#i think she would be an ecologist and i think she would probably get into complex plant+animal interactions

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

What if all the yeerks suddenly died? AU

Part 3.5; Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 are here. All you need to know from earlier parts is that all the yeerks disappeared at once after the events of #19, and that the Animorphs and ex-controllers have been trying to resume a normal life ever since.

• Hedrick Chapman wanted to be an ecologist when he grew up.  Or a veterinarian.  Barring that, he’d have settled for being rich.  At no point did he ever want to be a vice principal of a criminally underfunded public high school.  That had been a yeerk decision, not his.  Certainly not his.  And yet, here he is.

• Then again, Chapman reflects as he watches Andy Mitchell vomit into the potted plant on his desk, this job has recently involved far more working with wild animals than he initially anticipated.

“It was horrible,” Andy sobs.  “Her f-face, it… it split open.  I could see bones under the—”  He cuts off, retching more.

Probably in shock, Chapman thinks.  A perfectly understandable reaction to having seen someone morph for the first time.  “What did she turn into?”

“What?”  Andy lifts his head.  Milk-pale, except for those red-rimmed eyes.  Definitely in shock.  “What do you mean?”

“Rachel.”  Chapman didn’t get a name, but that description could only apply to so many students.  “What did she morph?”

“I don’t know,” Andy wails.  “Her face got all baggy and horrible, like the skin was coming off, and it…”  He makes a pulling motion, away from his own mouth.

“So she turned into an elephant.”  Chapman notes that down.  “Then what?”

“You don’t understand,” Andy says.  “She… she… her body was melting!”

Chapman sets down the pen, looking him in the eye.  “I believe you.  You saw her turn into an elephant.  Did she try to attack you, once she was done?”

“I don’t know!  I ran for it.”

“Smart choice.”  Chapman massages his left temple, which is where his Rachel-shaped headache seems to have taken up full-time residence in Iniss 226’s absence. “I figured as much, since we’re not having this conversation in the hospital.”

“It was horrible,” Andy says again.

“And what did you say to Tobias Fangor that precipitated this incident?”

Andy blinks.  His color looks a little better, anyway.  “How did you know that?”

Chapman does not roll his eyes.  Because he’s an adult, and in control of his own body.  “I just so happen to be fluent in English, Mr. Mitchell.  Which is, by enormous coincidence, the language used to write your disciplinary file.  I’m also capable of basic pattern recognition.”

“What are you going to do to her?” Andy asks.  “Rachel.  What happens to her?”

An excellent question.  Bringing a deadly weapon to school results in a ten-day suspension.  But if Chapman applies that statute in this case, then he’d be forced to suspend all five Animorphs for the rest of eternity.  Threatening a classmate can result in expulsion, though it sounds like no actual threats were issued.  There isn’t a rule on the books for showing a classmate something so disturbing his brain tries to turn itself inside-out from sheer horror, although in light of recent developments there really should be.

“Not your concern,” Chapman says.  “Thank you for telling me.  Back to class.”

Andy takes several more minutes to collect himself before he goes.  Chapman uses that time to catch up on paperwork, though he does offer the young man a tissue.  And a breath mint.

• Andy is barely out Chapman’s door when it swings open again and Tom Berenson strides in.  “You have to tell my parents it’s not Jake’s fault,” he announces.

I am not your therapist, Chapman would dearly like to say.  I am not your best friend.  I am not, regardless of Iniss 226’s relationship with Temrash 114, your fucking subordinate.  I do not ‘have to’ do anything.

Not being snippy with vulnerable teenagers is probably one of those things they’d cover M.Ed. programs, if Chapman had ever actually been to school for this job.  “Why don’t you take a deep breath and explain from the beginning.”  There.  That sounds like something a vice principal would say.

“Jake.”  Tom sits down.  “My parents keep forcing him to go to school.  They think he’s, like, being a moody teenager.  Or faking it.”

Chapman may not be a therapist, or even a college graduate, but he does recognize that Jake’s entitled to as many sick days as he feels like taking, for the rest of eternity.  However, “That’s between your parents and your brother.”

“You can’t do anything?” Tom asks.  “You have the ability to give kids permanent excuses for made-up medical conditions— Iniss did it all the time—”

“I am not,” Chapman says severely, “Iniss 226.”

Tom stiffens.  “I just meant…”

“I recognize it is not your fault you have entirely too much information about the administration of this school.”  Chapman tries to soften his tone.  “But if you can do without using the Krav Maga or ability to home-assemble a working handgun that you also didn’t choose to receive, you can do without that.”

“But— Jake.  They don’t get it.”

“I will speak with your parents.  I’ll express these concerns to them,” Chapman says.  “In the meantime, might I suggest you focus on your own grades?  Thanks to Iniss, you’ve missed far too much school already.  If you want to have any hope of graduating on time, you need to catch up.”

“Why?”

He says it so simply.  It’s a question Chapman’s been asked before: Why bother?  Of all the kids who’ve asked him, only Marco Santiago has been more entitled to ask.  Why, indeed, bother with school?  Why care about Civics and Algebra when the world itself has already ended around you? 

A real vice principal would make a speech about learning being its own reward, or the importance of insuring one’s future.  “Because,” Chapman says, “when I speak to Coach Lu about letting you back on the basketball team, he’ll point out that student athletes need a minimum two-point-oh GPA.”

Tom’s whole face lights up.  Suddenly looking years younger.  Looking like a kid, for the first time in months.  “You’d do that for me?”

That M.Ed. program no doubt would have advised against bribes.  “No skin off my butt,” Chapman says.  “Now go do your homework.  And let the adults worry about your brother.”

“Yes sir!”  And he’s off like a shot.  Possibly even, miracle of miracles, off to work on that backlog of English essays.

• The first time Jake called a meeting in Cassie’s barn, even though they don’t really have a reason to meet anymore, it was to discuss what they can do to help the hork-bajir—taxxon alliance.  The second time, it was to make a plan to help Tobias get caught up in school.  The third time, he doesn’t even make an excuse.

Rachel complains about the press hounding them for a statement.  Marco complains about his parents making out on the couch while he’s in the house.  Tobias complains about Ms. Paloma’s workload, and about the hork-bajir constitution negotiations.  Jake complains about his dad’s horrifying questions about how morphing affects puberty.  Ax complains about Alloran’s frequent, extremely snobby, emails.  Cassie complains about her parents constantly asking her to morph their patients to figure out what’s wrong with them.

It’s silly.  It’s fun.  It’s playing at being teenagers with teenage problems.

“This time next week,” Jake announces, at the end.  “And if there are any major developments in the meantime, keep the rest of us posted.”

• “Tobias Fangor’s aunt called again,” Principal Walsh says, when Chapman gets to the office on a Tuesday morning.  “Don’t you think we should at least speak to her, see what she wants?”

“No,” Chapman says.  “I don’t.”

“His uncle.  This…”  She glances at the paperwork.  “Axel Mili-Esgarrouth.  Didn’t show up for last parent-teacher conference.”

Small mercies.  Chapman doesn’t explain Tobias’s living situation.  Doesn’t reveal that he owes the kid’s parents the kind of debt that cannot be repaid in an entire lifetime of favors.  Doesn’t deign to find out if Maggie Walsh knows what an andalite is.

“Tobias Fangor,” he says, “is part of the one-tenth of one percent of students who are, somehow, attending this high school because they want to be here.  If you give him reason to transfer out, I will resign.”

• There are reasons that Chapman stays in this job, despite being stashed here against his will.  Not the pay.  Not the sullen ingratitude from the teens he helps.  Certainly not the parents.  It’s because he’s needed here, now more than ever.

• He stays for the times Loren’s kid comes skittering into his office, wild-eyed and muttering, “Sorry, I just, sorry, I’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise…”  Chapman knows to open the window, when that happens, knows to shove a chair already well-deformed with talon marks out from behind his desk.

•  He stays for the kids who on paper had straight As, perfect attendance, promising gigs at The Sharing — and overnight became failing wrecks with insomnia and dozens of unexplained absences.  He can explain to their teachers, to their parents, in a way that someone who hasn’t been there will never be able to understand.

•  He stays for the way Eva Santiago clasps his hand and says, “You will look out for him.”  Half-supplication, half-command.

•  He even, despite himself, stays for Tom.  Who showed up at school the day after Aegas 1909 died, trying to pretend like nothing had happened.  Who is a truly godawful actor — he took one look at Chapman, went dead-white, and ran for it.  Who was backing away even as Chapman cornered him in the parking lot.  “Wait!” Chapman had said.  “Wait! Iniss is dead too.”  And Tom had burst into tears.

•  No one else would understand them.  No one else would know why nearly every one of the seventy-three ex-hosts in this school has been sent to his office for not paying attention, for sleeping in class, for allegedly being stoned during school hours.  No one else would overlook the absolute illegal mess of Tobias’s paperwork, or give Rachel a fortieth second chance after she has yet another hair-trigger reaction to being bumped in the hall.

•  But there’s one reason above all others that he stays in this job.

“You don’t mind?” Melissa says, every single time he offers her a ride to school.  As if he’s doing her a favor, letting her take up space in the car he’s already driving that way.  As if it’s a chore to get to spend time with his daughter and hear about her day.

“You sure you don’t mind?” he always answers, smiling, and she always runs to get her bag.

It takes so little — a smile, a nod, an offer to feed the damn cat, sometimes even just a glance her way — to get her to light up with gratitude.  It breaks his fucking heart to know the reason why.

He drives her every day.  He helps her with homework every night, and cooks her dinner afterward.  He drops more than he can afford on leg-warmers and Lisa Frank and Limited Too.  He’s every parenting cliché: on a trial separation from Alison, spoiling their kid rotten because of the guilt.

Anyway, time with Melissa is worth a hell of a lot more than mere money.  And it’s almost enough to make up for dealing with parents.  Almost.

•  “But Cassie’s a good kid,” Michelle Logan says.  “She’s always been responsible, and she’s always taken care of herself.  There has to be some kind of mistake.”

