#captain doesn't get paid (sad)

[kyokutsu-sama]

Headcanons

"What is it like living with them?"- Captain x f!reader

A/n: I'm at my creative peak for the Black Clover fandom and I have a lot of drafts to post here about it. I hope I can post some more this week.

Tw: slightly suggestive

_____________________________

Yami :

Living with the captain of the black bulls is like a complete married life, with children included (in this case they are his squad members) You won't have a minute of peace because he'll always be teasing you here and there and he won't have peace either because the brats always call him to train and when he doesn't, it's Julius who's calling him on a mission again. He, in turn, can't wait to get back to HQ to be with you. Yes, he loves to see you opening your arms to welcome him back. He will ask you to bring him toilet paper in case Asta forgets to put a new roll in the bathroom. You're the only one he lets into the bathroom when he's there. Needless to say, he will kill the poor boy for forgetting about it. The squad members see you as a motherly figure and whenever the captain tries to slice one of them, they run away and hide behind you and you always defend them. Yami doesn't like to get into trouble when you're around and he quickly changes his personality to someone calmer. He likes to go out with you to drink and gamble, he teaches you a lot about card games. In relation to drinking, if you are resistant to alcohol this only brings advantages as he likes someone who can accompany him when drinking. There will be many nights when you wake up on the living room floor after a night of drinking. You almost don't argue because he doesn't like doing it and often prefers to say that you're right just so there isn't a big fuss between you both. Still regarding arguments, this man also has his bad days so if it's something superficial where you're just making a film, he picks you up and takes you to the bedroom to solve the problem. You can be sure that you will forget the reason for the argument. If you want this man's attention, take the cigarette from his lips or hide the pack. You can also steal his sword. He teaches you how to fight with it but don't you dare break his beautiful sword. He's going to have a heart attack (we all know that he has a little fragile heart🤏🤭) just thinking about having to pay for a new one without even having paid for the previous one.

Julius :

Apart from the part where he has to be away for a long time because he is the wizard king, everything is perfect. It turns out that most of the time you have to walk behind him so he doesn't torment someone random because of their magic. Yes, he lets go of your hand in the middle of a walk to see magic. He starts sneaking out of the office more often than before just to be with you. He loves you and it's hard for him to be away from you. In his free time, he takes you for walks, holding your hand and visiting different places. It is worth remembering that he will often have to use magic to change his appearance since if he appears as a wizard king among people he will quickly attract their attention to him. You'll also have to get used to the fact that he always arrives late because of the amount of paperwork he had to sign. He's always teasing you and it only get worse if you're not paying attention. Please, this man needs attention. Of course he also likes to make you laugh if you're sad. You are his queen and like a good king, he needs to take care of his wife. He always makes a point of having meals with you since it's one of the few times you're together. And if he comes home early from work and you're waiting for him, you have long conversations about everything and everyone before bed. (This man loves gossip and tea and no one can convince me otherwise🤭)

As you are the wife of the wizard king, you are greatly adored and respected by the people and when you accompany him to a ceremony in the castle, there will be many eyes on you. If you are not a member of royalty and those looks are disdainful towards you, he will hold your hand and like to show everyone that you are an incredible person and that he is very proud of you.

Fuegoleon :

Living with this man is a dream. He's the husband material and is always kind to you and always tries to meet all of your needs. He spends most of the day busy either in the office or training his magic knights, so if you want to go there, feel free, he loves your visits. You know you've won in life when you're his brothers' protégé. Leopold loves you and calls you to train or do something else. He adores you for being who you are and for taking care of his brother. As for Mereoleona (How I love this woman😫), she easily drags you to the hot springs to talk to you. She may seem harsh about everything but I assure you that she cares about you. Proof of this? She always asks if your brother has taken good care of you and if not, she'll kill him for that, even if the poor guy would never be able to neglect you. I'm not even talking about the part where every time she comes home after being away for months, she always asks you if you're already carrying her nephew. Yes, she is waiting for this and don't make this woman wait. If he has free time, he will look for you so that you can both go out somewhere, be it for a walk or to eat. He also trusts you enough to tell you if something isn't going well at work even if he prefers not to because he doesn't want you to worry. He is very selfless and he doesn't want this to bother you in any way, even if you assure him that this doesn't happen. Just like Julius, if he comes home early, he will immediately look for you. You two also talk a lot about different subjects and besides, he likes to hear your points of view too. There are also frequent cuddle sessions before bed.

[maliciousalice]

@thresholdbb omg tumblr ate your ask but thankyou for asking!!!!

👕Character whose fashion you like.

Phoar! Startrek really isn't a show I associate with being fashionable. It's very camp isn't it? In theory a lot of the wardrobe is really cool and they wanted to gain that retro-future aesthetic. Did it work? I'm not sure. However it does make a statement. The Startrek aesthetic is really recognizable and that's important! I think that's where modern trek kind of looses the plot. It's not as careful about the unique visual design as a whole anymore and as a result it doesn't settle in our minds. Is it bad artistry? No but it's not as stringent. What I mean by that is older trek cared about nuance. For example every haircut was done the same way on men, or suits were tailored in a way to look sleek but practical (they weren't). Gaudy patterns were important to denote things like status. It looks ugly on the outside but when you're watching the show it envelops you and makes you feel welcomed into the universe.

I digress.

To answer this, the most fashionable character, hands down, is Quark! That mfer always looks good, and has the finest drip in the galaxy. Love that.

🥲 ST moment that makes you cry.

There are two moments that make me particularly sad. Kate's acting in the climax of Resistance is incredible. I read somewhere she had a special-wink-wink- relationship with the Director in the early seasons and she was being tested by this episode in some regard. I think it paid off. I treasure any time her captain-hood is removed, and the extreme vulnerability of Janeway is on display-MWAH MWAH poignant. This episode is beautifully intimate, particularly this scene. It's overall gorgeous and unique in how she whispers to him, as if there is nothing more important than to secure his peace of mind as he dies, and it's heart rending when it ends with her just crouching there, emotionally alone. I love how Janeway is forced into the father-daughter dynamic between her and Caylem, one that she would ordinarily resist (heh themes) because I think it inherently weakens her status. The back and forth throughout the episode of them taking care of each other's welfare is so it's terribly sad when it's torn down and we discover the truth behind Caylem's family. If you've dug around her character you know that her Admiral-Father has had impact on her life. She's haunted by him in both a figurative way by being a Captain, and literal sense later on in Coda. Much like Caylem, she looses her father in a violent manner that she has to carry around while she forges ahead. It also reflects well on Kate's relationship with her actual father, she recently revealed that she was never able to get him on her page, but in spite that she adore him with all her might. So a scene like this is really revealing-I believe she was able to draw upon those feelings and that's kinda neat to be so raw as an actor. SIGH.

This one just straight up made me cry fr because Prodigy s1 is a really mature, well done piece of (Startrek) media. Holo Janeway has an irony about it where in the end she is program designed to be a teacher, and she didn't expect to develop a strong bond with the crew. Her final moments are of displaying a huge amount of selflessness and courage to help the kids get out of trouble, similarly to how Janeway would approach dire circumstances. The music swelling and the ship activating is just OOOOF!!! I love how it parallels Dal's initiation of the first Protojump in a Moral Star. By that means It suggests how proud she is to get to do this for them. As a character she is really interesting to think about, in a way I can't entirely articulate. A lot of her moments are quite sad in general, she has to keep an active role so she isn't ignored, and help where help is needed, but at the same time she has constraints, one being that she manipulated by the antagonists. And In contrast to that, the kids do their best to help her feel like she is important and more than a command program to be used insincerely. She grew to love the Protostar crew, that's evident in her body language in this scene. She has a lot of depth overall. Equal to the real Janeway she deeply feels love, guilt and pain, but importantly she is transformed by the her time on the Protostar and while active, learns and grows with Dal, Rok-tak, Zero, Jankom and Gwyn. It's REALLY sweet that they care all care about each other.

I love her and I love JANEWAY!!!!

🥹 Favourite behind the scenes picture.

Ooooh I love all behind the scenes stuff. My brother in Christ It's super difficult to just name one thing and I'm very greedy!! I wish we had more BTS content for Voyager but sadly, it's a matter of grab what you can, however you can. Anyway, I have an inherent interest in seeing the cogs behind the wheel. I chose these samples because I think they're charming.

The continuity polaroid's are so fun and a lost technique, I like to think about assistants having to pull the actors aside and asking them to take those. How daunting! Kate's grin in the one where she is offset is SO cute. So she must have been in a good mood, super Cheeky!

Following that is a screenshot from a video of her having her makeup done. A rare catch. I like this because she often sooks about how much time hair and makeup was spent on her to become Captain Janeway. I get it's a huge time-sink, but love or hate it, the full irony is that her early season appearance is really iconic and in it's own right adds to Captain Janeway's sensibility. Silly goose Kate! Besides that, she looks hot checking herself out, haha.

Moreover, I love on-set editorial photos of actors in costume. While we did have heaps of them in the Starfleet uniform, I wish we had a larger collection with clearer releases, it would have given an opportunity to see in things of interest better detail. Particularly the lower half of unique costumes. For whatever reason special outfits weren't often established or framed for us to see the legs in the show, so a nice big photograph would have solved that. Also I love that these style of pictures capture an impression of an episode without giving it away.

Similarly, fly on the wall on-set photos are cool. They're way more intimate and candid than anything else and it makes me feel as though I am spying on the actors, but they're also a good way to document how things might have been on set.

The Timeless one is interesting too because it's of a deleted scene, we never see Chakotay look at a dead Janeway (how deliciously macabre!), but at some point in time it was in the script and they filmed it.

Hmm this bts picture of Janeway in the Cardigan is adorable! I believe it was worn by Kate for a Charity but look how cute she looks? Makes me wish we saw her mess around with things like that more because 7 Years is a long ass time to be in uniform everyday ( coming from someone who went to school in a Uniform and enjoyed it for the most part). Casual Fridays anyone?

I love this gif. It's from the first shoots of Caretaker and Kate looks so radiant! Her smile is is breathtaking! Whenever I see this gif I get a sense of delight. Poor thing had no idea what she was getting herself into, haha. Really though, check out the original Caretaker photos, they're super-cool. The history behind it is fascinating; I'd love to see more footage from that version of the pilot episode. Unfortunately, it's probably not preserved well, much like lots of Paramount's historical material.

