#and secunit just like. has not gotten around to dealing with them

[paging-possum]

Me when all the systems are red

[needlesandnilbogs]

arada and/or overse for the ask game!

Arada

First impression: Oh, hey, a lesbian couple! And this one has a name that sounds a little like my friend!

Impression now: Okay but what's going around in her head. She's competent and kind and she's learning how to lead and everything and she's also smart and probably autistic and the narrative doesn't even say anything it's just normal! (She is everything I want to grow up to be, let's be clear)

Favorite moment: We don't get to see that bunkroom scene in Network Effect, but it spins around my head constantly. Onscreen in the actual books I also really like every little moment in Network Effect where it's clear she knows what she's doing when it comes to leadership.

Idea for a story: … I should just paste my entire list of ideas here. It is easier to list the story ideas that don't involve Arada than the ones that do. But specifically: my February goal that's not close to being met is to finish a fic that's just her pov of network effect (current title when I talk about it is "arada pov of network effect" but I have a different working title for it)

Unpopular opinion: SHE DESERVED BETTER IN SYSTEM COLLAPSE. We do not see anything of her and we didn't see anything that even alluded to her leadership in Network Effect. I am very extremely mad about this still and think she should have gotten to go with SecUnit instead of Ratthi.

Favorite relationship: The obvious one when you look at what I write is her relationship with Overse and the infinite ways it can manifest and change depending on how they're changing, but the one I'm really enjoying exploring right now is her relationship with Mensah -- we don't see anything special here, unless you count the line from ASR where it's Mensah and Arada overriding everyone talking to mb about feelings, but I'm really enjoying the space that gives for her to be learning about leadership from Mensah but also knowing when not to take advice. Also I like figuring out how Ratthi fits into Arada and Overse's relationship as best friend but also third wheel.

Favorite headcanon: I really really love the idea that she and Overse are both transfemme demiromantic asexual lesbians and their relationship is non-normative for Preservation. In any universe where they have kids, she's also definitely got three teenage kids for whom she shares responsibility with Ratthi and Overse but she's the primary person to deal with Kid Things. Also also autistic Arada is something I basically don't think about as headcanon anymore because there's serious textual support for it but I guess that counts and it influences how I write her.

Overse

First impression: Aww, lesbians, I love them already (see above)

Impression now: She's the sensible one everywhere but she cares so much and she's doing her best to be supportive all the time and also she's got so much going on we don't see so tell me more about her.

Favorite moment: In Network Effect where she stops in the hall and reminds Arada to be like a bulkhead. Why that metaphor? I must know!

Idea for a story: Oh, so many things. I really want to know what she does for a living, though, so I want to see her growing up and trying six quadrillion different things before she ended up with a large set of vaguely related skills that's somehow perfect for survey work.

Unpopular opinion: also deserved better in System Collapse. See above rant about how Arada deserved better, they both did. They should get to be the ones doing fun stuff sometimes it doesn't always have to be Ratthi!

Favorite relationship: With Arada, but I also think it would be really cool if she was close friends with Pin-Lee, if something about them being the only two without a doctorate meant they ever had moments where they were like. Do my friends understand common sense (or other things where they could both Get Each Other that way). basically I think she and arada should both have more friendship onscreen with the rest of presaux.

Favorite headcanon: Why does she have weapons training in ASR? I have overanalyzed that implication to heck and back and decided the answer is that she grew up in an area of Preservation known for aggressive fauna that think humans are yummy so to go do camping things or anything she had to get medical and weapons training at a young age.

Bonus headcanon for both of them is that if a modern human who isn't very up to date on gender or sexuality met them they would look like a stereotypical femme/butch relationship. Because Arada has short hair and wears basically the same outfit every day while Overse has really long hair and likes to dress up and whatever and then if you look at their hobbies Arada spins and crochets and sews and cooks and can paint so many fancy nail designs and whatever and Overse is over in the corner of their home taking apart the third chair in two days with a hammer and building things and sticking her hands in guts and gore and basically the two of them are out here breaking every stereotype ever by being actual human beings but in this specific way they're exact opposites by earth standards just not in the expected way.