#and god forbid i have my reasons for my decisions! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

artificial-transmutations · 6 months

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Idea: My fantasy is to be forcibly transformed from a young, affluent, VERY clean, well-educated, well groomed, well dressed white corporate executive into a VERY dirty uneducated garbageman. I must be forced to surrender my corporate career, my car, my office, my name, my money, my expensive formal business suit and tie, my wristwatch and polished black dress shoes and even my dress socks, along the way to my new real life.

Boardroom to trash bins

You glance at the golden watch on your left wrist and decide to walk a little faster.

You are not late - yet - but the board meeting is too important to be late to. Of course, on the other hand, you can't walk so fast that you would break a sweat. The thought alone of arriving at meeting room with beads of sweat on your forehead or, God forbid, a damp spot on your dress shirt is even worse than coming a minute or two late. That, at least, you can blame on the traffic, which is not even wrong. Your expensive German car has been stuck behind a garbage truck for a good ten minutes. Inacceptable, of course. You would expect the city to schedule such annoying but probably necessary services at night, when there is no traffic that could be slowed down by it.

After all, you have a reputation to uphold! You are Jameson Pierce, son of the millionaire and successful investor James Pierce. You are also the owner and CEO of one of the most prominent investment companies, Pierce&Co.

You have the best business education money can buy and your decisions influence the fate of thousands of employees of yours. You don't arrive late to board meetings like that!

Still, there is no reason to get agitated yet. If the lift is free, you will arrive perfectly on time.

As you quickly make your way over the office parking lot that is being overshadowed by the 50 story skyscraper you own, you almost collide with an old man in a blue uniform, who is blocking the way into the building by picking up refuse from the ground. Apparently, the wind has knocked over the garbage can next to the entrance, and all the contents have scattered on the pavement. The old man is just bending down to pick up the cans and garbage bags and put them back in the bin.

"Out of the way!" you blurt. Usually, you are nicer to your employees by just curtly ignoring them, but this old man is blocking your way and moves slow as a snail.

"Of course, sir, right away!" he says with a toothless smile, and you almost gag. The old man is disgusting! He looks as if he has been sleeping on the street, and the smell of booze emanating from him makes that assumption very likely. You briefly wonder if he even works for you and decide that if so, he needs to be disciplined for his appearance.

However, you are interrupted by his next sentence.

"I just need to pick up all that garbage here. You could help, sir, that would make it quicker."

What? This filthy old drunkard dares to ask you for help? The audacity!

"Out of my way!" you repeat and push the old man aside. You are now standing directly in front of the revolving door, ready to enter your company's building. Behind you, you can hear the old man mumbling something and then start cackling, like a maniac.

You shrug it off. The man is lucky you don't have time for that right now, as you carefully navigate through the scattered items on the ground. You need to be extra careful not to ruin your thousand dollar shoes or dress pants by stepping into something sticky and foul-smelling.

Even if you weren't in a hurry, there's no way Jameson Pierce would bend down to pick up garbage. You are reasonably proud to have never touched anything that has been in a bin - that's what employees are for, not managers like you.

The board meeting continues as bad as the day had started. It is way too warm in the meeting room and you can't prevent a single drop of sweat forming on your forehead. Of course, you wipe it away with your silk handkerchief and hope nobody has noticed, but that's not the only thing going wrong. Twice in your report, you find yourself at a loss of words. Instead of using the correct technical term, you have to verbally set back half a sentence and explain what you mean in simpler words. How very, very embarrassing.

It comes as no surprise that, when the meeting is finally over, you are in a particularly bad mood. Sadly, the old man from before has left, otherwise you would have fired him on the spot as a therapeutic action.

On the way to your car, you call your secretary to cancel all further appointments today, but as you try to ring the number, you just get the message that no connection could be made.

Just great. So, your office phone system has broken down as well. Angrily, you get in your car to drive over to your office yourself.

You don't get very far. Halfway on the way to your office, there is a grinding noise from the engine and then, your car just stops. Right in the middle of the street. You almost can't believe your bad luck. Angrily, you hit the steering wheel, sounding the horn in the process, but it's no use. Trying to ignore the honking from outside and the rude gestures of drivers finding their way around you, you reach into your pocket to call the car dealership. Luckily, you're well covered for such situations.

You stare blankly at the device in your hand. This isn't your cell phone. Instead of the brand new current flagship model with the big Pineapple on the back, you are looking at the cheap plastic of a no-name device with a cracked screen that is probably ten years old.

"What the...?"

You frantically search all of your pockets, but they are all empty.

You can't help but feel as if you have gone insane. No, there has to be a rational explanation. You have probably just pocketed the wrong phone when you were at the board meeting. Of course, there are immediately nagging voices in your mind that remind you that you had tried to call your office just before getting in the car, or that surely nobody at the board meeting would have such a phone, but you decide to tune them out.

Your office is now only two blocks away. There, you have your tablet with all of your contacts. You can call the car dealership to care for the car and then just end this horrible day.

You get out of the car and ignore the shouting from the other drivers. A line of cars has formed behind your expensive Mercedes, but you ignore that as well and begin to walk. Two blocks don’t sound too bad, but it is a hot day, and you feel uncomfortable quickly. You have to loosen your tie because it feels constricting around your neck. That's not the only piece of clothing feeling wrong. Your step feels heavier, and you have to scratch yourself multiple times, trying to readjust the expensive Italian dress shirt, which is suddenly not sitting right.

Finally, you arrive at your office building. You don't even want to look down on yourself. You can feel your shirt clinging to your body and you feel disgusted by your appearance. Good thing this will all be over soon.

As you approach the elevator, you notice that you don't have your wallet at the ready - you must have forgotten it at the car. Ignoring the fact that you just now have realized the lack of its weight and the fact that you never leave your wallet in your car, you go to the reception for an elevator.

The receptionist, a perfectly styled young woman, watches as you approach and smiles.

"Hello Sir, what can I do for you today?"

"An elevator to my office." you say, adding a "Please." although you don't really feel like it.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but what exactly is your office?"

You look at the receptionist dumbfounded.

"My office." You repeat slower now.

"I don't know you sir, you need to be more specific." The young woman smiles.

That's it.

"What do you mean you don't know me?!" You shout. "I own this fucking place. It is me, Jameson Pierce! Now call me an elevator and then pack your things, you are fired!"

The receptionist looks at you as if she was dealing with a madman.

"Sir, you are not in the company register and I'm sorry, but if you don't leave the premises immediately, I'll call security."

"What are you talking about? I have an office on the 50th floor, which is where I need to go!"

"You can't have an office there, sir, that is the executive offices. Now, please leave."

"Listen, girl." you lean closer, invading her space. "Call. Me. An. Elevator. Or else."

The young woman doesn't even flinch. She presses the intercom and speaks with a steady voice: "Security, there is a madman in the lobby. Please come and remove him."

"You little...", you start, but the young woman is done talking to you. Instead, she turns away and starts to file her nails, waiting for security, which arrives some seconds later.

"Good!" You address the bulky Black man in the dark security uniform. "Could you please tell the girl that I have an office on the top floor."

"I don't think so." the man replies, "But I can show you the exit. Follow me, Sir."

"No. I am the CEO. I own the company! My father James Pierce gave it to me!"

The security guard shrugs his shoulders and takes hold of your arm.

"As far as I know, Mr. Pierce has no children. Leave the premises, Sir."

"But... you can't treat me like that! Do you know who I am?"

The Black man doesn't reply, instead, he begins dragging you towards the door. Unsurprisingly, he is much stronger than you, and your expensive shoes drag over the marble tiles.

"You can't do this!" You yell. "I will sue the company! You will all lose your jobs, just watch!"

"Whatever you say, Sir." The man pushes you outside the building. You stumble a little and then turn around, but the door is already closing.

"Fuck you!" You shout after the guard.

You take a deep breath. Whatever is going on here, it's not good. What to do.

After some consideration, you decide to grab your wallet from your car and take a cab home. There, you will deal with all of this.

As you arrive at your car again, you come just in time to see it being towed away. All running behind it and shouting does not help. You almost cry as you see the towing truck disappear around a corner, along with your car, your wallet and everything else you left in there. As you turn around to leave the scene and walk home, the next disaster is already waiting for you. There is a muddy sinkhole in the sidewalk, left over from some construction work and you don't notice it until it's too late. The next moment, you find your right leg standing in stinking mud all up to your knee. You try to free your leg, of course, and it works, sort of. With a smacking noise, the mud swallows your right shoe whole and leaves you with one dirty sock.

This day can't possibly get any worse, you think, but you are wrong.

Half an hour later, you have to admit that you got lost entirely. You are in a part of the city you have not been in before. Usually, you navigate the city with your cars GPS, but that is not available. You try to use the cheap phone to find out where you are (stoically ignoring the fact that it unlocks just fine with your fingerprint) but the only thing you find is that whoever owns the device has not paid for mobile data. You are offline. You could, of course, ask someone, but it takes some courage to ask a stranger where you are, especially in your current state.

Finally, you realize that you have to ask someone if you want to get home anytime soon. Right now, you find yourself in front of a landfill, which is both a blessing and a curse. It smells absolutely disgusting, but at least the people working here should have a good idea on how you can get home.

You enter the building with the grimy walls and look around.

"Hello?", you ask into the empty room. You are just about to leave again, when a burly man comes from the back. He is at least a head taller than you and twice as broad. His clothing is dirty, and you can see tufts of body hair coming out the top of his shirt and his armpits. Absolutely revolting.

The man looks at you for a second before shrugging his shoulder.

"Whatever." he says. "What's your name, kid?"

Needless to say, you are confused. "I am Jameson Pierce. Could you please..."

However, the big man interrupts you again. "Fancy name. I'll call you Jerry, okay? Come with me, I'll show you around."

"Wh-what do you mean?", you stutter but follow the man automatically.

"You're the new hire, aren't you? Gotta say, you're pretty scrawny, Jerry. But the job has no requirements, so if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, you're gonna fit in fine. Here are the lockers. The name's Hank, by the way."

You look around. You are in a room with a dozen dirty lockers. There is a foul stench everywhere and you have to suppress the urge to gag.

"No, I'm not new here. And I don't want to work here, or get my hands dirty!" you protest, but Hank ignores your lamenting.

"It's not gonna be easy finding an overall in your size, but we have a few small ones here as well. By the way, the overalls are shared with the other boys, hope you don't mind. Ah here. Try this one."

Hank throws you an overall. It is, in theory, blue, but both your nose as well as your eyes tell you one thing: It is entirely unwashed. For days, possibly for weeks. The clothing reeks of sweat, dirt, piss and probably even more things that you don't even want to know about.

"What's wrong with you? I am not gonna wear that."

"Well, what did you think when you came here?" Hank is clearly amused. "You can't work in these clothes of yours, even if they are dirty enough. Come on, strip, while I look for boots."

"I won't do that." you say. However, Hank is already gone. You don't think about it too much and begin to take off your expensive clothes. It is almost painful, but for some reason you... have to? It's a difficult to describe feeling. The dirty blue overall is sitting next to you on the locker room bench and is almost inviting you. You can't help it. You just have to strip. Soon, you stand in the dirty locker room clad in only your silk boxer shorts. You didn't notice that every piece of clothing you have taken off somehow changed. Your expensive dress shirt became a cheap t-shirt with stains on it. Your pants turned into a pair of ripped jeans and your golden wrist watch just... vanished.

"If I were you, I would be going commando." Hank, who had returned with a pair of work boots you can smell from over there, comments. "You're going to move around a lot. Besides, all the boys are doing it.

You look at the overall again, almost gagging now. Some other guys have worn it, rubbing their bare asses and dicks into the fabric. And Hank expects you to do the same. Suddenly, you remember the smell. Sweat, piss and other smells. You shudder. You shudder in... anticipation? As you automatically lower your boxer shorts (who turn into plain cotton briefs as you do), you can feel yourself growing hard at the thought of stepping into this dirty overall. At the same time, you are disgusted beyond measure.

Still, it's almost like your arms are on auto-pilot as you step into the overall and pull it up around your naked body, until the disgusting smell envelops you.

"Glad you like it." Hank grins and playfully grabs your very obvious erection through the dirty fabric. "You might want to meet up with some of the boys here in the locker room after shift, I hear some of them need to release some steam after a good shift. Now, come on. Pull the boots and get moving, we don't have time to waste."

You stare blankly at the big man as you realize what he just said.

"Wait." you stutter. "You think... You think I'm..."

"You're gay." Hank interrupts. "No worries. A lot of the boys are."

You can't believe what he's saying. Gay? You?

"But I am not!"

Hank doesn't even seem surprised.

"You might want to tell that to your hard cock. Anyway. Boots."

He tosses the dirty boots in front of you, and you find yourself bending down to pull them up. They are a little bit too large and feel like they are made of rubber, not leather. As soon as you have both of them on, Hank nods approvingly and then grabs you by the arm, pulling you out of the locker room and towards the garbage truck.

The next few hours pass quickly. The other men (it seems the job has exclusively male company) are friendly but don't go easy on the "newcomer". Everybody calls you Jerry and you have to do the most disgusting work you have ever done: Hauling full bins to the truck, sorting through garbage, cleaning up spilled garbage from the streets. Still, nobody is complaining and so you don't, either. After all, there are more pressing concerns: You feel dirty, your whole body is covered in a thick layer of sweat and dust. Your hands are filthy, and so is your face. And the worst part of it all is: A part of you is enjoying it, a lot. At first, the part is strictly physical. You have a boner pretty much the whole time, and whenever you need to do something especially disgusting, it visibly and violently throbs against your work pants - a fact that doesn't escape the rest of the boys.

