#duskcall's oscar.

[becomestorm]

‘   oscar   ?   ’   so much different from the usual stoic timbre, where quiet gentleness had once lain words down on a bed of petals. their words were sharp, accented by notes of panic into their scroll. the flashing signal atop oscar’s contact flickered the more the boy strayed further and further from the pack.   ‘   o - oscar,   i’m sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me,   for saying those things.   please come back.   teammates need to stay together   —   ’   this can’t happen again.   @duskcall​   /   ch thirteen sc.

[philotimon]

so, i have some thoughts (and tysm to @duskcall for helping me sort through some of them!)

james is still falling. he's still going down that slippery slope. he's insisting he isn't afraid when he's actually terrified out of his mind because he thinks his fear is a weakness. and he thinks his emotions are a weakness too. which is why he rants about "the minute he softened/let his guard down," because he thinks he fucked up by doing that.

and he's so stubbornly determined to do the right thing. he still thinks that even though he knows, objectively, that oscar is absolutely right in calling him out. and the real kicker? oscar was probably one of the few people who would've managed to get through to him, but james couldn't afford to let that happen. he couldn't afford to feel, couldn't afford to hurt, couldn't afford to doubt himself.

and as soon as oscar says that he's just as bad as salem, like this? he does this tiny nod. this nod that looks a lot like "i thought so," because yeah, he knows. He knows. But he can't let himself feel anything about it, because if he stops to feel, his resolve will shatter. which is another part of what leads him to say his friends call him james. it's his way of completely shutting down his emotions/feelings for oscar. for everything.

he's trying not to feel, but he just still feels so strongly, as evidenced by his scream of frustration at the end. because no matter how much he's sacrificed. is still willing to sacrifice. is trying to sacrifice...

it's still not enough to stop salem.

ETA: it also kills me that the light fades from his eyes right before he shoots oscar... god, i still can’t fucking believe he shot oscar

[wintersrapier]

@duskcall​ asked:  “do you ever wonder if this is all you’ll ever amount to?” (Oscar to Weiss!)

angst starters!! – Not accepting!!

There’s not an immediate response to his question. Rather, she looks contemplative. Pensive. Vulnerability doesn’t come easily to her. Even less so, in Atlas. Weiss can not put into words the way she grew up here without worth, without self esteem. She cannot explain the way her life was controlled or how tattered, long forgotten dreams are all that she knows of a place she should have called home.

She cannot give to the broken shards of the mirror. The reflection of a young, lonely girl. Weiss likes to think she’s grown past that. She wants to believe she’s stronger than that. But insecurities lurk at every corner. A fact she simply ignores. Or tries to.

And she almost succeeds, when she keeps her mind occupied. The work for the Amity Communications Tower usually makes her far too tired by the end of each day, she falls right to sleep. Yet, it’s a moment like this where she’s forced to stop and think.

Oscar’s words resonate all too closely with her. And yet? She can’t imagine how he must feel. This fight was forced upon him, into his life. And somedays he seems to bear it far better than she could ever dream of.

“...More often than I’d like to admit.”

[infiltrctor-a]

@duskcall​ | starter

Secluded in a room not oft tread into, Neo relishes the peace and quiet with a simple meal. A spoon is raised from a bowl, the soup within disappearing at a steady rate, but the eating pauses as Neo turns towards the doorway. Noises from outside the door raise her attention, the handle of Hush being gripped tight and then let go as the source reveals itself to be Oscar. A sigh releases itself as she waves him forward, pushing the bowl forwards with the spoon clattering onto the table. Neo turns towards the boy, annoyance written plain on her face. Hands motion out towards Oscar, a question posed towards him.

    'Now that you've interrupted my meal, what is it? Soup gets cold quick.'