#atypical season three

[celinin-archive]

Celestino Vietti, I’m one with the bike 

From the Piemonte Alps to Moto2. Interview to the SKY Racing Team VR46 talent 

“The most beautiful memory I have of my childhood is tied to a three wheels bike. My dad had built it for my older brother, using the engine of a grass trimmer. I used to look at my brother going around on it in the backyard, then one day I asked to try it: once I got on it I irremediably fell in love with engines. Once I got down from that first trial I immediately asked my dad to buy me a two wheels motorbike. “To have a bike without training wheels you first have to know how to ride with them”, was his answer. So I started training and at eight years old I found myself riding in my first italian championship...” 

Celestino Vietti is lightness, a youthly lightness, a mature lightness, a fast lightness, cheeky to the right degree. Not yet twenty, he’s approaching his first Moto2 season, wearing the SKY Racing Team VR 46 leathers on Marco Bezzecchi’s side. 

Leathers that ‘Celin’ paints with the colours of his region, Piemonte. Right in Coassolo Torinese, small settlement wedged between the Valli di Lanzo, two wheels racing had started indelibly marking his life. An atypical place, Alpi Graie, to be the natal place of a world championship level rider. A place that becomes typical as soon as you open wide the doors of the Vietti’s home. 

“My uncle and my dad have always been big enthusiasts. My dad even did some uphill races when he was young. I lived all my childhood in a motorsport enviroment. My relatives had and still now have an agricultural machine repair shop that rapidly became a mandatory stop of my summers. There I used to take apart chainsaws and everything else I could find. Now I realise that the time spent in the repair shop gifted me a better feeling with the engine, with mechanics. My dad also gave me a lot of tools to read and understand the bike’s problems: thanks to him my bond with the bike got to a superior level. It’s as if I feel more merged with what I have under me, I listen to every single sound, I know how to decipher and manage it...” 

A management that for this young promise of two wheels racing hasn’t been and isn’t limited to the technical side, overflowing in the character, human one. Sat in the shades of the WITHU paddock, what immediately hits you of Celestino are the lucidity in the self-analysis, the ease in communicating, in summarising the different steps he took in such a short, but already so full, life. 

“To follow my dream I had to move out of my home during adolescence. The first months were so fast, everything was new, new experiences, new acquaintances. Once you settle you start thinking that once you get home from training nobody is there to wait for you. Relatives, friends, everybody is distant, everything starts getting hard. I had to grow on a personal level and, consequently, as a rider. Situations like this teach you how to manage yourself on the emotional side: sometimes I tend to get angry easily, being this much on your own helps you to reflect, to remain lucid” 

Vietti’s growth was mainly through the motorsport Academy for definition, that two wheels paradise build by the tarmac’s ‘Doctor’. A restricted cenacle reserved only to those who are destined to make an art form out of racing. Disciples, students, riders waiting to see their own boundless talent explode. 

“Getting into the VR46 Racing Academy was a turning point. It's important to realise your luck, the privilege you have to train every day with the best riders in the World Championship. Every time you get on track it’s an enormous challenge, there’s always somebody faster than you. I try to look at everyone, we’re many, we’re ‘colourful’, everyone has a certain characteristic to learn from: I have by my side two World Champions and then Vale, my idol, I think there’s nothing else to add...” 

He slightly moves his hair out of the way, Celestino, when he talks about topics he’s particularly sensible about. He smiles, a sincerely emotional smile, when he gets asked what the bike means for him, for his being. A question that strikes way higher chords than the sports one. 

“When you go really fast you become one with her, you find a magic harmony. Whatever she wants to do, you do it too, you become one thing. When she wants to do one thing, and you want to do another one instead, you struggle. True struggle. You can feel the separation between the two bodies. For me the bike has some sort of life of his own: it’s something difficult to explain” 

Difficult to explain, evocative to listen to. There’s dept in the words of this barely more than teenager rider of the Sky Team. On him also weight hopes and expectations of many italian fans, charmed by his results in the 2020 Moto3 season and the two first places obtained in the Styrian and France GP. 

Celestino is lucid in his analysis of the big jump to Moto2, a natural jump, even though initially complex. The piemonte rider need a settling period, an adjustment phase that now appears completed, processed. To demonstrate it, an always growing confidence in placements and continuity of performances, an exponentially growing mental and sensorial presence. 

“The impact with Moto2 was difficult. It’s a very particular category, unlike Moto3 it rewards constancy, precision, the bike doesn’t want to be assaulted, you can’t afford to do ‘crazy’ lap and feel satisfied. You have to curate the rhythm, you need surgical attention. Now my goal is to get as high as I can in the standings, to continue with the positive feelings of the last races and to keep building up unity with the bike. The future? Everybody’s dream is to become world champion, it’s useless beating around the bush, I’ll work hard to be able to make it” 

[amageish]

Unpacking Kitty Pryde's Sexuality

Okay, I've done a couple posts like this before... Let's take on a big one, shall we?

In Maruaders #12, released in 2020, Kate "Kitty" Pryde kissed a woman.

This was reported on fairly widely as Kitty Pryde's coming-out moment. Many people across fandom and outside of it were celebrating the queerness of one Katherine Anne Pryde. After decades upon decades of queer-coding, it was official! Kitty Pryde is a bisexual woman! Let's all celebrate!

(I personally would not call queercoding "queerbaiting" when it was done at a time when sodomy laws were still being enforced in America, but whatever.)

And then... uh... nothing really changed?

Since then, she has returned to her usual status quo in terms of queerness and queer-coding. She has had plenty of cheeky moments, wink-nods towards her queer identity, but nothing as explicit as a kiss - and no explicitly romantic relationships of any kind.

Now, this headline-making kiss was, narratively, a foil to an earlier kiss - she got a tattoo and kissed her male tattoo artist, died, came back to life, and then got a new tattoo and kissed her female tattoo artist. The woman didn't really have a purpose in the story beyond tattooing Pryde, being kissed by her, and having a design which is strikingly similar to that of Magik, one of Pryde's gal pals... All that said, it wasn't exactly the type of thing that needed to be followed up on... but it is still odd that Pryde kissed a woman, was hailed as bisexual, and then Marvel corporate went silent on the matter.

For some backstory, Pryde has been queercoded more or less since her debut. She's had three roommate situationships which are widely discussed as her queer encounters, plus a handful of other ones - notably a period where she was manipulated by the seduction of Saturnyne.

One of these relationships, Pryde with Rachel Summers, was confirmed by Pryde's creator Chris Claremont via interview in 2016, which increased discussion of her potential queerness - though that discussion has been going on for a looooong time before then.

Now, personally, when I see queer subtext vanish suddenly, my assumption is typically that corporate got involved... which seemed more likely when she was teased as a potential new character in X-Men 97. Perhaps corporate doesn't want her to be queer in that show and so they don't want her to be queer in the comic books either. Corporations are weird like that sometimes.

HOWEVER. Everything is suddenly changing in June 2024? Four years after Kate Pryde smooched a tattoo artist, Marvel mobile games are suddenly really keen to remind us that Kate Pryde is, in fact, queer???

And look. This probably means nothing. It is likely that the marketing people who worked on these events had heard Pryde was queer and tossed her into their events... but it still feels notable to me!

With these mobile game promotions, the idea of Kate Pryde being a queer character is being put in more people's feeds and in more people's minds then ever before... While the kiss was viral, it was mostly viral in queer spaces (as well as the types of spaces vigilantly opposed to queerness in nerd culture media), while this is putting it in the hands of standard mobile game users... Plus it is using Marvel's marketing budget to promote them - Marvel isn't sponsoring posts to put screenshots of Pryde checking out Dazzler's ass in X-Terminators in people's feeds, but they are to let us know that we should log into Puzzle Quest to claim a gaudy outfit...

So I am happy to see this development happen... It does feel like a (however atypical) step forward and I hope it isn't too long before Pryde can get explicitly queer stories told about her on a regular basis... I mean, her name is Pryde, for crying out loud...

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Markos Moulitsas (kos) at Daily Kos:

Last week, a friend called me with concerns about the presidential race, something that repeats often during a typical week. We all have legitimate reasons to be terrified of a second Donald Trump presidency. In response, I sketched out the reasons why I think President Joe Biden currently has a narrow but real advantage. Now, I’m sharing it with you all. 

1) TRUMP IS TIED IN POLLING, EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION

It’s an old political adage that voters do not start paying attention to campaign season until after Labor Day. A Gallup poll fielded this past April found that 71% of Americans have given “quite a lot” of thought to the race, which means that a third haven’t. And the numbers were most pronounced among independents, with just 61% giving it a lot of attention. This is noteworthy because, for one, a significant number of potential voters haven’t seen Trump’s latest erratic, grievance-addled performances. Also, a Siena College poll for The New York Times found that 17% of voters blamed Biden for the loss of federal abortion rights. As more people begin to tune in, those misconceptions will be corrected.  And yet, despite those challenges, the polling is still essentially tied. In fact, take a look at the numbers in some of the polling, and the share of undecided voters is ludicrously high. An Ipsos poll for Reuters has it at 41 to 39 in Trump’s favor. YouGov is at 42 to 40 for Trump. A Civiqs poll for Daily Kos puts it even, at 45 to 45. And Morning Consult shows 44 to 43 for Biden. Given that Trump has never hit 47% in his two elections and that there’s no evidence he’s expanded his base of support, the biggest challenge is getting reluctant Biden voters to show up. That will happen when the race begins in earnest. 

[...]

