#s2 cannot come soon enough

[purrvaire]

another day at the insanity filled days factory

[sameen-shawv]

season 2 first look from this Vanity Fair article

[bonyato]

I just realized we didn't get Death Game this season either. i see .. Well that's okay *deflates like a balloon*

[princessamericachavez]

Even before the episode, while rewatching old seasons, I was just struck by how big an impact Buck’s had on Eddie’s life. 

Like, please, picture this: 

You are Eddie Diaz, ok? An army vet who quite literally just went through an extremely traumatic experience, immediately got left by your wife and in a desperate move to find happiness for you and your son you move across the country to start a new life. 

You are the new guy at work and this man about your age really has it out for you. That’s fine by you. You’ve put up with enough bullshit in the army, you are just here to do your work, it’s harder than that to get under your skin. Plus, this guy seems okay, aside from all the dick measuring, and you’re sure he’ll tire himself out if you just don’t play along. Then, oh surprise, after a single shift you give the guy one compliment and he folds completely, before you know it he’s decided you two are friends. Fine, good. You miss the army’s camaraderie. This will probably be just like that. 

Few weeks in, Christopher comes up. You hesitate because you don’t like talking about your kid with strangers, but you are worried about him being out there alone during the earthquake and there’s really no way to avoid the subject forever. You’re already dreading the pity looks from people who don’t understand this kid is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Instead, you get a wide smile, “he’s super adorable, I love kids”. In retrospect, you should’ve expected it. What you don’t expect is the way Buck spends the entirety of the shift reassuring you that Chris is alright, even when you’re pretty sure you’ve done nothing to betray your worry (you know better than to panic, it does nothing to help), but Buck seems to notice anyway and keeps sprouting curiosities to reassure you. He even drives you across the torn up town at a reckless speed to make sure you can reach your son as soon as possible. 

Few weeks later, abuela has an accident. Buck drives you to the hospital, even though you could’ve taken a cab to the firehouse to pick up your truck, and goes all the way in with you. He’s a good friend like that. Turns out, he’s a very good friend, because he catches you by surprise calling ahead to let the Cap know you need help with Chris and arranges a whole day of him hanging out with the 118. You didn’t ask for it, and he doesn’t expect so much as a ‘thank you’. 

Next night, he makes a big deal of introducing you to a woman and you are already dreading, once again, the reveal moment when you have to explain that thank you very much but you are still married and really your only priority right now is your son and- wait, that woman is the perfect caretaker that might or might not be the solution you’ve been desperately searching for to get your and your son’s life together.

This guy you just met a few weeks ago has given you friendship, reassurance, company, thoughtful help without you ever asking (you’ve never been good at asking for it) and he’s just sitting there smiling proudly while he helps you possibly assure your kids future.

All of this... it happens in the first FOUR episodes of s2 after Eddie is introduced. No wonder he’s in love ride or die for Buck. Who wouldn’t be?

In a year, they are inseparable. In two years, Eddie makes him Christopher’s legal guardian in case he dies. In three, Buck saves his life. In four they are basically a family and the person Christopher goes to in a panic. Five years in, Buck is in a coma and Eddie Diaz cannot even look at him, cannot picture a world where he’s dead, cannot envision his life without him. 

[dedenneblogs]

HEARTBREAK HIGH S2 ANALYSIS PART 1 (buckle up this is going to be a doozy)

so... it's out (the trailer).

my excitement cannot be expressed...

BUTT! today, i will be doing my iconic mouse analysis of this trailer (this is actually the first time im doing something like this so it's not rlly iconic BUTT it will be soon) with the most comprehensive inspection i can using under 2 minutes of video as a basis....

with that said lets

BEGIN!

the heartbreak highers are back for another "cursed" term....

so glad to see the trio back in action. like. actually so happy. MIGHT explode from excitement... as always, their outfits slaylay.

the boyfriends... friends? boys? BUGS??? found out on hh s2!

these goons are back... gayer then ever,,, seriously. when will these two have an episode long make out 'sesh? unlikely, to much dismay....spoiler alert...you'll see....

MISSY!!!!! and sasha, i guess

SPOILER ALERT AGAINNNN missy looks like she'll be more prominent in this season so...WIN!!!!

also why is she mewing who is rizzing up

and new on the the chopping block-- Rowan Callaghan!

we'll get to rowan when we get to rowan

in other (more important) news-- SHE'S HEALING! HARPER IS HEALING!!!

i... *sobs* i she's growing her hair out oh my GAW...... she's getting better...she... there's a lower chance she'll cock-block amerie (oh but she'll get cock [spoiler-- again!])

butt let's not celebrate just yet-- it's still "everyone hates amerie" up in this joint, smellas

may as well... shot them. huh. well. pop off, i suppose... (amerie asserts her right to bear arms-- truly patriotic coming from an aussie!)

...touché coming from the (still) most hated student in heartly who only adds salt to the wound by... using the pink 'ildo from s1 as a mic... chat... she's lost it.

(unrelated but in the background-- MISSY AND MALAKAI!!! they were building up a relationship between them in s1 and how she and her brother (i think? 'memory's fuzzy) helped him heal from the shit he had to go through in s1 and even better connect him with his aboriginal roots. i hope to see more of these two interact come april 11th and i binge the whole season)

ALSO also ANOTHER new character-- Zoe Clarke!

we will ALSo get to zoe when we get to zoe

anywho-- cue: AMERIE'S ONLINE HARASSMENT ARC! becuz every show needs one...unfortunately. Give a cold welcome to Bird Psycho, heartbreak highers (we will get to bird psycho when we get to bird psycho)

(who ever is doing this shit is a bitch but either way: "you dont get to be the hero" shut your goofy ass up)

oh that's gore. that's core of my comfort character.

ok so maybe this bird psycho cuck isnt fucking around because clearly he's gotten to our girl ams :(

(dw they uh...take her out for ice cream. after this. proabably.)

moving foward-- STAND BACK I SAID STAND BACK WEIRD GIRL QUINNI

oughh im gonna be sick. of course. OF COURSE SHE WOULD GO FULL SHERLOCK HOLMES TO HELP HER BESTIE.

yeah anyways with this in mind she'd totally try and crack the fnaf lore wouldn't she. wouldn't she.

she's slay she's girlboss but at the end of the day she's a weirdo

anywho nuff of my rambling there--

ominous of you to say zoe

BUT ENOUGH OF HER CA$$HHHHHHHHHHHH

ca$h omg eshay eshay eshay pspspspsp,,,

i am so happy to see him (spoiler alert for 2 secs throughout the whole trailer) but anywho remeber? remeber right he's in prison. but seems to be doing okay... (maybe for the best heartly drama is really coming to a boiling point)

<3

and-- oh. uh... chicken dumbell... okay... pop off, missy...

when i said i wanted more missy i didnt expect this

spider seems to be into tho maybe what ??1/1/111.1/?!??!/1/1/1

missy x spider was NOT on my bingo card

WHEN MISSY SAID SHE WAS STARTING TO LIKE WHITE BOYS I DIDNT THINK SHE MEANT THIS.

BUUTTTttttt-- i. am. down. for. it... somehow. frankly, spider needs someone to put him in his place and low and behold, missy seems to be the student to do so..........

hey. if they're both happy with their...chicken dumbells, i am too.

amerie dont be alarmed but there's a white boy to your right

in other news this love triangle scares the diarrhea out of me

look at them. they're the perfect couple (malakai x amerie 4life) and rowan is--

well he's a nice boy but cmon

LOOK AGAIN IM DOWN FOR THEM TO BE HAPPY BUTT when it comes in between THE BEST SHIP IN THE SHOW (looks at amerie x spider shippers with affectionate disdain) i draw the line.

but who knows? rowan seems nice enough, and if he's able to make amerie happy, let them have each other! <3

also knowing malakai's track record i wouldn't put it past him to get freaky with rowan too (threesome attempt 2??? actually no wait thats a horrible idea NEVERMIND [gets s1 ep4 flashbacks])

also also "classic love triangle" scene gives major "erm...well this is akward!" vibes from ams (we stan cringey amerie in this household tho)

and well. shart. max limit of 30 photos. oh well-- ill make a second part! tune in for the update heartbreak highers :3

[morganas-pendragons]

till we were too far gone | master chief

@empresskadia inspired me to continue writing this, on top of my recent rewatch of s2 -> so here's the next part of my series, which drops into parts of episode 2. the next part will combine 3 and parts of The Fall of Reach!

