#It's also ugly but better without the goggles

[skaruresonic]

I don't think people realize how callous their "Americans are privileged" posts sound to Natives living on reservations.

To be clear, I consider myself fortunate in that I don't live in a war-torn country. I cannot imagine the stressors involved. I'm privileged in that regard, that I never have to account for unpredictable and direct threats on my life and the lives of my loved ones.

However, that privilege of safety doesn't automatically make me equal to the image Tumblrites hold in their heads of the "acceptable" target: the middle-class white American who has access to clean drinking water and takes for granted basic living amenities. Chances are that person is likely struggling, too. The federal government wants us dead. They're just taking the slowest and "nicest"-sounding possible route, the one that gives them the most plausible deniability as they slowly erode the last of our rights. The fact that the world at large believes Natives are a thing of the past means their propaganda worked.

Also, the notion that there are no "third-world"-esque places (which... "second" and "third-world" are problematic terms in and of themselves, I'm just using them for lack of a better term) in America is false. Saying such is largely a sign of having, excuse my phrasing, your White Goggles(tm) on, because reservations and ghettoes exist. There's a reason living conditions on reservations are described as being akin to "third-world conditions." When COVID hit the Diné nation, a nation without running water, the government sent body-bags instead of help. And this was not the first time they sent body-bags in response to a disease outbreak on indigenous land.

Our own reservation has a long and storied history of getting fucked over by the government. More specifically, the state power authority, which cut our rez in half for the hydroelectric dam they wanted to build. They argued in court that the Skarù·ręʔ weren't "using" the fee land, even though they had to bulldoze homes and farms to make room for the construction of the dam.

We had to pack up and move elsewhere on our own land. They then pushed us to the shitty side of the water table. Our natural wells are full of sulfur, the water so incredibly hard that even the strongest filters cannot soften it much. There are also stories of barrels of decaying nuclear waste being buried under our street for years, making the road too bumpy to drive over, until my grandmother lobbied the local air force base that put them there in the first place to dig the barrels back up and take them away. If I told you the full, ugly truth of how we live, and all that we lack, you'd probably blanch. It's such that even I don't want to dwell on it.

Also, did you know that reservations were originally prisoner of war camps? I didn't. That explains a lot, actually.

Understanding the Realities of Reservation Life (nativehope.org)

[weirdestcornelius]

speaking of cuddles - in the newest ref he doesn't have eyes, just like uni. but like. he isn't magic? maybe he had some sort of magic spell cast on him (considering i think kneeby has said that without uni's magic, she would've bled out), but like... yayyyy another blind character who probably has those stupid goggles so they're not really blind.

I think Kc added that as another way to allude to him being a naked mole rat instead of a rabbit. Naked mole rats aren't blind, but they do have very blurry vision and are better at seeing in the dark. But honestly I don't know why he just lost eye privileges, because people can be visually impaired without it being noticeable at first glance. Naked mole rats DO have eyes, they just can't see too well compared to other rodents. To add onto the magic spell thing, it's been confirmed that non-magic anthries can learn magic with a lot of practice, but Kc has also stated that Cuddles isn't magic. So I don't know what's happening there.

If Cuddles does actually turn out to be visually impaired I can guarantee you the fandom along with Kc are going to make fun of him for it with the excuse of "he's the villain so it's okay!" Just like how they make fun of him for being short, being an "ugly" animal, etc etc.

The missing eyes thing could be very interesting if done correctly, though. It's been stated before that Cuddles feels very little to no pain so he MAY have done it himself, or it was perhaps one of the patients? I find it interesting how he's having more and more parallels to Uni; the missing eyes AND the colorful spots on his jacket.

(Abuse and Sh mention in this paragraph) I've always assumed that Cuddles himself was a survivor of abuse because it's been stated that he was born into a rich/famous family; those sorts of families are infamous for the amount of abuse and neglect that can happen in them, especially with parents expecting their children to grow up faster than they need to and basically stripping them of any personal choices they have in their life. He would be an interesting character to show that trauma doesn't always cause people to get shy and introverted like Uni or the other characters; some people will just snap when put under that sort of pressure. His eyes could be SH, that's what I thought when I first saw it. Him cutting off all of his feelings (literally his pun) and abandoning his morals is common in some abuse survivors, they cut themselves away from everyone and become controlling and cold in the hope that it will keep them from being hurt again.

[mlarayoukai]

This was a while ago now, but any opinion on FFXIV adding a dedicated eyeglasses slot independent from headwear after 10 years? Like 3 people in my discord server were excited about it, including me, but I realized it might be something you'd be interested to hear about.

Currently the only ways to wear glasses with other headwear is the "fashion accessory" system that lets you put on glasses just for taking screenshots or hanging out in towns, but you can't actually engage in combat or really interact with anything with them on for some reason. There's also a few hats that come with glasses or goggles that are *removable* with the visor toggle function (designed for full helms), but you can't have just the glasses without the hat in that case, which is annoying for me because my favorite pair of glasses is hot-glued to a tacky golf/tennis visor.

I already know you're the guy who farms splatoon pures on exclusively glasses, but the only other games I can think of with a similar situation are the Tales rpgs that put glasses in their "attachment" system with stuff like cat/bunny ears separate from equipment that give stats, but there's at least one game in that series where glasses are only available as dlc, and there's also no created player avatar characters afaik.

Like half of the planet needs glasses, but not having the option or having 2 or 3 different glasses isn't uncommon. The only glasses option in pokemon xy-sm where these ugly ass lenseless thick plastic frames that I hated 😭 it got better in swsh-sv but at the end of the day there were 3 different types with different color options. Rune factory had a guy with an open glasses fetish and there were 2 types glasses you could wear. Dress up sims get it right at least 😔 I'M saying it's good they got more options but 10 years later lmao?

[yourqueenb]

Gab

Since we’re on the topic of MC’s flirting, can we just quickly talk about how bad some of the dialogue was? 😬 Not exactly a narrative issue, but still prominent enough that it needs to be commented on because it only got worse as the story progressed. And honestly it wasn’t just the corny pickup lines. It was also the excessive interjections and puns during fight scenes. But I don’t want to waste too much time on this because it isn’t exactly unique to this book. Choices has its fair share of cringeworthy lines in other books. I think it was just intensified in this one because of all the other blunders they made.

Gear

Something that was more of a problem for this particular story was the gadgets. The cool devices and weapons agents get to use have always been a notable part of the spy genre. But imo the ones in this book were lame af and also kind of few and far between. We got an electric glove, the Identi-print, infrared goggles, and an electrostick (which was somehow still supposed to be enticing even though we already had the glove). Like these people work at what’s most likely a multi-million, maybe even billion, dollar agency. Why is the woman they were originally tasked to use as an informational asset basically reinventing the wheel and making clunky items that GAIA has probably had stored in their basement for 10+ years?

And despite what it may sound like, this is more of a dig at the writers than Vivian because I don’t actually mind that she was making things for MC and the LI. But where is the imagination??? Idk I just find it hard to believe that they couldn’t come up with anything better than a fingerprint scanner, something you can buy online, and two objects that do the same thing for diamond choices 😒 If anything, the scanner and goggles should’ve been free. And they could’ve chosen one of either the glove or electrostick to include as one of a few other premium gadgets offered throughout the book.

The one positive was that all of the items truly were extras (as premium options should be). But even with that, none of them were used enough to make them worth it. I got the electric glove, which I believe was used the most and was probably also the most novel of the options. But honestly, I could’ve gone without it. So I’m glad I didn’t waste diamonds on any of the other ones.

Garb

Last but certainly not least though was the fashion. Y’all know I have to at least mention it. I was sorely disappointed in pretty much every outfit except for the auction dress. And I really shouldn’t be surprised because PB is known for making ugly outfits atp. But this was their chance to redeem themselves just a little bit. Yet as per usual, the did not understand the assignment.

A spy should literally and figuratively be dressed to kill always. Sleek, sexy, and sophisticated. Those are some of the other qualities I think of when I hear the word. But the wardrobe we got was the exact opposite of those things. An ill-fitting casino dress, a boring suit, diaper pants. A MESS. Not to mention the fact that they did actually create another decent outfit, but it was completely the wrong time for MC to be wearing it! Like why would I pay to give her pneumonia and frostbite because she’s wearing a bra top in the middle of a Russian snowstorm 🤦🏽‍♀️ And this is coming from someone who normally doesn’t mind slightly unrealistic outfits in these kinds of books/movies because those types of things are usually close to my style. But they had to know that was ridiculous 😒 And I’m afraid I’ll never understand why the closet is something Choices constantly struggles with.

[i-am-kat-hi]

Alight my time has come to explain the ship HUZZAH

So the ship started out as an "Oh hey lab coat men with trauma lmao" and then I started to see the similarities between them. They're both men who act rude towards others and both have hidden things that they specifically hate(Charles with blood and Arturo with his deceased sister) as well as both of them having a dead sibling. I also like the fact they could bond over having someone who annoys them. Charles has Whit and Arturo has Veronika.

