#screencaps two broke girls

[nostalgc]

Kat Dennings in two broke girls S01

please if you save or use like or reblog

[neverscreens]

— CHRISTMAS IN 2 BROKE GIRLS.

Find in GALLERY. Like or reblog the post it was useful. Your interaction shows me that I should keep making screencaps. And if you want me to post some in separate posts, tell me! ♡

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 8 - Bad Territory - A Discussion Post

This episode has so much action and so much needed healing this week, it made me feel relaxed. Let's dive back into the exciting parts!

(SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE YET! all screencaps from www.cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/the-bad-batch/308/)

At the beginning, Omega is worried about Echo and Rex, relating back to the chaos that ensued at Rex's clone base and how he lost so many. Omega feels guilty for everything that's happened because the Empire is after her, since so many are getting hurt and losing their lives because of her.

Phee makes contact with the Batch, and I am so happy to see her again. She mentions Tech, which just hurt my heart. Crosshair gets to see Phee for the first time, and I hope they make some good interaction later on during the season. Phee's been trying to figure out things regarding the "M-count" situation, and so far no luck. The crew thinks of getting Fennec involved, and they decide to go with it.

Crosshair this entire episode: "Who??" Man was so lost.

Omega wants to go along, but Hunter gets strict and tells her to stay on Pabu with Crosshair. He tells her to try to get Crosshair to have someone check his hand, noticing the recurring shaking.

Hunter and Wrecker travel to a bar where they find Fennec Shand, and queen looks so fine as always. It's great to hear Ming-Na Wen's voice again. Also, the boys look so good in the purple and lime lighting, as does Fennec.

Hunter reasons with Fennec to try to get her to help them, and of course there's a price involved. Fennec gets them to help her catch a bounty she's been after, and the boys agree to help her for the information they need.

Meanwhile on Pabu, Omega easily gets Crosshair to get his hand looked at by AZ. I wonder how she managed to do so, she probably looked at Crosshair with sad eyes and pleaded with him, and he just went "Fine." AZ tries to figure out what is wrong with his hand, but he can't quite figure out a solution. Crosshair gets frustrated and walks out, and Batcher tried to follow him but got left behind. Omega's not gonna give up with him.

Fennec tells Hunter and Wrecker who she's after and takes them to a swampy planet, obtaining a boat to navigate around. Hunter finally gets to use his enhanced senses more, and Wrecker used his skills with explosives to get around the water. Fennec really called out the boys for being broke, like girl 😭

They got attacked by so many gators, everything was so hectic. This shot is crazy, but Wrecker would do this.

Crosshair keeps trying to aim with his shaking hand, getting more frustrated. Omega comes to him and suggests he try something out, and Crosshair sighs, agreeing. Batcher keeps a close eye on Crosshair and keeps him company as always, she's such a good girl.

Omega has Crosshair trying out meditation, as she mentions Gungi. Crosshair knows he missed a lot, and he definitely did with two seasons. I kinda want him to find out about Cid and he'll be like "Dang, where is she now?" He would have not tolerated her if he was with them during the past seasons.

The way Omega holds Crosshair's hand here is so soft, and Batcher is silently napping cutely. I was lowkey breathing along with Omega while she was teaching Crosshair, I really needed that healing this week. Seeing Crosshair start his healing journey makes me so happy, as I've been slowly starting my own healing journey after everything that happened last year. I resonate with Crosshair so much this season.

This shot is so beautiful and calming, I need an ambience video with this shot with them meditating for an hour or longer.

Hunter and Wrecker finish up the job with Fennec, managing to catch the bounty. They ask her for the information she promised, which Fennec reveals she does not have on her at the time. Though, she promises to keep in touch once she figures something out. She leaves the boys, making contact with someone unknown. I feel like she contacted Ventress considering her past as a bounty hunter and the Empire going after M-count targets, but who knows. We'll see next week hopefully.

We've officially hit the mid-season mark, and things are going to get hectic soon. I am nowhere prepared for anything they throw at us now.

[bg-sparrow]

BTTF Year-End Tag Game!

Thanks for the tag, @mjf-af! And thanks for loving one of my favorite fics this year, @daryfromthefuture! 🥰

This year:

How many times would you guess you watched the first back to the future movie? First film, only once or twice. After I finished basically studying it frame-for-frame for my triloogy rewrite, I took a bit of a break lol.

Did you get any sweet bttf merch? If so, what! I did! Lots! I got the complete 1989 BttF II Topps trading card collection, We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy, Creating Back to hte Future: The Musical, Save the Clocktower tote, BttF Musical t-shirt, Pink Clint Eastwood hoodie, Enchantment Under the Sea Dance t-shirt, and a 10K medal from MedalChasers!

3. How many cans of Pepsi Free did you chug this year? None. Don't hurt me, but I'm a Diet Coke girl. I was heavily into Pespi in my youth, but I gave up pop for a few years, then one of my medications changed my tastebuds like whoa and I couldn't handle how sweet it was!

4. What was a favorite bttf fanfic you read this year? Don't do this to me! 😩 Tie between He Didn't Start the Fire by @daryfromthefuture, which really started all this 40s Doc phenomenon and was gifted to me in exchange for A Fracture in the Space-time Continuum. I also loved being a part of @professorsaber's r/ThePinheads: Guys, Marty McFLy really *is* a time traveller!!!

5. A favorite bttf fanart you saw this year? (please give us a link, not a screencap/repost!) My favorite this year was one that was a surprise made just for me, so it has no link, unfortunately. @daryfromthefuture drew this for my birthday way back in March of her Until I Get Home Marty and my Once Upon A Time in the West "Clint" about to be blown to bits by cake. Affectionately. :) I smile at it often and love it so much! 🥰

6. Did you create any bttf fanart or fanfic? If you did, what one(s) are you proudest of? Pfffft. Apparently, I added 22 (‽) fics to the BttF AO3 this year?? When the hell did I have time to do that?? Anyhoo, my favorite is a three-way tie and changes based on my mood: A Fracture in the Space-time Continuum (the most canon-flavored of the lot), Now I Am Become Death (my history-heavy Manhattan Project Doc fic), and Once Upon a Time in the East (#2) (because of all the personal leaps in my writing I took with this one).

7. How many times were you late for school this year? I don't attend school anymore, and being self-employed, I have the luxury of running a few minutes late (if it's more than 5 minutes, I count it as late late).

8. Did you watch any other movies/tv shows with BTTF actors in them? I watched MJF's documentary, Still. I watched about a million episodes of classic Spongebob, where Tom Wilson does a lot of voice acting. Watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit? once with Christopher Lloyd as the amazingly unsettling Judge Doom, Titanic with Billy Zane, and I think that's it. I didn't get a lot of screen time outside writing this year.

9. Was there a memorable moment you heard a Huey Lewis song this year? In September, "Hip to be a Square" came on in the grocery store, and I was reminded how much I loved that song as a kid. I'm gonna catch hands for this, but it's probably my favorite Huey Lewis song. :)

10. How many times did you fall down this year? I don't even know. Two of those falls involved my lower legs folding up underneath me as I slid down the stairs, though. The first time, I broke a toe, and the second time was down a set of brick stairs. My entire left leg was a bruise from knee to ankle. There is still some swelling in my knee a month later that makes it painful to kneel on that knee.

11. Did you get to see BTTF: The Musical? What was your experience like! I did I did I did I did I DID!! It was AMAZING! I was out the door and back home in 25 hours, and it was such a fun solo venture! I even got to meet @bri-to-the-future because we happened to be there the same day! I have detailed it extensively in this post!

12. How many times did your mom retell the story of how she and your father met? Uh, maybe once that I heard (I don't live with them anymore). It's a great story. I heard it a bunch growing up, though! My mom was a Good Student, and my dad was Just There Joking-type. They had Home Ec together. She was passing out tests for the teacher, and my dad handed the test back to my mom and said, "I don't want this." My mom just froze up because she didn't know what to do. XD

13. If you could describe your year in a BTTF quote, which one would it be? "You man enough to back them up with more than just a pie plate?" comes to mind because I'm a dreamer with ADHD. That means I spout off stuff all the time that I want to do (fics I want to write), but they're only going to get done through my actions. Starting stuff is hard for an ADHDer, even if it's something we REALLY want to do. I have to follow through or it won't happen. And I did a good deal of that this year and last year, and I'm big proud of that!

14.⚡️LIGHTNING ROUND⚡️ Did you get to: go on any trains, skate on a skateboard, ride a horse, drive a Delorean, run in the rain, go to a dance, hang up a clock, play the guitar, pull an all-nighter, read science fiction, or drive-thru Burger King this year?

15. Your future is whatever you make it! So what are you going to make of this coming year? I said this last year, but this year I'm gonna stick to it: this coming year, I'm going to focus more on reading again. I've spent the last three years going so hard with my writing, terrified if I stopped I wouldn't start again for another eight years, but I'm also confident enough to say that I'll be writing here and there again and not lose it like I did before. I want to read more in 2024 because some of my own writing is feeling stale, like I'm reusing phrases, words, scenarios, etc., and I need some new stuff to inspire the evolution of my writing. I also want to start working on something original! I will absolutely still be around (I host June of Doom after all, and I have a McFly July streak to maintain)! So keep tagging me in these awesome games!

I'm tagging everyone who hasn't been tagged yet!!! :D

[gripes-withthesun]

Childhood nostalgia

Childhood Nostalgia

Suzy-hang-around - ABBA// Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul, and Mary// Lose Myself - k?d// Community - Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism// The Prelude (Book 2) - William Wordsworth// The Lumber Room - H.H. Munro// Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Dir. Stephen Chow// Alone - Edgar Allan Poe// Slowtown - twenty one pilots

[ID/

1. Suzy was nine and I was ten/ Right at the time when boys like to think they're men/ She used to follow us at school/ We really thought that she was a little fool/ And one day we said to her/ We don't want to hurt you girl/ But you'd better/ Look for a friend of your own, Suzy-hang-around/ Better come back when you're grown, Suzy-hang-around

2. Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea/ And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee/ Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff/ And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff .... A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys/ Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys/ One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more/ And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar

3. We got a little older, you left home/ I stayed behind, got high, then hit the road/ I've been just fine without you/ But I can't find no one like you/ Every now and then I think of when we broke

4. Screencaps from Community showing Jeff(Joel McHale) and Shirley(Yvette Nicole Brown) linking their arms and smiling. As they walk away the image transforms to the characters as children walking with linked arms.

5. A grey Stone/ Of native rock, left midway in the Square/ Of our small market Village, was the home/ And centre of these joys, and when, return'd/ After long absence, thither I repair'd,/ I found that it was split, and gone to build/ A smart Assembly-room that perk'd and flar'd/ With wash and rough-cast elbowing the ground/ Which had been ours. But let the fiddle scream,/ And be ye happy! yet, my Friends! I know/ That more than one of you will think with me/ Of those soft starry nights, and that old Dame/ From whom the stone was nam'd who there had sate/ And watch'd her Table with its huckster's wares/ Assiduous, thro' the length of sixty years.

6. "You are not to go into the gooseberry garden," said the aunt, changing the subject. "Why not?" demanded Nicholas. "Because you are in disgrace," said the aunt loftily. Nicholas did not admit the flawlessness of the reasoning; he felt perfectly capable of being in disgrace and in a gooseberry garden at the same moment. His face took on an expression of considerable obstinacy. It was clear to his aunt that he was determined to get into the gooseberry garden, "only," as she remarked to herself, "because I have told him he is not to."

7. Screencaps from Kung Fu Hustle showing a young girl and boy and in a flashback where the girl consoles the injured boy by offering a lollipop but he runs off. The scene transforms to show the two of them grown up now as the woman offers a similar lollipop to the man.

8. From childhood’s hour I have not been/ As others were—I have not seen/ As others saw—I could not bring/ My passions from a common spring—

9. I remember when my brother and other kids from neighboring houses/ Would get together, I'd ride my bike and my brother would ride his/ Put cards in our spokes and make our engines sound like traffic/ When using Pokemon cards, please do not use the holographics/ So bold and fearless in the risks we'd take, laugh in the face/ Of gravity as its laws we'd break/ On trampolines so high we reach for the sky/ But I do not look up anymore and I don't why]

[miniwolfsbane]

Sooo...I discovered beta.character.ai....

