#i accidentally make it too long

[goodolddumbbanana]

[Superhero au] Pre Dazzle - Ur... You make him cry, boss

Warning: Solar get ties up.

“You know, Eclipse, we should stop ending our confrontation like this. With me in the sky without a scratch and you writhing at my feet like a worm that needs to be torn apart.”

Yellow glinted from SUN’s blue glasses, almost in contrast to Solar’s ​​already ashen-colored hoodie. A wrong decision, a subjective judgment that had separated Solar from his group. Moon was still too busy scattering civilians, and Lunar was still struggling with SUN’s henchman. He was alone here, as usual, being the punching bag for this asshole.

A loud explosion made Solar frown. Half of SOlar’s ​​systems had shut down, unable to withstand the impact. His ​​internal systems were also plastered with yellow icons, as the incessant notifications of urgent need for repairs rang out deafeningly.

Fine dust formed a mist that curled in the air, as the smell of burning plastic and soot condensed together noxiously, with the crackling of the rubble surrounding Solar.

The malicious mockery could be tasted in SUN's eyes, as they drew closer, the pleasant ringing of their footsteps, the way they stared at Solar's body that was almost paralyzed, the result of that bastard wondering what would happen if they just plugged in the various wires in the circuit board behind his head, after they dunked him in the water.

“I mean, aren't you tired?”

The voice was too gentle, as if they were genuinely concerned for Solar's well-being. It made his finger marks dig deep into the ground, leaving long holes as he raised his insolent eyes to the villain hovering high in the sky, his throat cutting with searing pain.

“Aren’t you allergic for shut the fuck up?”

Solar growled, his throat aching, feeling like a few pebbles had gotten stuck in the screws moving inside him, as the attacks he had suffered from SUN a few minutes ago had left no mercy in their aftermath.

“Hmm…” The villain just tilted his head, his fingers flicking Solar’s ​​rays. A snap of his lips was heard as they said ‘Nope!’ 

The movements were almost too fast for Solar to react, as they giggled, lifted him up by the neck, and slammed him into a nearby wall.

Bricks flew out, causing the world in front of Solar to spin. The sharp pieces hitting his face were not as painful as SUN’s annoying voice. A few of his rays had cracked in half, black oil splattered all over his shirt.

“You don’t understand, the moon killed my brother.”

SUN’s fake joke was so empty that Solar felt disgusted. He felt like an ant, a toy in SUN’s hands, only alive because they were bored.

This time too, they only managed to save the world, because SUN was busy arguing with his henchmen and forgot to focus on their plan to blow up the moon.

Solar didn’t understand, and didn’t want to understand, with SUN’s power, whether he destroyed or dominated the world, it was all a piece of cake. But they were still here, with their unrealistic and ridiculous plans, as if they just wanted to play, as if they just wanted to dip their hands in blood and lick it like a cat just wanting to play with its prey.

They just wanted to spread agony and suffering, and they didn’t care whose life they took, as long as it was fun.

And in those empty, cruel eyes, there was no one but themselves.

“So, tell me Eclipse, what should I do with you?”

SUN’s voice again. They hummed, the bells clanging along their steps. There was something extremely eye candy, the way their crimson robes undulated as if they were alive, flexibly hugging SUN's slender body like a cat's tail.

The sunset cast a burnt orange glow over SUN’s face. They sat down, tilting their heads to look at him, their hands roughly grasping his rays, forcing him to look at them properly. Still as splendid and intact as ever, without a trace of worldly dust, with the mocking and indifferent look of a god from another world. Their minds always seemed to be lost somewhere, with a distorted look as if they only saw him, and this world as numbers, inanimate objects.

As if they were the only ones who existed here.

They still spoke so nonchalantly.

"You ruined my plan, you even injured my minions. I should have blown you up, or just made your death so slow, you would beg me to put you out of your misery.”

SUN whispered into Solar’s ​​ear, their voice was soft, too gentle and sweet as their hands squeezed Solar’s ​​shoulder blades, causing the metal to almost dent inward.

“But I’m feeling merciful today, so… Why don’t you sleep for a while, huh, Hero?”

Light exploded before Solar’s ​​eyes. A searing pain shot through his body, leaving him unable to react, only to convulse and collapse to the ground. Everything became too blurry, and what remained in SOlar’s ​​memory, was SUN’s hateful crescent smile.

—-

Tick… ​​Tok…

Solar didn’t know if it was the steady ticking of the clock, or the buzzing, fan-like sound that woke him up.

Where the hell was he? Just a few minutes ago he was still in the square, then–

Ah…

Solar grimaced, a terrible pain that seemed to crack his circuit board in half, pushing the jammed data to Solar’s ​​CPU.

Everything flashbacks to his eyes. 

The plan went wrong, he was separated from Moon and Lunar, and was knocked out by SUN.

And he woke up here… Where was this?

Everything was dark, hazy. It smelled like detergent, and the dampness was stagnant as if he were in a bathroom. He tried to get up but was immediately pulled back. It seemed like his neck was chained. The wire pressed against Solar’s ​​shoulder.

For a moment, Solar was terrified, thinking that SUN had finally gouged his eyes out or done something to negate his abilities to such an extreme degree.

But luckily, that wasn't the case. His eyes were just covered, felt rough like tape. And what was even more uncomfortable was that he was tied up.

Solar didn't know what the hell SUN had done, but his entire body was tied to the ground, making him unable to move at all. Solar's two hands were tied together and coiled with iron chains behind his back, while his ankles were all jingling as if the steel wires were being coiled together.

Rubbing against the wall, he realized that the chain was quite long, and based on the feeling from his rail, the end of the chain seemed to be fixed to the wall.

Solar tried to stand up, but only caused the chains to get tangled together and made him fall over. The black dust and oil stuck to Solar's palms, making him frown unconsciously in disgust.

‘Calm down Solar, first you need to figure out where you are.’ 

Solar gritted his teeth to calm himself down. He couldn’t be so desperate, if SUN kept him alive, maybe they needed Solar for something. He just needs to have hope.

Now he needs to think of a plan to escape. 

Diagnosing himself internally, he breathed a sigh of relief when none of his functions were too badly damaged. His battery was still at 54 percent, still not too bad, enough for him to think of a way to escape. And now, Solar needed to focus on his surroundings.

Took a deep breath, he curled up against the vertical wall, then tried to adjust his hearing to the highest possible level.

Tok… Tak…

They were probably on water, judging from the crashing sound he heard. The pungent smell of detergent, mixed with the strong iron smell of blood and oil, filled his nostrils. The steady, occasional clicking of the keyboard. Solar could also vaguely hear the sound of the television in the distance—

“MIKU, WE’LL TALK ABOUT YOUR NOVEL WRITING HABITS LATER!!!! YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR BOSS LIKE THAT!!!--” SUN’s distant shout startled Solar. When did they arrive? Solar’s ​​radar didn’t even sense anything. Just a gust of wind blew by and—

“Oh, Eclipse~~ I didn’t expect you to wake up so early—”

SUN was speaking when he stopped. Solar could vaguely feel SUN’s gaze staring at him. There was a gasp from SUN’s direction, and then his mortal enemy walked out, the sound of footsteps fading away and their shrill, angry voices.

“MIKU!!! I TOLD YOU TO TIE HIM UP!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?”

“What do you mean, Boss? Didn’t I tie him up nice and tight?” SUN’s henchman responded, her voice sounding bored, as if the anger of a villain who could turn dozens of cities into dust was a joke.

“NOT LIKE THIS!!! YOU— WHY DID YOU USE SO MANY CHAINS?!!!”

“Isn’t this supposed to be an extra session for you two? I just like making things more spicy.”

“Miku… I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you for real this time. And I’m going to cut your head off and throw it into the blender.” SUN hissed, even without looking, Solar could feel the smoke starting to puff out from the top of SUN’s head.