I was listening to Cassandra by Taylor Swift (this series is based off of You're Losing Me by Taylor Swift) when I wrote this lol SO if there's references to that in here, oops

***

You cannot help the urge. A natural human urge, a desire, to meet him in his spot on that bench where his soul calls to yours. You can't help it.

If only John would take it.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Like I said," You removed your hood and slipped inside the room. "I know you. We need to talk."

There were so many things you could've said in those few minutes that passed after the door shut. You knew he had questions about Ackerson, about what Ackerson had asked you and what he'd said to you in that initial meeting following your return from Sanctuary.

Do you think that, at his core, The Master Chief is broken?

The longer you'd looked between John and the AI that bore a remarkable resemblance to Cortana, the more you were beginning to question if he was.

"I don't know what Ackerson said to you," You said quietly, gaze averted to the floor as you fidgeted with your fingers in your lap. "Or why you've been so on edge recently. You haven't breathed a word. I don't expect you to. I just... I need to know."

"Know what?"

"When did you stop trusting me?"

His form is imposing as he stands, green eyes shifting to the side to stare at the dormant AI. Your breath catches at the sight. There hasn't ever been a time where you've found yourself intimidated by John, much less afraid of John. That was then.

This was now.

"When you became one of Ackerson's lackeys and refused to tell me what he was saying to you!" John hissed. "Why wouldn't you say anything after you left his office when we debriefed from Sanctuary? What did he ask you? Why were you in there so much longer then the rest of us?"

You almost want to hit him for the clear implication behind his questions. John, the man you have loved for so long now, either thinks you are a liar or a spy for ONI. It's enough of an implication for you to retaliate. To lash out. To use your own anger and do something about it.

You don't. Instead, you reach outward to cradle his hand in your own and press his fingers against your cheek. You don't speak for a long minute.

"You've been angry since they took Cortana out," You said. "I used to be someone you trusted. Someone you confided in." Your lips are poised to say someone you love, but you're a little too hesitant in that thought because he's never outwardly confirmed it for you. Better to deny than assume. "I am capable of many things, but containing that fire that's been building in you.... I don't want to be burned."

All of the rage and defiance that's made him imposing in these precious moments of privacy deflates as soon as John recognizes the fear behind your words. He willing to be perceived as many things by the people around him, by the public eye.

He is not willing for you to see him as someone to fear, as a threat. Not when The Master Chief still struggles with comprehending the way he feels about you.

"Soles," John started, swallowing the knot in his throat as he moved his fingers to tangle in your hair at your temple. "There are alot of people I would burn without fear of repercussion. Most of them deserve it. But you-"

"What about me?" You interject.

I would burn down entire galaxies if it meant that you were kept safe.

John doesn't give voice to those thoughts though. He can't. Not with Ackerson sniffing around, not with the two of you in ONI's crosshairs. He will not risk you.

Before he can give some kind of sufficient answer, the door is opening with another client wanting to come through. Your hood rises on instinct before you are disappearing out the door as fast as you came, leaving nothing but the phantom feeling of your warmth under his fingers.

***

"And you're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, Kai. Have we met Mr. Emotionally Repressed and Has a Death Wish?"

Kai snorted as you narrowly blocked her attack and pivoted your feet to navigate across the gym floor. You'd spent the last few days actively avoiding The Master Chief unless you had a reason for direct contact. Kai had been a welcome reprieve from the constant torment of your thoughts. She provided plenty a distraction from them veering back toward John.

That was where they always went.

"You know him as well as I do, Soles," She murmured lowly, grunting as she blocked your own strike with both of her gloves. "And you know he cares. Ackerson coming in to take over for Halsey is a problem. He's just trying to keep you safe."

"He doesn't need to keep me safe. He needs to stop treating me like I'm the enemy! Or even worse, a liar. I may be many things. A weapon, sure. A soldier? Yeah. A liar? Not to him. Never to John."

Little known to you, Kai is incredibly aware of the actual reason John is trying to keep you off of Ackerson's radar. He and Parangosky could collaborate and have you sent back to the Headhunters without a beat of hesitation if they believe you could be an asset to the war elsewhere. With his reawakened affection and desire to protect you, he won't be risking it.

"Sierra-343," You turned your head toward the door of the gym where a crew hand donning UNSC blues stood with a cradled datapad in her arm. "Colonel Ackerson is asking for you at the ONI building."

Dread flooded your veins as you relaxed your body and began removing your gloves. That was twice now. What on Earth was Ackerson so insistent in getting out of you?

"Duty calls, 025."

"Give him hell, 343."

You dressed back into your flight suit and took the quickest route to Ackerson's office in the ONI building. What you found waiting for you was John, who seemed to be in heated conversation within Ackerson's office. The person in question who was looking for you was lounging comfortably in his chair behind his desk.

You jumped out of sight before either man could see you.

"She has no recollection of what you say you encountered on Sanctuary."

"That's impossible. Did you ask Silver's newest member? Our Headhunter can tell you. They were there with me on the ridge."

"I haven't. They're far more loyal to you than I anticipated. Regardless of whether or not they were to agree or disagree, that's not the point." Ackerson waved a dismissive hand. "Put yourself in my position, John. Given your recent behavior... would you trust you?"

"You can't win this war without us, sir."

"And you're right!" Ackerson exclaimed. "We need The Master Chief. I need that Headhunter. We all do. But John, at the end of the day, you're both just people in suits."

You slipped out of your corner by the wall and folded your hands behind your back as you approached the office. The impassive expression on Colonel Ackerson's face shifted into something warmer as you approached, beckoning you deeper into the office.

Things were beginning to make more sense. Ackerson was the problem. He was far too interested in you. In what you knew about John.

If distancing yourself saved him, you'd risk it.

You'd rather him be alive and hate you than love you and be dead.

"Sierra-343, thank you for coming to see me. Please." The Colonel extended a hand before his gaze fell back to John. John had not moved since you'd entered the room. "Master Chief, you are dismissed."

Unease licked at the corners of John's mind as the two of you met eyes, if only for a moment, before you were turning back to the chair offered to you and sitting in it to speak to the Colonel directly.

Whispers of disbelief echo in the back of your mind.

It's Ackerson. He's the problem. He and Parangosky are going to be the end of you.

"I'm assuming you heard the duration of that conversation." Ackerson idly remarked. "And I come to ask you this question again now that I am aware you have. The Master Chief has made it clear that you were present with him and Perez during this supposed attack on Sanctuary."

You leaned forward and pressed your elbows into your knees, expression impassive. "No matter what I tell you," You replied gravely. "You would not believe me. Why would you? You have no concrete proof, so there's no reason for the UNSC or ONI to take up arms against a threat. You'll just do it when it's too late and Reach is a graveyard." You nod. "Yes, I was there on Sanctuary. The Master Chief and I directly encountered Covenant Sangheili and were overwhelmed by the mass of them. We do not know why we made it out, but we did. Are you inclined to believe me? Unlikely."

"It sounds like you blame ONI for the losses The Covenant caused. I would expect you of all people to comprehend the magnitude of what they can do, as you suffered and survived it first hand during your time on The Exalted. Your team did not."

Ackerson wants you out.

You slammed your hand against his desk and shot upward. "The losses I endured were because the UNSC did not do anything. You had your best weapon in your own grasps with Cortana and John being a singular unit. You botched that." Shrugging, you sat back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest. "I'm going to be frank with you. I do not care what happens to ONI. Not you, not Halsey, not Parangosky. The only thing I care about is that your continued pursuit of my past is causing my team leader to treat me differently, and your continued denial of The Master Chief's recounting of Sanctuary is sowing doubt among Silver Team. We are supposed to be unified, not disjointed!"

He smiled. That Colonel, damn him, looked up at you and smiled.

"You've given me quite a bit of information that will prove vital to my investigation, Sierra-343. Thank you. I can certainly ascertain the extent of what he sees in you." Ackerson extended a hand towards the doorway of his office, and you felt your heart sink as your eyes followed his clearly offered exit. He had gotten exactly what he wanted. "Dismissed."

You did not allow your head to hang until you were alone in the elevator. You would not give Ackerson the satisfaction of knowing how defeated you felt.

***

"We're being called out for a mission? Seriously? To where? I thought Keyes had grounded us until further notice."

Kai tossed you your helmet as the two of you stood at your lockers. "Visegrad Relay. Chief says that's Cobalt's last known location. He wants us to find them as a way of preparing for when The Covenant land on Reach."

