#olivia;interactions

[anaukeya3]

Can we start talking about the straight up misogynistic and degrading nature of pop these days?

Why is Addison Rae smacking her own butt with a hairbrush in the music video of Diet Pepsi? Why is Tate McRae getting violently arrested and shoved into a car while licking her lips and NAKED, by two fully clothed male cops in "its ok im ok"? Why is charli xcx splashing wine all over her boobs in "360"?

This has nothing to do with what they're singing about, it adds no deeper meaning and it certainly is not empowering. It's not original or creative, so why is pop getting more and more crude?

[dxrkstrxnger]

Olivia was kind of surprised, but she didn't let it show on her face as the woman approached her. Thankfully that was the right call and she smiled as she looked at the woman. "I know! Sorry I was late, work has been hell and I had to make a scene in order to get out of there!" She said as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. "I got you, don't worry." She said as she looked at her and then saw where Camila had come from and where she was sitting. "Oh, I see a couple open seats over there! They just opened them up!" Olivia replied with a big smile, more than happy to help the other out.

open to: anyone

where: local bar

"There you are! I've been waiting for you," Camila called out as she began to direct herself towards the first person who caught her gaze. After spending the last ten minutes trying to get the man who'd bought her a drink at the bar to clue in that she didn't have the energy, or desire, to continue speaking with him— she had to move to more effective methods. "Just pretend you know me for a few minutes and then I promise I'll let you get on with your night. Maybe head to the bar with me and I'll get you a drink." As long as they put distance between the weird man and them, Camila wouldn't keep them hostage for much longer.

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

A story told in pictures:

✨ I love this cast so much 🐉

and @toodrunktofindaurl (thank you to the person who reminded me of her URL! I had her insta tagged here before bc I couldn’t for the life of me remember her url.)

(also honourable mention to Yellowjackets’ Jane Widdop)

[arkiwii]

Isn't Saria beautiful?

[germesthegenie]

Quick little doodle of a team combo idea I thought of. Romp controls and animates objects with limitations depending on the original shape/functions, and Cuff, being a metallokinetic, can reshape metal objects for different functions. Also like the idea of these two being friends despite being practically polar opposites personality wise

[kitkatdoodlez]

Watched She’s the Man today

[lulu2992]

Today is the fourth anniversary of HITMAN 3, the last game in the World of Assassination trilogy!

I’ve wanted to write something about it for a while because I love it, but as much as I enjoyed playing it, taking my time exploring the levels, finding useful objects, taking notes, completing challenges, listening to conversations, following my targets, and being as stealthy as I could to reach “perfection” in each mission, what I’d like to talk about today is the scenario. Indeed, this trilogy doesn’t just have good gameplay, a nice soundtrack, and pretty visuals, it also has a great story.

My favorite thing about Hitman, at least in the most recent games (the first I played was the divisive Hitman: Absolution), also happens to be one of the main focuses of this trilogy: the relationship between the protagonist, Agent 47, and his handler (I would even say the deuteragonist), Diana Burnwood.

To me, their bond is just so special, unique, and compelling, so nearly four years after finishing HITMAN 3, I decided to write this post as an attempt to finally organize my many thoughts about it, but also and mostly, about them.

My relationship with theirs: how it started vs. how it’s going.

When I want to summarize what’s going on between Diana and 47, I usually like to describe their connection as “platonic, but more in the French acceptation of the term”... which must sound rather confusing or boring to most of you, especially if you’re a native English speaker, but I’m not, so let me explain what it means to me.

I must digress for a moment here but, the first few times I saw people use the term “platonic” in English to talk about friends or even family, I was quite confused. In French, if we say a relationship is “platonique”, there’s only a small chance that what we mean is, “They’re just friends” and a much higher probability that what we’re actually saying is, “They’re having a soulmates-level of romance so deep and spiritual that carnality is completely unnecessary” instead. I’d find it weird to use that word to describe relationships that are inherently not sexual; it mostly refers to a “special” kind of romance in French.

And this is what Diana and 47’s relationship is to me: something powerful and unconventional that I don’t think can reasonably be described as definitely romantic but that simultaneously manages to be, somehow, the ultimate form of romance.

So, as a fan of this unusual and seemingly unbreakable bond, playing through the entire trilogy was a delight. There were a few scenes in the first two games that made me smile like an idiot (such as this one), but in HITMAN 3 in particular, there were even more moments to enjoy.

I was pleased to see 47 get a bit upset when he realized Lucas didn’t fully trust Diana and to hear him affirm she would make things right because “she always does”, felt vindicated when she told Edwards he was “delusional” if he thought she could betray 47, was touched when Olivia said she understood why he wanted to “protect her”, then both surprised by the bluntness and happy with the assertiveness of 47’s “You don’t know her” after she questioned Diana’s allegiance, and I even pretty much turned into that “excited Kermit” reaction GIF when Diana explained she was 47’s only weakness even though that was exactly what I expected her to say.

