rionaleonhart | His Hair, However, Remains Terrible.

Rei: I got an email from Netflix today about a new show. 'When everyone else mysteriously vanishes from their wealthy town, the teen residents of West Ham must forge their own society to survive.' Sounds like it might be your jam.
Riona: I was about to say 'if it's not High School Musical: The Musical, I'm not interested,' but actually that does potentially sound my jam.

I've now watched the first series of The Society! The concept's interesting: a bunch of teenagers are stranded in an empty town. Instead of going full-on Lord of the Flies, they try to construct a functional society and then have to try to prevent it from falling apart (how do you decide who makes the decisions? how do you make sure you don't run out of food? how do you deal with crime?). I'm not especially invested in any of the characters, though, so I doubt I'll be writing fanfiction (although I've said 'I'm not going to write fanfiction' about many things in the past and I've almost invariably been wrong).

Out of curiosity, I checked AO3 a few episodes in, to see which characters and pairings were popular, and I was surprised to see that the most-written character was Grizz, the guy with terrible hair who up to that point had contributed nothing but pretentious quoting. He does have some better moments in the latest episodes, though.

There was one character dynamic that caught my interest at points:

(Campbell talks Elle, with whom he's not at the time in a relationship, into masturbating next to him, and she insists he do the same.)
Riona: Oh, hey, I'm into this.
(Campbell turns out to be generically abusive and controlling.)
Riona: Okay, I'm no longer interested in this relationship.
(Elle tries to murder Campbell, accidentally almost killing multiple other people in the process, and he is simultaneously afraid and INTO IT and becomes convinced they're the only people who can understand each other and calls her 'my little poisoner'.)
Riona: ...okay, yes, this has returned to being up my street.

Sadly, it was not especially up Elle's street. I was really hoping they'd end up in a twisted but equal relationship based on mutual fear and fascination and willingness to achieve their goals by murdering the hell out of people.

I haven't done a meme here in a very long time, but for some reason I feel like digging this one up.

Ask any fictional character you think I might be able to manage a question, and I'll reply in-character as them with an answer (or possibly reply as myself going 'WHAT THE HELL, I CAN'T DO THIS'). Feel free to ask either as yourself or as another character.

You may, if you wish, ask multiple questions (and/or multiple characters) or attempt to engage the characters in extended conversation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(Is there any reason she'd be targeted specifically? Someone who wants to suppress the Timber resistance? They asked if I knew her. Do they know that I know her? Why would they approach me specifically if they did? Or maybe they just know that she commissioned Garden, and they don't know which specific SeeDs helped her?)

(Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. It could be something else.)

...

(It could be something else.)

We can talk privately if you'd like.

Pleased to hear that, young man.

First, would you be willing to confirm your skills with the gun blade? Target-shooting, over long distances?

The gunblade is a close-range weapon, sir. The trigger vibrates the blade after impact for more damage. I'm acquainted with a sharpshooter.

(Who has a history of choking on missions that are too personal.)

(...they probably don't need to know that.)

Thank you, young man. Is your acquaintance discreet? I would like to speak to them, if so. I don't believe this is a close-range mission.

I can introduce you. Hold on a moment. He should be nearby.

Hey, Irvine? There's someone I need you to talk to. They're trying to enlist a sharpshooter for a private job.

...don't say 'yes' so easily. I just think we need to know what it is.

No. It's just a feeling.

...are they what?

I don't think whether they're hot is really relevant right now.

Hey! Heard you need someone who can handle a rifle. I'm your guy.

Excellent. If I were to, let us say, have irritating nocturnal birds eliminated, you would be the man for the job?

You bet. Gun's in my hand; just point me in the right direction.

Are you familiar with Rinoa Heartily?

What? Yeah. She's not a mercenary, though, right?

...

...Irvine.

What? What're you looking at me like that for, man?

She isn't. Can you tell me how you know her?

(Uh, Mr Leader's looking daggers at me. Maybe I'm supposed to be careful here.)

Uh, I don't really remember. Some people I did a job with had worked with her before, I think.

Any particular opinion about her?

Any opinion about the Forest Owls?

Don't know that much about the situation in Timber. The guys who went to help out there were from Balamb; I'm Galbadia Garden. Which, you know, is closer, but I guess the resistance weren't big on getting help from us when the Galbadian army's the one occupying.

I do know Rinoa is smokin'.

...what???

Thank you. I may contact you for future jobs. I believe you're not what I'm looking for at the moment.

Huh, that was weird.

Irvine.

What? You were giving me the dirtiest looks.

They asked me about Rinoa as well.

What'd you say? Yeah, maybe you didn't say she was hot, but I know you know it's true.

Do you think it's possible that their target is Rinoa?

What? Shit. No, why would anyone want to take her out?

They were asking about the Timber resistance, right?

...shit. What do we do? You want me to... (mimes gun firing)

We don't know if they're after Rinoa. We don't know if this person's just here on behalf of someone else. Killing them might not change anything.

So what? What do we do?? Fuck!

We need more information. One of us needs to follow them. The other one needs to gets Rinoa somewhere safe.

You should be the one with Rinoa, man. She's closer to you. Never kicked you down any flights of stairs.

So you'd be tracking them?

Yeah. What, you don't think I can do it?

The cowboy outfit is a little... conspicuous.

What about you? You're wearing fifty belts and head-to-toe black leather. You look like you just stumbled out of someone's sex dungeon.

...I'll follow them. You find Rinoa. Get the others together.

(Okay, I've run out of ideas, but this has been really fun!)

(It does seem like a natural stopping point! I've enjoyed it a lot more than Squall has.)

His Hair, However, Remains Terrible.

Squall

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Irvine

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Irvine

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Irvine

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Irvine and Squall

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