imagine a gn bot reader, that isn't of being flirty, flamboyant, and a tease, they were practically the opposite?
kind of like Prowl, I suppose, but less. . . cop. And no tax net.
However, I need to see Decepticons practically drooling over an Autobot who has killed many with a cold look, and a pretty frame.
the Autobots are bewildered (some are into it)
✎"Indulge" GN Autobot Reader x (TFP) Decepticons
⦉Summary ❥ ⦊ You're hot and can and will kill them.
⦉Genre/theme 𖥔 ⦊ Mature but not explicit. Cons being thirsty over Powerhouse Autobot reader
⦉Warnings ✘➥ ⦊ Non con fantasies across the board (sans Star, BD, DW), violence, Cons being cons (evil), Medical/experimentation allusions in Shockwave’s
⦉Notes ✚ ⦊ Autobot Reader is a power house, Reader seems “detached” but does care about their allies a lot, uses of "Pretty", "Handsome" and "Beauty" about reader, Airachnid has thoughts about Arcee too in her fantasizing, Reader can be shockingly stealthy- they don’t know how you “pop out of seemingly nowhere” (Which is a bit funnier if you imagine yourself as a bigger bot like myself did lol)
⦉Pronouns ★ ⦊ You, you’re, yours
If Prime isn’t on the battlefield for any reason Megatron at least knows he’ll get a worthy fight if you're there. It's also tantamount to accepting failure on a mission if he allows you to operate freely on the battlefield unchecked. He knows only Soundwave or himself stands a proper chance of infringing on your objectives in a fight. Simultaneously irksome and exhilarating, the fact that you're such a capable warrior. A mech of few words that knows what they want. And that’s to snuff his spark. He's more than once attempt to play into your good graces- with words and promises. It was always futile. He'd offered to once give you anything you'd wanted if you joined The Decepticons. You'd asked "anything?" To which Megatron assured.
You'd then proceeded to ask him to die for you before rushing him yet again. He can't help but admire the pragmatism.
It reminds him of the arena- the pit. But more akin to his earlier years. When he was still finding his strive. Having to stay on guard, lest he be killed by one misjudgment on an attack aimed right for him. The brutality of your strikes. The way you come after him with the sole intention of killing him. It's not one he faces very often with Prime. No... you're a warrior through and through. You're ruthless. Especially so for an Autobot. But the ruthless core of your actions is simply a by product of your cold disposition. A detached indifference to the energon you spill, and the damage you deem necessary to inflict on another mech. Truly, a one mech army. A commendable opponent and one well deserving of his time.
Your looks are simply another discrepancy to your lethality. Most bots who are that up on their own up keep, tended to be vain. Not willing to risk serious damage to their frame (like Knock-out). But instead they simply sat as an accessory to your status as a fighter. He'd taken note of it the first time you'd fought- it had lead to his downfall when he'd made the very lethal mistake of underestimating you. Megatron has entertained the thought of his victory over you. Of beating you truly and claiming you utterly and thoroughly. Occasionally envisioning Prime there having to watch what he does to one of his mechs. Or even desecrating you as completely as possible. Breaking your modesty panel off of you, leaving his trace on every plate of yours, and discarding your battered and used frame for Prime to find.
There were certainly a prime number of choices- ones Megatron had zero qualms in indulging. And none he wouldn't hesitate to put into practice when he finally bests you.
Call Starscream every name In the book! He knows not to take chances with you around. And he doesn’t feel bad about being insulted over his rightful caution. Especially not when Decepticons that didn’t take the same cautions, were woefully unprepared for the damn force of nature you were on the battlefield. Most either being injured badly enough to know to never make the same mistake again. Or they certainly never would, because you’d deactivated them and didn’t allow them the second chance to begin with. He will retreat as quickly as possible considering whatever circumstances he finds himself in with you in proximity to him. No! He does not squeal when you show up out of seemingly nowhere- Knock-out! He's simply- surprised you are as well- covert as you were. That's all!
He'll fight you if he has to of course. (When turning his back on you was much more dangerous than facing you helm on.) He feels like he's been forced into a spar with Megatron! He's on his heels and doing his damnedest just to survive. You don't even dignify him with hello- or "stop right there con-!" No, nothing! He can't fluster you into giving him even a micro fraction of leeway. You still have that cold detached expression on your faceplate regardless of what he says. The only thing he has if you pin him, is utterly and completely groveling and begging. Pleading for mercy is the only thing that gives you slight hesitancy in just outright killing him. And it is groveling on a level that Starscream barely ever even employs with Megatron. His optics might be leaking coolant. Though you always leave him alive when he refuses to fight you back- you also always brutalize him. You without fail sever his connection to his own wings. A fate he's had to multiple times suffer the long repair of. (The fragging agony of-!). A servo full of times was more than enough for an entire function for Starscream!