3) AS PEOPLE LEARN THAT TRUMP’S RESPONSIBLE FOR DOBBS, IT’LL BLEED SUPPORT

Already mentioned above, but worth underscoring. Abortion and democracy were the two issues that propelled Democrats to an atypical, ahistorical victory in the 2022 midterm elections, despite Biden’s enduring unpopularity. Abortion was so powerful and dominant an issue that it overcame voter frustrations about inflation at a time when inflation was significantly worse than current rates.  Nothing in the two years since has lessened the impact of losing federal abortion rights. To the contrary, more people have learned that abortion is, indeed, health care thanks to stories like this one in People magazine, which is read by tens of millions of people. This is no longer a niche issue in the political press. It’s gone mainstream, which explains why the pro-abortion-rights side has won every ballot initiative—even in deep-red states, like Kansas and Kentucky—since Roe v. Wade was overturned.   And instead of laying low, Republicans are gunning hard to restrict or eliminate in vitro fertilization and birth control, and GOP lawmakers are helpless to stand in the way. Rather than defang the issue, Republicans are digging deeper. 

4) TRUMP’S CONVICTION WILL TAKE ITS TOLL OVER TIME. POLLING WAS BRUTAL FOR HIM ON THAT

I wrote up the numbers here. In short, Trump can’t afford to bleed any of his support in a tied race. What does his conviction do? Bleed support.  And three weeks after I wrote that story, polling is still showing how Trump’s convictions are causing lasting damage to his campaign. A recent Ipsos poll for Politico found that 9% of Republicans and 32% of independents are “less likely to support Trump” because of his conviction. Additionally, 23% of independents said the conviction was “very important” to their vote, and another 7% said it was “somewhat important.”  Remember, Trump needs to expand his support. Right now, this is costing him. 

5) DEMS ARE OVERPERFORMING IN SPECIAL ELECTIONS, WHICH ARE ACTUAL ELECTIONS—NOT POLLS

POLLS POLLS POLLS DID YOU SEE THE LATEST POLL? I’m on record saying that pre-Labor Day polls are interesting but not determinative. But you know what is better than polls? Actual election results. Last year, Daily Kos’ own Daniel Donner did the research and found that “special elections have indeed proven to be useful in analyzing the election environment. There is still a good long-term correlation between the results of special elections and November elections.”  And what do this cycle’s special elections tell us? The same thing they were telling us in 2022 when they presaged that year’s unlikely Democratic victories: Democrats are outperforming Biden’s 2020 benchmark numbers.  Some corners of the political punditry are heavily invested in discrediting this theory, mostly by arguing that a presidential electorate doesn’t look like a special election electorate. But it does demonstrate which party is more energized, activated, and likely to turn out—all critically important factors in any general election. Of course, as far as the media is concerned, Democrats always lose. Are Republicans more energized? That’s bad for Democrats. Are Democrats more energized? Bad for Democrats.  But I’ll be consistent, and Donner’s data backs it up: The more energized party has the better chance to win. This isn’t rocket science. It’s (data-supported) common sense. 

6) TRUMP UNDERPERFORMED HIS POLLING NUMBERS IN PRIMARIES

I love this Daily Kos headline: “Polls still love Trump more than voters do.” And it’s true. During the early part of the Republican primary campaign, Trump consistently underperformed his poll numbers. In February, The New York Times’ Nate Cohn has some theories on why that’s the case. My guess? It’s something we’ll see further down the line: People who support Trump are less scared of the alternative than those who are terrified of him.  But if nothing else, the notion that polls are missing some kind of hidden Trump vote isn’t borne out by the facts. 

Markos Moulitsas (kos) underlines the 11 reasons why Joe Biden is going to win come November.

Some of those include: Trump’s role in getting Roe overturned, 34 (and counting) felony convictions, underperformance in much of the GOP primaries even after Nikki Haley dropped out, and is currently tied, slightly trailing, or slightly leading in polling with the race not yet in full swing.

[pinkiedev]

Payback Ch. 1

A Stranger Things AU where Steve Harrington gets shrunk down to five inches tall, and one Eddie Munson is the one who finds him. Now, if only Eddie didn't think this was all a drug-induced hallucination.

Set in post-Season 3 but pre-Season 4!

-

Steve was not having a good day. 

Was this particularly surprising? Maybe a couple of years ago, yeah. 

However, after having survived a whopping three attempts from what an average joe would not be far off from correct by calling demons from hell, well. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly atypical for Steve to no longer have only good days.

The difference now, however, was that he wasn’t currently in the midst of fighting an impending apocalypse or the related monsters, he wasn’t having nightmares about either of said scenarios, and he wasn’t even suffering through a more monotonous than usual day at the video store. 

No, today, Steve woke up and immediately realized several things were amiss, a task made easy considering the fact that there was 1) no roof over his head, 2) there was instead a shockingly high up canopy of trees interspersed with clear blue skies, 3) he had a headache to rival the time he’d gotten his face beaten in by Billy, and 4) the grass around his stood at about waist high.

Yeah, that fourth realization had come around as soon as he’d shot upright in a blind panic, hands clutching at his head as he'd let out a pained groan.

Now, several hours later, Steve could quite assuredly give three additional claims that were likely facts: he was undeniably lost, his headache had thankfully abated, and he was currently the height of a fucking goddamned soda can. 

He knew that last one because he’d stumbled across a can of pop and found that the top of his head just reached the lip of it.

Which was absolutely fantastic.

He had half a mind to think this was all some sort of messed up dream, but he was unfortunately well aware that he was not nearly imaginative enough for that, and he hadn’t been to any parties recently where he could’ve been slipped some drugs that might’ve been able to make up for his innate deficiency.

So it was pretty safe to say that this was real, and he was probably going to die.

Why would this being real mean he would probably die, you might wonder?

Well, the answer was more reasonable than you’d expect:

He was being chased by a goddamned rodent that was nearly double his size.

-

Eddie snapped out of his daze at the sound of a shrill scream, his chin slipping off from where it’d been propped up against his palm at the abrupt break in the relative silence around him.

He sat up on the wood bench, wincing at the drag of the splintering grain against his jeans, and scanned the trees around him. 

Nothing. 

His brows furrowed minutely, and he stubbed his joint against his metal lunchbox, tapping out the ash and shoving it inside a baggie in the tin.

Maybe he was just hearing things? he mused, turning the thought over in his head before giving a mental shrug. Well -

His eyes snapped back up. There it was again! - a shout. High pitched in the sense that it was at such a quiet decibel, followed by the sound of rustling leaves. 

His head slowly tilted to the side, and he leaned his whole body with the motion to peer around the picnic table and towards where the noise had emanated from.

“...Hello?” he called out cautiously, dragging out the word, gaze darting around as he found himself rising from his seat. He crouched down when he heard another rustle followed by a yelp.

That was definitely coming from somewhere close to the ground, and it sounded deceptively… not like an animal, Eddie thought, squinting his eyes as he scanned the leaf litter in the grass.

Movement had his head snapping to the left just in time to track it, and he sprang forth without another thought, the motion more of an awkward frog leap because of his stance, and saw -

What the hell? 

It - what?

That was a person.

An itty bitty person, face hidden by their mussed up hair and only their waist and up visible through the foliage, but what Eddie was pretty sure was a human - or, at the very least, very human-like - nonetheless. 

One being chased by a very disgruntled looking mouse.

For a second, Eddie found himself just staring at the completely incomprehensible scene, thoughts dazedly somewhere along the line of ‘wow, I’ve finally actually lost it and my mind’s entered some fucked up Alice in Wonderland type shit, hasn’t it?’ but he snapped out of it as the teeny tiny person gave another yell when the mouse snapped at them, the rodent’s teeth momentarily snagging on the back of the teeny's shirt.

Eddie’s hand darted forward unthinkingly, and, from one moment to the next, he had a fistful of person held up in front of his face, the mouse giving an aborted squeak and darting away as soon as he made his move.

Meanwhile, the being (?) squirmed in his hand, having first given a shout in surprise at suddenly being caught before letting out grunts and puffs of air as they tried to push fruitlessly at his fingers, their tiny, miniscule little hands shoving at his skin and hardly doing anything but leaving the faintest of indents. 

Eddie blinked rapidly, bringing them closer to his face. 

He’d smoked weed today, sure - when did he not? - but it’d never given him hallucinations before. 'Cause that’s sure as hell what this had to be. A hallucination, that is.

There was no other explanation for the fact that, staring right back up at him, face frozen in a mixture of shock and burgeoning dread, was none other than Steve fucking Harrington.

------

WOOT WOOT

Ch. 2

[bethaven]

#22 Heartstopper

Plot: Nick and Charlie get placed together at form in school and immediately - sparks. Charlie's unsure if Nick likes him back, or even if he's non-straight. Nick on the other hand, get very confused about these new feelings. Meeting, falling in love and being out turns out to be more complicated than they could've ever imagined. But it's the love story of the century and together with supportive friends and family they can overcome anything. We also get to follow their friends and family in their own endeavours, like the relationships between Tao and Elle and Tara and Darcy as well as Isaac's ace-journey.

Years: 2022-

Seasons: 2 (season three arriving in 2024)

My story: There's so much to say here, but I'll try to keep it short. I discovered Heartstopper shortly after the first season had arrived to Netflix. It fast became one of my favourites and led to a few rewatches over the first year. But I didn't move further into the fandom just yet. When season 2 dropped I'd been longing for it all summer. I'd had a rough year with chaos at work combined with both my grandfathers passing away within two months. I'd been keeping myself distracted with travelling all summer, but then suddenly there were no distractions left. My mental health spiraled. The only thing that kept me afloat was Heartstopper. I watched all episodes everyday for about two months. I read the comics over and over. I went deep into the Osemanverse and I read books, which I normally never do. I got into tumblr. All of it kind of became my saving. And I owe it all to Alice Oseman.

