The shock waves from Good Omens Season 3, or The Finale, or whatever that was continue to resonate, and several conversations have referenced the way things actually began to get weird during season 2 -- culminating, of course, in That Kiss, which I view (ymmv) as part gratuitous infliction of distress on the fandom, because a Certain Person enjoys (per some very credible public testimony) reeling people in and then hurting them, and part simple cynical orchestration of clamor for a conclusion (ring another one up on the register, boys).
The book was complete in itself. Season 1, impressively faithful to the book (credit where credit is due), was complete in itself. Yes, Crowley predicted a future Big One that would be "all of us (humanity and those on humanity's side) against All Of Them (the power structure of corporate Heaven and Hell)." But Armageddon was spiked, Satan was undercut by his own intended heir, and Aziraphale and Crowley -- who at best helped, but endeared themselves to us in the process -- were last seen sitting at the Ritz, enjoying Earth's luxuries and looking forward to retirement free of Celestial interference, whether it involved simply hanging out together, or a cottage by the sea, choose your own adventure. And quite a lot of us have decided that canon ended there.
I've certainly lost any faith that there was ever a serious outline for a sequel. Season 2 was supposedly a "bridge" to a "fully plotted out conclusion;" season 3, when we got there, was a thematically antithetical incident salad that made zero sense even if you allow for the compression into one-third the intended runtime. And that second season itself was six episodes of thin plot and a mostly forgettable supporting cast; the humor (again, ymmv) was strained, the fan service embarrassingly heavy-handed, and the proliferation of Mysterious Inconsistencies was just... exhausting. But the fandom responded with a lot of fics that tried to be less flimsy and more thoughtful; most of all, to resolve the "end of act II breakup" in a credible way (something that season 3 Never. Did). For this week's Throwback, I toss out three of my 2023 offerings, all rated T.
I'll Wait -- Aziraphale's back in Heaven. Crowley's trying to pick up the pieces on Earth. Both find that there's time to consider all the unsaid things.
And Muriel keeps finding things in the bookshop.
Dark Roast Espresso At The Purgatory Cafe -- The Supreme Archangel's swamped with paperwork and droning meetings.
And then, suddenly, he's in a grimy caff, across the table from the demon who walked away.
It's neither Heaven, nor Hell, nor Earth as they know it. But it's a place they can talk. And they need to.
Don't Look Back -- Hell has something the Supreme Archangel wants, if he has what it takes to retrieve it.
âYou promised,â said Aziraphale.
Shax didnât command the iron throne the way Beelzebub had. She was too conscious of occupying it, like a just-engaged girl gesturing with her newly beringed hand. Not asking you to look, but looky, looky, look.
It was an odd thing to be thinking about with Crowley chained on his knees between them.
Have you got a favorite post-s2 fic, your own or another's? Drop a link!
Bonus: @curiouspupsicle, that curator of delicious fic lists at @curiouspupsiclelibrary, has started their own Throwback, tossing out a challenge to fic writers to reflect on and share their early fic. Go check it out!
Tagging in the replies as is my wont; let me know if you want your name added or removed!
I write mainly Good Omens, along with occasional ventures into Sherlock Holmes (BBC and ACD), Doctor Who, and my first love, Star Trek. Find my fic here on AO3.
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I am too impatient to wait for myself to finish the mini comic, so have a text version with a drawing from it instead:
*A while after Will has been forced to face his darkest thoughts by Vecna he breaks down to Mike*
After the team tries to come up with a plan to defeat Vecna Will storms out of the room. Mike follows suit. Outside, in the rain, Will is pacing around, eyes glassy with un-shed tears.
Will: "We're never gonna defeat him Mike! I'm not strong enough! He keeps showing me these HORRIBLE things, and I just CAN'T TAKE IT. I'm not going to be able to make my way through it to actually fight him!"
Mike walks closer to Will, placing a hand on his shoulder. Will stops his pacing for a second.
Mike: "Don't say that Will. Nothing Vecna shows you is real, you KNOW this, he only does it to mess with your head! This is exactly what he wants."
Will shrugs of Mike's hand and turns against him.
Will: "but that's the THING Mike. Nothing he shows me is fake, it's all coming from me. It's everything I try to keep pushed down and hidden, even from myself!"
Will drags a hand through his wet hair. Looking Mike in the eyes for a second before turning away again.
Will: "He isn't showing me a horrible world to come, not my entire family dying, he's simply showing me the future I've always known is coming for me."
Mike takes a step towards Will.
Mike: "What do you mean 'the future you've always known is coming'?"
Will takes a breath and swallows the lump in his throat before continuing.
