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xstevex-world · 1 year

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Steve Harrington’s favourite musician has been the same since he was 17.

He distinctly remembers hearing Chrissy Cunningham play in his car radio during his senior year, subsequently listening to nothing but her breakout EP for a week straight - and that was just the beginning.

He followed all of work for over the past 7 years: bought physical and digital copies of all her albums, watched every music video multiple times, read every interview, saved up enough while working weekend shifts at scoops to get tickets to her sold out shows in Indiana - he had so much merch that Jonathan Byers once joked that Steve could probably make a shrine to his idol.

He had even kept up during her hitatus, almost two full years of radio silence from the star, like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. It wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened, but it didn’t help that it overlapped with him dropping out of business school to pursue a career in cosmetology and that final falling out he had with his father over his choice in education.

The day she came back felt like Christmas.

Her comeback announcement dropped on June 13th - and it wasn’t just a new post on social media or a candid shot online someone managed to snap.

It was a whole EP drop, 4 entire songs (and a music video) that he knew he was going to play on repeat after 716 days of radio silence.

That opened the floodgates for everything to start again: she went back on social media, thanked her fans for their wholehearted response to her new releases. She started doing interviews again: discussing her mental health and the impact of her mothers control in her life; her reunion with her best friend (and apparent ex) from high school; her label dropping her after it was found that her “momager” had embezzled a huge amount of money from said company, releasing her from her contract early and allowing her to find new partners, new producers, new projects.

She talks about how she’s never been happier, and Steve can’t help but beam at it. He can hear it in her music, how it’s going more against the grain of what’s popular, opting instead for etherial synths mixed with heavy guitars. She sings about heartbreak and moving on and being better than then the people who brought her down for long, now that she’s starting fresh.

Steve loves it, thinks some of the changes have something to with Eddie Munson’s name appearing in the credits of all her new material.

Truthfully, he got curious after someone on Twitter posted a screengrab of cameos made by Munson and his own bandmates in all of her new music videos. He thankful someone else made the connection, and although he’s not the biggest fan of Corroded Coffin’s music (apart from the collaboration EP they did with Chrissy: “CCxCC presents Satanic Slumber Party”, that was incredible), he would lying if he didn’t say he was totally enamoured by Eddie goddamn Munson.

Let alone the fact that he’s totally Steve’s type (big hair, bigger eyes, a complete dork with a heart of gold but who also looks like he would bite someone in both a feral dog and a “please take me to your bedroom right now” kind of way), the guy is a genius when it comes to music, spending interviews talking about the process of artistry and the importance of storytelling - even when they’re discussing songs about him, written by Chrissy about their break up, he’s still so passionate and witty, the two of them spending interviews bouncing off each other in a way that would rival his relationship Robin.

He’s fine, really, he knows logically this is just a celebrity crush that will pass if he stops thinking about it for long enough, but he’s certain that this could develop into one of those all encompassing obsessions if he doesn’t curb it now- and that’s exact what he does. He tries to put that energy into school, excelling more than he ever did in an academic setting. He meets up more often with Nancy, Jonathan, Argyle and Barb, inviting them over more often for dinner or drinks, sometimes even just because he wants to make a breakfast feast and need someone else to eat it.

It’s at times like this that he misses Robin, who only has about 6 weeks left of her internship in Paris - he hasn’t seen her in person since he went to visit her a few months ago during spring break. He wishes she was her to openly judge him over this, before rambling on about her own current hyperfixation or moaning about her lack of romantic adventures since she and Vickie broke up.

They still talk on the phone every afternoon (nighttime for her), ranting to each other about their perspective day and sharing any worthwhile gossip.

Tonight’s no different, he’s telling her about the current drama happening in his classes when Robin says:

“I met someone today.”

He’s ecstatic - in his opinion robin deserves the world and the fact she’s met someone on her own in a city where she has been finding it hard interacting with people outside of her placement is a miracle in itself.

She tells him more: how she met this girl that morning at café, acting as a knight in shining armour (Robin’s words, not Steve’s) when the girl got flustered trying to order her coffee in broken French; how she spent the day showing this girl around to her favourite shops and parks and museums; how they spent hours talking about everything and nothing; how Robin hasn’t felt this way about someone since Vickie.

“So then we had dinner at that Italian place, the one I took you to, and, Steve, oh my goddess, she has the cutest little laugh-“

“Did you get her name?”

“Oh, sorry” he can hear her move the phone from one ear to the other. “Yeah it’s Chrissy.”

Steve stops his pacing. That would be one hell of a coincidence, if it was Chrissy Cunningham. She is playing in Paris the following night, the penultimate stop of her current tour. (The very show that he had been tempted to go to, since he could stay with Robin. It absolutely wasn’t because Corroded Coffin was joining her for the European leg of the tour - acting as her band, as well as performing songs from their collaboration as the encore - something that did not happen at any of the American shows). It couldn’t be the same Chrissy that Robin had fallen head over heels for in the space of a few hours, right?

“Did you get any of her socials?” He asks, cautiously.

“Nope,” she answers, popping the p for emphasis. “I didn’t think to ask, because I’m an idiot and all that-“

“Robs,” he interrupts, trying to keep his voice steady. “You’re not an idiot.”

Her hears her laugh on the other end of the line, the same kind of self-deprecating giggle she uses when she’s nervous. He wishes he was there with her so she could see him roll his eyes at her, their main way of communicating their love.

“What did she look like?”

“Oh!” She exclaims as he hears her tumbling over something (knowing Robin, probably herself). “We took a picture together, hold on, I’ll send it over.”

His phone vibrates against his ear, so he brings it in front of him, putting Robin on speaker so he can see the photo.

And.

Holy fuck.

“Robin,” he says slowly, because he actually can’t believe it himself. “Do you know who that is?”

((Part 2))

#stranger things #stranger things au #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #Steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #Buckingham #bandcheer #robin x chrissy #robin buckley x chrissy cunningham #Luci’s ST thoughts

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mejomonster · 9 months

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Started watching Love and Redemption, and I'm loving it!!! tho it's only ep 5. But I wanted to ask you, since you clearly love the show a lot, how bad did you think the Misunderstandings I keep hearing about going to be later? Did you find them affecting your enjoyment of the show at any point?

WOOH I LOVE THIS SHOW

I generally hate misunderstandings. I did not find the one big one even a little annoying in this show. However for some people, I think that was their biggest sore spot when watching.

For me, the misunderstanding felt largely created by people controlling/manipulating/using xuanji and sifeng for their own purpose (and in xuanjis case that's a huge theme of bigger stuff). And (spoiler) they go talk to each other and fix the misunderstanding rather quickly (which is honestly good enough for me... go TALK about it lol, yet in so many shows that doesn't occur to them). So the misunderstanding didn't bother me at all.

So yeah, there's about 1 major relationship misunderstanding and given the situations around the characters it overall made sense to me, and as soon as they can get a moment to Go Meet it's cleared up. (Perhaps because LaR does so much that's handled in a way I prefeel Compared to other shows of this kind, the few writing choices that are miscommunication stand out more? But then to each their own my opinion is different than another's and all have fair reasons).

If you tolerated (or actually liked) Eternal Love (i hate watched it to be frank... inconsistent and agony enjoying writing drove me up a wall i was so angry but objectively i think that show did have some Great qualities as well so i get why it was liked by a lot of ppl), then I doubt anything in LaR is going to hit you as frustrating. If you tolerated (or liked) Ashes of Love then the writing in LaR is so far away from that level of misunderstanding its a different planet (I couldn't do ashes of love at all but I liked the actor performances).

There's also some "xuanji doesn't have all information" throughout the show. But from sifeng, that's character important (you'll find out by around ep 20 when this shows script starts becoming Wildly different than most other romance three lives xianxia in some core ways). And from Bai lin... he's the *redacted*. I can't tell you more without spoiling. Basically let's say... there's manipulators at play and xuanjis arc has a lot to do with abuse and manipulation and being treated as an object tool symbol rather than a person (one could argue sifeng and many other lead characters deal with degrees of this), and xuanji healing and overcoming that is major. So like... in a way that kind of writing could be frustrating (it's frustrating to see xuanji lied to and manipulated) but thats part of the core themes and story, and not something between her and her love interest.

(Also I could go ON about how LaR is more like Good Omens rather than Supernatural in its choice to paint emotional strength as more world Helping than physical strength in fights, which I just liked as a choice because again oh... what I would've given for someone to address the abusers in Eternal Love a bit more like the stupid Heavenly Emperor but whatever)

I can't remember the exact episode but once sifeng's revealed a bit more. Around ep 20ish? The show starts more blatantly revealing its themes and how the reality of its particular xianxia setup and approach is so different than other shows like Eternal Love and the critiques and subversion at play. It's already in glimpses earlier on, like Xuanji being god of war (usually its the guy Love interest who's God of war in these not the heroine), the demon fox woman not being entirely evil (and several early "catch demon" arcs that are rather sympathetic and more like Guardians "they're just people" than one mightve expected), the way Ling Long is going to be future leader of clan based on setup and is functionally Jiang Cheng in some ways (especially anger) and she's also kind of the main feminine character at the lead of the cast (xuanji is a bit more complex and more like the Overall Lead because she's serving a lot more roles in plot/tropes flipped and subverted), and Ling Long being so aggressive so bossy so nuch like a lot of heros (rather than heroines) in similar shows, the way sifengs mask and rules around it sort of connect to protecting virginity purity avoiding Love and those themes (normally not played with for the hero but heroine), the way as sifengs arc opens more (around ep 20) it becomes clear he'd normally be the "second guy lead who suffers and doesn't get the romance or happiness at end" but I promise he is the main lead and will be happy with xuanji, the way the other romantic lead is actually the *redacted* and they actually made the *redacted* painted as *redacted* for things he does. The way as sifengs arc opens the cultivation groups show they're willing to scapegoat and harm innocents and that throws SO many of their decisions past and future into the new framework of knowing these "righteous" leaders may choose to and will choose to hurt innocent people. Which throws in the bigger point. IN the theme song of the show. That these lead characters, heroes, will have to decide right and wrong for themselves, they won't let fate decide and won't find the right path in following the route laid out for them and expected of them by those in power.