Finally, in Mendoza, the most exciting mission for me despite its worrying name (“The Farewell”), I loved their conversation at the beginning, was glad to hear that he was right about her true intentions and loyalty all along, and much like he clearly was, caught off guard when she touched his hand. In the rest of the level, I enjoyed following her around and found their banter and synergy quite delightful, especially at the end. Then, of course, there was also the tango.

But when the “Necessary Evil” cutscene happened, I was… upset. Well, the first time I saw it, at least, because there is so, so much more depth and beauty to this scene than I initially realized, as concerned as part of me was that yet another franchise I love had forgotten its own lore and was collapsing in on itself before my eyes, ripping away from me what I loved most about it. Thankfully, that was not what was happening.

Looking at what I know of their history, I was and still am very much confident that Diana and 47 would rather turn against the rest of the world (and do it together) than be disloyal to each other, so even though I kept telling myself that her betrayal was fake and she had a plan, I was disappointed to see that, contrary to what I thought, they weren’t past the point of pretending to deceive and/or kill each other as a way to fool and bring down powerful people and organizations. She “killed” him in Blood Money, he “killed” her in Absolution; they were even. She most likely thought things had to happen this way to truly work, but I hoped they were done keeping secrets from one another. I’m still sad she had to trick him, and even more so that, even for just a moment, he genuinely thought she was serious and that he had lost her too.

In the toxin-induced and introspective hallucination that follows, 47 faces his worst fears... and some happen to be Diana deriding, belittling, and abandoning him. This was painful to watch because those are distressing thoughts for him, but to be honest, I also liked seeing just how much she meant to him. When he watches her dancing with Edwards, I couldn’t help but think of that scene in Polarized, the fifth episode of Life is Strange, in which Max, also drugged, has a nightmare and sees her “special friend” Chloe criticizing and replacing her. Fortunately, 47 quickly reconsiders the situation, talking some sense into himself with the help of “Lucas”. The other voice in his mind, Diana’s, encourages him to trust his intuition, and so he finally understands what he has to do.

Although she partly left him in the dark about her strategy and there are certain things she didn’t say, rewatching “Necessary Evil” made me appreciate how much Diana did say and how significant all of that was. Indeed, despite the apparent disingenuity of her act, the context suggesting, at first glance, that she’s either backstabbing him or purely playing a character, and the rather contemptuous tone she made sure to use to fool her audience, it’s since become apparent to me that she meant every single word she said.

She makes it sound like she’s turning against him and doesn’t want to see him anymore, but what she’s actually saying is that he, like everyone else, should be free to forge his own path. Even though she meant no harm and believed it was what he needed when she recruited him, she felt she used him, that he was only a tool, a weapon she controlled, and it was not right. He didn’t object when she chose him as her agent 20 years earlier, but had he not lost his memory and been truly able to make an informed decision, what would he have chosen?

And when she says she knows it was 47 who killed her parents, which is something he (and the players) only recently discovered, although she doesn’t even blame him for it, he apologizes. He sincerely apologizes, with an unusual and palpable pain in his voice. He’s genuinely sorry for what happened (so much so that he thinks that’s reason enough for her to want him dead), and maybe also for not having had the courage to tell her the horrifying truth. She deserved to know, but maybe out of shame, because he didn’t want her to suffer or for their relationship to be affected, he chose not to say anything. Had she known the full story sooner, though, what would she have chosen?

Diana’s last words before she leaves and he loses consciousness are, “This is a kindness. Goodbye... agent”. “Goodbye”, not “farewell”. “Agent”, not “47”. This is the end of the partnership she realized she imposed on him, but whether or not it’s also the end of the friendship they nonetheless built along the way is up to him. She’s been the one making most of the choices this whole time, and now it’s his turn. Calling what she’s just done a “kindness” isn’t a lie or emotional manipulation; it’s a fact. In their “own special way”, they care about each other, deeply and earnestly, but both of them also made selfish decisions they convinced themselves were in the other’s best interest. In that scene, they’re finally facing their past(s) and accepting the truth, freeing themselves and each other in the process.

“Necessary Evil” was initially worrying to watch, but what it shows isn’t the brutal and grim end of a 20-year partnership; it’s a moment of pure honesty, maybe even the most heart-to-heart conversation Diana and 47 have ever had. After this “last tango”, she sets him free, allowing him to live the life he wants. At last.

Although, again, I would have preferred her to do things differently and spare him that suffering, I also absolutely love the fact she didn’t even need to reveal her full plan for him to figure out what it was and carry it out exactly the way she expected him to. I suppose it’s not that surprising since he’s already demonstrated many times in many ways that he knows her better than anyone else does (and vice versa, probably), but it’s still fascinating. They don’t need words to communicate anymore, yet the few they exchanged before leaving Mendoza were salutary. A necessary evil, indeed.

In the last scene of the game, one year later, 47 recontacts Diana and informs her of his decision to go back to doing his former job, but this time by choice and on his own terms. “It’s good to be back”, he says with a smile (yes, a smile) on his face. There was one on mine too as I realized this was a callback to the very first “Announcement Trailer” for the World of Assassination trilogy. In the video, however, it was Diana who said, “Good to have you back” while he remained silent the whole time. In more than one way, the trilogy ends the way it started, but the major difference is that 47 now truly has a voice.

