#..........whether he will be able to or not is debatable

[mixingandmelting]

I loved your posts about how the batboys act when they’re crushing on the reader, and I was wondering if you had any hcs on any questionable habits they’d have when crushing on the reader. I’d imagine bc it’s Gotham city and it’s dangerous they’d be quite protective they’d probably know what route you take to work, when you get home, etc. or really just anything else stupid or weird they’d do if they liked you 😂

Dick: Surprise

Up from where he’s perched on the roof, he coos at seeing your eyes snap right then to left.

“Just a step closer to the street lamp…” He mumbles, his patience already running thin in anticipation and excitement. And, bingo, you’re right where he wants you.

Pressing send on his phone, he quietly jumps down and lands right behind you as you stand there, checking the text you just received.

“What does he want now?” You grumble your breath, not all realizing the head that leans over your shoulder and stays right next to your ear.

“Who wants what now?”

“Eek!”

For a minute, it’s silent. Your face beet red with a hand covering your mouth. His eyes on you in disbelief. Then:

“Pfft-“

He bursts out laughing, laughing even harder when you smack his arm and tell him to shut up.

“Dick!”

“That’s my name.” He quickly tilts his head, dodging your fist.

It can’t be helped, him teasing you like this. He’s a vigilante in love, head over heels for you to where he changed his patrol route so it would be timed when you leave work and he could follow you around with the excuse that he’s doing his job whenever he gets caught by you. Surprise attacks? He tells you it’s his way of making sure you have your guard up when it’s actually a small bonus for himself since your reactions always manage to send warmth and happiness down his spine, knowing your attention is on him.

Also how else would he be able to spend more time with you on a daily basis?

Jason: Weaponry

Same time, same place. He blankly stands in front of the glass shelf, mentally debating what to get you.

He’s been playing bodyguard, walking you from work to your place every night (sometimes following you when he’s being Red Hood but you didn’t need to know that) only to find out up to earlier today, you were walking in the city with the highest crime rate in the dead night and unarmed.

“Do you even know any self defense? Own self-defense?”

“No…? Why would I?” The urge to facepalm felt so real, questions on how you got it this far in his mind.

“Have you… ever considered…?”

“Why when I have you?”

…Fuck.

He rubs his face with hand, trying to smother out the flames blazing under his cheek. Whether it was intentional or not, he hasn’t figured out yet. What he does know is that you’re so smooth and cheeky, mostly likely unaware how the simplest things you do can affect him so much. Precious and so darn cute that it becomes another reason for him to worry about you from the desire of needing to protect you and your adorableness in case anyone else were to notice and snatch you away because of it.

The shopkeeper's bell rings and his hand holds a plastic bag for a change when he exits the store. A pepper spray, a switchblade - some beginner friendly stuff. He was on the fence with the personal alarm that’s disguised as a keychain considering he already had a tracker on you just in case. But having another one might not be so bad, right?

Tim: Social stalking

“Amateurs.” He snorts to himself, listening to his siblings’ conversation over the coms.

The whole following around the city is such an old classic. GPS tracking with the latest cutting-edge technology? Sure, it’ll help with keeping track, finding places to go and, maybe, where to eat on the next hang out. But the real way to do things is to do what he does: follow every social.

Snapchat, Facebook, hell even Pinterest and Tumblr, he follows you on, your socials a cornucopia of your likes and dislikes whether it’s current or in the past. How else would he have known to get you Elden Ring or that one hoodie you’ve been eyeing the past few days? Also, did you really think it was a coincidence that he’d bring up going to that one new bakery last week during the time you suddenly craved for baked goods?

The best part about it is how he’s still connected to you even when he’s not physically there and can’t text you. Reading and liking every post you make about your day fills his heart, saving any photo you take on to his phone with a dopey smile especially if it’s of you. You’re just a button away rather than miles, making him think about you constantly.

So he mutes everyone on his end and goes back to the problem at hand, that is figuring out how to become mutuals. After all, you don’t know that he knows and follows you. But he really wants to comment on your posts, especially on the latest featuring you in a Red Robin hoodie while fanning over it in the caption.

Duke: Light fluctuation

Small orbs of light surround the two of you as you both walk through Gotham Park on a summer night.

“Woah, look at all these fireflies! I think it’s the most I’ve seen so far!” Your eyes sparkle, smiling with childish glee and excitement.

