#i'm realizing very quickly the parallels between

[yantao-enthusiast]

what did you expect when you both fought over the same person but it was never about the so called center of your affections? it was always about the one you were competing with. you're best friends, one objectively 'better' than the other, the other one always eager to catch up but still admiring the other fervently. maybe that's why you went after that person the other wanted/had. maybe it was insecurity, because chasing the person was never about the person themself, it was about your best friend. it was about taking them away from your best friend, about trying to find what your best friend found so worthy of this person, or maybe, in a form, this was the closest you could get to your best friend. because everything was about them, even your own identity, or the person you fought with them over.

it's completely heterosexual to be inexplicably intertwined with your same sex best friend in every possible way. totally.

[avelera]

Jayvik & Timebomb Parallels, AKA, why isn't anyone talking how Viktor and Ekko mirror each other in Arcane??

I'm surprised I haven't seen more comparisons between Ekko and Viktor, not to mention how those parallels between the characters also create parallels between the Ekko/Jinx and Viktor/Jayce relationships, which I'm gonna argue here are both romantic relationships.

1 ) Both Viktor and Ekko see it as a personal cause to make life better for people in the undercity, to the point of both becoming a local leaders focused on creating a place of peace where Zaunites can retreat to in times of peril.

Indeed, from a narrative perspective, I would argue that one Doylist reason Ekko needed to go into the Anomaly in Act 2-3 is to make space on the scene in Zaun for the rise of Cult Leader Viktor.

If Ekko had been around, he would have either served as a roadblock to Viktor's rise out of a general sense of distrust, I imagine, or he might have easily become a supporter, or maybe even a cult follower of Viktor's if he admired and believed in the vision, which would of course doom the world.

(This further illustrating just how narrowly Jayce, Wizard Viktor, and Ekkko had to thread the needle on defeating the Machine Herald in the final act, since I would argue Ekko like Jayce remaining in the canon universe for the months of Cult Leader Viktor's rise would also have led to Ekko and Jayce's defeat or assimilation before the final act had either stayed.)

2 ) Both Viktor and Ekko are, of course, genius undercity scientists who are able to grasp quickly concepts like wild runes and the Anomaly. But it's their partner's actions that bring Hexgems into their life. Powder by causing the explosion where he gets the shards from, Jayce of course by creating Hexgems in the first place.

3 ) Both are Heimerdinger's close assistant and pupil before they meet their true scientific partner in Jinx/Powder and Jayce.

4 ) Aaand, this is where it gets gut-wrenching, because both Ekko and Viktor have to say goodbye to the alternate universe version of the person they love and this is where it gets wild because they make the same face while doing so. And their loved one, Jayce and Powder, make the same face back of startling when they realize they're looking at an alternate version of the person they love.

(Source here if you want to watch the full videos side by side because it's NUTS how similar the faces Viktor/Ekko and Jayce/Powder make to their alternate universe loves: https://x.com/yearnerjayce/status/1863132466346656031)

In the blocking of the scene, they've even both got a version of one half of that universe's part of the relationship lying between the two of them (Powder holding her version of Ekko, while the Hexcorized version of Jayce lies between Wizard Viktor and canon Jayce), so the blocking is visually very similar too in a clear romantic parallel that is mind-boggling.

By the way, these moments are also technically happening in the same episode as far as romantic parallels go, we just don't learn about this parallel on Viktor/Jayce's side until the final episode with the full reveal.

And of course, both future Viktor and canon universe Ekko must make the ultimate sacrifice of losing access to an alternate version of the person they love who is happy and healthy (instead of, well, Jinx, and/or dead in the case of Hexcorized Jayce), in order to save the world.

By the way, there is a parallel that stretches throughout the whole 2.07 alternate universe episode, with the heavy implication that Ekko and Powder are this world's Viktor and Jayce. They're even doing an Innovators Competition. In both universes, Hextech is explored through the loving partnership of a pair of young scientists.

5 ) Finally, both Viktor and Ekko stop their loved one from committing suicide. Interestingly, both Jayce and Jinx attempt to do so in a way that's related to Hextech, with Jinx using Hexgems in her grenade, and Jayce getting cut off from Hextech being the reason he's seeking to end his own life. They also, coincidentally or not so coincidentally, attempt to do so in a way that's related to falling from a height.

Both are interrupted by someone they're not too happy to see at first, but who goes on to be their partner. Even Jinx/Ekko get one last partnership in the final Act, which is an interesting mirror to Jayce/Viktor, whose suicide attempt -> partnership helps launch the action of the whole series in the first Act of the first season, making these two couples in a way, mirrors bookending the series.

[respectthepetty]

Cir's Deep Dark Secrets

After watching episode seven of The Boy Next World, I need to talk about this pretty (black-coded) bitch.

Because are there really parallel worlds?

Or is this Cir trying to save himself?

Cir is such a dark blue that he is sometimes black, and even when he should be happy, he is still so dark.

In the beginning, he was still dark but lightening up as he was connecting to Phu.

But ever since his mom crept back into the story, he has returned to the darkness.

And it has lingered.

Cir fell asleep in this shirt at the end of episode six after getting a blowjob from Phu. Looks blue, right?

Because it is a lighter blue since he was happy.

And yet, after spending a few nights with Phu in his bed, Cir is darker.

He spent the entire day with Phu being the best Blue Boy.

He was always there, telling Phu he wasn't going anywhere, and showing him that as well.

But the darkness was always there too.

Because it's the warning that Cir keeps ignoring.

It's right there in his face, but he is avoiding it.

It's the darkness he is hiding under his blue.

And that darkness is starting to affect Phu.

It's alarming just how much Cir's dark secrets are hurting Phu.

Yet Cir just keeps ignoring the sirens.

And now he made a mistake by having sex with Phu.

He ignored the red flags, and now the darkness is eclipsing everything, so this isn't a beautiful love-making moment that Phu was expecting. No. This is bad.

Because those dark secrets have tainted something that was once so bright and light.

And those dark secrets just keep building.

But the one that is harming Phu the most is the one that started all of this.

Now that they've had sex, Phu feels immense guilt believing he is cheating another Phu out of this love. After sex, he now realizes how strong his feelings are, yet he admits he doesn't deserve this. He thinks he is a substitute, and that he is just filling in for the one Cir actually loves. This love is not his nor could it ever be his. He is the replacement Phu. And why wouldn't he think this since this is the exact lie Cir fed him.

And that's why I think this beautiful black-coded bitch is Cir trying to warn himself that time is running out before all his dark secrets that he has kept buried deep within himself will be exposed and ruin the one bright spot he ever had in his miserable existence.

Parallel worlds could very well be a possibility, but Cir's problem is himself, so if parallel worlds really are a thing, why not let another Cir live his life for a bit while he is stuck thinking about the consequences of actions? Perhaps this horrifyingly white padded cell will motivate him to come clean since he already fucked up and took Phu's virginity without being honest, which has caused Phu extreme emotional pain.

Even Jin and his big ass white lie got a little light via the car's headlights during his kiss in the dark garage with Wim, the guy who is afraid of the dark, because although Jin hasn't admitted he can read Wim's mind, he did admit that he bargained with Cir to make the date happen.

But unlike Jin, whatever light Cir had is quickly disappearing as his deep dark lies begin to overshadow every other thing that has happened between him and Phu.

And in an instant, there is a barrier between them.

So I'm hoping that beautiful black-coded bitch in Cir talks some sense into him because darkness only breeds secrets.

But light exposes them.

[ennas-aesthetic]

What the fuck is Jesus up to in Good Omens season 3?

This is a question I've been thinking long and hard these past couple of days and I have some THOUGHTS SO. Buckle up.

Aziraphale and Crowley watching the Crucifixion (Good Omens, 2019)

First off. The answer to the question posited is relatively simple. What is Jesus up to in GO3? With s2's ending in mind and with the hints we've gotten for 668: Neighbor of the Beast over the years, we know he's descending to Earth to initiate the Second Coming. And that Aziraphale would probably make that happen - or do everything that he can as Supreme Archangel to sabotage it.

But I wanted to examine on how Jesus might fit into Good Omens' overall narratives and established themes - about morality and humanism and free will, and. I'm just saying, there are A LOT of fascinating routes they could do for his character.

(Disclaimer as usual: this is a theory that I obsessed over when I was stuck at the cemetery during All Souls' Day and must be treated as such. In no way am I insisting this should be how canon events must happen. I am just doing this for the funsies.)

The THING about Jesus if you situate him in the world of Good Omens (with the assumption that most of the pop culture Christology mythos associated with him remain intact) is that in this context he very quickly becomes: 1. Adam Young's narrative foil; and 2. an Aziraphale parallel.

