#ope there she goes lying again

[britts-galaxy-brain]

Lol nah you stopped posting him because people pointed out he's a Stockholm character, you transparent lying bitch.

[musubiki]

recently thinking about the tcwg episode where mochis mob spell finally starts running out. apparently its maximum possible usage is 10 years (which they find out from pom) and appearently tiramisu put it on her too soon,,... when they ask her she says "Oh...you were such a cute kid I didn't want to wait too long!!" while pinching her cheeks, and suddenly theres a few more people at school who are like "Hey...I never really noticed but...Mochi is kinda pretty, huh?"

for the people who start to notice, they chalk it up to "Maybe she hit puberty late...?" or something, but regardless she has 1 or 2 more people actually ask her out, and lime starts to realize how much it bothers him

[hirokiyuu]

besk/instance, besk actually getting instance to laugh really hard at something

Laughter changes the whole shape of Instance's face, and not in a flattering way. She smiles with too many teeth, her nose all scrunched up, the skin between her eyes wrinkling to make her look like a witch, and the sound itself isn't much better. And yet, even as that wheezing too-loud cackle clangs against each wall it hits, Besk can't help her own triumphant grin in return, alight with a strange and easy joy.

[feral--darling]

In response to this post (https://www.tumblr.com/messiahzzz/742694448371236864/im-not-here-to-claim-that-wyll-doesnt-deserve?source=share) I saw the other day claiming that it's hostile for Wyll fans to "demand" more content for him, and that objecting to his lack of content is "misinformation"... I have so many thoughts.

I have a bit of an issue with calling a difference in opinion "misinformation" as though Wyll fans are lying about the fact that Wyll, as a character, is underdeveloped. I see a lot of people online who use data to back up their own opinion by manipulating statistics in a way that supports their argument without looking at the information holistically.

Sure, we can look at the length of time that Wyll spends on screen, and look at the number of words he was allowed to say throughout the game so say "haha! See, he gets plenty of screen time so you can all shut up about how his character has been done a disservice!" However, there is a huge problem when all of his "screen time" is purely used as 1) a method of moving along the main storyline because he is the *Son*of the Duke of Baldur's Gate which is the titular city in which the majority of the game is set or 2) as a backdrop to focus on other characters' stories (I'm looking at Mizora and Karlach here).

If we were to separate out scenes in which Wyll is present and scenes which revolve entirely around Wyll as a person and not in reaction to someone else, the number of "scenes" he has, according to the list given by the OP, goes down significantly.

1. The "Meeting Karlach" scene is almost entirely about Karlach and the outcome can be decided by the player character without input from Wyll. I would only very loosely call that a "Wyll scene" because it shares very heavily with Karlach.

2. Similarly, the "Mizora scene" has things happening to Wyll but much of the conversation happens between the player character and Mizora - they talk over Wyll as though he is a naughty pet who peed on the floor and the grownups have to decide how they're going to clean up his mess. This is, again, a case where Wyll is in the scene and things are happening to him, but we don't get any one-on-one scenes with him exploring how he feels about it, or what even happens to him. We get a line from the Narrator which tells us that it - his torture- feels like an eternity for him but lasts only seconds for us. What happened to him during that time? How long was he being tortured? Was he actually dragged through all Nine levels of Hell during that time? Did he meet all the devils at each level and get tortured by them? We don't know any of this, because the scene was not focused on what was happening to Wyll. It was focused on Mizora and how she was able to punish him as his Patron.

3. The tiefling party dialogue, where he spends most of the time complaining about looking like a tiefling regardless of whether he is speaking to a tiefling, in a party filled with tieflings, is... well. It's certainly a choice that was made by his devs and story writers. Do I think Wyll would spend the whole tiefling party complaining about how people who look like *tieflings* don't deserve to party because they have horns and claws? No. Do I think the brief kiss you can get from him (only if you choose one very specific dialogue choice and none others) is enough to balance out the rest of this inconsistency for his content in Act one? Also no. But I hope this doesn't come off as too "hostile" and "antagonistic" in the face of the fact that he was allowed to talk for such a long time! We should be grateful that we're even able to hear his voice for all that time even if the quality of what he's saying is subpar, right?

4. The dance scene is cute. It's one of the only scenes that is all about Wyll as a person and a character. He doesn't really talk about himself much, but at least Mizora isn't there so that's... something, right?

5. More scenes where Mizora is the focus. She comes to camp to demand that the player character frees Zariel's asset (and they can talk over Wyll the entire time with basically no input from him. Nothing about his background, past, present feelings, hopes for the future.) Do people understand the difference between being present in a scene and being the *focus* of a scene? A good example would be the difference between a scene where Mizora is talking to the player, vs when Elminster comes to tell Gale to kill himself. During the Elminster conversation, the player character is there, but it is clearly a conversation between Gale and Elminster. There is the option for Tav to leave the conversation to Gale (an option which is also there for Lae'Zel scenes with the Githyanki) and the interaction can go forward without much input from the player. We are watching two people converse. When Mizora visits camp, she talks to the player character and talks about Wyll like he's a dog. She is very much the focus of the scene and Wyll is a prop or background character.

6. The fact that Mizora joins the camp and there is no option for Wyll or Tav to tell her to leave is NOT A GOOD THING?? This just further goes to prove how much of Wyll's "storyline" is actually just a Mizora storyline. If we separated the parts of Wyll's content that revolve SOLELY AROUND the white-coded devil woman who enslaved him as a child (17 yo is a child to me, argue with someone else about that) ... he has the dance scene, the proposal scene (where the intimate scene happens off screen because the devs really just didn't want to animate a sex scene with a black character because who wants to see *that*?) and maybe a kiss at the tiefling party if you choose the one very particular dialogue tree that leads to it. (Honestly, why do you start that by saying "surely you know why I came out here to find you" ?? It doesn't intuitively lead to a kiss in my mind. AND THEN you have to roll a persuasion check to convince him to kiss you?? WHAT?? WHY?)