Will: "I'm not /like/ you, Mike. Sure we're both outsiders, but I'm DIFFERENT. We both know it, everybody knows, and it's only a matter of time before you all realize just HOW different I actually am."
Mike: "So what if you're different! I'll still ALWAYS be your best friend. And I'll /always/ be there for you. No matter what."
Will: "Some differences are just too big to get over, Mike. People call me Zombie Boy for God's sake. I'm somehow connected to a HIVEMIND. I'll never be like any of you guys."
Mike: "That's not true! El is connected to the upside down, are you saying you don't think SHE has a future either?"
Will: "That's not what I'm saying. This was just one example. One of many... I'll always be an outcast, I always have been. And all of you are going to move on, become NORMAL, while I'll be stuck here. Alone."
Will takes a breath. Steeling himself for what comes next.
Will: "It's not just the powers, or my connection to the upside down that makes me different from all of you. All that came later, but I was /born/ different. And I've known it for a long time now. There is not changing or fixing it. All the bullies from school were right. My DAD was right. I'm always gonna be a freak!"
Mike: "What are you even talking about now, Will? Your dad has never been right about a single thing in his LIFE!"
Will: "Well, he got this one right! All the times he called me a sissy, a queer, a FAG. Turns out he was right on the money. So yeah, I AM a freak, Mike!"
Mike is taken aback for a second. Before quickly stepping closer to Will, squeezing his shoulder tighter. In a soft voice he says
Mike: "If that's all it takes to make you a freak, I'm a freak too."
Will looks up at Mike, right before Mike leans in for a kiss.
Will's eyes widen in surprise. Just as he's about to relax into the kiss, Mike pulls back. They're both out of breath.
Mike: "I guess we'll be freaks together then."
Will: "yeah, freaks together."
AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER
(I am not the greatest writer and will likely change my mind about a lot of this, but you get the general gist while waiting for me to finish the proper stuff)
I just watched Good Omens season three and that was awful.
Fix-it idea with the same starting point and I try to keep a lot of elements even though I didn't really like season two much either and I'm jewish.
I think it should parallel the first time they tried to save Earth together and be more thematically coherent and also that ending sucks.
So Jesus/Josh hears the angels arguing about whether to destroy the world or not and he takes the Book of Life and runs(side note I'm putting the Tree of Life symbol on the book of life not relevant but make it look more interesting) he still wants to find Crowley and he still runs into a stranger who gives him food. I think he should do his famous doubling it but I think instead of the stranger telling him not to tell stories I think he should try to give it back and she should interpret that as him giving back the food she just gave and refuse and then leave and then he sees someone else hungry and gives that to them instead. Instead of getting directions from someone who inexplicably knows where Crowley is he uses the Book of Life to find out and Crowley is still drunk and still lost his Bentley but he's making nonsensical connections between losing his world(his Bentley now that Aziraphale's gone) due to not being able to keep track of which is which and the time *THE* world was almost destroyed due to losing track of which was which so he rambles about card games and needing to find the antichrist to stop the world from being destroyed and then tells Jesus to go away and Jesus is like thanks I want to stop the world from being destroyed and will do that. He checks the book and there's no antichrist only a former antichrist Adam Young who has been rewritten as not being one so he struggles to find him. Meanwhile Metatron has not been murdered but Heaven thinks he has because taking the Book of Life caused him to disappear and is gearing up to go war with Hell which they were frankly super excited to do anyways. Aziraphale who is not super excited about all that destruction goes to Earth and is immediately replaced by Michael as Archangel. Getting to Earth he realizes less than he'd hoped actually got better due to what he was doing in Heaven. The interactions between Crowley and Aziraphale go similarly getting the Bentley back but when the man who took it points the gun at Aziraphale they both sincerely panic after trying to save him using miracles and being unable to turn the gun into anything else and Crowley asks him how his daughter would do if he went to prison for murder and what the point of getting actual legal contracts are if he gets blood on them and somehow that startles him enough that they escape with the car. They realize Michael has cut Aziraphale off from using miracles and process how human and mortal they felt in that moment. While they're on their Jesus hunt Aziraphale very rattled asks for forgiveness earlier at this point and Crowley snappily says he has to apologize first. Aziraphale says he doesn't think he's capable of romantic attraction like most humans have and Crowley says he obviously doesn't have to love him that way if he doesn't Crowley doesn't want him to force himself and Crowley doesn't think that's quite what he's feeling either but he definitely loves him and he'd apologize for kissing him without asking to try to express it but well this is why you don't say you forgive someone before they're apologized and Crowley is more devastated by the leaving him for Heaven and the way Aziraphale saying that felt like treating his love for him itself like it was the thing that needs to be forgiven rather than the not asking. Before they can fully address that they realize they should hide the Bentley but still no miracles so Aziraphale just attaches fake signs to the sides for something incredibly unconvincing. Speaking of unconvincing instead of Aziraphale Muriel is in Hell in disguise and predictably gets caught. So Heaven and Hell are officially at war. Crowley remembers he saw Jesus and welp now they're searching for the antichrist again but only because they know the christ will be too. Jesus found Adam before they can find Jesus though. So uh reality rewriting fill in the blanks Crowley and Aziraphale make a different sacrifice and end up as humans but it's actually them.