Now, the first one is obvious. Of COURSE he is Adam Young's foil, duh. Adam isn't called the ANTICHRIST for nothing. Brought into the world just for the sole purpose of ending it. However, when the time comes for him to fulfill the Will of his Satanic Father, Adam flat out REFUSES.

Both the book and the show attribute this to Adam's human upbringing. He was raised as a human, and because of that he has the trait that the book uses to DEFINE human beings: free will. At the end, Adam had the AGENCY to reject the destiny planned out for him.

'Adam stood smiling at the two of them, a small figure perfectly poised exactly between Heaven and Hell.

Crowley grabbed Aziraphale's arm. "You know what happened?" he hissed excitedly. "He was left alone! He grew up human! He's not Evil Incarnate or Good Incarnate, he's just… a human incarnate—"'

- (Good Omens, 1990)

That is NOT what happened to Jesus.

Adam Bond as Jesus in Good Omens (2019)

Like Adam, he was raised as a human -- being a human incarnate was his WHOLE DEAL in Christology. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us... yada yada yada.

UNLIKE, Adam, though, Jesus wasn't able to REJECT his Destiny of Dying Really Horribly and Painfully on the Cross. Narratives in the Bible also made it clear that the Crucifixion was NOT his Will, but that of God's. Like... him begging to be spared from torment but ultimately following God's Will is such an important event entire devotional practices are made out of it.

"39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

- (Matthew 26: 39, KJV)

We get a glimpse of that in s1ep3 of Good Omens, too:

"JESUS

(muttering through the pain)

Father, please . . . you have to forgive them . . . they don’t know what they are doing . . .

Crowley, in black, comes up next to Aziraphale.

CROWLEY

You’ve come to smirk at the poor bugger, have you?

AZIRAPHALE

Smirk? Me?

CROWLEY

Well, your lot put him on there.

AZIRAPHALE

I am not consulted on policy decisions, Crawley."

- (The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book, 2018)

SO. Here we have the character of the Christ whose free will and agency had been STRIPPED from him in the guise of a "noble sacrifice." He comes back again on this Earth to fulfill another "inescapable destiny."

Aziraphale and Crowley need to stop him. The solution the Good Omens narrative offers to "inescapable destinies and systems" (both in s1 and s2) is for the character to realize they have the freedom to choose their own fates. It happened with Adam, and it happened with Gabriel, and perhaps it will happen to Jesus.

(At this point my sister frowned and said: "Are you telling me you think Aziraphale and Crowley are going to help Jesus realize he has agency and that him Dying on the Cross for the 'Great Plan' was kinda fucked up actually?" which sounds crazy when you put it like that BUT NEVER SAY NEVER BABIE.)

Because that brings me to my second point: if this all happens, Jesus becomes an AZIRAPHALE parallel.

In the same way Anathema is an Aziraphale parallel and Sergeant Shadwell is an Aziraphale parallel. Here is a character stuck in a suffocating status quo. To save the world, he needs to know he can escape that status quo and decide for himself. In the same way Anathema has to learn how to stop being a descendant or Shadwell to stop being a Witchfinder, or Gabriel to stop being an Archangel, and Adam to stop being an Antichrist, perhaps Jesus has to learn he can stop being... Well, the Christ, as well.

And this, of course, supplements Aziraphale's journey of letting go of the idea of being an idealized vessel of God, so he could finally enjoy the freedom of personhood and choice on Earth, with Crowley.

Or they could turn Jesus into a cackling villain who Aziraphale and Crowley need to kill in season 3, and I'd probably eat that up, too.

[hadesisqueer]

zutara makes more sense than kataang though. zuko and katara are character foils. theyre the opposite and the same at the same time. they represent yin and yang

I'll say it a lot of times: I personally do not ship Zuko and Katara, but I actually have nothing against those who do. People can ship and dislike ships and that's okay, as long as they express their opinion with respect. Which is what I'm about to do, by the way.

1) Two characters being foils of each other doesn't necessarily mean they're meant to be connected in a romantic way. A big example: Adam Taurus and Yang Xiao Long, from RWBY. If you watch that show, you quickly realize those two are obvious character foils, very different but very similar at the same time, to the point they have practically the same super-power. However-- are they meant to be connected romantically? Um, no. In fact, one of the things that makes them foils of each other is that they're actually romantic rivals, with Adam being Blake Belladonna's ex-boyfriend and Yang being Blake's new love interest and girlfriend, and their relationships with her being parallels and the complete opposite. So, again: character foils ≠ romantic. Another example are Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister.

2) This is not about shipping on my behalf, but about me disagreeing about Zuko and Katara being yin and yang. While I agree that Katara and Zuko have many things in common and can be considered foils, I'd argue that if you're looking for someone who is completely different and yet the same as Katara down to the fact that they're both the same age, both second daughters with older brothers, both prodigies by their own right with very rare and dangerous abilities —lightning and bloodbending—, both deeply affected by their relationships with their mothers and their losses in complete different ways, both with character arcs that also parallel each other-- that is not Zuko. That is Azula. To me, Azula is Katara's actual, biggest character foil, down to their relationships with their brothers also being parallels of the other. Azula is also one of Zuko's character foils, too, obviously.

3) Zuko's biggest character foil in the show is Aang. The Avatar and the Fire Prince who later becomes Fire Lord, a direct parallel to Roku and Sozin who started as friends and ended as enemies while they started as enemies and ended up friends. The boy who fights with positive jing, and the boy who prefers negative jing. The boy who was scared of his destiny and ran away, and the boy who was desperate to find his destiny and wanted to run towards it, wrongly believing it was capturing Aang. The Avatar whose destiny is redeeming Roku as the Avatar and stop the war, and the Fire Prince whose destiny is helping the Avatar and redeem himself and the Fire Nation. Aang, who thought he had to choose between being the Avatar and his beliefs as an Air Nomad and realizing he could actually have both, and Zuko who thought he had to capture the Avatar to achieve his destiny as the Fire Lord and later realizing his destiny was actually helping the Avatar and also being the Fire Lord. The cinematography of the show itself shows their parallelisms MANY times, the most obvious one being Aang being represented by the red dragon and Zuko by the blue dragon-- which are a reference to yin and yang. Because ships aside and all, it's not Zuko and Katara, but Zuko and Aang who are the representation of yin and yang in Avatar the Last Airbender.

[magewritesstories]

[ SPENCER REID ] GIRL DINNER

cw. you and spencer are alone in the bullpen after a long case and you introduce him to girl dinner, guest starring spencer's glasses bc why not. [ fluff ] note. i used what my comprehension of girl dinner is but there's a lot of different opinions on what it's supposed to be. wc. 622

THE BULLPEN IS QUIET AS THE CLOCK STRIKES 11:30 PM. Spencer sat in his office, wondering why he ever took Emily up on the offer of becoming Unit Chief.

The pile of unwritten reports seemed never-ending, and the pile of written ones barely growing.

The man sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, casting a glance out his office window to look at the single lit light coming from your desk, where you're also hunched over a profile.

He quickly checks the time on his watch and gets up.

"You should head home, it's late," he stated, leaning against Luke's desk, which was parallel to yours.

You looked up from the report in your hand. "It's okay, I'm almost done anyway—what about you?"

"That doesn't count, I'm unit chief," he replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"I didn't realize unit chiefs weren't human," you replied with a teasing tone.

Spencer just shrugged. "I told JJ I'd write her share of reports so that she could go home and spend some time with Henry and Michael. What's your excuse?"

"Just looking at the pile of unwritten reports on your desk made me tired," you answered. "I didn't want to add to it."

"I don't mind, you know."

"I know, but just because you don't mind doesn't mean I should take advantage of it every time—besides, believe it or not, I had nowhere to be anyway."

You gave him a small smile that made his heart flutter.

He stayed quiet for a minute (by accident) before quickly clearing his throat. "Uhm, have you—have you had dinner?"

"Sort of," you shrugged. "I had girl dinner if that counts."

Spencer frowned as he said something he found himself saying a lot more often with you around, "I—I don't—I don't know what that means."

You used your pen (pink with a small kitten attached to it—probably from Penelope's 'Batcave') to point at the empty plate sitting at the far edge of your desk.

"I had a small container of yogurt, a cup-o-noodles, and some apple slices," you explained.

"That's just a bunch of different snacks," Spencer blinked in confusion.

You shook your head as you corrected him, "Actually, it's a bunch of leftovers I found in the fridge—don't tell Terry, he's very serious about his yogurt."

"Still not sustainable," he countered with a smile, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"It's three out of the five main food groups," you replied with a grin. "Besides, it's not like I eat like this every day. I just didn't want to waste time getting dinner when I wasn't that hungry anyway."

You leaned against your chair, spinning slightly, as you looked at the slight crease between his brows.

"Tell you what, boss," you said, "If my choice of dinner bothers you that much, why don't we go out?"

