#spare yourself

[katherinacomb]

put down the ai chat bots and read xreader fanfics like god fucking intended

[therapybard]

Athena Sibling Headcanons

Note: I'm far from an expert on Greek mythology, so most of this is vibes based. I am also going off the headcanon that Athena is the oldest

Apollo: They both have a lot of respect for each other, but they don't talk much. Apollo looked up to Athena when he was younger. That faded as he grew up and got tired of her no-nonsense attitude. He's all about finding a healthy work-life balance and Athena... isn't. He loves her handicrafts but the way she talks about it puts a bad taste in his mouth. She acts like it's inherently less worthy than her other domains and only engages in it as a favor to others. As if art has no worth besides utility. He also doesn't like how Athena talks about wounds and punishments, mostly when Zeus punishes one of the gods. Athena thinks some pain should remain as a lesson, while Apollo can't resist the urge to heal everything, no matter what caused the injury.

Artemis: Artemis is one of the two Olympians that would call Athena a friend, even if Athena's pride wouldn't let her say the same. They've had a lot to bond over. You'd think it'd mostly be female warrior stuff, but most of their talks are like "Everyone else in this stupid family is so obsessed with sex what's wrong with them get me out of here". As Artemis started drifting away from the family, she tried to encourage Athena to do the same. She knew how dissatisfied she was under Zeus's thumb. Athena refused, reminding Artemis not to neglect her duties. This drove a wedge between them that has yet to fully heal. Even so, they speak to each other often and always seek the other out at social gatherings.

Aphrodite: Athena, contrary to popular opinion, respects and appreciates Aphrodite's domains. Love is a very important force in the world and is clearly very powerful. It just isn't for her. No just romantic love, but attachments in general have never worked out for her. She prefers clear, transactional relationships. It's safer. Aphrodite resents Athena for this. No matter how much Athena insists she respects Aphrodite, words have never meant anything to her. Aphrodite values actions, provable passion. Athena, in her eyes, has no passion whatsoever. She's just their father's living weapon, ready to do his bidding at a moment's notice. Aphrodite can't understand her and has given up trying.

Ares: WAR SIBLINGS!!!! Okay, I know I know, most depictions put them at odds. That's all well and good, and I like that to an extent, but they certainly don't hate each other. They bicker and complain and put each other down, but they know they're both necessary. I've always interpreted Athena as representing generals while Ares represents the soldiers. Athena thinks Ares is too small-minded and bloodthirsty. Ares thinks Athena is dishonorable and passionless. He hates trickery and fully believes in a "might makes right" approach to warfare. Athena just sees war as a means to an end, hopefully a peaceful one.

Dionysus: Athena mostly ignores Dionysus. He's got his own thing going on and it's... fine, but it has nothing to do with her. Whatever. Dionysus, on the other hand, hates Athena. In an arch enemy sort of way. He doesn't actively want to harm Athena, but he hates everything she stands for. She's always serious, says wine 'distorts the mind' too much for her liking, considers dancing a waste of time, and NEVER goes to his parties. The audacity...

Hephaestus: (note: I like the version of his story where he's just Hera's child so maybe he should be here, but come on. He should be here.) Athena's other friend! He's probably the god Athena talks to most often, even more than Zeus. They're both the introverts of a family. Everyone else is just so loud and chaotic. When things are overwhelming, they'll often go to each other and craft/forge in silence. Despite her obsession with utility and efficiency, she's the only Olympian besides Hestia that never pushed Hephaestus to 'fix' his disability. She accepted him as he was, and helped him a lot when he finally decided to work on a metal leg. While their other siblings consider Athena cold and emotionless, Hephaestus knows appearances aren't everything. So what if she doesn't show her love the way everyone else does? He knows she's a good person at her core.

Hermes: Hermes is the only Olympian that works as hard as Athena does, granting him her infinite respect. They share a love of speed and efficiency. Though they have almost nothing else in common, it's enough for them both. While she isn't a huge fan of mischief, she can admire the thought that goes into his pranks. He's intelligent and Athena knows it. She just wishes he always put his energy to better use. Hermes, similarly, likes Athena. They aren't friends, and he's more than willing to smack talk her with their siblings, but he knows how hard she works and respects that. He helps keep people away when Athena's busy, and she lets him hide in her palace when he takes a prank too far.

[swagging-back-to]

if my voltron posts ever inspire you to maybe watch it...... dont. seriously. dont.

[thissortofsorcery]

You know that one fic. That is so good but the main character’s opinion of himself is so wrong, and everyone keeps doing him dirty and you don’t know if it’s the character’s vision or if the writer agrees, or if there will be that one revealing moment when he gets to yell ACTUALLY YOURE THE ASSHOLE AND I DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG EXCEPT LOVE YOU or if you’re gonna be left wanting. Pure agony.