Chapman looks at the good kid sitting between her parents.  Thinks of watching her rip a hork-bajir’s throat out, taking an innocent life along with the guilty one.  Trusts that she had no choice in the matter, because if it was him she’d killed instead then he would have understood.

“I recognize that Cassie has had an overall clean record thus far,” Chapman says.  “However, the Rain Forest Café is filing charges against the school for the impersonation and theft of several live animals, and I don’t have other suspects.”

“Cassie would never,” Michelle said.  “She’s a good kid.  She just fell in with the wrong crowd, that’s all.”

“Of that,” Chapman says dryly, “I have no doubt.”

Cassie lifts her head then to look straight at him.  “I’m sorry,” she says, not sounding it.  “I was trying to help the parrots.”

I.  Yes, she’s a good kid.  “It’s admirable,” Chapman tells her, “that you’re covering for your friends.”  Probably also on the list of things a real vice principal wouldn’t say.  “But there is no way that you could have acted alone.”

“Can you prove that?” Cassie asks.

“Can you even prove it was her?” Michelle says.  “What about Marco, or Rachel?  They morph.  Isn’t Tobias a bird quite often?  Who says it wasn’t him?”

Cassie and Chapman make eye contact.  Marco is one incident away from being expelled.  Rachel is about negative eight incidents away, and Chapman can only do so much to protect her.  Tobias isn’t supposed to be at this school at all, which the board will surely notice if he comes to their attention.  Cassie confessed, because Cassie can take the heat.  And Chapman’s letting her take that fall.

“It’s okay,” Cassie tells the adults.  “It’s only a week of detention.”

Because that was the lowest sentence he could propose, while still avoiding a legal proceeding.  She really is a good kid.

•  “Where you going?” Jake asks, not looking up from his Spanish homework, when Tom unlocks the front door at 8:00 PM on a Sunday.

“Sharing meeting,” Tom says casually.  “Wanna come?”

Jake sets down his pen.  He looks at his brother.

Tom stares back, smirking.

“Where are you actually going?” Jake says.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”  And with that, Tom walks out the door.

Despite himself, Jake follows.

 • It’s an under-21 nightclub that Jake vaguely recognizes as being a front for The Sharing, but the crowd spilling onto the lawn around it is truly all ages.  There’s a giggling pair of 10-year-olds standing too close to the beer keg for his comfort, a middle-aged guy handing out glow sticks, and a woman with gray hair and a hand-knit sweater smoking a joint on the curb.

“Tommy-boy!” That’s the guy standing next to the door, an ex-controller Jake thinks is named Bill.  He throws out his arms and, before Jake can react, has grabbed Tom, spun him around, dipped him, and kissed him on the mouth.

“Hands off, asshole,” Tom says, laughing as he pulls loose.  “You are so fucking drunk.”

“Sssshhhhhh,” Bill says, not disconfirming the accusation.  He points to the Employees Only printed on the door.  “Just meat-puppets tonight.  Ditch the tagalong.”

“Oh, come on.”  Tom gestures at Jake.  “The kid was a controller for a hot second last November.”

Bill squints at Jake.  “Wait, really?”

Jake shrugs.  He doesn’t want to talk about it.  “Yeah.”

“Well all right, then.”  Bill ruffles Jake’s hair, Tom slaps Bill on the ass, and they shoulder their way inside.

• The club is jammed full of bodies, most of them sweaty and partway naked.  Jake retreats until his back is against the nearest wall, looking over the mess of dancing humans.  Tom has split off, chest-bumping with some other guy Jake doesn’t know and stealing a drag off his cigarette.  None of them are acting remotely like controllers, which is reassuring, and now he’s wondering if it’d be rude to leave without Tom about 10 seconds after having arrived.

 No one would notice if he turned into a bug, he decides after about an hour of this.  Seriously.  This crowd would not notice, and it’s not like they’d care if they did.  Tom can find his own way home.

A small form sidles up next to him.  “Hi, Jake.”

“Melissa!” he says too loudly, glad to see a familiar face.  “Hi.”

“You want some drink?”  She holds up a clear plastic cup, three-quarters full of liquid.  “There’s plenty more over…”  She points to the punchbowl behind her.

“Drink?” Jake asks.

Melissa shrugs.  “From the empty bottles, it’s mostly beer and tequila, with a little bit of Bloody Mary mix.  Which is probably why it…”  She grimaces down at her cup.  “Looks, smells, and tastes like urine.”

“Um.”  Jake peers at her cup; her assessment isn’t wrong.  “I think I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Cool.  There’s also a guy around here with E, if that’s more your speed.”

“Gee.”  Jake looks back over the crowd, which includes several couples openly pawing at each other, a group of four with hands inside each other’s clothes, and Tom apparently attempting to eat some woman’s tongue before she can eat his.  “There’s ecstasy here?  I never would’ve guessed.”

“People are just glad the war’s over,” Melissa says.  “And your brother’s a really good kisser.”

It’s official: this is worse than the gathering of alien slugs plotting Earth’s destruction that Jake expected to find.  It’s not even a proper orgy, just a whole crapton of giddy ex-hosts hugging each other and then getting too enthusiastic about the hugs.

“Look,” Jake says.  “This has been nice, but I have school tomorrow, so…”

•  Which is when the commotion breaks out near the door.

“Gatecrasher!”  That’s Bill, brandishing a mason jar as he continues to yell.  “We have a gatecrasher!”

Several people crowd around him to get a better look, someone holding up a glow stick to reveal that, sure enough, the jar in his hands contains a single wolf spider.  Among this crowd, animals that act strange or aren’t native to California don’t go without notice.

«I’m innocent!  And even if I’m not you can’t prove anything,» the spider says.  «Maybe I just wandered by accidentally, and this is all a big misunderstanding.»

“This thing’s for full members only,” Tom says, straight-faced.  “There’s a sign on the door, can’t miss it.”

«Maybe I want to join the Sharing?» the spider suggests.

This gets him several unamused looks.  “Toss him out,” Li says.  “And let’s get back to the keg stands.”

“Nah, let him stay!”  That’s Koko, piping up from the back.  “God knows every person in this bar owes the Animorphs a drink.”

Looking between them, Bill turns back to the jar.  Finally he lifts it up to eye level, starting at the spider’s middle two eyes.  “Repeat after me,” Bill intones.

«Uh-huh.»

“What your mom doesn’t know…”

«What my mom doesn’t know…»

“Will not hurt her.”

«Dude, I wouldn’t narc on you!  What do you take me for?»

“A chip off the old block,” Tom mutters.

“Repeat it,” Bill says severely.

«What my mom doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.»

“Great!”  Bill unscrews the lid of the jar, dumping it out on the ground.  “Welcome to the Sharing.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Melissa says to a slowly-demorphing Marco, “I got the same speech.”

“It really does.”  He presses a hand over his heart.  “Now, someone mentioned buying me a drink?”

•  A small nightclub on the outskirts of the city burns to the ground, shortly after having every piece of its furniture and glassware smashed in a pile in the middle of the floor.  The local police force, over 30% of whom were controllers three months ago, elects to ignore this development.

•  Chapman loathes paperwork to the absolute depths of his soul.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worse than filing paperwork to get permission to file paperwork, and yet here he is.  The state of California cannot possibly need this many copies of Ashley Shawn’s transcript.  This has to be a torment invented by an evil god to punish him for everything he did aboard the Jahar.  There is no other explanation.

So when Ms. Hanna comes skidding into his office and announces “Science wing! There’s a brawl!” his first thought is, oh thank god.

His second thought is to wonder why she came to get him, skipping the security officer and Principal Walsh, but they’re already running by the time that occurs to him.

When they get there the press of screaming-chanting bodies fills the hall from end to end, but kids still find room to crowd out of the way when they see Chapman coming.  The circle of spectators breaks long enough to reveal the melee at the center, and—

Oh hell.  Chapman can tell exactly why Ms. Hanna got him first.

Fiona Aherne has one hand fisted in the collar of Tom Berenson’s shirt, and is punching him repeatedly in the face.  Joe Lassen catches her around the middle and rips her off Tom, tossing her to the floor, only to be caught in a side-tackle by Li Saren.  Beyond them, Hailey Ng and Bill Renaldi are hanging onto Asher Reed, until Asher suddenly rolls forward and body-slams Bill to the floor.

Chapman winces — so much for not using that Krav Maga. He's knocked aside as Jake shoves past him and dives in to the fray.

Principal Walsh is across the battlefield, staring in bafflement.  Shouting ineffectually for everyone to stop.  She doesn’t know, of course, what Tom and Joe and Asher all have in common.  What Bill and Li and Fiona and Hailey do.

Li has Tom by the throat from behind, which is why Jake throws himself onto Li with the gracelessness typical of a high-schooler.  Li head-butts Jake, only to have Jake, snarling, bite him in the face.

“Stop!” Chapman bellows.  “ALL OF YOU!  STOP!”

Jake drops off Li.  Hailey drops Asher.  Slowly the others lower their fists, glaring.

Good to know everyone’s fear of Iniss 226 is still good for something.

“Everyone in the Biology classroom,” Chapman barks, pointing at the door.  “Bill’s lot near the windows, Tom and the others by the door.  Move it!”

Principal Walsh stares at Chapman in confusion, which deepens when everyone obeys him without question.  He beckons first to Ms. Hanna, then to Mr. Tidwell, pointing them into the room as well.  They also take their places without question, Mr. Tidwell supervising the voluntary half of the room as Ms. Hanna covers the involuntaries.

Pausing in the doorway, Chapman turns at last to face Maggie Walsh.  His boss.  Who has the ability to fire him, if she misunderstands the situation.  “It’s about yeerks,” he settles for telling her.

Her look of bafflement doesn’t fade.  “How?”

Chapman opens his mouth. Hunts for words.

“Jake had nothing to do with this.”

Chapman doesn’t have to turn his head to know who spoke from the involuntary side of the room.  What a surprise, a Berenson kid running his mouth.

“Thank you for your input, Thomas.”  He spins around.  “That isn’t your call.”