I would see them interacting like this:

Arturo walked down the halls of the school, annoyed. He couldn't find J anywhere so he was stuck alone. It was better than being stuck with Veronika anyway. Adding insult to injury, his mask had vanished unexpectedly. So he was just aimlessly strolling through the halls...until he noticed a particular person walking in the opposite direction.

"Charles? What are you doing here?" The surgeon asked, looking at the chemist condescendingly until he noticed something off about the other man. "Where are those...hideous goggles you usually wear?" He asked as Charles rolled his eyes. "Lost them. Where's your mask?" He asked back, earning a sigh from Arturo. "Gone. Although I have to admit, you look much better without those ugly things covering your eyes." He said, stepping closer to the chemist and cupping the latter's cheek in his rubber-gloved hands. He closely inspected all the little details of Charles' face, accounting for every perfection from his golden eyes to his perfectly symmetrical face. He found some form of… alluring presence within the purple-headed chemist. How had he been so blind? This man in front of him was a true beauty! Of course, what he didn't notice was Charles flustered beyond comprehension. "A-Arturo?! What are you- let go of me!" Charles yelled, pushing Arturo away from him and turning his back away from the surgeon, covering his mouth and trying to collect his thoughts.

Heeellloooo again~

What's your opinion on Charturo? It's one of my favorite ships and not many people I know even think of it as a ship.

Hmm. While I’ve read one to two one-shots about it, I’ll admit I don’t think about Charturo too often.

I guess Arturo isn’t really a character I usually ship with most of the other cast members, since a lot of them can’t stand his whole beauty shtick. Veronika is the one character I really like shipping with him, because she actually enjoys being around him. I headcanon her to think that his worldview getting morphed into what it is is very interesting and she likes to analyze it a lot. She constantly just wants to learn more about him so she can see why he is the way he is. (I guess that’s sorta true canonically, too).

But I’m getting off track. This is about Charturo, not Verturo.

I can definitely see the vision. At least in chapter one, Charles and Arturo are pretty similar, what with both of them being extremely condescending towards others, even if it is for different reasons.

Intriguingly, Charles actually respects Arturo at first, because he believes Arturo has a respectable occupation, and someone liking Arturo is interesting to see when everyone else seems to think he’s a creep almost immediately because of his worldview.

Speaking of Arturo’s worldview, him only respecting beautiful people, whether they be models, movie stars, etc. is probably the biggest roadblock for any Arturo ship, not just this one. How is he supposed to gain feelings for the person you ship him with if he’s constantly disgusted by their presence?

Usually the solution is to make him realize that the person you’re shipping him with is…now that he’s actually taking the time to look…really pretty. How did he not see it before? No, no, he’s being ridiculous. This classmate of his wasn’t to be respected in any sense. Yet…He couldn’t help but become entranced. If they let him, he’s sure he could help them be just as beautiful as some of the celebrities he’d worked with, though his classmate was almost on par with them already…

And then go from there. I haven’t read too many Arturo x anyone-besides-Veronika fics, but the ones I have usually do something like that. And I think it’s really fun! And literally every DRDT character is attractive, so it never feels too unrealistic. Maybe I’ll write something like that myself one day.

And this method could potentially work for Charles. Arturo watches him do chemistry stuff or whatever, and notices that wow, if Charles just took off those hideous yellow-tinged glasses (Arturo’s words not mine) and let him fix him up a bit, Charles could be not-ugly. Maybe even attractive.

As for whether Charles would return those feelings if Arturo fell for him…

Well, Charles is more complicated, because he can’t just see a pretty person and immediately start worshipping them. But I could maybe see it. He’s a scientist, and usually scientists possess a pretty hefty amount of curiosity, so he could possibly become curious as to what made Arturo the way he is, like Veronika. Other than that I’m unsure, though.

Maybe it’s because Arturo just doesn’t take up much space in my brain, but I’m struggling to see what Charles would actually…like about him?

Then again this is coming from the person who really likes Aceturo even though Ace would probably despise Arturo canonically. So I really want to hear your reasoning for why you think Charles and Arturo work together (unless you don’t have a reason and you like this ship just because. I totally get that, that’s how I am with some ships).

In conclusion, I don’t really get excited every time I see something about Charturo, but I don’t dislike the ship either. It just kinda exists for me. But I can see why you like it, at least a little bit. I’d love to hear more from you or others about why they ship it!

[dementedspeedster]

@impawsiblegar replied to your post

It’s way too close to the one they used for wally in Judas Contract

Ugh, it is. 

[dykelizard]

dumping all my donnie headcanons bc i cant stop thinking about him!!

-he bites. HARD. soft-shell turtle bites are SO BAD his mouth is the second most dangerous next to raph. if u put your hand too close he WILL bite you and you WILL lose a finger.

-his vision is so bad that he’s pretty much legally blind. most of the time he wears contacts, especially when they’re on the surface fighting, but when he’s at home and comfy he wears these big thick ugly glasses that are all taped together and shit that he’s too attached to get rid of at this point.

-for when he’s working in his lab he has a HUGE pair of prescription goggles that leo always makes fun of him for (and subsequently gets slapped over)

-he gets SUPER cuddly when he’s overtired or overcaffeinated. in addition, whenever he FINALLY goes to sleep, he kicks like crazy. he’s the most restless sleeper in the family for sure. (raph snores, leo sleeps like the dead whenever he actually sleeps, and mikey sleep-walks/talks)

-he’s in the back issues club with splinter because of his extra-sensitive soft shell. he has chronic pain, and sometimes he can’t wear his battle shell for more than a few hours because it irritates both his past injuries and his shell itself, and he gets sore really easily. sometimes when the pain gets really bad, raph will give him shell massages to help.

-he’s the best swimmer out of the mad dogs. he’s CRAZY fast, and he likes to grab his brothers’ legs while underwater (menace)

-when he was younger, before he developed his battle shell prototype, he was way more prone to getting injured and hurting his soft shell. because of it, his brothers would always end up going out of their way to protect him. it always made him feel like he was nothing more than a burden to his brothers, and useless to the team.

-he thought that he was just dragging them down because he was such a liability in battle, which is a big part of the reason why he ended up building the battle shell.

-he would always end up covering his shell with bandaids, and leo would always give him the purple ones to make him feel better. (mikey also would sneak stickers on when he wasn’t looking)

-he takes better care of his machines than himself most of the time. shelldon is always properly oiled and charged, and all his inventions are in pristine condition.

-his favorite stims are rocking, hopping, flapping, cracking his knuckles (he just like me fr), fiddling with things, and doing little dances!!!!

-he would fucking love 100 gecs.

-sometimes if he goes long enough without sleep he’ll just . fall over and pass out no matter what he’s doing. in mid-battle, while experimenting in the lab, while eating pizza, you name it. mans going DOWN. the other turtles have a protocol ready for it in every situation possible.

-he does 15 hour twitch streams that are literally just a live feed of himself inventing building and exploding various new things in the lab. he got 50 viewers once and he refused to shut up about it for a week straight.

-he HATES vegetables. soft shell turtles are primarily carnivores, and he has sensory issues with food texture especially, so he’s SUPER picky.

-however, that being said, he can and will eat bugs.

-his favorite type of pizza is anchovy and olive.

[saetoru]

your followers would love me if I asked for gojo fluff. so instead I'm going to ask for hawks fluff <3

with this prompt please: "Don't go on that date." "Why?" "You know why." "Say it."

but also it's no big deal if you don't want to write it!!

𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒 | 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐎.

keigo’s tired.

he’s so tired of giving all the signs, he’s so tired of dropping all the hints, and he’s so incredibly tired of watching you look right past it all—right past him—and stare with heart eyes at the next guy who can break you. he thinks it’s unfair that you’re so hellbent on not seeing that he’s the right guy for you, and he thinks it’s even more unfair that he simply can’t bring himself to tell you he’s the right guy for you too.

“do you think this outfit is—hey! are you even listening?” you huff, looking at him with furrowed brows and a glare as he fiddles with his goggles in his hands, bored out of his mind.

keigo is selfish, he knows this. if he wasn’t, he’d stay far away from you. he’d keep you at arms length away from the mess that is his job, and the mess that is his life, and the mess that is him.

he knows that you deserve better. you deserve someone who’s not him—but he also knows you deserve someone who’s not like your previous dates. he’s not sure why you have such a taste for despicable men, but he thinks he’s at least a step up from them, and he figures if you’re after a guy that’ll ruin your life, why not pick one that can at least show you a good time? and maybe a good view from way up in the sky too, while you’re at it.

“just wear the same one as last time,” he grumbles, “you’re not gonna go on a second date anyway.”

“well, that’s rude,” you mumble, frowning and dropping the shirt in your hands as your cross your arms. he feels the urge to kiss the pout off your lips, and it’s so unbearably frustrating that he can’t, so incredibly bitter, that he has to look away from you. “what’s got your feathers all ruffled? you’re supposed to be supportive.”

“i support good decision making,” he raises a brow, “he’s a horrible decision.”