"Wha—what?" he asked, snapping out of his daze.

You smiled at his flustered expression. "For dinner, obviously. C'mon, my treat, y'know, for being such a great boss."

"I—I—"

"It'll be fun," you insisted. "There's this great Thai place that opened a few streets down from that bar we went to the other day. JJ said you don't know how to use chopsticks, and I would love to see you try."

Spencer shook his head. "I taught myself, actually. I can use them now."

"Great, I guess you can prove it to me," you replied.

"You really think that place is still open right now?"

"Yep, opening hours are from 7 to 2," you answered. "So if we can finish these reports before then, we should be fine."

Spencer sighed before giving you a smile. "I'm going to try."

"Great, it's a date!" you exclaimed as he turned back around to walk to his office.

You were going to give him a heart attack one of these days.

[nephilimeq]

Kitchen Conversation Parallels in Buck's Apartment

In the scene before Buck tells Eddie about the fact that he and Tommy were on a date, Eddie is upset because he just asked Marisol to move in with him but then realized he did it too quickly and has to break up with her instead. This is a foreshadowing to the exact same scene that happens in that exact same place where Buck impulsively asks Tommy to move in with him, and then Tommy breaks up with him, not meaning to.

I fully believe that Tommy was panicking in the same way that Eddie was panicking with Marisol. It was an instinctive gut reaction coming from past trauma, the same way that Eddie reacted because of his issues with the Catholic church. I fully believe we're going to find out that Tommy moved too quickly with someone in his past and got very badly burned because of it, and he doesn't want to be that way with Buck.

In that scene Buck gives Eddie advice about not being impulsive and to wait and see where something is going before making such a rash decision. I think that someone needs to have that same conversation with Buck so that he can see that he is causing that same panic in Tommy that Marisol did with Eddie. And then someone needs to talk to Tommy, too, and point out that he's not running because he doesn't love Buck, he's running because he's terrified of making a mess of the next step because he's never gotten this far emotionally in a relationship.

Neither of them have!

For the first time, they were actually entering a part of their relationship where they were on much more level ground with each other, neither of them having experienced what it was like to be in a healthy mutual relationship, and they both panicked in different ways. Buck thought that the next part of the relationship was to take that big jump forward, and Tommy was probably thinking of having keys to the other person's place.

Both of them tailspinned—but instead of coming together to fix the problem, they both jumped off of the metaphorical helicopter in different directions when they could have actually fixed the problem.

These parallels could just be accidental, I've noticed how lazy the writing has been for the show over the past couple of seasons, but it also very possibly could be deliberate. If it is deliberate, then I'm certain we will see some sort of resolution between Buck and Tommy at some point. Ideally, because both of their characters are adults, they would figure their shit out and realize that they're still in love with each other, but I'm not holding out hope for that. If anything, they need to still have a better resolution than what was shown to us because everything is left far too open-ended.

We then have to consider the fact that it's obvious that Tommy is still thinking about Buck because he has nearly texted him several times but then not followed through—and on Buck's side, he has been wanting to text Tommy but has been too scared to reach out.

In summary, if the writers of the show don't make them endgame then they're simply being irresponsible to their viewers.

[miss-musings]

"Can't You See They're Using You?": The Parallels Between Cid and The Empire as Exploitative Employers in "The Bad Batch"

In rewatching "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" after the series finale, I've realized just how many similarities there are between Cid and the Empire as employers for the Bad Batch and Crosshair, respectively.

I know I'm not the first person to point out how badly Cid used and abused the Batch, even from their very first meeting in 1.05 "Rampage." In fact, @xylionet has a great post summarizing just how much Cid took advantage of the Batch's -- mostly Hunter's -- desperation and inexperience dealing with the galaxy's shadier people.

But, beyond that, the show ultimately drew a lot of parallels between Cid and the Empire as employers, from their attitude toward clones to their manipulative personalities. Even the timelines for the Batch's and Crosshair's employment align very well, down to the conditions at which they start working for them and why they ultimately reach their breaking points.

Before we dive in, a few clarifications:

I'll mostly be focusing on Cid in this analysis, as I think the Empire's faults are pretty clear.

And, when I say "the Empire," I mean the Imperial officials Crosshair interacts with and/or takes orders from -- mostly Rampart and Nolan, but to a lesser degree, Hemlock and Tarkin as well.

SHARED TRAITS

Manipulative personalities

From the beginning, Cid did whatever it took to leverage the Batch into working for her.

Once she realizes that they're 1) desperate for information/money and 2) inexperienced/gullible/etc., she very quickly works to get them on her side.

She offers an exchange of information and money if the Batch bring in Muchi, but she neglects to tell them Muchi is a Rancor, probably because she figured they wouldn't have accepted the job if they knew.

As she gives Hunter the information and 30% of the cut, she says that with a bounty hunter after the Batch, they'll need "friends and money -- mostly money." It's objectively not an incorrect assessment, and she offers them more work. Hunter says he'll think about it, and that's when she pulls out the blackmail card. She knows how valuable they are and knows people are after them. If they cross her, she can turn them in.

Cid ultimately uses whatever tactics she has to get the Batch to do what she needs, whether that's sweet-talking or strong-arming or leveraging them (either financially or via blackmail).

Likewise, Rampart especially gets on Crosshair's good side by initially praising him as an experienced clone and elevating him to commander of an elite non-clone squad. He also seems to give Crosshair plenty of clone troopers as well when needed. However, once we get to the Ryloth arc, we see that Rampart is more than willing to threaten Crosshair when he feels like he's underperforming.

Even in Season 2, Rampart continues to play this game with Crosshair by praising him just enough that he still feels valued, while also demoting him and then insinuating that Crosshair needs to continue proving his worth or risk losing his position.

Assigning morally questionable jobs/missions

While this is obvious for the Empire, it's something I don't see talked about much regarding Cid.

Her clients are shady people, and she either doesn't ask her clients a lot of questions or doesn't provide that information to the Batch.

After she strong-arms them into working for her in 1.06 "Decommissioned," she sends them after a tactical droid. The information it has could be useful against the Empire, but it could also lead to the deaths of thousands of clone troopers -- the Batch's reg brothers.

This is something the Martez sisters point out to the Batch, and Hunter says they're "being paid to acquire and deliver," admitting that who the client is or why they want the information isn't a priority. The Martez sisters argue that it should be.

Granted, a lot of the jobs we actually see the Batch doing for Cid are later hand-waved as being a good thing. They deliver arms to freedom fighters on Ryloth, they reunite Ruby with her owner, they free Muchi from slavery, etc. But, there are plenty of jobs we partially see them do or hear about them doing, which could easily have been "bad" things, especially given how shady Cid's clients are.

Arguably, if Cid ever gave them information or the Batch guessed that a given job was a "bad" thing, they could just not do it for her. But, again, she has leverage over them, so I don't know whether they have much of an option.

Dislike of clones

Basically all the Imperials we meet in the show don't like clones.

Rampart pretended well enough in Season 1, but we know from later episodes that he hates them. Nolan is very brazen in telling Crosshair how much he abhors working with clone troopers, saying he "doesn't like used equipment" and that the clones are ultimately expendable. And, obviously we know of Tarkin and Hemlock's hatred for clones.

But, Cid inexplicably hates them as well.

I think she was willing to bring the Batch on because she felt she could use them, but she's very rude Rex in 1.07 "Battle Scars" and apparently didn't like hosting Gregor in 1.15 "Return to Kamino."

She tells Rex and the Batch that she's "done taking in strays," that she's not running a charity, and that her parlor "isn't a clone clubhouse."

She could feasibly have concerns that, if enough clones start hanging out at her parlor, they'd get on the Empire's radar. But, if that was her concern, there were 100 better ways to say that.

We don't get to see her interactions with Gregor, but I don't understand why she was immediately so hostile to Rex. For all she knew, he could've been there to pay her for information or hire the Batch for a job -- something where she would've gotten paid. Shouldn't she have been trying to get on his good side and at least see what he wanted first? But, instead, she immediately and very rudely dismisses him.

Also, Cid has a clone trooper helmet on the wall in her office. (It's on the lefthand side as you look at her desk.) Considering she used to be an informant for the Jedi, I wonder how she got that helmet. Was it a gift? Why would a clone trooper give her a helmet? It seems more likely that it was a trophy of some kind. She seems to have a lot of strange items around her office, but a clone trooper helmet should've been a red flag for the Batch.

Asking a lot & giving little in return

Cid ultimately had the Batch risking their lives for her and her clients, and was apparently only giving them 30% of the payout.

By 1.07 "Battle Scars," they're also in debt to her despite doing at least 10-12 jobs for her. In 1.10, Cid tells them that the Batch needs "a big score for us to be square," and Omega ultimately pays off the debt by hustling people at the strategy game.

