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lunarsallows · 8 months

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Angel Down: Professor! Sebastian Sallow x Professor! Reader

I miss a love that never was

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Mystery, eventual smut

Word Count: 1410

Sebastian and MC aged up to 23, other characters are mid-20's and over.

This story is in first person POV.

Five years after leaving Hogwarts and you found yourself back as a potions teaching assistant, leading research on innovative healing techniques. Settling in felt like a fresh start, until your unrequited love returns after leaving the Ministry of Magic in disgrace. How long until you find yourself tending to his wounds, in sickness and in health?

A/N: Apologies this chapter is shorter and more to the point, I wanted to quickly set the plot and let the rest of the story provide more detail in the future :). Reblogs are appreciated!

Chapter 1: Unrequited.

The ambience of alive yet barren classroom corridors, broom sweeps and faint classical music settles me as I sit amongst rolls of parchment in the empty potions classroom, proceeding onwards with marking student assignments on the properties of Shrivel fig in elemental potions.

It feels like yesterday I was on the other side of the desk but five years after graduating from Hogwarts and I'm back in the place that felt closest to home. I thought I would have found that outside of the ancient walls through an established career, but growing into adulthood meant leaving behind what I thought made me strong and if I was going to establish myself in the wizarding world it would be through helping others.

Taking a nursing placement at St. Mungo's with the promise of healing and protecting the most vulnerable in wizarding society coincided well with my affinity of studying and improving upon the most potent of healing potions, and I worked to establish a new area of research into the use of ancient magic to heal. Rewarding as it may have been, dealing with the aftermath of Ranrok’s campaign hit too close to home in many ways and sometimes throughout the night I can still hear the prolonged screams of patients.

Five years later and I’m back in Professor Sharp’s office, returning with renewed questions about my ambitions that were staunchly followed by the professors via boastful Daily Prophet headlines. Now working as a potion’s teaching assistant, I can openly continue the pursuit of my research whilst being an open book for any curious student.

I don’t notice the procession into the night until the room gently lights iteself with candles, and I give myself a minute to decompress with a chance to stay up-to-date with wizarding affairs. I notice a copy of the Daily Prophet with several eye-grabbing titles compressed into a mere page, but one in the middle truly screams for attention.

Fallen Angels? Elite Auror Wing at the Ministry fall foul of Dark Magic use.

Knowing my experience with the Ministry, many of its employees would prefer to swallow a spider fang than admit to any shortcomings, alongside any bags of galleons they feed to publications. For something to surpass that meant a true crisis.

“It can be confirmed by an inside source that a group of 5 elite aurors referred to under the codename ‘Fallen angels’ have found themselves at the centre of a dispute regarding the use of unregulated dark magic.

Witnesses across the Scottish hamlet of Aranshire acknowledged lingering effects of an unforgivable curse amongst an innocent bystander, alongside an increased presence of inferi in the area.

The Ministry of Magic have confirmed a ‘regrettable’ breach of the code of Magical ethics amongst the accused, led by the famed hunter Sebastian Sallow who was once labelled an auror prodigy. While the extent of their behaviour remains under seal, all five have been fired with immediate effect.”

A small bout of butterflies fills my stomach as I read over the brief statement again. I had expected to hear of Sebastian’s high-profile ascent through the ministry, but it was not meant to be this.

Five years ago.

“If anything, the Ministry is just a stepping stone for me. I’m not sure how long I can be around people not as driven as me.”

His words were sharp as the faint blinks of the night sky luminated down onto his freckles on top of the astronomy tower. Sebastian had a light glow as he spoke with determination, making it clear on the final night at Hogwarts that Anne’s fate would continue to mean everything.

“Even after everything we’ve been through?”

I couldn’t help but feel meek as I grasped onto the silver in the palm of my hand, knowing all I could do was support him and his goals, knowing they wouldn’t include me.

“Especially after everything”. He was exasperated but continued on.

“I didn’t go through all of this just to fail like Solomon did. So long as I live to cure Anne, Magic will not restrain me like Hogwarts has.”

The statement was almost like a snake’s hiss.

A moment passed by in silence, and the closer it was to midnight I knew I had to do one last thing.

“Sebastian!”

I sounded jittery and maybe I can blame it on the cold, but Sebastian’s brown eyes looked at me with curiosity.

“I, um, have something for you.

“Oh?” His expression upturned a little as I could relax the strain on my right hand, opening to see the silver pendant surrounding my crescent-shaped dips from grasping so tightly.

I opened out my hand to him, showcasing a glowing pendant in the shape of a small heart. My nerves lessened slightly as I look up to see his questioning look, knowing that if it’s from me it has a practical use.

“It’s charmed. If you find yourself taking on any more cursed trolls or have a compulsive need to prove you’re better than the other aurors, you can break this open and harness a small piece of Ancient Magic.”

I could see his admiration for the tiny locket and it pushes me to finish what I need to say before I leave.

“If anything, I hope it shows that what we learned wasn’t in vain. You’ll always have a piece of me, wherever you end up”.

I take a breath to let out the rest of my nerves as I wait for a response. Does it mean anything to be so vulnerable at this point?

“With your state I thought you were proposing to me, how’d you know I'm such a hopeless romantic?” he said with a chuckle, going back to his sarcastic default state.

“Knowing you would love that” I start as I proceed to stand up. “I found the locket in The Room of Requirement. It knew exactly what I needed and maybe what you wanted too. I hope it will mean something to you.”

Regret was becoming me because I was beginning to mourn something that never existed. My blurry vision started to betray me as all I could say was:

“Goodbye Sebastian. Good luck on your journey.”

The Next Day

There is a certain buzz within the staff corridor as I wait by the main staircase for an urgent announcement. A usually quiet morning now replaced with owls flying in every direction and questioning glares from myself and others who have no knowledge of the meetings regarding an affair of the ‘utmost importance.’

"If I'm quite honest, I think I would be more relaxed sitting alongside my new patch of Venomous Tentacula.”

Mirabel perks up to the restrained giggles of a few including myself. Normally we wanted to be an example for students by maintaining a sense of calm but this is one of the rare times where the uncertainty of the outside world could be felt within the castle’s walls.

There was some more idle chatter before Professor Black came barraging through with determination, his vision focusing solely forwards with Scrope not far behind. The house elf is doing more to qualm queries of the large audience as his master proceeds to walk up a few steps and announce to us all:

“Good morning everyone. I’m sure you all have heard of the recent news regarding one of the ministry’s esteemed auror’s branches being disbanded due to unlawful conduct. Whilst this school has an established and courteous relationship with the Ministry, I also have the belief that there are moments where we need to stand up for our own students. As a Slytherin specifically, given the choice we’ll choose to save our own necks in this somewhat lawless world we are currently in.”

The atmosphere was starting to feel tense, and as I briefly look around I have a feeling some of the other professors immediately caught on to what Professor Black was suggesting to us. My heart beat already starts to pick up, waiting for verbal confirmation.

“With Professor Hecat on secondment to the Ministry due to an undisclosed mission, I’m pleased to announce that one of our recent graduates, Sebastian Sallow, will be starting as Defence against the Dark Arts professor within the coming week. I will take no questions regarding this, and I expect you all to provide a courteous welcome.”

And there it was. Five years after letting go of an inescapable pain and it’s back.

“Meeting dismissed.”

Read chapter two here

#sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian x y/n #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow x you #hogwarts legacy #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #hogwarts legacy fanfic #harry potter fanfiction

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theresattrpgforthat · 8 months

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Hi!

First of all, I really appreciate your work here! I love discovering new games and i have added some to my list based on your recommendations

Right now I'm looking for a solo ttrpg that is meant to be played in extremely short daily sessions. I want to play a little round each morning as if it were a daily wordle or newspaper crossword puzzle. Just a quick dopamine hit without having to commit multiple hours.

I know that with solo games, it is easy to do things at my own pace anyway. But are there any solo games that incorporate short, daily sessions as a feature?

THEME: Short, Daily, Solo Games.

Myrtle Manor, by aiyujellies.

On the edge of the cliffside lies a crumbling manor swathed in blankets of shadow. A cloaked figure darts out of its entrance, a gaping maw, and disappears into the forest, their footprints featherlight and fading in the snow...

Myrtle Manor is a solo journaling role-playing game. It requires a tarot deck, two coins, and a medium to record the story. For every entry, you will draw a tarot deck and consult the oracle for guidance on what kind of person you meet. Each day you will meet a new person.

You’ll want to keep in mind why you’re visiting the manor and what secret your character is trying to find (as well as what secret they are trying to keep). Each entry comes with a section called Mind Your Presence, in which you determine what each meeting means to your character.There doesn’t seem to be a definitive end to this game - I’m assuming you can play for as many days as there are tarot cards in the deck, but you could also tie things up sooner if you find the story reaching a natural conclusion, or whenever you get bored. Definitely worth checking out!

Your True Name, by Pearse Anderson.

Your True Name is a spell-generation storytelling game to play with some choice five-letter words. It is a one-page Lost & Found hack of Wordle, the online spelling sensation, designed to be one-player and played in fifteen minutes or less!

