#I rewatched bullet train just for this scene

[waiting4kraven]

Tangerine & His Jacket

[phierie]

Lemon’s Joburg glasses were kinda a serve ngl

[stuffyflowers]

Wait am I remembering wrong or is the wiki page for Someone’s in Danger! (from th uty ost) completely wrong

[roaringheat]

I'm trying to make Lemon and Tangerine mbs but for some reason really can't pin it down so guess I gotta rewatch the movie again :^))

[starryblueeyesandstarryblueskies]

Officer Down | J.H.

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Summary: Jay takes a hit to the chest during a shootout and gives you quite the scare. Based on episode 6x2.

A/N: I finally wrote something!! (Shocking I know) it only took me 7 months but I’ve finally got a new fic for yall. I’m sorry for being so slow to write but the last 7 months have been ROUGH.

I’ve been wanting to write this fic forever and was finally inspired to finish it after rewatching the episode. I don’t really like how this turned out but that’s what happens after writers block I guess

Warnings: near death experiences, guns and shooting

Word Count: 637

-

This case had been difficult for the team, Jay getting hit his hardest with his dad being one of the victims on the fire. The longer the chase for the arsonist, the more you could see him spiraling. You expected it, all things considered. Jay may have said they didn’t have the best relationship, but it was still his father. What you didn’t expect was for Jay to disobey a direct order from Voight and go after the suspect on his own.

After you took his truck and two way, you thought he would be safe, far away from the action. So when you heard his call come in over the radio, your heart sank to your stomach.

“This is 5021 George. Emergency. Shots fired. Offender down, need an ambo. Lower Wacker and Columbus.”

As soon as you heard his location, you took off running, Kevin close behind. Rounding the corner, you saw Jay unmoving on the pavement, his side covered in blood.

“5021 Victor. Officer down. I repeat, officer down. Lower Wacker and Columbus. Get us an ambulance!” You rushed to Jay’s side, leaving Kevin to take care of the offender.

You tried to stay calm as you ripped open his shirt, panic threatening to override your training. You could see he was bleeding from his side, but you couldn’t tell what the damage was from the other bullets.

“Jay? Hey, talk to me.” Your voice wavered.

Jay was breathing heavily, looking at you with wide eyes. You pulled his vest away from his body, feeling under it for the bullet.

“It didn’t go through. It didn’t go through.” You pressed on the wound at his side with shaky hands. “You’re gonna be okay. It’s okay. Just breathe.”

-

You watched intently as the paramedics patched up Jay in the back of the ambulance. There were officers all around you, blocking off the scene and questioning the other members of the team, but you tuned it all out.

Once the paramedics were done treating him and he had gotten a thorough scolding from Voight, you made your way over.

“Hey.” You took a seat next to him. “You gonna be okay?”

Jay looked at you sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m okay. No serious damage, just a few stitches and some major bruising.”

“Good.”

“I’m really sorry, Y/N. I just couldn’t stop myself.” He said quietly.

You nodded lightly, giving him a small smile and patting his leg gently. “I know.”

The paramedic came back over and you used the interruption to excuse yourself. You could feel the aftermath of the situation setting in and you needed to get away from the scene.

You heard footsteps behind you and Kevin appeared at your side. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yep, I’m good. I’m fine.” You replied, unable to keep the emotion out of your voice.

Kevin put a hand on your arm, slowing you down and turning you towards him. “Woah, woah.” You couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in your eyes as you met his gaze. “Yeah, that’s the adrenaline wearing off. It’s okay.”

“I thought he was dead.” You choked out the words.

Kevin put his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close. “So did I.”

As the two of you made it back to the cars, he brought you in for a hug. You gripped his shirt tightly, embarrassed by your crying, but soaking in the comfort after the emotions of the past hour. You knew out of anyone, Kevin would never judge you for being human.

“I gotcha.” He rubbed your back comfortingly. “C’mon, Sarge said we’re done for the day. Jay’s in good hands. I’ll drive you home.”

You spared one last glance back towards Jay as you got into the car, only to find him looking right at you, his face etched with concern.

-

Writing Masterlist

[thefruitbros]

Hello Bullet Train nation, how are we doing?? This is my (long-ish?) observation about the Twins' neckties/clothes representing their states in the movie, based on my thoughts. Idk if anyone's mentioned this before, I just kind of noticed this after rewatching BT for the 20th time and I blacked out, I just couldn't stop thinking about it when I noticed the coincidences ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ At the start of the movie, the Twins' neckties are pretty tightened up. All neat and tidy, nothing out of the ordinary right? I always interpreted this as both of them being fully composed and put-together (represented by their neckties) ever since nothing concerning has happened yet, as far as they are concerned, their mission is doing well.

But then the moment they lost the case, Tangerine's necktie (including one button) looks a bit looser now. As if his composure is also slowly becoming undone or slipping, ever since the situation has taken a turn for the worse

Lemon fixing Tangerine's necktie — fixing his brother's composure?? maybe?? As if fixing it is saying "Calm down, we can make this right. Now let's go find this case. Hold yourself together, Tangerine." Lemon's necktie is still not loosened at all up to this point. He's still remaining calm.

After one dead Son, Lemon passing out, and not being able to find Ladybug or the briefcase later.... we now have Tangerine take his tie off completely. Might interpret this as him becoming more serious with the situation and finally on the edge of losing his composure fully + necktie will no longer hold him back (symbolically and metaphorically??)

Then we get to the Yakuza interaction with Tangerine. More buttons are unbuttoned (also goodbye jacket) and he looks a LOT more disheveled than the last image — might be because he's showing more and more of his true self especially since nothing is holding him back now + composure is fucked at this point due to being bothered so much by The White Death's men Compare his to Lemon's outfit, Lemon's necktie is still pretty tightened up, aside from the amount of blood splatter around his chest area — Lemon is holding up fine still.

After fighting Ladybug and getting thrown off the train later — Tangerine is completely disheveled and all the buttons are unbuttoned now (ALSO he was extremely pissed off in this scene). I kind of remember from the art book that this is supposed to be "unleashing the beast" or basically showing how Tang is just gone at this point and is about to go full on insane because everything went to shit (I CANT EXPLAIN PROPERLY, please understand)

Now back to Lemon, the only time we ever see Lemon's necktie slightly loosened up is upon interacting with The Prince and Kimura — interpret this scene as him doubting or finding the duo suspicious + he's also worried at this point in time too ig???

When Lemon finally woke up, he still had most of his clothes with him including his necktie and his brother's necklace.

But when he had found Tangerine's dead body, his necktie is gone too and so is his jacket (including buttons are all unbuttoned) — all that remains now is his white shirt and Tangerine's necklace.

Tangerine's death was so devastating that it was the only thing that could pull apart Lemon's composure throughout the movie. He replaces the necktie with the necklace around his neck, it's about him bringing an important part of his brother with him and that its the only thing that matters. It's supposed to protect him now, like how Tang protected him many times before. also is it a coincidence that Lemon was shot in the chest and Tangerine always wore his necklace near his heart?? are y'all seeing this?? I'm dying here ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This might be me being delusion or might even be intentional by the writers of BT idk but whatever it is, I am insane about these small details and I need to share it to the world. This movie is taking a big toll on me guys

[jinxini]

thoughts while watching episode 3! ☆

summary: i love the sisters so much and my heart aches ㅠ.ㅠ

caitlyn: yeah i don't think so.

girl, i don't know about that. you took vi and a random homeless guy with you. they have zero training.

the way vi drops the gauntlets before embracing caitlyn... <3

get this gay ass furry off my screen fghsjkalal i know there are going to be so many freaks who'll love him though 😂 lowkey dislike the voice also idk it's the vibe, the outfit slays though

darlings, nothing you said made any sense lmao

there's NO way she actually means that

.......

yeah that hurt.

vi and ekko should create a support group called "in denial about powder"

changing the subject, the goggles look so good on her

god PLEASE do not be foreshadowing please

...she's gonna die this season isn't she. i can't handle that, i can't

vi's gonna stop the bullet, right? right?

no??