So, even if after 1.10, the Batch renegotiated off-screen so that Cid started covering their expenses and that their standard 30% is pure profit, that still seems incredibly low to me. I would think 40-40-20, with the 20% going to cover expenses would be a decent starting point.

But, apparently, they're still doing jobs for her in Season 2 and still only getting 30% -- their standard rate. We're not sure what their success rate is, but they've been able to complete some big jobs for her. They definitely should've renegotiated up to at least 50% or something, especially considering how frequently they were endangering themselves and Omega on these jobs.

With Crosshair and the Empire, he doesn't really have much in the way of benefits, because the Empire ultimately considers all the clones their property.

They were never given a choice on whether they wanted to serve the Empire once it replaced the Republic. They're assigned these dangerous and morally questionable/reprehensible missions. If they question their orders or refuse, they're labeled traitors and arrested; and if they leave, they're branded deserters.

Crosshair at least gets room and board, but he probably isn't getting paid much or at all. Once Senator Chuchi's bill passes in 2.08 "Truth and Consequences," he might be eligible for a retirement/severance package like we see the clones talking about in 2.12 "The Outpost," but he likely wouldn't have a say on when he gets to retire/leave.

Meanwhile, Crosshair and the other clones are risking their lives for the Empire. We see in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," that the clone troopers are sent in to complete the most dangerous work -- securing Desix and freeing the Imperial governor. But, once it comes to actually occupying the planet, the Empire assigns stormtroopers.

I also always found it interesting that the clone troopers bothered to get Crosshair medical attention in 1.08 "Reunion," but Nolan doesn't in 2.12 "The Outpost." I feel like the clones, at minimum, cared about each other even under Imperial command. But as more non-clones started taking command, they basically said, "Why bother? Clone troopers are a relic of the past, and we have millions of TK troopers who can take their place."

Lack of intel/resources to complete missions

Speaking of 2.12 "The Outpost," we hear about Mayday's predicament: The Empire doesn't provide enough men to defend the oh-so-valuable cargo at the Outpost and doesn't provide the equipment needed to keep their troopers safe. They have to wrap their armor to stay warm; the conditions degrade the sensors; they don't have the tools needed to disarm mines; and so on.

Similarly, the Batch bring up several times in Seasons 1 and 2 that Cid withholds information about their jobs.

Wrecker in 2.11 "Metamorphosis": Limited intel. Huh. There's a surprise.

Maybe sometimes her clients or sources don't give her information as we see in 2.11 "Metamorphosis," but there are plenty of times where she purposely withholds information, like Muchi being a Rancor in 1.05 "Rampage."

Cid was either accepting jobs without much intel because she was getting overconfident in the Batch's abilities, or -- more likely -- she was getting greedy and sending them on as many jobs as possible regardless of the conditions.

The latter seems more likely, especially with how it aligns with how the Empire treats the clones. They're more than ready to put money into the TK trooper program -- and we know from the Original Trilogy that TK troopers are also essentially treated as expendable -- but the Empire clearly doesn't give a crap about the clones, especially after 2.08 "Truth and Consequences."

Ultimately, both the Batch and Crosshair and the other Imperial clone troopers have to make do with the little they’re given, despite putting so much on the line for their employers.

“All you’ll ever be to them is a number”

Something I haven't talked about much yet is how Hunter is so prescient about Crosshair being used by the Empire, but doesn't see how Cid is using him and his family to a similar degree.

This is something @xylionet pointed out too:

It’s rather ironic that Crosshair and Hunter are both able to see each other’s situations for what they are, but not their own.

One of the things that hit me during my rewatch of 1.15/16 was Hunter telling Crosshair: "All you'll ever be to them is a number" referring to the Empire.

Admittedly, Hunter isn't wrong. As we see, all the Imperial officials Crosshair interacts with only call him by his CT number, never by his name. (The only exceptions are fellow clones like Cody, Mayday and Emerie.)

And, in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," when Crosshair asks Rampart about Commander Cody, Rampart acts like he's never heard the name Cody before in his life. He ONLY knows Cody -- one of the most famous commanders in the entire Galactic Army of the Republic -- by his number. Hell, even EMPEROR PALPATINE knew Commander Cody's name in "Revenge of the Sith."

But, while the Empire being a bunch of assholes makes sense, what gets me is that Cid is the exact same way:

She ONLY ever called the Bad Batch members by her little nicknames.

Cid absolutely knew their names. She would have to if she was ever planning to turn them in, as she eventually does. Maybe she didn't know their clone numbers, but she definitely knew what they called each other.

Yet, even in those moments where they came through for her like in 1.13 "Infested" and 2.04 "Faster," she never uses their names as a sign of respect or gratitude. Hell, even after Tech dies, she still only called him "Goggles."

Now, I'm not saying that nicknames are inherently bad. I have plenty of nicknames for people, and vice versa. But, I think there has to be an established relationship first, and then the nickname should be a sign of affection rather than a way to demean someone.

Cid calls the Batch mostly by their outward appearances or accessories -- Tiny, Muscles, Goggles, Bandana, Dark & Broody. (Note: she uses "Dark and Broody" for both Echo and Hunter on different occasions.) It just indicates how she sees them -- not as people but as objects. She's only looking on the surface because that's all she cares about.

“Blind allegiance makes you a pawn”

It's obvious to see that Crosshair's misplaced loyalty to the Empire ultimately made him one of its pawns, to be used and abused.

But, as I've outlined, the Batch was in a similar position with Cid.

Hunter definitely sees that their "mutually beneficial arrangement" with Cid isn't great, but he doesn't really have much choice. They're on their own; they're deserters/traitors; and now they're in charge of a kid and being pursued by bounty hunters.

However, as I'll talk about more in a second, the Batch had several opportunities to walk away from her and try to find some other ways of "making a living." Yet, they continue to work for her despite all the red flags that they definitely see but choose to ignore. This is partly why Echo eventually leaves, because he disagrees with Hunter's decision to maintain this lifestyle rather than fighting for their fellow clones.

While Hunter is arguably the most at fault for letting Cid use and abuse them as long as she does, Cid takes advantage of Omega's loyalty the most.

Even as Omega is trying to convince Hunter and the others to -- and I can't believe I'm about to say this -- pit two crime syndicates against each other just to get Cid's parlor back ... all Cid can say is, "You tell 'em, tiny!"

Twice she asks/convinces her family to stick their necks out for Cid despite all the risks involved, and yet they get little to nothing in return -- including respect.

Despite all the risks they take for her and all the money they bring in, Cid doesn't give a crap when the Marauder gets stolen and the Batch are stranded on the mining planet in 2.09 "The Crossing." That's when the Batch -- particularly Omega -- finally reach their breaking point.

By 2.11 "Metamorphosis," Tech suggests that they only do this last job for her to ensure they leave her on good terms, because she knows so much about them. But, it's clear Omega and Hunter are fed up with how badly Cid used them, which happens to coincide nicely with Crosshair coming to the same realization about the Empire.

Which segues into the timeline analysis:

THE SIMILAR TIMELINES BETWEEN THE BAD BATCH/CID, CROSSHAIR/THE EMPIRE

Reluctant employees (early S1)

As mentioned, the Batch and Crosshair start working for their respective employers because they don’t have a lot of other options.

Crosshair is, of course, practically abducted by the Empire and forced to do its bidding under the effects of the inhibitor chip. This starts in 1.01 "Aftermath."

Meanwhile, the Batch do the initial job for Cid in 1.05 "Rampage." They do a one-off job to get intel on the bounty hunter(s) after Omega, as well as earn some much-needed cash. The Batch didn't really have much of a choice in either finding or working for Cid, because Cid was the only Jedi informant Echo knew how to find, and they were desperate for the intel.

Then, as mentioned, she subsequently uses strong-arming and blackmailing as needed to get them to work for her in 1.06 and beyond.

Falling into a routine (mid-S1)

By 1.07 "Battle Scars," we can see the Batch has fallen into a routine of doing jobs for Cid. As she said, they need friends and money with bounty hunters after them, and they don't really have any other ready sources of income (as demonstrated in 1.04 "Cornered').

Yet, despite all the jobs they've done for her, they're also in debt to her. Meaning, they can't easily walk away without giving her even MORE reason to turn them in, so they have to continue doing jobs for her in hopes of paying off the debt.

Meanwhile, Crosshair and his ES troopers have been continuing to operate under Rampart, presumably carrying out missions under his command. Granted, we don't see any of these except the Onderon mission in 1.03 "The Replacements," but based on how effective they seemed to be in 1.08 "Reunion," I imagine they were doing missions together off-screen.

The first possible turnaround point (late S1)

If we accept the fan theory that Crosshair's chip was removed or deactivated/damaged around 1.08 "Reunion," then Crosshair has regained his free will by the next time we see him in 1.11 "Devil's Deal."