Additional Tags: valentine's prompts, Flowers, Massage, Season 3 never happened here, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Some fighting, Fluff and Smut, Enemies to Lovers, Soulmates, Non-Graphic Smut
Summary:
Soulmates can find each other by the occasional shared thought. Alucard finds his in the midst of battle. Together, he and Hector build a relationship.
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It had taken them less than thirty minutes to go from the Rizla game to just asking each other random questions. The only celebrities that Sherlock knew were nineteenth-century chemists and twentieth-century criminals, which had more or less spoiled the game, and Sherlock had declared it pointless.
Then he suggested Yes or No, which at least required some deductive reasoning, and John agreed. But Sherlock was very good at this game, having deduced nearly everything about John in the first days of their acquaintance. Without asking any question, he deduced that John would choose violin, a human liver, Mrs Hudsonâs nephew, and Sherlockâs old mouse-coloured dressing gown.
John gives up. âFine. What donât you know about me?â
Do you love her is a real question, he gathersâ from the look on Sherlockâs face, which is serious and a bit sad.
The answer, which should be yes, of course I love her, instead comes out, âIâm marrying her.â
âPeople marry for reasons other thanââ Sherlock stops, appearing to realise he is going in a direction that can only lead to bad feelings. âSorry, not a fair question. Better: When did you know that you loved her?â
He remembers grief. The intense pain of the days after he saw Sherlock die on the sidewalk in front of Barts. There are few details he can recall after that moment. It was as if the pain had receded just enough to let him breathe, and a kind of grey fog had descended. Pain, then sorrow.
Somewhere during the sorrow part, Mary had appeared. She may have been there sooner, but he hadnât noticed. At some point he became aware of her bringing him coffee, talking to him, urging him to come out for lunch. Always there, cheerfully bullying him back into life. Eventually he noticed that he wasnât quite as sad, and that she was rather pretty.
But the pain was still there, a tender spot in his memory, and most days he still felt defeated. Mary helped, though, and he thought that if she stayed, everything would be easier. He didnât need to explain; she understood. He could keep the memories at bay when she was around.
By then he was having sex with her. He didnât remember exactly how that had begun. Maybe it was a pity fuck one night when heâd had too much to drink. He woke up in her bed hungover, waiting for the darkness to descend like a weight on his chest, and she was there, making him a cup of tea, urging him to have some toast, sweetly solicitous and not accepting any excuses.
Does he love her?
Sherlock is still looking at him, the question in his eyes.
âShe was there when I needed someone,â he says. âI just knew.â
Heâd known that morning that he needed to move on, to leave what had happened in the past and live his life. And there she was.
âYour turn,â Sherlock says.
John thinks of all the things heâs ever wanted to know about Sherlock, but has never asked because it has never seemed a good time. Sherlock has a way of warding off questions with just a look. An armour that does not allow anyone in, not even John. Heâs wondered about a lot of things, but asking has never been an option. Sherlock never has to ask; he simply deduces. John is terrible at deductions, as Sherlock often reminds him.
âHave you ever been in love?â
Sherlock doesnât hesitate. âYes. Twice.â
âThat was a yes-no question, so I get follow-up. So, the first. Who was he?â
Sherlock smiles. âYouâre assuming it was a man.â
âWasnât it? I thought⌠youâre⌠ermâŚâ
âGay? Yes, I am.â
âYou loved a man,â John says. Obviously.