“Boss, you know that’s my kink. Don’t threaten me with a good time if you will chicken out on this latter. Being crushed by a criminal… Oh daddy, thinking about it makes me—”

“STOP!! Okay… I’m sorry. I admit I was wrong. Please stop talking.”

The sound faded away. It was gratifying to see SUN miserable, but was there something wrong with the way he was tied up. Honestly, if that was Miku’s job, she did a pretty good job for a lackey.

He literally couldn’t move.

The sound of the door slamming interrupted Solar’s ​​train of thought. SUN’s irritation, even the blind could see it.

A deep breath to compose themselves, then the voice returned to its usual contemptuous sneering.

“Isn’t it embarrassing? Letting you see this.”

A cool swish around Solar’s ​​neck and arms. Suddenly, his movements became easier. His arms were still tied behind his back, but everything about him was now free to move, including his neck. “What do you want?” Solar spatted out each word, wriggling his legs to relieve the fatigue. The real question he wanted to ask was why the hell was he in this place, because usually SUN would just dump him into whatever trash pit when they got bored and just leave him to fend for himself.

Not once had they dragged him back—if he guessed correctly, their lair.

“What do I want? Hmm? Let’s see…” The bell rang once more in Solar’s ​​ears, he could feel the soft, itchy feeling of the ribbon brushing against his cheek as someone’s footsteps drew closer. “—What could I want? Guess what I could want Eclipse? Money? World domination? Escape from boredom? Haha… I, right now, just want…”

The hem of SUN’s cloak draped over his legs, the minty scent mixed with someone’s extremely clean detergent lingering near Solar’s nose.

The soft feeling and weight of a hand pressed against Solar’s ​​thigh. The mockery was disguised as an invitation, as if they were something innocent. “…to be alone.” Solar could feel the curve of their backs, as they pulled themselves closer to Solar, as if to make him feel pressured by their presence. As if to make him fear them.

The vague shadows of their hands descended.

A gentle pressure on Solar’s ​​blindfold, as their fingertips leisurely traced lines up his jaw, then slowly go down to his neck.

Slow and gentle, as if asking a child not to eat cookies before dinner.

“I want you to stop bothering me. Once and for all.”

Solar didn’t really hear what SUN said. Too used to SUN deliberately making him feel uncomfortable, he just waited patiently for them to get close enough to make his move. Time seemed to stop between the two of them as Solar slammed his head into Sun’s face. He didn’t even care if his life was in SUN’s hands or if SUN could easily snap his neck right now, he just wanted to make that bastard feel angry for as many seconds as possible.

SUN’s screams of pain and confusion as he kicked his legs forward, knocking them down sounded like music from heaven for Solar.

In a flash, he pressed his knees against the other’s stomach, pinning them down with his own body. It was ridiculous, Solar didn’t even have any breathing space, but right now, he himself was panting. He could feel his entire body trembling, as the distance between him and freedom was only a hand’s breadth.

Of course, reality came back and slapped Solar in the face.

There was a growl of thrill under his knees, and suddenly, a strong pull on his neck caused him to fall backwards.

“You like to play like that, don’t you!”

That bastard used the damn chains they had cut as weapons against Solar. They didn't even use their strength, just pure physical strength to grapple with Solar, as if there was something funny about watching him clumsily fight them with no vision and his hands tied behind his back.

"Fuck you!" Solar spat. He ignored the taste of oil in his mouth and charged forward, only to fall over due to the shortness of the chains.

"Language." SUN scolded. "Aren't you a hero? Really proves my point." SUN sighed. "You never know when to stop." They sat on Solar's back, occasionally patting his head like a dog. 

The shadow moved closer to Solar's head, as they pulled him up. They even dusted him off, removing the sharp pieces of stone he had hit while they were wrestling. Solar stiffly tried to show his glare and malicious feeling, as the other tapped on his intact ray. It was quite painful, especially with the way they pressed their rounded fingertips to the top and pulled, as if wanting to rip it off Solar's head.

"Then, I'll make you a proposal." SUN's voice was leisurely, their hands brushing against Solar's collar.

"You leave me alone, and maybe... your two little friends... will stay intact."

"What do you mean by that?" Solar was startled, raising his head. It felt like something was twisting ugly in Solar's stomach, as if it was fear.

SUN had never used this method, they always simply exploded their power to wherever they hated. But SUN was also an evil person, and with these disgusting tricks, Solar was also used to it to the point of pain.

He just never hoped SUN would lower themselves to this level.

“Hehe… How stupid do you think I am that I don’t know you’re trying to buy my time? Your little fairy and scientist have been… captured by my loyal minions.” The bell rang as SUN leaned on his shoulder in delight. Something rustled as they waved it in front of him.

“Hey Eclipse… Do you want to know what they’re doing?”

At this moment, Solar finally understood the devil with an angel’s face. They spoke so softly, so sincerely, but their words were filled with cruelty. For the first time, Solar felt fear, he half dared to listen, half refused. Anxiety writhed like a knife stabbing into his heart.

<SJGUIOSP{

It sounded like radio static. Then gradually, Solar heard screams. The pitiful screams of innocent people, and…

Moon and Lunar.

“Help!! Eclipse!!! Help me!!!”

“Oh boy… Don’t worry Eclipse, we’re fine, we’ll be fine!!.”

“What do you mean???!!! You idiot, we’re about to die!!!”

And was cut off by a flat, emotionless voice.

“Boss, can I blow them up now?”

“No!! Don’t!!” Solar screamed. He tried to move forward but couldn’t, just desperately following the sounds of the people he cared about.

“Oh? My hero doesn’t want me to destroy these people?” SUN whispered, his even, hateful tone creeping nausea down SOlar’s ​​spine.

“So you know what you have to do?” SUN tapped Solar’s ​​head.

“What?”

“Apologize.”

“Huh?”

“I say sorry.” SUN said sternly. The cold tiredness was the most genuine, for the circus act just now. “Apologize for wasting my time. Sorry for being a troublemaker. Sorry for hurting my lackey. Sorry for being you, a hero, but more useless than those policemen out there.”

“And promise not to bother me again. Including giving this warning for those other annoying heroes.”

“If you promise to ignore me every time you see me, then the people, under your responsibility, will live.”

SUN’s whisper was like sweet venom biting into Solar’s ​​metaphorical heart.

“You don’t want innocent blood on your hands again, right?”

Solar’s ​​knees trembled. His throat felt like it was faulty, he couldn’t make a sound.

“If I agree, what will you do next?” Solar’s ​​voice faltered. Only to be answered by a jingling sound, as SUN’s arm pulled Solar around the neck.

“It’s not something you need to care about anymore, right?”

“So, what’s your decision?”

“I—”

“Save me, Eclipse! I’m scared!! I don’t want to go!!!”

“Don’t worry about us!!! Ecp—”

The voices mixed together, tearing him into two different pieces.

Is it too selfish when he just doesn’t want the people he cares about to be lost again?

“I– I’m sorry. Please spare them—” Solar gasped, squeezing out each word. His head was pounding. Everything was spinning and smashing him into a hundred pieces. He couldn’t think, any logical plan or backup plan, all gone when the people he had worked so hard to take care of were weighed down.

Eclipse was a hero but SOlar had always been selfish.

He couldn’t, he just couldn’t…

“It’s okay.” SUN’s voice was gentle in Solar’s ​​ear, causing him to lift his head.

“I forgive you.” SUN’s palm brushed against Solar’s ​​cheek, as they brought the walkie-talkie to their mouths.

“Blow them up, buddy.” SUN’s silvery bell-like laughter and the endearing voice from the other side like a nightmare shattered Solar’s ​​fleeting reality.

Solar didn’t even have time to scream. He hadn’t even finished speaking when the sound of the explosion hit his ears.

BOOM!!!

The screams died down quickly, along with the flickering of flames and the sound of something breaking.

Ah…

There was a static sound ringing in Solar’s ​​ears.

He still couldn’t process it. It felt like it wasn’t real.

Is that all?

It hurts… It hurts so much… His chest shouldn’t have hurt like this.

