#just btw if someone reads this and goes 'but if he has a gun how can they be in an adjacent space together?'

[peachydinosaur]

for one of my dnd groups we're taking a break from our normal campaign (5e dnd) to do few sessions of a pathfinder 1e module to give the dm a break/let him play a pc for a bit. which is fine but I'm doing the character creation and goddamn. this is my first time building a pathfinder character and it is SO much more complicated than dnd 5e. and then i made it harder on myself by going 'ohohoho that looks fun!' and now i have to think about flanking and sneak attack and finesse and then alchemy with all the potions and shit on top of that!!??? entirely my fault, i made all of these choices on but mother hell. very excited for my ratfolk vivisectionist and her gun wielding brother in spite of all this

[dark-dragon-8]

I want to write a supernatural fic where Sam still hunts while in college.

Like, hunting has always been such a big part of his life that he just can't live without it, especially when he knows other people are going to die and/or suffer if he doesn't help them.

I want Sam to be one of those students that you know never goes to any of the classes but almost always gets an A (or at the very least a passing grade) on all the exams/assignments (he both knows from experience and studies in his free time while on the road).

I want Sam to be the weird/cool guy at school that everyone theorizes about ["Do you think he has a girlfriend?" "He must be rich or something, how else can he afford to travel so much while still attending school" (he's not BTW) "I wonder who that guy that always drives him to and from classes/exams is" (that's Dean) "So he's a passenger princess" (they've never seen him drive), etc].

Everything about the show is the same (I might keep Jess alive though, IDK, like that girl who ends up having a crush on him so she's looking into him and finds out some stuff) except he's still in school and he & Dean always cover their faces/only Dean impersonates people (that work with the state/law & stuff) so that the authorities won't be able to connect things too quickly and ambush them while there's a test or something.

Sam is literally the cryptid of the school after getting his powers, like people literally see him get visions/mumble about future events in the middle of those rare lessons he comes to/exams/assignments.

After Dean becomes a demon, people start thinking he's his drug dealer and that they're a part of some Mafia group that needs a new lawyer/future new lawyer (hence why Sam is learning law) after they keep hearing hushed conversations where Sam practically begs this Dean guy to "Just please give it to me, please Dean I don't think I can take it much longer" (assuming "it" probably means like heroin or some other type of drug. Also how they finally found out Dean's name) and Dean begrudgingly handing him a small red vial and telling him he'll give him more, sometimes directly from the source (his wrist), later. Sam also starts bringing a second, smaller, steel water bottle to school after those interactions start but almost nobody notices (or they do and there are a thousand and one new conspiracies about it and what it means, after all, it could just be coffee for all they know, they can't be sure though, and they're too scared to ask whenever they do see him and he actually stays in school for a little longer instead of instantly leaving to go somewhere. So they don't really get the chance to ask him even if they want to).

They see him "give a random girl hickeys" in the alley right beside the school (he's actually drinking Ruby's blood after she got her throat slashed/slashed her own throat just a little bit so that they won't look too suspicious) and they think that's his GF. And then some other students see him doing the same to his drug dealer's (Dean's) wrist a few days later and they don't know what to think anymore [he was desperate (read; needed a boost before a stressful exam/lesson/finals week), okay? He wasn't thinking straight and all three thought it was at least somewhat okay as long as they were being careful].

One day, during a lesson because the others know he won't answer during an exam, Bobby (because he still isn't talking to John, fuck you John) is calling him, saying it's an emergency and that they need him there ASAP. He doesn't remember to control his reaction in front of the class and now everyone further believes that he's in the Mafia and that was his boss talking to him [they vaguely remember hearing him, quietly whisper, if they need him to bring his extra guns at the start of the conversation/if he needs to kill someone/if anybody died towards the end of it (all said somewhat casually, considering the situation, mind you)].

I imagine Gabriel coming over to fuck with him one day at the school and people thinking he's part of a rival group/family (that may or may not have joined Sam's own after betraying said family, depending on the timeline) based on their interactions. On that same note, I want Castiel to be like the boss's right hand/messenger and that their boss's name/title is God/the lord (if I was in that situation, I would think their boss is very narcissistic, but I won't say anything about it because crime and I don't want to die yet). And then when Godstiel comes around, Dean, who at this point knows way more than Sam about these rumors (because unlike Sam he's actually been around), makes him seem like their new boss (he might just use it to help him get laid, like in that one episode, but IDK).

I really want to write it, and I might just do it, I just need to finish the series first so that I'll be characterizing them correctly (these are all characters I already somewhat know about/saw) so we'll see if I remember it by then.

Feel free to use this idea but also I want credit/link to the story (mainly a link) if you do use it, since I want to read it regardless of whether or not I actually write this (knowing myself, I probably will. Like 78% will).

[makeila04]

More Graves headcanons (sorry I love this man)

-He is approximately 40 years old

-He give me that vibes like he was born at lates 70's or earlys 80's

-The scar on his face looks like a bullet (or maybe a knife) but because of the depth I think whatever it was was a hand-to-hand combat or at very close range

-He is not married, and no, I am not just saying this because he doesn't have a ring but, think about it, he lives in the combat field and enjoys the adrenaline. Knowing that it is a full-time job, could I really have time for a marriage? I don't believe it. He is a workaholic who has had sporadic relationships but nothing more, he is not looking for a serious commitment.

-I feel that being from Texas (BTW I'm not from Texas but from a city and province in Argentina that is quite similar) he could have an apartment in the city but also a country house/farm where he would actually spend more time

-He enjoys country music a lot but more rock. And he loves band's or music from 80s (queen, guns and roses, kiss, that type you know what I mean)

-He drinks but he doesn't smoke (or don't do it at long time ago)

-Likes to ride a motorcycle, car or horse

-Knows how to cook although he doesn't consider himself a chef

-Eat whatever, doesn't matter. Not a picky eater

-He has his own collection of guns but he doesn't use them to hunt or kill but rather they are "in case" of emergency"

-Beyond his character and arrogance, he is actually someone who is quite calm, although he always makes jokes or comments that are funny (or that he thinks are funny)

-He likes to read, the type that when he is calm before going to sleep he has a book in his table next to the bed. Night reading you now.

-He likes to exercise of all kinds but most of all he goes to the gym, weights and goes running for many kilometers and for hours (daily and strict exercise routine) (Me parece que esto es bastante real por como se le marcan las venas en los brazos ufff🔥🔥)

-He is a dog man (big dogs like German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Dobermans, Rottweilers, those types of dogs) but he doesn't dislike cats. In general he likes most animals.

-After the missions he makes sure to ask all his men how they are back at the base AND ASKS THEM ONE BY ONE TO EACH SHADOW

-He is a very available person, whenever a shadow has a problem or something urgent he will make sure to address the matter as soon as possible.

-Takes good care of and trains the younger shadows, whether for the reasons they have decided to join, he will make sure that they know what they are doing and he will keep a little more eye on them or put someone he trusts in to keep an extra eye on them you know if they are young or more inexperienced

-It is not about having long-term relationships, it is more about casual relationships if there is time left after a mission

-THIS MAN definitely LIKES WOMEN MUCH YOUNGER THAN HIM

-I would be more like a sugar daddy

-He's not much of a social media person, he tries to understand it and trends or those things, but sometimes he doesn't understand the most modern jokes. But if you explain it to him he'll do his best to understand the joke (and he'll laugh if that makes you feel better)

[eshtaresht]

holy. fuckin'. DAMN. I was pretty good at predicting the plot so far, but this episode proved that stampede is going in a whole new direction for real. spoilers for ep 9!!! (and manga a bit)

first of all, we still haven't got a full story of the great fall, but I think it's something they'll reveal in this season, probably during confrontation with knives. and still no scar reveal!! I'm angy but it's something that could be relevant to the standoff with knives, hope we'll get it

the piano scene... oh we're eating GOOD, it's just so wholesome but goes to confirm my theory that twins weren't completely fine on the ship. vash feeling useless because he can't do cool plant shit, knives envying vash for being good at human shit.... oh it's great

so glad knives is getting proper characterization and not just "he evil because he evil"! the fear, the hurt, the genuine care for vash, but then frustration with him – it's right there and I'm eating it up so yummy

the way they recontextualized vash's arm loss is GORGEOUS! I've seen ppl reading this scene differently, but to me it was an act of care from naï. he looks really scared for a reason: we see that the gate consumed all matter, including the hand. vash couldn't control it, so it would only grow bigger and destroy him. NAÏ REALIZED THIS AND SAVED VASH THE ONLY WAY HE COULD

he didn't want to fight him, this was not an act of anger, like in previous versions. all he cared about in that moment was saving his twin..... and what did he get in return? a gun pointed to his face. a gun he gave vash to kill human scum. oh, the DRAMA

ahem, now to the less intense stuff

homeboy has so much trauma, like, damn... how is he gonna fit any more from his impending epic brother fight...... I'm quite curious on how they're gonna characterize him in the next season. concidering that we're taking off earlier than previous versions, he might end up with the same unhinged vibe 98' vash had, as a coping mechanism (if depression didn't work, try dissociation and silliness). but then it would be even more interesting to see meryl's and wolfwood's reactions: they knew him before the accident and saw the big sad

vash has sense in the prosthetic arm, so it must've hurt when he damaged it... probably it hurts less than the real one, and it's clearly painless to take off. but the hand seems to be rather sensitive and fic writers are gonna go crazy for this

age reveal! also brad and luida being in cryosleep makes sense, I was racking my brain on how they're still alive. seems like they're using much more plant power tho... both for cryo and the vegetation, while in manga they tried to keep it as low as possible and send signals to earth

saw someone say that they're probably not doing that here because the earth is destroyed... could be that they decided to go the hard way. but in the manga the earth was still fucked, and it wasn't clear if they communicated with the ppl left on the planet or the fleet that was in some new place. what I'm saying is, there is a possibility that they are looking for help in stampede, we just don't know it yet

meryl was so cute! go off, comedy relief goofy girl, while you can, there is more trauma coming your way :3 yeah, enjoy roberto calling you by your first name... oh it would be such a shame if he gave you his derringer before his untimely death..........

pretty weird that nobody knows why they fell on no man's land, but ppl probably were too ashamed of their past and 150 years later the new generation is oblivious. also so funny that luida has to explain what vegies are..... they have so many plants but haven't see any plants

tbh I wasn't expecting the zazie twist at all, but I'm excited! they are SO gender in stampede, might be the best redesign in the series, love me a genderless bug creature with bold fashion choices. really cool to see that storyline adapted, it was barely touched upon in the last volumes of trimax

btw the multiple bullets story about a plant, worm and human who went around figuring out if their species could coexist and just.... creating this foud family and then building a town there all were equal...... that's my favorite mb story for sure

wolfwood saying "I'm not your friend"... I know what you are. and we got a "you'll have to decide one day"... oh oh the misery, but the context was lacking. it just doesn't hit the same when he isn't daring vash to shoot him in the most homoerotic way possible. on and he looks so goofy trying to ride with his cross

in the last ep's rant I assumed that luida lied about rem saving everybody for some reason?? but no, she actually saved them, I just got a bit confused

so, as I predicted, the gang separated (tho not because of vash) and by the end of the next episode vash'll be in july and meet naï. the poster, man.... that gorgeous futuristic city is getting obliterated for sure

btw vash's gate being opposite to knives and sort of a black hole is nothing new. but there are new layers to this, like vash willingly giving away energy, but destroying things against his will, and knives with the opposite of this. ying yan twins go brrrr

[thecodeveronica]

Hello~ hopped over from AO3 to Tumblr after reading your fic (which is wonderful btw) - hope you don't mind! As someone who frequents the barren AO3 tag and then saw your askbox title I had to stop by.

