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everything-laito · 4 years

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damn the brain be out here going BRRRRRR here’s the Laito and Cordelia Analysis (with a little bit of Karl sprinkled in) Part III

wow my fingers are freezing but my brain sure isn't!

aaaanyways, iiiiiit’s trauma time!!! Am I a productive member of society by writing these analyses? No. Do I gain anything by writing them? Kinda, my brain gets exercised and they’re fun to research for. But if you haven’t read the first part or the second part for some reason (I recommend reading them in order), there they are.

Once again, trigger warnings still apply; mainly about trauma, isolation, etc

I’m gonna talk about the trauma and effects it had on Laito and to attempt to extrapolate why he is the way he is. I have a lot of examples I want to go over and stuff to talk about, so I think the trauma part is going to be split between two (or maybe three) parts. I also have a little bit to say about Karlheinz.

As always, big ass rant under the cut!

Section 6: Neuroplasticity and Trauma

Oh???? More science vernacular??? You BET! Ok, neuroplasticity. I know I’ve talked about it on this blog. But, I seriously doubt that there is a madlad who has read all of my analyses (speaking of which, I should update the master list lmao) and I don’t expect anyone to do that LOL! Anyways, this neurological concept is the ability of neurons to adapt to certain circumstances or stimuli by creating new neurological pathways (through synapses). This basically relates to memory and learning. It’s why we don’t stay the same person as we grow and develop. It’s responsible from mindset changes to response to traumatic events. It plays a huge part in trauma, which is why “repressed memories” occur as well.

Trauma, taken from Psychology Today, is defined as:

...the experience of severe psychological distress following any terrible or life-threatening event. Sufferers may develop emotional disturbances such as extreme anxiety, anger, sadness, survivor’s guilt, or PTSD.

It’s a basic definition. And although I’d assume people would know what trauma is already, but knowing the lexical definition of something can be good to know before going into it.

Obviously, Laito has trauma, there’s literally no refuting that. But, the point I’m getting at, is the reason why he is the way he is today is because of neuroplasticity. As previously stated, we are going to assume the DL vampire brain works similarly or the same as a human brain. So, because of the stress put upon the brain (Cordelia’s actions and Laito’s general upbringing in a stress filled household), Laito’s brain was rewired (neuroplasticity). This section doesn’t really have much new information, but I wanted to give a baseline since there’s many people who don’t know what neuroplasticity is.

Laito’s definitely different than what he was as a kid. He still kind of had his smarts, and might have been but as we’ve deducted from the first part of this series, he might have been groomed. On top of that, the brain is easily moldable when you’re a child (which is why grooming makes sense for Laito’s case), and continues to snip brain cells off and form new connections.

Section 7: Little intermission about Karlheinz

I know I haven’t really talked about Karlheinz yet. So this will be the section that I do it in. I know this part is about Laito’s trauma, but it’s so hard to not just weave other characters into it. Nothing is stand-alone, which is why it was so hard for me to plan this out. I was debating about saving this for another analysis, but I feel like it fits.

I referenced this in Part II, Section 5 of this analysis series. Basically, Karlheinz throws Laito into the dungeon and locks him up. Not Karlheinz personally, but he ordered someone to do it. We don’t explicitly know why, but there’s several implications. A huge one is that it was part of Karlheinz’ experiment. Before Dark Fate, I was like “wait, so did Karl find out about Laito/Cordelia? And got like jealous or was like ‘nah this shit fucked up no thanks’?” I was really scratching my head on that. But in Dark Fate, you find that Karlheinz knew about Cordelia and Laito, and even really wanted it to happen. Which is all sorts of fucked up. This really put Laito in for a loop. Here’s a scene from Dark Fate:

Laito: That woman always, always believed in Karlheinz. Laito: She believed he married her because he loved her, wanted her. That’s why she was sure that one day... he will give his love only to her. Laito: But she was tricked. She wasn’t loved from the start... Laito: -And I’m a victim of this unbelievable mistake... That’s how it is. Laito: I was treated as a vent for her feelings. Yui: ...Laito-kun... Laito: I’m sure he knew that something like this will happen... He is a god after all... Laito: I was hoping that... He just overlooked it up until now... Laito: But... I was naive. Laito: I was only planned a scapegoat.

God, when I played this, that just freaking struck me to my core. That’s so awful. Ironically... Karlheinz probably has some high level of emotional intelligence. I don’t believe he could be labeled as a sociopath, considering he has this high level understanding of pathos. He’s not god in a sense that he controls everyone individually himself. He’s so good at manipulation that he basically creates fate itself (whether you believe in it or not). He’s generally intelligent and cunning, and it also just helps with the fact that he’s immortal and can time travel. He knows cause and effect by now, and I believe Lost Eden said something about how he’s done so many different “timelines.”

The definition of a god in a philosophical sense can be broken down into three words: omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. More wicked cool jargon! Yay! Here’s what they mean for extra clarification:

Omniscient: All knowing Omnipresent: All seeing Omnipotent: All doing

Sure Karlheinz doesn’t absolutely know everything, nor can see everything, and he definitely has limits to his power, but he has gained knowledge through living for so many years and time traveling; he has familiars which add to the whole “all seeing” part; and he has a lot of power. So basically, in the most semi-”realistic” sense, it would definitely be the closest being to any kind of god.

Karlheinz is probably the reason why Laito himself has such contempt towards religion, and the existence of a god in general. Sure, the boys are like “that shit’s made up by humans” in general, but it would make sense for Laito himself to have that specific hatred. It makes sense that these vampires would be like “oh that’s made up by humans” when they’ve been around forever and have seen multiple religions come and go. (I’m mainly talking about in DL’s lore case, not starting a religious argument; please don’t take it as such––just to clarify)

Section 8: Isolation

Originally, the previous part was going to be about Laito’s isolation being locked up. However, I went off the rails and it turned into that little intermission. This is going to be a shorter section, but I still wanted to talk about, and it will weave into the next section.

There is no implications about how long Laito was locked up (and tortured) in the dungeon. There’s also no implications about why he was tortured. But torture and isolation puts such stress on the brain that there’s definitely going to be some kind of outcome if persisting for a good period of time. So let’s take a look at what that does to a person.

Once again, taking this with a grain of salt. I imagine vampires don’t need to rely on social interaction as much as humans do, considering they live forever. But we don’t know. However, throwing Laito into a state of isolation implies that it would be some type of torture or harsh punishment for a vampire, which therefore implies that social interaction is a necessity for emotional function. It’s just sound, inductive logic.

So now, as for isolation, I’m using this article as reference. It’s a pretty interesting one to read. Here’s another extensive article as well. Basically isolation can cause:

Depression/anxiety

Immune system deficiencies (basically more likely to get physically ill)

Sleep cycle changes (if put underground or with limited natural light)

Hallucinations

Paranoia

Issues with processing information and more susceptible to persuasion/manipulation

We have no clue if Laito’s experience fits all of these. Also, the second one can be crossed out because vampires in DL can’t get physically sick in the way we can. Also, unsure about the sleep cycle stuff considering they are used to being in the dark. Hallucinations and paranoia can’t be crossed off nor proven.

Being isolated physically and mentally exhausts the mind, which is why it’s also a way of torture. Laito implies that he was tortured with physical devices, but regardless, it’s still stress on the mind. This type of stress definitely goes along with what was mentioned with neuroplasticity and trauma, which also supports the last bullet point: issues processing information and being more susceptible to persuasion/manipulation. Take this flashback from Maniac Prologue in HDB that I used in Part II section 5 (but here’s even more context):

Laito: ーー Let me go!! Let me out of here! Butler: I can’t, young lord. We’ve received strict orders from your father. I am deeply sorry, but please stay put for a while. Laito: What’s the point in having me chained up in here!? Butler: ーーI am very sorry. Laito: Hahahaha…You stupid old man! Do you think that this will make repent!? How foolish! That demon! Has his brain finally rotten from spending too much time with humans!? ー Cordelia appears Cordelia: ー Oh? Laito: …!? Have you come to save me? Cordelia: Oh dear. Ufufu…I’m sorry Laito, that isn’t it. Laito: Eh? Richter: ー Why are you here? Laito: …That’s my line. Cordelia: Okay, okay. No fighting! More importantly, Richter…Come here. Laito: …!? Cordelia: Nnn…Hey, Laito. You are a good boy. Laito: …!! Cordelia: Right, Laito? Laito: Yeah, that’s right. I’m…I’m a good boy after all. ーー Besides, I’m the type of person who only get more aroused from this kind of thing.

Although I also use this to support the whole Stockholm syndrome point, this could also be supported with the trauma isolation also holds. His mind is being re-molded into the facade he holds. Also, note the whole “do you think this will make me repent?!” part. Just a very interesting thing. The word “repent” implies that there’s something to feel guilty about or the person knows that what they’ve done is bad. It just goes to show that Laito has some part of guilt or moral compass still in tact.

You can also argue that this scene was when Laito just got locked up, or he’s been here for a while. Either way, he could have also been socially isolated before this too, just hanging around Cordelia like it’s implied when he was a child. Remember the whole not being in bed 9/10 times when he was a child? Yeah, controlled social isolation. We also rarely see Laito with other characters in his flashbacks. I don’t believe we see him with his brothers in any of his flashbacks from what I can recall; he’s usually with Cordelia. Just implies (to me) that he’s around her a lot. And being locked up is also a more extreme case of that, which would mold the brain even more.

I know that was a LOT to process and read. I sure hope this still is cohesive for you all. I’m pretty bad at organizing this kind of stuff; it’s a bit difficult since it all just goes together. Which, kudos on the writers of DL, because that’s just good writing. I was going to put something about gaslighting in this part, but that might be too long, so I’m going to make that a separate part or include it in the next part.

If you have any questions, feel free to just put it in the inbox. I’m planning on making the last part of this series answering all the Laito/Cordelia questions I’ve received, or just general questions pertaining to this analysis in general, whether it be tangential questions or clarifying questions.

Hope you all are still enjoying this ride as much as I am! -Corn

#analysis #diabolik lovers analysis #diabolik lovers #dialovers #dialover #laito sakamaki #sakamaki laito #raito sakamaki #sakamaki raito

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orionsangel86 · 5 years

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75 Must Watch Supernatural Episodes in preparation for Season 15

As you might recall, a while ago TV Guide posted an article about their choice of the top 75 episodes of Supernatural to watch as a catch up of the series before the final season.

I read that article, and found myself absolutely horrified at many of their choices and outraged that many of the all time best episodes (including ones extremely important to the story) were missed off.

Everyone has their own opinions of course, but when I disagree with something that much it tends to motivate me to act out of pure spite - I do love a good spite motivation - and so I have made my own list, for the fandom, of the 75 absolute must watch episodes for anyone who wants to understand the integral story of Supernatural.

I have to hand it to TV Guide, whilst I adamantly disagreed with their choices, I admit that this was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT and having to sacrifice some of my faves so that I could include others that were more important to the story HURT, but that’s how it is.

Full list under the cut. Let me know what you think of my choices and my reasons!

1. Pilot

You cannot start a series catch up anywhere else, and we have to include the pilot episode. Introducing us to Sam and Dean, and setting up the story including the back story with the family tragedy. You just can’t beat a good old fashioned female fridging for man pain. *jokes*

2. 1x06 Skin

I feel like Skin is an important episode to watch as it is our first real look at Dean’s psyche as a character, where we start to realise just how much he is hiding behind his tough macho man exterior. The speech by Shifter!Dean to a horrified and confused Sam is heartbreaking and very revealing.

3. 1x12 Faith

This is still hands down one of Supernaturals best episodes. It was also the first time Kripke started considering a bigger mytharc involving faith and Christianity. We can all thank this episode for planting the seeds that would later give us the hugely popular character Castiel, and the hugely successful mytharc plots of Seasons 4 and 5. Also, one of the best music moments from the show with the “Don’t Fear The Reaper” chase scene.

4. 1x14 Nightmare

This episode introduces us to the Special Children story line which was of paramount importance to the first two seasons. It gives us the first glimpses of Sam’s powers to come, and is also the first time we get some hints of John Winchesters abuse of Dean.

5. 1x18 Something Wicked

I chose this episode because it is the first time we get to see more of Sam and Dean’s childhood, and how horrific it was - especially for Dean. A brilliant episode that once again clearly demonstrates how John Winchester is not a man to be messed with. If at this point you aren’t itching to call child services on his ass you probably need to read up on your understanding of child abuse.

6. 1x22 Devils Trap

The Season 1 finale gives us the show down between John Winchester and the Yellow Eyed Demon Azazel, some heartbreaking moments between father and sons, and a cliffhanger that leaves Baby and Dean both broken.

7. 2x01 In My Time of Dying

I love this episode. Dean’s out of body experience at the hospital, Sam’s grief, John’s deal, Tessa’s introduction to the show. C’est magnifique!

8. 2.05 Simon Said

I just think Simon Said is a great episode that further develops the special children plot whilst being both funny and dark at its core - classic SPN.

9. 2.15 Tall Tales

Our introduction to Gabriel - well, to the trickster as he is known here. This episode is gloriously funny and a must watch!

10. 2.21 All Hell Breaks Loose: Parts One and two

Okay I’m cheating a bit and putting these two episodes together, but in my opinion they count as their own feature length episode as you can’t watch one without the other. The climax of the special children arc, the deeply emotional Sam death scene and Dean’s bedside vigil, and Dean selling his soul. This two part season finale packed a lot of punches and is a definite must watch.

11. 3.03 Bad Day at Black Rock

How can anyone forget Sam’s run of bad luck in this hilarious episode. He LOST HIS SHOE!

12. 3.10 Dream a Little Dream of Me

This is another must watch episode for the deep dive into Dean’s psyche. We also get more of a backstory to Bobby Singer, but the real brilliance happens when Dean spends part of the episode talking to his own dark mirror, revealing all sorts of subconscious fears and insecurities on his part.

13. 3.11 Mystery Spot

I couldn’t not put Mystery Spot on the list. This infamous episode of Supernatural will have you singing “Heat of the Moment” over and over again whilst sympathising with poor Sam every time Tuesday comes around. Don’t let Dean eat the funny tasting tacos!

14. 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked

In lots of ways, Season 3 was a weak season. It was drastically shortened due to the writers strike at the time, and Kripke & Co didn’t get to tell the story they initially planned for, instead they had to come up with an alternative which gave us this dark finale in which Dean is condemned to hell. That can’t have been a fun hiatus for fans watching live... Still, it was a memorable finale and that is why it is on my list.

15. 4.01 Lazarus Rising

This episode. Here begins Supernaturals “golden age”. Enter Castiel, Angel of the Lord and future fan favourite right up until 2k19. How many people out in the world saw that now famous entrance and immediately fell in love?

*holds up hand*

If you do nothing else, and you’ve never seen a single episode of Supernatural before, just watch this one, and I guarantee, I GUARANTEE, you will want to keep watching.

