5 #zr transcript

[lizartgurl]

“Back To You” (Aqualad x OC)

Kaldur is bi. Fite me. Allow me to shove a multi-chapter fic of him and my oc in your face because almost no one else seems to want to write about him because it’s “too hard”

Shout-out to @sand-son for your excellent beta-reading input. Comment if you’d like me to tag you in future updates.

PART ONE

Word Count: 2100

The smooth floors of the Watchtower reflected her frown back up at her as her boots thudded rhythmically. Emma couldn’t tell if it was some very well-polished granite, or if it was some alien material from far, far away.

Right now, she'd rather be in a galaxy far, far away than stuck here.

The Reach were defeated. The Lanterns were escorting them to trial on Rimbor, and she wished she’d bullied Bruce into letting her go with them. Like that would have worked out, but it would be better than what she’d faced every day since the summit.

“Emma!” Wally waved super-fast as she walked past the med-wing. Since he helped his uncle and cousin-from-the-future stop the last of the Reach’s chrysalises, his powers were fading in and out, giving him random burst of hyper-speed at some inopportune moments. When his arm wouldn’t stop waving, Artemis grabbed it to steady him. She fell over from his momentum, and they laughed before kissing.

They were so lucky.

Not breaking her stride, Nightingale managed a smile at two of her oldest friends, and waved. She finally arrived at the conference room, far away from prying eyes and ears in the garden, the cafetorium, or the mission room. She squared her shoulders and knocked.

Bruce opened the door.

“Come in, Nightingale.”

Emma nodded, and softly stepped around her mentor, hugging herself nervously.

The four other Leaguers clustered at one spot at the U-shaped table stood up to greet her.

“Thank you for coming, Nightingale,” Canary smiled warmly, setting a few of Emma’s nerves at ease.

“You’re not in trouble, don’t worry,” She joked. Emma almost laughed, taking the empty seat between Batman and Black Canary.

“Then what is this about?” She asked. The others sat down in silence, and Emma tried to do what Bruce did his best to teacher and analyzed what else they could be asking of her.

Black Canary’s day job was a psychologist, and Emma and her other team members were very open with her about their thoughts and problems. Aside from that, she was also the new chairman of the League. Everything went through her now.

The android Red Tornado used to be her team’s “Den Mother”, she got to know him very well while she lived at the cave that was now blown up. He was usually present whenever the League held counsel with team members, as he provided insight that didn’t typically occur to human minds.

Batman, Bruce, was like her father. Even if he wasn’t her mentor, he was almost always included in top-secret meetings. He was Batman.

Between Red Tornado and Black Canary sat Wildcat, her mentor, and a semi-retired superhero who used to work in the Justice Society with Red Tornado, a precursor to the Justice League. Emma wondered if it had anything to do with the JSA, but she only knew Red Tornado, Doctor Fate somewhat, and now Wildcat.

Aquaman, sitting gravely next to Bruce, was what worried her. Aqualad wasn’t present, but if his King was there, it had to be something to do with him.

Bruce saw her bite her lip, and squeezed her shoulder. Dinah took her hand.

“Aquaman and the League have received a few...disturbing messages in the past couple of weeks,” She said carefully.

“And another two since you entered this room,” Red Tornado updated. Wildcat made a grunt that sounded somewhat like a chuckle.

“What kind of messages?” Emma encouraged, though by Canary’s tone, she took it that they weren’t the most pleasant of memos.

“Threats,” Aquaman sad simply.

Emma blew a bit of hair out of her eyes, “I thought we got those all the time. Isn’t that part of the job? Dealing with ‘threats?”

“Ones directed at the League or at the Earth as a whole, yes, but these were directed towards a specific individual,” Batman said.

“One you seem hesitant to state. Is it me?” Nightingale asked.

Batman raised a brow in her direction.

Aquaman activated his personal screen, projecting an image onto the shared screen for all to see.

The image wasn’t best quality. The lighting and blur suggested it was taken deep underwater. Graffiti was marked on the side of a white stone building in dark black that looked red, striking Emma with a sickening similarity to blood. Where did they get that much?

“I-I’m sorry, I can’t read Atlantean,” She apologized to the King of Atlantis. Her stomach churned as she stared down at polished gray table.

Aquaman stood up, bracing himself against the table.

“Well, editing it very mildly, it says ‘Kill the kama traitor’.”

“And kama means...?” They were dancing around it.

“Emma,” Bruce turned her towards him, his voice gravely serious, “They’re threatening Aqualad.”

Emma swallowed that, as Red Tornado silently played a slideshow of similar threats for her illumination. She stopped counting at fifty-seven, holding her head in her hands as she tried to focus on memorizing the grain of the table. This could not be happening.

“It’s about his undercover mission,” Black Canary explained, as if Emma couldn’t guess.

“Contrary to popular belief, I was aware of Kaldur’s plan. Captain Atom was not very pleased to find out when he did, and neither were my people. Many, specifically the purist sect of Atlantis, refuse to believe that is the case.”

“They want to kill him, Emma,” Canary said. That much was obvious.

“We run into people who want to kill us all the time!” Emma snapped. She tried to even her breathing, and Bruce patted her back calmly.

“Nightingale, they have already tried to assassinate him when he returned home to visit his parents.”

Emma’s breath caught in her throat. Sha’lain’a and Calvin were more than willing to die for their son, they had proved that by raising him for the past twenty years. But they shouldn’t have to, Kaldur wouldn’t want them to.

“I assume you’ve already spoken to Aqualad about this?”

“Yes. And he suggested he take a leave of absence.” Canary said. “Depending on whether this cools down or not, he’d return eventually, or completely drop off the map.”