Yet, despite the Empire hijacking his mind and body and forcing him to do all sorts of terrible things, he continues to work for them of his own free will. He has an opportunity to walk away, but he doesn't.

Likewise, the Batch have an opportunity in 1.13 "Infested," after Cid's parlor gets taken over by Roland Durand.

But, thanks to Omega's misplaced loyalty, Cid's blackmailing and other factors, Hunter decides to pit two crime syndicates against each other to get Cid's parlor back and continue working for her. (I cannot emphasize how stupid of a decision this was!!)

Even after Cid's schemes get the Batch in trouble with the Pykes to the point that Omega is taken hostage, the Batch continue to work for Cid. They're lucky this was a "family show," or the Pykes would've definitely killed them or injured Omega or something else just as bad.

If ever there was a time for the Batch to walk away from Cid, this would've been it -- either before the job or after. But, like Crosshair, they don't take the opportunity to walk away.

The second possible turnaround point (S1 finale)

Crosshair had another opportunity to leave the Empire and rejoin his brothers at the end of 1.16 "Kamino Lost." But, instead he decides once again to double-down and stay with the Empire for a myriad of reasons that might have to be its own meta some day. (I touched on it a bit in my S1 Crosshair/loyalty meta.)

But what might be overlooked is that the fall of Kamino was another opportunity for the Batch to leave Cid.

Again, the reason they sought her out and one of the reasons they started/kept working for her was because bounty hunters were after Omega. The bounty was active through 1.09 "Bounty Lost.” At that point, the Batch learn that Lama Su put the bounty on Omega because she's crucial to their cloning operation.

But, as the Batch see for themselves, Tipoca City is decommissioned and destroyed. The Kaminoan cloning facilities are gone. The Kaminoans aren't in a place where they need Omega anymore, because the Empire has effectively ended cloning (at least for military purposes).

So, they could've left Cid after the events of Season 1. Maybe they could've even left her on good terms after saving her ass in 1.13 "Infested." But, they don't.

Starting to second-guess (early S2)

Admittedly, Hunter was never super-comfortable about their arrangement with Cid, but he persisted because he didn't see a lot of alternatives.

But, Omega (and Tech and Wrecker) clearly start to have doubts about working for Cid during 2.04 "Faster." They once again stick their necks out for Cid by offering to clear her debt with Millegi. And, while Cid is grateful at the time, we see later that her gratitude is short-lived.

Based on what Millegi tells them, especially at the end of the episode, it's clear Omega (and the others) are beginning to doubt whether Cid is someone worthy of their loyalty.

Likewise, Crosshair's experiences in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone" start to plant doubts in his mind. He was stranded on Kamino for a month and comes back only to get demoted and sent on a dangerous and morally questionable mission. And while Crosshair and his squad complete the mission, and Rampart even praises Crosshair for it, we also see that Rampart really doubts Crosshair and the other clones' loyalty.

Ultimately, after his experiences with Cody and their mission on Desix, it's clear that Crosshair is beginning to doubt whether the Empire is worthy of his loyalty.

The breaking point (mid/late S2)

As I've pointed out in another post:

Both the Batch and Crosshair fell into a routine that provided them security and stability in an otherwise chaotic time in the galaxy; and both only reached their breaking points when their employers left them for dead.

For the Batch, this is a combination of 2.09-2.11. The Marauder gets stolen while they're on a job for Cid. They ask for her help, and she doesn't readily or easily commit any kind of assistance. They get the Marauder back on their own, and Cid is more than happy to give them another job, framing it as: "Do you wanna make money?"

It's become clear to them that she views them as tools -- only useful to her, not the other way around.

Meanwhile, at the start of 2.12 "The Outpost," Crosshair sees that the Empire has started to retire clones, but at least he's still getting missions.

But, Barton IV ultimately becomes his breaking point when he sees just how expendable he and all clones are. Based on what he said in 1.15 "Return to Kamino," he thought he was "superior" to the other clones, but as Nolan proves, the Empire didn't care either way.

As Mayday points out, the clones sacrificed everything for the Empire while getting nothing in return. Crosshair and Mayday are essentially left for dead, and when they come back looking like absolute hell, Nolan first yells at them for not retrieving the cargo and then tells them to get to work.

As Nolan blatantly tells Crosshair, he and all the other clones are expendable -- only worth keeping around as long as they're useful.

Not out quite yet (late S2)

By 2.13 "Pabu," we can see the Batch has completely cut ties with Cid and are working with Phee instead. Cid leaves them a message, saying that their absence has cost her a lot of money and she once again threatens to turn them in.

Despite emotionally cutting ties with her, they're still physically at her mercy to a degree. Plus, even once they made it clear they didn't want to work for her anymore, she still wants something from them and she's willing to hurt them if they don't cooperate.

Thankfully, Phee comes through for the Batch and introduces them to Pabu -- their future forever home.

Crosshair, meanwhile, is imprisoned at Tantiss. Despite emotionally cutting ties with the Empire, he's still physically at its mercy.

Hemlock offers him a deal: his freedom in exchange for helping him find Clone Force 99. Crosshair refuses to give up his family, even under torture.

Just like the Batch, despite Crosshair's attempt to "walk away" from the Empire, they still want something from him and they're willing to hurt him if he doesn't cooperate.

The fallout (S2 finale and beyond)

Of course, everything falls together in 2.16 "Plan 99," as Cid sells out the Batch to the Empire. The Batch's and Crosshair's former employers temporarily join forces to screw everyone over in the worst ways possible.

Although it was clear to us from the get-go that Crosshair was wrong to trust the Empire, 2.16 confirms to us the audience just how wrong the Batch was to trust Cid. They came to her in a moment of need, and she betrayed them.

Granted, I think this was mostly Hunter's failing, as they never should've gone back to Ord Mantell. I understand they were hurt and desperate to have AZI heal Omega, but Cid told them multiple times she was willing to turn them in. Plus, they just showed on her doorstep after striking a high-level Imperial compound. They knew -- or at least suspected -- that they were already being targeted based on Crosshair's message, but after hitting Eriadu, they would've been on the Empire's "most wanted list."

Jumping to Season 3, Cid's nature is made even clearer as she gives up the Batch a second time.

It's unclear whether CX-2 bribed or tortured Cid -- probably the latter -- but Cid also sold out Phee. And Cid told the Batch she considered Phee a friend. (Although based on Phee's comments in 2.13 "Pabu," that feeling wasn't mutual.)

For all Cid knew, CX-2 could've tortured or killed Phee to find the Batch, and she still gave up the information.

Once again, the Batch's and Crosshair's former employers work together to screw them over.

One last thing I'll add is how the show gave us glimpses of Crosshair and Cid's true colors around the same time. Crosshair is first bribed and then tortured for information about his family, but he doesn't give them up; meanwhile, Cid sells them out after everything they did for her. And, if CX-2 really tortured Cid in Season 3, it just proves how little she cared about the Batch (or even Phee) compared to how much Crosshair cared about them despite everything that happened in S1.

IN CONCLUSION

I want to state for the record that, as frustrating as it is to see our favorite characters allow themselves to be used and abused by their employers, I don't hate any of them.

These characters are human. They're not perfect, and hindsight is 20/20.

I know several people who were hoping that Cid would come through for the Batch, that she would be a true ally even if she was grumpy and rude (and that's putting it mildly).

If anything, I think this all shows just how similar Hunter, Crosshair and Omega are. They share a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses. Hunter and Crosshair see just how terrible the other's situation is, but not their own; and Crosshair and Omega are loyal to a fault.

They all just wanted some security and stability in what was a very chaotic time for the galaxy and their family. I can understand, to an extent, why they made the decisions they did even if I find them frustrating.

If you want to take any of this meta and apply it to your own lives, by all means. Despite what some folks might think, Star Wars has always been political, and I don't want any of you to end up like our favorite Bad Batch characters.

At the end of the day, "The Bad Batch" is a family show with a lot of morals and lessons about the importance of love, hope and family -- whether blood relatives, adopted or 'found.'

But, it's also a show about the evils of political systems and corporate greed, and how the forces around us will profit off our blood, sweat and tears while giving us little to nothing in return.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 24-25)

katniss being angry that peeta hasn't come to help her before she realises he literally can't

peeta putting his hand up against the wall and her putting hers up to meet him. these two are so angsty romance-coded

"i just stare at his face, doing my best to hang onto my sanity"

peeta holding and rocking katniss on his lap, lifting her chin so she looks at him. husband. he loves her so much.

(as an aside, johanna and finnick basically being katniss's and peeta's older siblings is so adorable. what a cute fun brokem damaged little family)

when katniss finds out that finnick loves a "poor, mad girl back home", i can't not think of the parallels being set up between annie/finnick and peeta/katniss in the next book

ah the beach scene

"everything. that's what peeta wants me to take from him"

"i realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if peeta dies. me"

"i do. i need you"

i'm dead at this point. how can people say katniss didn't love peeta. i got the evidence right here!