Teachable moments: For me Heartstopper teaches us primarily about how love is always just love, in whichever form it comes in. Wheither it's platonic, romantic or other types of love, wheither it's the love you feel for your partner or the love you feel for friends and family - they're all valid and important.

Best character: Even though I love them all, I've always had a soft spot for Charlie. There's so many layers of him and I am really looking forward to how the rest of his journey will be portrayed on screen. He has the biggest heart and is so much stronger than he thinks.

Best episode: "Boyfriend" (S1E8). I love how this episode start at the deep end and ends on a high note. Nick's speach and their kiss in the corridor together with the beach trip just makes this perfect. A big runner up is "Truth/Dare" (S2E6), not the least for Tara and Darcy's story and growth.

Best quote: "I think there's this idea that when you're not straight you have to tell all your friends and family immediately, like you owe it to them. But you don't." (Charlie to Nick) This line has really helped me in my own journey about sexuality/attractions.

Fun fact: It'd be hard to find a fun fact that the Heartstopper fandom didn't already know (even though it might be true for all the series in this calendar). But for the not so initiated it'd be fun to know that Joe Locke, who plays Charlie, got the role through an open audition and this is his first time acting professionally. In 2024 he'll be both in a new Marvel series (which, in a parallel universe is quite funny since Charlie doesn't like Marvel) and do his Broadway debut in Sweeny Todd.

If you like this you might also like: Young Royals, Skins, Tales of the City, Skam and Atypical.

(Heartstopper is the adaptation of Alice Oseman's webcomic and books. Volume 5 was just released and volume 6 will be the last one. The webcomic is normally released three times a month, but will now be on a hiatus for about six months, until Alice have some volume 6 stuff to share. Also check out the novellas Nick and Charlie and This winter as well as Alice's novels Solitaire (where the story about Nick and Charlie started), Radio Silence, I was born for this and Loveless. She has also written and created the Netflix series.)

[rebelsofshield]

Updated Canon Star Wars Shows Ranking

The Bad Batch's third and final season begins tomorrow! What better time to take stock of how the series is currently stacking up against the nine other canon series' in the Star Wars sag.

(As always, please feel free to sound off in the replies or reblogs with how wrong I am. I love hearing your thoughts.)

10. Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Oscillating between dull and distracted, the original iconic bucket headed bounty hunter’s show displays Star Wars at its most shallow and routine. Despite claiming to be a Godfather-esque crime saga, The Book of Boba Fett feels oddly toothless and impersonal. In the process, the series does the ultimate disservice of making its title character less interesting at its conclusion than its outset. A great leading duo in Temuera Morrison and Ming-na Wen can’t really save a series that rarely if ever rises above being passable.

9. Star Wars Resistance

A fun, atypical series that aims for a younger audience with a lighter, more comedic tone. Some fans may not gel with its sometimes zany energy, but it boasts some impressively nuanced character arcs and standout aerial combat set pieces. It ends though on an awkward rushed note that may be as much a fault of the shambling structure of the sequel trilogy as the show itself.

8. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor’s big return to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi somehow feels like less than the sum of its parts. McGregor is wonderful as the title character and there are some truly emotional moments to be found in watching this old Jedi Master find his purpose and make peace with the trauma that came with the end of the Clone Wars, but overall Kenobi rarely manages to hit the highs it should. Messy production design and some clunky mid-season narrative choices end up cutting the series down in moments when the drama should be at its highest. For a series that may have been the most demanded Star Wars project of the last decade, Obi-Wan Kenobi never manages to fully reach the hype of its fanbase or the potential of its character.

7. Star Wars The Mandalorian

After an uneven but mostly promising first season, The Mandalorian has had trouble finding its footing. Despite being the flagship series for not only Star Wars live action television but also the Disney+ streaming platform, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s space western has seemed unsure of itself after two seasons that pushed back its main characters in favor of a parade of cameos and clunky franchise focused world building. Luckily, it still has an eye for spectacle and flash. The Mandalorian looks like a blockbuster action-adventure movie and even when the story fails to live up to its potential, you can still count on the series’ consistently strong directing talent to deliver on some fantastic moments of Star Wars spectacle and creatively designed characters and locales.

6. Star Wars Ahsoka

One of the most ambitious and complicated offerings from Star Wars’ live action television offerings, Ahsoka is the culmination of not only fifteen years of storytelling but an important evolution of both its central character and her creator, Dave Filoni. Unfortunately, it does frequently buckle under the weight of its own mythology and continuity. Trying to create a coherent identity out of a show that functionally serves as a spin off to three separate series, two of which are animated, often proves difficult and clunky. There are, however, moments of wonder and grandeur when Ahsoka really does shine. Whether its in the phenomenal performance of Ray Stevenson as the series’ enigmatic villain, Baylan Skoll, or how enthusiastically Ahsoka embraces the franchise’s more fantastical and weird story elements, Dave Filoni demonstrates that he does still have a sense for how to tell worthy stories in this galaxy.

5. Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Recently confirmed to be more than a one-time special set of animated short films, Tales of the Jedi now looks to be a regular animated anthology that fleshes out the unexplored angles of some of the most famous members of the Order. While the three installments focusing on Ahsoka offer little more than a reunion for fans of The Clone Wars, the miniature trilogy that Tales of the Jedi tells about the fall of Count Dooku to the Dark Side are masterfully written and directed editions to the animated Star Wars canon. Not only do they finally add emotional and philosophical clarity to one of the most famous villains from the Prequel Trilogy, but they provide a murky exploration into some of the Jedi Order’s failings and why exactly members of its ranks would be tempted to leave it behind.

4. Star Wars: The Bad Batch

While it suffers from some of the same pacing issues that abound in almost all Star Wars television, The Bad Batch has evolved into a fun ensemble action series with some truly stellar character moments scattered throughout. In particular, this Clone Wars spinoff excels in diving into the uncertain fate of the Grand Army of the Republic. At its core is the question of what happens to a people bred for wartime when that wartime ends? The results are often tragic and occasionally disturbing, but almost always make for standout television. Throw in some gripping action set pieces and you have a more than worthy follow up to one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars canon.

3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

A very rough start and scattered snooze worthy story arcs aside, The Clone Wars is an ambitious as hell show that pretty much launched Star Wars as we currently know it. Its anthology style format allowed for its creators to tell a wide variety of stories that not only deepened a previously maligned era of the series but also played tribute to many of George Lucas’s creative influences. Great swing for the fences storytelling risks and gorgeous animation elevate this series into blockbuster level entertainment that balances incredible spectacle with powerful moments of character development and franchise redefining mythology.

2. Star Wars Rebels

A wonderful achievement in character and inventive storytelling, Star Wars Rebels reaches heights that are among the best moments the franchise has ever produced. Through its endearing and refreshingly complex ensemble cast and a tight four-season arc, Rebels feels like a complete, unique package that isn’t afraid to take risks and knows when and how to challenge its audience. Even occasional filler episodes aren’t enough to detract from what is overall a charming, suspenseful, and ultimately moving series of family and the fight against tyranny.

1. Star Wars Andor

Star Wars at its most human and political, Andor is thoughtful and meticulously crafted drama about the early days of a rebellion. Taking its title character from the ashes of Rogue One and spinning off into the story of a complicated man living in the shadow of fascism, Andor offers up intrigue, emotion, and a stirring critique of systems of oppression whether they be from the galaxy far, far away or own humble little world. Even outside of its heady political allegory, Andor is simply fantastically directed and acted television scattering a marathon of all-time-classic Star Wars moments throughout its first season. It’s that rare gem that only seems to come around only once or twice a decade: Star Wars that is not only great within the context of its universe but a truly essential work of pop cultural art.

[kneesheee]

I tend to look at the antagonist from the television shows, games, and abandoned characters. Alongside minor characters if I need a character on the “good” side.

Here are just a few scrapped characters:

Clarice is a character that was deleted from the final film version of Beauty and the Beast. 

In one early concept of Aladdin, there was going to be a Genie in the Ring that would team up with Jafar.

Aladdin had three friends that were going to help him. They even had their own song before they were scrapped though they do show up in the musical adaptation of the film.

Bastion is a deleted character from Tangled; he was replaced with Flynn Rider and his design went on to become Kristoff’s in Frozen.

Mata is a character that was intended to be used in The Emperor's New Groove as the considered tritagonist. Mata was originally to have been a love interest for Kuzco who would have aided him on his journey, and later married him. She was the inspiration for Malina.

Prince Oswald was a skeleton in Evil Queen’s dungeon; presumably someone that was interested in Snow White, and she was jealous of that.

Claire and Vince were the original protagonists for Tangled which at the time went under the title Rapunzel Unbraided. Very unusual for the leading characters, they were intended to satirize the concept of a typical Disney romance.

Moana's Brothers are characters that existed in one version of the film Moana and were scrapped in the final version.

These are a few characters from the shows:

King Edmund is a recurring character introduced in the second season of Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. He is the ruler of the Dark Kingdom and the long-lost father of Eugene Fitzherbert.

Varian is a young alchemist who appears as a recurring character, later a major character in Tangled: The Series. He later serves as the main antagonist for the second half of the first season until he redeems himself in the third season.

Quirin (pronounced Kiran) is a recurring character in Tangled: The Series. He is the leader of the small village of Old Corona on the mainland of Corona and Varian's father.

Hortense Q. Crowley (more commonly known as Old Lady Crowley) is one of the castle servants who appears in the 2017 Disney Channel television series, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is a grumpy old lady who is known to never smile, earning her the nickname "Scowley Crowley". She is often seen sweeping the castle floors. The one and only thing that puts a smile on Crowley's face is peace and quiet.

Monty (often known as Uncle Monty) is an elderly shopkeeper in the show Tangled: The Series.