I, as a Wyll fan, have an issue with the fact that he has so few scenes AND that most of them are of such low quality that they can barely be counted as his scenes at all. So stretching the numbers to include any scene in which Wyll is even present in the scene... It's just not good enough to combat the obvious lack of care that has gone into the writing of his character. Sorry if that seems ungrateful, or "hostile" 🙃

On to the issue of his autonomy: I don't know if OP just hasn't played with Gale, Karlach or Astarion in their party to the end. Karlach's autonomy is that if you kill Gortash without her in your party, she will get angry and leave. Gale can decide to keep the crown and become a god whether or not you want him to, even if you tell him you don't want him to. Although Astarion needs the player character's help to complete the ascension ritual, if you don't help him and can't convince him that foregoing ascension is the right thing to do, **he will leave your party with all the equipment and gear that he has on him**. I don't know what he says if you complete the Cazador quest without him in your party but I can assume there will be some furious words and he will possibly leave. Why? Because his writers have given him enough personality and agency that I pretty much can guess how he would react to any situation. They are all clearly able to show their own wants or needs regarding their own personal storyline.

Wyll, on the other hand, apparently has no wants or needs. If you go to the Iron Throne and let his dad die, he is fine (i.e. he wont leave the party and there will be no actual consequences). If you choose to reject Mizoras' contract and condemn his father to death, he is fine. If you choose to damn him to an eternity of serving Mizora in return for his father's life, he is fine. The only circumstance in which he will leave the party is if you go the evil route and kill all the tieflings in Act one. Regarding his own personal storyline though? Tav makes all his decisions without discussing it with him and he apparently has no problem with that. There is no option to say "hey man, I've only known you for a couple weeks. Maybe you should decide how your life and future will play out?"

Again. It's an issue of both quality AND quantity.

Finally, the issue with the "Ansur quest" being moved from Wylls main storyline to a side quest is symbolic of the rest of the issues we have with Wyll content. Many of Wyll's quests could be moved to the "main quest" or "side quest" subheadings without affecting the game at all. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT. The companion quests should be PERSONAL to the COMPANIONS. The fact that THE ANSUR QUEST ABOUT THE EMPEROR was the CULMINATION of Wyll's PERSONAL QUEST was a travesty. The developers would not have been able to easily move any other companion's ENDING TO THEIR PERSONAL QUEST to a side mission without having any impact on the game because there was care an thought put into the other companions' personal quests that wasn't put into Wyll's personal quest. I'm hoping that they're gearing up to give Wyll an actual ending to his personal quest and that's why they've changed that quest to a side mission. HOWEVER, it has been months since the "full release" of the game. There have been 6 patches and 19 hotfixes and there have been no material improvements to Wyll's content and characterisation. The hope is getting spread thin.

Honestly, I feel that people who are only willing to point out the "hostility" of fans who noticed a discrepancy between the quality and quantity of content devoted to a black character and feel "scared" to interact with the fans of said black character should stay in their own fandom spaces where they feel safe. No one is asking for a saviour from the fandom who feels uncomfortable owning up to their own racism and anti-blackness (hint: we live in a world that was colonised by white supremacists hundreds of years ago. We ALL have racism and anti-blackness to unpack). No one is asking fans to interact with Wyll when they don't want to. No one is asking the fans to stop being racist. We're asking the *developers and writers* to stop being racist. To listen to black voices if they feel the need to throw a black character into their game which is mostly marketed to straight white men. And give Wyll the content he deserves.

[poetry-protest-pornography]

There's been a lot of "this character is so selfish" (mostly about Ray, but I already tried about that), and like. That's the point.

They're all selfish in their own way.

They're 22, they're all financially comfortable, they're emotionally illiterate.

Cheum and Mew have cast themselves as superior to the rest of their friends, and treat them all accordingly.

Cheum sees herself as a good friend, as a caretaker, as the one with their shit together; the rest of them are useless fuck ups. She can't even not complain about April-- who is basically perfect, because April wants validation for her movies, and Cheum doesn't get them, so she's annoyed at having to watch. She's constantly talking shit about her friends.

Mew thinks his not chasing sex and relationships makes him superior to his friends. He introduced them all in unflattering ways, while holding himself above them. He doesn't really see them as people, they're characters in his life, and that means he can't see them for who they are. And all this is before his revenge fantasy kicked off and he actively manipulated and used Ray.

Ray's addiction makes him selfish. He wants to be loved so he goes where he thinks he'll get it, even if it's not good for him. When you spend so much of your time trying to numb yourself, it's hard to see anything beyond that. He's still generous with his care and his money, but he doesn't share a lot of himself with most people in his life.

Sand let his need for revenge on Top drive him to do something that he knew would hurt Ray, and used Ray's feelings against him to do it. He lied to Nick and went through his phone.

Boston can't see much beyond his dick, and where his next orgasm is coming from, and even though he isn't particularly fond of anyone in his friend group, he plays the part while purposely doing things to hurt and work against them. He uses Nick's feelings to string him along so he has someone who will provide all the trappings of a relationship without having to commit to someone.

Nick went through Boston's phone multiple times, including before they knew each other for jerk off material. He was so focused on getting Boston to be his that he recorded him and Top, and then told Sand about it, which led to that whole confrontation -- Nick knew about Sand and Ray, and about Ray knowing Boston and Mew at this point, he had to know that that wasn't staying secret. Also, I think it's possible-to-likely that Nick is at least subconsciously manipulating Boston into moving his commitment line every time Nick mentions he might start seeing other people (a friend read this theory and I'm obsessed with it, going to rewatch with this in mind. If you're op of this idea, please lmk!)

Top... Top let petty jealousy over something that Boston-- who he doesn't trust -- told him happened convince him that having sex with Boston again was fine. And then he lied about it, and he consistently used the same "I win you lose" type of language about Mew that Boston does. (I know Top feels bad now, but I don't think he really realized that he loved Mew until Mew dumped him)

They're all dicks in certain ways and circumstances. They're all selfish and self involved and messy.

That's the show, friends. None of your faves are unproblematic. They've all got something that makes them sympathetic to varying degrees, too, but this is about a group of messy bitches who are struggling to keep themselves together, and to hold onto what appear to be the only relationships any of them have without destroying each other (which means lying, or hiding, or ignoring important things).

This is literally just a group of college kids, y'all. And they're here to hurt our feelings and entertain us.

(And maybe let's especially stop calling out the addict with mental health issues for being irredeemable and bad, eh?)

[theflyindutchwoman]

Is this the same undercover thing you and Tim were discussing the other night? I already told you that kiss didn't mean anything. Right, right. It was for the case. Make out. Stop crime. That totally tracks. Go to school. Okay. Well, have a great day. With your boss. Who you kissed.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.01 - Double Down

Words cannot express how much I love this scene… I mean, what a way to start the episode - and the season! This serves as a perfect reminder of the seismic shift that happened in A Day in the Hole… and as an acknowledgement that this was more than a mere kiss, no matter how many times Tim and Lucy want to pretend otherwise. Their reactions made that very clear, be it right after their makeout or the morning after. And Lucy's dream emphasises this again, as it takes place a few days later. They're still affected. They're still reeling. Although, technically, this isn't the first time Tim appears in her dreams… Back when she was a rookie and fell asleep on their night shift, he was already present in her mind, in his full sarcastic and sassy glory. Even her dreams showcases the growth of their relationship...