Tom crosses his arms.  Between the fingernail marks down his cheek and the broken knuckles of his right hand, he looks the very picture of delinquency.

“He’s right,” Joe says, from the voluntary side of the room.  “It’s nothing to do with Jake.”  In Chapman’s peripheral vision, Maggie Walsh blinks several times.  He’ll explain later.  Or try to.

“Fine,” Chapman says.  “Jake, get back to class.”

Jake lifts his chin, blood striping the lower half of his face.  “I chose to get involved,” he says.  “I’ll take my punishment.”

“Oh yeah?” Tom says.  “Then what was the fight about?”

Jake looks from one side of the room to the other.  Both sides have ninth graders, twelfth graders, jocks and nerds, white and Black and brown kids.  Jake’s probably smart enough to identify several ex-controllers, and to guess at the rest, but unable to tell how or why they sorted themselves like they did.  Nonetheless, after a second he opens his mouth.

“That’s what I thought,” Chapman cuts him off.  “Anyway, if I suspend you then Marco and Rachel will have burned down the school within a week.  Fix your nose, then back to class.”

Knowing when he’s beat, Jake leaves.  Chapman makes a note he’ll also have to explain to Maggie how morphing works, and that he didn’t just order a 14-year-old to hand-set a broken nose.

“The involuntaries started it,” Bill announces, the moment Jake is gone.

“Yeah,” Tom snaps, “and the voluntaries are the ones who—”

“Who were lied to, instead of being coerced?” Mr. Tidwell suggests.

Tom shuts his mouth.

“Asher called me a traitor.”  Li points a finger across the room.

“Six months ago Li told me,” Asher says quietly, “that I should really join the Sharing.”

“And so,” Chapman drawls, “you had no choice but to punch each other in the face.  Is that correct?”

Tom mutters something under his breath that Chapman chooses not to catch.  He can’t threaten them, not this crowd.  Most of them have survived worse hells than the Geneva Convention ever dreamed of.  Detention means nothing.

Fine.  Persuasion it’ll have to be.  Fuck his life.  Chapman raises his voice to address the involuntaries.  “They—” He points to the voluntary side of the room.  “Are not the enemy.  The yeerks are the enemy, and the yeerks are dead.  Don’t start doing their work for them, you hear me?”

There’s a long silence.  Asher scuffs the toe of his shoe on the floor.

“Yeah,” Tom says at last.  “We hear you.”

“Everyone get checked at the nurse’s office,” Chapman tells the room at large.  “You’re all suspended for the rest of the week.”

Maggie Walsh takes a seat next to Chapman, even as the kids all file out.  Yeah.  He owes her an explanation.  Taking a deep breath, he tries to sum up what just happened.  Hopefully in a thousand words or less.

Don Tidwell, coward, takes that opportunity to slip out the door.

•  “Does anyone have anything to report?”  Jake looks around Cassie’s barn.  It’s still odd to see Ax and Tobias sitting out of morph and in the open.  There was a brief collective panic when Cassie’s mom poked her head in earlier to ask if they want any lemonade or feeder mice.

“I have,” Marco says grandly, “a date… with Destiny!”

«Oh, you mean Destiny Trembull in tenth grade?»  Tobias immediately undercuts this, because of course.  «She seems nice.»

“And we don’t even have to spend the next three days following her around,” Rachel comments, which gets Marco to lob a horse comb at her head.

«I have accessed one-hundred twenty-three additional channels on my television,» Ax adds.

Cassie and Jake exchange a glance.  “How’s it going, getting a ride home?” Cassie asks.  “Any word on that?”

Ax shrugs — he isn’t even going to fit in on the andalite homeworld anymore when he does finally get there — and looks away.  «I’ve been told that there are more important priorities concerning the Navy.»

«Their gratitude,» Tobias drawls, «is overwhelming.»

•  Chapman explains to Jake’s parents that Jake needs a therapist, and also permission to miss school if he needs to.  Chapman explains the Yeerk Empire and how exactly they recruit humans to Li Saren’s parents for the third, then the fourth, then the fifth time, until they are in tears and begging their son’s forgiveness for doubting him.  Chapman explains to the district that he has no idea how the school ended up with a staircase leading from a supply closet to the alien sinkhole, but that he wants it sealed up posthaste.  Chapman explains himself to Naomi Berenson, and then he does his best to explain Rachel as well.

• "No," Chapman tells the officious-looking little man sitting across his desk. "I don't know of anyone like that. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more help."

The man — he's probably a real detective, he has a badge — leans across the desk to push the photo array a little closer to Chapman. "You're sure? None of these individuals is a..." He glances at his notes. "Voluntary controller."

Chapman looks at the array, which includes images of nearly 100 students. Some of whom weren't controllers at all — that's Tobias Fangor in the upper left corner. Some of whom were lied to by the Sharing, and then lied to by the Yeerk Empire. Some of whom, like Bill Renaldi and his absolutely debilitating major depression, felt they had no choice but to give up their bodies. "Sorry," Chapman says. "None of these individuals appear to be voluntary controllers to the best of my knowledge."

The detective stares at Chapman, waiting for more information. Chapman stares back, waiting for the detective to get bored. He can do this all day, literal hours of silence if that's what it takes. He doubts any mere civilian can say the same.

Sure enough, the detective breaks first. "You see," he says, "we know for a fact that some of these individuals did, in fact, collude with the Yeerk Empire. And we have CCTV footage indicating that you might have been one of those colluders yourself. So anything you can do to help us out..."

Chapman lets the silence go for another minute, long enough for the detective to shift in place. "You're mistaken," he says at last. "About what it means to be a voluntary controller. Or an involuntary one, for that matter. The distinction you're seeking does not exist."

"I'm sorry." The guy has his notepad out now, pen moving. "You're saying... there's functionally no difference between the voluntary hosts and the involuntary ones?"

"Yes," Chapman says, unaware of the hell he's about to unleash. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

•  “Ms. Paloma’s being a butt,” Melissa says, spinning her chair with a toe on the floor.  “I told her that I have a French test the same day as the Bio one, but she just said that means I have to learn to manage my time.”

She just walked into his office.  Without knocking.  Without asking if he’s busy, if he minds, if he’s sure.  Without apologizing for her existence.  She walked in, she sat down uninvited, and now here she is complaining to him like any normal teenager.

“That sounds stressful.”  Chapman is choosing his words with infinite care.  He’s six years old again, holding a butterfly cupped in his palms and knowing that even a millimeter’s clumsiness will crush this precious living jewel.  Thinking this.  This is what I want.  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he says.

She came in unprompted.  She just walked right in.

“I hate French.”  Melissa spins the chair again.  “It’s all those lists of vocab words, and I can’t even say half of them correctly…”

“Do you want me to help you study?” Chapman asks.

Her head pops up with the force of her surprised, pleased smile.  “You’d do that?”

That’s it, then.  He’s never leaving this job.  Paperwork and all.

[mlmxreader]

Won't Do It Alone | Indiana Jones x gn!reader

『••✎••』

requested by anonymous

↳ ❝ Hi! Can I request “I don’t care if it’s unsafe, I’m going with you” with Indiana Jones please ? Just rewatched all the movies and now I gave brain rot, probably gonna send few other asks! :) ❞

: ̗̀➛ You can't let Indiana go alone on his next trip, but it's harder to convince him to actually allow you to go than anything else.

trigger warnings: ̗̀➛ swearing

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

spotlight fundraiser : ̗̀➛ Help Yasmine until she completes her treatment in Egypt

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

Indiana grabbed his hat, and your stomach sank; he could never leave things alone, and you knew that wherever he was going, he would come back with more scars and callouses on his hands.

You frowned as you watched him pick up his coiled whip from the bedside table, and wished that you could say something to make him stay - but it would never be enough; nothing you could say would ever make him change his mind about going, and you knew that all too well.

It was the price you had to pay for being with him and being around him so often.

He stole a glance at you, smiling and raising his brows a little; wearing just a pair of boxers and one of his shirts, it was all too tempting for him to leave it for a few more hours. But he knew that it had to be done, and he straddled your waist as he cleared his throat and licked his lips.

"I won't be gone long," he said it almost as if it was a promise. "You can always kiss me better when I come back."

You signed as you put your hands on his bare chest. "Indy... don't go, please."

He shook his head, planting a kiss to your forehead. "I won't be long. Count on it."

You put one hand at the side of his neck, the other lacing in his hair. "I'm going with you."

Indiana shook his head again, his soft gaze quickly became a stern and cold glare. "No. It's no place for an ecologist."

"It's no place for an archaeologist with a phobia of snakes, either," you pointed out with a soft growl. "Let me come with you."

He couldn't risk it, he wouldn't risk it. Not you. He would risk anything, but not you. "No. It's unsafe."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" You hissed. "I don't care if it's unsafe, I'm going with you. Maybe then someone can convince you pythons aren't dangerous!"

He scoffed, looking you up and down rather shamelessly. "You're not quite dressed for it."

"Then get off of my lap," you told him. "And I will get dressed."

Indiana knew that there was no point in trying to keep arguing, he was running out of time to get ready and you weren't going to budge on your stance either; he got off of your lap, and didn't say a single word as he got dressed and packed his things for the trip.

He made sure to pack two of everything, considering that you were going with him and had no idea what you were getting yourself into; he supposed it was his own fault. He hated snakes, you loved them.

That fucking beast in the tank in the corner was evidence enough of that; its scales of brown and black and yellow made him feel sick, and that black flickering tongue with its brown eyes and mean expression made him want to run for a mile and keep going until he was certain he would never see it again.

He scowled when he caught its angular and stern gaze. Almost like it was telling him that if he allowed harm to come to its keeper, it would rip his throat out.

You came up behind him, and he flinched, thinking the beast had gotten him, until he realised and sighed.

"It's gonna be dangerous, and I mean it," he huffed. "Tell me you understand that."

"I do," you hummed, resting your chin on his shoulder. "I know what might be there, but I don't want you to do it alone."