And yes there is some rather telling... discrepancy between your looks and your lethality. But attractive faceplate and frame aside- any mech has the capability of being lethal. He's attempted to praise you for said looks to appease you (to no avail). And perhaps- perhaps mind you, Starscream occasionally... reflects in a more perverse manner. His thoughts tend to drift towards servitude. Not to you! No- no-! Of you to him. Of you seeing the error of your Autobot thinking and simply- pledging your loyalty to him. Swearing servitude to him. On your knees and servos willing to do anything to please him. Having a mech such as yourself to his beck and call, only concerned with anything you could do to satisfy his ideals, his plans, his needs. To have such a powerful bot readily following his every command. It is quite the... thrilling fantasy to indulge in.
It's not something Starscream ever entertains seriously- only on very lonely charge heavy nights. Because surly there was no chance you'd never have an epiphany of such a drastic sort. But there's no harm in a mech having ideals... now is there?
He sees you sometimes before he even hears you. Which is a fact in it of itself to how dangerous you were. Soundwave didn't know how you did it. You were just as cybertronian as the rest of them. Yet it was hard to hear your mass- even the ever light sound of your plating shifting. Even after this long at war he still has trouble pin pointing your exact location, before you deliberately make yourself known. Full sneak attacks are only something he ever has to worry about because of your existence. The reason he'll stay on his pedes outside of The Nemesis when you could be anywhere. There aren't many who can match him on the field. There were even less who could actively make Soundwave work as physically hard as you do.
There's a bit of a thrill to it all, having a competent opponent. It is a minuscule amount of enjoyment mind you. The only reason he leaves The Nemesis is when he has a mission. Mission that you have no problem or hesitancy in blocking or even destroying his progress on. You are the biggest problem above Optimus Prime himself. Simply because Optimus Prime will focus on Megatron if he has to choose between him or Soundwave. While you will make the effort to fight both of them simultaneously to keep either one of them from leaving your focus. It's the closest he's come to seeing you fighting up hill. But you still never allow either of them to inflict lethal damage onto you. A small part of himself has vowed to beat you. He does note he has the least amount of audio recordings of your vocalizor saved out of any of the Autobots. Even less than your medic. He doesn’t know why that very fact irks him.
The fact that you're a rather attractive bot hasn't been one he's paid too much attention to. For the first couple of decades you've been an enemy to The Decepticons anyway. The longer you proven yourself a problem- the longer you prove yourself a major player in the war; the more noticeable the fact becomes. At this stage of the war on earth, Soundwave has more than once (on his down time and privacy), envisioned a proper victory over you. Since it's fantasy and no more he let's himself indulge on not immediately killing you. Instead holding you down with his servos and body weight, before using his prehensile cables to explore over your frame. Explore your array too. Making a point to use the recordings of your own allies voices to splice some choice mockery; Over the state you've become.
Fantasy is fantasy. Soundwave knows and he knows he wouldn't hesitate to properly take care of you if he ever had the opportunity to deactivate you... surely he would.
There's bots she knows she should be wary of and bots Airachnid knows she needs to be very prepared for if she's going to cross them. You fit slotted perfectly in the latter category. You were merciless, unforgiving, and determined... A mech after her own spark. Troublesome that you were cross faction from one another. She finds she'd more than likely enjoy your interactions if you'd both bore the same badge- at a point in time anyway. What with her solo work. But wistful and rather pointless daydreaming aside- she has a strut to pick with you. As do you her, though you seem to treat any enemy with the exact level of violence you deem necessary. Oh, it is a marvel to watch you work through mechs. Less so being the one on the receiving end of your icy glare. But she was a hard bot to pin down.
She rather finds herself growing frustrated when you utterly and truly do not seem too emotional invested in much of anything. Though the ferocity in which you attack shows anything but. Which in turn only annoys her further, the longer she begins to even consider the very notion that you'd find her not worth your emotions. But you care. Oh, you care. About your team mates. She's seen the look in your optics when you'd last rescued Arcee right before Airachnid could sink her claws into her spark chamber. Your expression much the same as always, but the look in your optics was ferocious. Like a beast more than a mech staring her down and daring her to run so you can give chase. She finds herself having to make solutions on the very spot lest she actually be captured and slaughtered for sport. It's a touch exhilarating- a pain absolutely. But the rush she gets when she realizes she'd gotten away from you. Oh, it is delicious.