So before he can talk, I stop his lips with a kiss. I feel that thing again. The thing I only felt once before. In the cave last year, when I was trying to get Haymitch to send us food. I kissed Peeta about a thousand times during those Games and after. But there was only one kiss that made me feel something stir deep inside. Only one that made me want more. But my head wound started bleeding and he made me lie down. This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind. 

the idea of peeta trying to talk despite katniss kissing him and then just giving up is too much

the warmth that grows inside of her exclusively due to peeta

the line about a new kind of hunger. bars

she's so down bad for him, and i think she truly realises here, even if she doesn't let herself think about it too much.

finnick waking up and realising the way they're wrapped around eachother and being like... "um get a room? if you want?" is hilarious too

i truly wonder how far they would've gone if they hadn't been interrupted by the lightning bolt. judging by katniss saying there's nothing to stop them this time but them, i think she might've not stopped at all. and the wrapping around each other. i know they were about to cut away in the capitol feeds.

peeta again being husband and making katniss lie down and leading her to bed. "i let him lead me over to where the others are." the "i let him." this books is just a masterpiece in showing the change in their dynamics.

lol at katniss being like "fuck no" at the suggestion of having kids with gale. "for one thing, that's never been part of my plan." like how much clearer has she got to make it. contrasting this to when peeta dropped the baby bomb and she was like: it could be true by now if it wasn't for the games, right? she's so shameless

i honestly feel like crying every time katniss says she thinks of peeta's child safe in the meadows. the fact that it's just peeta's child makes me think that the unnamed, unidentified unspoken of mother, is her. like that's who she's picturing in this fantasy, in this dream.

"when i wake, i have a brief delicious feeling of happiness that is somehow connected with peeta" and she clings to it as long as she can

just something so beautiful that all this talk of love and family and peace and the future is linked with peeta and thus her own happiness. like my heart aches for her.

she can't look at peeta the next morning after their kissing the night before. i think a big part of it was because she just allowed herself to think all these thoughts involving peeta and then came back down to earth very quickly and realised that this wasn't possible for her because of the QQ

the pearl, their inside joke because of effie! the fact they remembered, the fact that they laugh together like this even with everything going on

katniss determining that peeta is her biggest enemy because their desires are the complete opposite when it comes to survival. "i promise myself i will defeat his plan." and even despite them both realising they're at odds, despite peeta not being able to look at her after, they sit together hand in hand.

the pearl and everything it comes to symbolise with these two kills me.

[darkostea]

ok but can we talk

about Beyond Re-Animator for a bit. i don't think i've seen a dedicated post on this dumpster fire and mother of god i need to yap about it.

the main complaint i've seen is that dan isn't in it which is SOO VALID and i'm happy that we agree. just a couple of scenes with him would've done wonders to it because, at least to me, re-animator isn't re-animator without dan, the narrator. ik herbert is the main focus and the titular Guy That Re-Animates but during the main events in the movies and short story he's got this straight (not as in heterosexual) man either helping him out or criticizing his actions. sometimes both.

herbert would not have gone as far as he did without someone like dan to aid and enable him. i understand that howard phillip's purpose on beyond was exactly that, but it's still not someone that herbert would trust and depend on as completely as he did with daniel. and any parallels between howard and dan were not sufficiently explored either! we get howard's first scene as desperately trying to save someone from dying and failing to do so (sound familiar?) and that's a very good concept for herbert angst after being betrayed by dan but the only acknowledgement we get of that is herbert's off-handed mention of his "last partner".

dan's character and importance in herbert's life deserves SO much more than that. he's got a whole another madness going on that is pretty touched on, in bride especially, but the opportunity to see more of his moral decline is completely wasted.

the only way for dan to turn herbert in is if he was pressured to do so because that's daniel "people pleaser" cain and given that herbert got arrested right after the events of bride, francesca was probably the one that told him to. we don't get to see dan's internal conflict about who's side to be on.

francesca is the rational, empathetic, human choice and what dan feels like he SHOULD go with but have you seen how he acts around herbert??? how he defends him??? a millisecond after meeting him and finding out that herbert killed his cat twice, he completely ignores dean halsey and his FIANCE's warnings because this discovery is soo important and groundbreaking (it is, but you didn't have to discard meg's VALID concerns so easily, did you dan?).

another thing i noticed: in bride, after seeing herbert play around with body parts and completely derailing off his initial goal of achieving immortality, dan's immediate response is "i'm moving out". not to be horrified, or scared, just disappointed that herbert was doing this. his cadence is that of someone moving out of their partner's house because they never washed the dishes or they got into too many petty arguments.

he could've (SHOULD'VE if he was a well-adjusted ethically sound man) stayed quiet, gathered up evidence and reported herbert to the police. he 100% would've succeeded in that too if he wanted herb in jail. but he didn't, really. there's not one instance of dan mentioning or considering calling the police on him.

he threatened to kick him out of the house, threatened to leave himself, berated herbert for his actions, told meg he was going to turn HIMSELF in but never ONCE said anything about herbert being in jail because he doesn't want that. he realizes the potential of his research and his reagent and knows that the Work would suffer if herbert got locked up. defeating death at any cost is kinda important to him, too.

he also is pretty much infatuated with herb, whether he admits it or not, shit's so obvious.

dan would not have gotten him arrested by himself. francesca forced him to make that decision while herbert was probably not around to influence him. dan would have regretted it quickly. co-dependency doesn't even cover what they have.

yknow what WOULD have worked with the prison arc? dan trying to get back to herbert's good graces through visits. dan suffering from herbert's absence and knowing true remorse for the first time. dan breaking herbert out of jail at the end of the movie. DAN IN PRISON WITH HERBERT (if anyone has any other ideas i'd looove to hear them!!)

that's my main plight with this movie. but what does anger me just as much is how bad it is regardless of the dan issue. not even so-bad-it's-good, entertaining even if the quality isn't top-tier, it's. it's just bad. the only good thing about it is that jeffrey combs is in it and a COUPLE of good shots. i don't like anyone else's acting but that might be my personal taste (or my favoritism of combs in general, im not objective when it comes to him lmao)

ANOTHER THING.... there's no fucking way you have THE jeffrey combs as your protagonist, an already renowned actor, and gave him such LAME ASS LINES. none of the deranged, catty charm of herbert in the first two movies in sight. none of the blatant neurodivergency. only good thing was maybe some dialogue that wasn't straight up mediocre and combs' body language and delivery.

have i mentioned the goofy ass sound effects? they were throwing me off and i was feeling lost as it is. howard's sister thing?? numerous SA moments?? body horror that isn't even that good or creative?? i could keep going but i also wanna hear everyone's thoughts.

thank you for reading this callout post on my tumblr dot com

[mah-t-wordblog]

Prank

Tickletober! Day 3

Ler: Nobara Kugisaki and Yuji Itadori

Lee: Megumi Fushiguro

🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡

Ships: NONE

Warnings: This is a tickle fic, if you don’t like it, just scroll down

This fanfic is originally in Portuguese, my English is translated using an automatic translator, if there are any big errors you can tell me so I can fix them

🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡

Yuji put on a clown mask

“Great” Nobara said, grabbing a bottle of fake blood and pouring it over her shoulder

“Do you think he’ll fall?” The boy asked

“Of course he will, dude. Then after I show up, you know, right?”

Yuji nodded

“Perfect”

“Let’s hide over there” the boy pointed to a small hallway

“Just wait…”

Megumi Fushiguro was walking in a hallway parallel to the one they were hiding in, heading towards his room

He was fiddling with his cell phone, so he wasn’t even paying much attention to his surroundings

When Megumi passed by the hallway, Nobara jumped in front of him

“Fushiguro! Help!” He exclaimed

Yuji, wearing a clown mask, jumped and pretended to bite her on the shoulder

“Noooo...” The girl whimpered, letting the fake blood run down her arm and then she fell to the ground.

Megumi looked away from his cell phone and looked up. He didn't even look away or raise an eyebrow. He just walked between the two of them and kept walking.

"Hey!" Yuji took off his mask. “What the hell happened?"

"Oh shit! My acting was so good!" Nobara said, standing up. "I'm going to beat the crap out of this guy."

Yuji held her back, but went over to Megumi.

"But Fushiguro.……… you weren't even scared?"

The guy rolled his eyes “you two are idiots”

“It was just a prank, no need to get mad” Nobara laughed “I'm sure it was because you were scared”

“No, I wasn't, I'm not that stupid to be scared of something like that, in fact the one who usually gets scared of that is Itadori”

Yuji crossed his arms, Nobara couldn't help but laugh

Megumi started walking again

“But Nobara, our goal wasn't to make him-“ Yuji was talking but Nobara covered his mouth

“Don't talk, he'll hear, you idiot”

“What do you want?”

