#things i am excited for in this batch of episodes

[arsenicflame]

finally time to watch :)

[a-lil-perspective]

“Is that his name? ‘Tech’? Just Tech?”

[sonknuxadow]

i remember hearing that the writers for the sonic boom tv show said that shadow was a very difficult character to write because sega is so picky about how he should be portrayed and thats why they saved him for season finale episodes only. so he could still be in the show but they wouldnt have to go back and forth with sega about what they can and cant do with him as much as they would have if he was a main character. anyway maybe thats part of the reason theres no alternate shadows in sonic prime. because sega was annoying about it and the writers didnt feel like dealing with it lmao

[heyclickadee]

Maybe I should watch the first ten minutes of Up or something so I can actually cry it out because I know it would help, but my body just won’t do it and it’s really frustrating.

[amuseoffyre]

Since insomnia is kicking my arse of late, I naturally tilted into the thoughts about the nature of the 3-act structure and why S2 of OFMD may have felt off and incomplete to a lot of people.

I am fully in agreement that we lost a lot of valuable time with only 8 episodes and a lot of it did feel rushed, but for the amount of story and set-up and growth and development they needed to fit into 4 hours of television, they did astonishing things.

DJenks has said from the very start that this is a story that has been planned out to take 3 seasons. It's literally a 3-act play and we are currently right in the middle of the worst part of that timeline according to every traditional 3-act structure.

Act one/season one is self-explanatory. Like New Hope in the Star Wars Trilogy or Fellowship of the Ring, this is the set-up. We're introduced to our protagonists and antagonists, the relationships are given a foundation.

The beginning is Stede's journey to becoming a real boy. The inciting incident, the one that actually pushes his change beyond "playing pirates" is meeting Ed. The second thoughts come together in episode 8/9 after his confrontations with Jack and Chauncey and episode 10 is the climax.

Act 2/season 2 is never going to be as smooth and simple as act 1/s1. A big part of the A2/S2 job is set up for A3/S3 and this is what we're seeing and why a lot of story threads seem to have been left dangling.

Again, to call back to Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers, the structure is much the same: the original batch of people are divided and scattered, the big enemy from A1/S1 is looming, new allies make themselves known. In SW, this meant the introduction of Lando and Yoda as allies plus the hint of the Emperor lurking in the background. In LotR, we have the Rohirrim, Gondor and the Ents as allies and the expansion of Sauron's forces in Helm's Deep, Osgiliath and the winged wraiths.

There's a clear trajectory following the A2/S2 structure:

obstacle 1 - the crews separated and struggling

obstacle 2 - the end of episode 2 and the repercussions of his actions

twist - just when things start to settle, the Ned Low situation happen and Stede kills for the first time

obstacle 3 - Ed's struggle with his identity leading to him leaving

disaster - Ricky's assault on the Republic

crisis - do-or-die battle because they have no other choice

climax - the last 15 minutes of ep. 8 live here.

As with SW and LotR, there's an ending, but weighted with the knowledge of a story that is meant to continue. Each of those act 2 films end with the heroes still aware of the looming threat, some of them heading out on new missions, and some of them resting and healing. There's brief pause, brief respite, a moment to take a breath.

We have all the characters in place now and the battle-lines have been drawn. Luke still needs to confront Vader (I see you, impending Ed and Hornigold confrontation), Frodo still needs to destroy the ring, Aragorn still needs to lead the army against the Black Gate, the second Death Star is still hanging in the sky.

I'm so excited to see what S3 brings because we have so many arcs ready to go: Zheng's vengeance trip, the inevitable enforced out-of-retirement arc for Ed and Stede, Hornigold, Ricky trying to maintain his tenuous control of the republic given how many of his people were killed when the crew escaped, the pirate rebellion gathering forces.

Also how often do we get shows/films where the supporting cast are given this much storyline? We have a named/speaking-role cast of upwards of 15 central characters. That is a staggering amount of people to work with, when most shows would only focus on the leads and a couple of their friends. Six is the average for most TV shows, while comedies can inch higher because ensembles, but most ensembles don't get as much as our crew did.

I know a lot of people aren't happy about Izzy's death. I know I would have liked to see him a lot more, because he's such a grumpy old bitch and I love him and him affectionately roasting Ed and Stede would have made my entire month. But I'm also aware that narratively, as a figurehead of the old ways of piracy and "we were Blackbeard", it was a symbolic death as well - a sign of the death of the old ways of piracy and of Blackbeard as was.

(Also, they Obi-Wanned him. I'm not over that. Gave him the "if you strike me down I will become more powerful" speech. I'm just... guys, your star wars nerdery is showing XD)

So while it was flawed in places and pacing, given the scale of the story they're telling, the number of pieces and characters they had in play, and the arcs they have been setting up while also still keeping the humour, I am giving a standing ovation for a remarkable piece of work.

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug watches 'The Bad Batch': The Outpost

As per many people's requests, I've collected a series of texts and Facebook messages from Doug when he watched certain episodes of everyone's favorite Copy Paste Boi show.

Some he was quite pithy on ('Ryan-from-Accounting goes fast but not fast enough to get away from the Bitch Wife Laura'), and others...well, he got excitable, to put it mildly.

Here's one of the more deranged ones, Season 2, Episode 12, 'The Outpost'. Or as Doug calls it: "The Daddy Warcrimes Christmas Special."

CW for Language like you wouldn't believe. Doug says "you'll need a permission slip from your momma to read this, I guess."

-----

Daddy Warcrimes is waiting by the Empire's equivalent of a windowless van, because comfort is just not his thing and he really wants the experience of smuggling cocaine across the border one of these days.

Some bitch who looks like she works at a bank is telling these clones that their extended warranty is up. I wanna bring her a bag of pennies and make her count it before I deposit it because I'm sick like that.