In Your True Name, you become a magic word being Spoken by generations of spellcasters, each of them trying to use your magic and get closer to Your True Name (today’s Wordle answer). The game changes each day with the Wordle and with each player’s guesses, making the replayability endless and a perfect way to generate fun spells for your other campaigns and games. You, as the magic word you inhabit, can travel between the lips of waterfall watchers, bandit-kings, aeronauts, illusionists, and Mage College adjuncts, changing and growing in both power and potential volatility.

This gives you a way to game-ify another morning activity, that activity being Wordle. I was inspired to recommend this game when you mentioned a daily Wordle, because I knew I had seen this game somewhere. You could stay within the same world / character as you play, or hop between characters or bouts of inspiration.

The Bonsai Diary, by Sticky Doodler.

It's 2023, and you plant a small tree seedling, imagining its future. Bonsai trees can live hundreds of years. Who will inherit this living being? What will that person think of you in 2178? Will they think of you at all?

This is a beautifully contemplative game, in which you embody various generations that are all responsible for caring for a bonsai tree (and possibly more). Throughout the game you will find small pieces of facts about trees and notable tree-related history. The game itself is a printable booklet that you will draw in, answering questions about 6 generations and how they came across the bonsai. If you want to continue past generation 6, the booklet contains instructions for longer play.

You Beyond the Pale, by S. Kaiya J.

You don't belong in the mortal world. You live alone, and you have always lived alone. You have yourself, and you have your own territory. The mortals have their own realms, and the mortals have each other. So what happens when the mortal world starts coming to you?

You, Beyond the Pale is a solo journaling RPG based on the Aspire SRD. Take up the role of a unique monster, adrift and alone, bewildered by a world full of mortals. Observe them. Learn about them. Scare them, or leave gifts for them. Make a friend. And brace for when your friend tells the rest of the mortal world about you.

S. Kaiya J writes extremely poetic and thoughtful games, and this one is no exception. Using a deck of cards, you will chronicle the story of a monster who makes a new, mortal friend. The author encourages you to select a prompt in the morning, think about the possibilities throughout the day, and return to the game at night, before you go to bed. If you want a game that draws a story out over a month, this might be the game for you.

Loved in Triangles, by James Shannon.

Loved In Triangles is a solo GM-lessTTRPG about romance, relationships and choices. Through playing you'll explore 6 months in the life of someone deciding whether to stay in their current comfortable relationship or to risk it all on the possibility of something new. The game requires a standard deck of playing cards.

If you want to play a game that deals with a topic that has some weight to it, you might want to check out this game. You will draw cards and your character will have to make a decision about what they want in life when it comes to romance. You can base these characters off of different versions of yourself, inspired by fictional characters, or something else altogether.

You are Autumn, by Turtlebun.

You Are Autumn is a game for one person. It takes only a few moments to play.

This is possibly one of the shortest solo games I’ve seen on Itch. It’s more of a writing or journaling exercise than it is a storytelling game; each day you write about the things you cherish and how they leave you to be replaced with something else. I feel like you could either stick rigidly to the premise of this game, or you could expand on it, create new rules, or use it as part of another journaling game.

Games I've Recommended in the Past

Global Dragon Egg Conservation, by KuumatheBronze.

Also...

You might also want to check out the Lunch Break RPG Bundle, which are meant to be short and quick to play. Not all of them will be solo, but a good number will be! (Limited time only)

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #dnd #game recommendations #asks #indie ttrpg #solo games #quick games

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savethegrishaverse · 4 months

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Hello Third Army members! By now, you’ve probably seen our twitter party adverts on how each day we will celebrate a different piece of the Grishaverse - And now, we are bringing this party to Tumblr!

We at the ‘Save Shadow and Bone’ Coalition are going to spend each week giving out prompts and boosting content about our Grishaverse, and we need your help! Come join us, send us your fanfics, post your art, and make sure to use hashtag #Third Army so we can see each post!

This week (January 7th to January 13th) we want to talk all about parallels! Between Shadow and Bone ships like the slowburn of Kanej, to other fandoms ships Like Locklucy or Wolfstar. Let’s compare characters like Kaz Brekker to Yennefer of Vengerberg, and draw parallels between Alina Starkov and She-ra! I want to hear all you have to offer on the subject! Under the cut are more prompts for you to check out!

Writing prompt: “As the cut sliced through the heartrender with such ease, with an efficiency that she had only seen from the Darkling’s own hands, Alina wondered if she had actually destroyed the Black Heretic - or merely become him.” Continue the story! Write what you think would happen to Alina, now that she has used merzost and can summon shadows!

Writing prompt: Suddenly, your favourite Grishaverse character is stranded in another universe! How do they adapt?

Art prompts: Many Saints in our culture have stained glass windows depicting their stories - Saint Michael, Saint Agnes of Rome, Saint Peter, etc. Draw up your own stained glass window for our Sankta Alina!

Art Prompts: draw chibi or anime style SAB characters! Cross them over with popular shows like Jujitsu Kaisen or Death Note!

Photoshop Challenges: Edit the Grishaverse cast to look like they're in another fandoms show! Or, throw your favorite characters from other sources of media into the Grishaverse!

Photoshop Challenges: Let’s play a round of ‘Say Yes to the Dress’: dress up a Shadow and Bone character in costumes from other shows/movies!

Video Edit Prompt: Do a Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows spinoff intro in the style of another show?

Engagement prompts: Analyzing Alina’s story, we see several moments where she shows true compassion, but also true anger and grief. She shows that there cannot be light without darkness, but there also cannot be darkness without light. Hope has no weight without fear, but fear cannot extinguish hope. This seems to be the theme of how Alina and the Darkling exist throughout the bulk of the story, and once he is gone the balance is taken with him. How would this affect Alina going forward?

Just as Inej has her knives, what other characters stand out when picking their weapons?

Share your happy or hopeful stories about Grishaverse as a fandom space, and tell us how the campaign has effected you! Tell us all about the friends that you've made, and the kindness you’ve seen within the fandom!

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dnalt-d2 · 2 months

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(Alright, it's long post time again, this time about the Admin Drama)

So we're hearing a lot about some behind-the-scenes drama, and unfortunately, it's making a lot of things make a lot more sense in retrospect

For example, the fact that French Creators have been consistently overlooked makes sense when you learn that there have apparently only been 2 French Admins on the team, with one of them being fired recently, and the other one being potentially removed from the whitelist for the server, for reasons that are likely not even true

Throughout big events, there's always been a sense that people weren't 100% sure what was going on, and if I'm being honest, I found that at least somewhat excusable at the time

This is a big project, bigger than any other Minecraft-Related project I know about, with over a dozen different content creators and at least 5 different languages. I can understand at least to a certain point, that trying to balance that many different storylines, and keep the overarching storyline intact, can be a challenge, that I doubt many people would have the sufficient experience to deal with properly, especially with all the other added hurdles of managing the language/culture barrier. I was willing to chalk it up to Growing Pains, that they were realizing the mistakes as they happened and would hopefully not repeat them in the future

(Basically, to me it felt like a DND Campaign, where each player does have the choice to make their own stories and character arcs in said Campaign. However, it's up to the DM's discretion on what they can use, since they still have to keep the overarching plot going. While they should try as hard as they can to include what makes each player happy, there might be a point that what the player wants to do isn't compatible with the current plan, and it's up to the DM whether or not they can actually do it)

However, to at least some extent, that is clearly not the case. It's been made very apparent that someone, likely multiple people on the Admin Team, is horribly mismanaging things that we aren't able to see fully. From manufacturing drama, to taking advantage of passionate people who simply love the project, to outright ignoring some of the Content Creators that are also keeping this project alive and therefore being actively detrimental to this communication-based project

As of now, I'm hearing that Quackity himself doesn't seem to have much to do with this directly. And once again, if that's true, I can understand it, at least a little. Running a project and participating in that project can be difficult, and be actively detrimental to their enjoyment. So to a certain point, I can understand not being SUPER heavily involved in every single thing behind-the-scenes and leaving some of it to other people. However, this is clearly not working. If he really didn't know much about what was going on, then he either needs to find someone he can actively trust to make sure this sort of thing doesn't continue, or take a much heavier role in the management to keep it from happening again

He's said before that he's been losing money because of QSMP but doesn't care because it's his passion project, and I would like to believe that. From what we've seen, he does actively love doing this, and seems to be really passionate about breaking down these communication barriers, and he has done a lot to that end. But it can't come at the expense of others, who are the backbone of these sorts of projects. I really hope he does something to take care of this, even it it means shutting down QSMP temporarily to do a complete overhaul of Admin Management

(I would also like to say that if Pomme's admin really gets permanently fired for all of this, I'll be actually seriously upset. She's put way too much time and effort into the server (FOR FREE, WE NOW KNOW) and has been playing alongside numerous CCs and boosting the enjoyment of them as well as the people watching them. Not to mention that she's now the ONLY French Admin at the moment that we know of, and not having ANY French Admins would be a serious problem)

I've loved QSMP almost since it started, and I would love to see it continue. But it can't be at the expense of peoples' health, mental health, and livelihoods. If people are doing work like this, they deserve to be compensated appropriately, and treated right. Otherwise, there isn't a point in this. Here's hoping that these problems can be properly addressed and resolved, and I hope everyone is alright during whatever happens next

#I would also hope they speak out against the W*lbur Soot stuff #But I can also understand that taking time as well #Since a lot of people are going to need to process their emotions #Since to them this wasn't just some content creator #He was an actual friend #And they deserve some time to deal with that #And THEN start worrying about the business side of things as well #It's a lot and I can understand taking their time in addressing it #But like with this other stuff I really hope it gets addressed soon #qsmp #quackity #qsmp quackity

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ancientcharm · 1 year

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On this day, in the year 41 AD. a young Emperor, known as "Caligula" was treacherously assassinated.

