#like maybe it comes natural to him to just. deceive ppl

[helianthus21]

i know Han-seok being charismatic is part of what makes him so dangerous but the idea of him having to channel his brother's kindness/charm/humanity in order to win people over is so hgggg

[ocular-intercourse]

2, 3, 7,8, 11,12, 13, 18, 21, 23, 27, and 31 for Ace!!!

thank uu he’s talked about too little 

02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness?

To be truly unlikeable. Not the front he puts out there to make sure to never learn if people would actually hate him. If he ever were to show to people who he is under all of it. If he doesn’t show it and acts actively unlikable he can at least pretend it’s justified and under his control. I think he does hide it pretty well. He’s just unapproachable, but he does not seem unhappy with it. If he’d sit in a corner bitter and angrily people would maybe suspect. But nah, he’s just a weird guy, class clown, too aloof to care. (He does though, care, very much.)

03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves?

He actually likes his broad build. Since he’s kinda small for a dude he can at least seem kinda intimidating if he’d set out to be. Other people would maybe be a bit insecure about it since he tends to gain weight easily but he doesn’t care so much. Cause he knows his body and what it’s capable of, it’s done him good deeds. Sturdy.

07. Is there a catchphrase or sound that they tend to make a lot (likely without being aware of it)?

Not a sound he makes with his mouth, but with every other part of his body probably. Give him a pen and he’ll find a way to make sounds with it. Usually they are pretty melodious though. There’s always a soundtrack running in the back of his mind. When he’s concentrated or spacing out he’ll just tap along with it. He is very good at being quiet though, if he has to be. In fact his constant producing of sound is pretty convenient for that and it might be part of why he does it. The more people associate him with being noisy the less they are expecting him to be quiet.

08. What is, perhaps, their biggest flaw? Are they aware of this or oblivious to it?

Ah. His brother complex. The guy has pretty much shaped every aspect of Ace’s being and then turned around and betrayed him. And Ace cannot accept it. He still believes there has to be some sort of explanation that would make it all okay and Dale just had no way of letting him know, for whatever reason. He tried to kill him, but he didn’t, see?!! That has to mean something! He is completely blind to every bad thing Dale has ever done to him, which have subjectively been a lot. And he will not listen to people implying things; he just refuses to believe that he’d been subjected to any sort of abuse. In his worst nights Ace is very much aware of it, but pushes the thought away very quickly. He’s not obsessed with his brother! And if he were it would be for good reason, because his brother is fucking radical.

11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage?

Said badmouthing of his brother. But also just any type of situation where people try to be authoritarian and have control over his actions. If he does not want to do something, or rather if he does not agree or understand why he should do something, he won’t. Needless to say he’s no teacher’s favorite.

12. Is there some particular talent, skill, or attribute that they simply could not give up?

Is bothering people a skill? He just.. can’t stop.. pushing and prodding, being annoying, trolling people on- and offline. He likes to provoke, he refuses to conform. Second to that probably making music, ripping stuff apart and putting it together in new ways, audio collages in a way, remixes. He is a little compulsive about it. Interrupting conversations to record a certain sound and things like that.

13. What are your character’s sleeping habits? Heavy or light sleeper? Blanket stealer? One that always rolls onto the floor? Pushes their lover onto the floor? Sleep talker or walker?

He’s not a bad sleeper actually, his sleep cycle is just not exactly regular. It’s in his blood, he’s a child of the night, it’s when he feels best. It’s just not super convenient for regular life. It kinda works out though since his life is not really regular. He lives in an environment that knows about his and his half-siblings needs, so he does not have to make excuses at the very least. Of course it’s still kinda frowned upon. His most natural sleep cycle is probably from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., he can do 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. though, for convenience. When he does sleep though, he’s out, like world going down around him no reaction kind of sleep. He talks in his sleep sometimes, but mostly just incoherent stuff, words by themselves. Snores when he sleeps on his back, good thing he likes to sleep pretty much trying to crawl into the mattress, face planted into the pillow. Ppl that have shared the bed with him, Dale, Ben, Ellie, might have feared for his life here and there, thinking he might choke himself to death, especially cause he can get very still and quiet when he’s really out. The biggest annoyance between him and his partners is probably the timing though, trying to find times that work for everybody. Ben tried to help out with his powers, sleep is his domain after all, but Ace is very unhappy with the thought of someone using their abilities on him, taking control away.