16. 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

The problem I have with season 4 is that I want to put basically every episode on the list. To this day it remains my favourite season of the show (and not just for the extreme DeanCas sexual tension). I kept this episode on the list simply because I love the Halloween theme, I love the frankly horrifying Samhain, and I LOVE the journey that Castiel goes through in this episode alone. Bonus points for Sam Winchester fangirling over Castiel proving he is no different from the rest of us. :P

17. 4.16 On the Head of a Pin

I say season 4 is my favourite season, and On the Head of a Pin is one of my all time favourite episodes. This is Supernatural at it’s finest and it’s not surprising as it was written by the great Ben Edlund. It is a perfect blend of horror and angst as we watch every character painfully spiral downwards. Sam hungrily drinks Ruby’s blood much to the audiences horror, Castiel faces his internal and external conflicts as all starts to unravel in the heavenly plans, and Dean plays a terrifying game of wits in an outstanding performance with the demon Alistair, his hellish torturer. It was a performance that Jensen Ackles should have won an Emmy for in my honest opinion. This episode has forever ruined the song “Cheek to Cheek” for me, but it was so worth it.

18. 4.17 It's a Terrible Life

It’s one of the classics. This AU world in which the angels flex their power over the Winchesters is another well loved fan favourite and quite frankly deserves to be here purely for the hilarious scene that many office workers all over the world would wish they could reenact as Sam quits his job in the most Sam Winchester way possible.

19. 4.20 The Rapture

I had to keep this episode here because it is so important for future story lines. As Castiel gets closer to Dean, heaven takes action and we meet Jimmy Novak, Cas’s tormented vessel, and in Castiel’s own future words “his greatest regret”. It’s a deeply emotional episode that proves even angels have their dark sides.

20. 4.22 Lucifer Rising

The Season 4 finale is still one of the most epic in my opinion. Sam and Dean’s dramatic fight in the episode before has left them both vulnerable to the angels and demons that are manipulating them for their own purposes. Ruby’s villain reveal speech is still one of the best, and as she shows her true colours to a horrified Sam, Dean makes an angel fall for him. In every way.

21. 5.03 Free to Be You and Me

This episode is another classic and many fans of Destiel would put it among their top episodes. As Sam and Dean go their separate ways, Dean grows closer to a now fallen and socially awkward Castiel.

22. 5.04 The End

Another epic from the mastermind that is Ben Edlund. The End has inspired much extremely angst ridden fanfiction over the years (and a very romantic song in a future musical episode) and is notorious for breaking fans hearts the world over. As Dean is unwillingly sent to a future apocalyptic world, he meets his harsh and brutal future self, and a drug addled hedonistic human Castiel. The most memorable and painful moment being his confrontation with a sharply dressed Lucifer wearing his brothers face. Tears flowed freely from fans the night this episode aired.

23. 5.08 Changing Channels

Changing Channels is another of those infamous episodes that even non fans of SPN are aware of for it’s sheer lunacy. Sam and Dean once again find themselves up against the trickster aka the archangel Gabriel, who puts them into a TV world where they must “play their roles” in order to survive.

Highlights include Sam’s herpes commercial and Dean’s heart eyes for Doctor Sexy MD.

24. 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon is a beautiful episode. The race through heaven and through each Winchester’s memories gives us a far greater understanding of their complex and troubled relationship. The heartbreaking scenes of Dean’s heaven with his mother that Sam could not be part of were especially painful to watch. The climax reveal that God wasn’t listening and Castiel’s subsequent loss of faith only added to that heartbreak. Another must see episode.

25. 5.18 Point of No Return

As is the case with season 4, it was so difficult not to just put every season 5 episode on this list. I do think that both seasons just need to be watched in full to truly grasp how brilliant they were. Point of No Return needs to be on this list though because this episode is the breaking point, the tensions remain high throughout as each character makes desperate choices as they all spiral towards the Endtimes.

26. 5.22 Swan Song

Swan Song is often considered the number 1 top episode of Supernatural. It is always at the top of these “rank the episodes” lists in the media, and that is why it is on my list too. It is brilliant in many ways, but if I am being completely honest it doesn’t even come close to the top of my own personal list ranking SPN episodes. It is certainly emotional, and there are some extremely heartbreaking scenes. Lucifer plays his hand, Dean plays his right back with the power of love, Sam makes his swan dive. It’s heartbreaking, it needs to be watched, but the “endings are hard” meta moan by Kripke always felt slightly too pretentious for my tastes. Don’t make excuses dude, this episode didn’t need them.

27. 6.11 Appointment in Samarra

I’ll be honest, I didn’t like season 6. Whilst some of the individual episodes were good, the mytharc was weak and I think the season struggled to find it’s feet for many episodes at the start. I didn’t like soulless Sam, preferring my Sammy to be the compassionate caring sweetheart he always was before. That being said, Appointment in Samarra is a brilliant standalone episode simply because the character of Death is so very compelling. Dean’s time playing Death was fun whilst also being a deeply emotional exploration of cause and effect in the universe. It’s a must watch.

28. 6.15 The French Mistake

I couldn’t not put this episode on the list. If Season 6 did one thing right, it was this ridiculous episode.

29. 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King

The only other thing Season 6 did right. 6x20 is Ben Edlund’s masterpiece and without it, frankly, the entire mytharc plot of the season would fail miserably. This beautiful episode told from the point of view of a hugely conflicted Castiel not only birthed an entire new generation of Destiel shippers, but canonically confirmed that Castiel’s every decision was motivated by his love for Dean.

*Ouch my shipper heart*

30. 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much

The season 6 finale is on this list purely for two characters: Sam and Cas. Sam’s journey to put himself back together inside his own head is as enjoyable as it is emotional. Castiel’s spiralling through into utter villainy is simply soul destroying - especially for those of us who are heavily invested in this character.

31. 7.01 Meet the New Boss

I had to keep the season 7 premiere in this episode as it is the only hint we have of what could have been an AMAZING season story line! Sadly, it was not to be, and Castiel’s run as God lasts this episode only before a very misguided showrunner wrote him off the show (thankfully she saw reason and brought him back dramatically later on, even though the damage and huge drop in ratings was already done.) Worth watching purely for enjoying a power drunk Castiel wipe out a homophobic preacher - he really doesn’t like those homophobes!

32. 7.10 Death's Door

The first time I watched Death’s Door I sobbed for 20 minutes straight. Bobby Singer was the best father Sam and Dean (and Castiel at times) could have ever had, and this heartfelt goodbye to the character as he fought against his reaper and his own memories really packed a punch.

33. 7.17 The Born-Again Identity

The episode that turned it all around. The Born-Again Identity sees a desperate Dean take a chance on a mysterious healer to help a haunted Sam. That healer turns out to be everything Dean has been waiting for. Castiel’s dramatic return to the series answered both Deans, and many fans, prayers.

34. 7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo

The introduction of Charlie Bradbury was a must on this list. She immediately became a fan favourite with her upbeat quirkiness. Created to be an avatar for fandom in many ways, she was a breath of fresh air compared to the previous fan avatar the show introduced us too who the less we mention the better. This episode was a lighthearted fun episode in an otherwise downright depressing season.

35. 7.23 Survival of the Fittest

It’s a must watch for the dick jokes alone. In all seriousness, I like this episode, even if it is another weak finale compared to others. The dynamic between Dean, Sam, Meg, and a Castiel who isn’t quite himself, is enjoyable, even if the villain of the season isn’t all that interesting.

36. 8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?

Where the season 8 premiere focused on the present day, and what Sam had been doing in the year between the season 7 finale and now, episode 2 focuses more on purgatory. Dean’s time in purgatory desperately hunting for an AWOL Castiel is definitely worth the watch, especially when their purgatory reunion was so heartbreaking. Bonus points for Sam being worthy of Mjolnir!

37. 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin

I make no secret of the fact that Castiel is my favourite character in Supernatural, or my love of Dean and Castiel’s relationship. This episode is on my list because Castiel’s return to the real world and an emotional Dean gets my fangirl heart pounding. This episode must use every romantic trope in the book on these two heartbroken dumbasses and it will always be a favourite.

38. 8.08 Hunteri Heroici

This episode is another one of my favourite. The boys finally bring Cas along on an otherwise regular monster of the week hunt, and it is hilarious. Not to mention the hunt is extremely loony and for that reason alone, it is a must watch.

39. 8.11 LARP and the Real Girl

The reintroduction of Charlie Bradbury is a delightful episode where the boys get a taste of LARPING. This is one of those memorable episodes where we get to see the Winchesters both out of their element, and also embracing a bit of fun outside of their normal dark lives. It is a joyful episode to watch.

40. 8.12 As Time Goes By

An integral episode that ends up being a game changer for the show. Thanks to a time travel spell, the boys find out their grandfather was part of a secret organisation. This episode is a must watch for the introduction of Abaddon, the Men of Letters, and the Winchester’s new home base that will see them through to the end of the series - the Bunker.

41. 8.17 Goodbye Stranger

Goodbye Stranger is one of those episodes that will break your heart and leave you screaming. Castiel finally breaks free from heavens grasp - but what broke the connection?

42. 8.23 Sacrifice

I adore the season 8 finale. Crowley’s confession, Sam’s heartbreaking speech which kicked off a long ongoing arc over the next 6 seasons exploring the darker side of the Winchester’s codependency, Metatron’s betrayal, and Castiel’s fall to humanity. The final scene with the angels fall to Earth is beautiful and emotional and I just love everything about it.

43. 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here

The season 9 premiere is another deeply emotional episode which explores the aftermath of Sam’s trials to close the gates of hell. Sam is once again on deaths door, but Dean has ideas to save him - and his choices drastically affect the course of both brothers, and Castiel’s, lives for the next several seasons of pain and downward spirals into darkness.

44. 9.06 Heaven Can't Wait

The first ever episode written by our angst goblin king Bobo Berens and what a first episode it was. This episode was like a twisted mix between tragedy and romantic comedy but it worked brilliantly. Fans of Dean and Cas both laughed and wept at it’s perfection. It also was the episode that birthed a thousand fanfics thanks to one well placed “fanfiction gap”.

45. 9.11 First Born

This episode is one of the highlights of Season 9, with a brilliant performance by Timothy Omundson as Cain, this episode sees Dean make the terrible mistake of signing a contract before reading the terms and conditions. Bonus side plot of Sam and Cas getting some Bunker bonding time.

46. 9.18 Meta Fiction

This Castiel focused episode from the genius mind of Robbie Thompson is another must watch. The villainous Metatron manipulates Cas into playing a role in his own scripted story. Bonus guest appearance from fan favourite Gabriel adds to the appeal of this episode. (Following the season 14 finale I can’t help but wonder if this episode had some influence on the current writing team - could we even call it foreshadowing?)

47. 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?

The season 9 finale was another very strong episode which must be watched if only for the huge cliffhanger ending. Dean spirals into his own darkness under the effects of the Mark of Cain, and pays for it with his life. Thankfully Crowley is there to make things “better” and take the wayward Winchester under his demonic wing.

48. 10.03 Soul Survivor

Like many others, I feel that we were robbed of a longer Demon!Dean arc. I also feel like the show could have gone far darker with the character given everything we know about poor Dean’s psyche. Whilst episodes 1 and 2 took a lighter touch the demon, Soul Survivor was as close as we got to a truly evil representation of Dean and this episode shook me with the truly brilliant yet terrifying performance Jensen gives us.

49. 10.05 Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction is one of those episodes that you will either love or hate. Created as a love letter to the shows fandom, Robbie Thompson poured his heart into this episode and I do think it is a necessary watch even if just for the beautiful rendition of Carry on Wayward Son at the end. Some may find it cringeworthy in parts - many in fandom don’t exactly like the show drawing attention to their “dirty laundry” and I don’t think anyone will forget a fangirl telling Dean Winchester directly that “you can’t spell subtext without S-E-X” nor the break-the-forth-wall look Dean gives the audience upon hearing that. Nevertheless, we can officially say that both Destiel and Sastiel have been mentioned directly by the Winchester brothers - funnily enough Sam seems totally cool with the concept of hooking up with Cas; Dean though, well, as the saying goes “the lady doth protest too much”.

50. 10.14 The Executioner's Song

Like with First Born, this episode is a must watch for Timothy Odmunson’s performance as Cain, and how brilliantly he and Jensen work together. A haunting and tense episode with a heartbreaking conclusion. It’s dark and deep and pretty damn epic.

Bonus Episode Shout Out - 10.16 Paint it Black

I am not actually including this episode in the list, as it is a generic MOTW for the most part. But I do want to give it an honorary mention for one scene in particular. If you are new to the show, and are planning on using this list to catch up, then for this episode, go to YouTube and search “Supernatural 10x16 Dean’s confession”. TRUST ME. If like me, you love analysing Dean’s character to death, his church confession in this episode is like being given the key to figuring out the meaning of life.

51. 10.22 The Prisoner

I have chosen this episode over the Season 10 finale because this episode depicts Dean’s spiral into total darkness, whereas the season 10 finale always felt like a particularly weak episode to me. Following Charlie’s horrific (and highly controversial) death, Dean lets the Mark of Cain consume him and goes on a killing spree. The ending of this episode ripped my heart to shreds as Castiel promises that he will stay with Dean forever, only for Dean to beat him to near death and only stop at the last minute thanks to that final shred of humanity left in him. If the shot of a bloodied and heartbroken Castiel staring at the angel blade that narrowly missed his head doesn’t make you cry, then I don’t even know why you watch this show.

52. 11.04 Baby

Another fan favourite told from the point of view from the Impala which at this point is definitely its own character and so much more than just a car. Baby is an extremely well put together episode which confirms that there is more than a little bit of magic in that sleek 1967 muscle car.

53. 11.11 Into the Mystic

Into the Mystic introduces us to Eileen Leahy, a character who we all immediately fell in love with, and not just because she is literally PERFECT for Sam Winchester (yes I ship it), but also because she is a badass female hunter and this show is most definitely lacking badass female hunters. It also keeps us on the edge of our seats as Lucifer disguised as Castiel infiltrates the bunker and manages to trick Dean. Epic stuff.

54. 11.17 Red Meat

A well known controversial episode, Red Meat penned by Angst Goblin Bobo Berens delves into the darker, more toxic parts of the Winchester brothers relationship, and highlights just how horrific their codependency has become. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it highlights that these boys have some serious issues, and this episode marks a turning point from which both brothers, but especially Dean, start to move upwards, towards a more healthy bond.

55. 11.18 Hell's Angel

The fight to save Castiel from Lucifer’s clutches would be so much easier if the depressed angel actually knew how much he was loved by his Winchester family. Unfortunately for him, Dean is a dumbass who never uses his words. Hell’s Angel is heartbreaking but a must watch if you have any doubt in how much Dean Winchester cares for his angelic guardian. Lucifer’s mockery of his desperation is a particularly nasty knife twist, but then again us fans lap this stuff up.

56. 11.20 Don't Call Me Shurley

The dramatic return of Chuck AKA God. Another must watch episode which explains in some way what the hell God has been doing all this time, whilst Sam and Dean fight to save a small town from a deathly supernatural fog. The tear-jerking song “Fare Thee Well” sung by Rob Benedict at the end not only foreshadows God’s “death” at the end of the season, but also the departure of fan favourite writer Robbie Thompson from the writing team. Emotional indeed.

57. 11.23 Alpha and Omega

The season 11 finale marks the first time in the shows history that a finale doesn’t have a single death. The uplifting ending in which the boys manage to save the world and reunite God and his sister is a one off for Supernatural, especially when it ends with another shock character resurrection - symbolising a new direction for the show and a new showrunner. This was an epic finale that I thoroughly enjoyed.

