#tactical dog

[fl3shfag]

All bite no bark.

[kyl3dawolf]

fallout tactics, 2001

[waterdroid]

I saw that one "Mission Complete" screen (you know the one) and felt a sudden urge to draw the funniest way that could've happened. I don't actually know if this is funny at all because I've spent too much looking at it, enjoy!!

[laugandraws]

operation: shame and toad

[arthursfuckinghat]

"I was gonna say you're like a son to me.. but you're more than that."

"It ain't that complicated!"

How quickly that shoulder pat of comfort turned into a condescending one.

[drconstellation]

The Ineffable Ducks

What's with all the ducks in Good Omens that Crowley seems to be inordinately fond of? Turns out, they do have a narrative purpose, they're not just in there as a running joke about Crowley's fondness for the animals of Earth.

They appear in both S1 and S2, and get mentioned in several seemingly random places. Like, really random. There are quite a few in St James Park, where the ducks live, where the international spies also clandestinely meet, where Aziraphale and Crowley meet on several occasions, and where Crowley and Shax have a meeting, exchanging information in S2E1.

Ducks also get referred to here, when Aziraphale suggests they use humans to search and spy out the missing Antichrist, but Crowley insists it will be near impossible because suspicion slides off the boy like water off, what ever water slides off, because he has an automatic defense system.

The he remembers the ducks(!) later in the Bentley when they discuss using their respective networks of highly trained human operatives (Shadwell and the Witchfinder army), and Aziraphale asks if Crowley has a better idea than his. "Ducks!" Crowley suddenly utters.

The ducks that are always there, that you see but don't see, gathering bread crumbs, when any kind of surveillance or secret spy work is being discussed.

Nah, I thought, it couldn't be a sly ref to this famous cartoon by Larson, could it?

Aziraphale and Crowley are always afraid that someone is watching, or listening to everything they do, from both sides. I mean isn't that partly why we got the ending we did in S2, because they have had to be so covert with their communication to each over the centuries they've forgotten how to speak plainly to each other?

Heaven has definitely been watching...

And Hell certainly noticed Crowley's act of kindness in the Edinburgh cemetery, swiftly summoning him to Hell for punishment after his kind deed on behalf of Elspeth.

Then when the duo meet in again 1867 Crowley wonders if "ducks have ears" before declaring they must do - that's how they hear other ducks. So its no surprise that when Crowley asks Aziraphale for holy water that he writes the request on a piece of paper to hide it from those invisible ever-present watchers they know are never far away.

When we come to the start of S2, where Crowley is slouched in St James Park once more, reading the Tadfield Advertiser, and yelling at the Azerbaijani secret agents for feeding the ducks bread. Crumbs, it was alright to do this in the book, and S1, why is wrong now? Has Crowley suddenly become woke and caring for the ducks? Nah.

There's a lot more to it than that. I realized this is the missing Grain offering from my post about altar offerings (see The Altar of Eccles Cakes) in S2. A Grain offering represents a voluntary expression of devotion to God - or the other side you're supposed to be aligned with, in this case.

Shax is part of this scene, discussing the latest news from below, and she mentions some special intel that Hell has received, from their own secret squirrel network. Of course they would meet in St James Park to discuss this, along with all the other spies. While Shax tries to get some intel out of Crowley about what might be going on in Heaven, because she knows he has contact with a certain angel who owns a book shop, Crowley responds by refusing to show any devotion to his former side at this point, and isn't going to give any information away that could be useful. He also doesn't have any intel at this point, anyway, but he's not going to give that away either! Heaven and Hell are toxic, and no one should be going anywhere near them, in his opinion. So stop feeding them that devotional bread!

After Shax asks what they should be feeding the ducks, he eventually says "Frozen Peas. It's good for them, they like it."