So here comes in SOME BLOND JACKASS. Mother of Hell do I hate this guy. Can I just tell you how much I hate him? I hate him like I hate the Crimson Tide, like I hate February, like I hate my mother-in-law. Hate hate hate. 

So Daddy Warcrimes, SOME BLOND JACKASS, and some homies get into Floating Probable Cause to lay waste to an unsuspecting Third World country or whatever.

Well, I was wrong! Looks like Elsa and her frozen fingers took over this dump. Disney owns both, so why not. The cold never bothered them anyway. Nope, they’re at somebody’s nasty old storage shed. Why does this remind me of visiting my sister in Wyoming?

Oh, who is this no-frills, salt-of-the-earth, son-of-a-bitch? Is that tanned Kurt Russell? No? It’s Sassy Park Ranger! I like him already. If he was my boss I’d actually show up to work on time and sober, or late and hung over, either way, it’d be a good time with the man. He just seems cool and chill and a nice dude. I bet he’s got homemade beef jerky in his locker and his beard always smells like cigar smoke. 

OH SHUT UP STUPID BLOND JACKASS, Jesus Christ I’ve never wanted to hit someone with a folding chair so hard in my life. CALL HIM COMMANDER.

Aw, Sassy Park Ranger’s being nice to Daddy Warcrimes, maybe Daddy Warcrimes will share the Columbian nose candy in the back of the van with Sassy Park Ranger, and Sassy Park Ranger won’t ask about the sobbing family Daddy Warcrimes is probably holding for ransom in the back. It’s all about understanding each other. 

This is truly the Daddy Warcrimes Christmas special, snow and friendship and stuff. I hope this doesn’t end up with Daddy Warcrimes 86’ing Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer from the sky, that would traumatize the children. But this is the same studio that produced Bambi so who knows. Didn't he try killing a kid the first episode?

Oh man, Sassy Park Ranger’s lost a lot of his men, that’s real sad. Only two left, Jesus. SHUT UP BLOND JACKASS SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

(I won’t repeat it, but the amount of times that SHUT UP was texted was….something else- Dr. MM)

Sassy Park Ranger’s taking Daddy Warcrimes on a hike around the place in the middle of a blizzard, probably going to say hi to the yeti hooker they all frequent and show him how to write his name in the snow with pee. He’s such a good guy. If they go sledding I’d be so happy.

Oh, shit! Daddy Warcrimes remembers that he has a job and proceeds to cop some poor bastard in the leg so he can follow the trail of blood in the snow. What in the Fargo am I watching here, does Steve Buschemi show up at one point now. No sledding in this one, I guess.

Well there goes Sassy Park Ranger and Daddy Warcrimes on a heartwarming romp following a crippled burglar in the snow as he bleeds to death. Kevin McCallister would be so proud. Well, now, they found a dead body already. You know, at this point, if Daddy Warcrimes capped Santa in the head this show wouldn’t be less wholesome. 

Aw shit Daddy Warcrimes stepped on a landmine, but Sassy Park Ranger watched his training videos that HR made them sit through and disarms it. They’re having a nice convo, I really, really like Sassy Park Ranger. If he dies I’ll be so freaking mad. 

(I said nothing, FYI - Dr. MM)

Aw shit, they found the bunker of crazy white people with guns in the snow. It’s confirmed: the Daddy Warcrimes Christmas Special takes place in Wyoming. Are Daddy Warcrimes and Sassy Park Ranger facing off my brother-in-law and his branch of the VFW near Laramie? Those guys need hobbies besides doomsday prepping and getting drunk in the snow. It ain’t right. 

“After all we sacrificed”…man. I feel right here. Is this the child friendly version of Enemy at the Gate? Shit. Please these two bastards need to survive. I need a beer and I wanna hug my wife.  

Dr. Meat Muffin, please don't tell me you're letting your babies watch this show. They need that dog from Australia who has fun with her daddy, not this.

Oh shit, avalanche! 

Oh no, Sassy Park Ranger. Oh no, oh no. Oh, Daddy Warcrimes.

Thank Christ they made it! They’re gonna save him! They’re gonna save him.

Wait. What. 

WHAT THE FUCK, BLOND ASSHOLE. 

I HATE THIS JACKASS SO GODDAMNED MUCH, SOLDIER OF THE EMPIRE, I WANNER SHOVE MY SOLDIER UP YOUR EMPIRE YOU STUPID DICK. 

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

Yay! Daddy Warcrimes finally took out his gun and 86’d that FUCK. CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!

Man...I hope this ends okay for Daddy Warcrimes. I hope his brothers aren't just dicking around somewhere warm while he and the other bros are out dying.

Guess that'll be next episode?"

....Doug snapped SO HARD watching 'Pabu'. Brace yourselves.

[comicgeekery]

Sherlock and Shoscombe

So, after the deep dive I did with Sherlock & Co and the issues with the Case of Identity storyline, I thought it was only fair that I talk about their take on The Adventure at Shoscombe Old Place.

*Ahem*.....This was a lot of fun! I just looked up a summary of the original story because I didn't remember it well, and no wonder! It was the very last Sherlock Holmes story Doyle published, later collected into The Casebook, and thus...one of the boring ones. I'm sorry. I really don't like The Casebook stories. It's also the last batch of stories that the Doyle estate was clutching onto before Sherlock went fully into the public domain, which makes the story feel doubly tedious to me.