“Y-yeah, it sure does…”

Mentally, he screams. He’s sweating bullets, begging everything in the universe that you didn’t hear his voice crack.

It became a thing now where every time he’s with you, he’d subconsciously emote through his powers. Just the other day, he had to distract you from looking down at your shadow because there were heart-shaped shadows surrounding yours. Last week was worse. He was on patrol, saw you, and started glowing like a glow-stick. A fucking glow-stick. The only saving grace for that incident was the sun coincidentally shining behind him when he waved at you though he didn’t appreciate the texts he got in the group chat asking why he was emitting light brighter than said star.

Now there’s this, his powers completely filling the park. At least there are actual fireflies blinking here and there in between but he’s pretty sure ninety-percent of those lights are from him.

seeing you haven’t suspected anything, he starts to unwind and enjoy the walk. Until his phone vibrates.

A hand over his face, he groans when it’s a text from Bruce, annoyance turned into horror at the news clip his mentor has sent him asking if he knew anything about the light-dome phenomenon that’s occurring.

“Duke, you good…? You don’t look great…”

“Just peachy.” His voice pitched, struggling to suppress his tears of despair.

Damian: Following around

He refuses to be slandered by Drake. Unlike the other who failed to trick his team members with a stupid disguise (like seriously, the best name he could make up was Mr. Sarcastic?), he was able to follow the son of Superman undetected by acting as the latter’s substitute teacher AND bus driver

Also, the older male does realize they do this all the time regardless of civilians or criminals alike, right? It’s nothing much different to that. If anything , it’s killing two birds with one stone where he’s able to observe you while being available to protect you if anything were to happen by following you around.

It can’t be helped, when, in his opinion, you’re not aware of your surroundings. It’s one thing for you to not realize that he likes you but it's another when One too many times, there would be someone getting too touchy with you for his liking leading him to have to them away.

Hence the current situation where he’s leaning against a tree and putting away the mini sketchpad with another completed sketch of you in it.

“What’s so great about that book anyways?” He grumbles as he watches you read the same book the fifth time this week at the stump of the same tree he’s on.

He startles when you suddenly snap the book close.

“Da- Robin, I know you’re in the tree.”

“Tt.”

Dammit. He got caught again. With that, he jumps down while preparing to face your annoyance. At least you’re thinking this is the first time, neither denying or confirming how many times he’s done it so far.

[airconditionedgirl]

This kind of brings to mind the central thing at the center of the Worm Question

Because a person doesn't ask the Worm Question if they felt completely secure in a relationship. Something is making them feel insecure, whether it be internal, anxiety, PTSD, self esteem issues, etcetera, all of the above, or external; they see on some level that they are not loved by this person, or not loved as much as they need by this person, or that they're worried about some aspect that might threaten their relationship.

So they ask the Worm Question to try and communicate their needs without being so direct about it, both as a way to protect themselves emotionally and as a way to give the other person a chance to step up and give support, all this context depending.

And it makes sense why conflict can happen when the worm question is brought up, the asker really isn't being direct, and the other person could have any number of reasons for answering in a way that has a negative result.

Still, while the Worm Question as a tactic debatable in it's helpfulness when compared to more direct means of communication, I do still side with the asker in the vast majority of situations, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

If a person is keyed in to their relationship, as all people should be, then they should be able to easily recognize the Worm Question for what it is: a plea for affirmation or affection or attention.

And if you do recognize that, then there really is no reason to not say "yes i would, for real, absolutely"

The key then is to talk to your partner, touch base with them, get on the same page if you weren't, comfort, express needs, establish boundaries, give support, validate, listen, be honest, all that good stuff.

Like, I once asked my boyfriend @daydreamerdisease the Worm Question and he just said yes, with no hesitation. I'd mostly asked as a joke, but I only realized after that it felt great to just hear that, and that I really did need to hear that kind of reassurance.

Because at the end of the day what the Worm Question is really asking is

"Am I enough? Is your love conditional?"

[rainbow-beanie]

Love how this update shed some light (pun not intended) on how not everyone in home likes one another. Frank doesn’t seem to like or appreciate barnaby’s antics while Julie recounts how barnaby had called her “silly girl” while howdy said she needed to get new material.

I’m thinking barnaby calling her silly girl was just him being him, giving people nicknames similar to how he calls wally bud or kid. Howdy could’ve just been trying to give her advice, but it’s hard to tell if it was genuine since we don’t know the full context.