"He's getting more reckless," Your eyes slowly shifted to the other side of the room in search of John. Part of you, a deeper part you would never allow to see the light of day, was wondering if he'd finally had enough and went AWOL. "I miss Cortana. She kept him far more in line than any of us ever could."

"You severely underestimate your own role in his life, Soles." Kai called over her shoulder.

"This is the same man who implied I was a liar and a spy in one breath!" You whipped around to face your sister in arms, eyes brightened by the ever-constant anger you've felt begin to settle itself into your bloodstream. Spartans are made of quite alot of things. Part of you wonders if your child counterpart was as fueled by their anger as you are. "I don't know what they did to him, but that is not the same man I treated on that medical table. Ackerson is trying to warp the story and turn us against one another. Don't let him ensnare you too, Kai."

There's not much left to say after that. Kai wants to encourage you in remembering who John is as a man - someone who would always put the betterment of his men ahead of himself, a soldier who saw very little importance in his own life and would always go to great lengths to ensure everyone else made it home.

You had been the one to ensure he came with them. The one to remind John that there was someone to come home to. To drag his bloodied body back in your own arms, determined to keep him alive and to teach him the importance of his own life alongside his men.

You needed him alive. Not because the UNSC did to fight their war, but to continue to walk this path as a Spartan and allow yourself to love in the way you believed he loved you.

Maybe that too was just another dream. Everything he'd done prior to Cortana being removed felt as if it were a dream, slipping out of your fingertips before you could grasp onto such precious memory.

"Do you know what happened to Cortana?"

The question in itself causes you to pause. Now that it's been asked, you realize that you don't. You don't know what happened to Cortana.

Why? Why was her location so secret, especially given the fact she was such a crucial asset to the UNSC's intelligence network?

Where are you, little love?

***

"Copy that, Bravo. 3-2 out."

You peered at the cockpit from where you sat in the bay with Vannak, Riz and Kai on the Pelican that John had commandeered. "No training?" Vannak called out. "I thought we were going to Longhorn valley."

"Sad." You pouted playfully, laughing when Vannak turned to glare at you. "I was looking forward at pounding all of you into the dirt."

"Change of plans," John interjected. "We're going to Visegrad Relay. Riz?" With a motion of his head toward the cockpit, Riz nodded and stood to her feet to take the pilot's seat in the front of the Pelican. "The comms array on Sanctuary went down just before The Covenant attacked. Visegrad went down a few days ago. They sent Cobalt. We're going to get them back."

"Chief, with all due respect, I really hope you are not sending us in blind." You replied uneasily. "Are we cleared for combat?"

"Affirmative."

Something tugged at your stomach as you watched his eyes deliberately avert yours. Liar. You are a liar, and a hypocrite, and I will never forgive you if this goes south.

For someone who had shown and claimed he cared so much about you, it felt like the two of you were standing on opposite ends of the chasm waiting to fall. Too far gone to attempt to reach the other on the other side.

It was just a matter of time before the darkness took you both.

You and Kai were ruminating on too many questions that both of you knew were going to be left unanswered.

"What exactly is the mission?" Kai asked.

"The Covenant is on Reach."

part three?

[multifandom-26]

Maybe an angry sprit isn’t so bad S.W

Sam Winchester x female reader s1/s2 era Sam. No warnings I don’t think besides normal supernatural stuff and kissing. Let me know if it’s bad lol. Archeology reader AU.

Sam, Dean, y/n

7:48 A.M 📍the impala

Are we almost there at least? Sure are Sammy welcome to college, he says looking ahead at the campus. So dad sent us to this location because?. Because jerk it’s some sort of artifact that apparently caused a spirit to be stuck and pissed off. So what were just walk around campus asking hey who’s got any ancient artifacts lying around? Sam laughs. Dean sighs no, and I thought you were the smart one, but they have one of the best archeological programs in the U.S so maybe we find an archeology major who’s been on a trip recently. Sam nods, yeah I guess but how do we know who’s even apart of the program. don’t worry I’ll handle that just wait here. As Dean goes inside Sam sits in the car looking around, he gets a sad feeling and reminisces on his college time. He won’t admit it but he does wish he could’ve just done both or not hunted at all. Soon enough Dean comes back out with a list of names and addresses. They go from one dorm to another to an apartment complex and then to another one when they see from the street in front of it that the lights are going on and off. Sam looks up this must be our one. Dean laughs yeah or the electrician did a terrible wiring job. They head inside and get to the room number on the paper they knock then hear a few things slam around inside before a girl opens it. The boys look down at the girl and go are you Y/N Y/L/N she nods and responds with and you are? Dean clears his throat um we’re museum curators, and we heard you’ve got a very interesting piece of pottery. The girl nods still confused they can tell. Sam takes the lead now, as Dean is thinking. “May we come in” Y/N looks up at them, tell me why your really here first and maybe, you know stranger danger and all that but lying to? They laugh Dean smiles, you wouldn’t believe us if we told you even. Y/N smirks try me, I’m an archeology major I’ve heard of every urban legend, detailed myths, and cruses you could think of. They exchange looks, Dean just shakes his head and goes fine but we can’t just exactly say this shit in a hallway. She sighs and invites them in. Whatever was in here calmed down a bit at least.

8:23 am 📍y/n apartment

So you’re an archeology major what’s that like Dean asks. Sam rolls his eyes at his brother , y/n laughs um it’s pretty cool I get to go on digs in the summer last place I went was Serbia then Guam. Really Sam asks now more interested, yeah she smiles it’s amazing, you get to travel, research, and learn about the past which is all I’ve ever wanted to do. Dean smiles we uh kind of do that too, well not to your level but same idea. Sam clear his throat, you said you know about urban legends, myths etc.. what do you think this is? Y/N laughs slow down first who are you guys really, and why are you so interested in whatever is going on with the cursed pottery. Sam looks over to Dean and they just nod, well I’m sam and this my older brother Dean we uh.. we hunt the supernatural. Y/N laughs covering her mouth, uh sorry I didn’t mean to laugh but I knew you weren’t museum curators. Dean looks at her, you’re not freaked out? Not really she smiles it’s interesting besides it’s not my first run in with an angry spirit and awakening something. The boys both now are staring at her, in sync they go this happened before. Y/N shrugs I mean yeah kind of apart of the job. Now I have some books about the pottery piece where and whose it’s associated with so maybe that will help. But we cannot destroy it.

10:36 AM 📍 on the way to diner.

I’m so exhausted, and hungry, I feel like I haven’t eaten in days. . You literally ate this morning and We’re on our way to a literal diner right now if you didn’t remember Sam reminds him. Y/N sits in the back seat quietly and looks out the window and says to turn here and there when they need. They arrive and sit in a booth, what made you want to bring that thing back with you anyways and how did you get it through airport security? Y/N laughs, well it was cool and I was doing a report on it and I am supposed to bring it back to New York for the head researches to do whatever with it but I hit a writing and research block, and for the airport security I have an archeological pass for certain items to be brought through. You do need to get a shit ton of stuff signed through saying all of the info and they’re allowing you to take it out of the country. Dean smiles makes sense, Sam clears his throat so uh, a writing block he says. The girl sighs, yeah I mean it’s been days and I just can’t seem to say what I wanna say and my researching has not been the best. Do you think it’s because of the object Sam asks. She sighs I mean maybe but, I’m also just under a lot of stress right now too with finals and everything and I have one more semester before I graduate so it’s a bit nerve wracking. The boys both shoot her a look of sympathy at her words. Throughout the rest of their meal and chat Dean notices Sam staring at the girl, smiling, and being more bubbly than usual. They leave and head back to y/n’s apartment.

1:07PM 📍y/n’s place

The three sit and stare at the vase, y/n explains the history on it and then tells them she thinks it’s associated with the spirit, As there sitting and reading and writing on post it’s, the piece falls to the floor out of nowhere but dosent break. They sit still almost waiting for another thing to happen just make it sure it wasn’t a weird mishap. Then the lights flicker, and piece goes flying across the room and she appears. A woman, and at that an angry looking one. The boys start grabbing their stuff they make a salt ring around the woman as she just stands there staring at y/n. It then speaks the word return. Y/n is directly behind Sam and at hearing the woman’s words she grabs onto his arm out of fear. Sam feels it and his face heats up, but he smiles, don’t worry we’re not gonna let her get you. Or us. Dean yells do not forget we’re also here and apart of this now Sammy.. obviously sam rolls his eyes. The woman tries to move closer to them but is stopped by the salt ring. Return she says again. Y/N steps out, you return the woman yells again. Y/n picks up the pottery holding it, was this yours? The woman nods. Y/n smiles it’s beautiful, really amazing work. What’s your name? Sofia the woman replies, well Sofia you must have worked hard on this. The woman nods, as y/n is distracting her Sam and Dean start chanting and the woman groans than shrieks a black cloud coming out of her mouth and then she is gone. They all stand staring at where she was, nice work guys y/n smiles. Kinda our thing Dean laughs.