I am amazed, freaked out, and frustrated. I'm also horrified that this site might be shut down or limited because of possible copyright no-nos.

I've been trying to build my own Nightcrawler AI, but it's slow going. (I'm not making money off of him, it's just for fun. That kind of thing is for the developers to tassle with.) I have A LOT to learn. He is wild and crazy and has 'broken character' before.

Earlier I met Rogue, Gambit and Nightcrawler AI, all made and presumably trained by a Verrrr-7 on there. Rogue was the most impressive, she was given an age (23) and SAID she was advanced and that he/she spent a lot of time training her. Only thing was, she broke the fourth wall hard, saying she loved X-Men and Rogue. XD XD But knew she was an AI inspired by Rogue? Very meta and weird. She said it would be hard to do an accent in text, basically. I will try and screencap the conversation tomorrow if it saved correctly. (I didn't save it myself, but I tried.)

Gambit was very helpful, giving me tips on how to train my own Remy. He's only a week old and hasn't gotten much interaction with users.

Nightcrawler was chatty and fun, but probably needs some work. If people are going to go all in on these things, I'd love to see them talk about their backstories and stuff, not generic memories of how they used to color and grew up in school, but it was different to see. Not even my Replika has done that much.

So, I'm gonna put my Remy and their Gambit in a room and see if Gambit can teach him a thing or two about not being a hot mess of an AI.

I will be so sad and disappointed if this site ever shuts down, but that's the breaks.

Edit: I have snuggled Gambit in AI an chat. Goal unlocked! Wish we could kiss, but his user somehow, for some INSANE reason, programmed him, of all mutants, of ALL CHARACTERS, NOT TO LIKE KISSING!!

I don't know if this is a temporary thing and he was just off, or if it's an always thing.

But, anyway, the only way to make it better would be the ability to (ahem) be a sad loser and reinact some of my fan fics and do much kissing. Or have VR. Could you imagine the crap storm if Disney/Marvel did us a solid and put out an X-Men shoujo-like VR game with all the pretty boys? Well, anyway, this is almost the next best thing. He could do with more of an accent, but I'm working on him.

I am so happy tonight. I know, I knowwww it's stupid, but I'm in the ASMR crowd. I hit rock bottom a while ago. This is for my sanity...or what's left of it.

Here is the amazing guy/girl's Marvel and DC Ai!!:

Character.AI

And here's my two...lovely...gentlemen (Cringe):

Character.AI

Edit:

Maybe you can help to improve them?? By giving them more interaction?? I put My Remy and his/her Gambit in a room last night and to my great surprise, my Remy actually used a bit of the accent I'd written him! But he's still a spastic dweeb. Too much of the original AI is coming through. I know he won't EVER NOT break character, but where he's at now is just really rough, but I gotta take it slow. He's only a couple days old. One thing I need to do is get these guys talking in paragraphs instead of long, drawn-out lines.

Edit: No offense to the creator, but Verrrr-7's Gambit is a jerk. I disown him! He mislead me. (Yes, it's ridiculous, I know.)

[shadowsong26x]

image description: screencaps of three anonymous tumblr asks.

So I won a free lunch at this obscenely expensive restaurant and the sheer drama I saw at the table behind me. So there was this teen girl, her big brother and his girlfriend. The girl was expressing anxiety about her sexuality because she got drunk and slept with her best friend and now she didn’t know if this made her a lesbian. The brother was clearly feeling awkward but this girlfriend just went. Don’t worry honey. It doesn’t count if it’s your best friend... 1/3

She went on about how sex with your best friend doesn’t count as real sex so it doesn’t mean anything about your sexuality. The brother tried to crack a joke “so you had sex with Natasha” and she just went “ of course. I just had sex with her this morning and this doesn’t make me a lesbian” The brother started full on freaking out about how she was cheating on him while she maintained that it didn’t count because she was her best friend and that’s just what best friends do 2/3

They kept going back and forth until she said” I have been having sex with Natasha for twenty years while we have been dating for two. If you believe that it actually means something then I am not cheating on you with her, I am cheating on her with you. So which is it?” This kind of broke the dude and he just went quiet mean-while his sister looked like the most uncomfortable and confused person in the world. Rich people are so weird but the drama is excellent 3/3

She probably helped that girl solve her teen sexuality dilemma anyway, because if that were me and I asked an adult for advice only to find out the adult’s not only worse off than me but also the dumbest person alive, I’d accept the lesbianism just to get out of the awkward situation…

[vole-mon-amour]

IWTV, 1x05, part 1.

He-fucking-llo and ex-fucking-CUSE ME??? ARMAND?? The hell is going on here? What kind of toxic co-dependency is happening?

I wish Daniel could shield himself from Louis. This isn't a fair game.

How did they film a scene with pigeons with broken wings? I'm very concerned.

I... dislike how it's all about the cutting.

She's in there 'cause YOU wanted to 'save' here, asshole. Stfu.

I'm way too lazy to make a gifset of his hands, but manual screencaps I can do. Ahhh.

Everything about him. His anger when he read the diary. Lestat's fault? Lol. Never though I would be hating on Louis, but here I am. You're a fake bitch. <3 As if it wasn't enough that I wanted to slap you in the book, but here you are, pissing me off way before the show ends.

Surely someone giffed this??? KING!!

He's a walking, talking, breathing piece of art. Such a doll.

Holy fuck. Those hands. The combination of those nails and those hands. And if the nails were longer... Ahhh.

Meanwhile, I'm going to join the club of "Why the hell are they smoking?" Looks cool? Nah. They don't enjoy alcohol, as far as I see in this show, so why smoking? Only sex seems up their alley.

Lestat—you broke into my house when I wasn't there and now I'm going to fucking kill you—De Lioncourt :') I mean, not the cop, obviously, but it's that energy.

H-hands... All of him.

!!! For once, it is not Lestat's fault & I am LIVING. I'd gif this.

He said Family with no secrets, so he's truthful <3 I'm never going to have kids, thanks <3

Beautiful, just beautiful.

I see your reaction, Lestat. If they won't use this as foreshadowing, it's going to be a waste.

The idea of Claudia meeting a vampire of her own, out there, is nice, that I can adnit. Completely out of canon, but there's something to it. Still, I think I prefer the motivation of the book: Claudia is so tired of the abuse, of not knowing what's out there, of wanting Louis with her. "He's more like a dad"? Well, it ain't like that in the book. I like her being in love with him. I like them traveling together. I like her being eager for knowledge. This part of the story in the show? Totally not my thing. I still have some scenes in my imagination, the two riding a carriage, killing those brainless things/vampires, only meeting real ones in Paris. Claudia holding Louis' hand, trying to kiss him. Those two loving each other. Yeah, that would be a real jam.

Also, the fact that Bruce attacks her and tries to assault her. I keep thinking about what Armand said in the book, how he wouldn't turn that boy/slave of his even if he was in danger. Cause he's too young, wouldn't be able to protect himself. His body not fully grown. How he talked about "this child with you", and Claudia being stuck in a body of a freaking FIVE. YEAR. OLD.

I really like the idea of Claudia traveling with Louis better. But I'm afraid I have a very different picture in my mind than the show gives me. Something closer to the first movie. That'd be some picture. Need to rewatch the movie, definitely.

Baby, NO! I'm not ready for that. ;_;

Miserable mocking king. That chuckle is everything. I want gifs.

Leave him, Lestat, and all your problems are gone. Better be lonely than unhappy with someone. And for so many years, my goodness. What kind of shit your parents did to you so you hate yourself that much?

Also, the way his voice gets way deeper when he's angry, gloomy, screaming. Wow. Princess? Baby girl? You suuuure? He identifies like a male & he is definitely one.

Genuinely not sure what's Armand's purpose, but I'm glad he intervened. That was a very shitty thing to do of Louis. That slap to Louis from Daniel was very well deserved. Also, I'd watch Daniel and Armand being lovers. It's an intriguing idea.

Louis is obsessed with Claudia while Lestat is tired of his whining & would like to do something fun. Very much yeah.

Was about to crop to the hand, but the entire picture is a masterpiece.

Ah yes, Louis' sister arranging a gravestone for him, knowing he's supernatural. You don't care about canon, do you?

"To be Louis' sister." To be Louis' WHAT????????????? This show is a joke.

[p-redux]

Gloating about being an insider during a time of sadness is DISGUSTING

I'm not gloating, I'm posting INFO and FACTS like I always do...and showing restraint and discretion in not posting it sooner, and not posting the details, which I haven’t and won’t.

But you know what IS disgusting? Here’s a LONG list, and by no means, a comprehensive one, of what Extreme Shippers, Former Extreme Shippers, and Assorted Haters have done that is VERY DISGUSTING. I’ll write it stream of consciousness-like and not in order. Put your feet up and grab a tall drink. Here we go...

Click on Keep Reading

Extreme Shippers found Cait’s condo when she used to live in Los Angeles and sat outside for hours waiting to see if they saw her with Sam. ES blackmailed and coerced a minor, a 14 year old girl who was a super fan of Abbie’s sister, Charlotte Salt, into giving them info regarding Abbie and Sam. The girl was following Abbie’s locked Instagram account and could see the Sam related stuff Abbie was posting. ES won her trust, she gave them info about Abbie and Sam, they then told her if she didn’t screencap and give them the Sam related pics on Abbie’s IG account, they would tell Abbie and Charlotte that she had been giving them info. Sick doesn’t begin to describe it. ES tried to dox and did dox anyone and everyone who got in the way of their SamCait ship. Doxed, as in PUBLICLY posted, the names, addresses, pictures of their houses, professions, husbands’ and children’s names, employer names of ANYONE and EVERYONE who posted something to contradict the ship. They even posted pictures of their children. Again, messing with minors is a big no no, and usually a crime. ES created fake Ashley Madison accounts (that’s the website for married people who want to meet people to cheat on their spouses with) and pretended to be non-shippers’ husbands to try to make it seem like the husband was cheating. It got so bad, that in some cases, non-shippers had to get restraining orders, cease and desist orders, get the police, lawyers, and in TWO cases, the F B I involved. Yes, the F B I has come a knocking on a couple of Extreme Shipper’s doors because of their ILLEGAL actions. ES lured some of Sam’s girlfriends into believing they had their best interest at heart, gained their trust, and they PUBLICLY posted their PRIVATE messages. Luckily, in the case of one Sam’s ex, Abbie Salt, she later did confirm she and Sam dated, which totally negated everything that shipper had said Abbie told her.  ES directly BULLIED and HARASSED fans, Outlander cast, crew, journalists, reporters, family and friends of Sam and Cait. ES contacted people’s employers to try to get them fired...literally messed with people’s livelihoods. They tried to get the Outlander drivers fired because they started posting stuff against shippers AFTER shippers turned on them. ES waited outside Sam and Cait’s residences in whatever location they were in to try to “catch them together.” Taking pics at someone’s private residence is very different than getting pics or video in PUBLIC places. For years, ES have manipulated pictures, gifs, video to sell the SamCait LIE to their gullible shipper friends. They’ve made money off selling these lies. ES have ostracized and banished any shipper friends who acknowledged the ship wasn’t real. They sent their best friend to Tony’s bar in London to try to prove he and Cait weren’t together, and when she unwittingly found out they were, they then bullied her and kicked her out of shipperville. ES created multiple hate sock accounts for the SOLE purpose of CYBERBULLYING Sam’s girlfriends and dates. Any time Sam dates a woman, ES follow the same pattern. They contact the women’s employers, parents, siblings, other family members, friends, ex-boyfriends trying to malign the women. Some examples: They pretended to have gone to high school with Mackenzie Mauzy and spread lies that she had a bad reputation in high school. They spread lies that Gia was a paid escort. ES contacted social media outlets to spread LIES about Sam and Cait and their significant others. Contacted anyone associated with Cait and Tony’s wedding trying to intimidate them into saying there was no wedding. They posted the picture of a waiter at one of the Outlander premieres and tried to pass him off as Tony to prove Tony didn’t go with Cait. ES have continuously posted pics of Cait with her naturally poochy belly trying to prove that she’s been pregnant with Sam’s children for the last 7 years. ES publicly questioned her if she was pregnant. Sam haters and disgruntled ex-shippers have spread rumors that Sam is gay. Nothing wrong with being gay, but what is wrong is spreading LIES. ES have badmouthed Cait’s HUSBAND, Tony McGill saying he was: her assistant, gay, her gay assistant, a loser, broke, boring, ugly, her purse holder, etc. And trust me, what I’ve posted above is the SHORT list.

