#this is one of the best things to come out of s9 i love it so much

[p0th]

whoever wrote this scene ily btw

[shepscapades]

looking through your docsuma tag.....love them. wish they had one more combined braincell so they could realize their feelings

HERE'S THE THING THOUGH OKAY the problem is actually that they're both too smart about their feelings. you've got me down a horrible rabbit hole okay let me do my best to explain without being a freak(reading this back over, i failed <3).

Xisuma takes longer to realize, first of all. He's got so much to deal with coming out of s8 and through the beginning of s9 that quite frankly he's really just grateful to have another friend he can count on and trust, and he's so consumed by getting the androids back in working order on top of his actual season 9 plans (on top of Cleo shoving self care down his throat and demanding that he make a better habit of taking breaks and taking care of himself, which takes a LONG time to adjust to, if it can be argued that he ever does) that he doesn't really realize he's developed feelings for Doc until his heart beats him over the head with it randomly one day. Probably sometime in S10. Even then, because of said busy-ness, I think Xisuma has a very hard time getting over the meta-ness of a creator developing feelings for his creation and the selfishness of that reality amidst all of his other responsibilities, and he is likely too scared/overwhelmed to entertain the thought of the feelings themselves, much less the likelihood of reciprocation or the fantasy of a relationship.

Doc, on the other hand, realizes he is developing feelings for Xisuma kind of steadily throughout the course of s9, since that's when they start spending so much more time together in the lab working on androids and improving android tech. As a general statement, Doc is very aware of himself, all of the time. His awareness of the self is very important to his sense of normalcy and control, so any time he experiences a new emotion, he notes it, logs it.

So, while he's very aware of the feelings he's developing as they happen, he doesn't quite put a name to it/realize what it actually is until he talks to Tango and Etho, funnily enough--It's definitely one of those moments where Tango or Etho or whomever are explaining their struggles with the physical manifestations of their... idk, lovesickness-- ie, thirium pump rate irregularities, temperature fluctuations, influxes of feelings they've described as a combination of longing, affection, want, happiness, yearning... and Doc, as the unbiased third party to put 2 and 2 together, explains to them that those are obvious signs of romantic attraction, only very belatedly realizing several hours later that those are the exact symptoms he hasn't quite been able to put a name to. Naturally he's exceptional about being quiet about this realization until he slips up during a maintenance check-in with Tango sometime after, who is not doing well in s9, and Tango (mid romance-ranting) catches the passing of a wistful expression on Doc's face and calls him out for "totally thinking about someone right now" (Teasing aside, tango promises to keep Doc's secret).

So, despite knowing well his feelings before X ever develops his own, Doc is actually very, very careful about them-- He knows more than anyone else how busy Xisuma is. He knows how stressed X is. He also knows Xisuma seems to be more knowledgeable when it comes to emotions and feelings, and despite the clear signs that Xisuma shows interest(?) in him as well, Doc can only assume there is a good reason nothing romantic has happened between them-- he trusts Xisuma more than anything, and he--firmly-- will not breach this trust by acting on something Xisuma does not seem to be ready for (or does not seem to want yet(yet?)). Therefore, Doc is patient, and even though as Season 10 develops and Doc becomes aware of the likelihood that Xisuma could return the feelings, he trusts Xisuma's emotional intuition more than anything. He, painfully, recognizes Xisuma's discomfort (or hesitation), concludes that there must be a missing variable in this equation he cannot grasp, and decides to let Xisuma lead because of it. He will not push farther than he feels Xisuma has.

It's definitely one of those "fell first" "fell harder" type situations I think. I'm normal about them. can you tell

[yamujiburo]

POKEMON SERIES RANKED (IMO)

I get this question a lot and haven't made an updated list with Journeys

Original Series (S1-S5)

Sun & Moon (S20-S22)

Chronicles (S0)

Diamond and Pearl (S10-S13)

Advanced (S6-S9)

Journeys (S23-S25)

Black & White (S14-S16)

XY (S17-S19)

Original Series (S1-S5)

OS had that first season charm. Very unpolished, still finding its footing but super enjoyable for those reasons

Probably the strongest series comedy-wise

That GORGEOUS 90s anime style

Main character dynamics were REALLY strong

Ash's personality felt much more like a shitty little 10 year old which was entertaining

Dub writing was also the best hands down

Sun & Moon (S20-S22)

Honestly tied for first with OS for me

REALLY fun ensemble cast! They do a fantastic job giving each character enough time for you to get to know and care about

Excellent modern anime style that perfectly fit the vibe of the season and allowed for some of the best character animation of the show's run

Finally figured out how to write Ash like a 10 year old again (but in a kind/sweet 10 year old way as opposed to OS)

Very different from previous series in terms of the formula they'd follow. Doing a school series instead of another "8 badges to championship" plot felt new and fresh!

This series genuinely made me cry the most (MEMORIES IN THE MIST!!!!! LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME)

Chronicles (S0)

Fun concept! It was really nice to see more of the side characters without Ash there. We get to see more of Misty, Tracey, Daisy, Brock, Ritchie, Oak, Delia, Butch, Cassidy, Jessie, James and Meowth!

Stylistically really nice. Just solid drawings all around and it retained the 90s anime style in digital form more successfully than other digitally done series imo

BUTCH AND CASSIDY!!! Team Rocket centric episodes!!! Training Daze!!!!!!!

Idk how possible it would have been (seems like a TON of work) but it made me want one of these in between each season, where we'd follow the characters that Ash had just said goodbye to for the next region.

Diamond and Pearl (S10-S13)

Series I grew up with! Honestly I was kinda a hater as a kid but having watched it back, I love the series

Love that Ash and Dawn were bros. They had a really fun dynamic.

Debatably peak Team Rocket. They had some of the best Team Rocket centric episodes this series.

Contests were really fun and a bit more figured out compared to the Advanced series

Fun, memorable rivals for Ash (Paul and Barry) as well as Dawn (Zoey, Kenny and Jessilina sometimes)

This is unfortunately where I stopped caring about Ash as much. He feels kinda watered down for the next couple series.

Advanced (S6-S9)

Pretty tied up with DP for me

Really fun series! Still had some of that early Pokémon charm

I appreciated that they put Ash in more of a mentor role for May (but he still had a lot to learn himself).

Ash and May constantly butting heads was really fun

May was a very compelling character to me, being very clumsy, kinda lazy, directionless, not really into Pokémon, etc. But then over time, she comes around and finds something she's interested in!

Journeys (S23-S25)

I love the episodic take as well as the way they let the characters jump around from region to region at random

Goh was a GREAT travel companion to Ash. They contrast each other nicely, have moments where they get on each others' nerves but still get along and have a mutual admiration for one another.

It was fun that they made Goh's thing catching every Pokémon (the motto of the entire series) so they could focus on Ash just training and prepping for Worlds.

Amaaaazing style. Took the great parts of classic Pokémon, roundness of SM and blended em together for a really fun look.

Black & White (S14-S16)

I don't think it's that controversial to have BW this low haha

I did enjoy Iris and Cilan but it felt like the writers didn't reaaally know what to do with them? Also this was their first time in a while not having Brock and it shows. I feel like Brock was successful because he was grounded and lower energy compared to the rest of the kids. Having 3 pretty eccentric characters is kind of a lot. No hate to the characters in the slightest, there was just not as much balance.

I think maybe they leaned on Cilan and Iris for more comedic relief because they killed the comedic relief that was Team Rocket this series. I appreciate them trying something new with Jessie, James and Meowth but I don't think it worked very well lol

XY (S17-S19)

I've ranted about this series a lot LOL. I get the appeal of it, but it just wasn't for me. I felt like it was the weakest comedy-wise and took itself a bit too seriously for my taste

My main gripe is that Serena, Clemont and Bonnie all like,,, worship Ash. By doing so, Ash begins to feel like a side character because we're constantly looking at Ash through their eyes. There's so little conflict within the group so their dynamics feel really flat. I think this dynamic could have worked if they leaned waaay more into Ash being a mentor and maybe feeling the pressure of having to be a role model for the people around him.