Anyway actual question! I'd love to hear why the Claire/Steve dynamic appeals to you. Whether that answer be about the characters or anything (or if you don't want to answer at all, that's totally fine too!), I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as a fellow burnfield shipper/writer. It'd be like a little author's commentary track for when I reread your fic!

Anyway whoa this was long, sorry. And hope you have a good day~ thanks again

Thank you again btw, your comment on AO3 had me totally elated; I didn't really expect anyone to actually read my fic, and then actually like it 😭

The boring part of why I like Claire and Steve together is because they are both two of my favorite characters. Steve is my #1 favorite RE character, and Claire is in my top 3, I just love them both a lot!

But on their actual relationship, I'm a huge fan of characters that would do anything to protect the other. Claire starts CVX and DSC clearly not expecting much from Steve (and in CVX, I'm sure it doesn't help when he gets caught in that trap in the Palace really early on and she has to rescue him lol), but there is a clear, gradual warming up toward him as the game goes on, even if she's hardened up a little since the events of RE2. She's very gentle with him even when Steve can be a bit difficult, like when he has to shoot his dad and is upset afterward or when he says guns are more reliable than people. Her reaction after his death which i'm still in denial about haha is just gut wrenching, she seems so distraught and it shows how much she'd come to like him.

And from Steve's side, he's obviously lonely, dealing with the tragic circumstances of being imprisoned by no fault of his own, his mother dying, the disappointment of what his father did. He has a hard time trusting people, and that extends even to Claire early on. I just love how you can see his feelings for her start to grow and how he finally has someone to trust.

One of my favorite things about the Cleve/Burnfield ship are the times Steve is quick to try to protect Claire, even though she's obviously the more capable one. He's just a civilian and is clearly coping with the horrifying situation they are in with humor and things like that, but even so, he still does things like rush in front of Claire when they confront Nosferatu. It's just so sweet ❤️

And even if Darkside Chronicles isn't technically canon, it's so fun seeing Claire and Steve together for almost the whole game. They grow to have such a fun, playful rapport with one another. Darkside Chronicles also gave me one of my favorite moments when Steve is ready to pilot that plane out of Rockfort Island and Claire puts her hand over his and they pull that lever together, ahhhhhh it's such a short but soft little gesture

Sorry this got SUPER long!!! I was happy to have the perfect opportunity to gush over Claire and Steve lol, thank you so much again for the ask!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day too!!

(also, you have good taste being a Gundam fan too with the Kamille icon 👍)

[themightymoose]

I keep thinking about it now so allow me to talk more about the whole getting flustered thing with Vinnie

Like I said, to me he is the last in their group who gets easily flustered aka hardly gets flustered ever, the reason being that he does not believe you. Like, really? You're telling him something nice about him??? That he's talented or handome or idk cute. Okay... Naturally, outwards he gotta keep up with this high confidence persona he has going on, so he just *finger guns* "Yeah, I know, I'm great B)" but inwards he's just confused cause what the hell did he just hear? Something positive about himself?? Someone thinks there's something worth admiring about him? Probably a joke or something then.

Like, can't get flustered if you don't believe they actually think that, you know? He wants to believe, but how can he? Not that he ever got or gets many compliments anyway.

To the point if he suddenly got showered under lots of them in quick succession he would just burst into tears, and I very much headcanon he doesn't cry easily either. He wouldn't cry cause he's so happy, but because he's just so mad confused. Are they making fun of him? If not then why else would they be doing that?

And add onto it him liking giving others compliments. Cause I think he is just so full of love that he would, he has no problems with showing verbal affection like that. Why wouldn't he tell Zoe she's pretty? Why wouldn't he assure Pepper that she's beautiful too? Why wouldn't he tell a random cashier that he likes his hair if he does? Not a reason not to so he just will.

Also a meme that has nothing to do with any of this. I just made it and wanted to share my truth

I just think the guy likes tall and muscular people. A lot

*Le-gasp* A T T E N T I O N

So I take it you read my one ask :)

Oh nooooooo poor Vin-Vin, it's all that self-hatred man :( he's just used to being told he's not good enough and that no one could ever love him from his mother, and all that was carried throughout adulthood of course he's not gonna believe you the first time you say something nice about him, or second, or third

I can just imagine a scenario where you have the poly pets, they like to do this thing where they pick one person from the polycule and shower them with complements, praises, and kisses etc. Vinnie always loves this, just seeing one of his partners so flustered by the onslaught of love is his favorite sight. Until they do that to him... Things don't go quite as planned

Vinnie is confused, angry, and definitely overwhelmed. And before he knows it he's crying. He just doesn't get it! What did he do? Did he make them mad? His partners are immediately concerned and trying to console him, Vinnie keeps trying to talk but it keeps coming out as incoherent blubbers. They eventually end up calming him down and figure out what's. They reassure him that they would never do something like that to him, and give him lots of cuddles (new fic idea for me? 👀)

And that meme... Okay, thinking about buff Pepper again (I would kill for her btw) and Vinnie's just looking at her with huge, round, and sparkly eyes. And if Zoe and Pepper do both end up getting buff he just goes "b...buff women...pretty... 😳"

[thinkblotted]

Hi there!

Did I just look up a handful of questions (while trying to sleep) re US currency to see how someone unwillingly timetravelled back to the 70s-80s would fair with modern money? Why, yes, I did! And I did it cause I'm day(night)dreaming about those darn vampire boys so what?

Am I a writer? No. Did I find my answer? Sorta, what I specifically wanted was stats about the average age of a banknote in circulation. Didn't find that but found averages about how long each kind of note usually lasts, so I used that time.

The time travelled fellow is in deep shit to say the least, already knew that but confirmation is neat! It'd be great if some immortal group of guys could exchange that money but that's the last thing the above mentioned traveller wants so tough luck 🤷��

(This ain't a request or anything, I just thought you might appreciate this train of thought, btw I just started reading yalls "Journal Entries" on ao3 and I'm having a great time!)

Buhbye!

...oh my god this is EXACTLY my level of pedantry in writing ajfhajfhag

Like, for some of the drabbles, do you KNOW how much research goes into it? Like, in the drabble 'Rabbit Pie', I spent forever looking up what kind of shot gun the old farmer would have most likely had, its specs, and the music that would have been available at the time, how it was played, etc. To me, details like this matter.

I can imagine that David and Dwayne have got some old coinage and even a couple bills left over from the late 1800s (about when they were turned), just as mementos or in case they need raw cash and want to pawn them. (Though I don't think they will.) Dwayne has a coin collection as well, and he's got some old stuff in there.

The boys certainly aren't thrilled when the digital age and online shopping/payments and credit/debit card companies kinda take over and cash starts to have less and less utility.

Anyway, I'm really happy you're enjoying Journal Footnotes! Hopefully, we can give you more soon :>

[revclver-jesus]

hihi! thoughts on takajin? any specific headcanons you have for them? i’ve been obsessed with them since i beat p3p and there’s not enough takajin content out there to satisfy me lol

{{ Hi!! Sorry btw I went to sleep before I saw this ! but

vibrates-- Oh yeah, I have a few thoughts.

Takaya x Jin... Specifically from the angle of just how they are in Reload? There's a lot on my mind about them! I could honestly summarize Takaya's whole arc-- in a way-- is just waiting again and again to see if he'll acknowledge that he clearly has an attachment to Jin ( or if he'll outright say he doesn't! ) every single time Jin expresses affection towards him. And he confirms it at the very last second. He wishes Jin was with him. But Jin isn't there to hear it.

This unhealthy, codependent, and yet somehow emotionally stunted relationship could be studied in a dish. And by codependent I don't just mean Jin, Takaya clearly needs Jin. A lot. Every single time Takaya flies off the handle, which is often, who catches him? It happens enough that Takaya even begins to just sigh " I know " not with any anger but in the same way you say "yes dear" to a partner you've been with for ages lmao. Jin may be incredibly in awe of Takaya's very existence, but he also has some intuitive understanding that Takaya is unstable and needs someone to hold him steady if he's going to be truly great.

It takes... an insane amount of intimate familiarity to be a close partner of takaya. This quiet two person language of somehow saying you want to die by each other's side but also you're not attached or anything. Casually strolling around landmines of trauma and defensiveness because you know exactly where the mines are in yourself. It doesn't occur to Takaya that he already has an attachment because he trusts Jin so deeply to understand his need to sever cleanly without feeling grief, and its only when something as unpredictable as the protag gets too close does he call him an "attachment" because he's uncomfortable, he's new, his existence feels wrong in his life, and attachments are bad, so they must feel that way.

But Jin, this person he's always with and always has been with, that he can sit in a dark room with without feeling the need to speak, that he knows everything about, that he goes everywhere with, that's not an attachment, surely, that's just Jin.

I think its only when Jin forces the gun away from his head does he realize.... Oh. Someone is attached to me. Someone would mourn me if I died before they did. And he's shocked to utter silence. He doesn't argue back, tell Jin he's being emotional, if you look at takaya's face he's... scared. Jin is acting beyond their quiet agreement and he isn't disappointed-- he doesn't know what to feel.

What I would give to write the scene of what must have happened right after they fell off the bridge, what did they even say to each other..... probably nothing. They probably just focused on the task at hand.

Anyways um-- if you read all this i hope it was any help lol ! Thanks for the ask! }}

[makima-s-most-smile]

Trigun Maximum 6

Skittles after the bookclub. SOON! I... need... to... catch... up. Soupy brain, do not leave me!

Trigun Ultimate: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Trigun Maximum: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5

1. The gunslinger

Aw, and it starts with Meryl having a nightmare. It was much for her. Not only did she have to confront Vash’ inhumanity in theory, but in practice, too. And that left marks. Btw @/pancake-breakfast was right, Zazie described the independent plants as bystanders, not themself.

The sheriff is such a nice guy :3 NOT! Ramming the door into Vash and not even apologising. I leave his talk with Marlon in the open, because we do not know either of them, maybe there is something behind it.

Yay, Wolfwood gets to eat in peace! Jokes aside, I take sharing food and such is one of Wolfwood’s love languages. He cares for other people. And Meryl is hit really hard with the downs. Depressive symptoms as a response to a trauma aren’t that unheard of. And she has dreams and flashbacks, too. It really hit her hard. ‘Til the dragon’s nest district, Meryl could ignore the whole Vash being nonhuman and the trouble that follows him and be innocently interested in him, now the reality hit her hard.