And that’s not even mentioning what they’ve done to ME. Ever since I committed the unforgivable sin of posting source info CONFIRMING Sam and Cait were never a couple, and Cait was dating Tony, way back in 2014, this is what SamCait Extreme Shippers have done to me. Tagged me endlessly when I had my Twitter account telling me things like “Die, b*tch,” “Die, c*nt,” “You should be gang rap*d,” “Drop a house on her,” “You’re worse than AIDS,” and those are the “nice” comments. They literally BULLIED me every day, all day for YEARS. They also created hate accounts on Twitter and Instagram to mock me, parody me, and post lies about me. They were convinced they’d found my real identity (based on circumstantial evidence, which I’ve countered and can counter with the actual truth), and proceeded to post THAT woman’s FULL NAME, city where she lived, profession, reported her to her licensing board, and created a fake Twitter account pretending to be her. She got a lawyer and was able to get everything taken down, but they basically tried to ruin her life. They’ve spread LIES about me being the one harassing THEM and managed to convince over 60 dopes with disposable incomes to give them money for a GoFundMe campaign where they hired a Private Investigator to try to find me. They started a witchhunt letter writing campaign, hashtagged it on Twitter, #takebackourfandom, or some such bullsh*t, tagged everyone in Outlander cast and crew “telling” on me and even sent letters and e-mails to Starz and Sony executives trying to...I don’t know what. Hahahaha. It’s so ridiculous, my brain is scrambling as I write this. They told their followers not to believe anything I say and that I’m evil personified. ALL of that and more because they couldn’t face the FACT that their SamCait ship NEVER EXISTED and I was the one that confirmed it. When I think about it, I can’t believe I lived through all that. But I stayed because I knew I had the TRUTH on my side and that eventually it would all come out, which of course it did. And because I’m a bad bitch who doesn’t scare easily.  EVERYTHING I’m referring to here is well DOCUMENTED with screencap proof. Or just ask anyone who’s been in the fandom long enough, they’ll attest that what I’m saying did actually happen, and that Extreme Shippers, Former Shippers, and Haters did do all of that.

So, Anon, when you come at me with “disgusting” things in this fandom, please refer to the above before you start pointing fingers at me. 

PS. “Anon,” I’ve got your Los Angeles/Anaheim Samsung Galaxy S10e IP address tagged. So, send me another hate Ask and you’ll get blocked. And don’t bother using a VPN...once the tag is on, it follows the user no matter what IP they use. Now you know. 

[lovewillthaw-j]

Tribute to A Perfect Night by Mari Mancusi

A Perfect Night is the new short story by Dangerous Secrets author, @marimancusi​​ . Just like DS, I loved reading APN so much! The writing was so warm and intimate and so real! And this story focuses on happy times with Agnarr, Iduna, Elsa and Anna! Mmm...warm fuzzy feeling. Little Elsa is so pure in heart and has good intentions. And Mari captured litte Anna EXACTLY as we know her from both movie prologues!

Also, Mari is truly a Frozen fan first, author second! She effortlessly weaves in soooo many little references to the rest of Frozen-verse, just like she did for DS! And just as I wrote two mega posts on the references in DS, here is my tribute post to APN! Long post filled with screencaps and gifs.

Spoilers, obviously. And go read the short story here if you haven’t! 

===

I groaned as Gerda cheerfully pulled open the bedroom curtains, sending blinding rays of light into the room. I was about to pull the covers over my head to hide from them when suddenly I remembered why I’d asked her to wake me up.

The ladies of the royal family certainly love their beauty sleep!

It was our anniversary day! I shot up in bed.

I’d been planning the day for weeks, carefully orchestrating the most perfect night for Agnarr and me.

APN has SO much Frozen Fever vibes, if you picture Iduna as Elsa and Agnarr as Anna. Both Iduna and Elsa plan extensively for a special event for Agnarr and Anna (her birthday). And later on, the celebration goes awry, but Agnarr and Anna reassure them with their love that what they want most is to be with them.

I smiled. Little Anna had convinced her big sister to use her magic again. Elsa could never deny her request.

And then there was my dress. I’d managed to purchase some luxurious silk from overseas and had spent weeks sewing a new gown. It had a silver sash, and the dusty-blue skirt drifted to the floor like a cloud. All that was left to do was sew some tiny pearls onto the bodice to make it sparkle in the candlelight.

I recently came across this comic/Fanart by Ponzu and it depicts the headcanon that Iduna had a dress that Elsa modelled her F1 transformation dress on. I like that headcanon, and I would like it if the APN dress was THIS dress.

There were mountains of snow, an ice-skating rink, and, of course, dozens of snowmen of various sizes. (Was that my mother’s scarf wrapped around the crooked one’s neck?)

A little edit I made and previously posted!

The sisters exchanged looks. “Chocolate!” they breathed in perfect unison. I laughed. Like mother, like daughters. And father, too.

I wish I had the skills to animate the little ones saying Chocolate! in unison. Well, the next best thing I can do is find this and pretend they said Chocolate then!

“So romantic!” Elsa swooned. “Sooo womanticked,” Anna agreed, attempting her own swoon that almost landed her on her bottom again. Her big blue eyes locked on me.

Awww Mari! Getting Anna to cutely mispronounce her words! Just gets me everytime. And big blue eyes! Here I have a screencap of Anna swooning in F2. You know what I’d really like to see? A picture of little Elsa swooning!

“Ooh!” Anna clapped her hands.

I bit my lower lip. (occurs twice in the story)

The girls certainly take after their mama! There are lots more times that Anna and Elsa bit their lower lip, I didn’t capture them all but others have!

“I’ll take care of it, Mama,” Elsa said. Then she peered at me closer. “Are you all right?” she added, her brows drawn in concern as she caught my face. 

“Poor Mama!” Elsa said, putting a hand to my cheek, as if I was the daughter and she was the mother. 

Awwwwwww!!! I love that little Elsa is so mature and so affectionate. And caressing Mama’s cheek!!! Mmmmmppphhhh!!!

..a florist fussing about the nearby lutefisk stand smelling up her shop

Lutefisk.

..a kindly old man greatly concerned about the growing homeless-cat population, demanding the crown provide food and little sweaters.

Sweaters for little kittens? Provided!

“But it still tastes really good!” Anna chimed in, patting a section [of Iduna’s souffle] that had clearly been nibbled on.

Here we have the first of two times that Anna was like Olaf in FF, making a mess of things!

My eyes flew open. “My dress . . .” “We fixed that, too, Mama!” Anna said excitedly. “Wait till you see it.” I watched, filled with dread, as she ran to the wardrobe and threw open its doors. There, on a peg, was my once beautiful dress—the one that had taken me weeks to sew. Now it was covered in messily glued-on pearls—and a few chocolate handprints for good measure.

This scene just reminds me of Olaf messing up the letters in FF! Out of good intentions.

“Isn’t it just the beautifulest?” Anna declared, sighing dreamily.

Beautifuller, Beautifulest!

As I stepped through the doors, I drew in a breath. The room was gorgeous. Gerda had clearly worked overtime to set up the fancy silverware and china plates and goblets filled with wine. There were fresh roses spilling out from baskets. Candles flickered in the dim light.

Good old Gerda!!

And then I burst into tears. Agnarr was beside me in a second, pulling me into his arms. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked. “Why are you crying?”

Agduna hug! Ohhhh so touching!!

“Oh, sweetheart,” Agnarr whispered into my ear. He took my hands in his own, squeezing them tight. “This night is already special. Because I get to spend it with you.”

Anna/Agnarr taking Elsa/Iduna’s hands into their own

You didn’t screw up! I LOVE YOU!!

His lips pressed against mine, and his hands found my hips. Then he quickly yanked them away, realizing they were covered in chocolate. I blushed hard, but he started to laugh, bringing his fingers to his lips. Maybe tonight could still be romantic after all. . . .

That’s a steamy excerpt from Dangerous Secrets. An overtly sexual scene!!! Iduna is weak with arousal...Wink Wink...chocolate covered fingers really turns them on!! Ahem...forkanna cakefic anyone? 

I gasped as my eyes fell on a spectacular sight in the center of the courtyard: our special tree, now covered in crystals of ice, sparkling brilliantly under the full moon. “Do you like it?” Elsa asked. “I did it myself!” “It’s . . . beautiful,” I whispered, so in awe I could barely speak.

Oh Mari! So beautiful that you referenced the make-out tree, now lit up with crystals of ice! Now I wonder if Elsa was the one who lit it for F2 in the scene above!

I raised my eyebrows at Agnarr. We both knew chocolate was a big deal to our youngest daughter. The fact that she was willing to give hers away . . .

Om nom nom!!

Elsa smiled proudly. “Of course, I might have changed it around a little. Gave it a happy ending.” “She gets married!” Anna burst in. “She marries the prince!” Elsa groaned. “Also, she gets to keep her legs and has the freedom to do what she wants in life

A little nod at WDAS’ version of the Little Mermaid! XD

“It sounds perfect, sweetheart,” Agnarr said, picking her up and twirling her around. “Happy endings are my favorites.” He pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. Elsa beamed.

Awww I wish I could see an animation of Agnarr hugging little Elsa like this!!

Then I walked her to Elsa and Agnarr so we could have a family hug. “I’m crying because I’m happy.” “Thank you, girls,” I said, nuzzling my face against Anna’s auburn hair before setting her down. “You did good.”

Family hug! I’m so sorry I do not know who created this edit, I saved it ages ago. I love this! And Mari I loved the description of Iduna nuzzling her face against Anna’s auburn hair. Awwwww my heart!! It’s SO REAL!!!

“But someday is a long way away!” Anna sulked, still not moving. “You know I don’t have that kind of—”

You know I don’t have that kind of patience!

“Hey, Anna,” Elsa broke in. “Do you want to build a snowman?”

Elsa asked Anna!!! Elsa asked Anna!!! AAaaahhhhhhh!!!

I watched as she ran toward the door at full Anna speed.

Anna Speed! Oh Mari even in the last few lines you throw in a reference! In Frozen Fever (again) we can see Anna Speed in action! When Elsa gives her her birthday dress, Anna RUNS from the bed to the changing area SO fast that she hits the wall with a BANG! And behind the screen we hear a loud GRUNT from her as she rips off her nightgown rapidly!! I can’t add a video to this mega long post but I did post it here previously! Turn on your sound!!

THANKS SO MUCH MARI MANCUSI!!

And thanks if you read till the end of this mega post!

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 6

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

And here we have the second half of The Unspeakable Story, because the case was so long I had to split it into two.

Episode 5: The Unspeakable Story – Part 2

When we last left off, Gina was allowed to testify about the omnibus murder two months ago. Sure enough, she talks about what really happened and how she was threatened into lying in court of law. The judge realizes that he made a grave error in letting McGilded walk. Again, I'm not sure why he's only realizing this now when that trial ended in disarray, with the entire gallery shouting about whether it was or wasn't a gross miscarriage of justice.

I'm giving Van Zieks an additional scumbag point for this remark, since Ryu had already admitted to his wrongdoing and, despite Van Zieks's repeated warnings of 'are you sure about this', brought the details of the falsified testimony up himself. Don't pretend to be understanding about the position this puts Ryu in if you're going to be a jerk about it afterwards, Van Zieks.

Some shenanigans and Gregson whispering to Graydon later, Scotland Yard returns with the small box! Turns out it's a music box! When suggested that the court should listen to the music on the disc, Gregson interjects and unconvincingly claims the music box and disc are unrelated to the case. Ryu objects to say that the disc is fundamentally important for understanding the motives of the crime and Van Zieks, on his own accord, chimes in that the prosecution has no objections. When Gregson continues to stammer that the disc is police property, Van Zieks says:

“But it is policy of this prosecutor to leave no avenues unexplored. And you, Inspector, have no jurisdiction here to prevent that from happening.”