“Because he always has the best ideas,” Emma leaned back in her chair with a sigh that made her resemble a deflating balloon. She realized that wasn’t the most mature move, but she didn’t particularly care at this point.

“I assume he wants to give me lead of the team, since Nightwing was so eager to give up command after this past year?”

Batman and Canary shared a look. “He actually suggested Batgirl.”

Emma was barely surprised. She wasn’t the most capable of leaders, but she was used to everyone just automatically assuming that she was a good leader because she was trained by Batman and was almost joined at the hip with her little brother. She forgot that Kaldur knew her better than that.

“He volunteered to go alone, but we suggested taking backup.”

“Like pretending to kill Artemis so she could go undercover?” Nightingale couldn’t keep the bitter tone out of her voice.

“Yes,” Canary smoothly continued onward as Aquaman looked around awkwardly.

“Except, this time, we believe Artemis and Wally would like to spend more time together, especially after his near-death experience. We’d ask Miss Martian, but she is on probation until she figures out how to get a handle on her powers again, and Superboy is trying to help us help her with that.”

“And Nightwing?” Emma was afraid of the answer.

“Richard is going step back from the team. Take time to ‘find himself as a hero’.” Bruce spoke up at last.

Of course she was the last to know.

“Any other team members?”

“Kaldur’ahm requested this stay with the senior team members. Rocket has her son to raise, and she and Zatanna both have their cities to protect.” Aquaman stood, his arms folded.

“Just like last time,” Emma grit her teeth, squeezing her arm to keep from lashing out.

Canary squeezed her shoulder. “You can say no, Emma.”

She was very tempted to say no.

But something kept her from saying no. She knew Kaldur as well has he knew her, and Kaldur was too selfless for his own good. Someone had to be there to watch his back.

“I’ll need to think on it.” She said.

“How long would you like?” Canary seemed hopeful about that. This was definitely farther than she expected to get.

“How long can you give me?”

“The JSA has a cabin up in Canada, a very remote area,” Wildcat spoke up at last. So that was why he was here, “We wanted to leave tomorrow.”

Emma held back a groan. “Give me an hour then.”

Without waiting for their okay, she stood and turned, leaving her chair spinning as she all but ran for the door. Out in the hall, with no windows to let you know that you were in space at all, she felt like she could finally breathe,

“Emma,” She didn’t look up at Bruce.

“When did Rick resign?” She asked.

“When we asked him to take on this mission. He’d finally made up his mind, and he planned to formally resign when we called him in.”

Emma was still upset that he’d kept that from her. He was keeping a lot from her lately. She knew full well that he wasn’t required to tell her everything, even though they were siblings. A lot of people didn’t seem to trust her these days. Artemis, Wally, Conner, M’gann, Kaldur. She felt left out of the loop with everyone she used to know so well.

“We didn’t want to ask you, Emma,” Bruce insisted.

“Then why did you?”

“You and Kaldur were very close-”

“Until he betrayed everyone and made us think that he’d killed our friend! Artemis is like my sister, and Kaldur knew that. Richard knew that. Why didn’t they tell us?”

“Sometimes secrets have to be kept,” Bruce said, stepping up to her side.

“Yeah, that was exactly what Rick said when he told us about the whole undercover thing. He really is turning out more like you every day,”

Bruce sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Emma.”

Before she could think, she spun to face the voice. Her baby brother took off his mask under a look of disapproval from their mentor to talk face-to-face.

“I told Kaldur not to tell you.”

“About what, your little espionage setup?”

“Yes,” Rick said, completely serious, “I didn’t even want to tell Wally about it, if it wasn’t pulling them out of retirement...” He trailed off and shook his head.

“I didn’t know it would take the toll it did.”

“Going undercover at all takes a pretty big toll,” Emma snorted.

“Emma,” Rick interrupted, “He’s sorry. He loves you so much and he’s too nice a guy to tell you.”

Emma scrambled for something to throw back at him. “Well just because he likes me doesn’t mean I like him back!”

Rick’s face deadpanned. “You did for almost six years.”

Emma’s face burned red, and she took a few steps away from the men to think.

“I know you don’t owe him anything, but just let him apologize,” Rick begged.

Aquaman came out of the room next and dashed up the hall, where Kaldur himself came around the corner. Emma tried to avoid looking at him, but she couldn’t help it. He was too wrapped up in talking with his King, anyway.

His dark skin was noticeably paler, illustrating the dark circles beneath his eyes. How long had he been like that?

She had loved him, once. She owed him nothing after all that he did, but Shayera once said that both their hearts were too big for each other, for the world. Emma knew she would feel terrible if something happened to Kaldur that she could have prevented, and she did nothing about it.

She spun on her heel back into the mission room, interrupting Wildcat’s reminiscence with Canary.

“I’ll do it.

“I’ll go with Aqualad.”

The moment she said the words, she knew that Aqualad and his King, along with her brother and her mentor, were watching from the doorway.

Canary smiled in relief. She knew, just as Emma did, that Kaldur would be better off with someone to watch his back.

“Thank you, Nightingale,” She stood up and hugged her tightly.

Wildcat patted her soundly on the back, and pointed to Kaldur, “Now you two kids better get packed. We leave at five am sharp, Eastern Standard Time.”

For the first time in a week, Emma met eyes with Kaldur.

What had she gotten herself into?

#excuse my fricking salt #kaldur'ahm #kaldur #kaldur x oc #lizart writes #young justice fanfiction #back to you #<my tag for this fic on my blog #y'all are amazing thank you #i just want to read a nice kaldur fic is that too much to ask? #apparently yes #my ocs #nightingale #i got secondhand anxiety writing emma here please validate my writing #kaldur imagine #aqualad