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ryttu3k · 4 years ago

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Part 2 of my season 12 reaction posts! Find part 1 (Resolution of the Daleks to Fugitive of the Judoon) here!

Praxeus

Thoughts on Doctor Who - Praxeus!

OKAY FIRST. THANK YOU, SHOW, FOR FIXING A BIG ISSUE I HAD WITH THE FIRST SEASON. So they were doing a thing where they’d introduce incidentally queer characters, have a female character mention her wife, stuff like that, only for them to die. This episode had Jake and Adam, married/separated/it’s complicated couple, who face huge amounts of danger, who both come close to dying, but who survive! And have a Big Damn Kiss! And walk off together holding hands! They survived!!

Plotwise, I enjoyed it a ton while watching, although in retrospect it did feel a bit free of danger. The companions were never in true peril because the Doctor can home in on them automatically, and we never got the true scale of the risk of infection, since the only people we saw get infected were in isolated areas. I would have liked to see, for instance, the threat of Praxeus spreading beyond just the very Hitchcockian birds; all of the peril was on an individual level.

Good message, if unsubtle. Mind you, that’s kind of Doctor Who’s thing, and it pisses off conservatives, so all for it, really XD (They must have loved the core relationship in this episode, too!) Like. Subtle doesn’t work. There are literally climate change deniers that exist. Sometimes you actually do have to tell a message with all the finesse of a sledgehammer because .

(Side note, I was deeply concerned when I saw the cowriter was the guy who did the hot mess that was Kerblam!, so at least this was just an unsubtle and kind of questionably written story instead of an actively harmful one.)

The companions: Ryan seems a fair bit more confident on his own? His initial scenes with Gabriela showed that he’s starting to work well even without backup, and picking up the bird proved to be a damn good call. Yaz and Graham were a fun pair, and Yaz got a lot to do when she and Gabriela (again!) got to explore, and I can definitely understand the conflict between curiosity/doing what’s right and safety when it came to the teleport scene. She does seem to be bordering on the reckless. Intriguing!

Minor plot snag - Graham knows how to set up an IV, presumably because of the shitload of time he spent in hospital! …And yet he doesn’t know what a pathogen is?

Friend note!

“fun fact about graham seemingly not knowing what a pathogen is! in my reading of the scene, i saw it as graham knowing what one was. with "Well, I’m glad you asked that…!” he seems like he’s actually sort of pleased with himself, like he’s about to launch into an explanation, and then IIRC there’s a very brief shot at Ryan giving him a Look and Graham immediately changes tone to “…cause I didn’t want to look stupid.” he immediately changes from boosting his own ego to bolstering ryans and im love"

In which case, good shit gooood shit.

SFX - the infection was creepy as shit. The very obviously puppet bird near the lab was hilariously bad.

Apparently the filming was tricky because it was super windy so all the shorts of Thirteen with her hair Like That weren’t planned, it just kind of happened. Love a fluffy ruffled Thirteen.

So anyway. People calling for more plot focus - literally this is the Doctor trying to distract herself and not focus on the plot! This is her avoidance tactic! Emotional honesty? Who’s she? She’ll get back to it eventually, but for now she needs a distraction after being punched in the emotions. Give her that for one episode, c'mon.

Ryan: “…I do a lot of running.”

Graham: “Whatever is giving off those weird readings… is on the other side of that wall!” Yaz: *silently turns scanner around* Graham, not skipping a beat: “…is on the other side of that door!”

Yaz: “I don’t want you to panic, but… we followed one of those things through a teleport and now I think we’re on an alien planet.” Thirteen: “…well, you don’t do things by halves!”

Thirteen: “That’s why you smell of dead bird! I thought you’d changed your shower gel.”

Thirteen: “I’m having half a thought. Ooh, this one tickles!”

Thirteen: “What can I say? I’m a romantic~”

In conclusion, Doctor Who said gay rights.

Can You Hear Me?

Thoughts on Doctor Who - Can You Hear Me?

Trigger warning for discussion of depression and suicide.

You know you're in for a wild ride when iView warns for horror themes instead of science fiction themes.

Overall: at first impression, it felt sort of mashed together? There's 14th century Aleppo, and there's 21st century Sheffield, and there's a deep space station, and there's creepy monsters and dream villains; I do kind of wonder why Zellin targeted a random girl in Aleppo as source for his pet monster, although targeting people like Ryan's best friend makes sense if he's deliberately trying to lure the Doctor to him.

The theme, on the other hand, of mental health resiliance and reaching out, was done incredibly well. Oh yeah there'll be more comments about it - the Guardian described it as 'adventures in Wokeness' - but damn, sometimes you need to hear it. I loved getting more of Yaz' backstory, about being a desperate teenage runaway at the point of being suicidal, and her reunion with the older woman legitimately made me tear up.

But like, goddamn. Her nightmare - she's still hearing that. She's still hearing her sister saying that she should "do it right this time" and that this time she won't call and that no one is coming and holy fuck. God this makes so many of Yaz' scenes incredibly painful in retrospect, knowing that she was at that point only three years before and that she's still dreaming that shit! It makes her recklessness terrifying!

Ryan's nightmare, and his experience with Tibo - it's quite reflective of the Doctor, too. She wasn't there, and Gallifrey burnt. And Ryan is realising this now, and really thinking about the potential future in Orphan 55. I think this is absolutely foreshadowing Ryan leaving at the end of the season (there's been a lot of speculation given Tosin's new TV role), and I think Ryan and Yaz' discussion at the end of the episode was a definite hint in the direction of Ryan choosing to going back to Earth.

Would have really liked Graham, during his talk with the Doctor, to gently remind her that she can talk about her own problems, although I can understand the narrative choice on why she didn't (although, yeah, would have been good for Graham to ask). Because, yeah, if anyone needs a sympathetic ear (...sans fingers) or a shoulder to lean on, it's her!! The entire theme of this episode was like... reaching out. Conquering your fears with the help of others. Sharing your fears to lessen them. Getting help. And the Doctor deliberately... not doing that makes it into an actual Thing that I think is going to seriously be addressed by the end of the season.