But the way she is smiling in her sleep… So much for this being just a kiss! She is absolutely enjoying replaying that moment. With her boss. Not her boyfriend. And what makes this even better, is that this isn't the same footage. It's the same angle, same ambiance and all… But this is a steamier version. One where Tim is being more assertive and emboldened. Her dream is so telling… It does get interrupted in the same manner than their kiss. Tamara is nothing if not consistent. Lucy being so flustered, caught off-balance, looking a bit guilty proves how far gone she is.

Thankfully for Lucy, Tamara doesn't bring that up yet, giving her some time to recover. This part of this scene tends to be overlooked with everything that goes on, but that Tamara wants to be there for Lucy is so touching. She did something similar for her for the prep trial. She tries to act casual, giving her some options on how they could spend the day together… Just so she wouldn't have to think about it or be by herself on this day. Something that is incredibly thoughtful because Lucy wouldn't necessarily confide in her, to avoid burdening her. I like that she has a support system… Better yet, that this system is one she created herself. This is exactly what she would do without question if their roles were reversed. These two have such a deep connection and love for each other, it's really heartwarming.

But the teasing is never far with them… And Tamara can't help herself the second Lucy mentions her undercover op. She is having too much fun at her expense… And honestly, who can blame her? 'I already told you that kiss didn't mean anything'… Says the woman who was replaying that kiss in 4k full HD in her dream a minute ago… Who's the lying liar who lies now?! But it's the fact that apparently Tamara brought that kiss up before that sends me… The way Lucy says 'I already told you' makes me think that they've had this conversation several times in the past few days. And not just after Tam got home that night. Her shit eating grin says it all… 'Make out. Stop crime'. So iconic. Once upon a time, Tim told Lucy that 'cop eyes stop crime'… Talk about a different approach.

'Have a great day. With your boss. Who you kissed'. I could quote this whole exchange, this is so hilarious. And I like that it shows how comfortable Tamara and Lucy are with each other. That they are family. Who teases mercilessly each other. For kissing their boss… Who has to deal with something quite similar...

[humanaaa]

I AM GONNA TALK ABOUT MY BRAZILIANS ISEKAI AU

All the brazilians are murdered, and they are isekai'd!

Cellbit: follows the "you get isekai'd and go to a fantasy world as yourself trope"! He wakes up in the fae kingdom, some chaotic faes put him in jail as a prank, and he is saved by the "chef" of the royal castle, Roier. Roier definitely isnt the fae price pretending to be the chef. Roier really wants to run away from the kingdom, especially as the whole kingdom is under lock down! No faes can get in and no faes can get out! It sucks.Roier also wishes he could see his son again, as he thinks Jaiden found him after Bobby was kidnapped.

When they do run away they make a living of travelling the whole world, selling food and searching for Bobby and Jaiden, it's nice.

Bagi: following the "reborn as a random npc that was supposed to die" trope, she wakes up drowning in a river and discovers she is a noblewoman from the demon kingdom. She pretends her almost death made her lose her memories, and for that she is forced to work in the demon king castle, who says they will help her to get her memories back (lying). She ends up meeting Iron Mouse, who tell her she is the actual Queen of the Demons, but her crown was stolen! Bagi and Mouse start ploting so Mouse can become queen again.

Later, they get help from Tina, a woman who also works in the castle, making tea, but she really wants to be a fashion designer! But the clothes the workers use wear so fucking ugly and she will kill the Demon King with her own hands for forcing her to wear that.

Pac: vaguely following the "Villain Are Destined to Die" plot idea. He is reborn as the villain of the story, wakes up in the pirate kingdom and is saved by a janitor called Fit. When he wakes up, he can't talk: a bunch of options appear on his vision, each saying a different thing for him to do/talk and he must select one of them so he can do something. Later, he discovers he can disable it, and that he and Mike are linked now, and they both banter while Mike tries to find him.

He also sees a heart above everyone's head, showing a percentage, he believes it's how much they like him, this surely wont bring any problems!

Mike: following the "reborn as an animal trope"! He wakes up as a magma cube (and also meets Slime here, they are brothers: were made by the same lab), and can hear Pac's thoughts, they discover they can talk to each other with their minds, and Mike goes through a journey so he can find him. He accidentally meets the Godness of Creation and becames a half human - half magma cube!

Forever: follows the "reborn the Hero of the story" trope! He wakes up and is forced to go to the Island Where Dragons Live, because, apparently, "a dragon is the one bringing all the problems of this world, and the hero must slay it". But. Forever doesnt want to kill a dragon what the fuck.

While trying to find a way out of the island, he finds an dragon egg, who hatches while he was holding it, he names the dragon baby Richarlyson, and he is a father now! But the dragons know he is the hero who is supposed to kill them, now he needs to figure out how dragons work so he can raise his child, find a way out and try to not get killed, fun!

Felps: Following the "Preferential Treatment for The Possessed Person" plot line, he wakes up, he can talk to the god who created this world and the voices who are watching it (you guys :D), he has whole skill thing he can upgrade with money! He can read the story! He can get very op items! But he is mostly making a square, and having fun, the world is supposed to end soon he knows that but, where is the fun in being overpowered :( He also acidentally creates a religion out of himself, oops!

Bonus:

Jaiden:

Following the "reborn as a bird plotline"! If i had a nickel for everytime i read a reincarnation story where the mc is reborn as a bird i would've 4 nickels, what isnt a lot but its curious it happened 4 times. Anyways, she first woke up in the fae kingdom, she and Roier adopt a dragon kid! They name him Bobby, until he was kidnapped one day, she went after him, and the lockdown happened so Roier couldnt leave. She is working with the federation, who says they will help to her to find Bobby!

The last time Roier heard of Jaiden was when he got a letter from her saying he didnt need to search for them because she found Bobby. But she never wrote this letter. Weird! right?

[jelzorz]

163c.

a and b

It's quiet in the castle when they're out. Opeli had thought she was used to it, and there was a time, not so long ago, that she'd welcomed the peace. It's not to say she didn't enjoy their company—they were younger in those days, louder and more boisterous, and she was a stick in the mud to begin with, let alone a stick in the mud with frequent migraines.

