#zia 001

[ravellaarryns]

who: @lightxshadow when and where: some days following lord jack grafton's delivery of the lady zialla antaryon to the eyrie, the queen and the daughter of the sea lord of braavos have a private dinner within the queen's apartments. it is set following the lyseni assassination attempt upon the king consort of the vale, graham royce.

there was the sound of scraping, innately jarring to most ears, as the queen's knife made direct contact against the porcelain plate. there was no reaction, or even acknowledgement, of the noise as she continued to tear into the rare steak. it remained pink inside, with it's juices leaking from it; and yet, she took it into her mouth as though it were cooked to perfection - in reality, it were basically raw still.

"tell me of the iron bank's tensions with the lysene." ravella spoke, her tone more of a demand than a simple conversation starter: and yet, ravella was all too aware of the fact that this woman had all been chewed up and spat back out by cedric tyrell and his court.

it did wonders to make people feel as though they were being listened to; still, there was nothing overly warm or personable about the queen's character. nothing that made the attempt anything more than an attempt. truthfully, the society of braavos remained a blaring question to her; despite having spent time there, she could not truly come to terms with the process of democratic election - the idea of power not being necessarily through birth.

she would need to refrain her judgement, the look in her eye when referring to them; because the braavosi had been the vale's longtime ally, and proved to be of more value and worth than any of the other realms upon the continent. "does it go beyond the limits of the bank to become a personal conflict?" what she wanted to ask, point blank, was whether the sea lord too held offence at the lyseni valyrians attempt to steal power and wealth from beneath their very noses.

new money was always too quick to forget itself, and it's place. and how they all had a divinely ordained, appointed place in the great chain of being.

[visxionaries]

who: @lightxshadow when and where: highgarden's grand hall, during a feast made in the honour of mathis rowan's return, with all the rowans in attendence. the news from dorne has just reached regarding the passing of mors martell, and the ascension of a three year old to the throne of dorne.

the celebratory drums and flutes of traditional folk songs of the reach had become more fast paced, from the original violin and piano that wafted through the atmosphere within highgarden's majestic hall. ornate marble ceilings, floor length windows that basked the ballroom in hues of the setting sun with the mighty mander a backdrop in the background. it was rare to see the king remain within his seat for the entirety of the night, unless he were watching something or someone very specifically; and so, as the evening went on, the king found himself moving from his seat beside the newly crowned queen, and instead moved in various circles of courtiers on the floor itself.

the factions appearing within the court was something he saw pointedly, circles of men and women who seemed to make their stance silently known: with a few moving between, ever attempting to be the peace binders. there was no removing the start of factions once it began, cedric knew that all too well: and he was no viserys to try and force everyone to get along. tensions would come, and in time, they would heighten; then they would reduce. it was the manner of how things always ran in courts.

meeting with the ruling lord of oldtown at his table, surrounded by the noble bannermen of house hightower who had all but been brought to their knees by the might of the burning beacon during the civil war, was something of a strange entity. for he realised there were none of the other brothers of hightower here, and it was something he noted, with a quick glance of brilliant ocean hues. his eyes moved as though he were piecing something together that did not need piecing together, before his eyes fell on the subject of a great deal of speculation and rumour. the new ruling lady of oldtown, zialla - a choice in bride that was perhaps tone deaf with all that had been happening politically and internationally surrounding them. cedric was in no mood of dealing with the uprising of peasants, feeling scorned by their gods and fearing for their immortal souls in the depths of the hells.

still, braavos was a trading partner that had been brought closer by this union, not an alliance for garland hightower was not part of the royal family. it could and would be used to their further advantage, and yet still, a part of cedric knew networking and trade with the free cities did not need to be bound by marriage, due to the nature of their position being elected rather than given by birth. the antaryons may agree with trade of the reach, but what of who comes next once the sealord is dead? he watched as the lady greeted him, dipping into a curtsy before he indicated she could very much stand at her full height. "lady hightower." cedric greeted, his hands moving behind his back.

and then he were in discussions with garland once again, mentioning of his intention to venture to dorne himself. he were not talking directly to the lady of the hightower, but his body language implied he were between them both in discussions, and saw the way in which her dark eyes seemed to look up at the mention of dorne. when garland briefly excused himself from the conversation, it was assumed the king would continue walking, but he took notice of her interest in dorne. the king remained stood beside the table, knowing people would take notice of this conversation - garland was gone, and yet cedric remained.

"are you aware of the realm of dorne?" cedric asked her, as though this conversation was just another one with no importance at all. it was the first time the king was seen speaking publicly to the most talked about woman in the kingdom.

[lovehurried]

@wasworthy said:    “I can handle the entropy.” apart together  • not accepting.

"I'm not debating that fact," Zia holds out a glass of whiskey, taking a sip from the one in her other hand. "But you don't have to handle it alone."