58. 12.01 Keep Calm and Carry On

The Season 12 premiere saw the return of Mary Winchester, an awkward introduction with a shocked and overjoyed Castiel, and a dramatic race to save Sam from the British Men of Letters. It sets up a far more human mytharc plot than the previous seasons world ending battles between Gods, but with Mary’s introduction, and Andrew Dabb at the wheel, the story is about to get a whole bunch more personal.

59. 12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

One of my all time favourite episodes, Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets gives us a very small peek at Castiel’s pre-Winchester past, and his beautiful female former vessel (no matter what form Castiel resides in, he is always beautiful - a fact referenced in show almost as often as out of it!). It also confirms that no matter how much Cas and Dean may bicker with each other, no one else insults Dean Winchesters angel and gets away with it! Bonus points for long suffering third wheel Sam Winchesters epic bitch faces and eye rolls throughout.

60. 12.11 Regarding Dean

This episode is one of those rare beauties which gets the balance between humour and heartbreak just right. As Dean rapidly loses his memories under a witches spell, Sam and Rowena fight to save him. Regarding Dean explores deep themes including Dean’s loss of childhood innocence at a young age, and how a life shrouded in darkness has effected him. Pure heartbreak. Bonus points for THAT scene on the bucking bronco.

61. 12.12 Stuck in the Middle (With You)

Another all time favourite, directed by our very own Richard Speight Jr in a highly stylised homage to Reservoir Dogs and other Tarantino movies. Castiel takes the role of Mr Orange in this gruesome tale, much to the distress of Mr White AKA Dean. One absolutely devastating love confession later and there isn’t a dry eye in the house. DO NOT SKIP THIS EPISODE.

62. 12.19 The Future

The episode that shook the fandom to it’s core thanks to one tiny moment. A desperate Castiel makes some bad decisions, but not before first using Dean’s love for him against him. The knowledge that Dean at one point made a tailored mixtape of his favourite Led Zeppelin songs and gave it to Castiel as a gift BROKE ME. To this day I am still not over this information. To this day I cannot quite get Dean’s soft voice saying “it’s a gift, you keep those.” out of my head. Just remembering the scene as I write this makes my heart flutter and I STILL can’t believe that the writers took the show in this direction. It’s beautiful.

63. 12.22 Who We Are

This heartbreaking episode reveals the importance of Mary’s return to the show, as Dean goes into his mothers own head to try to save her from brainwashing. A truly epic performance from Jensen Ackles (once again) in which Dean finally admits his own burdens, explains how he was robbed of his childhood, and how he was forced into the role of parent to his younger brother when he was 4 years old. Ah that character development is truly delicious.

64. 12.23 All Along the Watchtower

The season 12 finale packs a lot of punches. The imminent birth of Lucifer’s nephilim son causes a rift in the universe, opening a doorway to another world. As the tension builds to a dramatic conclusion, Lucifer plays his hand, unwittingly trapping himself in the AU world with one beloved character, as another sacrifices himself and a third tragic death leaves Dean shattered and broken on the ground.

65. 13.01 Lost and Found

The season 13 premier was everything I have ever wanted from a Supernatural episode - namely PAAAAAIN. The last 10 minutes of this episode in particular had me ugly crying into @margarittet and @tinkdw‘s laps. In fact, every time I rewatch this episode I cry again. As we are introduced to Jack, we say goodbye to Castiel, and my god, I will never get over watching Dean Winchester wrap the body of his angel in preparation for the pyre and try so hard to keep it together. Same Dean. Same.

66. 13.05 Advanced Thanatology

Where Lost and Found broke my heart, Advanced Thanatology stamped on the shattered pieces until the final seconds in which it magically pulled me back together again. This episode was the climactic end to a 5 episode mini grief arc for Dean who just couldn’t get over Castiel’s death. In this episode, we realise just how badly that death has affected Dean, as he foolishly risks his life in his desperation for any kind of win he can get. Episode highlights include a brilliant performance from Billie who has assumed the role of Death as she knocks some sense into Dean, and the final dramatic return of Castiel, proving that “it’s never too late to start all over again”.

67. 13.06 Tombstone

Following 5 episodes of extreme angst and pain, the audience is finally given some relief in this joyful episode which sees the reunited Winchesters take their new son on a trip to cowboy country. Honestly it’s worth watching purely for Castiel’s attempt at playing cowboy to make Dean happy, and Sam Winchesters knowing looks as he pointedly calls out Dean’s dramatic 180 turn from uber depressive to ecstatic happiness following his angels return to the world of the living. Bonus points for this episode getting the hashtag #brokebacksupernatural trending on Twitter.

68. 13.10 Wayward Sisters

The episode that should have kicked off a whole new spin off were it not for the idiotic decisions of a group of suited white guys with no concept of what decent TV is nowadays. Yes I’m still bitter, Yes Mark Pedowitz can go to hell. Wayward Sisters was a brilliant episode that gave us a whole new generation of badass hunting women, and a story that I was 100% invested in seeing more of. It’s a damn tragedy this never got picked up for its own series.

69. 13.16 Scoobynatural

I can’t write a list of top episodes without adding Scoobynatural. The three Winchester boys find themselves zapped into TV land and meet the Scooby Gang. This episode was just hilarious and brilliant. Bonus points for Castiel’s bond with Shaggy and Scooby, and only a minor deduction for Dean’s over the top flirting with Daphne.

70. 13.21 Beat the Devil

In true Supernatural fashion, as the end of the season gets closer, the tension builds to extreme levels. In the apocalypse world the Winchesters try to find and save Jack and Mary, but Lucifer is on their tails. An unexpected attack leads to a highly traumatic and shocking scene in which Sam is killed and a distraught Dean is only pulled away from further danger by a terrified Castiel. The final scene of this episode in which Lucifer resurrects Sam in a truly horrific display of power over his former victim and vessel is haunting and brilliantly acted by Jared Padalecki. The fear he radiates around Lucifer being the only thing that allows me to continue to take the devil seriously at this point in the show.

71. 14.08 Byzantium

I know what you are going to say, I have skipped a BIG chunk of episodes in my list. I have to be honest here and admit that the season 13 finale was possibly one of the worst episodes in Supernatural history and I can’t in good conscience add it to this list. I also think that the writers struggled to pull themselves back up to the high standard of early season 13 after that dreadful finale, so the first half of Season 14 always felt a bit dull for me, however Byzantium does make up for it, in it’s emotional story of how Sam, Dean, and Castiel all deal with the death of their son. The highlights of this episode have to be the scenes in heaven, where Jack reunites with his mother Kelly, and Castiel finds them both in her own piece of paradise in another tear-jerking scene. Castiel’s deal with the creature from the Empty leaving Cas fans everywhere horrified and distraught, but also rather excited at what exactly may trigger the deadly deal. Hopefully this plot point will be picked up next season, as it is definitely highly anticipated.

72. 14.10 Nihilism

Another dream episode for any Dean fans who like to analyse his beautifully deep and layered psyche. Sam and Cas must dive into Dean’s mind in order to free him from the archangel Michael. What they find is worth several essay’s of analysis on this fascinating and wonderful character. Dean’s bar; surrounded by symbols and hints of his life and a very apt song put on repeat - Will Dean ever get his rainbow ending? Only one more season to go until we find out.

73. 14.14 Ouroboros

Following all the drama and separation of the Winchester family, they finally all reunite in this episode to hunt a gorgon. I always prefer the episodes where Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack all work together, and this episode explores the group dynamic perfectly. The gorgon is a charismatic villain who taunts our heroes and has them all fighting to keep up with him. Put it simply this is just a fun episode and exactly what we want from our MOTW episodes in the new Supernatural era.

74. 14.15 Peace of Mind

Just like the previous episode, Peace of Mind is simply one of the more fun and enjoyable episodes of the season. So much so in fact that I have probably re-watched it a dozen times because I loved it so much. In a rare team up between Sam and Cas, they find themselves stuck in a Pleasantville type place. Hilarity ensues, and poor Sam gets himself stuck in a 1950s style marriage and a sweater vest. Castiel reads some raunchy erotica and enjoys it. You will find yourselves laughing at “H-E-double hockey sticks” for hours afterwards. A must watch lighthearted episode in an otherwise dark season.

75. 14.20 Moriah

The season 14 finale was certainly one of the more epic finales we have had, and a meta masterpiece penned by showrunner Andrew Dabb. As Dean’s anger and grief following Mary’s death only deepens, and the rift between him and Castiel continues, it is Sam who discovers that all this time, for their entire lives, they have all been nothing more than characters in a world created by a cruel and manipulative writer God. Chuck’s return and reveal as the villain of the entire show came as a shock to many fans who saw him as a beloved fan favourite, but to many others, myself included, this reveal harmonises this entire story and the Winchesters long and traumatic journey and blows my mind at just how perfect it all is. God Was Never On Your Side, and this has always been a show to stress the importance of free will in a Godless world.

*chef’s kiss*

Bring on Season 15.

#supernatural #top 75 episodes #spn meta #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #supernatural episode summaries #my opinions #seriously these are just my opinions #and I had so much fun writing this #and i am kinda proud of it #my stuff

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 4 years

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Michael in the Mainstream - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear games are some of the only video games I really feel like I can talk about in my review style, because these games are about 85% story and 15% gameplay, and even that might be a generous estimate. But what about a Metal Gear game that is infamously criticized for a lack of a story? Or, well, I should say an incomplete story. Metal Gear Solid V is a game composed of the somewhat short epilogue Ground Zeroes and the sprawling main game The Phantom Pain, and together they combine to make quite a divisive package, with many citing the absolutely stellar gameplay as a selling point while condemning the supposedly sloppy and incomplete story as a major downgrade. Some have seen this game as a step down from the lofty heights of Kojima’s previous four games, while others are just as likely to embrace it. I suppose that is the nature of Kojima’s work; it always sparks discussion and debate.

I’m certainly not going to debate on the gameplay here; it’s a very fantastic open world sandbox that gives you a lot to do, from capturing animals to spiriting away guards with the Fulton system to finding the oodles of cassette tapes so that you can blast “Take On Me” while you ride a horse guns blazing into a fortress full of armed Russian soldiers. You can play stealthy or straightforward, pacifist or violent, and you can do it all while Joy Division and Spandau Ballet blare over the speakers of your helicopter. This is easily some of the best gameplay the series has ever had, and there are plenty of little missions and side objectives to do while you scour the maps for things to do. But I’m not here to sell you this game based on its gameplay; any game reviewer worth their salt has done that already. No, I’m going to make a case for the story and characters, and hopefully convince someone that they’re not nearly as bad as some have claimed.

The centerpiece of this game is Venom Snake. Venom might actually be my favorite Snake of them all; this sounds blasphemous, but his character arc is just so beautifully tragic to me, and how he compares to Big Boss, it just really makes me love him. Venom is a man who was never given much of a choice; it was decided he should be Big Boss’ “Phantom” while he was in a coma. And when he wakes up, while he looks the part and can act the part, he just doesn’t have the wit or talkativeness that Big Boss does, leading to Venom being a bit more quiet than most of the other protagonists in the series. But his silence masks that, unlike Big Boss, to the very end Venom was a truly noble man, never mind he believed himself a demon. Unlike Big Boss, who may or may not have outright brainwashed people into joining his cause and who didn’t break a sweat at training children for war, it never even crosses my mind that Venom used torture and brainwashing, and he never fights to have child soldiers after Kaz tells him no – he drops it without much of an argument. Venom is a good man, one who does some dark things in the name of keeping the world safe, but he never truly sinks into anti-villainy the way the man he’s doubling for does, at least not in this game. Any man who would spare Huey rather than execute him immediately has a bottomless well of compassion in their soul and higher moral fiber than most of us.

Of course, the real reason I love Venom is the two most meaningful arcs: his coming to terms with Paz, and his relationship with Quiet. The former is a hauntingly tragic look at Venom’s psyche, something that shows that even though he doesn’t remember who he was, the memory of his failure to save Paz still follows him like a shadow, and the moment when Paz leaves the phantom tape telling him to let go and live – a sentiment Big Boss himself would eventually echo at the end of his life – is poignant and beautiful. As for his relationship with Quiet… everything about it just really gets to me. It’s such a beautiful friendship they form, from enemies to partners with a mutual respect, one that works even better as both are characters who speak very little or not at all. It gets to the point where, yes, the two seem like they do love each other, with culminates in the most adorable scene in the entire franchise as they splash each other in the rain… but it’s a love that can never be, as despite her respect and admiration of Venom, Quiet has a desire for vengeance that she lets consume her… and it leads to her a demise, though it is a demise of her own choosing that she brings about in a final effort to save Venom. That moment that ends their story together, which has Venom running through the desert only to find the tape with Quiet’s first, last, and only words to the man she loved, is just utterly heartbreaking and the perfect depressing capstone to their partnership.

Venom is not a character that gets happy endings. In fact, after it’s revealed he was turned into the body double of Big Boss, it’s shown that ultimately he would go on to die in Big Boss’ place during the Outer Heaven uprising depicted in the original Metal Gear. The ultimate tragedy and heartbreak that Venom goes through in this story and the others is ultimately what draws me to him and adore him; unlike Solid Snake, he never gets to earn his happy ending, dying for the cause of his commander, loyal to the bitter end, having lost almost everyone he loved and cared for along the way. Unlike Big Boss, he never gets to ultimately realize the fruitlessness of his actions and truly come to terms with the fact that all he lost just wasn’t worth it in the end. He’s just so fascinatingly sad, and it’s a sort of sadness that really draws me in. I wouldn’t say he’s a better protagonist than Solid Snake is, and he lacks some of the finesse and charm that Big Boss does, but there’s just a lot to Venom that makes him an incredibly compelling character in his own right, and all with only the bare minimum of a vocal performance.

Speaking of minimal vocal performances, there is Quiet. Quiet is such an odd character, even for this series; she is blatantly designed to be an over-the-top fanservice character in a series that has tons of gratuitous fanservice in the first place, to the point where it’s kind of weird and uncomfortable. Of course, thankfully, as Kojima is incapable of just leaving a character as one-note and superfluous, he gives Quiet the standard bonkers backstory nearly every character in the franchise gets, and as mentioned before gives her wonderful chemistry with Venom. It’s to the point where I seriously can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t feel a bit misty-eyed at her death scene, or the beautiful song her actress Stefanie Joosten sings over the credits of the episode Quiet dies in. She’s a bit much even for this series, but I think her relationship with Venom and her impact on him as well as how she fits thematically into the story more than makes up for any shortcomings she may have.

One of the MVPs of the game is undoubtedly Kaz, who got ridiculous amounts of characterization and some of the most iconic lines (“They played us like a damn FIDDLE!!!!”). He went from being something of a background character to almost the moral core of the game, the shoulder angel to Venom in contrast to Ocelot’s shoulder devil. Of course, much as everyone else, Kaz is consumed by revenge, which leads to him taking the final reveal of who Venom is and Big Boss’ betrayal of him rather badly, and any fan of the franchise knows how his desire to take down Big Boss goes. Still, his presence goes a long way towards making up for Ocelot’s shocking lack of presence; frankly, Ocelot in this game is a bit of a minor character, which on one hand is understandable as he’s only here to keep up appearances while the real Big Boss kickstarts Outer Heaven, but it’s kind of sad to see the guy who is perhaps the franchise’s greatest character take a backseat for vast chunks of the game, only chiming in now and again to give Venom some info or record a tape.

