#a point in why she confides in Curly is he’s the captain she’s not just gonna tell the only other woman just because it’s still personal

[dykedvonte]

I keep seeing fanarts of ppl's OC's being on the ship, so do you think that if there was 6st crewmember (specifically, another woman) Anya would've been more safe? Like, someone to actually call Jimmy's begaviour out, someone Anya might wanna trust? Is there a possibility something might have changed (even if a little) or it would not have mattered at all?

-💀

I feel like the game would make it part of the commentary on where she would believe and help Anya but still be sort of dismissive? Like the whole “don’t waste time crying and being scared keep going and move on, don’t let him win”. It’s supposed to be positive and reinforcing but sometimes it does more damage in those times of mourning and grief, it feels patronizing, like you don’t understand what you’re going through but they do. Even if they did call out his behavior it’s still on Curly to act and while another voice would help, it’s still 4 against 2 on guys that don’t get it until they have to vs women who always have to.

I don’t mind mouthwashing OCs but I do get a bit bored as they tend to be borderline saviors or like Jimmy aligned. They are either more complicit than Curly or just Jimmy haters for no reason, outside of what the creators know about what he did to Anya. I am never irked by OCs but in a story like mouthwashing you really need to think about what your character adds to the commentary, especially if they are there during the crash. It’s nice to have like characters on Anya’s side more whole heartedly and interesting to see characters who placate Jimmy but sometimes it’s one note.

I can’t and don’t want to police peoples OCs it’s never my intention when I comment on trends I notice, but I do feel like the way people make their OCs interact with these two characters and especially Curly, really show a grave misunderstanding of the narrative and these characters as people vs roles in the story. Still, I know people just make up characters for fun and that’s fine. Great even, but I guys I’m focusing more on OCs that are supposed to have those serious dynamics. My favs tend to be pretty-Tulpar or post-Tulpar au OCs.

The inevitably of the crash is on Jimmy. He did that not because he wasn’t stopped but because all his means to kill Anya were taken. The gun, the axe. Even if Curly did strip him of his co-pilot privileges and try to keep him contained there’s only so many people. An extra body helps but they have jobs they have to do, he’s the only one steering the whole ship and Jimmy would likely have an out: food, bathroom, etc. He’s not new and if he couldn’t crash the ship directly, who’s to say he wouldn’t sabotage something else? A clunker like the Tulpar wouldn’t take much. An extra person helps but it’s just another thing that prolongs what a person like Jimmy is willing to do to shirk responsibility.

It’s more than just needing someone to stand up to him and think that’s what is missing when it comes to inserting a character into the mouthwashing setting.

[a-substantial-trash-pile]

Catalyst

so in my au which i'm totally not using to cope or anything haha, after realizing that curly isn't going to do anything about jimmy, anya confides in swansea and he goes Protective Dad Mode. i'm calling this the "Responsibility AU." ramble below cut.

swansea doesn't immediately go after jimmy with an axe or anything because 1. they're not in a high stress life/death crash situation and 2. anya specifically requests that swansea not enact violence upon jimmy after swansea says, and i quote, "i'm gonna beat his ass." anya just wants to feel safer and more supported on the ship—she doesn't want swansea to get in trouble even if jimmy does deserve to get destroyed by 10000 punches.

what swansea can do is watch out for anya and make sure she's never alone in a room with jimmy. if there's a situation where she has to be alone with jimmy (like the psych evals), she and swansea have a system where she can signal for help. with anya's permission, swansea asks daisuke to help look out for her too (without telling him the details as to why since that's anya's right to share or not). daisuke has already picked up at this point that something is wrong based on how much more hostile swansea's become towards jimmy, and he trusts his boss, so he agrees without much question.

anya, feeling less alone now that she has people watching her back, gains more confidence to stand up to jimmy. which makes him angry because his unwanted advances are being denied and swansea and daisuke keep getting in his way. he just can't understand why he's being treated as the bad guy here (this is because he is a delusional asshole).

meanwhile curly is slowly realizing that he needs to actually do something here because the tension in the crew is palpable and increasing by the day. also swansea is being mighty passive aggressive to him and talking about "responsibility" a lot. curly keeps trying to talk to jimmy about it but the guy just keeps downplaying it and blaming everyone else but himself. and curly is realizing that his friend isn't who he thought he was.

it all comes to a head one day when an angry jimmy tries to confront anya alone and swansea steps in. things get heated, people start yelling. curly show up to see swansea and jimmy on the verge of fighting with anya and daisuke trying to hold them back respectively. curly breaks up the fight. jimmy storms off. curly follows him and finds him trying to get the gun from the case in the cockpit. curly asks him why he's doing this and jimmy claims it's for his own protection because he feels "threatened by swansea." he tells curly to give him the code. curly, the sheer wrongness of the whole situation hitting him, finally calls jimmy out on all his bs. jimmy just laughs in his face, still believing that he's not in the wrong and curly doesn't have the guts to do anything anyway. so the captain fires him on the spot. jimmy snaps and he and curly get into a fight in the cockpit. jimmy is trying to crash the ship and curly is trying to stop him. then the rest of the crew show up and anya knocks jimmy's ass out with the gun case. swansea is so proud.

they throw jimmy in the cryopod so they don't have to worry about him pulling anything else and he can be properly dealt with once the stupid delivery is over. everyone's like, "wow that was a close one—could you imagine how messed up it would be if we ended up in a crash because of jimmy? thank god that didn't happen." curly makes swansea the copilot until they can get a replacement and swansea's like, "goddammit as if i don't already do enough shit around here."

anyway my whole goal here was to get rid of jimmy early so i can have beautiful Found Family shenanigans in space with the rest of the crew. apologies and healing and happy times will happen. no the whole getting laid off thing doesn't happen. no i don't have an explanation for it. sorry for the essay.

[konpeitonom]

hii can u do mw characters hallucinating their dead partner??:3thx btw love ur posts

tulpar crew hallucinating their dead partners.

sfw— lowercase intended ^_^

g/n reader (i think) — content warning for self harm/substance abuse.. so sorry!!

requests are open and heavily encouraged, i write for every mw character ^.^

notes; i was super excited to do this request! finally got around to doing it. sorry if this a wee bit inaccurate, i’ve never had severe hallucinations like what im portraying here but i tried my best anyway. take this as a happy 100+ follower celebration! never written for all the cast before so this was really fun. i don’t rlly like this haha but hopefully u guys do

curly

— i’d break him. and i think he wouldn’t be able to work properly as captain if they were frequent. and he’d feel a lot of guilt about that. everyone’s counting on him, he can’t be so hung up on the past.

— would confide in jimmy about it, and jimmy would make some comment about he’s not fit to work if he’s seeing hallucinations of his dead partner- maybe even shame him a little..

— i’d freak him out every time i’d happen. he’d have to leave the room if someone else was there, to go cry somewhere private.

— he already has issues sleeping, but i’d make it much worst. which would only make the hallucinations worst. he can never catch a break..

— he knows he’d never get over your passing, especially if it was tragic/something he could’ve prevented- but he didn’t think he’d go crazy like this.

jimmy

— he would be pissed, seriously. he’d go mad. he’d resort to drinking or self harm if it was possible.

— i only say self harm as a.. he’d stand right in front of you, cut himself and say stuff like.. “you wanted this, right? is that why you’re here? came back to fucking haunt me?”

— he’s completely scummy, and would start blaming you. his view of you would be completely tainted. but then would start feeling upset about how he’s ruined even the image of you.

— to ground himself, he’d just look at old pictures- maybe look at your old clothes if he got the chance. he doesn’t wanna ruin you, but he does. even in death, you can’t run from him.

— all around a mess. haha. he’s confused, maybe a little scared- but still selfish old jimmy..

— i mean, death is regular. it happens. people he’s known, been close to, have died. but for him to be seeing you? and so vividly too? that’s not normal, not at all.

anya

— anya would find a lot of comfort in it. she knows it isn’t healthy, but she can’t help but maybe enjoy it a little. it’s nice to know you’re always there, even if it’s just her mind playing tricks on her.

— i think the first time it happened, she’s very quick to pull herself together. and then she’s very self aware of what’s happening.

— i think she’d feel a lot of guilt.. you’ve passed, and you should rest easy- and here she is still clinging onto the past. you’d be upset if you saw her like this, which is the only reason she’d try to push it away.

— still though.. she can’t help it. you look so real, and who’s it hurting? it’s not hurting her, that’s for sure. it makes her happy.

— would do anything to feel your presence once more, maybe staring at your photo as she cuddles with a pillow.. purposely not sleeping, so the chances of her hallucinating you are higher..

swansea

— like jimmy, he’d go crazy. mentally, he’s struggled before, but not to the extent where he’s seeing vivid images of you. i’d scare the shit out of him.

— would.. likely delve back into alcoholism. what’s the point of being sober if his spouse isn't alive? not like they’ll know anyway. he’d feel maybe a bit of guilt but not enough to stop.

— he would not be able to work properly. maybe only with daisuke, as he knows he can’t break down infront of some kid. he’s old enough to know how to hold himself together.

— maybe similar to anya, there’s slight feelings of comfort. but he can’t do that to you, so he tries his best to move the fuck on over it.

daisuke

— he’d be scared, severely. as the youngest of the crew, he’s constantly hearing things about how life is only gonna get worse as you grow older.. and he thinks, ‘there’s things worse than hallucinating my dead partner in store for me?’

— would try to push through it. put on a happy face in front of his co-workers and parents, as you sit there in the back of his mind.

— he wouldn’t know what to do. he doesn’t wanna bother anyone, doesn’t wanna be a burden. he wants people to look at him and think highly of him, not pity him.

— spends a lot of his free time just.. laying in bed. distracting himself with his hobbies and interests no longer works as he can’t bring himself to care.

— he’d draw often, i think. mostly you. only because he knows how upset you’d be if you found out he’d given up drawing.

[verdantwyrm]

Man, I have got to learn to stop going into the comment sections of mouthwashing playthroughs because of the same old tired takes getting circulated there. Like one comment I saw said Curly was acting all "buddy buddy" with Jimmy after he figured out what happened to Anya, and it's like huh, I guess you missed the subtlety of the score playing while Curly is trying to find Jimmy. That being that Curly is low-key panicking about the situation and so the things he's saying to Jimmy could be coming from a fawn response rather than him just trying to comfort Jimmy.

It's why I don't bother either, I already see enough bad takes just on here. I avoid mouthwashing tiktok like the plague.

Even if you want to read Curly as being "buddy buddy" with Jimmy it is very very very obvious that something is up. Ignoring the music, the dialogue alone is extremely unnatural. We've seen Curly be confident, with Anya it's confident and comfortable. With Swansea its stern as is his role as Captain but forgiving, with Daisuke its firm but again, forgiving. It's very evident that Curly has the confidence for his role and the ability to hold that in situations of stress while still being lax and carefree because he trusts his crew, he holds no personal interest or respect for Pony Express so theres no reason for him to be cruel or unfair; and despite that, he's still the Captain and he most certainly can express that when he so desires.

But not with Jimmy. When he's with Jimmy he's frightful, unsure of himself, scared to defend himself or even speak up because he would much rather be the one taking the hits than not at all because it also meant Jimmy had a target to vent his frustrations or anger out on. Much rather it be him than someone else, thays why he tries so hard to be the one in between, either as a mediator or so he could step in whenever necessary. He was willing to do as much as possible to fawn, please and be in the way, both mentally and physically, so if the worst to happen it would only happen to him.

He's panicking because he's never seen Jimmy so worked up so he defaults to the same three points as if he's reading from a script because he genuinely doesn't know how to approach the situation in a way that benefits them both in some way.

Jimmy gets to let his frustrations out and Curly gets a calm Jimmy, someone thats more agreeable, calmer and possibly even less dangerous. Someone that you can approach with other topics with much less risk, which could have been the original plan; to let Jimmy get his frustrations out, calm him down enough to sit and talk more about their options regarding the situation. All we know for certain is that he wanted so badly to be there with Anya when she told Jimmy.

[sharkboywrites]

My perspective on Curly as a victim of abuse

Tw for abuse (physical and sexual)

Hey mouthwashing fandom, so this is kind of a hard topic for me to tackle, but recently with seeing people’s opinions in the fandom on Curly as a character, I want to put in my own two cents as a victim of abuse.

I want to clarify before I start that I am not a victim of sexual abuse specifically. The abuse I faced was physical that bordered on sexual, but I was never sexually assaulted. That’s why this analysis isn’t about the sexual assault aspects of Anya’s abuse, like her relationship with Jimmy, but rather on the aftermath of the abuse on how the people she trusted (specifically Curly) interact with Jimmy after they know.

For context so people can understand my situation: I was in a very physically abusive friendship that bordered on sexual abuse in my freshman year of high school. Now, through my sophomore to senior year, I was forced to be in the same school as this person. In the same classes, in the same clubs, in the same events, and the same friend group as my abuser.

This is why I relate to Anya so heavily. I understand being forced to stay in situations with the person who abused you and being around people who either don’t know or do know and haven’t done anything/hold them accountable.

Now onto the main topic of my rant: Curly. So far from what I’ve seen, Curly is a hot topic for debate on the morality of his character. Anya confided to Curly about the abuse, and Curly, as far as we can see, didn’t do much. This makes it really easy for people to point fingers at Curly and call him an awful person and say that he is just as bad as Jimmy.

This is where I disagree. I don’t think Curly is a bad person.

Again, I understand the pain of having people do nothing. I have watched people I confided in about the abuse I face completely ignore what I have said and continue to be friends with them. I have had people say that I was lying. I have had people defend them right to my face because “They look like they’re getting better” or “But they seem like such a good partner to their (current) girlfriend!”

I get how frustrating that is. I understand the level of hurt that brings and how unsafe that can make someone feel. But once again, this is something the fandom immediately jumps on Curly for without really looking any further into it.

The thing is, these are people I know at school. These are people who can actively control their situations. These people can stop talking to them, stop giving them rides, etc. to stop interacting with them.