The short period of "peas" since they stopped the impending Apocalypse has been enjoyable, and good for Crowley and Aziraphale, but the forced meeting with Beelzebub later that day soon jolts Crowley out of any complacency when they indicate that the "generalized understanding" Crowley thought they had with Heaven and Hell after the body swap to leave them alone, the one Aziraphale-as-Crowley negotiated, while asking for a rubber duck, no less, was looking very shaky and fragile indeed.

And one more random duck ref to discuss.

I was inspired to write this section by lalalunamoth's post calling Muriel a duckling imprinted on Crowley, and of course I did not save it, did I, and a search does not bring it back up again (found it!), so if you're reading this, or know that post, please let me know! I read it, and thought, cute, but nah, then realized that Muriel was sent on a surveillance mission to Whickber St to ascertain the truth of Aziraphale's 25 lazurii miracle. And she did act as the eyes of Heaven, writing up some reports, called Crowley "grice," then followed him around during his escapade in Heaven just like a duckling following a grumpy gander drake while he did his own surveillance measures in a Tactical Turtle neck, channeling his best imitation Sean Connery voice (have you noticed that as well, people?)

No, no, the op wasn't wrong - those big cross ducks, er grice geese, they make good guard dogs, no?

With special mention to Crowley acting as a surveillance duck just prior to this, and Mr Brown doing his own "spying out" of Aziraphale.

To finish this meta, there is one other figure who notably offered the ducks bread, in the book. This passage, which is surely relevant to S3, but didn't appear in S1, shows another character still devoted to God in a way. Lets give Death the final word:

Crowley: "Maybe it's it's all part of a great ineffable plan. All of it. You, me, him, everything. Some great big test to see if what you've built all works properly, eh? You start thinking: it can't be a great cosmic game of chess, it has to be just very complicated Solitaire. And don't bother to answer. if we could understand, we wouldn't be us. Because it's all - all - "

INEFFABLE, said the figure feeding the ducks.

"Yeah. Right. Thanks."

[army-of-idiots]

Photo: savagetexan

[rosalinesurvived]

I think another reason why I don’t like or trust Natsume is highkey lowkey because Fukuzawa did not agree to the whole Tripartide Plan beforehand. He didnt agree to becoming the opposite to the Mafia, something that could’ve been fatal for them both, Natsume decided that for him.

God knows how Mori met Natsume or why he decided that a murderous underground doctor with that ability was the perfect person to overthrow the notoriously dangerous Mafia but it wasn’t Mori’s plan.

Fukuzawa and Ranpo had their detective thing before they met Natsume and it was him that directed Fukuzawa to Mori. I’m of the opinion that Fukuzawa didn’t know that Natsume and Mori were planning for the latter to because the PM head until later on when Yosano comes into the picture when Mori’s already a member of the mafia.

In the chapter/flashback above he’s a quack doctor, 4 years after the Great War ends he’s officially in the Mafia, the ADA is official and Fukuzawa knows about the Tripartide, but he fiercely opposes the immortal regiment idea.

Sidenote: Somebody told Fukuzawa about Yosano’s whereabouts and what Mori was going to do with her. It was Mori who got her out of the room, it was Fukuzawa and Ranpo who intercepted them on the roof. Might’ve been Fukuchi, but that’s not been revealed and now he’s dead. My money’s on Taneda

Can you fucking imagine going to someone for a permission slip to run your detective business and the dude up and decides that you and your sixteen year old are the *perfect* people to oppose the Mafia in quasi-alignment with the government (who you previously killed for???)?????

Its likely that Natsume sent Fukuzawa to Mori bc he wanted the future ADA president and the future PM boss to have some idea of each other’s bloodlusts, strengths, personalities, convictions. But that makes him even shadier because its clear he knows Fukuzawa’s assassin past and whatever’s up with Mori. Also, why? Why make them go through the fake kidnapping thing together? Unless he was trying to forge some bond that would make it hard for them to go at each other’s throats in the future, eg: when Fukuzawa learns what Mori plans to use Yosano for. Because a diamond polishes a diamond.