Wolfwood is just peak idiot. How come I remember him as this suave liar, when the only reason that people don’t know stuff around him is that they don’t pin him down. If he’d be more obvious, he’d be spelling stuff out. Heck, he is doing eurythmics the whole time. (It is the sunglasses and the suit…)

Also, Woowoo is wearing his sunglasses again. I just found something interesting today about sunglasses and Japan. *lemme find the link* Japanese people use the eyes to see what the other person is thinking, while westerners are more likely to get the info due to the mouth. I remember reading somewhere else, too, as a reason why the eyes in manga are often drawn so big compared to western media, because emotion is mostly told via the eyes.

And Wolfwood goes back to his roots of pushing people away for their own safety. He is not completely wrong and at least he talks to Meryl about it. Though, it can be read as a low blow that he mentions Milly. Because Meryl has someone she is responsible for! It is not just about herself. That’s something Wolfwood can relate to, but for him it forces him to stay. Would Wolfwood stay if he didn’t have to? If he could be sure that his orphanage and the planet would stay safe? I don’t know. 

There is no real right or wrong here, but damn, they should include Milly in the talk, too! Babysteps. But at least now Meryl truly thinks about the danger she gets herself and Milly into. And that is important. Until now her decision to find and follow Vash was filled somewhat by naivete and ignoring the glaring danger signs around him. She got a reality check. While Vash is not evil, trouble follows him and it has hurt her now, too! It has hurt Milly. But what she does with the new outlook is her own decision! Wolfwood came to the conclusion that he needs to talk to the women on an equal level to get his point about saving yourself across. And he does so. FINALLY!

Alcohol as a means to cope with something. Something is eating good ol’ Marlon up. And it is the basis for his behaviour and why he despises that shooty-mc-tooty-sheriff.

Do you, sheriff? Do you keep the town safe? Or is it more your power fantasy. Eny green is an ugly colour. Manga is so much about show, don’t tell. And damn, we haven’t been shown anything about you protecting anyone. 

I love how Meryl listens in and just immediately knows who the broom headed bastard is! Her reaction is cute! More of it! Vash truly is a trouble magnet!

“Consider guns delicate.” Vash is a gun. 

Meryl knows the fear that comes with shooting someone. She wasn’t spared of the danger of this world. She had to protect herself in the past. And her reaction is just human. But what is moreso, her reminiscence is a way for her to feel sympathy for Vash. How must he feel with that gun of his, that was fired against his will/he fired with consequences he didn’t want, not only shooting but killing so many people. Meryl collapsed after one shot. (I’d be down, too, gurl.) I am not even sure if she killed her opponent. So she finds some understanding for Vash as a person. She finally starts to understand WHY he is the way he is. He is starting to become more than an interesting enigma.

Uh, nice that the evil guys want to rob the town for money to pay for their food and drinks. Down with the banks! Money to the small business owners!

Vash fires with his right arm. The arm that is the angel arm. I read it as Vash punishing himself, but also fighting to regain control over himself and his body. He “tames” his firepower into the gun he choses. He takes back control.

Such a nice responsible sheriff, keeping the town safe. :3 By attacking random dudes in the middle of the day.

I… can hear Brandon’s voice in my head. It is gorgeous. ;3

But, yeah, that’s kinda what it boils down to. Guns in and of itself aren’t pure evil. In experienced hands they can be used to protect, to feed people, hell, they can even be a sport. But they are also an idol for (masculine) power. And that attracts the kind of people that aren’t responsible enough to own a gun. Murdock is the kind of guy that would pull out his special made Marlon-Gun and accidentally shot someone. And that's why he doesn't deserve it.

I don’t see the problem here. That is Germany every new year’s eve.

Vash… VASH?! Are you sure it is a good move to abuse Wolfwood’s mistress and throw her aside afterwards?! 

It kinda boils down to firepower on No-Man’s-Land. Would Vash even own a gun if he didn’t have to?

And poor Meryl. Her thoughts are purely about Vash, even after her flashbacks and her nightmares.

Is it, though? Vash’s pistol is as much a prosthetic as his left arm is. It isn’t his true power, it is far from it, but he is still able to act with it. Especially without worrying that he might accidentally kill someone. (However stupid that sounds)

Also, it?! The Punisher is a classy lady! To call her "It", the audacity! Next he calls Angelina II an it.

Yeah, sorry, Vash. Don’t take the emotional support machine gun cross from a priest. That never ends well.

2. Double team

I love this pic. 

I am not entirely sure, but is Wolfwood sitting on explosives/gasoline? Because this kinda summarises Wolfwood’s situation. Can you truly relax while waiting for the bomb under your arse to explode?

Like he said in the chapter before! Tickin’ time bomb he is sitting on! Wolfwood is putting his life at risk and he knows it. He is just waiting for it to go off.

Wolfwood is in the darkness, looking into the light, the innocent, pure thing he protects by throwing himself into the darkness. From the positioning we could even think that Chapel is truly in the darkness and Wolfwood stands between Chapel and the orphanage. (I don’t think that Nightow wanted to say this, but as a European this reads very much: Church is dangerous for kids.)

Uh, remember that pic with the line up of the gun-ho-guns? 

From Trigun Maximum 4 Chapter: Killer Horn Blues. 

This isn’t Wolfy, this is the OG-Chapel. But that reads for me that it was an atmospheric line-up, since the other gun-ho-guns would have called Wolfwood out for being very not Chapel. Or they truly did not care, which… I do not think is that unwarranted of a thought?

And the Damocles’ sword is still hanging over Wolfwood’s head. He was able to protect the kid’s from one danger - Chapel/Church -  but the other danger, the danger that awaited Wolfwood behind Chapel still prevails. Not only that, it is much more dangerous than Chapel himself. Wolfwood is ready to disappear from their lives to keep them safe, but whatever he does it is not enough. And he still tries under constant fear of failure, he confronts the danger. He is the orphanage’s protector, their last and only bastion.

And like always, Wolfwood’s nightmares are interrupted by sillies. But damn, I love his little: Fuck, I am in so much pain-face. I’ll keep the alcohol thingy for later in this volume.

I know in the panels between Wolfwood put a cigarette in his mouth. But I read it as appearing randomly to make him look cooler in this little confrontation.

But we get that next to no one of the Gun-Ho-Guns knows that Wolfwood is, well, Wolfwood. I mean, while Midvalley wasn’t surprised, it was Milly that spelled out Wolfwood’s true identity to him. And Knives… Didn’t even deem it important enough to tell Legato about the change of plans, why would he bother to share such a little detail about Wolfy? And as much as Knives does not really care for Legato’s position, he does not care for Wolfwood’s, either. Knives is mocking him. Wolfwood is his plaything. Nothing Wolfwood does truly matters. But it is a nice ego boost for Knives that Wolfwood is too “scared” to act against Knives’ wishes. Wolfwood knows, Zazie knows. Add insult to injury, even Zazie mocks Wolfwood about his stuck between a rock and a hard place position. Wolfwood doesn’t work for Knives of his free will, he knows what Knives’ plans are. It goes against everything Wolfwood cares for. Again, an I know, they know-situation. And Wolfwood does not lie to Zazie, he stops talking to them.

Namedrop: Eye of Michael! The church/cult Wolfwood is part of. Doesn’t sound like something normal, but the catholics have a way with weird names. Interestingly, why eye? Michael is known for his sword, for throwing Satan from heaven. Wouldn't the Sword/Arm of Michael be more fitting, especially since killing seems part of the cult? I mean, Wolfwood being an assassin AND a priest and learning stuff at the same time from different sources would be pretty weird. Michael is the patron of soldiers and honestly, what else is Wolfwood if not that? But back to the Eye-part. He keeps track of the actions and sins of humans, judges them when they die and is the judge on the Last Day. That would be more fitting for the eye part. (And not gonna lie, Wolfy is judgy, even if he means well/projects his insecurities hard.) 

And another thing, Wolfwood has uncanny senses. Not Vash’ level, but they are definitely not human.

OOF! Big faux pax, Zazie. No one wants to be compared to Legato. *starts to write a comparison for this in a few volumes* *coughs*

What exactly is that plant aura stuff? Vash accidentally uses it when Home happened and it seemed like he was projecting his inner grief outwards. But Knives does not seem scared here. Which begs the question what is happening here? Is Knives able to project what he wants because he has more control over his plantiness? Or is Knives truly scared but Wolfwood’s own memory is distorted since he was affected by the projection? Or a secret third thing, like plants constantly emit such feelings of uncanniness due to their power and it takes experience to suppress it and Knives just does not care to do so? I think @/needle-noggins had an interesting theory about that, but I really do not know. This is too wishy-washy for me. :C

Vash, the weapon of mass destruction. The hole in the moon as a reminder. Not only that, the hole in the moon is Wolfwood’s first experience with Vash’ inhumanity. Can even a well-meaning weapon of mass destruction cause something other than the aforementioned mass-destruction? 

I love how Nightow sometimes draws a face with two different emotions. Vash is so sad and also incredibly peaceful at the same time. Is he sad for another betrayal? Or does he feel with Wolfwood who is in emotional turmoil right now? Is he peaceful because he trusts Wolfwood not to shoot? Or that he accepts his death at Wolfwood’s hand? After splitting the face up, I am at least sure of one thing. Vash is aware, but he would not dodge. Not for the position Wolfwood starts to take in Vash’ life, but that may part of it, Vash has just remembered July and he is not coping at all.

For fuck’s sake, don’t avoid talking to each other! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Just MOOD. That was me today when I put something away and caused a chain reaction that made a selfmade bowl land on my foot and then shatter.

Is… is he called Godot because they waited for him?

Not only that, guys… So much about the play is about waiting and not acting on your own impulse. Both Wolfwood and Vash are waiting for the other to take a step, to talk about it, about Knives, about everything! But both are doing nothing on their own. They hint or do verbal eurhythmics like Wolfwood, but in the end it boils down to the other acting on the hints. They wait for the other, but the other never comes. From their perspective, they are the people waiting for Godot, but they are each other's Godot at the same time. Godot never comes. The play “Waiting for Godot” ends with the people continuing to wait for Godot. This is an omen and it hurts me so muhuhuhuhuhuch. Or it is not an omen, since what follows is the fight scene where they get each other without talking and, well, Godot literally came.

This page. It kinda drives home WHO Wolfwood truly is. We already had a taste in the Midvalley fight, when Wolfwood used the cross to protect Milly. But the scene was used to stress how inhuman Wolfwood’s abilities are. Yes, Nightow also put focus on Wolfwood shielding Milly, but what Midvalley got from it was that even blinded and hurt, Wolfwood is aware of everyone’s position. Here, the cross that we saw used mostly as a weapon is used for what Wolfwood truly wants. Wolfwood doesn’t want to kill or hurt people. He is all about protecting close ones. While especially the orphanage, it does not count out other people he considers close or important.