Anyway tldr. I didn't find the miscommunication a big irritation. I felt it was written fine. Could it have been written better? Maybe. If you've watched any other romance three lives xianxia and liked or simply Finished watching it, then LaR should be a fair bit less misunderstanding lol. There's only 1 big misunderstanding I remember in LaR and i found it understandable and quickly resolved by talking like it should be lol. However I do think* the way the villain manipulates xuanji can be absolutely brutal to watch (and as that trauma is part of her story arc it's unavoidable) so that may eventually be something some people wanna avoid. I liked it becayse it was well written and a meaningful story to me and she overcomes it. But it's definitely a bit component.

#love and redemption #replies #ask #i LOVE this show please feel free to message more #its a slow burn kind of writing where by the wnd you cant believe how you got there but its PERFECT #god i wanna reeatch

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eggsaladstain · 1 year

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Hey, it's me again! Bc I loved how insightful your posts about Olek and Ling Yi were, showing you clearly think deeply about the show, I would like to ask you something outside the couple, if that is okay! So, I was rewatching Ep 3 (I have a severe case of brainrot for the two lovebirds) and something that Eyk said about the ships messed me up. He said the company bought 3 German ships. We have Kerberos and Prometheus, but who do you think is the third? I almost lost it. Could it be important?

@inferubim hello hello again, i'm so glad we are all still foaming at the mouth over this show.

i don’t know if the third ship itself is important, but the fact that there are three ships is important, and that importance is twofold: first, it continues the show’s central theme around triangles, and second, the ships themselves serve as a clever bit of foreshadowing for the plot.

triangles are obviously a huge part of the show, both literally and metaphorically. you have the ship company’s logo being the triangle with the line through it (the alchemical symbol for earth) and that symbol is repeated throughout the show in the set and costume design. we see the symbol tattooed behind elliot’s ear, and later on in the “present,” we see it tattooed on maura as well.

the characters are also grouped into sets of three, but never equally. there is an imbalance in each trio, and while that is certainly just a fact of human relationships, given the context of this show, i think it’s an intriguing detail we can’t overlook. maura’s first family unit is with henry and ciaran and her father prefers her to her brother. her second family unit is with daniel and elliot - she doesn’t remember either of them and the two of them are working together to change the simulation, and henry later tells elliot that daniel will always pick maura over him. maura has a love triangle with daniel and eyk and while she is married to daniel, she arguably has a stronger connection with eyk. speaking of the captain, he has three daughters but nina is clearly his favorite as she’s the only one he calls out to by name over and over again. clemence is married to lucien but has an instant connection to jerome and jerome and lucien have a shared history and secret from the war. krester, tove, and ada are siblings with krester and tove being much closer in age to each other than they are to ada. ramiro and angel are lovers but angel is tempted by krester. ling yi and yuk je are both employed by and at the mercy of virginia wilson. i could keep going but i won’t, and i should mention that of all the main characters, olek is the only one who doesn’t have this dynamic. he does have a brief scene with the two stokers, but that’s really it. instead, he has two strong duos - his partnership with jerome and his relationship with ling yi. this may or may not be significant, but when you take a step back and see all the other trios happening on the ship, olek’s lack of one really sticks out even more.

there’s also the fact that more or less everything significant to the plot is presented in a set of three. the three items that can alter the simulation - the pyramid, the remote control, and the lockpicking bug (alfred, you’re doing amazing sweetie). the three distinct time periods - 1899, the 70s/80s look of henry’s office, elliot’s bunker, the soundtrack, etc., and 2099. the three times we see the words “wake up” - on the memorial cross, on the stone pyramid, and on the toy pyramid. and of course, the fleet of three ships that started it all.

which brings me to my second point - the ships and their names directly tie into the events of the first season. prometheus is a titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, giving them knowledge and technology, and it’s only after discovering the prometheus that maura and eyk gain the knowledge that there is something deeply wrong about both ships and their entire reality. kerberos is a computer protocol that provides authentication and allows a server and user to identify each other and it was named after cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld. many of the passengers on the kerberos are hiding their own and discovering each other’s true identities, and in the last episode, the remaining survivors end up in an afterlife of sorts in the graveyard with all the other failed simulations. i love little details like this when you reach the end of a story and then realize all the breadcrumbs the creators left starting from the beginning. and fun fact, in episode 1, we learn that the prometheus had 1,423 passengers, and in episode 2, we learn that the kerberos has 1,612. which means the kerberos has an additional 189 passengers. i know we’re missing a whole digit, but come on, what a great detail!

i’ll end with this - cerberus’s three heads are said to represent the past, present, and future. you have prometheus as the past, kerberos as the present, and the unnamed third ship as the future. but is that a happy future where everyone is free of the simulation or is that future simply a return to the beginning of the loop as the cycle begins anew? despite ciaran welcoming maura to “reality” in 2099, the fact that they are once again on a vessel named prometheus also with 1,423 passengers should at least make us consider the possibility that they have simply traded environments, swapping a steamship for a spaceship. so perhaps we end at the beginning where the future is the past. after all, a triangle can always fit a circle inside it and vice versa.

#1899 #1899 meta #maura franklin #eyk larsen #olek #daniel solace #ling yi #meta #answer

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saturn-sends-hugs · 1 year

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i had to wait ALL DAY TO BE ABLE TO WATCH THE EPISODES, but i FINALLY DID

BAD BATCH EP 7-8 SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

starting with episode seven:

First off, RIYO!!! SHE ABSOLUTELY SLAYED, the way she literally went to 79’s (also AAAA 79S!!!) specifically so she could actually talk to the clones is so so important, she is incredible

Slip was so wonderful, the parallels of him at 79s and then running through Coruscant while scared for his life were very painful tho (also his number was ct-0409 and that’s literally irrelevant but like COME ON ITS ONE NUMBER OFF I COULDN’T NOT NOTICE THAT)

Bail Organa!!! He’s here and he’s so so good!!

REXXXXX!!!!!!!!!! Omg when I heard his voice on the comm I FREAKED out and then he had his silly little disguise again and that was so so sweet

The sniper clone that Rampart sent after them was so sad to see, it reminds me of how Cody’s chip clearly wore off, but he still believes he did certain things of his own volition (i.e. “We make our own choices. And we have to live with them too.”). It seems like a lot of clones don’t know what exactly they’re fighting for anymore, and the empire is just not helping at all ofc

Ok and uh… now episode eight… these are just gonna be mostly episode thoughts cause the whole Echo thing,,, that deserves its own post

Starting off, still not over that beginning. Echo IMMEDIATELY getting not just multiple lines, but lines about his TRAUMA, and he’s actually OPENING UP ABOUT IT TO OMEGA???!???!??? “I… don’t enjoy solitude.” LIKE???? OMG??? The pain, the absolute agony, that line has me in a death grip and you bet ur ass that’s ending up in a fic sometime bhskshsjsjksks

His conversation there with Omega makes me think he’d already decided here. When Omega asks if the batch rescuing him is what made him join them, he says, “This is where I fit, where I was needed.” He seems like he already knows that’s changed now

okoKOK, OMEGAS. PONCHO. OMEGAS PONCHO OMGGGSJBSJSBSJSKSLLS SHE WAS SO SO ADORABLE!!! I’ve loved seeing her in situations without the batch, it’s nice to be reminded of how determined she always is even without her brothers right next to her :) (also, really liked how this episode didn’t take her out of the action, but removed her from the fighting so the rest of them could kinda breathe without the story focusing solely on her here)

We had a lot of very long Echo shots + lines during the mission, and that immediately scared me. Rex and his conversation here has me wondering though. Because it seems like either he already talked to Rex about it, since Rex seems to be almost bringing Echo up to speed on what exactly he’s doing, or that Echo is at least really solidifying his decision here, because after Rex’s line of “Help’s hard to come by these days,” Echo looks down and just thinks for a good long time, even after Wrecker calls down to them.

oh my GOD i might make a separate post just about this and other Echo stuff but UM???? When he just took control of the venator, diverted the power, MANNED THE CANONS AND MANAGED TO SHOOT DOWN THE SHIPS HEADED FOR THEM, and then activated the engines to make it harder for the stormtroopers??? Dude???? He can just do all of that?? By himself??? No wonder he wants to fight the Empire, HE COULD LITERALLY BE SO POWERFUL

oh. my. gOD PALPATINE I HATE HIM OH I HATE HIM SO MUCH. THE ABSOLUTE FEAR I FELT WHEN HE SHOWED UP, AND THEN HE JUST SHIFTED THE BLAME ENTIRELY TO GET EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED AND BROUGHT THE CLONES INTO IT AT THE SAME TIME??? i very much so hate him.

And ofc, I felt so bad for Omega afterwards when she said “I don’t understand. We did the right thing.” :((((((

ok.

here we go

tagging @phis-writing since u wanted my thoughts lol

first off, Hunters line here. “Wherever you end up, remember what I said.” …wHAT??? WHAT DID YOU SAY I NEED TO KNOW SIR WHAT

omega slowly realizing omg ow

“Best of luck, Echo” ow ow ow omg ow help this is where i started crying

Echo looks so sad trying to tell Omega why he’s leaving, and I get why he didn’t tell her before no matter how long his mind had been made up for, but omg, that hurt so bad. “I’m going where i’m needed.” yup yup there it is, that parallels his lines from the start ow

and tHEN. she hUGS HIM. i can’t hANDLE THIS OMG that was so important

damn it im watching it again while writing this and the music has me sobbing again i cANT, him watching the marauder fly off and then OMEGA HUGGING LULA i actually can’t

I knew Echo was going to leave. Logically, I knew it was going to happen and that it was his best option, he wants to fight the Empire and save his brothers, and that’s just not something the rest of the batch wants to take the risk for. I knew he was leaving, and even though I definitely tried to see every possible way he wouldn’t, I don’t mind it.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate that it might mean he’s getting way less screen time, and I kinda hate that he’s not gonna be there to spur the batch into action anymore, but for his sake I am so so glad he went with Rex. His entire life he’s grown up surrounded by brothers, and the batch has proven time and time again how differently they feel about that. Now, Echos just been sitting back for way too long, and I honestly love the way they had him leave.