This is not the case for Curly and Jimmy. The most obvious thing being: they’re literally on a ship in space. They are all in a confined space and forced to be together for months on end. On top of that, Jimmy is a very unstable person, and Curly probably knows that. A lot of people like to characterize Curly as the “Oh, but he’s my friend, he wouldn’t do that” guy, but that’s not what happened. He listened to Anya, and while he definitely been more empathetic and done a bit more, he still didn’t deny it.

I personally feel like Curly specifically not denying it means he knows that Jimmy did it, and that he knows Jimmy is a bad person.

All of these are faults of Curly’s. He let someone he knew onto was dangerous onto the ship, and when he did something bad, he didn’t do enough to help despite being the captain.

But one thing we do know is that Jimmy is a manipulator. He will manipulate or threaten anyone to get what he wants. First off, we don’t know if Jimmy manipulated Curly to give him the job in the first place, which could have very much happened. Second, he was seen manipulating Curly AGAIN in the psych evaluation scene, the birthday party scene, and near the end of the game when Curly confronts him after talking with Anya.

Every single thing Curly falls short on is a direct effect of Jimmy’s manipulation in the first place. Yes, he absolutely could have done more in both situations, but Jimmy manipulated into him into letting him off easy.

On top of being manipulated by Jimmy, there wasn’t much Curly could do. He can’t just throw Jimmy out into space and he couldn’t let Anya have the gun because he can’t have his crew killing each other obviously (even if Jimmy is a threat).

The only critique I have of Curly at this point is doing more to protect Anya. He could have made a better effort to keep Anya safe from Jimmy and really put his foot down when confronting him.

Although again with all of this, it just boils down to Jimmy. If manipulation doesn’t work with Jimmy, then he uses threats or brute force. Curly probably knows that Jimmy is unstable, and probably didn’t know what he would do if he had been firm with him or done literally anything that could be seen as against him, evidence being the birthday scene. Everything that happened and everything Curly fell flat on was becuase of Jimmy’s manipulation and unpredictability tendencies, so really, it’s not 100% his fault.

Tldr; While Curly could have done a little more and should be critiqued, all of the stuff he falls flat on is because of Jimmy just like everything else in the story, so people should stop treating him like he’s a bad person or could keep Jimmy in control because he was a victim too.

[blissfulrain12]

Cockpit Conversation Analysis

So I just wanted to go over my thoughts on this conversation cause I think people miss out on a few things. It's the first conversation we see between Curly and Jimmy when it's just the two of them. Before it happens we're told that Jimmy has been difficult with Anya, making her job harder and saying things that are sexual harassment (if the cartoon horse question isn't actually on the eval). We go into the conversation with the framing that Jimmy and Curly are friends. They've known each other for a long time and Curly is confident Jimmy won't bullshit him. Except on the way to the cockpit we get Curly's one and only bizarro moment and it's an expression of fear and anxiety. With this context in mind let's look at the actual conversation.

Transcript from @familiarartistname they're awesome for providing these.

I've already talked about these lines a bit but to sum up Jimmy asks Curly to fake it and Curly refuses to forcing him to go through the eval.

What I want to point out for this post is that Jimmy's not wrong in his assessment of how useless the psych evals are. I think his general irritation with the eval helps mask his disdain for Anya. Especially if being attracted to cartoon horses is an actual question in universe and not just an easter egg on the in game eval sheet. If it is I think this is part of why Curly and Anya don't take Jimmy as seriously as they should here.

I also think it's important to note how and when Curly bends the rules. He'll do Jimmy's eval for Anya but he won't make up answers for Jimmy. I think this is an example of the balancing act that Curly is engaged in as captain.

These next lines are interesting to me. One is that Curly seems to take separation of what PE needs to know and not know. He makes it clear that whatever Jimmy says here is not going to be repeated to the company. He does something similar for Anya when he thinks she took the gun during a breakdown over the layoffs. Notably he doesn't open up to Anya during his own eval. I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason he doesn't is because of a lack of this distinction. This is also another example of Curly doing that balancing act of being a captain. Managing what the company should know while protecting his coworkers' mental health.

The other interesting part is Jimmy's answer to the question. He likes it cause they're in control here. I think Jimmy is the most positive about working for PE and it's all because he feels in control. I think people miss it but Jimny is happy for the most part pre layoff. He's in control what more could he want?

I think it's interesting that he says this because on paper Jimmy's not in control. I've seen people call Jimmy Curly's co-captain but he's not. He's just the co-pilot and by the looks of things isn't actually of higher rank than the rest of the crew. Post crash it takes 2 months for him to take the captain title and he gets push back from the others. If he did outrank them or was co-captain leadership would have instantly passed to him but it doesn't. Yet Jimmy says "We're in control" because Curly's control is his control because he controls/leeches off of Curly. I think this line is our first warning sign that something's not quite right with their relationship.

This part of the conversation has a lot going on even though it's so few lines. First it tells us that Jimmy liking the job is unexpected because he's struggled in the past and people praise Curly as a captain and Jimmy doesn't like that.

Focusing on Jimmy's line I think this is the first line that people pick up on that their friendship is strange because who tells their friend people praising them is annoying? If you look at the flow of the conversation there's no reason for Jimmy to bring this up as well. It goes "How are you?" "Great" "That's unexpected because of your past" "Yeah well people praising you is annoying". They're not talking about Curly or how people see him as a captain. Jimmy brings it up and calls it annoying simply to hurt Curly.

Jimmy takes Curly bringing up his struggles as an attack so he attacks back by making him feel bad about something good. Remember that when Jimmy brings this up during the birthday scene he misquotes Curly as saying "struggle of a life" when that's not what Curly said at all. That's how Jimmy felt about it though. This also isn't the last time Jimmy uses Curly's success as a captain as a weapon against him either. The way Jimmy does this is also very emotionally abusive. Jimmy isn't just framing praise for Curly as bad but bad because it upsets Jimmy. It might not seem like much but comments like these are links in a chain, they add up together.

For Curly's part of the conversation I've seen interesting interpretations of what those "struggles" were but I think we do lose some context sometimes. It's important to remember that Curly thinks Jimmy's struggles would've led him to dislike being a freighter pilot. Meaning his struggles are most likely more personal in nature.

So Jimmy switches topics again by asking Curly what's bothering him. Jimmy also does this during the birthday party scene. He seems very intune with Curly's emotions able to see past any attempts to hide it and see that he's upset. Which does indicate their closeness and friendship.

As for the last line looking at this transcript made me realize how much the fandom associates this suicidal imagery with Curly even though it's Jimmy who says it. In fact I don't think Curly ever describes his feelings like this it's always Jimmy who says it about Curly. This is a very odd way to ask your friend why he seems upset and iirc the next time Jimmy brings this imagery up to Curly is right before he attempts a murder-suicide.

(The line "And that's bad?" should be green as that's Jimmy.)

Curly's answer to Jimmy's question is very interesting because it's not uncommon for people his age to feel this way. We spend the first part of our lives growing into, discovering, and establishing the people we're going to be. When we hit our 30s/40s it's natural to look over who you've become and what you've made for yourself and ask "Am I satisfied with this?" I think for Curly he's leaning towards "no".

It's not that Curly thinks he's above his job, he's just not satisfied in it. It's like how Swansea isn't satisfied with the life of a family man even though society says that's the "right" way to live. Curly is weighing the risks and benefits of staying in a steady job he's successful at vs starting over with something that will satisfy him even if he's not conventionally successful at it. It's a heavy decision to make and we know from the dlc for How Fish Are Made that Curly regrets not changing sooner.

As for Jimmy's response, he in fact doesn't get it. It's fascinating how Jimmy took Curly's words about life satisfaction and turned it into being about career success and hierarchy. Curly's feelings have nothing to do with reaching the top of his career but Jimmy can't see this. Jimmy sees the world through Capitalist/Patriarchal hierarchies and has a habit of projecting his feelings/pov onto others. This is the closest he can get to understanding where Curly is in his life right now. Which makes sense because Jimmy comes from poverty and has struggled in the past he's not at the same life stage as Curly.

It's also fascinating that again we see imagery that the fandom associates with Curly being something Jimmy says about Curly and that Curly never expresses. The only time this imagery comes up for Curly iirc is his bizzaro sequence leading up to this conversation with Jimmy. The ladder is a metaphor Jimmy imposes on Curly. He also kind of imposes this sense of ambition onto Curly. Like it's only natural that after reaching the top of one ladder a man would look for a new ladder to climb.

There's something about the last thing Jimmy says here that is necessary to point out because I think people miss it. Jimmy turns the conversation back to himself. He's made Curly's feelings about himself and once again made Curly's feelings in opposition to his own. Curly's dissatisfaction while being at the top vs Jimmy still climbing.

Lastly Curly knows Jimmy doesn't get it. "Something like that" indicates Jimmy's interpretation isn't right and later in the birthday party scene Curly reinforces this by saying things like "what I was trying to tell you". So yeah Curly knows that Jimmy doesn't understand him but doesn't try to explain further.

Curly's last bit of dialog in this scene is him comforting Jimmy. Remember how I said Jimmy recenters himself despite the conversation at this point being about Curly? This is what I mean. Jimmy asked Curly to be vulnerable with him and Curly ends up comforting Jimmy. Jimmy gives Curly no words of reassurance here, in fact Curly doesn't even get understanding.

In comparison see my Dead Pixel analysis where even though Curly doesn't see the pixel he still believes Anya and aligns with her opinion of the screen being nice. There's no alignment here between Curly and Jimmy, they are talking about 2 different things and it's one sided in Jimmy's favor. In the Dead Pixel convo notice how Anya continues to open up to him, she goes from the pixel to the time left to the locks. Curly in comparison stops trying.

This line also establishes Curly's belief in Jimmy. A belief that even this conversation demonstrates that he shouldn't have. But it's subtle and I can't blame Curly for missing all the things wrong here when so many of the fandom misses it too. We give the conversation the benefit of the doubt because they're friends and we don't know the full scope of Jimmy yet. It's also interesting cause this is the only time Curly says he believes in Jimmy outright and yet the way he believes Anya about Jimmy brings up questions for another time.

Alright last bit and it's from Jimmy himself. So two things from those first lines. One we have Jimmy back to feeling good from Curly's belief in him. A reminder that back when he was asked how he was doing he was fine. Jimmy's feelings are the priority here. Two we see Jimmy's insecurities in here. He's insecure about how his eval comes across. He's very insecure about how he's precieved which comes up again and again through his obsession with reputation, being a hero, and being a patriarch. I also think this points to where his struggles might be in. The evals are labeled as psychological but the actual questions are about employee productivity. Which part of that Jimmy is worried about I'm not sure.

Then we get the message from corporate and Jimmy is instantly out of there. Which brings me back to the beginning. Jimmy likes it there cause "we're in control" and yet when the responsibility of that control shows up he excuses himself. Granted there may be a rule that no one else can be in the room when messages come in but that reinforces the fact that Jimmy doesn't have any power on paper. He's not a co-captain. Jimmy's sense of control comes from his power over Curly.

So yeah my final thoughts? This conversation is unhealthy and it's the nicest conversation we see Jimmy have with the actual Curly. We get a little joking around here and there but one on one longer convos? This is as nice as it gets. In context Curly experiences feelings of fear, anxiety, and isolation on his way to this conversation. It's full of unhealthy moments and the one sided prioritizing of Jimmy's feelings. The status quo for them has not changed yet. If this is an example of what their average conversations are like their relationship is emotionally abusive.

Imagine having a friendship where you have to always prioritize your friend's emotions over your own. Where if you say something that bothers them they take verbal potshots at you. Where they make you feel guilty for being more successful. Where they make your vulnerabilities about them. It's like I said it's links in a chain. By themselves it's not a problem but together over time these behaviors will do damage to a person.

And putting this conversation back into context this is one of three verbally abusive moments we witness in the span of a week. And there are indicators that in each that these abusive behaviors aren't new. Curly in this conversation doesn't question Jimmy claiming control or the "praise for you is annoying" comment. None of this is weird to him and that's a bad sign. Abusive behavior was already normalized on the Tulpar, it was a powder keg waiting to happen.

[skufdaddyswansea]

Anya and Swansea

There's much to be said about how Swansea's bond with Daisuke, and Anya's interactions with Curly, reveal parts of their characters that Jimmy obscures. But there's also more we can learn about them by analyzing their relationship to each other, and the things they share.

From their first exchange, it appears that they have a fairly rocky relationship. Anya comes across as meek, Swansea is quick to shoot her down, and harshly at that.

It's not by accident that this is how they're introduced; first impressions go a long way in shaping our opinions. This fits in with a large part of Mouthwashing's narrative framing through Jimmy's perspective. It immediately suggests his way of thinking to the player; Anya is weak and incompetent, and the rest of the crew agrees with this judgment. Swansea is an old, selfish bastard with no respect for anyone around him.

But if we take into account the context of this interaction, we can see it from a different angle. The most important thing to take into account is the timing: two months after the crash. Keeping that in mind, we can then look not only to the one time we see them chatting before the crash, but to Anya's overall demeanour.

Here she appears lighthearted, friendly, even confident. It becomes clear that she's simply taking the crash harder than the rest of the crew. And after seeing the whole picture, it's not hard to see why. Everyone is in the same hopeless situation, but she's the only one stranded there for months on end with her rapist. The man she already feared was at the verge of more extreme violence, and rightly so. And on top of it all, she blames herself. It was, after all, moments after her third cry for help that the crash occurred.

And here I would also note a subtle but significant difference in the way she responds to Swansea's dismissals as opposed to Jimmy's.

She may not assert herself strongly, but with Swansea, she's at least comfortable enough to attempt it. For obvious reasons, she rarely does so with Jimmy. Add to that the way Swansea's roughness rolled off her back before the crash, and I think we can assume Anya felt much the same as Daisuke.

Of course, Swansea's words are still callous. But it shouldn't be taken for granted that he, like Anya, is alone in his particular struggle. He has, long before the rest of the crew, decided that the Tulpar will be his grave. Although it would have been easy for him to save himself using the lone cryopod, he has no interest in doing so. Instead he keeps this knowledge to himself, both to keep the crew as stable as possible in the final days and to protect whoever would get that one last chance to be saved.