Indiana sighed as he tapped your hands, letting them rest on the waistband of his belt as he swallowed thickly. "You might get hurt. I can't have that."

"Then trust me," you whispered. "Please. I've been your partner for so long... do you really think I'm not able to be trusted?"

He turned around, cupping your face in his hands and forcing you to look into those beautiful brown eyes; his gaze was warm, but stern as he focused your attention. "I do trust you. You know I do."

You out your hands on his, smiling as you licked your lips. "Then let me go with you. Trust me, I can handle it..."

He caved, and quickly stole one kiss.

Then another.

Then he was leading you back to the bed until you laid down and tugged him closer; he smiled, one arm above your head and the other beside your face as he kissed you deeply. You grabbed his hair, tugging it to beg for more; he chuckled under his breath when he heard you whimper after he pulled away. He licked his lips to savour yours, and cleared his throat.

"Not one comment about snakes," he warned. "And you're not bringing any back. You already have that... thing."

"What, Ace?" You laughed softly. "He's harmless!"

"He looks like he wants to eat me," Indiana grumbled. "I hate snakes."

You laughed again, pulling him in for another kiss. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now," he murmured, kissing you again. "Do you even know where we're going?"

"I don't really care," you whispered. "As long as I'm with you and I can keep you safe."

He wanted to sigh and to grumble about not needing it, and about how he knew that he would be trying to protect you the entire time, but the look in your eyes made him forget all about it as he hummed quietly.

"Madagascar."

You grinned, tilting your head to the side and tugging at his hair with excitement. "Madagascar? We might actually get the chance to see some hissing cockroaches up close! You know their behaviour is-"

"You're not bringing any home."

You huffed as you shrugged. "I tried."

Indiana nodded with a knowing smile. "You tried, baby, you tried."

You traced a hand down his chest, doing your best to at least seem convincing. "Are you sure?"

"Very."

"But Indy-"

"No roaches," he deadpanned. "Come on, we gotta hurry up."

[artbybai]

Can you tell us more about Kohi? -nudges you- What drives her? whats her backstory?

Does she work for the Frieza force? Or was she on Planet Vegeta? Is she a fighter or more a behind the scenes worker kinda gal? Her strengths and weaknesses? Her guilty pleasures and her petpeeves?

Is she one of many DB OC of yours, or more a main one?

:D ........................... :DDDDD

✨Screeches excitedly✨

Kohi Slaad

The Feisty Frieza Force Foot Soldier

Kohi Slaad, daughter of single parent Frui Slaad (pun on Fruit Salad & Coffee lol)

Kohi once worked as a botanist/ecologist on Planet Vegeta, having grown up on her family farm in the agricultural division of the Outer Colonies—the furthest from the central Saiyan city. That is, until her job was basically reduced to that of ensuring crops weren’t poisoned before being shipped off to the central city.

Afterwards, as she and her mother desperately needed more income to keep their farm afloat during hard times (and King Vegeta’s focusing of most efforts towards supporting the Frieza Force at the time, Kohi chose to reenlist as a foot soldier on the Force.

It’s there that she was eventually assigned to work under Raditz’s command/supervision/their partnership began.

Now that I have the basics of her backstory down, here’s a few more answers on who she is as a character!

🌟 First and foremost… Yeah, Baiya & Kohi are my main DB OCs (self-inserts that evolved into their own characters, but I still enjoy living vicariously through them shhh lol). There’s other OCs that I wanna bring a spotlight to, which mostly relate to Baiya’s stories I have in mind, but there’s a handful that’re important to Kohi as well (Anaba, other trainees/Privates and Cadets she worked with in the Saiyan Army Academy/Frieza Force etc.)

Kohi would answer that she’s “Happy to be wherever she’s needed”, but oftentimes prefers to work in the background. She hesitates leaping into battle, partly because she’s a little lean compared to most Saiyans, but mostly because she worries she’d become a hindrance to her fellow warriors. When she’s not doing odd jobs around the starship, she’s acting as support & providing aerial backup as a fighter pilot

Kohi’s family, the Slaads, have a tense history with the Vegeta bloodline. As such, she’s icy towards Vegeta, at best—much preferring Raditz’s company in comparison. Although Kohi’s had no part in the events of the past, she feels the crown was in the wrong for the way they once treated their subjects. She feels the Outer Colonies like her own are still suffering the effects, which explains her attitude towards the Prince. Kohi and Nappa have a fairly amicable acquaintanceship, though.

I’ve noticed this is a rather basic/common trait others have given their feminine Saiyan OCs, so I feel kinda bad abt it lol, but I imagined Kohi would have a sweet tooth, and collect rare/gourmet candies from each planet she visits. She finds it’s a great way to win a little favor with her crew mates, and this tactic can even sway Vegeta, to a degree. (She’ll give him a chocolate if he demands it, to get him off her back)

Aside from candies, and given her background as a former ecologist, I think Kohi would keep a collection of small plants from planets she’s visited. I doubt the barracks of a Frieza Force starship are particularly spacious (unless you’re a higher ranking member like Prince Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, or medical staff,) but she’s probably keep a little greenery around to brighten up the confined space she calls home!

Kohi’s sharp tongue can sometimes get her in trouble, as her banter with Raditz and other Privates/younger members of the Frieza Force can get a bit… Out of hand, when it comes to poking fun at their commanding officers. She’s likely to let her temper get away from her, too, if an authority figure demands something ridiculous of her (such as menial tasks like polishing boots, or scrubbing floors again to do it “the right way”)

Along with her rebellious streak, Kohi enjoys finding loopholes in commands given to her that involve more violent measures, such as planetary raids for rare resources. She’ll instead attempt subterfuge to obtain her given objective, if possible, playing up her weakness to hide her cunning.

When Kohi’s off-duty, however, she��s much more laid back, even a little sloppy, preferring loose clothes over her tighter armor and shorts. This has thrown Raditz for a loop more than once, LOL

Kohi will also, occasionally, visit the observation lounge after her shifts (if a starship she’s on contains one) to unwind. She’ll enjoy stargazing, and reminiscing about doing so with her mother back on Planet Vegeta as a child, sipping on a cool drink until she decides to turn in for the night cycle.

Sadly, it’s hard not to be homesick. Kohi sends letters back to her mother after each payment she receives from her services in the Force, including a bit of her funds to help support their farm on Planet Vegeta.

In a separate AU, where Kohi joins the Crusher Corps and serves under Turles instead (yes I ship them too 👉👈) I like to imagine they’d bond over said homesickness. She’d probably be one of the few women aboard his ship/as part of his crew, so she’d probably stand out to him bc of that.

I hope this answers your questions!!! I still have to flesh out Kohi quite a bit, I know, but she’s honestly just a fun character concept to explore random story ideas with :3 Maybe next time I’ll write up a bit more info on Baiya, too! Or another random OC (like Colla, Leed, my Namekian OC Timpani, some other various Saiyans I’ve come up with for the other Privates Kohi’s worked with, and a few Crusher Corps Saiyans to someday :D )

Thanks for the ask!!! THIS WAS SO FUN TO ANSWER AND INFO DUMP ASDFGHJKL ✨

[cottageimp]

what do you think would happen if clover met the spot when he was still johnathan ohnn? like maybe clover *didnt* throw a bagel at him and johnathan starts to like him?

I've thought about it before! Both a version where Clover is spiderman and a version with a non-spiderman Clover.

I need to think more on the Cloverspider version but I'll tell you a bit about the other. It'd be funny if this was T2397 Clover... Thoughts thoughts! Actually, I'll roll with that.

C2 is an ecologist, an entirely different field of science. But I can imagine that their paths would cross when C2 finds a weird substance out on his conservation site walks. A substance that he can't explain. As he researches it more, he realizes that his knowledge does NOT cover it and he would go to Alchemax to seek help. It probably has to do with some anomaly substance or something.

He would work with Jonathan to figure it out and they would start having casual conversation more and more. C2 is more of a grumpy, quiet individual so this is really surprising but Jonathan doesn't know that yet. He probably learns it over time as he watches how C2 responds to others vs how he responds to him. I feel like he'd ask Dr. Octavius for help on how to approach C2 about a date and she would help him with ideas and boost his courage to do so. She's probably observed them and can tell there's chemistry.

Olivia: "And there's chemistry~!" Jonathan: "Ah-" Olivia: "And I'm not making a science joke. Please. That's getting so old."

C2 really likes Jonathan's dorky behavior and they click together well. I feel like they have a silly way of greeting each other.

C2: "No way, is that the man who invented gravity?" Jonathan: "Hey! It's the guy who invented grass!"

[othernaut]

The dungeon ecologist druid would be insufferable in the sewer level. You're just trying to concentrate on breathing through your mouth and keeping your spell components unbefouled, and all the while...

"You know, it's a common misconception that otyughs are inherently hostile. They're territorial, but they'll back down once they sense that their nest isn't threatened. It takes a lot of energy for an otyugh to move around, actually. They prefer picking a spot with plentiful sewage flow and would ideally remain inanimate their entire lives."

"It's weird that we've been seeing so many vargouilles down here. They're infernal creatures, yeah, but they're opportunistic parasitoids and they don't survive well outside of the hellish ecology. Without a constant source of humanoid bodies to kiss, a colony typically dies out within a few weeks. Wonder if the Thieves' Guild has been dumping corpses down here again."

"Oh, hey, don't let your crawling hand familiar back on your shoulder just yet. He's caught rot grubs, I'd say about ten minutes back. Fascinating creatures, really. They're harmless to the undead, but once they sense body heat, they instinctually burrow towards a heartbeat. Just get him to stand still for a minute while I heat up this dagger. You know that most reports of zombification passing through bites are actually mislabeled rot grub infestations?"

"Oh, haha, yeah, don't mind the dire rats, just keep moving. We're in their house right now, they just want to know that we're not moving in. Did you know that there averages seven rats for every person in any given city? Just think: Ten feet under any street it's just solid rats. It's a credit to the Sanitation Guild that they don't come up the privy more often, really."

