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#wwII lead soldiers
starryneitz · 1 year
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Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is a legit musical masterpiece of a rock album and I will not argue with anyone who says it isn't because they're SO FUCKING WRONG
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winterarmyy · 8 months
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Until Then
A series of random Bucky Drabbles that I can't let go but don't have the brain to make the whole complete plot of.
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Summary: A mission back in time brought Y/N to an unexpected encounter with the man she fell in love with.
Words: 2.3k++
Pairing: 40s!bucky / avenger!bucky x female!reader
Warnings: melancholy-ish plot line with fluffy ending
Inspiration: "You still would've turn my head, even if we'd met on a crowded street in 1944 and you were heading off to fight in the war" – Timeless (From the Vault) by Taylor Swift
Read my other works here: Masterlist
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It was supposed to be a quick in and out mission. Y/N and Tony were sent back in time to 1944; one day before Captain America and the Howling Commandos deployed to their next mission at the Austrian Alps, in Europe.
The duo were supposed to retrieve some lost files regarding Hydra's hidden bunks and labs back in the days. After the fight with Thanos, there were rumours of the re-creation of Project Winter Soldier lead by an organization that once associated with Hydra. So, they need all the information they could get their hands on; including the ones that are lost decades ago.
Unfortunately for them SHIELD used to be shitty at storing physical files back in the days. To be fair they still do, especially now that technology had advanced. Every single information were at the tip of their fingers; from typical criminal records to the name of every single doctor and nurses who were present when the person was born.
They literally have everything. And nothing at the same time.
And honestly, the mission was quick as they predicted. Tony managed to scanned the needed files and some others that he thought would be important. He's extra like that too, which was a plus.
However quick the mission supposed to be, they barely make it though, especially when the guards were suspicious of Tony's apparently "hippie" beard. It was such a shame. So much for dressing up in 40's style. They kind of nailed the outfit and aesthetics, according to Steve anyway.
However, thankfully by the time they got out of the facility they managed fit right in with crowd. The wave of people lead the duo along its current, more and more people joined in to the point that they weren't able to find any quiet place to activate their time device.
"I thought we're still in WWII? Why is there fucking a parade in the middle of the day?" Tony being unapologetically sarcastic as always.
Y/N looked around as she observed, there was couple of people animatedly, albeit, excitedly exclaimed to the streak of success of Captain America and the Howling Commandos in the war.
A little to the right of them, were a group of children who were semi-cosplaying as Captain America and his dream team, passionately play-fighting with the enemies as if they were in a theater performance.
"I guess they're celebrating small wins. Steve and his team did have several successful raids since the battle at Azzano." It was in fact true; what Y/N speculated was exactly the very reason of the current occasion.
Tony simply shrugged as he stretched his neck higher to hopefully find the end the crowd, "Sure, just keep your eyes open for a place to time jump. I don't want to be stuck in the middle of another war." Y/N nodded as she looked around the sides, wondering if there's an empty alleyway that they could use.
The more sketchy looking it was, the better.
The crowd was chaotic with different mix of conversations and cheers; voices intertwining with one another, each sentences criss and crosses into indecipherable storyline. But even then, Y/N could recognized that breathy, slightly giggly laughter anywhere.
Especially when he brushed right by her.
Y/N was well aware of how madly in love she was with Bucky even with the coy cat-and-mouse game they were playing for months. She knew exactly the hold he had on her soul that at some point, she was conviced that he still would've turn her head in any lifetime.
But that idea was only supposed to be one of the secrets in her mind; the thoughts of a hopeless romantic that she was. Certainly, she didn't dreamt of the vision for it come true. But there she was, frozen on her spot when the time stood still on the crowded street in 1944; fortuitously crossing path with man she fell in love with.
There weren't any suitable explanation for this other than it was fate. In that short milliseconds, Y/N saw the resemblance of the sight to a memory of hers in the crowded room a few short years ago; his left arm slung around Steve's neck, letting his weight leaned on his super soldier friend as he let out a hearty laughter.
There were only slight difference from what she saw before and what she currently seeing; Bucky wore an all black suit at that party, now he's wearing his military uniform in a parade. Bucky was dead drunk on Asguardian mead that night, now he's as sober as a soldier deprived of liquor. Bucky's left hand was adorned with high-tech vibranium metal, now that very hand was still made of flesh and blood, still alive.
During that brief moment of revelation, she truly believed that they were supposed to find this.
Whatever this is supposed to be; Fate? Love? Both? She was not sure either.
She was so stuck on holding her gaze on his back as the young soldier walked a few steps away from her that she didn't notice how the people in the surge glared at her unmoving state or how she had been astray from Tony.
Well, at least it only lasted until someone bumped into her and she staggered backwards, inevitably fell on the ground.
Y/N groaned but quickly patted her pockets to find her time device was still there. I mean, she can never be sure if it was just an accident that she fell or someone intended to distract her while pick-pocketing her belongings.
Though other people would probably already stood on  their feet but Y/N was still on the dusty road, as she was busy recollecting her mental state rather than her physical.
That was when a calloused hand reached out to her, offering a kind help.
She didn't think twice to take his hand, let alone looking up at his face when she gripped it tight enough to make a solid foundation to push herself against the gravity, "Oh dear me! Thank you so much, sir. I really..." She lost her momentum when she met the pale blue of his eyes, "...appreciate it." She ended the sentence breathlessly.
It's Bucky. Her brain tried to let her process the thought. It was not her Bucky but still... it's Bucky. Her eyes then fell to where their skin touched. Warm and gentle. His left hand felt the exact same as his right. It made her to cave in the urge to hold it a little longer, to savour the memory of what it could've been; not that she weren't fond of his vibranium arm but curiosity can be such a fickle thing.
Bucky smiled, "Glad to help, my lady." And oh dear does he smiled effortlessly, freely; as if he knew he deserved to feel joy in his life.
Even if she didn't want to, she had to let go of his hand after a few seconds too long of holding it when she was already up and ready to go. She returned his smile though her heart was barely tough enough to stop the spreading of its cracks, "Really, I can't thank you enough."
In reality, it was probably unnecessary to thank him that much for helping her to get back on her feet, but Y/N wasn't really thanking him just for that.
Unbeknownst to him, she was thanking him for not holding back a smile, for not overthinking about the things he might have done to draw a conclusion that he was undeserving have the luxury to smile, for unapologetically just living the life he supposed to have.
She thanked him for it.
Bucky chuckled amusingly as he slightly titled his head to the side. A charming pull on the corner of his lips revealed a smile that could swoon anyone on sight, especially her.
"Well, we're having a little party tonight before deploying to Europe tomorrow. So, maybe you can thank me by letting me bring you to the dance? How about that, doll?" She almost forgot that Steve was there next to him, until Bucky references the word "we".
And especially when his words might just pulled Y/N's heartstrings in ways that she could never thought someone could do. It was awfully slow, almost too delicate of a pull, but each inches of it pained her deeply.
If it was up to her, she would've said yes a million times over but she knew she can't. And the voice in her earpiece reminded her of it, "Y/N, we gotta go." Tony urged as he watched her from the corner of the street.
Y/N tried her best not let her facial expression flatter, "Unfortunately, I can't. I'm going back to my hometown today." It wasn't exactly a lie when she made that excuse.
"Ohh, I see. You're not from here, huh?" Bucky was very honest as his reaction clearly showed his disappointment. Though not at her, just at the situation.
Her brows briefly crunch into an apologizing plead before she boldly grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, slightly pulled him down to her level, while the other hand cupped one side of his face.
She tiptoed herself upwards as she pressed a firm yet sweet kiss on the smooth skin of his cheek and whispered against it, "But, I hope this would do."
Lost for words, heck, Bucky was lost for thoughts. What was left was his own heart thumping hard and loud that he bet Steve can hear it from where he was standing. His cheeks became warmer by the second and the redness spreads even to the tip of his ears.
Of course he had his cheek kissed before, but not like this. None of them felt like this. They were always too fast, too hasty.
Hers was different. It lingered a little longer, gently leaving her imprint on him. He can feel her grip on his collar, the stroke of her thumb on his cheek and of course the soft pressure of her lips on the other side of his face. He could everything so particularly.
Bucky was rendered speechless even after she pulled her lips away; it was too soon for his comfort. Eyes wide open, his lips slightly parted as he let himself lost in the pleasant surprise.
He thought she would parted herself and ran away feeling embarrassed, but she did the very opposite. Y/N lead his forehead to lean on hers, tip of their nose grazed, and her lips hovered above his.
So close, yet refused to merge with one another.
Y/N whispered quietly, as if she was talking to herself, "You'll be fine, James. You'll find home in the future. I promise."
Her voice trembled as Bucky just noticed how wet her eyes were becoming. With that amount of tears in them, he wondered if her sight were all blurry now.
Y/N took in a shaky breath before continuing, "You just need to survive the winter and trust me at the end of that season, you'll reach the sun again." Her thumbs softly traces his cheeks as she spoke.
Bucky didn't quite understand what she was saying but if he loosely translate it, it would mean that 'she believed that he'll be back soon after the war'. But then again, he felt like there were some major things that was missing from the context that he came up with.
Y/N's earpiece send another transmission of Tony's voice, "Okay, seriously. Come on, Juliette. Your other Romeo is waiting for you." She couldn't help but to smile as she closed her eyes, letting the excess tears fall down to her cheeks.
She didn't want to say goodbye, as she knew that this was not where their story ends, at least not his; that's for sure. So, she simply smiled up at him with a reassuring look in her eyes before stepping back. She then, briefly turned her attention to the dumbfounded Steve, gracing him with a similar smile before walking away.
It was just a few steps away when her hand was caught in between someone's, "Hey!" Y/N looked over her shoulder to see Bucky; wide eye, blinking in disbelief and blushing red, all at the same time, "WiIl... Will I see you again?" He asked, though hesitant; wondering if he was being rude.
Compared to what she had done to him, he was just being too polite.
Y/N chuckled dearly, "Of course." Then she replied confidently, "I owe you a dance after all." Her lips parted into a cheeky grin.
Bucky let out a sharp relieved sigh as his lips mimic hers, "I'll look forward to it, doll." He slightly bowed as his hand pulled hers closer to his lips, "Until then." He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand as his gaze remained on hers.
Apparently, it was Y/N's turn to blush to his antics. She stepped back shyly as her cheeks brightens before scurring away. Maybe, Bucky was right with his prediction prior. She did ran away feeling embarrassed after all.
She jogged towards the next corner of the street, meeting up with Tony. The older might have eyeing her in a teasing manner, but his smirk was the biggest giveaway. Y/N simply rolled her eyes, even if her lips maintained its shape from the aftermath of her encounter with Bucky.
As they entered deeper into the alleyway, Tony spoke, "I gotta admit, young terminator was a hottie. Not hotter than me, of course." he claimed.
Y/N frowned, letting out a scoff, "What do you mean "was"? He still is." Call it bias, but at least she was telling the truth.
Tony shrugged, "Meh. Would argue to differ. But, whatever that floats your boat, I guess?" Tony sassed as they clicked on the time device at the same time, revealing a swirlling portal, in front of them.
Y/N quirked her brow, her hands on her hips, "You're just jealous that he aged like a fine fucking wine and you don't." She purposely challenged his ego.
Tony dramatically rolled his eyes, "Please. He wishes." He walked into portal with an attitude, making Y/N laughed at his childish acts.
She looked back at the alleyway one last time and reminisce the last moments of a past that she never belong in. As she walked into the portal, she thought that maybe, it's time to pay her debt to Bucky.
End.
Read my other works here: Masterlist
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A/N: The start of bucky drabbles because why not. This is considered a drabble for me because i feel like there's lack of story building. But, you tell me. And did you enjoy it?