On a similar trend, it's fun to see this set of pictures too. It's for the First Contact film / maybe the Universal studios ride, when she reprised her role as Vice AdmiralJaneway. Kate was genuinely delighted to do this cameo and it shows. As per her operandum she put her whole self into this small segment and that's so darling. It makes me wish we had more of this Janeway at that point in time. I love post Endgame chubby-Janeway. In a fictional sense it denotes that she is comfortable or stressed to be an Admiral (sadly it's the latter in real life) or whatever and I love that for her.

These kind of pictures are fun because it's been said that at times it was the most playful set to be on. There are tales that the cast were not that serious all the time. You get that impression here, and it's probably why the majority of them are still good friends to this day. They're like a family bros!!! Having worked in media I know that wrapping up after working on something for a long time is really rewarding and I bet they had a good time at parties.

Apropos previous, the opposite can be said. While they had fun, the hours were long and the scripts intensive. Kate was around for all of the episodes of Voyager in one way or another, and still managed to bring her A-game each time. She is truly admirable! Seeing her so exhausted is charming. She had a lot of weight to carry for the franchise and did an exemplary job performing her way through 7 years of weird and wonderful material. I wonder how often they fell asleep on set? I know I would. Get some rest queen!

Finally, I've been following Prodigy bts as best I can, and because of my career in animation I get pretty interested in Production art. I love seeing the fast metamorphosis of a visual style. It's really impressive how much attention they applied to the designs, maintaining the older stuff, while adapting a new frontier. One of the lead artists made some pretty neat observations to get Kate's appearance right. It's so cool that they documented that journey, because from my dabbling I know she has a very beautiful, distinct face that isn't easy to capture.

ANYWAY Thankyou for reading my fat thesis fellas. tl;dr i love this stinky Startrek Voyager and by extension the franchise.

[ayotofu]

Imagine if you will (with a lot of hand wavy time changes ofc) that the leverage team during their LA days end up crossing paths with the 118. I just feel like chim and hardison would get along so well. And Bobby and Nate both have the brooding trauma thing but Bobby has actually faced his demons.

This is out of left field sorry i just wanted to think out loud about shoving my two favourite shows together like im five and they’re my barbies

believe you me anon i have IMAGINED THE SHIT outta this :D :D :D

i'm soooooo glad you asked because i've had this fic in the back of my head where hen and karen are like. hey what this councilwoman is doing to us and to our nine year old is fucking malicious and cruel and only possible because she is abusing her power and now she's put hen's old shithead captain (who was REMOVED from the same station for creating a hostile work environment and particularly bullying hen) BACK IN CHARGE, and all of this is super sketchy, but ortiz and gerrard have ALL the power in this scenario. so.

who do they call if not the leverage team?

hen obviously tells chim, who tells everyone else, so when strange people start showing up and doing weird shit, they all collectively decide not to worry about it.

eliot definitely goes undercover at the 118, covering for someone who got a spontaneous all-expenses-paid vacation (hardison tried to send them on a cruise at first, but for some reason they declined). he and eddie instantly bond, macho-to-macho. eliot quickly learns that eddie a) has a kid and b) can't cook very well so decides that he needs to learn so he can feed his kid well. (eddie insists that he's not that bad at cooking jesus but eliot is getting too into it)

buck at one point overhears eliot talking to parker and hardison on the comm and is like "omg, can i try" and annoys eliot until he agrees. buck, it turns out, does not actually know what to say on the comm so he just starts listing facts about famous heists in history while parker gives her opinion on the quality of each of them. "aw," parker says, "you're like a little nerd in my ear" to which hardison says "babe do i mean nothing to you"

sophie tries to work ortiz while nate tries to work gerrard. because of this, nate happens to run into bobby when they were both coming to talk to gerrard (bobby to try to convince him, somehow, to leave vs. nate for the con) and they talk. bobby knows why nate is here (chimney reeeeally can't keep a secret) but that short conversation lets him see in nate all the darkness he's keeping at bay in himself. bobby looks at nate and gets sad because, while nate is functional, that darkness could have been him. nate looks at bobby and gets angry because, while bobby will never be fully healed, that lightness could have been him.

parker works closest with hen and karen. she is furious on their behalf, gets a little too emotionally involved. she's seen a lot of people do terrible things for money and power (she's done some things herself that she's not exactly proud of) but this one hits different. ortiz isn't hurting hen and karen to get more money or power; she's doing it because she wants to hurt them. it's so vindictive. just pointlessly cruel.

and more than that: parker was mara, once upon a time. she was the mara who never really got her hen and karen. she doesn't want another little girl to end up like her. she and sophie are both around ortiz at one point and ortiz says something about mara (such a tragedy, that little girl, abandoned again like it wasn't all her fault) and sophie grabs the pencil out of parker's hand before she can start stabbing.

i don't know exactly how chim and hardison meet, but chimney absolutely starts asking him to hack into random shit. harmless shit. gerrard's email (90% of it was spam emails. chim, delighted, signs him up for hundreds more. mostly gay porn), ortiz's hildy coffee machine (to make it run, constantly, for an hour, spilling hot coffee all over her floor) (eddie hears about it and holds it over buck for weeks because he was RIGHT those things are DANGEROUS)

i don't have a very coherent plot for this but i do think it would be such a fun crossover

[pickupthephoneboy]

OOC: Well you guys voted for it on the Levi blog, now it's here. (@never-gets-sick pspspsps)

INTRODUCING: Ross crying in the bathroom.

The Cold Floor

(Heavy topics might be applied)

Welcome back to Nimone, they say. You're back home, they say. But it doesn't feel like home anymore.

I stood in the dusty bathroom of my old home. A place that I once grew up and loved, now abandon and left to be forgotten.

It was quiet, dark, and dust covered the whole room in a gray fragile blanket. Only spiders now occupied this room, nesting by the toilet and shower. Not even the lights cpuld turn on because the bulbs either died out or no one paid ghe electricity bill.

I wiped my glove across the sink mirror, staring at my reflection. It was just me in this bathroom. Alone in this enclosed space.

I shut the door in order to have privacy. I don't feel safe when others are safe. They can't see me like this, no matter how much I try to hide it.

Everything was starting to settle in. This week has been Hell front and back, I hate it. Too much stress, work stole my sleep, and everyone is in pain. I'm failing as a captain.....

This trip to Nimone has been a mistake, all it did was create pain and suffering for everyone. Now, the whole world is at risk at two crazy scientists. If I didn't get everyone involved in my affairs to beat up the men who hurt my sister Ikuo wouldn't have had new scars, Ikari wouldn't have had been snatched away, and Scarlett wouldn't have to be in pain again.

I feel hurt, and I'm not the one who even got physical hurt as well. But it pains me to stand by the side and let this all happen just because I can't come up with a good plan. None of this would have happened if I was good enough.

I may have won battles before on my own as a mass weapon machine, and I may have led our men through war like a leader, but that was years ago I'm not the same weapons I was trained to be. Hell some of that stuff was winged, I was never good at planning and men lost their lives because of it.

Scarlett once asked on our way here, "What would mom and dad think of me when we arrive?" She doesn't know does she? That dad left one day for no reason? That mom became a sad woman and died from sickness? That I wasn't there to protect any of them?

I felt my hands grip onto the sink tighter.

What type of captain am I, if I can't even keep my own family apart? What type of son am I, who couldn't support his own mom when she was sad? What type of brother am I, when I couldn't even protect my own sister?

My hands start to turn into fist and my knees slowly bend to the cold floor. The safe abandoned floor, covered in dirt and dust. It's the only thing I trust that can support me. I can't been seen as weak in front of others....

I felt my weight finally collapsed and I let put a heavy sigh. Not now Ross, I can't break down now. I have to get back to working, but I can't. Everything that I come up with is a bust. Nothing is working.

I became a failure and everyone knows it.....

I could feel my throat tightening, as I gazed at my pathetic state in the mirror. Eye bags under my eyes, my hair is a mess, and part of my outfit is ruined. This is really my life huh? Being a constant mess.

Now slumped to the floor, I continued to gaze at myself. I look like a fool, a failure, I'm not cut out of any of this. After all these years I don't think I can continue like this.

My vision starts to blur, I bite my lip but muffled cries start to force their way out. I gripped my head in my hands and held it to my knees. Soon before I knew it I was crying on the cold floor. A sense of desa vu washed over me, I been in this moment before. And now it has come back to haunt me again.

I don't remember when I passed out, all I remember was that I felt alone and worthless in that moment.

[meloarto-me]

Hi ^^

I saw that your asks were open, so I thought I could give you a request hehe 👉👈

So, can I ask some headcanons about live action Arlong, Kuroobi and Chew/Chuu falling with a human that doesn't like them at first but then catches feelings? Like some sort of enemies to lovers hehe 🤭

Have a great day <3

I was waiting for someone to ask me this question.

I still have the box open as something❤️

(English is not my mother tongue like something, and I apologise for any mistakes)

Real life actors Fishers (Arlong💜, Kuroobi🤍, Chew/chuu💙) and human reader.

( ❤️from hate to love❤️ )

𓆝 𓆛 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟  ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆛 𓆟

The whole story began with the raid of the Arlonga Pirates on the island and Kokoyashi Village. fortunately, your family had money for you and them and they still had a lot of savings. With this in mind, they went off on their own to lend money to other families and help them at the same time. one of these families was the Belle-mere family.

You waited for your family to return, looking out of the living room window, worried and very worried. You didn't know these pirates and that was the worst part, you weren't sure what they were capable of.

The whole story began with the raid of the Arlonga Pirates on the island and Kokoyashi Village. fortunately, your family had money for you and them and they still had a lot of savings. With this in mind, they went off on their own to lend money to other families and help them at the same time. one of these families was the Belle-mere family.

You waited for your family to return, looking out of the living room window, worried and very worried. You didn't know these pirates and that was the worst part, you weren't sure what they were capable of.

At the end of the evening your father returned but he was different, sad and not very talkative. He told you to go to your room and sit there, but your childish curiosity told you to stay on the stairs and listen to what your father would say to your mother. And it was terrible, the Fisherman who you found out was called Arlong killed Belle-mere and took one of her daughters with him. you kept your hands over your mouth listening to the death of your aunt (that's what you called her) and forbidding Nami. You entered the room as quietly as possible and threw yourself on the bed. You cried all night and the next day you ran to Nojiko and spent the whole day with her comforting the younger girl. ( She is 12 years old you are 17.) You promised the younger girl that you would help her as much as you could and save her sister. You had a plan in your head that when you turned eighteen, you would try to kidnap her somehow. Maybe a stupid plan but your thoughts gave you no other ideas.