Team Rocket very much feels like an afterthought in this series. They did in Journeys as well, but at least in Journeys they were doing something silly and also had a handful of episodes dedicated to em.

Outside of that, the episodes weren't super memorable for me

I think it's just frustrating because there was sooooo much potential character-wise

[angelinthefire]

There is a “would Dean kill Cas to save Sam” poll going round I think you’d find interesting and which compelled me to unleash thoughts at you. I often wonder why fandom (both hellers and bronlies) ignores the fascinating examples in canon where Dean’s “Sam before anything else” ideology is threatened by Castiel. the BEST example of this is when Cas premeditatedly and with full agency breaks Sam’s wall as collateral damage — and Dean forgives him in the blink of an eye! If that were anyone else who’d done that to Sam they would be a dead man. Yes Dean was mad about it, yet the next season (BEFORE Cas redeems himself by taking on Sam’s hell trauma) Dean literally tells Cas “you were doing the best you could” (girl…).

Other key examples: Dean staying in Purgatory for an additional year to find Cas (rather than prioritising going back to find Sam, and this is after Cas broke Sam’s brain mind you); deciding to basically kill himself in s13 after Cas has died (despite Sam being alive and well); telling Chuck he’s wiling to kill Sam if it’ll bring Cas back. If the Bronly tenet that all Dean needs to be happy is Sam then hell, why does Dean beg Sam to let him die in the series finale.

I will note that Dean kicking Cas out of the bunker in s9 is thrown around constantly but there was literally a gun to Sam’s head at that point. Dean was tormented about it and still snuck off to see Cas although it may have been unwise in that situation.

Also interesting to note that Sam isn’t the only one; Castiel has also served as a threat to Dean’s other representations of family. in s6 Cas ~betrays Dean by colluding with Crowley, who kidnaps Lisa and Ben, which eventually leads to Dean deciding to memory wipe Lisa. In s14 Dean literally *blames Cas in part for Mary’s death*! And yet still forgives him?? (As s13 showed, Dean can live better without Mary than he can without Cas.) This is really intriguing/toxic element of Destiel that is hardly explored in fandom, which is that Dean associates Cas with danger to the rest of his family/his role as protector of his family and therefore his relationship with him is a weakness that he will regret. Add to the fact that Cas has proven time and again to not be a safe/reliable object of affection (see above examples, and also repeatedly leaving/dying) and it’s very plain why Dean would have reason to fear/suppress/compartmentalise romantic feelings between them — because they would be an even greater source of pain.

Curious to get your thoughts on this!!

Thank you for the message!

Regarding the first point: I think there's a fairly typical thing going on of fan simplifying characters and their motivations. Does Dean love and care about Sam? Yes. Was Dean's duty to Sam something that was drilled into him as something that he had no choice over? And something that was reinforced through their forced isolation from the rest of society? Also yes. So what happens when Dean has someone that he has grown to love on his own terms? And who he never has to worry about alienating, someone who could actually be part of his life? Something very interesting!

I looooove the s6/7 example so much, because Dean really isn't ever angry at Cas for hurting Sam, he's angry at Cas for not listening to him. And even then, not really - his anger at Cas in 7x01 is much more something that Dean is using as a sheild, something to cover his own hurt, than anything else. And then the second it looks like Cas is going to turn around and come back to him, all that anger evaporates.

s8 was soooo vindicating as well when it aired, because all summer the bronlies were like, "Dean's motivation in Purgatory will be that he's trying to get back to Sam!" And then it WASN'T. This is another thing too, that bronlies will try to make it out like Sam is the only one that Dean will go to extreme lengths for, that Dean isn't a *generally* nurturing type of person who *wants* a bigger family and to not be so socially isolated. But throughout the entire show, Dean is constantly drawing people around himself. And we do see how Dean is willing to go to great lengths for Cas. Of course, a lot of the time, Dean is convinced that he's powerless to do anything when it comes to saving Cas, but Purgatory was one time when he wasn't, and we see what happens.

(And the thing is I do get where the bronlies are coming from in their understanding of the show, in an abstract sense. Like objectively, if someone were to tell me that there's a story about two brothers, that only have eachother against the world, and they have a super-intense relationship, and all they care about is each other and fighting monsters, and there's a dark, gothic vibe to it, I could see why someone would be into that. Like it's not my jam, but abstractly, I see it. But the thing is, that reading of the show does not hold up to contact with canon - and none of them want to admit that.)

The series finale is so weird when you think about it. Because bronlies hold it up as a win. But it is Dean taken down to a place where all he has is Sam and hunting, and then deciding that he has nothing to live for.

s9 was just a mess. Kicking Cas out of the bunker was so contrived. And then what everyone forgets is how incredibly happy and jazzed Dean was when he thought Cas was going to be living with them. The thing I'm most bitter about is that they couldn't have given us at least one episode of Dean and Cas being absolutely goofy happy around each other before constructing a situation to get Cas out of the picture.

Your last paragraph is interesting, and something to think about. The way I see it, is that Cas has entered a special tier of relationships with Dean, where Dean will hold on to him no matter what. I don't think Lisa and Ben are a good example for your point, actually, because I think Dean blames himself for what happened to them more than anyone else, which is reflected in his final interaction with them when he says he hit them with his car and is happy they can go on with their lives (or something of that nature, I forget).

Mary's death is interesting though. The only thing comparable to something like that happening before is when Dean blames Sam for Charlie's death (and what Dean says to Sam - "I think it should be you on that pyre instead of her" - is actually way more harsh than what Dean says to Cas). But Dean does forgive Sam, and he does forgive Cas - again, they're on a special tier, where Dean values them no matter what. And you see that throughout the divorce arc, where Dean keeps checking in on Cas and showing concern for him, in spite of how he feels at the moment - like he knows througout that the rift him and Cas are going through isn't going to last forever.

I think all of Dean's closest relationships are toxic, just as a result of the way he was raised and the kind of life he leads. With Sam, John, Mary, Jack, and Cas. The relationships that aren't toxic are the ones where they aren't physically around each other that much (like Charlie), or with Bobby, who has the level of experience to not get caught up in bullshit. With all of them, the death toll doesn't really matter (like Mary endangered Cas too, and Dean forgave her). Dean just tends to not let go of the people around him.

I think a big barrier for Dean and Cas is actually neither of them having any kind of reference model for what they are to one another. All of Dean's romantic relationships have been filled with secrets, and the knowledge that his partner cannot share his life with him. Dean calls Cas his "brother" in s6 and s11, because to him, that's the closest you can be to someone. That changes to "best friend", which is better, because it doesn't have the same connotation of obligation and responsibility - your best friend is someone you actually like being around. And it's a title that is uniquely Castiel's.

And in general he has trouble categorizing Castiel. Like he keeps trying to put Cas in human boxes that he doesn't actually fit within. He repeatedly indicates that he thinks of Cas as just a guy, and then Cas acts in ways that defy that category.

So yeah, I guess I don't really think that Dean sees Cas as unsafe. It's more that Dean just isn't thinking of romantic relationships as a possibility for himself. And he doesn't quite know how to categorize what he and Cas are to each other (and the fact that Cas is a dude may or may not play into that, depending on how much you think Dean grapples with internalized homophobia). And they're both generally fucked up.

It's an interesting idea, though, that Dean sees Cas as a danger, that I'd be interested in seeing explored more in posts or fic.

[sevensoulmates]

”deeper depths of his queer love” the realization that’s he’s been in love with his best friend for YEARS is going to hit him so hard I can only imagine how buck would react. Is he gonna laugh is he gonna cry is he gonna be scared is he gonna be happy is it all of the above?