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daughterofcain-67 · 2 months
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𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 (𝚙𝚝.5)
(Soldier Boy x Female Reader)
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(masterlist)
𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Butcher, Ben, Hughie and yourself go to the Twins’ place so Ben could get some answers he needed, at least he hoped that would be the outcome. But afterward, a certain interference with Homelander brought back some memories of past events leading up to your retirement, which Ben doesn’t take lightly. You may have to find a compromise or some sort of middle ground.
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: mentions of Herogasm,spoilers to S3E6 - to an extent (same ideas happen, executed in different ways), if you haven’t reread part four, the way Ben and Y/N have met has changed if you’d like to reread that so things can make more sense in this chapter. That was the only part that was changed in the previous chapter, (basically she met Ben in ‘45 after WWII ended because Liberty wanted her to meet Edgar and be involved with Vought as a minor hero, they didn’t get along initially.) Mentions of how Y/N retired, brief and indescriptive mentions of torture, implications of smut or leading up to it at the end.
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You were sitting in the back seat of Butcher’s car with Ben and you looked out of the window while the four of you were driving to Vermont to interrupt TNT’s herogasm celebration. Seventy years since that mess started and you still don’t see the appeal. It just wasn’t your thing, never has been.
You could hear Ben softly snoring beside you. You had forgotten how long you were on the road and how draining they could be most of the time. While Butcher and Hughie were talking about some nonesense, you glanced over at the man beside you. Softening at the sight of him, a part of you wondered if this was still some sort of dream you were in. You wondered if this was actually your reality and Soldier Boy really had come back somehow.
Ben’s head was tilted back while his eyes were closed, his freckles seemed more prominent today than normal. He was handsome and you knew you had to treasure the little moments like this for as long as you could. You never knew what could happen after all.
You let out a soft breath before you leaned to the side and placed your head on his shoulder. You didn’t try to sleep though, instead you kept your gaze on the road from the backseat. Eventually, you realized that Butcher was pulling up somewhere discreet that must not have been that far away from the twins’ home. This must’ve been your stop since you realized the brooding man with the accent had turned off the engine.
“Ben, wake up.” You whispered and softly have his leg a little nudge.
He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings, realizing the ride was over. He looked down at you and gave you a soft grin before he started getting out of the car with the others.
“You coming with us?” Ben asked you and you sighed a little.
“Are you going to be blasting the Hell out of people or are you going to talk first like a sane person?” You asked with a little smirk, Ben rolled his eyes at you.
“We’ll see what happens. Just as long as people don’t get in my way.”
“Then I guess I’ll go with you to at least be on lookout. Lot’s of Vought’s supes will be there.” You sighed, getting out of the car, you just hoped he’s stay out of trouble.
Once you were out of the car, you walked along side Soldier Boy as you both followed Butcher and Hughie to the site. The four of you his behind some trees while Butcher pulled out a set of binoculars so he could see what exactly the group was getting yourselves into.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t hard to figure out what the group was getting themselves into because you could already hear the distant sounds of pornographic moans from people going to town on each other in broad daylight.
“So this is just some fucking Supe orgy.. Great…” Hughie said, sharing your disgust.
“Still a thing, huh? Wow.” Butcher said and Ben scoffed.
“Yeah, my thing. Founded it in ‘52 with Liberty. Good times…” Ben said, and you wondered how he would react about the news revealing she was also known as Stormfront, a former Nazi. That would be an interesting conversation to say the least especially since he fought the Nazis. Or so he likes to claim.
“And you knew he started all this?” Hughie asked you and you shrugged.
“What he did before he and I started getting along is beyond my business and I never cared to butt in. Especially with his…. Extra activities and interests.” You said for lack of a better word or phrase.
“Frenchie’s gonna be mad when he misses this.” Butcher joked, you didn’t know enough about Frenchmen to say anything but you still didn’t want to know what his interests were if he liked this kind of thing.
You heard Hughie discussing with Ben how he would go there first so he could tell Ben exactly where the twins were so no one gets hurt by getting in Soldier Boy’s way. You had a feeling that would be something that was easier said than done. You just leaned against one of the trees while they discussed their plans.
“You’ve got three minutes, Kid.” Ben said and that was when Hughie ran off and disappeared.
Ben watched you leaning against the tree, looking down at the grass. He smirked a little and wondered how you would react if you actually stepped into that room, how wide your eyes would get when you saw everything that was going on in that house. “You know it really isn’t as bad as you think it is.”
“Oh says the one that’s been to like a ton of them.” You said and shook your head, cringing at the thought of what was going on inside, and outside apparently.
“Of course I did, I started it after all. Liberty and I invited you, remember? It’s not like it would have killed you to go.” He reminded you and you cringed.
“No but it probably would have traumatized me. I don’t want to see everybody’s business.” You replied, Ben just laughed at you and you looked over at Butcher.
Butcher pulled out his phone while you two were talking and he looked at the time, then he glanced over at Soldier Boy, “His three minutes is up, Mate. You ready to get this show on the road?”
Ben finally looked over at Butcher and saw that he was putting his little rectangle device away then he looked down at you, “I’ll be in and out. Two more names crossed off the list and we’ll be one step closer to all of this being over with.”
He watched you lift your gaze to meet his and you nodded, “I’ll keep an eye out from here. I’ll give you a rumble or something if I can see any trouble.”
“Just as long as you stay out of trouble too, Doll. Payback knows I’m after them.” He said.
“I know how to keep watch. And I know how to take care of myself too if something’s not right.” You reminded.
He smiled, thankful you at least had his back even if you didn’t agree with this and didn’t even want to go into this. Butcher tossed Ben the binoculars and he handed them to you so you could keep watch. You took them as Ben leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head before he started walking off so he could head to the house, Butcher following behind.
He was one step closer to his goal in finding out who was behind his team stabbing him in the back, and he was eager to find out who exactly had the audacity to do such a thing.
You watched as Soldier Boy left with Butcher and you mentally wished him luck, truly hoping for the best for the outcome of all this. You just hoped that this wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened back in town when Ben accidentally killed all those innocent people. All you could do at the moment was wait and see what would happen.
A few minutes had passed and your eyes widened when you saw a blast shoot from the side of the building. Soon enough the entire building went down and you could hear so many people screaming in terror and pain from what was happening. You lifted the binoculars to your eyes for any sign of Soldier Boy through the rubble, ignoring the sites of random supes totally naked.
Everything happened so fast! He just walked in and he was just supposed to talk to the twins first! What the Hell happened in there?!
From what you could see, it was barely a glimpse of Ben putting a hand on one of the now burned couches. He looked around with confusion and you could tell he hadn’t realized exactly what he had done.
What the Hell was causing his black outs? How could you help get them to stop so he wouldn’t be killing so many people? You knew this couldn’t have been on purpose, could it?
Then trouble came by. It was only a glimpse and you had to do a double take but when you looked up at the sky, you could see a man in blue wearing a cape.
Homelander.
“Shit!” You cursed. So you dropped the binoculars, raised your hands and the earth beneath you began to rumble and that was your warning for Soldier Boy and Butcher.
Then, you shifted your feet and raised an arm before a pillar shot up from the earth several yards away from the entrance of the house and knocked Homelander from the sky to take him by surprise.
You made the same exact motions for another pillar to knock him around but he dodged this time. Unfortunately, this much power you were trying to use was starting to drain you.
“Fuck, why do I have to be so rusty with this?” You muttered and you stomped your foot and a large boulder popped up from the ground made up of the concrete in front of the entrance to the twins’ house and you hurled it as best as you could towards Homelander but he just used his laser vision and broke the boulder apart.
“Damnit!”
You were feeling weaker and weaker the more you tried to manipulate the earth, then when you realized that Homelander was now flying in your direction, you realized you might have been screwed.
“Fuck…”
A lot had happened within the past several minutes, and the first ten he had blacked out. He knew that he must’ve been the one behind blowing up this house. He could hear people screaming in terror outside when it happened but he didn’t remember any of it. He had no fucking clue what happened.
Maybe this was a part of why you were so hesitant about this entire thing.
That was when he felt the rumbling beneath him and when he looked over at Butcher, it was like both the men knew another fight was about to happen. But they could hear more commotion and when Ben walked outside, he saw that some random pillars had been made leading to the entrance of the house.
When he caught a glimpse of some boulder, clearly of your making, hurling towards some guy in a star-spangled cape only for it to explode from the two lasers in his eyes. But the moment Ben realized that the man he assumed was Homelander was flying in your direction, his eyes widened.
“Fucking Hell, Y/N…”
“Oy, what’s happening out ‘ere?” Butcher asked, rubbing his head to check and see if he had any bumps from the damaged building.
“Quake’s about to get herself into trouble if we don’t haul ass, that’s what.” Ben said as he started running into your direction.
He hated this feeling, and he only had it whenever you were on a mission before you retired. He never had this feeling with his other teammates, not until what happened to you after the ridiculous stunt you pulled back in the day.
Deep down he knew you were strong and capable. Hell, you could manipulate the earth however you wanted to and he was sure that if you had to, you could take down armies single handed, at least you could way back when. But Ben knew next to nothing about Homelander, and he didn’t know how good you were in a battle against another supe, especially one with a reputation like Homelander.
Especially since he knew what happened to you in ‘83.
When Ben made it to you, he saw that you were in combat with the so-called hero. You were trying and struggling to keep Homelander enclosed with some rock and soil wrapped around him since you didn’t exactly have concrete on hand and Homelander broke through your hold easily. Ben noticed blood dripping from your nose and he knew something was wrong.
Ben watched as Homelander flew towards you and he suddenly had his hand wrapped around your neck. With one effortless move, the hero flung you further into the forest and your back and head hit one of the trees, knocking you out. Then, Homelander turned to Ben and Butcher.
“Soldier Boy.. so you really are back from the dead.”
Ben’s jaw tightened and he could feel the rage building up, but he wanted to know what this condescending prick had to do with Butcher and why he was wrapped up in this shit anyway.
“Butcher, you and I had a deal. You brought outside interferences…. Deal’s off.” The next thing Ben knew, Homelander used his laser vision on Butcher and knocked the dust off him. Then the man in the cape turned back to Ben.
“You know… I really am a fan. I looked up to you, grew up watching all of your movies. You were the only person I could think of that was as strong as me.” Ben rolled his eyes at the comment.
“Look, Bud, I don’t need some fan boy to tell me how he thinks he’s so strong when he’s wearing some cape. Like what the fuck kind of weak son of a bitch needs a cape?”
“Weak? Compared to you, Old Man, I’m the upgrade.”
That was when the battle began between the two heroes. Ben had no idea just how strong this kid was until they started fighting. It was impressive, honestly. When Ben was backed up against a tree, he threw a mighty punch in the hero’s face and used his shield to push him off. That was when Butcher finally came to and used some laser vision he must’ve been keeping secret and he blasted the fuck out of Homelander to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Homelander was taken back from what Ben could see and he realized that the two were using their laser vision against each other and that could last who knew how long. Ben rushed over and pulled the hero by the cape and tugged him towards himself and threw yet another punch to the face, only for Homelander to return the favor. Butcher decided he wanted in and he managed to land a couple of punches against Homelander, who was getting frustrated by being cornered.
Ben used one last punch and used all of his strength and punched Homelander right in the face and it managed to knock the hero down to the ground. Butcher tackled Homelander down to the ground and pinned him there.
“Now!” Butcher yelled and Ben knew exactly what he meant and he put his hands on Homelander’s shoulders and other arm to make sure he couldn’t try going anywhere.
Ben closed his eyes and focused on absorbing as much energy as he could so he could prepare to blast the Hell out of this guy. Hughie finally decided to show up, ass naked, as he helped keep Homelander pinned to the ground. The energy building up in his chest was getting stronger and stronger by the second but he could feel Homelander struggling beneath him.