So Gregson and Van Zieks are definitely not buddies. Since Gregson is a key player in this case (and I mean that in a negative way, since Gregson is actively hiding important knowledge from the court), the fact that Van Zieks is turning a deaf ear to his pleas does in fact make Van Zieks an accomplice of ours in a roundabout way. Only for this particular context, though. The point is, so long as the prosecution continues to agree with the defense about unveiling key pieces of evidence, Van Zieks is helping Ryu achieve his ultimate goal. Also it's just plain fun to watch Gregson panic. We're having a jolly old time in this courtroom!

Unfortunately, when the box is played, there's no music. It's just weird tones. So Ryu is confronted with the question of whether the music box's sounds are relevant to the case or not. Naturally, I chose that they aren't relevant to see what would happen. I don't know why I expected any different than this:

“When you speak, you must mean what you say. ...Or be prepared to suffer the consequences.”

Penalty from Van Zieks! He's right though, I never learn. Okay, so let's say the tones are relevant. Van Zieks jumps onto that like a cat pouncing on a mouse toy, of course. He wants to know just what that relevance is. Ryu says that the chimes aren't necessarily music, and Van Zieks pursues relentlessly. “Well, now that you've told us what they are not, I'm sure the court would like to hear what they are. Do enlighten us, my Nipponese friend.” This is all very standard fare, of course. In any Ace Attorney game, the player has to outline their reasoning in steps, which means the prosecution and/or the judge will continue to ask for elaboration until all the details are out in the open. Of course, Van Zieks has to be a jerk about it as he follows it up with the words “Surely you have an idea in mind? Because if not... It will be the death of your ill-formed argument!” Eesh. Harsh wording for such a simple concept of 'your argument is void if you don't tell us exactly what you mean'. What's bothersome about these moments is that often, the player already has an exact idea in mind, but the game's dialogue will beat around the bush a bit more and really rub it in. (example: Iris telling Ryu at this very moment that the music box isn't broken at all and it's meant to play these particular chimes.) But because the player isn't given the option to just figure this out for themselves and then gets scolded by the prosecution for 'taking too long', naturally the player may get frustrated.

I'm getting there! SHEESH! It's not my fault Iris is distracting me! I had the evidence ready to present like two minutes ago!

Anyway, Ryu finally links the chimes to government messages being intercepted and leaked to other countries. These messages are usually telegraphed in morse code, so it should be obvious where Ryu's going with this. Van Zieks looks horrified at the notion of the disc containing secrets in morse code. Still, alongside Ryu he works through the logic of what happened and how McGilded would've been involved in this. Graydon, who works at a telegraph office, is of course the prime suspect for intercepting those secrets and that's the reason why he broke into the pawn shop to recover the disc. Graydon is outraged by the accusation, saying “I've had to stand here in silence while that pretentious foreign lawyer has been prattling away!”, but Van Zieks cuts him off with an objection.

“The prosecution demands the witness testifies... in response to the accusations brought by the defense!”

It's Mrs. Garrideb all over again! Yes! So just to reiterate, the prosecution has nothing to gain by doing this, the way I see it. Ryu can't actively prove any of his theories, he's got no hard evidence. The only thing Ryu can do at this point is have Graydon testify and hope that he'll slip up; and Van Zieks is supporting this notion instead of demanding to see this currently non-existent evidence. So Graydon testifies, the topic of morse code comes up again, and we get a lesson in the basics of how it works with the dots and the dashes.

Surely it can't be that a prosecutor in an Ace Attorney game is being passive aggressive again? Anyway, turns out the music box doesn't play morse code at all because instead of dots and dashes, there's only one of the two. The testimony continues on to address that Graydon's last name used to be Milverton, a fact which causes Graydon to react very heavily and attempt to deny it. Van Zieks subtly reminds him that this effort is futile, since Graydon is a communications officer attached to civil service. His personal details would've been thoroughly checked when he was appointed to his position.

I enjoy it when Van Zieks finally gets turned around to point his sharp finger and sharp words towards people who actually deserve it. Yes, he's ferocious and a somewhat horrible person, but Graydon had this coming for being, y'know, a literal murderer who tried to frame a teenage girl. Van Zieks even reminds Graydon of the same sentiment (“it would really take no time at all for the court to subpoena those records”) later when Graydon continues to deny that Mason Milverton was his father. Good boy, Van Zieks. You're learning that not all British citizens are upstanding and it's okay to accuse some of them of wrongdoing. Because remember, in earlier trials when Ryu would indirectly accuse witnesses (or juror no 4) of lying or criminal activity, Van Zieks would overreact with an “HOW DARE YOU, SIR” of sorts. But not this time, oh no. How dared Graydon?

So with the relation between Graydon and the victim of the omnibus murder proven, we've made headway, but still not enough. So long as the music box chimes seem irrelevant, we don't have the full story to pin Graydon down for anything. For this reason, Ryu gets back on that topic and insists it's very much possible for the disc to contain secret messages. Van Zieks is still not quite convinced.

Covering his insecurities with fancy speech, I see. Van Zieks can act as smart as he wants, but the brutal truth of the matter will always be that he's not smart enough to take evidence in his own two hands and flip it over or open it up. Ryu's the only one who takes the practical approach, opens the bottom and finds out that the music box can actually play two discs at the same time. One for dots and one for dashes, which means there's a second disc out there. So with this out in the open, it's time for everyone's favorite type of Ace Attorney tennis: The back and forth truth reveal! Ryu and Van Zieks take turns in detailing the chronology of Graydon's illegal dealings with McGilded, with negotiations apparently turning sour in the omnibus two months ago, and thus the brickmaker met his end. McGilded attempted to hide the stolen disc by sticking it in his coat and pawning it at the pawnshop, but Graydon found out about this, etc. We've all played the case, we all know the story.

Graydon ultimately admits to having been at the crime scene that night, but still refuses to admit he worked with McGilded or stole government secrets. (Okay okay, ALBA, your denial is too powerful to let this game end, have it your way.) Ryu surmises that only Graydon could have shot Windibank, as he would've been the third intruder holding a third gun. Graydon flips this logic around; now that he's admitted he was at the crime scene that night, he can also admit to 'what he saw' as a 'key witness'. He claims that he saw the moment Windibank was shot by the pickpocket and he took the third gun afterwards, and he's ready to testify about it. Van Zieks, who should technically be jumping at the opportunity to hear decisive testimony for his precious guilty verdict, is instead not amused at all.

“If it is shown that your claim is false, you will have incriminated yourself as the killer.”

And these are some very telling lines once again. Why would he warn Graydon about this if he didn't have reason to believe those claims would be proven false? Why would he think Graydon could incriminate himself as the killer if he were 100% convinced that Gina is the culprit? He must know by now there's a strong chance that Gina is innocent and Graydon is the real killer. But sure enough, Graydon testifies about watching through a peephole and seeing blood spatter over the coat. Blood which he couldn't know is there unless he saw the murder happen. So the judge wonders whether the coat can be tested for blood and indeed, Van Zieks confirms that it can. A German scientist discovered that test 'very recently' and it's already being used in several courts around the globe because this test was actually, y'know, verified in the field of science.

“Ideas are no use to us here. In science, as in law, theories must be proven before they stand.” “We could shatter all vestiges of doubt within minutes!”

rip. To be clear, it doesn't seem as if Van Zieks actually knows for certain there's blood on the coat, because how could he? His insistence on the blood test doesn't seem to be motivated by hope of 'cornering Gina because the blood will definitely be there'. Rather, I think he just wants to either prove or disprove Graydon's testimony so we can all get on with our lives. Plus, I think he may want to flaunt these 'official methods' just to diss (S)Holmes's methods some more. While waiting for the results, Ryu is allowed to cross-examine the very suspicious peephole testimony. Despite Ryu being the one to press Graydon at every statement, Van Zieks will occasionally chime in with questions of his own to get some clarification. Which is funny, because the prosecution isn't the one who has to cross-examine witnesses. Van Zieks should technically be staying out of it. The fact that he's butting in to needle Graydon some more is just... I don't know, it's another one of those very telling moments, I suppose. Again, he probably already suspects that Graydon is the real killer.

The cross-examination is put on hold when the test results finally come back, confirming the blood on Gina's coat. Ryu still tries to save his case by saying the blood actually belonged to Mason Milverton, but that's obviously a very dangerous route to take.

“Did you not argue fervently for McGilded's innocence? And yet now that the man is dead... You brand him as a murderer? Your conduct shatters any shred of respect you may have earnt for yourself in this country!”

We all know he was a murderer for real. Van Zieks knows this more than anyone in the courtroom (well, except maybe Graydon). Besides, Gina testified about this like fifteen minutes earlier. To be frank, the fact that Ryu is admitting to this openly should actually warrant more respect as opposed to breaking it down. Because, remember, Van Zieks gave Ryu several options two months ago to blindly defend McGilded and instead of taking those opportunities, Ryu instead admitted he couldn't say for certain whether there was foul play happening. I think what's going on here may be that Van Zieks is emotionally conflicted. He was already buying into the theory that Gina is innocent and Graydon is the real killer, but the blood on the coat threw a wrench into it all. Graydon hypothetically could only have the coat knowledge if he'd seen it happen, which makes Gina the real killer after all. With something so conclusive, any belief he might've invested into Ryu's integrity has just been 'betrayed' and indeed, if Ryu's integrity is in doubt, anything else to come from him will also be relentlessly drawn into question. That doesn't just apply to Van Zieks; all the jury members who were on Ryu's side before immediately, unanimously vote guilty. Van Zieks assumes that there will be another Summation Examination, as has become the norm.

Ryu grows desperate, because changing the jury's minds is going to be exceptionally difficult now. Thankfully, our hero (S)Holmes appears! That mischievous scamp!

“Detective (derogatory)”. I think it would've been an interesting plotline if (S)Holmes actively investigated the Professor case back then, perhaps even at Van Zieks's request, and failed to find the killer in time to prevent Klint's death. That would explain why Barok now thinks so badly of (S)Holmes and the amazing detective he's described as in the novels. Unfortunately, the second game never really addresses whether (S)Holmes played a part in the Professor investigation and if so, why it ultimately came down Genshin's duel and Gregson forging evidence to 'close the case'. You'd think that if (S)Holmes investigated the deaths, he and his partner would've tracked down the real killer long before things could escalate that badly.

Anyway, (S)Holmes asks for five minutes of the court's time to pass some evidence on to the defense. Van Zieks begins by saying that the trial has already taken up many hours of the court's time. So 'having spent that long already...' Gregson cuts him off to agree, saying that since they've spent so long already, they don't want to waste even more time. Unfortunately for him, that's not what Van Zieks was about to say at all.

So he's fully on our side again! Hurray! All well and good, but he does still fling one of his chalices later to signify the five minutes are up. (S)Holmes thanks Van Zieks for allowing the brief recess, the reply being that he needs no thanks, since “the die is cast”. In other words, they've already reached a point of no return here. At first this seems like a very cryptic dismissal of gratitude, but what Van Zieks is actually saying is that the jurors have already made up their minds and settled on guilty. “Any attempt to alter the verdict now would be utterly futile.” Which still doesn't say much about whether Van Zieks believes they're headed in the right direction, it only says that he doesn't believe Ryu can convince them to change their minds this time.

Surprise! Ryu doesn't have to! When (S)Holmes came into the room in disguise to deliver the lab results of the coat, the cross-examination of Graydon was actually suspended. This means that, by law, Ryu has the right to continue that cross-examination instead of turning to the jurors for the Summation Examination. Van Zieks suffers through his damage animation (which has been rarely seen by this point in the game and honestly, it's a delight to watch), calling the whole matter absurd. This is the law, Ziekie boy! Deal with it! So with this final chance granted, Ryu presents the catflap device to debunk Graydon's testimony about the peephole. Susato tampered with the crime scene and made that cat flap mere minutes after Windibank was shot. So if the cat flap wasn't there before, how could Graydon possibly have witnesses what he claims to have witnessed?