5PM 📍 the apartment

So I wanted to thank you guys for everything today, so… I made steak. Steak! Dean asks excitedly. Yes Y/n smiles. Thank you really, for all of this for helping, the food, and talking to her. Sam smiles. Y/N looks down blushing a bit oh it was nothing. They sit down and eat mindlessly chatting away. Telling Y/N about where they’ll be going next probably and she tells them she can’t wait till next week when finals are done and the summers hers. She is sad though she’s gonna miss them especially Sam, the one she couldn’t keep her eyes off, ever since he appeared in her doorway, the one who thought about her safety, laughed at her jokes, thanked her for the help. Sam… she was going to miss him for sure. Dean noticed her eyeing him as well at points, like now she seemed lost in thought and staring at him. You guys done with your plates, Dean asks getting up. Yeah you and Sam reply hanging them to him. Y/N speaks first, so you guys leave tomorrow morning? Sam sighs yeah, you know always moving. She nods. Y/n laughs I wish I could come, it sounds kinda fun what you guys do, heroic. Sam smiles, yeah me to it would be a refreshing break from having just Dean around. Speaking of him you laugh, where did he go? I thought to put the plates in the kitchen he would’ve been back by now my apartment isn’t big. He could’ve snuck out and went to the bar. Oh okay well it’s just me and you I guess than, do you want anything to dri- y/n gets cut off when Sam kisses her, shocked at first she then kisses back, deepening the kiss she puts her hands around his neck and scoots even closer to him. He wraps his arms around her waist, they break apart after a bit. Sorry he smiles I just I’ve been wanting to do that the whole day but I was nervous that you didn’t like me and I actually still don’t know but- hey she smiles I like you I’ve liked you since you walked through that door this morning. He smiles well in that case, he leans in and kisses her again.

9pm📍the couch

Sitting on Sam’s lap leaning against him, you’re both watching tv you are slowly drifting to sleep. The door opens with the key Dean swiped, Dean steps in and smiles silently pumping his fist, he pulls out his phone and snaps a photo.

7am the next morning:

Come with us when you’re finished we’ll drive back and pick you up even Sam states. The girl smiles, I mean you know it’s my summer, and I’m gonna do this she smiles. Sam hugs her, I can’t wait to see you again. Me to she sighs, I’ll miss you. The pair kiss before he gets in the car and the boys head off. Maybe having an angry spirit in your house isn’t so bad after all.

[secretlytherealsonicthehedgehog]

so this is me basically yapping about my queen’s complexity😊 regina mills they could never make me hate you

ANYWAYS. one thing i absolutely ADORE about her complexity is her voice. lana parrilla’s voice consistently changes depending on her scenes and i think it is done absolutely BEAUTIFULLY.

when she’s with cora, her voice is sensitive and quiet, as if she’s afraid to get yelled at but still looking for approval and validation.

with henry, her voice is firm but still caring. it’s her SON, after all.

with daniel, it’s free and joyful and you can just tell the difference when she speaks to him vs to anyone who’s not her family.

her voice is so powerful in so many other ways. it shows weakness, strength, fear, love, and it’s all portrayed and executed in a way that’s purely majestic.

next thing is the parallels.

regina’s greed is eventually fully explained, she loses everything, but something i’ve noticed is that everything she loses is everything she’s never actually had.

her mother’s approval, daniel, henry, hell even graham. something archie says in s2 is that everything she loses is because of magic. i think that’s true and they should’ve extended that theory further throughout the show.

her mother never truly loved her — only taking advantage of her daughter’s weakness, her need for love.

i’m not sure if this is stated, but i’ve always interpreted this way. i don’t believe she and daniel were together very long. yes, long enough to fall in love, but in ouat, that normally seemed to happen rather quickly. anyways, regina was this close to marrying daniel until cora killed him. she never truly had him in the way she wanted — and we all know nothing happened in the way she wanted.

with henry, she, again, never really had him. he was never her son, not in the way she needed him to be. he was always emma’s son, even if it felt like he was hers. yes, henry loves her, he cares about her, but at the end of the day, his determination to stick with emma in the earlier seasons always seems to overcome that.

the last one is obvious but graham could not feel anything. meaning, whatever regina felt for him, whether it was love, lust, or nostalgia, was not real. which, equals in false hope, false love, all that. (i say nostalgia because in my mind, regina sees daniel in all her past/current lovers.)

so, in conclusion to this little yapping session, regina goes several seasons with absolutely nothing. it hurts to say it, but that’s just the way her life was portrayed. now, i’m leading up to how her greed is involved in this, along with her almost drug-like addiction to magic.

she consistently goes after things she cannot have. an example of this is her attachment to children. in season two (?), regina takes away her fertility with magic to piss her mother off. this soon comes to bite her in the ass and leads to her adoption journey with henry.

maybe three times she tried to take someone’s children as her own. yes it sounds bad but there’s an explanation for that. since she can’t have children, regina’s greed for one only grows stronger. the first time she did this was with owen, a little boy who managed to get inside storybrook with his father — whom she framed for drunk driving and i believe child neglect (correct me if i’m wrong) when owen refused to live with her and abandon his father.

another time was with ava and nicolas, at the time known as hansel and gretel. after retrieving the iconic apple from the blind witch, hansel and gretel come back to regina’s castle and as a “reward,” she tries to invite them to live with her. she basically tried to bribe them, but their love for their father was so strong, so out of spite she uses magic to separate the twins from their father.

and lastly, throughout season one, she attempts to kill or frame emma several times. this is because of her attachment to henry — which this time is somewhat explainable. for once, she finally has the child she deprived herself of and all of a sudden, after years of trying to fully connect with her son, she loses him. as she did several times before. hence why i said henry was never truly her child.

ANYWAYS.😊 regina mills you are a being of majestic and conflicting things that make you the woman you are and i absolutely LOVE IT.

[guileheroine]

arcane s2 act 1 thoughts

getting my impressions down before act 2 so i can remember how things felt at this point in time before everything gets blasted open :)

aughghhhhjjjjjjjjhhhhj

above all: it’s exciting to watch a show that’s technically incredible also be so tight in terms of writing, where you trust it enough to really immerse yourself w/o reservation. and moreso it’s so nice to be trusted to do some work as a viewer, interpret the ambiguities instead of being force-fed all the beats. and to have something so detail rich, dense and deftly constructed that you can mine it endlessly (as someone who’s seen s1 10-ish times lol)

they are packing so much story into these episodes compared to s1 act 1 and i won't be able to imagine all this tied up in 6 more eps until i see it - i wonder how it would feel as a slower paced show

the loungewear and rose petals really give the new opening a boudoir vibe. grateful!

no scene scratched my id like viktor leaving jayce — his open acknowledgement of their divergence (in those words no less) and the fact of their partnership being dead from the beginning

^for me the core of the story has long been what i call the two JV divergence arcs

relatedly, viktor in the black hood has there ever been a lük more instantly iconic. he has a STAGGERING face card. i look forward to further jayvik divorce proceedings but want him to meet the other undercity protags so bad, he seems poised to take on a similar role in the Cause as jinx

i really loved the opening scene between mel and jayce. it seems mel shielded him. i got tingly at her drawing the line at weaponising hextech and reaffirming her commitment to jayce and viktor's vision. their hextech dream, #ot3, # heres how meljayvik can still win!!!