âWell, a boy. I was twelve. I suppose it wasnât love so much as infatuation and hormones. His name was Victor. I never told him until I met him again at uni.â He gives John one of those looks that makes him feel like he is being x-rayed. âHave you ever kissed a man?â
âIâm not gay,â he says at once. âI mean, why would I kiss a man if I knew I wasnât gay?â
âFollow-up question, then. When did you know you were not gay?â
Johnâs mouth may have been open for a bit. Itâs an odd question. Everybody knows theyâre straight until something happens and they know theyâre not. Isnât that the way it works? âI just knew. When did you know you were gay?â
âWhen I was twelve. I was at a stupid birthday party my mother made me attend, and we were playing Forfeit. I was asked a question I didnât like to answer and took the forfeit. Up until then the penalties were stupid things like singing a song or doing a dance, but this time it was kissing a girl. The girl was willing, and I was curious, so I agreed. That was when I realised girls werenât my cup of tea, so to speak. I wanted to kiss Victor.â
John says nothing, though itâs his turn. He remembers a similar party, a boy who wanted to kiss him, and feeling terrified that his parents would find out if he did. Harry had just come out, and he was trying very hard to make up for all of her shortcomings.
Sherlock asks, âHow do you know youâre not gay if youâve never kissed a man?â
âIâve kissed lots of women,â he replies. âI donât need to kiss a man to know Iâm not gay.â
Sherlock shrugs. âI assumed that I was like everyone else, that some day I would meet the right girl, get married, and have children. That was how it was supposed to work, and I thought there was something wrong with me because I didnât like girls that way. All my fantasies were about boys, but I thought I would eventually be attracted to girls as I got older. That kiss told me I would never love a woman.â
âYou think I should kiss a man just to see if Iâm a bit gay?â He laughs.
âItâs your forfeit, for not having an answer.â
âIâm not going to kiss some random bloke just because youââ
âNot a random bloke. Me. Kiss me.â
This is dangerous ground. Somewhere in his libido lies something that heâs thought about. Maybe heâs even fantasised about kissing a man. Having sex with a man. Just a lark, maybe. Donât lots of men go through that? It doesnât mean anything.
But, Sherlock. He lived with him for a year and a half, and theyâd been friends. And he grieved when Sherlock died. Not grieved like a friend. Heâd lost friends before, and this was nothing like those losses. Pain, darkness, unending regret. Even after Mary, some of that darkness remained. Moments when he remembered something Sherlock had said or done, a stab of pain. If it hadnât been for Maryâ
And it came to him. Mary was balm for his wounds. She brought him back from the edge. He is grateful to her. But gratitude isnât love. Being in such pain for so long, and then a bit of lightâ that isnât love, itâs relief. Heâs seen patients in physical pain become almost giddy when given a dose of something that takes their agony away, not even enough to make them high. Relief feels like intoxication when pain has gone on so long.
If it hadnât been for Mary, he would have understood what heâd only begun to see. She helped him, saved him even. But she was a distraction from the pain, not a cure.
He glances at Sherlock, who is pulling back, looking like he wishes he hadnât just asked for a kiss. Maybe heâll make a joke about their game, move them towards goodnight, goodbye, see you at the wedding.
âYes,â he says. Itâs an answer to everythingâ regret, grief, sorrow, love. Itâs an apology for not seeing sooner, for the night at the Landmark, for his anger and cruel rejection of the man he has loved for years. âKiss me.â
* * * * * * * * * *
Sherlock is right. The kiss tells John things heâs tried hard to forget. It tells him that has loved men before, but called it friendship, that he has wanted to touch men and kiss them, and called it lust, or fantasy, or a phase that all men go through. Women attract him too, and he grabbed onto heterosexuality like a life-raft because he was afraid of the alternative. His sister and his father, yelling. Harry thrown out of the house. His father, looking at him, saying not you too. Never you, my boy.
The kiss tells him that has already met the love of his life.
âI need to call Mary,â he says when they break away.
Sherlock looks sad. He nods. âOf course.â
âOne more question,â John says. âWho was the second person you loved?â
âIt doesnât matter.â
âIt does,â he says. âIâm about to call my fiancee and break our engagement just days before the wedding because Iâm in love with my best friend. So please, answer the question.â
Sherlockâs face does something John has never seen. It crumples and tears fill his eyes, and then heâs laughing and crying and not able to speak.
John kisses him again.
Author note: This is an old ficlet, from Trifles, posted here.
I finally reached a point in Finding Family I've been thinking about for ages. Part of it that floats through my brain when my muse is on Finding Family while listening to music. The big part. With facing down enemies. And now I have to make a decision regarding Praxis.
Does he die like a bitch to Kor like in the games? Or do Damas or Lyra get to do the honors themselves? Do I commit to it? I mean, he's not really had a large presence in the story, due to the fact a large part of the story has taken place in Spargus. Does it really matter how he dies? What purpose to the plot, to the characters, to any of it do each option hold? Do I spin the random wheel of chance? Or do I write it as it has played out in my mind time and time again?