Point is, julie seems to be the kind of person to really take things to heart, this includes mistakes like failing to come up with good enough jokes for howdy. And julie seeming to not be able to get this “flower” to bloom. (Whether this is an actual flower is up for debate) which really hurts her deeply cause she’s a rainbow monster, and rainbow monsters like her are supposed to be able to do things like this. And not being able to bloom “just one flower” makes her feel like she failed at her purpose.

Damn I want to give Julie a hug!! 😭

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Rumor

I have a friend who loves William and Catherine but she isn’t a big fan of the monarchy because in her words it’s built on the backs of BIPOC

However she isn’t a fan of Meghan and Harry but wrongly believes Meghan faced racism from the monarchy

I’m debating whether I should recommend she check out your page or not but I don’t want her to think that myself, yourself or others are conspiracy theorists or far right etc.

What should I do

You know your friend the best so I can’t really advise you there. You could start with the lies post and then let her reaction tell you what to do next.

A couple of points to your friend’s perspective:

Meghan did face racism in the UK and within the monarchy/institution. Racism is a spectrum that goes from unconscious bias and microaggressions to harassment and discrimination to terrorism. It’s pretty likely that Meghan’s experience with racism was on the side of unconscious bias and harassment, versus discrimination or terrorism, but it’s still racism all the same. As for it coming from within the monarchy, the evidence is flimsy but it’s still evidence - there was a conversation about skin color that offended Meghan when she heard about it, Princess Michael’s blackamoor brooch which Meghan was also offended by, and Lady Susan’s question about “where are you really from.” Just acknowledge it. Personally I think to deny that a person of color didn’t experience racism is a bit racist in and of itself, simply because we don’t know everything that really happened. But that’s just me and I’ll get off my soapbox here.

The second thing is the comment about the monarchy being build on the backs of BIPOC. I mean…it’s true. Much of the western world, not just the British monarchy, was settled and built on the backs (and bodies) of BIPOC. I think you can acknowledge that the monarchy (and most of the west) has a very problematic history and be able to separate that from the people currently representing it, working in it, and modernizing it.

So I think if we want to like the people currently in the monarchy, it’s important to acknowledge the problematic past of the monarchy, because ultimately that shapes who they are as people and what their charity/philanthropy focus is, right? Because if you really boil down the BRF’s signature charity works, it’s all about addressing inequity and exclusion - aka long-term systemic issues their ancestors and their institutions created: William’s work with wildlife conservation and his refusal to work with ivory or his work in homelessness, Charles’s work with The Prince’s Trust to invest in disadvantaged people and communities, Anne’s work with Save the Children, Philip’s legacy/Edward’s work with the Duke of Edinburgh awards, and Sophie’s work in the Commonwealth. I mean, if Charles and William themselves can acknowledge this complicated history in the monarchy, then so can we.

(Don’t get me wrong here: I think there’s so much more that the BRF can be doing, and should be doing, to take accountability for that problematic institutional history, but it’s baby steps. I hope William does more when he’s king - the Lady Susan statement gives me hope, but we’ll see.)

(I guess you could also show your friend this post and say “look, this is her perspective, if this resonates with you then maybe you should read some of this blog” and let your friend decide.)

Ok, off the soapbox now.

[theskeleton117]

Aw shit, here we go again

1. He was pretty young when he got the crown since he just kinda found it unlike the rest that had to wait until a certain age for it

2. His recklessness was what made the crown stick with him for the time that it did. Lamb actually was able to keep the crown because Narinder cooled down and Lamb didn't

3. He was pretty much the favorite child, but the bishops weren't really all that dysfunctional

4. Revival. He's the only one who knows how to do that in this AU

5. Dislikes a lot of their battle tactics, but he generally had a high opinion of them, even if he often rebelled against their decisions

6. So, immediately after the imprisonment, Narinder hates them, but with some hindsight, Narinder just misses them

7. Favorite was Heket since she'd occaisonally help him get away with things Shamura normally wouldn't allow. He doesn't have a least favorite exactly

8. A katana, a wakazashi (fancy word for shorter katana) and a scythe. The swords were just because Shamura used those and taught Narinder them. The katana was actually a gift from Shamura while the wakazashi was just something Narinder made. He lost the wakazashi upon being imprisoned, keeping the katana. Shamura later gave it back to him. The scythe on the other hand is a purely ceremonial weapon that he doesn't use