the fight choreo, music, stylistic choices and just the marriage of form and content still feel thrilling. fortiche i am once again kissing your feet, vive la france

i dig this caitlyn arc. in s1 she didn’t quite pass muster against the rest of the cast bc it felt like the degree of naïveté needed to keep her as pure as it seemed they wanted her, was a hard sell in an ostensibly smart and capable character, in an ensemble where everyone else felt like much more textured products of their circumstances. i always thought that instead of the noble oblivious thing it would’ve been more seamless and meaningful if she’d been conscious but ambivalent about all the gross injustice, only digging deeper once it became personal via vi

and now!! feeling gratified bc i think they’re doing that arc, just in reverse: as soon as it becomes personal in the other direction, you see that her grip on the bigger picture is conditional and easily blinkered. it emphasises her previous passion about justice for zaun as deriving partly from the self-righteousness that's also an underacknowledged effect of privilege, instead of simple empathy. (plus the fairweather allyship is… a very resonant theme lmao and quite cool to see it depicted how the correct nudge, a taste of what the system deals out to others, will make the most earnest of listeners-and-learners retreat to their worst biases about the 'other'. the protofascist seed in every member of a cozy ruling class. honestly one of their most excellent writing choices)

i think cait hit vi on that stab wound from sevika which surely cannot have fully healed yet. ouch

absolutely loving jinx and sevika in the post-silco world, they are getting to come into their own in terms of motivations. absolutely obsessed with the smeech fight heheee

i can’t tell if jinx is doing better or worse. something soothing about the suicidal clarity though i don’t think her passivity is new—in s1 she was incredibly perceptive about what she was to silco but sort of resigned to it, so it's kinda exciting where she could go without his tether even though i miss silco sooooo much. i wonder if being in her Older Sibling Era (and vi being in her Abandoned Era) will help jinx and vi connect (🚨wishful thinking🚨, but somebody should write it)

“im glad it’s you / had to be you” has made me ILL since hearing it in that one teaser and now that it’s in context i might just throw up i cannot believeee we get a sister dynamic like this

vi rock bottom🤗 i couldn’t decide if she legit felt jinx was beyond the pale or did a hard swerve putting all her eggs in cait's basket, trying to bifurcate powder and jinx for the sake of, i guess, emotional self-preservation, with the notion of powder that had sustained her fully extinguished. love a protag so earthy and intense while being an unmitigated flop before the fateful tide of the story, and in that way she’s still very dean winchester-coded. also in that i want to see her bloody and crying, though at this point one win might be a relief

ambessa fox mode let’s goooo! i am curious if/when she’ll slip which i think could come down to something explosive with mel (🤞) or caitlyn realising she manipulated her in her griefblind state

idk if it just needs time or if it’s the unfillable silco-shaped hole, but so far the dialogue this season isn’t as sticky ?? (compared with s1 where they didn’t waste a word). but at least everyone’s hotter

i like heimerdinger more now that he’s ekko’s pet. i like jayce and ekko meeting lifetimes after “he didn’t even haggle”: they are just drinking tea and investigating the arcane not even realising their semi-interaction precipitated the instigating tragedy of Arcane. the world would never be the same. i hope they survive what may or may not be the time warp intact D:

the “it’s not supposed to be like that” with sevika and jinx and the bombs what is going on??? 👀👀

i'm glad theyre releasing this right in time to carry me through the winter. seasonal depression out, seasonal hyperfixation in

[illocopon]

Tw: suicide mention, mental health, toxic relationships

Ok I get it, the first season was all fun and games and silly little gay pirates, so it's obvious and easy to point Izzy out as the antagonist -ahem, the English and Spanish navy, ahem-. So yeah, we have this little and agry fella, trying to bring our lovers appart, trying to boss around The Revenge as if he's the Captain and being mean to everyone around. Of course we thought he's the bad guy. But have we stopped and cared about what are Izzy's drives? HAVE WE??

Izzy Hands is Blackbeard's first mate. Not Ed's, as he says later on. The good functioning of the ship and the relationships between his Captain and the crew is his duty. And all of a sudden, his Captain turns mad and in love with someone who is weak and has nothing to do with piracy. Izzy is absolutely stressed, like a stray cat taking a bath for the first time. The time Ed and Stede spend together is lost time: not pillaging well enough, not hiding properly from the Army... So he blames it all on Stede, ignoring completely his boss' state of mind. Izzy's job is to make everything work and it's just not happening anytime soon. He's so desperate that he even takes a deal with the English army. He even forgives Ed when he punches him in the face, because he's convinced he deserved it. What else could he do?

*S2 spoilers ahead*

And in the second season, Izzy has regained power as first mate. But he's utterly destroyed, both physically and emotionally. He has sacrificed his integrity for this ship, and it's not paying back. Ed treats him like a dog and the crew is so profoundly mentally devastated that he cannot make it work anymore. And again, in desperation, Izzy keeps searching for solutions. It's his job, at the end of the day. He's too emotionally attached that he needs to stay, to make it work again like it used to. He's once again against the wall, he even asks to talk it through. Anything is working, so even Stede's ways were given a try. And this gets him shot in the leg, leading to losing it in a 50-50% chance to die.

So dying is the last frontier. He's not sacrificing his life to a suicidal boss that doesn't care who goes down with him. He almost gives up, but luckily he fails his shot. When the storm comes, he gets his revenge on all the damage that he has taken over the months, over the years; and yet again he's doing his job: he's protecting the crew from what's now the enemy, their current Captain.

When Izzy sees Stede again, he asks him to insult him, to unburden all his hate on him -but that's Izzy's coping mechanism, not Stede's-, he needs punishment, for he hasn't been able to complete his duty and to save Blackbeard from insanity to it's last consecuences. All he gets back is just nothing, and it hurts more than anything because he's left alone with guilt. No bad words, not even a side eye. He's broken and ignored.

Later on, when Stede's crew escape, they take Izzy with them -he would probably be killed or used to track them back- and he tries, for the first time, to thank Stede. Ignored again. He's not worth a thought. So he first falls in booze and then progressively into absolute madness, guiltyness and grieve.

He's not been loved once. Not even when he gave all his life to the one he loved. It was never returned back and now he's disabled for life, alone and aboard a ship where everyone hates him -or so he thinks.

I was so happy to see that the crew ended up understanding his pain and situation, taking care of him and making him a new leg all together. So fuck yeah. FOR THE NEW UNICORN. For the new and crafty Izzy, for the new and sensitive man how's yet to come to terms with some things. To Izzy Hands.

So what I really want to say is: stop hating Izzy. He's been through a lot of shit, has done questionable things to maintain his crew safe and he's a baby girl and I'm too emotional to end this with something that makes sense.

[irkimatsu]

I read an article from Screen Rant which speculated Husk possibly having a larger role in season two due to him being an ex-Overlord—something that may very well come into play as Overlords seem to be the focal point, though particularly the Vees, in these upcoming episodes. I am uncertain if Husk's past will in fact be touched on, but I imagine we will get a glimpse of the history between Alastor and Vox at least. What are your thoughts on this? 👀 Personally, I'm really excited to learn about how the acquisition of power works in Hell and all its politics lmaooo I'm a sucker for world building shit!!

- ⭐ blue-dream-boye

Oh, I absolutely want that sweet, sweet worldbuilding! I'm not entirely clear on how the whole Overlord business works - clearly they're united enough on some level to have organized meetings, though no one particularly cares if you stop attending those meetings for seven years... I'd love to see all the alliances and rivalries in the whole business, from feelings based on serious moral grounds to utter petty bullshit.

And of course I want to know where Husk falls in with all that. I'm sure he had some Overlords he was fond of, and some he couldn't fucking stand. (And I'm sure he had some opinion on Alastor, one way or another - and it can't have been entirely negative if Husk trusted him enough to bet his soul against him, unless his desperation/addiction was truly that bad by then...) Do any of the current Overlords remember him? Do they know he's now Alastor's pet? Do they even care? How many other ex-Overlords are running around in Hell, not murdered by Alastor but still stripped of their power somehow?

How is someone officially designated an Overlord? Is there a hard number of souls you have to own first? Do you have to be skilled at a certain industry? Who makes those decisions?

What was Husk like as an Overlord? Does he have any regrets? This is what I'm particularly interested in from Husk's time as an Overlord - I feel like his redemption arc, in a show where redemption arcs are the whole point, won't be nearly as satisfying if he was a kind Overlord who never hurt anyone. Hell, from what we already know, "used souls as gambling chips" already sounds pretty bad. I want to see his mistakes and regrets so I can see how he moves on from them... I think addiction and lust for power would have turned him into a particularly nasty person. He even says "it was nice having that power", so power was definitely a consideration, something that could drive him to be selfish... It's not right, but it's understandable how it happened...

I'd also like to see some comparisons with Valentino - given his current stance on consent, I'm sure he currently fucking hates Val, even if Angel wasn't in the equation. But given his gambling of souls back then, how much could he truly have against Val back then without coming off as a hypocrite…?