18. What kind of home would they want to live in? Where would they place this abode?

Any home that has running water, electricity, internet and not too much mold is a-okay with him. He grew up in a shitty environment. In an apartment that was falling apart and too small for two people to live in it, with bills not paid a little too often. They made do, of course, Ace has no bad feelings about the time (oh sweet denial). But a place for himself, nothing special at all, would seem incredibly luxurious to him. He’s not entirely aware how much that need is somewhere buried in his conscience. It would most definitely have to be in the city though, he needs the noise.

21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear?

oh god. there’d be a lot of easy answers, having to do with his brother, or losing control, but really i think it’s actually just.. being seen, and seeing clearly himself. he is so entangled in this big web of deceiving others and himself, he got kinda lost in it. i think his mind only, ever so gently, tugs on the awareness of all of this but by now he’s terrified of untangling all of it, looking at the truth, and disliking what he sees

23. What is your character like when it comes to school? What subjects are they good/bad at? Do they get in trouble a lot or are well behaved?

like I said, ace is not exactly popular among teachers and the like. he’s disruptive, he talks back, his attendance is spotty, especially in the morning hours, and, worst of all, the things he does agree to working on are actually pretty well done. unconventional maybe, from time to time, but the kid is actually, regrettably, not stupid. which is probably the only reason he hasn’t gotten into too much trouble yet, hasn’t had to redo a year or anything, he does just enough, and those things well enough, to get by. not on top of the class, but that is never his goal ayways. he probably enjoys this equilibrium of perfect teacher annoyance, they don’t give up on him but they do wish he gave them a proper reason to, to free them from this peril.

27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it?

Loitering? Vandalism, malicious destruction of property. Not enough for a serious charge, but a handful of misdemeanors. He probably actually has been picked up by the police before, being young and stupid and wild. Dale is pretty excellent at handling these kinds of situations though, so Ace never had to worry too much.

31. Would your character be the kind capable of killing? Would they enjoy killing or only use it when necessary or, perhaps, refuse to kill no matter what?

He did kill, though he probably did not stick around long enough to confirm anything. When the academy was attacked he fought to protect himself and others, he made sure people would not be able to continue fighting and did not think much more about it. But those were in self-defense. A hard thing, but necessary. He can handle that, now that it is done and he was forced to do it. He likes to believe he would not have a problem killing people either way. He likes to believe he could kill his brother, if it would come to a point where he learns Dale is not redeemable. He likes to believe he’d be able to kill people for the right reasons. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t. He was kicked out of the bad guy club Dale joined exactly for this reason. He’s too good at heart, too weak to do what’s necessary in their eyes. He has no memory of it, so he’s not exactly aware of his own hidden heroism.

[too-attached-to-fiction]

Insecurities

Masterlist here.

Word count: ~1130

Requested by anon

Request: hihi!! ive found myself falling quite fast for loki- i love his character and the way he’s written. anyway, i’d love it if you could write a loki x reader where loki is just,,,rlly insecure?? like the reader could have nyone they wanted- nd most ppl generally don’t look twice at him. and they just sorta,,,have to comfort him?