i love how vi's like, you really brought up my sex life? sad girl hours are over, it's on little sister.

no stop fighting :( WHY are you two fighting each other, there's no reason to do that, you two love each other more than anything come onnn :(((

i love that jayce's actions are affecting the weapons because they're using the same technology. it looks so cool.

sevika you're a freak oh my god

and then it cuts to these three high af

the way the animation and the music work together in this scene... insanely good, i've already rewatched this like 5 times

how many times do i have to tell you to stop hurting each other 😭 vi please stop punching your little sister 💔

my poor little meow meow :(

sidenote but the purple lipstick is ugly

why has no one in universe commented on the fact that her eyes literally changed colour??

so unnecessary. seriously why. im sorry but this kid has no name, she hasn't spoken a single word, we met her an episode ago, but apparently she's important enough to interrupt the fight and come between the two main character? honestly unbelievable. she has no earned this.

the way jinx yelled no when the child was about to shoot her sister i'm actually sobbing

my brother: go ahead caitlyn, you can shoot if you want.

no but actually, it would have been really interesting to see how caitlyn would deal with that. how would she cope with the fact that she killed a child and how she sees jinx as a murderer and now she's one too? And that would have made her and jinx's relationship even more strained (i think vi would forgive her and understand how fucked up the whole situation was). That would have honestly been super interesting to explore. maybe if the show had 3 seasons...

god i feel so bad for vi i just want her to be happy... why can't i hug her? :(

but what was she thinking fighting against her sister like that... smh

mel is too pretty and good for this, leave her out of this thanks

[mariyekos]

New DMC Anime Trailer Breakdown, Part 1

Okay so thoughts on the new DMC Anime trailer, which you can see here:

Putting things under the cut!

First things first, it's definitely going to at least take a few things from the DMC3 manga.

Second: It at least uses CGI in part....but more than that, on rewatching it... Are those Agni and Rudra!? Which means it also covers DMC3 in part.

Other fun things to note- I'm not sure if Dante's plate is a reference to anything, but he does have New York plates, so we can assume this DMC takes place in the US, even if the games are ambiguously sort of British/European based on architecture and director commentary.

Going to be honest- I'm not sure if these guys are a reference to anything. If they are, it's going over my head, but I could definitely see them just being generic bad guys/hunters.

Rebellion looks nice here! Also, looks like we're continuing the tradition of Dante getting attacked at his shop, because with a Pool table, jukebox, and the posters on the wall, I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be Dante's shop. Fun that we get a shot of him without his coat too, though he must put it on at another point since he has it in the above shots.

Then we have the exploding plane scene, which afaik is new but also feels very DMC. RIP the other people in that airplane though. Still, I like how wacky and over the top it is!

We also have a demon in the background of this shot...

And someone I'm preeety sure is Enzo (from the DMC3 Manga and Bayonetta!) Although on second glance, this guy looks like he might be blond, which Enzo is not. Still, it could just be a design choice they went with.

Following that is a shot of....probably not Jester because of the short nose, but something I'm sure is connected to Arkham in some way. I want to say they wouldn't get rid of his face scar, so I'm banking on there being a plotline related to Arkham having multiple minions Dante has to take down.

The giant hell portal in the sky isn't super special. We see it in both DMC3 and the old DMC anime, after all.

Then water guy...who I also don't remember as an enemy tbh. Could be new, could be my bad memory showing face. But he's a cyclops with axe hands which is interesting.

Dante's bullets are engraved with Jackpot which I find hilarious but also cool. Just imagining him using magic/demonic power to carve that in is great. I do wonder if they're going to have him reload though? Ebony and Ivory generally use magic bullets as far as I remember, but I know Coyote-A ejects shells. This bullet is shot from Ivory though.

EDIT: Looking at it again, these guns aren't Ebony and Ivory. They're both white/grey. Assuming this isn't them being lazy/an animation error, it might be that this is a real bullet...that he engraved using magic or just special gun stuff instead of just making the bullet itself from magic. I am not interested in guns in real life, but I think guns are supposed to have a function where they leave a mark on the bullets they fire so you can identify which gun shot the bullet? So it could be a human-made modification too.

Then there's the demon he shoots, which I think is a reference to Alice and the demons from the DMC3 manga (and a nice reference to the Sin Scissors and other beings that you can get the kill on with a bullet to the mask).

Not totally sure what the thing Dante shoots is, but it looks to be some sort of pendant. Is it some possessed thing that the girl has? Not super important though, because WHY IS ECHIDNA FROM DMC4 HERE?! Not upset, just surprised. Didn't notice this in my first watch.

After that we get Dante saving a girl from a... car? train? Something getting thrown into a diner that reminds me of the one from the old DMC anime, so here's me hoping we might get some fun downtime scenes like we did in that show. Maybe we'll see a strawberry sundae :)

Actually wait-

STRAWBERRY SUNDAE IDENTIFIED! Also I don't have a picture of her on hand, but is this maybe the waitress from that anime? A younger version? I'll look for a picture later, but for the sake of getting this out earlier than later, I'll just say I'm pretty sure she was a redhead too.

EDIT: Rewatching the trailer, the blue cyclops demon from before is in front of a sign that I'm pretty sure is supposed to say Freddie's Diner like in the OG Anime, so I'm going with the waitress being the same woman or otherwise related.

After that we get what looks to be a human that turned into a demon. My bet is that this guy was always a demon who was pretending to be human, but I think it could be interesting if there was a plotline about Arkham transforming humans into demons while trying to achieve godhood.

And hey look, Dante has what looks to be a stab mark through his chest and a hole in his shirt :) i bet this boy is getting stabbed through the chest, let's gooooo!

EDIT: Back, so I'll continue.

On second glance- wait, these guns are both gray, which means they aren't Ebony and Ivory. I'm putting my money into the DMC3 anime including Dante meeting Nell rather than this being an animation/coloring error.

Aaaand I hit the image limit, darn. Part 2 can be found here.

[sevikas-biceps]

I'm rewatching S1 over and over again, and, like. That one shot in Ep6.

CAITLYN. YOUR FAMILY CREST IS LITERALLY ENGRAVED ON THE BULLETS. NO WONDER Y'ALL WERE VALUABLE TARGETS.

I remember thinking, Why the fuck was Silco so quick to act? when I'd first watched this scene—because if it's just Vi and (who everyone thought was) some random enforcer, then shouldn't Silco not have had gone through so much trouble chasing them down? Vi's just one person. One. She was already beaten enough from the fight with Sevika. She almost died, if it hadn't been for Caitlyn.

But that's the thing. It's Caitlyn. It's a Kiramman. With training likely more refined than any other officer on the list. Huck probably saw the engraved symbol on the bullets and thought, Oh, shit. That's the symbol on the old vent covers. That's big money right there. That's someone from an established family. That information's worth at least one to three extra half-pints of shimmer to last for the week, maybe even a vial. The girl's obviously rich, but she's also valuable.

The Undercity is dark and is structured vertically. Even with shimmer-enhanced senses and such, it should at least take some time to find Vi and Caitlyn in this maze. It's harder than looking for something or someone in Piltover—where resources are easier to acquire and sunlight is a natural aid.

My quarrel with this scene isn't even Huck's betrayal of Caitlyn's trust—it's Caitlyn's carelessness. Miss Girl ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ you could've at least picked your bullets up.

[bluberryfields]

"What the hell did you just do?"

Part 2 of whatever. Continuing on with Tadfield Manor scenes, we get to the infamous "Wall" scene. I know it has been analyzed by many so far, but that's never stopped people in the world of literary analysis from spewing their own thoughts on well-reviewed texts. Also, I just want to.

Okay, so once they enter the manor building and see the management training branding, Crowley decides to "help out" and make all of the paintball guns into real machine guns. He snaps his fingers and points double finger guns at the passing "soldier".

Aziraphale is dumbfounded. "What the hell did you just do?

Such language, Angel! And no physical reaction to it like Crowley did when he said "Heaven's sake" in E6. Huh.

Crowley, meanwhile, is thoroughly pleased with himself. They want to battle? He's happy to oblige.