Suddenly, some sort of adrenaline from his life being in danger must’ve struck Homelander because some sort of strength overpowered him and he got out of Hughie and Butcher’s grasp and flew up and away to wherever the fuck he came from.
“Fucking Christ! We were so bloody close!” Butcher cursed, pissed off with how that went down. Understandably so…
Ben could feel the energy in his chest dissipating as he tried not to use it to blast anyone he didn’t need to. then he turned his attention to you. He saw your figure laying in front of a tree and he immediately got up and went over to check on you. What the actual fuck were you thinking drawing attention to yourself?! You were supposed to keep watch, not get yourself wrapped up in the fight!
“Y/N?” He questioned when he made it to your side and when he checked your pulse. He let out a breath of relief when he realized your pulse was still there, you probably just got the wind knocked out of you or something. It still didn’t change the fact that he was a little pissed at the situation you put yourself in.
Well… maybe more than a little pissed.
“How is she?” Hughie asked as he covered himself as best as he could.
“She’s fine. She’ll probably have a concussion, she’s been through a Hell of a lot worse.” Ben said and he set down his shield before lifting you up and he slung you over his shoulder. His brows narrowed as he recalled how easily Homelander slung you into a tree. What would have happened if you hit your head just right? You could have died if you weren’t careful.
“Uh… You alright?” He heard the runt ask and he didn’t respond. Instead he just lifted his shield once more and started walking to the car.
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You had woken up several hours ago. You didn’t need to be checked out despite Hughie’s relentless suggestions to do so. All you had was a bit of a bump on your head and a bruise on your back from where you hit that damned tree. You were lucky, and you knew that. But it helped that you already had a lot of durability anyways.
However, things were tense in the backseat between you and Ben. You knew that he had a lot of things shooting through his mind at light speed. And you also knew that he wanted to tell you a lot of it, probably lecture you on how you were stupid or something.
He always hated when you were on a mission and he wasn’t there. No matter how many times you reassured him in the past that you didn’t break easily, he still hated when you were reckless. Especially after the last mission you were involved in that ultimately lead to your retirement.
It was 1983
You had been an official hero under Vought for several decades at this point, since 1946. Naturally you refused to be a part of Payback when they offered, you liked being one of the lower heroes despite Vought thinking your abilities would be good for Payback for their upcoming plans to get supes into the military.
Anyway, even though you wanted to be a lower rating hero and you wanted to avoid being a spectacle for the public you still wanted to do something that mattered. You were tired of being put on some sort of neighborhood watch and take care of petty crimes. You had read the newspapers and heard the reports on the radio. The Cold War was at its worst, and you wanted to help defend the country in a way Vought wasn’t allowing you to.
A part of you had regretted not being a part of Payback, but they were going about this whole military ting all wrong. They were more concerned about their ratings, how well their movies were selling, none of them cared to actually go and see any combat. You wanted that to change and you wanted supes to be legitimate, you wanted Vought to be responsible and show their supes that being a hero was different from publicity stunts and movies.
You were naive thinking you could actually make a difference in the country by your unauthorized little mission.
You found out a way to make some sort of fake identification for the government to disguise yourself. You were able to sneak into one of the secretary offices and find some files that the government didn’t want to release to the public and cause even more of a panic. You found out a lot about the nuclear arms and some of the testing sites, some known to the public and most unknown.
You found out a hell of a lot more than you wanted to, more information about both America and the Soviets, than you preferred. You found that the Soviets were reported at NATO. You decided to go to the hangar and see exactly what could prevent a war from happening. You found out was the Americans testing their bombs, mock bombings on Soviet territory. The air force and the navy were both involved and they were getting away with it. You even found out about the situation at NATO. And to those who payed attention to their history lessons, they know that NATO was a catastrophic event and it nearly caused the third World War. You weren’t the only one that was trying to help prevent everything.
But in the midst of this information gathering, you had been caught going through the files and you were mistaken as a spy.
You were taken into custody and when it was discovered that you were a Vought supe, they conducted experiments on you to try and find out what exactly gave you the powers you had. They were even getting the idea to take your DNA and find a way to take your powers away, just incase other countries had supes and it wasn’t just America.
They took countless amounts of blood, poked and prodded your brain, tried to find anything that would take your ability away and make you into a normal person, no powers whatsoever.
However, because Vought didn’t want anyone to know about the serum, Edgar sent Soldier Boy and Crimson Countes to retrieve you. And you had been in a rough shape because of the experiments used to try and take your powers. You were significantly weaker when they found you and it was never determined just how much of your abilities you lost, if you had lost any.
Vought ended up covering your involvement with the government, and Soldier Boy and Countess were able to destroy any evidence of the government’s experiments on you to find their biological weaknesses. Vought had become skilled in covering up scandals, failures, and anything that would ruin the company.
That was when they forced you to retire and you ended up working with Grace Mallory for a short period of time.
You blinked the memories away of your failure, and now you knew exactly why you felt drained while trying to fight Homelander.
You had forgotten just how much energy those experiments seemed to take away from you. Those experiments seemed to have taken away some sort of endurance you had in the past. Your powers weren’t taken away, just the amount of time you could use your powers. It was humiliating to know just how eat you were now, knowing that you could only use your powers for a small amount of time.
The car eventually pulled up to The Legend’s place so they could all stay there while Butcher would look for Mindstorm. Everyone else got out of the car and you heard Ben open the door on his side, “Come on.”
You could tell from those two words alone that he wasn’t exactly pleased, but what’s done is done and it’s not like the mission was ruined. Still, you got out of the car and you followed the rest of the group into the house, much to Legend’s annoyance.
“Hey, you guy’s can’t just waltz in here like you own the place!” He protested and Ben was dismissive as always.
“Hotel was too cramped. We need a place to crash while we find where Mindstorm is.” He said.
“That paranoid fuck? Do you know how long that’s going to take? How many cabins you all will have to go through?”
“As long as it fucking takes. And you.” Ben directed his attention to you, “You’re with me. Now.”
You sighed and rolled your eyes, not exactly wanting to hear the inevitable lecture. But you followed him nonetheless and you could hear Legend in the background.
“Problems killing the twins?”
“Twins are dead. It’s the fight with Homelander and how Quake got knocked around that’s got him pissed off.” Hughie answered.
“Oh wonderful… we may as well try to find a start on Mindstorm. The sooner we find him, the sooner I can get you kids out of my house.”
Ben found the spare bedroom and he slammed the door shut behind him since you were already in the room by that time.
“You wanna tell me what the actual fuck you were thinking back there?”
He heard you let out a scoff and turned to look at him, “What I was thinking? I didn’t know what the fuck happened to you after that blast you created! I didn’t know when you’d collect yourself and I saw Homelander was coming! I did what I had to do!”
“I was perfectly fine! You were supposed to give a small signal if something went wrong! Or is that something you forgot before Homelander slung you around like some fucking rag doll?”
“Oh so I wasn’t supposed to help you out after you destroyed a building and killed even more people?”
“Look, my blackout isn’t the problem here! You know what happens when you use your powers like that! I hate when you get fucking reckless because you always, without fail, get yourself into trouble! Look at what happened in ‘83!”
“I can look out for myself, Ben. It’s been years since those blasted experiments and it’s not like I used my powers all the time after that! I lied low for a reason and it was a lot more than just those damned experiments.”
“Yeah. Mallory. I remember her from the military when I was shipped off. Butcher and Hughie told me about your little record after I was gone. I’m surprised you didn’t get yourself killed sooner.”
“Ben, I’m not incompetent. I know how the fuck to handle myself. I was a hero long before that disaster.” He could hear you say and he rolled his eyes as he put his shield down somewhere.
“You know, you’re lucky you were never a part of Payback. You wanna know what I would have done to you if you fucked up like this under my watch and under my leadership?” He asked.
“Let me guess, you’d beat the Hell out of me just to teach me a lesson. You were never a good leader, Ben. You were better off working alone like when you supposedly stormed Normandy and the Eagle’s Nest.” You told him and his jaw tightened before he lifted his hand but stopped himself when he was close to wrapping his fingers around your neck.
He sighed and put his hand down and walked off to the window, gazing out of it as he tried to collect his thoughts.
“You know, after nearly half the century we’ve known each other, I hoped you had grown out of that smart mouth of yours.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before he looked back at you crosssing your arms over your chest.
“I know they drained something out of you. You can’t hide that from me. If you were at your full capacity you wouldn’t have passed out after Homelander tossed you to the side.”
He saw you lift your gaze to meet his before you looked away from him.
“You were the one that wanted me to come along with this whole revenge thing remember? You were the one that agreed to kill Homelander and wanted me to be here with you on this whole mission. You must’ve known I’d have to fight eventually if I thought there was trouble especially when it comes to you.” You said, and Ben sensed a slight change in your tone, becoming a little less argumentative which made him change his tone a little.
“I know that. But my point is when you do have to fight, do you have to be so damned reckless? What would have happened if you used too much of your abilities and that asshole slammed you a little too hard to a tree? What if you hit your head just right or broke your neck or some shit and you end up losing your life because you didn’t stick to just being a lookout?”
“Awe, was the strong, stoic Soldier Boy actually worried?” You said and he knew you were trying to lighten things up, but it wasn’t really working for him. He walked over to you again and saw that necklace you still wore.
Ben lifted his hand and hooked his fingers around the chain of the necklace and watched as the pendant copy of his shield dangled from your neck, “Yes. I was… And it pisses me off because I’m supposed to be the strongest man alive and I’m not supposed to have worries like that. I never worried like that until what happened.”
“Even the strongest people in the world have their own worries. Some are just better at hiding it from others. But you have to realize that I know what I’m capable of. And when I know you’re in danger, I’m going to do anything I can to make sure you’re alright and nothing happens to you again, no matter if my life is at risk during the process.” He heard you say, causing him to sigh and he hated how stubborn you were but he also knew it was practically no use in fighting with you about this.
“But you’re right… I did make mistakes. And I know I said I wanted to go with you to make sure you stayed out of trouble, but it’s kind of pathetic now that I know my abilities have limits, huh? Little hypocritical too…” He heard you say, sounding a little discouraged because of it all.
Ben let go of the chain around your neck only to cup your face in the palm of his hand, “Maybe we’re not so perfect, but we try.”
He watched you look up at him again and he noticed one of your brows arch upwards, “That doesn’t sound like you at all. The Ben I know would never admit to imperfection.”
“To be fair, the Ben you knew trusted people that stabbed him in the back and shipped him off to the Ivans where they had radioactive shit pumped into him.” He corrected.
“I don’t know if that compensates… but I guess it’ll work.” You let out a soft chuckle, causing Ben to give a alight grin.
“But you know that I’ll still have your back even if my methods tick you off, right?” You said and he sighed.
“So we’re still in square one from where this little fight started?”
“Well… maybe step two. I’ll be careful, but I’m still doing what I have to.” You said and he hated that he had to compromise, but Ben supposed this was as good of a compromise as he’ll get from you for the time being.
“Fine. At least for now I’ll work with that.” Ben finally replied after a few moments before he walked over to the bed and sat down on the corner of it.
You watched Ben sit down and he ran a head through his hair. You could tell a lot was going through his mind and the risky move you made didn’t help much. But with Ben you had to stand your ground otherwise you’d get nowhere. But you could tell something else was bothering him.
You slowly walked over and you sat next to him, placing your hand on top of his that was gripping the edge of the mattress, “What did the Twins say before they died?”
“They said they didn’t really have anything to do with the group sending me off… they said that Noir was behind all of it.” He finally said and he rubbed his hand over his face before putting his hand on his thigh.
“Noir? But he’s too loyal to Vought. Surely they didn’t want anything to happen, they couldn’t have told Noir to orchestrate it. You were their top hero for so many years.” You said, becoming just as lost as Ben was.
“I’m not so sure anymore, Y/N. Something’s not right about this and I’m hoping that once we find Mindstorm, I’ll know more even if I have to beat it out of him.” You sighed a little.