One year later

The day finally came when you wanted to save Nami. Your nefarious plan could begin, the day after your birthday you went to the gate of Arlong Park and waited to see Nami. As you found out sometimes she would come out and hang around the park. and today was your lucky day! nami was there, standing alone looking at the building. You called out to her with a quiet shout, she was angry with you and happy to see you. You quickly had to run away because Captain Arlong himself went after Nami and was angry.

So began your plan and getting to know Arlong's crew of pirates

Arlong💜🦈

You met him during one of your illegal encounters with Nami. Kuroobi noticed this and dragged you to Arlong, despite the fact that you paid you got hit pretty hard, but you were glad they didn't break your bones. Arlong himself felt like biting your head off (literally). in the end, he let you go and told you to fuck off and stay out of his park.

Kuroobi🤍🐟

You met when he dragged you to Arlonga by force for meeting us secretly. he was disgusted with you because you were human and because you didn't follow Arlonga rules.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

as in those cases, you met him when Kuroobi found you with us and put you in front of the judge (Arlong). as usual, he drank alcohol and was arrogant towards you. but he was also under the impression.

Second meeting

Arlong💜🦈

the second meeting had a place when you went to him and offered to pay for meetings with Nami. you had a plan how to help her but you had to have contact with her. Despite his initial reluctance, he agreed. but for one meeting with Nami per week. it was not without humiliating you, mean comments from him and his crew. in the end, he personally threw you out of the gate and watched you lying on the ground in front of his park. He laughed after a while and returned to his holy chair

Kuroobi🤍🐟

well he got the first custody of you and Nami during the first pay meeting in Arlog park. he didn't want to be there but he had to. the captain didn't want the two of you plotting anything together. it was the worst hour of his life. he hated you and us. you threw hateful glances at each other for a whole hour. potew dragging you by the trawl;osy he threw you out of the park.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

The second meeting was ridiculous in his eyes. You came to pay for your visit with Nami again and he sat there looking at you like you were some kind of trash. Stealthily so Arlong wouldn't see you showed him the middle finger at which he growled angrily. Well there's nothing I can do about it you paid so you were ala untouchable but no one can stop him from coming and insulting you. And that's exactly what he did, hanging around near you and occasionally calling you names, even kicking you once and making you fall into the water.

Further meetings

Arlong💜🦈

He's used to you being here more than once a week by now. He no longer challenges you at every turn and doesn't kick you out as violently as the first time. Once he even laughed at your comment about the stupidity of humans creating a spoon-fork. (Why should people do that when you can have a spoon and a fork.) In time, he no longer wanted to bite your head off even if you didn't enter, deep down he even started to like you.

Kuroobi🤍🐟

He continues to be angry that he has to watch you has meetings with Nami but does not look at you with hatred, neither do you at him. Which is a big achievement, sometimes you'll even ask his opinion when talking to Nami but not often. He doesn't abuse his "grace", he clings to you and treats you just like a person who puts up with you despite your initial reluctance; he continues to take you out of the park by the hair.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

You don't usually interact much with each other. He does something and you spend time with Nami and your guardian Kuroobi. Once there was a moment where he had to replace Kuroobi and watch over you, and he found that you weren't as bad as I initially thought and continued to think a bit.

As ordered Kuroobi kicked you out of the park after an hour, he did this by literally kicking you in the arse closed the door and went back to his duties.

When you did not come to meet us

Arlong💜🦈

He was surprised, angry and shocked. Why you didn't come. But. what does he care at all. You paid and you didn't come, your loss. Although he had to admit to himself that he was angry about it. You had the nerve not to turn up! And he wanted to call you that today! And tease! And you're not here! A despicable man. He spent the rest of the day thinking about why you didn't come and even got a little worried. Wait! He was worried. Hajahah. Yes.... And he was very angry with himself for it. He was pissed that he was worried about someone miserable like you. Well hell no. There is no option for Arlong to like a man no. No... are you sure you don't?

Kuroobi🤍🐟

He was glad you weren't there, that he didn't have to listen to you talking to Nami and even talking to him sometimes. But he was starting to get bored, he noticed that the day without listening and watching you was becoming boring. But why? Kuroobi himself didn't know, perhaps because he had no other questions to ask. He couldn't fathom it. Perhaps he had taken a liking to you ago? He preferred not to know and covered up that thought with thoughts of what he wanted to do the next day and maybe then you would come to annoy him with your presence.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

He was the first to notice that you didn't come. It was your hour to come to Nami and you were not here or around. Maybe you are dead? He was amused by the thought but at the same time it stung like a splinter. Apart from the fact that he was watching the surroundings and thinking where you were. (They think maybe you are lying in a ditch.)

Then he concluded that you were a mere human being who amused him anyway and went off to do his own chores. Come to think of it he looked at the gate from time to time in anticipation of you.

You are no further away

Arlong💜🦈

Former angry. And it's Very Bad, where the hell were you not here for a fortnight. (He counted it) and there's nothing left of you. Even your miserable family know nothing. Did you run away from his crew and from ... him. Various thoughts swirled through his mind as he sat in his chair watching the crew and the calm sky. He couldn't believe you ran away like that! Another stupid man! He was angry but at the same time his heart ached that you just disappeared like that. He had finally admitted that he liked and fairly respected you and now it was in ruins! And it was your fault!

Kuroobi🤍🐟

He was very bored, he didn't know how long it had been since you last met but he felt it had been years, you had disappeared like a stone into water and no one knew anything about you or where you were. It made him very nervous. He caught himself sitting in the spot where she was watching you and Nami. And he was thinking about your conversations (which he wasn't involved in) although he knew he shouldn't feel that way, he missed and worried about your stupid human person.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

Where the hell have you been? This thought came to his mind more and more often and every day. Because he didn't know where you were, nobody knew. You disappeared as if you never existed. He promised himself that if he found you, he'd kick your ass so hard for your card that you wouldn't be able to sit for a month. He caught himself looking at the gate expecting that maybe you would turn up now. But those were just his dreams, and you were no further away. He got into the habit of going through the gate in the evenings when the others were asleep and looking around as if thinking you would turn up and he could kick you out, curse you and go back to his room.

Understanding to teach

Arlong💜🦈

Further you were gone, it screwed him mercilessly. Kuroobi told him it was just money and he didn't need to worry about it. But he didn't want the money! He wanted... to see you again. To shout in your face how stupid you are and where you've been. Maybe he would even hug you! Wait... what! Yes. He finally admitted to himself that he liked the wrong word. He loved your presence, even though he knew you knew what he'd done you still had respect for him, you weren't afraid to look him in the eye and you gave him the money to meet him yourself. Once, your hands even touched and now a pleasant shiver ran through his body at the thought. He remembered the colour of your skin, your eyes and that beautiful hair which he only liked on yours. Your body with its flaws and even gets over the fact that you are human. He would tell you that you... loves you. That's how Arlong loved a man stupid man. But the stupid man is missing somewhere!

Kuroobi🤍🐟

Didn't know what to do with himself. He sat and thought of you in a salty moment. Thinking about what you were doing and why you weren't there. Maybe you had someone you ran away with.... no that's not an option, certainly not. Kuroobi couldn't bear the thought that you might have another man. After all, you could have him, so why would you need another? Although he knew he was a fisherman he hoped that maybe you would want to be with him. Despite the fact that he quickly realised that he had feelings for you, he had nothing to do with them. He couldn't tell because you weren't there. All he could do was sit and dream about you while listening to Arlong whine about the human race being inferior. But even if you were human you were better in his eyes, you were a god with the personality of an angel, the body of a goddess. He had to and wanted to persevere until you came back and he could tell that to you. For now, he could only dream of meeting you again.

Chew/Chuu💙🐟

Most of the time he seemed to give a fuck that you had disappeared but the truth was different. He was worried that you really had died, and that thought did not let him sleep peacefully. He left the park more often with the thought that he might find you. Even if it was your corpse, he would know that he no longer had to worry that you were alone somewhere without him. Ehh. He didn't like these feelings, ignored them at first but then they intensified and he noticed that he started painting you sometimes, from small sketches to one painting hidden in his room. He really wanted you to come back, you may continue to dislike him But it would be much lighter for him with the thought that he could see you, hear you, feel you and not sit and look at the gate or walk and wait for you. He really feels like kicking you like that but also hugging you. Just let him find you.

𓆝 𓆛 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟  ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆛 𓆟

When it gets nice I will do the second part. (Maybe with spice.)

I hope you enjoyed it❤️❤️❤️❤️ (·•᷄‎ࡇ•᷅ )

[veturiusofserra]

...ready for it? | part 2/6

jake seresin x pilot!reader

summary: Y/n Harris, the top student at Top Gun Academy finds her match in Jake "Hangman" Seresin, unraveling a fierce rivalry and uncharted feelings.

warnings: mav is captain or commander? i think i wrote commander a few times, sorry. Jake being himself and reader being a menace

notes: i don't think i'll be exploring friendships (so sad) or smut (i suck at this)

reputation series | my masterlist

The Top Gun Academy was a melting pot of adrenaline, skill, and competition. As Lieutenant Y/n "Python" Harris stepped onto the prestigious base, she felt a mixture of excitement and determination. The challenges ahead were daunting, but she was ready to prove herself as the best among the best.

The Top Gun instructors were known for their no-nonsense approach to training. Captain Mitchell, a seasoned and gruff pilot, welcomed the new recruits with a stern expression.

"Welcome to Top Gun," he barked. "You're here because you're the best, but that doesn't mean anything yet. You'll have to prove it every single day. No exceptions."

The recruits exchanged determined glances, each one eager to rise to the challenge. Python knew that this was the environment where she could truly shine. As the weeks progressed, her charisma and confidence won her the admiration of some and the envy of others. But she paid little attention to the politics of the base; her focus was solely on becoming the best pilot she could be.

It didn't take long for Jake "Hangman" Seresin to notice Python's presence. As a natural leader and a fiercely skilled pilot, he was used to being at the top of the pack. But Python's allure was unlike anything he had encountered before. She seemed to effortlessly draw people to her, and he couldn't deny the magnetic pull she had on him.

During their first aerial dogfight exercise, Python and Jake found themselves matched against each other. Their planes danced through the sky like dueling swallows, and the other pilots watched in awe as the two exceptional aviators battled for supremacy.

Jake's heart pounded with exhilaration as he tried to outmaneuver Python, but she was relentless, pushing him to his limits. As their planes soared perilously close to each other, he caught a glimpse of her radiant smile through the cockpit window. The sight both surprised and intrigued him, adding to the enigma that was Python.