And to cope with all this, he gives in to his worst impulses. Not just to his alcoholism, but to the walls he builds around himself.

Despite his worsening temperament, Anya still trusts Swansea. After months of enduring in silence, she tells him everything. I believe, in this moment, that Swansea does the same.

Shortly after this scene, before Swansea hits rock bottom, there's another rare moment in which Swansea is not guarding the Utility room. This time, he's dancing in the lounge, as he'd apparently been doing all 'night' long. And at a short distance, in his line of sight, is Anya.

Both of them could see time was running out. There was little they could do to make their remaining days any brighter. But Swansea was able to do at least one thing for Anya that no one else did-- he took her pain seriously. He took her at her word, and it changed the way he saw Jimmy entirely from that point on.

On the surface, Anya and Swansea couldn't have been more different. But in the end, they had more in common than perhaps even they knew.

Both stared death in the face with conviction, which was not misplaced. With food and air running out, no sign of rescue, and an increasingly unstable captain, they had no reason to cling to any delusions of hope. However, within their final words, a darker truth emerges.

It was easy for them to give whatever tiny sliver of hope the cryopod represented for someone who they considered more worthy. After all, in their eyes, they weren't worth saving to begin with. They were just broken people, with nothing left but to wait for the end. Even before the crash, these thoughts may have lingered somewhere deep in the darkest corners of their minds, waiting to surface.

What is certain, however, is that neither got the chance to find out otherwise.

[flavor-of-the-week-writing]

Coffee and Regret • Lip Gallagher

Pairing: Lip Gallagher x Reader

Tags: Angst, reference to past relationship

Notes: References Season 8 Episode 12. Does anyone even still write for this? I don’t know, I just started rewatching Shameless and this poor baby…

- - - - - - -

“So… you slept with her?” You pinch the bridge of your nose, eyes shut tight as you struggle to adjust to the sudden brightness of the overhead kitchen light. Lip sinks down in his chair, his head held in his hands, elbows propped up on the island.

“Yeah.”

“And she told you she loved you?” You shake your head a little, trying to clear some of the fuzziness from your tired mind.

“Yep.” His fingers tighten in the curly locks. The coffee pot began making the familiar and comforting bubbling sound as the sweet scent of caffeine began filling the kitchen.

“And you said it back?”

“Yep.”

“But you don’t?” You grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet, setting them on the counter with a soft ‘clink’.

- - - - - - -

“No. Maybe. I… I don’t know,” Lip sighed, defeat clear on his features. You gave him a sort of crooked half-smile, the kind you only ever gave him when it was obvious he fucked up but you didn’t wanna say it. You yawned as you filled the mugs with coffee, taking in his exhausted expression.

“Huh…”

You slid a cup of coffee over to him, taking a seat on your own stool next to his and taking a long drink of the bitter-sweet liquid.

“Huh?” Lip repeated, mocking the sound. “This is the part where you say something, I don’t know… helpful?”

“I don’t know what to say,” you defended yourself quickly. “Sounds like a mess.”

“Wow.” Lip raises his upper lip in a kind of snarl, his tone becoming sharper. “Thanks for the observation, captain fuckin’ obvious.”

“Hey, don’t be an asshole to me. I told you not to get involved.” You sit back in your chair, the mug held tightly in your palms.

“Yeah, well…” Lip rolls his eyes, the knuckles of his balled up fist hitting softly on the counter as he thinks. “I got involved, anyway.”

“And that’s not my problem. Sierra fucks up your head and you know that.” You regret the statement as soon as you say it, knowing it’s always been a sensitive topic. Lips eyes snap up to you, narrowing slightly.

“It’s not her fault.”

“Look, I’m not blaming her,” you shrug, folding your arms across your chest. “I’m just saying when you’re around her you lose your shit.”

“I didn’t lose my shit!” His tone is harsh, snapping the words in an icy venom. You recoil slightly with a sarcastic scoff.

“Nah, you’re obviously cool, Lip. That’s why you’re in my kitchen at,” you pause to look at the clock on the microwave, “3:42am.”

Lip deflates even further, instantly regretting his tone. He runs his hand harshly across his face.

“I’m sorry, ok?” His voice softens, sad blue eyes avoiding your gaze. “I just… I didn’t know what to do and it was either come here or a bar.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you picked here.” You hesitate for a moment, sighing finally when you decides to just be honest. “You want my opinion?”

Lip nods - barely, but it’s there.

“If you loved her, like… really, truly loved her… you wouldn’t be questioning it.”

Deep down he knows you’re right. Guilt bubbles up in his chest and he has to swallow it down before he starts crying right there.

“I don’t wanna hurt her.” His voice is quiet. Weak, almost. You slide your stool closer to him, trying to offer some sort of comfort in your presence.

“I know you don’t,” you nod softly and place one hand on his back, the other wrapped around his bicep in a form of side-hug. “But not being honest with her is going to hurt more in the long run.”

Silence hangs thick in the air as he contemplates your words.

“I want a fuckin’ drink,” Lip laughs softly, an almost self-deprecating quality to it. He knows it must sound redundant at this point, how many times he’s shown up in your kitchen, confiding in you just how much he wants to drink and forget his problems.

“How about some creamer in your coffee?”

He snorts softly at the suggestion but nods.

“Yeah. Ok.” Lip pushes his mug closer to you, watching the little splashes of creamer and the swirls of the coffee. He sighs deeply, running his hand roughly through his hair. “Shit was never this complicated with you.”

“Yes it was,” you scoff and raise a brow at him. “You have a terrible memory if you think it wasn’t complicated with us.”

[chaostroid]

MOUTHWASHING SPOILERS

meatball don’t read this until i indoctrinated you into watching the game ..

The implication that Jimmy raped Anya and she was literally so quiet about it KILLS ME

“I’m pregnant” and also hiding the gun case OHHH MY GODFGDHFJFG

I’m like 80-90% sure swansea knew and that cryo pod was for her. like. come on now. swansea’s character is so fucking awesome i hate that i like him!!!!!!!! mean old man who secretly saw his friends as if they were his own trope NAAAUURRR ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

Like, Swan does NAWT fuck with Jimmy. the pod could’ve been for daisuke, but somehow i knew it was for anya i swear to god. like why would he keep it from fucking everyone. Anya never asked about the utility room. at least i dont think so.

^ its also possible he’d keep it for himself, but he spoke about his life in that tied up bit as if it were already over. I really doubt it was just for him.

not like we’d see it anyway because we play from jimmy’s perspective, at least most of the time.

Curly knew because he was the captain and he was trustworthy, Swansea knew because daisuke was probably too young for her to confide in and she wanted some sort of protection - like in the last bit where you have to find the gun case and stuff / break into the medical room, swansea is no fuckign help (ik he was drunk but still)

also the way he attacks jimmy with the axe in the medical room. SWAN KNEW OK

he knew

i swear

anyway.

There was a mutual trust between Curly, swan and anya. Daisuke was left out cus of age, and jimmy because he’s literally insane. and also raped anya.

Jimmy is an exceptionally well written villain, and i love the psychological horror aspect that comes with being forced to do the things he did. Feeding curly his own leg?? WHAT!!!

I figure Jimmy is so jealous of Curly because he’s been “trying to climb the ladder” for years, but his behaviours and inability to cooperate stopped him from becoming a captain, and thats all he wanted. He got it, i guess. I think the horse / pony express part of his (what i can only describe as) mental breakdown / psychosis is just the fact that he’s been so focused on that company that he saw the horse fucking EVERYWHERE !!!

he convinced himself he’s been busting his ass for pony express for years and nobody even sees him. the highest rung for him is to be captain and he just couldn’t reach it. ladies and gents. Jimmy has been tunnel visioned in on captain-ness he lost his sense of life.

“I’m gonna fix this. we’re gonna get out of here.”

i think he says that because he’s more or less trying to convince himself that he can still fix everything, rather than just mindless rambling to everyone who’s died.

His breaking point back into whatever can be perceived as consciousness is curly in the end. they ran out of pain meds so he tried to help him by feeding him something, and then puts him in the pod.

Putting Curly in the pod is his remorse. Killing himself is his guilt.

THIS IS NOT A JIMMY APOLOGIST SECTION . goodness. that guy is so fucking evil it was genuinely crazy, i just like writing about how i saw things.

Out of all the characters, They’re all my favourite except for Jimmy. Fuck that guy. love you curly. ❤️

There will be mouthwashing fanart soon on GYAT ITS COMING

I love it so much

❤️❤️❤️❤️ mouthwashing

[gatheredfates]

a homecoming | koret swan

Do you want to read all my FFXIV prompts? You can do that here! The master document also contains any misc. notes and information. 🌊

HORIZON: the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet. for example, the sun rose above the horizon.

A calloused hand thumbed the familiar notch of the king spoke; an irony of primals, a living metaphor for the concept of a ship of theseus, and the source of Koret Swan’s contemplation.

When was a ship no longer a ship? When all its parts were reforged—when its captain was replaced or displaced? A familiar groove affixed to unfamiliar bronze, barely in her hand before she had to hand it over.

Yet, as she stood in that familiar place against an unfamiliar backdrop, it felt like a homecoming.

“I do not mind the excuse for a holiday,” teased a familiar voice from behind. The captain rolled her eye (did it have the same effect as the plural? She supposed it didn’t matter—supposed he’d understand it all the same) and canted her head back to look at her first mate, ever stuffy in his fitted coat with curly-black hair mussed from the breeze.

“You’re fucking stupid,” she answered in turn, prompting Robince to laugh. He watched as the Wolfsbane went over its final checks: supplies for the voyage, people to account for, tallies to be counted. He’d be busier than he ever was, handing over his own captaincy for the voyage, but she’d accept no other vessel—no other crew. They’d gone to a hundred ‘new’ places, why would this new world be any different?

It did not. A ship was still a ship, a woman was still a leader, and the sea still an abyss.

When the signal was given he stood to point, rapt attention given to the deck and the men and women under their charge. They looked to him and awaited his signal—awaited her permission and her initiation.

“By your leave then, Madame,” he said, glancing at her for just a second. His lips pulled upwards, a smile to match her confident smirk. “You know which way to go?”

“Yeah.” Her thumb passed the notch one final time before she turned the wheel, feeling the rudder shudder beneath them. “To that horizon.”

Robince’s voice was loud and strong, cutting over the din.

“You heard the captain, men! To that horizon!”

[thinkingofausername]

Ah yes what I should do instead of sleeping— but this is a response to ur latest post that made me remembered some things

We can see that Anya was not afraid of Jimmy (both before and after the assault) how she confronted Jimmy alone, far from everyone but after the crash she’s more meek, jumpy

I think the reason why is because of Curly, bc of his status above Jimmy and gave her reassurance bc of anything escalates Curly can diffuse it—again bc he’s the captain, and also why she was hiding behind his seat in the cockpit.

While I don’t like the idea that she’s all damsel in distress, but with curly holding the most power, and how she sees curly as a friend; it gave her some sense of stability and he’ll help her (we saw how that turned out)

Then after the crash, and curly lost his status, Jimmy gained the status; any confidence left in her is shattered bc now her abuser holds the most power, the gun, the axe. At that point, it doesn’t matter if her true personality is a confident woman anymore bc her abuser has access to the gun, the passcodes. No wonder she had gone meek. There’s no others left in her corner anymore. Of course she’d be afraid 😭

— 🐚

I'd honestly love for someone to analyze Anya in depth, factually, cause she's been driving me crazy

I can't say anything against her cause she's the fan favorite and she's been turned into a saint but I'm really struggling to figure her out

99% of what I've seen to be the reason why fans love her so much is that she's a woman who suffered and had a tragic end and although I respect that and love for women is always needed (fictional or not) and to each their own I, for the current lack of better words, need more. She's tragic but what else

However hard I try to define her all I see are contrasts - she's brave (she confronts Jimmy on her own) but she takes no action to defend herself. She's resilient (keeps Curly alive and herself composed with her abuser on the ship) but is the first to go, by her own hand no less. She's responsible (took care of Curly) but she let Jimmy give him pills (enabling Jimmy's abuse of Curly) and she wouldn't do Jimmy's eval and she kills herself with Curly's pills, in front of him no less. She hid the gun from Jimmy so he wouldn't get it but she didn't use it herself. She asked Curly for help but confronted Jimmy alone even though she and Curly were supposed to do it together. She knew what Jimmy was like and how unstable he was and she still cornered him (unintentionally causing the crash). She has to have a different personality from what Jimmy sees cause he's her abuser and Curly sees her differently but we know that Curly's perspective on things isn't accurate or detailed. She isn't quite weak and she isn't quite strong (don't attack me, I'm just going with the facts, she couldn't complete her tasks and she couldn't defend herself and she died first) so at the end of the day I can't for the life of me figure her out

If anyone has enough Mouthwashing brainrot and energy to add to this or deconstruct this I'd be really glad to read it cause I've hit a dead end here

[dykedvonte]

wanted to say I appreciate your nuanced takes on MW and especially Curly. i don't get the claim that the fandom is full of Curly apologists when majority (esp yt and tiktok) say he's worse than Jimmy. Yes there's commentary about bro culture defending people, he def messed up in trying to placate Jimmy (tbh "we'll fix this" sounded more like trying to keep someone prone to outbursts like Jim calm and not hurt Anya/himself) but I don't think he did nothing to help Anya, since she continued to confide in him and he had less than a week to resolve it before the crash (I also don't get everyone saying he knew for ages when it seems like Anya told him that same week). I get Jimmy's a pos but saying stuff like Curly should've known he'd crash the ship or that Jim had a criminal record he ignored, reducing them to obviously horrible villain and willfully ignorant sidekick feels like a disservice to the game. If your best friend turned out to be horrible, what would you do in a confined space in the span of a few days to respond? I'd say some of the horror comes from trying to do good but ultimately failing, Curly's state after the crash is meant to be tragic horror not revenge/punishment

Thank you and this is what I want to get across.