It's been such an ongoing theme. A bunch of episodes have started with an obviously depressed Doctor. The Fam has tried to raise the issue multiple times and have discussed it amongst themselves even more. Scenes like Yaz' reaction after being abducted in Spyfall (...which makes her, "I thought I was dead" part even more worrying) and being comforted by Ryan, not the Doctor... her whole reaction to Graham being like, "I'm glad you talked to me but I literally can't do the same in return" - if it's not addressed by the end of this season, it's at least going to have to be an ongoing theme, because it's becoming very deliberate now.

An interesting note: the actor who played Zellin (an immortal manipulator of nightmares) also voiced the Remnants (who were the first to mention the Timeless Child in The Ghost Monument). Coincidence or deliberate?

Assorted thoughts:

"I'm still quite socially awkward." There's socially awkward and there's emotionally repressed... (I saw a description of it on Tumblr as 'weaponised dissociation' and... yeah. And also yikes.) Also the way she was so closed in on herself, basically hugging her arms to her body! On a semi-related note, talking to herself in Aleppo was a bit depressing. Like it's continuing the theme of The Doctor Does Not Like Being Alone.

The finger thing - ew ew ew ew it's in their EARS ewww D:

Stylistic comment: the traditionally-styled animation for the Immortals' game was gorgeous.

"Try not freak out, yeah, but you're on a floating space platform trapped in a gravitational pull between two colliding planets."

"Thanks for lending a helping hand!" Companions just being, "...Doctor p l s."

On an old lore note, loved the callback to Eternals, Guardians, and the Toymaker! On a concerning note, man, the Doctor has so many issues with immortals. They abandoned Jack, there was the punishment they gave the Family of Blood, they had those Issues with Ashildr (from what I've read), now this, an eternal punishment with no chance of redemption, perhaps because she knows what immortality does? Parallels with the Doctor as quasi-immortal too, which Zellin even pointed out.

"You're wrong about humans. They're not pathetic. They're magnificent. They live with their fears, doubts, guilt. They face them down everyday and they prevail. That's not weakness. That's strength. That's what humanity is."

(Contrast: "That's what humanity is." The Doctor isn't human. She's not prevailing against her fears, doubts, and guilt.)

In conclusion, literally everyone but the creepy immortals needs a hug.

The Haunting of Villa Diodati

Thoughts on Doctor Who - The Haunting Of Villa Diodati!

tfw you think you're just going to get a nice spoopy historical and instead get major plot?

Overall impression: Well, Jack is going to be pretty miffed, given that the Doctor had to do precisely what he didn't want to happen - giving the Lone Cyberman what it wanted. To save Shelley, and also to save the future, although that does bring up the question on if the death of one person can rewrite the future, why doesn't that apply to literally everyone? Fletcher the valet and Elise the nurse died too, do their deaths have the same impact? Either way, the Doctor takes the Cyberium for herself - then realises that the Cybermen are inevitable, and returns it. And now she's trying to go and stop them. So... a bit conflicting in the message there, I think.

Yeah. Bit of a Trolley Problem there.

The characters were really fun. I did enjoy seeing Mary's sense of morbidness, but also her kindness and sympathy towards the Cyberman; you can see the foundations of Frankenstein there. I'm seeing some criticism of how Byron was portrayed as a coward, but eh. Nice little callback to Ada. Also I love how one of the rules was 'no one snog Byron'. Put that dirty boy back, you don't know where he's been! Glad Claire realised that too, although historically, she was already pregnant with his daughter at that point (and that didn't go well at all)... Either way. Good display of all these bright young reckless things.

(And yes, they were young. Byron was the eldest at 28. Shelley was 23, Polidori was 20, Mary and Claire were just 18. And while Claire lived to 80 and Mary to her 50s, the three men all died young, too - Byron at 36, Shelley at 29 - yes, from drowning, Polidori at just 25. Also wasn't mentioned that Polidori also created something on that Dark And Stormy Night along with Mary's Frankenstein - he wrote The Vampyre, the first modern vampire story!)

The Lone Cyberman (and I am deliberately using that instead of 'Ashad') - creepy as shit. Not just the whole Frankenstein look, but the way he acted! Not emotionless and blank, but actively manipulative and sadistic! Mary showed empathy and he actively threw it back in her face! I mean, yikes.

House was terrific and also spooky as hell. (Am lowkey miffed that no one went "VIBE CHECK!") The jumbled layout was quite Castrovalva, and I actually really dig that Graham got to see some actual ghosts. Ghostly sandwiches!

I think we got actual confirmation here that Yaz does have feelings for the Doctor? (Bleeding Cool News is pretty sure that it was for Ryan, but... lmao no.) BBCA twitter certainly thinks so!

Claire: "His answers only increase the enigma." Yaz: "I know someone like that." Claire: "This enigmatic person of yours... would you trade them for reliable and dull?" Yaz: "My person's a bit different..."

I MEAN.

(It got deleted. So. There is that.)

Thirteen: "Hmm. Fourteenth... no. Fifteenth century... touch more umami." (Doctor, have you been playing Detroit: Become Human again?)

Mary: "I don't think they're really from the colonies!" Byron: "No, she... is from somewhere much, much stranger." Polidori: "The North."

Thirteen: "YOU HAD ONE JOB."

Cyberman: "You appear courageous. But your vital signs betray a heightened state of anxiety." Thirteen: "Or as I like to call it... Tuesday."

Thirteen: "Yeah, 'cause sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit, in the stratosphere, alone. Left to choose. Save the poet, save the universe. Watch people burn now, or tomorrow. Sometimes even I can't win."

Claire: "You pursued Mrs Doctor without a care for my presence, belittled my thoughts and opinions... and then proceeded to use my person as a human shield." Byron: "...And?" Claire: "And the spell is broken... my lord." Polidori's face: "haha you fucked up dude"

Next week: Shit Hits The Fan.

Ascension of the Cybermen

In lieu of a proper post for Ascension of the Cybermen, here are a list of questions we need an answer for.

Will Graham and Yaz survive, on a giant carrier full of Cybermen?

Who is Brendan, and what is his relevance to the story?

What is the Boundary?

How is Gallifrey in the Boundary?

How was the Master in Gallifrey, and not trapped by the Kasaavin?

Who is Ko Sharmus and why am I getting Yana vibes?