The two friends looked at each other and smiled, they had the same idea

“Ah, we saw that you always have that frown on your face…”

“So we wanted to see if we could put a smile on your face…”

The two slowly approached

“You won't be able to, idiots”

“No?” Yuji jumped on top of Megumi, starting to squeeze his sides and tickle him

Nobara ran and did the same, four hands attacking Megumi at the same time

“I-I’m going to-“

“Kill us? No, you’re not” Nobara laughed

Yuji saw that the hands on the boy’s sides weren’t enough, so he put them under the boy’s arms

Megumi tried to punch Yuji, but couldn’t because Nobara started scratching his belly

The boy couldn’t hold it anymore, he started to smile, and then he started to laugh, really laugh

“Do you know how to laugh?” Nobara teased

“Fuhuhuck yohohou”

“He’s still not laughing much, Kugisaki”

“You’re right, Itadori, try… his ribs” she smiled

That’s it, Megumi started laughing louder and kicking more, punching the air and now trying more than anything to run away

“Oh~ how cute” the girl teased

The two friends looked at each other and realized they should stop, because Megumi was almost crying

The boy’s expression changed very quickly from a smile to its current form, he turned his face away to hide that he was a little blushing, but he didn’t walk away

“That’s hilarious” the girl laughed

“Stop teasing him” Yuji laughed, he reached out to lift the other boy up “why do you have that frown, if your smile is so beautiful”

Megumi looked at him and rolled his eyes

“Argh, next time I’ll kill you” he walked away

Nobara whispered to Yuji “If he had really gotten angry we would be dead”

“I know”

The two laughed softly

And with a smile on his face, Megumi pretended not to hear

🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡💜🖤🧡

Happy tickletober loves!! 💛💛

[moonspirit]

Hello Moon, 

It's a shame we never got a look at what happened after the scout's night of drinking, which would have been hilarious if you think of it, 

Picture this: Eren, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Sasha are all in different states of hangover; Levi is giving them all a verbal tirade along the lines of “We left you alone for a few hours, and all of you start acting like degenerates” Hange is being more level-headed and trying to be more calm “I'm not mad at you for having some fun, I'm just disappointed, we are in a potentially hostile are- Connie, Sasha why are you wearing each other cloths?” The two of them look down. Sasha now realizes why her dress seemed much looser and baggy, and Connie realizes why it had felt so airy between his legs. It turns out he's wearing a skirt. Jean is wearing sunglasses to hide the bags under his eyes; Eren has a distant look and his cloths are disheveled, Mikasa looks relatively alright, although her scowl indicates a massive headache. Finally, Hange realizes someone is missing, “Where is Armin?” this question is quickly answered by the sound of retching coming from the nearby bushes and a pitiful groan, “ooohhhhh”

Hello!

Ahhhh yes this is one adorable scene that was way too short T^T We should've had 10 episodes on their drinking adventures alone ffs!

The funny thing here is that Connie and Sasha are absolutely batshit crazy unhinged when drunk while their third half (Jean) just becomes a very woozy, soppy version of himself.

So you know, I honestly can picture a situation where the three got drunk as fuck and Connie and Sasha carried Jean off to sail him away into sea. RIP him. He's getting stranded on an uninhabited island soon.

Mikasa and Eren are both your parallel lines from Geometry class. Because they're both talking, and quite emotionally at that, but.. literally about different things 🥲

Mikasa (shy and blushing hard): S-so Eren I've always thought of you as my... my... boyf--

Eren (also shy and blushing hard): I... I really don't want to commit mass murder but I... can't wait to become a colossal asshole...

Mikasa (so red in the face from embarrassment): and... and I've always wanted kids with you... do you like girls or boys? I personally want a little girl...

Eren (also too red in the face from embarrassment): I've dreamt of this so much... but man, I really love stomping on things...

And then there's Armin ofc. Vomiting and vomitin and vomiting because he had one drop of alcohol and his poor tummy can't take it.

Then he cries about Annie.

[raccoonfallsharder]

haiiiiii, i don’t know if you’ve talked about it but rocket making gifts wether it be like little playlists filled with music he’d think you’d like or small trinkets he built himself would be such a cute idea yk !

little deer, YES. you are SO right. i'm sorry this took so long for me to respond to but i've just been luxuriating in the idea. rocket is so deprived of love (in a way that is at least somewhat self-inflicted). it's very hard for him to receive incoming messages in any love language. he'd relish a kind gesture of physical affection, if he ever trusted anyone enough to touch him; he'd love to be genuinely praised, if he could ever bring himself to believe the words. he'd adore spending quality time together in parallel play - him listening to music and tinkering with something while you read a book or doodle on your datapad - but he'd have to trust he wouldn't open his mouth and say something rude to ruin the moment.

in terms of how he tries to speak his affection, though? it's all acts of service and gifts.

if you're new on the milano (or the benatar, or the bowie), you might not understand what he's doing at first. he's probably loading you up with new blasters and cannons every cycle, muttering about how you're clumsy and a crap-shot, and he doesn't wanna end up distracted on a mission because you can't frickin' take care of yourself. but sooner or later, you start to notice that your firearms are always perfectly maintained, and the aim and recoil is easier to handle every time. you'd like to say it's just because you're improving, but you know you're not getting that good that quickly. someone must be messing with your guns, remaking them to meet your needs ~ fine-tuning them every time he sees you using them.

later on ~ once you've started to develop a real friendship ~ you'll find things shift. little thoughtful inventions, intended to make your life easier, perhaps. an adapter that you can plug into your phone to connect to the intergalactic transmissions and communications system. a program shows up on your datapad that translates any major intergalactic language to your own ~ so you can read all sorts of documents, of course; but it isn't lost on you that someone has also downloaded some shi'ar adventure novels and skrull fanfiction for you to read when you're bored between missions. more frivolously: an alien, cobbled-together handheld gaming console that somehow contains clones of your favorite games from terra, and a few new ones that are strange but similar. and finally: six crinkling bags of zargnuts that someone must have rescued from drax's hungry maw, just because he noticed you like them.

these little gifts show up tucked in drawers, or on the shelf of your bunk ~ so discreetly-given that you might have missed them for a couple rotations before you finally realize they're there.

when you ask where something came from, rocket only gives you one of two pre-determined responses: a blank stare and a shrug - i don't frickin know; do i gotta keep track of everything on this ship? - or an embarrassed palm to the back of his neck and a scowl. i was just bored. i just had it lyin' around. don't make a big deal outta it.

rocket's not only pragmatic, though. don't get me wrong: when he's finally fully comfortable with you, the practical gifts don't stop ~ though nowadays he might toss them to you with a wink and a smirk instead of pretending like they just appear in your bunk out of thin air.

but deep underneath the scars and the skittishness, nestled next to his metal bones and manufactured organs, rocket is first and foremost a lover of beautiful things: of open skies, and sprawling stars, and ships that slice through the fabric of space-time like beautiful, blazing bullets. and so eventually, at least some of these gifts will reflect that: no longer restricted to small pleasures he can write off as purely sensiblistic, but things that are just his way of sharing a tiny fraction of beauty with you. you’ll find a tiny welded scultpure of an everbloom, left on your pillow one day. a pin-drive with a playlist of his favorite songs, cloned from pete's zune. a patched-glass lantern to go over your bunk's plasma orb, casting colorful stars over your walls.

and most recently, a pair of magnification goggles he's altered to show you holosnaps of his favorite places in the universe.

late in the sleep-shift you both sit in your bunk ~ you've added a hammock for him in the corner, and sometimes he crashes there for the night ~ and he shows you how to add new holosnaps to the goggles, and the sliding switch that shifts them into projector mode. the images glow, three-dimensional and silvery, between the two of you.

that one's tarka, he says, tossing a handful of zargnuts into his mouth ~ these ones swiped more recently than the six bags from before. and that's tryl'sart.

what's this one? you ask, swiping through to the next shimmering, luminous image. mountains and thin waterfalls gleam in the dark air — bustling cities and colorful banners shiver with thin lines of static.

aladna, rocket tells you. you wanna go?

you snort. of course i do. i want to see all these places.

he tilts his head. his thumb coasts the edge of the goggles. i could take you, he says at last. steal the extra ship and go on a little roadtrip. kinda wanted to pick you up a little somethin' there, anyway.

you lean back, cradling your head in your palms, and your eyes soften.

you don't have to always give me things, you know, you tell the pipes of the ceiling softly. i don't need gifts to be your friend.

he huffs, and a slant of your eyes tells you he's scrubbing at his whiskers self-consciously.