Yeah, Oliver sees the vision. He seems to realize that Buck's relationship with Tommy is leading to something bigger, that there's more under the surface that needs to be discovered than just what he's found in these last two episodes, and I'm so excited to see it all come to fruition.

I personally think when Buck does finally realize he's gonna shut that shit DOWN. I don't think he's going to say shit for fear of losing Eddie and Chris. What I think could happen is Buck realizes in the season finale, it shakes him to his core, he keeps it to himself, the hiatus happens, we come back in season 8 and find out that Buck still hasn't said a word to Eddie but now people are starting to notice that Buck's acting a bit different around Eddie. Not enough for Eddie to notice (man is nothing if not oblivious to men who are in love with him), but enough that it draws the attention of the rest of the firefam. But there are subtle signs, such as a lot of staring, both jumping to spend extra time with Eddie but also holding himself back for fear of being too obvious.

Meanwhile, Eddie may or may not still be with Marisol. If he's still with Marisol, I want to see this being the continuation of his queer realization. I'd be okay with more issues popping up with Marisol and this time Eddie's got no excuses. Or regardless of if she's there or not, Eddie's back in therapy and trying to work through things. OR it could be fun to have Eddie AND Marisol in couples counseling, having the two of them trying to work their shit out, and have the culmination of that be Eddie realizing he's queer.

I just think if they don't have Eddie's queer realization arc in season 7, then a significant portion of it should be dealt with in season 8a. My timeline that I would love would be a mutual bucktommy break up in 7x10 + agreement to remain friends. Buck is pining for Eddie the whole of 8a, and Eddie figures out he's queer by the mid-season finale. A marisol breakup could be on or off screen at that point. As long as he FIGURES. IT. OUT. Then 8b could focus on Eddie coming to terms with his own queerness, now with Buck's conflict being "do I tell Eddie or do I not tell him?" Maybe even have BUCK shifting into TOMMY'S position, of sort of being a "guide" for Eddie, but worrying that he could be taking advantage of him. Meanwhile, Eddie's learning the freedom that comes along with finally being true to himself in 8b, and maybe he's seeing that everything he's ever wanted aligns exactly with what Buck gives him and their family. We could maybe even have Eddie bringing Shannon back, and worrying that realizing he's queer won't change a thing and maybe the issue really is him. Being scared that if he accepts the love Buck clearly wants to give him that he might ruin the best love he's ever had.

NOW. Depending on if the show wants to extend buddie out or they want to get them together, I could see the season 8 ending episodes going one of two ways: 1.) Buck confesses, Eddie accepts, they start their relationship, including first kiss and first date in s8 ending episodes. S9 sees them in a relationship for real OR 2.) Buck confesses to Eddie, Eddie rejects him not because he doesn't reciprocate but because he's afraid of destroying their relationship like he destroyed all the rest of his other relationships. Season 9 then starts with angst where they BOTH want each other badly but they can't take that final step. Season 9a ends with Eddie realizing that he can't waste time anymore, and their relationship starts for real in s9b.

Anyway, this got away from me. I think both of them are going to be more scared of their feelings than accepting right away. BUT I do have faith they'll find their way to each other eventually.

[alittlextrathatway]

What are some of your best and worst Brettsey moments?

What are some moments that inspire you to write or make you write because things need to be changed?

What are some storylines you wish the show had exploded with Matt and Sylvie as individuals and Brettsey?

Or times when the writers could have gone deeper?

Is there anything you want to write but feel apprehensive about or feel like you can't get it right?

Now that the Caseys have left Chicago I can answer this one. 🥺 Been saving it.

It’s so hard to narrow down BEST moments. I love the “You’re a little extra that way” conversation, Sylvie’s confession of feelings from 9x16, their love scene from that same episode, the first kiss in 9x02, and the eye contact at Molly’s from 9x02 as well. There’s more but those are the first ones that come to mind. Of course now I have to consider the BEAUTY that was their wedding ep which gave us SO MUCH. Their vows were perfect. Making out in the turn out room, also perfect. Sylvie escaping/running for her life and Matt tackling the guy and holding Sylvie for dear life after, again perfect.

As for worst, I’d say anything out of character. Matt’s 10x22 “I don’t know” always makes me mad because there’s no way someone who loves Sylvie as much as he does wouldn’t reassure her in that moment. The way the break up was orchestrated in 11x01 with Sylvie comparing her relationship to Violet’s or Stellaride’s or even Kyle’s, Matt and she not talking for two weeks — all of it felt forced and weird. Sylvie doesn’t normally compare herself to others like that and Matt wrote Sylvie a LETTER and put it in the mail in S10 when they kept missing each other. I’d say those.

I think a lot of what inspires me to write is less things that need to be changed and more things that need to be explained. Like the break up in 11x01 and Matt’s “I don’t know” in 10x22. Both those things made me want to dig in and take something that feels OOC to me and elaborate on it. That happened to me in S9 a lot. I wanted to really explore their perspectives, thoughts, traumas, and emotions in a way TV just doesn’t have a lot of time to do.

The biggest one for me is the trauma that resulted from Arnow. Matt’s guilt over Sylvie being hurt and Otis. Sylvie’s grief over losing Otis and exploring that grief as part of the reason she didn’t realize things with Kyle wouldn’t work sooner than she did. I feel like there was some excellent material there that could have been mined for them. The other one, that I was convinced the show was saving for the dating Brettsey era that we never really got, was meeting Brett’s birth father. After everything she went through with Julie, how would that go? Would he be as lovely as Julie was? How would Matt help her through it?

Times when the writers could have gone deeper for me is always going to be exploring trauma. I wanted to know more about Matt’s relationship with his dad. We saw Nancy and we heard about his dad from her but what were Matt’s memories like? How did he remember him? Also why didn’t Christie share Matt’s opinion on their mom or see the abuse? Was their dad partial to Christie? And for Sylvie, I wanted to know more about Harrison and Hope and how that dynamic shaped a young Sylvie. Harrison and Hope were clearly the gaslighting types and if those people were her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart then there must be more emotional abuse that she didn’t reconcile until after they were gone. I also would have liked to have actually met her parents or her brother.

As far as things I want to write but can’t, I have had an idea for a regency Brettsey AU FOR YEARS. I am not great with historical fiction/romance though so I’ve never seriously attempted to write it. But man do I want to. I think it would be full of so much yearning and tenderness.

Hopefully I answered all the questions you had! I LOVED THESE QUESTIONS. My favorite part of writing fanfic of these two is trying to get inside these people’s heads. They’re complicated and loving and generous but also have experienced great tragedies and faced abuse from people they loved. The fact that they find solace and safety in each other is breathtaking to me and so well deserved.

[carefulfears]

Would you describe Mulder and Scully’s relationship as codependent? Do you think there was a certain point where neither realized there would never be anyone else?

hey babe! no, i actually wouldn’t. not to be really annoying and technical, but codependency is a facet of abusive/toxic relationships. it's defined as a condition that prohibits a person from having a "mutually satisfying relationship," and signs include a need to control others, lying/dishonesty, chronic anger, lack of trust in self/others, and it hinges on enabling destructive behavior.

in my opinion, i would argue that scully doesn’t enable mulder’s destructive behavior, but rather tries to support/encourage him to pursue his goals in a healthy way.