Who is Ashad and what is his story? (And why is his theme such a literal banger?)

Is he an actual Cyberman? Because I'm totally getting this impression he's human in armour?

How did Brendan survive being shot, and why did his non-ageing father and mentor do that?

Why did it look like a chameleon arch?

Is Ethan's tech-savvy just warzone familiarity or something more sinister?

Are there any other large human populations left?

Was I detecting a hint of romantic tension between Graham and Ravio?

What's up with Yaz?

Why did the Cyberium get sent to that time period?

Who or what is this alliance Jack is a part of?

How do the Time Lords and the lie of the Timeless Child come into it?

WHO THE FUCK IS BRENDAN?

The Timeless Children

WELL THEN.

While I gather proper thoughts on The Timeless Children, here are the questions I had from Ascension of the Cybermen, now with answers!

Will Graham and Yaz survive, on a giant carrier full of Cybermen?

Yup! Disguises for the win!

Who is Brendan, and what is his relevance to the story?

Brendan is a filtered overlay memory of one of the Doctor's former lives.

What is the Boundary?

An anomaly, as far as I can tell.

How is Gallifrey in the Boundary?

No idea!

How was the Master in Gallifrey, and not trapped by the Kasaavin?

No idea!

Who is Ko Sharmus and why am I getting Yana vibes?

A big damn hero.

Who is Ashad and what is his story? (And why is his theme such a literal banger?)

We're still not actually sure. Either way, he's an action figure now.

Is he an actual Cyberman? Because I'm totally getting this impression he's human in armour?

Yeah, sort of.

How did Brendan survive being shot, and why did his non-ageing father and mentor do that?

Because Time Lords.

Why did it look like a chameleon arch?

It's probably related technology! If the chameleon arch rewrites memories, this one just wipes them.

Is Ethan's tech-savvy just warzone familiarity or something more sinister?

Just warzone familiarity. Poor li'l bean.

Are there any other large human populations left?

Possibly! If the Boundary really did send them to random places, there still could be surviving pockets elsewhere in the universe.

Was I detecting a hint of romantic tension between Graham and Ravio?

Maybe a bit XD And now they're all on Earth, who knows?

What's up with Yaz?

Who knows?

Why did the Cyberium get sent to that time period?

Ko Sharmus sent it. Didn't send it far enough.

Who or what is this alliance Jack is a part of?

Same organisation Ko Sharmus is part of. Also, young!Ko Sharmus/Jack please.

How do the Time Lords and the lie of the Timeless Child come into it?

In so many ways.

WHO THE FUCK IS BRENDAN?

The Doctor!

More thoughts later!

Thoughts on Doctor Who - The Timeless Children.

...Actually, first thought is the title. Timeless Children? Hmm.

Anyway. That is... sure a literally mind-blowing revelation for the Doctor, yes! Like, damn, the discovery that you're not even the species you thought you were, that your adoptive parent spent lifetimes abusing and experimenting on you, that your memories were routinely erased by people you thought you could trust (including your adoptive parent), that you're literally the progenitor for your entire species, that you've lost who knows how much time and who knows how many memories... yeah. Damn.

What's an appropriate birthday present for someone turning ten million?

Also, huh. Amidst all the old lore and casual mentions (like Borusa!) that got mentioned - were they taking hints from the Cartmel master plan? About the Doctor being some kind of founding figure for Gallifrey? Not exactly written as Cartmel had it, but that big main concept of the Doctor as a sort of... foundation piece of Time Lord culture was still actually there.

Brain of Morbius Doctors confirmed, I guess. I guess even Four was going, "...the fuck?"

Cybermen = still scary. Regenerating Cybermen = felt somehow obscene. Like, no, that's just fundamentally not right. Like the TARDIS responding to Jack by noping the fuck out kind of not right. God. And the Master was completely and utterly magnificently batshit, like, more than usual, come on, dude, you know they'd kill or convert you the second you turned your back.

Still. Deeply, deeply entertaining to watch just from a villain perspective, completely Chaotic, and like... I do understand where he was coming from? His entire life is a lie. His entire life is because of the Doctor, who, I think it's fair to say, he has Complicated Feelings regarding. (Their entire interaction this episode was a giant power play. Like damn guys just get into BDSM and leave the would-be genocide and universal takeover.)

Tecteun = Rassilon, I'm assuming. Goddamn. Like they were a pompous abusive asshole from the outset, this just kind of makes it worse. I also wonder if Rassilon chose the Master specifically to get the drums because he was friends with the Doctor? That actually may have been something the Master worked out himself, too. I mean, I'd be pissed off as well :-\

Also, how many people know about this? I assume Gat knew, since she was implied to be responsible for the mind wipes, but was it like... a super tightly-held secret or was it something a lot of higher-ups knew? Because that's fucked up tbh

Thought on the Master. Okay, he's hugely furious that he's been lied to, that the entire origin of his people is based on a lie, that his greatest friendrivalloveenemy is incredibly special and that a part of her is in him and not in the fun way, but like... I'm also wondering if he's looking at the Time Lords, the way they turned him into their puppet, how they drove him insane for their own purposes, then looked at the Doctor - someone who has also been used, abused, experimented on, manipulated, controlled, and went, "No. This is an injustice and the Time Lords need to be punished for it."

Oh, saw a nice theory regarding the TARDISes - Ruth!Doctor had the original busted police box TARDIS. When she was eventually taken in to be mind-erased, they sent the TARDIS off to storage to be eventually repaired. The Doctor manages to steal that one, goes to Earth, and it immediately gets stuck again because it's still broken. Explains how Ruth!Doctor can have the police box while also being pre-everything.

I really want the Doctor and Jack to sit down and have a nice chat about being timeless undying constants of the universe. Also for Jack to get one of the spare TARDISes around. Be kinda funny if he got the Master's old one, given the Year That Never Was, but it really is just sitting there. (Poor TARDIS stuck as a tree on a random wartorn planet in the far future, though!)

Also, Jodie was fucking magnificent in this episode. The hurt, the absolute fury, the almost glee when she's telling the Master he can't break her, her refusal to press the button at the end (so much like Nine's "coward or killer?" moment!)... just... so good.

Beautiful post I saw here on Tumblr - the Doctor as the Timeless Child, making the choice to help.