But! These episodes were a blast! Practically a survey of all the best parts of Sherlock & Co! There's fun banter! Heaps of character background! A really clever update to the original set-up! BRILLIANT acting and foley work! A cheeky cameo! And a truly exciting, satisfying end! I think this is the most direct information we've gotten about John's past since, well ever, but certainly since we learned about his memories of his dad. Now we know that he grew up in a very class-divided town that once felt so much bigger. And he was deeply in love once, with a woman he lost partially because of classism. (Which is such a great mirror for Beatrice and her husband's situation!) He also lost his friends because they had privileges he didn't. (Did John join the military partly as a way to get away from his roots? Out of a desperate need to be praised as a hero?)

No wonder John has so much resentment for the wealthy when it's so deeply personal. I think it's going to be comically awkward and VERY interesting when he finds out that Sherlock is mega super rich. Holmes is often theorized to be the son of a lord in canon. I figure he's at least from a wealthy family that was able to pay for him to go to tons of fancy schools. And then personal tutors. And a full-time staff that always took care of cleaning and stocking up the groceries. (For all his observation skills, I do think Sherlock grew up never considering who made his household run.) I think part of why Sherlock has been so touchy about John's anger at rich people is because Sherlock is SUPER nervous it would ruin their friendship. I am also so pumped to see what the podcast does with Mycroft! I wonder if his autism might be more limiting than Sherlock's. Like he's got the genius skills, he's got the deceptively powerful government job, but he can't handle going out into the world. Going to Baker Street would be an ordeal. Might have a full meltdown if he's not at home, work, or whatever the Diogenes Club is updated to. But.....It's hard to tell how much Sherlock & Co wants us to suspend our disbelief about some things. John and Sherlock have very clearly committed a LOT of crimes on their publicly available podcast. Maybe that will never be addressed or MAYBE Sherlock, Mycroft, or other Holmes allies have been bribing and intervening to keep them from getting arrested. Imagine the drama! "You hate the rich, but you owe all your success to MY money and power, 'Dr.' John Watson!" *Blinks rapidly*

Where was I? Oh yeah, Shoscombe. That. God. Damn. Chase. Scene! So bold for a podcast to have a climax with a car chase at the center. The foley work was top-notch for the driving and the terrain and then the crash and sinking in the lake. Whoever plays John Watson, you did an incredible job! The reckless car chase where, OF COURSE, he still narrates everything, the diving for Robert (and the clever layer of the recorder fritzing), and that CPR! It was all so engaging and believable! I love when John does doctor stuff generally, but this was my favorite example since the gunshot wound at the wedding with The Solitary Cyclist. Not sure I buy Robert's at-home crematorium as being 100% good, but I can believe John thinks so. Might help that John's a bit more desensitized to cutting into corpses than most folks. Finally, I'm sure folks are quite excited that a certain James made a cameo. (Maybe he's interested in why Sherlock and John keep getting away with all their crimes.) I knew he was going to show up at some point, and making Moriarty a listener shout-out is delightful. I just hope it's a while longer before he's ON the show. It always frustrates me when Moriarty winds up becoming basically Lex Luthor. Then again, we've already had similar cameos for Irene Adler and Baskerville Hall (and probably some I've missed) without them showing up yet. We'll see how it goes!

Good job, Sherlock & Co! I'm excited to see what you do next!

[photogirl894]

Hello, bestie!! I want to congratulate you on 1300 followers. You deserve every one of them for your wonderful personality, writing, and vibes. And I'm also incredibly happy and honored to be among those 1300, thank you for being my friend ❤️

Now, for the ask! I love all of your prompts and I'm going to go with something fluffy with - surprise surprise - Crosshair!! With a female reader, if you please, could you maybe write 27. "You look so handsome" from the fluff prompts and 32. A kiss on the wrist from the physical affection prompts?

Can't wait to see what you write, and congrats again!

Thank you so much, Moon, for not only your request and congratulations, but for also being my friend, as well 💜I treasure our friendship very much!

Oh wow, Crosshair! I'm so surprised 😜 I expected nothing less and I am more than delighted to do this for you! I think you're really gonna like this 😉😏

We're gonna live a bit in denial with this one (while we can...) and just say Tech is alive and safe with the Batch, along with, well, a few other things😅

**Spoiler alert for the newest TBB episode, season 3 episode 11**

"A Wish in the Stars"

27. "You look so handsome."

32. A kiss on the wrist

Pairing: Crosshair x fem reader

***

It had been a year since you and the Bad Batch had settled down for good on Pabu.

A year since you all had successfully thwarted the Empire's operations on Mount Tantiss and ensured that you would never be found by them again by faking your deaths on Tantiss. With the Empire thinking all of you were dead, they would never come looking for you again, which left you and the Clones to live your lives in peace.

You all had returned to Pabu and helped rebuild everything that the Empire had destroyed. Within months, things on the island began to return to normal and all of you felt like you were truly home.

Truly free.

With this newfound freedom, Crosshair did the one thing you had always dreamed he would do; something you thought would only ever remain a wish in the stars for the longest time:

He asked you to marry him.

Naturally, you said "yes"...or rather, you cried out the word with joy over a dozen times.

The following months of wedding planning were both stressful and joyous at the same time. Omega was ecstatic at the thought of seeing you in a lovely white gown. Wrecker was more excited about all the delicious food that would be at the reception. Tech and Echo took it upon themselves to essentially be your "wedding planners" to ensure everything got done and taken care of. Hunter acted as more emotional support for you through it all and you had also asked him to be the one to walk you down the aisle at your wedding, which he was more than honored to do for you. You just knew your wedding day was going to be more than perfect.

The day arrived and you had just finished putting on your gown: a lovely floor-length, white dress with lacey sleeves and shoulders that had silk flowers sewn into the skirts. You wore a flower crown in your curled hair that Omega and Lyanna had both so lovingly created for you. You looked at yourself in front of a mirror, taking in the image of yourself in that moment. Seeing yourself looking like a bride was almost too good to be true. You had dreamt of this day for forever and now, it was finally happening...you were finally going to marry Crosshair, the love of your life.