(nor does mulder encourage scully’s, even if that behavior is trying to “please” him, or being with him at all. he was always the first to say, “go be a doctor.”)

it’s that scene in the end of drive, when kersh says “you apologize for him a lot.” and scully snaps back, “i’m not apologizing for this.” and says that what mulder did saved people’s lives, she’s not apologetic.

she actually doesn’t make apologies or excuses for him, that’s the antithesis of her entire role. what scully is invested in is the quest, and there’s nothing inherently destructive or toxic about the quest. it’s a search to help people and find truth and enact justice, and at its best, it’s rewarding to believe in something so deeply.

what’s destructive at times is mulder’s self-sacrificial and obsessive nature, which scully never permits. she badly wants him to care for himself and think critically about things, and she never shies from communicating that. that’s her job. but also, that’s how she shows love.

there’s a difference between depending on someone for many things and codependency, and in my opinion, it’s the world around them that forces them to depend on each other for so much. their surroundings are constantly enforcing: this is all that you have. their surroundings are constantly taking those in their lives one-by-one.

and when they do have other people, they’re not afraid to utilize those connections and reach out to others. it’s why i love that last scene of triangle so much: mulder in the hospital bed, scully and skinner and byers and frohike and langly all griping and throwing flowers on the table. they all went to any depths of the world to make sure he was okay, they all worked together to show up for him, and they all always do.

and it’s the best part of s8/s9 too! when mulder was gone, this show could’ve isolated scully, but it surrounded her in more support than ever.

my favorite moment in requiem is the final scene, when skinner comes to tell scully that mulder is missing, and she already knows. and they just cry together. hold onto each other’s hands. and she tells him, the first person to know, that she’s pregnant. it’s so moving to me, to be so connected to someone else, when the worst happens. these are the two people who love mulder the most. these are the people who are going to stay out at night searching, who are going to defend his work, who are going to invest in his child. ultimately, it will be these two left standing alone by his grave.

then she’s given john doggett, a new partner to share her days with, a stone-cold skeptic who would do absolutely anything for her. monica reyes, another tall dark-haired believer who adores her (when one fades away…). the boys move their mission control from the TLG loft to her kitchen table. her mother plans parties and finds help and babysits.

but still, she does feel so alone, doesn’t she? because it’s just not the same. that’s the dependency, to me, and i don’t personally find it unhealthy or toxic. they’re best friends. they do everything together, they’ve always wanted to do everything together. they’re the only person who understands. that’s why, in the end, after having all of that support and all of those people, scully packs up and runs to abandon all but one.

it’s why doggett and the guys break mulder out of death row, because they love scully, and they know she wouldn’t survive.

is it a bit twisted? yes. but so are their circumstances. they don’t want anything more than for the other to be and have everything, it’s like that from the beginning straight to the end.

as far as when they knew this was it, maybe it’s because i’m coming up on never again in my rewatch, but i feel like there’s no coming back from ed jerse! she burns this cycle into her skin, fucks another man, then comes back. nothing says “you are coming down with me,” quite like that. idk i might change my answer tomorrow! but i definitely think that final shot at the desk set a lot in stone.

[addictedtostorytelling]

hi aj! still on my rewatch (slowly but surely) and i reached 9.01. i noticed that when grissom hears on the police radio that warrick was shot he was actually buying a traveller magazine and wonder if he had been thinking of joining sara then. do you think that he would have reached that point even if they hadn’t lost warrick? i feel like his death is the first trigger to grissom deciding to retire. thanks so much for all your patience in answering these! have a great week 🤍

hi, rewatch anon!

good to hear from you again!

so i have a much longer, more detailed post outlining what i think grissom's state of mind re: following sara is between s8 and s9 which you can read here, if you're interested.

but the tl; dr version is that i think while the grissom of episode 09x01 "for warrick" may well have sara on the brain when he picks up the traveller magazine—he may be thinking of her travels and/or be considering going to visit her wherever she is and/or be mulling going on a vacation with her—for my money, he is not yet consciously considering leaving vegas to be with her (or at least not on a permanent basis) for two main reasons.

the first reason why he isn't ready to follow sara during s8 is because he feels that maybe her having some time away from him is "for the best."

as i talk about in this post,

remember: [in s8,] sara has just walked out on him, and for as much as her reasons for doing so have everything to do with her mental health and nothing to do with a lack of love for or desire to hurt him, the bottom line is that her decision isn’t one made in a vacuum; regardless of her intentions, her leaving (and especially so abruptly) does cause him pain and stoke his fears that he doesn’t fulfill her needs. he is left wondering if she could have stayed were he a better partner to her—more attentive, more experienced in love, less “in his own head.” those emotional wounds and self-doubts carry with him the whole time she’s gone, and they definitely figure in to why he doesn’t immediately go chasing after her.

his (flawed) inference is that if he had been providing sara with everything she needed from him emotionally, she wouldn't ever have left las vegas to begin with, so maybe it's best if he—and all of his emotional obtuseness—steer clear of her for the time being while she figures things out and seeks the support she needs elsewhere.

the last thing he wants in the world is to get in the way of her recovery, you know?

his second reason also ties in with the first:

he isn't prepared to follow sara yet because he is somewhat hopeful there ultimately is no need for him to do so.

because he and sara are still in regular phone contact at that time (see episodes 08x08 "you kill me" and 08x12 "grissom's divine comedy"), he has some sense that sara is not completely cut off from him and their life together in vegas; he feels as if that door is still open, at least a crack, and he is as optimistic as a realist/pessimist like him can be that she will eventually walk through it and return to him, once she has sufficiently recovered her mental health.

his plan is to honor her wishes by staying in vegas himself, giving her the time and space she needs to pursue healing, patiently waiting until she is ready to finally return home to him.

though of course he does have fears that maybe she might decide to stay away permanently—after all, it wouldn't be grissom if he didn't struggle to believe in his own lovability—between his own fears regarding his "unworthiness" and his cautious hopes that sara just needs to recalibrate before she is ready to come back to him, he remains firmly planted in vegas for the six months she is away (between november '07 and may '08).

the way i see things, it isn't until after sara's second departure from vegas in s9 that he really starts to consider following her into "the great unknown," not only because he has a sense that, at that point, her absence from sin city is more permanent but also because, as you mention, by then he is himself becoming burnt out on his job and bears some deep wounds from warrick's death which also contribute to his readiness to leave.

as i talk about here,

[by s9,] grissom is a man on the brink.  ever since sara left vegas in s8, grissom has missed her terribly and been struggling with depression. the lab, which was once his safe place, his “well-ordered kingdom” in an otherwise chaotic world, has become increasingly strange and unwelcoming to him, and particularly as the team has changed, with sara’s departure (which sparked the beginning of the end), warrick’s death (which has been, in itself, another huge and devastating blow), and riley’s addition (which has proven to grissom that things will never be the same again as they were before).   add in the extra heartbreak of sara returning briefly to vegas for warrick’s funeral, spending four months in town, and then suddenly leaving again without even saying goodbye—plus the fact that grissom feels as if he may have truly lost her this time around, given his unwillingness to follow her into the unknown—and you’ve got a grissom who is one step away from completely falling apart.  whereas he once took satisfaction and even comfort in his job, nowadays the cases he investigates horrify and disturb him. he’s lost his appetite. he’s having nightmares. he can barely sleep. barely think. one of the worst parts to all of this is that he is without his usual support system: normally, when he needs comfort, encouragement, and understanding, he turns to sara, but he can’t do that now, not with her gone. what’s more: he is almost haunted by sara’s absence. she was at the heart of both his work and his home life. she was his partner, his right hand, his roommate, his confidante, his support system,his best friend, his lover, his spouse, and his whole world. every place he goes reminds him of her in some way, from their condo (which now feels impossibly empty in her absence), to the lab, to different places around the city where they’ve investigated crimes. hell, he can’t even sleep without dreaming about her—about how he’s lost her. she’s everywhere to him and yet nowhere, and he can’t seem to focus on anything aside from the terrible ache in his chest from missing her so much. that’s the mental space that grissom is in going into episode 09x05 “leave out all the rest”—and then the episode starts with sara finally contacting him, after so many months of radio silence, only to break up with him via video email, telling him not to worry about her anymore and acting like what they’ve had is ~over, even though, for him, it very much isn’t. that is the final blow—the thing that pushes him to the absolute brink of his ability to cope.

so, ultimately, it isn't just one factor that brings grissom to the point where he is ready to leave town but rather a concatenation of them.