“You really need to figure out a different way to find information from people. Killing and beating people up isn’t always the answer and maybe that’s why they were so eager to betray you in the first place.”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just some tough love. They fuck up, I teach them a lesson so they don’t screw up next time.”
“A lot’s changed, Ben. You can’t just beat your teammates anymore. People don’t stand for that abuse nowadays and you could get yourself in trouble for that. There’s just a lot of things you need to catch up on.” You said, knowing most of these changes he more than likely wouldn’t agree with.
“Wait so the country’s just been raising a bunch of pussies all these years?”
“Ben, let that be a rant for some other time. Think about where Mindstorm could be. Do you know of anything that could help Butcher find him any faster?” You said and he shrugged a little.
“Not really, just that the paranoid fucker’s in some shack or cabin somewhere in the woods. I wouldn’t know for sure where that would be or even what areas to look anymore.” He said and you leaned over and kissed his cheek softly.
“I’m sure Hughie and Butcher are capable of figuring it out. I mean they found me and I didn’t want to be found either.” You reminded and he hummed lowly before he pulled a little container from one of his pockets. One of the guys must’ve given him something to help calm him down.
Before he lit up his cigarette, he perked up and looked around. You saw his eyes darting around the room, “Did you hear something?”
You tilted your head a little before you shook your head a little, “Ben, I don’t hear anything.”
He let out a soft hum before finally lighting up his cigarette that you assumed had weed in it and he lifted it to his lips. You hoped it would calm his nerves down a little and you had a feeling he was suffering with some form of PTSD. You wondered if that had something to do with his over the top energy blasts.
“Why don’t you get out of your uniform and relax? It’s been a long day and it’ll take a few days to find Dan.” You said and Ben hummed again and put the cigarette in the ash tray.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. You know, you could always help me out of my uniform.” He told you and you smirked and rolled your eyes.
“You don’t need my help with anything.” You replied and he placed one of his large hands on your thighs, giving it a light squeeze.
“No, I don’t…. But you’d make it more fun.” He said with that cocky smirk of his.
“Besides… we could pick up where we left off from the night I went to your place.” He said and you realized he was leaning down. The next thing you knew you could feel his breath on your neck followed by his lips.
“Ben… Now’s not exactly the time or the place, is it?” You asked softly, trying not to let out any sorts of noises after you felt his teeth nibbling at the sensitive skin of your neck.
“Legend’s heard way worse… besides, I think this is long overdue.” He continued his work on your neck and you placed your hand on his shoulder.
“I-I suppose it could be.” You said softly and he lifted his head from your neck and you saw a familiar, deliciously dark look in those beautifully colored orbs of his. Then he leaned in and captured your lips with his own in a breathtaking kiss.
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Tag List:
@deans-spinster-witch @roseblue373 @fanfic-n-tabulous @chriszgirl92 @hobby27 @nancymcl @globetrotter28 @jackles010378 @capricxnt @k-slla @angelbabyyy99 @david-tennant-obsessed-blog @deangirl96 @mimaria420 @ashdoctor @muhahaha303 @prettyinplaid94 @wirdbeimaufhebengebunden
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queerasfact · 1 year
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Black History Month: Lucy Hicks Anderson
“I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman.
-Lucy Hicks Anderson, quoted in The Oxnard Press-Courier, 24 November 1945
Lucy Hicks Anderson was born in 1886 in Waddy, Kentucky. Despite being assigned male at birth, by her own account, Lucy always dressed in girls’ clothes, and was encouraged by her mother and local doctor to live life as a girl.
In 1926, Lucy moved to Oxnard, California. She quickly made a name for herself in the town as an excellent cook and a housekeeper to prominent families. She was respected in her community, raising money during WWII for soldiers abroad, and supported their families at home.
As well as her more legal occupations, Lucy also ran brothels and bars. In 1945, Lucy was arrested following a raid on her brothel, and forced to undergo a medical examination, where it was revealed she was assigned male at birth. This would ultimately lead to three separate legal trials around her gender presentation - one for perjury, one for fraud, and one for evading the draft. Testifying in court, Lucy declared that “I have lived a good citizen for many years in this town and am going to die a good citizen, but I am going to die a woman.” She served around 18 months in prison.
Throughout and following her trial, the community of Oxnard remained supportive of Lucy. It seems some people knew Lucy was trans before her public outing, and simply accepted it. Her obituary in the Oxnard Press-Courier reads: “Nobody in Oxnard mocked Lucy. Her friends, both white and colored offered their sympathy, and still referred to Lucy as ‘her. And Lucy continued to wear women’s clothes, continuted to call herself Lucy Hicks Anderson. That was the name she was using when she died...”
Learn more
[Image: Lucy facing the camera, fashionably dress in a large hat and a  pale jacket]
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spooder-goober · 1 month
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Thanks to Emesis Blue; to me, BLU Soldier and RED Soldier are two completely different people.
BLU Soldier's name is John (Joe) Dane. He has a real name, and this is it. He actually went to WWII. His lead poisoning isn't nearly as bad as the RED Soldier's. He's that slightest amount more sane than RED Soldier. He still isn't that high up on the intelligence spectrum, but he at least knows how to identify boundaries (somewhat) and knows not to overstep them (again, somewhat. I wouldn't trust him with your keys.)
RED Soldier's name is Jane Doe. He based his name on Joe Dane's, but kinda just flipped around the letters. He thinks it's funny. Joe does not. He shares most of the canon universe's traits. He never fought in the war, but he sure thinks he did. His lead poisoning is so bad, no one knows how he's even alive.
Don't trust Jane Doe with your address, let alone your house keys. He will steal all of your food. He will find a way.
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noxcorvorum · 4 months
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I had a friend guess the mechs (he did get a couple things right not counting my fatal mistake of showing him pictures with their instruments in them but he also not only made up new roles but switched the existing roles around)
Jonny:
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Name: Stevie
Role on crew: bodyguard
Mechanism: eyes
Instrument: lead guitar
Fun fact: makes chili in his free time
Tim:
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Name: Johan
Role on crew: navigator
Mechanism: lungs
Instrument: vocals
Fun fact: bisexual
Ashes:
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Name: Axis
Role on crew: captain
Mechanism: toes
Instrument: bass
Fun fact: die hard mlp fan
Marius:
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Name: Claude
Role on crew: medic
Mechanism: heart, maybe eye
Instrument: violin
Fun fact: holds the world record in yahtzee
Raphaella:
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Name: Ariel
Role on crew: captain
Mechanism: spinal cord
Instrument: lead vocals
Fun fact: enjoys all seasons of dancing with the stars
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Name: Amy
Role on crew: travel log keeper/travel logger
Mechanism: small intestine
Instrument: flute
Fun fact: hates gulliver’s travels
Brian:
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Name: Joey
Role on crew: hr desk
Mechanism: hands
Instrument: drums
Fun fact: writes poetry
Nastya:
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Name: Emily
Role on crew: medical assistant
Mechanism: pancreas
Instrument: cello
Fun fact: plays on pc
Toy Soldier:
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Name: Grand Admiral
Role on crew: GRAND ADMIRAL [specifically in all caps]
Mechanism: kidney
Instrument: cello
Fun fact: knows a lot about WWII (like a lot)
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simonezitrone79 · 5 months
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The Movie "Stairway to Heaven"- Analogies, references and a big question about a book
I'm pretty sure not the only one watching the movie, because the poster is seen in the opening credits and in Maggie's record shop.
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And I'm not the only one writing about, but there are so many similarities and hints and questions in the end, I need to tidy up my brain and put some stuff on my shelf. Maybe I thought to much about, but I'm sure, I'm not alone with it. It got longer than expected, so just skip to my questions and conclusions in the end. Feel inspired to some more ideas and theories, I'm looking forward. And I really recommend the movie, if you like classical old movies.
The british movie has been published in 1946 with the original title "A matter of life and death" with the background to tighten the transatlantic friendship between Great Britain and the USA after WWII. "Stairway to Heaven" is the US-title, which was obviously the more appropriate choice to use in GO 2. The stairway in the movie is a real masterpiece for stage design in the 40's and really remembers me of the opening credits of GO 2, where our husbands lead the humans up the hill to heavens gate (according to Amazon's explanation forcast to the 2nd coming). But the stairway is too much of a typical element for movies including heaven and god to put too much emphasis on it.
So first, for everyone who didn't watch (yet) a short summary of the plot.
The plane of pilot Peter Carter gets shot over the English Channel at the end of WWII. His crew already left the plain, his radio operator is dead and his parachute ripped. Before he jumps off the plane he has radio contact to US radio operator June based at the english shore. While they talk, they fall in love.
Peter leaves the plane and suprisingly survives. Je gets washed ashore close to Junes Base. Thinking he's dead and in heaven searching for the right was he randomly meets her. But Peter should've died, Angel Nr. 71 misses him due to the english fog at the shore.
So the angel ist send down to earth to take Peter to heaven. He denies with the argument, that by reason of extra time given on earth, the circumstances completely changed because he has fallen in love. He wants a trial to get a chance to stay an earth and heaven agrees in the end.
He tells June about the Angel and she asked her friend Dr. Reeves to have a look at Peter. After talking to Peter the doctor assumes a cerebral trauma and advises an operation.
On the way to hospital the doctor dies of a motorcycle accident and so becomes Peters lawyer in heaven, where they have to prove, that Peter's love to June is true. Brain surgery and trial happen simultaneously in the movie. With the help of the doctor, the angel and in the end June, he wins the trial and survives the surgery.
Analogies
The plain white, sterile heaven, where the soldiers died in action arrive in the beginning of the movie immediately brought the GO heaven to my mind. Just an empty room with a waiting bench for the incoming soldiers in it. Exept the soda machine.
Then there's the bureaucracy in heaven. Heaven's filling thousands of books and folders with the people arriving, doing a balance sheet every day without a mistake for thousands of years. Till that day, the Angel missed Peter. Heaven sends him to take Peter to heaven and in the beginning he's doing everything, even tricking Peter and I'm sure because of being afraid of paperwork. And maybe of the chief angel, kind of archangel Michael.
The Angel No. 71, a former Aristocrat who had been beheaded in french revolution, really reminds me of Aziraphale. He likes earth, especially the colors in contrast to heaven and as a former human being understands human love. What started with tricking Peter back to heaven ends in helping his lawyer to win the trial and leave Peter in earth together with June. Maybe all that's because the movie is one of Michael Sheen's favorites.
For heaven the love between Peter an June is a love that must not be, that just happened because of some irregularities in heaven. And for them it's fake, just a cause for Peter to stay on earth. For the prosecutor (who was the first US soldier to in be killed in the war of independence by an englishman) a love between a women from the US and an englishman is not possible but in the end love triumphs over heaven.
References and foreshadowing
So is there any connection between the movie and GO that helps us to cope with the last fifteen and how the story will go on?
First, the trial. Some of us were wondering, if GO's heaven will be tricked and defeated in the end by it's own bureaucracy. Maybe with the help of Muriel, who, as a scrivener, proved at the Job episode that she can read and understand contracts. In the movie the trial is changed in favor of Peter by a trick of his lawyer, who defeats the prosecutor with his own arguments.
Then, the movie plays in two realities, one on earth and one (maybe) in Peters head /in heaven. Until the end it's not really solved what has been real or just a dream. And there are time stops, always the Angel appears on earth to talk to Peter. We all know about the irregularities in GO, the hall clock with a leap in time in the end, different times on Crowley's watch and his mobile phone and all the missing moments and logical gaps in the last fifteen.
My personal "Vavoom" was the moment, when June is asked to prove her love to Peter by dying in his stead and go to heaven. So she steps on the stairway and slightly goes up. By this, it was demonstrated to the court that their love was real so Peter wins the trail and both go back to earth. Our beloved husbands are separated in the end too, because both tried to prove their love. One ist going to heaven. But unfortunately, we had a cliffhanger at that point and have to wait for the happy end (of which I'm sure it will be a happy ending).
