OMG Nathan's hair! Is Max having a new hairstyle? Is it his post-resurrection look? I love it either way because it's so beautiful! Damn Echo is looking so good right now!
Seriously, Nonny!! I know!!
There is something about Echo in that photo that just gave me all the thirst!! The happiness...the mischievous smile...Nathan's HAIR!!
I have this tiny little itsy bitsy fan theory/personal fanon that it's 100% new Max hair and there are REASONS for it.
Back early in S1 I remember having an amusing conversation with @tasyfa about Max's TRAUMA BANGS. Like, his bangs got more out of control the angstier things got with Liz. And then right as he finally was able to release all of his trauma and come clean about all of the Rosa stuff, all of a sudden his trauma bangs were GONE and they never came back.
I think the curly hair is similar. Only my personal theory is that they are POWER CURLS. Like, he's dead right now, right? But then we all know he's coming back from the dead. But what if the POWER CURLS come to be as he begins to accept his alien!Jesus!savior role and really comes into his own a with his abilities?
I don't know if that's where they're going, but I am here for it!!!
Isn't Nathan's facial hair different as well? Looks longer? Oh I hope it doesn't mean he's going down a "dark path".
Yeah definitely a little longer than normal in that photo. Looks closer to how Nathan prefers it. Amusingly, as much as I'm more than willing to read too much into the hairstyle, when it comes to facial hair, not so much. The only thing I feel like we can track via facial hair is flashback episodes.
But...re: dark Max... I don't really think the show is going to go there fully. I think they're more likely to go there with Isobel or Michael. Isobel because of experimenting with her powers and trying not to feel helpless giving her a power rush... And with Michael if things are bad with both Maria and Alex...particularly if Michael feels betrayed by Alex at some point, I could see him falling in with some questionable aliens and gambling with the dark side that way.
I feel like when it comes to Max and the dark side they kinda went there at the end of the season with his control/consent issues while jacked up on lightning and dead Noah and the result was Rosa and DEATH. I think Max will have learned a lesson, or at least Liz will demand caution from him.
That being said though, if they do go down a dark!Max path, I am here for it. I don't think they'd let him go too far down that path, and I think Liz will always be there to drag him back to the light. The only way Max goes full evil is if Liz gets for real killed, IMO. Then we'd get a glimpse at vengeful Max.
I answered #12 here: https://angsty-nerd.tumblr.com/post/189679937257/1226-for-the-fic-ask-pls-12-favorite
12&26! For the fic ask pls!
12. Favorite character to write this year.
@mercenarywitch also asked for this one, so here you both go!
It’s r
14. A fic you didn’t expect to write.
I mean, the easy answer is all of them. On January 1, 2019 I hadn’t written a word of fanfic in something like a decade or so. I was completely devoid of fandom. I didn’t have a Tumblr. I had no idea what Discord was. I had never registered with AO3. I was peripherally aware that 2 weeks later, a reboot of my biggest TV obsession of all times was going to be premiering, but I wasn’t really thinking much about it beyond, “Yeah, I’ll check it out.” So yeah, start of the calendar year, I wouldn’t have expected any of this.
Once involved in fandom and writing again...hmm. I’ve actually got a few specific examples.
—I would have NEVER thought that the first RNM fic I ever posted would be a Rosa POV fic (Fallen Back to Earth). I’m so Echo-minded, it’s kinda ridiculous, so the fact that my first shareable fanfic was a gen fic that was more dealing with Rosa’s reaction to the finale, was very unlike me. https://archiveofourown.org/works/19158352
—The Fictober Challenge gave me a lot of freedom to play around, unexpectedly, with plots and characters I never really thought about writing. I was pretty mellow about it, but I was shocked the first time I wrote Marichael/Miluca. And the fact that I wrote them a handful of times that month is even more shocking to me! And in doing so, I discovered that I really like writing Maria, so that was a good lesson for me. So, I’ll credit Fictober #s 10 and 15 for this one. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20857943
—Lastly, I’m gonna have to give a shoutout to Dark!AlienGod!Max. I loooove me a good Dark!Max fic...but I am absolutely intimidated to write him. So the fact that I broke down and did, TWICE, during Fictober was really scary for me. But then I ended up being really, really happy two those two ficlets. Particularly the first one. Those two are Fictober #s 22 and 28...same link as above.
