I’ve mentioned this elsewhere but it feels relevant again in light of the most recent episode. Something that’s really fascinating to me about Orym’s grief in comparison to the rest of the hells’ grief is that his is the youngest/most fresh and because of that tends to be the most volatile when it is triggered (aside from FCG, who was two and obviously The Most volatile when triggered.)
As in: prior to the attack on Zephrah, Orym was leading a normal, happy, casual life! with family who loved him and still do! Grief was something that was inflicted upon him via Ludinus’ machinations, whereas with characters like Imogen or Ashton, grief has been the background tapestry of their entire lives. And I think that shows in how the rest of them are largely able to, if not see past completely (Imogen/Laudna/Chetney) then at least temper/direct their vitriol or grief (Ashton/Fearne/Chetney again) to where it is most effective. (There is a glaring reason, for example, that Imogen scolded Orym for the way he reacted to Liliana and not Ashton. Because Ashton’s anger was directed in a way that was ultimately protective of Imogen—most effective—and Orym’s was founded solely in his personal grief.)
He wants Imogen to have her mom and he wants Lilliana to be salvageable for Imogen because he loves Imogen. But his love for the people in his present actively and consistently tend to conflict with the love he has for the people in his past. They are in a constant battle and Orym—he cannot fathom losing either of them.
(Or, to that point, recognize that allowing empathy to take root in him for the enemy isn't losing one of them.)
It is deeply poignant, then, that Orym’s grief is symbolized by both a sword and shield. It is something he wields as a blade when he feels his philosophy being threatened by certain conversational threads (as he believes it is one of the only things he has left of Will and Derrig, and is therefore desperately clinging onto with both bloody hands even if it makes him, occasionally, a hypocrite), but also something he can use in defense of the people he presently loves—if that provocative, blade-grief side of him does not push them—or himself—away first.
(it won’t—he is as loved by the hells as he loves them. he just needs to—as laudna so beautifully said—say and hear it more often.)
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i was thinking about how i wished leverage had a birthday episode for some of the characters cause that would be sweet, but then i realised something and basically…. okay here’s my thoughts in quotes form, just for fun
hardison: so when’s your birthday? i could plan something for us and the team to do and-
parker: i dont know
hardison: you don’t know… your own birthday?
parker: no, how would i know? pshh, cmon, you’re telling me you remember EXACTLY when you were born? watch this - hey, eliot, do you know your exact birth date?
eliot, innocently passing by, who was canonically anonymously dropped off at a hospital as an infant: no, how would i know?
parker: that’s what i said!
hardison: excuse me?? what is going on right now
sophie, walking into the apartment: whats wrong?
hardison: parker and eliot- well, okay, when’s your birthday? i just have to prove something.
sophie: …….july 12th
hardison: why did you pause? wait, is that your birthday or sophie devereaux’s birthday?
sophie: ………… (guilty silence)
parker: see, no one knows their real birthday! haha you’re so weird sometimes, hardison
hardison:
hardison: what the fuck guys
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I like to think that when Mini Mal the son becomes a kid (like 6 yrs old) he gets so good at magic that no one can track him anymore except for dad. Uncles Silver and Sebek would always have their hands full searching for him with zero luck. Malleus is always on top of exactly where his son is though, but when Silver and Sebek beg him to tell them where the little prince is, he'd only chuckle quietly and say "Hm, I wonder."
That's because he knows that his son's hobby is following and getting a kick out of his uncles desperately searching for him.
So when Silver and Sebek approach their master again to beg for coordinates, Malleus hands them a map with an encircled location and simply says "Have fun," with a smile. The pair rush to the specified place with the boy secretly in tow.
It's a little village currently holding a festival. Popcorns, cotton candies, ferris wheels, roller coasters. Magic. With sparkling eyes and mouth agape, the little boy finally appeared between his uncles to excitedly drag them around the festivities.
Their kindly king had asked them to take a break.
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“Blah blah blah Tim Drake is sleep deprived” we’ve all heard it, but this man is a highschool dropout who’s job is to sit at WE and look pretty (no he isn’t a CEO, idk where any of you took that from), making his only responsibility the Being A Vigilante bit. However, I present to you Duke Thomas and Damian Wayne are sleep deprived, bc hear me out they are the only ones who have stuff to do both at day AND night time.
Bruce is rich, he doesn’t have a real job, same goes for Tim, Jason doesn’t have any job at all, Cass doesn’t even have a birth certificate, Steph seemingly dropped out of uni, etc.
None of them do anything besides vigilantism, but Damian has school during the day and Robin at night, Duke has school at night and Signal during the day, those mfs do NOT have time to sleep.
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can i request a fic where reader is a huge swiftie and now that 1989 TV has been released, reader is so excited and you're explaining to aaron about the songs, why taylor is re-recording (although aaron might have already known about it because he searched up taylor to keep up with your favorites because he knows how much you love taylor and her music and so he pretends he doesn't know because he can see just how excited you are to share your interest with him and he just looks at you with so much adoration as you react to the songs and talk with him 🥺💗) it could even be a pre-established relationship where he's just pining over reader, whatever you prefer to write!! if you don't want to write, then it's alright!! <33
“Hotch, you really don’t have to. I’ll be fine”
“No. I’m driving you home,” he argued, grabbing your jacket and handing it to you.
“But-”
“No buts,” he interrupted you. “I’m not letting you take the train, it’s raining.”
You gave up; partly, because he was stubborn and partly because you wanted nothing more than to be in the car alone with him.
The rain falling on the roof of his car wasn’t loud enough to cover the sound of the music that was coming from his radio. You didn’t recognize the song, but even if you did, you’d still have no interest in it. There were only a few very specific songs you wanted to listen to at that moment.
Aaron could probably see you staring at the radio, so you assumed that was the reason he made you an offer.
“You can play your songs if you want.”
“Do you really not mind?” you grinned, already opening your Spotify app.
“Of course,” he chuckled. “Go ahead.”
“Taylor released a new album and with work I haven’t had the chance to listen to it properly yet.”
“Is that why you had headphones on all day at the office?”
“I was lucky it was paperwork day.”
He shook his head in delight, and let you connect your phone to his car. You bit your lip trying to hold back a smile at the thought that he didn’t need to ask who Taylor was. And at the fact that you were certainly the reason why.
“How do you know the lyrics by heart already?” he asked, only one song in.
“Not all songs are new.”
“How does that work, I thought you said it’s a new album?”
“Okay so, it’s basically a rerecording of an old album. And she added a few new songs in as well. So even if it’s an old album it feels new,” you said. “She is rerecording all of her old albums that she doesn’t own. Because even though she wanted to buy them they were sold to somebody else. Someone who had not been good to her.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Yeah…But because she wrote them she has the right to record them again.”
“Oh…Good for her.”
“Yes. All Swifties listen to her versions.”
“Do they?” he said, laughing.
“Yes,” you said proudly.
“And which one is your favorite?”
“From this album?” you asked.
“Mhm…”
“I’ll just play it for you.”
It was hard to miss his shy smile when he saw the title ‘You Are In Love’ flash across the screen.
Maybe he was in love too.
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