Dale is a main antagonist of the episode, "Fitzherbert P.I." in Tangled: The Series. He is an actor who impersonated the famous artist Giovanni.

Wreck Marauder is the main antagonist of the Tangled episode, "Challenge of the Brave" and he is considered the most feared warrior ever.

Arnwaldo Schnitz (better known as Lance Strongbow) is a major character in Tangled: The Series. He is Flynn Rider's childhood best friend and former partner-in-crime.

Frideborg is a handmaid who appears in Tangled: The Series. She is recognizable for her atypical facial features, and being silent all the time. She can sometimes be mistaken for Cassandra, since she wears the same maiden dress that Cassandra wears.

Nigel is King Frederic's royal advisor and a recurring character in Tangled: The Series.

 Xavier is a deleted character from earlier versions of Disney's 2010 animated feature Tangled. He later appeared as a recurring character in Tangled: The Series.

Feldspar Willipeg is the cobbler who appears in the show, Tangled: The Series.

Kiera and Catalina Schnitz, better known as Angry and Red, are a pair of young former thieves who appear as recurring characters in Tangled: The Series. After plundering the kingdom of Corona, the duo would meet their match in the form of Eugene Fitzherbert and Lance Strongbow, who were tasked with reforming the two girls by King Frederic.

Princess Wilhelmina (commonly named "Willow") is Rapunzel's estranged aunt and Queen Arianna's younger sister in Tangled: The Series. Willow is also second in line to inherit the throne of Corona, after Rapunzel.

Adira is a character in Tangled: The Series. A fierce, yet mysterious warrior, she serves as Rapunzel's guide to the source of the ominous black rocks that have plagued parts of the world.

Vex is a character in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is a no-nonsense teenager living in the streets of Vardaros.

Captain Quaid is a character in Tangled: The Series. He is the sheriff of Vardaros.

Calliope is a character from Tangled: The Series. She is a former street magician turned assistant to the Keeper of the Spire who eventually becomes the actual Keeper.

Seraphina is a character from Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is a mermaid and the love interest of Hook Foot.

Madame Canardist is a character who appears in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is Vigor's keeper and agent.

Cassandra is a major character in the Tangled franchise. She is the biological daughter of Mother Gothel who was abandoned as a child when Gothel kidnapped Princess Rapunzel and hid away from the world. She was taken in by the Captain of the Guards thereafter, and raised in Corona as a handmaiden. Upon Rapunzel's return to the kingdom, Cassandra was enlisted as the princess's lady-in-waiting. Despite being polar opposites and occasional rivals, Cassandra and Rapunzel developed a close friendship—one that would inspire Cassandra to pursue a bright future despite her troubled background.

Hook Foot is a recurring character in the show Tangled: The Series, until the second season. He is the younger brother of Hook Hand.

Pete and Stan are two members of the Royal Guards of Corona who appear in Tangled: The Series. Both are often seen together throughout the show, carrying out their duties as guards. The duo are recognized by Corona's Captain of the Guards as his top men.

Zeus is a purplish-red crab and Sebastian's arch-rival from The Little Mermaid episode "Tail of Two Crabs".

King Augustus is a minor character who appeared in the animated television series The Little Mermaid. He is the ruler of Olympia, a neighboring kingdom of Atlantica. Olympia is known for its strong warriors, though the kingdom had actually never seen a full war. 

Thor is the son of King Augustus, and prince of the kingdom of Olympia.

Urchin is a young teen merboy who becomes one of Ariel's best friends. He is an orphan who lives alone and initially has few friends. Eventually, he becomes to be like a younger brother to Ariel and her sisters, and a son to King Triton.

Gabriella is a recurring character in the animated series The Little Mermaid. She is a deaf Latina mermaid who communicates in American Sign Language. 

Ollie is a blue vocal octopus from The Little Mermaid who appears in the two episodes "Wish Upon a Starfish" and "Ariel's Treasures".

Dudley is a character in The Little Mermaid television series. He is King Triton's best friend, and whom Sebastian is often jealous.

Pearl is a young mermaid featured on the animated television show The Little Mermaid television series. 

Hans Christian Andersen is a character who appeared The Little Mermaid episode "Metal Fish". As his name suggests, this character is based on the real-life author of the same name who wrote the original story of The Little Mermaid.

Mervikings are merpeople of Valhalla, known as the Land of the Heroes, but also known for being dangerous. They first appeared in The Little Mermaid, in the episode "Heroes".

Apollo is a minor character who appears in the television series The Little Mermaid. He appeared in the episode Heroes. He was seen as Atlantica's greatest hero and Triton's most trusted sea warrior long before Ariel or her sisters were born.

Neptune is the grandfather of King Triton. He is shown in a flashback in the Little Mermaid episode "Calliope Dreams".

This is also interesting since Poseidon is said to be the father of Triton. Greek mythology comes first. Also, Poseidon and Neptune are two very different gods despite their almost identical similarities. 

That being said, with them being two different gods, that means that the Greek and roman gods exist in Disney lore which makes sense considering that in they use roman names in  "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the 1940 film Fantasia. 

There is also the fact that the Norse gods exist in the Hercules tv how also!

COMICS

In the Marvel Comics, two being in The Little Mermaid serial,there is Prince Waverly of the Pacifica Kingdom.

The Countess de la Perle is an offscreen character that Lumiere and Cogsworth alluded to in Issue 11 of the Marvel Comics serial for Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Characters from Prequels and sequels:

Angelique is a character from Disney's 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a midquel to the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast. She is the castle's decorator who was transformed into a Christmas angel ornament by the Enchantress' curse. Angelique initially opposes preparing Christmas, as she fears the Beast will destroy her hard work, but Belle informs her of all the enjoyable things about the holiday.

Queen Athena is a minor character in Disney's 2008 animated feature film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. As ruler of Atlantica alongside her husband, King Triton, Athena is the mother of Ariel and her six older sisters.

Although the goddess Athena is unrelated to the sea deities in the Greco-Roman mythology, this character's name may be a reference to the goddess Pallas, Poseidon's granddaughter in the Greco-Roman myths, who became Athena's epithet.

 Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Andrina, and Ariel were 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 years old, respectively, when Athena died.

Chandeleria is a character in Belle's Magical World, the third film installment in the Beauty and the Beast franchise. She is one of the Beast's servants who was turned into a chandelier by the Enchantress' curse.

Stevie is Adella's love interest in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.

Witherspoon is a pigeon, one of the Beast's many servants, and a minor character in Belle's Magical World, the third film installment in the Beauty and the Beast franchise.

Le Plume is a protagonist in Belle's Magical World, the third film installment in the Beauty and the Beast franchise. He is one of the Beast's many servants who was turned into a quill by the Enchantress' curse.

Crane is a set of paper sheets, one of Beast's servants and a protagonist in Belle's Magical World, the third film installment in the Beauty and the Beast franchise.

Webster is a dictionary, one of Beast's servants and a character in Belle's Magical World, the third film installment in the Beauty and the Beast franchise.

The Baker is a character in Disney's 2002 film, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, the sequel to Disney's 1950 film, Cinderella. He is Anatasia’s love interest.

Prudence is a minor character in Cinderella II and III, the two sequels to the animated feature film Cinderella. She is the castle’s housekeeper.

Beatrice and Daphne are minor characters from Disney's 2002 animated film Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. They are the assistants to Prudence.

Countess Le Grande is a minor character of Cinderella II: Dreams Come True.

The Queen is a minor character in the 2007 Disney animated film, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. She is the late wife of the King and mother of Prince Charming.

The Duke (also known as Lord Duke or just Duke) is a supporting character in the Sleeping Beauty segment of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. He is King Stefan's fussy, but well behaved, majordomo.

Sha-Ron is Fa Mulan's number one fan. Since Mulan came back from the Imperial City, she was inspired by Mulan.

Simea is a character who will appear in Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. She is the youngest daughter of Chief Tui and Sina, and Moana's little sister.

Moni is a supporting character in Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. He is a member of Moana's wayfinding crew along with Kele and Loto. He is described as a passionate storyteller in Motunui and a huge fan of Maui's.

Kele is a supporting character in Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. He is a grumpy old farmer who is a part of Moana's wayfinding crew along with Loto and Moni. Kele is also the elder statesman of the island community of Motunui, responsible for the vegetables crops.

Loto is a supporting character in Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. She is the "brainy but quirky" member of Moana's wayfinding crew along with Kele and Moni, who designs and maintains the ship during their quest to the mysterious island of Motufetu.

Live Action Characters:

Queen Selina is a character featured in the 2023 live-action film The Little Mermaid. She is a human queen and the adoptive mother of Prince Eric. 

Dalia is a character in the 2019 live-action Disney film Aladdin. She is Princess Jasmine's loyal handmaiden, confidante, and childhood friend.

Princess Chelina of Zaragoza, Kit's unwanted suitor, whom the Grand Duke wants him to marry in the 2015 live-action film which I personally prefer.

Cadenza is a major character who appears in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. He is a harpsichord who is described as "a neurotic maestro".

Jean Potts is the village potter and husband of Mrs. Potts and the father of Chip Potts in Disney's 2017 live-action adaption movie of Beauty and the Beast.

 In As Old as Time, he was named Alaric Potts and was a stablemaster and an old friend of Maurice. 

Monsieur Toilette is a minor character in the 2017 remake film, Beauty and the Beast. His scene was cut from the film but is featured in the deleted scenes.

The King is a posthumous character in the 2017 Disney live-action film Beauty and the Beast based on the acclaimed 1991 animated classic with the same name. He is the (possibly late) father of the Prince (who was transformed into the Beast) who used to rule an unnamed French kingdom.