Chekhov's table!

How can you not love this? They are so very aware of their different strengths and how to use them effectively. Are they in sync? I think they are starting to get there. Both are very aware where people are positioned and both know that the other can do their task successfully. The realisation that they were in sync dawned, I think at least Wolfwood, afterwards.

But IS Vash aware of Wolfwood’s inner struggles? He looks confused here. Does Vash understand how other people perceive their surroundings? How they did something not very human right now?

I think it is cute that Wolfwood calls himself by his forename here. Though the whole people calling Wolfwood Wolfwood may be because of the difference between Japanese and English? Japanese people use the surname to talk to people they don’t know well. The forename is for close friends, if I recall it correctly. But that is something, someone with more understanding of the different culture should look into!

With many siblings you learn to sleep tight! Poor Meryl, another night not slept well.

3. CrossxAssassins

Legato, you really do not understand how much Knives revolves around Vash. 

But yeah, Legato started to go crazy after Knives squished him. Big surprise. Legato built himself a world where only he would gain Knives’ attention and then it was utterly squished by Knives himself. But he cannot fault Knives for that, since Knives is perfect. So Vash is the problem. And the other GUn-Ho-Guns are lesser than him. But did Legato not get a number because he is so much better or because he does not even count? Or maybe he is irreplaceable? 

That’s what you get for working with suicidal men, Elendira!

But jokes aside, I want to know more about Elendira. We do not even get bits! Is she jealous because Legato seems closer to Knives? Close enough to be numberless? What is her relation to Knives? He deems her trustworthy, that’s for sure. And she isn’t miffed for not getting the whole picture like Legato who is slowly breaking apart from it.

If Legato was truly so devoted, he wouldn’t stray from his idol’s path. But here he is, deeming people worthy and unworthy and using Knives’ army for his very own gain. Legato’s devotion devolved into an obsession. He thinks he knows better what Knives wants than Knives himself. (And ironically, both are wrong!)

Motherfucking evil Didney queen bitch arse castle!

Vials? Vials! Also, I FINALLY GOT WHO THIS CLAMP-MF REMINDS ME OFF! Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass. Now I can rest.

Such a healthy mindset!

I… laughed tears. He just goes BOOMF! But his head... His head is so tiny!

So, the Eye of Michael is Knives’ personal cult and bootlickers. No wonder the guy has an inflated ego, if he has a whole cult devoted to him. Neither Vash nor their sisters have them around, so it is Knives' cult, not a plant cult.

I love how the chapter hints that Clamp-boy and… cowboy-devil are the missing EoMs, but then JINKS! NOPE!

IS THERE ANYTHING NORMAL ABOUT LEGATO?! This reminds me so much of that one dude in HunterxHunter.

But, yeah, nice of you to store your weird little play coins in your mouth! I’d love to take them from your tongue and stash them in my belongings for your little private death game.

[spiderh0rse]

shephard's mind notes, part 3, e11-15

e11

doesn't understand how his suit's weapon HUD works

plays around with it by naming the things he's touching then trying to outwit it by going all over the place with it

thinks about the mechanics

it doesn't list his CHOCOLATE BAR as a weapon

not jazzed with his suit measuring his life arbitrarily

teleports out of infinite Xen void!

"poor little guy, he's never seen a hologram before! :D" about a vortigaunt in the training course

he's breaking OUT of the training course

back to Xen briefly then wakes back up at Black Mesa

makes a portal reference.

upset he just got teleported black to back mesa

"once you go black mesa you never go back. mesa."

sarcasm Activated

slams buttons impotently

finally presses the big orange button

tops off his PCV while waiting

blatantly artificially added voice lines for the scientist

may read Terry Pratchett

considers fucking off with the portal gun but decides otherwise

gets shot by alien projectile,, probably in the bits

teleportation lab slash aquarium!

barely catches himself after falling out of a teleport

tries to use the portal gun Again while on Xen. Failure. Apparently out of ammo.

considers going down in Xen harder than going up

spots something?

this wide open space with no borders is echoing btw

more uranium! back he goes

e12

Back on Earth, in someone's locker.

Hears a voice! Is promptly deeply snarky to him.

Does introduce himself to Barney. This is Barney out there btw.

Does explain how he got into the locker until pressed.

Barney attempts to help Adrian by guessing the locker combination. Wants to go down every possible combinations.

Barney suggests blowing up the locker door.

Adrian suggests multiple methods of suicide as activities to perform after exploding the locker.

"This is the Fort Knox of lockers."

Barney seems to be fighting something just within hearing range.

Adrian pockets the pills in Gordon's locker. Antidepressants!

Notably the locker arrangement, according to Gordon, is not in its normal arrangement.

Asks Barney about the electrified toxic waste. Barney says it's an ingredient in Red Bull.

Adrian wants to tell Private Montgomery about this.

Barney finds out that Adrian is military and promptly wants to leave Adrian behind.

He is bribed back into letting Adrian out with the chocolate bar. Leaves to find some keys somewhere.

Adrian realizes the locker door opens inward. It's unlocked.

Tops himself off with the bathroom medbox.

Adrian doesn't think Barney sounds black.

Readjusting to Earth's gravity after Xen is messing with him some.

"Is that food? Fuck, I love food!"

Lays his hands on a can of soda. Comments that the vending machines are all that works.

Would like a healing factor. Thinks about what being a vampire would be like.

Upset that Twilight didn't make vampires burn under sunlight.

Still holding his drink going down the ladder.

Does not care where he's going.

Thinks the redundant warnings on the laser-caution tubes is backwards and unneeded.

The AMS is still spitting discharge.

e13

Adrian crosses the beams offscreen.

Mocks headcrabs for not having hands.

Doesn't like the rotating elevator, but doesn't say anything.

Poorly articulates his question about AnMat and the AMS being where all this trouble started. Receives no helpful answer.

Slur count: Four.

Wonders what would happen if he teleported a teleporter. Thinks it might blow up. Tries anyways.

Has a few moments hovering in nothing and is able to talk.

Irritated at the fragility of structures in Black Mesa.

Well and truly seems to be stuck teleporting around recklessly.

Picks up a crowbar for a moment, sets it down as to not weigh him down.

Decides he is going to look down. Wants to see where he's going.

Slur count: Five.

Decides to focus on burgers instead of death.

Doesn't notice landing on solid ground, meaning wherever the in-between is, it has a ground.

Starts drowning in one of the teleports, lands in stasis again and coughs up the water.

Has no HUD while Outside.

Deliberates with himself over what weapon he wants to use to destroy a random fusebox.

Shoots the first shockroach he sees.

Jokes about building a fort with uranium.

Teleports with his legs stuck in the floor. Not in pain, but can't move. Matter intersecting the landing point shoved aside. Aliens in walls probably just bust out.

Runs down a litany of things he or others could do to get out of the floor.

Would be alright with being a cyborg.

Teleports out of the floor, realizes his pants are missing, then they teleport separately onto him.

e14

Hopes he hasn't teleported to a space station and that the airlock doesn't lead to outer space.

Informs the portal he just wants to go to the other side of the door.

Lands on Xen. Sighs.

Thinks the Icthyosaurs are... Going at it.

Terrified of going through the shark tank. Says this levelly. Thinks he may develop a twitch.

Thinks the gas leak smells like french fries.

Believes headcrabs can parisitize corpses.

Dislikes the observation area. Can't see anything in there.

Portals are not animals, very good, Adrian.

Relives stress by shooting a door.

Somehow obtained a rock in his shoe.

Generally just in a foul mood.

Spiteful about how much electricity is being wasted trying to kill him.

Thinks a shockroach is trying to eat his arm.

Actually seems to be panicking for a moment until he realizes he can use the shockroach as a weapon. Calms down immediately.

Names the shockroach "Sparky!"

The thing teleporting into the observation area scares him. He decides to run from the voltigore, then turns around and kills it with Sparky.

As always, does not expect to gib anyone and is shocked when it happens.

Has been sprayed with many alien fluids.

Puts on a toy commercial voiceover voice.

e15

no longer surprised at things exploding into chunks. HE wields the electricity now >:)

Sings an alien-themed rendition of How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

his sarcasm reaches new heights

has NO clue what time it is. Wants to know. Didn't bring his watch because it's crappy and would break.

Thinks it's been two and a half hours since he woke up. Busy two hours.

Sparky discharged on accident. Adrian isn't upset.

Knew someone named Mikey, also military. Was going to go fishing with him, but he's probably dead now.

Familiar with Star Trek. Didn't like it, but respects the diversity in the cast.

Likes the elevator music :)

"And of course, the control room is out of control."

Attempts crawling through a vent before he tries breaking a vent.

Thinks a snark nest may be mold. Astounded at the snarks! Only response is "What?"

Criticizes the snark nests being in the vents and not the artificial habitat right outside.

Hates Whack-a-mole.

Bets a wizard caused all this mess.

takes the opportunity to do some drawing and spell out "ADRiAN kiCkS ASS!" in electric blasts

laughs at his defacing

once messed with the keyboards in aperture science

REALLY likes the Xen healing pools. Feels great heals even really old injuries

wonders what would happen if he drank it. Thinks it'd make him live forever. Not enthused about the idea of living with aliens forever.

[rainbow-pop-arts]

WA-CHAAA, we can talk about Trigun Maximum vol 1 now, baby!! This is part 1!

Some thoughts about TriMax chap 1-2 under the cut!

Here comes the The Punisher!!

Here comes Va- I mean, Eriks and Lina!

Okay…so, when I saw this in the anime I was like “Wait, is he actually gonna strip?” then BOOM, I saw his butt. (⁄ ⁄>⁄ _ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) He also acted like a dog and oh how much I screamed in cringe (Oh my, Wolfwood saw him naked ¬‿¬)

Epic plant healing ability. Man, I wonder what other cool plant ability he can do…that I don’t know of yet?

Aaaaaaw, Vash missed Wolfwood

Aaaaaaw, Wolfwood missed Vash

Oh yeah, someone told me that Vash retiring as Eriks is unhealthy coping. Here’s what they said:

“more like he doesnt want to cause the same amount of pain and suffering and since hes the cause of it all he goes “off-grid” (hiding in plain sight) 

"changing his name and way of life is apart of that”

“hes not taking accountability for his actions or even trying to stop the root cause”

“he just gave up there”

I guess that make sense? I dunno, what do you guys think?