And then we come to the villains. Skull Face is a rather intriguing villain, who lives up to the hammy nature of past villains in the franchise; just see where he howls as Sahelanthropus is taken control of by Eli’s sheer hatred and, ahem, lust for revenge. Skull Face is just a wonderfully thematic villain, and while he is tragically cut down a bit earlier in the game than he should have been, his impact is still felt, as in a manner of speaking he is the reason for the events that plagued Solid Snake’s life due to his crippling of Zero with parasites. We also have some more minor villains, such as Eli (AKA Liquid Snake), Psycho Mantis as a kid, and the Man on Fire (which is actually the reanimated corpse of Colonel Volgin from Snake Eater. Sort of. It’s complicated). The more minor villains seem a bit excessive, especially seeing as the former two don’t actually get to have their arc in this game pay off in a meaningful way due to the Kingdom of the Flies portion unfortunately being cut, but they still lead to some entertaining and exciting moments, particularly young Mantis. Eli is really the only minor villain who feels like a missed opportunity, since all he really does is act like a haughty little brat and adds very little to the overall story, which is a shame considering who he grows up to become.

Of course, no discussion of evil in Metal Gear Solid V would be complete without mention of Huey, the father of Otacon. Huey is the complete and total antithesis to his son. Where his son took responsibility for things that were not even his fault up to and including his own rape, Huey deflects all blame and throws it onto others to make himself seem an innocent victim; where Otacon had the courage to face up to the horrors of the world, Huey chose to be a sniveling coward who hid behind anyone who offered him some semblance of safety; and where Otacon and Solid Snake were true companions and friends to the end who managed to raise a wonderful child together, Huey was an utter bastard who backstabbed his friends repeatedly and killed his own wife via inaction because she dared to stand up to him and not allow her child to be a battery for a Metal Gear. Huey is one of the most detestable, loathsome, and pathetic characters ever conceived in all of fiction… and I love him for it. He is just so void of any sort of redeeming quality that he becomes the poster child for “love to hate.” There is a beauty to a character like this, and it helps that he does get his comeuppance and he’s never shilled by other characters; in fact, not one of his so-called “friends” likes or even trusts him, and all of them think he’s a pathetic, delusional liar. He’s a nasty, spiteful, egomaniacal hypocrite, and I wouldn’t want him any other way.

Now I saved the story for last, mostly because the story is infamously a bit short and incomplete. Still, I feel a lot of the hate for the story is a bit unjustified; while it is true and incredibly frustrating that nothing involving Eli gets any payoff outside of descriptions of what would have happened, all of the story with Skull Face, Quiet, the parasites, Huey, and the side quest involving Paz are all rather engaging in that crazy Metal Gear way, and the prologue Ground Zeroes definitely helps to round things out. If we’re only counting the Solid games, I’d say this is at least as good story-wise as 2 in its own way; where that one is a much more cerebral story involving metatextual elements and deconstructs a lot of concepts, this game’s story is more of a showcase of the toxicity of revenge. Almost every character in the story – Venom, Kaz, Skull Face, Quiet, Eli, the Man on Fire, and Huey – has some desire for vengeance against those who have wronged them, some need to bring some semblance of closure… but it never comes. As is demonstrated in the scene where Skull Face dies, Kaz and Venom both realize that even if they killed Skull Face then and there, it wouldn’t bring back their dead comrades, it wouldn’t return the time they lost, it wouldn’t bring back their missing limbs. Ultimately, revenge is a bitter, futile waste that will only end up consuming and destroying, as it did to Skull Face, as it did to Huey, as it did to Quiet, and as it would do eventually to Kaz and Big Boss. In the end, all that has been done is that a cycle of violence has been perpetuated, and no one is better off for it.

While it’s obviously not the first story to use these concepts, I do like how it ties into the series. It all feels like it fits. Add in the fact that this game finally resolves some long-standing plot holes, such as how Big Boss survived Outer Heaven to end up in Zanzibar Land and how Kaz went from singing the praises of Big Boss to saying he was a monster who deserved death in Metal Gear 2, and while it is a technically incomplete story, it is most certainly a solid one that gives you just enough to think about that I can’t really see calling it “bad” as a logical statement. Could it have been better? Oh, absolutely. But is it still good on its own merits with a lot of standout moments due to the themes and the wonderful cast of characters? Absolutely.

I think the game’s true strength lies in its moments. This game contains some of the most powerful emotional beats in the entire series, hands down. The conclusion of Paz’s side quest, Quiet’s exit, Venom having to deal with a breakout of the parasite among his own soldiers… even if the overall narrative isn’t as cohesive as the four previous games, it still manages to pack so much emotion and power into some of its scenarios that you will feel something. The tapes too manage to be powerful and emotional, from Paz’s final “phantom” tape to Strangelove’s final moments recorded to Zero’s lament that he couldn’t ever apologize to Big Boss, there’s just so much to love here in terms of writing and emotion that I really don’t care about the main story being cut short a bit. It does suck, but I’m too busy sobbing over Quiet and Paz’s fates to really care about the fact I didn’t get to smack Eli upside the head one last time.

The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes are not perfect games, far from it. But they are good games, end even if a small part of the overarching story doesn’t get a satisfying conclusion, Most of the rest does, and there are so many powerful moments in here that it reminds you this series with its roid-raging nanomachine senators and gay vampires who can run on water and giant volcaloid AI robots can actually be poignant, heartfelt, and heartbreaking. It’s a fantastic game, and if you love the series you’ve likely already played it, but I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t, though play through Snake Eater and Peace Walker first. It’s definitely worth your time, and far more rewarding than some have made it out to be.

#Michael in the Mainstream #Review #Game review #Metal Gear #Metal Gear Solid #Metal Gear Solid V #The Phantom Pain #Ground Zeroes #Hideo Kojima #Fuck Huey #Venom Snake #Big Boss #Quiet #Kaz

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masterofmagnetism · 4 years

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so you want to start a war || side a ( stark tower )

WHO: Lorna @mistressxfmagnetism, Alex @disarraycd, Emma @whiteqveendarling, Illyana @ofmagikandlimbo, and Tony @goldenavcnger WHERE: Stark Tower WHEN: August 2, 2020. 11 AM. WHAT: The Brotherhood makes the war between humans and mutants official, by way of a coordinated attack on New York in response to the Accords and resurrection of the SENTINEL program. The launch of the plan goes off perfectly--well, almost.

(In which Lorna and Alex show that they’re a fucking power couple, Emma slays the men of the room with like three words, Illyana shows off Scott the Demon Squirrel, and Tony stares down potential death while inebriated.

So nothing new, really. )

WORD COUNT: 3.8k TWs: mentions of past kidnapping and torture, murder mention

LORNA: There wasn't a time in Lorna's memory that she didn't know she was a mutant. Even before her powers had been prominent, she had known. There had never really been an option to hide. So it was only natural that despite her father not being a part of her life, she had followed in his footsteps nonetheless. Carving her own path in that direction.

Her tactics had been more defensive for the most part. Hiding people, moving them to safety. There had been protests too--and one that got her in serious trouble as a teenager--but she did most of her work in the Underground. But the Enforcers had torn that from her. Tried to break their network. So today was far from hidden. Today, she didn't just follow Erik's footsteps--she followed his lead. Today, they fought back in the open.

Lorna didn't wear the metal headband, created from the metal medallion gifted to her by Erik years ago, very often. But there never seemed like a more appropriate time than today. Unlike Magneto's helmet, it didn't block telepaths from her mind. Important when they were doing a two-pronged attack, relying on the signal.

She glanced at the others she was with--Alex, Illyana, and Emma--making sure they were ready to go. If it weren't them, she might be concerned. This was going to be risky, they had to all be all in and ready to fight for what they wanted. But she trusted Alex and Illyana with her life always, and Emma she trusted today.

ALEX: While his Mutant abilities manifested when he was quite young, but due to the manipulation of Nathaniel Essex he didn’t realize the power within him until much later in his life. Alex lived the first eighteen years of his life thinking that he was only Human. Upon discovering this wasn’t true, it was difficult for his parents to wrap their head around the news. Maybe they were afraid of losing another son, but they try to understand.

This is a cause Alex believes in — wanting to fight for what’s right for their people. He didn’t waste time suiting up and joining up with the others on his team. The Government thought making him register against his will would have made him fight for them on their side, but they were wrong. Alex would always side with Mutants every time.

His gloved hand adjusts some of the blonde hair faking over his mask and glances back at Lorna when their gaze meets. He trusts everyone in this room but that was obvious enough. Alex pulls his body away from the wall he had been leaning against, crossing his arms over his chest. “We ready to do this? I hope everyone has what they need.” There was a smirk on his face paired with his words as he looks at everyone in the group.

ILLYANA: Ever since her brother Piotr had been revealed to be a mutant she'd been mostly sure she was one too, or maybe it was more of a hope, but when she turned eleven she'd been proven right as her mutant power of controlling the stepping disks of Limbo manifested. Sometimes she wondered if she hadn't been taken to Limbo if she would have gotten some other power or if they'd be different. Of course Illyana wasn't a normal mutant, even before her mutant power had manifested she was a demon sorceress, she'd lost that part of herself around three months ago but she'd recently regained it and now she intended to use it to help the mutant cause.

It had only been about a week, maybe less, since Rogue helped her get her magic back and she hadn't really told anyone about it because it was so recent so she hadn't really used her magic again. Even if she was itching to use her powers again she was also worried about what could happen if she did, for now she decided to only rely on her mutant powers.

"Ready whenever you guys are" Illyana replied as she summoned a stepping disk on the floor in front of them. As soon as she did Scott, her demon squirrel came running towards her and climbed up Illyana to sit on her shoulder. "Fine," she sighed as she turned her head to look at him, “You can come, just stay close," she told him in demonic script, scratching him a little behind his ear.

LORNA: Lorna gave Alex a small smile as he pulled away from the wall. Reaching out to him, she gave his hand a squeeze. So many things could happen today, but Lorna was ready. There was no way this was going to go wrong. She wouldn't let it. For years they had all tried different ways, more peaceful ways, to get their message across. And all they had gotten in response was violence. Hatred. Fear. She'd been labelled a terrorist, attacked and ambushed. If they had their way, they'd throw her in the Raft. Lorna was tired of it. She could only imagine how her father felt after so many decades.

"Ready," she confirmed, stepping onto the disk beside Illyana. As the demonic... squirrel? leapt up onto Illyana's shoulder, she raised an eyebrow and snorted. That was unexpected. "Alright. Let's go."

Teleportation was something Lorna didn't think she'd ever get used to. Even for the split second it happened, it felt like cutting herself off from the connections she felt around her. But as disconcerting as it was, it was necessary for this. She blinked it away as they materialised at Stark Tower.

First things first: cut the power. They didn't need it right now, and it would hinder humans trying to counter them. Lorna raised her hands, and with a twist of her wrists sent out an electro magnetic pulse. Lights and computers sparked as they cut out, and it certainly drew attention to them as Lorna stepped off Illyana's disk.

"Where's Stark?"

TONY: Tony was a futurist. It was in his genetic makeup, in the very core of his being. Long before he even knew what the word meant, Tony looked out to the horizon, trying to predict what would be on the other side, and always coming up short. With all the IQ points in the world, with all of his degrees and all of his power and prestige and intelligence, Tony still didn’t know exactly what tomorrow would bring, and it fascinated him.

Of course, people were far more predictable than the world at large. Tony knew from the first time he met Erik Lehnsherr that he had a plan in place, that it would come to fruition much sooner than Ross and the Panel imagined. Tony also knew that at least some aspect of said plan would involve him. It was the logical choice. Go for the face of the Accords, send a message.

So he’d put a plan in place, one MJ, Mike, Roy, any and all of his employees knew now like the back of their hand. An evacuation strategy, one that was already set into motion when the lights flickered out and Tony could taste electricity in the air, when the arc reactor sped up in response. In the moments before the group arrived, Tony poured himself some whiskey over ice, slipped on a pair of his own adapted sunglasses, and crossed his legs on his desk, leaning back in his chair.

If he was going to be killed for a cause, he was going to die as he lived.

His cool facade was somewhat upended when he heard the words echo through the building, though. With a sigh, Tony pushed himself up from his desk, following FRIDAY’s instructions down several corridors before he came face to face with the attacker … herself?

Now that was interesting. “Wow,” Tony said, a small smile coming onto his face. “So it is true. I really see the family resemblance.” He turned to the other man — FRIDAY provided the codename Havok, though of course Tony knew that already. “On both counts.”

He took a long sip of his drink, and the smile faded. “Let my people go,” he said, “and I won’t cause any problems. Suit disengaged.” He held up his hand that wasn’t holding the glass, demonstrating the nanotech chip on his wrist flickering blue, then going dull. “I’m sick of being on the wrong side of history — and I’m a little drunk and on a whole boatload of painkillers for this migraine, so whatever you do will probably tickle.”

EMMA: Emma may have been many things but one thing one could always rely on was her desire to help her people. Whether they liked her or not did not bother her. Whether they cared for or wished she would just drop dead was not important. She had not carved her way this far to simply hide in the shadows. To not fight for her people. A change was coming and despite their friction, Emma and Erik agreed on one thing that made their partnership of the Hellfire Club make sense; that mutants would rise and no longer be hindered by the creations of man.

Feeling the others glance at each other, Emma remained stoic if not seemingly unbothered by it all. She was running through different scenarios in her head. She would love to tell them how wrong this could all go. That maybe they wouldn’t all make it but even she hoped that wouldn’t be the case. They were going to get what they deserved in her eyes and Stark Tower? Well, she had to admit, she took a little bit of personal pleasure of it being an Avenger of all people. People celebrated for the very things they were cursed and killed for. At Alex’s words, Emma smirked a little. “Careful darling. You almost sound excited. Not very Summers of you.” She chuckled.

As Illyana opened her portal, Emma stepped through. Well, if you could call it that, Emma walked with a strut. With a purpose. As they appeared in Stark Tower, Emma’s shoulders drew back, and her chin raised in a proud manner. She may not be an actual queen, but she sure carried herself as if she were. “Flawless, Illyana.” Emma commented on the smooth transition of getting them into Stark Tower.

At Tony’s words, Emma looked him up and down before making a sound of disgust under her breath. At his words, Emma stepped forward. “Tony, darling, unlike you homo sapiens who resort to such Neanderthal methods, mutants like to consider ourselves above such primitive actions.” As he mentioned that he had a migraine and their actions would barely tickle him, Emma chuckled. “Then again, I’m certainly not above sinking my manicure into that thing you dare call a mind.” She looked to the others after a brief pause. “Another time perhaps.”

ALEX: The blonde grabbing onto Lorna’s hand that was reaching out for him. He squeezes her palm in return, anything that they do would be done together. Which extends to the rest of their team as well, knowing that communication will be important with what they do going forward. His lips stretches into a smile for a moment, but Alex shifts his gaze to look over at Emma before stepping through the portal. “Very funny.” He chuckles as well, but his expression returning to a more serious one after materializing on the other side in Stark Tower. He knows this could land him back in the Raft again, but Alex doesn’t care because doing this feels right.