A/N: of course! I’m glad you like the way I write him, I’m always terrified of making him too formal or too out of character. I can totally see Loki as insecure; he’s been compared to Thor by Odin all of his life, how could he not be? I think Loki’s anger actually stems from insecurity, tbh. Thank you for submitting, requests are open!

~~~

Asgard didn’t mess around when it came to feasts. The warriors and valkyries ate double their body mass, as you and Frigga sat and watched. You weren’t sure what exactly they were celebrating this time, but you couldn’t argue with Thor, not when he had a mug of mead and was currently leading a drunken sing-a-long.

Odin had joined in the festivities, and luckily had been guided up to his chambers shortly after dinner. Loki, opposite his brother, stood in the corner of the dining hall, carefully observing the others.

Or, at least you thought that was what he was doing.

Despite appearing as such, Loki was lost in thought, staring off at all of the soldiers. Sometimes he wished he was naturally muscular, the way they were. Why weren’t you with one of those soldiers? Because you dreamed of the same things he did? Fame, glory, royalty?

Tonight you looked absolutely stunning. Still, you preferred to stay on the edge of things, politely denying any and all requests to dance. He’d watched you do it every single time. You never entertained the idea or flirted back. Instead, you simply said no, and asked one of the palace guards to escort them back to the middle of the room.

They had much more to offer. They weren’t as selfish, and they were strong, mighty. At this point, they had greater chances of being king than he ever would, given Odin’s favoritism.

And yet, you chose him, an outsider. The unwanted child. The one with an infamous reputation, the one who fed off of the misery of mortals.

He couldn’t understand how someone as kind, smart, and beautiful as you could love someone like him.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and escaped onto the balcony. The god of tricksters could make himself invisible, but you noticed his disappearance when you glanced over in his direction for the thirteenth time in the past minute.

“Excuse me, my lady.” You stood up, catching Frigga’s attention. “I have personal matters to attend to, but I will return shortly.”

“Go on.” She waved her hand, flashing you a gentle smile. You started to walk towards the balcony. You knew it was one of Loki’s favorite places in the castle.

He went there to think. He’d told you stories of when he was younger, standing on that balcony and imagining himself as the king of Asgard. The view of the empire he longed to rule was always brilliant, the buildings practically shining in the sun.

“(Y/N), would you like to dance?” One of the soldiers appeared in front of you, and you shook your head. The warrior remained in his spot, only more encouraged by your rejection.

“I assure you, I am wonderful at dancing.” He pressed on, and you shot a glare at him. You’d met a few persistent soldiers, but you tried your best to avoid escalation. It was best not to anger a drunken man, especially one with the ability to wield a weapon.

“No. If you’ll excuse me, I need to be somewhere.” You said, gently pushing on his chest and running off, even more determined to find Loki.

The balcony seemed empty, but you knew better. “Loki, my love, let me see you.” You called out into the darkness, and slowly, the god appeared before you. His green robes grazed the stone balcony, his hair slightly disheveled. His eyes, normally ice cold blue, were dull tonight.

“What’s the matter?” You asked, stepping forward and reaching out to fix his hair. “You seem upset.”

“My father would make anyone in that room king, but not me. You wouldn’t choose anyone to dance with tonight but me. I’m perplexed.” Even with you, he chose to keep a cold exterior. He was clearly upset, but he knew how to make his looks deceiving.

“Ah.” you said, running your thumb up his jawline. “Maybe it’s because of a difference in our perspectives of you.”

“Am I not fit to be king? Am I not worthy?” He asked you, and you could see the pain build up behind his eyes. “Tell me, (Y/N).” You dropped your hand from his face, aching to hold his. Instead, you guided him to the stone bench nearby, and the two of you sat together.

“You aren’t fit to be king, and you never were.” You said softly. “You are Loki Laufeyson, god of tricksters. You are worthy of power, and happiness, and so much more. I’m sorry that your father could ever make you think you are unworthy of those things.”