Amazing post here on Tumblr about abuse and repressed memories. Even if the Doctor doesn't remember it all, the abuse they underwent at the hands of a beloved parent figure still informs a hell of a lot of their behaviour, but it doesn't define them. The Doctor's need to run = informed by abuse. The Doctor's desire to help crying children = informed by abuse. The Doctor being an inherently good person = being their own person, no matter what their upbringing, no matter what their past was. They made the choice to be the Doctor, and that's a hell of an important thing.

Extremely painful post I saw on Tumblr about the Doctor being 'hip with the kids' by calling her companions her Fam but hell if they're not more family to her than her actual adoptive mother ow my heart.

Also, the scene between Yaz and Graham was so sweet <3 I do want to see Yaz, at some point, admit that sometimes she's so terrified she can barely move, and to tell him what she came so close to doing when she was sixteen, and Graham to just go, "Yeah, but you keep going." Also I'm trying not to think about how Yaz would respond to the Doctor going off on a suicide mission when Yaz was suicidal just three years earlier because ow my heart. She knows that Ko Sharmus went after her, she knows the Doctor might be alive, but either way, she's just seen someone she loves leave with the intention of dying (and Ko Sharmus too, actually). Someone please give her a hug. Actually please just let the Fam have a big group hug in general.

"Have you ever been limited by who you were before?" "Huh. Now that does sound like me talking."

So, remaining questions to be answered next season!

What actually is the Doctor? Since they were found near the Boundary, they could be from anywhere. It's fair to say they now are recognised genetically as a Time Lord, but what were they originally, why were they abandoned in the first place, and are there any more of their original people out there?

How do the Remnants know about the Timeless Child, or were they just picking up on that unconscious knowledge from the Doctor's own mind?

Like... we're generally under agreement that the Master, the eternal cockroach, survived, right? Despite definitely being lowkey suicidal like oh, was hoping the Death Particle would kill me? Like the Death Particle was made by the Cyberium, it could have gone, "Nah, keeping this one."

What's going on with the Kasaavin? Remember them? Still out there, stationed all through time and space? And are we going to see Daniel Barton again?

Is something going on with Yaz?

Will the Fam stay on? (I personally think Ryan will elect to stay on Earth to account for Tosin Cole's new TV role, and if Graham and Ravio enter a relationship, he might too.)

When will we see Jack again? If he was connected to the Lone Cyberman arc, that seems... pretty conclusively finished, unless we're going to learn more about it?

Is it Christmas yet?

............so the Christmas/NY special is going to start with Jack using his vortex manipulator to bust the Doctor out of prison and get back to the Fam and it'll never be mentioned again, right.

"At least buy me diNNER!!"

#doctor who #companion love #best enemies #long post

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archer3-13 · 5 years ago

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FEH Villains Ranked

from best to worst, excluding book 4 cause its still ongoing

lif: genuinely surprised me by being an alfonse with pathos. well he started book 3 as a kinda generic number 2 type, the revelation of his identity as alfonse (though rather obvious at that point) as well as his goal of essentially destroying other worlds as a penance to restore his own is both suitably threatening and tragic. Creating that sense of pathos i mentioned that works so well for him, especially when hes shown to still be a kind person at heart thats been pushed into such horrific actions because of the devastation he had to endure. Especially when you consider that hes carrying the weapon that could kill hel with him which, although kinda lazy that he just has it, is a) a hel of a lot less contrived then anything book 2 pulled off and b) further deepens that sense of pathos when we consider that not only is it a memento of ‘player san’ and presumably everyone else hes lost but that it can also represent, in a way, a symbol of his own failure of will and bowing the knee to hel. Him prioritizing his own happiness and fulfillment in the form of hel resurrecting his world over the good of the ‘fe multiverse’. Point being, its a complexity of character that I honestly wish we got to see more of, and one I really wasn’t expecting from fe heroes given its track record. you’ll see what i mean down the road.

hel: well not terribly complex in motivation, she basically just wants to kill everything to increase her own power, she gets points for a strong presentation and utilization within the story book 3 creates. The limitations on her insta death power being kinda silly aside, though gustavs gambit to circumvent that i honestly really like more so then alfonses rules lawyering, the overhanging presence she has in the lives of book 3′s characters works really well and the pressure to defeat her because of her effectively endless legions works better as an overhanging threat anyways. When I say presentation though I mean more so in how her words, actions, and motivation intersect because well her words on the face of it have the usual villain posturing, her motivation and actions (such as her relation to eir and her generals, and the world she rules over and created) creates an interesting intersection where one can argue that her posturing words are empty of any true feeling. Shes cold and lifeless like the dead she rules and the world she creates, those around her are simply tools to an end but hardly in a cackling manner and more so in the unthinking manner one treats a toothpick. she gets angry or shocked but even then its in a muted manner, almost performing the emotions rather then truly feeling them. Hel lives in an unchanging world, a stillness brought on by the finality of death, and in a way one can argue that its her unspoken desire to spread that stillness, that perfect unchanging world she controls, to every world. Like lif, its a degree of complexity that I wish we got to see more of, especially in her case, and its something i honestly wasnt expecting from heroes.

helbindi: solely because the man goes through a lot of shit, and is an effective portrayal of a sympathetic villain. Hes effectively a camus if a camus was foul mouthed and more thuggish and that works for him, and is rather endearing in its own way when he acts concerned for his little sister and does the ‘im a thug who hugs kittens when no ones looking’ routine which i like when its done well. point being, he could have been a generic thug but hes a lot more interesting for not being one. However, his general pointlessness to the story, aside from giving us an indication that shock of shocks surtrs a shitty king and an excuse to escort ylgir around places who also does jack shit in the story... heroes is always going to suffer from having to compress its story telling but that fact they waste so much time with helbindi and ylgir and hrud when so much of what they do is either unnecessary to the story or themes present in book 2 or could have been given to other characters and make those characters better for it... helbindi gets to be up here for sympathy points and favoritism, but i am stretching here for ya mate.