There was no fighting, there was no long argument where he said the batch was wrong for not fighting the Empire. He knew they wanted different things, and everyone fully supported him in his decision to step away. He left because that’s where he was needed, to fight for his other family. (Not to mention he would be an INCREDIBLE benefit to Rex like did u SEE WHAT HE DID ON THAT VENATOR??? HE TOOK THAT THING DOWN SINGLE HANDEDLY)

I think it makes complete sense that his loyalty and his drive would lead him to join the rebellion, and I’m so incredibly hopeful it means we’ll get a Rex and Echo episode, probably with Riyo too, I’m SO excited

I’m also really hoping Omega will keep thinking of him and what she saw in the senate. Right now it seems like she’s getting more and more interested in standing up to the empire, and I’m interested to see if she’ll eventually bring it up with the batch? I’m not sure she’d convince them to join the rebellion, but I really hope her drive for justice/revenge doesn’t stop here, she’s angry and she deserves to fight for whatever she believes. Echo taught her too much for her not to.

The hood thing is, he’s coming back :)

(right filoni right please please omg tell me he’s coming back pLEASE)

#sw tbb spoilers #tbb spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #sw tbb #tbb season 2 #tbb echo #echo tbb #echo bad batch #it’s so late and i’m so tired i will probably have more echo thoughts tomorrow lol #also wow this is so insanely long oof

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hydrangeawise · 1 year

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Ahaha, Madlax EP 22, what the FUCK was THAT?! I want to talk!!

For real, what THE FUCK! I'll try to get my thoughts in order, but know that there is a whatthefuck loop playing in the back of my head.

As it turns out, Madlax's page really was the important bit that was missing, which is neat. What is not neat at all is that Monday Friday can apparently control or influence Margaret (what is neat is that the change of eye colour signifies that something is off immediately, great visual help!). He's really hellbent on "violence is the essence of humanity" and it's making my teeth itch, skin crawl, the whole thing. Anyway, interesting to me is how he can see and interact with Laetitia (even though he obviously considers her to be of no importance) and with the question of if he intends to lead people astray again, I feel like this points to something like "Whatever happens when the door gets opened depends on the person who opens it". I guess I'll find out.

Something else that stood out to me was Madlax herself. She had no wound from a very obvious injury, there was nothing. She also had no trouble navigating the fog in the forest which gets noted by Limelda. And then she said this is because she perceived herself. (There is also this fascinating conversation which reveals that Limelda sees herself or rather a likeminded individual when she looks at Madlax, someone who has nothing. It makes Limelda's obsession much more hmm relatable, maybe? I mean, personally, I would also completely be fine with Limelda obsessing over Madlax because she's skilled and because she represents something real in a false world to her or something. This is just a neat little addition.) Which leads me to the theory that maybe Madlax is very similar to Blond Guy; she also said that she and Margaret are the same and it gives me the feeling that maybe Madlax is a feeling or thought Margaret had in that war zone 12 years ago that she gave a body through the power of the place, much like Blond Guy did. That she is - sort of - the feeling of Margaret searching for her father, wanting him dead (for whatever reason), and killing to stay alive. Hmm, interesting to think about at the very least.

AND NOW TO THE PART THAT FUCKED ME UP WHICH IS: VANESSA DIED???? And Margaret now thinks that Madlax killed her (which is the obvious conclusion to draw with the set-up they were in, but oof!). This is so messy!!! I'm not sure if Limelda also died on that cliff because on one hand, it would be an interesting end to her if she got killed by Vanessa who was trying to protect Madlax, instead of by Madlax like she wished. I'm not sure how I feel about Vanessa's end though. On one hand, that she died protecting a friend instead of on the hunt for revenge is something for sure (maybe growth, maybe a symbol of selflessness in the face of Monday Friday's assumption that people are selfishly violent); on the other hand, it feels like she died too soon. Not because she did not get her revenge (the scene in the fields kind of shows that reuniting with her family is a happy thing), but because she only started to outgrow(?) her thoughts of revenge. She only started on a new part of her journey, and that is sad. (She also would have deserved to kick Weekday Guy in the nuts for sure.) I am also not entirely sure what to make of Margaret's reaction, I'm pretty sure she did not kill Madlax, and I'm sure she did not mutter the words of essence and truth just for fun, but she also seems or still is under the influence of Monday Friday and hmmmmm. HMMMMMM. Only way to find out is to keep watching, I guess!!

#b rambles #madlax #this was the first episode which almost made me cry

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cartoonrival · 11 months

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Now, I maybe misremembering bc I haven’t watched nart in years, but thinking back on it it’s crazy how little Sakura mattered to team 7s overall dynamic. It makes me so mad bc this team should be like a family but she was barely even friends with sasuke pre shippuden.

she is literally Never friends with sasuke ToT they get MARRIED and i still find it hard to believe he even likes being around her. i genuinely cannot remember a SINGLE one-on-one interaction she has with sasuke that can't be effectively described as "sakura is in love with him and he doesn't give a shit". gen the closest we get to that is after his fight with naruto when he apologizes to her for being such an asshole and she tells him that he should be sorry. THAT WAS EPIC. but anyways he def does care about her in the sense of "she is part of team 7 and i don't want her to die", but he doesn't consider her a friend. kakashi cares about her, but even though he trains one on one with both naruto And sasuke and teaches them both important skills that become staples of their fighting styles, he never does this with sakura, and she ends up training mostly under tsunade instead once team 7 dissolves for the 2.5 year naruto is off with jiraiya (i do like that she trained under tsunade and i like the stuff she learned (also because i love tsunade <33) but it def does emphasize how she just for some reason does not get solo lessons from kakashi)

i will defend her friendship with naruto though because those two def are like real actual friends and i think they're very cute, i love their interactions in shippuden especially during the arc where sai first joins them when theyre both grappling with sasuke being replaced, its just just suchhh a good display of how close they are and how much they love each other and how they rly are in this thing together. but ofc that said, esp because their best interactions are all in shippuden where team 7 is more or less dissolved, this doesnt really like. make her feel like a big part of team 7 bc as soon as sasuke is there naruto kind of forgets she exists mostly. so her contribution to the overall dynamic like you said is not really saved by the fact that naruto considers her a close friend.

whats especially frustrating is at the very start of the series, she's BETTER at controlling her chakra than naruto and sasuke. she immediately aces the walk-up-a-tree assignment, kakashi comments on her cleverness, etc, but as soon as the action starts she gets sidelined, Every Time. she spends half the battles they have as a team either 1) immediately incapacitated or 2) in the back guarding someone/something so that she can't be part of the actual combat. i did ofc ofc love love love the final scene in the fight vs kaguya when she joins naruto and sasuke in landing the final blow and kakashi is watching from the sidelines thinking about how much he loves them, oohouuh he loves them .. but ofc she'd been sidelined the whole battle with a feeew epic moments here and there so it did sort of feel like ok ladies ill throw you a bone. she can do one (1) punch ^_^ then she's getting ditched again though while naruto and sasuke collaborate on the most heartwrenching scenes of the entire series.

it rly is because kishimoto refused to define her character beyond having a crush on sasuke whenever they're on screen at the same time so her ability to contribute to the team dynamic was rly hurt. kakashi and sasuke SAYING that they care about her is great etc but i really wish they'dve SHOWED it more beyond having to protect her when she inevitably gets taken out faster than anybody else. this is why ep 101 (kakashi's mask ep) will always be famous

#asks157 #nrto #i hope when ppl send me asks like this u r expecting me to reply w 4 paragraphs. if not sorry <3

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livecharliereaction · 3 months

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Ill probably make charumiq2 for next ep for easier navigation for meeee But yeah thats done now thats um aaahahahha

- bernkastel showed up i am so happy. YAY! So many mentions of this lambdadelta i kind of thought shed be satoko somehow but im not seeing it rn well see when she shows up

- i rly hope the witches wont stay as only ????? characters n get weaved into the main story but guess what im like 100% sure thatll happen at least somehow but i dont know how. Miss bern said shed help me YAYYY! So nice of her

- i can rly see what ppl mean when they say it starts slow though it wasnt a problem for me bcs i liked the characters in the family already but i can totally see it being a problem for someone else Bcs like i knew theres witches. So theres the whole "ooh u think itll be a regular murder mystery but its fantasy" "is there a 19th person ooh" Well that just doesnt happen at all. However smth ive been noticing about wtc that although theres always secrets and thus always reveals theres SO MANY mysteries that the story doesnt rly lose THAT much if u know smth (But its still important to me that i get to know things in the order the author wants me to like in general so spoilers r still being crazy avoided...)

- i had the theory that beatrice was very young when kinzo met her and was traumatized by his "love" and then died and her spirit is sort of haunting the mansion but its not entirely clicking what that would be so im ditching it for now

- i know tea party and ????? cant be taken tooooooooo seriously but theyre the main reason i dont think that anymore See Im kind of doubting the existence of a human beatrice altogether. Sure bernkastel was kinda rikaing around but it seems too complicated to compare it to that so no way

- I still cant forget lambdadelta sharing some resemblance to satoko (from the shit that i saw BEFORE i was avoiding spoilers Im talking very very slight like rly just hair n eye color) but i feel like we wont see her in the next ep at all. Im imagining (hoping) each ep might have a new witch in it. I cant imagine the gold thing going all the way through 8 eps so... (Bcos What riddle takes that long.)

- Favs r still maria and natsuhi from the human side at least Like that didnt change. And i doubt it would I also like jessica a lot i do

- motherhood goes crazy Natsuhi and Jessica i could die and also marias lack of motherly love rips me apart

- Im very curious about the physics of this though or i mean like What now? Are we going back in time? If so how much????? Im kinda imagining its just kinda similar all over again but with different sacrifices each time but the ways that can be done r hmm. Someone else might try to do as the epitaph says and thus killing people but yeah.

- Not to be battler but if ep1 were to actually be a humans doing itd be maria (u know) natsuhi (absolutely not sorry for even saying it queen but she was running around w the rifle and all and had a lot of control over some situations) or kinzo (its easiest to believe that corpse wasnt really Him out of the corpses The toe thing isnt convincing to me but theres the problem of Ok whose body is it charlie? and i wouldnt know)

- Excited and baffled it was 12 hrs i feel like i started it what maybe this week idfk School starts again so i have to slow down the pace but thats ok...

- I thought the role of "the witchs messenger" might change too but i kind of hope its just marias job each time i liked the way she did it shes so fun

- no clue abt the rules of this world yet but im excited bcs theyre spelling it out to Think about it so u know it wont be obvious I dont even think i Can make a good guess rn

- natsuhi save me

#charumi1

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data-is-my-favorite-android · 2 years

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Marc was kinda… you know… not making the BEST decisions out there in Ep 3 was he?

