#four more episodes

[cupoteahatter]

Running theory given that we now have proper readings of cases from all of them:

Norris - Personal Connections, the stories with an underlying sense of romance, of regret and most notably of poetry.

Chester - Warnings, telling you to stay away, not to look, not to observe, but curious all the while. A statement of Stop, I can’t make you but Stop before you can’t go back.

Augustus - Historical accounts, Give and take, hunger and legacy, of answering unasked questions, of selfish ambition.

And that’s the vibe I’m getting :D

#the magnus protocol #tmagp #tmagp spoilers #tmagp theory #chester and norris #norris tmagp #chester tmagp #augustus tmagp #I’m sat here like mulling over the themes and how we have four episodes and I need more but #This is my best guess at it.

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

It took 2 people to fully convince Crosshair to do a 180 on the Empire - but neither of those people were Bad Batch members.

They couldn't be. What would a squad of defective clones who had been disobeying orders since day 1 know about loyalty to an institution determined to establish order for the good of the galaxy? What would they know about finding purpose in being "good soldiers"?

Now, I DO think the seeds of Crosshair's eventual defection were planted by his brothers. Hunter pointing out that "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn" and then telling Crosshair "All you'll ever be to them is a number" are statements that are proven later to be true. But it takes Cody and Mayday to drive the lessons home.

Cody and Mayday share several characteristics that place them in unique positions to influence Crosshair:

Both are regs who accepted and befriended Crosshair - Cody says he specifically asked for Crosshair for the mission, and Mayday is upfront and friendly to Crosshair right from the start. (Contrast this to the other regs getting up to move tables when Crosshair sits to eat, or the other clone troopers who walk past Crosshair to get onto the shuttle without even sparing him a glance.)

Both are commanders. (I believe Crosshair ultimately respects authority for the most part: even when he was arguing with and challenging Hunter in "Aftermath," he still deferred to Hunter's orders until his inhibitor chip was intensified and he was then promoted to commander.)

Both are loyal soldiers who have served the Empire well - again, these regs are still commanders even under the new government. And we all know how important loyalty to the Empire is to Crosshair at this point.

Both save Crosshair's life during their missions.

In short, both are regs, but they are still soldiers Crosshair can quickly identify with and trust.

I think it's key that Crosshair encountered Cody before Mayday, though. And despite their similarities, both soldiers drive home different points.

CODY

Cody is one of the few regs we know Crosshair already respected - and still respects, given that Crosshair almost smiles when he recognizes him.

(Some proof in case it isn't apparent: Crosshair goes from frowny face...

...to relaxed almost-happy-if-you-squint-just-right face)

Anyway, while Cody does drop some hints early on that he has doubts about the Empire, he is willing to carry out the mission to rescue "Governor" Grotton, showing he will follow orders to a certain extent. However, he shows more restraint than Crosshair might have: he doesn't attack the civilians despite their obvious mistrust of the soldiers, he comes to an understanding with Tawni Ames, he's NOT willing to follow an order to execute her, and he is clearly dismayed and disappointed by her death.

And so, at the end of a "successful" mission, Cody more plainly reveals the depth of his dissatisfaction with following orders against one's own moral scruples:

Hunter had said "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn." And Cody, unwilling to blindly and unquestioningly be a pawn - or act like a battle droid - any longer, goes AWOL.

But that lesson alone isn't enough to make Crosshair turn on the Empire. Instead, he needs Mayday to give him the final push.

MAYDAY

First, Mayday indicates how appalled he is by the idea of anyone leaving their own behind - which we know is a sore spot for Crosshair. But most importantly, Mayday has demonstrated since he was first introduced that he strongly believes in soldiers being loyal to and looking out for each other (which is far different than just being loyal to the Empire).

Second, Mayday unknowingly challenges Crosshair's belief that serving the Empire provides meaningful purpose. (Remember that one of Crosshair's main arguments to his brothers about joining the Empire was so they could "find purpose again.")

Then, he unwittingly goes for the jugular and rips apart the motto Crosshair had adopted.

And then, in case Crosshair has any lingering doubts about the answer to Mayday's rhetorical question, Nolan decidedly answers the question for him.