I wanna…I wanna wrap him up in a blanket and hug him 🥺

Badass grandma. Don’t mess with a grandma who would grab a gun to save someone she cares about >:)

Here goes The Punisher and his epic machine gun that looks like a cross (truly a badass priest)

Oh woah guys, It’s Hamilton from act 2 of Hamilton the Musical!! Y'know, where he had a duel with Aaron burr

Just Vash and Wolfwood fighting for food (sorry for the bad manners, Granny Sheryl)

Real footage of grown man getting kicked by a 12-yr-old 2

Anyways, Vash being epic (see, Wolfwood thinks so too! :D)

Can we just…can we just appreciate these bits of moments that Vash had with Lina and Sheryl throughout 2 years??? 🥹

I wonder why part of his hair is black? (Damn, Lina sure is good at cutting hair, maybe she should cut mine if it gets a bit long)

Vash is best big bro

Welp, there they go leaving Lina and Sheryl (I hope we’ll see them again)

That's all for part 1! ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ"

Bonus thoughts: So I read a fanfic where reader was being taken care of by a dependent plant but that plant's more sentient than the other dependants. So cuz of that I have this silly imagination of a kid who's in the ship where Vash grew up on and that kid befriended that kind of dependent plant. (This is TriStamp-coded btw) Then it gets sillier, cuz then the dependent somehow have the ability to become tiny and the kid has container for the dependent. How does the dependent survive? Because of the special water it was in! ๑(◕‿◕)๑ .....I'm not sure if that would be possible but anything can be possible in the fanfic world

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

lies are only as good as the person telling them (and you've never claimed to be) part 5

I just read all of the parts to your Red Notice fanfic, which is fuckin' cool as hell btw, and it got me thinkin'. What would it look like for Sarah & Hartley to actively work on being better to Nolan? And how would Nolan react with all this new kindness/softness from them? I imagine he'd question if it was actually real, maybe a few "what alternative universe did I stumble into" moments. Perhaps some healing for these three disasters (/affectionate). – anon

Read on Ao3 Masterlist (scroll to the bottom for the other parts)

Warnings: recovering from a gsw

Pairings: booth/bishop/hartley

Word Count: 3634

Look, alright, if you’d told him that after he got shot he’d wake up in a parallel universe where everything is actually sort of sunshine and rainbows, he might have laughed and asked if you’re sure if it was him who got shot if you’re the one doing the crazy talk. It’s not like bullets have reality-shifting properties, at least not the ones that he’s used to using, and hey, if you’ve got a line on those suckers, you probably stand to make a hell of a lot more money than talking to him about stupid hypotheticals concerning what happens when you take a bullet for someone.

Oh, yeah, did he mention he recently took a bullet for someone?

And not just any fucking someone, he took a bullet for the fucking Bishop. Fuck whatever he said before about reality-shifting bullets, if you’d told him he’d end up taking a bullet for his biggest fucking rival like it was fucking nothing, no body armor, no plan, just he’d see a gun and oops, there he goes, he’d shoot you.

“No shooting anyone,” another voice grumbles from beside him, “you’re in no shape to be starting a gun fight.”

“I’ll show you shape for a gun fight.” Alright, not his best, but he has just been shot.

The person who’d spoken next to him grunts, shifting in the—bed? Bed? Yes, he’s in a bed. Wait, who the fuck is he in bed with when he just got shot?—in the bed and looking over at him. A drowsy, not-at-all-bright-tailed-and-bushy-eyed Hartley scowls at him. What, is he mad Nolan woke him? He’s the idiot that decided to share a bed with someone who just got shot.

“Hey,” Hartley rumbles, and then there’s a hand reaching across the space between them to brush something from Nolan’s face. “How’d you—Sarah?”

“Is he making a mess in there already?” Nope. Nope, no way, he must still be out of it because there’s no way that was fondness he just heard in the Bishop’s voice.

“No, he’s still a mess from before.”

“Hey! You see how glamorous you look after you get shot, big guy.”

Hartley just shakes his head and gets to his feet with another grunt, which doesn’t make any sense to Nolan, because who is Hartley if not the person to gruffly threaten to make him more injured if he doesn’t watch his mouth, and he goes over to the tiny bathroom. The light turns on and he hears the sink run for a second before the big man himself is walking back over—wait, what’s he holding?

”Whoa, whoa, big guy, I dunno what you think you’re gonna do with that—“

“It’s a washcloth, Nolan. You’ve still got blood on your face?”

Now, Nolan would have some sort of snappy remark for that, but he’s too busy catching his brain up to the fact that Hartley just called him Nolan.

He’s not Nolan to Hartley. He’s Booth, he’s Hey, You, he’s Dumbass, Smartass, Asshole, even Son of a Bitch on occasion. He most certainly is not Nolan. Maybe the bullet did more damage than he thought; is he about to die in this bed and their last act of basic human decency is to talk to him like they cares bout him? Well, butter his butt and call him a biscuit, he’d never thought he’d go out like this.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Hartley’s voice says, startling him from his maudlin spiraling, “it’s not that much blood.”

”Easy for you to say,” and if his voice comes out a touch more strangled than he’d hoped, Hartley’s kind enough not to mention it, “you’re not the one with blood on his handsome face.”

There’s a hand under his chin, admirably gentle for someone that size, and then the washcloth is passing smoothly over his jaw—oh, it’s cold. It’s really cold. It…it sort of feels nice. Distantly, Hartley chuckles, so he must’ve said at least some of that out loud, hopefully not the embarrassing parts, but he doesn’t want to think about that right now.

“Stay awake,” and there’s a gentle shake to his chin, “we need to get some food in you before you waste away on this bed.”

He blinks and tries to rouse himself, but it’s like pulling a stick out of molasses. Everything is all syrupy and slow and Hartley’s hand is still tenderly holding his chin and the washcloth is still passing gently over his face…how long does it take to clean blood off?

“The blood’s gone. But you seem to like this, so I’m indulging you.”

“How kind. Hope you’re not expecting…’xpecting me to return the favor.”

“Well, how about the next time I get blood all over my handsome face, we’ll see?”

Nah, he’s definitely still woozy. He’s for sure about to pass out. Because there’s no way he’d be rational, of sound mind and body, with all his faculties, and have his first reaction to that be an insane amount of pining. He’s not going to have a pain in his chest that rivals the ache in his side over how badly he wants to take a shitty, cheap ass washcloth and stroke it over Hartley’s stupidly handsome face. He’s not gonna think about how badly he wants to do that, to touch him, no siree. He’s not. Not gonna happen. Never in a million years.

“You don’t have to be rude about it, know.”

Shit. Stupid brain-to-mouth filter not working. “Nah. ‘S…that’s Bishop’s job, right? She’s the one—she’s your partner. She gets to patch you up all…all th’ way and make you feel better. Not me. Not…not me.”

The following silence is way too charged for Hartley not to be making some incredulous or otherwise facial expression, but Nolan’s not paying attention anymore. He’s closing his eyes and falling back into a fitful sleep where he’s still arguing about whether or not bullets can change what universe you’re in. He thinks he feels the washcloth leave and only spares it a moment of regret before he’s out like a light.

***

The next time he wakes up, it’s not to Hartley’s brick shit house of a body next to him. Instead, sunlight slants through the partially drawn curtains as traffic whizzes by outside. The ache in his gut colons with a vengeance, whatever painkillers wearing off as he tries to heave himself up with a grunt. A quick peek at his stomach shows a decent bandage job—admittedly, a better on than he would’ve given himself—and a pair of pants that are definitely not his. He pokes at them for a second before deciding that hey, if Hartley wants to suffer through cleaning his blood out of his pants, then he can sure as hell do that on his own time. Nolan will not be helping because it’s his fault the pants got on him in the first place.

No sooner has he gotten himself to the edge of the bed, prepared to announce as much to Hartley’s face, does the door swing open and there’s the Bishop, standing there in all her glory. Red lipstick perfectly done, one artfully plucked eyebrow raised like some sort of forbidding school matron out of every boarding school boy’s dreams. She looks him up and down—and nope, he must still be out of it because it looks like her expression softens a bit. Or she’s just looking at him like he’s a stupid puppy that got himself injured. Yeah, that’s probably it.

“You’re awake.”

“Yep.”

“And lucid too, that’s good.” He squints and the corner of her mouth ticks up. “You woke up a few times before this, but it didn’t seem like you were…yourself.”

“Is that concern I’m hearing from you?”

“Treating a gunshot wound is one thing, treating an infection is another.” She leans against the door and looks him over again. “You’ve got more color back. Good. Do you think you can stay awake long enough to eat something this time?”

“As long as you give me a drink with it.”

“Deal.”

He blinks. Wow, that was easy. He doesn’t even register that Bishop’s leaving. He blinks again to clear his head and grips the edge of the bed, gritting his teeth and starting to heave himself to standing.

“Whoa, whoa!” Strong hands on his shoulders, then the side of his ribs, then cupping the back of his neck. “What’re you doing?”

”Hartley?”

“Yeah, it’s me, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Bishop said food. ‘M going to the food.”

”The food’s come to you, now lie the fuck back down before you pop all those stitches we spent all that time putting in you.”

”Jeez, take it easy, big guy, I’m not a…a…”

Hartley raises an eyebrow.

“Shut up, it’ll come to me.”

“I’m sure it will, Maybe it’ll come to you faster if you lie down.”

He puts up another good-natured grumble but lets Hartley ease him back down to the bed. He tries to draw the line at Hartley propping a pillow behind him but the man just gives him a look and reluctantly allows it. Not that he actually has much of a choice.

“Never thought I’d see the day that you’re willing to play nursemaid.”

“Injuries happen in this line of work. We all do what we have to.”

“You couldn’t have put a little more effort in then? Get one of those sexy nurse costumes and really make a thing of it?” Hartley just gives him another look. “I can see if now, that weird little card hat on your big, beautiful bald head—“

The door swings open again and in comes the Bishop, carrying a small tray of—oh, shit.

“I thought I asked for a drink.”

”Water is a drink.” She picks up the glass and hands it to him, meeting his glower with a polite smile. “Not too fast, now.”

“You both are acting like I’ve never been shot before,” he grouses, sipping at the water, “you, I get, but you!”

He points at the Bishop.

“You’ve shot me before, you know how it goes.”

There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flicker of something on the Bishop’s face and Hartley jumps in. “I’m surprised at you, Booth, I thought you’d be milking this a lot more than you are.”

“Excuse me, good sir, I have never milked a single thing in my entire life! I react with the perfectly appropriate amount of melodrama to every occasion.”

They both make doubtful noises.

“Okay. That smarts. As your patient, I think your bedside manner needs some work.”

The Bishop raises another challenging eyebrow and picks up the spoon, brandishing it like a threat. “Do we need to feed you too?”

“I’m not a baby bird, I can feed myself.” She smirks and holds out the spoon. He grunts and heaves himself up, straining for it—no, he is not sweating from this, his hand is not shaking, he just needs to— “See? Perfectly able.”

The Bishop hums and Hartley wordlessly moves the tray a little closer to him. He takes a victorious bite of the eggs in defiance of their judgmental stares and can’t stop the way his eyes widen. Fuck, of course they also had to be great at making omelettes. And if the way Bishop’s smirk widens, she knows what thought just crossed his mind.

“Taste good?”

“If we ever need to infiltrate a restaurant, you’re going undercover as the food snob.”

It’s as close to an outright compliment he’s going to let himself give, at least when her expression softens yet again into something akin to—

Nope. Not thinking about that.

“So,” he says, swallowing way too quickly and coughing a bit, “how much time did we lose?”

They snap back into heist professional mode and he doesn’t think about how good the omelette tastes as they talk shop.