[dochaes]

@rubiesintherough said: “ can you hear me? hey… can you hear my voice? “ ( zia )

𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒    /    ACCEPTING ↷

The Doctor gives a groan as a response, rolling over.

Sand. She’s lying on sand. Her clothes half-drenched, yet her face feels hot & dry. Other than the elements around her, and the grogginess, she feels like she’s in one piece still, though. She remembers falling from the TARDIS... can thank recent regeneration for her survival, probably. She was in water... submerged.    ❝ Was I... Was I in the ocean? ❞    She opens her eyes to peer at the figure of a girl silhouetted against the bright, cloudless sky.

[persuasivewhispers]

closed starter // @ziaxghazali​

“Nice costume,” Tenzin says, gesturing to the other woman’s baseball themed dress. “Better than all the sexy cats and bunnies I’ve seen tonight.” Being a vampire isn’t exactly original, but hey, she looks hot. “Enjoying this whole speed dating thing?”

[campagnecoast]

Previously

Asian fcs.

FearedStreet: Dian Sastro

ToBeBarbs: Roseanne Park

80seoulvibe: Roseanne Park

projectantinomy: Roseanne Park

CrackedCookies: Jennie Kim

BratzDarl: Jennie Kim

Heartunnel: Jennie Kim

MemoriesInStage: Jennie Kim

StartWithFriend: Jennie Kim

BooksofOurs: Jennie Kim

Theunnoticed: Jennie Kim

RetourBurner: Myoui Mina

catcafetaria: Chiquita

SevenInLoop: Lalisa Manoban

lettredeamour: Song Zia

J3_3llybish: Meenoi

OurPinkTape: Chaerin Lee

HopefulMessage: Bae Sumin

Western fcs.

Lethalrebels: Taylor Swift

WRNOTSTRANGERS 003: Taylor Swift

SweetNeighbours: Taylor Swift

WashiMachi: Taylor Swift

AtLoveSickest: Taylor Swift

SocietyofPapers: Sadie Sink

Queenslads: Lola Tung

LifeInPieces: Robert Downey Jr

AtMaranello 001: Charlotte Sine

KSilhoutte: Charlotte Sine

TheNoirLens: Natalia Dyer

NYC99TH: Kiernan Shipka

TheNormalFolk: Lucas Bravo

Herzstopper: Sydney weeney

LondonAthleti: Lily Muni He

TheLottoChateau: Alex Albon

Cinepoeme: Kennedy Walsh

Principeople: Kennedy Walsh

e_the_realm: Jessie Mei Li

AtMaranello 002: Susie Wolff

Amourestivo: Josephine Langford

Aerumnoisy: Joanna Kuchta

Lol1nFive5: Alexandra Saint Mleux

Cinemalgia: Emma Stone

Giggleties: Victoria de Angelis

PrestigePass: Bill Skarsgard

Fortitudence: Theo James

SweetzFlash: PinkPantheress

HeartIandHaven: Kali Uchis

711Michigan: AnneAtMCGN

@Aaaancur2an: Max Verstappen

Duniacupang: Max Verstappen

Fortitudence: Rudy Grazziani

Lovelessvals: Chappell Roan

Fictional fcs.

soulensade: Léa Seydoux

DrivesToStrive: Victoria Pedretti

Coloratoera: Ryomen Sukuna

taleofdisney: BOOOtales

MCUNlVERSE 001: PepperMVU

Valdelobos: ResidentJims

SeaOfVoyage: PiratieElena

THEIAMFORCE: Amy Dunne

ReviverRealm: Regina George

SerafinaTales: Benjamin Wallace

FlameOfValyria: Cersei Lannister

Caretakers.

StereoMidnights: James (Jake Gyllenhaal)

LegallyStarring: Elle Woods (Reese W)

Lakesbox: Augustine (Gracie Abrams)

Aboveoridinary: Atlas (Minsik)

Starthelude: Ego (Bella Hadid)

Loversoulse: Miss Americana (Taylor Swift)

5FirstLetters: Lara Jean (Lana Condor)

PageofDiaries: Dorothea Rosewood (Ryujin)

StarringLand: Mia Dolan (Emma Stone)

HatredSummer: Isabel Conklin (Lola Tung)

BrickableYork: Betty (Sabrina)

Loveratrope: Liz Buxbaum (Kennedy)

AtMaranello: Coach Lissie (Lissie)

Filesof500: Smith (faceless)

DistrictsRevolt: Lucy Gray & Katniss Everdeen

Goofygroves: Jack (Hozier)

505ROMCOMS: Jenna Rink (Jennifer G)

fedmisery: Camden (G-Eazy)

ErasToure: Augustine (Gracie)

Scrooddles: Dominique (Bella Swan)

Dr3am_0ut_l0ud: Cara (Emma D'Arcy)

MidwestPunkClub: Thorn (Chappell)

trumanscript: Miranda (Olivia Cooke)

DressToRebels: Roxanne (Gabbriette)

[thecreatvre]

@ziadewans

The little Babydoll figurine Tango has isn’t nearly as graceful as Zia was.