A lot of information we have to supplement when it comes to how long things have been happening on this current ship. I think people try to add on to the horror and negligence by making things more obvious so it can feel like it was easier to avoid when, true to life, its not. Jimmy clearly didn't deserve or appreciate what Curly did for him in getting him the job, but do you think if Jimmy was that big of a menace on Earth he would've given him a position where he could have that level of power over people's lives? There's something in the fact he specifically chose to pick a position so close to himself where he could watch Jimmy.

I hate the bro code argument because that is a whole can of worms people really don't get. That sort of mentality is born from the general respect and preference of male matter over female ones. Curly is clearly not that guy, he is absent minded about the issue and inadvertently dismissive but he clearly believes Anya, he just can't understand what she's going through. It's an onslaught of information that no one really reacts right to. Additonally, the entire discussion of her assualt plays to heavy into the idea that there is fault outside of the perpertratior when it comes to SA. It's too close if she only did this or if Curly had protected her better but the fact of the matter is Jimmy did what he did. He did it before any of the conversations with Anya about it and it's why her behavior seemed to change so drastically in those last two days.

He has other conflicting thought and while his role as a Captain should've taken over, people act like it's not a very human thing to have such a toxic presence cloud your judgement. It is never easy to separate friend from coworker once that connection is formed, you want to help them, especially if they were friend first and for a long while like in this case. It's not right, but people act like it would be easy when the game clearly points out that no choice is easy to make, especially when you have to make it for more than one person. You have the weigh the consequences, look at all the options and make a plan. People can headcanon and decide how long things where happening, but if we look at what we were presented through the characters eyes, the only person given time to do that was Jimmy.

He waited two months after the crash to appoint himself Captain. Every time a problem was brought up he immediately took action and refused to sit on it and find a better solution. I think it's important to look at the warped way Jimmy takes initiative where Curly didn't as it works as a good contrast of why you don't just run in to "fix" things. The quickest and easiest option may not be the safest or most beneficial. I think some thoughts on the game suffer from the black and white thinking the game doesn't operate on along with us being voyeurs. We see what exactly led to what but the characters don't. They don't have the hindsight and foresight we do and even ours is scrambled by the non-linear story telling.

Like it's hard to talk abuou those grey zones without sounding like an apologist because you're explaining why taking responsibility isn't easy. It's not and it's weird to act like it would be in a scenerio that led up to the events of the game knowing what we know. We see all these characters in such isolated moments with various things before, in between, after and even during we aren't privy too. The idea that Jimmy is worse than Curly heavily banks on the words Jimmy was saying to Jimmy before he crashed the ship. That whatever happened on the ship was his responsibility to bare, which is true due to his position. But, are they not still not responsible for taking the actions Curly then must bare?

Like i feel like people think that these are situation that become easier with age or when you are in a postion of authority and they aren't. You don't lose your biases or gain some sudden knowledge that makes it easier. It just becomes more tiring as you keep dealing with it. I would be first in line to say Curly fucked up and should've done more but the idea he knew how bad it could get or he really saw the worst in the people around him and ignored it pretty much ignores a huge aspect of his character and the game.

[mwexodusofficial]

Chapter XXII: Duty

(Music: "Snowman", by Sia)

-------------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell are they putting on? It's the 31st of December. Fools."

The Magna Victoria descended well into the night, and its attendees grew more plastered as time went on- it became obvious once the music playing serene mixtures of classical and future melodies was hijacked by some random saboteur and Christmas music was played. The terrible duty of sobriety was passed from diplomats and nobility onto their unfortunate entourages, watching them enjoy this occasion with withering eyes. It was at this point that many individuals started growing a little 'goofy'- put simply.

The first major shenanigans were a hundreds-person-long conga line that passed through the hallways, joined by random passersby, some occasionally dipping out to enjoy other amusements. The second was a competitive drinking contest that started with a challenge between a foreign warlord and a Canari Martial Commander, ending in a synchronized macarena. People with unfathomable amounts of power and wealth were, simultaneously and most of the time, the same people who knew best how to throw the craziest, memory-making parties- especially when funding was not a concern.

The third shenanigan was Hawkes anticipating several high-end business magnates and nobility, both domestic and foreign, who would drink themselves into the confidence necessary to try and attempt persuasion on Captain Hawkes.

"Lord Hawkesshhh, how grandiose you look this evening! I can't believe they finally found those antique recordings!"

And here was the first one. Hawkes, who'd been previously sipping casually on a goblet of wine and admiring Curly and Anya from afar, groaned softly as a young-faced pale-skinned noblewoman with curly auburn-red hair, hailing from the Montaug District -indicated by the District lapel pinned to the rightmost breast section of her toned yet powerfully-appearing dress wear-, danced up with supreme confidence to him; clearly as blitzed as he was in the moment.

"Why thank you, Aristocrat #7819. Wuh the fuck are you talking about?"

The noblewoman hee-hawed with unhinged insobriety, leaving Hawkes unsure in his intoxicated state to determine accurately if she was genuinely laughing or playing the part to curry his favor. But for some reason... he didn't mind it. It was the first time he could remember being... relaxed.

FuCck it, He thought lazily and with an audible hiccup. I live in a whole world that loves me. I deserve a little R&R.

He cracked a smirk as he saw this dazzling young woman laughing so raucously, starting to focus on the little details in her appearance. Her button nose and freckles paired amazingly with cerulean eyes, a triangular-shaped face, and thin lips with a healthy pink hue accentuating good health.

"You're quick on your toes, aren't ya?" She remarked in a heavily Scottish accent, her laughter slowly dying down for her to take a long swig from a considerable mug of ale. "The Canari Neo-Antiquarian Society was set to retrieve a large digital archive of Christmas songs in anticipation of the upcoming date for the holiday. They missed the date by a few days because the crew got into an argument about the best Christmas singer for the 2000s, 1950s, and 2100s era, and ended up killing almost everyone on board. The pilot had to drive home doing both the navigation and steering, which apparently he said was 'resume-proofing'."

"That's... that's, uh, a lot to take in. I don't think I legibly heard half of that, and it's not because I'm torched. Did... they all return to life successfully?"

"Yep. Yep-yep-yep."

"Okay. That's... wow. And that... just happened? Like a few days ago?"

"Today."

"Oh, f- what the fuck happened to everyone while I was gone?? One year and everyone's turned into a fuckin' lunatic!"

The noblewoman's curly hair bobbed up and down as she giggled plentifully at the animated personality of Hawkes when his guard was dropped- treasuring every nanosecond of this interaction and secretly recording the whole thing on video and audio receptors hidden within her hair. "Divine intervention really did a number on everyone's sanity."

"Did they pick a winner for the Christmas singer thing?"

"Yeah. Mariah Carey."

"Who?"

"She's probably coming up on the speakers soon."

Hawkes snickered, finding another conversation with a random attendee that happened to be enjoyable.

"You seem like a rather animated noblewoman, compared to the many I've met. Who are you?"

The redhead nodded briefly, jutting a confident hand to shake with Hawkes. Acknowledging her greeting, he returned the handshake in kind.

"Lady Meridia Lennox, Baroness and Protector of Montaug District, Lord Hawkes."

"Well, there goes my introduction," Hawkes jested, prompting another giggle from Meridia, who seemed to grow rapidly more starry-eyed as the conversation went on.

Hold on a fuckin second, Hawkes thought morbidly. This looks terrible. I need to steer away from this, for both our sakes.

"So," He started. "What brilliant market strategy do you have to pitch to me?"

"Whuh?" The redhead muttered, having seemingly delved into her head for a second with wide-eyed intensity. "O-Oh, I wasn't here to pitch anything to you, Captain... I, actually I-"

Hawkes was now inevitably intrigued, seeing the frenetic and palpable chaotic energy emanating from her pores and the quivering look in her eyes indicative of immense trauma. "Is there something you're looking to... share?"

Meridia nodded frantically, an unsettling grin surfacing across her face and disappearing in waves. "I-I should probably whisper this..."

"Uh, okay..." He muttered, kneeling on one leg, leaning in, and allowing her to spill whatever secret she had cooked up; trying to remain inconspicuous as others were traveling around.

"So... so you probably-"

"Cover the periphery of your mouth with your hand, so others can't try and read your lips."

"O-Oh, right." She muttered, cupping her hands around her mouth and making Hawkes feel more illicit every second more. Negotiations had become far more difficult ever since his transfiguration, but he found it to be a small inconvenience at worst.

"You aren't gonna proffer me for sex, right?" Hawkes asked, and not ironically, either; he'd been solicited by hundreds of attendees in subtle and not-so-subtle ways all night thus far. It was growing tiresome to him and it wasn't something he had experienced at such an elevated rate before the Era of Divinity. He groaned in disgust. People directly witness the work of God on a CCTV camera, and they think to indulge in their base desires even more?!

"What? N-No... unless you're asking me to-"

"Forget I asked, just- say your piece."

"S-So, I kind of did something a little, uh... illegal."

"Tell me about it."

"H-heh, right... so... I really wanted to, uh, get a title promotion because, well, I can't obtain a lot of the permits and networking opportunities necessary to get my District revitalized, you know, as a low-brow Baroness, so, uh... I, uh... I-I paid a lot of money to some Trial Keepers, and they, uh, um, they let me undergo a Combat Trial without all the, uh, previous things you have to do..."

Hawkes was a little speechless for a few moments; what he'd heard needed a lot of unpacking mentally. A Combat Trial was only undergone by the Atriarchs and recognized heroes of Canaris; primarily because they were fights where the foe was horrifically superior in some form. Rhinos, packs of Wolves, cougars, leopards, lions, apes, elephants, hippos... and most usually, the contestant or Atriarchs were given pitiable weaponry or armor with a few advantages, such as exoskeleton suits for increased mobility, ranged weapons against packs of predators, etcetera.

Hawkes had cemented his "Icon of Canaris" title after taking on a Combat Trial against an offspring of the Terror; a Gaiter, known for the stumbling gait it carried in its movement as a result of genetic defects and mutations; caused as a result of the rapid production and spawning of these half-baked atrocities. But for a regular person, even with physical enhancements or augmentations, to try and take on a Combat Trial without years of death-defying experience, was akin to a horrible, gruesome suicide.

"W..." Hawkes started. "Y... Did... Are... Did you... survive?"

Meridia nodded, seeming to grow pale and sweating uncontrollably as she vividly revisited the memory in real-time.

"Y-Yep. Yep! I killed it."

"Wh- Well, fucking- with a gun, or a lance, I presume?!"

"N-No, I just kind of w-winged it with a Ka-Bar knife-"

"ARE YOU A-... Are you a fucking dumbfuck? Are you actually fucking- YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

Hawkes was enraged that this stupid bitch had the gall to reel him in emotionally and then smack him in the face with the iconic glove of stupidity. "Tell me you're augmented."

"..."

Hawkes stared for a good twenty seconds at this enigma standing in front of her.

"You're lying."

"N-No, but i-it did hurt."

Hawkes fell morbidly silent as she gruesomely recounted the event as if it happened only a day ago.

"I-I walked into the, uh, arena, and, uh they, uh, opened the door to the grizzly's cage-"

"You fought a g-r-i-z-z-l-y b-e-a-r?"

"Y-Yes, you know, I, I wanted to s-show off to the, uh, Atriarchs, and you so, uh, yeah, but, uh, it hurt alot. I-I lost my eye, and he, uh, took some swipes and, uh, ripped my torso, and uh, my face, and bone, so, I-I, and I, uh, think he took my arm off, and, uh, legs-"

Captain Hawkes quickly took off his beret and gently placed it against Meridia's mouth as she vomited into it violently, quickly and quietly leading her to an isolated area.

What the fuck? Hawkes wondered miserably. I have to fix this whole fucking planet's mental states, as well? What the fuck?

-------------------------------------------------------------

(Music: "The Sigh of the Land", by Thomas Gould)

-------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT IS THAT GINGER BITCH DOING, EXISTING NEXT TO HIM?!

Lilia, utterly fuming with plumes of rage shooting off in her brain like engine cylinders in a twin-turbocharged V16 motor. From a distance, she was silently watching some ditzy redheaded bimbo try and cozy their way up against Hawkes, and could hardly stand the urge to walk over and stick a knife through her gut.

But that wasn't her objective for today. She was tasked with keeping an eye on a number of individuals, both Canari and foreign emissaries, who would be potential threats or issues going into the future. Although there were hundreds more like Lilia, scanning from the shadows to report any unusual behavior or activity they detected; she was the only one who had the privilege of speaking directly with Hawkes about any action needing to be taken.

That seemed to work against her, however, as she was gritting her teeth watching Hawkes escort the nauseous Meridia into a separate room. Don't even attempt seduction, wench. I know everything that goes on. Born in 2261, on 1776 Epilon Way, located in Litton Ward, Montaug District, Ilto Province. And yet despite her status as low nobility, she was still given an invitation to this prestigious event, meant especially for the Captain. You cheeky whore!

Lilia was of the mindset that those with greater ranks demonstrated far greater loyalty, a unique trait of Canari culture stemming from its hundred-year martial history. With all the information she had at her disposal, both on and off-world, she had tracked the statistical patterns of precisely-refined material data to which she studied at great length on so many topics it gave her an immediate headache to try and recall them all at once. When it came to loyalty of nobility, regardless of planet, there was a measure of inexperience, naivete, and unpredictability when it came to low nobility; especially in Canaris' culture, where time and conflict weeded out the good stock from the rot and muck. On numbers alone, she had more than enough reason to distrust the motivations of this fat-bosomed airhead.

Minutes passed, and Lilia grew bored staring at the door Hawkes had last entered, painstakingly focusing her eyes on other displays. She was immune to the hundreds of entertainment pieces laid out by the walls of the grand multi-story complexes that composed the several wings of the Epocha Villae. If anything, she had become intrigued with Hawkes' fixation on the four rescued 'survivors' from the Tulpar and decided she'd spend a little time observing them to see if there was any appeal about them.