[agentark]

wip wednesday!

thank you for the tags @lalizah and @fauville <3 <3

tagging: @anticupid16 @littlemissbumblebee @renru and anyone else working on something they want to share! <3

My IF fics have taken a backseat this week lol, so none of you will have any context for this at all, but in honor of Red vs Blue's 22nd birthday yesterday, I decided to revisit an old wip feat. my Project Freelancer oc being sent on a mission

“Agent Virginia? Are you listening?”

Eleanor drags her attention from the flickering light bulb above the Counselor’s head to fix him with a placid smile that rivals his own. I wonder what they’re doing that’s drawing so much power. “Of course, Counselor.” A half-truth. “Just considering some possible tactics to employ on this mission.”

She’s being sent to scope out reports of hard light holo-projections being used in recent Insurrectionist attacks. Possibly reverse engineered from Agent C.T.’s missing equipment. While the Recovery teams do most of the heavy lifting, attending to active distress beacons from downed agents, Discovery hides in the shadows. Her job is to find Freelancer assets before a firefight starts, spending her days tracking down whispers of advanced tech, or rumors of lone strangers taking down groups of ten men, or both. They like to assure her that Discovery is the grease that keeps Recovery running, though she’s pretty sure they’d be fine on their own. But they love to separate everyone into their little teams here.

The Counselor observes her, “Alright, then. Good luck, Agent. I know you will not allow a repeat of the incident with Agent Tennessee.” He gauges her reaction, she gives him none.

Smile and say goodbye, smile and say goodbye- “Thank you, sir. I’ll radio when I have news.”

She keeps one eye on him as she heads for the door.

.

.

.

When she steps out of the briefing room, a rookie with bright eyes and an even bushier tail bounds up to greet her. “Agent Virginia, hi!” they exclaim. “I’ve been assigned to assist you on this mission! I’m Recovery 8!”

She smiles warmly. Jesus fuck this kid is green, she thinks. “Nice to meet you, Recovery 8. Got an actual name I can use?” her heads-up display has already updated to include their BioComm data, but she asks anyway.

“You can call me Janus, ma’am!”

“Alright Janus, all packed?” An excited nod. “Great. Let’s head to the motor pool.”

The lights overhead flicker.

[dono-cho]

post-BRC ramble (+very personal headcannons) VERY long text ahead, I posted this elsewhere on masto-instance but decided it's OK to share here (straight up Escher rambling again ⚠️)

Still completely floored by this concept that Escher would have woken up from getting knocked in the cyberhead, escaped and saved Rietveld from getting brain-blasted by a whole crew of brainwashed Project Algo cops (after discovering Berlage's corpse, high chance he saw Berlage got killed with his own cyber-eyes but was completely outgunned) (thank you secondarythings)

Like, I already have a concept that Project Algo was a constantly growing and updated "software" so Faux (as Project Algo) got increasingly stronger and a lot more aware of his capabilities

But in the beginning he was completely lost so he had to manual control all the cops assigned to him in the beginning

And during this period of time, manually controlling Escher (test subject no.1) while Escher's subconscious throw hands at him because they're both fighting control over 1 body--I think Faux would slowly come to realise that's his old (amnesiac) pops and has to face The Horrors™

It's a 4-part story that I initially had, with a very lengthy Chapter 3 Investigation Phase. Dig out the truth behind everything and why he was selected as Project Algo in the first place, why Escher has to be the first test subject.

Thing is, at the very last moment at the very last chapter, I think Escher would slowly realise the same as well (through watching Faux relive the same final repetitive dream he has of the last memory he could recall), but the both of them won't say that to one another, won't make such a vulnerable guess if either of them are family.

And then he gets clonked on the head, wakes up, escapes (solidifying his opinion that the BRC are just harmless punks if they can't even tie an old cop down), returns to the precinct and watches his own son kill Chief Berlage from the other room

I don't think he'll let Irene go down like that, even if he's probably going to quit the force after all they did with him and the whole Project Algo thing. Sees her as the last good cop left (the last cop that was truly righteous and believed in doing what should be correctly done), and headcannon they had like, a mentor-student thing because they both 'joined' the force at the same time (a new cadet and a new cyberhead 'recruit') but cyberhead guy was mysteriously more skilled and calm about things

(another side-headcannon is that she's actually around the same age as Tryce, Bel and Teun as well. Came from one of those self-righteous cop families and bought into the whole 'protect the good citizens of New Amsterdam' schtick)

But definitely after the events of BRC I see him quitting the force for good, but NOT before one last action.

So! Focus back on Faux!

LDR honestly? He. Is. SCREWED. Big time.

