#please correct any mistakes!

[bubbloquacious]

So as @as-if-and-only-if pointed out, the topological axiom that the collection of open sets should be closed under finite intersections is (kind of, you'll see) the killer here. Topology was simply not really built for these sorts of cases. There's a theorem that all topological spaces, including in particular the finite ones, are quotient spaces of Hausdorff spaces. In this way we can think of finite spaces as just normal, 'large' spaces with a lot of continuous content (as opposed to graphs) but with the points representing entire parts of the space. The Sierpiński space, for example, which consists of one open point and one closed point, can be thought of as any Euclidean space, but with all points that are not the origin identified with each other. This is why the constant sequence at the open point also converges to the closed point; you can see it as representing any sequence in the non-origin space. So I wouldn't necessarily expect finite topologies to accurately capture the finite, discrete connectedness properties of graphs.

But I digress. Topology is the study of continuity; continuous transformations. I think it is often a little unclear why we define a topological space in terms of a collection of 'open' sets. Why is that the structure we need to express how a space is 'attached to itself'? Here's another way of doing it. We say that, intuitively speaking, a subset 𝑁 of our space is a neighbourhood of a point 𝑥 if 𝑁 'contains all of the immediate surroundings of 𝑥'. The is-a-neighbourhood-of relation between subsets and points we will take to be the primitive notion in terms of which we define everything else, like open sets are in the common topological formalism. There's various properties that this relation should satisfy. First, 𝑥 should be an element of any of its neighbourhoods. Second, if 𝑁 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 and 𝑀 is a subset that contains 𝑁, then 𝑀 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (i.e. the collection of all neighbourhoods of a point is upwards closed). Third, the whole space (we could call it 𝑋) should be a neighbourhood of any of its points. Fourth, if 𝑁 and 𝑀 are neighbourhoods of 𝑥, then their intersection 𝑁 ∩ 𝑀 should also be a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (all these properties together mean that the set of neighbourhoods of some point forms a filter).

We can now define a set 𝑈 to be open if it is a neighbourhood of all of its points. Going the other way, if we have a topology then we can say that 𝑁 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 if and only if 𝑁 contains an open set that contains 𝑥 (i.e. 𝑥 lies in the interior of 𝑁). If we define the 'neighbourhood system' of a topological space this way, then the two definitions of 'open' do in fact agree. However, the four neighbourhood axioms we gave above are not enough to specify a topology. That is, there are some neighbourhood systems satisfying the above axioms such that the collection of open sets w.r.t. this system does not form a topology. Precisely because, again, the collection of such open sets is not necessarily closed under finite intersections (even though the neighbourhoods of any particular point are!). Let me give you a fifth axiom: for a neighbourhood system to be topological, every neighbourhood of a point 𝑥 needs to contain a neighbourhood of 𝑥 that is a neighbourhood of each of the points it contains (that is, every neighbourhood contains an open neighbourhood). With this additional axiom the theory becomes equivalent to the open set formalism of a topological space.

For a subset of the vertices of an undirected simple graph, what it means to 'contain all of the immediate surroundings' of a vertex 𝐴 seems pretty clear: it should contain 𝐴 and all of the vertices that are attached to 𝐴 by some edge. This defines a neighbourhood system that is not in general topological. Look at the cyclic graph 𝐶₄ in the OP up there; the subset {𝐴,𝐵,���} is the smallest possible neighbourhood of 𝐴, but it is not a neighbourhood of 𝐵 or 𝐷. Note that an 'open' subset of a graph must be a union of connected components.

If 𝑋 and 𝑌 are sets equipped with neighbourhood systems, we can say that a function 𝑓: 𝑋 -> 𝑌 is continuous at a point 𝑥 of 𝑋 if for every 𝑌-neighbourhood 𝑁 of 𝑓(𝑥), the inverse image of 𝑁 under 𝑓 is a neighbourhood of 𝑥 (or, equivalently, for every neighbourhood 𝑁 of 𝑓(𝑥) there is a neighbourhood 𝑀 of 𝑥 that gets mapped into 𝑁 by 𝑓, i.e. 𝑓 preserves the immediate surroundings of 𝑥). The function is said to be just 'continuous' if it is continuous at every point of 𝑋. For topological neighbourhood systems, this property is equivalent to the usual notion of continuity (the inverse image of every open set in 𝑌 is open in 𝑋). For a function between the vertices of graphs 𝑓: 𝑉(𝐺₁) -> 𝑉(𝐺₂), what it says is that the inverse image of the set of vertices attached to 𝑓(𝐴) should contain all of the vertices attached to 𝐴. Put another way, the image of a vertex that's attached to 𝐴 must be attached to 𝑓(𝐴). This is exactly a graph homomorphism.

This same idea applies for directed simple graphs; a neighbourhood of 𝐴 is a set containing 𝐴 and all of the vertices 𝐵 such that there is an arrow from 𝐴 to 𝐵 (this is slightly harder to justify as 'containing all of the immediate surroundings', so I put this remark after why you should care about this perspective on graphs :p). We can again specify a new axiom to get exactly the theory of (directed simple) graphs. A neighbourhood system is graph-like if the set of neighbourhoods of any point is closed under arbitrary intersections. Equivalently, any point has a unique smallest neighbourhood contained in all the others. We can then create a graph by saying that there is an arrow from 𝐴 to 𝐵 if 𝐵 is contained in every neighbourhood of 𝐴. The operations of getting a neighbourhood system from a graph and a graph from a graph-like neighbourhood system are mutually inverse, just like with topological spaces.

The continuity theory of neighbourhood systems therefore subsumes both the topological and graph-theoretic ones.

Intuitively, it seems to me that graphs should be some sort of finite topological space. I mean, topology studies "how spaces are connected to themselves", and a graph represents a finite space of points with all the internal connections mapped out. That sounds topological to me! And of course many people consider the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem to be the "beginning" of topology, and that's a graph theory problem. So graphs should be topological spaces.