It’s a thing that’s perplexed Tango over the past fifteen years. It’s something that he tried to communicate to Zia in his early letters, but he didn’t have the language to describe what he was trying to ask, so he doesn’t think Zia quite understood.

He doesn’t think that’s why she stopped responding to his letters. He’s pretty sure. Some of the others stopped responding too, and he hadn’t tried to ask them the same question. He thinks, now, that it’s just... time. To humans (and some mutants), fifteen years is a very long time. Humans have things like careers and relationships and mortgages, and they don’t have time to think about things like why do humans replicate other humans in the form of toys but don’t replicate them perfectly.

Tango understands. He thinks.

He wonders if Zia still does ballet. He’d tried to get her to teach him a few moves, back in the day, and he’d been utterly unable to replicate them. The fact remains, that as she walks into HQ, he doesn’t quite know what to say to her. He’s so happy that they’re back. But language is hard.

“ZIA BACK,” he greets happily, a cheerfully vibrating lump of fur blocking the doorway. “LONG TIME. HAPPY?” He desperately wants to know if she’s had a good life. “ZIA LIFE... HAPPY?”

[storiescrafted2]

“god,  franklin!  not everything’s going to kill you,  you know!”   //   @brkenheartd   //   zia & franklin   //   sc!

[destage-arch]

💖

SEND ME A 💖 AND I WILL SELECT SOME MUSES OF MINE I WOULD LIKE TO THROW AT YOU ! @ahtlas

[ 001 ]    r.ickon stark & n.ed stark , he’s on my secret... plot to access list because i added him for iris but he’s there and we should maybe do something there. [ 002 ]    r.ickon stark & w.ylla manderly , maybe rather than the isle of skagos rickon is around white harbour when davos is looking for him (its been a while since my re-read but i think im right) but thats the basis i have [ 003 ]    henry & e.ddie young , eddie exists in whatever zombie media i want him to so he could easy crossover into twd (other characters here to) so we can throw a verse in there. [ 004 ]    g.ray mitchell & z.ia rodriguez , zia is working with his aunt so i definitely think that they must meet at one point. i didn’t like how they kind of just disappeared.

[valentiincs]

task 001: relationships.

“maybe there is poetry in the way / that they love every broken piece of you / maybe there is love in the cracks of the pavement you’ve laid / that has taken root in your jagged little heart.”

captain kick: will.

Captain Kick, he’d never cared for. All too shiny and new, and arrogant. If he thought back to who Captain Kick was to him, it was those boys, shiny and new with the world around their little fingers that drowned his books and kicked sand in his face. But Will was better, a friend, under the lights of a club they’d sneak off to and through the haze of drink and dancing, he’d grown to care for him. There were nights when they’d defied Brink and De Santis, sneaking out after dark to experience the world as twenty-something idiots were wont to do, and by God did they do it.

All he wants for Will is the best; their illustrious captain deserves a break, after all—and he hopes that he doesn’t burn out in the end. Currently, he’s thinking about asking the landlady in his building if there’s something free for will, since he sort of worries about him being alone in Indiana. He won’t force it upon him though, but he wants to let Will know that it’s an option.

Though, he feels like the job will get the better of him, letting duty and the monsters get the better of them both. Their hearts are hard, stone on stone on stone, closed off from the world, and sometimes each other. Words will do no good, but maybe Damien could show his friend how much he means to him—if he could get past his own issues with affection.

babydoll: zia.

Zia always felt like space; beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. It was funny, he thinks, that his first instinct was to mistrust the two figureheads of the team. Their perfect smiles and perfect teeth set him on edge in more ways than one, as they easily glided through their press conference and the fans. Their presence—her presence always afforded itself to something more than stardom, and Damien couldn’t help but distrust her because of it.

After a while though, he saw the cracks between the seams, of her being molded into something that felt less like a corset and more like a vice, everyone’s little perfect Babydoll. It wasn’t easy, nor was it instant, but he saw her for what she was, just another person beneath all of the makeup and the smiles. He wants to protect it, after all, from whatever invasive fans or pushy paparazzi would come her way, he would protect her from it all.

But coming back, Damien felt like he needed, most of all, to keep his job and himself even more separate, cloistering his heart and secrets beneath the surface of the Damien they knew. His daughter would love her, he thinks sadly, as he keeps her from them, but he does not dare do anything, for fear that it would destroy everything that he had built.

starscreech: alec.