“Surrounded by warriors, you still search for me. Why is that?” He asked, meeting your eyes as he finished the sentence. “Surely there are better companions out there than myself.”

“I don’t want others. I want you.” You argued. “I want Loki, the god who is constantly reaching for universal domination. I want Loki, the same man who wraps himself around me at night because he knows I feel safe when he does that. I want Loki, my love, and my life.” You traced light circles on his knees. “None of them have what you have, none of them are different. They all follow the same patterns. But you...You treat me like royalty every moment of every day.”

“Of all of the creatures in the nine realms, I want you, Loki Laufeyson. Now will you please come dance with me?”

He gave you a small smile as he stood up. You kicked off your shoes before accepting the hand he had offered. Together, you made your way to the makeshift ballroom floor.

Listening carefully, you figured out the song playing was a waltz. One, two, three, one, two, three. Quickly, the two of you went to assume your positions and started stepping in time.

“I love you.” You said quietly as you spun together on the balcony.

“Thank you.” He said, even more quiet. “I needed to be reminded I was loved tonight.”

[disloopy]

the heart is deceiving pt.3

bloo

genre: angst, smut

word count: 1.4k

a/n. sorry for my long uninformed hiatus there was just so much going on. i was listening to bloo’s ep the other day and last night he was in my dream and i think that’s a sign hehe here’s pt 3

LIES. dad believed all of mine. i did feel guilty at first but now they rolled off my tongue naturally. i guess infatuation can make you do terrible things. i felt it was all worth it for daniel. seeing him tonight made me realize that.

he was seated at the far end of the diner, flirting with one of the waitresses. i could see him as the type of guy, when not tied down by a relationship, letting all these women come onto him. but when he was, it was pretty clear where his intentions lie.

daniel's ensemble boasted his luxurious lifestyle and definitely didn't harmonize with the atmosphere of the rundown diner. a green versace polo, tucked into black jeans and held together by a salvatore belt, ears filled with silver hoops and that gold chain that adorned his neck tattoo so finely.

i breathed out, straightening out my white shirt so that i might not look to drab beside him. maybe we needed to be balance out; a broke bitch with a lavish man - that didn't sound too bad.

when daniel spotted me, he waved his hand and said something to the lady which made her look over at me. her expression made it clear that she didn't think we were much of a visually pleasing combination.

"i ordered some stuff you might like," said daniel as i slid into the seat in front of him slowly. i hadn't been here in years and nothing seemed to have changed. "by the way, i got you something." he opened up a box to reveal a sleek golden cartier bangle.

"oh my god," i breathed out in shock as he handed it over to me. the bracelet didn't look right in my hand and the more i stared at it, the more it all felt surreal. "for real?"

daniel scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "you think i would get something fake for my own girl? i'm not even that low." i laughed, my eyes glued to the pretty bracelet as i slipped it onto my wrist, loving the feel.

"this is probably the most expensive thing i will ever own. thank you so much."

"ah, you know i don't like to be thanked in that manner," daniel said with a smug smile.

"then how?"

daniel pointed to his puckered lips and by that time, i showed no hesitance in leaning over to plant a longing kiss on him, being pulled towards that abyss once more as his fingers reached for my jaw, deepening the moment and sending that wildfire roaring through my veins.

i pulled away with a breath. "come on... we haven't even gotten through dinner."

"really? i was enjoying my dinner right now, actually," daniel replied, placing his elbows on the freshly wiped down table. "you're so irresistible, y/n."

"you don't have to tell me that." it showed in everything he did.

when we got our food, i was surprised about how well daniel knew my tastes. throughout the night, we found ourselves talking about random, useless things - probably the first conversation that didn't end up with our hands on each other.

after eating, we drove around in daniel's car together. i knew i had to go home soon but i was unwilling to let the night end so early. daniel stopped in front of the beach whose view at night was stunning. i happened to catch sight of the moon's reflection glimmering on the surface of the dark water. it reminded me of daniel's eyes.