9. He created the 4 witnesses that the bishops use through constant revival, so those. To sum it up, those witnesses are mindless murder machines that just do what they're told without any thought

10. Yep. Lamb. I discussed this in my Lamb post somewhere

11. He cares about them a lot. That's just kinda it

12. I would assume so ig?

13. Lil scratch scar on him right eye

14. Nope. Just general cat. If I could draw him instead of just doing gatch tho I'd probably choose a specific cat type for him

15. I'd say it's kinda short but also kinda messy

16. Honestly I've decided upon reading this that it is now. Must alter his design now

17. I'd say like 7.5. Very ears

18. Had it from birth. Assigned 3 eyes at birth. He's A3eab

19. You know I actually never gave him the ones on his wrists. Never thought about that. Anyways, nothing notable from that wasn't already there or wasn't already expected

20. Nope

21. Maybe, but I don't know any that would make sense to develop after the imprisonment, but I might look into that

22. Weirdly. Normally slower but generally inconsistently

23. No blood relation, but Narinder was good friends with Forneus

24. I'd say he's caring towards them. He kinda acts similar to them as Shamura did to him when he was young

25. Rarely wears it. It's also ceremonial and usually used in tandem with the scythe. Not his style

26. It wasn't a prophecy, rather his own actions. The prophecy was only about the lambs and only showed up after he was imprisoned, had nothing about him

27. Since it wasn't a prophecy, I'm gonna talk about how others viewed it afterwards. To start, almost everyone knew that Narinder fucked up, even his supporters knew that. The real debate was in whether his punishment was too much

28. Question doesn't apply, see question 26

29. Here's something I've thought out quite a bit. So basically, he was practicing revival. I've seen a lot of people decide the reason thay was 'bad' is some arbitrary tradition from the bishops but in my case it's more serious. Revival directly damages the souls of those revived until they end up as husks of what they once were, at most only abel to follow orders. That's actually what happened to the witnesses. Narinder was doing this to try and find a way to stop Lamb's possible death as they had been hit with some sort of venom that would kill them slowly over time, and all that experimentation was thought to be too inhumane by the bishops, and even by Lamb themself

30. Mostly shame. Shame for the harm that he caused to get there. This shame often causes anger for him and that causes him to make more shit decisions

31. Yep

32. He certainly does, as he never wanted to in the first place. It shows in him occasionally helping them with things related to their injuries

33. Oh he fucking does. He's had a lot of experience with lamb culture from Lamb, and generally he liked their culture. That was one of his biggest regrets

34. Lamb was first introduced as his apprentice that he was forced to have, so obviously he was originally annoyed by them, but they were generally quite polite, if a bit timid. Narinder began to grow fond of them not long after, though

35. Narinder held out hope that this regeneration of Lamb would still somehow love him the way the other original did, so he, for the most part, never truly expected it. When Lamb decided he was done with Narinder's deals and chances, Narinder was crushed, even if he only outwardly displayed anger

36. Before imprisonment, yes. However this is clearly asking about after, and after imprisonment, it was always bittersweet. On one hand, it's still Lamb, sorta, and he still enjoys Lamb's company because even with the change in personality between regenerations, he enjoys Lamb's dumb ass. But on the other hand, Lamb reminds him of the version of Lamb that he knew and misses

37. Well, he has a lot of disagreements with them, but deep down he lives for the stuff that he gets to do with Lamb. Most fun he had in years

38. He doesn't understand why anyone would do it if there's other food around simply because "With most of them, there's no way to cook them that makes them taste edible"

39. Yeah so NariLamb actually ends after Lamb's regeneration for a while. Narinder takes on only two lovers, and both of them can barely be considered such. He had a slight thing going on with Goat, even if they were never really officially lovers per se. And then other than Goat, NariLamb started back up for a small bit but ended

40. It changes depending on when it was. When he furst joined, it was figuring out what he was gonna do with himself. Was he going to stay, leave, maybe rebel? By the end of that era, he had tried doing the last two before settling on the first. After that, it was struggling with his feelings towards Lamb and the lack of reciprocation of those feelings

41. He just uses he/him

42. He's just cis male for now (cuz he's boring /j) although I have considered maybe changing that for him but for now he's just cis

43. Similar case to Lamb where while I never included it in his design, I imagine he has a red moon necklace. In Narinder’s case, it's more of a way to memorialize the lambs that he was responsible for the deaths of