False stories about him was created by his enemies. Today if you google "What bad things has Caligula done?" you will see a shocking list of things he never did.

Caligula means "little boots", a nickname given by the soldiers to the 2-year-old boy Gaius Julius who wore the caligae (military boots) in the campaigns of his father Germanicus.

No one called him “Caligula” as an adult, much less as an emperor, but his enemies caused him to be remembered forever in history with a childish nickname, something that in Ancient Rome was worse than death itself.

Gaius had a great admiration for Ptolemaic Egyptian culture. When he became Emperor at the age of 24 he wondered what was the point of being emperor, that it meant nothing more than being the most important man in the Senate; a kind of monarchy without a king and at the same time a kind of Republic without a ruler elected by vote.

He was fascinated during his childhood travels through the East and seeing kings who, even vassals of Rome, looked majestic. Then, after losing half of his family, he lived in the house of his grandmother Antonia the Younger, a house that was frequently visited by princes from vassal kingdoms of the East, and he read about ancient Egypt. He was not prepared for Roman politics.

He realized that the title Primus inter pares (first among equals), created by his great-grandfather Augustus, was confusing, or at least it was for him. He thought that the emperor of Rome should be more of a king than those vassal kings he had seen.

Then he conceived the idea of founding a true monarchy, but not any monarchy but one inspired by Ptolemaic Egypt. It was because of this that, after his death his enemies created the story of incest since in the Ptolemaic monarchy marriage between brothers and sisters was mandatory.

He married four women; The first before becoming emperor, who died with the baby during childbirth. Two others he quickly divorced when he saw that they did not get pregnant. And the fourth with whom he had a daughter.

Before his fourth marriage, he married his sister Drusilla to his close friend: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. The idea was that if he couldn't have children, the Dynasty would continue with her nephew- the son of his dearest sister- but she died very young and without children. Despite this Lepidus remained the heir to the throne, at least as long as the emperor did not have a son.

He suddenly fell into a coma for days or weeks. Roman doctors called this "brain fever," but no modern scientist knows what kind of disease it is. Possibly it was something psychological; The anxiety and stress endured for years caused him to collapse seven months after becoming Emperor. Immediately there were conspiracies to put Gemellus on the throne. When the emperor woke up from his coma and found out about this, he had Gemellus sentenced to death for treason, something that would have happened in any European monarchy in the 18th century.

As a member of the dynasty-the grandson of the previous emperor Tiberius, and also the cousin of the reigning emperor- Gemellus was forced to commit suicide, which in ancient Rome, and throughout the ancient world, was the "honorable death." Unlike Emperor Tiberius who condemned four members of the dynasty to starvation, a slow and horrible death, Agrippina the Younger, Augustus' granddaughter ( and her two eldest sons; and Livilla, his niece and also mother of his grandson Gemellus.

Lepidus began to plan the assassination, involving the emperor's sisters Agrippina (Nero's mother) and Livilla. When the betrayal was discovered, Lepidus was sentenced to death.

The emperor Constantine, converted christian, sentenced his own son to death on the mere suspicion that he had betrayed him; Later he discovered that her son was innocent. But the "Mad and evil Caligula" did not dare to kill his sisters, discovered in situ committing treason (interesting), he just sent them into exile as emperor Augustus did with his rebellious daughter Julia.

After reading to the senators the letters that his brother-in-law and his sisters exchanged planning the conspiracy, he sent three daggers to the Temple of Mars the Avenger, as a symbol of the triple betrayal; That is why this betrayal is known as “the conspiracy of the three daggers.”

The emperor had a daughter, Julia Drusilla. Several senators along with the Praetorian Guard began planning the assassination. They wanted the "fool" Claudius, the emperor's uncle, on the throne, surely believing that he would be a puppet ruler.

Claudius, who had been despised by the entire imperial family just for being a stutterer, obtained his first important position within the Empire thanks to his nephew, the only one who did not consider him inept; in fact Claudius proved to be a brilliant man and was a great emperor (under his reign Britania was conquered). Claudius was appointed consul, and probably from this fact comes the legend that this Emperor appointed his horse as consul.

Taking advantage of the fact that January 24 was show day at the theater and that he would pass alone through an alley within the palace grounds.the assassins chose that day and that place.

Gaius was stabbed to death by his own Praetorian Guard, he was 28 years old. Minutes later, the senators ordered the guards to kill his wife and daughter,a 1-year-old baby, but the evil was "Caligula" according to the story told by the killers.

Finally they managed to take Claudius to the throne. Claudius would prove not to be as stupid as they thought, although he already knew that he should not try to change anything.

Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the third emperor of Rome, and the first on the list of assassinated emperors.

This Roman emperor was not a saint nor a hero, he undoubtedly made serious mistakes and surely committed injustices, but he neither was that insane and bloodthirsty character created by his enemies nor that grotesque character in the movies in which he is played.

#history #roman empire #Ancient Rome #roman emperors

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runninguplenorahills · 9 months

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One reason why I think the van scene is truly genius is that the show is telling us that this is how Will feels but throughout the show it has also actually been showing us that it’s how Mike feels. By pointing this out I’m in no way trying to take that moment away from Will, it’s more so that I think it was a very deliberate decision to equate Mike’s behavior to what Will feels for him which is romantic love, thus sending the message to the audience that Mike actually reciprocates Will’s feelings.

“Without heart we’d all fall apart. Even [me]. Especially [me].”

Let’s steer clear from pretending like Mike isn’t the heart of the group because he definitely is, but the heart is also a symbol for love so we can rephrase this to: “without love we’d all fall apart. Even me, especially me.” which doesn’t rhyme anymore but is still just as true. Now, the very first season of stranger things actually shows us the party falling apart in the light of Will’s disappearance with a special focus on Mike who is hit especially severely by this. This continues in s2 where Mike is especially protective over Will in order to prevent losing him again. And at the end of s3 when Will moves away there’s once again a special focus on Mike who looks heartbroken and disoriented due to Will moving away. At the same time though we do also see the party falling apart while Mike is forcing himself to be someone else and distancing himself from the party in s3 which hits Will especially hard so this is also a reference to s3 from Will’s perspective.

“These past few months [I]’ve been so lost without you”

The end of s3 plays into this as well as, again, Mike looks disoriented, lost, as Will leaves Hawkins. And while the Lenora scenes in the beginning of s4 revolve more around El and how Will is trying to support her, the Hawkins scenes in the beginning of s4 feature things like Mike’s messy room, Ted calling the hellfire club the “high school drop out club”, Dustin pointing out to us that Mike’s grades are slipping, Mike generally being very irritating and expressing: “I hate high school” thus going back to middle school to find the hellfire sub who is conveniently the person who got all of Will’s old dnd stuff. We later also get to see the messy basement and Nancy saying that she’s seen Mike’s room look worse than Hopper’s absolutely destroyed cabin. I also think that the shed scene in s2 can be taken into account here since Mike tells Will that he felt scared and alone before he met him which I think does count as Mike being lost without him.

“If [I] was mean to you or it seemed like [I] was pushing you away that’s […] just because [I]’m scared of losing you.”

So this is obviously Will apologizing for not reaching out to Mike and ignoring him at rink-o-mania but we as an audience saw these scenes at the beginning of the season from Will’s perspective who is a pretty unreliable narrator which means “being mean” and “pushing you away” are both things we way more clearly saw Mike doing. This also especially includes s3 where Mike ditches Will for El, rejects Will’s wishes to play dnd, makes fun of Will’s campaign and of course yells at Will that it’s not his fault he doesn’t like girls. But that’s not all because I’d argue that this goes even further back to the very end of s2 where Mike is literally pushing Will away at the Snow Ball.

“And if [I] was going to lose you [I]’d rather get it over with quick. Like ripping off a bandaid.”

I’ve seen some people say that Will was referencing the time that he lived in Lenora here though I personally think that doesn’t make much sense, simply because creating a whole painting, a tangible love confession, might be the furthest act from “ripping off a bandaid” to exist. And Mike was presumably calling more than anyone but himself is aware of so this doesn’t make much sense from Mike’s side either. I personally think that “ripping off the bandaid” for Will was his confession in the van which we also see in his behavior afterwards, and for Mike I’m pretty sure “ripping off the bandaid” is a callback to the time in between s2 and s3. In my opinion Mike realized his feelings for Will at the end of s2 and he was clearly scared of what this means for himself and his friendship with Will. Mike was worried that these feelings meant that he’s gay and I can imagine that Mike also thought he’d inevitably lose Will if he knew. So he talked himself into it just being a phase and distanced himself from Will not only because it’s harder to focus on growing out of that phase with him around but also to protect their friendship. Because Mike ‘knew’ he was going to lose Will so he rather got it over with quick. Like ripping off a bandaid. And that is exactly what it feels like watching s2 and s3 back to back. Mike and Will’s close friendship gets such a focus in s2 and all of a sudden all of that is gone in s3. But you know how bandaids that have been sticking for a long long time leave a lot of residue? At the end of s3 Mike realizes that he can’t get rid of that residue. That even ripping off the bandaid doesn’t change how he feels.

