#i know that doesn't quite add up with how family-friendly he looks here | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vhstown · 7 months

Text

hi guys shower thoughts in word form what's new 💀

why miles g is the perfect foil to miles — a long post

disclaimer: i obviously do NOT know what will happen in btsv. some of this devolves into external information like from the art book (or even just my own headcanons). i am also not an analyst. this is not a proper analysis by any means. also quite rambly so bare with me 😭

also i will be referring to 1610!miles as miles and 42!miles as miles g.

just so we're sure: a foil in literature is defined as "a character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character" (via britannica)

essentially one character exposes the flaw(s) of another character (usually by being the opposite of said character)

i talked about miles' attachment to the superficial goal of "being Spider-Man" in a separate post (which is long n kind of irrelevant so im not linking it here) but essentially the point i want to bring back is that 1610 miles is obsessed with the idea and IDENTITY of being New York's Spider-Man and being a hero and that is the complete opposite to miles g, who is arguably the PERFECT foil — it's literally a parallel version of himself

but first a bit of ramble about the start of the movie under the cut! (open)

you can see it in the way miles falls perfectly into the typical witty, effortless and loved hero in the way he fights at the start of the movie. when he's fighting the spot you're thrown into this false sense of security that everything's going to be okay and it's just another "villain of the week" because that's what you expect of Spider-Man. he has his usual quips and carefree interactions with the spot and we have no idea that he's about to take apart the entire multiverse

the spot as a character is one of my favourite villains EVER because he directly challenges this notion of what it means to be Spider-Man — you always expect the good guys to win and when they lose again and again to the spot, that's when everything we know, and MILES knows, falls apart. the spot is a brutal exposition of how futile "heroism" as a concept is to the spiderverse.

as a character miles so badly wants to be in the spider society in the first place because he thinks that's where it's at — that's where he can finally BE a real spiderman and fit in

so when all of his beliefs are challenged and he's forced to fight to SURVIVE rather than to win that's the turning point of his character. in the grand scheme of things to put it lightly this whole "spiderman" identity is bull

and also id like to point out that hobie's line of "im not a hero, cause calling your self a hero makes you a self-mythologising narcissistic autocrat" is SUCH a gut-punch when you realise this. my boy KNEW but miles had to realise it for himself obviously so he pissed off when he had nothing else to add. I LOVE HOBIE BRO—

in my other post i talked about how he attributes his security to his home universe, family and friends and then that changes to wanting to be a part the spider society (so security in his identity), but when he's kicked out, his main goals focus around his home universe again — he needs to save his dad

putting him in earth 42 is the final sort of way for the movie to say "look at yourself miles" because to him, he can't give up that want to be spiderman so easily. a part of him hopes that he can just go back home and be spiderman like normal, that's why he tells his "mom" (earth 42 rio) that he's spiderman even though that probably won't help him at all — he is still stagnant in his old ways

and thats where miles g comes in — picture his exact universe but where's miles is the "villain" (to him at least, he doesn't know that the prowler is actually a vigilante)

to give you the basics, miles g has NO super powers, he's a vigilante who has to HIDE from the public, he's not "friendly" — nothing like miles' picture of spiderman. again, he fights to do good, but also for survival — the sinister six are attacking HIS neighbourhood and HIS home so HE has to do something about it

of course that's not to say that they're completely different. miles g has all his cool gear and aesthetics for a reason. maybe deep down he wants to be like the superheroes that he sees in comics (assuming hes anything like 1610 miles) and/or he wants to live up to, or exceed his uncle in being the prowler

but it's far less superficial than just that. he's been forced into this more practical and REAL mindset about what it means to be a "hero" from the start — and now 1610 miles is too

miles g doesn't necessarily have a greater sense of duty. he doesn't concern himself with miles' universe because it's HIS — ("our dad—" "your dad.") and thats the reality check that miles needs, at least in this moment, that he's alone and that he needs to get the HELL out of there and save his dad — not the multiverse.

of course this might be a point of character development for miles g he's obviously not a perfect character and has his own trauma and backwards beliefs to overcome but he's in many ways a product of his environment

it re-emphasises to miles the importance of saving his dad — protecting what he has left because he has nothing else (his only sense of security anymore). the multiverse is this far away thing now and i think this could be explored as a spiteful rejection in btsv which he has to overcome but im obviously not sure

the real kicker is that in this universe aaron davis is alive and jefferson is dead. looking at this from a wider perspective, in my very convoluted opinion, on a surface level, JEFFERSON represents "the hero" and AARON represents "the villain". this is arguably why aaron "has to die" in earth 1610, because "good always prevails" (which is very clearly MESSED UP, which miles is coming to realise more and more)

okay now hear me out. in the SAME WAY miles represents "the hero" and miles g represents "the villain" — but we obviously know that it's more nuanced than that

and the respective fates of aaron and jeff clearly show to miles that it is NOT that simple. it's not a matter of "good over evil" because if that was the case his father wouldn't be dead.

and obviously thematically this ties into expectations of the future generation and overcoming archaic beliefs and failures of the past and hope in youth and blah blah blah (i actually love this theme it is just not talked about enough unfortunately but this video by elliot sang is a beautiful exploration of it)

miles g and aaron are NOT evil — they're just as much heroic, but not necessarily "heroes". again, that's exposing how superficial the notion of being "spiderman" and "a hero" really is

and this is why hobie is so right about labels and— (MUFFLED SCREAMING)

going back to the spider society when miles says "i thought we were supposed to be the good guys" — this idea of being a hero is really just a front for the spider society's lucrative and cult-like behaviour. you're doing it because it's your duty as a hero, you're letting people die because that's what's supposed to happen, because it's for the "greater good" (when it was never really about that in the first place but miguel and his "spider-cult" is a whole other topic)

by the end of the film we start to realise all of these things at once and that's what across the spiderverse does SO WELL in my opinion

so why is miles g the perfect foil to miles? to summarise, miles g encapsulates (at the very least on a surface level) the complete opposite of what it means to be the hero "Spider-Man". his entire universe is a parallel to earth 1610, and to miles, miles g exposes the flaws in miles' view about what heroism truly is.

neither of them are perfect characters, and we're yet to see much about miles g, but miles' development as a character and the way it's explored in such a self-realising way as well as thematically throughout all of across the spiderverse is something i will always love about the movie

im so excited to see if they'll team up as well!!!! so much potential

urrrrr thank you for coming to my ted talk ANYWAYS I LOVE HOBIE BROW— (THE CROWD BOOS) (SEVERAL TOMATOES ARE THROWN)

as always let me know your thoughts id SO love to hear them ^^ this was just a shower thought i was literally shampooing my hair and was like hold on a minute.... so there's definitely things to be added! take care n cya <3

121 notes · View notes

maxverstepponme · 5 months

Note

Ok i caught up what is happening. So here is some help.

We accuse kelly of being a groomer, a horrible mother, an attention seeker, hypocritical and fake activist.

Here is the response to why we accuse he of that.

She admitted to having a magical night with a teenage Max. Let me remind you that 18 being considered legal age is because of the army draft and has nothing to do with maturity. In reality, a 20 year old should be considered an adult. Anything below is a teen (literally). Let me also remind you that Max just moved out of his dads house and to monaco when he turned 18, so he was freshly on his own.

We have proof she spoke to underage fans on insta and has talked to them about her life with Max and would give them a heads up about boosting her posts.

She posted her kid naked online. That is enough to be a horrible mother, but let's continue. She left her kid to go party, and she trashed her kids' dad and spread shit about him (with the help of her underage fans), dragged her kid halfway across the world so she could have a "happy family" pic with Max. Pushed that kid onto a 22 year old not knowing how their relationship would work out. Finally, she has no regard for her kids' privacy and uses her to boost her engagement on insta.

She literally called paparazzi on herself. Do i need to say more.

Posted criticising consumerism and black friday to then literally tomorrow go on a shopping spree. Talked about the safety of children in cars (did a presentation on it) while her kid is jumping and standing on the seats of a moving cab in NYC. Talked about the environment just to than spend one of her many vacations on a yacht wearing a different bikini every day, let's not start with her selling over 200 pieces of clothing because that is so environmentally friendly and is not consumerism.