They're all grown now, and these days, they are her friends, not her wards. Ezran can rule without her guidance, and Callum and Rayla are married, and Soren is a fine Captain of the Crownguard, and a better friend to her than she will admit. They go where they're needed, when they're needed, and Opeli stays to hold the fort as she's always done, managing their correspondence with the other kingdoms and praying for their safe return.

She still worries though. It's a difficult habit to shakw. It was part of her job to worry over them for so long that it's second nature now, and they're only in Duren, where the road is familiar and wide and well traveled, and they are a knight, an ex-assassin, an archmage, and a king who can talk to animals, but still, Opeli frets, and moreso than usual. Three times now, she has caught herself watching the northern horizon, hoping to see their horses on the road into to town, and three times, she has had to go to Barius for tea to help shake the anxiety gnawing at her bones.

"You worried less when they were younger," points out Barius, sliding a plate of jelly tarts across the table to her as well. Her tea is still steeping and Opeli drums her fingers on her tea cup, eyes drifting to the empty seat beside her and thinking of early morning conversations in the near dark. "You know they're fine."

"Yes," says Opeli levelly. "But be fair, Barius, they went to help Queen Aanya with a recent attempt on her life, you cannot blame me for being concerned."

"There's a difference being concerned and being neurotic," drawls Barius, taking the seat across from her. "This is the third time this week you've asked me to brew Claudia's calming tea for you. Should you perhaps see someone about your concerns?"

"Who is there to see? I am usually the one people come to to discuss their troubles."

"Yes, and one of the things I've heard you say many a time is to know when it's time to seek further help."

Opeli snorts into a jelly tart. "You of all people should know I am terrible at taking my own advice."

"I do know that," chuckles Barius. He studies her for a moment, and too late Opeli realises she's staring at the empty seat beside her again. Her eyes flit away, but not quickly enough for Barius to misunderstand. He waits until she sips at her tea and pours his own, eyes far too knowing to be comfortable. "Is this because of the last assassination attempt?"

Opeli tries not to wince. The last assassination attempt, though taken care of quickly and discreetly, was not without injury on their side. Opeli can still feel blood on her hands sometimes, warm and sticky and too red against the white of her hood. They never even came near Ezran, but it was Soren who took the brunt of the damage, and her fingerprints are still marked on her copy of Iustita in his blood. "No," she says stubbornly, which is only half a lie.

Barius raises an eyebrow at her. "I meant no disrespect, High Cleric," he says. "The Captain was fine, after all, but I can see how the early mornings can feel lonely without him."

Opeli almost spills her tea. She makes a face at him, scandalised, affronted, but her mouth goes dry at the mention of him and she's too caught off guard to deny it. "I—what—I did not say—"

"This is my kitchen, Opeli," says Barius drily. "There are two cups left here most mornings, and who it's for is a relatively easy process of elimination. We've known each other long enough now that I'd hope you can be honest with me about these things."

Opeli feels warmth flood her cheeks, because the way Barius looks at her over his tea is too knowing, and there's no lying her away around this. "You can't say anything," she says sharply.

"What would I say?" asks Barius. "Who would I tell? My loyalty is to the crown and royal family."

"That is not comforting, neither of us are the crown."

"But you are both the royal family," he points out. "No one would argue that. In a few years, you may be formally."

She shuts her mouth, her face warm and not because of the steam rising from the lip of her teacup. "You're not..." She trails off, unsure how to finish the sentence, but Barius eyes her seriously over his cup, and for the first time, Opeli knows what it's like to be on the other side of her stare.

"It's your business," he says, "but you're still my friend, Opeli. Whatever is going on between you both... it has consequences for you. I don't doubt the Captain's intentions but you still have vows to uphold."

Opeli looks away. She's broken them already, and Barius does not ask, but she knows he knows that too.

"Are you happy?"

Opeli blinks then, caught off guard again for the second time in the same conversation. Barius reminds her of her father sometimes, and she'd thought he would disapprove or reprimand her for being involved in something so scandalous. But there is only concern there; genuine concern, and hope for her and for something even she doubts she can really have.

"Yes," she says quietly. "More than I thought I would be."

He chuckles and reaches across the table to pat her hand. "I'm glad for that at least."

[ifreakforicecream]

COD MODERN WAREFARE 3 Predictions

Disclaimer: I have never played the games I am just doing this for my own enjoyment (I don’t have 70$ lying around) I am going off of cutscenes, the wiki and other people’s head cannons. I kind of wanna see how this list plays out once the new missions come. (This barbie has to draft 30 sheets of site analysis for a presentation but is doing this instead) I will probably update this with coloured text as it goes

also, lmao mw3 getting revealed by monster energy drinks has the same energy as the previous installments being revealed by Dorito Chips or when hero movies get early reveals from toy/action figure patents.

Graves does come back but only as an operator for the multiplayer games. Conversely, He could be an illegal arms dealer but in hiding (think MacAfee before they found him). Shepherd has a higher chance of going in that direction in my books. Update: he comes back completely unscathed and going by the new trailer he's siding with Farah and Alex? oooo this gonna get messy (28/7/23).

Price, Laswell, or Gaz dies. Sort of a riff off from the originals I’m guessing the writers are trying to find some form of subversion but this is where it's at (oof)

Farah or Alex dies and neither of them finishes what they started. My money is on Farah tbf.

Gaz dying makes sense in the way that he started with wanting to do right by people when he first met and would probably die that way too. or this being a red herring price jumps in for him and dies and then takes his place which seals his fate as the MC of this installment.

Laswell goes out of the way of aiding a mission when she was expected/advised not to.

Laswell gets a protégé that will replace her in a much later installment. It has a shot at being Gaz man just collects good intel.

more female ops? I like to think COD writes them pretty damn well. (at this point my standards are must pass the Bechdel test. which is not a bad benchmark considering its flaws but not great either)(this is also where I found out the first installment of Twilight passes the Bechdel test. go figure)

Gaz replaces Laswell and Ghost takes Price’s place.

Price dies while killing Makarov. or we get him smoking a cigar as he is introed making it a full-circle moment once more.

Ghost trades bullets with shepherd but only shepherd dies. Many have said the reboot plays it safe so I am going off of that assumption here slightly but ik a lot of og gamers of the previous titles would find that satisfying.