Now, I vaguely remember searching for this before and finding out that they aren't, but I decided to investigate for myself. After a bit of thought, it turns out that graphs can't be topological spaces while preserving properties that we would intuitively want. Here's (at least one of the reasons) why:

We want to put some topology on the vertices of our graph such that graph-theoretic properties and topological properties line up—of particular relevance here, we want graph-theoretic connectedness to line up with topological connectedness. But consider the following pair of graphs on four vertices:

On the left is the co-paw graph, and on the right is the cycle graph C_4.

Graph theoretically, the co-paw graph has two connected components, and C_4 has only one. Now consider the subgraph {A, D} of the co-paw graph. Graph theoretically, it is disconnected, and if we want it to also be topologically disconnected, it must by definition be the union of two disjoint open sets. Therefore, in whatever topology we put on this graph, {A} and {D} must be open. The same argument shows that {B} and {C} must be open as well. Therefore the topology on the co-paw graph must be the discrete topology.

Now consider the subgraph {B, D} of C_4. It is disconnected, so again {B} and {D} must be open. Since {A, C} is also disconnected, {A} and {C} must be open. So the topology on C_4 must again be the discrete topology.

But these graphs aren't isomorphic! So they definitely shouldn't have the same topology.

It is therefore impossible to put a topology on the points of a graph such that its graph-theoretic properties line up with its topological properties.

Kind of disappointing TBH.

[dimeadozencows]

This is how I always interpreted that scan

(the text says: tried surprising mondo with homemade chocolate on valentine's day but he walked in and found out without realizing these were for him so he's trying not to cry in an attempt to salvage this. (There's an arrow pointing at taka))

[gonkaccino]

Season 4 hope/prediction: Deb's show is solid, zero issues, runs flawlessly with great ratings, but her personal life is completely eroding. We start with her discovering Marcus is leaving, and it culminates in DJ going into labor right before a taping. Deb chooses the show. When it's over, and she finally flies to Vegas, it's too late -- Aiden's not letting her in because he loves his wife too much to let DJ get into a shouting match with her mom right after giving birth, and instead takes the brunt of Deb's wrath, with her making excuses and talking about how they used her money for IVF, and anyway, DJ's fine, so who cares if she wasn't there? Kathy's in the room with DJ and the baby (DJ's the closest she has to a daughter, after all) and Deb leaves too furious to think about how badly she's hurt her family.

She heads back to her Vegas mansion -- empty, obviously, Josefina and the dogs would be in LA -- and pops open a bottle of wine. Alone. Completely alone. Can't call Marty, she has no friends, the closest she's got would be Kiki and wouldn't that be embarrassing, calling your poker dealer to talk about your feelings --

and then Ava's there. She got the news about DJ's labor, she got the story from Aiden (who was distraught, by the way, man's too much of a sweetheart for Vance drama), a spare key from Damian (happy to pawn that off on her, though if it isn't returned promptly he's taking legal action) and has arrived just in time to see the Deborah Vance having a breakdown the likes of which no one thought physically possible. Crying gives you wrinkles, you know. But Ava has to be here. She's the physical embodiment of a lesson Deb never truly learned: you don't have to like someone to love them.

In my imaginary fantasy land that I am concocting this would then subsequently lead into them fucking nasty but I understand that this may be a step too far for the surprisingly large number of very normal people who watch this show and would forgive JPL for not taking it that far. However I do believe they should fuck about it and let Ava take the reigns in their relationship while they see how many of Deb's bridges they can un-burn.

[guzhufuren]

i will be using chinese words in MYATB gifsets cause i always deeply disliked subbers translating terms from asian languages to english ones (changing hyung/phi to brother is stupid, let the audience learn new cultural stuff and figure it out), so wanted to make a few notes in case there are people in the tag who haven't watched cdramas or read chinese novels before

guniang = young lady

gongzi = young gentleman

ge = older brother, man older than you (like thai phi)

jie = older sister, woman older than you

didi = younger brother, man younger than you

meimei = younger sister, woman younger than you

laoshi = teacher

if you want to use names of the character or an actor in a less formal and more affectionate way, you can double the last syllable, like Jin Xiaobao can be called Baobao. to make it pointed that the one you are referring to is cute/small/young, you can also use prefix "Xiao", like most chinese fans call Wang Yunkai as Xiaokai

example: i have been calling Li Le either Li-di (because he is younger than me, surname + younger brother) or Lele when talking about him to people cause full name feels too distanced and formal

you can read more about how to use chinese names in your speaking correctly, some suffixes and similar stuff here and here

[atlaserine]

Villain stared at the hero trapped and tied in a chair in his lair.

"This is 1 A.M" Villain said, half awake and half annoyed that one of his henchman had awoken him from slumber just to report that someone has infiltrated his lair. That someone who's now sitting right in front if him with her mask taken off.

Hero looked down with a bit of embarrassment. She wasn't one to back out from a fight, nor was she one to ask for help, especially from the biggest threat in her profession. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Speak" Villain's voice snapping hero out from her mind as she looked up to him. His voice that has gotten down an octave made it clear that he wanted to finish this quickly, or maybe finish her quickly and get back to bed.

"I need your help" It came out of the Hero's mouth too fast. And before she could regret it while hoping Villain hadn't heard her, Villains eyebrow was already raised, studying Hero with a glint of curiosity and interest in his eyes, debating whether he should listen to her or just finish this off once and for all.

The hero? The city's greatest hero asking for her enemy's help? The one who's been a thorn on his side for years asking for his help? One of her enemy must've hit her in the head too hard, The Villain thinks.

Looking at Villains face made her bit her lower lip nervously, all the regret of coming here coming right at her like a train.

"Look, I know what you're thinking. B-but you're the only one who's ever seen me without my mask. Not Sidekick, not Superhero, not even the Agency-"

And it was true. Hero chose to kept her identity a secret, strictly, wanting to protect the people closest to her and also living a double life. One as a hero and one as a normal citizen...untill she met Villain. The only one who's able to locate everything about her, the only villain who's ever gotten her so close to death. But that's a story for another time.