"A cave fisher! That's a rare one for this environment. They're Underdark creatures - they usually don't like environments with as much noise and flowing water as this. This little guy must be so confused, either that or most of the way to deaf. Try not to snap the filament when you wriggle free. Poor little guy is probably hunting by sense of touch alone."

"You know, you'd be surprised how much cultists contribute to the local ecology. Having a reliable source of heat and light, like devotional candles, can provide crucial energy to the lower level flora which are the backbone of the entire ecosystem. It's easy to think of the cultist as an invasive species, but they're part of the nutrient exchange between the sewer and the surface world. Oh, don't worry about killing them, a den is rarely left uninhabited for long. Look, you can still see the old hate-sigils of the Ravening Darkness! The cycle of nature is a beautiful thing."

"Ooh, that's a carrion crawler! Hold still, I... Ah, guess you don't have much of a choice in the matter. But look on her underside. She's carrying eggs! And quite a large crop of them, at that. These guys are scavengers, actually, they rarely actively hunt, but once those eggs hatch they're going to consume her for nutrients, so she's under a real evolutionary pressure to bulk up as much as she can right now. Once you regain use of your arms, try to aim away from the thorax. The eggs will do just fine if she's already dead a little."

[breadboylovin]

8, 15, and 38 for the ask game :]

8: Want any tattoos?

tattoos are another thing that idk if ill ever get... the fact that theyre permanent scares me >___< but if i did get one itd be a tramp stamp of the ouroboros. i just like snakes and the ouroboros is sooooo me. after my tropical marine bio class in belize my classmates were also talking about getting matching tattoos of our favorite animals we saw and i wouldnt mind having a stoplight parrotfish tattoo (my pic of one below <3)

15: Favorite movie

idk if i have a definitive Favorite so ill just show my top 4 on letterboxd

spirited away is one of the two ghibli movies that my anime sword biker uncle pirated for my sister and i so i love it dearly. anyone who followed me two years ago knows how i feel about the lost boys. the lion king has some of the most incredible color palettes ive seen in an animated movie and the songs are just fantastic. baby driver has incredible action and it makes me mad that the two main actors are fucking creeps (but i always pirate it to watch it so theyre not getting any of my money LOL)

38: My childhood career choice

i honestly dont remember what i wanted to be as a little little kid... probably a paleontologist since my sister and i loved reading this one dinosaur atlas we had. once i started drawing seriously (so when i was like 11) i wanted to have my own cartoon and go to art school... but in junior year i realized that doing art as my job would probably burn me out HARD. i like keeping it as a hobby so i can have it as solace when life throws curveballs at me (i think the only reason i survived senior year of high school was through drawing super self-indulfent stuff to keep myself sane)

my CURRENT career choice is wildlife ecology at either a national park or some sort of reserve, or even someplace thats not bio focused (for example the kennedy space center has a wildlife ecologist who actually gave a lecture at my college! she basically tracks the birds that nest there and makes sure that they arent impacted by rocket launches and such). ideally ill get working somewhere that has shit internet and a lot of stuff to do so i can stop being on my computer all day LOL

(from this ask meme)

[l33tg4m3r]

Tagged by @sexyprise i dunno how to have your answers posted above mine and i’m not aboutta figure it out lolol

15 Questions

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nah, my name was chosen to be the pronounceable by both italians and iranians. My brother is named after one of my mom’s cousin’s though.

2. When is the last time you cried?

Like three weeks ago before bed? I got leaky eyed, the emotions were just hitting that night and i was a wee bit drunk. i dont really sob or cry.

3. Do you have kids?

Imagine.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

This is a funny question.

5. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Speaking mannerisms, shoes, eyes, how they hold themselves, boobs.

6. What is your eye color?

I think I have brown eyes but my ex was adamant that they’re hazel.

7. Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

Trying to get more into scary movies, but wow do i hate seeing people get evicerated.

8. Any special talents?

I am very good at bringing plants back from the brink of death. I also think my sense of direction/wayfinding is pretty solid.

9. Where were you born?

Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy? I was born in the South.

10. What are your hobbies?

Gardening, baking, taking strolls, backgammon, watching twitch, going out to dance/dj sets

11. Do you have any pets?

Little meowser back home with my dad. I want to bring her up here though. She’s 11 now.

12. What Sports do you play/have you played?

Grew up playing soccer, and can you believe it, baseball. I am absolute shit at baseball, honestly I’m surprised I kept playing for like...4 years?? I’m not great at soccer either, but I think I was more of a net benefit to the team. Casually play tennis, mainly just summers and springs practicing against a backboard. Took volleyball in college for my sports credit and love it. Played during the Summer before new york, but it’s hard to get a group of friends together to play. Don’t feel good enough to join an intramural team

13. How Tall are you?

[5 10] 15 20 25 30

14. Favourite subject in school?

the sciences. photography class was probably the most engaging class I had during high school though.

15. Dream Job?

Director or curator of some type of special collections org or department. Something with book arts or printmaking would be cool. Or, a field ecologist, with surveys in the Mediterranean or South America.

[entropygrapple]

i think often of what i have left behind

and what is ahead

it is late, nearly 3 AM and in a bout of sleep paralysis, after my meds wear off, i see dead people standing around my room, their speech is indistinct - and i am there, between the living and the dead.

maybe, you might say, i have or am having a psychotic break. & maybe that has been true for years now, but i believe it, or believe myself; that i see the dead, like the living, just alongside us. not yet left, holding on to spend a little more time close to life.

i've never seen magnus, y'know. after he died i got the sense that he went straight on, to the next big adventure, the afterlife or nothingness or re-incarnation. whatever.

magnus was kind. i miss him so much. he would hold me as i wept and tell me that even though he didn't love me, things would be okay. & that kind of was okay, i could handle that, in a weird way

i am not well. i dont think i'll ever be well. in fact, i probably wont live long at all. death has her claws in me, has her hand round my throat and in my heart and she was burned deep deep into my stars from the moment i was born. i saw her when i was 5 and never forgot, her glass-pane-thin body all shadows behind the sofa before i went to nursery.

i think of all that is ahead. croatia, slovenia, tarik & finally seeing mirna play in tashkent. going back to uni, learning botany & getting a nice job as an ecologist, grinding myself to peices against the slow gears of the medical system.

i think of my heart stapled back together, of trying to find someone i can make it work with, of moving on from re-reading morri's messages every night like a worthless sick dog.

i think of a future where i crawl back into the dead skin of normalcy, sanity, like a snake molting in reverse.

it doesn't appeal to me at all.

[impishglee]

oh are we doing trc/tdt canon major hate? is that what’s up? anyway. why the fuck is blue not a conservation biologist and/or an ecologist. what the fuck is sociology. blue is doing biodiversity rapid inventories in the cloud forests as we speak

[myheartismadeofstars]

My fiance just finished Omori (good ending) and I'm now obsessed with an AU where Mari survived...but most of canon still happened. Mari is knocked unconscious by the fall and Sunny and Basil think she's dead. Their cover up almost actually killed Mari, and paralyzed her. (she was found a lot sooner so she wouldn't strangle). Mari doesn't remember anything between getting ready for the recital and waking up in the hospital.

Sunny and Basil feel just as guilty as in canon, because they almost killed a LIVING Mari, and probably made her injuries much worse. Sunny still is a hikikomori, this time hiding from even Mari.

Mari thinks she was more subconsciously stressed than she realized which caused her loss of time. She thinks SHE is the cause of Sunny's state. After being transferred to a specialist physical therapist in the City, she spent a lot of time away from home, and then going off to college she didn’t spend a lot of time at home after the accident (which I think is fair, considering their current house isn’t exactly wheelchair accessible, this is actually why Mom has finally decided to move, to find a place more accessible so Mari can visit more. It was a hard choice to make for her, originally she stayed because she hoped Sunny would open up for his friends, but she sorta lost hope after a while. It’s just taken her a while to find the right place)

Aubrey is still troubled. She still feels abandoned, but it has less to do with Mari and more to do with the break down of her friendships: shut in, nervous wreck, far too busy for her...and her home life

Other than her now somewhat strained relationship with Sunny, Mari is doing pretty well! Engaged on her 18th birthday to Hero, they maintain a good relationship despite attending different colleges (Mari wants to be an Ecologist). They both are very excited to see each other again during summer vacation. Though Hero worries a lot about her (the idea of Mari seeming totally fine, and then trying to hang herself later that evening haunts him, this and the stuff that eventually goes down with Sunny and Basil help him choose Pediatric Psychiatry as his field of study, specializing in anxiety and mood disorders) he loves her and wants to be with her.

Obviously Mari would need to be told the truth as well. Sunny feels he ruined his sister’s life. He makes a much bigger deal of things like Mari being in physical therapy and being in a wheelchair, Mari’s early frustration with her disability, and pain.  And overlooks things like Mari and Hero are still dating, Mari is still going to college (even if she now needs to take accessibility into account) Mari has friends, Mari is doing okay. 

[londonhalcyon]

11, 32, and 40 😌

Awesome! These are fun ones!

11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

Oh, this is tricky, because I used to be an extremely avid reader that would fly through books each week. I think the top would have to be, in no particular order:

Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle

Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls, Raven Cycle, and Scorpio Races

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus

Kathy Reichs’ Virals (especially Seizure)

Erin Hunter’s Warriors

Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events

James Patterson’s Maximum Ride

Kelley Armstrong’s Age of Legends

And a good chunk of the Star Wars EU (which I think is called Legends now?)

I think Paolini and Stiefvater might have had the most influence since I adore their use of imagery. Anytime I veer towards horror, though, you can probably thank Armstrong. I’m also trying very hard not to let Tamsyn Muir’s writing style (which I love) dominate my own while I’m rereading the first two Locked Tomb books.

As much as I hate to admit it (but I have to, considering the fandom The Mad Witch belongs to), Harry Potter has had a huge impact on my writing. J.K. Rowling is a TERF and a horribly problematic, disappointing, and harmful person, but I reread those books so many times growing up that the characters and world have stuck with me years later.

32. Most difficult character to write

Dumbledore. Without a doubt. His dialogue is infuriatingly difficult to get even close to right. McGonagall is a close second and Linnet third for the same reason.