In the wiki, it states that the shadow company is disavowed but that might change. I didn’t check the established title (Like if it was private or public) of such a company but there might be a line of succession here. for what they have in assets it seems too big to be disavowed.

we get a partial face reveal of the ghost. It could be something mundane as smoking or a teasing jump cut. it’s just like barely there.

everyone gets promoted: It happened after the mission in the ghost's origin story. It’s a hefty mission they just survived. I would be surprised if they didn’t. with shepherd gone this swings either way. or gets buried under the rug as it is a mission hidden from the public.

Roach gets in the picture. he also wins the IDGAF wars or is second to Price in that regard.

regional operators? They were all over the place in past titles and with las almas this seems the least farfetched. (hoping for some Indian or Nepalis operators woo)

someone from 141 or affiliated gets kidnapped or “killed” but it’s that “lucky death” situation that COD likes to pull like it did with Alex. This happens towards the end or at a start of a mission season.’

Shepherd is the actual villain and they kill off Makarov pretty quick as a subversion of the original title. Again moot, if you consider the potential monster energy leak his face is in red behind price.

price dies, Gaz finishes the job.

this is more of an anti-prediction: the price isn’t gonna be the main character but the most prominent. (also going by the monster leak) ghost was the last game’s MC I don’t think they were married to his POV all that much even though it played a huge role.

ghost dies, and Soap finishes the job. “you wanna be better than me Johnny” or Johnny dies saving Ghost in the final moment.

Makarov operates the no Russian mission remotely and he acts as a clean nationalistic politician, making him more dangerous and will cause international trouble when apprehending him. (a lot of opposing politicians or figures “fall out of windows” in the process.

The ghost team carries over to Russian soil.

141 gets bigger and possibly with pre-existing operators within the game.

shepherd gets murdered by a more evil boi/girl

ghost’s tattoo design has a canonical refresh/update. The grey fleece jacket comes back.

Soap recovers while Ghost hunts for Shepherd solo. (this happens right after the final mission or the bar scene)

Every now and then a COD title comes out with a new game mechanic or a way to play. In this installment, I am predicting laser sights for night missions.

Heavier lean on digital/informational warfare.

we don’t get much about ghosts. RalphsValve said there might be a spinoff personally I don’t this will ever happen but it’s a tossup considering the original investor report saying mobile makes 40% of revenue but the Microsoft acquisition may change things ( also wonder where product collaborations are at on that investor report probably not that sizable but still worth a look). Conversely, he’s ghostie has become a character favorite and the market landscape has changed drastically in the last 10-20 years and he already has source material. BTW I read that Origin comic That poor fucker can’t catch a break. Brother looked so red-eyed when he hit the tarmac when he met Soap.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 7 Passion

(Spoilers below)

-Alya is sus of this Marinette suddenly simping over chat noir

-Marinette explains the logic (but it’s ACTUALLY THIRST)

-“Uh, he’s in love with ladybug…” “Same thing” “But he doesn’t know that and you can’t tell”

-Alya tired of this lol. Give this girl a medal

-Okay so I’m gonna say this, Alya is a good friend, I would not be coherent and hearing out my friend before 8 am.

- And she left with her PJ’s (I enjoy this Alyanette)

-GOOD GRAVY THE THIRST ON THESE TEENS!

-Adrien waking up thinking about Marinette.

- Adrien really having a simp morning routine is beautiful

-Plagg really like “Stop this simping” but it ain’t working

-okay who the f*** is this white tampon? Talking like he is cooking Adrien breakfast on the daily?

-Nathalie is worried.

-Nathalie calling Gabriel out on not knowing his son, yet Gabriel acting all chummy. It’s so weird!

-Nathalie really just full of fire today and I love it.

-Adrien too busy simping Marinette to notice.

-Adrien sees the ring and thinks they are a couple.

-Nathalie is like every Adrien stan on this site “I’m only doing this for Adrien”

-I just realized, Adrien thinks he is starting to have a family. Baby boy

-And ARM BAR!

POG

- Nathalie giving Gabe that verbal ass whooping was beautiful. But then Gabe shows he got cataclysmed and was dying.

-damn that’s some emotional blackmail. Well played tampon man.

-“I should get Marinette a ring!” “You gonna propose?” The funny thing is… if this was like a season ago. He could have done that and she would have said yes.

- “poems are for cheese” Plagg is best character

-There is 0 straight answer for Nathalie saying Emilie’s name

-“My dear Nathalie “ Emile says it better

-Adrien my sweet sunshine. You are precious and just reinforcing why Nathalie is going to commit war crimes

-Wait was Nathalie Indiana Jones with Gabriel!?

- Oh! I get it now. Nathalie and Gabriel were both in love with Emilie

-So Nathalie is basically saying I will get akumatized to deliver the promise (both Gabe and Nathalie lying to the other. Good stuff)

-Welp, Marinette still isn’t over Adrien. She still mumbles and fumbles. So good news there. It’s not a reversal.

-And Adrien goes from simping to sad thinking about what’s going on with Nathalie.

-Marinette being a good person

-and from sad to simping again. Adrien has two emotions XD

-And Marinette really be like “No one told me what to do once sempai noticed me!”

-Plagg suddenly cares that s*** is going wrong? I’m sus of this. (Plagg meeting Tikki to talk is cute tho)

-Tikki really be like “don’t worry my holder is a mess”

-Damn Tikki! She really letting Marinette out to dry like that!

-Ooo her akuma name is safari! And she is going to use her old outfit.

-okay THAT WAS A COOL ASS AKUMATIZATION

-Also Safari is a baddie

-OH NO! She has the Goat! She can make all her gear!

-SIX POWERS!!? WTF OP!!!

-oh damn, the hunt is on!!!

-Chloe is hilarious.

-Marinette, Your simping is showing

-OOOOH Now I get it

-LADYBUG NO! Your simping will doom us all!

-Ohh stun darts. That’s not good.

-Looks like chat noir is gonna carry today

-“This is harassment!” Him dodging arrows

-Chat noir earning MVP today!

-the dart hits the statues butt! Chat noir figured out what it does!

-OHHH THE ARROW HAD VENOM!

-Okay so Genesis, venom, Fetch, and Mirage. What are the other two powers?

-Plagg pointing out what happened and telling Adrien he loves him

-Marinette scared she lost her miraculous but Chatnoir explaining the situation AND the plan WHICH MEANS!!!!

-Kwami swap (but will it erase my hatred of Reflekdoll?)