Except, there's two ways it has played out in my head. One way where he's killed by Kor. And another way where he's killed by Lyra and Damas working together. Part of me really wants to use the second, because the scene it takes place in is kind of more epic. The first is gruesome and kinda solidly secures how dangerous and scary Kor is in Lyra's mind, which does matter for her, but she already acknowledges that Kor is a scary motherfucker, she just doesn't fully grasp it, if that makes sense?
She's encountered metalheads she knows are weaker that scare the shit out of her, but it's hard for her to separate the Kor of reality from the Kor of the game she's fought and beaten a hundred times. I dunno, necessarily, that she needs to witness him killing Praxis to get that, though, because she knows it's different in real life than the game. Especially since she is working with her own skillset, not Jak's with her ability to work a controller.
Also, should I have done similar things to what was done in Nothing More, Nothing Less and had a bunch of flashbacks to the past so he was present in the story so maybe we'd care more about his death without having to have the knowledge of the games? I mean, there are mentions of what he's done to the characters, of course. Various things. Like, of course, what we know of what he did to Jak and Damas with the coup, along with some details sprinkled here and there. But I never played around with flashbacks the way sonicringnoise did in their story outside of random dreams Lyra has. I never did flashbacks for Damas or Jak or Daxter.
And I'm realizing now that I could've done that. I maybe should've. Because it would've built the world up more before I reached this point. I can probably add some when I edit before posting. I'll have to decide how I want to do them. Do I do them as dreams, like the bits of flashbacks I have for Lyra are? Or do I just do regular old flashbacks? Or do I have them when they're telling stories about them? I have a spot where I could have a flashback with Damas. At least one. Probably another if I just have it a regular flashback, not where he's talking about it at length or anything.
I'm back with more Age of Scorpius Doesn't Make Any Sense. The seasonal demons almost got the best of me last night, but they never win. No matter how early they are.
So I wrote over four thousand words yesterday, but when I came upon chapter eight, I was running out of steam for the day. I don't know if I just have a horrible rhythm/pace, or if these parts just seem that much more nonsensical/unnavigable as I'm running out of steam. Either way.
I have to say, one of the fastest ways to send my suspension of disbelief crashing to the floor is with this deus-ex-my-blorbo shit. So apparently they wandered around in blasting winds, in a blizzard, all day??? Winter lives in the US, right?? She claims that she worked on a fishing boat?? And that she really loves wolves??? Who primarily live in places that get snow????? But it took them hours and hours for hypothermia to start to set in??? And then magically??? They get rescued????
âAlso, I helped you find the Archive. Youâre welcome.â
I--excuse me, I fucking find it difficult to believe that any politician, no matter how real, fictional, out-of-touch, or down-to-earth, would just OUT and tell a couple of teens "I helped you find the archive--đľYou're welcome!!đľ" Like, sure yeah yeah yeah whatever, would anyone really believe a couple of teenagers who just took their vows to be dutiful members of society, over a man who has been reigning from on high for at least a couple decades? But he's a fucking politician. On the one hand, he may very well be out of touch with consensus reality, but he would goddamn well know his constituency, and these teens are a part of that constituency now. He needs them to continue to respect him and do his bidding.
Chase mustâve caught the tiny sway in my body from the lightheadedness taking over. He stood up quickly, moving aside so I could sit down in his spot. I folded my legs close to myself, as if protecting my body, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to be alone in my room in Conviction Woods. Chase sat down on the ground, his back against the front armrest of the chair to avoid getting too close to my legs. I appreciated how careful he was about my space.
Blah blah blah
âAlright, now that weâre situatedââ Atlas began, and Chase opened his mouth to say something. Atlas put his hand up. âAhânope, here, letâs get the shock over with. I know she found the arch. I know youâre a Libran Healer.â
"Let's get the shock over with"???? What the fuck even kind of thing is that to say??? I don't understand. Is this the fucking Hunger Games???
Chase and I stared at him in disbelief. There was no way it wasnât a trap.
I'm only leaving in their annoying reactions for clarity when I come back to read this in fifty years.
âHow?â Chase finally forced out. âHow did you know that about me? Iâve only ever told my dad.â
Moving on. I'm sure there's no way in the whole entire world that his dad would have told anyone. Two can keep a secret--if one of them is dead.
âIâm an Arctura. I just know these things.â Atlas smiled and crossed his arms, dangerously close to tipping his chair over. âThereâs not much you can hide from the Stellarium. Youâre damn lucky Iâm the part of the Stellarium who knows about your archpower.â
What is with this over-the-top clownish, silly, childish behavior??? Is this supposed to like, be mirroring?? To make them feel like he's one of them?? Because if I was an older teen and suddenly found myself plopped in front of one of the biggest politicians in my government, this would be really off-putting. And on the one hand, a fucking seasoned politician would know this.....so what is he playing at??