The Queen is a posthumous character in the 2017 Disney live-action film, Beauty and the Beast based on the acclaimed 1991 animated classic with the same name. She is the late mother of the Prince (who was transformed into the Beast) who used to rule an unnamed French kingdom alongside her cruel husband, the King.

Conall is a character in the 2019 film, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. He is a male fairy who saves Maleficent from drowning, and reintroduces her to other fairies like herself.

Borra is the anti-villain turned supporting protagonist of the 2019 film, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. He is portrayed by Ed Skrein. One of the leaders of the Dark Fey, a band of winged creatures residing in a cavernous nest, Borra seeks war with the humans and views Maleficent as key to their success.

Hua Xiu is a character in the 2020 live-action Disney remake of Mulan. She is the younger sister of Mulan.

Commander Tung is a character in the 2020 live-action Disney film Mulan. He is the mentor and teacher to Mulan who leads the Imperial Regiment.

Sergeant Qiang is a supporting character who appears in the 2020 live-action remake of Mulan. He is the fiercely loyal second-in-command of Commander Tung's Imperial Army.

Chen Honghui is a character in the 2020 Disney live-action remake of Mulan. He is a confident and ambitious recruit who joins Commander Tung's unit. He becomes Mulan's most important ally and eventual love interest.

[thebrightsessions]

Hi !

I just finished the brights sessions and in one of the episode D. Bright said that the atypical represented 4% of the world's population, and that let me wondering, considering that almost every atypical that we encounter in the serie is queer, what percent of the queer community is atypical ?

Apart from that, i love your show and all of the amazing character! I hope you have a great day !

Oooh GREAT question! Lemme do some quick math here...

Okay, according to my universe bible (which is pretty accurate, if not fully comprehensive, I'm sure there's stuff I forgot to write down), there are 29 known and named atypicals across the 7 seasons of the podcasts, excluding the Bright Sides (Season 5, the bonus episodes) and the three books (though there is some overlap) but including Frank Sawyer and Sadie Greenwood, who are, like...atypical-adjacent.

Of those 30 atypicals (presuming I counted correctly (does this post have enough parentheticals yet?)), 14 are definitely canonically queer in one way or another. So, by that logic, nearly half of the atypical population is queer! I have a feeling that number would go up if I were to go through and pull out all the folks from the books and the bonus episodes (which perhaps I will do someday but I don't know the orientation of all the bonus ep characters (bc they were created by other people) and pulling out characters from the books is always a mess because, uh, I do not outline lol) but I also don't know that I can say our little atypical population is fully representative of the global population's queerness? Like flocks to like, so perhaps this a somewhat self-selecting bunch, or maybe there really is just a very high correlation between being atypical and being queer. Dealer's (fanfic writer and headcanon-er's) choice!

Counts under the cut:

Known Atypicals:

characters who are canonically queer are bolded - these are characters who either have queer relationships or talk specifically about their identity. some folks on this list are straight (Frank, Sadie, Marley, Jackson, Blackwell, (though tbf, Sadie is the only person in the whole series who ever says they're straight I'm pretty sure, so who knows)), but there are plenty who we never say one way or another, so anything is possible!

Sam Barnes Caleb Michaels Chloe Turner Frank Sawyer Robert "Damien" Gorham Mark Bryant Rose Atkinson Franklin "Frankie" Meeks Sadie Greenwood Ben Bernard Oliver Ritz Margaret "Mags" Densmore Jackson Crawford Jason "Marley" Beck Seamus Blackwell Michal Sharon Helen Sidney Alice Michaels Alice Rufie Jordan Tobias Sitzer Alexis Neal Cat Cam Vanessa Turner Ira Alex "Blaze" Chen Maguerite Sarai

[raccoonfallsharder]

One of the funny things to consider: in the MCU Rocket makes fat jokes about Thor and Quill (Quill wasn't even fat). Imagine Rocket letting his instincts take over on earth during winter season then realizing "oh... I get it now... i feel so warm and content... not hungry and angry like usual"

sweet nonnie ♡♡♡

let’s fuckin scrub those cheap, clumsy, poorly-written and atypical jokes from canon. the truth is the infinity war & endgame writers did the guardians SO fuckin dirty and my boy would never have made those jokes because (1) he would’ve understood too much about what thor was going through to mock him for anything right then and (2) he’s so insecure about his own body that he isn’t gonna risk holding anyone else’s up for scrutiny and (3) i doubt he’d have any real adherence to terran fatphobia any more than he understands weird terran ideas of gender binaries. too many bodies in space to have that kind of beauty norm

also comics rocket fucks so many different body types. all sizes are sexy to him

so now that we’ve cleared that greasy shit out of our brains, let’s focus on the important part, which is the fact that rocket has been eating more and more while he’s been staying with you this autumn. you’ve noticed that he’s finally been able to stop hitching up his loose pants, and on the rare occasions that he lets you hug him (grumpily, but you can tell he likes it ‘cause of the way his tail twitches) you realize you can no longer feel his ribs. he’s less sharp and pointy and you feel like his fur’s getting thicker too. healthier, more lustrous.

plus he’s in a better mood.

one night while you’re both eating snacks and watching movies on the couch, he looks down into his bowl of ice cream or popcorn or whatever and is like

“have i been actin’ weird lately?”

you frown. “what do you mean?”

he shrugs and turns his eyes back to the screen, takes another bit of whatever snacks you’ve been sharing. “i dunno. i feel—“ he hesitates ‘cause he’s never been good at examining his emotions. “i dunno,” he repeats. “i feel like i been bein’ less of a jackass, i guess.”

you snort. “i mean. i hate to call that weird, but… yeah, okay.”

“m’not as…” he trails off, groping for words. “hungry, anymore, either.” it doesn’t sound like he just means for food, but you doubt he wants to unpack that just yet.

“well,” you say slowly, “you have been eating more. maybe it’s all related.”

he looks down at the little paunch over his belly. “m’gaining weight.”

“does that… bother you?” you ask carefully, not knowing if any of his plentiful insecurities might revolve around his size.

he looks nonplussed. “nah. why would it?” he grins. “m’still just as fast and mean and smart. can still build a bomb in three seconds, beat drax an’ quill at poker without ‘em ever catching me cheating, and charm the hell outta you.”

“okay, okay.” you roll your eyes. “still just as modest, too.” you shrug. “anyway…” you’re not sure exactly how comfortable he is with the whole raccoon-thing yet, so you hedge your words. “lots of… people… put on an extra layer for the winter. to keep warm.”

“huh,” he says, like he’s intrigued. like the concept is completely alien (which in a way it is, of course). he looks down at his belly again, then up at the tv. “don’t think it’s that,” he decides after a moment.

you half-smile. “then what is it?”

he shrugs and doesn’t take his eyes off the screen. “think i might just be…” he hesitates. “…happy?”

[batsimph]

A few things about the blog:

Hello, I'm BatsimpH on Twitter and MsOdds on AO3. I made this blog to archive my fics and (some of) my arts, and of course make new friends if I can. Here are some infos about the blog and me:

I simp Bruce Wayne (evidently), and mainly ship Superbat with side AllBat (Bottom Bruce) so if it's not your cup of tea, please move on and save yourself the headache

I archive my arts and writings on this blog. I will only post my SFW art here, but I will link all of my Batman-related AO3 fics, some of which have TW contents, I will put warnings in front of each of said fics

Other than that, let's keep things amicable and harmonious.

***

Fics archive

Here is a list of all of my Batman related fics on AO3, with statuses (ongoing, complete, on hiatus...) , ratings, summaries and warnings. This will be updated in real time.

I. One-shots

1. Smothering Love: On how Batman's hugs are deadlier than his glares

When Bruce was still with the League of Shadows, he had the habit of breastfeeding Damian whenever he started crying. It was the only experience the Omega had with consolidating children. Coupled with the trauma of losing him, it stuck. In the end, four Robins (plus one lucky Kryptonian) suffered. (Bruce gives the worst hugs ever. Robins are embarrassed. Clark wants to be smothered by his best friend's chest, he just doesn't know it yet.)

Rating: Mature (no explicit sexual content)

Ship: Superbat, side-KonTim

Note: ABO, past-Mpreg, good parent Bruce Wayne, BOOBAS

This was my first ever Superbat fic and to this day it's still my most read one, despite being ABO, it's lighthearted w some angst and humor and crack

2. Merry it is, while summer lasts.

Bruce joins the Justice Lords when the first of the dog roses blooms. He leaves when the last has wilted and rose hips grow in clusters on spiky tree branches. His loyalty to Kal lasts a season, but his love for Clark survives a lifetime.

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Justice Lord Superbat

TW: Non-con, Coerced Sex

Notes: Medieval fantasy AU, Justice Lord, Dark Clark, Whump Bruce, secret marriage

This is a rather dark and Angsty fic, inspired by a middle-English song called "Miri it is, while Sumer ilas" and dog roses (Rosa canina). I consider it my best one yet.

3. Heated Combat.

"... So why not do it? Why not let his fists do the job? He’d rather be known as a prude than an insatiable bitch..." Every heat, Batman haunts the streets of Gotham and redirects his frustration onto anyone foolish enough to commit crime in his presence. For Alfred’s sanity, the safety of himself and the criminals, he needs to find a different outlet. Enter Superman. (Atypical Omegaverse where heats and ruts only make people extremely horny, or in Bruce’s case, horny and pissed off.)

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Superbat

Note: ABO, Batfam, CRACK, Humor and sexy time

4. Metastatis

Metastasis (n): the development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from a primary site of cancer Clark afflicts him with a disease of the incurable kind, a love so vile that it turns into world-ending hate. And just like the heart sickness that never goes away, Clark never lets him be, either. Three Supermen take an interest in the Devastator. They want to tame him. To do so, they first have to teach him how to love Superman again.