Hero took a deep breath before she fixed her posture a bit in what little space she had between the ropes and the chair. She tilted her head up and stared back at Villain.

"...Someones following me, I mean the citizen me. And I don't know who they are, I don't know what their intention is, I tried to just ignore them but it has gotten to a point where I saw them standing beside my apartment building when I wanted to get back after my shift- a-and im afraid they'll connect the dots and find out that I'm Hero. S-so I...ran.."

Hero shrugged her shoulder as she heard herself speak, she felt truly pathetic for this. She was a hero, she shouldn't have..run. But the possibility of another person knowing her secret was too high. So, the hero continued,

"I... came here because I didn't know...where else to go. I- i'll do anything, I promise. Just help me get whoever this is out of my tail...without killing them and I know you have some sort of- high tech machine to do that. Surely, a...an evil genius like you could come up with something!"

Villains eyes widened as Hero said all that. Never in his life has he seen the all mighty, all righteous, all stubborn Hero so...so stupid. Yet it did humoured him a bit. And after what felt like hours of staring at each other, Villain smiled, chuckled even. Leaned down untill he was face to face with Hero, a smirk forming in his face

"God, you are desperate are you?"

[moongazeonastarfillednight]

The Terror: When, How, Where - Part 4

I have done it. Here's the Summary of my last 3 parts (to which you can refer to to enjoy the full meltdown I had making this

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)

Full Powerpoint can be found Here

I fully recommend checking out the powerpoint because damn... I worked hard for it :')

Full Map can be found Here (EDIT: Link now repaired)

EDIT: Reference for death count Here by Tumblruser Hangingfire

EDIT: For all your "figuring out when it's total night in the Arctic" needs Here

[deus-ex-mona]

just a tl of lxl's tv guide interview~

Q1: First off, please introduce yourselves!

Aizo: It’s nice to meet you guys! I’m Aizo.

Yujiro: And I’m Yujiro! The two of us make up the idol unit of LIPxLIP.

Aizo: We sing with all we’ve got to bring happiness to our listeners.

Yujiro: We’ve released many MVs as well, so please check them out as well.

Aizo: We also give it our all when we’re shooting our MVs, so you’ll be able to see us being all cool in them!

Yujiro: That sure is a lot of “all”s that we’ve given, Aizo.

Aizo: That’s cuz I really give it my all in everything we do. You do the same, right?

Yujiro: Of course I do. There isn’t a single day when I’m not giving it my all.

Aizo: See? You look calm and composed most of the time, but you’re actually a pretty passionate guy, huh?

Yujiro: It’s because you’re always giving it your all that I feel like I can’t lose either.

Aizo: There it is, your tendency of hating to lose.

Yujiro: Well, we both hate to lose, don’t we?

Aizo: But, Yujiro, you’re able to do everything so easily without seeming bothered by the thought of falling behind, which never fails to surprise me every time.

Yujiro: I guess you’re the opposite of me in that regard, Aizo. You’re a straightforward open book. I think that any onlooker will be able to tell how much you love singing and how much fun you’re having at work.

Aizo: Eh? Do I really look like I’m having that much fun?

Yujiro: You’re always excited when we’re on site. But, Aizo, you’re actually surprisingly calm and even more observant of your surroundings than I am of mine. Even when I’m distressed, you’re the one who notices it faster than anyone else, Aizo…

Aizo: I’ve told you that you should ask for help when you’re troubled, but you really can’t be honest, huh? (laughs)

Yujiro: …Right now, I’m troubled by you and the way you’re smirking at me, Aizo.

Q2: What was the response to your 2nd Album “Be Grateful You Were Born!” like?

Aizo: Since this was our first album in a long time, we have received a lot of responses from our Julieta (what they call their fans) who have been anticipating its release. We’re really happy that it brought joy to them.

Yujiro: We had performed “White Day Kiss” live, so there were many Julieta who were looking forward to its album release too.

Aizo: Also, Narumi (Sena) who starred in the MV for “Julieta”, the sequel to “Romeo” from our previous album, congratulated us too. She said that she’ll recommend the album to her friends as well, which I appreciate!

Yujiro: I will be really happy if people who don’t know of us yet can get to know and support us through this album.

Aizo: We’ll continue to work hard as LIPxLIP with all we’ve got, so please root for us!

Q3: What were the challenges that you faced with this album?

Aizo: Well, it’s more like we faced so many new challenges that I don’t know where to start. (laughs)

Yujiro: In terms of the mood of the songs, I think “Meoto” with its Japanese taste and the Arabian-esque “A.B.Secret” have a very new feel to them compared to our other songs as LIPxLIP.

Aizo: We changed the way we sang to suit each and every song too, so I think we were able to show you new sides of us. For “Meoto”, I was conscious of the way I sang to fit the role I played in the setting of the song, and for “A.B.Secret”, there was that rap-like dialogue.

Yujiro: You may be surprised by the difference in intensity if you listen to “Oshi no Mahou” and “Yurushite Santa-san” after those songs. (laughs)

Aizo: With the “LOVE chu chu”s and the “Please, Santa-san”s, right? I’ll be thrilled if you can feel not just our coolness, but also our cuteness as idols! But… even though I was the one who said all that I’m starting to feel embarrassed.

Q4: The album has songs that would be a hit at live concerts, such as “Oshi no Mahou”, with its fun call-and-response bits.

Aizo: It goes without say that I definitely want to do the call and response with our Julieta!

Yujiro: Same here. I’ll be happy if everyone memorised it and came to watch us perform when that day comes.

Aizo: It’ll be super fun, right?! I’m looking forward to hyping up the venue and making it echo with all our voices.

Yujiro: Is there anything else that you’d like to do during the performance?

Aizo: Hmm, well… Maybe we’ll make a Möbius loop together with the audience… wait, the ideas won’t stop flowing if we carry on like this. (laughs)

Yujiro: Yeah, you’re right. (laughs) Let’s leave the details of the performance as something that our audience can look forward to when the time comes.