-wait… Is Adrien really thinking about the wish!? Oh damn!!!

-Marinette explaining how the wish would basically do an equivalent exchange, meaning IT WOULD just alter it not fix.

-Damn that sucks

- NOW THE KWAMI SWAP!

-Ladynoire more like Ladysimp!

-“Don’t flatten my partner’s Gorgeous face!”

-Safari got a whip, now watch her Nae Nae… I will see myself out

-“My suit has a weird influence on you!” XD

-Safari just Made Monarch shut up. MAX LEVEL

-MISTERBUG lucky charm!

-Did… Adrien figure out the lucky charm by himself? Hold on,

- Ladynoire can’t control her simping.

-THIS IS WHAT I WANTED FROM A KWAMI SWAP! THIS RIGHT HERE

-This was a battle of thirst and Marinette wins easy

- MISTERBUG being adorable

-MARINETTE CONTROL YOUR THIRST (she just Rawred)

-I can feel the physical manifestation of the facepalm

-Nathalie is there only one I trust with Adrien as his guardian (and Gorilla)

__________________________________________

I now dub this the Anti-Reflekdoll episode.

It is everything I wanted and more.

I do wish they didn’t try to make Gabriel sympathetic. But I loved the episode

Nathalie being an absolute best character

The kwami swap done right

THE SIMPING

Beautiful

9.5/10

[pollylynn]

Title: . . . Too Much, Methinks WC: 950

“I am the grown-up here” —Richard Castle, Fool Me Once (2 x 04)

He does not care what people think. She’s had that right since back in the spring when Storm Fall came out, and he would like the record to reflect the fact that he was not in a comforter fort with a bottle of scotch. She nailed it back then  when the two of them hardly knew one another: He doesn’t care what people think. 

He only asked her what she thought about the book in the first place because he doesn’t want to get in trouble again. Because, apparently, he was just supposed to know that this woman—who has probably entertained the idea of hiring a skywriter to let the world know that she is not at all interested in a book based on her—was interested in the book he happens to have written, based on her. So that’s it. His coffee-fetching routine, his eager-beaver, So, what did you think, Detective Beckett? Oh, please, Detective Beckett, scatter some crumbs of praise so that I don’t starve for want of it, Detective Beckett persona is nothing more than covering his ass so he doesn’t get yelled at again. He doesn’t care what she—or anyone else—thinks. 

Of course it’s nice that Cosmo Amy liked it. It’s even nicer that she actually seems to have read it and liked it. He’s been at this a long time. It’s child’s play to spot a skim job, but the piece goes beyond the obvious pull quotes and has genuinely positive things to say about the plot, about Nikki—especially about Nikki—and it’s nice enough. Not that he cares. 

If he were the kind of person who did care what people think, he would probably be flattered by Agent Gray’s assessment of the book as terrific and the sex scene is steamy. He doesn’t actually need anyone to tell him what he already knows—and steamy doesn’t really begin to cover it—but if he did, he could do worse than to have a back cover quote, albeit an anonymous one, in the good Agent’s own words. 

So, in short, he doesn’t care what she thinks of the book. He doesn’t care if she even reads it—if she did or did not have a mystery date with his deathless prose. Because he doesn’t care what people think. 

Except she’s carrying it around with her. She is ostentatiously carrying it around in a shoulder bag that is easily twice the size of any other purse he’s ever seen her carry, just so she can not read it? He thinks not. He, in fact, knows not, because he has taken his life into his hands and while she was on one of her lightning-fast trips to the ladies room, he has prodded at her positively Brobdingnagian bag and he has confirmed that there is a bookmark tucked between the pages of the oversized proof, and that bookmark is very fancy indeed. 

So, would a woman who is not reading the book she insisted she should have had the option to read before literally anyone else risk her neck and shoulder health and deploy a very fancy bookmark just to mess with him? She might. It might all be part of her button-pushing agenda, which would be sad for her, because he has no buttons to push. That is, like, the second thing on the Richard Castle Fact Sheet, right below Does Not Care What People Think. 

She can read it or not read it. She can keep her thoughts to herself or mount a flash mob in the bullpen to express her thoughts on the book if she does read it. His non-existent buttons will remain un-pushed. His completely zen lack of interest in what people think will remain intact. 

But he is one hundred percent placing her under surveillance. It’s the principle of the thing. It’s his . . . narrative duty to determine which of the dozens of potential book-related cons is the real con. What kind of storyteller would he be if he let Act V end without a reveal—without some closure for the audience? 

It’s not a complicated op. He hasn’t even bothered to call the elevator and double-back up the stairs. He’s just lying in wait around a not particularly shadowy corner, and she is up and running in seconds, shoulder bag bouncing painfully agains her ribs as she darts across the bullpen, down the dim and disused hallway that leads to the bathroom no one ever uses because it’s like some weird elementary school throwback, and any way, the cleaning staff has taken it over for storage. 

He hardly has to bother to keep his distance or try to make his footsteps match hers so that she doesn’t hear the echo and suddenly swing around, potentially taking his head off with the damned bag. She is a woman on a mission, and it has dulled her usually keen senses. 

He doesn’t even bother to be quiet by the time he makes his way into the stall next to the one she’s chosen. He simply hops nimbly on to the seat and revels in how completely he’s caught her. It’s an utterly triumphant moment. He’s impressed with how suave his voice sounds as he directs her to page 105. He’s deliciously satisfied with his own perfect exit. 

For two full seconds he’s deliciously satisfied, then it all whooshes out of him. 

He didn’t ask what she thinks of it. The fancy bookmark is a good part of the way through. She has to have formed an opinion by now, and even though he doesn’t care, he just would like to know what she thinks. 

He’d just like to know. 

A/N: So . . . yeah, this is basically the same idea as the last installment ("Doth Protest"), but it was the idea that drew Brain Poneh's attention. And you know how Brain Poneh is. And it was almost all melancholy about how the book is out and their relationship is about to be over and then it (thankfully) wasn't all melancholy.

image via homeofthenutty

[thedawningofthehour]

Hey...

I've been thinking about this for a while, but how do you feel that your war in the fic will sync up with the one in real life? I'm not trying to be funny or anything, but it's still interesting.... To say the least. It's just that it's been over a week now, and it's hard... I remember at the beginning of all this I got into a very stressful fight with one of my super religious aunts, I was raised catholic, made my first communion and everything, but yeah, it was a mess. It doesn't help that my family is prone to go by what the media says.