His arms are crossed over his chest for the time being, looking around briefly at the surroundings after the power is cut off. Alex brings his focus back so to watch Tony Stark approach them. There‘s a sense of pride in the fact people look at him and can see the resemblance of Scott in him. His older brother raised him more than their own parents did so wearing the Summers name will always make Alex feel proud. He even got rid of his adoptive family’s name when the Mutant was eighteen to wear the one that he was born with again as a way of feeling close to his older brother. “You sound a little speechless there, Stark. You should know what we’re capable of then by knowing our families.” He looks at the others for a moment, exchanging a few glances while managing a grin as his hands are repositioned on his hips.

His voice silent while listening to Emma and the way she responded to the demands for allowing the employees to leave. Alex doesn’t see why not, the Humans working here weren’t needed for what their intentions were in coming to secure the tower. “You won’t cause any problems? How can we be sure that you’ll stay true to your word if we let them go? Your tech might be turned off right now, but you’ll have to excuse me for being a little cautious.”

ILLYANA: When she was younger she'd had trouble with her mutant powers, either ending up in the wrong place, the wrong date or both, now though she easily teleported all of them to Stark Tower without any problems. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that was a compliment, Emma" the blonde commented dryly before she turned her attention to Tony. Though her attention was soon pulled to the demonic squirrel on her shoulder who had started lightly tugging on her hair. "Not now Scott, I'll get you something to eat soon" she told him, he didn't seem too happy but he settled down on her shoulder, for the moment at least, allowing Illyana to focus on the task at hand.

Tony said he wouldn't cause problems if they let everyone go, which sounded like a fair deal, though like Alex she was also cautious, not sure if he'd keep his word. "It's the building we want right? I say I just teleport them all outside and be done with it" she suggested, she didn't have much in the way of patience.

TONY: The situation was far from ideal, but it also wasn’t the worst case scenario he had planned for. Tony had always been a scorched Earth policy kind of guy. He was used to everyone being the worst version of a person they could be since he was a child. Erik’s people -- mutants -- hadn’t come into his Tower and burned the place to the ground. They hadn’t taken him as a hostage like the Ten Rings did, didn’t use him as a medal to wear around their necks. They’d allowed, for the most part, his employees to leave the building unharmed. All he had to do was negotiate to a level where the others were safe too, and they could take the marble staircases and burn his father’s grand piano and rifle through papers that he’d already sorted through, taking anything that was particularly sensitive to an undisclosed location before this ever went down.

He had a lot to lose. These people, they never had anything. That was the difference. Anything they wanted to do, Tony figured he deserved -- but he couldn’t let his people suffer for what he had done, for the system that he represented.

“You act like you’ve never probed my brain over steak, Emma darling,” Tony replied, but even his cavalier attitude couldn’t stand up against the people standing in front of him, gathered in a line debating internally what to do with him. “You make a fair point,” he said, gesturing to Summers, “and so does the, uh … Witch? Sorceress? Magic girl.” (He wasn’t thinking about magic right now. He did not need something else to add insult to injury.) “Teleport me and my employees outside. You say you don’t know whether you can trust me or not, but do that, and I’ll prove that I’m not working against you.”

Tony couldn’t say he was on their side. He couldn’t say that because he didn’t know what they’d been through. They didn’t want Tony Stark fighting for them. But he wasn’t against them. He would help if he could. “What you’re doing has been a long time coming,” he said, “but you didn’t need me to tell you that. I just … I hope you know that what I’ve done, I did because I wanted transparency. Openness. Accountability. I never wanted these robots in the air -- and if I can, when this settles down, I’d like to help you figure out how to stop it happening again, if you were interested.”

LORNA: Lorna didn't say anything as the people began to evacuate. It was clear that Stark had expected--or at least prepared for--some kind of attack like this. She raised her chin slightly as he seemed to take her in. Her reaction to the comment about family resemblance was not as proud as Alex's. Still, in this context, resembling the fearsome Magneto was not a bad thing. "It is," she confirmed. "And Havok is right. You know what we can do. You don't want to find out what the others can do too."

His 'let my people go' comment got an annoyed eyeroll from her. But she didn't say anything, letting Alex voice the same questions that rose to her mind. She didn't trust Stark. At all. He was the public face of these Accords as much as the politicians who pushed them through. Whatever his intentions, it didn't matter. Lorna had seen the way the Accords had allowed families to be torn apart, and innocent people to be attacked for what they were. Laura Kinney's sister disappeared after being arrested, Sam and his kid--a baby-- had been attacked. And it emboldened hatred. Every. Day.

Once upon a time, Lorna had believed in a dream of unity. Of mutants living peacefully among humans. But she'd grown weary of dreaming. Weary of hurting and hiding. Her father was right. "Magik is right," she said firmly. "We don't need him. And if he makes trouble for us, we'll handle it. We don't need hostages here." Not when the island of Manhattan would be their hostages, assuming Erik's plan went smoothly. "We'll let your people go. And you, Stark."

Lorna raised her eyebrow. "Well, congratulations on figuring out you're on the wrong side," she said wryly. "But I hope you're not looking for forgiveness." He could try somewhere else if he was, but Lorna was not in the mood. His offer made her just shake her head. "Flattering offer. I think we can figure it out."

EMMA: Emma scoffed under her breath. “I probed a lot more than your mind, Tony dear and to be expected from the track record of your life, inadequate at best.” Emma may be many things but she was perhaps one of the few people who could match Tony Stark’s sharp tongue with her own blow for blow. That had to be credited for something right? She left them to interact her gaze slowly drifting to Lorna. She nodded as she spoke. ”The way you are handling this is astounding. I am truly astonished, Miss Dane.” She always thought Erik’s spawn was a liability but Lorna was proving herself to perhaps be the strongest, something even Emma didn’t see coming.

Emma glanced back to Tony as he spoke about the act. “You need to remember darling, you Avengers may have not chosen the predicaments you are in but you aren’t prosecuted, experimented on and murdered for having them.” Emma told him firmly. She didn’t know how the others felt about her saying it but that was the facts she had seen it with her very eyes. The people she had lost. Naming grey hairs after dead friends and children. “Registering to your accords would mean simply registering for being born.” Emma explained before her facial expression became more icy if that was possible. “You may say you are not against us but don’t ever pretend that you and your people stood with us.”

Emma looked to Lorna and have her a small nod, showing her confidence in what she was saying. She couldn’t ever be more proud. “Pity we can’t keep him. I’d quite like a play thing to clean my boots.” Emma chuckled as if they were all just having a normal conversation. “Until we meet again as we always do, Mr. Stark.”

ALEX: There’s always a level of suspicion when it comes to Humankind claiming to side with his people. His own adoptive parents don’t always know how to support him, so how can Alex expect a complete stranger to act in his best interest? Although maybe it isn’t really to make his future better, but for the next generation and all Mutants. Which is why the blonde wasn’t so quick to believe Tony wouldn’t blast them when their backs are turned. While they could handle such an attack — that isn’t how Alex hoped this would go. He doesn’t think all Humans are bad.

His blue eyes watch as the employees are leaving the building, some running in a hurry as if their time was almost up. Although turns back to the man standing before the four of them. “I agree with them on this.” His hands gesturing to Lorna and Emma. “When have your kind ever done anything to help us while we were being hunted in the streets? When they went after our children?” His mind flashes to Josiah who was just a baby and it makes him so angry, but keeps his composure. He inhales to take a deep breath while letting the others put in their own two cents.

“You and your staff can go. We didn’t come here to take hostages. You won’t get forgiveness from me either though.” His eyes look to Illyana, nodding as if you say that if she wishes to teleport Tony out of the building maybe now was the time. Along with any of the other employees who haven’t gotten out yet.

He feels a sense of pride in how well the four of them are handling this, but was there really any doubt?

ILLYANA: She wasn't really interested in whatever apology or excuses Stark had, it wouldn't change anything and so she mostly ignored him. When Alex told Stark that he and everyone else could leave and nodded at Illyana she went over to stand next to Tony. "I'll be back in a few minutes" she told the others then turned to Tony "try to stay inside the circle if you want to keep all your limbs" with that she conjured a stepping disk under their feet and teleported them away. She went through the entire building until everyone of Tony Stark's employees were teleported outside before returning to Alex, Lorna and Emma. "It's done, we're the only ones left in the building."

For now, at least.

#c: alex summers #c: lorna dane #c: tony stark #c: illyana rasputin #c: emma frost #f: discord #d: so you want to start a war ( side a )

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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 5 years

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Grand Titans Rewatch: 1.02

it’s been literal months since i started this project and neither this nor the fic series that’s supposed to go alongside it has garnered much attention, if any, but damn it, i made a commitment and this time, i’m going to follow through.

for reference, episode 1’s recap here, and its corresponding fic tag is here.

SPOILERS ahead for pretty much the entire series.

1. the recap portion of the episode leans very heavily on the type of horror genre that rachel’s character brings to the show, and honestly, i love it. the superhero genre can feel very… sterile at times, with bright, clean colours and costumes and standard team-ups ending in a climactic punch-fest. the insidious horror of rachel discovering something huge and dangerous inside of her and trying—and largely failing—to control it bleeds into the rest of the show; each of the team has an inner demon to battle, but the lesson isn’t triumph over the beast as much as it is acceptance. it’s unfortunate that the dc live action universe in general has developed a reputation for being gratuitously grimdark; i love the thematic consistency that the tone brings to the show, and it is honestly the freshest take on these characters that i’ve seen so far.

1.5. there’s something to be said, too, about this muddy-window perspective we get into these established superheroes’ lives—the intriguing, sometimes downright opaque scenes of them trying to re-build from wreckage. i love that this is how they choose to distinguish themselves in a very, very crowded arena: the origin story here is not for the superheroes or even the team themselves, but the bonds they form and the family that they become.

2. i kinda love the clash between the goofy costume and the grimdark torture scene. it’s never immediately obvious, but this show is remarkably committed to its comic book roots—so much so that it’s kind of jarring. usually in the journey from the comic to the screen there is an ironing-out of genre and tone, but this show will show you its spandex clad hero with the plastic-feather cape being threatened with torture and castration because that’s how it goes in the comics, goddammit!

2.25. it’s pretty impressive that they’re able to afford such a big place in washington dc

2.5. hank and dawn’s easy intimacy is lovely to watch. i remember not being fond of this long detour to introduce these two relatively obscure characters right after all that juicy set-up in the first episode the first time i watched this, but now i can enjoy the languid way their story unravels, the little glimpses we get into the life they’ve led and the marks that it has left behind.

2.8. a delightfully cheesy moment with the giant bird cage immediately followed by a quietly devastating depiction of sexual impotence and a possible addiction to multiple painkillers! see what i mean?

oh! and before i forget:

MIRRORS, MIRRORS, EVERYWHERE: 9

3. flashback time! can’t say that i’m terribly impressed with the fight choreography; there appears to be hardly any contact between the heroes’ kicks and lunges and the thugs they’re supposed to be fighting, and a lot of slow-motion and editing trickery needs to be employed to make this look kinetic. i don’t really blame them much, though—those capes look awfully cumbersome to be just walking around in, leave alone fight. and i’m glad that the show is making a point of showing that robin’s style of fighting in flippier and more acrobatic than the others’.

3.65. aaaand we get our first hint of History between dick and dawn. to be honest, given what i remember of the rest of s1 and what we know of s2, it does seem like they’re making it so that the original titans did exist, swapping out roy and wally for hank and dawn. i’m not super-enthusiastic about this decision, but we’ll see how it plays out.

4. dick and rachel!

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS INTERACTION:

a) rachel desperately trying to hide how scared and vulnerable she feels behind brittle defiance

b) dick bemused and concerned and casting around for ways to connect with her but giving up too easily

c) “for the lady” – oh, dick. i love you.

d) rachel warily checking her reflection

e) dick making false promises of safety to rachel in order to get her to come with him to washington—a manipulative little ploy that i’m sure was par-for-the-course during his time with batman

f) “but sometimes there’s no time to be scared” is that what kid!dick told himself when he was starting out as robin oh my heart hurts

g) dick just dropping out of his job for an indefinite time without notice because why in the world would bruce wayne’s ward ever have to worry about keeping down a steady job? he’s utterly unconscious of this, which makes it hilarious

MIRRORS, MIRRORS EVERYWHERE: 10

5. i’m already really fond of rohrbach and charlie the m.e. i know s2’s slate is already really crowded, but i wouldn’t mind seeing a resurrected rohrbach make an appearance, and for bit more of a spotlight on dick’s day job.

6. OH MAN i honestly didn’t remember that dick phoned alfred this episode! and that he considered—for a second—calling bruce! poor guy’s genuinely scared. for all his ‘fuck batman’s, dick’s anger and fear is more internally directed than he realises. this boy needs therapy.

6.5. dick going “… obviously” at rachel telling him not to get pineapple on their pizza makes me think he was definitely setting out to get pineapple on their pizza at that moment.

6.75. oh fuck. i knew it was coming, but that dead guy screaming at rachel through the photo was still terrifying. man i wish they’d stuck a little longer with the horror/mystery vibe they’ve got going here.

MIRRORS, MIRRORS EVERYWHERE: 11

6.8. dick immediately reaching out to hold rachel and comfort her as she sobs, terrified, in the bathtub shouldn’t feel particularly special or heartwarming—it’s a very natural, human instinct, after all—but for this particular version of dick grayson to automatically show this compassion when he’s half convinced himself that his lifetime as a vigilante has left him an amoral husk of his previous self… is significant.

7. it’s an interesting choice to go with the nuclear family as the first major villains featured on this show, but fits totally with the tone so far—the dark, despairing and dank things that hide underneath a cracking veneer of cheery suburban normality. pretty standard horror genre stuff—with an added twist that these people aren’t actually androids, but regular people horrifically tortured and brainwashed to act as murder machines.

7.5. aside from that, it’s a neat contrast to the found family that’s actually starting to evolve, with all of its rough edges and imperfect but raw displays of love.

8. i really like that, for all that rachel and dick have in common, their interaction is weird, start-stop in nature, each dancing around answering the others’ questions with any kind of honesty. rachel has clearly picked up on dick’s caginess around her and dick, for all that he’s been trained in subterfuge and basically been living a lie to most of his friends and co-workers, is unable to keep acting like he knows what he’s doing. he hasn’t had to really live a double life in a while—and he’s rusty when it comes to doing anything that’s not detective or vigilante work.

8.5. dick’s interactions in general through the series contrast with the easy and intimate ways the others talk with each other; he’s just so isolated and so friggin rusty at this.

9. you’d think rachel would’ve figured out by now not to shake random people’s hands.

9.25. i’m so happy about this show’s commitment to showing just how much of a hot mess dick is.

9.35. i’ve certainly warmed up to the icy, washed-out way this show looks, and the general sense of… space, both in terms of physical space as well as the way each scene is allowed to unfold and just breathe. you don’t get that a lot in superhero media these days.

9.45. an update to the dick grayson timeline! dawn says she hasn’t seen dick in four years and seems genuinely surprised to learn that he’s working with the police now. so how do you go from zero to detective in just four years? is that even possible? the timeframe becomes even shorter if you assume that he only decided to join law enforcement after leaving batman. maybe that’s just another thing that dick kept hidden from his friends, even when they were, you know, friends.

anyway, dick continues to be a hot mess, and i am glad that is consistent over every on-screen iteration.