23. Fics you wanted to write, but didn’t.
I actually have a bunch of those. But I’m going to limit it to things I haven’t even STARTED writing, because I have a whole bunch of WIPs.
—A Roswell Christmas Carol, with Max getting visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. I may still write this, but I’m down to 10 days here!
—A missing 6 weeks fic about the time between Barely Breathing and Songs About Texas. I wanted to do a chapter about each week, and I was trying to plot out the events that would occur each week, but I never really got past ideas for week 1.
—A songfic based on this song...set pre-pilot. I think it would be Max/Cam with a little bit of Kyle thrown in, and a whole lotta Liz nostalgia without her making an appearance.
—A Liz heals Max fic based on this awesome art by @viaomens
—Going through my file archives I found a bunch of notes on an OG plot bunny that I never wrote, and I really like it and can see an RNM fic in my head on it. It would be a reset fic where Liz goes back in time to a few months pre-shooting and has an opportunity to change her path. It’s interesting though, because for OG it totally made sense that way, but I think for RNM it would be more interesting for Liz to go back to before Rosa dies. So I may slightly adjust. Whenever I get around to writing it.
Echo...this is a prequel to ficlet #22. So same warnings as there...slightly adult, dark, power hungry Max...
It was on his third time since his resurrection that Liz figured out what was going on.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The first time was during a shift. He was at the Sheriff's station and had just brought in his first perp since returning to work. The guy was in the interrogation room waiting for questioning, and Max was about to go to work on him, when suddenly he got an unanticipated bout of vertigo. He stopped, leaning against the wall for support, waiting for the room to stop spinning. When he believed he was finally over it, he took a few steps and just felt weak, like he was going to fall over, or pass out. He couldn't be alone in a room with a criminal feeling this vulnerable.
He was alone in the hallway and he searched the space, desperate for an idea on how to remedy the situation. His eyes fell on a wall socket. He recalled the sensation of absorbing electricity to increase his strength for the battle with Noah. If he was capable of channeling a storm, a little electricity from the power grid should be easy in comparison, right? And maybe it would give him the boost he needed to finish off his workday.
Checking one last time that there was no one approaching, he crouched down low next to the wall socket and placed his hand over it. A deep breath and a pulling sensation with his powers, and there it was, the sizzling burn of the electricity, flowing from the power grid into his cells, his nerves, his bloodstream. He gasped at the sensation of the energy spike entering his system. Immediately he felt stronger, capable of so much more. He felt a burning need to keep going, to absorb as much as possible, to tap into the whole city grid if he could, but his survival instinct kicked in and reminded him that anyone could walk into that hallway at any moment, and he had gotten what he needed.
He broke the connection, pulling his hand away, smiling to himself as he watched the last few bolts of electricity travel between his fingers down to his hands before soaking into his system with the rest of the energy.
He had an extra bounce of energy in his step when he walked into the interrogation room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The second time he was with Michael and Isobel at Sanders' Auto. While Max was dead, Isobel in particular had been working to push the limits of her powers. Now that Max was back among the living, she was going to show Max what she had accomplished. He wanted to understand how much of what Noah said to him was truth, and how much were lies.
Isobel's progress was impressive. She exploded a few piles of junk with her mind, and then used her powers to collect the debris and return it back to its original stack. After she was done, Isobel encouraged Max to try as well, but no matter how hard he focused his energy, nothing shifted even an inch.
"It could be related to the differences between how you use your powers, and how we do," Michael theorized.
"What do you mean," Max asked, narrowing his eyes at his brother as he considered the statement.
"Well, both Isobel and I are used to using our powers across distances. Your powers usually involve touch."
Max nodded and looked around the junk yard, his eyes falling on the street lights around the perimeter of the lot.
"Maybe I just need a little boost…" Max considered out loud, as he slowly started to walk towards it. "Just to help push me forward."
"What do you mean?" Isobel asked, her voice concerned, but Max didn't reply. He was like a man possessed, his attention focused solely on the nearby light pole, and the incredible energy he could unlock from within it.
"Max!" Michael shouted in a last attempt to distract him, but Max ignored him as well. Instead, he pressed his hand to the metal surface of the pole, closed his eyes, and focused on tracing the light’s wiring into the electrical grid until he reached live energy, and then he began to pull.