And yes, what in the absolute fuck happened between Alastor and Vox? I keep seeing the quote "complicated and sad" going around about their history. What happened. I'm especially looking forward to seeing what happened so I can understand better what makes Alastor tick... he hides everything so well, I need to see his history to truly understand...

Godddd S2 cannot come soon enough

[twotangledsisters]

You’re awesome for posting fic updates not only consistently, but daily! Any tips for keeping up with writing?

Thank you so much! I love updates and writing being a part of my routine and I'm glad other people enjoy it too!

And sure, I can think of some tips:

First, there's a mixture of inspiration and forcefulness. I remember when I was really little I read a post somewhere about how if you want to take something seriously, you have to take it seriously on the days when you're inspired and on the days you're not. That changed how I treat art forever!

But years and years later I learnt a more important lesson, to never overlook the power of inspiration.

It's through a mixture of both that I can really keep up with writing. If I only wrote when inspired, sooner or later I'd get a loooong writing block that would leave me simply paralysed. But I'll often do the 'just one chapter' method, and often writing just a few paragraphs will get me back into the flow. But if I'm still very blocked after a chapter, that's fine.

But if I am inspired, I will follow that. Even if it takes my story in weird directions that weren't planned! A good example is that Caine rescuing Cass in the final S1 fic wasn't planned, she wasn't planned to come along in S2 and certainly did not expect her to fall in love... A lot of their scenes came from me writing while inspired.

Now, stuff such as Eugene's near death in S1 finale, the way Koto framed him, the way Cass had to deal with accusations of witchcraft, those stuff were planned way ahead of time!

It's really important to keep that balance, to have plans and also leave room for inspiration to run wild!

An added bonus, if you feel an intense desire to go write a fic that's completely different to the one you're trying to work on, just let inspiration win. I was struggling a bit with the 'Day of Animals' arc in tangled sisters the other day, then I got the urge to do a little Cass oneshot, so I wrote the oneshot in one sitting and have had zero issues writing since.

Sometimes you can unblock writing block with MORE writing! As long as you're letting inspiration guide you.

Second is to take breaks! I update every day but I do not write every day. I write a few times a week and usually have at least one really long session!

One of my currently updating fics 'Always By Your Side' I wrote half of it in like a week, took a few months break, then wrote the rest and started publishing!

Sometimes long breaks can really help. I've taken several long breaks with Tangled Sisters.

Third is stay ahead. With 'Always By Your Side' I have it completely written so I just proof read on the day of upload. Tangled Sisters I keep track of in Notion:

Look how cute my fanfic section is!

I'm usually at least 30 chapters ahead but I did take a writing break recently. Soon as I get the next arc done I expect to be well ahead again.

Fourth, motivation! This one isn't entirely your control, but a huge factor for keeping up is just that I'm super motivated! I can thank the amazing people who comment every day, those who comment occasionally, those who leave kudos or send nice asks like this one!

It does sooo much to make me smile and excited for the stories I'm telling.

And if you look at my fanfic section of notion, I have that little box titled kind words, the content actually changed every time I reload the page, it's linked to a little table where I keep track of all the kind words regarding my fics that I've gotten on Ao3 and tumblr! (I also have several bits of fanart by the amazing @rebecagpfs in that page who I cannot thank enough!!!)

So, although you don't have full control over motivation, having a notebook to collect those kind words can help!

Fifth would be talk to people. Have at least one person who's cool with spoilers cause brainstorming is just easier with somebody else! For me @the-writer1988 has got me through sooo many writer's blocks! Often times I just ramble at her until the problem resolves itself, other times it'd be a more active back and forth. But writing friends supporting each other, always great!

And hey, to anybody who wants to ramble about their fics to me I'm always open! I love hearing about people's fics and am huge on the writer supporting writers sorta mentality!

Sixth is just have fun! If you enjoy what you're writing it's going to be sooo much easier than if you don't.

I do want to point out though, every writer's different! I can sit down and write 10k words in one sitting, but a lot of people can't, just like I need five hour to do a drawing many artists can do in an hour.

Writing is an art and you get faster with experience.

Also, I do daily updates because I adore consistency! Having that routine is amazing for me and I think it's lovely for some readers. But I also accomplish that via very short chapters! Sometimes as short as just 600-700 words. Many authors opt for longer chapters that upload weekly but there still writing the same amount!

So yeah, I do hope this helped!

Thank you so much for the ask :D And if anything didn't make sense, please tell me, it's almost 1am here I just noticed but I really wanted to answer this before bed!

[carrymelikeimcute]

Thinking about 1x04 and the way it absolutely goes to TOWN on what being a captain is, and how Ed, Izzy and Stede all struggle with it, and each other.

This is a great episode for watching Izzy spiral - he tries to force Ed to stop mucking about and do some captaining (failing to realise that Ed has a plan, he just isn't explaining it to him).

After this lack of input, Izzy is apparently desperate enough to ask STEDE - demanding information about the ship from him (which Stede obviously doesn't have) and to come up with his own 'plan' which is 'everyone either fights or they die' - which is as blunt and simplistic as it gets. But it's also the polar opposite of Stede's 'we talk to them' - neither plan is going to work, but for wildly different reasons.

BUT then, when Ed appears and Lucius is giving the countdown, Izzy seems to be learning just as much as Stede is, what it MEANS to be a captain. To have this pressure on you, this responsibility. Izzy is crumbling under only a sliver of it already, as is Stede.

When Ed says the line 'The crew's going to die, you're gonna lose all your men and it's all gonna be your fault - all the men who trusted you...' The shot is of Izzy looking at Ed.

Earlier in the episode, we see Ed brush off Izzy notifying him of the losses they took in the skirmish with the Spanish. I see this moment as Izzy realising that Ed does care, but he cannot allow himself to stop, even for a moment, to let that emotion in - because he needs to be their captain, all the time.

When Black Pete arrives to say that Blackbeard is a genius - Izzy is confused. Then, when the secret 'fog' plan appears to come to fruition, Izzy is annoyed - seemingly with himself, for his own lack of faith, for not listening and for making rash decisions, like threatening to resign. It's clear (in my view) that he WANTS the plan to work though - he doesn't want to die and he wants his captain to be RIGHT.

But, while everyone else is happy and relieved, Izzy looks if anything, hurt - because he's been left in the dark. He's first mate and he has been excluded from the plan - and I'm not sure if this is because he didn't go along with the 'sausage clouds' thing earlier, or if Ed was always going to keep it from him, but either way it shows that they aren't communicating well, as a unit.

And when Ed's plan is shown to have the fatal flaw of it being a leap year, Izzy looks crestfallen, because not only is he now probably going to die, he's also seeing Blackbeard - THE Blackbeard - stumble. (And in a stumble he could have avoided earlier if they'd been listening to each other). It's sort of embarrassed and broken, that look, like he's seeing this human failing for the first time.

Interestingly, Stede asks if leap years 'change things much' highlighting a key difference between him and Izzy - Stede has little nautical experience, Izzy has a lot - but Stede has the imagination to come up with a plan like the lighthouse, and Izzy, even with his knowledge, doesn't have the creativity to use it effectively. But, as with the fog plan - creativity also needs pragmatism.

During the exchange between Lucius/Frenchie, Izzy is centred between them, looking down/into nothing, clearly aware that 1. he is going to die and 2. Ed is just waiting to die. And While Stede is going after Ed, Izzy it appears, cannot. He either doesn't know what to do to get Ed through this, or can't bring himself to try.

The lighthouse fuckery works - showing Stede and Ed think along similar lines. Izzy is noteably absent from the entire thing. Where he is/what he's doing remains a mystery. (From what we see of him in S2, I theorise he's probably sitting somewhere dark and staring at a wall, having it out with himself, but that's just me).

Finally, we get the last scene with Ed/Izzy. And as soon as Ed approaches, Izzy apologises - which again, I consider to be due to introspection during the fuckery but w/e - Izzy actively refutes what he said by saying he doesn't think it, but it's not clear if he thought it when he said it, and has changed his mind, or never thought it to begin with. Ed even sort of meets him halfway by saying he was 'right' - about what we have no idea. Possibly just that they needed a plan, and he needed to share that plan sooner.

Ed offers Izzy the captaincy, despite the previous day showing that he is absolutely NOT captain material - which feels to me like a way to get Izzy to stay. To buy some time and keep things as they are. Ed is trying to keep all his plates spinning while he works out wtf he wants to do.