"Wow...!"

Just then, you heard the voice of your beloved behind you and you saw him appear in the reflection of the mirror. He was gazing at you with eyes wide with amazement and love and you couldn't help but smile.

You whipped around and playfully scolded him, "Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding? You need to go!"

He grinned and strode towards you. "Haven't you learned by now that I'm not good at following orders?" he asked you.

You chuckled back, choosing to throw tradition out the window. "I suppose that's true."

Then you looked him over once, taking in the rare sight before you. Crosshair was in much more formal attire that you weren't used to seeing him in: a nice, dark green shirt with a cream-colored, button-up vest, dark pants and boots. You had a feeling Shep and probably Hunter had played a part in figuring out his wedding wear and you were more than pleased with what you saw.

"You look so handsome," you complimented him.

He got a slightly uncomfortable look, not liking the attention, but he still grinned shyly and said, "Thanks." Then his gaze softened once he looked back at you, taking in your radiance in the Pabu sunlight coming in through the window, and he remarked in awe, "And you...you look...I...I can't even find the words to describe how breathtaking you are."

"Thank you," you said with a huge smile as he gently pulled you to him by the waist. You placed a hand on his cheek and gazed up into his entrancing brown eyes. "With everything we went through, everything we fought against...I never thought this day would come."

"I know," he said, nuzzling your hand.

"I always thought us getting married and finally settling down somewhere would just be a wish in the stars, forever floating through time and space, never to be granted," you admitted.

Crosshair then reached up to caress your cheek. "Well...at least one star must have fallen then because that wish will come true today." Then he took your hand that was on his cheek and pressed his lips reverently to your wrist, letting them linger for a moment against your warm skin. His sweet, intimate gesture sent a pleasant shock down your arm and through your whole body. Then he turned his gaze back to you and asked with a tiny, teasing grin, "Are you sure you don't want to rethink this? You know I am severe and unyielding, as Tech says."

"You being severe and unyielding is what got us to this point to begin with," you told him. "You refused to give up. Not on fighting the Empire, on our squad, on yourself...and not on us." You raised your other hand to his other cheek and smiled lovingly at him. "Therefore, I will never stop fighting for the man who fought so hard for me. I'm not letting go of you for anything in this galaxy."

Having given that affirmation that you weren't rethinking anything about being with him, you kissed Crosshair sweetly and he wrapped his arms around you, bringing you as close to him as you could possibly get.

When you pulled away, he breathed out in a whisper, "I love you so much."

That brought a happy tear to your eye. Crosshair would say he loved you, but he seldom said it first. This day truly was a day for new beginnings.

"I love you, too," you said back.

"I don't know how or why you ever chose me...but I thank whatever entity brought me to you every day," he said. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I promise to make you happy for the rest of--"

Your finger over his lips silenced him as you told him, still smiling, "Save that for the altar, darling."

In reply, he said nothing and simply smiled back at you.

Then you gave him a light nudge. "Now, you'd better go. The ceremony will start soon and Hunter will be coming to make sure I'm ready. You need to leave before he catches you."

Crosshair snickered. "I'd like to see him try," he said, tightening his grip around your waist. Then he gave you a tender kiss on the forehead, released his hold on you and went to walk away. However, he stopped just short of the door and looked back at you once more with the most adoring smile you'd ever seen on him. Then he stated before he left, "I'll see you at the altar...my bride."

Photogirl894's Fluff/Romance prompts

Photogirl894's Physical Affection prompts

Photogirl894's 1,300 Followers celebration fics

[crow-hoards-things]

The Bad Batch Series Finale

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a vent post. I’m angry and hurt. After I get this out of my system I’ll be more open to discussing the positives of the episode.

Warnings: Ranting, Spoilers

Hooo boy. Okay. I am… less than satisfied?

Quick rundown since I haven’t posted much of anything Bad Batch related: Tech is my favorite Batch member, immediately followed by Crosshair. I’m also a HUGE Republic Commando Nerd (read all the books, played the game, despised Bad Batch as a whole initially because I felt the commandos were being unfairly ignored, can sing + translate Vode An, etc.) and Scorch was my favorite Delta. The Bad Batch grew on me shortly after Season 1 finished up, and I immediately latched onto Tech when I began watching. He’s the reason I watched the first two seasons. (Crosshair + delusions about Tech were the combined force behind watching the final season)

NOW, onto my actual thoughts on the episode, in no semblance of order because my brain is still trying to process, Ft. Cry count:

• Wish Tech was here. He would’ve loved the Zillo being freed.

• “‘Cause I’d do the same thing” no you wouldn’t. Fives would’ve. The you I fell in love with would’ve yelled at Fives about it being a terrible idea and then promptly gone along with it anyway. That said it was a really cute moment and I loved his nonchalant little “come on” afterwards.

• C: “Echo or Omega?” W&H: “Omega” THEY KNOW THEIR GIRL SO WELL

• When Hemlock went to get the operatives I got excited thinking maybe, just maybe we’d get Tech back.

• CROSSHAIR LOST HIS FREAKING HAND!?!? WHAT THE HECK!?! I will never stop being salty about this. He’s been through enough. [Near Tears]

• Rampart sucks

• Nala Se got to blow stuff up and I appreciate that even if I don’t really like her

• I’m glad Wrecker’s okay. He had me scared for a bit. Hunter, conversely, never really did? He’s Omega’s Dad, he had to survive.

• Did anybody else see that one operative whose helmet seemingly had goggles built into it? We had a lingering shot on his helmet for a few seconds and they looked like a red version of Tech’s goggles.