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Superbat (Dark Clark(s) x Devastator)

Note: ANGST,  violence, body modification, mind break, Stockholm’s syndrome, suicidal thoughts

This is a requested fic, and a very dark one, read at your own risk

II. Multi chapters

The man of tomorrow who becomes the god of sorrow

“It’s not me you seek forgiveness from. It’s him… And if he were anything like me, then there is nothing to forgive… I’ve never resented Ka-Clark, either.” (“Batman, as your old comrade, I give you one last chance. Disband the rebels and pledge your loyalty to the Justice Lords and Kal. Beg him for mercy, you just might receive it.” But Bruce had remained willfully silent as Diana’s lasso biting into his neck until, until… In hindsight, what a moron Kal-El had been, waiting for the Bat to yield, knowing that Bruce’s body would give out before his mind did) After Lord Batman’s death, Lord Superman crosses many universes and finds him again.

Status: On-going, chapter 6/8

Rating: N/A (no explicit content, some violent)

Ship: Superbat + Superbat deviations (Justice Lords, Injustice...)

Notes: Lord Superman centric, Dark Clark, Multi universes (Justice Lord, Injustice, Flashpoint, Dark Knight trilogy...), Redemption, WHUMP and ANGST

This was my first attempt at writing Justice Lord and fix-it redemption and my second fic overall.

2. Accidental Cohabitation

Clark’s week has been terrible. First Batman rejects him, then Brucie Wayne invites himself into his life. Salvaging his relationship with a moody colleague and babysitting a runaway Omega billionaire? This might be a job even Superman can’t do.

Status: On-going, chapter 4/?

Rating: Mature (Some sexual contents and languages)

Ship: Superbat, past-others/Bruce

Notes: ABO, Brucie baby, Batfam shenanigan, humor, crack and some angst

This is just pure crack with drama and action elements

3. Kings take Queens

Pheromones draw mates to one another and they don’t lie. It’s all nature, but nature doesn't account for parallel universes. Lord Batman finds it increasingly difficult to reject propositions from his Alpha’s double. Batman, an unmated and untamed Omega, has his iron will tested by Lord Superman. Kal will stop at nothing to possess a Bat who won’t betray him. Lord Superman wants to help in his own twisted way and teach the other Kryptonian a valuable lesson. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

Status: Complete

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Justice Lord Superbat, Injustice Superbat, Lord Superman x Insurgency Batman, Regime Superman x Lord Batman

Warning: RAPE, Non Con

Notes: ABO, Dark Clark, Whump, Angst, Justice Lord, Injustice

This is a dark fic, mostly porn and some drama, angst

4. Hit the ground running

Bruce knows that Clark wants to be his mate, but his body and mind are contaminated by Joker’s blood and he’s afraid of tainting Clark with it too. One year after Batman’s death, Bruce, accompanied by his best friend and confidant, returns to Gotham. The short visit propels their relationship along its natural course in a way neither of them could prepare for. When Bruce runs away, he unknowingly triggers a ritual as old as time, where Alphas hunt Omegas down and claim them.

Status: Complete, chapter 3/3

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Superbat, one-sided and past others/Bruce

Warning: Contains spoilers for Arkham games (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Knight, Arkham Origin)

Notes: ABO, Arkhamverse, mating hunt, Angst

Praise Arkham! Batman's thighs. You can still read this without previously playing the games.

5. Dynasty of Frauds

“You can become my mate, or I can put you under Brainiac’s brain control device again. What is it going to be, Bruce?” Kandor’s restoration brings about conspiracies that Kal has neither patience nor finesse for. He needs an ally, and Bruce, despite his many past betrayals, happens to be perfect for the job.

Status: On-going, chapter 2/?

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Injustice Superbat

Notes: ABO, Injustice

This fic is an attempt at royal! AU, takes place post-Injustice 2, Superman ending (Absolute Power), it's a dark fic with hopefully happy ending and fix-it, slow burn.

[ranchthoughts]

The Good Place and MSP: Pacing and Narrative Structure [a crossover for a probably tiny audience]

this post will contain spoilers for The Good Place and My School President so be forewarned!

I was watching a couple of videos about The Good Place by the youtube channel Pillar of Garbage (this one and this one) and it sparked some *thoughts* which reminded me of one of my powerpoint presentations on MSP that I made.

Basically, The Good Place (TGP) and My School President (MSP) have an atypical narrative structure and in particular atypical pacing compared to other shows like them or the shows we might expect them to be.

Firstly, both shows have “premature” big reveals:

halfway through the first season of TGP, Eleanor admits that she is in the Good Place by mistake, instead of filling an entire season or more with her hijinks as she tries to hide that fact

MSP establishes that Tinn is not an unmoved cool guy out to get Gun but in fact a soft, pining gay romantic in the first episode, a reveal which in other shows hasn’t happened until the mid-point of the season or even the very end

Secondly, both shows move through plot lines more quickly than other shows would:

TGP introduces several season- or episode-spanning concepts and then move past them with in an episode or two: e.g., season 2 of TGP starts with all the characters being rebooted in a second go-round of the Good Place experiment, and it seems the whole second season will be much like the first with the characters only realizing they are in the Bad Place at the end → in the second episode of the season Eleanor figures out they are in the Bad Place; and episode 3 of the season (Dance Dance Resolution) has them speed run through hundreds of reboots, representing possible seasons of content.

practically every problem introduced in MSP is resolved by the end of the episode: e.g., Sound is introduced and wants to take over the club → by the end of the episode Gun is back in charge and Sound has been welcomed into the fold; or Tinn knows Gun’s mother is sick but she tells him not to tell Gun → in the next scene Gun finds out, a couple of scenes later things are smoothed over with Tinn, and by the end of the episode we know Gun’s mother is going to be ok; a girl gives Tinn sweets and compliments him which makes Gun jealous → in the next scene we learn it was a case of mistaken identity. As a result, there is little protracted drama or angst (especially revolving around miscommunication) in MSP compared to other BL shows

Thirdly, both shows don’t always have us win:

e.g., at the end of season 2 of TGP, when Eleanor is on her quest to be a better person, she isn’t rewarded for it, it makes her life harder, and she falls back into her old ways

e.g., in MSP, Chinzilla doesn’t win Hot Wave

It was really interesting reading through peoples’ speculations on social media while TGP and MSP were airing about where these shows were heading next, as invariably there were people thinking of other shows (sitcoms, BLs, etc.) and expecting these shows to go those routes (e.g., expanding relatively simple premises over full seasons, or extensive plotlines and drama steeped in miscommunication and jealousy). But then the next episode of TGP or MSP would air and blow through a full season’s premise in half an episode or sidestep all the most dramatic possibilities

Because of these three things (“premature” reveals, quick pacing, the protagonists don’t always win), TGP and MSP felt fresh week after week. We didn’t know where TGP was going to go next, and MSP was flipping the conventional BL narrative arcs and plot devices on their heads. The shows felt confident: they didn’t need to stretch things out over multiple episodes or full seasons because they knew they had more than enough compelling narrative material to keep going.

These shows surprised us, but at the same time the progression of the story and the characters felt more realistic than in other shows. The characters in TGP face setbacks but ultimately grow as people over the course of the show, and the characters of MSP communicate with each other like most real-life friends and partners would and don’t get mired down in extended miscommunication plotlines.

Also shoutout to this post by @distant-screaming that reminded me of the narrative/pacing section my MSP ppt

[duckapus]

Papa Meowth Pokemon Teams: Kanto/Orange Islands Edition

I said I'd do it. I'm lumping in the Orange Islands because there's very few catches there, either in canon or in the AU. There's a couple that are minor spoilers for the changes I'm making to the Movies, but they're pretty minor changes, especially in comparison to Johto where thing's really start going off the rails, so it's no big deal.

I'll briefly when and how a Pokemon gets caught or evolves if it significantly deviates from canon (so all the new guys obviously)

Ash

Pikachu (naturally)

Catterpie>Metapod>Butterfree (thanks to being able to study Maria's teleportation abilities, Professor Oak was able to create portable Pokeball Transfer Devises more advanced than canon's "only 6 Pokemon" teleporters, so Butterfree can be On Call even while traveling with the flock. Because fuck Season 1's "all the strong Pokemon are released or disobedient" policy)

Pidgeotto>Pidgeot

Oddish (Gets caught via a battle a little after they leave AJ (that guy with the Sandshrew from Path to the Pokemon League). As much as she likes the group, the chaos that follows them everywhere is ultimately too overwhelming for her and she willingly gets traded at the St. Anne trainer cruise before everything goes pear-shaped. she does give a good showing at Vermilion Gym as a nice sendoff though.)

Bulbasaur

Charmander>Charmeleon>Charizard (Thanks to Ash being able to understand Pokemon, they're able to work out their issues a lot sooner)

Krabby>Kingler (Since he's Ash's only water type until Totodile in this timeline, he gets used sooner and more often than in canon so he evolves during the group's visit to Lavender Town (which once again uses the Marowak game story instead of "Ash Fucking Dies And It's Played For Laughs))

Hatenna>Hattrem>Haterene (the Pokemon that Oddish got traded for. She's very atypical for a Hatenna and actually likes how loud and energetic is. She evolves during the battle with Erica (Ash doesn't get banned in this timeline but does still dress as Ashley. According to Maria and Meowth it's apparently just a thing he does sometimes) and into Haterene during Power of One. She mainly fights by unfurling her hair and turning it into various constructs, helped by using Growth to give herself more material to work with, alongside a frankly absurd level of Move variety)

Cubone>Marowak (The Pokemon Tower Cubone. Evolves during the Indigo Conference while facing a Cubone belonging to Ritchie, who also evolves during that match)

Muk

15 Tauros

Doduo (caught in the Safari Zone)

Venomoth (Also Safari Zone)

Snorlax

Not a Pokemon, but Ash is also given a Pidgeotite and Keystone by Slowking as thanks for his help in Power of One. And he can actually make use of them since Pidgeot both has the same setup as Butterfree and even if she didn't she lives basically right next door to Pallet Town.

