#of bridges built and burned

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

"Of Bridges Built and Burned" 👀

I really like the title

I think i'm a genius with titles haha

tagging @moodyseal because this is based off some clowning we did together

So. Moody had let slip about a certain "how Commodus could be redeemed" au and I slid into the ask box and we clowned out over it.

Anyway. It's Copollo (obviously- this is ME we're talking about haha) and begins with Apollo and Commodus conveniently being stuck in the same place in TDP and have to talk/scream their dirty laundry out.

This, of course, brings certain things to light. Because, if I recall correctly, Apollo was never the one to bring up The Assassination - Commodus was always the one doing that and getting angry about it.

However, Apollo never did- he only ever talked about it in detail to Jo, then gave the Sparknotes to Leo & Meg. He never actually talked about it, and therefore never spoke of what drove him to do it.

Which means, Commodus doesn't know the real reason(s) why Apollo killed him. He just assumes Apollo didn't love him as much as he thought- but that's where he's wrong! >:)

So imagine them stuck in that room, Commodus ranting and raving about how Apollo's such a traitor, and a lier, you gave me your blessings and then murdered me, you never cared did you? and Apollo's sitting there just taking it until- fuck this shit- and starts yelling back at Commodus, about how people were going to kill him anyway but Apollo couldn't bear to let anybody kill him but him (because that's very healthy, right?🤡) and when he's done they're both standing there in silence.

Oh yeah. While that's happening they've had to work together to get out of the place so when they do get out they just. awkwardly go separate ways.

BUT WE'RE NOT FINISHED YET!

Apollo and company are in a situation (probably because of Caligula) and lo and behold, Commodus does something to help 'em out.

Because reasons.

Then when everything's said and done- Nero's dead, Python's dead, all the fasces and fascists are destroyed...

Commodus is still alive. And now I, Alder, slap on my "start combining history and RRverse" hat and give u a small history lesson! :D

In Ancient Rome, emperors were deified by the Senate. Notable examples are Caesar Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and...Commodus.

Nero and Caligula were not.

Interesting how Commodus is the only Triumvirate emperor who's been historically deified...

and if we factor that lil' history nugget into this AU...who's to say Copollo still can't prevail? (🤡)

Of course, now I must direct your attention to the "Burned" part of the title. As much as it pains my Copollo shipper heart, neither of them have to forgive/forget what the other has done, and therefore simply may not ever speak to each other ever again- Apollo would leave Commodus be, provide he doesn't go back onto more "end the world" things- and that would be the end of their story.

Painful. Tragic. I love it and them.

though i wouldn't be opposed to them getting back together eventually either...

and Meg dragging them to couples' therapy. and both of them to a therapist in general.

They both need to desperately sort out their own issues before anything, especially if they do reignite their relationship.

Because ah...they were both doing some heavy projecting-of-issues onto the other.

although that's part of the reason why i love them so much they're so toxic and entertaining it's so good

[christophernolan]

Mae x Qimir this Osha x Qimir that when I’m in my little corner enjoying both, eating it all up and watching Star Wars for the first time since 2019

[glittergroovy]

That's What You Get - Paramore

[gingaswag]

lily cuteness overload attack 1000

[adxmanial]

—

[toxicroyjamie]

I've always wondered what the deal was with Simon because Jamie never brought him up before and doesn't seem to think of him as a father figure :/

I don't think there's necessarily a "deal" with Simon, I think it's just that he wasn't around yet while Jamie was growing up, so they don't really have a father/son relationship

I've always hc'd that Simon was with Georgie starting when Jamie was like 15 or 16 and their relationship was very antagonistic at first (entirely on Jamie's end, because he was traumatized + brainwashed by his dad and very hostile to the idea of another man in his & Georgie's lives) so they're not close like that

[nekokat14]

being phoenix wright must be crazy because I have never seen someone more doomed by the narrative as him.

[disastergay]

the thing about spiraling nonstop for weeks on end is you eventually develop the audacity to become bored of spiraling

[deathxcko]

cont. from @reddrakebird

"You're hilarious, because you're not helping me with shit. I work alone."

His voice is flat.

"And don't you have literally anything else to be doing? Than wasting your time with me? It will be wasted, Tim. I will make sure of it."

[voluptuarian]

why does reading Herodotus always make me get story ideas? currently re-treading through a lot of the Persian section, this time as bg to the Greek side and got to Tomyris again and I knew there was going to be ideas fallout as a result

[erstwhilesparrow]

anyway. i'm rotating divorce quartet. because. it's not as if they didn't look for each other. they looked all over the map, cleo says. none of them went into it assuming they would fail or abandon or be abandoned by their soulmate. and it's easy to forget that because by the end of session 1 it's already fallen apart, but. there's a world where it worked out for them. maybe it still wasn't good--certainly the other pairs make it clear things can go bad even if you're together--but at least they'd each have their soulbound partner there, right? they had, all of them, bought into the premise. and it's still. i don't know that they ever shake it off completely.

scott and cleo choose each other, allegedly in defiance of the soulbound, but it's still. two people. deciding to stick together against everyone else. there's a world where pearl joins them, or joins a different soulbound pair, but that's not how the soulmate system works, right? it's always two. to be three is unthinkable, unless you assume the exclusive primacy of some particular pair in that three. the third will always just be... tagging along for a bit. it was never going to work. and it's not as if there weren't external pressures to do the teaming up with your soulbound thing -- being able to keep an eye on this other potential avenue from which harm could arrive at you, not having to guess if that tick was your soulbound or a skeleton you can't see are advantages in a death game.

but the thing is they don't think to try. your options are to go with the partnership that has been forced upon you, or to stand in the most vocal opposition to it you can manage. but you're still being defined in relation to the original thing you're against? there is still the fact that anything you can dream up for yourself is still founded on the initial shape of two soulbound partners versus the whole rest of the world. there's nowhere to fit yourself if you try something else. at the end of the game, it still comes down to pearl and scott. at the end of the game, martyn still dies when cleo does. they still bought into the premise. it was never not going to eat them all.

[glittergroovy]

That's What You Get - Paramore

[dawnslaughter]

surf store things

[scribblingnevermore]

fuck this fucking depression and how it makes me think

[draconicace]

the thing is. my messaging anxiety goes down at night. but if i send a text at 10pm i think people will want to kill me