(I still can't get over that time when my mom told me that popcorn caused cancer because she saw it on a facebook post or something).

I talked a bit more about my religious background in a Castlevania post I reblogged not too long ago.

This current big conflict does not affect me directly, my country has nothing to do with it the closest we came to this conflict was a long time ago when our former president cursed Israel on public television.

But it is still hard, to see all those images, glimpses of those videos, all those news and people justifying and lying shamelessly about it and not being able to do anything, but express an opinion on the internet and hope someone will see it, and on top of that not even being able to talk to your family about it because it would be a disaster again.

We are at the end of 2023 and everything sucks.

I've been kind of avoiding talking about or even reblogging stuff on my main about the Israel-Palestine conflict because it's just...it's so much. Everything is terrible everywhere in the world and I am exhausted. I dislike the notion that everyone needs to 'speak out' about every travesty that goes on, I find it very performative and ultimately unhelpful and even distracting at times, especially considering most people do not have the knowledge or tact to address something like this, even as a performative gesture.

Like, I've read a lot, and I do remember having a unit on Israel-Palestine back in high school, but that would have been 2010-2011. And it was one unit, in a high school level social studies class. I am not nearly informed enough to talk about it with the tact it deserves or say anything about it that hasn't been said already. It's difficult to even get into because so much is Zionist bullshit or anti-Semitic propaganda-though the racists have seems to dispose of the anti-Semitism in favor of Islamophobia for now. (I mean, not surprising, they also buddy up with Muslims when it comes to oppressing gays and pretend to be friends with gay people when it comes to trans people) It's just...a lot. And it hurts.

I obviously did not plan for there to be a real-life war with honestly sort of unnerving parallels to Draxum's war-I just had very, very poor timing. Same thing when I was writing my Dishonored fic and COVID happened. I mean, the Ukraine war was also going on when I started this fic, but that still felt very different and by that point we were all feeling very hopeful about Ukraine. Part of me feels like it's disrespectful to even talk about this stuff in relation to my shitty fanfiction. But at the same time I still cite other conflicts and genocides and all sorts of horrible shit in my world-building, and those people had names too.

I don't plan to sync anything up specifically with current conflicts. Some parts are going to feel relatable considering what's going on now, because this conflict really doesn't teach us anything new about war. The horror, complexity, and ultimately futility of war is a major theme in my work, and I strive to portray it with the weight it deserves. War is awful. People die. They die horrifically, they die quietly, they die unheroic and undeserving deaths. They die needlessly and they die inside even if their body survives. War has always been the same. It is suffering and death and filth. I will not co-op what's happening in Palestine to talk about my fanfiction. But if aspects of my story makes you relate to what's happening over there, I'll consider that a mark that I've done my job right. Ideally, that's what fiction should strive to do.

[saralayne]

If You Hurt, I Hurt 🩵💜

It’s the DOD Anniversary. Tim comes home from work and comforts his girl.

It was another late night for Tim at work. A op with Metro had come up AGAIN. This was a reoccurring theme. He loved his new position. Loved the action. It’s everything he ever wanted, professionally. As great as it was, it limited his time with Lucy. Many cancelled date nights. Quietly, coming home to Lucy very late into the night. Lucy understood, she knew this was going to be their reality when she motioned for the five player trade to open up a spot. Never once did she ever hold it against him. Always leaving him dinner leftovers. Lucy only felt happy knowing he would always be coming home to her. No matter what time and what plans needed to be cancelled. They still lived in separate places. That was just a formality as they spent most nights together, rarely apart. Both had keys to one another’s places. Still, tonight Tim really wanted to have normal hours. It was the DOD anniversary for Lucy. It was always hard for her. No matter how many years have passed. She was thriving and had moved forward. The reality was it would always be on her mind when this day in December came around every year. Tim just wanted to hold her. Now, Lucy was not just his co worker, not just his friend. She was his girlfriend. Love of his life. He just wanted to be on the couch, watching one of her mindless guilty pleasure shows and showing her that not only he loved her more than life itself, more importantly she would always be safe in his arms. It was 11:30PM when he returned to the station. Tim pulled out his phone. Usually, he would have a couple texts from Lucy. Their short form, witty banter texts she would send while he was stuck at work late. Tonight, there was nothing. As he found their texting thread.

“Hey babe. I’m so sorry I’m so late. I’m leaving now. Love you”

Nothing.

Tim had a bad feeling. Even asleep, Lucy would keep her phone on and respond. Even with a emoji, Tim didn’t understand. Lucy had her own love language for Tim. Tim raced to her apartment. Probably breaking many traffic laws. Walking through the door. Lucy was laying in bed, wide awake. Lights on.

“Baby. Your awake? Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Lucy. Talk to me”

“Tim. Hi. When do you come in?”

“A few minutes ago. Are you OK?”

“Ye-Yeah. I’m fine”

“Lucy. I thought, we weren’t going to lie to each other, remember?”

“I’m not. Lying that is. I’m fine”

“Lucy, come on. Stop”

Tears falling from Lucy’s eyes down her beautiful olive skin.

“I should be fine. This damn day shouldn’t haunt me anymore. I did the therapy. I moved on. I survived. My life is so wonderful. A job I’m thriving at. Friends. And the greatest man in the world, a man who I love with my whole heart. Caleb or Rosalyn, can’t hurt me anymore”

“Oh, Baby. Come here”

Tim wrapping his arms tightly around her.

“Luc, listen to me. You are so strong and brave. This day might always cast a shadow. You have healed but that doesn’t take away what you went through, more importantly what you survived. And more than that, you have someone that loves you more than life itself, who will ALWAYS comfort you. Not just on this day but everyday for eternity”

“Tim, thank you so much for being my safe space and loving me unconditionally. Even on the hard days”

“Baby. If you hurt, I hurt”

“That’s how this goes for the rest of our lives”

[sinelanguage]

Oooooooo tell me about perception/deception!!!

here's the current summary!!

Five lies Vivi tells to infiltrate Baroque Works, and one truth she admits after.

it's one piece gen fic lol, where I've been for the past few weeks.