Damien didn’t trust Alec. He was always a puzzle from outer space, a foreign object that could have obliterated them with a single note. Mysteries, Damien could do, but Alec was never that; just an alien who wanted to protect them—or so he said.

Time, however, showed Damien what Alec was. Sad. Lonely. All that Damien was intensified beneath a hundred lenses and a hundred eyes. Thick skulled as he was, Alec wore his heart on his sleeve, a beating red beacon of whatever emotion that showed them all that he just wanted to help, and that made Damien gravitate towards him. Perhaps he could’ve taken more from the man’s playbook, but the coward in him didn’t really want to. Not really.

There’s a hesitance to him, a fear that turns sour and grating, that when Alec sees him he would know what he feels about him, perhaps. He wasn’t easy to get along with, nor was he ever easier to understand, all snipped conversations and heated tones trying to disguise the fact that the emotions surrounding him and Alec were a little more confusing than he’d intended, to say the least. To be fair, he didn’t exactly know how to deal with his emotions on a regular basis; what made you think he knew how to deal with them when it mattered?

monarch: beth.

Never let it be said that Damien didn’t self-sabotage on a daily basis with Beth. He was hard to deal with at the start, all sharp words and sharper blades, but that only came to a head when he saw Beth moving to take other people out of harm’s way—always other people, never him. So, he bit down on it and just let it be. Taking to patch himself up more often than not, learning how to staunch bleeding and walk off a wound so he doesn’t pass out in the middle of extraction.

It’s been a hard fifteen years, with her presence surprisingly taking root within his heart, catching him off-guard through all the new problems life put them through. He’d grown to call her family in her own right, the sudden brunches and calls from his mother, but it was better than radio silence at least. Patching up the bridge that had broken all those years ago took effort, and he was grateful for it.

Though now, he’s hurt her, far worse than he could have imagined, with his own actions, his own words. Damien and Beth repaired their relationship in the time that the team had grown apart for the last fifteen years, but recently, with the epiphany that Damien had a child that he’d withheld from the team, all progress had been stopped. Who could blame her, after all? Not him, not after this one.

commander price: cesare.

The Commander. Pragmatic as he was, Damien couldn’t help but feel like they were all just pawns in his grand game of keeping the world safe. Now, after countless missions and years apart, he still can’t get a bead on the man that called himself Commander Price. There wasn’t much that could be said about them—except that Damien didn’t personally trust him back then, except in those rare moments where he showed his humanity.

There may have been a heart that beneath the chest of steel that he’d kept, with all the champagne and celebration, but Cesare was one of the few people he couldn’t get a bead on, not with all that’s happened with the Exemplars. Sure, Damien wanted to like him, he wanted to like everyone; but they both have too many walls up, too many issues and secrets that they didn’t want on display. Fine by him, at least.

And even now, as he knows about Cassie, there is a palpable sort of fear that’s in the back of his throat every time he sees Cesare. Perhaps it was unfounded, a little paranoid of him to worry; but as much as he respected the man, he still terrifies him in ways that he could not place. But perhaps, he could have just returned the favor, and given him a glass of champagne to liven him up. Who knows?

tallahassee: addy.

Addy then, Damien thinks, was loud, impulsive, brash. All the things that Damien was decidedly not; perhaps she was there to balance the team a bit, be the yin to his yang. The explosion to his sneakiness. From what he could gather, they were both non-essential parts of the team, helping him out of his shell with the constant grinning, the games and the literal explosives that were strapped to her chest, which he sorely appreciated, even if he didn’t vocalize it.

He always got along with her for some reason, her loudness contrasting with his own silence; trying to get him to loosen up and have some fun never worked as often as it should’ve, but every time it did, he was always glad to come. They were non-essential, the Bureau says, but Damien always thought that Addy was more essential than him. After all, who would keep the fires of the team going without her?

Even now, with Mango in tow, he can’t help but feel the slightest bit guilty about keeping his daughter a secret from her, knowing how the two would absolutely get along. But he reasons that it’s fine for now, that maybe when the world is a little saner and there are no flammables or combustibles nearby, they could meet. Flimsy reasons, of course, but reasons still.

the creature: tango.

At first, Damien would have flinched when Tango was near. A big ball of fur and fangs and claws that seemed like it grinned with malice. But really, all of it was just misguided fear, of not knowing what Tango was, and by God was he ever glad to know him

In the fifteen years since, he’d written time and time again, to his friend that he could never see, which held a bitterness in his chest. Not at Tango per se, but at the Bureau, at everyone involved with not letting him out of their custody and letting him walk freely. He settled, as he was wont to do, with sending him letters and giving him gifts; the times he remembered barbeque sauce, niceties and the lonely creature that was alone at the halls of the Bureau. He kept all Tango’s letters, in a neat pile on his desk; reading the scrawl and feeling the melancholy of a friend he’d left behind.