She posted about Palestine and mixed in adds in those stories. "Look at all that is happening there, but also look at my new shoes"

Let's not start with her defending racism, being xenophobic, and quite literally supporting a fascist sexist criminal as a presidential candidate in a county that she doesn't even live in. Also she literally is promoting EDs and is selling her face as natural.

And i have missed a lot of her shit.

Sent this to that bs gossip page.

30 notes · View notes

zonerz · 7 months

Note

your alvi character is soooo cute and cool looking i love him…

OMG 🥺 TYSMMM He’s my pride and joy and I love him so so much!!! I have sm I still wanna do with him and I'm so so excited for KHML to get him back into the action! 🫶 Unfortunately that also means he will, on some level, being Going Thru It but that's a small price to pay for more content of my boy <3 <3 <3

I hope u dont mind me taking this moment to ramble abt his general deal and vibe bc I feel like my thoughts are all scattered throughout my art with him 😭🙏 Will add a cut and reading past is ofc optional but TYSM for the interest in general! His design is so fun to doodle and he’s got a whole Dreamhouse Closet of fits 👍

But!! Basically in UX my boy joined Vulpes and got his keyblade on his bday, Dec. 25th when he turned 13-14 or so :] he started out on his own and was pretty quiet but very compassionate which paid off in the long run and got him some good friends (both in the form of Ephemer and co. and then with my friends' keykids Vivian and Vial--highly rec checking out their art too btw !!! @thequibblingking13 and @thatalien404 I love Vial and Vivi so so much as well 🥺)

As he pulled in these new friendships (and in the case of Vivi and Vial, practically family/siblingship) Alvi ends up having that compassion fuel him to become more skilled with his keyblade, learn more about how to best guilt and use medals, the best ways to Raid, etc. in order to be able to both protect/keep the people he loves safe as well as to be a teacher. He loved exploring new worlds and helping people in general and I think would end up being the kinda general Big Brother FigureTM who other kids could run to with questions--especially as he got into his later teens.

He ends up learning quite fast and scaling up pretty exponentially compared to some of his peers and, in general, ends up fairly competitive with the weekly rankings and PVP (friendly still, but ready to give it his all) and with that, he ends up taking that protector role more seriously as he becomes more competent. By the time the War really comes around when he's like 15-16, he ends up sticking around to fight in the hopes of shouldering as much weight as he can in the place of others, as well as wanting to shield Vivi and Vial as best as he can.

Though things definitely do get murkier as he gets stronger. I think that he'd always been a bit more open/neutral to darkness as a concept. He knows it can corrupt but would use it in small increments, however those would become larger and be used more often as time passed in trade for more strength--more capability. It would culminate at it's most out of control/chaotic when fighting with the Foretellers (shoutout to Ira who reflected every light attack BTW. like okay bro. u asked for this ig 😐) where he'd really just let loose and give it all, though it'd leave him weak and also pretty freaked out. Plus the whole almost dying thing definitely adds to that 😭 so he'd rein things in dramatically after waking up from the war.

As for the amnesia about the war, things shift a little bit here and I think he'd sorta wake up to reality pretty quick, especially with the nightmares. He loves Chirithy but his was never the best at lying, and despite whatever bumps in the road he and Ephemer had, he doesn't anticipate that he'd ever lie straight to his face. So when he confronts Skuld and Ephemer about it all? Well, they hesitate enough to tell him something's up at the very least--as he suspected. He's sympathetic to his friends' new position as defacto leaders though and, being a pretty natural leader-type himself, knows how precarious of a situation it is regarding information on the war. It's horribly distressing for him to remember everything to say the least, and he figures himself pretty capable of handling it, so the thought of having so many of the other kids remember en masse and just start hurting despite it being over just leaves him feeling sick. He doesn't like lying either though, and it feels wrong to hide such a huge event--which the others sympathize with bc damn they're dealing with that conflict too 😭 But, ultimately, Alvi agrees to remain quiet about the whole ordeal--even to Vivi and Vial whom he shared everything with. Which creates. Problems. 😬

In the weird mundane time they spend in the digital daybreak before things start glitching and life is just continuing "as usual" Alvi ends up inadvertently pulling back from Vivi and Vial (as they can tell something is Up) and gets closer to all of the Union Leaders! I really think he'd get along well and have unique but fun friendships with each and every one of them :> There's already that like Besties Bond with Ephemer and Skuld, but I think he'd really love Ven, Brain, and Lauriam, too. He and Lauriam would be the tallest two of the bunch and I think would lowkey prod each other about it in a mini competition as they both continued growing, he would ADORE Ven and love carrying him on his shoulders and such, and I think would just be chill and funny with Brain. Put them in a room together and the sarcasm level doubles 🤝

When Vivi and Vial finally figure things out abt the War tho, and that Alvi was actively lying to them, ehm... 😬 Things begin going downhill FAST from there. He doesn't really have any good explanation for himself as he just wanted to protect them at his core, but it was still not the best way to probably deal with it. That said though, what's WORSE is how he responds to the question of whether he'd do it again and uh. Well. 🤡🤡🤡

So suffice to say, Vivi and Vial feel pretty damn betrayed and generally angry at him but Alvi has hope they can patch things up and get it all sorted out. But with each attempt to be more transparent about things, Alvi keeps having to clam up because a lot of the stuff he's been doing have been with the Union Leaders and needs to remain kinda lowkey, so he ends up being unable to really tell that much which just comes across as condescending at best for Vivi and Vial. And then the glitches start showing up 🧍‍♂️

Alvi, in the midst of trying to both apologize and explain once more to them both, gets pulled away to go help Ephemer investigate what's going on at the Clocktower. He leaves his little siblings with the promise that, the very moment he comes home, he will tell them everything and share everything about all the worlds he's seen since--just like how things used to be. They have his word! And it's still shaky ground but a potential light at the end of the tunnel! But, well, then he and Ephemer end up in Game Central Station and things get very out of hand very fast. The end of the game unravels faster than they can keep up and the last "interaction" Alvi has with his siblings is Vivi crumbling in her own fight across town as the feeling of Alvi getting that hit to the heart from Ephemer echoes through to her oTL

The end of UX makes me SO. AUGH. I feel like I've already talked a lot but there's just So Much in my head for my poor little guy and MAN. His end would follow the canon ending of the game pretty closely. He'd stick around with Ephemer and Skuld and help see the other Leaders off in the Ark with the intention to go grab Vial and Vivi and get them inside to safety before things go wrong again. One little thing I wanna draw or poke at somehow tho is that like, I think he'd give little mementos/gifts to the others before they send them off in the ARK. To Brain and Lauriam, he'd give them each one of his earrings, Elrena would get his neon bracelets, and Ven would get a moogle chain he always kept on his dufflebag :>

As for the final fight. MANNNN. I think that Alvi would be able to put on a pretty convincing act and, somewhat bitterly, kinda goes down the line of like "Well, I really am a liar lately, so what's one more?" and he'd go all-in to ensure Ephemer was pushed to his limit. WHICH SUCKS AND HURTS MY HEART TO THINK ABOUTTT. But he'd pull it off, and he'd get that shot to the heart, and I think in that fight it's poetic if he was fighting more in a stance like YX than usual. Smth smth foreshadowing also legacy etc. 🫶🫶🫶 He'd go out proud and happy, even if it was immensely bitter knowing the last memories his friends all shared with him.