After the exercise, the pilots gathered at the briefing room. Python and Jake exchanged competitive glances, a silent challenge passing between them. Captain Mitchell addressed the room, his gaze flickering between the two standout pilots.

"Good flying today, Seresin, Harris," he said, acknowledging their performance. "But remember, this isn't a game. We're preparing you for real combat situations, where lives will be at stake."

In the following weeks, the rivalry between Python and Hangman intensified. They found themselves competing in every aspect of their training, from aerial acrobatics to ground simulations. Each victory was hard-fought and well-earned, and their fellow pilots couldn't help but marvel at their skill and dedication.

During a night out at a local bar, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and camaraderie. The pilots unwound, their adrenaline-fueled conversations dominating the space. Python and Jake sat at opposite ends of the bar, eyes locked on each other from across the room.

Captain Mitchell approached Python, his gruff demeanor softening slightly. "You're something else, Harris. You've got them all under your spell."

Python smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I just know how to get what I want, Commander."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure."

As the night wore on, the pilots began engaging in friendly banter, boasting about their achievements and recounting their most daring maneuvers. Python found herself at the center of attention, her fellow pilots hanging on her every word.

Jake couldn't help but watch her, admiring the way she effortlessly captivated those around her. He decided to approach her, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You seem to have them all wrapped around your finger," Jake said, leaning against the bar.

Python turned to face him, her eyes locking with his. "Just using my skills to build camaraderie, Hangman. It's essential to have allies you can count on."

His gaze narrowed, intrigued by her calculated response. "Allies, huh? Is that what you think they are?"

She shrugged, a playful smile gracing her lips. "Why not? We're all in this together, aren't we?"

The conversation lingered in Jake's mind, leaving him both curious and wary of the enchanting woman known as Python. He couldn't deny the pull she had on him, but he was also determined not to let his guard down. There was more to her than met the eye, and he was determined to uncover her secrets.

As the days turned into weeks, the rivalry between Python and Hangman continued to escalate. Each flight exercise was a duel of wits and skill, and their fellow pilots watched with bated breath to see who would come out on top.

One afternoon, after a particularly intense aerial combat simulation, Python and Jake found themselves in the briefing room alone. The room was filled with the lingering adrenaline of their dogfight, and the tension between them was palpable.

"You're good, Harris," Jake said, wiping sweat from his brow.

She grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "And you're not so bad yourself, Seresin. But I have to say, you still have a long way to go if you want to beat me."

Jake's competitive spirit flared, and he leaned in closer, his voice low and challenging. "Challenge accepted, Python. You won't be on top forever."

She chuckled, her laughter ringing through the room. "We'll see about that, Hangman."

And so, the rivalry between Python and Hangman reached new heights, each pilot pushing themselves to their limits in pursuit of supremacy. But beneath the competitive banter and playful taunts, an unspoken tension simmered, drawing them closer together in ways they couldn't yet comprehend.

[aberooski]

Rewatched the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy for the 80th time and watched 4 and 5 for the first time

So...........

Atticus/Alexis/Chazz trio pirate au

Plot part 1....? 🤷‍♀️

______________

Chazz is a noble who was kidnapped during a pirate raid on his family's port, but a few days after before his father's ships can catch them, the pirate's ship is attacked by the infamous crew of the Obelisk Blue, a ship captained by a fiercesome young woman, said to be sailing the seas in search of her long-lost brother.

The crew of the Obelisk the J-Squad plunders the ship and coming across the valuable prisoner on board, they take him on board the Obelisk Blue where he comes face to face with Captain Alexis Rhodes, fiercest female pirate to fly her colors in the seas of the Academia Isles. She elects to keep Chazz on board since his value could bring them great fortune, which she could most certainly use to fund her long and arduous search for Atticus, who had gone missing at sea some years prior, though she refuses to believe he's gone. So long as Chazz can earn his keep, he will remain unharmed and be treated well until she and her crew can make a deal with his family to ensure their protection in their waters, and the resources needed to scour the seas until Atticus is found, or sell him to the highest bidder.

So Chazz is forced to either work amongst the crew or be locked up in the brig, and so he gets to work. Eventually, Alexis invites him to her cabin to have a discussion. She's very vague about her intentions with him when he asks, but even he's heard her sad story whispered on the winds of the Isles.

He recounts the tale of the female pirate's past. Of the beloved brother off to sea on a merchant vessel that never came back to port, save for one man. Disheveled and mad, half-drowned and muttering and raving about a phantom ship, the Shadow Rider. The legendary ship they say is captained by a man cursed by the very darkness itself, old and decrepit and long since dead, he sails the seas harvesting victims, taking revenge on still living sailors. Once a ship faces the Shadow Rider, you either die, or if your soul and will are strong enough, he steals you and makes you apart of his crew, and you become cursed by darkness too. A fate far worse than death, some say. Seldom does even a single man survive to tell the tale. He tells her of the young girl who ran away from home and single handedly commandeered a ship after stowing away, and put together her own crew to find her missing brother. Chazz doesn't believe in the tale of the phantom ship.

But Alexis does.

Her brother isn't dead, he has to be trapped on that ship. And she counters that if he knows the story of the Shadow Rider, he's not heard the whole story. Kagemaru, captain of the Shadow Rider, takes revenge on the living, yes. But his purpose is greater. He sails in search of seven keys that can break his curse, and restore him body and soul. And if that were to be true, the keys must also be able to free the crew. Atticus must be apart of the crew.

He asks her how she could possibly know that, and she reveals to him that she's seen it in her dreams. Every night she sees a man on a decrepit old ship. His face is distorted and he's chained to the deck, but she hears her brother's voice calling to her. It has to be a sign. And she reveals that she's already found four of the seven keys. She only needs three more. And so they make sail for a particularly dangerous port, where she just might find allies to lead them to one of the remaining keys.

Little do they know that there's even more to the legend than even Alexis knows. The seven keys alone can free the crew and captain of the Shadow Rider from darkness, yes, but to return the captain to life and youth as well, a toll must be paid. A sacrifice of the blood of a sovereign, more potent than any common base-born blood. And Chazz just so happens to fit the bill. He also requires the souls of the crew. And to make matters worse, two of the three keys are already in the possession of the phantom crew of the Shadow Rider, who are in pursuit of the remaining pieces, and know of the female pirate who has come into possession of four.... and the precious cargo aboard the Obelisk. And so, the phantom ship searches for the Obelisk Blue.

When the Obelisk makes port after a few more days, Alexis leaves Chazz locked up on board as he's still technically a prisoner, though he is admittedly starting to grow on her a little, and sets off to find her contacts, Sartorius and Sarina, a pair of mystic siblings well versed in the legends and curses of the sea. They give her a secret map they kept hidden even from her, that reveals the location of the final key. But before she can return to her ship, unbeknownst to them all, the Shadow Rider has found them.

Back on the Obelisk, the phantom ship is spotted out to sea, and the crew prepares to defend their ship and the keys without their captain, and Chazz remains locked up below. But as the crew prepares on deck for a fight, members of the phantom crew infiltrate the ship under their noses, and make for the four keys. The keys are kept in Alexis's cabin, so a fight brews up on deck, but there's still one enemy left down below. And with Chazz left unguarded in favor of the keys, and his unknown importance, the unknown man in the mask comes to collect the boy. All the while back on land, Sartorius and Sarina tell Alexis the truth of Kagemaru's ambitions. He has two of the keys already, and if he claims all seven, he will use them to break his curse and restore his life and youth. But to do that, he needs Chazz's blood. And if her brother really is apart of the crew, if Kagemaru's plan succeeds, she really will lose him forever. Alexis is horrified by this, and without having a second to breathe, Sarina gasps and reveals that the Shadow Rider is here. She senses the ship's presence. Alexis, more horrified, takes the map to the final piece and runs back to her ship!

Back in the ship, Chazz is face to face with the mysterious man in the mask as swords clash above them. The man says nothing, but Chazz, studying him, realizes he seems to resemble Alexis even with the mask obscuring his face. He interrogates him for a moment, asking if he knows who the captain of this ship is. Her name is Alexis Rhodes. ring any bells? And he asks if there's a man named Atticus on the ship, but still the man says nothing. But his head does begin to hurt at the mention of those names. And gripping his head in pain, he breathlessly calls for Alexis, but then from above deck, a voice calls down below, ordering the man, called Nightshroud, to secure the boy and return to the Shadow Rider as they've successfully stolen the keys. This seems to almost reactivate Nightshroud, and with great strength, he breaks open the cell and grabs Chazz, restraining him and throwing him over his shoulder, whisking him away from the Obelisk with the phantom crew and the keys. Alexis returns to the ship just in time to catch a glimpse of Nightshroud as he and the crew escape on a boat back to the Shadow Rider with Chazz and the keys in tow. She recignizes him as the man from her dreams, and desperately calls out to him. Atticus! She screams, and again his head begins to hurt and spin. But this confirms it for her.

Her brother is alive.

But now they've lost the keys and Chazz, so Kagemaru now has six keys and the blood sacrifice he needs. But Alexis has the map to the final key. And they can still recover the other keys and rescue Chazz and her brother. It can, and it will be done.

Also all this time they're still being pursued by Chazz's father's fleet of ships. So there's that problem too.

_____________

That's all I've got atm and not sure if I'd actually fully write this out or not but like this is awesome????

[hmshermitcraft]

It's really no good to fall for your superiors.

It's even worse to fall for your underlings.

Cleo is the captain of the royal guard, the best of the best. They trained with the best swordswoman in the region, Gemini, and apprenticed under her for years before rising the ranks in the Castle guard. Sometimes they'll write to Gem, get a second opinion on things and usually Gem is nothing but helpful and supportive.

With this particular issue though, Cleo is getting relentlessly teased for her predicament.

See, just recently they received a new knight in training from a neighboring kingdom. He's scrawny and not at all good with swords but he's smart and can hold his own in hand to hand. He's got wild grey eyes and the uncanny ability to vanish away from any situation.

His name's Etho and he's a big problem for Cleo.

He's silly, in a charming sort of way and she can't help the affection she feels for him. He's hard to catch and harder to spot. His lithe frame allows him to get to places nobody else can, which has proven useful a number of times.

Worst of all though, he's cute. Cleo sleeps in the barracks with the rest of her squad, Etho's bed is right next to her own. Seeing him calm, his long hair down from the intricate braid he keeps it in while training or working, face softened from sleep, all cuddled up to his pillow...she's losing sleep is what she's saying.