She's used to being the hunter, not the hunted. Oh, but you? You're no prey. You're a predator. She might even say apex if she was feeling so generous. Something she laments when you've clearly got such a lovely "coat". The things she could do to you. The things she would do to you given the proper chance. She'd play with you. And she would thoroughly enjoy her time pulling you apart plate- by plate. How you'd squirm. How you'd gasp. How you'd groan. How you'd beg. She would indulge but she wouldn't kill you however. No, you were a prize fair enough and a tribulation great enough- she'd keep you. As her personal pet. You should feel honored, truly. A title in her vorns of function she's only ever entertained bestowing Arcee. She'd keep both of you as her lap cyberhounds if she was ever given the opportunity to do so. Airachnid has-… practice breaking new projects in. She would just positively adore breaking her two personal pet projects in.
Details- and options. So so many options on how she could play with you if you did end up in her claws. Till then she can make note of her ideals as a diligent reminder.
Knock Out utterly despises you. Yes, dangerous, a menace in a fight. With a cold calculated nature that’s much more in tune with a hardened Con than any soft sparked Autobot. (And soft sparked you were anything but.) And most of all Knock out cannot forgive the outrageous fact that you look that good while doing all of it. Knock out likes to play with his food but you tend not to dally in any way. Strikes and coming after them (himself included) as soon as you’d gotten the opportunity to make yourself a problem for them. Cold and to the point, no affection for talking or some good fashioned banter. Gaze sharp and not even dignifying any of them with a proper emotional reaction. As if Knock out wasn’t worth the effort to give him anything other than that cold calculated gaze of yours.
It infuriated Knock out more than he’d let anyone know.
But petty spite and hang ups aside Knock out was still a medic. One of the best The Decepticons had to offer, clearly. And certainly no slouch in a fight or with his energon prod. But a medic none the less. He was far from a push over in a fight. But Knock out wasn’t delusional enough to think he’d be able to take you down with anything other than luck and a very good shot. He’s seen you get into it with Megatron himself. Megatron actually gets excited when he sees you in a fight. That is an automatic "No thank you" from him. So he delegates himself to not sticking around when and if you make yourself known in a fight. Because you weren’t worth the helm ache and the utterly egregious amount of damage you can and will deliver upon him given the opportunity.
Though Knock out was an opportunist. And even he couldn't deny exactly how fetching your frame and chassis were, aesthetically anyway. He's not exactly shy in his admiring. You don't exactly seem to mind, and if you did you haven't made a point to say anything about it. (Or increase the already present brutality in your actions.) He does fantasize about getting a hold of you. Maybe after Megatron got a lucky shot. Or some other extremity that allowed your capture. Regardless, you end up in Knock out’s grasp either way. And he would thoroughly take his up most care in positively ruining your paint job. Both in salacious ways and also maybe in more sadistic methods of indulgence. Finishing his work off with carving "Knock out was here" with a claw either on your inner thigh or directly above your modesty panel.
Knock-out positively adored breaking things up and taking them apart. Even more so when he breaks something pretty and handsome all at the same time. How invigorating it is to watch premium bots fall oh so very low...
It’s the drum of the fight that keeps Breakdown going when the energon starts spilling like a broken undercarriage, more often than not. He keeps going, he keeps fighting, he survives. And he counts his deeds and his damages after every fight. To keep himself ready for the inevitable next. But all the prep in the sparkdamn world, still wouldn’t make him feel like he’s ever actually ready to go pede to pede with you on the battlefield. But slag rarely ever cared if you actually were ready or not to fight for your fragging survival in war. So Breakdown grits his denta and does his damnedest to not get turned into scrap, when you decide to clash with him. Breakdown wasn’t a rookie, he was a wrecker for frags sake. He's been a front liner long after that. So he knew a thing or two about fighting and his way around a war zone.
And despite that all Breakdown still feels like he’s treading water to stay functional whenever your cold optics lock onto him. Your demeanor compared to your frame might be jarring to some- well, he knows better. Especially when he’s worked with Knock out for however many vorns and seen how sadistic the medic can be when he wants to. That an attractive frame didn’t mean slag about the bot actually strutting around in it- Airachnid is another example of the same fragging thing. Sure, it’s a bit of a trip up seeing how good you can look practically slathered in energon. And your weapon still brandished promising to add to the amount you were already drenched in. But Breakdown isn’t dumb enough to let it distract him when those optics of yours are trained right on him.