Lastly, Izzy calls after him to reassure Ed that he's 'still got it' but it feels...conciliatory. Much like the offer of a captaincy, it's a bit of flattery, a balm for a wound - I think he wants to mean it, but he's still not 100% sure. And Ed gives him a confident smile and turns away before letting it drop - which is when we see Izzy's answering smile, like he's now convinced that Ed is still Blackbeard, he's still got what it takes - but Ed's the one doubting himself now, more than ever, but he looks...slightly resigned to me? Like he's at least at this point, trying to convince himself that he really means it when he lays out his plan.

This episode man, it's just...the relationships between Stede, Ed and their respective 'marriages' is...a lot to pack into this one ep.

[gubbles-owo]

So Manticore's paradox simulation, from what I can gather, is designed around using her S2 (Toxic Overload). But for shits and giggles I wanted to see if I could clear it with S1 (Scorpion Venom) instead. And-- because this wasn't unnecessarily painful enough-- without her passive slow module either. And I found a goddamned way.

This took three hours of strategizing, experimentation, and practice to get down consistently. I ain't a high-level Arknights player by any stretch of the imagination, so perhaps this isn't all impressive, but fuck you I'm still proud of it!! Below the cut, if you wish, join me on an unnecessarily detailed journey of pain, trials, insight, and growth. Spoilers for Manticore's paradox sim, obviously, so if you're looking to go into that fresh then uhhh dont watch the video come back to this later or smth teehee

So first, Manticore's skills: her S2 slows down attack speed, but stuns any enemies it hits (that is to say, anyone unlucky enough to be in her range). The slowdown may seem like a detriment, but when you consider that the wind up takes about the same time as she idly goes invisible, and that she gets a significant attack boost on her first fit when cloaked-- that's a hell of a damage boost. On the other hand, her S1 is more passive. Whenever she hits something in her range, it gets slowed for some time. At full mastery 3, the length of the slow equals her attack interval, which equates to a constant slow on an enemy as long as she can keep hitting em. Her module stacks on a passive slow to ANYTHING in her range. WITHOUT hitting it. This helps her S2 be a bit more effective as she can pool up more victims within her reach, and amplifies the effect of S1 to get enemies reeaall sluggish. It also just flat out boosts her attack and defense. So of course we are not going to use it here. For funsies! With that out of the way, let's get a sense of what we're dealing with here.

Upon starting the mission, Cuora (our spunky little tank turtle) is immediately bound by this slippery sack of shitsuck right here:

Doesn't even walk in or anything, just poofs in out of nowhere and kicks down your turtle. What an asshole. Anyway operators who are bound or stunned cannot block incoming enemies. As you will swiftly learn, this is a problem. Because these two slobbering snifflepricks will charge in to ruin your day.

These are not good boys. They are bad boys. Rancid, even. If you don't act quickly, these two will breeze past your sole point of defense and end your run like 10 seconds in. Amiya and Haze, your two provided casters, can take care of them if you place them cleverly and quickly. But it leaves them poorly equipped to deal with the rest of the fodder that comes rolling in shortly thereafter. This is like, just my flawed observation based on experience, but I believe the intention here is to equip Manticore's S2 and place her in this spot first thing:

Fire off her skill as soon as it's ready and it'll break the enemy caster out of its bind, just in time for Cuora to recover and block the incoming dogs. Now there is a small chance you're grabbing your screen and violently shaking it while screaming "bUt WhAt AbOuT tHe StUn GeNeRaToR!?!?" to which I say: yes, you can use it to stop the dogs in their tracks without using Manticore! It's the second thing I did when playing this sim for the first time. Ah, yet this is but a devious trap. Because there's a big surprise waiting for you 'til the very end!! :D

ouguhghh right in the dick yeeaahhhhh so there's this massive malignant amalgamation of mud (and/or rock). And it will cock-sock u straight into hell! "No big deal, Cuora can heal with her sk-" she is locked into S1 in this scenario. +50% defense, that's it. If Manticore can no longer stun this thing out of attacking, Cuora WILL go down, it's just a matter of when. So we'll have to figure out how to work around this inevitability. Even with Manticore's stun, you're going to need to save that stun box for this part too. Perhaps there's a way around this, but from all of my experimentation, you just do not have the DPS or slow to afford it. I cannot tell you how many runs died with just a teensy tiny imperceptible little sliver of its health slipping past my defenses.

Come on. You can't even SEE its health. That bar is EMPTY and nothing can convince me otherwise. This is already getting pretty long here, so I'll just do a quick walkthrough of the final run, and explain some of the rationale behind it on the way. So without further ado,

the strateyg

To start things off, we deploy Amiya first.

The dogs aren't a problem quite yet, so we want to focus on getting rid of shibari slut here as quickly as possible. Amiya's skill charges with each hit she lands, so the windup time is pretty damn good. Much faster than Haze's. And speaking of Haze, I played around a lot with who to deploy here. Originally I tried to get Haze in place to sap most of this caster's health, but uhhh

yeeeeaaaahhhh so Haze's skill here really ain't great for tanking damage. I was so goddamn confused as to why she was dropping dead so quickly, as the caster one-shots her, until I finally noticed the "-75% max HP" in the skill description. rip. So for a few reasons, survivability included, Amiya gets deployed for the opener. This positioning leaves the bottom lane wide open, and we've got two snarling problems heading up from south-side. So we deploy Manticore as soon as we've got the DP.

(NOTE: Manticore here is a pitiful potential 2, but that does lower her DP cost to 19. This is probably still doable with her base cost of 20? Haven't tested it tho) This position not only lets her get a full 3-long coverage on both exit lanes, but also covers five tiles total on the lower path. This is critical for slowing down the dogs here in time for Steward to take care of em. Once the caster finally frees the turtle, they start hitting Amiya. Hard. But don't fret, once he rounds the corner he'll start targeting Manticore (i think) instead. Bnnuy is left with little health, but this isn't a problem as we'll soon see. Once the enemy caster targets whoever else it's safe to deploy our last caster. Go Haze!

Provided you didn't deploy her too early, she should survive the last few caster attacks just fine. So one of the key things to do here is to retreat Amiya as soon as the enemy caster is defeated. We'll need her later, but in the meantime, the team of Haze + Manticore + Cuora can make quick work of the flood of incoming fodder. And good lord is there a lot of fucking fodder.

It's scary, but don't panic. Take hold of my hands. Look into my eyes. Everything will be okay. I promise. The primary thing we have to watch out here is for the first red uhhh pirate (???) that comes down from the top lane. Haze's skill needs to be activated once he's in range or else he'll leak right on through to the exit. Aside from this, this section doesn't require much action. srsly tho they look like pirate hats and u cannot convince me otherwise If we retreated her quickly enough at the start, Amiya should be ready to get back in action just in time for Mudrock's pet rock to show up.

Look at that. TACTICAL RETREAT to achieve a particular setup later. Who would've thought? And FACING HER BACKWARDS. She covers a whooping six tiles that this mud glob slowly meanders through, and she's gonna need all of them to kill this thing in time. I am so fcukign smar t. From here it's pretty simple, but strenuous: fire Amiya's skill as soon as muddy gets in her lower range. Fire Haze's skill similarly. Pray. Let Cuora get hit once, then slap the stun box before the 2nd punch so Warfarin can heal her, let Cuora take the third before activating her defense skill. Then uhhh watch as she perishes under the next punch anyways cause idk? Warfarin was quick enough in earlier iterations of this strategy but apparently not the final one? Whatever, it's fine, the thing crumbles and we win!

Since Manticore can no longer stun in this run, we use her to simply assist by slowing down the fodder-- enough to hold off the full firepower of a caster for later use. And once we do re-establish our full DPS, our favorite scorpion gal slows down the big tanky thing for as long as possible, stalling enough to slay it just in time-- even with our sole defender having been pummeled into dust. What a fuckin' run. Soooo yEAH, I'm still figuring out the whole "strategy" thing, but it was real fun to attempt a little self-imposed challenge run that I wasn't even sure was doable in the first place. There were several points I was sure it wasn't, but I wound up figuring something out after fucking around and finding out. Could it be further improved and optimized? Probably. But three hours working out the thing and an equivalent amt of time just writing out this damn thing, im gonna go lay down instead anyway uhhh manticore best arlknight gril send tweet

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 10

wait, Gabby actually said "baddie"? i thought she said "buddy." Ellie is a bad bitch send tweet

given everything that happened in this episode, i honestly forgot this happened. i'm sure it'll come back to be important at some point, though. putting this here to try to help keep it in my mind.