But I’ve seen a lot of people call him downright dumb and also say that his decisions didn’t make sense and felt contrived. I can see that, but… it kinda does make sense why he makes a lot of the bad decisions he makes, but they all depend on understanding just how deeply avoidant Marc is about everything, especially his DID. And the first set of bad decisions wasn’t even entirely his fault.

In the trial scene, neither Marc nor Khonshu actually provide evidence of Harrow’s crimes, even though Khonshu at least knows that’s of essential importance. But we also know Khonshu is the theatrical hot-head of the Ennead, right? And the Ennead already doubt his credibility. Most of them are really at bitch eating crackers levels of fed up. He’s also easy to wind up and distract—which is EXACTLY what Harrow counts on when he gets the opportunity to speak. He says precisely what he needs to to make Khonshu, already more of a doer than a thinker, irate. Khonshu loses the plot and lashes out, thereby making him look even worse/more childish in front of the other gods. Marc is given control back—but he’s exhausted and deeply rattled by his experience as a literal meat puppet—AND Harrow’s cruel and ableist words—and has trouble organizing his thoughts. He admits to being unwell—a HUGE admission coming from him. Then he tries to pivot back to Harrow, but he’s already discombobulated and, like his god, not really one that’s good with words. He really didn’t have much of a chance against a soft-spoken, oh-so-rational smooth talker like Harrow. I bet if Marc had even been able to point out the tattoo, Harrow might have deflected by saying it wasn’t a crime to have a tattoo, something the Ennead would probably have accepted as true. Tons of Ammit’s cult have the same tattoo, but in the Ennead’s eyes they are mostly the same irksome-but-harmless cultists of millennia past who have wandered around the desert for thousands of years looking for Ammit’s tomb without success. The Ennead clearly isn’t willing to move unless something truly earth shattering happens. Couple that with their general arrogance and Khonshu’s disgrace and… yeah.

In the boat, Marc isn’t ready to open up to Layla about anything in part because that’s pretty contrary to literally the experience of his whole life (because he’s probably been judged, dismissed, or shamed every time he’s tried to talk about it), but also bc he’s obviously still hiding things from Layla to protect her—and to protect himself from what he suspects would earn her hatred and scorn if she knew the truth, whatever that may be.

When Marc and Layla go to the rich guy’s place (can’t remember his name at the moment), Marc resists letting Steven out. That’s because a) he doesn’t think Steven would be competent enough to protect Layla if things go south, and b) he isn’t sure he can regain control from Steven if he lets him front. While not his fault, Steven has already demonstrated that he has a bad habit of bungling things up, and he’s also ready to abandon Marc’s mission if he thinks anyone will get hurt. Again, makes sense why Marc, despite Steven’s potential as an asset, would stubbornly refuse to let him free.

One of Marc’s major blunders is sending Layla out of the pyramid thing when he decides to talk to Steven. If Layla had stayed, it would have looked like they were having a conversation about a potential purchase and inspecting the goods. But again, Marc is uncomfortable and ashamed of his plurality, and talking to “no one” out loud makes him feel very vulnerable. It’s not something Marc can bear to let Layla see bc he doesn’t want her to think he’s a freak. So, he makes a bad call for selfish, yet understandable (from his perspective), reasons.

Another blunder is when he doesn’t put on the suit right away when Harrow shows up and go ham. But Marc doesn’t actually want carnage, and the earlier incidents of the day (including his total blackout ending with two dead bodies and a knife in his hand) have him reluctant to resort immediately to all-out violence. He doesn’t really trust Khonshu, and for good reason. Also, Layla is right there in imminent danger, and while she can take care of herself pretty handily, there are a LOT of assailants around them. It’d be hard for anyone to handle—in the ensuing fight, even Marc got pinned down even as Moon Knight! So Marc is worried if he starts something, he won’t be able to protect Layla. But of course the game changes when the sarcophagus is toasted and the rich guy is clearly taken in by Harrow’s charms. They’re well and truly out of options then.

The one thing I kinda don’t get is why they had to turn back the night sky lol. There are literally websites that can do that. I mean, I guess they didn’t have internet all the way out there and time was of the essence? But… I mean, it might’ve been better to drive a few hours to somewhere with internet and then take the fight to Harrow with the full might of Khonshu behind them than, you know, losing Khonshu and having to backtrack to save him.

But I guess Khonshu is impulsive like that lmao

Anyway, like, I’m kinda so-so on Marc right now and prefer Steven myself, but I still think he deserves more credit/patience than he’s getting. Like, dude really has serious trust issues and those aren’t gonna disappear overnight just bc Layla demonstrates some initial receptiveness, and his shame and self-destructive self-loathing aren’t going anywhere fast either. How often do actual people let go of their deeply ingrained maladaptive behaviors and trauma responses because they aren’t *~*practical*~* to the moment? Sometimes people can do that, but a lot of the time they can’t. The hurt runs too deep and the scar tissue is too thick.

Honestly, this episode is the first one to give us a real look at Marc, and it’s provided a good baseline for his hang-ups and weaknesses. That means lots of room for rewarding growth down the line! Personally, I’m super excited to see that happen 🤩🌱

#moon knight #moon knight spoilers #marc spector #layla el faouly #in defense of Marc Spector #idk maybe I’m just trying too hard to justify the weird FOR THE PLOT! decisions this episode made lol #but I have a liberal arts degree baybay #this shit is what I DO

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watchmegetobsessed · 3 years

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The Hottest Avenger - Bucky Barnes

a/n: im warning you, i will probably not stop for a while with the bucky fics so... brace yourselves lol! also i wrote this before ep 5 came out so its placed in that time

pairing: Bucky X Reader

warnings: TFATWS spoiler, some violence? nothing extreme

word count: 1.8k

summary: Being locked together with Sam and Bucky brings the worst out of you, picking on each other constantly. Following an arguement Bucky accidentally calls you his girlfriend in front of Sam when your relationship was supposed to be a secret.

masterlist

“Did you fucking eat the last dumpling?” you accuse Sam, holding up the empty takeout box where you thought were one more dumpling, one you’ve saved for yourself, but now it’s gone as Sam is eyeing you with his mouth full.

“Thought it was mine,” he mumbles, his words barely understandable from all the food in his mouth.

Taking a deep breath you’re trying not to jump at his throat right then and there. You’ve been locked up together all damn day in the trashy apartment across the street from the building where’s Zemo supposed to be hiding. Sharon had a tip about a possible place where he might be found, but you’ve been waiting to no avail for now. You’ve been growing stressed and impatient. You lost track of Karli and her people and now you can’t seem to find Zemo either. If it wasn’t for the Dora Milaje, you wouldn’t bother to be so after the asshole, but Bucky said if Ayo finds him first, he is dead and every useful information he holds goes to the grave with him so now you are forced to look for him. One failed mission has been following the other these days, that incompetent dickhead John is on the loose too after murdering that man in front of civilians and you feel like control has slipped out of your grip a long time ago. Now you’re stuck with Sam and Bucky in this crappy place, waiting by the window, watching out for Zemo and on top of everything… Sam ate your last dumpling.

Just when you’re about to snap at him, you feel a strong grip on your shoulder. You don’t have to look up to know it’s Bucky right behind you, but not just because he is the only other person in the room beside you and Sam, but also because you know his touch probably more than anyone. Only that most of the times it’s not your shoulder he is gripping…

It’s been going on for a long time between the two of you. Started with just some innocent flirting and you never thought it would grow into something more significant, but it did. And now you are officially in a relationship with none other than the Winter Soldier, only that no one else knows about it and you plan to keep it that way. You don’t need the teasing and jokes and the Avengers are known to be dicks sometimes, especially Sam.

Glancing up your eyes meet Bucky’s blue irises and he sends you a look that says “just let it go”, and though every fiber in you wants to whoop Sam’s ass, you let it slip.

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna get mad about a dumpling,” Sam chuckles as he chews on the food that you should be enjoying right now.

“I can get mad about whatever I want to,” you growl back, growing quite irritated of him at this point.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” he huffs under his breath, clearly not as bothered as he should be. Before you could do any harm in him, you leave your spot by the window, needing a breather from… well, from him.

“Hey, it’s still your turn!” he calls after you.

“I need a break,” you growl back.

“Get your ass back here, we agreed to switch every two hours!”

“Sam! I’m walking out because I’m way too tempted to punch you in the face right now!” you snap at him, losing your patience. He rises from his seat with a hard expression, not quite a fan of the way you just talked to him, but you couldn’t care less.

“You think you could actually throw one? Because last time we fought you couldn’t really get a hold of me,” he narrows his eyes at you, coming to stand tall in front of you, trying to intimidate you with how much taller and stronger he might be, but you both know you’re a better fighter.

“It’s easy to talk with your fancy tech stuff. Why don’t we see who wins in a simple battle?” you challenge him with faked boredom.

“Guys, stop. We should be looking out for Zemo, not tearing each other apart,” Bucky tries to end the staring contest, sticking his metal arm between the two of you in case any of you decides to launch at the other one.

“Then tell her to stop bitching!” Sam nods in your way.

“I’m not bitching, I’m just fed up with your bullshit!” you spat back at him, leaning closer, your chest coming in contact with Bucky’s extended arm.

“Don’t talk to her like that, Sam,” Bucky warns him, but Sam snorts dryly.

“Don’t tell me you are taking her side, she is throwing a fit for a fucking dumpling!”

“I’m not taking sides, just trying to settle this stupid disagreement here,” he defends himself and you roll your eyes.

“You can’t tell me she is not overreacting it, Buck!” Sam laughs in disbelief, taking a step back, dropping the act that he wants to fight you. He probably knows he would come out as a ridiculous loser. “This is fucking insane, I’m not in the mood to deal with your shit, Y/N,” he shakes his head.

“Hey!” Bucky snaps at him. “Don’t talk to my girlfriend like that, okay?!”

“I’m just—wait, what?!” Sam’s eyes widen and you freeze too.

Your dumbass boyfriend didn’t just out the two of you, did he? What else is about to come?! Sam’s shock turns into a cocky grin as his eyes shift between you and Bucky.

“You guys… you guys are fucking?” he asks with a delightful laugh and you close your eyes sighing, already tired of his shit.

“That’s not—We’re not fucking, I mean… It’s not like that,” Bucky stutters, but it’s just making it worse. He looks at you with terror in his eyes, but you are way too drained to deal with it the right way.

“Yes, we are fucking! And we are in a mature adult relationship! Get yourself over it!” you bark at Sam before turning around and walking out.