44. Oh definitely. I doubt all those meetings with Ratau and Forneus didn't have any drugs involved. I didn’t have anything prewritten but some crazy shit prolly

45. Sorta yes sorta no. He's doesn't tell anyone who he is, but Lamb occasionally does. It's not a secret, just not outwardly told. Regardless, plenty of people recognize him, even if it's not really a majority

46. Not great at that, but I can give examples of similar personalities sometimes. Before his banishment he was kinda like Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars (who he kinda shares a lot of other similarities to in my fic), and afterwards he's more like a lot more hardened and less cocky than he used to be

47. Definitely shy about talking about Lamb before their execution. In fact the topic is off limits to talk about to Lamb if they ever are able to bring it up. He enjoys talking about lamb culture and mythology even after their fall, because that was basically his special interest for a bit

48. He only really told Lamb to do that to free him. He doesn't consider sacrifice a good idea normally, but his desperation to get out of that hellhole was rampant enough to tell Lamb what amounted to "Just look out for yourself, fuck your followers"

49. You know on the Lamb when when this question was asked I answered French fries based on a random gut feeling based on the type of person Lamb is but I'm getting none of that for Narinder. I don't imagine Narinder’s favorite is fish, but he does like fish. No clue exactly what his favorite would be tho

50. I imagine Narinder’s general role in my fic, relative to Lamb, since a lot of side characters have something to offer to Lamb's character, is kinda the reverse of Ruri. The cat devil on Lamb's shoulder as opposed to the cat angel of Ruri. Narinder, while preferring Lamb doesn't *kill* followers, does support a level of manipulation. For example, I imagine Narinder heavily criticizes Lamb's choice on the level of transparency he has with his followers. Ruri and Narinder sorta balance each other for Lamb here and allow him to not skew to much in one direction of influence here for how he runs his cult

50 narinder questions

1. When did your Narinder aquire the Red Crown? Was he born into the role or did the crown choose him for a particular reason?

2. Why does the red crown find him worthy as a bearer?

3. What did his childhood look like? Did he live with the other crown bearers?

4. Does the Red Crown give him any unique powers such as the power of rot (a la TROD AU)?

5. How did he feel about Shamura pre-exile?

6. How about post exile?

7. Which sibiling was his favorite? Least favorite?

8. What weapon did he use prior to exile?

9. Do you have headcanons about who his witnesses or ‘bosses’ would be pre-exile? If so, who are they?

10. Did Narinder take any lovers before his exile?

11. How did Narinder feel about his priests, witnesses, and followers?

12. Does he have a dedicated meow button?

13. Does your Narinder have any unique features?

14. Is he based on any particular breed of cat such as a puma or a British shorthair?

15. Describe his fur. Is it unkempt? Well-groomed? Curly? Kept short?

16. Is, and I cannot stress this enough, his tail so, so fluffy?

17. How ears is he on a scale of 1-10? (This is not a typo)

18. Was he born with his third eye or did he gain it later from the crown?

19. Any notable scars post-exile other than around his wrists?

20. Did your Narinder have any disabilities prior to his exile?

21. Does he have any new disabilities upon being spared?

22. How does he pass the time in exile?

23. Are the kits, Aym and Baal, really his children?

24. How does he feel towards Aym and Baal? Ambivalent? Caring? Annoyed?

25. Why does he wear the veil? Or does he forgo it entirely?

26. How and when was the prophecy that he would rebel against the others revealed?

27. How did the others react to this prophecy before it happened?

28. Did he feel doomed by the prophecy? Relieved? Offended? Vindicated?

29. What exact rebellious act got him chained in the first place?

30. What are some of the biggest emotions he feels about being chained?

31. Deep down.. does he agree that it was necessary?

32. Does he have any remorse for harming his sibilings? If so, does he ever show it?

33. Does he care that an entire species and culture was ended because of him?

34. What was his first impression of the lamb?

35. When did he realize the lamb might turn against him? Was he blind to it until it happened or did he have a gut feeling long before then?

36. Does/Did he enjoy the lamb’s visits?

37. How does he feel about the lamb after being spared?

38. Does he support or partake in cannibalism?

39. Does he take a lover other than the lamb after being spared? If so, describe them!

40. What is his biggest struggle after being spared? Fitting in with the cult? Seeing the lamb’s face daily? Chronic pain?