we climbed onto the roof of the car and laid there, staring up at the starry sky. it was hot but the night's breeze made up for the weather. "do you do this a lot?" i asked daniel, rubbing my eyes as the wind made them tear up a bit.

"no, not at all," daniel replied with a smile. "this is my first time." somehow i expected the answer. he leaned over me, kissing my lips. i cupped his cheeks, the flavor of our dinner lingering on his tongue, before pushing him away.

"come on... there's people around," i said, quietly.

"so what?"

"they might... idunno..."

daniel sat up, crossing his legs. "you care so much about what people think... let them say this or that. it's not going to change my opinion on you." i blinked, shifting my attention to the darkening sky and so did daniel.

“i love you.”

there was this stretch of silence that seemed like a million bombs dropping at once. daniel looked over at me. “hm?”

i knew he heard but he pretended not to. “i said i... i love the way you think. i love your mind.” he smiled and ruffled my hair. 

i hadn’t seen daniel in a while. maybe my words overwhelmed him and he needed space. i gave him his space. summer school stress was taking a toll, on top of that my mind couldn’t stop questioning my relationship with daniel. 

tonight he's knocking on the glass of my window and i jump out of my seat to answer it, ecstatic after not having seen him for the past few days. "babyyy, i missed you tonight," daniel slurs, kissing me roughly with the taste of alcohol between our lips. "a party isn't a party without you."

"i wish i could have come," i told him, running my fingers through his unkempt hair. "i was stuck here studying."

"let me take you out... i haven't seen you in days." he returns with his wet kisses on my lips, down my jaw, in the crook of my neck as i lean my head outside the window just to feel them.

"i know babe," i sighed, closing my eyes as my stomach tightened at the feeling of his warm lips and the cold breeze. "my dad has a break off work so he's home more often... i don't want to raise suspicion."

"i could literally have you right now," daniel said, throwing his cigarette butt off the rooftop of the garage and reaching for another one. "not gonna lie, i've always wanted to fuck you in your bedroom."

"sweetheart, can i come in?" dad called from outside my door. mine and daniel's eyes both widened at the same time and i quickly ushered for him to get down out of view.

"uh yes come in."

i felt my heart beating fast as my dad walked into the room, furrowing his eyebrows for a second. "why is your window open?" i quickly made up a lie on spot.

"oh... i .... uh.... i thought i saw someone."

"what? that's quite creepy." he made to walk over to the window but i quickly stood in front of it, blocking his view.

"no but don't worry, it was just a... um... a car."

dad narrowed his eyes in suspicion but moved back anyway. "i just came to tell you that i'm heading to the store since we're out of milk. do you want anything?"

"i'll have a galaxy bar. drive safe, bye dad." i kissed his cheek and pushed him out the door, waiting to hear the jingle of his car keys so i could return to the window. daniel peered his head in with a grin and i smiled sheepishly.

"tsk, lying to your dad." he said, putting his cigarette in my mouth. i wasn't a smoker but refusing daniel was so difficult for me. i took a puff and returned it to him. "you're a bad, bad girl." i giggled, taking the cigarette again only to kiss his lips. "so what i look like a car to you?"

"hm? yeah cause i wanna ride you," i told him, surprising myself. daniel's lips grew into a smirk as he threw yet another cigarette butt off the roof.

"your dad's gone, you can ride me right now." he heaved himself up and climbed over the windowsill, into my room. i stood back, a little nervous.

"he won't be gone long... the store is really close," i informed daniel. "i don't think we'll have-" i was cut off with his lips crashing against mine, our bodies pressed together as daniel began to take off his jacket.

"we'll have enough time. fuck, it's hot in here." he pulled it off and then pushed me onto my bed, unbuckling his belt in record time. "take off your clothes, i'm your daddy tonight."

ppl clown fanfic writers so much sksksk i got kinda embarrassed writing too. but yk there’s so many good fics out there and that takes pure talent so make fun of them all u want but its basically an art

also the reason why i sometimes put smut in the tags even when its not smut is to attract more readers duhh thats the way of life ok