He felt bad, of course, about keeping secrets from Tango, the way that Damien knew that he trusted everyone to the letter. He said that he would choose his daughter again and again, keeping her safe with whatever power he held in his hands, but Tango’s making him feel that his attempts at safety were, at the very least, misguided. At most? Betrayal of the highest power. He hopes it isn’t so.

gecko: laura.

Sneaky and fast. She and him had their fun with Brinks over the years, from sneaking off outside the facility to reading books in silence, fifteen feet apart. During the team’s run, she could have easily been called his best friend, with the a side of himself he didn’t even know he had brought out suddenly by her. If he’d had a partner in crime, it would have been Laura. If he’d had a close friend in the Initiative, then it would have been Gecko. If he’d had anything close to a little sister down in the Initiative, back then it would have been Laura.

But distance and time were enemies, making them drift away, apart since the Exemplars. He wrote, of course, and he got letters back, but he couldn’t help but wonder about where she’d been all those years away from the Bureau. There’s still the thought of her at the start, scared and new to the world that colors his perception of her, but fifteen years apart made her grow up, faster than he’d expected.

There’s a little bit of pride in his chest as he sees her come into her own, but the guards come up once again, and he worries about her, as young as she is. Even if she doesn’t show it, after all. He’ll fret and worry in his own little way, but if she comes asking about him, he might evade and grunt like he always does. Maybe he shouldn’t, but whoever said he was smart about it all?

druid: benji.

Benji. Back in the day, he would have just grimaced at the man who had made him feel dumber than a box of rocks. He talked and talked and talked, but almost all of it flew over his head. Damien tried to listen, of course, but he’d never held it down well enough, just grunting and giving him noncommittal noises as he tried to make sense of what the conversation was. He tried keeping him safe most days, since he was usually on perimeter control, giving him a  knife so Benji wouldn’t get hurt all of the time, notwithstanding the shock glove that he had.

Seeing him after fifteen years, however? They still had the same dynamic, the same way that they would talk after all this time, but Damien still put his foot far down his mouth on most days, which could have been either charming or laughable. Jury’s still out, of course.

The nerves, however, after their little chat about the creatures, gives him pause. While he doesn’t have the brainpower to comprehend what was happening with the monsters on the other side, Benji’s speculating still has him nervous. Of course, he was going to help all he can, but with most of the math and physics flying over his head, he doesn’t think he could be of much use, but he’d always be happy to lend a hand. He just wouldn’t admit it, though.

[retiredmonarch]

TASK 001 :: // RELATIONSHIPS

under the cut. 

Damien - Up until very recently Beth would have said that Damien is her closest friend. Beth has never been great at maintaining relationships with other people, since she tends to think that she’s annoying them or perceives some slight that they didn’t intend. She thought that Damien would be the exception since she set up a foolproof plan: infiltrate his life so even if he stops contacting she’d still be in his life. He made her feel like she was really apart of a family, but upon learning that he had a daughter and kept it secret all these years made her question everything. Her plan to infiltrate was unsuccessful and she’s realizing that her attempts to be part of his family were futile. 

Benji - Beth’s feelings for Benji have not yet been realized. She’s always liked him and enjoyed his company. But she also felt like he was out of her league, like completely on another level, because of his intelligence. She always felt like her simple life and all her mundane desires were too small scale to tell him. And she worried that by talking about things like her job or her gal friends she might bore or annoy him. The work that he does is important and she knows he’s vital to the team so she’s always felt like she pales in comparison. But now that the team has reunited she feels like it’s worth a try to get to know him better. Because the thought of him being lonely causes a pull in her chest that she cannot explain. 

Will - Beth’s upbringing instilled in her the desire to fulfill the high school narrative of the popular guy falling for the shy girl. And who better to take up the role of ‘popular jock’ than Captain Kick? Beth knows that her feelings are silly and futile, but, especially when she thinks about Zia as her competition, she is filled with the toxic desire to claim Will as her own. Or rather, the desire to have Will say that he wants her. Beth has trouble with self image and wants very badly to be thought of as desirable so she’s projected a lot of her needs and wants to be validated onto Will. But deep down she knows that they work better as friends. And she loves him dearly. There is no one she trusts more to lead the team. Will has always been the heart and the backbone to the team, and the only reason Beth tries not to lean on him is because she doesn’t want him to break. 

Zia - Beth’s relationship to Zia is living proof that Beth needs to grow up and get over her childish fantasies. Beth sees Zia as the very embodiment of everything she wants to be and is not. Beth sees Zia as effortlessly sexy, confident, and well-spoken. And Beth is convinced that people only like Zia because Zia has manipulated them. Beth refuses to see Zia as a complex and kind person, because that would interfere with Beth’s perfect narrative that paints Zia as the bully. In truth, Beth knows that this rivalry is her fault and that if she just fessed up and apologized they might be able to come to some sort of ceasefire. But Beth is too consumed by pettiness and bitterness to let that happen anytime soon. 