She navigated through the crowds of attendees, completely unknowable with the white fox mask she donned for the occasion; since the event was multi-themed, most things went since everyone was thoroughly checked and disarmed at the entrances, and undercover spies were lurking all throughout the metroplex, eyes ever-watchful of the attendees present.

There's Curly and Anya, she thought, her eyes honing in on the couple mingling with a renowned author and his wife. Anya was sipping from a fine glass of wine, her oak-brown irises simultaneously revealing a constant trauma deep within, and a vastly-growing sense of importance and ego. Being a people-reader all her life, Lilia could dissect people to a certain extent based on mere sight alone. With Anya, she had the entire situation laid out, from the video records, to her interactions post-revival- everything Lilia was using right now to break down why Anya had suddenly suffered a severe personality change.

Immediately after revival, Anya was mostly catatonic, responded most often to Curly, lived in a visible sense of constant terror and existential breakdown; practically a messy wreck of a human being. Two months into the voyage back to Canaris, and time adjusted her mental state to the grittiness of reality, she reverted to her original personality as described by Curly in the Divinity Chamber, along with the mental assessments available from the Tulpar. Once they had arrived in Canaris, Anya spent much of her time roaming the streets with Curly, admiring the architecture and infrastructure of the planet; Lilia assumed that to be a juxtaposition from the dreary circumstances she died so terrible within. It would explain why she was drawn to the glittering landscape; if Lilia didn't know any better, it seemed like Anya was dissociating from reality and believing this predicament to be some form of an afterlife. But that wasn't a solid analysis, not after this recent transition Lilia was watching unfold right now. She brought one finger up to move a strand of hair behind her ear, holding the receiver micro-button placed on the inner layer of her ear.

"Garos, C/A, eaves."

"Mhm."

Lilia released the receiver and focused her eyes on Anya and Curly, waiting for the spy's transmitter to send over the conversation on record as he got within range. Here it was...

"-So I said, "Ouch. You wound me, Anya. If that's your professional opinion do you think they'll still let me fly?" Haha!"

The sound of raucous laughter blared into Lilia's ear, and she turned the volume down in annoyance for a moment before reverting it to the original state.

"Curly, you're a charismatic guy! You know, after hearing about that whole story from the news? Man, I can't believe they aren't building a statue of you right now-!"

"Don't let Hawkes hear that," Lilia muttered amusingly to herself; a well-developed habit in her isolated years of espionage and surveillance to preserve her sanity.

"I would agree, Curly. You are an icon of a leader, and the way you handled that scoundrel-"

Lilia's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she saw Curly, from a distance, seem to leer back as the words reached his ears.

"O-Oh, my apologies, sir, I didn't mean to offend you-"

"N-No, it's fine! It's nothing. Just, you know... I'm just glad everyone that matters is safe and sound, and got to see their families again. That's all that matters..."

Lilia was frustrated she could only see the backs of Curly and Anya, but she could discern the faces of the author and his wife, who seemed in complete marvel at the sight of Curly and Anya; for good reason, too. The legend of the Stranded Tulpar had become a galaxy-rallying event whose story stuck out because of the emotional headline that a particularly influential and anti-corporate journalist had put out after eight months had passed and hope for their survival was lost.

'Last Manned Crew of Pony Express, Stranded and Presumed Dead, Abandoned Transporting Mouthwash."

The headline alone sparked outrage on a scale never seen before in human history. Tens of billions of people from every inhabited planet donated funds, resources, and materials to the effort of locating and rescuing the Tulpar crew. It was this monumental effort that allowed for such a thorough investigation of the deepspace region where the Tulpar's signals last emitted from; and it wasn't long before they were found.

To stand here, before what was the equivalent of a genocide survivor, most undoubtedly felt unique and ethereal, especially because it was made well aware that these four had only come back through resurrection- further cementing a spiritual belief which rampaged unhindered through the galaxy once their discovery and rescue was announced.

"Well don't worry a bit, Curly, Anya. My wife and I helped pitch in to the Intragalactic Civil Liability & Action Association, because we're fed up with these corporatist devils treating god-honest good souls like you two in such a horrible way. I mean, last manned c-r-e-w? That was the worst atrocity I'd ever heard since the Bastian Trespass!"

Curly nodded his head, his expression indiscernible to Lilia.

"Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Lakermeyer. And thank you for the offer of a book deal; I'll consider it if the royalties are good."

The group laughed collectively at the joke.

"You're on a roll, Curly! And- oh, my apologies, Anya, I didn't mean to exclude you from the conversation."

Anya bowed her head, raising it gracefully in a manner Lilia was unsettled by. Where had this poise suddenly emerged from?

"I take no issue, Samuel. I was just thinking of our future plans here. There's so many opportunities for growth and alternative financial revenues!"

"Where did this confidence come from?!" Lilia muttered in complete shock.

"I see, I see. Are you two planning on settling here? And if so, do you feel as if the urban life calls to you, or the farmland and luxury districts on the higher layers?"

Anya responded as if the line were rehearsed.

"I've spoken with the realtors in the Rolftaine District, they have some wonderful beachside property, and in the Gallos District there's some farmland I'm hoping to acquire to grow some formidable cash crops. I'd also like to start a medical practice eventually, once I acquire my licensing and complete my residency."

Lilia's jaw would have dropped to the floor if it was humanly possible. She was absolutely confident Hawkes would tear his own head off if he knew how much development he was missing out on.

"Well, that's quite a plan! And all the more power to you!"

The wife suddenly spoke up, introducing a more brutal topic as if prying for firsthand accounts.

"I was infinitely curious, how the Tulpar co-captain -since they won't name him for some reason yet- how he managed to acquire the auto-pilot override keys- if that's correct from the reports. It confounded me how such a crash was so easily attainable-"

Anya suddenly wrapped her arm around Curly's right arm, and Lilia, even without seeing Anya's expression, sensed a severe defensiveness about her demeanor.

"Captain Curly had delegated the responsibility onto the co-captain, who abused his position to break into the Captain's quarters and steal the override key. He wanted everyone to die, including himself, selfishly. Curly tried to turn the ship at the last second. He's the only hero to come out of this."

The author and his wife were stunned by Anya's forward and aggressive assertiveness, nodding their heads and bowing in apology.

"I apologize for my wife and I, sir and ma'am. We don't mean to pry any further-"

"Of course, no harm done. I hope you don't mind if Curly and I attend to a meal."

"A-Absolutely! We'll stop bothering you two. Enjoy your night, and God bless you!"

The author and his wife walked away, whispering and muttering to each other about the encounter and looking back with marvel and awe still lingering in their gazes. Curly and Anya moved to the banquet, followed closely by Lilia's spy. Now that their faces could be seen, Lilia noted Curly's expression was fixed into one of unassailable guilt and humiliation. Anya's was animated with intensity, conviction, and a mound of unresolved anger.

"Curly, please don't wear that look. We've talked about this so many times, and I will talk to you about it as many times as needs to be talked about."

"...I know..."

"Don't say 'you know', Curly. Please, stop feeling guilty. You know who is to blame. You don't have to focus on the past so much. Look where we are! I mean, look at the food, our outfits, our caretaker, and the real prospects we now have! Heck, our family's here! It's everything we ever w-a-n-t-e-d-! Just STOP talking and thinking about it."

Despite Anya's passionate declarations of pure euphoria, Curly could only muster a genuine happiness for Anya's enjoyment- as he was clearly denying himself any form of pleasure the longer he walked around the Villae. Anya noticed the lack of change in Curly's own enjoyment and expressed serious frustration, first pouting and then outright emitting sounds from her mouth to signal her disapproval. She walked over to a banquet table, grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and started offering it aggressively to Curly, who obliged and took bites from the spoon-fed portions.

"This is better than that crappy cardboard cake we made you. Hawkes told me it was made by ten-thousand chefs from the most renowned restaurants in Canaris! Tell me what ten-thousand chef cake tastes like."

Curly seemed to mutter for a bit as he chewed the contents in his mouth and swallowed, sighing in feigned approval, and grinning with hollow eyes.

"Tastes like if you were a cake."

Anya giggled, slapping him in the arm.

"It almost sounds like you like me!"

"You might be onto something..."

The two of them continued to chortle in good, trauma-veiled fun, and Lilia felt satisfied to conclude her investigation of these two, independent of whatever obsessive feeling Hawkes had for these four.

Not that she could judge him.

Curly was still in deep guilt; that was undeniable and hadn't changed since his Reformation. Anya, however, had undergone an insane arc that seemed to slip under everyone's radar. Lilia knew her records, she knew all of theirs- Anya was born on a poor industrial world, generally unmotivated, bullied by the other children for her submissive personality, which led to loss of self-esteem. Grew up frustrated with herself and being tied to the planet, and began studying medicine after her grandfather suffered a serious illness. Took her planet's medical exam eight times, failed every time. First job off-world was with the Tulpar at the age of 26 in hopes of getting the funds to continue taking the exams.

So a poor, mistreated, traumatized young woman who'd spent eight months in dread of dying in the middle of nowhere for no good reason, terrified for months on end by the lurking predator that was ever-present onboard the Tulpar- was now thrust into a world of absolute decadency, several varieties of easy income streams, a fantastic living situation with all of her family and relatives relocated to their consent, with her crush-turned-lover fully reformed and by her side, and was kept permanently and perpetually safe and valued by a war-born veteran who virtually owned the planet.

Yeah, Lilia didn't see how there were many sane ways to cope with that kind of abrupt change, no matter how much Hawkes tried to cushion the transitions. Anya going from a meek, nervous, shy young woman to a confident, assertive, cunning, and devoted lover was not what Lilia expected in the slightest, but simply had to accept that it was a fact of reality- for now.

Hawkes was going to lose his shit, undoubtedly. Now it was time for Lilia to see to Swansea and Daisuke-

"Hey, Lily."

"H-HAWKES!"

Lilia lost her composure as Hawkes appeared beside her, without his cap on, revealing his military buzzcut for his jet-black hair. He rubbed his chin in discomfort, thinking of how to frame his words.

"Sorry, was I interrupting your duties?" Hawkes asked.

"Nope." Lilia replied simply.

"Oh, alright. Well, that Meridia woman is a piece of work. Poor bastard did a Combat Trial illegally just to try and get a title raise to start requesting financial grants."

"Why would she do that?"

Hawkes seemed to shroud in guilt as the question was asked, and immediately Lilia wanted to cut her tongue out for causing such an expression to emerge on his face.

"Er... well, it seems that some of the edicts I lobbied for a, uh, few years ago had... placed restrictions on nobility ranks, since apparently embezzlement and overspending were becoming a big issue. And, uh, apparently she needed the money because her district was suffering from a localized plague and she didn't have the adequate hospital services to take care of everyone."

Lilia could see the guilt riding across him the further he got into his explanation, and immediately went to assuage his concerns.

"That is certainly not your fault by any measure. You can't be expected to see and do everything right."

"Yes, but, I could have reviewed those fucking bills more thoroughly! Fuck! FUCK! This whole place..."

His gaze turned to ashen rage, drifting across the faces of those attending; and those that met his gaze immediately shriveled and hurried away without hesitation.

"This place has been left to fester and rot without my direction. These warriors have descended into complacency, lechery, needless decadence. I have much to do while I'm here."

You are so fuckin' hot, Lilia thought, unrealizing she was panting heavily and laser-focused on his lips. I don't want to heap Anya's unsettling transition onto you right now. You need to unwind.

"Well, I'm tired of everyone else getting to have fun, let's you and I go and enjoy yourselves for a bit."

"W-Wha-!" Lilia spluttered. "B-But I can't... I can't be seen with you in public! I'm your Chief Espionage-"

"Maaaaaan," Hawkes groaned. "I just don't care anymore. I'll get another super spy, there's millions of them out there on Canaris alone." His eyes suddenly glanced toward Lilia, wondering if he should recite the cheesy line in his head.

"B-But-" He stumbled. FUCK! He thought furiously. Get it right, you mongoloid!

"But... there's only one of you, Lily." He said as romantically as he could, shooting finger guns at her as if that would lessen the embarrassing line. Oh yeah, that was the highest echelon of cringe imaginable.

That didn't matter a single iota of an ounce of a bit to Lilia. I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU-

"I l-..." She choked, unable to get the words out of her mouth. She felt it was still too soon to declare love, especially in a public setting like this. She knew both Hawkes and her were more accustomed to private intimacy, more than anything else. "W...What would you like to do first?'

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(Music: "Brand New Key", by Melanie)

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Hawkes and Lilia roamed the Villae together, admiring the various new amusements that took their attention, enjoying their drinks a little more easily due to the home-field advantage instinct they felt from being in the epicenter of their homeworld. Emile, who was passing by in conversation with Yusei having intense conversations about body proportions and geographic-based slurs, suddenly noticed Hawkes' towering demeanor and paled in the face, with the dog Hercules immediately curling around Emile and baring his teeth while growling in a low tone.

"C-Captain H-"

"HAWKES!" Yusei said giddily. Hawkes delivered a half-second expression of pure disgust as Yusei entered his view, then craned an analytical gaze down to Emile, simply eyeing the dog with cold curiosity before returning his steely look to Emile.

"Argonaut. I heard you were de-enlisting to join the Canaris Rescue Dispatch."

"W-Well, yes, C-Captain, I-I-"

Hawkes raised an eyebrow, wondering why this former subordinate was shriveling with terror; though it was of no surprise to Lilia. Traitor in the making, she thought loathsomely, recalling Emile's government records and history on Olima; as well as the conversations had with friends about Captain Hawkes, after the skirmish against the Hannou Armada.

"Let's find a banquet table," Lilia enticed Hawkes as she led him away. No need to waste this precious time on a misandrist and a 1-bit rebel, she apathetically concluded.

"What was that about?" Hawkes muttered, looking back as Emile, a growling Hercules, and Yusei walked away, Emile occasionally darting glances of fear back before catching up with the diplomat. "I gotta double-check the Argonaut registry, because I swore I only approved fanatic loyalists- they're the only type of soldiers reliably worth a damn in war."