40. Share some backstory for one of your characters

It’s hard to pick just one, so let’s do four: the Mad Witch trio and my Fallout OC Ros.

Sam: Orion Amari is like Sam’s weird, fun uncle that will randomly show up out of the blue every so often. He took over coaching her in Quidditch after her dad died.

Mason: Mason is a middle child. He has two sisters, one older and one younger, both Muggles. They fight all the time, but they have each other’s backs.

Robin: Robin’s house is in Hastings. I think. I can’t find my notes.

Ros: I’ve mentioned before that Ros is an ecologist, which is true, but she only does research in her spare time. Occasionally, she’ll take a job as a farmhand or a caravan guard, but most of the time, she works as a pole dancer. She finds it a lot more fun than getting shot at.

Thanks for the ask!

Answers are for this ask game. 13, 24, 29, 38, 43, and 48 are also in progress.

[rheawritessometimes]

In Bloom

{ Xiao x GN!Gardener!Reader }

{ Summary } Looking for flowers is more dangerous than it seems.

{ Warnings } Violence, Injury, Mention of Death, Not Even Proofread.

{ Notes } Reader runs on dumb luck and also is kind of like an ecologist or something. Reader is a bit of an airhead. This is probably the most serious fic I've written, with no jokes or additions stricken out. But yeah I just typed this out and didn't even read it over, so if it's bad... Just know this is just a little something while I work on longer garbage. Masterlist

{ Word Count } 2,112

Appealing to the Vigilant Yaksha was an easy, one could even say effortless, thing for you. You hadn't taken the almond tofu route as others before you had, instead, you left him some Qingxin flowers. These flowers did not come from the peaks of Huaguong Stone Forest nor the Mingyun Village, rather they were among the finest specimens you had grown in your garden. The translucent white petals were soft like velvet and entirely free from blemish.

Your small gift to the adeptus wasn't exactly intentional. In truth, you had left the flowers on the balcony of Wangshu Inn entirely by accident and when you returned to retrieve them they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a pale man with dark hair leaning over the balcony. When you halted your approach, he turned his head towards you, indicating he had heard your footsteps.

Striking golden eyes seemed to gaze straight through you, sending a chill down your spine. His expression was entirely neutral, you couldn't get even a hint as to what he was thinking. Nothing about his outward appearance screamed danger, but the ominous aura you sensed made you take a step back.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to disturb you," you squeaked out, sounding a lot less confident than you had intended. You take a step backward, but couldn't bring yourself to tear your eyes from him.

"Don't apologize. You're welcome to stay," he replied after a few beats of silence, his tone sounding strained for a reason you couldn't discern.

"Um, okay, thank you," you replied politely, feeling it would be too awkward to leave now. It felt to you as though you were now trapped here for a little while out of social obligation. You stepped out towards the railing, deciding to at least enjoy the view if you had to stay.

The man didn't look at you, but you couldn't help but take in his appearance. He was objectively good-looking with bright amber eyes, dark hair with teal highlights, and his stoic expression. His clothing wasn't outlandish, but it's not the type you would commonly see on the streets of Liyue.

It took a while for the dark mask resting against the man's hip to catch your attention, but once it did you felt like a fool. It was not common knowledge, however, the fact an adeptus resided at the Wangshu Inn was not exactly a secret. One which you were privy to. The mask was the most obvious indication of his status as an adeptus. Not just any adeptus, not that any of them were anything to look down upon, but one of the Yakshas. The last of the five Yakshas.

"Alatus," the name escapes your lips as a whisper before you can think to stop it. Immediately your eyes widen, but before you could issue an apology the man just sighs softly. It doesn't sound particularly angered, but rather weary.

"Xiao. My name is Xiao," he says without turning to look at you. That's all he says before vanishing in a cloud of black mist and falling feathers of anemo energy. The mist and feathers are both quick to dissipate, leaving you standing with your mouth hanging open.

After that encounter, it had become a regular occurrence, at least once weekly, for you to pick one of the finest flowers from your garden and bring it to Wangshu Inn to leave on the balcony, or give directly to Xiao should he show himself. Most often you brought him a Qingxin, but occasionally you would substitute other flowers as not to end up plucking every Qingxin you had grown. You never picked the very best flower, either. Even for an adeptus you couldn't bring yourself to pick the best examples, rather letting them grow in peace for your prolonged enjoyment.

It wasn't until the third time you had come to the inn with a flower for Xiao that he was waiting for you on the balcony. Seeing the yaksha there made you pause, heart skipping a beat in surprise. He turned from his place looking out across the landscape to see you, certainly not as surprised to see you as you were him.

The way he looked expectantly at the flower in your hand has you realizing you had been standing there frozen. You moved, extending the flower out to him in offering. He took it delicately from your hand, looking it over for a moment.

"Thank you," he said softly, so quiet you almost didn't hear it at all. You could only nod stiffly in response. He scoffed at you before turning around again to lean against the balcony railing.

Just as it had the first time you met the yaksha, it felt wrong to just leave. So, you decided to survey the landscape of Liyue with him in silence. After the first few minutes, the atmosphere became rather comfortable between the two of you. Still, by the time he disappeared in a cloud of black mist and anemo feathers, neither of you had spoken a word.

This morning you were out early in the morning to explore the wilds of Liyue. You were no adventurer, though. Your purpose was to analyze the populations of certain flora and fauna. These were trips you made often to various parts of Liyue, wishing to preserve the life of endangered species, and always alone. Bringing people along to the locations of such rare organisms, be it plant or animal, was a dangerous thing. In many instances, rare means valuable and there are those who would do anything for some Mora.

Today you found yourself in Dihua Marsh to check up on the Glaze Lily population. Based on your counts, the number hadn't fluctuated greatly since your last visit, there were even a few new blooms. This brought you great relief, Glaze Lilies seemed to be somewhat of a symbol of Liyue and it would sadden you to see their wild population disappear, even if they remained in Qingce Village and at the Yujing Terrace. It wouldn't be the same.

Once you had sung a few songs to the flowers, not worried about anyone hearing you in this rather secluded area, you made your way back to one of the main roads. The long walks back to the harbor always ended up with you lost deep in thought, which wasn't always a good thing. Lost deep in your own mind, you didn't notice the slow advance of a small group of Treasure Hoarders until it was too late.

There was no time to run away as they surrounded you, it was unlikely you could have outrun them anyways. Fortunately, it didn't take very long for the Treasure Hoarders to discover you had absolutely nothing of value on you, and while they may be thieves it wasn't often a Treasure Hoarder was a murderer. Of course, they had roughed you up a bit before ultimately leaving you alone. There was a nasty scrape on your cheek and you were sure you would be bruised in the morning, but you weren't seriously injured.

By the next day, your muscles ached and bruises had appeared in various places on your body, but the scrapes had stopped bleeding and it was nothing that would stop you from bringing your usual offering to Xiao. You spent some time perusing your garden, looking for the perfect gift. You settled on a Silk Flower, there was some worry in your mind that Xiao would dislike it because they did grow right outside of the Wangshu Inn, but you hope the exceptional fragrance and color of this specimen would gain his appreciation.

Mindful not to fiddle with the flower as to preserve its pristine state, you worried the whole walk to the inn. Even if the adeptus wasn't present, if he rejected the offering you felt you would know. Maybe you would find the flower sitting where you left it on your next visit, or maybe Verr Goldet would tell you about the silk flower she found laying on the balcony. Your heart clenched at the thought and you couldn't help but wonder when you had started seeking the yaksha's approval.

You hadn't even realized you arrived at the inn until you were stepping off the elevator, lost in thought again. Shaking your head, you thought it would be good if you started paying more attention. Getting ambushed by again was the last thing you wanted, the next time it could be worse than petty thieves.

Pushing the negative thoughts from your mind, you climbed the stairs to the balcony you so often visited. Your muscles ached in quiet protest, but the pain was mild. Peeking over the stairs, you spotted Xiao.

For the first time, he was already facing you, leaning with his back against the railing. You wondered if he had spotted you on your way to the Inn, offering him a polite smile as a silent greeting. You extended the Silk Flower to him once you stepped out onto the balcony.

"What happened to you?" Xiao asked immediately, tone stern. He took the flower from you without even sparing a glance down at it. Did he not like Silk Flowers?

"Oh, um, I just bumped into some Treasure Hoarders yesterday. Nothing serious," you answered after finally processing his question, bringing your hand up to the scrape on your cheek without thinking. His frown deepened with your response and the adeptus crossed his arms over your chest.

"You were hurt," he pointed out bluntly. You felt small under his hard stare.

"Oh, it's nothing, um, serious," you assured him with a nervous laugh. He only furrowed his brows at your response.

"If ever again you find yourself in any danger, call my name. Adeptus Xiao. I will be there when you call."

At his words, your cheeks heated up. Was this some sort of special treatment, or did he offer this to anyone? It felt wrong to receive such kindness from an adeptus if it was only for you.

"Promise," he pressed when you didn't answer.

"Okay, I will. If I'm ever in danger, I'll call you," you agreed meekly, feeling a great weight put upon you under his amber gaze. He huffed before disappearing in his usual manner, and it was impossible for you to tell if he was upset with you.

The next time you visited the inn, Xiao hadn't appeared. This wasn't unusual, but the worry that you had displeased him seeped into your bones. You tried to ignore this feeling, going out often to check on wildlife populations and spending extra time tending to your garden. Keeping busy was the best way to take your mind off your worries and stay productive.

A week after your meeting with the Vigilant Yaksha, you were back at Dihua Marsh checking on the Glaze Lilies. You were sitting in the middle of the lilies, singing softly to the patch of flowers when the sound of shouting reached your ears. Looking up, you noticed two hilichurls accompanied by a mitachurl with a stone shield who was charging your way.

There would be no time for you to get up and out of the way, so you closed your eyes and braced for the impact. You could only pray it wouldn't kill you, but even if it didn't you would probably be unable to escape death by the hilichurls soon after.