Q5: Tell us the secret stories behind the shootings of your MVs!

Aizo: I had a feeling when I heard Yujiro sing “Anata” in his lines in “Meoto”... But I was still surprised when I found out that Yujiro was dressed up in the role of a girl during the MV shooting. But, y’know, it suited you amazingly~. The air your makeup gave off was also different from how it’s like during our usual jacket photoshoots and live concerts, so I was a little charmed by you (laughs).

Yujiro: Thanks. Although I played the role of a woman this time, the costume I wore was a fantastical gorgeous kimono, within a unique setting, so it was easy for me to get into my role without feeling uncomfortable.

Aizo: I really didn’t feel uncomfortable at all either.

Yujiro: You looked good in your bewitching horned costume yourself, Aizo. It brought out your coolness, and you looked strong too.

Aizo: Right?! I was really pumped with all of the manly accessories like the horns, the mask, and the patterns drawn on my body.

Yujiro: Your long sharp nails suited you too. And in the MV, there’s a scene where the pair, played by me and Aizo, open their hearts to each other and hold hands while standing shoulder to shoulder. Be sure to pay attention to the contrast between our hands, okay?

Aizo: Speaking of the shooting, when I was hugging Yujiro during the filming of that shoulder to shoulder scene, I could smell a wonderful fragrance coming off of him. I was really surprised at the time, y’know? (laughs) “He smells so good!” I thought.

Yujiro: The staff had prepared some perfume for me. Although the fragrance can’t be conveyed through the screen, they had hoped to enhance the vividness of the setting for the viewers by having me wear the perfume as we filmed. I thought that it was a wonderful idea, so I had the staff apply the perfume to my costume. 

Aizo: For “A.B.Secret”, we filmed a live concert called “Arabian Nights in the Dunes”, which was yet another tough day. (laughs)

Yujiro: To be honest, we got lost on the way to the venue, so we had to cross several dunes.

Aizo: We may look all nonchalant in the MV, but we’d used quite a lot of our stamina. I’m just glad that we were able to make it to the venue in one piece…

Yujiro: But we were treated to a lot of wonderful food after our performance, so I’d say that it had been a very satisfying day.

Q6: Since this is a TV guide… What TV programmes do the two of you tend to watch?

Yujiro: I watch all kinds of shows, but I tend to watch talk shows often. I think that it’s great that I’m able to learn about current events from all over the world in the form of an entertaining programme, no less.

Aizo: You don’t just check the news or something? You sure are a diligent one, Yujiro.

Yujiro: I watch talk shows just because they’re interesting. If I just want to know the news, I wouldn’t particularly watch a talk show for it.

Aizo: I watch them every so often myself, but I only watch the segments that introduce restaurants that serve good food or amusement park events.

Yujiro: I see. You watch TV too, Aizo? I had the impression that you’d be often off running outside or something instead.

Aizo: Well, I do watch TV, y’know? I like watching programmes hosted by their namesake comedians. And I check out singing programmes without fail.

Yujiro: Yeah, I watch music programmes often too.

Aizo: It goes without say that I check out my favourite bands and artistes too, but I have to know what the current trends are on the rankings! As idols, we can’t afford to lose to others and all.

Yujiro: Though, I do occasionally get hooked on particular trends just from checking them out. (laughs)

Q7: Going off the name of your album, please express your gratitude for each other and your Julieta!

Yujiro: Do you even have anything to be grateful to me for…?

Aizo: Yeah. I’m grateful to always have you as a nice wall for a rival.

Yujiro: A nice wall? Is that supposed to be a compliment?

Aizo: Yes, it’s a compliment. For example, I do pretty well in my studies and sports at school, but when I look at you, Yujiro, I find myself thinking that I can’t be satisfied with the way things are yet. I’m able to grow steadily because I have you as my literal worthy opponent.

Yujiro: You’re really grateful to me, huh?

Aizo: Well, since we have the opportunity now, why not? How about you? You’re not gonna say that you have nothing, are you?

Yujiro: Yeah. I have something too.

Aizo: Ooh, what is it, what is it? 

Yujiro: There has been a lot of pollen in the air lately. So, when I sneezed, you immediately gave me some pocket tissue, the soft kind. You really saved me back then, so I’m grateful to you.

Aizo: Is that simple thing all you’re grateful for…?

Yujiro: Sorry, I was just kidding. (laughs) As I had touched on in an earlier question, whenever I’m depressed or distressed, you’re the first one to notice, Aizo. I tend to overthink all kinds of things, but you always make my worries disappear. So I’m always grateful to you for that, Aizo.

Aizo: Huh, so you do have a proper one after all.

Yujiro: It’s embarrassing to be this honest, so let’s keep this between us, okay?

Aizo: It’d be nice if you could be honest all the time, though.

Yujiro: More importantly, we have to honestly express our gratitude for our Julieta.

Aizo: Yeah. We’re more grateful to our Julieta than anything.

Yujiro: Thank you so much for cheering us on, Julieta.

Aizo: We were only able to release our new album thanks to your support, Julieta. We are able to continue on as LIPxLIP thanks to every one of you who listens to our songs, buys our albums, and sends us your thoughts and cheers.

Yujiro: Julieta, I’m grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. Also, I’d like to express my gratitude that you were born in this era and that you and us were able to meet like this.

Aizo: We will continue to do our very best so that we can return the love that we have received from you, Julieta, many times over.

Both: Please cheer us on!

Q8: What was your first trip together like?

Aizo: There were some pranks, and there were times when I felt exasperated, but it was truly a ton of fun!

Yujiro: We haven’t had many opportunities to go on a trip till now, so it was a really great experience for us. 

Aizo: We got to see many places, plus thanks to the fact that we were in charge of the voiceover for the Izumo guided tour, we had a good knowledge about the places of interest and we were able to enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

Yujiro: I especially liked the footbaths. When I dipped my feet into the footbath after a tiring walk, I was truly impressed by how much it helped to relieve my fatigue.

Aizo: It’s amazing how it completely warmed your feet up, huh?