Addy - Addy is Beth’s best friend. Beth always wanted to have female friends but throughout her life little things got in her way (such as her mother pitting her against all the local girls). Addy is the first person that Beth felt like she fit next to. She doesn’t compare herself to Addy since they are so totally different. Beth loves Addy’s smile, laugh, and even Addy’s recklessness, even if it is a source of stress headaches for Beth. Addy is the one person that Beth can trust to be fully honest to her. If anything were to happen to Addy Beth would surely blame herself, even if she were miles away. Beth considers Addy her highest priority responsibility when working as Monarch. 

Tango - Beth loves and adores Tango to a point where it makes her chest ache to think of him. She knows she shouldn’t baby him or speak down to him so much because he’s a full grown and intelligent creature. But she treats him much like she would treat her own child if she had one. She wants nothing more than for him to be happy and free. It was torture to write him letters and to think of him in confinement. She wants to shout at anyone who treats him with any less respect and kindness than she thinks he deserves. And She thinks he deserves the world. 

Laura - Beth considers Laura a younger sister. But the dynamic is interesting since Laura is obviously more bright than Beth. So it’s much like having a younger sister that is a prodigy and outshines Beth in most categories. Laura is more intelligent and interesting, but Beth doesn’t view her as a threat like she normally would. This is because Beth feels she has knowledge of the world that Laura doesn’t and her Beth’s street smarts makes her feel like she still has something she can teach Laura. Beth wants to be able to provide something for everyone. For Laura, Beth wants to provide wisdom and reassurance. Beth is the gentle hand on the shoulder and warm smile type. She wants Laura to know that she’s deserving of every aspect of human love and respect. 

Cesare - Beth’s feelings towards Cesare are conflicted. But they lean to the side of unpleasant. She knows that the team would crumble without him and she can recognize that she would never be able to do his job. He has to make hard decisions and pretend like their outcomes are exactly what he intended. And Beth understands the challenges and constraints he faces. But she still feels an enormous amount of bitterness towards him. Mostly because of how Tango’s situation was handled after the team disbanded. Beth has not yet seen that Cesare really cares for the team. And as someone who is always outwardly affectionate she can’t imagine the possibility of someone keeping good feelings secret. So she assumes that he views the team as chess pieces, not a family. 

Alec - Beth considers Alex her partner on the team. The two of them take to the skies together and through their tactics and communication they were able to successfully keep their team safe. The two work well together and Beth feels like she is able to speak in a direct and effective way that Alex can understand. She’s glad that when on a mission they click. But when off duty Beth feels a distance between them. She doesn’t quite understand him and there is still part of her that fears him a little. He’s too perfect and it makes her worry that it might be some sort of long standing facade. She cares for him but she does not underestimate his power. 

[technicolor-laura]

Task 001: Relationships

Zia | Babydoll

Laura has always admired Zia, the way she shines in the spotlight.  She is so many things that Laura herself is not, will never be.  Zia presents an ideal of femininity Laura had previously only encountered in her books and movies.  There is a touch of jealousy, but it is wistful, not resentful.  Still, Laura is not quite as starstruck as she once was and now seeks to close some of the distance that has remained between them.  She knows she will never be Zia, but perhaps she can learn to be a bit more like her.  Additionally, Laura struggles with her own femininity, and meaningful connection with other women has been scarce to non-existent in her life.  She doesn’t fully know it yet, but Laura yearns for the same kind of female connection that Zia does.

Will | Captain Kick

When Captain Kick first joined the team, Laura was thoroughly starstruck.  As far as she could tell, he was like one the heroes in her novels had stepped from the pages into real life.  Over the years, this has faded, but her admiration remains, now driven by what Laura understands of Will, rather than his character: his care for the team, his dedication.  However, Laura has, in that time, also become aware of more of her own strengths and how, in some ways, both of her teams have objectified her, oversimplified her–as a child, a weapon, an encyclopedia.  She doesn’t want to lead, she just wants to be recognized as a person, a team member, rather than an asset.  And as he is the leader, she especially wants Will to see that.

Benji | Druid

Benji was Laura’s first friend.  When she was first allowed out of containment to aid in the bureau’s research, she was assigned as his assistant, and since that immediate connection, Laura has always considered him her best friend and, to some extent, other half.  Despite that, during the team’s hiatus, they fell out of contact, and she has missed him desperately.  He is one of the few people she’s convinced ever really saw her as an actual individual, and of the team members, he is the one she was most excited to finally see again.  However, as so much time has passed and neither are ever particularly forthcoming about their feelings, she’s worried he doesn’t feel the same way she does.