There's an invasion of sorts, a group of malicious rich guys are upset at the king and queen for taxing them, and the whole group of them try and storm the castle. Cleo's clumsier than she should be, night spent staying up and gazing longingly at Etho showing in her movements. They've pushed the group back into the forest, unfortunately that's not enough. She doesn't see Etho go down, just hears a scream louder than the rest. When she whirls around she sees him on the ground, clutching at his face, a man in front of him raising his sword.

Cleo's not fast enough to reach him, even if they weren't tired, they can only watch, frozen in place.

Luckily Etho pays attention in training and is able to kick the guy in the nuts and slice his neck with his knife. With the threat neutralized he goes back to holding his face, she can see blood seeping through his fingers.

The battle ends, Cleo is forced to look away when another man jumps from behind a tree with a crossbow, and when she looks back, Etho is gone.

They don't see him until they get back to the castle. She goes straight to the infirmary, aside from the regular gashes and bruises attained from a battle, there are no major injuries to her squad. Except for Etho.

He's asleep right now, says the doctor, but he won't see out of his left eye again.

His face is bandaged to high heavens and he tranquil look usually present when he sleeps is nowhere to be found.

Cleo sits by his bedside until he wakes and keeps him company through his recovery. They've neglected their duties enough that False has risen to replace them, something they hold no ill will for.

The bandages come off and Etho's face is a wreck. The cut down his face is deep and ragged, piercing his eye and slicing through his cheek, ending at his jawline.

Etho hates it, Cleo thinks he's beautiful.

-s (who will be making a pt 2 - don't wanna make this too terribly long)

She blames herself. If she had paid more attention to her people and their position, she would've caught the fact Etho was overwhelmed. It's only natural, right? She worries like this over all her knights.

Except, she's losing focus in meetings (they need to figure out which nobles hired those mercenaries before they can regroup for another attack.) She's making stupid mistakes in training. She's barely eating.

False points out, with her usual no nonsense attitude, that Cleo is not like this with any other knight. Cleo is usually sad, but able to move past it. A master of compartmentalisation, often to their own detriment. Etho is healing - albeit slowly. It's likely he'll move back into barracks soon.

They need to sort themself out. False gets it, she really does. But Cleo needs to remember their duty as well. They have to find a balance, before they or Etho gets hurt (and not physically, this time.)

[death-or-exile]

Doe Reads: Batman '89 Echoes #2

After being delayed for like...a million years....this issue finally, FINALLY arrived, and it did NOT disappoint! I recall it was originally solicited to come out on 1/31, because I was going to be out of the country, and was sad I was going to miss it...but uh, guess I needn't have worried! But enough about me, let's dig in!

spoilers under the cut!

(Doe Reads Batman '89: Echoes #1)

We begin following our dearest friend, Alfred, as he is out and about doing his shopping. However, he is being followed by a shadowy someone or someones...It appears that they intend to approach him, but are stopped when Alfred is approached by a street window-washer. After the window washer, leaves, Alfred finds a note card with a very familiar logo tucked under his wiper...

....a discreet message from Robin, aka Drake Winston, who was introduced in the previous Batman '89 series. We learn that he's still very much in touch with Bruce, and presumably has been for some time; assisting him with whatever he's doing, wherever he is, and seemingly acting as an occasional go-between for Bruce and Alfred. Although personally I do believe Alfred when he asserted last issue that he doesn't know where Bruce is and hasn't heard from him -- I imagine Bruce is pretty off the grid to serve his mission and protect Alfred (and I promise that's not a Unabomber style off-the-grid joke).

Drake also answers the question for us of who is tailing Alfred...

Drake assures us that Bruce wouldn't leave Alfred in the dark like this if the stakes weren't insanely high, and that if it all goes wrong, they'll definitely need him so it's better to have him out of the loop for now. Alfred agrees to bring Drake the fingerprint kit the next day, and Drake gives Alfred one last piece of info - if something goes wrong, there are three names he needs to get to Captain Gordon: Maynard, Desmond, and Kashif.

From here, we move to Arkham, where Crane and "Robert Lowery"(aka the Firefly, aka Bruce Wayne of course!) have their first formal session. Not only is this our first real look at Crane and his I guess...bedside manner? Theraputic vibe? but we learn a lot of interesting tidbits from this discussion that flesh out the story a good bit.

Firstly, to go back to issue #1, Dr. Hugo Strange is name-dropped as the doctor "Lowery" requested to see after he was apprehended, and who was "unavailable". However, Crane introduces himself to Lowery as someone who worked closely with Strange, so he's more than qualified and able to take on the task of treating "Lowery".

Here, we get confirmed what was alluded to in issue #1 - that the lawyer and judge involved with "Lowery" were paid off in some way, to ensure "Lowery" would be brought to Arkham rather than a penitentiary. "Lowery" asks if it was paid for by the estate of Dr. Strange, remarking that Dr. Strange had "acknowledged what he'd done to (us)" and tried to make amends. This seems to give more weight to "Lowery"'s words at the end of issue #1: "Because that's what I am -- a weapon. It's what they do. Start with a man...and make a monster. It's what they did to me."

Crane begins a fear test on "Lowery", showing him a series of images on screen that increase in intensity and graphic content, in order to measure his responses to them. It starts as simply as a boy and a puppy, and ramps up to show scenes of violence and rotting corpses. finishing up on a photo of Batman, followed by a photo of a scarecrow in a field.

After the fear test, Crane says that "Lowery" is sane and functioning enough to stand trial, but that he's too much of a celebrity to afford to go to a standard prison; his life would likely be at risk. Just to be safe, he's even been checked into Arkham under a false name - Lewis Wilson (names upon names!) Crane says that ultimately the choice us up to Lowery, but he suggests that the smart thing to do would be stay at Arkham (with the other violent cases there). Before he has much of a chance to say anything either way, Crane has "Lowery" escorted to Shady Lane, the area of the hospital where the other extreme cases are, but not before we see that he clearly has his doubts as to whether or not this is the real "Robert Lowery".

It's time for us to catch up with ACN's favorite Dr. Q, who's storming through the station. Apparently since her special interviewing Alicia which was preempted in issue #1 was apparently shunted to a 7am slot, the ratings were low. As she passes, network producer (? still not 100% sure what his title is here) Chuck follows her out into the hall and praises her work on the interview.

At first she believes him to be gloating, but he insists he is sincere and convinces her to follow him up to his office for a chat. While there, he lays out what he sees to be an incredible opportunity. He wants Harleen to use her authority as a therapist at Arkham to obtain a current photo of the Firefly, something that no other station or newspaper would have -- in other words, a scoop. In exchange, he promises her a primetime slot, five nights a week. This does not take much convincing on her part, haha.

Back at the madhouse, "Lowery" is finally at Shady lane. There appear to be some colorful cameos here, and lots of interesting new characters. After being given a warning by a very skrungly man folding origami that his cover as Lewis Wilson is basically blown already and that many staff on the ward would be happy to take the bounty placed on his head, we meet Philco, the ward's living television, as well as Maynard, one of the three names Drake gave to Alfred to turn in to the commissioner in case of emergency.

Maynard and "Lewis Wilson"/"Robert Lowery" meet, and after a bit of a rough introduction, Maynard recognizes "Lowery" as a kindred spirit. "You're one of us. The Monster Men. The Sammy-Poppers...the Strange Rangers."

Maynard says he was able to identify Lowery as such from having read his manifesto; that he recognized Dr. Strange's influence in much of it. After this back and forth, Maynard is distracted after his clipboard is vandalized by another patient; the sheets on the clipboard are covered in green question mark scribbles and "kryptik puzzles" by one E. Nigma...

Upon seeing this, "Lowery" has a violent outburst, attacking the guards, and is stopped by force in short order. As Maynard is escorted away, guards separate "Lowery" into an area out of the view of cameras. "Lowery" asks if he's going to collect his bounty, but to our surprise, the man is an associate of Drake Winston's -- letting "Lowery" know where he can get the package from Drake. The guard doesn't seem to know who "Lowery" really is, he's just operating as a favor for the Winston family.

The other guard, one of the ones escorting Maynard, is next seen reporting directly to Crane, who believes it's no coincidence that "Lowery" and Maynard found each other right away, believing they're trying to revive the "Strange Rangers", whatever that is. He also asks after the other two names that we were alerted to at the beginning of the issue, Desmond and Kashif, who are apparently well in hand. He stresses to the guard that "Lowery" must be kept alive at all costs. Once he believes himself to be alone, we see Crane looking inside a well lit cupboard filled with some choice items....our first look at The Scarecrow!

...before being interrupted by the unwelcome appearance of Harleen Quinzel!

Harleen is there to convince Crane to let her try her brand of persona therapy on "Lowery". After some absolutely top-tier wheedling and whining, and absolutely fabulous desktop posing, Harleen is stonewalled by Crane and leaves. She calls Chuck on the way out to let them know that they've hit a snag in their plan, before she's struck by a moment of inspiration:

After hanging up on Lowery, we finally join Harleen in one of her much discussed persona therapy sessions. She's meeting with her group, bringing in makeup kits. The gist of persona therapy seems to be creating a differentiation between a person's "true self" and the face they put on to the outside world. The "true self" is their actual thoughts, feelings and impulses, and when they put on their makeup, draw on their face, they're allowing those thoughts and feelings to come out. When they're in their "naked face", they view that as a kind of mask that they wear to appear normal and functioning to others, to keep those impulses and feelings in check.

A patient asks how come they never get to see Dr. Quinzel's true face, and she agrees, it's only fair that she shows them her "true face" as well. She applies the makeup on herself and we're...halfway to Harley Quinn!

....and END SCENE!

It was so so interesting to learn more about the Hugo Strange angle to what's going on in this issue. I think Bruce/Lowery's statement about being made a monster by Hugo Strange, coupled with a hypothesis by Commissioner Gordon in issue #1 (that the captured robber who killed the false Batman at the beginning of the story showed rage similar to PTSD, and she clocked him as a veteran) is going to connect to maybe some kind of experimentation on members of the military? With Crane involved, can we expect some kind of....compound that causes a soldier to lose his ability to fear, making him unstoppable on the battlefield? Or is that kinda just more Crane's MO, being who he is and all, and perhaps Strange was up to something similar but different (or something else entirely?) I'm gonna go with my original assumption for now, especially since it seems to be confirmed that Lowery was doing specifically fear tests with Strange in the past...but time will tell. What does Bruce know?? What is he investigating!?!?