That’s a lie.

He thinks about it a lot.

***

As it turns out, they only lost a few days. It’s not put them behind schedule; if anything, it’s actually filled the extra time Arlo needed to get the forgery done. Which means it’s time for the next part of the plan: actually getting their covers invited to the big gala that’s happening at the Louvre the night of the planned heist.

Nolan did make a pitch for letting himself come too—after all, all three of them are going to be there that night—but the Bishop talked him down.

It makes less sense for you to be there, especially if you’re injured. Besides, you’re planning on being part of the security team. If you’re going to have a pre-existing association with us, that makes that more difficult.

Which is true, but now that means he’s going to sit here in this cramped, shitty apartment all by himself while the Bishops are being their power-couple selves with the rest of the Parisian art elite.

Judging by the way Hartley keeps eyeing him as they prepare for this gala, he knows it too. He knows it so much, in fact, that he seems to be going out of his fucking way to make sure Nolan knows he’s as involved in this as they are, even though he’s not coming to the gala. Even fucking asks if Nolan can help make sure his walk is right again.

“The last thing we need is for one of them sniffing me out when there’s one less of us there,” he says while Nolan stares at him, agog and aghast, “so?”

Nolan immediately looks at the Bishop, because he’s not so oblivious not to know that this was the genesis of their whole fucking argument last time that ended with him getting shot, and she’s sitting right fucking there as Hartley asks him. She just raises an eyebrow and lifts a single shoulder in a half-shrug.

“He’s right. We have one less pair of eyes. Best take advantage of them while we have them.”

And no, he’s not going to think about the way she’s looking at him while she says it. He adjusts his somewhat precarious position on the couch and clears his throat.

“Alright. Show me.”

He’s never going to fully pass up a chance to ogle Hartley, not when he’s been given carte blanche to do so, but he can’t fucking shake the feeling of the Bishop being right there, on the other end of the couch. Every time he notices something and calls it out, she makes this little humming noise that sounds dangerously close to approval. And Hartley—Hartley’s listening to him. Not in that begrudging way where he knows Nolan’s actually got a point, or in that way where he’s filing Nolan’s most intimate details away to sharpen into scalpels later, he’s just—he’s listening. And every time he gets to the base of the couch, right where Nolan is, he looks down at them with those big soft eyes and fuck, Nolan is too injured and not nearly drunk enough for this.

“I think that’s as good as it’s going to get,” he says weakly, putting himself out of his misery about twenty minutes later, “you no longer walk like a cop, congrats.”

“Let’s hope it’s good enough for the gala.” The Bishop pushes herself to her feet in one fluid motion as Hartley goes to the kitchen. “Did Arlo give you a more concrete time frame for when the piece can be moved?”

“It’s, uh, supposed to be ready in a week. Something about…drying time and all that.”

The Bishop gives him a look that, again, is really riding that razor thin line of almost being fond and he suddenly cannot be in this room anymore.

“If that’s all you need from me, I’m hitting the hay.”

The both give him blasé remarks about sleeping well and he heads back to the bed. The bed, not his bed, he’s only allowed to sleep on it ‘cause he’s injured and even they are merciless enough to make him sleep on the couch while he has a bullet hole in him. He starts to peel himself out of his being-a-somewhat-person-during-the-day clothes, but no matter what he does, the stitches won’t let him move so much as almost enough to get the shirt all the way off.

“Hey, Hartley? Could use your big strong muscles for a sec.”

He shuffles around to get his pajamas all ready as the door swings open, but it’s not Hartley’s hands that reach up to help slide the shirt from his shoulders. Instead, cool hands with carefully filed nails ease the material off and his breath catches in his throat.

”You’re not Hartley.”

“He’s in the bathroom.” The Bishop reaches around to pluck the pajama shirt from the bed, one hand on his shoulder prompting him to hold still. “How far can you raise your arms?”

He manages to get them almost level with his shoulders before he has to stop. She hums, fabric rustling as she undoes the buttons, before she takes his hand and guides his arm through one of the sleeves.

Just breathe. Just fucking breathe. For the love of God, just fucking breathe.

She goes around to his other side and pauses. Nolan’s breath hitches in his throat as he feels her nails trace gently over the scar on his back. A bullet wound. The one she gave him over one of their struggles in…god, where was it? Laos?

“You didn’t stitch this properly,” she murmurs, voice way too soft, “it healed wrong.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not exactly at an easy angle.”

She’s quiet for a few moments, before her touch leaves him. He fails let out the breath he’d been holding with any sort of subtlety, but she doesn’t seem to hold it against him. She feeds his other arm through the sleeve and walks to his front, slowly beginning to do up the buttons. Some part of him knows he should make another joke, say he can do it himself, or even just try and take over, but he doesn’t. He’s as useless as he was on that fucking beach when she looked at him with that fucking smile as Hartley put his arm around her. He can’t do a damn thing, not until she cues him for it, because as much as he’d like to imagine himself as anything else, he’d just a pawn in their game.

Right. The game.

“You should talk to Hartley,” he says, proud that his voice is only a little strangled, “you’re much better at playing nursemaid than he is.”

She doesn’t laugh, but she doesn’t scold him for it either. Instead, she just looks at him for a long, long moment.

“Get some rest, Nolan.”

And she leaves.

Fuck.

He does not throw himself onto the bed, he has more respect for his healing body than that, but he does glower up at the ceiling.

What the fuck are they playing? Has he not made it obvious enough that he’s not retaliating for the whole mess with the eggs? Well, he is, but they don’t need to know the specifics just yet. And yet they’re stinging him along like he’s—like he’s—like they were when they were still pretending Hartley was on his side, only now…

He closes his eyes and forces himself to take a deep breath. He’s been on this side of seduction plays enough to know what it feels like when he starts to slip. He’s so close to the edge that he’s practically kissing oblivion right now. He makes himself take one, two, three more before he opens his eyes again.

He knew what he was getting into. He know what they’d be like when he started working with them instead of against them. He knew they were going to try and fuck him over again seeing as it worked so well the last time. This world is not the world of sunshine and rainbows where every one gets their happy ending. This is the twist ending world, where if he’s not prepared to yank the rug out from under them, they’ll pull it from under him and whatever shit that happened with the eggs will look like fucking child’s play.

But as he soon as he thinks about it, his chest starts to get tight again and he’s handcuffed to a tree, in a sweltering jungle, mosquitoes making their livelihoods in his neck as he tries not to cry over a broken heart and a stolen egg. So he squeezes his eyes shut and lets himself live in the fake world for just a little longer.

The one where the Bishop carefully brushed her fingers over the scar she’d given him and button up his shirt for him when it hurt to much to raise his arms.

The one where Hartley took a cool washcloth and carefully cleaned his face, continuing because it seemed like Nolan liked it.

The one where they made him breakfast, the one where they slept in the same bed, the one where they cared.

He learned how to cry silently a long time ago and he’s never forgotten how. But maybe he has forgotten what it’s like to be cared for, and if even a phony imitation of it is here, then maybe…

Maybe there’s something to those reality-shifting bullets after all.

[flurrin]

RE6 Deep Lore Analysis: Prologue

Welcome to my series where I pick apart a 10+ years old game frame by frame to analyze the storytelling, cinematography, characters and of course additional Lore to fill in the gaps that either don't exist or are poorly conveyed. I'm doing this because the game is often dismissed for being convoluted and too far removed from the Resident Evil series in terms of mechanics. These things are true and it's very much an imperfect game! But the story has a lot of brilliance that goes unrecognized and I want to dive in how the whole thing works, both to new players and to those already enmeshed in the universe. To read the series in order, go here!

Great shot to open the story on, a regular chrysalis thriving in an abandoned car, transforming into something new. We don't get to see anything beautiful like a moth or butterfly unfurling its wings for the first time, we see the insect, and then we cut away as disaster strikes. This obviously foreshadows the use of cocoons as enemy mechanics, and for Leon's campaign in particular, the lack of signs of surviving human life (including over the preceding establishing shots of a fiery city block filmed through the windows of the car) really set the mood.

I don't know if this was the shot that spawned RE's love of 1st person intros later seen in RE3R (not counting 7 because the entire game is 1st person) but it's an impressive bit of camera work, paring down the controls of the game so the player doesn't even have a body per se to control yet, just eyes and interaction commands (the interaction commands + QTEs themselves are...a little bit of a mess gameplay-wise for sure). We don't know this is Ada or that she's actually shooting at the zombies around Leon and not at him and Helena, so there's an active threat without having to push the player into combat right away.

RE6 is excellent at transition shots, here the gun is highlighted by the helicopter and thrown into the foreground of the next shot so your brain has realigned to recognize this is the POV character seamlessly. This is like a really basic shot, I'm going to show you some CRAZY animated camera tricks later, but it's good to keep in mind that the director knows what he's doing and is doing it well. This shot, this sequence, is also a perfect encapsulation of Leon's character as described in the very first game file. Leon protects the innocent, no matter the risk. He frames Helena, big and square and determined.

Helena being injured in this sequence also aids the tutorial's method of paring down the controls into something simpler, carrying her encumbers Leon, multiplayer doesn't exist yet. It also gives the player immediate stakes to worry about--someone is relying on Leon, and he cares, so the player cares too. We also first learn Helena is self-sacrificial through these extra interactions that don't get a chance to show up in the final game.

The purpose of this kind of hair in character design is to make a character's eyes, and therefore emotions, harder to read (this will be significant again when we talk about Jake later btw). Leon has a lot of baggage from RC and he feels it a lot, but he plays things close to the chest and hides behind his hair. In this way, even though he's a familiar protagonist, he feels almost as mysterious as Helena at the start, giving them an instant reason to connect.

RE6's answer to fixed camera angles is to still frame things cinematically rather than just for the benefit of the player. It's not a great approach to gameplay but thankfully in this one, Leon course corrects on his own and you just have to hold the buttons.

The camera is alive and active through these shots as they fall onto the glass, Leon's body framing the zombies below until they're clear to see beyond the edge of the cracks, a moment of peace before they look up, and the eye follows the path that the ornate light fixture is about to follow and crush them. They're trapped in by the circle of glass and the edges of the lantern.

I will say I hate the last shot of this prologue because the one that opens the game proper is essentially the same exact shot and it always throws me off, the first time I played I was like "Wait, what happened to the giant spire thing we were just standing next to, how are we in a college now". But it was an intentional choice at least to make the transition into the first chapter a lot smoother, I get that.

That's all for the prologue, I didn't want to cover this entire post in "the cinematography is so good here", but as we go through the cutscenes, be sure to keep your eyes on how the lines of the scene (such as Leon's gun and the tiles in the background of that last screencap) line up with the character's eyes to bring your attention there. Everything in the prologue is meant to build up intrigue so there's very little story and I'll talk less about cinematography going forward, but if you want a really good breakdown on what makes a good shot, I can't recommend this case study on Brad Bird's Incredibles enough. See you next time!

[pancake-breakfast]

Time to finish up volume 1 of TriMax!