Suppressing everything Solar was feeling right now, he trembled, gritting out each word.

“Did– Didn’t you say we would make a deal?”

His voice box seemed to be broken because no matter how hard Solar tried, he couldn’t form words. A pat on the head from SUN, and for a moment, Solar could see the golden light flashing from the bastard’s crescent-shaped eyes.

“I lied. Have you forgotten that, hero? Villains always lie.”

Something wet was dripping from Solar’s ​​chin. Was he shivering? It was so cold, why did Solar feel so cold? He couldn’t understand, he just knew that he was shivering.

He couldn’t show weakness, he couldn’t cry in front of that cold-blooded bastard.

But Solar still lowered his head, unable to hold back the trembling sobs in his throat with black oil dripping from his eye sockets.

Look at that SOlar, that’s your true nature, a destroyer of happiness. Wherever you go, there will be devastation.

How disgusting you are, Eclipse.

The overly familiar voice in Solar’s ​​ears belonged to the ghost he had killed. And, another voice, more meticulous, gentle that Solar rather just ran away.

‘What would you do without me, Eclipse?’

00000000

“Haha– Look at you, I was just kidding. It was all fake–” SUN laughed heartily.

Eclipse’s face went blank like an idiot, making him laugh out loud. Yeah, SUN was evil, but he wasn’t evil enough to do that. Professionals have standards. Threatening the hero’s loved ones, the cheapest trick in Villain 101. SUN was just so fed up with the face they always wore and the way they always got in his way, he wanted to make a prank to embarrass them.

It was easy to imitate the voices of the sidekicks. He meant, they were all animatronics, the dialog boxes were pretty similar.

And the guy named MOnty made a pretty good script, even if it was just an online transaction.

He should pay them more, SUN thought slowly, still staring at the camera.

He didn't expect them to apologize to him easily like that. Anyway, everything has been recorded, he will bring this evidence back and upload it online for the whole world to know how pathetic their hero Eclipse was.

Huh?

Why was his hand wet?

Did they hit any water pipes so hard that they cracked them?

No, it was black.

Oh… Huh?!

SUN looked closely at Eclipse's face. Two lines of black liquid were flowing down Eclipse's cheeks. They were crying. Ouch… They were crying… OHHHHH

Those three words hit SUN's face like a hammer. It shook SUN and slammed SUN to the ground, screaming the words you are a terrible person.

A sob echoed in the silent atmosphere. Luckily Molten was going outside, otherwise with their enhanced hearing, they would definitely crawl out to check if SUN was okay.

…

What now? SUN hadn’t actually thought about what he would do at this stage. He was always the type to act first, think later.

Beat Eclipse off, mock him, sure. But then what?...

Uh…

And with Eclipse keeps continuing to shed tears like this, it became awkward, and—

Did he go too far? He had been like this all the time before, he never cried.

And now, should SUN comfort Eclipse?

“Um… I was just kidding… See… They’re still alive.” SUN hesitantly poked his fingertips. He awkwardly moved closer to wipe Eclipse’s tears. But the more he wiped, the more they flowed. And when he removed the tape from Eclipse’s face, the black oil came out even more, soaking a black patch on SUN’s shirt.

SUn’s internal system was screaming, congratulations, you fucked up, and the little SUNs in his head were jumping around screaming.

What the hell could he do?

“Hey Boss, are you done with your antics? I need you to take me out.”

Okay… SUN admitted that he still thought MIKu was a nuisance, but he had never been more grateful for Miku’s presence than now.

“Miku!!! Save me— Oh, I mean, help me with this.”

“Huh? Don’t tell me you guys are playing too rough and I need you to find a mechanic?”

The rude bastard who never respected SUN stepped in. The smile on her lips disappeared when she saw SUn still wiping Eclipse’s tears, surrounded by a pile of ruins.

That deranged dared to look at him with judgmental eyes.

“Boss. What did you do to him?”

“I didn’t do anything??”

“You guys didn’t do bondage with each other too hard, right? I totally  understand if that the case but~~~”

“You don’t understand shit!!”

SUN waved his hand. Both of them completely ignored the sound of metal being torn apart from each other.

Bang!!!

SUN flew into the wall unexpectedly. He groaned and crawled out, before MIku's wide eyes, proving that even she had no idea what was going on.

"Come back here."

The voice was truly terrifying.

SUN turned around in shock. His mortal enemy, standing unsteadily, with a murderous aura like that of a demon from hell.

Their eyes were red, they growled his name in their throats as if it could tear SUN in half.

Honestly seeing his hero this angry, it would be an understatement to say that SUN didn't feel a little bit scared.

--

Solar staggered, his wrist aching terribly, with a wet feeling dripping onto the floor. The sound of the chain falling onto the tiled floor was still too much for Solar's processor to process the situation, he could only vaguely hear SUN stammering about how this was Tungsten, how the hell could he break it.

Shakily, he brushed the remaining tape off his face, the soft light of the bathroom hitting Solar’s ​​eyes. Oh, so he was right. Nice, he liked potted plants. After a few seconds of panic, Solar had finally realized that he was being pranked. But he didn’t expect SUN to be so caught off guard that Solar could just break the lock and attack them like that. His hand limply touched the button in his palm, the familiar voice of Moon rushed over, intermittently telling them that they were okay and where the hell he was.

Good… Good… Good.

Solar nodded numbly.

Fuck SUN.

Solar just wanted to punch someone right now.

His eyes widened, capturing SUN’s image in his retinas. Their enemy looked more rugged than usual, probably still confused with the stunt he pulled.

Good, let them be confused.

His hand flashed, and Solar smiled contentedly, as he heard SUN scream loudly.

“Shit–!! MIKU!!! Throw your stuff out the window, we—”

BOOM!!!

—-

“Hey Moon.”

“Hey SOlar. Sorry… I’m late again. It’s okay, I've got you now.”

“... I’m just tired. I think I want to go home and sleep.”

“Don’t worry buddy. Just leaving everything for us, and resting. We got you now.

—---

Somewhere…

“Boss, it’s all your fault.” Miku yelled as she was carried by SUN like a sack of potatoes as they flew through the night.

They could have had a cozy place to stay and not drive SUN’s cleaning function crazy. But no, now they had to find another place to stay, which took a ton of time because her Boss was a picky bitch.

“I KNOWWWWW. Now shut it before I drop you!! We also need to find Molten too.”

[smoosie]

Viktor: *silent treatment*

Jayce: *dies*

[cacaocheri]

FRIENDSHIP ANNIVERSARY MAGMA WITH THE LOVELY @spikeplate <33333 we of course had to draw LDR sun and moon (what started our friendship) with our current fixation 🥳

[wardingshout]

Zelda goes mushroom girl

[walkingstackofbooks]

IPS/BIL AU where Tain dies before he can send the message. Garak and Worf never go to the gamma quadrant. Julian and Martok don't get rescued.

Back on DS9 the changeling is stopped pretty much just as it was in canon, with Kira and Dax managing to stop the Yukon from reaching the sun, just as it explodes. (Maybe since Garak is still on the station, he notifies Sisko that Bashir has taken the Yukon out?) This time, however, no-one knows it was a changeling, and among all the shock and grief, there's tense speculation about what the hell Julian was doing out there in a runabout with a bomb.

The changeling had planned to never be identified, believing it would sow more confusion and fear in the Federation if they believe one of their own had been secretly allied with the Dominion. And so the changeling had left behind a trail of "Julian" interacting with highly questionable locked-down message-boards such as "Would enhanced individuals be better off under the Dominion?", which would never have been tracked back to him apart from under such scrutiny he's now post-humously receiving. (The changeling knew about Julian's enhancements - to become something is to understand that thing, after all.)