You faintly hear the two men talk inside, but you don’t make out the words. You don’t go too far, sitting on the steps leading up to the third floor. Soon enough you hear the door of the apartment open with a creak and a moment later Bucky shows up in your sight. He sits beside you, remaining silent for a little before speaking up.

“Sorry for running my mouth,” he mumbles, his head hanging low.

“It’s… fine,” you breathe out. Bucky fidgets with his fingers and you know he wants to touch you in any kind of way as a reassurance that it really is fine. You don’t want to hold a grudge, it was an accident, you’re just a little bummed it’s not gonna be just the two of you anymore. Reaching out you take his hand, the real one that’s flesh and meat and you lace your fingers together as he peeks at you, still reserved and hesitant.

“Is it really fine or are you just bottling it up?”

“It really is fine,” you chuckle softly and leaning closer you kiss his scruffy cheek. “The only reason I wanted to keep it a secret is because you know how vickery the guys can get. I just didn’t want them to pick on us.”

“They do it because they are just jealous,” he smirks playfully, his shoulder bumping against yours.

“Yeah? Of what?” A soft chuckle slips through your lips.

“That I scored the hottest Avenger,” he replies smugly and you can’t help but laugh with your head snapping back.

“I didn’t know you were fucking Thor!” you retort and immediately see his smirk vanish from his lips as he stares back at you, not enjoying your joke as much as you are.

“Thor? Really? Not this shit again, Y/N,” he narrows his eyes at you. Back when you were just skirting around each other, you loved pulling his leg, joking about how much you are into the hottest Avenger, aka Thor. He never appreciated it, usually earned you a tight-lipped smile before he mumbled “Tarzan’s got nothing on me” before walking away, leaving you laughing like a hyena.

“Come on, you know I’m more into super soldiers,” you grin, leaning closer as he pepper his sharp jawline with more small kisses.

“You know, it’s not the best thing to say to your boyfriend when there are now about eight more super soldiers running around,” he huffs.

“But none of them has a metal arm,” you point out, finally making him laugh.

“So that’s your kink? A vibranium arm?” he asks with faked shock and you curl your arms around his bicep, resting your chin on his shoulder.

“How haven’t you realized yet?” you chuckle. Bucky turns his head until his lips can capture yours in a sweet, lighthearted kiss that makes you forget about everything that’s been clouding over your mind these past days. All the failures, the mistakes and chaos fades into nothing, because you have him and he has you.

Walking back into the apartment Sam stares back at you, neither of you entirely sure how to act after what just happened. He then grabs his phone from the dusty table before holding it up.

“I could order some extra dumplings,” he offers and you crack a smile shaking your head. This was his peace offering, both of you knows he won’t straight up apologize for the way he talked, but this is already more than what you were expecting from him. Bucky must have had a few words with him before joining you outside.

“It’s all good.”

The three of you get back to work, taking your previous spots, returning to the task on hand as silence falls on the room once again. You catch Sam glancing at you and the Bucky and you can tell he is about to make a snarky comment on your relationship. And just as he is about to open his big mouth, Bucky moves to silence him, but you’re faster. With a simple move you throw Sam to the ground, keeping him down with your hand wrapped around his neck.

“Don’t even think about teasing, understood?” you hiss at him as he gasps for air, his hands wrapping around your wrist as he tries to fight you off, but you hold him a second longer to emphasize the importance of your words. Then you finally let go of him and he coughs for air, fixing him up from the floor as you simply walk back to your spot by the window.

“Hottest Avenger, huh?” he breathes out, revealing that he heard what you talked about out on the stairs. “More like the Avenger with the most anger issues…”

You just grin, glancing over at your boyfriend who is now standing with his arms crossed over his chest, not even bothered by his friend’s struggles on the floor as he smirks back at you, nodding proudly as if he was saying: “That’s my girl.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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ericamzdm · 2 years

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Death of the Author, I guess

(moving this out of comments because I’m going to need paragraph breaks and screenshots....)

@garnetsfists

true but Stevenson has said that [the portal world] was manifested by both Adora and Catra's (different) wishes to go back. Adora wishing she could go back and fix her mistake of leaving Catra behind and Catra wishing she had Adora and other friends and was liked by SW

I see but I don't see how else the scene of Catra having a friendly chat with the two cadets who were threatening her in the 3rd ep could be manifested by Adora and not her inner wish to have had friends. Similar how she is close enough with the trio to comission a cake when in reality they were always at odds

Like I said in the comments: Whatever Stevenson thought he were writing, it does not dictate what the show actually ended up being. Stevenson’s opinions on his scripts are potentially interesting, but they’re not automatically more valid than any other read.

And... I’d consider this framing deeply, deeply flawed vis-a-vis the episode as it actually aired.

Talking about Catra and the trio:

Firstly, Catra doesn't have a secret inner wish to have had more friends. That is an assertion not only not backed by the text, but actively running counter to it. Catra cares about others, and cares deeply, but she does not want to be friends with them at this point in the story.

Even excluding the S5 flashback where her standoffishness is explicitly established as one of the few ways she has to control her experience of the world - if Catra wanted more friends...she would have more friends.

She would not have constantly told Scorpia to back off. She would be using her social power as a force captain to buddy buddy with the trio, not doing the emotionally distant leadership thing.

Catra is a loner because that's a conscious choice she makes. It's a bad, self-destructive choice, but it's a very deliberate one.

=======================

Secondly, Adora very much wants all her friends to be friends with each other.

Again, this is just super, super explicit from that one S5 flashback, but also again, it's well-established prior to this episode.

When Shadow Weaver and Catra are in conflict, she bullies Catra into saying it's fine and not a problem. She derails in-group confrontations to stop them, rather than letting them resolve. She makes completely unbacked assertions that Glimmer’s conflict with Bow is immaterial. Adora wants people to get along, or at least appear to.

But she doesn't really care about how real that consensus is, so long as it looks good. While the changes in Adora's experiences and relationships in the portal world are explained as her being just that awesome (she conquered Thaymor, she convinced Shadow Weaver to deploy the entire squad, she was the leader and the reason for their success, they needed her), Catra's mended relationship with the trio is presented completely devoid of comment. Catra didn't do anything in this fictional world to get the trio to like her. They just did, because the only important part to Adora would be that they're all unified in their adoration of her.

===================

And also, like... If this is Catra’s Perfect World, in whole or in part, then you’re saying Catra wants a world where she is stuck forever as the happy little sidekick, where she is never anything more than an extension of Adora, and where any aspirations beyond that are immediately undercut. Where the greatest desire she is actually allowed to achieve is “be friends with the people who bullied and beat her in the real world”.

I know I say my headcanons are a barrel of laughs, but that? That is some bleak shit.

[Edited to update some pronouns]

#spop #catra #adora #death of the author #media analysis

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sparring-spirals · 2 years

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“i can wait no longer” TLOVM liveblog s1 ep 10 time!! :O

me, initially: hey percy is this a bad idea- me, after watching the flashback: no no keyleth, he has a point.

this is very besides the point to the intense “should we kill her” discussion but i forgot Pike wasn’t ACTUALLY there so having her glowing like a little lantern in the group shot was kind of hilarious

OKAY but also, the little cut to the entire group (sans Vax/Cass) after Percy says “then she dies.” is very very nice, everyone has different expressions with varying levels of concern and fear and determination, and its good.

“gotta deal with this smoke thing man, its getting real fucked up” “not this again” says percy with exasperation, as though its a “stop leaving toilet seat up” argument vs “you are LITERALLY leaking smoke and getting SUPER merciless towards people at the randomest moments” argument. listen,,,, percy,,,,,,

me: oh pike is gonna take a look thats nice :) orthax: burning ball of flame almost entirely consuming percy. me: oh. okay, less nice. kind of alarming, actually.

dramatic effect important but also YOU ALL ARE SNEAKING INTO A CASTLE, PLEASE STOP YELLING

“your concerns are appreciated, truly, but-” “as soon as this is over i will sort it out” yeah i can see why he and vex pair well huh

again- the cutbacks to the group shots when percy is doing His Thing are so good, each individual has their own expressions that make sense. also like the one shot where vex and vax have the same look of 🤨

zipper-twat indeed.

“it all makes sense” “it does?” “no not really” me at work

“i don’t trust a word she says” “then trust... me.” listen I know they’ve been real busy but like. have they actually questioned Cass yet. Or was it a “been a rough couple of years, i remember nothing” and an “ah thats rough, makes sense”? I somewhat doubt that Vex would hold back on interrogation just for that, (although it IS Percy’s sister so....)

*Stares at shot of Percy and Ripley* narrative parallels....? naaaarrative parallelssss? also! “you’re at the bottom of my list” HEY i know that line

man i really go “aw they’re gonna die” every time i see a large cluster of civilians now. woof.

“i know who i am now.” “well duh, you’re my best friend. except now, YOU GLOW IN THE DARK.” look no one fully prepared me for how much I was gonna love pike and grog together, holy shit

ahh.... siblings. the interaction of vex/vax right before percy/cass.... mmm.

well, we had ancestor-ash-eating in episode 4, might as well go right to ancestor killing.

AND no one told me about how good the Grog Vax dynamic was either :D

“i don’t trust her” “you don’t trust anyone” “well... except you.” “funny way of showing it sometimes” oh? OH??? OHH?????????? *shakes the twins* OH???

yeah THANKS KEYLETH (love you keyleth)

oh. that doesn’t seem good.

OH. THAT DOESN’T SEEM GOOD EITHER.

THIS IS ACTUALLY VERY NOT IDEAL, I THINK.

Vax is really getting Yasha’ed by the Briarwood mind control huh (Yasha’ed means Not Doing Good On Wis Saves, love u yasha)

s...siblings........ sib lin gs... separated..... nice. :D (i mean, VERY bad, but like, nice, you know)

“Oh, an acid trap. REAL FUCKING ORIGINAL” pike ilu and also same

“anyone have a plan?” “Vex?” Vex, currently dealing with 3 billion emotions and a Severe Lack Of Vax, cursing how she made herself de-factor leader: “WHY are you looking at me” *turns to the other person being shell shocked by a sibling betrayal* “percy? a little help?” 10/10, everybody.

im joking but also i guess “stop the acid” and “stay out of the acid” are really the most solid plans in the room, so she’s still doing a great job

“cmere. you noodle” someone use that on me the next time i suffer a great betrayal and stop responding

grog jumping in acid for his friends.... pike healing him immediately... percy needing to team up with ripley.... scanlan shredding away...... <3

also grogs eyes must be BURNING, my god

*chants* TEAM UPS TEAM UPS TEAM UPS

1 - grog has a nickname for his dick (And balls?) 2- pike knows it and uses it with full familiarity. :D

ziggurat.... big.

overall:

ORGh i love 1- narrative parallels and 2- Vox Machina working together and we got BOTH in this episode in spades, i feel very lucky.