Suffice to say I have SOOOO many thoughts abt him and I am SO excited for Missing Link to do a round 2 bc I have a rough idea of what I wanna do for his arc/character-wise on his second time around and I am also so hyped to get Brain back 🥺🥺🥺 I think their friendship is going to be so so crucial to Alvi in ML and I cannot WAIT to get into it!!! And OFC THE WHOLE RAISING OF XEHANORT??? MANNNNN. He would love Xehanort with everything he had. It's so bittersweet that he would've passed before Xeha started learning how to do a whole lot with the keyblade and got all manipulated by destiny bc like. Alvi would not be perfect, but he would've loved to train him himself. Which like also ik I'm #Coping and whatever but I'm just gonna say that Alvi, after passing in KHDR, is just chilling in Quadratum bc I'm sorry but he's far too stubborn to die and just leave his son behind so soon 🫶 I only have memes with them so far but I truly believe that Alvi and Xeha have a Like Father Like Son dyanmic thang going on. A long line of guys with something wrong with them 🫶💖

ANYWAYS IVE ALREADY TALKED SO MUCH AND COULD GO ON, APOLOGIES, BUT I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY LITTLE GUY AND ALL THE PREQUEL KEYKIDS SM ‼‼‼💖💖💖

#ask #askzone #khux #keykid #alvi #SORRY FOR RAMBLING BUT AUGH! YKNOW? AUGH !!!#so hyped for KHML #and Alvi’s GOTTA have a proper happy reunion with Vivi and Vial I will bend canon to my will if i must 🫶#shoutout to my playlist i have for him bc its like russian roulette but all the chambers are loaded

14 notes · View notes

procrastinatingsoicanreadfanfics · 1 year

Note

Idk if you're up to doing Athelstan for that ask thing but uuh. I'd love ϡ (childhood) and/or ✜ (fears) if you want to do it

oh yes ofc! (@levithestripper feel free to add)

ϡ (childhood)

athelstan had a big family as a young child

and then they all died

not trying to be funny here they literally all died of some medieval illness

and athelstan kind of got to just

awkwardly sit there waiting for the priests to take care of them

then got taken in into the monarchy

before they died tho, athelstan had four sisters and one brother

didn't get along all too well with his brother

they were friendly enough but his brother was the second child and athelstan the fourth

mostly spent time with his sisters

esp his two younger sisters

the three of them would go out into the woods to forage and play

athelstan definitely knows how to make flowercrowns from that time

his sisters would put on little plays, and athelstan was always their audience during rehearsal

liked going to church bc he thought it was beautiful

his oldest sister joined a convent and he definitely tried to find her later in life

that was the way she escaped the death that found his family

and he wanted her back

never did end up finding her

but she grew very very old

and heard tales about the monk that went with the vikings

never quite believed that it was HER little brother, her athelstan

until another athelstan showed up when she was so old people thought it was a gift from god

and he told her all about her father's best friend

god damn it now i want to write a fic about this

his life in the convent wasn't a very happy or fulfilled one

but he did love to draw

not the way he was supposed to

but when he discovered he was good at it, the first thing he did was draw his sisters and mother from memory

loved capturing everything around him

he definitely missed having women around

because he spent so much time with women in his early life

which is why i think he looked up to lagertha more than he did to ragnar

ragnar was his friend, as most men in his life were, but his rolemodels were all women

bc athelstan wanted to achieve the strength that they had that was so different from the 'typical' male strength

definitely admired judith because of that as well

✜ (fears)

athelstan is deathly afraid of illnesses

he's a middle ages germaphobe

first from losing his family

and then gyda, who reminded him of his family

he hates being sick, and he hates that he so rarely gets sick while others around him die from those illnesses

definitely knows quite a bit about healing

he's afraid of not being enough

in the eyes of god, of his peers, of ragnar and lagertha and bjorn, etc. etc.

such a people pleaser

he wants to amount to something

struggles with his identity and what he's done/going to do

never has the feeling that he's done enough :/

also afraid of death or rather, what comes after

there's so much uncertainty in him

he SHOULD believe in God

he SHOULD know where he's going

all of those shoulds, but it doesn't really help him much

spirals into a crisis quite often, unsure of what he can do to make his 'wrongdoings' right

#athelstan #vikings #athelstan imagine #athelstan headcanons

10 notes · View notes

lizardrosen · 2 years

Note

for the ask game!! i’m an acting student at university who spends a truly concerning amount of time thinking about tragic shakespearean women (especiallyyyy ophelia, desdemona, & portia from caesar). i also sing, play a lot of animal crossing, & collect squishmallows :)

Hamlet by the Rutgers-Camden Theater!

They do some really neat things with the architecture and lighting to make it feel like you're inside an industrial gazebo, so it's at turns light and airy or imposing and dangerous. The transition music is all sustained stately cellos which contributes to a real mood.

In that second picture you can see most of the main cast during "I know not seems". From left to right: Hamlet, Gertrude, Osric, Polonius, a random soldier, Claudius, Laertes and Ophelia right next to each other, a court lady who's doublecast as Rosencrantz.

SPEAKING of doublecasting, Claudius is doublecast with the ghost, and I know that's a pretty common convention, but it really, really works here, it made me feel like maybe they were actually twins. Claudius is charming and personable and genuinely friendly - he chats with Osric when he brings him a bloody mary and just seems to have a good rapport with everyone - and the ghost is just pale and staring and lost, so they seem very very different, but after the Murder of Gonzago he unravels a lot, and ends up doing the whole chapel speech while pacing and drinking right from the bottle, and you see, oh both these brothers are just sad kids who started out trying to do the right thing by Hamlet and failed miserably.

And then there's the Polonius family! Laertes and Ophelia are just adorable and teasing together, and you get the sense Polonius really cares about his kids but doesn't quite know how to talk to them (maybe if his wife were alive she'd know what to say). The first time I watched this, I thought it was just inconsistent characterization, but no, this is an intentional choice to have someone who's struggling to do and say the right things.

This production goes hard with the interpretation that Ophelia is pregnant, which might not be your cup of tea, it's definitely not my default interpretation, but it commits to that idea nicely, it's not just incidental, and I can respect that. During the nunnery scene she silently moves Hamlet's hand to her stomach so he understands what she's trying to tell him, and then he's not just talking about how he's a bad man, he's telling her he'll be a bad father, and it adds a lot to both their performances, and in her madness she says "I hope all will be well" and gets this stricken look and puts her hand on her stomach, and Gertrude rushes over to comfort her, it's great and miserable.

Hamlet is extremely high energy and fun to watch, you can feel him bouncing around in his thoughts and on the stage like a pinball, but there's times where he's really trying to connect to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and is disappointed that they don't understand that no, really, what a piece of work is man is how he feels.

There's lots of good moments I haven't described because they're much better to feel them for yourself, but do pay attention to Ophelia's scarf, this becomes important. Osric is worth keeping an eye on, he's just a huge nerd who fanboys over Laertes and Hamlet, and he's always doing little character building stuff in the background. The play within a play is very well done, the intermission cuts at a moment I don't usually see them break, and then the ending made me just need to pause and stare into space for a bit while processing what I'd just seen (complimentary).

#blondchlorine #hamlet #ophelia #claudius #laertes #friendship is great #shakespeare

32 notes · View notes

slimeypuppy · 2 years

Note

Hello I'd like to make a RomeLukas request for agent au :D Could you write about Lukas getting injured protecting Roman which leads Roman to realize that he 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 do care about Lukas?

I promise that this plot is a response to the prompt, Roman is just very disoriented at the time of this event. //

When Roman opens his eyes, blinking away the spotty haze of post unconsciousness, he registers a heavy weight pinning him to the ground. Amid the dust and fractured memories, his first thought is that he's trapped under some sort of rubble, doomed to die in wait for rescue, but then the weight against his back begins to shift and lighten. The second it's gone, a steel-toed boot not quite gentle enough nudges his screaming ribs.

"-up."

He scans his surroundings, a dreary mix of gray ash and debris flecked with red embers and orange tongues of flame. There are other people here. Kendall helps Stewy up a few feet away, checking him over for signs of injury. Mencken peers out from behind the desk he used to shield himself. He coughs out some of the smoke in his lungs and tries to push himself up. After a few moments, two sets of hands haul him to his feet. He blinks at blurry, gritty faces, taking time to place them.

Skye Taylor stands at his right initially, but once a token once-over confirms him alive, Skye walks away. Stewy, on Roman's other side, is much harder to dismiss. He takes a careful hold of Roman's face and feels around his greasy, sticky hair until he withdraws a red-coated hand. Roman didn't think Stewy had been hurt; Kendall protected him. His train of thought catches up to the fact that Skye shielded him from what must have been an explosion. Someone is missing. Roman doesn't know who.