The whole Tripartite Plan makes it so that the ADA, the government and the PM are in a permanent standstill because none of them can kill the other for fear of what would come next and Natsume executed it perfectly and shoved it onto Mori and Fukuzawa, the latter of whom this came straight out of left-wing and hit him like a freight train

[megpricephotography]

Ha, this dog is too clever & too bossy by half! Earlier today, Flynn apparently decided it was past time to go out for a walk (& being let in the garden just wasn't good enough). When I didn't immediately drop everything in response to him whining at me, Flynn wandered off... but he was back a moment later... carrying my shoe! He shoved it directly into my hands & then marched off & got the other shoe & gave me that one too.

Subtle? No!

Effective? Yes!

10 minutes later, we were off on Flynn's walk.

[gentlenmensarts]

[daemonmage]

Bruce, Titus, and Ace are all in the cave.

Damian: “Father, where is Titus? I wanted to take him to visit Batcow.”

Bruce turns around revealing Titus dressed in a Robin outfit that fits him perfectly. Ace is beside him in full Bathound armor.

Bruce: “…”

Damian: “…”

Bruce: “I also made an extra set of Bathound armor for him…”

Damian: “and you did all this without me?!“

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Did someone ask for a tactical grandpa deployment? The Crazy Taxi reference was too powerful to be contained in tags 😌

THE TACT GRANDPA DEPLOY ON THIS TUESDAY MORNING ???

[disappearinginq]

Could we get 14 or 15 for slow horses? Your choice which, either would be amazing!

Just because I just did 15 for another fandom, I give you 14, which is admittedly heavily inspired by the snippets @altschmerzes keeps posting for their fic.

“I won’t hurt you.”

That’s fucking rich, River thought savagely, purposely moving his head away from the gauze bandage, even as Patrice tried again to place it against the still bleeding wound to his forehead.

He could tell without looking it was bad – like needed stitches bad, but a spiteful part of him would rather bleed out than take help from his ‘family’.

Patrice growled in frustration, his efforts growing less gentle as his frustration mounted. “If you don’t let me help you, it’s going to be worse for both of us. At least let me stop the bleeding.”

“No.”

[thepromisedbride]

anyway here’s how soukoku can still win—

[crustyfloor]

Do you think luka will have a full on break down at r7..

I really like the idea,,, I went over my thoughts on that scenario more here, I think Luka is a man with many fears, and another side to him that we don't know about just ready to come to the surface.

Like I said in my other post regarding this, Luka is the "Ruler of the stage" but I think there is a possibility that in this instance, he would no longer be able to stand remaining as composed once the pressure sets in, because there are a lot of truths to this life he's living, one of which is he is utterly disposable, no matter how valuable he is. And Luka knows that.

As it seems, Luka likes the power (like dominance) he gets from manipulating the stage because he feels self-assured from the control, control is something he doesn't have in any other part of his life, after all--on the stage he is the king. He has every skill to his benefit, adoring fans, and who has ever been stronger than him to make him doubt himself? Mizi might've been the first with that outburst, changing that air of invincibility. And I think Till's intensity on stage could throw Luka off in a more drastic way this time, and make him act on it this time? They are two sides of the same coin, Till is Luka's ultimate equal and could give him a challenge he hasn't seen before from other Alien stage participants but this theory is...iffy, because we don't know Luka that well, and this theory almost completely contradicts the character we know him as, but that's the thing. Is the Luka we know really Luka? (Similar to Ivan who also has a persona that differs from his authentic self, is Luka just better at hiding it?)

All in all, I hope we can see Luka's facade slip in round 7, who knows, maybe it's full-on stitched to his face and he'll die like the glass-cased doll he always was from the day he was made, but it'd be interesting if we saw him feel again, and see him do something we wouldn't expect like fighting back for once. (was his fight with hyunwoo the only time he ever did that?)

[nocternalrandomness]

”Moon Dogs”