Yujiro: Yeah, its healing properties are amazing.

Aizo: No, y’see, your feet were flushed pink from the warmth of the water in the footbath after soaking in it for a while. When you took your feet out of the hot water, saying “It’s hot.”, it looked like you were wearing pink socks, which I found rather funny.

Yujiro: …If you want to bring that up, should I release that video of you scooting around on your butt to grab a towel with your legs raised up in the air because you had nowhere to put your wet feet?

Aizo: When did you even take that video…?

[fghgfgf]

watcher update! watcher update!

a summary

apologized for the announcement, their delivery of it, their bad explanation and their framing of the price as being "something everybody can afford"

watcher is taking back their decision to move their entire platform to their streaming platform, instead content will be posted there a month early and ad free, after that the shows will be available on youtube for free as normal

all past episodes and series will remain on youtube

all current patreon members will receive a free subscription code to the platform

full refunds are available for people unhappy with the changes and for patreon members who already bought a subscription

watchers full explanation for making of the platform, quoting straight form the video:

"When we started Watcher in 2020 we wanted to create shows that we were proud of, that we had ownership over and that would provide you the caliber of content that we felt you deserved. However, we were finding it harder and harder to stay relevant to advertisers and the constantly changing YouTube landscape, we faced some incredibly challenging decisions, we didn't want to compromise our content to ensure they met advertising requirements and we definitely did not want to lay people off that have brought Watcher to life behind the scenes, and we didn't want to bring Watcher to a close, which would have happened if we stayed solely on YouTube. That's why we decided to launch the platform so that we as a company could continue, we could pay our staff fairly and not only continue to make great content for you but expand with new shows, new voices, all ad-free. And now with the addition of accessible options, this is a decision that we all believe is the best for Watcher."

please watch the video yourself if you have the time

[just-here-with-my-thoughts]

Day 19: "Please Don't" / Adrenaline Crash

@febuwhump prompt: "Please Don't" @badthingshappenbingo prompt: Adrenaline Crash

Fandom: The Bad Batch Characters: Hunter, Omega, Wrecker, Tech, Echo (Did you read Day 5: Rope Burns / Bound & Gagged and Day 12: Semi-Conscious / Over-the-Shoulder Carry? This is a continuation! Follow the links above to catch up on the story so far) Word Count: ~3005 Click here to read on AO3 Also available in Russian (with thanks to @tech-o-mania for the amazing translation!)

Synopsis: Hunter loses control as he hunts down the mercenaries who captured and injured Omega.

Art by the awesome @collophora of my gorgeous Feral Hunter! Thank you so much for this beautiful pic and letting me post it with my fic, everyone go view collophora's original post HERE and tell them how great they are! <3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Omega swings her legs as she sits on the edge of the table, watching as Tech methodically extracts embedded strands of hessian from the wound on her left wrist. Her right is already swathed in bandages, the bacta gel bringing a soothing numbness that dulls the pulsing pain to a background throb.

She draws her breath in as a hiss though her teeth at a particularly painful pull, and Tech glances at her to check she is okay. He doesn’t continue until she nods to give him permission to do so.

The com at the engineer’s wrist crackles to life. “Come in, Tech.” It is Wrecker’s voice, low and urgent.

Tech pauses his ministrations to answer the com. “What is it, Wrecker?”

“I need backup.”

The big clone’s voice over the com is deadly serious, none of his usual joviality.

“What is your status?” asks Tech, his voice taking on a more clipped edge.

“It’s Hunter.”

Tech quickly looks up at Echo, and Omega doesn’t miss the alarmed look that passes between them.

“Will you and Omega be alright by yourselves?” Tech asks, putting the tweezers back in the medkit and standing.

Echo nods, resting a hand on Omega’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about us. Go help Wrecker.”

“Help Wrecker with what?” asks Omega, getting to her feet and looking first at Tech, then Echo. “Are they in trouble?”

“You are still in need of treatment,” says Echo firmly, trying for a smile which comes out too tense to be reassuring. “I’m sure Tech will manage without us.” He gestures back to the table. “Sit back up, and I’ll finish your wrists.”

Tech is gathering his equipment, and Omega leans past Echo to see him set his pistol to stun.

“I want to go with Tech,” she protests softly. “I want to check that Hunter and Wrecker are okay.”

Echo and Tech exchange another look. Omega is getting pretty tired of the unspoken conversations they share with their eyes.

“Finish attending to Omega’s wounds,” says Tech eventually. “Then you may follow… carefully.”

*

Hunter’s pistol is in his left hand, balanced on his forearm which is crossed in front of his body, vibroknife held blade outwards. The hum of adrenaline is in his veins, pulse pounding, slowly building to a tense knot of pain at the base of his skull which will surely become a migraine later.

Two more mercenaries up ahead, just out of sight. He can hear them.

Hunter doesn’t have to think about softening his footfalls. The predator’s stealth comes naturally to him.

In moments he is around the corner and the two men are ten paces ahead, weapons out as they scout the corridor.

They don’t know that death shadows their movements.

In his ear, the com pings. Hunter shakes his head, shutting it off irritably. Not now. Whatever his brothers want, it can wait.

He rolls to his toes, picking up speed. Closes the gap in a sprint.

One shot with his pistol. The laser-burn eats through the first man’s skull. The second turns but Hunter is on him, and the vibroknife tears out his throat before he can cry for help.

Hunter pauses for a moment, surveys his work. That makes four of them he has eliminated now. Four of them who harmed his Omega. Four of them who will never threaten her again.

A high-pitched whine, like tinnitus, sets up in his head. He pulls his helmet off, rubbing his ears, trying to chase away the source of the sound.

His helmet is dropped to the floor, forgotten, as he sets off to find the rest of his quarries.

*

Tech tilts his datapad towards Wrecker. “I have picked up the bounty hunters’ com channel. They seem concerned that they cannot raise a number of their companions.”

Wrecker looks up from fitting binders to the two mercenaries he has captured. “Hunter won’t waste any time,” he says gruffly.