Hunter had said "All you'll ever be to them is a number," and he is proven right in the most heartbreaking way.

Crosshair had accused his brothers of not being loyal to him; unfortunately, now he sees what true disloyalty looks like. And for Crosshair - severe and unyielding - realizing that he has misplaced his loyalty by giving it to an entity that mocks him and casts him AND those he cares about aside for doing so... this is the final straw.

Thankfully, Crosshair has now rediscovered the people who are worthy of his loyalty.

#the bad batch #tbb #clone force 99 #star wars #star wars the bad batch #tbb crosshair #commander mayday #tbb mayday #commander cody #tbb cody #lessons learned the hard way #tbb analysis #and now i'm crying #shouldn't have rewatched these episodes #but they are SOOO GOOD #save crosshair #amazing character development in only two episodes #this is longer than i intended it to be - again #but this is what happens when i have to wait four more days for the finale

[bisexualenbyblueberry]

So I fucking love Dead Boy Detectives so far

#if any of you see more posting more content about this show please stop me it means I am getting hyperfixated and I am NOT done with tdp yet #also I'm only four episodes in so if any of this is innacurate that's why 😭 #edwin payne #edwin x charles #dead boy detectives #dbd #edwin paine #crystal palace #niko sasaki #charles rowland #payneland

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: death mention / family death mention / ]

Mhmm I sure love thinking of the reality where we did get more time to really know Karai and her dynamics with the bros. Losing her hit hard in the finale, but it would’ve hit much, much harder had we known Karai longer and really saw her relationships develop with everyone.

I especially would have been interested in her dynamic with Leo, as past iterations often have the two of them clash in ideals and the like while still sharing many characteristics. Two sides of the same coin, and all that. Her specifically being the bros’ Gram-Gram also adds a whole new dynamic as well.

Imagine how interesting it would be, to have Karai start off on Leo’s side for once, showing wholly just how alike the two are at their cores and bonding as family without the worry of betrayal or animosity that other iterations suffer through, only to have Karai die anyway. Their parting hug and the desperate look of horror Leo wears later on would have hit that much harder, I feel.

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rise karai #rise leo #rottmnt karai #rottmnt leo #I think a lot about these two in particular #and how that dynamic could have flourished #the way it was depicted in the finale is so purposefully unique and painful like #that hug man #can you imagine how much more heartbreaking that would have been if we knew her longer #not that it wasn’t already sad but we just simply didn’t know her long enough to be completely attached #also imo having more episodes with her and in general would have presented something I’ve been thinking about since the finale #so like - I like to think each bro kinda immediately leans more toward certain family members #Mikey has Draxum #Donnie has April #Raph has Splinter because this is another one that would be SO GOOD and make the finale moment where Raph sees his memories hit harder #if they had an ep or two more of Splinter and Raph together bc I really do feel like Raph respects Splinter most of the four #and finally- Leo has Karai #and then he loses her #imo? this would align with the movie even more #because it was the act of heroism that kinda killed her in a way - makes sense that Leo would initially be leaning away from that #and yet he ends up exactly like her anyway #haha sorry for rambling I just really love the interesting dynamic these two tend to have #and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see it really explored in rise #but yeah make no mistake while I’m focusing on Leo here I wanted more for all the boys and karai #Mikey’s little moments with her were so sweet and we already know how much he yearns for more family #Karai being from an age long gone would mean she’d be super impressed by literally any invention Donnie has (adult validation!!) #and could you imagine her training with Raph - with this training being referenced in the finale?

[lostboywriting]

Okay. Okay, there's a bunch of wildly speculative stuff that I can't quite pin down right now, so for now I'm going to stick with a couple definite points and just a tiny bit of the speculation:

Point 1: The case from TMAGP 4 is dated November 19, 1831, according to its case number. That's only two days before the letter in MAG 127, from Jonathan Fanshawe to Jonah Magnus, that detailed how Albrecht Von Closen died.