Beth | Monarch

Beth has always been kind; it is something, Laura thinks, which just seeps from her very nature.  They were never particularly close, but Laura still felt the benefit of that kindness, that deep seated caring, and appreciated it more than she knew how to express.  Still, Beth puzzles Laura.  As one of the most outwardly emotional and emotionally driven people Laura has encountered, Beth’s behavior and choices are often difficult for Laura to understand, as the decision making process is so different from her own.  However, recently, Laura has found a fundamental connection with the other woman: they both think of the team as family, a realization that has, in not very much time, already done much to make Laura feel closer to Beth, despite her frequent confusion.

Damien | Mortician

Of the team’s human members, Laura was, almost from the beginning, the most comfortable with Damien.  At first, she hadn’t been sure what to make of him, as he didn’t fit as neatly into one of her fictional archetypes as the others, but this, combined with the time they spent together on missions, allowed her to actually get to know him, and for that she has always been grateful.  Their similarly quiet natures and shared love of books resulted in a close bond, which persisted even after the team disbanded through the exchange of letters and postcards.  Laura thinks of Damien as an older brother and trusts him to advise and understand her, or at the very least, recommend a good book and sit in companionable silence with her while she reads it.  Laura has never been good at expressing her feelings or ordinary chit chat, but with Damien, she doesn’t need to be.

Cesare | Commander Price

Cesare is the closest Laura’s ever come to having a parent.  Early in their relationship, he expressed faith in her and her abilities, some degree of care even, and led her to feel dependent on him.  During the team’s first run, she never questioned any of this, not his reasons, not his sincerity.  However, over the last fifteen years, Laura has learned a lot about human interaction, about deception and ulterior motives, about her own naïvety, and looking over their interactions and his other actions with the beginnings of a critical eye, she is starting to have questions.  The problem is, she can’t yet separate his behaviors into what seems calculated and what doesn’t, leaving her to begin slowly to wonder whether any of the care and fondness he expressed for her was ever genuine at all.

Addy | Tallahassee

Laura’s never been quite sure what to make of Addy.  The other woman is about as different from Laura as she imagines is possible.  Where Laura is quiet and careful and subtle, Addy is loud and reckless and bold, and somehow, Laura finds this both concerning and enthralling.  There are certainly choices and impulses the other acts on, often too quickly, Laura thinks, that she doesn’t approve of, but Addy’s kindness, warmth, and excitement make it difficult to be all that wary of the woman herself.  She also can’t help but admire the total honesty and earnestness that Addy acts with, how sincere and unapologetic she is in being herself.  For now, Laura just thinks it sometimes best to do that admiring from a safe distance.

Alec | Starscreech

Laura and Alec have a lot in common: they are both outsiders, they both struggle to understand other people and their social conventions, they are both sometimes feared by those other people.  Despite how relatable she found him though, they’ve never been particularly close.  Perhaps because their roles on the team were different or perhaps because their roles in the public eye were different.  She admires him, appreciates him, is, from a scientific perspective, incredibly curious about him, but to some extent she doesn’t want to admit to herself, that she is perhaps not even really aware of yet, she resents him.  She resents that he was allowed to go live his life while Tango was sent back to containment and she was kept on a leash, she resents that he has always been trusted and adored, while she has been underestimated and ostracized, even though of the two, she is less dangerous and more human.  She resents that he is perceived as more human than she is.

Tango | The Creature

Laura adores Tango.  He was, next to Benji, her best friend on the team, and one of the rare people who could truly understand her experiences.  She learned so much from him during the team’s first run: warmth, affection, sincerity, the simple joy of physical play.  He was one of the few members of the team she learned to be comfortable actually displaying affection, and especially physical affection, toward.  And then the team disbanded.  Laura never visited Tango in containment.  She missed him terribly, wrote, often, and sent back gifts from her travels she thought he’d like–snacks and music, mainly–but even when she was stateside, she could never bring herself to actually go that far into containment.  Part of her worried that if she went in, the bureau would change their mind and not let her back out, but mostly she felt guilty that she was allowed to stay on the outside, and he wasn’t.  Even now that he’s out again, and she’s so overjoyed to actually get to see him, hug him, again, that guilt gnaws at her.

[fmdduri]

PRESS PLAY!

trainee evaluations were something that happened once a month, probably one of the scariest things about being a trainee. duri had seen 23 of these trainee evaluations while being a trainee for 2 years, so he had a lot of practice with these (though, of course, there were people in the company longer than him that had a lot more of these.) due to duri being a vocal trainee underneath bc entertainment, most of the songs on this playlist are rather vocal focused, at least when it comes to his solo trainee evaluations - there’s some songs that were group trainee evaluations that involved dancing. each song on the playlist is marked with solo or group to showcase that. a lot of the people on this playlist are personal inspirations for duri music wise, especially whitney houston, which he sang eight times out of twenty-three evaluations (duri also sang i will always love you twice, once for audition and once for his first evaluation.) truth be told, he looks back on these fondly, even if most people seemed to quiver a bit when it came for duri’s evaluations, making him a bit of a target to get picked out due to a good ol’ case of jealousy. 