• SCORCH IS DEAD AND YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE I’M MAD ABOUT IT! [First shedding of tears]

• HECK YEAH, HEMLOCK IS DEAD!!! [Tears of relief combined with grief over Scorch]

• I’m so glad Omega hugged Crosshair first. I fully expected her to just run to Hunter, and Crosshair needed that hug.

• Echo’s goodbye was disrespectful. 0/10. He’s family and they don’t even care that he’s leaving???

• SOMEONE IS MISSING FROM OUR NICE LITTLE GROUP SHOT!

• I never really got super invested in the dynamic between Omega and Hunter, but the ending between them was cute I guess.

• We were robbed. We could’ve gotten Crosshair and Wrecker as old men and we were robbed.

• Tech is dead. Like, seriously, really and truly, dead. As a delusional “Tech’s alive guys, trust me” fan, it feels like he just died all over again. I’ll talk more about this later because I’m not over it. [Que sob-fest]

alright, circling back around to my main gripes, in order of appearance:

#1. Scorch.

I hate how they handled him. At first when he showed up I got super excited. That was my boy! In the Bad Batch show!! He’s making an appearance!!! Maybe they’ll do something with the Delta boys!!

Even as the episodes went on and I started to suspect where his path was leading, I consistently would go “Scorch!!! <3” every episode, because that is my boy and I love him dearly.

The levels of offended I am on Scorch’s behalf are not within my ability to express with words. The complete and utter disrespect he was shown over his time on the show is appalling. Why bring him in if you’re going to drain him of all his personality, make him have zero plot relevance, and then murder him?! They could easily have made a new clone for that, as seen by the number of operatives who exist and got 0.5 minutes of screen time.

But no. They brought in a beloved character with 10 seconds of canonical screen time prior, stripped him of everything that made him lovable, didn’t even have him DO ANYTHING, and then murdered him. It feels like a spit in the face and a kick to the gut all at once.

I will mourn. I’ve already cried and I’ll probably cry again. But right now I’m angry and I think Scorch deserves to have people be angry about how he was treated.

#2. Tech

Yes. I admit to having been a “trust me guys, Tech’s alive” person. I will also admit that at the end of episode 13 I wanted him to stay dead because I had zero faith they could satisfactorily bring him back.

My gripe is not with him staying dead. Yes, it feels like losing him all over again. Yes, I will mourn him again. Yes. That sucks. It’s not what’s making me mad.

What makes me mad is how his death was handled.

• It served ZERO purpose narratively other than to up the stakes and make us worry about whether anyone else would die (Spoiler alert: They didn’t. Tech was the only one who died) • Nobody mourned him. No one seemed affected by his death at all. No one cared. I don’t care what anyone says, that will NEVER be okay. • The first actual mention of Tech *dying* was in the finale. Sure, we’ve had name drops and goggle appearances, but actually talking about what happened? One line. One. Freaking. Line.

I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face, you know? He deserved better and so did we. He was a part of that family and they couldn’t even be bothered to address the responses to his death. He was beloved by many of us and they couldn’t even respect him or his fans enough to treat his death like something to be mourned.

That’s wrong, no matter how you look at it.

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode 5 thoughts:

this was a pretty talk-heavy episode, which i guess is to be expected after all the action of rook's rest, but i am glad it seems like there will be more dragons and drama in the next episode

ooooh boy the greens parading the head of meleys through king's landing was NOT a good pr move, it is such a bad look to show that the creatures you based your entire reign around are fallible and can be killed

kind of thought aegon's burns might be even worse than they turned out to be, but the maesters having to cut that armor off his body because it had sealed to the wounds was pretty gross

i feel like rhaenyra and alicent need another secret meet-up to commiserate about workplace sexism because WOW those two councils were infuriating

jace flying off on his dragon to do some unsanctioned diplomacy just like rhaenyra did when she was a teenager…he really is his mother's son

i HAVE missed caraxes the noodle dragon, it is true, good to see him again <3

daemon's petulant little "i did not think they would be so eager to die" while sitting on a rock in his fancy dragon armor was really fucking funny

we got to see jeyne arryn and the eyrie, at last! and some of her dialogue was a direct quote from the books, which is fun

rhaenyra and mysaria's dynamic is one of my favorite surprises of the season so far, it's nice that rhaenyra has someone she can be honest about her frustrations with

man, daemon's harrenhal dreams are getting FREAKY. at first i thought that lady he was hallucinating was aemma but. uh. nope!

i continue to love how no-nonsense simon strong is and how done he is with daemon's dramatics

i'm continuing to appreciate how this show is giving screentime to the smallfolk and emphasizing how much an impact the war is having on them

need someone to adopt cheese's dog and give him some good pats please, he deserves better than this

alicent and criston really are never ever getting back together after this episode

it was fun to see the twins and that jace is pretty good at this whole diplomacy thing. i don't THINK the lady at the table was sabitha frey otherwise they would have mentioned her by name?

i really like how unimpressed alys is with daemon and her dragging him for his poor planning and tactics while also getting more hints of her magic

i feel like my stanning of house blackwood has perhaps reached a slight bump with this batch of war crimes. alas!

i liked when the laena hallucination turned up just to drag daemon for being an absent father

really pleased by the amount of baela and her characterization that we got in this episode, hope we'll see more of rhaena too

we can debate blacks vs greens as long as we want but everyone MUST acknowledge that rhaenyra has VASTLY better taste in who to appoint as her hand

you know, i think this is the first one-on-one scene aemond and helaena have ever had?

aegon waking up just long enough to say "mummy" after alicent has already left…kill me now

rhaenyra immediately knowing that jace had flown out and done diplomacy without her was such a mom move

not really sure what the errand elinda massey got sent on was???

i refuse to believe sunfyre is dead until i see the evidence with my own two eyes

in the book the new dragonriders is mostly jace's idea so i like the idea of it being a jace and rhaenyra collaboration, and i'm VERY excited to see vermithor and silverwing next week

[the-bi-space-ace]

Is There An Echo In Here?