I also like how Harleen's persona therapy is effectively kind of....tying her to clown imagery / possible future clown henchman in a way that's organic and independent of Joker stuff, which I was very curious about, him being dead and all. I do remember back in the day, in the old internet rumor mill, the theory was that Harley in any 90s era movies would be like...the Joker's daughter taking revenge on Batman for what happened to her father? But that never sat right to me as a possible origin for her, just too weird. Even more complicated when you consider Duela Dent Joker's Daughter, who even knows.

As an admitted shipper, I find the scene between Harleen and Jonathan absolutely delicious -- the way she interrupts his reverie, the way she tries to convince him to give her her way, and their exchange of jabs; seeing how smug it makes him denying her something she wants so badly...oof, I love it. The difference between Harleen's big expressions and Jonathan's more subtle ones is so fun to watch.

I must admit, it took me all the way to literally today to remember that The Firefly's civilian name is not Robert Lowery, it's Garfield Lynns. Ooops, sorry all you Firefly heads out there. In doing the googling though, I noticed that Robert Lowery was the name of the second man to ever play Batman on screen, in the 1940s serial. Which I did not know! Coincidence? I'm gonna say no but like...who knows, really, haha.

I'm also curious about the naming of Maynard as our Riddler (how do we get from Maynard to E. Nygma? Just a pseudonym?) Truthfully upon reading this the first time, I could tell Maynard was supposed to look like someone but I couldn't place him for sure -- it wasn't after I saw a twitter exchange that it hit me that Riddler's casting here is Martin Short, which I actually love and think is great (I feel like the old rumor I remember the most for a Riddler, pre-Jim Carrey casting was Robin Williams).

This is the panel that looked most like Martin Short to me. It's just kinda funny, Joe Quinones has an absolute skill for bringing out the celeb likenesses in these characters so I'm just really surprised I didn't get it right away. Guess I'm not enough of a Short fan haha. I imagine we'll see more of him soon, although I guess he does kind of put a wrench in my theory of Strange creating fearless super-soldiers. Maybe he was doing something else with Maynard? So much to learn!

And finally, speaking of cameos, there are a couple others I want to acknowledge here. I am convinced that this man, in the hallway of the Shady Grove intro panel is Danny DeVito, change my mind, haha. The man in the center absolutely must be Tim Burton. And....I can't place Philco. He's drawn in such a specific, particular way, I'm convinced he's SOMEONE but I just don't know who. If you know, tell me!!! (also not really sure if it counts as a cameo or a design choice, but I'm calling the zigzag flooring a nod to Twin Peak's black lodge, haha)

I admit to following Joe Quinones' social media even more closely than usual in the time between this issue's delay and its release to find any meager scraps of art / info to keep me alive during that time. I posted everything I could find here as it popped up, but I actually uh....ended up doing a closet cosplay of Harleen based on the panels previewed (the red turtleneck, the checkerboard skirt, tights, red heels) because....I literally already had almost the entire getup already. Years of being a cosplayer (especially a Harley cosplayer!) and having eccentric fashion tastes pay off sometimes! haha.

Here's hoping #3 stays on schedule! Hope if you got this far you enjoyed the read!

[stray-tori]

link click s2e01+02 eng dub thoughts

waiting for my friends to wake up for new link click ep so i'm watching the dubbed episodes and ??? holy, the death flash segment has such a different vibe.

well not SO different but yknow... I do hope they didn't write themselves into a corner here...

Dub: "I'm sorry… everything is going to be different now. death isn't something even one of us can change. the best we can do is accept it, so please don't let this be another burden for you to carry." Sub: "It seems... everything is changing... If death cannot be avoided, then it might be better to face it now."

"don't let this become another burden" ???? ToT

Dub!LG was rly like "dude, speak faster- thERES SO MUCH MORE PAIN YOU CAN FIT IN HERE" dshjds-

Also I find the "even one of us can change" bit to be a little off-throwing. Maybe the emphasis is slightly wrong but I didn't process what he meant immediately upon first hearing it. Sounded more like "ONE of us" than "one of US" (i.e. ability).

alejandro's slight stutter when answering about the ability UGH GOLD

Little sad that the flow of red-eyes conversation isn't as good. usually the dub did great with convo flow, but here it seems a little jumpy. "if you dont know where to start, let's start with activation" -> "I can't quite figure it out" (then proceeds to explain how much they alr figured out adhsjds-)

Also the "i need to trust you again" depends heavily on the viewer knowing what red-eyes means there (i.e. the lie of no cops/the dark room plan).

ik that this is in the sub too, but the "but she sees right through you" is still a little weird to me and it's more obvious in dub i think. I thought that what this was going for was a sort of "you may be okay with fooling me, but fooling her (while i'm her) will end badly" kinda deal, but maybe I was wrong? In the dub it just directly sounds like they mean they were only able to tell the lie because they're in QL's body and get some of her memories and feelings (like CXS does, maybe?) - but they actively paid attention to his shaking hands and everything, so I kind of don't think they relied purely on QL.

nooo they keep making red-eyes slightly different. from them assuming the photos and then confirming it through the "does he run here or teleport" moment, instead they just try... to stab her?? i guess?? and then they go "ohh i get it now" which... isn't a huge difference but kind of takes away from their smart thinking.

Going from the reaction -> "oh so I was right! How interesting!" (sub) to -> "teleporting with pictures, talk about a convenient power!"

STOP!! REMOVING!! THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS >:(

"why would I wanna hurt lu guang? he's family to me!" dub out here confirming the marriage, good for them good for them why would they do this to me

"you said the girl is innocent" -> "from what we saw it wasn't the girl" WHAT ABOUT THE BLOOD ALL OVER HER MADE YOU CONCLUDE THAT

Changing the part where CXS calls the murderer "the person who calls themselves my friend" (paraphrased) was a good call, bc that... sure was A Move.

Damn, dub just implied CXS wanted to perma-dive via "Two years... that is more than enough time. i could go back and change everything.". afaik we still don't know if the 12h restriction is bc of lu guang's rules or actually a restriction, so that is... certainly A Move, too. In Sub I felt like it was just desperate and he might have tried even with the 12h windows, but here it rly does sound like he'd just dive for longer? Unless I'm reading the dialog wrong...

"Sorry to disappoint" LOL ICONIC, slight adjustment but based.

"what's with the stuffed animal? not for me, i guess?" LMAO HELP ME- "it's for my daughter, wise guy." PFFT

"and he's already a ghost. he doesn't even have social media. some might say he doesn't exist" o... okay? does dub know more than we do dshjds-

"Breathe, damn it!!" pfft Captain Xiao is trying-

"is he the streetfighter master siwen talked about?" DUB WHAT ARE YOU DOING- i'm p sure this is just about the style, not the person ahhh-

"our backup's gonna be here soon" - "how funny, mine just arrived" While not what I've seen people translate this line as, still a good flow for this moment.

Aight. Some stumbles imo, but maybe they know more than we do and it'll all work out!

[hollownekomata]

Entry #3

"Diary.

There's nothing much to add today, except that I finally got to train with everybody else.

Regla is still sharp, but my sword skills are abysmal compared to those of these seasoned soldiers. I don't remember the last time I had to use her to fend off other hollows - when I became an Arrancar, way before Aizen started meddling with us, I maintained the exceptional hearing from when I was an Adjuchas, so I was always able to avoid trouble and locate small pray with minimal effort up to now.

But here I'm far behind everyone else, and it's evident. Doesn't help that I still can't look up to my opponent's face, all I could do is defend myself until I got cornered. My guard got broken and I fell. Some people laughed and others sighed; I heard someone say "I think Kyoraku got scammed with this one."

I guess the good part of this is that the constant fear is subsiding... in favor of shame. I don't know where this sprouts from, but... I want to be good at this. Commander Kyoraku sent me here for this. He said he trusted I'd adjust well to the Seireitei, given some time. Yet it's clear as day I'm not cut out to be a Cooperative Arrancar Unit.

Maybe that guy was right. Maybe the Captain Commander made a mistake and saw something in me that isn't there. I can't possibly be of help to Lieutenant Kira, though... I'd really like to.

Speaking of which, I managed to apologize to him for the other day. He said he figured I was a little lost and paid it no mind. I also apologized for my poor performance, and let slip that if he wished to he could send me away at any moment.

Then he asked if that was what I wanted.

...it's not. Hueco Mundo is 'familiar', that's for sure. If I was sent back there right now, I would surely find my way around again and start living my old life. Run, hide, catch that meager hollow lizard or mouse that can get me through the day, and go back to hiding. That would be easy to do.

But when the Lieutenant posed the question back at me, the first thing that came to mind was the birds, those I hear outside my room.

Hueco Mundo doesn't have that gentle sound that calms me down before the arrival of night. Just like it doesn't have the soft grass, or the pretty flowers marigolds that are grown in the 3rd Division's grounds. The sky there is a bleak reminder of how things will stay stagnant forever... here, it changes hue at each hour of the day - pink, blue, gray, orange, red.

I don't need any of that to survive, but the thought of going back to that bare dark place, full of dust and black blood... it hurts. I think this is what shinigami mean when they say something is "beautiful". You don't need it, but it hurts when it's taken away.

Plus, I think Lieutenant Kira is a kind person. His eyes often look tired, yet he worries for everyone and strives to provide anything the Division requires. I don't really deserve it, but I think I would be sad if I couldn't see him ever again.

So I answered that it's not what I wanted, but that Captain Otoribashi didn't need some useless arrancar like me around. The exchange that follow gave me some sort of psychic damage:

'Did the Captain tell you that?' 'No, sir.' 'Then why don't we go ask him if that's the case?'

Yeah, as if someone in that position had any minute to spare for poor dumb me. The Espadas would have simply cut my head off at the mere thought. I declined and went straight back to my room, forgetting I was supposed to have lunch first. Not easy to remember that when you're still not hungry...

Another positive note is that I didn't simply stay in my room all afternoon this time. There's a tree right outside the window, I stood under its branches for a short while. It felt nice."

[the-last-rat-standing]

What a cautionary tale Jordan Henderson has turned out to be.

Liverpool captain and legend who, by his own and Klopp's admission, was not the greatest guy to have in the dressing room if he wasn't getting regular playing time, decides to leave the club to get regular playing time so he could still get chosen to play for his country. Okay, can't really fault him for that.