[1800areyouslapping]

Also i blame u entirely for my papa sojiro obsession. Honestly he's not even a main character but u made me love him 😭💕😍 I love the idea that he openly spoils sis!reader (and hanzo and genji don't really mind since she's their baby sis and the apple of their eyes too). I hc that there hasn't been a shimada daughter in generations - all sons who married women from other clans. So when she arrives shes a lil blessing that no one expected 💕 ~tmh

And Papa can’t help but spoil and indulge her. There’s no precedent for a shimada daughter so does it really matter if she’s not as proficient in combat as Hanzo and Genji? She has a dragon and other skills (maybe she’s very academically-inclined) so his baby doesn’t need to pick up a bow or a sword. ~tmh

So ppl think her being at a meeting is just for show since she never contributes but really she’s watching & listening the whole time. Afterwards Papa asks her for her thoughts &she’s able to tell who has shaky loyalty and who isn’t being truthful bc her observation skills are 👌🏻 “Papa I really don’t think the deal is a good idea. Tanaka-san has a very good poker face and almost had me fooled but he had a tiny finger twitch every time he was dropping figures and that’s his biggest tell” ~tmh

Omg thank you ;_; I’m honestly right there with you. The man doesn’t even have a canon face, like maybe a paragraph of “lore” and I fucking love him. Your HC is usually my reasoning behind them wanting to breed her so bad, you know when we’re on that topic. It’s been so many generations since the last time a female was actually born into the empire, maybe it was that ancestor that gave birth to the leader who would end up rising the Shimadas to the near infallible power that they have today. So they have it in their beliefs that the next female born Shimada is going to give birth to an heir that’s going to rise them into even higher power. So everyone is enamored with her, especially her family.  

Really all Papa Sojiro wants is for her to be healthy, safe, and happy. Learning combat doesn’t really make her happy, but she’s naturally good at studies, so good many of her tutors have come to Sojiro with concerns that she may be cheating. He gets a little miffed and protective over her, perhaps they should just accept that she’s simply that bright. 

Like, not only is she great at picking up when people are trying to deceive them, but she’s great at picking up clues for when danger is about to strike. Can tell who’s going only attending a meeting to try and assassinate her papa, picks up when they shouldn’t go into a certain clan’s residence because it’s clearly a set up (at least to her it is). Sometimes can even garner dirty little secrets to use against people as blackmail just by looking at them, or observing them with other people. That’s why in “Worthy” I made her dragon’s power mentally fatal, rather than physical. Hanzo, Genji, and Sojiro’s dragons all have physically damaging gifts. While sister!reader’s fucks over their mind and turns them on themselves. 

[blankiejacket]

“You fight like Azgeda” and other stuff I liked abt 5x06

I admit that I had to look away for the entire B/echo love scene and I was pretty peeved that Clarke was just going to run away with Madi (though I understood it, but come on, Bellamy just got her back!), and I love Octavia but man she has gone DARK this season, so I’m going to focus on the stuff I liked from 5x06:

-I legit forgot that having nightblood (the natural way, not the Abby/Clarke science way) means that you can maybe be Commander!!!  And b/c there are no other nightbloods (that we know of), Madi wouldn’t even need a Conclave.  Gaia *could* just crown her or whatever, and give her The Flame.  WOW.  Madi, the Commander?!?!  And Octavia deposed?!?!?!  By a tradition that goes so far back and is so deeply ingrained in grounder culture that many ppl would not even question it?!?!  I hope it happens!!!!!  

-Although duh, it really should be Indra who succeeds Octavia.  B/c Octavia is the Mad Queen and Indra could restore some order and logic, and love, to the whole situation.

-Okay but what does The Flame actually do now?  B/c isn’t Becca’s City of Light completely gone?  Am I wrong about that?  And if the City of Light doesn’t exist then isn’t the Flame’s (real) purpose non-existent?  Yes it’s a great symbol but does it have any technological power anymore?  (This is really a question about Becca’s network -- I know that the Commanders were all joined with the spirits of the former Commanders, but the technical platform for that was the City of Light network, right?  OR does/can the network exist separately from the CoL?)