“He may have deactivated his com, but I can still track his locator beacon,” says Tech. “Leave these two here. We must catch up to Hunter as soon as we can.”

*

Hunter crouches on the narrow gangway, watching the knot of mercenaries in the hangar below. Five left. Their conversation drifts to him but it is just noise. He can’t make his head understand the words.

It doesn’t matter what they are saying. Hunter will be among them soon, and their words will give way to screams and then they will be dead. He plans to make sure of that.

The migraine closes its vice-like grip on his consciousness and Hunter pulls his bandana off, trying to ease the pressure at his temples. A faint aurora halos his vision, sparkling in the periphery. His back teeth ache.

He creeps along the perforated metal walkway, feeling it sway a little from the suspension cables that keep it aloft. He holsters the pistol, curling the fingers of that hand around the rail instead. His right hand continues to clutch the vibroknife like it is an extension of himself.

Almost directly above them. From here he can drop onto the group, break his fall with one of their bodies, before wreaking his vengeance.

Hunter climbs silently to the railing. Leans over the edge, gravity pulling at his body, braced now on the outside of the walkway.

Ready to drop.

*

Echo spots the pair of bodies before Omega does. He stops her with a hand on her shoulder and ventures forwards cautiously, already knowing what he will find.

He is surprised to see the half-skull of Hunter’s helmet staring up at him from between the fallen mercenaries. He scoops it up and checks the wiring. The com is undamaged. It has been deliberately disabled.

Behind him he hears Omega.

“Tech, come in. Did you find Wrecker and Hunter?”

She has her bandaged hands pressed to her com, trying to raise her brothers. Echo hurries back to her, Hunter’s helmet in hand. Omega’s eyes go wide as she sees it.

“Is Hunter okay?” she asks in a fearful whisper, reaching out to brush the side of the helmet. The fresh bandages across her palms come away stained red.

“Don’t worry,” mutters Echo, “it’s not his blood.”

There is a moment of confusion before the meaning of his words dawns on Omega. She leans past him to peer down the corridor. Two bounty hunters. Not unconscious. Dead.

“Oh,” she says in a small voice. Then, looking up at him with a determined frown, “We need to find Hunter.”

*

Wrecker and Tech press tightly to the door-frame, one on either side of the corridor that has brought them to this hangar. Tech’s datapad says this is where Hunter should be, but all they can see are the clustered mercenaries.

Wrecker is the first one to look up. His hands move in a quick signal sequence, drawing Tech’s attention to their brother in his ambush position.

“Hunter,” breathes Tech. And as though it is a command, Hunter drops.

The chaos is immediate. Hunter is amongst the mercenaries, pistol forgotten, knife indiscriminately biting through cloth and armour into flesh. Panicked cries answer his sudden appearance. Blaster fire greets him.

Tech and Wrecker recognise Hunter’s grunt of pain like it is their own. They take a single moment to share a nod, and then they too join the fray.

Wrecker charges in, shoulder down, crashing into a mercenary and knocking him away from Hunter. Tech skirts the edge of the hanger, diving into a roll to evade a stray blaster bolt. He comes up with his pistol ready, gaze flitting over the knot of combatants before choosing his target. He knows this is the quickest way to end this.

Omega’s voice comes over the com but doesn’t answer. He needs all his considerable wits about him if he wants to take down his younger brother.

He steadies his aim.

He fires at Hunter.

*

Somewhere beyond the roaring in his ears Hunter is dimly aware that he is injured. There is a lingering trace of heat as the laser-burn crawls against his skin, softened from deadly to merely painful by the layer of his armour. It slows him, but he doesn’t let it stop him.

He ducks a wild haymaker meant to knock him to the ground and comes up inside the man’s guard. The mercenary yells as Hunter’s forehead connects with his nose, blood gouting from the broken cartilage, and Hunter winces at the shout pierces his already tender headache.

The migraine is stabbing behind his eyes now, his vision winking in and out in bright flashes. He has to finish this fight soon, or he won’t be able to.

The sudden jolt of a stun blast catches him in the back. He feels the sensation ripple forwards across his chest, electric, followed by numbness. The blast threatens to short out his enhanced senses.

With difficulty he fights the blackness that follows the stun bolt, dragging his awareness back to the fight. Two others still standing. To his surprise, he realises Wrecker is one of them.

Then Hunter feels an attacker leap onto his back. He howls in panic and anger; instinct directs him to dip his body, rolling the assailant over his shoulder. He grabs them and slams them into the floor, a blow designed to stun.

Recognises the helmet. The goggles.

“Tech?” he slurs in confusion.

And, “TECH!” The shout is echoed by Wrecker, scooping up their fallen brother.

The final mercenary takes advantage of the distraction. Two blaster bolts hit into Wrecker’s back, staggering him, and he clutches Tech to his chest protectively. Hunter watches as the bounty hunter retreats, fleeing for the bikes they came in on.

His prey's footsteps are still reverberating at the edge of Hunter’s enhanced hearing when others approach from behind him. He whirls, sees Echo and Omega.

“What happened?” demands Echo, crossing to Hunter. With one hand he pushes Omega behind him, making sure she doesn’t step round and see the Sergeant. Doesn’t see the feral gleam in his eyes, the sharp and dangerous expression of his open-mouthed panting.

“I’ll find him.” Hunter’s voice is a subhuman growl. “I’ll end it.”

*

Omega paces anxiously, glancing towards the farthest exit to the hanger. Tech is conscious but dazed, propped up against a storage crate as Echo checks his pupils. She worries for Hunter, but she has been told to stay put.

Wrecker finishes restraining the still-living mercenaries and rolls his shoulders, easing out the stiffness of the injuries he sustained. His own blaster is loose in his hands, still set to stun.

The bodies have been hidden to one side, smeared trails of red marking the route they had been pulled. So much for out of sight, out of mind. Omega curls up over her injured hands, rubbing at her wrists through the bandages. The rope burns itch under the healing bacta gel.