41. Does your Nari use any pronouns besides he/him? If so, what ones?

42. Was he born male, female, intersex, or do you have no opinion on his sex?

43. Does he ever wear jewelry or makeup?

44. Has he ever used catnip? If so, what happened?

45. Is identity kept a secret from the cult? If so, do any of the followers recognize who he really is?

46. Describe his personality.

47. Is he shy about any topics? Does he enjoy talking about anything in particular?

48. Does he ever rethink the concept of sacrificing followers now that he is one?

49. Is his favorite food anything other than fish? If so, what is it?

50. Free headcanon space!

Back by… well no demand actually but 1400 notes made me think y’all might be interested, so come get your cat-lore-generating questions.

And please! If you reblog from someone, send that person an ask. It’s ask meme courtesy.

[jamietwat]

Jamie and Roy spending ridiculous amounts of time together and Phoebe knowing about it definitely means that Jamie’s around Phoebe a lot more in the off-season when she’s off school and Roy’s off work but still being Jamie’s personal trainer for free (and she definitely likes bossing Jamie around just as much as Roy does and finds the ridiculous shit Roy makes him do hilarious)

And you know that thing where kids love to randomly go watch this, I can do a somersault or want to see me do a cartwheel? and then you just have to awkwardly stand there and be like wow whether they actually can do them or not (and sometimes several times in a row have to try to think of something new to say the fifth time they do the exact same thing and then look to you for a reaction)

I’m just saying at some point they’re in some park and Phoebe definitely pulls a look how good I’m getting at cart wheels, Uncle Roy! around Jamie at some point and while Roy just stands there like 🧍‍♂️ and gives compliments that gradually get more and more deadpan and debates turning it into saying how much more impressive that is than anything Jamie’s done all morning but he doesn’t because he’s 90% sure that would just lead to Jamie getting all indignant and competitive and proving he can cartwheel too as if Roy isn’t already annoyingly aware of that from when he was dying trying to keep up with Jamie in Amsterdam while he was cartwheeling and practically skipping

But obviously Roy not saying anything doesn’t matter anyway and Jamie turns it into being like watch this to Phoebe and cartwheeling too and turning to Roy after like well go on, tell me how good I am at that too

Roy deadpans somehow it’s far less impressive watching a grown man cartwheel for attention. It’s just sad, really

But Jamie isn’t offended at all and just shoots Roy an obnoxious smirk and insists you’re just saying that because you know you couldn’t do one. Even trying would probably end with you needing a hip replacement or something

But before Roy can even properly argue or say something bitchy back, Jamie’s turning back to Phoebe with a how about this then? But even though it’s her he asks, it’s Roy he looks to the moment he finishes running a few steps and doing a one-handed cartwheel

And Jamie’s like well now are you impressed??? And god, Roy resents that he is and he could make a dig about how useless of a skill it was as an adult and how that wouldn’t accomplish anything on the pitch and he’d just look like one of the kids that picks flowers on the pitch instead of playing or even paying attention to where the ball is, but instead he rolls his eyes and says yeah okay

And Jamie beams but he doesn’t have time to properly gloat and give Roy shit because Phoebe’s already bossing him around telling him that he has to teach her how to do that too

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

I've been thinking a lot about the scene involving "Clone Force 99 died with Tech" and trying to figure out why it STILL doesn't sit right with me even now, 5 months after the Bad Batch finale aired.

Because really, looking at the line and how Hunter and Wrecker respond to it from an in-universe standpoint, it does fit the specific scenario well. Crosshair is getting ever closer to Tantiss with a severely wounded Wrecker refusing to give up, and he's worried. So Crosshair drops that bombshell of a line, reminding his brothers that the squad has permanently changed, in an attempt to try to save Hunter and Wrecker by convincing them to leave him and find a way to contact Rex as he storms Tantiss on his own, because it's "what he deserves." Hunter responds by saying Omega and the clone prisoners need all of them - which (being generous with my interpretation) is likely meant to address the "I deserve to die alone" sentiment Crosshair expressed by instead providing him another purpose. Then Wrecker responds by saying they know the risks and aren't charging in recklessly - addressing Crosshair's original concern.

So I think I would ultimately be fine with this scene as-is if 1) it didn't end up being the last time the brothers ever reference Tech, and 2) it didn't come at the end of an entire season's worth of complete mismanagement regarding the Tech storyline.