The impact never came, instead, a gust of wind blew past you and you wondered if the mitachurl had somehow run past you. When you opened your eyes, you saw Glaze Lily petals swirl into the air, dancing around the familiar figure of the Vigilant Yaksha. The mitachurl was already crumbling to dust, returning to the Abyss with it's hilichurl companions.

Xiao turned to face you, mask dematerializing from his face and reappearing at his hip. When he extended his hand down to help you get up, you furrowed your brows wondering why he had been here. Was it incredible luck, or had he perhaps been following you?

Taking his hand, you let him pull you up onto shaky legs. He didn't let go, looking a little worried you'd fall. You finally looked up to his face, scanning golden eyes.

"Why are you here?" you finally asked, throat feeling a bit scratchy.

"I told you I would be there when you called."

His words only confused you further until it dawned on you, the scratchy feeling in your throat was awfully similar to that which came with yelling. Had you truly called his name without even thinking, without even realizing?

"Thank you, Xiao."

[bigfan-fanfic]

The version of Harley I go with is just her becoming her own villain with Ivy and Catwoman by her side (like she’s still an evil villain but now she’s broken up with the joker) like I know she’s an evil villain but she’s still an fun character and I tend to enjoy the direction a most of comics take with Harley. She’s an evil villain but she’s also a helpless romantic who has close friends but won’t hesitate to kill her favorite henchman etc

Like there's the possibility for all these things to coexist, but people tend to go one or the other - suddenly Harley's a hero or working with the Justice League, when for one thing, she's one of the worst kinds of villains because she does horrible stuff for kicks. Like, that's the reason the Joker is the scariest of Batman's villains. Scarecrow has issues from his dad compounded by use of unauthorized medicines in his experiments. Mr. Freeze is working to save his terminally ill wife. Poison Ivy had her brain chemistry altered but started out as a ecologist that wanted to save the world from pollution. Catwoman is not a good person, but she at least has a motive someone can understand - simple greed. The Joker and Harley have no motive other than their own twisted sense of fun they get from hurting others.

I'm not saying that Harley can't be redeemed, but I am saying that she is not at all a good guy. She doesn't have any remorse for her actions, would probably do them all again but maybe minus getting with the Joker.

I have my own personal biases against Catwoman, but even for her it makes sense that she'd be part of that Gotham City Sirens group that is sort of in that anti-hero former villains group because most of her crimes are either victimless or not really hurting anyone. Even at her most self-serving, she's never really on the same scale as other villains. At her most anti-heroic, she's actively trying to help herself and the poor of Gotham. With Poison Ivy, as time goes on with her characterization and she becomes less extreme and leans more into the biologist/ecologist/environmentalist side, it starts to make sense for her, too. She has evolved from "killing all fauna to give flora dominance over the world" to "reconsidering the value of human and animal life to the environment" and has indeed saved lives. Personally, I think Poison Ivy would be a much better candidate for the hero treatment than Harley Quinn ever could be.

And also, btw. Poison Ivy and Catwoman together could be something really special. Selina gets to be with someone that's not trying to change her like Bruce always does, and Pamela gets to be with someone that could really work with her and together the two women can really become at the very least, anti-heroes with each other.

(Also Harley is a fun character, I definitely agree, she's just not at all a hero or even trying to make up for what she's done. Like do you think Jason Todd died and came back to life just for Batman to end up working with the woman who helped torture and kill him?)

[twelvemonkeyswere]

so I rewatched Dune (with subs this time) and I still don't understand the hype. My impressions are of course my own, but I think the main issue why it doesn't work for me is that it doesn't explore its main themes in an interesting way and, mostly, that it's a lot of telling, not showing.

It does have some good visuals, but a limited color palette that ends up being a detriment to the story (the desert lacks color! their people lack color!). Timothee has a very short range of acting so he just mumbles most of the time while looking bored or confused, which might be in character, but makes it very difficult to believe anyone would like him enough to support him without already knowing him. Paul as the protagonist isn't particularly interesting for me, either, because I don't really know what he cares about except his friend Jason Momoa, whose work as a strategist and commander we barely see, in favor of listening to stories about what he does. We don't learn how the superpowers aka the Voice works, either, for some goddamn reason. We only see Paul failing at it once and then succeeding at it the next time he tries it, more than an hour into the film. And then it never gets used again, not even by his mom, who *can* use it properly and there's no apparent reason as to why she wouldn't.

I also disliked some of the framing of the Fremen. I didn't understand why the Fremen who welcome him and his mom did so happily *after* he killed one of their own, because apparently just by fulfilling the Amtal no one has a problem to let them join? Even though they were super ready to kill them five minutes before? One thing is to accept your leader's word, imo, and fulfill your word. But another to be happy about it. Zendaya even gives Paul her grandmother's knife for some reason, despite him being the colonizer. She says it's so he dies with honor, but why would she give him that chance? Minutes before she had already told him that she wouldn't have let him hurt her friends. Was he going to die with honor then? Maybe she admires that he is defending his mother, but we don't know. And I know they are probably trying to say the Fremen are kinder and more understanding or compassionate than the colonizer will ever be, but it's such a narrowed perception of how to *show* that. Because if Joe Biden's son ever came into my house I wouldn't give him my grandfather's tools, fuck that shit.

We haven't even seen a worm properly! I guess it's so we see more of them later but it's annoying we don't even get descriptions of them by the ecologist T.T We don't get to see how she actually cares about the native ecology either until for like, 2 lines, because they mostly use her to infodump about extracting spice to the other characters. And we get but a glimpse of her work with the succulents! She doesn't even get to talk about her plants, we just see Jason Momoa seeing them. And the only full worm we do see is in the *dark* because, idk, maybe they were hard to animate? Didn't even contrast it with Timothee's clothes for like, size comparison, because his mom is wearing the white robe.

We are told the main character has been bred to have protagonist syndrome and everything comes easy to him, but we don't *see* him pick up things faster, we don't see him doing anything, instead we get people *saying* he does and we ought to believe them.

For me all these things mean to me that the movie relies heavily on telling, and not enough on showing. I understand the basic premise is that House Atriedes is wrong, the empire is wrong. They do that in the most obvious ways. They *tell* you it is, at the very beginning, with the Zendaya voice over. Then you hear all the shady things they are doing in Dune, which obviously means they are bad. We see the politicians talking *about* the Fremen in a way and speaking *to* them in another, which is all very good, but we never go beyond that. We get *some* of the signs the Fremen look for in their messiah, but we don't know what they are soon enough for them to have weight when the audience sees them. We don't see wall paintings, sacred images, or people talking about the prophecy. Maybe it's on purpose, because of the POV being Paul. But for me the overall effect is that the story doesn't care about them, instead of only the colonizers not caring about them.

And, my biggest problem of all, is that we don't see the direct consequences of the colonizers' presence in Dune. We see the machines, we see the army. But we don't see the effects of the spice extraction, for example. We get *told* the Fremen mostly have to live outside the city walls, but we don't see guards enforcing imperial law inside the city either, or people having to purchase food only through them because their lands have been ravaged. We don't even see the workers who help around for the extraction, but we hear them say they won't abandon ship during an emergency just so Lord Daddy looks good when he says he will save them. We see the empire's lies they tell Javier Bardem, which is okay, but why would he believe the new lord? Without anything to prove it *to his people*? One thing is to think Paul is the messiah, but his father? We don't see much of the people *inside* the city either, except of them praying. And we didn't even get to see if the guy who waters the sacred palm trees (most interesting character imo) saw his palm trees getting burned, which *should* be a monumental moment given how much attention they give them. And we didn't see who gets hurt during the attack, either. These people were being bombarded by the empire, because of the empire's desire to finish House Atriedes, also part of the empire. And the film doesn't even spare some time to show how the people are affected, to showcase the injustice committed against them. We don't see their temples being destroyed, or people running and screaming away from it. There's no WEIGHT to it. We don't even see how this all affects the environment, despite having an ecologist right there. What is her dream? How does she view the paradise that Dune can become? How does she worry about her planet? We don't know, we never learn what she loves so much about her desert, which IS her home. We never get to see that.

Besides, and this is of course very personal, but I insist, this white boy should at least get his cheeks pink under the sun. I know he gets advantages because he has protagonist syndrome but I'd like some sign that these people are NOT adapted to the weather, to the planet, to the desert. They keep saying the desert isn't kind to humans, but we don't see the desert being unkind to them. "The people who live here welcome and protect the outsider" is hardly an outstanding take in Hollywood, and I understand these books are old. But for that same reason I think it's something that I just don't think is particularly praise-worthy in a modern film. It might be okay, I guess. There are definitely very interesting ideas here, that I'd love to see developed. I just don't see why people call it a masterpiece.

So in the end all I'm saying is that most of what we know, we learn because we get told. I know it's a lot to do as an adaptation, but I also think it's just... kinda meh as a movie on its own. If you like pretty cinematography, ig this is more than enough. They also keep putting dramatic music while characters *walk* (and I like LOTR so the device doesn't bother me), and it feels like kinda trying to balance out the fact there is not a lot of tension in most scenes. It also gives me the sense that the director wants you to think this movie is deep and epic, instead of letting you be the judge of that. idk man I just think if you have to keep reminding yourself the film "is setting up everything for the sequel" then your movie mostly failed as a story on its own. Maybe its purpose *is* to set up everything for later but if you can't use the main conflict of the film to explore your themes without NEEDING people to know the future, then maybe it's not a solid enough script. For me, the main conflict in this movie is "adjusting to Arrakis", but its heart is not in "I'll show you Arrakis through Paul's eyes," it's in "look, I'm doing something impressive." And I just don't vibe with that.

[hellswolfie]

So about season 8.

