#this is purely made from the hate and spite I have from having to rehash all my religious trauma yesterday for FOUR FUCKING HOURS

[gorie-talks-a-lot]

"It's a Sin, sister..."

It's fair to say that Gorie took some time adjusting after her summoning. When the ghouls finally tracked her down in the Catholic abbey they realised just how fitting her name was to her too...

NSFW HERE

[lunar-years]

I have a completely irrational hatred for the musical number purely because a person on reddit confidently and wrongly insisted that Dani sang the last bit because he was the youngest and loads of other people agreed and I KNOW that not everyone is as into the show but STILL I thought it was fairly obvious that hes no where near the youngest, at the very least Sam and Jamie are younger than him and anyway that made me so mad that they were confidently wrong that I can't stand that musical number. Also tbh it was just cringy as all hell and not in a wholesome way. When I'm more sensible then obviously Jamie forgiving his Dad and the Beard/ Jane wedding are worst though

LOL. I love hating certain scenes out of pure spite so good for you!! The Reddit page is…well. Let’s just say I avoid it at all costs after venturing onto it like, twice and coming out horrified.

I hate the musical number too. I accept that the show can be corny and feel good and that isn’t always a bad thing but the thing is when it comes to a musical moment they already DID that with the bye bye bye dance sequence (a scene I really enjoy) and the so long, farewell scene was just a rehash of the same but also way, way worse like 😭 not needed not necessary! Cringey to watch. Etc.

The beardjane wedding pisses me off most not only for the like…the storyline itself and the implications but also because the scene is visually SO. DAMN. BAD. Worst cgi on the planet. Keeley horrifyingly photoshopped in in a work outfit she wore 4 episodes before. Rebecca standing 5 feet away from the person we’re being told is her man for no damn reason? The goofy Stonehenge sunset situation. God it’s terrible.

[somethingfoe]

You’re SPECIAL (FO4): Tacticians

This took some time as well, didn't it? Considerably longer than my Medics one, considering that I had that scheduled for release but got pulled back as a result of me moving out. Why? Well, Fallout 76 was as much of a fucking disasterpiece as I feared. It's barely even wearing the skin of the Fallout franchise as it tries to be some rust clone 3 to 5 years late on that bandwagon, with rehashed out assets from Fallout 4 with all kinds of dialogue interaction skimmed out for audiologs spitting out diatribes. It seems to me that Bethesda have rested on their laurels way too long to give Fallout the kind of treatment it deserves, and don't give me this bullshit that it's just merely a 'side' project and won't have any effect on future titles. Fallout 4 was basically them testing the waters of the settlement crafting system and attempting to skim down the dialogue options prevalent in previous titles, if Fallout 76 would've succeeded off it's own laziness, guaranteed that Elder Scrolls 6 would've had the same treatment as well as other future titles. Considering that not barely a month into release and Fallout 76 has been knicked off half it's retail price is probably a tell tale sign that Bethesda have fucked far beyond just making their typically buggy games, and that they seriously need to reevaluate their ethical decisions for the long run, because at this point, the fucking fans are making better games than they are. Fallout New California, a 6 year old mod based off of the working parts of Fallout New Vegas, just came out and is indefinitely superior in what Fallout is conventionally known for, save for the isometric view and turn-based combat. As a result of this disappointment, I found it really hard for me to continue on this You're SPECIAL series considering that that was primarily why I even wanted to make a 'FO4' version of it, but alas, I must continue with the ones I made prior. With that side note out of the way, here is the tacticians of the respective FOE and PH lores! I figure that I first cover the Main protagonist's companions across all boards before doing the side entries like Malevolent Relics and Main Antagonists, which means that the Odd One Outs (or Pets) will be the next entry on that. I'm not sure if I intend to slash their base SPECIAL attributes Like I did previous, maybe just lower their level cap a hair and see where I can skew some of the attributes too. With the nods in mind, the Xenith art was by :DevClutterCluster: and the Lacunae art was by :DevInLucidReverie:, and boy was the Lacunae art fucking hard to make work in this format, what with the huge flowing mane that I had to cut out but not too much to make it obvious. As with Saboteurs and Medics, This is taking into account a build that is at Level 65, with 12 perk points put into the actual Attributes themselves, pitting it at 40. If you're curious how I decided the Attributes, like with the others, the link for the original is right here https://www.deviantart.com/somethingguy912/art/You-re-SPECIAL-Xenith-VS-Lacunae-525076774 since I'm going to have to explain why I chose what perks. With that, here is the technical mumbo jumbo, as always.