After a while, though, more changes set in. The full bins appear to become lighter and easier to move. Of course, that isn't the case: Your muscles grow in front of your eyes, and the overall, that was a bit too big, fits better and better. Hair starts to grow on your chest, your legs and arms, and stubble forms in your face. Your carefully maintained hairstyle dissolves into an unkempt mess on your head.

But the changes don't stop there. Overall, you feel like you are getting more and more youthful. You weren't terribly old to begin with, in your mid-thirties, but a strange energy makes you feel more like end-twenties, mid-twenties and finally, like a man who just turned 21.

At the same time, however, your personality changes as well. You start to talk less and less, and when you do, the words aren't quite as sharp as before. Your education slips away with every word you say, and your vocabulary is replaced by slang, often with a bit of swearing. It becomes more and more difficult to think, too. The boys quickly pick up on this and joke around you not being the sharpest. It's not that they're wrong. You're dumb, if you're being honest. School wasn't for you, so you dropped out at some point. Bit by bit, you really become Jerry, the dumb, sweaty, smelly garbageman. And Jerry, unlike Jameson, enjoys the dirt around him. You can hardly remember being a clean and smart businessman, and that's alright with you. Even though your thoughts are slower, however, the memories of your former self are not gone entirely. Every once in a while, you remember who you used to be. But at the latest when the shift ends and you and the rest of the horny boys are going to the locker room, you decide that this is, indeed, a simpler and a better life.

There is literally a metric ton of more pictures here, in my tip jar - variations of Jerry at the end. If you like my writing, consider joining the riot page for a tip (and ocassional additional pictures)

#male transformation #muscle transformation #dumbing down #straight to gay

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thefangdomcryptid · 2 months

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So apparently besides assuming every Tav is a self-insert because gods forbid people don't want to play as themselves for whatever reason, we are now gatekeeping which characters' trauma we are allowed to relate to??? I naturally blocked this person because the question was apparently not asked in good faith but to start an argument, but it just doesn't sit right with me.

Like, fine, we get it, you don't like Astarion. Fine. You don't get why he's so popular, also fine. You don't have to understand why people like a character, because sometimes you never will.

What isn't okay is to talk down to people because they find Astarion's trauma relatable and through his journey find a sort of closure of their own, because we all have our own Cazadors to deal with, but we can't always confront them, so this is the next best thing.

Yes, all the character have their own trauma, Karlach, Wyll, Gale, Shadowheart, Lae'zel. But I can't relate to them. Do you know why?

Because in the height of my C-PTSD I was not nice. I was not helpful. I was a shitty person that made shitty decisions and treated people around me and myself like shit. I was NOT a good person. So yeah, I can see right through Astarion's mask. Just like him I felt alone, and no "heroes" came to save me either.

It's also why I don't really enjoy Ascended Astarion because he feels like me at my worst. I mean obviously not exactly the same, but hurt people DO hurt people. It doesn't mean everyone does, but some do.

Anyway, if you relate to Astarion because of your trauma, or even Ascended because it's a way to deal with yours, you are valid. If you relate to Wyll or Karlach or anyone else for that matter, you are also valid.

And if you can do one thing in Fandom, then be kind.

#musings #bg3 #ascended astarion #astarion #baldur's gate 3 #astarion ancunin #bg3 astarion #gale dekarios #lae'zel #wyll #halsin #shadowheart #karlach

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hxnbi · 28 days

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‧₊˚ rain walks, or not — zenin naoya

synopsis: just a lovely walk in the pouring rain with a guy who could care less about you, or so you think

tags: fluff, profanity, vulgar language

word count: 1k

"Tch... I don't get why I had to come along with you in the first place."

"C'mon! It'll be fun."

"Fun, my ass. Can't you be fucking reasonable for one second and—"

"Being reasonable can wait!"

What had originally been a mere grocery trip with Naoya turned into a rainstorm when, all of a sudden, it started to pour. Hard.

To hell with Naoya's handsome looks and freshly shampooed hair that afternoon. You immediately went and dragged him by the arm and out of the comfort of shelter.

"It was either we waited for the rain to stop or walked in the rain. And knowing you and your nonexistent sense of patience, you wouldn't pick the latter. So~! Therefore, I went ahead and made the executive decision for you," you said with a proud smirk.

Naoya's voice dripped with sarcasm as he sneered, "Well, congratulations on mastering the art of being an idiot, like always. No shocker there. Maybe next time, use that genius brain of yours to make decisions that actually make sense."

His sarcastic remark hung in the air, but you were having none of it—or instead, you were already used to his antics. It was quite refreshing, actually. Even as the rain poured, he still wasn't letting up.

With a mischievous grin, you let go of Naoya's hand and cupped your two together, collecting some rainwater, and, with a single motion, you threw it directly at the Zenin, colliding with Naoya in a triumphant splash of victory.

His clothing stuck to him like it was soaked in sarcasm, and his once-confident countenance gave way to one of astonishment. His mouth hung open, and his face slowly shifted into one of plain disgust.

"You were saying?" you smirked. "Hmph. Now you're soaking wet, just like I am."

"You..."

But before he could say another word, you once again grabbed him by the hand and led him, walking together on the sidewalks as the rain continued to pour down on them.

"Let's go. My house isn't far, and we can dry off and freshen up a bit. After all, we just brought some groceries from our haul."

Naoya gruffed in response, but he didn't resist, even as you pulled him along by the hand like he was a dog. How pathetic.

But it was something that Naoya, for some reason, felt oddly at ease with...?

As cold as it was while walking in the rain without an umbrella or even a hood to block the water from your face, your hand was still oddly warm. It was much smaller and softer than his, a stark contrast.

He was unable to take his eyes off of you. It was only because you were in front of him, dragging his hand like a guide. Yes, that's right. Where else was he supposed to look? Down?? A Zenin like him would never.

But amid all that, there was something about you that entranced him. Was it the rain? Never. That same pathetic rain was ruining his perfectly styled hair he had just for today with you—though that would be something he would never tell to you straight.

Or was it the way how you always managed to defy expectations just to do whatever the hell you wanted? Perhaps.

...Or maybe, it was—

"Here we are!"

Great. That wretched shriek that, god forbid, came from a human being, was back.

Just as you and Naoya arrived in the empty home, you threw off your shoes and left the wet bag of groceries on the carpet to dry.

"Make yourself comfortable," you mused, unclothing your jacket.

"Ugh."

Naoya peered closer, only to see the clothes that you were wearing, or rather, what was under them. The thin t-shirt you were wearing was nearly close to being see-through.

Naoya was close to making a fire of his own—using his own rage, that is.

Did your dumbass seriously not even fucking notice?! What if it was someone else who saw you like this!? Would you have been so stupid then with them?

"Here."

The next thing he felt was a towel on top of his head, and your face was right in front of him. You had a small towel of your own wrapped around your neck to keep your wet hair from dripping onto the floor.

Your hands came abnormally close, and with your eyes focusing on him and him only, you used your hands, grasping the towel sitting on the top of his head to dry his hair.

He flinched. "What the—"

"Hold still," you commanded. "Your hair is soaking wet."

"Well, you were the one who wanted us to walk in that dang rain to begin with," he grumbled.

You blinked once and then twice before yanking his hand off, forcing his arms to his side so that you could finally get to what you wanted to do. "Then, just let me do this."

"...."

For whatever reason, Naoya was silent. It was sort of peaceful, really. Feeling your hands comb through his hand with an expression of concentration.

The ruffian creature eventually relaxed, even to the point where he closed his eyes and let out a content sigh as your fingers played with his hair. If it weren't for the towel covering most of his face, he would've ratted himself out—revealing a rare vulnerability.

To even begin to think that the Naoya Zenin would suck up his pride and let someone else even touch him, but he was also secretly pleased—even if his arrogance wouldn't allow him to admit it. He tilted his head back a little closer to your chest and lowered his posture, permitting you to have an easier time tending to his damp hair.

Naoya smirked, rather pleased with himself.

Look at him. He was being far too kind to accommodate you.

No one else would've had the oh-so-magnificent pleasure of drying his hair. So you had better savour it.

You both lay there silently for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company as you continued to dry his dark hair with a towel as Naoya held his body still. That is, until you suddenly stopped. And you could've sworn that you heard a noise coming from Naoya's mouth, but you didn't push it.

"There," you said happily. "All dry! Hehe, now how about that?"

"...Just this one time."

Your hand stilled for a moment before continuing your gentle strokes. "Huh?"

"You're the only one I let do this. So savour it," Naoya said, his voice softening for a mere second, only for him to split back into an expression of aloofness.

You smiled before moving your hands again. "Then I'm flattered."

You weren't about to tell him about how you could see everything from the very beginning. He would never let you hear the end of it otherwise.

Guess it'll just be your little secret.

©hxnbi. please do not modify, edit, copy or reproduce any of my works.

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fortuna-et-cataclysmos · 1 year

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Derision was a breath of fresh air this season. I didn't have much to analyse in the latest episodes, but here I go now.

This episode gives us that very important backstory needed to understand Marinette's behaviour both as herself, but also Ladybug. Chloé's bullying and her trauma with Kim has very much shaped her way of thinking and acting, which we see the most throughout season 4 and 5.

After confessing to Kim in what turned out to be a prank and humiliated, Marinette swears to three things:

To never fall in love with someone without knowing them fully

To always have everything planned and under her control

To never get feelings for someone who is friends with Chloé

Each of these decisions are a direct consequence of her trauma, beliefs acquired due to it, and they have tremendous impact on her decisions later on. Let's take it piece by piece.

Belief 1: I should never fall in love with someone without knowing them fully

I guess I am not the only LadyNoir stan who has been thoroughly annoyed for years that Ladybug refused to acknowledge that she held a deep affection for Chat Noir. Well, turns out, that had a very justified reason. She has prohibitten herself from having feelings with someone who she doesn't know fully, which obviously is impossible when she can't know the person behind the mask. This decision to omit any romantic feelings that she may have for Chat Noir happens mostly unconsciously: it is not that she actively thinks that the person behind the Chat Noir person is bad (or God forbid, friends with Chloé!). It is just that she has once put her faith in someone and let herself fall in love with them without knowing them properly, and it led to humiliation, heartache, and hurting her friend Socqueline. So obviously, in her mind, as someone she can't ever fully know due to the identity schenanigans, Chat Noir is a no-no on her crushable guys list.

Then you might ask, how come she ends up falling in love with Chat Noir in season 5? She even explicitely says, in Elation, that she doesn't care that he wears a mask, right?

Well, here is the thing, at the end of Season 4, Chat Noir shows to Ladybug that she can trust him, and she really does. She starts giving him more responsibilities as her partner (like confiding him the Bunny Miraculous), but also as a friend. She realises that she trusts Chat Noir literally with her life, why not with her heart? So she is willing to make an exception to her belief, because she trusts Chat Noir and that he'd be there when she is down (and not kick her the way Kim did).

Belief 2: I must always have everything under control

I won't get in the details of Marinette and her need for control and how it affects her relationship with Adrien and with Chat Noir because I already did it after Passion (I think my analysis from then still stands in this new context). But basically, Marinette has an urge to control everything because, now we learned, in times she didn't, things went very sour. This applies to her superhero work and how she wanted to be the only one in charge until her overbearing of responsibilities broke her in Risk, but also her personal life, where being in a relationship with Adrien is totally unchartered territory for her (more on that in the aforementioned post), plus too similar in circumstance to what happened in the past with Kim, so she is being extra controlling.

Belief 3: I should never get feelings for someone who is friends with Chloé

Marinette's context with Kim and Adrien show a lot of similarities, which explains why she is being overly controlling and reserved when it comes to her relationship with Adrien.

Adrien and Chloé are childhood friends, and since their friendship developed outside the school, Marinette doesn't know much about their friendship dynamics (neither do we). She only knows that Chloé is cruel, and how can someone nice be friends with someone so cruel?

Hence her mistrust of Adrien in Origins. When they first meet, she doesn't like Adrien, thinks that he is trying to prank her for Chloé. See the parallel with Kim? That never was Adrien's intention of course, and he comes clean in a half-apology, telling her that he never meant to put the chewing gum on her seat. A recognition of his actions and how they may impact her, which Kim never did. Even when confronted a year later by Ondine and Adrien, he still continues to argue that he was in the right. Meanwhile, Adrien acknowledges that his action might have hurt Marinette even if he didn't even mean to prank her. From the beginning, Adrien sets himself different from Kim, and Marinette inconsciously acknowledges that by allowing herself to develop feelings for him.

Nonetheless, the scar of that past trauma stays, and manifests itself when she wants to finally confess her feelings for Adrien. After all, Kim pranked her just as she had confessed to him, so it is totally underastandable that in Marinette's brain, confessing and making yourself vulnerable equals to being hurt.

But she is willing to work on that. At the end of Derision, she does take Adrien's hand, even though after some hesitation. However, she can't keep holding onto it, and she apologies for it. Adrien says that they have time, allowing her the space she needs to unlearn her past beliefs.