In terms of fantasy- okay maybe maybe Breakdown lets himself indulge in a little bit of his imagination when he actually has the time to treat himself. How that frame of yours might look even better underneath his own. Him actually managing to break that cold expression always on your faceplate with how he uses you. He thinks you'd look sweet with that cold look fragged out of you. Or maybe your weapon underneath his own chin. And you ordering him on his knees in the middle of a battlefield with only the two of you left on it. But again Breakdown isn’t fragging stupid enough to let them be anything other than late night fantasies. You’ll just be his... dirty little self service secret. It's also why he keeps his mouth shut when he hears Knock out growl "Oh, the things I would do to them-!" Under his vents after a class with you.
Breakdown can deal with his attraction to Airachnid or any other con just fine. But… you were the sinfully sweet thing caught underneath his armor he didn't have a problem keeping hidden (for himself only anyway.)
There are many opponents Dreadwing has heard the tale of through the Decepticon ranks. The Prime himself the most exalted and hated- scorned. For what he is. For what he represents. For what he is not. But you? You were spoken of with fear. Tales from bots seemingly haunted by the mere encounter. Tales from those bragging about having simply survived crossing paths with you. The ones most taken by fear would speak quickly and in a panic, hushed words. As if you were some fictional pit spawn. (And not a real tangible enemy, any of them may face.) As if somehow you would hear the words your enemies spoke of you. As if you would hear the hearsay spoke within the ranks from wherever you presently were; and hunt them down yourself for the mere transgression of slander. He always scoffed at the notion- tales were tales for a reason. They were built on speculation and emotion- and in this case gossip.
Though be that as it may, Dreadwing would have done well to heed the many warnings told to him time and time again. He may have been at least a fraction more prepared. When he had learned that monsters from tales are typically inspired by the horrors of reality. You'd almost killed him- he was woefully unprepared and had even underestimated you; when he had seen with his own optics that you were a real mech. Not a ounce of pity or even scorn on your faceplate when your were halfway through ripping his spark out. Covered in his and other troops energon. He was only saved when your attention was driven elsewhere- when Megatron had gotten a hold of your ally. You abandoned him immediately to rescue them. Dreadwing learned well enough never to allow his guard to drop around you, lest he be killed on the spot. A frightful opponent and one well deserving of the tales spun of them.
Your... appearance he will admit rather shamefully was a part of the reason he had underestimated you as much as he had. Yes, you were clearly capable- with the energon you had spilled and the weapon you brandished unflinching at him. But there was a particular... credence to a way warriors had a tendency to look. A mold you did not entirely fit- a bot he would believe he would have seen on an advertisement when Cybertron was still populated and functional to a degree. Maybe a film. Not one he would be actively struggling not to perish to. With a faceplate that is something even he would- in the privacy of his thoughts- admit to finding... attractive. The ferocity and danger of your being only seemed to accentuate your beauty. A plague on his thoughts off the battlefield. And on it when he has a particularly close encounter with you. He does not indulge too much- (you were a filthy Autobot after all!) But even Dreadwing can't help his thoughts wandering when he self services to take the edge off. Your derma, the shape of your frame, that sharp cutting gaze of yours. Your very being a bewitching, perilous, and handsome call.
The very fatal attraction that Dreadwing simply cannot seem to shake in his more heated lunar cycles of privacy. It threatens to haunt him and cause his own demise.
There are a multitude of bots who need to be kept on high surveillance on the battlefield and off the battlefield. Powerful figures who can turn the tides of battle, and who are to be treated with caution. Mechs who are of high interest and high resource deficit to handle. Optimus Prime was the second Autobot on Shockwave's priority list. The first Autobot on his priority list would be you. You were a stalwart in the Autobot faction and had been for the entirety of your enlisting. Cunning, efficient, and hazardous to any Decepticon you deemed your opponent. A helmache to him when you would turn your attention onto him. Or his projects, if Shockwave happened to be your objective. A mech he will not hesitate to shoot first if he registers you in his peripheral. His chances of survival drastically decrease if he would entertain anything less.
Your pragmatism is something that- bothers his allies to a... substantial degree. In Shockwave’s case he recognizes the mutual comprehension, you seem to wordlessly share with one another. Even as enemies. You are going to strive to kill him. He is going to fight while simultaneously attempting to do the same to you. There is nothing less or more to bother with. Unless you are aiming to destroy his progress or projects. In which case he will need to be twice as proactive to prevent total destruction of his works. Something you have... no grievances in partaking in. The efficiency in which you are capable of operating that particular endeavor leaves Shockwave a touch... irritated. He can't recall any other bot who's made him squeeze his own fist harsh enough he’s popped a digit joint lose.