Now, I admit my perception will likely permanently be colored by the fact that when first watching the finale and hearing Crosshair say that line, part of me still clung to hope that Tech would show up before the end credits, but in between heaving sobs the analytical part of my brain was going "...Really? A full season of baiting us and THAT'S how you're going to tell your audience Tech isn't coming back? If that's really the case so help me..." And we all know that really was the case 😫😤😭

(Screaming into the void. Starting to realize I do a lot of void-screaming when it comes to season 3, especially with everything after "The Return.")

But even setting aside how soul-crushingly painful that line is, what continues to drive me absolutely bonkers about it is:

1) Tech sacrificed himself so that his squad COULD carry on without him, whether that meant fighting or not, and yet again the narrative itself refuses to openly acknowledge this. Even if Crosshair isn't at a point where he can really accept this (and that's a valid stance for him to take), it would have gone a long way for the show (via Hunter or Wrecker in this case specifically) to still definitively highlight why Tech had done what he did, especially after an entire season that ended up only implying that Tech's sacrifice held the squad back from achieving their goals.

(Another fan told me that they believe the line was a good way to acknowledge how important Tech is because the squad will never be the same without him. While I see their point, I think if the show really wanted to push that sentiment it would have landed a lot better if worded a bit differently and stated during, I don't know, a memorial for Tech. With all Tech's family there. Not desperately thrown out there by Crosshair in the middle of a mission as an attempt to shock/guilt Hunter and Wrecker into saving themselves - after all, as noted above, the purpose of the line in context isn't specifically to honor Tech anyway.)

2) There's no follow up to address the fact that Tech sacrificed himself, in part, so Crosshair could still be saved - nothing to provide that vital reassurance to Crosshair that he was/is WORTH saving.

3) After an entire season of being excruciatingly vague about whether each Bad Batcher has fully grieved or not, they're STILL keeping it vague and robbing the characters of any cathartic moment to acknowledge Tech in a way that actually respects his sacrifice and shows his family - his squad - is acting to honor his memory.

4) Above all, IT'S THE ONLY TIME TECH IS REFERENCED IN THE FINALE OF THE SERIES IN WHICH HE IS A MAIN CHARACTER and it's not in a way that highlights his positive influence on his brothers, nothing to indicate that this mission to Tantiss would have been just as important to him as it is to the rest of them so they're going to pull together as much to honor him as to accomplish their objectives, nothing to make that reference anything more than a knife to the heart. (Oh, sorry, there is that goggles reference in the epilogue. With Omega, alone. Yet again, the brothers have no meaningful interaction about Tech.)

And the thing is, even if when Tech does come back (and I firmly believe he can), the show that is specifically centered around the Bad Batch should not have ended without providing meaningful closure for all of them. (Yes, I'm still banking on another clone-centric show being in the works; but Rebels clearly left the door open for further stories while still leaving things wrapped up for all the main characters at the end of that show, and that could - and should - have happened here.)

...Anyway, now that I've gotten all that off my chest, maybe I'll be a bit calmer during future rewatches of the finale 😅

... Scratch that, I'll probably need to spell out all my grievances about the CX plotline before I reach the point of watching the finale with relative calm 😬

[hood-ex]

So anyway do you ever think about when Dick was delirious with fever and how he also had a gunshot wound in his leg, but despite that, he limped all the way to his motorcycle and took off after his talk with Bruce?

Because like?? Why does this man always just drive off after he's been shot?? I know Bruce didn't even realize that Dick left mid-conversation, but he really just let Dick take off like that without going after him or sending anyone to check on him?? I mean, Dick was so bad that Alfred full named him and demanded that he get back in bed to rest.

Nightwing (Vol. 2) #99

Dick clearly shouldn't have been moving around let alone driving his bike. And it's like, Bruce, I know you just lost your whole family/team but please try to keep your remaining family from crashing in the street.

[sincerely-sofie]

I’m the anon that sent in all the Ruby stuff! It makes me so happy that you love her so much. I didn’t expect her to be such a beloved character to you and I was kind of nervous that you would have hated her tbh. ^^;

Something Ruby related — I had a fic about Twig and co. confronting the siblings before I ultimately scrapped it because I could not write villainous characters without making them feel cliché. I do remember this one line said by Ruby’s sister when she lashes out towards Twig:

“You wouldn’t get it. You have a cushy life style and you baby your daughter instead of actually raising her. We’re doing that ungrateful, spoiled brat a favor — we’re teaching her how to survive. You wouldn’t know the meaning of that with that silver spoon in your mouth.”