While Marinette decides to work on herself to get over her fear, Adrien also unrealisingly addresses the source of Marinette's fear by confronting Chloé and severing all ties and friendship he had with her.

In the end, both are willing to be there for each other and do the right thing.

This season shows that Marinette cannot, in fact, continue hanging onto the beliefs she acquired after Kim's prank.

She does prove herself wrong by managing to fall in love with someone she doesn't know fully, and even acknowledges that she doesn't need to know Chat Noir fully to love him.

She sees that she cannot keep everything under control by herself and she needs support, especially that of Chat Noir. But also, she learns that she needs to yield some control to Adrien if she is to have a healthy relationship with him.

Lastly, she is willing to try and get past her fear of Chloé. Adrien also distancing himself from her, facilitates Marinette's job.

Overcoming these three beliefs that Marinette acquired due to the trauma caused by Kim and Chloé, Marinette is now one step closer to being able to love Adrien (but also Chat Noir!) fully and freely.

Note: I haven't watched anything beyond Derision, so please do not spoil beyond that in the tags or comments 0:)

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml season 5 #ml derision #ladynoir #adrinette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ml analysis #from fortuna

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literallyaflame · 3 months

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The people using the ai aren't stealing art either lmao. You're a reactionary.

what a marvelous contortion of the word “reactionary.” i don’t oppose the use of machine learning, nor do i believe that stricter laws within our current (bad) system are the best answer. i didn’t address copyright law in my post because it wasn’t relevant, but for the record—in a perfect world, “stealing art” wouldn’t be possible. copyright would be a moot point, as there would be no incentive for anyone to copy anyone else’s work for a profit. peace on earth etc

but this is an imperfect world, and artists rely on their craft to live. as far as i’m concerned, if a corporation feeds an artist’s work into one of their little machines (without permission or compensation), they’re stealing labor. stealing labor for a profit is wrong, even if each person’s individual labor is a piddly little drop in an oceanic bucket. there’s plenty of artists who would gleefully toss their work into the AI void, not to mention the vast wealth of public domain artwork that literally anyone can access at the click of a button.

any business owner should be held strictly accountable for how they profit off of other people’s time and labor. period. there are a lot of gray areas here, but as it stands, “i don’t want [x] project/corporation to have the right to replicate my work for and sell it for money” is a reasonable concern to have. “i don’t want my likeness/voice used without my permission” is a reasonable concern to have, too. artists deserve transparency, at the very least, in order to make informed decisions and hold bad actors accountable

also, for fuck’s sake, can everyone please stop seeing the word “ai” and immediately inventing a guy to get mad it? my post was about how machine learning isn’t universally bad, lmao. god forbid we hold corporations with more net worth than the palace of versailles responsible for anything, my apologies

#anonymous #I got a million notes messages and singing telegrams about this #I will respond #to one (1)#here it is #godspeed

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t0ast-ghost · 2 months

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So the thing is I wasn’t going to comment on the sixth episode. I just got home from a hella good play and I’m tired so I relax with Star Trek but holy shit

What IS that

With that HELLO and welcome to my first thoughts on the sixth episode (The Enemy Within) of the original Star Trek series

Here we go:

- that is a fucking dog

- IS THAT BLOOD?!? On Star Trek???

- so he got transporter cloned.. WHY IS HIS FACE LIKE THAT THO

- I like the fact it’s told a bit in retrospect, like it starts off with the star date and saying that at the time they didn’t know he got cloned

- MCCOY! His friendliness and then the “I have no sympathy for clumsiness” bro wha

- DONT YELL AT MCCOY

- McCoy not knowing what to do about Jim so he goes to Spock lol

- what the fuck is that fuckin thing, it’s rabid man.

- anytime someone is holding the creature there is literally no reason for them to be holding it. Like Kirk is just holding it and then HANDS IT TO SPOCK.. WHY IS THIS NORMAL NOW

- so do people casually just sit on tables here? First we had McCoy, now Spock. Is it just science/medical officers?

- Vulcan nerve pinch for the win

- POV your boyfriends are deeply concerned for your wellbeing (side note: bones looks so soft in the first pic. He cares so much)

- “you have a point, Spock.” “Yes. Always, doctor” STOP FLIRTING

- “If I seem insensitive to what you are going through, you must understand it’s the way I am.” HE SAYS THIS WITH ALL THE CARE IN THE DAMN WORLD. Spock is the most emotional character I have ever seen

- uh oh the circuits

- nooo Sulu! Do they not have better cold protection?

- YEAH I HOPE YOU’RE IN PAIN FUCKER

- so I think what they’re trying to promote is the idea that there’s the kind and indecisive side and the animalistic “sinful” side that has all the impulses and power to make decisions and together they work so that the former side can calm the latter to be more… civilized?

- “god forbid I have to agree with Spock” they’re married and you cannot convince me otherwise

- was that dog okay? Like it was really fuckin angry at something

- HES DEAD JIM MOMENT! WE HAVE A HES DEAD JIM MOMENT

- “for once I agree with you, doctor” THEY ARE MARRIED

- Spock is so riled up rn (every time he shows emotion I’m commenting on it because I think he is so so emotional but then his whole thing is he isn’t)

- SPOCK YOUR LOGIC ISNT LOGICING (having a human half and Vulcan half I think is a bit different than literally being split into two people, but what do I know)

- they are literally the angel and devil on his shoulder, but married, and also in love with him

- what no no bring Sulu back. That was such a good delivery of lines I am so

- this episode shows the power imbalance between Kirk and Janice and that messaging could be more powerful if they really wanted. Like showing how Janice felt forced to say she was okay with it and wouldn’t tell anyone because it was the captain I feel was a big step to take in the 60s (because it was rarely if ever talked about especially on tv) but it still wasn’t enough and was treated horribly in the end. They brush off her experience and also let Kirk be near her which is not okay. I know they wouldn’t but I wish they’d actually addressed the fact that Kirk can pretty much get away with anything and the crew wouldn’t/couldn’t stop him unless they deem it truly necessary (which would be way to far)

- I think the Kirk stuff could be more impactful

- some of those close ups on Kirk are crazy

- Bones is so damn worried about him in the transporter room

- SPOCK IS STRESSED AND HE HESITATES

- “the imposters back where he belongs, forget him” but isn’t the thing is that he is you? Like he’s still there and apart of you, Kirk

Okay, that’s episode six. I don’t have much more to say about this episode.

Ep 1

All other episodes

#Star Trek #star trek the original series #star trek tos #star trek kirk #tos kirk #captain james kirk #star trek spock #tos spock #spock #star trek mccoy #tos mccoy #leonard bones mccoy #star trek sulu #tos sulu #hikaru sulu #yeoman janice rand #janice rand #television t0ast talks

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bronx-bomber87 · 5 months

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Happy Weekend all :) First off sorry I forgot to thank everyone last ep. My Chris rage was immense so it knocked me off kilter haha So thank you all for reading ❤️ We’ve hit another fav on my list. The dance alone makes this episode amazing. It’s also the things leading up to it that are also great. This definitely has the why aren’t you together moment? Excited to cover their iconic dance. Let’s get going.

4x18 Backstabbers

We begin with Tim telling Lucy they're not riding together. That she's with Nolan and he's with Aaron today. I love Lucy’s little nose scrunch. Clearly not happy she has to ride with someone else for her shift. Riding with Nolan wasn’t on her list of things she wanted to do today and it shows. I can't get over her dislike of being separated from him for the day. I do love her sassy reply though. Can’t let him know not riding with him bums her out.

Also we all know he would rather be riding with her as well. But you know neither of them can admit as such. Because god forbid we do that eh? So they bury their feelings in their banter per usual. Definitely got that old married couple energy going on here. The sassy eyebrow pump she does is so cute. Tim is gonna miss her we all know it haha We also get that Tall/Smol shot I love so much as well. Always happy to get one of those.

They pass Webb on their way to the kit room. He tells Tim what a good job he did on the Stewart case. Lucy is smiling then putting things together. Saying isn’t she the one who solved it? The one who made the connection? Also that she got punched in the face while arresting him...

Tim cutely says ‘You’re jealous.’ Clearly amused by this reaction of her's. Then goes on a classic Tim rant. Asking if that’s why she does this job? For high fives from Webb? We all know that’s not what she’s asking for here Timothy. Lucy tells him it would be nice to have some recognition. It is part of the reason she took being his side. Amongst other reasons….

He then does what he thinks she wants and it backfires. Pretty badly. This isn’t what she meant by recognition. I do love him winking at her while he’s explaining it to Webb. Saying how he couldn’t have solved it without her. All it does it make Tim look even better. Because Webb just continues to praise Tim. He can't possibly think that's what she wanted LOL Now it looks like he is being selfless and sharing credit.

Lucy’s reaction is hilarious when he asks her if she feels better? Cleary not Timothy... She is still pissed because this is after the fact. She wanted the recognition when the case happened. Not after when Tim’s name was already the arresting officer. It's not the same thing. Oh my love you aren’t getting what’s she’s throwing down right now ha Her body language and facial expression expressing her discontent with him.

Aaron joins them and makes the worst decision he could. Kissing Tim’s ass. Idk why he would think this was a good idea. Especially after riding with the female version of Tim LOL Tim is straight forward with Aaron. Tells him to not kiss ass and set up the shop. He turns to Lucy looking for advice. Wisdom of any kind. She is the Tim dictionary after all. No one better to go to about this man.

Unfortunately she is too caught up in own thing to dispense anything helpful. Just goes off on a rant about credit. How he shouldn't let Tim just steal it from him. Poor Aaron is like 'uhhh but I’m a rookie…so that is not helpful at all' ha I love her pout and restlessness as the scene ends. Lucy is so salty and needs to vent. Aaron is not your guy for that sadly.

We catch up to Lucy full on ranting to Nolan about Tim. Telling him it’s not even about the recognition. I mean…it kinda is ha She continues on saying how every single case file has Tim’s name on it. How she’s the one filing all the reports for it. She asks Nolan how she’s supposed to take on more responsibility if no one knows what she’s capable of? Nolan being the dope he is tries to get factual on her. *sigh* John this is why you are just friends LOL You clueless dope.

Asking her 'Wasn’t riding with Tim her idea?' Lucy says yes cause he takes on all the high profile cases. Which is huge for her. Nolan adds in that she is seeing a down side to that now? She nods and he continues to put his foot in his mouth cause Nolan. Saying she should just get reassigned then. Tim would understand. (I don’t know he would...) Also that's not what she wants at all. She was upset they weren't riding for one day together. So there's no way she's walking away from being his aide.

Nolan is being such a man right now. Trying to solve her problems when she just wants to vent. To hear ‘yeah that sucks .’ Or ‘Tim should give you credit’ I love her calling him out on it. Like listen John you are here to listen not problem solve haha Luckily he does as such and repeats back that Tim is the "worst" (I mean he’s not she just stupid frustrated with her work hubby ha). Lucy’s cute little smile after he does is adorable. Like good boy Nolan. ha

We flit back to Tim and Aaron. He tells Tim he’s ready for any test he wants to throw his way. Tim says that’s why he’s not going to. That Harper is a great T.O. (Look how far we’ve come since s2. My heart.) He’s been on the job long enough he doesn't need them. He lets Aaron know today isn’t about if he will make it. It’s about what kind of officer he will become when he does.

Aaron asks Tim how they’re gonna find that out? Tim says by figuring out his superpower. He starts to list everyone’s. He’s spot on for Harper and of course for his girl. I mean her empathy is one of her biggest strengths. She is very good at adapting to any situation. I mean her biggest adaption was Tim at first. Hehe It is her superpower no doubt.

He then says Nolan talks a lot LMAO Aaron isn’t disagreeing….I love Tim’s answer to his follow up question. That if he doesn’t have one he’ll be Smitty Haha Aaron looking nervous and feeling like this is still a Tim test somehow…I mean it is. Just a character based one. Which is pretty damn important to Tim Bradford. So...you should be nervous. lol

This next portion for Tim and Aaron is hilarious. They’re called to a guy magnet fishing. He tells them he found something strange. It’s a sword. Aaron mentions a murder that involved decapitation recently. Tim tells the man they’ll need to take it. He looks bummed but says at least he can get money on something else.

Aaron panics and levels Tim. Knocks him to the ground immediately. Poor Tim and his back issues. I have those now it hurts to watch him tackle him to the ground like that. Tim makes a crack saying 'Clearly being able to identify fake grenades is not his super power.' LOL Aaron makes a face and we see Tim’s back covered in goose crap hahaha Oh Aaron is bombing left and right.

They're back in the shop and Tim is eating his potential super powers for breakfast. Kudos to Aaron for suggesting more and more though. Except Tim is destroying every single of one of them…It’s so funny to watch. I mean it’s not funny for poor Aaron LOL Just more proof no challenges him like Lucy. Truly no one can match what she brings to their dynamic. You know Tim feels it when she’s absent. So he is just mowing down Aaron in the process haha poor guy. I do love Aaron though. He’s such a goober and it shows through out the rest of this season and into the next. He was a great addition to the cast.

Tim and Aaron respond to domestic call. This man just got paroled and wants to see his son. His ex is fighting him saying he can't be anywhere near them. Tim takes the man's ID to run him and Aaron asks to talk to the man. He does a good job calming him down with his own experience. Tells him I’m sure he’s dreamt of this moment for years.