outside of missing sara, he is also becoming increasingly horrified by the human depravity he witnesses night in and night out on his job (see, for example, his reaction to the case in episode 09x06 "say uncle") and increasingly unsatisfied with the changes to his work life and team (including the losses of both sara and warrick and the addition of riley adams to the graveyard shift).

warrick's death likewise weighs on him.

heavily.

as i talk about here,

obviously, when warrick dies, it’s devastating for grissom, not only because he holds warrick in his arms as it happens but because he loved warrick so deeply. for as much as grissom’s s9 depression is a product of him missing and being heartbroken over sara, it also is a product of his grief over warrick—and i honestly think that had warrick not died at that time, grissom probably would have taken longer to decide to leave the lab than he does in canon; warrick’s death just shuts the door on that chapter of his life in a very final kind of way. he never truly gets over it.

between all of the above stressors, grissom eventually finds that not only is he willing to leave las vegas but he's ready to.

in the past, clinging to his job had always been "enough" for him, but now he finds he does not take the same pleasure in his work as he formerly did and he needs more—a change of scene and venue, new endeavors in which to invest himself, and, most importantly, human connection; specifically, with the love of his life, sara.

as stated above, i do think that had warrick not died at the start of s9, grissom may have taken longer to eventually reach that breaking point, not only because then sara would not have returned to vegas at the start of s9 only to leave again, shattering grissom's illusions that she might eventually come home for good in the process, but also because he wouldn't have been half as miserable at the lab in that case as he ultimately became in canon.

had warrick still been around, he could have probably mollified himself for somewhat longer; kept convincing himself, "i don't need to come to her. she'll eventually come back to me. everything'll be fine. i just need to keep my head down and do my work in the meanwhile—"

that said, i do believe that grissom still would have ultimately arrived at a point where the center could not hold—where it became apparent to him that he just couldn't be satisfied living his life without sara (even for the sake of his work).

even before grissom was ready to follow her in s8, he was still uncomfortable in her absence and longed to be near her again, and that discomfort and longing only would have grown the longer that she stayed away.

though i can't say exactly when, i am sure there would have someday (probably sooner rather than later) come a time when grissom couldn't stand to live apart from his one true love anymore, even if warrick hadn't died.

so if she hadn't been willing to come home to him*, then he would have eventually gone out to her.

* and who knows? maybe if warrick hadn't died, sara might have eventually come back to vegas of her own volition (to stay) once she was ready. after all, she does eventually move back there and even resume working at the lab come s10, so obviously that development isn't outside of the realm of possibility for her.

anyway.

those are my takes.

thanks for the questions! please feel welcome to send more any time.

[ggumiui]

Heeyyyyyyy gumi it’s me Magpie here to ask you some things because you’ve been good this year and Magpie Claus is gonna make u some art

I know for the various doodles and art I’ve been making so far I’ve basically winged it and just gone off the descriptions in the story, but I would like to make some ref sheets for some of the characters and I NEED KEY DETAILS AND STUFF so if you could be so kind to tell me some stuff you would like the characters to look like, like accessories and scar placement and maybe if the characters have pointed ears that kinda stuff

Magpie!! Oh my god! I wish I'd seen this sooner! Oooh! I have so much to say regarding their appearances. Although I'd definitely begin with, please still feel free to have creative freedom! I love seeing your art after posting chapters, whether the design is of your own or closer to mine, I absolutely adore it either way! So don't feel restricted by anything. You've definitely gotten it down to a T though haha When it comes to 'pointed ears, etc' there aren't actually any other sub-species/hybrids other than avians in this universe, as they are creations solely of the Watchers. Not to say people can't be born without little funky attributes such as those though! Grian and Pearl are twins here, so their appearances do resemble each others a lot. Such as the same hair colour, dirty blonde, and facial features. I am sorry to say that Grian unfortunately is not a glasses wearer in AMDB 😔 purely because of lore purposes and him being 'perfect' it wouldn't fit. I still love glasses Grian <33 Cuteguy right now simply dons a red hoodie and grey knee-length shorts. His 'void covering' is the consistency of a liquid and can change how much of his face is being covered. This will be spoken more on in future chapters! And I might have to come back to Cuteguy a little later as.. spoiler alert.. he will actually be getting a suit hahaha not stuck in those borrowed clothes forever. Oh no this is getting long... apologies 😭 Scar's clothes are pretty consistent, button up shirts (never fully buttoned) and whatever jeans work best lol. He's a simple artist. His hair is just a mess kinda.. lmao I've described it before to a friend as "He cuts his own hair, but he can't see the back so he just leaves it and hopes for the best." He's just left with a mullet that has a mind of its own. There's a very special detail about his accessories you'll find out in chapter 10 though 👀 EDIT: Oopsie.. coming back to make a little edit as I forgot to mention his scar placement!! He has a jagged one across his nose bridge, shorter on one side than the other. A large one down his jaw and extending to his throat a little. A cross, or in other words, the shape of an 'X' between his hair part on his forehead. Grian mentions this in ch6! And finally for visible ones, a large one resembling an explosion on his collarbone, back of neck and back. Across his body he has many overlaying each other as well. Some on his hands and espeically his palms/fingers. Basically you can give him as many or as less as you'd like hahaha Hawkeye, I didn't devle too much into his design! I wish I could explain more into him but that would be spoilers :( He has a lot coming for him. His main details are that he wears archer equipment: a quiver, chest guard, arm guard and glove! But his suit is pretty much just DDVAU inspired except no short-shorts since I'm going for less comedy aspect and more action style! Oh how I miss those short shorts lol The only key detail with Mumbo is his hair, it reaches about his collarbone. I call him the 'Hippie band guy' in my head because that's just how I picture him after the buttercups in S9 lmao If there's anything else you're curious about please ask away! And again, even with this info you are entirely able to just ignore it lol! I love seeing your art and even without the 'canon' designs I would love it just as much, if not more! Thank you so much <333 And some exciting news, I took an unannounced hiatus for personal reasons but I'm finally able to get back into the swing of things. In other words, you can expect Chapter 7 soon! Also working on Chapter 8 at the same time so I can begin a weekly schedule finally Thank you for your patience <3

[protectoratenova07]

Worm 12.4 is so incredibly important to me. It has so much in that one chapter that I love.

Below is me gushing over the characters for the chapter where Jack cuts Tattletale's mouth.

We get to see the Slaughterhouse Nine with their cruelties of what's to come. Detailed explanations on their tests that our protagonists are going to have to go through. We also get to see the dynamic between four of them. Cherish tries to make herself the center of focus only for that to turn around on her when Jack makes her show Manequinn's test. After that she goes and tries to get the Siberian to kill the Undersiders. Jack is there to enjoy the ride. He wants to see where he can get his entertainment from and he basically throws a tantrum when Tattletale ruins it. The Siberian is just there to be used as a threat by her teammates. The invincible cannibal who will make any resistance pointless if she decides to intervene. Then the creeping horror that is Bonesaw, how even you die she can also bring you back. But she's also the one that wants the tests to be fair and have rules and she enforces this by casually having a city wide plague already in the water.

There's Bitch, who once again doesn't tell the Undersiders what happened when she was alone. And once again it threatens to alienate her from the group. It lingers in Taylor's mind, but when it comes to Bitch's mind this meeting probably helps to push the S9 into an enemy for her. Cherish tries to play the mind games she hates, Jack admits to playing a mind game on his own teammate which she absolutely hates, and all throughout the Siberian doesn't say a thing to her. Jack also hurts one her teammates and that would piss her off. Just one meeting for any thought of joining the Nine to go out the window, but bc we're in Taylor's mind it stays as a concern for the reader.

Then you got Regent and we get a fun throwback to Bakuda where he starts a conversation with the horrifying murderers. His insults to Cherish while appealing to Bonesaw is him trying to make himself the more likeable sibling. He once again manages to get critical info for Tattletale to make her move while also pushing back their executions. And when their usual shtick fails, Regent is instantly by Tattletale's side trying to stop the bleeding. He does care for them, even if he can't fully grasp it.