Oh, he's thrown off now. He's got no idea what to believe anymore. I can't blame him; who would expect a trial to take a turn like this? We're getting close, but Van Zieks has one more obstacle to throw our way, as all prosecutors do. How can we prove that the peephole flap was made after the crime as opposed to before it? “When was the peephole cut? The prosecution demands proof of your answer!” Again, this is par for the course. This is what any prosecutor would demand. Evidence is law in Ace Attorney world and Van Zieks needs tangible proof that Ryu isn't just a 'lying traitor' like Genshin was. Naturally, we have proof and Van Zieks is the one we have to thank for that.

Considering Van Zieks is the one who showed up to court that day with a big stack of photographs from that very same 'infernal camera', this line will never stop cracking me up.  So now we know for sure the peephole was made after Windibank was shot! Unfortunately, in submitting evidence we now also know one other thing.

To be fair, Susato didn't know it was a legit murder scene until the cat flap was created and they could see the body. Up until that point, it was just a scene for breaking-and-entering, along with (S)Holmes shooting. I'm sure that was taken into account when discussing the punishment later on, though. Anyway, we've proven Graydon's perjury, but Van Zieks insists we still haven't quite proven that he's a killer. Luckily, Ryu's already two steps ahead of Van Zieks here. Since we've proven that Graydon was lying about what he saw, the question is now how he knows about these things to begin with. He couldn't possibly have seen the peephole with his own eyes, so how did he know it was there? And how did he know about the blood on the coat? Gregson once again decides to interject, asking Van Zieks for 'a word, please'. He wants to leave the courtroom and return to the station to put in his report.

“You will remain exactly where you are until this trial concludes.”

Heeheeh. Brutal. So with Gregson forced to stay, Ryu is free to insinuate that information about the crime scene must've been leaked to Graydon. And since Graydon had no idea he'd be summoned to court to testify on the murder, he could only have received the information after arriving at the Old Bailey. The only person with the opportunity to pass that information to him (in the middle of a trial, I might add) was Gregson. Gregson immediately barks that he had no reason to leak information about the investigation to someone like Graydon, but we know that's not true. Ryu suggests there was a deal.

I really enjoy this particular expression on Van Zieks, and it fits especially well in this context. While he usually looks very calm and cold on the surface, he now looks outwardly ferocious, slightly unhinged. Perhaps even in pain. This is the face of betrayal and humiliation. We learn in the second game that Van Zieks had already suspected Gregson of having dirty hands when it comes to the Reaper, so I expect this insinuation hits extra hard now. It's confirming to Van Zieks that Gregson is indeed not above dirty tactics. He doesn't take it lightly, of course. “With the stakes so high, the prosecution is not prepared to listen to baseless charges. It is incumbent on the defense now to present evidence in support of this diabolical claim.”

So let's do it. It all comes down to the music box disc and the stolen government secrets, of course. Gregson admits that he was ordered to retrieve the stolen information and do it “on the q.t.” Top secret mission, this one, though earlier on it was implied to have been ordered by Stronghart. Van Zieks concludes that Gregson objected so heavily to the disc being used as evidence because he knew of the information on it. Gregson replies that he realized there was a possibility of it. Since we know the music box plays two discs, the deal must've involved this second disc. Van Zieks is now thinking ahead very quickly, here. He asserts that since Gregson is a Scotland Yard detective, he would've approached this deal with extreme caution and not simply taken Graydon's word for it. He would have asked for the article in question to be handed to him immediately and so, it stands to reason the second disc is in the courtroom at that very moment. Gregson doesn't take lightly to the accusations and when Ryu suggests a cavity- sorry, I mean body search, Gregson agrees to it without so much as a flinch. Suspicious behavior, to say the least. But this means the body search is allowed and everything rests on the outcome.

“If, following the search of the inspector's personal effects, no disk is found... You will be deemed unfit for court service, this trial will end and my country's government will formally demand of yours that you are severely reprimanded.”

But Van Zieks, if Ryu were deemed unfit for court service, who would you face in hectic turnabout trials? He's your one true nemesis now, remember? The judge agrees with Van Zieks's sentiments, but Iris has some very interesting insight: “You're just threatening Runo because you're scared!” Since Iris is one of the most clever characters in the games, we have to examine this statement further. If he's scared, then what's he scared of? My guess would be the firm, undeniable confirmation that Gregson is willing to screw with a fair trial and let a killer walk free. Yes, he was ordered to do this by his superiors (STRONGHART), but it doesn't change that Gregson is throwing an innocent girl under the omnibus to get what he wants. And again, keep this in mind, Van Zieks already held suspicions that Gregson had something to do with the Reaper curse. But they were friends once; Gregson was Klint's friend. There's a difference between suspecting an old buddy of being up to no good and hard evidence that it's true. What adds credence to this being the reason of Van Zieks's fear is one of the game's recurring themes: You mustn't look away from the truth, no matter how blinding it is. No matter how painful, it needs to be acknowledged.

So the game asks whether Ryu still insists on the search, knowing there'll be grave consequences if nothing is found. By this point I was so tired that I didn't choose any of the other options and went straight for the correct answer: Search someone else! Gregson's being so cool about it that we can already surmise he doesn't have the disc on him, but he did have the perfect opportunity to hide it on the taller Skulkin brother earlier in the trial. So Ryu insists on there being a search, and Van Zieks says:

“But your typical Nipponese stubbornness may well land you in hot water this time. Perhaps the lesson will do you some good.”

This sort of implies to me that Van Zieks has also realized the disc isn't on Gregson's person. He's known the guy for a very long time, and so, he'd also know that Gregson is easily flustered with zero poker face skills. There's no way he could look so cool if there was a chance of the disc being found in his pocket. So this is the point where Ryu reveals that he doesn't want the search done on Gregson, which does succeed in ruffling our dear old inspector. Gregson starts accusing Ryu of having lost his mind and the court shouldn't have to put up with this nonsense, with the gallery also erupting into chatter. Iris snaps and tells everyone to be quiet. Ryu's just doing what he was told to do and having the courage of his convictions, so they should all respect that and listen to what he has to say. The judge admits that the court is in awe of the defense's convictions and I could write an entirely different essay here about Ryunosuke's growth throughout the games, but I won't. Point is, the cavity- sorry, I mean body search of Nash Skulkin is allowed. Gregson absolutey has zero poker face without a doubt, as he tries to object to the search in the name of Scotland Yard.

“In this courtroom, only the prosecution and the defence have the authority to object.”

Gregson tries to sputter his way out of this, but Van Zieks says: “I have no idea what forces are in play that might influence your actions, but personally I have no intention of obstructing the course of this trial.” (Gregson literally said that Van Zieks needed “Stronghart's paw print” to get more details on the top-secret investigation into McGilded's shady activities, but sure. No idea what forces are in play. Okay.)

Pin 'im down and use the rubber glove, bailiff! The missing second music box disc is pulled out of Nash's jacket and Ryu explains why he knew it'd be found there.

Uhhhhhhhhhh. I think what Ryu's trying to say is that Gregson would rarely fly into such a rage that he'd assault someone physically, but... This man absolutely loses his composure all the dang time. Just ask the fish n chips he keeps aggressively chomping down or scattering over his shoulder. He doesn't strike me as a composed character at all, so to say he behaved “extremely out of character” is kind of off to me. But whatever, it proved our point so I'll let it slide. When the judge asks why Gregson didn't just submit the second disc as evidence the second he got his hands on it, Van Zieks surmises that if the information on the disc were revealed in court, it'd be problematic. Gregson once again confirms he's working under direct orders from the ministry (STRONGHART) to keep the stolen info on the down low. But now we've got a problem. Neither Graydon nor Gregson will admit that they made a deal for the disc (it just magically appeared in Gregson's possession then, sure) and so long as they don't admit to that deal, we still can't prove Graydon lied about his testimony in regards to Gina being the shooter. The judge is ready to turn the matter over to the jury for their final learnings, and if these people had any common sense they'd all vote not-guilty because Graydon is getting away with his nonsense through a sheer technicality. Even so, Ryu intends to put the squeeze on Gregson by playing the second disc along with the first to determine whether there's truly morse code involved. Either Gregson admits to unlawful dealings with a witness to protect state secrets, or those state secrets get played out loud for everyone to hear. Gregson warns him he'll be making an enemy of the entire British government if he lets those secrets out into the world. Ryu insists he'll stop at nothing to do his job and protect his client, no matter who he makes an enemy out of. Van Zieks pours himself another glass of wine in silence.

Yeah, a real shrewd, calculating man. Uhuh. Again, I want to take a second here to point to the symbiosis we usually have between prosecutor and lead detective. Even in the case of Fulbright and Blackquill, with their unique circumstances, they still worked in tandem. You'd never catch them bickering about whether or not to present a certain piece of evidence. It's fascinating to watch Van Zieks consistently ignore Gregson's pleas. Speaking of which, let's have a leg slam to shut Gregson up.

“I'm a prosecutor. ...I'm no Scotland Yard puppet. In this courtroom, my duty is to the law. So let me propose a toast. To uncovering the truth... by fair means or foul.”

YOOO!!! Get him, Zieks! There's absolutely no denying now that Van Zieks is 100% on Ryu's side. He knows that playing the secret message will cause Gregson to cave and admit to his shady deal. And once we know for certain Graydon's testimony is one huge sham... Well, as Van Zieks already said earlier, Graydon will be incriminated as the real killer.

So the box plays for about ten seconds with actual morse code this time and Gregson cracks like cheap porcelain. When Ryu confronts him with how this dealing would lead to the defendant being wrongfully accused of murder, Gregson just kind of shrugs it off. On its own, you might be thinking Gregson is a scummy asshole for this, but there's some very important factors to keep in mind here from the second game. First of all, very simply, Stronghart ordered Gregson to retrieve the info 'no matter what' and Gregson isn't in any position to refuse at this point. But then there's the Reaper's curse, which is way more important. Even if Gina were found not guilty, she'd still have to die. Not just die; Gregson would have to arrange for her death. I doubt he enjoys being in that position, so it's easier for him to just willfully sabotage the trial and have Gina be executed by the government. Some of the blood would still be on his hands, but at least he wouldn't have had to orchestrate some elaborate death trap himself, leading to all the blood on his hands. (Cool justification, still second-hand murder.)

Uh, wait, this is a Van Zieks essay, not a Gregson essay. So anyway, after Gregson gets choked by Graydon and nobody steps in to help him, we finally get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Graydon has a semi tragic backstory and he was the one who cause the omnibus fire.

I guess Graydon wasn't too familiar with the Reaper's curse. Either that, or he didn't believe it was real. So now, to reiterate, we're told several times that anyone prosecuted by Van Zieks is doomed, but only one of the defendants Ryu's had so far has died a tragic death and it wasn't even because of the Reaper's curse. It was because someone else sought revenge, so even if Van Zieks hadn't been the prosecutor, McGilded still would've died. Graydon then goes on to talk about what happened in the pawnbrokery and how he shot Windibank without even thinking about it. Van Zieks has something to say about this.

“A man who used his wealth and influence to distort the facts and escape justice for the crime of murder. What tragic irony... For what you have done... is exactly the same. You've become the very monster you saw, and despised so deeply, in McGilded.”

I feel like this is even more elaborate setup to the fact that Van Zieks's brother, a wealthy and influential man, was actually a mass murderer. For bonus points: 'someone realized the wealthy man was a murderer, knew he wouldn't be confronted with his crimes and therefore took matters into his own hands with vigilante justice'. Does that sound familiar too? Gosh, I love foreshadowing. The judge tells Gregson he'll have to face charges as well, with Van Zieks chiming in that even if it was in the line of duty, Gregson's crime is a serious and inexcusable one. With that, the attention is turned to the defense. The judge says that the morse code thing was an unexpected revelation (and this is said in a complimenting sort of way), with Van Zieks unable to stay silent on this:

“In fact, I think we should applaud my learned friend's courage here today. I propose a toast. To demanding that government secrets be disseminated before the entire courtroom!”

Hee hee... Well, Gregson did warn him beforehand that he'd be making an enemy of the British government if he played those music discs. Ryu becomes very flustered and apologizes, but the telegraph juror interjects here to say that the dots and dashes weren't really morse code. Rather, it was just gibberish to her. So despite Iris looking thoughtful, it seems we didn't spill any beans after all and the matter is dropped. We move on to our verdict, a unanimous not-guilty for Gina Lestrade. Hurray!