thrasir: stronger character wise then helbindi, an interesting relation to lif of enemies turned into close friends over a shared trauma and servitude, plays into some of the same strengths of hel and lif that make them so engaging, yadda, yadda, yadda. So why is she below helbindi? because she doesnt get to do anything, and only starts to get interesting right before her death. If she had been given a bigger role comparable to lif, or just more time to stew in her own motivations she’d easily surpass helbindi. its also not helped that thrasirs own desire to resurrect her brother is similar to veronicas pre established selfishness, which isnt as strong a contrast as lifs selfishness and guilt against alfonses character. Her relation to lif does hint at a stronger sense of kidness and morality instilled within her because of that relation, which is interesting and would make a strong contrast against veronica, but again we get like five seconds of it before shes killed off and then a little more of it again at the end. Deserved more time on screen then she got, and would have probably been number 2 here if she had gotten it.

veronica: bratty child becomes evil sorcerer emperor, more at 11. I like the concept of veronica, its something fes never really touched on much aside from maybe a little bit with julius with his more childish antics. Veronica however cranks that up a lot more, shes impatient and gets bored easily, she wants more friends but in a selfish ‘friend is someone who does everything I want right?’ way, shes emblas ruler and she has the emotional maturity of an evil 10 year old and i just kinda like it. Especially since she tempers it with an air of sophistication and intelligence, much like the classic evil sorcerers fe loves to utilize in villain roles, and it helps balance out the bratty child from being too annoying in the villain role. It helps lend a sense of her trying to present herself as a grown up for the respect and authority that brings, well simultaneously maintain all the perks of being a kid who gets everything she wants. It’s a shame then that the narrative keeps sidelining her, either by focusing on other villains, her god damn brother getting in the fucking way, or with the overhanging implications of magic dragon possession being the root cause of her behavior. I can forgive the magic dragon possession though since that is an fe staple and could works towards more interesting character aspects rather then undercutting her. Regardless, she sure is great when things are actually about her, and i really wish things would get back to being about her.

Laegjarn: solely here because she loves her sister, shes rather flat as a character otherwise. It would have been one thing if she displayed a sense of brutality instilled in her by a childhood being raised by surtr, only dropping the shell when it came to her sister and reigning herself in for the sake of that one familial bond she treasures... instead shes just kinda nice and loves her sister, and yet still works for surtr for some fucking reason. @agoddamn and @ezralahm mention an aspect of learned helplessness to xanders character in fates that people tend to gloss over (heaven knows why, cause its fairly in your face even in the english translation), and that should be something that comes across in laegjarn, but its doesnt really. not as much as it should anyways. Another victim of book 2′s pointless writing.

loki: evil sexy lady with big boobies and a one leg cutout tights pants thing. heres someone who can transform into anyone, and yet she never really does anything with it. oh she does ‘things’, just not things that have much point to them, or really feel like they fit into some larger scheme. she’d be right at home as a recurring villain in an episodic story, coming up with some inane scheme for todays episode that gets foiled and she gets sent ‘blasting off again’. I dont necessarily hate the sexy seductress character, the noire bombshells and the like, they can be fun when done well. loki just doesnt do it well, coming off as more grating and annoying then tempting honestly, and as a villain she lacks anykind of actual menace. My feelings on her are similar to my feelings on aversa honestly, heres someone who should be so cool and threatening, a real menace to the heroes using their skills and abilities behind the scenes to move threats against the heroes, never taking to the field unless they can benefit from it and have an assured chance of victory or safety... but then they never actually do anything, as any of the actions possibly attributable to them either happen offscreen or probably would have happened without them doing anything. Loki and aversa could have stayed home twiddling their thumbs and nothing would change, and thats the real shame about them. Doesn’t help they aren’t particularly fun or entertaining as villains either due to lackluster writing.

surtr: garon 2.0, but with even less complexity. Well garon may have been a blatantly evil prick, he at least had backstory that provoked some degree of complexity and even sympathy, both to him and those hurt by his evil dragon possession personality change. Surtr lacks even that, acting more like a petty thug given way to much power then an imposing ruler. He garon without the backstory complexity, and in a way hes walhart without the air of regality and charisma that helped elevate walhart from being god awful in his own right. And well it could have been interesting if the story made any attempts to comment on that or work it into a central story theme or flow of some sort, it doesnt really do that and instead treats him as if he has and indeed deserves the same credibility and impression walhart or garon or any of the other fire emblem emperor kings have left. But the game doesnt ever actually work for that with him. Hes the emeperor, so he automatically deserves respect as a villain. and thats... so typical of book 2′s writing.

laevatein: shes boring as sin, even with her relation to her sister and the tragedy of losing her. Like her sister, she would have benefited from an impression of learned helplessness but the game never really bothers with it. moving on because i can barely give a shit about her.

bruno: this mother fucker... an annoying detraction that overtakes veronicas spotlight and screentime, an excuse for alfonse wangst that never really lands, pointless and useless... the benefit of book 2 and 3 so far has been his reduced importance, but i fully expect him to come roaring back to steal veronicas position once the story shifts back to an area she should be the focus of. the only thing he has going for him is the sense of a camus struggling with dragon possession but thats more so used for alfonse wangst then it is for anything constructive. What do i mean by alfonse wangst? I mean angst that really serves no narrative purpose then for the sake of unnecessary melodrama, as opposed to informing us anything about the characters or themes of the story. he makes veronica look worse, his drama with alfonse is a waste of time, and he really provides nothing else then a recurring boss fight and get out of jail free card for the story. I’m putting him below laevatein because well i dont give much of a shit about her, she atleast doesnt actively annoy me and still had the potential for something. Bruno however? the story would be better off without him. So fuck him.

#fire emblem #fire emblem heroes

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captain-kingliamsqueen · 6 years ago

Text

I Know It Hurts But Its Going To Get Better...I promise!

Part 8 of Life Before Him

Ive been so caught up with work that I haven't gotten round to posting but here we go!! finally!! the next part!! I love reading all of your comments, reading how people reacted and felt whilst reading my stories it makes it all worth while! <3

CATCH UP!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

MASTERLIST!

Pairing: Liam x Riley

Summary: …Riley isn’t sure how to cope with all of the emotions of the past events.