Really though, the parallels clearly drawn between Vex/Vax and the Percy/Cass were iiiinteresting, and along with that, the Percy/Ripley lines. hmmmm.

anyway im so *vibrates about the twins*

Big fan of the way they would cut to the group shots in this ep, each character clearly reacting differently to Percy’s state, and it shows.

I still think that the more extended/dramatic speeches don’t hit quite the same way as some of the standalone lines, but it’s hard to say if that’s a thing of writing or delivery or just me being a menace about Speeches(tm), especially in a more heavily scripted format like this. The speeches still hit hard! But I’m still favoring the little throwaway/background banter kind of lines atm.

scanlan BEING the background music for the acid trap sequence was eeeexcellent. :D

#critical role #tlovm #the legend of vox machina #tlovm spoilers #tlovm s1e10 #lvm spoilers #cr spoilers #full episode liveblog #spar speaks #im torn on whether i should watch the next two immediately or hold off #i very much want to but logistically... probably a bad idea #but also... i want to... i KNOW what happens next ep... i want to see those scenes and 10 was SO good...#cr liveblogging

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taki118 · 4 years

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Cause of the BBC Sherlock stuff I've been seeing I'd like remind people of Elementary

This may poke the proverbial fandom bear but I don't care this show deserved so much more love than it got.

This series is Seven season of quality detective content. Each epsiode delievers on a cool mystery with a statisfying conculsion, and overarching plots arcoss multiple episodes that again give good payoff. Look I'm a person who never really cares about spoilers BUT season one's twist is so perfectly executed that I can never bare talking about it until someone has experinced it already. Like im serious its so good.

Now detractors LOVE to point out two things

1: It takes place in New York they just had to americanise it

2: why is Watson a woman? Ugh they just want to sexualize her and take the gay away

So for 1 I get the frustration it was proabably a legal/financial thing that made them go with New York. But the writers 100% use this to their advantage. utilizing the setting as a sort of metaphor for Serlock as a person particulary in season 1 & 2. He's been thrusted into New York this is not his home and he sees it as simply a new place and a fresh start. But come season 2 when he does return to London he finds it different and no longer feels at ease there. He has grown he has changed and so has the world around him. I think the writers made the best out of the situation.

2: Yyyeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhh no

like i get WHY people assume the reason to make John Watson Joan Watson was purely to hook the characters up, like i was suspicious too when I first saw the trailers cause damn the person in charge of that did a shit job. But so theres a reason why its Joan Watson and not John Watson. In behind the scenes stuff they straight up said that in doing research they notice Sherlock is a bit of a misogynist as he regards women rather lower having just a few exceptions to his rule that woman are silly creatures controlled by emotions. SO the writers and producers thought “Well what if his work partner IS a woman?’ and like thats actually a good idea to shake up the Holmes/Watson dynamic.

But also in all 7 seasons not once do Joan and Sherlock hook up.

NOT ONCE. THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS ENTIRELY PLANTONIC.

LET ME REPEAT THAT AGAIN A MAN AND A WOMAN ON A CABLE SERIES WHO LIVE AND WORK TOGETHER ONLY LOVE EACH OTHER IN A PLATONIC SENSE AND NO ONE BATS AN EYE TO THAT.

DO YOU REALIZE HOW HUGE THAT IS?

Like Joan and Sherlock are family to each other yes earlier seasons is mostly Joan taking care and helping Sherlock but as time goes on they are far more equal. They have this great bond that’s just built on mutual trust and care and gives off the pair of siblings at times. (my favorite running gag is Sherlock finding new and creative ways to wake Watson up)

And can I say that Joan and Sherlock arent the only ones to say “I love you” in a platonic sense in this show? CAUSE THEY ARENT

This show just like shoves it in your face that strong platonic relationships are not only valid but something to be cherished and cared for just as much as romantic ones. That just being someone’s friend and being there for them when times are tough is enough and admirable. And im sorry but that shit gets me every time.

Also also Joan Watson has her own arc of finding what it is she wants in this world along Sherlocks own arc. And its not finding a man and having a child, its finding what work she likes to do and balancing it with her personal life.

And thats not even getting into the positive and well done addict recovery rep. Like they took the offhanded line that Sherlock uses opitates in the novels and said “Hey how would they effect a man like this?” Like they give such a good showcase on how really anyone can fall to addiction and just how hard it is to recover. It’s a long road and the show never lets you forgot that Sherlock could fall back and that he is not better than any other addict, that if it werent for the support network he has built the fall would be far worse.

Like god I havent even gotten into how this is the most emotionally vulnerable Sherlock and thats not treated as a negative like the show straight up says when he goes cold logic mode he’s worse as a person AND as a detective.

How they show the police force they work with to be just as important as their work.

Trans Ms. Hudson played by a trans woman, while shes not in a lot of eps she’s never made a joke of and treated as a desirable.

Autisitc person as a love interest who was not treated as a child.

Joan wasnt the ONLY person who was adapted as a different gender.

Going into the messiness of mental health and how hard finding care for it can be.

The hackers who are hilarious

Sherlock and Joans network of specialists who have knowledge they dont

CLYDE THE TURTLE

Like just watch it its worth your time and will never make fun of you for engaging with the work.

#elementary #elementary cbs #sherlock holmes #joan watson #show recommendations

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prettylittlebutterflie · 3 years

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It All Started With A Break

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

Okay, so I have fallen down the rabbit hole known as MariBat and I just can't stop all the ideas I have because of this and decided that enough is enough and I am doing it.

This is my very first fanfic - or any fic actually - but I hope you guys like it and be WARNED that some of you may find some part of this story that's similar with another and that may've been because I really liked the idea when I read it and wanna have a kinda similar thing here and the same goes with some trope of this fanfic in the future, but I'll do my best to keep it unique. I am also new to the DCU, but I'm doing research and planning to binge watch stuff and if you could please help this poor soul find a way to navigate and somehow get an idea on how that universe work (especially abt the batfam), I'll be forever grateful to thy savior.

This fic is canon until S4 Ep 1&2 (Truth & Lie) of MLU and as for the rest, I'll let you guys know.

So yeah, that's all. Enjoy and hope you guys like it. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

P.S. Sorry I kinda ranted, this is my first time actually posting smth so bear with me people

SYNOPSIS

It’s been four years ever since Hawkmoth, who now goes by the name Shadow Moth, began his reign of terror in Paris. Four years worth of akumas that have brought pain and suffering. Four years of no rest in controlling their emotions, afraid of what may come if they were controlled.

After four long years, the Miraculous Team can finally see a ray of light. Everything they have sacrificed for that one goal they all share is finally going to be repaid… Not.

Locating Hawkmoth was easier said than done, and the frustration is finally getting to them. With that, it was decided that they need a break from their hero lives — ok, maybe not. After all, Shadow Moth is proving himself to be a workaholic (like dude, don’t you have anything better to do than destroy everyone’s schedule?) — but anyways, it was clear. THEY. NEED. A. BREAK. Away from Paris. Away from Hawkmoth. Away from the frickin akumas.

So yeah, that’s how it was decided (more like forced) that they are going to America to relax, let loose, and have some fun. After all, who knows, maybe a break is all they need to get things to start getting better — or worse.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

PROLOGUE

“Alright. So, we are going to take a break—”

“For two months.”

“For two months. And because it’s supposed to be a break, that means—”

“No thinking of anything Moth related.”

“No thinking of anything Moth rela— Moth related?”

“You know, Hawkmoth, Red Moth, Shadow Moth, those Moths.”

“Right. Moths. Aside from Moths, it also means—’

“No thinking of akumas.”

“No thinking of akumas. For this entire break, we’re not going to think about—”

“Anything Miraculous related.”

“Anything Miraculous related. Alya, do you really need to do that every time I’m about to say it?”

“It’s because she knows you. We know you. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, how you always promise not to worry about something, especially anything Miraculous related, just to break it the moment anything related to it comes up. So, yes. She needs to say it and repeat it as much as possible for it to go through that head of yours.”

“Guys, I swear, I’m really going to follow through with this plan. I did agree that we need to unwind ourselves since we’re getting way too stressed and that won’t help us focus on our job.”

“Only after we bugged you about it. Get it? Bugged. Pfft—”

“Hey! Puns are my thing. And you shouldn’t be saying it like that. You’re making it ape-solutely obvious and that makes it not punny anymore”

“Dude, do you really have to do that? That’s so not paw-some. Pfft—”

“All puns aside, it is true that we had to convince you, Mari-hime, to agree on taking a break. Although I rarely take a break from fencing, my Mother and I are aware of the importance of having one and may I also remind you that you were the one who taught us that.”

“And that’s why I told you guys to go have one.”

“But you plus the kitty are the ones who need it the most. Remember what future-me said? About you two always leading us and how she— or rather I am the last one called upon? That means you guys are always gonna work while the rest of us may or may not be needed in some fights.”

“There is a 97.6% probability of you two showing up in fights.”

“Because we have to. It’s our responsibility as the one leading our team.”

“M’lady’s right. Besides, there were only the two of us in the beginning and with all the akumas, we just got used to it.”

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to rest. The music I’m hearing from both of you is filled with the stress you guys have and it doesn’t sound nice. Maybe you two unwinding will help make it more beautiful and even more powerful than before.”

“Fine. We’re all taking a break—”

“Especially you and Adrien.”

“Especially Adrien and I, for a month. Now, does anyone have any ideas on how we're gonna do that?”

“Ooh! Me, me! I have a competition coming up this summer break so I can’t really go anywhere too far since I have some training to do.”

“I’m sticking with the ape. Gotta keep an eye on him if I don’t want him messing up with the timeline. Plus, it’ll be pretty fun beating him up every time he asks for a challenge.”

“Hey!”

“The same goes for me. Someone has to make sure the correct time is recorded with not a single millisecond of it missed. Kwami knows how many times he messes it up whenever he does the recording himself.”

“Okay. So Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris. Are you guys sure that you’ll be able to take a break even if you’re in the city?”