“and what is, then? you?” you snort, and this time the pout is on his lips instead. he really wishes you wouldn’t do that. he really wishes you wouldn’t see the idea of him as so unimaginable, it’s a joke that falls off your lips without a second thought.

keigo thinks that all things considered, even if his life is a rollercoaster of unceremonious events, and even if he’s a little clueless in the department of love, he could love you really purely. he knows this like he knows how quick his feathers can catch a falling old lady in the streets, and he knows this like he knows how to find out things he really shouldn’t be finding out from the commission.

he loves you. it’s that simple, and he can learn how to love you the right way if you just saw that he was the right choice.

“well, at least i’m not as ugly as the last few,” he huffs, and then his lips are curling into a dashing smile, pearly whites all but blinding you as they show themselves. “did you know i was labeled one of the current hottest—”

“i know. you only said it like a thousand times,” you groan. he snickers at the way you roll your eyes, and you fight back a grin at the sound. “they wouldn’t think you’re so hot if they held a five minute conversation with you,” you tease, and he throws his arms behind his back and sinks further into your bed, amused expression printed across his face.

you have to admit to yourself he is hot—but you definitely don’t have to admit it to him.

“then you must think i’m really hot. we talk for hours,” he smirks, sending you a wink in victory as though he’s won this pointless argument. you can’t help but chuckle, and he grins at you as you do. “we could be great together, you know. opposites attract.”

keigo might not have gotten the chance yet to take you on a date, but he gets to see a side of you that none of those guys ever have, and he thinks he can mark that as a victory. even if it’s a small one.

“so if you’re hot, what does that make me?” you raise a brow.

“the opposite of that,” he says smoothly, but you can tell from the way he eyes you softly, from the way his voice is a little more breathless as he takes in the sight of you before him, he really doesn’t mean it.

“you’re definitely as charming as my dates,” you scoff, shaking your head as you turn back to find another outfit. but his voice stops you, and there’s a bit of urgency in it that makes you halt.

keigo doesn’t know why, but he knows that if he lets you go on this date, something might change, and he’s never let anything slip past his fingers in the air, and he certainly won’t let you slip past them while you’re standing right here before him.

“don’t go on that date,” he almost pleads. you clutch the shirt in your hands a little tighter. you trust keigo, you really do. you trust he’ll always swoop in and protect you, but you have to wonder if he can protect you from himself.

“why?” you squint at him. he gulps, looking down at the goggles in his hands.

“you know why,” he mumbles softly. keigo’s always got something to say—even when he shouldn’t, and you’ve scolded him one too many times for that in the past. you think he can at least have the decency to admit this to you verbally before you even think about handing him your heart.

“say it,” you say firmly. there’s a moment of silence, and you almost think you have your answer. he’s not going to say anything, and you slowly nod to yourself before going to turn back to your closet. but his voice cuts you off again.

“we could be good together. opposites attract.”

and keigo’s got a mess of a life—but he thinks you’re the small bit of order that could make it feel just the slightest bit normal.

[nerdyreaderpapi]

OMGGGGGGGGAGAHAHAGA I’M GOGGLING RIGHT NOW!!!!

Okay so here we go, this might be long so buckle up! I literally took jot notes in my phone while I was reading because there’s so much I wanna talk about!!

1) “Truly, there was only one person he wanted to tell. The person who didn’t study him like a lab rat while scribbling notes, the person who knew only too well how that felt.”

- I found that whole paragraph to be so cute and wholesome, because while him and Ella haven’t known each other for that long, they’re already so comfortable with each other and they’re the only ones who are able to read each other/calm each other down. And I love that! I love that they’re able to help each other!!

2) “Oi, little,” he called upon arriving at the common room door. “Wanna come for a walk?”

- I love James nickname for Ella! The way he uses it is honestly so cute it makes me melt, seriously, MELT 🤭

3) “Come here, little. Give us a hug.” Resting her head to his chest, it slipped to his arm as he turned onto his side, enveloping her, pushing a strong thigh between hers. Comfort. Support. Someone who listened, and oh, how they’d found it in each other.

- OKAY BYE BECAUSE I ACTUALLY TEARED UP READING THIS PART!!

- “Comfort. Support. Someone who listened, and oh, how they’d found it in each other.” That part made me cry because I actually found someone like that— it’s my sister, her and I weren’t really that close growing up but as we got older to become adult we got really close and she’s the only one who understands me without judgement.

- I really loved how you worded this because it really makes their interacts so wholesome when they talk about their problems because they both know they aren’t being judged by each other!

4) “Oh, shitting hell. Don’t fucking kiss her, don’t do it, man. Seriously, ain’t gonna lead anywhere good... but fuck, at least I know my meds haven’t fucked with my sex drive now. Fucks sake! Can’t even think about that, I’d break her, she’s so tiny. Fucking shatter her pelvis to pieces, innit. Nah, don’t do it. It’ll make everything even more complicated. But shit, I want her badly.”  

“God, I wish he’d kiss me. Bet I’m not pretty enough for him, though. He probably likes all those gorgeous goth girls who look like Morticia Addams.” 

- James thoughts made me giggle! Same with Ella’s, I love how they both want each other but think the other person isn’t interested. I love when that happens but I really love how most of all, they have a friendship before the real relationship, if that makes sense?! 🤭

5) “Alright, wanna know what I see?” he began, stopping around the corner of the facility, where the path opened up to one of the car parks. “I don’t see a pretty girl, really. Suppose you’re right there. Ella, you ain’t pretty. You’re fucking beautiful. Those girls who picked on you in school and started this whole mess with how you see yourself, they knew you were beautiful, too. Just wanted to cut you down to make themselves feel better, innit.” 

- okay James officially made me cry!! Again! I LOVE HOW HE SPEAKS TO HER!! This seriously had some tears dropping because Ella so badly believes that she’s fat and ugly but here comes James, telling her she’s fucking beautiful and then….. THE KISS!!! OH MAN THE KISS!

6) The kiss deserves it’s one special section of conversation!

- I love how before they even kissed, there was laughter and friendship and thoughts of liking each other beyond that! I love how the kiss was in this moment, not only for Ella to see that James does really find her beautiful but I also think it was for him!

7) I MISSED SOMETHING! This is from the beginning, when Ella said she would miss James a lot if he wasn’t here!!! Oh man my heart couldn’t take it!

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SERIES EVER! Now I can go on about my day happy lol 🥹🥰

Seriously, the way these characters are so relatable and I can see myself in them but also recognize them as their own people is truly amazing! I get so excited seeing a new update! I swear I’m going to be glued to my phone waiting for more!

I can’t wait to see what you have in stored for these two! Thank you so much for the amazing updates! 💗💗🥹

Light on the Darkside - Chapter Five.

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added/removed.

Words - 3,037

Warnings - 18+ throughout. Topics cover depression, suicide and eating disorders. Minors DNI!

“Well, I have to say I’m pleased with your progress, James. Lately, you’ve appeared brighter, although there are a few issues we need to iron out with your behaviour towards authority. I need not remind you that you must do as the orderlies ask of you. I hear you’ve made a friend as well, which is very positive. I must note though, despite all this good work, you don’t appear to be all too chipper today. Shall we discuss that?” 

“Nah.” 

It was one step forward and two steps back with this young man half the time, Dr. Beaumont thought, watching him slumped down in the chair before her. His long legs were stretched out, his hoodie pulled up to partially conceal his face. That was one of the little tell-tale signs with his mood, she’d noticed. If it was bad, he had a tendency to hide within it.  

“James, we cannot progress in your therapy if you continue to bottle up these feelings. It is much more conducive to your recovery to get them out.” 

Chewing his lip, he shrugged, eyes not moving away from the window to meet hers as he began to frown. “Don’t wanna progress. It’d just be easier if I weren’t here at all. It’s all total bullshit, innit.” 

Oh, he was back there again, emotionally absconded to his depressive void. “And what is it that’s brought this on?” 

“Stuff.” 

“An elaboration would be helpful to me, James. I can’t help you if you continually refuse to open up to me. This is very frustrating, given all the recent progress you’ve been making,” she tried, her tone firm but gentle.  

Truly, there was only one person he wanted to tell. The person who didn’t study him like a lab rat while scribbling notes, the person who knew only too well how that felt. He shut down completely for the rest of his therapy session, and although she did not want to reward such, his recent good behaviour had earned him something she couldn’t take off the table. It could likely make him worse if she did, she reasoned. 

“Well, although our session has not moved forward in the way I’d hoped, I can tell you that due to your recent improved behaviour, we’ve decided to give you grounds privileges.” 

“Cheers for that.” His tone might’ve still been flat, but he was out of his seat like a shot in order to go and enjoy them, she guessed. Perhaps such might make him open up more during their next session, give a little back for the reward he’d been handed. She could only hope. 

“Oi, little,” he called upon arriving at the common room door. “Wanna come for a walk?” 

Ella’s head shot up from where she was sitting with Andrea and Emma, a new girl admitted for symptoms much matching his own. “What, you can actually go outside?” 

“Yup.” 

“Ahh, cool beans! Let’s go!” 

Turning, Andrea pulled a kissy face at him. “Can I come, too? I know all the spots we can hide and have a bit of fun.” 

“Andrea,” Tracy warned, shaking her head, “that’s one.” 

“Not in the mood, Andrea,” James spoke, frowning. 

“Moody bloody goth,” she tutted. 

“Slag.” 