Word Count: 3067

Tagged : @starstruckzonkoperatorbat @drakelover78 @queencatherynerhys @devineinterventions2 @jayjay879 @kawairinrin @hopefulmoonobject @flyawayblue56 @gardeningourmet @blackcatkita @syltti78 @decisso @theroyalweisme @hhiggs @mfackenthal @bruteforcebears @pens-girl-87 @speedyoperarascalparty @starstruckpixelberryhistoryvoid @darley1101 @crookedslimecreatorpasta @jamjar84

ASK IF YOU WANT TAGGED! SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE! (USED THE TAGS FROM MY “ALWAYS” SERIES LET ME KNOW IF ANYONE WANTS UNTAGGED!!!)

I always notice every single spelling mistake or issue after I’ve posted…so apologies in advance!

Some of the Script has been taken from the choices trr Book for flashback purposes!

It was just a few days later that Riley was released from the hospital, the doctors gave her permission to go back to the palace, however she had to check in with them every few days so that they could keep an eye on her head and track her amnesia. No one was allowed in her room except him and the doctors.

Liam and Riley sat in the back of the car whilst Bastian drove, Riley, sat staring out of the window she hadn’t spoken a word since leaving the hospital. Liam watched her the whole time, never taking his eyes off her.

“your staring” she whispered

“I’m sorry” he flustered “I’m just worried about you”

“I’m okay” she stated bluntly

“Riley…”

“I’m fine Liam” she barked

“alright…I’ll take your word, shall I?” he sighed

“I’m sorry…” she whispered as she laced her fingers with his “I shouldn’t take that tone…I know it’s because you care” she added

The car arrived at the Palace just thirty minutes after leaving the hospital. Riley and Liam headed inside. Riley looked around as if it was the first time she was seeing the place, in her mind the last time she was there was the coronation.

“everyone looks so happy” she whispered

“because they are…they’re happy your home” he smiled as he squeezed her hand.

“everyone has missed you” he added

“Liam…do I stay with you? now that we’re…engaged?” she asked once they were out of view from everyone, they walked up the stairs heading down to their quarters.

“yes, you do, we have our own suite, like an apartment, a very big apartment” he smiled

“we live together?” she giggled

“yes” he smirked “we very much live together”

“that’s the best thing I’ve heard all day” she whispered with a smirk. Liam and Riley headed into their quarters, Riley's smile reached from ear to ear as she looked around the suite.

“it’s gorgeous…why on earth have I been wasting away in the room down the hall when this place is here? You’ve been holding out on me!” she giggled

“many nights I wanted to bring you here and just hold you” Liam stated as he took his coat off in the sitting room, whilst Riley was in the bedroom looking around.

“just hold me?” a smirk found itself on her face “you sure that’s all your wanted to do your Majesty?”

“Riley!” Liam laughed

“what?” she chuckled as she walked back into the sitting room.

“could you show me where my clothes are…I-I would like to change out of these” she asked him softly

“of course,” he replied as he took Riley's hand and showed her back into the bedroom, he walked her over to the closet then opened the double doors. Riley's eyes widened as she seen the size of it, it was bigger than her old apartment back home.

“th-this is all mine?” she asked

“yes, since becoming a duchess and the queen in waiting, you’ve gained quiet the wardrobe” he smiled as he walked in with Riley by his side.

“you see this one, this is the dress you wore in New York…when we got engaged” he squeezed her hand.

“it’s gorgeous”

“I know, that’s what I told you when I seen you wearing it” he chuckled

“Liam…” she sighed happily

Many Weeks went by and Riley's memory hadn’t progressed at all. She tried to remember, she tried as hard as she should, she asked questions, she had Liam and her friends tell her about what had happened in the time between her last memory and what happened in the lot. She wanted to hear every story, everything about the things they had all done together: Finding Tariq, their trip to Coney Island…Liam's proposal…she wanted to know everything.

Riley hadn’t slept properly in weeks, most nights she lay awake, with Liam's arms wrapped around her waist. Liam would lay whispering sweet nothings in her ear whilst linking his fingers with hers. Liam had spent the last few weeks searching for rileys parents whereabouts, it was as if they had disappeared off the face of the earth.

It was about six weeks after the incident that changed everything. It was late in the afternoon, Riley was in their quarters after spending the day with Hana and Maxwell. She had been feeling off all day…nauseous, her head was pounding so she had retired from their outing earlier than she had planned. once she got back she changed into some comfier clothes then she perched herself on the sofa with a blanket and turned the tv on. She watched television for a short twenty minutes before she found herself dozing off. It was just a few hours later that she awoke abruptly, she felt like someone had set her on fire, her temperature was sky high, she jumped from the seat and took off to the bathroom, as soon as she reached the toilet she fell to her knees crying as she violently chucked up her insides. Her breathing hitched as she cried. What was happening to her. Her felt sharp pains shooting in her head. her heart was beating a million miles an hour, with her breathing speeding up. it was then that it started…the flashbacks…they felt so real…as if they were happening all over again…

Making her way downstairs Riley sang to herself. “Mommy?!” she called as she walked into the living room…nothing…Riley smiled as she heard a clanging from the kitchen “Mommy!?” she called ecstatically as she headed to the kitchen, she sniffled seeing no one there, just the cat jumping from the counter and pan lying on the floor…where were her mommy and daddy? Her sister? She walked through the living room to the front door, she reached up on her tiptoes pulling the handle down on the door, she opened it stepping out onto the front steps…the car was gone. the next day Riley spent the day waiting…watching from the front step…hours went by and no one came…every car that past she watched like a hawk just in case it was her family. They wouldn’t leave her…would they? How could they? they loved her…didn’t they? How could they just abandon her?

It was like her heart was breaking all over again…like they left her all again….it was like she was reliving them…she could feel the pain…the emotion, everything she had felt back then…she could feel it again…her hands shook as the tears feel…she wasn’t sure what she was feeling…there were so many emotions going through her body, she was hurt…she was scared as it all came flooding back…her parents leaving, basically being homeless. Just seconds later it started again

There Riley stood in front of the grey door in the block of apartments…she took a deep breathe then knocked on the door…just moments later she was met with a face she never thought she would see again…Tariq!

Tariq took a moment to steady himself on the podium as hundreds of paparazzi aimed their cameras at him.