Will also actually throws us back to the rain fight by saying “we could play dnd and Nintendo for the rest of our lives” (“what did you think, really? […] That we’re just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?”) mere seconds before his confession in the van which only proves that the audience is indeed supposed to make these connections. Supposed to pick up on how the show has shown us all these things from Mike’s perspective as well.

And the conclusion of all of this is that Mike too is so different from other people. That he feels like a mistake for being different but Will makes him feel better for it. That he’s been mean to Will and pushed him away only because he’s scared of losing him. That Mike needs Will and he always will need him because he loves and desires him so much and no matter how hard he tried to change that in the past, those feelings just can’t fade. Mike loves Will just like Will loves Mike which is, of course, romantically.

#byler #gay mike wheeler #mike wheeler #gay will byers #will byers #stranger things #byler van scene #the van scene

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look-how-they-massacred-them · 10 months

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Preliminary Poll

Toffee

Submission reason:

(spoiler-free summary) The show initially builds him up over the 2nd half of season 1 and throughout season 2 to to be this big bad, and then he's immediately defeated in combat at the start of season 3 😭 Then the show reveals in the rest of season 3 and 4 that his motivations were completely justified, as what he was trying to do would have resulted in the freeing of monsters from their oppression, and that he was going about it in the most peaceful way possible And has then has Star outright state near the end that he was in the right for trying to do what he did But despite that the show continues to paint him out as a horribly violent and irredeemable villain who deserves everything that happened to him? Despite also trying to paint him in a sympathetic light???

Propaganda:

(I am SO sorry for putting Star Vs in your submissions in 2023 but he's blorbo and the writing did him so badly omfg... also if you need more information I can supply it 🥺) Slightly more spoilery note but Of note is that the monsters genocide at the hands of mewmans is very much designed to parallel European colonisation of the Americas (group of American colonists take over a territory using technology not seen before in the region [guns/magic], and then force the indigenous population [Native Americans/Monsters] onto a small portion; then proceed to claim they're the true inhabitants of the territory, rewrite history to suit the narrative, and claim that the previously mentioned indigenous population are savages) As well, supplementary information given by the writers paints his plight in an even more sympathetic manner, despite the same supplementary information still trying to paint him as a villain (revealing that the war in which he killed Comet was preceeded by a region-wide famine, in which she intentionally offered monsters pies made from sawdust... but also revealing that there's straight up spells to produce massive amounts nutrient rich food from nothing? Which makes the whole famine completely ridiculous but it be like that 😭) (Said canon also implies/softly states that Moon led a massive campaign against monsterkind after Toffee killed her mom [Comet], to the point where it's hinted that Septarians [Toffee's species of monster] might have been driven off the world entirely? [There's a castle inhabited by pigeons who claim they found it abandoned, and Toffee himself was referred to as a prince a few times despite that never being brought up properly; and Toffee and Rasticore are both referred to as 'Name of Septarsis' unlike the other monsters and mewmen who are referred to as 'Name of Mewni') (Also he's cute shh that's totally important information I prommy definitely)

#look how they massacred them poll #look how they massacred my boy #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #star vs #svtfoe toffee #toffee #star vs the forces of evil toffee

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mariacallous · 1 month

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The independent Russian election monitoring movement Golos said that Vladimir Putin’s 2024 presidential campaign contained more constitutional violations than any it has observed since its founding more than two decades ago.

“Never have we seen a presidential campaign so out of line with constitutional standards,” the group said in a statement published Monday. It continued:

The campaign was conducted in a situation where the foundational articles of the Russian Constitution, which guarantee political rights and freedoms, were essentially not in effect. The Constitution itself was amended to bypass the restriction on a single person serving more than two terms as president. The basic constitutional safeguard against the usurpation of power was dismantled.

Golos said the central motif of the 2024 elections was “imitation” in all aspects, from imitation of legality and transparency to imitation of choice, monitoring, and the independence of election commissions. “The only thing that wasn’t an imitation was the violence against the people as the bearers of sovereignty,” it said.

The movement also noted that throughout the election process, Russia’s entire state apparatus was involved in propaganda, coercion, and voter surveillance, and that military censorship is being enforced in the country through fear and violence.

The culmination came on the last day of voting, when law enforcement in some regions exerted control over voters’ will, punishing them for making “incorrect” marking on their ballots or showing up at the polling station to vote at the “wrong” time, and even demanding they reveal their vote. Nothing like this has ever happened on such a large scale in Russian elections before.

Additionally, Golos noted, the Russian authorities did everything in their power to limit the public’s ability to monitor the voting process, including by denying them access to video feeds from polling stations and refusing to let independent observers into polling stations.

“It was impossible for this election to perform its primary function: to provide an indication of the true feelings of citizens. It did not allow them to independently, freely make a decision about the future of their country,” the organization concluded.

The Russian authorities have reported that Vladimir Putin won a record-setting 87 percent of votes with official turnout above 77 percent.

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rainworld-oc-showdown · 3 months

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The Toxicant by @bumblewish VERSUS Roadkill by @just-a-silly-billy - Round 2 Set 1

The Toxicant- Description:

They are an ambush hunter that uses the spores from their tail to stun prey. The strength of the spores weakens with repeated usage causing prey to recover faster as the cycle continues. The spores have double effectiveness on insects/spiders and, on the first use of the cycle, can even be fatal.

They have a high lung capacity like Rivulet, but their speed and throwing strength is more comparable to Monk. They can also maul their prey when it’s stunned.

Story:

The Toxicant appeared to be a purposed organism of unknown origins. For a long time, they’ve been wandering from Iterator to Iterator showing off a data pearl to whomever accepts it. The data pearl seemed to have a study of sorts recorded on it with added notes from many of the Iterators the Toxicant has visited. Nobody seemed to know who the pearl was intended for or where it was obtained, until the Toxicant came across Blue Skies Aplenty, a lonely Iterator who needed help repairing their communications array. The two made a deal and after the Toxicant helped to bring BSA’s long distance communications back online, the Iterator was able to direct the slugcat towards the pearl’s true recipient: Unfinished Epilogue.

Fun facts:

The Toxicant likes to accessorize themself with plants such as bubbleweed and various flowers.

Roadkill- Description:

Roadkill if it were in a campaign would have a similar build to The Gourmand. Physically the Slugcat has a handful of advantages, such as having a thick layer of fat around his body giving it a second chance if it were punctured by a spear, or bitten down upon by a Lizard. It also has a ferocious bite itself, similar to how The Artificer can maul creatures. Roadkill can also create large sparks or mimic the sound of explosions to scare off or startle prey in order to gain any advantage. With the area the slugcat is located in, it's accustomed to withstand the cold as well similar to The Saint. Similar to a walrus, Roadkill has thick blubber/fat that keeps him warm throughout the harsh elements that its environment throws at him, lasting as long as The Saint with a lantern. It has a strong spear throw as well, having thrown one spear is equivalent to hitting something with two. However there are a few downsides to his variety of abilities. For one thing, he gets tired out just as fast, if not faster than the gourmand. Another issue is whenever he makes the loud explosion noises, similar to The Artificer if he uses this ability so many times, it will end up stunning him for a matter of seconds. He also has a large food meter, having to fill a total of 9 food pips needed to be filled, though it can store five extra.

Story:

Roadkill is a purposed organism for an iterator of mine named Lingering Absence. Roadkill's purpose is to keep outsiders, specifically fauna, from invading the iterator's can. Nothing too special is needed from the large slugcat however, so often whenever it's off duty it spends its time with its beloved owner, Lingering Absence.

Fun Facts:

If it's not obvious, Roadkill is heavily based off of an array of creatures, specifically walruses, penguins, moles, and also gourmand, who isn't an animal, though I feel I should mention him. Outside of the idea of a campaign, he can actually burrow through snow and puncture through thick ice in order to ensnare prey that lurks underneath such. Though I doubt there's any way to properly incorporate this in-game. He is also my first Rainworld oc I made once I got into the game, as well the most worked on.

#rain world oc #rain world #rain world oc tournament #the toxicant #roadkill #round 2 #r2 set 1

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halobirthdays · 8 months

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Happy birthday to Spartan Edward Buck!

Today is his -487th birthday!

Buck is the leader of the Spartan-IV fireteam Alpha-Nine, and spouse of ONI agent Veronica Dare.

Buck was born on Draco III and lived with his parents and sister, Lucy. His mother was retired military, while his father and uncle were a dockworker and fisherman, respectively. At the age of eighteen, he stopped working for his uncle and enlisted in the UNSC Marine Corps, following in his mother's footsteps.