"Rome, focus," Stewy orders. "Hey. Can you hear me, man?"

When Roman nods, a motion that makes his head spin and stomach turn, Stewy moves his hand. "How many fingers?" All the questions are so easy to answer. Basic observation, remaining alert and aware of his surroundings, and keeping his brain waves on an EEG as opposed to indetectable are all a mindless recitation that he never taught his body but it knows by heart.

"-ambulance. We get the cleanup crew, and we go to a friendly hospital."

"No," Skye argues, and he's looking at Roman with such contempt it's almost startling. Roman knows Skye hates him, but there's never been so much visible animosity, whether Lukas is present or not. "Lukas goes first."

That's when it crosses Roman's mind that Lukas should be present. He should be here. He looks around for him, but he doesn't see him standing anywhere, taking up all the space in the room with his gargantuan stature and massive personality. He must need help. Roman starts to head over to the larger mountains of ruins in front of them to look for him, but Kendall puts a hand on his shoulder and holds him in place.

"Stay put, Rome," Kendall tells him gently. "You're pretty fucked up right now."

"-a hand, here?"

Kendall more or less pushes Roman to the ground, and once he's certain that Roman can't get up on his own without making some noise and drawing attention, follows the words out of Roman's smeared line of sight.

"-your belt-"

"Pull it tighter, Taylor. We-"

"-on three. Okay? One."

Mencken seems to have decided it's safe to leave his shelter and settles on a chunk of what had once been a wall in front of Roman. "I'm just letting you know, Mattson might not make it."

The words sink slowly into the quagmire of Roman's thoughts. He doesn't have an immediate response, but Mencken's hand on his shoulder draws him from crafting one. The two of them lock eyes as the air fills with the creaking, screeching sound of concrete against concrete. Mencken stares at Roman like he's staring into the very atoms of which he's comprised, cataloging each and every one.

"You don't wanna work with Taylor long term," Mencken adds, "not when he's the one in control. You're only alive because Mattson likes you. Without him, your family won't be enough to keep you safe. Let me make you an offer."

"Jeryd."

Roman follows the sound of Mencken's first name to see Lukas propped up between Skye and Stewy, more carried than supported on the path to join them in the stabilized archway made by the particular angle of the wreckage. He's soaked in blood and grime, burns sticking to his hands and his shirt still smoldering in some places.

"I do not think it wise to make plans in the event of my death when I'm still alive and well, no?"

"Just being pragmatic," Mencken replies.

Lukas is lowered to the ground next to Roman, where his blue eyes seem so much brighter in comparison to the muck across his face. One of his legs, extended in front of him, is hardly visible beneath the blood, a belt pulled tightly around his upper thigh to stem the bleeding from what looks to be a nasty crush injury on his shin.

"Save it. Skye-?"

Lukas leans closer so his and Roman's shoulders can touch, his hands too injured to just take hold. Roman reaches out to him, idly tracing the edges of each injury. There's a large shard of something sticking out of one of Lukas' biceps, dark gleaming metal that reflects back dull strips of light from the flames. He must have been the closest to the explosion.

"-endanger yourself on his behalf-"

Roman tries to refocus on the conversation. It feels like everyone is staring at him. He wracks his mind for more information but the usual gushing flow of thought is little more than a pathetic, slurring dribble at the moment.

"-explosives. What's wrong with you?"

"Relax," Lukas soothes, shaking his head. "We're all alive. I assume someone called cleanup by now?"

Kendall nods and gets down on the ground to sit as well. "Ours is on the way to get Roman and I to the friendly. About eight minutes out."

"I'll be staying to help coordinate," Stewy adds.

"ETA seventy five on ours," Skye says, sounding rather grim about the prospect. "I think you should be able to get into their transport. You're in bad shape, sir."

"Don't stress. Since you all are attending to your own messes, I've got free resources."

Everyone looks over to Mencken, trying to parse out his intentions.

"I can have an ambulance for Roman and Kendall, should he truly need the ride-along, in about twenty," Mencken informs them. "What's your friendly? I'll direct them to take you."

Suddenly, Lukas is leaning over him, one hand curled into Mencken's barely messy collar and the other holding his face. Skye draws his own knife just as quickly once he realizes how Lukas wants this played. Roman, Kendall, and Stewy simply watch.

"My puppy and I will go together," Lukas corrects. "Kendall will be more than fine. They all are. I'll have my detail meet us there." He casts a glance over his shoulder at Skye. "Stay and manage cleanup."

Skye's jaw tenses. "You just blew yourself up so Roman Roy wouldn't. Forgive me if I don't want the two of you off alone."

That information settles in among Roman's understanding of Lukas. He can't quite dissect it at the moment, not with his mental faculties operating at maybe five percent capacity, but he'll have to at some point. If Lukas endangered himself to protect Roman, that's important to know. Even allowing the perception of the intention is meaningful. Roman's stomach is tying itself in knots.

"-him awake."

Roman blinks, finding Stewy much closer to him than he had been previously. The scent of smoke and cologne fight in his nose, sharp and acrid all the way up into his brain.

"Look at me, Roman," Stewy says firmly. "Do you know where you are?"

"Lukas' office building. I think."

Stewy offers the smallest of smiles. "What used to be, anyways. Just keep talking, alright? I know you can."

It seems like Mencken has something to add, but when he glances at the expression on Lukas' face and the set of his posture, he seems to think better of it.

#agent!au #emwrite #Roman roy

8 notes · View notes

jabberwockyontheloose · 2 years

Text

I remember I was tagged in one of these a while ago, I can't remember by who or when and tumblr has probably deleted thw notif so here it is a year late :D

Alicia

Bugs Bunny

Bugs was a driving inspiration when Alicia was being conceived - that wily energy and the comedy of social norms in completely inappropriate contexts but like? You go along with it? Because??? What else are you gonna do??? I wanted Alicia to exude that energy. Never actively malicious and just in it for a good time. Also Bugs being, like basically the hand of god half the time? That's Alicia

Sussie

This is Vy's fault, almost entirely. I would've lived my life in peace not realizing if it weren't for her. Jokes aside, Sussie is very... unique. Not in a bad way, of course - she's just. Well. Sussie. A cloudcuckoolander that works with her own set of rules, incredibly off putting but entirely harmless*. And in her own words, "Sussie likes all the things in the world"

Bonus:

Elmo

Alicia is kind and very friendly once you get to know her. She may seem a bit simple at first, as if you were talking to a kid, but you she's genuinely very thoughtful. Elmo is a sweet natured all-loving hero and while Alicia is significantly more off kilter and intimidating at a glance, they're both good eggs

Stitch

Stitch is a loveable blue not-dog alien who also is probably a war criminal or at the very least a living weapon. His character arc of learning to appreciate his ohana even if it goes against his creational directives is incredibly sweet. Alicia is end of the movie Stitch, handcuffed and ready to be arrested, only asking to be allowed to say goodbye to his family. Though, vibe-wise, she's has epilogue Stitch down pat. Domestic antics that are just a bit out of this world.

The Jabberwocky

The jabberwocky is Alicia's little lizard companion if you didn't know! The nonsense poem after the same name was another inspiration to Alicia's general nonsensical attitude, and the incredibly creepy art that pops up whenever you search for it inspired that, ever so slight hair raising tension one feels whenever she stares at you for too long. As if, something menacing was lurking right under the surface.... but its probably nothing right? After all, the jabberwocky doesn't exist.....c:

Astolfo

The man, the myth, the legend, while I'm aware of Astolfo's reputation in the wider internet, he's genuinely a very charming character. He's upbeat and airheadedly optimistic but that only makes him moments of sobering self-awareness all the more uplifting. There's this certainty to how he speaks, that even if things go wrong, somehow, it'll be okay - and Alicia takes after this. Evaporation of Sanity they both may have, it adds to the appeal probably. After all, there's nothing quite as charming as sincerity.