STRENGTH

Strong Back <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Seeing that Xenith lived all her life as a slaver, I'd imagine that her being forced to lug around huge items was a day to day part of her life. Not to mention how Xenith was capable of carrying Littlepip unconscious on her back after Littlepip's attempt to save both of them from captivity of Red Eye is a impressive feat on it's own. Armorer <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Seeing that Lacunae is not keen on either fiddling with guns or armorer, we are merely talking about the hypothetical armorer work in that Lacunae can project a 'bubble' around herself as a means of protection, what with being a Alicorn under manipulation by The Master of Maripony. Iron Fist <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Xenith is the master of Fallen Caesar, a sort of close quarters combat brought down through the generations even beyond the apocalypses attempt to eradicate it, and with Xenith being a hard boiled gladiator for the mere spectacle of the other raiders, Xenith is not one to be tussled with in close proximity.

PERCEPTION

Refractor <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Borne of a weird radioactive experiment and being artificially made into a Alicorn, it only makes sense that being so attune with magic can make nearly resistant to any sort of plasma or energy weapons to the point that they might as well bounce off of her! The aforementioned protective bubble also helps to confirm this notion. Night Person <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Being thrown in a dark, dingy cage outside of having to fight in a dark, bloody arena would make one a bit more perceptive of the goings on during the night, so it makes sense that Xenith would have superior eyesight during those times. <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - While Lacunae does sport some of that same ability as well, not to mention by her being previously a trained assassin post-apocalypse, Lacunae's innate ability to project light out from her horn in times of darkness gives her less of a edge when it comes to matters of the night. Still, having a weird connection to other Alicorns across the globe helps too. Demo Expert <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Lacunae is a big guns babe, and she likes all things big, from Miniguns to heavy grenade launchers, so Lacunae does sport some fascination with the big and loud and brutal, even if it makes her a sort of open target for ongoing attacks. Awareness <u>Xenith & Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Both these lasses sport the same skill in awareness, with Xenith's more isolated nature helping to observe things around her, and Lacunae being a agent of misery for the Master's worst parts. You need the Nuka World DLC to get a 2 star in awareness, so if you don't have it, Xenith would get a one star in Pickpocket, whereas Lacunae would get Three stars in Demo Expert.

ENDURANCE

Adamantium Skeleton <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: - Being irradiated with pure magic makes it quite difficult to knock down someone, and Lacunae has that in spades. Barely able to even get hurt, save for the perchance of getting a train dropped on you, Lacunae is completely numb to the idea of having limbs damaged. Rad Resistant <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Almost in comparison to resistance as Steelhooves is, perhaps being doused in radiation makes you almost nearly immune to it, to the point that it might beef you up too! Who'd funk that! maybe everyone should just dump in radiation...oh wait, it doesn't quite work THAT way! Chem Resistant <u>Lacunae & Xenith</u> :star: :star: - Again, both lasses are pretty resistant to chems, even if both don't really use it that much. Probably Xenith for Med-X what with her battle scars and slight trauma, and Lacunae's inherently somber nature needing some version of AntiDepressants? Lifegiver <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Being a large body Alicorn would tend to give you a bit more resilence, even if Lacunae doesn't really need the help. Her protective bubble, and her slightly regenerative radiation also gives her a bit more longevity than most. Lead Belly <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: - Both hated as a Zebra and a outcast, Xenith has had to take the worst from others in order to survive, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's been able to tolerate some otherwise dirty water to keep going. Toughness <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: - Being beaten, bruised, raped, tortured, and splayed as a exotic attraction for the arena, Xenith can take the worst that anyone can bring upon her, assuming that it's not to the expense of her lost daughter. <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Lacunae can similarly take some beatings, but not nearly as much as Xenith has. Lacunae does have to endure with all of the negative feelings that the Master pumps into her, but not much more beyond that.