“James! You’ll have those grounds privileges revoked if you carry on with that mouth,” Tracy warned him, being met with an eyeroll as Ella arrived with him, giving him a little poke in the chest with her finger.  

“Stop being a dickhead, church burner,” she warned lightly, her joke falling very flat, his face remaining sullen. God, he looked so gorgeous when he was grumpy. Well, to Ella he looked gorgeous all the time, but she kept that to herself. There was absolutely no way somebody like him would ever fancy her. “What’s up?” 

“Tell you in a bit.”  

Accepting that, they neared the doors, both having to sign out in the book on their way before James stepped into his first taste of semi-freedom in three months. The fresh air felt great, the sunshine warm on his face, taking a deep breath he held before exhaling it slowly. He still felt shit, but being outside made it a little better, as did the nudge at his side. Opening his eyes, he saw a cigarette offered to him, Ella lighting her own before handing over her lighter. 

He took a long drag, inhaling, feeling his nerves buzz. “Shitting hell, that’s better.” There were several rolling banks undulating the grounds, the pair walking down to the second before taking a seat on the neatly mown grass, James lying back while Ella sat with her knees drawn up at his side.  

“So, why isn’t my BFG a happy camper?” BFG to her stood for big friendly goth. It had made him laugh, the first time she’d coined it a few days prior. Sadly, at that moment it had no similar effect whatsoever. 

“I called Steve yesterday, and he was playing me rough recordings of songs he’d been working on. Did the guitar bits himself, and it sounded way better than anything I could have come up with. So like, what’s the bloody point? He can do a better job than I can, so I might as well not even be here. The band don’t need me, so fuck it. It was the only thing getting me through, innit. Fucking, yeah. That’s it.” 

How perilous it was, the seesaw between hope and hopelessness James sat himself upon. “If Steve was that brilliant on guitar, then like, why were you even there at all to begin with? Because you’re obviously talented, and a vital part of Nocturnal Descent. Stop being silly. You’ve been so much better over the last three weeks. Surely, you’re not going to let a little bleedin’ thing like this set you back?” 

He sighed, taking another long drag on his cigarette. “Ella, if I still feel like this when I’m up to my eyeballs in medication, then what fucking hope do I have?” 

“None if you let the intrusive thoughts win,” she shrugged, reaching to stroke his arm fondly. “You can’t just like, let the medication do it all. You have to put some effort in, too.” Pausing, she considered her next words carefully. “Okay, so like, I’d get it if Steve had told you that they didn’t need you back, and that him, Snedders, Gaz and Dan were carrying on as a four piece without you, but he didn’t. This whole ‘nobody would miss me if I wasn’t here’ thing you have going on only exists in your head. It isn’t the truth.” 

“Ain’t it?” he snorted, frown deepening. 

“No!” she cried, waving her hands around. “By all accounts, your mates love you to death, so do your sister and your dad. Your mum, too, even though she’s a bit of a pain in the arse from what you’ve told me. So many people would miss you!” Pausing, she curled into herself more, dropping her gaze from the stormy grey of his eyes, turning her head to look out over the grounds. “I’d miss you, if you weren’t here. I’d really fucking miss you.” 

How fond she’d truly grown of him in those short few weeks they’d begun to lean upon one another.  

Continuing to look out at where the sunshine illuminated the grass, listening to the sound of the birds tweeting in the many tall trees dotted around the grounds, she felt like she hadn’t been heard for a few moments. A nervous feeling crept over her, heat rising in her cheeks, her arms tingling. Was that the wrong thing to say, to lament how much she’d miss him if he was gone? She realised it wasn’t when his hand met the bottom of her back, beginning to stroke where her long-sleeved t shirt had ridden up a little. 

Watching where he flicked his finished cigarette past her, it smouldered to nothing in the grass, Ella stubbing her own out and turning to him with a little smile. Finally, he returned it. 

“Come here, little. Give us a hug.” Resting her head to his chest, it slipped to his arm as he turned onto his side, enveloping her, pushing a strong thigh between hers. Comfort. Support. Someone who listened, and oh, how they’d found it in each other.  

Closing her eyes, Ella burrowed her face against his chest, curling into him completely, her hand stroking over his pectoral muscle. Solid as rock. She bet he looked amazing under his t shirt. Pity she’d never likely find that out first hand. Oh, if only she knew what was going on in James’s brain right at that second as he held her close, feeling his insides beginning to spark. 

“Oh, shitting hell. Don’t fucking kiss her, don’t do it, man. Seriously, ain’t gonna lead anywhere good... but fuck, at least I know my meds haven’t fucked with my sex drive now. Fucks sake! Can’t even think about that, I’d break her, she’s so tiny. Fucking shatter her pelvis to pieces, innit. Nah, don’t do it. It’ll make everything even more complicated. But shit, I want her badly.”  

Meanwhile, Ella’s thoughts were much less of a maelstrom.  

“God, I wish he’d kiss me. Bet I’m not pretty enough for him, though. He probably likes all those gorgeous goth girls who look like Morticia Addams.” 

She didn’t dare look up at him, because she knew she’d do something stupid like kiss him, and the embarrassment of having him let her down wasn’t something she could deal with in her present state.  

Why was life so unfair? 

The silence they shared was a lot less comfortable than an outsider would likely think it looked. Although their brains shouted utter nonsense at them, bodily, curled up together, they were nothing but content.  

“How’d you feel now?” Ella finally asked, her voice small, a little shy, even. 

“Better, you know,” he confessed, thumb idly stroking her shoulder. “Always am when you’re around.”  

She smiled. “I am the death repellent.” 

“Kinda,” he sniffed. “Still wanna die, just a lot less. I dunno, you make sense of my thoughts when they’re all jumbled up. Not all of them, but most, innit.” He definitely couldn’t say what had begun creeping over him as he held her was helped by her at all. Oh no. She was the catalyst there.  

The comfort of having her so close sadly didn’t outweigh the way his thoughts spiralled out of control, the flourish of desire for her mixed with his depressive episode not a good fit. Turning away, he resumed lying on his back, keeping one arm around her, the other reaching to pick at one of the rips on his jeans.  

“Ahh, that’s it, then,” she thought, sitting up and curling her knees to her chest once more. “He had the perfect chance to kiss me just then, if he wanted to. We’re just mates and nothing else.”  

“Looking all glum over there, little,” he noted, propping himself up on his elbows as he squinted against the sun. “Selfish dickhead, it’s my turn to be moody, not yours.” 

“Shut your hole, church burner.”  

Finally, he laughed. He’d never cease to find that funny.  

They remained outside for another cigarette, chatting casually before heading back inside. Parting ways at the stairs, James revealed he was in need of a nap, telling her he’d catch up with her later that evening after dinner. Ella cut a sad little figure as she walked back to the common room alone. 

He swung the door shut behind him, kicking off his boots and collapsing face first onto the bed, groaning long and low into the pillow.  

“Not now, man. Get your head right before you start thinking about women. Don’t drag someone as lovely as her into your shit. She’s got her own issues without you trying to poke your dick in her.”  

The part of his brain that had those staunch words with himself sadly went in stark contrast with the part that conjured the dream he found himself in after falling asleep, James unsure whether he actually was dreaming, it felt so real. If it wasn’t real, then he had no idea how he could feel the exact intensity and pleasure of receiving a blowjob if it wasn’t actually happening.  

“Oi, you’re about to get us in a fuckload of trouble, little,” he told Ella, rumbling a chuckle as he looked down, watching his cock sliding back out from within the deep suck of her pretty mouth.  

“As if you’re complaining about me sucking your dick,” she winked, her hand taking over as her lips pressed a kiss against the deep line of muscle creasing his hip. “Got a bleedin’ nerve, BFG.”  

“Nah, I ain’t complaining at all,” he began, groaning when her mouth moved to swallow him back once more. Fuck, she was good. “It's just that checks are every fifteen minutes and I dunno how long ago the last one was. Doesn’t give us a lot of time.” 

“Don’t need a lot of time. Trust me.” God, she wasn’t wrong, her mouth continuing to glide, her tongue pressing into the thick vein engorging his shaft, his hands moving to tangle in her hair. His chest began to heave, tingles rushing, gritting as with a soft curse, he came deep in her throat.  

His head shot up off the pillow, wide awake and incredibly horny from the dream he’d just had, sighing and flopping down again. Nope. This couldn’t be anything he actively pursued. He knew himself and he knew he simply wasn’t well enough to begin letting thoughts creep in about women.  

It didn’t stop them from doing so, though. And still, he couldn’t keep away from her, didn’t want to although he knew deep down that he probably should.  

“What are you doing, princess?” he asked, lying on the sofa with his head in her lap the following afternoon. 

“A little plait,” she replied, taking the strands of his beautiful hair and showing him. His hair was ridiculous. Part of hers had started falling out from her lack of eating, quite thin in comparison to how it used to be. James’s was like spun silk, very thick and now past his waist in length. Total dream hair.  

“You fucking better not be making me look like Pocahontas!”  

His barked statement made her snort with giggles. “No, I’ll undo it again in a bit. I just need something to fiddle with.”  