well, you'll want somethin' nice if i take you to aladna. as a pay-off. he shrugs. the place is frickin' paradise, but the people are weird.

he tosses a bag of zargnuts at your belly, and when you glance over at him in the silver and shadow, he's got a rueful curl in the corner of his mouth.

too happy, he tells you. and the language is weird, too. even with a translator ~ they can only speak in song.

your grin widens while you close your eyes, and settle into the quiet shadows with sleep lapping at the edge of your senses like a quiet shore.

that sounds even better then, dude, you tell him, folding your hands over your gifted bag of zargnuts.

i could listen to you sing all day.

headcanons & imagines | navigation | fanfiction masterlist

related imagines: rocket & origami | rocket & coloring | rocket & sudoku, crosswords & word-searches | rocket & hanayama puzzles | rocket sings

[tinukis]

i think that if/when sabo and luffy reunites, they should spend a whole day together... or like, sabo stays in the comfort of his little brother's arms cause he honestly really needs it 😭

also this is really random but i just realized the difference between sabo's and luffy's reactions to being unable to "save" someone. manga spoilers below

sabo puts up a front, unable to save cobra. however, he wanted to save cobra while cobra asked to be put down and left behind... he asked not to be saved but sabo tried and failed. he's hurt, he cries, he mourns but he hides that away in front of iva and dragon, brushing off his death and focuses on the 'positive' effect of it

luffy doesn't put up a front and he's very, very upset about it. he's moping and sulking, while zoro tells him (tough love) he shouldn't let an old man's death get to him because he's an emperor now and how can he be king if he lets a death get to him? he needs to "get used to it" because there will be times that he won't be able to save everyone. plus, vegapunk did ask to be escorted.

that's the thing about these two, they can't save everyone.

however, on luffy's side, he was able to pick back up on his feet quickly because of lilith. even if stella is dead, lilith is still a vegapunk and so luffy was able to escort and save vegapunk.

sabo on the other hand, he's not so lucky and couldn't pick up on his feet. he forced himself to. he tells himself it's for the rebellion flames. but he reflects on the weight of cobra's words and he knows he can't die. so all he can do is live on as he said, and pass his final message to vivi and luffy.

i'm not the best with words or whatever, but there's just something about the brothers parallels and their reactions.

[syndrossi]

In the AU where Rhaella and Dany get Summerhalled instead of Jon and Rhaegar, I'm curious about how their relationship with Daemon would be different then that of Daemon and the boys. So much of what he's doing to try and bone with them is inspired by his own childhood and/or stories about Aemon and Baelon, that I think he'd be a little bit lost if he had daughters instead of sons. Most likely he would ask Rhaenyra or Rhaenys for help, and while Rhaenys would probably be too busy and/or a bit cold towards him, I think Rhaenyra would jump at the chance to spend time with them. She's always wanted a daughter, and now Daemon has two! And they need a mother! (It would also give Daemon and Rhaenyra an excuse to spend more time together, which I think they'd both enjoy a little too much.) OTOH this could definitely be used as a way for Otto to try and get information on Daemon by having Alicent get close to the girls. I could honestly see it becoming another point of contention between her and Rhaenyra. Poor Rhaella and Dany are gonna have the two most powerful women in the court fighting over them! For their own personal preferences, Dany would definitely adore Rhaenyra, since she'd be able to relate to her struggles as a women whose inheritance is constantly being threatened, but it's possible that Rhaella might end up favoring Alicent, since their situations are somewhat similar. I could see her growing somewhat disenchanted with Alicent once she sees her interact with Rhaenyra and the Velaryon boys, especially if she realizes that Alicent is spreading rumors about their bastardy. (Aerys attempted to spread the rumor that Rhaella was cheating on him, and that some of their dead babies actually bastards, so seeing Alicent do something similar make her upset)

Also if you make this an official AU, maybe it could be called Reverie? If doesn't technically connect, but I think it works since Dany it's a canonical dragondreamer and, although her personality isn't really talked about, Rhaella always seemed like the quiet/daydreamy type to me. (Or she would have been if it weren't for Aerys.) Also it's a pretty word and I think Dany and Rhaella would both appreciate it :)

Yeah, I agree that Daemon would be far more out of his depth dealing with twin daughters on his own. In canon, he had Laena to help with Baela and Rhaena, and married Rhaenyra not long after. Society is such that Daemon just...won't make that Aemon+Baelon connection.

So I think you're right that he'd either seek help quickly or be much more open to marrying Laena so that he has someone to turn to on "feminine" matters. (Laena would be an awesome mom to twin girls, and it's a crime that she didn't get to see her own twins grow up. 100% enabler of all mischiefs and adventures.)

I still maintain that the Dany-Rhaenys similarities are strong, so Aunt Rhaenys would very much love her step-granddaughter, and definitely Dany would have a lot of empathy for Rhaenyra's struggles.

I don't know how much of a parallel Rhaella would see in Alicent, who by all accounts sought the marriage to Viserys, presumably out of ambition, vs Rhaella being forced into it for prophecy's sake. I could see her having an interesting relationship with Viserys, who would remind her a lot of her original father Jaehaerys (this comes up in the Rhaella AU bits I've written). On the one hand, she loved her father, but she definitely hated that he forced her into marrying Aerys.

I could almost see Rhaella really forming a close bond with Daemon, appreciating a father who fights for her wants/needs, whereas Dany has to grapple with her childhood desire for, well, a childhood with her family vs Daemon's overprotectiveness / tendency toward being almost stifling. Like Jon, she was highly independent before--a queen, in fact! I don't think it's easy to go back to being dependent and viewed as a future queen consort (at most). I think she'll have ambitions of her own.

Definitely we'll see some of the same dynamics with the Greens here as in Reversal, though, where marriage to neutralize Daemon + the twins' dragons is highly desirable to Otto, who will be scheming to win the girls over for matches to his grandsons. (And Runestone is still in play.)

Reverie is a nice name! I do try not to name any AUs I don't intend to write, and I'm not planning to pick this one up anytime soon, but if I ever do, I'd probably go with that. (There are...a lot in play right now. 😅)

[straybreeze]

Meet Nyra, my Yu-Gi-Oh! OC

So I've been thinking about this post for a while, but thanks to @hoshikokitumbles I finally decided to collect some interesting stuff about my OC. Also, it's June 7th, the date when the events of my fanfiction begin, so I guess I'll celebrate it with this post. ^.^

Nyra is one of the main characters of my fanfiction, The Dragonrider. (The other mc is none other than Seto Kaiba, of course, and they are both POV characters.)

At first glance, Nyra looks like an ordinary human overall. However, she is not.

(I don't want to make everyone who is not interested in OCs have to scroll through it, so let's continue below the cut.)

Nyra came to the human world during the events of DM (but 3 years prior to the events of my fanfiction) to find a mortal who is suitable for riding a dragon in the upcoming war in her own world. It is a parallel dimension, which looks exactly the same as ours, aside from the fact that there are no mortal human beings over there. That place is ruled by five dragon races, and Nyra herself is one of the white dragons.

As a shapeshifter, Nyra can take a human form, but in her true form she is similar to Kaiba's beloved Blue-Eyes. As a human, she has wavy, white hair and light blue eyes. That's how she catches Seto's attention: he thinks she is Kisara reborn, but quickly realizes she doesn't resemble her that much.

Nyra looks like a 20-year-old female (Seto is also 20 at that time), but in truth, she is 128 (which is considered a young adult too among her kind).

At the start of my story, we are 2 years after the events of DSOD, when Nyra first approaches Seto. He doesn't believe her at first and quickly dismisses her. However, he eventually lets Nyra show him her own world and her true form.

Seto is mesmerized that she, in fact, is a real dragon, and without thinking, he climbs on her back. Nyra takes a flight with him, and in that moment, a strong bond starts to form between them, which is going to change both of their lives forever. And that's how their true story begins.

Some facts about Nyra:

The place where her dragon order lives is equivalent to Greenland. Thus she loves the cold, and it doesn't bother her the slightest.

As a dragon, she's got some powers, but she uses them in the mortal world very limitedly. She is also not allowed to harm humans (except in self-defense situations) or transform into a dragon in their world.

She learns new languages quickly and likes to read.

She has an open, curious nature in general, but also can be proud and stubborn, just like Seto himself. Her curiosity gets her into trouble many times.

She is really, really bad with technology.

She has an older brother, Faolan, who is also a shapeshifter, and a younger sister, Mytha, who is not.

Currently, I'm working on Chapter 17 of the story, which is going to be a long, slow burn fic with many chapters. I'm planning to start posting it during the second half of this summer, and I'm already very excited about it!

---

Note: None of the pictures I used are mine, I found them on the internet months ago. (Except Kaiba, I took that screenshot of him, haha). If I find them again, I'll credit the artists, if there is any.

The picrew I used: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/2307052