"Don't fret about that, Hawkes," Lilia insisted, knowing that Hawkes was quite oblivious to the morbid effect his death-making had on normal human beings; and that there were also support staff onboard the Argonaut who didn't share the same mindset Hawkes was describing. "I-"

"Captain Hawkes!"

Lilia grit her teeth in frustration as a small group of business magnates approached Hawkes, bearing gifts in hand as a clear gesture of 'let's-talk-business'. Hawkes snarled, straight-up, at them like a honey badger, initially frightening them into retreating a few steps backward- but their persistence won out, and they continued forth, raising trembling smiles as they shakily presented their gifts.

"Lord Hawkes-" The foremost businessman stated. "We'll keep it brief. We have a great portfolio of necessary goods and services, but we're looking for a land grant in the Calginius Province to restructure our production lines-"

"Oh my fuck, must you assail me with business jargon while I court my lady?!"

Lilia blushed from head to heels as Hawkes made the brazen declaration, feeling as if she was going to faint from the blood rushing to her head.

"-'bUt wE hAvE gReAt vErTicAls'!!" Hawkes continued to rant incessantly. "Well, I have a great vertical as well- An UPPERCUT to your JAW!"

Lilia was engrossed in the humorous interaction between Hawkes and the shivering entrepreneurs, and let her guard down- just long enough for the Matriarch to appear behind and to her right. Inches away. 

"So you're his esteemed lover, then." The voice hissed with bitter malice and envious, jealous, wrathful outrage. "I fucking hate you so much I could tear myself apart from skin to bone. But I can't hurt you. You lucky cunt. The only person in this whole world I cannot touch. Lucky, lucky, lucky. You will give him everything he deserves and more. And the very moment you falter- I will take him all for myself."

Before Lilia could even open her mouth to respond, the Matriarch disappeared from sight, as if dashed through a portal. Lilia realized she was sweating profusely and had failed to breathe the entire time the Matriarch was talking. For all her wisdom and calculations, she had entirely forgotten about the Matriarch and the sheer power she held over this planet.

"Yeah, and FUCK OFF!" Hawkes shouted scathingly at the retreating and apologizing businessmen. He huffed and groaned tiredly as he walked back up to Lilia. "The next shitheel to break up our together time is gonna- hey, are you okay?"

Lilia had tried to re-compose herself after the veiled threat, but had failed to do so.

"H-Hawkes, can I be honest with you?'

"Always."

"I-I don't think I'll be safe on this planet anymore."

"W...What the fuck are you talking about, pardon my Frog?"

Lilia chuckled at the abrasive joke from Hawkes, trying to convey her panic without revealing enough to cause catastrophic issues on such a monumental and important night.

"I-I just think I should remain on the Argonaut until the month-"

"Lilia, tell me what's wrong."

Lilia, quivering in rapidly-increasing fear and dread, settled her gaze on Hawkes to comfort herself from the approaching reality that she had basically just pissed off the rulers of the most powerful nation in this quadrant of the galaxy.

"I-I... I pissed off someone very powerful who had eyes on you-"

"Non-issue, I'll kill them. Who?"

Lilia shook her head rapidly, realizing she was digging herself into a deeper hole everytime she revealed information.

"H-Hawkes, I-I-" She began to sob, utterly terrified that she would be potentially steering the course of history and jeopardizing Hawkes and Canaris entirely with her next words. "I-I-!"

"Lilia, take a breathe and look at me, okay?"

Lilia raised her darting, frantic, tear-stricken eyes to Hawkes'; seeing reassurance, affection, unwavering confidence.

"There is nothing you could tell me that would make me dislike you. Nothing. I would obliterate stars if they stood between you and me. Got it?"

Lilia nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

"It's... the M...Matriarch..."

Hawkes froze for a second, and for that singular second Lilia felt as if the world had collapsed in on her-

Then he smiled, huffing through his nose once.

"You're crying and stressing your beautiful face over that?" He chuckled dryly, his eyes beginning to glaze over as a rapid plan formed in his head. "Give me a minute, and just calm yourself, okay? Here, take my wine and down that whole glass, alright? It better be empty when I get back, hih!"

Hawkes stood up, throwing one last glance of affection and assurance at Lilia before walking over to the Atriarchs and engaging in a short conversation. Lilia saw the Matriarch's face brighten, then pale, then turn skeptical, then brighten again. Utterly confounded, Lilia watched as Hawkes walked back to Lilia and gently raised her from the steps she was sitting on to recompose herself. He turned his back to the Atriarchs before promptly rattling off a set of orders.

"Lilia, follow my instructions."

"Okay."

"When I turn my side to face the Atriarchs, my and your lips will be read by the Matriarch attentively. I will say, 'You should consider it, I want my first time to be unforgettable', then you will pretend to hesitate for a long few moments, then respond with, 'I need to give it some thought, this is too sudden right now.' Did you get that?"

Beyond bewildered, Lilia simply nodded in compliance. Hawkes nodded in acknowledgment and turned his side to the Atriarchs.

"You should consider it, I want my first time to be... unforgettable."

Lilia was stuck in a near-catatonic state for a moment, and almost recited her lines too quickly, before reigning herself back in and tempering herself to wait those few moments before responding.

"I...I, uh... I need to... give it some... some ti- thought. This is, just, too sudden..."

Hawkes nodded in feigned understanding. "Alright, I get it, let's go check out what Daisuke and Swansea are up to, and maybe pelt the former with iceballs if he starts getting insufferable."

Lilia laughed genuinely, trying not to even drift her eyes near the Atriarchs at the present moment as they walked towards the hallway heading to the other wings. As they got out of view of the Atriarchs, Lilia shot a look of pure confusion at Hawkes, who snickered at his own brilliant mindplay.

"W-What the fuck just happened?!"

"I told the Matriarch I knew what she did, then said if she ever did it again or put a finger on you I'd kill them and everyone on Canaris then myself. Then I said I'd ask you if you'd consider polygamy in the future, and she seemed content with that conclusion."

Lilia's brain was so fried from this turn of events-

"PATRONS OF CANARIS! THE PEACE-MAKER OF OLIMA, PRESIDENT WEISS, REQUESTS AN AUDIENCE WITH THE ATRIARCHS!"

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(Music: "Red Dress", by Adrián Berenguer)

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The entire room full of attendees swiveled their undivided attention to the olive-skinned declarant that had proudly announced the entrance of a white-marble outfitted light-skinned young woman with white-flowing hair, an intense and piercing gaze, and a billowing cape that fluttered in front of the dozens of entourage members courting her side. They entered into the room from the far right end opposite to where the Atriarchs were lounging, and President Weiss walked in with austerity and an air of righteous indignance. She stood several meters away from the Atriarchs and began a conversation loudly and prominently.

"Good evening, Matriarch Ileiya and Patriarch Casirius! I have come bearing a declaration from the United Sovereignties of the Western Quadrant! Our alliance first formed as a matter of necessity during the Era of Terror, when the likes of the Danze Autarchy and the Krai Dynasty wreaked havoc across the galaxy with impunity! That time is past, and now it is time to repay historical wrongs and give voice to the wronged!"

A thin, olive-skinned female diplomat shuffled up beside President Weiss and bowed her head humbly. "Here before you," President Weiss announced boldly. "Is a diplomat from Hannou!"

As soon as the word 'Hannou' was uttered from her mouth, the chamber nearly broke out into a revolt, with several of the Canari attendees smashing their glasses against the floor and shouting in outrage and fury at Weiss and the Hannou diplomat, who barely moved as they raged at the obvious display of insubordination. President Weiss continued over the boisterous noise, trying to get the rest of her message across.

"CANARIS HAS HISTORICALLY EXPLOITED HANNOU FOR THEIR FERTILE LANDS, STRATEGIC LOCATION AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THEIR CIVIL WAR THROUGH THE ARMS TRADE AND THE LENDING OF MERCENARY GROUPS TO BOTH FACTIONS! THESE ATROCITIES MUST BE AMELIORATED AND ADDRESSED BY CANARIS-"

-"Silence."-

The Canari in the room immediately fell silent, as did all those who were in the presence of the Patriarch as he spoke; even President Weiss, who had intended to carry out the speech to its end, knew to quiet herself or risk death; she raged silently after realizing she'd lost the precious minute she had to make her declaration to the limited press permitted at the Epocha Villae- this political stunt was intended to grab the press and maximize the amount of people who'd see her message of unification against despots. The Patriarch stood up from his elevated seating, walking down the steps gently as the Matriarch glared at President Weiss with calculations running through her head.

"You come to my planet, pay no deference for the boundless generosity we provide, then spit on our floor by bringing a representative of our mortal enemy and deliver vapid declarations about 'historical wrongs'."

The Patriarch, having come upon the kneeling President, simply glowers with the deepest levels of contempt a human could express outwardly.

"After this event tonight, I shall travel to your world, walk into the epicenter of your planet's governance, and piss on your desk so the droplets may spatter across your features. I will watch you clean your face and your desk with that diseased tongue of yours. Then we may discuss your farcical goals in the name of moral grandstanding, Club President."

President Weiss turned cherry-red in the face, regretting having pulled this political stunt even as exclusive journalists scribbled down the historic event as it was unfolding. She feared she should have introduced the Hannou diplomat at the end of her speech, when the shock factor was just beginning to wear off, but it was far too late now. The Patriarch continued to loathingly stare her down, eyes narrowing in malicious forethought.

"Perhaps I should relieve myself on your eyes now and save myself the cost of travel."

The chamber burst out into raucous laughter, sparing those who were strongly aligned with Olima and the likes of the USWQ, who simply shook their heads in disgust or kept silent for a variety of other reasons. The Patriarch spent a few more dragged-out seconds humiliating President Weiss in silence, before returning to his seat.

"You can stand now, and begone from my sight. If that charcoal-shoveling third-world hick is still here by sunrise, I'll flay her alive at the edge of the atmosphere. Enjoy your stay, President Weiss of Olima."

President Weiss stood up with a strained face of feigned indifference, bowing her head in obligated respect before turning on her heel and beckoning her entourage to follow. Hawkes utterly basked jubilantly in the engagement; if neither of the Atriarchs had stepped forward to handle this disrespectful clown, he would have caved her head through the floor for demonstrating such blatant insolence to the Atriarchs, uncaring for what wars it started. It was a wonder the Atriarchs didn't execute her themselves- and it was even more shocking that the President performed such a suicidal stunt; if anything, Hawkes had to commend her for the sheer courage to stand up in the face of death for what she believed in.

"C-Can we go now??" Lilia muttered, already traumatized from the earlier interaction with the Matriarch and now bombarded by this tense interaction. Hawkes nodded, following her speedily into another area of the Villae that was less dramatic and high-stakes.

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Daisuke found himself stumbling into the restroom, groaning as his bladder was filled to the brim with the waste contents from alcohol. He staggered towards the stall, as drunk as his bladder was full, eventually managing to find stability on the dividers to his left and right as he worked to unzip his pants and relieve himself.

"Haaaahhh...." Daisuke sighed in the unique relief that could only occur from expelling the rejected contents from a body. 

Beep! Beep!

"Ah-! What the hell?!"

Quickly finishing up and zipping his pants, Daisuke quickly pressed on a notification playing on his wrist holopad; a gift given to him from Hawkes as a way of keeping in contact with the Captain and the other crewmates. Daisuke was more than a bit shocked to see the Patriarch's face pop up on his screen, beaming with pride and an underlying agenda.

"Hey, hey, Daisuke, my favorite ditz!"

"Favorite what?"

"Hmm, exactly! So, this is a bit sudden, but I just received some atrocious news, and, uh, I'm not gonna lie? Hawkes is gonna jump on that shit immediately, and we really can't have him dying at all ever, which means I'm gonna need you to take on a gift I wasn't quite ready to give to you yet- it's gonna look a bit familiar since Swansea already kinda maybe potentially received the same thing."

Daisuke scratched his head, trying to break down the Patriarch's words and understand what he was conveying. 

"It'll be in your room as soon as you walk out, along with a little gun that you can just call the 'Plasma Cutter', I mean, if you want, that is! Call it that, please. So, anyways, there's a mission I have for you that's gonna involve you and Swansea."

Daisuke locked in, hearing that there was potentially a great purpose for him; this was a personal sore area, especially after returning from death, as his biggest fear had been purposelessness; eight months trapped on a stranded, failing wreck, and he'd just graduated college- it was a no-brainer that he would take a massive amount of mental trauma from that kind of event. He had thought the entire time; every second, minute, hour, day, week, month. Is this how the start of my life ends? I die transporting... useless mouthwash?

Such a horrific existential epiphany carried with him to his violent end; and restarted as soon as he came back to life. He'd done his absolute best trying to put on a good face for Swansea, who'd practically lost his mind after seeing Daisuke rise from the dead. He'd felt it more natural when he was optimistic and naive and swaggering his way through the new navigations of a second life. But that feeling of existential terror always stuck with him, and was only magnified a hundredfold after returning to life.

So if there was a purpose to be had; something he could commit himself to for a greater good- he was in his most vulnerable state to fall prey to such a prospect.

"W-What do you need done, sir- I mean, My Liege?"

"Just call me Sirius. I'll be brief-"

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hawkes and Lilia had linked up with Curly and Anya, and the four of them began searching for Swansea so they could pull a small prank on him that was concocted in brief discussion. Once he was located, Anya snuck up around behind him with a pie taken from a table in her right hand, while Curly walked up and greeted him.

"Hey, Swansea. Enjoying the party?"

Swansea huffed, eyeing Curly up and down and starting to sense deception afoot.

"What are you-"

Tap, tap.

Instinctively, Swansea turned around to confront the individual tapping their shoulder-

SPLCH!

Anya broke down laughing and holding her sides as the pie landed squarely in Swansea's face and he stood statue-still, as if trying to comprehend why this was happening right now; it didn't help his psyche that Curly was cackling not-so-silently behind him. Hawkes snickered and grinned as he watched the wholesome event; his mood ruined as he noticed someone moving diagonally behind him.

"Does it please the Icon to dress those broken souls like dolls for a pageant?"

"You will die."