Of course, it is considered whether Julian may have been impersonated by a changeling, but once the link to his enhancements has been revealed - and his parents can't hide it, they confess, and are sentenced to time in a penal colony - it seems very much decided that Doctor Bashir had become an augment extremist, biding his time on DS9 until he could play out his part in the Dominion plot. There's varying levels of acceptance of this among Julian's friends - even if it seems that they have to admit it, it's still almost impossible to believe that Julian could have tried to do that. But it doesn't really matter what they think - life has to go on, and the war's continuing whether they like it or not, and little by little they move on with their now-Julian-less lives.

Time passes. they get a new CMO. The Cardassians re-occupy the station, and Sisko leads the campaign to get it back. Worf and Jadzia get married. Garak gets a message.

A.L.I.V.E. J.S.B.

And no-one knows what to think. JSB can't be... can it? But how...

Garak argues that Doctor Bashir's death is so well-known that no-one would use his name as the basis for some sort of trap. Miles agrees. Everyone else wants to agree. (For a certain definition of 'want'. Julian being alive, not a traitor... that also means he's been doing somewhere in the past ten months, and it's difficult to think about what sort of awful place that might have been.)

Garak and Worf are sent out to chase this signal - in theory, it's recon, but naturally it quickly devolves. They get captured themsleves, finding Camp 371 and Julian, looking ten months worse for wear. Garak learns about Tain's death, and the subspace transmitter he'd began working on and that they'd only just been able to finish, having managed to recruit a recently-abducted Starfleet engineer. An engineer who's currently in solitary, leaving them with a plan to escape now there's a runabout in orbit, but no way to effect it. Unless there's something Garak can do...

And Worf, of course, meets Martok, and is impressed by the Klingon's tale of daily fights for nearly three years. "Almost every day," Martok corrects him. "There have been times when I've woken up with a sore head to find that the doctor has taken my place."

Worf looks to Julian, nodding. "So you are the man we remember," he says. "Your enhancements may have helped you fight, but it was an honourable thing to volunteer."

"My... my enhancements?" asks Julian faintly. "What- what do you mean?"

"Commander, is now really the time—" Garak tries to interrupt but Julian speaks over him.

"No, Garak, I want to know— I-I need to know. What do you mean, Worf?"

And Worf, in his short, succinct way tells Julian how they had believed he had died, and what they had discovered thereafter, and while they know now that he is not an augment extremist, his parents' confession made it clear that he is an augment.

Julian doesn't say very much after that, apart from what is needed to help with the rescue - he calms Garak down, he volunteers to try and figure out what needs doing in the crawl space ("I've learnt at least a few things from tinkering with it over those seven months...") - but otherwise, he's withdrawn and spacey. Garak perserveres - he must get Julian back to DS9, has to hope there's still time to rekindle that light in his doctor's eyes - and manages to get them out, and even locking onto the engineer's life sign in solitary. They make it to the runabout, and escape.

It's a very different sort of homecoming. This time, rather than having only a few hours to get used to the idea that Julian had been missing for a month, they've been mourning him for almost a year, angry and confused and left with so many questions. And they've had almost a week of wondering what's become of Worf and Garak, and to tie themselves in circles wondering if J.S.B really could be Julian Subatoi Bashir.

Garak gets them all beamed directly to sickbay, and it's obvious that Julian's overwhelmed enough by that without having hordes of emotional friends come to greet him. So they're allowed in, one at a time. Miles petitions to be first, and wraps Julian up in what would have been the firmest of hugs - apart from Julian's so gaunt, so... so fragile, that Miles finds he dares not squeeze too hard. Words gush out - ones that he'd never have thought he'd admit out loud - about how much he missed Julian and how glad he is none of what they said was true, and it takes him some time to realise that he's been blabbering on and Julian's not been saying a word.

Julian has been clinging onto him tightly, though, and that... that's got to be enough, for now.

[abnomi]

EVERY REASON (that i can think of) AS TO WHY TURBO/KING CANDY IS NEURODIVERGENT 💥💥

i would like to make a disclaimer first and foremost about the obvious, being that Turbo/King Candy is heavily implied to have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Very often, characters with these disorders are portrayed as villains, and Turbo is no exception to this. There's nothing wrong with antagonistic characters having said disorders, per se, but when the only representation available for people with these conditions are found in characters you're not supposed to root for, it can be really disheartening. i won't be erasing these parts of him because i feel it would be in poor taste to gloss over those core elements of who he is, but plz keep in mind that having any kind of personality disorder doesn't make anyone inherently evil!!!🌞 your ACTIONS make you, not your brain

Also if anyone has any suggestions or other ideas for his neurodiversity, i would love to hear them! please do share!! I LOVE PSYCHOANALYZING CHARACTERS AND HEARING OTHER PEOPLE PSYCHOANALYZE THEM !!!! YAY🎉 if u agree or disagree with any of my points I'd love to discuss them further :-]

without further ado... click read more to find out…😈 be ready for a lot of reaches

💥 ADHD 💥

STIMMING

Turbo's constantly moving around in some way; he's a very expressive character! even as King Candy, he can't seem to conceal his frequent giggling. it's a big habit of his; he seems to do it involuntarily to regulate himself, including when he's nervous or uncomfortable.

he seems to display other repetitive behaviors as well, like doing his iconic thumbs-up pose, sticking out his tongue, or hopping around gleefully. he is but a jovial court jester..

i personally like to think that his phrases, "Turbo-tastic!" and "Have some candy!" are vocal stims of his, although i equally really love the interpretation that these (and the aforementioned stims) are tics :-]

another headcanon; i think it would make a lot of sense for him to have an oral fixation of some sort (ignoring the whole sigmund freud part of the term ermm...); just lots of biting, chewing, needing to have something in his mouth. It would align with the whole idea that he smokes, too

HYPERACTIVITY

we can clearly see throughout the film that Turbo has a lot of energy, made abundantly clear by his mannerisms and general behavior. he's constantly moving, using exaggerated expressions and gestures to communicate + express himself. He's one of the most animated and bouncy characters in the movie, next to Vanellope! it's silly how a character not very grounded in reality is such a threat, but i suppose that's what makes him so threatening in the first place...

another factor in this is how he is very adrenaline-seeking, craving activities that give him a rush (sugar rush...😂😂). more on that in a bit!!

HYPERFIXATION

Turbo's fixation with winning is all-consuming for him; it's an obsession. he doesn't appear to care about much else, if anything besides it. this could be interpreted as a hyperfixation for him (or special interest if ur all about that autism lifestyle), as it overtakes all of his focus and impedes every process of his mind.

it's clear that racing is much more than a passion for him, and while that fact is due to how he was programmed, it's a major character trait of his regardless that could be correlated to neurodivergence.

HYPERFOCUS

There seems to be a big theme of "all or nothing" when it comes to Turbo. he will either be fully dedicated to something or brush it aside without a second thought. it can't be denied that he fully wraps himself up in what he wants, whether it's a conflict he can't let go of or a new pursuit he's hungrily chasing after. 

ultimately, his dedication varies depending on if it is relevant to him and his interests or not, but this aspect of him still shares patterns with neurodivergent thought processes.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Seeing as he has a tendency to cheat in his use of code to spawn in whatever his heart desires, it can be assumed that this could do with Turbo wanting instant gratification to fill that bitter, empty void inside of him. while this could simply be brushed aside as greed and his belief that he is obligated to have access to whatever he wants, this trait is consistent with his generally dopamine-seeking behavior and wanting to be instantly rewarded by his actions. His obsession with needing to feel good directly relates to his need for another buzz, constantly after the next rush. (a sugar rush if you will☺☺☺)

ADRENALINE-SEEKING

Closely related to the previous speculation, Turbo always seems to be chasing his next high. he loves the thrill of action and being surrounded by crowds of people below him. it's why his big thing is racing! people cheer him on, he can do whatever he wants, he can go really fast and look cool..

it's possible that a big aspect of why he does this is to distract himself from any kind of pain, because pain = vulnerability. bro does NOT know how to independently cope with his own problems.. HE MAD AS HELLLLL!!! 😂😂

STRUGGLE WITH SELF CARE

(i know this is reaching but bear with me... 🐻) going off of his appearance and tendency to make poor decisions, it can be gathered that this man lacks skill in the self care department. his yellowing teeth and sunken eyes not only serve to complement his design, but also give way to the idea that he neglects himself in favor for whatever weird scheme he's up to.

of course, Turbo does prioritize himself above everyone else, but he doesn't strike me as the type to care much about how others think he smells. him being a bother to anyone isn't a concern of his. he cares about whatever gets him the most praise and attention from as many people as possible, which is winning and racing. Who cares about how clean he is when he's up on a podium holding a shiny, golden trophy, anyway?