“I choose him”, confidently said Diana in the prologue, thus starting their productive partnership. More than 20 years later, he’s back in business, not because he has to but because he wants to, believing his mission is not done and wishing to continue it… but not alone. Finally free to do whatever he pleases and having had time to decide what he wanted his life to be, 47 came to a conclusion, and what he tells Diana in the epilogue, implicitly but assuredly, is, “I choose you.”

Almost six years after it was first announced, the trilogy has come full circle, and it feels like IO Interactive had it all planned out from the start. Diana and 47 are back to being partners, and by embracing their past, they can build their future on better, stronger, and healthier foundations. Now, more than ever, it’s them together against the rest of the world. As a fan of their duo, as well as nicely wrapped-up and carefully written stories in general, I don’t know if I could have dreamt of a more satisfying ending.

Perfectly executed.

[olivialivbard]

heads up I think your brother is gonna kill nuke-

he's always trying to kill someone. Who the fuck is nuke anyway?

[serrangelic-art]

the bestiessss

[softpawpup]

— caregiver ! olivia benson from law & order svu !! ( request from @woofozcar )

🚨 doesn't let you anywhere near her work, doesn't like bringing you into the office, worried you'll see something you shouldn't

🚔 for petre, olivia will train you how to do tricks and get you special treats

🎖️ lets you play with her badge at home, she thinks its funny when you try to suck or mouth on the badge

🚨 is very validating of all your feelings, she always listens and nods her head and hears you out, never cutting you on or interrupting so you can get it all out

🚔 she loves it when your imagination runs wild, she encourages it!! she plays into your games and stories and dreams

🎖️ when you have nightmares she scoops you up in her arms and cradles you to her chest, she rocks you back and forth and shushes you gently till you calm down

🚨 she can be a little strict, she's a worried mama and she doesn't want anything to happen to you!! all her rules are in place to protect you as much as she can

🚔 every year she throws you a birthday party and she always asks you what kind of cake you want that year, even if its the same answer every year.

🎖️ after your birthday parties she has a special dinner just the two of you where you watch your favorite movie, build a blanket fort and snuggle up in the living room together

🚨 for both petre and agere, she likes taking you out on walks

[akajustmerry]

far be it from me to assume anything about a young celebrity's identity but I just want to say, "I'm staring at her like I wanna get hurt" is such a gay fucking lyric. floors me everytime I hear it

[loonavrsl]

tripleS Kotone lists Hyeju and 2NE1 as her ideal type of girls

👤 What type of girl do you like? 🦭 Since I’ve liked LOONA sunbaenims for a while, someone like Olivia Hye sunbaenim? And I like 2NE1 sunbaenims too so… I think I like a cool girl (type of) style? Yes, like a stylish unnie yes!

translation cr. nugunote / video source

[taleswritten]

@thebestdefence from here

It's been a while since Olivia has heard from Rafael. It's not as if they don't go from time to time without talking but they are friends and when Olivia texts him, Rafael is usually pretty good about texting her back in a twenty four hour span.

Not this time.

Several texts and many concerns later and Olivia had decided enough was enough, she'll just go visit him and see what's up. She knows around now is the time they take their breaks and with her unit not being too busy right now, she has some time.

Time she intends on taking to see Barba because if she doesn't, who knows when she'll have time again? Time is not a luxury the Captain of the SVU unit has.

When she arrives at his office, she passes Carmen who stops her and tells her that something is off with Raefel which only gives Olivia even more alarm bells ringing in her head. She thanks the woman and tells her she's got it from here, to go take her lunch, and she watches as Carmen leaves before she's making her way to his office.

She intends on knocking but the door is already open and when she sees the bruises, that is out the window. Instantly she opens her mouth to ask what happened.

The bruises are fresh, black and blue instead of a yellow color and so she knows these must have been from yesterday. That is why he hadn't been answering his phone, then.

She wants to move forward to steady him when she sees that he is swaying but she isn't sure the touch will be welcome so she instead walks into the office to shut the door behind her. No one else needs to see him like this.

"It doesn't look like nothing." Olivia is a stubborn woman and it shows in the way she looks at him, arms crossing over her chest as she lets her gaze run over every single bruise. If he thinks he's going to get her to go away with that poor excuse, he's deeply mistaken.

"Rafael. Come on, it's me." He's seen her at her worst, surely it can't be bad enough that she's not allowed to see him at his worst? Clearly, whatever this is, it's got him shaken up.

"What happened? Who did this to you? I'm not leaving, you know that."

[lilabardsss]

after that sabrina x olivia hug i think i just shed the tear i’ve been holding back since 2021

[rudnitskaia]

It circled around in my head for a while already, but now I rewatched and it suddenly hit me. Rocky and Mau together have very strong vibes of Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting from the time period of Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. Just look at 'em and tell me they do not.

[st3ddie-starchas3r]

Realizing Elliot Olivia and Kathy should have just been in a poly relationship on Law and Order svu.