“Tech will be fine,” reports Echo, “but one of us should stay with him. Omega?”

“I’m going after Hunter,” she announces, before she can be asked to play medic. She turns and looks at Echo with her mouth set in an unhappy line.

Echo calmly meets her gaze. “Hunter won’t want you to see him like this,” he says softly.

“Hunter needs me.” She is the embodiment of stubbornness. “I know it.”

Wrecker’s big hand touches her shoulder gently.

“I’ll keep her safe, Echo,” he says, voice strained with an ache of worry. He pushes his helmet back down onto his head, the snarling skull hiding the concern in his eyes.

“Let’s go, kid.”

*

Hunter is exhausted, muscles trembling as he forces them to continue. He has to do this. The image of Omega’s injuries is burned behind his retinas, the scent of her fear cloying. He failed to protect her once. He won’t do so again.

One more mercenary, and the job was done. There would be no-one left to threaten her. And if this group didn’t return, perhaps whoever was hunting them would think twice before sending more agents to kidnap her.

Protect Omega. Blood pounds in his head. Every footstep is a hammer-fall on the anvil of his overwrought senses.

Protect Omega.

A blaster shot hits his right hand. The vibroknife is flung free of his grasp, spinning into the air and embedding in the wall above his head. Hunter startles, the pain in his hand almost enough to stop him from evading the follow-up shot aimed for his heart. He twists at the last moment, the blaster bolt grazing his chest-plate.

Then his feral instincts are back, taking over, shutting down the thoughts that are distracting him and driving him forwards into the fight.

Hunter lunges, closing the distance to his would-be ambusher in a burst of speed that belies his injured state. He doesn’t remember that he has a pistol. Instead he barrels into the man, tackling him to the floor. The two of them roll, fighting for dominance, and Hunter comes out on top. Slugs the man. Pain explodes in his knuckles but he doesn’t stop. Again. And again.

Under the onslaught the mercenary’s face is transforming to a swollen, bloody pulp. He writhes and bucks under Hunter, throwing the sergeant off and scrambling for escape. Hunter leaps after him and they are back to brawling, only it isn’t a brawl. The man is sobbing, arms over his head, trying to shield himself from Hunter’s incoming blows. Pleas dribble with bubbled blood from broken lips. The man weeps for mercy.

Hunter’s onslaught continues. One more mercenary, and the job is done.

Protect Omega. Protect her at all costs.

*

Omega and Wrecker round the corner and Wrecker pulls them up short. Hunter is locked in combat with the final mercenary, the sickening sound of fist hitting flesh and the crepitus of broken bone reaching them across the otherwise empty room.

Omega recoils, watching the scene with fascinated horror. The brutality makes her sick to her stomach, but she can’t look away.

Hunter’s hair is loose, missing the bandana that usually tames it, and hangs lank and sweaty about his face. Blood streaks his fists and spatters his armour. The air is punctuated by his soft grunts and laboured breath, and the moans and whimpers emanating from the figure that is huddled beneath his fury.

Wrecker lays his hand on Omega’s shoulder, trying to coax her away. “Omega,” he says, and his voice quavers. He crouches in front of her, interposing himself between her and the brutal scene, and pushes his helmet back on his head to lock gazes with her.

“What is he doing?” Omega whispers in horror, brown eyes wide as she searches Wrecker’s face for answers.

Wrecker merely shakes his head. “You should get outta here, kid. Head back to the Marauder, wait for the others.”

He stands and turns away from her, dropping the blaster and moving towards Hunter with his hands held up defensively. It is like he is approaching a wild animal, wary of attack.

“Hunter, stop it. Please, vod. He’s down, he surrendered. This isn’t right.”

If Hunter hears him he gives no sign. His punches keep flying, sluggish but solid. His victim lets out a single broken sob.

Omega’s com chirps.

“Omega, are you alright?” It is Tech, his voice weak-sounding as he recovers from concussion.

“We found Hunter,” she whispers, riveted on Wrecker’s careful advance.

Wrecker nears Hunter and his victim, one hand extended. “It’s me, Hunt,” he says, softening the brash edge of his voice. “Time to stop. Okay, vod?”

Hunter doesn’t hear him. Or ignores him. It is hard to tell.

“Is Wrecker able to handle the situation?” asks Tech.

Omega shakes her head. “No,” she says, voice trembling with determination. “But if Wrecker can’t make Hunter stop, I will.”

“Be careful, Omega,” Tech warns her, and she steels herself for what is to come.

She steps past Wrecker, ducks to evade his grasp as he tries to stop her. On shaky legs she closes the distance. Hunter, her Hunter, is a creature she does not recognise. Ruthless, bloodstained, no glimpse of gentleness or mercy.

Hunter leans back, winding up for a huge hit. Omega darts in front of him, catching hold of his fist, levelling her intense brown-eyed stare into the wildfire of his fury.

Omega positions herself directly in front of the exhausted sergeant. Hunter is on his knees, tattooed face glazed in sweat and blood that almost certainly does not belong to him. His shoulders heave as he gulps in great lungfuls of air.

“Don’t,” she says. A plea. A command. “Please don’t.”

For a moment Hunter’s eyes turn glassy and unfocused, pupils trembling with rapid dilations before he eventually blinks and manages to fix his gaze on the girl before him.

“Omega?” he croaks weakly, and staggers to his feet. He sways a little, then replants his feet and braces a hand against her shoulder to steady himself. “You’re meant to be with Tech.”

Unexpectedly, he retches. Omega takes a startled step back as Hunter heaves bile, his whole body trembling. When he is done he wipes his mouth slickly on the back of his hand, glancing round in confusion.

Wrecker steps forwards, caution still written in his posture. “Hey, Hunter,” he says softly, a greeting to his brother as he returns to his senses.

Hunter sags against Omega, his arms going round her in relief, and she can feel the uncontrolled quaking of his body as adrenaline fatigue truly sets in.

Quickly Wrecker steps in to support him, taking some of his weight from Omega. But Omega wraps her arms tightly round Hunter’s waist, pressing her face against his chest, ignoring the scent of blood and blaster-fire as she feels his trembling hand run through her hair.