He’s also sure this wasn’t how he expected it to go down. That he needs to remember it’s been years for them. They've been living their lives while he was gone. So they might not be ready but someday they might. Gives him his card and the number for James if he needs it. They can help him get back on his feet when he's ready for it. Tim walks up and tells him good job. Finally got one right. Yay Aaron.

Tim walks up to Aaron at the wedding reception to discuss his super power. Wanting to make sure he knows what it is. He's been searching for their entire time together. Tim tells him that it’s experience with being incarcerated. Clearly he has a connection to those that have been in prison. That empathy and compassion is what he can build his career on. Gah I love when he’s in teaching mode. Fine af. *fans self* Teach away sexy. This scene ends with funny bit about the park moment haha I enjoyed them together a lot.

This next moment is an all time fav of mine. Tim surprising Lucy not once but twice with his actions. First off by bringing up that dance he 'owes' her from 3x14. You know Tim kinda made the first move with her more than once before they were together. 3x14 being one and this being another. He’s the one to bring the dance back up. A dance I’m sure she never expected him to bring back up. We all know he wanted to dance with her and this was his sly way of doing that. So he uses the guise of saying it's still owed to her.

Tim ‘I don’t do weddings’ Bradford wants to dance with his girl. This is his way of getting that but still being himself about it. Acting like he has to do this. When I’m sure that dance has been on his mind on and off since that moment happened. We see right through you Timothy but it's ok hehe The absolute sass from Lucy is on par for her. Always toe to toe with him. She too is excited he’s cashing this in. You can tell she is happy he remembered this dance. A debt was owed hehe Tim making a face but you know he loves it. She is his equal in so many ways but especially for banter. Tells him like it is and he keeps coming back for more.

Ahhh these two idiots in love. Looks at this man when she takes his hand. That is his full blown Lucy smile. That 'I’m a goner for this woman and would do anything for her.' smile. She is the only one who brings that out in him. He’s so love with her at this point you’d have to be blind not to see it. He lights up when she takes his hand and makes a classic Lucy expression at him. You could power a city with that smile of his. The way they walk onto the dance floor you'd think they were each others date to this party.

Harper’s daughter earlier said she liked her mom with James. Noting that ‘You’re happy when you’re around him.’ These two are never happier than when they are around each other. Their true self’s come out and they are radiating joy. Look at those two above. They are carefree and light as a feather in this moment. Projecting heart eyes as far as the eye can see. You’re never gonna see them be this way with their current SO’s. They don’t bring out the best in them. Anyone around them can see they’re gone for one another. Except them….

Tim is heart eyes galore for his girl from the minute they hit the dance floor. Lucy is flying pretty high herself. Look at the way she is looking at him in that first gif. Transparent as ever at hiding her feelings for him. Tim starts off with the thing he knows is bugging her. He didn’t spend the day with her but he knows her. Knows it ate at her all day long. He also knows it's something he needs to rectify.

Lucy has simmered down at this point about it. It’s evident in her reply to him. Tim forges forward anyways. I do want to note the eye contact between these two. It never breaks as they speak to each other. It's so intimate. I love him gesticulating his fingers around her hand. Re-wrapping them around hers as he explains himself. It's a cute fidgety thing he does while trying to get what he needs to say out. It's the little things I love so much .

He starts out STRONG complimenting her. Not only complimenting her but saying she is in the top 5 he’s ever trained.(Psst. She was the best one.) No better praise she could receive in this moment than that. Lucy being Lucy has to make a joke. She craves his praise but also can’t handle it at the same time. I feel that girl I’m the same way. Tim is looking down at her with massive heart eyes might I add. Saying he wants her to have a successful career.

He wants to support her career the way she’s always supported his. No hesitation and putting her first. Look at the way she is beaming up at him when he says this. The way she's searching his face as he speaks. Gah how do these two not know they’re in love? Honestly. She looks so enamored with him as he’s talking. Their smiles and heart eyes are so loud. They’re screaming how they feel to the entire party.

Tim shocks her even further with his next set of comments. Lucy is already on cloud 9 as is. He’s asked her to dance, he’s complimented her in the best way and said he wants her career to be successful. She is in serious shock when he tells her he’s listing her on all future reports as the arresting officer. Lucy is in awe of this man right now. Not only for doing this but for how he’s grown. As a person and as a sergeant.

For him to step aside like this and give her the glory. To put her career ahead of his so she can succeed. The way she says ‘But you’re senior officer.’ Reminds me of her in 5x12 being in the same amount of disbelief replying ‘But that’s a desk job….’ Lucy can’t believe what he’s giving her and putting aside. He finishes it off with his version of I love you at this point. Saying she deserves to be recognized. What he's also saying is she deserves to be recognized by him. He's so damn soft in the delivery of his words. His body language also as relaxed as we've ever seen it.

The way he looks at her while he says this. Be still my heart. Screaming his feelings in this moment without realizing. Showing Lucy he hears her and has done something about it. That he cares, wants her to be a success, and that he’s putting her first just like she always has done for him. Lucy is sassy in her retort because she can be. (Ain’t no one else talking to this man the way she does) She is looking up at him with the same amount of affection he's shooting her way. Telling him 'You’re right I do. Thank you.' haha Look at her. She’s saying I love you right back in this moment. *sigh* These two.

Everything about this moment makes me squee. The non stop romantic looks they’re throwing each others way. The way they’re gazing into each other eyes the entire time. Forgetting everyone else there and the fact that they can see this love fest. Then comes the cutest most carefree part. Look at the smiles on these two! They’re so gone for each other at this point. I imagine this would be similar to how they’ll dance at Nolan’s wedding. With a little more closeness and kisses ha

Seriously though. Have we ever seen Tim this happy and relaxed? Only when he’s with her. It’s oozing out of him in S4. The laughing, the smiles, Lucy complimenting his moves. That glorious smile of his when she does. Be more in love you two. If someone just saw these gifs no context. They’d think they were a couple in love having the time of their lives on the dance floor. It’s hard to believe they were dating other people at this point. I mean look at this scene. They look so damn happy together. Truly just enjoying one another’s company.