This plus the scare in the courtyard lets us see Crowley enjoying the few perks of being a demon. It's fucking adorable.

Aziraphale cannot comprehend how Crowley - who just miracled a stain away on his coat because it bothered him - could do something so thoroughly evil. And with a jaunty step!

If Aziraphale had pearls, he'd be clutching them so hard.

To which Crowley takes the opportunity to once again point out the flawed binary system of morality. We the audience will see this argument again in the Body Snatcher minisode, so it's fun to see how these two keep having the same old debates throughout time just with different causes with which to start from.

Pointing out hypocrisy while slinking down a hall? Crowley, you delicious tramp.

Aziraphale is still thoroughly horrified, but Crowley concedes with a sigh that everyone will, in fact, be fine. To me, his tone is a mix of disappointment at him not being quite as much of a bastard as he paints himself. He can't really hide his true self from Aziraphale.

I love how he can't stop moving his body. Snakes gonna slither.

Then here is it. The big moment. Smug little Aziraphale feels the need to mention how nice Crowley is underneath his demonic persona.

We now know that this is a reoccurring exchange, where Crowley must defend his title of Big Bad Demon in front of Azi's kind compliments. There's serious consequences to Crowley being labeled "nice" and Azi knows this by now. So why does he keep bringing it up? To provoke Crowley? To finally break him into admitting Azi is right? It's not like Azi can protect Crowley from Hell's wrath, but he pushes anyway.

I thought Crowley was the shit-stirrer in this relationship.

And now my favorite part. Sister Mary shows up and rightly implies these two are about to nail each other through the drywall. But when she recognizes Crowley, he stops her in her tracks.

The sass! It's off the fucking chart! Only an Angel could withstand such a display!

Aziraphale just straightens his clothes and lets the sass go unchallenged because he's still has a bit of self-preservation instincts left.

So I already talked about the "Luck of the devil" line from Aziraphale here, but it truly is a fun moment in the context of the whole scene. Crowley is worked up from the "nice" comment and Aziraphale's seeming refusal to stop analyzing him.

Horny Aziraphale is sassy and Crowley looks like he wants to bite through a door frame.

So, obviously, I've spent way too much time rewatching these scenes, but I do find it so interesting how we see so much of their relationship on display within just a few minutes. The different personality traits to draw them together while also pushing them apart.

The way Aziraphale knows how to work Crowley, who in turns knows how to indulge appropriately. (*cough* bullet catch *cough*)

The way Crowley happily taps into his demonic toolbox to spread a bit of chaos without actually causing serious harm. (*cough* Job *cough*)

The way Aziraphale reflexively tows the party line of Heaven even in the face of Crowley's demonstrations of humanity's instincts. (*cough* all of time *cough*)

And basically the way they bring out the best (and sometimes worst) of each other. Some might say they're a team. Or a group. A group of the two of them.

[agenericplaceholdername]

Dragons Rising E1-5 Thoughts

In the run up to the official release of Ninjago: Dragons Rising Season 2 Part 2, I’ll be posting my thoughts on the episodes already released in chunks of 5. This also marks the end of the Ninjago full series rewatch I started at the start of this year. These will just be bullet points, not full episode or character analysis – if this is popular, maybe I’ll do that later. No real spoilers for S2P2, but I’ll make slight allusions to events that happen.

First: The Merge, Part 1:

Solid beginning. I love how Arin introduces the Ninja as they pan across the screen in one-take – reminds me of the Skybound intro

It is very unclear how long Arin and Sora have known each other. This episode implies they just met with lines like “best new friend” but next episode Arin says they met “right after the Merge”

A LOT of exposition that consists of Arin and Sora telling the other person something they probably already know

It’s interesting that Arin says he wants to create a monastery for people who lost their parents in the Merge – the Monastery is now home to a ton of people who have found family in the Ninja

Frohicky is great. So is Lobbo

In the time that Arin and Sora argue about whether or not to chase Riyu, they could have passed the finish line. On the other hand, this would have prevented Lobbo from winning

Rapton sees two children fall to their death and doesn’t care lol

Ras is ridiculously cool in his intro scene. He just spawns in midair, wins, and leaves

Arin and Sora are so much fun in this episode. Some of the dialogue is strange but I am sold on their friendship and they have good chemistry together

Love Lloyd’s entrance

The Merge, Part 2:

Man Lloyd is just so cool here. He might have 0 self confidence later but at least physically he rightfully outmatches almost any opponent

How do you accidentally make a bomb? It’s funny tho so who cares

“Do elemental powers come and go?” “No. Well, sometimes.”

Kai and Lloyd’s reunion is so insanely sweet

Arin and Sora playing catch with Riyu is great

Is it “Claws of Imperium” or “Claws of the Imperium”?

Is Firstbourne an unofficial Dragon Matriarch?

Okay what is with Rapton being okay with children dying by falling from a great height? If not for the Matriarch he would have just dropped Sora into the abyss

Lloyd is so cool again, and probably didn’t even need a spark from the Matriarch given how easily he handles the five Claws of Imperium at once

The Ninja standing for hope is a recurring motif in S1P1 – it’s part of E1, E2, E3, and E10 iirc

“If he ever needs us, he will be able to find us” … oh

Why did Ras want Lloyd to bond with the Dragon Matriarch? What did that have to do with hunting Source Dragons?

Crossroads Carnival:

Lloyd copying Wu from the Pilots is funny, but it does imply that after the Monastery was rebuilt, Wu made Lloyd complete the course before he could finish his tea. At that point Lloyd had defeated the embodiment of evil, fought in a war, and defeated and depowered Emperor Garmadon (among other things) yet that wasn’t good enough? Okay knowing Wu yeah probably not

The beard gag. Nuff said

Arin must be in crazy shape to be handling the training course this well

Couldn’t Arin and Sora have just asked Lloyd to go? Like at dinner or something? Training was over for the day

You can see the parts of the carpet ripping off Riyu’s disguise

Just realized that SA Mark 1 = Sora & Arin Mark 1 that’s so cool

Look Lloyd at least Arin and Sora didn’t tie you up and banish themselves to another realm

This is a rare sighting of Sora’s bike helmet with cat ears

“Ninja help everyone” but what if it was Rapton, Arin? Would you help him?

The tent scene is really well done. The music, Lloyd being so overwhelmed, it’s really sweet, especially as an older fan

“DO NOT TYPECAST ME”

Protective parent Lloyd is great

Sora and Lloyd – is dreaming about giant marionettes that normal?

Object spinjitzu!

Lloyd uses the pieces of the mediation carpet to defeat the marionette, so that’s a cool detail

This conversation between Lobbo and Kreel is pure gold. I hope Lobbo finds love <3

Can someone pour salt onto Grab-Barg please?

This is a great one-off episode, and Dorama is easily at his best here. As much as I love the other DR characters, the Arin, Sora, Lloyd trio (+ Riyu) all bounce off each other really well, and this is a light, low stakes episode that includes some important growth for Lloyd 

Beyond Madness:

“Worst student in the history of students” – is there something about being in Ninjago that saps all your self confidence?

There are a lot of Bounty crash scenes, but this might be the funniest: Sora having to use the ladder to see what’s going on, Lloyd and Arin leaving her, the toolbox falling, Lloyd trying to land, “Let us never speak of this”

I love the pool of water on the Bounty. No the water didn’t seep into the wood or spread out on the ground – it’s just perfectly still

Autobiographical one man musical? As a diehard fan of Clutch Powers: A Musical Life, I’m excited to watch The Dorama Drama this winter!

Nya’s water blast knocks Arin to the ground, but Lloyd (far more trained) is fine. It’s a minor detail but cool nonetheless

The Lloyd-Nya reunion is really sweet

“The important thing is to accept others for their flaws and– Why is that foul thing here?” Thanks Crag-Nor very cool

Wait so where did Nya end up after the Merge? What stories are there?

Why do the “Earth Dragons” shoot fire from their mouths?