-Alrighty the thing I loved the most was Bellamy taking that sword and facing Octavia in the arena, like the gladiators he used to read to her about, like the gladiators that Octavia turned ppl into in the bunker. I thought he was going to get his ass kicked badly.  BUT NO!  Within 2 seconds, Octavia says, “You fight like Azgeda.” B/c he fights like E.cho!!!  She trained him in the Azgeda style of combat!!!!  And we didn’t need any more explanation/detail/description than that. Yup. He’s been training.  And tbh he’s been training more hours than Octavia for the past 6 years, b/c Octavia’s been busy af while Bellamy’s been trying to fill the hours between algae meals.

-And obvs, I liked that Clarke ropes Bellamy into looking for Madi with her asap, and Bellamy is completely in right away. That unspoken thing they have, where they assume that the other person is completely and totally on Their Team, and will somehow help them solve the most intractable and unforeseeable and impossible problems, is at 100% strength even though they’re not totally communicating clearly with each other rn.  BUT otoh, when have they EVER been completely transparent in verbal language with each other?!  The unspoken thing is much much stronger and clearer to them both than any/all of their spoken things.  It’s what they do for each other, not what they say to each other that is the most important and defining thing between them (though they do speak carefully and listen closely to each other, they just don’t say *everything* and sometimes don’t *hear* the important things).  

-Of course, though, it’s this assumed trust that Bellarke has that enables them to deceive each other every now and then.  Bellamy holds Clarke’s hands in his, looks deeply into her eyes, and then handcuffs her, for instance.  Didn’t Clarke slip Bellamy a mickey once??  So...even though their unspoken trust/reliance is at 100%, that has never been a guarantee that one of them won’t use that trust *against* the other one, if they think they really have to. 

[roominthecastle]

Everyone is making a house call to Grissom, where we're y'all when Sara was here lol? And now noone is there to make him soup or shave him apparently :(( *no but srsly, why is everyone sick this episode? Was there some kind of an epidemy on set or sth? *It's Sara calling right? His face just light up)) I'm glad they stay in touch *wait, are those Mythbusters?? Too many nights those crazy dudes kept me company. Fun times... *Where's Sophia? I feel like I haven't seen her in a while... *Warrick 😿

This ep is a goldmine for domestic!Grissom!! cooking, wandering around in pjs and robe, taking care of his dog, and desperately trying but failing to escape visitors & adventures like some reincarnation of Bilbo Baggins.

I guess if a show is on air long enough, it’s almost inevitable to have an episode where the flu or a cold - or a musical event - strikes our faves. I tend to enjoy those eps and this one is no exception. Yes, your eyes weren’t deceiving you, those guest nerds in the lab were Adam and Jamie (CSI has on- and off-screen ties to the Discovery Channel), and oh YES that’s def Sara calling at the end. It’s enough to look at Griss stretch out on the couch after he answers the phone. I think if you lean close, you can hear him purring ;)))) And I kept thinking about it, but rn I honestly cannot recall what happens to Sofia. I think she just… idk… drops out of the story at some point?? and Warrick, yeah… now his departure is something else, like

9x01. How can I even… I AM NOT OKAY!!! Jesus I can’t even formulate anything… They’re all so close… Family… How can I ever be fine after seeing Grissom’s face?? When he just crumbled… Losing someone after allowing them to become that close, I don’t know how to… I’m not ok, with any of this… Glad Sara is there (even more beautiful than before, that’s just not fair) God I’m such a mess. I didn’t even like him all that much but Nicky loved him, and I can’t see him cry! And Gris… JC

What you said, anon. I’m not familiar w/ the specifics of the off-screen events that forced the writers to come up w/ an exit for Warrick/GD, but boy did they manage to make it CRUEL and PAINFUL. but also meaningful, imo. Warrick once called Grissom a robot for never emoting like a “normal” human being, and here we have this “robot” saying the L word out loud and openly breaking down and literally clinging to him in an entirely irrational and desperately emotional, futile human act to keep him alive… yeah, I’m w/ you 1000%: I AM NOT OKAY!!!