But Good Omens would not be Good Omens if there wasn't a big question in the end. It's about a book.
The Angel loves playing chess and borrows a book from Peter and takes it to heaven. It's "My best games of chess 1908-1937" by Alexander Alekhine. The fandom surely knows, that this is the book Jimbriel experiences gravity with. But why? Where's the connection?
When the Angel recognizes that he forgot to return it to Peter, when he got back to earth again, he throws it down to earth. June finds it in Peters jacket at the end of the movie. It's a sign that both realities were true.
That fits Gabriel dropping the book. But has there been something important dropped to earth? Some of us assume the book of life.
Is it really so simple, that heaven moves all the figures on the chessboard of life after their fancy to fulfill some ineffable plan?
I hope the solution is not IN the book and I have to go through some games of chess...
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dianneking · 11 months
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It’s not too late if we’re alive (Brienne/Reader)
A/N: It’s Day Two of May Trope Mayhem by @duckprintspress​ and I’ve never felt so inspired to write! Today’s prompt is War Setting so you get a WWII AU Brienne x Reader fic, because why not! (thanks to @weemssapphic​ for our historical AU talk, that made me buckle down and write). As always, link to AO3 in title below.
Disclaimer: I didn’t have the time to properly research this, so there might be historical inaccuracies on technical stuff like how war hospitals were organized etc. Disclaimer # 2: I seem physically unable to keep my fics under 1000w, blame the angst, not me.
Tags: War, WWII, Hospitals, Wounds  (not graphic), Talk of Death, Talk of Bombing, Smoking, Second-person Narrator, Angst, Breakups, Angst with a Happy Ending, No use of Y/N.
Fandom: Game of Thrones Pairing: Brienne of Tarth/Reader Wordcount: 1258w
It’s not too late if we’re alive
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Any day that passed, you knew it could happen. You were at war after all. Day in and day out the battles raged, and humans fought against other humans, machines against other machines, metal ringing against metal, their screams loud in the smoke-filled air. 
They fell in troves. Some made it to you, others weren’t so lucky. And you knew that Brienne was there in the trenches, amongst her soldiers, leading them, the first woman to ever serve in the British Army, the first one to rise to the rank of officer.
Every time you woke up from your fitful slumber, every time a wounded soldier was brought in for treatment, you prayed not to recognize her on the stretcher, not to see her cornsilk hair matted with blood underneath the helmet. One day your prayers went unanswered.
“Chief Nurse! Hurry! It’s the lieutenant-general!”
After all this time, her figure was still so achingly familiar to you as the litter bearer brought her in, her long limbs limp on the stretcher, soot and blood marring the uniform she was so proud of.
Up until now you had managed to avoid her, only catching glimpses of her when she came to visit the wounded, but now here she was, bare inches away from you. She was still beautiful, even with the inevitable traces of time and war. It took all of your strength not to reach out and brush your fingers against the soft skin of her jaw. You shouldn’t.
After all, the last words you had exchanged had not been the friendly sort.
*
“Will you at least promise me you’ll come back?” you had asked. She had already donned her uniform, and the coarse wool scratched your palm as you put your hand on her elbow.
“You know I cannot promise you that.”
“But I love you.”
Her face had hardened, as it always did when you told her how you felt. You had told yourself that she was simply unused to being loved. But a dark voice within you was starting to ask whether it was because she was ashamed of you, or frustrated with your clinginess. Whatever the reason, she never said those words back.
“You shouldn’t say those things so lightly.”
“Just because you refuse to accept my feelings for you doesn’t mean that they are not real.”
“You are young, but you were never naïve. This was never something that could last.”
You had been young at the time, true. You had never experienced heartbreak before. Even the simple act of breathing sent searing pain through your chest. Your eyes had filled with tears, and your mouth with rage.
“Is that all it was to you? Just something to keep you entertained between wars?”
She had not dared to answer you. To this day, you still wondered why. Was it because it had been more for her as well and she didn’t want to lie to your face, or was it because she didn’t want to admit that she, Captain Brienne of Tarth, paradigm of righteousness, had used you for your affection just for as long as she had needed a warm body?
You had been young at the time, and first love is never easily forgotten. Even if unrequited.  
*
“Is God so unmerciful then?” The sudden sound of her voice in the silence of the officers tent almost made you drop the bandages you were carrying. You turned to her, wondering if she was growing delirious due to the high fevers she was running. But her eyes, wide and feverish though they were, were trained on you, with razor-sharp focus. “Have I not atoned for my past mistakes with my deeds? Why must He torture me with cruel visions?”
Oh.
She thought you were a fever dream, one sent to torture her. You pretended it didn’t hurt. It shouldn’t have, not as much as it did. Not even if she had been your first love.
Your only love, corrected a voice inside of you that sounded a lot like your younger self.
“Lieutenant-general, I am not a vision. I am merely the chief nurse. You should try to rest. You have been injured on the battlefield.”
“Is…is it truly you?”
“It is. But I am only here to treat your wounds, not to dig up the past.”
“How are you alive?”
“How is anyone alive these days? Luck, probably.”
“I thought you died in the Coventry bombing.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I sent you letters, and you never answered. I came over last year, but nobody could tell me anything about you. Our house was nothing but a pile of rubble. I thought…”
“Oh, is it our house now? I don’t recall you showing any particular attachment to it when you left.” She was surprised at your vitriol, you could see it in the way her deep blue eyes widened, and in the uncharacteristically hesitation in her answer.
“Darling, I-“
You suddenly felt ashamed of how easily her mere presence could drag out all of your pain, making you feel like that day on your doorstep, watching her walk away, her military boots crushing your heart with each step.
“There are no darlings here. It’s Chief Nurse if you need to address me. But right now, I don’t have time for idle chatter.”
You turned away from her, leaving her behind as she did to you so much time ago.
*
She found you some days later, as you were trying to enjoy the luxury of a short smoke break hidden behind the hospital barracks. She was still limping, but her skin had lost most of its sickly paleness, and she looked even more like the Brienne you used to know. The Brienne you used to love.
“How did you end up becoming a nurse?”
“I was told to do something useful with my life since I refused to marry. I did.”
“You…refused to marry?”
“Lieutenant-general, I hardly think…”
“Brienne. It’s Brienne to you. It’s always been.” You committed the mistake of looking up into her eyes, and instantly felt the irresistible pull they had on you. As if she had never left. You averted your gaze angrily and took a deep drag from the cigarette in your hands, trying to center yourself once again.
“What is your purpose here, Brienne?”
“I thought I had lost you, and I thought I would never be able to tell you. Seeing you here, alive, accomplished, breathtakingly beautiful, it…it felt like a second chance I never deserved to have.”
“Tell me what?”
“Not a day goes by that I don’t regret walking away from you. I’m sorry.”
The unexpectedness of the apology took you by surprise and you turned to her, only to find her much closer than you expected. The words you were thinking of saying died in your throat as you drowned in the maelstrom of feelings within her eyes. She hesitatingly reached a hand over to cup your cheek, as if afraid you’ll suddenly disappear, and her voice was low and broken with a heartache you instantly recognized. It was twin to your own.
 “I love you. I always have. I’m sorry I’m only telling you now. I know it’s too late.”
Her eyes swam with tears, and her face was suddenly getting closer and closer. You reached with a hand behind her neck and pulled her even closer, whispering against her lips, as if it was a secret meant only for her and her alone.
“It’s not too late if we’re alive.”
Liked it? You can find all of my fics on my fanfiction masterlist!
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sweaterkittensahoy · 2 months
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One of the things I have always appreciated about Band of Brothers and which I already appreciate in Masters of the Air (especially given that episode 3 is just an adrenaline rush for 60 minutes) is that Spielberg and Hanks clearly put focus on showing the extraordinary but keep it very, very based in reality. It's really common to read up on WWII vets who did something absolutely fucking heroic, and they don't see it that way and never did. Hell, most of them barely spoke of the war.
And, yes, part of that was the unquestionable pile of unpacked trauma they brought home with them, but also they simply saw what they did as necessary to the goal of beating the Nazis.
Dick Winters leading a perfect tactical assault on the gun position outside Normandy was executed so precisely it is STILL taught in tactics classes.
But it's not just the moments that show off the military might of the men being showcased. Curt refusing to bail out when there was the tiniest chance of saving Dickie is outrageously heroic. Bucky and Buck dropping back to keep Curt safe when his fort went out in episode 2 is heroic.
Carwood Lipton caring for the men of Easy and keeping them held together in the forest is fucking heroic.
Joe Liebgott telling the prisoners they have to stay in the camp is heroic.
They're not the same types of heroism, but they are all heroic acts.
And Spielberg and Hanks always tell their WW2 stories in this form, where there is great heroism in many different ways, but it's balanced by the every day life of being a soldier. You see conflict and fear and struggle next to heroic acts. They show these people as PEOPLE, not just as a valorization of a certain type of man.
It's not about the myth of WW2. It's about how the mythic parts of the war--the ones valorized so loudly by the worst sort of people--were just things men did because it's what they chose to do in that moment.
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jesuspilled · 1 month
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Dr Eugene Michael Jones (commonly known as E Michael Jones) was an Assistant Professor of American Literature at St. Mary’s College, and is widely known for his critical views on contemporary cultural and religious issues. 
He was dismissed in 1981 due to his anti-abortion stance, leading him to leave academia and start a magazine, initially named Fidelity and later Culture Wars, which focuses on the disarray in the Catholic Church including the subversion of the Catholic faith.
Holocaust epistemology
Dr Jones argues that ‘Holocaust’ is a term that has evolved in its meaning over time.
Originally, it referred to being burnt whole, as described in Elie Wiesel’s book Night, where Jews were depicted as being killed in flaming pits. Night was published in 1960, recounting his and his father’s experiences in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during the latter part of World War II.
Not far from us, flames were leaping up from a ditch, gigantic flames. They were burning something. A lorry drew up at the pit and delivered its load—little children. Babies! Yes, I saw it—saw it with my own eyes… those children in the flames.
This specific imagery, however, is no longer used when referring to the Holocaust.
The widespread use of the term Holocaust (with a capitalised ‘H’) gained prominence in the 1970s, following its namesake American TV series and a sharp uptick in Holocaust books being published around the same period.
The Holocaust Narrative
In his book, The Holocaust Narrative, Dr Jones makes the point that this particular historical event has been shaped by various literary influences.
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Eisenhower’s Rheinwiesenlager camps were one such war crime, but almost nobody knows about it.
At the end of WWII, the US established the Rheinwiesenlager camps where millions of German prisoners were held hostage under awful conditions and a large number of them starved to death.An American soldier at Camp Remagen, one of the Rheinwiesenlager camps, guarding thousands of German soldiers captured in the Ruhr area, April 1945.
This part of history is conveniently omitted.German prisoners in an Allied concentration camp
Dr Jones goes on to say that the evolution of the events of the Holocaust is worth studying, pointing out the differences between Anne Frank’s diary, William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice and Jerzy Kosinski’s Painted Bird.
The book also highlights Steven Spielberg’s depiction of showers in Schindler’s List and discusses the historical accuracy within the context of how the gas narrative has evolved over the decades.
Mass censorship
Put another way, Dr Jones’ book argues that there isn’t a coherent historical account that is universally accepted because it keeps changing as time passes, and questioning any of it is met with being fired or getting jail time in many countries.
Why?
If an event from history is obviously true, then why must it receive militant state protection?
Jail time?
Why?
You can discuss what did and didn’t happen in the Rwandan genocide, but don’t dare do the same with the Holocaust!
No mention?
Memoires de Guerre, by Charles de Gaulle, is a three-volume series about his experience in WWII, published in 1954. He led the Free French Forces against Nazi occupation in France.