“Kai’s… gone?” [Cut to Kai] “I’m starving!” okay they got me there that’s actually pretty funny

Arin says Kai was his favorite Ninja, then corrects to saying second favorite – but he’s talking to both Lloyd and Nya! So which one is the favorite?

This battle is fun and the music is great

So Lloyd catches Sora and Kai catches Nya… but no one catches Riyu? He literally just falls to the ground. Riyu villain arc?

Wow Riyu just ended racism. Beautiful

Sora’s last line is a good setup for the next episode

Writers of Destiny:

This episode implies that the only reason Arin learns Spinjitzu without being formally taught is because of the Merge. If so… how?

The Spiderverse-esque glitching effect is super cool

Spinjitzu basically allows for flight here

There’s a running trend of Arin and Sora falling to what should be their deaths. No wonder Wyldfyre is afraid of heights

It’s good to see Kai’s confidence hasn’t gone anywhere. Yes, Kai, I’m sure the monks would love to tell you how awesome you were

The Cloud Kingdom retcon is definitely a net positive for the series, but it doesn’t really square with Kingdom Come. The destinies written in that episode have an immediate effect on the characters. I think the synthesis of the two would be that the Writers are very good at predicting events and even have a slight ability to change outcomes, but mostly they just guess accurately and when they’re wrong, events “defy destiny.” Their ability to change outcomes is gone after the Merge

My heart is breaking right now at this hug

But how can storm clouds wash ink stains out of white togas? Marcus please I wasn’t listening

The way Euphrasia delivers her words when explaining how she can’t have a power (“Writing destiny is our power. Anything else, especially actions, violates who we are”) sounds like she’s repeating what one of the other monks told her. I wonder if she started to tell someone but was shut down

“Euphrasia’s Destiny” is such a good soundtrack

“I released the ninja from the evil worm cocoons in the cloud basement”

“I knew the last one. I already like you more” low bar Lloyd but fair

The worms were cursed to not reveal forbidden information? Wow they really were planning ahead – that’s a very specific word

This episode can very easily be read as a coming out allegory

Kai ribbing Lloyd is great

So was Imperium responsible for the Mergequake? My assumption is no but Rapton implies that it was (or at least was aware it was coming)

This episode is like a mid-mid-season finale – the Ninja fight a miniboss, Sora finishes a small character arc, and the rest of the “season” (up through the S1P1 finale) takes place in Imperium

See you next time for the conclusion of S1P1!

[nanuk-dain]

Generation Kill Research Results

We all know that there's really specific stuff in GK that only those who were there would know, much of which we get in the books Generation Kill (Evan Wright) and One Bullet Away (Nate Fick).

I needed some more intel for my fics, so I went hunting for all the things RL Ray said about GK relevant topics on reddit. The result is a list of all his comments, from radio frequencies to how exactly he got burnt by Rudy's stove to the MRE components and the truth about the Zeus attack and what colour the PT shorts of Recon guys were.

The list has been vetted by @bookishdea to make sure that there's no personal info about the RL guys in there.

It's sorted by topic: weapons/equipment, radios/comms, beanies/uniforms, officers in Recon, Humvees, MREs, Humvee arrangement/Reporter, Zeus attack, explosion of Rudy's stove, Captain America's name, invasion, Recon training/conditions of OIF, Ripped Fuel, First Recon, Afghanistan/Ray's Marine Corps career, characters/people career background, paddles, GK production, float tapes.

I hope you find interesting stuff in there. I originally made it for myself, but since the effort went in already anyway, I figured I could share it with those who don't want to risk coming across RL Marines infos, but who might still profit from the GK-specific infos.

- all intel are responses of RL Ray (plasmata) on reddit in various subreddits, collected 23. Nov. 2023

- Q = question asked on reddit, A = Ray's answer. There's not always a question supplied, just where it's necessary to understand his answer

weapons/equipment

- At the time most of the Marine Corps was still using the M16s and M249 (SAW). Recon units were one of the first ones to get M4's and Para-SAWs (carbine versions of the M249). So, folks like officers and regular support folks were still carrying their standard M16, while 0321 Recon Marines were carrying M4s.

- Q: I was rewatching GK (again) and I think it was episode 2 when Rudy and Pappy took out the RPG team. I don’t know what the sniper rifle caliber is called I would think it’s a .338 laupa because that was standard sniper rifle of the Marine Corps.

A: No. It was an M40 A3 which shoots a 7.62x51mm NATO round. It is essentially the same thing as a .308 They are based on a Remington 700 and modified by USMC armorers. Anyone that went to sniper school would shoot that rifle. Recon marines go to sniper school. Those who didnt would still crosstrain on range so they werent totally ignorant to the weapon.

- Q: Why do some of the men in the 1st Recon Battalion have no attachments on their M4 ie Q-Tip, Christenson, and Ray, while others like Brad, Fick, Fruity Rudy had optics and grips?

A: Because some people think that having that shit on your weapon makes you look cooler. It is all personal preference.

- Q: I've always wondered if the real Brad rocked that PVS-17 the whole time like his character did.

A: He sure did. It is an easy way to always have NV handy without having to have something strapped to your fucking head all the time (PVS-7's).

radios/comms

-Q: In ep 2, right after the ambush scene when there is a radio check, whatdo the "up" numbers mean? (up 120 and up, up 700 and up, up 200 and up..etc)

A: It is a short way to indicate status. "Up" means we are all good and no one is injured or dead. IIRC the number indicates rounds of ammo left.

- Q: In the ep 2 episode intro somebody says: "All Hitman Victors, be advised, we are rolling freaks to TAC 1-1-9 at 1400 Zulu. How copy?" I understand everything expect "rolling freaks". Any ideas?

A: It does mean "rolling freqs" which is shorthand for "Changing radio Frequencies."

As you have seen in the series, the military communicates using radio's. As a security measure, everyone changes to a different radio frequency at the same time at set intervals. Lets say that the enemy was able to steal/capture a US radio. Then they would be able to listen in on all our radio conversations...this is bad. So, just in case that happens we all change frequencies (along with crypto fills and other things) so that radio only has value for a very limited time.

This is definitely also combined with crystallographic signature changes as well as something known as frequency hopping (SINGARS) for additional security.

- Q: So how would the teams be able to keep up with the new radio frequencies? Are they passed by runner or is a CYZ used?

A: They are typically pre-planned in a "comm plan" (communications plan). If a radio were to come up missing then they would change the comm plan and distribute however they could.

If you look at the HMMWV windshield next to Brad Colbert in the series you will see a clear acetate with something printed on it. That is a cheat sheet of the comm plan.

- Different types of radios are capable of different radio bands. Most of what you hear in GK is all VHF (ground plane) band radio traffic. The vehicle radios and the handheld ones do VHF. Different groups have different "freqs" (pronounced like freaks) or frequencies that they use. Just like the FM radio in your car, you can tune into different radio stations by changing the frequency. Bravo 1 is on 95.7 Hot Country....and Bravo 2 is on 103.3 Smooth Jazz. You are always switching between the different freqs to talk to who you are supposed to be talking to. So, my personal radio may be set to be on Bravo 1's channel, but the vehicle may be set to Bravo 3 and then another guy may have his set to the Alpha channel. Just like setting the presets in your car, you can do that on these radios as well...so you can quickly switch between them.

The reason you also hear pilots in some of them is that some radios are UHF (line of sight) band to talk to pilots. The small handheld radios were both VHF and UHF radios so we could do things like call for fire missions and give the pilots our 9 lines.

Com plans utilize multiple channels across different spectrums (HF, VHF, UHF, Satellite) and many types of radios that have different spectrum capabilities.

Dude, have you never played with walkie-talkies as a kid...hahaha. You know someone is talking on your freq because you hear them. Only one person can talk at a time on any radio channel. You can only be "tuned" to a single frequency at a time. There is a very rigid etiquette when using radios to keep things clear and efficient.

We switched from the 77's to the AN/PRC-135 in 2002 (1st Recon Bn).

The 135's would do HF freq hopping, auto antenna tuning, and directly take crypto fills. But, the best part was they had a detachable face with an extension cord; so you could seal up the radio in your ruck (waterproofing and all). Then you would have the radio face in your front deuce gear to control the radio if you needed to switch freqs or something.