9x02. “who are we talking about right now?” A-a-and there is my Sara from first few seasons! God I love that woman. So brave, and strong, standing up for what she believes in, unwilling to talk riddles and play mind games. Just say it straight to her. Kind of understand Grissom too though… This whole thing is so damn sad… Oh and that pillow talk was so tender and quiet, so them…

They’ve been doing this thing ever since they started dating - whenever one makes an observation or drops a remark about a victim or a scene they happen to process, the other is like “okay, is that supposed to be about us?” and it’s never 100% clear. Work and private stuff has been bleeding together w/ them for a while and it is finally starting to make waves in a way that not even Grissom can remain immune to it.

9x05. Why does this show insists on fucking me up this season??! I can’t see them suffer anymore! He’s like a fish out of the water the whole episode… I’m a bit conflicted though. Sara left because she couldn’t take that job anymore and I totally get it, but did she expect him to just follow her? I mean it just doesn’t seem like him at all. Yes he belongs by her side but she moves around, he should have just upended his whole life, without any kind of plan? Perhaps I need to sleep on it tho…

905 is like exhibit A of why I love Lady Heather episodes - she cuts through Griss like no other, and this time there’s a clear overlap btw case and private life. LH’s sugarcoat-free remarks are relevant to both, helping Grissom unpack (or more like rip open) some of his own private mess and climb off the fence he’s been sitting on. I do understand your conflict, I was the same way at first, but then I came to the same conclusion you did below:

9x08. You damn right it’s time to up the ante! This girl is the right girl!! Ugh… 9x09. If Sara was here, she’d help you with that last word… Just saying… *omg is he for real? (I know he is, I’m just really emotional omg) *fly-fishing) his mind is already off of work)) he has been quite distracted lately though. This whole thing is a long time coming. Perhaps all he needed was that push from Sara… *man I love Bill Irwin! Which reminds me, have you watched Legion this year?

(After reading the summary, Legion instantly went on my watchlist, anon, but I haven’t seen it yet.)

Exactly, it’s been a long time coming and that’s why I think Sara was not out of line with her hope - or maybe even reasonable expectation? - that he’d start a brand new chapter with her away from the lab. Most of this relationship happens off-screen, so I can only offer guesswork, but we can find some telltale breadcrumbs leading up to these final episodes.

Grissom already starts displaying burnout signs in S7 + he starts dropping comments about how ppl no longer really need him in the lab anymore. He is not bitter, mind you, he is genuinely proud of the team he’s trained/mentored, but this also means that he becomes - as he tells Warrick - a teacher w/o students who feels increasingly aimless, unfulfilled and even drained after having spent 25+ years wading through the (literal and figurative) cesspools of humanity. I think the combination of developing burnout and unfulfillment is why he grabs at the opportunity to leave for a month and teach a seminar as far away from Vegas as possible, and I don’t think it goes unnoticed by Sara. It is never said out loud (naturally), but she seemed to understand why he just up and left the same way Griss understood why she needed to leave in S8 despite each feeling miserable w/o the other. It’s a constant back-and-forth btw them, a drifting away then back again then away again, as they work through their individual baggage, and this “double pendulum” doesn’t stop until the very last episode of the show.

Uprooting one’s life is a huge ask, esp for someone like Grissom, but in this specific case I think it was a natural progression and would have happened anyway. Sara did not force him out of a pleasant, fulfilling life. He needed - wanted - to move on, he knew it was time, he just needed one more little push, like you said. Then he jumped in w/ both feet

and:

9x10. Oh Lord omfg this is… I… This is like a cinematic experience or something… Oh God his face the very moment he first saw her! Oh my sweet awkward nerdy boy, his eyes!! And that sigh! The smile! And those needy arms!! And Sara omg I just can’t… Yes that’s right just grab her and kiss her, talking’s overrated anyway!! OMG I saw the gifs but I didn’t realize how this scene will be… will make me feel… It’s just so… I’ll get back to you when I’m a bit more coherent, please stand by