Maria

Meowth

Clefairy>Clefable (the martial arts obsessed one. Asks to join after the Mt. Moon incident and Maria buys Moon Stones for her and another of her Pokemon at the League)

Squirtle>Wartortle (evolves during the Gringey City incident)

Voltorb>Electrode (caught either a little before or a little after Surge's Gym battle. Evolves while battling the Rockets during Beauty and the Beach)

Hitmonlee (due to Primeape being a Team Rocket Pokemon, The Punchy Pokemon goes pretty differently, with Maria entering Clefairy (who sets a personal challenge to not use any Fairy Type moves), Team Rocket entering Primeape (more like Primeape enters himself and dares Jessie to argue) and Gary showing up and entering his Wartortle. Clefairy ends up winning and a wild Hitmonlee begs to become her pupil after being awestuck by her skill)

the other 15 Tauros

Dratini (not the one the Safari Zone guy is friends with)

Nidorino>Nidoking (Safari Zone. He's the other Moon Stone evolution at the League)

Magmar (so I was misremembering when I said that both Ash and Maria got two non-Tauros Pokemon at the SZ. Maria got three)

Vulpixtwo (Did I stutter?)

Lapras (portable transfer devices strike again)

Also Tracy finds a Mega Stone during The Underground Round Up and gives it to Maria because he guesses that it's probably to do with Electrode given they're in Voltorb/Electrode Territory and she's the one who actually has an Electrode. Professor Oak ends up confirming that it is in fact Electrodite, the first to be discovered in fact, and gives her a Keystone so she can make use of it (and so he can study what exactly a Mega Electrode is like). Yes, I'm including my own Fanmade Megas. That's the least of the Made Up Shit I'll be adding quite frankly.

Misty

Staryu

Starmie

Goldeen

Beedrill (yes it's the same one as in the Streamer AU. Because I can.)

Horsea>Seadra (evolves during A Ship Full of Shivers)

Psyduck>Golduck (Evolves during Mewtwo Strikes Back as a side-effect of being cloned 53 times due to accidentally making the cloning chamber malfunction with his clumsiness)

Egg>Togepi

Psyducktwo-through-fiftyfour (they have declared Golduck their leader and now they're Misty's problem. This is what she gets for laughing about the Tauros Herd situation when it happened.)

Poliwag

Brock

Onix

Geodude

Zubat

Vulpix>Ninetails (evolves at some point during his time at Professor Ivy's Lab)

Aerodactyl (Yes That Aerodactyl)

Drowsee (A wild Pokemon that somehow got mixed up in Butch and Cassidy's fake Daycare in The Breeding Center Secret and decides to go with Brock after things get cleared up)

Team Rocket

Porygon (similar to Meowth, he doesn't have a Trainer and is considered an Agent alongside the humans)

Jessie

Ekans>Arbok

Diglett (Caught after the Cerulian Gym incident because Jessie and James decide that their team needs to expand and diversify at least a bit, especially if they want to stand a chance against Pikachu. It's mostly Porygon's idea.)

Primeape (I have explained this)

Lickitung

Venusaur (specifically a really big pink one the TRio found on Pinkan Island)

James

Koffing>Weezing

Shiny Magnemite (caught at the same time as Diglett for the same reasons. He's somehow psychic (both in terms of Moves and in the human psychic powers sense) and is Completely Insane. Personality is heavily inspired by Bill Cypher, but significantly toned down both due to not being nearly as powerful and me needing him to fit with the rest of the TRio morality-wise)

Magikarp>Gyarados (does not mess this up in this timeline and manages to actually keep it, as I mentioned in the Magikarp Salesman post.)

Growlie (Growlithe>Arcanine) (I am not leaving him with James's horrible parents. Somebody in the group happened to have a Fire Stone for whatever reason and the whole group uses it to evolve Growlie, blow a hole through a wall, and ride him into the sunset)

Weepinbell>Victreebel

Lileep (was apparently mixed in with all the dormant Kabuto in Shell Shocked and James catches it while the island falls apart)

Also Sir Laurence's Airship in Power of One is more-or-less intact after the fact and the TRio somehow manage to steal it with plans to turn it into a mobile base.

Tracey

The only real difference is that they evolve Scyther into Scizor to counteract his old age.

Timmy Turner

...Okay let me explain.

You know how I keep mentioning the whole thing with Squirtle Abilities getting scrambled as a side-effect of the space-time continuum nearly collapsing? That wasn't the only side effect. There's also cracks still present in it that are leaking Information and Energy and Spirit into the Pokemon universe, which is the damage that Arceus has been working to fix ever since the incident happened. They don't mind the stuff that's coming through the cracks, but the cracks themselves are absolutely a problem. This is entirely an excuse for crossover characters like Bill!Magnemite and Timmy.

In terms of who Timmy is in this universe, he's a trainer who started a couple months before Ash, and is working towards becoming Kanto's very first Fairy-Type Gym Leader. He's a reoccurring character, but not part of the main group. They first meet him during the Mt. Moon Incident.

Now on to his Pokemon:

Cosmo (Ralts>Kirlia) (Timmy's Starter. Revealed to have evolved during Mewtwo Strikes Back (he's there because one of his friends has a Venusaur and was invited) He's just as overpowered and dumb as you'd expect.)

Wanda (Jigglypuff>Wigglytuff) (Caught before Timmy's debut. revealed to have evolved during The Ninja Poke-Showdown because his friend with the Venusaur (I'm probably gonna go with Tootie) is a student at Koga's Gym)

Brick (Clefairy>Clefable) (Caught at the same time as Maria's Clefairy. Revealed to have evolved during Clefairy Tales)

Trample (Tauros) (Caught at some point before The Flame Pokemon-athon)

Slappy (Mr. Mime) (Revealed during Mewtwo Strikes Back)

Douglas (Galarian Weezing) (Revealed during MSB)

Bitsy (Drapion) (Also MSB)

[ominousvibez]

hyperfixating on pokemon again, and thinking of an ash journey in paldea. obviously, a lot to think about-- where does his journey start? how much of the game plot does it follow, and how original does it get.

most importantly, what is his team like?

well, i've done my research (AKA extensive bulbapedia deep dives). and going off previous "trends" of ash's journeys, i think i can put together a likely list of pokemon that i could see on his own team-- and possible character arcs involving those pokemon-- with maybe a bit of creative liberties, of course.

1. PIKACHU

i think this is an obvious one. like, duh, of course he has pikachu. they're besties. they'd kill for each other, and they probably have before. they'd die for each other, and have multiple times.

2. SPRIGATITO -> FLORAGATO

i know this is a weird one, but hear me out.

throughout most of the series, ash gets between 1-3 of the starter pokemon. in earlier seasons when it's him, misty and brock, he's gotten all three, with the only exception being notably unova (he has the starter trios in kanto, johto, and unova). in other seasons, he's only gotten 1-2, with the 3rd going to the Region Girl, usually the more feminine one.

but. but!! he's gotten the grass type starter the most often-- bulbasaur, bayleef, sceptile, torterra, and snivy. and rowlet. so i feel like this gen would follow a similar trend, where through shenanigans ash ends up catching a sprigatito (or Sprigatito goes after him).

i'd like to imagine that this starter ends up somehow getting their hidden ability Protean, which if you didn't know, changes the user's type to whatever move it uses. which isn't handy in tera battles because the pokemon will keep their tera type but in normal battles, having a sprigatito go from grass type to, like, fairy or something would be fun! it would shake up a few gyms, for sure.

i'd also like to imagine this sprigatito evolves into floragato and decides, yep, that's enough, and doesn't want to evolve further. not all of ash's starter pokemon fully evolve.

only like six of the thirteen starter pokemon ash catches ever fully evolve. capping it at a overpowered floragato seems like it'd be in character for the classic seasons of the anime. idk plot reasons i guess

3. ROOKIDEE -> CORVIKNIGHT

Paldea is a very interesting region in the Pokemon world because it deviates just like Johto did and it doesn't have a typical regional bird pokemon. Wattrel and Kilowattrel fill in the void, but they're more like the Hoothoot/Noctowl sort of vibe. but I don't see ash catching a Kilowattrel; he's never had an electric-type other than Pikachu, and i doubt that they would try it with that

so, i offer up the alternative: his first official paldea catch is a lil' rookidee.

in this canon, ash never traveled through Galar in the "typical" way. everything with goh & the world champions still happens, and ifso factso plot stuff happens and ash ends up enrolled in the paldea schools.

rookidee fills in the "bird" pokemon slot for ash. he's caught just about every other regional bird (including a shiny Noctowl, how cool), so it makes sense that this one would end up in his care. i think it'd be cool to see ash train up a corviknight. they're cool pokemon. i had one in my shield game and her name was poe (quoth the raven evermore) and she was a BAMF. give ash a BAMF bird, as a treat.