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 1, Chapters 5-6 below.

Chapter 5: Dancing Revolver

Gods, Vash always has to do that little hip jut, doesn't he?

Eyyy, geranium scene!

It's funny because geraniums are seen as almost plain here. They get used a lot in, like, planters for strip malls and such because they're hardy, drought-resistant beasts that need very little care and grow nicely from cuttings so they're cheap AF to reproduce and spread around. (BTW, if you ever want to add some pretty geraniums you see out in public to your yard/patio/whatever, you can just "borrow" a nice stem from that plant, take it home, and probably grow it for yourself.)

Vash is a growing boy. Of course he's thinking with his stomach.

As someone who has tended to them, I can confidently say that geraniums are definitely determined....

I'm sure he's trying to look somewhat fierce here, but mostly he just looks annoyed.

Uh oh. Vash might have the attention of someone who will try to do some damage.

Yeah... don't go pointing guns at people (purposely or no) if you're all tensed up. You might make a regrettable move.

Oh, no. I remember this guy from the anime. Please send him back where he came from.

LOL, this Elena girl is abandoning her duties to check out Vash the Stampede.

HAHAHAHAHAHA, it's the Vash slaughter song!

"Won't leave a single man alive." Vash, you're so full of shit right now, it's hilarious.

Sorry, Wolfwood. Now you have to deal with Vash being dramatic and calling attention to himself.

The funniest thing about this page to me is how Vash goes from screaming, "AAAAAAAA!!!" in Japanese to screaming, "AAAAAAAAA!!!" in English.

Pretty sure he just turned into a windmill of legs and coattails.

Yeah, from what I gather, bullet-proof vests don't keep you from getting nasty bruises and broken ribs. They just keep the hot lead from entering your body and doing the kind of damage that's harder to recover from.

He's remembering this morning's training session, I see.

Hey, Vash warned them....

Did he miss, though? Did he??

LOL, yeah, he did not.

This is, like, a Vash catchphrase at this point.

Well, if he didn't have Vash's attention before, he has it now.

Chapter 6: Sin

This doesn't have anything to do with the manga; I just want to note the number of times I've tried to navigate these pages by pushing left instead of right on my keyboard ('cause that's the way you read manga) is really, really high.

The contrast between the doctor's optimism and Brad's pessimism. Also, doc's viewing glass.

Wolfwood is having WAY too much fun spectating here. He looks like he's genuinely enjoying the chaos of it all.

Even scum can beg for its life when the tables are turned. Is the regret true and will it stick, or will being allowed mercy only open the door to further atrocities down the line? Do we have the right to decide?

Vash is making a choice, and it's not a choice to do nothing.

Hehhhh, people saying, "What do you know about my pain?" to Vash. Yes, this kind of pain is unique and individual, and Vash hasn't been through anything quite like losing a daughter in such a horrific fashion (that we know of; he is quite old), but he does understand both horrific loss and unimaginable betrayal, as well as the grief, self-blame, and feelings of utter helplessness that can come in its aftermath.

Poor Vash. He looks like hell after that fight. Probably feels like it, too.

Vash gave the father time to not become a murderer, and that's the sort of thing that would be of infinite value to Vash.

This panel, though. Important character notes here. In fact, one might say the only person Vash might not see as family on this planet is his very own twin.

The doctor sure has some trust in Vash getting out of things. And... he probably knows Vash well enough to know Vash would regret if his situation caused trouble for the doc and the rest of the people on that steamer.

LOL, Wolfwood, making a dramatic entrance, ready to bust through everything with hot lead and his beloved bike. He looks like an antihero arriving to save his kidnapped woman.

Hahahahahahaha, he pretty much buried Vash in rubble with that entrance. Mmmmmaybe didn't think it all the way through....

This panel has the same energy as Wolfwood telling Vash that kicking a rocket out of the air was "fucking stupid."

Awww, Wolfie, your heart of gold is showing....

We're just gonna ignore these panels where WW warns Vash that one of these days, pushing his luck won't work and he'll have to choose. I'm sure there's no foreshadowing in that whatsoever. Nope, none at all.

Ok, I tried to ignore it, but I also want to note I think Stampede did an excellent job capturing this running theme of how Vash is walking a precarious path trying not to choose. I don't remember that theme at all in '98. (Not saying it wasn't there; just saying it doesn't stand out in my memory.) Meanwhile, it's not just core to Vash's story in Stampede, but it's core to Meryl's and Wolfwood's stories in Stampede, too, even if in theirs, it's not mentioned so explicitly by the narrative.

Goshdarn it. That stupid Hitler-moustached, too-tall bowler hat guy is still here. Yes, yes, I know he wasn't dealt with so he can't just leave. But I want him to leave because it's better than him being in the narrative.

SEE?!!? GOOD PEOPLE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE PUPPETS LIKE THAT. SEND BOWLER HAT GUY BACK!!!

Uuuuhhhhh.... Look, I get that Legato (like a good percentage of the major characters in this story) likes fetish gear, but wearing a freaking iron maiden is taking it to a whole 'nother level.

Also, is he really big, or is this new creature person very small, or is the panel just framed weird for weird perspective? Questions....

Author Bonus Chapter: Gun Love Island

SALUTATIONS!!!

If this panel is meant to be the inside of Nightow's brain, it's a... very busy place. I do have a special appreciation for the dragon dissolving into a single sexy fishnet leg.

Oh, so the '98 anime had already started by the time this collection came out.

"First half of the story." LOL, half. Lies. But this might be a bit of a translation error. I've seen it elsewhere. Seems like (and I could be wrong here since I'm not a Japanese language expert by any means) the Japanese terms for parts of things don't necessarily mean equal parts like they do in English. To clarify, in English, if we say "a third," we mean 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 = 1, but the Japanese term that usually gets translated into 1/3 (三分; literally "three parts") can also mean 1/3 + 1/2 + 1/6 = 1. It's still referring to one part of three out of the whole, but that part is not necessarily equal to the other parts. Then again, the characters usually used for "half" are 半分 rather than 二分, and to the best of my knowledge, 半 does indeed mean equal halves, so maybe I'm wrong in this instance. I don't know, I'm not reading this in Japanese and I've only studied the language for like 3 years, which is nothing for Japanese.

Hahahahaha, sounds like Trigun is a bit of a case of the story running away with the author. It happens sometimes.

I'm also happy that people like Nightow's characters. Thank you very much.

[bruce-wayne-simp]

Ok yall im about to watch Remainder (2015)

I love how when i started my Sandman obsession i was like 'ok but we arent gonna get obsessed with Tom Sturridge' and now here we are. Ive watched Pirate Radio like 3 times and now im watching this

Disclaimer: idk what exactly this movie is about. Ive read a synopsis before but that was a while ago and i forgot what it was so 🤷‍♀️

The rest is under a read more, so, incoherent rambling ahead (hopefully). If not ill just be yelling abt how pretty he is i guess

Spoilers ahead

Oh god its starting aaahhhh

Hes panting....

So he's walking around frantically (but not like. Panicked) with a suitcase

Ok he left his luggage and now something fell-

HOLY SHIT he just got bashed in the head by something falling

How is he not fucking dead that was BRUTAL

Oh ok so hes basically dead??

Oh no hes awake actually

3 minutes in and this is a rollercoaster already jesus

Ok so he's in the MRI end he's remembering something

Ok creepy old lady

HE'S SPEAKING AAAAHHHH

Oooh he's scraggly here. Long hair and a beard

Ouch i feel bad for him :( he got tea and then fell while carrying it back to the bed

Did he rip the phone cord out of the wall on purpose

Ok tbh this is getting kinda tedious

Ooooh wait now its getting interesting

Ok so hes in the phone booth bcs he accidentally(?) pulled his phone cord out of the wall and this guy is impatient and wants to use the phone but gives up and goes away.

Then these two guys pull up in a car and are trying to get him out of the phone booth. The guy from before pulls out his phone and starts recording and one of the two guys reveals he has a gun. The guy recording manages to spook the two guys off.

Tom (T. Sturridge's character) gets out of the booth with the help of the recording guy, looks at him intensely and calls him Christopher. Chris gets kinda freaked out bcs that's his name and Tom somehow knows it.

INTRIGUING. Which is great bcs i was about to skip forward

Oh shit now there's some lady in his house

He knows her??? Ok

Also he did rip the phone out of the wall on purpose

Oh thank god hes getting a haircut

Oh also btw hes getting a settlement for the accident which is 8.5 million pounds but after taxes and stuff itll be like in the hundred thousands. The catch is that he can't talk about it. Which to him is all well and good bcs he doesn't remember anything about it.

Its kinda implied by this point that there's more to this than just an accident

Aww he's talking to the lady (idk her name and at this point we don't know his either) and he says he remembers her. He specifically remembers seeing her right before the accident (which we saw earlier), he remembers her smell and remembers kissing her or someone who looks like her

They're in the lawyers office and GOD is he pretty here

I noticed the way he moves his hands kinda oddly in The Sandman and i wondered if that was a character choice but i think he just Does That?? Idk we'll see

Im so confused. What??

I'm even more confused

How dare he look pretty with blood on his face looking pathetic in the subway

Oh shit thats a little complicated

So he went to this guys house where hes having a halloween party. The dudes name is Greg(??) and knows our guy. We find out the lady's name is Catherine and she is Gregs wife. Our guy is kinda agitated and trying to leave (for some reason) and Greg keeps pulling him back. Greg drops that she is/was his wife and that shes a liar and our guy pushes past him, goes into the bathroom amd vomits in the sink.

"Blizz. I think youre bad at explaining. None of this makes sense!" Exactly. Im even more confused

I have faith this will all make sense soon. We are only 30 mins in.

Is this just a 'this movie' thing or a British thing?? Is everyone this impatient all the time?? First hes in the phone booth for literally 5 seconds before someone tells him to hurry up. Now hes in the bathroom for maybe like 1 minute before people are like 'hey hurry it tf up' like CHILL yall

Ok nows a good time to mention this. He keeps having visions/flashbacks of this little boy in a red and blue coat and a creepy old lady

Oh shit that was intersting. Ok so he had a vision of walking around his flat and he winds up in the stairwell and he sees the old lady. She says something and he cant make it out so he asks 'What?' and she looks kind of up and next to him and the little boy is right there. The boy holds a hand out, our guy closes his eyes and he opens them to find himself still in the bathroom.

Wild. Ok. Im a bit more intrigued than confused now

Ok he was in the bathroom for an hour apparently. Theyre justified in yelling at him. But he also suffered severe brain damage so 🤷‍♀️

✨️arts and crafts time✨️

Catherines back!

He's kinda wary of her after his convo with Greg but she shows pics of herself in Oxford (where she said she was going) then they start bantering a bit and he says theyve had this conversation before and asks if she remembers and she says no :(

They're kissing aahhh

Oh shit Greg called her

He threw her phone at the wall and told her to get the fuck out

Hes not having a good time. Tbh he never was

Ok so he made a cardboard house during his arts and crafts time. For what? I have no idea.