Edit: I just realized that I was talking about the 104's not the 77's. Yeah, late 90's the 77's were replaced by 119's.

beanies/uniforms

- Part of it is real (the black beanie's) and the rest is done by David Simon. The real part is that we all wore black beanies. It wasn't breaking any rules as they were allowed, but most other units frowned on wearing them unless in private. We did all wear them everywhere and it kind of became a “thing” that the recon guys are the ones in beanies.

The David Simon/ Ed Burns part is the rest of the scene. I think they were trying to explain to the audience who Recon Marines were and used Trombley/Espera to do that. It was a wise choice as neither Trombley nor Espera were Recon Marines at that point…which he mentions in that scene.

It followed the PT uniforms we wore also. The Marine Corps wears “green on green” shirt/shorts. Recon’s official PT uniform is “black on black”…so if you see guys PTing in black you know they are Recon Bubbas.

officers in Recon

- A little late to the party, but there is no such thing as a recon officer. The "Reconnaissance Man" MOS is 0321 and is only for enlisted marines. Godfather was not a recon marine...no officers are.

1st Recon is comprised of many that are not recon marines; support personnel like motor T, communications, navy corpsmen, intel, etc. Officers that are platoon/ company/ battalion commanders are typically Intelligence or Infantry officers.

- Q: Not trying to correct you as you were there, I definitely wasn't... but Fick mentioned he went through BRC in his book. I guess maybe some officers go thru BRC but retain their MOS whether infantry/intel/whatever?

A: Rarely, some officers do go through BRC/ARS; but even if they do they still never are recon marines and are never in a recon team.

- Platoon commanders for Recon are kind of in the rear with the gear...they don't go out with teams. They typically command a ROC (Recon Operation Center) and provide support and are a liaison between the team and higher-ups. They feed the teams direction (via radio comms) and take intel and generate reports (again via radio comms)...but they aren't with the teams.

Humvees

- Q: If I may ask...were you guys ever told why you weren't given closed-top humvees (except of course the lead vehicle).

A: Because we didnt' have them. The HMMWV's we got were Army surplus ones we scavenged.

- You don't go to war with what you want, you go with what you have. Everything has to be adapted on the fly...which is what happened. Everything in war is a calculated risk with a margin for "acceptable losses". Were we lucky? Sure.

MREs

- Q: In ep 5, when Ray is making MRE cookies, would that actually work? If so, how good could those actually be?

A: Yes it actually works. The sugar will melt and crystalize in the creamer which makes it solid and like a cookie. When you haven't eaten anything other than MREs for months straight they are good.

PS2: Ray seems like a good guy to have drinks with in a bar.

I agree...but I am a little biased.

- Point of clarification: These aren't really MRE's, they are just components of an MRE that can come in different MREs.

Personally my favorite MRE was the Beef Stew. It came with a pouch of Beef Stew, Jalapeno Cheese, pack of two crackers, and something like Skittles. It also came with a little packet with things like Folgers Crystals Coffee packets, creamer, salt/pepper, wet wipe, etc.

There were 24 different MREs in a 12 pack "A" or "B" case. Each had a different main meal and then accessory packets that included things like Peanut Butter, Regular Cheese, Jalapeno Cheese, Crackers, "Bread Slice", Charms, Skittles, Lorna Doone Cookies, M&M Cookies ("Cookies with Pan Coated Chocolate Disks"), Nature Valley Granola Bar, Strawberry Milkshake, Pound cake, Hot Cocoa Mix, etc, etc, etc.

The GK time generation of MREs were fairly new at the time and included new meals like "Bean Burrito", "Cheese Burger", etc. There were quite a few that were in the previous generation like "Beef Stew" and "Minestrone Soup". Probably the absolute worst one was "Pork Slice in Jamaican Style Sauce".

- It was a common tradition in Brad and my old platoon to stash fun things to share amongst the team at fun times. Like when your team is all wet and cold and hasnt really slept for weeks then you bust something fun out to share…it is a great pick-me-up. My favorite thing to do were king size snickers bars.

Humvee arrangement / Reporter

- Q: Who sat in the passenger side rear seat before the reporter came along?

A: No one. We determined who was in what vehicle right before the invasion..so we knew we had to fit Evan in somewhere. He really wanted to be with Brad and me...so there he went.

- Q: Why?

A: Because we're awesome. Honestly it was because he was told we would be the go-to team (because of Brad and me) for any special fun missions and he didn't want to miss out on those. That and I think he liked our dynamic as "characters".

- Short answer is because that is where he chose to be. For this war the US did something interesting in allowing for journalists to be embedded with the military units for the invasion. There were a ton of journalists that came and got a briefing on different unit types so the journalists could pick where they wanted to be. There were three journalists that after hearing what Recon was and that we would be a combat unit (so you may get shot at if you go with them) picked to be embedded with 1st Recon.

The three journalists then came to where we were staged in Kuwait and met with the BN Commander (Godfather) and were then briefed more specifically on who we were and what our role would be during the invasion. After that briefing two of the three journalists decided they didn't want to kick it with us...pussies. I do remember one of them was some guy with Men's Journal.

Evan then started hanging around us and learned that our team would likely see the most action and be at the front the most...so that is where he wanted to be. After a few nights in the tents hanging out with us he decided that he wanted to be in our vehicle as he liked our "characters" for his story.

Evan, in retrospect, would frequently say he's not sure whether he was more brave or stupid/naive to embed with us for the invasion. After each firefight/ambush he would say that he was going to leave...then we would tell him to stop being a huge pussy...so he kept going.

Zeus attack

- Q: Was Trombley actually just sitting there observing like he did in the film? [note: about Zeus attack]

A: Yes and no. Lots of people were kind of looking. I was the one that jumped up and observed the gun firing to find its location. I then called Walt up to the MK-19 to walk him in on target while calling in CAS via rotary wing at the same time. I got a Navy Achievement Metal with Combat V for that action. Interesting the series got it wrong on that.

explosion of Rudy's stove

- I didn't set my face on fire, Rudy set my face on fire…hahaha. That was all healed in just a few weeks like it never happened…I heal fast. It is a common joke amongst my friends that i am Wolverine because of my rapid healing.

- Rudy was heating water for coffee. It didn't explode. To use diesel fuel in those stoves we would preheat the fuel tube with a hexamite tab. Hexamite tabs turn to gel when they burn. Rudy was carrying the stove outside and some diesel on the outside of the stove caught fire in his hands. He then dropped it and the hexamite splattered off it all over my face. Burning gel all over my face

Captain America's name

- Yeah. A little into the invasion he went running into these mud huts with a fixed bayonet. I was sitting in my HMMWV with my team watching him run in and made the comment “This guy thinks he is Captain America!” We all started calling him that afterwards. To not embarrass the guy publicly they used it in the book and film instead of his real name.

invasion

- Q: Given the might of US military and Nato forces, could the invasion have been planned better? Maybe take more time to get there instead of the confusion and rush?

A: There was a plan and it worked pretty well. Our unit was only one small part of a much larger machine so you don't get to see the overarching thinking behind the entire invasion, you just see a tiny tiny part of it. Two quips that sum it up nicely are "Speed is far more effective than a plan" and "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"

- Q: Why weren't tanks and armor part of your group specially when entering hostile town?

A: Because they were needed elsewhere and we were essentially probing the battlefield so the commanders would know where best to direct the invading force...including armored units.

Recon training/conditions of OIF

-Q: How do you cope with the constant dangers and lack of sleep, food and hygiene. Most people would operate at lower levels under these circumstances and make mistakes. Was there something you guys did that made things better?

A: You fight how you train. We were used to little sleep, food, and hygiene because that is how we always trained. So, when it came to war we were already very comfortable and used to operating in that condition. Same shit, different day.

- All Recon Marines have the same MOS...0321. There are team roles such as Pointman, Navigator, Slackman, RTO, Assistant RTO, Assistant Team Leader, and Team Leader. Every Recon Marine is expected to have held each role to be well rounded. You may be the RTO in one team and then a Navigator in another.