Joker

The joker is Alicia's card suite, and primary inspiration for her aside from the jabberwocky. She's technically twisted from the joker as well, along with her hair being a reference to a jester's hat - hence the bells. Though if you get her in old maid I'm sure you can still find a way to be a winner Sei Shonagon

Miss Nintendo Switch herself, Sei is a cheerful, bubbly lass who doesn't care much for court proceedings aside from the potential drama. Despite her, violently zoomer energy (like she would have a tiktok, that's not up for debate) Sei - for all her irreverence and insensitivity - is a surprisingly old soul once she takes a minute to breathe. Her dedication to her own values, her stalwart beliefs, and her incredibly perceptiveness of people's issues betray a much wiser character beyond her natural goofball demeanor, and Alicia takes after this splendidly. Though admittedly, Alicia leans on the clownitude even harder than Sei does.

Atiq

Mung Daal

Don't look at me like that. Atiq takes after Mung Daal's fits of rage specifically, both of them have tendencies to just straight up contort in rage. Think of every time he has to talk to Endive, that's Atiq.

Cagliostro

Cagli is the self-proclaimed cutest girl in the skies and has enough confidence to back up on her claims (as well as firepower, if you do manage to annoy her to that extent). Atiq is, incredibly vain, maybe not as vain as Cagli but it is a close thing, and both of them don't hold back on the snark when need be. Confident, poised, and being both aware enough to be the tsukkomi and vain enough to be the bokke, Atiq takes after alchemy's founder well

Arashi

Did I say vanity because I meant vanity. While Atiq is not nearly as bubbly - or as generally pleasant to be around - as Arashi, both of them have vanity in spades. Arashi's tendencies to daydream over an impossible romance also carries over with Atiq's unfortunate crush on the himbo in RSA he used to have as a lab partner in middle school. Neither of them are afraid to flaunt their looks and femininity, often to humorous extents.

Miss Piggy

Again, don't look at me like that. Miss Piggy is an icon, she's tough, she's gorgeous, and she will break your spinal cord if you say otherwise. Despite Atiq's rather willowy appearance, he is not scared in the slightest to dig his heels into people who insult him - at least when they're not looking. Atiq may not be as bold as Miss Piggy will ever be, that utmost confidence in himself (usually) and his moodswingy nature definitely put them in the same ball park.

Yzma

Yzma is who he was originally twisted from, the sly former adviser to the emperor who seeks the throne - as well as the antagonist in the second best Di/sney movie don't @ me. He was specifically twisted from the scrapped villain song "Snuff out the Light", where Yzma wanted eternal beauty - while Atiq wants to reverse the effects of his illness for his vanity's sake. Yzma's a fun character, she's scheming and mean but incredibly funny and you never really feel bad when bad things happen to her cause she kinda deserves it but she never stays down for long, that's the vibe I want for Atiq more than anything.

Charlotte

I think Charlotte gets a bad rep for being a two-faced golddigger, I mean she definitely is that but it doesn't make her a bad person she's just being realistic. She's cunning but not unkind, and is genuinely loyal to the people she cares for. Also she makes incredibly great faces when she's pissed. Atiq definitely has shades of this, and while he and Charlotte are both prickly they're good people when you get down to it. It's just in Atiq's case. It's a long way down

Rin Tohsaka

Okay I'm gonna be real while actual canon Rin does work for this, the one that gave inspiration to Atiq was the one from UBW Abridged. Powerful, beautiful, and completely flippant to people who are not her, she's hot shit and she knows it - and definitely not afraid to show it. Despite her general impertinence, Rin shows a surprising amount of generosity and kindness when the chips are down even if she does still complain about it. Personality-wise I'd say Atiq takes after her the most

Carmilla

Carmilla is a lot of things, a murderer, a sadist, questionably of vampiric nature - but most of all she's fun. While initially in the lore she was more of a cruel dominatrix more than anything, Atiq takes after her post-character development. She's still a sadist (that one part in a summer event she ran over Liz three times in a single drive openly admitting to trying to kill her was just great) but there's just something familiar to her, maybe even friendly if you wanted to be brave.

#yeah no heres my amazing replying skills in action #I swear I was tagged in one of these I promise #Alicia is a very fun character by which I mean shes like something u put on a petri dish to look at shes so strange #Atiq is. certainly a guy #Hes kinda hard to pin down because I havent really posted much about him but hes a lot of fun #Alicia Jokerton #Atiq Delgado #jabbering

3 notes · View notes

petals42 · 6 years

Note

I wish you would write a fic where jack comes back from going to kiss bitty at graduation and his parents chirp him SO HARD bc his phone keeps goign off and he's all pleased and bashful about it and doesn't outright admit anything but it's SUPER CLEAR what happend

This is…. not quite what you wanted but it’s set at the same time and its similar. also its what popped into my head as i procrastinate my last paper so…

“Well, that one clearly just got laid,” you say to Ashlyn as the two of you finally get the chance to stand still and lean against the bar. You’re behind it and she’s in the little nook that servers hide in when they don’t want their tables to see them. She swivels her head to see who you are looking at.

“Which one?”

“Table 4. Dark suit, blue tie, looks just like his dad.”

Ashlyn looks. Then giggles. “You’re fucking right about that. Look at him!”

“So laid,” you agree. “Probably after the ceremony too. And good too. You don’t walk around with a smile like that unless you got right fu–”

“Excuse me?”

Your mouth snaps shut. Hard. Because this place isn’t particularly fancy–but it is the traditional college bar and it is graduation. Which means all the alums and parents are back and you probably should not be talking like this. It’s a classy day.

And it only gets worse as it turns because this place isn’t classy, but, goodness, this woman is. Reddish-blond hair perfectly styled in that long-bob that’s so in right now, red and white dress, fashionable belt, and blue eyes expertly enhanced by the slightest bit of brown eyeliner. Ugh. After only 4 hours of tending bar on graduation day, you are pretty sure you look like some sort of monster.

Also, she looks vaguely familiar. As if maybe you’ve seen her somewhere. Somewhere important?

Also, she is a paying customer who just overheard you gossiping about how one of the newly graduated college boys probably had sex within the past hour so…

Not a great moment for you, to be honest.

Ashlyn spins as if she’s going to make a break for it under the guise of helping a table but all her tables are eating peacefully (or just talking) and so she ends up just leaning away, still in the nook, and pretending you weren’t talking to her.

“Oh, hi!” you say, brightly. “How can I help you?”

“Just wanted to let you know the ladies’ room is almost out of toilet paper,” she says. You begin to nod. You will handle that right away, ma’am; you will– “I already pulled some out from under the sink so you’re good for a little while but there was only one more roll down there so… when you get a second.”

You blink. This woman does not look like the type of woman who would risk opening the disgusting sink and looking underneath.

“I used to work here back in the day,” she says with a smile. You relax. “So who just got laid?”

You un-relax. And blush.

“Oh, no one. We were just–”

“Please,” the woman says. “Somehow my husband and son are talking hockey and I’m bored out of my mind. Fill me in on the gossip.”

“Hockey is a big deal here,” Ashlyn pipes up, now that the woman seems friendly enough. “We don’t follow any of it but after games it’s always crazy.”

“Yes, well, I don’t hate it but I’ve heard it before,” she says. “So. Gossip. Also, could I grab a glass of wine. I know it’ll be a bar tab too, don’t worry about it.Are you talking about the boy in the corner? His hair certainly looks like it. ”

You snort a laugh. That’s true. But you are pretty sure that’s ‘I have grown too used to just waking up and stumbling to class’ hair rather than sex hair.

“No, no,” you say, starting to pour her glass. “Though his hair is messy. We’re talking about Blushy McBlusherman over on the right. By the window.”

The woman turns and frowns, eyes scanning.

“Dark suit, light blue tie,” Ashlyn supplies. “Talking to his hot dad right now. They look pretty much the same.”

“Except,” you add, sliding the glass of wine over to her. “Junior just got laid. Kid’s got full on sex eyes.”

The woman must see who you’re talking about because her eyes lock on the target and she sort of freezes and stares and–

“Really?” she says. She sounds a bit delighted. Young for a moment as if you are all only in high school talking about this. Then she sort of composed herself and turns back to you, a doubtful look on her face. “How can you tell?”

“Look at his blush!” you say. “And the sex eyes.”

“It’s a whole vibe,” Ashlyn adds. “He’s got a sex vibe.”