Lucy is beaming with happiness when he spins her around. How he leans into her as he spins her around. Her laughter as she leans into him after he does. My heart is gonna implode from the cuteness everyone haha There’s a reason it’s one of my all time fav moments. It’s so sweet Imma get diabetic. Such a good episode I cannot. One of my favs of the season. For this moment alone right here. *sigh* I love them. Moments like this I knew were cementing them for s5. Slow burn at its finest.

~~~~

Side notes- non Chenford

James and Nyla ❤️

Grey, Wes and James making the video while Silas critiques them is hilarious. Makes me laugh everytime cause they’re so bad LOL

Thank you again to everyone. You all are the best for your continued support. The likes, comments and reblogs are everything to me see you all in 4x19 :)

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eriexplosion · 3 months

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Cut for fandom salt

The reason I get so heated about the 'Is Tech Alive/Dead' discourse is that like. It is very hard for me to explain just how pissed I would be if he was dead. Not because 'oh no a thing happened in the show that I didn't like' I'm in my fucking thirties I've dealt with shows making stupid decisions before. It's what a permadeath here in particular would mean with everything surrounding it.

It's starting a series based around getting you to want a family to reunite just to pull the rug out 2/3rds in and say 'lol dumbass they were never going to reunite.' All those themes of family and needing it to be complete? Never meant anything.

It's building up a character, intentionally making sure he's read as neurodivergent in a very clear and confirmed way, giving him multiple plotlines, and then cutting them all off without finishing any of them by taking two episodes to set up a mission that has zero plot purpose except to kill him off and then say Oh well it's stakes and consequences there had to be a price to pay for... trying to reunite the family and save their brother I guess. How dare they.

It's providing zero confirmation in story on the death, spending months upon months saying shit like 'he doesn't come back in this episode at least' and 'this was the end of mine - and that's a good thing!' and 'if you could only see who's on my screen' knowing that there's a large portion of fans genuinely upset by his death, using social media pretty much exclusively to rub our faces in the scene, and then turns out they were just stringing everyone along the whole time, he really was dead, the lack of confirmation in episode meant nothing, us playing coy and dropping hints for ten months meant nothing, fuck you for giving a shit.

It's setting up a story where the clones could be more than soldiers and then abruptly cutting it off and going on and on about how wonderful it is that he died self sacrificing as a soldier and it's what any clone would want, because this show about how all clones are individuals is actually about how they're all interchangeable and any clone would want the same thing.

It's that if Tech is dead there is not a single piece of the show, a single interaction with the fans since it happened, a single anything from anybody involved that was not set up to make ND people hope (or god forbid even feel some kind of acceptance at seeing a neurodivergent character getting treated seriously) string them along, and then punish them for it so that everyone else can coo about how mature and bold it was to kill off the autistic guy for shock value. And then they don't even fucking address it the next season because ~oh there's just no time~

And I would really prefer if a show that I have loved almost every other aspect of, that has been genuinely well written and moving, didn't randomly decide to drop every single piece of their writing ability in order to put out the most ambiguous death scene ever, fuck with their audience for ten months, and then shit on them for caring.

#eri talks #because every goddamned day I have to see another thing about why 'oh it's good writing if he's dead'#no it's fucking not #this is not one of my well reasoned and in depth debate posts this is me venting

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dmysterioblog · 5 months

Note

If it is okay can i request Toxic!Agatha and fem! reader?

Initially, everything starts as a normal relationship very sweet and romantic (maybe including smut).

Then, Agatha begins to isolate reader until, mysteriously, reader loses their job. Agatha comforts reader, Agatha is their only support. Time passes and reader stays at home, reader has tried to get a new job but have not gotten any job interview. Until reader discovered the truth on Agatha’s computer, Agatha had left her user open and reader could see everything she had done. So reader planned to run away.

Reader did it.

Agatha is furious.

She's going to get you back

You Can Run But You Can’t Hide

Paring: Toxic!Agatha Harkness x fem!reader

Summary: Agatha slowly starts to inside you so you can only rely on her and her alone but her plan has one flaw.

Warnings; hurt/comfort, a bit dark.

Word Count: 1.0k

A/n: Alright one down, four requests to go 😭🙏🏽

You and Agatha had met about a year ago. You two hit it off super quick and soon started dating. She was the girlfriend everyone would dream of. She would randomly buy you flowers, buy you gifts, shower you with kisses and so much more. A couple months into the relationship you noticed that Agatha would get jealous easily but it wasn’t something you couldn’t handle.

You found it cute at first.

Then, as time went on, Agatha's jealousy escalated into controlling behavior. God forbid if another man or woman looked at you the wrong way. She also insisted on you staying home while she did all the working but you didn’t want to. You liked working. It was a sort of freedom for you.

You were now sitting on your desk, doing some paperwork when you received a call from your boss calling you up to his office. You calmly put the papers aside and walked towards his office. You knocked on the door before walking in and stood in front of his desk.

“Ms. L/n, you might want to take a seat.” You gave your boss a confused look before taking a seat.

“Is there something wrong Mr. Stark?”

“It has come to my attention that you have been selling information to competing companies.”

“What?! I would never do such thing-”

“There’s evidence to back it up. Now I'm going to give you the option to resign and I won't have to bring this to court.”

“But I-”

“Please make a wise decision.” You sat there stunned. Who would set you up and for what reason?

You took a deep breath before placing your name tag on his desk and walking out with tears running down your face. You went to your used-to-be desk, picked up your things, and walked out. As you drove home, your mind raced with unanswered questions and disbelief.

You cried to whole way. It was only one in the afternoon and Agatha didn’t get off of work until three. You were devastated until you saw her car miraculously parked on the drive meaning she was home. You parked and rushed inside the house.

“Hey baby, what are you doing here so- what’s wrong my dear?” You threw yourself into her arms, sobbing.

“I- I just- got fired-”

“Shhh, darling calm down, okay? Deep breaths.” You cried in her arms for a while before you calmed down and were able to talk.

“Alright, tell me what happened,” Agatha encouraged you.

“Mr. Stark had called me into his office to tell me that someone told him I was selling information to other competing companies and that there was proof. He gave me the option to let me resign and that way he wouldn't bring the situation to court. I swear I didn’t do it, Aggie. I was framed-”

“Hey, I believe you baby,” she hugged you tighter, “Who would do such a thing?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think it’s best if you stayed home for a few days.”

“I will but I'm going to look for a job after.”

“Whatever makes you happy, though I think you could stay home permanently while I do the work.”

“You know I like to work.”

“Yeah, I know.” She ran her fingers through your hair until you fell asleep and carried to bed. She gently placed you on your shared bed, tucked you in, and placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I’ll make sure you never leave my side, darling. Just you wait.” she whispered darkly before making her way down to her office. She had been the person that alerted Stark of the apparent ‘fraud’ going on in his company. It was all a part of her plan to keep you home with her, forever. All she had to do now was make sure you didn’t find a new job.

She started plotting ways to sabotage your job interviews and make it impossible for you to leave.

—

“Alright, thank you either way.” That was the tenth job you had called and had been turned down. You didn’t know what was happening or what kind of sick joke was being played on you but you were going to get to the bottom of it. You went to get your laptop but realized it was dead so you decided to use the one Agatha had in her office.

You walked in, sat on her chair and opened her computer. When you did, there was an email tab already opened. You were about to close it when you read the name of one of the companies you had applied for a job. You frowned and began to read the email. It said horrible things about you as an employee. And it was all written and sent by Agatha.

There were emails sent to all the companies you applied to and more. How could she do such a thing?

You quickly closed the laptop and ran towards your bedroom. You went into the closet and pulled out a suitcase and began to pull your clothes in it. You needed to get away from her. You needed to leave before she came back. Once you were done, you ran to your car and shoved the suitcase into the backseat before getting into the driver’s seat and driving off.

—

When Agatha got home she found it strange that your car wasn’t there. She thought maybe you had gone to the store for something. She walked into your shared bedroom and immediately knew something was wrong. She walked into the closet and saw that most of your clothes were gone.

“Fuck.”

She ran into her office and opened her laptop only to see the last email she had sent the night before. How could she forget to close the tab? Agatha quickly realized what had happened. She had made a small mistake, and now you were on the run. She heavily sighed before leaving a text message for you.

‘You can run but you can’t hide, darling. You’re mine.’

#fanfic #hurt/comfort #x reader #agatha harkness #agatha harkness x reader #agatha x reader #darkish #toxic love #tony stark #stark industries #oneshot

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cpunkhobie · 1 year

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Hissing: tell me about ronin. NOW. Funfacts, day to day life, their relationship with their father, anything! I must know more..

I tried writing this before but it was incomprehensible so I’m rewriting it ok SO

Their relationship with splinter varies with each of them pretty wildly with the differences in their roles and where they primarily front like . Ough my god imma just ramble abt raph for a bit

So raph is basically constantly in the fight mode of the fight flight or freeze response. He was the first person to split and in his mind the reason he split is because Splinter Couldn’t protect them so they just had to protect themself. Because of this he holds a lot of resentment that he isn’t even aware of, because for the majority of his life his only purpose was to Protect The Body, only really fronting during training or fights. If there’s ever a fight and he’s not fronting he’s always co-con backseat driving giving tips and techniques and basically a lot of “BEHIND YOU,” and “TO YOUR RIGHT” but with a bit more colorful language and name-calling. He gets better at this I swear

And because his only purpose was to just, be the fighter, he was also the only one who would Never talk during training, period. Otherwise his brothers would have some light banter, leo would throw around a couple one-liners Splinter would follow suit, or chat during breaks and stuff at the least. But with Raph it was just quiet. Pre-system discovery, these days were splinters “favorite” because it was clear that Ronin was paying attention and focused with the lesson, and the less banter also helped the two of them get better in The Zone. This was not without detriment tho, as after these training days Ronin would be bedridden for sometimes days at a time due to the hours of pure endurance with little to no food or water. Splinter did take notice of this though, and the few times Raph would stop for water or- god forbid- food it was because Splinter forced him to.

Post-system discovery though, there was a week where Splinter refused to let Raph do any training at all to try and break him out of his shell a bit. How well that went is still undecided . He’s a very pissed off angry fellow that one.

Omfg this could so quickly turn into me just rambling abt raph but I'm not gonna he's such a little guy to me.

Ok so with Donnie it's a whole other story, because while Raph is the one whose the most emotionally closed off from splinter, probably because he's the most emotionally closed off one in general, Donnie is the one is the most confrontational with their dad. Confrontational isn't exactly the right word, but i can't think of anything better right now. Basically if Donnie and the rest of them Don't want to do something he's the last resort to be like "yeah fuck you." He gets the job done and works best when they're isn't an immediate threat. He prepares shit, if there's a technique or style or move set they're learning that they haven't done yet he's the first person to analyze it technically and figure it out, then he leaves the rest of it up to his brothers. He's mostly there to help with processing, which means that him and Raph don't often front together, since Raph is much more quick decisions with zero thought, but when they do Boy Howdy. Someone's getting fucked up

And I know I'm talkin a lot about training and fighting styles and yadda yadda but most of their days are just pretty chill. It's just chilling talking with their dad, reading books, looking for shit, scavenging. Especially after they found out abt being plural Splinter decided it was time to cool it down for a lil bit. Omfg I have so much more to say in terms of just general knowledge and fun facts and stuff my GOD. Anyways fun fact is that they were assigned non-binary at birth. Splinter saw this mutant turtle baby and thought "I don't know how to figure out this things sex" and so he didn't

@nerves-nebula hands 2u

#roninpluralau #jonahs lemonade stand #mutuals #nerves #OIGH. cutting msyelf b4 I use go off cause I could #I WANNA TALK MORE BUT I ALSO DONT WANNA JUST DUMP EVERYTHING IN A SIMGLE POST the dilemma of memral illness #rottmnt #rise tag

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sweet-seishu · 2 years

Text

11:26pm

bonten! rindou haitani x fem! reader

warnings: angst, hurt to comfort, established marriage, mentions of divorce, NSFW, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, squirting (the spicy isn't very descriptive, but it's still there), NOT EDITED, just overall terribly written, and very half assed. time stamped bc that's when i made the decision to post it today.

a/n: when i tell you this has been in my drafts for MONTHS and i just never posted it and now i'm cleaning out my drafts so here, i know it's bad leave me alone.

network tag: @tokyometronetwork

Divorce.

The word was running through Rindou's head as you sat across from him at his desk, chewing on your lip as you let him process what you had asked. There was no argument that led to this, no big fight, you had just asked him out of the blue. He was confused, he hadn't done anything wrong, so why did you want this?

There was of course a reason, you were just scared to bring it up.

"Why?" Rindou asked. You wouldn't look at him, you couldn't. "Y/n-"

"I-" You started, biting your lip to keep the tears from falling. "Rin, I'm just– I'm not happy anymore."

"But- what did I do?" The question seemed so innocent, and it made your heart hurt more as you thought about how to answer.

You didn't want him to be upset with you, you didn't want to end on a bad note. "Rin it's what you're not doing." You said softly.

"What I'm not-? What does that even mean?"

You finally looked at Rindou, and he looked irritated. You couldn't blame him, you were vague in your answer, and you knew he didn't care to figure these things out.

But you were just so tired. Tired of waiting for him to come home, tired of him working all those late nights. He's barely paid attention to you over the last few months, and you couldn't take it anymore.

"Rindou." You sighed. "I can't take this anymore. You're always at work, you're barely home, and when I do see you you barely acknowledge my presence."

"I'm just trying to give you a good life y/n, I need to work to do that." He said bluntly. "You knew what you were getting into when we stared dating as teenagers."

"Yeah Rin, I knew you'd be busy, and I knew there would be times when I wouldn't see you. But this has been going on for months. I dont even remember the last time we've had a conversation this long."

"You know how busy Bonten is becoming. I'm sorry I can't be home all the time but come on y/n-"

"Yeah I know how busy it's been, but I'm your wife Rindou, you should still be able to make time for me. If I'm being honest I feel like this is already over, and it's been over for a while."

Rindou was taken back by your words. How long have you actually been thinking about this?

"Night after night I wait for you to come home, just to remember what your stupid fucking face looks like, but then I fall asleep cause god forbid you come home at a normal hour, and then you're gone when I wake up." You said, choking on your words as the tears built.

You let a few tears fall from your eyes as you stared at Rindou. Someone you've known and loved all your life suddenly looked like a complete stranger.

"I'm breaking Rindou." You cried. "I'm completely falling apart here, and you don't even see it. It's like you don't even care. I'm completely at the bottom of your priority list, and it fucking hurts."

Rindou only looked at you, not knowing what to say. He hadn't realized how bad it was, but as he really looked at you now, he noticed the weight you lost, the bags under your eyes, and how the light was completely gone from them.