The metal pole transformed into an enormous conductor, electricity channeling from the power grid, through the metal, and into Max. He groaned, as the energy surged through his nerve endings, into his brain, his heart, his lungs. His groan shifted into a moan, as a shockwave seemed to activate the pleasure points in his brain. He felt incredible. Like he could do anything. He laughed out loud at the thought of it.
But his laugh was cut short, as his body suddenly flew to the side, thrown from the pole and disconnected from the grid all in one swift motion. He groaned and looked up to see Michael standing over him, offering him a hand up.
"Sorry about that, man, but you scared us a bit with that move. You can't just do that...channel all of that electricity. At least not until we know what it's doing to you."
Max took the hand up, but still glared at Michael. "Why not? It's no different than you exploding things. Channeling electromagnetic energy is my thing."
"Exploding things doesn't make me erratic the way that energy does to you." Michael told him firmly. "Or have you already forgotten.?" Michael held up his formerly scarred hand and raised his eyebrows. Max just sighed and shook his head
"Well it's already done, so let's see if it worked." Max insisted. He turned his focus to a rusty old bumper leaning up against a debris pile, and focused his energy on it. Trying to compartmentalize, he focused on sensing the difference between the electricity inside of him, fueling his body and his powers, and the energy exuding from him when he uses his powers. And then, once he felt the familiar force that he normally channeled to heal, he pushed it at the bumper as hard as he could.
The bumper flew halfway across the junk yard.
"Holy shit." Michael gaped.
Max narrowed his eyes, focusing on the bumper. Using that same focused energy, he tried to lift instead of push this time, slowly and cautiously. The bumper drifted up into the air. A gentle pull and it carefully traveled back across the yard until it reached its original location. Then Max gently lay it down.
He and his siblings met near the bumper and all looked at one another silently for a long moment, trying to process what had happened.
"Was it just more power?" Isobel finally asked. "Were you just not strong enough before?"
"No, it was more than that," Max mused thoughtfully. "It was like with the power boost it allowed be to sort the energy into different categories based on sense or feel, which allowed me to focus the right kind of energy on the bumper. I'll have to try again when my energy levels are back to normal...see if I can still sense those differences."
He was still feeling the electric buzz well into that evening, long after he returned home. Every once in a while, he would just pause, close his eyes, and bask in the feeling of lightning in his veins. It felt like strength and pleasure and possibility all mixed together. He felt amazing.
When Liz came home that night he could barely contain himself. He was so happy and he felt so good, and it was LIZ and she was strong and beautiful and the smartest and sharpest person he knew, and she was just everything he ever wanted and he wanted HER...right now, but not JUST right now, he wanted her forever...and he wanted to try to say it to her, but what words could ever possibly be enough to express everything that be felt, so he didn't try at all…instead he just met her by the door, and as soon as she put her purse and keys down he pressed her up against the wall and kissed her, the kind of kiss that was like making love to her mouth, establishing with a kiss where his intentions lay and how desperately he wanted her, and she responded just as eagerly and that was all he needed and wanted so he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carefully maneuvered them to the bedroom, and then together they disappeared into the sweetest oblivion.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The third time he was at home.
The third time there was no excuse for it.
The third time he did it because he craved it.
And the third time was when Liz caught him for the first time.
He wasn't working that day, but Liz was helping her dad at the Crashdown. He slept in, ate breakfast, took a shower, and then started to look around for ways to distract himself while he was all alone. He threw in a load of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, then grabbed a notebook and went outside, hoping that the fresh air might motivate some writing out of him. He sat by his firepit, and stared out into the desert for a while, reflecting, before uncapping his pen and trying to get some words down on the page.
His head wasn't in the game. Something just felt off. He was antsy, uncomfortable. His foot kept tapping against the earth, his body weight shifting back and forth, like he couldn't find the right spot to sit in. His hand kept flexing unconsciously, like it was trying to grab something invisible in front of him, but he didn't know what.
Frustrated, he shoved the cap back onto the pen and stood up, pacing back and forth a few times before going back inside and throwing his notebook onto his desk. He leaned on the desk, irritated with himself for his unusually jittery behavior. He didn't quite know what to make of it.