No. There isn’t.

Alright. Here’s the thing. Echo is my favorite character so I’m going to want to see him all the time but I can still understand his absence even when I miss him. His absence in season 2 hurt me but it made total sense. He needed to go. I love him for doing what he needs to and not giving up what he values. It’s part of why I love him.

What I can’t understand is what happened in episodes 6&7 of season 3.

I’ve been fairly positive in my outward opinions for the most part. I rarely loudly complain. I rarely throw in the towel but I do still have opinions that aren’t positive and that’s okay.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of episodes 1-4. Not in the way that I didn’t like them bc I did. They had moments that I really really liked and I genuinely had a good time watching them. But they didn’t wow me. Tbh they don’t have to for me to enjoy them. They just have to be fun in my book. There’s no problem in having fun and not being wowed by every episode. I think that’s just how it goes. You can’t please everyone and I never expect to be happy about everything. It’s part of why I’ve kept my love of this show for so long.

I don’t have high expectations going in so I am rarely ever totally dissatisfied.

This is the exception.

I was absolutely thrilled with episode 5. Finally Echo is back. The Crosshair content was top tier. There’s jokes. There’s heart. It’s fun. It’s exciting. Loved it. It’s everything I want out of the show. They’re together. They have really heart wrenching moments right up against heart warming ones. It’s perfect. I was feeling pretty positive about moving forward.

Then 6&7 happened and I think I lost a huge chunk of hope for this show where Echo is concerned.

I still liked the episodes! I think the episodes were really really good. I love Rex. Crosshair really shined again so my heart rejoiced. There’s intrigue there’s excitement there’s plot. I skew more towards character growth and plot focus than anything else so a lot of my boxes are getting checked here.

Except for one very large thing that made me unhappy.

I’m not counting Echo’s two appearances in these episodes as him being there. Seeing his face and him saying one line really…. Doesn’t count. Not in my book. So far out of 7 episodes he’s really only been in one. I’m almost convinced the writers have forgotten he’s a main character with the way they’re treating him.

The first four episodes were very focused on the different characters and what they’re doing and how things are going. I love these types of episodes. I do this in fics when I want development to have a lot of focus! Split them up! Follow them around! Put them in different pairs and watch them grow! I love that! So… why didn’t we get an episode like that with Echo? Since we’re showing them all split up where was Echo’s episode to focus on what him and Rex were doing? The show followed Crosshair and Omega three times. It followed Hunter and Wrecker. Why would there not be an episode following Echo? Or at least having him meet up with Hunter and Wrecker and following those three for an episode.

When we finally got Echo back my heart literally rejoiced. Episode 5 was the first episode that got me excited about where this season was going.

And then, yes! We’re going to see Rex. We’re going to see what’s up with the clone network and Echo *checks notes* has carpool duty???? Are you serious? These two episodes were possibly the best ones to have him around and he’s just… not? Why? So he can pick them up at the end of it?

It doesn’t make sense to me.

At this point it truly seems like this show is just sidelining him because they don’t feel like writing him. Is this how the rest of the season goes? Is he not with the batch for the majority of it? Are we going to have two maybe three episodes that he appears in at all?

It hurts. It hurts because it’s starting to feel purposeful and not even in a good ol’ he’s got something good coming in the plot kind of way.

If we get some good Echo focus in the later episodes then fantastic! Maybe this post will be meaningless and I’ll be proven wrong. I’d honestly really love that tbh. I’d love to look back and go: huh. I was so worried for absolutely no reason.

Otherwise if the season continues with how it’s been then I don’t have much hope for my little Echo loving heart.

As always I’ll still write Echo-centric fics and yell about him all day. Hell maybe I’ll write a long post for Echo like I’ve done for Crosshair. Give him some extra love and attention in these trying times.

As a last note: I love this show. And my criticisms or opinions are never a declaration of hatred for this thing that we all love. I’m simply screaming into the void and hoping people who love Echo as much as I do hear me.

[sskim-milkk]

Alright The Bad Batch is over and I have some THOUGHTS

Warning: spoilers (kinda) for the finale!

Wow, wow, wow! I watched the bad batch finale a few hours ago and have since been lost in thought about how CRAZY that finale was and what this show has come to mean to me over the past 3 or so years.

First of all, the finale was amazing. My friend and I had to pause multiple times to say WHAT THE HELL! I could not have imagined a better ending to it. The epilogue with older Hunter and Omega especially had me feeling emotional. I’m just so happy they got their happy ending.

And while I am still sad we didn’t see Tech alive again, I knew the ending they got was exactly what Tech sacrificed himself for. And someone pointed this out in a different post, but Tech lives on with his brothers and especially with Omega. She learned so much from him throughout the show and we can see that through her actions and brains. They loved each other so much.

I’m interested to see what may happen with the remaining plot points that didn’t get resolved. What happened with Cody? What about Omega and her force sensitivity? But I’m honestly also fine if we don’t see Omega or the batch again. The ending was just so perfect, and sometimes it’s nice to just leave things as is.

Anyway, I’m really going to miss experiencing the pending excitement of a new episode or season. I hope the fandom remains alive. I know we’ll all eventually move on and get invested into other shows and characters, but I hope the batch remains in our heads and hearts for a long time and we interact in the fandom from time to time.