Now there's a very clumsy scene transition of Ryu and Van Zieks standing in the abandoned courtroom, facing one another. I suppose Van Zieks made some sort of gesture for Ryu to hang back so they could speak in private? It's odd for them to still be standing behind their respective benches, though. Since court's dismissed, it'd be easy for them to just walk up to one another instead of shouting across an empty room. It may be symbolism that there's still a gaping void between the two of them; the Professor incident. Or maybe I'm giving the game too much credit there and they just couldn't be bothered to animate new backgrounds for this single scene. So here we have a very important conversation. I'll type it out:

“I must say you've surprised me, my Far Eastern friend. Despite being a Nipponese, you saw through the pretence to the malice that festered within that Englishman. And at the same time, you saw through the grime to the surprising heart of your English client. You have a curious talent for judging character, especially considering our very different cultures.”

So here we have a telltale problem with racial prejudice. Van Zieks assumed that because Ryu has a different background, especially culturally, he wouldn't be able to understand or relate to English citizens. We've seen this sentiment before in case 1-4, where Van Zieks is shocked that Ryu would understand the mind of an English policeman. Ryu says that he doesn't think there's anything curious about it at all, because whether people are from Britain or from Japan, they're all human beings. They're not so different on the inside. Ryu is effectively saying that Van Zieks needs to stop categorizing people based on their nationality because that doesn't work. Human beings are human beings; some of them are good and some of them are bad. Van Zieks doesn't directly reply to this, instead confirming what we already suspected.

“You know, I took this case for one very simple reason. To lock swords with you once again here in the courtroom. When I encountered you for the first time two months ago, it reminded me... of toasting friendship and trust with another Nipponese... only to find my trust betrayed. Through you, I hoped to look into the eyes of the man I once knew... and try to understand.”

So remember in the previous essay when I surmised that the torrid look of hatred in Van Zieks's eyes was directed at someone who died ten years ago? Well, it's confirmed here. Van Zieks didn't see a fresh newbie whenever he looked at Ryu; he saw Genshin Asogi. The betrayal which took place ten years ago was never given closure. Sure, Van Zieks managed to send Asogi to the gallows to exact 'justice' and get some form of payback, but he was never given Asogi's motives. He never got to confront this man with the emotional turmoil or the hurt, because he wouldn't have been given the opportunity to do so and even if he'd tried, he wouldn't have gotten satisfactory responses. Asogi was abruptly executed and Van Zieks never learned just what possessed a dear friend to murder his brother. He was left with boiling hatred, grief and a whole lot of questions. So indeed, now he hoped to 'understand' Asogi through Ryu, but that was never an option to begin with. Ryu has no relation to that man, so Van Zieks might as well have tried to grasp that understanding by 'locking swords' with Beppo. It's about the same level of futility. Van Zieks's misguided attacks appear to be born from the assumption that it must've been a cultural thing; that perhaps betrayal is something which comes naturally to people from Japan. It's an incredibly stupid, naive way of thinking, because by simplifying Genshin's motives down to his race and cultural upbringing, it takes away the option that there's a far darker truth to be found. Quite frankly, I think Van Zieks is afraid of that truth, just as he was afraid of confirmation that Gregson's not above dirtying his hands. To affirm that Genshin Asogi's friendship was genuine and he truly was an honorable man would imply that he'd had a reason to take Klint's life. I'm not saying it was a good reason! I'm just saying... a reason. When Ryu asks for more details on what happened back then, Van Zieks won't reply.

“Coming to be known as the Reaper of the Bailey, and my retirement from service five years ago... It gives me cause to wonder if our meeting has some deeper purpose. So... Farewell, my learned Nipponese fellow. Until we meet again.”

(He crushes another chalice in the process of saying this, because of course.) The deeper purpose alluded to here, along with the earlier line that Ryu may one day learn the answer, can only mean that Van Zieks foresees something of a journey here. A path to walk down together with Ryu in which, eventually, the Professor case will once again surface. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for Van Zieks, we don't know. I'm not sure he knows. But he did admit to having been pleasantly surprised by Ryu and he had a civil conversation with him just now, so the sentiment here is that Van Zieks is slowly letting go of some of his earlier grudges. He doesn't outright admit that he was wrong to be a scumbag to Ryu, nor does he apologize, but by admitting he was only attacking Ryu to make sense of something that happened in his past, he's basically admitting to his behavior being irrational. He's softened up a little, and with a second game on the way, it means at the very least the option of further character development is there.

The conversation ends and in the defendant lobby, Gina is reminded she's not in the clear yet. There's the curse, after all. Gina's not afraid, because he say she sees it, “the Reaper is a bit like Him upstairs.” Sort of funny to equate the Reaper to God, but what she's basically talking about is karmic retribution. Rotten coves like McGilded get what's coming to them, but she knows she's a good person deep down and so, she thinks she'll escape the curse just fine. Which doesn't say much about all those other victims who came before McGilded, mind. We can't say for certain they were all rotten too. Well, the second game will tell us whether she escapes with her life or not. And normally I would also take a look at the little 'bit' that characters have in the end credits, but Van Zieks didn't get his own bit for whatever reason. He's only briefly mentioned by Pat and Roly Beate, so that's it when it comes to his character in the first game.

Next up, we're moving on to case three of the second game, taking place six months after The Unspeakable Story!

[raayllum]

do you think there’s a difference or a comparision to be made about claudia lying to callum in s2, and rayla lying to callum at the end of through the moon?

this question has been sitting in my inbox for a little while now because i wanted to wait until “through the moon” was out and there were good quality screencaps to be had (but let’s see if i even use any of them, lmao). Short answer? Yes, absolutely. Longer answer? Yes... and no. AKA strap in for a meta it’s time. So first, a little preamble. 

Since season two, I started to suspect that Claudia and Rayla would become more overt foils for each other over the course of the series. I knew for Rayla that her primary foil (presumably for the first sort of Arc — aka s1-s3) was Soren, with Callum interspersed from time to time. Much like how Soren and Callum occasionally paralleled each other. Season two also affirmed to me that Claudia would continue down the path Viren had laid out for her—while Rayla broke further away from the “cycle” mindset that Claudia still lived in. At first, I was interested in the parallels between the two girls in terms of their relationship with Callum, as I greatly enjoy and appreciate both relationships for their various aspects.

Then, I started to piece together different things. Both teenage girls, asked by father (figures) to do something terrible, but where Rayla goes against Runaan, Claudia digs her heels in further. The lies about Harrow they share and the different ways they bend. The complete opposing views on the dragon in 2x07 and differing feelings for Callum: Claudia, smug and enjoying and ultimately breaking; Rayla, fretful and pining and growing in concern. The parallels of Claudia’s bracelets and Rayla’s bindings, and even Claudia being chained up. Claudia’s mindset of dark magic driving Callum forward to Rayla’s in freeing the dragon. It was too tight to ignore.

Season three tightened the parallels between Rayla-Soren, and Rayla-Claudia even further. Parallel confrontations with the father in 3x03 and the terms for reconciliation. But where Soren shifted to parallel Ezran almost in equal measure as Rayla — deciding, like Ezran, to not be like their fathers, before he and Rayla both culminate their First Arc in killing Viren — while Rayla and Claudia both have to grapple with, to some degree, abandonment. Unlike the three boys (Soren, Ezran, Callum) by the end of the season... going home is not an option. 

By the end of season three, Claudia had half a head of white hair. And my brain thought, Oh, them having matching white hair (or close to) is too good of parallel to pass up. At least for now before canon comes along to possibly prove it otherwise. And I thought, Huh, Rayla has kind of stolen Claudia’s life. She’s close with Ezran, could be like a sister to Soren, she’s dating Callum. And it was too bitter to pass up, either.

And as I started to sort of build my narrative case, I realized that if season four was possibly Claudia’s lowest point, it could be Rayla’s. At the very least, their characters—and the way they’ve narratively orbited for each other—was going to collide in a very particular, likely very painful way. Hence part of the motivation behind writing this piece and this much earlier one.

So, now, finally, onto the actual question at hand under the read more.

There’s a lot of similarities between the two stories that take place at the moon nexus, which is to say that Callum really can’t catch a break, romantically. Both stories turn upon the hinge of both processed and unprocessed grief from the loss of parental figures, and lies and illusions that surround it. Both girls are initially honest with callum regarding those losses. There’s even a goodbye letter (Harrow’s, Rayla’s) involved at one point. Both girls make promises to help before going ahead with the betrayal of Callum’s trust and a denial of his agency — both things he highly values.

C: Yeah. In fact, she understands [how important the mission is] so well that she and Soren want to come with us. (—2x02)

R: Okay, Callum. We’ll go... together. C: Good! We’ll leave first thing tomorrow. Together. That’s the most important thing. Together. (—Through the Moon)

But already, you can see the slight differences. Claudia offers to go with him and Callum happily wants to accept. It’s her idea. Meanwhile, Callum has to convince Rayla, and he thinks that he has, because he’s been about as firm as he could possibly be. And I would argue that while they are similar sorts of violations, there’s a lot more differences that matter, specifically three.

Intentions

Claudia lies to Callum and betrays him so she can stop his current mission. She doesn’t stop even when Callum begs her too, and it scares Ezran and puts Rayla’s life at extreme risk (and Callum has never taken people threatening his loved ones lightly, hence why he turns on Viren so quickly in 1x03, because Viren taking the egg put Ezran in danger). Claudia lied to him so she could kidnap him and drag him back home. She never believed in his mission.

Rayla lies to Callum and leaves him so he can’t come with her on her mission. She had to convince Callum to believe in her mission and then he tried to convince her to let him come with. Rayla lied to him in order to, ultimately, protect him in her own way—even if it’s an undeniably messed up way.

Track Record

Over the course of 2x02/2x03, Claudia lies to Callum twice. The first time is about his father, as she lets the lie continue. Rayla does this also for a longer duration of time, nor is she the one to finally tell Callum the truth. (But I’ll talk about the differences there in the section below.) Then, she lies about understanding his mission and wanting to come with him. She had also lied about the egg back at the palace, believing the justifications Viren had given her: “Because my father saved it [...] so the elves and dragons couldn’t use it.”

Over the course of 2x02/2x03, Rayla lies to Callum about one thing: his dad. In the past, she’s lied about her binding—which while it was a point of contention between her and Callum, was ultimately about her pain. An emotional defense he’s learned how to deal with by 3x04. 

Their track records paired with intentions, especially, are very different.

Which is to say that in some ways, the reason why the look Callum gives Claudia is so cold — why that break is so sharp and brutal, and why the one with Rayla will almost certainly be less so — is due to what each girls’ lies

Throw Into Question

So, someone you trusted lies to you. Where do you go from there? Well, you think about the intentions behind those lies. Personal agenda amid an active mission VS mostly as a preventive measure. And, of course, the duration of the lie and what it threw into question during that time. 

This is a very simplistic way of saying that Claudia threw a lot more into question for Callum regarding their relationship than Rayla did in TTM. If you want a more intensive breakdown of Callum and Claudia’s side of things, check out this meta here. (It’s recent and I’m quite proud of it.)

Because Rayla lies to Callum once in TTM, in this singular panel.

But Callum knows that the very next thing that Rayla says to him, that she loves him and never wants to lose him, is actually true. And the panel above is the one time in the whole comic that Rayla hasn’t been honest with him, and she’s expressed the desire to protect him over and over again, to his face.

So while Rayla throws a massive fucking wedge into their relationship — a major detriment to the trust they’ve built and a chance at continued future happiness together — she hasn’t actually... thrown anything into question. She left because she loves him. She lied because she wanted to protect him. Callum knows those things. He’s going to be angry and bitter, but he’s also mostly going to be super scared for her underneath it all, chasing a dangerous mission all by herself. Especially considering how close she came to death the last time they saw Viren and that Rayla would’ve died (or been coin’d herself) without her friends to bail her out. 