CHARISMA

Lone Wanderer <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Lacunae is absolutely isolated from everyone else, despite being tied with Unity and the other alicorns. Treated merely as the ugly duckling of the pack, and vilified on sight by anyone else, Lacunae is the very definition of a lone wolf. this requires the Far Harbor DLC, so if you don't have it, Lacunae will get a additional point into Cap Collector. <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Xenith is almost equally in measure to being isolated from everyone else, but unlike Lacunae, being a Alicorn, Xenith is not immediately killed on sight, so I guess she does get 'some' interaction, even if it is almost entirely abusive. Xenith could be considered a 'Haphephobe', which is being afraid of being touched by others, a trauma that Littlepip had to learn once she got to know her better. Lady Killer <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - I know this might seem strange, given Lacunae's demured nature, but Lacunae does catch some eyes, like with Paladin Stronghoof, in spite of her Alicorn nature and personality. You could also say that Lacunae's more quiet nature does give her a bit of a allure to others as well. Cap Collector <u>Lacunae</u> :star: - In the most basic means, Lacunae can collect caps, if merely as a half measure. More interested in trying to lead Blackjack to the goddess more than anything, I merely put this in on account of Lacunae's desire to keep her black dress in check so others don't immediately recognize her as Alicorn.

INTELLIGENCE

Nuclear Physicist

<u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: - while Lacunae is not one to delve in using specifically energy weapons, Her innate alicorn abilities more than compensate for that and factor into her ability to use a multitude of abilities to either fire projectiles out of magic, or cast shields for herself and allies. Robotics Expert <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - Seeing that Lacunae can master levitation with relative ease, she can inadvertently use enemy robots on her side by merely directing them towards another target for her own purpose. She can even use her own magic to literally shred robots to pieces, from the inside no less if need be! Chemist <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Supporting the stereotype that Zebras tend to delve in the alchemical, Xenith is one such, being able to brew unusual potions that help with wounds or other ailments if need be, even if it's a rare thing for her to do. Science! <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: - Again, while Lacunae is not keen on using technology to win the battle, her intense knowledge stemming from her connection to the other Alicorns around her, and her fascination with heavier weapons gives her some desire to amp them up from their initial build. <u>Xenith</u> :star: - Another stereotype of Zebras is that they are technophobes, which I guess requires some idea as to how weapons and technology works to be afraid of them, so I guess Xenith gets merely a one for her paranoia of it. Scrapper <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: - with the aforementioned technophobia, Xenith doesn't tend to let those weird do-hickys stay functional, vying to scrap them or strictly warn others of using them. Basically she is the bane of the philosophy behind the BoS. Gun Nut <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: - While Lacunae isn't quite the aficionado when it comes to all things gunpowder, Lacunae still enjoys using the otherwise unwieldy weapons to great effect, like with the Anti-Material Rifle for example. Medic <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Xenith does surprisingly sport some knowledge of healing ailments, what with her being somewhat capable of deterring Killing Joke as well as her ability to use healing powder during her time as a slave to heal some grievous wounds. <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: - While Lacunae can indeed 'heal', so to speak, she really only can do it for herself. Other with her being able to levitate friends out of trouble, or give them a protective bubble, Lacunae cannot gift her friends her healing ability.

AGILITY

Blitz <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: - Xenith is almost entirely melee based, so it makes sense that her prowess in Fallen Caeaser would require that she needs to close the distance with her enemies, thus giving her maxed out in Blitz. Ninja <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Xenith is quite a sneaky zebra if you give her the ability to get out of her cage, metaphorically or no. A lot of Zebras have a good knowledge of what amounts to Sun Tzu's the Art of War; covert attacks. Seeing that Xenith is equally melee based as Rampage is, it only makes sense that Xenith would want to quickly make that distance. Moving Target <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: - Continuing to be agile and fit as she is, Xenith got her recognition as a deadly fighter in the arena, being nearly untouchable as a result of her nimble ways. Action Boy <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: - Xenith has to keep moving, goddammit! she's moving to avoid enemies, moving to close the distance, and moving to stay out of sight, she's got to have as much action points in order to win! Sneak <u>Xenith</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: - Xenith would more than likely prefer to hide than be seen by a crowd to be mocked at until she drove their face in the dirt. This also confirms the suspicions that Zebras adopted Sun Tzu's tactics of hit and run and subdue the enemy psychologically then moreso. Commando <u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: - Lacunae is a star when it comes to all weapons two handed, and seeing that Miniguns, Launchers and .50 Cal Sniper Rifles are ostensibly two handed, it only makes sense that Lacunae would have a fondness for them.

