#look i wasn't expecting this show to be such an emotional wrecking ball week after week

[skyshipper]

THE LAST OF US - EPISODE 5 - ENDURE & SURVIVE “I am the bad guy because I did a bad guy thing. But you get it, though. You might not be her father... but you were someone's.”

[quinntessentiant]

It's that time of week again!!

Previously on The Rising (ie The Mutant Campaign; ie The Mutant Polycule):

The gang left London to go to Cambridge to give Ripley a chance to talk to his mum about how tf he managed to become a literal alien if he was born and raised as a human, and ask about discrepancies in his memories. Namely those related to his childhood as well as finding out who put the barrier in his mind to separate him from The Hive Mind.

Of course we had to take a train there but seeing as we were currently being hunted down by an American government-run superhero team we had to take some careful measures, like casting Seeming on our group. (I made sure to give Ripley a hat that says "Women love me, Fish fear me, I am Fish" Because his alien features are aquatic and because I'm hilarious.)

We had, at this point, expected cops. and as predicted, they were everywhere at the train station. But worse than that, was the fact that there was one of the superheroes at the station. The one who "has a nack for finding people" and also happens to be Anatolia's cousin. who was the whole reason there was a manhunt against us.

Then, of course, there were these floating surveillance balls that were reminiscent of Sentinel's eyes. We just had to avoid them at all costs and hope that they didn't know that magic exists. Because if they saw through Seeming, we were fucked.

Thankfully, we successfully made it through to buy tickets and get on the train to Cambridge.

We went to Yippee Noodle Bar to regroup and watch the Press Conference thingy where they showed our pictures and explained that the people the American hero team was searching for were not dangerous. They named all of us except for one. Which is weird because Marion is the one who is literally (falsely) wanted by the American Government for being a terrorist.

Once again falsely. The one on the team who made that announcement, Justice/Caroline, was supposed to be our friend.

We suspect that she was very much getting brainwashed and experimented on by her evil psychopath mother, Blanche. (All my homies hate Blanche)

Aaannyway

We get to cambridge, watch the conference, then we decide to let Ripley talk to his mum alone at first. Ash, Ana, and Marion head to a nearby park while Ottie waits outside the house within mind/emotion reading range in case Ripley needs us to gtfo or come inside.

Here's the thing: Riplye hasn't seen or spoken to his mum in years. Its all very complicated and traumatic mostly because of his dad. Just... so much about his dad. Bottom line, he was a piece of shit.

Ripley also looks insanely different from how he used to at the start of the campaign. He used to look human with purple hair and now he's got black sclera eyes, greyed-out skin, white hair, gills, and when he wants to, tentacles. He's rad as hell. (also obviously I dropped Seeming at this point. Our lovely DM let me drop it only for Ripley so the rest of us were still disguised until I dropped it completely. Thanks Charley!! <3)

He's let inside and the place is wrecked. Turns out, Justice (ie Caroline as we know her), has already paid her a little visit. the coffee table was bisected via laser eyes and the floor was singed and shit and she apparently even decided to rummage through Ripley's room, threatening Ripley's mum and demanding to know where he is. (they hadn't spoken in years at this point so thankfully she wasn't lying when she said she didn't know.)

And yet, his mum still let him in, knowing that she'd be even less safe now.

His mum turns out to be rad as hell. She did not immediately call the police on us. (We were worried that was going to happen) The Alien aspect was an experimental parasite thing that was split in 1/2 by some wacked out scientists (one of which is dead but we definitely talked to him a couple days ago so fuck) and then given to Ripley, who was terminally ill. His mum just wanted to save her baby and she was desperate.

We all came into the house after getting the Okay from Ripley and Ottie (Ottie absolutely watched as Marion was pushing Ash on the swing and Ash decided to jump off at the wrong moment and promptly face-planted into the grass.)

We all talk to his mum some more, she makes us tea, we tall her a bit about what we've been up to, tell her she should probably think about leaving this area for a bit since Justice had already found her, and then we learn about a childhood friend who had been erased from Rilpey's memories who lives a few doors down.

Obviously Ripley was curious about her since there had to have been a reason she was erased in the first place so he was going to talk to her. Went so far as to stand outside the house to see if she was even home and then-

A voice spoke.

"Are you sure you want to ruin that girl's life?"

And it was the bitch who erased her from his memory.

Who turned out to be Loki, who we've definitely met and interacted with before.

Who is also responsible for Ottie's memory loss as well as the disappearance of her mum who is lost somewhere in time.

We pick up today's session right there. With Loki revealed, and standing in Ripley's mum's doorway.