All Marines (not just Recon Marines) are marksman and have to qualify just the same. This is independent of their MOS. Every Marine is a Rifleman.

Nearly all Recon Marines have gone through Sniper School...this is nothing super special.

- Q: Though I did do underwater football with a few of the Recon guys for PT a few times. That was a pretty brutal game. Put a plastic chair in either side of the deep end of the pool (12'+ at Flores) and put an underwater weight between the chairs in the middle of the pool. Line up 5 guys on either side. Dive in on the mark and try to get the weight into the seat of the chair opposite of your side. Tap if you need air, usually you get released pretty quickly... After a second or two. And that was about the only rule. Underwater everything was game. Grabbing, choking, ripping off masks...and it was a brutal workout. You'd be sucking wind after a few goals.

A: When I was in we played a lot of "Underwater Soccer" which is basically the same thing just without the chairs. Two team on either side of the pool and a weight (either a 25lb bar weight or dumbbell) in the middle on the bottom. Your team gets a point when you touch the opposing teams wall with the weight in hand.

The other game I used to love was the "Whistle Game." In this game a metal whistle was thrown into the middle of the pool. It was every man for himself. You had to grab the whistle from the bottom of the pool and rise to the surface and successfully blow it. If you did then you got to get out of the pool. Everyone else keeps going. It was one of the "Pays to be a winner" games.

- Another fun side note: We used to play a game called "Tap-Out Pass-Out" in which we would ground fight (think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and the only rules were no eye gouging. The game was only over when someone would pass out or tap out. While Rudy is/was an amazing standing fighter, he wasn't great on the ground. I am very good on the ground and would always beat him, much to Rudy's chagrin. Because of that Rudy began to diligently practice and improve his ground fighting, so I don't know if you should mess with him on the ground now.

Ripped Fuel

- Q: Ray, how much Ripped Fuel have you had?

A: Believe it or not I only had 2 the entire time. Two were issued to each marine as part of a med kit. The rest was just swallowing Folgers Coffee Crystals that came in the MREs.

First Recon

- Former B Co, 1st Recon Bn 0321 (1999-2003) checking in. 1st Recon was a Battalion in 1990? It was a Company when I first got there (I was in 2nd Platoon - 1st Recon Co)...then it changed into a Battalion a year or two later.

Afghanistan / Ray's Marine Corps career

- Question: Were you on this float? What did you do before joining 1st recon? Did you go to Afghanistan?

Answer: Yes. I was a pipeliner, so I was always always at 1st. I did go to Afghanistan. I was in 1st Recon Company, 2nd platoon on this float. It is the same platoon as Brad Colbert but I was in a different team.

- You can petition to "try out" for recon. If you pass a screening (run by Recon Marines) then you typically go to a "RIP" platoon (Recon Indoctrination Platoon or something like that) to be weeded out if you aren't able to hang. From there you go to a Recon MOS producing school (ARS or BRC) and if you pass that course then you become a "Roper" until you pass the unit Indoc. It isn't just jump right in.

- Q: I guess that means you went fleet grunt first then tested into recon yeah?

I enlisted 03XX then got 0311 out of SOI, then was picked up by recon at the graduation of SOI.

A: I am a fellow pipeliner. When i went in, 0321 was a secondary MOS (circa 2000)…so I was an 0311 with the secondary of 0321.

- Q: What year did you graduate boot camp? Company? Platoon?

A: January 2000, San Diego, Mike Co., Plt 3014

- Q: The 9/11 attacks solidified my choice in enlisting. At the time, I was a Sophomore in HS. 3rd period Geometry. Where were you?

A: Sitting in a pub in Darwin Australia (it was night time there) on libo. Shore Patrol comes running into the pub screaming for everyone to get back to ship (15th MEU on the USS Dubuque). Get back to ship just in time to see the second tower fall on tv. Go to drunken sleep as we set sail for Pakistan (Bravo Platoon, 1st Recon Company).

- He [note: Ray talking about himself] picked up Sgt. before he got out through. Fellow B Co 1st Recon alum. Yut Yut.

characters/people career background

- First Recon Bn is not just Recon Marines...it includes all the support personnel that are needed for a unit as well; like Armorers, Motor T, Intel, Supply, Communications, Admin, etc.

Jeff wasn't a Recon Marine; his MOS was Motor T. He was a Motor T Marine assigned to First Recon. We loved Jeff because he was super pessimistic and hateful. When Darnold was shot and medevac'd out, Jeff filled the vacancy in Kocher's team.

- Capt. Eric Dill was our Recon Platoon Commander during Afghanistan and can be seen in Part-8 @ 11:42. His/my platoon is the one that he handed over to Fick after we got back stateside.

- One thing to note is that Fick wasn't with Recon during Afghanistan...he was an Infantry Platoon commander. Afghanistan is where Fick became buddies with our current Recon Platoon commander, Eric Dill. Dill convinced Fick to come over to 1st Recon after getting back from Afghanistan. This is also where we "found" Garza, Leon, etc and convinced them to come over from the infantry to become Recon Marines.

- The first casualty was Darnold in Eric Kocher's team. He was shot in the forearm when we drove through an ambush. This is the scene where Walt was possibly tangled in the electrical wires and I believe it shows a HMMWV monster-trucking a car. Dirty Earl (Jeff Carizalez) then took over for Darnold in Eric's team.

paddles

- Paddles aren't just a Recon thing...they are generally a boat team thing...which Recon guys are amongst. Honestly, it varies as to who would get one. Some think that only other Recon Marines should get them...others think that support guys should too.

Typically the size of the paddle matters. The bigger the paddle the more senior/experience/loved the guy was. When I was in the small novelty paddles were for thank-you's to folks. Regular 4 foot paddles were for solid Recon Marines that were liked. Large 6 foot paddles were reserved for guys that had been there a while and were exceptional.

GK production

- David Simon (the guy that did Gen Kill) was really the instrumental piece to making it what it was. Early on HBO was going to have someone else do it...and it was straight up fucking Michael Bay style. David wanted real Marines to be able to watch the series and see not a single thing wrong with it; from the dialog, equipment/uniforms, actor body types, mannerisms, etc. He gave us a hell of a ton of leeway to just "be ourselves" so he could have that in the series.

I got involved early on when they were working on the scripts to make sure the slang and jargon added was Marine Corps specific and current. Even the radio chatter in all scenes was written by real Marines...all the pilot sides of radio chatter (like when calling CAS) was recorded by a real FAC.

All the actors were put through a two week "How to be a Marine" course. From how to wear their uniforms, how to carry their weapons, hazing motivational physical exercises, etc. One of the biggest problems was all the actors wanting to do exactly what Rudy Reyes did on set; and Rudy lives in a comic book so it wasn't all exactly accurate.

In one of the episodes, the Oscar Award winning Director (different episodes had different directors) was going to have guys flying when shot like you see in the typical movies. After the Marines on set (Eric Kocher and Jeff Carizalez) told her that was not real and she did it anyways; Eric and Jeff started just making comments like "This episode is going to fail fucking miserably", "Wow, this episode is going to suck balls", "This is the worst fucking thing I have ever seen"...as you already noticed, those scenes were redone.

float tapes

- About the Float Tapes: OMG!...these videos are gold. Watching through them now. I have already seen Gabe Garza (Part-3 @ 1:04 far right) Tony Espera (Part-3 @ 7:50) as they were both with that infantry unit at the time.

- I had never seen these so it is fun to relive this float. In Part 4 when they are doing the "Steel Beach Party" he has a part where he films guys playing hacky-sack with "Black Shirts = Cool AF" on screen. The black shirts are Recon guys (everyone else has to wear green). In that shot are Eric Kocher (in the green flight suit) and Larry Shawn Patrick (tall guy with sunglasses on) along with some other brothers. There were 22 Recon guys total on that float in 4 teams. I haven't seen me or anyone from my team in the videos yet.