9.5. i am genuinely unsure why this dick/dawn history exists other than to create some weird conflict between hank and dick. i’d much rather that conflict come from dick being an asshole generally and dropping all contact with his friends when it all became just Too Much To Deal With.

10. OH MAN so him contacting alfred was to arrange a big sum of money to pay off hank and dawn?? yep, dick is 100 percent bruce wayne’s protégé. i’m sure he also thinks of this as a way to help hank recover and for hank and dawn to rebuild their post-vigilantism life. this is a terrible way to deal with your guilt, my friend.

and i love that all of this—the mistakes he’s making with rachel despite his genuine concern for and desire to help her, the way he’s unable to really talk to her instead of at her, his false platitudes when he thinks he has nothing to say—is a plausible reflection of the ways bruce floundered with him when he first took dick in. dick has spent so, so long as bruce’s sole heir; though i’m sure they learned to communicate better, the core dysfunction of his relationship with bruce is embedded in his bones.

but the show is clearly setting up the dick-rachel relationship to evolve—and in doing so, have dick come to terms with his own relationship with bruce, instead of spinning increasingly bitter and dark memories of it in his head.

all said, tho: what a dick move. in every sense of the word.

11. aaand here’s why i never understand criticism of this show that says dick is too dark: it’s just so typical of him to hold himself to insane standards and just cut loose and run whenever he feels he’s failed those standards. it’s why he’s always among the first choices to lead a team but his leadership almost never sustains very long. it’s why he’s everybody’s friend but so desperately, desperately alone, especially when it’s his turn to spiral and need help. it’s why when he is spiralling, he adopts spectacularly self-destructive methods to do so. standing aside while zucco died is essentially his (infamous) blockbuster moment, when he so egregiously compromised his moral code that he was forced to re-evaluate the very core of what he’d identified as for decades. he hates himself, but he splits the blame, recognising the very real damage being robin did to him but pinning everything that’s wrong with him on it.

this tracks with every version of dick grayson that i can think of, bar the golden age/silver age comics, more contemporary nightwing runs—especially after his stint as batman with damian as robin—where he’s matured a bit and more level-headed, and, of course, fanon.

11.5. but while dick is wrestling with himself, actual people do get hurt and lost on the wayside. i’m glad that this show is not shying away from showing that.

12. maaan you really, really didn’t have to do this to anyone, leave alone someone as prominent in nightwing’s history as amy rohrbach. still holding out hope that she’ll return somehow next season.

13. rachel using dick’s own words to get him to help hank and dawn… oh fuck yes.

13.5. to be perfectly honest, i quite enjoyed robin as this menace in the shadows, taking thugs down brutally when they can’t even see him. you never see hyper-competent robin on-screen anymore.

13.75. also? hank and dawn’s genuine horror at his brutality is another giant indicator that this is not a dick grayson who’s functioning optimally, by any standard. he needs a place to start growing from, and this is it.

14. dick getting called out on his bullshit is pretty satisfying to watch, no lie.

14.5. i’d forgotten just how brutally the nuclear family defeat hank, dawn, and dick. yikes.

14.8. that last shot of dick desperately trying to save dawn’s life while having flashbacks to his own parents falling to their deaths is so fucking haunting, holy shit.

15. that was… honestly so good, you guys! i remember seeing this episode for the first time and feeling a little irritated with the languid pacing and the way it seemed sort of like filler. but there’s so much great stuff that stands out to me on re-watch—this show genuinely rewards multiple viewings, even when you know what’s coming next.

#titans #meta #dick grayson #rachel roth #hank hall #dawn granger #a byronic cupcake #a gothic cookie #grand titans rewatch 2k19 #i actually had this almost fully typed out a few months ago #lost the whole thing in a computer crash #felt so dispirited it took me ages to get this thing going again #but by GOD i am going to finish this fucking project

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hunterartist711 · 3 years

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Darkness 2 For Mac

Gameplay Sound Graphics Value

Genre: ActionMin OS X: 10.6

‎Second issue in an four issue series! Each 24 page comic is published in print and digital at the same time! Don't miss the next chapter in this exclusive comics prequel to next summer's blockbuster STAR TREK movie! New characters and new conflicts threaten Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterpris.

The Darkness 2 game playable on macOS and Windows is published by 2K games has a Very Positive rating on Steam (out of 4106 user reviews). The Darkness 2 is a supernatural first-person shooter developed by developed by Digital Extremes( developers of co-op shooter Warframe) is based on a comic book series by Top Cow Productions.

I just got the Darkness II, and my wife wants to play it also. I didn't think it would be enjoyable for her to play over my save, I thought it would be better if she started off from the beginning.

360 controller works but, not in darkness II So i'm using big picture mode with my controller just fine but, i play darkness 2 the 360 controller doesn't work. The options menu shows support for it, it works great in other games but, i get nothing in darkness 2.

Buy The Darkness II as a Steam Key. It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado, now Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power and now The Darkness.

The Darkness II April 26, 2012 | Jon Carr

Pages:123Gallery

Click to enlargeGuns Blazing

Mac OS X: 10.6.8 / 10.7.2 | CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo | RAM: 2 GB | HD Space: 11 GB | Graphics: AMD HD2600 / Nvidia 9600GT with at least 256 MB VRAM or higher

Reviewer's Rig:

27' iMac, Core i5 Quad 2.8Ghz, 8GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD5750 1GB

What is perhaps most interesting about The Darkness, is that it started as comic book back in 1996 (It's actually quite good, and anyone further interested in the story and Jackie should check them out. But be warned, they are even more explicit and gruesome than the game). The comics got a makeover in 2002, and still remain successful. In 2007 Starbreeze Studios (of Chronicles of Riddick fame) developed a game based on the comic books, also named The Darkness. Sadly, this game was console exclusive and never made its way to PC or Mac. The first game's story is briefly covered in an opening flashback and should be paid attention to as it highly relates to what is going on in the second game.

Yes, The Darkness 2 is now out on Mac as of a few days ago thanks to the efforts of Transgaming and published again by 2K (And is of course available at GameTreeMac, as well as Steamplay). However, Digital Extremes developed the 2nd game, not Starbreeze Studios. How the two compare Mac gamers will never know, but you can know that The Darkness 2 is very good. Why? Read on!

As a quick overview The Darkness is an evil, sentient being, one of the two primal forces in the game's universe (his opposite being The Angelus, who is female and Light) Both forces inhabit male and female hosts respectively, granting them amazing powers, but also causing them to fight for their individuality and control, as both forces contend not only with each other, but to take over their host completely so it does their bidding.

In the first game, The Darkness awakens in Jackie Estacado on his 21st birthday. As a hit man for the Franchetti crime family this turns out to be particularly useful since The Darkness enjoys and is fueled by killing. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the mob kills Jackie's girlfriend Jenny right in front of him while The Darkness forces him to watch. In turn Jackie goes on a murderous rampage and wipes out the whole mob. But by doing so he is completely consumed by The Darkness.

After the events of the first Darkness game, Jackie is now head of the Franchetti crime family and has been suppressing The Darkness for years. However, a spectacular ambush during an evening at a restaurant forces Jackie to awaken The Darkness once more, unleashing its awesome powers and imbuing our protagonist with scary Darkness arms and a predilection for shooting out lights.

As you can imagine The Darkness doesn't do well in the light. Anytime Jackie stands in, or is blasted with, light he is partially blinded and loses Darkness powers and abilities. So, it is in your best interest to shoot any and all lights, in addition to focusing on the light carrying foes you encounter later in the game. It's not quite Splinter Cell levels of lightbulb assassination, but it is part of things.

Perhaps the most interesting and compelling aspects of The Darkness 2 are the story and characters. Essentially, you are playing a criminal and a murderer. However, Jackie is extremely likable and easy to care for, especially when you see how tortured he is about Jenny's death. You have a number of flashbacks and possible hallucinations of Jenny throughout the game and these are surprisingly sweet and tender moments in contrast to all the brutal violence on display. Even without playing the first game it's easy to connect with Jackie and Jenny and care about both of them because it's so easy to see how much they loved each other, and how much Jackie still loves her. Not many games believably pull off romantic relationships, but The Darkness 2 is certainly one of them. You also get to interact with the men under you in your mansion between action missions and various other interesting characters who are all impressively voiced and animated.

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Feb 6, 2012

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Darkness 2 For Mac Os

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About The Darkness II free steam key

Inspired by the popular comic book series produced by Top Cow Productions, Inc., The Darkness II is an intense first person shooter that delivers a twisted and gripping narrative of tragedy, modern crime drama, and supernatural horror. Players will be taken down the brutal and personal path of Jackie Estacado, head of a New York crime family and wielder of an ancient and ruthless force of chaos and destruction known as The Darkness. Its been two years since Jackie Estacado used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriends murder. Hes been unable to shake the memory of Jennys death since bottling up his supernatural power and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack by a mysterious organization known as the Brotherhood heralds the start of a full-scale war and opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, setting Jackie on a journey to hell and worse.

4-Player Co-op Campaign - Play as one of four unique characters each capable of wielding weapons infused with Darkness powers.

Quad-Wielding Chaos - Slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with the Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons, adding a new dimension to the FPS category.

Harness an Unstoppable Power - Master the Demon Arms and summon the powers of The Darkness for even more explosive gameplay.

Kill the Lights - The vicious powers of The Darkness manifest only in the shadows so use the environment to your advantage and watch out for enemies who will use light as a weapon.

Intense and Personal Journey - Experience a dark, twisted and gripping story written exclusively for the game by acclaimed comic book author Paul Jenkins whose credits also include The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and the original The Darkness game.

Distinctive Graphic-Noir Style - Graphic novel shading and color combined with the dramatic lighting of film noir pays tribute to the source material and brings the pages of the comic series to life. Inspired by the popular comic book series created by Top Cow.

Limited Edition Content

If you pre-purchased The Darkness II you are exclusively entitled to the Limited Edition, which includes free digital editions of The Darkness: Origins Volumes 1 and 2, collecting the origin of Jackie Estacado and the Darkness by Garth Ennis and Marc Silvestri! Please visit http://comics.comixology.com/redeem and enter your code. You must login to your comiXology account, or create one, in order to redeem. Once redeemed, you can download your comics on your smartphone or tablet device, as well as read on the web!

How to get The Darkness II key free

1 - First step is to register as the member 2 - Choose an offer available and make sure you choose the one that's giving you lots of coins 3 - Complete the offer you have chosen, you must use real information to complete an offer / survey 4 - Get coins instantly to your account

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Darkness 2 For Mac Download

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OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Processor: Intel Core 2 @ 2GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+

Memory: 1.5GB RAM

Hard Disk Space: 10GB

Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600

Sound: DirectX Compatible

Additional: Requires installation of Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, DirectX and nVidia PhysX version 9.11.1107 (included with download)

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dylanreviewsthings · 7 years

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Linkin Park Immortalize Chester's Spirit In "One More Light Live"

As 2017 winds to an end, it's time to start looking towards the future. 2017, for me, has been the hardest year I've ever faced. Heartbreak and loss made the month of July the darkest time of my life, and to this day I still feel the pangs of those experiences. The one thing I could confide in was music. Through the words and pain in others voices, I found clarity in my own, and have slowly been healing ever since tragedy struck.

The death of Chester Bennington struck the world at its core. It's hard to fathom how many lives he saved, changed, and inspired, and to this day the stories are still being told. Chester was one of my heroes, and little did I think that meeting him at a secret subway show in New York City would be my first and my last time holding his hand. "Thank you for everything" were the words he said to me, full of thankfulness and compassion even though it was just a quick acoustic set in a subway. Chester was a man of integrity and humbleness, his character an inspiration alone.

Losing Chester felt like I was losing a part of me. That voice I depended on daily to jam out to or find inspiration for was no longer with us. I'll never forget the pain of waking up the next day and the reality of my situation kicked in. It took me a long time to be able to listen to Linkin Park again, but fast forward a few months, from uniting the fanbase through LPLive, building a suicide prevention chat for those in need of someone to talk to, and a trip to Los Angeles to see the band's heartbreaking performance at the Hollywood Bowl in October, and here we are with a brand new release from the band. Linkin Park immortalize Chester's spirit in One More Light Live, a compilation of performances from the band's summer tour (Chester's final tour) that saw the group having the time of their lives and, most importantly, showcased Chester as the man we all know and love.

Anyone who's ever seen Linkin Park live or even seen videos of one of their shows will know how electrifying their performances can be. From the electrifying energy of 'Burn It Down' to the badass live version of 'Good Goodbye' featuring Stormzy, One More Light Live gives a great look into how fun a Linkin Park show can be. It's a party from beginning to end, from the haunting, gorgeous 'Fallout' and 'Roads Untraveled' introduction that leads into the stadium-rocking 'Talking To Myself' featuring grand vocals from Chester and epic energy to kick off the show to the anthemic ending of 'Bleed It Out' with Mike Shinoda's vicious deliveries and an awesome sing-a-long bridge to make sure the crowd's having a blast right to the very end.

Chester's voice was not just the product of studio magic; his live performances were among the greatest of any musician out there. Even on the stage, he wore his heart on his sleeve, letting out all of his emotions in 'Heavy' while still nailing the vocals of a pretty vocally intense song. The same is true of 'Sharp Edges,' where the acoustic-driven track is spearheaded by his voice, weathered by the experiences that formed the track. Chester's voice rises up and follows the nature of the instrumental in 'Battle Symphony,' lifting you up and reassuring you that you can accomplish anything.

Chester doesn't like keeping the spotlight on himself all the time, though: the band pauses during the chorus of 'In The End,' allowing the crowd to be the real stars of the night as they heroically chant back the words to the iconic chorus. Linkin Park is always changing things up live, including during the beautiful intro of 'What I've Done' and it's extended guitar solo bridge, featuring a badass scream from Chester. The reworked version of 'Leave Out All The Rest' sounds like the definitive version of the song, the stripped down intro followed by a grand guitar solo and an even more explosive ending sending shivers down your spine. Mike takes lead on 'Invisible,' the sentimental track packed full of emotion and brilliant harmonies from Chester (not to mention that this is all the proof that Mike is capable of carrying Linkin Park forward, should the band choose to follow that path). 'Numb' features an extended intro with an excerpt from the Collision Course mashup 'Numb/Encore,' in which Mike asks the crowd to "Make some noise for Chester Bennington."

The true power of this release lies at its core. There's a run of songs on this album that feel all too painful to listen to. It starts with One More Light opening track 'Nobody Can Save Me,' a heartbreaking track to begin with, made even more tragic by his passing. The opening lines somberly cry out: "I'm dancing with my demons, I'm hanging off the edge." Chester hid his inner demons behind his warm smile, but you can undoubtedly hear the pain in his voice as he performs the song. A powerful performance without the context of his suicide, this 'Nobody Can Save Me' is even more heartbreaking looking back on it. Another punch comes with 'One More Light,' the song that has become the candlelight anthem for fans to depend on with memories of Chester close in mind. The performance here is heartbreaking and beautiful, the tortured scream during the bridge full of raw pain and emotion. Listening to him sing 'One More Light' makes you feel like his soul is right there next to you, comforting you, telling you it's okay. The sentiment of "Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do" is what reminds us that even though he's gone, he's here with us in spirit, and he'll continue to walk by our sides down every road. The final part of the run comes with the piano version of 'Crawling,' the music video for this performance of the song and the intimacy of this version showing one final time that no matter how much pain Chester endured, he loved the fans with all of his heart. Every word, every note, and every scream he made came from the bottom of his heart, and he made sure that no one was alone.