“He could be a little tipsy,” she replies. Not true disagreement, just enough to get the debate going. You lean forward.

“No, no, watch,” you tell her. “He’s got his phone in his hand under the table. He’s letting his dad talk while he texts like every few minutes. And every time he texts, the blush gets worse.”

“Also, the smile,” Ashlyn adds, leaning in too. “Right side of his face. Unless his dad is talking about… I don’t know giving him a million dollars for graduation, that is a ‘I got laid’ smile.”

“I don’t see him texting,” the woman says.

“Watch,” you tell her. “He’s not that great at hiding it.”

“Pretty sure the dad knows,” Ashlyn says. “He’s definitely monologuing but in that ‘I know you aren’t listening way.’“

“Oh good point,” you say. You hadn’t noticed that bit. Watching Junior is more fun. He’s hot. And blushy. It’s cute.

“You really think so?” the woman says. “But… but when? When would he have had time?”

“Not sure,” you say. This is fun, now. You feel like a detective. “But with a smile like that and that much texting I would say it had to be sometime after the ceremony.”

“Or during the ceremony,” Ashlyn says and there’s a crude gesture and you laugh and the woman looks a little taken back by this and a smidge offended but Ashlyn notices and stops quickly and the woman doesn’t actually say anything. Just swivels back and looks again. Smiling a little bit.

“I wonder who with,” she says, more to herself than anyone. But you are a bartender and it is pretty much your job to answer when people are mostly talking to themselves.

“Whoever is on the other end of that text chain,” you reply. “Someone he knew though.”

“Oh yeah, no way this is a random hookup,” Ashlyn says. “The blush, the smile, he keeps fiddling with his tie.”

“That’s a ‘I’m in love’ tie fiddle if I’ve ever seen one.”

“In love?” the woman says, sounding even more alarmed. But she’s grinning.

“Oh yeah,” you say. “This was like… years of sexual tension, all coming out at graduation. A goodbye but also a start. This was epic. I feel it.”

“I’m calling it right now,” Ashlyn declares, banging the bar. “He’s gonna marry whoever he just had sex with! I’d bet ten dollars.”

You laugh and Ashlyn makes eye contact with someone at one of her tables and hurries off. “Twenty dollars!” she calls over her shoulder. You laugh and step back as Vinny brings out fresh glasses and watch the woman as she watches the boy once again text someone under the table and blush and smile about it.

“In love,” she repeats. It’s not quite a question this time. “He’s in love.”

You want to tell the woman that she should probably look away now. They are pretty far back but she has been staring like a creeper and you open your mouth to say, look, that couple clearly hates each other and is only there for their kid who is graduating and–

“Thank you,” she says a bit abruptly but she turns and she means it. You hope her family stops talking about hockey. Clearly this poor woman is bored out of her mind. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” you say. “Come back for gossip about strangers in the bar anytime!”

She laughs a little at that and pulls out her wallet and you want to tell her not to bother, that the glass of wine was on the house, but she is moving sort of frantically now (and, fair, she had been away from her family for a good five-ten minutes).

“He is love,” she repeats. “That is… that is just wonderful. I- I have to get back.”

She sort of throws money on the bar and waves a little as she walks away and then she is walking towards Table 4 and what the fuck is she–

She slides in to the empty seat. The dad looks over at her and smiles in that way happily married people do when they see their partner after a short absence and she reaches out to casually touch her son’s shoulder and the conversation doesn’t stop so she’s not interrupting, she belongs there which means that just-got-laid boy is her son.

Just-got-laid boy is her son. Sex Eyes is her son. What the.

This is it. This is how you go.

“Oh my god,” Ashlyn says. You hadn’t even noticed she was walking back towards you. “Did we just tell that kid’s mom that he–”

“Yup,” you say. It’s all you can manage. “Yes we did.”

Ashlyn stares at you. Idly puts whatever order she just got into the machine, then turns to stare at the family. Then back at you.

Holy shit. You are pretty sure your face is so red you are going to combust at any second.

“Oh my god,” Ashlyn says again. “Well. She asked! And, at least she paid for her wine.”

That reminds you and you tear your eyes away from the table and look down at the bill she slide over to you and–

Oh.

It’s a stack of bills.

It’s a stack of twenties.

It’s… she’s given you… you pick them up to count.

She’s given you two hundred and forty dollars.

“Still,” Ashlyn is saying, shaking her head. “She could complain to Tony because I think that’s what I would do if someone told me my son had sex eyes.”

“Ashlyn,” you say even though Ashlyn is on one of her rants now.

“We also called her husband a DILF at one point I think. Or was that just me? In my head? Oh, god, either way this is–”

“Ashlyn.”

“I bet twenty dollars. Twenty dollars on her son’s marriage.”

“Ashlyn,” you finally break through and she looks at you.

You hold up the cash.

“I don’t think she minded.”

#check please #check please fanfiction #my fic #outsider pov #file under things i should not have written before finishing my project #OH WELL #whats up dudes #get ready for this winter break #its all coming #hopefully #the goal is to write lots #Anonymous

1K notes · View notes

sicklylittlesnowflake · 7 years

Note

voltron- lance with a cold but doesn't want anyone to know?

(Omg my first voltron prompt..also lowkey nervous bc I’m new to it and everyone already has a million amazing voltron fics and I have nothing new to add to the table :“D on the shorter side so I get used to writing voltron :”) )

Amongst the total debacle of space, discovering alien life, realising that the world was so vast and bigger than the human mind could comprehend, Lance had found another family through his friends. It wouldn’t quite fill the void left by the loss of his family back at earth, but they were loving, a little ignorant and harsh at times during high drake situations, very rarely at that but Lance understood, given the clusterfuck that was their situation.

The universe had been so much larger and diverse than Lance had could have possibly imagined, so many things he did not know. Among all this, topped with insecurities he had struggled with beforehand, he struggled to find his place in all of this.

His friends were kind to him, never telling him he was useless of any sort, but he couldn’t help but feel it. Watching them, with all their own niches and spectacular talent, he grew a little envious, and wishing he could be that. Wishing he could be a little bit more than this.

So when his body began to break down, he had to ignore it, not wanting to seem any weaker than he already was.

“Paladins! Report to the bridge in 60 ticks!”

Lance groaned, not wanting to leave his comfortable, warm position on his bed. He tightened his sheets around his frame as he regained his senses. As he did, he wished he hadn’t because he became aware of a powerful headache, a stuffy nose and a fevered body.

As soon as he realised what was up with him, he widened his eyes, taking his ailment as a challenge. No way would he be taken down by something as simple as a cold.

He pushed himself out of his bed, trying to get ready as quickly as possible. Lance instantly regretted his past decision as his headache intensified, causing him to feel weak and woozy. He groaned softly, until a sudden tickle brewing in his sinuses had him inhaling sharply and sneezing harshly towards the floor.

Lance groaned yet again, the force of the sneeze causing his head to whip forwards, the sudden movement doing no wonders for his already painful headache. He laid a hand against the wall, steadying himself as a wave of dizziness hit him, sighing, bracing himself for what was no doubt going to be a rough day.

“Lance, you’re late!” Allura sighed, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Nah, y'all are just early! Party doesn’t start til I walk in,” Lance beamed, trying not to raise any suspicion towards his illness.

Keith rolled his eyes fondly, averting his attention back to Allura, “So, what’s the agenda for today?”

“I would like you paladins to partake in an extensive training session today, to bring you all back in shape for any unexpected attacks,” She explained.

“Of course, we appreciate how well you’ve all been working and how strong you’ve all gotten, but there is always room for improvement!” Coran grinned.

“Great!” Lance beamed with feigned enthusiasm for the others. ‘Great,’ he beamed sarcastically to himself.

“I’m ready to kick your ass, Keith,” Lance grinned, all this forced energy already draining his weak body, causing him to feel warm and dizzy. 'I am definitely not ready to kick any ass, Keith,’ Lance thought to himself.

Shiro raised his eyebrow slightly, noticing a slight rasp and congestion to Lance’s voice. He cleared his throat as the rest of the team running off to get into their gear, catching up with Lance.

“Are you okay, Lance?” Shiro asked kindly.