This show came out at such a monumental point in my life. Finishing high school, beginning college, and a bunch of other crazy stuff happening around and amidst that. I have loved nothing more than interacting with other fans via Instagram, tumblr and ao3. This show reignited a love for writing in me, and I’ve loved being able to write stories for them. I hope to continue to do so. And the friends I’ve made through the fandom are absolutely amazing and I’m so grateful to know them all 🩷

This show was handled with such care and love. Was it perfect? No, but pretty damn close. It taught me a lot about learning and discovering who you are, family, friends, and love. I appreciate the creators and everyone who worked on the bad batch so much for how well they handled the show and its characters.

I know I’m probably blabbering on here. And sure, at the end of the day it is “just a show” I guess, but what’s come from that show for me has become such an important part of my life. I know I will always look back fondly on this show, remembering it was a constant in my life during many changes and new adventures.

To The Bad Batch, from the bottom of my heart, thank you ❤️

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"The Bad Batch" Season 3 episodes 1-3 review

guys, I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch this because I couldn't sleep (although tbf, my room's heater was way too much and distracting my peaceful slumber anyway). Overall, I really enjoyed the start to the final season. I thought the character directions were good, animation was always beautiful, music was great, and the action was fun. There were a few surprises and somethings I wish they changed, but I'm happy.

spoilers not necessary, but it's fair to say that Hemlock has cemented himself as a truly sinister and twisted villain. Everything about him from his VA's performance to actions are perfection. His theme is also very chilling. We've never seen a villain like him in Star Wars.

Spoilers below

Omega and Crosshair right away steal the show for me. Her upbeat attitude even in the darkest of times is enough to breakthrough Crosshair's darkness. And honestly, that's one of my favorite things about Omega: her hope. Although she's a kid and separated from her family, she still finds ways to keep going. She finds companionship in Batcher (who is adorable), talks with Crosshair, makes a straw Lula, and constantly searches for a way out. I love her dearly. There's something about her pluckiness that's so endearing. Side note: isn't it eerie she kinda resembles Emerie with her hairstyle? I think it was intentional and she's a mirror to her.

Then there's Crosshair. He's my favorite character so of course I was excited to see him. I am a big fan of the direction they're taking him in. He's at his lowest and right now, he has to slowly pick himself back up. Although I can see his transition from "there's no escape" to trusting Omega as a bit rushed, I think it works. They've been stuck for months and I like to think that in the time between episode 1 and 3, her visits kept him going. And that's very important. It's implied that she constantly visits him when she can. His body language also speaks volumes. I could talk for a while about that. Crosshair's words hold a sharp bite to them; he doesn't like being emotionally vulnerable. However, his body language says differently. He does trust Omega's direction, he smiles when thinking of Tech, he readily helps Omega up, and he's surprised when Omega tells him he doesn't deserve to be stuck on Tantiss. Crosshair clearly cares about her and his family even though his words try to shield that. AND HE FINALLY SAID OMEGA'S NAME!!! I am not ok with this.

The other thing about Crosshair I want to talk about is his hands. He either has nerve damage from Barton IV, the torture is getting to him, or he has psychosomatic symptoms from his mental anguish. One of the things that's quickly established about him is that he's a sharpshooter. Crosshair is shown repeatedly to make these incredible shots and never miss. And yet, now he keeps missing because his hands shake. I think it's an interesting choice to make. Aside from forcing Crosshair to fight physically and show how cool he is, this choice does emphasizes how fractured his identity has become. When he joined the Empire, he lost his Batcher identity. The Empire stripped him of his humanity. Then, he lost his soldier identity when taken to Tantiss. Now, the only other thing he has, which are his skills, are gone. He needs to slowly put himself back together and I'm excited to see his journey.

Moving on to Hunter and Wrecker. They need hugs so much. One of the things I noticed was that Wrecker was more subdued and quiet. He's always let his inner child out, but knows when it's time to be serious. I really appreciated the mature approach to both characters. Hunter is struggling with Tech and Omega's loss and it's evident. He secludes himself and the pain is felt in his words and body language. Even their armor design shows the mental toll that last season's events have taken on them. Overall, I'm intrigued to see how their journeys progress. They're both kinda stuck and hopefully that will change as they get closer and closer to finding Omega (and Crosshair).

In terms of story, I did really enjoy that we got in the first few episodes. The clone cadet mini arc in episode 2 was really cool to watch as it finally explains what happens to the younger clones. It shows how they adapt with losing everything they know, especially since they're kids. On top of that, we get the start of the "find Omega" mission. Both stories mesh well together and I enjoyed it a lot. The story with Omega and Crosshair was particularly interesting. The monotony of the Empire is on full scale, as is Hemlock's cruelty. My crack theory is that Palpatine is trying to make force sensitive clones. But I think the mystery behind Project Necromancer is really fascinating and spooky. Both Emerie and Nala Se are interesting in because both feel conflicted about their loyalty to Omega and their jobs. I think Emerie will choose Omega in the end though, just like Nala Se did. Overall, I think both stories are intriguing and will hopefully have some great payoffs in the end.

Of course, not everything is perfect. I didn't expect the time-jump or the escape from Tantiss to be that fast. Honestly, I think we could've waited an episode before jumping right into it. It makes me wonder what's next for Cross and Omega since they left so quickly. I also really wish that we got Crosshair's reaction to finding out about Tech. It's implied Omega told him based on what she says at the crashed shuttle. Still, I would've loved to find out his reaction. That's his brother. I think it's fair to say that Crosshair would've felt very guilty. In the time since episode 1, he's probably made peace with it, but I think it should've been included nonetheless.

Those are my overall thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed the episodes as well and I'm so excited for next week. Until then Bad Batch friends! May the Force be with you!

(also, i hope we see Echo next week!)

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 8 - Bad Territory - A Discussion Post

This episode has so much action and so much needed healing this week, it made me feel relaxed. Let's dive back into the exciting parts!

(SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE YET! all screencaps from www.cap-that.com! https://www.cap-that.com/starwars/the-bad-batch/308/)

At the beginning, Omega is worried about Echo and Rex, relating back to the chaos that ensued at Rex's clone base and how he lost so many. Omega feels guilty for everything that's happened because the Empire is after her, since so many are getting hurt and losing their lives because of her.

Phee makes contact with the Batch, and I am so happy to see her again. She mentions Tech, which just hurt my heart. Crosshair gets to see Phee for the first time, and I hope they make some good interaction later on during the season. Phee's been trying to figure out things regarding the "M-count" situation, and so far no luck. The crew thinks of getting Fennec involved, and they decide to go with it.

Crosshair this entire episode: "Who??" Man was so lost.

Omega wants to go along, but Hunter gets strict and tells her to stay on Pabu with Crosshair. He tells her to try to get Crosshair to have someone check his hand, noticing the recurring shaking.

Hunter and Wrecker travel to a bar where they find Fennec Shand, and queen looks so fine as always. It's great to hear Ming-Na Wen's voice again. Also, the boys look so good in the purple and lime lighting, as does Fennec.

Hunter reasons with Fennec to try to get her to help them, and of course there's a price involved. Fennec gets them to help her catch a bounty she's been after, and the boys agree to help her for the information they need.

Meanwhile on Pabu, Omega easily gets Crosshair to get his hand looked at by AZ. I wonder how she managed to do so, she probably looked at Crosshair with sad eyes and pleaded with him, and he just went "Fine." AZ tries to figure out what is wrong with his hand, but he can't quite figure out a solution. Crosshair gets frustrated and walks out, and Batcher tried to follow him but got left behind. Omega's not gonna give up with him.

Fennec tells Hunter and Wrecker who she's after and takes them to a swampy planet, obtaining a boat to navigate around. Hunter finally gets to use his enhanced senses more, and Wrecker used his skills with explosives to get around the water. Fennec really called out the boys for being broke, like girl 😭

They got attacked by so many gators, everything was so hectic. This shot is crazy, but Wrecker would do this.

Crosshair keeps trying to aim with his shaking hand, getting more frustrated. Omega comes to him and suggests he try something out, and Crosshair sighs, agreeing. Batcher keeps a close eye on Crosshair and keeps him company as always, she's such a good girl.

Omega has Crosshair trying out meditation, as she mentions Gungi. Crosshair knows he missed a lot, and he definitely did with two seasons. I kinda want him to find out about Cid and he'll be like "Dang, where is she now?" He would have not tolerated her if he was with them during the past seasons.

The way Omega holds Crosshair's hand here is so soft, and Batcher is silently napping cutely. I was lowkey breathing along with Omega while she was teaching Crosshair, I really needed that healing this week. Seeing Crosshair start his healing journey makes me so happy, as I've been slowly starting my own healing journey after everything that happened last year. I resonate with Crosshair so much this season.

This shot is so beautiful and calming, I need an ambience video with this shot with them meditating for an hour or longer.

Hunter and Wrecker finish up the job with Fennec, managing to catch the bounty. They ask her for the information she promised, which Fennec reveals she does not have on her at the time. Though, she promises to keep in touch once she figures something out. She leaves the boys, making contact with someone unknown. I feel like she contacted Ventress considering her past as a bounty hunter and the Empire going after M-count targets, but who knows. We'll see next week hopefully.

We've officially hit the mid-season mark, and things are going to get hectic soon. I am nowhere prepared for anything they throw at us now.

[meridiansdominoes]

Not a question, but it’s been a while and I wanted to come back and sing your praises!

I just finished rereading Dominoes for the third(?) time, and it’s just as amazing as the other times I read it. I absolutely love your writing and how you’ve managed to put some familiar stories together, along with new additions, to make a truly awesome narrative. One of my favorite things is your characterization of the clones and their relationships with each other and the people around them.

I’m sending good vibes your way with all of the school and life stuff you have going on! I hope everything is going well.

(A question I did think of though: Have you been watching Bad Batch? If so, what are some of your thoughts? If not, I highly recommend :) )

Hi!! I'm so glad you've been enjoying it so much, and thanks for the good vibes haha, they really helped me finish my semester strong! As for the bad batch... I'm sorry to admit that I am SO behind. I've only seen the first episode of the newest season, but I DEFINITELY plan on catching up over the next week or so now that I'm done with school! I'm very excited, I was loving it so far!

[thehobbitwithstickyuppyhair]

Me, high on the excitement and emotions of the last batch of episodes: !!! *goes into the tlovm spoiler tags*

*insert troy from community coming in with pizza while everything's on fire meme*

everyone bitching about *squints* ripley getting a sad backstory ???? THAT'S your main take away from these episodes??

A villain having something fucked up happen to them in their past doesn't somehow make them less villainous?? "she was supposed to be pure evil not one of those rElAtAbLE villains"

I just. What. ???

I've typed and retyped and back spaced over several different sentences and they're all way too scathing because I am too tired to truly start shit but I literally can't compute. (And look, hate me or block me over this I don't care, but don't comment on this trying to explain why well actually its a bad thing because I don't care. This is a rant post. Read the room. Block me if you're mad about it, I don't give a fuck.)

I really don't understand really any of the complaints over the changes in TLOVM, but I can understand where most of the other disappointments come from. I don't agree, but I understand where you're coming from. But this one I cannot understand at all. Boo hoo the fucked up person had fucked up stuff happen in their life. I don't know how to tell you this but that happens. Just because someone has something horrible happen to them doesn't mean they're going to become a hero just because they were a victim of something.

Anyway rant over. I know I'm watching the episodes later instead of immediately when they drop because I can't watch them in the mornings but I'm kind of disappointed that there's more complaints than anything else in the tags.