He was involved in many engagements during the Human-Covenant war, including the Harvest campaign. In 2530, he was part of a strike team which recovered a Sangheili survivor who was taken into custody and interrogated. It was then that the UNSC learned the Covenant's true reasons for waging war against them.

In 2545, Draco III was attacked by the Covenant but only partially glassed, preferring to use its inhabitants as hunting practice. Buck's entire remaining family was killed, and he obsessively watched the footage of Draco III's citizens being hunted and eaten. That same year, he put in for transfer to the ODSTs.

Still reeling from the attack on Draco III, he was ordered to take shore leave after his transfer. It was there that he met Veronica Dare, and the two had a short fling that ended poorly when Buck realized Dare worked for ONI.

Soon after, he was assigned as the commander of ODST squad Alpha-Nine, a position he avoided promotions to keep. Throughout his career, he continually encountered Dare agan, working under command during a mission to Belisk (where he rescued and met Sarah Palmer) and later in the Battle for Mombasa, albiet six years later.

Buck participated in the campaign on Reach, where he met NOBLE team. After Reach fell, he was assigned to UNSC Say My Name to participate in the Battle for Earth. The initial plan was to bombard the Prophet of Regret's flagship, which remained in orbit over New Mombasa. However, Dare took control of the mission, ordering them to land away from the ship. It would eventually be revealed that Dare changed the mission because she became aware of the presence of a Huragok--an organic Forerunner construct with a natural drive to repair and an invaluable wealth of knowledge about both Covenant and Forerunner technology. They would succeed in capturing the Huragok, surrendering it to ONI. After completing their campaign on Earth, Buck and Dare would rekindle their relationship and take shore leave together. At the end of their vacation, he was approached by Jun-A266, who offered him admission into the SPARTAN program, which Buck initially declined.

After the war, he returned to duty and was deployed to Draco III to combat Insurrectionists who had set up operations on the planet. During this engagement, one of his squad members, Jonathan "Rookie" Doherty, was killed. Later, Buck was once again approached by Jun to join the Spartans, adding that his squad would be offered a place, as well. After speaking to Dare, Buck accepted.

He, Romeo, and Mickey underwent augmentations, while Dutch, who was shaken by the Rookie's death, decided to retire with his wife, Gretchen.

In 2555, Alpha-Nine was assigned to a mission on Talista to combat the United Rebel Front presence there. There, Mickey would betray them, revealing that he had defected to the URF. Buck--a staunch anti-Insurrectionist--attacked Mickey, eventually apprehending him and handing him over to the UNSC. After these events, Alpha-Nine dissolved, and Buck was transferred to be a member of Spartan fireteam Osiris. He participated in the fireteam's mission to apprehend Master Chief and Blue Team, though he expressed concern about the mission's perception. Buck was present when Osiris and Blue Team learned of the threat of Cortana, the Guardians, and the Created, and changed their objective to stopping her.

After returning to Infinity, Dare once again gave him a new assignment: a mission to a URF-controlled settlement which was able to cloak itself from the Guardians. To Buck's dismay, the mission would require the help of Mickey, who was still in UNSC custody. After rescuing Romeo from the Unggoy homeworld of Balaho, he traveled to the secret Spartan training site which housed Mickey. He begrudgingly broke Mickey out of imprisonment, with the unexpected help of Dutch and Gretchen, who had quietly joined the Spartans.

With Alpha-Nine back together, the group was able to escort Dare to negotiate with the mayor of the settlement who, after witnessing the threat of the Guardians, reluctantly agreed to share the technology with the UNSC. After this mission, he slowly began to make amends with Mickey. His team restored, he accepted the offer to lead Alpha-Nine again, this time as a Spartan fireteam leader.

Back on Infinity, he and Dare met at the ship's bar, where she pressed him on their relationship, daring him to marry her. He agreed that he would, but was shocked when she immediately began making arrangements on the bar's datapad. Roland, the ship's AI, heard the exchange and offered to officiate. After a brief "ceremony", the two were married before the bar patrons, including Osiris and Alpha-Nine.

In canon (~2560), he is turning 50!

#edward buck #odst #spartan iv #alpha nine #buck alpha nine #halo 3 odst #halo 5 guardians

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ralexsol · 1 year

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Thank you for being the only reasonable person I've seen in this godsforsaken fandom

I think a lot of people are reasonably upset, but are taking a somewhat harmful approach to making things better.

It's difficult to see a show with such openly queer characters and not your own demographic (poc, disabled, women). They think that they should have a place there too, which they should! But you have to consider situations in part of a bigger picture of where we're at as a society.

Right now, the queer community has a lot of attention, and it's easier for pretty much all people to take a walk in their shoes. "I'm a man who loves women, you're a woman who loves women. Well, the only thing that's different is who exactly you love, but you still love, so I don't have a hard time imagining your circumstances."

And while poc have been crying out for attention for years now, most notably in 2020 with the BLM movement, it's much harder for a white man to imagine the experience of a black woman. And considering that if you do it wrong you're canceled, it's easy to see why people shy away from it. People say, "Oh, it's just a person! Act normal!", and yes that is true, but the white man may still accidentally perpetrate a stereotype. And then he's yelled at for not doing research first. It's a cycle that people can get stuck in.

As for physically disabled people, depictions of them are so stigmatized in media at this point that it's hard to know right from wrong. There are going to be mistakes made. That doesn't make it totally okay, but progress is a process. Disabled people have been silenced for a very long time, and they deserve a hell of a lot better. But if we just tell the Council to include them, how are the Council to know exactly what that looks like? We need to give them ideas, we have to guide them.

And as for women, yeah, there's definitely a lot to be desired. Frankly, they're a bunch of white guys; it's bound to happen. What we can do is clamor for more women who aren't only milfs. Yes, we love them, but regular, strong ladies like Jay are needed all throughout the campaigns. Give Jay some love. She's amazing. Condi does great with her.

The JRWI community has the unique position of being able to actually influence the creators. While Disney artists and writers are hidden away behind a big corporation and continue to pump out the same white, straight, cisgendered characters, we have one on one contact with the Council.

Tell me: if you went up to a Disney executive and screamed at them to include a black ambiguously bisexual or lesbian woman in one of their movies, do you think that would help the issue? No, they wouldn't care. They'd just say you're trying to brainwash their children again.

Meanwhile, the Council are a small group of four white, mostly cisgendered and straight men. And yet, they've included gay, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, unlabeled, asexual, transgender, and black people! That's awesome! We should be celebrating the fact that this podcast even exists! It's incredible.

Don't scream at them. That's counter-productive. Have civil conversations, encourage them to do more, show them what representation should look like while giving them room to be creative with it. Tell them what they do wrong and then point them kindly in the right direction.

I don't want this community to kill the podcast. I don't want all of this negativity to force Grizzly to leave - and I think it could get to that point if things continue the way they do.

Art is the best way to influence the Council. Draw the pcs with mobility aids! Give the poc characters love and attention, expand on hcs. Make ocs that showcase aspects of these lesser-represented communities. There are so many things you can do.

#jrwi #rrays answers #ive been wanting to talk about all this #guess now's the time #i just hope i dont dramatically offend anyone #i think a lot of people need to go touch some grass and remember the state of the real world #and how lucky we are to have a show like jrwi #with creators who are willing to listen and change their behaviors

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elahogn · 1 month

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Top of my head reaction while watching CR3E89 below, there's some discussion about the gods and the world, contain some SPOILERS so here's a warning.

Also contain some discussion and spoilers about the gods and world building of the 2 podcasts Legend Lark (Dames and Dragons) and Spout Lore. They are both very good and coming to an end of a long campaign, so check them out if you want to feast on some delicious delicious world buidling.

This whole discussion of whether the gods are necessary for the world to function comes up ever so often in this world of Critical Role and once again in c3e89. True to what Travis said, I think there're tons of missing links here. The only written record of what the gods done to Exandria is definitely by the followers of the gods, given it is by Vasselheim or by the Colbalt Soul (they are the followers of goddess Ioun, regardless of how neutral she is, still one of the gods). That's so obviously unavoidable bias to the gods! No one knows what was going on before the gods arrived. What was called chaos can be orders, just to a different standard. As an aware-but-not-religious person, I'm so deeply related to Ashton (Taliesin)'s sceptical pov on the gods, especially in this world! It's complicated in this fantasy world because the gods are somehow present and physical, and some people actually meet and talk to them. It's true that some people have special power connecting with the gods, it's true that the belief keep the world in order and there's some impact from the gods to keep other realms away from the material plane. But also because they are believed to be bringing orders and peace that there's no way to know what would be without them? It's true that the gods grow stronger with worship and followers. It's also true that they only look out for their own followers. So it's even more questionable whether they would even care if the world is destroyed if not for the dent in their own power.