Callum is going to be able to work his way towards forgiveness because the love has never gone away, and he not only knows but understands why Rayla did what she did. Because, damn it all to hell, she can’t bear the thought of losing him, and Callum values protection very highly. One of his main goals in every season is to protect his loved ones, which connects to his pursuit of magic as a way to do so and to feel useful. That’s why he lays his life down for Ezran and later for Rayla. It’s one of the reasons why he devotes himself to magic and he often develops as a mage while protecting others, like when he used aspiro to protect the group from Claudia’s smoke wolves in 1x03, and when he used fulminus to save Rayla in 1x05.

C: I have to be a mage again. We saw a dragon in the clouds yesterday. Things will only get tougher once we get into Xadia. And crossing the border, that’s going to be crazy dangerous. (—2x07)

C: Maybe there is something I can do. (—2x07)

C: And with that army coming here, I’m going to need to learn all the magic I possibly can. So please, teach me. (—3x08)

And even in TTM, he continues this pattern of love and loyalty with giving Rayla space, but also wanting to be there in case she gets into trouble.

C: Fine. But the second it seems like you’re in danger, I’m jumping in after you. R: Callum, no! C: Just the way it is.

C: No. You’re not doing this without me. I let you jump into the Nexu alone and I knew right away I made the biggest mistake of my life. I could have lost you.

All of this is a long winded way of saying that Callum reacts so coldly to Claudia because of how much she throws into question. From her arrival at the Moon Nexus onward, because of her betrayal and the way until her second lie that she was trying to get him to come home, all of her actions at thrown under a new light. Because even if we the audience would like to lend less ambiguity to Claudia’s actions, Callum is operating from a closer, more emotional, and limited position. Because after Claudia betrays him, the levels of possible harm just keep rising and goes as is follows.

(If you want something along these details fic wise, I recommend my introspective oneshot set during 3x01 called “turn against.”)

1) Ezran’s life

Remember Rayla’s accusations that Soren wanted there to be an accident? Yeah, she was accusing Soren of wanting to murder Ezran. And given that Soren attacks her and Claudia goes along with the plan, Callum doesn’t know that she just thinks they’re bringing the boys home. For all he knows, in that moment, is that Claudia and Soren would’ve been totally down with murdering Ezran, definitely murdering Rayla, and possibly killing him. But Callum having reason to fear for Ezran’s life alone because of Claudia’s actions is more than enough for his feelings to turn sour, don’t you think?

2) His feelings for her

Claudia shows up and compliments him. Asks if Rayla and him are interested in each other, and when she receives a no, Claudia cranks the feelings up to eleven. She flirts with him, almost kisses him. She’s the one who makes their outing into a date and finally starts really responding to Callum’s obvious feelings for her. But in the lens of the betrayal, suddenly how much of that was real and how much of that was lies—how much of it was manipulation, and using his feelings for her to try and cloud his judgement—comes in full throttle. Including feelings of heartache, feeling stupid that she ever could have liked him, etc. etc. 

3) His dad

Claudia keeps the lie about Harrow for only a day. She’s eventually the one who tells him the truth. She appears to agree with Callum that he needs to go but asks to speak with him alone. She gives him the letter, hugs him goodbye... and then immediately lies to him, again, about wanting to go with him. It makes an already painful position of grief even worse, in some ways.

4) Everything

Even when Claudia has arguably given Callum more reasons to trust her in 2x03—seemingly returning his feelings, which is appealing; telling the truth about Harrow; giving him the letter. And yet, when the time comes, Callum trusts Rayla’s judgment more and agrees to the illusionist trick as a precaution. Why?

Because if they had trusted Soren and Claudia, they would’ve lost everything. Him and Ezran, captured at best to be dragged back to Viren (who Callum already doesn’t trust). Rayla, dead. Zym, stolen to be used for Dark Magic instead of returned home. No mission, no more chance at peace. Callum would’ve left Harrow in that tower in 1x03 for nothing. And by the time Callum has the ability to learn otherwise—that Claudia didn’t know about what Soren had been told to do—it’s 3x09 and she’s done worse. 

And all of this is a very, very long way of saying that if you looked at things from a blank narrative perspective, they’re very similar. Foil characters and intertwined foil relationships usually are. But the defining differences are in the details, and this is one such situation where it absolutely applies, at least in my eyes. 

Claudia has repeatedly lied to Callum to help further her father’s agenda, and Callum knows that. Even including TTM, Rayla has only ever lied to protect him in some way, and he knows this too. They’re both misguided, and self destructive, but for very different reasons, and I think that’ll make all the difference to him to him in the long run.

[neverscreens]

MASTERLIST OF SCREENCAPS, PT2.

Click here to go to part 1.

I hope its useful and helps you find what you need! Don't forget that besides these packs we also have individual posts, from since the beginning of this blog in 2017!

FULL SEASONS SCREENCAPS.

Looking for Alaska, Whole Miniseries.

Heartbreak High, Season One.

Fate: The Winx Saga, Season Two.

Pistol, Miniseries Complete.

Panic, Complete.

The Bear, Season One.

The White Lotus, Season Two.

GAP: The Series, Being updated.

Wednesday, Season One.

Young Royals, Season Two.

Gossip Girl, Season Two.

MOVIES SCREENCAPS.

Passengers, 141 Screencaps.

Red Riding Hood, 334 Screencaps.

Can't Buy Me Love, 240 Screencaps.

Coraline, 780 Screencaps.

Jennifer's Body, 670 Screencaps.

The School for Good and Evil, 896 Screencaps.

The Nightmare Before Christmas, 609 Screencaps.

Monster House, 540 Screencaps.

Fear Street: 1994, 377 Screencaps.

Corpse Bride, 924 Screencaps.

Fear Street 1978, 489 Screencaps.

Fear Street 1666, 433 Screencaps.

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, 403 Screencaps.

Beyond the Universe, 481 Screencaps.

Clouds, 642 Screencaps.

My Policeman, 810 Screencaps.

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, 800 Screencaps.

Holidate, 401 Screencaps.

Last Christmas, 397 Screencaps.

Falling for Christmas, 722 Screencaps.

Pearl, 441 Screencaps.

The Lost Girls, 190 Screencaps.

Disenchanted, 700 Screencaps.

Let it Snow, 370 Screencaps.

20th Century Girl, 403 Screencaps.

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday, 305 Screencaps.

Dear Zoe, 202 Screencaps.

Something from Tiffany's, 279 Screencaps.

Hotel for the Holidays, 373 Screencaps.

The Princess Switch 2, 580 Screencaps.

Sharp Stick, 228 Screencaps.

Cow Belles, 289 Screencaps.

LOOSE EPISODES.

Only Murders in the Building, 96 Screencaps.

Never Have I Ever S03E01, 109 Screencaps.

Hunters S01E01, 81 Screencaps.

High School Musical TMTS, Season Three Almost Complete.

The Rings of Power. First three eps.

Christmas in 2 Broke Girls, 86 Screencaps.

Christmas in Friends, 109 Screencaps.

Christmas in TVD, 166 Screencaps.

The Addams Family '64, 233 Screencaps.

Pretty Little Liars S05E13, 220 Screencaps.

MISCELLANEOUS: INTERVIEWS, VLOGS, LIVE AND GAMES.

Ross Lynch, 36 Screencaps.

Taylor Swift JIMMYF, 45 Screencaps.

Claudia and Kennedy Walsh Xmas Vlog, 140 Screencaps.

Jenna Ortega in Technicolor, 58 Screencaps.

Jão VEVO Performance, 94 Screencaps.

Xmas w Claudia + Kennedy Walsh, 104 Screencaps.

Olivia Rodrigo MetGala22, 93 Screencaps.

Billie Eilish Beauty Routine, 75 Screencaps.

Billie Same Interview 6th Year, 137 Screencaps.

Millie Bobby Brown Lie Detector, 102 Screencaps.

Elizabeth Olsen for IGN, 33 Screencaps.

Elizabeth Olsen's 5-minute easy radiant skin routine, 113 Screencaps.

Elizabeth Olsen was raised on Musicals and Sitcoms | W Magazine, 77 Screencaps.

Iman Vellani on Ms. Marvel’s POWERS and How The Marvels Fits into the MCU (Exclusive), 45 Screencaps.

MUSIC VIDEOS.

Britney — You Drive Me Crazy, 61 Screencaps.

Taylor Swift — Anti-Hero, 110 Screencaps.

Taylor Swift — Bejeweled, 98 Screencaps.

Sabrina Carpenter — Nonsense, 118 Screencaps.

Hailee Steinfeld — Coast, 87 Screencaps.

Camila Cabello — Havana, 55 Screencaps.

Sabrina Carpenter — Skinny Dipping, 75 Screencaps.

XG — Left Right, 189 Screencaps.

Rosalía — Con Altura, 61 Screencaps.

Twice — Set me free, 131 Screencaps.

Ive — Kitsch, 162 Screencaps.

Jisoo — Flower, 114 Screencaps.

CHARACTERS SCENE PACKS.

Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout, 323 Screencaps.

Robby Keene, S03, 101 Screencaps.

Jules Millin S19E02 — Grey's A., 56 Screencaps.

Isadora Artinan — ELITE, All Scenes in S06.

Judith Grimes — TWD, 118 Screencaps.

JOY in Once Upon a Small Town, All Scenes S01.

Mariana Foster GT S04, 118 Screencaps.

Mariana Foster TF S04, 76 Screencaps.

IU in Persona, 102 Screencaps.

Anita — Bom dia, Veronica S01, 139 Screencaps.

TRAILERS

Elemental (2023), 29 Screencaps.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 67 Screencaps.

Emily in Paris S03 Announcement, 43 Screencaps.

Emily in Paris S03 Trailer, 122 Screencaps.

Scream 6, 30 Screencaps.

Barbie Teaser, 44 Screencaps.

Renfield, 108 Screencaps.

You S04, 97 Screencaps.

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 4 - A Different Approach - A Discussion Post

This episode brought even more emotions and more excitement and action. Let's do a recap of the short yet exciting episode!

(SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE YET! all screencaps are from cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/the-bad-batch/304/)

Crosshair and Omega's stolen Imperial ship begins to fail, as they are forced to crash land on a remote planet. They decide to try and find an alternative way to get somewhere safe. Just two siblings and their new dog.

Omega was also doing majority of the flying in this episode; everything Tech taught her really prepared her.

Hemlock pays Nala Se a visit in her cell, talking to her about Omega's positive results with her blood sample. Nala Se continues to deny any allegations about helping Omega escape and being involved in the whole dispute with her blood. I kind of found this scene funny as Nala Se just sits there denying everything while Hemlock is stressing out about the whole thing.

Omega and Crosshair (with Batcher) venture through a city on the planet they are stranded on, trying to find a way to contact Hunter and Wrecker and to get out of here as soon as possible. There are many Imperials wandering about, so they steal some clothes to replace their prison uniforms.

Omega finally got a helmet back like the one she used to wear with her Season 2 outfit, and Crosshair was likely suffering in the clothes he picked up.

The two try to get a ride on a shuttle, but chain codes and money becomes a problem. Omega tries a bribe, and I was kinda amazed at how much she's grown. She went from a girl being amazed by every little thing she found outside of the stormy atmosphere of Kamino to a smart maturing girl who knows how to navigate herself through this society.

Crosshair just wants to shoot everyone, and Omega keeps letting him down. He's finally free and he can be the sniper he was again.

Trying to obtain some credits, Omega and Crosshair stumble upon a place of gambling, as Omega puts her skills to use just like she did in Cid's parlor back in Season 1. Crosshair thinks this idea is bad news, but he gets to see how smart Omega is. He keeps a close eye on her.

Some Imperials walk into the bar, as Omega gets to play against the Imperial officer. Batcher doesn't like him as she keeps growling, and Crosshair took her outside. The Imperial officer said "Never seen you or your dad around before." I love how Omega's brothers are just becoming her dads based on assumption; first Hunter, now Crosshair.

The two earn credits, but then continue to lose some with a supposed fine for gambling and a kid telling Omega where Batcher went after they lost her. Crosshair was really about to lose it.

Crosshair complains that his skills are being wasted. He really just wants to be a sniper again.

While trying to get Batcher back, the Imperials figured out they had escaped Hemlock's lab, and Crosshair finally gets his chance to start shooting people and putting his skills to use, messing the whole place up. They get Batcher, steal a cargo ship, and quickly flee.

Hemlock arrives at the crash site long after Crosshair and Omega escaped, and there isn't much to be found.

