#tafferfield

Oh boy, let’s see...1.: I can write pretty well

2.: My problem-solving skills aren’t half bad either

3.: I’m fairly self-aware and will admit mistakes - at least I’m working on that

4.: I’m a generally helpful person

5.: I learn really quickly - at least when the topic interests me

Oh, wow, I actually had a post talking about almost this exact thing in my queue for a couple weeks now. It’s scary how on point this question is.

Strap in, because there’s a lot of context for this answer and it got extremely long.

Something I’ve thought about a lot is how often we see or hear Rahim manning the radios in the Tower. One of the first things we see him doing is fiddling with the radio trying to get in contact with Mark, who had gone missing. The quartermaster later says ‘Rahim radioed me about you’ when we first go to him for supplies. As Crane goes about the prologue he regularly reports back to Rahim and Rahim checks in on him.

Point being, Rahim is on the radios a lot. It seems he has a lot of responsibility on them. I don’t get the impression that he’s just chatting with Crane for kicks. (Although, don’t get me wrong, I do think Rahim warms up to Crane rather quickly and definitely enjoys harassing him over radio.)

Rahim also mentions later that “all [he] can do is watch… sit on [his] ass… and do nothing,” implying that he may not go out to run missions as often as other runners.

What if they try to keep Rahim on the radios because he’s good with them? Good with electronics? He knows how to (kind of) piece things together and make them work?

There’s even a side mission where you have to find electronics for Rahim because he wants to build a “robotic runner,” which I don’t take super seriously and I don’t think Rahim does either, but it’s at least worth noting that he wanted electronic parts for a project and has some concept of working with them.

What if, Rahim was into in electronic engineering when the outbreak happened?

I believe Rahim and Jade grew up in the slums, considering Jade mentions that “[she] remember[s] playing [at the school] as a kid.” Can you imagine them having some cheap old radio or tv that stops working and little kid Rahim, after fiddling with it for a while, somehow makes it work again? (Probably more from luck than actual know-how the first time, but it doesn’t keep Rahim from being thrilled with himself.)

He wants to learn more. What if he could fix all of his family’s electronics whenever they break? He starts fantasizing about piecing together crazy contraptions from scraps. Better cell reception. Free WiFi.

There’s a chance Rahim didn’t have the funds right out of public school to go to university, so he works what entry level jobs he could to save up. At the same time, Jade was making a name for herself in kickboxing.

He’s drafted for mandatory military service, but since gay men can’t serve in the Turkish military, (and I personally headcanon Rahim as gay) he avoids it by coming out. There’s a little bit of drama following that and with a pink certificate finding work is a little harder, but his family is supportive and he starts to get things back on track.

The details get a little fuzzy from here, but the next couple years are Rahim wanting to taste freedom and independence while trying to concentrate on going to school. He’s also caught between wanting to go do fun, selfish things and helping support his family. Of course, he’s a little shit disturber during all of this and gets distracted just being a young adult.

Jade wins her first championship and uses the money to move their parents into more comfortable housing. She offers to help pay for Rahim’s schooling. No one in the Aldemir family is too proud to accept the help.

Now, don’t get me wrong, by the time the outbreak happens, he’s not that skilled yet at what he does. Spike manages the traps, safe zones, and electric grid for the district. Alfie takes care of all the electrical Tower maintenance. Rahim on the other hand, is no expert. There’s still a decent amount of guesswork and percussive maintenance when he deals with the radios, but he definitely knows more than the average Joe-schmoe and it makes him the best candidate for Tower Receptionist.

Rahim wants to bring better communication and technologies to his slum. He’s definitely a product of his generation and sees the importance of social media and internet access. He wants to make things better than they are, create things that will make tasks more convenient for people, give people more access to tools to better help their situations.

All of this is further broadened by the everything going on in Harran. It’s what makes Rahim want to focus specifically on broadcast and telecommunications engineering, which are subdivisions of electronic engineering that have to do with radio and tv broadcasting, data transmission, wired and wireless communication, and the the technology to make it all work.

Rahim watches lives being risked by the lack of radio communication. He watches Zere struggle to find a cure with Camden over a static-ridden connection. The city is threatened because the ministry is able to pretend no one is left alive because no one in the quarantine has access to the outside world.

Post Harran, Rahim wants to move on to work on establishing/strengthening communication and data transmission in low income towns in Turkey and, possibly then, places around the world. Even though the jamming was the result of a government level intervention, he wants to do whatever he can to at least try to make sure no group of people can ever be threatened in the same way Harran was.

[Rahim’s interest in telecommunications can also tie into the headcanon I have about our heroes getting a weak internet signal and using it to spread awareness of Harran through social media.]

that is STUNNING

34.: - Do they have any pets?

Hm, I think Olivia would like a dog or a cat, but Satya has trouble with them. They often don’t behave predictably and they don’t care about order. Olivia doesn’t really care about that, either, but Olivia can clean up after herself^^

26.: - How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?

Neither of them really have contact to their families. Olivia was orphaned in the Omnic Crisis, and Satya was taken from her parents in Hyderabad after Vishkar found out she was capable of being a light-bending architech. They are each other’s family now. Olivia’s life as a hacker made it hard to form lasting friendships, save for McCree, who’s happy she found someone (although he relentlessly mocks her for being all mushy about Satya whenever they meet). Similarly, on top of already having trouble connecting with people, Satya found out Vishkar was using her to harm people who opposed their interests, so the few people she knew from work suddenly weren’t friends anymore, either.

If they joined Overwatch, I think people would look at their relationship somewhat amazedly? They’re very different people who are very similar in a few ways, if that makes sense. Their personal circumstances make life difficult for both of them, but they help each other out in their own ways.

40.: - Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?

31.: - Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?

Sometimes, but not often, they end up figuring something out together with the same thought, and then they finish the sentence together.

Picking up phrases is a bit more difficult because they have such a different cadence in their speech, but I think the first time Amélie copies Lena’s two-finger salute or Lena bows after doing something impressive, laughs would be had by all :D

Lena is a terrible liar and also pretty bad at hiding things, so Amélie figures it out fairly quickly. Amélie is much better at it, but Lena is nosy so she doesn’t have it easy. When it comes to difficult conversations, they both know that hiding something won’t solve anything, so they have a keen sense of knowing when the other is acting weird and ask.

33.: - What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?

Lena likes to give “old school” romantic presents every once in a while, like flowers, for example. Amélie knows Lena loves sweets, so she’ll come home from the confectioner with something elaborate sometimes. They don’t need special occasions for those.

On special occasions though, they don’t need huge gifts. Something small but thoughtful almost always wins over something expensive but impersonal, though it doesn’t have to be small. Amélie gave Lena model kits of planes before or French lessons, and Lena gave her a picture album full of memories or the chance to dance at a small studio in town.

38.: - What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?

It depends on the mood a lot. Sometimes it’s fairly vanilla, and other times the mood decides if the restraints are going to be velvet ribbons or actual cuffs.

As for turn-ons… Bondage is a thing, definitely, and in the same vein, some painplay. Amélie gets fascinated with Lena’s muscles and the subtle strength she has, and Lena is super into Amélie’s legs and the way she moves. Hiding something racy under everyday clothes works for both of them, so do each other’s voices.