"Nothing to say?" You asked, swallowing the lump in your throat. "Then that's it. I'll call our lawyer in the morning. You can just go back to work." You pulled your wedding ring off your finger, suddenly feeling naked as you placed it in front of Rindou. "I love you Rin, and I'm always going to.. but I'm done waiting for you."

With that you left his office, leaving Rindou be as he stared at the ring. How could he be so stupid? How could he not realize how little he actually saw you?

He groaned, running his hands through his hair before looking at the picture of you two on his desk.

His blonde and blue hair, glasses on his face as he smiled at the camera, while you kissed his cheek, your y/h/c hair blowing out of your face, the hint of a smile on your lips as they touched his cheek.

You had taken that after he had told you he loved you the first time. The smile on your face after he said it was permanently marked in his mind, a smile so bright it made him weak in the knees.

Rindou loved you with all he had, and he has since you were teens. He was never the best at expressing his feelings, something you knew all too well, but he didn't want it to come to this.

He didn't want a divorce, the thought made him feel sick, like he wanted to throw up.

He wasn't going to let this happen, he couldn't.

"I just don't know how it got to this." You said to your friend on the phone. "How can we go from talking about starting a family, to getting a divorce?" You asked, voice cracking as a tear fell from your eye.

Rindou was standing on other side of the door, his heart sinking at your words.

"Was it because of me?" You cried. "Was I too much?"

Fuck, no you were perfect to him.

"Did he stop loving me?" You sobbed, looking down at your hand. You winced at the small 'rin' tattoo that was on your finger, a tattoo that was usually hidden by a ring.

Absolutely not. He loved you more than life itself.

He couldn't listen anymore, slowly opening the door to bedroom, making you turn your head. You told your friend bye, hanging up the phone placing it on your nightstand.

"What do you want?" You asked.

"To talk." He told you, sitting beside you on the bed.

"We don't have anything to talk about Rindou. It's done."

"I don't- y/n I don't want that." Rindou told you, csrefully putting his arms around you so he could pull you close. He felt you tense, and it hurt him more than he could admit.

"Rindou I'm just not seeing any other option." You told him.

"Pretty girl, I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry I let it get to this. I never wanted to hurt you baby."

You started sobbing, shoulders shaking as Rindou buried his head in your neck.

"I can't just let you walk away from this, from us. I promise I'll be better. I'll be the man you married, someone you deserve."

"I don't want an empty promise Rindou. You always put Bonten before me and I can't take it anymore."

His hold on you tightened. He really was an idiot. "It's not empty. I'm so sorry I ever made you think this marriage was over, sorry I ever made you doubt how I feel about you. I only wanted to give you the life you deserve."

You sighed, slowly moving to face him.

"Rindou, I don't care about having a lavish life, I don't need expensive things. All I need is you. You're all I've ever needed and you- fuck Rin- you slipped completely out of my grasp."

Rindou pulled you closer to him, holding you tightly as you cried into his shoulder. He rubbed your back soothingly as you held onto his dress shirt so tightly you could hear it ripping.

"Look at me." Rindou said softly, making you lift your head from his shoulder. He gently moved your hair behind your ear. "My pretty girl. I hurt you really bad didn't I?"

"You did." You said softly, sniffling as Rindou moved his hand to wipe the tears from your cheeks.

"I won't hurt you anymore, I promise you that. I'll be home more, I'll let you know if I have to stay late, I'll do whatever I have to, just please stay." Rindou choked, his eyes stinging. "You're my soul mate, losing you would be losing a part of me, and I just can't-"

You cut him off, kissing him softly as you tasted the mix of your tears. When you pulled away you let your forehead meet his, looking into his violet eyes.

"Okay." You said softly.

"Okay?"

"I won't go anywhere." You whispered. "Just please, please don't-"

"I won't." Rindou told you, knowing exactly what you were going to say. He pulled your ring from his pocket so he could slip it back on your finger. "I love you so much y/n, let me show you yeah?"

You nodded before Rindou placed his lips on yours, both of you easily melting into eachother.

Your hands found their place in his purple hair, tugging at the strands as you tried to get closer to him. He held on to you for dear life, scared to let you go as he licked your bottom lip. You quickly opened your mouth, your tongues tangling as everything quickly became hot.

"Off." You said against his lip, ripping his dress shirt open, not caring about the buttons. You just wanted him, and you wanted him now. It's been so long since you were together like this, and you weren't ashamed to show how needy you were for his touch.

It all happened so fast, and before you knew it you were beneath Rindou, moaning as he brought you to your fourth orgasm of the night.

He spent a long time, prepping you with his fingers and tongue, making you cum again and again before filling you with his thick length, a feeling you had missed so much.

"Rin." You gasped as he hit that spot inside you again and again. "Please don't stop!"

"Fucking hell y/n. You're squeezing me so fucking tight." Rindou moaned, pounding his hips harder into you. Your nails scratched at his broad back, making him hiss as you screamed, squirting your juices all over his abdomen.

"Fuck!" Rindou groaned, pumping inside of you a few more times before stilling his hips, painting your walls white.

You were both silent, the only thing that could be heard was your heavy breathing as Rindou lay on top of you, being mindful not to crush you with his weight.

"Rindou?" You whispered, making the younger Haitani look at you.

"What is it pretty?"

"Can we go take a bath? I'm kinda of sore." You chuckled, moving his hair out of his face. He only smiled, slowly pulling out of you before standing up.

"Give me a sec okay?" He said, kissing your forehead before walking off to the bathroom. He ran a hot bath, making sure there were lots of bubbles and a nice bath bomb, just the way you liked it.

He walked back into your room, smiling at your sleepy state. He picked you up bridal style, carrying you to the shower so you could both rinse off first.

You sighed when you got in the tub, your back against Rindou’s chest as he held you.

He realized how much he really missed moments like this with you. He really did take you for granted, he knew that and he hated himself for ever making you think he didn't love or care about you.

"Rin are you okay?" You asked.

He hadn't realized he was crying.

"I just, fuck." Rindou sobbed. "I'm just so fucking sorry."

Rindou rarely cried, not like this. Sure he shed a few tears here and there, but he never completely broke down. You didn't know what to do.

"Rindou it's okay." You told him.

"It's not. It's not okay." He sobbed again, holding you tighter against him. "Can't believe I alm- almost let you slip away. Can't believe I made you feel like this was over, I'm so-"

"Shh." You cooed, turning around so you could face him, not caring about the water spilling over the sides of the tub. "Baby it's okay, I forgive you."

"You're just, you're everything to me and I almost let you walk I-"

"Rin." You said softly, holding his face between your hands. The tears in his eyes wouldn't stop, breaking your heart as you tried to consol him. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."

Rindou looked at you, nothing but love for him in your eyes as you comforted him. Fuck he really was stupid.

"Let's get out of the bath and go to bed okay?" You smiled. Rindou nodded, closing his eyes as you placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, letting him calm down.

You both stepped out of the tub once his tears stopped. Rindou grabbed towels for you both to dry off before he grabbed your hand, walking you back to your shared room.

Rindou quickly slipped on a new pair of underwear before tossing you a shirt of his and a pair of sleep shorts.

"Let me just grab some new sheets okay?" Rindou told you. You nodded, smiling when he kissed your forehead.

When he returned you helped him change the bedding quickly, finally laying down with the soft duvet covering the both of you.

He was quick to grab you, cuddling you into his side, as he kissed the top of your head. You traced his tattoos, making Rindou sigh in content.

"Love you pretty girl." Rindou whispered, stopping your actions so he could grab your hand, lacing your fingers together. "I'll love you forever."

"I love you to Rin." You told him kissing his skin, finally letting your eyes flutter shut. "Forever."

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers x y/n #tokyo revengers x you #tokyo revengers smut #bonten x fem!reader #bonten x reader #bonten smut #bonten rindou #rindou #rindou haitani #haitani rindou #rindou x reader #rindou haitani x reader #rindou haitani x you #rindou haitani smut #haitani rindou x reader #haitani rindou x you

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kaz-oooo · 10 months

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I know tumblr is like well past the Dream and Quackity situation, but I opened TikTok this morning (my first mistake) and well.. they’re still debating whether Quackity is an asshole for cutting contact with Dream and like…

They’re both grown adults! Quackity can make his own damn decisions and he doesn’t need to justify them to every single person on the internet. Honestly I think he took the more mature approach, he isn’t an asshole for just.. not wanting to be friends with somebody anymore, even if the reasons why are petty and boring.

Dream on the other hand turned something that should have just been between them and wrote a whole twitter thread about his grievances with Quackity, begging him to return while painting him like the bad guy for not messaging him back :(((( who “inadvertently”encouraged his fans to take sides and go harass Quackity about something that wasn’t even a big deal… what hopefully wasn’t a big deal…

God forbid this was deeper than some petty drama over a Minecraft server, it would sure look bad if Dream had acted like a total cunt behind the scenes and then got his fans to harass the one guy who tried to cut contact and move on..

#also weird how Tubbo and Ranboo maturely handled their divorce #but grown adult Dream freaks out when Quackity doesn’t message him for like a week #dsmp #qsmp #mcyt #quackity #Dream #dream discourse

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warriorcatsofficialfacts · 3 months

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my take on fanon mapleshade is people are trying to make a "I suffered, so should they" character into a "I don't want anyone to suffer like I did" one. they think that because her kittens died horribly she'd have empathy for queen suffering a similar fate, when she'd probably condemn them to it. that and some level of misogyny, bc God forbid a woman not be overly empathetic and motherly

the second point is definetly true since they also try to characterize Mapleshade as much more motherly than she is even with her Own children

mapleshade loved those children, yes. there is nothing in the text to support the idea she loved them more than their father did except her own words. and, regardless of how much she loves her children, she's not a particularly good mother. she risks their safety for no reason on several occasions, she views them as bargaining chips, she never considers how They will be impacted by Her decisions. and as is shown in crookedstars promise and omen of the stars, she doesn't even like kids. she liked Her kids. she doesn't like women at all, even though the fandom really wants her to be a Dark Angel for wronged women. she doesn't like People but she especially doesn't like women. mapleshade hates reedshine more than she even Dreams of hating appledusk

and also she's a fucking pageant mom

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archetypesanalysis · 4 months

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The 3 Seasons: The Myth of Persephone

For the overall series analysis, I will be referring to “Goddesses in Everywoman” and “Gods in Everyman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen. I will be talking about the Bad Batch Season 3 Celebration Europe trailer and the official Season 3 trailer. I will also refer to the titles of Season 3 episodes for this analysis. I will make some predictions for Season 3, so if you do not want to read into it, you can just scroll away.

I view the overall theme of the series from the Persephone archetype. Persephone is the innate archetype of Omega, and we mostly view this series from her perceptive. In my character analysis of Omega, I have stated that the Persephone archetype is an “anima woman”. The anima is described by Carl Jung as “the unconscious feminine side of a man”. With that, I interpret that Omega is the “anima” to all clones. Since all clones (except the unaltered clones Boba Fett and Omega) are genetically modified to be more docile and compliant to ensure that they follow orders without questioning, this means that their Persephone archetype resembles the Kore (“nameless maiden”). Though, after going through traumatic experiences, their Persephone can transition to Queen of the Underworld, becoming more mature and assertive. This is what happens to Echo as stated in my character analysis of him. What Omega goes through can be a shared experience for the clones.

After looking from a wider perspective, I interpret each season as a transition period taken by the Persephone archetype. Season 1 is about life-changing choices. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, the Persephone woman is “a good girl” that wants to please her Demeter mother. She is obedient, compliant, cautious and often sheltered. She is too attached to her mother that she lacks assertiveness and independence. She often waits for someone or something to transform her life. When the Persephone woman falls in love with a man, she may go through the stage of being Persephone “the pawn”, in which she becomes the object to be possessed in a power struggle between a man and her mother. This man usually has a typical “bad boy” personality, or he may come from a different social class or culture. He may be the first person who has not treated the Persephone woman as a pampered princess, and will not put up with her “princess” act.

The Demeter mother will view this man as Hades, the god of the Underworld that kidnaps Persephone in the Greek myth. He is different from “the nice young man” she has envisioned. Since the Persephone woman is a usually compliant daughter, her mother may feel confident of attacking her choice of men. Her mother may strongly disapprove the man’s personality, character or background. She may occasionally question her daughter’s judgment, competence and morals. However, the man’s ability to resist her mother is one reason why the Persephone daughter is attracted to him.

The Persephone woman may be, for the first time, at odds with her mother and her standards of good girl behaviour. Her mother or family may forbid her to see the man she loves. She may agree to their decision, but later sneaks off to meet him. Alternatively, she may try to convince her mother of his good qualities. Soon, the man usually demands that she confronts her mother or give up trying to get her mother’s approval. He may propose her to live with him, marry him, leave the area with him, or cut off contact with her mother. In this struggle, the Persephone woman has two choices: she goes back to her mother and becomes the restored compliant daughter, or she takes her chance and runs away with him.

If the Persephone woman chooses to rebel and run away, she may begin her journey towards becoming a separate, self-determining human being. She may be exposed to new experiences that shapes her identity. However, she does so at the risk of trading a dominating mother for a dominating man. If she chooses to return to her mother, she will continue to be “the good girl” but she risks losing her sense of identity. Regardless of her choices, there are no easy outcomes, and her decision will lead to life-changing consequences. By defying her mother, the Persephone woman has changed and is no longer the compliant person she once was. She cannot ever go back to the old ways. Fortunately, reconciliation with her mother can come later, after she has gained emotional independence.

Order 66 and the rise of the Empire put the clones in this struggle faced by the Persephone archetype. They can choose to be loyal to the Empire, or run away from the Empire. Omega chooses to leave Nala Se and run away with the Bad Batch. Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo choose to run away from the Empire. Rex, Gregor, Howzer and some of his men also choose to rebel. However, their rebellion comes with a downside: they are branded as traitors to the Empire. Rex has to be careful in building up his resistance network. Gregor tries to escape but he gets recaptured, and the Bad Batch has to come to save him. Howzer and some of his men are thrown into prison. The Bad Batch becomes mercenaries that work for Cid, who is unreliable and has questionable morals. On the other hand, Crosshair and the majority of the clones choose to stay with the Empire and be “good soldiers”. Though, Crosshair is secretly rebelling the Empire as he never plans to kill the Bad Batch. Instead, he tries to convince the Bad Batch to join the Empire so they can have a purpose. When the Bad Batch still refuses to join the Empire, Crosshair lies to the Empire that they have perished during the bombardment of Tipoca City as he tries to protect them.

Regardless of their decisions, there are life-changing consequences with no good outcomes. Project War-Mantle is actively carried out to replace the Clone Troopers with Stormtroopers. Nala Se is taken to Mount Tantiss as the Empire needs her skills and expertise for nefarious purposes. Tipoca City, which serves as the home for the clones, is destroyed by the Empire. The Clone Wars have truly ended. The clones cannot go back to their old ways. Moreover, the Bad Batch is not the same anymore as Crosshair refuses to rejoin the squad. Although they cannot go back to what they were once before, reconciliation is possible in the future, just like Omega believing that Crosshair will return because he is still their brother and her brother.