In Legend Lark (Dames and Dragons) podcast, they also fight gods. The gods in this world are somehow enormous, intangible forces but also so human and selfish. The main big bad, Torva - the Conquerer, is one of the strongest gods, who is known to be the main cause of several destructions of civilizations. His motivation is so selfish, but so true to the chaotic nature of his domain and the grey moral of being one of the strongest gods that live so close to the mortal realm. In short, he wants to destroy the world and deconstruct the pantheon, dethrone the primordial forces to free his love from the cycle, a goddess who ascended from mortal who, in every lifetime, has to reborn herself and dedicate everything to care for her people (I'm not saying she's a selfless entity tho). An amazing thing is that throughout the campaign, it comes to light how humanity doesn't really need the gods to continue as a society. They are aware of the gods' existence, and some receive the blessing and power from the gods. Much at all, in the world history, the gods are recorded as the main force of destruction than anything.

Spout Lore podcast also has a very interesting take on the gods and the world. Interestingly, the world of Spout Lore has 3 realms, the material, the spirit, and the fairy. In which the gods, fundamentally, embodie forces of nature that walk across the three realms but bring the most destruction to the material realm. But somehow, the world survives, and the people live without much attention to the gods at all. The campaign is still going on at this point, but much to my understanding, the big bad, the Gibbous man, was a powerful god, still quite a god, but punished by other gods to be entangled with the human world. He is trying to free himself from the punishment while entangling himself stronger into his own chain. And the force of evil in the world materialised as demons, stem from his power, plague the world with greed, violence, and destruction.

On another note, back to CR, what even is Predathos? There's still so little information about this main reason that this whole campaign even has any plot at this point! Why is it called The Gods Eater? What did it do? What is it doing right now with the flares and the connections with the Ruidus borns? Somehow, this lack of explanation about the main force of the plot makes this campaign feel little like a drag sometimes. I know a lot of people saying that Bells Hells keep trying to avoid the main mission. But also, I feel now that they are on the main mission, all these moments of role-playing character development feel like roundabouts (!?). I don't know if it is a good choice to have the big final boss looming in the distance so early on the campaign with no return like this. Or is it better to establish the characters and story and as the story progressing, buidling up to the reveal of the villain?

#le mumble #critical role spoilers #legend lark podcast #spout lore podcast #dnd podcast

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accountsend · 8 months

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Sales Automation: Streamlining Processes for Efficient Lead Generation

Article by Jonathan Bomser | CEO | AccountSend.com

In today's lightning-paced business ecosystem, the beacon of Sales Automation shines brighter than ever as a transformative force propelling lead generation into a realm of unprecedented efficiency and success. This voyage takes us through seven pivotal strategies that harness the true potential of Sales Automation, ensuring that you harness its power to revolutionize your lead generation journey.

DOWNLOAD THE SALES AUTOMATION INFOGRAPHIC HERE

Implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System

Imagine a command center at your fingertips that orchestrates your lead interactions with finesse. This is where the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System, the linchpin of Sales Automation, comes into play. This technological marvel enables you to seamlessly centralize customer data, track interactions, and automate tasks with precision. Picture the possibilities as your sales team focuses on nurturing connections that drive conversions.

Utilize Marketing Automation Tools

Bid farewell to labor-intensive marketing efforts as Sales Automation brings forth the magic of marketing automation tools. These remarkable instruments streamline repetitive marketing tasks, from orchestrating email campaigns to nurturing leads and scheduling social media content. By crafting strategic workflows and triggers, you hold the power to deliver tailor-made messages that resonate with your prospects. The outcome? Engagement and conversion rates that soar to new heights.

Qualify Leads with Lead Scoring

In the labyrinth of potential leads, imagine having a compass that guides you to the most promising ones. Enter lead scoring, a beacon of clarity amidst the complexity. Through meticulous criteria encompassing demographic data, engagement metrics, and behavioral patterns, lead scoring empowers your sales team to prioritize leads ripe for conversion. This orchestration of efficiency elevates your conversion rates while maximizing your team's efforts.

Streamline Sales Processes with Workflow Automation

Embrace the liberation from manual, time-consuming sales processes through the elegance of workflow automation. Bid adieu to the mundane tasks of follow-ups, appointment scheduling, and proposal generation. Workflow automation transforms these into seamless symphonies, gifting your sales team precious time. This temporal freedom translates into a focus on nurturing relationships, cultivating an environment primed for deal closure.

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Integrate Sales and Marketing Efforts

The synergy of sales and marketing isn't a mere concept; it's a dynamic strategy made tangible by Sales Automation. Witness the convergence of these vital forces as silos dissolve, and a harmonious collaboration emerges. Valuable insights flow seamlessly, lead progress is tracked cohesively, and communication flourishes throughout the sales cycle. The result? A seamless alliance that fuels conversions and magnifies results.

Implement Chatbots and AI-powered Assistants

In an era where responsiveness defines success, envision AI-powered chatbots as your digital allies. These innovative assistants redefine customer support and engagement by handling routine inquiries, offering instant responses, and even assisting in lead qualification. The outcome? Your team is unburdened, channeling their expertise into intricate tasks that propel your business forward.

Continuously Analyze and Optimize

Success isn't a static destination; it's an evolving journey. Data analysis becomes your compass in the realm of Sales Automation. Regularly delve into the wealth of insights harvested by your automation tools. Decode lead behavior, unravel conversion rates, and unveil sales performance intricacies. Armed with these insights, fine-tune your lead generation strategies, refine processes, and unearth optimization opportunities.

In essence, Sales Automation stands as the cornerstone of lead generation efficiency. Through adopting a CRM system, harnessing marketing automation tools, embracing lead scoring, automating sales workflows, aligning sales and marketing endeavors, integrating AI-powered support, and ceaselessly optimizing strategies, you can reshape your lead generation narrative. Embrace Sales Automation as the lifeblood of your sales strategy, and witness your lead generation expedition thrive with newfound efficiency and efficacy. The time has come to seize Sales Automation and redefine your lead generation journey.

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8fwd · 3 months

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McLaren's 2024 Pumpkin Can't Be a Lemon

McLaren got the jump on everyone this year by being the first team to officially launch; while not a car, their 2024 livery. While not the most colorful F1 machinery McLaren has ever produced; I find myself missing their beautiful 2020 challenger, the new Papaya and Black scheme leads to a menacing almost Halloween vibe, while still being true to the modern McLaren brand of the Zak Brown Era.

And speaking of the brand, I cannot help but feel this surprise mid-january reveal was down to the fact that all McLaren factory racing efforts this year look to be standardized in terms of livery, and getting that first bit of F1 news out for the new year, and with their new ‘Whatever it takes’ mantra seemed like a no brainer if the cat was already out of the bag with the start of the Formula E season in Mexico a few weeks ago.

And on that new motto, I can’t help but feel this sense of confidence from every move McLaren is making right now. Compared to last year’s funeral of a car launch, where expectations were dashed and heads were hung low, the team feels excited and confident with every move they make.

Despite a slow start last season, 2023 turned into a beautiful year for McLaren, becoming the second fastest team on the grid post-summer break. Lando Norris continued to show brutal speed and consistency across races, and rookie Oscar Piastri showed exactly why he was worth all that fuss in 2022, all while avoid pitfalls we’ve seen other rookies hit in their maiden seasons

Now, after a grueling start and spectacular end to last year’s campaign, the Woking outfit looks to carry that momentum forward to 2024. And they have shiny new toys to try to help, like their brand new wind tunnel, freeing them from using TMG’s excellent, but outdated facility in Cologne. Combine that with new simulators to better help correlation before hitting the track with new upgrades, and McLaren’s new technical team looks to have the right tools to fight at the front.

While a shock Monza win in 2021 broke broke an almost decade long winless streak, and with a few close calls later that season, the 2022 ground effect regulations threw a wrench in the team’s recovery, and big promises came with reinvestment in the team that followed that disappointing first year of the new rules. And while 23 came good in the end, continued growth must be shown, even if the team isn’t immediately challenging for the title this year.

McLaren now needs to deliver, and keep showing that any upward ticks in form aren’t just solely the result of other teams missing their mark. They cannot repeat last year, and they also cannot afford to slid backward throughout the season like Aston Martin did last time out. If any team is to escape the F1 midfield, McLaren needs to not just show they’re ready, but show that they are capable of capitalizing on the new, more equitable F1 landscape.