Neither can he recall himself even- entertaining more then necessary procedures. He's well aware it would be a waste of time. He would kill you first and foremost if he had the opportunity. However, rather perplexingly, Shockwave finds himself becoming- fixated. On particular opportunities he could partake in if Lord Megatron left you as his responsibility after you'd been subdued. Perhaps Shockwave would be- given the order by Lord Megatron to... Indulge. Something Shockwave has found Lord Megatron had a frequency of doing- employing acts for seemingly nothing more than… his own sadism. The possibility was quite high considering Lord Megatron’s pension for such decisions. Logically Shockwave had taken it on himself to then find what would account as “Indulgence” under such a hypothetical order. Opening you up and mapping out your internals would be a possible conclusion. To find out the logistics of what made you such a competent soldier. What he could not see on the surface with only his base optical output. What made you, you.
What made you whole.
… Shockwave believes he may be able to fulfill such an order to Indulge when he imagines your faceplate overwhelmed and your optics brightened. Responding to his touch and his experimental- maintenance.
jumping in the murray x king gus ship! ( I know my king gus is shit, he should be way more buff.
I didn't have enough time to properly design him between work, ToT will do better next time...
ok i put this in the tags originally but i ranted too long and tumblr cut my tags off so HERE WE GO
shut up i am obsessed with alphi's character arc in relation to his relationship with the warrior of light (and how it informs his arc overall). so much.
consider that in arr he treated wol like an attack dog. a goon. a minion. literally. it was not actively malicious (it was more rich pompous educated kid-itis) but it was absolutely a thing. he referred to the wol in similar terms no few times and said cool bangers along the lines of, "shame if you had died, i'd have to get another primal killer". which i am positive from his perspective was a fun & even friendly jibe but it came off in super poor taste bc the wol is in mortal danger constantly.
again, not malicious - as others have pointed out on this post, there are plenty of hints that he actually does care quite a bit in arr! but that doesn't change the fact that his ego is massive and while he might not truly think his comrades infallible, he scarcely thinks twice about sending them off into any old bullshit and any anxiety he feels is commonly in retrospect AFTER considering/realizing the danger. arr alphi rarely seems to truly stop and consider what he is putting others through while he is happily playing Master Strategist and deploying people into peril every which way. debatably, the wol's talent at actually emerging from these absolute death traps unscathed only serves to enable this apparent feeling of invincibility that alphinaud is subconsciously carrying throughout arr. not only is he educated and brilliant with multiple successes in eorzea under his belt, he has a nigh unkillable attack dog that he points at things and problems get solved, what could go wrong?
we all know what goes wrong.
BUT POST ARR? THE HUMBLING? and how estinien calls him out for being callous about sending the wol off to fight ravana? annnd how alphi doesn't get defensive about it but seems genuinely shocked to have it called to attention?
that was a TURNING point.
alphinaud had been humbled and was already in the difficult process of rearranging his world view. but that was the moment he had to examine how he actually treated other people - specifically the warrior of light. bc the events of post arr were bringing them closer together, but he fell back into treating them like a pawn for that small moment. and treating people like pawns in his personal ego playpen is what caused the crystal braves incident in the first place.
but THEN, estinien catches that flyball quick. he blasts alphinaud for being callous to his associate/friend. and after that moment, alphinaud NEVER does that again. alphinaud never takes the wol (or anyone else) for granted. he doesn't diminish the peril they put themselves in nor dismiss their mortality. and this is in turn a huge leap forward for him in how he interacts with the world and other people around him. the veil of invicibility that he thought one received purely by being associated with him was suddenly and harshly ripped off by estinien's words.
and the change is rapid. you can tell estinien scared him and the reality took root immediately. when you get back from ravana? he was worried. when you pull the stunt against zenos in yanxia? he was panicked. if in arr he tended to play off any concern he felt, from hw onwards he is exceptionally transparent in his worry because now the pendulum has swung the other way.
but even THIS fear evolves over the expansions. as time continues, he begines to vocalize more and more that he is worried about the wol - but that he has faith in them. and when they come back, he always states how he is RELEIVED to see them triumph over every fuckass situation they have to deal with. and it's so gratifying to see him reach this middle ground. to find balance between awareness of his comrades' mortality and faith that they will prevail.