Grue stays quiet. He's once again in a situation where he can't do anything. No matter how strong he trains the best he can do is just being there, insulting the Nine to try and get their attention and he fails. When Taylor doesn't know what to do he just silently takes her place, letting the others talk as he himself doesn't know what to do. Grue just tries to there and has to hope that it's enough.

You have Tattletale in her element. She tries three times to get Jack to find entertainment in them so that he doesn't kill them then and there and she gets her mouth cut for it. It's even meant to kill her, but instead of backing down she goes all in. Bleeding out she makes a deal that Jack finds interest in and he basically takes it. Then to cap it all off you have her push Taylor to go. Go, leave her to save her dad and warn everyone she can. Fucking peak Lisa, not letting Taylor in because it would hurt too much.

Sundancer is just a bystander. She's just as scared as everyone there and is probably marveling at at they're even managing to talk to the Nine. When Tattletale gets injured she's actually there with Regent to try and help her, but when Tattletale goes to make her deal with Jack she's just a bit slow until she catches up to help. It's this repeating thing where Sundancer absolutely hates that this is her life and she probably hates how quickly she can jump into it.

Finally Taylor. Taylor the hopeful Worm, getting called that at last. In the face of the Siberian appearing she thinks of a plan, when she learns that Shatterbird is going to sing her thoughts go to her dad and her people, but Lisa gets injured and she stops. She's late to stopping the bleeding because Lisa's blood is splattered on her. Jack is saying she'll die and Taylor doesn't know what to do. Then when Lisa leaves it to her to finish the deal with Jack her ability to analyze the situation comes into play. She seen that Jack and Bonesaw are the two most important to get the Nine on board so she says it'll be interesting and that the game will be fair. And with the Nine gone she's has to decide between staying with Lisa or warning her dad and others about Shatterbird and again she freezes. Despite all the claims that Taylor behaves to clear minded in insane situations, she really doesn't. She just places far more value in her friends than herself so when it's her being hurt she can still operate but when it's her friends she just wants to leave with them. It's only with Lisa reassuring her that she goes and does something incredibly heroic.

This is after they leave the villain alliance making them the underdogs again. Before Taylor's fight with Manequinn where she wins because her people intervene to help her. Some of the absolute best of the Undersiders and Worm in general. I only wish Imp was here as well.

[kaseytoretto128]

Csi

(I am up to s9)

Ok so I'm watching Csi for the first time and (loving it, it is so going to be a regular re-watch/binge) I have thoughts.

1st thing is that I love Lady Heather/ Grissom and I wanted them to end up together, not Grissom and Sara. Don't get me wrong I like Sara (kinda) but I feel like her and Grissom's romantic relationship came out of left field, like one episode they were just friends and then the next Sara is going on about it not affecting the promotion and it kinda shocked me (maybe I was just not paying attention to the sub-text but I don't think I wasn't) and then when they are together it was not healthy. I think Lady Heather/ Grissom was a far better relationship as they had much better as they have chemistry(in my opinion but I think i'm right), no power em-balance. In fact that is one of the main points of their relationship is that they match each other on a power level (intellectually & in many other ways) and also they have better communication and just are a better looking couple (no offence to Jorja Fox, she is a beautiful woman but Lady Heather actress is just more my type). Maybe I will get more context or something later on in the show on how Sara/Grissom as a couple but for now (at least) I still ship lady Heather/Grissom.

On another note,

Archie is my favorite lab rat, love him.

Do we even meet Dave's (super Dave/ M.E assistant) wife?

Also I would so read Greg's book.

Is it just me or is it that Lindsey's ages so quick, like I feel like she went from like 7 to 14 in a couple of episodes/ a season. Is it just me that just me or is it a timeline thing?.

Why in Hades name did Warrick get married?, to a woman the audience only hear about less than a hand full of times. Also eloped, come on🙄. There is no way. he would have gotten married without his family (the csi team, cause they are differently a family).Nick, should have been his best man & the team should have not heard about it after the fact(I am ticked off with the writers about that).

Also I really thought that the Warrick/ Catherine plot-line was going somewhere. I wanted it to, I was rooting for them and loved the idea of them as a couple, I mean Grissom and Sara did it, so why not let them and unlike Sara/Grissom there was no power em-balance. As well there where many things that would have made Catherine/ Warrick a good couple (my opinon), like that they were friends first, they had go chemistry, they both understand the job, the things they saw and the hours and also Warrick knew Linsey and lastly and most importantly is that they knew each others pasts, historys and baggage. I think they would have been a great couple,

One of the many things that ticked me off about Warrick's death (I wish they did not kill him at but I don't know why Warrick's actor left), is that they gave him a son and did nothing with that storyline (maybe they did, who knows and maybe they do something in the later seasons but I doubt it) and now that kid has to grow up without a dad (yes I no it is a show but still in universe he has to) the thing Warrick did not want for him and Tina is the mother, right?.

I have fallen in love the Greg/Nick ship.

And I found a Bobby Dawson/Henry Andrews fic and now can't get over them as a couple.

Nick's hair, I swear it changes more than Sam Winchesters LOL.

Also Freaking Ecklie as under sheriff.

Where did Sofia go?

And I cannot get over the fact that Laurence Fishburne is in Csi, I keep yelling at his character about thing Jack Crawford did or expecting him to act like Jack LOL.

I have this idea/head-canon that Lucy Chen from the rookie and Nick Stokes being in a buried alive support group together and becoming friends.

And does anyone else kinda of play along with Csi to see if they can guess the answer/ killer/ motive/ what happened ?

And finally is Csi: Las Vegas, the sequel worth the watch after I finish Csi. As I Kind want to watch it (and am most likely going to watch it) but I just, wanted to get an opinion if it is any good.

[definitelynotshouting]

I have said fuck being on anon my anon name is too long so henlo, it me, unstoppable object anon

anyways. scarian au where scar runs a bakery and grian runs a plant nursery across the street (don't ask why I thought plant nursery I just thought it would fit both of their s9 aesthetics?)

grian is welcomed into the neighborhood by scar baking up some goodies for him and leaving them on the doorstep in a little basket; grian is like "i must return this stranger's gift with my own" and places a little succulent pot next to scar's bakery door that evening while he closes up

3 days later a guy walks sheepishly into grian's shop with remnants of flour on him and he's like "hi I'm scar I run the bakery next door and uhm. thanks for the plant but unfortunately I don't have a green thumb and kinda...... killed it. It was really cute tho! I actually came in here to buy a new one, but this time can I have some instructions too?" now, grian isn't smitten at first sight but- okay he's a little smitten at first sight. He gives scar another plant on the house but this time tells him how to take care of his plant

2 days later scar's back and is like ".... my cat Jellie knocked the plant off the windowsill... I was too late finding it..." and at that point while grian is checking out scar's purchase the two of them chat and hey! they get along great!

anyways the pattern continues. every few days scar comes in sheepishly to get a new plant for like. two weeks straight. he even starts bringing pastries and cookies for grian. and it gets to the point that grian's like "bro. I'm about to have to cut you off, you're running my small plant collection dry!"

well. grian gets very surprised when a few days later he decides to actually visit scar's bakery and finds that hey wait a minute... all the windows are lined with grian's plants. not a single one of them had been killed!

turns out scar had actually accidentally killed the first one, but after meeting grian he started crushing a little and also decided some plants would make the bakery interior look nice, so he kept coming back. which.. would explain some of scar's excuses ("well, a toddler poured lemon juice into the pot and the poor thing just couldn't handle it" and "turns out putting one on your beside table right by the alarm clock isn't the best choice of placement" suddenly made a lot more sense as nervous fibs than truths)

anyways after grian "confronts" scar about it they start hanging out more and the pining is just. too much. way too much! it takes like, four of their friends coming together to get the two of them to finally get together ladsgh

but they have a happy ending, becoming known as the couple that run two separate shops across the street from one another <3

SQUISH FINALLY OFF OF ANON LETS GOOOOOO

This is sooo 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 Scar pretending to kill his plants so he can have an excuse to see Grian more.... classic and cherished i love the pining here this is delicious

ALSO THE IDEA THAT THEY JUST HAVE THEIR SHOPS ACROSS THE STREET FROM EACH OTHER like i know the typical endgame concept for these aus is that they combine them into one shop but i honestly LOVE the idea of the shops still remaining separate??? Like just imagine Grian getting on break and running across the street just to bustle into the bakery and flirt with Scar behind the counter >:] or Scar walking into the plant nursery to hand Grian a pastry and kiss him on the cheek because he forgot breakfast??? This whole concept is so sweet and cute and i am eating it up rn thank you so so much

[impossiblyfreshdonut]

A collection from memory.