“I don’t mind really,” he began, “you girls seem to have a thing for my hair. It looks shit right now, though. Brown roots ain’t a good look.” 

She pointed to her own head. “Yep, with you there big time! I hate that they won’t let me bleach it. It’s pants, not cool beans by far. Someone like me needs as much as she can to look pretty!” 

He arched an eyebrow, his lip curling. “What the shitting hell do you mean, someone like you?” 

“You know,” she shrugged, coming to the end of the thin plait and twirling it around her finger before unpicking it again. “I’m not pretty.” 

“Like fuck, you’re not,” he snorted. Again, she shrugged. “Do I need to have a few words with you about this, Ells bells?” 

Ells bells, that was a new one. “You’re just being nice to make me feel better.”  

“James isn’t ever nice unless he really means it,” Andrea spoke from behind the pages of Heat magazine, her ears picking up on everything as usual before offering her standard succinct commentary. 

“And that’s the truth right there,” he stated, pointing at where Andrea sat cross legged opposite them on the other sofa. “Oh, sorry for calling you a slag. Didn’t mean it.” 

“You did, and I am.” Lowering the magazine, the corner of her mouth curled up a little bit. “Appreciated, though.” 

Turning his attention back to Ella, he shook his head, reaching for her face. “Fucking kills me, innit. How you don’t see what I do. Total fucking bullshit.”  

She couldn’t get her mind past that he was merely trying to make her feel good about herself, but still, his statement made her heart thump. “And what do you see? Because all I see is a fat person who isn’t pretty at all.” 

Sitting up, he took her hand and stood from the sofa, leading her from the common room and down the hallway. They signed out at the doors, the outside as grey as Ella’s mood, the threat of rain in the dark clouds above despite the warm temperature. 

“Alright, wanna know what I see?” he began, stopping around the corner of the facility, where the path opened up to one of the car parks. “I don’t see a pretty girl, really. Suppose you’re right there. Ella, you ain’t pretty. You’re fucking beautiful. Those girls who picked on you in school and started this whole mess with how you see yourself, they knew you were beautiful, too. Just wanted to cut you down to make themselves feel better, innit.” 

Her bottom lip began to wobble, her eyes glassing as she hugged herself, sniffing hard and riddled with discomfort. Beautiful. He’d called her beautiful. “I’m not, though.”  

He sighed, one half his brain screaming at him to stop what he was about to do, the other half telling him fuck it. Go with it. “Top grade rubbish, that. Wanna know how I know?”  

Again, she shrugged, her heart beating so rapidly, she felt queasy. 

Reaching for her, he held her face in his big hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks. “I don’t kiss girls who aren’t beautiful.”  

And then he did, Ella’s internal voice screaming with joy and disbelief, wrapping her arms around his neck as her insides truly, for the first time in months, began to bloom wildly. God, he was such a good kisser, her body humming with it, with him, his arms enveloping her slender frame, holding her closer.  

As for James, he knew it probably wasn’t the best decision he could ever make, acting on what he felt for another person just as troubled as he was. For that moment, it definitely was the right one, though.  

[strawwritesfic]

Fred Weasley x Female!Reader: Tears

Summary: It’s no grand romantic gesture, but in light of things, it will do.

Rating/Warnings: T (reference made to breakups; bad language; Gryffindor!Reader; referenced Angelina/Katie; past!Male OC/Reader; Fred & Reader friendship; set during canon events of Goblet of Fire; Yule Ball Shenanigans; Canary Creams)

Challenge: "115 Words" challenge by BonitaWolfSpirit on Lunaesence Archives.

Tag List: @imaginesfire        

Tears

For almost an entire month (if not longer), hardly anyone at Hogwarts spoke of anything other than the upcoming Yule Ball. “What color are your dress robes?” girls whispered to each other during classes. “Who did Dumbledore get to play the music?” also came up frequently, as well as, “Do you think Krum really already invited someone?” and “Why won’t Harry just ask me out already?” Now that the night had arrived, you were ashamed to admit that you, too, had been caught up in all the pre-dance excitement. As it turned out, the Yule Ball was the worst thing to happen to you at school, and yes, that included all the time you’d spent petrified a couple years prior.

You’d never felt as awful as you did standing alone in the stupid robes you’d spent hours getting just perfect, in the stupid makeup that took you just as long to put on, and the hair you’d agonized over for weeks. Sitting down alone at a table did not make you feel any better. That was how you wound up under a table on the far side of the Great Hall. At least the cloth covering hid your view of the dance floor and yourself from the prying eyes that had seen your dismissal.

“Now, who decided to start a round of hide-and-go-seek without consulting me? Seems a little rude, don’t you think?”

Stiffening, you looked over to see a familiar boy with vivid red hair clambering through the tablecloth over to you. You quickly tried to wipe your tears away, but your voice still cracked when you said:

“Fred? What are you doing here?”

“Joining in,” he replied. “Though I doubt anyone will find us, since you didn’t tell anyone you were playing. Is this how the muggles do it? Seems a tad counter-intuitive.”

“No. I mean…shouldn’t you be with Angelina?”

Fred stared at you.

“Your date?” you prompted him.

“Angelina isn’t my date,” he said.

Had you had a stroke? Were you having some terrible dream? Why was everyone around you acting so strangely? “I was right there when you asked her to the dance.”

“Oh, that.” Fred waved one hand as he scooted closer to you. “That was Angelina’s idea. She wanted to go with Katie, but her parents wouldn’t approve. She got a few pictures and dances in with me, just enough to get everyone off her back, and now they’re out snogging in the garden and I’m a free agent.”

This was so much new information to take in that you could only goggle at him. Apparently seeing nothing strange about the entire situation himself, he looked calmly back at you. Several minutes passed. Then Fred inched just a little bit closer and said:

“So, are you going to tell me why you’re crying?”

“I’m not—”

Gently, he touched your cheek. When he pulled his hand away, his fingers were wet and blackened by your eyeliner. Your face burned worse than ever. After all the other indignities you had suffered that night, was it really necessary for Fred of all people to see you like that? You scrubbed at your cheeks as you shook your head.

“It’s nothing, Fred. Really,” you said.

His expression turned uncharacteristically ugly. “Let me guess. ‘Nothing’ is out there dancing with one of the girls from Beauxbatons.”

He knew? Shame rose prickly and hot up your back. Bad enough that your Yule Ball date had ditched you for another girl an hour into the dance. Bad enough that that date was your boyfriend of four months. All that you could handle, or so you thought. But if Fred knew about your very public breakup, then everyone knew, and that would be much more difficult to get a handle on.

You let out an enormous wail and buried your face in your hands. It no longer mattered if anyone heard you over the music or if anyone else saw you cry. Once the ball was over and the smaller tables disappeared, everyone would see you for what you were anyway: an enormous loser who couldn’t keep her own boyfriend’s attention when there were pretty French girls to woo.

Something tapped your shoulder, but you ignored it. Then it happened again. With a great sniff, you looked up to see Fred awkwardly patting you there.

“Don’t cry over that prat, [Name],” he said. “He’s not worth it.”

Your lower lip trembled violently . “Then—then—that means I’m not worth it!”

“What? How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Because if he isn’t worth anything, what does that make me? The girl he dumped?”

“Not a gigantic bastard?” Fred suggested, looking quite alarmed.

“That other girl doesn’t seem to think he’s one anyway.”

“Well, then she’s an idiot, isn’t she? And no,” he was quick to add, “you’re not an idiot for going out with him first. He didn’t tell his last girlfriend to bugger off right before kissing you in front of the entire school.”

Fred always had a knack for knowing exactly what you were thinking. Unfortunately, his assurance to the contrary in regards to your IQ was not enough to prevent you from thinking you were an idiot anyway. You should have seen this coming. There were signs. But you were just so stupid that you’d ignored them until Gareth left you like that. This time tomorrow, everyone would know how stupid you were, too. Gareth and his new girlfriend could have a nice laugh about it. Thank goodness it was still the holidays so you could stay in bed until school started back up and people had better things to talk about. By then, you’d have starved to death, so what would you care?

Hiccuping, you rose as much as you could from where you sat. “Thanks for the comfort, Fred. I think I’ll slip out while they’re all distracted.”

You didn’t get far before you felt his hand latch around your wrist. “Wait,” he said.

“Fred, I really want to leave before anyone else sees me like this.”

“Like what? You look amazing.”

You raised your eyebrows. “I’ve cried all my makeup off.”

“So fix it. You put too much effort into this to just leave!”

“You expect me to go back out there and sit around until the ball is over?”

“No, I expect you to go back out there and show him you don’t give a damn that he moved on.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” you asked.

“Dance with me.”

Another beat of silence followed his offer. Then you gave a weak laugh.

“Thanks, Fred.”

“What? You thought I was joking?”

“You were joking.”

“Pardon me, but I think I know the rare occasions I choose to be serious. This is one of them,” said Fred.

He didn’t know what he was asking. He didn’t know that you’d been nursing a crush on him since the previous school year. He didn’t know that you’d been working to get rid of your feelings since Gareth asked you out, and even harder since you’d heard Fred ask Angelina to the ball. Dancing with him would only bring all your emotions back to the surface.