Season 2 is about the slow descent to the Underworld. Throughout Season 2, the Kiners have made cryptic tweets by inserting tiny texts underneath the sentence “made by mematic”. These texts form this poem:

“Can you hear me?

I’m down here at the bottom.

My words cannot reach you.

And you can’t reach me.

But you are with me.

Here at the bottom.

At the end.”

I interpret this poem as “the descent to the Underworld”. In Greek mythology, Persephone is gathering flowers in a meadow with her companions. She leaves them as she is drawn to a beautiful narcissus. When she picks the flower, the ground splits open before her, and Hades comes in with his gold chariot pulled by black horses. He seizes the terrified maiden, who screams for her father Zeus. However, Zeus ignores her cries because he has given Hades the approval to abduct her and make her his unwilling bride. Hades plunges down to the abyss, carrying Persephone deep into the Underworld. Then the earth closes over, as if nothing has happened.

The Underworld is separated from all the realms. Hence, nobody can hear Persephone crying for help. She is “down here at the bottom” – in the Underworld. Her words cannot reach anyone above the Underworld, and nobody from other realms can reach her. I interpret the words “But you are with me. Here at the bottom” as Hades telling Persephone that he is with her in the Underworld – he is telling her to accept her fate of becoming his wife, and that she would never see her mother Demeter and the sunlight again. The words “At the end” may be a depiction of the Underworld as the realm of the dead and as the archetypal image of depression.

In the myths, most enter the Underworld or meet Hades involuntarily. The most common method is through death, or more specifically physical death. Facing probable or certain death can lead a person to experience the descent to the Underworld. In “Ruins of War”, Rampart shoots Captain Wilco, causing him to fall off a cliff as if he has descended to the Underworld. We have also seen the clones being sent to die in heroic deaths or unnecessary deaths. In “The Outpost”, Mayday breathes his last when he gives up living due to the realization that the clones are nothing more than expendables to the Empire despite their loyalty and sacrifice, and that Lieutenant Nolan refuses to give him medical treatment.

The other involuntarily descent is caused by victimization – being abused, feeling helpless or experiencing terror. This causes the person to be “abducted” to the Underworld, just like Persephone’s fate. In “Tipping Point”, Howzer and two of his men are being shuttled off-world by the Imperials. Thankfully, Echo, Gregor, Nemec and Fireball manage to intercept the shuttle and rescue them. Howzer does not know where they are being sent to, but he does recall that several clone troopers were transferred off-world in rotations, and they never came back. It is later revealed that these clones are sent to Mount Tantiss for Dr. Hemlock.

Mount Tantiss is created by Timothy Zahn for the novel “Heir to the Empire”. The name “Tantiss” is intended by Zahn as a reference to Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology who cooks up his son Pelops in a stew and serves it to the gods to test their omniscience. The gods immediately know something is amiss, but Demeter, who is grief-stricken by the loss of her daughter Persephone, absentmindedly eats part of the boy’s shoulder. The gods then put Pelops back together and resurrect him. He gets an ivory prosthetic shoulder made by Hephaestus to replace the missing part of his shoulder. As for Tantalus, he is thrown into Tartarus, and made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reaches for the fruit, the branches raise from his grasp. Whenever he bends down to drink, the water recedes below his level.

Tartarus is the darkest, deepest part of the Underworld where the Titans are imprisoned after the Olympians successfully overthrow them. In the later myths, mortals who go against the gods are sent to Tartarus for punishment. Using this analogy, the clones who disobey and question Imperial orders are sent to Mount Tantiss (their version of Tartarus) for Dr. Hemlock to carry out inhumane experiments on them. Furthermore, Crosshair also ends up on Mount Tantiss for killing Lieutenant Nolan. On the other hand, Omega is kidnapped by Dr. Hemlock and is trapped on Mount Tantiss, mirroring the abduction of Persephone. Emerie Karr, who is Hemlock’s medical assistant, believes that it is futile to escape from Mount Tantiss.

Hades and Dionysus, the God of Wine and Ecstasy, are connected to the Underworld. The Underworld is “the Shadow world” where anything that is unacceptable or too painful are dismembered and thrown here. Dionysus, being the dismembered archetype, knows this feeling of descending into the Underworld all too well. In “The Clone Conspiracy”, Rex manages to save Senator Riyo Chuchi from an assassin, who is revealed to be a clone trooper. The identity of Clone X is unknown as his identifying markings have been removed. It is widely believed that Dr. Hemlock has been brainwashing clone prisoners and turning them into Clone X. It is as if these clones have their identities “dismembered” and “thrown into the Underworld” – they have become mere shadows of their true identities. This is similar to the dead inhabitants of the Underworld that exist as ghostly shades forever. They are required to drink from the river of forgetfulness (Lethe) to forget their earthly life. Once they forget their earthly life, they may be reincarnated with no memory of their previous existence.

In psychological terms, the descent to the Underworld is a sign of depression. Incidents such as losing a loved one, being abused, losing the way of being, surviving a traumatic accident, losing a job, or going through a breakup or divorce can cause a person to lose meaning, purpose or hope in life. They feel cut off from everything that used to give them meaning and joy. They become Hades the recluse as they shut themselves off and may withdraw from reality. After losing Tech, Hunter, Echo and Wrecker involuntarily descend into the Underworld. Wrecker loses his joyful personality and weeps. Hunter gives up the possibility that Tech may be alive. He gives up continuing the mission to find Crosshair and decides to settle down on Pabu with Omega. Echo grieves by himself on the Marauder. Coincidentally, if you take the first letter of the last four tracks of Season 2, which are “Plan 99”, “The Sacrifice”, “Standoff” and “Don’t Stop Searching”, you get “PTSD”, which is the short form for post-traumatic stress disorder. The Bad Batch (and the audience) suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after losing Tech – an involuntary descent into the Underworld.

Hunter, who has the Demeter anima, is taking on the negative aspect of this archetype after losing Crosshair to the Empire. He is determined to keep his remaining teammates together. He wants all of them to keep a low profile and find a place far away from the Empire. He refuses to get involved with Rex’s resistance network because he feels that it is futile to fight back the Empire. From his perspective, the Empire is a powerful monster who has snatched Crosshair away from him, and he blames himself for the loss. After they lose Tech in a failed mission to locate Crosshair, Hunter becomes more depressed and he blames himself for the loss. He gives up the mission to find Crosshair and decides that they should settle down on Pabu since he believes that Tech has made the sacrifice so they can live. I believe that Hunter would become overprotective and overcontrolling if they managed to settle down on Pabu. He probably would not let Omega out of his sight, and he probably would not allow Wrecker to try anything new. He would probably try to convince Echo to abandon his fight against the Empire. Of course, his plan is ruined when Omega is kidnapped by Hemlock.

In various myths, some people enter the Underworld or meet Hades voluntarily. Examples of notable figures like Orpheus, Psyche, Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Dionysus descend into the Underworld as their heroic tasks. However, voluntary descents are done at great risks as there is no guarantee of a safe return. By enacting Plan 99, Tech is the only one who descends into the Underworld voluntarily, and his fate is uncertain for now.

People have complained about the pacing and shifting tone of Season 2. One side we are in a colourful world of Riot Racing or going on a treasure hunt, while on the other side we are looking into the evils of the Empire and their cruelty towards the clones. I think the drastically opposing tones have something to do with fantasy and nightmares. The Underworld is the realm of the unconscious, in which we enter through imagination, dreams and nightmares.

When Persephone becomes depressed (possibly being dominated and limited by people who keep her bound to them), she bottles up her negative feelings and withdraws into the shadowy world of an imagined life. She may spend too much time by herself or retreat to her imaginary world to get away from people who are abusive or intrusive towards her. She cuts herself off from people with her imaginary world, turning it into a safe haven when the real world seems too difficult or too demanding. However, this sanctuary may become a prison. By constantly withdrawing from reality, Persephone people may slip into psychosis. Some choose to avoid the harsh reality by staying psychotic. Some may use their mental illness as a metamorphosis, as they become more aware of themselves and break free from constrictions.

Many clones are confining themselves with their fantasies. After spending 6 months of laying low since “Kamino Lost”, Hunter thinks he and the rest of the Bad Batch are free. Cid warns him that the Empire is expanding their control and they will soon turn their attention to her operations on Ord Mantell and the Bad Batch will be in trouble. Cid sends them on a mission to retrieve one of Dooku's war chest so they can pay off their debt and be truly free. Hunter wants to give Omega a safe place to live, so he agrees to the mission, with the intention of using the fortune to buy their freedom and move somewhere far from the Empire. However, Echo wants to use the fortune to help Rex's resistance network because the Empire is growing in power, and they should be doing more. Hunter keeps trying to run away from reality and holds onto the belief that they all can be safe from the Empire. He does not want to get involved with the clone rebellion because he does not want that kind of life for Omega. His fantasy almost comes true when Phee introduces him to Pabu, and he wants to settle down there with Omega. However, his fantasy turns into a nightmare when Omega gets kidnapped, and he now faces the harsh reality.

The clones who are loyal to the Empire keep holding onto their purpose as soldiers. They are willing to follow orders and make sacrifices for the Empire. However, their fantasy is shattered when the Empire passes the Bill to force the clones into retirement and replace them with Stormtroopers. Crosshair keeps trying to ignore all the warning signs, believing that his loyalty and superiority will keep him around for the Empire. His mindset is completely shattered in “The Outpost”. On the other hand, Riyo Chuchi thinks that she can prevent the Bill from being passed, and actively does everything to expose Rampart's involvement in the bombardment of Tipoca City. She is successful with the help of Rex and the Bad Batch, but Palpatine manages to twist their efforts for his benefit, and the Bill is passed, which shatters her fantasy.

The events of “Plan 99” have sent the Bad Batch into the Underworld. I believe that season 3 would show the Bad Batch in the Underworld and how they would get out of there. This would mirror the myth of Demeter and Persephone, which is used to describe seasonal changes, specifically from winter to spring. Coincidentally, the Bad Batch Season 3 will start at February 21 (winter) and will end at May 1 (spring), and this was once a possibility that I have thought about after the announcement of Season 3 last year (and it came true!). I have only seen the low-quality Bad Batch Season 3 Celebration Europe trailer, but based on the scenes, I can see that the Bad Batch is suffering in their own versions of the Underworld. Even their clothing only consists of black, white, grey or fading colours. The official Season 3 trailer seems to confirm my findings further.

Omega now wears the uniform of the medical assistant, like her sister Emerie Karr. She is shown in two hairstyles: one is her Season 2 hairstyle, and the other is a longer hair that resembles Emerie’s hairstyle. The change in hairstyle indicates the passing of time. Initially, she has a hopeful and innocent glint in her eyes. However, as time passes, Omega becomes tired and depressed – she is losing hope. She is also shown to be experimented on. Hemlock has warned Nala Se that her failure and defiance will lead Omega to be tortured since Nala Se cares about her. Moreover, troopers are seen to escort her wherever she goes and she is locked in a tight cell – she is bound and limited by Hemlock’s orders. Omega’s Underworld resembles what Persephone has experienced when she is abducted by Hades – she does nothing but sit, and thinks that she will never see the light of day, pick a flower, or see her mother Demeter again. She does not eat, drink or smile at all.

Crosshair looks absolutely defeated. He knows Omega is with him now, and he probably has heard about what happened to Tech. In “Tipping Point”, Crosshair sends Plan 88 to warn the Bad Batch to hide because the Empire is after Omega. He expects them to do what he says. Instead, they try to find him, which leads to them losing Tech and Omega being kidnapped by Hemlock. Crosshair is devastated and disappointed at his brothers. He becomes hopeless that they would come to rescue him and Omega. After all, they have disappointed him for disobeying his orders, and he can no longer see what is ahead of him accurately. After his prediction has been proven wrong, Crosshair probably starts questioning whether he knows himself and his brothers well enough. His identity and ego have been damaged by the harsh realization of the Empire’s cruelty towards the clones in “The Outpost”, and now, his identity and ego are further damaged by this incident. It is worth noting that the Underworld being the realm of the unconscious is where the ego dissolves and a person may be overcome by irrational fears. With his ego damaged, Crosshair may be overwhelmed by anxiety and depression. This would explain why Crosshair angrily yells “I am not them!” to Omega when she tells him that she is not giving up on him because he is her brother. Crosshair no longer identifies himself as part of the Bad Batch. He is no longer confident with his abilities and his teammates’ abilities. He is also consumed by rage and grief, and he lashes out at Omega. His Underworld resembles a broken Apollo and Artemis, an enraged Poseidon, and a depressed Hera.

Hunter and Echo are seen on a snowy planet. The wintery environment represents Hunter’s grief and rage at his loss. He is determined to find Omega and he is not going to let her wait for another day. His Underworld resembles a grieving Demeter, who sits in her temple and refuses to function as the Goddess of Grain. The earth is plunged into an eternal winter, and famine threatens to wipe out the human race. No gifts and honours can appease her as she refuses to allow anything to grow until her daughter Persephone is returned to her. In the official Season 3 trailer, Hunter’s bandana no longer has the skull symbol that represents Clone Force 99. He probably covers up the symbol because the family is fractured, and he feels that he has failed as their leader. Right now, he resembles a broken Zeus. Moreover, Hunter’s pessimism has consumed him and has affected others. Although they do not go back to find Tech, Hunter just assumes that Tech did not make it, and weeps for him. Echo and Wrecker are convinced by Hunter that Tech is gone, though Omega takes a while to be convinced. His pessimism gets stronger when Hemlock throws Tech’s broken goggles at him, and psychologically attacks him about the crushing weight of the leader upon losing a teammate. He now resembles Dionysus being trapped in the Underworld, consumed by grief and rage, and he does not know a way out. The Season 3 poster shows Hunter’s battle-worn helmet in a position that resembles the helmet-marked graves of clone troopers from “Victory and Death”. I interpret it as Hunter has been “buried in his grave” and he is currently in the Underworld, which matches his Dionysus archetype because Dionysus has a grave in Apollo’s sanctuary at Delphi.

Echo is barely present in both trailers. I interpret it as Echo withdrawing from his teammates and investing all his energy into his work for the rebellion. In “Truth and Consequences”, Echo does not like the loneliness due to his traumatic experiences back on Skako Minor. However, we see him grieving by himself on the Marauder, looking sadly at the empty seat where Tech once sat on. Losing Tech has caused Echo to experience loneliness once more, which is his Underworld. Echo is like a depressed Persephone, who fades away and withdraws from everyone because she feels (often inappropriately) guilty, blameworthy and powerless. This makes sense because Echo is the one who introduces the Bad Batch to Cid, who ends up betraying them to the Empire and causing Omega to be kidnapped by Hemlock. Moreover, Echo is also the one who gives Tech the data to be decrypted, leading them to discover that Crosshair has turned on the Empire and is now being held captive by Dr. Hemlock. He proposes the team to travel to Eriadu so they can plant a homing beacon on Hemlock’s ship, which will help them to find Hemlock’s base and Crosshair’s location. However, their plan goes awry and they lose Tech. Echo probably feels guilty about everything that has happened. He probably blames himself for introducing Cid to the team and for proposing the plan to Eriadu despite none of these are his fault. He feels powerless to prevent these tragedies from happening. His loneliness, self-criticism and feelings of inadequacy cause him to withdraw from Hunter and Wrecker. Since Echo struggles to express his feelings with words, he ends up channelling his grief and rage through work, like what Hephaestus does. However, this will cause Echo to withdraw further and risk suffering from a burnout – like his inner “fire” may be put out as he becomes unbalanced and risks losing connection with his Hestia anima.