-------------------------------------------------------------

(Music: "Nine Seconds", by Marcelo Zarvos)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hawkes had uttered the threat subconsciously before his mind fully comprehended the aimed insult, immediately swiveling on one foot and clenching his massive hand around the jaw of the walking detritus that would throw away their life so carelessly- and finding it to be the Hannou diplomat, huffing in panic and trying to pull Hawkes' fingers off of her jaw. He immediately released her, much to her scathing outrage.

"I have something to show you."

"Fuck no!"

"I assure you not a finger will be laid on you while you come and see this curiosity."

"I said no!"

Hawkes grabbed the Hannou's arm, dragging her roughly towards a remote area, and with several attendees from the entourage of President Weiss watching his interactions with wariness; the death of a Hannou diplomat, for them, would be perfect to incite outrage in their allies and prospective future allies and thus mobilize more people towards their cause. It was cruel, but President Weiss and her allies considered there to be necessary sacrifices as it always remained throughout history. To their benefit, nobody at the Villae, domestic or foreign, gave a shit about what happened to a diplomat from Hannou other than the Hannou.

As soon as they were away from the noise, Hawkes shoved the diplomat against the wall and hissed a scathing and horrible threat at her.

"If you refuse one more time. I will drag you into an isolated room, dismember you right on the spot, and send a piece of your misshapen, twitching chunks of flesh to your 67-year-old mother Denila, your five-year-old son Brenner, your alcoholic father Nahdo, and to every fucking planet that feels the need to endorse you and your waste-filled, overgrown asteroid of genocidal neanderthals. You little bitch-cunt."

The diplomat was left speechless and in a state of suddenly perpetual, death-peering terror once she realized how she'd gotten set up by President Weiss.

He won't be pulling anything at the Magna Victoria. His loyalty to the Atriarchs will keep him on a leash. An event where ambassadors from hundreds of nations will be mingling? Of course not. 

They lied. And as the Hannou diplomat, Tanya Claunecky, was rapidly coming to this epiphany, she began to sob and simultaneously cackle in preparation of a violent death. Hawkes noticed this sudden breakdown in psyche and backed away, taking a long moment to chuckle and bask in the misery of this ignorant indigent. Hawkes was a very stark 'guilty beyond a reasonable doubt' law-abider when it came to the Canaris Justice System; as it was incredibly well thought-out and refined on a strong foundation of redemption and rehabilitation.

But with thirty years on his belt, he could say without a single doubt in his mind, that he had not met a single Hannou individual -not one- who wasn't senselessly filled with that iconic generational hatred against Canaris. It was not as if Hawkes faulted that hatred; his own nation was indeed responsible for atrocities equivalent to what the Hannou was doing in the current era, and carried that same blind hatred against the Hannou. It simply boiled down to one crucial conclusion in Hawkes' brain.

If it's them or us, kill them first.

"I have a point to make, that you can send home to the family."

Hawkes grabbed the diplomat by the arm, dragging her flailing body out of the Villae and towards a transport pod, shoving her in and navigating it towards the Argonaut. Once boarded, he continued to drag her screaming figure through remote hallways, coming upon the interrogation chamber where two officers stood on standby.

"HEEELPPP MEEEE!! AAAAAHHH!!!! HE'S GONNA KILL MEEEEEE!!!!" Tanya screamed in desperation. The guards eyed her for a moment, then glanced back up at Hawkes, before using their IDs to open the door. Hawkes nodded and simply dragged her in, dropping her on the ground and watching as she crawled away from him in terrific horror.

"D-DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME!"

"I'm not gonna kill you. Tonight. Take a look around."

Quivering but curious, she eyed her surroundings and immediately felt another spiked layer of dread claw into her skin and mind as she noticed the blood-dried room she had found herself helplessly locked into-

"O-Oh, oh my god, oh my god, oh no, no no-"

Her vision spiked with adrenaline and piling hysteria. She immediately screamed in terror and abject horror as the blood-spattered, gore-filled room came into full comprehension, followed immediately by a mass of huddled Hannou in the corner, fully healed yet traumatized beyond reason and clutching to one another with wild, frenzied eyes in perpetual horror.

"Wh... Wh..."

Hawkes squatted next to Tanya, pressing the side of his face against hers and staring holes through the grouped Hannou.

"Is this what is felt like? Is this what it felt like, as a young Canari woman, to see her comrades, her family, her countrymen and women under the capture of Hannou buccaneers? I can feel the cold sweat come on, the shivering, the frost underneath your skin as your blood rushes to your vital organs. You're positively terrified. So that's what my Canari felt like, still feel like I bet, right as we're speaking."

WHOOSH!

Breaking the glass-tense atmosphere like a bull, he shoved Tanya's screaming face to the ground, then palmed her skull and forced her to gaze viscerally at her traumatized cohorts, before hissing the most bone-chilling tales of woven terror directly into her mind.

"All of you, barring your naive offspring, are scum of the earth. You were born scum, you chose to live like scum, and soon you will die scum. Ally with whomever the holy fuck you want, it won't make a bit of difference in the grand scheme. I would bet every part of my ship that not a single one of those planets, not one, would seriously consider war against us to protect the third-world, resource-worthless, pirate-infested, Ad & Thamud-esque hell pits you spawned from. They wouldn't come to their allies' aid in times of war in the past, plenty of times I've seen it happen; wanna bet? No, I just saw you shake your head, 'no'. Do you want to bet, that I could not outmatch you in lived experiences? No? Stop fucking shaking your head or I'll TWIST IT OFF! Do you think your faultless 'allies' would lay down their lives for these quasi-moral holier-than-thou proclamations? It is empty. Words. You will go home tonight, and all you will see is this room, the looks on the faces of your compatriots. And you will know, that is the fate of your entire planet. Your children will be taken and inducted into Canaris culture, never to suffer the same ignoble fate as their predecessors. And nobody is going to do a single. Damned. Thing to help you. Enjoy your night."

With utter loathing in his voice, he pulled her out of the chamber, opening the door, walking all the way back to the transport pod, throwing her in, navigating it back to the Villae, opening it up, throwing her out, dragging her to the original spot and lightly releasing her arm as she stumbled to the ground, sobbing helplessly and near-catatonically. Hawkes had made his point, simply walking past her as if she did not exist and blending back in with the rest of the gala.

-------------------------------------------------------------

(Music: "Undertow", by Moonlight Echoes)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Clink! Clink! Clink!

Those in the room suddenly turned their heads as the Matriarch tapped her glass, gathering the attention of all those present whether by sound or mere imposition.

"Good late evening, friend and foe."

The chamber chuckled lightly at the prodding joke.

"It is nearing the end of the Magna Victoria; as I have it now, it is approximately 3:09 AM Central Standard Time, and we mustn't turn this into an all-night celebration. As such, we will conclude the night and give thanks to God, with a speech from the venerable Admiral Hawkes as we enjoy our last drinks!"

The crowd broke out into a raucous cheer as Hawkes smiled awkwardly, standing next to Lilia and Erikad. Tentatively, he left their sides quickly before all the attention turned to him and proceeded to the terraced steps leading up to the Atriarchs' Villae thrones. The applause was deafening; hundreds of attendees filled with a wild, lifelong passion for the planet-defining hero who'd overcome the impossible and garnered both the respect and love of his people.

He came upon the steps and turned around, standing in front of but not above the Atriarchs as a sign of respect and tradition. He gazed around the room, seeing just how many horrible deeds were compiled into one chamber. I'm... supposed to give thanks to God... in front of all these villains? Me, the worst villain?

Only half an hour ago, he had traumatized the ever-living hell out of a Hannou diplomat, threatened an Olima diplomat, and almost snapped the neck of a mob boss offering Daisuke his holopad identifier for 'any future favors'. He didn't feel particularly holy at the moment to deliver an emotional and loving speech about virtue and victory.

"Thank you for gathering here, uh, today." Hawkes began, unsure of how he could make this speech without committing blasphemy by blatantly lying; he had absolutely nothing positive to say about most people in this room- and those he did would be targeted and envied by others in this massive crowd of well-connected individuals. "It was, uh... a hard journey for sure. Finding the damn freighter was tough enough, but getting back here felt like a Herculean ordeal."

The crowd burst into laughter, entranced by the natural charisma of Hawkes, even when he himself had absolutely no confidence in his speech and was basically just winging it.

"I'm thankful to all of you, for, well, taking care of my home while I was away. I don't often get a lot of time nowadays to see you all, from the big birds to the little chicks. And I want more time to do that, I..."

-------------------------------------------------------------

(Music: "Te Quise Amar", by Jurrivh)

--------------------------------------------------------------

His eyes drifted across Curly, Anya, Swansea, Daisuke and Lilia, all standing together and gazing proudly at him; their eyes free of the tainted greed, lust, gluttony, pride and envy surrounding the faces of those beside them. Hawkes felt a swell of happiness as he instinctively felt the next words flow out of his mouth.

"And above everything else... I'm thankful to God for giving me what I could never accomplish before His gift to us; the gift of getting a second chance at life- a real second chance, when everything else in the universe has given up on us. I thank God that I was able to save those four beautiful souls, I'm thankful to my crew for perserving all these months for this selfless cause. I'm thankful to the Atriarchs for their benevolent extension of help to assist in finding and rescuing the Tulpar crew. I'm thankful to all of you who donated money, resources, time, energy, blood-sweat-tears to this daunting ordeal. And I'm thankfuly that we are all standing here today, only having accomplished this because we banded together, as humans, to demonstrate what makes us sentient, intelligent, and made in the image of God- our empathy for our fellow living beings, no matter the time, place, or setting."

The crowd burst out into tears, cheers and wild applause, swayed heavily by the genuine tone and authentic demeanor of Admiral Hawkes as he spoke elegantly. The Atriarchs, standing behind him, were digging their nails into their palms and gritting their teeth to resist the urge to overpower him and drag him into their chambers for obscene bawdiness.

Hawkes bowed humbly once, before exiting stage right and avoiding the Tulpar crew so as avoid bringing attention to them as much as possible. He did not want fanatics at their door every day sending love letters, fan mail and questionable contents and freaking them out from wanting to enjoy their life here. He'd probably track down the offenders and brutalize them straight to prison.

We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Hawkes thought, realizing he was socially exhausted and wanted to recharge with his family for a bit. He decided to radio in Lilia to meet up with his family at their Helixad, so they could head back to their temporary home in the palace and rest for the night.

Hawkes sighed, troubled by the night's business but content with how it turned out ultimately-

"ADMIRAL! ADMIRAL!!!"

Hawkes was momentarily bewildered as one of the servants came up to him waving frantically to get his attention.

"What?? What is it?"

"A-Admiral, sir! You need to come back to the Villae immediately! There's an emergency!"

-------------------------------------------------------------

(Music: "Prelude", by Marcelo Zarvos)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Swathes of nobles poured back into the Villae, chittering and muttering in fear to one another as news came over their holopads with flashing alerts and rapidly unfolding coverage of the report. Hawkes rushed back into the palace, radioing in Lilia.

"Lily, get them onto the transport pods and onto the Argonaut!"

"Wh- you don't want them heading back to the palace??"

"From the headlines I'm getting on my holopad, I trust myself to protect them on my ship more than any of these people right now!"

He rushed into the primary chamber where the Atriarchs were seated in a more serious, somber tone, the Matriarch combing through dozens of news reports on an enlarged holo-display while the Patriarch was issuing orders to nearby Canarii and fleets in orbit over his radio.

While Hawkes waited for the panic to die down, Hawkes pulled up one of the news reports on his holopad and read through it. "Good God..."

"Our electromagnetic long-range receivers have alerted the GAPC of two distinct biological masses moving at a steady pace; as you can see from the, uh, graphic pulled up here, the first one, the eastmost one I'm pointing at, is moving down along the Scutum-Centaurus Arm at FTL speeds, and has a predicted trajectory which places it on a path of collision with the Inferis Robotics Research Station in the Northern Quadrant... The, uh, second biological mass is far larger, around four times the size of the first, and, uh... my God... uh, it seems to be moving on a steady axis past the Outer Arm, through the Perseus Arm, and is currently passing through the Sagittarius Arm, on a trajectory for collision with Canaris Sector. The, uh, Galactic Commission of Xenos Research & Development has concluded these are remnant swarms of the Lunapredator Magnus that wreaked havoc on Nova Terra in June of 2121, and has advised residents of these sectors to evacuate or 'fight with your all', I'm being told."

"Fuck... FUCK!" Hawkes muttered, trying to deliberate what the next best action would be. Would it be better to leave his family on Canaris under the protection of this Fortress World and its hundreds of billions of trained warriors? They would be fighting a swarm four times the size of the one that would be going after the Inferis Station. If he brought them with him, along with a considerable fleet of Canaris warships to annihilate the swarm, he could rescue the Inferis Station, get back in time and assist Canaris in the onslaught against the bigger swarm.

Alright, that's the game plan.

Wasting no further time, he went up to the Atriarchs and communicated his plan to them. The both of them nodded after some deliberation.

"I believe that is the best course of action," The Matriarch resolved. "The Inferis Station possesses a prototype machine that was designed specifically to target and eliminate Gaiters. The technology for it was so advanced that it was lost during the Terror's reign, but if you can get onboard, we can give you a master override key our programmers designed for a contingency scenario like this."

Hawkes nodded with a grim expression, reverting to a state of complete, cold and calculating focus- both his homeworld and his family were on the line, and nothing would distract him from executing this mission to its fitting end. "I understand. How many warships and auxiliary support vessels can you lend me?"

"Without detracting significantly from our own defenses against the swarm, I can offer you two Ares-class Dreadnoughts, six Lugh-class Battle Cruisers, twenty Heavy Cruisers, fourteen Destroyers, and eighty-seven Fast-Attack Ships."

Hawkes nodded once more.

"That should be good enough."

The Atriarchs bowed their heads in deep respect and longing.

"I am truly furious we did not have more time to spend together," The Matriarch remarked despondently. "Please, avoid harm and defeat your foe decisively, and when you return we shall give you six months of reprieve from duty."