He went back outside, wandering the perimeter of his house, trying to remember if there was any deferred maintenance he needed to do. If he had an excess of energy, he may as well put it to work, after all.
On the side of the house, he froze, his eyes focusing in on the power gauge. One look at it and he unquestionably knew what his body wanted. It was antsy because it was craving the rush that came along with the power surge. Twice in 10 days he had experienced that rush, and it was unreal. Not only did it boost his alien abilities, and help his body recover from its weaknesses, but it made him feel invincible.
He knew inherently that he shouldn't. There was no reason to. He didn't need the power. Plus, it was dangerous to keep pulling from the city's power grid like this. Municipal utilities are monitored. Unusual patterns or sudden surges like the ones he was causing would eventually be noticed and investigated.
But knowing that was one thing. It didn't mean he could fight the hunger.
He tried to distract himself for a while, forced himself to walk away, but soon he found himself back outside, staring at that box on the side of the house.
No one needs to know. He told himself. Just a little taste of it will help.
So he finally gave in.
Hands on the metal surface, he quickly tapped into the power grid and began to pull, to absorb. His whole body shivered as its desires were fulfilled and he just leaned there against the wall, eyes closed, as the crackling electricity filled him.
He thought it had only been a minute, maybe two, when suddenly Liz's sharp voice broke into the fog of his pleasure. His eyes flew open and he pulled his hand from the power box, but it was too little, too late. Liz was standing in front of him, still in her full Crashdown uniform, antenna and all, staring at him with a look of shock on her face.
"What in the hell were you doing?" She asked.
"It's no big deal, Liz. Seriously. Everything's okay."
"Bullshit everything's okay," Liz argued. "Were you seriously just tapping into the electrical grid, Max?"
"So what if I was?" He shot back, his voice defensive.
"Well...what for?" Liz asked. "Is there something going on that you're not telling me that you need the extra power for? You promised no more secrets, Max."
"Nothing is going on." Max admitted. "I just...it feels good, Liz. All that extra energy flowing through me… I don't think you can understand how incredible it is. I've never felt quite so confident and worthy as I do when I have that power inside of me. It's like… I feel like I can do anything, work miracles, give you the universe. I love it."
"No.” Liz shook her head, rejecting his argument. “Enough! I’ve heard enough! That's not you, Max. That's the power masking your intuitions. You have to be able to listen when your body tells you to stop, otherwise you'll end up dead. Again. You're not God, Max."
He nodded, considering her words. In a sense she was right. He did die. But that death had more to do with the havoc Noah had wreaked on his body than the power. He had channeled an entire monsoon that night and lived through it. The power wasn't what killed him.
Plus, they had yet to prove any of Noah's words from that night to be a lie yet, which was weighing on him. Because of course, there was that one bit that he had been trying to avoid discussing with anyone. The part where Noah did imply that he was so much more powerful than they had ever imagined. He took a deep breath, and released it, letting the concept out there for the consideration of the person he loved and trusted most in the world.
"The thing is, though...what if I am?"
Liz's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
"That night, before he died, Noah told me that I'm meant to be a god."
The words sounded ridiculous even to his own ears, but that extra surge of power was rushing through his synapses, and he felt the lightning in his bloodstream, boosting extra life throughout his body, and he felt so strong, so invincible, that in that moment, he could almost believe that it was true.
"Since when did you start believing what Noah had to say?" Liz asked, her voice dripping with sadness.
"Since when did you stop trusting me?" Max shot back. "Please, Liz… I'm not looking to die again. I promise. I'm being careful, I won't take on more than I can handle."
He took a step towards her, reached out, and gently cupped her cheek. "I love you, Liz. I'm not going to leave you. Please trust in me."
She nodded her agreement, but her eyes were still full of fear. Fear that hopefully he'd be able to assuage with time.
But there was one thing that left him feeling uncertain.
All right, now that I’ve had a few hours to soak in that new episode title, just gotta say.... we’re like, halfway through hiatus now? I kept waiting for that surge of Echo fic to appear that’s clearly never going to come, which breaks my heart. But seriously...where is our Alien!God Max worshiping his Liz sexy times fics!?! I don’t think I’ve seen a single one that went there! (I’m certainly not good enough to write it!)
Sighhhh....we’re just woefully lacking some much needed writing brains in this ship.