Linkin Park immortalize Chester's spirit in One More Light Live, bidding him one more farewell as 2017 comes to a close. Linkin Park is a band that has affected every person on this planet, whether that involves making someone dance, getting someone through middle school, or establishing a lifelong love with their music. Chester's voice was the force that gave us clarity in our darkest moments, and it's a gift we will always have. Chester will live on besides us, carrying us through the rough times ahead and the moments of uncertainty we are yet to face. We care if one more light goes out.

Thank you to Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Rob Bourdon, Phoenix, and Chester Bennington for the music you've made and for whatever comes next. Thank you to Mike and Chester for supporting Immortal Reviews and LPLive. Thank you to Chester for all the inspiration.

Rest in peace, Chester Bennington.

Favorite Tracks: Crawling, One More Light, Nobody Can Save Me, Sharp Edges, Talking To Myself

Least Favorite Track: Bleed It Out

Rating: 94 / 100

Stream or buy One More Light Live on Apple Music:

#Linkin Park #Chester Bennington #Mike Shinoda #Brad Delson #Rob Bourdon #Phoenix Farrell #Joe Hahn #Alternative Rock #Live #Album #Review

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ilyasvieltrevelyanshepard · 7 years

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58. “Am I dead?” with Shoker, pretty please? And to enable you...a funny one? xD

Thanks, luv! After working almost 12h, I needed a distraction ;)

Obviously, with my brain turned into a puddle of work-words related and hate about my life and the situation of my region… well, not my brightest work xDDDD but I enjoyed writing it and laughed with the idea ^^

Hope you like it!!

The night cycle began several hours ago. Shepard walks across the C-Sec building, dragging her feet, followed by Liara and Kaidan. They have had another endless session with the Council, to decide… NOTHING, as always. These meetings always left her feeling tired, angry and frustrated. The few guards they find give them a curt nod or let them be, the dark clouds over their heads in plain view to anyone who looks at them. The elevator seems to need a full century to arrive, and Shepard is already groaning to the crystal walls before it reaches them. “Damn, I need my bed and a beer. Ideally at the same time.”

Liara sighs behind her, making her neck crack with a quick movement. “At least tomorrow we are free of them and their games. I need to send a gift to the Elcor ambassador. Goddess bless him and his stage play.”

His fingers are massaging his temples when the elevator arrives, and Kaidan follows them inside, leaning on the wall with a grunt. “And more important. Goddess bless whoever has decided that the Normandy team didn’t need to be there. I don’t know if I can survive a King Liar performed by Elcors.”

Shepard is beside the button and is pushing it insistently, with the feeling that doing it the elevator will move quicker. “I know. Sorry for dragging you with me.”

Dismissing her words with a move of her hand, Liara gives her a tired smile. “No way we will let you go there alone.” A soft hum of agreement is Kaidan’s answer. Luckily for the poor button of the elevator, the doors opened to the docks and Shepard storms outside, strolling directly to the airlock of the Normandy. She initiates the protocols before the other two reach the door. The VI of the ship gives them the welcome aboard after the decontamination process.

Being docked, the Normandy runs with the minimum required, and in the middle of the night cycle, there are only a couple of soldiers guarding the CIC. They salute Shepard when she passes near them. Returning a quick without stopping by, she reaches the stairs, waiting for the door to open. “Fuck, why are those damned doors so slow?” A chuckle from one of the soldiers is her answer, and she has to join him, head falling. The doors finally open, and she goes down the stairs, with Liara and Kaidan behind her. As soon as they reach the main floor, Liara wishes them a good night before disappearing inside the med bay. Kaidan tries to stay with Shepard, but she shoos him away in the direction of the crew quarters. His face is almost hidden completely behind the hand that is nursing his temples, but she can see the little grateful smile on his face. The tiredness on her body makes her ignore even the idea of storming the mess in search of beer. She is moving in autopilot and didn’t see that the lock of her bedroom is opened. Stepping inside and not bothering to turning on any light, she begins to peel off the clothes from her body. When she reaches the bed, she is in her underwear, and lets her body fall on the bed without any care. To her surprise, a low grunt sounds from the other side of the bed. With a quick movement, she readies the blade on her omnitool. The light of the activated weapon let her see the origin of the grunt. Joker is laying on his back on the bed, the cap resting on the nightstand with a smiley sticker on it. Folding the weapon, she lays back, leaning on an elbow while she works with the light controls. Soft light begins to shine behind the headboard. When the change of illumination didn’t disturb the pilot, Shepard begins to poke his shoulder.

She needs almost a minute to enter his foggy mind, but at last, he grunts and tries to slap her hand, making her giggle. She feels still tired, but this moment is too good to let it pass. Moving the hand down, she keeps poking his ribs, making him twitch with a swear. “Damn, whoever you are, let me sleep!”

Another giggle from her part while she moves the hand away. “I will do if you weren’t trying to sleep on my bed.”

Her voice seems to have the desired effect, and he opens his eyes, looking at her with a confused look. When he sees her lying beside him in her underwear, he grunts, closing his eyes again and letting his head fall to the bed. “Shit. Am I dead?”

“That will depend, Flight Lieutenant Moreau. Do you have a good reason to break into your Commander’s room and fall asleep in my bed?” She tries to sound stern, but the situation is so hilarious that she can’t keep the laugh away. “Speak, Lieutenant, or I will have to get the truth from you with some tickling torture.”

He covers his eyes with a hand but opens the fingers to let him see her. “Commander, I must remember you that you are almost naked?”

“I’m in my room, in my bed, in the middle of the night. Deal with it. Now, spill it or feel my tickling ire!”

Another grunt with a muttered ‘shit’. Shepard can see his eye moving up and down her exposed skin from behind his fingers, but instead of saying something, she begins to drum her fingers on her hip, feigning impatience. At last, he answers her, “I don’t know, ok? I remember leaving the Normandy with Garrus and Williams. We took a bite in the wards before moving to the DarkStar, but is the last thing I remember.” Grunting again, he let the hand fall back to the bed. “Can I kill Williams before you kill me or kick my ass away from the ship? Or better, I can pay Wrex to do it.”

Shepard falls to the bed, laughing hard until tears begin to roll over her cheeks. “Oh my gosh, Joker. Williams pranked you! That’s the best prank I’ve seen ever in an Alliance vessel.” Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she turns on her side to face him again. “That explains the smiley on your hat. That girl is a demon.”

“And I will kill her tomorrow if my hangover lets me think about it.”

Seeing how frowned his brows are, she lowers her voice. His head must be killing him. If he can’t remember the long way to the ship from the wards, he must have drunk enough booze to put a Krogan tipsy. “Instead of killing her, we can pay her with the same coin, if you want.”

“What are you thinking about? Breaking into Udina’s home will be more complicated, but utterly fun.”

A new chuckle escapes her control, “Damn, you are evil, my friend. But no. I have the perfect one. Stay here tonight, and we can emerge from the room together. She will fall on her ass.”

Joker’s hand returns to his face, to rub his eyes hard enough to make him see stars behind the eyelids. “She and the rest of the ship, Shep. But if you are alright with tainting your reputation with someone like me, I’m in.” Several seconds later, his own words reached his brain, and he hits his forehead. “Shit. I’m drunker than I thought.” Turning to look at her and her raised brow, he begins to stutter. “Is not, ehm– like I believe that–that you can, want… well you know– with me.”

“No. Don’t worry. I’m aware that no one wants to bed me.“ With a sigh, she lowers the light of the room to a soft glow. "Anyway, that’s not a discussion to have in the middle of the night and with you still half drunk. If you want to stay, the boots didn’t have my permission to snuggle with my sheets, so shoes off.”

Sitting on the bed with a grunt, she expects that he steps away from the bed, leaving the room. Instead, he takes off his shoes and shirt and lay on the bed, after moving under the sheets. She slips below the sheets too, giving him her back. When he stops thrashing with the pillow, she turns off the lights completely.

The soft hum of the Eezo core is the only sound inside the room besides their breathing for several minutes. But before she falls asleep, Joker’s voice reaches her. “I will do it. Bed you. I know I’m already doing it, but you know what I mean.”

Blushing deeply but with a big smile on her face, Shepard covers half her face with the sheets. Even in the darkness, she feels timid and vulnerable. “Let’s talk about it when your brain isn’t swimming in booze, Joker. Rest well.” The darkness around them, together with the silence, makes the sleep come soon for the both of them.

The sounds of mugs and plates moving over the counters and tables of the mess, together with voices of the crew, wakes Shepard. She still feels tired, but know that once awake she can’t fall asleep again. When she begins to stretch under the sheets like she always does, her feet touch someone beside her, the memories of the passing night filling her mind. He didn’t even stir when she touches his leg or when she turns to face him. Using the controls on her omnitool, she turns on the lights again to a soft glow. After several minutes of just enjoying the show of having a man that handsome on her bed, she sighs, shaking his shoulder. “Joker, time to wake up.” He mutters something like five minutes more, making her giggle before keeping moving him. “We can’t. Come on, Joker. Open your eyes.”

With a low whine, he opens his eyes, just to close them again when he sees her. “Shit. It wasn’t a dream.”

Shepard’s hand falls between them, and she moves her eyes away from him with a sigh. “No, it wasn’t. Feel free to leave if you don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to follow with the plan.” Sliding from the bed, she stands up before recovering a pair of comfy sweatpants from the wardrobe and a shirt. Moving to the desk, she decides to ignore him until he decides what to do. Sitting on the chair, she turns on the screens, selecting the mess’ security cams. Wrex, Garrus, Ash and Kaidan are there, and she can see Chawkas sitting in the med bay, working. The sound of him putting on the boots reach her, and she spins the chair to face him, crossing her arms and waiting for his answer.

Once he has the boots laced, he stands, grunting a bit. Taking a look at the screens, he sees them there, and it seems that seeing Ashley laughing with Garrus makes his mind. “Fine. Let’s do it. How?”

A devilish smile creeps on her face. “Let’s give all of them the surprise, and I will explain it later. We can leave the room together, being as loud as possible without sounding exaggerated, and you can hug me or kiss my cheek as a goodbye.”

He takes a deep breath before putting on the shirt and picking up the hat from the nightstand. “Ok. Showtime.”

Standing from the chair, she extends a hand to him, and when he grabs it, she walks decidedly to the door. Opening it, she begins to laugh, and Joker has to join her. She is hiding in the doorframe looking at him while laughing, like a mischievous child playing hide and seek. When the sound of conversation outside dimmed, she steps outside, with him on her tail. Stopping near the door, and in clear view of the mess, she squeezes his hand and waits for his movement. He closes the distance, his free hand sliding up through her back to cup her nape. Lowering his face to hers, he plants a soft kiss on her cheek, but close enough to her mouth to tickle her lips with his beard. And before moving away, he whispers in her ear. “And now that I’m not drunk, I’ll repeat myself. I’ll do it.”

Taking a step back, he disentangles his hands from her before moving to the crew quarters, followed by the deep laugh of Wrex. Garrus is trying to save Ash from choking with her coffee, and Kaidan is in shock, the pad he has been reading falling from his hands. Moving closer to them, she crosses her arms, waiting until Ashley stops dying on the table. “And that, my friends, is what you obtain for using me and my room to do pranks. Hope you have learned your lesson, Ash. I didn’t kill you yesterday because I was utterly tired.”

Williams’ face is a poem, blushing deeply and with the little trails of tears that had fallen when choking. “Aye aye, Skipper. Sorry. I think we drank a bit too much yesterday.”

“I can say. I’m not against pranks, as you can imagine. But finding my pilot on my bed wasn’t a funny one, Ash.” Seeing the other woman lowering her eyes, and the worried frown beginning to form on her face, Shepard pushes her shoulder. “No worries there. It was fun. I have to admit it. But try not to prank me after a long meeting with the Council.”

The rest of the meal passed with Garrus and Ashley talking about what they have done and drunk yesterday, and how Ash came with the idea when they returned to the ship. They spent almost an hour sitting at the mess, taking and laughing. But soon duty calls and they have to finish with their breakfast. When all the team stands to start working or to do some shopping at the Citadel, Wrex stays behind. Once they are alone, he moves closer to Shepard, trying very hard to talk as low as possible for a Krogan. “You two need to have a chat, Shepard. Your hormones are beginning to make me nervous.” When she looks at him with a surprised frown, he just laughs. “Humans and their stupid noses. Listen to old Wrex. Maybe you can learn a thing or two.”

His unique laugh fills the mess even after he has disappeared behind the elevator door. But yeah, even without his counsel, she has already decided to talk with him. Maybe they can find some light amidst the darkness that surrounds them.