I don’t blame you for struggling with not making the siblings feel cliché— writing villainous characters gets 900x more difficult the second you don’t want to make them sympathetic. Ark was fairly simple for me to write, even in scrapped scenes where he was all-in with his villainous role during the events of the post-game. Twig’s aunt, meanwhile, gave me a heck of a hard time while I was developing her backstory.

[razzle-zazzle]

you need to STOP IT with these ho/me/stu/ck aus. first psychonauts, now ninjago? STOP! BONKING YOU WITH A NEWSPAPER!

NOOOOO DON'T BONK ME!!! it won't stop me unfortunately, i love adding hs trolls to things 😌

anyway 💅 alternia as another realm within the 16 and maybe there was an invasion of ninjago at some point in the past, i'm still working out details. but the basic gist is a bunch of trolls immigrated to ninjago and honestly between the serpentine and munce and geckle and merlopians and the occasional skulkin and all of the all of it and everything else they fit right in tbh. they mostly keep to themselves but there is a bit of mingling between humans trolls and serpentine (up until the serpentine war at least), but trolls as elemental masters is next to unheard of given that trolls and humans can't really reproduce together that way.

except when wu goes to find all the holders of the elements of creation for the green ninja prophecy, well. Colton Bekkit and Nya are very obviously trolls, and wu knew that his brother had somehow managed to have a son with Tomeseek. what he wasn't expecting was for the masters of ice and lightning to have been raised by trolls, too. things are about to get chaotic (colton ends up crushing on the other three in three different quadrants pretty much. immediately. nya and kai had to raise each other and so nya's not really in touch with troll culture. things are only going to go off the rails from there)

[yuukimiyas]

GOOD MORNIE WORLD!!! startin my day off v early & v strong bc!!! EEEP!!!! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡ i just got the first sketch back for my bleach tattoo!!! it looks SO SO GOOD SO FAR!! he started so quick like bunnies too!! ໒꒰ྀི∩˃ ᵕ ˂∩꒱ྀི১ i can’t wait to see it in color!!!

[thrilling-oneway]

Also shout out to the person who said in the tags of that airi post who said that half the debates in this fandom are over gender or sexuality because that’s true and it pisses me off immensely

[mad-hunts]

let me psychoanalyze you, but also be nice.

you're unbelievably lonely.

maybe the teacher always sat next to you on the bus because it was the only open seat on field trips. maybe you were the fourth kid in the group project who was only there because they needed one more person. maybe you spent all of 7th grade lunch in the library. i think it's important to remember that it won't always be like that. it might take longer than expected but nobody is alone forever. sometimes it's hard to remember that just because you've felt unloved before, it doesn't mean you're unloved now.

tagged by: i found this one on tumblr as well LOL

tagging: @oculusxcaro, @divingdownthehole, @veroxins, @killerharvey, @sanguine-salvation, and anyone else who might like to take this quiz!

[audiio]

another big Karl Gauss Moment

[tic-loud-tic-proud]

New coworker is making almost twice as much as I am while having worked here for less than a week

[aparticularbandit]

so here's the thing.

memories in oaei are all kyoko and are opt-in. there's a yes | no function, and it seems to function pretty well. if there's a no, the memory doesn't download. with the exception of the most recent chapter (for the most part), memories are all numbered. ordered. arranged. there is a password, but it's starred out, so you don't know what it is, and one of the memories uses another password.

memories in oafc are all ryoko/junko and are...not entirely opt-in. the yes | no function is still there, but it only functions about half the time, if then. if there's a no, that can be overridden...and often is. none of these memories are numbered, and they don't necessarily come in any particular order. here, we see the system break down. all of the memories have a password - and like in oaei, they mostly use the same password - and it's not starred out. you get free reign to seeing which password is used. because a lot of times what's being inserted as the password isn't the password but something else entirely.

memories in oalh can be anyone (currently, they are only ryoko/junko and chisa, but there will be at least one kyoko one later - debatable whether we will see hajime/izuru have any or not, but it's possible). they are not opt-in. there is no yes | no function. if a memory shows up, you will remember. there are no options here. because memories are haphazard in terms of who remembers what when, there are no numbers, only flavor text. there are no passwords. why would there be a password? you don't get an option to say no, which is really what a password is. you will remember, whether you want to or not. sorry, not sorry.