âAnd you led us to the arch?â Chase followed up. âArenât you supposed to be working alongside the Scorpio Arctura?â
What the fuck, Chase, you blabbermouth. Shut up.
ââSupposedâ is the key word there.â Atlas sighed heavily. âIâm not fond of Verenaâs leadership style.â
So what, is this like, political sabotage? Is this a power grab? I suppose it would make sense to ruin a couple of kids' lives for your own political gain....but you have to do that in a way that convinces the kids that it's not for your gain and won't be to their detriment. A fucking politician.....would. Know. That. WINTER!!!!
Chase nodded slowly. âSo you led us right to a scroll that disproves the law she swears by.â
I just hate this conversation. Chase, shut the fuck up.
âPrecisely. I despise the Scorpio Code. I have my reasons.â
âWhy us?â
Winter has no fucking idea how to make a politician behave. I'm not going to pretend I know much better how I would manipulate two teens into bringing down my political enemy that we both hate, but it wouldn't be this. hhhhhhh
âReady for this?â Atlas rubbed his hands together. âThe Aries Stellarium canât expose the scroll. Thatâd be pitting Aries against Scorpio, and we donât want another war on our hands. Ideally, the Scorpio Code gets reversed by Scorpio. Easy answer: a Scorpio historian who hates the Code and a Libran Healer who can read ancient Driksaal.â
"Ready for this" like it's some kind of joke. And then he just lays all his cards right out--they're teens, not children. And clearly, with an uptick in the Scorpio enforcer presence in Hub--gawd, I hope Winter remembers that Chase and RIeka are living in Hub right now--by the way, it would be bad enough for there to be more enforcers acting brutally in Conviction, but wouldn't it cause some kind of political tension in Hub for there to be more Scorpio enforcers? ApPaReNtLyYyYy the Scorpio enforcers can only intervene with Scorpios.... So as a non-Scorpio, which is roughly 92% of the total population in Hub, I'd be feeling pretty nervous. It's like saying that suddenly the police presence has gone from every few blocks to every street corner, with no warning and no obvious reason. Even if the cops only beat black people, and I'm not a black people, I'd probably still be a bit on edge. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like even if I hated black people, I probably wouldn't want to watch someone get the shit beat out of them. Like, I can say with confidence, I wouldn't want to watch a certain major political figure get the shit beat out of him, no matter how much I loathe his pseudo-politicality.
Gawwwddd, this was supposed to be a tiny part of why I'm posting chapters so slowly..... Now I feel like I have to go back and entirely retool all this Scorpio enforcers stuff. Like, surely there'd be a noticeable uptick in tension, even from other signs toward Scorpios.
Oh, sorry, I got off on a bit of tangent. So on the one hand, he's got a decent point: Politically speaking, it would be best if Scorpio came down from the inside. But why did it have to be a Scorpio historian? There aren't supposed to be that many of them. And why did it specifically have to be a Scorpio historian who hates the Code? To hear it told, everybody hates the Code, but it sounds like they just can't tell each other that, because of the way they've been politically (yes, and socially) atomized from each other.
The last thing is this, oh so convenient--a rare Libran Healer who can also happen to read an ancient written language. What the actual whole entire fuck??????
The realization visibly hit Chase. âIs that why I can read a language I was never taught?â
The WHAT!?!??! What the fuck, Winter did you even fucking re--oh, right, that's right. You're allergic to re-reading your own writing. If you really want to write stories that other people will enjoy, you're going to have to tackle that phobia. Oh wait, just kidding. She's phobic of feedback that doesn't further gas up her oversized ego. Ugh sorry, that's unfair. We're not trying to be toxic against the writer; we're trying to salvage the narrative using my skills, experience and so forth. I'm a lazy bitch. I don't really want to tear this scene completely down and rebuild it.
âLibran Healers can automatically read Driksaal. Iâm quite surprised neither of you knew that.â Atlas yawned. âHow long were you out there?â
Wow fucking deus ex machina strikes again. Also, this is fucking bullshit, because Chase fucking SAYS out of his own MOUTH, that he can barely read contemporary driksaal becaaaauuuussseee they didn't have to learn it in school. So NO, Atlas, you clown, no, Libran Healers can fucking NOT automatically read driksaal.