#writing prompt #fanfiction #mass effect #jeff moreau #female shepard #funny

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alexsmitposts · 5 years

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The Murdering of Julia Assange Julian Assange is being slowly murdered by “Her Majesty’s Prison Service” at Belmarsh prison in the south-east of London. The prison is notorious for holding people who have never been charged with a crime indefinitely. It is also called the British version of Guantanamo, and, typically used to detain so-called terrorists, thus called by the British police and secret service and aped by the British MSM and establishment. Terrorists that become terrorists by continuous and repeated accusations, by media propaganda, but not necessarily by fact. Remember, if a lie is repeated often enough it becomes the truth in the minds of the braindead listeners. Its indoctrination of the public to demonize somebody or a group of people, or a country, who could become dangerous for the empire’s vicious and criminal endeavors. That’s what they are doing with Julian Assange. Exactly the same principal is applied, though on a different scale, against President Putin and against Russia and China. And it seems to work in a brainwashed-to-the-core, western society, ran by their spineless European US-vassalic leadership. Yes, what is happening to Julian Assange could happen to any journalist who reveals the inconvenient truth about the empire and its minions’ criminal machinations, any journalist – or non-journalist, whistleblower, for that matter – anyone who dares standing up to the AngloZionist atrocities may end up in Guantanamo or Belmarsh which is considered a Type A prison for adult men, meaning, a “serious” prison, where “dangerous” detainees are held for as long as Her Majesty’s Prison Service considers necessary, and prisoners treatments are held secret and include torture. Julian Assange’s case goes even farther than breaking all the rules of “democratic” free speech. The way he is treated is a serious infraction on Human Rights. The US and British governments intend to silence and punish a champion of free speech, torturing him for the world to see, and especially as a deterrent for would-be whistleblowers and other free-speech advocates. Julian Assange has been condemned to a ‘temporary’ prison sentence of 50 weeks for jumping bail, when he sought and was granted refuge in 2012 in the Ecuadorian Embassy. And why did he jump bail? Because he was about to be extradited to neofascist Sweden, who acting in the name of Washington, accused him with phony rape and sexual misconduct charges, from where he would have most likely been extradited to the US – where he might have faced a kangaroo court and a fake trial with possible death sentence, or indefinite incarceration at Guantanamo. That’s why he jumped bail and why he escaped to the Ecuadorian Embassy, because western injustice was already then played out with false propaganda, for everyone, but the blind and indoctrinated, to see. Rafael Correa, then President of Ecuador, saw the truth behind it all and granted Julian asylum, and later gave him Ecuadorian citizenship – which in 2018 was revoked by Correa’s traitor and fascist successor, US-implant, Lenin Moreno, who, as a reward, it is said, got an IMF loan of US$ 4.2 billion to help the government carry out its neoliberal economic reform program, meaning undoing much of the social programs of improving economic equality for the Ecuadorian population, implemented during the Correa presidency. Well, how sick can that be? – Unfortunately, acting pathologically or even psychopathically in today’s world is fully accepted. It’s the new normal. This means, we are living in an almost-terminally ill, corrupt and utterly brainwashed society – to be precise, western society. “Almost-terminally” means that there is only dim hope of healing for the utter lack of conscientiousness of western society. Hope of western people’s awakening is fading, as it is sliding ever deeper into a bottomless abyss. Julian Assange was first accused by Washington of fake charges of computer hacking and conspiring to defraud the United States. In fact, what this is all about is the 2010 publication by Wikileaks of the infamous video that circulated the world a million times, depicting the purposeful, malicious ‘collateral killing’ of harmless civilians by the crew of a US Army helicopter – and of other data of atrocious acts of the US military revealed by Chelsea Manning, and published by Wikileaks. Chelsea Manning has been and is herself serving prison sentences. Despite the fact that this little video has been seen around the world probably by more than a billion people, nobody went on the barricades – on an endless mass-demonstration – to stop the rogue-state and killing machine United States of America from committing its daily and deadly crimes. Nobody. And the killing goes on. And Washington is doing its utmost to silence every future revealing of their atrocities, by silencing Julian Assange, and intimidating any potential future truth-revealer. They have now 50 weeks, while he is hidden away in a British Guantanamo-like prison, to slowly kill him on behalf of and as a little favor to Washington, so he doesn’t have to be extradited and the US is spared being exposed to the kangaroo trial that Julian would otherwise receive. If he dies a “natural” death in a British prison, Trump may wash his bloody hands in innocence, and those in Congress who want to send a CIA squadron to murder Assange – I kid you not they are not ashamed to openly say so – will also be able to whitewash their criminal and bloody minds. Nobody will ever know what really happened behind Her Majesty’s prison walls. – There will be some flareups in the media – and then all quiets down. As usual. The Wikileaks founder will be gone – and all potential whistleblowers and truth-seeking journalists will be on their guard. Objective achieved. In the meantime and to reach that objective, Julian is most likely being tortured, possibly physically and psychologically. Julian Assange has suffered “prolonged exposure to psychological torture”, the UN’s torture expert, Nils Melzer, said in a BBC interview, and urged Britain not to extradite Assange to Washington. According to retired USAF lieutenant colonel Karen Kwiatkowski, he may have been doped with psychotropic drugs, like 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, known as BZ that produces hallucinations, mental confusion and memory loss. This may have been the reason, why he was unable to speak clearly, and to participate in a Swedish Court hearing – and had to be transferred to the hospital wing of Her Majesty’s Belmarsh prison. One of the few pictures that emerged at the time of his transfer to the hospital was one of a zombie. Let’s just hope that I‘m totally wrong with this scenario – and that people’s pressure (at this point it would be a miracle) will prey Julian loose from the lethal fangs of the empire and it’s minions. The Western world keeps looking on – worse, they even support Her Majesty’s Prison Service, to which Julian Assange is subjected. They largely applauded the brutal British arrest of Julian Assange, when the police dragged him out of the Ecuadorian Embassy into a van and off to preventive custody, and hours later he was convicted to 50 weeks on a phony charge for jumping bail. What can be said – is not better said than by Paul Craig Roberts, “If the world stands for the US / UK / Swedish judicial murder of an innocent man, the world does not deserve to exist another second.” – Amen.

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gracefordreamers · 7 years

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So my dad died 3 weeks ago

I just need to vent about a few things and I'm not really sure how or where to do so. But here it goes My dad was a fucked up, funny, manipulative, kindhearted, tortured soul. He had a lot of demons. Many he never faced in his lifetime. Which I don't blame him for. The demons he had would have killed anyone weaker within a matter of minutes and he lived with them for years and years. My dad suffered damn near his whole life with the disease of addiction. He couldn't put down the bottle long enough to see that the demons he was fighting were just memories. Just scenes replaying over and over in his head like a horrible movie he couldn't seem to get out of. He was consumed by these horrible thoughts and memories where he had been a victim. He couldn't seem to see that at some point in time he turned into a volunteer for this pain. My dad was a victim many times in his life. But the rest of the time he was so use to playing that part that he jumped in it automatically. My father was a good man. But his thinking and ways of handling things were in the mind of a teenager. With the vocabulary of a scholar. He knew how to make anything sound good. He would have been a millionaire if it wasn't for his addiction I swear to god. Something I've noticed when someone dies, is that people only seem to see the best in their memories of that person. There seems to be a moment where everything that person has done is forgiven. Their downfalls and demons suddenly turn into fun quirks or silly memories. When in reality, my dad was so toxic. So draining that he pushed everyone who was close to him away. He was exhausting to be around and speak to that I would literally have to be in the right mood in order to pick up the phone. So no. I will not sit here and tell you my dad "had a few quirks" he had many fucked up traits that made him hate himself so much he couldn't see past them and give himself a chance to heal from all the horrible things he had been thru. And yet I find missing him. But not him so much as the person I knew he could have been if he had stopped living in his past the way he did. The person he could have been if he had truly given this whole recovery thing a shot. My dad loved me to the best of his ability. I love him with all my heart. Despite his faults. Despite his demons. Because the truth of the matter is that I am so much like him. Down to the core, that if it wasn't for him I would be the exact same miserable tortured person he was. Because I saw what all of that angry, self hatred and self pity did to him, I knew I needed to do something different. So despite loving him for simply being my father I love him as the person who made me realize what I didn't want to be The person who showed me I could turn my life around and become a better person despite this fucked up disease. So daddy, as you look down on me right now, without all those demons and fears that plagued you for years, please know this, I love you to the heart. I am a better person for having known you. Even if it was to show me the part of myself that, just like you, It almost killed me to look at. I understand. I truly do. I wish you could have done it down here. But I am so grateful you are now at peace. I love you ❤️

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willamettemountain · 8 years

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Blood leads Blood / Ice Burns Body / Seperation in Humans

How is it that the tongue of a singer can become so fat from the buffet line that it forgets how to sing? That the arm of high school baseball pitcher can become weak with the passing of days? That this Nebraskan boy who moved to Utah to pursue a life of nursing, religion and hope morphed, through circumstance, into a singing, questioning, searching family man with no hands in the hospital or medical field? And how is it that this said singer can so quickly forget the heartache that is customary with every coming tour, every traveling escapade? Am I that forgetful? Does it sting to the point that the mind chooses to push it from its memory?

I boarded the plane headed to Helsinki with a light heart (probably due to the fact that Finland (and Sweden (mustn’t forget Sweden)) has birthed some of my favorite human beings on the planet) and a heavy mind (due to the fact that I would miss the moment of many events that involve my loving heart beats). Oliver and Millie were asleep when I kissed their foreheads, sitting strapped to children’s chairs that had been firmly anchored to the seatbelts of our car. They looked like angels, celestial guardians of the pure emotion that seems to slip from my insides the longer I am alive. Can it be bottled? Maintained? Groomed? BOUGHT even? (god forbid).

As if in a dream, the billion pound piece of aerodynamic metal bounced from the surface of our planet, spitting me and the other participants, in what some might call a “funny experiment”, into the atmosphere, pretending that it should be accepted as RULE of TRUTH (the act of flying), oh! but we all know it’s a matter of time before the MAGIC GOLDEN BIRD comes back down to the surface. I just feel fortunate that our fate was that of a smooth landing, proof of a well-trained pilot and his / her steady hands (Oh, the terrible thought of the alternative). We arrived safely to Finland, embracing our family of years, at this point. The reunion with Mika, Ninni, Helmi, Jari, Anne, Laura, Mikko, and all of the other WONDERSOME human beings that we have had the pleasure of knowing was like returning home after dying, a reincarnation of one’s slightly absent / missing soul, rejuvenated and now beaming with the power of a light that could burst the core of your being into bolts. The shows were met with such acceptance that my mind raised the question of “why there, not here?” An answer, I have not.

FRIENDS PLAY MUSICS TOGETHER in JUTTUTUPA From Helsinki we flew to Sweden to embrace Björn and take his radically equipped Sprinter van across the Swedish lands in pursuit of a MUSICAL connection in four locations. At the airport, we met up with Timmy The Teeth and my little brother, Colby, who just so happened to have broken his wrist three weeks prior, forcing him to take a leave of absence from his day-to-day job and allowing him to travel with the boys and I across Sweden. All was right in my mind / world (close to it anyhow).

We drove immediately to Falkenberg, which was a good distance. We met up with Benjamin, who, because of financial restrictions, took the place of our beloved Isaac, the bad boy of bass. Our new Finnish friend quickly hopped inside our hearts and van, making his way across the country in a musical “choo-choo train”. Our last stop in Sweden was in a town called Avesta. Seemingly quaint and low key, this town, and her accompanying musical experience, that we will never forget, made quite the impact on our memories. The show was inside of a teepee that was located at what appeared to be a hotel / resort-style location. The welcoming was amazing by these kind kind people / friends and we sang and danced into the night. Nothing was spared, no bar to destroy, no building to burn, merely a line to line to line to line conduit. Me to You to Him to Her and on and on. I could have sung all night that night but “the travelers must catch their flight” I whispered. We left Avesta and Sweden with a VERY lightly rehearsed version of an old Everly Brothers song, “Bye Bye Love”

Which then sent us to a hazy, foggy and seemingly long drive (yes, immediately after the said show) to Stockholm where we would head to Äkäslompolo, Finland to play the Yllas Jazz & Blues Festival. We arrived at the airport hotel at 3:37 am, the bus to the airport left at 5:30am. Time for sleep.

The aircraft, miraculously arrived safely to a small airport outside of Äkäslompolo, where our friend and racecar driver Jari was patiently waiting. With licorice in hand and smile on face we embraced. “It is too good to see you again.” He said. No heart? No life! Jari raced us (Evan, Colby (my brother) and I) to the festival where we were scheduled to play in one hour. We pulled up, dragged our frigid frames and frozen guitars onto stage, tuned and started singing… “Back when I was 18, life gave me nothing but a sweet sweet kiss…” The room was silent, the search for a human touch and feel was tangible. I felt at home, I felt uplifted and inspired.

We had come to connect, we had arrived to sing. They had come to reflect, and arrived to feel.

“We’re winning…” Evan remarked. The show ended as quickly as it had started and we were off. I felt lighter, quicker and hinged on the hope that the night would be like the day. I was radically wrong in the hope. After dinner Colby and I, with our stealth friend and driver, Jari headed to the festival’s night show. It was “The filthy six” to play and a Finnish band, Miljoonasade. As the band began to play we were offered a floor that seemed to beckon us, ask our names, and demand a movement of feet. I became lost, disoriented and elated. I had once been a child, careless, free of stigma and expectation, ignorant to social status and body image. There have been moments since those years that I have been able to catch a glimpse of the boy / child that I once was. This magical night was just that. I moved to a rhythm that I had forgotten, a call that I was unaware would become a stranger, a shadow, a memory. That movement of ones body so unpredictable and unaware was addictive, we couldn’t stop (wouldn’t). Then the music stopped, the lights on. It was a quick walk back. It was late. We slept. The next day was our final show in Äkäslompolo. Illka, the man behind the curtain that has brought us to Yllas twice had set up a show for us at his pub, Sylva Pyy, and we were to be the second to last band of the festival. We were just happy to be a part of the experience and it felt almost like robbery that we would be able to sing twice. That morning, at breakfast, we saw Illka. “Good morning, boys. Would you like to do Sauna tonight, before your gig? “..YES! of course.” Evan quickly responded. “Good. It will be hole in the ice tonight. See you then.”

Hole in the ice? What the HEAVEN is “hole in the ice” My mind began to race through the possible ways of dying for thin man such as myself, and after some time I arrived at the thought that one of the worst ways to end your existence would be to freeze to death. And what else could happen, but that, if dipping ones self into a hole in the ice? This seemed absolutely insane / mad / destructive even. On we went. We arrived at the small house that appeared as a cottage to the unaware. Outside of the house, stretching about 50 feet was a iced over wooden bridge that led to a staircase, these stairs led the walker into a black hold of icy liquid. It appeared that this house / cottage was a form of torturing something / someone, for what else could such a bridge be used for. It was a plank to walk, to water, to death. We entered the house, and as the custom goes, removed our clothes and entered the 125-degree sauna room with 9 other participants in the “hole in the ice” adventure. As we all sat there, 14 of us, naked, staring at the steaming stove that fed the sauna with heat, you could feel the anxiety rise.

“As it is Finnish custom to Sauna, so is to drink shitty VODKA while in sauna!” a large naked man said raising a glass bottle of what I could only assume was sight / nerve destroying liquid that eased the mind / heart of anyone that was to jump into a hole in the ice. The faces began to calm as the bottle was passed around the hot room. You could feel the tension dropping, until it happened, three of them, stood and left the sauna and walked to the plank, and then three more, and then it was us, our turn to walk the plank. I forced my body up and out of the sauna. I opened the door, the sub-zero air hit me with force of a falling pine tree, needles to my skin, system confusion. As the man before me walked himself into the icy water I ran, quickly, through my recent experiences. I had a good one, life that is, if this WAS the end, then I was ok. Take me, you dark demon of earth, you icy hand of doom, I am yours. I walked down the ladder and plunged my body into the hole in the ice. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever felt. Maybe it’s like dying, maybe it’s like heaven, maybe it’s like both. It can’t be described as painful, or pleasant, but maybe the word is “AWARING”. After leaving the water I walked the icy trail back to the house, outside I stood and stared at the sky, letting whatever indescribable feeling paralyze my thought and mind, sending me into the universe that exists ONLY there, only then, that moment, LIVING it, BEING it, and it was PERFECT.

Three more times we entered sauna, cooked our bodies and returned to the black hole of water. We bid our adieus to the group of gents that were there with us and felt a strange kinship to all those that had survived. We then headed to Sylva Pyy, where we would play our final show of the tour.

The crowd was seated and the stage was small, my body and mind seemed to misplace everything that it had memorized up until that point. The sauna and hole in the ice was racing, albeit slowly, through my periphery, but my hands and mouth couldn’t find the right combination to begin singing, truly, a feeling I had never experienced. The show was to start and the sound guy gave us the thumbs up. I looked at Evan, as a child looks to its mother after rising from a night tremor. The show began. The show ended. The only evidence I have of playing that night is a recording of a song that Jari made and sent to me days after arriving back to the United States. I hardly recall exact events from the rest of the evening. Everything seems to fall into a cabinet of red and orange clouds, small faces, dancing, words, phrases, laughter, all will peak up over the hazy top, but sink quickly back into the fog and settle inside of the storm’s eye. What a journey we are on. OH! What a trip it is. Joshua

#finland #joshuajames #sylva pyy #hoedown #sweden #avesta #timmytheteeth

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