“I forgive you, Hunter,” she whispers, fingers digging into the cracks of his armour as they both cling to each other with equal ferocity. “I forgive you.”

[aphemera]

lady catelyn stark

[misting-moors]

lawrence and ali — chand sifarish (if the moon pleaded for me)

watch on youtube

[trophycannibal]

Stray Gods Orpheus DLC Eros/Medusa Guide

Here's my guide on how to get either Eros or Medusa at the bar. It depends on the choices you make at the speed-dating event.

I'm going to start with if Orpheus rejects everyone*. Choosing either the Red (Middle) or Blue (Right) options will make Orpheus reject that person. Consistently picking either of those options will lead to this choice:

*Note: Orpheus will reject the man who looks intelligent (Ancient Greek History) even if you choose Green (Left).

If you pick Green (Left) and continue to reject everyone, then you will end up at this choice:

Choosing Red (Middle) will lock you into Medusa and choosing Blue (Right) will lock you into Eros. There are a couple more dialogue choices after this, but they don't matter as you will already be locked into either Medusa or Eros. You can tell which one you've been locked into, because your save file will either be named THIS ISN'T RIGHT (Medusa) or IS THIS LOVE? (Eros).

Now if Orpheus doesn't reject at least 1 person then you will get this choice:

Choosing Green (Left) will let you choose one of the 3 possible people Orpheus could have not rejected earlier*:

*Note: anyone Orpheus rejected will be grayed out and unavailable to choose. So you can still be locked into Eros here.

If you choose the one who missed her lost love! (Left), then you will get locked into Eros (the save file will be called IS THIS LOVE?), but choosing either the money man from earlier! (Middle) or found them at the very end! (Right) will lead you to another option. The save file will be called TAKE CHARGE.

Choosing I'll have to keep trying (Left) will result in meeting Eros at the bar and choosing This was never going to work (Middle) will result in meeting Medusa there instead.

[pulim-v]

Took a page out of the KNY besties' books and decided to draw the FGCC gang shirtless (which ofc took several days)

Used this as a way to mess with their body types lol

Tagging: @shycroissanti @verishere @sapphosdickandballs

[the-pianist-from-accumula-town]

More under the cut <3

I’m cooking a little something. Wanna try it?

I created my own little character to have fun with the neighbors. According to her description, she was added quite late into the show and none of her past life before coming into the neighborhood is known. She simply popped up one day in Home and everyone acted as if she had been there from the start. Everyone... except Wally, who’s self-awareness lets him notice immediatly that there’s something wrong.

Carrie Caramel

“Surely the sweetest neighbor in Welcome Home, Carrie treats her friends with delicious ice cream with a thousand different flavors to choose from. ¿Which one will you have today? She herself wouldn’t be able to decide, as she’s always torn between choices, but in the end she will always make the best decision. Stop by her ice cream shop for a refreshing sweet!„

Almost nothing is known about Carrie as a character. She was introduced almost three years after the launch of the show in later seasons. So far it’s the only character to make a debut after the show’s release. There is also no information about how or why she was added to the cast, the scripts never explain how she ended up in the neighborhood. All the other neighbors never question her presence, acting as if she had always been there.

[laithraihan]

hey!! i cant speak arabic and i wanna know what the text on your recent drawing says (if thats ok to ask)

"Are you trying this tactic to gain our pity? Don't let him fool you! These are common lies for any fraud ...... Come on, melt him."

It's simply what he says word-for-word in the arabic dub since it's a redraw of that scene

[teardropvampire]

To give my thoughts on the fandom discussion of the handling of DID Mikoto/John's writing after the Double mv, I think my main frustration is just the somewhat black and white attitude many people have being viewing things with. In all honesty, I think the writing is complex situation that's a lot more then just 'good rep vs bad rep'. Instead, it almost could be better viewed through what the writing choices are attempting to explore/say about the character vs what ended up coming across to viewers? Its especially hard when we're only partially through the series, meaning a lot of your current opinion has to come from how strong your faith is in the series providing satisfying narrative conclusions to all the threads we've been presented with so far. But even then, I think its both fine to be uncomfortable with his portrayal or be satisfied with it - and that mixed reaction is generally what I've seen so far, particularly from viewers who are systems themselves. Its important for us singlets that we take into account the opinions of systems who are willing to comment on the character while also using our own critical thinking. Things seem to have been a lot better so far in that regard, which is great to see.

As for me personally? I have to say that I trust in the series to deliver nuanced and respectful writing. When you take a look at the series from a wider perspective, Mikoto and John's circumstances do tie into Milgram's exploration of societal issues in a way that I'd expect to be handled with care and empathy going forward. I feel the presentation of such flawed characters and the conflicts that can arise in our voting as a result of it can be applied to not just here but all the characters in at least some way. John isn't, and was never meant to be portrayed as purely antagonistic or monotonous, and I'm glad that idea has gotten more focus in this trial. This complex presentation of the cast's actions, as confronting as it often may be, have always been to help us understand and connect with the prisoners, rather than demonize them as foreign entities. This is particularly notable in Mikoto's case because of the divisive nature of mental health as a subject matter, but is definitely not the only occurrence of it in the series. However, Mikoto's case is definitely not perfect from a writing perspective and its important to be critiqued when necessary! Regardless of good intentions, trying to write a disability as complicated as DID will inevitably contain both steps forward and backwards. Although my opinion towards the handling of Mikoto's DID in this trial lean towards positive, It's completely justified to be uncomfortable with it and we should respect those who feel that way. But yeah, it's just slightly frustrating that I've seen people acting as if you need to decide between 'this is good rep, defend the series with your life' and 'this is bad rep, drop the series entirely'. Of course, learning to observe your own bias and look beyond restrained dichotomies of judgement has always been one of the series' main intent, so it's interesting in how it's shown itself again this time around. It'll be extremely interesting to see how both Mikoto and John are going to develop as characters going forward!