4. NYMBLE -> LOKIX

along with the trend of ash catching the regional bird, he usually catches at least one bug-type, and i think a nymble -> lokix would really fit well into his team. they're an atypical bug-type (bug/dark) but i think it'd be cool to explore an arc where ash catches this poor little nymble who is afraid of everything to eventually help it get over its fears and evolve into a powerful lokix.

there's always at least one Problem Pokemon on ash's team, and i think a lokix that wins enough battles that it gets too cocky would be a good continuation of an arc, and cause inner team conflict.

plus i think lokix looks a little bit like mothman and i think he's cool

5. FINIZEN -> PALAFIN

finizen is a very interesting pokemon. not just the first dolphin pokemon, but the evolution is convulted in the game. you gotta be in a union group and get it past level, like, 35 to technically evolve, but nothing really changes with it until it's in battle and it transforms into it's hero form.

but a palafin just fits to me! ash is a very heroic character, and palafin is the hero Pokemon. the palafin is probably a bit of a reckless dummy like ash, who gets into fights too easily, but training with ash (despite his own reckless streak), helps mellow the pokemon out a bit. boom! character arc.

6. CETODDLE -> CETITAN

every few seasons ash gets ahold of an egg, which evolves into a really strong teammate. i think it'd be funny if ash was given an egg that hatches into this nearly 4 foot tall toddler who likes to bite things. i think it'd be really funny. c'mon.

ice is not a type ash commonly gets. he usually gets the pseudo-legendary or something equal in power to it, some sort of dragon-type. heck, in the last season, he has two dragon-types, a dragonite and a dracovish. i think it'd be a cool juxtaposition to have him come out of a season where he got so many cool dragons and give him this giant literal toddler who will eat anything it sees and is an ice-type.

and, sure, cetitan looks a lot more Mature and Serious. but it is still a toddler, deep down inside, and still bites things. ash needs a comic relief team mate, and cetoddle/cetitan fits pretty well

TRAVELING WITH: KORAIDON

this au that's forming in my brain is a mix of scarlet & violet -- idk how the school works with this, but basically, koraidon and miraidon exist together, as do the paradoxes, and both of arven's parents are emotionally distant professors who focus on research in area zero. poor guy. twice the parental trauma.

anyway, i think i see ash taking care of koraidon a lot more than miraidon. again; he's never had another electric type on his team other than pikachu. and while it'd be cool to see how a "ride" miraidon would interact with pikachu, i think koraidon's past vibes vibes better with ash's more wild nature.

i know ash has caught more than a team's worth of pokemon each generation, and i think there's still definitely room for one more wild card of a pokemon, but i can't think of any that would fit atm.

...

anyway yeah that's what i think ash's paldea team would be like!

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Over the past year of record-shattering warmth, the average person on Earth experienced 26 more days of abnormally high temperatures than they otherwise would have, were it not for human-induced climate change, scientists said Tuesday.

The past 12 months have been the planet’s hottest ever measured, and the burning of fossil fuels, which has added huge amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere, is a major reason. Nearly 80 percent of the world’s population experienced at least 31 days of atypical warmth since last May as a result of human-caused warming, the researchers’ analysis found.

Hypothetically, had we not heated the globe to its current state, the number of unusually warm days would have been far fewer, the scientists estimated, using mathematical modeling of the global climate.

The precise difference varies place to place. In some countries, it is just two or three weeks, the researchers found. In others, including Colombia, Indonesia and Rwanda, the difference is upward of 120 days.

“That’s a lot of toll that we’ve imposed on people,” said one of the researchers who conducted the new analysis, Andrew Pershing, the vice president for science at Climate Central, a nonprofit research and news organization based in Princeton, N.J., adding, “It’s a lot of toll that we’ve imposed on nature.” In parts of South America and Africa, he said, it amounts to “120 days that just wouldn’t be there without climate change.”

Currently, the world’s climate is shifting toward the La Niña phase of the cyclical pattern known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. This typically portends cooler temperatures on average. Even so, the recent heat could have reverberating effects on weather and storms in some places for months to come. Forecasters expect this year’s Atlantic hurricane season to be extraordinarily active, in part because the ocean waters where storms form have been off-the-charts warm.

[tribbetherium]

I think you once mentioned the Lipgrips of Austro-Easaterra were becoming the dominant apex predators of that continent. Any Middle Temperocene examples?

Lipgrips, a group of carnivorous rhinocheirids, have rose to top predator status in the Temperocene on the continent of Austro-Easaterra. Distinguished by their short, three-lobed trunks that together with their lower lip form a grappling facial "hand", they have kept their dominance in the Middle Temperocene, stalking the forests and plains where tetracorns, oingos, blubbats and smaller rhinocheirids make up most of their diet.

Yet despite their ferocity and role as top carnivore, the lipgrips are surprisingly intelligent and gentle to one another: while hunting solo or in pairs, many often engage in social displays with members of their species, often vocal and visual territorial posturing but also sometimes curious and even playful interactions, and mated pairs display affection by touching nose lobes. Lipgrips, while hunting in mated pairs when rearing young, are not strictly monogamous, and may take a different mate in later breding seasons. Still, they do recognize their former partners, and often socialize with them outside of mating in their regions of territorial overlap.

Like many walkabies, the lipgrips have good color vision, an adaptation of their frugivorous ancestors that also brought about the evolution of colorful displays, otherwise atypical in mammals. Lipgrips however are constrained by their lifestyle as ambush predators to remain cryptic and hidden--yet one species has found a strange compromise.

The gaudy maskmaw (Varicolorosculum chromatops) at first looks drab and camouflaged befitting a top predator, striped yellow and brown to conceal it among tall dried grasses and leaves. Yet mature males harbor a surprising secret: the inner lining of their lips, nasal lobes and mouth is vividly patterned in a striking pattern of brightly colored skin, with patterns in blue, red, black and white thanks to a mix of pigmentation and structural coloration. Kept folded away as the maskmaw hunts, when intimidating rivals, courting mates, or proclaiming itself to conspecifics, it spreads its oral and nasal lobes wide open putting the brilliant colors in full view. During their courtship, the males perform an elaborate mating dance flashing their bright mouth coloration and making plenty of noise: with the loudest, gaudiest, and most striking of displays being the ones most attractive to a prospective mate.

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars The Bad Batch: "The Harbinger" - Review

After almost a dozen years away, Asajj Ventress returns to television, but this Star Wars anti-hero’s big comeback proves to be a much quieter and gentler story than most may have anticipated.

Fennec Shand’s contact, the force-wielding bounty hunter Asajj Ventress, arrives on Pabu and offers to help Omega understand her what her high M-Count might mean and if this means that she might be Force Sensitive. However, the Batch soon discover that Ventress isn’t just any normal bounty hunter. She’s a Separatist war criminal and former assassin to none other than Count Dooku himself.

“The Harbinger” may have been the most anticipated episode of The Bad Batch in its entire history. When the full trailer to the series’ third and final season dropped, nobody was expecting to hear Nika Futterman’s venomous whisper. Despite a potential resurrection in a canned story arc for Star Wars Resistance, most fans had considered Ventress dead for well over a decade. Regardless of your feelings about the novel Dark Disciple, I think it’s fair to say that fans of the character were always disappointed that one of The Clone Wars’s most interesting characters had her story resolved in a novel rather than on screen, especially given how much Futterman’s performance came to define Ventress’s character. Getting the chance to not only see Ventress back in animation but also alive following her previously canon death was the best kind of surprise.

Given the expectations placed on “The Harbinger,” it would have been all too easy to let Ventress’s big return steal away focus from our principle cast of characters. We’ve absolutely seen our fair share of Star Wars shows that have pushed aside their main storylines in favor of letting that week’s guest star have their time in the spotlight, but script writer Jennifer Corbett thankfully avoids this. Ventress’s presence here is clearly positioned as a potential, atypical mentor figure to Omega and her own journey regarding her potential destiny. Answers about her resurrection or what she’s been up to since the end of the Clone Wars are saved for another time and while that may frustrate some fans, it ultimately serves the show.

Whether or not Omega is Force sensitive has been a mystery hanging over this series since the premiere and the question has only gotten louder since the start of season three. We needed another Force user to give us these answers and in a way Ventress makes for a more inspired choice than some of the other potential options. We could have easily brought Ashley Eckstein back to voice Ahsoka in a one-off episode, but Ventress brings with her a greater sense of conflict and unease that allows this episode to work dramatically. Even if Ventress seemed redemption bound when fans last saw her in The Clone Wars, we don’t know where exactly her current loyalties lie, and the Batch have no reason to think that she’s changed from her time fighting on the opposite side of the war. Also Ventress, isn’t really the most nurturing of people?

Ventress’s presence here also plays into long running themes in The Bad Batch about trusting former enemies in an ever changing galaxy. Ventress makes it clear that she doesn’t see the clones as enemies but victims of the same power structure that used and abused her. Omega in turn looks to Ventress as a potential mentor and another formerly lost soul like Crosshair.

It all makes for a much less explosive and flashy episode than some fans might have been expecting. While we do get a very well choreographed little smackdown between Ventress and the Batch and an end of episode fight with a sea monster, “The Harbinger” is a very action light episode. Ventress doesn’t join the Batch in taking down Imperials. There’s no surprise lightsaber duel. Instead we focus on a complicated woman helping a confused girl find her way.

If the Lucasfilm team hadn’t made it clear that we are definitely not done with Ventress’s story, it might have been disappointing to get such a relatively lowkey outing for her big return to animation, but as it stands I can accept this quieter, more emotional story. We see a Ventress that is oddly enough more sure of herself than we’ve seen her in a long time. She’s not necessarily a servant of the light, but she’s absolutely not a villain. Seeing her solve the episode’s big ending sea monster attack with a peaceful, nonviolent use of the Force feels like a huge step for her character and an evolution that is both surprising and entirely welcome.

Ventress’s answers regarding Omega’s future remains a little too vague for the time being. Sure, Omega may be Force sensitive but what exactly that means for her as a character or the future of this series is still a big unknown.

Despite the surprisingly gentle story told here, we end the episode on a feeling of unease and foreboding. The Empire is never far from getting what they want and the team’s peaceful existence on Pabu can’t lost forever.

Score: B+