It's likely that he had to step his game up when he went under disguise as king candy, which is why he looks well-groomed in comparison to his more corpse-like appearance. Ugly hoe. it can also be assumed that he's had more time to focus on himself because everyone loves him without question... Well, except for Vanellope, but who cares about her, right?

also, i know he makes a condescending comment to Ralph about how bad his breath smells, but it's made abundantly clear that Turbo is a massive hypocrite. his comment doesn't erase the possibility that he has suffered from such "halitosis" as well.

💥 ANXIETY 💥

GENERAL ANXIOUS BEHAVIOR

i know, i know, this could technically be chalked up to be "Turbo is nervously giggling and shit because he's scared of getting caught," but guys. g

even in the flashback scene, we can see how easily stressed he can become in an alarmingly short period of time. he is extremely insecure, therefore i am led to believe he is not only emotionally dysregulated, but also by extension, anxiety ridden.

yes, this is purely speculative, but who's to say that he wasn't like this before? being high-strung and intense are significant facets of his personality consistently portrayed throughout the film. as long as he is getting exactly what he wants, he is happy; the moment he loses even a blip of control, however, he immediately grows extremely tense.

if Turbo wasn't anxious about his disguise as King Candy before, he was anxious about how much attention he was receiving on a given day. if not that, then he'd be anxious over how he presents himself. He hates how he can't control how other people perceive him, which is why he is constantly trying to act like he's better than he is.

its why he justifies his behavior to himself, proudly making others refer to him as the "rightful ruler" of sugar rush and relishing in the attention of his countless underlings. Any secure and stable person would NOT ACT LIKE THIS!!!!😭😭😭

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

As we can see a handful of times on screen, Turbo's instinct to protect himself is very easily activated.

 his fear manifests in anger and aggression. we can see at multiple points how easy it is to upset him or fluster him; his anger is one side of the same coin, the opposite end being his fear and paranoia.

Going off of this point, have you noticed that Turbo is either satisfied or furious without much of an in-between? how the second something isn't under his manipulation, he lashes out and fights back? I'm led to believe that this is how he responds to fear (AAUAAYAUUUUGGHHH 🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡). This guy is so against the idea of being vulnerable, that even when afraid, he will utilize violence to regain his dominance over the situation at hand.

CONTROL + PARANOIA

Turbo's always trying to writhe or fight his way out of uncomfortable situations, unable to exist outside of his comfort zone for seconds at a time.

his defensive, paranoid, and controlling behavior are all reflections of how deeply insecure this man is. He feels such an intense need for everything to go exactly how he expects it to go that the moment he senses any kind of threat, he instantly jumps to defend himself and what he feels that he has "earned," regardless of whether there truly is a threat or not.

this could potentially be a coping mechanism for his anxiety and sense of stability; can't forget to mention how territorial he is!! he jumps to conclusions about what others' intentions are before they even get a chance to reply, as seen with his first encounter with Ralph in the movie. 

the racer is so internally discombobulated that he seeks any sense of stability on his environment, including on those around him. his sense of self is so warped that he copes with constant distraction; being under the spotlight, being actively racing, having to be showered with attention, having others make him feel good because he doesn't know how to do it for himself. he needs to feel like everything is under control, lest everything falls apart.

"...if there's ONE thing I can't abide, it's ANYTHING out of order!"

💥 NPD 💥

INFLATED SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE

Turbo's most in-your-face trait above all else. It's made more than crystal clear in every scene he's in that his arrogance is a determining factor in how he interacts with others. This is exactly what drives him to desperately crave admiration, to chase after others he's envious of because he thinks he is obligated to take what they have.

he seems to genuinely think he is entitled to get whatever he wants, just because he is inherently "special" or "better" than everyone else. Why else would he have made himself a king, a step above princess?

EXCESSIVE NEED FOR ADMIRATION

Turbo's self worth is COMPLETELY dependent on the opinions of children and teenagers. I think i don't need to say any more than that, but i will. (Evil).

As cartoonishly massive as his ego is, i think that it's fair to assume that Turbo has a very unstable sense of self, distorting his perception of his own worth down with it. his near-constant flaunting and need to be the best is a dead giveaway to his deeply-ridden self-doubt. The foundation of his stability is built around how "good" he is (at racing and winning), how powerful he is, whether or not he is being prioritized above everyone else, whether or not he is the absolute best, etc. etc.

The racer outright manipulates others to shower him with admiration and undeserved appreciation. He is incapable of forming a true sense of internal value, instead heavily and codependently relying on others to form it for him. if he isn't the best, he may as well just be nothing.

INTENSE JEALOUSY

He reacts so severely to what he perceives as others taking away what is rightfully his that it only goes to solidify my previous points even further. the second someone else is getting more attention than him, Turbo will bend over backwards to rip back the praise he believes he so rightly deserves.

being extremely competitive, he will one-up against anyone he thinks of as a threat, dedicating himself to taking them down to the best of his ability, and making sure they STAY down to top it all off.

INABILITY TO HANDLE CRITICISM

if we really dissect the entire one-off joke with Turbo insisting that his stolen pink castle is actually "salmon," along with all of his other domineering behaviors, we can garner that he is very persistent in how he wants others to view him. i wholeheartedly believe that this would translate into him not only being defensive over his supposed "ownership" of Sugar Rush, but also over himself and his own insecurities.

He needs to feel good about himself or else he will die and quite literally try to kill everyone.

LACK OF EMPATHY

He appears to have a fondness for making jokes in very poor taste. Turbo has a big sense of humor, but it's always at the expense of others. Be it a pun about a "fungeon," or jumping to protect himself with a joke about "hitting a guy with glasses," he has a tendency to take serious situations very lightly. It's not that he's unaware of the weight of it; he simply doesn't take it Seriously.

its admittedly impressive how he was able to feign empathy so well for Ralph; it goes to show how he is very capable of understanding that what he's doing is wrong, but ultimately does nothing to change his behavior because it doesn't impact him personally. 

i would like to honor this part of him, because even in the possible alternate path of a redemption arc, his struggle with empathy can be explored in a variety of interesting ways :-] he can understand complicated emotions and situations on an analytical level, but he doesn't feel for them unless it has to do with him specifically. (this obviously doesn't make him inherently evil, his ACTIONS make him evil)

💥 ASPD 💥

LACK OF REMORSE/GUILT

One of Turbo's core characteristics is just how far he is willing to go for his own self-interest with lack of regard for how it impacts everyone else. he has absolutely no concern for how anyone else feels besides himself, willing to go so far as to attempt to mutilate a 9-year-old to achieve his petty goals.

Turbo is shameless when it comes to how he goes about getting his way. While I'd like to believe he isn't fully incapable of feeling regret, he doesn't showcase feeling it in the movie itself. The most regret he'll feel is when he slips up and exposes himself. anything else is the fault of everyone else; he is untouchable in his eyes.

DECEITFUL TENDENCIES + LYING

Where do i even start with this one.

well, first of all, let's acknowledge the... erm, horse? in the room? 🐎😅(Please someone help me there is a horse in my room help helphel) being that Turbo went under disguise as King Candy for at least a decade. Even before this, there's a good chance that he's already had plenty of experience with lies and manipulation. i'd be willing to bet on this!!

one of his specialties is being proficient in manipulation, be it the code of games or the minds of people. theyre basically the same thing to him, anyway... I'm sure you all know the scene where he uses 16 manipulation tactics against Ralph and wins. this was Obviously not the first time he'd done this.