You tried to be on your way again, but he wouldn’t let go. In such close quarters it was next to impossible to get at your wand through those blasted dress robes, too!

“What about Angelina?” you asked at last.

“What about her?” he wanted to know.

“She’s your date!”

“I told you that was just for show.”

“But no one else knows that. What will they think if they see you dancing with me?”

“That I was lucky enough to go to the Yule Ball with two of the most attractive girls in Gryffindor?”

You rolled your eyes, though your cheeks burned again—pleasantly, in that case. “Fred, please be serious.”

“I am,” he insisted, and reached his free hand to smooth a lock of your ruined hair. “Don’t let that git ruin your night. If anyone makes a big deal out of it, Angelina and I will fake a row, and next big shindig she can take George as her smokescreen instead. Okay?”

“Well…”

You had put an awful lot of work into doing your hair and face, and you didn’t even want to think of how much of your savings you’d spent on your dress robes. All those weeks of anticipation—did you really want to ruin them all over a boy you’d only hoped you were in love with?

Fred seemed to sense your weakness. He squeezed your hand. “Honestly, you’ll be doing me a favor. It’s very boring, sitting around and pretending to wait for Angelina to come back with our drinks. If you don’t step in to entertain me, George and I will have to come up with something ourselves.”

“All right, all right!” You chuckled. “Merlin forbid. I’ll dance with you. But no making fun of my hair.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Once he’d finally released you, he lifted the tablecloth for you to crawl out from under the table. You did your best to ignore the stares of those seated at that table while Fred followed you.

True to his word, he said nothing about your appearance even though you spent the rest of the evening in his company. In fact, he said nothing at all about the entire situation. Probably he was trying to keep your mind off the happy couple a single dance floor away—which he managed to do. At least he did, until you spotted Gareth and his new girlfriend strolling out into the garden…only for the former to turn into a large canary in an explosion of feathers.

As it turned out, all your dreams for the Yule Ball did come true, just not exactly as you expected.

[thimbil]

Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

[mha-quotes-and-such]

im judging 1-a's hero costumes and want to share them with you :) just as a general base for this assume im judging everyone for not having the appropiate amount of padding on their costume

aoyama: sir, this isnt a modern fashion show this is crime fighting.

ashido: look, i know her whole schtick is like, 80s (90s??) era, but i am on my knees begging her to at least choose prints that go with each other.

tsuyu: honestly? its good. i think she should maybe add some blues and browns into it if shes going to be fighting in water so she can blend in a bit more, but its very nice already.

iida: sir, sir, why are you wearing the equivalent of a medieval suit of armor. he can run fast, yeah, but that wont do much if they can hear him coming a mile away.

uraraka: another one i really like. the color scheme is cute, you cant tell what her quirk is just by looking at it, and she has a face protector!! you go you funky little hero.

ojiro: i mean, it fits his personality? i look at his character and go ehhh. and then i see his hero costume and go ehhh. very on brand.

kaminari: the jacket is a grabby hazard. maybe he could fix the ends to the rest of his costume so they arent flapping around? other than that its good.

kirishima: look, i love him as much as the next person but god please put on a shirt. take a leaf out of mirio's book and make a suit out of your hair, that way it hardens with you and adds an extra layer of protection. also the skirt thingy is a grabby hazard.

koda: gonna be honest, i had to look it up because i could not remember what it looked like BUT when i saw it it was a little confusing? the mouth. why. he couldve put anthing else on his shirt in relation to his quirk but goes with a set of teeth. get it ig?

sato: its solid. a little boring to look it which must be a pain to market off but its reliable? i mean it compliments him well so. king.

shoji: so theres nothing really wrong with it, but i just dont like it. i mean he doesnt have much to work with to be fair and it feels a little plain. not like i could do any better though.

jiro: her costume looks like street clothes. the jacket, again, should be fixed to the rest of her costume so you cant grab it. her boots might weigh her down? idk maybe theyre made of lightweight material who knows.

sero: another one i dont necessarily have a strong opinion about. it works well with his quirk, he sticks to a few main colors, and his helmet thing looks like a tape dispenser. hes easily marketable and its efficient.

tokoyami: haha edgelord. but its useful. his cloak helps dark shadow if theres too much light and it just fits his aesthetic. another easy market (esp towards teens)

todoroki: why.

hagakure: see above, but more stressed. please, just copy mirio and make a suit out of your hair. we are all begging you.

bakugou: oh boy uh. green and orange are So Ugly together. they just dont work and the black background theyre on only accentuates this. another note: his gauntlets are too big for him to open a door. this man would never be able to do stealth missions unless he lost the gauntlets.

midoriya: i like his, honestly. he adapted it to work well with his quirks and he also reinforced the places and he needex extra support (wrists/hands). stuck to a color scheme.

mineta: i genuinely do not understand what the thing around his waist is for?? what is it. also cape: garbby hazard. id tone down the yellow a bit, just so it doesnt scream out his position because its eye catching.

yaoyorozu: you are a child. i cant believe i am reiterating this point so much but make a suit out of your hair. your hair is a surface on your body ergo, you should be able to produce your creations through it without exposing yourself.

+aizawa: i mean, it works for an underground hero. he doesnt have to worry about his appearance, just practicality. he has his goggles, his scarf. the only thing bad is the bagginess. some villain is going to grab the extra fabric and yeet him into a brick wall.

I’ll be honest. Whenever costumes are involved I always get a little scared. But you anon? You’ve managed to be OSHA and the fashion police all at once. I literally can’t add anything to this you are objectively correct

And THANK YOU for bringing up the ‘make costumes out of your hair’. Sure it might not work 100% of the time. But at LEAST Hagakure could! I would like to see it for all the ones you’ve mentioned tho, it’s incredibly practical and also way more protective for these children

[tragedy-for-sale]

Wild Blue

Look, it's not everyday I give you wholesome shit, hell not even every month. But you got luckily... apparently. Boys playing in the water and being stupid? Yes please, I think we need this.

◈ ━━━━━━ ◆ ━━━━━━ ◈

The boys didn't often have a minute to themselves, but when they did, when they had free time, Havoc was never quiet. "I'm saying it's impractical to wear our armor when we don't have a mission, we have civilian attire for a reason, Echo." Tech rolled his eyes, he, as you imagine, was not wearing his armor nor his blacks, but whatever clothes they'd stolen over the years. "... and if we want to go steal stuff, we'll blend in perfectly with the population." Tech smiled, knowing he and Echo had made plans to do just that.

Echo frowned, "Yeah whatever." He crossed his arms, pouting as he tried to think of something witty as a way to insult Tech, but that thought was quickly interrupted, "Uh Wrecker, why are you carrying around Hunter?" Echo asked, looking up from his holopad. Tech also looked up, the smallest smile on his face.

"Oh!" Wrecker's smile grew, "He was just sitting there so I picked him up, he's just living in the moment now! See." Wrecker then turned around.

Hunter, who looked as if he had been sleeping, lifted his head, "How's it hanging?" He smiled, waving softly. Echo chuckled a little, hand to his mouth to try to hide it. Hunter then let his head fall again, maybe he was trying to sleep.

"He likes it!" Wrecker said as he turned back around.

"Yeah!" Hunter assured, there was a little laugh in his voice, it was as if they were cadets again. Wrecker always picked him up. Hunter had been pretty weirded out the first time Wrecker did pick him up. But he'd gotten used to, Hunter was never doing anything better and Wrecker also took him to the right place. Where ever his brothers were.

Crosshair peaked his head out from the doorway, and with a giddy laugh he ran up to Wrecker and jumped, "Me too!" He would've tackled Wrecker to the ground, but Wrecker wasn't caught off guard. Also, Crosshair is not strong enough to knock Wrecker off his feet.

"Ah! I got 'em both!" Wrecker laughed, picking Crosshair up and slinging him over his other shoulder. Crosshair took a minute to ensure he wouldn't fall, once he did he looked down to Hunter and fist bumped him. "Time to go!" Wrecker started moving, getting nonstop laughs from his brothers. Tech and Echo trailed closely behind as Wrecker ran outside the ship.

"Just run and jump on him, you'll fit." Tech prompted, taking note on how Echo eyeballed the three.

"Oh no, I couldn't." Echo shook his head. Tech gave him a shove, "Oh fine!" He huffed, running and jumping up on Wrecker's back. "I'm here-!" Crosshair and Hunter both made sure Echo wouldn't fall, their hands on his back that only moved once he felt he wouldn't fall.

"Ah!" Wrecker laughed, adjusting to the weight of another brother. "Tech you coming?" He turned around and looked at his brother. Hunter lifted his head, almost falling in the process. Echo was holding onto Wrecker's head and Crosshair was just sitting there, sticking his tongue out at Tech.

"...I don't think there is anymore room, so..." He stated, a small smile creeping on his face as he came up with an excellent idea. "...See ya, losers!" Tech laughed as he bolted the other direction towards the lake they'd landed nearby. As he ran, he threw his helmet at his brothers, luckily Echo caught it before it hit Wrecker. Who was charging full speed after Tech into the water.