It is 2054 pages.
There is absolutely no mention of any gas chambers or genocide of Jews.
Winston Churchill’s six-volume series called The Second World War, published in 1948, also has absolutely no mention of any gas chambers or genocide of Jews.
He doesn’t use of the word Holocaust either.
The book by the former US President Dwight Eisenhower, Crusade in Europe, is 559 pages and was published in 1948. He was the Supreme Allied Commander in Northern Europe during WWII.
His book makes no mention of any gas chambers or genocide of Jews (and no use of the word Holocaust).
Why did three of the world’s most influential leaders – who hated Adolf Hitler – leave out the biggest tragedy of the 20th century?
What’s going on?
Due to the extreme censorship surrounding this topic, discourse is pretty much entirely suppressed and stifled.
It’s easier to simply nod, smile and be beaten into psychological submission.
Only Jews (sometimes) are allowed to discuss the Holocaust.
And Dr Jones.
Here’s my conversation with him.
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allwaswell16 · 8 months
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A fic rec of One Direction fics that feature soldiers and/or war as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other fic recs here. Happy reading!
—Louis/Harry—
💥 As We Were, As We Are by @jaerie *
(E, 51k, Dunkirk) Alex is a British soldier who has been injured in battle, Louis is a RAF pilot with amnesia. Somehow they put each other back together even if they get separated along the way.
💥 We're What's Right In This World by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite
(E, 48k, soldier Harry) Or the World War II AU where Harry goes off to fight and all Louis wants to do is be the boy who brings him home.
💥 fondre ton absence by @scrunchyharry
(T, 41k, amnesia au) Determined to find Louis, Harry did everything he could in his quest to be reunited with him, except prepare for the state Louis might be in.
💥 another hazy may by deLILAh
(M, 41k, soldier Harry) louis is a terrible poet and harry lives in the now and they have six weeks to fall in love but, really, it only takes six seconds. bookshop meets military meets summer romance au ft. marlboros, the backstreet boys, and underrated literary devices.
💥 Letters to June by Larry_you_know / @larryyouknow
(M, 41k, a/b/o) It's 1915, Europe is in the middle of the Great War. Omega Louis decides to join the Letter Home Project to become someone’s penfriend.
💥 All That You Are by asphodelknox / @iamasphodelknox *
(M, 40k, Dunkirk) Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson meet on a civilian boat, taking them home after their rescue from Dunkirk. 
💥 You and Me by delsicle / @eeveedel
(E, 36k, Dunkirk) Alex goes to war. He comes back and everything is the same -- his hometown, his flat, the boy with the bad heart he left behind. Everything is same. Except for him.
💥 the dead things we carry by MediaWhore / @mediawhorefics *
(M, 25k, WWII soldiers) There are some things people never fully come home from. Until, one day, if they’re lucky, home comes to them.
💥 Trouvaille by delsicle / @eeveedel
(E, 18k, Dunkirk) The last thing Alex expects to find in an abandoned neighborhood in Dunkirk, France is something he actually wants to remember.
💥 High Heels, Red Dress by @jaerie *
(E, 15k, WWII) Hiding his queer identity isn't so hard until he attracts the attention of a particular soldier. It's all lies and secrets until the war is finally over. 
💥 To Honor by Awriterwrites / @a-writerwrites
(E, 14k, Scotland) Commander Styles leads his men to victory, but at what cost?
💥 Baby Honey by delsicle / @eeveedel
(E, 14k, Dunkirk) When the next great war strikes, all alphas have to ship out. Alex leaves a little more behind than some of the others.
💥 Worth the Wait by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings *
(M, 10k, WWII) WW2 soldiers get cut off for their group in a storm. They hole up in an abandoned bar and get to know each other and slowly fall for each other. 
💥 You Smiled by @taggiecb
(G, 9k, Canada) Harry prepares himself and his guards for their prisoners of war, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the most beautiful man he has ever seen- who is now his prisoner.
💥 To Love Without Reason by @mugglemirror
(E, 8k, post WWII) “Come on in, soldier,” Louis pats Harry’s chest and walks away, leaving Harry to follow behind.
💥 beat the darkness by @turnyourankle
(T, 7k, WWI) Harry is a volunteer nurse stationed in Cairo; Louis is one of the patients in his ward.
💥 The Letters by thecheshirepussycat / @the-cheshire-pussy-cat
(NR, 5k, Dunkirk) Correspondence between Louis Tomlinson, a writer from London who is writing about the children sent to the country to escape war, and his lover Harry Styles, an officer in the British Military stationed somewhere in France.
💥 ring around the moon by unwept / @peachade *
(T, 5k, historical au) 5 slices where they seek shelter in each other.
—Rare Pairs—
💥 History in the Making by areyoutherelarry
(E, 45k, Zayn/Liam) Liam, a soldier, and Zayn, an art therapist, meet at an art fair and immediately are attracted to each other, but Zayn has a kid and a dead fiancée and Liam has a career to think about.
💥 Write me not by sweet_mysterie
(G, 23k, Niall/Harry) Niall has never had anything he’s thought was worth fighting for and Harry just wants to fight for his own cause.
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phoenixyfriend · 1 year
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Thought- in the terracotta warriors thing, you mentioned that the Jedi archeologists brought in a specialist in mando iconography to try and work out what’s going on with the 501sts symbols- what if that outside specialist is jaster mereel? Could be pre becoming the mand’alor, could be just his side job, but either way he spends a few years studying it all and getting used to being the only mando in a base camp full of Jedi, makes friends, has academic discussions and disagreements, steals someone’s holopad to try and use the link to the Jedi archives to read all the things on tarre visla, gets into an actual argument, reconciles with agreeing to help with a historical reenactment of a Jedi mandolorian war, gets Madame nu’s comm number, introduces his new son to his comm bff who argues historical nitpicks with him, brings jango to the next summer at the site, clones react to jango somehow and/or there’s a few tubies in there who look distractingly like jango and/or someone has their helmet off and jango has a breakdown over it looking like a family member? And so on and so on
Context: Sleeping Soldiers AU
See, I don't really subscribe to the "halfway to archaeologist!Jaster" fanon. I'm especially reticent to engage with the Jocasta ship, honestly.
But... okay, here's the thing. It does feel pretty incongruous with how I've written Jaster thus far. I can believe him having like. A 'classical' education. Not actually tutored like a noble, but that he sought out the same subjects as an adult to make sure he understood how to rule once he started having a proper political angle. He's a history nerd in the way that a particularly political/philosophical aristocrat of the 18th century would have been.
Military history, philosophical history, political and even some arts... but not actually in an archaeological sense.
(Also, it raises my hackles because it's one of those things that feels like it's heavily associated with the whole "True Mandos Were Best Mandos" crowd.)
It also really depends on the era! Tarre makes more sense than Jaster, just because of the timescale! The soldiers are millennia buried by the time Jaster is born! That said, even Tarre is a few millennia late but... makes more sense than Jaster.
Most likely, there are historians and archaeologists coming by every few centuries, as new generations encounter the issue, and older analyses are lost in the depths of the archives. Frequency tapers off after a few millennia, but... by the time Jaster is around?
It's 100% a New Mandalorian with an art history doctorate. (With a military symbolism specialty, in this case.)
It's probably not a New Mando if it's an Early On moment, but it probably is a New Mando if the Jedi start getting Weird Vibes and investigating the soldiers in the decades leading up to the Prequels.
Would the New Mandalorians know more than the traditionalists? Not necessarily. Would they know less? Actually, no.
I firmly believe that the New Mandalorians are taught about their histories in a "German kids learn about WWII atrocities, going on field trips to historic sites of said horrors, so their teachers can stress that they don't repeat the mistakes of the past" kind of way. I imagine the New Mandos would have plenty of research and records in regards to actual history, with plenty of museums and such. Part of maintaining pacifism is ensuring that the coming generations understand what led them to pacifism in the first place.
Is this thousands of years in the past, and thus difficult to research? Yes, but the traditionalists would have that same problem.
More of them, even. If the New Mandos have been around for seven hundred years, like Legends claims, then the traditionalists have probably have lost a lot of history through various battles and bombings, while the New Mandalorians, while not entirely escaping large scale destruction and such attacks, are much more likely to have protected and maintained their sites, simply by not courting war as a matter of culture. The traditionalists, meanwhile, would have had a much stronger emotional and cultural attachment to legends and themes, though I'll admit those are probably prone to revisionism, much like real-world folklore and mythology.
As @atagotiak put it:
Ehhhh. The traditionalists do care about legends and history and stuff. Often in an idealized way, sure. But you could argue that they’d have more reason than new mandos to be into these stories. Which, to be clear, isn’t like, saying that Jaster is definitely a part-time historian or anything like that. It’s just I don’t think one side would have an advantage over another. (edited)
So the New Mandos and Trad Mandos are probably on an even playing ground, insofar as skill and resources and knowledge go.
But by Jaster's time, the Jedi would have more reason to think the New Mandos would cooperate. No real downside to asking them when it comes to knowledge/skill, and an upside in terms of 'not getting shot when asking.'
As Tia said:
And even if we assume Jaster is a big history nerd and would be receptive to the Jedi (and tbh there’s even less indication of the latter) there’s no reason to think the Jedi would know that.
So yeah, when the soldiers start having Vibes And The Force Becomes Suspiciously Active on that level... New Mando archaeologist, definitely.
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drconstellation · 4 months
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The Passion of Jimbriel
Part 3: Resurrection
Part 1: The Entry to Soho
Part 2: Trials and Denials
The story of events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the days following, until his ascension to Heaven, are collectively known as the Passion narratives. It comes from the Latin "to suffer," or "to endure."
In Part 1 of this series we looked at the three temptations in the wilderness during the 40 days of fasting, before the entry to Jerusalem on donkey. Then there was the Cleansing of the Temple and the Anointing of Jesus. I matched up the various scenes in S2 that mirrored these parts of the narratives.
In Part 2 we had the Last Supper, before moving to the Garden of Gethsemane and predicting the Three Denials. The burden of other's sin was taken on, the kiss of Judas was received and Jesus was arrested. Then there was a trial, the first of two, before the Three Denials actually happened. Now we are off to the palace to meet the Roman Governor of Judea.
Just a note: Part 3 isn't any easier than Part 2. Now is the time to save it to read for later, if you aren't in a safe place.
The Court of Pontius Pilate
Jesus is taken to Pilate to be judged again, as the priests want this troublemaker executed, but on questioning Jesus Pilate can find no fault with him. Pilate asks Jesus if he is King of the Jews, and Jesus replies "You have said so," which is not really an answer. Pilate is not sure what to do.
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AZIRAPHALE: ...So, you don't know who you are? GABRIEL: Oh, yes. AZIRAPHALE: Ah. GABRIEL: I'm me. I just don't know who me is. AZIRAPHALE: I see. GABRIEL: But you know me. You recognized me. AZIRAPHALE: Well, I ah… know someone who looks like you. GABRIEL: That's probably me then. I think that's one of the main ways you can tell.
Pilate can't see any reason to convict Jesus, since he does not lay claim to any earthly kingdom, only a spiritual one, so he sends him off to King Herod.
Herod questions Jesus as well, hoping to observe one the miracles he has heard about. He gets the same non-responses from Jesus, so sends him back to Pilate.
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Hey, it's me! King of the Jews! Gabriel! Don't you recognize me?
It's also worth noting Jimbriel's actual pose as he exits the book shop and how he holds his fingers. He holds his pointer and middle fingers out, and curls his ring and little fingers in on both hands (and this is not the only time he does this in the series.) This is a classic "preaching" pose, and he is mimicking an iconic pose of Jesus here.
There is a small question about whether at this point in the narratives whether it is the soldiers of Herod that dress Jesus in the robes of a king to mock him at this point, or its done a little later, after the release of Barabbas, so lets just mention it here, as it seems to happen twice in our story.