REPETITION OF HARMFUL BEHAVIORS

Time and time again, Turbo can't seem to help himself when it comes to poor decision-making. he never internalizes that his bad choices aren't JUST bad for others, but also for himself, continuing to escalate further and further into very dangerous behaviors until he literally dies.

Here's a list of bad decisions he has made! (at least, that we know of)

Pinning himself above his peers

Harassment + stalking

Carelessly charging through GCS with his car, endangering countless civilians

Attempting to take over a game that isn't his x2

Vehicular manslaughter

Implied mass murder + attempted murder, attempted mutilation

Mass endangerment

Breaking and entering, theft, usurpation, plagiarism

and more!!!!!!!

AND HE LEARNS FROM ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THIS!!! with some of the items listed here, he's attempted to do multiple times! Absolute buffoon.

RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR SAFETY OF SELF AND OTHERS

Considering how he was willing to charge into a game that wasn't his own with the awareness that it could permanently kill him, going as far as to recklessly crash into another car (albeit it's possible this was unintentional), it's easy to gather that he doesn't seem to consider anyone's safety at all in the spur of the moment.

IMPULSITIVITY

his impulsivity and disregard for safety both go hand-in-hand. When it gets to a certain point, Turbo's emotions will boil over and blow up in a cold rage, thus causing him to spiral and act on impulse, becoming a detrimental force to himself as well as everyone around him.

What's interesting is how much restraint he is capable of; he typically is very strategic in how he orchestrates his plans! but once he reaches his breaking point, he snaps and leaves all of his hard work behind in favor of something that calls for his immediate attention.

💥 ETC. 💥

extra tidbits i didnt have enough energy to fully delve into :-]

BPD

Fear of abandonment

Blurry sense of identity

Feelings of emptiness

Self destructive tendencies

Emotional instability

Explosive anger

ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)

He seems so infatuated with his own autonomy that he gets to the point of being resistant and defiant

Resisting against the rules of the world that he directly caused as a result of his own actions, being that one shouldn't "go Turbo."

Enjoys upsetting/getting a rise out of others. this is more speculative as i am going off of the assumption that he thinks pissing people off is funny, based on his other behavioral patterns. (cruel sense of humor, wanting to feel above others via control & manipulation, enjoyment of inflicting pain onto others)

Forcefully defends himself and refuses any kind of criticism

Lashes out when he feels slighted

Excessive persistence despite all odds, whether it's beneficial to him or not

ok bye!! thank you if you managed to read this far ^^ peace and love take care of yourself! all in all turbo is so neurodivergent ok please Okay <3 get this thing his meds

[turtleblogatlast]

Mikey and Leo episode centered around Mikey wanting to push Leo and Draxum together since Leo’s the most reluctant to give Draxum any grace (for good reason!) But, thinking on the spot, Leo says he’s gotta go do something for Hueso and “just can’t hang out right now 😔” (yes, he says the emoji out loud.)

Mikey calls his bluff and now the three of them (Mikey having grabbed a weary Draxum along) go to Hueso’s to find that yes, he actually does have a job for him. Said job asks for Leo to go with Hueso to deliver multiple pizzas to this giant yokai quite a distance away, and Hueso figured it would probably go better with Leo’s help (emphasis on probably.)

Well, Mikey decides that this would be a great bonding opportunity for them and basically invites he and Draxum along. Unfortunately for Leo, Hueso doesn’t care enough to wave away more help, though he does side-eye the wanted criminal Baron Draxum coming with them. But who is he to judge? (This choice has consequences.)

The journey goes about as terribly as you’d expect, but at least the pizzas get delivered on time.

[buttercupshands]

*looking at isat ss discord* my power of being silly got out of control

or how I tried understanding rpg maker basics by literally trying to do one (1) thing I really wanted to see ever since seeing Loop unused sprites lying on wiki months ago

the reason I mentioned isat ss discord was simply bc guys were the first people who saw me trying to draw close to pixel sprite face sprite for Loop to,,, do something at some point just to see how it works

and nope I'm not making this into anything, but I really like the fact that I managed to do this

(now with video post edited into this sentence!)

[fumifooms]

What if we were both magic prodigies and it otherized us in different ways and we devoted ourselves to protecting a family member who has general other goals & priorities. What if we both did self-sacrifical devotion in opposite ways.

What if we were dark mirrors of each other and where I've grown overcontrolling you've grown complacent. What if, bought as a servant into a pretty loving home, ownership and control is what love looks like to me, and to you neglected and lonely growing up, love is gratefully taking any scraps of it you’re lent.

By belonging to someone, even if she comes back injured or fails at finding Delgal, she feels like she belongs and is cherished, by owning someone he feels safe in them not leaving him.

She’s what’s tethering him do you see… And he’s the only thing giving her direction and purpose in her state. She needs a compass and he needs a support.

They’re both so out of it 😭 It’s the weirdly intense and unearned mutual trust and reliance on each other?? They’re each other’s weird little comfort codependent teddy bear. Or at least they were headed towards that before SHE DIED THEN HE DIED THEN THEY BOTH FORGOT ABOUT EACH OTHER AND NEVER MET EVER AGAIN. Though she’s also the guard attack hound keeping him safe… And vice versa he heals her and can rewrite her very being with just one wave of his hand. They’re both so so mentally and physically vulnerable both but they cling onto each other. They can’t perceive things accurately but despite it all someway somehow they stumble into something closer to resembling companionship just before they both die. Falin is just that kind and Thistle is just that lonely. Overworked.

We both haven’t lived for ourselves in a very long time, haven’t we.

They both have a similar devotion to the people they love but again the difference is that Thistle starts overtsepping while Falin is self-effacing. The other difference between them is that people care about Falin <3 People have given up on Thistle long ago, and he has given people reasons to, while people refuse to give up on Falin. Yaad has a mini arc about it dw about it it’s ok he’s not all alone in the end 😭😭 He reached out for Marcille’s hand but they already all wanted to help him, they just had to be given the chance to, Yaad just had to be given the chance to, it’s okay I’m okay

Hey what if we learned to get in touch with our own identity and the world around us and living in the present again through being in the worst codependent situationship ever.

Falin and Thistle sitting in a tree, sucking on flowers together because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y 💕💕💕

I bet he’s only ever thought of flowers as useless ornaments. Weak weeds. But she shows him they’re tasty and useful and good and pretty in their own right too and deserve existing without proving their worth and waaa <33 Thistles…... Did you know thistles taste sweet if you remove the thorns and eat them?

"Even as a chimera, her kind nature remains" you can’t suppress her in the way that matters. You can’t soothe him in the way that matters. It’s doomed. You’re doomed. It’s all doomed. Save me.

[burningcheese-merchant]

Wake up, BurningCheese/GoldenSpice babes, new poorly drawn blorbos just dropped

They look cooler in my head, I swear.

the images didn't show up the first time wtf lol

The kids are finally here, yay. I promised I'd show you them, and I finally stopped being an asshole and followed through. Almost got 200 followers and I'm very grateful for it - really, I'm nobody. I'm just some clown who says dumb stuff and makes dumb memes and writes cringey stories, and yet I convinced almost 200 people to tune in. Thank you all so much, users on here and anons in my inbox alike. As a token of appreciation, you can all endure my rambling about my OCs and witness a person in their early 20s draw like a 12 year old.

The boy is Pepper Jack (or Pepper Jack Cookie). He's the firstborn and older than his sister by a few years. He takes after his mother in a lot of ways, primarily in her appearance (save for nabbing his father's red eyes). He's incredibly bright (and a smartass lol), preferring to think his way out of conflict rather than fight his way out... not that he's above violence at all, if that glaive doesn't give it away lol. He harbors a deep sense of love and loyalty towards his family and his peoples, and carries the weight of his responsibilities and heritage with as much confidence and poise as he can muster. (There are/will be times where he stumbles, of course. He's not perfect. He struggles a lot more than he lets on, really. But he tries his best, for everyone's sake.)