#f1 #McLaren F1 #McLaren Racing #Formula 1 #F1 News #F1 Opinion #2024 F1 #F1 2024 #F1 Fandom #Original Content

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addictedtostorytelling · 5 months

Note

Hello, I am asking about GSR because I love your thorough and thoughtful answers. I'm rewatching early CSI, and I know that the opinions of the producers towards GSR were not always favorable early on - they'd planned to can the whole relationship after S3, if I recall correctly, but WP & JF campaigned to keep them going. So I'm wondering, for early GSR, do you think that some of the claim that Grissom always loved Sara is retconned to fit the later plot? Or do you think that Grissom was written/acted to have been in love with her the whole series, and just keeping it under wraps, as the character later claims? Can we canonically read S1, S2 & S3 William Petersen acting a Grissom who doesn't know what to do with his feelings of love for Sara, or is it more likely that he was at the time meant to be acting as not sure how to handle her being so interested in him while his interest was not as strong? It seems like by S4 Butterflied that the writers & WP had decided Grissom was currently and had been in love with Sara. Would appreciate your thoughts!

hi, @nostromosigningoff!

thank you for your kind words! i'm glad you like my answers.

in response to your question:

up front, i will say i do not believe that the idea grissom expresses in episode 04x12 "butterflied" (and also at later points, such as in "immortality") that he has always been in love with sara represents a retcon.

for something to be a retcon, it has to contradict a previously established canonical plot point, thereby breaking the continuity.

for example, in s1, catherine is established to have a sister (who often helps to care for lindsey), but in later seasons, she is depicted as an only child; her sister being written out of existence is therefore a retcon.

so since it is never established that grissom definitely is not in love with sara pre-s4, then it can't be a retcon to have him say (or at least imply) in episode 04x12 "butterflied" that he has been in love with her the whole time he's known her.

it's not a rewriting of explicit history.

there is room within the narrative for what he says to be true and (within the universe of the show) to have always been true.

and, ultimately, i think the show makes it pretty clear that grissom does in fact have feelings for sara from the start, not only through explicit textual acknowledgment but also through certain acting choices billy makes, staging decisions, overarching themes, etc.

that said, the question of "was he (outside of the universe of the show) always intended to have been in love with her and only her from the beginning?" is, admittedly, a little more complicated, the answer running along the lines of "yes and no."

more discussion after the "keep reading," if you're interested.

first, some clarification: despite the fact that the showrunners eventually questioned the viability of gsr at the end of s3 (after grissom had declined sara's dinner invitation in episode 03x22 "play with fire"), they were not (in general) unfavorable to romantic gsr prior to that point.

while anthony zuiker had never intended for csi to be a show that focused primarily on the characters' home and love lives (and instead wanted to keep the drama firmly situated in their work), gsr had indeed been conceptualized of as a romance—and a mutual romance, at that—from day 1*.

* or technically "day 2," since jorja fox was only hired and the character of sara sidle only created after they had already filmed the pilot.

jorja fox was cast as sara with the understanding that her character would be "the love interest for gil grissom"—and note the wording she was supplied, which suggests that grissom has an interest in sara (and not that sara has unrequited feelings for him). she knew going into the job that her character was meant to match up with the show's leading man and be the object of his attraction.

to that end, many scenes throughout csi s1, s2, and s3 were written and/or directed and acted with the gsr romantic angle explicitly in mind—with the feelings evident on both sides.

multiple episodes of the early seasons heavily feature and develop the notion that grissom does have both a sexual attraction and an emotional connection to sara, beyond anyone else, and only really make sense within that context (e.g., episodes 01x03 "crate n' burial," 01x10 "sex, lies, & larvae," 01x23 "the strip strangler," 02x16 "primum non nocere," the entire grissom jealousy arc of early s3, etc.).

moreover, within these episodes, sara is not always shown as being the "pursuer." there are plenty of times when grissom expresses his attraction to, feelings for, and devotion to her unprompted, such as, for example, in episode 02x16 "primum non nocere."

this example is especially relevant to our question, as grissom's "since i met you" quip not only establishes his attraction and emotional connection to sara but also specifies that it has been a "from the moment he met her" deal. since when does he care about beauty? literally from the moment he met her and realized how beautiful she is.

the fact that he does so proves: he's not just a boss stuck in the awkward position of having a subordinate with unrequited feelings for him; he has feelings of his own, which he often expresses independent of her saying or doing anything to provoke him to.

while he is undeniably conflicted about his feelings and unsure of what to do about them, the fact is that he does have them.

and much of the tension between grissom and sara in the early seasons is based on that reality—both explicit narrative cues (such as catherine bringing the issue up to grissom in episode 02x15 "burden of proof," prodding him to deal with whatever lingering romantic feelings exist between him and sara so they can effectively work together) and billy's acting choices make that point clear.

the problem is that neither grissom nor sara can ever just fully walk away from their connection; that deep down, neither one of them wants to.

so.

outside of the universe of the show, the situation was that the showrunners had this ship that had been written as being romantic from the beginning, with mutual feelings on both sides, which they had then teased for so long and complicated in so many ways that after three seasons—which is the traditional point at which most tv "will they or won't they?" couples have their slow-burn arcs resolved—they were questioning if it was still viable (and particularly as the ship was polarizing and not universally popular with the fans).

after all, by this time, they had already had grissom and sara acknowledge the attraction head-on (see episodes 03x02 "the accused is entitled" and 03x22 "play with fire") and had had grissom turn down sara's direct romantic overture toward him, so it was time to either "drive or get out of the car," so to speak.

it was never the case that the showrunners (as a collective) had hated gsr or been against it as a romance from the get-go. it had also never been the case that they viewed it as a one-sided, "sara is in love with him but he is indifferent to her" thing, either.

whatever else may be true, grissom was consistently shown to have feelings for sara (which oftentimes complicated their interactions).

it's just that after the rigmarole of s3, there was some question of "now that we've gotten grissom and sara to this (fraught) point, should we bother to continue their romantic relationship? or is our audience burnt out on all this angst? do people actually still want to see them together?"

the writers were inclined to think no, especially because (as stated) gsr as a concept had always been divisive among fans.

however, both billy and jorja understood gsr to be so central to their characters that they advocated for the romantic storyline to continue (and eventually see some consummation).

over the course of the hiatus between s3 and s4, they lobbied to maintain the ship (or, in other words, to go with the original plan), and eventually, they persuaded the showrunners to stick with it, which meant that s4 began with romantic gsr "still on the table."

as talked about in this excerpt from the csi: crime scene investigation companion book,

because billy and jorja were successful in their campaign, there was essentially no gap in coverage with gsr being written as romantic throughout the series; that throughline persisted from episode 01x02 "cool change" on, even after the events of episode 03x22 "play with fire."

now.

all of the above said, a couple of things should be noted:

first, csi was always a show with multiple writers who, though they functioned as a team, were nevertheless not a monolith in terms of how they conceptualized of the show, its characters, their storylines, etc.

that so, mileage would often vary with csi storytelling depending on which particular writer was the primary one for a particular script or even longer story arc.

though gsr was conceived of as a romance from the beginning of the series, prior to them "going canon" with the big reveal at the end of s6, there were various writers who put their own spins on the ship. some of them applied little effort to developing the romance angle as main text on the show, adhering to the zuiker "focus on the criminalistics" mandate to the letter and leaving it mostly to billy and jorja to inflect their performances with attraction/interest "between the lines" as they would in the absence of more explicit treatment in their scripts. however, others would alternate based on their own whims or what the story of the day called for, sometimes teasing the romance explicitly and other times downplaying it and/or leaving it understated (especially in favor of other potential grissom ships, like kessom). still others consistently played to and developed the romance, pushing that overarching story along and establishing it as a series mainline (the most reliable captains of this last camp, for my money, being david rambo and sarah goldfinger).

there was also variation, even among those writers who did place gsr romance on the center stage, in terms of how they portrayed the dynamic, and particularly with regards to the question of grissom's characterization within it. some wrote more toward grissom being confused, others toward grissom being repressed and afraid, others toward him being manipulative of sara's feelings, others toward him being conscientious of power structures and professional considerations, etc. they also had multifarious interpretations of the exact nature of the romance itself, especially in terms of what grissom and sara's pre-vegas history might be, the type(s) of attraction at play and how that might manifest, what exactly the characters' hang-ups and motivations with regards to each other were, the level of intimacy between them, etc.

that being the case, we can't really speak of all of the writers and showrunners sharing a common attitude toward or understanding of gsr without oversimplifying the matter.

the truth is, views among the writing and production staff on the show toward gsr were as various as they were/are within the fandom.

carol mendelsohn, for example, has spoken of the fact that there was never a consensus in the writers' room about whether or not grissom and sara had slept together prior to sara moving to las vegas. she personally felt that they had, though other writers/producers felt they hadn't.

while there was a baseline understanding across the production that sara was meant to be grissom's love interest and that there was some kind of nebulous ~history between them, there were lots of different ways members of the production team interpreted and depicted that relationship beat (which is why the gsr storyline sometimes feels so inconsistent, even within the course of a single season).

another thing we have to keep in mind when talking about intentionality re: gsr romance is that while we as fans often talk of ships "always being endgame," more often than not, showrunners and writers don't operate with that kind of certainty in place.

with the exceptions of shows where the main romance is the be-all, end-all central plot point, with the whole story revolving around particular characters getting together/staying together/having an eventual happy ending, in most cases, most tv romances do not come with a guarantee of endgame status. writers prefer to keep their options open, writing toward what is most interesting and playing on chemistry wherever they may happen upon it.

they also sometimes are constrained by production realities (such as studio mandates, shifting actor availabilities, cast dynamics issues, etc.), which make it so they can't necessarily just "write what they want."

that so, while it is accurate to say that the writers always conceived of gsr as being mutually romantic in nature—as per the character notes jorja was given by the production team and the fact that when billy and jorja first met, they did so with the understanding that they were going to be scene partners/playing love interests going forward—it is not accurate to say that they always believed (much less knew for a fact) that grissom and sara would wind up together in the end/become the flagship of the show, spanning all fifteen seasons and a movie/get married and live happily ever after, and particularly not from the beginning of the show.

sara was meant to be grissom's primary love interest from the beginning, yes—and certainly their dynamic was written with mutual feelings/interest on both sides.