It also might be worth taking a small digression about the performer Liberace here, who inspired the ostrich feather coat, and who reigned as a king of entertainers in the post-WWII era. He was famous not only for his over-the-top flamboyance (as well as being queer) but also for his signature candelabra. You know, one of these:
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The Release of Barabbas
Pilate was in a bit of pickle now. He really didn't want to condemn Jesus to death, but the priests were still pushing him to condemn Jesus to execution, so he decided he would give the people the choice instead. He offered them the choice of releasing Jesus or a prisoner called Barabbas. Whether they were stirred up by the priests or not they had only one choice.
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They chose...
Actually, I think there are two choices for the release of Barabbas here - one is Gabriel, as I will explain below, and the other one -
Release Bwian!
Er, release Barabbas Mr Brown!
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Pick a card, Mutt? While you're dressed in robes that are a throw-back to biblical times? What kind of ineffable games are being played here by the Almighty?
The Way of Sorrows
(Also known as: The Stations of the Cross, The Way of the Cross)
Oh, yes, its this bit. And you thought it was just a bit of silliness.
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Lead the way, soldier!
Some of the narratives have the Roman soldiers who take him from Pilates court strip him and robe him in either red or purple, give him a crown of thorns and call him "King of the Jews!" again in mockery before he is forced to walk to his place of execution.
Wait, who's execution are we walking towards again?
Crown of Thorns. ✅ Mocking garb.✅
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I had already mused in the past that Crowley had dressed like this to mock the Archangels in my big colour meta (under silver,) and I have also bumped into pre-release comments that thought he was doing that as well, so I 'm glad to see I'm not the only one on this train of thought! He's gone a bit over-the-top with his outfit, which is similar to Saraqael's (a hint to the connection there) plus he has a tactical turtle neck on to go with his master spy work he's undertaking (but so does Saraqael!) It also tells us its a level of rank he's quite familiar with.
Oh, hang on. Gabriel didn't get away from doing anything here.
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The Three Stations of Gabriel's Cross Bearing: The first in 1827, when Crowley shows it to Aziraphale on a midnight date, the second when Aziraphale comes across it again in the present - and tells Crowley "I think I've found some clues," and the third when we see Gabriel showing it off to Beelzebub.
OK, one more bit of mocking...
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The Crucifixion
On arriving at the top of Golgotha, Jesus was stripped of his clothes and nailed to the cross. A sign was placed above his head declaring him the king of the Jews. On either side two other criminals were also crucified that day.
This is the one part of the narratives that did not fit into S2, so it got given to us separately.
In S1 we had the scene at Golgotha in S1E3 Hard Times, where we are shown Aziraphale and Crowley meeting to witness the event. Aziraphale remarks that he is "not consulted on policy decisions," while Crowley relates that he carried out the Third Temptation on Jesus not long before this.
A red cloth draped on the ground symbolizes blood in S1. In S2 we have red tomatoes spilling across the road as Gabriel walks past on his way to the bookshop. They take us back to S1 and tell us its repeating again. I would expect another iteration in S3.
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Then we have the two classic poses that were given to us, that are not in any scene from S2. When these were first released a number of ops posted about the similarity to the iconography of the Madonna and Jesus on the Cross.
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On the left, is Aziraphale, posing as mother Mary, in the "Stabat Mater" pose, or "the mother was standing." This is Mary standing at the base of the cross, and she is traditionally shown on the left hand side. She is but a spectator to the scene.
On the right, is Crowley, posing as Jesus nailed to the cross. He is a sacrifice of one, to save many, in his present day costume.
What intrigues me is they chose to have Aziraphale wear his Job minisode costume for this shot. The angels were dressed in white and gold to show their "divine majesty," to fit in with the vivid 1950's style colouring. But it was also where he had to chose very carefully what he said, and he chose to lie to save lives.
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A scene from the Job minisode, A Companion to Owls: Sitis and Job on the left - Sitis is Aziraphale-coded and Job is Crowley-coded. on the right are the divinely-glowing angels. Gabriel stands on the demonic-sided left of them, but Aziraphale is on the far left, the most demonic angel there. He was lying, after all, and that's what demons do, isn't it?
While Jesus is often called the Lamb of God, as sheep were considered more respectable to Christian ideals, and Jesus is said to have gone willingly to his death, it is perhaps a better way to consider what happened as the scapegoat ritual - where two goats are chosen, one is burdened with the sins of the group and released into the wilderness to take those sins with them and die, and the other to be sacrificed to God. In the Passion, it was Barabbas that was set free, and Jesus that was sacrificed.
The question then becomes how to view this through the lens of the Good Omens story. If we didn't get a crucifixion scene in S2, when is this occurring in the story? If Crowley is Jesus, who is Barabbas? If Aziraphale is Mary, just witnessing the execution, and not able to intervene...what could be the long term implications of that?
This is where I feel like I've done a Crowley on myself, spreading a field of sharp tacks across that shiny clean aisle in Heaven I was sauntering blithely down and stabbed myself unexpectedly in the foot.
Because the answer to the second question there is Barabbas is Gabriel. (hey, wot, didn't you say Mr Brown was Barabbas??) S2 spent quite a bit of time trying to tell us how similar Crowley was to Gabriel, and the two characters appear to be acting as "foils" to each other this season. Indeed, they have been interchangeable in their roles as Jesus throughout this three-part meta (thinking about another meta to expand on this.) And right at the end Gabriel gets to run away into the interstellar wilderness to ostensibly never be seen again - and Crowley stays to be emotionally slaughtered.
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Which still leaves us with the first and third questions.
When did happen? The problem is, as already stated - this scene did not fit into S2, so we were given it separately. I know one could argue that the end of the above scene, and the following moments, could count as the crucifixion, as Aziraphale was bound seemingly helplessly by the manipulations of the Metatron to leave Crowley behind, and in doing so to sacrifice him for a greater good. This goes someway towards leaving Aziraphale as the witnessing Mary, but he is still far too involved for my liking here. And we've already put the label of Judas on him in Part 2 of this meta. He had to betray Crowley to get him to stay behind for his own safety.
The more likely scenario is then it happened in the past. I'm going to quote a passage from @vidavalor's meta "The *Original* Original Sin Theory as they say it best, really:
Aziraphale doesn’t need to see Heaven’s files to find out what happened to Crowley when Crowley fell because he was there. S3 is going to be about preventing the Second Coming and so plot allusions to the crucifixion (which had its own Crowley & Aziraphale scene in S1) will likely abound. Aziraphale was there when Lucifer and The Gang were tossed out of Heaven. To be fair to Aziraphale, there is basically nothing he could have done to prevent this and the best possible situation is that he didn’t even have the chance to. The worst possible situation is that he’s literally Judas and sold Crowley out, out of fear of being tossed out of Heaven himself. I tend to think it’s more that he just didn’t stand up and say anything in support of Crowley to prevent himself from being seen as on the side of the eventual demons. Still, just as Crowley thinks the punishment for Adam and Eve was harsh, Aziraphale thought that asking questions and being curious wasn’t enough to send Lucifer and everyone around him to Hell to be damned for all of eternity but it caused an obvious existential crisis in him that he still struggles to totally resolve.
And that is basically how I see it, too. Heaven (the Jewish priests), through the Metatron, wanted the inquisitive, questioning angel!Crowley gone, possibly because he'd found something he shouldn't have seen. Lucifer and the guys (Rome) didn't care much for angel!Crowley either, as I showed back in this meta, and were happy for him to be the scapegoat that got made an example of for punishment. And Aziraphale, as Mary, kept his mouth shut and just watched, because he wanted to be a good angel and not get thrown out of Heaven himself. Maybe he did know something that could have absolved angel!Crowley, maybe he lied to escape being thrown out himself, but what ever happened, he's been carrying a sense of guilt about it ever since.
As for Crowley, he was not a willing lamb at all. We see him question God about his fall, about testing Earth to the point of destruction and he gives the goats in the Job minisode a soliloquy about their impending doom that seems an obvious reflection of his own experience as a scapegoat.
Now we have the Second Coming in S3. Jesus will be back. So will mention of the crucifixion. There is still plenty of dirt to be dug up and aired on this yet.
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Maybe someone did die, after all...of embarrassment!
Burial of Jesus
Joseph of Arimathea was given permission by Pilate to remove Jesus' body from the cross, wrap it in white linen, and place it in a tomb. Even though Jesus was considered a criminal, he should still be buried before sunrise the next day.
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I'm going to admit, this is the one bit of the narratives I'm not sure about. Was it the burying of Gabriel's essence in the fly? Or the burying of Gabriel's location under the 25 lazurii miracle?
There also a section called the Harrowing of Hell here, where Jesus was said to have descended to the Underworld, or Hell (because that is what Hell means, after all, the Underworld - that's why it's in the basement of the celestial corporate building!) and liberated those caught in Hell up until that time.
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This could be why we get the scenes with Beelzebub stressing over the disappearance of Gabriel and lack an any sign of where he has gone. They look more "harrowed" as the days go on.
Resurrection
After three days, Jesus rose from the dead. This act is seen as a guarantee that all the dead (on the "right side" or those whose names are in the Book of Life) will be also resurrected when the Second Coming occurs. It is also known as The Parousia, which we see mentioned inside the cinema on the wall during the opening sequence in S2.
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After three days, some women approached the tomb to finish preparing the body, because they had not been able to earlier due to the sabbath day occurring. As they approached, they found the stone that should have blocked the entrance rolled back, and an angel clad in white sitting there telling them not to be afraid, but to go tell others what had happened.
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Well, Gabriel had left the building, but the last thing was they were going to do was tell everyone about it!
SARAQUEL: I don't trust him. Can we begin the memory wipe now? MICHAEL: What, without him here? [nods] Good idea. SARAQUEL: Right. I can't… I can't find his memory anywhere. In fact, I can't find him in the building. He's left Heaven. Should I sound an alert? METATRON: Oh, don't be so wet. No, you're all just going to have to find him. That's all.
Humph. You're being the wet blanket, Metatron.
On one side of The Resurrectionist sign for the pub in Edinburgh we have Jesus standing outside his tomb. He is dressed in red and blue. The red represents his connection to humanity but he is wrapped in the blue of divinity. It looks like we are looking out of the tomb into the world. The entrance is supposed to match the "gate" of Eden that Aziraphale sent Adam and Eve through, so if it looks familiar, that's why.
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We something similar when Gabriel regains his memories from the fly. We start out with a red transition, then move towards blue as he regains his angelic divinity, then he is finally back as his lilac royal smugness self on the last.
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I did take a very long look at @embracing-the-ineffable's The Ineffable Detective Agency's presents: Gabriel's Memory and the quick transition sections, but didn't come to any firm conclusions, other than the colours. Although this may be why Death appears four times.
Ascension to Heaven
Accounts vary - some say it was the same day, some say after forty days - Jesus ascends to Heaven.
See you later, guys!
You know you can never return, right? Right?
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Um, so, what about this little thing called the Second Coming, then?
Wait and see? nngggkk...
Here endeth our journey through the Passion narratives.
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Hi queenie! I hope I don't sound ignorant, but every single article on Palestine and Israel seems heavily biased and stuff, so I just wanted to ask you if you had a fully-fledged and explained post or something about the situation? Or, if you don't could you explain it to me?
I really want to know what's happening between the two places.