As for Wrecker, without Crosshair, Tech and Omega as his Apollo, Hermes and Athena (“the voices of reason”), he may become more reckless and impulsive. This may explain why he complains about encountering and taking down monsters repeatedly in the Celebration Europe trailer – perhaps he accidentally wakes them up. It is possible that his recklessness and his tendency to act before he thinks have gotten him into many troubles that almost cost his life. His Underworld resembles a disgraced and broken Ares, like a hero, whose ego and worth are identified with success, experiences death through a major defeat on a competitive battlefield. Wrecker is once a hero who always has everyone’s backs, but after losing Tech, he probably blames himself for failing to hold onto the falling cart long enough for Tech to get back up (even though he is not his fault at all). This major loss probably damages Wrecker’s heroic attitude and sense of immortality, dragging him to the Underworld. Monsters are usually the manifestations of our fears in our unconscious, and using this analogy, Wrecker is facing his fears as he fights the monsters.

What about Tech? Tech is currently in the Underworld with an uncertain fate. According to Hemlock, his broken goggles are the only thing he manages to salvage from the wreckage. The goggles (and his eyes) are part of Tech’s identity, which is evident with Cid calling him “Goggles” and Phee calling him “Brown Eyes”. Now that Tech has lost his goggles, he has lost part of his identity. He is also now all alone, separated from his squad. This is called psychological dismemberment, where anything being “cut off” is thrown deep into the unconscious (or the Underworld).

Each member of the Bad Batch is in their Underworlds. I view the Bad Batch as the complete psyche (or mind) as they complement each other perfectly. The loss of a member means they lose something important – as if the mind is going through a breakdown. Losing Crosshair means they lose the ability to see the bigger picture that the Empire is going to expand their control to the point that they have nowhere to run (Apollo), the willingness to fight for what is right (Artemis), and the importance of loyalty and brotherhood (Hera and Poseidon). Losing Echo means they lose their sense of Self (Hestia), the ability to channel their emotions through creative means (Hephaestus), and the ability to make sense of their loss and guide others through difficult times (Persephone Queen of the Underworld). Losing Tech means they lose hope (Hermes) and wisdom (Athena), and they end up in the Underworld without the ability to make sense of their suffering (Hades). Losing Omega means they lose compassion, optimism and receptiveness (Persephone). If they lose Wrecker, they would lose the ability to express their emotions (Ares), and the fun and vitality (Aphrodite). If they lose Hunter, they would lose valuable leadership (Zeus), unconditional love (Demeter), and the ability to embrace their uniqueness (Dionysus).

Based on the scenes shown in the Celebration Europe trailer, I believe that they are from episodes 1 to 4 because their productions were done or almost done before April 2023, where the Star Wars Celebration Europe took place. I believe episode 5 did not make it to the trailer due to incomplete production before April 2023 (and possibly being a spoiler-filled episode) or they only included very few scenes of episode 5 for the trailer. Joel Aaron (or joelaron on twitter), who is the Director of Cinematography Lighting & FX for Star Wars animation, including the Bad Batch, made a tweet on April 2023 saying that he is “sitting here after reviewing dailies just now, for a mid-season 3 episode”. Dailies are the prints of film scenes before editing. It is now confirmed that episodes 6 and 7 are the mid-season 3 episodes. He also said that the fans “will be very, very fulfilled” and “if you only knew who is on my screen as I type this”. This made me believe that mid-season 3 is when Crosshair and Omega get rescued because this would be very fulfilling for the fans. Since the official Season 3 trailer shows scenes of Omega riding a ship to escape with Crosshair, and scenes of Crosshair wearing his old armour (the Clone Wars era), this means that their return to the Bad Batch is not considered a spoiler. Many fans, including me, suspected that Joel Aaron was referring to Tech being on his screen because the Bad Batch reuniting as six members would indeed be very fulfilling for the fans.

Three episodes will be released for the Season 3 premiere, and their titles are “Confined”, “Paths Unknown” and “Shadows of Tantiss”. I believe these episodes would show the Bad Batch in the Underworld, so they will be depressing. Their decision to release these episodes in one day is a good idea because it will spare us from three weeks of depressive episodes. I think “Confined” would take place shortly after Season 2 finale, and this would be when Nala Se begins working on the project Emperor Palpatine has given to her, while Omega becomes a medical assistant. “Paths Unknown” would likely have a time jump, and it would show Hunter and Wrecker have been spending a long time trying to find any information about Omega’s whereabouts. Echo may or may not be with them. Hunter and Wrecker may seek out Fennec and Cad Bane since they used to hunt down Omega in Season 1. However, their search would come out empty-handed and they would feel lost. “Shadows of Tantiss” would show Omega’s hair has grown long, and she is now tired and depressed. She is also being experimented on. She is unwilling to give up on Crosshair but he lashes out at her.

Episode 4 is “A Different Approach”, and I believe this is when Rex tells Hunter “That kid (Omega) may be the key to whatever is happening on Mount Tantiss” (as revealed in the Celebration Europe trailer). It seems that they have gotten information about Mount Tantiss, which is supposed to be confidential. The clones may set off to gather more information, or to sought out the person who has provided the information. Episode 5 is “The Return”, and I believe this is when Tech reveals to the Bad Batch that he is alive, and he has figured out the precise location of Crosshair and Omega. Tech would lead the Bad Batch on a rescue mission in episodes 6 and 7, which are “Infiltration” and “Extraction”. In Greek mythology, Hermes is the one who brings Persephone out of the Underworld to be reunited with her mother Demeter. In my character analysis of Tech, I find Tech to have a strong Hermes archetype, which means he is crucial to the rescue mission.

In episodes 6 and 7, I believe that Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo would infiltrate Mount Tantiss, and then extract Crosshair and Omega. Based on the official Season 3 trailer, there is a scene of a shuttle leaving Mount Tantiss at night and it is being chased by TIE fighters. The atmosphere seems rather peaceful and lacks commotion. This makes me believe that the rescue mission is a covert mission, and not an all-out war as we have hoped for. The Bad Batch only goes to rescue Crosshair and Omega, but they leave the other clones behind. Since the trailer only shows one shuttle leaving Mount Tantiss and it seems to be flown by Omega with Crosshair (and a hound?) in the ship, I believe that Tech, believing in all of their abilities, has proposed all of them to take different escape routes in order to increase their chances of a successful escape. As the Empire’s forces chase down the shuttle where Omega and Crosshair are on (because they are the most important), Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo probably go around to distract and take down the Empire’s forces. This would help them to buy more time for Omega and Crosshair to leave the planet and enter hyperspace. Once they manage to enter hyperspace, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo would take alternative routes to escape. They would probably be reunited by the next episode.

With the Bad Batch whole again, Hunter is happy once more and vitality returns. This resembles the myth where Demeter finally reunites with her daughter Persephone, and she restores fertility and growth to the earth. I believe that Hunter only joins Rex’s resistance network to find Omega, and now that she has returned to him, he would probably decide to leave the resistance. He would want the Bad Batch to go back to a life they once had and could have – working as mercenaries, teaming up with Phee, and settling down on Pabu. He would want that kind of life to be completely restored to the Bad Batch. However, there is a saying that nobody comes out of the Underworld unscathed. In the myth of Demeter and Persephone, since Persephone has eaten the pomegranate seeds offered by Hades, she will spend half a year or two-thirds of the year with Demeter, and the remainder of the year in the Underworld with Hades. In the myth of Dionysus, he successfully goes into the Underworld and resurrects his dead mother Semele, turning him, as what Jean Shinoda Bolen describes, “from an eternal adolescent into a hero”. The journey to the Underworld is an important part of a hero’s or a heroine’s journey. When one comes out of the Underworld, they will undergo change and transformation.

I suspect that episode 10 titled “Identity Crisis” may focus on the Bad Batch struggling with this change after coming out of the Underworld, most evidently Crosshair and Omega. Crosshair may try to enjoy the comfortable life that he deserves to experience at least once in his life, but he may be tormented by Mayday’s death, which gives him the need to fight the Empire so Mayday would not die in vain. Omega, after experiencing the horrors during her captivity on Mount Tantiss, may want to fight the Empire as well. As the team struggles with conflicting interests, Hunter may try to convince them to settle down and enjoy a comfortable life.

With Omega escaping from Mount Tantiss and now safe with the Bad Batch, Nala Se would stop working on Emperor Palpatine’s project, and she would not be moved by any threats made by Hemlock. With the project being halted with failed results, Emperor Palpatine would be disappointed. Moreover, the fact that the Bad Batch is able to find out Mount Tantiss, infiltrate the base and successfully escape with Omega and Crosshair (who are prisoners there) is highly concerning. In “Tipping Point”, Tarkin is concerned that the loss of the ship that is supposed to transport Howzer and two of his men to Mount Tantiss will compromise the Weyland facility. He is also worried that the data inside the ship may be accessed by the rogue clone troopers who have hijacked the ship. Hemlock tries to reassure Tarkin that the facility will not be compromised because the clone prisoners do not know where they are taken to, and that the data is heavily encrypted. Yet, Tech is able to decrypt the confidential data. I believe that Hemlock’s overconfidence would be his downfall, and Tech would take full advantage of it. With the security and the secrecy of Mount Tantiss and the experiments being compromised, Hemlock would be in trouble. He would lose his job, high status, funding (and clones) for his experiments, respect and reputation. There may be a possibility that Hemlock would no longer be in charge of Mount Tantiss, and this position may be granted to Grand Admiral Thrawn (if they want to link it to the adaptation of “Heir to the Empire”). If Emerie is secretly going against Hemlock, and she has helped Omega and Crosshair to escape, it would add insult to injury for Hemlock. With his entire life and work being ruined, Hemlock may go insane and become determined to get revenge on the Bad Batch and all the clones. He may send all of his forces, including multiple Clone X to destroy them. This may explain why the Empire invades Pabu, and why CX-1 says (probably to the Bad Batch) that the Empire is coming for all of them.

I suspect that episode 11 titled “Point of No Return” may be the Empire invading Pabu as seen in the official Season 3 trailer. Pabu may or may not be destroyed. With their only safe haven being taken away, Hunter would come to realize that they cannot return to their supposed comfortable life. The Empire is expanding control to the point that nobody is safe from its oppressing rule and that nowhere is safe to hide. Hunter would finally lead the team back to Rex’s resistance network for their only choice is to fight the Empire. It is possible that the series finale would involve the Bad Batch and the clone rebellion attacking Mount Tantiss and taking down Hemlock once and for all. The series finale is titled “The Cavalry Has Arrived”, which is the first quote said by Wrecker when the Bad Batch is first introduced in the Clone Wars. This makes me believe that the Bad Batch would come to help Rex and his army of clones to face Hemlock and possibly to blow up Mount Tantiss, which mirrors the Clone Wars episodes where the Bad Batch helps Rex and the Republic forces to defeat Admiral Trench and blow up his fleet.

In the Greek myth, Persephone eventually becomes the Queen of the Underworld. Whenever heroes or heroines descend to the Underworld, Persephone is there to receive them and be their guide. Notable figures such as Heracles, Psyche and Odysseus have been guided by Persephone during their journeys to the Underworld. Hecate, the Goddess of the Dark Moon, Crossroads, Witchcraft and Ghosts, becomes the constant companion of Persephone to and from the Underworld each year. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, once a Persephone woman descends into her unconscious, explores the deep realm of archetypes (which is the collective unconscious), and does not fear returning to reexamine the experience, she can become a mediator between the conscious and the unconscious. People who have been to the Underworld and back can become a therapist-guide who can connect others with their own depths, guiding them to find symbolic meaning and understanding of what they find there.

When I am analysing the Bad Batch arc in the Clone Wars, I find that the Bad Batch act as the guides and therapists to Captain Rex. At the beginning of the arc, Rex is depressed and he has lost his creativity in helping the Republic to win the Battle of Anaxes. The Bad Batch is called in to help Rex. The Bad Batch guides Rex to three different places that represent the unconscious realm: the wilderness of Anaxes (the realm of emotions, instincts and memories), Skako Minor (the Underworld), and Admiral Trench’s fleet (another form of the Underworld). This journey helps Rex to return to who he is, while breaking free from his identity as “just a soldier to the Republic”, which later helps him to survive Order 66. The Bad Batch (and Omega) may guide Rex and his resistance network to Mount Tantiss and defeat Hemlock once and for all. Omega may become an important guide to Mount Tantiss (the Underworld) because she used to work as a medical assistant when she was confined there, and she may no longer be afraid to go back and confront Hemlock.

It is possible that the Bad Batch would survive in the series finale. Season 1 finale titled “Kamino Lost” is described to be similar to “A New Hope”, especially with the scene of Omega watching sadly at the destroyed Tipoca City, which mirrors Luke Skywalker witnessing his home being burned down, and his uncle and aunt killed (this video mentions it from 51:43 to 52:38). Season 2 finale titled “Plan 99” is similar to “The Empire Strikes Back” as the Empire gains victory over the heroes. The team losing Tech, Cid’s betrayal and Emerie being revealed to be Omega’s sister mirror the heroes losing Han Solo (surprisingly Han Solo and Tech share the Hermes archetype), Lando’s betrayal, and Darth Vader revealing to Luke that he is actually Luke’s father. Following this pattern, it is possible that season 3 finale would be similar to “Return of the Jedi” with the heroes reuniting and working together to take down the Empire. Though, it is possible that the clone rebellion would sustain heavy losses even if victory is gained (after all, they probably have to take down the many clones who have been brainwashed by Hemlock), which may cause Rex to give up fighting. There may be more clone survivors by the series finale (this is hinted in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series where a clone trooper is seen begging in the streets), but with Rex disbanding the resistance network, they would be scattered across the galaxy, just like the Mandalorians after the Great Purge. Although it would be a great idea to see the Bad Batch settle down on Pabu and live happily ever after, I think this is not possible with the rise of the Empire and that the official Season 3 trailer shows that the Empire invading Pabu. Since Star Wars is about hope, it is possible that the ending would show the Bad Batch and Omega joining the Rebel Alliance in its early stages. This would contrast Omega and Boba Fett well: Boba Fett is a lone bounty hunter who works for Darth Vader to capture Han Solo, and he ends up in the Sarlacc Pit (but he manages to escape), while Omega works alongside her brothers to fight the Empire, and they probably live long enough to see the Empire fall.

It is said that after a person comes out of the Underworld and heals, they will gain greater wisdom and spiritual understanding. They gain the capacity to grow through suffering and they learn to embrace the human seasonal changes. Just like nature, there will be periods of joy and grief throughout our lives. We must learn to accept changing human experiences and do not lose hope because even spring can emerge from the worst periods of winter. This aligns with the message given by Jennifer Corbett, the Head Writer and an Executive Producer of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which are “even in the darkest times, there is hope” and “trust in family and fight for one another”. The Bad Batch teaching us to embrace human seasonal changes and to remain hopeful even in the darkest times are powerful and important lessons, making the series a modern-day myth added to the Star Wars catalogue.

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