most of all i think this culminates BEAUTIFULLY in shb - near the end - you probably can guess the part. skirting around spoilers, but there is a missable dialogue (before accepting a quest) with alphinaud where he tells you - paraphrased - "you are more important than your duty." and isn't that a GORGEOUS summation of the character arc alphinaud has gone through, how he has gained such a deep empathy for ALL peoples around him, how he did not lose his ideals in his failings but instead fortified them and shifted them to be a cornerstone of his new way of approaching the world. how he was once a brat pushing tiddlywinks around a checkerboard but has cultivated genuine strength, politically and interpersonally, with the compassion his ego never could have afforded him.
chef's. kiss. sorry for such a long ramble but alphinaud's character arc over the expacs is genuinely one of my favorites period, it's so well done and one i'm privileged to have witnessed. his writing is spectacular and little moments like the ones screenshotted above are SUCH pivotal moments into it actively happening, i get super excited whenever i see them!
consider that in arr he treated wol like an attack dog. a goon. a minion. literally. it was not actively malicious (it was more rich pompous educated kid-itis) but it was absolutely a thing. he referred to the wol in similar terms no few times and said cool bangers along the lines of, "shame if you had died, i'd have to get another primal killer". which i am positive from his perspective was a fun jibe but it came off in super poor taste bc the wol is in mortal danger constantly.
THISSSSS ohhh my gosh. First of all love love love everything you wrote.
I’ll also add that I love the Alphinaud and wol relationship in arr so so much because it’s like, I think him being all “come along now.” Is like, also a marker of how much he trusts you—and it is ever only you. Like it definitely starts as a very formal, business like relationship, and him being a little callous with you, and making those kinds of comments, is both because he begins by seeing you as someone who is useful and who has a role to play—you’re all part of an org thats devoted itself to the betterment/salvation of eorzea after all, surely you’re down to go do this and that, no questions asked. But with every interaction he has w you he begins to be more and more (still not much, but!) open, and it’s pretty clear that he trusts you explicitly. He also trusts that YOU trust in him. He confides in you, and yeah that’s mostly to move the narrative along but it’s also like, but they didn’t have to put it in there. Minfilia even says it: he only ever really asks for help from YOU.
He only lets himself be vulnerable around YOU. And this is a kid who is trying SO hard to behave and be seen as a capable adult, he downplays injuries, he bumbles through people teasing him, he doesn’t know how to express concern for you, or wish you well before you go do something crazy (shiva)
He has YOU pick out the people who will join the crystal braves!! I totally forgot about that detail but he does! He trust YOU and your judgement. He values it! He never once blames you for what comes after either screaming crying throwing up, my boyyyy
Also he just keeps smiling and giving you fond eyes and smiler in post arr patches ugh my HEART.
He wants validation and trust and to be seen as someone capable and helpful and good and he sees you as someone who sees that in him, and who he can in turn trust and be vulnerable around—and this is still him having his guard up around you compared to EVERYTHING that happens after!!
Sorry for likewise going on a rant I just *clenches fists* ARR Alphinaud is SO dear to me. My wol saw a kid trying so so soooo hard to do good and act cool calm and collected and try to keep people away to achieve it and went “oh. Oh dear 🥺. Must protect and pat head bc holy shit who else is looking out for him?? Hello????”
honestly i find arr alphinaud (and ofc his relationship with the wol) soooo so fascinating and i don't think he'd have half the character arc he did if he was even slightly different. yes he's sort of insufferable but i think it's so important to understand that all of his callousness and seeming lack of care does not stem from a lack of compassion, even though it's totally understandable why one might clock him that way.
arr alphinaud is a rich, highly educated, sheltered teenager with an enormous legacy left to him by his grandfather and an equally enormous weight of expectations (external AND internal). and he walks, talks, and breathes the part with every mote of his being. empathy has to go both ways, and if you put yourself in his shoes it's easier to understand why he spends arr acting like he has his act all together and is the best of the best when it comes to political maneuvering.
but YES - he can't do it alone and he knows it. the wol basically falls into his lap and they are bar none the most capable, effective, and cooperative entity he comes into contact with. even his own sister left him to tackle things her way (which she had a right to), so being a lone kid with unbearable expectations trying to fix a foreign land is ROUGH and scary no matter who you are or how many smart girls wanted to date you in high school. the wol was like a damned blessing from hydaelyn brightening his doorstep and it's NO WONDER he latched onto them with such ferocity and faith. i am sure he saw it as very equitable, not really realizing his moments of callousness and pawn-ifying the wol and others under his command, but the wol was three thousand percent an enormous source of stability and dare i say comfort for this kid waay in over his head and absolutely deluding himself into thinking he wasn't and had the entire world under his thumb.