Sorry if I sound rude or ignorant
sorry this took a while to answer ive been kinda busy lol
dw idm !! im happy to explain it to you, but keep in mind that im only human n there might be missing info. all the information i use is verifiable—i didnt go off of rumors or anything like that
i explained the history briefly in a post i made on my main blog where i was tryna detail the israel-palestine situation:
zionist movements began in maybe mid 19th century, jews worldwide were being persecuted and they wanted a land to themselves. they had their eyes set on palestine, even tho the palestinian bedouins there have been living in palestine for at least 1500 years
wwii left millions of jews stranded, so in 1947, the united nations suggested dividing palestine into a jewish and arab state. the jews accepted, but the arabs rejected it. this rejection was ultimately ignored, and israel declared itself a state in 1947, leading to palestinian arabs being displaced and a war starting between israel and arab nations. this was known as nakba—literally the arabic word for disaster, it mainly refers to palestinians being displaced after israel declared independence
the six-day war of 1967 was a conflict ultimately won by israel—they took control of the west bank, the gaza strip, and east jerusalem. conflicts got worse from here, and violence against civilians grew. its been snowballing since then
now, what i didnt mention here was that jews do have a history in the land, but the reason i didnt mention that was because the vast majority of that history dates back to 2000 years ago, when they were exiled by the romans, n they still claim ties to the land due to this history and also the religious significance it has in judaism, as it has been mentioned in the torah several times. not to mention that jerusalem is the location of the west wall, which holds extreme significance in judaism
they have almost always lived in palestine as a minority. in fact, whent the un plan was made, the jews were given 55% of the land despite only being an estimated 30% of the population
what i also didnt mention is the extremely disproportionate number of casualties. the usa and uk have both been vocal in aiding israel, and esp the usa helps fund its military n help it build its military, whereas palestine has virtually no method of defense. according to the un, roughly 6400 palestinians and 300 israelis have been killed since 2008, not including recent fatalities, and not including the 60 years from the nakba until 2008
im sure youve seen videos or seen stories on the news of dead palestinian children, and these deaths are sometimes celebrated by israel because they were fighting back against the idf, however this form of "fighting back" is usually firing rocks at tanks using slingshots, and then proceeding to get shot
now, whats going on now is a result of the "snowballing" i mentioned. the problem was meant to be solved by the oslo accords, which was meant to be an agreement to help issues on both sides (for palestine it was meant to help economic development in palestinian society, as well as stop the construction and expansion of israeli settlements in the west bank n gaza strip. for israel it was meant to make a promise of peace, ending hostility esp from extremist palestinian movements such as hamas). however, the promises made in these accords were never met
now, hamas is something youve heard abt often, im sure. its an extremist militant group who works largely in gaza (they have absolutely no soldiers in the west bank, although they do have some support there) whose main objective is to take back palestine and give it to the palestinians. however, their methods of doing so are extremely unorthodox, as they tend to take courses of action such as smuggling rockets via a series of tunnels, suicide bombings, and also they largely target civilian populations
its also notable that they were voted for by the gazan population in 2006, where half of the population were children, so only a maximum of 50% of the gazan population voted for them. since this voting was also in 2006 (17 years ago) and the gazan population is still 50% minors, this means that only a maximum of 25% of the gazan population today were part of those who voted for hamas
what happened a couple weeks ago at the start of the war was that hamas had been planning for abt a year an attack on israel in retaliation for the thousands upon thousands of palestinians who have been killed, and the thing is that no one suspected it. thats one of the reasons why it shook the world
in the first couple days, israeli casualties outnumbered palestinian casualties, reaching abt 600 while palestine sat at just under 200. there was a music festival which hamas attacked, killing 260 civilians, injuring even more, and taking an unknown number of hostages, some of whom were not israeli and in fact just people visiting from other countries on israeli visas
israel retaliated heavily, with the israeli defense minister referring to palestinians as 'human animals', and they warned 1.1 million gazans to leave northern gaza (despite the fact that gaza is a 41km*12km piece of land thats been closed off for the past fifteen years) because they were going to level it. they also bombed a hospital, which is against international law and is a war crime, admitted it in a string of tweets, and then deleted them
they also damaged gaza's oldest church, the third oldest in the world which is estimated to be 1600 years old, where 400-500 palestinians were hiding. theres around 27 fatalities confirmed and an unknown number of people still trapped under the rubble
additionally theres a load of claims of things hamas has done (beheading babies n raping women being the most popular allegations) but basically none of these have based sources, and a lot of things israel accuses hamas of include crimes that members of the idf (israel defense force) has committed against palestinians in previous decades
so please fact check everything you hear, and be wary of biased sources
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alfalcone · 7 months
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to be clear, i do not condone many of the actions in the sahel (mali, niger, and especially burkina faso) as a whole, and i definitely do not agree with much of the ideology and the foreign influence fueling these movements. the men who lead these movements are more often than not violent extremists who are interested in many issues beyond removing french influence, including horrific misogyny masquerading as "cultural practices". the women in these nations are being targeted and the west should allow female refugees into their countries if they seek political asylum.
but i do support former colonies of france treating any remnants of french culture with extreme hostility. somehow, in popular discourse the french have mostly managed to escape criticism with regard to how they treated their colonies (with the british empire taking the majority of the criticism). but, to be clear, not only was the manner of colonial rule enforced by french in their african colonies uniquely racist and brutal, the culture of (white) france retains many of those same ideals as culturally significant and traditional. nationalism and its attendant racism are a poison in french culture that is rarely examined with any critical intent by other westerners. intellectuals, academics, political radicals--my people!--in particular have a tendency to romanticize french nationalism and excuse their racism in a way they would never dream to do for any other country.
historically, france has shrewdly deployed its image as an egalitarian nation to attract black people who are willing to fight for this alleged ideal. these idealists go on to be literally slaughtered (in the case of african soldiers during wwii) or exiled and stripped of all their honors and their rightful wages (in the case of haitian soldiers during the french revolution). i also resent how the french use the spectre of josephine baker to bolster their image as tolerant to this day when during her lifetime they repaid her fanatical devotion to the country with mockery and hardship (for which she always made excuses.)
france is currently a major center of the white nationalist movement globally, and has been for many decades. you have white americans, englishmen, nords, slavs, etc, all interested in bolstering ultra-right politicians and sociopolitical movements in france, because it serves their narrative of "the great replacement". but unlike in other western countries, where there is at least some attempt to control these movements, in france these white terrorists are allowed to practice their hate speech against black, brown, and jewish people as a matter of national idealism.
anyway i want french cultural influence and the french language removed from the african diaspora. once again i am begging you to read the work of walter rodney to understand how europe underdeveloped africa and created the very conditions we see today.
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anonymississippi · 4 months
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I had a 6 hour drive today and plenty of time to think so I present to you the Motherland Fort Salem prequel focusing the building of the Fort and on Alder’s development in the years leading up to MFS (title still pending):
Five Season run of 10 episodes each, focusing on 5 of the 81 conflicts that Alder fought as general of the armed forces.
:readmore:
High period dress, costumes, set design, and technology in all of them. Horses and carriages and the viewers getting to see Sarah adapt to new technologies and interact with historical people. Give me Bridgerton, but with witches. We see the uniforms of Fort Salem change, as well as the weapons, the canon, seeds, and work being developed, and what battles arise that lead to the employment of certain spells. How far the witches go with truly horrific spells. Like the technological advancements that wreaked destruction during WWI and the atomic bomb in WWII, we see how Fort Salem (and Sarah) draw the lines of battle. The creation of the council at The Hague, the Biddy Work performed by tribes in the Cession. All of this world development can be explored in a prequel.
The witches at Fort Salem interact with historical figures and have relationships, fights, and alliances with them, and dialogue/speech/slang changes with every episode, and one of the bits is how Sarah sounds archaic no matter who she talks to. Would love if we could utilize similar actors as different characters season over season, similar of AHS and showing thematic strains among characters that Sarah forms relationships with decade over decade, century over century. Many “you remind me of’s…” with little flashes of faces across time, to show the breadth of her experience.
Basic Season outlines are:
Season 1 starts with a new actress playing “young Alder,” but Lynne comes in partway through recounting the story. Her parents dying, the trip to America, her sister’s hanging, her song, the Accords, all of it. (1600s)
Season 2, the revolutionary war, the meeting of her coven, “the Bay of Bengal, running red with British blood.” The creation of the mycelium. (1700s)
Season 3, the campaign that introduces Gem Bellweather, when Alder first hears about the First Song but only briefly, planting the seed for the plot of MFS. (1800s)
Season 4, the technological wars with civilian soldier interference. Alder fighting not just on the front but in the battle of public opinion. A study of military propaganda as posters and photos are widely distributed, and Alder’s role and her reticence with being that face which, because of the lack of technology in the past, had not been so widely distributed. This is the first century where people know her on sight and her perception of herself changes. (1900s)
Season 5 goes in and out of the previous seasons in a bit of a retrospective, emphasizing the tenuous hold she keeps on power in the general’s office in the lead up to the Liberia mission. The early relationship with Nicte Batan is explored, as well as younger versions of characters from MFS: Major Verga, Izadora, and maybe even Anacostia as a fosterling. Fort Salem is so developed and we see the progress that has been made through the seasons and her battle to keep it safe, a witch’s place, during the course of all her previous campaigns.
And just because we literally have supernatural elements to play with here, Tally shows up in every. Single. Season. In the first season, as Sarah’s aged (think Biddy Tally) mentor in Salem looking after her and her sister after her parents had passed, dying 3/4 way through the first season at the hands of the church. Season 2, as part of Sarah’s coven who is burned by the Brits (but young enough for Sarah not to realize it was the same older woman who cared for her in Salem). In season 3, Tally is married to an officer from the opposing forces who Sarah meets by chance and they’re drawn to each other, the illicit affair season; but Tally is killed feeding Sarah info about enemy movements. As she dies in Season 3, Tally says something cryptic about their destiny and how she and Sarah are tied to each other through the Mother, but before Sarah can find anything else out Tally dies in her arms.
By this time Sarah understands this soulmate/reincarnation connection she has with Tally is doomed to tragedy, always a Knower that comes to Sarah’s aid for a major conflict but always blind to her connection with Sarah, and it’s Sarah who has to hold herself in check around every version of Tally (despite being in deep, desperate love with her soulmate) because she always ends up dying because of Sarah’s actions.
So by the time we get to season 4 and the worst conflict to date, Tally has taken a dispensation at her family’s behest and they meet by happenstance and Sarah feels that rush of love for her soulmate that she just cannot stay away from her when she finds her again. They meet in a bar on the east coast, which Tally oversees, and their first conversation Sarah tells her something like:
“You’re not going to believe me, but I’ve seen your face so many times over so many years, I know it as well as my own. And I’ve found that every time we come together you just get hurt, and it’s all my fault, but I can’t stay away from you… I’m just trying to get us to the last time, when it’s me that goes instead of you, and hopefully be blessed enough to find you again in another life more peaceful than my own.”
Their soulmate story is one of near-misses, of Sarah’s immortality and Tally’s fragility despite being a Knower and despite Tally’s constant desire to do the right™️ thing. But, during Season 4, Tally’s underdeveloped power shines in a moment of stress, and she sort of prophesies that Sarah will meet her again, and that time will be the last for Sarah… essentially foretelling Sarah’s death. Tally shares this prophecy with Sarah in an intimate moment, her fingertips pressed to Sarah’s forehead, such that they feel some moments of joy and connection together, so that a flash of the Tarim mission surges to the front of Sarah’s mind, and the only part of it that Sarah recognizes is that Tally is a soldier and she is fighting WITH Sarah.
And then we cut to the final season, season 5, the most modern prior to MFS. And this season is the season of flash-forwards, cutting scenes of Tally from MFS into Sarah’s memory as she makes mis-step after mis-step in the handling of Liberia, her only hope that she can hold her position just a couple more decades so that she can keep the country together and to see Tally again.
And then the final episode of the prequel is Sarah walking up to the podium in current MFS, locking eyes with Tally through the crowd of cadets as she gives her storm and fury speech, her heart catching in her throat as she realizes this will be The Last Time.
TL;DR - I have a lot of feelings about historical Alder and need to see both her and Tally in period costumes that is all.
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