“i’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.” - Castiel, s4 ep1

__________________________________

“you don’t think you deserve to be saved.” - Castiel, s4 ep1

__________________________________

“dean and i do share a more profound bond… i wasn’t going to mention it.” - Castiel, s6 ep3

__________________________________

“Castiel? Oh he's, he's not here. You see he has this weakness, he likes you.” - Uriel, s4 ep10

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“I was getting too close to humans in my charge. You.” - Castiel, s4 ep16

__________________________________

“I'm hunted, I rebelled, and I did all of it for you” - Castiel, s5 ep1

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“So what, I'm Thelma, you're Louise and we're just gonna hold hands and sail off this cliff together?” - Dean, s5 ep3

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“Dean, I do everything that you ask. I always come when you call, and I am your friend.” - Castiel, s6 ep21

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“A part of me always believed you'll come back.” - Dean, s7 ep17

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“When Castiel first laid a hand on you in hell he was lost!” - Naomi, s7 ep21

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“We're family. We need you... I need you.” - Dean, s8 ep17

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“Dean, you know I always appreciate our talks, our time together.” - Castiel, s9 ep3

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“Maybe you could fight the mark for years. Maybe centuries, like Cain did. But you can't fight it forever. And when you turn, and you will turn, Sam, and everyone you know, everyone you love, they could be long dead. Everyone except me. I'm the only one who will have to watch you murder the world. So if there's even a small chance that we can save you, I won't let you out of this room.” - Castiel, s10 ep 22

__________________________________

“Well, I said I needed a big win. We got Cas back. That's a pretty damn big win.” - Dean, s13 ep6

__________________________________

“Cas! No, no, no. Cas? Cas, I hope you can hear me... that wherever you are, it's not too late. I should've stopped you. You're my best friend, but I just let you go. 'Cause it was easier than admitting I was wrong. I -- Ohh. I don't know why I get so angry. I just know -- I know that it's -- i-it's just always been there. And when things go bad, it just -- it comes out. And I can't -- I can't stop it. No matter how -- how bad I want to, I just can't stop it. And -- And I -- I forgive you. Of course I forgive you. I'm sorry it took me so long -- I'm sorry it took me till now to say it. Cas, I'm -- I'm so sorry. Man, I hope you can hear me. I hope you can hear me. Okay.” - Dean, s15 ep9

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Castiel – “I always wondered, ever since I took that burden, that curse, I wondered what it could be? What my true happiness could even look like. I never found an answer because the one thing I want... It's something I know I can't have. But I think I know... I think I know now. Happiness isn't in the having, it's in just being. It's in just saying it.”

Dean – “What are you talking about, man?”

Castiel – “I know. I know how you see yourself, Dean. You see yourself the same way our enemies see you. You're destructive, and you're angry, and you're broken. You're “daddy's blunt instrument.” And you think that hate and anger, that's... That's what drives you, that's who you are. It's not. And everyone who knows you sees it. Everything you have ever done, the good and the bad, you have done for love. You raised your little brother for love. You fought for this whole world for love. That is who you are. You're the most caring man on Earth. You are the most selfless, loving human being I will ever know. You know, ever since we met, ever since I pulled you out of Hell... Knowing you has changed me. Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you. I cared about Sam, I cared about Jack... I cared about the whole world because of you. You changed me, Dean.”

Dean – “Why does this sound like a goodbye?”

Castiel – “Because it is. I love you.”

Dean – “Don't do this Cas.”

Castiel – “Goodbye, Dean.”

— s15, ep18.

[zmediaoutlet]

happy wincest wednesday!! deanna ask<33. do you think anything about s6 happens differently in the het version? or maybe s9/10?

yayyyy happy wincest wednesday, a day Deanna gets to shine <3

I mean the first thing that I think is true is that Deanna is staying with uhh Mark, the hot dude she hooked up with way back when Sam was at Stanford, and Mark's got a kid from a failed relationship with a past woman and Deanna learns to make pretty good meatballs and stir fry and tomato rice soup from scratch when little Ben is sick, and it's actually a lot harder for her to leave than it was for Dean.

But Sam's back and she has to go -- has to, even if she tells Mark that it's just a quick hunt to help and she'll be back for Ben's soccer game on Saturday -- and the break-up with Mark happens a lot faster and is a LOT more painful than the one with Lisa because Sam talks his way into her panties on that very first solo hunt together, when they're alone after the Campbells go their own way, and in her life Deanna has never ever thought of herself as a cheater but it's -- Sam, and his mouth tastes the same and his hands are finally the right size on her jaw when he drags her in close and he's the right weight between her thighs, lying heavy on her hips, at last, after the last year (and more) of missing him. He rolls off the bed quick after but she hardly notices at first that something's off because the sheer relief is too much for her to notice anything else at all, and it's not until she's showering, after, that the random thought pops into her head that she was going to pick up a 24-pack of Gatorade for the kids before the game, and then she realizes that she's got to tell Mark. She's got to. It's not fair, otherwise.

When Cas finally reveals that Sam's soulless she doesn't beat him up -- physically can't, for one thing, especially not now that he's gone all greek god -- but she walks out of the room and gets into the car and knows that from Calumet City to Battle Creek where Mark and Ben are living now is two and a half hours, and two hours if she ignores traffic laws, and she thinks about it -- she thinks about walking in and hugging Ben and taking Mark into the bedroom that she'd barely started to unpack before the breakup and going to her knees and saying how sorry she was, and how she'd never meant to be this way, and could she come back, please, could she crawl back into their bed and have the good boring sex they had and could she try again to make his mom's recipe for cinnamon rolls and could she teach Ben how to repair a carburetor, and get it right this time, and raise a kid who wouldn't crack her heart in half, wouldn't make her want to lay down and never get up again for the sheer enormity of what loving him did to her. How impossible it was to exist under the weight of it.

Then she gets back out of the car and goes back up to where Cas is finishing up his examination of Sam and she tells Cas to leave the room and she tells Sam that they're done, until he gets fixed. "I feel fine," Sam says. "Nothing about this is fine," Deanna says, and his eyes skip from her eyes to her mouth to her tits and then he shrugs, turns away and puts his belt back on, like so what. Like, fine, he'd get it somewhere else and it didn't matter. Deanna goes outside to where Cas is awkwardly waiting and thinks that whoever did this, whoever bifurcated her brother and removed all the best parts of him, she will find that person and destroy them to the last atom, if it's the last thing she does. (Cas looks from her face to the door beyond which Sam's waiting, and disappears.)

[lloyd-the-green-gremlin]

*deep sigh*

Okay, I'm ready.

What order to watch Lego Ninjago media in?

—CRONOLOGICALLY

Khm.. Sorry, the little gremlin living inside my head and eating up my brain said that...

I will give you my toughts and to summarise them:

Imo this is totally up to what you enjoy and have the patience to endure. I watched from start to finish - almost, i will get to that - and just finished Dragon's Rising. But you don't have to do that of course. I will describe each "etap" of seasons, so you can choose and decide what is best for your viewing experience.