LUCK

Mysterious Stranger <u>Xenith</u> :star: - this might be a strange inclusion for me to put on here, but Xenith does have the help of her lost daughter later on to get the slight upper hand, as both are very good at sneaking and attacking when necessary. Bloody Mess<u>Lacunae</u> :star: :star: :star: - Lacunae can tend to get a little out of hand with her excitement of heavy weapons, often times literally making paste out of her enemies once Unity starts to control her moreso than other times.And that is it with the Tacticians! I have a photo run planned to do sometime tomorrow, as I have only one day off and I figure that I do one considering how long it's been since my last proper one! enjoy this for now!

[welcometoteamz]

Blaine Essay/Analysis

With sections ghostwritten by @atlasmarked and @virgo-79 via private conversations or thoughtful additions to photosets.

I have to wonder... do we REALLY have the old Blaine back? I know he has his memories back, and he’s cooking up Blue Brains, but...

...so far he hasn't engaged in any criminal activity. True, he was a lying liar who lied... but he seemed to really want to turn his life around.

Even before Peyton showed interest in him, and now, even that he's lost her.  He wasn't up to no good in this episode so much as he was in a funk, and even after the prior episode's ending? Selling Blue Brains isn't exactly wrong so much as dubious.

He isn't really hurting anyone, though. Still, he's hurt people in the past. He tried to skirt accountability when he still needs to answer for it/repent. We'll see if this happens, and if it does, I think Peyton may be the key. Rob Thomas said Blaine's feelings for her were genuine, so we may see him sacrifice himself or come through if push comes to shove. I was one of the few who actually enjoyed their dynamic. It was a thoughtful, complex story that was rewarding and validating an awesome female character’s defining strengths, and was giving a character who’d been left mentally and emotionally mangled by horrific abuse an opportunity at redemption and a new life and a support network, and that was exploring some really intriguing questions about what constitutes identity.

Then it all ended up to be a cheap gotcha that was nothing but a drawn-out rehash of the exact same conflict these two characters already had, with no actual point, that framed her wonderful, amazing strengths as weaknesses and poor judgment, and wasn’t even consistent with Blaine’s characterization as a villain. Maybe that was a point, though. Maybe it's not supposed to be like the Old!Blaine. This isn't evil!Blaine, and this isn't good/amnesiac!Blaine. This is a Blaine who wanted to change his life, but did the right things for the wrong reasons... and the wrong thing for understandable reason, even if they too were wrong. If a show like Once Upon a Time can redeem someone like Captain Hook, who killed children/lost boys... and make him a hero; then I'm not giving up hope for Blaine being a morally grey anti-hero. I just feel like we've been down the evil!Blaine road before, and it seems like a bit of a regression at this point. At this point in the show, is there a place for the old Blaine? If he doesn't grow and evolve, what is his purpose?

To be a foil, to be a wild card?  I loved to hate to love the Old Blaine, but his time had come in my opinion. Of course, after losing everything (Peyton, Don E, Candy) and next week's events involving Angus... can see him accepting his lot in life, knowing that no matter what he does… he can change who he is, but he can’t change the fact he did monstrous things. Things there's no coming back from. He might figure he should just embrace that, and go back to being a monster. As opposed to a lying douchebag coward.

Cause he was a lying douchebag coward. If we put himself in his shoes though... can we blame him for lying? Imagine one day you woke up, and suddenly you were overwhelmed with the knowledge and memories of your life as a murderous POS. After blissful naivete, would you want to go back to that? Would you own up to that, even if it was the right thing to do? Or would you want to turn your life around, and have a fresh start?