The girl is Matar Paneer (or Matar Paneer Cookie). Again, she's the younger one by a few years. She was all but made in her father's image, save for inheriting her mother's eyes. She's a little firecracker: lively and fun-loving and stubborn as a mule. She doesn't ask "can I have/do this thing", she tells you "I'm going to have/do this thing". Golden is proud as anything to see her daughter be so greedy... until that greed comes into conflict with her and Spice's authority lol. But she's a good kid, despite being such a handful. She has an enormous heart and is not afraid to stand up for others/what's right, and she loves her parents and brother more than anything in the world. She might doubt her own capabilities, she might secretly fear that she's not strong enough to do what she needs to... but she keeps pushing anyway, because she'd honestly choose death over quitting.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, Pepper Jack's wings are blue lol. There's an actual reason for that. And that USO (Unidentified Sitting Object) in Matar Paneer's hair is a lotus (the cheese one in the GCK decor set lol). There's a reason for that, too. I thought it would be cool to give Jack a glaive and swap out the normal blade for that of a khopesh sword (glaives are not Egyptian, they only saw use in Asia and Europe, but I just HAD to give him a glaive), to add that Egyptian touch. Paneer's supposed to be wearing a pattu pavadai, it's a traditional Indian dress for young girls. It's a blouse plus a skirt. She's holding katar, Indian knives (Cilantro Cobra has them, too). And her hair's supposed to be in a low ponytail.

Merchant thinks that if they explain what their terrible drawings are supposed to convey, people will understand their intended vision and the pain will stop

I sat down and did research into both Egyptian and Hindu mythology for the sake of drawing inspiration for them both. I'll explain in detail in another post, but basically: both of them take after one Egyptian god and one Hindu god each. Golden takes after Ra and Spice takes after Shiva, so I figured I'd follow along that line.

Please flood my inbox with questions about them now. I've really been dying to talk about them for ages now. I've drafted extensive character sheets for them both, I even made up in-game descriptions for them lol. They're my little fankid blorbos and I love them :') I hope you all come to love them, too

(Also, I'm sorry they're on lined paper. I'm visiting family rn and that's the only paper my grandmother has in her house. I'd have to drive to a stationery to get printer paper and I'd really rather not drive in this particular country lol (shit roads, even shittier drivers). I'll doodle them on printer paper whenever somebody remembers to bring me some)

[neunhofferart]

Howdy, Heidi! You said that some fans picked up things that were done on accident… Were there more scenes like that? Also, were there scenes that you guys made on purpose but fans didn’t pick up / were aware of them? In shipping terms (hihi) and in general terms. Thanks!

I think in every type of media you will inevitably see versions of 'authorial' intent vs audience interpretation that overlap and differ from each other in many ways. (Authorial intent in quotes because in collaborative mediums like film and animation every single person on the pipeline who touches the work probably has a slightly different personal interpretation they're contributing to the final work, even under someone like a showrunner or a director).

Humans are smart and it's in our nature to look for connections and find explainations to questions, so most of the time if someone is putting something down, someone is going to pick it up, so to speak, and a lot of things ARE on purpose.

But this same phenomenon can also lead to us seeing connections in places that even the 'authors' might not have originally thought of while creating the work, and I think that can be pretty neat actually! I don't necessarily think reading alternate interpretations of works is wrong-- it can be very healthy to explore multiple reads of a narrative or a character/character dynamic. On Chaos Theory there were definitely times when we were like 'fans are probably gonna ship this even if it's not the text' haha. Sometimes fans latch onto headcanons you really have no control over. Sometimes things were animated slightly differently from how they were conceived (which is also a natural part of things).

But yes, sometimes I have seen a few other things that were interpreted in slightly different ways from how they were directed or written verbally, but I'm personally of the opinion that it's more fun to leave some things visual and open to a little interpretation rather than beating the words over the audience's head and having the characters constantly announcing 'I'm feeling this because of this!' And going 'this is the only way to interpret the show and the characters and if you don't you're wrong!'

It's usually not a huge deal. I think even as we were working sometimes I'd make connections to myself that weren't necessarily spelled out to us and go 'oh, this is a throughline for this character actually!'

Like for example- if I remember correctly, the original direction behind how Kenji reacted to Ben's apparent death was that it was supposed to the first time he'd ever seen someone he really KNEW seemingly die right front of him, and being unable to do anything about it deeply affected him. Ben is a very important turning point in his character development regardless of which way you read it.

And I think this is actually something that just continued to stack onto his character throughout both shows whenever any of his friends lives are seriously in danger. In Camp when he's still unable to do anything but comfort Sammy while she's poisoned, to deciding it's too dangerous not to trade Wu's laptop for Brooklynn, to eventually throwing himself between the spinosaurus his dad is about to kill Darius with and choosing his friends over his own father and being willing to die with/for them... and then in Chaos Theory it kind of reboots all over again with Brooklynn dying and then his dad dying right in front of him, and his complex of not wanting to be useless and trying to do whatever he can at the expense of even himself to keep the loved ones he has left safe is kicked into overdrive.

I think there are a lot of things like that where the intent is not always verbally spelled out, but the more important thing is that it's still (hopefully) making you feel something.

[corellianhounds]

I know we (rightfully) give Attack of the Clones a lot of grief for Obi-Wan just being able to show up unannounced and for him to just be given the literal biggest state secrets possibly of the entire war, in addition to how this cloning operation has been going on for like a decade without anyone knowing anything or any documentation crossing Mace Windu’s desk, but considering Sifo Dyas or Dooku or whoever was able to somehow erase an entire planet from (allegedly) every known bit of data collection or documentation, it could be argued that maybe Dyas and Dooku were just master forgers and had fake correspondence and reports going between them and the Kaminoans for over a decade now.

It’s not that far of a leap to say they got their hands on some heavily encrypted software on some very expensive computers and were able to imitate different speech patterns and documents and handwriting and official stamps or even holograms and holocalls. As far as the Kaminoans know, all of their contacts are fully aware and in the know about this clone army (because as far as they know, Sifo Dyas is alive and had to have been in communication recently)— When Obi-Wan shows up, it just happened to be at the exact time Dooku was the one supposed to be there in person himself that day. The Kaminoans did greet him as Master Jedi and said he was expected.

Obviously that could have only worked in the movie if Dooku had shown up and we saw him having to keep his cool/sneak around when some other Kaminoans tell him his “assistant” has already arrived, would you like us to escort you to him?

Internally Dooku’s thinking “WHOMST??” but externally he’s keeping his chill while searching the Force for whoever else might be— is that OBI-WAN KENOBI??

It’s soooooo tasty for Qui-Gon’s master and Qui-Gon’s apprentice to meet under these circumstances. Both of them know the other shouldn’t be there right now. They’re both having to play it cool in front of the Kaminoans, and this is even besides the fact Kenobi was there to find the bounty hunter assassin in the first place.

“I didn’t think you… were still as active in the Order,” Obi-Wan says slowly and diplomatically, knowing for a FACT that Dooku left the Order a long time ago.

“I… retired from active service,” Dooku says, equally diplomatically. “I act as a… consultant from time to time.”

“It’s soooo funny how I’ve never heard anything about that or this clone army the Jedi ordered,” Obi-Wan says, making direct eye contact with Dooku and probably trying to read his mind (to no avail). “The one they ordered ten years ago before there was ever any thought of the Jedi being actively involved on the frontlines of what isn’t a declared war. What would the Jedi want with a military in the first place?”

“How old are you, young one?” Dooku deflects in that fake kindly condescending grandfatherly voice. “How long have you been on the Council— Oh you’re just a Kniiiiight, that’s right, okay I see. How interesting. How much information are you actually privilege to, Obi-Wan?”

And this is all happening even before Obi-Wan Nancy Drew’d his way to Jango Fett’s private quarters!