Which is interesting not just because of the dates, but because how Albrecht died seems REALLY FUCKING SIMILAR to what we know about what happened to Red Canary. Albrecht took a bunch of books from the Württemberg tomb. He went wildly off the rails. And when he tried to return what he had taken:

"Do I need to tell you what I found, Jonah? Do I need to detail what covered his organs, his bones, the inside of his skin? What clustered together in their dozens, and all turned as one to focus on me as I opened his chest, their pupils constricting in the light, with irises of every hue and color?" (MAG 127)

Point 2: As I said over here, TMAGP 3's case is dated very close to when Anya Villette crossed between realities at Hilltop Road. They're only about three weeks apart, which seems pretty close for coincidence considering Anya's the only character we see definitely make that crossing at any point in TMA. The timing gets closer if you recall that Anya landed in TMA's world two weeks before she went to Hilltop Road in hers.

The tiny bit of speculation that I'm posting for now in a desperate attempt to conserve my sanity:

There's all this emotional/thematic resonance between the case files each voice has read and the characters they each appear to be linked to (if not to be outright), and I've been pretty swept up in that. And still am, won't lie! But I'm starting to suspect that they (or whatever is behind them) are actually searching, very deliberately, for something else entirely, and using potentially significant touchpoints from TMA's world as starting places. And that the cases we're actually hearing, and many of the thematic parallels they contain, may be only tangential to that.

#I NEED MORE DATA and also oh god we're only four episodes in #the fears may not manifest in the same way here but I am going to be squarely in the spiral before this thing is over #tmagp #tmagp speculation #the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #the magnus protocol spoilers #tma spoilers #(kinda) #tmagp 4 #tmagp 3 #tmagp 1

[warlenys]

first bit of this fucks but then ?? what “implication that he’ll be okay” bitch he’s gonna kill himself

#straight people banned from watching house md for one million years #‘i think house becomes a doctor again!!!!’ did you not watch the fucking ending????? #the four episodes dedicated to how house loves wilson more than anything else??? including fucking doctoring????? #risks his entire career for him??? #final episode he literally says yeah doctoring was fun but it doesn’t fulfil me. only wilson does #sorry. sore spot #sorry i just saw ‘more importantly’ #More Importantly????? he destroyed. his entire life. for wilson. #where are you. seriously #house md #hilson #suicide mention #house spoilers #+

[hermanunworthy]

a heavy burden to drag along.

#ive been shedding literal tears over this guy #as always im not sure how to feel about how this drawing turned out #its been a while since i drew any episode art (its bc ive just had such bad fic brainrot lately) #but ig ill have plenty of time to draw more in the next four weeks 😭 #normal oak #normal oak fanart #dungeons and daddies #dndads #dndads fanart #dndads spoilers #dndads s2 spoilers #my art

[trash-and-trash-accessories]

Fox Mulder doesn't have the "I Want To Believe" poster there because he's crazy. He doesn't have it there to broadcast his beliefs or as a mantra or to remind him to always look for aliens.

Fox Mulder keeps that "I Want To Believe" sign above his desk to remind him of his own internal biases.

That sign hangs above Mulder's desk to remind him of his own shortcomings and flaws. He's aware that he's a hack with dangerous beliefs and prone to flights of fancy and maybe even delusions. He's aware that he's desperately searching for aliens and monsters where there are only men doing bad things. And he has to remind himself of that, constantly.

That's why he's thrilled when he meets Scully and she challenges his beliefs, says that logically aliens don't exist. He's thrilled when she tells him to cut the crap in the pilot episode. He needs someone to challenge him. He needs someone who won't take his shit and put up with his flights of fancy. And he knows it. He's been dealing with himself for years and he feels relief and joy when Scully comes in and says enough of your bullshit. We're doing this my way. With science and logic. He isn't smiling and teasing her because he thinks he's smarter and better than her. He's smiling because she's exactly the person he needs in his life.

That's why he tells her right away that he's a UFO freak with trauma about his sister and a true believer. Not because he's trying to convince her to believe, but because he needs her to understand where he's coming from and what's wrong with him. So she can understand that either he's a dangerous lunatic himself, or he's delving into a dangerous conspiracy and either way she could be collateral damage if she stays with him. He spends the pilot episode reckoning with the idea that either he's a maniac or he's pulling this young fresh detective into danger. When she starts agreeing with him he gets upset, talks her out of it.

Mulder keeps that sign above his desk to remind himself to look into the "reasonable logical" explanations. He keeps that sign on his desk because he knows he's flawed and biased and frankly, dangerous.