But, for the rough summary and context: there's a character in OP, Vivi, who goes under cover in a criminal organization from ages 14-16 (!!!), and when she leaves a couple of others leave to defend her (!!!!) BUT also has a couple of gags where she's comically bad at lying. which, the dichotomy!!

so the idea is to play with that a bit; she's good enough at deception to do her job, but people on occasion turn a blind eye to their own intuitions on the situations because they're won over by her conviction/diplomacy/force of will.

haven't really started it because I'm trying to figure out a solid idea for the +1, a lot of my fic recently I've dropped the metaphorical ball at the conclusion angle so I'd like to... know what I'm getting into. lmao.

the other reason I haven't started is: writing gen fic is sad sometimes for the terrible side of my brain that seeks validation. simply cannot go through a fic without comments again this month

[menalez]

I’ve known many gay men who would grope women in gay bars (cause they’re gay so they get away with it easier and they think they’re being funny and outrageous or whatever), like grabbing women’s breasts and asses and sexualising them. And nobody ever ever questions the fact that they are gay. Nobody goes “you’re not repulsed by touching women sexually so you must be straight or bi”. Funnily enough it’s only lesbians who get this level of scrutiny for having failed and miserable relationships with men.

This shit annoys me cause on the one hand that post is like “I NEVER see people saying it’s ok to be repulsed by men!” and I appreciate that you and the OP have different experiences from me. But all I see in real life (and online) is lesbians being pressured from all sides that if they’re not absolutely horrified and vocally disgusted by men they mustn’t be real lesbians and they’re just lying and are actually open to dating men. Especially on radblr of all places!!! Other people having an opinion on who is or isn’t a real lesbian is so ridiculously common. The whole “shut up you’re not exactly like me so you’re actually bi” despite the woman being absolutely certain she only likes women. Like you’d think on here of all places we could give it a rest? Like just cause you were once miserable in a relationship with a man cause you didn’t know any better doesn’t mean you have softer boundaries than a lesbian who never was with a man, and therefore can be pushed into being with one again.

Lesbians shouldn’t have to shout from the rooftops about how much of a man-hater they are to get people to believe that they are real lesbians and they only want to be with women. There’s such a different standard for gay men. People actually take them at their word.

do u realise how absolutely out of touch it is that you’re comparing gay men groping women to having full on sex with someone. i feel indifferent to touching my male friend’s bicep bc it’s not me partaking in a sex act nor partaking in it with sexual intention. a man violating a woman’s boundaries is not somehow the same as the feelings someone has when having sex with the sex they’re not at all attracted to. even having sex with a person of the same sex that you don’t know enough can make it unpleasant and ur telling me having sex with someone you inherently wouldn’t want to have sex with due to ur sexual orientation is the same as violating someone’s boundaries when ur not attracted to them…

[themadauthorshatter]

Ball's rolling. There's nothing really stopping me!

SAVING THE FRIEND!

Part 2!

I know this would technically be part 1 because the first post was a background/establishing post, but I have my system, don't question it

To recap, we established in the first part that Henry has gotten evidence of the Toppat Clan's criminal activity, gotten the leader Reginald arrested, and was pardoned for his own crimes. HOWEVER, Henry still got thrown into The Wall, where he met Ellie, and the two escaped with Charles's help, the two being brought in to help stopping the orbital station from going to space.

That said, we're moving forward!

Heads-up for kidnapping, whump, and torture going forward in this. Things will get violent and unpleasant for Henry, and there will be a warning like this in parts that it happens.

We start off at a hotel that the trio is staying at for the night. While Charles has parked the helicopter somewhere near the military base, he isn't exactly going to sleep in the barracks with two criminals.

Where they sleep, Charles and Henry share a bed while Ellie sleeps alone, Charles admitting he's glad Henry got out fine because The Wall is an intense place and they don't treat their prisoners well. Henry states that no prison treats theirs prisoners well, but Charles says The Wall makes the prison Henry was in look like the hotel they are staying at.

Henry yields, saying he was planning to escape anyway and more or less wanted to get Ellie out because he felt bad, and because she's metal.

Charles asks if they can trust her and Henry is mostly sure, because he's in too deep now to question it.

Ellie abruptly tells them to shut up and let her sleep before she takes the room key and bolts. Charles apologizes, but Ellie doesn't blame him, saying she thought about whether or not she could trust them too.

The team goes to bed for realsies and Henry more or less lies awake, even though he's lying comfortably. He's got a bad feeling that's scratching at him, but it's one he's had before, so he's trying to ignore it.

It's still there in the morning when he, Charles, and Ellie go to the military base and meet with Galeforce, who's happy to see Charles is okay and happy to see Henry is here to help.

He does a little iffy seeing Ellie, who simply waves, and the two only say they ran into each other in the past due to an incident regarding a motorcycle gang.

He disregards it and gets to the meat of it:

The Toppats are preparing to get their rocket into orbit and they don't have long to prevent the launch, so they need to get their rears in gear.

The trio set out after a, "good luck," from Galeforce, and Ellie and Henry get earpieces so Charles can talk to them.

After this point, what happens is a lot like the Brovert Ops ending, only it's with Ellie and the closer they get to the pilot area in the rocket, the less problems they run into. That bad feeling Henry gets returns, and for good reason because he and Ellie are met with Right Hand Man as he stands beside Sven Svennson, revealing that he has cybernetic augmentaions and he is not playing around, not like last time.

He attacks Henry and the two more or less crash land outside, RHM more reveling in the fact that Henry just fell into his lap. Since Henry made it easy, RHM offers him one shot, and Henry immediately pulls a gun.

Too bad, because RHM knocks it out of his hand and knees Henry in the stomach, and it hurts a little more than usual because of the cybernetics.

It makes Henry drop to his knees, grasping his stomach and barely able to stand. That's fine because RHM kicks him while he's down, admitting that Henry isn't exactly much of a threat like everyone thought.

Henry, sore and trying to stay focused, struggles back to his feet, swinging and landing a good punch on RHM. It costs him because RHM hits back, splitting his lip and almost instantly knocking Henry out. He kicks Henry again for good measure.

We hear Burt Curtis via earpiece ask RHM if he's coming back, as they're fighting off some opposition, and RHM tells him he's boarding soon, and to get a cell ready for their new guest.

Outside, Ellie is forced to flee and make a daring jump out of the rocket and onto the helicopter, where a battered and kind of bruised Charles is waiting. Charles asks her if she's okay and asks her where Henry is.

They get their answer when RHM flies by, holding Henry over his shoulder and saying he'll see them later, though he does shoot at them as a warning to keep their distance before he loads onto the rocket.

Henry is barely conscious enough to see them before he's dragged away, RHM telling the toppats to make sure Henry is "comfortable" in his cell.

Charles and Ellie are speechless as they watch, Charles being ordered to fall back, Charles revealing that the Toppats got away and have Henry.