such a FASCINATING dynamic. alphinaud feels close to the wol and relies on them heavily, the wol in turn is tapped by him constantly to go get shit done, their preternatural ability to not die sort of enables alphi's sense of superiority but also strengthens his faith in them, repeat ad infinitum until the crystal brave incident.
even after estinien metaphorically slaps what has become this weird cross of hero worshipping the wol and taking them for granted out of him, the cornerstone of this dynamic STAYS. alphi trusts the wol implicitly in every way he did before, now he's just realizing that they're not immortal, too. which is a scary thing to have to wake up to, the fact that your greatest confidant and protector had the chance to die at any moment doing something you commanded them to do, and still could. it becomes fear and worry, and a new element alphinaud has to wrestle with from hw onwards.
but his trust in the wol never fades. not once, even when he has to grapple with their mortality. again jumping forward all the way to shb, but my god his character arc just caps so insanely perfectly there, it contains my favorite alphinaud quote of ALL time:
"I have borne witness to many such miracles at your side, and would do so again. This is but another obstacle in the road. So come, let us travel it. Drag me through wonder and danger, as you are wont to do, and I will endeavor not to slow you down."
UUUGHHH. ugh. ugh. incrediblllle growth. THANK YOU for letting me ramble and ramble back, i can never get out my feelings about alphinaud's arc with anyone willing to put up with me LMAO
#ffxiv#theres mooooore#delicious#also#i wanna point out something too#alphinaud is desperately trying to be grown up and independent on this first trip out of Sharlayan and away from his family#whose example is he following when interacting with them?#he is following his grandfather's ideals#but his behaviour and way of speaking to people is 100% his father#his father whose example he would have followed when dealing with foreigners coming to sharlayan#and not noticed or understood the difference between how he treated those people compared to other sharlayans#sharlayan has that unfortunate habit of intellectual elitism and talking down to everyone else#young impressionable alphinaud would never think of his father doing something like that#so he walks away thinking that this is how you do business/work with eorzeans etc (via @araceil)
YEAH YOU GET IT THAT'S THE THING. my WoL met fourchenault and was like "oh my gods. ohhh my gods so MANY things about alphy make sense now. i demanded to know which pack of wolves raised him and it was This Motherfucker"
This is beautiful, not just because of the lyrics, harmonies and relatable message, but also because Cinderella (Brandy), One of the Hercules Muses (Roz Ryan) , and Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis) are singing it. Like we have been blessed.
There should be a dp x dc ver of Danny's class stranded in the middle of nowhere and they are unaware that they are being recorded live for the entire world, with the superhero communities pressured to find them.
I’m not much of a writer but brain worms hit me hard and I tried my best.
The villain that kidnapped the kids didn’t really know who the kids they kidnapped were. All they needed was a large group of them and hijacking a whole field trip bus seemed to be the fastest way to check that part off the list.
All of Amity Park 10th grade class were on a week long field trip to go study a new ruins site recently uncovered. The mayor having connections to it had set it up for them and is paying for everything.
None of them are happy Vlad set it up but they will all happily spend his money. Everyone goes on this trip prepared to try their best to bankrupt this man.
The next thing they know though is they’re halfway there when some gas starts coming out of the vents. Quickly knocking them all out in one go.
The villain, now with a newly acquired bus of fresh hostages, drops the kids off in the survival area they created that’s filled with traps, dangerous creatures, the whole shebang. Clearly made so that some kids will die even if the JL find them quickly once they start the stream.
So Mr/Mrs/Mx villain have set up everything and are fully ready to relish in all of these random kids waking up and panicking. They’ve already started live streaming to the world before the kids even start to wake up.
When they do they do so slowly, enough time to really make people watching start to squirm
Now the JL were already all swarming to a meeting the moment the stream went live and they’re already trying to figure out how to find these kids.
From here idk what the villain is doing this for but it could be one of two reasons (or both)
1) JL has something or someone they want or something only they could manage to get a hold of. And they’ll just keep those kids hidden and basically in hunger games like arena until they get the macguffin.
2) They’re doing it to basically try and make the world lose faith in the JL by making everyone watch a group of kids suffer and die while the JL runs around like chickens with their head cut off trying to find them
The kids are fully starting to wake up now and the villain is already gloating over the live footage
The JL are stressing already on what’s gonna happen to those kids. They’re especially worried about the kids reactions when they’re all coherent enough to fully comprehend the situation they just woke up to.
But no one watching was prepared for the first reaction they got.