When Wrecker had ran deep enough into the water, he flung his brothers off, sending them flying into the lake. Wrecker then picked up Tech, "Can't escape me, brother!" he laughed as dunked Tech's head underwater, then dropping him.

Tech floated back up to the surface, lifting his goggles up to wipe his eyes, he then threw them to shore. "How about we play a game of- Shit!" He screamed as Crosshair, who was underwater, yanked on Tech's leg and made him fall again. Crosshair emerged and burst out laughing.

Hunter had Echo on his shoulders, they were going after Wrecker, the two tackled their older brother, he plunged into the water. He stayed underwater for much longer than he should have. "Uh oh." Hunter said as he scanned the water trying to see Wrecker under the water. "Echo abort! Save yourself!" Hunter cried as Echo jumped off, swimming to safety with Crosshair. As soon as Echo was gone, Hunter was pulled under the water, Wrecker waved to him before swimming up. Hunter lingered there for a minute before he resurfaced.

When he did, he saw his brothers playing chicken, which is what Tech was going to suggest before Crosshair interrupted him. He came over, watching them, a smile on his face. Crosshair lost against Echo, falling off Tech's shoulders and into the water. Hunter then intervened, allowing Tech to get on his shoulders for round two.

As you can imagine, the boys went about this until the sun had set. Echo and Tech had completely forgotten about their plan to rob several stores of their foods and alcohols. "...But could we even buy alcohol? 'Cause at 79's they know we're clones" Echo asked, he was laying on the ground with Tech, the two were stargazing, "Also, we don't have IDs and like, we're all twelve."

Tech turned his head, chuckling softly, "No, I don't think we could, that's why we made a plan to steal it, Vod." He rolled his eyes, flicking Echo's head.

"You were going to steal something without me?" Crosshair asked, sounding genuinely offended. He stood by their heads, looking down, he had plates of food in his arms. They two of them made Crosshair get them food, he was the youngest, he had no choice.

"Damn right." Echo smiled as he sat up, taking a plate, "Thanks bubba." He said, grabbing a fork and taking a bite of Hunter's 'infamous but not really 'cause it's Hunter's mac-n-cheese.' Tech took his plate and also thanked Crosshair, who sat down with them.

"The night is still young, we can go, but it's almost your bedtime, Crosshair, you'd have to ask Hunter." Tech smirked, eyeballing Crosshair as he took a bite of his food.

Crosshair shot Tech a defeated glare, he tried to be offended, but he failed. He made a face before turning his head, "Hunter! They wanna go steal stuff, can I go?!" He yelled. Echo and Tech burst out laughing, not expecting him to actually do it. He did it out of spite. Hunter would say yes and then they'd have to take him.

Hunter turned his head away from the grill, "What? Yeah, just don't do anything to the population!" He called back before turning back to Wrecker. "Yeah, so I was tellin' Tech that just because he's smart doesn't mean he can tie his shoes."

Wrecker nodded, "Exactly, doing algebra scary fast doesn't mean you can get all of us ready to fight in fifteen minutes before a battle." Wrecker took another bite of the mac-n-cheese, looking over to his brothers, who were all laughing together over in the dirt.

"You get me," Hunter said, "It's not about book smart, it's about street smarts."

"But I don't know shit about streets-"

"Not actually streets," Hunter shook his head, "... I think." He mumbled before shoving his face with food to avoid questions. Wrecker nodded, very wise was his little brother.

"Anyway, look at Crosshair, can you believe him?" Hunter shook his head, making eye contact with Crosshair, who had gotten up and had come towards the two.

"What did I do?" Crosshair asked, "I just wanted more food." He whined, shuffling to them as Hunter set down his plate, took Crosshair's and gave him more food.

"I can't believe you, you're atrocious." Wrecker gave Crosshair a soft shove, Crosshair tried to hide his grin as Hunter handed him his plate.

"Oh yeah, I'm terrible, ya'll should just leave me on Kamino one of these days." He laughed as he turned away, walking back to Tech and Echo.

"What an idiot."

"Ugh, I know right?"

The two shared another laugh and continued to diss their little brothers, but luckily, they were doing the same thing. "Yeah, no, Hunter's hair? Nothing special, now General Skywalker is fucking ugly," They all nodded in agreement as Echo spoke, "But he knows how to do his hair. Hunter needs to use better conditioner, the general would go to Amidala's place and come back smelling like an angel." Which helped with his face.

"I agree, in comparison to General Skywalker, Hunter's looks are not on a vomit-inducing scale." Tech added, stacking his empty plate on top of Echo's also empty plate.

"But he's still ugly."

"Oh, very."

Crosshair laughed as he chewed, trying his best not to choke. "Can we go now?" He said when he'd finished eating. Tech and Echo both glared at him for a solid thirty seconds before nodding and getting up. Crosshair got up, having to catch up with them. They dropped their plates off. Echo and Tech simply said they were heading out, but Crosshair lingered, "We'll be back, I- I can do the dishes when we get back," He muttered, "Uh, bye."

"Bye, bubba." Hunter smiled, waving Crosshair off. Crosshair had a giddy smile, giving them a nod and a thumbs up before turning around and running after Tech and Echo, who were practically already out of sight.

"Hey! You assholes!" Crosshair screamed as he ran after them, "Wait! I'm scared of the dark!" He called as he caught up with them. Wrecker and Hunter smiled fondly. It was a good day.

"....Crosshair isn't gonna do the dishes." Hunter said once they'd stood there in silence for several minutes.

"Yeah, no he isn't." Wrecker agreed as he helped Hunter clean up. Wrecker loaded their grill back up as Hunter took the plates and food back inside. "We'll make Tech do them." Wrecker called as he locked the compartment the grill was in, he then headed back inside, "Hide his armor so he'll have motivation." Wrecker suggested once he was back inside. Hunter was putting the dishes in the sink, he looked up to Wrecker and chuckled,

"Good idea!"

◈ ━━━━━━ ◆ ━━━━━━ ◈

[wraithsoutlaws]

im rating cp77 gangs based on coolness levels and other varying factors feel free to add your thoughts

valentinos  are stylish and hot, lots of gold and florals that are on the right side of classy without being pretentious, sexy with a splash of catholicism 12/10

tyger claws...im drawn to neon colors and cool bikes 7/10

maelstrom are crusty and overly edgy, i know they stink and probably have uncomfortable kinks...compels me though...their cyberware look like a horrorshow but they are vibing and unafraid to embrace their inner edgelord. cool. 8/10

voodoo boys i would like to know more abt, but their mystery and sense of community is sexy and in fact Cool plus mysticism melding with the net is a thematic goldmine 7/10

animals are not my fav but at the very least they make an Impression and they are probably harboring more than one himbo also big buff women are cool 5/10

scavs=boring and ugly, anything they do somebody else can and does do better why are they even here 0/10

wraiths are a little too outback to be full cybergoth but they kind of have it going for them, skulls and reapers, gas masks and goggles...i want what they have 8.5/10

6th street smells a little like racism to me, also boring 1/10 (one point because the 666 thing is unfortunately cool)

the mox on the other hand are so far on another level i almost forgot to include them...they do important work and are hotter than everyone else, can kick my ass and i would say thank u then ask rita wheeler for a smooch. nothing is cooler than consent 100/10

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt97

AO3   Beginning   Previous   Next

Ladybug watched Mme. Agreste’s expression carefully. It went from confusion, to recognition, to anger. Well that wasn’t a good sign.

“Where’s Gabriel?” The absolute fury in her tone actually made Ladybug take a step back and she was a little relieved when Discorde stepped between them. This was not the reaction she expected.

“He’s in jail awaiting trial.” The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“He’d better pray they convict him and keep him there. If I ever see him without bars between us he’ll be missing body parts.” Ladybug shared a look with Discorde but her partner looked just as confused as she was. Adrien looked shell-shocked.

“He spent the last three years trying to save you.” The glared she turned on her son was terrifying and he actually took a step back. She blinked at him for a moment and her gaze softened.

“Adrien?” The boy nodded hesitantly. She opened her arms for him and he all but collapsed into her. She looked up and saw Nathalie and her expression tightened. “Has it really been three years?”

“It has. M. Agreste has been working tirelessly to set things right.” Mme. Agreste let out a derisive snort.

“He’s been trying to turn me and the world into what he wants. He’s the reason I needed saving in the first place.” Nathalie’s face went completely blank and Ladybug was fairly certain she was in shock. “Whatever he told you was a lie. Gabriel forced Nooroo to try and contain Duusu in their Miraculous and the backlash is what caused all this in the first place.”

“He did what?” Everyone jumped and Ladybug blushed. She really hadn’t meant to yell but the audacity of such an action pissed her off to no end. It also explained why Nooroo wouldn’t talk about what happened and why Tikki hadn’t been able to figure out what caused the damage. It hadn’t occurred to either of them that the actual Kwami were pitted against each other. Poor Nooroo.

“He’s lucky I only shot him twice.” Discorde’s growled words caused Adrien to glare at her but Mme. Agreste actually laughed.

“I don’t know who you are, but I like you.” Discorde could only give the woman a weak smile at that and Ladybug filed it away to ask about later. Adrien scoffed.