“Yeah, we're fine. And I am totally beating you next time, little bunny.”

“Whatever. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, y’know.”

“Anything else?”

“Oh, I have an internship in America this coming summer. The one at the Daily Planet. I just got the email and I was finally given an invite!”

“Really? Cool! Told you you’ll get it, babe!”

“Yeah! That’s really awesome, Alya! So I’m assuming you'll be accepting that?”

“You got it, girl! I mean, this is the Daily Planet we’re talkin’ about. I’ll learn so much about writing and journalism there, I’ve just got to take it.”

“So Alya’s going to America. Anyone else with plans outside of the country?”

“There will be an upcoming world-class fencing competition this summer and Mother and I have discussed my participation in it. It will be held in the States as well, specifically Gotham, two weeks before the end of the summer break. Maybe you should participate in it as well, Adrien. That way, you’ll have an excuse for your father to leave the country. I’m sure Mother will be happy to convince him as well to let you participate in it. That way, at the very least, I’ll have someone I know who’ll be an actual challenge.”

“Really? That actually sounds great! I’m sure Father would agree if your mother’s the one who suggested it. Thanks Kagami!”

“Okay. Kagami and hopefully Adrien will have a fencing competition in America too.”

“My Dad is having a tour in America right now. He’ll be having the last one at Metropolis during the summer break. He actually wants me to go with him, but I declined. It’ll be great if we all could go there and see it.”

“Dude, that’s so cool! Maybe you’ll even get to perform with your dad on stage. You did make that song with him that reached the record chart’s top. I’ve even made a playlist based on it.”

“Okay then, that makes Alya, Kagami, Adrien, and Luka going to the States. Chloe, do you also have plans to go there this summer? Maman said your mother was thinking of inviting you to be one of the models in an upcoming fashion show there.”

“She did mention something like that, but I wasn’t really paying attention to details once I found out that it’ll be outside of Paris. I’ll discuss it with her again then I can have my much needed vacation in the States.”

“So now that makes five of you going to America. Nino?”

“Well, I don’t really have any plans this summer. Just chill out and relax, y’know, make some playlist, listen to some music.”

“Ooh! How about you come with us, babe? That’ll be so cool and not all of us will be doing something most of the time while we’re there. You can just chill and relax there and maybe you could even study the kind of music they listen to and make a playlist out of it.”

“I would love to go, but I don’t think I really got the money for it. ‘Sides, my parents might not allow me to go out of the country.”

“You’re already 18 and if your parents ever say no, just tell them that you want to really relax, without keeping your emotions in check and have the freedom to let it out. I’m sure they’ll understand and unlike my Father, they actually listen to you.”

“As for the money, I have some savings and if you want I can lend you some-”

“But-”

“Lend. I’m not just giving it to you. You will have to pay me back, alright? And if you try to say no again, I’m going to insist that you don’t pay me anymore.”

“You sure? You're the best! Thanks, Minette.”

“No problem. So now that makes six of them—”

“Seven.”

“What?”

“Seven. We’re including you.”

“Me? But Alya, I already got plans this summer.”

“Plans? What plans?”

“I was planning on working on my commissions this summer an— Guys, can you all stop rolling your eyes on me and no, Chloe. I don’t need you doing it again.”

“Girl! We all agreed that we’re going to take a break this summer. How does doing your commissions sound like a break to you?”

“You all got your own thing to do this summer and mine just happens to be those. Also, the break was for anything Miraculous related. My commissions don't exactly fall under that.”

“Nope. We actually all agreed that for you, commissions should be added to the list of things you get to take a break from.”

“Adrien! I thought you’re supposed to be my partner? So much for the two of us against the world.”

“He is still your partner alright. But also, as someone who truly cares about you, he decided that you really needed a break. And besides girl, this could be your chance!”

“Chance? What chance?”

“Your pen pal! Doesn’t he live in Gotham? You could go and finally meet him. Who knows? Maybe something might happen.”

“Ooh, he’s from there? That’s awesome! You should totally go meet him. Maybe you could even go on a date or two-”

“A date?! Kim, he’s just a frie-”

“You stop right there, Dupain-Cheng! It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! All of us already had enough with Adrikins always calling you ‘just a friend’ when it’s pretty obvious how totally untrue that statement was. We don’t need you ending up just like him, thank you very much.”

“But he really is-”

“Yeah right. If he really is just a friend, then why do you guys stay up all night talking to each other? You always immediately check your phone whenever a notif comes up and you smile like a love-sick fool whenever you read his messages for you. And don’t get me started on the way you gush about him non-stop.”

“There is something beautiful in your music whenever you talk or even think about him.”

“Your smiles are much brighter compared to before the two of you got to know each other.”

“Markov and I also have a record of your heartbeat and we have observed your heart beating faster whenever we talk about this certain topic.”

“And it's been more than a year since you two have become pen pals. The two of you are now so close that it’s a wonder why you guys still haven’t video-called each other just because you insist for your first time seeing each other to be in person.”

“I think it’s rather romantic. They’ll look into each other’s eyes for the first time then BAM! They’re finally together. But I still plan on giving him a shovel talk the first chance I get. Can’t have him break my twin’s heart without him knowing I have the god of destruction on my side.”

“What do you mean shovel talk- I mean, what even gives you the idea that he thinks of me that way for you guys to assume that we’ll end up in… in that kind of relationship?”

“He’d be an idiot if he still hasn’t fallen in love with you.”

“Literally almost everyone I know had a crush on you or have you forgotten already that my boyfriend’s one of those people?”

“I know for a fact that that’s true since I’ve already admitted that one of my reasons why I began bullying you back then was because I had a crush on you.”

“I must admit, I think I also had the same feeling towards you at the beginning of our friendship until I really got to know Luka and you helped us get together.”

“Oh! There’s also that. Do you actually know just how many people you’ve helped get together, buginette? Alya’s even written an article about it at the Ladyblog of how you are also known as Paris’s own cupid and how all of the couples you’ve paired ended up living a happy life together.”

“Everyone’s been saying how Ladybug’s the next best person they can go to if they ever want to find love after Andre.”

“And yet every time you try to pair yourself with someone, the magic just doesn’t seem to work.”

“So we all decided that we’ll be Ladybug’s cupid and pair her up with the boy she just can’t seem to get off of her head.”

“Now, you coming or what? I won’t be taking the money you’ll be lending me if you say no. I’m only going with these dudes if you also come or else I’ll just end up getting bored when there’s no one who can go around the city with me.”

“...”

“““...”””

“Fine. You guys win—”

“““YES!”””

“So here’s the final plan for the break. Kim, Alix, and Max will be staying in Paris for Kim’s competition, while the rest of us will be going to America doing our own stuff—”

“With you finally meeting your pen pal.”

“Yes. Alright. I’ll go and meet my pen pal. And during the break, no thinking about anything miraculous related. If ever there’s an akuma, only those who’ll be needed will go. Max will bring us to the akuma’s location and if there is anything going on that we can’t be excused of or if the fight goes longer than expected, Alix will bring us back in time making it look like we just went to the toilets, the usuals. Any questions?”

“““Non.”””

“Good. Operation: Taking a Break is good to go.”

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Yay! Finally got to post it. So comments? What do you guys think and who do you think who is saying what? I know there will be new holders in S4, but I decided I’ll either make them a temp or they still don’t know the other’s identities bc of stuff, so yeah. Still thinking abt it. Adios (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31840603

#first post #maribat #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #maridami #marinette dupen chang #damian wayne #batfam #batfamily #team miraculous #miraculous team #ml x dc #miraculous ladybug

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athys-obelia · 3 years

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fruits basket: breaking the soma curse

well... essentially what i think the curse is all about, why momoji's has broken, and how to break it

the curse itself is based off of a twisted definition of "love", so i thought, wouldn't the zodiac members feeling the exact opposite of love break the curse? what is the opposite of love??

hatred

well i mean this one's pretty simple — yuki is too traumatized and afraid to actually hate akito, but kyo totally could. hell, hatsuharu probably does, after the lil debacle w/ rin. we know haru is a calm and collected person, even when he's angry (he was calm asf when hiro told him rin was pushed by akito, and really only showed how angry he was when he reached her room. and again, it wasn't a strategy to intimidate her into telling him where rin was being held either — even after kureno informed them that rin was in the hospital, haru nearly beat akito to a pulp lmaoo)

but again, neither kyo's, nor haru's bonds have been broken. so technically, even hating akito can't free them.

fear?

can't be, nope, nada, sorry. yuki literally froze the first time akito showed up to school, rin was also scared of what she could do to haru, and so is kisa (+ hiro, for kisa's sake).

indifference

i initially scraped this off because haru seems to give literally no shits about akito? same went for kyo to an extent, etc. but!!!

the akito vs haru scene puts a lot of things into perspective. we also saw his string snap somewhat, but how? why? if it had anything to do with anger, haru was livid — in that case, the entire string should've broken. but perhaps that was the problem itself?

love is a strong emotion, and the opposite of a strong emotion is none at all. if haru had been passive in fear for what consequences rin may face for their relationship, then for him to stand up to akito the way he did meant that he literally threw away the bond. for a moment, haru let go of any respect / courtesy the bond required, and he held 'god' accountable.

we can't really fight haru's case bc he was still mad, and anger is still a pretty strong emotion so i guess that cancels out?

moving on — we don't actually know much about kureno when his curse broke, but momoji was indifferent. why? well, his story has been building ever since akito visited their vacation in season two. the most important scene, the turning point, it was the moment akito and kureno visited the vacation house in the dead of night. momoji saw the akito vs tohru showdown, he stood up for tohru.

momoji has had to suffer so much because of the curse, he's lost his family and his home, constantly is carrying around that pain, but still, despite knowing akito's power, despite everything he's had to sacrifice, he stands up. it's when he understands tohru's importance in his life, and that for her he's willing to go head to head against akito if need be. and the thing is, he's currently at level zero. this is when he understands that the only way to go is up. that even the curse breaking can't solve his problems, but that doesn't mean he can't have a future with his friends. his sister saying she wants to be a part of his life only strengthens this, that his life can get better.

and when momoji finally realises that he doesn't have to let the curse control his life, that he can move on without it, is when it breaks.

then what about everyone else?

haru's bond almost breaking is a reflection of this — he disregarded everything the curse stood for when he threatened akito, and that moment of indifference may have damaged the 'string'. he's still feeling very strongly about akito though — negatively, but still — so it can't break off entirely. shigure feels responsible for akito ending up as she did and is actively involved in trying to heal her so he can't possibly be indifferent. hatori is similar in that regard. i wouldn't doubt that rin, hiro and kisa are still traumatized by the incidents that happened to them, and akito definitely inspires some anxiety and fear in ayame (the conversation with mine in the beginning of ep. 5 is sorta proof of this) and kagura (wouldn't be a stretch to assume kagura has been somewhat bullied just like the other girls of the zodiac) as well.

if this theory holds true in any way, then that means that kyo (who is emotionally and mentally broken down everytime he meets akito, is also fated to be locked up until his death by her) and yuki (was traumatized since very early on) would have the hardest time trying to break away and move on, due to such intensity in their emotions :(

you guys...i sense some serious angst incoming </3

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yukipri · 3 years

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Bad Batch end of season thoughts/ramble, bc it's been a week and I just wanna get it all off my chest...