“What? I’m fan-tastic, ready to seize the day!” Lance beamed.

“Hmm,” Shiro merely grunted, not too convinced but let it go for the time being, giving Lance a friendly pat on the back.

Lance kept his smiley, energetic facade on until Shiro and everyone else were out of his sight, and then proceeded to cough a short fit of chesty wet coughs into his arm.

Lance groaned softly, wondering how he was going to get through today.

Lance dodged Keith’s swing sloppily, last minute and nearly tripping over his own feet. He breathed noisily through his mouth, his nose completely stuffed. He could barely even see Keith with his vision turned a blur from his awful headache.

“You’re slacking, Lance!” Keith taunted, dodging a sloppy swing from Lance with ease.

Lance made a groan of frustration and annoyance, his nose starting to burn with a tickling sensation, averting all his attention towards it. Due to the overpowering sensation, he lost all his concentration and ended up being hit by Keith. Extremely hard.

Lance let out a hiss of pain, swallowing to stop himself from being any louder than he already was being. He dropped everything, his frame tipping slightly as he rested his hands on his knees to support himself. The one good thing that came from this was that at least now, he lost the about the tickle, but instead had a throbbing pain in his leg.

Keith’s face went completely white, eyes widening in shock. He rushed towards Lance in worry, dropping everything. He wrapped an arm around Lance’s shoulder to help him stand upright and steady.

“Are you okay?!” Keith asked frantically, guilt dropping out of his voice.

“I’m fine, Keith!” Lance snapped, pushing the boy off of him and stood straight on his own, causing his head to spin. He sniffled weakly, trying to steady himself so he could see straight.

Pidge came up to them, examining Lance’s leg, raising an eyebrow quizzically, “There’s not much damage done here, thankfully. Just a bruising at most.”

“I’m not weak!” Lance hissed, becoming slightly delirious.

Pidge widened her eyes, “What?! No, Lance! That’s not what I meant at all!”

Lance let out a shaky breath, realising what he had done and softened. In that moment he looked much younger, tired, weak. “I’m sorry,” he croaked softly, voice scratchy.

Hunk frowned, “Lance, what’s wrong?”

Lance shook his head aggressively, picking back up and getting himself into a a fighting position. He faced Keith, pulling on a determined look, as he painted. Suddenly, the tickle from earlier returning with vengeance, intense and burning that there was no time for a build up. He simply launched into an powerful fit of sneezing, head snapping forward with each one, which progressively got more forceful.

As he finished, his pounding headache worsened from the impact of snapping forward repeatedly. He slumped forward, giving in to his illness as he allowed himself to feel the true extent of his illness.

“..Lance..?” Pidge called gently.

Lance sniffled, letting out tiny little chesty coughs due to his congestion. He looked pathetic, a complete contrast to his bubbly, friendly exterior.

“What’s wrong?” Hunk asked patiently, a gentle hand propping itself on Lance’s shoulder.

Lance looked up blearily, eyes watery and exhausted, letting out a shaky little sigh before starting his sentence with a congested, little cough, “..I just don’t feel very well..”

Shiro smiled softly, approaching the younger boy and holding him by the shoulders, “Oh Lance..you should’ve told us. You know we wouldn’t have made you do this if we knew you weren’t feeling good.”

Lance sniffled, leaning against Shiro’s steady embrace, “I know..I just..”

“You just..?”

“…I didn’t want you guys to think I was weak,” Lance choked.

Pidge looked bewildered, “What?! We would never think that! Why would you think that? We would be nowhere without you!”

Lance shrugged, “..I don’t know..I wanted to prove to you guys..to myself..that I have a place here, I guess. It’s all just so overwhelming..”

Hunk frowned, “Awh Lance! You have nothing to prove, you’ve already proven yourself time and time again! We wouldn’t have even been able to do all of this if you haven’t connected with Blue!”

Lance managed a tiny smile, “..I just..I don’t know, feel inferior to all you guys. You’re all so talented..”

“Well, that is a load of garbage,” Keith said.

Pidge blinked, looking over at him, “Keith!”

He shook his head, “Lance, you are one of the most talented people I have ever met. You never seize to impress me everyday, and I learn more about you and realise that you’ve really got something. It’s a load of garbage that you think otherwise.”

Lance managed a small smirk, “..I..impress you?”

Keith blushed, looking away in embarrassment, “..That’s all I’m going to say.”

“Ah, there he is,” Pidge joked.

Shiro felt Lance’s forehead with the back of his hand, frowning, “You’ve got a bit of a fever too..you need to get to bed and get some rest. We need you in tip top shape as soon as possible, because we do really need you, Lance.”

Lance gave him a small smile, “..Okay.”

With that, Hunk swooped in and picked Lance up in his arms, giving him a large, loving grin, “Nurse Hunk to the rescue!! I’ll cook you up some good soup in just a little bit!”

The Paladins escorted Lance to his room, where they safely put him into bed, where Hunk said his farewells to make Lance some soup, shortly followed by Pidge who went to find some medicine, then Shiro who went to inform Coran and Allura, leaving him with Keith.

Keith fluffed up Lance’s pillow and tucked him into his blanket, feeling his cheek, brushing hair out of his face, in that totally loving mushy gushy out of character way that left Lance bewildered and having an out of body experience. He didn’t know if this was his fever or real life.

Keith answered that question for him, a slight blush to his cheeks, “..Don’t get yourself excited, I’m not going to be doing this every night now.”

Lance pulled on a look of fake disgust, “Eugh, I wouldn’t want you to.”

Keith smiled softly and sat at the edge of his bed, arms crossed and obviously finding trouble keeping eye contact with him, “..Lance..”

“Mm?”

“..I..didn’t know you felt that way. I-I know this is weird, and let’s not make it weird but if you ever want anyone to talk to..I’m right here, any time at all,” he stammered.

Lance gave him a small woozy smile, a soft, kittenish sneeze escaping him before he sniffled, snuggling into his covers. “..Right back at ya Keith..I’m here too..”

Keith smiled softly, gazing over at Lance with care, watching as the boy’s eyelids slowly drooped, clearly exhausted. He chuckled, “Get some sleep, Lance.”

Allura gently opened the door to Lance’s room, having decided to check on the Paladin and to see if he was well, only to see Keith sitting right by Lance’s side, a loving gaze on his eyes as he watched him sleep, as if trying to keep him safe.

Keith tensed as he heard her come in, whipping his head around to face her and relaxed as he realised it was only her. Suddenly, he realised what had happened and blushed with embarrassment, “uh..listen..”

Allura only smiled, “No, you don’t have to say anything. And I won’t either.”

She left shortly after, knowing Lance would be just fine if Keith was there by his side. And she was right, because Keith remained there to ensure that Lance was alright, making a vow to himself that nothing would ever hurt this boy, and the rest of his friends would help him do so.

#lance mcclain #keith kogane #klance #langst #voltron #pidge gunderson #hunk garrett #takashi shirogane #prompts #sickfic #whump #wow this is lowkey making me nervous to publish :')#also sorry for the delay in prompts i've been super busy!!#and i wrote this in one bus journey i;m sorry if its bad :((

251 notes · View notes

voightsgirl · 7 years

Note

Your Voight post made me think, and I think CPD doesn't get enough appreciation re: how they seem to effortlessly go against a lot of toxic masculinity. Like, there's been any issues with the guys crying or expressing their love for each other, and it's never made into a joke or followed with a no homo reaction or smthn like that and idk I guess I really appreciate the male friendships in CPD. Even the rest of the franchise doesn't do so well as this imo (not counting justice bc it's still new)

You know I started replying to this and then I realised that I’ve never really thought about the male characters in that much depth…I’m the first to sing about how amazing Erin and Burgess are, as well as male characters individually, but when I really thought about how well the men have been created, I ended up with an entire essay so apologies it’s so long but I just love this show and these guys. Also since there’s been a lot of negativity in light of *cough* recent events, I thought it would be nice to show my appreciation, so here goes. Feel free to add examples/contradictions/points/other ideas etc!!