"I don't know if I want that much time off, but I'm all for rest after this bullshit comes to an end."

With that, he bowed one last time in respect and departed for the transport pod, placing the pieces of his plan together mentally as he did so. In the distance, a shivering and fury-driven Tanya had eavesdropped on the conversation and grinned maliciously; a terrible plan concocting in her head.

"Just you wait, you monstrous devil-bastard. Your righteous ego will be your undoing. Hannou will rise up and crush you into dust."

[verdantwyrm]

saw your post where you speculate Anya and Jimmy coukd have originally been in a consensual relationship — I've been mulling it over myself and was trying to decide the best reason it could have turned sour.

Anya just getting sick of Jimmy's shit and him refusing to accept her breaking it off feels the most plausible, but isn't overly compelling to me. and maybe the banality is the point, but I'm wondering if you have any other ideas.

That is very close to what I had in mind! My original idea is that when Jimmy finally achieved his role as co-pilot, he started to really feel just how horrible it made him feel. That he accomplished something great, he was beside Curly again, but it didn't make him happy.

He was... normal. A bit temperamental but just fussy, nothing offensive. And he decided to throw himself into a relationship with the cute doe-eyed new girl to try and distract himself. They talked, complained about stuff, generally really passive and slowly more and closer when he realized how little resistance there was to his push.

And eventually Jimmy's envious attitude towards Curly started getting the best of him, even more so when he realized that Curly liked Anya, and she probably liked him back, and then he just began getting jealous, petty and angry over how Curly just takes everything from Jimmy.

That he's so much better, so much talented, he gets everything in life but is still unhappy. Distancing himself more and more which only pushed her closer to Curly. And in a spiteful tantrum, he decides to take it out on Anya, telling her all these horrible things about Curly, saying that he will never love her, that he will just abuse her and exploit her, he's the captain, he would never with her. Making her feel lonely, unwanted and unloved, and then also telling Curly that his feelings for her are exploitive, that he actually doesn't love or like her, that his authority scared her into complying.

Successfully driving away Anya and Curly from eachother, he decides to keep pushing, getting a rush from this power abuse and he forces Anya to sleep with him, telling her that she's never going to have Curly, so why doesn't she just settle for second best? not like she would get any better. And that she shouldn't be such a tease

Walking away from it having killed two birds with one stone. Making Curly feel like his feelings are secretly exploitative and the fact that he didn't realize this shows that he's an abuser, making him feel unwanted and forcing him to confide in Jimmy since he's the true friend here.

Making Anya feel unwanted, un loved, not desirable and at the mercy of her own Captain, making her feel she can only confide in Jimmy since he's the closest she will ever get to physical intimacy.

I don't think they immediately started out on the wrong foot, but the decline was there and it was so sudden Anya had barely a second to register any of it

[sunflower1experiment]

Crasona finding out

In the canon version they die.

But in an AU I’m doing, they live but Curly goes into a long coma.

It was well, it made them hate themselves.

They saw the signs but were blinded by their eagerness to show that Curly was a decent guy and Jimmy is suspicious. But then upon realization, they ended up going to Curly and repeatedly asking. “Why didn’t you help her? He did this because he found out….its your fault you let this parasite, this germ, this flesh.”

Crasona is flawed for this, immediately calms down to tend to Anya, never leaving her side and even going as far as to take her place when it comes to speaking with Jimmy. Jimmy assumes it’s them accepting that they could his ally yet he doesn’t know that they’ve been sending coordinates to the military and Pony Express. The tech engineer knows their way around.

Canonically however, they were too late to save Anya. They saw her corpse and immediately lose the smiling facade and begin to berate Jimmy, tear him down to a bug with their words until they realize there is simply no point. He got what he wanted, Anya was dead, that was the whole reason he crashed the ship. So they pick up Anya’s corpse after Swansea began chasing Jimmy and hide elsewhere, grabbing one of their own tools they use it to leave the world behind peacefully.

Sadly Jimmy found Anya during his delusional phase, and left Crasona alone.

But in the AU after finding out, Crasona’s demeanor changed, and canonically wise they do send the coordinates. Have Anya stay away and take over in her place, they then scold Swansea. Knowing it would be a tussle but the mention of Daisuke getting hurt worried him.

It infuriates Crasona, seeing how little Jimmy cared about Anya’s state…but when the military came at the fifth month, they took in the Tulpar and the crew was luckily saved but Anya and Crasona told them what happened.

Upon questioning, Jimmy’s guilt towards Curly gets the best of him. Meanwhile Anya had to carry the baby to term, as much as it scared her. Curly explained using a telegram to speak, it just kept getting worse more deranged and more sad.

Crasona now disappointed in the man they enjoyed admiring, somewhat understood. In the middle of space…stuck with an abusive person, having to go through the stages of Fight, Flight, Freeze and Fawn…him and Anya both had to do so…

But on Curly’s end it made them more disappointed, a captain, being more a friend than a “Captain”. Yet with the state he was in and how quick Jimmy was to grab the title and hurt him even go as far as to blame him for what he did to Anya. They didn’t even look at Jimmy when he was apprehended, his cries for Curly ringing out while Swansea and Daisuke were taken to the medical rooms with Anya.

Crasona felt awful, Anya needed them and they never saw the signs. Too busy playing detective and not supporter….

Even with Jimmy in jail and Curly in dire need of medical care. Their focus remained on Anya, Swansea and Daisuke, she had a miscarriage due to stress, it was painful, embarrassing, stress enduring. But as she said, our worst moments don’t make us monsters. In the end she was slowly returning to her confident self but occasionally went to sleep often.

The return to earth, jeez…Pony Express tried to give everyone an NDA. But Crasona sued them indefinitely, even though they knew it’d lead to nowhere they wanted Pony Express exposed…

Surprisingly enough they won but at what cost? Nothing changed, they had no jobs, and wanted to help their ex colleagues. So Crasona welcomed Anya and Curly to their home, it was a bit tense, because they didn’t fully accept Curly. But Anya was still nice to him, even with her telling Curly indefinitely that he wasn’t a perfect Captain or a good person but she still believed her words about one’s worst moments.

A bit of acceptance from Crasona made them realize that taking responsibility is the only way to avoid being your worst monster.

Jimmy didn’t realize or accept that until it meant Curly couldn’t defend him…

Ironic isn’t it….

[the-noted-collector]

OC references (using the list)

This impliments a very helpful list on Discord, albiet with some cuts (as none of my OCs present here are PCs).

Luc Buckingham

Neathy Alias: The Opulent Enigma

Adressed As: Lady/Lord

Pronouns: They/them

'Oh, why hello there? And who might you be, hm?

History

Born in the Neath, 1876

Currently 25 years old

Arrived in the Neath: N/A

Raised as a higher class in the Neath by their aunts more then their parents, they have some...odd mannerisms and coping methods. Equally likely to be at bohemian parties while masked as they are a society ball, they're quite experienced in the nature of vices.

Apperance

Height: 5'7

Hair: Light-ish brown, flopped even all around their head (including in front of the face), blocking their eyes most of the time. Stops above the mouth.

Eyes: A dark gray, bit smaller

Clothing: They swing for anything, masucline or feminine, but often more expensive and in shades of red or pink.

Posture and mannerisms: Fairly confident, up straight when standing still. Eyes are either extremely focused or drifty.

Other: Wears a lot of jewelry; often nevercold brass, rubies, and on the odd occasion opal. Symbolism for hell sometimes; others, simply decorative.

Adam Buckingham

Neathly Alias: The Bloodied Knight (if you are in the Great Game) or the Respected Madman (if you are not)

Addressed As: Mr

Pronouns: He/Him

'...what is it you want?'

History

Born: North London, 1858

Age: 46

Arrived in the Neath: Febuary 14th, 1862

A complicated upbringing. Spywork. Some murder, madness, and a little love found later. He's had what many call a full life. He's not one to speak much of it though.

Appearance

Height: 5'11

Hair: Pretty dark brown, kept fairly short, vaugely curly, early silvers (I think it's early?)

Eyes: Blue, mid-range

Clothing: Unassuming gentleman's clothing, often blue on black or blue on blue. Paler shades.

Posture and mannerisms: Leans on his cane when standing still, not very visibly. Looks to walls or paintings when inside, and to windows when outside.

Other: Has a hat which he often uses to hide his silvers, and a simple black cane (his legs aren't the best and sometimes one gives out unexpectedly). Sometimes has a hidden weapon. Has scars on his torso and arms.

Samantha Buckingham (formerly Smit)

Neathly Alias: The Searing Appraiser

Addressed As: Mrs

Pronouns: She/Her

'Hello there! Do you need anything?'

History

Born: Neath, December 1862

Age: 43

Arrived in the Neath: N/A

[Void; for the purpose of sparing myself more writing I'll leave any backstory out of this from this point on]

Apperance

Height: 5'6

Hair: Often kept back in a bun, dusty blonde, down to shoulders when down

Eyes: a lighter grey

Clothing: Often oranges, covering dresses with long skirts. Bit more flamboyant then the usual, but nothing very showy.

Posture and mannerisms: Leans a little on her good leg, often hums when standing still for very long. Often smiling.

Other: Has bandages covering her left arm, leg, part of her torso and half of her face. Burn scars all over left half of body.

Endemannus Korabl'nikov

Neathly Alias: The Transformed Captain

Addressed As: Anything, usually just 'Ed'

Pronouns: Percieved at will

'.....'

History

Born in the Germanic region of the Roman Empire, 1234

Age: 680-ish

Arrived in the Neath: 1254

Appearance

(Assuming his most humaniod form here)

Height: 5'10

Hair: Black, down to neck on all sides, covers his face

Eyes: Odd, pale yellow. Cold.

Clothing: Often wears old clothing from the Fourth, muted colors, plain.

Posture and mannerisms: Leans a bit forward, taps any surface he's near, might mutter a bit if it's quiet.

Other: This guy's generally weird; tinted skin (deep blue tint), gills on his neck, and sometimes small slits on both cheeks. Normal scars dotted about, weird scars on their arms and along her spine. Wears a pendant around the neck, a circle with three lines towards it's center and three triangles (each with one sapphire in it) in between. Silver on twine.

Conley

Neathly Alias: The Elusive Cannibal

Addressed As: Usually people just scream

Pronouns: They/Them (possibly neopronouns as well)

'Oh, what do we have here? Another fly caught in my web?'

History

Born in Hell

Age: Ancient

Arrived in the Neath: Became notably active in the Third

Appearance

Height: 8'7-8'10

Hair: Wiry, mid-brown, pretty short

Eyes: has 8 of them and regularly involves their eyes in SA fuckery so as long as the irises are a vibrant purple it's good

Clothing: Often doesn't bother but does own a crimson waistcoat. Also still has some old Hell clothes from before the Revolution.

Posture and mannerisms: ...not sure what to say

Other: Literal spider centaur. Spider half is a deep green-black in color. Hive/nest half only vaugely resembles a person and hits heavy in the uncanny valley.

Edward Byrne

Neathly Alias: The Eccentric Host

Addressed As: Mr

Pronouns (for now): He/Him

'Do you have time for a interview, Mx....?'

History

Born in Ireland, 1874

Age: 28

Arrived in the Neath: March of 1900

Appearance

Height: 5'9

Hair: Soft, auburn, only goes down to the tops of his ears

Eyes: Grey-black

Clothing: Often usually just wears a jacket over a undershirt and some trousers. Greys or blacks.

Posture and mannerisms: Leans over a little, doesn't usually make eye contact, will look discomforted/pained if around a place with too much noise or conflicting conversation.

Other: Almost always carrying a radio. Has as least one hidden knife in his jacket. Sometimes openly carrying a rapier.

Gale

Neathly Alias: The Buzzing Dockworker

Addressed As: Mr

Pronouns: They/Them

'Oh! Um...do you need help?'

History

Born: Neath, June of 1865

Age: 42

Arrived in Neath: N/A

Apperance

Height: 6'2

Hair: Little wiry, grey-black, around their ears

Eyes: Amber

Clothing: Usually just wears a dockworker uniform everywhere now.

Posture and mannerisms: Shy, tries to make themself look smaller and hide in the corners. Fidgets often.

Other: Scarring (and wax sealing) on their torso along where they were opened. Keeps a small bag of essentials on themself at all times.

Sal

Neathly Alias: The Venomous Lover

Addressed As: Ms, Mx

Pronouns: They/She

'Aww...aren't you adorable?'

History

I have figured out none of this so uh- blank

Appearance

Height: 5'6

Hair: Brunette, shoulder length

Eyes: Vibrant green

Clothing: Typical devil style, yellows or reds

Posture and mannerisms: Taps their foot, often stands up straight, always looking around

Other: Often carries a bone saw.

Mary Helianalis

Neathly Alias: N/A

Addressed As: Dr, Professor

Pronouns: She/Her

'Welcome.'

History

Born in upper London, 1853

Age: 52

Arrived in Neath: Febuary 14th, 1862

Appearance

Height: 5'8

Hair: Black, worn in dreadlocks and kept in a ponytail. Ponytail reaches shoulders.

Eyes: A pale green, usually squinting

Clothing: Labcoat over a few darker layers. Kept neat and clean

Posture and mannerisms: Leans forward a little, observing. Sometimes mumbles to self, or makes small gestures at nothing.

Other: Has glasses, and scars from Seeking.

Grace Helianalis

Nealthy Alias: The Mirthful Poisoner

Addressed As: Ms

Pronouns: She/Her

'Hm...what should we use?'

History

Born in upper London, 1853

Age: 52

Arrived in Neath: Feburary 14th, 1862

Appearance

Height: 6'1

Hair: Curly, black, kept loose and it poofs.

Eyes: A pale green

Clothing: Often simple dresses and corsets, green in color. Sometimes a apron if she's working with chemicals.

Posture and mannerisms: Often looks amused. When asked, simply gives a 'hm'.

Other: Nothing much at the moment.

Apologies for this being a bit bare bones; I have nine characters and this already took me a better part of a hour to complete as is. I may go back and add/change occasionally. Sorry for it being so long.