“I am here to make a statement regarding the photos of myself and Lady Riley…it was a misunderstanding that led me to her room that night, mistaking it for my own. The photos that were taken of us reveal only this: a breach of privacy that I alone was responsible for, and an arrogant and unwanted advance on my part.”

“We did it!” Riley whispered through her tears.

“IM KING OF THE WORLD!!!!” Liam shouted at the top of his lungs at the top of the Ferris wheel.

As Liam turned to look at Riley, he gently took her hand. “do you remember the coronation?”

“how could I forget”

“I was going to propose to you that night…in front of the entire court, not doing so will remain the deepest regret of my life.” Liam gently brushed a strand of hair from Riley's head as a soft smile finds itself making its way onto his face. “still perhaps its destiny that it happened this way, that you broke free of the conspiracy against you just as we returned to New York…as we came full circle” Liam turned to face the statue of liberty and gently pats his leg a few times, Riley quickly followed Liam's gaze to find herself looking at one corner of the base, beyond which you can only see darkness. “here, Bash!” he called. Riley furrowed her brows not knowing what was going on, why was Bash there? Bash emerged from behind the corner and begins trotting towards the couple. “I hope you don’t mind, my borrowing him tonight” as Bash approached the two Riley spotted something attached to his collar.

“Liam, what’s going on? What is that?” she asked curious

“you’ll see in just a moment” Liam smirked as he removed the object from Bash’s collar then he turned to Riley.

“Riley, you’ve opened my eyes, it has been a true honour to witness your strength in the face of every challenge you have overcome. It’s a strength that lends me courage. I know that I will be a better man for having you by my side. All I want in this world is to dedicate my life in being the best man and king that I can be…for you.” Liam fell to one knee, his eyes locked on Riley's, with passion in his eyes, he reached out and took her hand in his.

“Lady Riley Brookes, Queen of my heart, I have yearned to say these four words for a very, very long time…”

“Liam…” she whispered

“Riley, will you marry me?” he smiled

Riley's heart was going a million miles an hour as she relived the moment she and Liam finally got engaged, she cried and cried as she felt the love all over again.

“we left because we couldn’t afford to support both of you!!” Riley was taken back by her mother’s statement.

“Bullshit! Absolute bullshit!! You could afford to have nice cars…a big house…you gave Lulu everything she ever wanted! SO, DON’T YOU DARE COME INTO OUR HOME…AND TRY AND FEED ME THAT BULLSHIT!! IF YOU COULDN’T AFFORD TWO CHILDREN YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD TWO CHILDREN!!! WE HAD THE BIGGEST HOUSE ON THE BLOCK…WE HAD MORE CARS THAN WE WOULD EVER NEED…WE HAD A MAID FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!” Riley shouted as she got closer and closer to the woman.

“Riley-”

“NO! IM NOT FINISHED, YOU WERE MY PARENTS…YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOOK OUT FOR ME…TAKE CARE OF ME…I HAD NO ONE! I SPENT YEARS EATING SCRAPS FROM THE GARBAGE BECAUSE I HAD NOTHING!! I WAS FUCKIN TEN! I WOKE UP THAT MORNING AND LOOKED FOR YOU…I LOOKED FOR BOTH OF YOU!” Riley turned her attention to the 50-year-old well-dressed man “I DON’T KNOW WHY YOUR SITTING THERE…YOU’RE AS MUCH TO BLAME AS SHE IS! BOTH OF YOU HAD A RESPOSIBILITY AS PARENTS TO CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN, THE SECOND YOU LAID DOWN TOGETHER AND HAD ANOTHER CHILD…THAT CHILD WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!”

“Riley please don’t shout at me like that, I’m your mother, I’m sorry riley” the woman apologised

“FUCK YOUR APOLOGIES, MAYBE YOU CAN SIGN MY THERAPISTS BILL WITH IT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT IT! MOTHER? HAH! YOU STOPPED BEING MY MOTHER THE SECOND YOU ABANDONED ME! I WAITED FOR YOU…I WAITED FOR YOU ON THE STEPS OF THAT HOUSE…I WAITED FOR YOU TO COME BACK FOR ME” Riley cried hysterically “WAS I THAT BAD A CHILD THAT YOU DIDN’T WANT ME? WAS I THAT WORTHLESS TO YOU…DID I MEAN THAT LITTLE TO YOU THAT YOU COULD JUST LEAVE ME WITH NOTHING? …LIKE I WAS NOTHING! AND THEN YOU COME HERE EXPECTING ME TO FORGIVE YOU…I DON’T THINK SO…YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST COME HERE AND SAY YOUR SORRY AND I’LL FORGIVE YOU? …MAYBE IF YOU TOOK ME WITH YOU, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT, THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN…IM A FORGIVING PERSON BUT YOU CAN’T RUIN MY LIFE THEN EXPECT AN APOLOGY TO SUFICE?”

Riley started to hyperventilate, she didn’t know hot to handle all these feelings at once, she sat on the floor of the bathroom, knees pulled up to her chest as tried to make sense of everything. It was her next memory that threw her over the edge though…the one that really got her.

“Riley!” Liam shouted, “Riley please open the door!”

“why” she cried “why would they do that!? W-why would they leave me like that!?” she sobbed

“Riley…sweetheart” he said just loud enough for her to hear “I know…I don’t know mentally what you’re going through but if you let me in, we can talk, let me help you riley”

“no…wh-why would anyone want to help me…I’m worthless…my own parents didn’t even want me…why would anyone else” she blubbered, he felt his heart breaking a little, hearing how she spoke about herself

“hey…you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for Riley, your friends love you, I love you, we all love you so much”

“stop! Stop saying that!! You’re all just going to do the same as they did…you’re going to get m-my hopes up…then you’re going to l-leave me…b-but I c-can’t let m-myself…b-be hurt again…I-I’m so sorry L-Liam” she started to hyperventilate.

“Riley!!!” Liam shouted panicking when he heard her moving, all her could hear was her crying and throwing things around…he banged his fists on the door, then he heard a scattering on the floor as if she had dropped beads or something of that size then the tap started running.

“Riley!!! RILEY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!”

“I-I love you Liam” she cried as she moved from their bathroom to the bedroom.

“Riley move away from the door I’m coming in!!”