however, "primary" does no mean "only," and neither does it necessarily mean "forever."

that so, before the character was really solidified, particularly in early s1, the writers had occasionally fitted grissom into some interim romances and tried to present him more as the archetypal "cad about town" than would later be the case.

they also, as the show progressed, sometimes teased and explored other romantic options for him than sara, mainly with heather kessler, writing those interactions in such a way that (had they wanted to, and particularly had the audience reacted favorably) they could have slotted heather in as grissom's "primary romantic option" rather than sara instead.

so for as much as sara was created to be grissom's love interest from the beginning and for as much as gsr was written as a romance (with feelings on both sides) from sara's first appearance on the show, gsr was not necessarily intended from the beginning to be endgame.

in the writers' views, it was one option of many potential ones—a main option, a consistent option, an option they poured a lot of narrative time and attention into developing over the course of the show's first three seasons, yes, but an option all the same; one possible choice among many.

it wasn't until s4, after billy and jorja's intercession, that they really decided to make gsr endgame, knocking all other possibilities off the table.

that choice on their parts was, of course, cemented in episode 04x12 "butterflied."

so.

getting back to your original question of "was grissom always written/acted as being in love with sara from the get-go or was he originally meant (prior to s4) to have been more uncertain?" here are my thoughts:

as established, both billy petersen and jorja fox knew from the beginning that their characters were meant to have some kind of romantic connection, and the writers were definitely conceiving of gsr that way.

it is also true that gsr was not intended to be one-sided; grissom was written and depicted as being an active participant from the beginning, just as sara was.

but as also established, the particulars of the connection between grissom and sara were very much "not pinned down."

it wasn't as if the writers wrote up a "gsr dossier" and handed it over to billy and jorja and said, "here is the entire history your characters share together, complete with notes about how exactly they feel about each other and what beats and nuances you should play with them going forward. also, you should know that we intend for them to eventually get married and be together forever, so make sure to foreshadow that as much as you can."

to the contrary: both billy and jorja have often spoken of the fact that given the preponderance of "blanks" in their character histories and how little information the writers gave them to go on regarding grissom and sara's past dynamic, they often consulted with each other to come up with what we fans might refer to as "headcanons" about what they believed had happened between grissom and sara in san francisco, as well as to make sense of what was currently going on between them at any given point during the early seasons of the show. they relied on each other to "get on the same page" and to create internal cohesion in their performances.

it wasn't something that was just handed to them.

they were also in the same boat as members of the audience when it came to wondering what the future held for grissom and sara as a couple while the show was still running.

while they knew their characters were romantically entangled, they didn't know to what end.

at the beginning, there was so much ship teasing.

but would grissom and sara ever get together? if they did, would the relationship be long-term?

they didn't know.

they were just going along with the story as it was being written.

and, as discussed above, the writers themselves didn't have some huge, overarching plan to start out with. they knew from the onset that sara was an emotional touchstone for grissom and someone he was deeply connected and attracted to, but they weren't necessarily married to the idea that grissom and sara would themselves get married.

as stated, "endgame gsr" was one possibility among many, and, particularly at the show's onset, when there were no guarantees of how long csi would even be on the air, it was a long-shot, far-off-into-the-future, we'll-get-there-if-we-get-there possibility at that.

there were a lot of moving parts in play and nothing was set in stone.

so.

all of the above being the case, can we say definitively that every second billy played grissom on screen, his intention as an actor was to depict grissom as being deeply in love with sara? can we say that he always fully understood grissom's motivations and knew that grissom was scared of the depths of his feelings for sara (as opposed to just being unsure of how to deal with her intensity)?

no.

while it's a safe bet to say billy was always aware that grissom and sara had history and that there was a possibility that they would eventually become a couple from the start, we can't say that he always knew exactly what was going on with them. there might very well have been times when he felt like the attraction was more one-sided or when he doubted anything would ever transpire between them; even when he perhaps thought that the writers might take grissom down other roads for romance instead (i.e., pair grissom with heather).

that said, did he, as an actor, nevertheless always seem to keep those initial notes on grissom and sara's connection "in his back pocket" so that grissom's emotional attachment to sara and attraction to sara played a consistent role in his characterization?

yes.

and did he regularly depict grissom emotionally reacting to sara (even if the nature of his reactions was more ambiguous), such that we as viewers can easily believe grissom's later claims that he has always been in love with sara when we view them from an in-universe perspective?

absolutely.

the facts that billy and jorja did come up with their own takes on gsr and talk through that "secret history" together and that billy so often ad-libbed some of the most romantic gsr lines ("since i met you," anyone?) and that billy did imbue grissom's reactions to sara with such emotion all strongly suggest that even if he didn't know for sure—based on a "word of god" dictum from the showrunners—what the exact nature of grissom and sara's relationship was or that they would for sure end up together, he was playing romance between them, and it was a consistent, deliberate acting decision on his part.

see, for example, his comments about his ad-lib of grissom calling sara "honey" in episode 03x22 "play with fire": "[the producers] said, ‘he can’t call her honey.’ but that’s exactly what would happen. he’s afraid for her—he’s afraid for everybody—but it is specifically for sara. he knows the stress she’s been under with him. with her shock, she doesn’t even know until later on that he called her honey. he doesn’t know that he called her honey. only the audience knows."

he may not have been able to say for sure, "i know sara is the love of grissom's life and that he's going to marry her someday, so i'm gonna play him that way in every episode." but he knew enough to recognize the importance of that connection and to consistently depict it, leaving the door for development open.

he also knew enough (along with jorja) to advocate for the continuance of the gsr romantic storyline at a time when the showrunners were doubtful of it.

and because he did, grissom's later in-universe claims that he's been in love with sara the whole time are emminently believable, regardless of what kinds of questions were being asked behind the scenes regarding the viability of gsr from a production standpoint.

so that's the thing: when i look at grissom and sara's story, i see nothing in it that contradicts the idea that they've been madly and mutually in love with each other since 1998—and, in fact, i think their story only really makes sense when viewed through that lens.

even for as indecisive and tempestuous as grissom can be about his relationship with sara in the early seasons, never for one second do i doubt that he has feelings for her.

there is no episode i can look at and go, "yeah, at this point, gsr was completely off the table. they just added it in later."

if grissom was just wholesale uncomfortable with sara's romantic attentions on him and not sure how to deal with them, then episodes like 01x10 "sex, lies, & larvae," 01x16 "too tough to die," 01x23 "the strip strangler," 02x05 "scuba doobie-doo," 02x15 "burden of proof," 02x16 "primum non nocere," 02x23 "the hunger artist" (which, lest we forget, explicitly features grissom seeking out sara while a love song plays), 03x02 "the accused is entitled," 03x09 "blood lust," 03x22 "play with fire," 04x03 "homebodies," and 04x07 "invisible evidence" would never have happened—or at least wouldn't have played out the way that they in canon do.

and mind you: all of those episodes take place before episode 04x12 "butterflied" stakes its claims to the longevity, singularity, and depths of grissom's love for sara.

in those episodes, grissom's romantic feelings for sara are all made main text—acknowledged not only through william petersen's acting choices but in dialogue, staging, and even through the show's soundtrack.

they are deliberately shown.

and what's more: nowhere in the show is grissom depicted as having that same sort of consistent, almost unavoidable emotional connection with anyone else, either.

though of course fans can and do argue about what he may feel for heather or even other potential love interests besides sara, the fact is that just by sheer volume and duration, his connection with sara is his longest, most intense relationship on the show by far.

even if one does believe he may at some point have feelings for heather (which, of course, i don't), it would always be a situation of "and" not "instead of" where sara in concerned.

his love for sara is a thread that runs through the whole tapestry of the show.

it's never the case that he stops having feelings for her in favor of having feelings for anyone else. he also never really moves on from her, even when he declines her romantic overtures at the end of s3.

so at the end of the day, though neither the showrunners nor the writers nor the actors may have known with surety from the beginning that sara would end up being grissom's one true love and the only woman he ever had any real feelings for, and while at various points during the production there definitely were other options they considered, what the show ends up actually depicting (all doylist intentions aside) is that sara is the object of grissom's heart from day 1.

it's not a retcon for the writers or grissom himself to say he has always been in love with sara, because there is consistent evidence of it, both internal and external to the show, from the start.

it's not something that was shoehorned in or decided upon long after the fact.

the option was there from the day jorja fox signed her contract.

and it was given consistent enough narrative attention, both by the writers and by the actors, that by the time it is explicitly stated, it doesn't at all "come out of nowhere" or contradict anything already established in the show. rather, it confirms what has already been implied for a very long time prior.

so tl;dr? while the showrunners may not necessarily have been sold on a gsr endgame from the start, that also isn't to say that they were against it, either, or that eventually "going there" went against their original intentions.

gsr had always been on the table, and billy, for his part, consummate knower of his character that he is, was always, from the beginning aware of that possibility and depicted grissom accordingly, leaving that door for a gsr romance open, so that now it seems very clear looking back that the love was there all along.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

#answered #nostromosigningoff #asks: csi #**#my meta #meta: csi #meta: gsr #meta: production #let's talk shop #csiverse

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