I compare it to Liv's secret in the sense that she didn't tell Major or Peyton in S1 because she knew it would change how they looked at her, and that she'd lose them. Did we blame her for that? No, we understood it. The difference with Blaine is that his secret could have potentially hurt people and prolonged the cure. Blaine was selfish, whereas Liv was trying to protect her loved ones. Blaine wasn't as pure. He wanted a fresh start, but didn’t do much to atone. Sure he lent Liv a brain, and helped Major track down Natalie… but does he really feel any regret? What can he do to repent? And ven if he tries to repent, can he ever truly find penance?

The thing about a repentant killer is that even if they feel bad about it later, try to change… they still killed people. In Blaine’s case, he killed teenage runaways. So much of what he’s done is unforgivable, no matter what he does now to try and atone there is nothing he can really do to make things right. It would be interesting to see him try and avoid being a criminal in spite of that, knowing that he’ll never find redemption… but on the flip side? He may figure that nothing he can do would change the fact he was a monster, that even if he WERE to try, it’s something he can’t shake. He may have been a product of his upbringing, but he made his own choices… and he damned himself.

At this point, he has nothing left to lose… but what does he have to gain? He can sell blue juice brains, make more money… but would that make him happy at this point? I know Rob Thomas implied he’ll go back to his own ways, but honestly? It would be more compelling to see a Blaine who walks the line of between being underhanded and being a criminal. Blaine is never going to be the good guy. Amnesiac Blaine, and to a lesser extent the Blaine who faked prolonged amnesia, is the best version of Blaine that there is. It's the best as a person that he could have ever been. Now why is that interesting? Because even when he was at his best, he was a liar. He was never good. Not like how Liv is good.. But I, personally, love that because what does it show? It shows Blaine at his best is a normal person. The normal person doesn't always make the heroic decisions.

Only exceptional people make the right decision every single time. When Blaine was at his best he didn't want to accept responsibility for his actions. He didn't want to face the consequences of what he'd done. Should he have had to when we thought his amnesia was genuine? No. He shouldn't have been held accountable, but this is when we see the differences between Blaine the normal person and then a good person. The good person, the exceptional person, the /hero/ would want to face the music. Don't get me wrong. Blaine did take actions to begin atoning, but his redemption was half-baked. He was only half-committed to it. He wanted the easiest way to it, and the easiest way was not remembering. To not have to face what he'd done this, and the consequences. Yet at the same time who could blame him? That would be the reaction of most people if they'd heard what they were like and what they had done. Most of us wouldn't make the noble decision. It's not in our nature. Our nature is to make the decisions that are sometimes good, and the decisions that are sometimes bad. To be a hero is to be exceptional, and at his peak best Blaine is not and never is going to be exceptional. He is going to be "normal" so to speak in terms of his moralities. I love that. I love that even at his best the most he could ever be is average, normal, mortal. That isn't to say that he wouldn't ever make the noble decisions because sometimes people do make the noble decisions. I'm saying that it would take more for him to do the right thing. Heroes struggle over their decisions too. That's true. But it's a different nature of struggle though no less difficult for it. But Blaine, as he is, will never be the hero character. At most he is destined to be an anti-hero.

With development he might be, but I honestly prefer he be kept at this level because this seems very true to the sort of person iZombie has written for him. He'll make decisions we, as normal people, would make. That doesn't excuse these choices, that doesn't make them better. Sort of like how the bystander effect doesn't make inaction okay. Sometimes he'll make decision are good, and sometimes he'll make decisions that are bad. You don't have to be an exceptional, good person to do that.

The genuine amnesia was brief, but it did spark/jump start a good deal of these plots and arc developments, and it shouldn’t be so easily dismissed. It was a bit of a wakeup call, Blaine took a look at the man in the mirror and asked him to change his ways. The tragedy is, he couldn’t change his nature. Blaine logic is as follows: This is why you don't change for people. Because people figure out you're trash, and then they leave, and you're like why bother.

To me, Blaine has the most fascinating psyche out of all the characters on the show. I'd say he has the most depth and the most layers. He's not a good person, but he's a great character.