“She’s nothing but a fraud.” Ladybug grabbed her partner as she started growling. Mme. Agreste was frowning at her son.

“We’ve done what we came here to do and I won’t stick around to listen to your insults. Mme. Agreste, I’m glad we could help, and I wish you a speedy recovery.” She wished she was only concerned about what her partner might do, but if Adrien didn’t shut up Ladybug wasn’t certain she wouldn’t go after him herself.

“Wait. Nathalie, could you take Adrien so I can talk to them alone?” Adrien’s face screwed up into an ugly pout but his mother just gave him an encouraging smile. “Everything will be fine. It will only be for a minute then I want to hear about everything I’ve missed from you.” He gave her another tight hug before turning to glare at them.

“Don’t tire her out.” Ladybug couldn’t help the eyeroll as Nathalie led him from the room. Mme. Agreste just sighed.

“I don’t even want to think about the damage his father did that I’m going to have to fix. Not to mention that friend of his.” Discord flinched beside her and Ladybug took her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “Not that she’s at fault given her parents but it doesn’t change the fact that her behavior always gave Adrien ideas.”

“What did you want to talk about?” Ladybug wasn’t going to stand there and let her partner listen to this. Mme. Agreste just blinked at her for a moment before seeming to focus again.

“Well, first to thank you. But I also want to know why you two dislike my son so much.” She shared a look with Discorde. Yeah that wasn’t a good topic of conversation.

“You should discuss that with him. And watch the news coverage of the Akuma attacks after.” There was no way Adrien would keep his identity a secret from his mother, and she’s rather the woman form her own conclusions.

“Oh I plan to. I just want to know why he only hates one of you while you both can't stand being in the same room with him.” Ladybug could only frown at the woman in confusion at first. “I’m an empath. It’s what drew me to the Miraculous in the first place.” Oh that wasn’t good.

“I still think you need to talk to your son. If you have more questions after that, perhaps we can talk again. As things stand I’d rather not influence your opinion on the matter.” The woman was just frowning at them in thought and Ladybug could feel her partner getting more nervous.

“I suppose I can understand that. But I will want to speak with you again.” Well that didn’t sound ominous at all. “I would also like to speak to the Guardian.”

“Why would you need to do that?” Discorde’s tone was borderline hostel and Ladybug squeezed her hand again in warning. If the woman really was an empath she didn’t want to give her too much to work with. The Miraculous magic should protect their identities regardless but she didn’t want to take more risks than necessary.

“You need to learn to relax, not everyone is a threat.” Discord just gave the woman a level look.

“Perhaps not but if I assume they are, people are far less likely to get hurt by my carelessness.” Discorde winced as soon as the words came out and Ladybug couldn’t help but side eye her partner. Looks like they had one more thing to talk about. Mme. Agreste’s look actually softened.

“I suppose that’s true. In that case I look forward to earning your trust.”

AO3   Beginning   Previous    Next

Ko-Fi

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[and-there-were-words]

A Spider Life: You don't belong here (Chapter 03)

Taking place after “Sleep Bug” but before “Dumpling Destruction”.

After a successful mission, there was no time for a long rest. Though, Syntax decided that a little bit of a break didn’t hurt anyone. He was foolish to think that Huntsman would let him be at peace. (Wordcount: around 1300)

---

Blue filled the entire main hall of the Silk Web Cave. The looming forms and shades of their new project towering over all. It was certainly odd to watch these new plans of a mech he hadn't designed himself. Something about it struck the scientist as odd, but he wasn't well versed enough in sorcery and ancient artifacts to really know which item was supposed to do what. It didn't help that basically nobody but the little Miss Mystery knew exactly how any of this was going to work.

But they finally did have a more tangible goal. And one more good thing came out of this whole treasure hunt – Syntax had not to do any research where to find said items, since the girl seemed to already know where they were.

As questionable as this was, his Queen did not raise any concerns about this knowledge, so why should he? Instead, he took the opportunity of free time to work on his own projects. He had to overhaul their Spider Base blueprints, repair some of the Spiderbots and… actually. On second thought, after his successful heist into the Cloud, he deserved an evening of rest. Just leaning back a little, kicking up the feet, maybe coding some new games and programs. When he wasn’t working on machines, he still could experiment with them. It was a blessing when one's job was also their hobby.

Walking deeper into the tunnel system of the lair, Syntax found the little niche that he had claimed for himself. Mostly to sleep and keep a few of his more important items safe. Not that he had many, but it still was a comfort to have a little bit of autonomy, away from all those watchful spider eyes. The scientist hummed, and with the lab coat off, he was officially clocked out for the day.

Sleeves were neatly folded up to the elbows, his utility goggles snapped away. Magic was so handy! He lingered for a moment, holding bright green glasses in hands. Syntax wasn’t entirely sure how or why, but he found himself oddly sentimental over them. Even though one of the lenses had a crack. His eyes were perfectly fine too, so anything looked blurry trough them, rendering them practically useless. With a shrug, he put them back into his little box of trinkets, turning around to his personal computer.

…..

There was not really any sense of time within the Silk Web Cave, not that it mattered much. Hours could’ve pass by and the only indicator that the world was still turning, was that his coffee always grew cold way too fast. Running another test for his current code, Syntax frowned as errors popped up where none had been before. He reached for his cup without looking, first confused about something not being right. It took him a few seconds to notice that he was grabbing into thin air. His cup was not at the spot where he placed it anymore.

“What’cha doing?”, a raspy voice required from his other side, making the scientist jerk violently, nearly falling off his chair. A groan escaped Syntax, slightly turning his head to confirm his apprehension. And indeed, it was Huntsman. With his coffee mug in hands. It was bothersome how he always managed to sneak up unnoticed and seemingly appear out of nowhere. The other spider was not even looking at him directly, just watching the screen displaying an endless amounts of lines with mock interest. It was clear that the hunter had no idea what he was looking at, and Syntax knew that trying to explain any of this to him would be wasted breath. Still, he thought himself better than that.

“Optimizing the behavioral pattern of the Spiderbots. So next time we can spread the Queen’s venom faster.”, he left it at that, starting to tip away on the keyboard again.

“Uh-hu.”, the spider demon mused, but it was clear that this wasn't the focus of his attention at the moment. Instead, he just sniffed at the drink in his hand, nose curling up a little. “...I have no idea how you’re capable of drinking this stuff. Gross.” And with that, the cup was back on the table within Syntax’s reach, but the scientist didn’t dare to touch it. This was obviously a trap, both of them knew. Huntsman never had been subtle about waiting for the other to make a misstep. Syntax wasn't sure what the taller man hoped to achieve, but there was a bitter taste at the back of his throat with how he was watched by this particular spider demon.

Tension filled the room, making the air as thick as butter, as both men were just analyzing each other carefully. It almost felt like a game of chess, one that Syntax didn’t like at all, being forced to play so damn defensively. He still wasn’t sure what he did to upset the hunter, but he clearly was out for his neck in some way or another. It was Huntsman who broke the silence, and to no one's surprise, he just unceremoniously kicked down the metaphorical door.

"You don't belong here.", the spider rasped, stalking awfully close, only to loom over the sitting scientist. Green eyes glimmering in the twilight of the cave, mostly illuminated by just the cold light of the computer screen. Syntax could only swallow, feeling caged like a prey animal under this intense glare.

"You're a disgrace to the clan, human.", the hunter continued his venomous words, "Do you really think you're important to the Queen? Nothing but just a tool, once you've done your purpose, you will be nothing but dinner." The demon cackled, and Syntax could feel his body going into a panic mode. Yet, his mind was still clear, rational. The buzzing crawling up his spine keeping him grounded.

Syntax simply clicked his tongue in a (what he hoped to come off as) unimpressed tsk. "Is that all? I am busy, Huntsman.", he was not going to give in that easily, even though the words were cutting deep, slicing into something that the scientist hadn't even been aware of himself yet.

The hunting spider frowned, letting out a soft growl. Only to grab the coffee mug again, giving it another glance. Apparently, he came to a conclusion in this moment. "You'll never be one of us, freak.", the second that followed felt like an eternity, before ceramic shattered into hundreds of pieces, cold coffee splattering all over the floor. A pang of some emotion shot through Syntax's chest, watching the mess on the ground. Somehow managing to not show a glimpse of this storm of feelings on the outside.

Huntsman almost seemed disappointed, but a breath later, he was showing off fangs in his ugly grin again. A hand reaching for the communicator in his ear as he was surely contacted by the Miss. "Now, this was fun and all.", he mused, crossing arms behind his back as he twirled towards the exit. "It seems that my special skills are needed once again. So long, cyberbug." With that, the hunter was gone, leaving the scientist finally alone.

So much for that rest, Syntax thought bitterly to himself, still staring at the floor. This evening or night had been ruined in every way possible. Now trying to make sense of why his limbs felt so cold and stiff, why his heart was beating in the rhythm of a scared animal while also screaming in anger. His hands clenched into fists, short nails digging into soft palms. Syntax knew all of this already. Knew that this wasn't his place, that he wasn't like the other spider demons. But he was part of this clan, and by the Queen's pride… he will prove that he was a better henchman than Huntsman could ever dream to be.