Then we find out the team he decides to go to, to get regular playing time, is in Saudi Arabia. Oh, did I mention Jordan Henderson built his reputation on his supposed support of the LGBTQ+ community? Then tried to backpedal out of how hypocritical it looked by saying he was going to try to grow the game but also not say anything about the gay thing because it wasn't his place to go into Saudi Arabia and change things.

Then, for reasons really yet to be explained*, he leaves Saudi Arabia to go to Ajax. Which is when we find out he deferred his salary to avoid paying British taxes (remember when he was all about supporting the NHS during COVID?), and because of that deferment, ended up getting paid NOTHING for his time in Saudi Arabia.

*Here's my theory: Despite being chosen for friendlies and qualifications, I think Gareth Southgate privately took Henderson aside and told him he needed to have regular playing time against professional football players if he was going to get chosen for the Euro squad. Too bad for Jordan that he went to one of the worst Ajax sides in decades.

So let's recap: He leaves a legendary team to go to Saudi Arabia, which not only demolishes his standing as a Liverpool legend but also as an ally, stays there for 6 months and doesn't get paid, which reveals him to be a tax-dodger, goes to Ajax who finishes 5th and 35 pts off the top, then, to top it all off, doesn't get chosen for the England squad.

I'd almost feel sorry for him, considering this was his last chance to play for England (and it's England's best chance in decades to win anything). He's 33 now and will be 35 when the next WC rolls around. If he can't make the Euro squad, he's certainly not going to make the World Cup squad, and you know, that would be sad if he hadn't shown himself to be an absolute plank of a human being.

This should be studied in every PR class and used as a 'what not to do' for every up and coming agent. What a fall from grace.

[vodika-vibes]

Tony & Arachne 😭 that was so sad

(This drabble made me think about Insomniac Peter’s cameo in ATSV—do you think in the Arachne au he would’ve taken the watch to see if there was a chance he could’ve found Arachne??)

Oh, he absolutely did! So let's do a flashback! Back to the day that Arachne vanishes.

"Ooh, hey Pete!" MJ calls from the living room, "It looks like Fisk is causing problems. Again," Peter can hear her rolling her eyes from the kitchen. "Oh yeah?" He steps into the living room and leans over the back of the couch, "Ah, good ol' Willy. Always good for a workout." Peter says as he watches Arachne flip onto the scene. "And there she is!" "She's gotten good," MJ agrees, a fond smile on her face, "And did you try those cookies she made last weekend? Remind me to get the recipe from her-" The couple watch as Arachne fights Fisk for a few minutes, "She's very good, I don't think a single attack has gotten passed her to the people watching the fight." Peter murmurs. "She's been doing this since she was thirtee-" MJ stops midsentence, and Peter doesn't even have to ask why. His blood runs cold, as Fisk shoots little Arachne with a gun that wasn't there moments earlier. There's a strange ringing in his ears, and he's moving before he even realizes it, his suit on in a matter of seconds, "I have to go," Peter says, his voice hoarse, "MJ, I have to go-" "Go. Go hurry!" MJ replies, her hands folded in front of her face, even as she moves to the already ringing phone. ********** The Spider-Men arrive on the scene at the same time, landing in front of Fisk almost in unison, as though they planned it. "Oh look," Fisk says, "The old Spider-Men. Come to get revenge for poor little Arachne? Silly girl should have stopped when she was ahead. Maybe she'd still be alive-" Miles, already sparking with fury, shares a look with Peter, who's trembling with rage. And they move. Peter goes high and Miles goes low, and maybe Fisk should have thought this through better, because he was barely a match for a single Spider, let alone two furious ones- Fisk was lucky, that day. The Avengers happened to be on planet. And they happened to be watching the news at that very moment. And they happened to see Fisk kill Arachne. They arrived on the scene only moments after the Spider-Men. Captain America took Fisk down with several well placed punches while the rest of the Avengers tried to talk the Spider-Men down...and when that didn't work, the Spider-Men were forcefully restrained by Thor and the Hulk. ******* The Spider-Men spent days looking for her, claiming that Fisk didn't kill her, just sent her somewhere else. Arachne's funeral was held a week after her disappearance. Two days after the funeral of her civilian persona. Both were paid, in full, by Tony Stark. The Spider-Men refused to attend either funeral. "Lost," Peter insisted, as he slams his hand on the table in Avenger's Tower, his mask hanging from his belt, with Miles nodded furiously next to him, "Lost, not dead! You have to keep looking for her!" "You can't give up on her!" Miles agrees as he clutches his own mask, "She's tougher than you think! Fisk didn't kill her. We'd know!" "We watched Fisk kill her," Steve Rogers argues calmly, "As much as you might hate it, as much as it might hurt, you have to accept the truth. She's dead. Arachne's dead." After that, while the Spider-Men would work alongside the Avengers, if they had to, the relationship was never the same. The Spider-Men, and their support networks, never stopped looking for her. Ever.

[braveclementine]

January 7, 2015; 10:48 A.M.

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book.

Copyright: My OCs are Coach Yonce, Emma, Ila, Tempus, and Itty Bitty. I own these characters. I do not condone any copying of this.

I burst into Downey's changing room at the Marvel studios. To my credit, Downey did jump, half naked with his shirt off.

"Jeez Stan." He muttered, turning back around to fix his shirt. "If you wanted to see me naked, you could've just asked."

"Have you seen the newspaper?" I panted, catching my breath before tossing the paper on top of his vanity.

Downey read the article as he fixed the suit he was supposed to be wearing. Bucky Barnes wasn't even in this movie. I think they were holding off until they were one hundred percent certain that I wasn't coming back.

They had made a lot of promises to me like they would never have me shoot somewhere where I wasn't going home after every shoot, or at least a hotel with the other actors. There were other promises, but the going home one was the one that best situated with me.

I still wasn't sure though. I had been waiting until April to make a decision. That's when Y/N was supposed to get out of the program and be- not fine- but better. That's when I would see what she needed of me and then I'd make a decision on the job.

"Well shit." Downey cursed. "They're not even safe in the psychiatric ward. Are they killing them?"

"Great." I breathed out a sigh of relief. "God even Y/N's parents really think this Ila girl committed suicide. Even with Y/N's words in there!"

"Unfortunately," Downey muttered, tucking the newspaper under his arm and fixing his tie, "The reason the doctors gave for Y/N's 'freak out' sounds legit to anyone who doesn't have a psychology degree. But I'm really starting not to trust these Government assholes and that psychiatric ward is Government owned."

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "I already asked if I could see Y/N and they said they were putting her in solitary like a prisoner Robert!"

"Let me call up the Don." Downey said. "I don't know if his Lawyers can do anything on this, but I can sure well damn try."

Tom Hiddleston looked pretty upset when we got onto set.

"You alright?" I asked.

"I'm sure you heard about Ila?" Tom asked. "I just, you know she was a great girl. I feel terrible she thought the only way out was suicide, but maybe the horrors she saw were just to much."

Robert stepped on my foot- a hint I hadn't needed thank you very much- and I just said, "Yes, it really is sad."

Robert was already speaking rapid fire into his phone. Strange he'd already gotten in contact with Mr. Trump. Or perhaps he was speaking to the secretary. Maybe Mr. Trump hadn't been fooled either and had been waiting for Downey to call.

"Hey Sebastian, good to see you here." Chris, probably the one I was- or had been- closest to on the set came over. He was wearing his Captain America outfit, though he'd left his shield by a chair with a water bottle. "How are you feeling? And you don't need to lie, alright, I read the article."

"Downey and Trump are trying to help me get a visit with Y/N." I admitted. "I'm panicked that Ila didn't kill herself, that they killed her. I'm afraid they got paid off. I'm afraid that they'll kill her next."

Chris put a hand on my shoulder. "Well it does seem when those two work together they get shit done. They'll get your visit with her Y/N. What do her parents say?"

"They just think the facility is giving her PTSD and that Ila was killed by Tempus or one of those goons, not the psychiatrists. I think her mother's exact words were 'Why would a facility trying to help them, kill them?'"

Chris just shook his head. "I don't think anyone wants to think about so much deception and corruption in the Government."

"Well it's going to hurt the other three that are left in there. I mean, maybe Emma is safe cause she's all the way in England. But Itty and Y/N?" I asked uncertainly. I hadn't meant to call the small girl Itty. But that's what Y/N had constantly called her and it had stuck in my head.

"Good news." Downey said, walking over to us. "Trump's already in Kentucky- that's where the facility is. Got there last night, he was supposed to be visiting some winery for his Las Vegas hotel. Anyways, he's already been there and they let him walk past Y/N's cell- she's alive- but they wouldn't let him talk to her."

"Cell?" I asked indignantly.

"Room, my bad." Downey said, rolling his eyes. "But from the way he described it, it's a pretty bare, desolate room. So I called it a cell."

"How is that supposed to cheer anyone up?" Chris asked.

Downey shrugged, "Most psychologists are actually idiots."

"You sent me to one!" I protested.

"I sent you to a therapist, they're actually a bit different. Only half of therapists are idiots." Downey said. "I sent you to a good one."

I sighed, "Anyways?"

"Y/N got pretty excited when she saw him, but when she realized they weren't going to let him in, she apparently started doing sign language and that was when they ushered him out. He doesn't know sign language though, so he can't tell us if she was saying anything. She seemed a little panicked though, were his words."

"We need to go." I said. "What's the address? I'll fly out there right now!"

"Calm down Stan." Downey said. "We're leaving after I finish my scenes today. Go and get yourself packed up, be back here by four."

I was a bit pissed about the several hour delay, but knew leaving now would probably result in actually leaving later, depending on the planes.

"Oh and Stan?" Downey called after me, "Pack something for winter weather. We're not going to be in California anymore." 