001. i will always love you by whitney houston. (solo) 002. my heart will go on  by céline dion. (solo) 003. i have nothing by whitney houston. (solo) 004. beauty and the beast by céline dion & peabo bryson. (solo) 005. thriller by michael jackson. (group) 006. lose my breath by destiny’s child. (group) 007. so emotional by whitney houston. (solo) 008. how will i know by whitney houston. (solo) 009. where do broken hearts go by whitney houston. (solo) 010. missing you by kim bum soo & kim da mi. (solo) 011. a beautiful farewell by kim gun mo. (solo) 012. doll’s dream by loveholic. (solo) 013. i wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) by whitney houston. (solo) 014. mirotic by tvxq! (group) 015. (’cause) i’m your girl by s.e.s. (group) 016. one candle by god. (group) 017. attention by lady. (group) 018. too little too late by jojo. (solo) 019. crazy in love by beyoncé featuring jay-z. (group) 020. gazing blankly by zia. (solo) 021. balloons by tvxq! (group) 022. i’m your baby tonight by whitney houston. (solo) 023. run to you by whitney houston. (solo)

[lovehurried]

LYRIC STARTER CALL  •  @smilesreturn​  •  Sebastian Wilder          Bling  ( Confessions of a King )  ( The Killers, Sam’s Town  (2006) )

“How do you know that you’re right, hm?” Zia asks, in her typically blunt fashion. Anyone who knows her is familiar with this side of her - the side that’ll challenge you because she loves you, pushes you because she wants you to push yourself. There’s a smile threatening to break as she waits for an answer, but her poker face is better than most.

[quantumfuturism]

Distance≠Time immersive multimedia exhibition opening reception tomorrow at @iceboxprojectspace featuring the efforts by the Culture Industry Dot Club, and Time Camp 001 artworks, multimedia workshops, and lectures curated by #BlackQuantumFuturism - exhibition will be up until October and during #TimeCamp001 9/30-10/1/17 | feat work by: Amy Lee Ketchum, Angie Holiday, Blache Marie,Darian Longmire, Dash, Euca, Josh Graupera, Kaitlin Pomerantz, Keith Lemley, Marcelline Mandeng, M. Asli Dukan, M. Mohamed, Nadahada, Oji, Ras Cutlass, Razan AlSalah, Redeem Pettaway, Richard R. Ross, Risha Rox, Sage Stargate, Sara Zia Ebrahimi and Gralin Hughes, Ytasha L. Womack, Judith Sönnicken, Laura Deutch & Katya Gorker, and Zein Nakhoda Presenters / Workshops / Performances: Kendra Krueger and Alex Harsley, Blache Marie and Rose, Nickelangelo, Sapphire Woods, Nathan Fried, Molina Speaks, Asia Dorsey, Sheree LoveMestiza Brown, Maggie Lily, Matt Kalasky, Jazmyn Burton, Interminable, Moor Mother, Solarized (at Icebox Project Space)

[maslidukan]

#Repost @blackquantumfuturism (@get_repost) ・・・ Distance≠Time immersive multimedia exhibition opening reception tomorrow at @iceboxprojectspace featuring the efforts by the Culture Industry Dot Club, and Time Camp 001 artworks, multimedia workshops, and lectures curated by #BlackQuantumFuturism - exhibition will be up until October and during #TimeCamp001 9/30-10/1/17 | feat work by: Amy Lee Ketchum, Angie Holiday, Blache Marie,Darian Longmire, Dash, Euca, Josh Graupera, Kaitlin Pomerantz, Keith Lemley, Marcelline Mandeng, M. Asli Dukan, M. Mohamed, Nadahada, Oji, Ras Cutlass, Razan AlSalah, Redeem Pettaway, Richard R. Ross, Risha Rox, Sage Stargate, Sara Zia Ebrahimi and Gralin Hughes, Ytasha L. Womack, Judith Sönnicken, Laura Deutch & Katya Gorker, and Zein Nakhoda Presenters / Workshops / Performances: Kendra Krueger and Alex Harsley, Blache Marie and Rose, Nickelangelo, Sapphire Woods, Nathan Fried, Molina Speaks, Asia Dorsey, Sheree LoveMestiza Brown, Maggie Lily, Matt Kalasky, Jazmyn Burton, Interminable, Moor Mother, Solarized