He tells Scully exactly what he thinks is happening and about all the crazy stuff he believes not because he's trying to convince her to believe too, but so she can be his sounding board. So she can throw his illogical bullshit back in his face and remind him to look past his own biases and paranoia and quasi-religious zealotry. Because he knows he needs that. He knows he's in a conspiracy brained echo chamber of his own making and having a slow-burn mental breakdown. And he sees Scully as salvation from himself. As another figure in his quasi-religious belief system. The savior.

As the series develops he relies on her more and more to reality check him. Literally reality check him and manage what he worries might all be a delusion.

Mulder pretends he's confident and all the constant criticism and sidelong glances don't get to him and that might be true because he doesn't respect those people but he respects Scully. And he needs someone he respects to tell him when he's wrong, when he's being biased or actively delusional. Scully is his salvation. She's compassionate about his trauma and the reasoning behind his beliefs, but confident and logical enough to tell him when it's all bullshit. She's his savior, his rock, and often his only real connection to material reality.

#in conclusion Dana Scully is Jesus #haha but for real she is #the x files #x files #fox mulder #dana scully #mulder and scully #agent mulder #spooky mulder #okay she might be more of an allegory for the Mother Mary #but she's actually more of a Jesus figure herself #in this essay I will #someone help the media analysis chip in my brain won't turn off #also goddamn this man loves sticking his hand in mysterious substances #in episode four he chases a coyote into the woods by himself this man is crazy #fox mulder is a dangerous maniac #and I love him #I love this whorish delusional man #oh and he puts his hand in and then tastes what he knows is probably poisonous foxglove #honestly there's no substance fox mulder won't stick his hand in and or taste

[newgameplus]

be not afraid [ID: A digital illustration of Vash the Stampede based on the later Trigun Maximum design. He stands among clouds in varying shades of yellow, bending back slightly, his red coat billowing around him. His silhouette is a stark black, his orange glasses the only distinguishable feature on his face. A single white wing sprouts from his right shoulder, arcing upwards and behind him. Grey smoke emanates from an unseen source level with his mid-back, spanning the illustration and eclipsing the clouds. The sky behind Vash is a yellow-to-purple gradient. The illustration is colored mostly in flat colors, the only shadows and highlights placed on Vash's glasses, the underside of his coat, and his left arm prosthesis. end ID] (image description by @laevateinn ) lineless version + id under the cut bc i cldnt decide which one i liked better

[ID: The same illustration lineless. The black of Vash's silhouette and prosthesis are muted red rather than black. end ID]

#clints art #forgot i drew this :v: #for the trigun girlies.... #trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #im so normal about trigun and have a normal number of opinions about it. number one: wolfwoods earlier introduction in the 98 anime i #s the funniest thing in the workd bc it implies he was just doing that. he wasnt sent by legato yet bc demon eye doesnt happen for several #more episodes so he wasnt heading to the church or anything. he was just doing that. dying in the desert for fun. king. #continues talking 2 myself for four hours abt themes and plots while victor nods indulgently

[sarcasticamaleont]

I got whiplash from going to jump in my seat because of ineffable bureocracy to then feel the five stages of grief because of the ineffable husbands

#more like four causes i for sure did not accept that finale #HOW COULD THEY? #i was so happy and then i saw there was half episode left #and like a fool #A FOOL I SAY #i thought they were going to do something nice amd dished out for them #i was HOPING #then i heard the conversation end between aziraphale and metraton #and the horror grabbed me #good omens 2 #good omens #good omens spoilers #ineffable beurocracy #ineffable bureaucracy #ineffable husbands #crowly x aziraphale #aziraphale #crowley #screaming and sobbing

[skrunksthatwunk]

other half

redraw screenshots taken from this post i made a while back ignore that i forgot to actually link it for like an entire day