The last clip was so lifeless, it was so sad. Every dialogue was about Jo, there was no substance, it was just Bilal looking for Jo and then Bilal and Jo kissing for the longest time without even talking about their obvious issues they had as a couple. Not any resolution to anything else, the other characters are toatlly forgotten, there was nothing except that. Everything just got resolved out of the blue, we never even got to see Bilal's new flat, we never got to see them actually trying to get a new flat or receiving the news that they finally had one. He suddenly has a great job with a boss he knows well, but we only got to see some part of it because Jo's sister came to visit him and it was used so that we could have our thousandth declarations about how AMAZING Jo is instead of focusing on Bilal's own mental state. We have no idea what losing the previous job did to him in the first place. We have no idea how he got the new job, how he knows the boss, why he did not go there in the first place when he first needed a job at the begining of the season.

Having more than one protagonist and more than one theme explored in a season has always been done. Here, however, they decided to focus on only one character and only theme (and very badly at that), even after having set up another character and another theme. And that was their big mystakes. In season 3, they had two big theme : Lucas's sexuality and Eliott's mental illness. But we only talked about Eliott's mental illness in episode 9, which meant the story around Lucas's acceptance of being gay had time to be explored before having to talk about something else. And even then, they still found a way to link it to Lucas, what with his own mother's mental illness, and to give other characters, like Basile, more depth, while still letting Eliott talk about it, and giving the theme of mental illness more substance and nuances than season 8 ever had even for the HIV plot.

The same thing goes for the love story. EVERY season is about, in a some way, really falling in love for the first time. This is not a big novelty. But here their "love story", instead of supporting their respective themes, only just took over them and Bilal's character to just talk about Jo. Not even mentionning how toxic their relationship was, contantly fighting (like they managed to be together for A DAY), Jo always being so mean and cold with Bilal, and Bilal accepting that without saying anything and running after her for whatever reasons. And he was no perfect either , since seeing her so much as talking to her ex, even knowing their situation, was enough for him to jump into another girl's arms. I love the trope "friends to lovers" but their relationship is just so forced and unbelievable.

And since all of the story only resolve around this badly written love story and no other characters or plots...It just does not work and makes it really really boring. You can't have a good love story by only focusing on two characters. Take season 3 for example. There was Lucas' relationship with Mika, who helped him come to term with his sexuality. His bond with Yann, his best friend. We were introduced to the rest of the gang, with Basile and Arthur, and Basile himself had his own story with Daphné. Daphné had a whole storyarc with the foyer, Manon with Charles, and Lucas actively took part in those plots, and we saw him bonding with them over that as they all supported eachother through their each arcs. There was also Imane, with whom he had interesting discussions and a very cute friendship with. And of course his whole arc around his parents. Season 3 was a love story, but it was never just that, it was never just about Lucas and Eliott. And that is one of the reasons why this season is so great. In season 8, however, all of the other characters (incluiding Bilal), even the ones that could help him and logically should have had a bigger role, and all the other plots, are completely absents. Even his own family who were introduced for this specific season and who had their own problems. And tbh, even the HIV plot was not developped really well...Everything had to be about Jo.

And i found that really funny because Jo was like THE character that had nothing to bring to Bilal's character and story, and yet she was the focus in his season. Rédouane is his childhood friend and knows him better than everyone. Lola and Maya bot have a lot in common with his experiences (mentally ill parents, dead parents, having money problem, having to take care of a sibling -for Lola-, being homeless and having to take a job -for Maya-,...) but it was never brought up, on the contrary we were supposed to think that they could not possibly understand Bilal's problems even though they were the ones in Lamiff who had the best chances to do so (but no of course we were supposed to think JO was the one who got it even when she completely ignored his problemes and treated him like trash like yeah sure of course xD). Maya and him could have even bonded over their shared love of fashion, and as an ecologist she would have probably loved the idea of making your own clothes. Tiff could have been used as a way to hightlight her priviliege compared to Bilal, being a rich white girl, but the only time he began to talk about his own problems with her, she shut him down so that they could talk about Jo instead (what a great friend am i right). Max, too, could have given him some support in challenging his views on gender roles and machisma (what with Bilal constant ghosting to his hook ups, for example).

But none of that happened.

This season was such a waste.

[new-sandrafilter]

Behold Dune: An Exclusive Look at Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and More  

Timothée Chalamet remembers the darkness. It was the summer of 2019, and the cast and crew of Dune had ventured deep into the sandstone and granite canyons of southern Jordan, leaving in the middle of the night so they could catch the dawn on camera. The light spilling over the chasms gave the landscape an otherworldly feel. It was what they had come for.

“It was really surreal,” says Chalamet. “There are these Goliath landscapes, which you may imagine existing on planets in our universe, but not on Earth.”

They weren’t on Earth anymore, anyway. They were on a deadly, dust-dry battleground planet called Arrakis. In Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 sci-fi novel, Arrakis is the only known location of the galaxy’s most vital resource, the mind-altering, time-and-space-warping “spice.” In the new film adaptation, directed by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, Chalamet stars as the young royal Paul Atreides, the proverbial stranger in a very strange land, who’s fighting to protect this hostile new home even as it threatens to destroy him. Humans are the aliens on Arrakis. The dominant species on that world are immense, voracious sandworms that burrow through the barren drifts like subterranean dragons.

For the infinite seas of sand that give the story its title, the production moved to remote regions outside Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where the temperatures rivaled the fiction in Herbert’s story. “I remember going out of my room at 2 a.m., and it being probably 100 degrees,” says Chalamet. During the shoot, he and the other actors were costumed in what the world of Dune calls “stillsuits”—thick, rubbery armor that preserves the body’s moisture, even gathering tiny bits from the breath exhaled through the nose. In the story, the suits are life-giving. In real life, they were agony. “The shooting temperature was sometimes 120 degrees,” says Chalamet. “They put a cap on it out there, if it gets too hot. I forget what the exact number is, but you can’t keep working.” The circumstances fed the story they were there to tell: “In a really grounded way, it was helpful to be in the stillsuits and to be at that level of exhaustion.”

It wouldn’t be Dune if it were easy. Herbert’s novel became a sci-fi touchstone in the 1960s, heralded for its world-building and ecological subtext, as well as its intricate (some say impenetrable) plot focusing on two families struggling for supremacy over Arrakis. The book created ripples that many see in everything from Star Wars to Alien to Game of Thrones. Still, for decades, the novel itself has defied adaptation. In the ’70s, the wild man experimental filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky mounted a quest to film it, but Hollywood considered the project too risky. David Lynch brought Dune to the big screen in a 1984 feature, but it was derided as an incomprehensible mess and a blight on his filmography. In 2000, a Dune miniseries on what’s now the SyFy channel became a hit for the cable network, but it is now only dimly remembered.

Villeneuve intends to create a Dune that has so far only existed in the imagination of readers. The key, he says, was to break the sprawling narrative in half. When Dune hits theaters on December 18, it will only be half the novel, with Warner Bros. agreeing to tell the story in two films, similar to the studio’s approach with Stephen King’s It and It Chapter Two. “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” says Villeneuve. “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”

For Villeneuve, this 55-year-old story about a planet being mined to death was not merely a space adventure, but a prophecy. “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” he says. “That’s why I think that Dune, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”

Chalamet’s character, Paul, thinks he’s just a boy struggling to find a place in the world, but he actually possesses the ability to change it. He has a supernatural gift to harness and unleash energy, lead others, and meld with the heart of his new home world. Think Greta Thunberg, only she’s a Jedi with a degree from Hogwarts. Paul comes from a powerful galactic family with a name that sounds like a constellation—the House Atreides. His father and mother, Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), take their son from their lush, Scandinavian-like home world to preside over spice extraction on Arrakis. What follows is a clash with the criminal, politically connected House Harkonnen, led by the monstrous Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård), a mammoth with merciless appetites. The baron, created with full-body prosthetics, is like a rhino in human form. This version of the character is less of a madman and more of a predator. “As much as I deeply love the book, I felt that the baron was flirting very often with caricature,” says Villeneuve. “And I tried to bring him a bit more dimension. That’s why I brought in Stellan. Stellan has something in the eyes. You feel that there’s someone thinking, thinking, thinking—that has tension and is calculating inside, deep in the eyes. I can testify, it can be quite frightening.”

The director has also expanded the role of Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica. She’s a member of the Bene Gesserit, a sect of women who can read minds, control people with their voice (again, a precursor to the Jedi mind trick), and manipulate the balance of power in the universe. In the script, which Villeneuve wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, she is even more fearsome than before. The studio’s plot synopsis describes her as a “warrior priestess.” As Villeneuve jokes, “It’s better than ‘space nun.’ ”

Lady Jessica’s duty is to deliver a savior to the universe—and now she has a greater role in defending and training Paul too. “She’s a mother, she’s a concubine, she’s a soldier,” says Ferguson. “Denis was very respectful of Frank’s work in the book, [but] the quality of the arcs for much of the women have been brought up to a new level. There were some shifts he did, and they are beautifully portrayed now.”

In an intriguing change to the source material, Villeneuve has also updated Dr. Liet Kynes, the leading ecologist on Arrakis and an independent power broker amid the various warring factions. Although always depicted as a white man, the character is now played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One), a black woman. “What Denis had stated to me was there was a lack of female characters in his cast, and he had always been very feminist, pro-women, and wanted to write the role for a woman,” Duncan-Brewster says. “This human being manages to basically keep the peace amongst many people. Women are very good at that, so why can’t Kynes be a woman? Why shouldn’t Kynes be a woman?”

 As fans will know, there’s a vast menagerie of other characters populating Dune. There are humans called “mentats,” augmented with computerlike minds. Paul is mentored by two of them. There are also the bravado warriors Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck, played by Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin. Dave Bautista plays a sinister Harkonnen enforcer Glossu Rabban, and Charlotte Rampling has a key role as the Bene Gesserit reverend mother. The list goes on. In the seemingly unlivable wilds of Arrakis, Javier Bardem leads the Fremen tribe as Stilgar, and Zendaya costars as a mystery woman named Chani, who haunts Paul in his dreams as a vision with glowing blue eyes.

The breadth of Dune is what has made it so confounding for others to adapt. “It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters,” says Villeneuve. “I think that’s why it’s so difficult. Honestly, it’s by far the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.” After finishing this first movie, he’ll just have to do it all over again.