- Part 36 @ 3:17 is Rudy Reyes, a guy i forgot his name right now in the SERE shirt, the blond guy to his right (James Klepel /was on my team), and the guy that walks in behind Espera (Luke Meister / also on my team).

Real Evan Wright intel (twitter) about GK

camera

- Reporter's camera was a Leica m6 50mm, analogue (film, not digital)

Manimal

- Anthony "Manimal" Jacks usually wore his teeth and was a serious person who spoke to me a lot about his family & his concerns about doing right, if we crossed the border. Being "Manimal" was sort of a character he played to amuse people

MRE crates

- As is clear in this photo, Holsey, too, could scarcely contain his joy that I was taking his picture. Note: he's seated on an MRE crate. Those are like general propose chairs and tables in the field, like "apple boxes" in the film industry.

[silverstar70]

Fandom: NCIS Character: Alden Parker

Author's note: This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be kind. English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake. I was rewatching 20x14. I loved the episode but felt like something was missing. So here it is. Hope you like it!

Make things right

At the ding of the elevator, the team turned in that direction and saw Parker with three boxes of pizza. He walked in silence through the squadroom, no meeting the team’s eyes all pointed on him.

“I wanted to apologize” Parker said quietly, still not looking at them “I know these aren’t the picarones, but I hoped it would work anyway.”

The team, Jimmy and Kasie included, were still at the office to help McGee with the mission reports and thought that Parker went home so it took them by surprise seeing their boss standing there, quiet and vulnerable.

“Depends.” Torres was the first to break the silence “Did you get the pepperoni one?”

“And double cheese”

They ate all together without much of a talking and finished all the reports in record time. Parker was happy with this team, his new team. It was never like that at the FBI and after Jeremy he always preferred to work alone, only occasionally he worked with Fornell, he was a good friend. He knew what happened that night and helped him to move on.

He didn’t know what it would have happened if it wasn’t for Fornell. Right after the accident, he started drinking more than he should, it was the only thing that helped him not to think. He was angry at the world, but especially at himself for not covering his best friend's back.

Fornell arrived at the right time, helped him deal with it. He couldn't forget that night, but he couldn’t let Wills wins again and ruin his career. So, thanks to Tobias, he got back on his tracks and tried his best to learn to live with the guilt. Things went fine for a while, he started living again but as much as he tried, the guilt was still there. Not even Jaremy was able to redeem him from that feeling.

The NCIS assignment came as a fresh start. For the first time since the accident, he loved being in a team again. This team wasn't like the others, and he knew it right away from the loyalty they showed to Gibbs. Loyalties that they had also shown to him by helping him with the Raven's case. He hated himself for the way he had behaved towards them, for yelling at them and for running away from the crime scene without explanation.

Jeremy was right: the team had changed him. They had accepted him as one of the family and, with a little effort at first, he had earned their respect and trust. Now he was no longer just the boss, but also a friend to be counted on and he was proud. He was proud of this team and lucky to be a part of it.

Sat between Jess and McGee’s desks, they finished the pizza doing small talks and soon it was time to go home but Parker needed to make things right with them first.

“I wasn’t completely honest with you, guys. And I own you an explanation.”

“You don’t own us anything, Parker. We’re just happy that things ended well” McGee spoke for everyone, while the rest sat in silence looking at them.

“No, I do. I shouldn't have raised my voice at any of you," addressing Jimmy and Kasie in particular "I was mad, and I took all my anger out on you. You didn't deserve it. This story has haunted me for years and I've never been able to put an end to it and move on. When we found those pills, all the anger I thought I had buried came back and hit me like a train."

He paused for a moment, collecting his thought. They were family, they should know the truth, but it was harder than he thought. What if they’ll think less of him? What if he’ll lose their respect? No, he knew them better than that, but after all he wasn’t Gibbs. They didn’t own him anything.

“Parker, we get it. We would have reacted the same way, we just wished you told us” Jess reassured him. In that moment he blurred out the truth about that night.

“It was my bullet who hit Jaremy’s back.”

The team stood there in shock, looking at their boss in disbelieves, exchanging looks. Seconds passed and no one said anything, Parker was looking down at his hands in shame. He felt embarrassed and scared. After years he founded joy in working in a team once again, a new family, who respected him and trusted him with their life, and now he’ll lose everything because who would trust a boss who might shoot in you back during a raid? But he was wrong, so wrong.

“We have read the report. We know what happened that night, Parker.” McGee said to him, receiving a questioning look from Parker “I mean, we didn’t know this. We know what Jaremy told us. It was a hell, pure fog of war stuff. But, Alden, it wasn’t your fault. Certainly, Jaremy doesn’t think it is and neither do we.”

“We trust you Parker” added Torres.

“We’ll watch your back, and you’ll watch ours” confirmed Jess, while Kasie went to hug him in comfort. He embraced her tight, and a tear fell on his cheek. He wasn’t expecting all this support, but he was glad he was a part of this special team. When he loosed the hug, Kasie stood beside him to show him all her support.

“Thanks guys. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know I am not Gibbs, but I really appreciate your loyalty.”

“You’re right, you’re not Gibbs” Jimmy finally speaks and all turn towards him “But he’s not here now. You are. We’re loyal to you and I am sure it’s what he would want. No one gets left behind”

“Thank you, Jimmy.”

And with that all of them get ready to leave and go home to try to get some sleep. All together walked to the elevators and get inside.

“We still want the picarones tomorrow, though” Torres said before the doors closed and they all laughed.

[madwomanwithawarehouse]

Unthinkable 10 Years Day 3: Favorite Episode of Season 2 - "Time of Death"

Okay this is one of my all-time favorite episodes for so many reasons and definitely the one I've rewatched the most ( I'm pretty sure I can quote all of the Felicity/Sara scenes by heart)

This episode explores so many dynamics in so little time, but somehow doesn't come off feeling rushed or overloaded (at least in my opinion). Laurel being angry at everyone, but trying to help her parents get back together, her fight with Oliver in the hallway that feels like the first honest moment they've had in years, and her reconciliation with Sara finally leading to her first AA meeting.

We also get to learn about why Sara looks after Sin (side note: still pissed we got no elaboration on them after s3) and Thea beginning to notice the cracks in Oliver and Moira's relationship

The biggest focus, however, is the changing dynamic in Team Arrow now that Sara has joined full time (and has gotten back together with Oliver), and specifically, how it's affecting Felicity.

We quickly see how well Sara can hold her own against Oliver and Dig at the same time, inter cut with shots of Felicity looking worried, relegated to the sidelines. In the overhead shots you can even see that her computer chair has been moved from its usual spot, showing how displaced she is from her normal routine

They pause and compare scars, but when Felicity offers up her own story, it further reinforces how different she is from her teammates. The same (mildly flirtatious) "You're [still] cute" from Sara that was sweet during their introduction, now feels condescending when Felicity is feeling insecure. Her later attempts to train where she gets her form corrected by Sara brings out her bitter side in a way we haven't seen directed at anyone other than Oliver before, and Sara picks up on something being wrong

Her insecurities about her place on Team Arrow get further compounded with the arrival of the Clock King.

One of my favorite villains mostly due to the fact that his whole timing is everything/clock shtick does not really match his hacking capabilities thematically. He times everything, kills people with clock parts, quotes "tempus fugit", but yeah his thing is that he's a good hacker who robs banks. 10/10 no notes.

This is the first time we've seen Felicity go up against another hacker and well, he bests her, badly. I think what's almost worse is Oliver's complete belief in her abilities to beat him, which just makes her feel even more worthless when she can't and Sara comes up with a lead instead (using her computers). She's been sinking lower and lower into her self doubt and then Tockman blows up [her part of] the lair.

And it's the final straw. She was part of a trio, she was "the girl", (she was even kind of Oliver's "girl"), she had a place, a specialty, she felt like she mattered for the first time in a long time. This also comes only an episode after she reveals that her father abandoned her and her greatest fear is experiencing that again and Moira threatening that she's going to lose Oliver if she reveals Thea's paternity. So it's especially fragile, this state she's in now. Oliver's attention has shifted, 3 becomes 4, her space is not really hers anymore. In her mind, she's no longer special, now she just doesn't fit in. Dig's pep talk comes too late. How can she be irreplaceable if she's already been replaced?