Ok he lifted up the top and now he just destroyed it. Forget about the house we hate the house

Ok actually don't forget about the house he's calling realtors to ask about the house he recreated

Use a laptop you loser ❤️

OOOOH OKAY

So remember the vision he had in the bathroom?? THATS THE HOUSE HES LOOKING FOR. THE HOUSE HE WAS IN IN THE VISION. IT WASNT HIS FLAT.

Ok i think i get it? Hes having these visions and he remembers things and hes trying to recreate the memories and figure out what the visions are

Ok also i like the realtor guy. Hes working with him to figure out what the place hes been seeing is. Down to the old lady and the little boy.

Also we find out more details. The old lady cooks liver all the time to the point where our guy can smell it upstairs and puts her trash out whenever our guy leaves his apartment. Theres a guy who composes music and our guy can hear it upstairs.

Like hes professional and obviously a biy weirded out but hes not just like. Dismissing him out of hand

Also id youve seen The Kissing Gifs, this guy is the guy he kisses later on

The realtor guys colleagues find the house within like. Minutes and our guy is THRILLED

"I want you full-time, all the time." "Im not cheap." KISS ALREADY, DAMN

Oh shit it's those two guys from the phone booth

Oh ok so he wants to literally recreate the visions. He bought the complex he was seeing and he described the lady and the other dude so the realtor guy can move them in i guess?? And hes having construction workers make it EXACTLY as he saw it.

This man has Issues. Thats it thats the movie(?)

Oh my god he's having it recreated down to the fucking CATS on the roof. Jesus christ.

This part is hilarious

Ok so they tied the cats down to the roof bcs they were falling off the roof (horrifying). Our guy sees this and is like 'wtf no' so they have this amazing convo

Naz: These are the last cats we have

Tom: ...so?

Naz: So if they fall we'll be cat-less

Tom: Then we'll get more cats- why are we even having this conversation?

Like it's awful but funny as shit

Realtor guys name is Naz (we just found out)

(The cat handler quit btw)

Jfc he's like. Inspecting the people who are moving in with Intense Eye Contact

Oh my god hes like. Ordering this guy to do nothing but compose music that has ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN day in and day out and start over again and again

Holy fuck this is so Wild. There are people in line who literally have their faces covered (bcs i guess he doesn't know what they look like????)

He just told this lady that there's a broom closet but he doesn't want her to ever use it. But she needs to think about it. WHAT THE FUCK

"You will notice there are some rooms that have been left blank. Like the masks some of you are wearing. You're not less important, you're just less specific."

Hey. Hey Tom. Do you take constructive criticism? How about you use that small fortune and go to ✨️therapy✨️

Greg's a bit of a douche

Wow this is creepy as shit

He's going into the house and everyones in place recreating the vision but its just so... produced.

Hes micromanaging the SHIT out of this

HE WANTED TO MAKE THE LITTLE BOY APPEAR AGAIN. HE TOLD NAZ THAT THE BOY APPEARS WHEN EVERYTHING'S RIGHT. I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE LITTLE BOY

Also the old lady fell when she was doing her thing and it knocked him out of seeing the boy

Christopher (the guy from the phone booth) seems chill.

Also Toms proposition is weird but not like. Actively malicious. He told Chris that he wanted him to stay at the phone booth. The longer he stays the more he gets paid. Also that the phone will ring and he gets paid if he answers it

We have 50 minutes left in this fucking movie

Oooohhhh hes sleeping with some random lady to try and recreate a memory i think

OH he's trying to recreate the memory with Catherine but without Catherine

Nooo those guys got Christopher :(

Naz is a real one

Oh god hes recreating Christophers death. HES PLAYING THE ROLE OF CHRISTOPHER HIMSELF

He had the guys use an ACTUAL TASER on him

Naz was like 'youre not using an actual taser' and Tom was like 'then go home' and i guess Naz decided to stay lmaooo

He threw up afterwards bcs being tased is Not Fun and was like 'again' and Naz (who is very sweet) was like 'i don't understand why it's necessary to hurt yourself'

Once again, NAZ IS A REAL ONE

Theyre still doing it again tho

Nvm he walked out of the phone booth and immediately collapsed lmao

Oof the lady he has playing Catherine is Over It

'I won't hurt you' he says as he has his hand around her neck

Men will do literally anything other than go to therapy

He scared the living shit out of her and now she's just reciting her lines on autopilot to appease him

To his credit, he feels bad about it (bare minimum)

Nvm about that actually

Sir you just traumatized some random lady bcs YOU can't deal

Oh fuck

Ok so the two guys got him

Apparently he stole the suitcase he had in the beginning of the movie before the accident and they wanna know where it is

Which is a problem bcs Tom can't really remember anything

Oh shit they're torturing him abt it

Oh wow that house is super fucked up

Literally everyones waiting in place and Tom and Naz are just. Upstairs.

They've been frozen for OVER AN HOUR

Tom's just. Watching tv like he doesn't have a dozen people frozen in place downstairs.

Wealth really does fuck you up huh

Ok bcs of Reasons theyre reenacting a bank robbery. Don't ask me why. I know why but i just don't feel like explaining it

Is Naz a realtor? I don't think he is actually. I just assumed. Sorry Naz.

At least he has a lot of stuff to put on his resume now? He could make a killing in theatre. That's basically what he's doing now is stage managment

Omg in this scene he looked like Dream for a second there

See, he wants it to feel real, but he's producing it every step of the way

THEY KISSED

Holy shit

Ok so. Basically he wants to do an actual bank robbery.

The hyperrealistic set isn't enough. If im hearing him correctly he wants to do an actual, honest to god bank robbery with real guns and everything at the actual bank where it happened

Without the actors' knowledge

Guess who works at the bank? Catherine.

This is so fucked up

What the fuck

Holy shit Tom shot him

What a psychopath

Oh my GOD

He just shot all the actors

THE KID IS REAL

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

WHAT THE FUCK

IM SHAKING WHAT THE FUCK

BRO YOU JUST KILLED 4 PEOPLE

NO FUCKING WAY

ITS STARTING OVER AGAIN

Its over oh my god

Final thoughts: Just... im speechless. What the fuck. I dont even know what to think. What a trip. It starts off super slow but damn. I might rewatch just to figure out what the Fuck but thats not high on the priority list. I might watch Like Minds next??

[lenorethequietbookkeeper]

(Screencapping the og post cause it's pretty long)

Ok so this is something I've wanted to do with my own old fucks, but I didn't know exactly how I wanted of go about doing it!!! Until my mate @prettyputrified sent in the ask that gave me an idea; polyvores!! So anyway, I made some more "What's in [x character]'s bag" type posts as a response to this!

(Shout-out to @/cuuno for the og concept btw! Png credit will be in reblogs)

(Read tws in tags before proceeding)

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Sylvain's Bag

Work Bag: The plain black bag Sylvain takes with him when he goes on jobs. It contains only what he needs, which are usually no more than his weapon of choice and his collection of burner phones. Oh, and a pack of cigarettes. Murder is pretty stressful after all.

Casual Bag: Sylvain's own personal purse and wallet. Despite his rough and violent demeanor, he loves self expression and indulging in the emo/pastel goth aesthetic.

- Pocket 1: Self defense pocket. The streets of Pythonel are a dangerous place, so Sylvain makes sure not to leave the house without a gun and/or knife. The weed is purely for sale by the way, not edglord enough I guess.

- Pocket 2: Self care pocket. Contains his own personal phone, which he decorates in cool stickers he finds while out and about. Also makeup and protection, in case he wants to doll up for someone he fancies.

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Aldin's Bag

Shopping Bag: Aldin just uses the same plastic shopping bag he got ten years ago to carry everything. Usually has empty cans and drug garbage in there with everything else. Phone is busted to hell, but you know Aldin's broke ass can't replace it. Get your shit together man what is this???

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Jeagar's Bag

Bag: Ann made it (and basically all his clothes) for him. She tries to include stuff she knows Jeagar likes on it. He never says it aloud, but his old ass appreciates it. Always has bugs inside it that he finds in dire circumstances.

- Pocket 1: Used to store weapons and cigarettes. Usually alternates between his collection of fancy weaponry when he goes out. Matchboxes are from Ann's thrift shopping. Never buys any of his cigarettes, instead he digs up used ones from the dump.

- Pocket 2: Leisure pocket. Contains whatever books he's reading at the moment. Carries around his favorite songs on cassette tapes because the radio people have bad taste. Phone is an old ass brick phone he's had for the last 20 years. How does that thing still work??

- Pocket 3: Emergency pocket. Always has at least one Molotov cocktail in his bag. Just in case.

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John's Bag

Backpack: Simple brown backpack John brings when he goes on trips. Has his keys and pins that he finds funny. Tomagachi is a gift from Ferris for when he's stressed out.

- Front Pocket: Sketch pocket. Has all his little sketchbooks and pencils for when he's bored. Also draws on pieces of loose paper like receipts and used envelopes.

- Inside (smaller part): Comfort pocket. Has porn and alcohol in it all the time, always. Keeps more hardcore drugs in a vintage tin case. Please don't ask about the wedding ring.

- Inside (larger part): All the random shit he's stolen. Purely does it to satiate his "tendencies", as he calls it. Usually takes valuables or vintage items, but will nab literally anything if need be.

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Charles' Bag

Backpack: Old backpack Charles covered in cool stickers and patches. Loves creepy stuff and clutter, which shows in how he decorates most of his belongings. Negative space who?

- Front Pocket: Fun shit pocket. Ready access to drugs, money, music, and most importantly, video games. Phone is some dinky bullshit covered in stickers. Actually has to replace it semi-regularly due to being a temperamental little bitch that destroys shit.

- Main Pocket: "Important" storage pocket. Where he puts his bong when he goes out to a buddy's. Pretty much always has a shitload of random snacks. Always contains at least two guns no matter what.

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Ferris' Bag

Handbag: Bag Ferris stole from a thrift store and covered in patches and pins. Decorates the same way Charles does, but has more vintage and kidcore-esc tastes. Oh and also sexy ladies.

- Pocket 1: Storage pocket. Always has drugs on him, either to sell or use. Keeps his wallet in there for business purposes. Mainly has weed, but will also carry other stuff too.

- Pocket 2: Fun pocket. Books and video games for when he's bored. A rough draft of whatever gross fic he's working on in case inspiration strikes him. Weapons used to make potential inspo. A camera to capture said inspo. Phone is nothing special, just a sticker-covered little flip phone he actually takes decent care of.

- Lunchbox: Usually carries this along with his bag. Keeps the bigger snacks and drinks he can't stick in his bag. Organization is important after all!

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Daniel's Bag

Handbag: Alternates between one of his many vintage-looking, designer handbags. Loves excessive gold and jewels in his accessories. Minimalism is so overrated. Daniel's cutesy pink and white flip phone is hardly anything special on the surface. Gets a bit strange when you realize it's the only bit of modern tech in Goldberg. Weird...

- Help Pocket: :)