#shoutout to my music shuffle for playing 'tainted love' for me when I was writing the raylla parts lmfao

[teacupchimera]

idk about anyone else but I can never watch an ep of motherland just once, so here are some little details I noticed and feelings I had about 2x08 after watching it again:

-Scylla had kept vigil by Raelle’s bedside in the last episode, staying close so she wouldn’t be alone when she woke up and to make sure she was okay. but the next time we see them in the bedroom at the beginning of this ep, Scylla’s on the opposite side of the room, about as far from Raelle as possible. I think it’s interesting how the space was used - they’re still in the same room, unable (on Raelle’s part) and unwilling (on Scylla’s) to be apart despite the rather uneasy truce, but now that Raelle’s awake Scylla’s trying to give her as much space as she can until she’s given permission to come closer like she so desperately wants to. we see that, the next time they’re in the bedroom; Raelle seems to have softened and decided that she wants the comfort and companionship even though she’s still somewhat conflicted and Scylla is following her lead every step of the way.

-when Scylla hands Raelle the glass of water, Raelle takes it in a way that makes sure her fingers don’t touch Scylla’s. ouch :(

-also uh....didn’t Raelle pretty much just admit that Scylla is the love of her life? that whole ‘the two women I’ve loved most in this world’ line was a Lot lmao

-hi yes I am absolutely on the verge of tears every time I watch the unit hug when Tally finally gets there....Raelle’s face hurts my heart in that scene, she’s so so happy to see Tally and I cry. I love my girls sm!!!!

-Scylla and Adil friendship when

-it kinda breaks my heart how Scylla reacts to Abigail’s threats...like you can tell she’s not unaffected but she puts on this neutral mask and ‘idgaf and you don’t scare me’ attitude and it just...makes me sad idk

-this is mostly just me being a huge nerd but bats are nocturnal!!! seeing them in the daytime is usually an indication of rabies or some other sickness since it’s completely aberrant behavior, and the likelihood of an entire...swarm?? flock??? of bats all being afflicted is negligible at best. I feel like that should have been a dead giveaway that they might be related to the whole, y’know, Nicte business lmao.

-my little Raylla shipper heart hurts so much at Scylla’s expression when Raelle comes out of her hallucination like....she’s beside herself with worry and concern (not only for her life but for the emotional pain she was subjected to) and just. she loves her so much y’all :’)

-I didn’t really notice the first time I watched but the snippy little comment Raelle made to Scylla about knowing too much about Spree Work seemed kind of....out of place with how she’d been treating her the rest of the episode? and then the other girls (sans Scylla) were being similarly pissy with each other and I finally realized that Nicte’s Working in the cabin had probably already started, well, working on them at that point - Scylla wasn’t affected until she was in the thick of it since she’d had prior experience/exposure.

-I’ve talked about The Kiss^tm already but I do have a few more final thoughts: the only indecision that I sensed when Raelle was internally debating whether to go back or not was in the ‘when’ of it, not the ‘if’. I think she knows that the two of them are inevitable, and for her it was just a matter of whether she was ready to move forward or if she needed more time (thus the almost-kiss just prior). sure, I think she’s still struggling to reconcile just how strong her feelings for Scylla still are (cause that shit runs Deep) but she’s already made her choice. and, ultimately, I think that in that moment Raelle decides that she’d regret it if she didn’t kiss Scylla, especially since they’d just had a Moment and she’d made the opposite choice. when she does kiss Scylla, her face shows determination but mostly just relief, like she’s finally coming home. they still have a lot of work to do to mend their relationship if it’s gonna last and be good, but Raelle’s made up her mind and Scylla is It. theirs is an abiding kind of love, after all :)

-also, the fact that Raelle wants to be able to find Scylla (to come home to her, more like), is Huge. she wants to work things out so badly, wants Scylla to give her a reason to trust her again, to know she can rely on her - and, most importantly, she wants her to stay. it feels to me like Raelle is setting Scylla up for success - she’s giving her a safe environment where she can continue to nourish the good parts of herself and a way to prove herself to Raelle for both their sakes.

-last but not least, I didn’t realize until this rewatch just how horrified Alder looked to see such hatred directed at her on Tally’s borrowed face??? the fact that Nicte was impersonating Tally of all people seemed to really unsettle her. Interesting.