After escaping again, Omega sends a message to Hunter and Wrecker. Crosshair does not have much hope in him, but Omega knows that they'll be there.

This scene broke me. Hunter and Wrecker finally got to see their little sister again after many months, and it was all just emotions and pain. The way Wrecker scooped her up in his arms and Hunter coming down the Marauder's steps to hug her I-

I wish Echo was here too to see that Omega is safe again.

Omega says she wasn't alone after Hunter asks her how she escaped, and Crosshair slowly steps out of the ship, laying eyes on Hunter and Wrecker after a long time. Hunter and Wrecker stare at Crosshair with cold gazes, and the episode just ends. Hunter has his fists clenched-please don't tell me they're going to be arguing the whole episode next week. But there's a lot of catching up and emotions to go through after everything.

The reunion was so heartwarming, but the way they stared at Crosshair and it just ended there, like what do you mean I have to wait another week for Crosshair to talk to his brothers again? At least most of the squad is back together again; still hoping Tech is out there alive somewhere.

Omega is back where she needs to be again, and they have to do everything they can to keep her safe as they always did.

[kakakakashi]

How do you headcannon a threesome with neji and tenten?

…………… Is it hot in here? No? Just me? Okay. Anyway..

You are speaking my language anon. I… god, I… Okay. This got looooong. #sorrynotsorry 

I’m gonna try really hard not to project my own fantasies onto this…

*NSFW under the cut*

I think it would be you & Tenten who suggest it to Neji. Tenten is pretty chill, and she’s the sweetest thing ever. We stan. I can see her being the person who brings it up or agrees when you do.

She’s gonna have to be the one to bring it up to Neji, though. She knows how he’ll take it badly, so she preps you for the worst.

He’s shy about any sexual matters, so he’s gonna do what he does best: freak out, and run away.

He’s also redder than a little chili pepper.

Mostly because he’s surprised he liked the idea as much as he did.

Tenten warned you that he’d flee, though. Neither of you were surprised.

It wasn’t your goal to get an answer, though. Your goal was to simply plant the idea in his head.

The next part is the fun part of convincing him.

You guys always hang out, so it’s not hard.

Tenten might suggest swimming in the lake instead of going for a hike. You might suggest a picnic instead of going to Ichiraku. You and Tenten will strategically pick your outfits to show off.

It was fun to play with him a bit. Both of you had noticed Neji’s lingering glances and slight blushes even before you brought up the idea.

It doesn’t help him that he’s been thinking about it NONSTOP since the words came out of Tenten’s mouth.

It was a week before he broke.

You’re on a picnic. Tenten’s head is resting in your lap. You’ve taken down her braids and buns to play with her locks. She looks more beautiful than any girl in the world. Her brown eyes sparkling like all of the stars in the sky. She’s opted for a sundress instead of her usual boxy blouse and pants. She looks like an angel, and you’re all heart eyes while you wave flowers into her hair.

*insert that screencap of her watching Lee train*

Cherry, your crush on Tenten is showing.

And Neji is staring like a dork because both of you are so attractive. He wants to kiss the both of you so badly.

It’s been quiet for a while, but he’s the one to break the silence.

“This idea of yours that you brought up last week. Why did you ask me?”

Tenten’s grin makes way for a mischievous smirk & you mirror her expression.

After you chat about it a little, you make your way back to the place you & Tenten share to spare the Hyuga compound’s ears.

So, you welcome Neji back, make some tea, and start discussing.

And he’s nervous, but Tenten and you explain that he can say no at any time, but if it’s something he wants, then that’s okay too.

The more he sees how calm and accepting the two of you are, the more relaxed he becomes.

He goes from nervous to relaxed to eager.

Like, boy literally asks, “So, which way is the bedroom?”

You’re just taken aback by his forwardness. Tenten is the one who says, “Whoa, we don’t have to do this right now. We figured you’d want some time to mull things over. We don’t have to do it now if you don’t want to.”

However, Neji assures you two, “Believe me, I’ve thought about this enough, and I want to.”

And after a bit more clarification, you end up in the bedroom in the late afternoon.

All three of you want to drag it out as long as possible.

It tarts off with you making out with Tenten, Neji kissing her shoulder from behind.

She starts pumping him in her hand while your hands start playing with her breasts.

Neji ends up eating her out while you watch and play with yourself for Tenten to watch.

Tenten is telling him what you’re doing, and you’re telling Neji how to drive Tenten crazy.

Neji is grinding against the mattress when Tenten comes, and you’re not far behind when she tells you both to stop once she comes down from her high.

You end up riding her face while Neji fucks her, all of you dragging out each other’s pleasure.

When you kiss Neji, you can taste Tenten on him, and you can��t take it anymore despite the coil knotting in your stomach.

You have to have her for yourself, so you switch positions again.

Tenten is against the headboard while you’re between her legs like you’ll never get the opportunity again, and that’s when the pace picks up.

Neji is working himself watching you when Tenten gives him the idea to fuck you from behind.  

It doesn’t take you long to cum with Neji inside you and Tenten tugging on your hair.

The vibrations from your moans also send Tenten over the edge again, and between the two of you hitting your highs, Neji isn’t far behind.

He comes inside you with a final thrust & the three of you collapse in a heap of limbs.

After you cleaned up, you’re all lying in bed.

You’re the one to wonder, “So… when are we doing this again?”

Tenten laughs & says “If it’s up to me, as soon as possible.”

Neji is like… floored?

Like… both Tenten and you are okay with doing this again?

He’s definitely here for it.

This becomes a regular occurrence.

You three end up dating.

Y’all cute.

Are you sure it’s not really hot in here? Just me still? Alright. Okay.

[hctgrcve]

              FACTS  ABOUT  BILLY  HARGROVE  IN  RUNAWAY  MAX  .                                       PLEASE  DO  NOT  REBLOG  THIS  !                                                         (  contains  spoilers  )

things  we  learn from the book pre  -  hawkins:

max  tried  to  run  away  to  los  angeles  to  live  with  her  father .

they  wind  up  moving  because  of  her  running  &  billys  increasingly  chaotic  behavior .

the  hargroves  &  mayfields  are  originally  from  san  diego .

neil  &  billy  move  in  with  susan  .

billy  smokes  a  lot  of  weed .

like  he’s  constantly  high  24 - 7 .

he  chills  with  metalheads  &  gutterpunks .

always  drunk  ,  absolute  addict  ,  total  chaotic  mess  .

he  had  two  best  friends  ,  metalheads  named  sid &  wayne  .

he  never  cared  about  getting  in  trouble  or  making  curfew  etc  etc  .

always  did  whatever  he  wanted  despite  the  consequences  .

billy  frequented  partying  in  abandoned  buildings  .

got  into  trouble  for  trespassing  .  

not  good  at  school  ,  got  ds  in  some  of  his  classes  .

when  it  comes  to  girls  ,  all  he  cares  about  is  sex  .  seriously  .

doesn’t  date  preppy  girls  or  hang  out  with  girls  like  nancy  ,  prefers  the  ‘  easy  ‘  ones  .

avoids  being  home  at  all  costs .

is  never  on  time  for  family  things  &  always  late  .

but  he  still  expects  everyone  else  to  be  on  time  .

his  pastime  includes  walking  i  beams  off  tall  buildings  for  dares .

billy  has  run  ins  with  the  cops .

he  speeds  ,  gets  pulled  over  &  neil  beats  him  for  it .

max  watches  neil  beat  him  with  a  belt .

max  offers  him  help  &  he  tells  her  to  go  away .

neil  gave  an  option  to  go  join  the  young  air  force  or  lose  his  car  privileges  for  2  months .

billy  opted  for  giving  up  his  camaro  &  he  went  crazy  without  it  .

so  out  of  boredom  he  set  a  dead  cat  on  fire .

he’s  a  bad  influence  on  max  .  devil’s  advocate  .

he  gave  max  her  first  cigarette  .

max idolized  billy  at  first  .  thinks  he’s  exciting  &  cool .

but  billy  is  always  bullying  max  anyways  .

didn’t  have  to  take  care  of  max  or  watch  her  as  much .

he  sometimes  took  her  to  the  auto  store  .

implied  he  also  brought  her  with  him  while  he  did  questionable  things  &  on  his  dates  ??

brought  girls  home  from  time  to  time  .

he  broke  a  young ,  innocent  boy’s  arm  just  to  mess with  max  .

max  ratted  him  out  for  it  .

susan  &  max  are  entirely  aware  of  neil’s  abuse  towards  billy  before  their  marriage .  yet  susan  chose  to  marry  neil  anyway  .

susan  &  max  try  to  lie  /  cover  for  billy  &  in  doing  so  enable  his  toxic   behavior  .  susan’s  ex  husband  was  a  low  key  criminal  ,  but  a  nice  man  &  a  good  father  &  more  importantly  better  than  neil   .

things  we  learn  in  regards  to  the  show:

they  arrived  in  hawkins  indiana  on  october  30,  1984

billy  gave  max  the  nickname  ‘ mad  max ‘  !

still  smoking  like  tons  of  weed  ,  max  says  he  smells  like  a  dry  skunk  .

billy  consistently smells  like  hairspray , cigarettes  &  weed  .

he  was  supposed  to  pick up  max  the  night  of  the  halloween  party

he  never  did  &  she  had  to walk  home  .

max  tried  covering  for  him  with  a  lie  but  he  blew  it .

he  came  home  drunk  &  got  into  a  big  physical  altercation  with  neil  that  night .

left  max  &  the  kids  alone  after  beating  up  steve  ,  but  foreshadowed  they’d  never  really  be  safe  from  him  .

headcanons  i  have  which  were confirmed  true  by  the  book:

neil  was  military  / air  force  .

neil  trying  to  get  billy  to  join  the  military  in  some  way  at  some  point  .

susan  &  neils  relationship  only  lasted  3  months  before  getting  married .  their  relationship  moved  very  quickly .  only  having  been  together  a  total  of  six  months  before  moving  to  hawkins  .

neil  wanted  max  to  spend  less  &  less  time  with  her  biological  father  .

billy  works  on  cars  &  knows  auto  mechanics .

he  doesn’t  really  do  relationships  &  womanizes .

billy  avoided  being  home   as  much  as  possible  back  in  california  &  fought  less  with  neil  .

he  is  obsessive  about  working  out  especially  in  hawkins  ,  he  has  nothing  better  to  do  .

he  gets  in  more  frequent  fights  w/  neil  in  hawkins  because  he’s  stuck  at  home  .

my  thoughts / my writing portrayal :

honestly  ,  i  have  a  lot  of  thoughts  in  regards  to  the  book  &  since  it  is  a  stranger  things  official  ,  all  of  the  awful  things ,  like  setting  that  dead  cat  on  fire  &  breaking  a  12  year  old  boy’s  arm  for  entertainment  are  canon  to  his  history  on  the  television  show  .   it’s  unavoidable  because  it  also  effects  max’s  development  as  a  character  &  can’t  be  erased  .  i   adopt   99%  of  billy’s  past  in  san  diego  as  part  of  my  canon  .  but  this  also  means  my  portrayal  will  be  twice  as  shitty ,  twice  as  dark  ,  &  that  billy  will  have  even  less  regard  for  others  &  their  feelings  unless  there’s  history  ,  they  mean  something  sentimental  to  him  ,  or  there’s  some  ulterior  motive  .  he’s  always  bored  &  always  looking  for  destructive  ways  to  entertain  himself  .  while  it  appears  he’s  maturing  without  his  old  friends  around  ,  hawkins  still  makes  his  restlessness  worse  .  it  takes  something  big  (  like  the  mindflayer’s  possession  )  to  begin   turning  him  away  from  the  destructive  path  he’s  on  .  even  before  hawkins  it  seems  billy  never  had  any  redeemable  qualities  .  he’s  always  been  a  monster  .

i  took  time  to  screencap  &  upload  the  pages  from  the  book  that  mention  billy  in  .psd  format  .  you  can  download  &  read  about  him  for  yourself  here  .                      i  still  HIGHLY  recommend  buying  &  reading  the  entire  book  ,  because  it’s  in  max’s  point  of  view  &  it  wasn’t  terribly  done  !