#THE SILLIES #i have an exam in 9 hours and i haven't studied for it. kuwabara was more important (<- i'll be ok + i'll study soon) #yyh #yu yu hakusho #kazuma kuwabara #kuwabara kazuma #yusuke urameshi #urameshi yusuke #kuwameshi #yyh puu #idk what people tag him as... :/ #also i hope it's not too obvious that i'm the least comfortable drawing yusuke outta the main four. idk what it is. the eyes? hm #like hiei i can't draw consistently but i usually like it anyway so whatever. but yusuke i just feel like i'm so close to getting it right #but i never quite get there. essence uncaptured vibes tarnished. but that's probably just me #also no kuwa would not steal a catalytic converter. it goes against his honor code as established in episode uhhh idk 7? the one w/ eikichi #skrunkart #haven't done one of these flat tone sketch pages in a while... i like them though they're pretty #though i kiiiinda gave up on the overall composition by the end </3. eh whatever at least it's out there now #also my favorites of this are the one of kuwa holding puu with like. club penguin eyes? and puu diving at kuwa's egg. i just think they're #ute. plus the one of kuwa sleeping holding puu w the thousand yard stare. idk just silly to me #anyway hopefully it's clear that i love kuwabara. the end

[thebatcreature]

I must say I'm sensing a strong aroace aura around Bertie Wooster

#my boy just living his best life can't be bothered to pursue romance #he definitely aromantic you can't convince me otherwise #and i think it's safe to say he's ace #I have four more episodes to watch though hope he doesn't find “love” by the end #like one usually does #jeeves and wooster

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

it’s not a coincidence that season four, the season where debbie hits puberty, is the season where the fandom starts to gang up on her.

#even in season three #she starts to hit puberty and is no longer a cute little girl so she’s now ruined #in season four she didn’t even do anything bad she just had a little more attitude #which makes sense considering how in every episode of season three she endured a traumatic event #and in season four frank’s dying- fiona’s in prison cus liam did coke- lip’s at college- and ian’s missing #of course she’s upset she has a lot going on #she used to be the optimist- sure- but frank destroyed that along with her project #and that’s really the only part of her personality that drastically changed #so if that’s the thing you don’t like your hate should be directed at frank and not at her #i’m sorry she snapped at fiona a few times and was a bit cringey #but she was also literally thirteen #shameless #debbie gallagher

[barissoffee]

Instead of wasting an episode on Rampart, they should of just had Echo and Rex appear with the coordinates to Tantiss base. At least it would make more sense as to why Echo was missing for five episodes and they could explain that he was tracking down the base location with Rex. But instead the writers went with the guy we haven't seen or mentioned in 20 episodes.

#mine #tbb spoilers #tbb #the bad batch #like come on it makes more sense #literally four episodes left and they use it on HIM #get me in the writers room

[youledmehere]

THE ONES WHO LIVE EPISODE FOUR: WHAT WE

#richonne #the ones who live #* #feels like theyve kissed more in four episodes than their entirety on the main show #they know what the people want.

[trips2saturn]

despite my fierce admiration for angst and every single aspect that it entails — i’m one hundred percent positive that i will be crying during episode four if i see michonne break down, no matter if it’s in anger, grief, etc etc. i will be sobbing!!!!

she’s built so much protection around herself for the sake of finding her husband. even before she started her journey, she NEVER wanted to leave jude and rj behind; judith had to coerce her into even thinking of that possibility. that was never michonne’s choice. those babies are her top priority forever, even during her time away from them. so having to witness the inevitable outcome of her breaking that barrage that she tried to contain is going to HURT. i hate seeing michonne cry, idc. she’s been through so so so so so much, and rick has too, but this is a woman who also had to suffer the loss of her lover for years. almost a decade!!!!!! she needs a release too. she needs someone to bring her back home too (and that will of course be rick). she’s a mother and a warrior but she’s also so drained emotionally and physically, just as much as rick is.

they both deserve the happiest sunshine butterflies and fucking rainbows ending EVER. but michonne is so strong and i love her. i’m prepared for episode 4 because it’s written by beloved danai, but holy fuck. just punch me in the gut now because if anyone knows their character best, it’s danai. this one’s going to cause water works for me i can already tell. certified michonne lover 4L!!!!!!!! 🫶🏼🌟💪🧸

#episode three was top tier but four is going to be GOD TIER #danai is the best writer ever i cannot wait #this will fuel the flames inside of me oh my gosh #a couple more days people!!!!! #trips talks #the ones who live #the walking dead #richonne #michonne grimes #rick grimes #towl spoilers