The older seasons AKA pre-movie:

This is from S1 to S7, before they got rebooted. These seasons lay down the basics, in lore and about the characters. You get info on elemental powers, FSM, the multive- i mean the different verses. They vary in quality, but i can say my fav ninjago episodes and seasons come from this era. But if you dont want to look at the crusty ass animation and just wanna get to the later seasons (for some reason, idk i can't look into your head), then watch:

S1 - Rise of the Snakes

S2 - Legacy of the Green Ninja

S3 - Rebooted

S5 - Possession

BONUS : S6 - Skybound

Although a lot of people shit on Hands of Time, personally i love it, but the story got cut in half and basicly never gets reference, you can cut that from the watchlist. (also guys. lets be real, the Chen season is way too overrated and was not half as good as yall make it out to be)

Or just watch a lore video and skip the juicy stuff

Post-movie , visual reboot, Lloyd begins puberty and finally gets a haircut:

From S8 to S13. Okay . the post-movie has a lot of misses. The simplified a lot of the characters, changed up stuff, overall very eh meh. I recomment you watch

S8 - Sons of Garmadon

S9 - Hunted

S11 - Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu (the first part is eh but it has some fun lore stuff later)

S12 - Prime Empire

S13 - Master of the Mountain

I will warn you that this is where they did the "10 minute episodes" for a while, and that wasn't a very nice viewing experience. Also the Oni season could have been really good, they just had some writing issues, so imo its overall skippable.

The "miniseries" or "why do you keep abandoning your cool storylines":

so we got to The Island and Skybound, the are interconnected and really good seasons, Nya focused and have cool sets and figures. Go watch them.

Then theres ...ugh...Crystalized.. the one season i half watched-half skipped. Why must they drag my girl Harumi's corpse up from the grave and cut in half a nicely written thing that could have given us a possible Morro comeback? Doc, why. so, Imo its skippable and doesent really get brought up later either. It does some fun stuff with Lloyd, but the way they took his dad's characterisation is icky. To me.

NEW GEN! Dragons, references, and being confusing about key lore again:

I am of course yapping about Dragon's Rising. We have two seasons so far, and the writng, the cast and the designs are peak. I would recommend watching it fully, very enjoyable.

OVERALL SUMMARY:

If you are picky about your content and want to limit what you wathc, the abobe is my recommendation. But really, you only get the good thing if you watch it from start to finish. (but really, just skip Crystalised-)

If you do wanna eat it whole, you should watch the first two seasons to get lore and characters down, then watch the movie - that actually has little to do with the plot, but it will only such you in further. Also a lot of people write early seasons ninjago with the movie crossovers. Then watch the rest of the seasons, and then the movie again, pre-S8. Then finish the og series and watch the movie again.

Oh yeah, there's shorts! I recommend that you either watch them as they follow the series, or do a recap of them every few seasons, OR! watch them after you finish the main series to get recapped on old stuff, then plunge into Dragon's Rising.

DR could be enjoyed without previous ninjago knowledge, bit in my opinion , its best consumed with prior and intimate knowledge of the characters!

To close this unstoppable wordshitting ive been up to: Ninjago has lots and lots of content and if you get bored watching something, feel free to skip the hell away. I know the fandom loves deep lore theories, but even we dont understand half the shit we yap about.

Remember, the first rule of Fight Club Ninjago is #1 - Have fun and be yourself :)

ALSO READ FANFICTON ITS RLY GOOD -

[alitgblog]

s9 vol 7 thoughts: ah fuck this season has its problems but I don't think I've ever been this conflicted over love interests in a while

STEFAN 😍😍😍 literally I have to change my top five islanders now like I'm so sorry evan. AND he's an artist?? And it's my own fault for already buying into the second chance romance bit before he even showed up but like he's not ugly? omg stop. oof it's tough, like, shit I'm so sorry Natasha and Hamish I don't know who to pick in this love square they've got

him illustrating his sister's book for his sisters?? 🥺 I may be folding for that alone

I like Cassius' design. I like it more than Theo's but he does remind me of Liam unfortunately. and also he's looking like my MC's cousin this season so I gotta pass this time but makes it easier for me. but he does seem great, I like him and he's sweet without being boring (so far), but I also kinda wish we had an LI that gave us more pushback/banter? bc I picked a few options that disagreed with his whole thing about love/fate and he was just like "yeah fs that's a cool opinion too" which OK I get it he's nice but I'm just kinda sick of all the Islanders being so agreeable to MC. I guess Marshall is supposed to be the banter-y one but I have problems with him being here so I wish it was Cassius instead.

that being said they're fucking teasing me with this response to why are you here though

also at some point Cassius calls his season boring and I thought it was funny fusebox was dunking on themselves bc I didn't finish s7 either but no he was just referring to the fact he got dumped quickly.

I'm glad Lyle is back, like I'd be upset if an islander was only brought on for a date and then left, so I'm not mad at this even though he was momentarily mad at MC (and that became nothing?? like just take out that plot point) and i dont really care hes only coded in for Kat now. I'm just more upset bc they've literally already done this in S8 bc your LI has to pick between Sienna and Bea when they get "dumped" and then Sienna comes back in Casa.

And then we get to marshall and I don't even wanna talk about it. And ive made separate posts and reblogged some opinions on that so ill just add that also i hate his orange outfit. him dressing all white and ozzy all black was peak I hate he's out here in orange smh.. anyway so that'll be easy for me to not pick this season

although we get this and I thought it was funny like OK fine you got me marshall

he says it with a smile too not even angry/sarcastic

then after that I honestly don't remember what happens apart from way too many challenges all at once and the whole Stefan storyline. I wanted him to be a little upset initially bc it did seem like MC had some misunderstanding and then left him so quickly like I just wanted a little bit of angst where he came in with the gameplan of wanting to give her a piece of his mind and was on the show bc he couldn't contact her any other way, before he realized he was being silly and just was happy to see her again. like if anything, the story beats that Lyle goes through being snarky at mc in episode 1 then immediately asking for forgiveness by episode 3 makes more sense for Stefan but nah instead it just feels like another perfect li loyal route (which is fine but I like some tension in the story). like we can still have the terrace scene where he explains things though.

also if I saw this on love island? I'd be voting for them without question the angst is so good

OK I'm looking thru my screenshots and am now remembering I was upset at raunchy races for being subjective again. notable offenses:

straight out the gate, most creative boy and Kelly says "craft brewing is creative" gtfo as if it's not Chen the set designer (and anyone who brought back Lyle from the dates, I'd imagine musician over craft beer brewer as well)

Kat somehow doesn't win best dancer

I love Kelly and sure, biggest foodie but not when my mc is a chef smh at least in S6 the dialogue would change slightly with your occupation lmao

the physical challenge is OK but I just think it doesn't belong in casa. like on the actual show where they spend real days in casa it's fine but for the game that has to shorten it bc the volumes definitely don't add up to the length of real love island, it feels like a waste. if anything, the real villa needed a physical challenge rather than continuing to do variations on excess baggage type games.

someone help Kelly out with the mask pls

anyway the OG islander to visit instead of a postcard is interesting. I think a postcard makes the most sense but bc the game has to fabricate drama while also probably wanting most of the guys to still look good since the villa is like 75% love interests for MC, maybe it makes sense?

I think having it be MC's partner doesn't give us a lot of drama unless MC wants to bring up Stefan. Finn and Hamish could be interesting whether you're pursuing them or not. Like under the guise of them checking in on their partner, but they just care about MC and are asking her not to forget them. Most likely i think it'll be Kat's partner and he'll make up some lies about what's happening in the villa.

anyway a little rough first few weeks of the season but I'm enjoying at least this episode, surprisingly, so we'll seeeeee.... I think the seasons generally gets worse post casa so I'm not betting on this being a good season overall, but I'm not calling it a flop just yet.