A kid with black hair and blue eyes that recovered a bit faster then everyone else is the first one to really get a look at their new surroundings and the first thing out of that twig of a kid’s mouth is
“Ah man not this shit again”
Which makes everyone watching, including the villain, pause…cause that’s not a normal reaction a regular kid would have to this particular scenario.
Zero people watching were expecting those words strung together at the moment
It all just becomes more confusing for everyone watching as every single kid there has a similar reaction of annoyance if not just mildly perturbed.
What even more so throws the viewing parties off is when the kids immediately get down to business on making plans with one another.
All weirdly enough seeming to look to the initial black haired kid as defacto leader.
“So Fenton you got a clue where we are and who put us here?”
A blond kid with an athletic build and a letterman’s jacket asked.
“Nope not a clue, or at least not any of the usual suspects normal shticks standing out right now. Tuck you got anything?”
This “Fenton” kid said turning to the boy next to him who’s wearing a red beret and going to town typing on…is that a PDA??
“Not a thing here either, no nearby Wi-Fi or cell connection either, looks like we’re completely isolated wherever we are”
At that a few kids just huff or groan but none seem panicked at all or stressed in the slightest. All of them perking back up when their apparent leader speaks again
“Okay welp we’ve all done this song and dance before, let’s spilt up to the usual groups. A-listers with me. We’re gonna find some improvised weapons and check around for anything dangerous.”
He points to a goth looking girl next to him.
“Sam’s group, go with her to find food, water and shelter in case we get stuck here for a bit if we can’t figure a way home soon”
He turns back to the beret kid
“Techie’s with Tuck see if you can’t find a signal nearby or cobble together something to get a connection to reach further….just don’t wonder too far this time please we don’t want a repeat of ‘The Incident’”
That cryptic mention being the only thing so far to get a slight bit more emotion out of the kids but one more so laced in embarrassment rather than any fear.
And at that all the kids set off to their apparently regular tasks for the situation at hand.
…
The villain is silent…
The JL are silent…
The worldwide viewers are silent…
…
The villain starts up again, slightly flustered.
“Well..those kids MAY be acting tough now but they have no idea the dangers in store for them. So hurry to follow my demands or I’ll start to unleash my deadly creatures on them…if the traps don’t kill then first”
That monologue kicking the JL back into gear on coming up with a way to track down where these kids are.
As time moves forward and the JL are trying to find the kids the more they get to watch these kids in action.
The kids all seem fine and are able to handle everything thrown at them with a practiced ease.
The longer it takes though the less worried the JL are about the kids safety in the moment and the more worried the JL become of WHY this random group of kids are unreasonably good at surviving everything.
The JL need to find more information on where these kids are all from…
Okay, but Venatori and Antaam probably both want Rook out of the way, right?
The Veilguard 's appearances can be unpredictable but there are some areas they're known to return to, mainly to collaborate with their allies. It would make sense if someone wanting to kill them was lying in wait.
Except you can't send the Crows, the best/most famous assassins. The Venatori keep fucking up the job, as they have been with the Inquisition for a decade. The Antaam are trained in the opposite of stealth and left the Ben Hassrath behind them. So in short there's a bit of a staffing problem for this job.
Except you know who does end up having a significant rebel force join the Venatori?
Orlais.
Orlais, which has its own assassins, the House of Repose, which works only for Orlesian Nobility. And it's the nobility aligning themselves with the Venatori and Evanuris!
So now if you will please, imagine someone from the House of Repose does in fact attempt to complete a contract on Rook.
Lucanis is so fucking offended. Not just personally offended but professionally offended. He is a Crow. How dare they?
And my Rook, Arsinoë de Riva, would be right there with him honestly. I just imagine her storming into the kitchen of the Lighthouse fuming. And whoever was with her on the mission is following confused that an assassin is so angry someone would try to assassinate her back.
Until she starts yelling for Lucanis before even reaching the pantry door.
"Lucanis! Those Orlesians amateurs just showed up at the strategy meeting, can you fucking believe it?"
And he's replying before he's even fully emerged from his room, his tone scoffing. He doesn't even have to ask who they mean.
"Por la sangre del Hacedor– the House of Repose, really? They thought they were capable of outplaying an Antivan Crow?"
"I know! We killed them of course- fucking amateurs- but they really thought they could try it."
It quickly devolves into a mix of Trade and Antivan swearing and a roast of the House of Repose's professional abilities that has Taash watching like a professional fighting match and everyone else observing with unsettled, morbid curiosity.
Update: this is the best post I've ever made because everyone is sharing their Warm Beverage recipes in the notes. Go check the notes for more Warm Beverages That Will Fix You.
areudirty
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