Gabby and Ellie are literally the cutest, my goodness. i thought their ship was okay in S1 (i didn't really understand why Ellie would like Gabby, and to some extent i still don't), but DCAS has made me love them. they just care about and revere each other so much........

god, he's literally the worst (/hj /pos)

does Yul actually care about/need the money? i thought he was only on the show for the publicity. i want to know the Yul lore so bad...

what does Gabby think this alliance is meant to accomplish, exactly...? actually, i take back my confusion. Yul literally tried to poison Aiden in S2. there's a precedent for her believing that the alliance would commit actual crimes.

i cannot believe that Yul canonically knows what Tumblr is. hi Yul

this made me cackle. i'm glad every time that Aiden gets to be more sassy and hotheaded again, especially when it's behind someone's back like this. that rashness is what prevents him from being the super vanilla character that people like to make fun of him for being, and what causes him to do interesting things in the narrative.

honestly, this was way more understated than i expected. and, possibly than it should've been...? like, Jake. Tom literally lied to you just to avoid you. this is actually (in my opinion) something you could be justifiably pissed about.

HE'S SO PANICKED AT THE THOUGHT OF BEING EJECTED FROM THE GAME. HE CARES A LOT ABOUT PLAYING. I WANT TO KNOW THE YUL LORE SO BADDDDDDD

this can't actually be the end of Emily's character, right? right?

i'm glad this scene exists because it makes way more sense that there would still be some hostility between these two after the events of S1. they need time to cook before they can become besties for real :)

Gabby, respecter of girlfriends everywhere

honestly, i thought that she was going to straight up shoot Yul (with paint) after this. it would've been deserved.

...RIGHT???

...how? other than figure, those two look pretty much nothing alike. also, hilarious unforced error given the result of this episode. imagine if this slip up winds up essentially costing Tom the win.

is it just me, or was there more swearing than normal this episode? not super important, but it was noticeable.

this is a really valid argument. why did this count? whatever.

KING!!!!!!! see, i was right to bring up how Alec is great at challenges.

he's an Fi lead (MBTI reference)

KING PART 2!!!!!!!! i love Alec

again, i like seeing this side of Aiden. while i wouldn't say he's as petty as Jake, he's still petty enough to continue the feud instead of trying to be the bigger person. he's got depth!

ABSOLUTELY the best strategic move for the villains. i'm very happy with this elimination, although, i was never a huge Ashley fan. my heart goes out to those who are.

not only that, but the disventure is over too.

Jake is truly going to be 100% alone in this game, now, and entirely due to his own doings. very excited to see how he proceeds from here.

this is a winner's cut moment, ngl.

what did the writers mean by this

aaaaand, that's the episode! i enjoyed this one. it reminded me of the good ol' S1 days, where i got to watch Fiore and Alec absolutely trample all of the heroes with their superior strategy. (i stan the villains, if that wasn't obvious by this point.) i'm well aware that those days can't last forever, but that just makes me even more inclined to revel in them while they're still here.

i do still hope that one of Jake, Tom, and Aiden gets eliminated soon, though. this episode specifically i don't think was an instance of plot armor-- like i said, i think Ashley was by far the most sensible boot given the situation-- but the longer all three of them stay in, the more it does feel like the writers playing favorites than how the game would genuinely shake out.

i'm quite curious as to what the next trailer will show us. are we headed towards another hero boot, or will the villains start beefing already? will the inevitable trevek conversation happen next episode? and is Emily really gone???? i hope not :,( see you next week!

[wizen-faced-frump]

This post contains SO MANY SPOILERS for the final mob psycho ep so pls scroll past immediately if you somehow found this and haven't watched the end yet!!!! I watched the episode as soon as it came out but then it was late and I had to go to sleep afterwards so I couldn't spew my thoughts out immediately,,

[ID: Screenshot of Mob laughing from the show. End ID]

JESUS CHRIST WHAT A SHOW. I thought I'd be bawling by the end but I actually wasn't because I was so happy.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they dealt with Reigen and Mob. These two have had the best character arcs I've ever seen in any type of media. It's just beautiful. You can feel their growth and it's genuinely so real and heartwarming. As someone who mainly fell in love with the show because of how much I relate to Mob's struggle with himself, it feels like the show is reaching out and giving me a warm hug and telling me that it's okay to feel this way, that I'll figure it out eventually. Mob's acceptance of himself at the end was so, so lovely!! All I feel when I think about the episode is warm colors and comfort and this feeling in my chest that I can be content with myself too, given enough time.

And REIGEN!! My GOD what they did with him was STAGGERING they took such a despicable type of character and turned him into almost a role model, someone with such good intentions that people were happy the show ended with him sharing the spotlight. Reigen isn't perfect in any way and I LOVE that. Usually writers feel this need to make their characters as "good" as possible in order to inspire people, but it ends up creating the opposite effect because then you've got this character that is the epitome of good deeds and character which almost puts pressure on the readers to be and act a certain way. With Reigen, however, they preserved his "other side" along with the things that made us love him, making him even more loveable in the process and getting the message across that it's alright if you have flaws!! Everyone has them!!

And the actual episode itself. I CANNOT describe the feelings I felt when 99 started playing as Reigen struggled to get to Mob. My jaw fucking dropped and I had to physically put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming. The amount of effort Reigen made to get to Mob didn't just touch my heart, it ripped it out of my chest and threw it at the opposite wall. The episode managed to show just how much Reigen loves Mob beautifully. Even with Serizawa warning Reigen it would be dangerous, even with Reigen himself getting thrown back about five hundred times, he knew he HAD to get to Mob and confess. And when he started crying… I almost thought the creators wouldn't let him cry because of what happened in S2 Ep7, but they DID and it was one of the best feelings ever. Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly enjoy characters crying out of sadness, but as someone who has played Ace Attorney a LOT and as someone who has been obsessed with that franchise for two years it would often get me how the writers wouldn't let any of the characters show pure emotion and that feeling just stuck with me I guess. It could be that crying shows a character's vulnerabilities and makes them more "exposed" but hey, I can barely understand what I want to say, much less put it into words lol. The "grand speech" Reigen gave Mob while confessing was far from grand or perfect and that just made it feel so much more real and natural. GOD i love this show

Also Dimple. Dimple Dimple Dimple I love Dimple SO MUCH like AGAIN I can't believe the writers took someone like Dimple and made him THIS. The Divine Tree Arc gave him so much character,, Mob really does bring out the best in everyone huh. Dude just CANNOT fuck off and be obliterated he HAS to come back to make us all love him even more.

And then after Mob and his powers accepted each other and went to talk to Tsubomi (by the way what the FUCK tsubomi!!! how did you stay in that park all that time holy shit!!! you have no fear!), when Mob came back out and said she rejected him with a soft smile… it felt so natural. I knew that the writers wouldn't pull one of the dumbest moves ever and make Tsubomi accept his confession (just like they didn't give reigen psychic powers in the end like bro my heart almost stopped when reigen said he'd been "working out" because i didn't want him to magically get psychic powers but i was so glad that reigen managed to resist mob's powers because he was dimple LMAO). I wanted to give Mob a hug so badly when he started crying and then Reigen started giving him the most dad reassurance ever which made me want to hug them both and then the scene showed all three of them walking off together which made me want to hug everyone. ALTHOUGH I WILL SAY I WAS MAD NO ONE HUGGED ANYONE,,, PLS I JUST WANTED TO SEE REIGEN AND MOB HUGGING EACH OTHER THEY DESERVE ALL THE HUGS

Now for the small details,, Serizawa! Calling! Reigen! As soon as possible! To make sure he was okay! Reigen sounding so happy while talking about working to rebuild the city with Serizawa! Teru's new haircut! Teru asking Mob to go shopping with him again! Mob actually loving the shirt Teru picked out for him! Mob being the new vice captain of the body improvement club! Inukawa's alien eyes! TOME IN THE OFFICE! TOME IS IN HIGH SCHOOL! Serizawa starting to feel more comfortable while talking to people! Everyone getting together to throw Reigen a surprise party! Reigen almost crying! Serizawa catching the cake with his powers at the last moment! Serizawa's laughter while he reached out to Reigen with a towel to clean his face! Tome being all "AW i wanted to see you cry smh" their dynamic ahhh (I can't remember if it was her or dimple but! lmao whatever!)! MOB LAUGHING SO FREELY IN THE END HSJAHKFJHDJHKJ I'M ON THE FLOOR. I'M DECEASED.

I am in love with everything this show has to offer.