(end of season spoilers and very disorganized rambling)

First off, I do want to say that I enjoyed watching the show. It fulfilled its primary purpose: entertainment. It was nice having something to look forward to every week, and even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was fun. The animation was gorgeous, I liked all the references and tie ins. I will likely watch it again, and will watch season 2. This is by no means meant to be a hate post.

That being said, it is critical so please just skip if you're not into that!

The thing is...it takes very, Very little for me to love a clone. He doesn't need lines, or a face, or even a name, and the default is that I will love him. He can even be a little bastard, like Slick, and it's fine. I always want to know more about them, and wish they had more screen time and time in general to develop their characters. So given that we were getting 16 (20 eps total if we count TCW S7 pilot arc) centered around these guys, I was expecting to absolutely adore them by the end.

And I wanted to love the Bad Batch, I wanted to love them so damn much, and I tried. But I think one of the reasons why they never fully clicked for me was that their thing seems to be "we're unique, we never fit in, we're outsiders in our own home, among the people who are supposed to be our own family, and so we've found our home with each other."

Which! That's usually a wonderful message, and not a particularly rare or unique one either for stories! I usually dig these kinds of stories!

The problem here is the extremely unique situation of the clones. They are literally created to be identical, brain washed to be uniform. They must conform, or are killed off by their creators, and their conformity isn't a choice in the slightest, but one of fear and necessity.

Their uniformity is something that they are also entirely aware of--it's unavoidable, they're clones. Once out in the real galaxy, they all strive to find and establish unique identities for themselves, struggling against a galaxy that just wants them to be faceless products. It's a shared struggle, and all they have are each other, and their brotherhood is sacred as a result. Shunning unique identity is the opposite of who a clone is--it's what they all want.

So on one hand, it's understandable that the Batch stuck out (when all others who would have also stuck out were culled, when individuality isn't allowed). It's understandable that they would have yearned for the brotherhood shared by the other clones, and when they couldn't have it, they stuck closer to each other. It's even understandable that they would feel bitter, having experienced bullying at the hands of the other clones (but isn't it also understandable that the other clones would feel bitter that the Batch gets special treatment, when their own brothers with less-than-beneficial mutations were taken by the Kaminoans to never return?).

And so we have this batch of clones, who the Kaminoans call "mutated," but also specify that their mutations are "desirable" (implying what happens to mutations that are undesirable...). They have their own unique unit, in which they're able to improvise and act freely with seemingly little to no oversight, so long as they complete their mission. No Jedi to obey, no nat-born officers who look down on them. In fact, they look so different from standard clone troopers that most of the galaxy probably don't even know they are clones. They have their own ship (personalized), they have their own possessions (which we don't really see any other clones have), they have their own barracks (probably also very unique), and they even have access to superior weapons and armor (most of the Batch, minus Echo, seem to be wearing modified Katarn-class armor which is supposed to be for Commandos. we KNOW it holds up better than standard trooper armor).

So I'm sure they had some unpleasant experiences growing up, and I do get it. But at least at "present" end of clone wars, they honestly seem to be living infinitely better than all other clones? They still need to follow orders but they have more freedom, and perhaps most importantly, they have clear uniqueness that is denied almost all other clones. And yes, some of the clones on Kamino bully them, but we've seen NONE of the "regular" clones that we know to be particularly nasty to them, and in fact it's Crosshair who starts it by calling them "Regs."

And how does the Batch respond to this situation? By acting superior. It's Crosshair who says and it believes this firmly, and I do feel that the others are likely mostly influenced by this, but it's also true that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech don't really deny this either. They don't like the "regs," they do act like they're "better." Poor Echo, who they repeatedly seem to forget is in the room, and who they call "machine" and such...yikes yo

So I guess the point is, I just really struggled to feel sympathetic towards them, and was already on a kinda eh about their premise. They're marketed as "the special clone squad"--and yet they're not nice to the clones I love. I thought that wasn't great, but also hoped that the series would work towards them understanding the other clones better, and I love character development so that woulda been fine--but, nothing. A glance from Hunter at Howzer. Extended camaraderie from Gregor, who I feel they mostly just tolerate for the mission, other than Echo who genuinely cares.

And on top of feeling not feeling particularly sympathetic towards what I saw as a pretty privileged group of clones, the Batch seems to place primary blame of their woes on the "regs" themselves, who again, honestly seem far worse off! There isn't blame directed at the people who demanded the conformity from the other clones in the first place, that made it so the Batch couldn't fit in. The Batch was modified due to the Kaminoans (and implied specifically Nala Se). She's the reason why they don't fit in. And the Kaminoans are also why the other clones have to be so uniform, why they must fight to be people and not products.

Bitterness and pettiness can be fine in characters. But it's frustrating to see in a group supposed to be competent and elite, especially when those feelings have consequences. Sure, it sucks when someone throws a food tray at you. You can throw food back. It's not an equal reaction to feel no remorse when you shoot that guy dead in a blaster fight, when for all other clones, having to kill another clone is one of the most horrible, tragic things that one can do (thanks, Umbara).

Fives was the only clone to actually point a blaster at Nala Se.

We know Omega has deeply personal history with Nala Se. She was Nala Se's personal medical assistant. We see her cry when she takes off her head ornament that matches Nala Se. We know that being back in the lab gives Omega complicated, and probably not entirely positive feelings. But we barely learn more about this relationship, other than these glimpses.

And I get the feeling that to Omega at least, Nala Se wasn't all terrible. If Omega grew up with mostly only Nala Se for company, she had to have gotten her sheltered outlook on life, and her willingness to help others from somewhere. Nala Se intentionally let Omega go, to be "safe."

I think Omega's adorable, and I do like her. But I wasn't able to fully love her to the extent I wanted to, because there was always the fear that she was involved in the creation and implantation of the chips. She knows about them, she would have been positioned to do so. I want to think she would never, and I was hoping the show would reassure us of that, but it never did. We don't actually know how Omega feels about Nala Se, or even the chips and their presence in other clones. Instead, all we know is that Omega doesn't like "regs."

And again, "they call me lab scrubber," and "I helped put (or am complicit in putting) mind control devices in their heads," are kinda, unequal. Again I hope it's not the case. But it definitely kept me feeling uneasy throughout the show.

It really boils down to I don't trust or forgive Nala Se, and the Batch's lack of stance against her and the other Kaminoans, and clear distaste for their other clone brothers, really puts them in a situation that makes it difficult for me to take their side entirely.

And then gosh, Hunter. During Crosshair's whole "you never came back for me," spiel, I couldn't help but think he's kinda right. He had 15 episodes. Sure, it's difficult to get Crosshair back. But they could have done something. They could have done research. We could have had scenes of them wondering where Crosshair is, discussions on how best to find him, even if that discussion ended in, "but we can't risk it right now." They could have grilled Omega for information on the chips, which they really shoulda done either way, but especially since that knowledge is important to understanding what (they thought had) happened to Crosshair. Instead, they just ran every time Crosshair showed up. The show could have done better to show that they cared, and were trying, instead of just, y'know, doing chores for Cid. One, "I kinda miss him," doesn't really count as working on getting him back, at least in my books.

The sole exception to all of this, of course, is Echo. Who really, he works with the Batch fine, he's a former ARC and can more than keep up. Skillset-wise, he fits in well enough. But this season really made me wonder why he's with them at all. Crosshair's revelation and true feelings at the end of the season were no surprise to me, as they're consistent with what we've seen of him from TCW S7. But for Echo, a former "reg" to have to work with someone like Crosshair...even if Crosshair thought Echo was "different" enough to accept him, those are his brothers that Crosshair thinks he's so superior to, and has no issue speaking disdainfully about.

The increasing tension between Echo and Hunter, Echo's interest in helping Rex, in helping other clones, in doing something...I do hope they reach a point where Echo demands they go help, or he's leaving.

They gave Crosshair a chance, despite the fact that his choices were willing. I really hope Echo can convince the Batch to help save the other clones who don't have a choice. Because even if the Batch doesn't consider them their brothers, they're certainly Echo's. They matter just as much as Crosshair, and I really hope season 2 shows it narratively.

To conclude, again I'm interested in seeing what happens next, and I want answers about Omega and Nala Se. I find it interesting that they tied the facility where they took Nala Se in with the scientist dude collecting data on Grogu in the Mandalorian and those cloning labs. All of this is interesting, but at the same time I feel like it's trying to build up to Snoke/Palpatine stuff in the sequels which...I don't care nearly as much about, but who knows, could be neat ^ ^;

I'm okay with, and have made peace with the fact that the Bad Batch probably isn't the "clones-centric" show I wanted, and that they'll continue their own story, and probably continue to not care much about other clones in upcoming seasons. That's unfortunate, but alright. I'm interested enough in their story too.

But at the same time...I can't help but think man, if they have the time and budget to do a season 2, after seeing what was (or wasn't) accomplished in season 1...I wish they'd also make a Rex/Cody/Wolffe/"regular clones" show, because in the end, if you're going to do a "clones show"....that's who I want to see most.

If you got to the end, thank you for reading, and being an ear to my ranting ^ ^; Again this is literally just getting this off my chest. If this take isn't one you agree with, please just ignore. For people who did fall in love with the Batch, I'm happy for you, and regret that it just couldn't happen for me. But, I'm hoping that S2 will change my mind, but we'll just have to see! ^ ^;

#the bad batch #bad batch #YukiPri rambles #really i'm not interested in a debate i just want to ramble

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