Something I need to say before beginning: I find it really, really difficult to empathise with male characters. It’s just harder for me to really relate to their issues. And I think a huge reason for this is just that being a female character in these shows and these professions is just harder. And therefore there are a certain amount of fundamental difficulties that each female character has to face, and since being a female in general involves a lot of these struggles, it’s much easier for other women to look at these characters and see themselves in them. Look at Erin and Burgess struggling to keep their hard work and intelligence a more valuable feature to their unit than their bodies. Look at April and Maggie trying not to be undermined by their male, more qualified co-workers - and Manning being a single, working mum. Look at Gabby beating the odds and becoming a firefighter even though no one thinks she can do it because she’s small and female.

And I love that this show can do that: take these vital professions and give them amazing, well developed, multifaceted female characters whose constant struggles are so relatable for any female watching because we’ve all been there.

But what PD does that I just don’t see so much in the others (Fire does it to an extent, but I can’t really think of any examples in Med - although it’s my least favourite and so I’m probably not the best person to make analyses based on it, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) is do the same with the males. And it’s something that I have never seen on a TV show before. There’s no “no-homo” bullshit, there’s no reservations around being friends. They hug each other when they’re worried about them, they do the friendly shoulder squeezes and arm-punches and fist-bumps. They go out for drinks together. They trust each other and look out for each other and they talk to each other about how they feel. And it’s really, really nice to see.

People go the extra mile when writing female characters (although admittedly, as a teenage girl I’m probably not using the widest sample range of TV shows) because they know that either a) their audience is mostly female, or b) they’re worried about sexist accusations. Women have always been victims of horrible media tropes, so I’m so, so glad that they do go this extra mile - I love seeing female friendships more than anything else in the world - but because people are so aware of the issue surrounding female characters, they’ve taken that into consideration, while assuming that there isn’t actually a problem with their male characters.

What Chicago PD does that I think is incredible from a characterisation point of view is they take these archetypal cop characters - the dirty cop (Voight), the by-the-book cop (Antonio), the shell-shocked veteran cop (Halstead), the old-cop young cop (Ruzek and Ollinsky) and the gentle giant (Attwater). **there are more, such as Attwater arguably being the “token minority” and Ruzek being the “fair cop” but you get the idea. They all seem to represent one of the main tropes that are almost always present in cop shows (at least all the ones I’ve watched).

And the show doesn’t subvert the tropes, not exactly - even though doing so would be so much easier - but they three-dimensialise (idk if that’s a word just roll with me here) all the characters on top of these fundamental archetypes. ie:

Voight is a dirty cop. He kills people in the name of justice, he’s used dirty money and lied under oath and done things that probably should have lost him his badge a million times. And yet, he works tirelessly for the protection of his city. He loves his son with everything he has, and his grandson, and his daughter-in-law. He took in a 13(?) year old who’d been hooked on heroin and arrested for solicitation and loves her like she’s his own daughter. He made amends with the guy who put his son in jail. He always, always fights for the underdog and doesn’t let the system take advantage of them. He treats his unit as if they are his “family” - literally his words - and he has formed relationships with every single one of them, bending the rules and putting his neck and badge on the line if they ever do anything wrong or against the rules. (Example: 3x05)

Antonio plays by the rules, that’s just who he is. He believes in the system more than Voight does, arguably because he’s always been on the right side of it. But that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to make compromises if those he really cares about are on the line - he is more than willing to turn a blind eye to other people’s ‘interpretations’ of the law, and he will do everything in his power to fight his way using the rules of the system before he breaks them. (1x02, 3x01)

Halstead’s military history I think is one of the most interesting aspects of this show because he had the potential to turn into a “cold sniper” as I think is the norm with ex-military characters, and yeah, he was affected in ways that we don’t even know - and may never fully understand - by what he saw and did in his tour(s). But he’s so selfless and sweet and supportive. His PTSD and general commitment issues mean that he can’t open up to everyone but he still lets them open up to him, being Erin’s #1 supporter, and he’s finally started to work on looking after his mental health properly and learning how to ask for help. He’s kind and caring and understands the importance of sacrifice and, like Voight, is willing to bend the rules a little bit - even if he’s always there to question Voight’s methods. (3x17, 4x18 - deleted scene)

Ruzek is the token rookie of the show, and the audience is placed in the same boat as him when initially learning the ropes of the unit and how everyone fits. He’s the young and attractive one (I mean….), and he does exhibit those typical rookie traits: he’s rash and reckless and cocky and definitely not as cynical as any of the others, but at the same time he has a huge heart, he’s sweet and caring, and he can be as tough as hell when someone he loves is in danger. He doesn’t have the “tortured romantic” side to him and he has a typical cop family tree, but he’s the person I feel like most people can probably relate to - someone who puts themselves in harm’s way every single day for no reason other than he wants to make a difference. (1x01, 1x11)

Ollinsky is the other dirty cop, although he functions more as an assistant to the dirty cop. He has the tough coldness about him that you would probably expect Jay to have instead, if following these tropes by the book, and he comes across as very sinister and quite scary. And yet he is an absolute darling around Lexi and Michelle and when Lexi died and Meredith was kidnapped, he totally lost control. Despite all the coldness and being closed-off he is perhaps the most emotional of them all, grieving and crying and not caring about how tough he is when someone he loves is threatened. (4x16)

Attwater is the gentle giant of the show and although this doesn’t need much more explaining, he, alongside Erin, is also the token minority of the unit (even more so now that Antonio’s left and Burgess has joined Erin in Intelligence) and although this trope is constantly seen as a bad thing, using a token character to avoid criticism of being racist in casting choices, in PD Attwater opens the door to addressing cases of police racism, corruption and brutality against ethnic minorities, and the episodes in which they do deal with this, Attwater is quick to express his opinion on the matter and challenge within seconds everything that’s wrong with the institution and their society. But on top of all that, he has relatives in prison, he’s expected to be a big tough “scary black man”, but in actuality he looks after his two younger siblings and does stand-up comedy and probably gives the best bear hugs ever.

And the support system that these six men have together (or five, now that Antonio’s left) is incredible to watch. They understand barriers, they know when to push and when to give each other space, they all work together so well in such a potentially toxic environment without even a hint at this hyper-masculinity that is so huge in other cop shows. They’re all just bros.

What��s also great is that even though there’s a lil bit of that bro-masculine culture especially when Erin goes undercover and dresses up all nice, they’re never anything but perfect gentlemen. There’s no teasing and no sexist remarks about her legs or whatever, they all just seem genuinely impressed by how pretty she looks and how well she does her job. Adam even says things like “there’s about a thousand things I could say right now but won’t” because they all respect Erin and Burgess and support them as much as each they do each other. They don’t care if the women do better jobs than them, or save them, or shoot more accurately than them, and they’d never dream of undermining their femininity while doing so.

Other examples of the bros being bros:

Antonio getting Jay into the unit in the first place as a thank you for helping out Gabby (Chicago Fire, season 2 sometime, mentioned later when Antonio leaves)

Voight literally crying on Alvin’s shoulder after Justin’s death

Every single one of Jay and Mouse’s interactions, especially when they talk about their time in the military and Jay realises how much he cares about his friend when Mouse wants to re-enlist and when Mouse is taken hostage (4x05, 3x03)

Antonio and Voight’s entire friendship and the fact that Voight would go to such measures to help Diego even after Antonio was the one to put the cuffs on and send him to jail

Attwater and Ruzek being bros until the end and *sniff* the whole best man thing

They all buy Antonio a zimmer frame when he gets shot isn’t that just beautiful

Ruzek hugging Al after Lexi’s death and his little “I don’t know what to say” and “can I hug you?” - like he knows Al might just want space but he has to let him know he’s there for him

They all get so upset when Jay is taken. Just watch the scene where they see the video of his torture and their faces break me. They can’t handle the idea that someone so close to them - their brother - is in so much pain. (3x01)

Seriously tho just look at these bros

So I was just gonna write a few paragraphs and sorry this is so long but feel free to add more!! I want to know what everyone else thinks!

#meta #cpd meta #jay halstead #hank voight #ruzek #antonio dawson #cpd #cpd appreciation #cpd positivity #asks #anon #my meta

205 notes · View notes