âWe had no choice,â Chase defended our choice to leave, ignoring the question to not embarrass the two of us. I made a note to myself to thank him later for carrying the conversation. âThe Scorpio Stellarium was on the second floor.â
Total non-answer. It's such a non-answer, it's a non-sequitur. Is the question to this answer in the room with us? Is it anywhere in the building???
âDid you not figure out that someone from the Stellarium helped you find the Scorpio Archive? And, if that person knew where the Archive was, wanted to show you that the Code was false, and knew your names, they probably wouldâve kept you safe and hidden from Scorpio?â
WHAT?!?!? That is--like I said in the last-night of this story--a fucking leap-reach. Who in their right mind, who doesn't assume that they're the main character of a novel, would fucking skip to "someone led us here; someone set us up"??? How the fuck does an Aries know where the fucking Scorpio Archive is???? This is so fucking WEAK!! What the fuck am I supposed to do with this??
Chase narrowed his eyes. âIn our defense, thereâs no way we couldâve predicted that the Aries Arctura was on our side, and to be clear⌠youâre part of the Stellarium, who is trying to murder us, and we walked into your office.â
You can't be that stupid, Chase. Unless Winter has completely misled the entire audience, the Stellaria are a one-sign-to-themselves thing. Also, you can't fucking call the government that oversees the whole union a Stellarium, it's fucking confusing. The Aries Stellarium (nor the Libra Stellarium) are not trying to fucking kill you, you brick-brain. Perhaps the Scorpio Stellarium is trying to kill you, but I doubt they're trying to kill a Libra. Perhaps the Conviction Union overseeing body is trying to kill you, Chase.
âI want you to trust me. Look, Iâm here to protect you.â Atlas continued. âYouâre two young folk I rescued in the storm, and most importantly, neither of you are Aries. All I did was save your lives. I donât have any obligation to say a thing about you.â
A) How did he KNOW to rescue them? B) Why DID he rescue them? C) What the fuck? WIIINNNTTTEEERRRRRRRRRR!!!!
He was either being genuine for reasons we didnât understand, or manipulatively charismatic. Knowing the Stellarium, it was probably the latter.
So. Whyyyy. The. FUCK. Do you fucking keep letting Chase TALK!?!?!? I feel like even my head-canon that they've got some Asian/Japanese (I don't know how other specific cultures place emphasis on exact age and superiority) age/respect thing going on. Like, how apparently, so the internet has told me, upon meeting, the Japanese will be like "hi, I was born January 21, 1990" "hi, you're my junior, I was born December 16, 1989". But surely even on occasion, a Japanese twenty-three-year-old will be like "gawd this twenty-four-years-and-three-months-old is a fucking idiot and they need to shut the fuck up before they get us in trouble". Surely. Surely, occasionally, it's acceptable to grab your elder by the ear, or stomp on their toe.
âI know things about you and her that Iâm not supposed to know,â Atlas said to Chase, âso letâs get on equal ground, Libra, and Iâll tell you something that Iâm not typically allowed to share. Fair?â
Yeah, how the fuck is that? How the fuck is this clown so goddamn omnipotent?? On the one hand, I understand that even before the internet, if there was a politician high-up who took whatever interest in a person, they could apparently--so I'm told--eventually get every last scrap of information on me--from my grades, to everywhere I've lived, and possibly every book I've ever read, how inconsistently I take my meds, and every person at whom I've ever flashed a polite smile. I still do not believe that this was actually a real thing before the internet.
âWhy should we believe that youâre not just going to turn us in?â Chase asked hesitantly.
âBecause I despise Verena and the Scorpio Stellarium just as much as you do. I have my reasons.â Atlas had no intention of disguising the disgust hidden in the tone of his voice when he spat out Verenaâs name. He swung his legs down to lean forward, his elbows on his desk, resting his chin on top of his folded hands. âI canât be responsible for dividing the Stellarium. By letting the two of you wreak chaos, you make my life significantly easier.â
How the fuck would such a massive clown have continued to be a part of such a high office of government???? "Okay, children, now your mission is to wreak chaos and havoc on the government so that I can get more political power" Dafuq. You'd have to be like, low-IQ serial killer dumb to think that you could get away with this. These two don't actually fucking know you. How do you know they aren't, on some level, inherently against you too??
Chase pondered the offer. Atlas held out a hand. Chase looked back to see if I agreed, and with no other option in sight, I gave him a small nod. He reached forward and shook Atlasâs hand.
Chase. You are. So. Fucking. Dumb. You fucking poopoo head.