Like, he has fucked up the whole damn New Amsterdam Police, killed, attempted murder, fucked up Mataan, property damage, buddy if there's any semblance of justice left in the city he is FUCKED

Not to mention New Amsterdam, although probably still the capital of The Netherlands, is not the whole Netherlands. You can bet your ass their new authoritarian government gonna send their high rankers on his ass to the goddamn Hague he is NOT a free man

Like, to even live at that point and have any semblance of peace is to rely on any last saving grace of kindness spared for him, and the only one I can only remotely think of is Felix because Tryce will slap him so hard his jaw will dislocate off his pretty face and Cyber will just chop his head off for yet another brain experiment

And even then if he's like, in the hospital, he's gonna be chained up bro, like if Rietveld isn't gonna slaughter his ass then the BRC gonna make sure he doesn't run anywhere and faces damn responsibility for his man-tantrum

And to Faux? Honestly? I don't think he even cares if he lives or dies. Hell, death would be good. He'll be wishing upon that electric chair, he won't bother to even feed himself if that's the case.

Maybe the exact reason why Rietveld won't trash his ass in the hospital, "there's no pure justice in this mess. Just the guilty and the damned."

Focus back on that old cop, and that's his last action.

Both Rietveld and Escher would have to locate where Felix's body was back when the BRC had their whole challenge in Upper Mataan, but she would be the one to deliver the body because, well, she has a massive jetpack--that's one. Another would be that the BRC sees that sniper like a dead man walking and it's on sight atp

But after all that mess, if he hears that the "huge monstrosity of wires" in Upper Mataan has been put into the local hospital, chained up waiting for judgement, he'll go over.

Show up to a despondent Faux and finally admit that he knew who he was, knew what he had done. Knew what was coming for him next.

Think, at that point, Faux would rather someone blow his brains out than to face the stomach-wrenching pain of...whatever slithering mess of complex anger and grief that is looking at him right now

And then he'll tell him straight, he'll repeat the exact same action as he did before his death, up until the both of them "died" for one last time--he'll let Teun go. Set his son free again.

Break the chains, make a mess, maybe start a small fire or sign a suicide note, Faux/Teun Vogelaar is dead to the world and his son walks out a free man once again. Rietveld would trust his word, she respects him after all.

And after that, he'll quit the force, the only thing he knew how to serve for all those years of his life. That's it.

After all the damage that they caused, that he caused on Teun, his "new life" should be rid of him. Of the both of them to one another, actually.

The moment the both of them leave the hospital room, they're both strangers.

There I think Faux would finally be free, but at that point he's neither Faux or Teun anymore, with no "roots" or obligations or anyone that would perceive or watch him. It's probably what he said he wanted, and it'll probably feel like the emptiest feeling ever. A total shadow.

Nothing, nobody. He'll have to hide in Lower Mataan with what funds given to him until the government stops looking for him.

I did saw a "Escher would be a P.I. post-BRC" take and I feel like that'll be like, the good-guy option you know, "The former cop has quit the force and now helps people like Nick Valentine from Fallout 4" that makes sense if he's a "I believe in justice" sort of thing (a very fun headcannon as well, come to think about it)

But was thinking about it and...hmm it doesn't feel so? 🤔 Like he's definitely "don't hurt the innocent" type of guy but that can be easily overwritten by a directive from a higher up to kill on sight.

Realistically as a human, he should have savings for retirement. Maybe. But I'd like to think that because he's treated as a cyberhead, he's essentially a new person with no previous ties or connections or account. There are probably cleaner ways for cyberheads to use the assets of the people that have passed before them, but I think in this case, he was forcefully made into a cyberhead (again, a conspiracy) with absolutely nothing so to obediently bind him to continued service.

Idealistically, he'll do something peaceful like open a bakery or work at an airsoft shop.

But at the same time I feel like he'll exhibit the same itchy behaviour from war vets or people who have served for a para-military organisation for their whole life (assuming that even before the police merger he was from the Royal Marechausse branch), that they cannot go back to quiet civilian life anymore.

There's no structure, no order, no need for discipline.

I think?? I THINK? Inclusive of that money issue, Escher will definitely first go for the idealist option and really cold turkey into the civilian life of stacking products in a supermarket.

And then his digital eyes will start twitching so badly he relapses and eventually becomes hitman for hire.

Might as well use that itchy trigger finger until arthritis sets in!

It makes sense too, that he'll be too comfortable with following orders or a directive and a set ritual of preparation to kill to ever let it go

[rondleberg]

ewwwwwwww

[mamasplat]

I’m just saying, it’s an objective fact, you’ve given me too much power with the Pokemon masters update

You might as well give me a zinnia figure to make smooch with my already owned Courtney figure.