⬅️➡️

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 1x15-1x16

my poor little meow meow is here...Paige has arrived and is causing problems (and accidentally giving the liars a clue). these couple of episodes also have a Spencer-Emily and Hanna-Aria split to them.

oh Paige...we're just gonna talk about all of her and Emily's stuff first because jaggedwolf is biased like this

even in my peak PLL fandom I didn't rewatch their S1 scenes often, so it is an interesting experience to view them again after all these years

blah blah drowning scene happened blah blah, I shall spare you the obvious statement that it was (bad and violent) intimidation and not a murder attempt

most interesting to me is that in their very first scene together, at the poolside, Paige doesn't come across as antagonistic - instead, she's almost pleased that Emily's back for the full season.

and then gives us that very painful captain-related speech (is she currently captain? are they in the process of deciding captaining?) before being super aggro to Emily

I adore Emily's response here, telling Paige to suck it up and work harder if she cares so much. No one other than the two of them witnesses it, so no one gives Emily the credit she deserves for this - she wasn't lying when she told Spencer she handled it, and it is very possible Paige would've backed down at this point

ofc spencer spencers it up, so that is not to be

also intriguing is that Paige assumes a level of plotting to Emily's choices - that Emily is gunning for captain, that Emily snitched to Coach Fulton and then didn't weirdly didn't say anything to Coach when it was the three of them

it's the first time we've seen someone assume that of Emily, and we've had 14 episodes showing us that Emily is the most direct of the Liars, so it's a jarring assumption

one that works well with some later stuff though, so I like it

Coach Fulton ILU but deciding the relay anchor the morning of your swim meet via a swim-off between your best two swimmers is an insane choice, don't you want them rested?? for the sake of my sanity and my meager investigations into high school sports seasons, I'm going to assume this meet is an early season friendly that is meaningless

also for the sake of Paige's swimming career ig bc she misses the meet, due to wiping out in the rain, due to riding off sadly in the rain away from Emily's house

even Paige's apology in the rain is ??? inducing for Poor Emily, haha, but I enjoy how pathetic she looks here. I'll note that this apology scenes comes not right after the drowning but after the swim-off decision, though there are likely doylist reasons for that

something I like about Emily's S1 stuff with Toby and Paige is that you get the sense of both of them have existed in Emily's periphery for a while now - Toby is her neighbour, Paige is on the swim team

and so Paige knows where she lives, they have each other's phone numbers, etc

forgot that Paige straight up says "how easy it would be if I just wiped out", hm.

the sudden music for the final swimming scene kills me, I had zero memory of that

Spencer's choice of DVD rental movie star is jake gyllenhaal, it is 2010, I wonder what her favored jake gyllenhaal movie is. also if Hanna followed the subsequent tswift drama.

anw, Spencer's instinctive caretaking re: the liars is sweet and sad to me.

sweet because it really does seem to happen without conscious thought, like asking if anyone wants coffee, making Emily eat pizza, uttering "I'll destroy her" about Paige, and of course, telling the coach behind Emily's back.

sad because you can see the threads of how her parents show her affection - i've taken care of this for you, it's all settled, let's go, you're going to win

anyway we get our first real Spencer-Emily fight this episode and I love it, it's so charged. Emily does not expect to be hurt this way nor does Spencer expect to hurt her

I just love that Spencer had paid attention to the Alison-Emily dynamic to realize that, despite how cold flashback!Spencer is towards the others

and Emily hates being coddled, or protected, or assumed a pushover

Spencer and Toby's nervous little french lessons! Emily is hesitant about Spencer's outreach here, but I'm curious about her own lack of reaching out to Toby - does she feel like she doesn't get to, after she didn't believe him?

really like their scene where Emily is simultaneously cheating off Spencer for homework and Spencer is wondering aloud about Toby while Emily teases her.

Spencer mentions Paige was on her field hockey team and we should all take a moment to contemplate how cursed that freshman year hockey team must've been. Ian as coach is creeping on Spencer, Paige is committing fouls so violent that they get named for her, very sorry for all the other girls on the squad. Imagining Bridget Wu as a bench-warmer taking swigs from her flask.

Hastings household apparently has a housekeeper huh

Spencer's intense argument with Ali in that flashback...excellent...I'd entirely forgotten about it, and I wonder if Ali lived if Spencer would've followed through on ditching her.

AITAH I (15F) unionized my friends (15F, 15F, 15F) against our mean friend-leader (15F) who had secrets on all of us

Every time Spencer speaks to Ian alone I am so creeped out, which means the show is doing a good job, but eughhh. Also eughhh: Melissa waving off that her husband macked on her then-15 year old sister and jumping right to the pregnancy news.

Spencer pissed off Emily so bad that she had to be alone when she visited bead lady and got told "Spencer Hastings" bought the bracelets

though we all should be grateful Spencer took 2 seconds when seeing Paige's gifts to the swim team and that she went "Paige bought these from the same place our bracelets came from" and not "Paige is A!!!!"

the only good thing about the Ezra plot these episodes is that it makes Hanna emo and it makes Spencer tell Aria "you were ready to give me tongue yesterday"

Ashley Marin makes objectively terrible decisions and the show still makes me always on her side. That is the power of Ashley Marin.

can't believe it's Caleb's fault that Ella doesn't find out about Ezra boinking her daughter. In a vacuum, I love it, this kid who doesn't have anywhere to sleep and who needs cash fast decides to kill a teacher's car just because Hanna seems really upset about the teacher getting somewhere.

but looking ahead at how many seasons of Ezra/Aria we have to slog through...you could've shown your affection some other way Caleb

list of places Caleb's bounced around: Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago and then finally little old Rosewood

Spencer has some great outfits these episodes.

In one of these episodes Emily is wearing one of those T-shirts where the back just doesn't exist and I got distracted pondering how it stays on.

feels unfair for Aria to jump to jealousy when Hanna tries to get her to not go to the museum with Ezra, but so it goes, and poor Hanna when she tries to explain herself at the end and doesn't get to

the rosewood shark plushies are very cute and I can't believe this is the first time I've even noticed they existed, I suspect that means they never show up again.

at some point while talking Spencer just sticks her finger in the shark plushie's mouth lmao

I've forgotten so many of these A tags...French lessons on tape while weapons from clue are laid out? Having tea with bead lady? Sure, why not

[duelbraids]

MASTER OF TIDES

A run down of the questline of Malinah Stormcrown, as if she were a companion.

In Act One, the player can learn more about Malinah's history as a pirate. She'll tell campfire stories on Long Rests where there are no other events lined up - one about overthrowing the original captain as a young sailor, another about taking a Zhent slaver's head, and escaping a hurricane. The level of truth in these tales is variable, but she tells them well.

In the Zhentarim hideout, bringing Malinah along will reveal that she wasn't lying about the Zhent slaver's head, and they recognize the Captain. The player will need to de-escalate this situation.

If the player intends on romancing Malinah, they can ask to spend the night with her. This triggers a cutscene where the player will accidentally walk in on her bathing in a pond, humming a song to herself. She will tease the player, but if they ask about the song she was singing, she will admit to the player that it was one she wrote for her late fiance, Tendaji. If the player wants to continue a romance with her after learning she was once engaged, they will need to select the option about going at whatever pace Malinah needs. She will kiss the player's forehead.

In Act Two, one of the Harpers that the party can meet is Nadia Shrajur, the previous Captain of the Hangman's Heart.

If the player has heard Mal's story about overthrowing the captain, they can ask Nadia about it. Nadia will laugh - the event in question happened nearly a century ago, and the mutiny was lead by Nadia herself, not Malinah.

If Malinah is with the party when Nadia is spoken to, the two are happy to catch up, but the player notices that sadness weighs heavy on them both. Mal will, in private, tell a player with high enough approval that Nadia was the sister of her late fiance ( allowing a non-romanced player to learn about her past. )

After speaking to her the first time, the player can speak to Nadia again with Malinah out of earshot, and ask her about Tendaji. Nadia will tell them to "Ask Malinah what she did to the last person she fell in love with." This is where she can be forced to reveal that she killed Tendaji after he asked for a mercy killing to spare him from being a vampire.

In Act Three, Malinah wants the party to swing by the docks so she can visit The Hangman's Heart. Upon arriving, she will be barred from entry by a Flaming Fist and a Steel Watcher, who say that the ship never paid its dock dues. Mal knows that's incorrect, and demands they let her see her crew. One crew member, Claudia, will emerge, and deliver the news: First and Second mates Florian and Ysebeau have been missing for days now. With a knowing smile, the Flaming Fist will tell her to go to the Mariner's office in the Counting House.

Once the player goes there, the precarious situation becomes patently clear. Malinah's two siblings are being held by Banites as collateral against the party. There are multiple ways to go through this quest:

The party can free Florian and Ysebeau by force - this is the path of least resistance, and the one Malinah wants. This, inadvertently, costs her both her ship and her siblings' lives. If the party does this, without the proper evidence that Malinah's dues are paid and up to date, they will get her Death and Taxes ending. Malinah's heartbroken, and her ship is gone; she will break up with the player in this ending.

However, if the party can get Malinah to calm down and think rationally, she will suggest a new course of action: Her tax papers are hidden in a vault, hidden in a secluded cove beneath Wyrm's Crossing. At this hidden vault, the player can find Malinah's old engagement ring, alongside the tax papers. She doesn't want to take it, as it reminds her too much of Tendaji. Convincing her to take the ring is smart (it is a Legendary ring, after all) and is critical to her healing.

Once the tax papers are in hand, the party can return to the Mariner's office, and walk in on Ysebeau in a verbal encounter with one of the Banites. The Banite sees the opportunity to break the party's spirit - they will threaten to kill Ysebeau if Malinah doesn't destroy the proof that she's paid her dues. The player is offered two options: take the risk that Ysebeau can protect herself long enough for them to take out the Banites, or give in to their demands.

If Malinah refused to take the ring with her, Malinah can't find the strength to take the risk, and will hand over the tax papers. This gives her the Just the Taxes ending - similar to Death and Taxes, but Malinah is more at peace with losing her ship. She will not break up with the player in this ending.

However, if Mal has the ring, she will charge forward and attack the Banite head on, and with the proof in hand, destroying all of Gortash's placed men will earn her the And a Bottle of Rum ending. It will unlock her ship as a camp for the Player, and Captain Stormcrown celebrates that evening. She's at peace, her siblings are safe, and her ship isn't under threat by Flaming Fist.

In the two endings where she will remain with the Player, a romanced Malinah takes them to the Captain's Quarters on her ship (or to a room in the Elfsong.) It's here she'll admit that she's glad they helped her stop and think, allowing her to realize exactly what her priorities were; the ship is just as much home to her as Baldur's Gate is to someone else, and she couldn't lose her siblings - or the player. She will pin them to the wall, and admit ( for the first time ) that she loves the player.

EPILOGUE: In Death and Taxes, Malinah has spent the past six months in the city, missing her ship and missing her siblings more. It's clear she's drinking to get through most of her days. In Just the Taxes, Malinah, Florian, and Ysebeau all come to the party, and talk about adjusting to life on the land. She's happy, and if the player is romancing her, she'll tease them about helping her get her land legs. In And a Bottle of Rum, it's much the same, but they will all talk about their adventures on the sea, with a shanty to round out the night. If the player is romancing her, she'll tease them about helping them get rid of their land legs.