So is it any wonder that she does something reckless to try to regain some control?

Felicity proves her technical prowess by tracking Tockman down and her badassery by taking a bullet for Sara and giving Tockman a taste of his own virus, knocking him out.

Now that she has proven her worth to the team (entirely to herself, as no one else doubted her), the combined efforts of Sara, Oliver, and some "aspirins" are able to raise her spirits the way Dig had earlier. Sara knows just how to compliment her and Oliver reaffirms her place in his life/the team and all is right again with their resident genius.

(And bonus, Sara and Felicity are now forever bonded by the homoerotic nature of life saving and nursing back to health)

All in all, such a good episode with solid character building, real consequences, and a quirky villain that is extra for no discernible reason. Iconic.

[omnitheist27]

Izuku's frustration (The 40)

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@the-ravenclaw-werewolf, @purplemochi20055, and @hulkchloron99

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When rewatching the training scene of Robin from Young Justice (2010), I was inspired to draw this fancomic of Izuku going through his own training regimen involving daily extremely intense workouts and gymnastics, a strict-nutritional diet, and biofeedback therapy after witnessing many worlds and stories through the multiverse.

After making many leaps of progress through this specialized training regimen in just under one year, moreso than his canon counterpart, Izuku is capable of great feats of physical strength, speed, and endurance; bending a thin steel bar with his bare hands, having fists tough enough to punch through brick walls with ease and not get damaged, run as fast as a 40 mph car, doesn't flinch from boiling water being splash on him, can fight grown men in hand-to-hand, have senses sharper than a boy his age to the point that he can hear people clearly from a good distance, and...if he were to channel his sheer force of will into his reaction time and passively strengthen his body's endurance through a certain technique, Izuku would catch a bullet fired from a Colt New Service revolver like Ozymandias from Watchmen.

However, Izuku finds himself frustrated that it still isn't enough and relearns the hard way that "not all men are created equal" as he can't substitute his newly immense physical and mental prowess against an opponent with dangerous superpowers and even greater experience than he does. Never mind the plain common sense of pragmatism with his opponent simply having to hit a vital area or anything that would be an advantage.

Though...it won't prevent Izuku from continuing to do what's right and his newly earned Charles Atlas Superpower would very much prepare him for what's to come when going back to his own world.

Note: Even though Izuku is Quirkless, he was still descended from a population where people gained superpowers. It was mentioned that by All Might in canon that if Izuku didn't undergo the training regiment he had for him, using One for All once would've blown off his limbs. But thanks to the training regiment Izuku did for nearly a year, the worse that Izuku suffered from a full 100% use of One for All is a broken limb that isn't fractured (I think). So I thought that if Izuku underwent physical and mental training similar to that of Arkham Batman for a year, especially when he'll be giving it his complete focus and little distraction, he'll be more powerful than his Post-training self from the canon series.

What do you all think?

[starlitvega]

Transformers: One rambles because I have to talk about this with someone (but I mostly talk about D-16)

(as someone who has consumed barely any transformers content besides 20 second clips on TikTok)

↓‼️SPOILERS BELOW ‼️↓

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Okay for starters, WOW.

This movie was AMAZING, and if you haven’t seen it yet I HIGHLY recommend you do.

The animation is phenomenal, and the voice acting is great. The design of Cybertron can only be described as jaw dropping, and some of the scenes in that movie gave me CHILLS.

If you can, PLEASE go watch the movie in theaters so that we can get a sequel!!

Also, I am NOT that good when it comes to analysis. I am making this purely to share my thoughts about the film and D-16 specifically. Additionally, I’ve only watched the film once, so once I rewatch it again, I’ll probably come back with a more in-depth analysis. This is more of a ramble if anything.

ALSO!! I am NOT a big transformers fan! This is the first Transformers film I’ve seen besides brief clips from TikTok and TV. I am not well informed on the lore at all, so if I sound stupid at some parts, that’s why 😋😋

And now, it’s time to yap

Fun fact, D-16’s VA, the incredibly talented Brian Tyree Henry, played Jefferson Davis in both Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, and was Lemon from the movie Bullet Train!

But moving on, I love him so much.

I don’t know about any other iterations of Megatron/ D-16 but I prefer this one to the one in the Bay films.

HE’S JUST SO SSNSHSJDJSKS

For starters, when we’re introduced to him, we can already see how strong his relationship with Orion is. He helps him escape those archive guards (and given how smooth it was, it’s safe to assume that this isn’t the first time he’s had to do so), and when Orion pops out the cart, he swipes some dirt off him :)) (how nice!!)

He’s used to protecting Orion. He is used to helping him out when he gets himself in trouble. Because Orion is his friend, he’s got his back, and he knows that he’d do the same for him, and he does!

Whenever they’re reprimanded for their (Orion’s) reckless behavior, he’s always the first to own up, and admit it was his idea.

Got this from Twitter, but as the story progresses, the sticker Optimus gave him at the start gradually begins to fade, which is a sign of their friendship.

And not only that, but the fact that this symbol of their friendship ends up transforming into the symbol for the Decepticons at the end (talk about foreshadowing)— GOD WHY DO YOU HATE ME

Notice how D-16 objects to every idea that Orion comes up with, scared of how it would affect his rank at work and how he’s viewed in society, like when Orion offers to enter into the race. And on the day of the race, as Orion leads him to the sign above the starting zone, he objects then too, obviously skeptical. But despite his protest, he still follows him, and that’s because he trusts him. Despite disliking being dragged into whatever antics Optimus gets up to, he still does it with him because he’s his friend, and he knows that he can trust him; trust Orion.

D-16 doesn’t like breaking the rules, but if it’s for/with Orion, I feel as if he’d do nearly anything. Because they’ve got each other’s back, always.

And ohmigod, that scene in the cave was literally had my mouth gaping. You could’ve heard a pin drop with the way everyone shut up.

Think, you just learned that one of the people who you admired the most has rigged the system against you, that since you were born, you were denied what is essentially your birth right, and the freedom that this prophet promised you was nothing but a lie that was fed to keep you going so he could live the high life while you toiled away endlessly in the mines. All I can think about is how devastating that is.

You dedicate your entire life to one man, and he ends up not only being a liar, but also a traitor. Shit I’d be pissed too.

And when we get to the end and Megatron is about to kill Sentinel Prime, but Orion jumps in front of D-16’s gun to block the blast, sacrificing himself in order to prevent his best friend from filling falling to the dark side— only for it to BACKFIRE at the end—

Im gonna end it all.

And then when his face starts to twist. You can see him going through so many emotions in that moment. Worry, confusion, and panic at first, and then frustration, anger, rage, and then finally, certainty. He makes up his mind here. He becomes Megatron here.

When he let go of Orion, he let go of himself as well. He exchanged his life, the life of Orion Pax and the relationship he had with him for his idealized future. The result? His now former best friend rises from the dead, now rechristened as Optimus Prime, stops his attempt at seizing control, and then banishes him.

And also the genuine SHOCK and DISBELIEF you can see in Megatron’s eyes when Optimus tells him he’s been banished, it just tells us that at this moment, he still saw Optimus Prime as Orion Pax, his best friend, and he can’t believe his best friend would do this to him.

And just think about it. Orion literally risks his life for his best friend, because they’ve always had each other’s back. He trusted him. and his best friend, the man he loved like a brother, ends up breaking this promise, choosing his own path, a path without him, betraying him

AND the fact that the action Orion does that ends up making Megatron is done out of love, a last ditch effort to remind his best friend of who he was, and the fact that the action that transforms D-16 to Megatron is done out of hatred and rage

OHH IM GONNA BE SICK

they’re so doomed by the narrative oohhhh my god

Anyways that’s it for now 😋 sorry that this looks so messy this is really just me brain dumping here, I just had yap about this movie because it’s just THAT GOOD

Btw if any of you guys wanna recommend me some Transformers comics to start reading, please do I am very much interested in learning more about this lore tyvm!!!