Obi-Wan KNOWS he can’t go rogue right now when he’s that far from his ship on a city surrounded by an ocean and a literal army of clones soldiers (of that one super efficient bounty hunter, whenever it is he finds that out) all apparently under the command (?) of someone who definitely definitely super should not be speaking or doing or ordering anything under the name of the Jedi Order.

Count Dooku (who he doesn’t even know is a Sith yet) could very easily accuse him of being an impostor and have him detained or attacked or killed on sight. Zam Wessel was already established to be a shapeshifter in this movie, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Obi-Wan to not be who he says he is (which is kinda true?? since he WASN’T the Jedi ambassador for the Temple there to pick up his to-go order of a quarter-million identical men, with a million more on the way??). The Kaminoans might not even know much else about Jedi and Sith aesthetics besides “Wears robes” so if Dooku pulled a red lightsaber it might not even faze them, since he’d be able to provide more information and correspondence proving he’s the ‘actual’ Jedi anyway

Like can you imagine a fight breaking out not just between Kenobi and Jango, but a team-up of Jango and Dooku against Kenobi? That would have jumpstarted some of this clone army business a lot earlier in the movie and actually addressed what should have been the biggest conspiracy, coverup, and militaristic move of the MILLENNIUM

[violetvulpini]

Doodled a little exchange my friend Axolotl Parade#8795 came up with! + some extras

[itissadbutitsmy-artblog]

heyo bmo comics! hehe!

[wackywatchdotcom]

on the subject of pomni and zooble im deeply invested in seeing how their dynamic plays out. theyve had like.... two proper interactions. one of which is barely even both people like zooble delivers Bad News to pomni and pomni doesnt really seem like shes noting whos saying it so much as the fact that shes being told things by a bunch of strangers and is panicking about it and then zooble scowls in the bg for the next five minutes before jax drags ragatha and pomni off. the most theyve actually interacted is in ep 4 when zooble asks pomni abt ep 3, pomni tells them and then they get deeply upset for a reason that revolves around 'why did caine think i would enjoy possession'

we generally dont really know what their dynamic even is they just kinda exist around each other. that said zooble tends to sound harsh like half the time but like... theyre not mean theyrw just blunt. i think above all else zooble is actually more concerned w the safety of the other cast members than one would assume. we see it best in eps 2 and 4 i think. in ep 2 theyre patient w ragatha, smth theyre not in the pilot. but the circumstances are different. in the pilot this is just another shitty day, that keeps getting worse. they dont even get to sit out the adventure despite being told they can. but ep 2 they get time to themself, and know ragathas probably not really handling things well

and i think abt it a lot but them being ragathas designated driver is like. really notable imo actually. because ragatha isnt in danger. its unclear where theyre driving or if theyre driving, but zooble goes oh, ragatha cant be trusted to drive. even though ragathas been pissing them off all day. even though if ragatha actually got herself injured it would be fixable and its unclear if ragatha would even notice. if zooble didnt care they couldve just left. if zooble was worried abt gangle theyd have stayed (theyre clearly concerned for her, but i dont think they read it as danger- so making sure ragatha stays physically safe becomes a higher priority. it also says smth abt the amnt of faith they have in gangle, even if it was technically misplaced here. i think they get worried about gangle but to them the highest risk member is kinger, not gangle. on some level i dont know if theyve been in the circus long enough to see any patterns in when people abstract). but they make sure ragatha gets back safe. because she pissed them off that day but could tell something was up, and that even if shed be okay in the end, they wanted to be sure that ragatha wasnt hurt

i think it speaks to the actual level of concern they exhibit for the others. theyre cautious. them and pomni ar ethe most visibly distrusting of caine. and i think it relates to zooble not having been here long. jax and ragatha in particular may ebe able to ignore the slapstick bullshit of the circus, may be able to walk off an injury just fine because its just part of life, but as far as zoobles concerned they want to avoid it if possible. i think they know its not normal for things to be this way and they cant change it but they can stop pointlessly harmful things from happening

i think their spiel abt the others in ep 3 is also very telling in that they actually have a really flattering description for ragatha and gangle. ragathas too nice, and i dont think thats obliviousness. i think zooble is one of the more emotionally intelligent characters, they just have little patience and arent 'sweet' about it. theyre extremely aware of the other characters imo. they just... genuinely think ragathas nice. i dont think ep 4 even changed that. and gangles too ahy to speak up. they say this not in a way thats critical. in fact its one of the calmest things theyve said in the whole show im pretty sure. they care abt her and know how she feels even if shes not confident enough to say it to caine

and getting back to pomni is that their assessment of pomni is that 'she looks traumatized everytime she comes back for one' (iirc some other translations are even more explicit in this description of pomni as being impacted by the adventures). implying theyve not only been very much paying attention, but q the way they say it they seem Genuinely Concerned. i think on some level theyre irritated by pomni, not on a personal level but bc pomni is The New One. she hasnt settled in, and i think zooble gets irritated by the song and dance of a person finding out that what they already have to cope with as being Their Life Forever, Now is also theirs. but its not personal, and i dont think its smth zooble holds against her. but i think zooble has definitely picked up on the fact that pomni is having a very rough go at it for her first days- esp since the harshest they get is before caine gives his spiel abt the fake exit door or before its clear that pomni saw kaufmo, too. and from the start of ep 4 its clear that they heavily dislike the measures caine is taking to appeal to them (and id argue that part of their response to caine is in part frustration at him putting the others at risk, but thats getting more into my personal speculation without a huge basis)

i think zooble is a person who largely expresses care for others through concern and, honestly to some degree, helping people. which now that i say it is fascinating considering ragathas whole deal. and the trajectory pomnis going in. or the fact that im not sure they know kinger all that well yet (they know a bit abt him but i think without talking to him in the dark a person would miss a large amount of context). or their deeply interesting dynamic with caine, a person who prides himself on his role as an entertainer for others and has no other goals at all. it creates an interesting contrast when i think theyre one of the few characters who even helps others successfully at all

anyway, this all got off track and wasnt what i actually even made this post to talk about. my intent was to mention that i dont think zooble has actually seen pomni when shes more stressed. i mean theyve seen her post ep 2, which is notable, and theyve seen her get panicked in the pilot and probably saw her Not Looking Well at the feast. but ehile the audience has seen pomni Freak Out and be jumpscared or launch herself at a gate (plus select members of the cast), zooble has certainly not. we also have that advert where ahe attacks jax that is noncanon but depicts a aide of pomni not seen super clearly in the eps yet, that of which being violence. all of this is to say im not sure zooble actually knows about pomnis capacity to attack things and i find it funny to imagine zooble finding out and getting startled because they knew pomni was nervous but they havent seen that side of it yet

(and to a lesser extent, i think gangle- and ragatha sort of- are the only characters whove actually seen pomnis capacity to be patient with people. gummigoo doesnt remember. its implied kinger forgot- even if its vague how much he forgot pomni was scared thru most of that and the brief moment of patience she had was VERY short-lived. ragatha got pomnis little apology type thing in ep 3 but thats it. i think gangle is the one whos actually seen the most of this from pomni. so i imagine gangle probably has one of if not the most flattering image of her of the entire main cast, despite the fact that pomni does actually say smth that upsets gangle too earlier- which ive been meaning to make a post abt how each of the cast members upset gangle in a way unique to that persons own issues but thats smth ill talk abt later- and i think gangle wouldnt blatantly state this in detail to zooble, maybe say that pomni helped her out, but i think if gangle told zooble abt this at all itd make zoobles image of pomni even more skewed. and way more likely that seeing pomni attack someone would startle them)

[stopbuggingm3]

I have been seriously slacking on drawing either of my ocs interacting with the other more popular pastas (mostly because i suck at drawing most of them, insert my struggles with Toby here) but there two are all ive been able to think all week so here they are

there'll get a lengthy info dump about them soon once i can actually get my ideas straight, its all a jumbled mess rn (there is context for this scenario, you just shan't receive it yet :) )

and ofc the typical under the cut alternatives