âNow, Rieka, this involves you, too.â He held a hand out to me. âYou donât tell my secret, and I wonât tell yours. Sound good?â
Okay, look. We all already know Rieka is the mostest speshulest gurl and that she has the mostest speshulest power. So, what, does Atlas fucking already somehow know that Rieka is a fucking Zodiac Turner??? Or is he literally just talking about her Super Duper Top Secret Speshul Unique hatred of the Scorpio Stellarium?? Again, the fucking only thing keeping the Scorpio Stellarium in place is that its constituents are too afraid to speak openly to each other. But apparently they have no fucking problem speaking openly to fucking other signs.
I wasnât sure what else we had to lose, so I shook his hand.
He smiled. âThe history of the Zodiac Turners. The magic was destroyed in the War of the Rebalancing. True or false?â
âTrue?â Chase answered slowly.
âFalse,â Atlas corrected him. âItâs still in Gardian. Itâs still here, like your healing. There are six known Zodiac Turners in Gardian. At least. We think.â
AARRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!?!!!!?!?! How the fuck would you fucking know that??? Although they should, they are not made to do all three gestures at the fucking ceremony. Also, have I mentioned that it pisses me off that some fucking how two signs from the same fucking union are apparently allowed to be at the top and the remaining some eighty fucking percent of the population is--what, turning a blind eye??? Okay with being underrepresented??? WIIINNNTTTEEERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!
âSix?â I echoed. âTo my understanding, the only Zodiac Turner is the immortal Blaine, who, as told by Silas Merek, created the Scorpio Code.â
âKnock it off with the formality. I already know youâve broken it,â Atlas told me. âAlso, just because the scroll didnât list out the names of the Turners doesnât mean that Blaineâs the only Zodiac Turner.â
What the fuck. First, Rieka is not supposed to be stupid. She's S U P P P O O O O S E E D D to be a fucking historical researcher. Why the fuck would she say such a goddamn fool thing as 'the fucking three hundred-odd year old fucking scroll didn't list by name the zodiac turners who would exist today'.
And then fucking Aries with the 'surrender your life to me and drop your Scorpio facade because we all know that shit is fake'. Yeah, I bet every single last Scorpio on the face of Gardian hates the code /s, and I'm frankly sick of hearing such a presumption. How the entire fuck could he POSSIBLY know that she's already broken the Code???? Like, nobody without electricity is THAT omnipotent. You're seriously fucking telling me, what, there were people like on the East Trail when she was going back to the arch with Chase?? You are full of so much shit. Unless....he's just....trying to... call her....bluff??? That's an extremely aggressive way to be doing that....
âYou said at least six, and that you thought,â Chase repeated. âSo, there could potentially be more.â
Atlas, holding onto a pencil that he was tapping in his hands, went quiet for a moment to inspect us. âIf I were you, Iâd focus on the number six.â
Just. wut
I exchanged a glance with Chase again. The Scorpio Stellarium was already after me for breaking the Code. Atlas appeared to be on our sideâsuspiciously on our sideâbut more than anything else, I was intrigued.
âWhat direction should we go from here?â I asked.
Atlasâs eyes lit up at the omittance of Scorpio formality. âYou tell me.â
âThe arch. You gave us a translation guide to ancient Rurian.â
I. Am. Going. To. Scream. Why the fuck do they need to go back to the goddamn fucking arch??? They already fucking did the rubbings. They HAAAVVVEEE the fucking information that they need. They need to apparently go to this mountain, if it's even a real place. What if it's been re-named, or what if, over time, people have mistaken another mountain for the one that they actually want. Also, has Winter ever fucking been to a mountain?? Maybe I'm just stupid, but I've been back and forth over the Rockies and 'mountains' are rarely as distinct as the stories always make them sound. Like, in my experience, it's almost always easier to name and identify a range of mountains than a single one--especially as you get closer to that mountain range. Only the very peaks of mountains in a range are distinct, and, again, in my relatively limited experience, the peaks are hard as fuck to get to, and not actually that big/significant a part of the mountain. Mountains rarely ever stand independently, and personally, I would not hide something anywhere, inside or outside, on a mountain like that. Those are the kinds of mountains that siren-song people 'climb me! explore me! come! come!' Mountain ranges tend to be where humans live, which would make human-made things less obvious, and more tedious to sort through for something like a holy grail.
âThere you go.â Atlas stood up and stretched. âWe are right next to the East Trail, by the way. Iâll give you that much with your blizzard navigation skills. Iâve got you for the night. I have a room in the back with a bed, if one of you would like to sleep there and the other on the floor.â
"I've got you" fucking hate that. Like, in this context.
Well, thanks for coming on this journey with me. I feel like I've accomplished nothing. I still have no fucking idea how to salvage this scene or what the fuck to do with it.