“y-you can t-try but…you’ll be too late” Liam stood back, lifting his leg and forcing his foot into the door with all his might. The door flew open, banging against the chest of draws just beside it. When he got the door open he ran straight for Riley who was balled up next to the bed with her back to him, he fell to his knees pulling her into his hold with his arms wrapped around her and her back against his chest her hands covered her face. Her hands were bleeding from her nails digging into her palms so much when she was clenching her fists. Liam sat holding her as tight as he could when he looked up he got a straight line of sight to the bathroom…that’s when he panicked…painkillers…all over the floor.

“Riley? how many did you take?”

“enough t-to take the p-pain away” she cried “how could they leave me?” he held her back to his chest. Riley started to become hazy…not responding as fast as she normally would

“Riley…Riley talk to me!!! How many did you take?” the tears started to fall from Liam’s eyes…overwhelmed with everything happening before him. “BASTIAN!! BASTIAN! GET THE PHYSICIAN!!” Liam shouted at the top of his lungs.

At this point Riley couldn’t hear a thing around her…they mind was set on herself and that’s its…the whole court could be in that room and she wouldn’t have noticed, her hands shook, her nose ran, her face was red from the tears, she had cut the inside of her hands with her fingernails due to clenching her fist too tight.

The next flashback took it out of her, it was a memory…she hadn’t yet felt the backlash off, because of her amnesia…no one knew how she would feel or react when she got her memories back.

once Riley climbed out of the shower, she wrapped her towel round her, then headed into the bedroom, she changed into some comfy clothes then made her way into the living room, as she walked in she seen the balcony door lying open, assuming it was the wind or something, she just let it go and went to shut it, as she went to pull it shut, she felt someone hit her on the back of the head then a hand went over her mouth, she struggled, trying to get away, she kicked she wriggled she tried as hard as she could to get out of their hold…but no avail. she cried and screamed only for it to be muffled. Her eyes widened as she heard her mothers laugh. She was pulled from the palace, out onto the balcony then she was pushed over the edge, Knocking her out.

Everything fast forwarded. Next thing she knew, she was in a small room, about the size of a broom closet, she was alone…the only person in there. The room contained, her, a chair and a camera.

It was like her life was on fast forward. She may have just been sitting on the cold bathroom floor, but in her mind, she was in that room…she was locked up…with no oxygen.

“Liam” she stated looking at the camera so tired and beat up.

“Th-There’s no windows…the door is sealed…i-im the only person in here…they’re trying suffocate me” she coughed then winced “they s-said…If you want to s-see me again…t-they want…m-money…one hundred million. The cameras on a timer…it’s going to interrupt every channel every thirty minutes for ten minutes” She cried “Liam…d-don’t give into them…Don’t do it” her eyes were like faucets.

“I love you Liam” she whispered before the camera went off. as the red record light went off on the camera, she burst into tears…she knew she didn’t have long…she wasn’t stupid, every hole and space was sealed there was no oxygen getting into that room, she had hours and she knew it.

As the hours went by in that room, it felt like seconds to Riley sitting in the bathroom, her breathing wavered as she felt the loss of oxygen…Riley screamed and cried as she tried to stand up but quickly fell back to the floor again. As she fell to the floor, she gripped the sink basin pulling the glass soap dish down with a crash, it smashed all over the floor, pieces flew everywhere. She couldn’t handle the pain in her heart…it was all too much. It was like all her heartbreak that she had ever felt…all happening at once. She was repeatedly vomiting, hyperventilating, crying,

“…Liam…I don’t have much…time left…I…can hardly…breathe” she gasped “so I …want to say…this now” she was dying…she could hardly keep her eyes open…no energy to keep her head up

“…I want you to know…how much…you’ve changed me…for the better…how much you’ve moved me, you made me…a woman…by loving me, Liam” with gasps between each word she carried on, she knew she should really stop talking to save oxygen but she had to tell him before it was too late…he had to know she loved him “and for that…I am…eternally grateful!, promise me Liam…that…that whenever your…sad…or unsure…or you lose…complete faith…promise me…that you’ll try to see yourself…through my eyes…thank you…for giving me the honour…of getting to …know you…I have no regrets when…it comes to you…you’ve made my…life, Liam…but I’m just a …chapter in yours…there will be…more…I promise…don’t be afraid to fall in love again…marry for love Liam…I love you Liam” she gasped as her eyes flickered shut.

she couldn’t breathe and because she couldn’t breathe she couldn’t shout to anyone…she couldn’t call anyone for help.

Riley's scream could be heard throughout the palace, Liam was in a meeting he heard it, as one of the lords at the table spoke,, the scream broke the conversation, Liam quickly stood from the seat and took off out the door, he ran…he ran faster than he ever did until he reached their quarters, at this point the guard on door post duty was already in there, he was stood at the bathroom door just watching…he wasn’t sure what to do, he didn’t know if he should go near her, she was in such a state he wasn’t sure how to deal with it, he had been trained to deal with all sorts of situations but he wasn’t trained for this.

Liam came running in, stopping at the bathroom door, as soon as he seen Riley, the glass all over the floor, the blood on her hands, the glass shards that had pierced her feet, her hair was mangled from pulling at It, her skin pale as snow from all the vomiting, her cheeks stained red from the tears. Liam dismissed the guard as he carefully moved closer to her, kicking the glass away, once he reached her side he fell to his knees pulling her into his chest, he knew exactly what was happening.

“it’s alright…it’s okay…I’m right here” he whispered as he held her close. “deep breathes sweetie it’s okay…it’s okay…you’re gonna be just fine sweetie, I know it hurts, but it’s going to get better I promise” he gently pecked her head. “ive got you, your safe, your okay” he whispered softly into her ear, trying to calm her down. “shh, shh, it’s alright”

Liam could feel his own heart breaking as he watches the love of his life breaking in front of him, how two people could make someone feel like that…how they could break someone so easily…it disturbed him, what kind of person does that!

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#trr #trr choices #trr fanfic #trr liam #choices trr #playchoices #play choices fanfiction #playchoices fandom #playchoices fanfic #choices #choices app #the royal romance #the royal romance fanfic #royal romance fanfic #king liam x mc #liam rys #liam x riley #liam x mc

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